UTSA chemist Banglin Chen receives prestigious Humboldt Research Award (San Antonio, March 25, 2019) -- Banglin Chen, Ph.D., a highly prolific chemistry researcher at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), has been awarded the distinguished Humboldt Research Award. The award recognizes a researcher's entire achievements to date and is granted to academics whose fundamental discoveries, new theories and insights have had a significant impact on their own discipline, and who are expected to continue producing cutting-edge achievements in the future. Chen, the Dean's Distinguished Chair Professor of Chemistry, arrived at UTSA in 2009 and credits the warm weather, tenure position and a beautiful city of San Antonio as convincing his family to make the move. He was born in Zhejiang, China and studied in China and Singapore. He also worked with researchers Omar M. Yaghi at the University of Michigan, Stephen Lee at Cornell University and Andrew W. Maverick at Louisiana State University as a postdoctoral fellow (2000-2003) before joining the faculty at UT-Pan American in 2003. Since arriving at UTSA, Chen has won a series of recognitions for his research. In 2011, he was ranked as one of the top 100 chemists over the past decade based on his citation impact factor. Each year, from 2014 to 2018, he was chosen as a highly cited researcher by Thomson Reuters and Clarivate Analytics. He was also spotlighted in The World's Most Influential Scientific Minds 2014-2018 by Thomson Reuters and is on the 2016 List of Most Cited Researchers in Materials Science and Engineering by Elsevier Scopus Data. As a Humboldt recipient, Chen will visit several institutions in Germany this summer to initiate long-term collaborations with scientists in the nation, particularly Stefan Kaskel, whom he has known for 10 years. Kaskel, who is based at Technische Universitat Dresden, nominated Chen for the Humboldt Award and will serve as his Humboldt host professor. Each morning, Chen awakes with excitement to work with his students at UTSA and make new discoveries. "UTSA has given us the freedom and environment to fully develop our ongoing research, particularly through the Welch research grant," he said. "My colleagues, administrative staff and research officials, particularly Mary Riedel and Neal A. Guentzel, are very friendly and supportive." Chen's work on gas storage, gas separation, photonics, sensing and heterogeneous catalysis has been published over 40,000 times in close to 300 peer-reviewed articles and books with citations. His work has been published in Science, Nature Materials, Nature Energy, Advanced Materials, Energy and Environmental Science and other top journals. The chemist's current research goal is to develop membranes and to commercialize materials for large scale gas separations. For example, a material termed UTSA-280 [Ca(C4O4)(H2O)]xH2O can be straightforwardly synthesized at a large scale in water from sodium squarate and Ca(NO3)28*4H2O. This material is very stable in the air and under water moisture. It shows highly selective sieving separation for ethylene/ethane. "Metal-organic frameworks are very promising materials for gas storage and gas separation at a lower energy and economic cost," said Chen. Michael Doyle, the Rita and John Feik Distinguished University Chair in Medicinal Chemistry, has mentored Chen during their time together at UTSA. "The importance of metal-organic frameworks is likely to be recognized by a Nobel Prize in the near future, and Professor Chen will be one of those in the pool of scientists who are the leaders in the development of this important technology," said Doyle. "His contributions are recognized nationally and internationally, and they bring a heightened visibility to the role taken by UTSA in advancing science and technology." When Chen and Kaskel collaborate this summer, they will examine flexible metal-organic frameworks for gas separation and storage and for energy transformation. In a nutshell, Chen's goal is to discover some basic chemistry and materials that can benefit society. ### This story has been published on: 2019-03-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. South Africa: Africa not free until Western Sahara is decolonised The SADC Ministers Solidarity Conference with Western Sahara will serve to remind the region that Africa will not be truly free until the last colony, the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, is decolonised, says International Relations and Cooperation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu. Sisulu made the remarks while welcoming guests on the first day of the two-day conference in Pretoria on Monday. The preparatory meeting by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ministers and participating Ministers from other regions took place ahead of the SADC Solidarity Conference with Western Sahara by Heads of State and Government scheduled for today. The SADC Solidarity Conference with Western Sahara, said DIRCO, is convened to, among other things, reaffirm the right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination in line with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations (UN) and applicable documents of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and African Union (AU). This conference is a clear demonstration of our international solidarity with the Saharawi people in their quest for self-determination. Over the next two days, SADC hopes to come up with concrete steps in which we can strengthen and support the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination. It is this kind of solidarity and support for the people of Western Sahara that must give courage and impetus to their struggle for self-determination. Most of us here have attained our freedom, strengthened and assisted by the solidarity of people who cared about our plight. We knew that every country has an inalienable right to independence and self-determination, said Sisulu. The Minister acknowledged the significant role played by the United Nations through the passing of resolutions aimed at raising the plight of the people of Saharawi, including a decision that there must be a referendum in Western Sahara. More than 20 countries are represented at the SADC Solidarity Conference with Western Sahara. The countries include Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Algeria, Uganda, Botswana, Nigeria, United Kingdom, Cuba, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Malawi, Eswatini, Mauritius, Tanzania, Seychelles, Kenya, Venezuela, Sao Tome and Principe, Timo-Leste, as well Western Sahara. We as South Africans are honoured to host this conference as South Africa is itself a product of international solidarity. Let the people of Western Sahara leave this conference with the knowledge that we are fully behind them, she said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2019-03-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. By Jung Min-ho The head of a Tokyo pension office has lost his job over hateful tweets against Koreans. Yukihisa Kasai, head of the Japan Pension Service's (JPS) office in Setagaya Ward, said on Twitter that "Korean residents should be purged from Japan and new entries refused" and called them "cowardly people with vassal-like spirits." The incident came only days after a high-ranking official at Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare was dismissed as head of its wages division for allegedly assaulting a Korean Air employee at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul. Kasai admitted to posting the tweets and, after the issue emerged, deleted them all. He was dismissed from his post and transferred to JPS's human resource division. One day not too long ago I found myself in a Barnes & Noble forking over close to $50 at the cash register for a handful of magazines that I had neglected to check the prices on. I never buy magazines anymore, but needed some light reading to kill some time in a hospital, and had no idea that the glossy food pubs that my mom loves were close $10 a pop. We burned through the mags in less than a day. I read a few of them twice. So when Apple announced Monday that its new Apple News+ subscription service would deliver more than 300 magazines directly to my phone for $9.99 a month, I thought: What a bargain! I plan to sign up immediately and not because of extended hospital visits. I love reading long-form magazine articles, but its become a crapshoot as to whether the link I click on from Twitter or Facebook is behind a paywall. I expect to have to shell out for more than the allotted 10 New York Times pieces per month, but even some of my favorite websites, like the New York food blog Grubstreet, are charging for content. Im happy to pay to support journalism, of course, but I cant support more than one or two outlets at a time. The opposite of Facebook The fact that Apple News+ bundles all of those subscriptions into one is obviously a money-saver. (By Apple's math, subscribing to the 300-plus magazines and newspapers in News+ would run you $8,000.) But Apple News is curated by humans, who take into account the trustworthiness of a publication and the credibility of a story before pushing it out to the masses. There is no algorithm leading you to garbage articles that have tons of engagement because they inspire fear or outrage. You just get the news. As someone whos used Apple News since it launched, I expect the same reliable sources from News+. The magazines are varied in topic and tone, but all of the content is high-quality. Then theres the privacy aspect: Apple doesnt allow advertisers to track what you read in News+. The subscription is the product, not you. Algorithms that predict the content you want to watch or read have proved untrusthworthy, and sometimes downright dangerous. Apple wants to keep you engaged with award-winning journalism and gorgeous photography by curating it in one spot for a low price. That engagement wont need to come cheaply by allowing outlets to run amok and share garbage stories for clicks. Design matters Another thing I appreciate about Apple News+ is the way it brings magazines to life in a way you dont often see on the web. Reading a magazine is an experience, because the design and artwork are as integral as the words. (Image credit: Apple) Apple has worked with publishers to create a new experience for the News app perhaps an even better one than physical magazines. As you browse through the catalog selection, the magazine covers arent static the subjects move, drawing you in. There are some magazines Ive never heard of, or have never had any interest in reading. I wont have to comb through them to find articles I might want to read; Apple News+ will learn my interests and recommend stories across its catalog on the subjects Im into at any given moment. And, perhaps my favorite part: Magazines I love the most will automatically download to News+ so I can read them offline. I cant tell you how many times Ive boarded a flight and realized I brought no reading material and Ive already watched the in-flight movie selection. Now Ill have a world of content on my iPad without any action on my part. Outlook Apple has tried this before, with both The Daily, an iPad-only news publication, and the Newsstand app in 2011. But this seems like a totally different approach instead of buying separate subscriptions and accessing them in one app, as with Newsstand, Apple News+ charges one price for all of the content you could want. (Well, not all. But a lot.) Apple News+ is also free for the first month, which will give me plenty of time to decide if I want to pay $9.99. Im already a little disappointed to find out that the Wall Street Journal, which was hyped as a high-profile partner, may not be putting all of its content in News+, according to CNNs Brian Stelter. Other publishers may decide to do the same, reducing the value of a subscription. Im curious to see if outlets that currently charge for subscriptions and are not participating in News+ decide its worth jumping in. Despite taking a smaller cut of each subscription, publishers may be able to reach more people and put the truth in front of more eyeballs. News+ might not be perfect, but if algorithms led us to this cycle of distrust and disinformation, maybe curation can lead us out of it. Be sure to check out our Apple Show Time hub page for a look at everything Apple announced at its March 25 event. Huaweis P30 Pro is grabbing the headlines from the Chinese companys launch event in Paris today (March 26). But its not the only new hardware from Huawei on display. In addition to this new flagship and its four rear cameras, Huawei also showed off a less expensive version of the P30, a new set of wireless headphones, a smartwatch and other accessories. The big takeaway? Huawei may be persona non grata in the U.S. where its feuding with the government and getting the cold shoulder from carriers. But the Chinese electronics giant still wants to make noise that reverberates around the rest of the globe. Heres a closer look at everything Huawei announced. The Huawei P30 Pro Its been a year since we saw the debut of the Huawei P20, and now we have seen the new P30 lineup, the Chinese companys attempt at reinventing the photography-oriented smartphone. And in many ways, the top-of-the-line Huawei P30 Pro looks like an exciting piece of technology. The rear camera array now contains four sensors, including a 5x lossless optical zoom lens and a TOF sensor, along with a 20MP ultra-wide lens and a 40MP main camera with a super spectrum sensor, which is promised to brighten photos exponentially. With a Kirin 980 at its heart, a 6.47-inch display, a 32MP selfie camera and a 4,200 mAh battery, the P30 Pro has all the components it needs to put up a strong fight for the affections of dedicated and amateur smartphone photographers. It comes in three variants, all with 8GB of RAM, but with either 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of storage. Prices are 999, 1,099 euros and 1,249, respectively. Read our hands-on with the Huawei P30 Pro. Huaweis Standard P30 Is Worth Getting Excited About Too The normal P30 isnt as fully featured as its Pro sibling, but will fit in well alongside other affordable flagship phones such as Samsungs Galaxy S10E. The P30 loses out on the TOF sensor, and sees downgrades to the ultra-wide and telephoto lenses the Pro enjoys, and has a smaller display and battery too. The P30 comes in a single 6GB RAM/128GB storage model, and costs around $902, or 602, when converted from the price in Euros. The P30 still has a lot in common with the P30 Pro, though, including Huaweis new 40MP sensor and all the AI and photo processing software that helps power the Pros abilities. Its pretty likely that even this more basic version of the phone will still be highly desirable in a smartphone market thats just getting more and more expensive at the top end. The Huawei FreeLace Wireless Headphones While the P30 grabbed the spotlight at Huaweis event, the companys new in-ear wireless headphones, the 99 ($112, 85) FreeLaces, look equally packed with unique features. Huawei designed the FreeLace with a focus on ease of use, by including a USB-C plug for charging and Bluetooth pairing within the body of the headphones themselves. The magnets which attach the two earbuds together possess control functions, able to play and pause your music, or answer and end a phone call. Theyre also constructed of silicon for comfort, but with a flexible metal core that will keep them in the shape that you set them. The promised battery life is considerably lengthy - 18 hours of playback and 12 hours of talk time. Huawei says that a combination of engineering and software will make the FreeLaces sound great even with significant wind noise around you. It might be time to start treating Huaweis audio ventures as a serious contender to more established headphone makers. Huawei also has a new variety of true wireless earbuds. The Freebuds Lite come with stereo sound, a 12 hour battery life with the battery case, and are IPX4 rated. They cost 119 ($134, 102). Read our hands-on with the Huawei FreeLace. Huawei Watch GT Huawei announced two new editions of its smartwatch, the Watch GT. The Active edition has a 46mm face like the previous Classic and Sport versions, and is available in a new titanium grey color, has a two-week battery life, and costs 249 ($281, 212) The new 42mm faced Elegant edition costs 229 ($258, 195) is made of ceramic, available either in Magic Pearl White or Tahitian Magic Black Pearl, and can last for one week on a full charge. Theres now a new triathlon mode as part of the GT Watchs fitness features, which lets you record all three parts of an event as a single session . Triathlon mode will be available on the two new models, and will come in a software update to older versions. Both the new models also feature flouroelastomer straps, which are durable but comfortable to wear. Huawei SuperCharge Power Bank To make sure all these new devices are kept topped up when youre on the move, Huawei have introduced the 12,000 mAh 40W SuperCharge power bank. With it, you can charge your phone and laptop at the full 40W, a Nintendo Switch at 39W (the same as the charger the console ships with) and, of course, other phones. Huaweis Consumer Business Group CEO Richard Yu proudly said on stage that this power bank could charge an iPhone X faster than Apples own in-box charger. (The SuperCharge powers up the iPhone at 18W instead of 5W). The SuperCharge Power Bank will cost 99 ($112, 84) Gentle Monster Eyewear Smartglasses have yet to take off, despite some valiant attempts. Huaweis decided to try out another partnership, this time with eyewear makers Gentle Monster, to give its effort an edge. The result is some of the most average-looking smartglasses youll see, sporting no external buttons or speakers. Instead, the Gentle Monster glasses are controlled by tapping the legs of the spectacles, with the help of a digital assistant to do your bidding and tell you what you need to know. The Huawei - Gentle Monster Eyewear glasses are expected to be released in July 2019, so keep an eye out for updates as we learn more about Huaweis new take on smart eyewear and what it will cost. Image Credits: Tom's Guide Although Xiaomi has taken the Mi 11 to the max with this Ultra handset's excellent photography, extra display and rapid charging, we need to know the price before we understand how good (or bad) it truly is. Although Xiaomi has taken the Mi 11 to the max with this Ultra handset's excellent photography, extra display and rapid charging, we need to know the price before we understand how good (or bad) it truly is. As far as ultra phones go, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra is hard to comprehend. Its monolithic design, enormous cameras, stunning display and secondary rear display give it an unmistakable look one that shows Xiaomi means business when it sets its sights on taking down its Samsung, OnePlus and Apple rivals. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra: Specs Starting price: TBA Display: 6.81-inch QHD AMOLED (3200 x 1440) Refresh rate: Adaptive, 30Hz/60Hz/90Hz/120Hz Rear display: 1.1-inch AMOLED (126 x 294) Rear cameras: 50MP main (f/1.95), 48MP ultrawide (f/2.2), 48MP telephoto (5x optical zoom, 120x max zoom, f/4.1) Front camera: 20MP (f/2.2) Chipset: Snapdragon 888 RAM: 12GB Storage: 256GB Battery: 5,000mAh Charging: 67W wired, 67W wireless, 10W reverse wireless Operating system: Android 11 with MIUI 12 Size: 6.46 x 2.93 x 0.33 inches (164.3 x 74.6 x 8.38mm) Weight: 8.25 ounces (234g) Water/dust resistance: IP68 Those specs arent just for ticking boxes either. All of them work as well as youd expect, with a few, such as the QHD resolution, 120Hz panel, zippy 67W charging or the telephoto camera, offering class-leading performance. However, this models ultimate fate rests on how much Xiaomi wants to charge for it. The basic Xiaomi Mi 11 is already a great value, and uses several identical parts to the Mi 11 Ultra, so arguably the Ultra could be too expensive for its own good. However, with careful pricing, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra could make itself the most accessible ultimate smartphone around. We know that the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra will be coming to the U.K, though it will skip the U.S., given Xiaomis ongoing dispute with the U.S. government over alleged risks to national security. Xiaomi has yet to name a date and price for the U.K. version of the Mi 11 Ultra. Given the basic Xiaomi Mi 11 costs 749, just a little less than the 769 Galaxy S21 or 829 OnePlus 9 Pro, it follows that the Ultra version would cost well over 1,000, perhaps similar to the 1,149 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and 1,099 iPhone 12 Pro Max. However, the price of the Ultra in India, the only market with an announced price so far, gives us hope. At 70,000 rupees , the Mi 11 Ultra costs less than a Galaxy S21 Plus, and the same as a OnePlus 9 Pro. We can't account for how regional differences will affect that price when it comes to the U.K., but if Xiaomi can afford to sell the Mi 11 Ultra for less than 1,000,, it would undercut its rivals significantly, and become an incredible bargain for the hardware it offers, even accounting for the already cheap Mi 11. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra review: Design You might mistake the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra for the basic Mi 11 from the front. The curved punch-hole display looks smart, but it's indistinct from both other Mi 11 models and other Android phones. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) Flip the phone over, and everything changes. Youre immediately drawn to the huge rectangular camera bump that stretches almost the entire width of the phone, and the top third of the back. The three large camera openings look foreboding, and thats not to mention the secondary rear display sat to their right. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra comes with a tough ceramic body, in either black or white. I prefer the white version since it helps the camera bumps stand out even more, but both colors look elegant and the Mi 11 Ultra should shrug off scratches better than a glass- or plastic-backed phone. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom's Guide) Image 2 of 2 (Image credit: Tom's Guide) Both the front and back of the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra curve into the metal side rails, which makes it fit surprisingly well into your hand and comfortable to use even with just one hand. Youll notice the weight of this phone the moment you pick it up, though. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) At more than 8 ounces, the Mi 11 Ultra is heavier than the Galaxy S21 Ultra or the iPhone 12 Pro Max, though I didnt find it tough to use over long periods. What did get a little annoying however was how easy it is to snag the Mi 11 Ultras large camera bump on a jeans pocket, stopping you from putting the phone away as effortlessly as youre likely used to. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra review: Display Xiaomi has equipped the Mi 11 Ultra with an exquisite display. The 6.81-inch AMOLED panel comes complete with a QHD resolution and a 120HZ maximum refresh rate and has a subtle curve on all four edges to make it easier to hold. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) If you prioritize battery life over refresh rate and resolution, Xiaomi has made it easy to tone down these settings. You can set the display to an FHD resolution instead, and the 120Hz resolution can dynamically scale down to 90Hz, 60Hz or 30Hz if the content youre looking at wont be hurt by a lower refresh rate. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) Watching the Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings trailer to try out the Mi 11 Ultras display, I was not disappointed. The floating water effects, neon lights and burning hot blade that all appear at various points in the trailer all looked fantastic, but as I watched the teaser for the next installment of the MCU, I had a nagging thought the Mi 11 Ultras display is a bit underwhelming. Its the exact same as the one on the Mi 11, which is far cheaper to buy. That means despite the display being one of the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultras best features, the screen is not a good enough reason to pay up for this phone on its own. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra review: Rear display The displays dont stop with the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultras 6.81-inch main display. The back of the phone features a secondary 1.1-inch panel, about the size of a fitness bands screen. Youll find the secondary display within the camera bump, and its one of the Mi 11 Ultras signature features. Unfortunately, the display offers surprisingly limited functionality. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) With the phone locked, the rear panel acts as a miniature always-on display when you tap it, showing you the time, date, battery level and whether you have notifications. When the phones open, you can use the rear screen as a preview window for the rear cameras, allowing your subjects to see themselves before you hit the shutter button. Unfortunately, you can only enable this when in normal photo mode, not when taking portrait mode shots. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) Both of these are practical applications for a secondary display, putting us in mind of how the foldable Samsung Galaxy Z Flip or Motorola Razr use their mini external displays. I cant say Im convinced this is going to be the next hot trend in smartphone design though it feels too light on features to make it worth adding a second screen. Plus the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultras rear panel is very dim. Any above-average amount of light makes it impossible to read, particularly from extreme angles. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra review: Cameras The Mi 11 Ultra aims for camera quality over quantity, offering just three rear sensors. The ones that are there feature impressive specs. The main camera uses a 50MP sensor, with the ultrawide and telephoto cameras both featuring 48MP sensors. The telephoto camera, as text on the back of the phone reminds you, is capable of 120x zoom, although youll be better off sticking to its 5x optical or 10x hybrid zoom levels instead. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) The Mi 11 Ultras front camera has a 20MP sensor, but it almost doesnt need to be there. The secondary display allows all the rear cameras to be practically used for selfies. To put the Mi 11 Ultra through its paces, I compared it with shots taken by the iPhone 12 Pro, one of the best camera phones around. In this first comparison of the phones main cameras, I took a shot of the London Eye that turns out to be a narrow win for the iPhone. The Mi 11 Ultras image is oddly dark, while the iPhone manages to capture the sky just as well as it recreates the detail of the Eyes structure. In a slightly darker environment however, the Mi 11 pulls ahead. See how the colors of the leaves and grass in the sunken square of Paddington Central are much richer than that of the iPhones shot, plus how the Mi 11 Ultra still manages to capture the sky without the light blowing out the color. However when its a proper night mode shot, I think the iPhone has the edge. The Mi 11 Ultras image of the Euston Station war memorial is brighter but fails to capture the color of the sky or the street lamp light cast on the stonework in quite the same way as the iPhone. Switching to the ultrawide sensor, the Mi 11 Ultras larger sensor has produced a brighter image that also retains the detail of the light playing on the metal installation and concrete bridge above. However it is more obviously distorted than the iPhones image, which looks all right overall. The Mi 11 Ultras strongest photos come from its telephoto lens. Xiaomis phone has one of the largest, highest resolution sensors combined with a powerful periscope zoom, so its unsurprising to see that it takes a clearer image at 2x zoom than the iPhones 2x optical zoom lens does. Even increasing to 10x zoom, the Mi 11 Ultra still keeps the Elizabeth Tower, a.k.a. Big Ben, looking sharp, even from the other side of the River Thames. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) The maximum 120x zoom is impressive, as you can see below. However its not a good quality image, and I found it hard to aim without a tripod due to the subtle movements of your hand causing the view to bob and weave. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) The last test is to look at how the selfie camera performs. We see the Mi 11 Ultras image is not as saturated, and has a more subtle bokeh effect in the background. While I prefer how I look in the shot from the Xiaomi phone, the iPhones done a better job with the background. I also tried taking a selfie using the rear display and the Xiaomis main camera. This was fairly easy to manage on the Mi 11 Ultra, and resulted in the highest resolution selfie Ive ever taken. Its this kind of shot, along with the telephoto camera, that sets the Mi 11 Ultra apart from all other flagship phones. Even the images where I picked the iPhone version as the better one, there was nothing actually wrong with the shot from the Xiaomi. It seems safe to say the Mi 11 Ultra has earned the right to its colossal camera bump. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra review: Performance Xiaomi has shoehorned a Snapdragon 888, 12GB RAM and 256GB storage into the Mi 11 Ultra. There arent many phones with better specs, so you can rest assured the Mi 11 Ultra will handle any app or game you want to run on it. On the Geekbench 5 app that measures general performance, the Mi 11 Ultra posted a single-core result of 1,136 points, and a multicore score of 3,724. Thats slightly ahead of the OnePlus 9 Pro (1,126 and 3,685) and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (1,123 and 3,440), but still a ways off the iPhone 12 Pro Max (1,603 and 4,111) and its all-conquering A14 Bionic chipset. Moving to the 3DMark graphic benchmark and its Wild Life Unlimited test, and the Mi 11 Ultra scored 5,617 points and managed an average of 33.8 frames per second. Comparing to the same phones as before, the OnePlus 9 Pro and S21 Ultra beat it (5,755 and 34.5fps, 5,739 and 34.37fps) as does the iPhone 12 Pro Max (9,113, 54fps). (Image credit: Tom's Guide) I tested the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultras performance for myself by playing Mario Kart Tour, and I didnt notice the performance gap between this Xiaomi device and the other phones. The game plays excellently, and Xiaomis Game Turbo software streamlines the phones performance to make sure you get the best from the device, and can play without being disturbed. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra review: Battery and charging The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra is fitted with a 5,000 mAh battery, a hefty power pack for most phones. The Mi 11 Ultras battery is unique in that it uses nano silicon oxide, which allows it to stuff the same capacity into a smaller footprint compared to a traditional lithium-ion smartphone battery. I drained the battery with my informal YouTube binge-watching test, and after 6 hours of non-stop video, the Mi 11 Ultra had gone from 100% charge to 64% charge. As you'd expect from a phone with two screens, the main one being among the best currently on offer on any phone, the battery life takes a severe knock. Even with the phone sat on my desk with the always-on display enabled, (Image credit: Tom's Guide) Impressively, you can charge at the same 67W speed with a wired or wireless connection, assuming you have the right plug and Xiaomi's sold-separately charging stand. While you will get the wired charging block in the Mi 11s box, sadly Xiaomi was unable to provide us with either of these for testing. Its own figures claim that charging with one of these fills the phone 100% full in only 36 minutes. That beats both the Galaxy S21 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro, neither of which come bundled with chargers. However, the latest OnePlus 9 flagships can pull off the same feat while taking a few minutes less, due to their dual-cell 4,500 mAh battery designs. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra review: Software The MIUI 12 spin on Android 11 is a good one, so were glad Xiaomi kept this interface for the Mi 11 Ultra. Xiaomi has successfully balanced the straightforward stock Android experience with its own exclusive features, such as floating windows, always-on displays, and an attractive look with nicely animated transitions. The only new feature worth mentioning is the options menu for the rear display, found within the special features section on the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra. It allows you to pick whether the display shows a clock, signature or image, what color it uses, which notifications show, if you want to turn it on with a double-tap and how long it stays on for before disappearing. You can also disable it completely, which seems like a waste of one of the phones biggest features. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra review: Verdict The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra is a powerful phone thats either going to be the smartphone bargain of the year or repakcage what the Xiaomi Mi 11 already offers. Because of how generous Xiaomi was with the basic Mi 11, which shares the same main display and chipset while still offering competent photography, the Mi 11 Ultra offers less additional value to the Mi 11 compared to what a Galaxy S21 Ultra offers on top of a base Galaxy S21, for example. Therefore, Xiaomi will make or break the Mi 11 Ultra based on how much it charges for the new phone. This is a moot point for U.S. users, who still have to look at other phones by default, such as the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra or OnePlus 9 Pro. U.K. users however could find themselves in one of two worlds. If Xiaomi sells the Mi 11 Ultra for around the 1,000 mark like the Indian retail price suggests, then we will be offered an Android phone with iPhone-rivalling photo quality, two displays and some of the fastest charging speeds around for the price of a mid-level Samsung flagship. It would be hard to deny the Mi 11 Ultra a spot on our best camera phones or overall best phones guides if this comes to pass. However if Xiaomi follows the example of the S21 Ultra and iPhone 12 Pro Max and charges around 1,200, then the Mi 11 Ultra becomes an overgrown Mi 11 that doesn't offer the extra 400 to 500 of value. In this case, it's still a great phone, but one that gets outshone by the nearly identical Xiaomi Mi 11. If you're convinced of the utility of the extra display, the 67W charging and the power of the rear cameras, then buy a Mi 11 Ultra, you won't find these features replicated anywhere else any time soon. Most users in the market for a premium phone might want to wait though, in case we live in the timeline where Xiaomi is about to drop the best value flagship phone of the year. Huawei Matebook X Pro. (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) Update 4/3/19, 12:30 p.m. PT: Huawei sent us a statement vehemently reiterating that the flaw in its Matebook driver was not a "backdoor," or malicious code to enable spying on customers. In its statement, Huawei also seemed to suggest it is open to taking legal action against media over "misleading reports" about this issue: Huawei is concerned that some media misleading that Huawei's PC Manager's previous system vulnerabilities are backdoors. Huawei firmly denied this. In its vulnerability research article, Microsoft also clearly stated that the vulnerability in Huawei PC Manager is a defect in software design, not a backdoor. In November 2018, Microsoft discovered that Huawei PC Manager was vulnerable and reported it to Huawei (vulnerability ID: CVE-2019-5241, CVE-2019-5242). Huawei analyzed and processed the problem in the first time, and in 2019 The patch was patched in January. Huawei will continue to maintain close communication and cooperation with industry partners to continuously improve product safety and protect users' interests from being infringed. For misleading reports from some media, Huawei will retain the right to protect its rights and interests through legal means. Original article 3/26/19, 8:26 a.m. PT: Microsoft security researchers discovered a security flaw in Huaweis device manager driver for the Matebook line of Windows 10 PCs that could undermine low-level kernel protections, not unlike the WannaCry backdoor the NSA developed and then was leaked to the public. The news comes at the heels of Huawei being accused by the U.S. government and other governments of being an espionage arm for the Chinese government. ZDNet first reported the news. Insecure Huawei Driver According to Microsofts researchers, the security issue was revealed by Windows Defender ATPs kernel sensors, which allowed the team to trace a security vulnerability back to Huaweis device management driver. While digging deeper into the issue, the Microsoft researchers realized that the local privilege escalation vulnerability was enabled by Huaweis flawed and insecure architecture design for one of its driver. Microsoft claimed that computer manufacturers such as Huawei can build this type of utilities to facilitate device management. However, these tools contain components that have access to the lowest levels of a system, which means that if they dont have a secure design by default, attackers could use them as backdoors to compromise users systems. Microsoft said that Huawei responded to the vulnerability disclosure with professionalism and that Huawei released a patch for the flaw in January, soon after Microsoft reported the vulnerability. Responding to WannaCry Starting in Windows 10, version 1809, Microsoft integrated some software-based sensors into the kernel so that users could be alerted when code injections are initiated by kernel code. These sensors were put there to prevent backdoors such as DOUBLEPULSAR, which the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) created and then was leaked by the Shadow Brokers group into the wild for any malicious actor to use. The WannaCry ransomware made use of the DOUBLEPULSAR backdoor to inject its main payload into the user space. Microsoft noted that its Windows Defender ATP security service for enterprise customers was able to detect this type of low-level system vulnerability effectively and then alert the system admins about the flaw so that they can take action. The company believes that the service will be able to detect other such vulnerabilities in the future and alert its customers before malicious parties exploit them to create harm. Conservatives fight back against media funded by taxpayers and viewers like you . . . Here's a fact check on the Sunday Rep. Sharice David's rendezvous . . . Read more: Fords best-performing dealers were reportedly given an early look at a prototype for the upcoming 2020 Bronco, a model thats been in the works for a few years, but just like Land Rovers new Defender, the project is and has been shrouded in secrecy. Its quite clear that the Blue Oval intends for it to fight not the hugely capable and successful Jeep Wrangler, but the all-new Defender as well. Rumor says that it will be offered with a removable top and could be offered in two- or four-door form! The 2020 Ford Bronco Brings Historical DNA to the Modern World Fords best dealers were invited to a special event in Palm Beach, Florida, where, according to Automotive News, they were asked to leave their phones at the door; then they were shown a two-door Bronco prototype. During the event, it was confirmed to them directly that a four-door model was also in the works (no wonder, since the four-door version significantly increased Jeep Wrangler sales). It was also revealed that the 2020 Ford Bronco will have a removable top and removable doors, the latter of which can actually be stored inside the vehicle, so you dont have to leave them in the garage. However, unlike the Wrangler, the new Broncos side mirrors wont be fixed to the doors, but to the (very upright) windscreen pillars instead; this way theyll stay on the vehicle even with the doors removed. Aside from the two- and four-door versions of the Bronco that have been confirmed, theres also a Baby Bronco (think Bronco II) in the works too, as well as a new, unibody pickup. Apparently, all these vehicles will share a common theme, like a sub-brand, although Ford is refraining from calling it that. In fact, it is believed its the Baby Bronco will debut first, followed by the Bronco (set to hit dealers in late 2020), with the unibody pickup to follow in 2021. At this point, we really dont know much more than this, other than quoted dealer opinions from the source articles. One dealer reportedly said the Bronco was twice as cool as I thought it would be, while another announced it as a game changer. Prior information points to the fact that the Bronco will be built in the U.S., at the Michigan Assembly Plant where Ford also builds the Ranger pickup. The Blue Oval reportedly invested $850-million in order to retool and update the plant for the Bronco, although since the vehicle shares a shorter version of the T6 platform used to underpin the current Ranger, it means Ford was able to cut some costs. It is also believed that Ford Australia developed the Bronco, since thats where the T6 platform originates from. This was speculated upon by the local Aussie motoring press, but Ford never stepped in to confirm or deny it. But, while it may be similar underneath to the Ranger, the Bronco will have unique, retro-inspired styling that will link it visually to the boxy classic. In fact, in spite of the secrecy enforced by Ford around this project, the manufacturer did tease the vehicle on a number of occasions. We know what the cars side profile looks like (albeit under a mud-sprayed veil), we saw what we believe are leaked photos of the Baby Bronco (from a dealer presentation), and its logo too - we have a pretty good idea of what its going to look like. Further reading Read our full speculative review on the 2020 Ford Bronco. Source: Automotive News In an expected turn of events, Ford revealed the new 2019 Ford Ranger Black Appearance Package. Joining all other manufacturers who offer darkened editions of their trucks and cars, the Ranger Black Appearance Package includes all the standard shaded tricks, and it is available for all trims. The Black Appearance Package joins the arsenal of appearance packages for the Ranger that also include the Sport Appearance Package ($895), Chrome Appearance Package ($795), and an STX appearance package for the Ranger XL. The Ford Ranger Finally Can Be Seriously Stealthy and Mean LISTEN 05:29 What Makes the Ford Range Black Appearance Package Worth Having? This shady 2019 Ford Ranger is a distinct addition to the lineup. But, in reality, it doesn't bring anything revolutionary compared to darkened editions of other cars/trucks/SUVs. With that said, the Black appearance package comes at a cost $1,995 (costliest of them all) and does bring a whole list of darkened elements that include: A black-painted grille Black-painted body panel under the bumper High-gloss black, 18-inch aluminum wheels with black center caps, Black running boards Black mirrors Black fender vents Black sill plates, Black bed liner Black front bash plate on FX/4 models. The end result is a nicer looking Ranger. I grant you that. Although, its not as nice looking as the Hennessey-tuned VelociRaptor Ranger that is also all black. Nevertheless, if you need something to stand out (or "stealth in" actually), then the 2019 Ford Ranger Black Appearance Package is the way to go. Id take it over any other appearance package available, and Id order the truck in black. Not some flashy orange, white, or blue. Considering all Rangers are powered by a 2.3-liter, four-cylinder that develops 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, the new one is equally raspy to 60 mph as any one of them. In this case, youll reach the magic number in just under 7 seconds. On another, more important note, the 2019 Ford Ranger Black Appearance Package, and its 10-speed automatic transmission, will easily tow up to 7,500 pounds. The truck has a maximum payload of 1,860 pounds, too. Select a few specially developed accessories from Yakina and the practicality of the Ranger can be further improved with the rack and carriers for all sort of active lifestyle equipment like bikes, skis, boats, etc. After all, with a Black Appearance package and a happy 2.3-liter, turbocharged engine, this thing feels more like an active lifestyle-friendly machine than a no-fuss work truck. Ford actually reported that two-thirds of buyers order the Ranger with some kind of appearance package regardless of whether its in RWD or four-wheel drive configuration. Do You Remember That Hennessey VelociRaptor Ranger? To show you how cool an all-black Ranger looks, I had to include the VelociRaptor Ranger photo here. Hennessey did an outstanding job with its visual upgrades, but I believe that even the stock one from Ford with a Black Appearance Package can give you a similar stature to this one. What a stock one cant do is provide you with access to 350 horsepower and 385 pound-feet of torque. That is precisely how much power the 2.3-liter engine in the VelociRaptor develops. A Ford Ranger Black Edition Already Exists Now, this is not the first time we have seen a blacked-out Ranger. All the way back in September 2017, Ford introduced something called the Ranger Black Edition in Europe. With a Limited production of only 2,500 units, the Ranger Black Edition was available only with a Double Cab layout. Id even say that it looked more beautiful than the one we got now. Stealthy Cars Are Popular, And the Ford Ranger Just Jumped on the Bandwagon with the Black Appearance Package It seems that darkened editions of the known cars/trucks/SUVs are all the jazz in the industry. After I woke up to the news of the Ford Ranger Black Appearance Package, I wondered who else offers something similar. A brief google search gave me these results for darkened packages available for regular trucks and cars: Range Rover Black Edition Jeep Grand Cherokee Upland Ram Black Edition Honda Ridgeline Black Edition Volkswagen Amarok Dark Label Dodge Blacktop Package GMC Black Edition Chevrolet Midnight Edition Chevrolet Redline Edition It is an apparent frenzy with all dark configurations, and I like it. All cars are better in black. Conclusion The 2019 Ford Ranger Black Appearance Package is the fourth appearance package for one of Americas favorite mid-size trucks. Ford introduced it right at the start of the Ranger second U.S. journey, and I believe it is a smart step in Fords efforts to entice more buyers to come into showrooms. Especially now when the company signed an agreement with Volkswagen for the development of the new Amarok. The next generation of the Amarok will have the same underpinnings as the Ford Ranger. The 2019 Ford Ranger starts at $25,495. The Black Appearance Package is a $1,995 option, and it is available for order right now. Further Reading Read our full review on the 2019 Ford Ranger. 2019 Ford Ranger Raptor Read our full review on the 2019 Ford Ranger Raptor. Read our full review on the 2017 Ford Ranger Black Edition. At the first meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of South Sudan on 21 March 2019, WTO members expressed support for working with the worlds youngest nation in order to advance its accession negotiations. South Sudan pledged to use the WTO accession process as an instrument for promoting peace. All journeys, short or long, start by a mere single step, said Aggrey Tisa Sabuni, Chief Negotiator and Presidential Advisor on Economic Affairs, who led a 13-person delegation in Geneva which also included senior officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and East African Community (EAC) Affairs, the Ministry of Petroleum, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Bank of South Sudan as well as a member of the Legislative Assembly. Mr Sabuni said that Juba stands committed to undertake the required reforms for WTO accession in accordance with the principles of the rule of law, transparency, good governance and respect for human rights. Referring to the ongoing implementation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement signed in September 2018, he added: Words are not enough. The real question is whether the leadership have the leverage to do things differently. It is this context that draws us to multilateral institutions such as the World Trade Organization for guidance and inspiration. It is through institutions such as the WTO that we can prove our commitment to reforms at all costs, he added. Mr Sabuni stressed that apart from oil, which currently accounts for nearly 90% of budget revenues, 60% of its GDP and 95% of exports, South Sudan does not export many products. However, studies have shown that South Sudan has significant potential in agriculture, mining, fisheries, forestry and tourism. Accordingly, we believe opening up to the rest of the world is critical to attracting foreign investment, which is needed to develop and realize South Sudans potential in other sectors, including jump-starting an industrial and manufacturing sector, not only to diversify the countrys export basket but also to generate high productivity employment for our people, who are mostly young, he said. The worlds youngest nation, South Sudan, gained independence on 11 July 2011 and first submitted its application for observer status in the WTO in April 2012. The process then stalled as the country descended into civil war. On 5 December 2017, the government submitted a request for WTO accession which received unanimous support at the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC11) in Buenos Aires on 13 December 2017. The Working Party Chair, Ambassador Mohammad Qurban Haqjo of Afghanistan, commended the strong determination shown by the government of South Sudan, which submitted a Memorandum on the Foreign Trade Regimen (MFTR) in December 2018. This is an impressive achievement, since on average it has taken seven years to prepare the MFTR for the nine accessions of least-developed countries completed to date. This is also the record for all ongoing accessions which on average have taken nine and a half years to submit the MFTR and to hold the first meeting of the Working Party, Ambassador Haqjo said. WTO members voiced support for South Sudans integration into the rules-based multilateral trading system and began examining the countrys foreign trade regime and regulatory framework. They acknowledged the efforts undertaken by South Sudan over a short period of time and encouraged its representatives to remain on track by commencing work on its market access offers on goods and services and keeping members up to date on all ongoing legislative developments. South Sudan is a member of the EAC, which it joined in October 2016. The delegation also took part in the third Trade Policy Review of the EAC (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda) on 20 and 22 March. The meeting of the Working Party was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Ambassador Haqjo under the title Trade for Peace through the WTO Accession Process: Opportunities for South Sudan. The panelists were: WTO Deputy Director-General Alan Wolff; Mr Sabuni; Amb. Kadra Ahmed Hassan, Permanent Representative of Djibouti to the WTO; Amb. Zorica Maric Djordjevic, former Permanent Representative of Montenegro to the WTO; and Mr Daniel Weston, General Counsel and Global Head of Corporate Affairs and Creating Shared Value, Nestle Nespresso SA. The discussion touched on how peacebuilding in the country can have an impact on neighboring countries, particularly in the Horn of Africa. The role of the private sector in supporting WTO accession and the peacebuilding processes was also discussed. Deputy Director-General Alan Wolff made opening remarks at the panel discussion, underlining that the organization will do its part to help WTO acceding governments like South Sudan as well as members use trade as a tool for building and sustaining peace. Mr Wolff said that the Trade for Peace through WTO Accession initiative, which started with the establishment of the g7+ WTO Accessions Group at MC11, has brought the trade community closer to the peace community in recent months. I am proud to say that we, at the WTO, are doing something different. I think perhaps the most compelling reason for optimism for the multilateral trading system is that conflict-affected countries like South Sudan see in the WTO what the founders of the multilateral trading system saw in its creation in 1947. You see a path toward economic growth, leading to greater domestic stability, and a better chance to attain and sustain peace. South Sudan is the timely reminder of the backbones of the multilateral trading system, he added. Mr Sabuni said: South Sudan is blessed with many natural resources, mostly untapped due to years of instability and conflict, lack of clear rules, predictability and transparency, that investors attach great importance to. Joining the EAC and now seeking membership in the WTO is our way of telling the world that we are committed to undertaking necessary reforms that will allow us to attract foreign direct investment into the various sectors of the economy. We believe membership in the WTO will give us the opportunity to create a new virtuous cycle, i.e. increasing the inflow of investment will jump-start and increase productivity across all sectors of the economy. This way South Sudan can trade more, and its economy is set to grow, guaranteeing its citizens high productivity jobs that can allow them to accumulate wealth and rid themselves of poverty. It is only then that the South Sudanese will constructively contribute to the development of our country without resorting to armed confrontations. Amb. Hassan stated that peace in South Sudan creates economic opportunities for the entire region of the Horn of Africa where several peace agreements have recently been signed, especially now that the Agreement on the African Continental Free Trade Area is about to come into force. Amb. Maric Djordjevic highlighted four factors that make a compelling case for how WTO accession presents opportunities for peacebuilding in South Sudan. She stated that WTO accession: 1) contributes to durable peace; 2) is an instrument for better resource mobilization, budget allocation and expenditure management; 3) is a promising framework for reducing the risk factors in countries with high dependence on natural resources; and 4) is an instrument for rebranding a countrys image. Mr Weston highlighted the potential of the coffee sector in South Sudan where Nespresso has operated since 2011 to help rebuild the nations coffee industry that was destroyed by conflict. He stated that the breed of coffee from South Sudan is unique globally, being wild coffee that grows naturally. It has huge commercial viability, having sold out in a record time of six days when Soluja ti South Sudan coffee capsules were introduced into the French market, Nespressos biggest market. Nespresso hopes to restart its coffee operations soon following the signing of the Revitalized Peace Agreement of September 2018. DG Alan Wolff welcomes South Sudans bid for WTO membership Remarks at the panel on Trade For Peace Through WTO Accession, 21 March 2019 Good afternoon. Let me join Ambassador Haqjo in welcoming you to this Panel that is taking place on the margins of the historic first meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of South Sudan. I was present and observed the meeting this morning. I felt the sense of pride, achievement and momentum that were generated by the high-level delegation from Juba and WTO Members. This afternoon, I am very pleased to see the presence of Hon. Aggrey Tisa Sabuni, Chief Negotiator with us as a keynote speaker. Also, it is my pleasure to see both Ambassador Kadra Ahmed Hassan of Djibouti and Ambassador Zorica Maric Djordjevic of Montenegro who have been great Friends of South Sudan since the 2nd Regional Dialogue on WTO Accessions held in Djibouti, last December. As Ambassador Haqjo shared his unique connection to South Sudan, I would also like to share my own. Following taking up the post as WTO Deputy Director-General in October 2017, two months later, I participated in the Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I was privileged to witness the approval by WTO Ministers of an application for WTO accession from then 6-year old young nation, South Sudan. That was a memorable moment in Buenos Aires in what was a remarkable meeting. I believe the message that South Sudan, by its determination to integrate into the world economy, had sent out to the world was very powerful. Since then, I had several occasions to engage with high-level delegations from Juba, including the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Education, and of course, senior trade officials. At the WTOs Public Forum last October 2018, I was privileged to moderate a Panel Discussion on Trade for Peace: Integration of fragile states into the global economy as a pathway towards peace and resilience. As one of the speakers, the Honourable Deng Deng Hoc Yai, Minister of General Education and Instruction of South Sudan struck a sympathetic chord with many of those present when he explained the reasons why South Sudan as a least-developed and post-conflict country was committed to accede to the WTO. His firm conviction was that South Sudans path to WTO membership will support the maintenance of sustainable peace and stability in the country. His remarks are a timely reminder of the rationale of the founding fathers for the creation of the multilateral trading system following World War II. The Trade for Peace through WTO Accession initiative has brought the trade community closer to the peace community within Geneva in recent months. The initiative started in Buenos Aires, with the establishment of the g7+ WTO Accessions Group. The Group was launched by eight vulnerable, least developed countries that have long suffered from conflicts and instability: three WTO Members (Afghanistan, Liberia, and Yemen) and five acceding governments (Comoros, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, South Sudan and Timor-Leste). In their Ministerial Declaration, the Group pledged to use the WTO accession process and membership to promote peace-building and sustainable development, and to facilitate WTO accessions. I was pleased to be at the inauguration of this Initiative and have followed the Groups work since. Their efforts resulted in a series of Trade for Peace events in the fall last year, which included collaboration with the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform. I was also invited to speak at the Paris Peace Forum in November 2018 where I highlighted the role of the WTO in supporting sustainable peace. In December 2018, I had the opportunity to be in Djibouti for the pdf 2nd Regional Dialogue on WTO Accessions for the Greater Horn of Africa (508 KB) under the theme Trade for Peace through WTO Accessions. All participants in the Djibouti program agreed that WTO accession was an important component of the post-conflict recovery plans of fragile states, enabling the establishment of credible policy frameworks and promotion of transparency and good governance. They recognized that the Trade for Peace Initiative was an important way in which the multilateral trading system could contribute to peacebuilding efforts in the Horn of Africa and other parts of the world. In this context, the WTO was formally requested to continue to define its role in making its contribution to these efforts, including through greater cooperation between the trade and peace communities. Todays panel is part of this effort. I cannot think of a better example of Trade for Peace than South Sudans presence at the WTO today. With its strong determination to advance the accession process which is often complex and challenging, South Sudan is demonstrating the potential of the Trade for Peace initiative where peace remains fragile. One of the most compelling reasons for optimism for the multilateral trading system is that conflict-affected countries like South Sudan see in the WTO what the founders of the multilateral trading system saw in its creation in 1947. It sees a path forward toward economic growth, leading to greater domestic stability, and a better chance to attain and sustain peace. The conduct of South Sudan here today is a timely reminder of this fundamental benefit of the multilateral trading system. Let me assure you on behalf of the WTO Secretariat of our intention to do our part, that is to help WTO acceding governments and Members to use trade as a tool for building peace and sustaining peace. Once again, my sincere thanks to the delegation of South Sudan which is committed to working together with the Members of the WTO to make Trade for Peace a reality. Thank you. By Kim Yoo-chul King Philippe of Belgium promised the country's continued support for the ongoing peace process on the Korean Peninsula in talks with President Moon Jae-in, Tuesday, according to Cheong Wa Dae said. The king arrived in Seoul Monday on the second state visit ever by a Belgian leader, and he and Queen Mathilde will return home Thursday. "Given Belgium's pervious role in establishing peace within the European bloc, Moon called for Belgium to play a bigger role in the ongoing peace process on the peninsula, and the king accepted the request," Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement. King Philippe vowed to jointly work for permanent peace on the peninsula, it said. President Moon and King Philippe discussed last month's Hanoi summit between the U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Brussels currently serves as a rotating non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. Their talks also covered strengthening bilateral ties and promoting economic, academic and cultural cooperation. The royal couple were accompanied by a delegation of 200 ministers, high-ranking officials, chief executives and representatives of academic institutions, according to the presidential office. The two also agreed to try and boost the volume of bilateral trade and investment by each. The trade volume between the two countries was $4.7 billion as of last year, up 14 percent from $4.1 billion a year earlier. South Korea established diplomatic relations with Belgium in 1901. "In an expanded meeting with representatives of the South Korean government and those from the European country, the Belgium delegation showed keen interest in exploring fifth generation-centric business development," vice spokeswoman Ko told reporters. After the summit, President Moon hosted a state dinner for the royal couple at the presidential office. Treehugger and our third-party partners use cookies and process personal data like unique identifiers based on your consent to store and/or access information on a device, display personalized ads and for content measurement, audience insight, and product development. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Treehugger.com, including your right to object where legitimate interest is used, click below. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. List of Partners (vendors) Various rides are left abandoned at Woncheon Lake Land Amusement Park in this 2009 file photo. / Courtesy of Ron Bandun By Ron Bandun Today's purveyors of abandoned amusement parks don't know how easy they have it. You can just go to Jungnang-gu and pay 5,000 won to enter . Ten years ago, Korea had one famous abandoned amusement park, Okpo Land, located all the way down on Geoje Island in South Gyeongsang Province, a long trip involving a bus through Tongyeong or a ferry from Busan. So when I discovered Woncheon Lake Land Amusement Park, my life became considerably easier. Lake Land was found at a resort area surrounding Woncheon Lake in southeastern Suwon. The whole area was being demolished to make way for some new megaproject. There actually had been another amusement park right next door, Woncheon Greenland, but it was demolished first. My first visit was in October 2008, when the area still had some life to it and families were still visiting for whatever reason, even though all the rides were closed. The park was not long abandoned and many rides still looked salvageable. It was a small park, but densely built on a multi-level complex, featuring a tacky "Disco" ride decorated in Americana, a flooded haunted house and a dragon-themed roller coaster, all stacked on top of each other. The nearby lake had several attractive floating restaurants, as well as paddleboats. People wander freely past the closed Woncheon Lake Land Amusement Park in Suwon in this 2009 file photo. Courtesy of Ron Bandun I shared some of my photos on a foreign-based website and got a pretty good response. Then the site owner revealed he'd been receiving messages from Suwon City Hall, asking for the pictures to be taken offline. "The park mentioned in the article is scheduled to be developed as a self-supporting new town with general administrative complexes and high-tech industrial sites," they said in a letter. "The park was closed in the winter of 2007 and enclosed with fencing in March of 2008 to prevent trespassers and possible accidents. There is even signage warning that trespassers will be prosecuted." However, none of my pictures show any kind of fence or sign; the only warnings I saw were for the roller coaster, warning riders they are "Not allowed to pregnant." Warnings for a roller coaster advise riders not to get pregnant in English, at Woncheon Lake Land Amusement Park in this 2009 file photo. / Courtesy of Ron Bandun It was clear what motivated the city to come after us: handwringing image concerns that my pictures would make the world think Suwon was a hellscape of decaying amusement park rides. "Since the article and pictures give no description about the area, they can generate misunderstanding and possibly damage the image of Suwon City," the letter said. The site included a note from the city with an unrealistic rendering of the future development, plus a link to gwanggyonewtown.or.kr, a Korean-only site no longer online. A punching bag stares back inside an abandoned fun house at Woncheon Lake Land Amusement Park in this 2009 file photo. / Courtesy of Ron Bandun/2019-03-27() I returned to Woncheon several more times, especially after I found a direct bus route from my apartment and once even played a game of hide and seek among the rides. Another time, I entered one of the floating restaurants, finding a still fully stocked lounge with karaoke and a bar. While there, I encountered a young guy in a suit, who claimed to be a lawyer representing the restaurant owners against the city. He was not happy to see me but I left without any trouble. Sometime in 2010, someone reported the amusement park was demolished. I visited the Homeplus nearby, where from the roof I could see the amusement park still standing, even after they removed the trees and drained the lake, leaving the rides stranded in a vast muddy field I began calling "Mordor." Eventually, that too was gone. For the next several years, construction moved along as they built not just new high-rise apartments but also an entirely new landscape to suit the new development. People began moving in a couple years ago, and most probably don't know what the area was like before Gwanggyo New Town arrived. The writer is a self-described "anarchaeologist." By Kang Seung-woo Korea's notorious elitism has raised its head again as a student club for "startups" at Seoul National University (SNU), one of the country's most prestigious universities, attempted to sell hand-written encouragement letters and used pens to college entrance test takers and their parents as "good luck" items. The front gate of Seoul National University harinder@tribunemail.com New Delhi: State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) Monday said it along with its partner Bharat PetroResources Ltd (BPRL) has won an oil block in Abu Dhabi, where the two will invest $170 million. IOC-BPRL won the block in Abu Dhabis first-ever competitive bid round. IOC and BPRL, a subsidiary of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), acting jointly as a consortium through Urja Bharat Pte Ltd have been awarded 100 per cent stake in the Abu Dhabi Onshore Block 1 Concession, it said in a regulatory filing. The Concession has been awarded by the Supreme Petroleum Council (SPC), on behalf of the Abu Dhabi government, where participation of the Indian consortium is through a special purpose vehicle (SPV), Urja Bharat Pte Ltd. IOC and BPRL hold 50 per cent each in Urja Bharat Pte Ltd. The Indian consortium will make an investment of $170 million for the exploration activities, it said. pti harinder@tribunemail.com Vijay C Roy Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 25 A record shipment to Iran in January has propelled basmati exports from the country. The exports not only registered a positive growth in value terms but also in volume, benefitting both farmers and exporters of the northern region. Iran is the biggest buyer of Indian basmati and it opened its market for basmati import in November last year. According to Agricultural and Processed Foods Exports Development Authority (APEDA) data, the basmati exports to different countries from April 2018 to January 2019 was 33.65 lakh tonnes as compared to 32.80 lakh tonnes during the corresponding period previous fiscal. Till December last year, although there was positive growth value-wise, mainly because of better realisation, however, volume-wise exports witnessed a negative growth. In value terms, during the period April 2018 to January 2019, exports grew by 17% in rupee terms to Rs 24,919 crore as against Rs 21,319 crore in the same period previous year. In dollar terms, the growth was to the tune of 9%. The growth in rupee terms was higher than dollar terms mainly because of weaker rupee. Also, the average realisation per tonne has been about 6% higher at $1,070 per tonne during the period as against $1,010 per tonne in the previous year. Basmati is one of the major cash crops of Punjab and Haryana farmers and it accounts for more than 70-75% of basmati exports from the country. Other major basmati-growing states include western UP, Uttarakhand, J&K, Himachal and Delhi which contribute 25-30% of the total exports. Though the exporters are upbeat, they are, however, of the view that despite significant increase in exports because of Iran opening imports from India, the volume will be more or less the same as compared to last fiscal. According to the exporters, Iran's annual basmati import market is pegged at almost a metric tonne. "There is no doubt that there has been a significant increase in exports in January this year, however, the export volume would be around 40 lakh metric tonnes, which is at par with last financial year," said All India Rice Exporters Association president Vijay Setia. Basmati exports for FY 2017-18 were at 40.52 lakh tonnes as compared to 39.85 lakh tonnes during the previous year. However, the exporters are of the view that the realisation in rupee terms will be higher by 12-17% in the current fiscal as compared to last fiscal. While the shipments of basmati gained, the exports of non-basmati nosedived by 15%. From April 2018 to January 2019, 61.21 lakh tonnes of non-basmati were exported to different countries as compared to 72.41 lakh tonnes during the corresponding period previous year. Exports were down by 18% in dollar value terms and 12% in rupee terms during the period over the corresponding period last year. According to the exporters, due to significant increase in minimum support price of paddy, the Indian rice has been un-competitive in global exports despite weak rupee. rchopra@tribunemail.com Mumbai, March 26 The rupee strengthened by 15 paise to 68.81 against the US dollar in opening trade on Tuesday on fresh selling of the greenback by exporters. The weakening of the US dollar against some currencies overseas and a higher opening in domestic equity market supported the local unit, a currency dealer said. At the Interbank forex market, the rupee opened higher at 68.88 and strengthened further to 68.81 against the US dollar, higher by 15 paise over its previous close. On Tuesday, the rupee ended almost flat at 68.96 per US dollar as participants preferred to wait on the sidelines to see the outcome of the RBIs first-ever rupee-dollar swap auction. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.09 per cent up at USD 67.27 per barrel. Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex recovered by 77.38 points, or 0.20 per cent, to 37,886.29 in early trade on Tuesday. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought equities worth a net Rs 150.40 crore on Monday, provisional data showed. PTI editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Mohali, March 25 Two travel agents were nabbed by CISF personnel after the recovery of forged e-tickets of the Chandigarh-Hyderabad flight from them at the Chandigarh international airport in Mohali today. The suspects, Rajan Juneja and Navin Kumar, both residents of Ludhiana, managed to enter the departure area of the airport where they were caught by the CISF personnel. According to sources, the duo, who operate a tour and travel agency, was escorting some tourists, who were going on a religious trip to Tirupati Balaji. The Mohali police, who took the duo in their custody, said an investigation was on to ascertain the real motive behind entering the airport premises on forged e-tickets. Mohali DSP HS Bal, in-charge of the Airport police station, said the credentials of the duo were being checked. It is a serious matter as the duo had forged e-tickets. We are trying to find out whether their motive was to indulge in some criminal activity here, said the DSP. He said both of them had been booked for forgery, cheating and criminal conspiracy under Sections 420, 465, 467, 468, 471 and 120 B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Airport police station. The duo was produced in a local court, which remanded them in two-day police custody. KP Nayar KP Nayar Strategic analyst The most important clue to how India will engage new Washington was tucked away in a single sentence in the last paragraph of the last four press notes by the Indian Embassy in Washington on the visit of Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale to the US a fortnight ago. Foreign Secretary also met Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and leaders of the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees, it said in an underplayed sentence, as if it was an afterthought. The underplay of Gokhales meetings on Capitol Hill was in contrast to the detailed information released by the embassy about the Foreign Secretarys meetings with US administration officials. New Delhi faces a new Washington for the remaining nearly two years of Donald Trumps current term in office. The President is no longer the all-powerful Chief Executive that he was when he was elected to the White House, with every instrument of state at his command. To both Republican chambers of Congress, coinciding with his own 2016 November election, Trump soon added the US Supreme Court firmly to his side by appointing two conservative Associate Justices, making it a court that is unmistakably Republican-leaning in its intellectual preferences. From January this year, however, the House of Representatives has gone to Democrats following the mid-term November 2018 election. As two rebukes administered by the Republican majority Senate to Trump this month testify, this monolithic pro-Trump majority has cracked. A sizeable number of Republican Senators have broken free of their President and more may do so as the noose of Congressional investigations tighten around Trump and his family. The US Congress has all along been Indias best bet in Washington since this country became a factor in US calculations in the 1990s following the end of the Cold War. The Foreign Secretary has tried to capitalise on this asset now that the modus operandi for doing effective business in Washington has dramatically changed. It was not surprising that information released about Gokhales meetings on Capitol Hill was sketchy: no names of interlocutors, no agenda or agreed outcomes, unlike with his engagements with the Trump administration. Such diffidence is because Indian diplomacy has its task cut out in the US Congress. Yet, much of what it intends to do cannot be done publicly and Congressional leaders will not acknowledge any of it openly even if they do play ball with India. It is one of Washingtons worst kept secrets these days that Pakistan PM Imran Khan intends to visit the US this year. Of course, questions asked in Washington will elicit the formal reply that no such visit has been decided. The Trump administration is fully behind the proposed visit. But there will be many barbs during preparatory stages of such a visit as both sides try to get the best strategic bargains for each other during any Trump-Khan summit. The contours of Khans visit will be shaped by the progress in talks between the US and the Taliban in which Pakistans role is critical. If Pakistans PM gets a red carpet welcome, it will be a self-inflicted slap on Indias face. Having created an illusion of domestic public opinion with help from complicit sections of the media that the US is an Indian ally, like the Soviet Union in the 1970s, images of Khan being feted in Washington will raise uncomfortable questions about Indo-US bonhomie. Only the US Congress can be a spoke in the Trump administrations wheel as it prepares to receive Pakistans PM whenever he travels to Washington. At inter-agency discussions behind closed doors, the State Department is for such a visit, the Pentagon more so, but most of all, are the Generals at the US Central Command in Tampa, Florida: Pakistan is a CENTCOM coalition nation. India is nowhere near that status. Gen Joseph Votel, the commander in Tampa, has more than once publicly stated the importance of Pakistan for the region covered by the US Central Command. The commanders of US forces in Afghanistan, who feel the pressure of the Taliban every night, would do anything if Pakistan could alleviate their suffocation. The Congress alone can mount enough pressure to scuttle the visit. If the visit still takes place, there are multiple ways in which Capitol Hill can take the sheen off Pakistans newly-minted PM. Hearings can be organised by various sub-committees of both chambers at which doubts can be raised amid a blaze of publicity if Pakistan is a friend of America at all. The Congressional Research Service can be persuaded to issue a report that discredits Pakistan. The Congress, in any case, was unhappy that the sale of F-16s to Pakistan was done without adequate consultations on Capitol Hill. Such unhappiness can now be stoked after Pakistan used those planes against India, casting a shadow over the visit. One of the Congressmen who met Gokhale is Brad Sherman, Chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee dealing with South Asia. In July 2014, Sherman led the effort to get newly-elected PM Modi who was until shortly before under a US visa ban to address a Joint Session of Congress three months later. Sherman mobilised 83 Congressmen to start the drive. Now, no one will be surprised if he does the reverse as the new co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans if Khan expresses a wish to address the Congress. All this is not to suggest that Gokhales visit has tied up these possibilities or that he will do any of this himself. He has only set this ball rolling. It is the Indian lobbyists in the US, working with a First Secretary at the Indian Embassy and acting in concert with Congressional staffers, who will get down to the nitty-gritty of these and other Indian objectives. It is a long, challenging road. But a start has been made with the Foreign Secretarys visit. harinder@tribunemail.com At a time when sections that can be tapped as a potential vote multiplier are the centre of all attention, it is encouraging that Haryana has taken a valuable stride toward the welfare of a smaller segment of society persons with disabilities. The latest Haryana Rights of the Persons with Disability Rules, 2019, framed under the Rights of Persons with Disability Act, 2016, is an effort to assist them in everyday matters and put an end to any exploitation that may come their way. Rolling the plan in motion, the government has taken several novel measures, including in the main, the concept of limited guardianship for overall personal care. It will be binding on the guardian to protect the interest of the person while taking decisions on his or her behalf. This would encompass ensuring the right to life, food, clothing and shelter, education, skill development, healthcare, and even religious needs and recreation in short, a full-bodied experience of life itself, with self-respect and dignity. There is no reason why the differently abled should be deprived of any aspect of life, howsoever small. That Haryana recognises these needs, and is willing to act, should inspire other states to go down that road. A dedicated fund has also been envisioned, which would receive grants-in-aid from the state and Central government, corporate social responsibility initiatives and donations. A Committee for Research on Disability, too, will be part of the facilitating structure. The government should, at the same time, make ramps and other supportive infrastructure mandatory at all public places. There should be full compliance since it is the very basic step toward their wholesome inclusion into society. A good initiative should not be lost for want of will, effort or funds. A social welfare net fashioned by compassion, especially for its vulnerable populace, is what a state must constantly strive for. In that, Haryana has ticked another box on its social indicator. harinder@tribunemail.com For a country that will have the worlds fourth largest Hindu population by 2050, Pakistans treatment of its minorities, especially Hindus, Christians and even Sikhs, is certainly not kosher. For a Pakistani minister to term External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajs concern over the recent abduction and forced conversion of two minor Hindu girls a joke belied the ground reality of the daily harassment and mocking of Hindu girls in rural Pakistan. Statistics show that the minority population in India has risen but Pakistans miniscule non-Muslims wait for the first opportunity to jump the fence. Pakistans decade-long tryst with democracy has tempered its discriminatory impulses, but the fact remains that 5,000 unhappy Hindus migrate to India each year. The (mis)treatment of Christians also does not inspire confidence. Recently, a much married Christian woman was abducted, raped and forced to convert. Later, she was compelled to marry her abductor. Pakistan was being ingenious and mendacious when it sought to equate the sorry situation of its minorities with that of India. For one, the biggest difference is that in India, equal treatment of all religions and ethnicities is a given; it headlines itself as a secular republic as against the Islamic nomenclature of Pakistan that inevitably exposes the minorities to the zealousness of proselytising Muslims. The spirit of the Citizenship Bill was meant to prioritise the accommodation of these miserable minorities, though it is now snared in the ethnic-religious complexities of the Northeast. There is a perception of late about a gulf in the action and intention of the Indian state in safeguarding the minorities. But the Supreme Court has acted as an effective back-stopper and will continue to foil any unnoticed or unpunished outrage. The battle cry of ghar wapsi in India has largely been rhetorical. In contrast, abduction, conversion and forced marriages flourish in Pakistan due to the feudal stranglehold and the impunity embedded in religious majoritarianism. Imran Khan has sacked a minister for anti-Hindu utterances, unlike the condoning that has taken place in India. Khan, however, is pitted against Islamic zealots and a national temperament shaped by the stress on Islamisation. He needs to emulate Indias treatment of minorities, even if currently frayed at the edges, rather than enter into a mutually self-defeating slanging match. gspannu7@gmail.com Parveen Arora Tribune News Service Karnal, March 26 In a major security breach, 24 children managed to escape from the state government-run Child Care Institute (CCI), Madhuban, by opening its door late on Monday night. They reached the residence of Gharaunda MLA Harvinder Kalyan after crossing the busy national highway 44 and narrated the problems being faced by them. The children accused the authorities of forcing them to do physical labour and informed the MLA that they were being physically assaulted. They also alleged that the manager of the CCI beat them brutally and he also tried to crush them with his vehicle. Kalyan, later in the night, came to CCI and handed over all the children to the authorities and directed an inquiry into the matter. 24 children came to me when I was holding workers meeting and they narrated their suffering, said Kalyan. I took them to the CCI to hand over to the authorities and spoke to Deputy Commissioner Vinay Partap Singh as it is a serious issue and a big security lapse. I have sought a report on the security lapses and asked for an inquiry to fix the responsibility, he said. The children, who were playing in a government high school outside CCI, told The Tribune that the attitude of the manager towards them was very harsh. They were not given proper clothes for the last two months, they alleged. They said that they were forced to do labour inside the premises by the authorities. On our refusal to work we are often beaten by the manager. On Monday evening, the manager beat us badly and tried to crush us with his car, said one of the children. Hitesh Garg, CJM-cum-secretary DLSA, Umesh Chanana, chairman Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Charan Singh, member Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) also reached the CCI to inquire into the matter. They reviewed the recording of the CCTV cameras and also talked to each child personally to know about their problems. We have interacted with each and every child and inquired about their allegations. A committee has been constituted to check all the facts and fix the responsibility, said Chanana. This CCI has 58 children, who are either orphan or a single parent child, and it remains in news for wrong reason as earlier it grabbed headlines for not having sufficient staff and manager for a long time. Now, when it got manager, the children complained about the strictness, said the sources. Raj Singh Sangwan, manager of CCI, refuted the allegations and said that he has joined recently. He said he was trying to instil discipline in the institute. He said that he did not try to crush anyone and did not beat any child. Principals of 22 autonomous private high schools in Seoul speak about their plan to refuse education authorities unfair assessment standards during the press conference at Ewha Girls' High School in Jung-gu, central Seoul, Monday. /Yonhap By Kim Jae-heun A conflict between autonomous private high schools and the education authorities is growing, with the former planning to ignore the latter's evaluation for license renewal which it claims was designed to revoke the license. The education authorities say the schools' move lacks justification, indicating the schools will be deprived of their licenses if they refuse to accept the evaluation process. Principals of 22 autonomous private high schools in Seoul said Monday that they would ignore the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education's (SMOE) assessment. Autonomous high schools are given more authority in student selection and curriculum. But with higher tuition fees and higher academic levels, they are usually considered "elite schools" attended by children of affluent parents. They must undergo a licensing renewal evaluation every five years. If they fail to receive over 70 points out of 100, they are reclassified as a regular high school. The schools argued that the assessment standards of the SMOE were unfavorable to them and aimed at abolish private schools. This year, 13 of the 22 schools are up for evaluation. "We will not accept the current evaluation standards," the principals said in a statement during a press conference at Ewha Girls' High School in central Seoul, Monday. "Not a single school can satisfy the current standards of the education office, which shows its explicit intention of abolishing autonomous private high schools." They said the unfavorable standards were announced just before the evaluation, claiming the office plans to revoke the licenses of schools whose academic programs and goals do not match those set by the office. They said they would not accept the evaluation indefinitely unless SMOE Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon meets them and agrees to their requests in the assessment standards. The SMOE is taking a stern attitude toward the schools' move, saying it followed the education ministry's recommendations in drawing up the assessment standards, just like other regional education offices. "We attempted to hold meetings with heads of the autonomous schools to discuss the evaluation, but they refused to attend," it said, adding it would decide on the license renewal with its own assessment without reflecting the schools' accounts if the principals refuse to meet with it. The situation is similar for autonomous private high schools in other regions. Besides Seoul, 11 schools are subject to evaluation this year. School parents and alumni of Sangsan High School in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, are also protesting against its regional education office as it has set higher standards than other regions 80 points out of 100 to maintain their licenses. Dongsan Christian High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, also urged the local education office to review their assessment standard. Six autonomous private high schools faced license revocation in a 2014 assessment in Seoul. However, the then-education ministry under former President Park Geun-hye disapproved the regional office's decision, and the Supreme Court sided with the government saying that the SMOE needed the ministry's agreement on the matter. However, the situation is different now as President Moon Jae-in promised to abolish autonomous private high schools across the country which he says bring about educational polarization. As it stands, if regional education offices decide to cancel the licenses of certain autonomous private high schools, the education ministry is likely to approve it. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Ambala, March 25 Farmers leaders under the banner of the Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Party (RKMP) have decided to boycott the BJP and its alliance partners in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni told this to the media here on Monday. He is also the state RKMP president. As for contesting the Lok Sabha elections, the RKMP is still undecided. The RKMP is unlikely to field candidates in the Lok Sabha elections. Instead, it has decided to focus on the Assembly poll only. We are in touch with like-minded people and political parties. A decision regarding the number of Assembly seats to be contested is also yet to be taken, Charuni said. If farmers leaders manage to forge a tie-up with any party, they will seek one seat for the LS poll. Otherwise, no candidate will be fielded, he said. laxmi@tribune.com Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 25 Amidst the ongoing war of words between India and Pakistan over the alleged forced conversion and underage marriage of two Hindu girls in the neighbouring country, the focus has again shifted to the over 1,200 Hindu families from Pakistan living in Haryana for decades who claim having fled under similar circumstances. Such abductions have been rampant in Pakistan. In a majority of cases, the parents would have no option but to give their consent for marriage. Only a few cases, like the present one, get noticed, said Ram Chander, who shifted to Ellenabad town of Sirsa from Rahim Yaar Khan in Pakistan Punjab in 1998 in the wake of attacks post demolition of Babri Masjid. He said the last time a similar case grabbed such attention was of Rinkle Kumari, kidnapped and forced to marry a Muslim backed by a powerful politician. We felt like second rate citizens, and there were cases of girls of poor Hindu families being abducted, he alleged. As many as 66 Hindu families from Pakistan comprising nearly 400 people live in Ellenabad today. Many others are settled in Panipat, Faridabad and Fatehabad. The Pakistani Hindu families living in Haryana are sore that while those who settled in Sriganganagar, Rajasthan, managed to get citizenship, they did not. Surta Ram, who does embroidery work in Ellenabad, said till the Modi government announced facilities of Aadhaar card, PAN card, driving licence and bank accounts for all Pakistani Hindus as a first step towards citizenship in 2016, they could not even buy a SIM card. We could not even afford to fall sick, because prior permission was needed to go to Delhi or neighbouring Ganganagar. Even if granted, it could be too late to serve any purpose, added Ram Chander, who ekes a living by making juttis. My younger brother Gopal was selected for admission to the Jawahar Navodya Vidyalaya, Odhan (Sirsa), on the basis of a test in 20013. However, he was refused admission as we did not have any identity proof, he said. Initially, those in authority, particularly the local cops, used to harass us, but things have improved now with the advent of social media and better transparency in functioning of departments, Ram Chander added. Bhayya Ram, another resident, said even now, their children do not get any scholarship or other grants. The families were hopeful that the Citizen (Amendment), Bill 2019 passed by the Lok Sabha in January would end their despair, but with general elections round the corner, the Bill is set to lapse on June 3 in the absence of Rajya Sabhas nod. CG Rajinikanthan, a Haryana-cadre IAS officer presently on deputation as Director, Census Operations and Citizen Registration, for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, was Deputy Commissioner at Sirsa from June 2010 to February 2011 when some serious efforts were made to provide citizenship to Pakistani Hindus living in Haryana. I had submitted a report to the state Home Secretary before relinquishing charge. Some years back I got to know that the proposal to grant citizenship was under consideration. I cannot say where and why the matter is stuck now, he said. 7 detained for forced wedding of teens Lahore: At least seven persons, including a man who assisted in solemnising the wedding of two teenage Hindu girls after their alleged abduction and forced conversions, have been detained in Pakistan, amid reports that the victims approached a court seeking protection. Raveena (13) and Reena (15), were allegedly kidnapped from their home in Ghotki district in Sindh on the eve of Holi. PTI editorial@tribune.com Dharamsala, March 25 The BJP will launch the Mai Bhi Chowkidarcampaign in the hill state. Addressing mediapersons here on Monday, vice-president of the state BJP Kirpal Parmar said on March 31, the BJP would launch the campaign. The party would hold meetings at various places in Kangra and other places as part of the campaign. Parmar said during the 2014 parliamentary elections, the Congress had flayed Narendra Modi for being a tea seller. At that time, Modi had started Chai pe charcha programme, which was a success. Now Mai Bhi Chowkidar campaign would also be a great success. On fielding minister Kishan Kapoor from Kangra, Parmar said it was a matter of pride for the Gaddis as it was for the first time that any mainstream party had fielded a candidate from this community in the parliamentary poll. He said the BJP was seeking votes in the name of Narendra Modi and work he had done for the development of the country in the last five years. Parmar alleged that the Congress was in disarray in the state. Most of its senior leaders were not coming forward to contest the elections. The party was finding it hard to find candidates. Parmar, however, refused to comment on former Union minister Sukh Ram rejoining the Congress. TNS editorial@tribune.com Palampur, March 25 Food and Civil Supplies Minister and BJP candidate from Kangra Kishan Kapoor called on senior party leader Shanta Kumar last evening to seek his blessings. For the Lok Sabha elections, the party has replaced four-time MP Shanta Kumar with Kapoor. Shanta Kumar had won the last parliamentary elections with a record margin of 1.75 lakh votes. Kapoor along with Vipin Parmar and other party leaders and MLAs reached the residence of Shanta Kumar and urged him to take over the command of his election management. Kapoor said it was Shanta Kumar who inducted him to the BJP and made him MLA and minister many times. The minister said the BJP had given him ticket at the behest of Shanta Kumar only. He described the four-time MP as the most popular and tallest leader of the party. Shanta Kumar said every vote was valuable. Those who are unhappy with the party in the present political scenario should also be taken into confidence and their services should be utilised for the party, he said. editorial@tribune.com Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 25 Former Telecom Minister Sukh Ram and his grandson Ashray Sharma today rejoined the Congress in the presence of the top Himachal Congress leadership. Among those present at the event were AICC in charge of Himachal Rajni Patil, state party chief Kuldeep Rathore, Congress Legislature Party leader Mukesh Agnihotri, senior MLA Asha Kumari, AICC secretary for the state Gurkirat Kotli and Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala. Former Himachal CM Virbhadra Singh wasnt there but he welcomed Sukhram in a Facebook post later during the day. Its learnt that Ashray Sharma could be fielded as the Congress candidate from Mandi Lok Sabha segment considering the clout Sukhram and his family have had in the area. Virbhadra and family have already declined to contest from Mandi this time. I have won 13 elections from Mandi and the rest of the elections my son Anil Sharma has won. My grandson Ashray will also walk on the same path of development which I and Anil have followed, Sukhram said indicating an understanding with the Congress about Mandi seat. Officially though Rajni Patil only said that the partys central election committee will take a call on the candidate from Mandi. Surjewala added, The candidature in question will be positively considered by the party depending on the proposal sent by the state election and screening committee. Sukhram and his son Anil Sharma had quit the Congress in October 2017 on the eve of Himachal elections citing humiliation by a section of state party leaders. Anil Sharma won Mandi Sadar seat on BJP ticket in assembly polls and became a cabinet minister in Himachal. As reported by The Tribune yesterday, Anil Sharma today indicated he could resign from the cabinet. Sukhrams reentry into the party is significant considering sour ties he has shared with Virbhadra Singh in the past. Rahul Gandhi told me that I was part of his family. This is what aided and expedited my homecoming to the Congress, where I have spent most part of my political life, 92 year old Sukhram said. The Congress described the veteran as one of the stalwarts of North Indian politics and a vikas purush. The party trashed questions on the shadow of taint around the ex union minister. "The fact is Sukhram ji has been acquitted in one case and the trial is pending in the other. Also the situation with respect to his cases hasnt changed since 2017 when he briefly joined the BJP," Surjewala said on the issue of alleged involvement of Sukhram in the"telecom scam" . The Congress said it hoped Sukhram would work to make Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister. Surjewala also used the occasion to take a swipe at BJP and said while the Congress was welcoming elders and seeking their blessings, the BJP was snubbing its founders like LK Advani and seniors like Himachal strongman Shanta Kumar by denying them tickets. Sukhram also hailed the Congress saying "This party has space for both young and old." Sukhram turns 93 in three months. editorial@tribune.com Azhar Qadri Tribune News Service Srinagar, March 25 National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Monday filed his nomination papers for the 17th Lok Sabha election from the Srinagar parliamentary constituency and vowed to fight communalism. Farooq, 81, filed his papers at the District Election Office in the city and was accompanied by the partys senior leadership, including former ministers and legislators. Those who accompanied Farooq included his son and party vice-president Omar Abdullah, general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar and provincial presidents Nasir Aslam Wani and Devender Singh Rana. The Srinagar parliamentary constituency, which is spread over three central Kashmir districts, is scheduled to go to polls on April 18 and is likely to see a close contest between the NC and the Peoples Democratic Party the two regional giants and arch-rivals. After filing the papers in which he took an oath to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, Farooq talked to reporters and vowed to fight communalism in the country. We have to protect our country from communalism, our fight is against it, he said. We are confident that we all will win against the fascist forces that are emerging in the country, he added. On a question about the unity of the Opposition, Farooq said all parties, including the Congress, were standing together to fight this evil in India. There is no difference as far as that is concerned, he said. Farooq, who has served as the states Chief Minister thrice and had won the Srinagar parliamentary byelection in 2017, had lost the 2014 Lok Sabha election to Tariq Hameed Karra, who had then contested from Srinagar for the PDP. The National Conference president had earlier represented Srinagar in the Lok Sabha twice, first in 1980 and then in 2009. A veteran politician, Farooq became a parliamentarian for the first time in 1980 when he was elected to the seventh Lok Sabha. Since then he has been a five-time member of the Legislative Assembly and also had two terms in the Rajya Sabha. Last date today Srinagar: The last date for filing of the nominations for the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, which is going to the polls on April 18, is Tuesday. On Monday, three nominations were filed for the Srinagar constituency, a government spokesman said. The nominations submitted to Returning Officer Shahid Iqbal Choudhary at the DC office here were filed by NC candidate Farooq Abdullah, BJP nominee Sheikh Khalid Jehangir and Nazir Ahmad Lone of the Rashtriya Jan Kranti Party. The nominations filed on Monday were the first since the notification for the seat was issued on March 19, the spokesman said. tns editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Srinagar, March 25 National Conference vice-president on Monday criticised PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and accused her of shedding crocodile tear over crackdown against the separatist camp. The case under which they (separatists) are summoned, their houses are raided is not of my tenure, not of Ghulam Nabi Azads tenure, not of Farooq sahibs tenure, that case was registered when Mehbooba Mufti was the Chief Minister, Omar said while addressing an election rally in north Kashmirs Kunzer area. Omar said Mehbooba did not object when the case was registered. Why these crocodile tears now. The case is of your tenure and now you are complaining. You should have objected then when you were not tiring from praising Narendra Modi, he said. Omar was referring to the investigation and registration of the case against separatist leaders over terror funding. This has led to arrested of several separatists while the investigation is still going on. The NC leaders rally in north Kashmir was a show of support for the partys candidate Akbar Lone, who faces a competition from the candidates of the Peoples Conference and also PDP. Along with the partys candidate, general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar and other leaders like Nasir Wani, Basharat Bukhari and Farooq Shah also addressed the rally. The former CM also lashed out at Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Lone for sending a letter to the Governor to head a BJP government and sabotaging the attempt by the NC, PDP and Congress to form a government. He sent the letter (but) who were supporting him? He (Sajad) had support of all BJP MLAs. So it is very clear that voting Sajad will be voting for Modi. Who will here support the BJP and Modi who are adamant to erode Article 370, he said. rchopra@tribunemail.com Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 26 The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to discharge West Bengal Chief Secretary and Director General of Police in a contempt case filed against them and former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar by the Central Bureau of Investigation for allegedly obstructing probe into the Sardha chit fund scam. Their counsel, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, requested a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi that the contempt proceedings against the two senior officers be dropped as the main allegations were against former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar. He suggested that contempt proceedings against Kumar could go on. But the Bench declined the prayer. No, the CJI told Singhvi. The Benchwhich also included Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjiv Khannasaid it could not close its eyes if some very very serious facts were disclosed to it, and asked CBI to file an application seeking appropriate relief/action against Kumar, who had once headed the state police SIT on Saradha chit fund scam probe. The allegations formed part of CBIs status report submitted before court in a sealed cover. The report pertained to the agencys questioning of former Kolkata Police Commissioner Kumar in connection with its investigations into the Saradha chit fund scam. The court gave CBI 10 days to file the application. It also gave Kumar and others a week to respond to it. The case will now be heard once theyve submitted their response. As Attorney General KK Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said, there were serious allegations against the officials, the Bench said it could not pass any order without hearing the other side. The top court is seized of a contempt petition filed by CBI against senior officials of the West Bengal government, including the Chief Secretary, DGP and former Kolkata police chief for allegedly obstructing its probe into the chit fund scam and destroying evidence. The Supreme Court had on February 4 warned Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar of strict action if it was found that he tried to destroy evidence relating to Saradha chit fund scam case in West Bengal after the CBI said it apprehended destruction of electronic evidence. If the Police Commissioner is even remotely trying to destroy evidence, we will come down so heavily on him that he will regret, it had said. rchopra@tribunemail.com New Delhi, March 26 Embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Tuesday lashed out at public sector banks for double standards under the current NDA regime for their intervention to bail out Jet Airways while the same lenders made his Kingfisher airlines fail ruthlessly. In a series of tweets reacting to banks led by State Bank of India taking over management control of troubled Jet Airways, Mallya said, ...Only wish the same was done for Kingfisher. Happy to see that PSU Banks have bailed out Jet Airways saving jobs, connectivity and enterprise, he said. He said, The same PSU Banks let Indias finest airline with the best employees and connectivity fail ruthlessly. Double standards under NDA. Mallya, who is facing extradition to India from the UK, lamented that his effort to save Kingfisher Airlines was not recognised and instead slammed in every possible way. I invested over Rs 4,000 crore into Kingfisher Airlines to save the company and its employees, he claimed. He also lashed out at the BJP for differential treatment meted out to Kingfisher and Jet Airways. BJP spokesman eloquently read out my letters to PM Manmohan Singh and alleged that PSU Banks under the UPA Government had wrongly supported Kingfisher Airlines, Mallya said. He further said, Media decimated me for writing to the current PM. I wonder what has changed now under the NDA Government. The fugitive businessman reiterated his offer to pay off dues through his assets. And I repeat once again that I have placed liquid assets before the Honble Karnataka High Court to pay off the PSU Banks and all other creditors. Why do the Banks not take my money. It will help them to save Jet Airways if nothing else, he said. Last month, Mallya, who is wanted in India on alleged fraud and money laundering charges amounting to an estimated Rs 9,000 crore, had filed his application in the UK High Court, seeking permission to appeal against an extradition order signed by the British Home Secretary. PTI ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Panaji/Thrissur (Ker), March 25 Goa is on alert following a tip-off from central intelligence agencies about a possible attack on Israeli tourists in the state in what they called possible revenge for the terror attack at the Christchurch mosques in New Zealand last week that left 50 worshippers dead, the police said on Monday. The police sources said the alert had been issued to several states and union territories that have Jewish synagogues, sizeable Jewish residents or attract Israeli tourists. We have to keep a lookout and secure areas frequented by Israeli tourists as well as a prayer house they have in North Goa. The threat, according to the inputs, comes from a possible attack by Islamic State or the Al-Qaeda to avenge the New Zealand mosque killings, a senior police official said on anonymity. According to police statistics, several dozen Israelis were on long-duration visas in Goa and often congregate to pray at a Chabad house (a Jewish outreach centre) in North Goa. Meanwhile, the body of a 27-year-old woman from Kerala, who was among the 50 people killed in a terror attack on two Christchurch mosques in New Zealand, was brought to the state Monday and laid to rest. Prayers were held at the Cheraman Juma mosque at Kodungallor before the body of the woman, Ancia Alibava, was laid to rest. The mosque is said to be oldest in Indian subcontinent. IANS/PTI Former Environment Minister Kim Eun-kyung leaves the Seoul Dongbu Detention Center, Tuesday, after the court rejected the prosecution's request for an arrest warrant for her. Yonhap A Seoul court refused a prosecution request early Tuesday for a warrant to arrest a former environment minister on charges that she abused her power by forcing those considered critical of the incumbent administration to step down from their posts. The Seoul Eastern District Court ruled that Kim Eun-kyung, who headed the Ministry of Environment from 2017-18, presents no risk of flight or destroying evidence given her current status as a retired public official and the prosecution appears to have obtained sufficient evidence. Kim stands accused of pressuring several heads of public institutions affiliated with the ministry to step down and disadvantaging one of them for not complying with the demand. "I will do my best to explain to the court and will wait for the judge's decision," she said earlier. The allegations have drawn attention as some former top officials from the previous Park Geun-hye government are standing trial on similar charges. Kim Ki-choon, Park's former chief of staff, and former Culture Minister Cho Yoon-sun have been indicted for keeping a "blacklist" of artists and TV celebrities to freeze them out of the mainstream media because of their left-leaning tendencies. The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae has defended Kim Eun-kyung, insisting that decision-making on who should be, or should not be, appointed as top officials is well within the power of a minister. The former minister is accused of having sought to replace those appointed under the former conservative administration with appointees of her own choice without going through a due selection process. Kim is also alleged to have ordered an inspection into the official who refused to quit his job at the Korea Environment Corp. Kim has undergone a closed-door interrogation over the allegations, which she has flatly denied. The probe into Kim began after a complaint was filed by the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, the previous ruling party. (Yonhap) amansharma@tribunemail.com Karachi/Islamabad, March 26 A fresh case of an underage Hindu girl being abducted in Pakistans Sindh province has come to the fore, even as uproar continued over the alleged kidnapping, forcible conversion and marriages of two teenage girls from the minority community. According to a handout issued by the Sindh Information Department, Minorities Affairs Minister Hari Ram Kishori Lal took note of a news that went viral on social media regarding the abduction of a 16-year-old Hindu girl, who belongs to the Meghwar community, from Tando Bagho in Badin district. The victims father has approached Badin SSP Sardar Hassan Niazi to register a case against suspects. It was, however, not clear when the girl was abducted. Lal has directed authorities to register an FIR of the abduction and provide protection to the girls family. He said the marriage of underage girls is banned in Sindh under the Sindh Child Marriages Restraint Act 2013, adding that it was a criminal act to marry a girl who was below the age of 18 years. Lal said the Act is being strictly implemented in Sindh. The minister said his government was doing everything to protect underage Hindu girls. He said the Sindh government is working to establish the Sindh Minorities Protection Commission and its draft has been approved by the chief minister two days ago. The fresh case of kidnapping comes amidst nationwide outrage over abduction, forced conversion and marriages of two underage Hindi girls in Ghotki district in Sindh. Islamabad HC places 2 Hindu girls in protection A Pakistani high court on Tuesday ordered official protection for the two Hindu girls due to concern about their safety as authorities widened a probe to ascertain if the teenage sisters were abducted, forcibly converted and married. The Islamabad High Court issued the order Tuesday after the petition was filed by the girls and their husbands to seek protection from adverse action. Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the case about controversy over conversion of the two Hindu girls from Ghotki area of Sindh province and their marriage with Muslim men. The judge after the hearing of their petition handed over their custody to Deputy Commissioner Islamabad and Director General Human Rights. He ordered that a woman Superintendent Police should be deputed with the sisters to ensure their safety. The court directed authorities that an investigation report about their case should be presented before it by April 2 when it will issue further directions. The court also noted the Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered probe to ascertain if the two girls were abducted and forcibly converted and married. The two girls, Raveena (13) and Reena (15), were allegedly kidnapped by a group of influential men from their home on the eve of Holi. Soon after the kidnapping, a video went viral in which a cleric was purportedly shown soleminising the Nikah (marriage) of the two girls, triggering a nationwide outrage. A war of words broke out between Indias External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistans Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry over the reported abduction, forced conversion and underage marriages of the two Hindu teenagers. The spat started on Sunday soon after Swaraj sought details from the Indian envoy in Pakistan into the reported abduction of two Hindu teenaged girls. Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered the provincial governments of Sindh and Punjab to take action on the incident. The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday ordered official protection for the two girls due to concern about their safety as authorities widened a probe to ascertain if the teenage sisters were abducted, forcibly converted and married. Police has arrested the cleric who solemnised the wedding and six others for their alleged involvement in the girls forceful conversion to Islam. Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan. According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. Majority of Pakistans Hindu population is settled in Sindh province. According to media reports, approximately 25 forced marriages take place every month only in Umerkot district in Sindh province. PTI gspannu7@gmail.com Kolkata, March 26 In a state where political parties have traditionally refrained from fielding bahubalis, 33-year-old BJP candidate from West Bengals Coochbehar Lok Sabha seat, Nisith Pramanik, stands out with the dubious distinction of as many as 11 criminal cases against him. According to a mandatory affidavit filed by Pramanik along with his nomination papers, he declared he has 11 cases pending against him, his first brush with the law being in 2009. Pramanik, who joined the saffron party on February 28, was earlier with the Trinamool Congress before being expelled for alleged anti-party activities. Though West Bengal has a history of poll-related violence, political parties in the state have generally kept bahubalis (musclemen) away from public glare to go along with the Bengali bhadralok image of the educated middle-class. The latest criminal case filed against the BJP candidate was on March 16 at Dinhata police station in Coochbehar district for cheating and criminal breach of trust. A resident of Dinhata town near the Bangladesh border in north Bengal, Pramanik has a murder charge pending against him in a case registered there in April 2018. He has also been accused of rioting on two occasions and attempt to murder. A day before he joined the saffron party, a criminal case was filed against Pramanik on February 27, accusing him of making preparation for dacoity and possessing illegal arms. Rabindranath Ghosh, Trinamool Congress Coochbehar district president and a minister in the Mamata Banerjee Cabinet, said, The BJP has picked up someone who was thrown out by my party for indulging in criminal activities. Pramanik, who faced opposition from a section of BJP workers in the constituency following his nomination on the ground that he is an outsider, however, claimed that the charges were false and the people of Coochbehar will give the answer to the accusations against me in the EVMs. In his affidavit, the BJP candidate also said he has been accused under the Explosives Act and even booked for outraging the modesty of a woman. Pramanik, who has cleared the states secondary level examination, is a businessman by profession, and said in the affidavit that he has Rs 2.25 lakh cash in hand. He has movable and immovable assets of Rs 41.94 lakh and Rs 43 lakh, respectively. Ghosh said he has written to the Election Commission, seeking Pramaniks arrest on the basis of the several criminal charges against him, claiming he would be a threat to holding peaceful elections in the Coochbehar constituency. BJPs state-in-charge Kailash Vijayvargiya said the party is not worried about the allegations against Pramanik. TMC goes on making such accusations, neither we are perturbed by it, nor is our candidate, he said. Meanwhile, TMC candidate for Coochbehar, Paresh Chandra Adhikary, said in his affidavit that he has no criminal case pending against him. Adhikary, a four-time MLA of the All India Forward Bloc, a constituent of the Left Front in the state, joined the Trinamool Congress in August 2018. He won the Mekhliganj assembly seat in Coochbehar in 1991, 2001, 2006 and 2011 and was the states food minister in the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Cabinet from 2006 to 2011. Adhikary, 66, who has cleared the higher secondary examination, is a pensioner having Rs 4.21 lakh cash in hand, according to the affidavit filed by him along with the nomination papers. He has immovable assets of current market value of Rs 1.48 crore and movable assets worth Rs 1.18 crore. PTI ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 25 A late starter on the Uttar Pradesh election scene, the Congress appears to be on the edge in the countrys largest state with change of seats by senior leaders and anxieties around potential defections spooling the pre-poll optics. First it was UP Congress president Raj Babbar who changed his seat from the previously announced Moradabad to Fatehpur Sikri. Today another senior Congressman and partys former spokesperson Rashid Alvi was dropped as a candidate from Amroha. A younger nominee Sachin Choudhry was named in Alvis place. Alvi is learnt to have buckled under the pressure exerted by the SP-BSP alliance which fielded former JD(S) general secretary Danish Ali from Amroha. Ali joined the BSP recently to get a nomination from the segment, prompting Rashid Alvi to drop out of the race. In Moradabad, which Raj Babbar first got, the party media panellist Meem Afzal had been working for over two years but was denied ticket which eventually didnt even go to Babbar. Anxieties around the plans of former Dhaurahra MP and former minister Jitin Prasad also continue with lack of clarity around what he wants. Prasad was a few days ago rumoured to be considering joining the BJP, but the Congress managed to stop him. He lost the last Lok Sabha election from this seat and later also lost the Assembly polls. Its learnt that he was keen to contest from Lakhimpur Khiri this time but that ticket went to a senior Muslim leader of the area. Prasad was nominated from Dhaurahra and was upset about it. There is talk in the Congress now on possibilities of considering Prasad against BJPs Rajnath Singh in Lucknow. There is also lack of clarity on how the Congress alliance with Apna Dal (Krishna Patel) faction is progressing. Soon after allying with the Congress a while ago, Krishna Patel backed the Shivpal Yadav faction of Samajwadi Party leading to confusion in party ranks. In east UP, where AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi just concluded a boat ride, Congress workers are upset at the news that the party was striking an understanding with a little-known Jan Adhikar Party. No one has heard of this party and the Congress is reaching an understanding with them? What kind of politics is this? asks Manish Upadhyay, former general secretary of UP Youth Congress who is a ticket seeker from one of the seats which may go to the quota of smaller parties the Congress is seeking out this time. Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will visit Ayodhya on March 27 carrying forward the partys soft Hindutva line. She is expected to visit the Hanumangarhi temple and later tour Amethi, Rae Bareli, Barabanki also. laxmi@tribune.com Islamabad, March 25 A delegation of experts from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) arrived here on Monday to review whether Pakistan has made enough progress on global standards against financial crimes to warrant its exclusion from the watchdogs grey list. The Paris-based global body is working to curb terrorism financing and money laundering and has asked Pakistan to reassess the operation of banned terrorist outfits in the country. Pakistan is under intense international pressure to rein in terror groups like the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) after the Pulwama terror attack. In June last year, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) had placed Pakistan on the grey list of countries whose domestic laws are considered weak to tackle the challenges of money laundering and terrorism financing. The delegation of the Asia-Pacific Group (APG), a group linked to the FATF, comprises senior officials, including Ian Collins of New Scotland Yard, James Prussing of Department of the Treasury, United States, and Ashraf Abdulla of Financial Intelligence Unit, Maldives, the Geo News reported. Other experts are Boby Wahyu Hernawan of Indonesias Ministry of Finance, Gong Jingyan of Peoples Bank of China, Mustafa Necmeddin of Turkeys Ministry of Justice, Deputy Director Muhammad Al-Rashdan and Deputy Director Shannon Rutherford, the report said. The meetings will start on Tuesday and will end on Thursday. The country has taken certain steps since the February 18-22 meetings with FATF functionaries to comply with latest instructions to meet various deadlines in order to avoid being included in a blacklist. PTI Pak: F-16 not used monicakchauhan@gmail.com Islamabad, March 26 Prime Minister Imran Khan has said Indo-Pak relations would remain tense till the General Election in India are over. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the February 14 attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pulwama. Amid mounting outrage, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting what it said was a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in an aerial combat and captured an Indian pilot, who was handed over to India later. Khan said shadows of war were still hovering over Pakistan and India as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration could go for "another misadventure" before the general elections. "The danger is not over. The situation will remain tense till forthcoming General Election in India. We are already prepared to avert any aggression from India," Dawn quoted Khan as saying. Khan also claimed that he cancelled his scheduled meeting with the Taliban in Islamabad due to "concerns" expressed by the Afghan government. The Taliban last month said that its representatives would visit Islamabad to meet Prime Minister Khan on February 18. Media reports later suggested that the Taliban called off the meeting as most of the members of their negotiating team could not travel to Pakistan due to sanctions imposed on them by the US and the United Nations. PTI laxmi@tribune.com New Delhi, March 25 The Centre has constituted a tribunal headed by a Delhi High Court judge to decide whether there is sufficient cause for declaring Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir an unlawful association. The Ministry of Home Affairs on March 23 issued a notification which states that Justice Mukta Gupta would head the tribunal set up under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Justice Gupta is presently heading another tribunal set up under UAPA to ascertain whether there was sufficient cause to extend the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) as an unlawful association. The Centre banned JeI J&K for five years on grounds that it was in close touch with militant outfits. The outfit, formed in 1945 as a chapter of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and separated in 1953, was banned in 1990. The previous ban lapsed in 1995 and was not invoked again. PTI shriaya.dutt@tribuneindia.com Singapore, March 26 Punjab is targeting a USD 30 billion investment for its industrialisation programme next year, building on its success of having already tapped USD 5.6 billion to date, a state official has said. Touching on the 2020 investment target and confident of achieving USD10 billion target for this year, BS Kohli, Advisor to Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion, said: "We don't talk about MoUs at all. As a government, we are committed to only announce projects which have been signed and investment is on the ground." The USD 5.6 billion has been raised over the last 23 months, a large part of which came from the United Arab Emirates-Punjab conference held recently. Nine Emirate companies, as foreign investors, have committed to projects in Punjab with DP World getting into the planned Pathankot Logistics Hub. Kohli said the Punjab government expects to host a second Singapore-Punjab conference on one-to-one basis with investors along with project presentations in June this year. The third Germany-Punjab conference is also being planned for the year, as Punjab moves on to add industries to its strong agriculture sector and create jobs for its youths, said Kohli. "We are not competing with other Indian states for investments, we are running a different race," he said of the high yield concept of one-to-one or face-to-face conference with investors on country to country basis. He conceded Punjab was late at the start up line for winning investors both local and foreign, but the pace was being accelerated. "We need to work on changing our agriculture pattern into industry and value addition," he said on the sidelines of a conference 'Doing Business with Indian States: Opportunities and Way Forward' on Monday in Singapore. "We need to create jobs for our youths as land holdings is becoming lesser and lesser," Kohli told some 180 business executives at the conference. Meanwhile, Singapore's Asia Competitive Institute (ACI) is expected to renew an MoU with Punjab government to conduct a study on "Ease of Doing Business" in the state, its co-director Tan Khee Giap said on the sidelines of the conference. Similarly, the ACI, which is part of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, is helping Uttarakhand on developing tourism sector and improving the small and medium enterprises. Work has started in Uttarakhand under the MoU signed on last month, said Tan who is also chairman of the Singapore National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation. Andhra Pradesh and Delhi states also presented projects and investment opportunities at the one-day conference. PTI gspannu7@gmail.com Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 26 Two gangsters were arrested on Tuesday after a shootout with Punjab Police at Dehlon near Ludhiana. Amanbir Singh, alias Lalli Cheema, of Bussowal village in Kapurthala, but presently residing in Jalandhar, and his accomplice Kuldeep Singh, alias Kaka, of Talwandi Bhai village in Kapurthala, were arrested. The operation was led by Sub-Inspector Kirpal Singh and Sub-Inspector Hardeep Singh. They got inputs about the movement of the gangsters who were travelling in a car. The gangsters were stopped at Dehlon and on seeing the police, they fired shots. The police also retaliated and detained both of them. The police personnel did not suffer any injury while Cheema was injured in the leg in the firing and admitted to a private hospital. Lalli Cheema is brother of gangster Harry Cheema, who died in Chandigarh recently when he jumped from a hotel window. He is wanted in more than 10 cases registered against him in Punjab and neighbouring states. He had also threatened to kill Congress MLA Navtej Singh Cheema, IG Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh told The Tribune. Two weapons, one of .30 bore, has been recovered from them. Last year in May, Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Navtej Cheema had alleged that he had received threats from two gangsters of his native Bussowal village. Cheema had then said the two brothers, Lalli Cheema and Harry Cheema, were B-category gangsters associated with Sukha Kahlwan gang. They were reportedly booked by the Meerut police on February 1 last year in a case of recovery of a huge cache of ammunition but they evaded arrest. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Bathinda, March 25 Though Bargari Insaaf Morcha leaders had announced its four candidates for the Lok Sabha polls in February, its candidate from Bathinda, Bhai Gurdeep Singh Bathinda, has withdrawn his candidature. Stating this during a press conference here, SAD (Amritsar) leader Gursewak Singh Jawaharke said now he would contest the election from Bathinda on the SAD (Amritsar) ticket. Parallel Akal Takht Jathedar Dhian Singh Mand, who had led the morcha, was to address the media, but he could not make it to Bathinda. Jawaharke said, Our party played a major role in Bargari morcha and our president Simranjeet Singh Mann decided that we should contest from Bathinda, as we have our voter base in the constituency. Mand could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. However, United Akali Dal (UAD) general secretary Bhai Gurdeep Singh, who has withdrawn his candidature, attributed his move to the fact that the parties opposed to Congress and SAD were not uniting on a single platform. He said they also realised that they didnt have the resources in terms of organisational structure and funds to give a good fight to SAD and Congress. He said they held talks with various political parties like BSP, SAD (Taksali) and Punjabi Ekta Party, but they could not succeed in their unity efforts. He said their party has, however, decided to support the BSP candidates in Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Anandpur Sahib. Besides, they would also support SAD (Amritsar) president Simranjeet Singh Mann on the Sangrur LS seat. He said they would take a call regarding their support in other Lok Sabha segments during their meeting at Anandpur Sahib on April 7. UAD president Bhai Mohkam Singh, who is the morchas candidate from Khadoor Sahib, said, We have adopted a wait and watch approach and will take a final call on our future course of action soon. He, however, said they would make all efforts to ensure that those who indulged in sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib dont win the elections. Former Environment Minister Kim Eun-kyung leaves Seoul Dongbu Detention Center, early Tuesday morning, after a court turned down the prosecution's request for an arrest warrant for Kim. / Yonhap By Lee Suh-yoon Controversy is rising over a local court's rejection of a request for an arrest warrant for former Environment Minister Kim Eun-kyung, as in its ruling it seemed to defend Cheong Wa Dae's interference with the selection of senior officials for ministry-affiliated organizations. It also seemed to imply that there was "a need" to kick out officials appointed by the former Park Geun-hye administration, as if they were a part of "deep-rooted evil" to be eradicated by the new Moon Jae-in administration. The Seoul Eastern District Court turned down the prosecution's request Tuesday for an arrest warrant for Kim, who has been charged with abuse of power. It was suspected that the Kim-led ministry forced 24 senior officials at its eight affiliated organizations appointed by the previous Park administration to step down, so the posts could be filled with people loyal to the current Moon Jae-in government. The ministry allegedly inspected some of the officials to uncover individual wrongdoing or business-related mistakes, eventually forcing a standing auditor at the Korea Environment Corp. to quit. It was alleged that the ministry did not create the "blacklist" of the officials but Cheong Wa Dae pulled the strings. The court said there was no risk of flight or evidence-destroying from Kim. The court further said, in an unusually long statement, that Kim's charges were debatable under circumstances that called for "the normalization of state affairs." "Regarding the allegations of forcing mass resignations and carrying out targeted inspections, we must take into account the fact that there was a problem of lax management and discipline at public institutions due to a lack of proper supervision while the nation was facing the massive corruption scandal involving Park's aide Choi Soon-sil and Park's impeachment," said Park Jung-gil, the judge who reviewed the arrest warrant request. "The new administration had reason to review resignation plans of officials in order to normalize operations at public institutions, and some of the inspected officials were actually found to have conducted wrongdoing. So there is room for debate, and Kim's right of defense must be ensured in this case." With regard to filling the posts with people close to the Moon administration, the court added "there was a long-held custom" of the President or Cheong Wa Dae directly nominating candidates. According to the prosecution, the ministry cancelled entire hiring processes when a Cheong Wa Dae-favored candidate was dropped, and leaked interview documents to certain applicants beforehand. The court's stance on Kim is likely to affect future rulings about the allegations when prosecutors seek indictment without physical detention. It may raise criticism of "double standards" in juxtaposition with ongoing trials over another "blacklist" and power abuse cases involving Park's former aides. The issue is sensitive as President Moon, who came to power in May 2017 after the "candlelight revolution" against the corrupt Park regime, has pledged to be different from his predecessor, with anti-corruption as a top priority of his political agenda. Opposition parties instantly lashed out at the court decision. In a press statement on Tuesday, the Party for Democracy and Peace called on the court to conduct a "strict and impartial trial" on Kim to prevent public criticism of implementing double standards. The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) also said Cheong Wa Dae's pressure had forced the court to drop the warrant request. "It is regretful that different yardsticks were applied for the similar cases that took place respectively in the former administration and the current," LKP floor leader Rep. Na Kyung-won said at a party meeting at the National Assembly. Na said the court's account for the rejection implied Cheong Wa Dae's involvement in the selection of officials at the organizations, calling for a more thorough investigation. After the court decision on Tuesday, Cheong Wa Dae said it "respected the court decision." "We hope the court will now clarify to what extent the minster can legally exercise personnel inspection rights," presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyum said in a text message sent out to local reporters on Tuesday. "We will also work to make the appointment procedures of public institution heads more transparent." editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 25 The Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued bailable warrants against the states former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and MLA Bikram Singh Majithia, but recalled the order later on a petition filed by Justice Ranjit Singh. A former Judge of the High Court, Justice Ranjit Singh, had alleged attempts by the two to bring a commission headed by him for probing the cases of sacrilege in the state into disrepute. Before parting with the order, Justice Amit Rawal directed the issuance of fresh notice to the two as per procedure prescribed under Section 204 of the CrPC. The order is being interpreted to mean that the two will now have to appear before the Bench on the next date of hearing. Justice Rawal, during the course of hearing, observed that Majithia was not personally served notice. As per office report, his personal assistant jotted down the date. But there was no representation on his behalf. Justice Rawal also observed that notice issued to Sukhbir was received back with the report that some work was going on in the house and no one, as per the guard, was residing here. Justice Rawal also took note of submission by Justice Ranjit Singhs counsel APS Deol that the court was empowered to issue warrant, in lieu of, or in addition, to summons. service upon the respondents be effected by way of bailable warrant through Chief Judicial Magistrate, Chandigarh, as well as Amritsar, Justice Rawal added. Before parting with the case, Justice Rawal observed when the court was about to rise, its attention was drawn to the copy of the summons issued to Majithia with another title. In my view, the particulars of the case were not correctly given on summons. Since summons was sent by mentioning different case number and title, therefore, it is not a valid service, Justice Rawal added. The official dealing with the matter was also directed to be careful in future after she appeared before the Bench and expressed remorse for the inadvertence. Justice Ranjit Singh had moved the court for initiation of proceedings under Section 10A of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952. The provision deals with penalty for acts calculated to bring the commission or any of its members into disrepute. If the first-of-its-kind plea is allowed, the respondents may find themselves facing proceedings for simple imprisonment for a term extending up to six months, or fine, or both. Bringing probe panel into disrepute editorial@tribune.com Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Dera Baba Nanak, March 25 Farmers, whose land is sought to be acquired for the 4.5-km Kartarpur corridor project by the NHAI, will get compensation at the rate of Rs 34 lakh per acre. With this development, after days of acrimonious arguments between farmers and NHAI and the Gurdaspur district administration, decks have finally been cleared for the construction of the corridor. The NHAI will now take possession of the land and construction of the road and the Integrated Check Post (ICP) will commence soon. Sub-Divisional Magistrate Gursimran Singh Dhillon, who was designated as Competent Authority for Land Acquisition (CALA) by NHAI, today held a meeting with the farmers and resolved the issues, following which the rate was finally agreed upon. The SDM added that the farmers had the right to go in for arbitration with the Jalandhar Divisional Commissioner. It is their right to go in for arbitration. We cannot stop them from doing so. However, this will not affect the actual construction work of the corridor as according to the rules, the NHAI can now take possession of the acquired land. Once possession is taken, building work of the road and the ICP will start. If the arbitration proceedings go in favour of the aggrieved parties, they will be paid more, but that will have no bearing on the construction process, said the SDM. Farmers were protesting the low rate of compensation by the NHAI. Few days ago, protesting agriculturists were assured by Dera Baba Nanak MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa that they would not be paid a penny less than the official rate, following which they called of their protest. The land of nearly 400 farmers is to be acquired for the project, which comprises the actual road (corridor) and the 50-acre ICP. Terming it a positive development, Deputy Commissioner Vipul Ujwal said, Whatever apprehensions were there now stand dispelled. The SDM arrived at the price after taking into consideration the average rate of the last three years at which the land had been sold in and around the area. After that 100 per cent solatium was added to the amount. A solatium is a form of compensation paid to somebody for emotional rather than physical or financial harm. Now I am sure the passage will see the light of the day before the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak, said Randhawa. editorial@tribune.com Parvesh Sharma Tribune News Service Sangrur, March 25 Four sugarcane farmers on Monday climbed on the roof of the Dhuri SDMs office and started a protest for the release of their dues. They carried a bottle of petrol and celphos tablets with them. This is the third such protest by sugarcane farmers. In Dhuri, two protests have been going on for the release of Rs 80 crore of cane-growers dues. Harjeet Singh Bugra, one of the farmers sitting atop the SDMs office, said they had started an indefinite hunger strike. In case the police try to remove us forcibly, we will consume celphos, he said. The other three include Sarbjit Singh Alal, Santokh Singh and Jagmale Singh. Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters reached the SDM and tehsildars offices and closed their gates. They blocked all exit and entry points to the offices. Dhuri SDM Satwant Singh, Tehsildar Harmider Singh Hundal along with their staff are held hostage in their offices by cane growers, who have refused to release the officers till the release of their dues. We are demanding our money and not seeking any waiver. But neither the state government nor the Sangrur administration is serious. We will further intensify our agitation if our payment is not released immediately, said Gurmeet Singh, a protester. Cane growers with their families have been sitting on an dharna on the Sangrur-Dhuri road since March 7. The BKU (Lakhowal) with the support of various organisations, including BKU (Rajewal), Kul Hind Kisan Sabha Punjab, Kisan Mukti Morcha and AAP, has started an indefinite hunger strike in front of the sugar mill. SDM Satwant Singh said he along with the tehsildar had been sitting in their office as the protesters were not allowing them to leave. The situation was same till the filing of the report. The government has cleared pending dues of 11 crore last week. No payment is pending with the government now. Mill owners have applied for 25 crore loan from the SBI and 15 crore loan from the PNB, said Ghanshyam Thori, DC, Sangrur. Clear dues with 20% interest: SAD Chandigarh: The SAD on Monday accused Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh of denying sugarcane farmers their dues after promising to clear pending payments. Former minister and SAD Kisan Wing president Sikander Singh Maluka said it did not behove a Chief Minister to give promises to farmer unions and not implement them and demanded all late payments be cleared along with 20 per cent interest. TNS Farmers left to fend for themselves: Cheema Chandigarh: The AAP has taken umbrage at the way the state government had been issuing notices to gag the voice of cane growers. Leader of Opposition Harpal Cheema said: The notice served on the agitating farmers by the Dhuri SDM was a dictatorial decision on part of the government. The farmers have been left to fend for themselves due to anti-farmer policies of the earlier SAD-BJP government and now the Congress. TNS editorial@tribune.com Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 25 Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal is set to contest the Ferozepur Lok Sabha seat while his wife and Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal will be in the fray from Bathinda a constituency she has represented twice. There was speculation that she would move to Ferozepur and former minister Sikandar Singh Maluka could contest from Bathinda. This was vehemently denied by Sukhbir Badal all along. The party, trying to bounce back from its worst-ever electoral defeat in 2017 and the subsequent rebellion in 2018, has decided to field its top leaders in the General Election. Punjab goes to the polls on May 19 in the last phase. Sources indicated the leadership initially contemplated fielding party patriarch Parkash Singh Badal but considering his age and health, opted for Sukhbir Badal instead. Though an official announcement is expected only later this week, both Sukhbir Badal and Harsimrat have started moving around in their respective constituencies, interacting with various groups of opinion-makers. Over the next 10 days, the Akali Dal plans to hold a series of rallies and meetings in each of the 18 Assembly segments in Bathinda and Ferozepur (nine each), to fortify the seats for the couple. Sukhbir Badal represents the Jalalabad Assembly segment that falls in the Ferozepur constituency. Recent surveys conducted by the Akalis and its ally BJP have shown Ferozepur to be the safest seat for the Akalis. The party has been sending its MP from this border seat for over 20 years now. Therefore, the Akalis believe their party president will not be pinned down and will be able to canvass for party candidates in other segments too. The party has so far finalised candidates for eight of the10 seats it is to contest (three seats Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur are with the BJP) with Prem Singh Chandumajra ( Anandpur Sahib), Surjit Singh Rakhra (Patiala), Parminder Singh Dhindsa (Sangrur) and Darbara Singh Guru (Fatehgarh Sahib) on the list. It has officially announced the candidature of Bibi Jagir Kaur (Khadoor Sahib) and Charanjit Singh Atwal (Jalandhar) but is yet to take a call on candidates for the Ludhiana and Faridkot seats. shriaya.dutt@tribuneindia.com WASHINGTON NASA's plan to conduct the first all-female spacewalk this month had to be scrapped after the crew aboard the International Space Station encountered an unexpected setbackthe lack of well-fitting spacesuits, the US space agency said. NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch were scheduled to conduct the historic spacewalk on March 29 to install powerful lithium-ion batteries for one pair of the station's solar arrays. Since the space station was assembled in 1998, 214 spacewalks have taken place, all of which had at least one male astronaut. However, after McClain conducted her first spacewalk on March 22, she realised that a medium-size hard upper torsoessentially the shirt of the spacesuitfits her best. Since only one medium-size torso can be made ready by March 29, Koch will wear it, the US space agency said in a statement. McClain now is tentatively scheduled to perform her next spacewalk on Monday, April 8 with Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques. These will be the 215th and 216th spacewalks in the history of International Space Station assembly and maintenance. During the first spacewalk of the series, on March 22, McClain became the 13th woman to perform a spacewalk. Koch will become the 14th on March 29. No difference exists in a male's or female's suit, but female astronauts usually require a smaller size. The shuttle spacesuit was designed to be made of many interchangeable parts, to accommodate the large number of astronauts with widely varying body sizes. These parts (upper and lower torsos, arms, etc.) are made in different sizes. The body measurements of each shuttle astronaut are taken and recorded. Then the measurements are plotted against the size ranges available for each spacesuit component, according to NASA. The suit components are then assembled. Training suits are usually assembled nine months prior to flight, and flight suits are usually assembled four months prior to flight. We do our best to anticipate the spacesuit sizes that each astronaut will need, based on the spacesuit size they wore in training on the ground, and in some cases astronauts train in multiple sizes, said Brandi Dean, spokeswoman of the Johnson Space Center in Houston. However, individuals' sizing needs may change when they are on orbit, in response to the changes living in microgravity can bring about in a body. In addition, no one training environment can fully simulate performing a spacewalk in microgravity, and an individual may find that their sizing preferences change in space. PTI sanjiv@tribunemail.com Brussels, March 25 The EU announced on Monday it has completed its preparations for Britain crashing out of the bloc without a divorce accord, as fears of a chaotic no-deal Brexit grow. As it is increasingly likely that the United Kingdom will leave the European Union without a deal on April 12, the European Commission has today completed its no-deal preparations, the commission, the blocs executive arm, said. The gloomily worded statement, just days after Brussels agreed to postpone Brexit from its previous March 29 deadline, piled fresh pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May as she gathered her cabinet to discuss the way forward. Unless British lawmakers approve a withdrawal agreement to ease the country out of the bloc, EU rules and agreements built up over 46 years of membership will cease to apply overnight, threatening havoc in almost every domain of life. May has been seeking to rally support for her twice-rejected deal, but there is speculation that if she fails, she could allow MPs to vote on what happens next. The commission outlined measures in 13 key areas, from rules on flying and road transport to travel regulations, fishing rights and banking while stressing that they would only reduce the disruption, not prevent it altogether. The EUs contingency measures will not and cannot mitigate the overall impact of a no-deal scenario, nor do they in any way compensate for the lack of preparedness or replicate the full benefits of EU membership, the commission statements said. Reuters No-deal to bring problems for travellers sanjiv@tribunemail.com GAZA/JERUSALEM, March 25 Israel launched air strikes in the Gaza Strip and deployed extra troops to the border on Monday, promising a strong response to the longest-range Palestinian rocket attack to cause casualties in years. Seven Israelis were wounded near Tel Aviv by the morning rocket attack. The Gaza health ministry said two Palestinians were wounded by the initial wave of retaliatory strikes. Dozens of explosions rocked the coastal enclave and ambulance sirens echoed through the night. In one Gaza neighbourhood, people rushed to by bread in anticipation of a long escalation. The office of the Islamist movement's leader Ismail Haniyeh was one of the initial targets hit, although he was likely to have been evacuated in advance. Sirens also rang out in Israeli towns near the border. One short-range rocket was fired into Israel after the air strikes began, the military said. No casualties were reported. The escalation appeared to be the biggest in at least four months, and potentially one of the biggest since Israel last went to war against Hamas five years ago. Netanyahu cut short a visit to the US, saying he would fly home right after meeting President Donald Trump. Israel will not tolerate this. I will not tolerate this, Netanyahu said. And as we speak ...Israel is responding forcefully to this wanton aggression. Trump told reporters with Netanyahu at his side that Israel has the "absolute right" to defend itself. Reuters monicakchauhan@gmail.com New York, March 26 Michael Avenatti, who represented adult film star Stormy Daniels in her case against US President Donald Trump, was arrested after he was charged in two criminal cases over complaints that he allegedly attempted to extort over $20 million from Nike and also for committing wire and bank fraud. Avenatti was arrested on Monday in Manhattan, law enforcement officials told CNN. He was, however, released on a $300,000 bond later in the night and said outside a federal court here that he was "highly confident" that he will be "fully exonerated." The criminal complaint unsealed in the New York case describes a rapid investigation that unfolded over the course of the past six days, beginning March 19. According to the complaint, Avenatti on March 19 met attorneys for Nike and threatened to release what he said were allegations of misconduct by employees on the eve of both its quarterly earnings call and the start of the NCAA tournament. Avenatti would disclose the allegations at a press conference, according to the complaint, unless Nike made millions in payments to him and an unnamed co-conspirator by hiring them to conduct an "internal investigation", for which he later requested between $15 million and $20 million. After the meeting, Nike's outside counsel, lawyers from Boies Schiller Flexner LLP contacted federal prosecutors to inform them of Avenatti's threats. In the second case, federal prosecutors in California charged Avenatti for wire and bank fraud -- charges that could bring a maximum sentence of 50 years in federal prison. The California complaint alleged he "embezzled a client's money in order to pay his own expenses and debts, as well as those of his coffee business and law firm, and also defrauded a bank by using phony tax returns to obtain millions of dollars in loans". On Monday, after the two sets of charges against Avenatti became public, Daniels said she was "saddened but not shocked" at the news, CNN reported. "I made the decision more than a month ago to terminate Michael's services after discovering that he had dealt with me extremely dishonestly and there will be more announcements to come," she said in a statement. IANS sanjiv@tribunemail.com Washington, March 25 Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence of collusion between US President Donald Trumps campaign and Russia in the 2016 election, but left unresolved the issue of whether Trump obstructed justice by undermining the investigations that have dogged his presidency. Even though Muellers findings on obstruction of justice were inconclusive, US Attorney General William Barr said in a summary released on Sunday that Muellers team had not found enough proof to warrant bringing charges against Trump. It marked a political victory for Trump. He quickly claimed complete and total exoneration, while his Democratic opponents expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome and vowed to continue congressional inquiries into his business and personal dealings. The Kremlin said following the release of Barrs summary that President Vladimir Putin was ready to improve ties with the United States but was up to Washington to make the first move. In this case, the ball is absolutely in their court. It was given to Trump in Helsinki, Peskov said in a conference call with reporters on Monday, referring to a summit between Putin and Trump in the Finnish capital in July 2018. Peskov repeated Moscows denial of any interference in the US elections and internal affairs or those of any other country. ...Its hard to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat, Peskov said. Muellers 22-month investigation ended with a finding that no one in Trumps campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government, according to Barrs four-page summary of the confidential report. Reuters /Agencies Russia calls on US to formally recognise there was no conspiracy The Russias foreign ministry called on the United States on Monday to formally recognise there was no collusion between Russia and President Donald Trumps campaign at the 2016 elections following the conclusion of a months-long US investigation. Kremlin: open to better US ties Russia is ready to improve ties with the United States but it is up to Washington to make the first move, the Kremlin said. US Attorney General William Barr said Special Counsel Robert Mueller had found no evidence of collusion in his investigation, though had not determined whether Trump obstructed justice by undermining inquiries that have dogged his presidency. Trump ok with release of report Donald Trump will have no problem with the release of the Mueller report into Russias meddling in the 2016 US election, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Monday. I dont think the president has any problem with it, Sanders said on NBCs Today show. Hes more than happy for any of this stuff to come out because he knows exactly what did and what didnt happen and now frankly the rest of America knows. Blow to Democrats plans to probe Trump Special Counsel Robert Muellers report is a serious blow to Democrats who had hoped that it would boost their own wide-ranging probes into Trumps business dealings. Democrats promptly called for the release of full report and noted that he did not exonerate Trump on the question of whether the president obstructed justice in trying to undermine investigations into the election campaign. Offers re-poll weapon for president The report gives the President a powerful weapon to use against his Democratic opponents and a potential boost to what is shaping up to be a tough bid for re-election in 2020. Muellers conclusion takes away a central charge that the Democrats have flung at Trump for two years that he did not win the presidency fairly or cleanly. The allegations have played out on an endless loop on cable TV news shows from day one. Does not mark end of US Prezs legal woes monicakchauhan@gmail.com Ottawa, March 26 Canadian authorities have granted asylum to a woman and her daughter who housed Edward Snowden in Hong Kong after the former NSA contractor leaked classified documents on US surveillance programmes in 2013, the media reported on Tuesday. The Canadian decision allows Philippines national Vanessa Rodel and her seven-year-old daughter Keana to leave Hong Kong after living in the city without proper legal status for years. "I'm truly happy," Rodel told CNN. "I'm so excited. I can't sleep." Rodel and two Sri Lankan families put up Snowden shortly after he went public in 2013. At the time, Snowden's lawyer Robert Tibbo worried that his client could face possible rendition back to the US, where he was branded a traitor. So Tibbo advised Snowden to hide with Hong Kong refugees because he thought it would be the last place anyone would look. "This has been a seven year battle," said Tibbo, who also represents the refugees who hid Snowden. After Snowden left the city and was granted asylum in Russia, Rodel and the other refugees who hid him moved forward with their Hong Kong refugee status applications. Their cases were rejected in 2017. Rodel told CNN that the process has been long, arduous and depressing. She said she came to Hong Kong because she was a victim of human trafficking in the Philippines, and is too afraid to go home. However, as a refugee without legal status, she also did not feel safe in Hong Kong. IANS By Lee Min-hyung Stephen Biegun Washington and Pyongyang are apparently trying to restart their nuclear talks with Stephen Biegun, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, visiting Beijing for talks with China on issues regarding North Korea's denuclearization. Biegun will also discuss the results of the latest summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un The U.S. did not unveil Biegun's specific schedule for his Beijing trip, but chances are that he may hold closed-door meetings with North Korean officials there. On Tuesday, a North Korean Air Koryo airplane, apparently carrying a high-ranking official, arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport where a group of officials from China and the North _ including North Korean ambassador to China Ji Jae-ryong _ were seen greeting him. The official is possibly Ri Su-yong, the vice chairman of the Central Committee of the North's ruling Workers' Party of Korea, in consideration of the entourage. North's Korea Central News Agency also reported that a North Korean delegation led by Ri left Pyongyang for a visit to Laos, Tuesday. "If Ri visited Beijing, chances are that Biegun can meet with him to smooth out details for talks on the denuclearization of the peninsula," Shin Beom-chul, a senior director at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said. Political Leader of the Tobago Council Tracy Davidson-Celestine may soon find her position untenable, as more Executive members of the Tobago Council resign. There have been four additional resignations from the Executive of the Tobago Council of the PNM in the last 48 hours, following the first one from former chairman Stanford Callender. Unification minister nominee Kim Yeon-chul speaks during his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han By Park Ji-won Unification Minister Nominee Kim Yeon-chul said in a confirmation hearing Tuesday that he will help the United States and North Korea meet and make progress toward denuclearization. "If I become the unification minister, I won't miss this historic chance to make real progress in resolving the North's nuclear issue and do my best to make laws to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula," Kim said. Kim, a professor and head of a think tank in Seoul, has long been a strong backer of dialogue with Pyongyang rather than pressure to improve inter-Korean relations, which is in sync with President Moon's "engagement-centric" approach. Kim has also been vocal on the easing of economic sanctions against the North to get it to denuclearize. For activities in support of these positions, the opposition parties have claimed that Kim has been acting as a "spokesman" for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. "I will come up with creative measures to help the North and U.S. to meet as soon as possible and find a breakthrough," Kim said. When asked the meaning of creative measures, he said the ministry can come up with a comprehensive plan to reflect the North's determination to give up its Yongbyon nuclear facilities for the U.S. easing sanctions in relation to setting up a North-U.S. liaison office, declaring an end to the Korean War, and adding a snapback clause. He also stressed that it was noteworthy that North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui claimed that Trump had been flexible about easing sanctions at the Hanoi summit, if the snapback clause was included in the agreement. His remarks came after the breakdown of the Hanoi summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump. The South's role as a mediator has been questioned after the summit failure as no tangible progress was made. Cheong Wa Dae recently named seven ministerial nominees for the second half of Moon's five-year term. Stressing the role of the South in the process, Kim said, "What is important for now is to resume the North Korea-U.S. negotiations at an early date to make sure that the establishment of the denuclearization and peace process on the Korean Peninsula won't lose momentum." "Basically, I think they can't have both nuclear weapons and a thriving economy at the same time," Kim said. "We should utilize Pyongyang's strategy to intensively develop the economy as an element facilitating denuclearization." He said dismantling the Yongbyon nuclear facility could be viewed as the North entering an irreversible stage in the denuclearization process. Kim also vowed to find ways to improve coordination with Washington and the international community in seeking to develop inter-Korean relations. Seoul has been pushing for restarting inter-Korean projects such as the Gaeseong Industrial Complex and tours to Mount Geumgang asking for an easing sanctions to do this. The industrial complex has been closed in a response to Pyongyang's missile provocations in 2016 while the tour program has been suspended after a South Korean tourist Park Wang-ja was killed by a North Korean soldier in 2008. Regarding the resumption of operations at the industrial complex, Kim said sanctions should be lifted first to some extent. Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers went all-out to criticize his past remarks about inter-Korean relations and domestic politics. Citing Kim's remarks referring to the death of a South Korean tourist Park Wang-ja by a North Korean soldier as a "rite of passage," opposition lawmakers criticized Kim for making such blunt remarks and asked the presidential office to withdraw his nomination. After listening to Park's son's recorded voice asking for an investigation into the incident involving his mother and measures to prevent such incidents, Kim expressed his condolences to the bereaved family and stressed the importance of preventing such a tragic incident from happening again. Regarding the sinking of South Korean frigate Cheonan which killed 40 South Korean sailors in 2010, he made it clear that a North Korean torpedo attack was to blame for what happened and apologized for calling it an "accident" in the past. He said he will be more careful with his words and behavior in the future. Meanwhile, Moon Seong-hyeok, the nominee for oceans minister, admitted and apologized for the false registration of the residences of his family members during his hearing. Moon's wife and children falsely registered her address once in 1988 and three times in 2006 to have their children assigned to a school of their choice. Earlier, Cheong Wa Dae announced that a ministerial nominee cannot become a high-ranking government official if the person had falsely registered their family member's address more than twice since July 2005 as a means to speculate on property and getting their children assigned to a preferred school. Park Yang-woo, the nominee for the culture minister, also came under fire for his close ties with CJ Group amid worries that he would make cultural policies in favor of the conglomerate and thus help it to monopolize the movie industry. Park pledged to tackle the monopolization issue by reflecting the opinions of small- and medium-sized film producers. He also admitted and apologized for the false residence registration of his family members. The confirmation hearings are considered a formality because the presidential office can recruit certain ministerial figures regardless of an Assembly endorsement. Okay, I am prepared to give the new governor of Tobago one-half an apology for writing last week that he is a fool. Be nice to the young man, nah... he trying to put together an energetic team to first salvage, then turn around the islands economy... By Javier Solana MADRID Ten years ago, during his first trip to Europe as U.S. president, Barack Obama delivered an historic speech in Prague. Much to the delight of the crowd, Obama described a world free of nuclear arms as being both desirable and within reach. That declaration was unprecedented for an American president, and would contribute to his winning the Nobel Peace Prize later that year. Obama also used the occasion to reassure Czechs and Europeans generally that the United States would never turn its back on them; that its commitment to the principle of collective defense under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty was permanent and unconditional. Those words now seem like a relic of a bygone era. Obama's successor, Donald Trump, has questioned that key pillar of NATO, departing from almost 70 years of diplomatic tradition. Worse, he recently announced his intention to withdraw the U.S. from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia, which has been fundamental in guaranteeing European security since 1987. And though the Obama administration did end up deprioritizing nuclear disarmament over time, Trump seems to have replaced that goal with its polar opposite: rearmament. To be sure, bilateral agreements like the INF Treaty an artifact of the late Cold War are no longer sufficient in today's multipolar world. While the U.S. and Russia are forbidden under the treaty from possessing land-based missiles with a range of 500-5,500 kilometers (300-3,400 miles), an estimated 95 percent of China's missile arsenal now comprises precisely such weapons. Moreover, the U.S. and Russia have both accused the other of violating the INF Treaty, implying that the agreement has become moot anyway. But a far more sensible U.S. strategy would have been to reaffirm its commitment to the treaty, thereby pressuring Russia to do the same in light of its own presumed violations. By taking the high ground, the U.S. would have been far better positioned to extend the same normative framework to China and its arsenal. Instead, the author of "The Art of the Deal" has followed the advice of someone who has yet to meet a deal he didn't want to tear up: Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton. Having already dispensed with the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002, during his tenure in President George W. Bush's administration, Bolton has used his position in the Trump administration to launch attacks against the INF Treaty and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran. Most likely, his next target will be New START. Signed by Obama and then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Prague in 2010, that nuclear arms reduction treaty will expire in 2021, barring an agreement on its extension. With the steady collapse of the international arms-control architecture has come a fresh race to develop new types of nuclear weapons. The potential use of these weapons is now discussed with such frivolity as to foreshadow a return to the darkest days of the Cold War, but one that is even more dangerous, because other countries not subject to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), such as North Korea, have since joined the nuclear club. During Trump's first year in office, his incendiary public exchanges with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un brought relations between Washington and Pyongyang to their tensest point in decades. While Trump has since abandoned his threats of "fire and fury" and given diplomacy a chance, his administration's approach to North Korea has ignored all of the canons of effective diplomacy. This has given rise to another kind of frivolity: the spectacle of vacuous praise. In the end, the lack of consensus among U.S. foreign policymakers and the misaligned expectations of the two negotiating parties, combined with Trump's own improvisations, condemned his recent summit with Kim to failure. A reorganization is now urgently needed, particularly to incorporate the other regional powers and keep Bolton and other hawks in the administration from derailing the process further. Meanwhile, India and Pakistan, two other NPT non-signatories, recently engaged in a cross-border military confrontation, following a terrorist attack last month in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Once deemed "the most dangerous place in the world" by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Kashmir is essentially shared between three nuclear powers: India, Pakistan, and China. Not since Pakistan revealed its nuclear capacity to the world in the late 1990s have Indian-Pakistani relations been so tense. Worse, as the latest instability shows, the presence of nuclear weapons is not sufficient to prevent conflict. Instead, it merely raises the risk that quarrels will escalate into existential conflagrations. Lastly, in the Middle East, the Trump administration has actively sowed the seeds for nuclear proliferation. The decision to abandon the JCPOA was entirely counterproductive, merely reflecting Trump's blind support for Israel another NPT non-signatory and Saudi Arabia. Indeed, the Trump administration is even exploring the possibility of exporting nuclear material to the Saudi regime without putting the necessary safeguards in place. Apparently, Trump is not bothered by the fact that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has neither ruled out developing nuclear arms nor committed to a strict regime of inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency. One false step, though, could plunge the Middle East into a nuclear arms race truly a worst-case scenario for such a fraught region. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump raised a red flag for the umpteenth time when he suggested that Japan and South Korea should develop their own nuclear weapons as a means of self-defense. This idea couldn't have been more wrongheaded. Logic dictates that if more countries acquire nuclear weapons, the likelihood of such weapons being used will increase. The Cold War gave us a glimpse of the risks we run when our single-minded pursuit of some geopolitical interests causes us to lose sight of the most important of them all: international security. As Obama emphasized 10 years ago in Prague, the U.S. is the only country ever to have used nuclear weapons, and therefore has an historic responsibility to ensure that they are never used again. For the U.S. to forsake this responsibility and champion a new era of nuclear proliferation would be a tragic outcome. 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 ( ). Attorney General William Barr's four-page summary of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's 22-month investigation into President Donald Trump and his 2016 campaign's dealings with Russian officials and operatives arrived Sunday like a thunderclap. It did not offer the "complete and total exoneration" that Trump claimed afterward. Nor, as the president asserted, was the probe "an illegal take-down that failed." But the summary said the report rejected the ominous narrative put forth by many Democrats: that Trump and his aides knowingly conspired with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and his thuggish government to steal the White House from Democrat Hillary Clinton. Just as the president has so often tweeted, there was no collusion. It remains an indelible negative on Trump's record that among the seven who pleaded guilty to charges brought by Mueller were Paul Manafort, his campaign chairman; Michael Flynn, his first national security adviser, and Michael Cohen, his former personal lawyer. But the collapse of the collusion claim is sure to resonate to Trump's benefit in his re-election bid and perhaps much longer as history judges his early years as a national politician. On the more complex question of obstruction of justice, Barr noted Mueller specifically neither concluded Trump had committed a crime nor exonerated him. That left Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to make the determination and they decided Trump's actions (such as firing FBI Director James Comey in 2017) were not obstruction. But as Barr wrote, Mueller noted that it is difficult to mount an obstruction case "if the evidence does not establish the president was involved in an underlying crime related to Russian election interference." Trump still faces other serious criminal probes that could lead to indictments over financial misconduct, tax evasion and hidden improper payoffs to two alleged mistresses. But a massive investigation published in October by the New York Times documenting a Trump business empire built on shady, unethical, possibly illegal efforts to siphon profits and avoid taxes was shrugged off by many Americans. His attempts to buy the silence of alleged mistresses at this point are well-known and already baked in to how he is regarded. Given this backdrop, it may be time for the focus to shift from Trump to what Democratic leaders and rank-and-file lawmakers hope to accomplish from here on out. The earliest presidential primaries are less than a year away. If the report comes out and offers no red flags that undercut Barr's summary, high-profile Democrats would be better served to focus on what they would do for the future of the country than on futile talk of impeachment. They risk handing re-election to a president they can't stand if they don't start emphasizing how they want to bring constructive change to America. If House investigators find wrongdoing by the president, of course they should try to document it and bring it to light. But as matters now stand, it's time for the more difficult challenge of explaining to everyday Americans how their lives would be better if a Democrat were in the White House. The above editorial appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune. It was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The following is a release by the Elections and Boundaries Commission on the recount request Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. KT should explain suspicions about unjustifiable lobbying A governing party lawmaker has recently accused KT Corp. of operating a de facto lobby team of politically influential figures after its chairman, Hwang Chang-gyu, took office in 2014. According to ruling Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Rhee Cheol-hee, Sunday, the mobile carrier paid around 2 billion won ($17.6 million) to the 14-member "special advisory group," composed of politicians, ranking government officials, and retired generals and police officers. Payments were made between 2015 and 2016 under the Park Geun-hye administration when KT was wrestling with several pending issues. Few can blame business enterprises for ushering in experts in their area and making the most of their experience. If the experts' role goes beyond simple advice to amount to virtual lobbying, however, it is clearly inappropriate. Given the timing of KT forming the advisory group, the telecom giant was highly likely use it as a lobbying window. Among the 14 advisers, for example, were three former aides to Rep. Hong Moon-jong of the then-ruling Saenuri Party, the predecessor to the now opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP). Rep. Hong was the chairman of a National Assembly standing committee in charge of information, communication and technology affairs, which can hold sway over decisions closely related to KT. It is not hard to understand why the telecom carrier named confidants of the influential politician during such a sensitive time. KT should offer a persuasive explanation. Even before this scandal, KT was surrounded with suspicions about the irregular hiring of the daughter of Rep. Kim Seong-tae, another LKP bigwig. The law enforcement authorities ought to investigate the latest controversy thoroughly. There is a caveat, though, as some industry watchers question whether the allegations about Hwang might be aimed to put a blemish on one of the nation's most famous IT experts and competent professional managers. Seventeen years have passed since KT was privatized, but its chairmanship has changed, more often than not, with the change of political power even after privatization. President Moon and his administration ought not to forget that behind most scandals at KT were due to its top managers being political appointees. A man holds a flashlight inside a grocery shop in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, March 26, 2019. Much of Venezuela remains without electricity as a new power outage spread across the country. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) On March 26, significant avalanche danger is expected in Ukraines Carpathian mountains. The State Emergency Service reported this with reference to the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center's forecasts. Considerable (III) level of avalanche risk is expected in the mountainous areas of Zakarpattia and Ivano-Frankivsk regions due to thaw, the report says. ish Ukraine condemns a rocket attack on Tel Aviv from the Gaza Strip and invites the Palestinian ambassador to the Foreign Ministry. Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Sergiy Kyslytsya informed this on Twitter on Monday. Today Representative of Palestine to Ukraine Mohammed Qasem Alasaad was invited to the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine, the diplomat wrote. According to him, in the light of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry condemns the attack from the Gaza Strip on northern Tel Aviv. "Terrorist acts against civilians must be investigated," Kyslytsya stressed. As reported, on Monday morning, seven people were wounded after a rocket fired from the the Gaza Strip hit a home in central Israel. ish Ukraine is one of the countries that play a pivotal role for the future of Europe. Karl von Habsburg, the current head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, said this in an interview with Ukrinform. "I consider Ukraine to be one of the countries that are crucial for Europe, for the future of Europe and for the concept entitled "Europe for the Future"," he said. According to him, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) towards Ukraine is not quite what meets the requirements of the future. We have to open up the prospects of joining the EU for Ukraine in the long term. I know that this will not happen quickly, but there must be a prospect that will provide such a result, he stressed. "For me, Ukraine is an integral part of Europe. The European Union will not fully exist without Ukraine," the head of the House of Habsburg added. ish When thousands of children, women and men fled Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo for safety in western Tanzania, they spent months in dilapidated emergency shelters and tents, at the mercy of wet season rains. But thanks to flexible funding from its donors, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, was able to build 470 robust, long-lasting shelters. While the overall need is far greater, they gave the most vulnerable the security, comfort and privacy they desperately needed. UNHCR uses the so-called unearmarked funds in three main ways: to make an immediate difference in peoples lives by kick-starting emergency responses; bolstering efforts in underfunded and forgotten crises, and scaling up programmes in a coordinated and efficient way. Unearmarked funds are vital, said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, during a recent visit to Nyarugusu camp in western Tanzania, which is home to more than 150,000 refugees. How does UNHCR use unearmarked funds? (Kathryn Porteous, producer) They allow us to build shelters, to help with the education of refugees, to promote activities which bring together the host communities and the refugees, he added. In the East African country, needs are acute as UNHCRs operations are severely underfunded, at just 6 per cent of the US$126 million sought. In addition to providing the new, more environmentally friendly housing, flexible funding has allowed UNHCR to keep schools open and support projects such as farms and small businesses that benefit not just the 162,000 refugees in Tanzania, but also their host communities. Congolese refugee Apolina Nyassa, 86, lives alone in a Refugee Housing Unit (RHU) given to refugees with special needs, at Nyarugusu camp in Tanzania. UNHCR/Georgina Goodwin Burundian refugee Nimbona Valyne, 26, teaches at Jugudi Primary School in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, Tanzania. There are 68 boys and 44 girls in her class. UNHCR/Georgina Goodwin Syrian refugee Amira with her daughter Amani in their home in an informal settlement in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, February 2018. The family built their shelter with wood and tarpaulin supplied by UNHCR. UNHCR/Hannah Maule-ffinch Two men build a house as part of a UNHCR construction project in the Malemaka district of Bangui, Central African Republic, November 2017. UNHCR/Djerassem Mbaiorem A class is in full swing at Mbera camp, Mauritania, May 2018. UNHCR support to primary education includes paying stipends to teachers and maintaining the school facilities UNHCR/Jose Manuel Caceres With around 68 per cent of the funding UNHCR received last year earmarked or tightly earmarked for spending in particular situations, up from about 65 per cent in 2017, flexible funding is more important than ever. In Lebanon, which hosts around one million Syrian refugees, unearmarked funds provide cash assistance that helps cover rent, pay for education, and, during the chill winter months, help pay for shelter materials and fuel. In the Central African Republic, where a gradual transition to peace and stability began in late 2016, flexible funds are supporting the reintegration of thousands of returning refugees and internally displaced people. In Mauritania, meanwhile, they are supporting primary education for almost 6,000 Malian children, paying the salaries of 120 teachers and school staff working in six primary schools, two extensions and school canteens. I thank those donors that trust us and give us the responsibility to make the choice of where to put those funds, Grandi said during his visit to Tanzania. And I want to encourage all donors to support refugees with unearmarked funding so that we may respond quickly and to those in need. Cameroonian refugee children eat their first meal upon arrival at Adagom settlement in Nigeria. UNHCR/Chiara Cavalcanti UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is today asking donors for stepped up support for half a million displaced Cameroonians who have survived over a year of ongoing violence in different parts of the country. Violent clashes in Cameroon between the military and armed separatists over the past thirteen months have forcibly displaced thousands, including across the border into Nigeria. The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. And there are fears now that more people will become displaced over the coming months. According to UN estimates more than 437,000 people are currently displaced in Cameroon, 246,000 of them in the Southwest Region, 105,000 in the Northwest Region, and 86,000 in the Littoral and West Regions. Most of these are women and children. And people who become displaced face grave situations whether in Cameroon or Nigeria. Having fled with very little, they are arriving in impoverished host communities where food supplies are strained and with few facilities for health, education, water and sanitation. As well as causing internal displacement in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon, the deadly conflict has also forced over 35,000 Cameroonians to seek asylum in Nigeria. With the fighting continuing, this number is expected to rise. UNHCR now requires US$184 million for its operations in Cameroon and Nigeria including US$35.4 million needed urgently for critical life-saving assistance. In February, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Cameroon launched the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) that includes the situation in the South and North West regions. UNHCR activities and related funding requirements for this program in Cameroon are part of the HRP. UNHCR advocates for international support to the plan. Inside Cameroon, many of the displaced in the Southwest and Northwest Regions are living in overcrowded conditions, without proper shelter or health and sanitation support. Underfunding and insecurity have restricted protection and assistance activities to affected populations. The safety of women, children, unaccompanied and separated minors, people with disabilities, and lactating and pregnant women are of deep concern to us in light of increased protection incidents and the severe underfunding. The most frequently reported security incidents include destruction of homes and other domestic properties, extortion, torture and inhumane treatment including rape, sexual assault and sexual exploitation. In Nigeria, refugees are currently being hosted in settlements, and more than 47 villages along the border. There is significant pressure on existing social services, and facilities for health and education. Refugees in settlements are depending on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs. Cameroon situation Supplementary Appeal For more information on this topic, please contact: Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday that it plans to release its first foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold, in Europe in early May. Samsung showcased its first foldable device during a global event late last month in the hopes that the new device will become a game-changer in the lethargic smartphone market. According to Samsung, the new smartphone will be sold from May 3 in Britain, France and 13 other European nations, with the price set at 2,000 euros. The new type of handset has a tablet-sized screen that can be folded up to fit into a pocket. The Fold was created using the company's cutting edge display technology. With six camera lenses ? three in the back, two on the inside and one on the cover, the foldable model will provide a new level of multitasking, the firm said. Users can open up to three active apps simultaneously on the main display. Samsung said earlier the Galaxy Fold starts at $1,980 and will hit shelves in the U.S. market April 26. The foldable model's 5G version is expected to be available in May in the South Korean market. (Yonhap) Rent of farmland in Ukraine may rise five times: Poroshenko The president says the state leases its land plots out at rates that are twice the rate paid to rural residents who own farmland. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Ukraine in Jan buys nuclear fuel from Russia alone Nuclear fuel imports totaled US$17.436 million in the first month of 2019. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter U.S. House of Representatives backs bill to oppose Nord Stream 2 Russia has used natural gas to coerce, intimidate, and influence other countries, authors say. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Both cases were investigated under Article 368-2 of the Criminal Code (illegal enrichment). The National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has closed cases on possible illegal enrichment opened against leader of the Radical Party Oleh Liashko and First Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Intelligence Service Serhiy Semochko. The proceedings were closed pursuant to a Constitutional Court ruling, which abolished criminal liability for illegal enrichment, the Ukrainian News information agency reports, citing a law enforcement source. Both cases were investigated under Part 3 of Article 368-2 of the Criminal Code (illegal enrichment). Read alsoForeign Intelligence Service unexpectedly refutes previously provided information regarding its leadership As reported earlier, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine on February 26 declared unconstitutional Article No. 368-2 of the Criminal Code, which provides for liability for illegal enrichment. The conclusion declares that "Article 368-2 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code loses its force from the date when the Constitutional Court issued its conclusion," the ruling said. On February 27, NABU stated that due to the court's decision, all proceedings against corrupt officials would be closed. Earlier, the media wrote about the acquisition by Liashko of a 550-square-meter house and two land plots with a total area of 0.6 hectares worth UAH 15 million (about US$556,000) in the village of Kozyn in Kyiv region. As UNIAN reported earlier, investigative journalists established facts that may prove Semochko's ties with Russia via his family members and the "aggressor state might have paid this official for information from him." Nashi Groshi journalists found evidence that Semochko owns real estate worth over UAH 200 million (US$7.4 million), while his family members, namely his common-law wife and her daughter, have Russian citizenship and run a business in Russian-occupied Crimea. Kyiv-based Western diplomats said all three left doubt over how effectively they would pass reform, tackle corruption and keep aid flowing. Ukraines Western backers fear the countrys next president may prove unwilling or unable to accelerate reforms they have spent five years investing in, whoever it turns out to be. The election due on Sunday has boiled down to a three-horse race between President Petro Poroshenko, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Volodymyr Zelensky, a comedian who plays a fictional president in a popular TV series, Reuters reports. Kyiv-based Western diplomats said all three left doubt over how effectively they would pass reform, tackle corruption and keep aid flowing. We certainly know what we get with Poroshenko, one diplomat said. We think we know what well get with Tymoshenko. With Zelensky, we have no clue. All of them are flawed, said another. There is no candidate where you will sit there and go: Yes!. The report notes that Ukraine is the nexus of the confrontation between the West and Russia since Ukraines 2014 Maidan street protests ejected Poroshenkos Russia-friendly predecessor and Moscow annexed the Crimea peninsula, triggering Western sanctions. With its war against Kremlin-backed fighters in the Donbas region into a fifth year, Ukraine has battled to keep its cause high on the international agenda and pushed for membership of the European Union and NATO. Read alsoCEC: Registration of foreign observers for Ukraine's presidential elections over Successive rounds of sanctions on Russia show the West is still willing to stick its neck out for Ukraine, although a desire to prevent Russia from interfering in other former Soviet republics is also in play. But investors are jittery and Kyivs patchy performance on reforms and Europes own distractions like Brexit and an assertive China have made it harder to keep so-called Ukraine fatigue at bay. Ideally, the EU would like to see Ukraine - a large neighbor on its eastern border - as a stable democracy, obeying the rule of law and able to defend itself from Russia. But the unity behind the sanctions is always fragile, with Italy, Greece, Hungary and other countries closer to Moscow keen to repair economic relations. A Ukrainian president weak on reforms could tip the balance towards Russia while jeopardizing international funding and ties with a bloc that has given Ukrainians visa-free travel, a right some two million people have exercised in less than two years. What Ukraine now risks, is squandering the goodwill and belief it got since 2014, the second diplomat said. The governments calculation is that theyll be supported no matter what. Reuters says Poroshenko won praise for keeping Ukraine together in the chaotic aftermath of the Crimea annexation, strengthening the army and passing reforms such as in banking and energy. But anti-corruption efforts have stuttered and an apparent culture of impunity where top officials are not jailed for alleged embezzlement or bribe-taking has disappointed voters. For lack of a better choice, the EU has stuck to its principles of insisting on reforms and promoting Ukraines pro-Western aspirations rather than leaning towards any candidate. Poroshenko has had a very clear line, at least on paper, on resisting Russia and being pro-European. He has not been ideal but weve known him, weve dealt with him, said a Brussels-based EU diplomat. Read alsoInfo war, Minsk deal expansion: Ukrainian presidential candidate Zelensky on issue of occupied territories It is crucial that the next president sticks to the reform agenda because we have invested so much in it. Without that and without an unequivocal line on Russia, the relationship will suffer. Zelensky by contrast is a puzzle. He tapped into the disillusionment felt since Maidan and his new face and lack of political baggage appeals to voters, especially the young. But diplomats worry about his lack of experience and whether he is beholden to a billionaire Ihor Kolomoisky. The two deny being in cahoots. Is he (Zelensky) only a puppet? I dont think so, said one Western diplomat. Would he end up redoubling efforts to prosecute the PrivatBank case in every jurisdiction available? Youd have to wonder about that. At a meeting with European ambassadors in February, Zelensky acquitted himself reasonably well, according to three diplomats present, playing down his career as a comedian and talking up his effectiveness as a producer and manager. Nevertheless, he left an impression of being light on substance, one diplomat said. The optimistic view, the diplomat added, was Zelensky would surround himself with reformers who treat him as a blank page to imprint their vision. You cant expect much from a person with no political experience, said another. He looked quite sincere but we can only judge from the results. Read alsoU.S. Ambassador urges Ukrainians to vote in presidential election (Video) Did he provide answers in the way others did? Perhaps not, but I dont think you can dismiss him, said a third, adding Zelensky was clearly intelligent but did not articulate a policy or vision. Even if his heart is in the right place, Zelensky might struggle to get reforms through a hostile parliament where as of now he has no MPs, diplomats said. In one sense, Poroshenko has become the victim of his own success in keeping the Donbas conflict contained, another diplomat said, emboldening voters to take a chance on Zelensky. Poroshenko cauterizing the Donbas wound, insulating 90 percent of the country from it, made people feel they can experiment, the diplomat said. You have this deceptive calm in the country. Tymoshenko, a two-time prime minister, is also a mixed bag for the EU. It came to her side in 2011 when she was jailed by Poroshenkos predecessor Viktor Yanukovich, but a 2009 gas deal seen as more beneficial to Russia than Ukraine and recent anti-reform rhetoric may have weakened her appeal. Read alsoKremlins plan to sow chaos in Ukraine She has lost the glow of martyrdom somewhat, a Brussels-based EU official said. One strength of the election in Western eyes is it is genuinely competitive, making for flattering comparisons with Russia, where the Kremlin-backed candidate dominates the field. Kniaziev and his Ukrainian colleagues describe their country as a petri dish for Russian cyberattacks known in 21st Century military doctrine as "hybrid war" and say the countries that partner with it, such as a Canada, have a lot to learn from them as well. Serhiy Kniaziev is the chief of the National Police of Ukraine at a pivotal moment in his country's history, and he is now responsible for protecting the integrity of Ukraine's March 31 presidential election. The election faces daily threats from a familiar source: a determined Russia bent on using cyberspace to sow disinformation to undermine the democratic ambitions of a country it still considers part of its orbit, Canada's National Observer reports. "I feel a great sense of responsibility, ensuring the proper elections," Kniaziev said through an interpreter on his latest visit to Ottawa. "Unfortunately we are in a position that Russia is our enemy now, and Russia has never been weak. We have to be very honest and very realistic in assessing the capabilities of Russia." Kniaziev spent time with RCMP counterparts, Toronto police and other leading federal government officials in Canada's diplomatic and security apparatus in Ottawa earlier this winter. Canada has been helping Ukraine build its national police force. The Police Training Assistance Project, run by Global Affairs Canada, is part of the government's broader assistance to Ukraine, which includes a Canadian Armed Forces mission of 200 trainers that was extended last week, the deployment of hundreds of election observers for the upcoming ballot and the imposition of sanctions on more than 100 Russians. Kniaziev and his Canadian counterparts exchanged information and best practices on how to cope with the inevitable threat of foreign interference in elections. Kniaziev and his Ukrainian colleagues describe their country as a petri dish for Russian cyberattacks known in 21st Century military doctrine as "hybrid war" and say the countries that partner with it, such as a Canada, have a lot to learn from them as well. Read alsoUkraine's Foreign Intel Service: Russia to spend US$350 mln for meddling in Ukraine elections Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland echoed that sentiment recently, calling Ukraine a "laboratory" for Russian disinformation campaigns in cyberspace that Canada has learned from. "In 2014, these were military activities war fighting. But in 2015, '16, '17, '18 they've changed their ways and we are in the midst of hybrid war," said Kniaziev. That has come to encompass a wide spectrum of malign activity, from trying to directly hack the online infrastructure of elections, to influencing public opinion through misinformation and generally sowing unrest. "Whenever Russia doesn't feel like it wants to be involved in direct, naked aggression they are involved in all of these subversive hybrid activities," said Kniaziev. Ukraine's ambassador to Canada, Andriy Shevchenko, said as the election nears, Russia has launched daily cyberattacks on Ukraine's digital election infrastructure, its critical infrastructure and media. Read alsoSBU exposes psy-ops group working for Russia's GRU The constant state of vigilance has also created a heightened state of national stress, something Kniaziev only realized after spending time on the beat with rank and file Toronto police officers during his recent trip. Kniaziev blames the ongoing strife with Russia for affecting his country's national psyche. "It's been six years of ongoing war with our neighbour, so Ukrainian society lives in a totally different reality, if we were to compare with the Canadian society." The number of classes with the Ukrainian language of instruction is also significantly small than those declared by the occupying authorities. No school with the Ukrainian language of instruction has been left in Russia-occupied Crimea. As reported by the Crimean Human Rights Group on the results of the monitoring of education in the peninsula, the real situation with instruction in the native language in Crimea is much worse than that declared by the Russian-controlled "Ministry of Education of the Republic of Crimea." Read alsoAlmost half of Ukrainians speak Ukrainian in families poll "In the 2018-2019 school year, the Crimean Human Rights Group conducted its own monitoring of the situation with instruction in the native language in Crimea. During the monitoring, the experts visited 24 schools and conducted surveys of the heads, teachers and parents of pupils. They also visited three schools that had been declared by the 'ministry' as schools with the Crimean Tatar language of instruction, one school declared as a school with the Ukrainian language of instruction, 18 schools declared as schools with classes with instruction in the Crimean Tatar language, and two schools declared as schools with classes with instruction in Ukrainian," reads the report. According to the results of the monitoring, there is not a single school in Crimea where all subjects are taught in the Ukrainian language. "The number of classes with the Ukrainian language of instruction is also significantly small than those declared by the occupying authorities. Schools, which are officially declared as schools with the Crimean Tatar language of instruction, are in fact not such, and the instruction in them is carried out both in the Crimean Tatar and Russian languages," the human rights group said. His relocation violates the Geneva Convention. Illegally convicted Ukrainian activist Volodymyr Balukh has been delivered to a detention facility in Tver, Russia. "Political prisoner Volodymyr Balukh has been taken to remand prison No. 1 (Tver)," the Crimean Human Rights Group said in a statement, referring to his lawyer Taras Omelchenko. "According to the Crimean defender, Balukh has not yet been designated to a colony. Lawyers and human rights activists predict the Ukrainian prisoner will be sent to correctional colony No. 4 (Torzhok)," it said. Read alsoCrimean activist Balukh complains about acute heart pain media Human rights activists recalled that on February 13, Balukh, without his consent, was transferred from a Kerch colony to Simferopol (both in Russia-occupied Crimea), then he was taken to Russia's Krasnodar on February 18 and to Armavir on February 24. Later, the Crimean human rights group learnt that on March 7, Balukh was in a Voronezh detention center (Russia), and on March 10 he was in Yaroslavl (Russia). The lawyer received an official confirmation that Balukh had been transferred "under control of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in Tver region in accordance with the instructions of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia." It is also said that Balukh had not given his consent to the transfer to the Russian Federation. The Crimean Human Rights Group stresses Balukh's transfer to Russian territory violates the Geneva Convention, which bans the relocation of residents from occupied territories to the territory of an occupying country. Balukh, a Crimean farmer, was detained by Russia's FSB Federal Security Service on December 8, 2016. FSB operatives claimed they had allegedly found 90 ammunition rounds and several TNT explosives in his attic. On July 5, 2018, a Russian-controlled in Crimea sentenced him to five years in a penal colony and a RUB 10,000 fine. On October 3, 2018, the so-called "Supreme Court of Crimea" reviewed Balukh's original verdict and reduced his term to four years and 11 months. In the middle of October 2018, he was sent to Kerch colony No. 2. Three invaders were killed and another five were wounded on Monday, intelligence reports say. Russia's hybrid military forces in the past 24 hours mounted seven attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas, with two Ukrainian soldiers reported as wounded in action. Read alsoOSCE: Russian-led forces fire at two schools in Donbas "Two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in the past day. According to intelligence reports, three invaders were killed and another five were wounded," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said in an update published on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on March 26, 2019. Russian occupation forces opened fire from 122mm artillery systems, 82mm mortars, grenade launchers, heavy machine guns, and small arms, attacking the defenders of the town of Krasnohorivka, and the villages of Novomykhailivka, Starohnativka, Lebedynske, Krymske, Novotoshkivske, and Luhanske. "Since Tuesday midnight, Russian-led forces haven't attacked Ukrainian positions yet," the report said. The enemy employed grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns, anti-tank missile systems, 120mm and 82mm mortars, weapons installed on BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle. From day-start, the enemy fourteen times fired at the positions of Ukrainian troops, including four times with the use of weapons proscribed by the Minsk agreements, launching a total of thirty-one 120mm and 82mm mines. A Ukrainian soldier was wounded as a result of the attack, Joint Forces HQ reports. The enemy employed grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns, anti-tank missile systems, 120mm and 82mm mortars, weapons installed on BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle, and small arms. Read alsoOSCE: Russian-led forces fire at two schools in Donbas The shelling was recorded near the following settlements: Avdiyivka, Lebedynske, Krasnohorivka, Kamenka, Vodiane, Maryinka, Krymske, Novoluhanske, Novozvanivka, Troyitske, and Khutir Vilniy. "The units fired upon by the enemy delivered an adequate response, returning fire from standard weapons. Reports on enemy losses are being verified. The situation in the zone of the Joint Forces Operation remains under control of Ukrainian military," said the Headquarters. As UNIAN reported earlier, the K-2 battle group of the 54th Brigade completely destroyed the enemy command center in Luhansk region. Oh Seong-mok, president of KT's network division, speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of KT By Baek Byung-yeul KT is seeking to lead in the commercial fifth-generation (5G) network services, which will kick off April 5, with the country's widest coverage of 30,000 base stations for super-fast connectivity, the mobile carrier said Tuesday. "We have already built 15,000 5G base stations in Seoul. We are in the final stages of commercializing the 5G service," Oh Seong-mok, president of KT's network division, said during a press conference at the firm's headquarters in central Seoul. KT has set a goal to offer the country's widest 5G network coverage. Among the three mobile carriers, LG Uplus has built about 18,000 5G network stations while SK Telecom didn't reveal the exact number of its network stations. By the end of 2019, the next-generation network connectivity service will be available in the country's 85 major cities, the firm said. "Until the launching of 5G services on April 5, we will build a total of 30,000 5G base stations," said Seo Chang-seok, head of KT's network strategy unit. "We will be able to have up to 80 percent nationwide coverage with 5G in 2019. We will especially focus on enabling users to access 5G services inside the buildings." On the occasion of the service launching, the carrier has established 5G connectivity in heavily populated places and on expressways and railroads, and in airports. It also established the 5G connectivity in high density areas 464 universities, 70 shopping malls and department stores, and industrial complexes. Seo added KT's 5G service guarantees "ultra-low latency" to improve actual data transmission speeds for users. To improve security, KT said it will apply new technologies such as GiGA Stealth and network slicing to its 5G network. GiGA Stealth technology is to block cybersecurity attacks on internet of things (IoT) devices while the network slicing technology enables a network operator to provide dedicate virtual networks over a common network infrastructure. KT said it will announce its pricing plan for 5G services next week. The mobile bill for 5G services is expected to be similar to that of SK Telecom. The carrier is negotiating with the Ministry of Science and ICT to confirm its pricing package. Though SK submitted a proposed 5G pricing plan, which starts from 75,000 won for 150 gigabytes, the ministry rejected it, asking the firm to come up with low- and mid-range price options. The findings by the Forensic Explosives Laboratory (FEL) appear to challenge official reports by Russian and Polish investigators. A British laboratory has found "traces of explosives" in samples from a Polish presidential plane that crashed in Russia in 2010, according to a report. The findings by the Forensic Explosives Laboratory (FEL) appear to challenge official reports by Russian and Polish investigators that blamed pilot error for the crash, which killed 96 people, including then-Polish President Lech Kaczynski, near Smolensk, western Russia, in April 2010, Poland's Sieci weekly has reported, according to Radio Poland. Read alsoPoland's official urges bid for int'l help over presidential jet wreck media In an article entitled "The British Have Found TNT," the weekly's Marek Pyza and Marcin Wiko say they have established that the Forensic Explosives Laboratory, a unit overseen by the UK Ministry of Defence, a few weeks ago sent a letter to Polish prosecutors in which it said that most of the samples it had received for testing contained "traces of substances used for the production of explosives." These substances included TNT, according to Sieci. Around-the-clock channel Sky News last year quoted a British air accident investigator as saying that he believes there were explosions on board the Polish president's Tu-154M plane before its fatal crash in 2010. Poland's ruling conservatives have long challenged an official report into the causes of the disaster issued by the previous Civic Platform-led government, which cited a catalogue of errors on the Polish side, while also pointing to errors made by Russian staff at the control tower of Smolensk Military Airport. A Russian report placed all the blame on the Poles. A new commission to probe the crash was set up by the Law and Justice (PiS) party, which came to power in Poland in 2015. The party is headed by Jarosaw Kaczynski, twin brother of the late President Lech Kaczynski. The commission said in January last year that the jet's left wing was destroyed as a result of an explosion on board. The commission said that the explosion had "several sources" on the plane. In April 2017, the Polish commission said that the presidential plane was probably destroyed by a mid-air explosion and that Russian air traffic controllers deliberately misled Polish pilots about their location as they neared the runway. He earlier worked for the 10th department of the Soviet KGB which was engaged in countering smuggling and illegal forex deals. Russian FSB Major General Sergei Sokolov, 59, has been found dead in Moscow. His body was founded in his apartment in the north of the Russian capital, Moscow, the Mash Telegram channel said. Read alsoOnetime Russian hero selling gold Crimea medal bearing 'despised' Putin media An FSB retiree's card and a military identity card indicating his KGB and FSB posts were found next to the body. The man last contacted his relatives in early March, according to reports. He earlier worked for the 10th department of the Soviet KGB which was engaged in countering smuggling and illegal currency exchange deals. Russia sent two planes carrying almost a hundred Russian troops and fighters of so-called private military companies to Caracas, capital of Venezuela (where for the third month confrontation is ongoing between supporters of Guaido, whom the United States, most of Europe and Latin America have recognized the legitimate interim president, and Maduro, who has real power). Russia's support for the Maduro regime is fully integrated into the historical and contemporary Russian context. Russia has always been called "the gendarme of Europe". After all, Moscow and in certain periods, Petersburg, has always been reactionary. If somewhere the revolution began, and progressive governments could come to power, the Russians intervened to suppress these processes. Maduro is the same as Bashar al Assad, but somewhat in a different proportion As a matter of fact, Moscow's support for the Maduro regime, which proved its inability to manage the country with authoritarian notes, and its willingness to use force against its own citizens, explains it all. Maduro is the same as Bashar al Assad, but somewhat in a different proportion. In addition, Russia, in principle, has no allies or friends. And the Venezuelan regime since Hugo Chavez has been seemingly friendly to the Russian Federation. Therefore, there are certain friendly investments in Venezuela. When there were good energy prices, Venezuela was number one in the purchase of Russian killer scrap, that is, weapons, worth billions. There are also investments in the energy sector, there are loans which Russia allegedly needs to protect. Although it is very strange that, say, China, which has much more investment in Venezuela (more than half of Chinese investment in Latin America is concentrated in Venezuela) does not act similarly. I would be less surprised if I saw in Venezuela some Chinese servicemen who would thus try to stabilize the situation in order to protect their investments. Russia is a weak country in all dimensions, except in the nuclear component In addition, Russia is a weak country in all dimensions, except in the nuclear component. Therefore, they try to find weak spots of the West, in particular of the United States. And here there is a very clear parallel with Syria: when Assad's regime was almost losing, and Obama's and West's policies as a whole were slavish, Putin saw for himself an opportunity in Syria. With the minimum of necessary military and economic forces, he intervened. And with such an asymmetric war, he managed to roll the situation back and help Assad retain power. As a result, everybody has to take Russia into account in the issue of settling the Syrian conflict. I think that the Russians, inspired by such successes of their asymmetric policy in Syria, want to implement a similar scenario in Venezuela. In addition, Russia is interested in reimbursing all costs for this operation with profits from cooperation with the Maduro regime. Sending to Venezuela a small number of Russian soldiers is simply "putting their flag" in this territory. This gesture has a political value rather than being an indication that Russia may somehow change the balance of power in Venezuela. As we know, about a month ago it was reported that Russia had deployed to Venezuela special operation forces and security officials who helped the Maduro regime manage the crisis. We can draw parallels with Ukraine, when in 2014 in order to "deal with the Nazis at the Maidan" Russians were deployed in Kyiv who "helped" the then Ukrainian authorities. We all know how much blood was shed through this "help", and eventually all this did not play in Yanukovych's favor. All of these factors explain Russia's behavior toward Venezuela. Russia has deployed to Venezuela special operation forces to help the Maduro regime manage the crisis In addition, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has already warned Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov that Washington would not tolerate such behavior, and called on Moscow to stop inserting troops into Venezuela. A couple of weeks ago at a few fora, a hint was voiced that the Pentagon was working on a certain scenario for Venezuela, so a military campaign against this country was likely to be carried out. Although so far we are not seeing such a scenario being implemented, I would not rule out this possibility, since Venezuela is an important country in the region and the U.S. cannot leave it alone facing its current problems, because it is a threat to neighbors, allies and partners of the United States. In addition, Venezuela is a threat given the possibility of other actions, such as it was last year, when Russian strategic bombers landed in Caracas. These were Russia's demonstrative actions. Putin cannot invent anything new, so he repeats the best, as he thinks, pages of Soviet history (remember the 1962 Caribbean crisis). Russia did not deploy its nuclear forces in the region, but the arrival of strategic bombers in Caracas shows that it aims for something like that. It is very much in the context of nuclear blackmail, which Putin, primarily against the United States, uses to shatter the unity of their position with Europeans. Washington realizes that it cannot be ruled out that Maduro's regime, due to his appreciation for Putin's help, would give permission to deploy missiles or provide air fields to this end. And this is a direct threat to the national security of the United States. How likely is the force scenario in Venezuela? First of all, it should be recalled that protesters are being killed in Venezuela. The local government is unable to solve the most painful problems: there was a problem with electricity recently, when the capital and large cities were blacked out, there were supply shortages and food problems. It is about basic things of survival, not to mention some kind of economic development or stability. Under such conditions, a large number of people are on the brink of despair, and such people can get together and resist the police and the military. So the conflict in Venezuela has not been resolved. Moreover, there was a division where most of the Latin American countries joined the United States and the Organization of American States and supported the opposition leader Guaido as Venezuelan president, moreover - some troops took an oath to support him. But the things didn't escalate beyond this point. That is, on the one hand, there is a nation which aspires to change and supports the alternative candidate, but on the other - there are military, most of whom support Maduro. Therefore, the confrontation will be preserved, and, of course, it has the potential to grow into something more than just a collision on the streets of Caracas. However, Russia, by sending its military, is unlikely to promote the force scenario. On the contrary, it is more profitable for them to stabilize the situation in Venezuela and preserve the regime of Maduro than start a new war. For Russia, it is better to maintain stability in Venezuela than to release the demons of war because it will then be difficult to curb them. In addition, if Venezuela starts something like the war in Syria, then the U.S. will not stand aside. For Russians, the main thing is to stabilize the situation while keeping Maduro in power. But there is another risk: it is unlikely that Russia understands the Venezuelans well it is a country with a different culture and deep problems, and because of this, Russians could unintentionally, not deliberately, because of certain miscalculations, provoke escalation. Such a threat is still out there. Oleksandr Khara is an expert with the "Maidan of Foreign Affairs" Foundation The Russians have yet to successfully test the system's nuclear propulsion heart, which guarantees the device's everlasting power. An underwater drone armed with a nuclear warhead is slated to join Russia's arsenal no earlier than 2027, people familiar with a U.S. intelligence assessment told CNBC. In November, the Kremlin carried out the 11th and last-known test of the nuclear-powered weapon, dubbed "Poseidon," which can navigate autonomously and travel continuously after launching from a submarine, CNBC reports. "What we are basically dealing with is a Russian submarine, that is difficult to detect, launching a drone, that is difficult to target, equipped with a nuclear warhead," said one person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "The Russians have ambitions of using the nuclear-armed, nuclear-powered autonomous underwater vehicle as a retaliation device if their legacy nuclear weapon launch capability is neutralized during war." Read alsoRussia moves 20 hypersonic missiles to testing site CNBC While the strategic nuclear weapon is expected to join the Kremlin's arsenal as early as eight years from now, the Russians have yet to successfully test the system's nuclear propulsion heart, which guarantees the device's everlasting power. Russian state media has previously announced that the Russian navy will place at least 30 Poseidon drones on combat duty. The U.S. Navy does not have a similar weapon. Country United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe President of Airbus's commercial aircraft business Guillaume Faury (R) and Chairman of China Aviation Supplies Jia Baojun shake hands during an agreement signing ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris, March 25, as part of a state visit. The Chinese president is on a three-day state visit to France where he is expected to sign a series of bilateral and economic deals on energy, the food industry, transport and other sectors. AFP Airbus signed a deal worth tens of billions of dollars on Monday to sell 300 aircraft to China, coinciding with a visit to Europe by Chinese President Xi Jinping and matching a China record held by U.S. rival Boeing. The deal between Airbus and China's state buying agency, China Aviation Supplies Holding Company, which regularly coordinates headline-grabbing deals during diplomatic visits, will include 290 A320-family jets and 10 A350 wide-body jets. French officials said the deal was worth some 30 billion euros at catalogue prices. Plane makers usually grant significant discounts. The larger-than-expected order, which matches an order for300 Boeing planes when U.S. Donald Trump visited Beijing in2017, follows a year-long vacuum of purchases in which China failed to place significant orders amid global trade tensions. It also comes as the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX has left uncertainty over Boeing's immediate hopes for a major jet order as the result of any warming of U.S.-China trade ties. There was no evidence of any direct connection between the Airbus deal and Sino-U.S. tensions or Boeing fleet problems, but China watchers say Beijing has a history of sending diplomatic signals or playing off suppliers through state aircraft deals. "The conclusion of a big (aviation) contract ... is an important step forward and an excellent signal in the current context," French President Emmanuel Macron said in a joint address with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. The United States and China are edging towards a possible deal to ease a months-long tariff row and a deal involving as many as 200 to 300 Boeing jets had until recently been expected as part of the possible rapprochement. LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP China was also the first to ground the newest version of Boeing's workhorse 737 model earlier this month following a deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash, touching off a series of regulatory actions worldwide. Asked if negotiations had accelerated as a result of the Boeing grounding or other issues, Airbus plane making chief and designated chief executive Guillaume Faury told reporters, "This is a long-term relationship with our Chinese partners that evolves over time; it is a strong sign of confidence." China has become a key hunting ground for Airbus and its leading rival Boeing, thanks to surging travel demand. But whether Airbus or Boeing is involved, analysts say diplomatic deals frequently contain a mixture of new demand, repeats of older orders and credits against future deals, meaning the immediate impact is not always clear. One industry source said the latest Airbus order included Chinese government confirmation of an unspecified number of orders already counted on Airbus' books but with the names of customers undisclosed. Airbus could not be reached for comment. The outlook has also been complicated by Beijing's desire to grow its own industrial champions and, more recently for Boeing, the U.S.-China trade war. French President Macron unexpectedly failed to clinch an Airbus order for 184 planes during a trip to China in early 2018and the two sides have been working to salvage it. Industry sources have said the year's delay in Airbus negotiations, as well as a buying freeze during the U.S. tariff row, created latent demand for jets to feed China's growth. (Reuters) By Nam Hyun-woo POSCO Chairman Choi Jeong-woo embarked on a tour to the group's overseas units in Southeast Asian countries, marking his first visit to the outside units as the steelmaking group's chairman, POSCO said Tuesday. As the first destination of the trip, Choi visited PT Krakatau POSCO, a POSCO steel mill in Indonesia, on Monday and will stay overseas until Friday to drop by a rebar manufacturing body in Vietnam and a Myanmar gas field developed by POSCO International. PT Krakatau POSCO is a joint venture with Indonesia's PT Krakatau Steel and POSCO's first overseas integrated steel mill, which has all necessary abilities for steel production. It went into operation in 2013 and is capable of processing 3 million tons of slabs and thick steel plates a year. The mill logged 1.95 trillion won ($1.72 billion) in sales and 210 billion won in operating profit last year. "(The) steel mill stands at the core of the group's competitiveness," Choi was quoted as saying to employees there. A POSCO official said Choi met Krakatau Steel CEO Silmy Karim and discussed ways for improving the joint venture's competitiveness. Following the Indonesia leg of the tour, Choi will visit Vietnam to look into the group's Vietnamese rebar body of SS Vina and then go to Myanmar to check the gas field developed by POSCO International. "POSCO has been making most of its overseas investments in Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries," the POSCO official said. "And we believe the region has great potential and is expected to show substantial growth in the future." Starbucks Korea launched five types of morning boxes that are available at Starbucks Korea chains nationwide. Courtesy of Starbucks Korea By Kwak Yeon-soo Starbucks Coffee Korea is actively capitalizing on the growing breakfast market as more and more Koreans are starting to buy something to eat on their way to work or school amid their increasingly hectic lifestyles. The Korean unit of the world's largest coffee chain has rolled out "morning boxes," consisting of items such as English muffins and Mexican burritos, mostly for people in their 20s and 30s who find it difficult to prepare breakfast as they live by themselves. Five types of morning boxes are available at Starbucks Korea chains nationwide the "Basil Penne," "Mexican Burrito," "Bacon Cheese Ciabatta," "English Muffin," "Ham and Egg Crepe." They are all priced at 5,900 won ($5). "The English muffin tastes similar to an Egg McMuffin but is slightly more delicious," Kang Hee-su, who has tried the English muffin at a Starbucks chain, told The Korea Times. "I'd like to try other boxes whenever I feel hungry on my way to work in the mornings. I usually eat out because it's more convenient and less time-consuming." The introduction of morning boxes is attributed to a new trend in which people in their 20s and 30s are seeking fast and convenient ways to enjoy their meals. Starbucks Korea has also responded to the morning coffee customers' need for pairing drinks with food items. The "morning boxes" are available all day until they are sold out, the Korean unit of the U.S. coffee chain said, Monday. "A lot of customers, mainly office workers, buy morning boxes for breakfast and lunch. In that sense, cutting off breakfast in the morning doesn't suit young people," a Starbucks barista in Seoul told The Korea Times. "With the phenomenon of 'honbap,' a Korean word for eating alone, and the increase in single-member households, the demand for home meal replacement and purchasable healthy food is growing," Lee Eun-jeong, the head of the Category Food section at Starbucks Korea, said. "Our morning box series offer a wide selection of healthy breakfasts." "What our consumers were saying is that they wanted a wide range of healthy menu options that are both familiar and comfortable. So, we rolled out five different types," Lee said. Lee stressed the importance of "health" when developing a breakfast menu, saying that Starbucks Korea doesn't serve food containing MSG, sodium nitrite and artificial additives. It also slashed sodium by about 1,000 mg. Starbucks Korea said it will step up to become the leader in breakfast, adding that Category Food section has seen an annual growth of over 20 percent in recent years. "We will continue to offer more high-quality products and service keeping up with changing customer demands and lifestyles," Lee said. (@FahadShabbir) The US Department of State has approved a possible sale of F-16 fighter jets to Morocco in the amount of more than $3.7 billion, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement on Monday WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th March, 2019) The US Department of State has approved a possible sale of F-16 fighter jets to Morocco in the amount of more than $3.7 billion , the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement on Monday. "The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Morocco of F-16C/D Block 72 aircraft and related equipment for an estimated cost of $3.787 billion," the statement said. "The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on March 22, 2019." The United States will work with Honduras to boost security in that country and address the issue of migration it faces, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said in a statement on Tuesday WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th March, 2019) The United States will work with Honduras to boost security in that country and address the issue of migration it faces, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said in a statement on Tuesday. "The US and Honduras will work closely on improving security, tackling migration, Venezuela, and new ways to foster economic growth," Bolton said via Twitter. Earlier on Tuesday, Bolton welcomed Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez to the White House for what he called was a "productive meeting." More than 76,000 undocumented migrants crossed into the United States without authorization in February, an 11-year high, US immigration officials reported earlier this month. The vast majority migrants arrive to the United States from the Central America's "northern triangle," which comprises Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. Members of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union hold banners urging the National Pension Service to oppose Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho's reappointment as a Korean Air inside director during a protest in front of an NPS Seoul office in Seoul. By Nam Hyun-woo Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho Chances are becoming slimmer for Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho to keep his board seat at Korean Air as more and more shareholders are turning against him, according to industry analysts Tuesday. Cho and his family members have made the headlines over the past few years for allegedly breaking numerous laws and engaging in other dubious activities, including the misuse of company funds and mistreatment of subordinates. Korean Air, Hanjin Group's flagship unit, will hold its annual shareholders' meeting today at its headquarters in Seoul. Among other issues on the agenda, shareholders will be asked to vote on Cho's reappointment as an inside director, as his current term expired March 17. Currently, shareholders with a combined 33.35 percent stake are regarded as in favor of Cho. The National Pension Service (NPS) has an 11.56 percent stake in Korean Air while the company's employees own 2.14 percent the remainder are held by minority shareholders. Since Korean Air's articles of association designate that an inside director's reappointment requires the approval of two-thirds of attending shareholders, Cho needs the votes of an additional 34 percent to secure the seat. The NPS Pension Operating Committee decided Tuesday to oppose Cho's reappointment during the shareholder meeting. The committee said it believes "the candidate has a history of undermining corporate value or shareholder value" and the committee can "oppose such a candidate's appointment as a board member." Currently, Cho is on trial for embezzlement and breach of trust worth 27 billion won ($23.8 million) among other charges. These include unfairly collecting commissions from aircraft maintenance firms, and using corporate money to pay the lawyers' fees incurred by Heather Cho, his oldest daughter and former Korean Air vice president, during her trial in the so-called "nut rage" incident. Citing this, leading civic groups including Lawyers for a Democratic Society, and the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) have been urging minority shareholders who cannot attend the meeting to assign proxy votes to their representatives. "We have been receiving proxies since March 13 and we will reveal how much of a stake we have collected in the morning before the shareholder meeting," a PSPD official said. Regarding this, Korean Air said, "The civic groups' moves are affecting a private company's management," and urged shareholders to "wisely consider that the firm has logged operating profits for 14 consecutive quarters, and Cho has to attend a series of international aviation events later this year." The carrier also claimed that two members of the NPS operating committee were not qualified as they hold Korean Air shares individually. Multiple proxy advisers, including Institutional Shareholder Services, the Korea Corporate Governance Service, and Sustinvest have already expressed their opposition to Cho's reappointment. On Friday, Hanjin Group's de-facto holding firm Hanjin KAL will hold its annual general meeting. At that meeting, shareholders will also vote on strengthening requirements for its board members, which may deprive Cho of his Hanjin KAL board membership depending on the court ruling in his embezzlement trial. Also, Cho's close aide, Hanjin KAL CEO Suk Tae-soo's reappointment will be voted on at the meeting. The Episcopal Conference of Angola and Sao Tome -Conferencia Episcopal de Angola e Sao Tome (CEAST) has addressed itself to a wide range of pastoral issues during their recent plenary assembly. These include conclusions from the recent Vatican summit on the protection of minors. Paul Samasumo Vatican City The Episcopal Conference of Angola and Sao Tome -Conferencia Episcopal de Angola e Sao Tome (CEAST) in their recent plenary assembly held from 13 to 20 March, in Luanda and attended by all Bishops of the region has welcomed the conclusions of the summit on the Protection of Minors, convened by Pope Francis and held in Rome last February. Angolan Young people commended for Panama WYD 2019 Similarly, the CEAST Bishops endorsed the preliminary report for the First National Congress of the Clergy of Angola slated for August, this year. They further commended young people from the region who participated in the World Youth Day 2019 events of Panama. Concerning gender-based violence, the Bishops say the vice is prevalent in their communities and is tearing families apart. They have committed to doing more for families. Preparations for the Ad Limina Apostolorum Visit Among other things, the Bishops approved plans and programmes for the Quinquennial Visit to Rome, known as 'Ad Limina Apostolorum Visit.' The Bishops are expected in the Vatican for a visit to Pope Francis, next June. CEAST delegation for SECAM Golden Jubilee The conference of Bishops equally approved a CEAST delegation that will represent them at the forthcoming Golden Jubilee celebrations of SECAM (Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar) scheduled for 28 July in Kampala, Uganda. The CEAST plenary was presided over by the Archbishop of Luanda, who is also the President of CEAST, Filomeno do Nascimento Vieira Dias. Other matters dealt with by the CEAST Bishops include preparations for the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress scheduled for Budapest, Hungry 13-20 September 2020. Reports and concerns from dioceses The Bishops then listened to reports from various dioceses. In response to the reports, the Conference highlighted its concern about the rapid deforestation of the region, without any visible replacement plan for trees, by governments in their areas. They worry that if nothing is done, urgently, Angola and Sao Tome will soon see great desertification and the degradation of the environment. Unfortunately, all this comes at a price of severe climatic and weather-related disasters. Rampant unemployment among young people Reports from the dioceses also indicate that there is widespread unemployment and crime among young people. Young people in Angola and Sao Tome feel marginalised, disillusioned and desperate. Many do not see any immediate solution to their challenges. The Bishops have since said more pastoral attention and actions, in keeping with deliberations of the last Synod of Bishops for Young people, are needed. High taxation Further, the Bishops heard that citizens, in their countries, are suffocating from high taxation and that many small and medium-sized enterprises were no longer able to cope. Many have since been driven out of business. The Bishops have since made an urgent appeal to the government to consider revising current Customs Tariffs. Notwithstanding gains in recent years, HIV-AIDS cases are still a significant health concern in the region, and the Bishops would like to more resources, awareness raising and campaigns towards reducing the risk of further contagion. Venezuela accepting two Russian military planes full of personnel and specialists plus tonnes of technical hardware is being roundly criticized by Washington. By James Blears The two planes with more than 30 tons of equipment and one hundred soldiers landed on Venezuelan territory on Saturday. The US State Department waited until the beginning of the week to issue a verbal salvo stressing: "The United States condemns Russia`s deployment of military aircraft and personnel, as a reckless escalatation of the situation." Listen to James Blears' report US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo waded in with his own broadside, calling his Russian opposite number Sergei Lavrov, to insist that the United States won`t stand idly by. Yet he hasn`t elaborated on exactly what action would be taken to prevent so called indolence. Venezuelan officials insist this is maintenance of Russian military hardware, purchased by themselves. Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza is accusing Washington of hypocrisy spending billions on its own armed services budgets while interfering with another and different technical cooperation program. With political sparks flying, another electricity blackout affected 16 of Venezuela`s 23 States, with the Government accusing the US of yet more sabotage. While Opposition Leader Juan Guaido has said it`s due to an creaking, ageing overloaded system which is part of a crumbling infrastructure gridlock. Save the Children is the largest Aid Organisation in Yemen, attempting to help save the 14 million people at risk of famine, and the 2 million children risking exploitation and abuse in what is being described as the Worlds worst humanitarian crisis. By Francesca Merlo As of Tuesday, March 26th, the war in Yemen will have been raging on for four years. In that time, there have been over 19,000 air raids: more than one every two hours. 1.5 million children have been forced to flee the bombing of their cities, their villages and their homes. A war on children Save the Children, who has been working in Yemen for over 50 years reports that these air raids have been led by a Saudi-led coalition, including - amongst others - western countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. Save the Children has confirmed that these bombs are the main cause of death amongst children. Their figures state that 55 out of 1000 children die before reaching their 5th birthday and they have one plea: Please help us stop the war on children. A triple threat 14 million Yemeni people are at risk of starvation. 10 million children do not have access to adequate sanitation. Save the children is calling what the children in Yemen are facing every day a triple threat: bombs, starvation and disease. With schools and hospitals being either inexistent or inaccessible due to the destruction of infrastructures, the level of malnutrition and other preventable illnesses in Yemen is sky-high, and fatal. The aid organisation states that more than one hundred boys and girls are dying from extreme hunger every single day while at least one child dies every ten minutes as a result of preventable killers such as cholera. The main cause of death Of those who are accounted for, the bombs have killed or injured almost 7,000 children since the escalation of this war. In the last year, of all the children who have been killed, 50% of them died because of bombing from the sky. Often, these children were struck when in their own homes, and often when they were travelling, attempting to flee the area, to find safety elsewhere. On other occasions, the children were simply living their lives, as was the case in August 2018, when a bomb struck a school bus killing 40 children who returning to school from a picnic. Unimaginable fear Tamer Kirolos, Director of Save the Children, says One cannot even remotely imagine the terror [the children] must feel when a bomb falls on their house, nor the severity of the physical and mental wounds that all this leaves on them, indelibly. What is happening in Yemen should shock the world and must end immediately no child should suffer the unspeakable cruelty that is perpetrated in Yemen every day. Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee and Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy (right) On March 25, at the German Embassy in Hanoi, Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, organised a meeting with the participation of Chairman of the Hanoi Peoples Committee Nguyen Duc Chung and numerous German enterprises. Speaking at the meeting, Peter Altmaier said, I am deeply impressed with the socioeconomic development of Vietnam. Germany wants to co-operate with Vietnam to continue to improve this growth. I am also impressed by the achievements that German enterprises have made in this country. The German government always encourages enterprises to expand their investment as well as co-operation with local partners in Vietnam, Peter Altmaier said. Aone and AquaOne Water signing the MoU In the framework of the meeting, Aone Deutschland AG from Germany and AquaOne Water JSC (Vietnam) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to operate water plants invested by Aone Deutschland AG with the total invested capital of $100 million. Heavy traffic on the approach road to the HCM City Long Thanh Dau Giay Expressway. - VNS Photo Gia Loc There are complaints that the traffic jams have spread from weekends earlier to Fridays too with the number of holiday makers going from HCM City and the Mekong Delta to Vung Taus beaches steadily rising. An official from the Vietnam Expressway Technical Service Co. said the expressway could see congestion worsening and lasting from Thursday to Sunday during summer. Nguyen Thanh Dam of HCM Citys Phu Nhuan District said when there are traffic jams it takes her almost one hour to cover the 30km expressway which otherwise takes just 12-15 minutes. Nguyen Van Thanh of Binh Thanh District said there is congestion near the toll stations since some people use fee payment cards, and cards used on this expressway differ from regular ones used on other roads. According to the Vietnam Expressway Corp. (VEC), the volume of traffic on the expressway has yet to reach designed capacity. Measures to reduce congestion To reduce traffic jams on the expressway, a VEC spokesman said there is a proposal to ban heavy vehicles and container trucks during rush hour since they usually travel at low speeds, especially when crossing the Long Thanh Bridge, forcing all other vehicles too to slow down and causing congestion. Nguyen Van Thanh, head of the Department of Road Management No 4, said his agency has yet to receive the proposal banning large trucks during rush hour. But such a ban should be carefully considered since it would severely affect cargo transportation, he warned. Therefore, it should be preceded by consultations with transport associations and companies, he said. According to another member of the VEC management, to ease traffic on the expressway, the company will strive to improve the quality of the services on it related to accidents and mishaps. The VEC also plans to co-operate with the traffic police in Ba Ria Vung Tau Province and Long Thanh District in Dong Nai Province to regulate traffic on National Highway No 51. Relevant agencies have been seeking investments to build the second phase of the HCM CityLong ThanhDau Giay Expressway and the Long Thanh Bridge No 2. Can Gio coastal tourist site to be expanded by five times to 2,870 hectares (photo by PLO) Under the plan, the site area will be expanded by five times to 2,870 hectares from 600 hectares. The project stretching Can Thanh Town and Long Hoa Commune is expected to be completed in 11 years. Can Gio Tourism Urban Area Joint Stock Company will be the project investor. The project will have a total investment of VND217 trillion (USD9.43 billion). According to the investor, people will not be allowed to live on the site, while only economic facilities will be situated there. Around 767 households with a total number of 1,696 people would be affected by the project implementation. The investor has pledged to offer compensation for the households in line with the law and help them stabilise their life. The firm will prioritise the use of local people for the project. The people will be provided with training courses to help them turn into new kinds of jobs. Vice chairman of the HCM City Peoples Committee Tran Vinh Tuyen, once approved by the prime minister, municipal authorities will join hands with the investor to provide compensation for the affected people early. The project is hoped to be a hi-end tourist site in HCM City. The conference on branched-chain amino acids in liver diseases On March 23, 2019, the Vietnam Society of Infectious Diseases (VSID) co-operated with VIMEDIMEX Binh Duong Company and EAPharma Company to organise a conference on the role of BCAA in liver diseases. Numerous doctors in the field of infectious diseases and the gastrointestinal-hepatobiliary area in Vietnam attended this conference to update on new clinical advances to apply in their daily practices. Vietnam is in a group of countries with a relatively high prevalence of the hepatitis virus (about 10-20 per cent of the population is infected with hepatitis B and 9.4 per cent with hepatitis C virus). In addition, the number of deaths from cirrhosis accounts for 3 per cent of all deaths from diseases and among the causes of cirrhosis, viral hepatitis, and alcoholic hepatitis. Bui Huu Hoang's lecture on the role of BCAAs in liver diseases Liver cirrhosis, ascites is frequently accompanied with liver failure. Due to impaired liver function, the patients suffer from malnutrition and hypoalbuminemia (albumin is a main material for protein synthesis). In addition, ascites syndrome leads to abdominal distention and loss of appetite, resulting in a weakened quality of life (QOL). Studies have shown that BCAAs are involved in various bioprocesses such as protein synthesis, gene expression, and insulin resistance. Recently, BCAAs have also been reported to prevent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from developing and improving the functioning of immune cells. In advanced cirrhotic patients, it has been shown that serum concentrations of BCAA are decreased, whereas those of aromatic amino acids (AAAs) are increased. These alterations are thought to be the cause of hepatic encephalopathy (HE), sarcopenia, and hepatocarcinogenesis, and may be associated with the poor prognosis of patients with these conditions. Administration of BCAA-rich supplements has shown positive results in patients with cirrhosis and HCC. Over the past year, the number of patients treated each day in the hospital unit where cardiologist Ade Imasanti Sapardan works in Indonesia's capital has almost doubled to about 100. Sapardan, who sees up to 150 people every week, cites worsening air pollution as a major reason for the rise in patients seeking treatment in the mega-city of Jakarta, home to 10 million people. "People in Jakarta have bad pollution every day ... everybody is not really breathing safe air," Sapardan told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Half her patients suffer from symptoms linked to air pollution - like chest pains, coughing and breathlessness. Nine out of 10 people breathe polluted air, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), a problem that impacts more cities in Asia than anywhere else in the world. Burning fossil fuels is a large contributor to air pollution, which kills about 7 million people prematurely each year. Green campaigners and energy experts say Asia's growing demand for coal-fired power is one key cause of that pollution. Coal demand outside Asia peaked in 1988 and has since fallen by a third. During the same period, it rose 3.5-fold in Asia, now the world's main driver of coal-power demand, according to a report published late last year by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. "Cities with the worst air pollution are all in Asia and a lot of it is to do with coal," said Nikos Tsafos, a CSIS researcher. "The region has such huge economic growth and potential, where the desire to bring electricity to people trumps all other concerns." An air quality report published by Greenpeace and IQAir AirVisual this month showed that the world's 100 most polluted cities are largely in Asia - with India and China dominating. Jakarta and Hanoi are the two most polluted cities in Southeast Asia, according to the report. But while China has already curbed coal use to meet politically important smog targets, and India this year launched a nationwide anti-pollution program, Tsafos said Southeast Asia was a "blind spot." Lawsuit Like many Asian countries, Indonesia is experiencing a rise in urbanization, population and economic growth and is scrambling to find ways to increase its power capacity. Jakarta has about 10 coal power plants within a 100-km (60-mile) radius of the city, green campaigners said, with up to three more being planned. Now 20 Jakarta residents are to file a lawsuit against Indonesian President Joko Widodo, backed by non-governmental organizations including environmental group Greenpeace. They argue policymakers have not done enough to tackle air pollution in the capital and hope to force the government to move away from coal power and into renewables. Sapardan's medical expertise will be used in the action, which will also target the governors of Jakarta and its surrounding regions as well as the country's health and forestry ministers. They want a tightening of air standards, coordinated efforts to tackle air pollution, and recognition by the central government of the link between coal-power plants and air pollution, to force a change in power policy. "The global trend is now to stay away from coal, but in Southeast Asia it has gone the other way, including in Indonesia," said Tata Mustasya, climate and energy campaign coordinator at Greenpeace Southeast Asia. "We still use coal and are expanding it to meet our power needs." A spokesman for Widodo, who will stand for re-election in national polls next month, was unable to provide an immediate comment, while the energy ministry did not respond to requests for comment. Asia-Pacific consumed 75 percent of the world's coal in 2017, according to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy, up from 50 percent 20 years ago. An abundance of locally produced, cheap coal and a failure to promote alternative energy sources were key reasons for Asia bucking the global trend away from coal, energy experts said. "We have cases in the Philippines where people are suffering respiratory diseases because of coal-power plants and coal ash from which they will never recover," said Rayyan Hassan, executive director at the NGO Forum on ADB in Manila. Cash Flow With many investment and development banks moving away from coal projects, financing Asia's coal boom has been left to state-backed banks and bilateral agencies, energy experts and environmental campaigners said. Japan ramping up its coal-power capacity after the Fukushima nuclear disaster had led to a boon in clean-coal technologies that were now being exported across Asia, said green activists, who also cited China's Belt and Road Initiative. "There is a narrative that says a lot of this is being enabled by the Belt and Road Initiative - that China is exporting coal technology and generation to the region," said Tsafos. But as renewable energy becomes more competitive, market forces will help move Asia away from coal, said Yongping Zhai, an energy expert at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila. The ADB's 2009 energy policy states that the bank can still consider coal projects in rare cases where the power provides energy access to the poor and uses advanced technologies. Despite this, the ADB has no coal-power projects in the pipeline and the last coal-power project it was involved with was back in 2013, said Zhai. Although the effects of air pollution in Asia would be felt for decades, Tsafos said calls for clean air in China had led to a reduction in coal consumption and this could now be mirrored in other parts of Asia. "Local air pollution can be a really good agent of change," he said. "That's where pressure can pop up really quickly because people can see the damage but also politicians can show that they've delivered results." U.S. Attorney General William Barr is facing a firestorm of mostly Democratic criticism over declaring that President Donald Trump did not obstruct the Russia investigation, a move that came after Special Counsel Robert Mueller wrapped up his probe Friday without drawing a conclusion on the thorny question. Barr announced his decision Sunday in a four-page summary of Mueller's report which concluded that there was no evidence that Trump or his campaign colluded with the Russians during the 2016 U.S. election. In the letter to key members of Congress, the attorney general wrote that while the special counsel did not decide one way or another whether Trump obstructed justice, Barr and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, had determined that Trump's actions during the investigation did not amount to obstruction. "Given Mr. Barr's public record of bias against the Special Counsel's inquiry, he is not a neutral observer and is not in a position to make objective determinations about the report," Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement over the weekend. Barr did not disclose what actions the special counsel examined in trying to determine whether Trump obstructed justice, as he has yet to release any of Mueller's detailed final report. But he said Mueller looked at "several actions" by Trump that raised questions about whether the president sought to impede the federal investigation of Trump campaign interactions with Russian meddlers. Most of these actions, Barr said, have been publicly reported. For example, in February 2017, Trump asked then-FBI Director James Comey to stop investigating his ousted national security advisor, Michael Flynn, about Flynn's private conversations with Russia's ambassador to Washington, Comey later testified. Another incident: In May 2017, Trump fired Comey and later acknowledged in an interview with NBC that he had "the Russia thing" in mind when he dismissed Comey. And in July 2017, after news reports of a 2016 Trump Tower meeting between a group of Russians and Trump's inner circle, including his son Don Jr., the president dictated a statement falsely claiming that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss legal barriers to the adoption of Russian children. Trump's lawyers have admitted he dictated the statement, but the president has denied Comey's allegations. In deciding whether Trump's "actions and intent" amounted to obstruction, the special counsel weighed "evidence on both sides of the question," Barr wrote in his letter. But in the end, Mueller left the issue unresolved, leaving it to the attorney general to decide whether Trump's conduct constituted a crime, Barr said. Barr's decision has proved controversial in part because of his past criticism of the special counsel for investigating whether Trump obstructed justice. In a 19-page memo to Rosenstein last June, Barr, then a lawyer in private practice, called Mueller's obstruction theory "fatally misconceived." With that in mind, critics say Barr prejudged the issue and acted hastily. Barr's allies reject the criticism and say that as attorney general, he would have learned about Mueller's decision weeks ago and started formulating an opinion. Mueller signaled to Barr in a meeting about three weeks ago that he would not offer a definitive conclusion about whether Trump had obstructed justice, according to CNN and The Washington Post. Call for release of full report Now, congressional Democrats want to know what led to Mueller's and Barr's decisions, and they're calling for the full report to be released. In a letter to Barr on Monday, the Democratic chairmen of six House committees asked the attorney general to turn over the report by April 2 and start handing over all the evidence the special counsel used to write it. Investigating obstruction of justice was not part of Mueller's original mandate when he was appointed May 17, 2017. But the special counsel began probing Trump for obstruction after Comey claimed the president had directed him to drop the Flynn investigation. Trump's firing of Comey on May 9, 2017, and other actions then became part of the larger obstruction investigation. Obstruction of justice a felony under federal law is any interference with a legal proceeding such as a criminal investigation.To prove an obstruction charge, prosecutors must demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that a defendant had "criminal intent" to interfere with an investigation. Key questions But can a president obstruct justice? And can he be indicted for obstruction of justice?These are hotly debated questions among legal experts, but the consensus seems to be that a president can only be impeached by Congress for criminal offenses such as obstruction of justice. In his 2018 memo to Rosenstein, Barr argued that a president cannot obstruct justice as long as he legitimately exercises his constitutional powers. But in his summary of the Mueller report, Barr wrote that his decision to exonerate Trump was not based on a long-standing Justice Department policy that a sitting president can't be indicted and criminally prosecuted. Instead, Barr wrote, he and Rosenstein took note of Mueller's finding that Trump had not committed a crime in connection with Russia's election interference and that without an "underlying crime," it would be difficult to prove Trump's intent to obstruct justice. "In cataloging the president's actions, many of which took place in public view," Barr wrote, "the (Mueller) report identifies no actions that, in our judgment, constitute obstructive conduct, had a nexus to a pending or contemplated proceeding, and were done with corrupt intent." Malcolm defends Barr John Malcolm, director of legal studies at the conservative Heritage Foundation, defended Barr for applying "normal charging criteria for an obstruction of justice charge" and said he wasn't surprised by the decision. "The overwhelming majority of people who engage in attempts to obstruct an ongoing investigation do so because they know they're guilty of the matter that is under investigation," said Malcolm, who is a former federal prosecutor and Justice Department official. "In this case, President Trump and the people involved in his campaign were determined not to be guilty of the matter that was under investigation," he said. "That makes it a lot less likely that he would attempt to obstruct an investigation that at the end of the day was likely to exonerate him." Malcolm dismissed the notion that Mueller chose not to make a "traditional prosecutorial decision" because of the Justice Department policy against indicting a sitting president. "He could have made a recommendation" but instead chose to lay out the facts, Malcolm said. Although Barr's letter says the special counsel discussed the question of obstruction with Justice Department officials, it does not shed light on whether Mueller took into account the Justice Department policy in deciding not to make a recommendation. Yeomans reaction William Yeomans, a former Justice Department official now a senior legal fellow for the Alliance for Justice, said it remains unclear whether Barr's expansive view of executive power played any role in his decision to declare Trump innocent of obstruction. "It would be great to have a full explanation of exactly what he relied on, and that's why we need to get the report," Yeomans said. "I think what (Mueller) was thinking is that Congress is the only body that is going to be faced with a question whether or not to hold the president accountable for obstruction of justice, and my job should be to get to Congress the information as thorough and well-organized as possible," Yeomans said. He doesn't prepare speeches. He doesn't like pollsters. And, so far at least, Democratic presidential contender Beto O'Rourke doesn't always have the capacity to coordinate basic campaign logistics. Just ask Des Moines County Democratic Party Chairman Tom Courtney. Last week, Courtney got an 8 p.m. text from the frantic owner of a local cafe who heard rumors that O'Rourke planned to hold a campaign event at her business the next day. But she hadn't heard from O'Rourke's team. When his representatives did reach out later that night, the cafe owner was left scrambling to find a half dozen additional employees with just hours of notice to work the event. Almost a week later, Courtney is still incredulous. "He's a nice candidate, and I liked him,'' Courtney said. "But if he does that kind of organization, he's gonna piss everybody off.'' Welcome to Betomania, a nascent presidential campaign that's still learning how to balance the 46-year-old Democrat's freewheeling style with the demands of running a nationwide political organization. O'Rourke attracted overflowing crowds, record fundraising and tremendous media buzz for his inaugural tour as he raced across Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada over the last week. He also irritated Democratic leaders at times with a seat-of-the-pants campaign approach that may ultimately raise questions about his ability to govern. With little executive experience to speak of, the former three-term congressman's 2020 presidential campaign - which is essentially a multimillion-dollar nationwide company that already features thousands of volunteers and dozens of paid staff - may represent the most significant leadership test of his life. The former punk rocker employed an unconventional approach to his 2018 Senate campaign in Texas, nearly upsetting Republican Sen. Ted Cruz with a rebellious strategy that rejected pollsters, political consultants and scripted speeches. Advisers suggest O'Rourke will eventually be more open to such conventions in his 2020 presidential bid. But in sharp contrast to the Democratic Party's last presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, who lost the presidency in part because of her inability to connect with voters in an authentic way, O'Rourke's campaign is focused on a stripped-down presidential playbook that features little more than a rented van and a microphone. His team insists that early bumps are the natural byproduct of a candidate who genuinely didn't decide he was running until a week or two before his March 14 announcement. "I'm not someone who's been running for president for my life or for years,'' O'Rourke said as he barnstormed through South Carolina over the weekend. "I've been thinking about it in a serious way for a couple of months and have been a declared candidate for 7 days, so I understand that that can pose some challenges.'' Indeed, many top-tier candidates in the crowded 2020 presidential field have spent much of the last year - or longer - building shadow campaigns of prospective staff, donors and volunteers to allow them to ramp up their presidential operation quickly. O'Rourke had never stepped foot in Iowa before launching his presidential campaign. Aides report that he considers his wife, Amy, his most trusted adviser. But O'Rourke took a big step toward professionalizing his operation on Monday, 11 days after announcing his candidacy, by naming veteran Democratic strategist Jen O'Malley Dillon to serve as his campaign manager. She has experience on five previous presidential campaigns, most recently serving as deputy campaign manager to President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election. O'Rourke's skeleton crew moved into his El Paso, Texas, campaign headquarters on the Monday before his Thursday announcement, advisers said. Most of the current 24 paid staff were hired on a one-month temporary employment agreement to start. O'Rourke's former congressional chief of staff, David Wysong, who has no presidential campaign experience, is currently directing campaign operations. Advisers note that the campaign is still relying heavily on its network of volunteers across the country but has received more than 6,000 applications for paid staff positions. Despite the challenges, O'Rourke's campaign has attracted a flood of cash and positive media attention in the early days of his presidential bid. He raised $6.1 million from more than 128,000 individual donors in the first 24 hours after announcing his candidacy, a figure that bested Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' $6 million and the $1.5 million raised by the next closest first-day fundraising leader, California Sen. Kamala Harris. And in the days leading up to his announcement, O'Rourke was featured prominently in media coverage, including large spreads in Vanity Fair, The Washington Post and a documentary film that debuted at the SXSW film festival. The documentary made it clear that the candidate seeks to use the media to his advantage. Scenes showed him talking to advisers about trying to bait certain reporters into favorable coverage while complaining about having to "dance'' for national outlets. In El Paso, O'Rourke critics have complained about him using the city as a prop for East Coast newspaper reporters. Amid the success on some fronts, the inexperience is showing elsewhere on the ground in key states. On the night before O'Rourke's highly publicized arrival in New Hampshire, state Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley didn't have any details about when or where to see him. House Speaker Steve Shurtleff, one of the state's top elected Democrats, spoke with O'Rourke on the phone but could not arrange a time to meet in person. Some people find O'Rourke's "quirky campaign'' endearing, Shurtleff said, although tracking him down can be difficult. "It's almost like 'Where's Waldo.' Where's he going to pop up next?'' Shurtleff asked. "It's hard for some people to plan.'' Others notice that O'Rourke's team was taking unusual routes from event to event, which strained his schedule and prompted jokes about unnecessary travel on bumpy backroads. "I looked at his New Hampshire schedule and said, 'Here's a man who doesn't know New Hampshire,''' said Susan Chandler a 72-year-old retired assistant principal who attended one of O'Rourke's 11 events in the state over two days last week. That may be the point. O'Rourke and his team don't yet know the states that matter most on the presidential primary calendar. He says his unorthodox approach on the campaign trail will help him connect with voters of all walks of life - especially in areas he doesn't know. For now, he's largely depending on an inexperienced staff and a huge collection of energized but inexperienced volunteers to guide him. His campaign, he said in South Carolina, "is all about people and about all people.'' "I don't care how red or rural, blue or urban the community is. Everyone in this country is important, and we want to bring forward and not leave behind a single soul in this country,'' O'Rourke said. "And that's not just how I want to serve as president. That's how I want to campaign as a candidate.'' Britains beleaguered Theresa May gathered her ministers Tuesday for yet another emergency Cabinet meeting as the House of Commons upended centuries of constitutional practice and seized control of parliamentary business from the government in a bid to end the long-running Brexit impasse. A series of "indicative votes" planned for Wednesday in the House of Commons, however, may fail to find a solution and plunge Britain deeper into political chaos, according to analysts. Some lawmakers worry the votes to try to find consensus among MPs on what type of deal they want with the European Union may end up revealing there is no workable consensus. That would would delay Britains exit from the European Union, which is now set for either April 12 or May 22, for possibly a year or longer. Sharp divisions Mays Cabinet is hopelessly divided between hardline Brexiters and pro-EU Remainers, as is her ruling Conservative party as a whole. The ministers war-gamed various scenarios Tuesday for an election should MPs impose a Brexit solution the government cant support. A snap general election is becoming more likely, said Conservative lawmaker John Baron. The indicative votes, probably to be held on Wednesday, will explore a series of Brexit options likely to include whether to leave the European Union without a deal, Mays contentious withdrawal deal that has been twice rejected by the Commons, a Norway-style deal that would keep Britain in the EU single market and customs union but not as a full EU member, holding a second Brexit referendum for the public to decide, or just revoking Britains application to leave the bloc. Theresa May tried to stop the power grab by the Commons, but was defeated Monday in a parliamentary vote that saw 30 Conservatives vote against her and three ministers resign. She warned parliaments move, which had the backing of opposition parties, upends the balance between our democratic institutions and sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent for the future. One of the ministers, Alastair Burt, quit so he could vote for the House of Commons to seize control. Until recently he was seen as a May loyalist. He said in his resignation letter, We are running out of time... the risk of leaving without a deal, and continuing serious and disruptive uncertainty is affecting the UK profoundly. Parliament should seek urgently to resolve the situation by considering alternatives freely, without the instruction of party whips, and government should adopt any feasible outcome as its own in order to progress matters. Indicative votes are a series of non-binding resolutions and are a way of testing the will of the House of Commons on different options related to a single issue. More drama likely Even if the House of Commons finds there is a majority on a Brexit option, the saga wont end there. May has insisted she wont necessarily deliver on what the Commons votes for, which will prompt another standoff between the government and Parliament. Backers of holding indicative votes have warned they wont tolerate the results being shunned by the government. If, ultimately, the government refuses to listen to what parliament has voted for, then we will look to bring forward a bill, pass an Act of Parliament that will require the government to reflect parliament's wishes, said Nick Boles, a Conservative rebel who wants a so-called soft Brexit with Britain closely aligned with the bloc. In Brussels there was tentative welcoming of Parliament seizing the initiative. Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliaments Brexit coordinator, said indicative voting would be an opportunity to build cross-party cooperation. He hoped it would result in negotiating changes. With British politics in meltdown, Mays days in office appear increasingly numbered, say analysts. More than a dozen Cabinet ministers and a swathe of her own backbench Conservative lawmakers have urged her to quit. They want a caretaker prime minister to be installed to test different exit strategies. But even the skittish plot to oust her fell apart Sunday, the victim of infighting in the Cabinet over who should replace her. Top European Union leaders joined Chinese President Xi Jinping in Paris in stressing multilateralism to address issues from peace and security to climate change and trade. The Paris meeting with Xi, which came ahead of a key EU-China summit planned for April 9, brought together some of the blocs biggest heavyweights: President Emmanuel Macron of France, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker. At a joint press conference following the talks, Macron stressed what he described as areas of convergence between the European Union and China, two of the worlds biggest economic powers. Among them: intensifying the fight against climate change, denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and development and security in Africa. Both sides, Macron said, want to construct a renewed multilateralism that is more just and balanced. President Xi said the world is facing major challenges and peace and development were key. He described the growing threat of protectionism and unilateralism. The cooperation through which China hopes to expand its ambitious 'Belt and Road' infrastructure and investment initiative initiative, however, is controversial and divisive within the European Union. As Germany's Merkel said, "Europe wants to join the Belt and Road plan, but it demands reciprocity." Several areas stressed by the two sides, including EU and Chinese support for the Paris climate agreement and the Iran nuclear deal, contrast with positions taken by U.S. President Donald Trump. The Chinese leaders visit to France is the last leg of a European trip marked by multibillion dollar deals, including a major Chinese purchase of Airbus planes. Earlier during Xi's visit to in Rome, Italy became the first G-7 nation to sign on to Chinas Belt and Road project. Xis visit was greeted by some rights protests. Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders also released a new report on Chinas alleged efforts to stifle media freedom abroad, as well as at home. Cedric Alviani, the group's East Asia Bureau director, said, What we expect from that report is that, all around the world, journalists would start investigating in their city, in their region, in their country on the way Chinese authorities are pushing their influence. Alviani said Chinas Belt and Road initiative is one way Beijing is spreading not only its economic, but also its ideological influence. Dominican President Danilo Medina met Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua on Monday, the president's office said, deepening ties between the countries as the United States warns governments in the region against getting too close with China. The leaders met to follow up agreements that the countries struck in November and also reached two new accords on economic cooperation, the Dominican government said. The meeting is among the first official visits between the countries since the Dominican Republic cut ties with Taiwan and established relations with Beijing last May. Panama and El Salvador have also made the switch in recent years. "The representatives of the Chinese government emphasized the interest they have in supporting the (Dominican Republic) in increasing its exports to China and promoting a greater flow of tourists from that nation to ours," the Dominican government said in a statement. U.S. President Donald Trump last Friday in Florida pledged investment in a meeting with five Caribbean leaders, including Medina. The White House had said earlier in the week that Trump wanted to work with leaders to "counter China's predatory economic practices." The United States and China are embroiled in trade disputes, with talks to resolve them apparently in the final stages. Trump and the leaders did not discuss Chinese investment issues, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness told reporters after the meeting. Kenya's government and aid groups are sending food to Kenya's northwest region, where thousands of Kenyans are starving due to droughts. "There is hunger and a lot of suffering in the ground," Kenyan Eric Eyan said of the Turkana region. "There are those saying there is no hunger they should come to the area and see how people are suffering, how livestock is dying, how people have problems with accessing water." Residents say the drought began two months ago, which is not uncommon in the arid region. Arid and semi-arid lands make up almost 80 percent of Kenya. Kenya Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa acknowledged the dire situation last week. "We are here to let the country know that, indeed, the drought situation in the northern part of the country is worsening. Our experts have been able to show us that, indeed, the short rains did not do so well, the 2018 short rain season and the long rains have been delayed," Wamalwa said. The government set aside nearly $40 million last year to counter the effects of a drought that was declared a national disaster. Wamalwa says the government is working with local leaders to help the current situation. "We want to thank Governor [Josphat] Nanok, and the county government of Turkana, which has been greatly affected, for moving fast and putting in place the necessary remedial measures to help his people in Turkana. As of last week, [the governor] had reached out to us that he had more or less exhausted what they had set aside as county government, and they have now requested us as [the] national government to step in," Wamalwa said. Call for long-term answers The government says it is distributing food to about 2,000 affected people, but the situation is triggering public anger and a demand for long-lasting solutions. Many Kenyans on social media say they will not raise funds for drought relief efforts every year and, instead, government leaders should be held accountable. Eyan agrees that a permanent solution is needed. "The government should consider permanent solutions in the area, perhaps digging wells or reservoirs and other long-terms solutions that can help the situation," he said. Aid agencies continue to distribute food, but locals such as Eyan say if a solution is not provided next year, Turkana and other drought-prone areas will be in the news again. Big-eared baby elephant Dumbo may be the star of Walt Disney Co.'s remake of its 1941 animated movie classic but the film was shot without its adorable star ever making an appearance on set. The cast of the live action "Dumbo," arriving in movie theaters worldwide this week, had to act opposite an assortment of models and stunt men and women while the elephant was being created by computer-generated imagery (CGI). "It is weird that you're making a movie with all these great actors and the main character is not there," director Tim Burton told Reuters Television. "Dumbo," which stars Colin Farrell, Danny DeVito and Michael Keaton, is the tale of an elephant born to a struggling circus who is ridiculed for his huge ears, until he uses them to fly and becomes the main attraction of the show. Farrell, who plays the father of two children who adopt Dumbo, said he never saw an elephant while making the film. "There wasn't an elephant to be found. They did have models. They had a beautiful huge model in luminous green of an elephant that played Dumbo's mom, Jumbo, and then they had multiple, multiple stand-ins for Dumbo," Farrell said. "They had a model that didn't move. They had a couple of actors... dressed in green spandex onesies and they'd come in and do their thing, and they had stilts on the front of their arms and their movement was extraordinary and the character work was extraordinary," Farrell added. One of the stand-ins was Burton himself. "You should see me get on all fours," Burton said. "Throwing my trunk all over the place." Farrell said he didn't get to see Dumbo until he watched the finished film for the first time as a member of the audience. "Dumbo falls down, and the straw goes awry and then the ears come out and I'm seeing it for the first time. Beautiful, really lovely to see. They did extraordinary work," he said. Turkeys ruling AKP, with a message of services, jobs, and construction, is seeking to defeat the countrys main pro-Kurdish HDP in Sundays local elections. Diyarbakir, the largest city in the countrys predominantly Kurdish southeast, is the center of the battle for power. Baglar is Diyarbakirs largest district and a long time stronghold of the pro-Kurdish movement. Huseyin Beyoglu, in his bid to win the mayorship, is seeking a breakthrough for the AKP. "People of Baglar want services, want peace, want jobs, said Beyoglu, and they believe that peace, the services and the jobs will only come from the hands of the AKP Party municipal officials. People of Baglar are showing a red card to HDP, which for the last 20 years brought nothing but discontent to their district, he added. Following the collapse of a peace process between Kurdish separatist group the PKK and Ankara, fighting erupted in Diyarbakir, like in many towns and cities across the Kurdish region. In unprecedented fighting in the decades-long conflict, parts of Diyarbakir were razed to the ground as security forces ousted PKK fighters who had taken over parts of the city. Tens of thousands of people remain homeless. Throughout the decades the PKK had avoided fighting in towns and cities. The change in tactics even drew criticism from its usually loyal supporters along with the broader Kurdish movement. The AKP is seeking to exploit any rift and is pouring millions of dollars into rebuilding destroyed parts of the city. Critics point out; it remains unclear who will be able to afford the new housing, with the areas destroyed in fighting among the citys poorest. Senior officials from Ankara regularly visit the construction sites, to assess progress before Sundays crucial local elections. Huge posters adorn rebuilt walls, highlighting the destruction by the fighting and the vision of a modernized restored city. The AKP in Diyarbakir believes they have a winning message of development and progress over strife. AKP mayoral candidate Beyoglu has for weeks been delivering his message to local people across the HDPs stronghold. For 65 days we are in the field, said Beyoglu. We are by the people. We visited 16,000 tradespeople, 450 coffee shops and saw that people now say, enough to HDP. Watch related video by Dorian Jones: In his latest campaign drive, Beyoglu targets local traders. Before starting, he stops off at a newly constructed police checkpoint, protected by massive blast walls and an armored car. The checkpoints have been set up all across strongholds of the pro-Kurdish movement in Diyarbakir. An armored car slowly drives up the street shadowing Beyoglu and his campaign activists as they drop into shops and small businesses. Some businessmen offer support, As tradespeople, we were very unhappy, said this cleaning materials wholesaler, who wanted to remain anonymous. We couldnt open our shops, always fighting, always chaos. Thank God these people lifted that wreckage; thats why our choice is AKP Party. Listening is Abdurrahman Dogan, an AKP campaigner who is also running for the local parliament. "They (people) dont want to go back to the old days (of fighting). Two years ago store shutters were almost permanently down in Baglar;" said Dogan. "There was no rest; there were gas bombs, fights, and noise. There was no peace. Now, they want peace, services, and job." "We will rebuild Baglar with the help of our government, build new housing complexes," he added. "There are many streets here where no ambulance or fire engines can enter. They will all be knocked down and a brand new Baglar will be rebuilt." Abdurrahman claims with the PKK defeated in Diyarbakir there are no longer any "no-go" areas for his party and freely campaigns across the city. Despite such optimism, the AKP is facing a difficult struggle in Baglar. In the last local election, the AKP lost by 58 percent to 32 percent. Many of the district's 400,000 people were forced to leave their villages in the 1990s by security forces in its war against Kurdish separatists the PKK. The scorched earth policy displaced more than a million people. There appears a strong sense of injustice among some, that its previously elected mayor is now languishing in jail, and replaced by a state appointee. In a coffee shop, an old man who did not want to be identified predicted offers of prosperity would not be enough. What I have been observing is that HDP will come out of the polls on top in Diyarbakir just like the old elections, he said. I believe they will get back the votes that we're taken from them, deserve by increasing their votes. However, Beyoglu insists people are increasingly ready to listen, People of Baglar broke away and are estranged from the HDP in a strict sense. People know that the services will come from the AKP party and AKP party mayors. Representative Ilhan Omar has a way of attracting attention. Four months ago, the Democrat became the first Somali-American and one of the first two Muslim women to serve in the U.S. Congress. Her election was heralded by many as a sign of a more diverse generation of politicians coming to power on Capitol Hill. But just weeks into her first congressional term, Omar ignited a controversy with a tweet invoking an offensive trope suggesting U.S. lawmakers' support for Israel was swayed by money from the powerful lobbying group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Shortly after her apology for that tweet, Omar suggested in a public statement that lawmakers held a dual loyalty to the U.S. and Israel. Omar's comments triggered two Congressional resolutions condemning hate speech. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, including senior Democratic leadership, strongly criticized Omar for making remarks that many felt crossed the line into anti-Semitism. In a speech Sunday to the opening session of AIPAC's annual conference in Washington, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland declared that "What weakens us is when, instead of engaging in legitimate debate about policies, someone questions the motives of his or her fellow citizens." The controversy jeopardized Omar's high-profile assignment on the House Foreign Relations Committee, while giving a House freshman an unusually high-profile role in a long-running and contentious U.S. foreign policy debate over Israel and its treatment of Palestinians. Home district But in the Minneapolis-centered Minnesota 5th Congressional district that Omar represents, the nation's largest Somali-American community sees the controversy differently. For the Somali-Americans who watched the election of one-time refugee Omar with pride just a short time ago, they are suspicious and troubled by the negative attention. "The reason there is a lot of attention on Ilhan Omar is because a lot of differences came into the Congress a Muslim woman, a hijab woman, an African woman a lot of differences, that's what brings attention," Somali-American Bashir Jama told VOA recently at Village Market, one of Minneapolis' largest Somali malls. "We were watching the criticism of Ilhan Omar, but we do not believe she is behaving with hatred toward Jewish people. I think that's a misinterpretation against her," Ali Muse, a Somali-American, told VOA. Somali-Americans make up only part of Omar's racially diverse district, which is overall 70 percent white and trends toward a young, urban and highly educated population. The district was the first to elect a Muslim to Congress, sending now-Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to Washington beginning in 2006. Jewish leaders The district also includes the St. Louis Park suburbs that are home to a strong Jewish population. Leaders in the Minnesota Jewish community have been deeply hurt by Omar's allegations but are also aware of the fine line they have to walk to maintain the historically close ties between the Somali and Jewish communities here in Minnesota. "This is not an attack or critique on Congresswoman Omar because she's a woman of color, because she's of Somali descent, because she wears a hijab," said Avi S. Olitzky, a senior rabbi at Beth El Synagogue. But he says Omar's comments are particularly dangerous in a growing atmosphere of anti-Semitism. "The language really echoed upon anti-Semitic tropes that have been used throughout the centuries, accusations of Jews having dual loyalties to foreign countries specifically Israel or Jews with their associations with money and buying political favor," Olitzky told VOA. Jewish leaders have met with Omar and her staff to follow up on her comments and inform her about the hurtful consequences. They say this controversy should be an opportunity to inform the public about damaging stereotypes and caricatures, not about cutting off informed debate over U.S. foreign policy. "There is no reason why Israel, Palestine, the United States relationship with Israel should not be the subject of robust debate and discussion," said Steve Hunegs, director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas. "That's the hallmark of American democracy. But when we descend to ugly comments, or indulgent stereotypes, or casting aspersions, that degrades our democracy." Hunegs said he showed Omar and her staff a photograph of his cousin, who was killed in action fighting in World War II, to make the point that Jewish families are loyal to the United States and have made considerable sacrifices for that loyalty. Local Jewish leaders emphasize the ongoing conversation with Omar and her staff is ultimately about seeking better representation for this diverse district while avoiding divisiveness. "White nationalists seeking to divide natural allies of communities of color or Jewish people from Muslims, if we are challenging or fighting one another as opposed to challenging that ideology, they are able to continue to cause all of our communities harm," Rabbi Michael Latz of the Shirtikvah Congregation in Minneapolis told VOA. Abdullahi Farah, the executive director of the Abubakar Islamic Center, one of the largest mosques in the Minneapolis area, told VOA the community did not support hateful speech in any form and looked forward to an ongoing dialogue in the community. Campaign insider Omar's own history, first as a refugee fleeing violence in Somalia to a camp in Kenya and then emigrating to the United States, informs her perspective on democratic debate, Khalid Mohammed told VOA. Mohammed worked on Omar's campaign last year. "She is a war survivor," Mohammed said. "So when you see her talking about injustices happening across the globe, it's not because she just saying it for the sake of saying it. She deeply cares about it because she'd been through a struggle." He does not see Omar's challenge to U.S. foreign policy as an attack against Jews, but a criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's increasingly harsh policies in dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "When she talked about Israel, I don't think she was going after Jewish people or their faith," Mohammed said. "She was going after one individual the Prime Minister of Israel and the violations that he's been committing for a while and how the U.S. just turned its back on those policies." Omar could not be reached for comment. In a March 17 Washington Post commentary, Omar said her experience as a refugee informed her desire to find "a balanced, inclusive approach" to a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians. "When I criticize certain Israeli government actions in Gaza or settlements in the West Bank, it is because I believe these actions not only threaten the possibility of peace in the region they also threaten the United States' own national security interests," Omar wrote. Threats, challenges Omar's outspokenness has invited more than controversy. Mohammed pointed to an FBI investigation into a death threat against Omar written on the wall of a gas station in her district. Somali-Americans in Minneapolis also brought up a poster at a Republican-sponsored gathering in West Virginia linking Omar with the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the U.S. The state party denounced the sign even as Omar called it "the GOP's anti-Muslim display." Ultimately, Omar's re-election in 2020 could be at risk as voters in the Minnesota 5th weigh the consequences of a representative who courts controversy while provoking debate. The district is one of the most Democratic in the nation, meaning that a party primary challenge would be the best opportunity to unseat Omar. Rabb Latz said that while his synagogue does not get involved in endorsing candidates, challengers are already eyeing the seat a year and a half ahead of a potential primary. "I can probably count five to 10 off the top of my head right now of folks who are already considering running," Latz said. Hong Kong's former home affairs secretary Patrick Ho Chi Ping was jailed for three years Monday for a scheme to bribe African officials to boost a top Chinese energy company that was part of Beijing's global Belt and Road initiative. Ho, 69, who worked for the controversial energy conglomerate CEFC China Energy, was sentenced by a New York judge after being convicted in December on seven charges of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and money laundering for bribes. He was accused of paying off top officials in Uganda and Chad to support the Shanghai conglomerate's projects in their countries. Some of the deals were arranged in the halls of the United Nations, leading to the U.S. arrest in November 2017 of Ho and a co-conspirator, former Senegalese top diplomat Cheikh Gadio. The two men allegedly offered a $2 million bribe to Idriss Deby, the president of Chad, "to obtain valuable oil rights," and a $500,000 bribe to an account designated by Sam Kutesa, the minister of foreign affairs of Uganda, who had recently completed his term as the President of the U.N. General Assembly, according to the charges. "Patrick Ho schemed to bribe the leaders of Chad and Uganda in order to secure unfair business advantages for the Chinese energy company he served," said U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman. "Foreign corruption undermines the fairness of international markets, erodes the public's faith in its leaders, and is deeply unfair to the people and businesses that play by the rules." CEFC was an upstart company that quickly grew to be worth tens of billions of dollars despite a murky track record. It was considered to be a vital player in Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious One Belt One Road plan to build commercial networks around the world. CEFC was led by Ye Jianying, an ostensibly well-connected businessman who built a network of global contacts, and notably was able to meet with members of then-vice president Joe Biden's family and a former CIA director. But after Ho was arrested by U.S. authorities in 2017, CEFC's business began to crumble. Last year, Ye disappeared and is now believed to be held by Chinese authorities for unspecified charges. Humanitarian groups are continuing to face complications, including funding shortfalls, when delivering aid to North Korea as the U.S. maintains its maximum pressure sanctions campaign on the country. The United Nations granted sanctions exemption to five humanitarian organizations earlier this month, raising the total number of groups that can deliver aid to North Korea to 21. Humanitarian agencies said sanctions placed on North Korea have created complications for aid groups that need to secure funds and deliver assistance to the country. In order to deliver assistance in North Korea, U.S. charities need to secure approvals from the U.S. Commerce Department, the Treasury Department, and the U.N. Security Council sanctions committee, and American relief workers are required to obtain special travel passports from the State Department to travel to North Korea, according Foreign Policy. Daniel Jasper, public education and advocacy coordinator for Asia at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), said the State Department held a roundtable session with U.S. and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in January to discuss sanctions regulations and travel restrictions. In the absence of a comprehensive agreement between the U.S. and North Korea, we are hoping the U.S. will tweak existing regulations to help improve conditions for humanitarian operation, Jasper told VOA. He said steps that sanctions regulators could take to help improve humanitarian operations include issuing a white list of acceptable goods to expedite approval process, issuing a more comprehensive general license that permits ongoing and well-established humanitarian programs to carry on without the need for additional approvals, and working with banks to create a white channel to help expedite program funding. In the meantime, Christian Friends of Korea, a U.S. aid group approved with an exemption this month, left for North Korea on Saturday for a three-week humanitarian mission, according to Heidi Linton, the organizations executive director who spoke with VOA's Korean Service last week before the group departed. The North Carolina-based group works with TB, hepatitis and pediatric care centers and engages on projects such as solar-gravity water system installations, renovations of care centers, and hepatitis treatment clinics," according to its website. US: No sanctions relief The U.S. refused to lift sanctions on North Korea in February when the countrys leader, Kim Jong Un, asked President Donald Trump to remove them during talks at the Hanoi summit. The U.N. and U.S. have placed rounds of sanctions on North Korea since 2016, following its nuclear and ballistic missile tests. Trump said on Friday in a tweet that he is against imposing additional large-scale sanctions on North Korea. Pierre Peron, spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Bangkok regional office, said, While Security Council sanctions imposed on the country clearly exempt humanitarian activities, humanitarian agencies continue to face serious unintended consequence on their programs, such as lack of funding, the absence of a banking channel for humanitarian transfers and challenges to the delivery of humanitarian supplies. According to Peron, sanctions make donors more cautious about funding operational costs. He said suppliers of humanitarian goods take a risk-averse approach because of the complicated regulatory requirements, delays in port clearance, higher expenses and reputational risks associated with delivering humanitarian aid to North Korea. North Korea is one of the lowest-funded [countries] in the world, according to 2019 DPR Korea Needs and Priorities Plan, a report issued earlier this month by the United Nations. With an estimated 11 million men, women and children lacking sufficient nutritious food, clean drinking water, or access to basic health and sanitation services, Peron said in 2018 North Korea received less than half of the $111 million that international humanitarian agencies deemed necessary. This year, the U.N. is appealing for $120 million to cover aid for the most vulnerable 3.8 million North Koreans. The low level of funding is impacting operations, said Peron. Agencies have been forced to scale back essential programing seriously compromising the delivery of basic humanitarian interventions that are crucial to safeguard the lives of the most vulnerable. Children at risk Roy Wadia, spokesperson for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) at the Asia and Pacific Regional Office in Bangkok, said 1.4 million people in North Korea, including 190,000 kindergarten children and 85,000 acutely malnourished children, did not receive food assistance last year due to the shortage of funds. If humanitarian programs were to be forced to further scale back or draw down completely, the impact would be devastating on the lives of millions of vulnerable people, jeopardizing the access and results gained overtime, said Wadia. The UNFPA is one of five humanitarian organizations granted an exemption by the U.N. in March. It focuses on providing reproductive health services to pregnant women through an office it has had in North Korea since 1985. Shima Islam, spokesperson for the U.N. International Childrens Fund (UNICEF) in East Asia and Pacific Regional Office in Bangkok, said, The U.N. sanctions against [North Korea] explicitly recognized that special steps must be taken to ensure that sanctions dont add to the suffering of children. UNICEF, which has been working in the country since 1985, was granted a sanctions exemption by the U.N. in November and has staff in Pyongyang. Kevin Martin, the president of Peace Action, said sanctions hurt the people of North Korea and the exemptions should be fairly generous based on the needs of the people in North Korea. Peace Action and a number of NGOs sent a letter to Trump in October, asking him to urge the State Department and Treasury Department to modify the U.S. sanctions regulations to allow timely delivery of humanitarian aid and other NGO engagement in North Korea, according to the letter obtained by VOA Korean Service. Jasper, of the AFSC, said he was encouraged by a State Department statement made at the roundtable which said, The State Department is committed to clearing a backlog of sanctions waiver applications and applications for travel to North Korea. AFSC, which was among the signatories to the letter sent to Trump, has helped North Koreans increase agricultural yields with assistance on implementing sustainable agricultural practices on the cooperative farms. Ahn So-young of VOAs Korean Service contributed to this report. The seven women busily making and packing sanitary napkins in a small manufacturing unit in Kathikhera village had never heard that word while growing up. That is no surprise: menstruation is a taboo subject in village homes. That is why when the venture was launched over two years ago, several women quit after being taunted by villagers for doing dirty work. Those who persevered did not dare acknowledge what they were doing. We used to tell everyone we are making diapers. When people came to buy them we were very embarrassed to admit that we are actually making pads, says 22-year-old Rakhi Tanwar. I did not even tell my father and brother about the work I was doing. The venture was born in a village home after a crowd funding initiative by a student group in the United States helped purchase a machine to make affordable sanitary napkins. The group also funded a documentary that was set in the village. Made by Iranian-American filmmaker Rayka Zehtabchi, it bagged the Oscar in the short documentary category this year. In this small conservative community, getting the unit going was a struggle until the arrival of the film crew and the making of the movie gradually revolutionized attitudes toward menstruation. The film chronicles the impact of the cultural stigma that surrounds the subject: an estimated 20 per cent adolescent girls drop out of school after puberty and menstrual hygiene poses a challenge due to lack of access to sanitary products. Sneha, the protagonist of the documentary, testifies to the silence that surrounds the subject: her mother never told her about menstruation. She recalls how she was ridiculed for her work. Sometime I came home and almost wept at the way people treated me. I was often tempted to leave. People looked at me with such contempt, says the village girl who had never imagined her work would one day make her walk down the red carpet in Los Angeles. There has been a dramatic change since those early days. Those who did not want to hear about this subject or talk to us now converse about it more openly to us and to each other, she says. It is treated as a normal topic. This is a huge opportunity. This is what we wanted, that it should not be considered a dirty subject. The women who were once turned away from village homes when they went to explain about sanitary products now get a willing ear. Sanitary pads, which in India, are usually discreetly kept under a shelf, are openly displayed in the Kathikhera village shop and even men turn up to buy them for their wives. Mothers say they will discuss the topic with young daughters. I never shared anything with my friends also, says Rakhi laughing shyly. But these foreigners who came to make the movie have removed the shame we used to feel. The quiet social revolution taking place in Kathikhera has been made possible due to the efforts of a social entrepreneur in South India who devised a machine to make low-cost sanitary napkins after he discovers his wife uses rags. Besides menstrual hygiene, there have been other gains from the project: financial independence and a new-found determination to achieve goals among the women involved in the Kathikhera project. They use only their first name because they say they want to have their own identity. Sneha aspires to become a police officer, although she says womens issues will always be a part of her mission. Rakhi, who wants to be a teacher, is using the $35 salary a month from her work at the factory to fund her postgraduate studies. The unit is providing the first ever avenue of employment in a village where women were confined to housework. The road has not been easy for women like Sushma, a mother of two who lives in an extended family. It was never supportive of her work and her husband insisted she must do all the housework despite the job she took on. But the recognition that came to the village after the Oscar award have changed all that. Now my family allows me come to work early. My sisters-in-law willingly do my share of the housework, says Sushma, who is determined to carry on with her job. Officials and village elders have become more open to discussing womens issues with Action India, the charity that helped set up the venture. When we used to hold meetings to create awareness about menstrual hygiene, they used to say that we are spoiling their women, recalls Suman, a social worker with the group that focuses on reproductive health issues. She says they were accused of promoting the venture to make profits while burdening households with more expenses. Now that atmosphere has changed. They want to join hands with us. They ask us about our problems. As a quiet village that had never heard of the worlds biggest film awards basks in the stardust that has fallen on it since the Oscar win, the hope is that the documentarys bigger message will resonate in other parts of rural India. The winds of change are blowing. Action India has already set up one more pad making unit in a neighboring village with the aim of transforming lives for more young women. At least four Kurdish activists have died in prisons across Turkey since last week, in what lawyers and officials have called suicides over the poor prison conditions of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan. The series of alleged suicides by Kurdish prisoners started on March 17 when Kurdish officials confirmed that Zulkuf Gezen took his own life, followed by the deaths of Ayten Becet and Zehra Saglam by similar attempts last weekend. Officials of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) also confirmed on Monday the death of the fourth Kurdish activist, 24-year-old inmate Medya Cinar. "Today, those who refused to listen to us caused the death of the fourth prisoner," HDP co-chair Sezai Temelli said during a public gathering Monday in Adana. "For 139 days, we have been calling on the Ministry of Justice and the government to end this lawlessness," Temelli said to a crowd of supporters, referring to a widespread hunger strike campaign by Kurdish prisoners since November. "We say that their demands must be fulfilled without deaths," he added. The four deaths have prompted demonstrations from thousands of Kurds in Turkey, northern Syria and some parts of Europe. The four activists had been in prison for years over alleged ties to PKK a U.S., EU and Turkey-designated terrorist organization. Before ending their lives this month, they joined in the hunger strike that initially began in November 2018 to pressure Turkish authorities into giving more access to Ocalan. The rebel leader has been imprisoned on an island in the Marmara Sea since 1999. He has been prevented from meeting with his lawyers since 2011, and has rarely been allowed to see his family. The hunger strikes over his jail conditions were first initiated by HDP lawmaker Leyla Guven last November. Since then, an estimated 300 Kurdish lawmakers and activists across Turkey have joined. Turkish officials have refused to yield to the strikers' requests, calling their activities an attempt by the HDP to stir up trouble in the country and spread pro-PKK propaganda. "I do not call them deputies [representatives]. They are the PKK's deputies," Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said last week, referring to Kurdish HDP lawmakers in the Turkish parliament. Burial, clashes Speaking to a crowd of the ruling Justice and Development Party supporters in Nevsehir city, Soylu condemned HDP officials for attempting to organize a solidarity meeting at the burial site of Gezen. "The other day, a terrorist died in prison. They wanted to meet and join the burial of the terrorist in Diyarbakir. I called the police chief and told him, 'Do not allow anyone to be near the airport. Do not allow anyone to be within one kilometer of the cemetery.' That is impossible for us to tolerate," Soylu told the crowd as reported by local Turkish media outlets. The burial ceremony, which took place last Monday and was attended by dozens of people, ended in violent clashes when police fired a water cannon to disperse the supporters. According to pro-Kurdish ANF News, several HDP lawmakers were barred from entering Diyarbakir cemetery where Gezen was buried. PKK 'wing' Government officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have repeatedly accused the HDP of being the political wing of the PKK. The militant PKK group has been demanding Kurdish autonomy in Turkey since 1978. Violent clashes between Turkey and the PKK have continued for more than 30 years in predominately Kurdish southeast, resulting in the deaths of nearly 40,000 people. Israels missile defense chief says his nation will soon use U.S. airspace for the first time to conduct a flight test of a system designed to protect the Jewish state from a long-range Iranian missile strike. Moshe Patel, director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization, spoke about the planned test of the Arrow 3 system at the annual AIPAC conference of American pro-Israel activists in Washington on Sunday. Arrow 3 is too big for the state of Israel, Patel told an audience at a panel discussion. It is supposed to be good against nuclear threats that are coming from Iran. (But) we have limitations in our arena to conduct flight tests because of safety. Israel developed Arrow 3, its most advanced system for intercepting long-range missiles, with U.S. aircraft maker Boeing and first deployed it in 2017. Arrow-3 interceptors are designed to hit long-range missiles in space at an altitude that would safely destroy any nuclear warheads. Patel said Israel has only a very limited ability to shut down air space over the adjacent Mediterranean Sea for Arrow 3 flight tests because that air space must be kept mostly open for daily commercial air travel between Europe and Africa. This is the reason that, with a lot of help from the U.S. administration, Congress and of course, AIPAC, we succeeded to receive a budget to conduct a flight test in Alaska and the plan is to do it in the near future, Patel said. He did not elaborate on the timing of that test. Israel has conducted a series of Arrow 3 tests over its Mediterranean coastal waters since last year, with the most recent test taking place in January. Israeli and U.S. missile defense agencies had planned to conduct a first Arrow 3 test over Alaska in the middle of 2018, but postponed it, saying they needed to improve the systems readiness. In 2017, then-U.S. Missile Defense Agency director Navy Vice Admiral James Syring told a congressional hearing that due to significant range constraints in the Mediterranean, one of the better places to test (Arrow 3) is in Alaska, from Kodiak (Island). Launching an Arrow 3 interceptor from Kodiak would enable it to fly over the more expansive waters of the Pacific. In recent years, Iran has repeatedly conducted tests of long-range missiles that Israel and the U.S. say are capable of carrying nuclear warheads and reaching Israeli territory. Iran insists its missiles are defensive and its nuclear program is peaceful. Israel also has expressed concern about what it says are long-running Iranian deliveries of rockets and other weapons to militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas, both sworn to Israels destruction. We need to look at what our enemies are planning, Patel said. The Iranians are giving Hamas and Hezbollah a lot of accurate weapons. So this is something we need to take into consideration: what will be the best (way) for (Israels missile defense) systems to intercept those kinds of threats. We have the abilities, but we are going to improve (them) in the future. Arrow 3 is part of a multi-tiered Israeli missile defense network that also includes Iron Dome for intercepting short-range rockets and Davids Sling for hitting medium-range missiles. This article originated in VOAs Persian Service. The U.N. Secretary-General appealed for calm Tuesday in the Gaza Strip, where Israeli war planes carried out airstrikes earlier in the day in response to continued rocket fire from the Palestinian territory. "First of all, we were clear in the condemnation of the rocket attack, but now we believe that it is absolutely necessary to avoid any scaling up and to have restraint," Antonio Guterres told reporters. "Our appeal is for restraint in the present moment, for the people not to suffer even more, both in Israel and in Gaza, and in Palestine in general." The militant group Hamas was behind Monday's rocket attack launched from the Gaza Strip, which the group controls. Seven people were injured in a house north of Tel Aviv. Israel responded with a series of airstrikes on dozens of targets across Gaza, including the office of the leader of Hamas. Five Palestinians were hurt in the strikes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington on Monday when the violence erupted. He said during a meeting with President Donald Trump that "Israel will not tolerate this. I will not tolerate this." He said Israel "will do whatever we must do to defend our people and defend our state." Netanyahu cut short his trip to Washington and returned home to deal with the growing crisis. e is fighting for his political future and faces an uncertain re-election next month. Netanyahu has argued that he must remain in office to keep Israelis safe. He has been heavily criticized by supporters and opponents alike for what they contend is his ineffective policy of containing Gaza militants. On Tuesday, the U.N. Security Council held its regular monthly meeting on the situation. The 15 council members were briefed by the Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process. "In the past 10 days, there have been two rocket attacks from Gaza targeting the Tel Aviv area, which represents a very serious escalation," Nickolay Mladenov told the council. "Since the early hours of yesterday, my team and I have been working intensely with Egypt and all concerned parties to ensure that the situation does not spiral out of control." He said in the past 24 hours, at least 103 rockets and mortars had been fired from Gaza toward Israel, while the Israeli Air Force conducted 42 strikes on various locations in Gaza. Tensions have been high since mid-March, as thousands of Palestinians have held mostly peaceful protests in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip against the deteriorating economic situation there. Hamas security personnel have used violence to disperse the protesters, including many women, children, journalists and human rights activists. Palestinians are also restless ahead of the one-year anniversary of protests that saw more than 100 people killed by Israeli forces at Gaza's border fence. "I am concerned that we may once again be facing another dangerous escalation of violence in Gaza with potentially catastrophic consequences," Mladenov warned. "The last two days have shown us how precipitously close we are to the brink of war." Israel's U.N. ambassador said if the rocket attacks continue, "the Hamas leadership will feel the strength of the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] and be buried in the tunnels of Gaza." He urged the international community to condemn Hamas and recognize it as a terrorist organization. The United States and European Union have designated Hamas as a terrorist group, but many other countries, including Russia, have not. The United Nations Human Rights Office is calling on the government of Mali to investigate the killing of more than 150 people and to bring the perpetrators to justice. The agency says an attack Saturday in Ogossagou in the Mopti region of central Mali, marked a significant increase in violence. The U.N. reports that over the past year, fighting between the Fulani and Dogon ethnic communities has resulted in the deaths of some 600 women, children and men. Disputes over land and water between Fulani herders and Dogon hunters are common. But the fighting has grown increasingly violent. The U.N. Human Rights office says that survivors of Saturday's attack, most of them Fulani, said Dogon traditional hunters attacked the village of Ogossagou with automatic weapons and hunting rifles. Human Rights Office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said that some members of the Dogon portray the Fulani as supporters of violent Islamist extremist groups. I understand that many of these communities - either they are using this as a pretext for intercommunal violence, or they are painting themselves as so-called defense groups. They are taking the law into their own hands and getting rid of what they perceive to be the threat of violent extremism which, of course, ends up meaning that many children are mercilessly killed, peoples bodies are thrown into wells, people are burned alive in their homes, she said. Shamdasani noted that the Dogon are the only group accusing the Fulani of supporting Islamist militants. She said the Malian government has launched investigations and made arrests in the past aimed at stopping the cycle of violence. But she said none of the cases ever went to trial. Shamdasani said her office has deployed a team of crime scene investigators and human rights officers to the affected villages. She said they will be conducting interviews to establish what happened. She added the U.N. rights office will support the government to carry those investigations forward. Myanmar's Supreme Court agreed to rule Tuesday on an appeal by two Reuters journalists who have been sentenced to seven years for their news coverage of Myanmar's violent suppression of Rohingya Muslims. Justice Soe Naing adjourned the case without setting a date for the ruling, but Tuesday's decision means the journalists' lawyers and the judge will meet again. The judge could sustain the appeal if he determines legal procedures were violated by lower courts. If such violations occurred, lower court rulings would be withdrawn, raising the possibility the reporters could be freed, have their jail terms reduced, or face new judicial action, according to the reporters' lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw. He cited 13 grounds on which he believed judicial procedure was violated. The journalists have been convicted of violating Myanmar's Official Secrets Act. Their conviction has been denounced by rights groups, Western governments and international news organizations. The reporters have been behind bars since they were arrested in December 2017 while investigating a massacre of Rohingya Muslim civilians involving Myanmar soldiers. Their convictions put more pressure on Myanmar leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who assumed power in 2016 during a transition from military rule. Supporters of reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo maintain they were framed because of the government's displeasure over reporting of its military crackdown on the ethnic Rohingya minority group in Rakhine state. Critics, including the United Nations, have described Myanmar's military campaign as ethnic cleansing or genocide. U.N. investigators said last August that, "Top military commanders in Myanmar should be investigated and prosecuted for the 'gravest' crimes against civilians under international law, including genocide." Steve Butler of the Committee to Protect Journalists told VOA's Burmese language service the reporters' arrests were a "sham," and added, the "evidence is not credible and they never should have been convicted." More than 730,000 Rohingya have fled to neighboring Bangladesh since the crackdown began in August 2017, according to U.N. estimates. What should have been a giant leap for womankind has turned into a stumble on the path to equality after U.S. space agency NASA canceled the first all-female spacewalk due to a lack of a spacesuit in the right size. Anne McClain and Christina Koch had been due to step into history books in a spacewalk Friday, during the final week of Women's History Month. But McClain will now give up her place on the mission to her male colleague Nick Hague, NASA announced late Monday. "Mission managers decided to adjust the assignments, due in part to spacesuit availability on the station," NASA said in a statement. "McClain learned during her first spacewalk that a medium-size hard upper torso essentially the shirt of the spacesuit fits her best. Because only one medium-size torso can be made ready by Friday, March 29, Koch will wear it." Nearly 60 years after the first human blasted off into space, less than 11 percent of the 500 plus people who have traveled to space have been women, and spacewalk teams have either been all-male or male-female. McClain and Koch were both part of the 2013 NASA class that was 50 percent women. NASA said the decision to change the plan was made in consultation with McClain after a spacewalk last week. "Anne trained in M and L and thought she could use a large but decided after Friday's spacewalk a medium fits better," wrote spokeswoman Stephanie Schierholz on Twitter. "In this case, it's easier (and faster!) to change spacewalkers than reconfigure the spacesuit." The NASA announcement was met with disappointment and anger by many following the much-anticipated mission on social media, with some arguing an all-female spacewalk was overdue. Others said they were sad that a milestone moment on women's space exploration had been deferred, but safety came first. "I'm super disappointed about the all-woman spacewalk not happening as scheduled this Friday but I'm also super supportive of astronauts having the authority to say 'I would be safer using a different piece of equipment'," wrote Emily Lakdawalla, a senior editor at the U.S. nonprofit The Planetary Society. "An all-woman spacewalk WILL eventually happen." The White House and business groups are stepping up efforts to win congressional approval for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade accord. But prospects are uncertain given that Republicans are at odds with some aspects of the plan and Democrats are in no hurry to secure a political victory for the president. President Donald Trump will meet with GOP lawmakers Tuesday to try to kick-start the process for rounding up votes on Capitol Hill. Supporters in Congress and business groups say they have a narrow window to push it through, given that lawmakers tend to avoid tough trade votes during election season. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., the chairman of the House subcommittee that has jurisdiction over trade, said the pact needs adjustments to be "worthy of support.'' Some Republican lawmakers also have concerns. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the Republican chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, maintains that the president should lift steel and aluminum tariffs on products brought in from Canada and Mexico as a first step to getting the trade agreement through Congress. Trump's top trade negotiator, Robert Lighthizer, told lawmakers during a recent congressional hearing that if they don't pass the trade agreement, the United States will have "no credibility at all'' with future trading partners, including China. "There is no trade program in the United States if we don't pass USMCA. There just isn't one,'' Lighthizer said. The White House's legislative affairs team has talked to more than 290 members of Congress and staff over the past two months to push the deal. But the administration knows that making changes in the agreement to win over lawmakers could jeopardize support for the pact from Canada and Mexico. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, told reporters recently that many in her state's agricultural community are "still with the president, but if we don't get the trade deals done, they could turn quickly.'' She said, "We need to start wrapping this baby up.'' The trade deal is designed to supplant the North American Free Trade Agreement, which took effect in 1994 and gradually eliminated tariffs on goods produced and traded within North America. U.S. trade with its NAFTA partners has more than tripled since the agreement took effect, and more rapidly than trade with the rest of the world. But Trump has called NAFTA a disaster for the United States. The new pact his administration negotiated is meant to increase manufacturing in the United States. Trump is warning that if lawmakers don't approve the pact, the U.S. may revert to what he has described as "pre-NAFTA.'' Blumenauer is looking to make changes to the agreement in four areas: enhancing environmental and labor protections, ensuring enforcement of the agreement, and taking on protections for pharmaceutical companies that he believes drive up drug costs for consumers. "I don't think anyone wants to blow it up, but there is interest in strengthening it,'' Blumenauer said. Rep. Vern Buchanan of Florida, the ranking Republican on the trade subcommittee, said he believes the vast majority of Republicans will end up voting for the agreement. He's tried to assure Democratic colleagues that Republicans were "open-minded to try and get some things done'' to address their concerns. "You put a lot of jobs at risk if this blows up,'' Buchanan said. Vanessa Sciarra, a vice president at the National Foreign Trade Council, said it's too soon to tell how the vote will shake out. Sciarra said one thing lawmakers don't want to see is Trump make good on a threat to withdraw from NAFTA if he can't get Congress to ratify the pact. "Never has NAFTA been so popular,'' Sciarra said. Canadian officials have been lobbying the U.S. to end Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs and have suggested that approval by Canada's Parliament could be conditioned upon them being lifted. David MacNaughton, Ottawa's ambassador to Washington, has said it will be a tough sell to pass if the tariffs are still in place. Dan Ujczo, a trade lawyer and Canada-U.S. specialist in Columbus, Ohio, said the trade deal could pass "relatively quickly'' once the tariffs are removed. In Mexico, the administration of then-President Enrique Pena Nieto spearheaded Mexico's negotiations, but representatives of current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador were deeply involved in the talks to ensure an agreement that both the outgoing and incoming administrations could live with. Allies of Lopez Obrador, who took office Dec. 1, enjoy a large majority in the Mexican Senate, so passage of the agreement would seemingly go smoothly. Kenneth Smith Ramos, who was chief negotiator for Pena Nieto's government and now works as an international trade consultant at Mexico City-based AGON, said Mexican enthusiasm for the deal could dim though if there are significant new demands on labor, pharmaceuticals, the environment or other issues. "We made some important concessions,'' he said, adding that if "the U.S. still wants more, then that starts to unbalance the agreement and there may be a growing opposition in Mexico.'' As quickly as North Korea withdrew personnel from a joint liaison office in Kaesong Friday, Pyongyang returned Monday without explanation. The inter-Korean liaison office was opened following the third summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Some analysts have interpreted North Koreas decision to leave the liaison office as a response to the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioning North Korean entities, and then coming back after the weekend in response to Trump canceling further sanctions, said Bruce Klinger, Senior Research Fellow for Northeast Asia at the Heritage Foundation. That might be the case, said Klinger in an email to VOA, but I don't think we can establish causality there. North Korea tends to take some time to respond. Klinger said if it is a signal of some sort, it's a very vague and roundabout signal of punishing South Korea for actions that the U.S. has taken. I think it's more a continuation of the recent trend after Hanoi, where North Korea seems to be dismissing South Korea, he added. Kim Dong-yub, director of research at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University, said its inappropriate to over analyze North Koreas intent. We may miss the core message if we reckon this withdrawal only relates to the U.S. and denuclearization. This withdrawal should be viewed as questioning the role of the liaison office, Kim said, adding, It also shows [North Koreas] dissatisfaction with the South. He said the Norths actions regarding the joint office was due to the status of inter-Korean relations. Nam Sung-wook, at the Department of North Korean Studies at Korea University, arrived at a similar conclusion. North Korea thinks it has an advantage over the South Korean government's North Korea policy, said Nam. The withdrawal was a sign of dissatisfaction with Seoul, as well as a way to exert pressure on Seoul to persuade the U.S. to lift sanctions or for South Korea to resume inter-Korea economic cooperation. However, Klinger notes Pyongyang has been dismissing South Korea as a mediator for talks between the United States and North Korea, citing recent remarks by North Koreas vice foreign minister, calling the action akin to shooting themselves in the foot. President Moon has been the strongest advocate of reducing sanctions or gaining exemptions from sanctions to provide economic benefits to the North, said Klinger. He added, You would think they would be trying to play up to South Korea, even more, to try to get President Moon to induce Trump to lower sanctions or come back to the table and accept the small deal that was being reported in the media [during the Hanoi summit]. So I think it's a bit confusing what North Korea is up to, and even perhaps counterproductive. Pressure from the cumulative effects of 11 U.N. resolutions, U.S., and international laws was what brought North Korea back to the negotiating table, said Klinger. Only continued and enhanced sanctions measures, coupled with pragmatic diplomacy and enhancing allied deterrent capabilities, may induce North Korea to denuclearize. Implications for Moon Lack of progress on inter-Korean projects could be a contributing factor in South Korean President Moons approval rating dipping to 44 percent, according to Gallop Korea. Thats down from 60 percent following the September Pyongyang summit and 83 percent at Moons peak approval rating. While Moons approval ratings have decreased over the past six months, he still is at numbers that many other world leaders would be envious of, said Klinger. More than a lack of political capital, he's really hindered by U.N. and U.S. sanctions, Klinger said. Unlike his progressive predecessors, he can't just catapult bags of cash north of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), because virtually any economic engagement with the North is or risks being a violation of U.N. resolutions and or U.S. law. After two years of engagement, two U.S.-North Korea summits, and three inner-Korean summits, Nam said denuclearization is difficult to achieve, despite meetings at the highest levels. It is necessary to judge the sustainability and feasibility of talks through a review of the policy, he said. Zimbabwe's government said Tuesday that the number of deaths related to Cyclone Idai has topped 180. The number could go higher, as authorities are still trying to determine how many are missing following last week's rains. Addressing visiting United Nations officials in the most affected area in Zimbabwe, Llyod Kasima, the acting district administrator for Chimanimani, said Cyclone Idai deaths now stand at 181. He said authorities are still trying to figure out how many people are missing. Traditionally, we used to receive some minor rainfalls, and we used to manage that and control. But this disaster was too much for us, was too big, Kasima said. The rivers flooded, creating new streams. In the process, some people were swept away, some died and so far, some are not known where they are. Kasima said the situation has been made worse by power outages, which has hampered communication, and flooding that cut off streets and highways. The Britain-based charity Save The Children is trying to determine how many of the missing are children. Right now, the actual number of children who have been affected is not known because the statistics are difficult to come by, said Sophie Hamandishe, the organization's spokeswoman in Zimbabwe. We do not even know how many children are missing because we have statistics coming from different areas and some are conflicting. The major challenge that we are having is accessing people who need the much-needed aid that we want to deliver. The areas are inaccessible. She said once all roads become accessible, statistics would be available of who was actually affected. The Zimbabwean government Tuesday said more than 40,000 people had been left food insecure by Cyclone Idai, while more than 7,000 had their homes destroyed. Pakistans Supreme Court Tuesday allowed ailing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to be released from jail for six weeks on medical grounds. Sharif is currently serving a seven-year prison term handed down last year by an anti-corruption court for failing to disclose the source of his income used to acquire the ownership of a steel mill in Saudi Arabia. The former leaders attorneys had sought permission for Sharif to seek urgent treatment, saying his health was deteriorating. They maintained the 69-year-old former Pakistani prime minister has twice undergone open heart surgery abroad and he needed to consult the same doctors. But Tuesdays court ruling barred the thrice-elected former-prime minister from leaving Pakistan and directed him to use medical facilities of his choice inside the country. The three-judge panel, headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, also ruled that Sharif will have to surrender himself to jail authorities once his six-week relief period is over. Sharif was asked to pay five million rupees ($35,000) before he was granted the bail and freed from prison. Government officials said arrangements were in place in and outside the prison for Sharif to obtain treatment. But the former leader, they alleged, refused to avail them merely to politicize his sentence. The Supreme Court in July 2017 disqualified and ousted Sharif from office for not disclosing a salary he was receiving in an overseas bank account from his sons company. The former prime minister and his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party both reject corruption charges against him as politically motivated. They accuse the powerful military of orchestrating the legal challenges, enabling Sharifs chief political rival and current prime minister Imran Khans party to win the July 2018 election. Khan and army leaders reject the accusations. A judge in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, placed two Hindu girls, allegedly under the age of 18, in government custody Tuesday and ordered a "fair and transparent inquiry" into their circumstances that is to be presented to the court in a week. The girls, Reena and Raveena, were allegedly forced to convert to Islam and marry Muslim men. Their family filed a police report saying they had been kidnapped from Ghotki in Sindh province, where a majority of Pakistan's Hindus live. But the girls filed a court petition saying they were over 18 and had willingly converted to Islam and married the men they wanted. They also sought protection from their family, claiming the family had harassed and threatened them. The case has once again brought to the forefront the longstanding complaint in Pakistan's Hindu community that minor girls were being kidnapped, and that conversion and marriage were being used as legal cover to protect the abductors. The community also claimed the girls were threatened with harm to themselves or their family members to give false statements in court. While the Hindu community has the largest number of such complaints, other minorities have faced the same issue. Last month, a Christian woman in the Punjab province reported that her 13-year-old daughter was kidnapped from her home by several men. Her abductors claimed she had converted to Islam and was married to one of them. Mohammad Sarfaraz Khan Aibak, the police officer conducting the inquiry, told VOA the girl had given an affidavit in court that she was 18 and knew what she was doing. He also said the girl "refused to take a medical examination" to determine her age and could not be forced to take one against her will. Abiak claimed the family did not have a birth certificate. But the family's lawyer, Lazar Allahrakha, shared with VOA the copy of a church certificate called a "dedication certificate," often used by the country's Christian community in lieu of a birth certificate. He also shared a copy of a school certificate. According to both documents, the girl was born in 2005. Pakistan law Human rights lawyer Asad Jamal said even if a girl was a minor, under Pakistani law, marriage to an underage person could not be invalidated if she claimed she had done it willingly. "The girl's statement is very important in such cases," he said. Minority communities complain that minor girls should not be allowed to make such life-altering decisions. "They are innocent. They don't know anything at this age," said Kheeal Das Kohistani, a Hindu member of parliament from Sindh. In addition, Kohistani said, there was no way to determine whether the girls were giving their statements under pressure unless they were taken away from the men who had allegedly abducted them. "They should be kept in a shelter home for 15 to 20 days, and their parents should be allowed to meet them," he said. VOA's own investigation in Sindh province two years ago showed that not all cases involved kidnapping or use of force. Some minor girls eloped with Muslim men against their family's wishes and changed their religion since marriage between a Muslim and a Hindu is not allowed in Islam. The parents often claimed kidnapping, since local police were unlikely to take action if it was determined the girls left willingly. However, rights activists say taking a girl under 16 away from her legal guardians is illegal under any circumstances. "The law says that if a girl is under 16, if she is taken away from her legal guardians even through enticement, whether you've made her believe she is in love or lured her away any which way, the law considers it kidnapping. It does not necessarily have to be use of force," said Jibran Nasir, a human rights lawyer who follows these cases closely. Pakistan's law also says a girl under 16 cannot consent to sex. "So, if you had consensual sex with someone under 16, that is still considered rape," Nasir said. Pir Mohammad Ayub Jan Sarhandi is one of two Muslim clerics in Sindh province the Hindu community blames for most of the conversions and marriages. He told VOA that he always ensured a young girl was making her decision freely without any pressure, but said he did not agree with the legal age for marriage. "They say a girl is not mature till she is 18. We condemn this law. We do not accept it. We will never accept it," he said. Several Pakistani clerics believe a girl is ready for marriage with her first menstrual cycle. Reena and Raveena The Sindh government took notice of Reena and Raveena's case when a video went viral of their father helplessly beating himself outside a police station and asking people to shoot him. Seven people have been taken into custody for their alleged involvement in the marriages, including members of the husbands' families and the man who performed the marriage ceremony. Prime Minister Imran Khan also ordered an inquiry, which Kohistani said was a good first step but not enough. "He should come in the parliament and help make a law against it. That is what will give them instant relief," he said. The Afghan government formally protested controversial remarks attributed to the leader of Pakistan, suggesting an interim "neutral" political setup in Kabul could help further U.S.-led efforts to strike a peace deal with the Taliban. Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Sibghatullah Ahmadi said Tuesday the neighboring country's deputy ambassador in Kabul was summoned to express "grave objection" over Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's "reckless and "irresponsible" remarks. Ahmadi said the government "deemed such statements an obvious example of Pakistan's interventional policy and disrespect to the national sovereignty and determination of the people of Afghanistan." Kabul has long accused Islamabad of sheltering and covertly supporting Taliban insurgents, charges Pakistan rejects. "The Afghan peace process can only be successful if there is a neutral interim government, which can hold free and transparent elections to be participated by all the stakeholders," the Express Tribune Pakistani newspaper Tuesday quoted Khan as telling a group of journalists in his office. Khan made similar remarks a week ago when he said that peace was coming to Afghanistan very soon and "a good government" would be in place there to allow "our Afghan brothers" to live in peace. Those comments also had provoked Kabul to summon the Pakistani ambassador and register a strong protest, calling them interference in internal Afghan affairs. U.S.-Taliban talks Islamabad takes credit for arranging the ongoing dialogue between the United States and the Taliban to help end the deadly war in Afghanistan. The dialogue meetings are mostly being hosted by Qatar and both sides concluded a preliminary draft agreement in their latest round of 16 days of talks that ended on March 12. Chief U.S. negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad, however, made clear that a final agreement would be linked to a comprehensive Taliban cease-fire and an intra-Afghan dialogue involving insurgents as well as Afghan government representatives. While Pakistan has made constructive contributions on the Afghan peace process, PM Khan's comments did not, Khalilzad tweeted. The U.S. envoy emphasized that it is for Afghans only to decide the future their country. The role of the international community is to encourage Afghans to come together so they can do so, he added. U.S. ambassador to Kabul, John Bass, also attempted Tuesday to dismiss suggestions Washington is discussing with insurgents issues related to future political governance and the current Afghan constitution. Bass told reporters the recently concluded meetings with Taliban representatives in Qatar have been confined to the fate of an American troop drawdown and U.S. concerns about the prospect of Afghanistan again becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. "We're not talking to the Taliban about interim governments, we're not talking to the Taliban about issues related to the current Afghan constitution and the current structure of government," Bass said. The U.S. diplomat stressed these issues are for Afghans and representatives of the government to discuss with the Taliban once an inter-Afghan dialogue is under way. "Our goal is to help produce a settlement that preserves the gains of the last 17 years, but those are not issues that we can decide and seek to impose on wider Afghan society," Bass said. Ghani government excluded The U.S.-Taliban peace talks have excluded Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's government because the insurgent group is strongly opposed to engaging in any talks with Kabul. The move has upset Afghan officials from the outset. Ghani's national security adviser, Hamadullah Mohib, launched blistering public attacks on Khalilzad earlier this month for allegedly sidelining the government and giving the Taliban legitimacy. Mohib, while speaking to reporters during a visit to Washington, accused the Afghan-born U.S. diplomat of trying to create "a caretaker government [in Afghanistan] of which he would then become viceroy," a title used for the colonial administrator of British-ruled India. U.S. ambassador Bass attempted Tuesday to address those concerns and strongly defended Khalilzad. "I would just note, again, that Ambassador Khalilzad is executing policy and directives from the President of the United States and the Secretary of State as professional diplomats do when they're in the service of their governments," the U.S. diplomat noted. Mohib's comments outraged the Trump administration and he was quickly "summoned" to the State Department to be told that "attacks on Ambassador Khalilzad are attacks on the department and only serve to hinder the bilateral relationship and the peace process." Washington also reportedly conveyed to President Ghani that his national security adviser would no longer be welcomed in the United States and that American officials would no longer do business with Mohib. Afghan media has reported U.S. officials left a meeting of NATO ambassadors at Kabul's presidential palace on Monday when they noticed that Mohib was also in attendance. But neither Afghan nor American officials commented on the reports. Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday called for landing astronauts on the moon within five years, an accelerated pace that would aim to put Americans on the lunar south pole. Pence said NASA needs to achieve that goal by any means necessary. Speaking at a meeting of the National Space Council in Huntsville, Alabama, he said NASA rockets and lunar landers will be replaced by private craft, if required. It's time to redouble our effort, he said. It can happen, but it will not happen unless we increase the pace. Now, the earliest possible landing on the moon by NASA isn't until 2028, Pence said. He acknowledged talent and money will be necessary to pull it off earlier. Announcement comes with warning Pence warned that if NASA can't put astronauts on the moon by 2024, we need to change the organization, not the mission. The space agency must transform into a leaner, more accountable and more agile organization, and must adopt an all-hands-on-deck approach, he said. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine assured Pence that NASA will do everything possible to meet the deadline. Some outside experts were skeptical of the new timeline. I will be astonished if this happens, said Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, noting that a lunar lander still needs to be designed, built and tested. That is a hard challenge on a five year time scale even without political budget infighting, he wrote in an email. This summer marks the 50th anniversary of the first manned moon landing. Since Apollo astronauts last walked on the moon in 1972, no country has made a serious attempt to send humans back to the lunar surface. Obama eyed Mars For decades, NASA has flip-flopped between the moon and Mars, a victim of changing presidential administrations. More recently, President Barack Obama targeted Mars as astronauts' next big destination, while President Donald Trump has favored the moon. In order to get astronauts on the moon by 2024, Bridenstine said the space agency's new megarocket will be needed, but its development and pace will need to be faster. Two weeks ago, he said NASA was considering using private rockets instead to launch its new Orion capsule around the moon without a crew on a test flight next year. But on Tuesday, he expressed confidence that the SLS, or Space Launch System, would be ready for the job. He also stressed the need for an outpost with astronauts near the moon to serve as a stepping-off point for lunar landings. First time took 8 years Pence leads the National Space Council. The advisory group held its fifth meeting at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, right next door to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, where the Saturn V moon rockets were developed decades ago and where the Boeing-built SLS is now managed. This longtime rocket know-how is why Huntsville is nicknamed Rocket City. It took just eight years for NASA to accomplish everything to put astronauts on the moon in July 1969. It was unacceptable, Pence said, that SLS delays and cost overruns point to a 2028 target date nearly two decades after the SLS program began. The vice president instructed NASA to aim to land on the moon's south pole, where considerable amounts of ice could be used for drinking and making rocket fuel. The exploration of the heavens in this still new century will go forward with or without the United States. But Americans don't do second place. Americans lead, and so we will, Pence said to cheers and applause. Planetary scientist Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute said 2024 is feasible provided the accelerated effort is funded properly and commercial space systems are fully embraced. The moon is a truly outstanding target, both for science and for getting our exploration legs back before we set out to further destinations like Mars, Stern wrote in an email. Not enough time? But former NASA official Scott Hubbard said five years seems awfully short to me, given the lack of national security incentives like those that existed during Apollo and the Cold War race to beat the Soviets to the moon. Hubbard pointed out that both Bush administrations proposed similar far-reaching exploration efforts. Those didn't go anywhere and collapsed of their own significant financial weight, he noted in an email. The University of Colorado at Boulder's Bobby Braun said he'd like to review the budget and details for implementation as those details matter. He previously served as NASA's chief technologist. The United States aerospace community is certainly capable of achieving this goal if provided with stability of purpose and the resources to do so, Braun wrote in an email. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is describing as "tragic" and "abhorrent" China's mass detention of Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups in internment camps in the western region of Xinjiang. We've been very vocal about that publicly, and had long conversations with them privately, as well," Pompeo said in response to a question Tuesday from VOA. The numbers are in the, certainly, hundreds of thousands. This is, I think we use the word, or words, historic human rights abuse, and we're working to convince the Chinese that this practice is abhorrent and ought to be stopped. Human rights groups have accused China of putting a million Uighurs in detention camps. China says it is running a de-radicalization program and that the camps are vocational training centers to teach people about the law and the Mandarin language. Critics of the Chinese policy say the measures are aimed at destroying Uighur identity. U.S. lawmakers have been pressuring the Trump administration to take stronger action against China. Pompeo has said the administration is considering sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for rights abuses against the Uighurs in Xinjiang. The U.S. secretary of state is holding a closed meeting at the State Department in Washington Tuesday with Uighur Muslims affected by the crackdown in Chinas autonomous region of Xinjiang, the country's largest region. Xinjiang is strategically important to China, as it borders eight countries Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Most Uighurs live in Xinjiang. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday condemned the rise of anti-Semitism as a "cancer metastasizing" in the Middle East, Europe and in the United States, where he said the Trump administration would vigorously oppose it. In a speech to a major pro-Israel U.S. lobby group in Washington, Pompeo accused Britain's opposition Labour Party of tolerating anti-Semitism, calling it a "national disgrace." He said attacks against Jews were increasing in France and Germany and hate crimes against Jews in the United States were up by one third in 2017. He slammed the "multiple attacks" on the Orthodox Jewish community in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Speaking to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference, Pompeo said anti-Zionism - opposition to the existence of Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people - was a form of anti-Semitism that was on the rise. "The Trump administration opposes it unequivocally and we will fight it relentlessly," he said, "Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism." Earlier on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Israel's 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights in a boost for Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu, who faces an election on April 9. Some political analysts say that Republicans hope support for Israel will attract Jewish voters and note Republicans in Congress were outspoken in condemning comments by Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar that some viewed as anti-Semitic. At the same time, critics have credited Trump's confrontational, nationalistic rhetoric with encouraging right-wing extremists and feeding a surge in activity by hate groups in the United States. The administration has flatly rejected that charge. After a counter-protester was killed in 2017 at a white supremacist rally in Virginia where demonstrators chanted "Jews will not replace us," Trump said there was blame on "both sides." In Britain, Labour has been battling accusations of anti-Semitism for over two years. Nine lawmakers have quit the party, citing the leadership's handling of anti-Semitism in the ranks as well as its Brexit stance as their reason for leaving. In France, home to the largest Jewish community in Europe, anti-Semitic attacks increased 74 percent in 2018 to 500, according to figures released in February. The U.S-backed Syrian fighters who drove the Islamic State from its last strongholds called Monday for an international tribunal to prosecute hundreds of foreigners rounded up in the nearly five-year campaign against the extremist group. The administration affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said such a tribunal is needed for justice to take its course, particularly after countries have refused to bring home their detained nationals. The SDF has captured more than 1,000 foreign fighters, including many from Western countries. We don't have other options, Abdulkerim Umer, a foreign affairs official in the Kurdish-led administration, told The Associated Press. No one wanted to take the responsibility (of repatriating their nationals). We can't put up with this burden alone. Western countries have largely refused to take back their detained citizens, fearing they would not be able to convict them in civilian courts and that they could pose a security risk. The problem has grown more urgent since President Donald Trump announced his intention to reduce the U.S. military presence in Syria, where American forces are fighting alongside the SDF. It is an exceptional situation and we are looking at an exceptional framework, said Ilham Ahmed, the head of the political arm of the SDF, told the AP. We are dealing with a failed state. In this case we can treat the (Kurdish-administered) region as an exception. Asked about the tribunal proposal in Washington, U.S. special envoy for Syria and the anti-IS coalition, Jim Jeffrey, said: We're not looking at that right now. Jeffrey said the priority is to deal with the Iraqi and Syrian prisoners, which he estimated at 7,000 held in eastern Syria and representing the vast majority of those in detention. The second priority, Jeffrey said, is convincing the home countries of the foreign fighters to take them back. Umer said foreign fighters should be tried where their crimes occurred and where they were detained. The international community has evaded its responsibility, so we ask that they help us set up the court here, he said. Germany's Foreign Ministry said in an email that it only knew of the proposal from media reports, but that setting up such a tribunal would raise many political and legal issues, which would require careful evaluation by the international community. Germany has said bringing detained German militants home would be extraordinarily difficult, in response to a U.S. call for European nations to repatriate their nationals. The SDF has been fighting IS since 2014 and has retaken large areas in northern and eastern Syria. Its administration is not recognized internationally or by the Syrian government, which has vowed to bring all the country's territory back under its control. The Kurdish-led administration has asked the government to grant it autonomy in a new constitution, something Damascus has roundly rejected. Umer said the issue of the foreign detainees is therefore an exceptional case that requires an international tribunal. He said the presence of the foreign fighters is a big problem that could stoke further instability in the region. It is a burden and a risk for us and the international community, he said. Nadim Houry, the director of the counterterrorism program at Human Rights Watch, said it is hard to imagine setting up an international tribunal on sovereign territory without that country's approval. Previous efforts to get Security Council backing for international tribunals for crimes committed in Syria have failed, mostly because of vetoes by Russia, a main ally of Damascus. Houry said a major legal concern would be trying people for the same crimes in different courts depending on their nationality. There is no real precedent for creating an international tribunal for some nationals and not the others, Houry said. It is an option that raises as many questions as it provides answers. He said that while the U.S.-led coalition has provided military aid to the SDF, it has done nothing to help develop the local judiciary. It is a fair call on the (SDF)'s part to say this should be an international responsibility, but so far the path to such help is unclear. Kurdish-run courts in northeastern Syria have tried hundreds of Syrians suspected of links to IS. In trials attended by the AP last year, Kurdish authorities showed leniency toward the mostly Arab suspects in a bid to build bridges with the majority Arab population. The courts do not impose the death penalty. Umer said an international tribunal would help bring the system in line with global norms. U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at the U.S. mainstream news media Tuesday, saying it was being condemned throughout the world for its wide coverage of what he called the "Russia Collusion Delusion." Trump retweeted a supporter's claim that the 22-month investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller should never have been opened. Attorney General William Barr, in a summary of Mueller's conclusions, said Sunday the prosecutor had concluded Trump and his 2016 campaign had not conspired with Russia to help him win, but had reached no conclusion whether the U.S. leader obstructed justice by trying to thwart the investigation. Barr, a Trump appointee as the country's top law enforcement official, and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein decided no obstruction charges were warranted against Trump. As Trump arrived at the Capitol for a luncheon meeting with Senate Republicans, he called the Mueller investigation "a ridiculous witch hunt, where it was proven very strongly, no collusion, no obstruction, no nothing." "I think what happened was a disgrace," the U.S. leader said of the probe. "I don't believe our country should allow this ever to happen again." But with the prosecutor clearing him of collusion allegations, Trump declared, "The Mueller report was great. It could not have been better." Next steps for Democrats Meanwhile, Congressman Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said top Democrats are considering what to do if Barr does not meet their demand to turn over the full Mueller report by next week. "We hope they'll comply," Schiff said "A four-page summary that may be colored by the attorney general's personal views is not adequate." A Justice Department official said Tuesday it will take Barr "weeks, not months" to finish reviewing the Mueller report and release a version to the public. But what is unclear is whether Barr will write up another summary, or make the entire report public. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler has demanded Congress and the public see the entire report along with the evidence Mueller used to make his conclusions. 'Treasonous things' Trump's attack on the news media, a grievance he has long voiced, came as he and Republican allies in Congress vowed to carry out their own investigations of his prominent critics and those behind the probe of links between his 2016 campaign and Russian efforts to disrupt the election. "There are a lot of people out there that have done some very evil things, very bad things, I would say treasonous things against our country," Trump said Monday, without specifying anyone in particular. "Those people will certainly be looked at." Mueller secured guilty pleas or convictions of five figures in Trump's orbit for a variety of offenses and indicted a sixth who is awaiting trial. Among those convicted were Trump's one-time campaign manager, Paul Manafort; his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn; and his longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally and the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, promised Monday to "unpack the other side of the story" of the Mueller investigation and to look into how the Justice Department started it. Full report Trump claimed total exoneration, while opposition Democrats contended otherwise and demanded release of the full Mueller report. Barr said he will release more of it after confidential information contained in it is redacted. On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York urged a Senate vote on a resolution calling for the release of Mueller's full report. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, objected, saying Barr must be given time to determine which portions of the report can be divulged without revealing classified information. Graham said he hopes Barr will testify before his panel. The U.S. House of Representatives failed Tuesday to override President Donald Trump's declaration of a national emergency at the nation's southern border. The Democratic-controlled chamber voted 248-181 to override Trump's veto, but it fell 38 votes short of two-thirds majority that was needed. Trump made the declaration in February, citing what he said was a border security and humanitarian crisis to allow him to reallocate $3.6 billion from other government projects to pay for wall construction along the U.S.-Mexico border. The vote allows Trump to continue reviewing federal accounts for money he wants to use for border wall construction. Both the Democrat-led House and the Republican-majority Senate approved a bill rejecting his move, with many citing objections to a president making spending decisions they said should be done by Congress. Trump's veto was his first since taking office in 2017. Meanwhile, acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has announced he has authorized the Army to use as much as $1 billion in military funds to start construction of a new barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border. The money will be used to support the Department of Homeland Security's request to build 91 kilometers (57 miles) of 5-meter pedestrian fencing within the Yuma and El Paso sector of the border "in support of the February 15 national emergency declaration on the southern border of the United States." The funds will also be used to build and improve roads and install lights in the area. U.S. President Donald Trump and Republican allies in Congress pledged Monday to carry out their own investigations of his prominent critics and those behind the probe of links between is 2016 campaign and Russian efforts to disrupt the election in favor of Trump. "There are a lot of people out there that have done some very evil things, very bad things, I would say treasonous things against our country," Trump said, without specifying anyone in particular. "Those people will certainly be looked at." During the investigation, many Democrats repeatedly stated their belief that Trumps inner circle did collude with Russia and that the president later sought to evade justice pronouncements that did not go unnoticed by White House press secretary Sarah Sanders. "It's hard to obstruct a crime that never took place," Sanders told the U.S.-based cable news network, CNN. "The Democrats and the liberal media owe the president, and they owe the American people, an apology. They wasted two years and created a massive disruption and distraction from things that impact people's everyday lives." The comments came after Attorney General William Barr released a summary of special counsel Robert Muellers findings from the exhaustive, 22-month probe, which led to dozens of indictments as well as guilty pleas from some of Trumps closest former associates. In a letter to congressional leaders, Barr said Mueller concluded that Russia unquestionably meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, but that Trump and his campaign did not conspire with Moscow to help him win the White House. WATCH: Trump pushing for political boost On the question of obstruction, however, Barr wrote, "The report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." On that basis, Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein decided that charges against Trump were not warranted. Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally and the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, promised Monday to "unpack the other side of the story" of the Mueller investigation and to look into how the Justice Department started it. For nearly two years, Trump had repeatedly blasted the special counsel probe as a "witch hunt." With the investigation complete, the president said, "We can never, ever let this happen to another president again." Reaction from lawmakers On Capitol Hill, lawmakers had sharply differing reactions. "For the president to say he is completely exonerated directly contradicts the words of Mr. Mueller and is not to be taken with any degree of credibility," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said in a joint statement. The Democratic leaders added: "Attorney General Barr's letter raises as many questions as it answers. The fact that Special Counsel Mueller's report does not exonerate the president on a charge as serious as obstruction of justice demonstrates how urgent it is that the full report and underlying documentation be made public without any further delay." Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware said on CNN, "Mueller's report, at the least the summary that we've gotten from Barr, leaves wide open both the question of obstruction, and I think, makes it clear that other investigations should proceed." By contrast, Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn urged Congress "to move on," and that "the worst thing we could do is to get bogged down in a relitigation of all of these issues." At the same time, Cornyn urged the release of as much of the Mueller report as possible, consistent with Justice Department regulations and U.S. law. He also called for a review of steps taken by federal officials in launching the Russia investigation. Full report On Monday, Schumer urged a Senate vote on a resolution calling for the release of Mueller's full report. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, objected, saying Barr must be given time to determine which portions of the report can be divulged without revealing classified information. But the six chairs of committees in the Democratically controlled House sent Barr a letter Monday, demanding he turn over the full Mueller report by April 2. They also told Barr to start handing over all evidence the special counsel used to write the report. The six Democratic leaders -- five men and one woman -- say Barr's four-page summary is not sufficient for Congress to do its work. They also say Congress needs to make an independent assessment of the evidence regarding Trumps alleged obstruction of justice. Meantime, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, said he hopes Barr will testify before his panel. Graham also promised Monday to "unpack the other side of the story" of the Mueller investigation and will look into how the Justice Department started it. During the investigation, many Democrats repeatedly stated their belief that Trump's inner circle did collude with Russia and that the president later sought to evade justice pronouncements that did not go unnoticed by White House press secretary Sarah Sanders. "It's hard to obstruct a crime that never took place," Sanders told CNN. "The Democrats and the liberal media owe the president, and they owe the American people, an apology. They wasted two years and created a massive disruption and distraction from things that impact people's everyday lives." Investigation numbers Mueller charged 25 Russians with election interference, although they are unlikely to stand trial because the United States and Russia do not have an extradition treaty. He also has secured guilty pleas or won convictions for a variety of offenses against six Trump aides and advisers, including the president's one-time campaign manager, Paul Manafort; his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn; and his longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. Barr's summary noted that Mueller had 19 lawyers and 40 FBI agents working with him on the investigation, issued more than 2,800 subpoenas, talked to about 500 witnesses and carried out nearly 500 search warrants. Michael Bowman on Capitol Hill contributed to this report. Tragedies like the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High and Sandy Hook Elementary school massacres eventually fade from view, blunted by other mass shootings and the passage of time. But for the survivors, the pain may never end. The father of a Sandy Hook victim killed himself Monday, just days after two Stoneman Douglas students also took their lives. The Florida deaths have officials in Parkland and nearby Coral Springs renewing their communities' focus on the suicide prevention and mental health resources that remain available 13 months after a gunman killed 17 people at the high school. In Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 first-graders died along with six staff members six years ago, the body of 49-year-old Jeremy Richman was found outside his office Monday morning. Richman's daughter Avielle was fatally shot at Sandy Hook. He had visited Florida last week and met with the parents of Stoneman Douglas victims, said Lori Alhadeff, whose 14-year-old daughter Alyssa died there. Richman and his wife oversaw The Avielle Foundation, a group they started dedicated to preventing violence by better understanding brain health. "Our hearts are shattered, and our heads are struggling to comprehend," the foundation said in a statement. "Tragically, his death speaks to how insidious and formidable a challenge brain health can be and how critical it is for all of us to seek help for ourselves, our loved ones and anyone who we suspect may be in need." Suicide numbers Multiple suicides among mass shooting survivors can be alarming, but mental health experts said the Florida deaths are not surprising. They come amid a rising nationwide trend: More than 47,000 U.S. suicides occurred in 2017, at the highest rate in at least half a century 14 per 100,000. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among U.S. teenagers. "One of the big risk factors for suicide is exposure to violence," said Dr. Louis Kraus, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Even if they weren't hit by bullets or didn't see shots fired, "anyone who was at that school is at risk," Kraus said, and should be screened. "The scars simply don't go away with a fresh coat of paint," he said. Psychologist April Foreman, a board member at the American Association of Suicidology, said survivors are more prone to suicide and thus must be vigilant about mental health check-ups just as if they had a family history of breast cancer or heart disease. With help, people can overcome their suicidal impulses, she said. "It's not a foregone conclusion that this will happen to everyone who's been exposed to this, and the majority of people who are suicidal don't go on to die. They go on to recover and live," she said. Florida deaths The first suicide took place March 16. Cara Aiello told WFOR-TV last week that her 18-year-old daughter Sydney had suffered from survivor's guilt her friend, Meadow Pollack, died in the attack. Sydney had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and struggled to attend college because she feared being in a classroom, but never asked for help, her mother said. Coral Springs police officer Tyler Reik confirmed Monday that a Stoneman Douglas sophomore apparently killed himself Saturday, but said an official determination had not been made pending an autopsy. The boy's name was not immediately released. Community leaders, government officials, parents, police and others held an emergency meeting Sunday after the second student suicide, Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky said. The biggest push will be to alert parents to talk to their children about whether they are having suicidal thoughts and outline the danger signs for them, such as personality changes or a preoccupation with death, she said. The groups also want students to look out for each other, and noted that the community counseling and resource centers that opened after the attack still remain available. The task has been made more difficult as Stoneman Douglas students are on spring break. 'I was broken' Hunschofsky said that while there is concern the two suicides could lead to more, it is more dangerous not to discuss what happened. "We cannot be afraid of talking the only way we are going to identify people who need help is to talk about it," she said. A 16-year-old Stoneman Douglas sophomore who was in a classroom where three students died on Feb. 14, 2018, told The Associated Press on Monday that she tried to kill herself four times before she entered therapy. At first, she was ashamed, she said, fearing that accepting counseling would mean she "couldn't' handle my problems" and "I was broken." But her attitude changed with the support of therapists, family and friends, said the girl, who the AP is not naming because of her age. The girl said she fears not every Stoneman Douglas student who needs counseling is getting it, and noted that some teachers seem uncomfortable talking about suicide and simply want to move on. Connecticut death In Connecticut, Richman was among the Sandy Hook relatives suing Infowars host Alex Jones for contending the Newtown shooting never happened. Neil Heslin, whose son, Jesse Lewis, was killed at Sandy Hook, said the families' grief has been compounded by such conspiracy theories. "Every day you get up, you expect to get punched in the chin," Heslin said. "I give Jeremy credit for what he accomplished with his work and his amazing strength that grew through the years." Newtown Police Lt. Aaron Bahamonde said Richman left a suicide note, but did not disclose its contents. On Monday, residents streamed into the Resiliency Center of Newtown, which was set up shortly after the shooting as a place for therapy and for people to gather to talk. Richman worked with the center in providing "brain health" first aid for children and others. His friend, Stephanie Cinque, the center's executive director, said people are angry, sad and shocked by his death. "There's mixed feelings throughout town," she said. "Grief is complicated. It's very sad for the family, the children, the entire community. So today we're letting people know it's OK to have those feelings." The emotional scars survivors feel last for decades. Columbine High massacre survivor Heather Martin was not physically injured in the 1999 shooting that left 13 dead, but said she took years to emotionally overcome the attack. She helped form the Rebels Project, named after Columbine's mascot, to assist mass trauma survivors. "Resilience is connecting with other people and gaining strength from other people," Martin said. "You don't always have to be the strongest person." Local authorities and international aid agencies struggling to deal with the massive destruction and displacement left behind by Cyclone Idai in Mozambique are facing a new crisis cholera. Senior health official Ussene Isse told reporters Wednesday that five cases of of the water-borne disease have been discovered in a neighborhood of the coastal city of Beira, which sustained the most damage when the storm tore across Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe late last week. The storm damaged the city's infrastructure, including its water supply and sanitation system. Cholera is a bacterial disease that usually comes as a result of drinking contaminated water and poor sanitation, and leads to such serious diarrhea that it can kill within hours if left untreated. Health workers are also dealing with an increasing number of people suffering from acute watery diarrhea. The World Health Organization says 900,000 oral cholera vaccines are expected to arrive in the region sometime this week. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says it is stepping up activities to treat people with cholera and help curb the spread of the disease in the region. WATCH: Mozambique Struggles to Prevent Spread of Waterborne Diseases MSF is already supporting the Ministry of Health to care for patients suspected to be suffering from cholera in three health centers of Beira and has so far been treating more than 200 patients a day. In the coming days, we will work alongside the Ministry of Health to scale up as much as possible and provide support to more cholera treatment units as well as work to rehabilitate a larger cholera treatment center," a Doctors Without Borders statement said. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that the international community needs to quickly step up funding to assist the three southern African nations that have been devastated by Cyclone Idai. Tropical Cyclone Idai delivered a direct, one-two punch of wind and flooding across a vast area long experiencing poverty and drought, Guterres said of the storm which slammed areas of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. On Monday, the U.N. appealed for nearly $282 million to cover immediate needs for the next three months in Mozambique, which was hardest hit. We fear that whole villages have been washed away in places we have yet to reach, Guterres told reporters. Appeals for Malawi and Zimbabwe will be made in the coming days. I call on the international community to fund these appeals quickly and fully so that aid agencies can urgently ramp up their responses, the secretary-general said. The cyclone's heavy winds and rains killed at least 750 people in Mozambique and neighboring Malawi and Zimbabwe, and made hundreds of thousands of people homeless. The death toll in Mozambique itself has risen to 468 people. The U.N. and partner agencies have been on the ground assisting affected communities. Under extremely difficult conditions, we have been air-dropping emergency kits that contain food, medicine, water purification gear, and shelter to communities that are still stranded by the flood waters, Guterres said. The U.N. and its agencies say they have already reached 100,000 people with food aid and are scaling up to reach many more. David Beasley, the head of the World Food Program, is on his way to Mozambique. Humanitarians are also working to prevent the spread of potentially deadly diseases such as cholera and malaria, which thrive on stagnant waters and poor hygiene. Guterres said there are reports that $1 billion in infrastructure has been destroyed. I believe in devastation like this, the full reconstruction will probably take years. Guterres noted that such catastrophic weather events are becoming more common due to climate change and they will only get worse if the world does not act now. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has also launched an appeal for $30.5 million to provide life-saving aid for 200,000 of the most vulnerable survivors in Mozambique. And the U.S. Department of Defense said it will provide $6.5 million in immediate humanitarian assistance to Mozambique. Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg is riding in the back of a rented minivan to his last event of the day in South Carolina, munching on cold french fries and critiquing his stage performance so far. The enthusiastic crowds of hundreds who've packed his first two stops have been much larger than the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and his team expected. It's wonderful, he says, but the cheering and prolonged applause are messing with his delivery. Sometimes he neglects to pause, and his next words are drowned out. Other times people start clapping when he doesn't expect it. I need to relearn the timing of my stump speech, Buttigieg says. I've been used to a format where I go in, there's 50 people, I do my little spiel and then we have some Q&A and hopefully they walk away impressed. Now every one of these things we put on the calendar as a meet and greet is turning out to be a rally. Buttigieg, a veteran and Rhodes scholar, was the longest of long shots when he announced a presidential exploratory committee in January. No mayor has ever been elected president, much less one from a community of roughly 100,000 people in the middle of America, and Buttigieg is barely old enough to be eligible for the job. But his underdog bid is gaining momentum, and the clean-cut guy known to most people as Mayor Pete can feel it. Now he has to figure out how to turn one of the first surprises of the nascent race for the Democratic nomination into a full-fledged presidential campaign and one that isn't remembered as a mere quirk. The buzz helps, Buttigieg says. But you want to make sure that you have enough substance and enough organization that any kind of flavor-of-the-month period is something you can outlive. Besides the crowds and the cheering, Buttigieg has seen increasing national media attention, from Fox News to MSNBC and his second appearance on ABC's The View. After a breakout performance in a CNN town hall earlier this month, Buttigieg's team says he raised roughly $600,000 from 22,000 donors in just over 24 hours. He has now received enough individual contributions to qualify for a spot on the Democratic debate stage this summer. But there's still plenty of work to do, starting with raising money and hiring staff. Buttigieg said his goal early on was to raise $1 million by the end of the first quarter on March 31, adding, We're definitely there. He's fairly confident they'll have the funds needed for a healthy operation, at least in the early stages. But he also wants to show well when all candidates' first-quarter totals become public the first time this cycle that campaigns are required to file campaign finance reports. I think we benefit from the fact that it's graded on a curve, Buttigieg said. No one is expecting us to raise as though I were a senator from Florida or from a big city. But we've got to show that we can compete at this level. Buttigieg also plans to double the size of his roughly 20-person team in the new few weeks, in preparation for an official campaign launch. He doesn't have an advance team - those campaign staffers who coordinate events on-site before the candidate arrives, hang campaign signs and ensure someone is capturing emails and phone numbers for every person who walks in the door. Volunteers and local Democratic officials handled most of those duties during Buttigieg's swing Saturday through South Carolina, site of the South's first primary. Instead of professionally printed banners, someone hung poster boards with messages handwritten in black marker urging attendees to tweet photos and video using several different hashtags and Twitter handles. When Buttigieg took questions from the crowd in Rock Hill, there were no microphones for people in the audience, forcing him to ask a woman at the back of the gymnasium to shout her question twice so he could hear. None of that seemed to bother voters. After his event in Columbia, Christina Goodwin, 32, called Buttigieg exciting and said he'd moved into her top three list, along with Sens. Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand, despite her misgivings about supporting another white man for president in 2020. Goodwin, like other voters, said she's been picking up bits of intriguing information about Buttigieg through social media that have piqued her interest. That he learned to speak Norwegian, for instance, so he could read more books by a Norwegian author, Erlend Loe. Buttigieg, who speaks seven languages, demonstrated some of his language skills when a Norwegian media crew showed up to ask questions after the Columbia event. (He also speaks French, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Dari and Maltese, the language of his father's home country.) Buttigieg also plays piano and has been known to join local performers on stage in South Bend video of which sometimes pops up on social media. When he was applying to his alma mater, Harvard, he won the Profiles in Courage essay contest with a piece about an independent then-congressman from Vermont whom he admired: Bernie Sanders. They would speak years later, when the senator called in 2017 to encourage him to drop out of the race for Democratic National Committee chairman, which Buttigieg later did. Buttigieg believes he's gaining support because people are looking for something different and a more hopeful message to combat President Donald Trump. The openly gay former lieutenant in the Navy Reserve uses his stump speech to talk about how political decisions have shaped his life, and how much is at stake in 2020. He recalls writing a letter to his family before he deployed to Afghanistan in 2014 so they could read it if he didn't return. He also talks about his marriage to his husband, which exists by the grace of a single vote on the U.S. Supreme Court - a line that generated some of his biggest applause during his trip through South Carolina. Friends Catherine Paquin, 36, and Jonah Burrell, 37, attended Buttigieg's stop in Greenville wearing Mayor Pete 2020 T-shirts they bought off Amazon.com. Burrell, who is gay, said it's really cool to have an openly gay man in the race, but it's not the main reason he's supporting Buttigieg. That calm demeanor, the way he speaks is smart, Burrell said. You can tell he thinks about all his answers. He's done his research. And those doubters who say Buttigieg doesn't stand a chance? I think they underestimate him, Paquin said. Wrapping up his remarks in Greenville, Buttigieg noted that's happening less these days than it did a few months ago, when hardly anyone knew his name. I don't know whether we can pull this off, but I'm feeling pretty good about it, he said. Kurdish New Year celebrations drew hundreds of thousands of people to Diyarbakir, the main city in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast, and the center of a power struggle between the pro-Kurdish HDP Party and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The HDP organized the Diyarbakir Nowruz celebrations, using it to rally support for its candidates ahead of Sunday's critical local elections. Among those waving from the party platform was lawyer Kezban Yilmaz, who is running for mayor in Diyarbakir's Kayar Pinar district. Yilmaz is running for office with Necati Pirinccioglu. All mayorships contested by the HDP have a joint candidature of a man and a woman. The large turnout for Nowruz celebrations is a welcome morale boost, Yilmaz said, given the mounting pressure the party is facing. "The security forces often surround our election offices, deliberately creating an atmosphere of worry and fear for our supporters," she said. "At the same time, police operations against our party have started again, with large numbers of detentions and arrests, especially of our party workers and officials." There is a heavy security presence in Diyarbakir, as there is in the rest of Turkey's predominately Kurdish southeast. The region is a center of a decades long insurgency by the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which is fighting for greater minority rights. Following the 2015 collapse in the peace process between the government and the PKK, a major legal crackdown on the HDP was launched. Authorities accused the party of supporting the insurgent group with more than dozen of its parliamentary deputies jailed, including its leaders. Over 80 of its elected mayors have also been imprisoned and replaced with government appointees called "kayuums." The HDP is now seeking to take back its lost mayorships, reaffirming its popular support. However, TV stations are refusing to broadcast the party's campaign advertisements, while mainstream media mostly ignore the party. Yilmaz, like her fellow HDP candidates across Diyarbakir, relentlessly pounds the street to reach out to supporters. She appears to receive a warm response. On entering a tea shop, many people clap and whistle in support. With many of its mayors jailed, the HDP's difficulties appear to be generating sympathy and feelings of injustice. "Our election rights have been taken away from us. Our votes should be returned to us," said retiree Seydat, who only gave his first name. "Elections are a democratic right. You can't seize the seats of people democratically won." There is also anger among voters over the HDP's exclusion from the media. "You can't help but feel sad about this situation," said a first-time voter who did not want to be identified."You see the discrimination in this attitude against the HDP. They can't defend or express themselves to people in the media. There are a lot of limitations on our freedoms." Many in Diyarbakir watch a European-based satellite Kurdish TV station, which gives news about the HDP. Most apartments in the city have satellite dishes. Social media is also a crucial part of the HDP's campaign to get its message out. "Eighty percent of the population use the social media very actively in Diyarbakir," said Vedat Dag, the HDP's Diyarbakir social media chief. "Rural areas especially use Facebook very actively," he said, "It is almost 80 percent, 90 percent of the people here use social media." A significant part of Diyarbakir's electorate lives in villages surrounding the city. The HDP claims security forces often prevent their campaigners from entering those regions. Dag claims the widespread use of smartphones and the net savviness of people also boosts their efforts not only in spreading their message but also in campaigning. "Normally you would expect the youth to have smartphones," he said. "But during these times, we see a lot of old people with them. For example, we have volunteers over 50 years old who take pictures and videos for us and share them." WATCH: Voters Expectations Ahead of Local Elections in Turkey However, in a Sunday television interview, Erdogan repeated an earlier warning that candidates linked to terrorist organizations faced removal from office. While not explicitly naming the HDP, analysts claim the pro-Kurdish party is the likely target of Erdogan's threat. "This is a clear threat by Erdogan to remove the HDP mayor's from office," said political scientist Cengiz Aktar. "He has done this in the past, and he will do it again." Yilmaz's predecessor languishes in jail. Despite Erdogan's warnings, she remains undaunted. "This threat won't stop us. It won't frighten us," she said. "Our friends (HDP mayors) who are in jail were on the right path and did the right thing. They tried to do the best for the people. Moreover, we intend to carry on where they left off. We will keep the flag flying, and if the state takes us, there will be new people coming after us and continuing our work." WATCH: Turkey elections The United States is warning that crushing the Islamic States self-declared caliphate will not be enough to deal the terror group an enduring defeat a message Washington delivered even as it pulls the majority of U.S. forces from Syria. U.S.-back forces declared victory over the IS caliphate Saturday, liberating the northeastern Syrian town of Baghuz after unleashing a series of airstrikes against several hundred fighters who refused to surrender. Since then, the Syrian Democratic Forces have been involved in clearing operations, carefully sifting through what is left of the terror groups encampments for explosives and booby traps, as well as searching a complex network of caves and tunnels that were used to hide thousands of fighters and their families until the towns fall. Yet despite the optimism expressed by numerous coalition officials, the U.S. special representative for Syria cautioned a lasting victory is not yet within sight. This is not the end of the fight against ISIS, U.S. envoy for Syria James Jeffrey told reporters Monday, using an acronym for the terror group. That will go on, but it will be a different kind of fight. "They're reconstituting in small groups, operating in the shadows as a low-level insurgency," he said, adding that the full impact has yet to be felt in Syria, where the groups remaining forces are in shock from having lost this terrain. Jeffrey, as well as other coalition officials, estimate Islamic State still boasts an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 fighters spread across Syria and Iraq, though he cautioned such estimates are not worth the paper theyre printed on. U.S. officials had previously estimated IS had, at its height, up to about 34,000 fighters. But Jeffrey said Monday that number could have been as high as 100,000. Other senior U.S. and coalition officials have also admitted their ability to estimate the size of the radical Islamic group's fighting forces has been limited, predicting most recently hundreds of fighters were left to defend Baghuz when, in reality, thousands were killed or had surrendered. We have been consistently wrong, as have our SDF partners, on how big this is, a senior defense official said. Region Remains Fertile Ground for IS So too, there are concerns that the region remains a fertile ground for Islamic State, which has learned to play upon local grievances as well as anyone. The political conditions havent changed really dramatically from the 2009 perspective, said Craig Whiteside, a senior associate with the Center on Irregular Warfare at the Naval War College. In some cases, theyve actually gotten worse. Potentially making IS more dangerous, according to Whiteside, is that the group has successfully carried out an insurgency before and, at least in the past, has been patient enough to see it succeed. They dont have timelines in their strategic documents. They just have an understanding that theyll do it until it works, he said. At the same time, officials and analysts warn Islamic State has been preparing for this new insurgency for more than a year, starting before the fall of Mosul, its capital in Iraq, in June 2017. But at least in Syria, U.S.-backed forces will be taking on the new fight without the same level of support. "Armed forces are being withdrawn," Jeffrey said Monday, explaining some of the 2,000 U.S. troops that had been stationed in Syria have already been pulled out in line with the plan announced by President Donald Trump in December. Residual Forces U.S. officials have said the residual force, likely about 200 troops, will be stationed in northeast Syria and at al-Tanf, a U.S. garrison in southern Syria that is seen as key to stopping smugglers supporting IS as well as limiting Irans influence in the region. There have been talks between the United States and its coalition partners to set up a force of about 1,500 troops to help the Syrian Democratic Forces continue clearing operations and other stabilization efforts. U.S. officials have characterized the talks as positive. Only the plan has met with some criticism from allies, like France, which complained last week that many questions about the size, make-up and mission of the proposed force remain unanswered. Jeffrey on Monday pushed back against those concerns, saying the United States was getting a pretty good response to its request for allies to up their contribution. He also rejected a call by Kurdish authorities to set up an international tribunal to prosecute foreign fighters who joined Islamic State but who have not been taken back by their own countries. Were not looking at that right now, Jeffrey said, insisting the U.S. focus remains on making sure foreign fighters are sent back to their countries of origin. If they put the effort in, they could do it," he said. The SDF is holding an estimated 7,000 IS fighters. More than 1,000 are thought to be from countries other than Iraq and Syria. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday expanded the Trump administrations ban on U.S. aid to groups that promote or provide abortions to include organizations that comply with the rules but give money to others that dont. Pompeo also said the U.S. would cut some assistance to the Organization of America States because at least two of its agencies are allegedly lobbying for abortion availability in the Western Hemisphere. Pompeo said the administration was committed to protecting the sanctity of life in the United States and abroad and would enforce the policy to the broadest extent possible by not allowing foreign non-governmental organizations to skirt the ban. We will refuse to provide assistance to foreign NGOs that give financial support to other foreign groups in the global abortion industry, Pompeo told reporters at the State Department. We will enforce a strict prohibition on backdoor funding schemes and end runs around our policy. American taxpayer dollars will not be used to underwrite abortions. The move is an expansion of the so-called Mexico City policy first established under President Ronald Reagan but rescinded by subsequent Democratic administrations. Just days after taking office in 2017, President Donald Trump reinstated the policy and then expanded it to include all health programs not just reproductive health ones. Critics of the policy that has been a hallmark of Republican administrations call it the global gag rule. They say it hurts reproductive and maternal health care in developing nations. Pompeo denied that and said the U.S. would continue to be a leader in such aid. The U.S. spends some $9 billion to support global health programs. Abortion rights advocates slammed the decision as dangerous to womens health, while abortion opponents welcomed it. This administrations obsession with attacking womens reproductive health is egregious and dangerous, said Sen. Jean Shaheen, D-N.H. Further expanding the global gag rule puts international organizations in an impossible position: provide women the full scope of reproductive health care services or deny critical funding that saves lives. That is unconscionable. The Susan B. Anthony Fund, an anti-abortion group, issued a statement praising the step. We are excited to see Secretary Pompeo taking additional steps to ensure that Americans hard-earned dollars are actually used for health assistance, not funneled to groups that push abortion, it said. In addition to the revision of the Mexico City rule, Pompeo said the administration would also start to enforce legislation that bars all U.S. funds from being used to lobby for or against abortion. As a first step in enforcement, he said support for the Organization of American States would be reduced, although it was not immediately clear by how much. Pompeo said the step came as a result of some OAS institutions promoting greater access to abortion in the Americas. He did not identify them but some Republican lawmakers have urged Pompeo to take action over calls from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Commission on Women for countries in the hemisphere to ease laws restricting abortion. The institutions of the OAS should be focused on the crises in Cuba, Nicaragua and in Venezuela and not advancing the pro-abortion cause, Pompeo said. The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned a lower court's decision to allow U.S. sailors to collect damages from Sudan after the 2000 al-Qaida bombing of a U.S. Navy destroyer. The court's decision Tuesday dealt a blow to 15 of the injured sailors and three of their spouses who sued the Sudanese government in 2010 in Washington. The decision was a significant victory for the northeastern African country, which denies it supported the al-Qaida militant group in the attack. The October 12, 2000, attack occurred while the USS Cole was refueling in the southern Yemeni port of Aden, killing 17 sailors and wounding more than three dozen others. Al-Qaida claimed responsibility for the attack. The Supreme Court's 8-1 decision prevented the American plaintiffs from collecting nearly $315 million in damages from the Sudanese government. A federal judge in Washington issued a default judgement in 2012 of $314.7 million against Sudan. A judge in New York later ordered certain banks to relinquish Sudanese assets to partially satisfy the judgement. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of appeals In New York upheld those orders in 2015. The default judgement was issued because Sudan did not initially defend itself against allegations it supported al-Qaida in the attack. At issue Tuesday was whether mailing the lawsuit to Sudan's embassy in Washington violated a U.S. law governing when foreign governments can be sued in American courts. The high court said Sudan had not been properly notified of the lawsuit because it should have been mailed to its foreign ministry in the capital of Khartoum. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has supported Sudan in the case. Administration officials told the high court that a ruling against Sudan could affect how the U.S. government is treated by foreign courts because the U.S. rejects judicial notices delivered to its embassies. The sailors criticized the Trump administration in a legal brief, saying, "Particularly given this administration's solicitude for veterans, its decision to side with a state sponsor of terrorism, against men and women who are seeking to recover for grievous injuries suffered in the service of our country, is inexplicable and distressing," the brief said. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority and noted the ruling is "not the end of the road" for the plaintiffs. He said they can resubmit notice of the lawsuit, this time to Sudan's foreign ministry. Alito said they can send the notice through diplomatic channels if an attempt to send it to the foreign ministry fails. The U.S. on Tuesday imposed new sanctions on a network of 25 individuals and entities in Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates it accused of laundering more than a billion dollars and euros that were used by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and defense ministry to fund terrorism in the Middle East. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement the U.S. was "targeting a vast network of front companies and individuals" in the three countries "to disrupt a scheme the Iranian regime has used ... to exploit the international financial system to evade (U.S.) sanctions, while the regime funds terrorism and other destabilizing activities across the region." Sigal Mandelker, the Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and intelligence, said central to the funding was the Revolutionary Guards-controlled Ansar Bank and its currency exchange arm, the Ansar Exchange, "both of which used layers of intermediary entities to exchange devalued Iranian rial ultimately for dollars and euros to line the pockets" of the Revolutionary Guards and Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. "This vast network is just the latest example of the Iranian regime's use of deceptive practices to exploit the global financial system and divert resources to sanctioned entities," Mandelker said. "This once again exposes to the international community the dangerous risks of operating in an Iranian economy that is deliberately opaque." The U.S. claimed that to secure the funding for Ansar Bank, the Revolutionary Guards, the defense ministry and the Ansar Exchange used a network of front companies and agents in Turkey and the UAE. The Treasury Department said that in the last year and a half, UAE-based Sakan General Trading, Lebra Moon General Trading and Naria General Trading, along with the Iran-based Hital Exchange, provided about $800 million in funds to the Ansar Exchange. In addition, it said Turkey-based Atlas Doviz acted as a secondary foreign currency provider for Ansar Exchange. The U.S. said the defense ministry and armed forces logistics agency supervises Iran's missile program, including those used by Iran-backed Houthi fighters in Yemen against coalition forces supported by the U.S. In all, the Treasury sanctions targeted eight individuals, all of them officials at the several financial institutions the U.S. alleged were part of the scheme to provide the funding for the Revolutionary Guards and the defense ministry. The sanctions freeze any property and funds the targeted officials and entities might have in the United States and block Americans from conducting any business with them. The Treasury said that any foreign financial institution that transacts business with the sanctioned entities and individuals could also be subject to U.S. blacklisting. U.N. World Food Program Director David Beasley is traveling to Mozambique Tuesday to draw attention to the devastation caused by the cyclone that recently struck the area of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi in the southeastern part of Africa. The trip comes a day after the top U.N. aid chief said the United Nations is appealing for $282 million to help the victims of Cyclone Idai in Mozambique. The cyclone's heavy winds and rains killed at least 750 people in Mozambique and neighboring Malawi and Zimbabwe and left hundreds of thousands of people homeless. U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock said appeals for Malawi and Zimbabwe would be coming in the next few days. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has also launched an appeal for $30.5 million to provide life-saving aid for 200,000 of the most vulnerable survivors in Mozambique. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Defense said it will provide $6.5 million in immediate humanitarian assistance to Mozambique. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. Efforts to control the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak are hitting a roadblock, says Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The medical charity group says security forces and a climate of community mistrust are hampering efforts to combat the outbreak. Zimbabwes former Higher Education Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo claims that President Emmerson Mnangagwa only got 33 percent of the 2018 presidential election. Moyo made the claim in a tweet Tuesday. There's now incontrovertible evidence that Mnangagwa got just 33% of the presidential vote in the 30 July 2018 elections. Waiting for Luke Malaba to give the promised "FULLY DRESSED JUDGMENT" to be given "IN DUE COURSE". And a can of worms will be opened! Moyo, who fled Zimbabwe following a military intervention that eventually led to former president Robert Mugabes ouster and the rise of his then sacked deputy, Emmerson Mnangagwa, was unreachable for comment. Zanu PF spokesman Simon Khaya Moyo refused to comment while presidential spokesperson George Charambas mobile phone was not reachable. Ruling party activist, Believe Gaule, dismissed Moyos claims saying the former Zanu PF and top government official, is a bitter man trying to sow seeds of disunity in Zimbabwe. Gaule noted that I dont think we have to waste our time on such issues especially when it is coming from Jonathan Moyo who is not even in the country. Where is he getting that information as the judge (Chief Justice Luke Malaba) was even talking about lack of primary evidence (in a case filed in the Electoral Court by the MDC led by Nelson Chamisa which challenged Mnangagwas victory)? Its only people who are bitter who would want to say a lot of things and confuse people at the same time. Remember Jonathan Moyo has never said anything good about President Mnangagwa. To me he is fighting, to me he is fighting Mnangagwa and everyday he manufactures stories and create evidence where it is not there. Moyo allegedly backed Sydney Sekeramai to succeed Mugabe in a bitter political feud that pitted Zanu PF factions resulting in the armys move to intervene to arrest so-called criminals that were surrounding Mugabe. Moyos Zanu PF group, known as Generation 40, was backed by former First Lady Grace Mugabe, ousted party administration secretary Saviour Kasukuwere and several others. Movement for Democratic Change leader Nelson Chamisa claims that Mnangagwa was fraudulently elected president in the July 30 presidential election last year. Mnangagwa won the election with 50.8 percent of the vote -- just enough to meet the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a run-off against Chamisa, who scored 44.3 percent. That percentage was eventually reduced to 50.6 percent by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission before the Constitutional Court ruled in favor of Mnangagwa. Chamisa maintains that he won the presidential election. Comedian Jordan Kleppers last Comedy Central series The Opposition may be no more, but the standout Daily Show alum returns to the network soon with a brand-new show. Announced last year, the eight-episode documentary series Klepper will feature the host away from the desk and out exploring various U.S. communities to learn about issues like veterans using wrestling to cope with PTSD, a protest of a major oil pipeline, civil disobedience in support of education for undocumented students (in which Klepper was arrested), marijuana decriminalization, Native Americans fighting for visibility, and more. Kobi Libii, who previously served as a citizen journalist on The Opposition, also appears in an episode in which he and Klepper head to Texas to meet two different activist groups who use guns to get their message across. When Jordan said he wanted to travel the country to explore our most pressing issues and talk to the people on the front lines fighting for change, little did we know that he would capsize a boat in the bayou or get arrested in Georgia, said Comedy Central development execs Sarah Babineau and Jonas Larsen on the project. But we think that his super funny, poignant, and provocative portrait of America, was (almost) worth the bodily harm and criminal record. Since the end of The Opposition, Ive spent most of my time traveling to 12 states, filming three feature-length documentaries worth of footage for eight episodes about impressive Americans. People who spend all of their waking moments fighting for something bigger than themselves, which is a radical departure from what Im used to. Its humbling and to be frank, dangerous to my health. I think I broke my foot three times, or I have gout, Klepper told Vulture. The point is, I was consistently moved throughout the filming of these episodes. Itd be hard not to be. If we did it right, I think the viewers of Klepper will get a snapshot of the American spirit and reaffirm that it is alive and well. Off to ice my foot. Check out the first trailer for the series above, and catch the rest when it debuts on Comedy Central Thursday, May 9 at 10:30 p.m. British nationals living in Italy are qualified to sign parliamentary petition to revoke Article 50. Only little over 5,500 British nationals living in Italy have signed a petition calling on the government to revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU. That is only around 0.1 per cent of the well over 5.5m people who have signed at last count, and is also only a small proportion of the British expat community in Italy, variously estimated at between 40,000 and 75,000. The poor turnout may be because some Brits, used to not being eligible to vote in elections if they have lived outside the UK for 15 years or more, may not realise they are entitled to sign the petition regardless of where they live. Some observers have expressed surprise that there has not been more support among a community which, by their own or their employers choice, have enjoyed the freedom of movement and workplace which EU membership has guaranteed until now. Nevertheless, record numbers are continuing to support the most popular petition ever submitted to the parliament website, leaving retired lecturer Margaret Georgiadou, 77, who launched the initiative, totally amazed, as well as shaking like a leaf after receiving telephone death threats. And the petition received a boost after the record-breaking Put it to the people demonstration (pictured) in London on 23 March, estimated to have seen as many as a million protesters take to the streets. A group of activists from the British Citizens in Italy Facebook group travelled to London to take part. The petition is open for further signatures until 20 August, but with the political turmoil gathering speed in Britain at present, signatures are urgently required if the initiative is to be in time to affect the debate. According to the parliament website, parliament considers all petitions that get more than 100,000 signatures for a debate, and government responds to all petitions that get more than 10,000 signatures. But the petition page also notes that neither response has yet been received, despite the record number of signatures. A different petition was launched on the Parliament website in January by British expat businessman James Langdon-Davies, calling for all British citizens to be allowed to vote, wherever they live, should there be a new referendum on Brexit. Over 300 Brits living in Italy have already signed it. Rome mayor Virginia Raggi thanks predecessor Ignazio Marino. The Rome city administration now has the authority to move mobile snack bars and souvenir stalls away from cultural and archaeological sites thanks to a ruling by Italy's Supreme Court of Cassation on 25 March. The court rejected an appeal by Alfredo Tredicine - whose family owns the majority of Rome's mobile snack bars - who took the case to the highest level in 2016 after Lazio's regional administrative tribunal (TAR) supported the city's move to clamp down on mobile bars and souvenir stands around the capital. The crackdown was begun in 2014 by former Rome mayor Ignazio Marino who reduced the number of stalls at the Christmas market in Piazza Navona from 115 to 72, a move which generated fierce opposition from the Tredicine family. Rome's mayor Virginia Raggi welcomed the supreme court's decision, saying the move was a step forward for the "decorum and legality in our city", and thanking her predecessor Marino for kickstarting the process. Photo La Repubblica Caffe Greco has been serving customers in Rome for over 250 years. Antico Caffe Greco, the historic bar on Via dei Condotti near the Spanish Steps, first opened for business in 1760. Founded by Nicola della Maddalena, Caffe Greco is the oldest coffee bar in Rome and the second-oldest in Italy, after the Caffe Florian which opened in Venice in 1720. Antico Caffe Greco painted by Austrian artist Ludwig Passini in 1856. Over the centuries the elegant Caffe Greco has provided a refuge for an eclectic range of intellectuals and characters such as Hans Christian Anderson, Byron, Buffalo Bill, Casanova, Goethe, Gogol, Ibsen, Henry James, Keats, Shelley, Stendhal, Mark Twain and Orson Welles. Antico Caffe Greco has also been frequented by important 20th-century Italian artists including Giorgio de Chirico, whose house-museum is located nearby, and Renato Guttuso who immortalised the bar in a celebrated 1976 painting (see below). Antico Caffe Greco by Renato Guttuso (see de Chirico seated on far left and cameo appearance by Buffalo Bill, centre). Around 300 paintings, memorabilia and vintage photographs of the illustrious clientele cover the walls of the hallowed bar, whose gilt mirrors and grand piano help it to retain its other-worldly atmosphere. However visitors should be aware that Caffe Greco's prices do not come cheap. There is a significant difference in the cost between taking your coffee or cocktail standing at the bar and being served by a tuxedoed waiter while seated in one of the eight ancient rooms. In recent years Caffe Greco has reportedly faced the threat of closure over an increase in rent however it remains open and enjoys a special place on Rome's cultural tourist trail. Open daily 09.00-21.00. The former first ladys book had already broken records. Becoming sold an astounding 725,000 copies on its first day and 2 million copies in North America within 15 days of its release, making it the fastest-selling book of 2018, not to mention the best-selling hardcover book of the year. Presales ensured that Becoming was the No. 1 most-sold book on Amazon even before its release date. Shortly after publication, it also became a No. 1 seller abroad, in Britain, Germany and Greece, among many other countries. (Amazons founder and chief executive, Jeffrey P. Bezos, owns The Washington Post.) Becoming is the first in a two-book deal that the Obamas made with Penguin Random House in 2017. Imagine youre married to Noah, and God tells him to build an ark to survive a coming flood. What the whaa? Naamah doesnt share her husbands faith, but she does have fierce, deep love for their children and wants them to survive. The book is a testament to the idea that more than one sex, more than one idea and more than one individual makes the world in all its glory and tragedy. Ellens Game of Games (NBC at 8) Members of the audience play Stink Tank, Aw Snap!, One Eyed Monster, Dont Leave Me Hanging, Know or Go and more. The new movie concerns the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, in which militants from Pakistan laid siege to several sites in Indias largest city, including the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, where most of the film takes place. In the film, the attackers members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba Islamist militia are never identified, yet theres no lingering mystery about their anti-India sentiments. As the film opens, a group of sullen men approach Mumbai by raft, with their leader, identified as the Bull and heard only by phone, urging his companions to cast their eyes toward the citys skyline and look at what they stole from you. Considering the long-standing tensions between the predominantly Muslim nation of Pakistan and its neighbor, the predominantly Hindu India, it isnt hard to do the math. The epicurean taco, Id argue, is a still relatively modern invention, designed to satisfy the ambitions of the chef and the palates of fussy diners who may not dig on pork skin. No one does fancy tacos better than Espita, starting with the masa program headed by Yesenia Neri-Diaz, who works with four varietals of corn to prepare the multicolored tortillas. From there, chef Robert Aikens stuffs the rounds with fillings that, much to my surprise, do not stray far from the traditions on which they lean. The tacos come already sauced, which may frustrate those who like to customize theirs. But one bite of the chorizo, pressed into a blue-corn tortilla with a vibrant splash of salsa verde, and I suspect you wont mind surrendering a little control. 1250 Ninth St. NW. 202-621-9695. espitadc.com. I felt a lot of resources were being devoted to the process of Civil War navel-gazing when there were other questions Atlanta needed space to explore, says Lee, the centers vice president of historical interpretation and community partnerships. But her friend Leslie Harris, then a history professor at Emory University, suggested that the artwork offered a rare opportunity. The South was just entering the early days of a revived debate over whether to reframe or remove vestiges of the Confederacy. Lee realized that it was possible to change the perception of a relic that thousands of schoolchildren visit annually. I wanted to get it right, Lee said, not just with the painting, but the surrounding experience that would help people understand the process of historical mythmaking. You simply want the freedom and have the right to like what you like, unencumbered by the ramblings of blogging philosophers. You dont say that your husband shames you, but it seems that access to any potentially negative information will make you defensive. The troubles come despite a management overhaul at the facility, which until last year was run by a consulting firm whose leaders had ties to Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D). The council voted not to extend that companys contract after The Washington Post reported on fatal lapses in care at the hospital and current and former UMC executives came forward to criticize the consulting firm, Veritas of Washington. The Washington Nationals have limited the types of bags that can be brought this season to Nationals Park, and fans looking for ways to carry their stuff might envy an animal at the National Zoo, who carries its newborn in a built- in pouch. We kept hearing crew members call for stretchers, but even those poor people who came in and were wet and injured seemed so calm, Patsy Quick said. I guess they were doing the best they could in a difficult situation. People took off their clothes sweaters, sweatshirts, anything they had and gave it to the people who were wet. Everyone was just in it together. No information was available about the victim, who was described by police only as a pedestrian. Police said early Tuesday that they were trying to make an identification and to determine how the incident occurred. This is not a fight between the right and the left this is a fight between right and wrong, Hogan told the crowd, many of whom were bundled up against the brisk weather and carrying red, white and blue signs reading Fair Maps and End Gerrymandering Now. The report on Jalisis behavior detailed incidents dating back to 2015 Jalisis first year in office in which aides complained that he forced staffers to work long hours without compensation, yelled at them and treated them as truant if they went to the restroom or to get lunch. At least one incident escalated to the point where state troopers had to intervene. Referencing another of Trumps favorite attacks against the media, Hogan told the gathering of political reporters that you are not the enemy of the people. And it is that kind of dangerous rhetoric that threatens to undermine and erode the trust between the people and the very institutions that are the cornerstone of our democracy. The explosives were discovered Saturday in Frederick County, and were tied to Alan Chmurny, who swallowed cyanide in 2001 a courtroom in Howard County, after his conviction on a charge of pouring mercury into the vents of a co workers car, the state fire marshals office said. Police said Urbanski, who is white, stabbed Collins in a totally unprovoked attack while Collins was visiting friends at the university in College Park. Collins, a Bowie State University student, was waiting with two friends at a bus stop when Urbanski approached and told Collins, Step left, step left if you know whats best for you, according to police charging documents. Collins wouldnt move, and Urbanski pulled a knife and stabbed Collins, police said. He said that for now, the D.C. police force needs to increase officer numbers and keep its fleet of vehicles up to date. Under the budget proposal, the police force, which has about 3,800 officers, would have the capacity to hire 70 more officers toward the goal of 4,000 in total by 2021. Police said the case was hampered by the fact that the first victim could not identify her attacker. The second woman told detectives a man named Bernard at MVLE was the one who raped her, police said. A paternity test on her baby showed there was a greater than 99 percent chance Betts-King was the father. A paternity test on the first womans baby is pending. A spokesman for the Secret Service said the male officer had been headed to the vice presidents residence to set up for a motorcade later in the day. The officer was not responding to an emergency when the crash occurred on the circle that goes around the observatory. Manassas City Police said she was standing in the street on Cloverhill Road when she was hit. The driver of the car fled, they said. The incident occurred about 5 p.m. in the 9600 block of Cloverhill, police said. While one request to stay the bump stock ban was rejected by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., another awaited word from Justice Sonia M. Sotomayor. She asked for a response from the Justice Department, where in December officials announced that they were banning the devices, which are attached to rifles and essentially help speed up how quickly they can be fired. The devices gained notoriety after a gunman used them in the 2017 Las Vegas massacre. A former employee of Duke raised concerns that led to the case in 2014 in U. S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. The lawsuit came after the university found that a research technician had embezzled federal grant funds but before university officials realized that data had been fabricated. The technician pleaded guilty to two counts of forgery and paid restitution to Duke, according to university officials. The focus on suicide is a tragically salient concern: This month, two communities that have struggled with mass shootings also have experienced suicides of those who faced the earlier trauma. On Monday, the father of a girl who was killed in the December 2012 massacre at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school was found dead of an apparent suicide; and two teenagers who attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., took their own lives this month, a little over a year after a gunman entered the school with an assault-style rifle and killed 17 people. Authorities have said one of the Parkland students used a gun in her suicide; the other two suicides are under investigation. The broader significance is it does show that at least one defendant is cognizant of the strength of these claims, because if they werent theyd just go to trial, he said. I think people will look at it as a bellwether. I think people will . . . try to extrapolate what this might mean for a national settlement. The working committee of the Congress on Monday discussed the party's manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections and gave a final shape to it. The working committee, which is the party's highest decision making body, will give a final go ahead to the manifesto. The meeting was chaired by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and attended by former prime minister Manmohan Singh, senior leaders such as Priyanka Gandhi, Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge and A K Antony. The party manifesto is being framed by a committee headed by P Chidambaram. The Congress has already launched an exercise to involve people from different sections of the society and has held several rounds of consultations with them to include their views in the manifesto. It has also launched an online portal to seek the views of people and their expectations from the grand old party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The top party leaders have promised to make the manifesto a comprehensive document that will include views of all sections. Muellers answer, as Barr has related it, was that the evidence didnt meet the standard for an indictment. If this sounds familiar, its because Comey said much the same thing about Hillary Clinton when the FBI completed its investigation into whether she had committed a crime by using her personal email account and server for classified information while serving as secretary of state. Though Comey was deeply critical of Clinton and her staff for being extremely careless, he said her actions didnt meet the standards set by previous department investigations. Commenting on Comeys report, Trump tweeted on July 2, 2016: It was just announced-by sources-that no charges will be brought against Crooked Hillary Clinton. Like I said, the system is totally rigged! We can no longer release a person from prison or jail, admonish them about re-offending and expect them to live happily ever after without support. This is especially a fantasy if we insist on creating extra barriers. If we are going to support each person in achieving his or her greatest potential, we must remove stigmas that serve no legitimate purpose. Local leaders such as myself are ready to work with state and federal officials to ask and, most importantly find answers to these questions. Lets work together to ensure that every American truly has the right to life, liberty and happiness. To do less simply perpetuates the revolving door into the justice system. Thiruvananthapurm : The Kerala police team, probing the missing case of a Rajasthani girl from Kerala's Ochira traced the girl in Maharashtra. The minor girl, along with a boy Roshan was missing from Ochira from March 18. The police have also detained Roshan from Maharashtra. As per the initial reports, a gang of four barged into their house and abducted the minor girl after attacking her parents. The investigation team have filed a case against the four under non-bailable sections of the IPC. THE CAPTURE of the last territory controlled by the Islamic State on Saturday was far from a final victory over the movement, as U.S. commanders and diplomats were careful to emphasize. The jihadists retain thousands of fighters in clandestine cells scattered across Syria and Iraq, as well as affiliates in Afghanistan, Egypt, the Philippines, Libya, Burkina Faso and elsewhere. Nevertheless, the final elimination of a self-declared caliphate that once controlled a territory the size of Britain and ruled over as many as 12 million people is worth celebrating. It represents a victory not just for moderate forces in Syria and Iraq, which did most of the fighting, but for a U.S. military mission that succeeded with a light footprint and relatively low costs. While these hawkish figures continue to strut their wares, progressive leaders who understand the costs of endless war are forcing a shift in the debate. Presidential candidates Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have signed a pledge to bring Americas military engagements in Afghanistan, Syria and elsewhere to a responsible and expedient conclusion. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), along with Sanders and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), recently ushered a resolution through Congress that would end U.S. support for Saudi Arabias war in Yemen, a move that could prompt just the second veto of Trumps presidency. And last month, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) introduced a bill to repeal the 2001 authorization for the use of military force in Afghanistan which she stood alone in opposing at the time, presciently warning that it provided a blank check for war. That may be true. But to act without the balanced review that PSC Chairman Jason M. Stanek favors would be a mistake. In a striking show of unity last month, all five members of the commission appeared at a Senate committee public hearing to oppose the legislation; Mr. Stanek said it had far-reaching and uncertain implications on the commissions authority to set just and reasonable rates. Notably, the commission is not at all averse to the use of alternative methods. Not only has it made some limited use of alternative methods, but it also is set to hold a technical conference on April 30 to review the experience of other states with alternative rate-making systems and to get input from key stakeholders. I am now solitary and alone, having no companion in the house with me. I have gone a wooing to several gentlemen, but have not succeeded with any one of them. I feel that it is not good for man to be alone; and should not be astonished to find myself married to some old maid who can nurse me when I am sick, provide good dinners for me when I am well, and not expect from me any very ardent or romantic affection. More than any other film genre, horror serves as a pressure valve for society. It has often been reactionary, focusing heavily on the Other and capitalizing on our fears of anyone who is different from us. These tropes are so deeply ingrained that theyve become the subject of parody, such as in Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, in which two vacationing hillbillies are mistaken for psycho killers because of the way they look. Horror has a rich history of creating villains of the uneducated, the mentally ill and the otherwise disenfranchised. Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, the largest branch of American Judaism, noticed that the AIPAC crowd had beyond a doubt become mostly pro-Trump conservatives, not the cross section of Israel supporters that AIPAC once drew. The rhetoric fit the room. To suggest anti-Semitism is part of the Democratic Party and liberal part of the spectrum and not also part of Republican leaders discourse . . . is corrosive, he said. The thing that has kept Israel safe over the decades is rock-solid bipartisan support. I worked almost 30 years as an advanced placement English teacher and contract worker for one of the big testing companies assessing the written portion of tests. After retiring, I went into admissions counseling. I found my contract work training was largely based on norming my evaluation standards to bring them in line with company standards. When I switched to individual counseling to get away from the norming path, I thought I could be a helpful advocate to those applicants with whom I worked. All of my clients got into their first- or second-choice schools (albeit not all Ivies), but there was at least one counselor colleague I knew who guaranteed Ivy admissions. I was naive about my effect on kids paths, so I am thankful the inside information has finally come out. But the sad truth is that many Democratic presidential wannabes were hoping Mueller would find evidence the president had conspired with Russia. Some were almost salivating in anticipation of the Mueller report. In February, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) crowed that by the time we get to 2020, Donald Trump may not even be president. In fact, he may not even be a free person. Last month, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) tweeted, A campaign for President of the United States should never be in the business of scheming with foreign adversaries to tamper with our elections. And just this Saturday (one day after Mueller delivered his report exonerating Trump!), Beto ORourke assured us that you have a president who, in my opinion, beyond a shadow of a doubt, sought to, however ham-handedly, collude with the Russian government, a foreign power, to undermine and influence our elections. The benefit of Norway Plus is that it would minimize disruption, a feat it achieves by not actually changing much. Britain would still have to contribute most of what it does now to the E.U. budget; it would still have to allow immigration from other E.U. countries; and it would still be subject to many E.U. rules, while losing its voice in the European Parliament that makes those rules. The only obvious benefit of this plan is that it can be called Brexit and voted for by people who dont actually want Brexit to happen. The Maryland case was not new to the justices. In June, they said it was not ready for them and sent it back. In November, a three-judge panel unanimously found that Democrats had unconstitutionally targeted Republican voters in the 6th Congressional District because of their past votes. The legislature had redrawn the district, which previously stretched across the top of the state, to dip down into Democratic strongholds in the Washington suburbs. The Trump administration, along with the governments of Saudi Arabia and Libya, filed an amicus brief agreeing with Sudan, one of four nations the State Department lists as sponsoring terrorism. It said that litigation against foreign states in U.S. courts can have significant foreign affairs implications for the United States, and can affect the reciprocal treatment of the United States in the courts of other nations. These young people have lived in America since they were children and built their lives here, Graham said in a statement. There is support across the country for allowing Dreamers who have records of achievement to stay, work, and reach their full potential. We should not squander these young peoples talents. Those who seek to defame this great organization, AIPAC, those who seek to undermine American support for Israel, they must be confronted, Netanyahu said. Despite what they claim, they do not merely criticize the policies of the Israeli government. They do something else: They spew venom that has long been directed at the Jewish people. Again, the Jews are cast as a force for evil. Again, the Jews are charged with disloyalty. Again, the Jews are said to have too much influence, too much power, too much money. Rather, the evening was casual and friendly. Obama spoke about his own experience in Congress, however brief it was before his ascension to the White House. The former president who had campaigned for a number of freshmen in the room said he was proud of them for fighting for what they believed was right. In addition to the $2.5 billion for the wall Trump intends to take from the counterdrug account, he plans to take an additional $3.6 billion from the military construction budget using a law that requires the invocation of emergency powers. Known as Section 2808 of the U.S. code that governs the military, that law allows the defense secretary, in the event of a national emergency requiring the deployment of the armed forces, to take military construction money for projects in support of those troops. President Trump and his allies signaled Monday that they intend to use the broad conclusions of special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigation which found no criminal conspiracy with Russia to influence the 2016 election to forcefully attack perceived opponents they say unfairly accused the president of wrongdoing. The targets are diffuse, ranging from specific Democratic lawmakers to the media more generally. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway called on House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) to resign immediately, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) urged Schiff to relinquish his committee chairmanship. Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) said he planned to investigate what he dubbed all of the abuse by the Department of Justice and the FBI during the 2016 presidential election. And the Trump campaign sent a memo to television hosts and producers that included a list of guests it suggested should no longer be booked because they made outlandish, false claims on air. Trump himself, speaking in the Oval Office, offered a broad and harsh denunciation, saying there were a lot of people out there that have done some very, very evil things, very bad things. I would say treasonous things against our country, the president added. The strategy currently loose and informal is still in its infancy. But all signs indicate a Trump operation seeking vengeance and accountability from critics it says maligned the president over the investigation into whether his campaign or associates conspired with Russia to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. An adviser who talked to the president said Trump has an appetite to see his critics investigated. The adviser spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation. What he says is, he wants this investigated, said Trumps lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani. I dont think hes thought it out like Lindsey has. But he wants these things investigated. While Trump and his allies have portrayed Attorney General William P. Barrs summary of Muellers findings as a complete vindication of the president, Barr made it clear that the special counsel was not exonerating the president on the question of obstruction of justice. And details of the report, if made public, could prove troublesome for Trump. Muellers work led to criminal charges against 34 people, including six former Trump associates and advisers, and showed that Russia sought to influence the election and help Trump. Still, the presidents aides and allies have shown little desire to turn the page, preferring to write a new book detailing what they say is a rush to judgment from a Washington establishment unwilling to ever give Trump an unbiased assessment. This is not something to put behind us and move on, said David Bossie, Trumps 2016 deputy campaign manager. He said the White House and the Trump reelection campaign need to make sure we are beating the drum on how what he sees as a D.C. echo chamber bungled its handling of the Mueller investigation. The members of Congress, who made these ridiculous claims, how can they be on television again? How can they be called by reporters again? Bossie asked. How can reporters who have perpetrated this fraud gleefully on a number of networks, and at major newspapers across the country, how can they be trusted again? A campaign adviser said that there was a plan to target Schiff repeatedly, and that Republican National Committee and campaign officials had extensively reviewed television and other footage for some of Schiffs and other Democrats most egregious comments. View Graphic How well do you know what the Mueller investigation revealed? Raj Shah, a former White House spokesman who is now advising the campaign, described the findings by Mueller as a complete and total kill shot. It speaks volumes to the credibility the president is going to have when making the case on the economy, on crushing ISIS, on any number of topics, Shah said, using an acronym for the Islamic State terrorist group. The way to do this is, They werent telling you the truth about this thing, they arent telling you the truth about ISIS, they arent telling you the truth about the economy. Another White House and campaign strategy, an official with knowledge of the discussions said, is to remind the public of the most incendiary statements from the presidents critics even if they were made on weekend afternoon television, with low viewership, or in other obscure places. Conway said in an interview that Democratic lawmakers may face the strongest blowback. Elected officials especially bear the brunt of any public recrimination since they have sworn an oath to the Constitution to uphold the law, not invent it as they go along, politicize it or pretend it doesnt protect the innocent or uncharged, she said. This was less a legal exercise than a political hit job. In addition to Graham, other Trump allies have begun to call for investigations into some of the presidents rivals, including former president Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Time to investigate the Obama officials who concocted and spread the Russian conspiracy hoax, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) tweeted Monday. Several advisers said they hoped the Mueller report could give Trump who has often trafficked in falsehoods more credibility with voters. But some cautioned that the report and the targeting of critics may not have a big impact on Trumps reelection prospects even if the campaign continues to make it an issue. I just am cautious. The election is a long way away, Guiliani said. This is a big, big plus. A lot of things are going to happen between now and the election. Theres a long way between now and then, and the issues are going to change. On Sunday, a four-page summary of Muellers report written by Barr said that the special counsel did not find any evidence of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, and that Mueller declined to make a traditional prosecutorial judgment as to whether Trump had obstructed justice. The Special Counsel states that while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him, Barr wrote. The attorney general added that he and Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein then examined the issue and determined the presidents conduct did not rise to the level of criminal behavior. The president and his lawyers have not seen the full report, and a number of House Democratic investigations including into whether Trump meddled in the security clearance process and his personal interactions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where he reportedly urged a translator to destroy notes could still pose threats to the president. But Trumps allies seized on Barrs summary as a complete victory, with Trump celebrating with his lawyers at the White House on Sunday night, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting. One former White House official said no one expected the outcome at least what is publicly known so far to be so positive for the president. Many Trump advisers were merely hoping for an inconclusive report, one that said there was no direct linkage between Trump and Russia but that left unanswered questions about specific episodes. Similar to the obstruction part, said the former official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the issue. The mood of relief quickly turned to defiance and glee as the president and his allies realized they could wield Barrs summary as a political cudgel, not just to inoculate themselves against other ongoing and future investigations, but to target Trumps perceived critics ranging from the media to Democrats to the FBI. I think that many in the media and most on the left will continue to be a foil for the president in his reelection campaign as we move toward 2020, and quite frankly those who participated in this mess deserve it, said Jason Miller, a former 2016 Trump campaign adviser. If you were a Democrat who ran and campaigned on impeaching Trump in your 2018 election, what are you telling your constituents now that Mueller has informed us that Santa Claus doesnt exist? The Republican National Committee has already calculated how many hours or how much coverage particular television networks and newspapers devoted to the Mueller investigation when compared with Trumps trade agenda or his efforts to defeat the Islamic State. The White House also organized a call with supporters Sunday night and sent them a lengthy memo urging them to attack Democrats and the news media. Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaign communications director, penned a memo to television hosts and producers warning of the credibility of certain guests. He said in an interview that a little righteous indignation is warranted. It all comes down to credibility, Murtaugh said. These are people who were willing to go on TV for two years and make serious charges that have no basis in evidence whatsoever. Murtaughs memo took aim at a number of Democratic lawmakers including Sen. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.), Schiff and another California congressman, Eric Swalwell as well as Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez and former CIA director John Brennan. Some of those targeted pushed back against the memo. The only person who has been caught lying about Russia is Donald Trump, Swalwell tweeted Monday. If he thinks Ive made a false statement, he can sue me. And Ill beat him in court. Amid all the finger-pointing, there was at least one person toward whom the president seemed to have changed his tone. After months of berating Mueller on Twitter and elsewhere for overseeing a witch hunt staffed by angry Democrats, the president took a more measured stance toward the special counsel Monday. Asked by a reporter whether he believed Mueller had behaved honorably, Trump responded, simply, Yes, he did. In the past, Trump has asked advisers how to reduce money for Puerto Rico and signaled that he wont support any more aid beyond food stamp funds. At the lunch Tuesday, Trump rattled off the amount of aid that had been designated for other disaster-hit states and compared it with the amount allocated for Puerto Rico following the 2017 hurricane, which he said was too high, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private meeting. The Mainstream Media is under fire and being scorned all over the World as being corrupt and FAKE, Trump asserted in a morning tweet. For two years they pushed the Russian Collusion Delusion when they always knew there was No Collusion. They truly are the Enemy of the People and the Real Opposition Party! The presidents comments at the Senate lunch came after the Justice Department backed invalidating Obamacare in a legal filing Monday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans, where an appeal is pending in a case challenging the laws constitutionality. A federal judge in Texas ruled in December that the laws individual mandate can no longer be sustained as an exercise of Congresss tax power and further found that the remaining portions of the law are void. He based his judgment on changes to the nations tax laws made by congressional Republicans in 2017. President Trump grinned Monday as he hosted the 2018 Stanley Cup champions, the Washington Capitals, at the White House. (Leah Millis/Reuters) The race for the White House shifted into new territory Monday in the wake of the release of a summary of the special counsels report, pitting an emboldened President Trump against Democratic contenders eager to shine the political spotlight on kitchen-table issues such as health care and jobs. As Trump declared himself vindicated by Robert S. Mueller IIIs finding that he did not conspire with Russia in the 2016 election, Democrats saw an opening to focus anew on matters that many of them have argued are more critical to winning back swing voters than the findings of any investigation. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) once again urged multibillion dollar companies to offer higher wages. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) underscored his calls to address global climate change. Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) put an emphasis on her plan to boost teacher salaries and to curb the rising cost of prescription drugs. For too long, we have been a country that pretends to care about public education but doesnt pay our teachers what they deserve, Harris wrote in a blog entry Monday detailing her weekend travels through the South a post that did not mention the special counsel. While they were hopeful that more attention now would fall on those issues, Democratic presidential candidates nonetheless face challenges as they plow ahead in the primary contest. Although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has waved her party off from pursuing impeachment proceedings, House Democratic committee chairs are determined to probe Trumps possible obstruction of justice and are demanding the release of Muellers full report, potentially pulling discussions away from the planks that most presidential candidates are trying to put front and center. View Graphic How well do you know what the Mueller investigation revealed? [Dispute erupts over Muellers findings on Trump, Russia and obstruction of justice] The specter of a reinvigorated Trump also applied sudden pressure on the candidates to reassure the party faithful that they could beat him in 2020. Democrats on Monday debated who in the race and perhaps outside of it is best positioned to take on the president, whose relentless and grievance-infused style has been stoked by the Mueller probes completion. Its not going to be a case of slap anybody on the ballot and that person is going to win. We have to look for our most electable candidate, former Democratic National Committee chairman Edward G. Rendell said. That was difficult to assess given the uncertain field, with former vice president Joe Biden and others yet to make a decision on whether to run. A Fox News poll released on Sunday showed Biden and Sanders narrowly leading Trump among registered voters nationally in a hypothetical 2020 general-election race. Top Democrats are confident that Trump remains an unpopular incumbent, and one who remains mired in congressional probes and investigations in New York and say his political weakness was exposed in the 2018 midterm elections, when Democrats made gains in suburban congressional districts. [These wealthy neighborhoods delivered Democrats the House majority] Still, they said, the 2020 contest is unfolding as anything but a traditional referendum. David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Obama, said Democrats must recognize that they are heading into a new political moment in a divided country, where there is not only an appetite for policy ideas and strategies to counter Trump, but a big market out there for decency. Regardless of the report, Trumps disdain for norms and people is part of who he is and the latest developments are unlikely to make him more reflective or humble, Axelrod said. Who will speak to that? Axelrod said former Texas congressman Beto ORourke, South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.) are Democratic candidates who could get fresh looks in a party that is adjusting to the end of the Mueller probe and searching for a way to counter Trump on policy and temperament. Bookers allies echoing the plans of others in the race said he will continue to focus on issues that animate voters outside of Washington rather than concentrate on Mueller-related matters. When voters come out to hear the candidates that campaign in New Hampshire and quiz them, they want to hear their views on issues, said Jim Demers, a New Hampshire Democratic strategist supporting Booker. I dont think any of the candidates were talking about the Mueller report, so I think things just continue to move on like they have been. In key early states, party leaders encouraged candidates to make robust pitches to voters on policy and personal fronts. Hanging the entire nomination, or the election, on an anti-Trump message, I dont believe is a winning message or a winning strategy, said Columbia, S.C., Mayor Stephen Benjamin (D), who is neutral in the primary. I would caution anyone seeking the nomination to not put all their eggs in an anti-Trump basket. Buttigieg stumping in Greenville, S.C., on Saturday said Democrats need to beat Trump at the ballot box. Our party ought to be focusing on the conditions that made this presidency possible in the first place, he said. If were pinning all of our hopes on these procedural matters, and not paying attention to the reasons a lot of people went and voted for somebody they disliked, then were kind of missing the point. Voters have long indicated their interest in issues closer to their lives. Over the weekend, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) held three town halls across northern New Hampshire, taking 25 questions from voters. None of them asked about the Mueller findings. After an event in Conway ended without a Russia question, Warren cited a huge disconnect between Washington and the rest of America. Washington is its own bubble where people talk to each other, but its not paying attention to the things that touch the lives of people every single day, Warren said. In more than half the states in America right now, a year of child care costs more than a year at the state university. That touches people where they live. Still, Attorney General William P. Barrs decision to only share snippets of Muellers findings with the public so far complicates that aim in the near term. [Barrs letter on the Mueller reports principal conclusions] Over the weekend, candidate after candidate signaled their solidarity with House Democrats as they seek more information and the complete report, in between their stump remarks on signature issues. I dont want a summary of the report. I want the whole damn report, Sanders bellowed at a Sunday rally in San Francisco. Because nobody, especially this president, is above the law. Harris a former state attorney general who has frequently said she is ready to prosecute the case against this president has called for the report be made public, even as she devotes most of her speeches to challenging the administration on issues including race, education and health care. The American public deserves transparency and accountability, and the Mueller report must be made public for a full accounting of what happened, Harris said Sunday in Atlanta. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the Judiciary Committee, cautioned 2020 candidates on Monday to not walk away from Russia and obstruction issues. The dynamic of the 2020 race may well be changed radically by the Mueller report, which we have yet to see, he said. We need to avoid falling into the trap about making judgments without the benefit of the Mueller report. On the Republican side, Trumps political allies have sprung into action to portray Barrs summary of Muellers report as a document completely vindicating the president, even although Mueller left the question of whether Trump obstructed justice unanswered. [Muellers punt on obstruction question throws issue into the political arena] The Republican National Committee distributed talking points Sunday to supporters appearing on television and other media, according to a recipient who shared a copy with The Washington Post. Special Counsel Muellers report reaffirmed what President Trump, members of the campaign team, and the White House have repeatedly said, read one of the points. Dan Eberhart, an oil industry executive and GOP political donor, predicted the Mueller report could enhance Trumps credibility with centrist voters in the run-up to the 2020 election, reflecting the celebratory mood in Trumps political orbit. The Democrats and the media have almost guaranteed Trumps reelection by drilling a dry hole, he said. Rendell said Republicans overestimate Trumps strength, but warned his party to react not with punitive action but with a major push to protect Obamas health-care law and push voter-pleasing issues, such as immigration. Otherwise, he said, it looks like we are just piling on. Chelsea Janes, David Weigel, Matt Viser and Annie Linskey contributed to this report. Outside a federal courthouse in Florida after his arrest in January, Stone was asked if he wanted a pardon from Trump. The only person I have advocated a pardon for is Marcus Garvey, he said, referring to the black nationalist leader who was convicted of mail fraud in 1923 as the result of charges widely considered to have been politically motivated. One irony of the Green New Deal proposal is that it is forcing some Republicans to put forward their own climate proposals after being led for two years by Trump, who has repeatedly dismissed the overwhelming consensus among climate scientists that humans are warming the world. The first word of caution came Monday night from the man who once led the Democratic Party, as former president Barack Obama gently warned freshman Democrats to think carefully about the costs of their bold liberal proposals. The next day, the current leader of the party, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), told her caucus in a closed-door meeting to refocus attention on ideas that won Democrats the majority in 2018, particularly ensuring health care for millions of Americans. Taken together, the Democratic leaders past and present delivered a message of pragmatism as they sought to unify their party ahead of 2020 elections, focus on their legislative agenda and move past impeachment talk after a special counsel did not find a criminal conspiracy involving President Trump associates and Russia during the 2016 campaign. Trump, ironically, may have helped Democrats in that endeavor. The Justice Departments decision Monday night to challenge the legality of the Affordable Care Act gave Democrats the opportunity to pivot to an issue that carried them to power in the House and highlight their new legislation protecting Americans with preexisting medical conditions. Pelosi could not have timed it better if she had made the decision herself, Democrats joked Tuesday even as Trump tweeted that the Republican Party will become The Party of Healthcare! We must, with all that is going on, stay focused on our purpose For the People lower health-care costs, bigger paychecks and cleaner government, Pelosi told her members during the private caucus meeting Tuesday morning, referring to the official name of the House Democrats 2018 campaign platform. [Democrats largely give up on impeachment in wake of Mueller report] House Democrats many disappointed in Robert S. Mueller IIIs findings on Trump quickly fell in line. Investigations of the president were a limited topic of a policy-focused caucus meeting Tuesday. And moderate and liberal Democrats alike emerged talking about health care and fair pay. Even liberal supporters of impeachment, including Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), argued that Democrats were focused on legislating and that impeachment was not a priority. I dont think we should be running on the president; I think we need to be running on our agenda . . . on health care . . . on increasing peoples pay, said Ocasio-Cortez, who said she supports impeachment but knows the Senate will never take it up. Right now, in the short term, what we have control over is bringing bills to the floor that embody our values. There are, of course, some outliers. During Tuesdays meeting, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) stood and argued that Democrats need to continue investigating Trump. View Graphic Where 2020 candidates stand on Medicare-for-all and other health-care issues Tlaib had circulated a letter Monday night asking for co-sponsors for a resolution to inquire whether President Trump committed impeachable offenses on a number of issues, not just those included in the scope of the Mueller report. When Tlaib mentioned her letter, the caucus instead moved quickly to discuss the policy to-do list. On Monday night, Obama delivered his warning to freshmen at a private gathering away from the Capitol, telling them that even a liberal voter might shun a liberal policy if it means an increase in taxes. While Obama did not give specifics, people in the room took his remarks as a cautionary note about Medicare-for-all and the Green New Deal, two liberal ideas that have divided Democrats. Earlier in the evening, House Democratic leaders urgency to stay on message peaked during a private leadership meeting. Two senior Democrats from opposite sides of the caucus liberal Rep. David N. Cicilline (R.I.) and Rep. Cheri Bustos (Ill.), who represents a Republican-leaning district argued that it was time for the Democratic Party to move away from Trump and Russian interference in the 2016 election. Bustos, the head of the House Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said voters in her district had complained that Democrats do not care about them. She said voters knew little about the legislation on which the party was working. Democratic lawmakers needed to focus on policy, not Trump, Bustos said. Everyone agreed. A few minutes later, when House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) outlined top priorities for the week, Pelosi paused when he mentioned a proposal aimed at supporting transgender individuals in the military. Pelosi, who supports the proposal, said even that idea was off-message for a critical week in which Democrats had to show they were about more than pushing back against Trump, according to five people who were in the room. That proposal, after all, was a reaction to Trumps ban on the recruitment of transgender people into the military. Rather, Pelosi said the leaders need to highlight economic initiatives, including their bill demanding equal pay for women, which will be voted on this week. The individuals spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely comment on the discussions. At one point during the meeting, freshman Rep. Katie Hill (Calif.) asked how members could make the media focus on legislation rather than controversies with the president. The overwhelming answer: You cant. Just pivot, according to multiple people who were in the room. The Trump administrations actions against the ACA gave Democrats the chance to redirect their messaging. The Justice Department argued in a filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, where a case on the Obama health-care law is pending, that the entire law should be struck down. [Trump administration asks court to completely invalidate Obamas Affordable Care Act] Tuesday afternoon, as he headed to Capitol Hill for a meeting with Senate Republicans, Trump asserted that his party would gain the upper hand on health care. But after Republicans tried to repeal the ACA in the previous Congress including protections for people with preexisting conditions the party lost more than 40 seats and Democrats claimed the House majority for the first time in nearly a decade. That is why House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), addressing heavy GOP losses during a private donor call this year, called health care the defining issue and the most important issue in the race. McCarthy, notably, declined to answer questions about the Justice Departments position at a Tuesday news conference, referring questions to his office. Beyond the ACA fight, House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) said Sundays release of the summary of Muellers findings has also forced Democrats to refocus on their legislative agenda. Thats always been our priority, but I think now everybody feels its much more important that we show the American people that thats what were doing rather than talking about it, he said. The summary of Muellers report released by Attorney General William P. Barr said that Mueller did not establish a criminal conspiracy between Trump and Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign while offering no conclusion on whether the president sought to obstruct justice during the investigation. Barr said he determined there was not sufficient evidence to bring an obstruction charge. To be sure, the Russia and obstruction question is likely to come roaring back and drown out carefully planned legislative messaging if and when the Mueller report is released. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-N.J.), who has led the push to force Trump to disclose his tax returns, said that even if Mueller did not find aconspiracy, Democrats had to keep investigating Trump. I think youre going to see a very aggressive attempt to find out what really did happen, he said, adding that Mueller had a very narrow target for his probe. Asked about the leaderships attempt to pivot, Pascrell said, We can walk and chew gum at the same time. Colby Itkowitz and Erica Werner contributed to this report. Read more at PowerPost But Algerians have kept flooding the streets of the capital, Algiers, to denounce Bouteflika, seeing his moves as calculated to extend his fourth term. Algerias longest-serving head of state, he has ruled the nation since 1999. He oversaw the end of Algerias decade-long civil war against Islamists, in which as many as 200,000 people died, bringing him popularity and very little resistance from a population that has long been cowed by the countrys all-powerful security and intelligence services. In a resignation letter published on Tuesday, Alistair Burt, a Foreign Office minister, said, Parliament should seek urgently to resolve the situation by considering alternatives freely, without the instruction of party whips, and Government should adopt any feasible outcome as its own in order to progress matters. I did not believe the Government was prepared to do that, so had to vote to ensure this happens. Rodel said the five other Snowden-linked refugees in Hong Kong three adults and two children were in immediate danger of deportation and urged Canadian authorities to speed up their cases. She also revealed that one of them, a Sri Lankan man named Supun Thilina Kellapatha, is her daughters father. Israel and Hamas agreed in October to a six-month deal to allow $25 million in Qatari funding into Gaza each month to pay for fuel and salaries. In return, Hamas agreed to restrain weekly demonstrations near the border fence and put a stop to the campaign of flaming kites, which were being launched into Israel. But negotiations over a long-term deal have stalled. Hamas, which is facing protests over falling standards of living in Gaza, has tried to divert attention again toward the conflict with Israel, analysts say. Just as an example, he said, how do we know that Maduros security people are Cuban? When they go to the U.N., they have to ask for visas. Overall, he said, the numbers are not scientifically derived. Theyre from estimates of, well, how many are there in this organization, how many are in that organization? How many are outside Caracas? How many are with the army? When asked whether the FBI shared information about its meeting with the group with Spanish authorities, a spokeswoman for the FBI declined to comment directly, saying only that the bureau enjoys a strong working relationship with our Spanish law enforcement partners that centers on information-sharing and regular cooperation around matters of mutual assistance. Trump greatly increased the impact of the policy by applying it not only to about $600 million in family planning funds but also to almost $9 billion in health-care programs around the world. Groups must sign a pledge saying they will apply the Mexico City policy to all the foreign organizations they give grants to, or give up all U.S. funding. Golan Heights Oil all about the Shekels When the Zionists absorbed the Syrian Golan Heights during the Six-Day War of 1967, most of the postmortems proclaimed that Israel was establishing a defensive barrier that would prevent future assaults. Well, guarding the territory on high may discourage artillery attacks might resonate with proponents of a Jewish state, most of the rest of the world condemns the illegal occupation. Now that President Trump has capitulated to the Neocon Israel-First State Department by recognizing the integration of the Golan Heights as part of the imperial Israeli dynasty, the dooms day clock approaches rapidly towards Armageddon. After losing the annihilation of the Syrian Bashar al-Assad regime, the eternal Shylock motivations shift to exploit the oil and gas reserves that have been handed out to several of their supporters and loyal operatives. Do not hold your breath for objective reporting on the financial inside dealings to line the pockets by exploiting the natural resources of Syria. This RT video, Cheney, Murdoch, Rothschild unlawfully dig for oil in Syria is a good overview of the circumstances that are behind the Zionist efforts to establish a Greater Israel dominance in the Middle East. The inside involvements of Jared Kushner are referenced in Oil profits grease Trump administrations move to recognize Israeli annexation of Golan. "Another driving influence is the close connections between Trumps inner circle and the Genie Energy company. Former president of the company is Ira Greenstein, a lawyer who is close to the Kushner family through mutual business interests. Greenstein was brought into the White House advisory circle as a legal aide reportedly through his connections to Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law. Observers have noted that revolving-door relation is a stark and potentially illegal conflict of interest in the White House. The cozy overlap of connections include Gary Cohn, a former chief executive at Wall Street bank Goldman Sachs and who until last year served as Trumps economic adviser. Goldman Sachs was reportedly a major investor in Genie Energy. Trumps Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt is also reportedly another major investor in Genie." The obvious greed to capture the loot motivates the money changers. That's not new. However, the naked absorption of Syrian territory to extract black liquid gold has substantial consequences. Yes, the Genie is out of the bottle and it will lead to a horrific conflict to put the cork back in place. E. Michael Jones provides his analysis on The Trump Administration on Israel's Sovereignty over the Golan Heights. This video adds to the discomfort of misguided Christian-Zionists. As long as political cohorts for Israel remain in denial, the prospects for a rational and prudent Middle East foreign policy will never immerge. Benjamin Netanyahu praises Trump at every opportunity to wrap himself in the shadow of his evangelist supporters. Much of Mr. Jones' work corrects fundamental errors in the misreading of Bible prophecy. Confused Christians that accept an Israel-First policy are egregious chumps to a political faction that falsely claim to be the embodiment of the 'Chosen People'. Lastly, the Honest News Network offers an expanded Biblical outlook on ISRAEL ZIONISM GENIE ENERGY THE GOLAN. Without a broad command of a correct historic account, understanding the political realities is impossible. It is most regretful that President Trump has been sucked into the muck of the apostate heretics. Since he has recognized the moving of the Israeli capital to Jerusalem and now the incorporation of the Golan Heights into the state of Israel; what could be next? If you ever hear that building the Third Temple on the site of a razed Dome of the Rock, get ready for the Dispensationalists to depart on their Pre-Trib Rapture. Trump may be in need of an Exorcism. Paul Craig Roberts sums up in his usual excellent manner in Trump Is Americas First Zionist President. "It is not clear how Trump has benefited from his groveling. If polls can be believed, Trumps pandering has done him no good with American Jews, 70% of whom disapprove of Trump. Moreover, the Israel Lobby failed to use its influence to silence the presstitutes false Russiagate accusations against Trump. Perhaps the Lobby wanted to keep Trump in a weak position in order to extract more concessions from him. Nevertheless, by terminating US aid to Palestinians and by being the only head of state to fully recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and to assign Syrian territory to Israel, Trump has established a US relationship with Israeli Zionism that the US has with no other state and that Israel has with no other state. On any issue that pertains to Israels interest, Trump has placed US foreign policy into Israels hands. Various diplomats and analysts are saying that Trump gifted the Golan Heights to Israel in order to help out Netanyahu who faces indictment for corruption. I think the explanation is that the neoconservatives running US foreign policy are Zionists and that the only ally Trump has, other than the remnants of the American working class now dismissed as white supremacists, is the Israel Lobby." The Golan Heights may well be the jumping off point for the ecstasy challenged. But when it comes to realpolitik the development of the Syrian oil and gas fields by the Israeli cronies only adds to the hatred that they generate from the rest of the world. The Times of Israel article, Druze protest in Golan against Trumps recognition of Israeli sovereignty, illustrates the failure of the U.S. Neocon foreign policy. "Trumps recognition caught officials in Israel and the United States off-guard, according to the McClatchy news agency. Quoting unnamed White House officials, the news agency said Trumps National Security Adviser John Bolton was a key force behind the move following his visit to Israel in January, seeing it as a signal the US remained committed to Israel in the wake of Trumps announcement of a US troop pullout from Syria." This continued surrender to the Zionists will never lead to peace or a long abandoned two state resolution for Palestine. SARTRE Discuss or comment about this essay on the BATR Forum http://www.batr.org "Many seek to become a Syndicated Columnist, while the few strive to be a Vindicated Publisher" 2019 Copyright BATR - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. In Defence of Marxism is committed to safeguarding your privacy. At all times we aim to respect any personal data you share with us, or that we receive from other organisations, and keep it safe. This Privacy Policy (Policy) sets out our data collection and processing practices and your options regarding the ways in which your personal information is used. This Policy contains important information about your personal rights to privacy. Please read it carefully to understand how we use your personal data. We may update this Policy from time to time without notice to you, so please check it regularly. The provision of your personal data to us is voluntary. However, without providing us with your personal data, you will be unable to (as appropriate): contact us; subscribe to our mailing list; subscribe to any of our publications; or receive information about In Defence of Marxism. We collect information about you: (1) When you give it to us DIRECTLY You may give us your personal data in order to subscribe to a newsletter or publication, when you contact us by phone, email or post, when you sign a petition / statement, and/or when you donate money to us. (2) When you give it to us INDIRECTLY Your information will also be provided to us when you follow us or otherwise interact with on or via Twitter, when you like and/or join our page on Facebook or interact with us in other ways on or via Facebook. (3) When you give permission to OTHER ORGANISATIONS to share it or it is AVAILABLE PUBLICLY We may combine information you provide to us with information available from external publicly available sources. Depending on your privacy settings for social media services, we may also access information from those accounts or services. We use this information to gain a better understanding of you and to improve our communications and fundraising activities. (4) When you visit our WEBSITE We use cookies to identify you when you visit our website. Please refer to our Cookies Policy for details on the way our use of cookies affects your personal data. What information do we collect? We may collect, store and use the following kinds of personal data: (1) We will typically hold your name and contact details, including telephone number, location, and e-mail address. However, we may request other information where it is appropriate and relevant, for example: Your bank details or debit/credit card details (if making a donation). (2) any communication preferences you give; (3) information about your computer and about your visits to and use of this website including your IP address, geographical location, browser type, referral source, length of visit and number of page views; and/or (4) any other information shared with us as per clause 1. Do we process sensitive personal information? Applicable law recognises certain categories of personal information as sensitive and therefore requiring more protection, including political opinions and trade union membership. In limited cases, we may collect sensitive personal data about you. We would only collect sensitive personal data if there is a clear reason for doing so; and will only do so with your explicit consent. How and why will we use your personal data? Personal data, however provided to us, will be used for the purposes specified in this Policy or in relevant parts of the website. We may use your personal information to: (1) Enable you to subscribe to our hard copy publications; (2) Send you information about our work, campaigns, organisations and any other information, products or services that we provide (this will not be done without your consent); (3) Provide you with the services, products or information you have requested; (4) If you request, put you in touch with other supporters in your area (who have also provided such consent); (5) Handle the administration of any donation or other payment you make via credit/debit card, cheque, standing order or BACS transfer; (6) Collect payments from you and send statements and/or receipts to you; (7) Conduct research into the impact of our activity / campaigns; (8) Deal with enquiries and complaints made by you relating to the website or us in general; (9) Make petition submissions to third parties, where you have signed a petition and the third party is a target of the campaign to which the petition relates; and/or (10) Audit and/or administer our accounts. Supporter Analysis Google Analytics We may use some of your personal information to analyse our digital performance, for example to see how our website can be improved to help us achieve the purposes set out in section 9 below, to record how you are using our website or to assess the popularity of different articles / campaigns. For more information on how we use your personal information in relation to Google Analytics, please view our cookie policy by clicking this link cookies policy You can opt-out of the collection of information for such purposes here: http://www.aboutads.info/choices Communications, updates, fundraising Where you have provided appropriate consent, we will contact you by telephone and e-mail, with targeted communications to let you know about our events and/or activities that we consider may be of particular interest; about the work of In Defence of Marxism; and to ask for donations or other support. Donations and other payments All financial transactions carried out on our website are handled through either: PayPal (Europe) S.a r.l. (PayPal), a third party payment services provider. We recommend that you read PayPals privacy policy (available at https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full?locale.x=en_GB ) prior to effecting any transactions with us through PayPal; or GoCardless Ltd (GoCardless), a third party payment services provider. We recommend that you read GoCardlesss privacy policy (available at https://www.gocardless.com/legal/privacy) prior to effecting any transactions with us through GoCardless. We will provide your personal data to PayPal / GoCardless only to the extent necessary for the purposes of processing payments for transactions you enter into with us. We do not store your financial details. Childrens data We do not knowingly process data of any person under the age of 16. If we come to discover, or have reason to believe, that you are 15 and under and we are holding your personal information, we will delete that information within a reasonable period and withhold our services accordingly. Security of and access to your personal data We endeavour to ensure that there are appropriate and proportionate technical and organisational measures to prevent the loss, destruction, misuse, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or of access to your personal information. Your information is only accessible by appropriately trained staff and volunteers. We may also use agencies and/or suppliers to process data on our behalf. We may also merge or partner with other organisations and in so doing transfer and/or acquire personal data. Please note that some countries outside of the EEA have a lower standard of protection for personal data, including lower security requirements and fewer rights for individuals. We may transfer and/or store personal data collected from you to and/or at a destination outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Such personal data may be processed by agencies and/or suppliers operating outside the EEA. If we transfer and/or store your personal data outside the EEA we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the recipient implements appropriate measures to protect your personal data. Otherwise than as set out in this Privacy Policy, we will only ever share your data with your informed consent. Your rights Where we rely on your consent to use your personal information, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This includes the right to ask us to stop using your personal information for direct marketing purposes or to be unsubscribed from our email list at any time. You also have the following rights: (1) Right to be informed you have the right to be told how your personal information will be used. This Policy and any other policies and statements used on our website and in our communications are intended to provide you with a clear and transparent description of how your personal information may be used. (2) Right of access you can write to us to ask for confirmation of what information we hold on you and to request a copy of that information. Provided we are satisfied that you are entitled to see the information requested and we have successfully confirmed your identity, we have 30 days to comply. (3) Right of erasure as from 25 May 2018, you can ask us for your personal information to be deleted from our records. (4) Right of rectification if you believe our records of your personal information are inaccurate, you have the right to ask for those records to be updated. (5) Right to restrict processing you have the right to ask for processing of your personal data to be restricted if there is disagreement about its accuracy or legitimate usage. (6) Right to data portability to the extent required by the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) where we are processing your personal information (i) under your consent, (ii) because such processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are party or to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contact or (iii) by automated means, you may ask us to provide it to you or another service provider in a machine-readable format. To exercise these rights, please send a description of the personal information in question using the contact details in section 15 below. You can also unsubscribe from our email list by sending a blank email to news-unsubscribe@marxist.com Where we consider that the information with which you have provided us does not enable us to identify the personal information in question, we reserve the right to ask for (i) personal identification and/or (ii) further information. Lawful processing We are required to have one or more lawful grounds to process your personal information. Only 4 of these are relevant to us: Personal information is processed on the basis of a persons consent Personal information is processed on the basis of a contractual relationship Personal information is processed on the basis of legal obligations Personal information is processed on the basis of legitimate interests (1) Consent We will ask for your consent to use your information to send you electronic communications such as newsletters and and fundraising emails, and if you ever share sensitive personal information with us. (2) Contractual relationships Most of our interactions with supporters are voluntary and not contractual. However, sometimes it will be necessary to process personal information so that we can enter contractual relationships with people. For example, if you subscribe to one of our publications, or purchase merchandise online. (3) Legal obligations Sometimes we will be obliged to process your personal information due to legal obligations which are binding on us. We will only ever do so when strictly necessary. (4) Legitimate interests Applicable law allows personal information to be collected and used if it is reasonably necessary for our legitimate activities (as long as its use is fair, balanced and does not unduly impact individuals rights). We will rely on this ground to process your personal data when it is not practical or appropriate to ask for consent. Achieving our purposes These include (but are not limited to) promoting socialist policies Governance Internal and external audit for financial or regulatory compliance purposes Statutory reporting Publicity and income generation Conventional direct marketing and other forms of marketing, publicity or advertisement Unsolicited messages, including campaigns, newsletters, and fundraising appeals Analysis, targeting and segmentation to develop and promote or strategy and improve communication efficiency Personalisation used to tailor and enhance your experience of our communications Operational Management Maintenance of suppression files Processing for historical, scientific or statistical purpose Purely administrative purposes Responding to enquiries Delivery of requested products or information Communications designed to administer existing services including subscriptions, administration of petitions and financial transactions Thank you communications and receipts Maintaining a supporter database and suppression lists Financial Management and control Processing financial transactions and maintaining financial controls Prevention of fraud, misuse of services, or money laundering Enforcement of legal claims Reporting criminal acts and compliance with law enforcement agencies When we use your personal information, we will consider if it is fair and balanced to do so and if it is within your reasonable expectations. We will balance your rights and our legitimate interests to ensure that we use your personal information in ways that are not unduly intrusive or unfair in other ways. Data retention The length of time each category of data will be retained will vary depending on how long we need to process it for, the reason it was collected, and in line with any statutory requirements. After this point the data will either be deleted, or we may retain a secure anonymised record for research and analytical purposes. In the event that you ask us to stop sending you direct marketing/fundraising/other electronic communications, we will keep your name on our internal suppression list to ensure that you are not contacted again. Policy amendments We keep this Privacy Policy under regular review and reserve the right to update from time-to-time by posting an updated version on our website, not least because of changes in applicable law. We recommend that you check this Privacy Policy occasionally to ensure you remain happy with it. We may also notify you of changes to our privacy policy by email. Third party websites We link our website directly to other sites. This Privacy Policy does not cover external websites and we are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any external websites you visit via links on our website. Updating information You can check the personal data we hold about you, and ask us to update it where necessary, by emailing us at webmaster@marxist.com Contact We are not required by law to have a Data Protection Officer however we have a Data Protection Manager. Please let us know if you have any queries or concerns whatsoever about the way in which your data is being processed by emailing the Data Protection Manager at webmaster@marxist.com The corporate regulator is considering legal action against more than 30 underperforming superannuation funds and predicted "close to 100" super funds could cease to exist. "We're not waiting for any further legislative reform. We're going to start enforcing the law," the deputy chair of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Karen Chester, told the Australian Financial Review's banking and wealth summit in Sydney on Tuesday. "So, if a fund has a persistently underperforming product, or they themselves have persistently underperformed over the long term, and they have not done anything to address that, we're going to enforce the law. ASIC is underway. We are looking to litigate." As Productivity Commission deputy chair, Ms Chester last year oversaw a comprehensive review of the $2.8 trillion super industry which identified more than 30 super funds who persistently underperformed for members. They were a mix of retail and industry funds. It did not name individual funds for fear of sparking a wave of member transfers out of those funds, to the detriment of those remaining. Boeing will provide airlines that have bought the 737 MAX with free software upgrades, the US manufacturer said on Monday, as Ethiopian Airlines told Reuters it expected a preliminary crash report this week or next. Any fixes to the MAX software, the focus of investigations in two deadly crashes that have prompted worldwide groundings of the aircraft, must still get approval from governments around the world. The causes of separate Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes are still unknown, though Ethiopian Airlines chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam said on Monday he expected the release of a preliminary report into the crash that killed 189 people "maybe this week or next week". Ethiopian authorities are leading the investigation. Adventure retail chain Kathmandu is preparing for a fresh expedition to Europe and North America, with plans to be stocked in several new retailers as it seeks offshore growth amid tepid conditions at home. Kathmandu is readying for a renewed push into overseas markets. Credit:Bloomberg The company on Tuesday revealed flat same-store sales in Australia and New Zealand for the six months ending January 31, with weakness in New Zealand balanced out by modest growth in Australia. Kathmandu bought the American hiking boot brand Oboz last year in an attempt to find a new growth channel. Chief operating officer Reuben Casey said the company was gearing up for a bigger international push by stocking its Kathmandu brand clothes and equipment in major retailers later this year. Wesfarmers' surprise $1.5 billion bid for rare earths miner Lynas Corp could spark a bidding war as companies try to cash in on the rising demand for electric vehicles and wind turbines. Lynas produces a material, Neodymium and Praseodymium (NdPr), which is a key ingredient in electric vehicles. Wesfarmers managing director Rob Scott has made his first takeover offer since demerging Coles and selling out of coal. Credit:Richard Wainwright "Every new Tesla that rolls down the street needs two kilograms of NdPr to run, and every new wind turbine needs about 150 kilos [of NdPr]," Dylan Kelly, a mining analyst with investment bank CLSA, said. The bid from Wesfarmers came despite Lynas facing the closure of its Malaysian operations by September if it cannot reach an agreement with the local government about the removal of toxic waste from its operations. Lloyd's of London outlined a plan to address allegations of sexual harassment by setting up an independent whistleblower hotline and laying out potential lifetime bans for inappropriate behaviour. It isn't the first time insurance giant Lloyd's of London has tried to overhaul its culture. Credit:Bloomberg The proposals were agreed upon at an emergency meeting of industry executives convened on by Lloyd's chief executive officer John Neal after a Bloomberg Businessweek article found a deep-seated culture of sexual misconduct in the London insurance market. The report drew on the experiences of 18 women to describe an atmosphere of near-persistent harassment, ranging from inappropriate comments to unwanted touching to sexual assault. "It has been distressing to hear about the experiences of women in the Lloyd's market," former QBE chief Neal said in a statement. "No one should be subjected to this sort of behaviour, and if it does happen, everyone has the right to be heard and for those responsible to be held to account." In 2019, makeup trends are simple. It's all about having good skin, rather than a three-step contouring process. But, what are you to do with all of that extra time in the morning (read: still absolutely no time, in fact, possibly still a deficit of time) you would have spent putting gloop on your face? Read the paper? Cook a hot breakfast? Learn Indonesian? No, silly. Hair! Spend it doing something with your hair. After a long focus on "natural" hairstyles those loose, beachy waves the past couple of seasons have seen the subtle return of sleek styles, prissy hair bows and retro hair clips. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's promise to deliver a "living wage" is a risky political play that aims to capture swinging voters and fails to address poverty, a leading economist has warned. "If anyone thinks governments can wave a magic wand and improve living standards, they're going to be disappointed," Deloitte economist Chris Richardson said. Chris Richardson, director of Deloitte Access Economics. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Forcing the Fair Work Commission to boost the minimum wage would have some negative impact on jobs, he said, while increasing the price of goods as businesses in affected industries - such as hospitality and retail - would seek to pass on the cost. "There are no free lunches," Mr Richardson said. The upgrade of a NSW coal-fired power station is among a dozen energy projects the Morrison government will consider underwriting to deliver on its pledge to deliver more reliable affordable power. Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday announced cabinet had whittled expressions of interest from 66 energy projects down to a shortlist of 12, which it will consider further before making a final decision. It will also investigate power projects in north and central Queensland to shore up reliable supplies to heavy industry, including a proposal to revive a decommissioned coal plant at Collinsville. Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce, who has been lobbying hard for a government-backed coal project, seized on Mr Morrison's statement, claiming: "We have got ourselves a coal fired power station for Queensland. Very good." Mr Morrison is seeking to placate restless Nationals MPs who want the government to back a new coal project in regional Queensland before the election, while not alienating Liberal voters in metropolitan seats who are concerned about the contribution to climate change of burning fossil fuels. One Nation operatives who were caught on video appearing to seek donations from the US gun lobby have blamed booze and the "skulduggery" of an al-Jazeera reporter for the events. Pauline Hanson's chief of staff James Ashby and One Nation's Queensland leader Steve Dickson denied they travelled to the US to solicit money from the powerful National Rifle Association, instead arguing they were there to learn about campaign technology. Al-Jazeera published an explosive video on Tuesday showing the One Nation operatives in Washington discussing how a sum of $US10-$US20 million would enable the party to seize control of the upper house and "have the government by the balls". They met NRA representatives under the guidance of Rodger Muller, an al-Jazeera reporter who went undercover pretending to be an Australian gun rights lobbyist for three years. Washington: Former president Barack Obama gently warned a group of freshman House Democrats on Monday evening about the costs associated with some liberal ideas popular in their ranks, encouraging members to look at price tags, according to people in the room. Obama didn't name specific policies. And to be sure, he encouraged the politicians- about half-dozen of whom worked in his own administration - to continue to pursue "bold" ideas as they shaped legislation during their first year in the House. Former president Barack Obama has kept a low profile but spoke to a group of new House Democrats on Monday night. Credit:AP But some people in the room took his words as a cautionary note about Medicare-for-all and the ambitious Green New Deal, two liberal ideas popularised by a few of the more famous House freshmen, including new New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. While the more liberal freshmen have garnered much of the attention in Washington, many first-year Democrats hail from swing- or even red districts and have struggled with how to respond to the emboldened far-left. New York: In a stunning reversal, Chicago prosecutors on Tuesday dropped all charges against Empire actor Jussie Smollett related to allegations of staging a phony attack and claiming he was the victim of a hate crime. There had been no clue that prosecutors planned the about-face move before the announcement and it was not immediately clear what led to the decision. It prompted a furious response from Chicago Police chief Eddie Jones and Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, who said they still supported the police case against Smollett and called the dismissal a secretive and unexplained "whitewash of justice". Typically, a minimum condition of dropping cases is some acceptance of responsibility. The Committee for a Workers International (CWI) has been plunged into a convulsive crisis, which is most likely going to end in a split. At the centre of the crisis are developments in their Irish section. From the material available to us from their internal discussions it appears that the Irish section is being accused of adapting to identity politics, concentrating on womens and LGBTQ+ issues to the detriment of work in the trade unions, bending towards reformism and at the same time adopting a sectarian stance. This emerges both from the criticisms of the International Secretariat (IS) majority faction and of one of their MPs, Paul Murphy. From a conflict with the leadership of their Irish section, now the IS of the CWI finds itself in conflict with its Greek and Belgian sections, and also the Swedish and US sections. The seriousness of the crisis the CWI is facing was revealed at their recent International Executive Committee (IEC) meeting, where the IS only had the support of a minority of the IEC members. In fact, IEC members from 14 countries a majority voted against the IS proposals. Furthermore, the IS itself is divided, with a minority in sympathy with the IEC Majority. The fact that Peter Taaffe has lost the majority on the IEC indicates that a revolt is taking place against the international leadership of the CWI. That explains why the IS majority has launched a faction of its own and has opened up a period of internal debate, which will drag out over the course of 2019. The reason for the declaration of a faction by a majority of the IS members is clearly due to the old leadership de facto losing control. Rather than accepting the decisions of a body that stands above the IS, they are determined to hold on to control, ride roughshod over the sections of the CWI and impose their will even if this risks a massive split. Bullying tone The crisis has produced a statement from Taaffe, which adopts a bullying tone throughout, full of attacks and recriminations against his opponents. There is very little in the way of political argument, while all sorts of random facts are drawn on in an attempt to strengthen his case. This approach is not surprising. From our own experience back in 1991-92 one thing we can be assured of is that the leaders of the Irish section of the CWI, and the members who support them, will not be treated with patience and understanding; there will be no genuine attempt to listen to what they have to say and convince them through patient discussion and arguments. Whatever they say or write will be taken out of context and used to present them as pariahs, and everything, including the kitchen sink, will be thrown at them. The other side of this situation is that Taaffe and his supporters in the leadership of the CWI will dedicate time and energy to boosting their own image in an attempt to establish their authority, while at the same time rumour-mongering in the corridors. In his faction document, Taaffe refers to a number of past successes of the Socialist Party in Britain, although curiously enough, they are all in the very long-distant past, from before the 1991-92 split. It would seem he has little to boast about since then. What immediately jumps out at you when reading his document is that it is full of what he did as an individual a clear sign of an overblown ego. To those of us who are well acquainted with the past record of Peter Taaffe and his associates, and their method of building the organisation, this crisis comes as no shock / Image: public domain Amongst the successes Taaffe chooses to highlight is the position won in the PCS union in Britain, but he decides to ignore the fact that this position is now in the process of being destroyed in a dispute which, amongst other things, involves the question of sectarianism. He also mentions the success of our approach to identity politics by mentioning the creation of Panther UK in the early 1990s. Again, he conveniently forgets that this was a clear case of adaptation to petty-bourgeois ideas, which, instead of serving to recruit Black and Asian youth to revolutionary politics ended up with the whole of Panther UK splitting away to Black nationalism not exactly a great success! On the other hand, the Irish section of the CWI has at least some, more recent, successes to boast about. It has three MPs, and has played a key role in the water charge campaign and the more recent referendums on abortion and same-sex marriage. The Irish members must be asking themselves on what authority Taaffe is lecturing them. To those of us who are well acquainted with the past record of Peter Taaffe and his associates, and their method of building the organisation, this crisis comes as no shock. The only surprise is that it did not come much earlier. Taaffes method has been one of seeking quick, easy results, in a word: shortcuts. That was the case back in 1991-92, and Ted Grant described it as a shortcut over a cliff. He forgot long ago that there is no substitute for building patiently from the bottom up, with meticulous attention to the theoretical education of the cadres. Without consolidating a solid cadre base, there is not the framework around which a much larger and more influential tendency can be built. Shortcuts can give what seem to be quicker results in the short term, but it is like building on sand. As soon as the winds of the class struggle blow on such a structure it starts to crack and eventually collapse. That is what is happening now to the CWI. Ted Grants warnings Ted Grant, during the debates in 1991, explained to the leadership of the Militant that although they had the big office, the big printing press and a sizeable apparatus, in their hands and with their methods and ideas, all of that would turn to dust. Long ago, the big office was lost, as was the printing press and the apparatus that had been so painstakingly built up. Now we are looking at the final act in what Ted Grant had predicted. An interesting point that emerges from the material on the Irish section published in the CWI Internal Bulletin is the idea of reaching the masses. This shows they have lost all sense of proportion. Ted Grant always insisted on revolutionaries having a sense of proportion. Lose this and you begin to sink into the swamps of either opportunism or sectarianism, or a combination of both. There needs to be a balance between activity and education. Lose this balance and you begin to drift away from a principled Marxist position. Let us retrace here, briefly, the history of this tendency. The founder of the Militant Tendency, out of which the CWI emerged, was comrade Ted Grant, who worked out the theory, principles, policies and tactics that made the Militant Tendency the most successful Trotskyist organisation in the world since the Russian Left Opposition. Ted Grant always insisted on revolutionaries having a sense of proportion. Lose this and you begin to sink into the swamps of either opportunism or sectarianism, or a combination of both / Image: IMT Under the political leadership of Ted Grant, the Militant Tendency was regarded as a legitimate current within the labour movement. It had re-established the clean banner of Trotsky that had been dragged in the mud by the myriad of sects claiming his mantle. It was respected by workers and youth around the world for its ideas, its clean democratic traditions and its clear orientation towards the mass organisations of the working class. The Militant Tendency became a serious force in the British labour movement, with thousands of supporters, a big office in London, a large number of full-time workers, three Members of Parliament in Westminster, dozens of local councillors elected on a Labour Party ticket and a base in the British trade unions. It led Liverpool city council and became a household name as a result of our successful campaign against the Poll Tax, which brought down the government of Margaret Thatcher. Unfortunately, a bureaucratic clique, led by Peter Taaffe, slowly emerged within the tendency over a number of years. This came about through a gradual downplaying of political education and the promotion of activism. In the process, a layer of educated cadres was replaced with a new layer that did not receive the basic cadre training that the Militant had been renowned for in the past. In the place of an understanding of perspectives and the need to build the framework of a future mass tendency, i.e. a core of educated cadres, came the politics of gimmicks, of exaggeration and the promise of quick and easy results. Eventually, this led to the quest for shortcuts, which pushed the Tendency in an ultra-left and sectarian direction, breaking with all the traditions and methods that had led to the outstanding successes of the previous period. Taaffe and co. did not understand that the successes on the parliamentary front, in Liverpool, in the Labour Party and the trade unions were built on a long, prior period of patient work of building up cadres on the ground. Ted Grant, together with Alan Woods, Rob Sewell and other comrades, attempted to resist this turn to adventurism, but it proved to be too late and they were met not with genuine discussion, not with any attempt at reaching agreement through democratic debate, but with bureaucratic methods and outright hooliganism that were completely alien to our democratic traditions. The opposition, inside the Militant in Britain and around the world, was expelled in the most arbitrary manner in early 1992. As Taaffe put it, the Opposition had placed itself outside the organisation. This marked a decisive break with the genuine traditions of Trotskyism and eventually led to the destruction of everything we had achieved over a period of 40 years of patient revolutionary work. Under the leadership of Peter Taaffe, the gains we had made in the labour movement were gradually lost. Abandonment of theory Progressively, Marxist theory was replaced by empty agitation and activism. This had already started before the 1991-92 split, but was accelerated afterwards. Not a single work of Marxist theory worthy of the name has been published by the CWI since then. In fact, at the time of the split, Taaffe, reflecting his own weakness in matters of Marxist theory, referred sarcastically to Ted Grant and Alan Woods as mere theoreticians. It was Lenin who stressed the point that, Without revolutionary theory there can be no revolutionary movement, but this was lost on Taaffe. Progressively, in the Militant, Marxist theory was replaced by empty agitation and activism / Image: IMT Thus, the political level of the Militant began to decline. This suited the leading clique around Taaffe very well, since educated cadres are able to criticise the leadership and correct any mistakes it might make the last thing that Taaffe and co. wanted. As the theoretical level suffered more and more, the turn to the right in the mass organisations in the late 1980s and 1990s and the political offensive launched by the capitalist class after the fall of the Berlin Wall, found a layer of the then-membership ill-equipped to cope with the new situation faced by the Tendency. To hold the organisation together in these conditions, instead of laying emphasis on the need to raise the political level, Taaffe pushed forward a new agenda of abandoning the Labour Party in Britain, explaining that it had become an obstacle to the development of the Tendency. He raised the idea that if only they left the Labour Party, they would grow by leaps and bounds, by the tens of thousands even. Once embarked on this road, Taaffe and his supporters set their course on adventurist, ultra-leftism. This, however, did not give the desired results, and the Taaffe organisation continued to haemorrhage thousands of members. Whole areas split away, such as Scotland and Liverpool (the two areas that Taaffe was responsible for on the leadership of the Militant). However, instead of honestly reappraising the situation they continued on their sectarian road. And the more they failed, the more sectarianism became embedded. This is the price they paid for the abandonment of basic Marxist education, of theory! It explains why today they are completely incapable of understanding what has happened to the Labour Party, for to do so would require admitting they made a big mistake back in 1991, something Taaffe is incapable of doing, as he would see it as damaging his own prestige. Thus, not having learnt anything from their mistakes, the leadership continued to look for quick-fix shortcuts. One of these was their obsession with electoral politics, which was expressed in their launching of TUSC (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, the electoral front set up by the CWI in Britain with the support of some trade unionists and other forces). This was a desperate attempt to get elected at least onto the local councils and use these positions to build from the top down, but without the troops on the ground in the form of sufficiently trained cadres. Instead of building on what they had inherited from the past, they began losing their positions see Coventry, where, although they had lost the MP, they had at one time three councillors, but now have none. With such developments, Taaffes natural inclination to demand respect from the ranks where none was due would have become even more entrenched. The internal regime was destined to go from bad to worse. Authority of the leadership Ted Grant pointed out that the only authority a genuinely revolutionary leadership can indeed claim is a political and moral one. A leadership that has a sufficient political level does not fear criticism and can answer any differences by the superiority of its theoretical understanding. An honest leadership also has no fear of admitting its mistakes, explaining why they were made and correcting their position. If, however, it does not admit and correct its mistakes, then it is destined to make more mistakes and to cover the previous mistakes with even bigger errors. This is precisely what has happened to the leadership of the CWI under Taaffe. It made a big mistake in abandoning the Labour Party perspective and has not had the honesty and courage to admit so. This, rather than enhancing their authority, has diminished it, especially after Corbyns victory and the rise of the Labour Party left over the past few years. A leadership that lacks the necessary theoretical weight will always resort to organisational and administrative measures to silence opposition. This is a finished recipe for crises and splits. For 25 years, the Taaffe clique maintained themselves by bureaucratic methods. Now, their methods have caught up with them / Image: Andy Soh For over 25 years, the Taaffe clique succeeded in maintaining themselves by bureaucratic methods. But this approach inevitably leads to the destruction of a revolutionary organisation. Now, finally, their methods have caught up with them. The issues quoted above as being the immediate cause of the conflict within the CWI did not fall from a clear blue sky. They must have been developing for some time, but have only emerged clearly now. Taaffe is accusing his opponents of the same methods and political weaknesses he has nurtured and is responsible for, which now are becoming more visible, even in the case of Ireland, once hailed as a model section by the same Taaffe. Much of Paul Murphys list of criticisms of the Irish section is very familiar, as what he describes was already present in the last few years up to the 1991-92 split, in the movement around the Poll Tax for instance. The Anti-Poll Tax movement was a huge success, but as Ted Grant often stated, successes sometimes can be more problematic than defeats. The movement against the Poll Tax was a mass movement, and even the sizeable forces that the Militant had were still far too small to deal with the scope of that movement. In the process, political education was thrown out of the window, and the whole organisation concentrated purely on campaigning work. The political level of the branches declined, in effect becoming an adjunct to the anti-Poll Tax movement. Attention to recruitment, education and consolidation fell by the wayside. The end result was a weaker organisation, not a stronger one. Thus, the source of the problems in the Irish section of the CWI is to be found in Taaffes false method of building that he developed many years ago. We have no doubt whatsoever that the present crisis in the CWI is a result, on the one hand of a bad political line, and on the other, of bureaucratic, Zinovievist methods. Our experience was that Taaffe cannot stand criticism of any sort, and if he finds himself in a minority, he will not hesitate to bully and browbeat any comrade who disagrees with him, and he wont baulk even at the perspective of splitting the organisation. Such is the nature of bureaucratic sectarianism. This has reduced the CWI to nothing more than a sect. Sectarianism and prestige politics The emergence of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the British Labour Party has produced a fundamental change, not just in the Labour Party, but in the whole of British politics. This much is abundantly evident to anyone with a minimum understanding of the political situation in Britain. But it is a closed book to Peter Taaffe and his clique. Their request to be accepted by the Labour Party was a stunt. When Taaffe reported to the National Committee that the request had been rejected, they all had a good laugh. Thank God, said Taaffe, I was worried we would have been accepted. Prestige politics plays an important role in all this. Taaffe declared that the Labour Party had become a capitalist party and no longer a workers party. In order to reorient to the Labour Party he would have to admit that the perspective he based himself on for over 25 years, and which was one of the main issues of the 1992 split, was wrong. Thus, at a time when half a million people have joined the Labour Party, this bankrupt sect has become a complete irrelevance, and still stands candidates against Labour, instead of joining in the decisive struggle within the Labour Party. In November, the TUSC steering committee decided it would no longer be standing candidates in elections. Instrumental in taking this decision was the RMT. In spite of this, the SP leadership still persisted in their sectarian line and announced it would be standing candidates against the Labour Party in the coming May local elections, while laughably at the same time demanding readmission into the Labour Party! It is common knowledge that many comrades have abandoned the SP and joined the Labour Party. They have understood something that is self-evident: at the present time in Britain, the place where Marxists ought to be is in the ranks of the Labour Party, where a ferocious battle is being waged between the right wing and the rank and file that is struggling to take control. Taaffe stubbornly remains outside, lecturing from the sidelines, and has opposed unions like the RMT and FBU affiliating to the Labour Party. The FBU correctly re-affiliated and, no doubt at some stage, the RMT will do the same. This refusal to acknowledge the need to abandon their sectarian approach is a thoroughly reactionary position which has nothing in common with the ideas and methods of Lenin and Trotsky. In order to reorient to the Labour Party, Taaffe would have to admit that the perspective he based himself on for over 25 years, and which was one of the main issues of the 1992 split, was wrong / Image: Socialist Appeal Furthermore, instead of fighting for a clear Marxist class position, the CWI has drifted in an opportunist direction, capitulating to petty-bourgeois pressures (watering down their electoral programme, supporting candidates of the Democratic Party in the US, etc.), while at the same time maintaining a sectarian approach. Taaffe accuses his opponents in Ireland and elsewhere of all kinds of heinous political sins (liquidationism, opportunism, Mandelism, etc.). But if there is opportunism and liquidationism in the ranks of the CWI, these tendencies have not arisen overnight. The leadership is fully responsible for this chasing after short cuts, which is the basis for opportunism. It has been visible to all for quite some time. It is in fact a bit rich for Taaffe to accuse the Irish section of Mandelism, when in the same document he admits that a debate on China within the CWI led the IS on my initiative to propose a compromise in which two different and contradictory positions on the issue were resolved into one! That is pure Mandelism and is in fact almost a repetition of the situation in 1964, when Ted Grant challenged the leadership of the United Secretariat to come out with a clear position on the class nature of China. They could not, of course, as the unity of that organisation was based on an unprincipled compromise between two contradictory positions on the question (that of the US SWP and that of Mandel). This combination of opportunism with extreme sectarianism has produced results that are now plain for everyone to see. In Ireland, the comrades are grappling with the problem of mass work and public positions without the necessary cadre base. This cannot be resolved on the hoof, but requires a fundamental review of the work. We are sure that there are many honest members of the CWI internationally who joined that organisation to fight for socialism. We invite every member of the CWI and those who have left to think carefully about what has happened. We also invite you to read the documents from the split in 1991-92, in which the minority led by Ted Grant and Alan Woods was bureaucratically expelled by the clique around Taaffe, and compare the methods that were used then to the methods that are being used now. Comrades! The authentic ideas, traditions and policies of the Militant Tendency have been consistently preserved and defended by the IMT. We invite you to read the ideas on our website www.marxist.com, to read How the Militant was Built and How it was Destroyed by Rob Sewell, the Interview with Ted Grant on the Militant, and the biography of Ted Grant, The Permanent Revolutionary, where you will find our explanation of what occurred in the Militant. This will provide a complete answer to the falsifications which the Taaffe leadership have churned out for years. We ask you to read the warnings we made at the time, [see The New Turn A Threat To Forty Years Work] and compare them to what has actually occurred. Consider your own experiences in the CWI and draw your own conclusions. If you agree, we appeal to you to join the International Marxist Tendency, the true heir of the best traditions of the Militant, and its fight for a new International, and help us build the forces of Marxism with the healthy methods of Ted Grant. March, 2019 Dr Phillip Chiyangwa has congratulated the five sides from the region who qualified for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations after the qualifiers were completed on Sunday, the most representatives from Southern Africa at the continental showpiece in 21 years. The quintet will do battle at the expanded 24-team competition in Egypt from June 21-July 19, with the draw for the first-round pool stages scheduled for Cairo on April 12. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 1 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Following the passage of severe tropical storm Joaninha and the lifting of all cyclone warnings, Air Mauritius wishes to inform its passengers that operations will only resume once the following conditions are met. 1. The airport in Plaine Corail reopens 2. The weather conditions allow for safe flight operations Air Mauritius is closely monitoring the situation with the authorities. Once operations are resumed, passengers will be contacted directly by the Air Mauritius Contact Centre and flight information will also be made available on the company website and social media platform. Passengers are requested not to come to the airport until they are advised of their rescheduled departure. Air Mauritius wishes to express its solidarity with all those affected by the passage of Joaninha and regrets all inconveniences caused to stranded passengers. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 1 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn On the first day of the 7th edition of the AFRICA CEO FORUM taking place in Kigali, distinguished female speakers discussed ways of breaking barriers that are limiting the number of women counterparts on the corporate boards of African companies. RWANDA, Kigali, March 25th 2019,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- Under its Women in Business initiative, the AFRICA CEO FORUM takes action every year to make the advancement of female leadership a key priority; the forum engages and unites the entire business community around a clear mission: to significantly advance the feminization of top decision-making positions in African companies. This years Women in Business initiative was organized in partnership with Globacom and to open the discussion was Bella Disu, the organizations Executive Vice Chairperson who was the keynote speaker. She highlighted barriers that currently impede women into making it to corporate boards, citing among the, the absence of laws that promote equal representation of women and men in leadership positions in both in public and private sectors. For women to have a shot at joining executive boards, it starts with countries implementing policies which promote gender balance in leadership positions at the work place, she said. Jumoke Jagun-Dokunmu, Regional Director of the International Finance Corporation for Eastern Africa suggested that a good way of getting women into management board is by scouting and grooming them from an early stage in their careers, preparing them for the future. Scouting talented females and mentoring them improves their chances at being appointed on management boards; this sometimes can start as low as doing pro-bono work but gathering experience and skills required at senior level management, she noted. Speaking at the same forum, Fatou Aminata Lo, the representative of UN Women Rwanda said companies that involve women at the very top need to be recognized and lauded as a way of encouraging others. As an example, she cited an initiative, last year, in which UN Women Rwanda in collaboration with the government of Rwanda rewarded corporate companies that have more women on their boards. This is something that can be replicated in other African countries, she suggested. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 1 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Dennis Cardona is hoping his eco-friendly dry cleaning shop in Oxfords Quarry Walk will benefit future residents and patrons. The local business owner is preparing to open an OXXO Care Cleaners location in April at the commercial center, 334 Center Rock Green, adding to the mix of services offered at the site. With 18 years of experience in operating a service-based business in Oxford, Cardona said he felt that bring the dry-cleaning business to the Quarry Walks shopping district would be a good fit. When I saw the retail site, the first thing that came to my mind was wheres the closest dry cleaners? he said. OXXO, which began in 2001, has 51 franchises nationwide. The company touts a convenient model for customers in Oxford, with a 24-hour drop-off and pick-up for those who sign up for an account with the business. Customers can drop off and collect their orders through an ATM-style conveyor belt system that Cardona said would eliminate the need to rush to pick up orders. Aside from coming in to set up the account the first initial time, technically you never have to walk back into the cleaners if you didnt want to, he said. OXXO also uses GreenEarth solvent, which Cardona said is a safer cleaning product than the widely used perchloroethylene, or PERC, which a panel from the National Academy of Sciences, a nonprofit society of scholars, claimed could cause cancer. There are a lot of dry cleaners that use it because it is the best thing to get your stains out, but we do it with GreenEarth, which is the next best thing, Cardona said. In this day and age, the last thing you want to do is put on your clothes and not know what youre wearing or what kind of chemicals they are using. The Oxxo locations will be one of two businesses that Cardona will have at Quarry Walk. He is also preparing to open a window treatment retail store. Both operations will be joining a list of businesses at the commercial hub which already includes a grocery store and other retail. The $70 million town center project on more than 30 acres along Route 67 recently began building apartments on site. Haynes Development, developers of the site, was recently approved to build 150 units of one- and two-bedroom apartments along with purchasable penthouses. The company has just started on the first building, slated for 78 units of luxury apartments. Developers look to debut the apartments and luxury penthouses by the end of the year. A 50,000-square-foot medical office space is also expected to open in March. More openings are expected to follow in coming months, officials have said. Several retailers and restaurants like Sitting Duck Tavern, which will be opening its third location at Quarry Walk are expected to open in the spring as well. Jordan.grice@hearstmediact.com Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. GREENWICH Staff and patrons wont go hungry: A replacement has been lined up to take over cafe operations at the Greenwich Library at least temporarily. Last week was the close of operations for Eltons Cafe after 19 years, when owner Ailton Sousa decided he would not pursue a bid to provide services in the expanded cafe planned as part of the Greenwich Librarys upcoming renovation project. Kevin Allmashy of Executive Corner Deli and Catering will soon be operating in the same lower-level space, Library Director Barbara Ormerod-Glynn said Monday. Our goal was to find a provider who would meet the needs of our many patrons with affordable options and comparable menu offerings, pricing and hours of service, Ormerod-Glynn said in an email. Allmashy has been working at his popular deli, located at 229 Mill Street in Byram, for 14 years. He also provides the concessions services for the new municipal pool in Byram. Were going to keep the same vibe going that was there at Eltons Cafe, Allmashy said. Were going to practically have the same selections and practically the same prices. We may add a few more healthy options, but its going to be just as affordable as it always was there. More for you Eltons Cafe bids farewell to the Greenwich Library Allmashy said he can handle the increased workload. He said he is used to operating multiple cafes at once, noting his past experience providing food service to Pitney Bowes in Newtown. All of his employees are certified food operators, he said. I have a great staff and they can do this, Allmashy said. He recently closed his small operation at the YWCA Greenwich and will move the employees from there over to the Greenwich Library. Opening day for the new cafe must still be determined. As of Monday, Ormerod-Glynn said the cafe will remain closed until a few details are resolved. We are working with him to obtain the necessary town permits and inspections to reopen the Library Cafe to the public as soon as possible, she said. Allmashy expressed confidence that the cafe will reopen soon given his experience in town and because he is taking over an existing space. The library, pending approval of its plans by the town, is expected to undergo a major renovation that will change how the inside of the building is used without expanding its footprint. Part of that change will be an expanded cafe, which will be moved to a new space near a new lower level entrance in the Baxter Courtyard. Library officials had expected Sousa to bid on that new space, but he said last week that he was bowing out because of the extra costs associated with operating a bigger establishment with more hours of operation. My heart is broken, Sousa said of leaving the library. It wasnt an easy decision to make. Ormerod-Glynn said she was disappointed to see him go. Elton has a faithful following among both patrons and staff, she said last week. Everyone seems to have their favorite dish or two that they will miss. Ormerod-Glynn said a committee working on the cafe, which has not even been convened yet, will develop a process for requesting and reviewing proposals from potential operators. That committee, which will be made up of library staff and trustees, will work with a food services consultant. According to Kate Petrov, Greenwich Librarys public relations office, Allmashy has expressed preliminary interest in the new cafe. Allmashy confirmed that, saying, If Im there I might as well try to be along for the ride. For now, Allmashy has a one-year contract with Greenwich Library, and the opportunity to extend it on a month-by-month basis as the work takes place within the building. In the meantime, the Planning and Zoning Commission is tentatively scheduled to hear the librarys plans for it building at its April 2 meeting. If the town approvals are granted, work on the 16-month library project will begin in July. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com OXFORD The ranch at 63 ONeill Road was a home open to friends needing a place to stay. Inside, Karl Maseizik might be strumming his Stratocaster guitar or immersed in the fantasy of the Sci Fi channel. His brother Chris, just a year younger at 53 and known as Bubs, might be whipping up a spicy Italian dish or listening to Elvis, Johnny Cash or George Thorogood. Somewhere inside would be Nanci Max Southwell, their 71-year-old longtime friend. These are people who pulled you up when you were down, said Dave DeGeorge, who said has been friends with Chris since their kindergarten days at Great Oak School. I couldnt believe both of them died together. When I heard that, I hit the floor. Fire, possibly fueled by gasoline and oil the brothers kept for dirt bikes and quads, raged through the home late Saturday killing the brothers and Southwell. As of late Tuesday afternoon, the states Office of Chief Medical Examiner had not released its findings as to their causes of death. It was a terrible fire, First Selectman George Temple said. Firefighting was made worse by the lack of hydrants on the road forcing the towns volunteer fire department to use water tankards, he said. On Tuesday, friends and family members arrived at what was left of the house. Some could be seen lugging away cardboard boxes of items. Everything in the house is gone, DeGeorge said, although some items in the basement were undamaged. It shouldnt take something like this for people to lend a hand, he said. I hope I could do a little something here, but Im just trying to hold up ... theres too many memories. The brothers Maseizik lent him a hand when he was battling substance abuse, he said. I slept in a tent out back for most of that summer, DeGeorge said. Spent a lot of time swimming and fishing in that brook that runs through several backyards in the neighborhood. He said he and Bubs have been friends since they were 6 years old. We were tough guys. Coming out of high school, we were kings of the world. Chris went on to study welding and blueprints at TCI College of Technology. DeGeorge joined the Army. Karl was a smart guy. If there was something wrong with your car, he could figure it out, DeGeorge said. He was a very, very smart mechanic. He could fix anything. Karl Maseizik was employed at PC Auto Services in Woodbury. The brothers family is seeking donations to help pay for funeral services. The Carpino Funeral Home in Southbury is handling the arrangements. Donations can be made and messages of rememberance left at www.CarpinoCares.com. The Maseizik family has owned the property for decades. The brothersfather, Frederick died in 2017, and mother, Adella, died in 2004. A small memorial of flowers, memorial candles and a balloon surround the mailbox. Standing out is a trophy with the figure of a motorcylist. Attached to it is a handwritten cardboard sign that reads: Carl & Bubs Ride On Brother. We had some good times together ... this trophy for is for you. Karl and Christopher are survived by sisters Brenda Maseizik, of Shelton, and Nancy Capponi, and her husband, Frank, of Southbury; niece and nephews Melissa Hall and Michael Hall, of Seymour; Michael and James Crowther, of Southbury, and a grandnephew, Evan Maza. BRIDGEPORT Isiah Coco Thomas appeared confident right up until his victim arrived in Superior Court. Thomas, 29, had asked for a trial confident that the man he allegedly shot five times last year, 46-year-old Shawn Thompson, wouldnt show up in court to testify against him because Thompson had four outstanding arrest warrants. But on the first day of trial Thompson, saying he wanted to turn his life around, appeared at the Fairfield County Courthouse. With a change of heart, Thomas agreed to plead guilty to the charge of first-degree assault, said Senior Assistant States Attorney Joseph Harry. Our case against him (Thomas) became much better, the prosecutor said on Monday. Thomas faces eight years in prison when he is sentenced May 10. On May 9, 2018, Thompson was rushed to Bridgeport Hospital suffering from five gunshot wounds. Questioned by police in the hospital, they said he told them, Coco shot me, it was Coco. Thompson told police detectives he had stopped at a store on Orchard Street to buy some looseys (cigarettes) when Thomas jumped into the passenger seat of his car. He ordered Thompson to drive to Brooks Street and then tried to rob Thompson at gunpoint, police said. They said Thompson managed to get out of the car and run but not before Thomas fired numerous shots at him. Since the shooting, four warrants were issued for Thompson charging him with third-degree larceny, second-degree forgery, failure to appear in court, violation of probation and violation of a protective order for unrelated crimes. Thompson was arrested on the warrants. WESTPORT The spirit of art was celebrated Friday night when Saugatuck Congregational Church hosted an opening reception for a show by parishioner and local artist Joanne deMauriac Leaman, of Westport, titled Envision/Transform. We love opening this space and using it as an exhibit space for artists, said the Rev. Alison Patton. Our arts committee has as its mission to help us explore and express our faith and spirituality through the arts. Knowing they were going to be killed, two would-be victims made last requests, one asking for heroin, and the second asking for a cigarette, jurors heard a survivor tell a police detective during a taped interview. The video interview in the Topeka Law Enforcement Center was played Monday during the sixth day of the trial of Joseph P. Lowry, 32, who faces 10 charges in the March 12, 2017, in the killings of three victims. Lowry is charged with five counts of first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated kidnapping, and one count each of aggravated robbery and aggravated assault. Of the homicide charges, Lowry faces three counts of felony first-degree murder and two alternative counts of premeditated murder. The slaying victims were Matthew Leavitt, 19; Luke Davis, 20; and Nicole Fisher, 38. Neither Fisher, who asked for the heroin, nor Leavitt, who wanted a cigarette, were granted their requests, Shane Mays told Topeka police Detective Jason Deutsch in an interview. Deutsch was a witness on Monday. In the taped interviews, Deutsch separately questioned Lowry and Mays during the murder investigations. Mays, who walked into the police LEC on the day of the killings, told Deutsch three bodies were in the basement at 115 N.W. Grant, a North Topeka house. Mays told Deutsch he didn't kill anyone. Mays had arrived with Leavitt at the Grant address to give a ride to Fisher, but two men armed with pistols, punched them and forced them into the house. Mays was told the only way he wouldn't be killed was to "get dirty" in the slayings of other victims, Mays told Deutsch. Mays placed a bag over Leavitt's head, but left it loose enough for him to breathe, Mays told the detective. Leavitt was Mays' best friend, Mays told the detective. "I was only doing it out of fear for my life," Mays said. "I was scared for my life. I thought I was going to die that night." Mays denied killing anyone. "I couldn't do it (kill Leavitt)," Mays said. Mays, who is charged with two count of premeditated first-degree murder, will be in court on May 9 for a pre-trial hearing. Deutsch said Lowry and two other men played an "active role in ending the three people's lives." Joseph Aaron Krahn used his legs to strangle Leavitt while the victim was held down by others, Deutsch testified. Lowry also purchased zip ties, which were used to secure the hands of victims, Deutsch said. Krahn, 36, was sentenced Nov. 17, 2018, to three consecutive life terms of 50 years each for each victim. Krahn earlier pleaded no contest to three counts of premeditated first-degree murder. "I didn't do nothing," Lowry told Deutsch when the detective interviewed him soon after the homicides. Mays faces two charges of premeditated first-degree murder and next will be in court on May 9. Closing date: Wednesday, 27 March 2019 Programme Associate Location : Severodonetsk, UKRAINE Application Deadline : 27-Mar-19 (Midnight New York, USA) Additional Category : Management Type of Contract : Service Contract Post Level : SC-3 Languages Required : English Russian Duration of Initial Contract : 12 months with possible extension Background The ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine has had a direct and highly negative impact on social cohesion, resilience, livelihoods, community security, and the rule of law. Recognizing the need to urgently address reconstruction, economic recovery and peacebuilding needs in areas affected both directly and indirectly by the conflict, in late 2014 the Government of Ukraine requested technical assistance and financial support from the international community to assess priority recovery needs. In late 2014, the United Nations, the World Bank and the European Union conducted a Recovery and Peacebuilding Assessment, which was endorsed by the Cabinet of Ministers in mid-2015. In response to the situation, in 2016, UNDP has established a Project Office in eastern Ukraine with a view to consolidate and deliver the various recovery and governance projects through a comprehensive, area-based Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (RPP) in five conflict-affected oblasts: Donetsk and Luhansk (Government Controlled Areas), as well as Zaporizhzhya, Dnipro, and Kharkiv oblasts. RPP frames UNDPs interventions in Eastern Ukraine to address the recovery needs of conflict affected population and communities. The Programme Component has three components focusing on: (1) economic recovery and restoration of critical infrastructure; (2) restoration of governance and support to decentralization reform; (3) strengthening community security and social cohesion. UNDP Ukraine invites applications from highly qualified and experienced Ukrainian professionals for the post of the Programme Associate, to support the activities of Component 1, Economic Recovery and Restoration of Critical Infrastructure, RPP in Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts. Duties and Responsibilities Under the direct supervision of the Programme Coordinator, Economic Recovery and Restoration of Critical Infrastructure the Programme Associate will be responsible for the following key tasks: Administrative Assistance: Perform administrative support functions to facilitate the implementation of the programme component activities, including personnel matters, attendance records, facilitating missions, office maintenance, reception/registry; Georgia has gone through rising export levels in the last few years (export statistics here ), with Russia still leading by large, then much behind, Ukraine and China. But the wines to these 3 countries are mostly conventional wines while what we're dealing with here is a niche of natural, organic traditional Georgian wines using qvevri, the large clay vessels known here since Antiquity. This article (from a conventional perspective) points to the growing importance of the Chinese market through the return of its silk road policy; it states that the natural wine exports for the West is a minor phenomenon but i think it has huge potential to grow in the long term, as all the countries (including Russia & China one day) will have a sizeable percentage of their wine public turning to uncorrected wines. Milbrae , south San Francisco All these women winemakers from Georgia were also pouring their wines at Brumaire and if my carelessness in managing my time made that I missed them there, at least i could correct this misstep the following day thanks to a private tasting organized by Alex (pictured above in the background) in his Vineyard Gate wine shop in Milbrae in South San Francisco. The wine shop which was closed that day (monday) is just a couple of minutes on foot from the BART station. The man who helped these winemakers attend was there too, Chris Terrell , he is the importer at New York-based Terrell Wines . Like the linked article implies, if you had a Georgian wine in New York, there's a good chance it came in through Chris Terrell who imports 22 family wineries from Georgia. I learnt something interesting also in this linked article, Chris first discovered Georgia by cycling through the country in 2004, this was before he was dealing with wine; we have something in common (I also cycled through eastern and western Europe and the U.S.) Ketevan Ninidze We first tasted a few rose from Georgian winemaker Ketevan Ninidze of Oda Family Winery (located in the town of Martvili), which is planted mainly with Ojalesih and a bit of Tchvitiluri, all these roses had a beautiful and exciting color that made you salivate. Oda is the name of a traditionnal house in western Georgia and they themselves live in such a century-old house near which they have a small vineyard. This Samegrelo region was in the past a vibrant wine producing area but it has plummeted for different historical reasons and today only a few producers remain. She and her family were living originally in Tbilisi and moved there in the early 2010s' planted vineyards and had their first vintage in 2015. __ Naked Ojaleshi 2017. Small part of skin maceration (one month long), about 15 kilograms used for this cuvee, for a total of 300 liters, wine aged 6 months in qvevri (named by the way churi in western Georgia, and they're smaller there, 300 liters instead of 1000) Delicious rose (and I'm not always open to rose wines), with a super umami feel in the mouth. Wholeness feel. __ Oberluri Ojaleshi 2017. Same type of partial skin maceration, 15 kilograms on a total of 300 liters (the volume of a churi) The color is magic, first thing to say, amber with hard to describe reflections, and it's turbid. Notes of berlingot candy in the mouth, very nice. __ Dzelshavi 2017 with on the label not a tiny warning sign for pregnant womenn but a drawing on the whole label featuring a pregnant woman... Darker type of rose. Lightly fizzy, more substance, also with a candy feel in the mouth. __ Krakhuna 2017, single-variety white from Vino M'Artville Winery near Martvili, her husband's winery, she says his father was a great grower and he focuses on the rare varieties of Western Georgia. Grapes sourced in Imereti region, 20 % of the skins are used for a one-month maceration, no stems and 7-month elevage in a qvevri (1000 liters). Exciting color, like honey and wheat, turbid. Watery feel in the mouth, not in the bad sense, so gentle, feels so true and whole, lots of harmony here. 9,8 % alcohol only. Easy drink. No added SO2 like for her own wines, only occasional use of sulfur wick in the vessels. __ Aladasturi 2017, light red variety from Georgia, sourced in the Guria region. The name of the variety has an interesting story, it comes from the time the region was occupied by the muslims, and to get around the mahometan interdiction against alcohol it was named "approved by Allah" with probably the agreement of the invaders who liked the drink... Light-bodied wine, nice color in the glass. 100 % skin maceration for a month and 6 months in qvevri. Expressive wine on the nose.Super nice peppery mouth, fresh and chalky tannins, love it ! Very akin to Pineau d'Aunis for me, and alcohol only 9,2 %. Imported in Japan by Diony. __ Orbeluri Ojaleshi 2017, a red made with maceration of al the skins for one months then 6 months in qvevri. A bit darker. Nose is meaty, very appealing. Wow, classy red-type mouth, elegant. 11,3 % alcohol. Subtle, light fizziness here on the tongue. Enek Peterson Next we tasted the wines of Enek Peterson (winery : Freya's Marani) a young American who settled in Georgia a few years ago for music and dance and ended up making wine there (this is her 3rd vintage). Enek speaks fluently several languages including French, she's partly Hungarian (her first name means song in Hungarian) and is very active on several fronts : She's the one who manages Vino Underground, a wine bar in Tbilisi founded by 8 vignerons and she tends her vineyard on the side in Baghdati (Imereti region). __ Tsolikouri & Krakhuna (varieties picked together), qvevri sample 2018, a white with skin contact with the stems (it's still on the skins right now !), which is not usual in the Imereti region because the stems there often don't ripe all the way.. Mouth with a nice structure, very classy white, thin integrated tannins. Alex loves the tannin here too, very unusual white. Very flexible, can go with lots of food. Marina Kurtanidze Marina Kurtanidze is married to Iago Bitarishvili of Iago's Winery whom I met in Paris but she is a winemaker herself, her winery being named simply Marina like her first name, she began I think to make wine in 2012, encouraged by her husband Iago. I'm told she was the 1st Georgian woman winemaker that exported natural wine abroad through a winery project named Mandili (a cuvee she made with another woman). Enek who speaks Georgian translates what she says about her work : She shares the same cellar than her husband but vinifies in separate qvevri and makes her own decisions. __ Mtsvane 2017, a variety from eastern Georgia, the wine is made like typically in eastern Georgia with 6-month skin contact and the stems as well in a qvevri. This is a white with an amber color and golden reflections, these Georgian whites just look so exciting before you even got a sip ! Mouth : one of these out-of-this-world whites. Great grip on the sides of the mouth, quite an experience. Iago's wines were also just terrific if I remember this tasting event in Paris where I met him. Ketevan Berishvili Ketevan Berishvili made her first vintage in 2015, she is the daughter of winemaker Kakha Berishvili and her brand name is Gogo Wine, she works in the Kakheti region, with white varieties while her father makes reds. 2017 is her first vintage, she vinified the wine herself even if she of course learnt the trade with her father who has been making wine for 15 years (starting to sell his wine in bottles only in 2008), and her father helps her in the vineyard. __ Cuvee Bebe, Rkatsiteli with Mtsvane 2017, a white blend, part skin contact (7 months for the Rkatsiteli) , part crushed and pressed by feet, the traditional way in Georgia, a very hard job that takes hours, the juice falling directly to the qvevri. Then you have to remove all the skins and stems by hand which is very hard. Named Cuvee bebe because she had her daughter that year (his partner by the way helps her since her first harvest). Grip on the tongue, superb resonance along the thoat, beautiful, goes down in glory. Clor : honey, turbid, the wine is unfiltered, and no sulfites added. The harvest this year was earlier, mid september. This bottles sells for 22 $ retail. __ A red, her father's : Kakha Berishvili 2017 (his first name), the name of the winery is Artanuli Gvino. Saperavi variety, 10 days on skins. Dark red, quite concentrated, refined tannins, quite powerful. Tamuna Bidzinashvili Next, Tamuna Bidzinashvili (imported by Roni Selects) created her winery (named Kortavebis Marani, Marani means cellar in Georgian) in 2014 in the Kakheti region, they did not have land and they planted vineyard, starting making wine with contracted grapes, the planted vineyard beginning to yield fruit along the years; now 60 % of the grapes they vinify come from their own vineyard which has a surface of 2,5 hectares. In front of their cellar they planted 35 varieties together, making a plot that is some sort of library, and they press them all together. __ Tamuna's Wine, Kiss 2018, a qvevri sample (will be bottled in a year), grapes crushed and then 5-month maceration on skins. Light, golden color, not turbid. Super interesting mouth, also out of this world in its own style. Very elegant type of astringency, you need to try this ! 22 $ retail. __ White blend 2018 made with Kakhasi Mtsvane, Kissi and Mtsvivani (purchased grapes), a sample from the qvevri. Will have spent 6 or 7 months in skin contact at the end. Alcohol more forward maybe here. __ Rose, made with 2 whites and 1 red (Saperavi). Purchased grapes. Astringency. Good with Asian food I think, unusual tannin here. __ 35 complanted varieties on 0,5 hectare, picked together and pressed, no skin contact here. Makes me think to these traditional Jura cuvees like Cuvee Corail, with botyh white and red varieties planted en foule. They picked 800 kg of grapes on that half hectare. Very fruity wine and tannin is moderate. 10,5 % alcohol, nice wine. __ Saperavi 2017, a red. Dark type of red. Very concentrated and focused, aromatics on the sweet spices range. She says they take out the seeds with a machine to avoid getting excessive tannin from them. Astringency. Columbus & Broadway, later that day Strange house (Sutter & Van Ness) Canadian farmers are facing an uncertain future after China escalated its feud over canola on Tuesday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Canola grower David Reid checks on his storage bins full of last year's crop of canola seed on his farm near Cremona, Alta., on March 22, 2019. China's government has blocked imports of canola seed from a second major Canadian exporter, Viterra Inc. China's General Administration of Customs announced Tuesday on its website that its officials had detected several hazardous organisms in shipments of canola from Viterra. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh Canadian farmers are facing an uncertain future after China escalated its feud over canola on Tuesday. "There is a lot of confusion amongst farmers about what is able to be exported," said David Quist, executive director of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers. China blocked canola shipments from a second Canada-based producer on Tuesday over alleged contamination issues. A statement on China's General Administration of Customs website said officials detected several hazardous organisms in canola shipments from Regina-based Viterra Inc. Viterra, which is part of Glencore Agriculture, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Winnipeg-based Richardson International Ltd. had its export permit revoked in March due to hazardous organisms allegedly found in the company's product. Since then, the Canola Council of Canada said all of its members have reported that Chinese importers are unwilling to purchase their products. The result is uncertainty at the cusp of planting season, which begins in mid- to late-April for many farmers. Quist said farmers have a lot of questions: "Therefore, a lot of people are saying: 'What should I be planting? What should I be putting in the ground? Is there going to be a market for my product by the end of harvest season when it's coming off the field?" The canola council echoed that concern. "When China injects uncertainty, it makes growers question whether they should grow food for Chinese people, said Brian Innes, vice-president of public affairs with the council. Canadian producers will make decisions that are best for their farm, he said. One canola farmer, David Reid, told The Canadian Press late last week that the reports of a purchasing block by China on Canadian canola will make him think about other options. "We don't want to grow something we can't sell," he said, adding there aren't many other crop options in the part of Alberta where his farm is located. Other options available to him tend to sell for less than canola traditionally has, he said. Both the wheat and canola groups called on the government to send a delegation to China to address the issue. China a major market for Canadian canola that accounts for about 40 per cent of Canada's exports of canola seed, oil and meal is the sole country to raise a technical issue with the product, said Innes. Authorities in Canada's other export markets, including the U.S., Mexico, the European Union, India and Japan, have not raised any issues, he said. "We're very perplexed because we're confident in the quality of our Canadian canola." But China raised a technical concern and there needs to be a technical solution, he said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mentioned the possibility of sending a delegation, in response to questions from reporters during a stop in Winnipeg on Tuesday. "We're very much looking at the possibility of sending a high-level delegation to China," he said. "We know that the canola produced here in Canada is top quality, and the oversight, inspection and science that surrounds what we do here is top-notch and world-class, and that is certainly something that we are going to continue to impress upon ... our Chinese interlocutors on this issue." Some have suggested the canola ban is connected to the Canadian government's decision to arrest a top Chinese tech executive in December at the behest of the United States. Canadian authorities arrested Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei, in Vancouver and the government has since approved for her extradition case to proceed. "But we are taking very seriously this situation around canola as well," said Trudeau. Follow @AleksSagan on Twitter. BEIJING - China's former internet censor, who once held high-profile meetings with industry leaders such as Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on corruption charges Tuesday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - In this Sept. 23, 2015, file photo, China's Internet czar Lu Wei attends a gathering of CEOs and other executives at Microsoft's main campus in Redmond, Wash. Lu Wei, who once held high-profile meetings with industry leaders such as Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison on corruption charges. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, Pool, File) BEIJING - China's former internet censor, who once held high-profile meetings with industry leaders such as Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on corruption charges Tuesday. The Intermediate People's Court in the eastern city of Ningbo said Lu Wei had confessed to accepting 32 million yuan ($4.6 million) in bribes. It said he expressed remorse and vowed not to appeal his sentence. Lu helped lead the ruling Communist Party's tightening of controls over domestic cyberspace and championed Beijing's stance that governments have a right to filter and censor internet access. China has 700 million people online, but authorities impose heavy controls on political content and sites related to gambling and pornography. Social media sites such as Facebook and Google also are blocked. In its ruling, the Ningbo court said Lu had abused his authority in various positions, including as a deputy propaganda minister and as head of a government internet security advisory body, accepting gifts in return for favours. Lu took a hard line in demanding tough security checks on imported foreign tech products and censoring foreign internet companies and social networks like Facebook in the name of preserving social stability. He worked his way up the ranks of China's official Xinhua News Agency from a reporting job in the southern city of Guilin in the early 1990s to become the agency's vice-president from 2004 to 2011. He was vice mayor of Beijing from 2011 to 2013. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. A report by the government broadcaster CCTV gave few details. But earlier reports said Lu also had had engaged in factionalism and "selectively enforced" the party's "strategic arrangements on internet work." President Xi Jinping has carried out a wide-ranging crackdown on corruption that observers say is calculated to strengthen party control while bringing down potential challengers to his authority. One of the officials and military leaders ensnared in the anti-graft campaign was the former president of Interpol, Meng Hongwei, who vanished after travelling to China from France, where the global anti-crime body is headquartered. The government says Meng is under investigation for graft and possible other crimes. There are heavy suspicions he had fallen out of political favour with Xi. Lu's sentencing also comes as China is locked in a trade war with the U.S. and competition over leadership in next-generation 5-G internet technology. The U.S. has sought to block usage of equipment from Chinese internet giant Huawei, saying its links to the Chinese government and military pose a security threat. CN plans to invest about $120 million in its Manitoba infrastructure in 2019 to boost capacity and network resiliency and to meet growing traffic on its network in Manitoba. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. CN plans to invest about $120 million in its Manitoba infrastructure in 2019 to boost capacity and network resiliency and to meet growing traffic on its network in Manitoba. The railroads investment intention in Manitoba follows what Doug Ryhorchuk, vice-president of CNs western region, characterized as "a record capital program in 2018." Manitoba will receive only a small portion of the $3.9 billion CN is planning to spend on capital investment across its network in 2019, which would be a record amount. The Manitoba investment will be targeted at a few projects, including the construction of a new train passing siding near Nourse, east of Winnipeg; construction of 10 kilometres of double track near Exira, west of Portage la Prairie; the replacement of more than 56 kilometres of rail; installation of about 59,000 new railroad ties; rebuilding 13 road crossing surfaces; as well as maintenance work on bridges, culverts, signal systems and other track infrastructure. CN employs more than 2,200 people in Manitoba and spent about $810 million last year in salaries and operating expenses. ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Ethiopian Airlines' CEO says the pilots who flew the plane that crashed on March 10 had trained on "all appropriate simulators," rejecting reports that they had not been adequately prepared to handle the new aircraft. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 25/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Ethiopian Airlines' CEO says the pilots who flew the plane that crashed on March 10 had trained on "all appropriate simulators," rejecting reports that they had not been adequately prepared to handle the new aircraft. Tewolde Gebremariam said in a statement Monday that the airline owns simulators to help pilots train on the Boeing 737 Max, which has software installed that requires new training. The software can pitch the plane's nose down in some cases to keep it from stalling. There is speculation that the software could have contributed to the crash, which killed 157 people, as well as to the crash of another Boeing 737 Max, a Lion Air flight, in October. Regulators say both planes had similar erratic flight paths shortly after take-off, an important part of their decision to ground the roughly 370 Max planes around the world. Boeing Co. is likely facing heavy costs to update the flight-control software on the Max and compensate airlines that have lost use of now-parked Max jets. Separately, Boeing's European rival Airbus announced a deal to sell 300 planes to Chinese airlines, which are also major operators of the Max. The deal signed before Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron includes 290 Airbus A320 jets, which compete with the Boeing 737. The number that are A320neo jets, the chief competitor to the Boeing Max, will be determined later, an Airbus spokeswoman said. China's demand for airliners is huge, and it could still order plenty more Boeing jets, but the announcement highlighted the peril Boeing faces in restoring airline and passenger confidence in its bestselling jet. After the Lion Air crash off the coast of Indonesia, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing issued new training material for pilots. Questions lingered, however, whether the required training was sufficient and whether airlines like Ethiopian had access to simulators to give pilots thorough experience handling the software. Gebremariam said Ethiopian Airlines owns and operates a Boeing 737 Max simulator. "Contrary to some media reports, our pilots who fly the new model were trained on all appropriate simulators," Gebremariam said. "The crews were well trained on this aircraft." The CEO, however, had told The Associated Press this weekend that he thinks the warnings and extra training material from Boeing and U.S. regulators "might not have been enough." He said in a subsequent interview to The Wall Street Journal on Monday that it appeared that the anti-stall software had been activated on the Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed, though it was still too early to be sure. Ethiopian Airlines is widely seen as Africa's best-managed airline. It had been using five of the Max planes and was awaiting delivery of 25 more. Boeing is updating the plane's anti-stall software and has invited more than 200 pilots, technical experts and regulators to its factory in Renton, Washington, for a briefing. The Federal Aviation Administration expects Boeing's update this week. As part of the update, Boeing said it is tweaking the anti-stall software. After the update, the system will rely on data from more than one sensor before it automatically pushes the plane's nose lower. The system won't repeatedly push the nose down, and it will reduce the magnitude of the change. Boeing said it will pay to train airline pilots. Additional training to be done on computers, not on a plane or in a flight simulator is designed to drill home for pilots how they can override the software if it engages unnecessarily. A Boeing spokesman on Monday said the company was continuing to determine the cost of updating the flight-control software and related changes. He declined to comment on whether the company would compensate airlines whose jets have been grounded. Boeing has not said what it expects to pay to relatives of the people who died in the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes. In filings, Boeing has not disclosed a charge for potential costs related to the Oct. 29 Lion Air accident. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. An aviation analyst for financial-services firm Cowen estimated the cost of the software fix at $400 million to $500 million, or roughly $1 million for each of the nearly 400 Max jets delivered or in the process of being delivered. Analyst Cai von Rumohr said Boeing may have little contractual obligation to compensate the airlines, but it will have to give them something to limit its loss of goodwill, and that is likely to be Boeing's biggest direct cost from the accidents. Von Rumohr estimated that Boeing's compensation to the families of Ethiopian Airlines victims could be $150 million around $1 million for each of the people who died and less after insurance. The worldwide grounding of the Max fleet will eat into Boeing's cash flow because aircraft manufacturers get most of the purchase price only when the plane is delivered Boeing has suspended Max deliveries. However, the Chicago company would receive that cash eventually if airlines don't cancel orders. So far, Garuda Indonesia has said it plans to scrap a $4.9 billion order for 49 planes, but no other major Max customers of which Southwest Airlines, with 249 orders, is the biggest have indicated they plan to cancel. Boeing has about 4,600 unfilled orders for the plane's various configurations. ___ AP Airlines Writer David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report. MONTREAL - The former head of online poker giant Amaya has launched a $2-million lawsuit against Quebec's securities regulator stemming from its unsuccessful insider trading lawsuit. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (991 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Amaya CEO David Baazov attends the company's annual general meeting in Montreal, Monday, June 22, 2015. The former head of online gaming giant Amaya has launched a $2-million lawsuit against Quebec's securities regulator stemming from its unsuccessful insider trading lawsuit.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes MONTREAL - The former head of online poker giant Amaya has launched a $2-million lawsuit against Quebec's securities regulator stemming from its unsuccessful insider trading lawsuit. David Baazov alleges in a case filed last week in Quebec Superior Court that L'Autorite des marches financiers (AMF) was "abusive" and "malicious" in filing accusations against him in 2016. Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The trial of the businessman and his co-defendants came to a sudden halt last June when Quebec Judge Salvatore Masci stayed the proceedings. Baazov had pleaded not guilty to five counts, including influencing or attempting to influence the market price of Amaya's securities, since renamed the Stars Group Inc. The charges stemmed from an investigation into the US$4.9-billion deal to acquire PokerStars in 2014 that transformed the firm into the world's largest public online poker company. AMF spokesman Sylvain Theberge says Baazov's lawsuit is "unfounded," adding that the regulator plans to "vigorously" defend itself. In the 25-page statement of claim, Baazov says he will donate the $2 million to five Montreal charities if he succeeds in the case. Company in this story: (TSX:TSGI) NEW YORK - A prominent Hong Kong businessman earned leniency with a three-year prison sentence dispensed Monday by a judge who said bribes paid to the presidents of two African countries were serious crimes but kindness including playing violin for fellow inmates was extraordinary. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 25/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. NEW YORK - A prominent Hong Kong businessman earned leniency with a three-year prison sentence dispensed Monday by a judge who said bribes paid to the presidents of two African countries were serious crimes but kindness including playing violin for fellow inmates was extraordinary. U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska sentenced Dr. Chi Ping Patrick Ho, 69, who is also an ophthalmologist and was once Hong Kong's home affairs secretary. Preska said acts of charity were common for those who had achieved Ho's wealth, but he went "above and beyond" by restoring sight for strangers, bringing music to the Metropolitan Correction Center and tutoring inmates who then finished high school. "It is indeed extraordinary," Preska said. Ho was convicted in December of paying bribes to the presidents of Chad and Uganda in a scheme to secure oil rights for an energy conglomerate known as CEFC China Energy. Lawyers for Ho insisted at trial that payments to the presidents were legitimate charitable donations. The payments included $2 million in gift boxes delivered to Chad's president in 2014. Ho was charged in New York City by authorities who cited meetings and wire transfers in Manhattan related to the bribes. Prosecutors had recommended Ho serve five years. Defence lawyers said his 16 months behind bars as a model inmate were enough. Ho will likely serve about another year behind bars before he is deported. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "The actions that have caused this suffering and brought me to this courtroom today were mine and mine alone," he told Preska as he choked up several times. "I accept full responsibility for them and I am deeply sorry," Ho said. He said he was grateful to guards and inmates at the MCC for keeping him safe. When he finished his remarks, Ho took a full bow before the judge to show his "gratitude and appreciation." During a weeklong trial, prosecutors said Ho approached the presidents of Chad and Uganda on behalf of CEFC China Energy after growing accustomed to using money to entice foreign officials to help the company expand its business. Prosecutors say the Ugandan scheme emerged at the United Nations in New York when Uganda's foreign minister served as president of the U.N. General Assembly. MONTREAL - SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. is leaving the door open to a lawsuit against Chile's state-owned copper mining company, which has terminated its contract with the construction giant. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The front lawn of the headquarters of SNC Lavalin is seen Thursday, November 6, 2014 in Montreal. SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. is considering a lawsuit against Chile's state-owned copper mining company, which has terminated its contract with the construction giant. A spokesman for SNC-Lavalin tells The Canadian Press it is looking at all options to determine whether to take legal action. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson MONTREAL - SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. is leaving the door open to a lawsuit against Chile's state-owned copper mining company, which has terminated its contract with the construction giant. "We have to see if legal actions will be taken," spokesman Nicolas Ryan said Tuesday. "We're looking at all the options." On Monday, the Montreal-based engineering firm said it was "appalled and surprised" that state miner Codelco ended the US$260-million contract due to alleged quality issues and delays in subcontractor payments and project execution. "We believe that this termination is unwarranted and in breach of good faith agreements reached by the parties," SNC-Lavalin said in a statement. The contract, awarded in November 2016, included engineering, supply and construction of two new acid plants for a smelter at the Chuquicamata mine in northern Chile. SNC-Lavalin said it is now demobilizing the job site and preparing dispute-resolution actions to recover some of the roughly C$350 million in losses, which the company blames on Codelco and subcontractors. The announcement from Codelco comes after SNC-Lavalin slashed its profit forecast twice in two weeks earlier this year, stemming largely from problems with the project and plunging SNC's share price to 10-year lows of around $34. It also arrives as the firestorm continues to rage around top government officials who allegedly pressured former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to steer prosecutors toward a remediation agreement with SNC-Lavalin. The would-be deal, also called a deferred prosecution agreement, would allow the company to avoid criminal proceedings on bribery and corruption charges linked to business dealings with Moammar Gadhafi's regime in Libya between 2001 and 2011. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. On Monday, the company walked back a statement by its CEO, who said last week he never cited the protection of 9,000 Canadian jobs as a reason the construction giant should be granted a remediation agreement. Neil Bruce told The Canadian Press last Wednesday that if SNC-Lavalin is convicted of criminal charges and barred from bidding on federal contracts its workers would end up working for the Montreal-based companys foreign rivals. Analyst Yuri Lynk of Canaccord Genuity says investors should not expect any recovery on the mine project losses in 2019. "Having a contract terminated by the world's largest copper miner is clearly a hit to SNC's reputation within the mining industry. It is extremely rare for a project sponsor to cancel a contract with an E&C company, especially so close to completion," Lynk said in a research note Tuesday. "All told, this is a minor setback for the company," he added. Companies in this story: (TSX:SNC) Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 25/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement on Brexit to lawmakers in the House of Commons, London, Monday March 25, 2019. May is under intense pressure Monday to win support for her Brexit deal to split from Europe.(House of Commons via AP) LONDON - The Latest on Brexit (all times local): 10:15 p.m. British lawmakers are set to hold a series of votes on different options for Brexit in an attempt to break the country's political deadlock. Lawmakers voted 329-302 to take control of Parliament's timetable from the government starting Wednesday to hold votes on alternative Brexit options. The alternatives could include remaining in the European Union's single market or cancelling Brexit altogether. The government promised to "engage constructively" with the process but has not committed to enacting whatever lawmakers decide. Parliament has twice rejected the divorce deal May's government struck with the EU, and May acknowledged on Monday the agreement still lacks enough support to pass. The impasse has led Britain to seek a delay to Brexit, which was set to go into effect this Friday. If May's deal passes, it will leave May 22. Otherwise, the U.K. has until April 12 to inform the EU of a new plan of action. Protestors for opposing views face off against each other, with pro-Brexit split from Europe at right, and pro-Europe anti Brexit at left, outside parliament in London, Monday March 25, 2019. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP) ___ 3:45 p.m. Prime Minister Theresa May says she will not lead Britain out of the European Union without a deal unless Parliament agrees to it effectively taking that option off the table. At present, the U.K. is set to leave without agreement unless lawmakers approve a divorce deal or choose another path by April 12. That could cause major economic upheaval. May has told lawmakers that "unless this House agrees to it, 'no deal' will not happen." The House of Commons has already voted in principle against leaving without a deal. May urged lawmakers to back her deal, saying the only other options were cancelling or delaying Brexit. ___ 3:40 p.m. U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May says she doesn't have enough support to put her European Union divorce deal to a new vote in Parliament. In this handout photo provided by the UK Parliament, Britain's oposition Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn, front, makes a statement after Prime Minister Theresa May made a statement on Brexit to the House of Commons, London, Monday, March 25, 2019. British Prime Minister Theresa May conceded Monday that Parliament would defeat her twice-rejected Brexit divorce deal again if she put it to a new vote, but said she still hopes to change lawmakers' minds and get the agreement approved. (Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament via AP) May told Parliament Monday she regrets that Britain isn't set to leave the EU on March 29 as originally planned. She says she is still trying to build support for her plan. Her withdrawal plan has already been defeated twice. The prime minister says she is skeptical that a series of "indicative votes" in Parliament will be able to set a clear path forward for breaking the Brexit impasse. ___ 2:30 p.m. British Prime Minister Theresa May still hasn't committed to bringing her twice-rejected European Union divorce deal back to Parliament for a third vote this week. If May can win approval for the deal, the U.K. will leave the EU on May 22. If the deal is not approved, Britain has until April 12 to come up with a new plan, such as leaving without a deal or cancelling Brexit. May's spokesman, James Slack, says the prime minister is determined to win support for her deal, but "we will only bring the vote back if we believe we would be in a position to win it." And there are no signs of big shifts in lawmakers' opinion. Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, whose opposition has helped sink the deal, said the party's "position remains unchanged." ___ 12:10 p.m. The European Union says it has completed preparations for the potentially-chaotic scenario in which Britain leaves the bloc without a Brexit deal, but talks on how to manage the Irish border are continuing. Amid doubt about whether Britain will endorse the divorce agreement by Friday, the EU says a no-deal Brexit on the new departure date, April 12, "is increasingly likely." The European Commission said Monday that "this will obviously cause significant disruption for citizens and businesses," and noted that Britain will leave "without any transitionary arrangements." The commission says it has published 90 preparedness notices for citizens and businesses and made 19 proposals for new legislation. The remaining 27 EU countries are hiring hundreds of staff to conduct extra border and customs checks. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. ___ 9:25 a.m. British Prime Minister Theresa May will be meeting with her Cabinet to map out a strategy for delivering Brexit as she fights to stay in power. The session comes after a weekend of speculation that she may be forced to resign to win approval of her twice-rejected Brexit deal. Lawmakers are preparing to debate proposals for a series of votes on alternatives to May's deal, which could take control of the process away from the government. Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Monday claimed May had "chickened out" on delivering Brexit this week. Writing in the Telegraph, he says that to win support for her deal she must show that the next phase of negotiations on future relations with the European Union will be different. TORONTO - A newly arrived refugee who helped shelter whistleblower Edward Snowden in Hong Kong pleaded with Canadian officials on Tuesday to grant asylum to others who assisted the American fugitive years ago. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Vanessa Rodel and her seven-year-old daughter Keana are photographed following a news conference in Toronto on Tuesday, March 26, 2019. Rodel is one of the refugees who sheltered Edward Snowden in Hong Kong in 2013, and yesterday arrived in Canada after being granted refugee status in the country. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young TORONTO - A newly arrived refugee who helped shelter whistleblower Edward Snowden in Hong Kong pleaded with Canadian officials on Tuesday to grant asylum to others who assisted the American fugitive years ago. Vanessa Rodel said her excitement at now being in Canada with her seven-year-old daughter Keana was tempered by the knowledge that people with whom she still feels a strong bond have not been so lucky. At a news conference in Toronto, held hours before she was to travel to Montreal and move into her new home, Rodel said her fellow members of the group that came to be known as Snowden's "Guardian Angels" should be allowed to join her. "I don't want them left behind," she said of the group of five, who include Keana's father and two half-siblings. "I don't want to feel that I forget about them because I'm here now in Canada. They're still hoping they can come in Canada to feel safe and free." Rodel and Keana arrived in Toronto on Monday afternoon, two months after the federal government formally granted them refugee status. Their arrival brought an end to what her lawyer Robert Tibbo described as a saga dating back to 2013. At that time, when Snowden fled to Hong Kong after divulging classified documents from the U.S. National Security Agency, Tibbo said Rodel and a handful of others banded together to help in the whistleblower's early days as a fugitive. The information Snowden leaked exposed the scope of massive government surveillance operations. He currently lives in Moscow and is wanted in the United States on charges related to the leaks. Five other people in the "Angels" group represented by Tibbo three adults and two children remain in Hong Kong. They had fled Sri Lanka years ago, and their applications for asylum in Hong Kong have been rejected. Rodel, who went to Hong Kong after fleeing gender-based violence and human trafficking in the Philippines, said the group members all developed an unusually close bond. "When we are ... facing lots of problems, we always stick together," she said. "We feel like we are family." The group gained notoriety in 2016 when their existence was revealed in Oliver Stone's film "Snowden," and Tibbo said they have since faced political persecution in Hong Kong. The so-called "Angels" have been identified as a couple from Sri Lanka named Supun Kellapatha and Nadeeka Paththini, and their two young children. The fifth is Ajit Kumara, a Sri Lankan soldier who deserted the military. Rodel said Kellapatha is Keana's father. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Tibbo and three Montreal-based lawyers set up a group to raise money for his clients. They filed asylum applications on their behalf, and collected about $350,000 for their expenses in Hong Kong and in Canada, should they all arrive as privately sponsored refugees. Tibbo called on Ottawa to extend the same welcome Rodel and Keana received to the rest of the group. "Canada needs to step forward," he said. "The government of Canada has done the right thing for Vanessa and her daughter, but really what should have been done is all the families should have been brought into Canada at one time." Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has said the government cannot weigh in on private refugee cases or comment on individual situations. But Ethan Cox, spokesman for advocacy group For the Refugees, questioned that claim. "The government has the ability to intervene and expedite the processing of the private-sponsored refugee claims of the remaining five Snowden refugees," Cox said. "That is what we are asking today is for the government of Justin Trudeau to finish the job." OTTAWA Disagreement over appointing a Manitoba judge as chief justice of the Supreme Court has emerged as another potential friction point between former attorney general Judy Wilson-Raybould and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Press has learned. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 25/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Jody Wilson-Raybould appears at the House of Commons Justice Committee on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019. Jody Wilson-Raybould recommended in 2017 that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nominate a conservative Manitoba judge to be chief justice of the Supreme Court, even though he wasn't a sitting member of the top court and had been a vocal critic of its activism on Charter of Rights issues, The Canadian Press has learned. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA Disagreement over appointing a Manitoba judge as chief justice of the Supreme Court has emerged as another potential friction point between former attorney general Judy Wilson-Raybould and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Press has learned. Wilson-Raybould recommended in 2017 that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nominate Glenn Joyal, chief justice for Manitoba's Court of Queen's Bench, and who has been a vocal critic of the Supreme Court's activism on Charter of Rights issues, The Canadian Press has learned. Well-placed sources say the former justice ministers choice for chief justice was a moment of "significant disagreement" with Trudeau, who has touted the Liberals as "the party of the charter" and whose late father, Pierre Trudeau, spearheaded the drive to enshrine the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the Constitution in 1982. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal discussions about a Supreme Court appointment, which are typically considered highly confidential. For her part, Wilson-Raybould said Monday "there was no conflict between the PM and myself." In an email, she characterized the matter as part of the normal process of appointing a Supreme Court justice, which involves "typically CONFIDENTIAL conversations and communications back and forths between the PM and the AG (attorney general) on potential candidates for appointment." She said she's "not at liberty to comment" on the "veracity" of what the sources said occurred, adding, "Commentary/reporting in this regard with respect to a SCC appointment(s) could compromise the integrity of the appointments process and potentially sitting justices." The issue suggests Trudeau may have had reasons unrelated to the SNC-Lavalin affair for moving Wilson-Raybould out of the prestigious Justice portfolio earlier this year a cabinet shuffle that touched off a full-blown political crisis for the governing Liberals. Wilson-Raybould has said she believes she was moved to Veterans Affairs as punishment for refusing to intervene to stop a criminal prosecution of the Montreal engineering giant on bribery charges related to contracts in Libya. Trudeau has denied the SNC matter had anything to do with the decision. She resigned a month later amid allegations she was improperly pressured by the Prime Ministers Office to interfere in the SNC-Lavalin case, triggering a furor that has engulfed the Trudeau government ever since. The PMO refused to comment on the story Monday. The issue, the sources say, arose after Beverley McLachlin announced in June 2017 her decision to retire that December after 28 years on the high court, including 17 as chief justice. Her retirement meant the government would have to choose a new chief justice and find another bilingual judge from western or northern Canada to sit on the nine-member bench. Trudeau created an independent, non-partisan advisory board, headed by former Conservative prime minister Kim Campbell, to identify qualified candidates to fill the western/northern vacancy and submit a short list of three to five names for consideration. According to the sources, one of the names on the eventual list was Glenn Joyal, who had been appointed in 2011 by former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper as chief justice of Manitobas Court of Queens Bench. Wilson-Raybould then sent Trudeau a 60-plus-page memo arguing that Joyal should not only be added to the top court but should be named chief justice as well. Only once before in Canadian history in 1906, when Sir Wilfrid Laurier appointed his justice minister to the top judicial job has a prime minister chosen a chief justice who was not already sitting on the Supreme Court. Wilson-Rayboulds pick puzzled Trudeau but he became disturbed after doing some research into Joyals views on the charter, the sources said. Joyal had criticized the judiciary for broadly interpreting charter rights and expanding them to apply to things not explicitly mentioned in the charter or, in his view, intended by provincial premiers when they agreed to enshrine a charter in the Constitution. The Supreme Courts liberal interpretation has led to things like legalization of same-sex marriage, the right of women to choose to have an abortion and the legalization of medical assistance in dying, among other things developments Trudeau has celebrated. In a January 2017 speech to the Canadian Constitution Foundations Law and Freedom Conference, Joyal echoed conservative arguments that the top court has usurped the supremacy of elected legislatures to determine social policy. The charter, Joyal argued, was the result of a compromise between Pierre Trudeau and premiers, most of whom had originally opposed inclusion of a charter in the Constitution. The compromise was intended to maintain a balance between the judiciary and the legislative branch of government, with provisions allowing governments to limit or override rights altogether in some circumstances. Since then, judicial interpretation of the charter has ignored the intentions of the drafters and "led without question to a level of judicial potency that was not anticipated back in 1982," Joyal said in the speech, a video of which is available on the foundation's website. That, in turn, has resulted in a "less potent and less influential legislative branch that seldom has the final word." "With the 'constitutionalizing' of more and more political and social issues into fundamental rights, the Canadian judiciary has all but removed those issues, in a fairly permanent way, from the realm of future civic engagement and future political debate," he said. Joyal was particularly critical of the Supreme Courts interpretation of section 7 of the charter the section which guarantees everyone the right to life, liberty and security of the person and under which the top court struck down Canadas abortion law and the prohibition on medically assisted death. The courts liberal interpretation of that section "has become, particularly in recent years, the single most fertile source for the discovery of new rights and the de facto constitutionalization of political and social issues," he said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Trudeau rejected Wilson-Rayboulds advice. He ended up appointing Sheila Martin, a judge on the appeal courts of Alberta, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, to fill the vacant western Canadian seat on the bench. Sitting Supreme Court Justice Richard Wagner was elevated to the role of chief justice. Shortly after Trudeau told Wilson-Raybould he did not support her choice, the sources said Joyal withdrew his name from consideration. In a statement Monday, Joyal makes no mention of the former minister, saying he submitted an application for consideration for the Supreme Court in 2017, only to be forced to withdraw his name for personal reasons related to his wife's health. "I fear that someone is using my previous candidacy to the Supreme Court of Canada to further an agenda unrelated to the appointment process," Joyal said. "This is wrong." Wilson-Rayboulds advocacy of Joyal for the top judicial job may not come as a total surprise to some Liberals, whove privately noted what they consider her conservative, restrictive approach to charter rights in a number of bills, including those dealing with assisted dying, impaired driving and genetic discrimination. Jane Philpott, as health minister at the time, was jointly responsible with Wilson-Raybould for the assisted dying legislation. She quit the cabinet earlier this month in solidarity with Wilson-Raybould, saying she no longer had confidence in the governments handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair. OTTAWA As Chinas escalating spat with Canada ensnares canola farmers, Manitobans with ties to the country need to step up, a former ambassador told the Free Press. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 25/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA As Chinas escalating spat with Canada ensnares canola farmers, Manitobans with ties to the country need to step up, a former ambassador told the Free Press. Canada's canola industry declared on Friday that China was blocking all of its seed exports, three weeks after halting Richardson Internationals canola-export permit. It was the latest in a series of measures China has taken since last December's arrest of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver, at the request of U.S. tax authorities. JASON FRANSON / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Guy Saint-Jacques, Canadas ambassador to China from 2012 to 2016. The Free Press spoke with Guy Saint-Jacques, Canadas ambassador to China from 2012 to 2016, about how the federal Liberals have handled the issue, what options are on the table and how Winnipeggers can get involved. Q: How bad is this months-long spat? This is the worst crisis in the bilateral relationship we have faced since we established diplomatic relations in 1970. When China detained high-profile Canadians, we were able to rally support from a number of countries who issued public statements. It probably took China by surprise and made them think twice before taking further measures. But now they are increasing the pressure. Cancelling Richardson's export permit means 30 per cent of our canola-seed exports; that is a huge part of our trade. The growth in our exports to China over the seven years is due in large part to agriculture. Former ambassador cites spats elsewhere OTTAWA China's restrictions on Canadian canola echo times the country has seemed to retaliate against exporters over political issues, according to Guy Saint-Jacques, Canadas former ambassador to China. "China is a champion at using what we call non-tariff barriers," he said, noting most are "not covered by international laws." click to read more OTTAWA China's restrictions on Canadian canola echo times the country has seemed to retaliate against exporters over political issues, according to Guy Saint-Jacques, Canadas former ambassador to China. "China is a champion at using what we call non-tariff barriers," he said, noting most are "not covered by international laws." Last month, China banned coal imports using a testing criteria Saint-Jacques said doesnt follow an international standard. This came after Australia banned China-based Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. from operating 5G data networks. Canada is still deciding whether to follow suit. China similarly hiked its taxes on Australian coal years ago, which had those imports temporarily drop by a third. In 2017, China organized a year-long boycott of South Korean stores after that country allowed the United States to set deploy an anti-missile system. For years, China halted imports of salmon and other products from Norway, when the Nobel committee awarded its 2010 peace prize to the incarcerated human-rights activist Liu Xiaobo. The country banned bananas and other foods from the Philippines in 2012 for four years, after the country disputed Chinas construction of artificial islands at a United Nations tribunal. Dylan Robertson Close Q: Ottawa keeps demanding China's samples of the "dangerous pests" it claims to have found in Richardson's canola. The country has instead escalated its agriculture restrictions. What can we do? China has not offered any evidence about those pests. Knowing how they reacted in the past, its probably a dubious claim. But at the same time, we have to recognize they have legitimate concerns about avoiding contamination of their canola, by any kind of disease like blackleg that would come from Canadian shipments. We need a common approach between the federal government, the provincial governments especially in Western Canada and industry, to say to demonstrate what we can do to increase the safety of our shipments, but also ask them to resume trade right away. Were still in talks for our canola agreement with China, which runs September 2016 until March 2020. Those negations are now more urgent because Chinas jumped the gun. Canadian farmers have to decide if they'll sell canola elsewhere, presumably at a considerably reduced price, or switch to other crops. MARK SCHIEFELBEIN / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Bottles of Canola Harvest brand canola oil, manufactured by Richardson International, are seen on the shelf of a grocery store in Beijing. Q: Does anything surprise you about this? It seems China doesnt care about protecting what I would call a good relationship. We helped to create the dairy industry over there, we help to considerably improve their pork industry, to train veterinarians and food inspectors. Provinces have hosted Chinese scientists. In my view, its still worth to remind the Chinese of this long-term friendship. They are doing major damage to the relationship. Q: Does Manitoba have a role to play? We are at the stage where we have to use all channels. Many Canadian provinces have twinnings with Chinese provinces and they go back a long time. Many former officials have connections with people in China who now occupy more important positions. Some large companies have those contacts. We need to speaking with one voice, to remind them of all of our collaboration. We need to use all those channels to impress on the Chinese and hope that they will plead for us, and be the voice of reason to leadership that they are doing lots of damage, not only with Canada but other western countries. Canola restrictions will hurt Chinese citizens: ex-diplomat OTTAWA China's restrictions on Canadian canola will negatively impact the average Chinese person, according to Guy Saint-Jacques, Canadas former ambassador to China. "Canola is very well perceived in China, mostly because it carries health benefits," Saint-Jacques said in an interview. "But when a communist government decides to impose measures, it doesnt care about importers." click to read more OTTAWA China's restrictions on Canadian canola will negatively impact the average Chinese person, according to Guy Saint-Jacques, Canadas former ambassador to China. "Canola is very well perceived in China, mostly because it carries health benefits," Saint-Jacques said in an interview. "But when a communist government decides to impose measures, it doesnt care about importers." Saint-Jacques said some plants in China that were importing Canadian canola will likely go bankrupt, as they were operating around 40 per cent of their seed-crushing capacity. "Under Chinas current leader (Xi Jinping), it's now very difficult to criticize the government," Saint-Jacques said, adding the country lacks any strong consumer association. "If you want to organize a movement, you will be arrested right away and put in jail." Few countries have the weather conditions needed to produce canola. "And so its clear that the Chinese government knowing how large a chunk of exports this is wants to send us a clear message." He expects if the United States and China end their tariff war, Canada will have its exports drop as the country switches to American agricultural products. Although the Liberal government does not have large swaths of support in canola-producing regions, Saint-Jacques said China is targeting a market that will resonate nationally. Dylan Roberson Close Q: Winnipeg has a Chinese sister city, Chengdu, but few actual ties. Is that a problem? You have to use all available channels and goodwill. Q: Can other countries step in? We have to underline to the U.S. that they have put us in this mess, which could now mean Canadian farmers losing billions of dollars in sales. Only the U.S. can confront China. Thats why we need a functioning, multilateral system, to help us to impress on China that what they are doing is not acceptable. Canada has done a lot in trying to lower the temperature, and not put any oil on the fire. China is still concerned by its international reputation. If we are not able to convince them, we should launch a World Trade Organization complaint. We could end up successful, but only in two or four years. The canola restrictions will have done a lot of damage and exacerbated the relationship. Meng Wanzhou's extradition process can take many years. Unfortunately, we are a small partner for China. They can do a lot of damage. Our new trade agreement with the U.S. and Mexico has a clause suggesting Canada won't sign a free-trade agreement with China in the near future. That very important point of leverage is now gone. Q: You were appointed by then-prime minister Stephen Harper. The current Conservatives say Canadas lack of an ambassador is worsening the situation, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ought to phone Chinese President Xi Jinping. Would either help? It does not make a huge difference at this point. China has refused to meet with anyone unless we come up with a guarantee Meng Wanzhou will be free and, of course, we cannot do that. Its always better if you have a full-fledged ambassador. But China restricts ambassadors' access to key decision-makers. Phoning Xi Jingping doesn't make any sense. Chinese leaders are often not wiling to take calls unless its from a major country. That is the last recourse, and you must first have done a lot at the stage of diplomats and governing officials. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. The Manitoba government has updated its respectful workplace policy to reflect a broader definition of sexual harassment, with hopes employees will feel more comfortable coming forward with concerns. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (991 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Manitoba government has updated its respectful workplace policy to reflect a broader definition of sexual harassment, with hopes employees will feel more comfortable coming forward with concerns. On Tuesday, Status of Women Minister Rochelle Squires and civil service commissioner Charlene Paquin announced revisions to the respectful workplace policy, as well as a new sexual-harassment awareness campaign. "There are consequences to pay for sexual harassment. The day of sweeping sexual harassment in the workforce under the carpet is gone. And so there are clear measures that will be taken and every case will be judged independently," Squires said. She unveiled six new posters, which will be available online and displayed around government buildings. One of the placards notes making jokes about sex, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity in the workplace needs to stop and is considered sexual harassment. "We certainly did hear from a lot of employees who felt that what might have been dismissed as a colourful or offputting joke a decade ago... is sexual harassment. And were very encouraged to see that being labelled appropriately," Squires said. The revised respectful workplace policy will affect about 14,000 civil servants. The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba is working on a similar policy for elected officials, expected to be released in the coming months. Paquin hoped the amended policy (available online at manitoba.ca/respect) will clearly explain to employees where they can turn with complaints. She noted its a next step in the governments "no wrong door" approach to dealing with complaints about misconduct. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The Manitoba opposition was on side with the governments updated policy. "Every person should feel safe and respected at work, and we support provincial policies which raise awareness of workplace harassment and promote appropriate behaviour," NDP MLA Nahanni Fontaine said in a statement. Squires said the province also expects to see an "uptick" in the number of workplace harassment complaints, which it began tracking and releasing publicly last year on an annual basis. This is encouraging, she said, as it means more employees feel comfortable coming forward. Last year, more than 500 Manitoba government workers most of them women reported they had been sexually harassed on the job. Of those, one in 10 said they were currently experiencing it, and 90 per cent said they had experienced it on multiple occasions. jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @_jessbu OTTAWA The Supreme Court heard Tuesday a former Manitoba soldiers appeal of his firearms charges, in a case that could overhaul Canadas military court-martial system. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA The Supreme Court heard Tuesday a former Manitoba soldiers appeal of his firearms charges, in a case that could overhaul Canadas military court-martial system. The case stems from a non-lethal shooting seven years ago. A court martial convicted Master Cpl. C.J. Stillman to six years in prison after an incident at a home at CFB Shilo in July 2012. He was 40 at the time, with roughly 15 years of military service. After a night of drinking with fellow soldiers at the mess hall, Stillman went to the victims house on the base to have more drinks. At one point, the two got in a fight and Stillman left the house. According to court records, "Stillmans face was bloody and bruised." He returned at about 6 a.m. with a pistol, the military court heard, and shot one round through the victims left thigh and calf. He also shot toward a second person, who was not hit. The pistol was a handgun Stillman had permission to use only in Alberta. Stillman was sentenced to six years in prison on five firearms charges that align with Criminal Code offences. The sentencing judge noted Stillman, who had been deployed once in Bosnia and twice in Afghanistan, had "emotional and psychological difficulties that contributed" to his actions. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Had Stillman not been a soldier, he likely would have been tried by a jury, which was part of Stillmans grounds for appeal but rejected by a military appeal judge. A more recent Quebec case raised similar issues. Master Cpl. Raphael Beaudry was accused of sexual assault causing bodily harm in December 2014; a court martial denied him a jury trial and convicted him. But last fall, the military appeals court ruled soldiers had a charter right to have trials involving serious crimes heard by a jury, which would require civilian courts to take on military cases involving murder or sexual assault. Legal experts expect a decision in the coming weeks, which they say could see the existing practice upheld, or dozens of military cases moved into provincial courts or perhaps an order to create a jury system within the military court system. In filings, the military argued it should have grounds to prosecute such cases, in part because it can sanction soldiers through services offences that still lead to a criminal record, instead of the more complex requirements of criminal charges. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is taking its canola spat with China very seriously, and is considering dispatching a delegation of diplomats in hopes of quelling an ongoing dispute over one of Western Canada's main exports. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is taking its canola spat with China "very seriously," and is considering dispatching a delegation of diplomats in hopes of quelling an ongoing dispute over one of Western Canada's main exports. Last week, the Canola Council of Canada said it appeared China was ready to block all canola seed imports from Canada, an action widely viewed as retaliation for Ottawas arrest last fall of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. executive Meng Wanzhou at the request of United States tax authorities. China blocks canola seed from Viterra China has blocked imports of canola seed from a second major Canadian exporter. China's general administration of customs announced Tuesday on its website that its officials have detected several hazardous organisms in shipments of canola from Viterra Inc. Shipments from Viterra have been blocked to prevent the introduction of pests to China, it said. click to read more China has blocked imports of canola seed from a second major Canadian exporter. China's general administration of customs announced Tuesday on its website that its officials have detected several hazardous organisms in shipments of canola from Viterra Inc. Shipments from Viterra have been blocked to prevent the introduction of pests to China, it said. Viterra did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Chinese government gave the same reason for blocking canola shipped by Richardson International Ltd. of Winnipeg. The Canola Council of Canada has reported that Chinese companies have stopped buying canola seed from Canadian producers. China accounts for about 40 per cent of Canada's exports of canola seed, oil and meal. The Canadian Press Close Regina-based Viterra Inc., a subsidiary of Glencore Agriculture, was the latest producer to fall victim to China's apparent canola ban Tuesday. China's general administration of customs announced on its website officials had detected several hazardous organisms in Viterra's shipments of canola. The move came three weeks after China suspended Winnipeg-based Richardson International's export permit, citing "dangerous pests" in its canola shipments as well. China accounts for about 40 per cent of Canada's exports of canola seed, oil and meal. "Obviously, we have seen a certain amount of challenges in our relationship with China over some diplomatic issues and, indeed, the rule of law, which we always stand up for. We stand up for Canadians," Trudeau told reporters gathered in Winnipeg, during a visit Tuesday to the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology. "But we are taking very seriously this situation around canola as well." THE CANADIAN PRESS/JEFF MCINTOSH China's government has blocked imports of canola seed from major Canadian exporter, Viterra Inc. stating that their officials had detected several hazardous organisms in shipments of its canola. The prime minister spoke Monday with Jim Everson, president of the Canola Council of Canada, and discussed the situation Tuesday with officials from Richardson International, including chief executive officer Hartley Richardson. Richardson wouldn't comment on the meeting, nor would the prime minister answer reporters' questions about the rendezvous. Trudeau tweeted, however, it was a "good meeting" with International Trade Diversification Minister Jim Carr and Richardson, where they talked about "what we're doing to support Canadian canola." "We will always stand up for Canadian industries and workers," the prime minister tweeted. Trudeau also discussed the possibility of sending a delegation to China, something Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler also suggested Monday. "There is significant interest in sending a high-level delegation to China to talk about the extraordinary work that we do in terms of oversight inspection and the science around ensuring the safety of and the quality of everything Canadian that Canada exports," the prime minister said. Brian Innes, vice-president of the Canola Council of Canada, told the Free Press the association is "really perplexed" by China's actions. "We don't understand how the quality of our canola can change between December and now. We don't understand China's concerns when every other country in the world is happy with our canola," Innes said. "We need our technical officials to resolve it as quickly as possible," he added, noting the council supports Trudeau sending delegates abroad. (AP PHOTO/MARK SCHIEFELBEIN) Bottles of Canola Harvest brand canola oil, manufactured by Canadian agribusiness firm Richardson International, on the shelf of a grocery store in Beijing, China. Chuck Fossay, president of the Manitoba Canola Growers Association, said the trade talks aren't yet influencing the growing intentions of producers. In talking with his neighbours near Starbuck, and with other Manitoba farmers and seed dealers, Fossay said no one is avoiding growing canola or cutting back on acreage. Farmers have to continually rotate crops between cereals and oilseeds or else weeds will build up resistance to specific herbicides. "There aren't many crops farmers (who) want to replace their canola... because it's still our best-paying crop," Fossay said in an interview. That's despite a $20 per tonne (or 50-cent per bushel) drop in prices over the past few weeks since China started blocking Canada's shipments. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The canola price is now just under $10 a bushel, Fossay said, noting a 50-cent fluctuation is "not unusual" and won't cause widespread panic. He also noted China is still purchasing canola oil and canola meal. Because Manitoba has several canola crushers either in the province or in nearby North Dakota and Saskatchewan, virtually no raw seed from the province goes to China. Manitoba canola should not get backed up because of China's actions, Fossay said. with files from The Canadian Press jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.ca bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 25/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion PRIME Minister Justin Trudeau looked like a contented man. On Monday night, in a medium-sized meeting room at the Inn at the Forks, Trudeau delivered a tight, 10-minute mini stump speech to about 50 donors from the Laurier Club and a contingent of journalists. He cracked a few jokes, rattled off a list of his governments greatest hits during the past three-and-a-half years, received some solid applause, and then retired for the evening. It was a mostly older crowd, full of current and former provincial and federal MLAs and MPs. Manitoba Metis Federation president David Chartrand was there, as was a smattering of other Indigenous leaders. The rest of the audience was made up of life-long Liberal supporters, fundraisers and organizers, all of whom will play a key role in this falls election. Normally, an intimate event such as this would not be open to the media. Allowing journalists into the event only for the 10-minute stump speech was a shameless attempt to show the rest of the country that Trudeau is still loved by (most of) his party. Thats a critically important message for the Liberals as former cabinet ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott continue to accuse Trudeau of inappropriate political meddling in a criminal prosecution of Quebec engineering firm SNC-Lavalin. Its also solid proof that this controversy is forcing Trudeau to wage war for his political future on two fronts. First, there is the challenge he faces in the broader general public, where support for Trudeau and his government has waned significantly since the Wilson-Raybould story broke in February. Before the controversy became public, the Trudeau Liberals were already in a tight race; since the SNC-Lavalin affair became part of the nations political lexicon, any small advantage the Liberals enjoyed over Andrew Scheers Conservatives has vanished. But there is a second battle Trudeau must wage within his own party for the hearts and minds and cheques of party members. In these critical months before the October election, Trudeau must maintain the support of all the candidates, strategists, official agents, fundraisers and street-level volunteers who form the backbone of a federal campaign. Without these mostly volunteer ground forces, no party could hope to win an election of this scope and importance. Trudeaus stump speech was pretty standard, except for a section where he directly appealed to those in the room to get out and start re-enforcing the Liberal brand as a progressive and inclusive party, a brand that has suffered serious damage in the past month. Trudeau told them that his government has shown Canada that "government done well, done responsibly, done through always staying connected with people... can make a real and positive impact in peoples lives." And then, he brought it home. "Those are the conversations I need you to be having over the coming months. Conversations with your neighbours... your co-workers and your colleagues, your family and your friends." In other words, get out and push a message to combat the one that Wilson-Raybould, Philpott and opposition parties are broadcasting from Ottawa. There is no doubt we have reached a critical point in the lead-up to the next election, as demonstrated by the events of Saturday, a so-called "national day of action" for Liberal election readiness. On this day, the party wanted all nominated candidates, including incumbents, and their volunteer supporters out knocking on doors in every riding in the country. If lots of people show up to canvass, organizers generally see it as a sign that support for the leader is strong; if only a skeleton crew materializes, then there is some reason to be concerned. Its hardly a scientific assessment of internal support but it does reveal some sense of the broad mood of party members. On days like this, the party tracks both attempts (doors knocked, phone calls made) and actual live contacts with voters. Again, although there is no definitive measurement, senior officials in the Manitoba wing of the federal Liberal party were "not displeased" the the numbers, as one official put it. Volunteers showed up, doors were rapped, conversations were had. Those conversations were not just between Liberals and voters; the Liberals were also talking among themselves and re-enforcing a growing narrative within the party about how and why Wilson-Raybould and Philpott are sparring so openly with Trudeau. The talking points that party officials frequently summon argue that Wilson-Raybould and Philpott are working on behalf of someone or a group of Liberals who want to bring Trudeau down and force a leadership race. "It looks pretty well orchestrated," was a line uttered by numerous Liberals contacted Monday. Dan Lett | Not for Attribution A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world that is sent every Tuesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. To support their theory, a number of Liberals point an accusing finger at former Chretien-era strategist Warren Kinsella, an operative who has been largely ostracized by the Trudeau Liberals. The talking points theorize that Kinsella is exacting his revenge by instructing both Wilson-Raybould and Philpott on how to subvert a sitting prime minister. The evidence of this conspiracy is pretty thin; Kinsellas wife, Lisa, has been seen with Wilson-Raybould and Philpott in Ottawa, including a well-publicized hug immediately after her testimony to the Commons justice committee. As unlikely as this narrative seems, it could be pretty effective at keeping diehard Liberals lined up behind Trudeau. It completely ignores the SNC-Lavalin affair, and focuses all of the attention of party members on the motivation of the two prominent dissidents, both of whom claim to want to run for the party even as they attempt to reduce it to rubble. And it reminds Liberals that they have been through this before. Working quietly to unseat a sitting prime minister is actually a long-standing Liberal tradition. John Turner was scuttled by Jean Chretien, who in turn was stabbed in the back by Paul Martin. "Weve seen this movie before," one senior Manitoba Grit said Monday night. "It never ends well for us. When parties show people that they cant govern themselves, it convinces voters they cant govern the country." This most recent visit to Winnipeg is clear proof that if Trudeau is going to convince Canadians he can still govern the country, hes going to need a lot of help from his remaining friends. dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca Tuesday, April 2 is Caregiver Recognition Day in Manitoba. The work of family caregivers is often invisible to health and social care systems. Although the provincial government began to legislate support for them in 2011, the momentum now seems to have been lost, leaving caregivers to continue to toil relatively unseen and unhelped. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion Tuesday, April 2 is Caregiver Recognition Day in Manitoba. The work of family caregivers is often invisible to health and social care systems. Although the provincial government began to legislate support for them in 2011, the momentum now seems to have been lost, leaving caregivers to continue to toil relatively unseen and unhelped. What are the possibilities for reviving the act within our current government, as it embarks on implementing large-scale system transformation? Caregiving is helping your family member with a disability or illness to get dressed and washed in the mornings, driving them to and from appointments and being on call around the clock. It is protecting good relationships with paid care providers while advocating to ensure your family member receives safe and appropriate services. It is learning how to navigate complex care systems and innumerable gatekeepers, application forms and phone calls. Research shows family caregiving can negatively affect the personal finances, well-being and social relationships of caregivers, especially among those providing intensive levels of care. Caregivers, so ensnared by stress, may not even recognize their own needs for support. To counter the public invisibility of family-care work and better support caregivers, the U.K. and Australia developed national caregiver acts, heralded internationally as innovative and progressive precedents. Modelled in part on these acts, in 2011, Manitobas leaders passed the Caregiver Recognition Act (Bill 42). This was an exciting time, as many people (including ourselves) hoped the act might improve everyday situations and circumstances faced by caregivers. Ontario appears to be following suit with a similar act in legislative process. Manitobas act was intended to promote awareness of caregivers and inform "a framework for caregiver recognition and caregiver support." But a policy framework did not develop, and findings from Manitobas caregiver consultations (designed to inform the acts implementation) were posted quietly online, yet never formally publicly released or discussed. One of us (Funk) wrote the consultation report and was told not to use the phrase "recommendations" only "points of note," "opportunities" or "possibilities." It was also unclear whether the acts principles apply to all government departments and agencies or only those "responsible for the development, implementation, provision or evaluation of caregiver supports." Yet services with fundamental effects on a family caregivers well-being home-care services for older adults, for instance are not normally defined within policy as caregiver supports. With little indication of who is responsible for maintaining the act, and no money behind it, it is easy to see how it has fallen by the wayside. After some Caregiver Recognition Day events, the act, and its associated sense of magic, has fizzled. Although recognition, alone, is never enough, the act could have been (and we like to think, could still be) much more than a pat on the back for caregivers. For instance, the act promotes acknowledging caregivers as individuals with their own needs; adopting caregiver needs assessments in home care is a promising practice implemented in some regions. In addition, supporting caregivers economic well-being (another principle of the act) could suggest moving beyond annual caregiver tax credits toward a more substantial monthly caregiver benefit, extending the approach currently adopted in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The fizzling of the act seems significant when considered alongside recent decisions to cease the Caregiver Advisory Committee, as well as the branch that was instrumental in developing the act (seniors and healthy aging). This approach is in stark contrast to Quebec, where a minister for seniors and family caregivers was recently established. Is the act even being used? In response to a query, the seniors and healthy aging branch told us that "recognizing caregivers through legislation is only one aspect of supporting caregivers. The provision of services that are efficient and responsive to the patient and their family is highly important." It is assumed, in other words, that Manitobas health system transformation will benefit families and caregivers. We would not initially disagree with this, though it evades the issue of how the act has been, or will be used, to better support caregivers. Notably, some key reports supporting health system transformation (e.g., Peachey report, KPMGs health care report) do not discuss caregivers needs or refer to the act. For a health-system transformation that recognizes and supports family caregivers, they need to be actively and meaningfully involved in policy redesign processes and system governance. Although citizen engagement is a stated pillar of the transformation, there is little information available about this process to know whether such engagement has been a priority in practice. Under the right leadership, the Caregiver Recognition Act still has considerable untapped potential to develop caregiver-friendly policies and practices throughout Manitoba. Will the current government use it to inform health system transformation? Or will it remain an illusion? Laura Funk is an associate professor and Kaitlyn Obedzinski is a PhD student in the department of sociology and criminology at the University of Manitoba. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion Social media has made every day a huge news day. Responses to political developments are regularly framed in apocalyptic turns. It is not only a challenge to determine whether news is real or fake; all news is immediately contextualized as the 1927 Yankees of bombshells. The Earth is scorched, the end is near, each new revelation has shades of Watergate. The SNC-Lavalin saga is now more than a month old. The story has dominated the Canadian national news cycle for weeks; television political panels have been convened at a rate not seen since the days of Nigel Wright and Mike Duffy. Public opinion polls have started to reveal the impact of the scandal on voting intentions. And because of the breathless coverage of the political fallout, its easy to overlook the resignations of Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott as a truly historic cabinet event. Based on one measure the volume and timing of ministerial resignations 2019 has been a historic year in Canadian federal cabinet governance. Yes, only two people resigned, but ministerial resignations on principle, policy or political strategy are rare. Multiple ministerial resignations on principle, policy or political strategy are unicorns. Few cabinet resignations over disagreements Since Confederation, almost 700 people have served in federal cabinet only 26, or around four per cent, have resigned over disagreements with the government. This type of resignation has become even rarer over time Stephen Harper only had one, Paul Martin had one, Jean Chretien endured no resignations of this type and Brian Mulroney experienced two, most notably Lucien Bouchards departure over the Meech Lake accord, which led to the creation of the Bloc Quebecois. Bouchards case highlights that many of the 26 resignations have been, like the current controversy, steeped in political drama and intrigue. Pierre Trudeau lost a minister who tried to form his own party called Action Canada. The Wilson-Raybould/Philpott resignations are historic because it is only the fourth time in Canadian history that a prime minister has lost multiple ministers as the result of a single decision or incident. The first time is a favourite for Canadian history buffs. Short-serving prime minister Mackenzie Bowell described the seven ministers who resigned his cabinet in 1896 over their loss of confidence in Bowell as a "nest of traitors." He was ultimately forced out of office over Catholic school rights in Manitoba. The second time multiple ministers resigned in response to the same incident occurred in the Mackenzie King government during the 1944 conscription crisis. Kings decision-making on sending soldiers overseas led to the resignation of two ministers on opposite sides of the conscription debate, Chubby Power and James Ralston, although historians suggest the pro-conscription Ralston was forced to quit. The third time, in February 1963 under prime minister John Diefenbaker, George Hees, Pierre Sevigny and Douglas Harkness resigned over the span of a week in response to the governments position on housing nuclear missiles as part of NORAD. Shows how cabinet works Lumping in the 2019 cabinet resignations with Bowell, King and Diefenbaker may be notable in a trivial sense, but the incident has also provided ample information on how cabinet works, leading to many substantive debates. In the last month, commentary has focused on how the media covers female ministers, the workings of cabinet and the history of women leaving Canadian cabinets. When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in front of Rideau Hall in 2015 that "government by cabinet is back" he brought an unusual amount of attention to his government. His cabinet was much smaller than most modern federal cabinets, and was the most gender and racially diverse in Canadian history. Trudeau promised not only changes at a descriptive level, but also operational ministers would be more empowered than in previous cabinets during an era of increasing centralization of power in the Prime Ministers Office. The high expectations have only proved to shine a brighter light on the current cabinet turmoil. Across all levels of government in Canada, ministerial resignations on the basis of political, policy or principled disagreement with the government are unusual and remarkable (we should not forget the recent and incredible case of five provincial ministers resigning in Manitoba under former premier Greg Selinger). Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. A different type of cabinet But as experts have noted, Trudeaus is a different type of cabinet. This means that while we should understand these resignations as historic, they could also do something entirely new: they could challenge the stubborn trends of strict cabinet solidarity and power struggles behind closed doors. Due to cabinet confidentiality and ministerial oaths of secrecy, the institution of cabinet is one of the countrys most difficult to understand. It can take years, and after-the-fact insiders accounts, to gain a deeper understanding of the inner workings of a powerful institution. While the Wilson-Raybould/Philpott resignations are historic by the numbers, they may also prove historic in creating a new faith in a previously elite and closed decision-making body that possesses a tremendous influence over the lives of Canadians. J.P. Lewis is an associate professor of history and politics at the University of New Brunswick. This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca. Special counsel Robert Mueller and U.S. Attorney General William Barr have ended the gravest threat to Donald Trumps hold on the presidency of the United States. After a thorough 22-month investigation, Mr. Mueller found no evidence that Mr. Trump conspired with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election. Mr. Barr agreed. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 25/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Special counsel Robert Mueller and U.S. Attorney General William Barr have ended the gravest threat to Donald Trumps hold on the presidency of the United States. After a thorough 22-month investigation, Mr. Mueller found no evidence that Mr. Trump conspired with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election. Mr. Barr agreed. This brings Mr. Trump and his administration out from under a political cloud, into the sunshine. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland may now have an opportunity to nudge Mr. Trump forward into a new, more relaxed style of leadership. Like the rest of the North Atlantic alliance, Canada has been waiting for Mr. Trump to figure out who Americas friends are and learn to be loyal to them. This could be the moment. Cliff Owen / The Associated Press files Special counsel Robert Mueller Mr. Mueller and his team dug up plenty of dirt in the course of the Russia investigation. Close associates of Mr. Trump have pleaded guilty or been convicted of a string of crimes. Investigations are still proceeding into Mr. Trumps family foundation, his business practices, his attempts to conceal his alleged adulterous sexual liaisons. There may be evidence worth discussing about obstruction of justice by Mr. Trump. Want more great journalism? Get our best news and features delivered in your inbox every weekday evening. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. On the main issue, however did he criminally conspire with a hostile foreign power to defeat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and win the presidency? Mr Trump is now in the clear. Now, the world will find out what kind of president Mr. Trump is when he does not face the imminent threat of impeachment. On the evidence so far, Mr. Trump in the sunshine is a lot like Mr. Trump in the shadows vindictive, self-pitying, divisive, eager to pick a fight. On reflection, he may notice that the special-counsel process, which consisted of studying documents, questioning witnesses and sifting facts, produced a conclusion that must command respect. In the world of reality TV and social media, fake news and spin can pass for reality. There still is such a thing as truth, however, and it does a president no harm to step out of the world of spin and ground himself in verifiable facts. During the first half of his presidential term, Mr. Trump flattered and courted the most bloodthirsty dictators he could find North Koreas Kim Jong Un, Saudi Arabias Mohammed bin Salman, Turkeys Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russias Vladimir Putin while sneering at Germanys Angela Merkel, Frances Emmanuel Macron and Canadas Justin Trudeau. He has believed for many years that all U.S. presidents before him were fools, that Americas purported friends were parasites eating Americas lunch. Perhaps now, at this midterm moment of sunshine, he may be ready to look at some hard facts and reconsider who Americas friends are. The U.S. has no closer friend, no more faithful supplier and customer, no more trustworthy ally than Canada. As thanks, we get tariffs against our steel and aluminum, a nasty quarrel with China and cellphone-maker Huawei that is not of our making and accusations of failing to pull our weight in the North Atlantic alliance. Our people have been taken hostage in China, and China has stopped its considerable purchases of Canadian canola, all because we kept our word to the U.S. and arrested the transiting Chinese tech executive they wanted. Where is the Trump administration when we need its help to resolve that case? Nowhere to be found. Mr. Trump can now claim, like never before, to be a legitimate leader the winner of an election, and not just Putins puppet. He should be encouraged to rise to the occasion. WASHINGTON - An exuberant President Donald Trump took a victory lap on Capitol Hill Tuesday, emboldened by the end of the special counsel's Russia probe, even as Democrats pressed insistently for Robert Mueller's full report and Justice Department officials said more information could be released in "weeks, not months." Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The letter from Attorney General William Barr to Congress on the conclusions reached by special counsel Robert Mueller in the Russia probe photographed on Sunday, March 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick) WASHINGTON - An exuberant President Donald Trump took a victory lap on Capitol Hill Tuesday, emboldened by the end of the special counsel's Russia probe, even as Democrats pressed insistently for Robert Mueller's full report and Justice Department officials said more information could be released in "weeks, not months." Trump strode into a high-spirited gathering of Senate Republicans, flanked by party leaders, saying the attorney general's weekend summary of Mueller's report "could not have been better." GOP senators applauded his arrival, and he celebrated what he called his "clean bill of health." But challenges are ahead for both the Republicans and the Democrats who hope to deny Trump re-election next year. Both parties are readjusting their aims and strategies in the post-probe landscape, pivoting to health care and other issues that are more important for many voters, even with Mueller's full findings still unknown. At House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's own closed-door caucus meeting Tuesday, she urged rank-and-file Democrats to "be calm" and focus on the policy promises of health care, jobs and oversight of the administration that helped propel them to the House majority last fall. "Let's just get the goods," Pelosi said. FILE - In this March 6, 2019, file photo, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, of Calif., speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. For two years, Schiff seemed to be on every talk and late-night show sounding ominous warnings about what special counsel Robert Mueller might find on President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) Not that the Democrats are forgetting Russia and the 2016 presidential election. Many Democrats dismiss the four-page summary released by Attorney General William Barr as inadequate. "I haven't seen the Mueller report. I've seen the Barr report. And I'm not going to base anything on the Barr report," said Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland. "The president is saying he's been completely and totally exonerated by the report," Raskin said. "The one sentence we've seen from the report says this is not an exoneration of the president." Meanwhile, a Justice Department official said it will take Barr "weeks, not months" to finish reviewing Mueller's longer, still-confidential report and make a version available for the public. It's not clear whether that will be Mueller's own words or another synopsis. Trump has said he "wouldn't mind" if the full report were released. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he's hesitant to agree to releasing information from Mueller that would "throw innocent people who've not been charged under the bus." He is blocking legislation approved unanimously by the House calling for the report's release. In the GOP luncheon, Trump was in a lively mood, senators said. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said the president is "always high energy. He had a little extra today." President Donald Trump accompanied by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., left, and Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., right, arrives for a Senate Republican policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) Russia report aside, the president showed an eagerness to move on. He told GOP senators that health care should be their focus heading into the 2020 election. He said he wants them to abandon efforts to simply repeal "Obamacare" and instead focus on a replacement for President Barack Obama's signature law. "I was a little surprised he came out of the chute in health care," said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., after the meeting. "He wants us to try again." Even so, the White House was making a new effort to get rid of the Affordable Care Act entirely. In a legal filing late Monday, the administration said it would not defend the act against a court challenge essentially encouraging the law's demise. Meanwhile, House Democrats, led by Pelosi, unveiled their own sweeping measure to rescue the program on Tuesday. Trump's hour-long talk to Senate Republicans touched on trade, foreign policy and a vote later in the day on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal, which the Senate declined to take up. Trump said the climate-change proposal would be a good campaign issue to fight over with Democrats. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media as he departs a Senate Republican policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Almost no mention was made of the president's national emergency declaration to expand the border wall with Mexico, even though the House was voting on an effort to block it as the senators lunched. Congress had voted to block Trump, and he had vetoed that action. House members voted 248-181 to override Trump's veto, but that was well short of the needed two-thirds majority. Fourteen Republicans joined Democrats in trying to block the president from taking military funds to build his long-promised wall. The president seemed to have heeded advice from allies, including Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who encouraged him to use the political capital he's now gained to accomplish policy goals. Pelosi's advice to Democrats to stick with the strategy that won them control of the House in 2018 was reinforced by Obama himself, who counselled freshman Democrats at a reception Monday night. Obama advised the newly elected lawmakers to focus on constituents' hopes and concerns, while also identifying issues they feel so strongly about that they'd be willing to lose their House seats in fights over them, according to people at the private party. The focus must go beyond Russia and collusion, Democratic leaders said. "House Democrats did not win the election on collusion; we didn't win the election on impeachment; we didn't win the election on obstruction of justice," said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic Caucus chairman. "Our candidates didn't even talk about those issues. What we all collectively talked about was making life better for everyday Americans ... and that's what we're going to continue to do." At the same time, Democrats will continue their investigations of the Trump-Russia connection, and other aspects of the president's finances and business practices, including his tax returns. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "You can't move forward on a four-page memo," said Rep. Karen Bass of California. "It's hard for me to accept that as an objective opinion." Six House Democratic committee chairmen have written to Barr asking to have Mueller's full report by April 2. If not, they have suggested subpoenas could be issued. ___ Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Andrew Taylor, Catherine Lucey, Jill Colvin, Alan Fram, Mike Balsamo and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report. ___ Follow all of AP's Trump Investigations coverage at https://apnews.com/TrumpInvestigations . LONDON - British lawmakers were preparing to blow open the Brexit process and put a host of rejected options back on the table including keeping the U.K. close to the European Union or even remaining a member as Prime Minister Theresa May defiantly insisted Tuesday that Parliament should approve her twice-defeated divorce deal instead. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Britain's Health Secretary Matt Hancock arrives for a cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London, Tuesday, March 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) LONDON - British lawmakers were preparing to blow open the Brexit process and put a host of rejected options back on the table including keeping the U.K. close to the European Union or even remaining a member as Prime Minister Theresa May defiantly insisted Tuesday that Parliament should approve her twice-defeated divorce deal instead. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote Wednesday on multiple flavours of Brexit, after the House of Commons voted to wrest the parliamentary timetable away from May's weakened government and hold votes on alternatives to her rejected withdrawal agreement. The largely pro-EU legislators behind the unprecedented move hope to find a form of Brexit that can command a majority in Parliament. Votes are due to be held Wednesday on options that could include remaining in the EU's single market and customs union, calling a new membership referendum and cancelling Brexit all ideas that May has repeatedly rejected. They plan to see which ideas have the most support, and then hold another day of votes next week to try to find agreement on a proposal. The government, which usually controls the scheduling of votes in Parliament, said the lawmakers' move "upends the balance between our democratic institutions and sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent for the future." Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement on Brexit to lawmakers in the House of Commons, London, Monday March 25, 2019. May is under intense pressure Monday to win support for her Brexit deal to split from Europe.(House of Commons via AP) The votes will not be legally binding, and Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC that the government wouldn't "pre-commit" to accepting the option backed by lawmakers because they may come up with a plan that is impractical. It's also possible lawmakers could support contradictory options, or none at all. "If the Commons voted for the sun to rise in the west, the government would not be able to implement that," he said. "The best way through this impasse is the one deal that has been negotiated with the EU that can be delivered quickly now," Hancock said, referring to the prime minister's agreement. But government officials acknowledged they were no longer in control of Brexit. May's authority was hanging by a thread after 30 members of her Conservative Party defied her instructions and voted late Monday for Parliament to take control of the process. Three government ministers resigned rather than vote with the government. Almost three years after Britons voted to leave the EU, the date and terms of its departure are up in the air. Last week, the EU granted Britain a delay to the scheduled March 29 exit date, saying that if Parliament approved the proposed divorce deal, the U.K. would leave the EU on May 22. If not, the government has until April 12 to tell the 27 remaining EU countries what it plans to do leave without a deal, cancel Brexit or propose a radically new path. EU officials, exasperated by months of British political gridlock, welcomed Parliament's move to take control. European Parliament Brexit chief Guy Verhofstadt speaks during a press conference at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Tuesday March 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias) The EU legislature's top Brexit official, Guy Verhofstadt, said the U.K. lawmakers' votes could dramatically alter the course of the U.K.'s departure. "It is possible now to work in Britain toward a cross-party alliance," he said. May continued to push for approval of her deal with the EU even though the House of Commons overwhelmingly rejected it during votes in January and March. The government said it might be possible to hold a third vote on the agreement Thursday, but only if it looked like there was a reasonable chance it might pass. That appeared unlikely after the small but influential Democratic Unionist Party from Northern Ireland, which props up May's minority government, refused to water down its opposition to the withdrawal agreement. The DUP controls 10 crucial votes in the House of Commons, and many hard-line Brexit supporters may follow the party's lead when deciding how to vote. DUP Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson wrote in the Daily Telegraph that his party couldn't support May's "toxic" deal. He said delaying Brexit by up to a year would be preferable to "volunteering to be locked into the prison of the withdrawal deal with the cell door key in the pocket of Michel Barnier," the EU's chief negotiator. May has warned pro-Brexit legislators that continuing to reject the deal could lead to a "slow Brexit" that postpones the country's departure indefinitely, Jacob Rees-Mogg, a leading pro-Brexit Conservative, acknowledged that "the choice seems to be Mrs. May's deal or no Brexit." "I have always thought that 'no deal' is better than Mrs. May's deal, but Mrs. May's deal is better than not leaving at all," he said on the Conservative Home podcast. Some members of the public, meanwhile, are losing patience with the parliamentary process and the fading promises made by pro-Brexit politicians. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "It's a little bit similar to the way that when you're in quite a good nightclub and then a friend of yours says ... 'I know somewhere else to go' and then you all leave and then you realize you can't get into the other club," said tech executive Russell Robinson. "It was a very badly thought out plan and now we're stuck in the street eating kebabs," he said, referring to a common late-night fast-food staple. ___ Raf Casert in Strasbourg, France, contributed to this story. ___ Follow AP's full coverage of Brexit at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved. 326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at [email protected] | (844) 978-6257 MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security. Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research. The following companies are subsidiares of Cigna: Accredo Health Group, Accredo Health Incorporated, Alegis Care, Allegiance Life & Health Insurance Company, Allegiance Re, American Retirement Life Insurance Company, Benefits Management Corp., Bravo Health Mid-Atlantic, Bravo Health Pennsylvania, Brighter, CareAllies, CareCore National LLC, Central Reserve Life Insurance Company, Ceres Sales of Ohio, Choicelinx, Cigna & CMB Life Insurance Company Limited, Cigna Apac Holdings Limited, Cigna Arbor Life Insurance Company, Cigna Beechwood Holdings, Cigna Behavioral Health, Cigna Behavioral Health of California, Cigna Behavioral Health of Texas, Cigna Bellevue Alpha, Cigna Benefits Financing, Cigna Brokerage & Marketing (Thailand) Limited, Cigna Cedar Holdings, Cigna Chestnut Holdings, Cigna Corporate Services, Cigna Data Services (Shanghai) Company Limited, Cigna Dental Health, Cigna Dental Health Plan of Arizona, Cigna Dental Health of California, Cigna Dental Health of Colorado, Cigna Dental Health of Delaware, Cigna Dental Health of Florida, Cigna Dental Health of Illinois, Cigna Dental Health of Kansas, Cigna Dental Health of Kentucky, Cigna Dental Health of Maryland, Cigna Dental Health of Missouri, Cigna Dental Health of New Jersey, Cigna Dental Health of North Carolina, Cigna Dental Health of Ohio, Cigna Dental Health of Pennsylvania, Cigna Dental Health of Texas, Cigna Dental Health of Virginia, Cigna Elmwood Holdings, Cigna Europe Insurance Company S.A.-N.V., Cigna European Services (UK) Limited, Cigna Finans Emeklilik ve Hayat A.S., Cigna Global Holdings, Cigna Global Insurance Company Limited, Cigna Global Reinsurance Company, Cigna Global Wellbeing Holdings Limited, Cigna Global Wellbeing Solutions Limited, Cigna HLA Technology Services Company Limited, Cigna Health Corporation, Cigna Health Management, Cigna Health Solutions India Pvt. Ltd., Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Cigna HealthSpring, Cigna Healthcare Holdings, Cigna Healthcare Mid-Atlantic, Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Cigna Healthcare of California, Cigna Healthcare of Colorado, Cigna Healthcare of Connecticut, Cigna Healthcare of Florida, Cigna Healthcare of Georgia, Cigna Healthcare of Illinois, Cigna Healthcare of Indiana, Cigna Healthcare of Maine, Cigna Healthcare of Massachusetts, Cigna Healthcare of New Hampshire, Cigna Healthcare of New Jersey, Cigna Healthcare of North Carolina, Cigna Healthcare of Pennsylvania, Cigna Healthcare of South Carolina, Cigna Healthcare of St. Louis, Cigna Healthcare of Tennessee, Cigna Healthcare of Texas, Cigna Healthcare of Utah, Cigna Holding Company, Cigna Holdings, Cigna Holdings Overseas, Cigna Hong Kong Holdings Company Limited, Cigna Insurance Middle East S.A., Cigna Insurance Public Company Limited, Cigna Insurance Services (Europe) Limited, Cigna Intellectual Property, Cigna International Corporation, Cigna International Health Services, Cigna International Health Services BVBA, Cigna International Health Services Kenya Limited, Cigna International Health Services SDN BHD, Cigna International Services, Cigna International Services Australia Pty. Ltd., Cigna Investment Group, Cigna Investments, Cigna Korean Chusik Hoesa, Cigna Laurel Holdings, Cigna Legal Protection UK Ltd., Cigna Life Insurance Company of Canada, Cigna Life Insurance Company of Europe S.A.- N.V., Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York, Cigna Life Insurance New Zealand Limited, Cigna Linden Holdings, Cigna Magnolia Holdings, Cigna Myrtle Holdings, Cigna Nederland Alpha Cooperatief U.A., Cigna Nederland Beta B.V., Cigna Nederland Gamma B.V., Cigna Oak Holdings, Cigna Palmetto Holdings, Cigna Poplar Holdings, Cigna Sequoia Holdings, Cigna Spruce Holdings GmbH, Cigna Taiwan Life Assurance Company Limited, Cigna Walnut Holdings, Cigna Willow Holdings, Cigna Worldwide General Insurance Company Limited, Cigna Worldwide Insurance Company, Cigna Worldwide Life Insurance Company Limited, CignaTTK Health Insurance Company Limited, Connecticut General Corporation, Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, CuraScript Inc., E-2 CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K, ESI Mail Pharmacy Service Inc., ESI Partnership, ESI Resources Inc., Express Scripts Holding Company, Express Scripts Inc., Express Scripts Pharmaceutical LLC, Express Scripts Pharmacy Inc., Express Scripts Strategic Development Inc., FirstAssist Administration Limited, Firstassist Insurance Services Ltd, Great-West Healthcare of Illinois, Grown Ups New Zealand Limited, Health-Lynx LLC, HealthSource, HealthSpring, HealthSpring Life & Health Insurance Company, HealthSpring of Alabama, HealthSpring of Florida, HealthSpring of Tennessee, KDM Thailand Limited, LINA Financial Services, LINA Life Insurance Company of Korea, Life Insurance Company of North America, Loyal American Life Insurance Company, MCC Independent Practice Association of New York, Manipal Cigna Health Insurance Company Limited, Medco Containment Life Insurance Company, Medco Health Services Inc., Medco Health Solutions Inc., NewQuest, NewQuest Management Northeast, Olympic Health Management Services, Oz Parent, PT Asuransi Cigna, Provident American Life and Health Insurance Company, Qualcare, Qualcare Alliance Networks, Qualcare Captive Insurance Company Inc. PCC, Qualcare Management Resources Limited Liability Company, RHP (Thailand) Limited, Scibal Associates, Sterling Life Insurance Company, Tel-Drug, Tel-Drug of Pennsylvania, Temple Insurance Company Limited, United Benefit Life Insurance Company, Verity Solutions Group, Zurich Insurance Middle East, and eviCore 1 LLC. Albert Technologies Ltd. provides autonomous cross-channel artificial intelligence marketing platform in Israel and internationally. The company offers artificial intelligence-based software to brands and advertising agencies using a Software as a Service (SaaS) model. It develops and deploys algorithmic solutions to provide marketers with a self-driving solution for cross-channel campaign execution, testing, optimization, analysis, and insights. The company was formerly known as Adgorithms LTD and changed its name to Albert Technologies Ltd. in July 2017. Albert Technologies Ltd. was founded in 2010 and is based in Tel Aviv, Israel. Read More There is not enough analysis data for American Shared Hospital Services. 4.0 Community Rank Outperform Votes American Shared Hospital Services has received 70 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes American Shared Hospital Services has received 48 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment American Shared Hospital Services has received 59.32% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about American Shared Hospital Services and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe AMS will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe AMS will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next Antofagasta plc, through its subsidiaries, primarily engages in the exploration, evaluation, development, and mining of copper properties in Chile and internationally. It operates through Los Pelambres, Centinela, Antucoya, ZaldAvar, Exploration and Evaluation, and Transport segments. The company explores for copper concentrates containing by-products, such as molybdenum, gold, and silver; and copper cathodes. It holds a 60% interest in the Los Pelambres mine; a 70% interest in the Centinela mine; a 50% interest in the ZaldAvar mine; and a 70% interest in the Antucoya mine located in Chile. The company also provides rail and road cargo, and other ancillary services. In addition, it offers rail and truck services to the mining industry in the Antofagasta Region. The company was incorporated in 1888 and is based in London, the United Kingdom. Antofagasta plc is a subsidiary of Metalinvest Establishment. Read More White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd. engages in the acquisition of businesses and assets in the insurance, financial services and related sectors. It operates through the following segments: HG Global/BAM, NSM, Kudu, and Other Operations. The HG Global/BAM segment refers to the White Mountains's investment in HG Global Limited, and the consolidated results of Build America Mutual Assurance Company (BAM). The NSM segment comprises of full-service managing general underwriting agency and program administrator for specialty property and casualty insurance. The Kudu Segment provides capital solutions for boutique asset managers for a variety of purposes including generational ownership transfers, management buyouts, acquisition and growth finance and legacy partner liquidity. The Other Operations segment comprises of the Company, its wholly-owned subsidiary, WM Capital, its wholly-owned investment management subsidiary, WM Advisors, and its other intermediate holding companies, as well as certain consolidated and unconsolidated private capital and other investments. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Hanover, NH. Read More Boyd Group Income Fund operates as an unincorporated open-ended mutual fund trust. The company, through its operating company, The Boyd Group Inc., operates non-franchised collision repair centers. Its collision repair centers offer automotive collision and glass repair, and related services. The company operates its autobody/autoglass repair and related services facilities, as well as auto glass retail facilities under the Boyd Autobody & Glass, Assured Automotive, Gerber Collision & Glass, Glass America, Auto Glass Service, Auto Glass Authority, and Autoglassonly.com trade names in the United States and Canada. Further, it provides Gerber National Claim Services, a claim administrator service, which offer glass, emergency roadside, and first notice of loss services with approximately 5,500 glass provider locations and 4,600 emergency roadside services providers. The company is headquartered in Winnipeg, Canada. Read More Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, a diversified financial institution, provides various financial products and services to personal, business, public sector, and institutional clients in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through four strategic business units: Canadian Personal and Business Banking; Canadian Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; U.S. Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; and Capital Markets. The company offers chequing, savings, and business accounts; mortgages; loans, lines of credit, student lines of credit, and business and agriculture loans; investment and insurance services; and credit cards, as well as overdraft protection services. It also provides day-to-day banking, borrowing and credit, investing and wealth, specialty, and international services; correspondent banking and online foreign exchange services; and cash management services. The company serves its customers through its banking centers, as well as direct, mobile, and remote channels. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce was founded in 1867 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Read More Rogers Communications Inc. operates as a communications and media company in Canada. It operates through three segments: Wireless, Cable, and Media. The company offers mobile Internet access, wireless voice and enhanced voice, device and accessory financing, wireless home phone, device protection, text messaging, e-mail, global voice and data roaming, bridging landline, machine-to-machine and Internet of Things solutions, and advanced wireless solutions for businesses, as well as device delivery services; and postpaid and prepaid services under the Rogers, Fido, and chatr brands to approximately 10.9 million subscribers. It also provides Internet and WiFi services; smart home monitoring services, such as monitoring, security, automation, energy efficiency, and smart control through a smartphone app. In addition, the company offers local and network TV; on-demand television; cloud-based digital video recorders; voice-activated remote controls, and integrated apps; personal video recorders; linear and time-shifted programming; digital specialty channels; 4K television programming; and televised content on smartphones, tablets, and personal computers, as well as operates Ignite TV and Ignite TV app. Further, it provides residential and small business local telephony services; calling features, such as voicemail, call waiting, and long distance; voice, data networking, Internet protocol, and Ethernet services; private networking, Internet, IP voice, and cloud solutions; optical wave and multi-protocol label switching services; IT and network technologies; and cable access network services. The company also owns Toronto Blue Jays and the Rogers Centre event venue; and operates Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet World, Citytv, OMNI, FX (Canada), FXX (Canada), and OLN television networks, as well as 55 AM and FM radio stations. Rogers Communications Inc. was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Read More Ad Stansberry New this week - 246 interested Man who called 2020 Crash warns of huge event in 2022 A historic event in 2022 will cause a massive shift in the wealth divide. It could leave thousands of Americans under age 50 better off while retirees will be left holding the scraps. 15 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Deutsche Wohnen in the last year. There are currently 8 hold ratings and 7 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street research analysts is that investors should "hold" Deutsche Wohnen stock. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in DWNI, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares. View analyst ratings for Deutsche Wohnen or view top-rated stocks. Imperial Oil Limited explores for, produces, and sells crude oil and natural gas in Canada. It operates through three segments: Upstream, Downstream, and Chemical. The Upstream segment explores for and produces crude oil, natural gas, synthetic oil, and bitumen. As of December 31, 2020, this segment had 138 million oil-equivalent barrels of proved undeveloped reserves. The Downstream segment is involved in the transportation and refining of crude oil, as well as blending, distribution, and marketing of refined products. It also transports crude oil to refineries by contracted pipelines, common carrier pipelines, and rail; maintains a distribution system to move petroleum products to market by pipeline, tanker, rail, and road transport; and owns and operates fuel terminals, natural gas liquids, and products pipelines in Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario. In addition, this segment markets and supplies petroleum products to motoring public through approximately 2,400 Esso and Mobil-branded sites. Further, it sells petroleum products, including fuel, asphalt, and lubricants for industrial and transportation customers, independent marketers, and resellers, as well as other refiners serving the agriculture, residential heating, and commercial markets through branded fuel and lubricant resellers. The Chemical segment manufactures and markets various petrochemicals and polyethylene, such as benzene, aromatic, and aliphatic solvents; plasticizer intermediates; and polyethylene resins. The company was incorporation in 1880 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Imperial Oil Limited is a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation. Read More National Australia Bank Limited provides financial services to individuals and businesses in Australia, New Zealand, and internationally. It operates through Business and Private Banking, Personal Banking, Corporate and Institutional Banking, and New Zealand Banking segments. It operates through Business and Private Banking; Personal Banking; Corporate and Institutional Banking; New Zealand Banking; Corporate Functions and Other; and MLC Wealth segments. The company accepts transaction accounts, savings accounts, deposit accounts, and term deposits; and specialized accounts, such as foreign currency, business interest, statutory trust, community free saver, farm management, and project bank accounts, as well as farm management deposits. National Australia Bank Limited also provides home loans; personal loans; business loans; vehicle and equipment finance; and trade and invoice finance, as well as business overdrafts and bank guarantees. In addition, the company offers insurance products consisting of car, home and content, landlord, travel, caravan and trailer, life, and business insurance products; and pension, superannuation, self-managed super funds, cash management, and financial planning and advisory services. Further, it provides investment products; credit, debit, and business cards; payments and merchant services; travel services; online and internet banking services; small business services; international and foreign exchange solutions; and industry specific banking services. National Australia Bank Limited was founded in 1834 and is based in Docklands, Australia. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Occidental Petroleum: 1PointFive Inc., 1PointFive P1 LLC, APC Aviation Inc., APC International Holdings LLC, APC Midstream Holdings LLC, APC Venezuela Srl, ARCO Long Beach, Altura Energy, Amarok Gathering LLC, Anadarko 20-25 Company, Anadarko 20-36 Company, Anadarko 20-47 Company, Anadarko 20-48 Company, Anadarko 20-49 Company, Anadarko Algeria Block 403 c/e Company, Anadarko Algeria Block 406B Company, Anadarko Algeria Company LLC, Anadarko Algeria Oil & Gas Company, Anadarko Brazil Investment I LLC, Anadarko Brazil Investment II LLC, Anadarko Canada E&P Limited, Anadarko China Holdings 2 Company, Anadarko Colombia Company, Anadarko Consolidated Holdings LLC, Anadarko Cote d'Ivoire Block 103 Company, Anadarko Cote d'Ivoire Company, Anadarko DBMOS Operator LLC, Anadarko Development Company, Anadarko Development Holding Limited, Anadarko E&P Onshore LLC, Anadarko Egypt Holdings Company, Anadarko Energy Holding Limited, Anadarko Energy Services Company, Anadarko Exploracao e Producao de Petroleo e Gas Natural Ltda., Anadarko Finance Company, Anadarko Gabon Company, Anadarko Ghana Mahogany-1 Company, Anadarko Global Energy S.a.r.l, Anadarko Global Funding 1 Company, Anadarko Global Funding II Ltd., Anadarko Guyana Company, Anadarko Holding Company, Anadarko International Development S.a.r.l, Anadarko International Energy Company, Anadarko International O&G Company, Anadarko International Trading Corporation, Anadarko Jordan Company, Anadarko Kenya Company, Anadarko LMM S.a.r.l, Anadarko Land Corp., Anadarko Mexico B.V., Anadarko Mexico S.a.r.l, Anadarko Midkiff/Chaney Dell BR Corp., Anadarko Midkiff/Chaney Dell LLC, Anadarko Natural Gas Company LLC, Anadarko New Zealand Company, Anadarko OGC Company, Anadarko Offshore Holding Company LLC, Anadarko Offshore Well Containment Company LLC, Anadarko Oil & Gas 5 LLC, Anadarko Peru B.V., Anadarko Petroleum, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Anadarko Realty LLC, Anadarko Rockies LLC, Anadarko Royalty Holdings Company, Anadarko UK Corporate Limited, Anadarko US Offshore LLC, Anadarko USH1 Corporation, Anadarko Venezuela Company, Anadarko Venezuela LLC, Anadarko Venezuela Srl, Anadarko WCTP Company, Anadarko West Texas BR Corp., Anadarko West Texas LLC, Anadarko Worldwide Holdings C.V., Atlantic Rim Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Aventine LLC, Baseball Merger Sub 2 Inc., Bear Branch Exploration LLC, Big Island Trona Company, Bitter Creek Coal Company, Bravo Pipeline Company, Cain Chemical, Cain Chemical Inc., Carbon Finance Labs LLC, Concord Petroleum Corporation, Conn Creek Shale Company, D.S. Ventures LLC, DMM Financial LLC, Deerwood Exploration LLC, Downtown Plaza II, Elk Hills Field, FLAG Development LLC, FP Westport Commodities Limited, FP Westport GmbH, FP Westport LLC, FP Westport Limited, FP Westport Services LLC, FP Westport Trading LLC, Fosters Mill Exploration LLC, Glenn Springs Holdings Inc., Globrep Representaciones S.A., Grand Bassa Tankers Inc., Grupo OxyChem de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Headwater II LLC, Houndstooth Resources LLC, INDSPEC Chemical B.V., INDSPEC Chemical Corporation, INDSPEC Chemical Corporation, INDSPEC Chemical Export Sales LLC, INDSPEC Holding Corporation, Ingleside Cogeneration GP LLC, Ingleside Cogeneration Limited Partnership, Interore Trading Ltd., Joslyn Partnership, KERR-McGEE TT E&P LTD., KM BM-C-Seven Ltd., KM International Insurance Ltd., Kerr-McGee Corporation, Kerr-McGee Natural Gas Company Inc., Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Onshore LP, Kerr-McGee Shared Services Company LLC, Kerr-McGee Stored Power Corporation, Kerr-McGee U.K. Energy Corporation, Kerr-McGee Worldwide Corporation, Kerr-McGee do Brasil Ltda., Kerr-McGee of Canada Northwest Ltd., Laguna Petroleum Corp., Laguna Petroleum LLC, Liwa Oil & Gas Ltd., MC2 Technologies LLC, Mariana Properties Inc., Marico Exploration Inc., Miller Springs Remediation Management Inc., Moncrief Minerals Partnership L.P., NGL Ventures LLC, Natural Gas Odorizing Inc., New OPL LLC, OEVC Energy LLC, OEVC Midstream Projects LLC, OIH LLC, OLCV CE Holdings ULC, OLCV CE US Holdings Inc., OLCV Net Power LLC, OLCV Services LLC, OOG Partner LLC, OOOI Chem Holdings LLC, OOOI Chem Sub LLC, OOOI Chemical International LLC, OOOI Chile Holder LLC, OOOI Ecuador Management LLC, OOOI Oil and Gas Sub LLC, OOOI South America Management LLC, OPM GP Inc., OPM Holdco LLC, OTCF LLC, OTH LLC, OXY CV Pipeline LLC, OXY Campus LLC, OXY Inc., OXY LPG LLC, OXY Libya E&P Area 103 BR4 B.V., OXY Libya E&P Area 35 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P Concession 103 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 102 B.V., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 1981 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 1985 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P NC 143 144 145 150 B.V., OXY Libya Exploration SPC, OXY Libya LLC, OXY Little Knife LLC, OXY Mexico Holdings I LLC, OXY Mexico Holdings II LLC, OXY Middle East Holdings Ltd., OXY Oil Partners Inc., OXY PBLP Manager LLC, OXY Support Services LLC, OXY Tulsa Inc., OXY USA Inc., OXY USA WTP LP, OXY VPP Investments LLC, OXY West LLC, OXY of Saudi Arabia Ltd., OXYCHEM (CANADA) INC., OXYMAR, Oakwood Exploration LLC, Occidental (Bermuda) Ltd., Occidental (East Shabwa) LLC, Occidental Advance Sale Finance Inc., Occidental Al Hosn LLC, Occidental Angola Holdings Ltd., Occidental CIS Services Inc., Occidental Canada Holdings Ltd., Occidental Chemical Asia Limited, Occidental Chemical Belgium B.V.B.A., Occidental Chemical Chile Limitada, Occidental Chemical Corporation, Occidental Chemical Export Sales LLC, Occidental Chemical Far East Limited, Occidental Chemical Holding Corporation, Occidental Chemical International LLC, Occidental Chemical Investment (Canada) 1 Inc., Occidental Chemical Receivables LLC, Occidental Chemical de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Occidental Chile Investments LLC, Occidental Chile Minority Holder LLC, Occidental Colombia (Series G) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series J) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series K) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series L) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series M) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series N) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series O) Ltd., Occidental Crude Sales Inc. (Canada), Occidental Crude Sales Inc. (International), Occidental Dolphin Holdings Ltd., Occidental Energy Marketing Inc., Occidental Energy Ventures LLC, Occidental Exploradora del Peru Ltd., Occidental Exploration and Production Company, Occidental Hafar LLC, Occidental International (Libya) Inc., Occidental International Corporation, Occidental International Exploration and Production Company, Occidental International Holdings Ltd., Occidental International Oil and Gas Ltd., Occidental International Services Inc., Occidental Joslyn GP 2 Co., Occidental LNG (Malaysia) Ltd., Occidental Latin America Holdings LLC, Occidental Libya Oil & Gas B.V., Occidental MENA Manager Ltd., Occidental Middle East Development Company, Occidental Midland Basin LLC, Occidental Mukhaizna LLC, Occidental Oil Asia Pte. Ltd., Occidental Oil Shale Inc., Occidental Oil and Gas (Oman) Ltd., Occidental Oil and Gas Corporation, Occidental Oil and Gas International Inc., Occidental Oil and Gas International LLC, Occidental Oil and Gas Pakistan LLC, Occidental Oil and Gas of Peru LLC, Occidental Oman (Block 27) Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 51 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 51 LLC, Occidental Oman Block 65 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 65 LLC, Occidental Oman Block 72 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 72 LLC, Occidental Oman Gas Company LLC, Occidental Oman Gas Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oman North Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oriente Exploration and Production Ltd., Occidental Overseas Holdings B.V., Occidental PVC LLC, Occidental Peninsula II Inc., Occidental Peninsula LLC, Occidental Permian Ltd., Occidental Permian Manager LLC, Occidental Permian Services Inc., Occidental Peruana Inc., Occidental Petrolera del Peru (Block 101) Inc., Occidental Petrolera del Peru (Block 103) Inc., Occidental Petroleum (Pakistan) Inc., Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Occidental Petroleum Corporation Political Action Committee, Occidental Petroleum de Venezuela S.A., Occidental Petroleum of Nigeria, Occidental Petroleum of Oman Ltd., Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd., Occidental Power Marketing L.P., Occidental Power Services Inc., Occidental Qatar Energy Company LLC, Occidental Red Sea Development LLC, Occidental Research Corporation, Occidental Resource Recovery Systems Inc., Occidental Resources Company, Occidental Shah Gas Holdings Ltd., Occidental South America Finance LLC, Occidental Specialty Marketing Inc., Occidental Tower Corporation, Occidental Transportation Holding Corporation, Occidental West Texas Overthrust Inc., Occidental Yemen Ltd., Occidental Yemen Sabatain Inc., Occidental del Ecuador Inc., Occidental of Abu Dhabi (Bab) Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi (Shah) Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi Holdings Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi LLC, Occidental of Abu Dhabi Ltd., Occidental of Bahrain Ltd., Occidental of Bangladesh Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Chipiron) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Cosecha) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Medina) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Putumayo) Ltd., Occidental of Colombia (Teca) Ltd., Occidental of Colombia PUT-36 LLC, Occidental of Dubai Inc., Occidental of Iraq Holdings Ltd., Occidental of Iraq LLC, Occidental of Oman Inc., Occidental of Russia Ltd., Occidental of South Africa (Offshore) Inc., Occidental of Yemen (Block 75) LLC, Oceanic Marine Transport Ltd., Opcal Insurance Inc., Oryx Crude Trading & Transportation Inc., Oxy BridgeTex Limited Partnership, Oxy C & I Bulk Sales LLC, Oxy Canada Sales Inc., Oxy Carbon Solutions LLC, Oxy Carbon Storage LLC, Oxy Climate Ventures Inc., Oxy Cogeneration Holding Company LLC, Oxy Colombia Holdings LLC, Oxy Colombia TopCo Ltd., Oxy Delaware Basin LLC, Oxy Delaware Basin Plant LLC, Oxy Dolphin E&P LLC, Oxy Dolphin Pipeline LLC, Oxy Energy Canada Inc., Oxy Energy Services LLC, Oxy Expatriate Services Inc., Oxy FFT Holdings Inc., Oxy Holding Company (Pipeline) Inc., Oxy International Ventures Ltd., Oxy LPG Terminal LLC, Oxy Levelland Pipeline Company LLC, Oxy Levelland Terminal Company LLC, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures LLC, Oxy Midstream Strategic Development LLC, Oxy Oleoducto SOP LLC, Oxy Overseas Services Ltd., Oxy Permian Gathering LLC, Oxy Permian Plaza LLC, Oxy Petroleum de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Oxy Renewable Energy LLC, Oxy Salt Creek Pipeline LLC, Oxy TL LLC, Oxy Taft Hub LLC, Oxy Technology Ventures Inc., Oxy Transport I Company LLC, Oxy Vinyls Canada Co., Oxy Vinyls Export Sales LLC, Oxy Vinyls LP, Oxy Westwood Corporation, Oxy Y-1 Company, OxyChem Ingleside Ethylene Holdings Inc., OxyChem do Brasil Ltda., OxyChile Investments LLC, Oxychem Shipping Ltd., Permian Basin JV Tax Matters Member LLC, Permian Basin Limited Partnership, Permian VPP Holder LP, Permian VPP Manager LLC, Phibro, Placid Oil LLC, Ramlat Oxy Ltd., Rio de Viento Inc., Rodeo Midland Basin LLC, San Patricio Pipeline LLC, Scanports Shipping LLC, SequestCo LLC, Stetson Exploration LLC, Sun Offshore Gathering Company, Swiflite Aircraft Corporation, Transok Properties LLC, Troy Potter Inc., Turavent Oil GmbH [in liquidation], Tuscaloosa Holdings Inc., UP Petroleo III Ltd., Upland Industries Corporation, Venezuela US SRL, Vintage Gas Inc., Vintage Petroleum, Vintage Petroleum Argentina Ltd., Vintage Petroleum Boliviana Ltd., Vintage Petroleum International Finance B.V., Vintage Petroleum International Holdings LLC, Vintage Petroleum International LLC, Vintage Petroleum International Ventures Inc., Vintage Petroleum Italy Inc., Vintage Petroleum South America Holdings Inc., Vintage Petroleum South America LLC, Vintage Petroleum Turkey Inc., WGR Asset Holding Company LLC, WGR Canada Inc., Wardner Ranch Inc., Western Gas Resources Inc., Western Gas Resources-Westana Inc., Western Midstream Holdings LLC, Woodlands International Insurance Ltd., and YT Ranch LLC. Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF's stock was trading at $46.36 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, VGK shares have increased by 45.1% and is now trading at $67.27. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. National Fuel Gas Co. is a holding company, which engages in the production, gathering, transportation, distribution, and marketing of natural gas. It operates through the following segments: Exploration and Production, Pipeline and Storage, Gathering, and Utility. The Exploration and Production segment handles the exploration for and the development of natural gas and oil reserves in California and in the Appalachian region of the United States. The Pipeline and Storage segment transports and stores natural gas for utilities, natural gas marketers, exploration and production companies, and pipeline companies in the northeastern United States markets. The Gathering segment builds, owns, and operates natural gas processing and pipeline gathering facilities in the Appalachian region. The Utility segment sells natural gas to retail customers and provides natural gas transportation services in western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1820 and is headquartered in Williamsville, NY. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Pfizer: AH Robins LLC, AHP Holdings B.V., AHP Manufacturing B.V., Agouron Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alacer, Alpharma Holdings LLC, Alpharma Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alpharma Specialty Pharma LLC, Alpharma USHP LLC, American Food Industries LLC, Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc., Angiosyn, Array BioPharma, Ayerst-Wyeth Pharmaceuticals LLC, BIND Therapeutics Inc., BINESA 2002 S.L., Bamboo Therapeutics, Bamboo Therapeutics Inc., Baxter International - Marketed Vaccines, BioRexis, Bioren, Bioren LLC, Blue Whale Re Ltd., C.E. Commercial Holdings C.V., C.E. Commercial Investments C.V., C.P. Pharmaceuticals International C.V., CICL Corporation, COC I Corporation, Catapult Genetics, Coley Pharmaceutical GmbH, Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Coley Pharmaceutical Group Inc., Continental Pharma Inc., Covx, Covx Technologies Ireland Limited, Cyanamid Inter-American Corporation, Cyanamid de Argentina S.A., Cyanamid de Colombia S.A., Distribuidora Mercantil Centro Americana S.A., Encysive Pharmaceuticals, Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc., Esperion LUV Development Inc., Esperion Therapeutics, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals Inc., Farminova Produtos Farmaceuticos de Inovacao Lda., Farmogene Productos Farmaceuticos Lda, Ferrosan A/S, Ferrosan International A/S, Ferrosan S.R.L., FoldRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Foldrx Pharmaceuticals, Fort Dodge Manufatura Ltda., G. D. Searle & Co. Limited, G. D. Searle International Capital LLC, G. D. Searle LLC, GI Europe Inc., GI Japan Inc., GenTrac Inc., Genetics Institute LLC, Greenstone LLC, Haptogen Limited, Hospira, Hospira (China) Enterprise Management Co. Ltd., Hospira Adelaide Pty Ltd, Hospira Aseptic Services Limited, Hospira Australia Pty Ltd, Hospira Benelux BVBA, Hospira Chile Limitada, Hospira Deutschland GmbH, Hospira Enterprises B.V., Hospira France SAS, Hospira Healthcare B.V., Hospira Healthcare Corporation, Hospira Healthcare India Private Limited, Hospira Holdings (S.A.) Pty Ltd, Hospira Inc., Hospira Invicta S.A., Hospira Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, Hospira Ireland Sales Limited, Hospira Japan G.K., Hospira Limited, Hospira Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Hospira NZ Limited, Hospira Nordic AB, Hospira Philippines Inc., Hospira Portugal LDA, Hospira Produtos Hospitalares Ltda., Hospira Pte. Ltd., Hospira Pty Limited, Hospira Puerto Rico LLC, Hospira Singapore Pte Ltd, Hospira UK Limited, Hospira Worldwide LLC, Hospira Zagreb d.o.o., ICAgen, Idun Pharmaceuticals, Industrial Santa Agape S.A., InnoPharma, InnoPharma Inc., International Affiliated Corporation LLC, JMI-Daniels Pharmaceuticals Inc., John Wyeth & Brother Limited, Kiinteisto oy Espoon Pellavaniementie 14, King Pharmaceuticals Holdings LLC, King Pharmaceuticals LLC, King Pharmaceuticals Research and Development LLC, Korea Pharma Holding Company Limited, Laboratoires Pfizer S.A., Laboratorios Parke Davis S.L., Laboratorios Pfizer Ltda., Laboratorios Wyeth LLC, Laboratorios Wyeth S.A., Laboratorios Pfizer Lda., MTG Divestitures LLC, Mayne Pharma IP Holdings (Euro) Pty Ltd, Medivation, Medivation Field Solutions LLC, Medivation LLC, Medivation Neurology LLC, Medivation Prostate Therapeutics LLC, Medivation Services LLC, Medivation Technologies LLC, Meridian Medical Technologies Inc., Meridian Medical Technologies Limited, Monarch Pharmaceuticals LLC, Neusentis Limited, NextWave Pharmaceuticals, NextWave Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, P-D Co. LLC, PAH USA IN8 LLC, PF Americas Holding C.V., PF Asia Manufacturing B.V., PF PR Holdings C.V., PF PRISM C.V., PF PRISM Holdings S.a.r.l., PF Prism S.a.r.l., PFE Holdings G.K., PFE PHAC Holdings 1 LLC, PFE Pfizer Holdings 1 LLC, PFE Wyeth Holdings LLC, PFE Wyeth-Ayerst (Asia) LLC, PHILCO Holdings S.a r.l., PHIVCO Corp., PHIVCO Holdco S.a r.l., PHIVCO Luxembourg S.a r.l., PN Mexico LLC, PT. Pfizer Parke Davis, Parke Davis & Company LLC, Parke Davis Limited, Parke Davis Productos Farmaceuticos Lda, Parke-Davis Manufacturing Corp., Parkedale Pharmaceuticals Inc., Peak Enterprises LLC, Pfizer, Pfizer (China) Research and Development Co. Ltd., Pfizer (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Pfizer (Perth) Pty Limited, Pfizer (Thailand) Limited, Pfizer (Wuhan) Research and Development Co. Ltd., Pfizer AB, Pfizer AG, Pfizer AS, Pfizer Africa & Middle East for Pharmaceuticals Veterinarian Products & Chemicals S.A.E., Pfizer Anti-Infectives AB, Pfizer ApS, Pfizer Asia Manufacturing Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Asia Pacific Pte Ltd., Pfizer Atlantic Holdings S.a.r.l., Pfizer Australia Holdings B.V., Pfizer Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Pfizer Australia Investments Pty. Ltd., Pfizer Australia Pty Limited, Pfizer B.V., Pfizer BH D.o.o., Pfizer Baltic Holdings B.V., Pfizer Biofarmaceutica Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Pfizer Biologics (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd, Pfizer Biologics Ireland Holdings Limited, Pfizer Biotech Corporation, Pfizer Bolivia S.A., Pfizer Canada Inc., Pfizer CentreSource Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Chile S.A., Pfizer Cia. Ltda., Pfizer Colombia Spinco I LLC, Pfizer Commercial Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Commercial Holdings TRAE Kft., Pfizer Commercial TRAE Trading Kft., Pfizer Consumer Healthcare AB, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare GmbH, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare Ltd., Pfizer Consumer Manufacturing Italy S.r.l., Pfizer Corporation, Pfizer Corporation Austria Gesellschaft m.b.H., Pfizer Corporation Hong Kong Limited, Pfizer Croatia d.o.o., Pfizer Deutschland GmbH, Pfizer Development LP, Pfizer Development Services (UK) Limited, Pfizer Domestic Ventures Limited, Pfizer Dominicana S.R.L, Pfizer ESP Pty Ltd, Pfizer East India B.V., Pfizer Eastern Investments B.V., Pfizer Egypt S.A.E., Pfizer Enterprise Holdings B.V., Pfizer Enterprises LLC, Pfizer Enterprises SARL, Pfizer Europe Finance B.V., Pfizer Export B.V., Pfizer Export Company, Pfizer Export Holding Company B.V, Pfizer Finance Share Service (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Pfizer Financial Services N.V./S.A., Pfizer France International Investments, Pfizer Free Zone Panama S. de R.L., Pfizer GEP S.L., Pfizer Global Holdings B.V., Pfizer Global Supply Japan Inc., Pfizer Global Trading, Pfizer Group Luxembourg Sarl, Pfizer Gulf FZ-LLC, Pfizer H.C.P. Corporation, Pfizer HK Service Company Limited, Pfizer Health AB, Pfizer Health Solutions Inc., Pfizer Healthcare Ireland, Pfizer Hellas A.E., Pfizer Himalaya Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Holding France, Pfizer Holding Ventures, Pfizer Holdings Corporation, Pfizer Holdings Europe Unlimited Company, Pfizer Holdings G.K., Pfizer Holdings International Corporation, Pfizer Holdings International Luxembourg (PHIL) Sarl, Pfizer Holdings North America SARL, Pfizer Hungary Holdings TRAE Kft., Pfizer Inc., Pfizer Innovations AB, Pfizer Innovations LLC, Pfizer Innovative Supply Point International BVBA, Pfizer International LLC, Pfizer International Markets Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer International Operations, Pfizer International S. de R.L., Pfizer International Trading (Shanghai) Limited, Pfizer Investment Capital Unlimited Company, Pfizer Investment Co. Ltd., Pfizer Investment Holdings S.a.r.l., Pfizer Ireland Investments Limited, Pfizer Ireland PFE Holding 1 LLC, Pfizer Ireland PFE Holding 2 LLC, Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Ireland Ventures Unlimited Company, Pfizer Italia S.r.l., Pfizer Italy Group Holding S.r.l., Pfizer Japan Inc., Pfizer LLC, Pfizer Laboratories (Pty) Limited, Pfizer Laboratories Limited, Pfizer Laboratories PFE (Pty) Ltd, Pfizer Leasing Ireland Limited, Pfizer Leasing UK Limited, Pfizer Limitada, Pfizer Limited, Pfizer Luxco Holdings SARL, Pfizer Luxembourg Global Holdings S.a r.l., Pfizer Luxembourg SARL, Pfizer MAP Holding Inc., Pfizer Manufacturing Austria G.m.b.H., Pfizer Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland GmbH, Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland Grundbesitz GmbH & Co. KG, Pfizer Manufacturing Holdings LLC, Pfizer Manufacturing Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Manufacturing LLC, Pfizer Manufacturing Services, Pfizer Medical Technology Group (Belgium) N.V., Pfizer Medicamentos Genericos e Participacoes Ltda., Pfizer Mexico Luxco SARL, Pfizer Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pfizer Middle East for Pharmaceuticals Animal Health and Chemicals S.A.E., Pfizer New Zealand Limited, Pfizer Norge AS, Pfizer North American Holdings Inc., Pfizer OTC B.V., Pfizer Overseas LLC, Pfizer Oy, Pfizer PFE ApS, Pfizer PFE AsiaPac Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Australia Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Australia Pty Ltd, Pfizer PFE B.V., Pfizer PFE Baltic Holdings B.V., Pfizer PFE Belgium SPRL, Pfizer PFE Brazil Holding S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE CIA. Ltda., Pfizer PFE Chile Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Colombia Holding Corp., Pfizer PFE Colombia S.A.S, Pfizer PFE Commercial Holdings LLC, Pfizer PFE Croatia Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Eastern Investments B.V., Pfizer PFE Finland Oy, Pfizer PFE France, Pfizer PFE Global Holdings B.V., Pfizer PFE Ireland Pharmaceuticals Holding 1 B.V., Pfizer PFE Italy Holdco 2 S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Italy Holdco S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Pfizer PFE Limited, Pfizer PFE Luxembourg S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Mexico Holding 3 LLC, Pfizer PFE Netherlands Holding 1 C.V., Pfizer PFE New Zealand, Pfizer PFE New Zealand Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Norway Holding S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE PILSA Holdco S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Peru Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Peru S.R.L., Pfizer PFE Pharmaceuticals Israel Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Pharmaceuticals Israel Ltd., Pfizer PFE Private Limited, Pfizer PFE S.R.L, Pfizer PFE Service Company Holding Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer PFE Singapore Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Singapore Pte. Ltd., Pfizer PFE Spain B.V., Pfizer PFE Spain Holding S.L., Pfizer PFE Sweden Holding 2 S.a.r.l., Pfizer PFE Sweden Holding S.a.r.l., Pfizer PFE Switzerland GmbH, Pfizer PFE Turkey Holding 1 B.V., Pfizer PFE Turkey Holding 2 B.V., Pfizer PFE UK Holding 4 LP, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 1 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 2 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 3 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 4 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 5 LLC, Pfizer PFE spol. s r.o., Pfizer PFE Ilaclar Anonim Sirketi, Pfizer Pakistan Limited, Pfizer Parke Davis (Thailand) Ltd., Pfizer Parke Davis Inc., Pfizer Parke Davis Sdn. Bhd., Pfizer Pharm Algerie, Pfizer Pharma GmbH, Pfizer Pharma PFE GmbH, Pfizer Pharmaceutical (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Pfizer Pharmaceutical Trading Limited Liability Company (a/k/a Pfizer Kft. or Pfizer LLC), Pfizer Pharmaceuticals B.V., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Global B.V., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Israel Ltd., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Korea Limited, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals LLC, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Pfizer Pigments Inc., Pfizer Polska Sp. z.o.o., Pfizer Private Limited, Pfizer Production LLC, Pfizer Products Inc., Pfizer Products India Private Limited, Pfizer Research (NC) Inc., Pfizer Romania SRL, Pfizer S.A., Pfizer S.A., Pfizer S.A. (Belgium), Pfizer S.A. de C.V., Pfizer S.A.S., Pfizer S.G.P.S. Lda., Pfizer S.L., Pfizer S.R.L., Pfizer SRB d.o.o., Pfizer Saidal Manufacturing, Pfizer Sante Familiale, Pfizer Saudi Limited, Pfizer Seiyaku K.K., Pfizer Service Company BVBA, Pfizer Service Company Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Services 1, Pfizer Services LLC, Pfizer Shared Services Unlimited Company, Pfizer Shareholdings Intermediate SARL, Pfizer Singapore Holding Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Singapore Trading Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Spain Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Specialties Limited, Pfizer Strategic Investment Holdings LLC, Pfizer Sweden Partnership KB, Pfizer TRAE Holdings Kft., Pfizer Trading Polska sp.z.o.o., Pfizer Transactions Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Transactions LLC, Pfizer Transactions Luxembourg SARL, Pfizer Transport LLC, Pfizer Ukraine LLC, Pfizer Vaccines LLC, Pfizer Venezuela S.A., Pfizer Venture Investments LLC, Pfizer Ventures LLC, Pfizer Worldwide Services Unlimited Company, Pfizer Zona Franca S.A., Pfizer spol. s r.o., Pharmacia, Pharmacia & Upjohn Company Inc., Pharmacia & Upjohn Company LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn S.A. de C.V., Pharmacia Brasil Ltda., Pharmacia Hepar LLC, Pharmacia Holding AB, Pharmacia Inter-American LLC, Pharmacia International B.V., Pharmacia LLC, Pharmacia Limited, Pharmacia Nostrum S.A., Pharmacia South Africa (Pty) Ltd, PowderJect Research Limited, PowderMed, Purepac Pharmaceutical Holdings LLC, Redvax, Renrall LLC, Rinat Neuroscience, Rinat Neuroscience Corp., Roerig Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Roerig S.A., Sao Cristovao Participacoes Ltda., Searle Laboratorios Lda., Serenex, Servicios P&U S. de R.L. de C.V., Shiley LLC, Sinergis Farma-Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Site Realty Inc., Solinor LLC, Sugen LLC, Tabor LLC, The Pfizer Incubator LLC, Therachon, Thiakis Limited, Treerly Health Co. Ltd, US Oral Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd, Upjohn Laboratorios Lda., Vesteralens Naturprodukter A/S, Vesteralens Naturprodukter AB, Vesteralens Naturprodukter AS, Vesteralens Naturprodukter OY, Vicuron Holdings LLC, Vinci Farma S.A., W-L LLC, Warner Lambert, Warner Lambert Ilac Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Warner Lambert del Uruguay S.A., Warner-Lambert (Thailand) Limited, Warner-Lambert Company AG, Warner-Lambert Company LLC, Warner-Lambert Guatemala Sociedad Anonima, Warner-Lambert S.A., Whitehall International Inc., Whitehall Laboratories Inc., Wyeth (Thailand) Ltd., Wyeth AB, Wyeth Australia Pty. Limited, Wyeth Ayerst Inc., Wyeth Ayerst S.a r.l., Wyeth Biopharma, Wyeth Canada ULC, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare LLC, Wyeth Europa Limited, Wyeth Farma S.A., Wyeth Holdings LLC, Wyeth Industria Farmaceutica Ltda., Wyeth KFT., Wyeth LLC, Wyeth Lederle S.r.l., Wyeth Lederle Vaccines S.A., Wyeth Pakistan Limited, Wyeth Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Company, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals FZ-LLC, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals LLC, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Limited, Wyeth Puerto Rico Inc., Wyeth S.A.S, Wyeth Subsidiary Illinois Corporation, Wyeth Whitehall Export GmbH, Wyeth Whitehall SARL, Wyeth-Ayerst (Asia) Limited, Wyeth-Ayerst International LLC, and Wyeth-Ayerst Promotions Limited. President Energy Plc engages in the exploration, evaluation, and production of oil and gas properties primarily in South America. The company holds exploration assets in Argentina, the United States, and Paraguay. It also sells hydrocarbons. The company was formerly known as President Petroleum Company PLC and changed its name to President Energy Plc in September 2012. President Energy Plc was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Leeds, the United Kingdom. Read More Redhall Group plc provides design, manufacture, and installation services to hazard and security environments in the United Kingdom, other European Union countries, and internationally. It designs, manufactures, maintains, and installs bespoke specialist plant and equipment in the nuclear, defense, oil and gas, petrochemical, chemical, pharmaceutical, and food sectors; and designs and manufactures fire and blast resistant doors, windows and wall systems, and complex fabrications, as well as provides installation services for the telecommunications industry. The company also offers bespoke steel door sets, blast windows, modular wall systems, and blast relief panels; engineering services, including consultation, project design, project management, and manufacturing and installation services; and relocation, maintenance, and fabrication and erection services. Redhall Group plc was incorporated in 1932 and is headquartered in Wakefield, the United Kingdom. Read More We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. Conagra Brands, Inc. engages in the manufacture and sale of processed and packaged foods. It operates through the following segments: Grocery and Snacks; Refrigerated and Frozen; International; and Foodservice. The Grocery and Snacks segment includes branded, shelf stable food products sold in various retail channels in the United States. The Refrigerated and Frozen segment comprises branded, temperature controlled food products sold in various retail channels in the United States. The International segment consists branded food products, in various temperature states, sold in various retail and foodservice channels outside of the United States. The Foodservice segment focuses in the branded and customized food products, including meals, entrees, sauces, and a variety of custom-manufactured culinary products packaged for sale to restaurants and other foodservice establishments in the United States. The company was founded by Alva Kinney and Frank Little in 1919 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL. Read More Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA engages in the traditional banking businesses of retail banking, asset management, private banking, and wholesale banking. It operates through the following segments: Spain, the United States, Mexico, Turkey, South America, and Rest of Eurasia. The Spain segment includes mainly the banking and insurance business that the group carries out in Spain. The United States segment consists of the financial business activity of BBVA USA in the country and the activity of the branch of BBVA SA in New York. The Mexico segment refers to banking and insurance businesses in this country as well as the activity of its branch in Houston. The Turkey segment reports the activity of Garanti BBVA group that is mainly carried out in this country and, to a lesser extent, in Romania and the Netherlands. The South America segment comprises of operations in n Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The Rest of Eurasia segment includes the banking business activity carried out by the group in Europe and Asia, excluding Spain. The company was founded in 1857 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spain. Read More ROME- Officials with Rome City Schools held their annual meeting, inviting residents to voice their concerns within the school district. A number of topics were dicussed including the school budget for 2019, building projects, substitute teachers, minority staff, class sizes and foreign language offerings. The meeting was held as an opportunity for the community to ask anonymous questions and receive on-the-spot answers to their questions. The floor was open for parents and community members to talk about any concerns they have. One parent expressed her concern for bullying happening throughout the school. She described what she calls discrimination in the classroom. She questioned whether there were enough minorities employed by the school district. Another parent used the acronym DASA, Dignity For All Students Act, which protects students from taunting, discrimination, harassment and bullying. Some of the parents questioned whether that was being used. The Superintendent assured the parent, the act was being implemented and said he would look into the claims. "We take notes on them I have a staff here taking notes and will go back and start to investigate some of the claims that were made and work backwards through those issues," said Peter Blake, Superintendent for Rome City Schools. He added that all the concerns brought up at Monday nights meeting would be investigated the next day. The meeting lasted more than two hours. UTICA, N.Y. -- A man is being treated at the hospital for injuries not considered to be life-threatening following an afternoon shooting in Utica. The shooting happened on the 1100 block of St. Vincent Street just before 3:30 p.m. Monday. Police are looking for a suspect, but have no one in custody yet. The investigation is ongoing. UTICA, N.Y. The Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees (MVRCR) received funding to buy a new agency van. The agency was given $14,000 in private donations from Kathleen Sinnott, as well as Robert & Carol Keller through the Keller Family Fund, and the DJ Smith Family Foundation. Additionally, the Indium Corporation and the Macartney Family Foundation matched the donation at $14,000. We truly appreciate and value the individuals, families, foundations and corporations that support the work that MVRCR provides in the community. Through the generous support we receive, MVRCR is able to provide the level of service necessary to engage refugees and immigrants who contribute to the economy and cultural vibrancy of the city and region, said MVRCR Executive Director Shelly Callahan in a statement. The van will provide the MVRCR the ability to serve clients better. It will be used on a daily basis to transport individuals and families for services, including medical appointments, employment services, mental health appointments, school enrollment, employment interviews, citizenship appointments, and other community services. BOONVILLE, NY The fate of Forestport Elementary School will be decided by the Adirondack Central school board in a vote on Tuesday, March 26. Concerned parents gathered Monday at the Boonville Elementary School for a special school board meeting. Amy Weaver, a spokeswoman for the community, voiced concerns that the school board did not follow the process recommended by the state before making a decision. The reaction from the community has been one of dismay about how this process has transpired. Theres been a lack of transparency from the administration as well as the board about the intentions to close Forestport. The community, as well as other stake holders, were not put on notice that this was being considered as an option. Many of us feel it is potentially misguided and a premature decision. The Adirondack school board issued the following statement following the meeting. Weve listened to the concerns of the citizens and will take those concerns into consideration, along with the information that has been submitted to us, before making an informed decision. If the decision is made to close Forestport Elementary, students would be then be transferred to Boonville Elementary. UTICA, N.Y. -- Utica police are searching the person they say shot a man in Cornhill, authorities have been on the hunt for several hours now. The shooting happened around 3:30 Monday afternoon, in the 1100 block of St. Vincent Street. The person shot was rushed to the hospital, and is expected to be OK. Crews were on the scene for a few hours interviewing possible witnesses, and looking through possible evidence for any leads. Police have yet to release any new details, as they continue their investigation. WHITE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) The White County Landfill rezone proposal is on its way to the White County Commissioners after it passed the initial hearing Monday evening. The vote was taken in a room packed full of community members who say they still have concerns. Waste Management of Indiana owns 565 acres in and around the landfill, but only 169 are currently used for disposal. The rezoning adds up to 115 acres to that amount. The company says without an expansion, the landfill would be out of room in nine years. This will add ,at a minimum, an additional 30. But, many community members who showed up to the meeting are worried about the landfill's environmental impact, and its impact on property values. "Most of the residents are concerned about the proximity to the water ways and that's one of the main concerns that I have," said community member Shannon Mattix. "Plus what really needs to be addressed is the rolled tarp situation. The trash not only in, but out of the landfill." "We do understand their concerns about litter and litter that could be escaping from these trucks," said the spokeswoman of Waste Management of Indiana, Lisa Disbrow."We do try to police at the facility and listened very carefully to what the public and the community had to say tonight." The next rezoning meeting is in the White County Building on Monday in front of the county commissioners. It starts at 8:15 a.m. and is open to the public. Swem Library debuts short-story dispenser, first of its kind in Virginia Story dispenser: Short Edition CEO Christophe Sibieude (far left) and Business Development Manager Loic Giraut (far right) celebrate the installation with Elizabeth Merrifield and Lisa Nickel of W&M Libraries. W&M Libaries photo Photo - of - Hide Caption On the first night of its debut in Swem Library, the new short-story dispenser printed so many short stories 200 to be exact that the machine ran out of paper. As a library, we want to help students engage in creative activities, pleasure reading and personal enrichment, said librarian Liz Bellamy. And the fact that we went through an entire roll of paper the very first day shows that students really want that too, said Liz Bellamy. On March 1, William & Mary Libraries unveiled its newest addition to Swem Library: a short-story dispenser that prints out pieces of flash fiction on demand. The dispenser, produced by French company Short Edition, is the first and currently only of its kind in Virginia. Users simply press a button to choose a one-, three- or five-minute story, and the dispenser prints an original short story on a scroll, eco-friendly paper free of charge. The dispenser selects from one of 100,000 stories written by 8,000 independent authors. The randomized stories are chosen to inspire any number of reactions from readers, from living a daily moment to changing the universe. Lisa Nickel, associate dean for research & public services first encountered the machine at the American Library Association Conference in the summer of 2018, and led the acquisition of the dispenser. We are so excited to share the short-story machine with the William & Mary community. As librarians, we work with students and faculty conducting scholarly research all the time. But, we also believe in promoting the joy of reading for fun, lifelong learning and building community. We think the short-story machine will help us do all of that and more, said Nickel. Aside from providing reading material, the short-story dispenser affords the libraries a unique opportunity to build community through the sharing of stories. Writing contests hosted in collaboration with Short Edition will provide writers on campus a platform to showcase their work on the Short Edition website and through the dispenser in Swem Library, with the possibility of their story being included in other dispensers around the world. Short Edition CEO and Co-Founder Christophe Sibieude and Loic Giraut, Short Editions business development manager, traveled from France to attend Swems grand unveiling. We are so honored to introduce Short Edition to such a prestigious university, said Giraut. The objective is to not only to promote reading to take students off their phones for four or five minutes but also to engage through writing, to invite students to be published in this machine and other machines in the U.S. and internationally. As protests by millions of workers and youth demanding the removal of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika have continued and escalated this past week, strikes against social inequality, layoffs and exploitative working conditions are spreading rapidly. The French-language daily El Watan reported yesterday that a new call for a three-day general strike beginning today to demand the removal of Bouteflika has spread on social media, independently of the trade unions. A similar call earlier this month led to a nationwide strike on March 11-12, hitting some ports and oil fields, most public transport networks, and the entire education system. Although the [strike] call is anonymous we must expect that it will be followed like the previous appeals for marches and the previous strike, the newspaper stated. Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated throughout Algeria earlier this month Yesterday, a wildcat strike erupted at the Tosyali Algeria steel plant in Bethouia, Oran, Algerias second-largest city, employing 4,800 workers. The morning shift walked out in protest at an attempted suicide by a worker at the plant. Le Journal de lOranais reported that a worker mounted a platform inside the complex and threatened to jump, after receiving a note from management informing him that his latest and fourth successive short-term contract would be of six months duration, instead of a year. Thousands of other workers labor under similar short-term contracts at the plant. The article reported that the workers staged a sit-in outside the plant and circulated a petition on the premises for an immediate withdrawal of confidence in the local union, considered to be in cahoots with the factory management, and the election of a new representation. The workers are also demanding a 100 percent base wage increase, an increase in individual and collective performance bonuses, and an end to abusive layoffs against workers. The workers rejection of the trade union is part of a widespread hatred of the official union bureaucracies, which function as corrupt agents of the employers and the government. The head of the General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA) is backing Bouteflika against the mass protests demanding his removal. More than 1,000 workers at the Turkish-Algerian construction company Ozgun-Nurol-Engoa (ONE), who are involved in building the Tizi Ouzou-Bouira roadway, began a strike on Sunday to oppose the sackings of dozens of workers. They are also demanding payment of bonuses tied to the construction of tunnels and the road. The strikes and demonstrations by Algerian workers are part of an international upsurge of working-class struggle. In neighboring Morocco, 15,000 teachers demonstrated on Saturday night outside parliament to demand an increase in pensions and payment of bonuses and to demand permanent jobs. Since 2016, more than 55,000 of Moroccos 240,000 teachers have been hired under a new system of temporary contracts. The teachers also reportedly chanted slogans including This is a corrupt country and We are ruled by a mafia, demanding the resignation of the prime minister and education minister. The government responded by ordering police to fire water cannons on the protesting teachers and threatening that they will be sacked if they do not return to class. The protests demanding the removal of the military-backed regime headed by figurehead president Bouteflika have continued to grow over the past two weeks. On March 12, the regime announced that Bouteflika would not contest upcoming elections, but extended his rule indefinitely, postponing elections until after 2019. The announcement included cosmetic changes, including a cabinet reshuffle, the announcement of a government of national competencies and a national conference picked by the regime. On Friday, workers and youth protested across the country demanding Bouteflikas removal. The protests were reportedly as large as the previous two Fridays, which involved more than 1 million people across the country, but likely far more. The working class opposition to Bouteflika is driven not only by the demand for the removal of the regime, but for an improvement in the conditions of life for the broad mass of the working class and an end to intense social inequality over which the regime presides. Yesterday, El Watan acknowledged that the protests against Bouteflika have apparently liberated anger buried for years among many Algerians. In addition to demands tied to freedom (the media, justice) and democracy, certain groups are also advancing socio-economic grievances. All of the bourgeois opposition parties, from former members of the government to the pseudo-left Workers Party of Louisa Hanoune and the Pabloite Socialist Workers Party, are working under these conditions to suppress any independent struggle by the working class and tie workers to one or another faction of the National Liberation Front (FLN) regime. These organizations represent sections of the regime and are hostile to any demands for social equality, seeking only greater positions of power for themselves in the present set-up. Last Monday, a collection of establishment opposition groups using the banner of a National Coordination for Change released a Platform for Change calling for Bouteflikas removal and claiming to support the protest movement. The platform is fundamentally the same as the roadmap outlined by Bouteflikas own March 11 letter, which has already been rejected by protesters. It calls upon the regime to dissolve parliament and introduce a Transition period, in which a collegial presidency made up of trusted national personalities will rule, who pledge not to remain in power at the end of the transition period. It calls for a government of national salvation, which Bouteflikas entourage has already set up this month, and an inclusive national consultation. The only difference between this proposal and that of the clique around Bouteflika is that Bouteflika himselfan 82-year-old man widely known to be physically and mentally incapacitatedis to be removed as figurehead. The platform is explicitly directed as an appeal to the military. The document was signed by Samir Bouakir, the head of the Socialist Forces Front, as well as Mourad Dhina and Kamel Guemazi, two high-level members of the Islamic Salvation Front, which fought a decade-long civil war with the military in the 1990s that claimed the lives of 200,000 people. The Workers Partys Louisa Hanoune is seeking to channel workers behind equally bankrupt appeals for reforms from the regime under the banner of a national capitalist constituent assembly. Hanoune spoke on Monday, calling for workers and young people to create notebooks [ cahiers ] of grievances that would be transferred to a city and then to a state and finally a national level. This is the same proposal made by French President Emmanuel Macron as part of efforts to suppress yellow vest protests against social inequality, and makes clear that these supposedly opposition parties are in reality totally integrated into the state machine. Against both the pro-capitalist parties and trade unions, the World Socialist Web Site urges workers to establish their own workplace and neighborhood committees to take the struggle against Bouteflika into their own hands. Key to this struggle is to establish unity in struggle with workers not only across the Maghreb, but also in France and Europe. Such a struggle must be tied to a revolutionary perspective for the transfer of power to the working class, the expropriation of the major corporations, and the reorganization of the economy on the basis of socialism and equality. Nearly five decades have passed since soldiers of the British Armys Parachute Regiment shot 28 peaceful civil rights demonstrators. The Bloody Sunday atrocity killed 13 people on January 30, 1972, in Derry, Northern Ireland. Another victim died later. Last week, the director of Northern Irelands Public Prosecution Service (PPS), Stephen Herron, concluded there is only sufficient evidence to prosecute one former solder, Soldier F, for the murder of James Wray and William McKinney, and for the attempted murders of Joseph Friel, Michael Quinn, Joe Mahon and Patrick ODonnell. Soldier F remains anonymous and will receive the full backing of the British government. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson offered full legal and pastoral support to the individual affected by todays decision. Soldier F, a former lance corporal, is one of 21 members of the Parachute Regiment who fired their weapons on the day. No one else, of any rank, has ever been prosecuted. The PPS decision shocked relatives and supporters of those killed, who were anticipating that three or four soldiers would be charged. Four soldiers, only known by the letters E, F, G and H, by their own evidence are responsible for at least seven deaths. John Kelly, whose brother Michael was killed, told the Belfast Telegraph, When I heard that no one was to be charged with my brothers murder I was totally devastated. I couldnt take it in. It was as if I wasnt there and it was a dream. I looked around at my familymy eight sisters and my brotherall sitting around the table listening to this and they were all devastated. Bloody Sunday is one of the most notorious crimes of British imperialism. The massacre took place three years into Operation Banner, the deployment of tens of thousands of British troops to Northern Ireland to prop up the Unionist government by violently suppressing a powerful movement calling for civil and democratic rights, jobs and better housing. An estimated 10,00015,000 people attended the Derry march, demanding an end to anti-Catholic discrimination in the North. Most worrying for the ruling class, the demand for civil rights was accompanied by calls for greater social and political equality in all areas. What was posed was the overcoming of the sectarian divisions that had been fostered by British imperialism over centuries in its oldest colony. The movement developed at a time of an escalation in the class struggle internationally between 1968 and 1975, during which a revolutionary upsurge of the working class shook bourgeois rule to its foundations. In the early 1970s, as tensions in Northern Ireland rapidly escalated, the Parachute Regiment was repeatedly unleashed against demonstrations and working-class areas deemed sympathetic to the Irish Republican Army (IRA). In August 1971, the regiment murdered nine of ten people killed in the working-class Catholic estate of Ballymurphy in Belfast during Operation Demetriusthe internment without trial of hundreds of people accused of supporting the republicans. An inquest into the Ballymurphy Massacre only opened last year and is still hearing evidence. Eighteen people were interned from Ballymurphy, while others were shot down during two days of protests and shootings. One woman, Joan Connolly, a 45-year-old mother of eight, was shot repeatedly in the head. Outrage at internment and army violence triggered mass opposition resulting in demonstrations, rent and labour strikes. Sectarian violence escalated to the extent that 7,000 people, Catholic and Protestant, were forced from their homes. Thousands of Catholics fled to refugee camps in the Republic of Ireland. Hundreds of people interned suffered months of brutality and torture at the hands of British forces. The protest march of January 30, 1972 was an expression of powerful opposition to the repressive savagery of British and Ulster governments and was targeted for repression by the Conservatives under Prime Minister Edward Heath. The PPS decision to allow only one prosecution is consistent with the approach taken ever since by the British and Northern Ireland authorities. Those directing the most egregious acts of state orchestrated violence, murder, torture, brutality, spying, entrapment and infiltration have gone unpunished because they have been following the policy of successive British governments. Immediately after Bloody Sunday the Widgery Tribunal, which reported in April 1972, defended the soldiers, accusing them only of recklessness while falsely insisting that some of those shot had been firing weapons or handling bombs. The report was finally conceded to be a whitewash in 1998, when the British government agreed to another inquiry as part of discussions around the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. The subsequent Saville Inquiry, which heard evidence for five years and took another five to report, only continued the cover-up in a different form. Lord Saville accumulated a great deal of evidence, including from Heath himself, but the inquiry concluded that soldiers losing their self-control and firing themselves, forgetting or ignoring their instructions and training lay at the heart of the killings. Saville once again exonerated the army top brass and British government. Heath conveniently suffered memory failures when asked to comment on any discussion in a 1971 cabinet committee on the use of guns against unarmed demonstrators. The belated prosecution of Soldier F, who must now be at least in his sixties, follows this pattern. The Tory government aims to close down any prospect of further trials over partially completed or paralysed investigations into atrocities of the Britains dirty war. Besides the Bloody Sunday and Ballymurphy killings carried out by uniformed soldiers, there are other ongoing historical enquiriesparticularly into British agents operating in both loyalist and republican paramilitary outfits. The most notorious and potentially damaging of these is Freddie Scappaticci, known as Stakeknife, who is alleged to have run the IRAs internal security operation for many years and carried out large numbers of murders, including those of IRA members falsely accused of being British spies. Stakeknifes activities are the subject of a police investigation, Operation Kenova, whose primary concern is to hide the role of Scappaticcis controllers and political masters. Earlier this month, the governments Northern Ireland secretary, Karen Bradley, insisted to the House of Commons that the 10 percent of Northern Ireland killings directly attributed to the hands of the military and police were not crimes. Bradleys comments were calculated to mollify the ultra-right Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Northern Ireland, on whose votes Theresa Mays government depends in order to pass through British Parliament the Withdrawal Agreement she has agreed with the European Union to exit the bloc. She was quickly forced to apologise for the tone of her comments following complaints from Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney that her timing couldnt be worse, but the content was not retracted. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson agreed, bemoaning the fact that proposed changes to retrospectively protect soldiers from spurious criminal charges would not be ready in time to cover those accused of Bloody Sunday. During a visit to BAEs warship yard in Barrow in Furness, England, Williamson made clear that he opposed any prosecutions for Bloody Sunday and for other past and future war crimes. Its not just about Northern Ireland, but about Iraq and Afghanistan, conflicts before that and in the future, he said. In conditions of immense class tensions, with advanced preparations for civil unrest particularly in the event of a no deal Brexit, British imperialism is preparing new Bloody Sundays, internationally and in the UK itself. The author also recommends: Britain: Saville Inquiry continues cover-up of Bloody Sunday massacre [18 June 2010] Former British Prime Minister Edward Heath gives evidence to Bloody Sunday tribunal [18 February 2003] The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, as part of its Wallace House Presents speaker series, hosted an event on March 19 titled The Weinstein Effect: Breaking the Stories That Spurred a Movement. The event consisted of a conversation between Ken Auletta, a writer on various media issues, and Ronan Farrow, the New Yorker contributing writer whose October 2017 article about Harvey Weinstein helped touch off the #MeToo campaign. The two-hour event was dominated by self-promotion and self-congratulation, identity politics and contempt for basic democratic rights. In their meandering comments, which were distinctly deficient in terms of facts and details, the two speakers took for granted that Farrows mix of hearsay, unproven allegations and anonymous comments constituted evidence of wrongdoing. The event underscored the fact that #MeToo is a political campaign alien fromand hostile tothe interests of the working class, both women and men. Farrow, a former State Department propagandist who worked for diplomat Richard Holbrooke and Hillary Clinton, has experienced a career surge since penning the initial New Yorker article about Weinstein, as well as subsequent articles, including one that eventually led to the resignation of Les Moonves, CEO of the CBS Corporation. HBO has brought Farrow on to produce a series of documentaries on the abuse of power by individuals and institutions for the cable and satellite television network. He has also signed a deal with Little, Brown and Company for a book about the Weinstein investigation. In 2018, Farrow received the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for the Weinstein reporting, along with the New York Times, which won for articles by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey. The Times and the Washington Post won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting the same year for the war-mongering (and now discredited) coverage of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and its connections to the Trump campaign. Meanwhile, the #MeToo campaign has been used to target, smear and destroy the careers of dozens of artists and public figures, all while undermining core democratic principles, including due process. The campaign is pursued relentlessly in the media and political establishment, particularly the Democratic Party, as part of a campaign to erode democratic rights, direct social anger along reactionary lines and open up new pathways to power for privileged layers of the upper middle class. The March 19 audience, which filled roughly two-thirds of the University of Michigans Rackham Auditorium, largely consisted of older attendees and faculty members. Despite the endless promotion of #MeToo on college campuses, the event did not capture the attention of large numbers of young people. The occasion for the event was the Wallace Houses decision to award Farrow a Livingston Award for Young Journalists, described on the organizations website as honor[ing] journalists under the age of 35 for outstanding achievement in local, national and international reporting across all forms of journalism. Farrow was introduced as a groundbreaking reporter whose work set the gold standard of sexual misconduct reporting and set off a tidal wave of societal change. His reporting, it was claimed, unveiled the tools at the disposal of Americas most powerful figures as they seek to silence their many victims. Farrow and Auletta presented a narrative of Farrows reporting that depicted him as an investigative journalist who was combating power structures and power imbalances while aggressively searching for the truth. This is fraudulent. Farrows work is not in the tradition of genuine investigative journalism, associated with the efforts of those such as Seymour Hersh and Robert Parry, which seeks to expose crimes committed by powerful economic and political forces against the interests of broad layers of the population. In fact, sex scandals have a right-wing pedigree, as they have often been used to poison the social atmosphere and scapegoat oppressed populations (African Americans in the southern US, Jews in Germany under the Nazis, Muslims in Europe today, etc.). Farrows sheet-sniffing exposures are little more than smear campaigns replete with unverifiable claims and salacious details appealing to readers basest instincts. While Hersh has been effectively blacklisted by major American news publications for his work exposing US lies and war crimes, Farrow is a highly paid and connected figure whose efforts have won himas the University of Michigan event demonstratesa great deal of praise, and money, from the political and media establishment. This is itself a reflection of the political and social character of #MeToo as a whole. #MeToo is not a movement emanating from the social grievances of masses of women. Rather, it is a campaign promoted and advanced by the uppermost layers of the political and media establishment, including the Democratic Party and the New York Times organizations whose leaders are responsible for far more grievous crimes against humanity than anything of which Weinstein has been accused. For all the talk of bringing down powerful figures, the #MeToo campaign has empowered some of the most vicious and reactionary elements in the media and state apparatus. Artists who have been accused have had their works removed from public view, and actors have been expunged from films in Stalinist fashion. Meanwhile, figures such as Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning have suffered illegal imprisonment or torture for uncovering and publishing the truth about US war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. These figures, who represent genuine courage in journalism and whistleblowing, have been either ignored or contemptuously dismissed by the #MeToo crowd. No one at the Wallace House event mentioned the persecution of Assange and WikiLeaks nor Mannings recent jailing, despite the fact that the Trump administrations crusade against these figures represents a grave threat to press freedom and core democratic rights. The issue of accountability was a theme Farrow returned to often, at one point stating that, I dont think we have in the media fully come to grips with the extent to which we were failing to the hold the powerful accountable and contributed to a cover-up culture. I dont think weve extended the tentative steps towards accountability to all of the segments of society that desperately need it. What exactly do Farrow and his ilk mean when they appeal for accountability? The vast majority of those accused in the #MeToo campaign have not been convicted, or even charged, with any crime. In the hands of the #MeToo inquisitors, accountability is essentially a code word for vigilantism. These self-appointed arbiters of morality select their targets, make use of anonymous accusers, and destroy lives without the accused being given a chance to answer their claimsor in some cases, without even knowing the nature of the accusations against them. History is replete with figures who have been held accountable in such fashion, from the victims of lynchings in the South to the murder of Leo Frank by an anti-Semitic gang. Not once has this sort of mob justice been associated with anything progressive in society. And with the ruling elites building up and sharpening of the mechanisms of repression in response to a global upsurge of working class struggle, who is to say it wont be left-wing activists, workers and socialists whom the wealthy elite decide to hold accountable next? The foul character of this campaign has had an impact on college campuses. Farrow was introduced by Sammy Sussman, a reporter for the Michigan Daily, the University of Michigan student newspaper, who wrote a scurrilous article in December 2018 that ended the career of Stephen Shipps, a longtime professor in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. The Daily article, which resembles a tabloid piece due to its amateurishness and its effort to wring salacious details out of largely innocuous events or unsubstantiated claims, admitted that no concrete evidence has emerged to support claims of sexual misconduct against Shipps. Nevertheless, Shipps was placed on leave and ultimately stepped down. My article would never have happened without Ronans reporting, the student said at the March 19 event. During the question and answer period, a Socialist Equality Party (SEP) supporter said: I strongly disagree with the presentations tonight. Ronan Farrow began his public career as an accomplice of Richard Holbrooke and Hillary Clinton, responsible for more blood than this lecture hall could hold, in Washingtons naked pursuit of its geopolitical interests in the Middle East and Central Asia, known as the war on terrorthe Democratic Party version. Farrow went on to help launch the #MeToo sexual witch hunt, which has further undermined the presumption of innocence and due process and has nothing to do with the conditions of the broad mass of women, working class women in particular. The destruction of lives and careers is a McCarthyite campaign, which has created an atmosphere of intimidation and terror. Ultimately, wider layers of the population will pay for the attack on due process. We are in Scoundrel Time again, and Ronan Farrow is one of the chief scoundrels. Inexplicably, the last quarter of these critical comments were suppressed by those live streaming the event on YouTube. In any case, Farrow and Auletta were unable to respond to any of these issues and moved on quickly, although they were clearly shaken by the comment. At the conclusion of Saturdays public meeting, organized by Mehring Verlag, The lessons of the 1930s and the struggle against the extreme right, World Socialist Web Site reporters spoke with some of the students and workers who attended. Ronja and Silas came to the meeting after receiving a leaflet about it from IYSSE members campaigning outside their high school. Ronja is 18 and just graduated; Silas is 16 and in Year 10. I read the headline and decided I had to come, Ronja said. I had informed myself in the past about Anne Frank and Victor Klemperer, who wrote a book titled LTI. Its about the language of the Third Reich. I am very interested about the question of how it could have gotten to this point and to these actions under the Nazis. We visited Anne Franks house and it was very interesting, because they wrote many things about Hitler and the history. Im very interested about events between 1920 and 1945. Ronja (left) and Silas Silas said he had looked at the different events at the Leipzig Book Fair and read about the presentation of Christoph Vandreiers book, Why Are They Back? I decided it is very important for our generation to know about such things, he said. Ronja said that she had begun to more seriously consider political questions in recent weeks, while participating in the Fridays for Future international youth protests against climate change. I demonstrated in the street. Its good because here is a way for young people to express themselves, she said. Its a good thought that we can change something when we are working together. The real change in the political system may happen when we grow older. There are so many teenagers who are informed. Silas said that the two most important aspects of the presentations at the meeting were the connection established between the growth of the far-right and capitalism, on the one hand, and the perspective of building a movement in the working class against both fascism and its source in the capitalist system. I thought it was very interesting that they explained that the growth of the right wing and the AFD is really going with capitalism, he said. I didnt think about this before. I had heard before about this two percent of people who have the same amount of wealth as the bottom half of the world. But its very interesting that it goes together with the working class, and you are explaining that actually the working class is the weapon against capitalism. I had not thought of this before. Ronja said that before the meeting I had not really thought about socialism and capitalism and that in school there is no time for such discussion. While maybe we talk about Hitler and sometimes about 1989, there is no discussion about capitalism and socialism. A WSWS reporter asked whether she thought it was a problem that students could not discuss such questions in school. It is a big problem actually, she replied. We think its a normal system, but it isnt. She added that capitalism is there but we dont know what the alternative is. Its important to know what goes with capitalism. Silas added, But I see that the working class is the tool against capitalism. He said that he had never heard of the Russian Revolution before. We have to know about this. Hannah, who is in Ronjas grade at school and came along with her and Silas to the meeting, added to the discussion: In school they never talk negatively about capitalism. All the difficult complex questions are never dealt with. This meeting was difficult for me to follow because Im 18, but its very important. I want more young people here. Silas added: I think it is important that we all get together and do something against capitalism. Many people say this is difficult. But in some ways I think you can say that, but not realize that it isnt so hard. After this presentation I realized what the workers are. When I have a job I realize the influence and power that we have under capitalism. I think we all have to know what capitalism is and how we can fight against it. Ronja added that she wanted to know about what she and other young people could do right now. A WSWS reporter noted the speakers had stressed that the critical task was to build an international revolutionary party in the working class, which students and workers can only carry out if they study the lessons of history and the experiences of the workers movement. So the international party is there for doing that, for uniting the working class, Ronja added. That is good. I think there will be more interest in politics and changing things. Judith also attended Saturdays meeting, the first time she had participated in an event of the Socialist Equality Party. I wanted to know how you explained the connection between the 1930s and the present day, how anti-Semitism could have come about at that time, she said. Before I thought I didnt have to worry about fascism re-emerging today, she said, but now we have politicians like [AfD leader Alexander] Gauland, who declares in the Bundestag that the Third Reich and the Holocaust were only fly shit in German history. It gives you a sick feeling. It obviously benefits the people with the big money, she said. They are also willing to make money through war. A public meeting on The lessons of the 1930s and the struggle against the far right today, organised by Mehring Verlag at the Leipzig Book Fair, met with a powerful response on Saturday. Although the meeting took place in a less than favourable locationthe Leipzig suburb of Plagwitzaround 200 people attended the event. Picture: A section of the meeting in Leipzig We would have liked to have held this meeting at Leipzig University, as we have done very successfully on several occasions over recent years, said Ulrich Rippert, the national secretary of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (SGP) in opening the meeting. However, university management refused our request for a room, claiming that no lecture theatres were available. This amounted to a clear capitulation to the Alternative for Germany (AfD), and shows how the right-wing extremists enjoy the support of universities, political parties, and important sections of the state apparatus, Rippert said, before adding, This is precisely what our meeting is directed against. Mehring Verlag published two important works for the Book Fair on the struggle against the far right, and on the history of the socialist movement, which were presented at its Non-Fiction Forum. Christoph Vandreier, assistant national secretary of the SGP, introduced his book, Why are They Back? Historical Falsification, Political Conspiracy, and the Return of Fascism in Germany and David North, chairman of the international editorial board of the World Socialist Web Site, and of the Socialist Equality Party (US), presented the new edition of his highly significant work, The Heritage we Defend: A Contribution to the History of the Fourth International. Both books also formed the centrepiece of Saturday evenings meeting, and Rippert drew attention, in his opening remarks, to the contemporary relevance and internal connection between them. Without a detailed understanding of the history of Marxism and the Fourth International, it is impossible to fight for a socialist programme, he declared. And without mobilising the working class on the basis of a socialist programme, it is impossible to fight the fascists. The main speech was delivered by Christoph Vandreier, who began by pointing to the contemporary relevance of his book. The brutal terrorist attack in New Zealand was only possible due to the existence of a wide-ranging neo-Nazi network, with close ties to the state apparatus, he explained. It wasnt just the action of an individual neo-Nazi, Vandreier insisted. It was the expression of a fundamental social tendency. The speaker mentioned the far-right governments in the United States, Brazil and many European countries. In Germany, right-wing extremist AfD parliamentary deputies glorified the Nazi-era German Army and trivialised the Holocaust. The book Why are They Back? demonstrates in detail how this turn to the right has been prepared ideologically and politically. A key role in this exercise in historical revisionism was played by an article published in Der Spiegel in February 2014, calling for a rewriting of German history. In the article, Professor Jorg Baberowski, of Berlins Humboldt University, was cited as saying, among other things, that Hitler was not vicious, and that the Holocaust could be equated to shootings carried out during the Russian civil war in 1918. Baberowski was hailed as a hero by neo-Nazis for his trivialisation of Nazi crimes, glorification of violence and agitation against refugees. But, even more significant than Baberowskis right-wing extremist positions, was the manner in which academia, the media and the political establishment responded to them. Unlike in the 1980s, during the Historians dispute, there were no protests from these layers against the relativisation of the Nazis crimes. Instead, the IYSSE and SGP were attacked by almost every major daily newspaper, and identified as left-wing extremists in the report issued by the grand coalitions secret service, due to the partys principled opposition to militarism, nationalism, and the AfD. This was how the rise of the far-right was prepared, said Vandreier. The all-embracing character of the rightward shift and its international scope underscored the fact that a fundamental social tendency was involved, rooted in the deepening capitalist crisis. The ruling elites interests are no longer compatible with democratic rights. This is the reason why, in every country they are increasingly turning to authoritarian forms of rule, and why the fascists are once again winning a hearing, Vandreier explained. But, unlike in the 1930s, the fascists today are not a mass movement; they are a hated minority. The masses are moving to the left around the world, and the class struggle is intensifying. Under these conditions, the central issue is one of political perspective and leadership. Either the workers take power and create a society based on social equality and democratic participation, or the ruling elites will once again drive humanity into a catastrophe, Vandreier concluded. David North underscored the critical importance of Vandreiers remarks. His book was a summary of the Trotskyist movements international analysis, not only relevant for Germany, but for workers and young people around the world. He said he was pleased to announce that the English edition of Why are They Back? would be presented by Vandreier in a lecture series in the US in April. North recalled, at the beginning of his speech, that this autumn would mark the 30th anniversary of German reunification. Only the Trotskyist movement was prepared at the time to understand the wide-ranging political and historical processes at work. A central argument advanced in The Heritage We Defend was that the regime in the Soviet Union, the regimes that existed in Eastern Europe and the GDR itself, were Stalinist, not Socialist. Their policy was not based on Marxism, not on socialist principles, but on the Stalinist and nationalist perversion of those conceptions. And the book made the very explicit prediction that the regimes that had existed in Eastern Europe, unless overthrown in a political revolution by the working class as advocated by Trotsky, would dissolve and restore capitalism, North said. More than three decades later, the full implications of this development were clear, North continued. The dissolution of the Soviet Union did not result in the end of history, or even in a new period of democracy and freedom, but its exact opposite: glaring social inequality, a right-wing extremist party in the German parliament, fascist parties in several European governments, Trump in the White House, and military rearmament and preparations for war around the world. The threat of a third world war was now greater than ever before, he warned. North stressed that the return of this filth was linked to the historic crisis of capitalism. The vast levels of social inequality and the ruling classs return to military rearmament and war, could only be imposed through the resort to authoritarian forms of rule and fascism, in the face of mounting opposition from workers and young people. Everywhere, he continued, the ruling class feared the spectre of socialism. The fact that US President Donald Trump felt compelled to issue a warning against it underscored how much influence socialism already had. North then turned to the growth of the international class struggle. The working class is an international class, which is increasingly aware of its international identity. It thinks of itself less and less in national terms, but in international terms, he said. North reported that striking Maquiladoras workers in Mexico recently declared their solidarity with a demonstration organised by the Socialist Equality Party in Detroit, against plant shutdowns and mass lay-offs in the auto industry. Today, it was inconceivable that the development of social struggles in Germany would not be accompanied by a massive movement of workers throughout Europe. Likewise, the development of the class struggle in Britain, France, Italy, or Eastern Europe would almost overnight be transformed into a European-wide or even worldwide social struggle. Our perspective based itself, in its organisational forms and its political strategy, on the development of the international class struggle, North declared. This was how the rise of the far-right could be stopped. They will not conquer again, North declared. We can be certain of that. There is no way that the experiences of the 1930s will suddenly be erased from memory. Germany was traumatized by the events that happened in this country between 1933 and 1945. Baberowski and his clique at the university and the lackeys in the administration who support him may think that he can erase the crimes of the Nazis and everyone will forget what happened, but thats not possible. Almost overnight, to the extent people become aware, in this country, of the threat they face, we anticipate an enormous growth of social and political opposition, North said. That will not be lacking. But what will be required is a very high level of political and historical awareness. German capitalism and the German ruling elites carry the ineradicable virus of fascism; not as individuals, but as representatives of a social system, he continued. This has been proven by history. North concluded his remarks with an appeal, which found a strong response, Draw the lessons from this meeting, read the book by Christoph Vandreier and the works of the International Committee, and join the Socialist Equality Party. It is necessary to ensure that this time, the German revolution succeeds as part of the world revolution. The manifesto by Australian fascist Brenton Tarrant, who killed 50 people and injured the same number in shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, has been officially suppressed in New Zealand. On March 23 the countrys chief censor David Shanks announced that the 74-page document titled The Great Replacement has been deemed objectionable under the Films, Video and Publications Classification Act. Shanks instructed anyone in New Zealand who downloaded or printed off the manifesto, which Tarrant posted online just before the March 15 attack, to destroy it. Possession of the manifesto carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and anyone who shares it can be jailed for 14 years. For now, the document can still be accessed and read legally in other countries, including Australia, but the New Zealand decision sets a dangerous precedent. The suppression of the document is a major attack on democratic rights. The ban is a highly political decision: it is part of the efforts by the government and the ruling elite to suppress public discussion about the roots of the terrorist attack, and especially to cover up the role of the state and political parties, in New Zealand and internationally, in creating the conditions for the development of fascism. It is not the internet and the social media that have created an audience for fascist ideology and spurred acts of violence, but the systematic whipping up of anti-immigrant xenophobia by governments for decades, in particular the vilification of Muslims as part of the bogus US-led war on terror. The ban is intended to prevent discussion of the fact that many of Tarrants views are not very different from those held in governments and parliaments throughout the world. The manifesto contains anti-immigrant and racist rhetoric strikingly similar to that used by US President Donald Trump, who Tarrant hails as a symbol of white renewal. Tarrant repeatedly describes immigrants as invaders, the same word Trump used to incite violence against refugees. Tarrants anti-Islamic rant also resembles the political rhetoric of far-right parties across Europe, as well as Australias One Nation and the New Zealand First Party, which is part of the Labour-led government in Wellington. Like Tarrant, NZ First leader Winston Peters has sought to whip up anxiety about the replacement of New Zealanders by immigrants, especially Muslims and Asians. The ban will pave the way for the New Zealand state to suppress other political publications, especially left-wing and Marxist publications, which were heavily censored in World War I and World War II. As the world economic crisis accelerates and New Zealand aligns ever more closely with US threats against Russia and China, the Christchurch massacre has been seized on to justify censorship. Following the terrorist attack, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern denounced extremism of every kind, while Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for a crackdown on extremism of the right and of the left. Demands are being made for extreme content to be removed from Facebook, which has already censored the World Socialist Web Site and many left-wing sites. Far from stopping the manifestos circulation among its intended audience, the ban will only increase its appeal in white supremacist circles internationally. Shanks admitted to TVNZ that his decision would give the document cachet and attraction among such layers. The legality of the ban is not at all clear. New Zealand has no specific law against hate speech and books such as Hitlers Mein Kampf can be distributed. The Bill of Rights Act (1990) states: Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form. These rights are subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society. According to the Classification Act, a publication can be classified as objectionable and effectively banned if it deals with matters such as sex, horror, crime, cruelty, or violence in such a manner that the availability of the publication is likely to be injurious to the public good. The decision is at the discretion of the Chief Censor and his staff. Justifying his ban, Shanks said that in addition to espousing hateful ideology Tarrants manifesto was terrorist promotional material that exhorted others to acts of violence against specific groups and individuals. Speaking to TVNZ, Shanks dismissed arguments that the public should have the right to access the manifesto to help understand New Zealands worst terrorist atrocity. This is a very poor place to go to try and understand what happened, he said. Journalists and researchers who want to study the document must apply to the Classifications Office for an exemption to access it for a limited time, determined by the censor. In a threatening press release, Shanks said the use of excerpts in media reports may not in itself amount to a breach of the [Act], but ethical considerations will certainly apply. Real care needs to be taken around reporting on this publication, given that widespread media reporting was clearly what the author was banking on, in order to spread their message. This statement is meant to intimidate anyone wishing to report on the contents of the manifesto and to smear them as assisting the far-right terrorist. A spokesman for New Zealands Free Speech Coalition, lawyer Stephen Franks, denounced the ban as a completely improper use of the censorship powers. It called for each citizen to be allowed to engage, hear, read, and reject evil for themselves. A few journalists have also objected to the ban. The Green Party, which is part of the coalition government, has remained silent, as have the pseudo-left organisations. Most media commentators praised Shanks decision. An editorial in the Christchurch Press rejected the argument that the ban stifles debate about the gunman, his motives and how future bad actors can be stopped. It declared: The debate is not worse because we can no longer possess or distribute the document. Its contents are well enough understood by the public. This is completely false. In fact, the media has played a major role in covering up the significance of the manifesto. The document, for example, makes clear that Tarrant is a highly-conscious fascist, sympathetic to certain far-right politicians and with international connections to many nationalist groups. He is not a lone wolf, as is asserted by the government and much of the media. The manifesto also reveals Tarrants sympathy for the military and police and states that hundreds of thousands of people in the European armed forces are in nationalist groups. This passage, which raises extremely serious questions about whether Tarrant had any assistance from members of these state agencies, has received no attention in the New Zealand or Australian media. Fascist groups have been allowed to flourish in both countries unhindered by police and intelligence agencies, which ignored repeated warnings of neo-Nazi violence in the years leading up to Tarrants attack. There has been complete silence in the media about Tarrants threats against Marxists and communists, which underscore that fascism is a tool used by the bourgeoisie to crush the working class, especially its most conscious, socialist elements. The suppression of the manifesto is intended to cover up the fact that, although fascism is not yet a mass movement, as workers and young people come into struggle against austerity and war, the capitalist class will increasingly turn to fascist forces in an attempt to defend its rule. The author also recommends: The New Zealand terrorist attack and the international danger of fascism [18 March 2019] Australian PM seeks to cover up political roots of fascist attack in New Zealand [23 March 2019] After far-right terror attack, New York Times glorifies New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern [21 March 2019] 404 This page could not be found . Moroccan anti-riot police assaulted striking teachers with batons and water cannon in the capital of Rabat over the weekend. An estimated 10,000-15,000 education workers, on strike since March 3, had gathered to press their demands for permanent jobs, pensions, additional salaries and good healthcare. The teachers and other education workers, mainly in the 20s and 30s, chanted liberty, dignity, social justice and held candles or illuminated cell phones. On Saturday night, they decided to camp out in front of the parliament on the main Mohammed V Avenue. They have been holding rallies for the past three weeks to demand permanent jobs, including sit-ins at regional academies across the kingdom. Some shouted political slogans such as This is a corrupt country and We are ruled by a mafia, demanding the resignations of Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani and Education Minister Said Amzazi. The education ministry has threatened mass firings in retaliation for the strike with the pretext that teachers knew the terms of the contracts before signing them. We are not intimidated by the threats of the education ministry because we came to claim our right to be integrated in the civil service and defend the public school, Abdelilah Taloua, a young teacher, told Reuters. Describing themselves as forcibly contracted educators, approximately 55,000 of Moroccos teachers have received only annual renewable contracts since 2016. At that time, the education ministry instituted austerity policies, which removed them officially from the public sector. They are now demanding equal rights across the profession including full pension rights. Presently the teachers receive only 40 percent of their monthly salary after retirement. Striker Oussama Hamdouch, 27, speaking with Moroccan World News, said the Ministry of Education has now proposed to hire teachers through regional academies. This was unacceptable, he emphasized, because the regional academies do not have the resources to offer employment to everyone. The academies will be able to fire teachers if they dont have financial resources whenever they want to. School principals will also have a certain authority over us. We want to work with dignity like the other teachers in the public sector, Hamdouch said. Explaining that young teachers had no alternative but to sign the substandard contracts, Hamdouch added, We had no choice. The job market is disappointing. Teachers are particularly angry over the contracts stipulation that they cannot take a full-employment position, even if one is offered, for the duration of the agreement. The new round of protests follow those on February 20, when thousands gathered to press these demands and were met with similar violence by government forces. The February demonstration was called as part of a national general strike commemorating the revolutionary struggles dubbed the Arab spring in 2011. With an escalating national debt, estimated at 82.5 percent of GDP, Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani has continued to press the public sector in order to ensure payments to the state and international banks. Nearly 19 percent of the rural population lives in poverty, and about 15 percent of Moroccans eke out survival on about $3 a day, according to the World Bank. The official unemployment rate in the kingdom continues at just under 10 percent, but among the urban youth recent statistics show it close to 40 percent. In June 2004, the United States designated Morocco a major ally in the war on terror. And, yesterday, March 25, the US State Department announced its approval of the sale of 25 F-16 fighter jets and assorted other military equipment to the Moroccan government at a cost of $3.8 billion. The news release explains that the upgrade will enable Morocco to expand its ability to undertake [NATO] coalition operations, as it has done in the past in flying sorties against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. While attacking teachers, the Kingdom of Morocco, together with Tunisia, has also been the recipient of a special 55 million European Union fund to detain migrants attempting to enter Europe through Spains northern African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla and across the Mediterranean. The protests in Morocco coincide with the popular upheaval in neighboring Algeria. Tens of thousands of teachers joined the general strike earlier this month demanding the end of the figurehead regime of President Abdelaziz and the largest protests in 30 years continue to gain momentum. The political warfare in Washington intensified Monday following the submission of the report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US elections and possible collusion by the Trump campaign. According to Attorney General William Barr, in a letter to Congress Sunday, Mueller cleared the Trump campaign of the charge of collusion while not making any decision on whether Trump should be charged with obstruction of justice for seeking to impede the investigation. While Trump and congressional Republicans hailed the Mueller report as a complete vindication of the president and his campaign, congressional Democrats made it clear there would be no letup either in the anti-Russia campaign or investigations into Trumps business and personal affairs. House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, who has repeatedly declared there is overwhelming evidence that Trump is acting as a stooge of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has scheduled a series of hearings this week on alleged Russian connections. Speaking Sunday on the ABC News program This Week, he disputed claims that the Mueller report had disproven his charges against Trump, saying, Theres a difference between compelling evidence of collusion and whether the special counsel concludes that he can prove beyond a reasonable doubt the criminal charge of conspiracy. On Wednesday, Schiffs committee is to interview Felix Sater, a longtime Trump associate, over Trumps efforts in 2016 to negotiate a deal for a Trump Tower in Moscow. On Thursday, the committee will hear testimony on alleged efforts by Russian oligarchs and the Russian government to influence the 2016 election campaign in the United States. Representative Eric Swalwell of California, another Democrat on the intelligence panel, told CNN Monday evening, We want to make sure that no US official, up to the level of the president, has worked on behalf of a foreign intelligence service. We know there was an intent there to receive help from Russia. Trump fired back, telling the press Monday afternoon at the White House that his opponents have done very evil things treasonous things to our country, and urging an investigation into the genesis of the Mueller investigation itself. The day before, he told reporters, This was an illegal takedown that failed, and hopefully somebody is going to be looking at their other side. Trumps personal lawyer, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, said on Fox News Monday morning, referring to the investigations by House and Senate committees and by Mueller: Now the question is if there were three investigationsno evidence of collusionwho made it up? It didnt just come out of thin air. I want to know who did it. Who paid for it? Who fueled it? In response to these demands, Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced Monday a probe into how the FBI initially opened in the summer of 2016 its investigation of alleged Russian meddling in the US elections, and the role of other intelligence agencies, mainly the CIA, in that decision. The next stage in the political crisis will likely revolve around Democratic demands that the Justice Department release the full text of Muellers report, rather than the four-page letter from Barr summarizing Muellers decision not to initiate any further prosecutions. On Monday evening, the Democratic chairmen of six House committees sent a joint letter to Barr demanding that he transmit to them the full text of Muellers report by next Tuesday, April 2, giving him one week to redact any classified or sensitive material. The six chairmen included Schiff and Jerrold Nadler, head of the Judiciary Committee, which would initiate any impeachment proceedings against Trump. Congressional Democrats have focused in particular on a quote from the Mueller report, contained in Barrs letter of March 24, which declares, While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. This highly unusual assertion has been seized on by the Democrats to suggest Muellers report may provide enough evidence of obstruction of justice to invalidate Barrs decision not to prosecute. While Democrats initially claimed a rush to judgment, suggesting that Barr had taken less than 48 hours to review Muellers report before deciding against the charge of obstruction of justice, CNN reported Monday that Mueller had actually notified Barr and Rosenstein three weeks ago that he would not make a recommendation on the obstruction charge. Nadler said he would file a court challenge against any decision by Barr to withhold the text of the Mueller report from Congress. Other Democrats are demanding even more sweeping disclosure: the handing over of the entire investigative file generated by the Mueller probe, which included interviews with more than 500 witnesses, the execution of nearly 3,000 subpoenas, and document production running to hundreds of thousands of pages. Whatever the immediate effect of such demands, congressional Democrats are stepping up their investigations into Trumps financial and personal affairs, aided by allies in the military-intelligence apparatus and the Justice Department itself. As the Washington Post put it, The investigations into Trumps acts both as a candidate and as president will now move into a more freewheeling phase, as multiple congressional committees and federal prosecutors offices look into a vast constellation of alleged misdeeds, including Russian efforts to interfere with the US election, Trumps finances, his inaugural committees fundraising, his family foundation, his business operations after he assumed office and his alleged marital infidelities and payoffs related to them. In a remarkable editorial Saturday, the New York Times declared, Mr. Trump is sure to be under investigation for the rest of his term in office, and probably in court for the rest of his life. The Times followed up this warning with a further editorial Monday that sought to sustain the campaign against alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election even while admittingin what amounts to the repudiation of its two-year campaign to spread FBI and CIA disinformationthat Mueller and his team were unable to establish that anyone connected to the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government The editorial went on to repeat the threadbare claims that the Russian government hacked Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Clinton campaign computer servers, while not acknowledging the content of what was revealed: the systematic effort by the DNC to favor Clinton over Bernie Sanders, and the prostration of Clinton before her Wall Street paymasters, as revealed in speeches to audiences of top bankers and investors. Muellers report has completely discredited the anti-Russia campaign mounted by the Democrats and a large section of the military-intelligence apparatus, with the fulsome support of the Times, the Post, CNN, MSNBC and the bulk of the corporate-controlled media. This campaign was not about defending American democracy. It was about using McCarthy-style slanders about Russian subversion to push a definite foreign policy agenda, focused on more aggressive US intervention in Syria, in Ukraine and Eastern Europe generally, and in Central Asia. The Democratic Party has made no appeal to popular opposition to the Trump administrations ultra-right program of tax cuts and deregulation for corporate America, cuts in social programs, a massive military build-up, and persecution of immigrants. This is because the Democratic Party generally supports these policies and would, were it in office, continue them largely unchanged. No genuine struggle against the Trump administration can take place through the Democratic Party. What is urgently needed is the mobilization of the working class independently of both big business parties in a political movement based on a socialist program. The author also recommends: Mueller report is a political debacle for the Democratic Party [25 March 2019] The hastily completed White House ceremony in which President Donald Trump signed a decree granting official US recognition to Israels illegal annexation of Syrias Golan Heights is an act which, on its surface, appears to change few facts on the ground in the Middle East. No one should underestimate, however, its far-reaching global implications. In a brief proclamation, witnessed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump declared that the United States recognizes that the Golan Heights are part of the State of Israel. He argued that Israels illegal seizure of the Golan Heights in 1967, its unilateral annexation of the territory 14 years later and its continued assertion of control along with the aggressive buildup of Jewish settlements and Israeli capitalist exploitation in the territory were all justified by Israels need to protect itself from Syria and other regional threats, including Iran. What nonsense. Trump turns reality on its head. Israel has used the Golan Heights as a launching pad for its own relentless attacks on Syria, which have included the Israeli arming and support for Islamist militias, including ISIS, in the war for regime change against the government of Bashar al-Assad, as well as the thousands of air strikes which Israels own military chief of staff acknowledged earlier this year. Washingtons recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights comes amid reports that the US military is consolidating its permanent occupation of eastern Syria, including the countrys main oil and gas-producing areas, even after Trumps abortive announcement at the end of last year that he was going to bring the troops home from Syria. In recent weeks, there have been reports that some 1,000 troopsbacked by larger numbers across the border in Iraqwill remain on Syrian soil, while the US military has been spotted trucking large quantities of arms and materiel into the US-occupied zone. In other words, Trump is recognizing Israels annexation of the Golan Heights, even as Washington is occupying and effectively annexing Syrian territory east of the Euphrates River. In short-range political terms, Trumps action was unquestionably aimed at propping up his right-wing ally Netanyahu, who faces a raft of corruption charges and potential defeat at the polls on April 9 at the hands of a slate of generals assembled by the so-called Blue and White coalition headed by former chief of staff Benny Gantz. Netanyahu, who is both Israels prime minister and defense minister, cut short his visit to Washington to return to Israel in order to be seen leading the vengeful onslaught against Gaza for the firing of a single missile that killed no one and for which both Hamas, which administers the occupied territory, and Islamic Jihad, its other major armed faction, have denied responsibility. Israeli warplanes carried out bombing raids across the Gaza Strip, including in the densely populated Gaza City. In other acts of collective punishment, the Israeli occupation forces blocked the sole two existing crossing points into the impoverished territory, an effective open-air prison for 2 million Palestinians, and forcibly turned back Palestinian fishermen attempting to fish off the territorys coast. Hamas officials announced Monday night that they had reached a cease-fire agreement brokered by Egypt, but Tel Aviv remained silent on the matter. Netanyahus electoral opponents are all attacking him from the right, accusing him of failing to take sufficiently bloody measures to quell resistance in Gaza. The leader of the Labor Party, what passes for Israels bourgeois left, denounced Netanyahu as a man of talk and not actions. The Israel Defense Forces, meanwhile, have beefed up their Gaza division with another 1,000 troops, an additional infantry and armored brigade, as top officials warn that all options are on the table. Trumps recognition of Israels annexation of the Golan Heights will serve in the first instance to fuel Israeli military aggression in the occupied territories and throughout the region. It will also push the already rightward lurching trajectory of Israels capitalist political setup ever further toward outright fascism. The present election cycle has seen Netanyahu ally himself with the fascist Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party, which is an offshoot of the Kach Party of Meir Kahane, which was defined by the US State Department as a terrorist organization. Together with the religious Zionists of the Jewish Home party, Netanyahus coalition stands for the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population from Israel and the occupied territories in pursuit of the goal of a Greater Israel, an imperialist and colonialist project that is bound up with the subjugation of the Middle East to US imperialist interests and the preparation for war with Iran. The turn toward openly fascistic politics, bound up with the growth of militarism in Israel as it is internationally, is unmistakable in the current Israeli elections. Campaign propaganda has included one television ad featuring the countrys extreme right-wing Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked spraying herself with a bottle of perfume labeled Fascism and turning to the camera to declare, To me, it smells like democracy. Another has the right-wing Knesset member, Oren Hazan, in a parody of a Clint Eastwood movie, shooting to death Jamal Zahalka, a Palestinian citizen of Israel and leading member of the Balad party in the Knesset. For the Golan Heights, Trumps edict will doubtless spur on Israels drive to eradicate what remains of the territorys original population. Some 130,000 Syrians fled for their lives when the Israeli military invaded the Golan in 1967. The remaining 25,000 Druze Arabs in their overwhelming majority have rejected Tel Avivs attempts to force them to accept Israeli citizenship and insist that they are Syrians. On Saturday, hundreds marched in the Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams in protest over Trumps impending decree. One told the media, From here we say that the Golan [Heights] is Arab and Syrian and neither Trump nor any other person can decide its fate. Another said, He wants to give Israel land, he can give them one or two of his states in America. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, during a tour of the Middle East that brought him to both Israel and Lebanon last week, was asked by a reporter if the US was pursuing a double-standard policy in recognizing Israeli sovereignty over territories seized from Syria, while indicting Russia for annexing Crimea, the pretext for the imposition of sanctions and an aggressive escalation of military threats from NATO. Never mind that the population of the Golan Heights has rejected Israeli occupation for over 50 years, while that of the Crimea overwhelmingly welcomed Russian citizenship. No, not at all, Pompeo responded idiotically. What the president did with the Golan Heights is recognize the reality on the ground and the security situation necessary for the protection of the Israeli state. Its thatits that simple. Recognizing the reality on the ground and what was necessary for the security situation of states was precisely the rationale given for the annexations that led to the deaths of hundreds of millions in the course of the first half of the 20th century. The Austro-Hungarian empires annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1909 is viewed by historians as the prelude to the First World War, while the series of annexations carried out by the Nazi regime in Germany set the stage for the Second World War. It was in recognition of these historical realities that, in the aftermath of the Second World War, the major powers amended the Geneva Conventions and adopted a founding charter of the United Nations with the aim of outlawing such annexations and rejecting threats to the territorial integrity of existing states. In the preparation for a third world war, these principles formally accepted in the aftermath of the second have been thrown onto the scrap heap. The Trump administrations sanctification of Israels land grab in the Golan sets the stage for new and far bloodier invasions, annexations and the revival of outright 21st century colonialism. US imperialism is attempting to legitimize this half-century-old crime in order to pave the way for far larger wars in the Middle East. Its action, however, takes place amid a steady escalation of the class struggle throughout the region, from the mass protests and strikes that have shaken Algeria, to the struggle of teachers and other workers challenging the monarchical regime in Morocco, to workers struggles in Iran, protests against the abysmal social conditions in Gaza and strikes by rail workers in Israel itself in defiance of deals worked out between the state and the official union, Histadrut. The only answer to the threat of war and fascism lies in the independent political mobilization of the working class. In response to the right-wing turn of Washington and Tel Aviv, this poses the urgent necessity of uniting Jewish and Arab workers in the struggle for a Socialist Federation of the Middle East as part of the struggle to put an end to capitalism across the planet. Hundreds of high school students and others took part in a noontime rally in downtown Pittsburgh on Monday, in the fourth day of protests following the acquittal of the police officer who shot and killed 17-year-old Antwon Rose, Jr. on June 18, 2018 in the suburb of East Pittsburgh. Former East Pittsburgh Police officer Michael Rosfeld was found not guilty of a single charge of criminal homicide Friday after a four-day trial. Rosfeld shot Rose three times in the back during a traffic stop. Rose was unarmed and running away when he was killed. I dont see why he had to shoot him, Tina, a high school student from Obama High School in Pittsburghs East Liberty neighborhood, told the WSWS. He was running away, he did not pose a threat. He had a whole life to live. Rosfeld justified the shooting by claiming that he feared for his safety and the safety of the community. The claim of an officer fearing for his or her safety has become the standard defense in every police killing. The added line about safety of the community allowed Rosfeld to justify the murder even though Rose was unarmed and running away. Joel, a student from Allderdice High School in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, said that he was protesting Monday because he felt it was important to stand up to police brutality. Literally, I wouldnt be here if someone didnt stand up to the police. Joel explained that his great-grandfather was arrested during the Nazi attack on Jews in November 1938 known as Kristallnacht. His wife and mother broke into a Nazi office that night and forged a document ordering his release the next day, he said. If people didnt stand up for my great-grandfather, I wouldnt be here today. Im not saying this is the same as thing, but I think people have to stand up to police brutality. Monday marked the fourth day sustained of protests. Friday night, following the announcement of the verdict, hundreds of people marched through the East Liberty neighborhood, blocking intersections and going into restaurants, hotels and other businesses to voice their outrage to the verdict. On Saturday, several hundred people gathered at Freedom Corner in the Hill District. The intersection acquired that name because it was the location of civil rights protests in the 1950s and 1960s. Following the rally, participants marched up to the Oakland neighborhood where they were joined by hundreds of University of Pittsburgh students. A vigil was held on Sunday in the borough of Rankin where Rose had lived. His mother spoke at the vigil and called upon people to continue protesting for changes to the laws which favor the police. Referring to the continued number of people being killed by police, she said this is not just about an individual. At Mondays rally, students chanted 17 when asked how old Rose was when he was killed and called for the removal of Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala, who was responsible for trying the case. This is not right, we should stand up to the police when they do bad things, said Lee, a student from Allderdice High School. Im here because police violence is endemic to the system, especially against black men, and it is time to end it. Mondays protest was organized on social media and busloads of students left their schools around 11 a.m. to go downtown and take part in the march. We came he today because we wanted to show support for Antwon and also for ourselves, Tina explained. Today, these shootings are very common and it is a struggle for black people, and not just black people but everyone. Everyone has to come together to stop police brutality. It is not good, for all the things that are happening in the world today. This has been going on for years and years and it has got to stop. Tinas friend Leona was very upset with the acquittal of Rosfeld. The verdict on Friday was clearly wrong. Three shots in the back is not justified at all. We are here to support Antwon, Antwons family, she said. The police are supposed to be our protection, but it feels like we need protection from them. According to killedbypolice.net, a database that tracks all reported police killings, there have been 221 people killed as of March 22 of this year. There were 1,166 people killed by the police in 2018, up from 1,147 in 2017. Despite the total number of killings exceeding 1,000 for year after year, charges are rarely brought against killer cops. The trial of Rosfeld is the exception that proves the rule. While African-American males are disproportionately the victims of police killings, the largest number of victims are white. Police across the US continue to gun down people of every skin color, ethnicity and gender, what these victims all have in common is that they are overwhelmingly poor and working class. The author also recommends: Behind the epidemic of police killings in America: Class, poverty and race [20 December 2018] For fifth year in a row, US police kill more than one thousand [7 January 2019] The United States sent two warships through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, only days before the opening of trade talks with China in Beijing. This deliberate provocation over Taiwan, Chinas most sensitive diplomatic issue, is a clear threat aimed at forcing the Chinese to accept a US-dictates trade deal. The USS Curtis Wilbur, a naval destroyer, and the Bertholf, a US Coast Guard (USCG) cutter entered the strait dividing Taiwan from the Chinese mainland from the south. The US incursion was the third in as many months, as the Trump administration ramps up measures to bring further military pressure to bear on Beijing. Washington also sent warships through the strait last year in July, October and November. The ships transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, declared Commander Clayton Doss, a spokesman for the US Navys Seventh Fleet. He added, in an implicit threat to Beijing, The US will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows. Chinas Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang urged the US to cautiously and appropriately handle the Taiwan issue to avoid harming Sino-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. He also stated that China has lodged stern representations with the US. The presence of a US Coast Guard vessel raised some eyebrows in the media, summed up by the headline of a Navy Times article, Why did a Coast Guard cutter take a jab at China? The idea of using the Coast Guard for so-called freedom of navigation operations, i.e., provocations against China, has been discussed in US ruling circles since at least January 2017, the same month Trump came to office. That year, Admiral Paul Zukunft, then head of the Coast Guard, called for a permanent USCG presence in the South China Sea and related areas. This would allow us to expand our working relationship with Vietnam, the Philippines, and Japan. We can spearhead work with allies on freedom of navigation exercises as well. Proponents claimed Coast Guard vessels would be less provocative, in an attempt to justify the further US military buildup in the South China Sea and throughout the region in preparation for war with China. Trump has continually stoked tensions with China over Taiwan, which Beijing views as a renegade province. While Taiwan and Beijing both adhere to the 1992 Consensus recognizing the One China policy, the current government in Taipei of Tsai Ing-wen and the Democratic Progressive Party has cautiously leaned towards Taiwanese independence, though not making any formal declarations. Beijing has maintained that it will use military force to retake Taiwan should it ever declare independence. In this regard, the US navys moves are not routine, but purposely risk a clash to further US geopolitical interests and measure how far China can be pushed. Beijing, however, has no intention of allowing an independent, US-aligned Taiwan to become a military base for Washington. Chief Hu Xijin, editor of Chinas state-owned Global Times, said in a statement on Monday, [US] warships must pass through the Taiwan Strait in an orderly way. They shouldnt make dangerous moves such as interacting with Taiwans military or docking at a Taiwan port. Or else, the Chinese mainland is bound to retaliate. China has previously threatened to attack Taiwan if a US warship docks at a Taiwanese port, a red-line the Trump administration came close to breaching last October when an American naval scientific research vessel docked at the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung during heightened tensions. Washington, however, is already moving to build up its relations with Taiwans military. According to a March 22 Bloomberg article, sources within the White House stated that advisors to Trump have urged Taiwan to submit a request for the sale of sixty-six F-16 fighter jets, produced by Lockheed Martin. The approval of the deal would be the first since 1992, when the US sold Taiwan 150 F-16 jets. The Obama administration rejected a similar request in 2011, instead agreeing to upgrade Taiwans existing fleet as part of a larger arms deal. Overall, the US has sold more than $15 billion in weaponry to Taiwan since 2010. In addition, the Trump administration approved the Taiwan Travel Act last March, allowing increased visits between US and Taiwanese officials. The massive US military spending bill passed last year called for further arms deals and increased cooperation with Taiwans military, including opportunities for practical training and military exercises with Taiwan and exchanges between senior defense officials and general officers of the United States and Taiwan consistent with the Taiwan Travel Act. In this regard, the sale of the F-16s to Taiwan is not simply a bargaining chip in trade talks. The build-up of Taiwans military is part of an overall strategy, backed by the Republicans and the Democrats, to militarily encircle China and force Beijing to acquiesce to US demands. There is a consensus thats almost bipartisan in Washington that its time to be a bit more assertive against China, noted Richard Aboulafia, an analyst from the Teal Group. This is the part where fighters are geopolitics with wings. The trade war instigated by Trump is part of this strategy. It centers on demands for structural reforms in China that would give US corporations access to cheap labor and resources while eliminating an economic competitor. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin will be in Beijing for trade talks on March 28. Chinas Vice Premier Liu He will lead a delegation to Washington on April 3. On the negotiations, Wei Zongyou, an expert on China-US relations at Fudan University in Shanghai, stated that the US has constantly emphasized the verification mechanism and use of punitive tariffs as a counterweight. Washington has threatened to more than double the current ten percent tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods while imposing new tariffs. In essence, Washington is demanding Beijing relinquish sovereignty over its economy and return to a period of semi-colonial status. Naturally, Beijing will be unable to meet such conditions, leaving the US to further inflame tensions, risking the outbreak of a catastrophic war. The funding crisis wracking schools in England is wreaking havoc across the country. Schools are being forced to manage their budgets in ways that did not seem imaginable a decade ago and taking desperate measures to balance their budgets. At the annual conference of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), heads warned that there is a 5.7 billion funding shortfall that could leave many schools bankrupt. Many schools have already cut administration staff and reduced extra-curricular activities on offer. There have been staff redundancies and pay cuts for many. Exacerbating the problem of funding, the government put in place statutory pay rises at the start of the 2018-2019 academic year without providing additional cash to cover the cost of the paltry pay rise. Instead, schools have had to make choices about the standard of childrens schooling, inevitably leading to a detrimental effect on pupils and staff. The education-funding crisis is moving into a new stage, where initial cuts to schools are now moving towards the destruction of basic educational provision. A school in Stockport, in northern England, Vale View Primary, has taken the measure of closing early on Fridays due to a desperate situation created by the lack of funding. Even more shocking is the fact that parents who cannot pick up their children at lunchtime early are going to be charged. The school is one of 25 that have taken the drastic measure of shortening the school week due to funding constraints. When announcing the changes to School Week, Vale View Primarys chair of governors attempted to mask the situation in a letter to parents by selling shutting early as a way of allowing them to spend more time with your children. The head teacher, Helen Hannah, cited the statutory pay rises as a reason that she was making the changes due to a 100,000 deficit in her school. The head has also made double figure redundancies and justified the changes to ensure that class sizes would not rise to 40 pupils per class. Such are the choices that head teachers have being forced to make across the country. A huge 400,000 worth of cuts have already been made to the Vale View Primarys budget. The school is due to cut nearly 10,000 in art therapy and has reduced the amount of money spent on speech and language therapy by 16,000. School trip subsidies have been cut by 50,000 and resources have been cut by 100,000. Additionally, 136,000 has been saved from not replacing teaching assistants. An indication of the indifference of the government to the crisis was the reported refusal, three times since last September, of Education Secretary Damian Hinds to meet head teachers to discuss the damage caused by cuts with those on the front line. Vale View Primarys fate is one now common in English schools. The scale of the impact of the cuts to education is mirrored across the country. In the north of England, some schools are holding extra non-uniform days in order to raise cash from the donations that come from not wearing the usual school uniform. In Essex and inner London, lunchtime supervisors have been cut and replaced with the class teachers, who must give up their lunchtime to look after children. Teachers are also cleaning their own classrooms and areas after cleaning staff have been cut. How are teachers able to plan and provide a decent education under these conditions? Teachers are already under extreme pressure to deliver high quality lessons and in some cases to mark to ridiculous standards. They are burning out and the funding crisis is exacerbating the situation. In other schools, wish lists and crowd funding have been established for parents and carers to buy luxury items such as pencils, glue sticks and rulers. Some schools already have cut hours to save money, with many pupils in Birminghams primary schools being sent home at lunchtime on Fridays. This month, the Guardian reported on the comments of teachers it surveyed about the crisis. It noted, A chemistry teacher from Cheshire described four years of redundancies, school buildings no longer fit for purpose and diminishing resources: No current GCSE textbooks, limited photocopying, sharing exercise books between classes, broken equipment not replaced. A Gloucestershire science teacher said his annual budget had been cut by 45 percent since 2010. We are actually unable to provide students with the GCSE required practicals as the chemicals and enzymes are too expensive. Our buildings are cold. No heating until November is the rule even though teachers and students are wearing their coats indoors. The WSWS spoke to a teacher from a Cambridgeshire school, who said, Sixth form hours have been cut from timetables in order to make the post-16 area financially viable. Teachers are worried that they will not be able to teach the course and students are worried that they will lose teachers input into their A Levels. In the face of unprecedented funding cuts, the education unions have done nothing to oppose the government. Paul Whiteman, the National Secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), in a TES article earlier this month, presented the problem as one in which cross-party MPs had not been aware of the devastation caused by funding cuts. However, MPs are waking up, fortunately. According to our research, more than half are now prepared to say that the school funding crisis is real. All that was required was a little more honesty from the same Tory ministers who have slashed billions from education over the last decade. The Department for Education has listened somewhat to us and other unions and has found a little extra money, but now we need real movement from the Treasury. The trouble is, the chancellor doesnt appear to be listening, said Whiteman. Kevin Courtney of the National Education Union (NEU), who is hailed by Britains pseudo-left groups as a militant fighter, has done nothing more than set up a website documenting funding cuts to school. As with the NAHT, the NEU proposes nothing beyond an appeal for teachers to write to their Members of Parliament. This tactic so far has only enabled the situation to be debated in parliament for three hours. The only other action undertaken by the main teachers unions was an ineffective march in London last year and a protest rally called on a week-day evening. A protest by NAHT members in London, culminating in a parliamentary lobby, took place at the end of February. On March 4, there was a three-hour debate on school funding in Parliament, with the Conservatives promising only to stick to their policies. Internationally, education workers are taking action into their own hands. In every country, there is mass support among broad sections of workers for a fight to defend public education. This is shown in the international wave of strikes and protests against education cuts in the US, Colombia, Algeria, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Portugal, France, Netherlands, Morocco, Zimbabwe and Tamil Nadu, in southern India. In all of these struggles workers are coming into conflict with the union bureaucracies who, when they cannot prevent strikes from breaking out, seek to do everything to isolate and sabotage them. Courtney et al are calling on teachers to wait for a Labour government led by Jeremy Corbyn and are sitting on demands by workers for action to be taken now. At the end of last year, the NEU sent out an indicative survey to 257,849 members, to which 82,487 teachers responded. The survey found that 100 percent supported a campaign to expose funding cuts, with 99 percent of responses saying that funding cuts had had a severe impact on their schools. However, the most significant statistic was the appetite for a fight against the cuts, with four-fifths of members prepared to strike. 82 percent of teachers at state schools and 84 percent at colleges were prepared to take strike action to secure better funding for schools and the full implementation of the teachers pay award. Only 31 percent of teachers participated in the vote, significantly lower than the required 50 percent level required to strike under anti-strike laws, expressing teachers lack of confidence in the NEU. Despite the demand for a fight, Courtney made another bland statement committing the union to nothing: The NEU Executive will be meeting to discuss these findings and will be considering the next steps in the campaign. UK teachers should look to the struggle of teachers internationally and draw the necessary lessons in order to fight against the destruction of free, public education. Only a complete break with the trade union bureaucracy will enable them to fight the education cuts. Teachers must form rank-and-file committees, controlled by workers themselves and independent of the unions. These must turn to education workers internationally and base themselves on what teachers and students need, not what the ruling elite say is affordable. The author recommends: The global struggle of teachers [26 February 2019] Company wants to bring hail mitigation techniques to Cheyenne CHEYENNE (WNE) A North Dakota company wants to bring its cloud-seeding technology to Cheyenne in an effort to mitigate hail damage from storms. According to Cheyenne Mayor Marian Orr, Fargo-based Weather Modification Inc. seeks to base aircraft and storm teams at Cheyenne Regional Airport, starting with the 2020 spring storm season. The company hopes to use seeding techniques to decrease the size of hailstones in order to reduce damage to crops and property. The company currently conducts cloud-seeding operations over the Snowy Range for the city's Board of Public Utilities to order to increase snowpack. A representative from Weather Modification was not immediately available for comment Friday. But according to the company's website, cloud seeding, also known as weather modification, is the use of seeding crystals that enhance a cloud's ability to produce precipitation. In this case, crews would use aerial glaciogenic seeding techniques to induce excess supercooled liquid water that could potentially become hail to freeze into larger numbers of small particles, rather than much smaller numbers of large particles. "It damages crops out in the county," Orr said. "Even in the city, we have significant damage with our police cars and fleet - and everyone's roofs." Orr said a team from Weather Modification, as well as representatives from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where the company conducts hail mitigation activities, are scheduled to make a presentation in Cheyenne during the first week of April. The program would cost around $1.6 million a season, but Orr said plans do not call for the city to bear the cost alone. Regulatory changes raise questions about sage grouse SHERIDAN A federal agency finalized a long-debated set of revisions regarding sage grouse management last week, sparking concerns about the changes interfering with Wyomings conservation efforts. The U.S. Department of the Interior announced revisions to federal sage grouse management plans that created more exemptions for development on lands crucial to the sage grouses habitat and eliminated some of the obligations developers would have to those environments. Wyoming is home to the largest sage grouse population in the world, but the population of the iconic species has dwindled in recent years, which has led to a robust conservation campaign. Wyoming Game and Fishs Sheridan Region Wildlife Management Coordinator Dan Thiele, who is a member of the Northeast Wyoming Sage Grouse Working Group, said sage grouse management plans stem primarily from a 2015 executive order, signed by former Governor Dave Freudenthal, that called for the state to balance energy development with sage grouse conservation efforts to prevent the grouse from becoming listed as an endangered species. Thiele said that order facilitated cooperation between a diverse range of interests from conservationists to oil and gas developers on sage grouse management. Opinion is split over whether the latest federal revisions to sage grouse management will upset that compromise. In a statement published by the Bureau of Land Management last week, Gov. Mark Gordon said the changes to the sage grouse management plan were modest and respected the states authority to oversee management of the species. Some conservationists, however, insist that the latest federal revisions pose a threat to Wyomings sage grouse. Bighorn Audubon Society President Jackie Canterbury said the changes will make swaths of land crucial to sage grouse vulnerable. Diamond Lake damage concerns biologists LARAMIE (WNE) Wyoming Game and Fish Department biologists are concerned resource damage at a popular fishery near Laramie could jeopardize future access. Diamond Lake Public Access Area sits about 40 miles west of Laramie and a few miles north of Interstate 80 via Cooper Cove Road. This winter, wildlife managers have seen littering, shooting debris, off-road travel and damage to resources and parking barriers. The land and water at Diamond Lake, also known as Bosler Reservoir, are owned by Wheatland Irrigation District, and public access is allowed only through an agreement with Game and Fish. Laramie Region fisheries biologist Chance Kirkeeng said continued future access depends on maintaining a good relationship with the district. Its private land, and thats the biggest worry, he said. If those folks ever got upset about what was happening out there, we could lose that fishery in the blink of an eye. According to fisheries supervisor Bobby Compton, Diamond Lake has historically been a very popular fishery. But in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the lake started to dry up as water was used elsewhere. Game and Fish is planning to spend $750,000 over the next 10 years to purchase water. The agency has also spent about $400,000 on a water pipeline, boat dock, outhouse repairs and a snow fence. The agency began stocking the reservoir with rainbow trout in 2016, adding cutthroat and brook trout in 2017. Kirkeeng said the 284-acre lake is now about two-thirds full. Last summer, biologists found brook trout at 14 inches, cutthroat at 17 inches and rainbows at 19 inches. Barrasso, Enzi back wolf de-listing bill JACKSON (WNE) Wyomings Congressional delegates are signing onto a bill to delist wolves in other states to fend off future lawsuits over wolves in this state. Although Wyoming already manages wolves inside the state, Sens. John Barrasso and Mike Enzi have both signed on to a bipartisan bill introduced last week with a primary purpose of delisting wolves in the Great Lakes states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Wyomings inclusion in the bill is solely to ensure that the 2012 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisting rule for wolves in Wyoming shall not be subject to judicial review, the bill states. Wyoming has successfully recovered the gray wolf and demonstrated its ability to manage the species, Mike Danylak, a spokesman for Barrasso, said in an email. The legislation creates certainty for the people of Wyoming by prohibiting further judicial review of the delisting determination. Wolf management in Montana and Idaho is already exempted from litigation because of a 2011 rider that then-Montana Sen. Jon Tester tacked onto a congressional spending bill. The Wyoming delegation has tried repeatedly to follow suit. An appeals court decision in early 2017 returned the approximately 300 wolves that call the Equality State home to Wyoming Game and Fish Department jurisdiction. Canis lupus was in state control from 2012 to 2014, and then for three years were the only wolves in the Northern Rockies that were federally protected. A leading left-liberal columnist accuses British lawmakers of impotence, but acknowledges that their conundrum is a tough one. In Nepszava, Gabor Horvath sarcastically invites Queen Elisabeth II to put her foot down and take back government from Parliament, as the lawmakers are unable to find a way out of the blind alley called Brexit. He believes in fact that withdrawing from the European Union will seriously harm several generations of British citizens. He concedes however that overruling the result of the Brexit referendum would be anti-democratic. Meanwhile, the parliamentary democracy that has served Britain well for centuries, is now dysfunctional in a decisive hour, as MPs are unable to manage their countrys withdrawal from the EU. Horvath acknowledges that the Irish border issue is one that can simply not be satisfactorily resolved once Britain ceases to be a member of the European single market. He suggests therefore that Britain should suspend Brexit for two years and hold a new referendum, although he admits that in case Brexiters prevail again, the UK will have to confront the same unsolvable problems. This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher. Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online. Click here to Share Your Story [March 26, 2019] GPS Tracker Market Comprehensive Plans, Competitive Landscape and Trends by Forecast 2023 Market Highlights: The global GPS tracker market is projected to attain USD 2.72 billion in revenue while intensifying its growth with a 14.42 % CAGR in the forecast period from 2018-2023. The use of a GPS tracking system is majorly observed for security purpose in transport, patrols, fleet management, and asset tracking among others is increasing the growth of the global GPS tracker market. The chief benefits associated with the GPS tracking devices are high compatibility with smartphones, accuracy in tracking and navigation, and simplified operations. The other gains linked to the use of GPS tracker devices comprise of decreased labor cost, improved customer service, management of field personnel activity and removal of employee fraud. The features of GPS tracking devices such as geofencing, reporting, automated alerts, real-time updates, and historical fleet data feed. The escalating use of GPS tracking devices in transportation & logistics and government & defense among other industries is expected to motivate market expansion in the forecast period further. The evolution of location tracking products is gaining momentum as it becomes imperative to track individuals or goods due to a range of reasons. The global GPS tracker market is projected to achieve revenues worth USD 2.72 billion while expanding with a 14.42 % CAGR in the forecast period. The necessity to access real-time location information on individuals and items is a key factor in boosting the expansion of the GPS tracker market globally. The improvements in global navigation satellite system (GNSS) network to obtain real-time as well as historical worldwide data tracking is also benefitting the overall growth of the market. Get a Free Sample Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/7017 Major Key Players Orbocomm Inc., Laipac Technology, Inc., TomTom International BV, Calamp Corp, Concox Information Technology Co., Ltd, Atrack Technology Inc., Sony Mobile Communications Inc, Sierra Wireless Inc, Spy Tech, Inc, Verizon Wireless, Queclink Wireless Solutions Co., Ltd The global GPS Tracker Market report includes an evaluation of the market dynamics, historical trends, ongoing industry trends, and forecast. It also comprises of a thorough market factor analysis that incorporates market factor analysis, supply chain analysis, and Porters Five Forces Analysis. A comprehensive analysis of the global GPS tracker market based on region as well as segmentation along with a country-level analysis of each segment is also offered in the report. Market Segmentation: The segmentation of the global GPS tracker market is carried out on the basis of type, network, vertical and region. On the basis of type, the GPS tracker market is segmented into covert GPS tracker, standalone tracker, and advanced tracker. The advanced tracker segment is expected to achieve revenues totaling USD 981.74 million while expanding with a CAGR of 16.09% in the forecast period. On the basis of network, the market is segmented into LTE, 3G and 2G. The LTE segment is anticipated to achieve revenues touching USD 1,898.6 million while growing with a CAGR of 15.23% in the duration of the forecast period. Based on vertical, the global GPS tracker market is segmented into automotive & aerospace, healthcare, transportation & logistics, government & defense, oil & gas, metals & mining and others. The transportation segment of the market is expected to earn revenues totaling USD 846.98 million in the duration of the forecast period, while advancing with a 17.05% CAGR in the duration of the forecast period. The regions included in the global GPS tracker market are Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and the rest of the world. Regional Analysis The regional analysis of the global GPS tracker market covers regions such as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and the rest of the world. The North American region generated revenue worth USD 343.17 billion in 2017 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.75% in the forecast period. Mounting demand for efficient fleet management by many transportation and logistics service providers in the US is compelling the market development. High implementation of GPS tracking devices by law enforcement agencies in the country is also inducing the market growth in the US. Increasing demand for GPS trackers for construction assets and logistics is driving the growth of GPS tracker in Mexico. Furthermore, the growing adoption of GPS tracker in the mining industry also propels the market growth in Mexico. The European region is anticipated to develop at a 15.02% CAGR in the forecast period and had earned revenue worth USD 1,110 million by 2023. The rising demand for GPS trackers in commercial vehicles and automotive industry used for transportation and travel purposes is primarily motivating the GPS tracker market in Germany. The elevated demand for GPS trackers in tracking drones and unmanned aerial vehicles in Germany is also motivating the markets growth in the region. The adoption of GPS trackers by Interpol to trail police fleet vehicles and accused to lessen crime in France and across the European region drives the market development. The Asia Pacific region is anticipated to create revenues worth USD 650.04 million by 2023 while progressing at a CAGR of 16.42% in the forecast period. The growing demand for wearable GPS tracking devices for pets and human tracking is compelling the market progress in the region. While, the high adoption of GPS trackers for tracking of personal vehicles, cargo trailers, and construction assets in China is triggering the market expansion. Browse Complete Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/gps-tracker-market-7017 The market is driven by all the companies contending to advance their market share. Robust competition, speedy advances in network, and recurrent changes in government regulations concerning the use of tracking devices are significant factors that test the market expansion. The vendors in the market are competing based on cost, reliability, product quality, and aftermarket services. It is crucial for the vendors to offer high-quality services and cost-efficient and to survive and succeed in an intensely competitive market. List of Tables TABLE 1 LIST OF ASSUMPTIONS 15 TABLE 2 GLOBAL GPS TRACKER MARKET, BY TYPE, 2014-2023 (USD MILLION) TABLE 3 GLOBAL GPS TRACKER MARKET SHIPMENTS, BY TYPE, 2014-2023 (K UNITS) TABLE 4 GLOBAL GPS TRACKER MARKET, BYNETWORK, 2014-2023 (USD MILLION) TABLE 5 GLOBAL GPS TRACKER MARKET, BY VERTICAL, 2014-2023 (USD MILLION) TABLE 6 GLOBAL GPS TRACKER MARKET, BY REGION, 2014-2023 (USD MILLION) Continued. List of Figures FIGURE 1 GLOBAL GPS TRACKER MARKET: MARKET STRUCTURE FIGURE 2 TOP DOWN & BOTTOM UP APPROACH FIGURE 3 DROC ANALYSIS OF GLOBAL GPS TRACKER MARKET FIGURE 4 PORTER'S FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS OF THE GLOBAL GPS TRACKER MARKET FIGURE 5 GLOBAL GPS TRACKER MARKET, BY TYPE, 2014 TO 2023 (USD MILLION) Continued. About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. Contact: Market Research Future +1 646 845 9312 Email: [email protected] As a community-building service, TMCnet allows user submitted content which is not always proofed by TMCnet editors. If you feel this entry is of inferior quality or wish to report it for some reason, please forward the URL to "webedit [AT] tmcnet [DOT] com" with your comments. [ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\broadband-stimulus's Homepage ] The opposition submitted a joint proposal to parliament to recognise the home care of severely disabled people as full-time employment, the leftist Democratic Coalition (DK) said. The proposal was signed by DK deputy head Laszlo Varju, Attila Mesterhazy of the Socialists (pictured on top), independent lawmaker Anett Bosz, Parbeszed co-leader Timea Szabo and LMPs Peter Ungar, and later joined by Jobbiks Andrea Varga-Damm and LMPs Krisztina Hohn. The proposal calls on the government to review the law in effect since January 1 regulating the subsidies for carers of severely disabled people, saying it is discriminative. As of January 1, home caregivers of severely disabled people or those suffering from a debilitating illness are eligible to receive 100,000 forints (EUR 311) per month. At a press conference held in January, Ungar said that the new regulation left several families without subsidies. He argued that under the new system, the carer of a child with mild autism who is capable of eating on their own or dressing themselves would not be eligible for support, even though one of the childs parents has to give up their job to care for the child full-time. Ruling Fidesz said in a statement that the opposition is hypocritical and insisted that the opposition parties had failed to support an earlier government bill concerning home care subsidies. There wasnt one opposition party interested in the situation of permanently sick children or their parents, the statement said. MTI Photo: Koszticsak Szilard ROME Donald Trump is going to go full animal now that he sees himself no longer under the shadow of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation, former White House adviser Steve Bannon said last weekend. When I saw no new indictments I thought, Oh my God! They didnt indict anybody regarding the Flynn investigation, they didnt indict Don, Jr.! Maybe [Mueller] could have details about obstruction of justice that are not indictable, but are meaningful. But right now, it looks like they have nothing. And he predicts Trump will come off the chains and use the Mueller findings to browbeat the opposition and ignore House requests for more documents: He will use it to bludgeon them. Steve Bannon speaks in Rome on March 21, 2019. (Photo: Fabio Cimaglia/LaPresse via ZUMA Press) Bannon spoke to Yahoo News in Rome, the latest stop in his European tour aimed at forging a coalition of populist parties while condemning Italy's new tentative agreement with China on economic cooperation, meeting with right-wing political leaders about the upcoming elections for European Parliament the result of which he believes will push the European Union more to the right, and setting up an academy to train the next generation of leaders in populist, nationalist politics. In the course of two interviews, one on Friday (just before the Mueller report was handed over to Attorney General William Barr) and one on Sunday as Barr was releasing his summary of the report which found no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia, as well as the decision not to pursue obstruction charges against the president Bannon sounded off on a wide range of topics, including American and European politics. President Donald Trump speaks to media before boarding Air Force One on March 24, 2019, at Palm Beach International Airport, in West Palm Beach, Fla., en route to Washington. (Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP) He claimed credit for predicting that Trump would be unscathed by the report and advising the president not to discredit it. "I kept telling him, 'Don't say Mueller's bad, I don't think he's going to have anything." The upshot of the Mueller probe is that the left is "in tears, he said. On Rachel Maddow, she went 10 minutes into her show before the words no indictment crossed her lips. On CNN, they're in the mumble tank. They're crestfallen. They thought this would be it." Story continues Bannon, who left the White House in 2017 and has been on the outs with Trump over comments to author Michael Wolff, believes he inspired some ideas now circulating among the left-populist wing of the Democratic Party. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has the most ambitious policy agenda among the leading presidential contenders is sort of stealing from me in her proposal to break up and regulate the giant tech and social-media companies such as Google and Facebook; Bannon said hes been pushing for them to be treated as public utilities since 2017. But even though Warren is coming at this with some fundamental populist policies that he believes will make many Trump supporters think, I wish Trump was saying that, he believes her presidential bid is doomed. Shes consistently gone down [in polls] shes now at 8 percent. I dont think were ever going to see her in double digits. Why? Because Trump is focused on her. Mocking the Massachusetts senator as Pocahontas and deriding her DNA results, Bannon says, have crippled her chances. Trump, he declared, has destroyed her candidacy. He likewise dismisses Joe Biden whom he describes as too old, too tired and hes lost his star. Youll see peak [support for] Biden the day he announces, he predicts, and he doubts the former vice president could hold up in mano a mano battle against the sitting president. He sees Kamala Harris as a classic Democratic centrist with a career as a prosecutor who has been so pulled to the left, so quickly its surprising and thats an issue and notes that Beto ORourkes policies are shockingly unformed. Nevertheless, hes betting that they will emerge, at least for a while, as Democratic frontrunners, forging an alliance with Harris as president and ORourke as vice president in the short term, at least. But his most surprising prediction is that the Democratic candidacy will go to someone who ran in the 2016 election and not Bernie Sanders. By this fall, unless one of these candidates has broken out on a national basis, he thinks Hillary Clinton will step up. Shell look at this field and says, What a nice group of people and not one of them can beat Donald Trump. Shell say, Ive learned from my mistakes, I beat him by 3 million, and theres not one person in this field who can do that. But would Democrats take her back? Shes a viable alternative, he says. And Democrats want Donald Trump out of their lives. Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton attends an international conference focusing on gender equality at BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo, Norway, on March 8, 2019. (Photo: NTB Scanpix/Berit Roald via Reuters) As much as Hillary is despised by progressives, he predicts that Democrats will come together over any candidate that will take down Trump. All these policies like Medicare for all arent going to matter. The simple theme for the Democrats is Orange Man Bad. And despite the gauntlet of investigations that Trump faces, he believes the anemic Mueller report will deflate them and simultaneously inflate the president. If the Mueller report doesn't have details about obstruction of justice, Trump will say, 'We're not dealing with Jerry Nadler here's a club, Jerry Nadler!" Nadler can request, Bannon noted, but you've got to get the Justice Department to issue subpoenas ... And Bill Barr is going to be like, 'Guys, all the information you want went to Mueller, read the transcript." He believes most investigations into Trump are effectively dead in the water. On one of the other big issues playing out on the world stage Britains catastrophic negotiations to leave the European Union he dismisses British Prime Minister Theresa May for ignoring Trumps advice on playing hardball with EU. The long-winded negotiations have shown the Tories as incompetent, says Bannon: Its been a disaster, and you have to hold May accountable. He foresees a Hard Brexit with no deal, despite the fear that idea is generating. This fear campaign is the equivalent of Y2K when everybody thought it was the end of the world, and we got up the next morning and said, What was that all about? He predicts that on April 12, theyre going to do a hard out, no deal, and the sun will come up the next day. But Mays administration will be setting shortly thereafter. British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves after addressing a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels, Friday, March 22, 2019. (Photo: Frank Augstein/AP) Bannon, who helped shape and fuel Trumps nationalist candidacy and early administration, takes no responsibility, either personally or on behalf of the president, for the shooting March 18 in a New Zealand mosque. Did you read the [killers] manifesto? he asked. In 64 pages, theres one passing reference to Trump and white nationalism. Bannon notes that the shooter is actually a guy on the left who says hes an eco-fascist. Hes a complete nut job, who should be dealt with harshly and swiftly, said Bannon, adding that the killer wrote that theres one government, one system he admires: the Chinese Communist Party. That is a subject near and dear to Bannons heart, and one of the reasons Bannon was in Rome: to speak out about Chinas plans to bolster its economic power and technological muscle worldwide. There are three things the Chinese are doing simultaneously, he said. Thats why theyre in Italy today. Pushing an ambitious infrastructure project called One Belt, One Road that connects three continents by land and sea, they had successfully solicited initial support for a maritime Silk Road from China to Trieste, Italy. They also are planning a land Silk Road that ends in Turkey, he added. China is also pushing a program called Made in China 2025, which Bannon described as the convergence of advanced chip design, artificial intelligence and robotics, which will give them vast control of high-value manufacturing in the world. Finally, they are rolling out 5G, which will control quantum computing, he said. Thermostats, lights, computers will all be connected through the Internet of Things, he said. The problem, he said, is with 5G, data becomes the new plutonium. Data can be weaponized against countries, peoples and individuals. And according to Bannon, Chinese company Huawei is trying to underbid every telecom company in the world to dominate 5G and control the data it holds. And if theres one thing Bannon is, its a visionary capable of seeing futures few dream of. After all, of Trumps campaign team, it was reportedly only Bannon not even the president himself who believed that the real estate mogul might actually one day sit in the Oval Office. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Madonna and Ben Stiller (Credit: Getty) Hollywood stars including Ben Stiller, Madonna and Chris Rock have joined a GoFundMe appeal to raise money for the victims of the terror attack in New Zealand. Set up by U2 and Madonnas manager Guy Oseary, the appeal has raised nearly all of its $100,000 target in two days. Read more: Gun shop says it sold four guns to mosque shooter Oseary himself pledged $18,000 (around 13,500) to the fund, while other Hollywood stars have been flocking to help those affected by the tragedy, with Madonna donating $10,000. Other celebs getting involved include director directors Judd Apatow and Ava DuVernay, and Ashton Kutcher. I read the frightening details and could barely find the strength to watch a short clip of the disturbing footage. My heart breaks for the victims and for their families, Oseary, who is also Amy Schumers manager, wrote in setting up the page. We will work with GoFundMe to ensure all funds are transferred to an organisation providing support to the families and community. Read more: New Zealand announces sweeping gun reforms 50 people were killed after shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday, with 50 more people injured. 28-year-old Australian man Brenton Tarrant described by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison as an extremist, right-wing, violent terrorist was arrested, and appeared in court on Friday. The prime minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern has said Our gun laws will change, after it emerged that Tarrant had a firearms licence. Are Temptation Islands Kaci Campbell and Evan Smith going to make it or break it? In a PEOPLE exclusive sneak peek at Tuesday evenings finale episode, Campbell, 29, tearfully confronts her longtime boyfriend for the first time about his unfaithful behavior and leaves audiences questioning if the couple will stay together or call it quits on their love. We like came into this like so strong and like so connected. And if someone were to tell me how this was going to go, like I honestly feel I would have told them they were insane, she tells Smith, 28. Evan Smith and Kaci Campbell | Mario Perez/USA Network Watching your bonfires, I literally couldnt even watch some of them, she says, tearing up. You were in bed with another girl. I dont understand how you just do that to me. The couple came to Temptation Island with Campbell giving Smith an ultimatum of spending the month apart, living with singles from the opposite sex, and reuniting to either get engaged or break up. RELATED: The Bachelor and Bachelorette Couples: Who Made Their Love Last? During the month, Smith fell in love with Morgan, and Campbell saw glimpses during the bonfire videos but couldnt talk with him until now. It feels like you threw our whole life away for this random girl, she admits to Smith, who remains silent and looks downcast. Evan Smith and Kaci Campbell | USA Network On Jan. 15, USA Network premiered the revival of the once-controversial 2001 Fox reality dating show. The show has followed four couples at a vulnerable time in their relationship, where each must decide whether to commit to a lifetime together or ultimately give in to the temptation. Together, the couples traveled to Maui, Hawaii, where they were joined by 24 love-hungry men and women, ready to compete to steal hearts. The Temptation Island finale airs Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on USA Network. LILLE, France At an awards ceremony on Monday night, French drama series Purple was announced as the winner of the Series Mania Co-Pro Pitching Sessions, scoring a cash prize of 50,000 ($56,500), the TV festivals main industry award. The ceremony was hosted by Series Mania founder and general director Laurence Herszberg and jury president Meghan Lyvers, senior vice president of co-production and development at CBS Studios Intl. Related stories French Women's Drama 'Purple' Wins Series Mania Co-Pro Pitching Sessions Netflix Feeds Fantasy-Hungry YAs in France Series Mania: 'Hierro' as 'Southern Noir' and an Industry Groundbreaker Purple comes from Paris-based Mother Productions, currently in development on Season 4 of their hit show Call My Agent! who are teaming with Silex Films (French Touch) and writers Judith Havas, Noemie de Lapparent. An eight-part, 40 minute-episode series, Purple weaves the stories of five women who open a women-only club, Purple, in late 90s Paris. A high-concept womens drama, the series offers the international appeal of love, if often troubled, in the City of Lights. The fictional series is inspired by the true story of Pulp, a famous lesbian club which was highly influential on the dance and electronic music scene. According to the shows representatives, it will break from social conventions while hitting on themes of empowerment, romance and disillusionment. While all of the pitches were of very high quality this year, we were impressed with Purples key themes of empowerment and optimism, said Lyvers. The characters felt dynamic and original, while the story emphasized opportunity and positivity. She went on: We believe there is much more of this unique story to be told and it is our hope the 50,000 prize will help the creative team move forward with this ever-relevant series and engage audiences in a larger cultural conversation. Herszberg added, Now in its seventh year, the Forum has become known as the springboard for the series of tomorrow and is the place in Europe to connect the creative international community with TV series executives. Story continues This year Herszberg said, the Forum received 399 projects from 41 countries and was extremely impressed with the quality of projects from around the world. We all know how difficult it is to finance the beginning of a project and this is why Series Mania created this prize to help the creators finance and develop their ideas. The jury for the event included Lyvers, Nathalie Biancolli, director of acquisitions and international fiction at France Televisions; Anne Croneman, head of program film and TV drama at Swedish public broadcaster SVT; Caroline Torrance, head of scripted for Banijay Rights; and Christian Vesper, EVP and creative director for global drama at Fremantle. While Purple took home the cash, other projects are sure to benefit from Mondays exposure. Norwegian production company Maipo, riding high on the success of Berlin player State of Happiness, pitched a dystopian thriller about a future Norway, cut off from the rest of the world and suffering from a deadly virus. The Fortress, was still being talked about by attendees long into the night. Crime dramas, often exposing social realities, still play strong in the pitching sessions. Faraya from Lebanon and Capital Punishment from Israel follow fictional murder cases in those countries, taking a critical look at the social structures which contribute to the heinous crimes being investigated. In Switzerlands Off Season, the investigation of a murder hits closer to home. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. In response to the surprise decision today to drop charges against Jussie Smollett, Illinois State Representative Michael McAuliffe says he plans to file legislation to prohibit any production using the actor from receiving Illinois Film Tax Credits. McAuliffe, a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, said in a statement, A lot of valuable Chicago [] jussie smollett michael McAuliffe In response to the surprise decision today to drop charges against Jussie Smollett, Illinois State Representative Michael McAuliffe says he plans to file legislation to prohibit any production using the actor from receiving Illinois Film Tax Credits. McAuliffe, a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, said in a statement, A lot of valuable Chicago Police Department (CPD) man hours and resources were wasted chasing down a bogus crime arranged by Smollett. He continued, Hate crimes are serious and so is the time and effort of the CPD. He has cost Chicago a lot more than a $10,000 bond. Smollett should not be able to get anything more from the City of Chicago or Illinois. According to Rep. McAuliffe, Illinois offers a 30% Film Tax Credit and an additional bonus of 15% is available on labor expenditures in high-poverty areas. Under his proposed legislation, Rep. McAuliffe says any movie or TV production that employs the actor would forfeit that credit or any other credits administered by the Illinois Department of Revenue or the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Rep. McAuliffe says he will be filing the bill this week. Jussie Smollett photos On Tuesday, the Cook County States Attorneys Office dropped all the charges against Jussie Smollett related to an alleged hate crime hoax. Smollett addressed reporters after the hearing and maintained his innocence, saying, I have been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one. I would not be my mothers son if I was capable of one drop of what I have been accused of. After the charges were dropped, attorneys for the Empire star released a statement saying, Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him. Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgment. The Office of Cook County States Attorney released a statement saying, After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smolletts volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case. The post Illinois Politician Introducing Bill to Punish Productions That Employ Jussie Smollett appeared first on The Blast. EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-winning producer Jeremy Thomas (The Last Emperor) is relocating his revered Recorded Picture Company and HanWay Films labels from Soho to a new west London home. The Hanway Street office has served as the HQ for RPC and HanWay for more than 25 years, during which time Thomas has produced movies including Crash, Sexy Beast, The Dreamers and Dogman and HanWay has sold films such as Match Point, Shame, Brooklyn, Carol and Colette. Related stories German Deal For Lone Scherfig Drama; GKIDS Nabs 'Funan'; Andre Rieu Concert Nears $5M -- Global Briefs Javier Bardem, Elle Fanning, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock & Laura Linney Set For Sally Potter Pic; HanWay & Bleecker Street Aboard Ron Howard's 'Pavarotti' Movie Sells Around The World For White Horse Pictures & HanWay Films Staff will relocate next week from the iconic building to a new home in Basing Street, Notting Hill (pictured above), right next to the former Island Records recording studios which played host to a whos who of music industry greats from Bob Marley to Queen, The Rolling Stones to The Eagles and Paul McCartney to Madonna. Queen recorded songs there including We Are The Champions and part of Bohemian Rhapsody. The studios were built in a former church, visible above, whose organ was used by George Michael on his album Faith. Its fitting for veteran auteur Thomas that his companies new home will be one steeped in Londons cultural lore. However, the purpose-built, modern venue will also come with significant upgrades such as a state of the art screening cinema. The move marks the end of an era for Thomas who has worked in Soho since the late 1960s, starting out in film as an editor on movies by Ken Loach (Family Life), Perry Henzell (The Harder They Come) and his father Ralph Thomas (Anyone For Sex?). As a producer based in Soho he made movies such as Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, The Last Emperor, The Sheltering Sky, Sexy Beast, Blade Of The Immortal and recent Cannes hit Dogman. Story continues Weve had some great times here, Thomas tells me. Bertolucci had an office here for many years, as did Hercules Bellville. Nic Roeg, David Cronenberg, Peter Weir, the Coen Brothers, there was a constant stream of film people coming through the door. There isnt another film building in London quite like it. From Jack Nicholson to Christian Bale to rock and rollers, Japanese masters and aspiring filmmakers, they have all come through the door at some point. It was a work place but also a social space. And it has been my home. Im emotional to leave. The Hanway Street building is a treasure trove of cinema history, adorned with film posters, photography and film memorabilia. Ive kept everything, the producer says. Some will be going to storage. Most of it will come with us to the new building. Its a very light, new home in a purpose built building with a state of the art cinema in the basement. Its right next to Chris Blackwells former Island Records studio. Im very happy with it. The move has been prompted by changes in the area and to his own personal circumstances, he explains. . I loved Soho but it has changed so much since I first came here in the 1960s. My first offices as a producer were in Greek Street and Broadwick Street. In 1993 I bought the Hanway street building. It became a film hub. The basement was always full of kids and filmmakers. But Soho has changed a lot in that time. Hanway street was a small backwater back then but it has become a thoroughfare next to one of the busiest stations in Europe with Crossrail on its way. I recently got ill and got better, so I thought Id like to move to a new place. Im happy to move west to more trees and greenery. Soho today is choking with traffic, he continues. It was once the beating heart of London but the character has gone. The areas personality has changed. It isnt above the law any more. Its a meeting place but the pubs and bars have changed. Everything has moved on. Soho was boho in the 1970s but you didnt feel threatened. There were small shops owned by individuals. Only chains can afford to pay the rents today. And of course the film business was centralized in Soho. Email and the internet mean you can be anywhere at any time to do business nowadays. The west London move changes nothing in terms of RPC and HanWays prolific output or head count. If anything ranks could soon be growing. Thomas is currently in production on Matteo Garrones Pinocchio starring Roberto Benigni and he will head to Japan soon for the edit of the latest Takashi Miike film. His development slate remains as lively as ever and he intends to take up his usual Carlton suite in Cannes. HanWay recently had the opening film at the Berlin Film Festival, The Kindness Of Strangers, and is currently in production on movies including Minamata with Johnny Depp and Viggo Mortensens directorial debut Falling. Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Jussie Smollett Says He Has Been 'Truthful and Consistent' Jussie Smollett briefly addressed reporters at a Tuesday press conference following the dismissal of charges against him by Illinois prosecutors, stating that he told the truth about the hate crime police had accused him of staging. Ive been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one, the Empire actor said. He added, I would not be my mothers son if I was capable of doing what I was accused of. The Cook County States Attorneys Office issued a statement obtained by PEOPLE reading: After reviewing all the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smolletts volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case. The states attorneys office did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs inquiry on whether prosecutors believe Smollett staged the attack. The Chicago Police Department had no comment. Smolletts attorney Patricia Brown Holmes said Smollett agreed to voluntarily forfeit his bond and cited his record for community service. There is no deal,' she said. The state dismissed the charges. On Jan. 29 the black and openly gay actor said he was assaulted by two mask-clad men as he stepped out for a bite to eat around 2 a.m. in his Chicago neighborhood on one of the coldest nights of the year. Smollett told police that as he was assaulted, the two men hurled racist and homophobic insults at him, and slipped a rope around a neck that Smollett still was wearing when later interviewed by police. After a police investigation, Smollett was accused of staging the attack and was charged with 16 counts of disorderly conduct. Holmes said Smolletts version of events was true, and said the two brothers who were acquaintances of the actor, Abimbola Abel and Olabinjo Ola Osundairo, attacked him. But she added, We dont want to try them in the press any more than we wanted to get tried in the press. There Are Less Than 4,000 Wild Tigers Left on Earth, But You Can Help Save the Critically Endangered Big Cats The Rocky theme song Eye of the Tiger. The Frosted Flakes mascot Tony the Tiger. Your favorite Winnie the Pooh character, Tigger. Not to mention Daniel Tiger. All of these beloved cultural touchstones are based upon a real animal Panthera tigris. And while the cats are increasingly turning up in very inappropriate and downright dangerous places (think: an abandoned house in Texas), tigers are rapidly disappearing in the wild. In fact, the species could go extinct within our lifetime if we dont take action now to prevent this dire scenario. According to a tiger-dedicated initiative by WWF and Discovery called Project C.A.T., there were more than 100,000 tigers roaming the Earth a century ago. Today there are less than 4,000 of these large, charismatic felines left in the wild. The immediate goal of Project C.A.T. is to double that number by 2022. After first preserving 2 million acres in India and Bhutan, Discoverys Project C.A.T. is now adding 3.7 million acres of national park in Russia for tigers, giving them a grand total of nearly 6 million acres of new habitat. And heres where you come in: Discovery will match donations to Project C.A.T. through December 2019. Courtesy of Animal Planet/Discovery As an umbrella species, tigers play a vital role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. By conserving lands needed for tigers to survive, we also can protect other wildlife and the planet as a whole, David Zaslav, CEO of Discovery, tells PEOPLE. To drive this goal forward Discovery created Project C.A.T. We recently expanded our investment in supporting these tiger ecosystems across India, Russia and Bhutan. Zaslav not only believes in telling important stories, but also that its our collective responsibility to act. Through Project C.A.T. and Tigerland, we are playing our part to confront wildlife extinction around the world, he says. Georg Wendt/picture alliance via Getty Images The accompanying documentary (see above), Tigerland, about these efforts recently debuted at Sundance and will air on the Discovery Channel on March 30. The film is directed and produced by Academy Award winners Ross Kauffman and Fisher Stevens, among others. It follows a Russian scientist, Pavel Fomenko, who is deeply committed to the Siberian tigers (also known as Amur tigers) on his wildlife sanctuary, as well as the Sankhala family in India who are hard at work trying to educate tourists and save Bengal tigers. Story continues Bengal tigers are particularly vulnerable. A coastal region of south Bangladesh, known as the Sundarbans, is one of the worlds last strongholds of the Bengal tiger. More than 70 percent of the region is just 1 meter above sea level, meaning rising water levels are a major threat to the animals there. A new study says a combination of rising sea levels and climate change due to manmade greenhouse gas emissions predicts a 50 percent loss of Bengal habitat there by 2050 and 96 percent by 2070, effectively wiping out the sub-species in 50 years. Scientists believe that what happens in Bangladesh will likely affect Indias Bengal tigers too, since the cats are trans-national and the two countrys environments are similar. Frederic Soltan/Corbis via Getty Images Enhancing protected area coverage, regular monitoring, law enforcement, awareness-building among local residents [are] among the key strategies needed to ensure long-term survival and conservation of the Bengal tiger in Bangladesh, summarizes the report. For instance, with Discoverys support via a blood free honey project, hive boxes have been provided for villagers to replace the need to venture into the jungle for honey. This idea has been successful in reducing human-tiger conflict; meanwhile other forms of community education and outreach, satellite monitoring and research are also underway thanks to WWF and Discovery. To get involved in the matching donations campaign, you can text TIGERLAND to 707070 or visit Project C.A.T. Tigerland airs Saturday, March 30, on the Discovery Channel at 9 p.m. ET/PT. At the finish line of its sale to 1091 Media, distributor the Orchards film and TV head Paul Davidson is parting ways with the company. In an amicable split, the creative executive addressed staff in person and in a company-wide memo on Tuesday in New York City to inform them of his decision. Related stories Sundance: 'Halston' Sells to Studio Formerly Known as The Orchard (EXCLUSIVE) The Orchard Sells Film Group to 1091 Media (EXCLUSIVE) The Orchard Buys Werner Herzog Doc 'Meeting Gorbachev' (EXCLUSIVE) While I am very appreciative that 1091 asked me to continue to run the company in its new iteration, for me the time is right to look toward my own next chapter and build something new, Davidson wrote in his note. In his roughly five years, Davidson has overseen the acquisition and release of many of the indie distributors titles, including the Oscar nominee for documentary feature Cartel Land, the Sundance hit The Overnight, acclaimed fashion doc Dior & I, and the cult film What We Do in the Shadows. Before the Orchard, Davidson led Microsofts Xbox Video service. He also worked as a producer on series for Fox, ABC, and MTV and worked in theatrical distribution and production for New Line Cinema and the Jim Henson Company. Read his full memo below. Team, When I came to The Orchard almost five years ago, it was clear there was great potential for the film division, which would build off the amazing achievements of the music side of the business, with the same spirit of transparency and true partnership. We saw the opportunity to replicate this success for film directors, producers and content creators, and we launched a new strategy for the film group, bolstered by a stellar, wildly creative team of leaders passionate about film and smart about business. Im very proud of what weve built with The Orchard in such a short amount of time: a well-recognized brand associated with high-quality films, strategic thinking, collaboration and creativity, and a track record of critically acclaimed (and award-nominated) films including What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, American Animals, The Hero,We the Animals, The Overnight, Birds of Passage, Neruda, Beats Per Minute, Cartel Land, Life, Animated, The Dawn Wall and so many more about 4,000 more to be exact. Story continues Now, as the company ends one chapter and begins another, I have made the decision to move on from The Orchard film group. While I am very appreciative that 1091 asked me to continue to run the company in its new iteration, for me the time is right to look toward my own next chapter and build something new. There are exciting things on the horizon, and I look forward to sharing more when Im able. I want to thank Brad for his support for all these years. He has always been a huge supporter of what weve been doing and has been an incredible partner. Without his support and that of the management team at The Orchard, we would not be where we are today. I also want to thank the entire team, whose hard work and passion attracted a stable of incredible filmmakers, emerging new voices and prolific producing teams which, in turn, spread the word about the valuable brand weve built. This has been an immensely personal journey for me, and I am incredibly proud of the work we have all done together and of the relationships we have forged. I wish you all the very best! Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. [March 26, 2019] New Augmented Reality Developer In Town - TIGRA Live Animations' Technology Gets Disney's Blessing NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- "The AR market is expected to grow from USD 11.14 Billion in 2018 to USD 60.55 Billion by 2023," according to research by Markets and Markets. The New York-based AR App developer, TIGRA Live Animations has proven it can compete with the big players by landing the development approval for a Disney-licensed children's AR app, in partnership with Little Hippo Books, a publisher of quality children's books. "It's not an easy thing to get the approval of a media giant like Disney to develop an AR experience for children. They have the highest standards of any global brand so we were really honored that they not only approved our AR software [to develop the children's app], but they were really, really impressed by the quality of our AR experience compared to others out there," said Albert J. Haug, co-founder of TIGRA Live Animations. TIGRA Live Animations specializes in augmented reality development for the children's sector with consumer packaged goods, books and toys. Their app design has been praised for its simple, user-friendly design for even the youngest of users. The AR in development for a series of Disney products with Little Hippo Books will be targeted to preschool children, ages 3 5 years. Although the audience is young, the quality of AR is not compromised, Joe Fasano, Director of Technology, at TIGRA says, "the reason our AR technology surprises most viewers for the first time is because of the quality of detail. Every blade of grass, the trees or what a character is wearing is extremely precise, vivid and viewable 360-degrees in 3D, even when you're zoomed in to the animation. Pretty much everyone thinks it's amazing!" TIGRA Live Animations will be producing the augmented reality app technology behind a Disney-licensed Little Hippo book, ABC Fun with Mickey, due to release in Spring of 2019. The book will feature a 3-dimensionally animated Mickey Mouse that launches from the pages of the book to take preschoolers on an alphabet adventure. The book is the first of a series and will have a total of 13 AR animations including a seek and find game, letter tracing, a musical animation of Mickey and a sing-along for a true interactive experience. TIGRA Live Animations has had approximately 12 million downloads of apps they've developed across 51 countries. In December 2017 they launched a loyalty program together with the retail chain ATB in Europe. Within 3 weeks the retail stores sold through 250,000 books and the app was among the Top 10 Apps in the Google Play Store and Apple's Appstore. TIGRA designs, develops and implements augmented reality for Android including ARcore technology and iOs including the ARKit technology. Apps on either mobile phones or tablets deploy 3D animations, games, and musical and educational interactions. From strategic concept development and prototyping to ongoing support and management, TIGRA's cloud-based platform makes AR App development as simple, fast and cost-effective as possible. CONTACT Press: Contact TIGRA Live Animations to receive a sample augmented reality product. NAME: Christopher Haug EMAIL: chaug@tigralive.com PHONE: 631-651-8847 www.tigralive.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-augmented-reality-developer-in-town--tigra-live-animations-technology-gets-disneys-blessing-300818291.html SOURCE Tigra Live Animations [ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\LTE's Homepage ] Texas Mom Mauled to Death by Her 2 Pit Bulls A 33-year-old woman was mauled to death Saturday by her two pit bulls, whod been quarantined earlier this month after a biting incident in Irving, Texas, according to a police statement. The attack occurred at OConnor Animal Hospital in Irving. The victim, Johana Villafane, was visiting the dogs Saturday when she was attacked in an outside exercise area, according to the statement. The animals had been under quarantine after escaping Villafanes yard weeks ago and biting her neighbor, the statement says. They were under observation for signs of rabies, according to police. The statement didnt indicate how severe the bite to the neighbor was. When staffers at the facility noticed Villafanes visit was running a little long, they went to check in on her, discovering the mom of two on the ground and bleeding while her dogs attacked her. 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. Staffers called 911, and responding officers arrived as the dogs were still attacking Villafane. Officers tried approaching the severely injured woman, but the dogs responded aggressively, forcing one of the officers to fatally shoot the dogs. Speaking to the local CBS affiliate, a neighbor described the two dogs as aggressively friendly. A Facebook fundraising page has been launched for Villafane, and, as of Monday morning, it had generated nearly $14,000 in donations. The page describes Villafane as an amazing mom that was completely in love with her two children. It adds: We want everyone to remember her as she was a very happy, loving, fun, caring, helpful person. Val Kilmer was finally served with the lawsuit accusing him of ripping off an artist and the actor got hit while at a public event. According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Kilmer was served with Bale Creek Allens lawsuit while holding a screening of his play, Cinema Twain. Prior to the event, it [] 0325_Val-Kilmer Val Kilmer was finally served with the lawsuit accusing him of ripping off an artist and the actor got hit while at a public event. According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Kilmer was served with Bale Creek Allens lawsuit while holding a screening of his play, Cinema Twain. Prior to the event, it was advertised that Kilmer would be doing a Q&A following a screening of his one-man play on March 14 at the Theatre Box in San Diego. Bale Creek Allen took advantage of Kilmer making a public appearance and hired a process server to track him down at the event. Allen previously had issues trying to locate Kilmer to serve him with the lawsuit. In the newly filed docs, Allen says Kilmer was served at the Theatre Box at 9:30 PM, which would be as the event was ending. Last year, Allen sued Kilmer accusing him of ripping off his work. The man claims to have been selling gold-colored tumbleweed sculptures for years in art galleries around Texas and New Mexico. Allen claims at one point, Kilmer approached him about buying the work but eventually said he couldnt afford it. The artist says he then discovered Kilmer selling a knock off of his work for $150,000. In 2016, Kilmer made one piece which he claimed to have dipped in 22k gold and bronzed. He put it up for sale at a Los Angeles boutique. Once he discovered the alleged knockoff, he reached out to Val Kilmer demanding he stop selling it but never heard back. He sued seeking unspecified damages and a court order prohibiting the actor from selling any art that infringed on his copyrights. Allen recently pleaded for more time to serve Kilmer, accusing him of purposely hiding where he lives to avoid being served with legal papers. The post Val Kilmer Served with Lawsuit While Attending Film Screening appeared first on The Blast. Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan issued a broad defense of her industry on Monday, writing that journalists should be proud of their coverage of the Trump-Russia story. The column came just one day after Attorney General William Barr said the Mueller report did not find evidence of collusion between Trump and Russia.American citizens would have been far worse off if skilled reporters hadnt dug into the connections between Trumps associates up to and including his son Don Jr. and Russians. That reporting has not been invalidated, Sullivan wrote. Its important to acknowledge the value of the serious journalism because theres a real risk that news organizations will take the edges off their coverage of this subject now.In her piece, Sullivan also broadly dismissed conservative and other critics of the reporting.Also Read: Rudy Giuliani Calls on CNN to Apologize for Trump-Russia Coverage (Video)[Trumps] media echo chamber led by Fox News Channels Sean Hannity is calling for the heads of journalists whose work Hannity couldnt begin to emulate even if given 100 years, Sullivan said. As for the rest of the harsh criticism thats being leveled at journalists who dug into the connections between Trump, as candidate and president, and Russia, its largely misguided.The Sullivan critique did not stop the president or his allies from celebrating the news of Barrs findings, which broadly suggests that no additional indictments of Trump, his family or inner circle will be forthcoming.Also Read: That Time Fox News' Andrew Napolitano Said President Trump Might Have Already Been Indicted (Video)The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities, Barr wrote, while also noting that the Special Counsel states that while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.'Among conservative Trump boosters, Fox News led the charge Monday and Tuesday.This morning we wake up and the media doesnt just have a little egg on its face, they have a whole omelette, Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy said Monday morning. That was followed by Sean Hannity in primetime who called out Rachel Maddow by name saying she had mislead her audience about the Russia collusions story.Hannity demanded contrition.[Rachel Maddow] has profited from these lies to her audience on a spectacular level. Frankly, she and her so-called colleagues, so-called mainstream media, so-called journalists they should be embarrassed tonight, he said. They should feel humiliated tonight. They should be apologizing tonight to the American people.Read original story Washington Post Media Columnist Says Journalists Should Be Proud of Russia Coverage At TheWrap Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan issued a broad defense of her industry on Monday, writing that journalists should be proud of their coverage of the Trump-Russia story. The column came just one day after Attorney General William Barr said the Mueller report did not find evidence of collusion between Trump and Russia. American citizens would have been far worse off if skilled reporters hadnt dug into the connections between Trumps associates up to and including his son Don Jr. and Russians. That reporting has not been invalidated, Sullivan wrote. Its important to acknowledge the value of the serious journalism because theres a real risk that news organizations will take the edges off their coverage of this subject now. In her piece, Sullivan also broadly dismissed conservative and other critics of the reporting. Also Read: Rudy Giuliani Calls on CNN to Apologize for Trump-Russia Coverage (Video) [Trumps] media echo chamber led by Fox News Channels Sean Hannity is calling for the heads of journalists whose work Hannity couldnt begin to emulate even if given 100 years, Sullivan said. As for the rest of the harsh criticism thats being leveled at journalists who dug into the connections between Trump, as candidate and president, and Russia, its largely misguided. The Sullivan critique did not stop the president or his allies from celebrating the news of Barrs findings, which broadly suggests that no additional indictments of Trump, his family or inner circle will be forthcoming. Also Read: That Time Fox News' Andrew Napolitano Said President Trump Might Have Already Been Indicted (Video) The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities, Barr wrote, while also noting that the Special Counsel states that while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.' Story continues Among conservative Trump boosters, Fox News led the charge Monday and Tuesday. This morning we wake up and the media doesnt just have a little egg on its face, they have a whole omelette, Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy said Monday morning. That was followed by Sean Hannity in primetime who called out Rachel Maddow by name saying she had mislead her audience about the Russia collusions story. Hannity demanded contrition. [Rachel Maddow] has profited from these lies to her audience on a spectacular level. Frankly, she and her so-called colleagues, so-called mainstream media, so-called journalists they should be embarrassed tonight, he said. They should feel humiliated tonight. They should be apologizing tonight to the American people. Read original story Washington Post Media Columnist Says Journalists Should Be Proud of Russia Coverage At TheWrap Package bomb suspect Cesar Sayoc's van contained possible bomb-making materials: Sources originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The van belonging to the suspect in a series of bombs mailed to prominent Democratic leaders and the news network CNN contained a printer, stamps, paper, an unidentified powder and soldering equipment, pointing at least preliminarily to the vehicle being a possible location for the assembly of the alleged improvised explosive devices (IEDs), according to two officials briefed on the probe. The discovery and cataloging of the van's contents is a significant step forward for investigators. Just 24 hours ago, they were actively hunting for the location where he had built the devices, fearing they might find more. Investigators continue trying to determine whether the suspect had any accomplices. Meanwhile, the Twitter account identified by federal officials as likely belonging to the Florida man arrested in connection with the suspected package bombs sent to high-profile figures this week is full of right-wing content and aggressive criticism of prominent liberal figures. A post from Oct. 3 believed to have been written by the suspect, 56-year-old Aventura resident Cesar Sayoc, reads, "See u soon" -- tagging former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. The tweet criticized Holder for covering up the killing of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry earlier this year. Another tweet from June 27 directed toward Rep. Maxine Waters reads "see you soon" -- misspelling her name and Twitter handle. The account also featured tweets to Rep. Joe Kennedy III, actor Jim Carrey and Bill and Hillary Clinton. On Oct. 12, a video was posted to a Facebook account associated with Sayoc, depicting what appears to be the suspect at a Trump rally, yelling, "Trump! Trump! Trump!" along with the crowd. A shorter version of the video was also posted to Twitter. Twitter has suspended the account, but the social media company declined to comment on the ongoing investigation to ABC News. Facebook also removed the accounts believed to belong to Sayoc. Story continues "There is absolutely no place on our platforms for people who attempt such horrendous acts," Facebook officials said in a statement to ABC News. "We have found and immediately removed the suspect's accounts on Facebook and Instagram. We will also continue to remove content that praises or supports the bombing attempt or the suspect as soon as we're aware." Sayoc has an extensive criminal history, a law enforcement source said, and has been arrested at least eight times in Florida alone, court documents show. The arrests range from misdemeanor giving false information to get a refund to grand theft auto. One of the arrests took place in 2002 when he pleaded guilty for a charge listed as "threaten discharge destructive device." In that incident, Sayoc reportedly called Florida Power & Light (FPL) and "threatened to blow up FPL and that 'it would be worse than September 11th," court documents state. PHOTO: A 2002 booking photo of Cesar Sayoc, who was taken into custody on Oct. 26, 2018, in connection with a spate of suspicious packages and pipe bombs sent to prominent Democrats and critics of Donald Trump. (Courtesy Miami Dade County Police) He also "threatened that something would happen to the FPL representative if they cut his electricity." Sayoc was sentenced to probation for that charge, records show. His attorney at the time, Ronald Lowy, told "Good Morning America" Saturday that Sayoc was "charismatic" but also seemed "very immature" and exhibited "childish behavior." Sayoc "just seemed like someone who was emotionally out of control," Lowy said. Lowy added that Sayoc's condition worsened as became estranged from his family. And Lowy said Sayoc had been looking to fill a void after his father "abandoned" him during his childhood and returned to his native Philippines. "He apparently [missed] the father figure, and he found it in 2016," Lowy said, referring to then-candidate Donald Trump. Sayoc served as DJ at Ultra Gentleman's Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, as recently as Thursday from noon to 9 p.m., just hours before his arrest. He left the club and went to the gym after his shift, before returning to collect his tips from earlier and hang out after midnight. In 2014, he was a road manager for a variety of traveling male revue shows Chippendales International Gold Productions, Cesar Palace Royale Burlesque Show" and he was involved with "the sale of merchandise, coordinating bookings and supervising operations," the court documents report. Chippendales denied that Sayoc was ever affiliated with the company. "Cesar Altieri or Cesar Sayoc, was, and has never been affiliated in any way with Chippendales USA, LLC," the company said in a statement. (MORE: Suspect in custody in possible mail bombing campaign, officials say: LIVE UPDATES) Sayoc filed for bankruptcy in 2012, when he was 50 years old, and the petition stated that he lived with his mother and had no furniture. He was taken into custody in Florida shortly before noon Friday for allegedly carrying out a mail bombing campaign that gripped the nation. The night before the arrest, around 10:20 p.m., Sayoc had checked into a South Florida gym where he is a member, sources told ABC News. His capture comes after 14 package bombs were intercepted over the course of the week, with targets including prominent Democrats like former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In this frame grab from video provided by WPLG-TV, FBI agents cover a van parked in Plantation, Fla., Oct. 26, 2018, of a suspect in the mass bomb mailings. (WPLG-TV via AP) Multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News that Sayoc was tracked using a cellphone. He was arrested at an AutoZone in the town of Plantation at around 10:30 a.m. Friday. Authorities have recovered a cell phone, a laptop computer and other electronic devices in connection from Sayoc. (MORE: What we know about the mail bombs sent to former presidents and prominent Democrats) Sayoc appeared unperturbed when he was apprehended and led into a police vehicle, witness Paul Smith told ABC Miami affiliate WPLG. "It almost seemed like he knew he was going to get caught soon and that he was expecting it," Smith said. "He was in handcuffs, and he was calmly escorted to the vehicle. I saw him get in, no problem. And he just had that look of, 'OK. It's over.'" Sayoc's residence is listed as his mother's home in Aventura, but he was, for a time, living in the white van covered in stickers of President Donald Trump, which is now being investigated. A relative of his told ABC News that the family is in shock. "We're in shock -- just shock," the relative said. "It's all very, very hard to process. It's just a crazy thing." A former employer of Sayoc's told ABC News that he was a model employee but held offensive views. She described two different sides of Sayoc, one that was polite and professional and another that sympathized with white supremacist beliefs and harbored hateful thoughts about the LGBT community. "He hated the Obamas. He called him a monkey and the n-word," said Debra Gureghian, who was Sayoc's manager at New River Pizza and Fresh Kitchen, where he worked as a delivery driver. "He hated Hillary Clinton. He called her a lesbian. ... And Adolf Hitler, he loved. Adolf Hitler he couldn't say enough about." Gureghian said she is a lesbian and endured verbal abuse from Sayoc because of it, but tried to treat him with kindness because "there is enough hatred in this world." Daniel Lurvey, Sayoc's former attorney who represented him in his grand theft and petty theft charges in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, also expressed surprise that he was arrested for the string of suspicious packages, describing him as "a gentleman" with "no political agenda." "Hes as regular, non-political as can be," Lurvey told ABC News, adding also that he is "somewhat gregarious and friendly." Another one of Sayoc's former attorneys, Lowy told ABC News that Sayoc's mother is a committed Democrat and that his alleged behavior is inconsistent with her political views. The case against Sayoc will be handled by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, according to a senior law enforcement official. He is scheduled to appear first in the jurisdiction in which he was arrested, the Southern District of Florida, on Monday afternoon. PHOTO: Cesar Sayoc is seen in this undated booking photo, released by the Broward County Sheriff's office and provided by the Associated Press, in Miami. (Broward County Sheriff's Office via AP) Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Friday afternoon that Sayoc was charged with five federal crimes: interstate transportation of an explosive, illegal mailing of explosives, threats against former presidents and certain other persons, threatening interstate communications, and assaulting current and former federal officers. In total, those charges could lead to 48 years in prison. "This is a law and order administration. We will not tolerate such lawlessness, especially not political violence," Sessions said. Here is the charging document: Sayoc-181026 by ABC News Politics on Scribd New details emerge after man allegedly killed his ex-wife: 'This is not my son' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com A Wisconsin man, who allegedly shot his ex-wife multiple times just feet from their young daughter, had no history of violence, his mother told police. Ulisses W. Medina Espinosa was charged on Tuesday with one count of first-degree intentional homicide, under the elements of domestic abuse, after the murder of his ex-wife, 30-year-old Stacia Hollinshead. Hollinshead, an assistant district attorney in Dekalb County Attorney's Office, was killed on Saturday. Espinosa, 31, is in custody and it is unclear if he has an attorney. Bob Barrington, managing attorney of the Dodge County District Attorney's office that's handling the case said that Espinosa made an initial appearance in court Tuesday and to $2 million bond was set. PHOTO: The fatal shooting of Stacia Hollinshead in Beaver Dam, Wis., is believed by her colleagues to be a result of domestic violence. (WISC) The criminal complaint details how police responded to a 911 call made by Espinosa's mother, Maria Espinosa Rubio. In Spanish, Rubio told the officer that her son shot his ex-wife after he made a surprise visit to his parents house. "He killed her! He killed her! He killed her!" Rubio allegedly told the officer, according to the criminal complaint. (MORE: Female prosecutor murdered in what colleagues say was 'the worst possible outcome of domestic violence') Despite settling their divorce approximately two years ago, Hollinshead remained close with her in-laws and had arranged a visit for March 23, through text messages, "so they can see [the] female child," according to the criminal complaint where Rubio's statements to police were summarized. Hollinshead was granted full custody of their child by a judge, according to the officer's statements in the probable cause portion of the criminal complaint. Rubio said during this visit to her Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, home that "suddenly Ulisses arrived at the house" shortly after Hollinshead and the child arrived around 2:15 p.m. Story continues Rubio told police that while it was a "surprises visit" it was "very normal that he arrived with gifts for" the child according to the complaint. At one point, Rubio and Hollinshead were in the kitchen and they left Espinosa with his daughter in the living room as he showed "her several toys he brought her." PHOTO: Stacia Hollingshead, pictured in this undated photo, was fatally shot on March 23, 2019, in Beaver Dam, Wis. (Courtesy DeKalb County State's Attorney's Office) Rubio said that "she suddenly heard several gunshots that came from behind her. While Rubio was unable to remember how many she heard, she just kept repeating that "she heard many, many gunshots," according to the criminal complaint. When she turned, she saw Espinosa in the kitchen near where Hollinshead was on the ground "laying on her stomach with blood all over her back," and she saw him toss a gun in the sink. "Maria told me that she grabbed Ulisses by the arms and screamed at him, 'What are you doing? What are you doing?' She said that he did not say anything, had no expression on his face and slowly walked back to female child in the living room," according to the criminal complaint. Rubio said that her son went to the living room where the little girl was crying, and she ran upstairs to get her sleeping husband before calling 911. (MORE: Domestic violence plays a role in many mass shootings, but receives less attention: Experts) Another responding officer found approximately 16 spent shell casings and assessed that Hollinshead was dead at the scene, the report read. The initial responding officer detailed how Rubio told him that her son "has never been violent in his life. She said that this is completely out of his character. She kept telling me, 'This is not my son. This is not my son.'" Rubio told the officer that the couple "never had any domestic incidents/physical fighting incidents" and that she had "no knowledge of him having any sort of guns/weapons, and has never used them in his past," according to the criminal complaint. "She told me that he was having a very hard time with the divorce and court cases about female child," the responding officer reported in the criminal complaint. PHOTO: The fatal shooting of Stacia Hollinshead in Beaver Dam, Wis., is believed by her colleagues to be a result of domestic violence. (WISC) Rubio told police that Hollinshead did have a restraining order against Espinosa "due to the divorce, but again assured me that he was not an aggressive or angry man," the report states. Court records show that Hollinshead had a protective order filed against Espinosa in 2016 in DeKalb County, Illinois the same county where she worked in the state's attorney's office at the time of her death. "Maria continued to tell me that she was completely shocked from the incident and could not believe that it was real," the responding officer wrote in the report. Barrington said that Espinosa's expected back in court for a preliminary examination on May 23rd. Espinosa is currently being held in Dodge County's detention facility in Juneau, Wisconsin. Outcry over refugee deportations as Trump visits Vietnam for summit originally appeared on abcnews.go.com With President Donald Trump in Vietnam this week, advocates are continuing calls for his administration to fully reverse moves to deport refugees who came to the U.S. in the wake of the Vietnam War. The issue has left many in a state of uncertainty over the possibility of deportation and lawmakers joined activists on Capitol Hill Wednesday calling on the administration to stop what they call a targeting of Asian American immigrants. PHOTO: Bill Nguyen, 12, and Jade Nguyen, 9, hold signs at a rally protesting President Donald Trump's deportation policy to deport Vietnamese refugees, at the Mary Queen of Vietnam Church in New Orleans, Dec. 20, 2018. (Gerald Herbert/AP, FILE) The administration is clearly trying to deport as many immigrants as possible, Democratic Rep. Judy Chu of California told ABC News. (MORE: 5 effects on immigration from the new funding bill) The issue centers on the Trump administrations reconsideration of a 2008 bilateral agreement between the U.S. and Vietnam that effectively stopped deportation orders for Vietnamese nationals who arrived in America prior to 1995. Immigration court removal orders for Vietnamese nationals steadily declined throughout most of the Obama administration and have leveled off in recent years. A lawsuit from the nonprofit advocacy group Asian Americans Advancing Justice revealed the administration's wavering posture last year. (MORE: California officials: Immigration facilities lack oversight) The court challenge, brought against the Department of Homeland Security, relies in part on a 2001 Supreme Court ruling that prevents extended detention for immigrants whose country of origin will not accept their return. Its part of a larger practice and pattern that we have seen with this administration," said Phi Nguyen, one of the lawyers who brought the class action lawsuit. "Theres a lot of, I think, abuse of power. In court documents from April of last year, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official acknowledged the agencys efforts to remove Vietnamese nationals who had previous orders of removal. Story continues But in September, the same official said senior ICE officials had met with the Vietnamese government and determined they could not carry out the removals. ICE has no arrests policy specific to particular nationalities, ICE spokesperson Brendan Raedy said in response to questions from ABC News. ICE remains committed to directing its enforcement resources to those aliens posing the greatest risk to the safety and security of the United States. Concern over deportation orders has prompted action from within Vietnamese communities across the country. In recent months, Vietnamese Americans rallied in Seattle, New Orleans and Orange County, California. PHOTO: Mary Nguyen, a Vietnamese community activist, chants at a rally protesting President Trump's deportation policy to deport Vietnamese refugees, at the Mary Queen of Vietnam Church in New Orleans, Dec. 20, 2018. (Gerald Herbert/AP, FILE) Our families came to America as war-torn refugees, after narrowly escaping the horrors of the Vietnam War, said Matt Nguyen, a local community activist who participated in the Orange County rally and formerly worked on refugee rights for the U.S. State Department. Trumps new policy reopens old wounds and inflicts incredible pain on our community, he said. The Vietnam embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The continuing battles pose additional strain for Trump's Republican Party after the traditionally conservative voting patterns of the Vietnamese American community were disrupted in the 2018 midterm elections. Prize-winning show dog found after vanishing at Atlanta airport for 3 days originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The prize-winning show dog that disappeared in one of the world's busiest airports for three days after being checked in for a flight has been found. Gale, a pure-bred American Staffordshire terrier whose owners live in Amsterdam, has been located and reunited with her family, the HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport announced on social media Tuesday. The dog was being shown in the United States by her handlers and had one final event in Louisville, Kentucky, before she was scheduled to fly home Saturday. It was not immediately clear where Gale was found. A spokesperson for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines confirmed to ABC News on Tuesday that the dog was flown home to her owners. (MORE: 11-year-old blind dog finds companion and guide in puppy) Gale's handlers had brought her and another dog to the HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport on Saturday, where they checked in for their KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight and went through security. Not long after the handlers boarded the Amsterdam-bound plane in Atlanta, they were informed that Gale's kennel was found empty when crews went to load her crate onto the aircraft. The handlers immediately called her owners. "Me and my wife completely panicked," Gale's owner, Floris Van Essen, told ABC News in a telephone interview from the Netherlands capital on Monday. "We were out of our minds. You can imagine it's horrific to hear that a dog is gone and nobody knows where she is." Van Essen said they've been in touch with the airport, the airline as well as the baggage handler, but being thousands of miles away and in different time zones "isn't helping." Story continues "There's a sense of hopelessness and powerlessness because there's nothing you can do," he added. PHOTO: The American Staffordshire named Gale is seen here in an undated file photo. (Obtained by ABC News) Authorities and airport officials, including wildlife biologists on staff, had been trying to track down the dog ever since. "The dog somehow got out of the crate and is now running around the airfield," Andrew Gobeil, a spokesperson for Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, told ABC News in an interview Monday. "We have about 4,600 acres of field out there, from the airfield and from the woods area. So we're looking throughout the entire airport." "We're optimistic that we'll find Gale," Gobeil added. "We understand how important the dog is to the family structure when we want to make sure that we get Gale home safely." A spokesperson for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines told ABC News the dog "broke out of its cage as it was being loaded into the cargo" of the plane. (MORE: Florida bill would make it illegal to abandon tied-up dogs during a hurricane or other disasters) Gale's owners described the dog as "friendly" and "loving," but said she is likely scared and skittish in an unknown area. "We're really missing a family member," Van Essen told ABC News. "We don't have any children, the dogs are our children. Her brother lives here, her mother lives here, and we really want her back home safe." ABC News' Jeffrey Cook, Nicholas Coulson, Julia Jacobo, Janice McDonald and Marissa Parra contributed to this report. tmp_6kZHYq_c53239fdebda05a6_IMG_5549.jpeg When my husband and I first met, we would spend every single evening together sitting on the roof of a half-built house beneath the stars in the African heat, learning each other's language and culture. We'd dance the night away to Afro beats at the local club, sweaty and full of love. Nowadays, we sometimes get a quick moment - enough for a glance, a kiss, an "I love you" - before we drift off to sleep after a day full of toddler activities, work, and daily life. Some days, stress and lack of sleep take over and our house is silent, despite our 3-year-old loudly singing her own tune. But even when that happens, we still work to find the time to say "I love you," kiss, and connect. We may be far from where we met in Ghana, West Africa, and far from the two carefree 20-something souls that we were then, but we still have our love and strive to make time for it, through the ups and downs of life, marriage, and parenting. Related: Why I'll Always Put My Husband Before My Kids When we had our little girl, we were just finding a home, jobs, and a life after my husband's move from Ghana and months of immigration. Finances were tight; I was home loving on our daughter, my husband was working around the clock to keep up with bills, and we hardly got to see each other. And honestly, at first, I didn't long for "us" time. I was content marveling at my new baby and didn't want to be bothered once she was asleep. I wanted to read, sleep, shower, and eat. But from my experience, when I began to check out of my relationship and dive into motherhood, our troubles began. Even though every couple is different, I think that it's important that we all find time to nurture our love. It's taken me almost three years to find balance as a mom and wife, and still find space in between to be me. Here's how I figured it out. Related: Why Spending Time Alone Is the Key to Keeping Your Family Together If New York Fashion Week had a breakout star, it was Tomo Koizumi. The Japanese designers debut show was among the big events of the month overall, thanks to its star-studded cast and delightful tulle dresses. Hypnotic and larger than life, Koizumis creations require a special occasion and last nights Baile da Vogue event in Sao Paulo fit the bill. Presenter Sabrina Sato arrived at Hotel Unique in a rainbow number from the collection originally worn by model Lexi Boling. The candy-colored tiers of fabric made for a grand entrance and all but ensured that Sato would be the nights most discussed attendee. Photo: Armando Grillo / Gorunway.com Sato is known for her dramatic wardrobe in Brazil where her wildly popular variety show, Programa da Sabrina, combines elements of comedy, music, and reality television. She gravitates towards fashion that makes a statementin her hands, a color-blocked Celine hoodie becomes maternity wear, and shes been known to rock carnival costumes cut from latex. Directed by Cecilia Cussioli and Willian Soares, Vogue Brasil, March 2019 Coordinator: Anita Porfirio and Renata Garcia / Production: Paula Barros / Filmmaker: Gustavo Ortiz / Editor: Mario Castro / Assistant: Diego Perez / Fashion Editor: Pedro Sales / Beauty: Rodrigo Costa Styled by Vogue Brazils fashion director, Pedro Sales, who joined her for a few pre-show selfies, Sato looked radiant bedecked with glittering jewels, including Bulgari chandelier earrings and a Tiffany and Co. ring. All the color, sparkle, and unabashed fun gave Koizumis gown an unforgettable red carpet moment that is sure to be the first of many. Senator Mike Lee from Utah raised the bar on outrageously out-of-touch congressional presentations from the GOP today during the session held before the Senates procedural vote on the Green New Deal. Lee was opining on the unserious joint resolution introduced by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Massachusetts senator Ed Markey, a framework for mobilizing the government to lengths not seen since FDRs original New Deal in order to transform the economy and combat the devastating effects of climate change. Looking like an office presentation given by Michael Scott in front of a series of bizarre images on an easelincluding one of Ronald Reagan on a velociraptor firing at Sovietshe said that instead of looking to the government, America should focus on supporting those who should really be tasked with fighting climate change: babies. The Green New Deal is not the solution to climate change, Lee said in his speech on the Senate floor, captured by C-Span. The solution to climate change wont be found in political posturing or virtue signaling like this. It wont be found in the federal government at all. Addressing Vice President (and President of the Senate) Mike Pence, he said dramatically, You know where the solution can be found, Mr. President? In churches, in wedding chapels, in maternity wards across this country and around the world. Mr. President, this is the real solution to climate change: babies. Okay, sure, Mike. In the logic of Lee, climate change is an engineering problem, which will be solved by putting more human beings on the planet who are capable of innovationdespite the U.N.s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change describing, in the words of The New York Times, a world of worsening food shortages and wildfires, and a mass die-off of coral reefs that could occur as soon as 2040. The problems of human imagination are not solved by more laws, theyre solved by more humans, he said, gesturing to a stock photo of the worlds future climate-change mavericks, clad in diapers, and bringing to mind a version of Baby Geniuses that takes place during future water wars. Lee said: More babies will mean more forward-looking adults, on whom we can dump the greatest existential crisis of human history, one that was made much, much worse in just the last 30 years. Like in 2011, for example, when Lee voted to limit the EPAs ability to regulate greenhouse gases. Or in 2017, when he urged Donald Trump to abandon the Paris Agreement. Story continues In a last bid to offer up infants as the solution to global warming, Lee argued that the courage needed to solve climate change is nothing compared to the courage needed to start a family. . . . The solution to climate change is not this unserious resolution. The solution to so many of our problems at all times and in all places is to fall in love, get married, and have some kids. Lees focus on babies probably has nothing to do with the more than $200,000 in contributions Lee has taken from oil, gas, and coal interests in recent election cycles. Nothing at all. Students learned about advanced robotics during MI Smart Factory Tours. Photo by Automation Alley. It was such a good idea that they wondered why they hadnt thought of it before.Of course, with all that Automation Alley does to promote Michigan as a hub for advanced manufacturing and technology--or Industry 4.0, as they refer to itthe organizations new factory tours for college students could be seen as just another drop in the bucket of all that they do.But MI Smart Factory Tours could turn out to be a pretty significant component of Automation Alleys mission: Cementing Michigans position as a global leader in advanced manufacturing and technologies.As you think about whats happening not just in manufacturing but in all industries, with technologies like 3D printing, artificial intelligence, robotics, the internet of thingsMichigan is one of the few places in the world where all of these technologies come together and work with each other, says Tom Kelly, Automation Alley executive director and CEO.We are the perfect state to be doing this.Automation Alley launched a pilot run of its MI Smart Factory Tours in October 2018. Students from Ohio University Russ College of Engineering and Technology visited Fori Automation in Shelby Township, Parker Hannifin and Hirotec in Auburn Hills, and FANUC in Rochester Hills.The intent is to demonstrate both the opportunities available in advanced manufacturing, and especially in Michigan, but also the appeal. A job in advanced manufacturing doesnt a mean a job on the assembly line. Many of the same technologies that draw young workers to places like Silicon Valley exist right here in southeast Michigan.If you want to be involved in high tech, you dont just have to be a software programmer. You can also get involved in advanced manufacturing, Kelly says. Software is getting more and more involved in the physical world, like with autonomous vehicles.The tours will expose students to additional career opportunities while helping them establish relationships with potential future employers. And for the employers themselves, it provides an inside track in reaching and recruiting young talent before they leave for far away technology hubs.Or, as Kelly puts it, Most students dont see manufacturing as a sexy place to bewhen it really is.The pilot run of MI Smart Factory Tours resulted in both ecstatic students and businesses, he says. Two initial tours are scheduled for this year with the possibility of adding two more. Interest is already high, says Kelly, and Automation Alley plans to add more and more tours, year after year.This spring, electro-mechanical students from MIAT College of Technology will tour four companies. And in the fall, a cohort of lean management grad students from Oakland University will tour four more. Automation Alley wasnt yet ready to divulge which businesses would be hosting the tours.Kelly believes that programs like this work to change the perception of Michigan as a global leader in technology, both at home and abroad, and that Michigan is not a flyover state but a destination. Just look at Rivian , an electric vehicle startup that recently chose Plymouth, Michigan as its global headquarters due to the regions advanced manufacturing infrastructure.Whats more, Rivian recently announced a $700 million investment from Amazon.Its news like this, and tours like Automation Alleys, that will help draw the next generation of talent to Michigan.As manufacturing goes, there is massive disruption coming from all sides, Kelly says. We have to be the state that understands how technology will change manufacturing. We have to be at the forefront.Visit Driven and learn how the Detroit region is leading the world in next-generation mobility. We know Leanne Ford as the crazy-cool designer who specializes in all-white interiorsthis light-drenched midcentury oasis proves she has a knack for neutralsso we were surprised to see the star of HGTV's popular Restored by the Fords (now in its second season) step outside of her typically tonal palette to embrace the dark side for her latest project in Pittsburgh. "This was a fun project for two very fashionable guys that have great taste," Ford tells me via email. "They love gray, which is not my normal go-to color. So I loved pushing myself to play with how you decorate with gray but still keep things feeling natural and earthy. We found this amazing lime wash and clay wash from Portola Paints that we used on the brick, walls, and ceiling." Step inside the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania apartment (originally built in 1880) to see the moody transformation then tune into HGTV to hear more from Ford and the owners of the space tonight. The biggest challenge of this project was the kitchen. "It was a massive undertaking," says Ford. "The clients had a row style home in the city which had an apartment built on the back side of it. It was very piece-y and a massive waste of space." So Ford broke into the back apartment to create a large entertainer's kitchen and then completely gutted the entire space. This included new floors (they brought in salvage wood,) new electrical, new plumbing, and new supports in the ceiling. "You name it, we had to fix it," she recalls. One of the kitchen's main features is the distressed flooring. Ford actually brought in salvage wood for the floors to truly give that time-worn patina. She also splurged on the gorgeous marble counter and waterfall. Ford says the biggest design decision was putting the entire kitchen down the center of the space. "Kind of the opposite of the galley kitchen," she says. "The windows were low and so gorgeous, I did not want to mess with them." Story continues The existing marble fireplace was also stunning, so Ford didnt want to touch that either, even if it did feel unique to have at the back of a kitchen. "We had the space to play with," she says. "And the layout also created this amazing party bar style kitchen for entertaining." Ford added a bathroom where the old kitchen was, using salvage doors from France which they hung backwards so you could really enjoy the "more beautiful side" more often when the door was open. But the standout design feature is the sink. Ford used a vintage Willy Guhll planter which she retrofitted to be a sink. "I love playing with design in the powder room," she says. They also chose to keep the pipes exposed for the waterlines as an added design feature. Because of the massive counter space, Ford opted to create a little lounging coffee nook in the corner of the kitchen instead of a kitchen table. (They already had a proper dining room in the house.) "I love how that nook turned out," says Ford. "Very vibey." True to Ford's eclectic style and love of found objects, she used old backdrop sets from an opera in Europe as the minimalist art for this cozy nook. Genius. Up Next: Target's New Lighting Collection for Project 62 Will Sell OutShop It Now. Read More from MyDomaine Cold sweat runs down the back of my neck as I drive a food truck down Highway 101 to Googles campus in Mountain View. Its my first time driving this kind of vehicle, and its giant compared to my two-door Mini Cooper. My truck-driving instructors are just as nervous as I am. When I knock a mirror off a FedEx truck, we all scream. The last seven months have been a whirlwind. Google and Off The Grid, a company that provides marketplaces for food trucks to gather and sell food, have accepted me into their incubator program, where I can try out my Indonesian food truck ChiliCali at Google campuses before launching it to the public. My days consist of cooking, prepping, and serving food for 300 people, and I do store demos and sell my cooking sauces at farmers' markets on the weekends. Other weekends I host pop-up dinners at restaurants and cafes. I barely sleep, I am constantly tired, and I spend all my energy prepping, cooking, and talking about the foods of my heritage. I am not complaining. This is my calling. Photo by Aubrie Pick I started cooking with my mother in Jakarta when I was a teenager. She was a catering chef, and I was her unpaid sous-chef. I left her kitchen to go to college in the U.S. because I wanted to see what other opportunities were out there for me. I got my degree in Mandarin Literature while working under the table at restaurants in San Francisco to afford college, mostly in touristy areas like Fishermans Wharf and Union Square. I worked in Silicon Valley after graduation, but I was very homesick. I missed my mother's food, and I missed speaking in Indonesian. I didn't feel like I had a community. In 2015, 10 strangers came to my house for my first weekly pop-up. They brought friends, and their friends brought friends. Now I have a community who are my regulars and friends. In 2017, I quit my office job and rented a commercial kitchen to start my company, ChiliCali. I catered, hosted pop-up dinners, and launched a line of Indonesian cooking sauces after a successful Kickstarter campaign. I saw the food community in the Bay Area starting to take notice of Indonesian food, so I applied to Off The Grids food truck incubator program. Story continues I chose the name ChiliCali because chili is what we eat with everything in Indonesia, and Cali stands for California, because I source all my ingredients locally. I like the mobility of a food truck. Just like at my pop-ups, I can reach more diners this way. Its also the first Indonesian food truck in the Bay Area. San Francisco might be one of the best food cities in the country, but Indonesian food is still largely missing. With fewer than five Indonesian restaurants here, I often wonder if our food is not good enough for this city. It seems equally under-represented across the nation, and my fellow Indonesian chefs all have our own theories about why that is. Photo by Aubrie Pick My friends from Kaki Lima, a popular pop-up restaurant in Boston, have a good point: We have limited support back home. Thai cuisine erupted all over the United States in part due to the Thai governments financial support, but the Indonesian government has been slower to promote our cuisine here. Less than 200,000 Indonesians live in the U.S., but our food is still worthy of acknowledgement, and nearly everyone I cook it for agrees. Indonesian ingredients have been consumed and, in many cases, exploited by developed countries for centuries now. Coffees grown in Sumatra or Java, tempeh, palm sugar, and spices like cloves are commonly exported from Indonesia. Palm oil, which is commonly produced by an evil industry that uses deforestation, is widely used in the U.S. Many people here are unaware that forests in Indonesia are quickly disappearing because of this demand, along with the potential extinction of animals like orangutans, elephants, and tigers. Is it too much to ask that that people in America try to learn more about Indonesia, Indonesians, and our food? Its impossible for one chef to represent the entirety of Indonesian cuisine, which has 20,000 islands and is influenced by China, Japan, India, Europe, and the Middle East. I have roast pork belly on my menu, a dish influenced by my upbringing in Medan, North Sumatra, where many ethnic Chinese-Indonesians reside. I also have fried noodles, shrimp sambal, and tempeh sambal. Soon Ill add our classics: beef rendang, braised beef chuck cooked in spice paste, coconut milk and lemongrass; nasi goreng, Indonesian fried rice cooked with sweet soy sauce. Try our curries and gado-gado salad, which includes blanched vegetables, fried tempeh and tofu, and compressed rice cakes with a thick peanut sauce. Youll come to crave the salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and spicy flavors that define Indonesian cuisine. Special thanks to Ellie Tumbuan, chief strategist of The Justice Collective, whose research contributed to this piece. ChiliCali will be at Fort Masons Off the Grid night market in San Francisco this September. (Adds Sputnik report in paragraphs 7 and 8) CARACAS, March 24 (Reuters) - Two Russian air force planes landed at Venezuela's main airport on Saturday carrying a Russian defense official and nearly 100 troops, according to media reports, amid strengthening ties between Caracas and Moscow. A flight-tracking website showed that two planes left from a Russian military airport bound for Caracas on Friday, and another flight-tracking site showed that one plane left Caracas on Sunday. That comes three months after the two nations held military exercises on Venezuelan soil that President Nicolas Maduro called a sign of strengthening relations, but which Washington criticized as Russian encroachment in the region. Reporter Javier Mayorca wrote on Twitter on Saturday that the first plane carried Vasily Tonkoshkurov, chief of staff of the ground forces, adding the second was a cargo plane carrying 35 tonnes of material. An Ilyushin IL-62 passenger jet and an Antonov AN-124 military cargo plane left for Caracas on Friday from Russian military airport Chkalovsky, stopping along the way in Syria, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24. The cargo plane left Caracas on Sunday afternoon, according to Adsbexchange, another flight-tracking site. The flights carried officials who arrived to "exchange consultations," wrote Russian government-owned news agency Sputnik, which quoted an unnamed source at the Russian embassy. "Russia has various contracts that are in the process of being fulfilled, contracts of a technical military character," Sputnik quoted the source as saying. A Reuters witness saw what appeared to be the passenger jet at the Maiquetia airport on Sunday. Venezuela's Information Ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Russia's Defense Ministry and Foreign Ministry did not reply to messages seeking comment. The Kremlin spokesman also did not reply to a request for comment. Story continues The Trump administration has levied crippling sanctions on the OPEC nation's oil industry in efforts to push Maduro from power and has called on Venezuelan military leaders to abandon him. Maduro has denounced the sanctions as U.S. interventionism and has won diplomatic backing from Russia and China. In December, two Russian strategic bomber aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons landed in Venezuela in a show of support for Maduro's socialist government that infuriated Washington. Maduro on Wednesday said Russia would send medicine "next week" to Venezuela, without describing how it would arrive, adding that Moscow in February had sent some 300 tonnes of humanitarian aid. Venezuela in February had blocked a convoy carrying humanitarian aid for the crisis-stricken country that was coordinated with the team of opposition leader Juan Guaido, including supplies provided by the United States, from entering via the border with Colombia. (Reporting by Carlos Garcia, Carlos Jasso, Diego Ore and Brian Ellsworth in Caracas, and Maria Tsvetkova and Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber in Moscow; Editing by Leslie Adler and Chris Reese) Berlin (AFP) - More than 70 years after the end of the Holocaust, anti-Semitism remains entrenched in German society, Berlin's top legal expert on the matter says, admitting victims sometimes struggle to obtain justice. "Anti-Semitism has always been here," said Claudia Vanoni, who is in charge of prosecuting cases targeting Jews. "But I think that recently, it has again become louder, more aggressive and flagrant," she told AFP in an interview. Last September, following a spate of such crimes, the Berlin authorities created the post of anti-Semitism commissioner, appointing Vanoni to the role. More often than not, anti-Semitic insults are posted online on social networks, such as a recent tweet by an alleged supporter of second division club FC Union against the Israeli captain of Ingolstadt. But others involve physical attacks. In one prominent case that sparked revulsion, a Jewish teenager was forced to switch schools after being bullied for several months at a top private school in the upmarket Zehlendorf neighbourhood. In another that made headlines worldwide, an Israeli wearing a kippa was attacked by a Syrian who lashed at him with a belt in Berlin's trendy Prenzlauer Berg district. And in the city's upmarket shopping thoroughfare Ku'Damm, an Israeli restaurant owner has suffered regular abuse after posting a video of a man hurling insults at him. Such abuse shows "very clearly to what point anti-Semitism is deeply rooted in our society," Vanoni said. But Germany is not alone. In neighbouring France, the number of attacks on Jewish people, and their intensity, have also been increasing. - Ingrained stereotypes - And this bigotry has been encouraged by the proliferation of online platforms that allow people to express such views while hiding behind screens. "Such acts on the internet are aimed at inciting others," she said. Many people no longer feel inhibited. The presence in parliament of the far-right AfD, whose leaders openly question Germany's culture of atonement over atrocities committed during World War II, has also contributed to the change in atmosphere. Story continues And the arrival of more than a million asylum seekers, many from Muslim countries like Syria, Afghanistan or Iraq, has also contributed to what Chancellor Angela Merkel has deplored as "another form of anti-Semitism". Those holding such bigoted views "come from all strata of society", Vanoni said. Some are "stereotypes that have been transmitted from generation to generation", she explained, pointing to centuries-old tropes about Jews and money. "Some people have simply internalised these prejudices, without being conscious that these constitute anti-Semitism." Every Jewish person has, at least once, had the experience of someone telling them "you look nothing like a Jew", she said, pointing out that no-one would ever say that about a Catholic or a Protestant. With the number of cases multiplying, the legal system often seems hamstrung. Of 440 complaints filed in Berlin last year, four out of 10 -- or 41 percent -- had to be shelved for lack of evidence, and only one in five -- 19 percent -- came before a judge. The rest were transferred to regional prosecutors as the suspects were not Berlin residents. - Tip of the iceberg - But the legal cases are only the tip of the iceberg as many cases are not reported because the victims "have the impression nothing will happen," said Vanoni. And that is her main challenge: working with civil society organisations to build confidence in the system so that victims feel able to approach the courts. At the same time, it is also about educating the victims about the legal burden necessary to prove a case. Not all anti-Semitic acts are criminal offences -- for instance, a taxi driver who refuses to drive someone on grounds he or she is Jewish cannot be prosecuted. But a verbal insult or an incitement to hatred constitute offences. Investigations are also complicated by the fact that many acts are carried out anonymously, often online. In some cases, perpetrators are deemed to suffer from mental problems and not liable before the courts. Unless the aggressor turns violent, there is little that the justice system can do, Vanoni conceded. Nevertheless, she stressed the importance of having legal recourse. "I think we are all concerned when Jews are attacked. We should all react -- society, and of course the state," she said, noting that the justice system must do all "to ensure that anti-Semitic acts are forcefully prosecuted". When Joanna De Fina was 27, she tested positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation related to an increased risk of breast cancer. Three years later, she decided to proactively undergo a double mastectomy, followed by reconstructive surgery all by the age of 31. Here, she opens up about the emotional aspects of her experience, the unexpected complications, and coming out better on the other side. This interview was told to Rachel Krause and has been edited for length and clarity. My dads mother passed away from breast cancer when she was in her 40s, and her two sisters died in their 30s from breast cancer as well. My dad got tested to see if he was a carrier given his family history, so I did, too. I found out I was BRCA1 positive when I was 27. It took me a couple of years after the diagnosis to start looking into a prophylactic mastectomy and reconstructive surgery; I was busy going to business school and was in a rotational program after that put me in different cities. Once I landed in New York and knew Id be here for a while, I met with surgeons and decided to do it in July 2014. My intention for having the mastectomy as young as I did was to proactively take action against the impact BRCA1 could have on my life, which is breast cancer, and live as I had prior to the diagnosis. I never considered not having reconstructive surgery. For me, breasts are a part of who I am, and a part of my womanhood. I didnt think there needed to be a tradeoff between my health and my appearance. I had an initial surgery that my plastic surgeon recommended that cut away my breast tissue from the skin so it could form alternative pathways for the blood to flow without the tissue. The major problem with doing breast implants post-mastectomy is that if you dont have any tissue, then the skin can struggle to survive, whereas with a regular augmentation you still have tissue below the skin. Im glad I had that procedure because I ended up having a lot of issues with that after the mastectomy: I had a pretty severe case of necrosis, which means that the skin is struggling to get oxygen and blood and it starts to die. I was treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy they put you in a capsule and give you pure oxygen to breathe, and it goes down to a pressure level of being 30 feet below sea level. Its supposed to help your blood vessels work more efficiently and get blood to areas that need it. Story continues Illustration by Vero Romero. The therapy worked, but not too long after the necrosis cleared up, I got a serious infection related to fluid build-up in my right breast. I dont remember what the specific infection type was, and I dont really want to, either its easier to forget some of the more painful details. In the first mastectomy surgery, they remove all of your breast tissue and place in expanders, which the surgeon fills with a little bit of fluid every month to make room for what will ultimately be the long-term breast implants. They had to take one of my expanders out to treat me for the infection, and there were some really dicey moments, to the extent of questioning if we were going to be able to do reconstructive surgery at all. I had some very severe scarring; from a cosmetic-surgery standpoint, my doctor had a lot to do. Eventually I had my expander replaced and the expansion began working properly, so I was able to get the implants. My first surgery was in July 2014 and the final placement was in February 2015, so it was a very long and disturbing experience. I felt completely helpless at times. I didnt know how long the process would go, or what I would look like after everything was over. It was like I held my breath and put my head down you get through it and just hope that things come out on the other side. I was so lucky to be working at a company with incredible benefits. I was able to get weeks off at a time, I worked from home a lot, and I had a female manager who I felt comfortable confiding in about what was going on. She really worked with me, and I had a much easier time in that way than the typical person probably does. The same goes for insurance: My benefits covered more than 80% of the cost of the surgeries, including the reconstruction. You never want to have to go through something like that, but I learned so much about myself and the people in my life who care for me. An experience like this takes up all of your time and emotional space. Its enveloping: Theres the fear of surgery, and then the true physical recovery process. But theres also an enormous adjustment in your mindset of what you look like and who you are. During that time between having the mastectomy and getting my final implants in, there was a long stretch of just feeling not feminine or sexual in any way. I was single at the time and the idea of dating was not even in the cards, and not just because it would be uncomfortable to not have breasts and start dating someone new. Even after I got the implants and I could objectively tell that they looked good, it didnt feel like my own body physically. Your body hasnt adjusted, so you dont feel comfortable in them. It took me about a year to form that psychological connection. You never want to have to go through something like that, but I learned so much about myself and the people in my life who care for me. Im so proud of going through such a challenging experience and feeling like I truly came out as a better person on the other side. Every piece of me was tested during that time: my patience, my pain threshold, my ability to lean on others, and my acceptance of the unknown. I was forced to let go of what was under my control and trust my doctor, my support circle, and my therapist. Somehow, for me, putting all of that trust into other people didnt make me feel weaker it was uplifting and empowering. Theres also that peace of mind knowing Ive mitigated nearly all of my risk of breast cancer. I used to worry about it constantly. I remember waking up from my mastectomy with an indescribable sense of relief. Illustration by Vero Romero. I honestly feel more confident in my body now than I did before the surgery. I used to be worried about being judged for my shape or size, despite knowing that I take good care of myself. That mentality is just not applicable in this situation. My doctor and his staff were so spectacular and cared so much about my health and happiness. I cant put into words how that translated into feeling more beautiful than I had before my surgeries, but all of the positivity I was surrounded by during such a hard time, plus the objectively great results we got with my final breasts, gave me a totally different perspective on how I measure my physical and psychological beauty. My situation was extremely unique. To my understanding, and based on what doctors told me, this is about as rough as it gets. What Ive learned about complications is that theyre exactly that: complicated. After a major surgery, your body is doing so many things to heal itself that there isnt always a specific answer to why things happen or what went wrong. No two bodies will ever react exactly the same to trauma of that level. My cosmetic surgeon is basically a part of my family now. It was such a difficult experience, and he really wasnt willing for it to end any way other than perfect. Im actually shocked by how great everything looks and how well it ended up, considering how hairy the whole thing was. Im technically the same bra size, but the new shape makes them look and feel slightly larger and definitely more perky. I got to keep my nipples, which was very important to me. Thats a luxury some cancer patients dont get. About six months after the final surgery, I went back to my surgeon for a check-in, and he had a new nurse who I hadnt met before. They were taking pictures and everything, and we were talking about how good they looked. The nurse said, Oh, what did we have done?! She thought Id just had an augmentation or a lift. My doctor and I looked at each other and laughed, like, Oh my god, if you have any idea of what we went through to get to these amazing results. No Filter is a week-long series of frank, honest stories about cosmetic procedures without judgment, sugar-coating, or stigma. Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here? A Breakdown Of The Nastiest Dr. Pimple Popper Cyst Pops Ever Recorded I Got Undereye Filler For My Dark Circles & I've Never Looked Back 7 Reasons To Add Goat Milk To Your Spring Skin-Care Routine The Daily Beast NBCSaturday Night Live returned from a four-week hiatus this week with a holiday message from Kate McKinnons Dr. Anthony Fauci.Do people still think Im sexy or are we done with that? Fauci began. With COVID cases on the rise, people still have a lot of questions: Is it safe to travel? Can I still use this as an excuse to get out of stuff? I would like to never work again.To answer those queries, Fauci presented a series of increasingly absurd scenarios that began with basic situations li BEIJING (AP) China's former internet censor, who once held high-profile meetings with industry leaders such as Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on corruption charges Tuesday. The Intermediate People's Court in the eastern city of Ningbo said Lu Wei had confessed to accepting 32 million yuan ($4.6 million) in bribes. It said he expressed remorse and vowed not to appeal his sentence. Lu helped lead the ruling Communist Party's tightening of controls over domestic cyberspace and championed Beijing's stance that governments have a right to filter and censor internet access. China has 700 million people online, but authorities impose heavy controls on political content and sites related to gambling and pornography. Social media sites such as Facebook and Google also are blocked. In its ruling, the Ningbo court said Lu had abused his authority in various positions, including as a deputy propaganda minister and as head of a government internet security advisory body, accepting gifts in return for favors. Lu took a hard line in demanding tough security checks on imported foreign tech products and censoring foreign internet companies and social networks like Facebook in the name of preserving social stability. He worked his way up the ranks of China's official Xinhua News Agency from a reporting job in the southern city of Guilin in the early 1990s to become the agency's vice president from 2004 to 2011. He was vice mayor of Beijing from 2011 to 2013. A report by the government broadcaster CCTV gave few details. But earlier reports said Lu also had had engaged in factionalism and "selectively enforced" the party's "strategic arrangements on internet work." President Xi Jinping has carried out a wide-ranging crackdown on corruption that observers say is calculated to strengthen party control while bringing down potential challengers to his authority. Story continues One of the officials and military leaders ensnared in the anti-graft campaign was the former president of Interpol, Meng Hongwei, who vanished after traveling to China from France, where the global anti-crime body is headquartered. The government says Meng is under investigation for graft and possible other crimes. There are heavy suspicions he had fallen out of political favor with Xi. Lu's sentencing also comes as China is locked in a trade war with the U.S. and competition over leadership in next-generation 5-G internet technology. The U.S. has sought to block usage of equipment from Chinese internet giant Huawei, saying its links to the Chinese government and military pose a security threat. Angry. Impatient. Frustrated. Excited. Non-trusting. Hopeful. Inspired. Enthusiastic. Betrayed. Tired. These were some of the answers shouted from the 200-person crowd at Eastern Market during last Thursdays Better Arguments Project discussion when speaker Jennifer Jones-Clark asked, How do you feel about changes happening in Detroit? Jones-Clark is a program consultant for the international nonprofit Facing History and Ourselves. It is partnering with the Aspen Institute and the Allstate Corporation to encourage Americans to engage in more productive dialogue about core American ideals through the Better Arguments program. In the case of Detroit, the focus, driven by local partner Urban Consulate, was to delve thoughtfully into how participants felt about Detroits evolution and to talk about the arguments theyre hearing or having related to the place of newcomers and longtimers. Detroit is a great American city that embodies the opportunities, challenges, and arguments that shape civic life especially the tensions between longtimers and newcomers, said Eric Liu, executive director of the Citizenship and American Identity Program at the Aspen Institute. Those tensions are about race, class, place, and respect and because the style in Detroit is to get real. We thought itd be a great location to invite people into better arguments. The morning involved a structured program of remarks, including a spoken piece by writer and Detroitist Marsha Music and a panel discussion moderated by Liu that looked at stereotyping and how a better argument would be one in which we face history and ourselves. Liu asked panelists to weigh in on how to have a better argument. African American panelist Lauren Hood, a longtime Detroiter who heads up her consultancy Deep Dive Detroit, said, Enter from a space of self-awareness. Be mindful of your own biases. You have to know yourself and not be afraid of what your biases are. Jacob Evan Smith, a newcomer, said to not view peoples skepticism personally. Know there are legitimate reasons their guard is up. Coming from a light-skin Jew who is viewed as a white guy, even though he is part of a marginalized community, his response was empathic. Following the remarks and panel, a healthy chunk of the morning was carved out for guided table discussions. Here, sharing and listening, chances to offer advice or be corrected, were the focus. But first, participants were schooled on the principles of a Better Argument: 1) take winning off the table, 2) be present and listen to learn, 3) connect and respect, 4) be honest and welcome honesty from others, and 5) make space for new ideas and room to transform. Around tables, individuals shared the false narratives they hear from others about Detroit, like how now prospering neighborhoods are still seen as locations of rampant crime and unsavory activity or how whites are the only people who like craft cocktails or Shinola watches. Still, there was a sense of hope for many. I mostly feel excited when talking about how Detroit is changing because a majority of people, both newcomers and longtimers, have good intentions, says Smith. Stereotypes are often perpetuated through stories, and many participants noted that they are are still living those stories. Ian McCain, a young white man who works at TechTown Detroit, spoke of how a fellow resident at Lafayette Towers greeted him and noted that McCain was the one always walking in with Whole Foods bags. In reality, McCain frequents other local grocers more regularly. McCain said, He thought, As a young white newcomer, of course you shop at Whole Foods. A mixture of perceptions emerged about economic development, but it was clear that many believed that those with privilege and power have a responsibility to invite all to the table and find ways to share in ownership and prosperity. Its an injustice that change is happening that only serves a few when the poverty rate is approaching 40 percent, said Hood. A lot of the rooms I go into, the people are somber. Theyve forgotten their self-worth. Event participants, with their varying histories and emotions, were clearly engaged in better arguments, as attested by the growing din of the room. Everyone in this room of all ages and races and histories was willing to engage in arguments and discussions not in order to win but in order to understand, said Liu. When you do that, a space for a new possible opens up. Trust begets trust, even if hard things are being said. I was surprised how readily people got to that honest but open place. They not only spoke with passion at their table discussions and challenged each other, but also challenged the format of the event, and even the language used to present information. But in the end, the internal activists in many prevailed, and some left inspired to do more. Its time for conversations to reach out to everyday people, the people we dont normally see. We need to encourage more conversations with people who dont have a name or access, said Aaron Foley, an African American man who works for the City of Detroit and is a longtime resident. How do we open up the circle? Said Hood, I came in thinking that people are tired of these conversations. Im leaving thinking there is room to convene more people about these topics. Laura Tavares from Facing History and Ourselves said that the Better Arguments Project had not done an event of this scale before (most are 20 people or so). This is our first really large one, and Detroit was a perfect place to do this. There is an incredible level of engagement and involvement. Tavares lives in Boston. The 300-plus registration is a sign of how invested people in Detroit are in this conversation, said Tavares. They were triggered by symbols, the Whole Foods bags, the Shinola watch, but it goes much deeper. Previous Better Arguments have taken place in New York City; Dumas, Arkansas; and Anchorage, Alaska. A Denver event is planned for June. Photos by Valaurian Waller, courtesy of the Aspen Institute. Washington (AFP) - The number of emergency-room visits linked to cannabis in one hospital in the first US state to completely legalize its use tripled within a few years, according to a study that points to the dangers of ingesting the drug. Colorado legalized marijuana for recreational use in 2014, the first state to do so, making the study published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine particularly noteworthy. Nine other states have now legalized cannabis for recreational use, while 34 of the 50 allow its medical use. Researchers analyzed a half-million emergency-department visits at the University of Colorado hospital in Aurora from 2012 to 2016, of which roughly 2,500 were at least partially attributed to marijuana consumption. The number of such visits has increased yearly, from less than 250 in 2012 to more than 750 in 2016. While more than 90 percent of the visits were related to inhalation of the drug, the rest were linked to edible cannabis, whether in cookies, candy or any of the other food forms that have been used to ingest THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the plant's main psychoactive ingredient. Andrew Monte, a professor of emergency medicine and the study's principal author, said the tripling in total emergency-room visits was not altogether surprising. "Whenever there's a new drug in a community, that means there will be more emergency department visits associated with it," Monte told AFP. That applies even to conventional drugs, he said, like blood-pressure medications. But the proportion of emergency-room visits linked to ingested cannabis is far higher than usage rates would suggest. In Colorado, edible cannabis represented only 0.3 percent of the total weight of THC sold, but accounted for 10 percent of cannabis-related emergency-room visits. "I do think that part of it is naivete around the use of edibles," Monte said. "The edible phenomenon has been noticed by emergency physicians, but there's never been any data to back it up, and these data do that," he said. Story continues "The effects of cannabis edibles are much more unpredictable, and unfortunately they last a lot longer, and that results in people ending up in the emergency department." "They're not expecting to have bad anxiety effects or psychoses, and those effects last for a long time." Inhaled cannabis acts in less than 10 minutes, reaches peak concentration in the blood in 30 to 90 minutes and leaves the body in four hours. Ingested cannabis, on the other hand, reaches its peak in three hours, and THC remains in the body for up to 12 hours. That delayed action can lead first-time consumers to eat far too much, and too fast, leading to intoxication and sometimes acute psychiatric symptoms. WASHINGTON (AP) House lawmakers on Tuesday denounced Defense Department plans to use military funds to pay for President Donald Trump's border wall, telling Pentagon leaders the "unbelievably irresponsible" maneuver will threaten the agency's future ability to shift money around when needed. Both Republicans and Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee said there is little support for tapping military construction projects for the wall, about a week after Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan sent a list of vulnerable projects to Capitol Hill. "Whatever one feels about the border wall, to look at the Pentagon as sort of a piggybank - slash - slush fund, where you can simply go in and grab money for something when you need it, really undermines the credibility of the entire DoD budget," said Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., chairman of the panel. "Funding a border wall out of the Department of Defense is also unbelievably irresponsible." As the hearing continued, Smith sent a letter from the committee to the Pentagon denying the department's first formal request to shift about $1 billion in surplus personnel funds to a counter-drug account in order to pay for barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border. The panel doesn't have the legal authority to block the transfer, but could make changes in the law to block any funding shifts in the future. "Historically they've asked for our signature to consent. This time they're not asking for our consent," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. "That kind of changes the working relationship and it's likely to change the next defense appropriations bill. I would be surprised if you didn't find language that spells out reprogramming in the future is going to be handled a lot differently." The Pentagon said it was exploring the potential impact of that letter and what steps the department would take next. The House committee's top Republican, Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas, also said he opposes using defense funding for other purposes. But he noted that Shanahan is facing "a lot of criticism for decisions that you had nothing to do with." Story continues In response, Shanahan said he knew that maneuvering around Congress to fund the wall was risky and would have long-term negative effects on the department. But he said the department was executing a "legal order from the commander in chief." The Pentagon last week sent to Capitol Hill a list of more than 400 military construction projects, totaling about $13 billion, that might be tapped for wall funding. But Shanahan has said that any money for military housing or barracks would not be touched, as well as any projects that will have contracts awarded before the end of this fiscal year, Sept. 30. When those projects are removed, about 150 remain, totaling about $4.3 billion. Shanahan has also said that projects deemed necessary for military readiness or other high priorities will be protected. But those haven't been identified yet. Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and David Norquist, the department's budget chief, were also at the Tuesday hearing. Both the House and Senate voted to overturn Trump's declaration of a national emergency to use construction money to fund the wall. Trump vetoed that bill. A number of lawmakers also objected to the Pentagon's assumption that Congress would simply refund the affected projects next year, calling it a political maneuver to get Congress to pay for the wall. Other lawmakers, such as the entire New Jersey congressional delegation, have written to Shanahan to defend the projects in their state. In their letter, they told Shanahan that they "adamantly oppose" diverting any money for a border barrier, adding that Congress, not the executive branch, has the power to appropriate funds for specific projects. A plan to spend $41 million at the Picatinny Arsenal's munitions disassembly complex in New Jersey is on the list of projects that could be affected. On Monday, Army Secretary Mark Esper told The Associated Press that he and other military service leaders will go through the list and work to protect critical projects. "I will prioritize based on readiness, lethality and things like that," he said, noting that something like a training complex could be protected if it's designed to help soldiers face emerging threats from competitors such as Russia and China. Esper added, however, that there are clearly some projects that could be used. "I can tell you what's not a priority. It's the parking garage, the cemetery," Esper said, referring to two projects planned at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York. The garage could be affected, but the cemetery money would not be touched because the contract award date is June, and would therefore be exempt under rules set up by Shanahan. ___ Associated Press writer Andrew Taylor contributed to this report. The Norwegian cruise ship Viking Sky docked in Molde, Norway, on March 24 after emergency evacuations on Saturday, March 23, when the vessel lost engine power amid lashing winds and heavy seas, officials said. A video by Sigurd Mjelve on March 24 showed crowds cheering and clapping as the ship docked safely in Molde. Some 479 people were airlifted from the vessel in heavy seas, Reuters said. Some 900 were still on board when the vessel docked. Credit: Sigurd Mjelve via Storyful Representative Katie Hill (D., Calif.) defended her colleagues past assertions of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia on Monday, telling CNNs Alisyn Camerota the claim remains completely valid despite special counsel Robert Muellers failure to produce any evidence to substantiate the charge. Hill was asked whether her Democratic colleagues, including House Judiciary chairman Jerry Nadler and House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff, should apologize for asserting without evidence that Trump campaign officials colluded with Russians to sway the election in Trumps favor. I wouldnt say that they need to apologize. They are still stating things that happened in plain sight. The definition of collusion as a legal term is on that is completely nebulous, Hill said. So, I think the suspicions that have been had by both the Democrats in Congress and people across the country are completely valid. Whether it was intentional or not, Trump and his associates were conducting themselves in a way that was highly, highly suspicious both during the election and after that made it so that this investigation needed to happen. Hills comments come one day after attorney general William Barr delivered to Congress a four-page letter that summarized his principal conclusions after reviewing the Mueller report and exonerated Trump on the question of collusion. Special counsel did not find anyone with the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government, Barr wrote. The Mueller report does not, however, exonerate Trump on the obstruction of justice charge, but Barr determined independently that there was not sufficient evidence of that crime to produce an indictment. While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him, reads a section of the report pertaining to the obstruction issue, according to Barr. More from National Review Robert Mueller. President Donald Trump and his supporters boasted Sunday of a "total and complete exoneration" by the special counsel investigating Russia's ties to his 2016 presidential campaign, but that wasn't entirely the caseat least when it comes to whether the president tried to obstruct the special counsel's investigation. U.S. Attorney General William Barr, consulting with Rod Rosenstein, his deputy, determined there was insufficient evidence to show the president obstructed justice during special counsel Robert Mueller's 22-month-long probe. Mueller laid out the arguments for both sidesin a word, "punting," as many commentators called it. Mueller did not find evidence supporting a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russians to meddle in the election. Some lawyers following the investigation said the lack of a decisive answer from Mueller on whether the president obstructed justice indicates the special counsels team perhaps was divided. Or that Mueller recognized the futility of such a conclusion either way, considering that Justice Department policy recommends against charging a sitting president. "Our determination was made without regard to, and is not based on, the constitutional considerations that surround the indictment and criminal prosecution of a sitting president," Barr wrote. Other observers posited that Mueller plainly and simply didn't believe he had the evidence to pursue collusion or obstruction of justice charges. "Either you indict somebody or you dont. I came to the conclusion that the prosecutor found there was no collusion and necessarily, there was no obstruction, said Peter Vaira, formerly the U.S. attorney in Philadelphia under presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. He added that attempts to push the matter furthersuch as House Democrats' calls for additional investigationsare futile. "The most important thing is: its over. If Trump didnt get indicted, let us move on," Vaira said. "Bet your bottom dollar if this guy Mueller had the evidence he would have indicted." However, Linda Dale Hoffa, a white-collar criminal defense attorney in Philadelphia and former criminal division chief in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania's U.S. Attorney's Office, said Trump is not necessarily out of the woods. Pending its investigation and the testimony of Barr, "the House could draw up articles of impeachment and the House has the constitutional power. So it doesnt conclude everything for the president," Hoffa said. Additionally, Mueller's findings would not prohibit state prosecutors, who do not answer to the DOJ, from potentially filing charges for any peripheral crimes related to Trump's campaign. "The state prosecutors continue to have prosecutorial authority, and what matters theyre investigating I dont know," Hoffa said. "There could be business crimes that do not cover the purview of what Robert Mueller was investigating, which was Russian collusion." Other lawyers and legal scholars took the airwaves Sunday and Monday and wrote online, about whether and how Barr's decision on Trump and obstruction was the right call. Meanwhile, U.S. House Democrats are preparing to push for the full Mueller reportto see what the special counsel himself had to say about the evidence for and against the president. Here's a snapshot of some things legal scholars are saying about Barr's momentous conclusion about obstruction: >> Ken Starr, former Whitewater independent counsel: "Muellers decision not to make a determination on possible obstruction of justice by President Trump suggests the likelihood of a division of opinion within the special counsels ranks. The result of that 'house divided' is that Mueller washed his hands of the issue." Starr also wrote: "Stormy weather lies ahead, as the battle over what the evidence of obstruction is and what it means." Fox News Story continues Neal Katyal, partner with Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C., Oct. 30, 2017. (Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi / ALM) >> Neal Katyal, former acting solicitor general now at Hogan Lovells: "Such a conclusion would be momentous in any event. But to do so within 48 hours of receiving the report (which pointedly did not reach that conclusion) should be deeply concerning to every American. The special counsel regulations were written to provide the public with confidence that justice was done. It is impossible for the public to reach that determination without knowing two things. First, what did the Mueller report conclude, and what was the evidence on obstruction of justice? And second, how could Mr. Barr have reached his conclusion so quickly?" NYT >> Shanlon Wu, former lawyer to Rick Gates: "On obstruction of justice, Barr's summary raises more questions than it answers since it includes the troubling quote from Mueller that 'while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.' A statement of non-exoneration is enormously damning coming from the taciturn Mueller, and the president's actions that led to the concerns about obstruction, many of them public, again demonstrate deeply troubling conduct." CNN >> Rudy Giuliani, lawyer to President Trump: "Now the question is if there were three investigationsno evidence of collusionwho made it up? It didn't just come out of thin air. I want to know who did it. Who paid for it? Who fueled it? Because the person that did it, and the group that did it, knows it's untrue because they invented it." Fox & Friends >> Robert Bauer, former Obama White House counsel: "The attorney generals involvement in the final decision on potential obstruction of justice is more questionable. After all, Mr. Barrs views were well known to the White House on this topic: He did not bring an open mind to it." NYT >> Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law School: Two cheers for Special Counsel Robert Mueller. He came to the right conclusion about Russiathere was no collusion between Trump, his campaign or associates with Russia to win the election. Mueller seems to have conducted a generally fair investigation. But he failed to come to a clear decision about obstruction of justice. That was his job and he should have done it. Fox News Jack Goldsmith, testifying in 2010. (Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi / ALM) >> Jack Goldsmith, Harvard Law School: "A second difficult issue of law is that most, if not all, of Trumps alleged acts of obstruction were intimately tied to his constitutional powers as Chief Executive and as the leader of U.S. foreign policy. Any prosecution for obstruction of justice would have had to contend with serious constitutional objections, based on Presidential power, and hard statutory questions, based on these constitutional issues. In light of these legal uncertainties, plus unspecified factual ones, Mueller made the reasonable call to leave the question of whether a President obstructed justice to the head of the Justice Department, the Attorney General." The New Yorker >> Gene Rossi, Carlton Fields: "I am definitely questioning Attorney General Barr's decision to decide the obstruction issue. He should have recused himself. He should not have decided the obstruction issue. He should have been purer than Caesar's wife. June of last year he wrote a 20 page memo saying there was no obstruction." Bloomberg >> Marty Lederman, Georgetown University Law Center: "There was no apparent justification for Barr to opine on whether Trumps conduct met all the elements of an obstruction offense, other than to give Trump a political boost. Given that thered never be an obstruction prosecution, Barrs legal assessment doesnt tell us anything of relevancethe facts are what they are, and Barr thus should have done what Mueller did, i.e., leave it to Congress and the public to assess their significance." Just Security >> Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles: "You do not need to prove an underlying crime to prove obstruction of justice. Martha Stewart is quite aware of this fact. The Washington Post >> Elizabeth de la Vega, former federal prosecutor: "Mueller did not punt. Indictment was not possible because of DOJ policy, so any judgment on the obstruction issue would be up to Congress. He laid out the facts/arguments that bore on the question for Congress. Nothing in the regs allowed Barr to manipulate Mueller's findings. Twitter P.J. D'Annunzio contributed to this report. Read more: READ: Here Are Mueller's 'Principal' Findings in Russia Investigation The Mueller Probe Was a Gift to the White-Collar Bar New FOIA Lawsuit Demands Release of Mueller Report William Barr Fills Front Office With Trump White House Lawyers READ: Bill Barr's 19-Page Memo Ripping Mueller Probe (Reuters) - The father of one of the children killed in the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was found dead of an apparent suicide on Monday morning at his office in Newtown, Connecticut, police said. Jeremy Richman, 49, was the father of Avielle Richman, one of 20 children, all 6 or 7 years old, killed along with six adult staff members by a man with a semi-automatic rifle at the school in Newtown. It stands as one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. Richman's body was found shortly after 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT) at his office, police said. "The death appears to be a suicide, but police will not disclose the method or any other details of the death, only to state the death does not appear to be suspicious," the Newtown Police Department said in a statement. Connecticut's Chief Medical Examiner's office is expected to confirm the cause of death later on Monday, police said. After his daughter's murder, Richman and his wife, Jennifer Hensel, created a foundation in her name that focuses on preventing violence by funding research on mental health and increasing access to treatment. Richman, who was a neuropharmacologist, had written in a mission statement published on the Avielle Foundation's website that his daughter's death had left him "infinitely heart broken." In a statement, the foundation said that while its staff and directors were "crushed to pieces" at Richman's death, it would continue its work of supporting research into brain abnormalities and promoting brain health. "Tragically, his death speaks to how insidious and formidable a challenge brain health can be and how critical it is for all of us to seek help for ourselves, our loved ones and anyone who we suspect may be in need," the foundation said. U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes, who represents a congressional district that includes Newtown, said in a statement she was struck by how "optimistic" Richman had seemed about his foundation's work at a recent meeting. "These tragedies show that the trauma of gun violence extends far beyond the initial tragedy," her statement said. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut called Richman a "good friend, a dedicated father, an esteemed researcher." (Reporting by Jonathan Allen and Peter Szekely in New York; Editing by Paul Simao and Bill Berkrot) (Reuters) - A U.S. federal court struck down North Carolina's decades-old ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, saying any "week- or event-specific" abortion ban is unconstitutional. The law, which took effect in 1973, only allowed an abortion after 20 weeks in the case of a medical emergency. Abortion-rights groups sued in 2016 after the health exception was further narrowed. U.S. District Judge William Osteen in Greensboro overturned the ban on Monday, allowing an abortion to take place at any point before the fetus is viable, or able to potentially live outside the womb, as determined by a doctor. His order will take effect in 60 days, allowing the state to appeal, should it decide to do so, or to propose alternative abortion legislation. Citing U.S. Supreme Court precedent, Osteen wrote "a state is never allowed to prohibit any swath of pre-viability abortions outright, no matter how strenuously it may believe that such a ban is in the best interests of its citizens or how minimal it may find the burden to women seeking an abortion." Laura Brewer, a spokeswoman for the North Carolina attorney general's office, said her office was reviewing the decision. The groups that brought the lawsuit - the Center for Reproductive Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood - welcomed the decision. "This ban is unconstitutional and ignores the unique circumstances, challenges, and potential complications pregnant women face," Genevieve Scott, a staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement on Tuesday. "Politicians taking medical options off the table for women at any stage of pregnancy is irrational and dangerous." The ruling appeared to thwart a bill brought by Republican lawmakers in North Carolina earlier this year that would have banned abortions after 13 weeks. Several Republican-controlled states have attempted to pass new abortion restrictions. In a law enacted earlier this month, Mississippi banned a woman from obtaining an abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected. Some conservatives hope these laws will end up being used to challenge Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court's 1973 landmark ruling that women have a constitutional right to an abortion. (Reporting by Jonathan Allen; editing by Jonathan Oatis) Photo credit: BEN STANSALL - Getty Images From Popular Mechanics A British Airways flight departing London for Dusseldorf, Germany accidentally missed its intended destination by a whopping 740 miles when it landed, of all places, in Edinburgh, Scotland on Monday. Instead of hopping over the English Channel eastward toward Bavaria, BA Flight 3271 crawled north, staying entirely within the United Kingdom. The reason for the snafu stems from a bureaucratic jumble involving different airline contractors and a flight path that was filed dead wrong. As CNN explains, it wasn't really a British Airways flight, per se. The pilots never had any idea they were supposed to be flying to Germany: The flight was operated by German leasing company WDL Aviation on behalf of the British Airways subsidiary airline BA CityFlyer. The incorrect flight plan was filed at WDL Aviation's offices in Germany. Luckily, the trek from London to its Scottish counterpart only takes around 90 minutes. Even though passengers landed in the wrong country, they weren't exactly peeved, and some even found the error amusing: "When we landed there was a bit of a hilarious moment when the flight attendant asked for a show of hands for the people going to Dusseldorf, which turned out to be everyone," passenger Zsofia Szabo told CNN. Szabo's boyfriend, Piotr Pomienski, was monitoring Flightradar from home when the plane wandered north, rather than east. He thought the erroneous flight path must have been the product of a glitch, but was quickly proven wrong. "I saw on Flightradar that the flight was flying north instead of south, but I assumed it was a system error of some sort. That is until she wrote to me that they're in Edinburgh," he said. Fortunately for everyone hoping to journey to an entirely different country, the plane refueled and then continued to Dusseldorf without further incident. A spokesperson noted the carrier is investigating the incident, including how the wrong flight path was filed, while WDL Aviation pledged to sort out the details behind its "involuntary stopover" in Scotland. Story continues Source: CNN ('You Might Also Like',) By Michel Rose and John Irish PARIS, March 25 (Reuters) - France and China will sign trade deals worth billions of euros on Monday during a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping but Paris will also take the opportunity to push back against Beijing's "Belt and Road" infrastructure intiative. President Emmanuel Macron wants to forge a united European front to confront Beijing's advances. After he and Xi meet later on Monday, the two will hold further talks on Tuesday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Jean-Claude Juncker, heads of the EU exective. Xi arrived in France after visiting Italy, the first Western power to endorse China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative as Rome tries to revive its struggling economy. The Belt and Road Initiative plan, championed by Xi, aims to link China by sea and land with Southeast and Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa, through an infrastructure network on the lines of the old Silk Road. France says Silk Road cooperation must work in both directions. An official in Macron's office said signigicant progress was expected in terms of opening up the Chinese market for some farm goods, especially poultry. French officials have also expressed the hope that a multi-billion dollar deal for China to buy dozens of Airbus planes could be finalized. In a column in Le Figaro published on Sunday, Xi made clear he wanted Paris to cooperate in the Belt and Road project, calling for more trade and investment in sectors ranging from nuclear energy, aeronautics and agriculture. "French investors are welcome to share development opportunities in China. I also hope that Chinese companies can do better in France and make a greater contribution to its economic and social development," he wrote. French officials describe China as a both a challenge and partner, saying France must remain especially vigilant over any Chinese attempts to appropriate foreign technology for its own means. Story continues The EU is already weighing a more defensive strategy on China, spurred by Beijing's slowness in opening up its economy, Chinese takeovers in critical sectors, and a feeling in European capitals that Beijing has not stood up for free trade. "An awakening was necessary," Macron said in Brussels on Friday. "For many years we had an uncoordinated approach and China took advantage of our divisions." As part of efforts to push that approach, Macron will host Merkel and Juncker on Tuesday to meet with Xi to move away from a purely bilateral approach to ties. "Macron is not happy to see China win so many prizes in Rome, so he has invented a bizarre European format by inviting Merkel and Juncker as a counterbalance to show that he is the driving force behind European integration," said one Paris-based Asian diplomat. ($1 = 0.8833 euros) (Additional reporting by Marine Pennetier and Richard Lough; Editing by Angus MacSwan) Washington (AFP) - The US Supreme Court appeared sharply divided on Tuesday as it heard a politically charged case about gerrymandering, the dark art of drawing electoral maps to extract partisan advantage. The nine justices of the nation's top court seemed split along ideological lines as they heard arguments in a case that could reshape the future of American politics. The five conservative justices appeared inclined to let the states continue to work out solutions to the vexed question, which has sparked calls for reform from public figures including action star and erstwhile politician Arnold Schwarzenegger. Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was appointed by Republican President Donald Trump, noted that some 20 states have already taken measures to crack down on gerrymandering. "Why should we weigh into this?" Gorsuch asked. The four liberal justices, however, seemed ready to wade in. The latest gerrymandering cases to come before the court are from North Carolina, where Republican lawmakers are accused of devising electoral maps to favor themselves, and Maryland, where Democrats have allegedly done the same. Under the US constitution, congressional seats are redrawn every decade during census years to account for population growth. But the party in power at the time frequently tilts the playing field to their own advantage by carving out districts packed with voters that benefit their candidates. In the North Carolina case, the Republican authors of the 2016 congressional map explicitly stated their intentions. - 'People are bragging' - "I propose that we draw the maps to give a partisan advantage to 10 Republicans and three Democrats," said a member of the redistricting committee, "because I do not believe it's possible to draw a map with 11 Republicans and two Democrats." The plan was successful: in the 2018 congressional vote, Democrats won a majority of votes statewide, but only three of the 13 districts. Story continues The Maryland case hinges on one rural district which remained in the hands of the same Republican for 20 years. It underwent a redistricting exercise in 2012, which added more urban voters, and flipped to the Democrats two years later. Elena Kagan, one of the four liberal justices, said it appeared wrong for the court to "leave all this to professional politicians" who "have an interest in districting according to their own partisan interests." "People are bragging," Kagan said, "because they think it's perfectly legal to do so." Another liberal justice, Stephen Breyer, said he feared the amount of gerrymandering would only get worse over time. "Politicians consider politics, yes," Breyer said. "Our problem is 'When is it too much?'" "There was not that much gerrymandering in the past compared to what there might be with computers in the future," he went on. "What I am trying to do is to figure out if there is a way to catch real outliers." - 'Workable standard' - Gerrymandering came before the Supreme Court in cases related to Wisconsin and Maryland last year, but both were kicked back to lower courts on procedural grounds. When it last considered such a case in 2004, the court voted 5-4 against reforming the system. Judge Anthony Kennedy tipped the balance by voting against reform -- but said he might be persuaded in future if courts were presented with a "workable standard" by which to assess whether a district had been gerrymandered. With Kennedy's retirement however, the make-up of the court has changed. His replacement is conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was appointed by Trump last year. Kavanaugh appeared somewhat sympathetic on Tuesday to opposing gerrymandering in extreme cases. At the same time, he said the US Constitution does not say there has to be "proportional representation" in the US Congress. "If gerrymandering is defined as a deviation from proportional representation, the Constitution does not contain such a guarantee," Kavanaugh said. Schwarzenegger, the former Republican governor of California best known for playing ruthless cyborg assassin "The Terminator," joined protestors outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday to argue for an end to gerrymandering. "We must terminate gerrymandering," Schwarzenegger said. "This scam has been going on for too long. "Both parties have been gerrymandering," he said. "It is a national disgrace, a national scandal." The portmanteau "gerrymander" was coined after Elbridge Gerry, the governor of Massachusetts, who signed a law in 1812 that created a voting district in Boston that resembled a salamander. Jessica Robinson revealed plans for the first ever Master of Mobility degree, a nine- to 12-month program at Michigan Mobility Institute. Samir Tout is professor of Information Assurance at Eastern Michigan University's School of Information Security & Applied Computing. Photo by S. Tout. In the process of establishing the Detroit Mobility Lab , Jessica Robinson says she's interviewed "dozens and dozens" of local mobility leaders who've all brought up the same concern: a lack of local talent with the specialized skills to fill their industry's needs.So in January, the Detroit Mobility Lab announced plans to offer a first-of-its-kind Master of Mobility degree starting in 2021. Working with local universities and industry, the nine-to-12-month program will offer a high-level educational credential in mobility through the brick-and-mortar Michigan Mobility Institute."We said, 'You know what? This has come up enough. It's time to do something about it,'" says Robinson, the institute's executive director.The Master of Mobility degree is just one example of the innovative ways metro Detroit's higher educational institutions are working to create new curriculum, programs, and collaborations that address the mobility industry's need for talent."It's a major shift," says Samir Tout, professor of information assurance at Eastern Michigan University (EMU). "However, the good news is that it really compels us to open up new types of educational avenues for our students."Those new educational avenues vary from institution to institution. Washtenaw Community College (WCC) has deployed a wide range of mobility training efforts since it opened its Advanced Transportation Center in 2012. The center offers a wide variety of mobility-related programs for college credit , including certificates and associate degrees, as well as shorter workforce training courses . WCC students can take advantage of educational tools like the college's mobile hacking workbench , which simulates the communications systems of a modern vehicle."We really wanted to be a leader in this whole connected space not necessarily the vehicle itself, but the vehicle and the infrastructure to which it relates," says Michelle Mueller, WCC's vice president of economic, community, and college development. "Everything is being affected by this technology. Absolutely everything."The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute's ( UMTRI ) work in mobility research is well-known, but the University of Michigan (U-M) itself doesn't yet offer mobility-specific degrees. However, UMTRI marketing and communications director Francine Romine says mobility topics have made their way into diverse fields of study at the university. U-M's school of engineering offers multiple courses on connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV), and the law school now offers courses dealing with the unique legalities of CAV as well.While it's unlikely that any U-M student will be taking both a legal course and an engineering course on CAV any time soon, Mueller and Robinson both say a multidisciplinary approach is key to mobility training. Robinson says the Michigan Mobility Institute will develop people who "have kind of a tinkerer approach to technology.""I think that's reflective of the state of art within mobility right now," she says. "Most of these things are not production-scale, where we're churning out hundreds of thousands of units. They are still in development and they will be for some time to come."At EMU, Tout recently submitted proposals for two new classes related to vehicle cybersecurity, which he says are just the beginning of a larger plan to expand mobility-related course offerings. But just as important is the work he's done to begin connecting EMU students to the mobility industry. He's already forged a partnership with automotive software company Elektrobit , which funded auto security research projects he and his students worked on last semester. They then exhibited those projects at the North American International Auto Show in January.Tout says that's just the tip of the iceberg. He's working on developing relationships with other mobility-related companies to create more practical learning opportunities for his students. Industry connections are key to WCC and the Michigan Mobility Institute's efforts as well. Mueller says business leaders sit on many of WCC's advisory boards. The college has also made an effort to plug into the local mobility industry by working with MICHauto , the American Center for Mobility , and the Center for Automotive Research "You've got to be tied to industry," Mueller says. "Being part of what they're doing gives you great access to know what's happening and to be able to respond appropriately."Robinson sees industry as an integral part of the Michigan Mobility Institute's work as well. Multiple local and national mobility industry leaders were recently announced as the institute's first advisory board members . She anticipates that relationship being a two-way street, with the institute giving back to industry in more ways than just developing new talent."There will be both an ample opportunity and a real demand for people who are going through these programs to do project-based work at some of the companies that we have here in the region," Robinson says. "You can envision it one day in the way that a group of business students might be deployed today on a project in partnership with one of these companies."One might assume that all this training is aimed primarily at area youth, but Robinson says they're not necessarily the target demographic."There's a lot of investment in our youth in the region through STEM programs, through schools, but also through extracurricular activity," she says. "There's a lot of robotics clubs and programming now. So we're really optimistic that that sets us up for success for our young folks in school and as they start their careers."Instead, she envisions the typical Master of Mobility candidate as someone who already works in the auto industry, has a four-year degree, and is interested in bolstering their skills to transition into a new automotive era. Mueller echoes that sentiment, noting that WCC will continue to focus its efforts both on for-credit courses in mobility-related topics as well as professional development opportunities for the "incumbent workforce." She notes that numerous PhD holders take advantage of WCC's offerings."Sometimes people think at the community college you just have these people taking classes who are just trying to get their first entry-level job or get into a university," she says. "That isn't necessarily true. There's a lot of people that have degrees and they just want to get an additional skill set."Although higher education institutions have done a lot to fill the gap in focused skills development for mobility, Tout says they still have a long way to go. The key, he says, will be working together."We should realize that what we're dealing with is a huge skill gap, a huge shortage in those workers who will fill the jobs of tomorrow that are quite demanding in terms of technical skills," he says. "That really is quite a compelling reason for us to work together and try to prepare, to join curricula, and to co-plan to a certain extent."Visit Driven and learn how the Detroit region is leading the world in next-generation mobility.Photos by Steve Koss By Maher Chmaytelli DUBAI (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights united Washington's Arab allies and their regional foe Iran in condemnation on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait criticized Monday's move to recognize Israel's 1981 annexation and said the territory was occupied Arab land. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi said it was an impediment to peace. Iran echoed the comments, describing Trump's decision as unprecedented in this century. "No one could imagine that a person in America comes and gives land of a nation to another occupying country, against international laws and conventions," President Hassan Rouhani was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA. Trump, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looking over his shoulder during a visit to Washington, on Monday signed a proclamation officially granting U.S. recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. The European members of the United Nations Security Council - France, Britain, Germany, Belgium and Poland - said they did not recognize Israel's sovereignty over the territories it has occupied since June 1967, including the Golan Heights. "We raise our strong concerns about broader consequences of recognizing illegal annexation and also about the broader regional consequences," they said on Tuesday. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1981 in a move the U.N. Security Council declared unlawful. "It will have significant negative effects on the peace process in the Middle East and the security and stability of the region," said a statement on Saudi state news agency SPA. It described the declaration as a clear violation of the U.N. Charter and of international law. Trump senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner visited the Gulf Arab region last month to seek support for the economic portion of a long-awaited peace proposal for the Middle East. Gulf Arab states host U.S. troops and are important for Washington's regional defense policy. Qatar, which has been at loggerheads with other Gulf states over its policies, joined them in rejecting Trump's move and called on Israel to end its occupation of the Golan Heights and comply with international resolutions. Lebanon said the decision contravened international law. "The world is witnessing a black day," Lebanese President Michel Aoun wrote on Twitter during a visit to Russia. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanons Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, a key Damascus ally, said the move was evidence of U.S. "disdain and disregard" for the Arab and Muslim world and of international law. "This absolute supporter of Israel cannot be a sponsor of the peace process and here he is today dealing a deadly blow to the so-called peace process," Nasrallah said in a televised speech. Nasrallah said Trump had been emboldened by Arab "silence" after U.S. recognition last year of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and warned that the West Bank, also captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, could be next. (Additional reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in London, Mohamed El-Sherif in Cairo, Laila Bassam and Ghaida Ghantous in Beirut, Michelle Nichols at the United Nations, writing by Sylvia Westall; editing by William Maclean, Ed Osmond, Peter Graff and Jonathan Oatis) By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinian militants fired rockets from Gaza into Israel on Tuesday, drawing retaliatory air strikes and breaking a day-long lull in cross-border fighting between Israel and Hamas that could impact an Israeli election two weeks away. The biggest Israeli-Palestinian escalation in months, which began on Monday with the longest-range Palestinian rocket attack to cause casualties in Israel in five years, had eased after Egyptian mediation. But even if the crisis subsides, it could shadow the impending Israeli election on April 9 in which right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has campaigned on a tough security platform. In the wake of Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli air strikes, Israel said it reserved the right to strike again and kept its troops and tanks massed at the Gaza frontier. The border was mostly quiet on Tuesday and the military lifted its security restrictions in the area. But after darkness fell, at least two rockets launched from Gaza triggered sirens on the Israeli side of the border, the military said. There were no reports of casualties or damage. In response, the Israeli military said its aircraft struck several targets, including a military compound and a weapons-manufacturing facility belonging to the Hamas militant group, which controls the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. The exchange was less intense than Monday's fighting. Israel responded to the initial rocket attack on Monday with a wave of strikes on Hamas targets and Palestinian militants fired dozens of rockets into Israel. Seven Israelis were injured in Monday's initial attack that hit the Israeli village of Mishmeret, 120 km (75 miles) north of Gaza, and five Palestinians were wounded by the retaliatory Israeli strikes. Netanyahu, who cut short a visit to the United States to deal with the crisis, said Israel may take further action. The military said that after consultations with Netanyahu, it was bolstering its troops in the area and calling up some reserves. "There is no ceasefire agreement, fighting could start up again at any moment," a senior Israeli official said. "We are prepared to do a lot more. We will do what is necessary to defend our people and to defend our state," Netanyahu said in a satellite address delivered from Tel Aviv to the pro-Israel U.S. lobby group AIPAC in Washington. Hamas and the Islamic Jihad militant group, which also took part in the fighting, said Egypt had brokered a truce. As in past escalations that ended with Egyptian mediation, Israel denied it had agreed to a ceasefire with groups it views as terrorists. "Netanyahu is trying to portray himself as a hero to his people, therefore he publicly denies the understanding reached with the Egyptians," Islamic Jihad official Khader Habib said. "Resistance factions are committed to calm as long as the enemy abides by it." Egypt was expected to pursue further truce talks on Wednesday, said a Palestinian official involved in the efforts. U.N. Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov told the Security Council on Tuesday he had been working with Egypt to secure a ceasefire. "A fragile calm seems to have taken hold," he said. Mladenov condemned indiscriminate firing of rockets by Hamas toward Israel as provocative and urged restraint by all parties. 'WE DON'T WANT WAR' The escalation was the biggest since November between Israel and Hamas, which fought three wars between 2008 and 2014 and have come to the brink of all-out conflict several times since. In the 2014 Gaza war, more than 2,100 Palestinians, most of them civilians, were killed in seven weeks of fighting. Sixty-six Israeli soldiers and seven civilians in Israel were killed. Security is a major issue as Netanyahu, in power for a decade and beset by corruption allegations that he denies, faces his strongest electoral challenge from a centrist coalition led by a former general. Netanyahu says he has kept Israelis safe with a tough stance toward the Palestinians that could be weakened if he leaves office. Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been stalled for five years. In Washington, Netanyahu met U.S. President Donald Trump, who reversed decades of U.S. policy to sign a proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in 1981. A senior Israeli official said Trump's move was proof Israel could retain land captured in a "defensive war", an apparent suggestion of a permanent hold over other areas captured in 1967, such as East Jerusalem and the West Bank. After the rocket strike on Mishmeret, retaliatory Israeli air strikes in Gaza lit up the night sky and explosions rocked the densely populated coastal enclave, destroying targets that included the office of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. "We dont want war, but if Israel wants it then what should we do? We ask our factions to respond," said Mohammad Sayed, 40. "But we hope Egypt reaches a deal to end this." Gaza is home to 2 million Palestinians, mostly descendants of people who fled or were driven from homes in Israel on its founding in 1948. Israel captured the territory in the 1967 war but pulled out its troops in 2005. Hamas took control two years later, and Israel and Egypt have since maintained a security blockade that has brought Gaza's economy to a state of collapse. (Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi, Maayan Lubell, Ran Tzabari and Ari Rabinovitch; additional reporting by Michelle Nichols in New York; writing by Jeffrey Heller; editing by Mark Heinrich) Senator Mitch McConnell on Monday blocked a resolution that urged the Justice Department to publicly release Special Counsel Robert Muellers final report. The Senate majority leader blocked a request by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for unanimous consent on the nonbinding resolution. Whether or not youre a supporter of President Trump or not, of what you feel, there is no good reason not to make the report public, Schumer told his colleagues in a floor speech. Its a simple request for transparency. Nothing more, nothing less. McConnell argued that the special counsel and the Justice Department ought to be allowed to finish their work in a professional manner. To date the attorney general has followed through on his commitments to Congress, McConnell said. One of those commitments is that he intends to release as much information as possible. Mueller submitted his final report to Attorney General William Barr on Sunday, ending the two-year probe into the Trump campaigns connections to Russia. The investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election, according to the summary of the report Barr provided Congress. Democrats, including most of the high-profile Democratic presidential candidates, have called on Barr to release the entire report to Congress and the public. Barr has said he will confer with Mueller and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to determine which parts of the report can be released legally. Earlier this month, Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, a frequent Republican defender of Trump, blocked Schumers first request to pass the resolution, shortly after the measure passed the House 420 to 0. More from National Review MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's president said on Tuesday he wanted no conflict with Madrid over his request for an apology for human rights abuses committed during Spain's conquest of Mexico, and hinted he could seek similar gestures from other countries. During his regular news morning conference, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador brought up the letter he had sent the king of Spain seeking an apology for crimes against indigenous people when Spain claimed Mexico five centuries ago. To mark the 500th anniversary of the 1519-21 conquest, Lopez Obrador said he wanted a group of experts to review the events of that period to promote reconciliation and strengthen bonds between the two countries. "We won't get into any confrontation with the government of Spain or any government," said Lopez Obrador, whose December inauguration was attended by Spanish King Felipe VI. The relationship with Spain was not at risk, said Lopez Obrador, who during the conference stressed that he had not made the letter public. However, politicians in Spain responded in anger, with one calling it an "intolerable offense to the Spanish people." Asked whether he would seek apologies from France or the United States for their historic interventions in Mexico, Lopez Obrador interrupted the question and said: "In time." With the support of Mexican conservatives, France invaded Mexico in the 1860s and installed Maximilian, a member of the European Habsburg family, as emperor for three years. The United States has had several clashes with its southern neighbor, most notably during a 1846-1848 conflict which resulted in the occupation of Mexico City by U.S. forces and the loss of Mexico's northernmost territories to the United States. Lopez Obrador, a veteran leftist, said that as head of state he would ask forgiveness for historic abuses and murders committed against indigenous Mexican peoples, including the Yaqui in the north of the country and the Maya in the south. "Power is humility," he said. The president said he would also apologize for abuses committed against Chinese immigrants during the rule of dictator Porfirio Diaz, and in the conflict known as the Mexican Revolution that dominated the country after his ouster in 1911. (Reporting by Dave Graham; Editing by Richard Chang) Washington (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tuesday that he was ready to order further action in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip after airstrikes in response to rocket fire. "I can tell you we are prepared to do a lot more. We will do what is necessary to defend our people and to defend our state," Netanyahu told the US pro-Israel lobby AIPAC by video link from the Jewish state's defense headquarters. Netanyahu cut short his visit to Washington to handle the response after a rare rocket strike landed near Tel Aviv, injuring seven Israelis, just two weeks ahead of elections. Israel hit back with air strikes including on the office of Hamas leader Ismail Haniya, with an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire failing to take hold. Before returning home, Netanyahu enjoyed a key pre-election boost when he met Monday with President Donald Trump who proclaimed that the United States considered the Golan Heights -- captured by Israel from Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967 -- to belong to the Jewish state. Pointing to Jewish historical roots in the Golan, Netanyahu told AIPAC: "Israel holds the high ground and we shall never, ever give it up." Netanyahu again hailed Trump -- who in 2017 fulfilled another long-held Israeli ambition by moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to disputed Jerusalem. But Netanyahu, without criticizing Trump, also denounced anti-Semites around the world including those who "march through the streets of Charlottesville." White supremacists rallied in the Virginia city in 2017 where they chanted slogans against Jews and an assailant killed a counter-protester, with Trump facing criticism for saying the neo-Nazi crowd included "very fine people." Netanyahu is facing a stiff election challenge from centrist former military chief Benny Gantz, who brought the American Jewish audience to its feet Monday with promises of an inclusive Israel. Netanyahu's pre-election dealings with the far-right Jewish Power party, which calls for the forcible expulsion of Palestinians and Israeli Arabs, has triggered condemnation even from AIPAC and other staunchly pro-Israel US groups. Story continues Netanyahu cast a moderate image for himself at AIPAC, saying that both Israel and the United States "love freedom and democracy." "We don't judge people by the color of their skin, their religion or their sexual orientation," Netanyahu said. "I'm proud of Israel's vibrant democracy where no one -- no one -- is a second-class citizen. All of Israel's citizens are first-class citizens," he said. The Oklahoma attorney general and Purdue Pharma have agreed to a $270 million settlement to resolve claims that the company played a major role in creating the nationwide opioid crisis. The announcement Tuesday from Oklahoma Attorney General Michael Hunter comes several weeks after news broke that Purdue was exploring bankruptcy to address its growing liabilities over the opioid epidemic. During a press conference Tuesday, Hunter said the money will provide funding for treatment across the state and nationally. We are out of time with regard to the responsibility we have to deal with this crisis, Hunter said. According to Hunter, the settlement will provide $125 million to the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Center for Wellness & Recovery, with an additional $15 million annually for the next five years, to establish an endowment fund. Hunter said an additional $12 million will go directly toward abatement efforts in towns and municipalities across the Sooner State. The company will also pay $60 million to offset legal costs, Hunter said Tuesday. The settlement was also announced the day after the Oklahoma Supreme Court denied the companys efforts to delay what is set to be the first trial focusing on claims that opioid makers played a key role in oversupplying and overprescribing the opioid drugs. A Chapter 11 filing would halt the lawsuits, folding them into bankruptcy court. Purdue then sought to delay the trial until September, citing a belated tidal wave of documents. The trial is still scheduled to begin May 28 in Oklahoma. Hunter said Tuesday there would be court-ordered mediation in the coming weeks, but his office would continue to prepare for trial. Were ready to go to trial today, Hunter said. The opioid cases name dozens of companies and individuals with varying alleged roles in the crisis, from drug manufacturers and distributors to doctors and clinics. Counties have spearheaded the opioid cases. The case, filed in 2017, alleged that Purdue and two other opioid manufacturers, Johnson & Johnsons Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, helped create an epidemic over the prescription painkillers by marketing them as a safe and nonaddictive treatment for chronic pain. The case alleges that Purdueand, more specifically, its private owners, the Sackler familycreated the epidemic when they introduced OxyContin in 1996. More than 1,600 cases are pending in a consolidated federal litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, with Judge Dan Polster overseeing things. Purdues lawyers in the case are Sanford Coats of Crowe & Dunlevy in Oklahoma City and Mark Cheffo, a partner in Decherts New York office. A spokesman for Purdue did not return a call seeking comment. Neither Teva attorney Robert McCampbell of GableGotwals in Oklahoma City, nor Johnson & Johnsons lawyer, Benjamin Odom of Odom Sparks & Jones in Norman, Oklahoma, responded to a request for comment. By Lesley Wroughton and Brian Ellsworth WASHINGTON/CARACAS (Reuters) - The United States on Monday accused Russia of "reckless escalation" of the situation in Venezuela by deploying military planes and personnel to the crisis-stricken South American nation that Washington has hit with crippling sanctions. The Russian planes and military personnel arrived outside the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Saturday, according to local media reports, two months after the Trump administration disavowed President Nicolas Maduro. Washington has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's legitimate president and demands that Maduro leave power, which Russia has described as a U.S.-backed coup against the socialist government. "The United States condemns Russia's deployment of military aircraft and personnel to Caracas, which is another contradiction of both Nicolas Maduro's and Russia's calls for non-intervention in Venezuela and is a reckless escalation of the situation," a State Department spokesman said. The vice president of Venezuela's Socialist Party, Diosdado Cabello, confirmed two planes had flown to the country from Russia, but he did not give a reason or say they carried troops. "The planes from Russia landed in Venezuela because they were authorized by the only government that there is in Venezuela, and it's called the government of Nicolas Maduro," Cabello said in a speech broadcast on state television. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in a phone call on Monday that Washington would "not stand idly by" as Russia backed Maduro, who has overseen a dramatic collapse of a once-bustling economy. However, Pompeo did not say what the United States would do in response to Russian troops. U.S. President Donald Trump said in 2017 that the "military option" was on the table when it comes to Venezuela, but administration officials have since downplayed talk of armed intervention. A spokesman for the U.S. military's Southern Command, which oversees U.S. forces in Latin America, said Russia's deployment of troops "directly undercuts the democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people." "(Maduro's) former regime, aided and abetted by countries like Russia and Cuba, continues to repress democratic actors in Venezuela," said the spokesman, Armando Hernandez. The Organization of American States, a Washington-based diplomatic group for hemispheric affairs, in a statement called the presence of Russian military equipment and personnel "a harmful act to Venezuelan sovereignty." Bloomberg News, citing an unnamed Venezuelan information ministry official, reported that the officials had come to perform maintenance on Russian military equipment that Venezuela had purchased through bilateral accords. The information ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the presence of the planes or the Bloomberg report. "Such cynicism on the part of a country like the United States," wrote Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza on Twitter. "(With) a growing military budget of more than $700 billion, it seeks to interfere with the technical military cooperation programs between Russia and Venezuela." Russia has warned the United States and neighbors against a military intervention in Venezuela. The Trump administration has imposed crippling sanctions on Venezuela's crucial oil industry. On Friday it sanctioned its development bank, Bandes, in efforts to choke off financial flows to Maduro's government and called on Venezuelan military leaders to abandon him. Maduro has denounced the sanctions as U.S. intervention and maintains diplomatic backing from Russia, China and Cuba. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton in Washington and Brian Ellsworth in Caracas; Additional reporting by Luc Cohen and Angus Berwick in Caracas, and Phil Stewart in Washington; Editing by Susan Thomas, Tom Brown and Lisa Shumaker) Damascus (AFP) - Demonstrations spread across Syria on Tuesday denouncing Washington's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, in a show of unity in the war-torn country, state media said. US President Donald Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognising Israeli sovereignty over the strategic border area, seized from Syria in 1967 and then annexed in 1981 in a move not recognised by the international community. Trump's move immediately drew criticism from the Syrian government, which described it as a "blatant attack" on the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. On Tuesday, demonstrators took to the streets across the war-torn country to protest Washington's decision. They staged rallies in Damascus, the government strongholds of Latakia and Tartous, the northern city of Aleppo, the central city of Homs, Deir Ezzor in the east and the southern cities of Daraa and Quneitra, state news agency SANA said. Syrians also protested in the Kurdish-majority northeastern cities of Qamishli and Hassakeh, it said. Demonstrators carried portraits of President Bashar al-Assad and raised the Syrian and Palestinian flags, in photos carried by SANA. "The blatant US bias toward Israel will not change the Syrian identity of the Golan," Information Minister Imad Sara told state television during a rally in Damascus. "There needs to be a strong response", not just condemnations, he said. "We want action on the ground." In Aleppo, hundreds gathered in the central Saadallah al-Jabiri square. "We are here to condemn Trump's Golan decision," said Mohammad Shaaban, a protester. "The Golan is Arab and Syrian whether they like it or not," he said. In Damascus, the lawyers' syndicate gathered at the justice palace to decry the move, pro-regime television showed. "America is now the primary enemy of the Arabs," a syndicate representative read from a statement. Story continues The lawyers' syndicate in Hama paused court sessions for one hour in protest over the US decision, SANA said. Trump's Golan decision spurred condemnation from several regional states, including Turkey, Iran, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. It also drew criticism from the Syrian regime's ally Russia, which warned of a "new wave" of tensions in the Middle East. The UN Security Council is scheduled to discuss the Golan on Wednesday during a meeting on renewing the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force deployed between Israel and Syria in the Golan, known as UNDOF. Pretoria (AFP) - Several southern African leaders on Tuesday threw their support behind Western Sahara, with one calling the disputed territory the "last colony" on the African continent. President Cyril Ramaphosa, leader of the continental powerhouse South Africa, described the gathering in the South African capital Pretoria as a "historic act of solidarity". The two-day meeting, which started on Monday, was called by the 16-nation Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and attended by leaders from nine African countries and ministers from as far away as Venezuela and Nicaragua. Separately, Morocco hosted ministers from 36 African countries for UN-backed talks on ending the four-decades-old conflict in Western Sahara, a swathe of desert on Africa's Atlantic coast. Delegates at the meeting in Marrakesh backed a declaration affirming "the exclusivity of the United Nations as the framework for seeking a mutually acceptable, realistic, pragmatic and lasting political solution to the (Western) Sahara issue." In Pretoria, Ramaphosa said: "Gathered here today are men and women of conscience. Your presence here... sends the clearest message that we are with the people of Western Sahara. "We stand by you, we support you and we will never forget you." Morocco, which annexed the territory after Spain withdrew in 1975, considers Western Sahara to be an integral part of the kingdom. Ramaphosa said "international solidarity" ended South Africa's brutal apartheid system "and it is international solidarity that will see realised the foremost aspirations of the people of Western Sahara to be independent and free." The talks hosted by South Africa's foreign ministry are pushing for a referendum on the status of Western Sahara. Namibian President Hage Geingob, the current chair of the SADC bloc, referred to Western Sahara as Africa's "last colony". "The international community should continue to support efforts aimed at resolving once and for all the question of Western Sahara, the last colony on the continent, to hold a free and fair referendum to determine their destiny," Geingob said. A second round of UN talks ended Friday near Geneva, with UN envoy Horst Kohler admitting that "many positions are still fundamentally diverging". Geneva (AFP) - Swiss prosecutors on Tuesday announced an unprecedented war crimes indictment against a Liberian man accused of murder and rape during the first of the country's back-to-back civil wars. Investigators were also looking at a dozen other cases for "war crimes, genocide and/or crimes against humanity", said prosecutors. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) said it had for the first time presented an "international criminal law-related indictment" to the country's criminal court. "The suspect is being accused of violations of the laws of war as a member of a military faction in the context of the internal armed conflict that took place in Liberia between 1989 and 1996," it said in a statement. He was accused of being a former commander of the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO), it added, without identifying the suspect. Liberia, Africa's oldest republic, was devastated by two civil wars that killed around 250,000 people between 1989 and 2003. ULIMO was set up to fight a rebel force headed by warlord-turned-president Charles Taylor. Taylor is himself currently serving a 50-year prison sentence for aiding and abetting rebels who committed atrocities in neighbouring Sierra Leone. The OAG said it had received a number of complaints by Liberian nationals in mid-2014 against the suspect. They accused the man of committing or ordering murders, a rape and other acts "aimed at enslaving and terrorising the population in the Lofa County between 1993 and 1995". Once authorities had determined that the man was in Switzerland and had been living in the country for several years, they opened a war crimes investigation against him. Although the OAG would not confirm the man's name, elements of the case indicate that he is Alieu Kosiah, a former top Liberian rebel commander suspected of war crimes arrested in Switzerland in early 2015. It said that the nearly five-year investigation had been made "particularly complex due to the lack of cooperation by Liberia", and because the alleged crimes had been committed years before. Story continues It finally submitted the indictment on March 22, accusing the man of having either ordered or taken part in the murders of civilians and soldiers not in a combat situation. The indictment also alleged he had desecrated "a corpse of a civilian, raped a civilian, ordered the cruel treatment of civilians, recruited and employed a child soldier, ordered several pillages and ordered and/or participated in forced transports of goods and ammunition by civilians". Since 2011, it said it had received more than 60 cases involving allegations of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, said the OAG -- but most failed to meet the legal requirements, and had had to be abandoned. A dozen of criminal investigations were still being conducted into "war crimes, genocide and/or crimes against humanity", it added. Libreville (AFP) - The United Nations on Tuesday called for $184 million (163 million euros) to help more than 400,000 people displaced by the separatist conflict in western Cameroon. "Violent clashes in Cameroon between the military and armed separatists over the past 13 months have forcibly displaced thousands, including across the border into Nigeria," the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said in a statement. "The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. And there are fears now that more people will become displaced over the coming months." The UN estimates that 437,000 have been displaced in Cameroon itself, while over 35,000 have fled across the border into Nigeria -- a number that is expected to rise as fighting continues. Of the estimated aid needs, $35.4 million is needed urgently, "for critical life-saving assistance," the UNHCR said. The Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon are in the grip of an armed campaign launched by anglophone separatists in October 2017. At least 500 civilians and more than 200 members of the security forces have died in clashes, attacks and a government crackdown, the International Crisis Group (ICG) says. Around a fifth of Cameroon's population of 24 million are English-speakers. Their presence can be traced back to the colonial era. After World War I Germany surrendered Kamerun, its principal colony in West Africa, which was then taken over by Britain and France. France was given the greater part of the territory, which became independent in 1960. A year later, the British colony also gained independence. Some of the English-speaking areas opted to join newly-formed Nigeria, while others chose to join the federation of Cameroon. English-speakers have chafed for years at perceived discrimination in education, law and economic opportunities at the hands of the francophone majority. In 2017, as the authorities refused demands for greater autonomy for the Northwest and Southwest Regions, the anglophone movement radicalised. On October 1 that year, separatists declared the creation of the "Republic of Ambazonia" in the two regions, named after the local Ambas Bay. The declaration has not been recognised internationally. By Matthias Williams and Gabriela Baczynska KIEV/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Ukraine's Western backers fear the country's next president may prove unwilling or unable to accelerate reforms they have spent five years investing in, whoever it turns out to be. The election due on Sunday has boiled down to a three-horse race between President Petro Poroshenko, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a comedian who plays a fictional president in a popular TV series. Kiev-based Western diplomats said all three left doubt over how effectively they would pass reform, tackle corruption and keep aid flowing. "We certainly know what we get with Poroshenko," one diplomat said. "We think we know what we'll get with Tymoshenko. With Zelenskiy, we have no clue." "All of them are flawed," said another. "There is no candidate where you will sit there and go: 'Yes!'." The country is the nexus of the confrontation between the West and Russia since Ukraine's 2014 Maidan street protests ejected Poroshenko's Russia-friendly predecessor and Moscow annexed the Crimea peninsula, triggering Western sanctions. With its war against Kremlin-backed fighters in the Donbass region into a fifth year, Ukraine has battled to keep its cause high on the international agenda and pushed for membership of the European Union and NATO. Successive rounds of sanctions on Russia show the West is still willing to stick its neck out for Ukraine, although a desire to prevent Russia from interfering in other former Soviet republics is also in play. But investors are jittery and Kiev's patchy performance on reforms and Europe's own distractions like Brexit and an assertive China have made it harder to keep so-called "Ukraine fatigue" at bay. Ideally, the EU would like to see Ukraine - a large neighbor on its eastern border - as a stable democracy, obeying the rule of law and able to defend itself from Russia. But the unity behind the sanctions is always fragile, with Italy, Greece, Hungary and other countries closer to Moscow keen to repair economic relations. A Ukrainian president weak on reforms could tip the balance towards Russia while jeopardizing international funding and ties with a bloc that has given Ukrainians visa-free travel, a right some two million people have exercised in less than two years. Diplomats also worry a closely-fought contest could be marred by allegations of cheating and protests. "What Ukraine now risks, is squandering the goodwill and belief it got since 2014," the second diplomat said. "The government's calculation is that they'll be supported no matter what." THREE FLAWED CANDIDATES Poroshenko won praise for keeping Ukraine together in the chaotic aftermath of the Crimea annexation, strengthening the army and passing reforms such as in banking and energy. But anti-corruption efforts have stuttered and an apparent culture of impunity where top officials are not jailed for alleged embezzlement or bribe-taking has disappointed voters. For lack of a better choice, the EU has stuck to its principles of insisting on reforms and promoting Ukraine's pro-Western aspirations rather than leaning towards any candidate. "Poroshenko has had a very clear line, at least on paper, on resisting Russia and being pro-European. He has not been ideal but we've known him, we've dealt with him," said a Brussels-based EU diplomat. "It is crucial that the next president sticks to the reform agenda because we have invested so much in it. Without that and without an unequivocal line on Russia, the relationship will suffer." Zelenskiy by contrast is a puzzle. He tapped into the disillusionment felt since Maidan and his new face and lack of political baggage appeals to voters, especially the young. But diplomats worry about his lack of experience and whether he is beholden to Ihor Kolomoisky, an oligarch on whose channel Zelenskiy's show airs. The two deny being in cahoots. A Zelenskiy victory would raise concerns about the fate of PrivatBank, Ukraine's largest lender, which the government wrested from Kolomoisky in 2016 and then shored up with billions of dollars. The government wants to recover money it says was siphoned out while Kolomoisky owned it. Kolomoisky denies any wrongdoing and says the bank was forcibly nationalized without proper justification. "Is he (Zelenskiy) only a puppet? I don't think so," said one Western diplomat. "Would he end up redoubling efforts to prosecute the PrivatBank case in every jurisdiction available? You'd have to wonder about that." At a meeting with European ambassadors in February, Zelenskiy acquitted himself reasonably well, according to three diplomats present, playing down his career as a comedian and talking up his effectiveness as a producer and manager. Nevertheless, he left an impression of being light on substance, one diplomat said. The optimistic view, the diplomat added, was Zelenskiy would surround himself with reformers who treat him as a blank page to imprint their vision. "You can't expect much from a person with no political experience," said another. "He looked quite sincere but we can only judge from the results." "Did he provide answers in the way others did? Perhaps not, but I don't think you can dismiss him," said a third, adding Zelenskiy was clearly intelligent but did not articulate a policy or vision. Even if his heart is in the right place, Zelenskiy might struggle to get reforms through a hostile parliament where as of now he has no MPs, diplomats said. In one sense, Poroshenko has become the victim of his own success in keeping the Donbass conflict contained, another diplomat said, emboldening voters to take a chance on Zelenskiy. "Poroshenko cauterizing the Donbass wound, insulating 90 percent of the country from it, made people feel they can experiment," the diplomat said. "You have this deceptive calm in the country." Tymoshenko, a two-time prime minister, is also a mixed bag for the EU. It came to her side in 2011 when she was jailed by Poroshenko's predecessor Viktor Yanukovich, but a 2009 gas deal seen as more beneficial to Russia than Ukraine and recent anti-reform rhetoric may have weakened her appeal. "She has lost the glow of martyrdom somewhat," a Brussels-based EU official said. One strength of the election in Western eyes is it is genuinely competitive, making for flattering comparisons with Russia, where the Kremlin-backed candidate dominates the field. But it has been marred by accusations of foul play. At a March summit in Brussels between Poroshenko and EU leaders Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker, Poroshenko said in private he could still win. The EU told Poroshenko to ensure the vote was fair, an EU official said. Opinion polls show Zelenskiy as the frontrunner, with Poroshenko and Tymoshenko fighting for a place in the April run-off. The fear is a close contest could spark accusations of vote-rigging and street protests. In a speech on March 5, US Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch said anyone trying to falsify voting records should be prosecuted and government resources should not be used to target political opponents. "In short, a country seeking integration with the European Union and NATO should ensure its actions meet Western standards," she said. (Editing by Philippa Fletcher) Washington (AFP) - The US Supreme Court overturned Tuesday a ruling ordering Sudan to pay damages to the families of 17 servicemen killed in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen. The high court ruled on procedural grounds: under regulations related to the prosecution of foreign states, it said the Sudanese government should have been served the complaint in Khartoum instead of via its embassy in Washington. "In cases with sensitive diplomatic implications, the rule of law demands adherence to strict rules," the justices said in an 8-1 ruling. On October 12, 2000, a rubber boat loaded with explosives blew up as it rounded the bow of the guided-missile destroyer, which had just pulled into Aden, Yemen, for a refueling stop. Seventeen American sailors were killed as well as the two perpetrators of the attack claimed by Al-Qaeda, in an early success for the terror group and its founder Osama bin Laden. A US court then ruled that Sudan, where the two bombers were trained, was responsible for the attack -- a claim Khartoum always denied. In 2012, a Washington judge ordered Sudan to pay more than $300 million to the victims' families. Other judges went on to order certain banks to make Sudanese assets available to start paying the sum. Late on Tuesday Sudan welcomed the US Supreme court's verdict. "The US Supreme Court's decision is a certificate that shows that Sudan is not supporting terrorism," the Sudanese foreign ministry said in a statement. "It shows that there is no link between Sudan and terrorist operations." The US court's verdict comes at a time when Washington and Khartoum are engaged in talks to remove Sudan from the United States' list of state sponsors of terrorism. Washington has set certain benchmarks that Sudan has to meet in order to be removed from the blacklist that also includes North Korea, Iran and Syria. The United States had added Sudan to the blacklist in 1993 for Khartoum's alleged support for Islamist militants. Story continues Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden used to reside in Sudan between 1992 to 1996. In January, President Donald Trump said that one of the architects of the USS Cole attack, Al-Qaeda operative Jamal al-Badawi, was killed in a precision strike in Yemen. The chief suspect in the attack, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, is held at the US detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Photo credit: Anna Bryukhanova - Getty Images From Popular Mechanics Utah has joined California as the second state to legalize lanesplitting for motorcyclists. The state just passed HB 149, which allows riders to filter through stopped traffic in places where the posted speed limit is 45 mph or less. It means you won't see bikes cruising through gridlock on the interstate, but it should do plenty to alleviate the nightmare of riding in dense urban areas. This is a huge win for riders in the United States, who, unlike our brethren in the rest of the world, generally aren't allowed to legally filter past stopped cars and trucks. You probably have some questions. Let us help. Isn't lanesplitting dangerous? No. California codified lanesplitting on January 1, 2017, giving both riders and drivers a framework to understand how the process works, when it's safest, and when it's legal. That year saw a 30-percent drop in motorcyclist fatalities. Why? Few places are more dangerous for a rider than between two vehicles in stop-and-go traffic. It only takes one second of inattention to rear end someone, and on a bike, that could mean death. And, when drivers know to look for riders in their mirrors, they're more likely to yield an extra inch or two of room, allowing everyone to get where they're going safely. That doesn't seem fair. Motorcycles have long been relegated to toy status in the United States, but elsewhere in the world they serve as a legitimate transportation option, reducing congestion and commute times for everyone by removing cars, and thus traffic, from the road. That rider passing you now might be one less car ahead of you in the future. You seem biased. I sure am. As a rider and a driver, I was long against lanesplitting until I visited a friend in the traffic hell that is Los Angeles. Riding with him opened my eyes. It turned a two-hour drive into a 30 minute ride, and I felt much safer on the move than waiting to be run down by someone staring at their phone. The statistics indicate I wasn't wrong. Drivers in LA know to expect bikes, and the kind ones move over and give a wave. Story continues But won't riders go flying past stopped cars at dangerous speed? No. The Utah law specifically prohibits filtering at speeds faster than 15 mph, and law enforcement has a provision that allows them to cite anyone for unsafe riding, lanesplitting included. What happens next? That depends on Utah. The law automatically expires on July 1, 2022. If things go well, the state could expand filtering to highways. If it doesn't, lawmakers may simply allow the law to die, and lanesplitting will be illegal again. Are any other states considering similar legislation? Oregon lawmakers are currently reviewing House Bill 2314, though the legislation is the inverse of Utah's new law. It would only allow filtering on highways. via Asphalt and Rubber ('You Might Also Like',) Johannesburg (AFP) - Duduzane Zuma, son of South Africa's former president Jacob Zuma, has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter over a fatal late-night car crash in 2014, a court heard Tuesday. He went on trial at the Randburg Magistrates' Court in Johannesburg accused of causing the death of Phumzile Dube after his Porsche hit a minibus she was travelling in. Three others were injured and one passenger, Nankie Mashaba, died in hospital weeks later. Prosecutors withdrew a manslaughter charge, known as "culpable homicide" in South Africa, related to Mashaba's death. "Duduzane Zuma has pleaded not guilty to a charge of culpable homicide," reported the Eyewitness News site. In a separate case, Zuma, aged in his mid 30s, faces corruption charges over allegations of a bribe offered to former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas. Jacob Zuma, 76, was forced to resign in February 2018 over allegations centring around the Gupta business family, who reportedly held such sway that they picked cabinet ministers. Duduzane Zuma was previously employed by the Guptas. Jacob Zuma, who has five wives and at least 20 children, has also been charged with 16 counts of graft linked to an arms deal from before he became president. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. A tense quiet has taken hold after Gaza militants fired at least 100 rockets into southern Israel and Israeli aircraft carried out hundreds of strikes in the Hamas-ruled territory overnight Tuesday, despite Palestinian sources claiming that a ceasefire had been reached. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Despite Palestinian officials saying Egypt had mediated a truce late on Monday which was expected to take effect at 10pm at least 30 rockets had been fired at southern Israel throughout the night. There were no reports of casualties. IDF tanks gather on Gaza border (: ) X The latest round of violence began early Monday when seven Israelis, including an infant, were wounded when a house in a moshav northeast of Tel Aviv was directly hit by a long-range rocket fired from Gaza by what the IDF said were Hamas operatives. The Israeli military said it was a self-manufactured rocket with a range of 120 kilometers (75 miles), making it one of the deepest strikes ever carried out by Hamas. House destroyed by Gaza rocket (Photo: Yair Sagi) School in southern Israel was cancelled on Tuesday following the violence that erupted just two weeks ahead of Israeli elections. Israeli communities near the Gaza border, as well as the southern cities of Be'er Sheva, Ashdod and Ashkelon all announced the cancellation of all school activities following consultations with the Home Front Command. At around 11:20pm Monday, a barrage of rockets was fired at the southern city of Netivot, as well as the regional councils of Sha'ar HaNegev, Sedot Negev and Bnei Shimon. At around 1am, rocket alert sirens blared in the Eshkol Regional Council and the town of Sderot, where a rocket hit a house just hours earlier but didnt explode. IDF tanks on the Israel-Gaza border (Photo: EPA) In Gaza, it was reported that Israeli naval ships targeted the Khan Younis port, while Israeli warplanes struck an underground facility east of Gaza City near the security fence. "If the aggression continues, the resistance will not hesitate for a moment to fulfill its role," the Palestinian Islamic Jihad said in a statement. Israeli officials, however, stressed that everything depends on Hamas." The Israeli air force also pounded a multistory building in Gaza City that Israel said had served as a Hamas military intelligence headquarters and the office of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Gaza's Health Ministry said seven Palestinians were wounded in the airstrikes. Destruction in Gaza after IAF attack (Photo: Reuters) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a visit to the United States, and rushed back to to Israel after a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House. He was expected to convene a meeting with top security officials at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv shortly after landing in Israel. During the meeting with President Trump, Netanyahu said Israel will "respond forcefully to this wanton aggression," adding that "After this meeting, I will return home ahead of schedule to lead the people of Israel and the soldiers of Israel." Bahrain said on Tuesday it regretted the U.S. decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights and called for the respect of international laws. "Bahrain's foreign ministry reaffirms its position that Golan Heights are an Arab and Syrian territories, occupied by Israel since June 1967, as it is confirmed by the resolutions of the UN Security Council," the ministry said in a statement. The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday morning released footage showing Israeli warplanes bombing and destroying Hamas buildings in the Gaza Strip the night before. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The hostilities followed a long-range pre-dawn rocket strike, apparently launched by Hamas in Gaza, that totally destroyed a home in the small community of Mishmeret, north of Tel Aviv. Seven people, including an infant, were wounded in the surprise attack. IAF strike on the office of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza City (Photo: AFP) The IDF struck back in a wave of attacks that began Monday evening, a little before 6pm. The army said that Israeli warplanes and tanks attacked dozens of targets belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad across the Gaza Strip. Footage of IAF strikes in Gaza (: " ) X Among the targets hit were Hamas compounds in Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza. Reports from Gaza also said that Israeli warships shelled Khan Yunis port in the southern Strip, and an Israel Air Force aircraft attacked an underground facility east of Gaza City, close to the border with Israel. The IDF later confirmed the strike on Khan Yunis, which occured shortly before a 10pm ceasefire was due to take hold. IAF warplanes also destroyed the office of Hamas leader Ismail Hanyeh in the Gaza City neighborhood of Rimal. The remains of the office of Ismail Haniyeh following an IAF strike (Photo: EPA) Ahead of the strike on Haniyeh's office, non-explosive devices were dropped on the building to alert those inside to evacuate, and to refrain from harming anyone not involved in the fighting. The IDF spokesperson said that the same building was bombed in Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012, and is still used for meetings by militant leaders. "We are talking about a Hamas government asset that is used for military purposes," the IDF said. Footage showing Hamas buildings bombed The IAF also bombed a three-story building in the Gaza Strip that served as Hamas's secret headquarters. The building, in the neighborhood of Sabra, was used by the Hamas security forces as well as its military intelligence. The IDF spokesperson also said that the IAF struck buildings belonging to Hamas's internal security forces. House hit by rocket in Sderot Throughout Monday night, the terror groups in Gaza continued to launch rockets and mortars at Israeli towns close to the border. Despite declaring a ceasefire at 10pm, the groups then launched an additional 30 rockets and mortars at Israeli targets. The Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted some of the rockets and the rest fell in open fields. Iron Dome interception over Sderot The Islamic Jihad terror group threatened Monday night to launch its own attacks should the IAF keep striking Gaza. "If the attacks continue, the Palestinian resistance in Gaza will not hesitate to do it duty. The Palestinian resistance is the one that will decide when and how this (the hostilities) will end," the group said. A senior Israeli official said in response that, "It is all up to Hamas." And so we can already say that the IDF was not dispatched on a military operation to replace the Hamas regime in Gaza. As such, the political leadership's directive to the army has been and still remains to push Hamas back into a weakened state - deterred, but still in charge in Gaza. To achieve this objective, the army has to erode the military capabilities of both Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The desired objective is several years of calm along the Gaza border, more than the three years of quiet following the 2014 war against Hamas. Is the army going to implement such a plan in the coming days? It's doubtful. The IDF on the Gaza border (Photo: AP) Such an objective would require an operation lasting several weeks. But does the political echelon really have several weeks, on the eve of elections, on the eve of the Passover holiday, and on the eve of the Eurovision? For the past three years, the IDF has been preparing for the fourth operation against Hamas since it came to power in 2006. Over the past year, under the leadership of GOC Southern Command Herzl Halevi, a unique combat doctrine has been formulated to deal with the need for prolonged control of the Gaza Strip as a result of military action. This combat doctrine was translated into an operational program for land and air. When Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi took office, preparations for the destruction of Hamas' military power became the central preoccupation of the IDF. Devastation in Gaza after IAF strikes (Photo: AFP) Kochavi's situation assessment has determined that it will happen this year. Over the past 12 months, Israel has conducted 11 rounds of fighting against Hamas. The tension on the fence only increases and the General Staff came to the conclusion a few months ago that going to war could serve as a strategic warning. The operation, however, has begun sooner than Israel estimated, and in inclement weather that is less convenient for achieving the IDF's goal of destroying Hamas' military force without collateral damage. Given that the elections, the Eurovision and the Passover holiday are liable to dictate the army's timetable, the operation could end as merely another round of major pyrotechnics with glorious photographs of the bombed-out Hamas leadership, while actually having to make do with very limited goals. Indeed, the potential mission could take one of several forms - from the IDF concentrating its focus on a ground operation involving reservists, to an operation based mainly on the regular army, which has been training for this for more than a year, to a solely aerial operation. IDF troops along the Gaza border (Photo: EPA) Former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman once recommended to the cabinet that Israel implement a plan that was primarily based air strikes, which he claimed would have brought calm to Gaza for years. The cabinet rejected this. According to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, the Southern Command will be reinforced by two regular brigades and a divisional unit that is ready to absorb additional force, fighting alongside the Gaza Division. This deployment signals that this round of fighting will be heavily based on air force strikes. But will such air strikes be halted after a day or two, due to international pressure, bringing yet another round of fighting an abrupt end without any real results, or substantial damage to Hamas' forces? The rocket strike on the Sharon region hints at the potential for a real deterioration, as Hamas and Islamic Jihad possess dozens of self-produced projectiles capable of hitting Ben-Gurion Airport and harming Israel's aviation links with the rest of the world. But if Hamas chooses this route, it will find itself under Israeli military attack from both air and ground that could last for weeks. The General Staff also realizes that in order to remove such a threat to the home front - and as quickly as possible - it is necessary to enter enemy territory and destroy it. Hamas currently has about 5,000 rockets and Islamic Jihad about 8,000. The two organizations could fire hundreds of rockets a day, as well as mortar fire at the surrounding communities and the forces deployed in the south. During the 2014 war, they fired an average of 170 rockets a day for 51 days, and they now have greater capabilities than they did five years ago. The site of Ismail Haniyeh's Gaza office after it was bombed by Israel (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) Hamas has a rocket that is essentially an explosive barrel. Known as the Thunder, it has a range of 5 kilometers and a 400kg warhead designed to penetrate the reinforced roofs in the Gaza border communities. Hamas forces operate within five or six divisions, composed of more than 20 battalions. It has about 30,000 active fighters and another 7,000 in reserve. It is this power that Israel wants to strike, in order to weaken the organization's rule. To do this, the IDF would also have to deal with 6,000 Islamic Jihad fighters. Hamas is equipped with dozens of anti-tank rockets, unmanned aerial vehicles and advanced underwater equipment. It also has an organized plan of fire against the Israeli home front and an underground defense system that would present a challenge for any force that tries to invade the Gaza Strip. Devastation in Gaza after IAF strikes (Photo: EPA) Does the IDF intend to deal with the operational challenges that Hamas has created, or will it be satisfied with a large punitive operation based on striking attractive targets such as high-rise buildings and Ismail Haniyeh's office? If the social media posts from Gaza are any indication of the mood of the local population, it seems there is no great love for Hamas' activities there. They also cannot understand what the organization is doing, and are waiting for the Egyptian delegation of mediators, which has been in Israel for two days, to return to Gaza and bring the quiet with them. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked called for the same Israeli response to attacks from Gaza on the nearby Israeli communities as there is to attacks on the Tel Aviv region. "If we ignore (explosives attached to) balloons and the burning of fields, we should not be surprised by rockets on Tel Aviv and the Sharon region," she said. "Hamas is simply not afraid of us. There is a lot we could do to deter them." A resident of the Israeli border town of Sderot saw his house sustain a direct hit from a Gaza rocket late Monday evening - for the second time in just a few years. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter "I was home alone, sitting in my living room when I heard a rocket alert, and immediately ran to the safe room," said Shlomo Moskowitz. All of a sudden, I heard a loud explosion. I went into the living room and it was filled with smoke. I went into my sons room and it was ruined. The rocket was lying on the floor and did not explode." Gaza militants fired at least 100 rockets into southern Israel and Israeli aircraft carried out hundreds of strikes in the Hamas-ruled territory late Monday and early Tuesday, in the latest round of cross-border fighting between the two sides. House in Sderot sustained a direct hit (Photo: Roee Idan) Moskowitz said the incident brings back bad memories since his house has been damaged by rockets fired from Gaza in the past. I went downstairs and called the police This is an unpleasant feeling. My home was damaged by a rocket a few years ago also but were strong, we have no other country no one will break us," he said. Shlomo Moskowitz (Photo: Roee Idan) Moskowitz's neighbor, Eliav Vanunu, said the explosion was so powerful, they immediately realized the rocket landed in the vicinity of their home. I have three children aged four, nine and twelve. We still have not recovered from what happened but we hope everything will be alright, he said. Dog being rescued from the damaged house (Photo: Avi Roccah) The latest round of violence began early Monday when seven Israelis, including an infant, were wounded when a house in a moshav northeast of Tel Aviv was directly hit by a long-range rocket fired from Gaza by what the IDF said were Hamas operatives. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a visit to the United States, and rushed back to to Israel after a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House. He was expected to convene a meeting with top security officials at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv shortly after landing in Israel. Four Gulf Arab states on Tuesday rejected a US decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, with Riyadh warning the move would hurt the peace process and affect regional stability. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait - all regional allies of Washington that host American troops - criticized the move by President Donald Trump to recognize Israel's 1981 annexation, and said the territory was occupied Arab land. "It will have significant negative effects on the peace process in the Middle East and the security and stability of the region," a statement on Saudi Arabia's state news agency SPA said. Four Gulf Arab states on Tuesday rejected a US decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights , with Riyadh warning the move would hurt the peace process and affect regional stability. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait - all regional allies of Washington that host American troops - criticised the move by President Donald Trump to recognise Israel's 1981 annexation, and said the territory was occupied Arab land. "It will have significant negative effects on the peace process in the Middle East and the security and stability of the region," a statement on Saudi Arabia's state news agency SPA said. Israeli flags on Golan Heights (Photo: AFP) It described Monday's declaration as a clear violation of the United Nations Charter and of international law. Kuwait and Bahrain said they regretted the decision while Qatar called on Israel to end its occupation of the Golan Heights and comply with international resolutions. "Bahrain's foreign ministry reaffirms its position that Golan Heights are an Arab and Syrian territories, occupied by Israel since June 1967, as it is confirmed by the resolutions of the UN Security Council," the Bahrain ministry said in a statement. Trump signing declaation on Golan Trump, with visiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looking over his shoulder during a visit to Washington, signed a proclamation on Monday officially granting US recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East War. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed in Israel Tuesday afternoon after cutting short his trip to Washington. The prime minister will convene a security meeting at the Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv in the next hour. A senior source in Jerusalem on Tuesday dismissed claims by Palestinian officials that a ceasefire has been reached between Israel and Hamas, warning that the Jewish state was planning further strikes on the terror group that rules the Gaza Strip. "There is no agreement regarding a ceasefire, we are prepared to strike with even harder blows," the source said. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The remarks were made shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed in Israel after cutting short his trip to Washington following a meeting with President Donald Trump. Netanyahu was to convene a security meeting at Defense Ministry HQ in Tel Aviv shorty after landing. IDF tanks make their way to Gaza border (Photo: Reuters) "The prime minister has been updated on the latest developments during the flight and was in constant contact with the IDF chief of staff." the source said. "The instruction was to continue the strikes, the last word has to remain with Israel. Hamas has made various proposals for a ceasefire through intermediaries, and even offered to stop the clashes on the Gaza border," the source added. Meanwhile, Hamas said they are cancelling all demonstrations along the security fence in light of the security situation. IDF troops making their way to Gaza border (Photo: Reuters) During the meeting with Trump on Monday, Netanyahu said Israel would "respond forcefully to this wanton aggression," adding that, "after this meeting, I will return home ahead of schedule to lead the people of Israel and the soldiers of Israel." Gaza militants fired at least 100 rockets into southern Israel and Israeli aircraft carried out hundreds of strikes in the Hamas-ruled territory late Monday and early Tuesday, in the latest round of cross-border fighting between the two sides. Destruction in Gaza after IAF attack (Photo: AP) The latest round of violence began early Monday when seven Israelis, including an infant, were wounded when a house in a moshav northeast of Tel Aviv was directly hit by a long-range rocket fired from Gaza by what the IDF said were Hamas operatives. The Israeli military said it was a self-manufactured rocket with a range of 120 kilometers (75 miles), making it one of the deepest strikes ever carried out by Hamas. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said he feared another security incident with India, after the two nuclear-armed countries engaged in a dangerous escalation that fuelled "war hysteria" in New Delhi ahead of elections next month. In an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, Khan said tensions were still high even after the crisis over a militant attack in the disputed region of Kashmir had eased with the release of an Indian pilot captured by Pakistani forces. "I'm still apprehensive before the elections, I feel that something could happen," Khan told the newspaper. Pakistan and India, which have fought three wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947, passed through a crisis last month after India accused Pakistan of being behind a militant attack that killed 40 policemen in Pulwama, in Indian-controlled Kashmir in February. Islamabad denied responsibility for the attack, which was claimed by Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e Mohammed, but the attack prompted India to launch a cross border air strike against what it said was a militant training camp in Pakistan. Israel has pounded militant sites in Gaza on a scale not seen since the 2014 war and is "prepared to do a lot more," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the annual conference of the US's biggest pro-Israel lobby via satellite from Tel Aviv on Tuesday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Netanyahu had been due to appear in person at the AIPAC conference in Washington, but abruptly returned home to deal with the escalation of violence with Gaza's Hamas rulers after one of the terror group's long-range rockets struck a home in central Israel early Monday, wounding seven people. Benjamin Netanyahu addressing AIPAC Israel will "do whatever is necessary to defend our people and to defend our state," the prime minister told the conference. The prime minister also took a dig at Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, a freshman legislator from Minnesota, who posted a tweet in February that was widely seen as echoing an anti-Semitic slur that Jews influence governments through money. "It's all about the Benjamins baby," Omar wrote, using a slang term for $100 bills. She subsequently apologized, saying she was grateful for "Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history" of anti-Semitic epithets. Netanyahu revisited the controversy on Tuesday, when he hit back against any suggestion that US politicians are paid to support Israel. "Some people will just never get it. They'll never understand why the vast majority of Americans - Jews and non-Jews alike - support Israel," he said without mentioning Omar by name. "Take it from this Benjamin: it's not about the Benjamins," Netanyahu said. "The reason the people of America support Israel is not because they want our money, it's because they share our values." Israel's retaliation Overnight, the Israeli Air Force struck dozens of sites of Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group. The targets included a multi-story building in Gaza City that Israel said had served as a Hamas military intelligence headquarters and the office of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. The Palestinians responded with dozens of rockets fired at Israeli communties close to the Gaza border. The ruins of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's office in Gaza City after an IDF (Photo: AFP) Landing in Israel on Tuesday morning, Netanyahu headed straight into military consultations at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv. Schools in southern Israel were cancelled following the violence that threatened to escalate into a major conflict just two weeks before the Israeli elections. The fighting subsided by Tuesday morning, but the situation remained tense. Netanyahu has come under heavy criticism from both allies and opponents for what they say has been an ineffective policy of containing Gaza militants, with calls demanding he deliver a devastating blow to Hamas. He has conducted indirect cease-fire talks through Egyptian mediators in recent months, and even allowed the delivery of millions of dollars of Qatari aid to Hamas to ease harsh conditions in the territory, which has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas seized power in 2007. IDF tanks on the Gaza border (Photo: EPA) "We have responded very, very forcefully. Hamas needs to know that we will not hesitate to go in and take all necessary steps -- regardless of anything, any date, other than Israel's security needs," he said. The cross-border fighting was triggered by a surprise rocket fired early Monday from Gaza that slammed into a house in central Israel and wounded seven people. The Israeli home destroyed in an Gaza rocket strike (Photo: Motti Kimchi) The Israeli military said it was a locally made rocket with a range of 120 kilometers (75 miles), making it one of the deepest strikes ever carried out by Hamas. The military mobilized two armor and infantry brigades and drafted some reserve forces before striking back at militant sites in Gaza. Gaza's Hamas rulers announced later in the day that Egyptian mediators had brokered a cease-fire but the firing continued overnight before calm appeared to return early Tuesday. Two weeks ago, rockets were fired from Gaza toward Tel Aviv, and the Israeli military struck back in a limited fashion. Hamas said the rocket fire was accidental and the fighting quickly subsided. In Gaza, Hamas is facing perhaps its toughest domestic test since seizing control of the coastal territory from the rival Palestinian Authority 12 years ago. IAF attacks Hamas compounds in Gaza (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) Hamas has been leading weekly protests along the Israeli border for the past year in hopes of easing the blockade, but the demonstrations, in which some 190 people have been killed by Israeli fire, have done little to improve conditions. Protests in Gaza against Hamas Last week, hundreds of Gazans protested the dire conditions, a rare expression of public discontent against Hamas, which responded with a violent crackdown, beating and arresting dozens of demonstrators and drawing rare public criticism. By limiting its fire to border communities after Monday's long-range launch, Hamas seems to be trying to keep the conflagration on low intensity. For Israelis living along the border who have suffered from years of rocket attacks that is little comfort. IAF attack on Haniyeh's office (Photo: MCT) "The Israeli government can't, under no circumstances, settle," said Haim Jellin, a Labor party candidate for the Knesset and a former head of the Gaza-area Eshkol Regional Council. "Firing at Israeli communities that border with Gaza is the same as firing toward Tel Aviv, and it's impossible we will show restraint at the continuous firing." Talia and Daniel Wolf awoke Tuesday to a day of difficult emotions, after their family home suffered a direct hit Monday when a Hamas rocket landed in Moshav Mishmeret, wounding seven family members and killing two of their pets. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The most important thing is that everybody is ok, the brothers said, but added that its a very unpleasant feeling to witness the destruction. Talia and Daniel Wolf (Photo: Ittai Shickman) The Wolf family includes father Robert, mother Susan who was moderately wounded in the attack and four children: Talia, Daniel and two younger children. Daniel and his wife also resided in big family home and their two children were lightly wounded when the rocket hit. The Wolf's had five dogs, two of which died when the rocket hit. A third dog, Phoebe, was thought to be dead but turned up Tuesday morning, awaiting the family amid the ruins. We keep trying to bring her (to where we are now staying) but she just runs back home, said the brothers. Phoebe, the family dog who returned home and awaited her owners among the rubble (Photo: Ittai Shickman) The brothers now await CT results to get a better idea on how Susan, their mother, is doing. They thought shell need an operation, but that might not be necessary. We are hoping for the best, they said. The Wolf family home (Photo: Ittai Shickman) The whole house needs to be destroyed, its impossible to rebuild. Well have to build a new home from scratch, said Daniel. The law says we have to destroy whats left of it, "Talia said. But well build it again. Meanwhile, whoever isnt in the hospital is staying with me, its five minutes away. People suffer these consequences every day down south, said the shaken family members, referring to the Gaza Strip border Israeli communities, who endure Hamas attacks regularly. Its horrible that its not taken as seriously as attacks on central Israel are. The family lamented the loss of valuables in the wreckage. We had things that belonged to our great grandparents, were sad but at the end of the day things are only things We survived. It will all be ok; were doing what we have to. Were a strong family and we support each other, they said. 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, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called the US recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights as a violation of the international consensus on the issue, the Walla news website reports. Donald Trump's "decision defies all international resolutions and the international consensus," Nasrallah said in his first reaction to Monday's move by the US president. "The Golan is occupied Syrian territory." The Hebzollah leader also said that the US declaration was "a blow to the peace process in the region, which is based on land for peace." There has never been a more justified cause for an operation against a terrorist entity than Israel has at the moment, following the launching of rockets from Gaza into southern and central Israel. But the last thing Israel needs is another military campaign that turns into a ground invasion. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The first stage has already begun, but we must recall that Israel has already been in this situation. There have been many rockets and the IDF has embarked on multiple campaigns but nothing has been accomplished. We do not need another war, the results of which are known in advance. IDF armor near Gaza It must be said: the blockade of Gaza has not produced results. Hamas has been strengthened even while the life of Gazans has taken a dramatic turn for the worse. Hamas has become even more sophisticated. Their rockets can now reach anywhere in central Israel and will probably soon be able to reach anywhere in Israel. Troops outside Gaza And what is Israel doing? It is paying pacification money to Hamas hoping for another few days of calm. And when Israel gets dragged into a round of fighting, it doesnt strike Hamas very hard but the people of Gaza suffer the consequences; homes are destroyed and women and children injured. And it makes for great public relations for Hamas. It feeds off those images. Hamas has been beating Netanyahu in the propaganda sphere again and again. If the current round of hostilities ends up as a ground war, the results are foreseeable. At first, Western leaders will justify Israels actions; declarations of support have already started. After a few days though, the television channels will be broadcasting images of the destruction in Gaza. Major cities in the West will have protests against Israeli war crimes. Destruction following airstrikes in Gaza (Photo: AP) Anti-Israel organizations will add fuel to the fire and leading newspapers will print harsh condemnations of Israel. The leaders who defended Israel initially will give in to pressure and the UN Security Council will convene and the rest of the story is known: there will be another ceasefire that will look just like all the previous ceasefires and after a week or two, the violent protests will resume, incendiary balloons will e launched into Israel from Gaza and eventually rockets will be fired. A few months will pass, an inquiry commission will publish its conclusions blaming Israel and if all this is evident why go through it? What is the alternative? An offer of reconciliation, the option of removing the blockade and channeling unprecedented investment to build a sea port in Gaza along with other benefits all on condition that Hamas agree to disarm or abide by international agreements already formulated by the Quartet. Such an offer wont change anything as far as the BDS campaigners, and other useful idiots among human rights organizations, are concerned. But it will improve the image of Israel if, after Hamas rejects the offer, Israel embarks on a military campaign, because Hamas has insisted on numerous occasions that their struggle is against the blockade that is chocking the Gaza economy and they have no choice. World opinion has defeated Israel time and time again. That weapon must be neutralized before Israel embarks on a campaign. A generous reconciliation offer will not solve the problem, but it will deal a critical blow to Hamas propaganda machine. So please, dear leaders, do not embark on a futile military campaign with known results. We must try an alternative approach. And if a ceasefire is indeed achieved, it will not be the best option there is, but it will be the least bad option. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that regional countries must unite to fight against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize the Golan Heights as part of Israel, in a phone call with Iraq's prime minister on Tuesday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter "The excessive demands of the Zionist regime and the wrong decisions of Washington necessitate closer cooperation among regional countries," Rouhani was quoted as saying by the state broadcaster IRIB in a phone call with Iraq's Adel Abdul Mahdi. Rouhani said developments in the Golan Heights were "very dangerous for regional security". Rouhani "This absolute supporter of Israel cannot be a sponsor of the peace process and here he is today dealing a deadly blow to the so-called peace process," Nasrallah said in a televised speech. Nasrallah said Trump had been emboldened by Arab "silence" after US recognition last year of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and warned that the West Bank, also captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, could be next. We must expect that it is a matter of time before Trump says that he recognizes Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, in accordance with the will of the Zionists of course; they claim that it is their eternal homeland, said Nasrallah. There is something called the Arab Peace initiative, although Israel doesnt recognize it. If there remains any dignity in the world, then the Tunisia Summit must issue a declaration that the initiative is cancelled and is off the table and go back to square one, he continued. I am not saying that we must embark on a war, no, that is not a sensible political move. The militia leader then reiterated that in order to reclaim land and their dignity from Israel, the Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian people must continue to resist, resist, resist. On Monday, President Trump, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looking over his shoulder during a visit to Washington, signed a proclamation officially granting US recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. Trump signs decree at WH (Photo: GPO) Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War and annexed it in 1981, in a move the unrecognized by most of the world. President Trumps decision over the Golan Heights united Washington's Arab allies and their regional foe Iran in condemnation on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait criticized Monday's move to recognize Israel's 1981 annexation and said the territory was occupied Arab land. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi said it was an impediment to peace. Iran echoed the comments, describing Trump's decision as unprecedented this century. "No one could imagine that a person in America comes and gives land of a nation to another occupying country, against international laws and conventions," President Hassan Rouhani was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA. "It will have significant negative effects on the peace process in the Middle East and the security and stability of the region," said a statement on Saudi state news agency SPA. It described the declaration as a clear violation of the United Nations Charter and of international law. Trump's special adviser Jared Kushner visited the Gulf Arab region last month to seek support for the economic portion of a long-awaited peace proposal for the Middle East. Gulf Arab states host US troops and are important for Washington's regional defense policy. Qatar, which has been at loggerheads with other Gulf states over its policies, joined them in rejecting Trump's move and called on Israel to end its occupation of the Golan Heights and comply with international resolutions. Prosecutors on Tuesday abruptly dropped all charges against Jussie Smollett, the "Empire" actor who was accused of lying to police about being the target of a racist, anti-gay attack in downtown Chicago, his attorneys said. Smollett's attorneys said his record had "been wiped clean" of the 16 felony counts related to making a false report that he was assaulted by two men. The actor insisted that he had "been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one." "I would not be my mother's son if I was capable of one drop of what I was being accused of," he told reporters after a court hearing. He thanked the state of Illinois "for attempting to do what's right." The U.S. ambassador to Israel said on Tuesday the Trump administration understands a need for Israel to have "overriding security control" in the West Bank in any future peace deal with the Palestinians. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The envoy, David Friedman, is part of a White House team spearheading a still-secret Israeli-Palestinian peace plan that Washington has said will be unveiled after Israel's election on April 9. Emb. David Friedman (Photo: Yoav Dudkowitz) Palestinians, who seek statehood in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, have called any peace proposal by President Donald Trump a non-starter. They see Trump as biased in Israel's favor, noting his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2017 and transfer of the U.S. embassy to the city from Tel Aviv last May. Addressing a convention of the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC in Washington, Friedman gave no details of the U.S. blueprint. But he appeared to suggest it was in Israel's best interests to engage now on the deal, while the United States has a president sympathetic to its security concerns. "Can we leave this to an administration that may not understand the existential risk to Israel if Judea and Samaria are overcome by terrorists in the manner that befell the Gaza Strip after the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) withdrew from this territory?" Friedman said. Trump recognizes Israeli Golan Heights (Photo: GPO) Friedman, who used the biblical terms for the West Bank, was referring to the 2005 pullout of Israeli troops and settlers from Gaza, territory seized by Hamas Islamists two years later in a brief war with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's rival Fatah movement. "Can we leave this to an administration that may not understand the need for Israel to maintain overriding security control of Judea and Samaria and a permanent defense position in the Jordan Valley?" he said. Israel has long rejected any return to what it has described as indefensible boundaries that existed before the 1967 Six Day War. It has said it must maintain military control of the West Bank, which it captured in that conflict along with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. Friedman's comments did not say what "overriding" Israeli security control in the West Bank would entail. But his reference to a permanent defense post in its eastern sector, bordering Jordan, seemed to suggest at least a partial troop presence. The Palestinians demand a full Israeli pullout from the West Bank and a return to the pre-1967 borders. Trump's Middle East adviser and son-in law Jared Kushner is spearheading Washington's peace efforts, but has not disclosed details. A trip by Kushner to the region in February to advance the plan appeared to have ended with little progress. Unlike his predecessors, Trump has not endorsed the goal of Palestinian statehood. On Monday, he signed a decree recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed in 1981 in a move not recognized internationally. Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Tuesday joined critics of U.S. President Donald Trump's formal recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, saying that the move trampled on international law. Aoun, who spoke at the start of his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin, said Trump's decision "undermines the foundations and rules of the United Nations and international law" and "causes particular concern in the countries neighboring Israel." Trump's move made the U.S. the first country to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan, which was captured from Syria in the 1967 Six Days war and regarded by the rest of the international community as occupied territory. The IDF said it is ordering additional troops to the southern frontier with Gaza, even as a tense calm prevailed after an overnight exchange of fire with Hamas militants. The military said that after consulting with security officials Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to send an additional infantry brigade and artillery battalion to bolster forces around the Palestinian enclave, and to call up more reserve soldiers. The heavy cross-border fighting erupted after a rocket launched from Gaza struck a house in central Israel, wounding seven people. Hamas said Egyptian mediation succeeded in brokering a cease-fire as violence tapered off early Tuesday, but Israel has not confirmed the deal. HARRISBURG, Pa. -- The first female Muslim member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives said Tuesday she was offended by a colleague's decision to open a voting session with a prayer a day earlier that "at the name of Jesus every knee will bow." Democratic Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell of Philadelphia said she felt the remarks by Rep. Stephanie Borowicz shortly before Johnson-Harrell took the oath of office on Monday used her religion against her. "I thought that for the most part, the entire invocation was offensive," Johnson-Harrell told reporters, noting that her own religion respects Jesus. "But to use Jesus as a weapon is not OK." Borowicz, a Republican and associate pastor's wife who was elected to represent a rural central Pennsylvania district in November, also thanked President Donald Trump during the Monday invocation for standing behind Israel. Johnson-Harrell said she respects everyone's right to praise the president, but "we cannot weaponize what's going on with Israel and Palestine." Prayer should not be among the things that Republicans and Democrats fight about, she said. "It was directly a political statement, and I think we need to be very, very clear that everybody in this House matters, whether they're Christian, Muslim or Jew, and that we cannot use these issues to tear each other down," Johnson-Harrell said. "And not only that, it was made during my swearing in." Latest News Durham, North Carolina - Duke University has agreed to pay the government $112.5 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting applications and progress reports that contained falsified research on federal grants to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Justice Department announced today. The resources utilized by NIH and EPA to fund important research and clinical programs across the nation are limited, said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt for the Department of Justices Civil Division. Todays settlement demonstrates that the Department of Justice will pursue grantees that knowingly falsify research and undermine the integrity of federal funding decisions. Taxpayers expect and deserve that federal grant dollars will be used efficiently and honestly. Individuals and institutions that receive research funding from the federal government must be scrupulous in conducting research for the common good and rigorous in rooting out fraud, said Matthew G.T. Martin, United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina. May this serve as a lesson that the use of false or fabricated data in grant applications or reports is completely unacceptable. Duke is a private university located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke receives millions of dollars in funding from NIH and the EPA for hundreds of grants each year. The settlement resolves allegations that between 2006 and 2018, Duke knowingly submitted and caused to be submitted claims to the NIH and to the EPA that contained falsified or fabricated data or statements in thirty (30) grants, causing the NIH and EPA to pay out grants funds they otherwise would not have. Specifically, the United States contends that the results of certain research related to mice conducted by a Duke research technician in its Airway Physiology Laboratory, as well as statements based on those research results, were falsified and/or fabricated. Duke knowingly, the government contended, falsified data to claim millions of grant dollars from the National Institutes of Health, said Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge, Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. OIG and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold such grantees fully accountable regardless of the length or complexity of the investigations. This settlement sends a strong message that fraud and dishonesty will not be tolerated in the research funding process, said EPA Acting Region 4 Administrator Mary S. Walker. We will continue to take appropriate legal measures to ensure a fiscally sound system that protects grant funds. The allegations were originally brought in a lawsuit filed by Joseph Thomas, a former Duke employee, under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private individuals to sue on behalf of the government and share in any recovery. The Act permits the government to intervene in and take over the whistleblowers suit, or, as in this case, for the whistleblower to pursue the action on the governments behalf. Mr. Thomas will receive $33,750,000 from the settlement. The investigation and settlement in this matter were the result of a coordinated effort by the Civil Divisions Commercial Litigation Branch, the U.S. Attorneys Offices for the Middle District of North Carolina and the Western District of Virginia, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General. The claims settled by this agreement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. The case is captioned United States ex rel. Thomas v. Duke University, et al., Case No. 1:17-cv-276 (M.D.N.C.). Latest News Washington, DC - Women leaders from 15 countries arrived in the United States this week for the Fortune-U.S. Department of State Global Womens Mentoring Partnership. The 19 participants will spend a month working with executives from the Fortune Most Powerful Women community to enhance their business and leadership skills. The partnership leverages the expertise of American leaders in the public and private sectors to support and advance womens economic empowerment. This years class of emerging leader mentees includes women from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Egypt, Fiji, Ghana, India, Kenya, North Macedonia, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. Upon completion of the program, mentees will return home with business and leadership skills to accelerate positive change in their communities. Over 320 alumnae of this program have worked with mentors from prestigious U.S. companies, such as Goldman Sachs, Johnson & Johnson, Guardian Life, and Accenture. Latest News West Lafayette, Indiana - From a new emoji to an Oscar-nominated documentary, discussions about periods are becoming more acceptable. But in many facets of American culture, periods still are considered impolite and inappropriate, said historian Sharra Vostral, a Purdue University associate professor and author of two books on the history of menstrual hygiene products. Instagram, for example, infamously scrubbed a photo of a woman with a period stain on her sweatpants. There are people who still are offended, but there are other people who are really trying to push for much more body acceptance and understanding of menstruation as very normal, she said. While culture lags in understanding, its no surprise that the evolution of pads and tampons had previously been untold, said Vostral, author of Under Wraps: A History of Menstrual Hygiene Technology and Toxic Shock: A Social History. Now lining the shelves of every grocery store, these hygiene products are the result of a 20th century collision of innovation and impropriety, corporate interests and medical scares, and pressure on women to conceal their monthly indisposition, Vostral said. I was struck by how important it is to hide periods; theres no good that ever comes from a leak or anyone ever knowing that youre having a period, she said. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, for example, women on their periods were seen as weak, sometimes barred from attending school or encouraged to perform certain exercises to boost productivity at work, Vostral said. Military physicians during World War II were concerned menstruation would affect womens psychology and reliability as pilots. As a result, it was beneficial for women to conceal their periods in order to advance in their personal and professional lives. Similarly, sometimes people present to the world, and even themselves, a different identity, referred to as passing by researchers. I realized its interesting to think about this as the phenomenon of passing, she said. In societies where there are very strong codes and laws about who is considered second-class citizens, there are reasons you might want to pass out of a certain category. By wearing a tampon, a woman could pass as a person not menstruating and escape the prejudices associated with having a period. This meant keeping a job, or being able to swim during gym class, Vostral said. This passing effect gave rise, in part, to the commercialization of pads and tampons, providing women a more accessible way to conceal their periods, Vostral said. In one case, however, corporate interests outweighed health outcomes when dozens of women died in the 1980s of toxic shock syndrome associated with Rely tampons, which catalyzed bacteria in the vagina to produce toxins. The brand was recalled in 1980 by Procter & Gamble and now all packages of tampons must contain a written warning about the potential risk. I can see why an engineer, or a material scientist, would be excited to make some of these at a corporation: Theyre incorporating new materials, theyre light, theyre innovative, she said. But the flip side is you really cant let that excitement get away from you in terms of consequences, sometimes unexpected ones. Thats one of the lessons of this: not always thinking things are very simple or one-size-fits-all. In this case, the microbiome was really significant to how the tampon interacted with the body. By shining a light on tampons and toxic shock syndrome, Vostral hopes to provide a case study on what can go wrong and raise questions concerning new nanotechnologies and implantable medical devices. You might design something for a human, she said, but the bacteria can become the unexpected user of the technology. The toxic shock scare was one of the most heavily covered news events of the decade, propelling menstruation for the first time into the national spotlight and changing how the media and public discuss womens health. Tom Brokaw, then-anchor of NBC Nightly News, recalled clashing with a senior reporter about saying tampon on air, Vostral said. What fears was this tapping into and what things had to be overcome, as well, to talk about periods and tampons on national television? she said. Having these newsroom battles about language, having womens health be in the national news, was really significant because for so long it had been overlooked. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. - Parliament has passed the RTI Bill into law - The RTI Bill was first drafted in 1999 but finally got passed by parliament in 2019 - The RTI will allow persons have the right to information subject to such qualifications and laws as are necessary for a democratic society Ghanas Parliament has passed and approved the Right to Information Bill (RTI) into law. The Bill was finally passed after its third reading on Tuesday, March 26, 2019. What is left is for President Nana Akufo-Addo to give it presidential assent to be fully recognized as law. The RTI Bill had been in and out of parliament for almost two decades. Civil Society and the media have been very instrumental in the passed of the Bill into law. Ghana has finally passed RTI Bill Source: UGC READ ALSO: Ghanaians express worry over Mahama's concern over the recent spate of road accidents The RTI law will provide for the operationalisation of the constitutional right to information held by the public and some private institutions, subject to exemptions that are necessary and consistent with the protection of public interest in a democratic society. It will also seek to foster a culture of transparency and accountability in public affairs. It was one of the main campaigns promises of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) during the 2016 election. PAY ATTENTION: 12 Times Meghan Markle Went Against Royal Rules The NPP government has since it came into office being under pressure from civil society groups to pass the Bill into law. Ghana News Today: Mass Burial Organized for Accident Victims | #Yencomgh READ ALSO: 157 foreign trained doctors fail exams that allows them practice in Ghana Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now! Source: Yen New Delhi: Realty major DLF Monday launched its QIP offer to raise over Rs 3,000 crore by selling 17.3 crore equity shares to qualified institutional investors. With an aim to become a debt-free company, DLF had last year announced plans to issue up to 17.3 crore shares through qualified institutional placement (QIP) to raise funds and pre-pay loans. According to a regulatory filing, DLF has launched its QIP on Monday and the floor price has been fixed at Rs 193.01 per equity share. The company said that at its discretion it may offer a discount of up to 5 percent on the floor price in the QIP. DLF's shares closed at Rs 189.40 on the BSE, down 3.49 percent. This is the third major fund raising from DLF. In 2007, DLF raised close to Rs 9,200 crore through initial public offer (IPO). In 2013, the company had raised nearly Rs 1,900 crore through institutional placement programme. The DLF's QIP comes close in the heels of successful launch of India's first Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), launched by Blackstone and Embassy to raise Rs 4,750 crore. DLF's group CFO Ashok Tyagi had recently said that the QIP proceeds and further infusion of Rs 2,500 crore from promoters against the issue of warrants would help the company in significantly reducing the debt that stood at around Rs 7,200 crore as on December 31, 2018. DLF promoters K P Singh and family have already infused Rs 9,000 crore in the company and would pump in Rs 2,250 crore more. The company made a preferential allotment of compulsorily convertible debentures (CCDs) and warrants to the promoters against the infusion of funds. As infusion of the fund by promoters will lead to an increase in their shareholdings beyond permissible limit of 75 percent, the company plans to launch QIP and maintain minimum public shareholding of 25 percent in a listed entity. In August 2017, the promoters had sold entire 40 percent stake in rental arm DLF Cyber City Developers Ltd (DCCDL) for Rs 11,900 crore and committed to infusing bulk of this amount in the company to cut net debt. This deal included the sale of 33.34 percent stake in DCCDL to Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC for Rs 8,900 crore and buyback of remaining shares worth Rs 3,000 crore by DCCDL. The deal concluded in December 2017. As a result, DLF stake in DCCDL increased to 66.66 percent stake from 60 percent, while GIC has a balance of 33.34 percent stake in the joint venture firm. Mumbai: Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal, wrote an emotional letter to the Airline's employees after stepping down from the board, paving way for an interim management. There is light at the end of the tunnel and that is why I feel the time is now right for us to hand over the reins of our beloved airline to a new generation of leaders that I am certain will take Jet Airways to even greater heights, Goyal after resigning from the chairmanship of the 25-year-old airline wrote. He said the decision is not the end of the journey but the start of a brand new chapter, he added. Here is the full text of Naresh Goyal's letter to Jet employees My dear Colleagues, For the past 25 years, Jet Airways has been a way of life for Anita and me. Very few people are fortunate enough to live their dreams and we have been truly blessed to be one among those few. My dream started out as the simple yearning of a simple man, a desire to bring the joy of flying to every Indian. Two and a half decades later, what we have built together, far exceeds anything I dared to imagine back then. I have watched with pride as our airline has grown from a fleet of just 4 aircraft flying to 12 destinations in our first year, to a peak fleet of 124 aircraft connecting our guests to over 550 destinations worldwide. We connected the length and breadth of India at a time when flying was still considered a luxury in our country, growing to become Indias premiere full-service airline and a true flag-bearer of warm Indian hospitality around the world. This has all been possible because of the tireless, unrelenting efforts of each and every one of you, tight-knit members of our Jet Airways family, setting guest-service benchmarks to the envy of our competitors, helping us collectively realise our dream of our Jet Airways emerging as a global gold standard of warm Indian hospitality. It has truly been a labour of love that Anita and I, together with all of you have built collectively with our blood, toil and tears. Looking back I would not want to change a thing. Not the triumphs, nor the trials and tribulations, challenges nor sweat equity. But, today, as I ponder on the past and look to the future, I do realise that there must come a day when the torch that we have carried all this while, will need to be passed on. Today, I would like to take a moment to appreciate and acknowledge the beautiful people in my life: the ones I have laughed with and cried with, the ones I have shared my deepest thoughts with, as well as the ones that have recently appeared full of kindness and compassion, and I know, without a doubt that I have been blessed beyond words. I would also like to take this moment, to acknowledge the contribution of my wife, confidant and partner Anita without whom this journey would just not have been possible. And now I would like to humbly and with immense love and gratitude, inform you that both Anita and myself are stepping down from the Board of Directors of Jet Airways with immediate effect. Our airline stands poised to turn the page, ready to fly out from the turbulence of recent months and soar forth into a bright new future. Our shareholders have approved the Bank-led Resolution Plan (BLRP), which marks a definitive step in our efforts to guide Jet Airways onto a sounder and sustainable financial footing. There is light at the end of the tunnel and that is why I feel the time is now right for us to hand over the reins of our beloved airline to a new generation of leaders that I am certain will take Jet Airways to even greater heights. I would be lying, if I said this was not an emotional moment for us. Jet Airways, its employees both past and present, shareholders, partners, regulators, and most importantly our dear guests, are our family and there is no sacrifice both Anita and I would not make to ensure the best interests of our Jet Airways family are safely secured. We have not come to this decision lightly but this is not the end of the journey, rather it is the start of a brand new chapter. I am stepping down as the Chairman of the Board, but both Anita and I remain committed to seeing Jet Airways embark on a dynamic new chapter. In a different capacity, we shall remain just as devoted to cementing Jet Airways place as the gold standard of service excellence in Indian skies. And we look forward to sharing the next chapter in our airlines journey with you as it soars ahead into a new dawn, filled with hope for a future of growth, prosperity and success. Lastly, both Anita and I would simply like to thank you all for the dedication, commitment and service over the past twenty five years. Most sincerely, Naresh Goyal New Delhi: Absconding liqour baron Vijay Mallya on Tuesday urged Indian banks to "take his money" so that it can be used to save debt-ridden Jet Airways. "I repeat once again that I have placed liquid assets before the Hon`ble Karnataka High Court to pay off the PSU Banks and all other creditors. Why do the Banks not take my money. It will help them to save Jet Airways if nothing else," the liquor baron tweeted. And I repeat once again that I have placed liquid assets before the Honble Karnataka High Court to pay off the PSU Banks and all other creditors. Why do the Banks not take my money. It will help them to save Jet Airways if nothing else. Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 26, 2019 Vijay Mallya is wanted in India on alleged fraud and money laundering charges amounting to an estimated Rs 9,000 crores, that was loaned to Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) by several banks. He fled to the UK in March 2016, and is currently facing extradition trial in a UK Court. "Happy to see that PSU Banks have bailed out Jet Airways saving jobs, connectivity and enterprise. Only wish the same was done for Kingfisher," read another tweet by him. Happy to see that PSU Banks have bailed out Jet Airways saving jobs, connectivity and enterprise. Only wish the same was done for Kingfisher. Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 25, 2019 He went on to add that he invested over 4000 crores into Kingfisher Airlines to save the Company and its employees. Not recognised and instead slammed in every possible way. The same PSU Banks let Indias finest airline with the best employees and connectivity fail ruthlessly. Meanwhile, Jet Airways founder and Chairman Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita Goyal yesterday stepped down from the company's board, after months of speculations over his exit. Goyal who set up the company with his wife in 1993, would also cease to be the chairman. Jet, battling acute financial woes estimated to be more than Rs 8,000 crore, is looking at all possible options. The liquidity crunch has not only forced the Airline to ground aircraft leading to cancellation of several flights, it has also caused delayed salary payments to its pilots, engineers and other senior staff. NEW DELHI: Two minors died after a fire broke out in a four-storey building in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh on Tuesday. According to emerging reports, the six-year-old boy and seven-year-old girl were burnt to death after the fire broke out in a furniture shop Abu Fazal Enclave in southeast Delhi. "It is a four-storey building. The family used to reside on the ground floor while the furniture store was functioning from the basement," a senior police official told PTI. The fire department received a call about the blaze at around 1.30 PM. The incident comes two days after a massive blaze broke out on Sunday inside an operation theatre in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Trauma Center in New Delhi. Though there was no loss of life or injuries, the incident led to the suspension of activities at the operation. This comes days after the Karol Bagh hotel fire that claimed the lives of 17 people. China is engaged in espionage of Indian military bases across the country and has been specifically trying to get all the relevant details about the INS Kadamba naval base in Karnataka and APJ Abdul Kalam Island, previously known as Wheeler Island, on the Odisha coast. To mask its espionage activities, Chinese spies disguised as a business delegation had visited Betul Island near INS Kadamba to set up some business activities to ensure that they are able to monitor the Indian Navy. There is also a threat of spying by Chinese employees of non-Chinese companies in Odisha close to Wheeler Island, India's Integrated Missile Test Range Facility. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) tests all the missiles from the island. Almost all the Indian missiles including Akash, Agni series, Astra, BrahMos, Nirbhay, Prahaar, Prithvi series, Shaurya and Advanced Air Defence (AAD) ones are test fired from the Wheeler Island. In such a scenario, the presence of Chinese nationals in and near Wheeler Island can prove to be extremely dangerous for the security of the country. Similarly, INS Kadamba is a key base of the Indian Navy and India's aircraft carrier docks in Karwar. This base is so important that India monitors China and Pakistan in the Arabian Sea through it. "It has been noted that there have been recent activities by China to establish a foothold in strategic areas. Chinese firms have emerged as the lowest bidders in many infrastructural projects in India with the active support of the Chinese government. Such Chinese footprints have been increasingly being noticed in many states," said an officer working in a security establishment. In 2017, the Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui visited the World War II cemetery at Longtong village in Tinsukia district of Assam. The Chinese Ambassador's visit to Tinsukia was not considered a normal development by the Indian security establishment. Tinsukia is not very far from the China border and several strategic assets of the Indian armed forces are deployed in the region. "China is trying to gain access to the decision-making levels in the Indian establishments through their business delegations," said a security officer. China is using the same methods of intelligence gathering used by the US and Russia. The emphasis is on the use of soft power under the cover of legitimate activities. China is trying to gather intelligence through academics, scholars, business delegations and intelligence operatives under the official cover of diplomats, defence attaches and journalists. China has already established one such centre to gather intelligence in Mumbai and is trying to establish similar centres in Vellore, Sulur, Coimbatore and Kolkata. Care and Share donates to Shop with a Cop New Delhi: In what was supposedly planned as a protest against the admission policy turned into a violent incident with close to 500 students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) reportedly trying to gain entry into the residence of Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar on Monday. Kumar has strongly criticised the manner in which the protest was carried out although he said he would forgive them. It is reported that a group of students went to Kumar's residence in the evening but he was not there at the time. The group, it is alleged, then tried to enter the residence of the VC forcefully although they were initially stopped by security guards here. After some time the students dispersed to their hostels. No police complaint has been filed. "I was away in an official meeting when I came to know around 5:45-6 pm about the gathering of 400-500 students in front of my home. They pushed guards and broke open the gate, and entered the home," alleged Kumar. "My wife was alone at that time. You can imagine the situation of a lonely lady at home being surrounded by 400-500 sloganeering students. She was confined at home for nearly three hours or so." While Kumar said students have the right to protest, he was against the manner in which Monday's protest was carried out. "This is unfortunate. We respect the rights of students but using unlawful means and behaving in a violent way isn't something expected from JNU students. Being a teacher and head of JNU, I'll forgive them. I hope they'll reform themselves," he told news agency ANI. The protesting students had been on a hunger strike for a week to protest against the varsity's decision to hold online entrance exams and against several other issues. Demanding that the VC take cognisance of the issues being raised by them, these students started their indefinite hunger strike on March 19. The JNUSU had also demanded that VC Kumar be removed. Tejas fighter jet has generated a lot of interest in the ongoing Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA-2019) in Malaysia. The 'Made-in-India' fighter jet has been a star attraction at the 15th edition of LIMA which began from Tuesday and will continue till Saturday (March 30). The nimble, single-engine fighter jet has been indigenously developed the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the Indian Air Force and is capable of flying at speeds of over 2,000 kmph, and has a range of around 3000 kilometres. India's pride, Tejas, has already generated huge interest & fan following at LIMA-2019, Malaysia. Here's all you need to know about this nimble, single engine indigenously developed fighter jet - TEJAS.#LIMA2019#LCA@DefenceMinIndia @SpokespersonMoD @HALHQBLR @LimaExhibition pic.twitter.com/PSLBOq5Ix8 Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) March 26, 2019 Two IAF Tejas jets had departed from Kalaikunda to participate in LIMA and on Sunday, engaged in a practice session before the start of the event. Hailed for being the lightest supersonic fighter jet, the two Tejas took off from the Langkawi International Airport. Even as Tejas makes waves in the sky over Malaysia, the Indian Air Force is looking at greater interaction with the Malaysian Air Force during LIMA. "This will serve as a foundation for any future interaction with the Malaysian Air Force. It will also provide an opportunity to RMAF to assess the capabilities of LCA," the IAF had said last week. This is the first time that the IAF is partaking in LIMA although the event itself has been organised since 1991. New Delhi: Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ghanshyam Tiwari joined Congress on Tuesday, along with other party leaders like Surendra Goyal and Janardan Gehlot. They joined the party during a meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi at the Ramlila ground in Jaipur. Apart from these leaders, 12 out of 13 independent legislators also announced their support to the Congress, the party which currently rules Rajasthan. Of quitting BJP, Ghanshyam Tiwari earlier told news agency PTI, "I struggled in the BJP but now I feel that it is important to join Congress for the protection of democratic values." However, he added that he would not contest the Lok Sabha election. Ahead of the Rajasthan Assembly election in 2018, Ghanshyam Tiwari had floated Bharat Vahini Party from Sanganer seat. In the past, he has held prominent portfolios in the BJP government and is also a six-time MLA. The Congress has 100 MLAs in the House of 200 and its ally the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has one MLA. Meanwhile, the BJP has 73 MLAs while the BSP has six, RLTP has three, CPI(M) and BTP have two each. (With inputs from PTI) New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday released the campaign song for Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the Lok Sabha 2019 election. Sung by artists Sarla Shinde, Antara Shinde, Shailendra Nisargandh and Abhijit Shinde, the song highlights the leadership of PM Modi in the last five years. It seeks to underline PM Modi's stand against corruption and strong policies against threats to national security. The song, recorded at 'ALAAP' Recording Studio, also hails PM Modi for his inclusive governance model - Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas - and a number of other achievements. PM Modi will lead the BJP campaign ahead of the election which starts from April 11. While he would contest from Varanasi once again, PM Modi will spearhead BJP's campaign across the country as he looks at winning another term in office. In the runup to the election, PM Modi and other BJP leaders have tried to reach out to voters in a number of ways. Most of them have added 'Chowkidar' to their Twitter handle names as well which is part of the party's outreach plan. The song for PM Modi's campaign is another step in the same direction. The BJP Monday asked the Election Commission of India to stop Jammu and Kashmir Assembly's former Speaker and National Conference candidate from Baramulla, Mohmmad Akbar Lone, from contesting the polls for allegedly raising "pro-Pakistan slogans" at one of his poll campaign rallies. The state unit of the BJP raised the demand for cancellation of Lone's candidature and sought registration of a criminal case against him on charges of sedition. The party also sought an apology from NC chief Farooq Abdullah for the "anti-national" act of his party candidate. Lone on Saturday allegedly raised pro-Pakistan slogans at a rally in Kupwara district and called Pakistan "his Muslim nation on the other side." He also threatened to abuse anyone who abuses Pakistan. "We condemn NC candidate for Baramulla parliamentary constituency Mohammad Akbar Lone for raising 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans during an election rally. We appeal to Election Commission of India (ECI) to cancel candidature of Lone and initiate action against him", BJP General Secretary & Incharge Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha constituency Yudhvir Sethi said. Sethi said last year also Lone, the former NC MLA, had shouted 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans in the Legislative Assembly. "We demand that he should be booked under charges of sedition and Farooq Abdullah should tender an apology and clear NC's stand over it", he said. The BJP leader said both PDP and NC have blood of young Kashmiri boys on their hands. Had these "tried, tested and failed" organisations concentrated on welfare of youth, Jammu and Kashmir would have been on the path of progress like any other state, he charged. Condemning Lone's statement, he said such leaders don't let Kashmir progress and misguide youth. Talking to reporters here, BJP state spokesperson on Kashmir Affairs, Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo also appealed to the ECI to initiate action against Lone. His slogans like "Pakistan Zindabad" are tantamount to violating the atmosphere of the state and are aimed at derailment of the whole election process, Chrungoo said. "It is also a conspiracy to polarize the people of the state on communal lines. We condemn such slogans and anti-national stance taken by the NC candidate. "His justifying the slogans is also adding insult to the injury. It is strange to note that a person who has remained the constitutional head of the legislature in the State Assembly and who has taken an oath on the Constitution of India will succumb to such a level," Chrungoo added. National Conference and PDP are competing with each other to make it sure that each of them is a "bigger secessionist", he alleged. It may be recalled that on February 10, 2018, Lone, had also raised pro-Pakistan slogans in the Assembly after BJP members condemned the neighbouring country over the terror attack on the Sunjwan Army camp. While NC is silent this time, the party then had distanced itself from his slogans, which came even as the operation to flush out terrorists from the Sunjwan camp was underway. Patna: A group of BJP workers on Tuesday raised slogans against Ravi Shankar Prasad outside the airport here after he was named the party candidate from Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency. The workers, reportedly supporters of RK Sinha, raised loud slogans against RS Prasad in protest of him being named as the candidate from Patna Sahib. They also raised slogans in favour of Sinha who is a BJP MP. #WATCH Group of BJP workers protest outside Patna airport, raise slogans "Ravi Shankar Prasad, go back, go back! RK Sinha (BJP Rajya Sabha MP) zindabad, zindabad!" #Bihar #LokSabhaElections pic.twitter.com/mFBHaGdiCD ANI (@ANI) March 26, 2019 There has been simmering tension regarding who between Prasad and Sinha would be chosen to replace Shatrughan Sinha from Patna Sahib. The actor-turned-politician made way for Prasad after repeatedly questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is now expected to join Congress. Shatrughan Sinha 'ouster' from Patna Sahib - a constituency he had won in 2009 and 2014 - meant that the seat was up for grabs. After being named as the BJP candidate from here, Prasad had backed the decision and said that it is a city where he grew up in and has the right to contest from. Supporters of Sinha, however, have argued that Prasad had never visited Patna Sahib since assuming greater role in the party. They also said that it is their leader who has constantly worked for the people in the constituency and deserves to be given a ticket to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Patna Sahib will vote in the final phase - on May 19. The early years of 1980s were marked by a series of social, political and economic events positive as well as tragic that would leave a lasting impression on India and contribute to how the country is today. Congress had made a resounding comeback in the Lok Sabha election held in 1980 with Indira Gandhi silencing all who either defied her or questioned her. The memories of the dreaded Emergency had begun fading with an overwhelming majority saying that the 1980 election showed the country had forgiven Indira for her follies. If India had seen the Janata Party form the first non-Congress government in 1977, the country also witnessed its dramatic fall from grace in the early years of the next decade. And in it lay Congress dominance over the political landscape of India. It is perhaps this political dominance that permitted Indira to carry out several and sweeping social and economic changes. The sixth five-year plan in the country (1980-1985) is known for giving birth to the process of economic liberalisation which had ramifications unseen before in the country. With Nehruvian socialism breathing its last, cost of living saw a spike but so did the economic growth rate of the country. With the menace of food shortage being largely addressed, price-control shops were taken off. Instead, impetus was given to the social-service sectors of education, health and family planning, housing among many others. The target growth rate was set at an ambitious 5.2 per cent. By the end of the five-year-plan, the actual growth rate was an impressive 5.4 per cent. All of this boded well for Indira as was underlined by a CIA assessment of India (report dated January 5 of 1983 and declassified in 2009). Prime Minister Indira Gandhis grip on the levers of power is now relatively secure. The opposition party who together won more votes than the Congress (I) in the 1980 elections, have not succeeded in mounting a united challenge at the national level to Congress (I) in the last three years, the report read. The report however, and ironically, also predicted that if Indira were to die before the 1985 election, India could be left wanting for a capable leader. Gandhis death would precipitate a crisis in the Congress (I) Party, particularly if it occurred before the national election. No other party figure possesses either her national stature or her ability to manipulate the party factions. Gandhi has not permitted any such figure to emerge. Even her son Rajiv Gandhi, whom she is grooming to succeed her, had failed to excite either the party or the public. Indira was assassinated 21 months and 28 days after the CIA report quoted above on October 31 of 1984. India and the world were plunged into grief and was utterly shocked at not just the killing of the countrys tallest political leader at the time but the manner in which she was assassinated shot dead by her own Sikh bodyguards Satwant Singh and Beant Singh. To understand the 1984 Lok Sabha election, it is therefore important to understand its backdrop and to take a look at the most significant development leading into the election itself. Khalistan movement and Operation Blue Star Khalistan movement was a Sikh separatist movement which sought to create an independent state in Punjab. While its seeds were sown in the early years of 1970s, the movement became outrightly notorious by the late 1970s and early 1980s. While the call for a separate and independent state threatened Indias territorial integrity, what made it even more alarming was that many of the Sikh separatists were being actively trained and supported by Pakistan. Pro-Khalistan outfits were also being supported by Sikh communities in Canada, US and the UK. Some of them, however, began to target Hindus, Nirankaris and eventually even Sikhs opposed to their objectives and methodologies and this led to a drastic fall in support base within India and elsewhere. In all of this, Congress too has been accused of extending support to some groups and individuals in the late 1970s in order to challenge Shiromani Akali Dal its main political rival in Punjab. The move backfired and how. Punjab, parts of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and even Rajasthan had begun seeing widespread unrest, violence and even murders. Sikh religious preacher Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale had emerged as the face of the Khalistan movement by playing Congress against the Akalis all while looking to expand his own support base by painting as if Sikhs were being marginalised in India. By the time Congress realised its miscalculation, followers of Bhindranwale had become outrightly brazen. Accounts from the period between 1982 and 1984 reveal that in some instances, even cops in different parts of Punjab were either won over or cowered down to turn a blind eye to Bhindranwales militant activities. While there were numerous instances of militant activities taking a toll on human lives, the killing of six Hindus in a passenger bus in October of 1983 led to emergency rule being imposed in Punjab for a decade. Under such testing times, many of the militant Sikh groups were believed to be taking shelter inside gurudwaras. Action against them inside these gurudwaras was not possible because it was feared that Sikh sentiments would become inflamed. Action was eventually taken when Bhindranwale, who had now been responsible for the killing of hundreds of people, took shelter inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar and turned the holy Sikh site into an armoury and his headquarters. Between July of 1983 and June of 1984, Bhindranwales Damdami Taksal led the Khalistan movement mostly through violent means. Such was the situation that it became imperative for Indira Gandhi to eventually resort to using armed forces to flush out armed militants from inside the Golden Temple, especially because of intelligence reports of Pakistani support to those inside. Operation Blue Star was launched on June 1 of 1984 with Indian Army and paramilitary forces surrounding the Golden Temple. Heavy artillery and even tanks were used in the operation against the heavily-armed militants in which Bhindranwale was eventually killed. While Operation Blue Star was deemed a success, Sikhs were largely outraged at the use of force inside the holy Golden Temple. It was this outrage that eventually led two of Indiras Sikh bodyguards to assassinate her - as revenge at her residence. India in the aftermath of Indira As mentioned previously, Indiras death sent the nation first into grief and then into absolute outrage. In the days that followed, thousands of Sikhs were killed as backlash in Delhi. The Congress was accused of allowing the violence with some of its leaders charged with even inciting mobs and leading anti-Sikh riots. When a mighty tree falls, it is only natural that the earth around it shakes, RAJIV Gandhi is believed to have said just 19 days after his mothers assassination. Politically, there was a massive vacuum in the Indian political landscape as there was no leader in the country at the time to match up the stature of Indira. Eventually, it was decided that Rajiv would be the best person to replace Indira and he asked for the Parliament to be dissolved and for a fresh election to be conducted. And it is under and because of such trying and turbulent times that Lok Sabha election of 1984 was conducted. Status of states: The Lok Sabha 1984 election was conducted across 28 states and union territories in the country. These were: Andhra Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh Bihar Goa Daman and Diu Gujarat Haryana Himachal Pradesh Jammu and Kashmir Karnataka Kerala Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Nagaland Orissa Rajasthan Sikkim Tamil Nadu Tripura Uttar Pradesh West Bengal Andaman and Nicobar Islands Chandigarh Dadra and Nagar Haveli Delhi Lakshadweep Pondicherry The 1984 Lok Sabha election was not conducted in Punjab and Assam due to terrorist/militant-related unrest in the two states and was, instead, pushed back to the next year. Political parties in the fray: There were seven national parties and another 17 regional parties which fought the 1984 Lok Sabha election. There were also nine registered (unrecognised) parties. These were: The national parties: Bharatiya Janata Party Communist Party of India Communist Party of India (Marxist) Indian Congress (Socialist) Indian National Congress Janata Party Lok Dal The state parties: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam All India Forward Bloc Indian Congress (J) All India Muslim League Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference Jammu and Kashmir Conference Kerala Congress (J) Kerala Congress Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Manipur Peoples Party Muslim League Naga National Democratic Party Peoples Party of Arunachal Peasants and Workers Party Revolutionary Socialist Party Telegu Desam The registered (unrecognised) parties were: Doordarshi Party Gandhi Kamraj National Congress Jharkhand Party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party Republican Party of India Republican Party of India (Khobragade) Socialist Unity Centre of India Tamil Nadu Congress (K) Election 1984 The Lok Sabha election in 1984 had many significances before, during and after it was conducted for India. Three of the most notable of these were a) Rise of Rajiv Gandhi, b) Formation of the Bharatiya Janata Party, c) Emergence of Telegu Desam as a regional party with potential for national impact. The election was held between December 24 and December 28 just two months after the assassination of Indira. By this time, Rajiv had spent close to three years in active politics and had become an MP from Amethi. From MP to PM though was a mammoth jump and one that Rajiv, 40 years of age at the time, was almost forced to make much earlier than anyone would have anticipated. Around the time Rajiv entered politics, another development occurred which may not have had much importance then but, in contemporary Indian politics, has one of the most significant relevance. Yes, the Bharatiya Janata Party from the erstwhile Jana Sangh after the collapse of the Janata umbrella. Its origins may have been humble but won the 2014 Lok Sabha election by an overwhelming majority to emerge as the single-largest party. Another party, although regional, that was formed around this time was the Telegu Desam Party. Unlike BJP though, there wasnt anything gradual about its rise. The 1984 Lok Sabha election took place only two years after actor-turned-politician NT Rama Rao formed TDP in Andhra. It would emerge as the second-largest party in the country after the election. The biggest party after the election, however, was Congress. Rajiv, it is said, managed to get sympathy votes of the almost the entire country and his party won 404 of the 514 seats. It would go on to win another 10 seats in the election held in Assam and Punjab a year later. The Congress sweep was even more impressive than the electoral triumphs of Rajivs grandfather Jawarharlal Nehru and mother Indira in the Lok Sabha elections of the past. Never has a party, barring Congress in 1984, ever crossed the 400-mark in Lok Sabha. What is believed to have also helped Congress was a high voter turnout. The figure of 63.56 per cent in the 1984 Lok Sabha election was the highest ever till that point in time. In the election conducted in Assam and Punjab a year later, the turnout was 72.73 per cent while only the 2014 Lok Sabha election saw a higher voter turnout at 66.38 per cent. Political analysts of today often highlight the contrast for Congress between the 1984 and 2014 Lok Sabha election. While both elections had high voter turnout, the Congress was propelled to the political pinnacle in one and shown the electoral dungeon in the other. On the other side of the field, TDP won 30 seats (4.31 per cent of votes) to attain the distinction of being the first regional party to also be a national opposition party. The party ensured that Andhra Pradesh was one of the very few states where the Congress hand did not wave enough to gain sympathy and votes. That it could only manage two seats in the 1989 Lok Sabha election is ironical. That the same TDP under Chandrababu Naidu is facing a massive challenge in 2019 after walking out of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is also of significant note. BJP, after all, is the party that managed just two seats (7.4 per cent of votes) in 1984 one in Andhra (Hanamkonda) where PJ Reddy defeated PV Narasimha Rao and the other in Gujarat (Mehsana). And yet, heres a party would eventually form the government even if often with support of others - in 1996, 1998, 1999 and by a massive margin in 2014. It is said that time waits for no one and changes for everyone. When reflecting back at 1984, it would be a saying the likes of Congress, BJP and even TDP among other political parties in the country would swear by come 2019 Lok Sabha election. New Delhi: Political parties led by BJP and Congress have moved into top gear to ensure that their respective election machinery is functioning without flaw. On Tuesday, a day after the final day of filing nomination for the first phase of voting, political parties continued to take on each other in a bid to connect with voters across the country. Campaigning is on in full swing with leaders from various national and regional parties reaching out to the masses. Promises, as expected, are galore to ensure electoral win in a country where 900 million people are eligible to cast their vote across one million polling stations. Thank you for joining us. Do come again on Wednesday (March 27) for election live updates. Here are updates from Tuesday (March 26): * AAP's Gautam Buddh Nagar candidate Shweta Sharma fails to find proposers, nomination rejected. * Satyadev Pachauri replaced Murli Manohar Joshi in Kanpur constituency. * Political and economic ideology of the Communists have been rejected worldwide: Jaitley * Jammu and Kashmir saw one community being pushed out of its homeland. But there was no hue and cry over it, says Finance Minister * I pray that everyone has a political opponent like Rahul Gandhi: Jaitley * If you take out lies and bluffs from Rahul Gandhi's speech, then he will have just three words to say: Arun Jaitley * The voters are more capable than politicians and journalists. They know what is true, says Jaitley * Even the IMF has accepted and agreed to the economic data released by our government, the opposition is not ready to believe it: FM * I have two terms for the opposition - "compulsive contrarian" and "nawabs of negativity". They see no positive in India today: Jaitley * India is the fastest growing economy in the world since 2014 when Modiji won the election. Show me a year from 1947 to 2013 when India was the fastest growing economy. Yet, the opposition alleges that our government has not done any development: Arun Jaitley * We have not waived the loans of any business house as claimed by Rahul Gandhi, says Jaitley * India was used to seeing an increase in tax rates. We implemented GST and now there is a uniform rate: FM Jaitley * We have moved the tax system online and it has led to an end of corruption, says the Finance Minister * Our policy on Pakistan is consistent. We want peace with Pakistan and its territory should not be used for terror activities against India. We not only crossed the LoC but entered deep into Pakistan to target terror camps. The entire world has accepted our stand. The day Pakistan stops exporting terror, it will lead to peace and betterment of relationship with us: Jaitley * I am fully confident of Narendra Modi returning to power: Jaitley * Pulwama attackers and masterminds were liquidated by our forces and the Army. Balakot air strike would have taken place even without Pulwama as there were intelligence reports of big terror camps with hundreds of terrorists being trained. The strike would have been carried out to kill them. We could not have been idle and waited for the terrorists too come here and then kill them: Jaitley * Balakot was not just an act of revenge of Pulwama terror attack, says Arun Jaitley * Where we should have been united on Balakot air strike, 29 opposition parties raised doubts about the air raid. They demanded proof and even alleged that Narendra Modi allowed Pulwama for political gains during Lok Sabha election. They were speaking in the same language as Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. The fools (opposition leaders) here have played into the hands of Pakistan: Jaitley * Surgical strike and air strike are turning points. They (Pakistan) have been sending terrorists across the LoC and we were talking about the sanctity of LoC for the last several years. Now we will not be on the back foot but play the game on front foot and target terrorists at the origin point: FM * There is just one gamechanger in this election and his name is Narendra Modi. He is a strong leader, works for the development of the country, gives no space to the corrupt people and takes action on terrorism. There have been surgical strikes, air raids on terror camps and in this election, there is only one gamechanger: Arun Jaitley * Opposition CM in Kerala has a Left government but it is implementing all the schemes of the Central government. Southern states are better. Two states which do not cooperate at all are West Bengal and Delhi: Jaitley * Our government has already implemented several schemes to help the poor. They are enjoying all the benefits of the central government. Congress announced such loan waiver schemes in states it is ruling. But there is no progress: Jaitley * Our government increased the tax base, did not increase income tax, in fact, it has come down. The data is available about every scheme and there has been a positive development in all the spheres, says FM * Rahul Gandhi is bluffing. Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi also gave similar slogans about removing poverty. Rajiv Gandhi was the "Mr Clean" and he became the prime minister but there were so many scams. Why did Congress not implemented such a scheme when it was in power for the last 50 years: Jaitley * There is always a generational change and that is what is happening in BJP. There is no exception to this and this was decided way back in 2014, the Finance Minister said when asked about Advani and MM Joshi not contesting the Lok Sabha election * On one side there is a leader who comes from a family where it is all about the dynasty. On the other side, we had a leader who came from a humble and poor background. He sold tea during his childhood to earn his living. All the dynasty-based parties were demolished in the last Lok Sabha election. The real change will be when even a common person will be able to become a minister due to his or her hard work and merit, Jaitley slams Congress * Due to PM Modi's strong stand on corruption, the Congress president Rahul Gandhi started to abuse him, says Jaitley * PM Modi has been a chowkidar for the last five years. He has been extremely strict on corruption and has acted against anyone who has been involved in scams: Jaitley * Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley speaks to Zee News Editor-in-chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Lok Sabha election 2019. * Meanwhile, BJP has also announced list of 29 candidates for Uttar Pradesh and 10 candidates for West Bengal. * Congress releases list of three candidates - two from Gujarat and one from Uttar Pradesh. * BJP releases a list of 42 star campaigners for phase 1 and phase 2 of Lok Sabha poll from Bihar. * Tollywood film actor Manchu Mohan Babu joins YSR Congress Party. * Rajendra Gavit, BJPs sitting MP from Palghar Lok Sabha seat, has joined Shiv Sena. He will be Shiv Sena's candidate from Palghar: Uddhav Thackeray * BJP has released a campaign song for PM Narendra Modi. * At election rally in Sri Ganganagar, Rahul takes on PM Modi. "He says he is a chowkidar but have you ever seen poor families who have chowkidars. Only the rich have chowkidars. He is chowkidar of Anil Ambani and Nirav Modi." * Jaya Prada joins BJP. As a member of Samajwadi Party previously, she had won the Rampur Lok Sabha seat in 2004 and 2009. "I have worked in TDP and then for Samajwadi Party. Now, I have a chance to work with a heroic leader in Narendra Modi. I submit myself to this party and to the country," she said. "Whether it is cinema or politics, I have always given my best effort. I am grateful to the party for a warm welcome." * A group of BJP workers raise slogans against party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad - BJP candidate from Patna Sahib - outside Patna airport. They also raised slogans in favour of BJP MP RK Sinha. #WATCH Group of BJP workers protest outside Patna airport, raise slogans "Ravi Shankar Prasad, go back, go back! RK Sinha (BJP Rajya Sabha MP) zindabad, zindabad!" #Bihar #LokSabhaElections pic.twitter.com/mFBHaGdiCD ANI (@ANI) March 26, 2019 * News agency ANI confirms that Jaya Prada will join BJP today. * Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit to address a press conference at 1500hrs. * Footballer turned politician Bhaichung Bhutia, founder of Hamro Sikkim Party, to present the election manifesto today at 1600hrs. Bhutia is leading the opposition party in Sikkim against the longest serving Chief Minister and SDF party supremo Pawan Chamling. * Chowkidar chor nahi, chowkidar pure hai: When Rajnath turned to verses to make case for PM Modi. (Read full report here) * Nitin Gadkari has declared his assets in poll affidavit. (Read full report here) * Nishad Party and Janvadi Party (Socialist) are now a part of Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance in Uttar Pradesh: Akhilesh Yadav * Congress releases list of star campaigners for first and second phase from Maharashtra. Cricketer-turned-politician Azharuddin makes it to the list. (Read full report here) * BJP picks a 28-year-old as its candidate for Bangalore South constituency. Did you know? If he wins, he can be India's youngest MP ever (Read report here) * BJP declares Sanat Gadtia as its candidate against Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik for Bijepur constituency. * Bollywood actress Urmila Matondkar likely to join Congress. (Read full report here) * BJP releases list of star campaigners in UP. PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj among 40 named. (Read full report here) * Who is going where today? - Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath is touring Varanasi and Gorakhpur. - BJP chief Amit Shah will be in Moradabad. - Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to hold an election rally in Rajasthan's Suratgarh. - Home minister Rajnath Singh and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman to address BJP rallies in New Delhi. - Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi will be in Amroha. - SP leader Akhilesh Yadav to address a press conference at 1100hrs. PATNA: Denied ticket from Bihar's Navada constituency, Union Minister Giriraj Singh expressed reluctance and "hurt" at party high command's decision to field him from Begusarai. My self-respect is hurt that no other MP's seat was changed in Bihar. It was decided without talking to me. State BJP leadership should tell me why was it done. I've nothing against Begusarai but I can't compromise with my self-respect, said the 66-year-old BJP veteran. A visibly emotional Singh accused the Bihar BJP leadership of denying him a ticket from Nawada constituency, a seat he won in 2014. "I was hoping to contest election from Begusarai in 1996 and 2014 but the party leadership said Bhola Singh wants to contest from Begusarai. I was fielded from Navada (then)," he told ANI, adding that he has worked very hard for the welfare of the people of Navada. The Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises claimed that Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan and Bihar BJP chief Nityanand Rai had assured him a seat of his choice. "Chirag Paswan told me that I can contest from whichever seat I want. Nityanand Rai also said it. Chirag Paswan even said that I didn`t take it (Nawada seat). NDA gave it to me. This hurt me even more. "They (Bihar BJP leadership) should give me some reason. This is hurting me inside. I can`t compromise on my self-respect," he added. JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar was offered a ticket by CPI(M) to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from Begusarai. Reacting to Singh's "reluctance" to contest from Begusarai, Kumar compared him to a child who refuses to go to school over incomplete homework. "After watching the news on TV and I learnt that the BJP minister known for sending off people to free of cost Pakistan tours is not ready to come to Begusarai for contesting the polls, Kumar took a jibe in a late night Facebook post on Monday night. "I have a nephew who, similarly, refuses to go to school whenever he fails to do his homework. But even he never thinks of sending the teacher to Pakistan. Neither does he hate anybody nor he wants to get anybody expelled from the school," he added. The post however does not not mention Singh's name. Both Singh and Kumar belong to the Bhumihar caste which dominates Begusarai. Sriganganagar: Taking a jibe at the BJP`s `Main Bhi Chowkidar` campaign, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not inform the people that he would be the `chowkidar` (watchman) not for the entire country, but for businessmen like Anil Ambani and Nirav Modi. "He (the Prime Minister) says, `Main Chowkidaar Hoon` (I am a watchman). He did not say whose chowkidar he is? Have you seen a chowkidar at a farmer`s home? Have you seen a chowkidar at home of the unemployed youth?" he said at a public rally here. Attacking the Prime Minister, the Gandhi scion said, "Have you seen a chowkidar at the home of Anil Ambani? How many are there at Anil Ambani`s home? There is a queue of chowkidars there. Narendra Modi did not tell you that he is not yours, but the chowkidar of people like Anil Ambani and Nirav Modi." The Congress leader reiterated his charge that Modi gave Rs 30,000 crore to Anil Ambani, and accused the BJP-led Centre of not waiving farmers` loans in the last five years. "Narendra Modi had promised to deposit Rs 15 lakh to every citizen`s bank account. He promised that he wanted to give two crore jobs to the youth of the country. He also said he would waive farmers` loans. But instead, Narendra Modi and his ministers waived Rs 3 lakh crore loans of 15 industrialists. He did not waive even a single rupee for the farmers in five years," he said. Gandhi said that the ensuing Lok Sabha elections will be a fight between two ideologies. "In the last five years, Narendra Modi has created two Indias. One belongs to the rich and the other is for the poor, farmers and unemployed youth. In Narendra Modi`s India, only the rich can see the dreams but not the poor," he said. "This will be a fight between two ideologies. One is the BJP-RSS ideology that promotes hatred and division and the other is Congress, which stands for brotherhood and love," he added. Nagpur: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has declared movable and immovable assets worth Rs 25.12 crore in an affidavit filed along with his nomination papers for the Nagpur parliamentary constituency. Gadkari filed his papers for the Nagpur Lok Sabha seat on Monday. Polling in the constituency will be held on April 11. As per his tax return forms, his total income stood at Rs 2,66,390 in 2013-14 and Rs 6,40,700 in 2017-18. According to his affidavit, he has movable assets worth Rs 69,38,691, while his wife has movable assets worth Rs 91,99,160. A sum of Rs 66,07,924 is in the name of the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF). Similarly, Gadkari has immovable assets worth Rs 6,95,98,325, his wife Rs 6,48,60,325. A sum of Rs 9,40,31,224 was in the name of HUF. Gadkari declared over 29 acres of agricultural land in Dhapewada in Nagpur, of which 15 acres are registered in the name of his wife and 14.60 acres owned by HUF. Gadkari declared an ancestral house at Mahal (Nagpur) and a flat at an MLA Society in Worli (Mumbai). The Union minister, in his affidavit, has informed that he has invested Rs 3,55,510 in savings scheme, mutual funds, bonds and shares. He has Rs 8,99,111 in his banks account, according to the affidavit. Similarly, his wife's bank balance stood at Rs 11,07,909. The senior BJP leader also has liabilities of Rs 1,57,21,753 by way of bank loans. Gadkari declared six cars in his affidavit, four of which are in the name of his wife. New Delhi: The suspense over Congress' alliance with Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi for the upcoming Lok Sabha election 2019 still remains even after Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit addressed a press conference on Tuesday. At the press conference Sheila Dikshit, the former chief minister of Delhi, was expected to announce the party's decision regarding the alliance, but an official announcement wasn't made. Speaking to news agency ANI, Sheila Dikshit said, When a decision will be taken then we will inform the media. Ultimately the decision is to be taken by Rahul Gandhi as he is the party president, all will abide by what he decides. Congress Delhi Chief Sheila Dikshit on possible alliance with AAP: When a decision will be taken then we will inform the media. Ultimately decision is to be taken by Rahul Gandhi as he is the party president, all will abide by what he decides pic.twitter.com/BDMaRgXsP9 ANI (@ANI) March 26, 2019 Congress leader PC Chacko earlier said that the party President Rahul Gandhi would take the final decision on Tuesday. The Congress leaders appear to be divided over a possible alliance with AAP. Earlier, Sheila Dikshit wrote to Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi saying forging an alliance with AAP would harm the party in the long run. Apart from Ms Dikshit, three working presidents Haroon Yusuf, Devender Yadav and Rajesh Lilothia also expressed their discontent over the same. The Lok Sabha election in Delhi will take place on May 12 and results will be announced on May 23. (With inputs from ANI) Actress-turned-politician Jaya Prada on Tuesday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. As a member of the Samajwadi Party previously, she had won the Rampur Lok Sabha seat in 2004 and 2009 before being expelled from the party. Although Jaya Prada and BJP did not confirm if she would contest for the party from Rampur constituency. She, however, thanked the BJP for a warm welcome. "Whether it is cinema or politics, I have always given my best effort. I am grateful to the party for a warm welcome," she said. "I have worked in TDP and then for Samajwadi Party. Now, I have a chance to work with a heroic leader in Narendra Modi. I submit myself to this party and to the country." There have been intense speculation in the run-up to Jaya Prada joining BJP that she would once again contest the Lok Sabha election from Rampur constituency. If given a ticket, she could possibly face off against Samajwadi Party's Azam Khan who had previously made a number of derogatory remarks against her. Jaya Prada's strong showing from Rampur in 2004 and 2009 - although she lost in 2014 on an RLD ticket - may make a strong case for her. In 2014 Lok Sabha election, BJP's Dr Nepal Singh had secured a win from here. Rampur will vote in the third phase - on April 23. Los Angeles: Actor Mandy Moore was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The 34-year-old actor received the star in the presence of her "This Is Us" castmates and her "A Walk to Remember" co-star, Shane West on Monday. "This is Us" creator, Dan Fogelman, shared a few sweet words about Moore, following which West took to the podium and surprised her with a picture of the two of them when they wrapped their beloved 2002 film. Director Adam Shankman was also present. Calling the film "wonderful experience", West said the Nicholas Sparks adaptation gave him a "chance to fall for this fantastic woman". "Mandy, you are an absolute gem, your smile is absolutely ridiculous - seriously, it's ridiculous, and it lights up the room when you walk in - your energy is irresistible, and your heart is second to none. I couldn't be more proud of you, I couldn't be more happy for you. Love ya," he said in the address. Moore later shared some photographs with West from the ceremony on Twitter. "Stars have always sort of been our thing. Thankful to @shanewest for his kind words on this very special day, one which I will never forget. It was a walk (of fame) to remember," she captioned the post. From her "This Is Us" family, Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K Brown, Justin Hartley, Chrissy Metz and Susan Kelechi Watson were present. Los Angeles: Actor Michael Madsen was reportedly arrested on suspicion of the misdemeanour - driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) - after he crashed his SUV car into a pole. The actor was arrested on Sunday night, reports pagesix.com. The LA Times reported that the "Kill Bill" star was taken into custody on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. and released Monday at around 1 a.m. on bail set at $15,000. TMZ reported that the 61-year-old star had a blood-alcohol level of 0.1, while the legal limit is 0.08. Madsen was also arrested on suspicion of DUI in 2012. His lawyer said at the time that Madsen was taking prescription medicine. He wound up sentenced to 30 days in rehab. New Delhi: The 'it' couple of Bollywood, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt's romance is the talk of the town, especially after the dimpled actress expressed her love on stage at a recent award show. The duo has never really shied away from openly talking about their relationship and is often spotted hanging out together. It was RK who first opened up on his relationship with Alia in an interview with GQ India last year, calling it 'new'. And ever since, a lot has moved ahead in a positive direction. And now, the latest buzz is that the lovey-dovey couple might take their relationship to another level soon, given the fact that RK's mommy Neetu Singh is quite fond of the dimpled beauty. The parents approve of the relationship and mommiesNeetu and Soni Razdan often share pictures of the two together. According to a report in Mid.Day.com, RK and Alia might get engaged soon as rumours are rife about them taking their romance to another level. So, does it mean a formal engagement? Well, we don't know that yet and nothing has been officially announced. On the work front, the couple will share screen space together in 'Brahmastra' for the very first time. The movie is the first part of an adventure-fantasy trilogy. It is helmed by Ayan Mukerji and bankrolled by Dharma Productions. The movie also stars Amitabh Bachchan and Mouni Roy in pivotal parts. The film is hitting the screens on Christmas this year. New Delhi: A total of 5.84 million requests were received for Mobile number portability (MNP) during the month of January 2019, a TRAI report said. Under MNP, wireless telephone subscribers can retain their mobile numbers when they relocate from one service area to another. Out of total 5.84 million requests, 3.17 million requests received from Zone-I and 2.67 million requests received from Zone-II. The cumulative MNP requests increased from 411.98 million at the end of December 2018 to 417.82 million at the end of January 2019, since the implementation of MNP, the telecom regulator said in its report. Zone-I is divided into states that include Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Punjab, Rajasthan, U.P.(East) and U.P.(West). On the other hand, Zone-II has states like Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh, North East, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. In MNP Zone-I, the highest number of requests till date have been received in Rajasthan (about 33.59 million) followed by Maharashtra (about 30.01 million) service area while in MNP Zone-II, the highest number of requests till date have been received in Karnataka (about 39.18 million) followed by Tamilnadu (about 35.56 million), TRAI said. Haryana was the first in service area where was implemented in 2010 while the for the rest of the country it came to effect the following year. PewDiePie established a thin lead on T-Series by Tuesday morning. And along with it the Swedish gamer, Felix Kjellberg, released another video revealing his final move in the battle me versus T-Series. The last thing I have not mentioned in the battle me versus T-Series. My final move. I have revealed all my strengths so far: extremely handsome and good-looking, very big tongue. I can eat G-Fuel raw, Crab King, says the 29-year-old in a 10:34-minute video. But number five, listen to this: I am incredibly smart, reveals Pewds. My IQ has been measured 100 million 100. So don't even try and compete with me. Because I am just too smart. Thank you, he adds humorously. Let's review other very smart people on earth to intimidate T-Series, says the popular YouTuber. He goes on to read funny and sarcastic comments and tweets in the video. His jokingly seen saying Shut up, I am very smart throughout the video. Indian music and movie producing firm T-Series managed to race ahead of PewDiePie to become the number one YouTube channel in the world on Thursday. The battle between the two giants on YouTube has been going on for more than six months now. T-Series finally seems to have beat the Swedish content creator, who remained YouTube most subscribed channel for six years. PewDiePie with the help of fans came up with several ideas to stop T-Series from occupying the top spot some of which include hacking worldwide printers and Chromecasts, defacing Wall Street Journal website and historic monuments and so on. Several big YouTube names and prominent personalities also supported PewDiePie. New Delhi: Popular Indian music label T-series has managed to outshine Swedish Youtuber PewDiePie in the race to become the number one YouTube channel in the world. T-Series was over 10,422 subscribers ahead of PewDiePie at 20:45 IST. The margin is decent and if the number continues increasing, T-series would soon dethrone PewDiePie on Youtube. Earlier, appealing everyone to support his channel Bhushan Kumar had said, "There is an Indian YouTube channel on the brink of becoming World's No.1. It has taken us a lot of effort to come this far. To take my father Mr. Gulshan Kumar's dream forward, I started this channel. Today, it belongs to you, to the entire nation. It's a historic moment for all of us. So let's come together and subscribe to T-Series YouTube channel and make India proud." The battle between the two most popular channels on Youtube has been going on for more than six months now. T-Series finally seems to have outshined Swedish content creator, who remained the most subscribed channel on Youtube for six years. Bhushan Kumar led T-Series garnered huge support from some of the Bollywood A-listers like Varun Dhawan, Anil Kapoor, Tulsi Kumar, Armaan Malik, Mika Singh, Guru Randhawa, Aparshakti Khurana. The actors took to Twitter to urge their followers to support the Indian channel. T-Series is one of the leading music companies in India which was founded on March 13, 2006. London: A British Airways flight destined for Dusseldorf in Germany landed in the Scotish capital Edinburgh by mistake, after the flight paperwork was submitted incorrectly, a media report said on Monday. The passengers only realised the error when the plane landed and the "welcome to Edinburgh" announcement was made. The flight has now been redirected and landed in Dusseldorf, BA says. German firm WDL Aviation ran the flight for BA as part of a leasing deal, the BBC reported. BA said it was working with WDL to find out why it filed the wrong flight plan. "We have apologised to customers for this interruption to their journey and will be contacting them all individually," BA said in a statement. The airline declined to say how many passengers were affected by the mistake. BA say the pilot wasn't lost at any point, but because the paperwork said Edinburgh, air traffic control allowed the flight to take that route. The plane took off from London City Airport. Sophie Cooke, a 24-year-old management consultant, who travels from London To Dusseldorf each week for work, said when the pilot first made the announcement that the plane was about to land in Edinburgh everyone assumed it was a joke. She asked the cabin crew if they were joking. The pilot then asked passengers to raise their hands if they wanted to go to Dusseldorf. Everyone raised their hands. "The pilot said he had no idea how it had happened. He said it had never happened before and that the crew was trying to work out what we could do." Sophie said the plane sat on the tarmac at Edinburgh for two-and-a-half hours, before flying onto Dusseldorf. "It became very frustrating. The toilets were blocked and they ran out of snacks. It was also really stuffy," she said. Passengers complained about the error on Twitter, with one person called Son Tran saying it felt "like an honest mistake". BA responded saying it did not "currently have any information" as to why the flight had gone to the wrong place. The airline said its customer service team in Dusseldorf had met all the passengers on arrival and would follow up with them "in due course". Beijing: Customs officials in China have destroyed 30,000 world maps printed in the country for not mentioning Arunachal Pradesh and Taiwan as part of its territory, according to a media report. China claims the north-eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet. China routinely objects to Indian leaders visiting Arunachal Pradesh to highlight its stand. India says the state of Arunachal Pradesh is its integral and inalienable part and Indian leaders visit Arunachal Pradesh from time to time, as they visit other parts of the country. The two countries have so far held 21 rounds of talks to resolve the border dispute covering 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). China also claims the estranged island of Taiwan as its part. The maps were meant for export to an unspecified country, state-run Global Times reported on Tuesday. Almost 30,000 "incorrect" world maps, showing Taiwan as a separate country and wrong depiction of the Sino-Indian border, were destroyed by the customs authorities in Qingdao, it said. "What China did in the map market was absolutely legitimate and necessary, because sovereignty and territorial integrity are the most important things to a country. Both Taiwan and South Tibet are parts of China's territory which is sacred and inviolable based on the international law," Liu Wenzong, professor from the department of International Law of China Foreign Affairs University said. The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday ordered the Pakistani government to ensure the protection and take the custody of two minor Hindu girls who were reportedly abducted, forced to convert to Islam and were then married forcefully. The two girls - aged 15 and 13 - were reportedly abducted on the even of Holi and forced to convert to Islam. They were then reportedly married off to Muslim men. Pakistan's Geo News reported on Tuesday that the Islamabad High Court ordered the Pakistani government to ensure their protection. The court ordered the Pakistani government to take their custody and ensure their safety while also asking the Imran Khan to submit the report of an inquiry he had ordered by April 2. The entire incident has made international headlines with even India asking Pakistani authorities to ensure the safety of the two minor girls. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had even asked the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad to submit a report on the incident, prompting an angry reaction from Pakistani minister Fawad Chaudhry. To this, Sushma had pointed at him being 'guilty conscience.' Washington: The US Department of Defense shifted $1 billion to plan and build a 57-mile section of "pedestrian fencing", roads and lighting along the border between the United States and Mexico, the Pentagon chief said on Monday. Last week, the Pentagon gave Congress a list that included $12.8 billion of construction projects for which it said funds could be redirected for construction along the U.S.-Mexico border. US President Donald Trump declared a national emergency last month in a bid to fund his promised border wall without congressional approval. Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan said in a memo to Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen that the Department of Defense had the authority to support counter-narcotics activities near international boundaries. Shanahan authorized the U.S Army Corps of Engineers to begin planning and executing the project that would involve building 57 miles of 18-foot-high fencing, constructing and improving roads, and installing lighting within the Yuma and El Paso sections of the U.S.-Mexico border. New Delhi: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has said that the Hindu girls that were abducted in Pakistan's southern Sindh province should be immediately reunited with their family and since they are minors, they cannot decide if they can convert to another religion. In a tweet, EAM Sushma said, "Forced conversion of Hindu girls in Pakistan: The age of the girls is not disputed. Raveena is only 13 and Reena is 15 years old. Justice demands that both these girls should be restored to their family immediately." Taking a dig at Pakistan Prime Minister Imran khan, Sushma said, "Even the Prime Minister of Naya Pakistan will not believe that girls of this tender age can voluntarily decide about their conversion to another religion and marriage." EAM and Pakistan's information minister Fawad Chaudhry publically sparred with Sushma over her asking the Indian high commissioner in Islamabad to send a report on the abduction. It had drawn an angry response from the Pakistani minister. Responding to Pakistani minister's comment on the situation of minorities in India, Sushma had said, "I only asked for a report from Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad about the kidnapping and forced conversion of two minor Hindu girls to Islam. This was enough to make you jittery. This only shows your guilty conscience." On Sunday, New Delhi sent an official note to Pakistan Foreign Office over the abduction of the two girls in Sindh province, and shared its concern. Sources said that India called on the Pakistani government to "protect and promote safety, security and welfare of it's own citizens, especially the minority communities." Sindh in southern Pakistan has a higher percentage of Hindus than rest of Pakistan. Three districts of Mirpurkhas (33% Hindus), Tharparkar (36% Hindus) and Umerkot (49% Hindus) contribute to the significant Hindu community in Sindh and these are the districts where most forced conversion and marriages of underage Hindu girls in Pakistan have been reported. Welcome to Morningstar.co.uk! You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details. Hong Kong: Teaching force policy set The Education Bureau announced today the implementation details of the all-graduate teaching force policy in public sector primary and secondary schools. The initiative was proposed in the 2018 Policy Address and will be implemented in the 2019-20 school year. Under the policy, all teaching posts on the approved establishment of public sector schools will be graduate teacher posts. The new measure will incur an additional annual expenditure of around $1.5 billion. Schools may achieve full implementation of the policy in one go or in two years. They should allow all serving non-graduate teachers holding a local bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification to be regraded as graduate teachers. Newly joined regular teachers appointed from the 2019-20 school year onwards should possess a local bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification and satisfy all the entry requirements and standing conditions set out for graduate teachers in the Codes of Aid. Schools should encourage serving non-graduate teachers whose current qualifications cannot meet the requirement for regrading to attain the recognised qualifications as early as possible. For serving non-graduate teachers without a recognised degree, or those who choose not to be regraded as graduate teachers of their own accord, they may be accommodated in the current posts in their serving schools. This story has been published on: 2019-03-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (fifth from right) at the reception for German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier (Source: VNA) During a reception for Altmaier in Hanoi on March 25th, PM Phuc suggested that the German side strengthen investment cooperation with Vietnam, especially in infrastructure and energy development projects, as well as university-level education. The two sides need to focus on measures to promote the two-way trade turnover on the basis of their potential, he said, adding that Vietnam hopes Germany will officially sign and adopt the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). He thanked the German governments willingness to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam, while appreciating the cooperation between German states and Vietnamese localities alongside the European countrys loosening of legal conditions for receiving Vietnamese laborers to work in Germany. Altmaier, for his part, highlighted the potential for the two countries to expand their cooperation, adding that Germany wishes to enhance its friendship with Vietnam. He hoped the two sides will continue to work closely in order to speed up the progress of the Metro No.2 project in Ho Chi Minh city. Germany wants to develop artificial intelligence, digitalisation, and startups in Vietnam, he said, affirming that his country is willing to invite Vietnamese firms to join Germanys SME renovation program. Altmaier stressed that his country is ready to cooperate with Vietnam in renewable energy development and education and training. In his response, PM Phuc said the Vietnamese government is making every effort to accelerate the construction of Metro No.2, adding that the country is also promoting technology development amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He said that Germanys ODA-funded projects have made important contributions to Vietnams socio-economic development, expressing his hope that the German government will continue to provide ODA capital for Vietnam in the process. The Vietnamese leader said Altmaiers visit to Vietnam is an important event towards enhancing the relations between the two countries. Germany is now the largest trade partner of Vietnam in the European Union (EU) in particular and Europe in general, with their two-way trade recording impressive growth in recent years. Many German firms are now successfully operating in Vietnam./. This years show, formerly known as Boston Seafood Show, lured the participation of more than 1,000 exhibitors from over 50 countries and territories around the world. At the event, Vietnamese seafood companies such as Minh Phu, Hung Vuong, Nghi Son, and Seaprimexco tried to catch the consumption trend of customers, updated requirements on products and signed new contracts with foreign partners. Mr. David Cohen from Boca Sales Company said he hailed the quality of Vietnamese seafood, while stressing that since the company became a partner of importing seafood from Vietnam he has never received bad feedback on the quality. His company is negotiating to sign a contract to increase the volume of fish shipped from the market in 2019. While Mr. Dang Dinh Quy, head of Vietnam's Permanent Mission to the UN, said this year, together with the increasing demand of the US market and many free trade agreements in effect, Vietnams seafood sector will take driving forces to further develop. He said market share of Vietnamese companies is still small. Thus, they should cooperate with US producers and importers to create alliances in the production chain; ensuring benefits for Vietnamese producers and creating favorable conditions for the trade process between the two sides to continue. Ms. To Thi Tuong Lan, Deputy Secretary General of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, said the quality of Vietnamese seafood is being appraised at international markets, especially the US. With the world economy in general and the US economy in particular seeing strong prospects, Vietnam is expected to have opportunities to export not only two major commodities, fish and shrimp, but also many other processed products with high added value. In 2020, seafood consumption is forecast to increase 98.6 million tons at developing countries and 29.2 million tons at developed countries, while the supply only reaches 78.6 million tons. Aiming to catch this chance, with efforts to improve quality, the participation at the show will help promote the Vietnamese seafood brand./. By Lisa Soronen The Supreme Court heard oral argumentyet againin two cases arguing it should adopt a standard for when partisan gerrymandering is unconstitutional. Before argument, court watchers were focused on Chief Justice John Roberts, but during argument Justice Brett Kavanaugh stole the show. In the 1986 case Davis v. Bandemer, six Supreme Court Justices agreed that some amount of partisan gerrymandering is unconstitutional. But the Court has never laid out a test for making the determination. Most recently, last term, with Justice Anthony Kennedy still on the bench, the Supreme Court again failed to articulate a standard for unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering. The two cases before the court today came from North Carolina and Maryland favoring Republicans and Democrats, respectively. Now that the court has five solidly conservative members, many have speculated that these justices will rule that partisan gerrymandering claims raise non-justiciable political questions, effectively ending litigation over this question. In oral argument last term, Roberts, now the courts likely swing Justice, used the term sociological gobbledygook when expressing his skepticism about the court being able to agree to a satisfactory test. Today, as is typical, the chief asked questions of both side. For example, he questioned the merits of a test that assumes how people will vote based on past voting, noting how often predictions of how people will vote are wrong. On the other hand, he acknowledged that the Maryland gerrymander seems to be retaliation and noted that the Supreme Court has an established analysis to deal with First Amendment retaliation claims. Kavanaugh stole the show by suggestingrepeatedlythat proportional representation could be a requirement of the Equal Protection Clause. Everyone Kavanaugh asked agreed that proportional representation isnt currently required. For this reason those defending various tests went out of their way to argue that their test doesnt measure the deviation from proportional representation. At minimum, Kavanaughs notion that a lack of proportional representation could violate the constitution suggests that he thinks partisan gerrymandering claims are justiciable. The parties arguing that the plans in these cases constitute unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders, all offered different tests for assessing a redistricting plans constitutionality. Justice Stephen Breyer offered a test of his own that if one party casts the majority of votes but the other party wins two-thirds of the seats the plan is likely unconstitutional. While the other more liberal justices seemed sympathetic to the position that partisan gerrymander claims are justiciable none explicitly embraced Breyers test. Unsurprisingly, the attorney defending the North Carolina redistricting plan mentioned the authority of state legislatures to redistrict in his opening. Another widely discussed theme, most prominently by Justices Neal Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, was the possibility that partisan gerrymandering can be solved by some other bodystate courts or referendum, for example. The Supreme Court will issue an opinion in Rucho v. Common Cause and Benisek v. Lamone by the end of June. Lisa Soronen is executive director of the State and Local Legal Center and a regular contributor to the NCSL Blog on judicial issues. By Lisa Soronen Lee Boyd Malvo, a partner in the notorious D.C. Sniper case that involved 10 murders over the course of seven weeks in 2002, wants to have his sentence of life without parole reconsidered in a complicated Supreme Court case. In Miller v. Alabama (2014) the Supreme Court held that juvenile offenders convicted of homicide cant receive a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without parole. Instead, the sentencing court must consider how children are different from adults and only sentence the rare juvenile offender whose crime reflects irreparable corruption to such a punishment. In Montgomery v. Louisiana (2016) the Supreme Court held that Millers rule applies retroactively to juveniles convicted and sentenced before Miller was decided. The question in Malvo v. Mathena is whether Lee Boyd Malvo may have his sentences of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, which were issued before Miller, reconsidered under Miller, even though they werent mandatory. In 2002, Malvo was 17 years old when he and John Muhammad shot their victims from the trunk of a car. Malvo was convicted in 2013 of two counts of capital murder for his crimes in Fairfax County, Va. The jury choose life imprisonment without parole instead of the death penalty. Subsequently, Malvo pled guilty to capital murder in another Virginia jurisdiction and received two additional terms of life imprisonment without parole. Malvo seeks his sentences remanded for a determination of whether he is one of the rare juvenile offenders who may, consistent with the Eighth Amendment, be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole because his crimes reflect permanent incorrigibility. Randy Mathena, the chief warden of Virginias high-security Red Onion State Prison, where Malvo is jailed, objects to resentencing, arguing that Malvos sentences werent mandatory and that Millers new rule explicitly applies to mandatory life-withouBy t parole sentences. Mathena claims Malvos sentences werent mandatory because Virginia judges have the discretion to suspend capital sentences. Malvo responds that judges werent aware of their power to do so at the time. The Fourth Circuit agreed with Malvo that regardless of whether his sentence was mandatory, broad language in Montgomery indicates that Miller is not limited to mandatory life-without-parole sentences but also applies . . . to all life-without-parole sentences where the sentencing court did not resolve whether the juvenile offender was irretrievably corrupt or whether his crimes reflected his transient immaturity. Specifically, Montgomery states that Miller rendered life without parole an unconstitutional penalty for a class of defendants because of their statusthat is, juvenile offenders whose crimes reflect the transient immaturity of youth. The Fourth Circuit continued: To be sure, all the penalty schemes before the Supreme Court in both Miller and Montgomery were mandatory. Yet the Montgomery Court confirmed that, even though imposing a life-without-parole sentence on a juvenile homicide offender pursuant to a mandatory penalty scheme necessarily violates the Eighth Amendment as construed in Miller, a sentencing judge also violates Millers rule any time it imposes a discretionary life-without-parole sentence on a juvenile homicide offender without first concluding that the offenders crimes reflect permanent incorrigibility, as distinct from the transient immaturity of youth. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Online pharmacy Netmeds has acquired KiViHealth a clinic management platform that provides cloud-based, Artificial Intelligence-powered tools for effective doctor-patient interaction for $10 million in a cash-and-stock deal. On the acquisition, Pradeep Dadha, founder and CEO of Netmeds.com, said, We continue to develop a well-rounded healthcare ecosystem around Netmeds. The acquisition of KiViHealth is a shining example of an innovative, technology-powered, next-generation health care application that caters to the needs of a modern day doctor. With this acquisition, Netmeds.com adds to the portfolio of technology-driven solutions as it transforms the brand into a complete healthcare product and service company. The investment proposal comes at a time when online pharmacies are grappling with a court ban on their operations. In December, the Delhi and Madras high courts banned online pharmacies, citing lack of regulatory oversight. While the Madras high court has since stayed its order, the Delhi high court has upheld the ban till a final decision is taken. KiViHealth is built around its unique digital prescription pad tool that allows doctors to generate digital prescriptions.Creating a prescription digitally not only rules out the possibility of misinterpretation of the medication or dosage, but helps in electronic storage of health records. The AI-based prescription management technology helps doctors diagnose similar conditions in patients and helps healthcare stakeholders analyse trends that can be used as a predictive analysis tool. Online reach KiViHealth serves more than 3.7 million customers in more than 610 cities and towns through its e-pharmacy platform. It has an enrollment of over 3,100 hospitals and health centres MUDITA Girotra By Express News Service NEW DELHI: There are a number of concerns for students looking for accommodation in Delhi Universitys north campus. From the rocketing demand of college hostels, to increasing fees, high rents of PG accommodations and private residences, students often find themselves hard-pressed for a home. But for those from Haryana, it is much worse. Several male students from the state, who are studying in Delhi University, alleged that they have been placed on a blacklist by property dealers. In areas adjacent to the campus, such as Vijay Nagar, Mukherjee Nagar among others, students claimed to have often heard to the refrain: there is no space at all. A property dealer this publication spoke to, said landlords were not willing to rent out properties to students from Haryana as there was a fear of encroachment. In multiple incidents Haryana boys have occupied the flats, he said. Landlords have started to maintain distance with men from the region and we cant really help it, he explained.Ram Singh from Jhajjar, who has been studying in Delhi since 2012, said he was a victim of such alleged profiling. You cant deny that many people from UP and Bihar have been involved in similar incidents, he said. During my graduation, I stayed in my college hostel. When I took admission in a masters course, it became impossible to find a PG or an apartment (on the periphery of campus), he said, adding: Landlords dont directly deal with renters... they direct us to property dealers, who refuse to take the agreement forward the moment they get to know we are from Haryana. Like others, we came with great marks to get admission in good colleges but are still not treated equally, he stressed.However, Pawan Singh, a BSC student said the issue was not new. It has been happening for years. Either, you find someone to submit their ID or you offer to pay extra. It is frustrating. In Haryana, students come from everywhere and are treated equally but we face discrimination all the time, he lamented adding, It could perhaps be because of our language or past incidents. A student from Bahadurgarh said it was unfair that he had to suffer because of what other peoples actions. You say Haryana and they expect hooliganism. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Nearly 56 migrant labourers from Adilabad, Nirmal, Karimnagar and other districts were stranded in Saudi Arabia with no proper food and accommodation. The State NRI Department has sent a wireless message to the Indian embassy in Riyadh and urged it to arrange for their repatriation. The 56 labourers were working for Jouannaou and Paraskevaides Limited Company, which was facing financial problems. In the message, the State government said, subsequently the J&P Company is facing a serious problem. The company is not paying salaries to the 56 Telangana immigrants for the last six months and not extending their Iqama status. Iqama is used to manage foreign hires in Saudi Arabia. It is essentially a residence permit issued to expatriates who live there on employment visa. For a non-Saudi to work, the candidate requires a local sponsor. The local sponsor in turn applies for the Iqama. Now their Iqama has expired and they are facing a lot of problems. With no proper food and accommodation, they are staying in shelters. Individuals and their family members have requested the assistance of the government to take up the issue, the message said adding that the issue of pending salaries have to solved. If it is not possible to issue exit passes then repatriate the 56 persons to India, the State government said urging the Ministry of External Affairs to pursue the matter with the Indian embassy in Riyadh. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Malavath Poorna, the youngest girl to summit Mount Everest when she was just 13 years old, has added another feather in her cap. Now at 18, she has scaled another major peak the Cartensz Pyramid which stands at a height of 4884m in Indonesia. As part of her 7-Summits Challenge, which is about scaling the seven tallest mountains, one in each continent, Poorna has scaled five peaks with her latest addition. Now, Poorna is just two peaks away from achieving her goal. Malavath Poorna scales the Cartensz Pyramid, which stands at a height of 4,884 m in Indonesia | Express But scaling Cartensz Pyramid had a different set of challenges when compared to Himalayan and other ice-capped peaks. This peak is located in dense jungles of Indonesia and getting to the base camp is a big challenge. After reaching the base camp, a lot of rock-climbing skills are needed to get to the summit. In order to train for this climb, the teenager trained at Rock Climbing School, Bhongir, (RCSB), under the guidance of chief instructor Parmesh Kumar Singh. She trained specifically in the techniques that would be required in not only climbing, but also descending from this peak in Indonesia. After her intense training and preparation for the climb, Poorna left Hyderabad for Indonesia on March 17. It was very windy but I had maintained my composure throughout. I reached the summit in the early hours of March 22. It was a very satisfying climb. My entire team and I had a safe summit and have now descended back to the base camp. We will reach Hyderabad on March 27, she said over phone. Poorna is currently pursuing her under graduation in the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS) for Women, in Tadwai, Kamareddy. RS Praveen Kumar, secretary, TSWREIS, lauding Poornas feat said, We always believed that she has the spark within and no mountain is too high for her. I hope she continues to be successful in her future expeditions, he said. Princy Alexander By Express News Service KOCHI: Election campaigning is in full gear in the city. While Kochiites have plunged into the poll mood whole-heartedly, they are equally vocal about their demands and priorities. Traffic congestion, waste woes, infrastructure development caught in red-tape and depleting open spaces figure in the city's list of concerns."Kochi is very unplanned. Though its growth has been tremendous in the last few years, we have been unable to address some very key issues. For example, a number of flyovers and ROB's have been built to alleviate the traffic. However, even today, traffic congestion continues to haunt Kochiites. This is probably because authorities have failed to address parallel projects in a timely manner such as road widening and junction development. This is especially evident in the case of Palarivattom, AL Jacob ROBs among others," said Dileepkumar KS, secretary, TD Roads Citizens Welfare Association. According to him, parking woes continue to plague the city. "In the past, MG Road was the city's prime location. Not anymore. Today, Kaloor-Kathrikadavu and Kadavanthara are turning into commercial hotspots with a slew of investments in the area. However, our vision in alleviating parking woes in the city limits is extremely limited. In the future, if this is not addressed, we would have a number of shops which fails to lure in customers because of parking issues," he said. FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE While Kochi reels under transportation woes, the waste policies need to change, said Kabeer Harun, former MD of Clean Kerala Company. "For a city like Kochi, decentralisation procedures would have been ideal. However, we have adopted the centralised procedures at Brahmapuram Plant owing to several limitations. However, it is not being used to its full potential. Though food waste is being treated to a large extent, plastic continues to mount at the Plant making it impossible to be treated. Willpower is required to solve the waste crisis in the city," said Kabeer. He said politicians should immediately focus on making the waste-to-energy plant a reality. "The project was inaugurated in 2014. However, five years down the line, we still are yet to receive an environmental clearance. The plant is effective in treating plastic in a mechanised manner, without the use of manual labour which is why this is the perfect solution," he said. Kochiites are also demanding to solve the railway woes at the earliest. "We have huge potential in the railway sector. Though parliamentarians have focused on railway projects, such as the revival of the Cochin Harbour Terminus, they have not been able to maintain it. We had golden opportunities to develop the Old Railway Station but it continues to remain stagnant. We need politicians who can address the woes of the railway commuters," said Anilkumar CD, secretary, Karikkamuri Residents' Association. Express Features By KOCHI: Artist Arunkumar HG goes by nuggets of rustic wisdom he could gather during childhood in a verdant belt to map the complex relationship between various ecological issues. His work at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale throws light on wasteful urban industrial mode of thinking and on how it impacts his life today as a city-dweller.At the sea-facing Aspinwall House of the 108-day festival concluding this week, the work explores the high stakes of urbanism. Titled Con-struction I and Con-struction II, the series on display represents present-day urban generation caught between contradictory landscapes. The resultant tension is what the artist addresses through his practice. Arunkumar studied art from Barodas famed MS University and went on to work in an industrial firm in the National Capital Region. Even so, he regularly practises art. This routine has put me into a situation where I address the relationship between these two ends, says the 50-year-old from central Karnatakas scenic Shimoga district. Arunkumar recycles industrial waste to reclaim it and rework on. He especially uses packaging wood from scrapyards, to not only come out with comments on environmental issues but indicate a rebirth for the material. Con-struction I and Con-struction II stress on the prefix con to point to the deception in the developmental model, shares the artist, who, as an extension of his ecology-based practice, recently set up a Centre for Knowledge and Environment back in his native land. Set up under the organisation SARA (Sustainable Alternatives for Rural Accord) in his hometown of Dombekoppa, it seeks to share and learn from local and global discourses on sustainable living. His large and hollow anthropomorphic figures represent how urbanisation is completely taking over mankind and how people are getting used to a concrete-jungle life. Con-struction II exemplifies the idea of encroachment through the creation of a writhing figure, defencelessly sheathed in a pillory of concrete. He uses branches of felled peepal and neem trees found at a Delhi Metro rail construction site to show the concrete human figures arterial networks. The idea is to bring in the connection between nature and us human beings. And, how everything is turning concrete, he says. Through my works that employ real-use materials, I try to deal with the complex relationship of industry, urbanisation and its effects on ecology and people. Arunkumar is also showcasing a series of photographs titled Vulnerable Guardians. Therein, his lens captures small-scale farmers who were affected by the current agrarian crisis largely owing to genetic modification of seeds and monopoly farming. The series showcases how these farmers are forced to migrate to cities and find odd jobs, often as security guards, to support the families they have left behind in the village, he notes. These digitally printed portraits on reclaimed wood position them as imperilled, lost guardians of ecology. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (Source: Xinhua/VNA) Speaking at a university graduation ceremony in Phnom Penh, Hun Sen stressed that this is required by the UN and that Cambodia must contribute to peacekeeping operations as well as protect its forces. Cambodia first sent its troops abroad in 2006. The Southeast Asian nation has contributed a total of 5,785 soldiers to UN peacekeeping missions in eight countries, namely Sudan, South Sudan, Chad, the Central African Republic, Lebanon, Mali, Syria, and Cyprus. In Mali alone, Cambodia has sent 309 troops to join the UN peacekeeping mission since 2014. In 2017, four Cambodian peacekeepers in the Central African Republic were killed by a rebel group during a convoy attack near Bangassou city./. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former Nepal Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal called upon Indians to visit and its businesses to invest in the tourism sector of Nepal especially in the water cruise industry at a Meet the Press programme organised by the Thiruvananthapuram press club here on Tuesday. Terming it as an historic opportunity, the former Nepal PM said: Nepal is a beautiful country and the Nepalese government is promoting the country to make it a major tourist destination. Jhala Nath Khanal said the Nepal government will celebrate the year 2020 as the Tourism Year in Nepal. The people of Nepal have friendly relations with both India and China that are the emerging super powers in the world, he said. The senior leader of the Communist Party of Nepal, Khanal said socialism is the future of the world and added one of the main goals in the Nepali constitution is to strive to achieve socialism. The senior leader said the people of Nepal had over thrown monarchy and had opted for peoples government. When asked on the future of Communist parties in India, the senior leader said the Communist parties have a bright future everywhere in the world and said the party will come back in India in due course. When asked on certain groups calling for reverting to the Hindu Rashtra concept in Nepal, the former Prime Minister agreed that certain groups and people were for the Hindu Rashtra and said that those calling for that is a minority in the country. The former Prime Minister said the country is a secular country and added that the State is above everything in Nepal. Khanal to a question on what the outcome of the Indian general elections will be, said The people of India are the best judges to decide on their rulers and the people of India have the maturity and political knowledge to get their leaders elected. Murali Krishna CH By Express News Service Arka Mediaworks, which produced Indias biggest blockbuster franchise, Baahubali, has sent a legal notice to its Tamil Nadu distributor, SN Rajarajan of K Productions, for not clearing a portion of the dues per contract. In the notice seeking payment of the amount due, the producers have sought the court to attach bank accounts of K Productions for gross contempt. Speaking to Cinema Express, Arkas advocate, Pujitha Gorantla says, Rajarajan had acquired the theatrical rights of Baahubali: The Conclusion, which was released on April 28, 2017, for the entire Tamil Nadu and is yet to pay Rs 17.60 crore of the contract amount to my client (Arka Mediaworks). He issued a cheque of the same amount for repayment of dues in August 2018, but it was returned with a funds insufficient remark by the bank. Following the courts final order in February, my client has been trying to reach him, but there has been no response. Rajarajan failed to honour the contract and didnt comply with the court directive. Hence, my client has initiated criminal prosecution against him and sought for attachment of the bank accounts belonging to his distribution house. Pujitha adds that Arka is seeking directions from the court to prevent Rajarajan from releasing his upcoming films without paying their dues. We have learnt that Rajarajan is planning to release a film each featuring Dhanush and Vijay Sethupathi. We request the City Civil Court to stop him from releasing those films as the cheque bounce case is pending adjudication, she claims. By Online Desk NYAY, the Nyuntam Aay Yojana, will be a surgical strike on poverty, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday. Gandhi had on Monday promised to implement the NYAY scheme offering Rs 6000 a year to India's poorest families if his party came back to power. He claimed the scheme will benefit 25 crore poor in the country "In the 21st century, India will define a 'minimum income line' and no one should live below this line. With this intention, we came up with NYAY. It will be a 'surgical strike' against poverty in the country. If the Narendra Modi government can give money to the rich, we can do it for the poor. 20 per cent of the poorest families of the country will be entitled to up to Rs 72,000 per year," he said at a rally in Sriganganagar, Rajasthan. 'We will eradicate poverty in the country. This is a dhamaka. No country has done this in history. There should not be a single poor person in the country,' he claimed. Slamming the BJP for its anti-poor approach, the Congress President said that they wanted to "destroy the poor", while his party wants to "destroy poverty". "I guarantee you that through NYAY scheme, I will bring justice to the poor and give them their due. I will make sure that every poor family has the money in the bank account. BJP wants to destroy the poor, Congress wants to destroy poverty," he underlined. Rahul on Monday had described NYAY as the first-of-its-kind policy in the world, whose phased implementation will cap the "final assault on poverty". FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE He went on to blame the Prime Minister for not fulfilling the promises made during the 2014 elections, "In the last 5 years, Narendra Modi has opposed and weakened all the schemes that helped the poor. He referred to MNREGA as 'digging pits'. He doesn't understand that these pro-poor schemes lifted 14 crore people out of poverty," he claimed. "Those who were lifted out of poverty during the tenure of Congress government, have been made poor again by the Modi government. This happened due to demonetisation and the 'Gabbar Singh Tax'. Unemployment is at a 45-year high. The Modi government has increased the unemployment rate," he said. Rahul did not spare demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST) either. "Narendra Modi had stated that he will fight against black money. All of us were there standing in queues outside the banks. But where were those who had accumulated black money? Were Nirav Modi, Anil Ambani, Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya standing in queues? BJP took all of your money, turned it into white and gave it to these people, who fled the country," he said. "The small and medium businesses still do not know what is the GST structure about. Narendra Modi said one-tax system, but five-tax system came," he said. The Congress President promised that if he became the PM, he would simplify GST. By PTI NEW DELHI: With the intention of weeding out defective petitions clogging the apex court registry, the Supreme Court Tuesday warned that it will dismiss 729 such pleas as the court was "unnecessarily burdened" with them. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said some of these 729 petitions have been lying in defect in the registry since 2010 and the petitioners have not cured the defects despite being repeatedly told by the registry. The bench, also comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, gave one last opportunity to the parties to cure the defects in their petitions within two weeks and said that their failure to do so will result in dismissal of their petitions. "The Supreme Court is unnecessarily burdened with this. We will get rid of these petitions," the bench said. "Some of these petitions are in defect since 2010. Nine years have gone by but the defects have not been cured," the court observed. When one of the advocates said they be given four weeks time to cure the defects, the bench said it would dismiss the petitions if the defects were not cured within two weeks from Tuesday. By ANI NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy on Monday wrote a letter to the ECI urging it to improve printing quality of its 'corn and sickle' symbol. A statement by the party, said, "Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy has written a letter to chief election commissioner to improve the quality of printing of its election symbol 'Corn & Sickle' as it's been in use since 1952." The statement further claimed that the CPI is the only party which has contested all election since independence on the same symbol. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE "The election commission was continuing to use the same hand drawn image since 1952 and Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy requested that it be replaced with the digitally drawn image of the same 'Corn & Sickle' symbol." The statement also added that Reddy has adviced the commission to use new printing technology so that symbols appear more photorealistic and easier to recognise. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: In an order which would have far-reaching implications in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Supreme Court on Monday directed the Tamil Nadu government to ensure that public places, including hilly areas, are not defaced by slogans and advertisements by political parties. The bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi expressed dissatisfaction over the reply filed by the state government and said it has not acted in a responsible manner and directed authorities to ensure that political parties do not disfigure such public places by pasting photographs of leaders and by writing slogans. Senior advocate V Giri, appearing for the state government told the bench that a committee has been constituted by the Madras High Court and before it the PIL petitioner, a charitable trust In Defence of Environment and Animals, can put forth its grievances. The apex court had on January 11 issued notice to the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government on the plea seeking to restrain political parties from erecting digital banners on roadside across the state. The plea sought preventing encroachments via religious symbols and political graffiti, advertisements by private parties on natural resources like mountains, hills, hillocks, avenue trees and on national and state highways. Ramananda Sengupta By Express News Service NEW DELHI: A team from the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering arrived in Pakistan Monday to discuss progress of the 27 targets set out by the Financial Action Task Force, which monitors terror-funding and money laundering. The APG is an FATF affiliate, and its report will influence the FATFs decision on whether Pakistan remains on its grey list or moved to the black list, which would make it difficult for Islamabad to receive foreign financial aid or investments. In February, the FATF had decided to keep Pakistan on its grey list, noting that while it had revised its terror financing risk assessment, it did not demonstrate a proper understanding of the terror financing risks posed by Islamic State group, AQ (Al Qaeda), JuD, FiF, LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba), JeM, HQN (Haqqani network), and persons affiliated with the Taliban, and urged it to swiftly complete its action plan, particularly those with timelines of May 2019, when they would be reviewed. Following the Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammads suicide attack on a CRPF convoy on February 14, India had vowed to exert economic, political and international diplomatic pressure on Pakistan until it took tangible, verifiable, and long-term action against terrorists and their proxies on its soil. As part of this, New Delhi would map Pakistans actions on the FATF blueprint line by line to ensure that it did not get away with temporary measures like it has done several times before, senior sources said. Pakistan used that threat to demand that the APG joint group remove its co-chair, Indias Financial Intelligence Units (FIU) director general Pankaj Mishra, to ensure a fair, unbiased and objective assessment According to report in the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, the APG assessment team would meet officials from the State Bank of Pakistan, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, Election Commission of Pakistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, National Counter Terrorism Authority, law enforcement agencies and counter terrorism departments. If the APG team, which will be in Islamabad till Thursday, is satisfied that Pakistan has complied with the Financial Action Task Force demands, it will ask for it to be moved from the Grey list. If not, Pakistan will be moved to the black list by September. Pakistans plea Pakistan has written to FATF chief to appoint any other member as co-chair of the Asia-Pacifics Joint Group, in place of India, to ensure that the FATF review process is fair, unbiased and objective By PTI JAIPUR: Former BJP leader Ghanshyam Tiwari is likely to join the Congress in Jaipur on Tuesday, party sources said. They said Tiwari will join the Congress in the presence of its president Rahul Gandhi, who is scheduled to meet party workers in Jaipur's Ramlila Maidan on Tuesday evening. In 2017, Tiwari had opened a front against BJP leader and then chief minister Vasundhara Raje and resigned from the party in June 2018. He had openly criticised and accused Raje of corruption and made several complaints against her to the party high command. He alleged that he was not heard in the party. Tiwari had floated Bharat Vahini Party ahead of the Rajasthan Assembly elections in 2018. He contested the election from Sanganer seat from where he not only lost but also got his security forfeited. Richa Sharma By Express News Service Firebrand BJP leader Uma Bharti says LK Advani not contesting does not affect his stature and that itll be good to have party chief Amit Shah in Lok Sabha. She told Richa Sharma in an interview that her withdrawal from poll battle shouldnt be taken as her retirement. How do you see L K Advani not contesting? He hasnt contested elections a few times in the past also. In 1995, at the partys national executive in Mumbai, he announced Ataljis (AB Vajpayee) candidature for prime minister, when he was himself a contender. Contesting or not contesting doesnt affect his stature, but why this decision was taken, I dont know. Amit Shah is contesting from this seat and it is a very safe seat. FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE Whats the reason for your decision not to contest? I will not fight elections this time, but I am not retiring. I will be back and have told the party that would want to contest in 2024. I am 59 and still have 15-20 years of political career left. After the election campaign is over, I would travel along the Ganga for next one-and-a-half years. I wanted to quit in 2016 but was asked by Amit Shahji to stay in the Cabinet. I am thankful that the party agreed to accept my request .I am not attached to anything but the Ganga. ALSO READ: It is for LK Advani to clear the 'mist', says Uma Bharti What will be your plan for Ganga cleaning? When I was holding the portfolio of Ganga ministry, I ordered all administrative work and my successor Nitin Gadkariji carried them forward. Now, projects related to treatment of sewage and industrial effluents have been sanctioned. Half the work is done and the rest related to spreading awareness among people needs to be focused on. Any other plans? Top priority on my list is to shed 30 kg weight as stress and work has taken a toll on my health of late in recent years. What will be the impact of SP-BSP alliance in UP? BSP-SP voters dont enjoy an amicable relationship; why would BSP followers vote for SP? They are committing a mistake and this will benefit the BJP. By Express News Service CHENNAI: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched a special programme for schoolchildren called Young Scientist Programme or YUva VIgyani KAryakram (YUVIKA) from this year, in tune with the government's vision "Jai Vigyan, Jai Anusandhan". The program is primarily aimed at imparting basic knowledge on space technology, space science and space applications to the younger ones with the intent of arousing their interest in the emerging areas of space activities. The programme will be of two weeks duration during summer holidays (second half of May 2019) and the schedule will include invited talks, experience sharing by the eminent scientists, facility and lab visits, exclusive sessions for discussions with experts, practical and feedback sessions, an ISRO release said. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE It is proposed to select three students each from each State/ Union Territory to participate in this programme covering CBSE, ICSE and State syllabus. There are a few seats left for the programme and it is proposed to select through online registration. Those who have just completed 9th standard (in the academic year 2018-19) and are waiting to join 10th Std (or have just promoted to 10th Std) will be eligible for the online registration. The selection is based on the 8th Standard academic performance and extracurricular activities. Students belonging to the rural area have been given special weightage in the selection criteria. A few seats are left for the programme and the interested students can register online with the link given in the ISRO official website between March 25 to April 3. The list of the provisionally selected candidates from each state will be announced on April 6. The programme is planned at four centres of ISRO and the selected students will be accommodated in ISRO guesthouses/hostels. Expenditure towards the travel, course material, lodging and boarding etc., during the entire course, will be borne by ISRO. U.S. President Donald Trump (L) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, March 25, 2019. Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, territory that Israel seized from Syria in 1967. (Xinhua/Ting Shen) WASHINGTON, March 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, territory that Israel seized from Syria in 1967. The proclamation said that it is "appropriate to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights" because of the security need of Israel. "This was a long time in the making," Trump said before signing the decree at the White House with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu standing alongside. Netanyahu welcomed Trump's move and called the recognition "historic." Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in a war in 1967 and annexed it in the 1980s, but the international community has never recognized the move. [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] Rajesh Asnani By Express News Service JAIPUR: Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh unwittingly created a political controversy when he, despite being the constitutional head of state, endorsed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the next five-year term at the Centre at a recent meeting in UP. The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister had been on a sojourn to Aligarh and while addressing a gathering said, The next Prime Minister should be Narendra Modi only. It went viral on social media soon after.We are all workers of the BJP and we would want that the party wins the polls. We also want that Narendra Modi becomes the PM again. This is important for the... country. We are workers of the party and respect all the decisions, Kalyan said. The March 23 statement filtered into Rajasthan and turned ready ammunition for the ruling Congress party with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot reminding him of his Constitutional obligations. Personally, we have utmost respect for Shri Kalyan Singh ji, he is not only Governor of our state but is very senior leader too. I have learnt, he has made political statements that we all are BJP workers, supporting Shri Narendra Modi for his re-election as PM. The post of Governor is a constitutional post and in democracy, it is expected from Governors to be non partisan and maintain distance from party politics. It is really unfortunate that Sh. Singh has made such statements which do not suit the dignity of the post he is holding, Gehlot said in a tweet. By PTI HYDERABAD: Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily said Tuesday opposition parties may not have come together to fight the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections in all states but would join hands post-poll to form a government. The former union minister said he was not at all disappointed that the opposition alliance to take on the BJP has not materialised in some states. FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE "Idea-wise, spirit-wise, they (opposition parties) are all united against (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi. Common agenda is: he (Modi) should go", Moily said and claimed the opposition would form a government. Congress has a strong presence in many states, where the party has no option but to fight other parties which are also opposed to the BJP, according to him. He cited the political landscape in Kerala, where the Congress-led UDF and CPI-M-anchored LDF are in a direct fight, as an example to drive home his point. "In Kerala, it's UDF versus LDF, there is no BJP at all. BJP's presence is totally negligible. There, we have to fight against each other. We cannot make an alliance with LDF", Moily said. On the issue of the opposition alliance, the former Karnataka Chief Minister argued that each and every State has to be "analysed" on its own merit and one can't generalise. "There will be pre-poll alliance in some States, post-poll alliance in some other States. Such arragement is not opposed to the principle of opposition unity", he claimed. "Common objective is to defeat BJP everywhere. There cannot be hard and fast rule in every State. It differs from State to State", Moily said. Asked if the Left parties would join hands with the Congress after the elections, he said: "That will inevitably happen, when fighting against the BJP". On the minimum income guarantee scheme announced by the Congress President Rahul Gandhi yesterday, Moily said it's a "great way forward" towards lifting the poor out of poverty. Asked if this announcement would pay rich electoral dividends to the Congress in the polls, he said: "Definitely. Manifesto is always taken by the people seriously. Since it's targetted at the poorest of the poor, they look forward with lot of expectations. It's not an election stunt". By ANI JAIPUR: Police arrested a person who worked on the direction of Pakistan's intelligence agency, the Director General Police Intelligence Umesh Mishra said on Monday. "Muhammed Parvez has been arrested and presented him before the city magistrate from where he has been sent to four days police remand," he said. Mishra further said, "In the initial inquiry, it has been found that accused Muhammed Parvez was connected with his handler in Pakistan. He has visited Pakistan 17 times in 18 years." "He also cheated people by taking their passports, photos, and money to get them visa of Pakistan from the embassy in New Delhi. He used these documents to get SIM cards," he said. Earlier, NIA had arrested him for anti-national activities. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Hindi movie PM Narendra Modi, reportedly based on the life of the Prime Minister, has generated a lot of controversies even before its release scheduled early next month. After Opposition parties approached the Election Commission, a group of retired bureaucrats have also requested the poll panel to delay the release of the biopic. Opposition parties have termed the release of the film a violation of the Model Code of Conduct and said it will influence voters. A separate delegation of Left leaders, including CPIs D Raja and CPI(M) leader Nilotpal Basu, made a representation to the Election Commission. Now, a group of retired bureaucrats have also written to the EC urging the Commission to stall the release of the film till May 23, when the results of the Lok Sabha elections will be declared. They too contended that the release would be a violation of the MCC. You will appreciate that such a film would create enormous electoral mileage for the Prime Minister and the party in power, the letter said. ALSO READ | EC notice to makers of PM Narendra Modi's biopic The EC has said that it is looking into the matter and action would be taken accordingly. Earlier, Delhi election office had issued notices to the production house and music company behind the film. Officials said the broad position is that any political advertisement circulated on electronic media or social media has to be pre-certified by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee. If any pre-certified political or surrogate advertisement is circulated, it is a violation of model code of conduct. Whosever has done, it is given an opportunity to explain their stand, said an official. Row over remark The EC has reportedly sought the transcript of a statement made by NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar to examine whether it violated the MCC. After Rahul Gandhi promised minimum income guarantee, Kumar accused the Congress of saying and doing anything to win elections. Twitter users hit out at him. By PTI AHMEDABAD: Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath Tuesday criticised the previous UPA government over its way to tackle terrorism and asked Congress president Rahul Gandhi what was his "relation with Ishrat Jahan", who was killed in an alleged fake encounter by the Gujarat Police in 2004. Addressing a huge rally in Ghatlodiya area under the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, he also alleged that Gandhi had told the US ambassador that people of India are a "bigger threat" to the country than Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group. "What is your relation with Ishrat Jahan, a terrorist? When Rahul Gandhi met the US ambassador, he told him that the people of India, and not Jaish-e-Mohammad, are a bigger threat to our country," alleged Adityanath. Attacking Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, he said, "They (Rahul and Priyanka) go to temples only during elections. They do not have time to visit holy sites if elections are not around." "When they learned that over 24 crore people took part in Kumbh mela (held in Prayagraj recently), the new generation (of the Congress) also dropped by," he said. Adityanath was apparently referring to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's recently concluded Ganga Yatra from Prayagraj to Varanasi during which she visited several temples. He said Gujarat had first exposed Rahul Gandhi when he had visited the Somnath temple in 2017. "During that visit, a temple priest asked Rahul to sit properly, as his sitting posture resembled someone offering Namaz," the UP chief minister said. Referring to Priyanka Gandhi upcoming visit to Ayodhya, the BJP leader alleged that Congress leaders who do not believe in the existence of Lord Ram are now talking about visiting his birthplace. "Some new Congress leaders (Priyanka) are planning to visit Ayodhya. When the supreme court was hearing the case of Ram Setu, the past Congress government had told the court that Lord Ram never existed. Now, people who do not even believe in the existence of Lord Ram are talking about visiting Ayodhya," he said. He also attacked the Congress over its promise to roll out the minimum income guarantee scheme for the poor, if voted back to power. "Rahul Gandhi now says that his party will eradicate poverty from the country. Congress should first answer why they could not do so while being in power for 55 years. Congress can only increase poverty by making false promises," he said. Adityanath said unlike Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Opposition leaders lacked compassion for the poor. "When your (Rahul Gandhi's) 'abba jaan' was PM, he used to say that out of Rs 100 sent by the Centre, only Rs 10 reaches the poor. That was Rajiv Gandhi's pain. But, nothing was done to correct that situation. We brought in technology to tackle that issue. Now the entire sum of Rs 100 reaches the poor," he said. Adityanath praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the 2016 cross-border surgical strikes and the Balakot air strike, which was conducted in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack. "Terrorism and anarchy was widespread before 2014. Many terror attacks took place during the UPA rule. China used to transgress into Indian territory. Pakistan was beheading our soldiers. But when people asked that party to respond, they used to say that we will think about it, we might do it. But nothing happened," he said. Adityanath said armed forced had actually carried out two surgical strikes---"one on separatists in the North East region and another in PoK after Uri attack". He alleged that Congress leaders use abusive language for PM Modi while at the same time they show their respect for terrorists by suffixing "jee" to their names. By Express News Service RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: The Brahmin community in East Godavari will support YSR Congress in the coming elections as the party chief has allotted four Assembly seats to candidates from the Brahmin community, said State head of Brahmin Seva Sangam Jwalapurapa Srikanth. Addressing the media here on Monday, Srikanth said his group had been meeting political parties seeking opportunities for more Bramhin candidates in the polls. It was only Jagan Mohan Reddy who took our requests seriously which is why we will support him. Stating that the TDP had deceived the community, he alleged the present government had promised the Brahmin Corporation Rs 500 crore, but gave only Rs 240 crore, of which Rs 60 crore was misused. Jagan has assured Rs 1,000 crore allotment to the Brahmin community, he said, and urged others to support YSRC candidates. Another Brahmin leader Yamijala Narasimha Murthy, who was also present, said the Brahmin Corporation functioned well as long as IYR Krishna Rao was its chairperson S Viswanath By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: With days nearing for the elections, the TDP has decided to rope in the services of the anti-BJP party leaders for electioneering in the State. Sources said that the TDP, which received the consent of the national leaders for electioneering in the State, is preparing their tour schedule taking into consideration the areas and voters where their appeal may work in favour of the ruling party. For instance, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, who reached Vijayawada on Monday night, will call on the TDP supremo at his residence on Tuesday morning and leave for campaigning along with Naidu after breakfast.The areas selected for campaigning with Abdullah are Kadapa, Allagadda, Nandyal and Kurnool, where the presence of Muslim voters is more. FOLLOW OUR FULL ELECTION COVERAGE HERE Apart from Abdullah, several leaders including Delhi and West Bengal Chief Ministers Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, DMK president MK Stalin and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav are likely to campaign for the TDP in the coming days. The TDP is planning to arrange the tour schedule of Kejriwal in Visakhapatnam and other cities to attract young voters. Kejriwal has emerged as crusader of anti-corruption movement and he has taken up relentless fight against the BJP-led government at the Centre on various issues. We are sure his visit will help the TDP, a source of the TDP said. As several constituencies in Chittoor have predominant population of Tamilians, the TDP is planning to rope in DMK leader Stalin in such areas and HD Deve Gowda in the areas bordering with Karnataka. Congress national level leaders will stay away from the meetings as the party is going it alone in the State. Though Naidu had earlier held discussions with BSP supremo Mayawati, the party is unlikely to share dias with Naidu as it has entered into electoral pact with the Jana Sena Party in the State. By Express News Service KEONJHAR: Days ahead of the first phase elections in the State, murder of a former MLA candidate, who was about to join BJD on Tuesday, rocked Keonjar district. Former chairman of Anandpur block and independent MLA candidate in the 2014 assembly election from Ghasipura Ramachandra Behera was hacked to death by a group of miscreants at Dhakotha village on Monday late night. Sources said, more than 10 miscreants arrived at the residence of Behera at about 10.30 pm and asked him to open the door. They attacked him with sharp weapons after he opened the door. A critically injured Behera was rushed to nearby Anandpur hospital. He, however, succumbed to his injuries on the way to SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE A former supporter of independent MLA from Champua Sanatan Mahukud, Behera had a strong political background in Ghasipura. He was supposed to join BJD along with his supporters on Tuesday. After his death news spread in the locality, hundreds of irate locals blocked the National Highway No. 20 near Dhakotha for over four hours demanding immediate arrest of the accused persons. The blockade was withdrawn after Ghasipura police arrested four people in this connection. The accused Sanjib Prusty, Ajit Prusty, Dologobinda Boitai and Pramod Das are being interrogated. While the reasons behind the murder are yet to be ascertained, locals alleged that it was a fallout of old political rivalry. Meanwhile, suspecting the hands of School and Mass Education Minister Badri Narayan Dhal, who is a local BJD leader, behind the murder, BJP candidate from Ghasipura Prithwiraj Kuanar has demanded an independent enquiry into the incident. When contacted, Patra rubbished the allegations and said the BJP was trying to tarnish his image by falsely implicating him in the murder. Daring to face any enquiry he said he had no enmity with Behera and he was to join the BJD. By PTI CANBERRA: Australia's Prime Minister on Tuesday expressed concern over a media report that an influential minor political party had asked the U.S. gun lobby for donations to help undermine Australian gun laws. An Al Jazeera documentary showed One Nation party officials Steve Dickson and James Ashby flew to the United States for meetings with the National Rifle Association and other pro-gun interests in September last year weeks before the Australian Parliament banned foreign political donations. It is unclear whether they secured any money. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his government had made laws to "criminalize taking foreign political donations so foreign lobbyists cannot seek to influence our politics." "Reports that senior One Nation officials courted foreign political donations from the US gun lobby to influence our elections & undermine our gun laws that keep us safe are deeply concerning," Morrison tweeted. The Al Jazeera documentary, using secret recordings made by a journalist posing as gun lobbyist Rodger Muller with a hidden camera, comes ahead of elections expected in May. One Nation, an anti-Muslim party that had four senators after 2016 election but has been left with two after defections, said in a statement that all party members "have always complied with the law." One Nation also suggested the Qatar-owned Al Jazeera had breached new laws that prohibit covert foreign interference in Australian politics. The party said it had had complained to Australia's main domestic security agency and police "due to concerns of foreign interference into Australian politics in the lead up to the imminent federal election." "Al Jazeera are a state owned propaganda arm of the Qatari government that supports Islamic extremist groups and are not a legitimate media organization," the statement said. "One Nation was invited by Rodger Muller, who has now been outed as a foreign agent working for Al Jazeera to meet with the NRA, American business leaders and attend the Congressional Sportsmen's Dinner" in Washington, the statement said. The NRA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Ashby, who is party leader Pauline Hanson's chief of staff, is recorded saying that the party would "own" both the Australian Senate and House of Representatives with a $20 million donation from the U.S.gun lobby. This means the party would hold the balance of power in both chambers and influence a government's legislative agenda. By PTI CORPUS CHRISTI: Four people were killed and six were hospitalized 'all foreign nationals' after the sport utility vehicle in which they were travelling crashed while speeding away from deputies. The Texas Department of Public Safety says the crash happened on Duval County Road 245 and Texas Route 339, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southwest of Corpus Christi. DPS Sgt Nathan Brandley says the vehicle, containing a driver and 10 passengers, was eastbound on County Road 245 when Duval County sheriff's deputies tried to stop it. Instead, he says it sped to an "unsafe speed," veered out of control and rolled several times. Dead were a Salvadoran man and woman, an Ecuadorian man and a Mexican man. Brandley says three men and three women were hospitalized with serious injuries. Chinese rescue team members carry the newly-arrived equipment and materials at a temporary station in Beira, Mozambique, on March 25, 2019. A Chinese rescue team comprised of 65 members arrived at Beira International Airport in Mozambique on Monday after Cyclone Idai wreaked havoc in the southeastern African country. (Xinhua/Zhang Yu) BEIRA, Mozambique, March 25 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese rescue team comprised of 65 members arrived at Beira International Airport in Mozambique on Monday after Cyclone Idai wreaked havoc in the southeastern African country. The rescue team has brought with them some 20 tonnes of equipment and materials for search and rescue purposes, as well as for communications and medical treatment. The rescue team, at the request of the Mozambican government, was dispatched by the Chinese Ministry of Emergency Management with the approval of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council. Sources with the Chinese Ministry of Emergency Management said this also marked the first overseas rescue mission by a Chinese team since the set-up of the ministry in March 2018. The Mozambican government announced on Monday in Beira, capital city of Sofala province, that the number of people affected by Cyclone Idai in the country has risen to 794,000, adding up to 128,941 have already been rescued. The death toll remains at 446, according to the Minister of Land, Environment and Rural Development Celso Correia, who spoke at a press conference, stressing that the rescue teams have not yet finished searches at all affected sites. Correia said there were already cases of diarrhea reported in some accommodation centers, but the health system is assisting people, and the government is working with partners to make the mitigation plan more efficient. Asked by Xinhua about the stage of donations and rescues, the minister said the priority is to save lives by delivering food and providing medical care. "We have support in donations and rescue teams that continue to arrive, but now the Institute for Disaster Management is making strategic management," said Correia. "It was exactly the kind of help we need, basically in the field of health, environmental sanitation, among other supports." Correia said. Minister Correia said that emergency operations are becoming more organized and with targeted approaches, being able to provide quick responses in a timely way. During a tour of Beira on Monday, former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano said reconstruction of Sofala province which was hard hit by Cyclone Idai may take up to three years. Chissano arrived in Beira, capital city of Sofala province on Monday morning to visit the areas struck by Cyclone Idai, carrying a message of resilience and comfort for the victims. "The reconstruction of the main structures, resettlement of the population may take short period, if the support provided by the international community is in big quantity," said the former president. He warned that the danger hasn't finished yet because there are bodies to be found, and diseases will kill people, "but with all the forces combined all this can be mitigated," he said. 6 1 [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] BEIJING, March 26 (Guangming Online)Peking University has been a leading institution of higher education in China since its establishment 121 years ago and has contributed immeasurably to the enlightenment of modern Chinese society. said Stephen Toope, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, on Sunday in a speech at Peking University in Beijing. Toope was invited to deliver a speech as part of The Great Learning Series at Peking University: University Presidents Edition, which is a brand-new global-facing speech platform created by Peking University. Here are highlights of the speech. We rely on people who can think critically and independently, and on researchers capable of examining every aspect of a specific issue. That is one of the key roles of global universities like PKU and Cambridge. Global universities must seek connection, communication, and collaboration if we wish to see changes that will make the world a better place for everyone. Challenges on this scale, of this complexity, demand the kind of multi-disciplinary teams of researchers that only global research universities can marshal. They need institutions that are not seeking simply to profit, but to help, and which place their contribution to society firmly at their core. We need the collaboration and the diversity of points of view that have led to the greatest developments of the past, and will lead to the innovations on which the future health of our planet and our societies will depend. (Video source: Peking University) [ Editor: WPY ] One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 Chief Executive Carrie Lam today said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to pursue free trade agreements with more economies. Speaking to the media before the Executive Council meeting, Mrs Lam said she will travel to Hainan on March 27 to attend the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2019. Mrs Lam will speak at the conferences ASEAN-China Governors/Mayors Dialogue session. She said the HKSAR Government attaches great importance to trade relations and collaboration with member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In 2017, Hong Kong and ASEAN signed a free trade agreement and an investment agreement which will come into effect this year, she said. The Chief Executive also noted Hong Kong and Australia signed a free trade agreement and an investment agreement today. She said the city has signed eight free trade agreements with other economies so far, and four of them were signed after the current-term Government took office. The Government will continue to pursue free trade deals with more economies to help Hong Kong enterprises, Mrs Lam added. The Chief Executive in Council today endorsed the submission of the Fugitive Offenders & Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 to the Legislative Council. Speaking at a press conference today, Secretary for Security John Lee said the bill will address the Taiwan homicide case and plug a loophole in Hong Kongs legal system. He said: The Hong Kong Government can only try its best to ensure justice is done. I have no reason to suspect that any jurisdiction will not like to see offenders of serious crimes escape justice and we have indeed received requests three times from the Taiwan side. Chief Executive Carrie Lam thanked various sectors for giving their views on the proposal. She said the proposal showed the Governments determination on enhancing Hong Kongs mechanism for juridical assistance and fighting crimes. The proposal was drafted with references from other jurisdictions such as the UK and Canada, which have been practising similar case-based surrender arrangements for years, she added. The bill proposes to differentiate case-based surrender arrangements from general long-term surrender arrangements. Case-based surrender arrangements will only be considered if there are no applicable long-term surrender arrangements. Thirty-seven offences in the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance will be covered, while nine offences will not be dealt with under case-based surrender arrangements. The bill will be gazetted on March 29 and tabled at LegCo on April 3. Click here for more information. Pressure from foreign "giants" The "landing" of giant global enterprises in the fashion industry in the Vietnamese market in recent years has brought about thousands of billions of Vietnamese dong in revenue each year, which startled domestic enterprises, urging them to draw experience on business strategies. Since joining in the Vietnamese market in September 2016, the revenue of Zara Vietnam has continuously increased, from VND321 billion (US$13.80 million) after four months of operation to more than VND1,100 billion (US$47.3 million) in 2017. The company was estimated to gain a higher revenue of VND2,300 billion (US$100 million) in 2018. Similarly, Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M), a fashion company based in Sweden, officially launched its store in Vietnam in September 2017. After more than a year in Vietnam, H&M has expanded to six stores in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Along with the popular basic product lines, H&M has advantages in new designs and it also sells accessories at reasonable prices. In addition, the H&M in partnership with renowned designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Balmain (Sweden) and GP& J Baker (the UK) to produce and sell fashion products. H&M does not disclose its business results in Vietnam, but it assesses Vietnam as an attractive and potential market for fashion retailers. After Zara and H&M, Uniqlo - a famous fashion brand from Japan, is also preparing to enter the Vietnamese market in the near future, demonstrating the attractiveness of foreign fashion to Vietnamese fashion followers. As one of the leading countries in textile and garment exports, domestic garment and textile enterprises have constantly invested in equipment and improvements to designs in a bid to increase their market share and enhance their performance. So far, several domestic apparel brands have been well received by consumers such as May 10 (Garment 10 Corporation), Viet Tien, and others. Head of the Marketing Division of May 10, Bui Duc Thang, affirmed that Vietnam's fashion market is witnessing positive changes through breakthroughs in design and customers' fashion thinking. Understanding this demand, foreign fashion firms such as H&M, Zara, and Uniqlo are expanding their influence and gradually approaching the Vietnamese market in many different ways. This is also an opportunity for domestic textile enterprises to assess the issue scientifically based on the market's reaction to these brands to make appropriate adjustments regarding product strategy and the way to approach and serve customers. With the advantages of distribution networks, resources and costs, May 10 is capable of competing fairly with international fashion brands. The company has recently offered a wide range of stylish and diverse fashion products in various types of materials in accordance with the current trend of Vietnamese and international fashion, with some high-end fashion products such as Eternity GrusZ, May10 M series, ECO product line or modified Ao Dai. Similarly, Chien Thang Garment Company has launched its Padu fashion line and Duc Giang Corporation introduced its fashion brands of HeraDG, Paul Downer, DGC, Dugarco Collection, and others. Increasing localisation rate General Director of the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) Le Tien Truong affirmed that, to expand the market share and develop the domestic market, it is necessary to carefully consider strategies in accordance with the capacity of the distribution system. The success of foreign firms does not mean that domestic firms will succeed. Foreign enterprises have advantages in finance, human resources, modern management methods, and others. Therefore, they can sell products at low prices to attract consumers. If domestic firms open new stores massively while not ensuring the quality and origin of products, they will lose prestige and customers. The domestic market is definitely important but domestic firms should cut their coat according to their cloth. Over the past few years, Vietnam's textile and garment industry has always been proud to be one of the top three exporters of textiles and garments in the world. However, domestic enterprises seem to vacate their home market and give up the market to foreign fashion firms. Being aware of the problem, in the past few years, domestic enterprises have constantly boosted their investments and improved technology while creating new samples to enhance the added value of each product. Chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (Vitas) Vu Duc Giang said that Vietnam currently has 158 domestic garment brands and most of them are aware of the value of brands and packaging added to products and are not dependent on foreign brands. The Vietnamese textile and garment industry is also gradually raising the localisation rate and focusing on developing the domestic market, including the participation in the programme "Vietnamese people prioritise using Vietnamese goods" and programmes to bring textile products to industrial zones. Furthermore, the industry has taken the initiative in devising development strategies and calling for investments in the segment that Vietnam faces shortages. In addition, the domestic textile industry has promoted the training of resources to meet the requirement from the industrial revolution 4.0 and the increasing demands of the domestic and international fashion industry. A representative from Vinatex said that the group has been continuously responding to the campaign "Vietnamese people prioritise using Vietnamese goods" through practical actions. Vinatex not only calls for its member units to participate in the campaign and develop long-term strategies in the domestic market, it also signs deals with other corporations to support each other and use each other's products. Thanks to its considerable efforts, the total domestic revenue of Vinatex reached more than VND12,638 billion (US$543.43 million) in 2018, up 22.58% compared to 2017. However, in order to make apparel products win the heart of the people, it requires the attention and support of relevant ministries and sectors regarding the removal of difficulties in export procedures, reduction of administrative procedures, cumbersome rules and regulations on bidding, and incentives in tax and fees so that businesses find it easy to connect and use each other's products. Government yesterday briefed embassies accredited to Zimbabwe, United Nations and other partners on Tropical Cyclone Idai flood induced disaster, key priority interventions, immediate and short term requirements. Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo, who headed a delegation of Ministers, told the diplomats that the nation was trying to recover psychologically, socially and economically following the demise of its citizens, displacement of populations including refugees at Tongogara Transit Camp and destruction of infrastructure due to the impact of the tropical cyclone. In Manicaland the cumulative number of deaths is 179, burials (102), unidentified bodies buried (12), injuries (186), missing people (329) and displaced (6 788). The number of children affected (3 500), displaced refugees (2 000), number of casualties airlifted to Skyline (52), houses affected (7 703), food insecure population (40 064) and number of bridges damaged (11), he said. In Masvingo the number of deaths is 6 while 6 257 people were affected. At least 511 households were displaced and 17 injured. Minister Moyo said the numbers were rising as search teams intensify their work. Over the hill there is a settlement called Rusitu famous for growing horticulture, bananas and other food stuffs. There people also come to assemble to trade and when we are analysing those who are missing some of the people who are missing are not necessarily from that area and also this has been worsened by the fact that some bodies were washed into Mozambique and the Mozambican villagers buried eight of those but before they buried them they took pictures, he said. These pictures were sent to us in order to see whether we can identify them and most of the people around that area were unable to identify them. This indicated that indeed people who were swept away were not necessarily from that area. They could have come from other areas. These pictures were sent to us in order to see whether we can identify them and most of the people around that area were unable to identify them. This indicated that indeed people who were swept away were not necessarily from that area. They could have come from other areas. I am mentioning this because in our statistics that we have been churning out we started with 23 deaths, we moved to 31, 42 then we jumped to 64. We were at 67 at some point and as I speak only from yesterday we are at 179 and it could be more. Minister Moyo said the numbers of missing people is also increasing because the list was arrived at following consultations with village heads and chiefs. He said Government was looking at the roads and the bridges and in two to three days it will come up with an estimate of costs after Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister moved most of the provincial road engineers to assist in the evaluation of each and every bridge. Minister Moyo said it was amazing that companies had donated plant and equipment. They also seconded engineers and provided fuel. There are ongoing efforts by the Zimbabwe National Army and Airforce of Zimbabwe to dispatch relief and to reach inaccessible areas. There is urgent need for aviation and ground fuel, transportation and plant and equipment, rations, protective clothing and other relevant consumables. In education emergency funding has been availed to rehabilitate or reconstruct some schools. However there are funding gaps, he said. Minister Moyo said the massive flooding damaged water supply infrastructure in Chimanimani, Chipinge, Mutasa, Buhera and Mutare. Affected sectors include, health, agriculture, roads, communication infrastructure, environment, wildlife, forestry, industry, commerce and energy. Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the importance of physco-social support could not be overemphasised. I was able to get into Chimanimani using a helicopter because there was no other way. Roads have been opened so that trucks could begin to go with food. We are very proud of the people of this country as well as well-wishers from other friendly countries who responded overwhelmingly, he said. This has united Zimbabweans. We have shown love for each other and there is so much coordination. Everyone has been brought on board. No one has been left behind we are not looking at political parties or anything. All Zimbabweans including civil society are all working together. Government has scrapped duty and Value Added Tax (VAT) on all goods imported for onward distribution to survivors of Cyclone Idai in Manicaland and Masvingo provinces. In a statement on Monday, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) said qualifying goods should be for free distribution to people in need in the identified areas. Zimbabwe is amongst the African countries that were affected by Cyclone Idai, which caused a trail of destruction that affected humans, animals and infrastructure. The President of Zimbabwe made an appeal to individual corporates, civic society and international community to provide assistance to the affected communities, mainly in Chimanimani, Chipinge and Bikita. The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority administers regulations, which give relief on duties on imported goods donated by international organisations and to associations and organisations in Zimbabwe involved in charitable or welfare, in terms of Section 103 and 124 of the customs excise (General) regulations published in Statutory Instrument 154 of 2001, respectively. Qualifying goods should be free for distribution to people in need. Interested organisations are encouraged to take advantage of these rebates provided for in the cited sections of regulation in order to reduce any burden of duty payments at this time of need, said ZIMRA. The authority said goods that qualify for exemption include passenger-carrying vehicles and goods-carrying vehicles, while second-hand or used motor vehicles are not covered by the waiver. Goods that qualify, all goods provided are fully donated, vehicles such as passenger type, commonly known as sedans and stations wagons, passenger-carrying vehicles such as buses, minibuses and other goods carrying vehicles. The rebate does not apply in the following circumstances second hand or used motor vehicles, road tractors, new clothing, new shoes and new bed linen, all foodstuffs except where the Minister has directed the Commissioner-General to grant a rebate, said the tax authority. Meanwhile, the Government says there is no politicisation of food aid in the affected areas. Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa and her Local Government counterpart, July Moyo, confirmed this. Minister Mutsvangwa, who is also Senator for Mutare-Chimanimani Constituency, said there was no need to segregate because the targeted beneficiaries faced similar problems. The cyclone affected everyone and so no one is being left behind in relief aid distribution. Everything is being coordinated in a transparent manner and accountability is our hallmark. I am a member of the inter-ministerial committee overseeing the Cyclone Idai relief programme and so far we have met ambassadors accredited to Zimbabwe, the donor community as well as the civic organisations to thank them for the overwhelming response we got in mitigating the effects of the cyclone. In all the meetings we are calling on anyone who wants to witness the distribution of all the donated goods to come forward. She added: It seems some individuals want to sow seeds of divisions among Zimbabweans after realising that everyone from individuals, corporates and the international community had come together in our hour of need. They want to score cheap political mileage by claiming that relief aid is being politicised. All donations go through the Provincial Administrators office in Mutare where they are registered before being taken to World Vision warehouse. The Department of Social Welfare is involved in the process. Minister Mutsvangwa said since most of the areas were still inaccessible by road, they had set up distribution command centres near villages in dire need of assistance. SADCalso wants to support SADR based on four principles of, multilateralism and international legality in seeking a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination and independence of the people of Western Sahara. Sanctity of inherited colonial borders in Africa and the right of peoples of former colonial territories to self-determination and independence as contained in the Constitutive Act of the AU. Responding to the application, Mr Chizu said: In terms of Section 103 (4) of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets(Cap 22: 23) the authority observed that Jaguar Overseas Limited failed to come up with the 100 percent funding as required on the project and as such the accounting officer has proposed to approach the next compliant bidder in line with Section 55 (3) of the same Act. (Newser) A University of Michigan sorority whose members popped balloons as part of a team-building event has apologized for triggering an "active shooter" alert on campus. The balloon popping occurred March 16, at the same time a vigil was being held nearby for victims of the New Zealand mosque attacks a day earlier. The alpha Kappa Delta Phi chapter issued an apology in a letter published Sunday in the Michigan Daily. Members said they're "truly sorry" and should've been more "more cognizant" of their actions. story continues below Alerts issued by the Ann Arbor school told students near Mason Hall to "run, hide, fight." Authorities later said there had been "balloon popping activity" in the area and there was no "malicious intent," the AP reports. The letter says sorority members stand "in solidarity with our fellow Muslim students and marginalized communities." "We have used this past week to not only process our feelings of guilt and disbelief, but to also reflect on our mistakes and take responsibility for our actions by reaching out to members of our immediate communities," it says. (Read more University of Michigan stories.) (Newser) A Hawaii man has been ordered not to drink his favorite soft drink during four years of probation on a car theft conviction, the AP reports. Judge Rhonda Loo imposed the restriction last week while sentencing 21-year-old Christopher Montilliano Jr., the Maui News reported Saturday. Montilliano lied to police when he was arrested with the car in Maui last June, Loo said in court. Montilliano told officers that his cousin had allowed him to drive the car and that he was on his way to buy soft drinks. The judge issued the order for him to not drink Pepsi for four years after he told her it was his favorite soft drink. "It's the Pepsi deprivation syndrome," she said. story continues below Montilliano spent seven days in jail following his arrest. During that time, he learned the importance of complying with the law, defense attorney Josh James said in court. "I'm not going to steal cars anymore," Montilliano told the judge. "I don't want to be in jail no more." Loo also sentenced Montilliano to 100 hours of community service and a $100 fine. He had pleaded no contest to charges of unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle and driving without a license. (Read more weird crimes stories.) (Newser) Last year, there were 372 cases of measles reported in the US, the second-highest number in more than 20 yearswhich is why this year's numbers just through the first three months have health officials concerned. The CDC notes that between Jan. 1 and March 21, 314 measles cases in 15 states have been documented, with outbreaks (defined as three or more cases) reported in Texas, California, Illinois, Washington, New York City, and Rockland County in New York. The outbreaks have been tied to people who traveled to Ukraine and Israel, where measles is running rampant. CNN notes an uptick is happening in certain areas where schools allow for more vaccination waivers, with health officials pointing to the proliferation of anti-vaccination talk as a factor in the jumping number of measles cases. story continues below Still, a CDC spokesman says it's not definite that 2019 will speed by 2018 in the numbers by year's end, noting the agency doesn't attempt to "predict how many cases we will have in any particular year or when we might surpass the number of cases that occurred in a previous year." Meanwhile, one country is now considering making vaccinations mandatory: Deutsche Welle reports Germany, which has seen its own spike in measles cases, is considering it, though some officials think such a compulsory move would be "counterproductive" and that parents should simply be educated better about the benefits of vaccination. (A family visiting Costa Rica brought measles back there.) (Newser) A Verizon worker who rescued a stranded cat from a utility pole in Philadelphia has discovered that there's some truth in the saying "No good deed goes unpunished." The company suspended Maurice German for three weeks without pay after he used his bucket truck to rescue "Princess Momma," ABC11 reports. Verizon says German violated safety rules when he answered residents' pleas to save the animal. Resident Amanda Boyce, a neighbor of the cat's owner, tells CBS Philadelphia that the feline spent around 12 hours at the top of the pole and the owner had already tried calling the fire department, animal rescue services, and the phone company. story continues below Verizon is taking a hammering on social media for the decision to suspend German, but the company is sticking to its guns. "For safety reasons, our trucks and related equipment are not intended to be used in the area in which he was operating, specifically around electrical wires," a company spokesperson tells CBS. "While our actions may not be popular, he potentially put his life and those around him in jeopardy." Two GoFundMe pages set up to help German have stopped taking donations after raising a total of more than $10,000. Verizon says it has made a donation of its own to Pennsylvania Animal Rescue & Protection. (Read more Verizon stories.) (Newser) NASA officials didn't realize until after they had scheduled it that a Friday mission involving American astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch would be the first all-women spacewalk. But the milestone has now been called off because of a lack of medium-sized spacesuits, the New York Times reports. NASA said in a press release Monday that the assignment to install lithium-ion batteries for the International Space Station's energy system was adjusted because of spacesuit availability. There is only one medium-sized hard upper torso currently available, NASA said. Koch uses a medium, and while McClain thought she would work in a large size, she wore the medium during a spacewalk last week and discovered it fits her better. story continues below Wearing an ill-fitting spacesuit is risky, NASA says, and it would take hours of work to configure the other medium-size torso for a spacewalk. "Individuals sizing needs may change when they are on orbit, in response to the changes living in microgravity can bring about in a body," NASA spokeswoman Brandi Dean tells Quartz. Koch will now carry out the mission with another astronaut. "When you have the option of just switching the people, the mission becomes more important than a cool milestone," NASA spokeswoman Stephanie Schierholz tells the Times. But she adds that since a growing proportion of NASA astronauts are women, "we're sort of getting to the point of inevitability" for an all-female spacewalk. (Read more spacewalk stories.) Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Second Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brunei Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof met in Hanoi on March 25 on the threshold of the state visit to Vietnam by Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. Deputy PM Minh spoke highly of the positive development of the friendship and multi-dimensional cooperation between Vietnam and Brunei as well as the close, efficient cooperation between the two foreign ministries and competent agencies in preparing for the visit by the Brunei Sultan, saying the visit will take bilateral ties to a new height. Host and guest discussed measures to deepen the bilateral ties, including the maintenance of high-level visits and the effective implementation of bilateral cooperation mechanisms which covers the organization of the second joint committee on bilateral cooperation in Brunei in 2019. They agreed to consider extending the exemption duration for ordinary passport holders of the two countries and ratchet up cooperation in fields of the two countries strength and potential, like defence, security, trade-investment, energy, agriculture, marine cooperation, labour, education and training. Regarding international issues and bilateral cooperation at multilateral forums, the officials agreed to coordinate in promoting solidarity and central role of ASEAN in regional strategic and security issues, especially during the time Vietnam and Brunei taking on the ASEAN Chair role in 2020 and 2021, respectively. They emphasized support for the settlement of disputes in the East Sea by peaceful measures based on international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS), not using or threatening to use force, abiding by the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and quickly completing a comprehensive, practical, effective, and legally-binding Code of Conduct on the East Sea (COC). (Newser) A defiant Michael Avenatti was freed on $300,000 bond and promised to keep "fighting that good fight" Monday night after his arrest on charges including extortion and wire fraud. Stormy Daniels' former lawyer, who did not enter a plea during an appearance in federal court in New York, was also required to surrender his US and Italian passports, the BBC reports. "I have fought against the powerful, powerful people, and powerful corporations. I will never stop fighting that good fight," Avenatti told reporters outside the court. "I am highly confident that when all of the evidence is laid bare ... I will be fully exonerated and justice will be done." Prosecutors say Avenatti and another lawyer tried to extort millions from Nike by threatening to reveal damaging allegations. story continues below The lawyers allegedly told Nike that the matter could be settled if the company paid them $1.5 million and hired them for another $15 million to $25 million to conduct an "internal investigation"or simply paid them $22.5 million to "resolve any claims," the Washington Post reports. Sources tell the Post that the other attorney is celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos. "A suit and tie doesnt mask the fact that, at its core, this was an old-fashioned shakedown," said US Attorney Geoffrey Berman. Daniels, who parted ways with Avenatti earlier this month, said she was "saddened but not shocked" by the charges, Business Insider reports. In an unrelated case in California, Avenatti is accused of embezzling a client's money to pay expenses for his coffee business. (Read more Michael Avenatti stories.) (Newser) Nobody could blame Amanda Knox if she decided never to return to Italy: After going to Perugia as an exchange student in 2007, her roommate was gruesomely killed and she spent the next eight years fighting murder charges. But Knox, who spent nearly four years in Italian prisons, says she has decided to "face her fears" and visit the country again, KOMO reports. Knox, now 31, returned to hometown Seattle after she was exonerated of the murder of Meredith Kercher in 2015 and hasn't been back to Italy since. On Saturday, she told the True Crime festival in New York City that she has been "healing" and she believes going back to Italy at some point will help the process. story continues below "I have an amazing family and friends and an incredible support network," she said, per the Sun. "But you have got to face up to your fears alone if you want to heal and I know the main thing that still terrifies me most is returning to Italy." She said she still receives "an incredible amount of abuse online" but things are harder for Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, who was also cleared after years in prison but can't find work because his name is "toxic." "I got to walk away and come home but for him things didnt change," she said. "He couldnt escape it. It was always with him and that is something that I will have to face when I return." Earlier this year, the European Human Rights Court ordered Italy to pay Knox $20,000 because it failed to provide her with an attorney or interpreter during questioning. (Read more Amanda Knox stories.) (Newser) Bohemian Rhapsody was released in China last week, but Chinese audiences saw a shorter movie than American ones: The country's censors axed references to homosexuality in the Freddie Mercury biopic, the BBC reports. The deleted scenes include the moment when Mercury, played by Rami Malek, comes out to his then-girlfriend, two scenes where men kiss, and the entire scene in which Queen dresses in women's clothes for the "I Want to Break Free" video, reports CNN. The censored version cuts straight to the band's reaction to the video being censored. In a scene where Mercury tells his bandmates he has AIDS, the dialogue is silenced. story continues below China legalized homosexuality in 1997 and removed it from a list of "mental disorders" in 2001, but the country isn't exactly a bastion of gay rights: There is no legal protection against discrimination, and censors have stepped up activity in recent years to ban depictions of what Beijing deems "abnormal sexual behavior." Filmgoers in China complained that the censored version of the movie is confusing, misleading, and disrespectful to Mercury, while others refused to see it at all, the New York Times reports. "On principle, I refuse to watch this type of crudely censored film," says 24-year-old fashion writer Li Yang. Studio 20th Century Fox declined to comment on the removal of the scenes. (Read more Bohemian Rhapsody stories.) (Newser) Flight simulations have found that Boeing 737 Max pilots would have less than a minute to disengage an automated system and manually prevent a nosedive caused by a failed sensorthe scenario that is suspected in two recent airliner crashes. The sensor failure causes software designed to prevent a stall to kick in, the New York Times reports. That's when the pilots in the tests found out they would have 40 seconds to override that system and prevent a nosedive. To do that, they'd have to flip three switches and turn a wheel. If they don't act quickly enough, attempts to override the system won't work. Lion Air pilots threw a thumb switch more than two dozen times, but the system kept engaging, causing the nosedive. story continues below It's debatable whether pilots have had enough training on the 737 Max. Ethiopian Airlines says the pilots on its doomed plane were trained on "all appropriate simulators." But training on this system has been limited, and the Lion Air captain was futilely relying on a technical manual just before the crash to diagnose the problem. Boeing hopes to address the problem with a software update that would give pilots more control, people involved told the Times. The thumb switch can lengthen the 40-second period to several minutes, but even that might not be enough time if the crew isn't knowledgeable. That appears to be the case in the Lion Air crash. "There is a limited window to solve this problem," an aviation safety consultant says, "and this crew didn't even know that this system existed." (Read more Boeing 737 stories.) (Newser) A Toronto lawyer has been fired from an Ontario children's aid group after making eyebrow-raising remarks about teen girls. Per CTV, Gary McCallum was representing Kenora-Rainy River Districts Child and Family Services last year in a suit brought by a woman who says she was sexually abused by her foster father decades ago, when the group's predecessor was in charge. In a written statement in court, McCallum said that "a 14 or 15 [sic] girl is a sexually mature young woman, not a 'child,' as the term is conventionally understood." Loretta Merritt, a lawyer who represents sexual abuse victims, calls that comment "ridiculous," noting an Ontario law considers anyone under the age of 18 to be a child, and that criminal law spells out no one under the age of 16 can consent to sexual activity. "I find it almost beyond belief to suggest that any court would ever think that a 14- or 15-year-old girl would consent to sexual activity with her 40-year-old foster father," she says. story continues below Bill Leonard, the child aid group's executive director, announced in a statement Monday that McCallum had been fired, and that he found McCallum's comments "appalling," "intolerable," and "abhorrent." The Toronto Star notes Leonard's outraged response is more forceful than it initially was: At first he simply noted McCallum's characterization was "inaccurate." And that has some wondering if McCallum's now-former employer was originally OK with him making such a comment. "If the children's aid society didn't know [the statement] was being made, that would mean that the lawyer was acting without his client's authority or instructions, which would be unusual," Merritt tells CTV. "If they did bless a statement like that that's even more concerning." (Read more Canada stories.) (Newser) Police in Canada are "very concerned for the safety" of a Chinese international student kidnapped by men wearing hoods on Saturday. Wanzhen "Peter" Lu, 22, had just parked his Range Rover in the underground parking garage of his condo building in the Toronto suburb of Markhamhe also drives a Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce, per the APwhen he was grabbed by three men who'd emerged from a black Dodge Caravan driven by a fourth suspect. Lu, believed to have been targeted, was shocked multiple times with a Taser and "dragged" into the van, while a female friend was left unharmed, police say, per the CBC. "Abductions like this, especially with this level of violence used are very rare in this country," says Const. Andy Pattenden of the York Regional Police, noting Lu's family is flying from China to Toronto. "This entire case is odd." story continues below Pattenden says police haven't made contact with the abductors and aren't aware of any ransom demands, though Lu's family may be. That leaves the focus on surveillance video of the kidnapping and the vehicle used, later found abandoned in Toronto. The stolen license plate "CEAR350," clearly seen in the video, had by then been removed. Police believe the wheelchair accessible van was already inside the parking garage when Lu arrived around 6pm; CTV News reports a key fob is needed to enter. Though the CBC references a ransom scam that has targeted Chinese students in Toronto and several other Canadian cities, Pattenden says police are "treating this as a unique situation." Officers haven't said what school Lu attends, how long he's been in the country, or what part of China he is from. (A double murder in Toronto remains unsolved.) (Newser) A Canadian reporter noticed a disturbing incident involving a teen girl on a recent plane rideand her intervention, along with that of other female passengers, helped the young lady out of an uncomfortable situation. Per the CBC, Joanna Chiu, the Star's Vancouver bureau chief, was on a flight from Toronto to Vancouver when a man behind her started grumbling about his middle seat. He suddenly stopped complaining, however, when a teen girl sat next to him, and Chiu, her radar in overdrive, started carefully listening to their conversation. Chiu, who also wrote about her experiences with "airplane creeps" for the Toronto Star and on Twitter, says the man started off asking fairly innocuous questions, but then said, "I'm going to give you my number, I want you to call me, and I want to take you out to eat." Chiu says the girl was trying to be polite, but then the man crossed a line that made Chiu act. story continues below She says he asked the girl for a "dirty" photo. Chiu confronted him and alerted flight crew, then found out another woman had also witnessed the entire thing and was ready to intervene; others also spoke up. The belligerent man at first refused to move, at flight attendants' request, until one told him they could land the plane if he didn't comply. Chiu says he was pulled aside by a security official when they landed. Chiu noticed something important during the incident: "None of the male passengers seemed to show they noticed what was going on." She mused that "maybe fellow women are more likely to pick up on warning signs early on in the conversation because we used to be teenage girls too?" She says since her Twitter thread has gone viral that many men have noted "they weren't aware that airplane harassment was so common, and they promised to be vigilant, too." (Read more airline passengers stories.) (Newser) John Hinckley says he's never been happier in his life after leaving a psychiatric hospital, though he suffers from arthritis and hypertension, walks with a limp, and could use some help on the dating front. As Hinckley himself is barred from speaking to the media, the Los Angeles Times profiles the would-be assassin of Ronald Reagan based on newly released psychological reports. They reveal a smooth transition to life in Williamsburg, Va.where the 63-year-old lives with his mother and older brother and sells antiques and books in an antiques mall. One hitch: He spooked a potential romantic interest to the point that she called authorities last year. Introduced to "John" on a walk, she "became uncomfortable once she learned his last name," which he had signed on a letter asking her out. Therapists had advised him to do so. They also deemed online dating "too risky" for him, per the AP. story continues below "He's a nice, quiet guy" who "acts like everyone else," one local tells the Times, which notes Hinckley has gained up to 40 pounds in recent years. There have been losses, too. One friend "rocked his world" when she committed suicide in August 2017. The same month, Hinckley's mother broke her hip. Now primary caregiver, Hinckley drives her to appointments, buys groceries, and does some cooking. "He described 'working hard' to take care of his mother in order 'to give her good things'" as she nears the end of her life, per the psychologal reports. Still, "this is the best I've ever felt in my life," Hinckley is quoted as saying. "I'm happy as a clam." He's even looking to expand his business, which earns him several hundred dollars a month, into the online marketplace. (His lawyer hopes conditions of Hinckley's release will eventually disappear.) / Buttigieg Name Gains Traction, Even If You Can't Pronounce It Voters start to notice Democratic candidate, and may even learn to say his name (Newser) Spain is "completely" rejecting the Mexican president's demand for an apology over crimes against his country's indigenous people 500 years ago, the Guardian reports. In a video posted on social media, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador stood in the remains of an ancient city and made his case: "There were massacres and oppression," he said. "The so-called conquest was waged with the sword and the cross. They built their churches on top of the [indigenous] temples. The time has come to reconcile. But let us ask forgiveness first." Then came a response from the government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who had visited Lopez Obrador in January. story continues below "The Spanish government profoundly regrets" the request and "completely reject[s] its content," it said, but added that Spain's arrival in Mexico "cannot be judged in the light of contemporary considerations." At issue is the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs beginning in 1519, per the BBC. A small squadron led by Hernan Cortes wreaked havoc in Mexico with superior weaponry, horses, and disease, and converted indigenous peoples to Catholicism. Now Lopez ObradorMexico's first left-wing president in decadessays the 500th anniversary of Spain's arrival can only be commemorated if there is reconciliation. The governments of other countries, including Canada and Australia, have apologized to their indigenous peoples in recent years. (Read more Mexico stories.) During a reception for Altmaier in Hanoi on March 25, PM Phuc suggested that the German side strengthen investment cooperation with Vietnam, especially in infrastructure and energy development projects, as well as university-level education. The two sides need to focus on measures to promote the two-way trade turnover on the basis of their potential, he said, adding that Vietnam hopes Germany will officially sign and adopt the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). He thanked the German governments willingness to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam, while appreciating the cooperation between German states and Vietnamese localities alongside the European countrys loosening of legal conditions for receiving Vietnamese labourers to work in Germany. Altmaier, for his part, highlighted the potential for the two countries to expand their cooperation, adding that Germany wishes to enhance its friendship with Vietnam. Germany wants to develop artificial intelligence, digitalisation, and startups in Vietnam, he said, affirming that his country is willing to invite Vietnamese firms to join Germanys SME renovation programme. Altmaier stressed that his country is ready to cooperate with Vietnam in renewable energy development and education and training. In his response, PM Phuc said that the country is also promoting technology development amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He said that Germanys ODA-funded projects have made important contributions to Vietnams socio-economic development, expressing his hope that the German government will continue to provide ODA capital for Vietnam in the process. The Vietnamese leader said Altmaiers visit to Vietnam is an important event towards enhancing the relations between the two countries. Germany is now the largest trade partner of Vietnam in the European Union (EU) in particular and Europe in general, with their two-way trade recording impressive growth in recent years. Many German firms are now successfully operating in Vietnam. Head of the Party Central Committees Economic Commission Nguyen Van Binh (R) meets with German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier in Hanoi on March 25 (Photo: VNA) The same day, Politburo member and head of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committees Economic Commission Nguyen Van Binh also hosted a reception for the German Minister, during which the host stressed that Vietnam attaches importance to the strategic partnership with Germany and hopes the two sides will further tighten bilateral cooperation, especially in the fields of economy, trade and investment. Politburo member Binh expressed his wish that Germany and other member countries of the European Union (EU) will support the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement. This will mark a very significant progress in the realisation of the EUs Europe Asia connection strategy and acceleration of the Vietnam Germany in particular, Binh stressed. The official described the inauguration and commissioning of the German House in Ho Chi Minh City as a bridge linking German enterprises with their Vietnamese partners, as well as with those in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), thus contributing to the strengthening of the trade and investment cooperation. For his part, Minister Peter spoke highly of Vietnams recent socio-economic achievements. He also affirmed that his country stands ready to cooperate with Vietnam in the fields of its strength and suitable to the latters development priority such as supporting industry, tourism infrastructure, vocational training and environment, as well as to continue pushing up bilateral major cooperation projects (Newser) Something in the water? Nine registered nurses who work in the labor and delivery unit at the largest hospital in Maine are expecting babies in the next few months, reports the AP. Maine Medical Center announced the bonanza of babies with a Facebook post on Monday featuring eight of the nine nurses and their respective bumps. The army of infants is expected to arrive between April and July. The Portland hospital's photo showed the nurses wearing their hospital scrubs and holding cards indicating their due dates. WMTW reports the nurses plan to be there for each other's deliveries. (Sixteen nurses at an Arizona hospital were pregnant at the same time.) (Newser) North Koreans trying to escape the hardship of their homeland often rely on what's come to be known as the North Korean Underground Railroad. GQ has a lengthy story providing a look at how this network of safe havens across Asia operates, and the story by Doug Bock Clark focuses on the tales of two people in particular. One is "Faith," a woman born in the late 1970s in North Korea who fled across the border to China several years ago with help from unscrupulous smugglers. They did not belong to the Underground Railroad, and Faith ended up in a kind of servitude in China, married off to a farmer and closely watched. Then she got in touch with the Underground Railroad, and particularly a man named "Stephen Kim," who goes by the nicknames of "Superman" and the "Oskar Schindler of North Korea." (Clark notes that others share the latter nickname.) story continues below The piece details Faith's secret journey, with Kim's guidance, into Vietnam, then Cambodia, then to a South Korean embassy, and finally to Seoul, South Korea, where she now lives with her two children, who made the journey with her. It also details Kim's own story, from bankrupt businessman to crusader for North Korean refugees. But things get messy: There are accusations of Kim misappropriating money from a group that supports such rescues, something he adamantly denies, plus a general sense that Kim, er, embellishes. Clark investigates: "Ultimately ... what impressed me was that the foundations of his stories seemed true," he writes. "Everything I have written above was attested to by at least two sources, and Kim's exaggerations seemed essentially benign: a man embellishing an already incredible tale, perhaps out of pride or to push a cause he fervently believed in." Read the full story. (Read more North Korea stories.) (Newser) The maker of OxyContin has agreed to pay $270 million to resolve claims in Oklahoma that it helped fuel the opioid crisis and thereby contributed to thousands of overdose deaths, multiple news outlets are reporting. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter, who sued 13 opioid manufacturers for promoting opioids as safe for extended use, is expected to announce the settlement with Purdue Pharma, owned by the Sackler family, at a Tuesday press conference in Tulsa, reports CNN. It comes a day after the state's Supreme Court refused a request by Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson, and Teva Pharmaceuticals to delay an upcoming trial for 100 days. Per NBC News, charges that Purdue deceptively marketed OxyContin deceptively would've been "on full display" in a televised trial beginning May 28. The company faces 2,000 lawsuits nationwide. story continues below The settlement means "the public will not hear a full recounting of Purdue's actions including testimony by the Sackler family," per the New York Times. It notes more than $100 million of the settlement will help fund a new addiction treatment and research center at Oklahoma State University, while the Sacklers will contribute another $75 million to the center over five years. The family, one of America's wealthiest, wasn't named in the suit. However, Massachusetts' attorney general has accused exec Richard Sackler of pushing sales reps to persuade doctors to prescribe the highest dosage of OxyContin so as to maximize profits. Oklahoma was seeking more than $20 billion in damages, per Reuters, which reports that a bankruptcy filing by Purdue could be on the horizon. (Read more opioids stories.) (Newser) The Supreme Court is so far declining to stop the Trump administration from enforcing its ban on bump stock devices, which allow semi-automatic weapons to fire like machine guns, the AP reports. The ban took effect Tuesday. The administration is in the unusual position of arguing against gun rights groups. Gun rights groups asked the court Monday to keep the government from beginning to enforce the ban for now. story continues below Chief Justice John Roberts declined a request for the court to get involved Tuesday. A second request is pending in front of Justice Sonia Sotomayor. President Donald Trump said last year that the government would move to ban bump stocks. The action followed a 2017 Las Vegas shooting where bump stocks were used. Fifty-eight people were killed. (Read more gun control stories.) Let us know what you're seeing and hearing around the community. Submit here The plan originally put forth by Gov. Mike Dunleavys administration last year as the Corrections Department began taking bids from out-of-state private prisons to accommodate 250-500 prisoners immediately drew backlash from Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike. The landscape of Japan's digital map industry is shifting as Google seeks to cash in on a treasure trove of next-generation services requiring maps by increasing its independence from local partner Zenrin. Users here have complained about Google Maps' worsening quality of late, saying it sometimes displays dangerous back streets as major thoroughfares and private roads as public. Google says it is working to quickly fix the problem. The issues appear linked to Google's decision to slash the amount of mapping data it receives from Zenrin, whose name has vanished from Google Maps' copyright notice. The company has relied on Zenrin for most of its detailed data since it began offering its map service here in 2005. Following Google's move, U.S. mapmaker Mapbox said in a March 19 blog post that it will receive data from Zenrin. Zenrin is one of Japan's biggest mapmakers, with roughly 1,000 surveyors. Using cars with 360-degree cameras and laser measuring devices, it updates its urban maps annually and every two to five years for more remote areas. It can also distinguish new streets and name changes as well as public and private roads. Japan's map market demands precision. Its cities are densely packed with buildings and narrow streets that are shared by pedestrians and motorists alike. Inaccurate maps not only keep travelers from arriving at their destinations, but also expose them to danger. Google likely sacrificed some quality now to increase Google Maps' availability to developers later. The company said March 6 that "Google Maps' next step in Japan will be to provide everyone with more comprehensive and flexible maps." Secretary Nhan welcomed the Singaporean Deputy PMs visit, holding that it will help bolster the strategic partnership between the two countries in the future, benefiting both sides. He affirmed that Vietnam pays great attention to developing ties with Singapore in all fields and all channels, expressing his delight at the strong growth in bilateral partnership over the years, which has been reflected in high political trust; close friendship; and all-round cooperation, especially in economy, education, and regional security cooperation. Regarding the cooperation potential between the city and Singapore, Secretary Nhan said that the city is competent in infrastructure and professional capacity to work with Singapore on the construction of an innovation centre at the smart urban area of the city. This is an ideal destination for Singaporean firms to make long-term investments and conduct business, he stated. Ho Chi Minh City hopes to learn from Singapore in applying advanced technology in urban management, education, innovative startup, and smart city construction, he said. Alongside, the city wishes for Singaporean experts cooperation and experience in green city development, urban lighting systems, as well as tourism, he said. For his part, the Singaporean Deputy PM said that Singapore hopes to promote its strategic partnership with Vietnam in both bilateral and multilateral aspects, as well as within the ASEAN framework. Singapore considers Vietnam a model country for international economic opening, integration, and transformation to get closer to the global economy, he said. Teo stated that Singapore is keen on developing ties with Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in particular so as to learn from and support each other during the development process. He thanked the Ho Chi Minh City leader for supporting Singaporean businesses during their investments and operations in the city over the years, expressing his hope that the city will continue to create favourable conditions for investors to make long-term operations in the city. Singapore highly values the plans that the city has applied in the early stages of smart city building, including the application of technology in management and improvement of local supervision over the governmental operation. By the end of 2018, Singapore was the biggest investor in HCM City with about 1,100 projects worth over US$ 10.7 billion. Singapore has been the second largest trade partner of the city with two-way trade reaching US$ 3.7 billion in 2018. Nearly 300,000 Singaporean tourists visited Ho Chi Minh City in 2018, up 41.3 percent over 2017. About 80 percent of young eels put into aquaculture pools in Japan in December and January may have been smuggled from Taiwan via Hong Kong, according to trade data and sources close to the matter. Japan imported some 6 tons of juvenile eels from Hong Kong in those two months, according to government data, but Hong Kong does not engage in eel fishing, raising suspicions about their origin. Industry observers say most of them could have been illegally brought from Taiwan, which bans exports of the snake-like fish. The eels start their spawning migration in the waters of East Asia and are designated as a species at risk of extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to deteriorating habitat conditions and overfishing. Eels are consumed as a prized summer delicacy in Japan, but its imports of young eels may spark international criticism at a meeting of parties to the Washington Convention in Sri Lanka, which will open in late May. The members of the international pact, officially called the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, are expected to discuss enhancing transparency in eel transactions. According to the Finance Ministry's trade statistics, Japan imported about 1.6 tons of young eels in December and about 4.4 tons in January from Hong Kong. Meanwhile, none were shipped from mainland China and Taiwan, although they catch the fish. A Japanese court Monday imposed a sentence of three to five years on a former university student for making a substance that can be used in powerful bombs like those used in terrorist attacks, as well as a 3D-printed gun and stimulant drugs. The 19-year-old male, whose name has been withheld because he is a minor, produced triacetone triperoxide, known as TATP, at his home in Nagoya in December 2016 and detonated the substance in a park in March 2018, according to the ruling at the Nagoya District Court. He also made a 3D-printed gun around September 2017 and stimulant drugs in August 2018 in conspiracy with an 18-year-old male from Ibaraki Prefecture. In handing down the ruling, Presiding Judge Daisuke Kanda said the manufacturing and storing of TATP at the defendant's home could have resulted in disaster and he exposed the general public to danger by detonating the explosive in a park. The court handed down what is known as an indeterminate sentence, stating only the minimum and maximum detention periods. Such sentences, only given to minors under the Juvenile Law, take into account a convicted person's age and behavior in prison. "The quality of the gun was high and the production process of the drug had been completed apart from refining," the judge said, stressing that the defendant had significant social impact by demonstrating that such things can be made without expert knowledge. "He took the possibility of an accidental explosion lightly," prosecutors, who demanded a jail term of three to six years, said earlier. "There is a risk of copycat offenders using information easily obtained on the internet." The defense team demanded that the defendant be placed under protective custody in a juvenile correction facility. On April 1st, 2019, major new immigration reform will take effect with a new aMiddle Skilled Workera (tokuteigino) visa status for foreign workers in Japan. This new class of visa is designed to alleviate labour shortages due to Japanas shrinking population in a wide range of industries a including nursing care, cleaning, factory work, construction, hospitality, agriculture, fisheries, and restaurants. If it works, it could lead to a modest influx of foreign workers to Japan with a subsequent need for housing and other support services. The scheme aims to bring in more than 345,000 migrants to Japan over the next 5 years. The target for the first year is a much more modest 47,550 workers. The new immigration status differs from the much-criticised Technical Intern Training Program in that foreign workers are considered regular employees and there is a path to permanent residence status. Another difference compared to previous efforts to plug Japanas labour shortages with foreign labour is that applicants need to pass both a language test and a skills test to qualify for the new visa status. The language component seems to be a nod to concerns about integration of new immigrants. The specific requirement is Level N4 or higher of the Japanese Language Proficiency test. That level requires applicants to be able to read 167 kanji characters, to understand some basic sentences and to have some elementary listening skills. One potential problem is that the total number of people that passed the Level N4 or higher last year was only 154,000 (100,000 when restricted to examinees outside Japan). While that sounds like a lot more than the approximately 70,000 workers needed to meet the targets, a large number of those examinees will either slot into the highly skilled category or they may not have an interest in the industries for which Japan is seeking workers. The question is whether additional people will take the exam (approximately 6 months of study would be required) with the specific goal of fulfilling the requirements of the new visa. South Africa: National Action Plan to use land and other issues to address racism A few moments of pain and emotion stand out in South Africas young democracy. One of these was an image of Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu being overcome by emotion during the highly-charged Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the 1990s where testimonies of South Africas difficult past how apartheid activists went missing and how some were executed by ruthless police officers were narrated. Another moment was May 2008 when Mozambican national Ernesto Alfabeto Nhamuave, who was 35 at the time, was beaten, stabbed and set alight at the Ramaphosa Informal Settlement in Ekurhuleni. The image of the hapless man on his knees as fire consumed what remained of his torso sent shockwaves around the world as he became the face of the attacks of foreign nationals in South Africa at the time. While these moments, among others, are a cruel reminder of how racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia are a thorn in the countrys painful history, these inhumane violations of human rights still persist today. Recently, on 28 February, Cabinet announced the National Action Plan to Combat Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance for tabling at the United Nations. In a statement, Cabinet said healing the divisions of the past is a continuous process that must go hand in hand with ensuring greater economic opportunities for more people. This week South Africa celebrates Human Rights Day. In an interview with SAnews, Justice and Constitutional Development Minister John Jeffery said while the newly approved plan was a milestone and paves the way for a multidisciplinary approach to dealing with these social injustices, tackling racism and racial discrimination will remain difficult for as long as poverty, inequality and unemployment still have a face. Remember that this is a five year plan, which has a structure to coordinate it and it will be reviewed after those five years. So basically, it will set us on a programme as government and civil society to address issues of racism and racial discrimination. To make the obvious point, we are never going to resolve the problems of racism and racial discrimination and xenophobia whilst poverty, inequality and unemployment has a racial face. It is basically because of our history as African people, black African people; who are the majority of the unemployed; the majority of the people in poverty; the majority of the people who are less-resourced than the others So until you deal with that, one of the things you will notice from the plan is that it is accepting of the fact that land is an important issue and part of the plan is in fact addressing the issue of land because that is really at the root of racial inequality, he said. NAP at a glance The process to draft, develop and approve the plan has been an intensive 18-year journey that started at the United Nations World Conference against Racism, which was held in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, in 2001. The Plan has been developed through a comprehensive consultation process involving government, the Chapter Nine Institutions and civil society, and is informed by general principles of universality, interdependence and indivisibility of human rights, participation and inclusion, progressive realisation, accountability, equality and non-discrimination. According to the final approved plan, a total of 152 submissions were received from 104 individuals and 47 from organisations, various interest groups and Chapter Nine institutions The approved plan provides the basis for the development of a comprehensive public policy against racial discrimination and assists states in giving effect to their international human rights obligations related to the elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. As part of the plan, a rapid response team, which will respond directly to government and the broader society, will be set up to serve as a barometer for measuring the extent of incidents, the circumstances which allow for their continuation and the provision of tools to address them. According to the plan: - The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development will, in collaboration with government departments, Chapter Nine institutions the Foundation for Human Rights and civil society working with these issues, develop a database with the names of service providers who provide assistance on these matters which will be linked to the Rapid Response Mechanism; - The department will promote research strategies which include the investigation of the nature, causes and manifestations of racism and discrimination in both public and private spheres as well as the efficient ways of ensuring that accurate data and statistics are collected; - The promotion of anti-racist and anti-discrimination education is a shared responsibility between government departments and the Chapter Nine institutions. The department will under the auspices of the National Action Plan promote the multi-faceted educational strategies of government departments as well as the measures adopted by them to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; - The department will develop and design education and training programmes in partnership with other government departments, Chapter Nine institutions as well as civil society to increase awareness of anti- racism, equality and anti-discrimination issues among public officials, civil society and the general public, mobilizing support from a wide range of experts. The NAP is not intended to replace existing laws and policies, but rather to be complementary to existing legislation, policies and programmes which address equality, equity and discrimination. Speaking to SAnews, Jeffery said the mechanisms that will be put in place to tackle the societal ills will start to take shape after the elections once the new administration has been appointed. I think we will get onto how that structure will work after the elections when we will need to see what the configuration within government is. First of all, the plan does outline different sectors in society that need to be involved in the fight against racism. So it includes, for example, the media, sporting bodies among others. I think once the elections have taken place and there is a new administration in place, then whoever is coordinating it then will have to be clear or involve the different groups from the different sectors of society and to look at what should be doing what, he said. How the National Action Plan governance structure is envisaged to look Jeffery said the proposed governance structure will be chaired at the highest political level by the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services. The proposed structure will comprise a Plenary, chaired by a Minister, a Programme Implementation Committee and Technical Task Teams. The secretariat of the structure will be housed in the department. One of the things we have raised is that there will be a reconfiguration after the elections so it doesnt necessarily have to be the Minister of Justice, it can be a Minister convening it and then an implementation committee involving government, civil society organisations, Chapter Nine institutions and so one, he said. According to the plan, the implementation committee would meet quarterly throughout the year; assess the performance of role-players on the implementation of the NAP; report to Cabinet on the progress made on the overall implementation of the NAP; direct oversight of the NAP monitoring and evaluation process; respond to queries in respect of the NAP; provide guidance on the implementation of the NAP; establish technical task teams to ensure implementation and monitoring of the NAP, and ensure coordination and coherence of the work of technical task teams. Action plan to zoom into land, socio-economic challenges to tackle discrimination Jeffery said the for the fight against racism to be effective, issues that have been the source of inequality between the majority of the population and the minority during apartheid and even today including the land question will be addressed by the plan in the context of existing programmes. For example, the plan engages national dialogues on land reform. Part of the plan is addressing land related issues. That would continue to be done by existing structures in government. So the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Land Reform would be the body responsible for that. There are issues under activities and outputs of engaging on national dialogues on land, the development of policy which prioritises the redistribution of vacant, unused and under-utilised state land. So you are not going to have another group of people dealing with the land issue. It is more situating and addressing the land issue within a broader context in the fight against racism and racial discrimination, he said. Consultation process an emotional one Jeffery said the consultations process in drafting the plan was a lengthy and, at times, an emotional one. But it was not as emotionally charged as it would have been in the past. racism and racial discrimination is very fundamental so there were a large number of workshops and obviously it is an issue that does cause emotions. Let me also just say that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was in the 1990s and it completed its work in the early 2000s. We have now got a new generation of South Africans who didnt live through the TRC process or were too young to be conscious of it and so their understanding of what happened in apartheid is something that they have read in books, which informs where we are today. So the people having a personal experience of apartheid is diminished and that also does affect peoples ability to understand what happened, to understand the divisions, the balance of power in the late 1980s and the early 1990s when we were during negotiations, he said. With South Africa being rated globally for the manner in which it handled the negotiations that dismantled apartheid, Jeffery said the plan now makes South Africa compliant with international treaties when it comes to the fight against racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia. The plan aims to deal with such incidents, to avoid incidents like the 2008 xenophobic attacks from happening again. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2019-03-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. URUMQI, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese fishery authority said that fishing will be completely banned in the Ertix River, the only river in China that flows into the Arctic Ocean. The fishery management center in the Altay prefecture, in the northern part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, said fishing will be banned year-round in all natural rivers in the Altay region, including the Ertix. "We are enforcing the ban to restore fishery resources, protect the natural habitats, restore aquatic diversity, and protect the water sources for cities," said Ershanjam Mamat, head of the center's law enforcement division. The Ertix River originates from the Altay Mountains in China and flows northwest along the southern foothills into Kazakhstan, Russia, before meeting the Arctic. A seasonal fishing ban has been enforced in the Ertix since 2005 every year from April 1 to June 30. It helped raise legal awareness of the people living along the riverbank. The number of cold-water fish, such as the white bream and northern pikes, has been growing, official figures show. Law enforcement authorities have also stepped up protection of the Ertix's natural environment. Last year, 12 cases of illegal fishing were handled by authorities. More than 1,900 kg of illegal catches were released back to river, and eight boats used for illegal fishing were destroyed. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has congratulated US President Donald Trump over his vindication on allegations that campaign collud... I congratulate President @realDonaldTrump on his vindication by the Robert Mueller report. It is my hope that the lifting of this cloud will give room for further successes by the 45th President of the United States. March 26, 2019 I trust Nigeria can learn from the application of rigorous due process to get to the truth of our current challenges. Congratulations once again. -AA Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) March 26, 2019 Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has congratulated US President Donald Trump over his vindication on allegations that campaign colluded with Russia to influence the US election in 2016.Trump had been accused of conspiring with Russian officials to influence the election, especially against Hillary Clinton, his then rival.But the report of Robert Mueller, US special counsel, said investigation did not find sufficient evidence on the allegation, or that the US president obstructed justice.Writing via his Twitter handle on Tuesday, Abubakar, who is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2019 elections, said by being vindicated, Trump would have a clearer coast to record more successes in the US.He added that the investigations teaches Nigeria how to apply rigorous due process in its current challenges.Abubakar wrote: I congratulate President @realDonaldTrump on his vindication by the Robert Mueller report. It is my hope that the lifting of this cloud will give room for further successes by the 45th President of the United States.I trust Nigeria can learn from the application of rigorous due process to get to the truth of our current challenges. Congratulations once again. The Association of Communication Device Technicians of Nigeria (AMCODET) says the group is working and analysing the possibility of usi... The Association of Communication Device Technicians of Nigeria (AMCODET) says the group is working and analysing the possibility of using mobile phones to conduct elections, using recharge cards in the country. The National President of the association, Mr Apara Ige, disclosed this on Tuesday in an interview with newsmen in Abuja. Ige regretted that there were cases of violence and tension in some states in the just concluded general elections in the country, causing polls in those areas to be inconclusive. He said that the general elections, conducted every four years in the country, always left the government with huge capital expenditure, which was uncalled for. According to him, Information Communication Technology (ICT), especially the mobile phone, can be used to conduct relatively fair elections. He added that government administration is the responsibility of everyone, if you are not part of the administration, there is no way you can be part of policymaking. AMCODET Nigeria is trying to call the governments attention to the ICT sector because opportunities abound in ICT. The association came up with a solution, the Nigerian Automated Voting Machine and Voters Electronic Recharge Card Solution Management. We are looking at ways to use mobile phones to conduct elections by using recharge cards. Once you recharge your phone or go to the Automated Voting Machine, you can vote for any candidate of your choice. We are still working on the programme, we have eight of our members who travelled to the U.S., Japan and India to conduct further research on the initiatives. We are still lobbying the government to see reasons to support this solution so that in 2023, we will not go to queue and experience political thuggery. He further said that the association made presentations on the solutions to the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the Senate President and the Chairman, Committee on Electoral Reforms. We think it is our responsibility and an opportunity for us as a body to sell ICT potential to the government. He explained that as technicians, members of the association know the importance of mobile phones more than users. He said, there are some features on mobile phones that are not being tapped into, people majorly use the mobile phone to socialise but the gadget can do many more beyond that. BEIJING, March 25 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday urged the United States to properly handle Taiwan-related issues to avoid damaging China-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang made the remarks at a news briefing when responding to media reports saying the United States sent two warships through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday. "China has ly followed the passing of U.S. warships through the Taiwan Strait and monitored the whole process," said Geng, adding that China had lodged stern representations with the U.S. side. "We urge the U.S. to observe the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-U.S. joint communiques and properly handle Taiwan-related issues so as to avoid undermining China-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," Geng said. Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, inspects a middle school in Tumxuk, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 22, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) URUMQI, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese top political advisor Wang Yang has stressed social stability and ethnic solidarity in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region during an inspection tour. Wang, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top advisory body, said that solid work should be done on various fronts to maintain social stability in Xinjiang. "Attention should be paid to resolving fundamental issues that affect long-term peace and stability in the region," Wang said. He said the general situation in Xinjiang has been continuously stable and keeps on improving, and people's sense of gain, happiness and safety keeps growing. He asked local authorities to maintain high pressure on the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism while guaranteeing people of all ethnicities are entitled to the same rights and obligations. He stressed the protection of fine traditional cultures of ethnic minorities and ensuring the needs of religious people are met and their customs respected. He noted that persistent efforts should be made to alleviate poverty in Xinjiang through industrial development and consumption boost and to empower impoverished people to rid themselves of poverty. He also urged Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps to continue deepening reform on major areas and go to all lengths to develop into the southern parts of the region. Wang visited Kashgar, Tumxuk, Ili and Urumqi from Wednesday to Monday and held several symposiums with local authorities. He also held a symposium with some national political advisors in Xinjiang. The village of Hongcun, Huangshan city, East China's Anhui Province after rainfall on March 20, 2019 ? the village is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its traditional architecture. (Photo/chinadaily.com.cn) Peak tourist season has come half a month early for Hongcun village, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The village in Huangshan, Anhui Province known for its historical architecture is welcoming increasing numbers of visitors this month, perhaps in response to a break in heavy, continual rainfall in South China. The launch of the high-speed rail route linking Hangzhou, Zhejiang province capital, and the city of Huangshan at the end of last year has also contributed to the tourism boom, according to local officials and business representatives. The village of Hongcun, Huangshan city, East China's Anhui Province after rainfall on March 20, 2019 ? the village is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its traditional architecture. (Photo/chinadaily.com.cn) Chinese President Xi Jinpings ongoing state visits to Italy, Monaco and France will build new hope, forge new highlights and endow new connotation for pragmatic cooperation between China and the three countries. The decision to deepen cooperation came at the right time as the spring heralds the best time of the year. Xis trip reflects the high importance China lays on Sino-European relations and the countrys efforts to continuously deepen Sino-European comprehensive strategic partnership. It also shows Chinas willingness to further strengthen pragmatic cooperation with relevant countries to achieve win-win and mutually beneficial outcomes. In addition, the Chinese Presidents visit demonstrates Chinas responsibility to join hands with the three countries to advance pragmatic cooperation toward greater progress in a down-to-earth way. Xis trip, carrying Chinas deep friendship with the three countries, sends Chinas goodwill to work with them to inherit and carry forward the spirit of cooperation, enhance strategic coordination, promote the international community to seek common ground while reserving differences, pursue development through collaboration, and contribute new wisdom and strength to the building of a better world. Xis diplomacy has drawn China closer to the world. By building more consensus, it has gradually turned the forging of a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice, and win-win cooperation into a common action, and made the building of a community of shared future for mankind more charming. Xis European trip serves the common interests and expectation of China and Europe, and marks the concrete endeavor to actively respond to the current issues and challenges and expand the space for cooperation and development in an ever-changing world. Currently, countries are faced with new issues and challenges, and presented with new opportunities and environment for cooperation at this crucial moment when the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. In the world, no country is able to only take good care of its own interests without thinking about others. Therefore, only by taking the opportunities of the times, coping with challenges through cooperation, enhancing strategic mutual trust and forging ahead with each other, can countries achieve common development and prosperity. During the trip, Xi and the leaders of Italy and France have witnessed the inking of cooperation agreements, and carried out in-depth communication with Head of State of the Principality of Monaco Prince Albert II, jointly pushing pragmatic cooperation in various fields for more achievements. A series of figures and the smooth operation of projects reflected the strength and potential of Chinas economic and trade cooperation with the three countries, as well as the width and depth of such cooperation. Sticking to the basic tone of China-Europe cooperation and following the general trend of Chinas relations with Italy, Monaco and France in the new era, Xis visits aim at strengthening high-level exchanges, upgrading bilateral pragmatic cooperation with joint efforts and cementing the partnership for common interests and development. Such scenario will inevitably cultivate the soil for cooperation, advance bilateral relations toward mutual benefits and win-win results, and usher in a new era for bilateral relations. China always upholds the philosophy of openness, inclusiveness, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. The Belt and Road Initiative, advocating the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration and guided by the Silk Road spirit, is a specific display of such philosophy. Xis European trip will further advance cooperation on the co-construction of the Belt and Road and enable relevant countries to create shared opportunities and common prosperity. If one wants to go fast, walk alone; and if one wants to go far, walk together. The deepened pragmatic cooperation between China and the three countries will elevate China-Europe cooperation onto a new height. China and Europe are two major forces to safeguard global peace, two markets to promote common development and two civilizations to make significant contributions to the progress of mankind. To build the China-EU partnership for peace, growth, reform and civilization requires a firm grasp of the strategic direction of China-EU cooperation in the new era, and continuous expansion of the width and depth of China-EU relations. By doing so, a sound pattern of comprehensive, multilevel and wide-ranging cooperation will be established, and the economic globalization will become open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all. In spring, people sow the seeds of hope. It is believed that President Xis visits will bring Chinas relations with Italy, Monaco and France onto a higher level, push China-Europe relationship toward greater progress under joint efforts, and write a new chapter for China-Europe relations. Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Italy from Mar. 21 to 24. The visit bore huge significance as this year marks the 15th anniversary of the China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership. Xi held talks with his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, and attended relevant activities. The two parties reached broad consensus on bilateral ties, as well as regional and international issues of common interest. The two countries also signed a joint communique to advance China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership, as well as 19 inter-governmental bilateral cooperation documents. The visit, achieving fruitful results, indicated the further consolidation of the sustainability, stability and strategies of China-Italy relations, as well as the comprehensive expansion of the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. The visit will usher in a new era of China-Italy relationship that is vital and energetic. Xi compared China-Italy relations to a tall and luxuriant tree whose roots run deep and strong, praising the relations as being strategic partners featuring mutual respect and trust, cooperative partners featuring mutual benefit and win-win result, and cultural exchange partners featuring mutual learning. His description vividly depicted the present and future of China-Italy ties. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership, and the two countries will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations next year. China and Italy agreed to guide the direction of bilateral ties from a strategic height and long-term perspective, and jointly push for greater development of the China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership. Conte believes that Xi's visit to Italy bears historic significance and will lead the Italy-China relations to a higher level. Friendship and cooperation carry the will of the people. From the friendly exchanges conducted on the ancient Silk Road, to the letter exchanges between Xi and the students at an Italian boarding school, what the people feel is the sustained friendship between Chinese and Italians that has developed over 2,000 years. It serves as a firm support for the stable and rapid development of China-Italy relations. Days ago, Xi and Mattarella met with representatives attending the three major institutional meetings of China-Italy Entrepreneur Committee, China-Italy Third Party Market Cooperation Forum and China-Italy Cultural Cooperation Mechanism, which were held in parallel for the first time. Both parties confirmed that Italy will participate the second China International Import Expo as a guest country of honor. It inspired confidence of the two peoples toward brighter prospects of China-Italy friendly cooperation. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by China and Italy to jointly advance the construction of the Belt and Road is a highlight of Xis visit. The ancient Changan (Xian) and Rome, two major cities along the ancient Silk Road, witnessed numerous stories of friendship and cooperation. Today, they once again join each other, becoming cooperation partners to jointly construct the Belt and Road. Conte said Italy is glad to joining the Belt and Road construction, adding that he strongly believes that it will bring Italy various opportunities such as increased foreign economic and trade exchanges. The Italian Prime Minister said he is looking forward to attending the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation next month in Beijing. The strategic alignment between China and Italy to jointly build the Belt and Road will bring benefits not only to the people of two countries, but also to the European integration and the European people at large. Italy is one of the founding members of the European Union (EU), and the Treaty of Rome signed 62 years ago is seen as an important milestone of European integration. China-Italy relations have always been at the forefront of Sino-EU relations. Xi noted during his visit that China has always supported the European integration, and is willing to work with EU countries including Italy to deepen China-Europe cooperation. His Italian counterpart responded that Italy is committed to promoting in-depth development of EU-China ties. Such positive statements made by the heads of state of the two countries have depicted a bright future of the deepening China-Europe partnership for peace, growth, reform and civilization. As the warm breezes blow this March, the Apennine Peninsula is witnessing a new milestone in the development of China-Italy relations. The historical visit paid by Xi to Italy is of great significance for the long-term stability of the win-win cooperation between the two countries, as well as the interconnectivity between China and Europe, and the global prosperity at large. (Zhong Sheng, a homonym in Chinese for "voice of China", is a pen name often used by People's Daily to express its views on foreign policy.) It seems that China and Italy, two countries with the largest number of world heritage sites, are constantly holding cultural exchange activities. Witnessed by visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities of Italy and the Minister of Culture and Tourism of China have signed an agreement on March 23 in Rome that will see 796 sets of lost Chinese cultural relics and artworks return to China. The repatriation, which is the largest number of cultural relics to be returned to China over the past two decades, shows the cultural communication, cooperation and mutually beneficial relationship between the two distant countries, according to Chinas National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA). Today is a grand festival, 796 sets of Chinese cultural relics will be returned to Chinese people, said Alberto Bonisoli, the minister of Italys Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, reported the Xinhua News Agency. After the announcement of the agreement with Italy hit Sina Weibo, it quickly became a hot topic of discussion, with more than 47,000 likes and 4,800 reposts. Thanks a lot! Ill eat pasta as much as I can, said netizen Komabeauty. Italy will be my first destination when traveling abroad, said another. Welcome home! It is essential to have a strong nation to protect our cultural relics," commented netizen Point-point. Its really an emotional time, I think I am about to cry, posted netizen Kalliope. National treasures Many of the relics found in Italy were originally unearthed from Northwest Chinas Shaanxi Province, North Chinas Shanxi Province, Central Chinas Henan Province and East Chinas Jiangsu Province and spans a period of time covering the Neolithic age through to the Republic of China (1912-49) period, said the NCHA. These relics are of high historical, archaeological, cultural and aesthetical values. Among the relics are a diverse range of Neolithic colored pottery, which can provide a direct window into the pottery making techniques in Northwest China thousands of years ago. Terracotta figures from the Han (206BC-AD220), Tang (618-907) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties are also valuable resources for researching peoples material and spiritual lives in ancient China. Outstanding relics include a stylish red clay pottery pot that dates back to the Neolithic Majiayao Culture, a sleek cocoon pot from the Han Dynasty; Tang Dynasty terracotta warriors, Song Dynasty black glazed porcelain and an elegant Qing Dynasty purple sand pot. Road to home The relics journey home has not been easy. According to the NCHA, the relics first came back to light in 2007, when Italian authorities seized a large number of Chinese cultural relics and artworks suspected of being illegally trafficked. Learning of the discovery, the NCHA immediately contacted its Italian counterpart to begin the work to bring the relics home. After more than 10 years of endeavor, the Italian courts ruled that the relics should be returned to China. Along with the announcement that the US would be returning 361 Chinese relics earlier this month and the return of a looted Tiger Ying bronze vessel in December 2018, China has made remarkable progress in bringing its lost cultural relics home. Visitors look at artwork displayed in an exhibition marking the centennial of the Work-Study Movement in the China Cultural Center in Paris, France, March 24, 2019. A ceremony and a series of events were held here to mark the centennial of the Work-Study Movement. Starting in 1919, thousands of progressive young Chinese went to France, where they worked in factories in Paris, Lyon and Montargis to pay for their studies in the European country. Some of them became interested in Marxism and established one of the earliest Chinese communist party groups in France. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi) PARIS, March 25 (Xinhua) -- A ceremony and a series of events were held here on Saturday to mark the centennial of the Work-Study Movement ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to France. Starting in 1919, thousands of progressive young Chinese went to France, where they worked in factories in Paris, Lyon and Montargis to pay for their studies in the European country. Some of them became interested in Marxism and established one of the earliest Chinese communist party groups in France. Among these prominent figures were late Chinese leaders Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping. The movement has also promoted cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two sides. The ceremony and the events were held in the China Cultural Center in Paris. At the ceremony, a sculpture by Wu Weishan, a famous Chinese sculptor, was unveiled. The bronze embossment, which shows a group of Chinese revolutionaries, will be put in Montargis, a Southern French city where many of those revolutionaries worked and studied. "Sculpture must have spirit. The spirit of this piece is the struggling of the Chinese people for national rejuvenation and the friendship between China and France," said Wu. Jiang Jianguo, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, told the ceremony that with the events, China wants to show its appreciation for those who have helped the country in the past and to preserve friendship between the two countries. "Through history can we be inspired to solve the problems in the present," said former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, who attended the events on Saturday and unveiled the sculpture together with Jiang. Raffarin said what brings France and China together now is their shared world view. Both countries believe that the tenser the world situation is, the more support for cooperation and multilateralism is needed, he said. The China Cultural Center also saw the premiere of a TV documentary introducing the movement's history. The documentary was jointly produced by the French channel of China's CGTN and the French TV5 Monde. It featured historical video clips and narrations by the descendants of the movement's participants. Yves Bigot, director general of TV5 Monde, said at the premiere that the movement was at the root of the French-Chinese friendship over the past century. This year also marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and France. In his signed article titled "Move Together Toward Common Development" published Saturday in leading French newspaper Le Figaro ahead of his state visit to the European country, Xi said he will bring "goodwill" toward France with him on his visit. "Such goodwill is based on the admiration both from the Chinese people and from myself for the splendid history and culture and the unique charm that France has to offer," he said in the article. U.S. President Donald Trump (L) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, March 25, 2019. Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, territory that Israel seized from Syria in 1967. (Xinhua/Ting Shen) WASHINGTON, March 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, territory that Israel seized from Syria in 1967. The proclamation said that it is "appropriate to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights" because of the security need of Israel. "This was a long time in the making," Trump said before signing the decree at the White House with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu standing alongside. Netanyahu welcomed Trump's move and called the recognition "historic." Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in a war in 1967 and annexed it in the 1980s, but the international community has never recognized the move. SAN FRANCISCO, March 25 (Xinhua) -- People in the San Francisco Bay Area continue to show a growing interest in visiting China and exploring the country's culture, history, natural wonders and lifestyles, said tour operators specialized in the U.S. region Monday. At the just-concluded annual Bay Area Travel and Adventure Show in Santa Clara, California over the weekend, many visitors stopped at the booth of Alex Wang, owner of a travel agency. They took brochures or asked him questions about the travel itineraries the company provided. "We have attended the show for several years to promote our travel products. There's an increasing interest from American people, including Chinese Americans in the Bay Area," said Wang, president of Chinatour.com International Inc, a Southern California-based tour operator. With a big picture of China's Temple of Heaven hanging at the booth as background, Wang handed out thousands of brochures and flyers at the two-day exhibition over the weekend. "We provide both high-end luxury tours and budget tours for young people," he said. "Those retired customers tend to choose long haul tours, such as Yangtze River cruise, which is very popular. Young people are usually attracted to short tours, such as week-long tour to Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an." The Bay Area Travel and Adventure Show, which has been held for nine years in the region, is a major exhibition for tourists to find information about their desired destinations. The event is projected to attract between 8,000 and 9,000 people this year, according to the organizer. The booths of China National Tourist Office (CNTO) and a few Chinese tourist agencies were among the most popular ones. People even queued up to get a free souvenir, such as 12 zodiac animal bookmarks and panda calendars. Cynthia Chang, who got a monkey bookmark, said she had always wanted to visit her father's hometown in east China's Jiangsu Province. As a second generation Chinese American, she said what attracted her the most was China's history and culture, as well as food. "The Bay Area is a very important market for us. It's one of the most affluent regions in the country and people here are generally more familiar with Chinese culture because of the large Chinese community," said Emma Ma, who works for the Los Angeles office of CNTO, which is tasked to promote tourism to China. Spanning from the wine country to Silicon Valley, the Bay Area has a population of over 7 million people in nine counties and 101 cities, according to Bay Area Census. The median household income in San Francisco was 96,265 U.S. dollars in 2017, compared to 61,372 dollars of the U.S. median household income, statistics of the U.S. Census Bureau showed. CNTO has been an exhibitor at each event of the Travel and Adventure Show to promote the tourist sources and travel information to American people, according to Ma. This year, CNTO worked with three local travel agencies -- Chinatour.com, Access Asia Tours and China Travel Service, as well as two airlines -- Air China and Air Canada -- to present various travel routes at different price points to China. "The classic destinations for those tourists who have never been to China are the 'Golden Triangle" -- Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai," said Napio Asahara, manager of sales and operations at Access Asia Tours, a North America-based tour company specialized in customized private tours to China. "For those who plan to visit China for the second or third time, we have noticed an increasing interest in Silk Road, or Tibet," she said. Asahara said her company focuses on high-end small tours and most of their clients are retired people who have more leisure time and can afford higher priced tours. Thanks to CNTO's overseas promotion of the Silk Road tourist destinations in the past few years, several travel itineraries based on the ancient trade route have been developed and highlighted in the brochures at the show. Another successful example is Sichuan Province, which has been actively promoting the province's tourist sources in the United States in the past two years, said Wang. "When we attended such travel shows, we were often asked about panda or Sichuan cuisine," said Wang. "I can see there's an increasing interest in traveling in Sichuan." China's inbound tourism remained steady in 2018 when a total of 141 million inbound visitors were recorded, up 1.2 percent year-on-year, according to figures from China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Inbound tourists brought a total of 127.1 billion U.S. dollars in revenue to the tourism sector in 2018, registering a 3 percent increase compared with 2017. More than 5 million people traveled between China and the United States in 2016, which was designated as U.S.-China Tourism Year by both countries. "To welcome more American tourists in China, we tour operators need to develop in-depth tour experience," said Wang. Last year, his company partnered with Shandong Province to add Confucius' hometown and Qingdao to their existing tour routes from Beijing to Shanghai. Aside from being a "time capsule of ancient cultures," China also is a "monumental stage showcasing modern miracles," said Wang. "It's a unique experience for overseas tourists to see the contrast between the ancient Chinese culture and its modern entrepreneurial spirit." Hong Kong: HK, Australia boost IP co-operation The Intellectual Property Department signed a Memorandum of Understanding with IP Australia to strengthen mutual co-operation in the field of intellectual property (IP). Under the pact, the two places will pursue co-operation in a wide range of areas in IP protection and commercialisation and capacity building in patent examination. They will also share experiences in the operation of the international trademark registration system, promotion of dispute resolution to resolve IP disputes, and the development of information technology systems for the management of examination and grant of IP rights. Director of Intellectual Property David Wong said: "I am confident that this collaborative initiative would inspire and bring about more joint IP undertakings in future. As Hong Kong will soon roll out the original grant patent system and we are also taking steps to implement the Madrid Protocol in the coming years, IP Australia's rich experience in conducting substantive patent examination and establishing an international trademark registration system under the Madrid Protocol would be invaluable to us. The department said as Hong Kong and Australia are both members of the IP Rights Experts Group of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the two sides have a long history of collaboration on the patent and trademark fronts. The pact consolidates the foundation for co-operation between the two places and takes such co-operation to new heights, it added. This story has been published on: 2019-03-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. On March 24, during the period of the 2019 China Development Forum, the Guangzhou roundtable themed Opening a New Realm was held in Beijing. Zhang Shuofu, member of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee as well as Secretary of the Guangzhou Municipal Party Committee, delivered a speech. Mayor Wen Guohui offered a promotion encompassing the theme. John Flint, Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Group, Zhang Jin, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Cedar Holding Group, Robert E. Moritz, Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers Global, Frank Mars, Co-owner of Mars, Incorporated, and Merlin Swire, Chairman of John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Ltd, each separately gave speeches regarding how these Fortune 500 companies relate to Guangzhou. Views and outlooks regarding deep cooperation between the parties in the context of the construction of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area were also explored. In his speech, Zhang Shuofu said that in October last year, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited Guangdong in person to point out the direction for the reform and development of Guangzhou in the new era. We must adhere to the spirit of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and thoroughly study and implement the important guidance of General Secretary Xi Jinping for the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and seize Opportunities, unswervingly deepen reform and opening up, focus on enhancing Guangzhou as one of the core engines for regional development of the Greater Bay Area, building a strong city of science and technology innovation, a strong city of advanced manufacturing, a strong city of modern service industry, a strong cultural city, and build an international metropolis. He hoped that all the guests would pay more attention to Guangzhou and make suggestions for the development of the Guangzhou and hopes that more friends will invest in the southern city. Wen Guohui said that Guangzhou has seized the major opportunities for the construction of the Greater Bay Area of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, which has further expanded its opening up and promoted the new vitality of the old city. Guangzhou will focus on strengthening its function as a core engines for the regional development of the Greater Bay Area, and work with Hong Kong, Macao and surrounding cities to build a world-class Bay Area and a world-class city group. The heads of 76 world-renowned companies attended the round table. The guests regarded that Guangzhou, as a core engine for the regional development in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, has increasingly enhanced urban functions and continuously optimized the business environment. Furthermore, that it possesses good conditions for technological innovation and continuously enhances its influence and competitiveness. It is a city full of vitality and opportunities. The guests mentioned that they will seize opportunities involving construction in the Greater Bay Area, further deepen exchanges and cooperation with Guangzhou, and help Guangzhou's reform and opening up achieve a new level of success. John Flint, chief executive of HSBC Holdings Ltd., said that Guangzhou has become an integral part of their business. They have seen the economic scale and development potential of Guangzhou, and Guangzhou's future has more importance to HSBC. Robert E. Moritz, global president of PricewaterhouseCoopers, said: Not only today, Guangzhou has also developed a plan for the next decade, and its vision is very long-term. Zhang Jin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cedar Holdings, explained that Guangzhou has already upgraded from a traditional trading city into an international trade center. It is a hub for international aviation, shipping and technology innovation. The century-old city has renewed its new vitality and new impetus. Merlin Swire, chairman of the John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Ltd., said that since the reform and opening up, the Guangzhou municipal government has actively encouraged foreign investors including the Swire Group to come and invest in Guangzhou. They will continue to invest in Guangzhou and Greater Bay Area and develop together with Guangzhou. Frank Mars, the Co-owner of Mars, provided a speech as well thanking the Chinese government as well as the Guangzhou Municipal Government for their support and gratitude for the partnership they have established. Northpark Project gets new ranking, board says Its a go The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone 10 board got news they have been waiting for six years to hear. We will be funded, said TIRZ Chairman Stan Sarman. During the February board meeting, it was announced that the application submitted for funding had been missing crucial data and had been ranked poorly by the Houston-Galveston Area Council, the funding entity for transportation projects in the Gulf Coast area. But in the month since, Sarman, TIRZ manager Ralph Deleon and Houston City Councilmember Dave Martin met with H-GAC officials and resubmitted the application with complete information. Sarman said, I have good news. We received an updated listing of pending projects, and according to the latest data, we are scheduled to be funded. Sarman attributed the change in ranking to the inclusion of key traffic statistics that were omitted from the first application. He also said that of the 1,072 public comments received by the H-GAC (relating to all of the nearly 200 proposals), over 485 pertained to the Northpark project. Sarman said he thought that overwhelming public support made a difference in the new rankings. Martin said previously that the Northpark project was the only project that received a letter of support from every single member of the Houston City Council as well as from Mayor Sylvester Turner. Jim Webb, with the Goodman Corporation, whose firm had submitted the incomplete application, stood and praised Martin, in particular, for being the reason the project will be funded. If it not were for Dave Martin, this project would not happen. He is the reason. His efforts really made the difference in getting the funding, Webb said. The board spent a few minutes in reflection on how long they have been working on the Northpark project more than six years, according to Martin. He remarked that it has been amazing to see the difference in how quickly, or how slowly, something gets done when it is the private sector or government managing it. Optimistically, the project should turn dirt in 2020. The Northpark Project is split into two phases. Phase One is the western portion, which includes improvements from U.S. Highway 59 to approximately Russell Palmer Road. The cost, $38.8 million, will be funded through City of Houston funds and money raised by a bond issued by the TIRZ. Phase Two, which costs $47.4 million, is from Russell Palmer to Woodland Hills and includes realignment and significant traffic improvements. It will be funded with money from the H-GAC. TxDOT will manage both projects. Deleon said the TIRZ can expect a city council ordinance to pass soon to initiate the initial funding. Martin The board also approved an interlocal agreement with the Harris County Flood Control District. The TIRZ is contributing $100,000 toward a study of ditches and drainage in the Kingwood area. Since the January election, when a new county judge was elected, there has been much discussion about equity playing a role in the distribution of the multi-millions in flood relief approved by county voters. Martin said he was anticipating a meeting with County Commissioner Adrian Garcia to discuss how the new Democrat majority on the court views equity in the distribution of the bond money. Rachel Ray-Welsh, with engineering firm Walter P. Moore, provided yet another update on the turn signals at W. Lake Houston Pkwy. and Northpark Drive. While she stated in February the signals would be on soon, the City of Houston decided they will not be coming on until the end of May, at the earliest. City officials decided that the signals must wait until the back-ordered arms arrive. Ray-Welsh briefly discussed the two ongoing intersection improvements: Kingwood Drive at Willow Terrace and Kingwood Drive at Woodland Hills. Both intersections are under study with significant improvements slated in upcoming months. Woodland Hills will get dedicated right turns in both east and west directions and the intersection will be widened. Dedicated right turns east and west will also go in at Willow Terrace, along with new signals, repaving and sidewalks on both sides. The TIRZ next meets at 8 a.m. at the Kingwood Community Center April 11. Martins Town Hall meeting brings out a crowd A standing-room-only crowd of Kingwood area residents filled the main meeting room at the Kingwood Community Center to attend Houston City Councilman Dave Martins Town Hall Meeting March 21. - Mayor Turner assures residents flooding is a priority - Martin opened the meeting by formally introducing Kingwoods U.S. Congressman Dan Crenshaw, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and other City of Houston and officials present. Crenshaw went straight to the main topic at hand. Im going to talk a little bit about some of the updates on the federal level on the flooding issue that you really care about, he said. Crenshaw pointed out since Harvey there have been 14,789 FEMA claims in just four zip codes. Congressional District Two was hit from all sides, he said, and had 167,000 residents make FEMA claims that total over $700 million; that does not include businesses with insurance. He explained that because the local community and Houston have made meaningful changes to minimize these kinds of damage in the future, many matching programs and funds are being made available. He highlighted that since January, the federal government has awarded money for the San Jacinto Watershed Study, including an Army Corps of Engineers study, a flood warning system and $400,000 to investigate the feasibility of building a flood tunnel system. Turner and his team of administrators updated the residents on capital investment efforts underway in the Kingwood area. He explained that with the approvals of the $2.5 billion Harris County Bond Issue and the funds dedicated from Rebuild Houston Initiative, things are moving forward. Turner announced he is changing the name of the Rebuild Houston Initiative to Build Houston Forward to better reflect the forward-looking objectives of the program. Turner explained the Northpark Mobility project is a part of the Build Houston Forward effort and through the hard work of Chairman Stan Sarman and the community, working with Martin, the funding has been worked out and construction on the Northpark Mobility Project is scheduled to begin in 2020 with completion in 2021. It will provide an overpass over the Union Pacific railroad tracks and Loop 494. He then addressed the Lake Houston Dam project and said, We are partnering with the Harris County Flood Control District and the Coastal Water Authority and requesting funding from FEMA under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to move this vital project forward. Turner explained that the $48.5 million project will add 10 gates to the existing dam structure and will enable Houston to efficiently and timely control the release and level of lake water prior to storms. He said, The goal is to protect Kingwood and the other areas around the lake from flooding. Stephen Costello, Houstons chief resilience officer, described the San Jacinto River dredging project along with updates on all of the financing coordination and the drainage issues being addressed in the San Jacinto River watershed. He highlighted the challenge of what has become known as the Mouthbar of sand that impedes the flow of the river into Lake Houston and pointed out that there is as much material removal and dredging required there as there is in the rest of the dredging project already well underway. The estimate is a million-and-a-half yards for the Mouthbar Project, he said and described the coordination effort going on now to get the additional funding approvals needed to do that work. He expressed confidence that it will get done. Following the presentations, questions from residents were mainly about the dredging or flooding recovery projects. However, one was from a concerned resident about a story she had heard about the Forest Cove Fire Station possibly closing. Turner said, No one has ever discussed with me about closing any fire station in the City of Houston. I have not signed off on anything. I have not discussed the closing of anything. The resident then asked about stories of possible firefighter layoffs and the mayor pointed out those stories are true. He explained there is a high risk of layoffs due to the well-publicized predictions of the impact of last Novembers voter approval of Proposition B that mandates a 29 percent pay increase with no additional funding source. Scandal-ridden Empire actor Jussie Smollett, who faced 16 felony counts for allegedly staging his own racist and homophobic attack and lying to Chicago police about it, has been cleared of all charges, TMZ reports. He will reportedly surrender his bond, which had been set at $10,000. Addressing the public and press this morning following a court hearing, the State's Attorney, Kim Foxx said, "After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollett's volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case." TMZ also reports that Foxx's statement is in line with the idea that, Smollett, if convicted of any of the 16 counts he was charged with, would only get community service. Foxx is thought to have dropped the prosecution against Smollett because he has allegedly already served his time doing community service. However, TMZ reports Chicago police feel as though something "untoward" is going on with Foxx and are "furious" with the decision. "Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him," Smollett's lawyers said in a statement provided to PAPER via email. "Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public, causing an inappropriate rush to judgment." They continue: "Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions. This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect. Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result." Initially, case investigators suspected that Smollett wrote a $3,500 check to pay two men who worked on Empire to execute the attack. Threatening letters were also allegedly sent to Smollett by MAGA supporters Investigators believe one motive allegedly leading Smollett to stage his own attack was "because he was dissatisfied with his salary." In February, Smollett gave an emotional interview to Robin Roberts on Good Morning America last month, in which he effusively denied all claims against him, and doubled-down that the alleged attack was fueled by racism and homophobia. "I have to acknowledge the lies, and the hate. And it feels like if I had said it was a Muslim, or a Mexican, or someone black, I feel like the doubters would have supported me much more. A lot more," the 36-year-old actor told Roberts. "And that says a lot about the place that we are in our country right now." "It's not necessarily that you don't believe that this is the truth, you don't even want to see the truth," he added. I'm so glad we made it. Look how far we've come, my Lohan's Beach Club babies. Soon, in fact at the end of this very episode, Lindsay will decide who is "worthy" of "continuing on with her brand." It's the season finale of the show that thinks it's Vanderpump Rules but more closely resembles one of those vivid, disturbing dreams you have after falling asleep drunk. She's finally here. If you're not up to date, it was revealed a couple of weeks ago that Lindsay and Panos will choose four American hosts to move with them back to Athens and work at the Lohan nightclub there. Everyone else has to go home and, presumably, get therapy. Why anyone would want to win this prize literally a minimum wage job at a bar run by two psychopaths who aren't even pretending they care about anything other than pleasing their investors is beyond my comprehension. The always lovable Mike got fired right at the end of last week's episode, after enraging Panos and Lindsay by taking off his clothes in front of some VIP guests: two obnoxious Geordie Shore cast members with deep spraytans and drinking problems. So we begin today's episode with him in front of the confessional camera, acting defensive: "I don't think it's anything worse than anything anyone else has done at this point." True enough. I've seen things happen on this ugly tourist beach that would make grown men cry, and in fact may very well have. Panos and Lindsay come on screen to weigh in Lindsay is wearing her silver red carpet gown again. They say what Mike did was "unacceptable." It's revealed that someone tagged the Beach Club on Instagram with footage of Mike's butt. I think that's pretty good publicity! Alex and Mike At the morning meeting with Panos, Mike's fellow hosts try and defend their friend. They argue, correctly, that Panos and Lindsay asked Mike to take care of the clients in whatever way he could and frankly, those Geordie Shore people were more than happy for him to strip down and get sexual. Historically, hooking up with Beach Club clients has always been given the okay by Panos and Lindsay. They've encouraged it! From the male hosts in particular. Panos just shuts the hosts down. Mike's gone. It makes no sense, but it's happening that could be this show's official tagline. Everyone's sad, except Sara, who is a snake. In a presumable attempt to show her brand loyalty and win points, she tells Panos he's made the right choice. Yuck. Sara and Mike Mike goes back to the villa to pack his stuff. He remains unrepentant. "I'm used to getting my ass out at the club and getting rewarded for it," he tells the confessional camera. Well! There's a group hug, then a sepia-toned montage of Mike popping champagne and dancing on the sand. RIP. A producer MTV has, truly, given up literally steps in and asks Panos and Lindsay whether they've yet made their decision about who will stay and go. There's desperation in her voice. No, it's more like resignation. This show was clearly a nightmare to work on, and I'd absolutely love to receive some anonymous tips about what went down on set. Email address is in my Twitter bio! Lindsay and Panos just laugh and tell the beleaguered producer that they haven't made up their minds yet. As we learned at the end of the last episode, the hosts don't have to work on their last day. Panos and Lindsay have gifted them a day of cabana relaxation at the club, which would have been sweet if not for the Mike thing. Everyone's still annoyed about that, but determined to make the most of the island while they have it. They all start doing shots. It looks to be maybe 8AM? There's some B-roll of the blue haired DJ dancing. I'll miss her. Why did they never LET HER SPEAK? What's her story? Again: email address in my bio. Everyone's decided to pretend they like each other for this final day on camera. Aristotle and Sara, who have never even shared screen time, I don't think, are making big declarations of friendship. As a fun prank or something, the boys take a bottle from the girls' cabana and give it to some random lady. The girls get angry, then Brent feels bad and decides to buy them a $500 vintage bottle of champagne to say sorry. Unfortunately, he wants to deliver said champagne atop Kyle's shoulders, which is apparently how they do things in Vegas. This causes conflict; there's no way Kyle wants to play literal second tier to Brent. Kyle, Alex and Brent The 1942 bottle is now being OPENED and Kyle is ANGRY. I cannot believe this is the MOST DRAMATIC MOMENT THEY'RE GOING WITH, for the goddamn SEASON FINALE. A tension-filled car Still, the girls are touched by the gesture, as Lindsay watches from afar. She's wearing a bold lip today. Kyle goes off to stare at the ocean. After a day of drinking, everyone piles into the car to head back to the villa but as the vehicle pulls up we see Kyle exit in anger, ready to start a fight. Physical fighting on this show! They love it. He punches Brent, who is trying to calmly walk away. A camera guy is forced to step in and separate them. It's 9:30PM, the subtitles announce. Wait, when is the rose ceremony or whatever? Through a villa window, we see Lindsay lurking in the garden. She enters the house and a producer shows her a video of Kyle punching Brent. Going straight into mom mode, she locates Brent and firmly advises him to go cry in the shower for two hours. Yet another disturbing insight into her go-to coping mechanisms. Lindsay clearly gets off on being the responsible adult that's been both an on ongoing theme on Lohan's Beach Club, and her most unconvincing acting performance yet. Lindsay and Brent After checking up on Brent, Lindsay swiftly fires Kyle. Well, bye. What's the point of going home right now, mere moments before an actual goodbye ceremony? It's unclear. He packs his bags, and everyone else heads to the big dinner, at a seafood restaurant. Panos is wearing a crisp white shirt, Lindsay giant gold hoops. We see her briefly hold a dead lobster again as she surveys the offerings. Good god. As everyone sits to eat, Panos helpfully summarizes the situation: he and Lindsay are picking four people at the end of dinner, but they haven't fully decided who yet. So... that should make for a relaxing social scenario. "Today is very strange," Jonitta accurately deserves. Panos and Lindsay, in their usual oblivious way, don't seem to detect any tension. Panos wants everyone to go around the table and talk about their favorite Mykonos moment, as though they've just enjoyed a relaxing vacation rather than the most difficult and humiliating month of their lives. I looked away for a second and now they're playing a montage of Brent and Sara's doomed romance. Sad slow club music plays. Jonitta says her summer highlight was partying with DJ Alesso. I don't even remember that episode? Did it happen? May's favorite moment was Pride that was definitely the season's biggest, perhaps only, highlight. Reminiscing! "This summer I've accomplished so many things," Lindsay reminisces. She enjoyed getting people from America and "showing them a different life." "This summer has been amazing," adds Panos. Then, no joke: "I love torturing these guys." Why is he like this? Why would you admit that? I'm so deeply afraid of Panos. We see a montage of him firing people and telling them they're bad at their jobs. "I love it," he reiterates. May, Alex, and Brent Everyone dances on the table for a bit, and then we arrive at the moment of truth. There are envelopes, baby. Lindsay is handing them out with glee. Jonitta gets the first envelope. I guess that makes sense. Her victory montage includes a shot of her offering a guest a drink and showing them to their cabana. It really wasn't brain surgery, huh? Now Gabi gets one! She casually reveals that she "gave up school to be here, but it's worth it." Oh... Jonitta and Gabi hug, even though they are enemies who once got into an actual fist fight. Lindsay only has one envelope left. Earlier they said that four people, not three, would be chosen. Which completely ruins the next big dramatic moment, where Lindsay pretends she can't choose just one person, so rips an envelope in half. Brent and Aristotle both get to stay. Brent has been the protagonist of season one, so he makes sense. Aristotle didn't do anything interesting ever, but he is hot, and has a Greek name. It's enough! This whole thing is confusing we don't know if the show is even renewed yet, and it isn't clear whether Panos and Linds are picking these four people due to their virtues as employees, or reality TV cast members. Either way, the non-chosen people seem genuinely sad not to have been chosen, which is tragic. Sara in particular is visibly upset. "Sara, she's beautiful, but she gives her power away to men," Lindsay explains to the camera, justifying her choice. "And I wouldn't be here today if I did that." This might be the moment I renounce feminism for good. Take the vote away from us, honestly. We don't deserve it. "Sara and May were the weakest links," Lindsay tells Brent, who is looking very smug. "Yeah," he agrees. Lindsay and Panos Alex, the other cast member who isn't progressing through to the next ambiguous round, doesn't look too devastated. "The people you're rewarding right now?" he asks, of Lindsay's chosen four. "They're trash." Back at the villa, all the hosts gather around for a final vodka shot. Smiling faces! They're excited to leave, and cannot even hide it at this point. Jonitta promises this won't be the last we see of her, and they all head to the airport. The end Lindsay and Panos are still dancing back at the restaurant. We see them twisting and turning, eyes wide and excited, no doubt dreaming of future business expansions, then fade to credits. Worst summer ever. See you... next season? NASA recently announced a historic event: two women astronauts would embark on the first ever all-female spacewalk at the International Space Station. Astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch, who were selected from the NASA class with the second-highest number of applicants ever, were set to replace a set of lithium-ion batteries on a solar panel outside the station on Friday, according to NBC. They'd be directed on the ground by flight directors Mary Lawrence and Kristen Facciol. The all-female mission was an exciting, long-overdue announcement, given the slow shrinking of NASA's gaping gender gap, and the sexist barriers women have historically faced in space and STEM in general. Now, in a punishingly ironic hiccup, NASA has had to walk back its historic announcement. They're replacing McClain, a former Army major who flew combat helicopters in Iraq, with a male astronaut because they don't have enough space-suits in the right size on the space station to safely outfit both women. Koch will complete the spacewalk alongside Nick Hague. "Mission managers decided to adjust the assignments, due in part to spacesuit availability on the station. McClain learned during her first spacewalk that a medium-size hard upper torso essentially the shirt of the spacesuit fits her best. Because only one medium-size torso can be made ready by Friday, March 29, Koch will wear it," says NASA's press release. The organization explained that the sizing needs of astronauts often fluctuate once they're in orbit. McClain trained in both a large and a medium. However, folks online are calling the roll-back a result of institutional sexism. NASA's explanation seems to beg the question: if a medium is one of the sizes women are likely to need and it's well-known that sizing fluctuates, why isn't there an adequate array of sizes on board? The wardrobe issue is particularly perplexing given that women have been working as astronauts in NASA's program since Sally Ride flew to space in 1983. McClain herself was the 13th woman to spacewalk, and Koch will soon become the 14th. Obviously that number is small considering NASA has completed hundreds of spacewalks since the International Space Station's launch, but it seems like enough to have worked out simple kinks like the size of a suit. NASA spokeswoman Stephanie Schierholz clarified to NBC that there are two medium-sized hard upper torso components of the spacesuit on the station, but one of them is a spare that would need additional repairs. Of course, keeping astronauts safe is crucial, and adjusting the assignment appears to have been the right call. However, it seems like a little foresight could've avoided one of the women being forced to drop out of her mission. Although NASA's getting closer to gender parity (in 2016, NASA selected its first gender-balanced class of astronauts), if McClain and Koch's spacewalk weren't quite so historic, the organization wouldn't be finding out female astronaut's sizing needs by trial and error in 2019. Skating at sunrise was a regular thing for teenaged Grace Herndandez. She'd tag along when her mom worked the 6 AM shift at a grocery store in San Juan, Puerto Rico; her mother always said it was too early, but Fernandez would insist, spending all morning at a nearby beachfront skate spot. Skateboarding became a means of channeling energy for Fernandez; she likens it to meditation. "I go out on my skateboard, and I'm focused on something else, not problems, or what happened during a bad day," she says. Fernandez is now 21, and for about two years she's been rallying other girls to reap the same benefits. She created the collective Skate Mamis to empower girls and women skateboarders, whether in their shaky beginnings or of a sturdier skillset, through mutual hype and support. That early stage is where the encouragement-in-crew makes its biggest impact: "I never said skateboarding is easy," she laughs. Related | The Organization Teaching Young Girls in Afghanistan to Skateboard But Skate Mamis is more than a crew; it's also a movement for more participation from women in skateboarding culture, competitions included, throughout the archipelago. At present, members are based all over the main island and range in age from about 14 to 28 years old and, of course, Fernandez is perpetually recruiting. PAPER caught up with Fernandez last week while she was at a west coast skatepark in the municipality of Mayaguez. A shoot for the crowdfunding campaign of an upcoming short called See Ya L8R, centered on queer community and skateboarding culture for which Fernandez serves as an advisor, was underway. The film's writer and director, Ana Paula Teixeira, photographed Fernandez and other Skate Mamis that day. Check it all out, below. What made you decide to start Skate Mamis? The hype is super different and the progress is really different from when I'd skate with boys versus when I skate with girls, where all of us feel connected in a different way, but at the same time, the same. Because we're all in different levels of skateboarding, but we all learn at the same time; we always have something to learn, and that connects us. We wanted to have a place where we can all skate together to have that liberated space where we support each other to keep skating. Because when I started, that didn't exist. You mentioned a difference between skating with boys versus with girls. Do you mean in terms of treatment? No, no. It's not the treatment. Because I feel very comfortable with the boys now; my goal is to always skate, and to enjoy it. But with girls, I feel like there's a hype that I don't know how to explain. When it's us [together], I don't know if it's that it gives us more confidence because you see the boys and you might think they're tougher. I feel like there's a confidence in us skating together, united. Skateboarding is about unity. I don't see it as I'm better than you, I can do a kickflip, no skateboarding is about teaching each other, even with the boys, and that's what I focus on. How does Skate Mamis operate as a collective? We have about 20 girls in a group chat. We all talk there about sessions, clips, send me clips, let's post this, and see what new things we've got, and keep up the hype. We organize sessions, like, let's do a road trip, let's go to a skate park and a river, let's go! Right now, because there's more girls, it's difficult; there will never be a day when we can all be coordinated. We're scattered all around the island: I'm based in Mayaguez, and on the weekends I come to San Juan, but sometimes I can't. In San Juan, there's other girls who keep joining, and in Arecibo, in Barceloneta there's some really good girls. But I like that we're all over. And there's three girls that have left Puerto Rico, and are now in New York and Florida, and in North Carolina, there's Maria, who's one of the girls who started with me. How do you address the variety of skill levels? There's a lot of girls that are just starting out, but at the same time, they're really pumped. In the beginning of skateboarding, that's the hardest part, then you start to feel more balanced and comfortable. So in the beginning, you have to give them lots of hype, because it's difficult. I never said skateboarding is easy. It's not easy; it's a challenge. But it's really fun. Not all the skate parks are good for starting out or learning, so that's what I look for when organizing sessions a place where we're all comfortable, like the spots in Mayaguez, Barceloneta also, and Ponce. I imagine that finally gaining that confidence is really rewarding. Of course. And more, I'd say it's mental, too. You have to work for it. And after you have that confidence that you can fall and you can feel comfortable with falling, then you shed that burden. Then you practice; consistency is key, and you have to have a lot. So that's why I say when you're with other girls, and you're motivated, you stay hyped, and you don't get tired of trying you keep going because everyone else is trying, too. That dynamic is priceless. Gender Equality Researcher Tried in Iran Under National Security Charge 03/26/19 Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran Gender equality advocate Rezvaneh Mohammadi was tried in absentia in Tehran under the unusual charge of "assembly and collusion against national security by seeking to normalize homosexual relations." Rezvaneh Mohammadi Mohammadi did not attend her trial session held on February 17, 2019, at Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, and presiding Judge Mohammad Moghiseh refused to allow her lawyer to attend, a source with detailed knowledge of the case told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) on March 22, 2019. "On the day of the trial, Judge Moghiseh told the lawyer he doesn't accept him and didn't allow him in the courtroom," said the source who spoke to CHRI on the condition of anonymity due to security concerns. The source also told CHRI that after being arrested in September 2018, Mohammadi's interrogator pressured her to "confess" to receiving money from foreign conference organizers to "overthrow" the Islamic Republic. This interrogator also told her that she had committed a crime for being a graduate student at Iran Academia, which describes itself as the "first Persian online academy for Social Sciences and Humanities" and is based in The Netherlands. The source informed CHRI that the charge against Mohammadi was based on her research focusing on gender equality issues, and for attending related workshops. "Rezvaneh's attendance at two conferences abroad on the subject of gender equality, as well as her studies for her thesis, which was also about gender equality, were included as evidence against her," the source said. The interrogators kept asking her questions about these issues." The source continued: "From the time of her arrest until her last day in solitary confinement in Ward 209 in Evin Prison, the agents and her interrogator cursed at her and insulted her and she was even threatened with rape. One of the interrogators told her they would build a case against her like no other in the past, which is probably why she was accused of this astonishing charge." Mohammadi, 27, was arrested by agents of Iran's Intelligence Ministry in early September 2018 and held until October 20 (including 26 days in solitary confinement), according to the source. "Around Ferdowsi Sq. [in Tehran], a woman and two men who introduced themselves as Intelligence Ministry agents told her to get into their vehicle," the source said about the day of the arrest. "One of the agents showed his identification card but Mohammadi was not given an arrest warrant," added the source. "Then they took her to Esteghlal Hotel and questioned her for several hours," said the source. "Afterwards, they searched her home and confiscated her laptop as well as mobile phones belonging to her and her sister, and her books, undergraduate university certificate, passport and birth certificate." Several months before her arrest in September 2018, Mohammadi was also detained overnight in the city of Gorgan, northeastern Iran, for allegedly wearing an improper compulsory hijab. Workers unload goods from a China-Europe container train at Yiwu West Railway Station in Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang Province in December 2016. The China-Europe container trains have become a major transportation channel of the international logistics industry, and also powerful support for the development of the Belt and Road Initiative. (Photo/Xinhua) Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to meet with the leaders of France, Germany and the EU during his visit to France, and experts said on Monday that if core members of the EU want to strengthen their unity, they need to be pragmatic and independent on policymaking, rather than submit to pressure from foreign forces and be more defensive toward China. French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to host Xi and the leaders of Germany and the European Union's executive arm on Tuesday to discuss multilateral relations between Europe and China, Reuters reported, citing a French presidency official. The talks will focus on trade, climate and China-European relations, the official said. France wants a more coordinated EU approach to China, rather than member countries focusing on bilateral relations, Reuters reported. The EU faces challenges like Brexit and the rise of populism and right-wing political forces, so when dealing with China, core EU members want to form a united stance, Wang Yiwei, Jean Monnet Chair Professor at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Monday. "China supports EU unity and multilateralism, which are principles EU members want to uphold. But when China shows its respect to France and the EU, European leaders need to understand that China expects mutual respect and support," he said. The meeting comes following the release of a document by the European Commission called "EU-China - A strategic outlook" on March 12. Wang said China doesn't need to only stare at words like "rival" and "competitor," because before expressing these concerns, the EU has identified China as its partner, so the common interests and values of the two sides are also a consensus among EU members. "This meeting is a first step," the Elysee official told Reuters, adding that the meeting would help lay the groundwork for concrete results at an EU-China summit on April 9. 'EU needs China' Although some observers are worried that the EU is getting defensive toward China, Shada Islam, director of Europe and Geopolitics at Brussels-based think tank Friends of Europe, said that the EU is not getting defensive but using a more realistic approach to deal with China. The EU needs China on many areas, so it won't submit to US pressure to adopt a hostile approach to deal with China, she told the Global Times in a telephone interview. "I don't think the EU has become defensive toward China. I think it's a more realistic strategy on dealing with a more confident and global China," Islam said. Wang Peng, an expert on European studies at the Renmin University of China's Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, told the Global Times that "when the world economy's recovery faces challenges from unilateralism, populism and protectionism, it is totally unnecessary, unwise and unworthy for European leaders to find new trouble for win-win cooperation between China and Europe." Advice on issues like 5G security concerns and foreign investment in the document are understandable and normal for any sovereign country and integration organization, Wang Peng noted. "One of Europe's concerns about China is having a level playing field. EU should make sure that they have clarity and transparency on foreign investment, not just Chinese investment, but foreign investment coming into the region in general," Islam said. The US is pressuring Europe to take the same stance on matters involving the Belt and Road Initiative, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Huawei, Islam said. "But the Europeans are not surrendering to American pressure by any means. They will make their own decision." If France, Germany and the EU want to united and assert independence in the international community, then they need to show that they can make independent and pragmatic decisions based on their interests rather succumb to US pressure, Wang Yiwei said. Turkey defies US with more imports of Iranian gas 03/26/19 Source: Press TV Iran is increasing its natural gas exports to a number of countries, including Turkey which plans to raise imports from its energy-rich neighbor, a senior official says. "Based on previous agreements, Iran is currently increasing gas exports to a number of countries including Turkey, Iraq, Armenia and Azerbaijan," head of the National Iranian Gas Company Hassan Montazer Torbati told IRNA. Iran-Turkey gas pipeline (file photo) Turkey, which currently receives 353 billion cubic feet per year from Iran under a 25-year agreement signed in 2001, has requested to purchase more Iranian natural gas, he said. Last week, Iran launched four new development phases of the world's largest gas field at South Pars with a capacity to produce 112 million cubic meters per day. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey will continue to buy natural gas from Iran despite US sanctions chiefly targeting the Islamic Republic's energy sector. Iran is a key energy supplier for Turkey, which is almost 100-percent dependent on fuel imports, with natural gas accounting for nearly 40 percent of the country's electricity production. The US has pledged to be "aggressive and unwavering" in enforcing economic sanctions on Iran and not allow any country to flout them, but Erdogan has said Turkey would not remain silent to the "use of economic sanctions as weapons". Iranian deputy industry minister Mohsen Salehinia said early this month that Iran and Turkey were negotiating the possibility of setting up joint industrial parks. "The Turks are demanding cheap Iranian energy for joint production and in case we manage to reach a conclusion with the ministry of energy, a joint town will be set up," he told a news conference in Tehran. Iraq also relies on Iran for natural gas that generates as much as 45% of its electricity. Iran transmits another 1,000 megawatts directly, making itself an indispensable energy source for its Arab neighbor. Last week, the Trump administration said it was extending a 90-day waiver for the second time to let Iraq continue energy imports from Iran. Like Turkey, Iraqi leaders including Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi have stressed that Baghdad will not be a party to the system of sanctions against Iran. Iran further exports 35 million cubic feet per day of gas to neighboring Armenia in exchange for electricity. A similar deal is in place with Azerbaijan. A study, conducted in eight countries, has shown that three out of every 10 children missed school last year as a result of oral pain. The study, commissioned by Pepsodent, a leading brand in oral care, and conducted on more than 4,000 children and parents revealed that children missed 243 million days at school last year because of oral pain worldwide, which called for instant action on mouth health. The research, carried out in Chile, Egypt, France, Italy, Indonesia, US, Ghana, and Vietnam, which are markets of the Unilever brand, saw 500 respondents from each country. According to the research, which was unveiled on the 2019 World Oral Health Day, 37 percent of children who experienced oral pain in the last 12 months, had not taken part in an activity at school because of their teeth compared to 19 percent of those with no oral pain. It said 24 percent of children who felt oral pain in the last 12 months had not raised their hands in class or asked for help because they felt bad about their teeth compared to 13 percent among those with no oral pain. The research indicated that 32 percent of children who had experienced pain in the last 12 months were more likely to avoid socialising with their peers because of their toothache as compared to 20 percent among those who had not felt oral pain. The study showed that the quality of a childs oral care could have an impact beyond obvious medical problems like bad breath and dental pain as well limiting their potential and negatively impact their self-esteem. Speaking at the launch of the report, Dr Paapa Puplampu, the Vice President of the Ghana Dental Association, said it could now be proven that the impact of oral care on a childs confidence and sense of self-worth was on a global scale. He said it was important to use the result of the study to draft more compelling messaging, which could drive real behavioural change around prevention, leading to the reduction in the current alarming levels of tooth decay and oral pain. Madam Patience Oforiwa Mpereh, the Oralcare Category Manager at Unilever, said the brand have been working on prevention of the situation through free dental check-ups and school programmes for the past 25 years. She said the activity of Pepsodent over the years had aimed at spreading outstanding oral health across the globe and unlock the power of as many smiles as possible. She said with the current report, Unilever would assist to evolve the conversation around oral care education around the world to inspire changes that would foster more opportunities for tomorrow. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Award-winning undercover journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, is likely to release Part 2 of his ongoing explosive documentary on illegal mining titled, Galamsey Fraud this week. The documentary is aimed at naming and shaming selfish and powerful individuals, stabbing President Nana Akufo-Addo and Ghanaians in the back, in his relentless efforts at fighting against illegal mining popularly known as galamsey. Sources close to the Tiger-Eye PI team, have hinted that the yet-to-be released documentary, is essentially focused on some top officials in government, including; ministers of State, politicians as well as security personnel. These individuals, who are supposed to be seen helping the President win the fight against the dreaded illegal mining, were rather caught red-handed on secret video tapes, by the lenses of Anas and his crew, receiving bribes at the blind side of the President, to circumvent measures put in place to curb illegal mining and, allowing a company to mine. Details about the explosive documentary, is soon to be released in the public domain in the course of week. It will be recalled that the earlier secret filming captured the Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Mr. Charles Cromwell Bissue, being given cash amounting to GH35,000 in three meetings, through one Andy Owusu, a connection man, to help circumvent the process to renewing the mining license for ORR Resources Enterprise. Source: starnews Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Ghanas ambassador to the United States, H.E. Dr. Barfuor Adjei-Barwuah, has called on the African American community in Baltimore to visit Ghana their mother land yearly. Dr. Adjei-Barwuah was speaking at the 203rd Session of the Baltimore Annual Conference at the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Baltimore, Maryland. Sharing with them the good message of the Year of Return, Dr. Adjei-Barwuah touched on Ghanas open door community to the African Diaspora, particularly, the African American community. You have to recognize that there is a home that you left, the home is still there, the home is doing well, and you may want to come because the home is where you go and you have to be taken in because you have a right. Ghana has decided that every Black American has a Right of Abode. Let me address your mind to the fact that over the last twenty (20) years, a lot of Black Americans have relocated to Ghana, and so have people from the West Indies. And we are extending that welcome, this year in particular, for you to visit your home. Dr. Adjei-Barwuah encouraged the excited congregation not only to visit Ghana, but to invest and give back in meaningful ways that transform their home; adding that We have had bad times, you stood by us. I encourage you to still stand by us. Even if it is a widows mite, divide that into two, and give back to support Ghanas development. Ghanas ambassador again touched on the current social issues affecting African Americans, and reminded them that, Ghanas doors are particularly open during tough times as Ghana is a country best known for its hospitality. "So when the going is tough, always remember that there is a home to go to, and that home is Ghana. Come, see it, feel it, and experience the Ghanaian hospitality, Dr. Adjei-Barwuah intimated. About YOF: According the YOF committee, The Year of Return, Ghana 2019 is a major landmark spiritual and birth-right journey inviting the Global African family, home and abroad, to mark 400 years of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in Jamestown, Virginia. The arrival of enslaved Africans marked a sordid and sad period, when our kith and kin were forcefully taken away from Africa into years of deprivation, humiliation and torture. While August 2019 marks 400 years since enslaved Africans arrived in the United States, The Year of Return, Ghana 2019 celebrates the cumulative resilience of all the victims of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade who were scattered and displaced through the world in North America, South America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/Peacefmonline/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A joint military and police team deployed in Chereponi in the North East Region have arrested a Togolese national in connection with the clashes between Konkombas and Chokosis in Chereponi. The suspect, Matthew Kolani Gando, was recruited from Togo to assist in the conflict in Chereponi. The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mohammed Yussif Tanko, who confirmed the arrest to DGN Online, said the suspect had admitted that he was recruited for the operation. According to him, the suspect mentioned six other suspects who he came to the area with on four motorbikes from Togo. DSP Tanko said the suspect is currently in police custody and will be arraigned before court after investigations. He stated that police have commenced a search for the other six accomplices and any other person financing the activities of criminals in the Chereponi area. Eight persons have been arrested so far in connection with the clashes in Chereponi. Akwasi Amidu, Issah Bujume, Inusah Agboagme, Yakubu Musah, one Rafiq have also been remanded by a court in Tamale. Two of the suspects have been granted bail due to their age and health condition. Three persons have died as a result of the renewed violence. About 22 communities have been burnt down into ashes in the clashes and over 2,000 people have been displaced. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has advised young girls to desist from offering their bodies to old men in exchange for iPhones. "Girls, don't give yourself to some dirty old man for an iPhone or for any type of phone. It is a tool, that's all, one day you'll own [one]. You'll be able to buy one if you are patient and you do not throw away your virtue," she admonished. She was speaking at the Chief Justice's Mentoring Programme for students initiated to expose pupils to the functions of the judiciary and instil in them virtues of patriotism and selflessness. The programme which was under the theme: "I pledge myself to the service of Ghana" was held in Kumasi on Tuesday, 26 March 2019. The Chief Justice advised young people to ensure that the time they spend on their phone and on the internet are for purposes of learning and other useful activities that will enhance their lives. She said the technology young people see today was not around yesterday and may not be around tomorrow but the values of honesty, respect, hard work, self-discipline, integrity and service will always be there and will continue to serve mankind. She therefore, urged them to be committed to the country's peace, stability, environmental integrity, sanitation, and every aspect of the national existence. On his part, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II also commended the Chief Justice for the number of initiatives she has undertaken to improve the condition of the judiciary and to bring justice closer to the people. He indicated that the Chief Justice's Mentoring programme will go a long way to impact positively on the lives of participants. Otumfuo's speech was read on his behalf by Baffour Owusu Amankwatia VI, the Bantamahene. AUDIO- Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former Communications Minister in the erstwhile John Mahama administration, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, has hit hard at the Akufo-Addo government accusing him of "promising heaven but delivering hell". According to him, Ghanaians have seen through what this current administration stands, claiming unbearable hardships as a result of astronomical fuel price increases, unfulfilled electoral promises and job losses have become the order of the day. Contributing to a panel discussion on Radio Golds "Alhaji and Alhaji" programme, Dr. Omane Boamah said the NPP government has so failed to honour its numerous campaign promises, which won them political power. We are dealing with a government that came into office on the back of major promises; promising heaven and delivering hell. Hardships and when I talk about hardships, I am talking about fuel prices; if you ask yourself today, are you buying fuel less than what you were buying it 2 years and 3 months ago? The answer is an emphatic no. Juxtapose that with the promise that the NPP offered, he averred. Talk to the civil servants, even releases for them to be able to push paper for them to be able to do their work, year in year out, this government has been running acutely severe arrears. I am sure Ghanaians are very much aware of the extent of job losses, not just to talk about job losses at the banking sector alone which are very obvious as we heard the victims talk about it in public, he chided. He patted the back of the Minority in Parliament led by Hon. Ato Forson for enumerating some of the reported job losses and potential job losses that this country is facing; reiterating that the economy under President Akufo-Addo and his government is indeed in shambles. He asserted that the job losses within the banking sector is as a result of the "reckless, vindictive and targeted policies of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration"; adding that many companies have also laid off workers due to unfair and high electricity tariffs. The effect of the bad economy has been that even Beer price has increased. The other effect has been that Yoghurt, even that is not spared, and so beyond the rent, food prices, fuel, transportation cost and all have gone up. This is a government that promised that they were going to deliver heaven and this is what they are delivering, he slammed. Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Energy Minister, John Peter Amewu, has condemned the destruction of some pylons near the head office of state power transmitter Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo), describing the perpetrators as thieves and animals. The pylons, which were destroyed on Monday, 25 March 2018, were discovered by some GRIDCo staff. Mr Amewu, who inspected the destruction in the course of the day, pointed out that there were measures to protect such installations and other strategic national assets. He, however, added that the authorities cannot be everywhere at every time and some of these thieves, some of these animals in our society will do things just to outwit the security. In his opinion, the action by the suspects constitutes a complete sabotage of the work of the power distributors. It baffles my mind how human beings can do this to our motherland and any political party that will have some element of association with such activity does not love being in our country, he told journalists who toured the scene with him. Mr Amewu said they have detected that all the pylons along that particular stretch have chemicals placed around them with the intention to destroy them in the future. He revealed that a committee has been tasked to investigate the sabotage and will make sure that the perpetrators are brought to book with the help of officials from the National Security and the Ghana Police Service. Meanwhile, Class91.3FMs Ibrahim Obeng-Mensah, who toured with the minister, reported that power has been restored to the areas that suffered power cuts as a result of the destruction to the pylons which transmit power from Karpower and AKSA to the national grid. Source: classfmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Students from China and France hold a huge mural featuring pandas and kites to advocate environmental protection at an event in Paris on Sunday. The event, including photo exhibits and films, was among a series of activities to mark the 55th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic ties. (Global Times/Cao Siqi) After meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Nice on Sunday, Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Paris on Monday, and is scheduled to hold talks with Macron and expected to sign bilateral agreements. Chinese analysts said Xi's visit to France highlights the stability and continuity of bilateral relations and shows China's efforts to convey to the European Union its peaceful intent that China's economic and political policies are based on its domestic situation and that China is willing to conduct sincere negotiations and dialogue on divergences between China and Europe. Xi's visit comes in a year that marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 55th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic relations. Chinese national flags were seen in the streets and at buildings in Paris to welcome Xi. French politicians, businesspeople and overseas Chinese in Paris hailed Xi's visit, saying it will significantly improve bilateral relations and bring more opportunities to China-France trade. Over 1,000 Chinese students in France held banners and Chinese national flags at France's famous Arc de Triomphe to welcome Xi. Intangible Cultural Heritage representatives from North China's Shanxi Province brought paper-cuttings and lacquer ware to Paris to welcome Xi and commemorate the anniversaries. Macron's welcome of Xi in Nice on Sunday was interpreted by Chinese experts as a grand welcome to show France's sincerity and positive attitude toward the talks. In his meeting with Macron on Sunday, Xi stressed the importance of maintaining a sound China-France relationship to both countries' long-term development and its potential impact on the world, the Xinhua News Agency reported. Xi noted that France is the first major Western country to establish official diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. France, he added, is also the first country to form a strategic partnership and conduct strategic dialogue with China and the first to carry out civilian nuclear energy cooperation with China. Xi called on the two countries to constantly explore new fields of cooperation, nurture new growth areas for cooperation, and speed up the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and third-party cooperation projects that have been agreed on, Xinhua reported. Recalling his successful visit to China last year, Macron said that France pays high attention to the Belt and Road Initiative, regards China as an important strategic cooperation partner, and appreciates China's important role in and contribution to climate change and other international affairs, Macron said. Xi's visit highlights the stability and continuity of bilateral relations, Cui Hongjian, director of EU Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Monday, noting that the strategic relationship is bringing the two sides together at a time when the world is undergoing major changes, and the next step is to reach a consensus on concrete projects. Buon Tan, who was elected to the French National Assembly in 2017 and is considered a key French politician to Macron's Asia strategies, told the Global Times that the Chinese president's visit was eagerly awaited. It will be an opportunity to discuss topics related to geopolitical balance including the relationship between Europe and China, multilateralism, the impact of the Belt and Road Initiative strategy and the commitment to solve climate change. "Many positive results are yet to come but I am sure that this visit will be a great success," he said. Easing concerns Analysts noted that along with deeper cooperation, Europe is showing greater anxiety about China and Xi's visit will help ease such concerns. "China's economic and technological development, such as in the telecom industry [for example, Huawei's 5G technology] has challenged Europe's old view of a bilateral trade structure. They feel a sense of alienation in their ascendancy," Sun Keqin, a research fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Monday. However, in fact, Europe still has great advantages. China has always been stressing on cooperation and will make efforts to enhance Europe's understanding of China, Sun said. Meanwhile, the rise of China is an irreversible trend that Europe should adapt to. Xi's visit is a great opportunity for Europe to know more about China. Only after Europe accepts the rise of China could the two sides cooperate further, Sun pointed out. On Monday, a joint seminar on global governance, held by China and France, held its opening ceremony, which will discuss the two countries' interconnection and developments, multilateralism, digital governance and climate change, as well as biodiversity protection. Chen Xin, research fellow at the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the Belt and Road Initiative and Europe's EuroAsia Interconnector are platforms to people of both sides. China can share its technology and experiences in the effective implementation of infrastructure construction, such as the high-speed railway system. China and France are permanent members of the UN Security Council, which means they both shoulder the responsibility of global governance. The platform is a key framework for them to promote multilateralism, said Chen. Analysts noted that China and France have the potential for future cooperation in nuclear energy and aerospace. China-France Oceanography Satellite, known as the CFOSat, took off on October 29, 2018 and gathered a large amount of marine environmental data. The Minority in Parliament are insisting that the Lebanese businessman, Mahran Mustapha Baajour, was abducted by National security operatives in Ghana, before he was surreptitiously released by state officials. The Caucus claim after raising an alert and mounting pressure for his whereabouts to be revealed, Baajour has been released and 'sneaked' out of the country to his homeland, Lebanon. The Minority in a statement had indicated that "immediately after arriving at the Kotoka International Airport on December 13, 2018, Mahran Mustapha Baajour and his two Ghanaian hosts who welcomed him at the airport were arrested at the precincts of the airport just when they were about departing in their Toyota salon vehicle with registration number GN 6126 - 15 by persons claiming to be operatives of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI). After all three were kept in detention for six days in violation of Ghanaian law, our understanding is that Mahran's two hosts, one Razak Abdul and another were then released as free men while Mahran was kept in detention. This is the reason Mahran's family and officials from his country are having a hard time believing denials and claims of innocence by Ghanaian Government officials they have contacted However, government in a reply denied that the businessman had been abducted in the country describing the minority's claims as "false, unfounded and holding no truth". "credible checks conducted at the National Security and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration affirm beyond a doubt that no such person had arrived at the Kotoka International Airport, contrary to the palpably false accounts given by the Ranking Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs..." the statement which was signed by Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, John Ntim Fordjour added. But speaking to this in an interview on Citi Eyewitness News, Monday, the Ranking Member on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said government is just trying to 'cover up their shame' adding that 'the earlier they admit their mistake, the better'. According to him, per his checks, the Lebanese businessman was released on Monday, 25th March 2019. Mr Ablakwa has made the same comment in a post on his facebook page. Read post below MINORITY REACTS TO GOVERNMENT'S SHAMELESS DENIAL OF THE ABDUCTION OF MAHRAN MUSTAPHA BAAJOUR The Minority in Parliament has become aware of an ignominious and undignified statement by a member of the Majority side of the Committee on Foreign Affairs seeking in a most pathetic effort to deny the obvious abduction and disappearance of Mahran Mustapha Baajour, a Lebanese businessman who arrived in Ghana on 13th December, 2018. We note that the desperate statement which lacked any modicum of morality and truth was signed by Rev. John Ntim Fordjour. One wonders if our Honourable colleague, a Reverend Minister still believes in the sacrosanct John 8:32 - "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." For the avoidance of doubt, the Minority in Parliament firmly stands by all the facts as presented in our release of 24th March, 2019 as they remain the incontrovertible and unimpeachable truth. In any case, we find it curious that Government did not consider it worthy to deny virtually these same facts as carried consistently by the Insight Newspaper and the international media several weeks before we put out our statement. Perhaps even more strange is Government's continuous silence in the face of protests in Lebanon accusing Government of the abduction several days before the Minority's statement. The Minority wishes to further bring to the attention of the general public that the family of the abducted Lebanese had since the 19th of January, 2019 instructed their lawyer, Roberts Ekor Dassah Esq. to commence legal action in an Accra High Court seeking to get the Human Rights Court 1 to compel Government to produce Mahran Mustapha Baajour. Our information is that the next court date for the hearing of this case is 2nd April, 2019 and we should humbly appeal to the media to take interest in the court proceedings if indeed we are all interested in knowing the truth. [For ease of reference - the case is: The Republic Vs The Director, Bureau of National Investigations (1st Respondent), The Attorney General & Minister for Justice (2nd Respondent) and Mohammed Fawzi Aminu Amadu (Applicant)]. We should hasten to add also that upon carrying out our own checks, we have evidence from the Middle East Airline which brought Mahran to Ghana on the 13th of December, 2018. Suffice to point out that several witnesses who were on board the flight with the businessman stand in readiness to testify, not to mention an official confirmation from the Ghana Immigration Service which was adduced in court affirming that Mahran Mustapha Baajour had indeed been processed at the Kotoka International Airport on the said date. The Minority can now confirm that following our initial statement calling into question Government's conduct, we have received news from Lebanon that Mahran Mustapha Baajour has a few hours ago been removed from Ghana and arrived in Beirut, Lebanon today the 25th of March, 2019. Mahran arrived on Qatar Airways and is currently being debriefed by Lebanese authorities even as his family in Lebanon has been contacted. Clearly, but for our statement exposing the Ghanaian Government's terrible misconduct in this abduction affair, the businessman would not have been released from unlawful detention. Noting these bizarre developments, the Minority calls on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to launch a full scale investigation into the circumstances leading to the abduction and subsequent removal from Ghana of Mahran Mustapha Baajour. It must be noted that indications from Mahran's family, the Lebanese Government and human rights activists suggest that we have not seen the end of this matter. This is precisely the reason why the court proceedings in the Human Rights Court in Ghana is set to continue despite Mahran's sudden removal from Ghana and without prejudice to other international legal actions. Without doubt, this is not a matter the now predictable cheap, mischievous and laughable strategy of Government knocking heads within Parliament's Committee of Foreign Affairs will save those who conspired to bring our country's image into utter disrepute. The Minority in Parliament assures the good people of Ghana that we would continue to jealously guard the long established image of Ghana as a nation that upholds fundamental human rights and the rule of law, therefore, we would resist attempts by rogue elements to tarnish Ghana's hard-won reputation and soil our good name in the comity of nations. Signed, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP) Ranking Member, Committee on Foreign Affairs. [25th March, 2019] Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video There is tension in the Keta Municipality of the Volta Region over the Presidents nominee for the position of Municipal Chief Executive (MCE). The tension, which began mounting when the announcement was made about two weeks ago, has risen to a point where members of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the constituency seem to be divided over the eligibility of the nominee. President Akufo-Addo on March 13, 2019, nominated Godwin Edudzi Effah, an accountant with the Ghana Education Service, as the new MCE for Keta to replace the incumbent MCE, Seth Yormewu, who has also been moved to the newly inaugurated Anloga District Assembly (which was carved out of the Keta Municipality) as its first DCE. However, before the assembly members could vote to approve or reject the nominee, some card-bearing members of the NPP, including polling station executives, elders and other key grass-root members in the Keta Constituency, have questioned the eligibility of Mr. Effah. According to the group, who staged a spirited demonstration last Friday to contest the Presidents decision, Mr. Effah is not an indigene of Keta but rather from the Anlo Constituency where he is said to have held the position of Constituency Financial Secretary of the NPP until February 2018. The group members, clad in red and wielding placards, chanted war songs and danced as they marched through the principal streets of Keta. On their placards and petition, they discredited the nominee and called for a withdrawal of his nomination. Prior to Fridays demonstration, the group petitioned the President last Monday through the Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Letsa, and copied the Minister for Local Government and NPP National, Regional and Keta Constituency chairmen and executives. The group therefore demanded the replacement of Mr. Effah with a grass-root member from the constituency or risk stiffer resistance from members. Executives Reply In a response to the demonstration and doubts concerning Mr. Effahs nomination, the Keta Constituency Organizer of the NPP, Elikem Sewordor, described the claims against the MCE nominee as untrue. In a strong defence for the MCE nominee, Mr. Sewordor said it was unfortunate that people who should know better were describing Mr. Effah as an alien in the Keta Constituency who does not deserve to serve as MCE. He said the claims against the nominee were absurd particularly when Effah was a card-bearing member of the NPP in the Keta Constituency where he also lives and votes at every election. He explained that someone who was born and bred in Keta and lived all his life there cannot metamorphose to be coming from Anloga. He is a member of the Keta Constituency and votes here. Mr. Sewordor who was at a loss as to what would make his party members mislead the public alleged that the aggrieved party members may be acting out of disappointment that their preferred candidate was not nominated. In spite of that, he warned leadership of the party not to fall short in sanctioning members who continuously tarnish the image of the party and that of the President. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The founder and leader of the United Front Party (UPP), AKwasi Addai Odike has lauded President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his good leadership and vision to transform Ghana. According to him, the President is on the right path and hope Ghana will work again under his government. Speaking on NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie, Mr Odike said reports that he has personal issues with the president is untrue. I campaigned for him and I know he will deliver. Things are going on well and everyone is okay, that alone is a plus for me because I campaigned for him [President Nana Addo], he said. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Washman007 Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video In the wake of President Akufo-Addos move to ban political party vigilantism by legislation, a respected founding member of the ruling New Patriotic Party is warning that the fixation on vigilantism as the problem of Ghanas democracy is unrealistic. Mr Abraham Ossei-Aidooh, a legal luminary, who is also a former Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, has observed that internal party corruption was a worse poison to Ghanas governance than party vigilantism. This coupled with impunity, are the main dangers to our democracy. The respected politician, who has his name in NPP lore as the man who carried the NPP on his head like a kayayo (head porter) to Tema, gave these views in a commentary on the recent phenomenon of party vigilantism which escalated out of hand during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election. Following the issues, you will realise that both two main parties in Ghana, the NDC and my own NPP have denied owning vigilante groups; but we know they exist in these parties. The question then is who owns them? These groups are in the parties, but are not owned by the parties because of impunity. It shows how we just vandalise the law in this country. According to him, the vigilante groups are the products of Individuals with questionable motives; they have put these dangerous militia groups together and have been passing them off as extensions of the parties. He said, the existence of the groups in parties at all, signify the extent to which we have veered off from the core principles of democracy: these vigilantes exist and work at the pleasure of their paymasters for money and not out of conviction in the political philosophies of the parties. The former Majority leader reiterated that vigilantism was an offshoot of impunity, and impunity comes in many forms, including; in the form of actions by educated people in suit. He cited an assault that a Presidential Staffer in the Mahama Government, Stan Dogbe, had visited on a journalist at the 37-military hospital. Mr. Dogbe smashed the recorder of a GBC reporter and went on to justify his action. Another notorious act of impunity, he said, was in the form of actor, John Dumelo, arrogating a state vehicle to himself without regard for anybody when Mahama was President. The discussion about the dangers to our democracy should not be fixated on political vigilantism which is just the offshoot of the root cause of the problem, which is internal party corruption and impunity. At least 8 people were shot by operatives of National Security suspected to be goons of the ruling partys vigilante group, Invincible Forces, during the election. The development attracted negative flak for Ghana and the government had since led to President Akufo-Addo setting up a Commission of Inquiry to look into it. As the Commission sat, President Akufo-Addo made moves to get the opposition NDC to the table to find a solution to the problem, but the NDC did not seem keen, causing the President to instruct the Attorney General to come up with a law against political party vigilantism. Though many are applauding the move, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh fears that attention was being paid to the symptoms of the problem militating against Ghanas democracy, while the main causal factor was ignored. It is not only vigilantism that is a result of internal party corruption and impunity moneycracy, violence, mistrust and lack of development, all these originate from internal party corruption. The earlier we did something about this singular root cause, the better for us as a country. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Gospel musician and worship leader Eugene Zuta, has just dropped a beautiful single song release to begin his ministry mission for 2019. "Faithful God" is a cool worship song which pays tribute to the faithfulness of God in our lives and His goodness in all the circumstances of our lives. The song is masterfully produced by ace Christian sound engineer and celebrated musician KODA from his base in Takoradi and features Emmanuel Bludo Jnr. on drums and Prince Sennah on bass. Expressing his desire for the song, Eugene said he wants anyone who listens to it, to experience the faithfulness of God in whatever situation they encounter. Eugene Zuta has made tremendous contributions to gospel music ministry from his music director days in the University of Cape Coast, where he composed songs like Okasa and Da Nase, for Echoes of Calvary(Music wing of GHAFES-UCC) in 2004. He started his solo ministry in 2008, and has produced four albums which have blessed the church with such spirit-filled songs like Famey, Y B Som Wo, Wo So (aka. Yesu eee), Woye Mame, Nkunim, just to mention a few. He is currently the Interim President of the newly formed Christian Music Association, Ghana (CMAG), which seeks to bring all stakeholders in Christian music "mindustry" (ministry and industry) together to provide a common platform for growth and national development. If the impact of his music ministry is anything to go by, then Faithful God is set to bring many to a spiritual oasis where they will be refreshed by the presence of God. Song available on all digital platforms (iTunes, Aftown, Spotify, SoundCloud, Google play etc) Follow Eugene Zuta on; Facebook; @EugeneZutaOfficial Twitter and Instagram; @eugenezuta Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Managing Director of Despite Media, Dr. Fadda Dickson Narh has recieved the ultimate honour at the just ended maiden edition of the prestigious Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019, in Accra. Dr. Fadda Dickson who manages Ghana's biggest media brands including; Peace FM, Hello FM, Okay FM, Neat FM, UTV and Peacefmonline.com, was honoured with the Excellence In Media Management award. Okay FM's 'Ekwanso dwodwo' drivetime host, Abeiku Aggrey 'Santana' also won the Excellence In Media(Radio) on the night, among other winners. The Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 was held on Saturday, March 23, 2019 at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra. The event which was hosted by Nana Aba Anamoah witnessed memorable performances from Rapper Okyeame Kwame, Comedian DKB among others. The event was the first ever edition of the newly constituted awards, run by NMJ Ghana, the same agency behind the acclaimed Golden Movie Awards Africa. The awards scheme was instituted to reward Excellence in every field of endeavour in the Ghanaian society. Check out pictures from the first ever Gold Coast Excellence Awards night below Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 Gold Coast Excellence Awards 2019 0 Source: Eugene Osafo-Nkansah/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Photo via Taobao Latiao, a popular Chinese snack that lures people with its oily and spicy flavor and which is reportedly worth 60 billion yuan (nearly $9 billion), is now facing a sales ban near schools in some provinces in China allegedly due to health concerns, triggering public debate online. On Mar. 19, Jilin province in northeast China issued a provincial action plan to provide safe food on campus, vowing to target unhygienic Latiao in key areas such as communities near schools, rural-urban fringe areas, and grocery markets. The decision marked the latest of a series of measures taken by other provinces to make sure Latiao is not sold near schools. The rules are even stricter in other parts of the country. In northwest Chinas Gansu and Qinghai provinces, Latiao sales are forbidden within 200 meters of a school campus and its surrounding area in order to guarantee healthy development of children and teenagers in the provinces. The notice issued by the supervising body in Qinghai said the popular snack contains excessive oil, salt, and food additives, which are bad for health. It added that the results of past inspections have also shown multiple problems, such as excessive use of preservatives and pigments. A high number of bacterial colonies were also found. The cheap delicacy is made from gluten, which is used to make bread dough chewy. The snack is spicy and commonly sold at roadside stands. Though loved by many, it is despised by many others. For example, some parents have complained that it causes diarrhea and stomachaches. As early as 2015, Gansu, Hubei, and Hainan provinces launched a crackdown on unhygienic Latiao. At this years anti-counterfeiting gala on Mar. 15, a Latiao manufacturer was also found with poor factory working conditions, reigniting public concerns. China has been working to guarantee students health over the past years. On Mar. 11, three government bodies including the Ministry of Education published a new regulation, banning such food booths on high school, primary, and kindergarten school campuses, adding that to operate on campus, food booths must have a license and avoid sales of foods containing excessive amounts of salt, sugar, and fat, it added. LONDON A seminar for parliamentarians and legislative drafters from across the Commonwealth is taking place in Westminster from 25-29 March. Organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK (CPA UK), the seminar will draw together some of the leading lawyers and practitioners working to bring an end to modern slavery-related crimes. In attendance will also be parliamentarians at the forefront of reviewing and amending legislation and raising awareness of these issues in their constituencies. Ugandas delegation comprising MP Herbert Ariko will attend the seminar along with his colleagues MP Maurice Kibalya, MP Agnes Kunihara, and parliamentary officials John Miruni Tamale and Pius Biribonwoha. The Global Slavery Index estimates that there are around 40 million victims of modern slavery, human trafficking and forced labour worldwide. In Uganda, there are particular challenges relating to forced labour in agriculture, services and industry as well as sex trafficking from neighbouring countries; with Sub-Sahara Africa recording the highest rate of child trafficking in the world. Responding to these challenges, Uganda has created a Private Members Bill on modern-day slavery, introduced to parliament in January 2019. The sponsor of the bill, Mr. Ariko, has been actively involved in CPA UKs project on modern slavery, attending a regional workshop in Entebbe, the first legislative drafting seminar in Westminster and subsequently welcoming a CPA UK delegation led by UK MP David Hanson and legal expert Parosha Chandran. Mr. Ariko MP stated ahead of the seminar: We, the Ugandan delegation, are eagerly looking forward to the opportunity to share views, experiences, and knowledge with other legislators and experts on the strategies to combat modern slavery in all its forms and facets. The UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Urmila Bhoola, stated: It is a great honour for me to be able to participate in the forthcoming seminar on legislative drafting organised by the CPA UK. It is a unique opportunity to engage with parliamentarians, who are a key stakeholder in addressing modern slavery, about key legislative and policy strategies to combat the scourge that taints the global economy, destroys human dignity and violates human rights. The MPs from Uganda will also be joined by parliamentarians and officials from Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Malawi, Namibia, Kenya, Pakistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the UK. Related Photo via People's Daily President Xi Jinpings state visit to Monaco marked the first-ever state visit of a Chinese president to the country. However, cultural ties between the two countries have been long established, with Chinese language becoming a popular skill in Monaco. At the invitation of Prince Albert II of the Principality of Monaco, President Xi is scheduled to visit the country during his state visits to Italy, Monaco, and France from March 21 to 26. Chinese language is nothing new to the country. High schools in Monaco started Chinese language training courses a decade ago, and more and more students are studying Chinese nowadays, according to Cedric Bertrand, headmaster of Charles III Middle School. Student enthusiasm for learning the language is high. President Xis visit is expected to promote cooperation between schools in the two countries and create more opportunities for students to communicate with China, Bertrand added. A student at the middle school, surnamed Vincennes, said she believes that the students should study Chinese, because more and more Chinese can be seen on the streets of Monaco. Victor Churchill from Albert I High School has studied Chinese for four years, and his whole family are studying the Asian language. All five of us are studying Chinese. I heard about Chinese President Xi Jinpings visit. Our family is very happy, his mother, who goes by the name of Anna, told reporters. Billionaire Predicts Major Rally for Bitcoin Michael Novogratz, a billionaire and investment banker, thinks that the Bitcoin exchange rate is going to skyrocket within the next 20 years. In particular, he believes that in two decades, the market cap of the world's first cryptocurrency will exceed the one of gold. For that, the BTC rate will have to increase by 10000% to reach 7,5 trillion dollars. Apparently, this is going to happen if big-scale institutional investors come into play at some point in the near future. The thing is that big-scale companies are getting more and more interested in cryptocurrencies in general and Bitcoin in particular. Goldman Sachs and Intercontinental Exchange are among those big-scale players. If that's really the case, that's destined to give the whole industry a huge positive momentum. The billionaire thinks that the long-term prospects of Bitcoin are very strong. And he back his standpoint by multiple examples of factors backing this positive tendency, including the forthcoming launch of Fidelity and Bakkt, which will happen sooner or later. As for exceeding the mentioned 7.5-trillion-dollar threshold, the billionaire is convinced that this is certainy to happen at some point within the next 20 years. At this point, 1 BTC is trading slightly over 4000 dollars. This is 20-25% higher than December's levels when the exchange rate dropped down to 3300 dollars per coin. BTC/USD. Technical analysis Daily chart, courtesy of FortFS: Bitcoin is still trading within the scope of a flat market, with a faint bullish tendency. The support is at 3976. The resistance is at 4110 (the range set by the upper Bollinger Band). 4: The local ADX is weak. It hints that the probability of a further flat market is high, probably within 35-dollar range between 3996 and 4028 dollars per coin (Bollinger Bands). 1: The intraday picture looks flat as well, without any signs of tendency change. the daily forecast is a flat market within the 3995-4019 range. Expectations: a flat market within the 3995-4019 range. Trading decisions: trading within the 3995-4019 range. You are free to discuss this article here: forum for traders and investors If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Photo via People's Daily President Xi Jinpings state visit to France will further strengthen the friendship between the two countries and more frequent cultural and people-to-people exchanges are expected to strengthen the tie, experts noted. In 2014, President Xi visited the former site of the Franco-Chinese Institute of Lyon, the first Chinese university outside of the country and a strong symbol of Sino-French relations. To honor the friendship, the New Franco-Chinese Institute was built on the original site in 2016. According to Alan Labat, vice chairman of the New Institut Franco-Chinois de Lyon, Xis visit has reaffirmed their confidence to reestablish the university, which acts as a bridge between the two countries. Labat said that Xis visit also adds more vitality to the university, as it is now a famous tourist spot in Lyon, and its history has become better known among both citizens and travelers. The Chinese-French friendship carried by the university will be passed down from generation to generation, he added. Alan Merieux, chairman of the Merieux Bioscience Research Center, also remembers the excitement five years ago when Chinese President Xi visited. The Merieux family photos exhibited at the center record generations of the history of China-France friendship. The current chairman visited China for the first time in 1978, when he began to show great interest in the Asian country. Merieux said he is as curious as all French are and he feels the achievement of Chinas reform and opening-up is unique in the world. As a recipient of the China Reform Friendship Medal, Merieux has long promoted healthy cooperation between the two countries, specifically in the fields of tuberculosis prevention, infection control, and the prevention and control of new infectious diseases. Looking into the future, Merieux said cooperation with China is expected to be further deepened and the results can be promoted to more countries to address global public health challenges and contribute to the advancement of human health and well-being. The San Diego-based Cookie Club of America is seeking funding to begin production to support military families and nonprofits through the sale of a buttery, vanilla shortbread cookie imprinted with the emblem of every branch of the United States Armed Forces. The cookies salute all seven service branches as a tribute and in recognition of their dedication of service to the country and its citizens: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Army National Guard and Air National Guard. Clifford Smith Courtesy Cookie Club of America plans to wholesale to all military nonprofits through an affiliate model that easily and inexpensively maximizes fundraising efforts by providing a sell-through channel. Founder and CEO Clifford Smith said the more than 45,000 military-related nonprofits in the country will be able to raise money in support of their own programs by reselling the cookies. Additionally, the cookies could be sold direct to consumers through the website and would be available in retail stores, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the National Military Family Association. Smith comes from a family with a long line of military service, including two brothers who served in Iraq. His brother Dave is a retired Marine sergeant, brother Steve is a retired Army colonel, and his nephew is a Marine sergeant currently stationed at Camp Pendleton. It is because of this selfless service to country and the millions like them that we launched our company with a mission to support our military personnel and their families in a unique way, said Smith, whose background includes founding a San Diego tech company and a 27-year career in hospitality with Marriott International. Smith first launched the Cookie Club of America in 2003, motivated to support the military after 9/11. He obtained special authorization from all of the U.S. military branches to be able to use their emblems on the cookies.The cookies were successfully introduced and tested in 22 states through 12 large grocery retailers. The company supported the National Military Family Association (NMFA) through donations and branding on every packageSmith said the extra exposure helped the organization bring in millions more in direct donations. Tons of cookies were shipped to troops and to bring comfort to recovering service men and women at Walter Reed Army Medical Center Hospitals and VA Hospitals around the world. The original boxes had cookies from all branches in one box and Smith said he fielded numerous requests for just a Navy box or just an Army box. At the time he could not do it due to the requirements of the bakery but that is his goal with the relaunch. In 2008, he stopped production of the cookies. A lot has changed since 2008, said Smith, noting that technology has improved for e-commerce, there is improved profitability and theres more social media marketing. We now have the opportunity to really do it correctly, he said, adding that he has assembled a team dedicated and driven to make the venture succeed with partnerships that reach across the country and around the globe. Smith said 46 major chains have expressed interested in the product, separated into the different boxes. Ideally, the cookies would sell twice a year in the retail space, from Military Appreciation Month in May through July 4 and then again in November for Veterans Day through the holiday season when people are looking to remember those serving far from home. The Fort Wayne, Indiana bakery that the Cookie Club expects to use has a capacity to make 2 million cookies a day and Smith believes there is so much opportunity for the company to help support military nonprofits in a big way. What were looking to do right now is the reformation of the company. Our goal is $250,000 to get into the market, to get these cookies made and sold, Smith said. San Diego is an extremely patriotic place I should not have to leave San Diego to find the partners. Lets get it done in our town and we can make a significant impact on the lives of the men and women who serve our great nation. To help bring the cookies to market contact cookieclubofamerica.com or call (619) 850-0854. Earlier today, the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued an order in response to an emergency motion filed by Damien Guedes, Firearms Policy Foundation, Madison Society Foundation, Inc., Florida Carry, Inc., and Shane Roden. At midnight tonight, absent action from the Supreme Court, the DOJ intends to begin prosecution of individuals who possess a bumpstock. On March 23, the Court issued an order which stated, in part: that the effective date of the Bump-Stock Rule, 83 Fed. Reg. 66514 (Dec. 26, 2018), be administratively stayed in its application only as to the named Appellants in appeals Nos. 19-5042 and 19-5044, pending further order of this Court. The purpose of this stay is exclusively to give the Court sufficient opportunity to consider the disposition of this highly expedited appeal, and should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits of the appeal. In their emergency motion, Firearms Policy Foundation, Madison Society Foundation, and Florida Carry sought clarification that the stay ordered by the Court was also applicable to any members of their organization and not just the organization itself. Today's order read, in part: that the request for clarification be granted in part and be denied in part. The administrative stay entered on March 23, 2019, applies only to the named Appellants in appeals Nos. 19-5042 and 19-5044, including any current bona fide members of the named membership associations. It should be noted that the order is not a preliminary injunction and was issued so that the Court may take more time to review the issues before it prior to issuing a decision on the appeal of the district court's denial of a preliminary injunction. Firearms Policy Foundation, Madison Society Foundation, Florida Carry, Damien Guedes, and Shane Roden have also filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court in an attempt to get a nationwide stay against the implementation and enforcement of the bumpstock ban. For the most up to date information, visit BumpstockCase.com. ***This article is for informational purposes only. Should you have a question as to your particular legal situation, seek the advice of counsel.*** Employees from customs authority in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, examine wrong maps. (Photo/Courtesy of qingdaonews.com) Almost 30,000 incorrect world maps, with problems including rendering Taiwan as a country and wrong depiction of the Sino-Indian border, were destroyed by the customs authorities in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province. A total of 803 boxes of the 28,908 wrong maps were seized and destroyed, the largest amount to be disposed of in recent years, according to a news conference jointly held by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Shandong's Department of Natural Resources, Qingdao Customs and other related government agencies in Qingdao late last week, a Qingdao newspaper reported. The maps were produced by a company in East China's Anhui Province and were on the way to being exported to an unspecified foreign country. The crackdown was aimed at enhancing public awareness on national sovereignty and raising people's ability to distinguish such problematic maps, said the report. The problematic maps failed to show the correct territory of China and omitted South Tibet and the island of Taiwan, the Qingdao government found after an examination of the maps. Until now, related authorities have examined the domestic map market more than 100 times, and discovered over 10,000 incorrect maps, thus preventing them from being circulated inside the country and overseas. "What China did in the map market was absolutely legitimate and necessary, because sovereignty and territorial integrity are the most important things to a country. Both Taiwan and South Tibet are parts of China's territory which is sacred and inviolable based on the international law," said Liu Wenzong, professor from the department of International Law of China Foreign Affairs University. "If the wrong maps were circulated inside the country and abroad, it would have caused great harm to China's territorial integrity in the long run," noted Liu. "Fortunately, China's map management regulations require authorities to strengthen supervision and regulation of activities related to maps, providing a legal foundation to prevent damage to China's national interests." Since 2018, Qingdao has joined hands with other departments to establish an information sharing system for imported and exported maps, in order to quickly identify and take action against problematic maps. On December 14, 2015, the State Council issued a new set of regulations on maps, with the goal of tightening control over maps to safeguard state sovereignty. The regulations went into force on January 1, 2016. Wang Tiancheng, 24, has taken more than 100,000 photos about trains in nearly 30 countries and regions around the world. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] Over the past 10 years, Wang Tiancheng has shot more than 100,000 photos about trains in nearly 30 countries and regions, including Ethiopia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Russia and Thailand. Wang, 24, who was born in Daqing, Northeast Chinas Heilongjiang province, developed keen interest in trains in childhood. Every month, my parents would take me by train to visit my grandparents who lived in a city about 300 kilometers away, he said. I was always too excited to fall asleep before the trip. Around 2005, Wang made a number of friends with people who shared his interest online and began his train-exploring journey. New Orleans, LA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 03/26/2019 --The Lambert Firm is pleased to welcome associate attorney Grant Wood to our New Orleans law firm! Wood's practice focuses on environmental, product liability, personal injury and general casualty litigation. "Grant's been with us for a while now as a clerk and contract attorney," said Cayce Peterson, managing partner of The Lambert Firm. "His official addition to the firm is a direct result of how hard he works, his ability to relate and communicate with our clients, and his sharp, critical intellect. We're happy to have him and look forward to the vigorous representation he'll provide to our clients." A Nashville native with family ties to New Orleans, Wood graduated from Tulane Law School in 2014 with a certificate in Civil Law. Before joining The Lambert Firm, he clerked for the Honorable Judge Paula A. Brown of the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans. Wood has practiced in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes and conducted oral argument and motion practice in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. He is admitted to practice in all Louisiana State Courts and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and is a proud member of the Louisiana Association for Justice, the New Orleans Bar Association, the Academy of New Orleans Trial Lawyers, and the Federal Bar Association. About The Lambert Firm The Lambert Firm has represented injured maritime workers for more than 40 years. If you were injured in a maritime accident, contact The Lambert Firm today and get help from an experienced New Orleans accident lawyer. (Photo/Chinanews.com) Educational toys will appear in an exclusive section at next months toy exhibition in Guangzhou, south Chinas Guangdong province, an insider told Guangzhou Daily on March 26. It marks the first time that the exhibition will set a specific section for educational toys, said Li Zhuoming, head of the Guangdong Toy Association. A recent briefing of Chinas toy industry revealed that toys exported from Guangdong province were worth about $14.96 billion in 2018, a rise of 14.67 percent from the previous year, contributing 60 percent to the national total. Now, many toy producers in China are exploring how to develop educational toys to meet customer needs. Chinese toy producers need to enhance their competitiveness in the global market by improving the industry chain and being innovative, Li explained, adding that animation, film and TV have a strong driving role in toy sales. For example, animation movies that will be released this year including The Lion King, Toy Story 4 and Angry Birds 2 are expected to drive the sales of animation toys. China remains the worlds largest toy producer and exporter, with more than 70 percent of toys in the global market made in China. In 2018, the total retail sales of toys reached 68 billion yuan ($10.6 billion), while Guangdong province maintained the major contributor. By SA Commercial Prop News Makro Store will be housed within the Cornubia Ridge Logistics Park, which is adjacent to the Gateway precinct and accessible from all major highways including the M41 and the N2. Cornubia, a multi-billion rand mixed-use development in the northern corridor of Durban, has welcomed the new state-of-the-art Makro Store scheduled to start operating this week. This will be Makros 22nd store in South Africa housed in a 19 000m2 retail facility within the Cornubia Ridge Logistics Park, which is adjacent to the Gateway precinct and accessible from all major highways including the M41 and the N2. The R1 billion development is a joint venture between Fortress REIT Limited, one of the members of the JSE-listed Resilient group of property companies and M&F Giuricich Developments, a privately owned development company. ALSO READ: The Global Lift & Escalator Expo comes to South Africa The Cornubia Ridge Logistics Park is ideally located on the main routes between Durban and the fast-growing Durban North region and is also in close proximity to the Dube Trade port, which has been designated a special economic zone, as well as King Shaka airport, said Konrad Kohler, the Development Manager at Fortress. Construction commenced in April 2018 and completed in December. The land on which the Cornubia multi-use development is situated was purchased from Tongaat-Hulett by Fortress and M&F Giuricich Developments in 2016. ALSO READ: Click here if you need reasonable modern Office Space The development of the Cornubia Ridge Logistics Park forms part of Fortress strategy to expand its logistics-focussed asset base to approximately two thirds of its total portfolio by 2020. Although the domestic economy still faces some strong headwinds we remain cautiously optimistic about the logistics sector, said Kohler. There is certainly space for further growth because even in a fairly stagnant economy there is still need for distribution of products. ALSO READ: Sandton grows apace with R3bn Skyscraper Makro is owned by Massmart, a JSE listed company which is in turn 51% owned by Walmart, the US based retail company operating all over the world. Makro currently has 22 stores countrywide. MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday demanded arrest of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for creating hatred against Muslims by calling Congress leader Imran Masood a relative of Pakistani terrorist Masood Azhar. Owaisi said the Election Commission should get the UP Chief Minister booked and arrested under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code. Addressing an election meeting on Monday night, Owaisi said Yogi was linking Imran Masood to Masood Azhar because of the Muslim name. Imran Masood is Congress candidate from Saharanpur Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh. Owaisi, who is seeking re-election from Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency for a fourth term, also urged the Election Commission to remove Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh for making an appeal to people to vote for Narendra Modi. "I want to ask Kalyan Singh, are you a governor or a political leader. If you have some respect for Constitution, you should resign," he said. Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) chief also slammed Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani for his statement that if BJP doesn't win the elections, Pakistan will win. He said the parties trying to defeat Modi so that India became successful and democracy was strengthened. "This fight is to protect India's composite culture and brotherhood in which the central government failed." Owaisi said at an election meeting two days ago he had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should own up responsibility for failing to prevent terror attack at Pulwama in which 40 CRPF troopers were killed. "I had asked if he had eaten biryani and slept. As usual TV channels reported that I used word 'bade ki biryani' (beef biryani). Modi's 'chamche' on social media asked me don't you know he doesn't eat meat. I don't know. How do I know. Had I gone to his house to see. He may not eat. That's his choice." Stating that chowkidar should be 'zimmedar'(responsible), Owaisi said he should explain how 50 kg RDX was brought under his nose. The MIM leader poked fun at Modi for promoting sale of T-shirts and other merchandise as part of 'mein bhi chowkidar' campaign. "Parents want to see children in good positions but he is asking them to wear T-shirts of chowkidar," he said. Owaisi slammed Modi for providing Rs 1,500 crore from State Bank of India (SBI) to Jet Airways and said it was another instance to prove that he is favouring the rich. He wondered how Modi could offer the funding without approval from the cabinet. "This is public money not anybody's baap ki jagir," he said. He alleged that BJP leaders and a NCP leader used to stay as guests at Naresh Goyal's house in London. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission hit Southern California Edison on Monday with $116,000 in civil penalties following an incident last August in which a 50-ton canister filled with nuclear waste was left suspended for 45 minutes about 18 feet off the floor of a storage cavity at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. In addition, the NRC revealed that Edison officials last week began inspecting via remote video a representative sample of canisters already lowered into the newly constructed dry storage facility, looking for scratches on them. NRC officials said they will not give Edison the OK to resume transferring more canisters until the inspection data have been analyzed. The NRC did not indicate how long that will take. As for the Aug. 3 incident in which the canister was accidentally left on the inner-ring of a storage vault, the NRC cited Edison for two violations. Advertisement Saying the incident on Aug. 3 could have resulted in a significant safety consequence, the independent federal agency in charge of protecting public health and safety related to nuclear energy fined the utility for failing to make sure the heavy canister was properly supported. The NRC also chided Edison officials for not reporting the incident within 24 hours but did not assign a civil penalty for that violation. SCE management failed to establish a rigorous process to ensure adequate procedures, training and oversight guidance, said Lee Brookhart, a senior inspector at the NRC, during a webinar from the agencys branch office in Arlington, Texas. An Edison spokesman said the utility, which oversees the plant that goes by the nickname SONGS, will not contest the fine, which shareholders not ratepayers will pay. The event should not have happened and as the licensee we take full responsibility, said SCE media relations manager John Dobken. Edwin Lyman, acting director of the Nuclear Safety Project for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said he was heartened to see the NRC issue a civil penalty. I think this should be a wake-up call, not just to SONGS and Holtec, but across the whole industry that they need to maintain very rigorous inspections, training and some oversight of their own operations, Lyman said. Holtec International, based in New Jersey, designed the dry storage system and was contracted by Edison to oversee the transfer of canisters from wet storage pools at the plant to the dry storage location a journey in which a single canister is carried about 1,500 feet via heavy equipment traveling about 3 mph. Vowing to avoid a repeat of the incident, Edison has instituted a series of changes to create a more robust program for future transfers. The utility said it has beefed up training, procedures and oversight. Additional equipment, including an overhead camera and an alarm system, have also been added. First revealed to the public by a worker at the plant, the August incident occurred when workers thought the canister had been completely lowered into the storage vault but it had not. Instead, it came to rest near the top of the cavity. Whats more, the heavy canister was not supported by the rigging and lifting equipment that includes two yellow slings designed to complete the transfer operation. Within a few minutes, the mistake was noticed and the canister was eventually lowered but not before it was left unsupported for about 45 minutes. Officials with the two companies said workers and the public were not in danger, and even if the canister had fallen 18 feet, the robust design of the canister would have prevented any radiological release. At Mondays webinar, the NRC said it conducted an independent review of what could happen if a canister fell 25 feet. It concluded the canister itself would remain intact but the fuel assemblies inside the canister would sustain damage. Even so, Brookhart said, the canister would still provide structural thermal, shielding and critical control functions after the drop. Shortly after Aug. 3, Edison officials described the incident as a near-miss and suspended future transfers at the plant. Last September, the NRC launched a weeklong special inspection into what happened. According to the inspectors, on Aug. 3 the crane operator of the transporter that moves the heavy canisters had never before completed a downloading operation. It also marked the first time the rigger/spotter who watches the top of the canister to make sure it is successfully lowered had attempted a downloading. The canister lowered on Aug. 3 marked the 29th of 73 canisters moved to the new dry storage facility. Forty-four others are scheduled to eventually be transferred. Three canisters were inspected last week, Dobken said the canister downloaded on Aug. 3, another lowered last July 22 that got stuck for a few minutes but was fully supported by the rigging and equipment, and a third that was successfully placed into a cavity on March 23, 2018. Dobken said a robot that can cover 92 percent of the canister surface is providing inspection data that is still in the process of being reviewed by the NRC. An inspection is performed on a canister at the dry storage facility at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in March. (Photo by Southern California Edison) Charles Langley, executive director of San Diego-based Public Watchdogs, said the $116,000 in fines were comparatively paltry considering the billions collected from ratepayers for SONGS over the decades and will pave the way to additional safety lapses in the future. Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, said the NRC is not doing enough to ensure safety. I strongly urge the NRC to consider additional steps to prevent future safety violations, Levin said in an email, and I hope that its ongoing investigation into the gouging of Holtecs canisters is thorough and conducted with integrity. San Diego attorney Michael Aguirre recently filed a federal lawsuit against the NRC, complaining the federal agency has engaged in stonewall tactics in turning over responses to Freedom of Information Act requests for documents related to problems during the transfer process at SONGS. The NRC is not making sure in the interim that the waste (at SONGS) is being carefully stored and organized, Aguirre said after the webinar. Theyre acting more like an advocate for Southern California Edison than a regulator. Linda Howell, deputy director of the division of Nuclear Materials Safety, pushed back on the notion that the NRC is protecting SCE. There was absolutely no work on the part of the NRC to cover this incident up, she said, citing the initiation of the inspection process at SONGS that is still ongoing and subsequent reports that have been made public. SONGS has not produced electricity since the plant shut down following a leak in a steam generator tube in 2012. The following year the plant officially closed. It is now in the process of being decommissioned. The plant is located on an 85-acre chunk of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, owned by the Department of the Navy. The plant sits between the Pacific and one of the busiest freeways in the country Interstate 5. About 8.4 million people live within a 50-mile radius of the plant in an area with a history of seismic activity. Business rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1251 Twitter: @robnikolewski David Loo, a top San Diego engineer and the first employee of the $45 billion technology colossus ServiceNow, is building his own tech startup in Rancho Bernardo. The under-the-radar venture called Perspectium is growing quietly but quickly, bursting at the seams of its local office. The startup is solving a problem that was created by the last wave of software unicorns: connecting and moving data between big software-as-a-service programs like ServiceNow. As founder and CEO of Perspectium, Loo is about as unassuming as tech entrepreneurs get. When asked why no one seems to have heard of Perspectium, Loo shrugs and laughs sheepishly, Were busy starting up, I guess. Although modest in nature, Loo is well known in tech. He was instrumental in two of San Diegos largest software companies over the past three decades: ServiceNow and Peregrine Systems. Loo was the first to join ServiceNows founder Fred Luddy, who had worked with Loo at Peregrine and brought him on as his first employee. Advertisement I saw the entrepreneur in (Luddy) and I knew he was capable of doing something great, Loo said. He inspired me tremendously. When he left Peregrine, I said, Take me with you. Loo joined ServiceNow in 2004 and stayed with the company until it went public in 2013, leading teams of engineers as the companys top trainer. Bow Ruggeri, who joined ServiceNow as employee number two, said Loo was key in the companys leadership. He always says he was just a developer, but he was far more than that, Ruggeri said. He ran their training program and cultivated the culture at ServiceNow. He was one of the most loved employees there. 1 / 2 Ex-ServiceNow employee Bow Ruggeri founder and CTO of the startup Dreamtsoft, left and CEO Jerrod Bennett in their Solana Beach office. (K.C. Alfred/San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 2 David Loo, founder and CEO of Perspectium, stands in front of his customer service workers at the Perspectium offices in Rancho Bernardo. (Hayne Palmour IV/San Diego Union-Tribune) What Perspectium is building After leaving the tech giant post-IPO, Loo founded Perspectium to solve a problem he thought was pervasive in his industry: getting disconnected, enterprise software programs to share information with one another. In particular, Loo was interested in connecting big service management software like ServiceNow and Jira, which are used by global corporations to manage IT service requests, among other issues. Information can get lost at these corporate giants because theyre using several programs to manage these inbound service requests, and important data doesnt always transfer from one program to another. Say, for example, a bug in someones software is reported to a sales representative. That salesperson might record the issue in several separate programs ServiceNow, SalesForce or Jira, to name a few before it actually gets addressed by the appropriate IT person or engineer. Because the information is recorded in a disjointed way, service requests can get lost or mismanaged. This is especially a problem for massive corporations that span the globe, as different geographies might use disparate software depending on whats available regionally. Loo, whos best known as an integration specialist at his former roles, found a way to automate the transfer of information between these disparate software programs, linking them in a way that allows quick data transfer between all platforms. This is what Perspectium specializes in, calling it integration-as-a-service. How big is Perspectium now? Since its 2014 launch, Perspectium has quickly racked up multibillion-dollar corporations as clients. Among its customers are TMobile (freshly signed this month), McDonalds, Pepsi Co., Southwest Airlines, and National Grid (the electric company that services most of the United Kingdom). Oh, and ServiceNow is a client, too. Perspectium is quickly outgrowing its Rancho Bernardo office park, where the company has spilled into adjoining offices in a patchwork of space. Employees are squeezed into every pocket of the honeycomb office, so Loo is moving the startup to a new space in July. The new location will span 13,000 square feet near Scripps Ranch and will house the companys 60 local employees. Perspectium also has 12 staffers in London and three in New York. Perspectium is not the first promising tech startup that emerged from ServiceNows earliest employees. In January, the Union-Tribune profiled Dreamtsoft, a startup founded by Ruggeri (the second employee of ServiceNow) and former ServiceNow architect Jerrod Bennett. That company makes an online tool that allows businesses to create their own custom software without writing code. Loo said he hopes to see San Diego transform into a mecca of software startups, fed by the talent thats been percolating at local tech giants and universities. His lifelong goal, he says, is to help San Diego flourish as a tech hub, either by bootstrapping more startups or attracting new engineers into the startup scene. We have great universities here producing really smart kids, but then they leave, Loo said. Dont leave! Come to companies like Perspectium or Seismic. I want to see a vibrant software development community in San Diego. Related reading: Going rogue: Guys behind $30 billion giant ServiceNow launch tech startup in San Diego Why San Diego missed the first wave of tech unicorns, and whats changing now Software startup Seismic gets $100M at $1 billion valuation, making it San Diegos latest unicorn A book celebrating the life and career of Anthony Bourdain, the author, chef and television personality who died last June, will be published by Harper Collins imprint Ecco this spring, People magazine reported Monday. Anthony Bourdain Remembered, which collects tributes and photographs honoring the late writer, was compiled by CNN, the network that was home to Bourdains series Parts Unknown, as a keepsake gift for his daughter. Bourdains estate decided to publish the book widely for his admirers. The publishers web page for the book says it brings together memories and anecdotes from fans reminiscing about Bourdains unique achievements and his enduring effect on their lives as well as comments from chefs, journalists, filmmakers, musicians, and writers inspired by Tony including Barack Obama, Eric Ripert, Jill Filipovic, Ken Burns, Questlove and Jose Andres, among many others. Daniel Halpern, Ecco publisher and president, told People, There isnt a day that goes by when we dont miss the influential chef. Advertisement Anthony Bourdain Remembered reminds me of the joy that he brought to everyone who knew him or watched him on-air as he moved in his particular way around the globe, Halpern said. It is the perfect memento for those of us who, through his shows, came to know the others who inhabit our planet and an homage to the worlds most beloved traveler. Bourdain began his career as a chef, working most notably at the Manhattan restaurant Brasserie Les Halles, before becoming a breakout literary star in 2000 with his bestselling memoir Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. He followed that up with two other food-themed nonfiction books, A Cooks Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal, published in 2001, and"The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones, released in 2006. Bourdain became a national celebrity with his television shows No Reservations and Parts Unknown but continued his writing career, publishing cookbooks and comic books throughout the last years of his life. His last book, a graphic fiction anthology called Hungry Ghosts, was published by Berger Books in October. Bourdain took his own life in a hotel room in Kaysersberg-Vignoble, France, last June. He was 61. Anthony Bourdain Remembered is slated for publication on May 28. The second man to die in Democratic donor Ed Bucks West Hollywood home died of a methamphetamine overdose, authorities confirmed Monday. The Jan. 7 death of Timothy Dean, 55, was ruled accidental, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. Sheriffs homicide investigators are continuing their investigation into the death of Timothy Dean, department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said. Investigators will continue interviewing people who come forward with information, she said. Advertisement Dean, a West Hollywood resident, worked as a fashion consultant at Saks Fifth Avenue, and previously, at Bloomingdales in Century City. His friends previously told The Times that Dean didnt drink excessively and wasnt known to do drugs. He was the second black man to die of a methamphetamine overdose in Bucks apartment. Buck, 64, who is white, is a former fashion model, self-described retired multimillionaire and onetime West Hollywood City Council candidate. He has long been a contentious figure in town, where he was best known for his animal rights and LGBTQ activism, and his donations to Democratic politicians and causes. In July 2017, Gemmel Moore, a 26-year-old openly gay man, died in Bucks home, which was littered with drug paraphernalia, including 24 syringes with brown residue, five glass pipes with white residue and burn marks, clear plastic bags with white powdery residue and a clear plastic bag with a piece of crystal-like substance, according to the coroners report. Authorities say Buck was present for both deaths. The Times reviewed pages of a journal that authorities said was found among Moores possessions. In it, Moore purportedly wrote in 2016 about using crystal methamphetamine. Ive become addicted to drugs and the worst one at that, Moore purportedly wrote. Ed Buck is the one to thank, he gave me my first injection of chrystal [sic] meth. The entry continues: I just hope the end result isnt death.... If it didnt hurt so bad Id kill myself but Ill let Ed Buck do it for now. Moores death was also ruled accidental. Prosecutors last summer declined to file charges against Buck regarding Moores death, citing insufficient evidence, according to court records. In a charge evaluation worksheet dated July 26, the Los Angeles County district attorneys office said the admissible evidence is insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that suspect Buck furnished drugs to Gemmel Moore or that suspect Buck possessed drugs. The document also cited an inadmissible search and seizure but did not provide details. The district attorneys office reviewed and rejected four charges: murder, voluntary manslaughter, and furnishing and possessing drugs. In the wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Moores mother, LaTisha Nixon said that Buck preyed on black men and that he had solicited her son for sex numerous times. During the encounters, she alleged, Buck insisted on injecting Moore with crystal methamphetamine and then forced him to watch pornography and perform sex acts while intoxicated. Bucks attorney, Seymour Amster, has described Moore as a good friend of Buck, and Dean as an old friend. Amster said in a phone interview Monday evening that Dean came to Bucks home under the influence and didnt ingest any drugs while there. We stand by our position that unfortunately Mr. Dean ingested drugs at a location other than Mr. Bucks, and he came over intoxicated, and its a tragedy, Amster said Monday. Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey said in a statement released by her office earlier this month that she has asked the Sheriffs Department to continue to thoroughly investigate the deaths of Moore and Dean. Lacey said some people have insinuated that a $100 donation she received from Buck during her 2012 election campaign, which she has since returned, has tainted her ability to be impartial in whether criminal charges are warranted against Buck. Nothing could be further from the truth, Lacey said in the statement. Every life, regardless of a persons age, race, economic status and even whether they use illegal drugs, has value. If that life is lost because of the unlawful actions of another, rest assured that my office will do everything possible to bring the perpetrator to justice. Times staff writers Matt Hamilton and Hailey Branson-Potts contributed to this report. The death of a 15-year-old girl whose body was found Monday in Compton was ruled a homicide, but the cause of death is being withheld, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. The body of Samantha Bustos was found at 1:26 a.m. Monday in the 500 block of West Victoria Street after deputies from the Compton station got a call about a person down. Detectives found she had suffered a traumatic injury to her upper torso. Bustos, who lived in an unincorporated area of Gardena, was last seen by her family Friday, according to her familys social media posts. Family members went to the Compton station Sunday to report her missing, according to the Sheriffs Department. Her body was found near National Retail Systems, a third-party logistics company. Advertisement Andy Miller, the companys executive vice president, told KTLA-TV Channel 5 that personnel are cooperating with the investigation. I got a call early this morning that they had found a body on the perimeter of the property, Miller said. Were cooperating with the police in every way possible. They asked for [security] camera footage over a period of time. China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CAS) and leading European aircraft manufacturer Airbus signed an agreement on March 25 on the procurement of 300 airplanes, including 290 A320 Family aircraft and 10 A350XWB Family aircraft, thepaper.cn reported on March 26. The contract was signed in Paris, France, and was worth $35 billion, according to CAS. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was in Paris on a state visit, jointly witnessed the signing of the agreement with French President Emmanuel Macron. Jia Baojun, Chairman of CAS, and Guillaume Faury, President of Airbus Commercial Aircraft and future CEO of Airbus, signed the agreement on behalf of the two sides. We are honored to support the growth of Chinas civil aviation with our leading aircraft families. Our expanding footprint in China demonstrates our lasting confidence in the Chinese market and our long-term commitment to China and our partners, said Faury. In the next 20 years, it's expected that China will require around 7,400 new passenger planes and cargo aircraft, accounting for 19 percent of the worlds total demand for new planes, according to the latest Global Market Forecast released by Airbus. Faced with a flood of homeless people living in cars near the beach, San Diego officials said Monday they will pass a new version of the citys vehicle habitation law, which banned living in vehicles. The proposed law would replace a previous version that a federal judge declared unenforceable. The move comes in response to hundreds of complaints about public urination and other illegal activity on city streets since the City Council repealed the 35-year-old law in February. Mayor Kevin Faulconer said the city will also double its number of safe parking lots, from two to four, so that unsheltered people forced to live in vehicles have a place to go at night. Advertisement If you are living out of your vehicle because you have nowhere else to go, we want to help you, Faulconer said. At the same time, residents and businesses have a right to clean and safe neighborhoods. We will not allow conduct that takes advantage of San Diegos generosity and destroys the quality of life in our communities. Faulconer said he plans to unveil the new ordinance, which will be based on vehicle habitation ordinances in other cities, at an April 17 meeting of the City Councils Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee. I applaud the mayors action today, which balances the need to provide more assistance and services to San Diegans living in their vehicles in need of a helping hand with the concerns about health and safety weve heard from our beach communities, Councilwoman Jennifer Campbell said Monday. In August, U.S. District Judge Anthony Battaglia said the citys previous vehicle habitation law didnt indicate specifically what turns a vehicle into a persons home or living quarters, noting that people have gotten tickets under the law for reading a book inside their vehicle. The injunction ordered by Battaglia came in response to a lawsuit filed on behalf of disabled homeless people who prefer to live in vehicles because they dont function well in traditional homeless shelters. In February, the City Council voted unanimously to repeal the law. Since then, San Diego police and council members say theyve received hundreds of complaints about a sharp increase in people living out of cars on public streets, primarily in the citys beach communities. David Garrick writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. A 19-year-old man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter and assault with a deadly weapon in the gang-related stabbing death of an El Cajon resident was sentenced Monday to 14 years in state prison. Francisco Gabriel Meza was originally charged with murder in the Dec. 12, 2017, slaying of 19-year-old Kyle Khamphan. Mezas co-defendant, Luis Mondragon Pedroza, who turned 20 last Friday, is awaiting a June murder trial. A third person, then 17 years old, was also arrested on `"homicide-related charges in connection with the stabbing, according to police, but his status within the juvenile justice system was unclear. His name was not released due to his age at the time of the crime. Advertisement Khamphan was driven in a private vehicle to Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa following a fight near El Cajon City Park on East Park Avenue, but was declared dead on arrival of stab wounds to his upper body, police said. When officers arrived at the scene of the fight, all combatants had fled, but officers later located an injured 17-year-old who was taken to a hospital for treatment. The detectives tracked down Pedroza the following week, pulling over a sedan on the shoulder of state Route 125 near Grossmont Boulevard in La Mesa, where he was arrested and an unidentified woman was detained, police said. Meza and the unidentified 17-year-old were arrested later that night. A San Diego judge on Monday approved the placement of a violent sexual predator in Jacumba Hot Springs, with the decision coming after the judge agreed to delay the decision during a Friday hearing amid emotional opposition from the mans victims. Alan Earl James, 56, will be placed in the East County community on or before April 25, a spokeswoman for the District Attorneys Office said. James, who was convicted in the 1980s for sexual assaults on at least three children including younger relatives was previously found to meet criteria for release from a state psychiatric hospital to supervised housing in the community. San Diego Superior Court Judge Albert Harutunian III last fall approved James conditional release to a home in Jacumba Hot Springs on Old Highway 80 across from Jacumba Airport. Advertisement Haratunian agreed to review the decision at Fridays hearing, saying he is not a believer in shooting from the hip. He said he would issue a ruling as soon as I can reasonably do that. He made his ruling Monday. The judge issued his ruling today that the proposed placement in Jacumba meets all the statutory criteria, District Attorney spokeswoman Barbara Medina said in an email. County Supervisor Dianne Jacob on Friday asked Harutunian to find another spot for James, saying rural East County already has an over-concentration of violent sexual offenders, with nine of them placed in Jacumba, Boulevard and Campo. On Monday, Jacob issued a statement calling the judges ruling wrong. Sexually violent predator Alan Earl James (is) the tenth predator placed in our backcountry, Jacobs statement said. The high concentration of these monsters out East is outrageous. I will continue to work with families and victims to fight it. Three of James victims spoke at Fridays hearing, fighting through tears to voice fears that James will victimize other children if he is released from the state hospital. I feel hes a danger, because of what happened to me, as well as my siblings, as well as others, one man said. James was convicted in 1981 of one count of lewd act on a child under age 14 and was given a six-month jail sentence and three years probation. In 1986, he was convicted of kidnapping, molesting and having unlawful sexual intercourse with the three children, and was sentenced to 28 years in prison. Before he was due to be released, county prosecutors petitioned for James to be committed to a state hospital as a sexually violent predator one likely to re-offend, with multiple victims. He was diagnosed with pedophilia disorder and in 2007 was committed to Coalinga State Hospital in Fresno County. James sought his conditional release several times and was denied until a final hearing in October, when medical experts deemed him fit for release with continued treatment. Twitter: @Alex_Riggins (619) 293-1710 alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com San Diego Unified School District reached a tentative agreement with union leaders last week, ending a months-long controversy over special education services and staff levels. According to the San Diego Education Association (SDEA), which represents more than 6,500 educators, the district has agreed to phase in lower caseloads for special education teachers who work with students who need mild or moderate support. As part of the deal, the district will hire 26 more special education teachers and begin lowering caseloads at the start of the 2019-2020 school year. By fall 2020, it will start implementing a cap of 20 students per education specialist. While this agreement doesnt address every issue special educators currently face, it is a strong first step in providing the appropriate level of support to our most critical students, said SDEA president Kisha Borden in a press release. Advertisement The deal marks a major win for union leaders, who say staffing issues have saddled teachers with unmanageable caseloads and caused students to miss out on services guaranteed under state law. SDEA members launched in November an organizing campaign to address the problems and, by January, staff at more than 20 San Diego Unified schools had filed grievances with the districts special education director, claiming staffing levels violated the districts contract with the union. The district originally planned to increase caseloads by 20 percent. Instead of a cap of 20 students, some special education teachers would have been reclassified as resource specialists and would have been assigned up to 24 students each. School officials said the staffing changes were based on student needs at each school and were the result of new job descriptions the union helped write. Under the agreement, special education teachers employed in the 2019-2020 school year will receive a $324 stipend every month their caseload exceeds 20 students. Teachers who had more than 20 students this year will receive a one-time stipend of $1,500 to resolve the grievances filed with the district. Attorney Gen. William Barrs four-page summary of the conclusions of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation has left a host of unanswered questions about various lines of inquiry Mueller is known to have pursued. Barr said the special counsel concluded that no one associated with Trumps campaign conspired or coordinated with the two major Russian efforts to interfere with the 2016 presidential campaign the hacking of Democratic email accounts and a social media campaign to inflame an already polarized American electorate. Mueller also examined whether Trump committed obstruction of justice after becoming president, Barr reported, but Mueller sidestepped any traditional prosecutorial recommendation, declining to conclude the president committed a crime or to exonerate him. But Barrs summary provided no details about Muellers specific findings, leaving unresolved a number of investigative strands made public over the course of the 22-month investigation. Advertisement It remains to be seen whether the special counsels full report will be made public and whether all his findings will ever be revealed. Barr wrote in his memo that his goal is to release as much of Muellers report as possible, but some material related to grand jury testimony, other investigations and privileged content will probably be redacted. For now, the country is left to wonder what, exactly, Mueller found on a variety of topics he explored. They include: What potential acts of obstruction by Trump did Mueller examine and why did he decline to draw a conclusion about whether they constituted crimes? Barr indicated that Mueller explored a number of actions by the president that potentially raised obstruction-of-justice concerns, noting that most have been the subject of public reporting. But it is not yet clear which of Trumps private actions Mueller scrutinized that were not previously reported by journalists. How Mueller analyzed the evidence of possible obstruction and why he failed to come to a finding also remain unknown. Why havent prosecutors charged Roger Stones associate Jerome Corsi? Corsi, a conservative author and conspiracy theorist, cooperated for months with the special counsels team as prosecutors pursued a major line of inquiry: Whether Stone, a longtime Trump adviser, had contact with WikiLeaks, which published hacked Democratic emails in 2016. That cooperation ended abruptly in November, when Corsi rejected a deal to plead guilty to one count of perjury, saying he would have been forced to say untruthfully that he intentionally lied to investigators. Corsi then released a plea agreement drafted by the special counsels office that he said he refused the sign. According to the document, Corsi alerted Stone in early August 2016 that WikiLeaks planned to release material damaging to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Corsi accused Muellers team of pressuring him to say he intentionally lied about his communications about WikiLeakss plans, when he simply forgot about them and exaggerated his knowledge. Prosecutors are not supposed to encourage people to plead guilty unless they have the evidence to prove the case in court. Stone, who has repeatedly denied that he had advance knowledge of WikiLeakss plans, was indicted in January and accused of making false statements and obstruction, but he was not charged with coordinating with WikiLeaks. In an interview this week, Corsi said he felt vindicated. They tried to give me a plea deal that was a lie, and I exposed it, he said. What information did former national security adviser Michael Flynn provide? Flynn pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to the FBI about his post-election contacts with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak regarding U.S. sanctions. As of December, he had met with the special counsels office 19 times, according to court filings. His sentencing has still not been scheduled. Flynns attorney, Robert Kelner, declined to comment Monday. What did Mueller learn about the Trump Tower meeting? Muellers team investigated a meeting held in Trump Tower in June 2016 with Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer who Trump Jr. was told was going to provide damaging information about Clinton as part of the Russian governments support for his father. Rob Goldstone, the music promoter who arranged for the meeting, has said he was interviewed by Muellers team and also testified before the grand jury in Washington. But Muellers prosecutors have not mentioned the meeting in any public court filing. Whether Mueller learned anything new about the meeting that did not rise to the level of a crime is unknown. After 2 years, Robert Mueller has delivered his report, stating there was no collusion in the 2016 Presidential election. That includes my email to @DonaldJTrumpJr and the subsequent Trump Tower meeting. . .which as I have stated from the beginning, had nothing to do with collusion, Goldstone tweeted. What information did former campaign chairman Paul Manafort share with his Russian employee and why? In February, one of Muellers prosecutors told a federal judge that Manafort passed campaign polling data to a Russian employee who has been alleged to have intelligence ties. In court, prosecutor Andrew Weissmann said that a meeting Manafort had with Konstantin Kilimnik at a New York cigar club in August 2016 went very much to the heart of what the special counsels office is investigating. Prosecutors said Manafort lied about the encounter during interviews after he pleaded guilty and began to cooperate. But they did not charge him with any crimes related to his campaign interactions with Kilimnik. What did they learn about Manaforts interactions with his Russian associate? Jason Maloni, a Manafort spokesman, declined to comment Monday. The Washington Post filed a motion in court seeking to have more information about that incident released publicly. The special counsels office has until April 1 to tell a judge whether it opposes the release. Why was Carter Page repeatedly placed under surveillance? Then there is the case of Page, a former Trump campaign aide who visited Moscow in June 2016 while advising the campaign. Congressional Republicans revealed in February 2018 that federal investigators suspected Page was possibly a Russian agent and in October 2016 secretly secured from a judge permission to monitor his communications. The surveillance application was renewed three times and lasted until September 2017, after Muellers appointment. What was discovered during that time has never been clear. Page has not been charged with a crime, and Republicans have decried the surveillance as overreach by federal prosecutors. In a text message, Page said he has always viewed the witch hunt as a sideshow which distracts from the real crimes that were committed against President Trump and his supporters. What did Mueller learn about the Steele dossier? Congressional Republicans have revealed that the FBI referred to a research dossier about Trumps ties to Russia written by former British spy Christopher Steele in their application for a warrant to surveil Page. Muellers investigators traveled to London in September 2017 to interview Steele, according to people familiar with the matter. What other steps Muellers team took to verify Steeles allegations and how seriously they took them remain a mystery. The Washington Posts Josh Dawsey contributed to this report. Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas skated to the edge of another war Monday after a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip demolished a family home in a town north of Tel Aviv and Israel retaliated with a bombardment of its own. The rocket crashed into the home in the quiet, prosperous town of Mishmeret at dawn. The town lies beyond the area usually protected by Israels Iron Dome antimissile systems. The Israeli army blamed Hamas, the Islamist militia that controls Gaza, and launched an extensive wave of retaliatory strikes Monday afternoon that reportedly destroyed several Hamas buildings, including the headquarters of the groups leader, Ismail Haniyeh. Israeli army spokesman Ronen Manelis told the news portal Ynet: I think that Hamas understands this is a significant strike [after] a serious incident, and ultimately, this is a price that Hamas has been due to pay for the past year. Advertisement The Joint Chamber of Resistance, an operations group including Hamas and the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, issued a statement threatening to target the Israeli cities of Sderot and Netivot with rockets if the enemy continues the violations. A house in Sderot was later struck, although no one was injured. Nearly 200 Gazans have been killed in a weekly series of protests along the Israeli border during the last year. According to United Nations figures, more than 9,000 have been wounded. The escalation erupted two weeks before elections in Israel and as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington to deliver an address to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and to meet with President Trump. In another step that could inflame the region, Trump formalized a statement he made via Twitter last week by declaring in an executive order Monday that the United States recognizes Israeli control of the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 war. Previous administrations have acceded to international law, which regards the Golan Heights as disputed and occupied territory. Trump signed the order, whose legal authority is disputed, in the White House, surrounded by Netanyahu and others who support his staunchly pro-Israel stance, including the U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Friedman. Also present were the two people whom Trump has appointed to formulate a peace plan for the Middle East, son-in-law Jared Kushner and former Trump attorney Jason Greenblatt; their presence could further complicate their ability to appear as neutral brokers in any peace deal. Netanyahu cut short his visit after the rocket strike. He said he was returning home to lead the people of Israel and the soldiers of Israel. I have a simple message for Israels enemies, Netanyahu said at the White House. We will do whatever we must do to defend our people and defend our state. Seven people in the home in Mishmeret, including two infants, were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said. Standing by the rubble, London-born Robert Wolf, who lived in the house, told Britains Daily Telegraph news site that he was asleep at home with his wife, Susan; his son, daughter, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren when sirens went off and they scurried into their homes bomb shelter. If we hadnt got to the bomb shelter in time I would be burying all my family, he said. The Gazan Health Ministry reported that five people were injured in the strikes in the territory. On both sides of the border, children were released early from school and the civilian population was put on high alert. In Israel, municipal air raid shelters were opened as far north as Tel Aviv, and Ben Gurion airport, the nations principal international hub, announced changes in incoming flight paths. Gaza City became a ghost town, and Palestinian radio stations and Hamas television broadcast songs calling for resistance against Israel. Rockets continued to be launched toward Israel through the day, with the Israeli army identifying about 30 launches from Gaza. Sirens sounded across the Israeli south, and at least a million people prepared for a night in bomb shelters. The Israeli army reported that a family home in the southern city of Sderot was hit by a missile, with no injuries reported. That family also had sought safety in a bomb shelter. Hamas and other armed Palestinian factions have sporadically fired rockets into Israel since the 2014 war between Israeli forces and Hamas. Mondays escalation was the ninth round of fighting in the last year. None has lasted more than 24 hours, and injuries among Israeli civilians are rare. Late Monday, Hamas television announced that Egyptian mediators had brokered a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. There was no Egyptian or Israeli confirmation, and no halt in the rocket launches or airstrikes. Netanyahu is in a tight race for reelection to a fifth term in office in balloting scheduled for April 9. Rivals from across the spectrum raced to Mishmeret on Monday, with those on the right pressuring the prime minister to act decisively against Hamas. With the anniversary this week of the border protest marches and few achievements to show for the sacrifice, Hamas faces a difficult moment of reckoning. Last week, about a thousand Gazans were arrested after hundreds took to the streets to protest continued dismal living conditions. Hamas wrested control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority 12 years ago, and the seaside enclave has since been subject to an Israeli-Egyptian blockade. Conditions have worsened, in part because of sanctions imposed by the Palestinian government. Tarnopolsky is a special correspondent. Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson contributed to this report. Two men were shot two minutes apart Monday night in two separate incidents one in Spring Valley, the other in City Heights and both victims were expected to survive and were uncooperative with law enforcement, police and sheriffs officials said. A witness reported the first shooting on Broadview Street in Spring Valley at 9:26 p.m., San Diego County Sheriffs Lt. Dave Perkins said. The witness heard the gunfire and spoke with the victim, who said hed been shot, but the witness did not see the shooter. Deputies found the victim with at least one gunshot wound, Perkins said. The deputies treated him until medics arrived to take him to a hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening. The victim did not call 911 and apparently would not cooperate with investigators, Perkins said. No description of the shooter was available. Advertisement In a nearly identical but apparently unrelated incident, a shooting was reported just two minutes later, at 9:28 p.m., in San Diegos City Heights neighborhood, Officer John Buttle said. In that shooting, which happened on 36th Street near El Cajon Boulevard, a man was struck in the leg, Buttle said. He was taken to a hospital with an injury believed to be non-life-threatening. He was also uncooperative with police investigators, Buttle said, and police did not have a description of the gunman. Twitter: @Alex_Riggins (619) 293-1710 alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com When San Diego Zoo visitors drop in on Bai Yun, the giant panda, they see what most humans see when they look at these endangered creatures: a Beanie baby come to life. Cute. Cuddly. Too toylike to be real. When zoo staff members look at this 23-year-old matriarch, however, they do not see cute or cuddly. They see pioneering and prolific. A walking textbook that is almost too priceless for words. I might be bragging because everyone loves her, but I think Bai Yun is the most scientifically influential panda that has ever lived, said Barbara Durrant, Henshaw Chair and director of reproductive physiology for the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research. She has given us more information about giant pandas than any panda ever. Since coming to the San Diego Zoo from China in 1996, Bai Yun has been in the rare-animal milestone business. And last week, she hit another one. Advertisement After giving birth to six of the 13 surviving panda cubs born in this country, Bai Yun may have reached the end of her reproductive years. After surprising everyone by going into season this spring, Bai Yun was artificially inseminated. Panda-watchers were guardedly hopeful, but on Monday, the zoo announced that multiple tests revealed she was not pregnant. Given her age, and the fact that giant pandas are only in season once a year, this was probably the zoos last chance for another Bai Yun baby. But Bai Yuns legacy? From tricky medical procedures to impressive training discoveries, this giant pandas contributions have been, well, huge. Everything we have learned here has been because of Bai, said lead panda keeper Kathy Hawk, who has been with Bai Yun since the pandas arrival. She is the foundation of what we do here. There are an estimated 1,864 giant pandas in the wild and 300-plus living in captivity. Most of the pandas in captivity live in panda reserves in China, with smaller numbers living in zoos throughout the world. In the United States, the San Diego Zoo and the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., each have three pandas on site. Zoo Atlanta has four, and the Memphis Zoo has two. Whether they are in Atlanta or Adelaide, these roly-poly animals draw besotted crowds. Its almost like they are this romanticized, larger-than-life thing, said Carl Winston, director of San Diego States L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. It is a natural human tendency to love cuddly things, but how many of us have ever cuddled a panda? There is that rarity factor. It is the things you cant get that you are attracted to. Landmark loan When Bai Yun and the male panda Shi Shi came here, they were the first pair of giant pandas to come to a U.S. zoo as part of a landmark panda-loan agreement with China. Three years later, in 1999, the rare Bai Yun did a historical thing she gave birth to Hua Mei, the first surviving giant panda ever born in this country. Five cubs fathered by Gao Gao followed, making Bai Yun the most prolific giant-panda mother in the U.S. As part of the panda-loan agreement, all panda cubs go back to China after their third birthdays. Hua Mei has since given birth to 11 cubs, and Su Lin (born in 2005) is the mother of two surviving cubs. In addition to her cubs, Bai Yun blessed the world with a bundle of information. The Chinese government began tackling the dwindling panda population in the early 1960s by setting up reserves, and giant pandas were being bred in captivity. But before the pandas came to San Diego, there wasnt much in the way of scientific research about them. Even the most basic things How do you measure a pandas hormone levels? What is the normal blood pressure of a panda? were a mystery. And then there was the mother of all panda puzzlers: How can you tell if a panda is pregnant? Because pandas are so big (Bai Yun weighs about 240 pounds) and panda babies are so tiny (usually less than 4 ounces at birth), there are no outwardly visible signs of pregnancy. And because false pregnancies in giant pandas have the same hormonal profiles as real pregnancies, telling the false from the true was tricky. Even for the experts. With the early animals, whether they were bred or inseminated, people just waited and hoped. The first time Bai got pregnant, we sat with her and just waited for her to give birth, Durrant said. Until a few days before it happened, we didnt know if she was pregnant or if it was a pseudopregnancy. Textbook panda Thanks to Bai Yun, they know more now. In terms of her reproductive life, Bai Yun has been like a big, furry clock. She could be counted on to go into estrous (a period of sexual receptivity) in March or April, mate, and then deliver a cub in July or August. The new world of panda science had a one-bear control group. And she lived right here. We have often described Bai Yun as the textbook panda because her behavior and physiology during her estrous, pregnancy and cub-rearing periods has been remarkably consistent, said Megan Owen, associate director of applied animal ecology for the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research. In addition to being reproductively reliable, Bai Yun turned out to be a smart panda patient. Using food (apples and honey-water are big favorites) and a clicker, her keepers trained her to lie still for ultrasounds, X-rays, vaginal swabs and other procedures. She can even urinate on command. Bai Yuns cooperation has resulted in data that led to great strides in pregnancy detection methods, and that information has been shared with the other zoos and with China. I did get a lot of urine samples from Bai Yun, said Erin Willis, who worked on a Memphis Zoo study that helped develop a pregnancy test for giant pandas. I think I requested samples from the San Diego Zoo three to four days a week of her estrous cycle. Bai Yun is a trooper. Bai Yun will also allow zoo staff brief access to her cubs, which has given the zoo a huge database of information on cub growth, nutrition and behavioral development. Bai Yun and the other pandas here at the San Diego Zoo have challenged us to do more for conservation of pandas in China, stimulating research on pandas that, when applied, helped us all turn around the breeding problem, said Ron Swaisgood, director of applied animal ecology for the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research. Some of that knowledge has been applied to research in conservation on pandas in the wild, too. Must-see attraction If she were only a reliable breeder and an agreeable patient, Bai Yun would be an invaluable member of the San Diego Zoo family. But she is also a star in the much-watched panda universe. While there is no way to track how many visitors stop at an individual exhibit, the panda habitat has always been on the zoos must-see list. And in the cyber world, the panda webcam is the most popular of the zoos animal cams and the panda blogs draw more comments than any other zoo blog. Many of those comments have to do with Bai Yun her beauty, her mothering skills, her prowess with puzzles. Visitors adore those adorable cubs, but they love and respect the mother. I almost want to say that she is legendary, said Wendy Perkins, who moderates all of the zoos blogs. Through the Panda Cam, people have been able to watch her from the minute each cub is born. They are amazed by how gentle a wild animal can be. They have watched her raise six cubs now, and they are astounded by how deftly she handles them. She knows what shes doing. According to the current five-year loan-agreement with China, the zoo pays $500,000 a year for the pandas and $100,000 a year to a technical assistance fund. All of the money goes to the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The contract will keep Bai Yun and Gao Gao here through 2018. After that, no one knows. Pandas in captivity can live to into their 30s, so will Bai Yun and Gao Gao retire here, or will they go? Will the San Diego Zoos reproductive legacy continue with a new pair of pandas? It is too early to speculate about what will happen next, but the people who know her best hope that Bai Yuns San Diego story is just getting started. Things dont stop because there is no baby. Now we will be dealing with geriatric pandas, and what we find out will be helpful to other institutions as their pandas age, keeper Hawk said. My opinion is that I would love to have Bai spend the rest of her life here. She was 5 when she arrived, and I would love for her to be here at the end. Investigation insights Attorney General William Barr released a four-page summary of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs report on Sunday. Here, two county political party chairs, two former city attorneys and two academics react to it. What do you think about the revelations so far? Let us know in 500 words or less at yoursay@sduniontribune.com. In criminal cases, the plaintiff is the government, which holds the burden of proving its case that the defendant is guilty beyond reasonable doubt. In civil cases, the plaintiff only has the burden of proving their case by a preponderance of the evidence. Beyond reasonable doubt and a preponderance of the evidence are very different standards of proof, and the former is much stronger than the latter. For example, O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of murder in his criminal trial, whereas the civil trial did find him responsible for the wrongful deaths of two people. Related Advertisement According to the summary of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs report published by U.S. Attorney General William Barr, the evidence does not establish that the President was involved in an underlying crime related to Russian election interference. The attorney general held that the [Mueller] report identifies no actions that, in our judgment, constitute obstructive conduct, had a nexus to a pending or completed proceeding, and were done with corrupt intent. It is important to note that this is the opinion of the attorney general rather than that of Mueller. However, the fact that the summary indicates the special counsel did not recommend any further indictments would suggest that Barrs conclusions are congruent with Muellers. Both sides of the aisle are already spinning this report in a fashion coherent with their assessments of the president and his campaign. Of course, Republicans are claiming the report summary exonerates the president of wrongdoing; we live in a country in which individuals must be presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty. By contrast, Democrats are pointing to the Barr summarys indication that while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. This suggests a Caesars wife standard of proof: Caesars wife must be above suspicion, or Caesar is obligated to divorce her. Current congressional debates over impeaching President Donald Trump are yet another example of the parties fighting over standards of proof. The U.S. Constitution establishes treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors as grounds for impeachment. But the Constitution does not define what constitutes a high crime or misdemeanor. In 1998, the Republican House impeached President Bill Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice, but every Senate Democrat (and a few GOP members) voted against convicting him. Failing the necessary two-thirds vote, Clinton remained in office. Like the dispute over impeachment, the variance between the way the summary of the Mueller report is being read by the two parties is disturbing. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but no one is entitled to his or her own facts. The country must put aside the kind of partisanship that requires reading every fact through a partisan lens. Republicans and Democrats alike must discard the double standard whereby they give every member of their own team a pass and only hold members of the other team accountable. If this country is going to last, we must all be part of the same team again. James W. Ingram III is a San Diego State University professor who teaches The American Presidency. Your Say: Investigation insights Attorney General William Barr released a four-page summary of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs report on Sunday. Here, two county political party chairs, two former city attorneys and two academics react to it. What do you think about the revelations so far? Let us know in 500 words or less at yoursay@sduniontribune.com. The letter from Attorney General William Barr and the circumstances under which it was released on Sunday show many defects in the way the Department of Justice conducted the investigation into whether there were links or coordination between the Russian operatives and the Trump organization in the 2016 presidential campaign. Congress must follow up with an open, public investigation into the many questions the Department of Justice has left unresolved. Related Advertisement The defects in the investigation are as follows: First, President Donald Trump put his hand-selected attorney, Barr, in control of the case. Second, Barr claims the investigation was thorough, even though Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III did not question Trump under oath. Third, Barr is withholding all of the evidence in the report on a pretext that is required under a rule of criminal procedure, yet Barr can ask it be waived. Fourth, Barr admits Russia attempted to influence the presidential election, but left out of his letter the attempt was done to hurt Hillary Clinton and to help Trump. Fifth, Barr is satisfied with the indictment of Russian military members as enough response to the fact those Russian government actors successfully hacked into computers and obtained emails from Clinton and the Democratic Party. Sixth, inexplicably, Mueller did not draw a conclusion one way or the other as to whether Trump or those around him obstructed justice. This was a decision Mueller was hired to make. Seventh, taking a page from Pontius Pilate, Mueller made a non-decision in concluding while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. Mueller was hired to make a thorough investigation of any links or coordination between individuals associated with President Trumps campaign and the Russian governments efforts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election. The evidence shows the Russian government intended to, and did in fact, interfere with the 2016 election to help Trump. We know Trump did not disavow, but in fact, encouraged the Russian governments hacking of his opponents computers. After his election, we know Trump has been unusually supportive of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Under these circumstances, there is a profound public interest in the release of the Mueller report. The standard to be applied in deciding whether the Mueller report should be released involves a balancing test, much as that used by federal judges. Federal courts ask whether concealment or disclosure better serves the public interest. When information will inform the public about violations of public trust, the Department of Justice acknowledges the case for disclosure is strong. There is always a strong public interest in a full and thorough airing of serious abuses in the hope that such abuses will not occur in the future. Barrs letter advocates for President Trump; it does not resolve the question of whether Trump or other federal officials aligned with him committed high crimes or misdemeanors. In this case, any information that would support Congress thinking about whether there have been high crimes and misdemeanors should be disclosed. The drafters of our Constitution understood high crimes and misdemeanors because the terms were used for centuries in English parliamentary impeachments. The drafters knew high crimes and misdemeanors were committed if the president subverted the fundamental laws. Barrs letter does not resolve the question of whether Trump has subverted our laws. Congress must now conduct an open and public national inquest, in the words of Alexander Hamilton, to answer the questions the Mueller report leaves unresolved. What Constitutional Convention delegate George Mason argued in favor of writing impeachment into our Constitution is still true: the president should not be above justice because he can commit the most extensive injustice. Michael J. Aguirre is a Democrat and a former San Diego city attorney. South Africa: Morocco, UN, AU urged to fast-track Western Sahara referendum Western Sahara President Brahim Ghali has urged the African Union, the United Nations and Morocco to fast-track the long delayed referendum on the self-determination of the Arab nation. Until then, he said, the continent will not realise freedom. Addressing delegates on the second day of the SADC Solidarity Conference in Pretoria, Ghali said the conference was a message to demand the attainment of justice. Attending the conference were various SADC Presidents, Deputy Presidents and Ministers. There was also a strong attendance of liberation struggle party representatives from Africa, Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua and from other parts of the world. Among the delegates were representatives of South Africas liberation parties and labour unions the ANC, SACP and Cosatu. Through the support of the Western Sahrawi state, which reflects the will of the people and thus supports their struggle for resistance until they are fully able to exercise their legitimate and alienable to self-determination and a completion of their sovereignty, said Ghali Tuesday. The resolution and charter of the African Union and United Nations call for the eradication of the worlds last instances of colonialism. This conference is a reminder of landmark decisions such as the international court of justice (in 1975) which denies the Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara... The countries are two distinct states. The courts decision forbids the exploitation of the Western Sahrawi natural resources without the consent of [its] people, he said. The conference, he added, was an explicit message to Morocco and the European Union to stop the illegal plundering and exploitation of the countrys natural resources. The Sahrawi choices and aspirations are clear and firm in the attainment of freedom, he said. In 1991 the Sahrawi Republic was celebrating its 15 anniversary and the tenth year as a member of the Organisation of the African Unity, nevertheless the Sahrawi responded to the international appeals and decided to engage in the OAU settlement plan with a view to organise a referendum for the self-determination of the Sahrawi people which the Kingdom of Morocco kept obstructing for 27 years, Ghali said. He said the conference was an urgent appeal to the United Nations, the African Union and Morocco to expedite the organisation of the much stalled referendum as it is the democratic and only solution that is endorsed by the international community and agreed to by the two parties. The historical letter that was written by former President Thabo Mbeki to the Kingdom of Morocco that its refusal to have the referendum is an affirmation of the relevance to recognise Western Sahara as a state, he said. Two years ago, when Morocco was readmitted to the AU, the country was urged to urgently adhere to the call for the referendum. He said Western Sahara was ready to enter in negotiation with Morocco in good faith and without any preconditions to resolve the conflict between neighbouring countries. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the people of Western Sahara have been deprived of the most fundamental right of self-determining their own destiny. We are here to hear from the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and [discuss] what we can do in them advancing their cause. While we are here to express our unwavering solidarity for the just cause of our brother and sisters, any action going forward must be decided upon by the Sahrawi people, he said. The President said it was fitting that the conference was held at the OR Tambo Building, which was named after South African liberation icon Oliver Reginald Tambo, who supported the self-determination of the Western Sahara. He said South Africa will continue to encourage all parties to engage in fruitful discussions in an effort to bring an end to the deprivation of the Western Sahara people and their displacement. Let us support efforts by the UN to bring Morocco and Western Sahara back to the discussion table, he said. SADC chairperson and Namibia President Hage Geingob said although numerous African countries had attained freedom, the Arabian state remained a subject of oppression and colonial occupation. We are here to reaffirm our solidarity with the people of Western Sahara as they struggle in their legal right for self-determination. We have explicitly outlined our visions aspirations. These will not be achieved in the absence of freedom of all of Africa. The prolonged impasse will have grave consequences on the functioning. We can only move forward if freedom is guaranteed on all our citizens. Freedom is not a gift to the people of Western Sahara, it is a right. Freedom is their birth right, he said. He said he was aware of attempts to divide the continent on this matter, adding that it was important to question if the SADC region was united in the quest to liberate the troubled country. This was as some member states were reportedly in Morocco for a parallel conference on Western Sahara. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2019-03-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Tuesday that the launch of the Egyptian-Bulgarian joint business council was one of the most important results of Bulgarian President Rumen Radevs visit to Cairo. In a press conference held in Cairo following his talks with his Bulgarian counterpart, El-Sisi said that the launch of the Egyptian-Bulgarian business council would have a positive role on boosting economic relations and trade exchange between the two countries. The Egyptian president said that the size of trade between the two countries has reached over $1 billion, which makes Egypt Bulgaria's number one trade partner in Africa and the Middle East. "We had today very constructive talks where we discussed ways to boost bilateral relations politically, economically and militarily, in addition to the recent regional and international developments of mutual interest," El-Sisi added that it was important to coordinate and communicate between the two countries for the sake of stability in the Middle East and the Balkans. El-Sisi and Radev also discussed the migration crisis and how to solve it through joint action. President Radev invited his Egyptian counterpart to visit Bulgaria soon. This is the first visit by President Rumen Radev to Cairo. Search Keywords: Short link: Your say: Investigation insights Attorney General William Barr released a four-page summary of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs report on Sunday. Here, two county political party chairs, two former city attorneys and two academics react to it. What do you think about the revelations so far? Let us know in 500 words or less at yoursay@sduniontribune.com. Like everyone, Democrats have waited a long time to see the results of Robert S. Mueller IIIs report, and while the report failed to gather enough evidence to indict the president, it is important to note a key point: It also does not exonerate him. After a two-year investigation, the Mueller probe found that a half dozen individuals connected to the president were guilty of a host of crimes. While this does not prove complicity with those crimes it certainly calls into question the presidents judgment and the company he keeps. Advertisement Related In addition, this report confirms that there was a wide-ranging campaign by Russian agents to influence the election. Americans should be concerned that there was a major conspiracy by a hostile foreign power to divide us and elect one of the most unqualified and unstable presidents in American history. They should also be concerned by the alarming level of influence they sought to gain in the Republican Party. However, it would be hypocritical of us to not notice that the U.S. itself has sought to influence the leaders and elections in multiple countries. The Mueller report has led to 34 individuals being criminally charged and seven convictions, but it stopped short of finding a connection to the president that proves beyond a reasonable doubt that he was complicit in these crimes. This is disappointing to many, but it should not be a surprise as wealthy and powerful individuals often escape being brought to justice. So what really matters as we wrap our heads around the broader implications of this report? Americans should be wary of disinformation campaigns and we should move to restore trust in our elections. Bills like H.R. 1 would go a long way toward doing that but with distraction now nearly over, Democrats must wrap our heads around the true challenge ahead. Democrats cannot solely be the party against President Donald Trump. We must offer a positive and hopeful alternative to the doom and gloom, racist and xenophobic policies of the other party and the current occupant of the White House. There is no panacea for the mess of administration we now find ourselves dealing with. Instead we must remind Americans that we are the party of the people. That we will be the party that protects Social Security, that believes healthcare is a right and not a privilege, that believes that people working full-time should be able to support themselves and their family, that will boldly fight climate change and that will fight for an economy that lifts all boats as opposed to one that just enriches the wealthiest among us. The Mueller report was never the answer that would solve the problem of Trump. The answer has always been the American people, and that answer will be delivered at the ballot box. Will America hope again? Will we change course and rise to the challenge of our times or will we continue this national embarrassment to the benefit of our enemies? Will Rodriguez-Kennedy is chairman of the San Diego County Democratic Party. Your say: Investigation insights Attorney General William Barr released a four-page summary of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs report on Sunday. Here, two county political party chairs, two former city attorneys and two academics react to it. What do you think about the revelations so far? Let us know in 500 words or less at yoursay@sduniontribune.com. The Mueller investigation was launched in 2017. Acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein directed Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III to investigate any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump; and any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation; and any other matters within the scope of the jurisdictional provisions of the Code of Federal Regulations (28 C.F.R 600.4(a)). Related Advertisement This federal regulation authorizes the special counsel to investigate and prosecute any federal crimes committed in the course of the investigation, including perjury, the obstruction of justice, the destruction of evidence, or the intimidation of witnesses. The investigation resulted in numerous indictments, convictions and guilty pleas of the top advisers to the president, Russian spies and hackers with ties to Russia. The investigation obviously was not a witch hunt conducted by angry Democrats, notwithstanding the presidents repeated protestations to the contrary. Attorney General William Barr has notified members of Congress and the public that Mueller has completed his investigation, and has submitted a confidential report explaining the prosecution or declination decisions he has reached. Barr has provided a summary of Muellers report, but the report and supporting documents have not been released. But one can predict that the facts underlying Muellers, including the declination decisions, are of keen interest to the Congress and the public. Barr has indicated that Mueller will not file any further criminal indictments, which may be good news for the presidents associates and advisers. The Justice Department or United States Attorneys are not foreclosed, however, from investigating and prosecuting crimes outside the narrow reach of the Russian investigation. Thus, additional criminal or civil actions are possible. Muellers decision not to pursue additional prosecutions also means that the president will not be charged at this time, which is not surprising given that the Department of Justice policy precludes indicting a sitting president. It is not known whether the facts support indicting the president after he leaves office. Another point in Barrs letter to Congress is notable. He reports no instances occurred in which the attorney general or acting attorney general determined that any proposed action by the special counsel was inappropriate or unwarranted and should not be pursued. The special counsel was not thwarted or otherwise limited in conducting his investigation, and thus the investigatory process worked. If Barr withholds portions of Muellers report, he is apt to justify it on the basis of protecting grand jury information, the privacy claims of persons not charged, protecting confidential sources and methods of information, or in response to the claim of executive privilege by the president. There may be legitimate reasons for withholding portions of the report, but those reasons must be balanced against meaningful oversight by Congress. The publics right to know is essential to our democracy. James Madison recognized this when he said a popular government without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is prologue to farce or tragedy, or perhaps both. John H. Minan is a professor of law emeritus at the University of San Diego, and a former attorney with the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C Harrisburg, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- Global Agricultural Film Market Insights, Forecast to 2025 Agriculture films are also known as plasticulture, which refers to the use of plastic materials in various agricultural applications. The goal of this report is to analyze the current and expected trends of the agricultural films market, as it is anticipated that farmer around the world would demand these materials. The study covers an in-depth analysis of the market potential of the various types and applications of the agricultural films market. The report analyzes opportunities in the developed and emerging economies so that companies can make strategies as per their targeted regions. Agricultural films are used extensively by rural farmers. These films are also employed widely in commercial agricultural practices. Demand for food items has been rising due to the growth in the global population. Key regions across the globe are focusing on maximizing the agriculture output. Mulching is a process of covering the soil and maintaining desirable conditions for plant growth by using agricultural films. It provides various benefits to crops. Usage of mulching, greenhouse, and silage bags boosts the production rate by 20% to 35%. The Global Agricultural Film market was valued at US$ 9355.1 Mn in 2017 and is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 7.4% from 2018 to 2026. Avail a sample 103 Pages copy before purchase: https://www.marketinsightsreports.com/reports/1123992497/global-agricultural-film-market-insights-forecast-to-2025/inquiry?source=releasewire&Mode=49 Top Leading Companies are: Trioplast,Berry Plastics,Armando Alvarez,Polypak,Barbier Group,Plastika Kritis,Rani Plast,Agriplast,JIANYUANCHUN,Big East New Materials,Huadun,Tianjin Plastic,Qing Tian Plastic Industrial,Shandong Tianhe Plastic,Xinguang Plastic,Zibo Zhongyi Plastic,Chenguang Plastic,Zibo Plactics Eight The agricultural films market in Asia Pacific is estimated to expand rapidly during the forecast period. Growth in population is fueling the demand for food in the region. This, in turn, is driving agricultural developments in countries in Asia Pacific such as in India. For instance, the Government of India has been striving to encourage rural farmers to adopt modern techniques of farming. It is encouraging the usage of agricultural films to enhance the production of crops, fruits, and vegetables. Increase in trend of commercial farming in developing economies such as China and India is a major factor augmenting the demand for greenhouse setups to control climate conditions in Asia Pacific. Contents of the 15 Chapters for This Agricultural Film Market Study:- Chapter 1, to describe Agricultural Film Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force; Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Agricultural Film , with sales, revenue, and price of Agricultural Film , in 2017 and 2019; Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2017 and 2019; Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Agricultural Film, for each region, from 2013 to 2019; Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions; Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2013 to 2019; Chapter 12, Agricultural Film market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2019 to 2025; Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Agricultural Film sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source. Avail Discount on this report at: https://www.marketinsightsreports.com/reports/1123992497/global-agricultural-film-market-insights-forecast-to-2025/discount?source=releasewire&Mode=49 Agricultural Film Market, by Type: High Grade Middle Grade Low Grade Agricultural Film Market, by End User: Shed Plastic Film Mulch Plastic Film Others Based on application, the global agricultural films market has been divided into greenhouse, mulching, and silage. Greenhouse and mulching segments accounted for more than 75% share of the market in 2017 due to their wide consumption in farming. Mulching protects soil erosion. It also helps maintain the nutrient values of soil. Greenhouse films provide the climate control facility. Based on region, the global agricultural films market has been classified into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. Asia Pacific is estimated to be the leading region of the global market during the forecast period. Growth in population is fueling the demand for food in the region. This, in turn, is driving the adoption of modern farming practices in Asia Pacific. More than 30% population in developing economies of Asia Pacific is dependent on farming practices. North America is a mature region of the global agricultural films market. However, rise in trend of rooftop farming and farming in urban areas is driving the greenhouse and mulching application segments in the region. The report will make detailed analysis mainly on the development environment, Market size, development trends, operation situation and future development trends of Agricultural Film Market on the basis of current situation of the industry in 2019 so as to make full comprehension and judgment on the competitive situation of Agricultural Film Market Carrier and assist manufacturers and investment organization to better grasp the development course of Agricultural Film Market. Browse full report along with TOC and List of Figures at: https://www.marketinsightsreports.com/reports/1123992497/global-agricultural-film-market-insights-forecast-to-2025?source=releasewire&Mode=49 Important attributes of the report: The 360-degree Agricultural Film overview based on a global and regional level. Market share, value, volume, and production capacity is analyzed on global, regional and country level. A complete and useful guide for new market aspirants. Forecast information will drive strategic, innovative and profitable business plans. SWOT analysis of players will pave the way for growth opportunities, risk analysis, investment feasibility and recommendations. Lastly, the research methodology and data sources are offered in this report. Contact Us: Irfan Tamboli(Head of Sales) Phone: + 1704 266 3234 Mob: +91-750-707-8687 sales@marketinsightsreports.com irfan@marketinsightsreports.com Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- According to the new research report "Aircraft Arresting System Market by Type (Net Barrier, Cable, Maas, EMAS, Aircraft Carrier Arresting System), End User (Commercial Airport, Military Airbase, Aircraft Carrier), System (Fixed, Portable), Platform, and Region - Global Forecast to 2022", The aircraft arresting system market is projected to grow from an estimated USD 811 million in 2017 to USD 1,105 million by 2022, at a CAGR of 6.38% during the forecast period. Increasing expenditure on airport improvement plans and upgradation of aircraft carriers are expected to drive the aircraft arresting system market during the forecast period. Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=22596966 Aircraft arresting cables lead the Aircraft Arresting System Market by type Based on by type, cables segment leads the aircraft arresting system market during the forecast period. North America is anticipated to lead the cable segment. Net barrier segment holds the second largest market share. Cables and Net barriers type of aircraft arresting system are being used since many decades. These systems are majorly used on military airports and hence hold larger market share. Based on end use, the commercial airport segment of the aircraft arresting system market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR for during the forecast period The commercial airport segment is projected to grow fastest. Increasing investments in runway safety measures and the mandate to install EMAS at airports having runway safety length less than 1,000 feet by the Federal Aviation Administration are expected to boost the commercial airport segment of the aircraft arresting system market. Countries such as Germany and China have also installed arresting systems as part of their runway safety measure programs. The North America aircraft arresting system market is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period North America is projected to lead the aircraft arresting system market during the forecast period, owing to the mandate of compulsory installation of engineered material arresting systems at commercial airports by the FAA and upgradation programs of aircraft carriers. Replacement of Nimitz class aircraft carriers with Ford class aircraft carriers as part of the upgradation program is expected to drive the demand for arresting systems in aircraft carriers. Speak to Analyst: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=22596966 Zodiac Aerospace (France), Runway Safe (Sweden), General Atomics (subsidiary of General Dynamics, US), A-Tech Inc. (U.S.), A-Luskuvarjo (Finland), Escribano Mechanical & Engineering (Spain), Victor-Balata Belting Company (US), Foster-Miller Inc. (US), Curtiss-Wright Corp. (US), Wire Rope Industries (Canada), and WireCo WorldGroup (US) are some of the key players in the aircraft arresting system market. About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledgestore" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Shelly Singh MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA : 1-888-600-6441 sales@marketsandmarkets.com Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- HTF MI newly added the Global Articulated Robot Market Study that gives meticulous investigation of current scenario of the Market size, share, demand, growth, trends, and forecast in the coming years. The report firstly introduced the Articulated Robot Market basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. Companies Profiled in this report includes: FANUC, KUKA, ABB, Yaskawa, Kawasaki, DENSO, Nachi-Fujikoshi, Epson, Staubli, OTC, COMAU, Omron Adept Technologies, SIASUN, HIWIN(TW), Yamaha, GSK, Triowin, Nanjing Estun Automation. Get the inside scoop of the Sample report @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1668957-global-articulated-robot-market-10 Scope of the Report: The global revenue of Articulated Robot market was valued at 5254.52 M USD in 2017 and is expected to reach USD 10939.42 M USD in 2025. In the future eight years, we predict the CAGR of global revenue is 9.60%. Nowadays, there are three mainly types of Articulated Robot, including 4-Axis or less, 5-Axis and 6-Axis or more. And 6-Axis or more is the main type for Articulated Robot, and the 6-Axis or more reached a sales volume of approximately 80.16 K Unit in 2017, with 57.32% of global sales volume. The worldwide market for Articulated Robot is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly 9.7% over the next five years, will reach 9270 million US$ in 2024, from 5830 million US$ in 2019, according to a new HTF study. Research objectives - To study and analyze the Global Articulated Robot Market size by key regions/countries, product type and application, history data from 2013 to 2018, and forecast to 2025. - To understand the structure of Articulated Robot Market by identifying its various sub segments. - Focuses on the key Global Articulated Robot Market players, to define, describe and analyze the value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years. - To analyze the Articulated Robot Market with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market. - To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks). - To project the size of Articulated Robot Market, with respect to key regions, type [, 4-Axis or Less, 5-Axis & 6-Axis or More] and applications [Automotive, Electrical and Electronics, Machinery, Rubber, Plastics & Chemicals, Food & Beverage & Others]. - To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches and acquisitions in the market. Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1668957-global-articulated-robot-market-10 In this report you will also find additional deals into key geographical segments of Global Articulated Robot Market and deliver details about their current and former share. Ongoing trends, upcoming Challenges, future better regional investments and many other influencing factors have been considered and presented. The regions North America (United States, Canada and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia etc.) & Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa) have been studied in depth to gain better market penetration and assure exact analysis. Top manufacturers have been given prime importance to make sure their strategies are understood and their position in this particular market can be elucidated. Acquire Single User PDF license of this research report @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=1668957 In the end, the report includes Global Articulated Robot Market new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, investment return analysis, and development analysis. The report also presents a round-up of vulnerabilities which companies operating in the market must avoid in order to enjoy sustainable growth through the course of the forecast period. Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia (China, India, Japan etc) or Oceania [Australia and New Zealand]. Fundamentals of Table of Content: 1 Report Overview 1.1 Study Scope 1.2 Key Market Segments 1.3 Players Covered 1.4 Market Analysis by Type 1.5 Market by Application 1.6 Study Objectives 1.7 Years Considered 2 Global Growth Trends 2.1 Global Articulated Robot Market Size 2.2 Articulated Robot Growth Trends by Regions 2.3 Industry Trends 3 Market Share by Key Players 3.1 Global Articulated Robot Market Size by Manufacturers 3.2 Global Articulated Robot Key Players Head office and Area Served 3.3 Key Players Product/Solution/Service 3.4 Enter barriers in Articulated Robot Market 3.5 Mergers, Acquisitions, Expansion Plans 4 Articulated Robot Market by Product 4.1 Global Articulated Robot Sales by Product 4.2 Global Articulated Robot Revenue by Product 4.3 Global Articulated Robot Price by Product 5 Articulated Robot Market by End User 5.1 Overview 5.2 Articulated Robot by End User About HTF Market Report HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the "Accurate Forecast" in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their "Goals & Objectives". Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- The increasing demand for automobile, especially in emerging economies, is expected to drive the global Automotive Piston Systems Market in the coming decade. As a piston is an essential part of an internal combustion engine, the demand for pistons is directly coupled with the automobile production. Owing to the continuous developments, the automobile sector is witnessing increased demand for lightweight pistons, which is expected to result in push for the global automotive piston system market. A piston is a key component of automobile internal combustion engine, which reciprocates within the cylinder, delivering energy to the crankshaft after each power stroke during an engine cycle. Automotive Piston System Market: Drivers & Constraints The global automotive piston system market is expected to grow on account of increasing sales of automobiles across various segments such as two wheelers, four wheeler, and other automobile segments. With increasing demand for automobiles, especially two wheeler segment in emerging economies such as India, demand for pistons is expected to increase further thereby positively impacting the global automotive piston system market. Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-532 Furthermore, the two wheelers is increasingly moving towards double cylinder engines as opposed to conventional single cylinder engines, particularly in the high end bikes segment. A double engine cylinder requires two pistons as compared to a single cylinder, wherein only one piston is used, hence with increasing production of high end bikes, the global automotive piston system market is expected to grow as well. Demand for passenger car, light & heavy commercial vehicle is also expected to contribute towards the growth in global automotive piston system market in coming years. Additionally, due to burgeoning fuel costs across the globe, the automobile industry is in continuous phase of research & development in order to increase fuel efficiency. The global automotive piston system market is hence witnessing an increased demand for light weight pistons across the globe. One of the key constraints for the global automotive piston market can be attributed to the increasing penetration of electric vehicles, which do not use pistons. Yet another constraint in the global automotive piston system market is the downsizing of engines in order to reduce weight and fuel increase efficiency. Using technologies such as turbocharger, automobile manufacturers have been able to downsize engines by reducing number of cylinders, without compromising on power of the engine. Automotive Piston System Market: Segmentation The automotive piston system market has been segmented on the basis of types of vehicle such as two wheelers, passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, and heavy commercial vehicles. On the basis of piston material, the market has been segment as aluminium & steel piston. Increasing demand for lightweight aluminium piston is expected to have a positive impact on the global automotive piston system market in coming years. In terms of geography, the global automotive piston system has been divided in to seven key regions including North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Middle East & Africa and Japan. Within these regions, the Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) and Japan can be attributed as the largest contributing regions towards the global automotive piston system market, in terms of volume. The North American region is follows the aforementioned regions in the global automotive piston system market. Automotive Piston System Market: Key Players The global automotive piston system witnesses key players such as Rheinmetall AG, Aisin-Seiki Co. Ltd., Mahle GmbH, Federal-Mogul Corporation, and Hitachi Ltd. Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-532 Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/25/2019 -- Global Canavan Disease Treatment Market: Overview Canavan-van Bogaert-Bertrand or Canavan disease is a rare and fetal genetic condition. It is an autosomal recessive condition that causes damage to cells of nervous system in the brain. It is a common progressive cerebral disease in newborns. Canavan disease is caused by the lack of aminoacylase 2 enzyme. Canavan disease is one of the disease condition in leukodystrophies. Leukodystrophies is a set of genetic diseases caused by the damaged myelin sheath or abnormal growth of myelin sheath. Erosion of myelin in the phospholipid layer is one of the major characteristics of Canavan disease. View Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/canavan-disease-treatment-market.html Phospholipid layer is an insulating layer of axons of neuron, linked with a gene located on human chromosome. Symptoms of Canavan disease appear just after birth and become worse quickly. These include poorly controlled head movement, an abnormally large head, unusual muscle tone, loss of muscle coordination, and mental disabilities. Other symptoms include paralysis, blindness, and hearing loss, deterioration of the optic nerves that conduct impulses from the nerve rich membrane lining of the retina to the optic atrophy (brain), backflow of acid from the stomach to the throat, occasionally related with vomiting, nasal regurgitation, feeding difficulties, sleep disorders, and seizures. In recent time, a minor type of Canavan disease has been diagnosed, with typical alterations of the aspartoacylase gene and slightly high level of N-Acetylaspartic acid in the urine. Kids with Canavan disease treatment may be somewhat behind, can study and learn. Global Canavan Disease Treatment Market: Drivers and Restraints The head of children with Canavan disease treatment may be slightly increased; however, the distinctively changes of white matter in brain may be absent. Canavan disease affects both females and males in same amount. Canavan disease affects whole ethnic crowds, but arises with larger occurrence in persons of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. In the population of these descent, carrier frequency is projected to be great as one out of 40-58 persons. The risk of child born with canavan disease from Ashkenazi Jewish parents is in between 1 out of 6,400 and 1 out of 13,456. The incidence of carrier in other people is unknown, but most probable extreme less. The global Canavan disease treatment market is driven by increase in incidence rate globally. Genetic mutations is another driver of the market. However, the lack of awareness about the disease is one of the major restraints of the market. Absence of proper treatment is another restraint of the global Canavan disease treatment market. Request a Brochure of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=41099 Global Canavan Disease Treatment Market: Key Segments The global Canavan disease treatment market can be segmented based on type of treatment, end-user, and region. In terms of type of treatment, the Canavan disease treatment market can be classified into gene therapy and drug therapy. The drug therapy segment can be classified into anticonvulsants and others. Based on end-user, the global Canavan disease treatment market can be categorized into hospitals, surgical clinics, and others. In terms of region, the global Canavan disease treatment market can be segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to dominate the global Canavan disease treatment market due to availability of advanced medical facilities. Awareness among the people about the diseases is another factor boosting the market in this region. The Canavan disease treatment market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to expand at a high growth rate due to increase in prevalence of the disease. Lack of awareness about the disease in the underdeveloped countries in Middle East & Africa such as Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq propels the Canavan disease treatment market. Request TOC @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=41099 Global Canavan Disease Treatment Market: Key Players Key players operating in the global Canavan disease treatment market are Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Novartis AG, Pfizer, Inc., Sanofi, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., and Amgen, Inc., among others. About Transparency Market Research Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge. Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMR's syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement. Contact Us Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Sellbyville, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- Global Market Insights, Inc. adds new Active Calcium Silicate Market report which provides in-depth information about Industry overview, top vendors, Key market highlights, product types, drivers, challenges, trends, industry landscape, size and forecast. China is witnessing significant government initiatives toward installing fire protection in commercial and residential buildings, which in turn is stimulating the regional active calcium silicate market. Moreover, presence of huge industries including plastics, paint & coatings, rubber, and cements manufacturing units have accelerated the product deployment for high temperature insulation applications. This has boosted the product demand in China and the regional active calcium silicate market is projected to surpass 15 kilo tons in term of volume by 2024. Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/1108 The global active calcium silicate industry is set to garner huge profit from its fire protection applications. The product is widely used in boards & blocks form in oil refinery, blast furnace, building walls, and electric arc furnace. Active calcium silicate market share from the fire protection application is estimated to generate sales of USD 135 million by 2024. The EAPFP (European Association for Passive Fire Protection) has imposed regulations and guidelines regarding the harmonization of fire safety standards for the commercial and residential buildings. Properties of active calcium silicate which includes adhesiveness, intumescent, and fire resistance have broadened the application scope to acoustic tiles and wallboards. Strong growth in the infrastructural spending has carved a profitable growth map for the global Active Calcium Silicate Market. Active calcium silicate finds extensive application in the construction industry, owing to its properties such as high-temperature stability and sound absorption. Active calcium silicate market offers a wide product availability in the form of powder, boards, blocks and is used for fire protection, in Portland cement, acoustic insulation, ceramics, and paints & coatings. Active calcium silicate industry has witnessed an upsurge with rising demand from the construction projects including airports, flyovers, highways, fire stations, and other commercial complexes. As per statistics, the global construction spending in 2015 exceeded USD 7 trillion and is projected to record over USD 15.5 trillion by 2024, expanding at 7.5% CAGR over 2016-2024. Within the global construction expenditure, Asia Pacific held for more than 20% in 2015, owing to rapid infrastructural growth in the emerging economies. Supportive regulations by ASTM in the United States to formulate, direct, and regulate fire safety standards and to conduct test methods on acoustic and thermal insulations have significantly favored the regional market growth. U.S. active calcium silicate industry, owing to such favorable support, is expected to grow at 3.5% CAGR over the period of 2016-2024. Apart from US, these test methods and quality standards are also heavily regulated across Germany, Italy, and France. Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/1108 Another strong application trend of active calcium silicate is in Ceramic Tiles Market, which is anticipated to grow at a rate of 9% over 2016-2024. The overall active calcium silicate market from ceramic application is likely to register a growth rate of 3.5% from 2016-2024, owing to growing application in false ceiling, plaster of Paris, tiles, and roof manufacturing products as it possesses properties such as hardness, high melting point, corrosion resistance, and light weight. These advantages of ceramics have propelled its heavy demand in replacement of tiles for improved aesthetic appearance. Brazil active calcium silicate market is poised to see a consumption exceeding 90 tons by 2024, owing to growing trend toward high quality ceramic tiles as a substitute for conventional walls and floors. According to Global Market Insights, Inc., active calcium silicate market is projected to generate revenue worth USD 215 million with the global consumption target of 119 kilo tons by 2024. The global active calcium silicate market is also witnessing an upliftment with surging trade statistics. South Africa, UAE, and Saudi Arabia may witness product shortfall and can thus increase its product import. However, this scenario can provide a fair opportunity for the regional manufacturers to boost their manufacturing activities to balance the regional demand. The global market experiences a fierce competition among the industry players. Prominent active calcium silicate industry players include Promat International, Ramco Industries, American Elements, Imerys Filtration Minerals, 2K Technologies, Anglitemp, and HIL Limited. Browse key industry insights spread across 163 pages with 154 market data tables & 12 figures & charts from the report, "Active Calcium Silicate Market" in detail along with the table of contents: https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/active-calcium-silicate-market 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. Dallas, TX -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- The Qualitative research study accompanied by ORBIS RESEARCH titled on "Global Cloud Gaming Market describing the Product / Business Scope, Overview and outlook from 2019 to 2024". In this Research Report provides primary and secondary data for studies, the scope of the product and vendor briefings. The market Study is segmented by key regions which are accelerating the marketization and study is segmented by products type, status, size, trends, key players, market opportunities, application, challenges and forecast to 2024. Cloud Gaming Market Major Key Players/ Manufacturer included in the Report some of them Sony, GameFly (PlayCast), Nvidia, Ubitus, PlayGiga, Crytek GmbH, PlayKey, Utomik (Kalydo), 51ias.com (Gloud), Cyber Cloud, Yunlian Technology, Liquidsky, BlacknutSAS, Alibaba Cloud, Baidu, Tencent Cloud, Ksyun (Kingsoft), LeCloud Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @: https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/2829402 Since the rapid growth of the cloud computing, data collection and information sharing are led to a higher level and are replacing the traditional computation. Several technologies using cloud in all areas are developing to adapt the revolution of information technology and one of them is cloud gaming. In cloud gaming implementation, client-server structure is used to create a communication between front end and back end. User inputs are collected and delivered to cloud by UDP link and then data centre starts analysing incoming inputs and gives responses that can be either file stream or a video stream. In the next step, TCP connection receives packets and allocates them to each client. During the communication, required data is encoded into streams and decoded into frames in TCP connection so that video is shown to clients. While the rapid growth of cloud gaming, challenges especially security risk, latency and bandwidth as well as packet loss are gradually arisen to impede technology developments. Benefits and impacts follow the appearance of cloud gaming and change the way players experience games traditionally. No heavy deployment on hardware or further downloading or updating is required and therefore less production such as disc will be made by vendors. Because of gamers might expect higher standard experience is met, quality of experience (QoS) is proposed to deal with explosively increased requirements to enhance the performance of gaming. Two research covered on different topics are given to analyse the factors that influence the QoS. According to this study, over the next five years the Cloud Gaming market will register a 46.7% CAGR in terms of revenue, the global market size will reach US$ 450 million by 2024, from US$ 45 million in 2019. In particular, this report presents the global revenue market share of key companies in Cloud Gaming business, shared in Chapter 3. This report presents a comprehensive overview, market shares and growth opportunities of Cloud Gaming market by product type, application, key companies and key regions. This study considers the Cloud Gaming value generated from the sales of the following segments: Segmentation by product type: breakdown data from 2014 to 2019 in Section 2.3; and forecast to 2024 in section 10.7. Video Streaming File Streaming Segmentation by application: breakdown data from 2014 to 2019, in Section 2.4; and forecast to 2024 in section 10.8. PC Connected TV Tablet Smartphone This report also splits the market by region: Americas, United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, APAC, China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, India, Australia, Europe, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, Spain, Middle East & Africa, Egypt, South Africa, Israel, Turkey, GCC Countries The 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: Sony, GameFly (PlayCast), Nvidia, Ubitus, PlayGiga, Crytek GmbH, PlayKey, Utomik (Kalydo), 51ias.com (Gloud), Cyber Cloud, Yunlian Technology, Liquidsky, BlacknutSAS, Alibaba Cloud, Baidu, Tencent Cloud, Ksyun (Kingsoft), LeCloud In addition, this report discusses the key drivers influencing market growth, opportunities, the challenges and the risks faced by key players and the market as a whole. It also analyzes key emerging trends and their impact on present and future development. Enquire for customization in Report @: https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/2829402 Research objectives To study and analyze the global Cloud Gaming market size by key regions/countries, product type and application, history data from 2014 to 2018, and forecast to 2024. To understand the structure of Cloud Gaming market by identifying its various subsegments. Focuses on the key global Cloud Gaming players, to define, describe and analyze the value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years. To analyze the Cloud Gaming with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market. To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks). To project the size of Cloud Gaming submarkets, with respect to key regions (along with their respective key countries). To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches and acquisitions in the market. To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies. Buy the Latest Report @: https://www.orbisresearch.com/contact/purchase/2829402 Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report versions like North America, Middle East, South Africa, China or Asia-Pacific. About Orbis Research Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Tuesday stressed the importance of continuing the US support for Egypt to curb terrorism and bring peace and stability to the Middle East. The minister's comments came during meetings with US Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley and Republican Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Ahmed Hafez said in a statement. The meetings reviewed the recent developments in Egypt, as well as security and economic challenges. They also reaffirmed the importance of Egypt-US strategic relations and mulled ways of activating Egypt Caucus to reflect Egypt's achievements in the fields of development, economy, energy, alongside women and youth empowerment. The US military and economic assistance program for Egypt was also mulled, the spokesman said. The foreign minister stressed the importance of continuing the US support for Egypt in line with the increased challenges faced by the country. Shoukry also reviewed the Egyptian model in promoting the freedom of religion, as well as the culture of coexistence, tolerance and acceptance of the other to consolidate the principles of citizenship and equality. The sides also discussed recent regional developments, especially the Syrian, Libyan and Palestinian issues. Shoukry's talks with Congressmen were highly positive and showed a mutual desire to achieve greater understanding and rapprochement between Egypt and the United States, the spokesman concluded. Shoukry also met with chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa & Intl Terrorism Ted Deutch. Shoukry is also expected to meet with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, where they are expected to discuss a number of issues of mutual concern to both countries. Pompeo's last visit to Egypt was in January when he embarked on an eight-country tour focusing issues related to Syria, Iran and Yemen. Search Keywords: Short link: Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- In airline industry, customers across the globe are demanding for high speed internet access during their travel. In order to meet rising demand from passengers, the operators around the world are implementing broadband and satellite based connectivity solutions to their airplanes. Currently, concept of connected aircraft has gone far beyond from just a provision of internet access over 30,000 feet to travellers. Connected aircrafts has ability to send and receive the real time data from ground based operating systems, that provides the critical information related to avionic system in real time. In order to facilitate the real time data capturing, Airplanes are used as node in the sky to capture the hundreds of gigabytes of data from take-off to landing that helps to improve safety and efficiency of flight. Connected Aircraft Market: Drivers and Restraint In addition to inflight connectivity, airline industry also has the need of real time weather data gathering systems to ensure flight safety from changing weather conditions. Growth in demand for internet connectivity by passengers, need for real time communication system with ground based operations & maintenance team and growth in demand for real time data gathering system in order to improve safety and efficiency of aeroplane are the major drivers for connected aircraft market. Request For Report Sample @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1910 Major operators across the globe are using relatively slow VHF connections and data is being stored in broader ecosystem. Replacement of traditional data connections and data optimisation, are the major challenges for connected aircraft market. Connected Aircraft market: Segmentation Connected aircraft market is categorised on the basis of components and connectivity technologies. On the basis of components, connected aircraft market can be segmented in to Aircraft communication & reporting system (ACRS), aircraft condition monitoring system (ACMS) and electronic fleet bag. Aircraft communication and reporting system is used to communicate with ground based operations team in real time. ACRS is consists of antennas, wireless access points, modems and on-board server. Aircraft condition monitoring system (ACMS) is used to monitor the health of equipment and devices on plane. On the basis of connectivity technologies, connected aircraft market is classified into L band, Ka- Band and Ku-Band. Ka-Band applications are specifically operates in the frequency range of 26.5 to 40 GHz electromagnetic spectrum, whereas Ku-Band applications uses the 12 to 18 GHz range of electromagnetic spectrum. Size of the antenna used for Ka-Band services is smaller than that of Ku-Band services. Segmentation on basis of regions: Connected Aircraft Market is sub-segmented into 7 key regions- North America, Latin America, East Europe, West Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Japan and Middle East & Africa. Connected Aircraft Market: Region wise outlook Currently, North America is the largest region in overall connected aircraft market. US is the largest market followed by Canada, as there is growth in demand for inflight internet by air passengers across the region. Middle East and Africa was the fastest growing market in 2015, due to huge investment by key players in business airlines in the region. Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1910 China and Germany were the leading connected aircraft markets of Asia pacific and Europe region respectively. Connected Aircraft Market: Key Players Honeywell International, Inc (US), Inmarsat plc (UK), Iridium Communications Inc (US), Intelsat, S.A (Luxemburg), Eutelsat S.A.(France), Gogo Inc (US), Panasonic Corporation (Japan), Kontron AG (Germany), Rockwell Collins, Inc.(US), Zodiac Aerospace (France), Thales Group (France). New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- Acetic anhydride is manufactured by carbonylation of acetate. It is also manufactured by the reaction of ketene with acetic acid. Acetic anhydride acid is colorless and has a pungent odor. Acetic anhydride is majorly consumed in cellulose acetates. Cellulose acetate flakes include cellulose acetate propionate (CAP), cellulose di-acetate and cellulose tri-acetate. Cellulose acetate flakes are used in cigarette filters, plastics and filament yarns. The market for acetic anhydride was mainly driven by cigarette tow market. Cellulose acetate is mainly consumed in cigarette. Acetic anhydride is also used in fragrances and flavor as well as dyes market. In addition, acetic anhydride can be used in pharmaceuticals, textiles, coatings and pesticides market. Acetic anhydride is also used to manufacture tetraacetylethylenediamine (TAED) which can be used as a bleach activator in laundry detergents market. However, declining usage of acetic anhydride in cellulose acetate for domestic consumption can have major impact on the market. Request For Report Sample@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/4380 In terms of demand, North America was the leading region in acetic anhydride market. The U.S. had the largest demand for acetic anhydride owing to huge demand from cellulose acetate market. However, the market for acetic anhydride is declining in North America region. Market for acetic anhydride was significantly large in Europe and the trend is expected to continue on account of the growing demand for TAED and cellulose acetate in the region. Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest growing market for acetic anhydride over the next few years. The demand for acetic anhydride is huge from countries such as Japan, China and India. China and Japan were the leading consumers of acetic anhydride in Asia Pacific region. India is likely to provide better opportunity for acetic anhydride market owing to increasing demand from textile market. The Rest of the World market is anticipated to have stable demand for acetic anhydride market in near future. Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/4380 Some of the key manufacturers in the tissue culture reagents market are Celanese Corporation, BP Chemicals, BASF SE, DuPont, Eastman Chemical Company, SABIC, PetroChina Ltd., and Sasol Limited among others. Harrisburg, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/25/2019 -- GLOBAL DRAFT BEER MARKET RESEARCH REPORT 2019 This Report proposes compelling details of Draft Beer market size, market share, contemporary trends, upcoming investment opportunities, and other primary segments. The Draft Beer analysis centers over numerous vital elements that influences global Draft Beer industry along with the international economy. Historic overview, present market status, and futuristic projections of Draft Beer industry are discussed in this study report. The report presents the market competitive landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the major vendor/key players in the market. Top Companies in the Global Draft Beer Market: - United Breweries Group, The Molson Coors Brewing Company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, The Boston Beer Company, New Belgium Brewing Company, China Resources Snow Breweries, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Heineken, Carlsberg, Molson Coors Brewing, Tsingtao Brewery Group, Asahi and Others. Click the link to get a free Sample Copy of the Report: https://www.marketinsightsreports.com/reports/03201156582/global-draft-beer-market-research-report-2019/inquiry?source=releasewire&Mode=18 GLOBAL DRAFT BEER MARKET SEGMENT BY TYPE:- Cask Draft Beer Keg Draft Beer GLOBAL DRAFT BEER MARKET SEGMENT BY APPLICATIONS:- Food & Beverage Conmmercial Others MARKET SEGMENT BY REGIONS:- For comprehensive understanding of market dynamics, the Global Draft Beer Market is analysed across key geographies namely: United States, China, Europe, Japan, South-east Asia, India and others. Each of these regions is analyzed on basis of market findings across major countries in these regions for a macro-level understanding of the market. Avail Exclusive Discount on This Report: https://www.marketinsightsreports.com/reports/03201156582/global-draft-beer-market-research-report-2019/discount?source=releasewire&mode=18 THERE ARE 15 CHAPTERS TO DEEPLY DISPLAY THE GLOBAL DRAFT BEER MARKET. Chapter 1: to describe Draft Beer Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force; Chapter 2: to analyze the top manufacturers of Draft Beer, with sales, revenue, and price of Draft Beer, in 2017 and 2018; Chapter 3: to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2017 and 2018; Chapter 4: to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Draft Beer, for each region, from 2014 to 2018; Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9: to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions; Chapter 10 and 11: to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2014 to 2018; Chapter 12: Draft Beer market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2019 to 2025; Chapter 13, 14 and 15: to describe Draft Beer sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix and Data source. The report has 150 tables and figures browse the report description and TOC: https://www.marketinsightsreports.com/reports/03201156582/global-draft-beer-market-research-report-2019?source=releasewire&Mode=18 INFLUENCE OF THE DRAFT BEER MARKET REPORT: -Comprehensive assessment of all opportunities and risk in the Draft Beer market. -Draft Beer market recent innovations and major events. -Detailed study of business strategies for growth of the Draft Beer market-leading players. -Conclusive study about the growth plot of Draft Beer market for forthcoming years. -In-depth understanding of Draft Beer market-particular drivers, constraints and major micro markets. -Favourable impression inside vital technological and market latest trends striking the Draft Beer market. About MarketInsightsReports MarketInsightsReports provides syndicated market research on industry verticals including Healthcare, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Technology and Media, Chemicals, Materials, Energy, Heavy Industry, etc. MarketInsightsReports provides global and regional market intelligence coverage, a 360-degree market view which includes statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations. Contact US: Irfan Tamboli (Head of Sales) Market Insights Reports Phone: + 1704 266 3234 Mob: +91-750-707-8687 sales@marketinsightsreports.com irfan@marketinsightsreports.com Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- Growing use of high power microwaves (HPM) is affecting positively on the growth of E bomb market across the globe. The use of E bomb is increasing in the military sector as the bomb can target the enemy's mobile targets, mobile radars, naval vessels with communication systems, air defense systems and also ill-shielded communication or electronic systems at a military base. Nowadays, the demand for GPS guided E bombs is increasing rapidly as these E bombs precede the conventional munitions for strategic air attacks. GPS guided bombs or smart bombs are basically the precision guided munitions equipped with control systems, electronic sensors and adjustable flight fins for providing guidance capacity with more accuracy. Within the military structure, our hypothetical e-bomb is a potential weapon that plays a key role in different military affairs. Furthermore, the growing adoption of nuclear weapons is also boosting the growth of the E bomb market across the globe. Increasing advancements in military technology, enhanced range and capability of creating effects across strategic, operational and tactical levels of wars are some of the factors that are fueling the growth of the e bomb market globally. Mobile e-bombs, which deliver their power into the enemy's system at the speed of light, might also increase the defense capability against fast moving and maneuvering multiple targets. E bomb offers area coverage and more accuracy to prevent hostile attacks, thereby rising the demand for e bomb. E bomb also has the greatest impact in both the air to air battle and the air to ground battle. However, electric and magnetic fields resulting from such intense E bombs may induce damaging currents and voltage surges in electrical/electronic systems, burning out their sensitive components and this may hinder the growth of E bomb market. Get Sample Copy of this report @ https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/7000 The global E bomb market can be segmented into by type, by end-use industry and by geography. On the basis of type, the global E bomb market can be segmented into nuclear E bomb and non-nuclear E bomb. Nuclear E bomb segment is expected to grow at highest rate during the forecast period owing to the rising use of nuclear e bombs in various military applications. In the basis of end use industry, the global E bomb market can be segmented into air force, army and navy. Air force segment is anticipated to show significant growth over the forecast period due to the increasing demand for e bomb in air forces to target the electronic devices of enemies. In terms of geography, the global E bomb market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and South America. North America is anticipated to dominate the E bomb market throughout the forecast period owing to high military spending and presence of key market players that makes the availability of weapons easier for the U.S. government. Also governments in various countries such as the U.S., China and Russia are spending heavily on modernizing their military resources. The global E bomb market includes large number of players. Some of the key players are The Boeing Company, Denel SOC Ltd, Kongsberg Gruppen, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Raytheon Company, Orbital ATK, Textron Inc., Israel Aerospace Industries, L-3 Communications Ltd, and General Dynamics Corporation. MRR.BIZ has been compiled in-depth market research data in the report after exhaustive primary and secondary research. Our team of able, experienced in-house analysts has collated the information through personal interviews and study of industry databases, journals, and reputable paid sources. Request For TOC Report @ https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/toc/7000 The report provides the following information: -Tailwinds and headwinds molding the market's trajectory -Market segments based on products, technology, and applications -Prospects of each segment -Overall current and possible future size of the market -Growth pace of the market -Competitive landscape and key players' strategies The main aim of the report is to: -Enable key stakeholder's in the market bet right on it -Understand the opportunities and pitfalls awaiting them -Assess the overall growth scope in the near term -Strategize effectively with respect to production and distribution MRR.BIZ is a leading provider of strategic market research. Our vast repository consists research reports, data books, company profiles, and regional market data sheets. We regularly update the da-ta and analysis of a wide-ranging products and services around the world. As readers, you will have access to the latest information on almost 300 industries and their sub-segments. Both large Fortune 500 companies and SMEs have found those useful. This is because we customize our offerings keeping in mind the specific requirements of our clients. About MarketResearchReports.biz MarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries. Contact Mr. Nachiket State Tower 90 Sate Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-621-2074 Website: http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/ E: sales@ marketresearchreports.biz Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/25/2019 -- Our latest research report entitled Heart Valve Devices Market (by type (into the mechanical heart, biological heart valves, transcatheter heart valves), end-user (hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers)) Global Product Intelligence, Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2024 provides complete and deep insights into the market dynamics and growth of Heart Valve Devices. Latest information on market risks, industry chain structure Heart Valve Devices cost structure and opportunities are offered in this report. The past, present and forecast market information will lead to investment feasibility by studying the essential Heart Valve Devices growth factors. Infinium Global Research's report covers the annual growth of the global heart valve devices market. It also includes chapters on the global heart valve devices industry trends, geographic analysis, and competitive landscape. The report also includes a SWOT analysis to present the indicators of strength, weakness, prospects, and risk of the market until the completion of the projection period in 2024. Get Sample Report Copy for Market Insights @ https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/reports/sample-request/1545 North America to influence the Global Heart Valve Devices Market through 2018-2024 Global Heart Valve Devices market was dominated by the North America region over the historic period of 2016. There are many factors which are helping to boost this market such as increasing instances of obesity and unhealthy lifestyle, mental tension, rising geriatric population, increase in heart valve related disease are causing various cardiac diseases and pathological disorders in a human being. Heart valve devices markets are regulated by the governments for price, subsidies. Whenever any manufacturer wants to introduce the modern heart valve devices in the market, government regulation comes as an obstacle for this. Hence, governments' regulation is the major restraint factor for the growth of this market. In addition, the increasing demand for minimally invasive procedures and continued product modifications by leveraging the latest technologies developments have brought about more effective heart valve devices. Growing Incidence of Obesity Is Driving the Growth of Heart Valve Device Market The increasing cases of obesity, more consumption of fast and processed food, heavy consumption of alcohol, less physical work to burn the excess calories of bodies, changing the lifestyle of individuals around the world, are promoting cardiovascular problems among all age group people. These factors are driving the market of the heart valve device. Developing Countries to Lead in Demand but Availability of Substitutes to Act as Pit Hole In the interim, mechanical heart valve devices are experiencing their demand to develop in creating nations as these items offer a longer future if anticoagulation is guaranteed. The organic heart valves, then again, are anticipated to develop at a solid clasp sooner rather than later. In any case, the fragment faces danger from substitutes by virtue of new innovations, for instance, valves made up of bioabsorbable polymer platforms that give helpful recuperating to be propelled soon. Need Assistance? Send an Enquiry@ https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/reports/enquiry/1545 Key Developments: Admedus Commences Animal Trials for Heart Valve Device in July 2018 Admedus Ltd. has commenced animal trials by completing the first successful live implantation of its unique single-piece aortic heart valve. This represents a key milestone in the development of its patented transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) project. Admedus has partnered with a European lab to examine the safety and feasibility of the unique valve in live sheep. The first single-piece valve was implanted this month, officially marking the start of the trial period, which is expected to last for around five months. Hancock Jaffe Laboratories to Conduct Analysis for FDA Submission Package for Bioprosthetic Heart Valve in July 2018 Hancock Jaffe Laboratories, Inc, a company specializing in bioprosthetic medical devices to establish improved standards of care for treating cardiac and vascular diseases, announced that it has initiated an analysis of its bioprosthetic heart valve in order to determine what additional testing is needed in order to submit an Investigational Device Extension (IDE) application to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Admedus signs exclusive distribution agreement in Italy for its unique heart tissue product in July 2018 Admedus Ltd has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Medical Instruments S.p.A. to market and distribute its clinically-superior to ADAPT technology in Italy. Under the agreement, Medical Instruments would initially distribute Admedus' non-toxic and non-calcifying flagship ADAPT bio-scaffold CardioCel. The bio-scaffold is used to repair congenital heart deformities and more complex heart defects. It is also used to reconstruct dysfunctional heart valves and valve leaflets. Major Key Players Mentioned in this Premium Report The Leading companies in the market are JenaValve Technology, Inc., Edward Lifesciences Corporation, CryoLife, Inc., Boston Scientific Corporation, Abbott, Medtronic, SYMETIS, Neovasc, Inc., Sorin Group (LivaNova PLC) and Micro Interventional Devices, Inc. These companies are looking forward to organic as well as non-organic growth opportunities. In addition, these are continuously focusing on improving productivity and efficiency of the company's performance, at the same time they are concentrating on their cost reduction to improve their profit margins. Read Detailed Index of full Research Study @ https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/healthcare-medical-devices/global-heart-valve-devices-market New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- There are several types of alginates available in the global market including sodium, calcium, and potassium out of which sodium alginates hold the highest share of the market. Sodium alginate is a type of natural polysaccharide which is extracted from the brown seaweed that grows in cold water regions. Sodium alginate market is expanding mainly on account of the increasing size of food industry. Sodium alginate is soluble in cold and hot water, and possesses thickening and binding properties. Sodium alginate forms a gel without being heated in the presence of calcium. Sodium alginate is generally used along with calcium salts in several cuisines to produce small and large spheres filled with liquid that burst in the mouth. Sodium Alginate is also used in the food industry as an emulsifier to increase viscosity. It is also used in indigestion tablets as it does not have any discernible flavor. The major drivers for sodium alginate market include the increasing consumption of convenience foods and their multi-functionality. Vulnerability of raw materials of sodium alginate to seasonal changes is one of the major restraints for the market. Increasing cost of alginates is another major concern for the sodium alginate market. China, Japan, India, and Brazil are emerging as potential markets for the sodium alginate market and provide ample opportunity for its growth. Request For Report Sample@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/4375 Sodium alginate is used as a thickener in syrups, sauces, and toppings for ice cream. Mayonnaise and salad dressings thickened with sodium alginate are less likely to separate into their original oil and water forms. Sodium alginate is also used in pimiento strips inside pitted olives, and as stabilizers in ice cream where it forms ice crystals during the freezing process. Another use of sodium alginate is to form films of sodium or calcium alginate, and fibers of calcium alginates. Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/4375 The key companies in the global sodium alginate market include Cargill, Inc., Dastech International, Inc., FMC Corporation, DANISCO, FMC, KIMICA, QINGDAO GFURI, Qingdao Bright Moon Group, Qingdao Gather Great Ocean, Qingdao Lanneret, Qingdao Rongde, and Vishnu Gum & Chemicals. Harrisburg, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/25/2019 -- GLOBAL HOSPITALS MARKET SIZE, STATUS AND FORECAST 2018-2025 This Report proposes compelling details of Hospitals market size, market share, contemporary trends, upcoming investment opportunities, and other primary segments. The Hospitals analysis centers over numerous vital elements that influences global Hospitals industry along with the international economy. Historic overview, present market status, and futuristic projections of Hospitals industry are discussed in this study report. The report presents the market competitive landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the major vendor/key players in the market. Top Companies in the Global Hospitals Market: - Australia, Dubai, Germany, Malaysia, Sinapore, UK, US, China, France, Japan, Korea, India, Africa, Middle East and Others. Click the link to get a free Sample Copy of the Report: https://www.marketinsightsreports.com/reports/0823795307/global-hospitals-market-size-status-and-forecast-2018-2025/inquiry?source=releasewire&Mode=18 GLOBAL HOSPITALS MARKET SEGMENT BY TYPE:- General/Acute-care District Teaching Specialised Clincs GLOBAL HOSPITALS MARKET SEGMENT BY APPLICATIONS:- Public Personal MARKET SEGMENT BY REGIONS:- For comprehensive understanding of market dynamics, the Global Hospitals Market is analysed across key geographies namely: United States, China, Europe, Japan, South-east Asia, India and others. Each of these regions is analyzed on basis of market findings across major countries in these regions for a macro-level understanding of the market. Avail Exclusive Discount on This Report: https://www.marketinsightsreports.com/reports/0823795307/global-hospitals-market-size-status-and-forecast-2018-2025/discount?source=releasewire&mode=18 THERE ARE 15 CHAPTERS TO DEEPLY DISPLAY THE GLOBAL HOSPITALS MARKET. Chapter 1: to describe Hospitals Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force; Chapter 2: to analyze the top manufacturers of Hospitals, with sales, revenue, and price of Hospitals, in 2017 and 2018; Chapter 3: to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2017 and 2018; Chapter 4: to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Hospitals, for each region, from 2014 to 2018; Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9: to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions; Chapter 10 and 11: to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2014 to 2018; Chapter 12: Hospitals market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2018 to 2025; Chapter 13, 14 and 15: to describe Hospitals sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix and Data source. The report has 150 tables and figures browse the report description and TOC: https://www.marketinsightsreports.com/reports/0823795307/global-hospitals-market-size-status-and-forecast-2018-2025?source=releasewire&Mode=18 INFLUENCE OF THE HOSPITALS MARKET REPORT: -Comprehensive assessment of all opportunities and risk in the Hospitals market. -Hospitals market recent innovations and major events. -Detailed study of business strategies for growth of the Hospitals market-leading players. -Conclusive study about the growth plot of Hospitals market for forthcoming years. -In-depth understanding of Hospitals market-particular drivers, constraints and major micro markets. -Favourable impression inside vital technological and market latest trends striking the Hospitals market. About MarketInsightsReports MarketInsightsReports provides syndicated market research on industry verticals including Healthcare, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Technology and Media, Chemicals, Materials, Energy, Heavy Industry, etc. MarketInsightsReports provides global and regional market intelligence coverage, a 360-degree market view which includes statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations. Contact US: Irfan Tamboli (Head of Sales) Market Insights Reports Phone: + 1704 266 3234 Mob: +91-750-707-8687 sales@marketinsightsreports.com irfan@marketinsightsreports.com Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/25/2019 -- The renewable energy generation capacity has grown due to encouraging policies of various governments, incentives and rebates and this has led to a significant increase in the share of renewables and alternative sources of energy in the global energy market. More than half of the projects are driven by an increase in the renewable energy capacity as national utility companies are connecting with offshore wind farms. For instance, the Thornton Bank and the Thanet offshore wind farms are linked to domestic power grids. Due to high prices of energy and targets regarding renewable energy generation, renewable energy sources such as wind power and hydro power have become popular wherever their geographical feasibility exists. There is a need to connect these sources of renewable energy with the main grids and this is likely to remain a significant factor for the growth of the power cable market in the coming years. Implementation of smart grids benefiting the global power cable market A smart grid consists of an automated, widely distributed network for energy delivery with responsive and organic capabilities. Smart grids are being increasingly preferred since they enable the monitoring, analysis, control and communication which results in a significant reduction in energy consumption. For instance, China, the world's largest consumer of electricity, consumed around 5.550 billion kWh of power in 2015. It is believed that China's consumption will double by the year 2025 and triple by 2035. To cope with the increasing demand for power and to bring billions of kWh of power to its consumers, China has planned to build an elaborate network of smart grids. This development is likely to positively impact the global power cable market. Request for sample report: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/22765 Increasing demand for power presents a lucrative opportunity for global power cable market Due to increasing demand for power all over the world, the power supply entities are trying to catch up with the supply. In the course of the demand supply catch-up, there is a lot of opportunity for the power cable market. The world is moving towards sustainable energy development and to create a sustainable energy architecture, the component which is most important and most used is the power cable, which ultimately carries electricity. This presents a huge and a lucrative opportunity for the global cable market. Extensive government support facilitating growth of the global power cable market There are various policies being rolled out for the generation and distribution of energy. The governing bodies of different countries are taking steps for the proper utilization of the renewable forms of energy and safeguarding the existing ones. In some countries like India which is encouraging the digital economy is generating more and more energy from solar plants and wind energy which need appropriate power cables for the distribution of electricity generated from such sources. Such policies of the government are driving the global power cable market. Request Report TOC @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/22765 Global Power Cable Market Analysis, By Voltage Handling The medium voltage segment was valued at US$ 1,865.3 Mn in 2017 and is forecasted to reach a valuation of US$ 3,188.3 Mn in 2026, reflecting a CAGR of 6.9% during the period of assessment. The low voltage segment was valued at US$ 2,321.4 Mn in 2017 and is predicted to reach a valuation of US$ 4,110.4 Mn in 2026, displaying a CAGR of 7.4% during the period of forecast. Maharashtra, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- Organic Snack Food Market The report provides a global analysis of Organic Snack Food Market data from 2019 to 2025. The report reveals the overview, chain structure, and illustrate the industry's current situation, evaluate global market volume/share. The market report studies the Manufactures Profiles, SWOT analysis product insights, regional analysis insights, Organic Snack Food types, and product application insights. The research report gives a comprehensive competitive analysis, which has elaborate identification of leading Manufactures operational within the international Organic Snack Food Market. The Organic Snack Food market has been qualified based on a comprehensive market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The global Organic Snack Food market size was xx million US$ and it is expected to reach xx million US$ by the end of 2025, with a CAGR of xx% between 2019 and 2025. Have Questions? Request a sample or make an Inquiry before buying this report by clicking the link below:-https://www.reportsmonitor.com/request_sample/85691 The scope of the Report: The report covers an extensive market of the Organic Snack Food to give readers a bird's eye view of the past, present and the future market. The report would focus on all the key and potential driving forces and hurdles in the global and regional markets. Manufacturer, Distributor, Downstream Client Companies Data Analysis: Pure Organic, PRANA, Made in Nature, Kadac Pty Ltd, Navitas Naturals, General Mills, Woodstock Farms Manufacturing, SunOpta, Simple Squares, Organic Food Bar Market size by Product Potato Chips Corn Chips Tortilla Chips Bakery Products Others Market size by End User Supermarket/hypermarket Grocery stores E-commerce Convenience Stores Others Organic Snack Food Market report also splits the market by region: North America (United States, Canada, Mexico) South America ( Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile) Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, Korea) Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy) Middle East Africa (Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran) And More. The report includes the estimation of market size for value (million USD) and volume (K Units). Both top-down and bottom-up approaches have been used to estimate and validate the market size of Organic Snack Food Market, to estimate the size of various other dependent sub-markets in the overall market. Key players in the market have been identified through secondary research, and their market shares have been determined through primary and secondary research. All percentage shares split, and breakdowns have been determined using secondary sources and verified primary sources. Click here to Get customization & check discount for the report https://www.reportsmonitor.com/check_discount/85691 In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of the Organic Snack Food are as follows: History Year: 2014-2018 | Base Year: 2018 | Estimated Year: 2019 | Forecast Year 2019 to 2025 Research objectives: Focuses on the key global Organic Snack Food manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis, and development plans in the next few years. To analyze the Organic Snack Food with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market. To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks). To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market. To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies. Access Complete Copy of Organic Snack Food Report @ https://www.reportsmonitor.com/report/85691/Organic-Snack-Food-Market Key Points sheathed in the Organic Snack Food Market Report Coverage: Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments Market share analysis of the top industry players Strategic recommendations for the new entrants Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations) Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends Company profiling with detailed strategies, financial and recent developments Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancements Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- HTF MI newly added the Global Oscilloscope Market Study that gives meticulous investigation of current scenario of the Market size, share, demand, growth, trends, and forecast in the coming years. The report firstly introduced the Oscilloscope Market basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. Companies Profiled in this report includes: Danaher, Keysight, Teledyne LeCroy, Rohde & Schwarz, National Instruments, GW Instek, Yokogawa, GAO Tek Inc, RIGOL Technologies, SIGLENT, OWON, Uni-Trend, Jingce Electronic, Lvyang Electronic, Hantek. Get the inside scoop of the Sample report @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1677681-global-oscilloscope-market-11 Scope of the Report: At present, in developed countries, the Oscilloscope industry is generally at a more advanced level. The world's largest enterprises are mainly concentrated in USA. Meanwhile, foreign companies have more advanced equipment, strong R & D capability, and leading technical level. However, foreign companies' manufacturing cost is relatively higher, compared with Asia companies. In the coming years, Oscilloscope market is expected to witness the highest growth rate in the Asia-Pacific region. Although Oscilloscope brings a lot of opportunities, the study group recommends the new entrants just having money but without technical advantage and widely sales network do not to enter into this field. The worldwide market for Oscilloscope is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly 2.5% over the next five years, will reach 1720 million US$ in 2024, from 1480 million US$ in 2019, according to a new HTF study. Research objectives - To study and analyze the Global Oscilloscope Market size by key regions/countries, product type and application, history data from 2013 to 2018, and forecast to 2025. - To understand the structure of Oscilloscope Market by identifying its various sub segments. - Focuses on the key Global Oscilloscope Market players, to define, describe and analyze the value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years. - To analyze the Oscilloscope Market with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market. - To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks). - To project the size of Oscilloscope Market, with respect to key regions, type [, Analogue Oscilloscope, Digital Oscilloscope & PC - based Oscilloscopes] and applications [Consumer Electronics, Communications Electronics, Aerospace Electronics, Automotive Electronics & Teaching and Research]. - To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches and acquisitions in the market. Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1677681-global-oscilloscope-market-11 In this report you will also find additional deals into key geographical segments of Global Oscilloscope Market and deliver details about their current and former share. Ongoing trends, upcoming Challenges, future better regional investments and many other influencing factors have been considered and presented. The regions North America (United States, Canada and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia etc.) & Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa) have been studied in depth to gain better market penetration and assure exact analysis. Top manufacturers have been given prime importance to make sure their strategies are understood and their position in this particular market can be elucidated. Acquire Single User PDF license of this research report @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=1677681 In the end, the report includes Global Oscilloscope Market new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, investment return analysis, and development analysis. The report also presents a round-up of vulnerabilities which companies operating in the market must avoid in order to enjoy sustainable growth through the course of the forecast period. Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia (China, India, Japan etc) or Oceania [Australia and New Zealand]. Fundamentals of Table of Content: 1 Report Overview 1.1 Study Scope 1.2 Key Market Segments 1.3 Players Covered 1.4 Market Analysis by Type 1.5 Market by Application 1.6 Study Objectives 1.7 Years Considered 2 Global Growth Trends 2.1 Global Oscilloscope Market Size 2.2 Oscilloscope Growth Trends by Regions 2.3 Industry Trends 3 Market Share by Key Players 3.1 Global Oscilloscope Market Size by Manufacturers 3.2 Global Oscilloscope Key Players Head office and Area Served 3.3 Key Players Product/Solution/Service 3.4 Enter barriers in Oscilloscope Market 3.5 Mergers, Acquisitions, Expansion Plans 4 Oscilloscope Market by Product 4.1 Global Oscilloscope Sales by Product 4.2 Global Oscilloscope Revenue by Product 4.3 Global Oscilloscope Price by Product 5 Oscilloscope Market by End User 5.1 Overview 5.2 Oscilloscope by End User About HTF Market Report HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the "Accurate Forecast" in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their "Goals & Objectives". Israel kept up air strikes on Gaza into Tuesday and Palestinian militants launched new rockets despite a reported ceasefire deal, raising fears of a return to open conflict in the enclave. Gaza's Islamist rulers, Hamas, had said on Monday evening that an Egypt-brokered ceasefire has been agreed following a flare-up of violence just two weeks before an Israeli general election. But the Israeli army reported late-night mortar fire and 30 new rocket launches from Gaza, on top of 30 rockets detected earlier in the evening. Israel struck around 15 fresh targets including what the army said were a Hamas military compound and an Islamic Jihad position, adding in a statement that it would "increase its operational activity as necessary". "Our response was very powerful, very very powerful," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israeli reporters accompanying him on a visit to Washington. "Hamas needs to know that we shall not hesitate to go in (to Gaza) and take all necessary steps," he said in in remarks broadcast on Israeli public radio." During the night, an AFP journalist saw multiple rockets fired from the north of Gaza towards Israel. Some were intercepted by air defences while others hit uninhabited areas, the Israeli army said. The ceasefire announcement came after Israeli strikes hit the office of Hamas Ismail Haniya and dozens of other sites across the Gaza Strip on Monday evening. Those strikes were in response to a rare long-distance rocket attack from the Palestinian enclave that hit a home north of Tel Aviv and wounded seven people early on Monday. Israel, whose strikes began around the same time Netanyahu met US President Donald Trump in Washington, did not comment on the ceasefire report. "Egyptian efforts succeeded with a ceasefire between the occupation and the resistance factions," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum had said. Netanyahu, who is also defence minister, boarded a flight back to Israel, cutting short his US visit, and saying that on arrival he would go straight to the defence ministry in Tel Aviv. On Tuesday, he had been scheduled to address a pro-Israel lobby group and have dinner with Trump. He is expected to land in Israel around midday (1000 GMT). - Balls of fire - Israel launched three offensives on Gaza since 2008, and Netanyahu is believed to want to avoid another one with unpredictable results ahead of the April 9 election. But he faces a tough challenge from a centrist political alliance led by former military chief Benny Gantz and came under pressure to respond firmly. Gaza's health ministry said Monday evening that seven people had been wounded as explosions rocked the enclave and balls of fire rose into the sky. There was no indication the Hamas leader was in his office at the time it was hit. In comments from the White House, Netanyahu said "Israel is responding forcefully to this wanton aggression," while Trump spoke of Israel's "right to defend itself". One Israeli strike destroyed a building in Gaza City that Israel alleged was a secret Hamas security and intelligence headquarters. Hamas's internal security office in Gaza City was also hit. A joint statement from militant groups in Gaza, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, took responsibility for the rockets fired later on Monday in response to the Israeli strikes. Israel's army said the rocket from Gaza that hit a house early Monday was fired by Hamas. A Hamas official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, denied the group was behind the rocket, evoking the possibility it was caused by "bad weather". The Israeli house hit was located in the community of Mishmeret, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Tel Aviv, police said. The rocket would have had to travel some 120 kilometres (75 miles) from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where Israel said it was fired from. The hospital treating the wounded said seven Israelis were injured lightly by burns and shrapnel, including three children. - Protests anniversary - Monday's rocket attack followed another rare incident on March 14 in which two rockets were fired from Gaza towards Tel Aviv. They caused no casualties or damage, but Israel responded to the rocket fire by hitting what it said were around 100 Hamas targets across the Gaza Strip. Four Palestinians were reported wounded in those strikes. Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad denied they were behind the March 14 rocket fire towards Tel Aviv, raising the possibility it was launched by fringe groups. The Israeli amry said it was launched by Hamas, but later Israeli media reported the army's assessment was that the rockets had been fired by mistake during maintenance work. Saturday marks the first anniversary of mass Palestinian protests along the Gaza border that have drawn a deadly response from the Israeli army. At least 258 Palestinians have been killed along with two Israeli soldiers. An informal truce between Hamas and Israel had led to relative calm along the border, but recent weeks have seen another uptick in violence. Search Keywords: Short link: San Jose, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- Polyacrylamides is basically a synthetic resin formed through polymerization of acrylamide. The product is available as a white solid that id soluble in water. Polyacrylamide is majorly used as a as a thickening agent, a flocculant, an absorbent, and to separate macromolecules of different molecular weights. Polyacrylamide finds application in varied market ranging from oil & gas, waste water treatment, textiles, paper & pulp, paints & coatings and others. The report estimates and forecasts the 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 polyacrylamide 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 polyacrylamide 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 Porter's Five Forces Model to determine the degree of competition in the polyacrylamide market. The report comprises a qualitative write-up on market attractiveness analysis, wherein type, form, application 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 polyacrylamide between 2017 and 2025. Get Sample Copy Of Report @ https://www.xploremr.com/connectus/sample/139 The study provides a comprehensive view of the polyacrylamide market by dividing it on the basis of type, form, application and geography segments. The polyacrylamide market has been segmented into anionic, cationic, non-ionic and others based on type. Type segment have been analyzed based on historic, present, and future trends. Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for polyacrylamide 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 various 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 application 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 BASF SE, Solenis LLC, Ashland Inc., SNF Group, Bio-Rad Laboratories and others. 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). 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 team's expertise and market understanding. The global polyacrylamide market has been segmented as follows: Polyacrylamide Market Type Analysis Anionic Cationic Non-ionic Others Polyacrylamide Market Form Analysis Powder Emulsion Gel Others Polyacrylamide Market Application Analysis Waste Water Treatment Oil & Gas Extraction Mining Agriculture Paper & Pulp Paints & Coatings Textiles Food Others Polyacrylamide Market Regional Analysis North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany France U.K. Italy Spain Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China India Japan ASEAN Rest of Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa GCC South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Get To Know Discount On This Report @ https://www.xploremr.com/connectus/check-discount/139 Los Angeles, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- A personal flotation device is a piece of equipment designed to assist a wearer to keep afloat in water. The wearer may be either conscious or unconscious. PFDs are available in different sizes to accommodate variations in body weight. Designs differ depending on wearing convenience and level of protection. This report studies the Professional Use Lifejackets market size (value and volume) by players, regions, product types and end industries, history data 2013-2017 and forecast data 2018-2025; This report also studies the global market competition landscape, market drivers and trends, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors and Porter's Five Forces Analysis. Geographically, this report is segmented into several key regions, with sales, revenue, market share and growth Rate of Professional Use Lifejackets in these regions, from 2013 to 2025, covering North America (United States, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia and Turkey etc.) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam) South America (Brazil etc.) Middle East and Africa (Egypt and GCC Countries) Get PDF report template @ https://www.qyresearch.com/sample-form/form/849332/global-professional-use-lifejackets-market The various contributors involved in the value chain of the product include manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, intermediaries, and customers. The key manufacturers in this market include Jarden Corp Stormy Lifejackets Mustang Survival Johnson Outdoors Inc Kent Sporting Goods Company Hansen Protection AS Safety and Survival Systems International Viking Life-Saving Equipment Survitec Group Limited By the product type, the market is primarily split into Foam Nylon Plastic By the end users/application, this report covers the following segments Watersports Day Sailing Fishing Offshore Sail Offshore Power Paddlesports Commercial Vessels Get Complete Report in your Inbox within 24 hours @ https://www.qyresearch.com/settlement/pre/941d10671220e5db903a8ac816dda92d,0,1,Global%20Professional%20Use%20Lifejackets%20Market%20Report,%20History%20and%20Forecast%202013-2025,%20Breakdown%20Data%20by%20Manufacturers,%20Key%20Regions,%20Types%20and%20Application About QYResearch QYResearch always pursuits high product quality with the belief that quality is the soul of business. Through years of effort and supports from huge number of customer supports, QYResearch consulting group has accumulated creative design methods on many high-quality markets investigation and research team with rich experience. Today, QYResearch has become the brand of quality assurance in consulting industry. Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/25/2019 -- Real-time e-healthcare system is one of the best ways to keep your health records and track it anytime, without any geographical constraint. Patients can always stay in touch with their doctors and communicate with them about any health issue. They can self-check also for an immediate result without any third party's dependence. With advanced technology and rapid innovation, these days' products are being made in such a way that it should be more consumer friendly and easy to use. Real-time e-healthcare system fulfills all the above criteria and hence, the market is growing at a positive rate. Recently, Kaiser Permanente implemented an EMR protocol in Community Health Centres in Oregon, US, to improve clinical decision support for patients with diabetes, which can remind them to prescribe hypertension medications to reduce heart attack and other strokes. iPatientCare EHR, Praxis, EMR, Insta HMS, e-MDs Chart, WRS Health, AccuMed, WEBeDoctor, A.I.med are some of the top Electronic Medical Records (EMR) software products. Real-Time E-Healthcare System Market: Drivers & Restraints Technological advancement, increasing disposable income, increase use of online services, increase use of mobile devices, increased health cost and expenditure, increasing need of an integrated healthcare system are the most important driving factors in real-time e-healthcare system market. Sine real-time e-healthcare system reduces medical errors and easily accessible information, the demand for real time e-healthcare system has increased regardless of the geographical location. Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-593 Lack of inexperienced professionals, high maintenance and service cost, privacy concerns, the complexity of systems, less presence of real-time e-healthcare system in rural areas including developed nations like Europe and are acting as a barrier for real-time e-healthcare system market. Real-Time E-Healthcare System Market: Segmentation Real-time e-healthcare system is broadly classified on the basis of the following segments By Product: Fitness Bands/wristband device Clip on monitor devices Thermometer Blood-pressure monitor device M-health applications Blood glucose monitor devices By End-user: Public/Private Hospitals Pharmacy Individuals Others Real-Time E-Healthcare System Market: Overview The real-time e-healthcare market has grown substantially at a healthy CAGR due to rising disposable income, increasing health awareness by consumers, ageing population and increasing healthcare expenditure. With rapid technological advancement and variety of options available in the market, real-time e-healthcare market is expected to grow globally. North America represents the largest market for this product category. Asia Pacific will emerge as the fastest growing region in real-time e-healthcare market. Real-Time E-Healthcare System Market: Region-wise Outlook The real-time e-healthcare market is expected to register a double-digit CAGR for the forecast period. Depending on geographic regions, real-time e-healthcare market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market due to the improved healthcare infrastructure and high healthcare cost and rising disposable income. Increase demand of cloud computing from the developed nations like Europe and North America may also increase the demand for real-time e-healthcare systems by the end of forecast period. Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-593 Real-Time E-Healthcare System Market: Key Players Some of the key market players in real-time e-healthcare market are Fitbit, Garmin, Jawbone, Misfit Wearables, DexCom, Medtronic, Abbott, Cerner Corporation, GE Healthcare, Epic Systems Corporation, Medical Information Technology Inc. (MEDITECH). Albany, NY, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- The global market status for Refractometers is precisely examined through a smart research report added to the broad database managed by Market Research Hub (MRH). This study is titled "Refractometers Market: Global Industry Analysis 2013-2017 and Opportunity Assessment 2018-2028", which tends to deliver in-depth knowledge associated to the Refractometers market for the present and forecasted period until 2028. Furthermore, the report examines the target market based on market size, revenue and geography; making it quite useful for the readers. Request for sample copy of this report https://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=2165872 Report Synopsis Future Market Insights (FMI) offers a 9-year forecast of the refractometers market between 2018 and 2027. In terms of value, the refractometers market is expected to register a high CAGR during the forecast period. This study demonstrates the global refractometers market dynamics and trends across six regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Japan, APEJ and MEA, which influence the current nature and the future status of the refractometers market over the forecast period. Report Description This research report provides a detailed analysis of the refractometers market and offers insights on the various factors driving the popularity of refractometers. The report includes an extensive analysis of the key industry drivers, challenges, market trends and market structure. The market study provides a comprehensive assessment of the stakeholder strategies and imperatives for succeeding in the business. The report segregates the market based on technology, application and different regions globally. The refractometers market is expected to witness significant value growth during the forecast period owing to the rising importance of food quality and the availability of refractometers in various sizes and types. The report starts with an overview of the refractometers market in terms of value. In addition, this section includes an analysis of the key trends, drivers and challenges from the supply, demand and economy side, which are influencing the refractometers market. A detailed analysis has been provided for every segment in terms of the market size analysis for refractometers across different regions. The next section of the refractometers market report contains a detailed analysis of the refractometers market across various countries in the region. It provides a market outlook for 20182027, and sets the forecast within the context of the refractometers market, which includes the latest technological developments as well as offerings in the refractometers market. This study discusses the key trends within countries contributing to growth of the market, as well as analyses the degrees at which the drivers are influencing the refractometers market in each region. Key regions and countries assessed in this report include North America (U.S. & Canada), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico & the rest of Latin America), Europe (Germany, U.K., Spain, France, Russia & the rest of Europe), Japan, APEJ (China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia & the rest of APEJ) and MEA (GCC Countries, Israel, South Africa & the rest of MEA). This report evaluates the present scenario as well as the growth prospects of the market across various regions globally for the period 2018 2027. We have considered 2017 as the base year, and provided data for the remaining 12 months. To offer an accurate forecast, we have started by sizing the current market, which forms the basis of how the market will grow in the future. Given the characteristics of the refractometers market, we have triangulated the outcome of different types of analysis based on the technology trends. As previously highlighted, the global refractometers market is split into a number of segments. All the segments in terms of product type, substance used, end-user and different regions are analysed in terms of basis points to understand the relative contributions of individual segments to market growth. This detailed information is important for the identification of various key trends in the global refractometers market. In addition, another key feature of this report is the analysis of all key segments in terms of absolute dollar opportunity. This is traditionally overlooked while forecasting the market. However, absolute dollar opportunity is critical in assessing the level of opportunity that a provider can look to achieve, as well as to identify the potential resources from a sales and delivery perspective in the global refractometers market. In the final section of the report, we have included a competitive landscape to provide clients a dashboard view based on the categories of providers in the value chain, their presence in the refractometers market and key differentiators. This section is primarily designed to provide clients an objective and detailed comparative assessment of the key providers specific to a market segment in the refractometers supply chain and the potential players for the same. Report audiences can gain segment-specific vendor insights to identify and evaluate the key competitors based on an in-depth assessment of their capabilities and success in the marketplace. The detailed profiles of providers are also included in the scope of the report to evaluate their long-term and short-term strategies, key offerings and recent developments in the refractometers market. Some of the key competitors covered in the report are Thermo Fisher Scientific AMETEK; Shimadzu Corporation; Anton Paar GmbH; Cole-Parmer Instrument Company, LLC; KRSS Optronic GmbH; Hanna Equipments India Pvt. Ltd.; ATAGO; Rudolph Research Analytical; MISCO Refractometer and Xylem Analytics. Key Segments By Product Type Handheld Refractometers Digital Refractometers Abbe Refractometers By Substance Used Solid Liquid Gas By End-Use Food Processing Gemmology Research Centres Oil Industry Paint Pharmaceuticals Educational Research Key Regions North America U.S. Canada Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Europe Germany U.K. France Spain Russia Rest of Europe APEJ China India Malaysia Singapore Australia Rest of APEJ Japan MEA GCC Countries Israel South Africa Rest of MEA Key Companies Rudolph Research Analytical, Thermo Fisher Scientific, KRSS Optronic GmbH, Shimadzu Corporation, Anton Paar GmbH, ATAGO, AMETEK, Mettler-Toledo International Inc., Hanna Equipments India Pvt. Ltd., MISCO Refractometer, Xylem Analytics and Cole-Parmer Instrument Company, LLC. Browse Full Report with TOC https://www.marketresearchhub.com/report/refractometers-market-global-industry-analysis-2013-2017-and-opportunity-assessment-2018-2028-report.html Global Refractometers Market - Executive Summary Global Refractometers Market Overview Introduction Global Refractometers Market Taxonomy Global Refractometers Market Definition Global Refractometers Market Size (US$ Mn & Volume) and Forecast, 2013-2027 Global Refractometers Market Y-o-Y Growth Global Refractometers Market Dynamics Macroeconomic Factors Pricing Analysis To be continue@@ Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research titled "Reinsurance Market Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2018 2026," the global reinsurance market was valued at US$ 241.14 Bn in 2017 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2018 to 2026, reaching a value of US$ 364.59 Bn by the end of the forecast period. According to the report, North America was a significant contributor to the reinsurance market in terms of revenue in 2017. The prominent market share of the region is due to the favorable regulatory environment and growth in property catastrophe protection in the reinsurance market across the region, especially in the U.S. and Canada. Request a Sample - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=55410 Favorable regulatory environment and growth in property catastrophe protection driving the global reinsurance market The global reinsurance market is currently driven by a favorable regulatory environment. Growing focus on sustainable growth has led to the relaxation in government rules globally. For instance, in September 2018, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) approved revised reinsurance regulations in India. The core purpose behind revamping the regulations is that the maximum reinsurance business is held inside the nation and preference would be given to Indian domiciled entities. In 2016, the new SSN (Superintendence of Insurance) authorities removed the regulations which set minimum limits of insurers in projects involving small and medium enterprise. The new regulation now defines only maximum limits. Obtain Report Details @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/reinsurance-market.html Current regulatory variations are pushing the market to have fewer number of highly capitalized insurance companies. There are a large number of local players that need more capital to play in niche markets. Subsequently, demand for financial reinsurance is expected to increase in the coming years. Furthermore, increasing activity of foreign reinsurers in the global reinsurance market is contributing significantly to the growth of the market. Thus, increasing regulatory oversight initiatives is expected to enhance reinsurance penetration, as they are expected to promote self-assurance in the insurance industry. Therefore, a favorable regulatory environment is expected to have a long term impact on the reinsurance market. Growing number of such favorable regulations by several government entities are expected to boost the reinsurance market in the coming years. Kensington, CT -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- Each spring, the professionals at Riley Plumbing & Heating receive numerous calls from homeowners who have sustained damage to their basement, foundation, or structure of their house due to an improperly functioning sump pump. Now, the sump pump installation experts serving Hartford County, CT, are advising homeowners to get their pumps inspected this year to protect their homes from the flooding of the yearly spring thaw. There are a few things that homeowners can do to ensure their sump pump is working properly. First, they should check to see that it has power running to it. They should also make sure the pump is upright and the ball moves freely. Additionally, they should pour water into the sump pit and wait to see the pump activate and discharge the water. If a home's sump pump runs constantly, it may be undersized or might have obstructions in the discharge pipe. It could also mean a switch is malfunctioning and needs to be replaced. For pumps that don't turn on, the water levels could be too low, or there could be a lack of power from a blown fuse or tripped breaker. Other sump pump issues will require the expertise of a professional. With a proper inspection and maintenance appointment, many features of the sump pump will be checked, including the backup power, alarm, discharge location, cover, check valve, and several other components of the device. Individuals who would like to enjoy the peace of mind that their sump pump will function adequately during the spring thaw should contact Riley Plumbing & Heating for sump pump maintenance in Hartford County, CT, and the surrounding areas. Their team provides homeowners with the confidence that basements and crawl spaces throughout the area will be dry all season long. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Riley Plumbing & Heating at 860-225-1534 or visit https://rileyplumbingcompany.com/ today. About Riley Plumbing & Heating For more than 30 years, Riley Plumbing & Heating has offered their community the best HVAC and plumbing services from the most highly trained plumbing and heating technicians. Serving the Kensington, Connecticut area for all residential and commercial needs is their number one priority. Riley Plumbing & Heating is proud to serve their community and stay up to date with the latest technology to provide only the best services. Learn about what sets them apart on their website: https://rileyplumbingcompany.com/. Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/25/2019 -- The significant rise in lifestyle-related diseases and the developments in healthcare infrastructure are expected to influence the demand for pharmaceuticals in Saudi Arabia. In 2016, the Saudi Arabia pharmaceutical market is anticipated to procure value worth US$ 5,209.5 Mn at a y-o-y growth of 6.0 % over 2015. The mounting demand for branded drug products will continue to incite the growth of the Saudi Arabian pharmaceutical market in 2016. A Sample of this Report is Available upon Request @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gc-1733 The demand for pharmaceuticals in Saudi Arabia is expected to register substantial growth owing to the increasing penetration of health insurance companies and the rising incidence rate of non-communicable diseases. Furthermore, the exceptional rise in the per capita income of Saudi Arabia is also expected to foster the demand for branded pharmaceutical drugs. Another key factor driving the growth of the pharmaceutical market in Saudi Arabia is the country's strategic move to allow 100% FDI in the pharmaceuticals sector. Although, the shortage of profound indigenous research capacity in the pharmaceutical industry and the delayed registration of drug and medicine patents is expected to limit the expansion of the market in 2016 and beyond. Based on the product type, the pharmaceutical market in Saudi Arabia is expected to witness an upsurge in the prescription-type branded drug products. In terms of market value, the branded drugs are estimated to reach US$ 2,760.8 Mn by 2016-end. The demand for generic drugs is projected to secure steady growth, attributing to the insisting promotion of generic drug adoption by healthcare insurance providers. On the basis of the diseases, the pharmaceutical drugs used for treatment of cardiovascular diseases will continue exhibiting robust growth in 2016. The demand for cardiovascular medications will continue to surge due to the prominence of circulatory disorders in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, the rising prevalence of disorders related to body sugar levels is expected to make diabetes a rapidly growing disease-based sub-segment in the Saudi Arabia pharmaceutical market. The pharmaceutical market in Saudi Arabia is also segmented on the basis of distribution channel, where retail pharmacies will continue to account for 80% market share compared to hospital pharmacies. The westernised modernisation of retail pharmacies in Saudi Arabia has led to the availability of a wide range drugs and medicinal products, thereby attaining a considerable growth in the retail pharmacy sub-segment in 2016 and further. Request for a Customization of This Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gc-1733 The rising resource potential in Saudi Arabia is projected to positively reform the production environment for pharmaceutical manufacturers. In order to expand the market's size, structuring alliances with well-established native companies is predicted to be a key strategy for global pharmaceutical leaders. The key players in the Saudi Arabia pharmaceutical market include Novartis AG, SPIMACO, Pfizer Inc., and Glaxosmithkline plc., Jamjoom Pharma, and Tabuk Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Co. among others. Saudi Arabia Pharmaceutical Market Reports - Table of Contents 1. Research Methodology 2. Assumptions & Acronyms 3. Executive Summary 4. Saudi Arabia Pharmaceutical Market Overview 4.1. Definition 4.2. GCC Pharmaceutical Market Overview 4.3. Value Chain Analysis 4.4. Trade Associations and Trade Fairs 4.5. PESTLE Analysis 4.6. Saudi Arabia Pharmaceuticals Market Overview, 20152026 5. Saudi Arabia Pharmaceutical Market-Healthcare Indicators 5.1. Macroeconomic Indicators 5.1.1. Saudi Arabia GDP (US$ Bn) and GDP Growth (%) 5.1.2. GDP Growth (%) Comparison 5.1.3. Healthcare Expenditure (% of GDP), Saudi Arabia 5.1.4. Healthcare Expenditure (% of GDP) Comparison, 2014 5.1.5. Healthcare Expenditure Per Capita (Current US$), 2014 5.1.6. Saudi Arabia Healthcare Budget (US$ Mn) and Y-o-Y Growth (%) 5.1.7. Health Expenditure, (% of GDP) Public Vs. Private Sector 5.1.8. FDI in Saudi Arabia 5.2. Demographic Indicators 5.2.1. Saudi Arabia Population (Mn) and Growth Rate (%) 5.2.2. Saudi Arabia Age Map, 2014 5.3. Healthcare Infrastructure Indicators 5.3.1. Number of Hospitals in Saudi Arabia 5.3.2. Number of Hospital Beds 5.3.3. Number of Healthcare Professionals in Saudi Arabia 5.3.4. Saudi Arabia and International Comparative Analysis / 1,000 Persons, 2013 (or Nearest Year) 6. Market Dynamics 6.1. Macroeconomic Factors 6.2. Demand Side Drivers 6.3. Supply Side Drivers 6.4. Market Opportunity 6.5. Restraints 6.6. Trends 6.7. Saudi Arabia Drug Regulatory Impact Analysis 6.8. Intellectual Property Rights for Medicines in KSA 6.9. Pricing Scenario in KSA 6.10. Export-Import of Drugs in KSA Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- Report provides a detailed outlook by product category for the Singaporean general insurance segment. Get Free PDF for more Professional and Technical insights @ https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=2183511 It provides values for key performance indicators such as written premium, claims ratio and general insurance penetration during the review period (2013-2017) and forecast period (2017-2022). The report also analyzes distribution channels operating in the segment, gives a comprehensive overview of the Singaporean economy and demographics, and provides detailed information on the competitive landscape in the country. The report brings together GlobalDatas research, modeling and analysis expertise, giving insurers access to information on segment dynamics and competitive advantages, and profiles of insurers operating in the country. The report also includes details of insurance regulations, and recent changes in the regulatory structure. This report provides in-depth market analysis, information and insights into the the Singaporean general insurance segment. Key Highlights - Key insights and dynamics of the Singaporean general insurance industry. - Comparison of Singaporean general insurance segments, along with premium trends and key profitability ratios. - A comprehensive overview of the Singaporean economy, government initiatives, FDI, country risk, investment opportunities and enterprise structure. - Singapore's insurance regulatory frameworks evolution, key facts, taxation regime, licensing and capital requirements. - Singapore's general insurance industrys market structure giving details of retail and commercial lines of business with market shares. - Distribution channels deployed by the Singaporean general insurers. - Details of the competitive landscape, M&A and competitors profiles. View Complete TOC with tables & Figures @ https://www.researchmoz.us/strategic-market-intelligence-general-insurance-in-singapore-key-trends-and-opportunities-to-2022-report.html/toc Scope - This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the general insurance segment in Singapore. - It provides historical values for the Singaporean general insurance segment for the reports 2013-2017 review period, and projected figures for the 2017-2022 forecast period. - It offers a detailed analysis of the key categories in the Singaporean general insurance segment, and market forecasts to 2022. - It analyzes the various distribution channels for general insurance products in Singapore. - It analyzes various country risk governance indicators and their impact on the Singaporean general insurance industry - It profiles the top general insurance companies in Singapore, and outlines the key regulations affecting them. Reasons to buy - Make strategic business decisions using in-depth historic and forecast market data related to the Singaporean general insurance segment, and each category within it. - Understand the demand-side dynamics, key market trends and growth opportunities in Singapore's general insurance segment. - Assess the competitive dynamics in the general insurance segment. - Identify growth opportunities and market dynamics in key product categories. - Gain insights into key regulations governing the Singaporean insurance industry, and their impact on companies and the industry's future. Make An Enquiry @ https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=2183511 Companies mentioned AIA NTUC Prudential Assurance The Great Eastern Life AXA Aviva Ltd AIG MSIG First Capital Chubb For More Information Kindly Contact: ResearchMoz Mr. Nachiket Ghumare, 90 State Street, Albany NY, United States - 12207 Tel: +1-518-621-2074 USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948 Email: sales@researchmoz.us Follow us on LinkedIn @ http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG Follow me on : https://marketinfo247.wordpress.com/ Sellbyville, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/25/2019 -- Smart Luggage Market growth is accredited to the rising per capita income and shift in the consumer demands for convenient lifestyle. The demand for user friendly luggage for practical applications will surge the industry demand in the next few years. The penetration of advanced technologies such as Bluetooth, PS and digital scaling which enables the users to check the weight of the baggage and offer locking proximity alternatives. The digital scaling application segment will have the highest growth in the smart luggage market due to the escalating demand from the consumer side to analyze the total weight of the bag prior to the journey. This enables the travelers to avoid the hassles associated with the travel and also eliminates the risks associated with over packing. Request for a sample copy of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/2066 Sensors are expected to play a key role in the adoption of smart baggage. Tracking the misplaced or lost luggage is expected to boost the demand for proximity sensors. Miniaturization trend in the electronics segment is expected to positively impact the smart luggage market. Real-time tracking applications in the smart luggage market are forecast to witness growth owing to the increase in instances of luggage misplacement by the airlines. The companion application, compatible with Android and iOS and that comes with the intelligent bag is expected to gain customer attention, owing to the features such as locking & tracking and information updates regarding flight schedules. Increase in security is expected to drive the demand for locking applications. The connectivity technology segment is expected to witness growth in the smart luggage market due to the demand from the customers to access the luggage with convenience. It also enables the users to get insights on the gates, currency exchange and flight schedules. This connected smart luggage are designed such that to shut down when it is onboard and automatically switch on while landing to meet the regulations of the government regarding the usage of wireless technologies. Make an inquiry for buying this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/2066 The Asia Pacific smart luggage market is expected to witness high growth owing to the rising urbanization and increase in the air traffic levels specifically in countries such as Malaysia and Singapore. Many organizations are heavily investing in the technology as it enables them to offer better customer experiences and monitor the process based on different insights. Furthermore, a rising demand for sophisticated and varied luggage products, numerous trendy and intelligent suitcase categories have escalated the demand for these products. North America, being one of the hubs of smart technology, is a profitable growth avenue for smart luggage market. The large-scale deployment of connected baggage has prompted companies to brainstorm and develop innovative products, which would considerably impel North America smart luggage industry. In fact, estimates claim North America to account for a rather huge share in smart luggage market. With IoT firmly having established its predominance in the travel arena, smart luggage market is likely to emerge as one of most remunerative business spheres in the ensuing years. Companies partaking in smart luggage industry share have been hinting at incorporating a lot more user-friendly features in their products, which would considerably impel this business space. According to the Global Market Insights, Inc., smart luggage industry will hit a revenue of over USD 2 billion by 2024. Browse Full Reports: https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/smart-luggage-market 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. Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/25/2019 -- The first commercially successful micro inverter was launched by Enphase in 2008, which played a key role in popularising solar micro inverters globally. Currently, the global market comprises numerous domestic as well as international players supplying quality micro inverters. Modularity, safety, and maximum energy harvest will continue to drive the market at a considerable pace through 2020. Till recent years, the demand for micro inverters was highly restricted to North America. However, the market is gradually shifting toward commercial applications, and witnessing expansion in most of the developed as well as developing regions outside the U.S. Adoption of solar micro inverters has gained momentum in the recent past, resulting in a growing market in developing nations, including Asia Pacific. Improved device features and enhanced efficiency are currently pushing the market in APAC, which is projected to continue in the near future as well, creating a lucrative market for micro inverters on a global level. APAC Solar Micro Inverters Market: Key Drivers Declining Prices to Push Demand The market is currently growing at a considerable pace. Persistent advances in R&D of solar micro inverters and substantial reduction in costs of micro inverters are estimated to boost the market during the forecast period. Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-ap-278 Size and Modularity to Impact Maximum Applications Compact size and high modularity of solar micro inverters make them ideal for residential applications. These two are the key drivers why micro inverters are currently gaining an impetus at a global level. Superiority over Conventional Inverters is a Key Driver Solar micro inverters are superior over conventional centralised or string inverters in various ways. Unlike string inverters, micro inverters are tolerant to shade and do not let the power generation performance of individual solar panels drop, even if the area surrounding them is shady. This character is identified as one of the key factors positively influencing the demand for micro inverters when it comes to their efficiency. Contrary to centralised inverters, solar micro inverters are compact in size and do not need separate air cooling, resulting in lesser heat loss. This is another factor fuelling the demand for micro inverters in the market. Moreover, a broken string or centralised inverter faces halted performance merely due to a defect in one panel, whereas a defective panel in a micro inverter does not degrade the performance of the entire system because the system architecture allows individual panel monitoring. The maximum power is generated through MPPT. This has been an important driver in popularising micro inverters over the years. Higher Costs Can Create Challenges However, relatively higher initial costs associated with installation and replacement of micro inverts may continue to create a major roadblock for solar micro inverters from becoming a widely commonplace device across Asia Pacific. Furthermore, installation of micro inverters requires the installation of another extra monitoring device - a communication bus, in addition to the basic common monitoring system. This in turn adds up to the final costs. APAC Solar Micro Inverters Market Segmentation FMI's research offers a six-year forecast, segmenting the APAC market for solar micro inverters based on the type, consumer, and application. Based on the type, the market is segmented into standalone solar micro inverter market and grid tied solar micro inverter market. On the basis of consumers, the solar micro inverter market in Asia Pacific is segmented as urban and rural. The urban segment dominates the market owing to rising awareness about alternate energy usage and growing population density in urban areas. According to the application, the solar micro inverters market in APAC is segmented as residential and commercial. As micro inverters are economically lesser affordable compared to other traditional inverters, their residential applications find a lower market share in economically sensitive regions in Asia Pacific. However, the commercial solar micro inverter market application currently dominates the market. Market to Explore Untapped Growth Opportunities in APAC Although the U.S. is a leading market for solar micro inverters, adoption of solar micro inverters is expected to gain traction in Asia Pacific, especially in India, Japan, and Australia. Soaring fuel prices, burgeoning demand for power supply, and favourable government policies are currently driving the market in APAC. Regional Analysis: APAC Solar Micro Inverters Market India, owing to the availability of ample renewable energy sources, captures a prominent position in the APAC market for micro inverters. Growing awareness about benefits of micro inverters and widespread adoption of renewable energy sources for agriculture are expected to fuel the demand for solar micro inverters across India. The Union Budget of India for 2014-15 has clearly indicated emphasis on using solar for electricity generation. This is a key factor, anticipated to provide momentum to the market for micro inverters in and post-2016. Japan, despite representing a key residential market potential, has been facing limited micro inverter shipments. Stringent certification norms are anticipated to govern the Japanese market but domestic suppliers are expected to encounter growing opportunities. Australia is a relatively emerging market for photovoltaics, which makes it an unestablished market for string and centralised inverters. The Australian market, since the past few years, has been reflecting growing demand for micro inverters and FMI's research indicates string growth prospects for micro inverter suppliers. Recently, Enphase announced to commercially launch their AC battery first in Australia, later this year. ARENA Australia, through ample of renewable energy funds, will continue to provide an additional thrust to the market. In addition, there are other expanding market, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Philippines. Malaysia hosts several off-grid projects, whereas Indonesia is up for a thousand islands project. Philippines is also continually initiating multiple rural electrification projects. Utility companies located in all the three countries are currently prioritising rural electrification. Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-ap-278 Key Players in APAC Solar Micro Inverters Market Key participants in the Asia Pacific market for solar micro inverters, include Enphase Energy, Solar Bridge Technologies, SolarEdge, Green Ray Solar, and Enecsys. Officials at a Palestinian university in the West Bank say undercover Israeli forces have raided the campus and arrested three students. Lubna Abdelhadi, a spokeswoman for the Bir Zeit University, says the armed commandos, disguised as locals, entered the campus early on Tuesday and grabbed the students, believed to be Hamas activists, while they were sleeping. The students were apparently hiding on campus to try and avoid arrest. The raid happened as Israel and Gaza's Hamas militants traded fire overnight after a rocket attack from Gaza struck a home in central Israel early on Monday. Israeli forces had previously raided the university in 2017 and ransacked the student council, confiscating materials used by political groups. The Israeli military said it arrested nine Palestinian suspects in routine overnight West Bank raids, but would not specify further. Search Keywords: Short link: New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- The latest market intelligence study on Styrene Maleic Anhydride (SMA) Copolymer market relies on statistics derived from the application of both primary and secondary research to present insights pertaining to the operational model, opportunities and competitive landscape of Styrene Maleic Anhydride (SMA) Copolymer market for the forecast period, 2018 - 2026. Importantly, the research taps critical data about the niche segments, market share, size, and growth rate to offer business owners, field marketing executives and stakeholders a competitive edge over others operating in the same industry. Deep dive into customer focussed aspects including spending power, shifting customer preferences and consumption volume further narrates a lot about the business processes in vogue and product utilization for the forecast period, 2018 - 2026. Request for sample Styrene Maleic Anhydride (SMA) Copolymer market report in PDF format available now @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/sample-enquiry-form/32541 Major Players in Styrene Maleic Anhydride (SMA) Copolymer market are: - Polyscope Polymers - TOTAL Cray Valley (TCV) - INEOS - Sinopec - Baoding Lucky Chemical - YINXIN Chemical - Kaixin Fine Chemical Major Regions play vital role in Styrene Maleic Anhydride (SMA) Copolymer market are: - North America - Europe - China - Japan - Middle East & Africa - India - South America - Others We can also provide the customized separate regional or country-level reports, for the following regions: North America, United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia-Pacific, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Rest of Asia-Pacific, Europe, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Russia, Rest of Europe, Central & South America, Brazil, Argentina, Rest of South America, Middle East & Africa, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Rest of Middle East & Africa The market intelligence study for the Styrene Maleic Anhydride (SMA) Copolymer market further provides an inside-out overview of necessary aspects associated with the product classification, important definitions, major orders and other industry-centric parameters. An underlying part of the study also maps the important factors associated with the recent events such as mergers and acquisition, collaboration and new product launches. In addition, the research lays down a robust groundwork for obtaining a vast amount of information that potential customers can use to increase their profits and reduce costs. The inclusion of data on market segmentation by type, application, and geography offers clarity presents an analytical picture of, what manufacturers are aiming for. Market by Type - A-SMA - R-SMA Market by Application - Automobile Instrument - Phase Solvent - Building Materials - Others Purchase full report through this link and get 15% free customization on the Styrene Maleic Anhydride (SMA) Copolymer report@ https://www.marketexpertz.com/checkout-form/32541 The study objectives of this report are: - To analyze and study the global Styrene Maleic Anhydride (SMA) Copolymer capacity, production, value, consumption, status (2013-2018) and forecast (2018-2026); - Focuses on the key Styrene Maleic Anhydride (SMA) Copolymer manufacturers, to study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in future. - Focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis. - To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region. - To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks. - To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting the market growth. - To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments. - To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trend and their contribution to the market - To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market - To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies. Key elements from table of content: Part 1 Market Overview 1.1 Market Definition 1.2 Market Development 1.3 By Type 1.4 By Application 1.5 By Region Part 2 Global Market Status and Future Forecast 2.1 Global Market by Region 2.2 Global Market by Company 2.3 Global Market by Type 2.4 Global Market by Application 2.5 Global Market by Forecast Continue Browse complete Styrene Maleic Anhydride (SMA) Copolymer market report description @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/industry-overview/styrene-maleic-anhydride-sma-copolymer-market About MarketExpertz Planning to invest in market intelligence products or offerings on the web? Then marketexpertz has just the thing for you - reports from over 500 prominent publishers and updates on our collection daily to empower companies and individuals catch-up with the vital insights on industries operating across different geography, trends, share, size and growth rate. There's more to what we offer to our customers. With marketexpertz you have the choice to tap into the specialized services without any additional charges. Contact Us: John Watson Head of Business Development Market Expertz | Web: https://www.marketexpertz.com Direct Line: +1-800-819-3052 E-mail: sales@marketexpertz.com News: https://www.marketexpertz.com/market-news Maharashtra, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2019 -- Water Cooled Chillers Market The global Water Cooled Chillers Market report look through various tendencies, obstructions, and challenges faced by the key competitors of Water Cooled Chillers market. The report has been prepared in consideration of the major outcomes and consequences of the market. This report examines the Water Cooled Chillers market status and the potential of global and major regions, from angles of players, product regions and end Application/industries; this report assesses the key players in global and major regions and classifies the Water Cooled Chillers market by product and Application/end industries. Download Research Study With Latest Advancement Trends and Application https://www.reportsmonitor.com/request_sample/394401 Segmentation: The Major Companies Covered in this Report are: Daikin, ALTO, General Air Products, Johnson Controls, Carrier UK, Trane, Motivair Corporation, McQuay, Zarsky Industries, Smardt-OPK, SCHLEE, Shini, Coolsoon, DAISHIBA, Shenzhen Keweitai, TOPCHILLER Market Analysis by Types: Water Cooled Scroll Chiller Water Cooled Screw Chiller Market by Application Plastic Industry Electrons & Plating Chemical Industry Printing Others Regions/Countries: North America (USA, Canada, Mexico) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand) Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, etc.) South America (Brazil, Argentina, etc.) Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Iran etc.) Africa (Egypt, South Africa, etc.) Get Discount on this report @ https://www.reportsmonitor.com/check_discount/394401 Points Covered in The Report: The points that are talked over within the report are the major Water Cooled Chillers market players that influence the market such as raw material suppliers, manufacturers, equipment suppliers, end users, traders, distributors etc. The all-inclusive profile of the companies is specified. The production, price, capacity, revenue, cost, gross, gross margin, sales volume, sales revenue, consumption, growth rate, import, export, future strategies, supply, and the technological developments that they are creating are also incorporated within the report. Besides the historical data from 2012 to 2017 and forecast data from 2019 to 2024. The growth factors of the Water Cooled Chillers market are deeply discussed while the different end users of the market are underlined. Data and information by manufacturer, by region, by type, by application and etc., and custom research can be added in line with the specific requirements. The report also considers the SWOT analysis of the market. Finally, the report concludes with the opinions of the industry experts. Full Report Link @ https://www.reportsmonitor.com/report/394401/Water-Cooled-Chillers-Market The global Water Cooled Chillers Market provides an overall research conclusion and market feasibility of investing in a novel project is assessed. Global Water Cooled Chillers Market is a beneficial and trustworthy source of guidance and mode for individuals and companies concerned with the sales of the market. About Reports Monitor Reports Monitor is a market intelligence and consulting firm with extensive experience and knowledge of the Market Research industry. 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. Decision makers can now rely on our distinct data gathering methods to get factual market forecasting and detailed analysis. Mention your Queries here to Get a Call from Our Industry Expert @ sales@reportsmonitor.com A new immersive, 360-degree, ultra-high-definition visualization provides more details of what NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory sees in X-rays around the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy. By combining NASA Ames supercomputer simulations with Chandra data, the visualization shows the effects of dozens of massive stellar giants, called Wolf-Rayet stars, with fierce winds blowing off their surfaces in the region a few light years away from the supermassive black hole known as Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). These Wolf-Rayet winds provide a buffet of material for the supermassive black hole to potentially feed upon. Viewers can observe dense clumps of material streaming toward Sgr A*. These clumps formed when winds from the massive stars near Sgr A* collide. Along with watching the motion of these clumps, the viewers can watch as relatively low-density gas falls toward Sgr A*. In this visualization, the blue and cyan colors represent X-ray emission from hot gas, with temperatures of tens of millions of degrees; red shows ultraviolet emission from moderately dense regions of cooler gas, with temperatures of tens of thousands of degrees; and yellow shows of the cooler gas with the highest densities. A collection of X-ray-emitting gas is seen to move slowly when it is far away from Sgr A*, and then pick up speed and whip around the viewer as it comes inwards. Sometimes clumps of gas will collide with gas ejected by other stars, resulting in a flash of X-rays when the gas is heated up, and then it quickly cools down. Farther away from the viewer, the movie also shows collisions of fast stellar winds producing X-rays. These collisions are thought to provide the dominant source of hot gas that is seen by Chandra. When an outburst occurs from gas very near the black hole, the ejected gas collides with material flowing away from the massive stars in winds, pushing this material backwards and causing it to glow in X-rays. When the outburst dies down the winds return to normal and the X-rays fade. _____ Christopher M.P. Russell et al. 2017. Modelling the thermal X-ray emission around the Galactic Centre from colliding Wolf-Rayet winds. MNRAS 464 (4): 4958-4965; doi: 10.1093/mnras/stw2584 Saudi Arabia rejected US President Donald Trump's recognition Monday of Syria's Golan Heights as Israeli territory condemning it as a violation of international law. US President Donald Trump -- a key Saudi ally -- broke with decades of US policy on Monday, signing a proclamation recognising Israeli sovereignty over the strategic territory it seized from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community. "Saudi Arabia expresses its firm rejection and condemnation of the US administration's declaration that it recognises Israel's sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights," said a statement carried by the official SPA news agency. The Golan remains "occupied Syrian Arab land" and its recognition as Israeli is a "violation of the UN Charter and international resolutions," the statement said. "This will have negative effects on the Middle East peace process and security and stability in the region." The UN Security Council and successive US administrations have always regarded the Golan as occupied territory whose return would be negotiated as part of comprehensive peace deal between Israel and Syria. Trump has failed to carry any of his allies in his policy U-turn, which he signed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his side. Fellow veto-wielding Security Council permanent members Britain and France have both said they will continue to consider the Golan Heights as Israeli-occupied in line with council resolutions, as have China and Russia. US relations with Saudi Arabia have improved sharply since the 2017 inauguration of Trump, who has broken with his predecessor Barack Obama's diplomatic opening to Saudi arch foe Iran. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: Algeria's army chief of staff called on Tuesday for a constitutional procedure that would see President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika declared unfit for office, arguing this would meet the demands of protesters seeking an end to his 20-year rule. Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaed Salah, addressing army officers in a speech broadcast on two private Algerian TV stations, called for a unified stand to resolve the crisis, which has seen weeks of mass anti-government protests. Salah said the solution would be based on Article 102 of the constitution and achieve a consensus of "all visions and parties". That article applies under certain conditions, such as deteriorating health. Bouteflika, 82, has rarely appeared in public since suffering a stroke in 2013. The next formal step is for the constitutional council to formally to declare Bouteflika unfit for office, a decision that members of parliament's lower and upper house need to ratify by a two-thirds majority. Based on Article 102, the chairman of parliament's upper house, Abdelkader Bensalah, would serve as caretaker president for at least 45 days. El Bilad television said the constitutional council had convened in special session after Salah's move. Algeria's powerful military had avoided direct intervention until now, patiently monitoring the unrest from the sidelines, although warning it would not tolerate chaos in the vast North African state, a major oil and natural gas exporter. Bouteflika, among the veterans of the 1954-62 war of independence against France who continue to dominate Algeria, has bowed to protesters by reversing a decision to seek another term and putting off elections that had been set for April. But his gesture failed to defuse growing anger in the streets, for he stopped short of quitting as head of state and said he would stay on until a new constitution is adopted, effectively extending his current term. "In this context it became necessary, even imperative, to find a solution to end the crisis that responds to the legitimate demands of the Algerian people and which quarantines the rules of the constitution," Salah was quoted by the state news agency APS as saying. Thousands of people had returned to the streets of the capital Algiers earlier on Tuesday calling on Bouteflika to resign, keeping up popular pressure. "The system must go. There is no point for it in resisting," said Belkacem Abidi, 25, one of about 6,000 protesters, mostly students, who gathered in downtown Algiers on Tuesday. Algerians will face uncertainty for some time before a new president emerges. One of the most important factors is the position of the military, which could act as kingmaker, as it has done in past decades. "Im optimistic that our pressure will change things peacefully," said architect Noureddine Bahi, 52. Search Keywords: Short link: Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Abu El-Gheit expressed his rejection and condemnation of the announcement made by Honduras and Romania that they will be transferring their embassies to Jerusalem during a pro-Israel forum held in Washington, DC. "Some countries that seek to please the United States and Israel by announcing the transfer of their embassy to Jerusalem are involved in a serious violation of international law, which stipulates that Jerusalem has been an occupied territory since 1967," said spokesman for the Arab League secretary-general Ambassador Mahmoud Afifi, who added that the transfer of embassies does not change this legal status. Afifi said that that the countries taking these steps are risking their friendship with the Arab world, calling on them to revise this negative policy, which does not serve to achieve peace in the region. Afifi said that in the case of Romania, it seems that the decision to transfer the embassy was based on the personal desires of the countrys prime minister, and that the Romanian president has a different view on the matter. The spokesman added that some countries that had taken steps to transfer their embassy, such as Paraguay, have reversed their decision after careful consideration of its negative and serious consequences. He called on Honduras and Romania to conduct a similar revision of their positions, adding that the Arab summit in Tunis early next week will study this issue. Search Keywords: Short link: 17 Carnival group ships up north Carnival Corp. has 17 ships in Alaska this year. In December guidance, the company had said pricing was in line with the prior year at lower bookings, but that was before wave season, when a substantial portion of the Alaska season is sold. The lower pricing compares to 2018's record season, CFO David Bernstein said during the company's first quarter earnings call, adding: 'We feel good about the pricing for the various brands that we have up there.' Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Tuesday joined critics of U.S. President Donald Trump's formal recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, saying that the move trampled on international law. Aoun, who spoke at the start of his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin, said Trump's decision "undermines the foundations and rules of the United Nations and international law'' and "causes particular concern in the countries neighboring Israel.'' Trump's move made the U.S. the first country to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan, which was captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and regarded by the rest of the international community as occupied territory. Russian officials and lawmakers have criticized Trump's decision as destabilizing, but Putin refrained from commenting on the issue during his opening remarks at the start of the talks. The Russian leader hailed Lebanon as Moscow's "traditional partner'' in the region. Aoun, who arrived in Moscow on Monday, focused on efforts to encourage the return of Syrian refugees. Lebanon has taken in over 1 million refugees from neighboring Syria, which is equivalent of a quarter of Lebanon's population. Lebanese politicians are divided over how to handle relations with the Syrian government and repatriation of refugees and look to Moscow to help to mediate that. At a meeting with Russian lawmakers earlier Tuesday, Aoun said that Lebanon faces "a terrible economic fallout'' from the Syrian crisis and expressed hope that Russia would help his country repatriate the Syrians. Russia, which has waged a military campaign in Syria that helped President Bashar Assad's government reclaim wide swaths of territory, has strongly pushed for the refugees' return and criticized the West for failing to offer support. In a joint statement issued after the Kremlin talks, Russia and Lebanon called on the international community to help create favorable socio-economic conditions for the refugees' return by helping Syria's post-war reconstruction. Search Keywords: Short link: The maritime business, and IMO 2020, is now mainstream top of the fold stuff. Shipping is the new frontier in the climate change fight - offering a skewed take on corporate social responsibility -appeared in the FT on 14 March, with New shipping rules leave oil traders strangely paralysed - dealing with refining and spreads - appearing on 21 March. These articles coincided with a social media awakening by an organization called The Coalition for American Energy Security (CAES), on the web at https://americanenergysecurity.com/ and on Twitter, nearly every hour, it seems, at #SecureUSEnergy, which has come out swinging hard in favour of a timely implementation of IMO 2020. The CAES explains that: We recently formed to educate policymakers on the benefits to the United States of timely implementation of the International Maritime Organizations (IMO) 2020 standards. Imposing the standards in a timely manner will serve as a tremendous boost to the United States economy. On the website, they add that: The IMOs sulphur standards are a win-win by positioning the American energy industry to lead the global market for low-sulfur nautical fuel while also dramatically reducing sulfur emissions at sea. They make the case that the US energy industry, after having made substantial investment, is ready for IMO2020- and able to meet maritime needs for low sulphur fuels. The website links to a number of the aforementioned blogposts and newsletter articles. The new awareness, for shipping people, should be the extreme political ramifications of IMO 2020, with US linked oil producers standing to gain a great deal from the post 1 January 2020 environment. Members of the CAES include well-known oil names BP and Valero, mid-size logisticians PBF and HollyFrontier, as well as the American Petroleum Institute (API) and American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers. Importantly, industry buy-in comes through the membership of the World Shipping Council- which represents a broad range of liner companies calling at US ports, many of which have developed mystery-ridden formulae for Bunker Adjustment Factors, or BAFs. The backstory of the CAES concerns the upcoming 2020 election, with dialogue on the FT comment boards gets to the heart of the matter. Quite simply, it is suggested that low energy prices, particularly for petrol and for gasoil, will help get President Trump re-elected, and that high prices might not. Noted energy economist Phil Verleger, who worked in the 1970s White House in the years of major Oil Shocks, has pointed out: This president is a pretty good tactician as far as his base. He knows they need and demand low gasoline prices He also knows farmers need low diesel prices. They are a key part of his base. He has already hurt them. He has the authority to impose block exports. He will keep gasoline and diesel prices down if he does that. The posts continue: If world oil prices start to rise he will act. This is why the API, a number of state organizations representing the independent crude producers, the refiners association organization, and several refiners are spending millions on a PR programme in an effort to block presidential actions. Between the lines, then, the CAES members would not complain (unlike Trumps base) if the low sulphur versus high sulfur spreads moved back out, bucking a trend in recent months. What better way to recoup all that investment, after all? Central China Logistics Corporation, a subsidiary of the state-owned Wuhan New Port Construction Investment and Development Group, is co-operating with Wuhan local authorities to demolish four terminals operated by the company. The project includes three cargo and passenger handling terminals located at Hanjiang district and one cargo handling terminal at Hanyang district, Wuhan. Earlier this year, the city of Wuhan launched its port optimisation plans to improve port operation efficiency and environment along Yangtze river and Han river, a totalling of 103 terminals will be closed. Read more: Wuhan to close over half of its terminals in port area optimisation Wuhan New Port Construction Investment and Development Group, formerly known as Wuhan Jiaotong State Holding Group, was restructured and established in 2000 to better manage local port resources and develop Wuhan new port to be the largest inland river port in China. Press Release March 26, 2019 Angara urges more support for organic farmers Reelectionist Senator Sonny Angara said the government needs to roll out more measures in support of Filipino organic farmers to help the sector survive and deliver on its promises of environmental safety, health benefits and agricultural sustainability. "The government should strengthen support services for farmers who refuse to use chemical-based farm outputs and genetically-modified technologies. This should include spearheading major marketing initiatives to boost sales of organic products," Angara said. The lawmaker from Aurora, who is running under the platform "Alagang Angara," lauded the case of Koronadal City, which is aiming to become the first organic agriculture city of the SOCCSKSARGEN region. The city has been giving incentives to producers of organic products in a bid to encourage more local farmers to practice and venture into organic farming. Under the program, organic producers receive cash incentives of as high as P10 per kilo for validated produce reaching the local markets. Angara said this incentives program should be replicated nationwide to pave the way for a shift in policy orientation from synthetic to organic agriculture - a pioneering, sustainable and environmentally friendly way to produce food. "I fully support organic agriculture given the social and environmental benefits that can be derived from organic products," Angara said. Angara said organic farming offers a good livelihood alternative for those in the agriculture sector, who account for 60 percent of the nation's poorest. To achieve this, Angara underscored the need to address issues that may be stopping the farming sector from achieving its full potential. "Farmers and fishermen continue to be handicapped by the lack of support facilities such as farm-to-market roads, irrigation networks, post-harvest facilities, fishing ports and access to credit," Angara said. In batting for organic agriculture, Angara said the farming method has been proven more productive, profitable and sustainable while safeguarding the environment. The senator noted that organic farming delivers equally or more nutritious food products that contain less or no pesticide residues, and provide greater social benefits than its conventional counterpart. Organic farming, he added, is concerned with protecting the environment and working in harmony with existing ecosystems, including conserving water, soil and energy, and using renewable resources and natural farming cycles. "Overall, organic farming is better for the environment and more sustainable," Angara said. Press Release March 26, 2019 De Lima dares Duterte to prove his 'zero tolerance for corruption' Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has dared Mr. Duterte to prove his much-avowed zero tolerance for corruption by firing Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board member Sandra Cam who reportedly acquired PhP500 million in unexplained wealth. De Lima, a staunch critic of the Duterte administration, said Mr. Duterte should prove that there is no untouchable in his government by refusing to give undue privilege to personalities with vested interests and dubious reputation like Cam. "I dare you, Mr. President, to fire Sandra Cam or at least order a bona fide investigation into her alleged amassing of properties worth hundreds of millions of pesos, including an island. That's a whiff or more than a "whiff of corruption," isn't it?" De Lima said in her recent Dispatch from Crame No. 493. "Not lifting a finger vis-a-vis Sandra Cam's well-known shenanigans should shatter your feigned corruption-loathing image, and your ego," she added. In a letter filed before the Ombudsman, private citizen Lino Espinosa Lim Jr. sought an investigation into the several properties of Cam in Masbate province worth a total of PhP500 million that were allegedly registered under the names of some of her family members. Lim, a resident of Uson, Masbate, said that the value of properties that Cam acquired were "manifestly out of proportion to her salary as a public official." Veering away from the issue, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the Palace will not conduct a separate investigation against Cam, saying that it would leave it all up to the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate the said hidden wealth. De Lima likened the privileges being offered to Cam by Mr. Duterte to that of former justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II who was allowed to resign in 2018 without facing charges for his crimes against the Filipino people. "She cannot be that untouchable! Or is she more privileged than Aguirre? Whom you just consigned to oblivion without nary a case or cases filed against him," she said. "Why? Kailangan mo kasing protektahan si Aguirre dahil malaki ang utang na loob mo sa kanya bilang chief enforcer of your "Destroy de Lima" edict," she added. The lady Senator from Bicol said she is not surprised that Duterte is not lifting a finger on Cam, considering that the PCSO board member was among those individuals who worked closely with Duterte to destroy her. "Tingnan natin kung kaya mong gawin yan sa isa sa mga inutusan mong pangunahing trumabaho, bilang alalay nila Vitaliano Aguirre at Persida Acosta, sa pagbuo ng mga kasinungalingan at pekeng akusasyon laban sa akin, kasama na yung pananakot, pag-pressure at pag-blackmail ng mga testigo o posibleng testigo," she said. The staunchest critic of the administration's war on drugs, De Lima was illegally detained last Feb. 24, 2017 based on absurd illegal drug trading charges that were based on perjured testimonies of shady personalities and convicted criminals, as well as manufactured evidence. Last year, De Lima filed Senate Resolution (SR) No. 578 which sought to look into the internal squabbles among officials of the PCSO to shield it against private vested interests. Press Release March 26, 2019 Hontiveros welcomes Manila Water's waiving of water bills, calls for reimbursement of public hospitals Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday said that the announcement of Manila Water of a "voluntary and one-time bill waiver" to compensate its consumers affected by the water supply shortage is a "big win for ordinary paying consumers." It was reported that all Manila Water customers will "receive a bill waiver of the minimum charge in their April bill which reflects their March consumption." "This is certainly a big victory for consumers. But we must not stop here. There is more that needs to be done in order to prevent this crisis from happening again. I hope this development will serve as a stepping stone as we thoroughly scrutinize the concession agreements entered into by our government with private water companies and revisit the government's overall privatization policy of public utilities, such as water," Hontiveros said. Hontiveros, who is the Vice-chair of the Senate Committee on Health, also called on Manila Water to reimburse public hospitals affected by the water crisis. She said that reimbursing public hospitals is the next step after waiving its consumers' bill next month. Citing data obtained from the Department of Health (DOH), Hontiveros said that 6 public hospital hospitals suffered total losses of P 4.116 M at the height of the water crisis. She said that from March 8-18, the Rizal Medical Center, Quirino Memorial Medical Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), National Center for Mental Health, East Avenue Medical Center and the Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center sustained added operational costs amounting to P 1.372 M. Meanwhile, from March 12-18, the Rizal Medical Center and the NKTI incurred estimated revenue losses of P 630,000 and P 1.750 M, respectively, or a total of P 2.380 M as a result of limiting patients due to the limited water supply. "In the same spirit and under the same principle that guided it in waiving its water fees as a form of compensation to consumers, Manila Water should immediately reimburse the said public hospitals and compensate them for the public health risks their patients were exposed to because of the water crisis. It must make good on its promise to compensate all those who were severely affected by the water crisis and help restore consumer trust and confidence," Hontiveros said. It was reported that during the Senate's hearing on the water shortage, officials from the Rizal Medical Center said that they spent approximately P100,000 on the emergency procurement of water containers, about P50,000 for bottled water and P260,000 for an upgraded pump for the hospital's cistern. The RMC said that it also spent for the fuel that firetrucks used to pump the water supply. Hontiveros to Malacanang: Stop pawning Philippines in "China's Pawnshop," signing treasonous infra deals Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday assailed the onerous provisions in the Chinese loan agreement on the Chico River Pump Irrigation Project, and warned Malacanang that entering such deals are "grossly disadvantageous and treason to the country." "The Philippines is not pawning in 'China's pawnshop' in the region. Hindi natin isasangla ang ating soberanya at gagawing kolateral ang ating likas yaman sa mga di-patas na proyekto at pautang ng Tsina," she said. Hontiveros said that she agreed with Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on the need for greater public scrutiny of loan agreements being entered into by the Duterte administration with China. Carpio recently revealed that the Chico River loan agreement contains a provision that allows Chinese takeover of patrimonial assets - including gas fields in the Recto Bank (Reed Bank) - in case the country defaults in our payment on these loans. He also said that arbitration mechanisms provided in the loan agreements will heavily favor the Chinese government to the detriment of the Philippines. "Calling these onerous provisions alarming is an understatement. Despite Malacanang's denials, it is clear as day that these loan agreements will have catastrophic results for our sovereignty, natural resources and economic security," she said. Hontiveros also assailed the confidentiality clause of the Chico River loan agreement and other deals with China, and said that such clauses are a "flagrant violation of the constitutional right of the people to information on matters of public concern." "In the interest of transparency and accountability, I call on the Duterte government to fully disclose the details of all loan agreements it entered into, particularly with the Chinese government. Kung talagang nakabubuti sa bansa ang mga nilalakad at inuutang na proyekto sa Tsina, walang kailangang itago ang Malakanyang sa taumbayan," she said. Press Release March 26, 2019 Transcript of press conference of SP Sotto III, Majority Leader Zubiri, Minority Leader Drilon and Sen. Lacson SP Sotto: The Senate contingent met with House contingent yesterday. And then last night, even after so many hours, Sen. Lacson, Legarda, Drilon, Zubiri, Recto waited for me as I arrived from Cebu and told me of a possible scenario on how to resolve the impasse once and for all. We were thinking or we had the same thinking that let us no longer belabour the issue and address it directly. And therefore we asked the House of Representatives through Sen. Lacson to tell Cong. Ronnie Zamora to inform the Speaker that they should send the copy to us as they have presented before and I would be ready to sign the budget and as of now we are informing you that I already signed the budget, the enrolled copy, it is now going to be an enrolled bill presented to the President but I placed my reservations on the signature. I have incorporated a note that says 'my signature is in reference to my attached annotation.' And my attached annotation goes like this: 'President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, President of the Philippines... Mr. President, I affixed my signature with strong reservations. My attestation is limited only to those approved by the Bicameral Conference Committee and ratified by both Houses of Congress. In particular, it is my view that it is unconstitutional that P75 billion worth of programs/ projects under the Local Infrastructure Program of the Department of Public Works and Highways was funded through internal realignments, after the Bicameral Conference Committee Report was ratified by realigning cute from organizational outcome 1, asset preservation program, network development program and bridge program and organizational outcome 2, flood management program and convergence and support program. Attached as Annex 1 is the list of P95 billion worth of programs/projects which include the P75 billion programs/ projects include the P75 billion programs/projects funded from said realignments. The President may wish to consider disapproving these unconstitutional realignments, pursuant to his constitutional power to veto particular items in the General Appropriations Act, signed by yours truly.' This is the concurrence, as a matter of fact, the proposal emanated from the Minority Leader and concurred in by the Majority Leader and Sen. Lacson, Sen. Legarda and Sen. Recto. We are sending the enrolled bill now to the President as is. Q: When did you sign? SP Sotto: Just about 30 minutes ago. Q: You think yung attachments would be enough to protect you from the suits that you were fearing would be filed against you? SP Sotto: Yes. I think so especially with the concurrence of the former secretary of justice. Q: Parang ibinnigay nyo na lang sa Malacanang yung bola, pinirmahan nyo na lang kahit na may questionable sa budget? SP Sotto: Hindi naman. Hindi ganun. We're just saying, I'm just saying that to no longer belabour the so-called 98% of the budget, eh ang kini-question lang naman namin would be what, 2 -3% of the budget so might as well approve it and have it enacted as the 2019 budget and for them to look at the projects and programs and these realignments we have identified. It's up to the President. It's up the Executive Department. Perhaps Sen. Lacson may be able to ano... Sen. Lacson: Hindi pinapasa yung bola dahil persuasive yung sulat ni Senate President. In the final analysis, Presidente pa rin yung magde decide kung ive-veto o hindi o kaya magkakaroon ng conditional implementation ang DBM, hindi ire-release yung pondo. Nasa kanila yung final say, after all, itong ginagawa natin, yung authorization phase sa budgeting process hindi pa naman tapos eh. Until such time that the President has finally signed, approved with line-item veto or without libe-item veto, doon pa lang makukumpleto yung authorization phase sa budget process. Q: Ibig sabihin ba during your meeting with the House contingent, pinanindigan pa rin nila yung maling ginawa nila sa budget? PML: Ah hindi. Kalimutan na natin yun basta't ito yung latest development. Ito yung naging action ng bipartisan, by the way. After all, itong proposal na ito talaga originally came from the Minority Leader. And syempre, si Senate President now feels safe kasi I supposed mag vo volunteer si Sen. Frank mag-abogado sa kanya pag nademanda sya. SP Sotto: Perhaps we can hear from the Minority Leader regarding this issue. Sen. Drilon: Thank you. The compromise solution that we have proposed is proof that while we belong to different political persuasions in the Senate, pagdating po ng kapakanan ng bayan, sama-sama kaming nagkakaisa for the interest of the country and it is in this context that I first broached this idea to Sen. Lacson over a week ago in order to break the deadlock because if the deadlock remains, you have about 20% of the Gross Domestic Product coming from the public sector, not or could not be realized because it depends on the budget. And therefore what we have done is proposed this language to the Senate President, to Sen. Zubiri, Sen. Lacson, Sen. Legarda and Sen. Recto, in order that we maintain our position that these insertions are unconstitutional. But at the same time, not prejudice national interest by holding on to the unsigned General Appropriations Act. So the Senate President signed it with reservation and said that his signature should not be interpreted as concurring with the unconstitutional insertions made and attached these insertions as part of his reservation. These insertions are these thick. Ganito kakapal yung binago nila after the bicam report has been ratified. They itemized it and rearranged the furniture and this is what it is and so what the President did was to say ang pirma po nya sa General Appropriations Bill hindi ibig sabihin na sumasang-ayon ang Senado dito sa ginawang pagbabago ng Kamara de Representante after the ratification of the bicam report because we maintain the view that this is unconstitutional but we must find a solution to the impasse in the budget and serve the interest of the nation. It is that context that I have cooperated with the majority because the interest of the country is already involved and I'm thankful that the Senate President has seen that this is not this is not because of any partisan politics but because of the interest of the country that he agreed to our suggestion. FMD: And it is in this context that I first broached this idea to Sen. Lacson over a week ago in order to break the deadlock because if the deadlock remains, you have about 20 percent of the gross domestic product coming from the public sector that would not be realized because it depends on the budget. And therefore what we had done is proposed this language to the Senate President, to Sen. Zubiri, Sen. Lacson, Sen. Legarda and Sen. Recto in order that we maintain our position that these insertions are unconstitutional but at the same time not prejudice national interest by holding on to the unsigned general appropriations bill. So, the Senate President signed it with reservation and said that his signature should not be interpreted as concurring with the unconstitutional insertions made and attach these insertions as part of his reservation. These insertions are this thick, ganito kakapal, 'yun pong binago nila after the bicam report has been ratified, they itemized it and rearranged the furniture... so, what the Senate President did was to say ang pirma n'ya sa General Appropriations Bill, hindi ibig sabihin na sumasangayon ang Senado dito sa ginawang pangbabago ng (inaudible) after the ratification of the bicam report because we maintain the view that this is unconstitutional but we must find a solution to the impasse in the budget and serve the interest of the nation. It is in this context that we have cooperated with the majority... because the interest of the country is already involved and I am thankful that the Senate President has seen that is not because of partisipan politics... because it is for the interest of the country, he had agreed to our suggestion. SP Sotto: The bottom line is that I signed the national budget as an enrolled bill to be presented to the President but attesting to only the contents of what we had ratified and what we had agreed upon in the bicam. JMZ: The Senate President signed the budget because he sees the urgency of passing the budget at this point in time. Katulad ng sinabi ang mga kasamahan ko, halos 98 percent ng budget walang problema. Itong dalawang por siento lamang... at pangit naman ihostage natin ang budget ng bansa dahil sa dalawang por siento ito. And what the Senate President has done, together with the assistance of the Minority Leader and many of our colleagues, we believe that it is up to the President, hopefully, to be able to look at this and veto, if necessary, if he feels it is unconstitutional as we feel it is, but at the same time, masusweldo na po ang mga job orders ng gobyerno... halos 30 percent of government jobs are job orders, hindi po nasusuldohan, ang mga projects maumpisahan na, wala pong construction na-nangyayari sa buong Pilipinas, so, you have to remember that maraming istambay ngayon dahil hindi nga sila nagagawa ng trabajo...because government is the biggest employer of the country when it comes to build, build, build projects and of course with government employers. So, the Senate President saw the importance, the expediency of finishing the deadlock, the impasse between the House and the Senate. So, that is the primordial reason why we took this up and finished it as soon as possible with the (unclear) presented by the Senate President. PML: We did not do this without the information and the concurrent of the House. It is not as if we are turning our backs on them. This morning, after deciding on this last night, I relayed the information to Congressman Zamorra, the designated go-between, sabi ko sa kanya, nag-decide kame kagabi, ipadala n'yo ulit 'yung enrolled bill at pipirma na ang Senate President, mag e-express lang s'ya 'yung reservations. So, malinao sa kanila 'yung gagawin namin. Hindi na may paguusap na nangyari, wala lang man pasabi, eh, ginawa na namin ito. So, gusto lang linawagin na malinao 'yung usapan. SP Sotto: Maliwanang 'yung message. That I am attesting to that portion wherein we ratify. That's it. Q: Sir, optimistic ba kayo on the President vetoing on these alignments? SP Sotto: I do not want to venture a guest. Q: Sir, the mere fact that mayroon kayong reservations sa pag-pirma, kung may kum-question doon sa ginawa ng House, House lang ang liable doon? SP Sotto: Syempre, sila gumawa... Q: Sir, you just drafted the letter today? PML: Yes, today kasi 11 O'clock lang kagabi namin nag decide Q: Sir, if the Senate President is only attesting to what has been ratified, is it a compelling reason for the President to veto it? PML: Hindi, ang pinirmahan n'ya ay enrolled bill, mayroon lang siya reservation at naka-attach yung details ng kanyang reservation. So ang call, nasa Pangulo pa rin. Kung gusto niyang idisregard ito, we'll not take it against the Executive, kasi call niya talaga, siya ang nagaapruba, (unclear) to line item veto. So it's really their call. That is not passing the buck to the Palace. Yung kay Senate President, para lang protection nya nga rin just in case, baka wala na siya sa Senate, may kaso pa rin siya, yun ang concern. JMZ: Parang committee report. Sa committee report we write dissent, or we concur, or what our reservations of this particular provision, sa committee report ginagawa namin yan and that committee report with annotation is actually what we look at to augment this (unclear) pag may investigations na ganito. FMD: The President can make as a basis his exercise of the line item veto on the position of the Senate President that these items were never approved in the bicam and therefore was never passed. If the President wishes to veto, he can exercise that line item veto. If the President chooses to take a different opinion, and say hindi ako sang-ayon sa sinabi ni Senate President Tito na ito ay labag sa saligang batas, pipirmahan ko. Nobody can (unclear) to the Supreme Court and say the approval of this P95 billion was erroneous, but that is another matter. The President has the full authority to approve the whole budget if he wants to but he can also utilize the non-concurrence of the Senate on this P95 billion as the basis for the line item veto. Q: Will the President also be liable? FMD: No liability, he is fully authorized under the constitution to do a line item veto. Q: If he does not veto the realignment, will he be liable? SP Sotto: Hindi rin because approval siya. Hindi siya nagaattest to the veracity. Ang nagaattest sa veracity, yung Speaker at Senate President. FMD: Kaya kung tingnan ninyo yung letter ni Senator Sotto, he says my attestation is limited. That's the key word there, the attestation. Q: Clarify ko lang, hindi na niretrieve ng House yung sinubmit nilang enrolled bill? PML: Upon advice lang ng Senate, binalik lang nila. JMZ: I believe, I was not part of the last two meetings, but I believe they were not prepared to make modifications or amendments. Some of our friends from the other side just wanted to call a special session, to approve a particular concurrent resolution, yan na lang ang gusto nilang mangyari to legitimize the amendments but they were not going back to zero, sa gusto natin na bicam approved version. Q: This talk of the President vetoing the realignments that you see as unconstitutional has been floated around a week already. Where did it come from, the House or the Senate? JMZ: Actually with all due respect, we had a meeting, you interviewed me last Wednesday lumabas yan sa mga media outlets, I said the Senate President... the options on the table are one or two. First, that's why I am appealing to my colleagues in the House, let's just revert back to the approved bicameral conference committee report. Sinabi ko yun. Then sinabi ko, the other option of the Senate President is to sign it as is, but ask the President to veto particular provisions. The minority floor leader made a follow through with a more thorough legal language to that effect. SP Sotto: The submission of the annex, my identification of annex 1, (unclear) this as an annex to my manifestation with the letter to the President incorporated into the enrolled bill will already identify and definitely ito yung sinasabi namin na hindi kasama sa itemization na pinagusapan sa bicam. Q: With the reservations po do you also deny Representative Andaya's pronouncements yesterday na naintindihan ninyo daw po yung position nila on itemizing the budget? SP Sotto: Medyo naliligaw ka ng kaunti. Wala kaming problema sa itemize nila, na pinagusapan sa bicam na iaiitemize nila. Walang problema yun. Yun ang pinipilit nila. Q: He denies na realignment po kasi. SP Sotto: That's his lookout, denying it. JMZ: What the Senate President is it was realigned and discussed prior to the final approval during our bicameral conference committee. Wala tayong problema doon. Q: Did Malacanang know you were going to do this? SP Sotto: Senator Lacson was texting the Executive Secretary this morning and I had a conversation with the Executive Secretary about an hour ago and we informed him that I was signing the enrolled bill with reservations and identified yung mga may reservations. Q: Is this the first time it happened? FMD: Well I have worked with about 20 budgets to my recollection, ngayon lang nangyari dahil ngayon lang naman nangyari na pagkatapos ng ratification ng bicam report, nabago yung printed copy. There is always a first time. Q: Senator Ping, doon sa communication ninyo with the palace, kay Executive Secretary? PML: Gusto lang namin maging transparent so ininform namin yung House, ininform namin yung Executive Branch, sa gagawin ng aming Senate President para transparent lang, wala yung taguan, di ba? Kasi pangit naman yung naguusap kami kahapon, may schedule pa magusap ngayong gabi, tapos ngayon may gagawin yung Senado na hindi nila alam. So Kaninang umagang-umaga, tinext ko na si, actually tinawagan ko si Congressman Zamora. Q: If ever the President does not veto the realignments, are you going to bring...? PML: It's his call. Authorized siya ng constitution to line item veto or to approve en toto, so who are we to question the authority of the President? FMD: Remember that this is the opinion of the Senate that they are unconstitutional. We are not the Supreme Court who has the final say that it is unconstitutional. This is the view of the Senate. Now, Malacanang can disagree with the view of the Senate and have their own interpretation and approve it en toto. Or may agree with the Senate, and exercise the line item veto. That is all that the Senate is saying, the view of the Senate as represented by the position of the Senate President, is that it is unconstitutional, but the President certainly is not bound with that view of the Senate. Q: But knowing the President, as a lawyer din siya, hindi niya iaallow? PML: Alam ninyo, ang importante may budget na tayo. SP Sotto: The bottom line is we have submitted the budget. Q: Di ba po pagka may preparation ng budget, may preparation na yung agency like DPWH, since possible na maveto dapat held in abeyance yung preparation? PML: Tapos na yung preparation phase, ang preparation is yung preparation ng NEP. Q: For the P75 billion na worth of projects, are they not supposed to be...? PML: Hindi, let us not pre-empt the President kung magveveto ba siya o hindi. Let's pick it up from there kung yung action taken niya once he reads the budget, kung ano yung gagawin niya, kung iaapprove niya en toto, wala tayong pinaguusapan na preparation pa na mga project. Q: Napressure na ba kayo na pirmahan, the mere fact na sinasabi na malaki yung effect sa economic growth yung pagkakadelay ng approval ng budget? SP Sotto: Not really. Kung tutuusin, hindi. We were ready to play hardball because we know we are on the side of the constitution and we're not violating the revised penal code. But the group, with the help of the minority leader, have found a solution that will allow the budget to continue at the soonest possible time. On Manila Water announcing to waive the March bill. Q: Is that enough for you or should it be more? PML: Not enough kasi marami pa silang dapat ibigay or igive back sa mga consumers. Nung hearing, di ba napagusapan natin na kung unilateral sa kanila, gawin na lang nila mas makakaganda para wala ng diskusyon with MWSS, yun ngang ginagawa pa nga lang, o hindi pa ginagawa yung Cardona, naniningil na sila, although nasa concession agreement yun. Pero dapat sila na yung magkusa na nagkalokoloko na yung supply ng tubig pagkatapos hindi pa nga nasisimulan, nasa (unclear) pa lang na approve yung Cardona water treatment, naniningil na sila sa consumer. Kung walang water crisis, fine, because that is parang sovereign guarantee. Pero nasa crisis, dapat naman umatras sila ng kaunti, wag na muna kayong maningil or iwave ninyo muna yung sa Cardona water treatment na paniningil. On the Chico River loan agreement. Q: What do you think of the provision stating that China may seize our patrimonial assets? FMD: You know, we have an existing presidential decree, PD 1177, which provides for an automatic appropriation of funds to service our loans, both the interest and the principal. So, that provision on patrimonial property being held to pay for these debts, will never happen because the existing law requires automatic appropriation. That is why if you notice the budget, there is no provision there which appropriates funds for interest payments or for payments on principal. Why? Because it is not necessary since an existing law, PD 1177, authorizes the automatic appropriation of public funds to pay interest in principal, because we do not have this law, walang magpapahiram sa atin kung ang pambayad sa utang ay depende sa desisyon ng Kongreso. Eh kung ayaw mag-appropriate ng Kongreso? Di walang pambayad sa utang. That is why that law up to now exist in order to assure the creditors that there is sufficient authority under our existing laws to pay the obligation. Therefore, this theoretical exposure of our patrimonial property to foreclosure is just theoretical because in point of fact, we are obligated to pay from funds in the treasury even without need of appropriation by virtue of PD 1177. PML: Kung Titingnan ninyo yung GAA, di ba tatlo yun? Regular budget, special purpose fund, at saka automatic appropriation. Yung special purpose fund pang-augment ito sa regular budget ng Pangulo kung kakapusin. Pero yung automatic appropriation hindi namin pinakikialaman yan pagdating ng budget deliberation. Precisely because, sabi nga ni Senator Drilon, ito yung nagproprotect kasi kasama doon yung debt service. Whether principal or interest payment, kasama sa automatic appropriation. Ito yung pinakamagandang collateral pag nangungutang. Parang assurance ito, hindi kami magrerenege. Kasi automatic appropriation nga. But, to say na pwedeng icolateralize yung patrimonial assets, mukhang may mali yata doon. Doon ako hindi magaagree. I don't know about Senator Drilon, because he is saying, he is in a better position to interpret that. Kung pwedeng isangla muna yung collateral, ay yung patrimonial assets ng ating bansa. The fact remains na hindi darating sa punto na magrerenege tayo kasi committed tayo by way of the GAA. Kasi yung annual budget natin, lagging merong debt service na nakapaloob under the automatic appropriation. JMZ: Ang dagdag diyan, pag nagdefault tayo ng payment, ibig sabihin, mas malala ang problema natin. Bagsak ang gobyerno pag hindi nabayaran ang obligations na yan. Q: Bakit kailangang ilagay pa yung provision na yun kung kaya naman nating magbayad? SP Sotto: Hindi nila alam, they are not aware of the (unclear) they are not aware of the law kaya ganun. PML: Baka educated guess. SP Sotto: At saka mahirap, just a little levity, when you say patrimonial asset, what do you mean? Back to Smokey Mountain o Payatas? On Police Officer Acierto's revelation on Michael Yang. Q: Senator Lacson, worth po ba na ipursue yung revelation ni dating police officer Acierto na si Pangulong Duterte at saka si Bato, dinismiss yung intel report about Micheal Yang? PML: Yes, dapat ipursue kasi siyempre iniinvolve yung highest office, (unclear) highest position sa gobyerno, dapat lang ipursue yung investigation just to clear the air. Kung meron bang basis yung accusation ni Acierto. I'm not saying na credible yung accusation because I've seen that report even before the Senate hearing. Ako hindi ko masyadong naappreciate except for the photographs shown, but yung details hindi ko masyadong naappreciate at that time. Q: Considering na adviser siya ni Presidente si Michael Yang di ba? PML: Yes. Pinakita rin niya sa akin, he went to my office, before he was accused, di ba? Q: You find the report credible? PML: May mga butas na hindi ako believe, so ang sabi ko sa kanya, provide me with all the details. Hindi pwede itong ganito lang na ipapakita mo, photographs, kasi di ba naging issue na rin sa mga previous hearings namin, yung picture ni Senator De Lima, kasama si Kevin Espinosa, picture ni President Duterte, may kasamang kung sino. Hindi masyadong convincing pag picture lang. Q: He should be arrested po ba? PML: I think, May arrest warrant. Press Release March 26, 2019 Villanueva alarmed at foregone gov't revenue from offshore gaming operators Senator Joel Villanueva expressed support to a proposal to account the number of foreign workers employed in Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGOs) in the hopes of generating tax payments and closing the gaps on the rise of illegal foreign workers in the country. In a statement, Villanueva said he was alarmed by estimates of the Department of Finance (DOF) that the government loses at least P22 billion a year in income tax alone from foreign POGO workers. "If the DOF's estimate is correct, then we have been losing a lot of badly needed revenue. This is disappointing, considering that the agency responsible for regulating gambling seems to be missing out a lot when it comes to overseeing the industry," said Villanueva, chair of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resources Development. "If foreign workers want to work here, they have to follow our laws. They must pay the right taxes. They must secure the necessary working permits. They must obtain a proper working visa," the senator continued. "At the moment, this budding industry generated employment, but not for our kababayans. Sino po ba dapat ang nakikinabang sa sitwasyon na ito? Dapat po tayong Pilipino ang nakikinabang." Finance department estimates showed that about 103,000 foreign workers are employed in 205 offshore gaming service providers, and they are paid an average of P78,000 a month. From the average income tax rate of 25 percent, each worker should pay about P18,750 in income tax every month. Villanueva took the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) to task for the inconsistent data it presented to the interagency task force, and even to the Senate Committee on Labor during the Senate hearings. He scored the state gambling regulator for its failure to monitor the growing number of foreign workers employed by offshore gaming operators and service providers. "At the committee hearing we conducted last February, the PAGCOR representative admitted that the agency does not monitor foreign workers employed in offshore gaming operators and service providers which they accredit and license," the senator said. "This is clearly inconsistent with its policy of requiring all gaming facilities accredited by PAGCOR to ensure that all personnel who participate in gaming operations have a valid gaming employment license (GEL)." GEL is "an authorization issued by PAGCOR granting a person the privilege to be employed as a gaming employee within the Philippine jurisdiction," according to the regulator's Gaming Employment License Manual. Aside from regular and contractual employees hired by licensee, among those required to obtain a GEL are "outsourced personnel or those hired through employment agencies whose tasks/functions require handling of or direct contact with gaming equipment or paraphernalia," its manual said. Villanueva has been looking into the proliferation of illegal foreign workers in the country, conducting public hearings on the issue. In February, the Bureau of Immigration credited the rise of POGOs as one of the reasons that triggered the influx of illegal foreign workers in the country. Chorus shares hit a record earlier this month but are still "extremely undervalued", according to its biggest shareholder. Australian fund manager L1 Capital owns 63.6 million Chorus shares, or 14.8 percent of the company. The holding is one of the largest long positions for the ASX-listed L1 Long Short Fund. It bought into the New Zealand network operator at $1.60 a share in September 2014 and has seen the price rise as high as $5.86 on March 15. The stock was recently at $5.67, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.16 times and a dividend yield of 3.93 percent. The S&P/NZX 50 Index's average historic PE ratio is 18 times and its dividend yield 4.94 percent. In an investor presentation published on the ASX today, L1 said Chorus's 60 percent rally over the past year was due to legislation introducing a new framework for its regulated pricing, which the fund manager believes will provide more stable earnings and allow for higher gearing. On top of that, a $500 million retail bond paying annual interest of 4.3 percent de-risked the company's balance sheet. Moody's Investors Service has also noted the new regulated pricing could provide clarity on future revenue and change the debt-to-earnings ratios linked to upgrading the network operator's Baa2 credit rating. "We believe the shares remain extremely undervalued and expect dividends to accelerate over the next five years," L1 said in presentation slides. In a recent submission on the Commerce Commission's proposed regulatory framework for fibre, L1 said New Zealand's ultrafast broadband network was being keenly watched by other jurisdictions as one of the first real tests of structural separation. L1 said shareholder support was critical for Chorus given the 10-year construction period, a significantly longer period than for most infrastructure assets. "The back-ended nature of returns makes it particularly crucial for investors that, at the completion of the network, the regulatory regime is not distorted through further constraints on Chorus that make it impossible to achieve regulated returns," it said in its Feb. 1 submission. The fund manager warned the regulator that service providers such as Spark and Vodafone had significant incentives to lobby for an unorthodox interpretation of the law to minimise their own costs or entrench their strong market positions. "We believe this would result in either higher costs for other users of the fibre network or the impairment of fibre assets if efficient costs cannot be recovered leading to (a), an inability to invest in fibre services and (b), higher costs of capital for future PPP projects and other NZ regulated utilities," it said. L1 was granted approval to buy as much as 15 percent of Chorus in December 2017. The network operator took on Telecom's old Kiwi share obligation when it was carved out of the retailer, meaning investors need government approval to hold more than 10 percent. Meantime, Spark New Zealand was unshackled form Chorus reported a 36 percent decline in first-half profit, due largely to an accelerating depreciation cost from the ultrafast broadband network and a heftier interest bill. It raised its interim dividend to 9.5 cents a share and expects to pay a final dividend of 13.5 cents. (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: 10th December 2021 Morning Report Ebos Group Limited (NZX: EBO) EBOS Announces Successful Placement Pacific Edge Limited (NZX: PEB) PEB Announces Agreement with Northern Health in Australia AFT Pharmaceuticals Limited (NZX: AFT) AFT welcomes Australian Federal Court appeal success 9th December 2021 Morning Report Ebos Group Limited (NZX: EBO) Acquisition of LifeHealthcare, Equity Raising Livestock Improvement Corporation Limited (NZX: LIC) Special Dividend 8th December 2021 Morning Report New Zealand King Salmon Investments Limited (NZX: NZK) Market Update Scales Corporation Limited (NZX: SCL) Market update The New Zealand dollar remains steady ahead of today's cash rate review where the Reserve Bank of New Zealand is widely expected to keep rates on hold. The kiwi was trading at 69.11 at 8am in Wellington, unchanged from 5pm in Wellington yesterday. The trade-weighted index was at 74.80 points from 74.76. The central bank is due to publish its rate decision at 2pm today and is expected to keep the official cash rate at a record low 1.75 percent. The statement will be closely scrutinised for any hints about whether the next move might be up or down. "Markets expect the RBNZ to remain on hold but will be eager to see if their statement has changed since February," said ANZ FX/Rates Strategist Sandeep Parekh. In February, the central bank said "we expect to keep the OCR at this level through 2019 and 2020. The direction of our next OCR move could be up or down." Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr is also giving a speech on monetary policy on Friday. The kiwi traded at 52.25 British Pence versus 52.34 British pence as Brexit volatility continues. "Given the lack of agreement on anything so far a no-deal Brexit appears to be the most likely option, a scenario which the EU Commission is prepared for," said Parekh. According to the BBC, MPs have set out details of their plan to consider other Brexit options and the Commons will begin voting on alternatives on Wednesday, in a process likely to continue into next week. The New Zealand dollar was trading at 96.75 Australian cents from 97.02, at 61.27 euro cents from 60.06, at 76.37 yen from 76.05 and at 4.6411 Chinese yuan from 4.6358. (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: 10th December 2021 Morning Report Ebos Group Limited (NZX: EBO) EBOS Announces Successful Placement Pacific Edge Limited (NZX: PEB) PEB Announces Agreement with Northern Health in Australia AFT Pharmaceuticals Limited (NZX: AFT) AFT welcomes Australian Federal Court appeal success 9th December 2021 Morning Report Ebos Group Limited (NZX: EBO) Acquisition of LifeHealthcare, Equity Raising Livestock Improvement Corporation Limited (NZX: LIC) Special Dividend 8th December 2021 Morning Report New Zealand King Salmon Investments Limited (NZX: NZK) Market Update Scales Corporation Limited (NZX: SCL) Market update British lawmakers called on Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday to heed whatever alternative Brexit strategy they can settle on after they attempted to break the impasse by grabbing control of the process in parliament. The government insisted the deal May agreed with the European Union in November after more than two years of negotiation remained the only way forward for taking Britain out of the bloc. That deal has been voted down twice in parliament. May hopes lawmakers who want an abrupt no-deal Brexit will now fall in behind her or risk seeing a long delay which could end up with Britain remaining closer to the EU or not leaving at all. In the latest twist in Britain's Brexit drama, lawmakers on Monday wrested control of parliamentary time in order to vote on a range of Brexit options on Wednesday. Three junior ministers resigned in order to defy the government line. May responded by saying her government would not be bound by the results of the so-called indicative votes. But lawmakers said the government should listen. "If parliament is able to come up with a way forward, the question is whether the government is prepared to compromise," Hilary Benn, an opposition lawmaker who chairs a parliament committee on Brexit, said. Benn conceded that the government could ignore the indicative votes and press on with May's plan. "That is indeed possible, but it is not an argument for not trying because we are in a complete mess. The government is in chaos," he said. Possible options to be considered include May's deal, a no-deal Brexit, another referendum, revoking the Article 50 divorce process, a free trade agreement with a customs union, and staying in the EU's single market. Steve Brine, a lawmaker from May's Conservative Party who quit as a junior health minister on Monday, said parliament might be able to break the deadlock. "The bottom line is that something has got to change," he said. "We are stuck in this maddening impasse where we go round and round in circles, something has to move us forward. The House of Commons is not going to come up with something completely crazy." "PLAYING WITH FIRE" Health Minister Matt Hancock said May's deal remained the only option on the table and ousting the prime minister would not help resolve the impasse. May has not ruled out bringing back her deal for a third time this week, possibly on Thursday. The Sun newspaper said May had suggested she could resign if that persuaded enough doubters in her party to back her deal. "Changing the party leader doesn't change anything. It doesn't change the arithmetic in parliament and also it would be a huge distraction," Hancock said. Last week, the EU agreed to delay Britain's original March 29 departure date because of the deadlock. Now, it will leave the EU on May 22 if May's deal is approved this week. If not, it will have until April 12 to outline its plans. Former Conservative minister Michael Heseltine said ignoring parliament would be dangerous for May. "I think she is playing with fire when she says she is not going to take any notice of what the House of Commons says," he told BBC radio. "There is no doubt at all that public opinion is moving, quite significantly now, appalled at what has happened and the events that we see and apprehensive of the fact that we haven't even begun to negotiate the real deal." Nearly three years after Britons voted 52-48 percent to leave in the 2016 EU membership referendum, and three days before Britain was supposed to leave the bloc, the outlook for Brexit remains up in the air. Brexit minister Stephen Barclay said on Sunday if parliament took control of the Brexit process, a snap election, which the main opposition Labour Party would likely back, could follow. Search Keywords: Short link: Directors of collapsed construction company Mainzeal, including former Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, are appealing last months High Court judgment. The decision found them liable for up to $6 million each following $110 million of losses suffered by creditors when the company went into liquidation. Former Mainzeal chair Shipley and two other former directors, Clive Tilby and Peter Gomm, say the High Court was wrong to say they breached their duties under section 135 of the Companies Act. They say that they shouldnt have to pay anything to sub-contractors and other creditors. Making the announcement on the last day for appeals to be lodged, the directors QC, Jack Hodder, criticised the way Justice Francis Cooke awarded damages. The judge took a novel approach to the case, an approach that wasnt open to him. This involved awarding damages using a formula based on the final amount owed to creditors, rather than the more orthodox Mason v Lewis approach. The latter involves working out how much less creditors would have been owed had the directors pulled the plug earlier. Shipley and the other directors argued that creditors were actually better off in 2013 than they would have been if Mainzeal had been liquidated earlier - and the judge agreed. Hodder also said the judge was wrong to argue the directors should have known Mainzeals Chinese parent Richina Pacific wouldnt come up with money to bail the company out when it was in dire straits. He says there had been $12 million of support in the year before the company failed, and plenty of commitment to financial help. We argue there was sufficient group support for Mainzeal. We said $12 million was supplied in the last 12 months, and there were indications there would be support for Mainzeal at all times. Justice Cooke ruled that the three directors were reckless, had adopted a policy of trading while insolvent, and used money owed to trade operators, particularly sub-contractors, as working capital. The assurances relied upon were ambiguous, conditional, and subject to the constraints of Chinese law, which restricted the ability to return money to New Zealand from China, Justice Cooke said in the judgment. Hodder argues the three directors have good grounds to appeal. The company was not carrying on business in a manner likely to cause serious loss to creditors. He says winning the appeal would mean the directors had nothing to pay - and creditors would get nothing. Anything less, for example reduced damages, "would be a very partial win. Yesterday, a fourth Mainzeal director, Richina Pacific boss Richard Yan, also appealed the High Court judgment. While Shipley, Gomm and Tilby were found liable for up to $6 million each, Yan is potentially liable for the full amount, $36 million. Liquidator BDO now also has the option to cross-appeal within 10 working days. The appeal is likely to be heard later this year and could take about a week, Hodder estimated. He said the directors wont be making any further comment. (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: 10th December 2021 Morning Report Ebos Group Limited (NZX: EBO) EBOS Announces Successful Placement Pacific Edge Limited (NZX: PEB) PEB Announces Agreement with Northern Health in Australia AFT Pharmaceuticals Limited (NZX: AFT) AFT welcomes Australian Federal Court appeal success 9th December 2021 Morning Report Ebos Group Limited (NZX: EBO) Acquisition of LifeHealthcare, Equity Raising Livestock Improvement Corporation Limited (NZX: LIC) Special Dividend 8th December 2021 Morning Report New Zealand King Salmon Investments Limited (NZX: NZK) Market Update Scales Corporation Limited (NZX: SCL) Market update Nikko Asset Management New Zealands head of equities Stuart Williams says he dreads waking up to the news that some global giant has launched a takeover offer for A2 Milk. Thats because the fund managers stake in A2, currently just 0.8 percent or 6.2 million shares, added 90 basis points to his teams performance in 2018 and 35 basis points year to date. The company was overweight in A2 by 3-4 percent through most of 2018. Williams statement that A2 is very important to us was clearly an understatement at his companys investment conference in Wellington on Monday. "It's really self-serving - we would prefer that the New Zealand capital markets remain vibrant. I really don't want a company as good as A2 that's still at the start of its process to be taken out," Williams said. "This thing's growing earnings at 55 percent." Clearly a takeover offer cant be ruled out because A2's register is wide open the annual report listed Commonwealth Bank of Australia as the sole substantial shareholder at Aug. 1 last year with a 7.3 percent stake and there have been rumours of global interest for years now. What is equally clear is that any takeover would have to be very well priced, given A2's performance to date and promise for the future. Nikko first started investing in A2 back in 2012 when the stock was barely out of the penny dreadful category and not obviously on track to become one of New Zealands largest listed companies. But former chief executive Geoff Babidge, who oversaw A2s transformation, was already at the helm from August 2010 and the companys launch into Chinas infant formula market, the key product and country in its transformation, came in October 2012. Stuart told the conference hardly a day goes by without new information about A2 coming to light, witness Mondays announcement of Li Xiao as its chief executive for greater China. Li Xiao has previously worked in China for a diverse range of multinational companies including Mars, Nike and Burger King. But investing in A2 clearly involves risk. In the past 12 months the stock has traded down as low as $8.67 and up as high as $15; it was trading at $14.01 a short time ago. Not least of its hurdles for A2 is the changing regulatory environment in China. A2 claimed a 5.7 percent share of the infant formula market for 2018, up from 5.1 percent in June 2018, and infant nutrition accounted for 81 percent of sales in the six months ended December, most of that in China. A2 has had to get China Food and Drug Administration approval for direct sales in China, change its packaging for its China label and apply for State Authority for Market Regulation approval. Nikkos A2 analyst Michael De Cesare had warned last year about regulatory changes impacting products that find their way to China from Australia via the daigou trade. The daigou are people and organisations that buy products in Australia for sale in China. So the Nikko team were prepared to see the share price decline. However, when the shares did fall in September last year it was actually because newly-appointed chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka had sold $4.3 million worth of shares she had only just been awarded as part of her salary package. Nevertheless, because Nikko still had a positive view of the companys outlook long term, it had reduced its stake to neutral ahead of that rather than moving to an underweight position. That was before another regulatory change whereby the daigou will have to be registered, agree to be monitored by the authorities and to pay tax. The change is set for Jan. 1 this year, although the Chinese authority provided a grace period through to April 1, covering the daigou trade and e-commerce sales. A2 also uses e-commerce channels such as TMall. We dont know how hard that legislation will be regulated but we do know that the predominant trade goes through four main daigou, all of which are already compliant with the new legislation, Williams said. Nikko is now about 2 percent overweight with A2 Milk and is currently debating whether to go further overweight, he said. (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: 10th December 2021 Morning Report Ebos Group Limited (NZX: EBO) EBOS Announces Successful Placement Pacific Edge Limited (NZX: PEB) PEB Announces Agreement with Northern Health in Australia AFT Pharmaceuticals Limited (NZX: AFT) AFT welcomes Australian Federal Court appeal success 9th December 2021 Morning Report Ebos Group Limited (NZX: EBO) Acquisition of LifeHealthcare, Equity Raising Livestock Improvement Corporation Limited (NZX: LIC) Special Dividend 8th December 2021 Morning Report New Zealand King Salmon Investments Limited (NZX: NZK) Market Update Scales Corporation Limited (NZX: SCL) Market update As the international groundswell against Facebooks live-streaming of the Christchurch killers video grows, Nikko Asset Management says its global equities team sold its stake in the social media platform more than a year ago for similar reputational issues. Johnny Russell, one of five leaders of Nikkos global equities team, told an investment conference in Wellington on Monday that his team decided to sell their Facebook stake in late 2017 and early 2018 because they could see the significant issues the social media giant was already facing. That was before the news broke that Facebook had allowed Cambridge Analytica to harvest the personal information of about 50 million users which was then actively used to interfere with the United States 2016 presidential election. Russell, based in Edinburgh, says it had already become evident that Facebook was having to invest significant amounts of money in remedying privacy breaches. The issue for us was how management was addressing the problems and the use of capital. Cash flow returns were going down, Russell said. That was before Cambridge Analytica, let alone the more recent issues. Russell was using Facebook as an example of how environmental, social and governance issues can impact investment decisions. Nikko has US$201.8 billion in funds under management globally. A number of individual major advertisers in New Zealand, including the big four Australian-owned banks and TSB Bank, Lotto NZ and Tourism New Zealand, reacted to Facebooks role in the Christchurch massacre by suspending their advertising on Facebook. They are calling on the international advertising community to join their boycott. The Association of New Zealand Advertisers and the Commercial Communications Council have also called for either immediate changes to or the complete suspension of Facebooks live-streaming. The advertisers are the latest in a long line of companies, including the major telecommunications providers and a number of major local fund managers, wanting change. The government has also called on Facebook to change the way it operates. Last week, Privacy Commissioner John Edwards sent an email to a number of Facebook executives telling them that Facebooks silence was an insult to our grief. Edwards has demanded that Facebook hand over account details to the New Zealand police of all people on its network who had shared the killers video, saying that sharing it is an egregious violation of the privacy of the 50 victims who were killed and the other 50 who were injured. Edwards had already been complaining about Facebooks pattern of bad behaviour and broken promises on privacy values before the March 15 attack. The Chief Censor, David Shanks, has classified the video the killer live-streamed on Facebook as objectionable which makes it an offence punishable by fines of up to $50,000 for individuals or $100,000 for organisations and up to 14 years in jail for knowingly sharing the material. Protests about the killers video have spread well beyond New Zealands shores. The French Council of the Muslim Faith has formally complained about the live-streaming by Facebook and sharing of the video using the Google-owned YouTube with prosecutors in Paris. The organisation is accusing Facebook of not taking down the video quickly enough it took the US giant about half an hour after New Zealand police notified it to take it down. Prime Minister Jacinda Adern has said the social media companies have a lot of work to do to curb the fast spread of objectionable material. The minister responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau, Andrew Little, has said social media will be on the agenda at the next meeting of the Five Eyes, a spying arrangement between New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Canada and Britain. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also called for a G20-wide crackdown on tech giants. (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: 10th December 2021 Morning Report Ebos Group Limited (NZX: EBO) EBOS Announces Successful Placement Pacific Edge Limited (NZX: PEB) PEB Announces Agreement with Northern Health in Australia AFT Pharmaceuticals Limited (NZX: AFT) AFT welcomes Australian Federal Court appeal success 9th December 2021 Morning Report Ebos Group Limited (NZX: EBO) Acquisition of LifeHealthcare, Equity Raising Livestock Improvement Corporation Limited (NZX: LIC) Special Dividend 8th December 2021 Morning Report New Zealand King Salmon Investments Limited (NZX: NZK) Market Update Scales Corporation Limited (NZX: SCL) Market update New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday termed the Congress's election promise to provide 25 crore poor people yearly financial assistance of Rs 72,000 a "bluff announcement", noting that the sum is "less than two-thirds" of the existing Direct Benefit Transfer provided by the Narendra Modi government. Jaitley's remarks came hours after Congress President Rahul Gandhi announced that 20 per cent families belonging to the poorest category will be given Rs 72,000 each annually under the minimum income guarantee scheme if his party comes to power. The BJP leader took a swipe at the Congress through his Facebook blog post as well as a media briefing. Taking into account the total amount of subsidies provided by the government, Jaitley claimed that Rs 5.34 lakh crore was already being distributed to the poor. "In addition to the above, Rs 5.34 lakh crore, there are several other schemes which provide several thousands of crores more to the poor. If the Congress party's announcement is tested on simple arithmetic, Rs 72,000 for five crore families works out to be Rs 3.6 lakh crore, which is less than 2/3rd of what is being given - a bluff announcement," Jaitley told media. He accused the Congress of misleading the country on the issue of poverty for 50 years. "Even after giving that slogan (garibi hatao), if today you think that 20 per cent of the people don't even have an income of Rs 12,000, then the cross hangs on your neck for letting down poor of the country." In its blog, he said: "No political party has betrayed India for more than seven decades other than the Congress party. It gave people of India slogans and very little resources to implement them. However, PM Narendra Modi ji has already given the poor what Congress promises." Jaitley said that Nehruvian model stagnated growth and Indira Gandhi gave legendary slogan of 'Garibi Hatao' in 1971 and just redistributed poverty. "The legacy of poverty in India reflects inefficient governance and economic model of the Congress party." Today, he said, most industrial workers get more than Rs 12,000 month. "The minimum starting salary in government after the 7th CPC (Central Pay Commission) is Rs 18,000 a month. The landless and poor, amongst the villagers, get a MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee Act) payment. Minimum wages for the labour have been raised by 42 per cent. "In the last five years, the government, headed by PM Narendra Modi introduced DBT through banks. Besides subsidies for food, fertilizer, kerosene, 55 Ministries handed over subsidies to the poor through the DBT which was enabled by Aadhaar," he said. Of loan waivers by the Congress, Jaitley said the party made the promise in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Karnataka but in most places, it remains unfulfilled. Lawmakers seeking Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report are likely to face a protracted legal battle that will turn on President Donald Trump's right to keep communications with his advisers private, legal and political experts said. On Sunday, U.S. Attorney General William Barr sent a summary to lawmakers saying the Mueller investigation found Trump's 2016 presidential campaign did not conspire with Russia. But the probe left unresolved the question of whether Trump engaged in obstruction of justice, setting out "evidence on both sides of the question." Barr concluded there was insufficient evidence to bring an obstruction case against Trump, prompting Democratic lawmakers to call for the release of the full report and the underlying evidence Mueller relied on. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat, said on CNN on Sunday he would try to negotiate with the Justice Department to obtain the full report, but that the committee would issue subpoenas and litigate if needed. Other Democrats, including candidates vying for the 2020 presidential nomination, have called for release of the full report. The Justice Department has not said whether it will release Mueller's full report, but Barr has said he will be as transparent as possible. Ross Garber, a lawyer in Washington focusing on political investigations, said Congress would have a difficult time persuading judges to release materials marked as classified or privileged by the executive branch, and that even a successful challenge could take years. "Congress faces substantial legal and procedural hurdles in any effort to get these materials," Garber said. Barr is required by law to keep secret information obtained from grand jury proceedings. This would not apply to information obtained from Trump advisers and other witnesses who agreed to sit down voluntarily with Mueller. Barr could also keep parts of the report under wraps by invoking a Justice Department policy against disparaging individuals who have not been charged with crimes. The most contentious fight will likely be over any materials the White House tries to shield from public view by claiming executive privilege, a legal doctrine generally used to keep conversations between the president and advisers private. The doctrine is rooted in the idea that the president should be able to receive candid advice on policy matters. If Barr withholds information based on executive privilege or Justice Department policy, Democrats could bring a lawsuit seeking to force disclosure. But it could be months before the Democrat-led House is even in a position to sue, legal experts said. Lawmakers would first need to make a formal demand for the report by invoking their subpoena power. If Barr refused to release it, Democrats would then vote to hold him in contempt of Congress, experts said. Congress would then sue to enforce its contempt finding. Legal experts said that, while executive privilege has been recognized by the Supreme Court, it must be narrowly asserted and balanced against Congress' need for information to fulfill its duty of oversight over the executive branch. Garber said an executive privilege claim would be particularly strong if it were invoked to keep private the nature of Trump's private conversations with close advisers, like former White House lawyer Don McGahn, who sat for interviews with Mueller's team. Those sorts of communications are exactly what the privilege is intended to keep private, Garber said. But Mitchel Sollenberger, a professor of political science at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, said courts would be sympathetic to arguments by lawmakers that they need more information about the Mueller investigation to do their job. In 2012, Republican lawmakers sued Democratic President Barack Obamas attorney general, Eric Holder, to obtain documents over a federal law enforcement operation targeting gun traffickers, code-named Fast and Furious. The litigation dragged on for six years before ending in a settlement that called for the production of documents after Obama and Holder had already left office. John Marston, a former federal prosecutor in Washington now at law firm Foley Hoag, said it would be in the best interests of both Democratic lawmakers and the public to compromise with Barr and avoid a protracted court fight. "I'm sure there are many ways to structure access to a significant amount of this information," Marston said. "Negotiating and finding a common agreement on access to the materials would help us all move past this." Search Keywords: Short link: New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to grant any interim relief to Robert Vadra, brother-in-law of Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Vadra has challenged a money laundering case brought against him. A division bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Vinod Goel asked the Centre and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file response on Vadra and his close associate Manoj Arora's plea challenging certain provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). South Africa: Government's vision to address cybersecurity skills shortage Communications Deputy Minister Pinky Kekana says government has a long-term vision to partly address the cybersecurity skills shortage in the country. Addressing the CEO Forum for Cybersecurity in Johannesburg on Tuesday, Kekana said that in the not too distant future, South Africa will have formal education qualifications ranging from diplomas for school leavers at NQF 5 to graduate and post-graduate degrees. The intention is to work closely with the SETA (Sector Education and Training Authority) and in particular the Reserve Bank, the MICT (Media, Information and Communication Technologies) and SASSETA (Safety and Security Sector Education and Training Authority). The initiative entails the development of roles and responsibilities for the cybersecurity sector through the identification of Organisational Framework for Occupations (OFO) Codes. This OFO will set the base for linking various occupations to specific skills and will assist in identifying further training needs. The next step would be to then engage private service providers to develop cybersecurity training programs, Kekana explained. To professionalise this industry, Kekana said that a framework has been developed consisting of various job descriptions that will provide a spectrum of careers necessary to build a credible industry. These job descriptions will be accompanied by educational requirements that will ensure the candidate has the level of expertise necessary to fulfil the responsibilities assigned to the job. Kekana warned that it would be impossible to implement Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Bill without a fully capable cyber force. The Bill, which is currently before Parliament, will bring South Africa in line with international laws dealing with cybercrime. Kekana also stressed a need for a concerted and coordinated approach between the private sector, government and academia to close the cybersecurity skills gap. Cybersecurity skills are not in abundance across the world, let alone in South Africa, the Deputy Minister said. Cybersecurity awareness Giving an update on the approach to cybersecurity awareness, Kekana said that through its Cybersecurity Hub, government has developed and implemented a national Cybersecurity Awareness Portal in the last quarter of 2017. The Awareness Portal will serve as a repository for all awareness material, and it is the main conduit for the dissemination of Cybersecurity Awareness programs and information, Kekana said. Cyber Security Awareness Month Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister announced that, as part of its international alignment, South Africa has adopted October as National and International Cyber Security Awareness Month. Since 2003, Cybersecurity Awareness Month has been observed in most parts of the world. She urged the CEOs to provide ways in which government and industry can collaborate to make South Africans more aware about the dangers of cyberspace, and how to protect themselves. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2019-03-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) has signed a contract to import 120,000 tons of wheat from the US, the authority said in a statement Tuesday. The shipment will arrive on 25 April through 5 May, it added. GASC said on Monday it would go back to securing letters of credit within 180 days instead of immediate payment. The offer was presented by Cargill. Search Keywords: Short link: With a total of 1137 kendriya vidalayas spread across the country, the online registration process for admissions to class 1 in KVS for session 2019-20 was started on March 19, 2019. The registrations for class 2 and above (except class 11) will begin from April 2 at 8 am and will end on April 9 at 4 pm. Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) has released the first list of students provisionally selected for admission to class I. Applicants may download the merit list from the official website, kvsangathan.nic.in or kvsnoida.edu.in While the 1st list is expected to be released on March 26, the 2nd and 3rd lists will be declared on April 9 and April 23, 2019. The notification and registration under RTE and SC/ST quota for class I will begin from March 30th and will go on until April 6th. Steps to download KV admission list for class 1: 1) Visit the official website of kendriya vidyalaya admission 2) Click on the link of 2019-20 ad mission or click here for direct link of login page and click here Download the list from the shown window and preserve for future reference. Amongst the North African countries, Egypt formulates the biggest demand in healthcare development.The Egyptian healthcare market continues to grow, primarily due to demand from thecontinuous increase in general population(expected to reach 151 million by 2050), and,specifically, due to a gradual increasein the elderly population (from the currentlevel of 7.8 per cent to 15.3 per cent by 2050), as wellas increase in health insurance coverage. Every year, Egypt reportedly needs a minimum of2,500 to 3,500 beds (1.5 to 2 beds / 1,000population), resulting in a requirement ofan additional 26,000 to 77,000 new bedsby 2020(and between 102,000 to 178,000new beds by 2050), a considerable increase,thus offeringample investment opportunitiesin the countrys healthcare sector. Keeping in mind this need for growth,Informa Exhibitions, the organisers of Arab Health Exhibition & Congress,have launched North Africa Health, which is set to take place from April 6 to 8, at Egypt International Exhibition Center (EIEC), situated in New Cairo. The full-scale exhibition will gather decision makers and professionals in the medical field from various regions under one roof and will be complemented by a diverse range of educational content. The 12th edition of North Africa Health (previously Mediconex)will expand its visitor audience to include key buyers, dealers, distributors and healthcare professionals from the whole North African region. The expo will host over 3,000+ attendees, 150+ leading international and local companies from 20 countries showcasing the latest in medical device technologies and healthcare services, 154 product categories, and threeContinuing Medical Education (CME) accredited conferences that will provide insights into the latest clinical and non-clinical healthcare trends in the market. Theseaccredited conferences and hands-on-training workshops will provide the opportunity for growth in multiple fields. Visiting North Africa Health is sure to be a beneficial experience for all dealer and distributor job functions from senior management of larger organisations that are looking to connect with key industry players, sales and business development professionals tasked with expanding their product portfolios and entrepreneurs hoping to source the next big product to supply in their country. With 20 manufacturing countries to choose from, choice is one thing that will not be lacking when it comes to business opportunities at the show. Furthermore, professionals who are tasked with purchasing and procurement responsibilities for healthcare facilities, educational providers and medical specialty associations, can use North Africa Health as a way of starting each new year efficiently. Using the show as an opportunity to get ahead of the upcoming years product needs, they can scope the full variety of options available and take part in detailed discussions with key influencers from manufacturing companies to secure the best deals. Exploring Latest Trends As a leader in the healthcare industry that emphasises the importance of innovation, North Africa Health will ensure that several avenues are available throughout the show for healthcare professionals to foster connections. It also provides insights into the advancements of the healthcare industry. The CME conferences will take place across all three days of the show and will cover different disciplines. The Egyptian Society for Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (ESRNM) will be hosting their 55th annual conference during the show. With the opportunity to network with a range of professionals in the field of radiology, the delegates will receive a holistic educational experience achieved through live education, debates and discussions. In turn, this meeting will fast-track advances in radiology that will benefit patients, clinics, hospitals and the healthcare community. Plus, as part of the Laboratory Medicine Conference, the Egyptian Society of Laboratory Medicine (ESLM) will also be hosting their 30th annual edition of the ESLM conference.It is one of the biggest yearly events for medical laboratory professionals in Egypt, as well as across Africa. Spanning over three days, with two parallel sessions, the programme will showcase a multitude of topics featuring international and local speakers. The theme of the conference is Breakthrough to Excellence andwill feature scientific lectures examining the latest findings in laboratory medicine, allowing for ample time to network and discuss new developments with experts in the field. The event will also host poster sessions situated throughout the exhibition hall, providing a great opportunity to learn more while visiting the exhibition stands. Furthermore, joining North Africa Health for the first time is the American College of Surgeons Egypt Chapter who will be hosting their annual conference and will feature a mix of surgical sessions. As a new addition, this cutting-edge scientific programme will address the important developments in the field of surgery. The first day will focus on Women in Surgery in Africa, highlighting the work achieved, and run by women exclusively. This session will feature an expert from the American College of Surgeons, as well as members from the Women in Surgery Africa (WiSA) association. The other sessions will cover a wide variety of topics ranging from gastric to endocrine surgery. For more info visit www.northafricahealthexpo.com. Short link: I was invited to review Mei Ume and our food and drink was complimentary. I was not paid to attend and was not under contractual obligation to write this blog post or create content on any platform. If you follow me on Instagram you may have noticed that Im a big fan of flowers. and another thing Im a fan of is Asian food. Mei Ume at Four Seasons Hotel Ten Trinity Square is currently ticking all my boxes as the Asian Fusion restaurant celebrates Hanami, the tradition of welcoming cherry blossom season. The tradition is celebrated in Japan from the end of March to the beginning of May with outdoor parties and dinner under the blossom trees. These parties have been the inspiration for the beautiful displays in the restaurant at the entrance and trailing across the bar and seating booths. Theres nothing quite like gently falling under a floral spell as you enjoy your dinner! I first tried Mei Ume, the Asian fusion restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Ten Trinity Square nearly two years ago for a girls dinner with Lauren and we absolutely loved it. This time I returned with Mr S, who was visiting the hotel for the first time. Like me, hes a fan of the Four Seasons brand and was immediately very impressed by the gorgeous Rotunda entrance of the historic building (the former Port of London Authority) and equally impressed by the beautiful decor at Mei Ume. The restaurant was a little quiet when we arrived at 7pm but soon filled up and had a really lovely atmosphere that made for a relaxed date night. As well as the usual Chinese and Japanese a la carte menu Head Chef Tony Truong has created a seasonal menu to reflect this transient season. The cherry blossom menu isnt a set fixed priced menu so guests can easily combine choices from a la carte menu for their dinner. The team behind the bar have created a floral cherry blossom cocktail that is a combination of Sipsmith gin, Lychee and Yuzu juice, its a great way to kick off the dinner. From the blossom menu was ordered a beautifully prepared seared tuna and spinach salad in Japanese Wapo dressing, a delicious crisp and hearty king prawn tempura with spicy mayo and pan-fried Wagyu beef gyoza. The big fat gyoza were my favourite thing of the night but they are not a permanent fixture on the menu so make sure you hurry down and try them while you can! We ordered dim sum from the a la carte menu and it came a mixture of pork, prawn and mushroom. These were enjoyable but a little dense and not the best Ive had. Duck spring rolls from the a la carte menu delighted Mr S and but I thought there was a little too much hoisin sauce (I know this would be welcomed by some!) but I did really enjoy the delicate presentation. The teriyaki chicken with seasonal vegetable was our pick of main courses from the cherry blossom menu and it was really good! I dont like overly sweet main courses which can be a risk with teriyaki but this was just right. From the a la carte menu, we pick the steamed Chilean seabass with ginger and spring onion in soy sauce which was a really perfect light option. The cherry blossom menu dessert is SnowFlake matcha cake with salted caramel ice cream which is great from matcha fans but I know its quite a divisive flavour! And we also ordered different flavoured mochi (chocolate, mango and yuzu) which came with a delicious chocolate dipping sauce too. Mr S and I had a really fab time at Mei Ume and we were really impressed by the gorgeous decor, but like real cherry blossoms, the installation and the menu is fleeting so get down to Ten Trinity square before the 22nd of April to try it! Mei Ume Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square 10 Trinity Square London EC3N 4AJ Page Content On March 23rd, dignitaries and invited guests from both sides of Sint Maarten gathered at the same location close to the French / Dutch border atop St Peters, to commemorate 371 years of the Treaty of Concordia. Below is an excerpt of the address of Prime Minister Leona Romeo Marlin at the event. To the people of Sint Maarten, to our residents and to our guests, brothers and sisters, once again we have come together to commemorate the peaceful coexistence of two nations divided by an imaginary line established on this very same day 371 years ago. The Treaty of Concordia marks the genesis of the coming together of two nations that has eventually lead to a united people living together sharing in one history, one culture, one island. Today, as we have gathered here to pay homage to this historical day we must acknowledge the many leaders that have come before us and honor them for maintaining this long established peaceful coexistence. We are all well aware that in the blink of an eye, from one day to the next, things can change drastically. With that been said, I take this opportunity to congratulate my counterparts on the northern side of the island, President Daniel Gibbes and Vice president Valerie Damaseau and my colleague, in in the South, Minister Wycliffe Smith for organizing this historic event. Research indicates that the Treaty of Concordia is one of the oldest international treaty that is still being enforced today. The Treaty of Concordia is the foundation on which our island has been and continues to be developed. The significance of the treaty, which was signed 371 years ago, cannot be underscored. It is because of this treaty. The two government delegations from both sides of the island drove across the border without being stopped at a checkpoint. Because of this treaty. Residents can work and live on either side of the island without hassle. Because of this treaty. Containers filled with goods are imported on either side, then they are transported freely between both sides helping to stimulate the robust economy that this the envy of our neighboring islands. Because of this treaty. School going children can wake up on one side of the island and go to school on another. Because of this treaty. A typical guest to our island can land at Princess Juliana Airport check-in at a hotel in Oyster pond, spend the day on Orient beach, enjoy a top notch dinner at a restaurant in Grand Case and complete the evening enjoying the nightlife on the Simpson Bay boulevard. Because of this treaty. we share a common culture that is expressed on both sides of the island through local cuisine, music and dance. It would be remiss of me to paint a picture that portrays everything between the both sides as perfect in paradise. If you should ask the question is there room for improvement? The answer is yes, and I can safely say that civil servants on both sides are hard at work, finding the common ground and solutions to establish mutually beneficial agreements for the residents and guests on both sides of our Sweet Sint Maarten. As outlined in the Governing Program Building a sustainable Sint Maarten of this current administration, priority has been given to strengthen cooperation with French Saint Martin. Quadripartite meetings (QMeeting) between government officials from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Republic of France, Government of Sint Maarten and the Collectivite of Saint Martin continue to take place addressing many of the issues at the highest levels. Efforts and work are ongoing in such areas as Firefighting and Disaster management. As it relates to the European Development Funds, joint projects are continuing such as the Cleanup of the Simpson bay lagoon. Initiatives for joint tourism promotion, marketing and product development of our island are visible and are expected to yield tangible results in the near future. Another visible example of meaningful cooperation built on the foundation of the Treaty of Concordia is in the area of Justice and public order. Recently the community was able to witness joint controls by the both law enforcement agencies. Cooperation also exists in the area of Public Health, Public Transportation, Maritime and Aviation. In conclusion, I would like to remind everyone here gathered that the peaceful coexistence that we enjoy today can only continue through meaningful cooperation and a willingness to solve issues in a mutually beneficial manner. As leaders and administrators, it is our duty to maintain the spirit of the Treaty of Concordia and uphold its principles for another 371 years and beyond for the benefit of the generations to follow. Page Content From March 24th to 30th marks the celebration of Firefighters Week 2019 for the Government Firemen working within the Ministry of General Affairs. Prime Minister Leona Romeo Marlin who is responsible for General Affairs joined the Firemen on Sunday morning at the church service of the Anglican Church in South Reward kicking off the start of the Firefighters Week. Divine Service & Sport Days is the theme for the week of activities that ends with the annual Fireman Ball on Saturday evening. Prime Minister Romeo Marlin would like to express publicly the following message to the Government firemen, The Sint Maarten men and women who risk their lives on a daily basis to keep this island safe from the destructive and potentially fatal effects of fire, warrants a special recognition. Firefighters are often overworked and underappreciated, yet instead of complaining, they bravely protect us at any and every encounter risking their lives because of the love of their job. Fighting fires is intense, challenging, and very risky work, I have personally witnessed them in action outing the Landfill fires, and the massive fire in the Cole Bay Industrial area. Without fear, they are exposed too falling roofs, toxic gases, and exposed to unimaginable temperatures from the heat putting their personal safety at risk. To the Firemen of the Government of Sint Maarten and Princess Juliana International Airport, as you celebrate this week of activities, I take this opportunity on behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten to say a special thank you for your dedication and bravery. As the minister responsible for safety and security, the fire department, I salute each of you. I am extremely grateful and proud of your bravery. Continue to be each others keeper. May the Lord bless each of and keep you and your families safe. The question on the minds of many is whether the march will change anything? by our London Correspondent We have seen many marches in Britain, but the March estimated at over one million people from all over Britain starting from Hyde Park through Piccadilly, past Trafalgar Square through Whitehall and up to Parliament Square on Saturday, March 23, 2019, to protest about Brexit was one among the biggest protests seen on the streets of London. It seemed as it was a show of EU flags with many EU nationals as well as Britains tired and weary wanting to take their grievances on the state of affairs in the country after nearly three years of indecision in Parliament. I saw both young and old people waving placards and demanding another say on Brexit. B...ocks to Brexit, Its Not a Done Deal were stickers on the lapels of nearly everyone, as Politicians from all of the major parties addressed the massive crowd. The question on the minds of many is whether the march will change anything? Protest marches have been held before. In 2003 similar numbers gathered in protest of the war in Iraq. Nothing happened. In 2011 there was a march by protesters wanting to end income inequality. In 2017, women all over UK gathered in London to protest the inauguration of President Donald Trump, but other than headlines, nothing really happened to alter events. Brexit is due to take place this Friday 29 March 2019. UK and EU have now agreed to delay the exit date to April 12 or May 21, if Parliament votes for the Deal done with the EU by Prime Minister, Theresa May. But there is also a chorus growing for Theresa May to stand down. There is according to reports plotting to replace her with an Interim Leader. Who will it be? Today the rise of the Internet has spurred the development of a new dimension for social and political participation. by Zulkifli Nazim When you distort truth it is harder for people to figure out what is real and what is spin. The most dangerous of all falsehoods is a slightly distorted truth. G.C. Lichtenberg. Unfortunately the current political world we live in today is full of what this quote describes. No one has ever doubted that truth and politics are on rather bad terms with each other, and no one, has ever counted truthfulness among the political virtues. Lies have always been regarded as necessary and justifiable tools not only of the politician's or the demagogue's but also of the statesman's trade. Politics is an essential human activity essential in building societies and communities based on rules, laws and a balance of conflicting interests. Politics is complex and difficult. It requires a high level of responsibility and commitment from citizens, political parties, parliamentarians, government executives, the judiciary, the media, businesses, non-governmental organisations as well as religious and educational institutions. Good government depends on an ability to exercise power, and to make good decisions over time, across a spectrum of economic, social, environmental and other areas. This is linked with the governments capacity for knowledge, mediation, resource allocation, implementation and maintenance of key relationships. However, a study on the confidence of people in institutions, show that people do not place much trust in politics and politicians. Politicians are often seen as selfish and corrupt, power-hungry and unethical. Today the rise of the Internet has spurred the development of a new dimension for social and political participation. In todays age of timeliness and demand for information, social media has continued to play a crucial role in informing the public about politics, campaigns and elections. But while the public demands information from the media, there is also an underlying cynicism in the world culture against the media and politicians for negative campaign coverage and a perceived media bias. There is no doubt that social media has brought change to politics. Facebook and twitter played a vital role in influencing different political ideologies. This trend of using social media to share information, mobilize and even have an impact to the society is not just for Sri Lanka alone, but the impact is felt worldwide. Ordinary insignificant and contemptible situations have been ignited and catalysed by social media among all people, arousing inflammatory debates using the social media as their main tool of political mobilization for destabilizing an otherwise normal peaceful country. This shows that anyone with any opinion can highlight it on this platform, whether right or wrong. Social media now provides the structure for political conversation. And the problem is that these technologies permit and allow too many fake news stories from untrustworthy sources to spread like wildfire over networks of family and friends. Apart from being used for good causes, social media have also been exploited for ethnic hatred; a usage that has heightened ethnic tensions, and sometimes has threatened to create ethnic tension and plunge the country into ethnic unrest. What they post online, could include inappropriate postings such as discriminatory remarks, harassment, and threats of violence or similar inappropriate or unlawful conduct and political bots to manipulate public opinion by amplifying or repressing political content, disinformation, hate speech, and junk news. An ideal fertile ground for politicians who shamelessly, wantonly and openly use both the main stream media as well as the social media, as a weapon to serve their agenda, as they seek to consolidate the nation against an imaginary enemy. The impact of Social Media in our lives is all pervasive, users become separated from information that disagrees with their viewpoints, effectively isolating them in their own cultural or ideological bubbles and fall prey to fake news that further reinforce their views. It is very unfortunate that there is no clear laws in our legal system to regulate misinformation and disinformation on what can be done to offenders who misuse these avenues that promote hate speech and violence. Hate speech covers many forms of expressions which spread, incite, promote or justify hatred, violence and discrimination against a person or group of persons for a variety of reasons. It poses grave dangers for the cohesion of a democratic society, the protection of human rights and the rule of law. If left unaddressed, it can lead to acts of violence and conflict on a wider scale. In this sense hate speech is an extreme form of intolerance which contributes to hate crime and civil disorder resulting in lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property and people; where theft, vandalism, and destruction of property, public or private are rampant, unrestrained and unchecked. Our government should be cognizant and alert of the dangerous link between hate speech and violence. Proper and effective legislation must be enacted and implemented and those in power must understand that criminal prohibition is necessary when hate speech publicly incites violence against individuals or groups of people. At the same time ensure criminal sanctions are used as a measure to eradicate such destructive behaviour all along. It is also important that a balance must be kept between fighting hate speech on the one hand, and safeguarding freedom of speech on the other. Any restrictions on hate speech should not be misused to silence minorities and to suppress criticism of official policies, political opposition or religious beliefs. Underreporting of hate speech and hate-motivated violence is another unfortunate feature. Victims rarely report incidents to the authorities for fear of retaliation or of not being taken seriously, or because they have no confidence in the justice system. This contributes to lack of data which makes it difficult to quantify the extent of the problem and take effective measures to address it. The states has a duty to provide practical support to those targeted by hate speech and violence and enforce proper law and order, to prevent any recurrence. The influence of Social media cannot be just dismissed. If the social media and technology platforms were not both valuable and powerful, there would not be an issue to address. There is social good and commercial value that we should recognise and celebrate. Connecting people, providing an open exchange of information, these are worthy goals, and our world would be diminished without people working to meet them. As Thomas Ambrose puts it, While social media is not as essential for survival as traditional public utilities such as electricity, water, and natural gas, many people believe it has become vital for living in an interconnected world and without it, living a successful life would be difficult. System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe7fa4628)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe7b3c610)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe7fa4628)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe7b3c610)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe7fc0cd0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe7b3c610)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe7b3c610)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe7653328)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fe7e91298)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fe7e91298)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 A talk with Huda Lutfi last week at Oriental Hall focused on her solo exhibition held at the Tahrir Cultural Center last February On Tuesday 19 March, the American University in Cairo hosted a talk by artist Huda Lutfi in light of her recent exhibition at the Tahrir Cultural Center. Lutfis show was one of two solos the other was for Sherin Guirguis curated by Shiva Balaghi to inaugurate the Tahrir Cultural Center. Both shows ran in parallel through February. In her talk, Lutfi gave a brief presentation of her oeuvre "to contextualise the shifts and connections in her work" leading up to her last solo. The exhibition When Dreams Call for Silence delves into Lutfis personal world and her meditations on different forms of silence in the spaces between life and death. Between silences In a detour, or perhaps a consequence, of the socio-political subjects she presented up until 2015, Huda Lutfi is personal and emotive in this new solo, presenting a body of work that is both graceful and disquieting. Comprised largely of paintings, alongside installations and an animation piece, this recent collection shares much of the aesthetic with her last solo in Cairo, Dawn Portraits held at Gypsum gallery in 2017. In muted grey tones, with rare blushes of pinks and purples, the images seem to come from a similar place of having time for oneself and looking within. The imagery in When Dreams Call for Silence probe life and death, not as events but as a journey on a spectrum of grey the color of the in-between. huda1 Several pieces feature groups of figures taking this journey in processions. In the painting titled Candle Bearers, they walk in a line with lit candles on their heads, while in Dreams Time, their upper torsos are replaced with crows. The projected animation piece is the most dynamic of Lutfis processions in a show where time seems to stand still. Here we only see a queue of legs, walking from one side of the frame to the other, and back again. On the floor in front of the projected video is an installation of two lines of shoes completely wrapped in white muslin, placed on opposite sides of a black muslin line. Both the video and the installation are expressions of crossing over, not only from life to death, but back again for rebirth and a new cycle. In Lutfis lexicon, legs are used as symbols for life and movement, or the lack thereof. Throughout the show we encounter shoes and disembodied feet. They act as placeholders for people; someone who is, was or should be there, but whose presence is never cemented. Feet, heads, eyes, ears and hands are scattered in Lutfis artworks, as this theme of disembodiment runs through the works, bringing along its inevitable cousins: loss and grief. In the painting titled Resting, a disembodied head lies gently on its side on a chair in the corner of a room. Instead of being disturbing, the image manages to evoke a sense of ease through the blissful expression of the face and its gentle smile. The head is literally resting in peace, even though it has lost a body. Meanwhile, a chair from the artists home is on display cradling a handwritten Do not disturb note. Perhaps for Lutfi, inanimate objects are just as sentient as disembodied heads. An integral part of Lutfis practice has always been about including found objects and material things. In addition to the chair and several other items from her own home, we find old dolls, boxes, mannequins or parts of them making cameos across the exhibition amid all the painted works. As the artist turns inwards, it seems natural that she rely a little less on external materiality and more on capturing internal images. Even the mannequins torso, an item weve seen her use in previous shows with a socio-political context, takes on a new role in the context of her latest show. The mannequins in Cairos downtown storefronts have always intrigued me for their performative aspect, and how they can reflect and breed gender power dynamics and aesthetics, she says in her talk. This subtext takes a backseat in When Dreams Call for Silence, where a silver mannequins torso has a flattened face that is painted black, as if turned inwards to look within itself. huda2 Floating and grappling With Lutfis oeuvre in mind, its easy to read the title of her show with a political subtext. Those familiar with her work and viewpoints will guess that she is seeking peace in trying times, something she noted briefly during her talk. If there is a type of silence that is forced from the outside, it paves the way for seeking a new kind of silence within, the artist told Ahram Online in an interview. Lutfi was orientating between a silence that is imposed and a silence that is sought. For her, the external and internal worlds are not in direct contrast nor are they running in parallel. Its more of a dialogue. Id say they are in constant negotiation, she says. The prevalent mood is neither celebratory nor melancholy, but swings between blissful surrender and a twitchy discomfort. Its like a cathartic journey of coming to terms with carrying both life and death within us. In her minimalist compositions, she plays around with spaces. Looking through the work is an ebb and flow between confined, intimate spaces, and wide, open-ended landscapes of no mans land. Another fluctuating tide is between individuals and collective groups. Many of the paintings are lonely in their subjects, with just one figure, body part or item, while others have multiples, utilising Lutfis signature use of repetition. This tool of repetition has always stemmed from the artists own cathartic process and linked to her Sufi practice of meditation. I use it to hypnotize the viewer, and myself, she shares in her talk. Used with different subjects throughout her career, repetition serves different effects, sometimes to reinforce absurdity, other times to express overwhelm or heighten an emotion. In this show, particularly where meditation is both the subject and the means, repetition serves twofold and reaches the audience even more powerfully. One installation, Floating, features multiple sleepy-eyed figures hung by strings so that they appear to float. Their bodies are wrapped in white muslin sheets that hang loose like summer dresses. Yet they hold together like leaves on a water current. This sense of being alone yet together is also in the installation Hand of Silence. Here instead the figures are in a glass vitrine, bound tightly with the white fabric as a little hand creeps out from the folds to cover each lip. If Floating channels a blissful surrender and light sense of freedom, Hand of Silence evokes restraint and rings closer to death, albeit a peaceful one. In the latter, the lifeless figures still wear their earrings, a nod to the mummies of Ancient Egyptian tombs which are buried with their jewels and treasures. Lutfi, a historian, was interested in bringing in the pharaonic influence to her works, if only subtly. It was so interesting to revisit the Book of the Dead and the ancient Egyptian ways of expression, and to try and make it contemporary, she tells Ahram Online. She has done so in the animation piece, but we see it more directly in several works featuring a silhouetted seated figure, knees pulled close to its chest. It is a familiar, unassuming figure that is as ancient as it is modern. Copies and copies of this figure are cutout in transparent-bluish paper, displayed to hang like a curtain. This installation titled Grappling Silence sits alone on an upper deck in the gallery space. Even though the stairs leading to it are the first thing we encounter from the entrance, perhaps it is best saved for last its lightness better appreciated after the journey at the bottom. The installation seems to rise from the small room underneath it where a recorded meditation by Rupert Spira plays as if these transparent seated souls have transcended both physically and spiritually to a higher place. And yet, even up there the silence is struggling, or grappling as the title notes. It is neither easy nor stable, but an ongoing process. huda3 For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe7e7aae0)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe81e7d38)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe7e7aae0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe81e7d38)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe7fcba88)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe81e7d38)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe81e7d38)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe7654058)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fe81cfe80)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fe81cfe80)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe7d3a1e8)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe7652058)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe7d3a1e8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe7652058)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe7c43aa0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe7652058)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe7652058)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe7652470)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fe7652ad0)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fe7652ad0)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe7ddbf50)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe7f5d4c0)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe7ddbf50)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe7f5d4c0)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe7ddc658)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe7f5d4c0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe7f5d4c0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe7653268)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fe7f5cae8)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fe7f5cae8)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 Northern Kentucky was a much different place in the 1970s, when Leo Calderon came down from Chicago to study at Thomas More University. He describes the number of Latinos he found in the area as just a few of us. Now Northern Kentucky is home to a Latino population estimated to be in excess of 13,000. For comparative purposes, that figure if it were a community unto itself would be the eighth largest in Northern Kentucky, between Newport (15,219) and Alexandria (9,022). An even better measuring stick might be reflected by Calderons own career. He started work at NKU in 1985 as a police officer. That grew into a role in university administration. In 2001, the university decided they needed to create a new position which Calderon filled, director of Latino Programs and Services. At the time, enrollment included 57 Latino students. Fast-forward 18 years and that number is now over 500 students. Calderon has legitimately earned the status of community elder for Northern Kentuckys Latino community, and hes stepped up to that responsibility in part by chairing the board for the new Esperanza Latino Center in Covington. At NKU, the Bellevue resident supports a large number of Latino students realizing the possibilities of America as first-generation college students. The Esperanza Center will seek to help bridge those gaps between Latinos and the community that separate those who are new to the area or are struggling from the resources that are available. We talked with Calderon about his hopes for this new community addition which opened in January and is currently serving the community on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week. How much of what you are bringing to this role is informed by your NKU experiences and past experiences in helping the Latino population here in the area? That's a good question. I think what has happened is there's unfortunately not too many social agencies that can provide that essential information to the Latino in this case, and sometimes it's frustrating from their point of view that once they go to a place, whether it be a social service agency or an institution of higher education, that they're not providing them with those essential services that they are looking for. How do you begin to assess and address that kind of problem? So when a (Latino) person goes to a place, they may have a person who's able to speak Spanish, but often times, when they're referred to another place, then they have problems communicating. One thing that we did with this center was first to identify our resources, because we don't want to reinvent the service we don't have the personnel nor the financial resources to do that. So what we're investing in doing right now is identifying, say, someone you are referring to the Woman's Crisis Center. Do we have a contact at the Women's Crisis Center, and if so, who that is. One of the things that Professor Encarnacion (Irene Encarnacion, the Esperanza Centers executive director and also an NKU faculty member) is doing is meeting with the directors of these places to better get to know who they are and what they do, and whether they have bilingual staff that we can refer our clients to that can provide them with the resources they need. Does the current political climate and the stories you hear about ICE and deportation fears impact how you reach those who should be benefiting from your services? They need to find out they can trust you. If they come to our offices and our staff there is culturally competent and bilingual and one family member experiences it and has a positive experience, they will tell the others. Its not really any different from what weve done at NKU through the years. NKU is well known in the (Latino) community because over the years we have worked with people by attending Mass and providing information to them after Mass or having college fairs. Thats no different from what well be doing with the Esperanza Center. You have to build that trust level and, with this particular population, you have to work extra hard at it. Were talking about basic needs if someone needs a therapist or a psychologist or a dentist theyre so grateful your able to tell them where they can go and that you are able to talk to them in Spanish. That in itself is an incredible feeling for them. What has your experience been like over the matter of weeks that the center has been open? Its been very rewarding. We have now a one-stop shop where we can make these referrals to services. We also teamed up with the City of Covington and the mayor, Joe Meyer, launched a program to improve reading literacy for children who are 25 years old. We want to make sure our kids are ready to start kindergarten, because many times because of socio-economic factors, Latino kids are not ready to start. The program that has been purchased is in Spanish and English, so the parents who know only Spanish are able to teach their kids to start to read and this way they can transition to English. Much of the population in Covington happens to be Guatemalan, and often times, they may not have had a formal education. They can use this tool so that they can transition over to English. What kind of staff do you have working in the center? Professor Encarnacion works full-time here at NKU, but shes also the executive director at the center. We have three interns from NKU, and a volunteer from UC who graduated from Holmes High School who is fluent in Spanish and is majoring in Spanish and is a native of Covington. Of the three interns from NKU, two live in Covington. Beginning in April, were going to be offering classes in basic Spanish conversation to nonprofit organizations for their employees. Well also have intermediate Spanish conversation, and its going to be free for them. The same thing will happen for Spanish speakers who want to learn basic and intermediate English. Were going to have a pathway to college and a pathway whether you want to go to a vocational school or get a GED. We have a retired employee from NKU who has agreed to come twice a month and she will help families with what the admissions process looks like. We are also going to have programs for kids on fitness and wellness. This all seems fitting, because it was education that first brought you to Northern Kentucky. Yeah, I was raised and grew up on the south side of Chicago and finally I received a scholarship to go to Thomas More. This has become home for us and we raised our kids here. I can go back to 1976 and there really werent any Latinos and I think they thought I was Hawaiian! (laughs) We fell in love with Northern Kentucky. Thomas More was a good education, you have a lot of good people and its a good place. As frustrating as it may seem to both sides in the nations heated debate over a border wall with Mexico, constitutional experts say the ongoing battle between President Trump and Congress over the walls funding is how our system of government is supposed to work. Called separation of powers or checks and balances, the system was designed by our Founding Fathers to keep any single branch of government executive, legislative, or judicial from gaining too much power and threatening our freedoms as citizens. Heres how it works: Congress (the legislative branch) makes the laws and controls government spending. The President (the executive branch) administers and enforces the laws. The U.S. Supreme Court (the judicial branch) is the final authority on interpreting the laws and how they should work. Each branch also has certain powers to constrain the power of the other branches. For instance, the nine U.S. Supreme Court justices serve for life once they are appointed by the President and approved by the Senate. But in 1937, frustrated with the courts outlawing of his New Deal plans to get Americans back to work during the Great Depression, FDR provoked the greatest battle to date among the three branches when he asked Congress for the power to appoint an additional justice for any member of the Supreme Court over 70 years of age who did not retire. Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes appealed openly to the U.S. Senate to reject the proposal, which the Senate did, narrowly averting a constitutional crisis and leaving the system of checks and balances intact. The border wall struggle between the executive and legislative branches has been ongoing now for more than two years. Experts say it may ultimately have to be resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court. And, again, thats exactly how it was meant to work in our nations long history of disputes between the President and Congress. I think a lot of people thought that, when Trump was elected, he was really going to push (the constitutional) system to the limit, and he has, says Chris Bryant, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Cincinnati Law School. But so far, at least, the system has really held up. It has made him conform to the law, and I think it will continue to do so. Peter Shane, professor of law at Ohio State University Moritz College of Law Peter Shane, a professor of law at Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, agrees that Trump isnt the first president to test our system of checks and balances. But he says the system can be threatened, as it is now, when one branch pushes its powers to the limit or when another branch turns over too much of its power. He fears that both have been happening in recent decades, and the ongoing border wall funding dispute is an outgrowth. Its not entirely the executive branch (Trump) trying to usurp the powers of Congress, Shane says. Its also a matter of Congress sitting on its hands. The struggle over the border wall is now more than two years old and shows no sign of being resolved through compromise. Heres how its played out under our system of checks and balances so far. Less than a week after taking office in 2017, Trump signed an executive order calling for the construction of a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. But under the U.S. Constitution, its not that simple. Congress not the President ultimately controls the purse strings of how tax money is raised and how its spent in America. And a majority of Congress members believe a wall is an unnecessary expense and sends the wrong message about our nations values. Since then, negotiations between the two branches of government have faltered repeatedly over the scope and expense of the border wall with total costs for the project ranging from a Republican estimate of $25 billion to the Democrats $67 billion. Because the nations budget requires approval by both Congress and the President, the last breakdown in negotiations resulted in the longest government shutdown in the nations history 34 days from December of 2018 to January of this year. If the president refuses to sign a budget sent to him by legislators, Congress must then gather a two-thirds majority in both of its bodies the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate to override his veto. Jonathan Adler, professor at the Case Western Reserve University Law School Complicating matters even more, over the last 100 years or so, Congress has handed over special powers to the President in national emergencies, giving some of its legislative powers to the executive branch, says Jonathan Adler, a professor at the Case Western Reserve University Law School. We have a long history of Congress delegating a lot of authority to the executive branch, and then complaining when the President uses that authority in ways Congress doesnt agree with, Adler says. Bryant says thats because Congress has recognized that there are times when urgent things will happen and (the President) is going to have to take action faster than (Congress) can rule on it. It all started in 1917 when President Woodrow Wilson, realizing that America was on the verge of going to war against Germany, asked Congress for special emergency powers to create a Shipping Board that would speed up the manufacture of transport ships. During the 1930s and 1940s, FDR was granted numerous emergency powers by Congress to deal with the crises of the Great Depression and World War II. But when President Truman decided he needed to take over the nations steel plants for the war effort in Korea in 1951, the U.S. Supreme Court decided enough was enough. It stepped in and said the proclamation was not justified under the Constitution because the Korean War was not a direct a threat to national security the way World War II had been. Finally, in 1976, with the presidents emergency powers growing in every direction under nearly every administration, Congress passed the National Emergencies Act in order to limit the types of emergencies in which the president could invoke his special powers. That limit is 136 different types of emergencies, including military emergencies when the nations security is at risk. Since the act was passed, presidents have declared 59 national emergencies, with more than 30 of them still in effect. President Obama, too, used his special powers, declaring a national emergency during the 2009 swine flu epidemic so that hospitals could move emergency rooms offsite to speed treatment and protect noninfected patients. But constitutional experts say Obamas maneuver around Congress to spend $20 million to help thwart the spread of swine flu pales in comparison to the $5 billion that Trump wants for his border wall. Trump has invoked three statutes that are part of the National Emergencies Act, including one allowing the executive branch to redirect Defense Department construction funds in a situation of national emergency. After Congress mustered a majority of votes in both the House and the Senate to override Trumps emergency declaration, Trump vetoed the measure on March 15. So far, Congress doesnt have the two-thirds majority of votes needed to override his veto. States have now entered the fray, hoping the judicial branch will settle the dispute. A coalition of 16 states, including California and New York, recently challenged Trump in court over his plan to use emergency powers to spend billions of dollars on his border wall. The suit, filed March 11 in Federal District Court in San Francisco, argues that the president does not have the power to divert funds for constructing a wall along the Mexican border because it is Congress that controls spending. Ohio hasnt joined the suit against the President because, as a spokesman for the Ohio Attorney Generals office said, we were not invited to be part of the coalition. However, a spokesperson for the California Attorney Generals office, where the suit originated, says in an email: We welcome all states to join us in our lawsuit against the administrations unconstitutional declaration. Chris Bryant, professor of constitutional law at the University of Cincinnati Law School The three constitutional experts say they dont think the U.S. Supreme will rule directly on whether Trump has the right to declare a national emergency at the border. Instead, they believe the court will likely rule that the three specific statutes Trump is citing in his defense dont permit the use of money for a border wall. More specifically, Trumps case may falter legally on the use of military money to build a border wall, Bryant says. I think the President has a legitimate concern about border security, but its not like were being invaded by Mexico. Its really about law enforcement, not about war or invasion, he explains. Based on that logic, he says, the courts may say, We need to draw a line here. Are we in an emergency that requires the use of the military? I believe the courts will say were not in that position. Shane points out that a second emergency statute cited by Trump for stopping the flow of drugs into the country is limited to building roads and fences, not walls. Bryant believes theres also a chance that enough Republicans in Congress may defect from Trumps position to override his veto. Republicans can rightly fear that, if Trump uses his emergency powers to get his way on a hot-button issue like the border wall, the Democrats may follow suit if they recapture the White House. US judge recommends partial ban on iPhone imports to US San Francisco, March 26 (AFP) Mar 26, 2019 A US trade judge ruled Tuesday that Apple had violated a Qualcomm chipmaker patent and said she would recommend banning imports of some iPhones. International Trade Commission administrative law specialist MaryJoan McNamara wrote in a ruling that she would be recommending a "limited exclusion order together with a cease and desist order" against Apple. The company will not be required to post a bond while the order is under review by US President Donald Trump because the iPhones don't directly compete with any Qualcomm products, according to the ruling. The Californian tech giants have been locked in a long-running battle over patents and royalties that has played out in courts and administrative bodies worldwide. Apple accuses Qualcomm of charging for invalid patents and claims the chipmaker was seeking a disproportionate amount for a single component. Last week, Qualcomm won a $31 million verdict in its multi-front war with Apple over patented technology used in iPhones. A jury in a federal court in Southern California ordered Apple to pay Qualcomm for patent infringement for chips used on iPhone 7, 8 and X models. Patents at issue in that case involved "flashless booting" that allows devices to connect quickly to the internet after being turned on and technology that lets smartphone apps move online data efficiently. A third patent related to promoting rich graphics in games while protecting battery life, according to Qualcomm. On another front, a federal judge in southern California issued a preliminary ruling that Qualcomm owes Apple nearly $1 billion in patent royalty rebate payments the chipmaker is withholding, according to US media reports. Apple sued Qualcomm two years ago over the payments, which were part of a contracted arrangement. The judge's decision will be on pause until after a trial in the case. Qualcomm late last year escalated a legal war with Apple, accusing the iPhone maker of stealing secrets and sharing them with mobile chip rival Intel, according to court documents. Apple's goal was to buy mobile chips from Intel instead of depending on Qualcomm, the dominant maker of mobile phone processors and has argued that Qualcomm abuse of its dominant position was harmful to the whole industry. US judge recommends partial ban on iPhone imports to US San Francisco, March 26 (AFP) Mar 26, 2019 A US trade judge ruled Tuesday that Apple had violated a Qualcomm chipmaker patent and said she would recommend banning imports of some iPhones. International Trade Commission administrative law specialist MaryJoan McNamara wrote that she would be recommending a "limited exclusion order together with a cease and desist order" against Apple. The company will not be required to post a bond while the order is reviewed by a panel of judges and then possibly US President Donald Trump because the iPhones don't directly compete with any Qualcomm products, according to the ruling. "We appreciate Judge McNamara's recognition of Apple's infringement of our hardware patent and that she will be recommending an import ban and cease and desist order," Qualcomm said in a statement released to the media. Apple did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The patent at issue in the ruling involved managing power and extending battery life. The case is one of two complaints by Qualcomm against Apple being considered by the commission. Apple shares were down a little more than a percent to $186.79 at the close of official trading in New York that followed release of the ruling. Meanwhile, Qualcomm shares were up 2.4 percent to $58. - Complex patent battle - The Californian tech giants have been locked in a long-running battle over patents and royalties that has played out in courts and administrative bodies worldwide. Apple accuses Qualcomm of charging for invalid patents and claims the chipmaker was seeking a disproportionate amount for a single component. Last week, Qualcomm won a $31 million verdict in its multi-front war with Apple over patented technology used in iPhones. A jury in a federal court in southern California ordered Apple to pay Qualcomm for patent infringement for chips used on iPhone 7, 8 and X models. Patents at issue in that case involved "flashless booting" that allows devices to connect quickly to the internet after being turned on and technology that lets smartphone apps move online data efficiently. A third patent related to promoting rich graphics in games while protecting battery life, according to Qualcomm. On another front, a federal judge in California issued a preliminary ruling that Qualcomm owes Apple nearly $1 billion in patent royalty rebate payments the chipmaker is withholding, according to US media reports. Apple sued Qualcomm two years ago over the payments, which were part of a contracted arrangement. The judge's decision will be on pause until after a trial in the case. Qualcomm late last year escalated a legal war with Apple, accusing the iPhone maker of stealing secrets and sharing them with mobile chip rival Intel, according to court documents. Apple's goal was to buy mobile chips from Intel instead of depending on Qualcomm, the dominant maker of mobile phone processors and has argued that Qualcomm abuse of its dominant position was harmful to the whole industry. A political factor potentially weighing into the legal wrangling between Apple and Qualcomm is how rulings might hamper the rollout of super-fast fifth-generation, or 5G, telecommunications networks in the US. gc/ft APPLE INC. INTEL Parkland, Sandy Hook suicides put focus on mental health, grief Miami, March 25 (AFP) Mar 25, 2019 The community of Parkland was grieving Monday after a second student took their life a little over a year following the shooting at the Florida town's high school that left 17 people dead. As Parkland was mourning, the authorities said the father of a child killed in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, had apparently committed suicide. Jeremy Richman, 49, lost his six-year-old daughter, Avielle, in the Sandy Hook shooting that killed 20 children and six staff members. "This is awful, horrible, devastating news," Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy said on Twitter, reacting to reports of Richman's death. "He was just here in Parkland last week," said Ryan Petty, whose 14-year-old daughter Alaina was among the 14 students killed in the February 14, 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Three adults were also killed. "He was here meeting with some of the families here, helping us," Petty said. "It's just heartbreaking to know that he was suffering." In Florida, the head of the Emergency Management Division urged the state legislature to devote more resources to helping survivors of the school shooting in Parkland. "Mental health is a bipartisan issue," Jared Moskowitz said on Twitter. "While we are in session NOW is the time." Moskowitz's appeal followed two suicides over the past week -- one of a former student at Stoneman Douglas and one of a current student. Sydney Aiello, 19, a Florida Atlantic University student whose best friend, Meadow Pollack, died in the attack at Stoneman Douglas, committed suicide last week. Her mother told a local television station that Aiello had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and with "survivor's guilt" following the school shooting. - 'Still at risk' - The second suicide victim has not been publicly identified. According to the authorities, the student was currently enrolled at Stoneman Douglas and took his own life on Saturday. Parkland parents, students, teachers and county officials held a gathering on Sunday to discuss providing more support to the community. "Today was the first of many meetings with all city, county and mental health experts in order to make sure our students, teachers and parents receive the education they need to prevent the next suicide," Max Schachter, whose 14-year-old son Alex was among those killed at Stoneman Douglas, said on Twitter. Petty told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that "we have students and staff that are still at risk." "We have to recognize after an event like this there is trauma, anxiety and depression," Petty told the newspaper. "We have to educate parents and teachers to recognize the signs and ask the right questions." David Hogg, an 18-year-old Parkland survivor who has become a leader of a Stoneman Douglas student-led movement for gun control, tweeted: "Rip 17+2." "How many more kids have to be taken from us as a result of suicide for the government/school district to do anything?" Hogg asked. Stoneman Douglas students have became crusaders against gun violence under the banner "March for Our Lives," lobbying for tougher gun control laws and organizing protests and rallies across the United States. Several 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls spoke out following the suicides. "It's horrific that the Parkland and Sandy Hook communities continue to endure even more loss," Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders tweeted. "We must take real action to end our gun violence epidemic and do everything we can to support the families who have been affected by this crisis." California Senator Kamala Harris said she was "absolutely heartbroken." "Gun violence affects so many lives and we must do better to help each other heal after such tragedies," Harris tweeted. Women's rights Afghan "red line" in Taliban talks Berlin, March 25 (AFP) Mar 25, 2019 The rights of women constitute an "absolute red line" for the Afghan government in peace negotiations between the US and the Taliban, Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani said Tuesday. "There will be no restrictions on girls' schooling -- we shall not sacrifice what we have been building for 18 years," Rabbani told Bild daily, voicing strong support for the peace talks in Qatar. "Negotiation is the only way to end this conflict and these problems," he said. But he added: "Let's be clear -- when we talk of peace that does not mean we are giving in. This is not about re-establishing the Taliban regime in the country. "If we have peace, stability and foreign investment in this country then people will not want to leave Afghanistan for Germany. They will stay put. That is why the peace process is so important." The Taliban are refusing to hold direct peace talks with President Ashraf Ghani, despite repeated US demands that intra-Afghan dialogue should include the government. During the most recent session of the talks which ended on March 16 in Doha, US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said that "progress is being made" but that much remained to be done. Rabbani told Bild that Germany, which has a military presence in Afghanistan, could host a third session of peace talks. "As the minister (German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas) said recently Germany is ready to welcome peace talks. The Afghan government appreciates that. When the moment comes we shall address ourselves to our German friends," he said. Hard-right Australian party sought NRA donations: report Sydney, March 26 (AFP) Mar 26, 2019 Australia's hard-right One Nation party has been accused of seeking donations from US gun lobby group the National Rifle Association ahead of the upcoming general election, according to an Al Jazeera investigation. Secret recordings aired by the Qatar-based broadcaster showed members of Pauline Hanson's party seeking $10-20 million in donations from the NRA apparently in return for trying to loosen Australia's tight gun laws. An Al Jazeera investigator posed as a gun lobbyist to facilitate the meeting between Hanson's chief of staff, James Ashby, the party leader in Queensland and the NRA in Washington -- meetings which were video-taped. In the footage, Ashby was shown saying that he wanted political support, powerful NRA software -- to aid voter targeting -- and help with donations. "If the NRA want to rally their supporters within Australia, that's one start," Ashby said in one meeting ahead of the sit-down with the NRA. "Two, I'd love to get my hands on their software. And three, if they can help us with donations, super." Ashby is heard saying that a $10 million donation would allow One Nation to win eight seats in the Senate, parliament's upper house, giving the party sufficient power to influence legislation. However, following the Christchurch massacre any move to roll back Australia's strict gun control legislation would likely encounter widespread opposition. One Nation has two seats in the outgoing Senate, one of them held by party founder Hanson. NRA official Lars Dalseide later offered the group advice on how to respond to mass shootings in a way that would avoid tighter gun restrictions. The Al Jazeera report prompted calls for a probe into whether One Nation officials had violated rules against foreign interference in Australian elections. Prime Minister Scott Morrison tweeted Tuesday that the report about senior One Nation officials courting "foreign political donations from the US gun lobby to influence our elections & undermine our gun laws that keep us safe are deeply concerning". However, he refused to tell his supporters not to back the party in Australia's ranked voting system. Morrison's Liberal party are struggling in the polls and are keen not to alienate One Nation voters or their own supporters on the right. The Liberals may yet need to rely on second-preference votes to win marginal seats. "There are many reasons not to vote for One Nation. It's a long list. We've seen some of those on display in recent times. Today we saw further evidence of that," he said. But the prime minister added: "There are plenty of extreme views out there," singling out the country's Green party. Another video purported to show the Australians meeting with representatives of Koch Industries, a company run by conservative powerbroker and activist mega-donor Charles Koch. In that meeting, Queensland party leader Steve Dickson offers to change Australia's "voting system" in return for cash. In a statement to Australian media, Ashby attacked Al Jazeera, accusing it of being a propaganda arm of the Qatari government. He indicated the party had reported Al Jazeera to the police to investigate whether the media group was working as an unregistered foreign agent. No halt to Gaza flare-up despite 'ceasefire' Gaza City, Palestinian Territories, March 26 (AFP) Mar 26, 2019 Israel kept up air strikes on Gaza into Tuesday and Palestinian militants launched new rockets despite a reported ceasefire deal, raising fears of a return to open conflict in the enclave. Gaza's Islamist rulers, Hamas, had said on Monday evening that an Egypt-brokered ceasefire has been agreed following a flare-up of violence just two weeks before an Israeli general election. But the Israeli army reported late-night mortar fire and 30 new rocket launches from Gaza, on top of 30 rockets detected earlier in the evening. Israel struck around 15 fresh targets including what the army said were a Hamas military compound and an Islamic Jihad position, adding in a statement that it would "increase its operational activity as necessary". "Our response was very powerful, very very powerful," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israeli reporters accompanying him on a visit to Washington. "Hamas needs to know that we shall not hesitate to go in (to Gaza) and take all necessary steps," he said in in remarks broadcast on Israeli public radio." During the night, an AFP journalist saw multiple rockets fired from the north of Gaza towards Israel. Some were intercepted by air defences while others hit uninhabited areas, the Israeli army said. The ceasefire announcement came after Israeli strikes hit the office of Hamas Ismail Haniya and dozens of other sites across the Gaza Strip on Monday evening. Those strikes were in response to a rare long-distance rocket attack from the Palestinian enclave that hit a home north of Tel Aviv and wounded seven people early on Monday. Israel, whose strikes began around the same time Netanyahu met US President Donald Trump in Washington, did not comment on the ceasefire report. "Egyptian efforts succeeded with a ceasefire between the occupation and the resistance factions," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum had said. Netanyahu, who is also defence minister, boarded a flight back to Israel, cutting short his US visit, and saying that on arrival he would go straight to the defence ministry in Tel Aviv. On Tuesday, he had been scheduled to address a pro-Israel lobby group and have dinner with Trump. He is expected to land in Israel around midday (1000 GMT). - Balls of fire - Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008, and Netanyahu is believed to want to avoid another one with unpredictable results ahead of the April 9 election. But he faces a tough challenge from a centrist political alliance led by former military chief Benny Gantz and came under pressure to respond firmly. Gaza's health ministry said Monday evening that seven people had been wounded as explosions rocked the enclave and balls of fire rose into the sky. There was no indication the Hamas leader was in his office at the time it was hit. In comments from the White House, Netanyahu said "Israel is responding forcefully to this wanton aggression," while Trump spoke of Israel's "right to defend itself". One Israeli strike destroyed a building in Gaza City that Israel alleged was a secret Hamas security and intelligence headquarters. Hamas's internal security office in Gaza City was also hit. A joint statement from militant groups in Gaza, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, took responsibility for the rockets fired later on Monday in response to the Israeli strikes. Israel's army said the rocket from Gaza that hit a house early Monday was fired by Hamas. A Hamas official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, denied the group was behind the rocket, evoking the possibility it was caused by "bad weather". The Israeli house hit was located in the community of Mishmeret, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Tel Aviv, police said. The rocket would have had to travel some 120 kilometres (75 miles) from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where Israel said it was fired from. The hospital treating the wounded said seven Israelis were injured lightly by burns and shrapnel, including three children. - Protests anniversary - Monday's rocket attack followed another rare incident on March 14 in which two rockets were fired from Gaza towards Tel Aviv. They caused no casualties or damage, but Israel responded to the rocket fire by hitting what it said were around 100 Hamas targets across the Gaza Strip. Four Palestinians were reported wounded in those strikes. Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad denied they were behind the March 14 rocket fire towards Tel Aviv, raising the possibility it was launched by fringe groups. The Israeli amry said it was launched by Hamas, but later Israeli media reported the army's assessment was that the rockets had been fired by mistake during maintenance work. Saturday marks the first anniversary of mass Palestinian protests along the Gaza border that have drawn a deadly response from the Israeli army. At least 258 Palestinians have been killed along with two Israeli soldiers. An informal truce between Hamas and Israel had led to relative calm along the border, but recent weeks have seen another uptick in violence. German arms export policy 'unpredictable': French envoy Berlin, March 26 (AFP) Mar 26, 2019 Germany's military export policy is "unpredictable" and subject to shifting domestic politics, the French ambassador to Berlin charged Tuesday, voicing concern over the future of European defence projects. "The growing politicisation of the German debate on arms exports ... is jeopardising European defence cooperation," wrote the envoy, Anne-Marie Descotes. "The unpredictability of German policy on export controls ... is causing concern among Germany's European partners," she wrote in an opinion piece for Germany's Federal Academy for Security Policy. Descotes' comments came as Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet is considering whether to extend an arms sales freeze on Saudi Arabia that has impacted other European exports. Berlin imposed the moratorium on countries involved in the Yemen war in October following the murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul. The move angered both Paris and London because of its knock-on effect on common European defence exports, and French President Emmanuel Macron labelled "pure demagoguery" Berlin's call for other countries to follow suit. Descotes charged that such decisions "reinforce the impression that the German export control system is not restrictive, but unpredictable". Often the use of even small German components such as seals or ball bearings was leading to lengthy delays for manufacturers elsewhere, as well as to penalty payments and lost contracts, she wrote. Some defence companies are already building products marketed "German free" in terms of components. Descotes argued that "this problem goes far beyond the countries involved in the Yemen war and also affects exports to Senegal, India, Indonesia or Niger". Germany and France are among the world's top arms exporters, a club that is led by the United States and also includes Russia, China and Britain. Descotes argued that Germany's stance could impact large future projects, among them ambitious Franco-German plans to jointly develop the so-called Future Combat Air System of fighter jets and drones by 2040. Human Rights Watch this week argued Germany should maintain the embargo and other countries "should follow suit". The New York-based group pointed to "the terrible toll on Yemen's civilian population and serious laws-of-war violations" in the conflict which the United Nations calls the world's largest humanitarian catastrophe. US envoy on Afghan peace heads back to region Washington, March 26 (AFP) Mar 26, 2019 The US envoy seeking a peace deal with the Taliban to end 17 years of war is heading back to the region for a new round of talks, the State Department said Tuesday. Zalmay Khalilzad will head to Afghanistan as well as neighboring Pakistan during the trip that began Monday and is scheduled to run through April 10. The State Department did not confirm he would hold fresh talks with the Taliban but said he would stop in Qatar, the usual location for negotiations with the militants. Khalilzad's trip is "part of an overall effort to facilitate a peace process that brings all Afghan parties together in inclusive intra-Afghan negotiations," the State Department said. The emphasis on negotiations among Afghans comes as the Taliban refuse to sit down for talks with the internationally recognized government of President Ashraf Ghani, despite US appeals. Tensions over the issue recently led to Ghani's national security adviser telling reporters in Washington that Khalilzad had not been transparent and accusing the US envoy, who was born in Afghanistan, of harboring personal ambitions in his native country. As Khalilzad headed back, the US ambassador to Kabul, John Bass, also emphasized the role of Afghans. "Afghans deserve to make their own choices about peace, including where they are prepared to compromise, where they are not prepared to compromise, & how to mend differences," Bass tweeted. The last negotiations between Khalilzad and the Taliban closed on March 12 in Doha and appeared to make headway. An outline of a deal is expected to see the United States withdrawing from Afghanistan in return for the Taliban promising not to let the country be used by foreign extremists -- the reason for the US attack following the September 11, 2001 attacks. President Donald Trump has voiced impatience with continuing America's longest war and late last year ordered the withdrawal of half the 14,000-strong US troop contingent. The State Department said Khalilzad would also visit Belgium, Britain, Belgium, Jordan and Uzbekistan as he seeks global support for a peace deal. He met last week in Washington with representatives from China, Russia and the European Union. Seven killed in Yemen air strike: Save the children Dubai, March 26 (AFP) Mar 26, 2019 At least seven people, including four children, were killed and eight injured in an air strike near a hospital in Yemen, Save the children said on Tuesday. "Four children were among seven people killed today when a hospital supported by Save the Children in Yemen was hit by an airstrike," Save the Children said in a statement. "Two other adults are unaccounted for. "A missile struck a petrol station near the entrance to Ritaf rural hospital, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the city of Saada in the northwest of the country, at 9:30 am." Among those killed were health workers and security guards, said Save the Children, calling for "an urgent investigation into the latest atrocity". "We are shocked and appalled by this outrageous attack," said Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the chief executive of Save the Children International. "This hospital is just one of the many Save the Children supports across Yemen, delivering life-saving aid to children living in what is the worst place on earth to be a child. "These children have the right to be safe in their hospitals, schools and homes. But time after time, we see a complete disregard by all warring parties in Yemen for the basic rules of war. Children must be protected." The Saudi-backed government has been battling the Iran-aligned Huthi rebels since 2014 in a war that has triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The war escalated in March 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition intervened against the rebels. Around 10,000 people -- mostly civilians -- have been killed and more than 60,000 wounded since the coalition joined the conflict, according to the World Health Organization. But the exact numbers are not known and aid groups warn the toll is likely to be significantly higher, with Action Against Hunger putting it at more than 57,000. BEIJING, March 25 (Xinhua) -- State Councilor Zhao Kezhi Monday stressed unremitting efforts to fight terrorism, as the country marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China this year. Zhao, also chief of the national anti-terrorism leading group, ordered counter-terrorism officials to strengthen intelligence early warning, deepen the work of de-extremism and consolidate the overall good momentum in the fight against terrorism, at both a meeting of the leading group and a national video-conference on anti-terrorism work. He also called for efforts to further improve the terrorism prevention system and the emergency response mechanism. The Communist Party of China's policies concerning ethnic groups should be fully implemented, Zhao said, emphasizing upholding equality among all ethnic groups and promoting exchanges among them. English25/03/2019 JOINT MARKING OF SERBS SUFFERING ANNIVERSARIES IMPORTANT BANJALUKA, March 25 /SRNA/ - Republika Srpska President Zeljka Cvijanovic and BiH Presidency Chairman Milorad Dodik said after the marking of NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, that it is important that Srpska and Serbia jointly mark all the anniversary of the suffering of Serbs. "We experienced it in Republika Srpska and we are aware how severe these sufferings are. During the war in BiH, NATO was placed in one side. After the war, it literally always promoted something that did not get consent within BiH," stated Cvijanovic. The president of Srpska emphasized that Serbia marking this date is good that having the top officials of Republika Srpska attended it is very important. Dodik stated that Serbs in Republika Srpska cannot accept BiH's membership in NATO. "It's an alliance that threw bombs containing depleted uranium and cluster bombs, which were prohibited by warfare conventions, we did not forget that. It's impossible, our people live with it," Dodik told reporters in Nis, state broadcaster RTRS reports. A state ceremony over the 20th anniversary of the NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was held Sunday evening in Nis and attended by the top officials of Serbia and Republika Srpska. /end/vos English25/03/2019 TRGOVSKA GORA UNACCEPTABLE FOR HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL SITE SARAJEVO, March 25 /SRNA/ - Caretaker Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Mirko Sarovic says it is not okay to dispose of any waste at a border with a neighbouring country and that Croatias intention to dispose of its radioactive and nuclear waste at the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot be called a friendly gesture. "I think we have a difficult period ahead of us where BiH wants Croatia to hear its voice, Sarovic stated during the international conference Issue of a radioactive and nuclear waste disposal site at Trgovska Gora on Monday and asserted that BiH did not have many measures left. He hopes BiH institutions will take a more active role in solving the problem and that it should seek international support to change Croatias intentions to dispose of and store radioactive and nuclear waste at the very border with BiH. Commenting on an idea that international arbitration is required to resolve the issue, Sarovic recalled that Croatia would have to agree to arbitration. FBiH Minister of Ecology and Tourism Edita Djapo warns that a radioactive waste disposal site at Trgovska Gora would have far-reaching consequences for the BiH population in case of an earthquake, fire, flood or a human-caused accident, especially for the people living in the border area where they mainly engage in agriculture, bee keeping or tourism. "If Croatia is willing to suffer a loss of 4,000 residents in Dvor, BiH cannot pay the price of having a radioactive waste disposal site at its door because the waste will not be disposed for 10 or 15 years and then be re-cultivated. It will be a disposal site that will stay there for 250,000 years," Minister Djapo told the press. Sasa Magazinovic, head of the Green Club which gathers MPs from all levels of BiH authorities, says the conference about the Trgovska Gora issue is no anti-Croatian hysteria but an attempt to build dialogue and resolve the problem in the spirit of good neighbourly relations. He warns that the site where Croatia intends to dispose of and store its radioactive and nuclear waste is only a few hundred meters away from the Una and border with BiH, less than three kilometres away from central Novi Grad and a few hundred metres away from a water intake facility from which BiH residents take their drinking water, and that two thirds of a potentially negative, adverse effect would affect BiH, and one third would affect Croatia. Mayor of Novi Grad Miroslav Drljaca expressed pleasure that Sarajevo was hosting a conference about the Trgovska Gora issue and that its participants confirmed the view of residents and authorities of his town, saying that the site was not acceptable because of its vicinity to the border and its failure to meet the technical requirements for disposing of radioactive waste. Mayor of the Croatian town of Petrinja and Croatian MP Darinko Dumbovic says the area where his authorities are planning to dispose of radioactive waste deserves a different type of care. "This part of Pounje is one of the most beautiful areas for a healthy life, organic production and everything we should have in the future, Dumbovic said and added that Trgovska Gora was not safe because of the risk of landslides there. The conference which was organised by MPs from all levels of authorities in BiH assembled in the Green Club, gathered representatives of BiH authorities, embassies and international institutions, as well as the NGO sector from BiH and Croatia. /end/ds Illustration: Liu Rui/GT President Xi Jinping has visited Italy, Monaco and France, his first trip abroad in 2019. The European tour is expected to strengthen the EU's strategic partnerships with China. In France, Xi was received by French President Emmanuel Macron. The two heads of state will meet at Elysee, the French presidential palace in Paris, during Xi's last day on Tuesday in the country. The occasion marks Xi's second visit to France since 2014. In 1964, France became the first major Western country to establish diplomatic ties with China. The fact that Xi visited France this year, which marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Beijing and Paris, reveals the importance of China-France relations. France has also voiced support to the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Efforts are currently underway between Chinese and French governments on BRI third-party market cooperation. Such efforts involve combining the manufacturing prowess of China and the advanced technology of France to provide competitive products and services for third countries. Since Charles de Gaulle, France has pursued independent and pragmatic diplomacy and has always valued its relationship with China. Since first taking office, Macron has upheld the country's diplomatic traditions. Unlike the US, France did not shun Huawei from the country's telecommunications market. Macron asked for sovereignty respect from foreign nations such as the US regarding investment. When Macron met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in January at Elysee, he announced that he wanted to make use of the opportunity provided by the 55th anniversary to bolster cooperation with China in areas related to trade and investment, nuclear energy, and aviation. Media has already reported that during Xi's visit, China could sign up to purchase more airliners from Airbus, a major competitor of Boeing. After Brexit, France will be the only permanent member of the UN Security Council from the EU. It will be in the interests of China and France, both UNSC permanent members, to promote multilateralism and increase cooperation on global issues like climate change and anti-terrorism. Apart from the diplomatic level, cultural exchange has played a significant role between China and France. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of bilateral cultural exchanges. Close to 40,000 Chinese students were studying in France in 2018. By 2020, Chinese students are expected to become the largest group of international students in France. Moreover, in 2018 alone, 2.3 million Chinese tourists visited France, setting a new all-time high. The French are interested in Chinese culture. More students today in France are studying Chinese as a second language, just right after English. French students are aware that China is the second largest economy in the world and exchanges between Europe and China will continue to grow. China's cuisine is popular in France, although most restaurants offer a French version of Chinese food. Although China is far from France, those who can afford it will travel to China at least once in their lifetime. The French welcome Chinese visitors, the highest-spending demographic in the world, to shop and experience their country's food and culture. There are some patriotic French nationals who do not want to see that some French brands have been bought by Chinese companies, such as the Fosun International-owned Club Med. But in general, the French welcome Chinese investment. Chinese companies spent close to $1.7 billion in 2018 buying French companies. The Chinese community in France hopes Xi's visit will further boost relations between both countries and create more job opportunities for Chinese living in France. China-France relations are expected to involve greater collaboration this year. Both sides have planned activities that include celebrating the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties and a trip to China by French ministers. Meanwhile, France has expressed willingness to participate in the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation next month in Beijing. The author is a freelance journalist based in Paris. Would better access to the Mississippi River be advantageous to Ste. Genevieve? Yes! It would boost tourism and be awesome for locals. (82%, 115 Votes) Not really. Anyone who really wants to see it can drive to the ferry landing. (18%, 26 Votes) Total Voters: 141 GAZA/JERUSALEM, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Israeli warplanes attacked on Monday evening military posts and facilities that belong to militant groups in the Gaza Strip in response to earlier rocket attack into Israel. Israeli drones and warplanes hovered over the coastal enclave, where several explosions have been heard in various areas in Gaza city and the entire enclave, according to eyewitnesses, security sources and local media reports. A Xinhua reporter said that two large explosions were heard in northern Gaza Strip while Israeli army drones were hovering over Gaza city, and hospitals all over the coastal enclave declared a status of emergency. Security officials in Gaza said that Israeli warplanes struck two Hamas military facilities and training compounds in northern Gaza Strip. Ambulances rushed to the scene and no injuries were reported after Gaza militants evacuated their posts and military compounds. Earlier, seven Israelis were injured and severe damage was caused to several houses in the Hasharon area north of Tel Aviv in central Israel after a long-range rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip into central Israel. The Israeli cabinet had approved earlier on Monday a military operation against militant groups all over the Gaza Strip. No one has claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. Fawzi Barhoum, Hamas movement's spokesman in Gaza, said in a press statement that "if the Israeli occupation commits any stupidity against Gaza and its resistance, the cost will exceed all its evaluations." Meanwhile, Israel's military said that its air force has launched a series of airstrikes at the Gaza Strip on Monday, citing retaliation over an earlier rocket attack at central Israel. "The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) has begun striking Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip," a military notice said. Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. Warwickshire County Council's Shire Hall headquarters in Warwick. A new report by Warwickshire County Council has revealed that preparations for a no-deal Brexit are underway by the authority. The authority has been given 175,000 to prepare for Brexit and the report looks into the areas in which the county is most likely to be affected post-Brexit. The EU exit report was be presented at last Tuesdays full council meeting (19 March), and for the purposes of ensuring business continuity, is mainly focussed on a no-deal scenario. With a higher than average number of workers in the country coming from outside the UK, Warwickshire would likely be more affected then other parts of the country in industries such as manufacturing, accommodation, food services, health and social care and tourism. The report also draws special attention the automotive industry, following warnings from companies such as JLR of the devastating impact leaving without a deal could have. The council believes that such an exit would only have a small to medium impact on its own statutory services, but notes that there is the potential for increased demand for Trading Standards. It also details when European funding for the region will come to an end and discusses whether replacement funding will be introduced. The report acknowledges that uncertainty over Brexit had already led to a drop off in business investment activity in the county, but outlines how the authority is working with the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership and other organisations to support businesses. It goes on to warn that Brexit could have negative impacts on community cohesion and hate crime, while there could be more demand for Citizens Advice services from EU Citizens and residents impacted by any local job losses. Hong Kong: CEs council of advisers holds meeting The Chief Executive's Council of Advisers on Innovation & Strategic Development held its fifth meeting today to discuss Hong Kongs economic outlook. The council was also briefed on a study that makes recommendations for the future development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the opportunities it offers to Hong Kong. In anticipation of slower global economic growth and external challenges in 2019, members discussed measures to stabilise the economy and how Hong Kong could better leverage the opportunities brought about by the continuous eastward shift of global economic activities. They also provided suggestions on how Hong Kong can strengthen its conventional sectors and promote new growth areas such as innovation and technology. Chief Executive Carrie Lam said while factors including US-China trade tensions, uncertainties surrounding US monetary policy and a hard Brexit may adversely affect Hong Kong's economy, emerging Asian economies will continue to be an important growth engine for the global economy. The Belt & Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development will definitely bring enormous opportunities for Hong Kong. The Government will implement precautionary measures to mitigate the risks of a potential downturn of the global economy and strengthen its role as the facilitator and the promoter to further enhance the development of the Hong Kong economy." Regarding the study Creating the Greater Bay Area of the Future - Opportunities for Hong Kong that was undertaken by the 2022 Foundation, members generally agreed with its recommendations which are in line with the directions set out in the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Mrs Lam said the Government would refer to the study when formulating policies and pursuing co-operation initiatives with other cities in the bay area. This story has been published on: 2019-03-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. KAMPOT, CAMBODIA, Mar. 26 (ChinaMil) -- The closing ceremony of the 15-day China-Cambodia joint military exercise "Golden Dragon 2019" was held on March 25, 2019, local time, after completing an integrated anti-terrorism drill in mountainous area of Kampot Province, Cambodia. His Excellency General Tea Banh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for National Defense of Cambodia, Major General Zhang Haiqing, Vice Commander of the Chinese PLA's Southern Theater Command, Wang Wentian, Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia, and military attaches from many countries observed the drill and attended the closing ceremony. The anti-terrorism drill was conducted in the form of mixed grouping and joint operations of multi-arms, with a focus on over ten subjects in the mountain anti-terrorism operations, including intelligence reconnaissance, air rescue, air-to-ground firepower strike, coordinated operations between armored and infantry troops, explosive searching and elimination, as well as anti-chemical and decontamination operations. Participating troops of both sides mainly came from special operations forces, attached with 11 specialized forces like armored troops, artillery and army aviation units. Both sides examined the training and combat methods of conducting multiple arms coordinated operations in anti-terrorism actions and explored a new model for commanding China-Cambodia joint military operations. The joint exercise, revolving on joint anti-terrorism training and humanitarian assistance, started on March 13, involving more than 600 troops from both sides. It was divided into four stages: skill training, tactical training, table-top drill, and exercise with real troops and live ammunition. Speaking at the closing ceremony, General Tea Banh praised the performance of both armed forces during the joint exercise. He said that he would like to turn Golden Dragon into an important mechanism for military-to-military exchanges and make it a new highlight to carry forward the traditional friendship and promote multi-field exchanges and cooperation between the two militaries, with a view to contributing to the world and regional security. Chinese Ambassador Wang Wentian said that China and Cambodia share a deep and long-standing traditional friendship, which is beneficial to the two peoples. The pragmatic cooperation in various fields between the two militaries has developed in depth and made significant contributions to the development of China-Cambodia comprehensive strategic partnership. The Golden Dragon, a brand project jointly created by the two militaries, has played a positive role in promoting the development of relations between both countries as well as the two militaries. Major General Zhang Haiqing said in his speech that the Golden Dragon 2019 is a concrete measure to implement the consensus reached by China and Cambodia on strengthening the pragmatic cooperation between the two militaries. It is of strategic significance for consolidating traditional friendship, enhancing military strength and creating a favorable environment. The two sides have continued to make great breakthroughs in terms of cooperation, professionalism and precision, and the training subjects have been designed closer to actual combat. Both troops have gained their practical experience and forged friendship during the joint exercise. Soldiers stand in formation for the closing ceremony. Supplied Source: khmertimeskh.com China and Cambodia yesterday ended their largest-ever joint military exercise Golden Dragon 2019 held in Kampot provinces Chum Kiri district after more than 10 days of live fire. Commanders from both countries made a commitment to resist any threat from outsiders. The exercises began on March 13 with a closing ceremony planned for tomorrow, but the date was changed to yesterday. Defence Minister General Tea Banh and Major General Zhang Haiqing, southern deputy commander of Chinas infantry, arrived in the morning to inspect armour and other military equipment after the live-fire drills. Speaking during a joint press conference after the closing ceremony, Gen Banh said all costs of the drill would be the responsibility of his Chinese counterpart, including petrol and ammunition. He said the exercises were a success because of the Chinese support. Maj Gen Zhang said the exercises were to strengthen the good cooperation between the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and Chinese Peoples Liberation Army. If we compare it with the 2016 and 2018 drills, the military exercise this time was like preparation for fighting, he said. The most important purpose of this drill is to strengthen the ties between both militaries. We will maintain the historic relationship between both the army and the country to be stronger. General Tea Banh delivers a speech to close the exercise yesterday. Supplied He said China and Cambodia would join together against what he called historic threats and hoped next years exercise would be bigger and better. Another purpose is we want to participate in maintaining peace and stability in the region. We promoted the ability of both militaries to resist historic or non-historic threats against us, he said. We strongly believe that the next Golden Dragon military exercise will be the best ever. Asked if Cambodia would join military exercises with countries besides China, Gen Banh said Cambodia would welcome any countries but he demanded loyalty first. In 2017, a joint military exercise with the US, known as Angkor Sentinel exercise was cancelled, and the Defence Ministry said it was called off because the government was busy focusing on a six-month anti-drug campaign and 2017s commune election. We will consider based on their will and loyalty first. What is their real purpose? Is it responding to our need? If they respond to our need, we will welcome them, we will consider it based on the actual situation. Gen Banh said. Gen Banh denied that Cambodia and China would threaten any country. I find it hard to describe anyone who smears our actions to promote our army as a threat, he said. We do not want to threaten any group or country. We just want to strengthen our ability, for those who have concerns about our joint military exercise. Maj Gen Zhang echoed Gen Banh, but said China and Cambodia had enough power to confront any country that threatened them. The Golden Dragon drill is a representation of current Sino-Cambodian relations. This years drill was the third after 2016 and 2018. During the exercise, 252 Chinese soldiers trained side-by-side with 2,542 Cambodian soldiers. The exercise focused on counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, disaster response, UN missions and infantry engineering. A Chinese J-11B fighter jet is photographed carrying a new type of air-to-air missile. Photo: China Central Television The J-11B fighter jet has become the latest user of China's self-developed world-class air-to-air missile that was feared by senior US military officers, revealed China's national broadcaster on Monday. A photo appeared on a China Central Television (CCTV) program on Monday shows a J-11B under the People's Liberation Army Air Force carrying a large missile under its wing. The J-20 stealth fighter jet carried the same type of missile and made public display at the Airshow China 2018 in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province, in November 2018, CCTV reported. This is the first time a J-11B is spotted carrying this type of missile, the report said. "Judging from the shape and aerodynamic design plus the J-20 reference, the missile is very likely to be the PL-15 air-to-air missile," Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told the Global Times on Tuesday. Wei compared the PL-15 with the US' latest AIM-120 missile, as both have very long effective range that would allow the launch platform to become an airborne sniper, enabling an aircraft to hunt hostile fighters, early warning aircraft and aerial tankers from beyond visual range. A J-11B fighter jet attached to an aviation brigade of the air force with the PLA Northern Theater Command flies at low altitude through valleys during a flight training exercise on January 8, 2019. Photo: eng.chinamil.com.cn Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Geng Shuang held a press conference on March 26, 2019. Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Geng Shuang on Tuesday said that China opposes changing the status quo of Golan Heights through unilateral behavior, calling for the avoidance of escalating regional tensions. "The international community recognizes Golan Heights as occupied," Geng said, adding that the UN Security Council has passed several resolutions urging Israel to withdraw from Golan Heights. U.S. President Donald Trump signed a decree on Monday at the start of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the United States recognizes Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, territory that Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war. The Golan Heights is located on the border between Israel and Syria. Israel captured the region from Syria in 1967 during the Six Day War. Comoros President Azali re-elected in a landslide Moroni, Comoros, March 26 (AFP) Mar 26, 2019 Comoros President Azali Assoumani was re-elected Tuesday in a landslide, according to results published by the electoral commission of the Indian Ocean archipelago. Azali, who first took office in 2016, was credited with 60.77 percent of the vote this time around, far ahead of his closest rival Mahamoudou Ahamada, who garnered only 14.62 percent, electoral commission chief Djaza Ahmed Mohamed said. The 66-year-old president had been tipped to win re-election on the island of nation of 800,000 people that is one of the world's poorest and most unstable states. Twelve people were injured Monday when police fired teargas and rubber bullets at opposition candidates and supporters as they marched through the capital Moroni protesting alleged irregularities. Before the results were officially announced, the opposition had already rejected the outcome. Azali staged the poll after Comorans approved a referendum that was boycotted by the opposition to extend presidential mandates from one five-year term to two. The Supreme Court barred some of Azali's major rivals, including former president Ahmed Abdallah Sambi, accused of corruption, from running. TOKYO, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Japan on Tuesday deployed two Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) units to islands in the county's southwest, in part to purportedly bolster its disaster response capabilities in a move likely to upset locals. Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told a press briefing that the new deployment was concerned with issues of disaster response preparedness. The new units along with local authorities will now be able to deal with natural disasters swiftly, Iwaya said. A 400-member unit has been deployed to Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture, with an inauguration ceremony held for the brigade on the island, which lies about 300 km southwest of the main island of Okinawa. Tomofusa Harada, head of the 15th Brigade, was quoted as saying that he wants the personnel there to cooperate effectively and be able to respond to any situation quickly. On Amami-Oshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, about 400 km south of the southwestern main island of Kyushu, a GSDF missile unit comprising 550 personnel was set up. Iwaya also said the the defense ministry is planning to establish another unit on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa, about 100 km southwest of Miyako Island. The latest moves by the defense ministry will likely draw the ire of and trigger a backlash from the people and prefectural officials of Okinawa, who have been relentlessly campaigning for decades to have their military-linked burdens eased. Okinawa already hosts the majority of U.S. military bases in Japan and the addition of more Japanese troops and facilities will likely intensify local indignation to the central government's plans to increase military resources there. In a prefecture-wide referendum in Okinawa, more than 70 percent of eligible voters said they were opposed to the building of a replacement facility for a controversial U.S. airbase, with demonstrations held Monday by local citizens calling for the base to be moved out of Japan and their military-linked burdens lifted. Calls are becoming more vociferous from Okinawans for its postwar occupation by U.S. forces to be completely ended, as Okinawa's control under the U.S. ended in 1972. Local citizens living on the subtropical island attest to it feeling as though their occupation is continuing with no end in sight, now underscored by Japanese forces beefing up their presence and potentially threatening peace and security in the region. BEIJING, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The People's Liberation Army will remain on high alert to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday. Spokesperson Ren Guoqiang made the remarks in response to a news report that a U.S. Navy warship and a U.S. Coast Guard ship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on March 24. "We are clear about the passage of the U.S. vessels through the Taiwan Strait and have monitored them from start to end," Ren said, adding that China had expressed concern to the U.S. side. The Taiwan question bears on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and is the most important and most sensitive core issue concerning China-U.S. relations, he said. "The U.S. side should strictly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, prudently handle Taiwan-related issues, and avoid damaging relations between the two countries and two militaries as well as cross-Strait peace and stability," Ren said. China on Tuesday expressed firm opposition to a Tibet-related act by the United States, calling it an act of interference in China's internal affairs. Geng Shuang, a spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry, made the remarks after the United States on Monday claimed in a report that China "systematically" impedes Tibet access. The State Department documented access problems to Tibet in the report to Congress mandated by the so-called "Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act", which was passed by the United States last December. The so-called "Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act" by the United States seriously violates the basic norms of international relations, noted Geng. It sends a serious wrong signal to the separatist forces in the Tibet and is of serious harm to Sino-U.S. exchanges and cooperation, said Geng. JUAN MABROMATA/AFP/Getty Images On the heels of last weeks Danish royal visit, the Argentine government is rolling out the red carpet once more this time, for King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain. JUAN MABROMATA/AFP/Getty Images The Spanish royals began their three-day state visit to Argentina on Monday, starting with an official welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Buenos Aires. They were greeted by President Mauricio Macri and his wife, Juliana Awada. JUAN MABROMATA/AFP/Getty Images The First Lady chose an elegant navy blue dress for the ceremony, while Queen Letizia opted for sleek neutrals. JUAN MABROMATA/AFP/Getty Images Letizia made more of a statement with her accessories, though, wearing modern diamond earrings with pearl drops. JUAN MABROMATA/AFP/Getty Images The earrings come from the collection of her mother-in-law, Queen Sofia. (Heres a look at Letizia wearing the earrings on a previous occasion.) JUAN MABROMATA/AFP/Getty Images Ms. Awada didnt add any jewels to her ensemble, letting her clothing speak for itself. (What earrings would you pair with this lovely dress?) Prensa Presidencia/Handout/Getty Images For the gala dinner on Monday evening, we were sadly out of luck where major jewels were concerned. The men wore business suits, and the women wore dresses with minimal jewelry. Letizia wore a gorgeous gown embroidered with flowers. She accessorized with small gem-set earrings. Ms. Awada, who wore a very Letizia-esque red dress, also eschewed any major jewels. Chinese President Xi Jinping has been treated to a sumptuous dinner near Nice and an official welcome by his French counterpart at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris -- not to mention a 17th-century French translation of Confucius. But Xi's three-day visit to France, which began Sunday, promises to be a much bigger challenge than his past two stopovers. The Chinese leader coasted on the first leg of his European tour, marked by getting Italy on board his "Belt and Road" project, and a friendly welcome in the tiny Riviera principality of Monaco, which agreed to let Chinese technology company Huawei develop its controversial 5G telecommunications network. His third leg will test both Xi and French President Emmanuel Macron, who has cast himself as one of Europe's strongest champions. For Xi, analysts say, the goal is not just to broaden Chinese economic ties, but also political clout in Europe in the face of other major global competitors. For Macron and his allies, it means coaxing a fractured bloc to speak in a single voice when it comes to doing business with China. "It's in the Chinese interest that Europe is not divided, that we remain a leading partner," Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper wrote, summing up what it described as Macron's thinking about China's relations with the European Union, its biggest trading partner. Monday's agenda included inking energy, food and transport deals, followed by a state dinner for Xi hosted by Macron at the Elysee presidency. Besides trade, the two leaders were also expected discuss climate change, with Macron reportedly seeking greater Chinese cooperation to counter Trump administration skepticism. The bigger business comes Tuesday, when German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker join Macron in Paris for talks with Xi. The French president has already set the tone, declaring Friday "the time for European naivete is over" -- a sentiment echoed by fellow EU powerhouse Germany. "We want a relationship based on reciprocity," Merkel said. "If one side has access, then the other side should, too." U.S. airplane manufacturer Boeing says it plans to hold a briefing Wednesday for 200 pilots, technical leaders and regulators as it works toward returning its 737 MAX planes to service following two deadly crashes. The company said in a statement it is working to have sessions with all operators of the 737 MAX and national aviation regulators. "At the same time, we continue to work closely with our customers and regulators on software and training updates for the 737 MAX. Boeing is paying for the development of these updates," Boeing said. Airlines and aviation oversight bodies around the world grounded the 737 MAX planes earlier this month after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight. Examinations of the plane's flight data recorders showed what Ethiopia's transport ministers called "clear similarities" to an October crash of the same model plane in Indonesia. Mar 26 2019 12:04 pm Robert Muellers investigation is over, but questions still abound. Not about collusion, Russian interference or obstruction of justice, but about the leading lights of journalism who managed to get the story so wrong, and for so long, Sean Davis writes in The Wall Street Journal. It wasnt merely an error here or there. Americas blue-chip journalists botched the entire story, from its birth during the presidential campaign to its final breath Sundayand they never stopped congratulating themselves for it. The saga that is the Mueller Report is a consequence of what happens when you begin with a conclusion and then desperately seek evidence you hope will confirm it, Cal Thomas writes in The Washington Times. No amount of evidence to the contrary will keep [Democrats] from continuing investigations. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, New York Democrat, says he intends to ask Attorney General Barr to testify before his committee. We can expect plenty of grandstanding by Democratic committee members if that happens. The President tweeted last week that the U.S. will formally recognize the Golan Heights as part of Israel. The decision is strategically wise and morally important, Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) writes in The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Trump has been one of the most effective American leaders in strengthening the countrys relationship with Israel. His decision to recognize the Golan Heights as part of Israel should prove yet another major, lasting achievement for his administration. From Inauguration Day 2017 through delivery of the Special Counsels report last week, the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts produced a combined 2,284 minutes of collusion coverage . . . a level of coverage normally associated only with a major war or a presidential election, Rich Noyes writes for NewsBusters. Yesterday, Vice President Mike Pence reaffirmed the Trump administrations support for the U.S.-Israel relationship during his speech at the AIPAC annual conference, Lisa Hagen reports for U.S. News & World Report. Anti-Semitism has no place in the Congress of the United States of America, the Vice President said, addressing recent comments by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN). Anyone who slanders this historic alliance between the United States and Israel should never have a seat on the Foreign Affairs Committee. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Monday that Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., should step down as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Zachary Halaschak writes in the Washington Examiner. McCarthy said Schiff used his high-profile role as leader of the committee to push a false narrative about President Trump and insinuate to the American public that Trump colluded with Russia. From romantic novels set in Dublin to gritty pieces which paint a portrait of Belfast. We've made a list of all of the best novels which are set in the green isle. Dublin Bridge - Image Credit: Papagnoc, via Pixabay When All is Said, Anne Griffin Maurice Hannigan is 84 years old, and he's sitting alone at a hotel bar in County Meath. Over the course of the night, he orders five drinks and toasts to the five people who have made the most impact on his life. We follow Maurice from a young boy growing up in County Meath to falling in love with a girl from Donegal. What follows is an utterly heartbreaking but life-affirming tale of love and loss. Warning: This one will make you cry like a baby. Brooklyn, by Colm Toibin Despite its title, a big part of Brooklyn takes place in Ireland. Eilis Lacey is a young woman living with her mother and older sister in Ireland, but she dreams of bigger things. Like many young Irish women in the 1950's Eilis emigrates to New York, where she falls in love with Brooklyn native Tony. Suddenly Eilis receives some devastating news which means she must return to Ireland, leaving her life in Brooklyn behind. Eilis is left with a choice between her heart and her home, who will she choose? Colm Toibin - Image Credit: Chris Boland Where Rainbows End, by Cecelia Ahern Another tearjerker, Where Rainbows End is the story of Rosie Dunne and Alex Stewart, two childhood friends from Dublin. There's always been a feeling that the two are more than friends, but it's a case of wrong place wrong time. Alex moves to Boston to start his medical career at Harvard University, but circumstances mean that Rosie has to stay in Dublin. Set over the course of decades, the book is written entirely in letters, newspaper articles and other forms of correspondence between the pair. If the plot sounds familiar, it's because it was adapted into the 2014 film Love, Rosie starring Sam Claflin and Lily Collins, but spoiler alert: the book is better. Normal People, by Sally Rooney One of our books of 2018, Normal People is the story of Marianne and Connell. Living in a small Irish town, Connell is one of the most popular boys at school, and Marianne is quite the opposite a rich loner who lives in the elusive big White House. Connells mother is Mariannes cleaner and one chance conversation between the two changes the course of their lives forever. The story follows the two characters for four years as their lives change and intertwine. County Wexford, Ireland - Image Credit: Michal Osmenda, via Wikimedia Commons Milkman, by Anna Burns The surprise Man Booker prize winner is set in Northern Ireland during the troubles. Unlike the other books on this list, Milkman doesnt paint Ireland in an idyllic way but thats what makes it so real. The truth of Northern Ireland during that time period wasnt pretty, and Milkman follows an 18-year-old girl as she struggles with the unwanted attention of an older man. Despite its dark subject matter, it still manages to sneak in some humour and its a thoroughly good read. The Trick to Time, by Kit De Waal Although The Trick to Time is set in Birmingham it follows an Irish character, Mona MacNaughton, and flashes back to her childhood growing up in County Wexford. In the present day, Mona is 60 years old, but the story is told heavily through flashbacks. If you lost the love of your life, what would you do to live again? is written on the front of the book, and as a tale that takes place between Irish people living in Birmingham during the 1970s, you can imagine where the story goes. Its a truly devastating read but is also uplifting in a quiet and hopeful way. Despite not being wholly set in Ireland, The Trick to Time is Irish to its very core and talks about Ireland with an adoration that will bring even bring nostalgia and longing to those who have never visited. Its impossible to not fall in love with Mona and her story. The first four episodes of The National Students Deja Food podcast have covered everything from idyllic Swedish winters to the lack of Thai food in Leeds in 2004. Along the way weve navigated baking bread in Middle Eastern deserts, and eating entire whitebait (head and all) in an attempt to impress Spanish grown-ups. Here, weve set out a reminder of our first four episodes, before we move on to part two of the series. Get ready to indulge in a culinary journey, from Yorkshire to Stockholm to Bangkok Thanks again to our sponsors, Co-op. Episode 1: Elsa Bernadotte, Co-Founder & COO of Karma Image credit: Karma What is Karma? The first guest on our fledgling podcast was Elsa, an entrepreneurial Swedish tech expert with a drive to solve the worlds waste food problem. With one third of all the food thats made for human consumption going to waste, Elsa saw an opportunity to redistribute surplus food from restaurants in a sustainable way - and thus, Karma was born. The app works by connecting hungry people (thatll be all of us, then) with restaurants that havent sold all of their food. It means restaurants cut down on waste, and you get fed at a price thats significantly cheaper than a standard takeaway. In our opinion, its genius. What did we talk about? Swedish winters, locked in a cabin in the woods with snow coming down outside and crumpets being toasted on the fire. Working for Chanel right out of university, reporting into the head office in Paris, and realising that whilst that might sound like a dream, its not right for everyone. Launching a business selling frozen fruit on sticks at 23 and learning everything from it. Broccoli tea. Oh, and whether its ok to eat spaghetti bolognese for breakfast (jurys still out on that one.) Needless to say - Its all very Scandi and hygge in our first Deja Food episode, and we couldnt be happier about it. What did Elsa say? When times get tough, I go straight to that broccoli. NB: wed like to point out that this is 100% not actually true, because as will become clear when listening to the episode, shes more about the chocolate, crumpets and spag bol for breakfast. Where can I find out more? Rescue unsold food with Karma via the website, and download on iTunes or Google Play. LISTEN TO THE EPISODE: Episode 2: Phoebe Smith, adventurer, wilderness cookbook author & Editor-at-large of Wanderlust magazine Image credit: Phoebe Smith What does Phoebe do? Writer, adventurer and author of nine cookbooks, Phoebe has recently released The Wilderness Cookbook: A Wild Campers Guide To Eating Well, which aims to teach people how to eat well whilst wild camping. Because yes, you dont need to live off cereal bars and Malt Loaf if youre out having an adventure. What did we talk about? Lots of things, but mainly about bread: bread in the Moroccan desert with the Berber, bread cooked for a friend and her son whilst out on their first wild camping adventure. The smell of bread. And why the best part of a Sunday lunch is always the roast potatoes (were 100% with her on that.) What did Phoebe say? My favourite food smell would have to be baking bread, which I know is very common. I think it just reminds me of sitting around the campfire, making bread just out of very raw ingredients. Ive done it here in the UK, but Ive also done it in Wadi Rum, in the desert with the Bedouin, in Morocco with the Berber, and I find wherever you travel to there is a local recipe for bread. It reminds you that food doesnt have to be complicated to taste incredible. Where can I find out more? Buy Phoebes book at Stanfords here, and get ready for your own wild camping adventure. LISTEN TO THE EPISODE: Episode 3: Miguel Barclay, Instagrammer and author of the Easy 1 Meals cookbook series Image credit: Dan Jones @ Headline Home 2019 What does Miguel do? As Miguel told us, his cookbook series - of which there are now four books - actually started life as a fortuitously-named Instagram account, born from an out of control hobby of seeing what meals could be made with just 1. Books in the range include One Pound Meals: Delicious Food for Less, Fast and Fresh: One Pound Meals, Miguel Barclays Super Easy One Pound Meals, and Vegan One Pound Meals. What did we talk about? Eating whitebait, heads included, as a child in Spain in an effort to seem more grown-up. Hot croquetas, fresh from the oven. The internets love for Katsu, a recipe that launched his career via Instagram. Falling into becoming a cookbook author entirely by accident. What did Miguel say? I eat a lot. My relationship with food is probably quite unhealthy; I was taught never to leave an empty plate Ill be cooking three or four dishes a day, and its quite difficult to leave an empty plate! I just cant help myself but finish the whole thing. Where can I find out more? Vegan One Pound Meals by Miguel Barclay (Headline) is available to buy on 18th April LISTEN TO THE EPISODE: Episode 4: Marni Xuto, creator of Thai Food Made Easy Image credit: Marni Xuto What does Marni do? Leeds-based, Bangkok-born mum, recipe developer and a food blogger Marni is the creator of Thai Food Made Easy, a website that offers healthy Thai recipes, made from ingredients that you can pick up from standard British supermarkets. What did we talk about? Picking basil leaves in a relatives restaurant in Bangkok as a small child. Hopping off a cruise ship in St Thomas and indulging in spicy local rum and fat cigars. Not being able to find lemongrass in Leeds in 2004, and deciding to do something about it. Thai pot noodles from Chinese supermarkets, and how theyll blow your face off. What did Marnie say? In Bangkok there is street food everywhere, so you can get access to the nice food all the time there was not much Thai food in Leeds, and I couldnt go out to eat all the time; it costs a lot of money. So Id go to local supermarkets and try to find ingredients. 15 years ago it was really hard to find something like lemongrass, but now its much easier. Where can I find out more? Visit the Thai Food Made Easy site here. LISTEN TO THE EPISODE: Coming up Future episodes of Deja Food will feature the chef and author Sam Stern, Macro Food founder Kirsty-Lee Griffiths, Sailor Jerrys brand ambassador EmmaLi Stenhouse, Diogenes the Dog founder Sunny Hodge, restaurateurs Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich (of Fitzrovias Honey & Co), Gingerline Flavourology Director Jenny McNeill, cookie dough/truffle innovator Adam Barlow (of Simply Trios), Indie Bay founder Dafna Bonas, and lots of others. Watch this space! Listen and download the podcast in the following places: Spotify: http://bit.ly/2SfASnU Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2XsP9Bx SoundCloud: http://bit.ly/2DVIEON RSS Feed: http://bit.ly/2GPtjCB Wondering where to go on your next holiday abroad? Or do you fancy adding a new country to your travel bucket list? Whenever I am looking for my next travel destination, in addition to browsing the popular travel guides and watching a few travel vlogs, I ultimately turn to travel bloggers to help me decide where to jet off to next. I spoke to some of my favourite travel bloggers about their best travel experiences abroad. So, if you are searching for a new country to visit, look no further than this list of travel blogger approved destinations. 1. Tokyo, Japan Ever since I was a little girl Id been dreaming about visiting Japan, and finally making that dream come true was beyond amazing," says Nele from The Navigatio . Image credit: Ivan Davydenko on Unsplash "Being in Tokyo, everything surpassed my wildest expectations. The atmosphere was amazing, the food was incredible and I felt really at home, even though I was literally on the other side of the planet," Nele says. What Nele admires so much about Japan is the large variety of things to do suited to everyone. "While some parts are busy metropolitan cities filled with the latest high-tech inventions, other parts are beautifully quiet and filled with the more traditional side of Japan. Temples and shrines that feel like youve stepped back a thousand years in time, she says. Amita Kundlani , who writes about her travel at Amerz With Love, agrees that Japan was one of her favourite trips. "It was filled with genuine, kind people who were always willing to help with whatever the problem," she says. "The public transport system was safe and there was a lot of security everywhere in case of emergencies. We also had one of our friends who is Japanese to guide us around the country, which was a massive help! If you're looking to travel to a country but are unsure of how to guide yourself around, you should definitely book with a tour guide as you'll be surrounded by people all the time and they will be able to guide you everywhere, she adds. 2. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Kachee from Kachee Tee recalls, One of my favourite trips has been to Abu Dhabi. Although Dubai is a more common destination in the UAE, Abu Dhabi, which is under two hours by car from Dubai, was exciting and memorable!" Image credit: Junhan Foong on Unsplash Although she visited the spectacular Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Yas Island and Ferrari World, the highlight for Kachee was the Desert Safari. However, Kachee recommends that before embarking on travel and tourist activities, travellers should research cultural laws and customs. "On this trip, I had no clue that ladies were required to be fully covered when visiting the Mosque. 3. Amsterdam, The Netherlands Mum and travel blogger The Diary of Dittrich visited Amsterdam in the spring. "We did our research first and found activities to book in advance and also pre-booked shows and restaurants which not only saved us time but also made sure we could do what we wanted," she says. Image credit: sabina fratila on Unsplash "The first time we went to Amsterdam we just went head first and didnt research into any of it which made it a stressful trip and also expensive. It was the best holiday Ive had as it was just so easy and stress-free, she adds. 4. Zibo, China Gone with Nikita Nikita, who has recorded her experiences living in four different countries atrecalls, When I was studying in Shandong, China , on a British Council scholarship, I befriended some Chinese university students and we went back to their hometown one weekend." Image credit: quyunshuo on Unsplash "Going to Zibo meant that we were able to see small-town life, and we went into the countryside to a fish farm where our lunch was caught in front of us! We saw people selling their wares at the side of dirt-track roads, and measuring out fresh produce using an old-style Chinese scale. 5. Lima, Peru Blogger Jess from Road To Culturedom ranks Peru as one of the friendliest destinations she has visited. Image credit: Tom Cleary on Unsplash Peru has Machu Picchu which is an incredible World Wonder, plenty of other incredible natural sights including the Inca Sacred Valley and the 'Rainbow Mountain' which is the prettiest mountain I've hiked!" Jess praises the Peruvian cuisine and the friendliness of locals, who are willing to show you a good time because they love their country. Before you book your tickets to any of the above destinations, check out The Foreign and Commonwealth Offices A Z country guides for essential travel information particular to each country. The best travel experiences are always the safest and least stressful so make sure to research travel tips, abide by cultural laws, plan your activities in advance and get to know the local people. Read more about the travel bloggers' adventures at their websites: The Navigatio Kachee Tee Amerz With Love Unfortunately, The Content Is Not Here You have arrived at this page because the page or post you were looking for no longer exists. Please check our main navigation pages for other content: Home Page Florida Inventors Hall of Fame announces 2019 inductees TAMPA, Fla. - Hedy Lamarr, Oscar-nominated actress from Hollywood's Golden Age, is among the eight incredibly talented and diverse inventors announced today as the 2019 inductees of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000): Hollywood icon, tinkerer and self-taught inventor, Lamarr retired to Miami Beach, Florida in 1981, and later moved to Central Florida where she spent her final days. At the age of 28, Lamarr invented the Secret Communication System (U.S. patent 2,292,387), which is the foundation for frequency-hopping spread spectrum technologies. Her contribution led to the development of countless wireless communication technologies, including Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth and has spawned significant advances in cybersecurity. However, it wasn't until 1997, when the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) presented her with the EFF Pioneer Award, that Lamarr was first publicly acknowledged for her pioneering invention. She went on to be the first woman to receive the BULBIE Gnass Spirit of Achievement Bronze Award, and in 2014 she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. This year's class also includes: Michael Bass: Professor Emeritus at University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, selected for his significant inventions in the area of optics and spectroscopy that have optimized the use of lasers and optical systems, aiding in the treatment of major diseases and improving the design of the world's fiber optic communication system. Bass is a Fellow of the NAI, OSA, AAAS, and IEEE. He holds 34 U.S. patents. Joanna Fowler: native Floridian, University of South Florida (USF) alum, member of the NAS, and 2008 National Medal of Science recipient selected for her transformative research that enabled the use of molecular imaging to more accurately identify and treat illnesses ranging from drug addiction to cancer. Fowler is a Scientist Emeritus for the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York and holds eight U.S. patents. Thomas Lipo: Research Professor at the Florida State University's (FSU) Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS) in Tallahassee selected for his pioneering innovations in the field of electrical machinery and power electronics that improved the technology that runs subway cars as well as paved the way for hybrid and electric vehicles. Lipo is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, a member of the NAE, and a Fellow of the NAI and IEEE. He holds 45 U.S. patents. Alan List, CEO and president of H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa selected for his dedication to understanding cancer biology and developing novel therapeutic strategies for treating hematologic malignancies such as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myelocytic leukemia (AML). List is an NAI Fellow and holds six U.S. patents. Chris Malachowsky: University of Florida (UF) alum and adviser to the UF College of Engineering selected for inventing the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) that transformed the visual computing industry by creating a consumer-oriented 3D graphics market. Malachowsky is the co-founder of Fortune 1000 company NVIDIA in California, which has evolved the GPU into a computer brain that intersects virtual reality, high performance computing, and artificial intelligence. He holds 35 U.S. patents. Luther George Simjian (1905-1997): prolific inventor, founder of Tampa based flight simulation and training company Reflectone, Inc, now CAE USA, Inc., and pioneer in the concept of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) selected for his many accomplishments including the development of the Optical Range Estimation Trainer used during WWII, which became the standard for simulation defense training, as well as his numerous inventions that advanced technology throughout Florida theme parks. Simjian is a named inventor on more than 200 U.S. patents. Richard Yost: professor of chemistry at University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville selected for his invention of the triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, a groundbreaking analytical instrument that is used daily in drug development, disease testing, food safety, and environmental studies. In 1993, Yost received the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) Award for Distinguished Contribution. He holds 13 U.S. patents. All will be inducted at the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame 6th Annual Induction Ceremony & Gala on Sep. 20, 2019, at the Hilton Tampa Downtown. "We are delighted to announce this outstanding class of inventors whose work has had enormous impact on the state of Florida and our nation," said Paul R. Sanberg, chair of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame advisory board and senior vice president for research, innovation and knowledge enterprise at the University of South Florida. "Collectively, the 2019 inductees hold more than 340 U.S. patents." Nominees, who must have at least one U.S. patent and a connection to Florida, were nominated through an open nomination process and elected by a selection committee comprising distinguished leaders in research and innovation throughout Florida. ### The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame was recognized by the Florida Senate in 2014 with a resolution sponsored by Senator Jeff Brandes that commended the Hall of Fame, "for its commitment to honoring inventors and celebrating innovation, discovery, and excellence." The Hall of Fame is located at the University of South Florida in Tampa and supported, in part, by the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. More information is at http://www. FloridaInvents. org or contact info@FloridaInvents.org. The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame (FIHF) recognizes and commends Florida inventors whose achievements have advanced the quality of life for Floridians, the state and the nation. Founded in 2013 and housed in the University of South Florida Research Park in Tampa, FIHF was recognized by Florida Senate Resolution 1756 in April of 2014. FIHF encourages individuals of all ages and backgrounds to strive toward the betterment of Florida and society through continuous, groundbreaking innovation, and, by commending the incredible scientific work being accomplished in the state, to further the growth of Florida's innovation sector. This story has been published on: 2019-03-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Some North Korean personnel returned to the cross-border liaison office on Monday, three days after Pyongyang unilaterally pulled out, according to the Unification Ministry. "About five North Koreans returned to the inter-Korean liaison office around 8:10 a.m. Monday," a ministry spokesman told reporters. "A routine morning meeting was held between officials from the two sides around 9:30 a.m." They held another meeting at 3 p.m. Normally, about a dozen North Korean officials stay at the office on weekdays, but only four or five officials turned up that morning. They commute from Pyongyang. "Pyongyang's commitment remains unchanged for the liaison office to implement projects in accordance with inter-Korean joint declarations," a North Korean official said. Last Friday, North Korean officials said they were pulled out on the instruction of their superiors. But they would have returned to Pyongyang for the weekend anyway. From the South Korean side, 11 officials and 28 support personnel arrived on Monday from Seoul, where they spend the weekend. Pyongyang may have been motivated by U.S. President Donald Trump's surprise announcement Friday that he was reversing a fresh round of sanctions against the North. Pyongyang's decision to pull out of the liaison office came about six hours after the U.S. Treasury Department's announcement of new sanctions targeting two Chinese shipping companies that helped North Korea evade sanctions. : 1 - King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium are on a four-day trip to Korea that took in the Korea Furniture Museum in northern Seoul on Monday that contains 10 traditional Korean houses or hanok. Queen Mathilde took a stroll in the courtyard whose floor is paved in rammed earth and was told that the material amplifies footsteps and served as an alarm against intruders in the past. She was quoted as saying the principles of hanok construction were "very interesting and smart." She also said she would "cherish for life" the breathtaking scenery of Seoul that could be seen from the museum. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. MBABANE As efforts to host the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat in the kingdom gain momentum, the trade pact could also soon see the light of day. With Ethiopias decision to ratify the AfCFTA last week, the trade pact is just one country shy of implementation, according to Ventures Africa. For the agreement to take effect, 22 approvals are required and so far 21 countries have ratified their instruments. The publication reported that Director of the Regional Integration and Trade Division at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Stephen Karingi revealed that the remaining items for discussion on the AfCFTA were competition, provisions for investment, intellectual property and e-commerce. It was reported that more so, the protocols on goods, services and dispute settlement have been completed and their annexes will be ready by July. The continental pact was launched during the March 2018 African Union Summit in Kigali, where it was signed by 44 States. Since then, eight more have signed. The exemptions are Eritrea, Benin, Nigeria and Tanzania. However, it was stated that signing the agreement does not yet establish the African free trade area. It will function as an umbrella to which protocols and annexes will be added. Once all documents are concluded and ratified by 22 States, the free trade area will formally exist. To date, 16 countries have deposited their instruments of AfCFTA ratification with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission. Meanwhile, five others have received parliamentary approvals for ratification. It was pointed out that countries from Southern Africa which have ratified include Eswatini, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe have ratified, while the AU has secured ratifications from Uganda, Kenya, Djibouti, Rwanda and Ethiopia in East Africa. Approval Egypt is the only northern African country with parliamentary approval to ratify the deal. In Central Africa, Chad and the Republic of Congo have ratified while West Africa has the most ratifications including from Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Togo and Sierra Leone. No more blue Mondays as the Monday session is taking over. This week, the chill out session gave fun lovers their moneys worth as they experienced an epic event on a Monday at The Vibe. The session saw the thrilling performances of a few crowd pullers like Troy, Bunny, DJ Cup and Fantasy to name a few. Dancing shoes were worn out as fun lovers danced the night away. The organiser of the event, Robert Shiba, officially announced that in April, they would be hosting the sessions every Monday. There is a sneak peek of what happened at the fourth Monday therapy edition. U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun arrived in China on Sunday, where he was set to meet with his Chinese counterpart Kong Xuanyou. The visit is part of Biegun's tour to discuss what to do next after the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi collapsed last month. Diplomatic sources say Biegun may also try to visit North Korea now that Trump has slammed the brakes on fresh sanctions against the renegade country. Trump last week tweeted he was revoking fresh Treasury Department sanctions on Chinese firms that have been helping the North dodge sanctions. The value of Bahrains national origin exports increased by five per cent as it reached BD177 million ($465 million) during February versus BD169 million for the same month of the previous year, said the Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA). The top 10 countries account for 85 per cent of the exported national origin value and 15 per cent for other countries. Saudi Arabia was ranked as the first country importing from Bahrain with BD44 million, United Arab Emirates second with BD25 million and the US comes in third place with BD25 million. As for national export products, agglomerated iron ores and concentrates emerged as the top products exported in February of 2019 with BD24 million; aluminium wires were positioned second products exported with a value of BD20 million; and rectangular alloyed aluminium plates stood third place for exported products with BD12 million. In regards to the re-exported field, the value of re-exports increased by 78 per cent as it reached BD71 million during February of 2019 versus BD40 million for the same month of the previous year. The top 10 countries account for 82 per cent of the re-exported value and 18 per cent for other countries. KSA is ranked as the first country to re-export from Bahrain with BD17 million, UAE is ranked as the second with BD11 Million and Italy as the third with BD9 Million. Part for piston engines emerged as the top product re-exported from Bahrain with BD16 million, four-wheel drive cars came as second products with BD7 million and cigarettes containing tobacco came as the third with BD4 million. The trade balance, difference between exports and imports, the value of the deficit of the trade balance reached BD102 million during February of 2019 versus BD232 million for the same month of the previous year with a decrease of 56 per cent. The value of imports decreased by 20 per cent as it reached BD350 million during February of 2019 versus BD440 million for the same month of the previous year; while the top 10 countries account for 66 per cent of the imports value and 34 per cent for other countries. According to the report, China is ranked as the first country to exports to Bahrain with BD54 million; Australia as second with BD43 million whereas India ranked third with BD24 million. Aluminium oxide emerged as the top product imported to Bahrain with BD41 million, while the non-agglomerated iron as the second with BD25 million. Four-wheel drive cars were third-listed products imported with BD19 million during February 2019. TradeArabia News Service Moody's Investors Service has today (March 26) affirmed the long-term issuer rating of the Government of the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) at Aa2.The outlook remains stable. The rating affirmation is supported by the following key rating factors: 1. Moody's assumption of unconditional support from Abu Dhabi (Aa2 stable) to the federal government. 2. Strong credit fundamentals including very high fiscal strength, with a broadly balanced budget and negligible or very low federal government debt, high wealth levels and robust institutions. The stable outlook indicates that the risks to the ratings are broadly balanced supported by the stable outlook on the Abu Dhabi sovereign rating, upside potential from continuing diversification efforts, and constrained by lingering government-related entity contingent liabilities and geopolitical tensions. The UAE's long-term and short-term foreign-currency bond and deposit ceilings remain unchanged at Aa2 and Prime-1, respectively. The UAE's long-term local-currency bond and deposit ceilings also remain unchanged at Aa2. Ratings rationale Unconditional continued support from Abu Dhabi The affirmation of the Aa2 rating incorporates Moody's view that the government of Abu Dhabi, the wealthiest of the seven Emirates that comprise the UAE, stands fully behind the federal government of the UAE. This view is supported by strong institutional linkages and the Abu Dhabi government's substantial and continued financial contribution to the federal budget. The federal budget derives over a quarter of its revenues in the form of grants from Abu Dhabi. The Emirate's strong financial position, which Moody's expects to be maintained, will support the federal government's revenues. Moody's forecasts Abu Dhabi's government budget to be in deficit but close to balance in 2019 and 2020, after transfers to the federal government, before moving into surplus in 2021 and 2022 as oil production increases sharply on the back of planned upstream investments. Moody's projects no or very low federal government debt in the foreseeable future and very high fiscal strength for the UAE, even as new debt issuance powers have recently been bestowed to the federal government. The federal government retains 30 per cent of the revenue raised from VAT, introduced in January 2018. Moreover, established revenue sources are also likely to remain robust. Royalties and dividends from the telecommunications sector will continue to benefit from the providers' privileged position in the domestic UAE market. Although government fee revenues are unlikely to increase significantly given the recent commitment to freeze fee increases as part of recent efforts to support economic activity in the private sector, current sources of revenue will broadly balance expenditure, if oil prices remain around their current levels in line with Moody's assumption. The UAE's rating continues to be supported by very high wealth levels GDP per capita of around $68,646 in 2017 on a PPP-adjusted basis provides significant shock absorption capacity to the economy. Although real GDP growth has slowed since the oil price shock, Moody's forecasts real GDP growth to average 3.2 per cent over 2019 and 2020, which will maintain very high income levels. Domestically, growth in the private sector should benefit from the economic reforms taken at federal and emirate level as well as higher fiscal spending under Abu Dhabi's three year stimulus package. Externally, a gradual easing of fiscal restraint in Saudi Arabia (A1 stable) should also be supportive of non-oil goods and services exports. However, a more robust acceleration in growth will be constrained by oil prices staying around their current levels. The UAE's rating is also supported by robust institutions. The UAE's current position in the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) marks a significant improvement from 2010, reflecting improvements in competitiveness underpinned by business environment reforms such as the new foreign direct investment law and recent changes to the visa framework to create long-term visas for investors as well as key specialist professionals and exceptional students. Stronger regulation and tightened underwriting practices introduced after the 2008 financial crisis have helped to lower the risks to the banking system from the real estate sector. However, the availability and timely publication of macroeconomic and fiscal data, particularly at the Emirates level, falls short of other Aa-rated governments, potentially hampering policy effectiveness. Moody's affirms Abu Dhabi's Aa2 rating Moodys has also affirmed the long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings of the Government of Abu Dhabi at Aa2. The outlook remains stable. Moody's has affirmed the short-term issuer rating at P-1, and the long-term and short-term MTN programme ratings at (P) Aa2 and (P) P-1, respectively. Moodys says that the affirmation of Abu Dhabi's Aa2 ratings is supported by its expectations that the sovereign's fiscal strength will remain very high, with very low government debt and vast sovereign assets. Prospects for a medium-term increase in economic activity and revenue from the hydrocarbon sectors and reforms aimed at developing the non-oil sector also support the ratings. The stable outlook indicates that the risks are broadly balanced, supported by current oil prices and upside potential from continuing diversification efforts, and constrained by lingering government-related entity contingent liabilities and geopolitical tensions. TradeArabia News Service Network International Holdings Limited and Mastercard today announced that they have reached an agreement for Mastercard to make a $300 million cornerstone investment in Network Internationals planned IPO on the London Stock Exchange. The companies have also agreed to enter into a strategic partnership to support and accelerate the development of electronic payments in Africa and the Middle East. Mastercard and Network International will support their mutual strategy of growing the payments ecosystem in the worlds most underpenetrated payments market. Mastercard will pay, or invest through, Network International annually for the development and delivery of shared innovation to expand product areas and drive the adoption of digital payments in Africa and the Middle East. Under the partnership, Network International and Mastercard will establish shared development projects and cross-referral arrangements for products and value-added services to financial institutions and merchants, including cyber and intelligence tools and tokenization solutions to drive incremental financial benefits to both parties. Both parties will retain and offer their respective independent solutions, and Network International fully retains its scheme agnostic strategy. Mastercards cornerstone investment will be based on the same terms as institutional investors participating in the IPO, subject to a 9.99 percent ownership limitation, a 24-month lock-up period and a 36-month standstill not to acquire additional shares without Network International Board approval. The transaction is conditional on an IPO of Network International with an institutional free float of at least 25 percent. Simon Haslam, CEO of Network International, said: I am delighted that Network International has agreed to enter into a strategic partnership with Mastercard. Mastercard has been an important partner for Network International in the Middle East and Africa for many years with both companies having a shared vision for growing the card payments ecosystem in the region. Todays announcement will see both parties working on joint development projects and cross-referral arrangements to drive card penetration, usage and acceptance in the MEA region. In addition, it will also enable us to develop and offer new value-added solutions for our clients, through our scalable and secure pan-regional technology platforms. Ron Kalifa, chairman of Network International, said: Mastercards commitment to become a cornerstone investor in Network Internationals planned IPO with a $300 million investment, demonstrates significant confidence in the strength of the business as we move forward to listing. Network International sits at the heart of the Middle East and Africas payments ecosystem, the worlds most underpenetrated payments market, providing investors with the unique opportunity to benefit from the rapid structural shift from cash to digital payments. Raghu Malhotra, president of Middle East and Africa at Mastercard, said: Over the last 30 years, Mastercard has significantly expanded its footprint and capabilities across the Middle East and Africa rapidly transforming to become one of the leading technology companies in the region today. Our collaboration and partnerships with organisations such as Network International, have resulted in greater inclusion and greater economic development. We are committed to continuing to invest in emerging markets and this cornerstone investment is a great example of this. We believe that Network Internationals broad geographic reach will complement our existing activities and help to deliver a deeper and sustained shift from the use of cash and checks. We will continue to partner with stakeholders across the region that help to enhance the electronic payment industry. Network International is the leading enabler of digital commerce across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. The group provides a full suite of technology-enabled payments solutions to merchants and financial institutions of all types and sizes, including acquiring and processing services and a comprehensive ever-evolving range of value-added services. - TradeArabia News Service L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering Limited (LTHE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro, has won a large order from Tawfiq Coke Products-Oman. The contract scope includes the selection of technology licensor, FEED and engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) for a 2 x 225,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) plant of calcined coke from green pet coke. Process facilities include material handling, rotary kiln and cooler, combustion chamber, gas separation and associated offsite and utilities packages. This award will further reinforce L&Ts operations in Oman and provide an opportunity to contribute to the expansion of industrial facilities in Sohar, the company said. Last month, LTHE had won a mega order from Sonatrach-Algeria. The engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) contract was to set up three central processing (CPF) facilities at Hassi Ba Hamou and Reg Mouaded Field (6 MMSCMD capacity), Hassi Tidjerane Field (4 MMSCMD capacity) and Tinerkouk Field (4 MMSCMD capacity) in Algeria. Organised under offshore, onshore, construction services, modular fabrication and engineering services verticals, LTHE delivers 'design to build' engineering and construction solutions across the hydrocarbon spectrum, it said. Larsen & Toubro is an Indian multinational engaged in technology, engineering, construction, manufacturing and financial services with over $18 billion in revenue. It operates in over 30 countries worldwide. For L&T a large order is one which is between Rupees 2,500 crores ($363.125 million) and Rs 5,000 crores ($726.25 million). A mega order is worth above Rs 7,000 crores ($1 billion). - TradeArabia News Service A total of $1.22 billion worth of Brazilian products were imported into Arab countries during February this year, a 7 per cent increase from $1.14 billion posted over the same period in 2018, revealed the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC). According to ABCC senior officials, the top Brazilian imports to Arab countries include mineral fuels, mineral oils, bituminous substances and mineral waxes; fertilizers; plastics and articles; salt, Sulphur, earth and stone, plastering materials, lime and cement; fish and crustaceans, mollusks and other aquatic invertebrates; aluminum and its related articles and organic chemicals. Algeria led the Arab countries for Brazilian imports, totalling $425 million, followed by Saudi Arabia with $372.8 million, the UAE with $102.47 million and Egypt with $61.2 million. The latest figures demonstrate the strength of the increased trade ties between Brazil and Arab countries. It is also a fitting testament to the countries continuing commitment towards working closely with countries in the Arab world to help drive in more mutual trade growth across all market segments, said Rubens Hannun, president of ABCC. TradeArabia News Service Al Tayyar Travel Group, the Middle Easts leading technology-powered travel and tourism company, has announced that it will divest its investment in Careem, the leading ride-hailing app in Mena, with an exit value of SR1.78 billion ($474.58 million). The move is in connection with the acquisition of Careem by Uber Technologies, a San Francisco headquartered transportation network company. The net proceeds from the sale will be received partly in cash and partly in convertible notes in Uber, which are subject to the satisfaction of terms and conditions. The acquisition of Careems business in each country is subject to applicable regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to close in Q1, 2020. Commenting on the milestone moment, Abdullah Aldawood, CEO of Al Tayyar Travel Group, said: This is a historic moment for the Middle East tech space. It is the largest tech deal in the region and a milestone that will provide the stimulus to grow the digital ecosystem and attract more foreign investments. As the largest corporate shareholder and one of the earliest investors in Careem, we have always been firm believers in the company and its vision to be an enabler on both the economic and social front and that is exactly what Careem is today, it has facilitated and improved the lives of millions of people. Getting to this point was the culmination of the hard work, determination and forward-thinking vision of the Careem team and the unwavering support and guidance from us at the group, he said. We believe the region is ripe for the development of other tech-enabled travel services and solutions. More specifically, we believe in opening up the opportunity of consumer travel, and this is where we are focused today. Careem is only one of ATGs success stories. Its online travel platforms have grown from almost SR40 million in 2015 to more than SR2.0 billion in 2018. We are committed to investing in our technology and platforms to enhance and grow our consumer travel business brands Almosafer and Tajawal. We are also leveraging our technology and data to help ease and enhance the journey for the millions of Muslim pilgrims to the kingdom and professionalise the service in the kingdom, with our newly launched Haj and Umrah business, added Aldawood. The group first invested in Careem in December 2014 and was one of the early institutional investors in the Middle East, Turkey and Pakistans leading ride-hailing service. It has continued to be an active investor supporting the company and its founders. Abdullah Aldawood has been a member of the Board of Directors of Careem since December 2014. TradeArabia News Service Saudi Arabia has retained its seat on the executive council of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) for the Middle East region for the third time in a row, said a report. The announcement was made during a UNWTO regional committee meeting held in Cairo on Sunday, in which Saudi Arabia also participated, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. The country was represented by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) and the delegation was headed by Ahmad bin Aqil Al-Khatib, who is chairman of the SCTH board of directors, it said. The kingdoms place on the UNWTO executive council is in line with the tourism aims of the leaderships Vision 2030 reform plan to transform Saudi Arabia into a global tourist destination. On the sideline of the meetings, Al-Khatib held bilateral meetings with a number of officials including the secretary-general of the UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili, and Egypts Minister of Tourism Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, it said. Oman's Public Authority of Civil Aviation (PACA) has signed a new air transport with the Czech Republic, said a report. The agreement provides for open skies concepts, allowing airlines of both countries unlimited airspace access between each other's territories, said a report in Oman News Agency. The agreement was signed by Dr Mohammed bin Nasser al-Za'abi, CEO of PACA and Juraj Koudelka, Czech non-resident Ambassador to the sultanate. The agreement allows national carriers of the Sultanate (Oman Air and SalamAir) to extend their operational networks to the Czech Republic, attract Czech airlines to operate direct flights to the sultanate, or exchange codeshares with other carriers. The agreement also allows the airlines of the two countries to establish cooperation relations to exchange codeshares with the carriers of one of the two countries and with the carriers of any other country, the report said. The sultanate is currently linked with similar bilateral agreements in the field of regulating air transport services with more than 100 countries to regulate the operation of airlines between the sultanate and those countries, it said. PACA seeks to increase the rights of air transport between the Sultanate and various countries around the world. The Russian and Eastern European Initiative at the University of Houston invites you to join Dr. Darla Gritsenko in her examination of how civic tech has been implemented in Moscow, Russia, through a platform called "Active Citizen," and why a better governance does not translate directly into a better democracy. Dr. Daria Gritsenko is an Assistant Professor of Russian big data methodology, Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki. From Estonia to Singapore, from the UK to Russia, civic tech is a new buzzword in the public sector vocabulary. Unlike earlier e-government initiatives, civil tech as a platform for governance suggests that the government is just one of its participants, which opens more opportunities for citizen participation. However, the effects that civic tech has on effectiveness, legitimacy, and democratic quality of governance are yet to be understood. In her talk, Dr. Daria Gritsenko will examine how civic tech has been implemented in Moscow, Russia, through a platform called "Active Citizen," and why a better governance does not translate directly into a better democracy. Dr. Daria Gritsenko is an Assistant Professor of Russian big data methodology, Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki. Sandwiches will be available, or bring your own lunch. For more information, see www.uh.edu/class/departments/initiatives/reei Event Flyer Lotte has become the first Korean duty-free store chain to launch outlets Down Under, celebrating its entry with the opening of a store at Brisbane Airport in Australia on Monday. Lotte signed a contract with Australia's JR Duty Free to acquire four stores in Australia and one in New Zealand in August last year. The 2,795 sq.m shop at Brisbane Airport, the biggest of the five stores, sells about 600 brands of cosmetics, liquor, watches and other goods. State-run factories in the Pyongyang have told their workers to go and fend for themselves now that production has ground to a halt, in the latest melodramatic response to international sanctions. Workers were told to "sell goods and earn your own living since there is no more work to do," according to sources. The bizarre directive comes as the North complained recently of the "most severe hardship" in its history. A raft of suicides have been reported among the moneylenders of Pyongyang's glitzy Ryomyong Street, an avenue of high-rise apartments that was a pet project of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, amid a new war on corruption. The latest incidents paint a picture of grim times not only in remote regions but right in the capital as the elite start to feel the pinch. The exhortations came after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi collapsed last month. Kim had been hoping to win an easing of sanctions without offering any substantial steps toward denuclearization in return. The command economy in North Korea has long collapsed, but the regime has been propped up by a newly rich class of merchants and traders dealing mostly with China as well as the moneylenders who support them. One source said Monday, "Many large factories in Pyongyang like textile, film, food and tire factories have stopped running since early March due to a shortage of electricity and materials." "When the factories became unable to pay and supply rations to workers, an order was handed out for them to stop reporting to work for the time being and sell goods," the source added. The regime has encouraged factories to operate autonomously in its attempt to introduce an element of the market economy, requiring them to generate revenues on their own and pay their workers, since leader Kim Jong-un took power. The suspension of the factories has led to soaring rent for sales spaces in open-air markets in and around Pyongyang. Producers at Annual Wyoming Conference Tout Organic Benefits At left, UW ecosystem science and management Ph.D. student Bouzeriba Alsunuse explains his Increasing soil mycorrhizal status and improving soil properties with cover crop poster during a break between sessions at the High Plains Organic Farming Conference in Cheyenne. At right, Nate Powell-Palm, who serves on the governing council of the Organic Farmers Association, spoke at the conference. He was Montanas youngest certified organic farmer for several years and now raises cattle and grain near Bozeman and the northern Wyoming area. (UW Photos) There was no guarantee in 1980 that farmer-by-day and songwriter-when-time-allowed Mark Jones wouldnt be singing the bankrupt blues in just a few years. He had taken over the familys four properties in Nebraska when his father died. They were swirling in debt. Jones, who attended his sixth organic growers conference in Cheyenne last month, says he clamped down on every expense in an attempt to stay afloat. He said switching to organic agriculture 35 years ago saved his farms. My wife, Marcy, is the one who got us lined up and enthusiastic about being organic. We could not have done it without Marcy, he says. Jones, who farms near Oshkosh, Neb., is an enthusiastic organic production supporter and says he attends such conferences to lend support for others. Most of the (organic producers) are like me, he says. I have a long spiel for everything. Were a little bit isolated from each other, and most of us are really happy to talk to someone getting started. More than 100 attended this years conference, says organizer Jay Norton, a soils science professor at the University of Wyoming. The event has probably outgrown the rooms in Laramie County Community Colleges Center for Conferences and Institutes. We are growing and will probably move to the Pathfinder Building (at LCCC), says Norton, who adds that the dryland production systems drew a lot of interest this year. There was standing room only for that session. Part of (the interest) Ive been told by producers is the low prices for wheat and the high premium for dryland grains, especially wheat, Norton says. Organic producers can receive two to three times the price compared to conventional wheat. Wyoming has about 120,000 certified organic acres. About 77,000 acres are cropland and 46,000 pastureland/rangeland, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Winter wheat for grain or seed and dry hay are the top commodities sold. Crop sales totaled about $9.2 million, and hay sales were valued at $2.1 million. Switching to organic wheat isnt a big step for many producers, Norton says. Southeast Wyoming wheat producers dont use a lot of inputs, such as fertilizers, due to sparse moisture. Norton says hail and drought usually have a bigger impact on yields than inputs. If they own or lease land in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and take that out, its ready to go. There is no transition, Norton says. Farmers enrolled in CRP remove environmentally sensitive land from production and plant species that improve the health and quality of soil and, in exchange, receive a yearly rental payment. CRP contract lengths are 10-15 years. This years organic conference had 22 speakers, ranging from small growers to large commercial operators. Sessions were offered for dryland systems, specialty crops and forage and livestock. Nate Powell-Palm received his organic certification from the Montana Department of Agriculture while most his age (high school junior) were worrying about being accepted by their friends. He was Montanas youngest certified organic farmer for several years and now raises cattle and grain around Bozeman and the northern Wyoming area. Hes on the governing council of the Organic Farmers Association. He thinks Wyoming is prime for an organic grower organization. A Montana organic growers group formed in 2002, and meetings had low attendance its first few years. More than 350 attended last Decembers meeting. Whenever you have a chance for peer-to-peer sharing, thats a great thing, Powell-Palm says. I think this (conference) is a great start. What I would say is that a way to start off would be for more Wyoming folks attending the Montana conference in Bozeman this December. Powell-Palm has served as vice president and president of the Montana Organic Producers Co-op, a 22-member certified organic beef marketing cooperative. He says despite his youngish looks -- and a $3,000 combine -- he has never been confronted by conventional growers about his organic farming. I think because Im not approaching this as divisive, that Im better, he says. I want to be a farmer, and this is the way I can do it. Economically, its the way farming can become sustainable and not have whiplashes in the market that give such heartburn in the profession. He harvests his 200 acres of wheat with his combine and only grows what will be bought, farms small fields, does not own land and carries no debt. I always have a crop sold, Powell-Palm says. Growing only crops that will be bought is something organic growers have done well, he says. We are getting more and more buyers and spot buyers, he says. I know there is a market out there for all organic: What do you want me to grow? Can I grow it? Then thats what Im going to grow. He vows he will never get stuck into a position, for example, of only growing spring wheat, and theres too much inventory and then producers have to hustle to get rid of it. I want to grow a crop someone is willing to pay a good price for and then get rid of it, he says. Jones says his Organic Crop Improvement Association grower number obtained in 1985 is 707, with more than 50,000 members now. The Jones family started with organic amaranth and grows wheat, millet, flax and also some blue corn and beans. He has advice for producers considering going organic. Make sure your family is involved in this, especially your wife, Jones says. That is such a huge asset to have both partners involved in it. Ensure the entire family is on board and aware of what going organic will take, he adds. You have to look at the trends and see the most profitable way to keep your business afloat, Jones says. I think the first thing you do is see where your heart is and then see where your finances are and see what kind of program fits your particular business. UW Planetarium Schedule Brings Brazilian Planetarian to Campus in April Guillermo Marranghello, who will be visiting from Planetario da Unipampa in Brazil, will make a presentation on Brazils astronomy, stargazing and mythologies Saturday, April 13, at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. (UW Planetarium Photo) Visits from two international planetarians and a new full-dome movie that chronicles the history of mans exploration of space will highlight programs at the University of Wyoming Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium during April. Join us this April at the UW planetarium to celebrate the future of space exploration and the history of mankinds desire to gaze toward the heavens, says Samantha Ogden, the planetariums coordinator. During the second weekend of April, we invite two special guest planetarians to present their countrys history and culture. Paul Taylor presents Aboriginal Skies Friday, April 12 (a free presentation), and Guillermo Marranghello will be presenting Brazils unique astronomical mythology Saturday, April 13, at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. The planetarium will switch its Friday night shows to summer hours in April. Friday night shows will now start at 8 p.m., and STAR Observatory tours will run from 9-10 p.m. Kid-themed planetarium shows are Saturdays at 11 a.m. The month also includes five Tuesday night shows; they begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $4 for adults, $3 for children, and kids 5 and under are admitted free. Tickets can be purchased at the Department of Physics and Astronomy main office, located in Room 204 of the Physical Sciences Building, Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and Friday from 8 a.m.-noon. Tickets also can be purchased by going online at http://wyomingspacegrant.org/planetarium/shows/ and clicking on Purchase tickets online with a credit card. Doors open 20 minutes before the show, where tickets will be sold if available. The planetarium, which seats 58, is located in the basement of the Physical Sciences Building. The April planetarium schedule is as follows: -- This Months Sky, Tuesday, April 2, 7 p.m. This program looks at constellations, meteor showers and visible planets. -- Space, the Final Frontier, Friday, April 5, 8 p.m. In the last century, the idea of space flight went from the stuff of science fiction to reality. We have put men on the moon, built permanent space stations and sent out countless probes to explore our solar system. This program will explore the history of space flight, from Apollo to the International Space Station, and the future envisioned by NASA, SpaceX and thousands of space scientists everywhere. The STAR Observatory on the rooftop of the Physical Sciences Building will be open to the public 9-10 p.m. Weather permitting, telescopes will be set up to peer into the evening sky. -- Full-Dome Movie Double Feature: Seeing and Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, Tuesday, April 9, 7 p.m. During Seeing, ride a photon from its creation and journey across the galaxy to your minds eye. From there, witness the conversion to an electro-chemical impulse that travels the neural pathways of the brain to create the image your brain sees. Cosmic Origins Spectrograph highlights the current research aboard the Hubble Space Telescope. Cosmic Origins Spectrograph allows an unprecedented view into the vast spaces between galaxies, which surround the Milky Way. -- Aboriginal Skies: Land of the Lightning People, Friday, April 12, 8 p.m. Paul Taylor, an Australian storyteller and educator, explores the creation story and ancient rock art describing aboriginal beliefs about the heavens. Visitors will discover the sky the way the Wardaman view it, based on research done with Bill Yidumduma Harney, senior elder of the Wardaman people of the Northern Territory in Australia. This presentation is free. -- Brazilian Indigenous Constellations, Saturday, April 13, 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Guillermo Marranghello, who will be visiting from Planetario da Unipampa in Brazil, will make a presentation on Brazils astronomy, stargazing and mythologies. Im going to present some similarities and differences between the Wyoming sky and the sky from the very south of Brazil, where I live, Marranghello says. Then, Im going to present Brazilian folk stories and some Indian representations about constellations, lunar phases and the myths about the beginning of the world. -- Full-Dome Movie: Dawn of the Space Age, Tuesday, April 16, 7 p.m. From the launch of the first artificial satellite Sputnik to the magnificent lunar landings and privately operated space flights, this film accurately reconstructs mans first historic steps into space. -- The Cosmic Cooking Show, Friday, April 19, 8 p.m. Visitors will embark on a grand cosmic cooking show, discovering some of the most important ingredients, or elements, and recipes, or chemical reactions, in our universe. The STAR Observatory on the rooftop of the Physical Sciences Building will be open to the public 9-10 p.m. Weather permitting, telescopes will be set up to peer into the evening sky. -- Full-Dome Movie: Dawn of the Space Age, Tuesday, April 23, 7 p.m. From the launch of the first artificial satellite Sputnik to the magnificent lunar landings and privately operated space flights, this film accurately reconstructs mans first historic steps into space. -- Dont Feed the Geysers, Friday, April 26, 8 p.m. Yellowstone National Park is a Wyoming treasure packed with adventure and discoveries to be made, but it also is a place we have to take care of. This program will explore a brief history of Yellowstone National Park, the marvels it contains and some things to know before your next visit. After the program, visitors can stay to participate in volcanic eruption experiments. -- Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Saturday, April 27, 11 a.m. Have you ever wondered where stars come from and what happens at the end of their life cycles? What are they made of or why some are different colors? How do you recognize them in the sky, and why are they important to astronomy? This program will explore the answers to these stellar questions. -- Full-Dome Movie: IBEX: Search for the Edge of the Solar System, Tuesday, April 30, 7 p.m. The sun lies at the center of our solar system, and it is orbited by planets, Pluto, asteroids and more. But where does the solar system end? This full-dome movie looks beyond the orbit of Pluto to discover that our solar system reaches farther than we could have ever imagined. For more detailed descriptions of these programs, go to www.wyomingspacegrant.org/planetarium/shows/. The indicative votes, probably to be held on Wednesday, will explore a series of Brexit options likely to include whether to leave the European Union without a deal, May's contentious withdrawal deal that has been twice rejected by the Commons, a Norway-style deal that would keep Britain in the EU single market and customs union but not as a full EU member, holding a second Brexit referendum for the public to decide, or just revoking Britain's application to leave the bloc. May's Cabinet is hopelessly divided between hardline Brexiters and pro-EU Remainers, as is her ruling Conservative party as a whole. The ministers war-gamed various scenarios Tuesday for an election should MPs impose a Brexit solution the government can't support. "A snap general election is becoming more likely," said Conservative lawmaker John Baron. Some lawmakers worry the votes to try to find consensus among MPs on what type of deal they want with the European Union may end up revealing there is no workable consensus. That would delay Britain's exit from the European Union, which is now set for either April 12 or May 22, for possibly a year or longer. A series of "indicative votes" planned for Wednesday in the House of Commons, however, may fail to find a solution and plunge Britain deeper into political chaos, according to analysts. Britain's beleaguered Theresa May gathered her ministers Tuesday for yet another emergency Cabinet meeting as the House of Commons upended centuries of constitutional practice and seized control of parliamentary business from the government in a bid to end the long-running Brexit impasse. Theresa May tried to stop the power grab by the Commons, but was defeated Monday in a parliamentary vote that saw 30 Conservatives vote against her and three ministers resign. She warned parliaments move, which had the backing of opposition parties, "upends the balance between our democratic institutions and sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent for the future." One of the ministers, Alastair Burt, quit so he could vote for the House of Commons to seize control. Until recently he was seen as a May loyalist. He said in his resignation letter, "We are running out of time... the risk of leaving without a deal, and continuing serious and disruptive uncertainty is affecting the U.K. profoundly. Parliament should seek urgently to resolve the situation by considering alternatives freely, without the instruction of party whips, and government should adopt any feasible outcome as its own in order to progress matters." Indicative votes are a series of non-binding resolutions and are a way of testing the will of the House of Commons on different options related to a single issue. More Drama Likely Even if the House of Commons finds there is a majority on a Brexit option, the saga won't end there. May has insisted she won't necessarily deliver on what the Commons votes for, which will prompt another standoff between the government and Parliament. Backers of holding indicative votes have warned they won't tolerate the results being shunned by the government. "If, ultimately, the government refuses to listen to what parliament has voted for, then we will look to bring forward a bill, pass an Act of Parliament that will require the government to reflect parliament's wishes," said Nick Boles, a Conservative rebel who wants a so-called soft Brexit with Britain closely aligned with the bloc. In Brussels there was tentative welcoming of Parliament seizing the initiative. Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's Brexit coordinator, said indicative voting would be an "opportunity to build cross-party cooperation." He hoped it would result in negotiating changes. With British politics in meltdown, May's days in office appear increasingly numbered, say analysts. More than a dozen Cabinet ministers and a swathe of her own backbench Conservative lawmakers have urged her to quit. They want a caretaker prime minister to be installed to test different exit strategies. But even the skittish plot to oust her fell apart Sunday, the victim of infighting in the Cabinet over who should replace her. Gibraltarian Becomes a UK Representative on the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Gibraltars Commissioner for Sustainable Development, Professor Daniella Tilbury, has become the UK Representative on a Steering Committee of the United Nations Economic Council for Europe. A letter, sent by the UKs Department for Education to UNECEs Chief of the Environment and Sustainable Development Section, confirmed that Prof Tilbury would be the UK national focal on matters relating to education and sustainable development. As part of this responsibility, Daniella is involved with the drafting of the Committees new strategic plan and collaborating with UNECE official policy agendas set for the region. The Steering Committee meets at the Palais des Nations in Geneva and brings together representatives from across Europe as well as Canada and the US. It plays an important advisory role to the UN Environmental Policy section and is the principal decision-making body for the activities on the Strategy in the UNECE region and is responsible for giving guidance and strategic directions to the implementation of the Strategy. Members can identify issues and propose corrective measures, where appropriate. Prof Tilbury commented I have much respect for the work of the UNECE as it is focused on solid values and effective action. It seeks greater economic integration to promote sustainable development. I value the opportunity to cooperate with other government representatives to advise on priority actions and assess progress of the implementation of the UNECE Strategy. Minister for Education, Heritage, Environment and Climate Change, Prof John Cortes added: I believe this is the first time an Overseas Territory has represented the UK on an international body of this nature. This appointment brings opportunities for Gibraltar, making our needs and interest visible when international agreements and measures are being discussed. Daniellas prior experience of working with UN bodies serves her well in this position. Prof Tilbury has been attending the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development on the 21-22nd March that gathered Ministers, senior officials and members of the business and NGO community. The 2019 High Level Political Forum is seeking to take concrete and collaborative steps to progress the Sustainable Development Goals. Over 700 participants including high level government delegates from 40 countries are expected to attend the Forum. She has been asked to act as a moderator on a high level roundtable alongside, Mr Marco Keiner, the Director of the Environment Division at the UNECE. Her roundtable will hear speakers from: Ministry of Education and Culture, Cyprus; Journalists for Human Rights, North Macedonia; and, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Food Quality, the Netherlands. It brings together UNESCO, UNEP and UNECE to discuss policy measures to meet Sustainable Development targets set for Europe. Kathmandu, March 26 Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Barsha Man Pun, has said that the government of Nepal is ready to implement the bilateral agreement signed with Bangladesh regarding the development of energy sector. Minister Pun said so as Bangladeshi Ambassador, Mashfee Binte Shams, paid a courtesy call to him today. On the occasion, they discussed various issue of bilateral cooperation and mutual interest. Saying that a new government had been formed in Bangladesh recently, Minister Pun expressed the view that Nepal was willing to collaborate with new government, in the energy sector in particular. Similarly, Ambassador Binte said that there would be participation of the private sector from Bangladesh in the investment summit going to be organised by the government of Nepal. She said that the government of Bangladesh was also willing to invest in energy sector of Nepal. RSS Kathmandu, March 26 Nonresident Nepalis have expressed a commitment that they will invest Rs 10 billion in various infrastructure development projects of Nepal this year. The Nonresident Nepalis Association (NRNA) will formalise this commitment during the Nepal Investment Summit that the government is hosting this weekend. The government and the Association will sign an agreement about establishing the NRNA Infrastructure Investment Fund during the event, according to NRNA Vice President Kumar Pant, who also chairs the NRNA Investment and Commerce Promotion Task Force. He informs that the Fund will be established as the scattered investment of nonresident Nepalis could not yield visible results so far, adding the Fund will integrate the investment. The agreement draft has already been finalised, according to him. The draft mentions that Nepal Rastra Bank, the Company Registrar Office and the Securities Board of Nepal will make necessary arrangements to ensure the investment. An Accreditation Workshop for French-speaking experts on Transit was held from 18 to 22 March 2019 at the WCO Headquarters in Brussels with the support of the Japanese Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF Japan). The event was organized with the objective of setting up a pool of French-speaking Technical and Operational Advisors capable of independently leading, on behalf of the WCO for its Members, Technical Assistance missions in the field of Transit. The Workshop was attended by twelve pre-selected candidates representing five of the WCO regions. Participants from Algeria, Benin, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Dominican Republic, France, Georgia, Guinea, Mali, Morocco and Togo worked intensively and demonstrated their knowledge and skills to deliver Capacity Building activities in the area of transit. Moreover, the Workshop served as a forum for sharing different practices and examples of transit regimes, as well as discussing challenges and solutions. The participants that successfully completed the Accreditation Workshop will be invited to the next stage of the WCO expert accreditation process, an in-field mission with a qualified WCO expert in the area of transit. Fully accredited experts will be expected to conduct future WCO Capacity Building activities. By Luke Resser/Bill Hughes Mar. 25, 2019 | 07:38 PM | PADUCAH At Monday night's McCracken County Fiscal Court meeting, Emergency Management Director Jerome Mansfield gave updates on flood and tornado damage from the last few weeks.Mansfield said, "it's a historic point - not one to be envied - that we have two disaster declarations simultaneously ongoing in the county with the tornado and the flooding that the Reidland area and Noble Road area have experienced in the last four or five weeks."While he said damage from the tornado would not meet the threshold for federal disaster aid, Mansfield said work is ongoing to determine if a federal disaster can be declared due to flood damage.Mansfield said teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management will visit the area Tuesday to assess damage in the southeastern and northwestern parts of the county.He said FEMA and KDEM will also review costs incurred by the city and county for emergency protective measures.While it's too early to tell if there was road damage because water has just receded, Mansfield said he knows the county incurred employee overtime and equipment costs, among others."The city and county had a joint sandbagging operation that produced over 23,000 sandbags, and of course, floodgate installation is very expensive for the city, so all of those costs might be covered by FEMA should we get a federal declaration by the president," Mansfield said.After Tuesday's meeting the teams will go back to the KDEM to compile financial totals for damage in eastern and western Kentucky counties. Mansfield said they will ask the President for a disaster declaration if the damage totals reach $6 million or more.Mansfield said, "Then it goes to FEMA, and FEMA prepares a study, and then they present that to the President with a recommendation. They told me they're looking at a declaration, if we're successful, around the beginning of May."He said it's not possible to include tornado and flooding damage in the same report, since they are separate incidents.As for the tornado, Mansfield reported these numbers to the Fiscal Court:The EF-2 tornado covered 16 miles in Carlisle and McCracken Counties.25 dwellings were damaged5 businesses damaged20 residences damaged14 had minor damage1 had major damage5 were destroyedMt. Zion Baptist Church had 50 people inside, including 40 preschoolers, but none were injured.1 minor injury to a driver whose pickup truck was overturned when a grain elevator blew into the road.9,200 people lost power, but all electricity was restored by the next day.Mansfield thanked people from every agency who cooperated and worked long hours in response to the storms. Commissioner Bill Bartleman echoed that sentiment. By Bill Hughes Mar. 25, 2019 | 08:49 PM | PADUCAH They also approved paying $4,387.50 to Align PM (Scott Darnell) for consultation work, and approved the purchase of an SUV for use by the County Judge-Executive's office. Bids were solicited from ten vendors, but only one was received - from Linwood Motors for $30,598. The vehicle will replace a retired police cruiser that had been purchased several years ago at an auction. Sheila Johnston was also appointed to the board of the McCracken County Humane Society for a term ending in 2020. McCracken Fiscal Court heard a presentation Monday night about the vision for a new system of continuous trails along the Tennessee River.Julie Harris of the River Discovery Center presented information about the "Tennessee RiverLine," which could become a catalyst for economic, social, and environmental impact in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Kentucky. The river's 652-mile watershed is home to more than 4.5 million residents, over half of whom live in communities along its banks.A diverse group of river advocates are currently building a shared vision for a continuous system of hiking, biking and on-water experiences from Knoxville to Paducah.Commissioner Bill Bartleman said the concept is similar to that of the Appalachian Trail, which draws an estimated 2-3 million people each year. He said Paducah and other cities on the river are well-suited for this type of project.Bartleman said, "It had a lot of tourism opportunities, and we've already got a lot of the infrastructure here. I mean, we've got the River Heritage Museum and stuff along the riverfront for people to do and walking trails. So, we've already got some of the assets here that would be a part of that."Initial planning is being conducted with the help of the National Park Service, with other organizations joining, such as TVA, Tennessee State Parks, Tennessee Aquarium, the City of Knoxville, and Paducah's River Discovery Center.Commissioners unanimously passed joint resolution 2019-02 with anticipated passage by the city of Paducah on Tuesday, stating their shared support for the RiverLine project, with the intention of completing an application for participation in it. No other commitment is required at this time.In other business, the Fiscal Court approved ordinance 2019-03 at its second reading, which would jointly create a Tax Incremented Finance District in the Downtown Riverfront Development Area.Commissioners also approved the hiring of three deputy jailers and the resignation of four deputy jailers at McCracken County Jail, and they also approved increasing the number of deputy jailers at the jail from 59 to 65. On the Net: Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. Tornado track may have been the longest in history Italian and Austrian authorities have, with the continuous and effective support of Eurojust, dismantled an international ring trafficking firearms to supply to Camorra organised crime in Naples. A total of 22 arrests were made, and 139 firearms and 1 600 rounds of ammunition were seized. Among those arrested were two Austrian gunsmiths, who illegally sold more than 800 pistols and 50 Kalashnikovs with removed serial numbers to organised crime groups. The very complex Italian investigation - which lasted for more than one year, with the full dedication and commitment of the Carabinieri of Torre Annunziata under the leadership of the District Antimafia Prosecutor's Office of Naples - triggered leads towards Austria. On the basis of an Italian request for a European Investigation Order (EIO), proactively channelled to the Austrian authorities and broadly supported by Eurojust, an Austrian investigation was carried out in Klagenfurt. Fundamental evidence was then gathered in the framework of the Austrian investigation. Thanks to the outstanding and professional cooperation of the Austrian Police and the Prosecutor's Office, supported by Eurojust, an exchange of information was ensured for the overall period of the investigation, and exceptional results were obtained. During the course of the delicate investigation - involving, among other things, controlled deliveries and combined surveillance - Eurojust held three coordination meetings to bring together the involved judicial and police authorities of both Italy and Austria. During the investigations, the following actions were planned, coordinated and carried out: The arrest in Italy of a first Italian courier, who was found in possession of 15 pistols (all with removed serial numbers), including 10 revolvers, five automatic rifles and more than 400 rounds of ammunition; The arrest in Italy of two other Italian couriers, who were found in possession of 12 pistols, including 10 revolvers and two automatic rifles (all with removed serial numbers) and 600 rounds of ammunition; The arrest in Italy of another individual, who was found in possession of four rifles and two carbines (all with removed serial numbers); The arrest in Italy of a fifth courier, who was found in possession of 11 pistols (with removed serial numbers) and more than 600 rounds of ammunition; The subsequent arrest, in Austria, of two Austrian gunsmiths. Firearms intended for the criminal market were hidden in Austria and uncovered by targeted searches carried out in several premises, resulting in the following seizures: 88 guns (all with removed serial numbers) and a huge quantity of ammunition; six Kalashnikovs with related ammunition; and one 'Scorpion' machine gun with related ammunition. Beginning in 2011, the two arrested Austrian gunsmiths had illegally sold more than 800 new pistols to Italian criminals, all with removed serial numbers, as well as 50 Kalashnikovs and 10 machine guns with ammunition, with an estimated value of approximately EUR 500 000; and The arrest in Italy of 17 Italians suspected of being members of a very dangerous criminal ring belonging to the Camorra. Photos Carabinieri Napoli Background information: Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 26, 2019 | PADUCAH By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 26, 2019 | 03:53 PM | PADUCAH A woman charged with the rape of a Paducah teen is facing several years in prison, after pleading guilty in McCracken County Circuit Court. Court records show 35-year-old Crystal Ashford-Payne entered a guilty plea Monday to charges of third-degree rape, prohibited use of an electronic communications system to procure a minor for a sex offense, first and second-degree unlawful transaction with a minor, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, and having a prescription drug not in its proper container. Detectives said Ashford-Payne admitted to being sexually involved with a 17-year-old juvenile, and also reportedly had nude images of him on her cell phone. They also said Ashford-Payne tried to gain guardianship of the juvenile and referred to him as her child. She was also accused of giving the teen methamphetamine and marijuana. A new law, known as 'Jenna's Law' was passed in July, stating a person is deemed incapable of consent when he or she is 16 or 17 years old, and the suspect is at least 10 years older than the victim at the time of the sexual act. That law is why Ashford-Payne was charged with the sexual crimes. As part of the deal, prosecutors in the case recommended Ashford-Payne serve a seven-year sentence. Formal sentencing is set for May 6. Advertisement By The Associated Press Mar. 26, 2019 | FRANKFORT By The Associated Press Mar. 26, 2019 | 08:51 AM | FRANKFORT Kentucky forestry officials are urging people to be more cautious as spring forest fire season becomes more active. A statement from the Kentucky Division of Forestry says it has battled more than 189 forest fires, which have damaged more than 1,524 acres (616.8 hectares), since March 1. The spring fire season began Feb. 15. Fire Management Chief Michael Froelich says people should be cautious when burning outdoors, especially when conditions are dry and windy. Debris fires that have gotten away from homeowners have caused 30 percent of this season's fires. He says arson is the leading cause of fires this season, causing 52 percent of them. Citizens are asked to report any unusual activity they may see around a wildfire to local law enforcement. Resisting the looters who stole our human rights This Human Rights Day, civil society working group recognises the struggle against state capture as a struggle for human rights The struggle against state capture and corruption in South Africa is a struggle for human rights. This is why the current revelations at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture (the Zondo Commission) are important they lay bare the various networks of looters in the public and private sector who have criminally enriched themselves at the expense of the many. The consequences of the looting have been dire. It has undoubtedly contributed to poverty and unemployment and extends beyond a financial loss. An indication of this is that over 2.8-million people were pushed into poverty between 2011 and 2015. The capacity of the state has been severely eroded as evidenced by the escalating levels of loadshedding by Eskom. In addition, South Africa has had to grapple with a weaker economy, a continued revenue short-fall and dysfunctional state-owned entities that are bleeding the fiscus dry. It is unconscionable that constitutionally enshrined human rights such as health care, social security, housing and basic education, to name only a few, have been compromised because of the actions of corrupt individuals. The establishment of the commission is in large part due to the active role played by civil society, whistle-blowers and journalists in exposing state capture and highlighting its impact on the lives of South Africans. With the Zondo Commission underway, more than 20 civil society organisations have come together to establish a civil society working group on state capture. This working group is committed to ensuring accountability for economic crimes by the business and political elite linked to state capture. We believe that an impactful outcome at the Zondo Commission requires active engagement by civil society which is both supportive of the commissions work and, where necessary, critical of its shortcomings. Civil society organisations have submitted or are preparing submissions. These have the potential to inform the investigations of the commission and remind the public of the nature of these criminal networks and the impact they have had on efforts to tackle social injustice. This includes the risk of a repeat of the state capture project in the future unless we as citizens insist that our constitutional institutions are insulated from political interference. These submissions are intended to also test the resolve of the commission to fully investigate and expose the state capture networks; and find appropriate recourse to get the country back on the path to realising the aspirations outlined in the Constitution. The working group is also committed to following up on the recommendations that emanate from the Zondo Commission, especially with regard to further investigations, prosecutions and remedial action aimed at strengthening institutions of governance. On Human Rights Day, we commemorate the courageous lives of those who struggled for our freedom at Sharpeville. Their memory is defiled by many of our current political leaders. We are deeply disturbed by the inclusion of many politicians named at hearings of the Zondo Commission on political party lists for the national and provincial legislatures. By doing so, political parties risk carrying the architects of state capture back into the heart of the sixth democratic government. Their presence on party lists makes it difficult for voters who believe in constitutional values and rule of law to vote for the parties concerned. We therefore call on all political parties to use their discretion to remove these people from their lists immediately. Our struggle for social justice and human rights will not be realised if those who loot with impunity in the public and private sector remain unaccountable. Open Secrets is the convenor of the civil society working group. For more information, please contact: Zen Mathe at zmathe@opensecrets.org.za or on 0 21 447 2701 or 083 381 8692 21 447 2701 or 083 381 8692 Thami Nkosi at thami@r2k.org.za or on 062 624 5992 or 011 339 1533 The organisations part of the civil society working group are: Illinois researchers to implement, study STEM program for high school, middle schools As schools explore ways to encourage more underrepresented students to consider STEM fields, a team from the University of Illinois believes school counselors and year-round experiences are two of the keys. The team will use a 3-year, $1.2 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to build a program in middle schools and high schools across the state of Illinois and study its results. "We believe that school counselors are gatekeepers for opportunity," said Lynford Goddard, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and a co-principal investigator on the project. "They interact with the entire student body about what classes to take. They can advocate with underrepresented groups to enroll in advanced math and science classes as well as take advantage of outside activities to enrich their experiences in STEM." The proposal is a collaboration between co-PIs Goddard; Lara Hebert, outreach coordinator for the College of Engineering; and Luisa Rosu, a research associate with the Illinois Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Initiative at the U of I. Irfran Ahmad, the Executive Director for the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, serves as the industry liaison. In addition to emphasizing the role of the school counselor, the team also believes it's important for students to have year-round STEM experiences. That is why one of the three pillars of the program is to sponsor STEM clubs, which provide engineering design, project- based experiences at the schools, and encourage a diverse group of students to participate. Another pillar is the development of IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity and access) teams, which will include the school counselor, a teacher, and a third stakeholder at the school dedicated to supporting students at each site. The third pillar will be providing scholarships for underrepresented middle school and high school students to attend Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering (WYSE) camps offered by the U of I's College of Engineering. Ultimately, if their study of this work shows the model is effective, they hope to expand the project with private funding beyond the three years of the NSF grant. If successful, the model can also be shared beyond Illinois. "We are continually committed to increasing diversity and opening up opportunities for underrepresented students, particularly from the State of Illinois" said Rashid Bashir, Dean of the College of Engineering. "This project reiterates that commitment." Like many schools, the University of Illinois College of Engineering is making strides when it comes to its diversity numbers (the number of women and underrepresented students are up 60 percent since 2013), but in order to make more significant progress in admissions and job placement, grassroots efforts need to increase diversity in the pool of students applying. "We have to increase the applicant pool just to be able to say we have a chance," Goddard said. "There is also a lot of theory about critical mass and the idea that when 20-30 percent of the classroom is of an underrepresented group, that a person from that group coming into that environment will not feel as isolated. It's about building an inclusive community and a sense of belonging." Over the course of three years, the team will partner with 24 schools - 20 high schools and four middle schools that feed into one of the 20 high schools. Each year a cohort of eight schools will enter the program, starting this summer. They are targeting schools in Chicago, East St. Louis, and locally, and there are several schools interested. Partnering with the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, the group will provide a 10-day, comprehensive summer institute to equip teams with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and resources to act as effective STEM advocates and learn the technical material the teams are going to study. Lorenzo Baber, an associate professor in the School of Education at Iowa State University and a former Illinois faculty member, will provide educational research on self-efficacy (an individuals' belief they can achieve their goals). They will encourage a network where the schools can communicate with each other about best practices. Representatives from Chip Energy and Henneman Engineering will talk with counselors about industry needs. Other partners in the project include the Education for Employment (EFE) program, National Instruments, and the University of Illinois Extension. "We want the schools to understand what sorts of policies and professional practices influence opportunities for students and reflect on strategies they are currently using to address these issues," Goddard said. "Are there normal operating principles that prevent this from being successful? Our goal is to figure out the synergistic effects of year-round programming that creates an atmosphere conducive to getting students into the STEM." ### This story has been published on: 2019-03-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Huang Xiaowei (L) meets with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor. [Photo/ China Women's News] Huang Xiaowei, Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation, was invited to attend the celebrations for this year's International Women's Day (IWD) in Hong Kong, March 19-23. After meeting with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Huang attended the celebrations for IWD and the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China organized by the Hong Kong Federation of Women, the All-China Women's Federation Hong Kong Delegates Association, the Ladies' Committee of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, and the Hong Kong and HK CPPCC(Provincial) Members Association. She also took part in the inauguration of the Sixth Council of the All-China Women's Federation Hong Kong Delegates Association and communicated with a group of local organizations, including the Hong Kong Women Professionals and Entrepreneurs Association, the Hong Kong New Youth Energy Think Tank and the Boys' and Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong. Huang visited a service center of the Hong Kong Family Welfare Society, the service department of the Hong Kong Young Women's Christian Association, and the Diocesan Girls' School, where she learned about the progress of women and children's development and exchanged ideas on women's affairs with the Executive Committee members and representatives of the ACWF Hong Kong Delegates Association. Huang publicized Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially the important statements involving Hong Kong and Macao made by Xi Jinping and the spirit of the just-concluded two sessions. She briefed the attendees on the women's movements and historical missions of women and their federations in the Chinese mainland under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. She also spoke highly of Hong Kong women's patriotism and devotion to Hong Kong, as well as their contributions to economic and social development and their experience in maintaining ties with women and serving society and families. "'One country, two systems' is the greatest advantage of Hong Kong, and the country's reform and opening-up offers Hong Kong its grandest stage," Huang noted. She hoped women in Hong Kong will further increase their national consciousness and patriotism, implement the principle of "one country, two systems" and the Basic Law in an all-round way, firmly support the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and the governance of the executive officer and actively integrate into the national development strategies and the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The ACWF will always strongly support Hong Kong women in deepening exchanges and cooperation with women's federations in the mainland, and strive for the common development and prosperity of Hong Kong and the motherland, and for the realization of the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation in the new era, Huang stated. Wang Zhimin, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong met with Huang's delegation. Vice director Qiu Hong and Tan Tieniu also attended the celebrations. Huang Xiaowei(L) with Annie Wu Suk-ching, a member of the HKCPPCC (Provincial) Members Association. [Photo/ China Women's News] Huang Xiaowei(2nd, L) visits the Hong Kong Family Welfare Society. [Photo/ China Women's News] Huang addresses the inauguration of the Sixth Council of the All-China Women's Federation Hong Kong Delegates Association on March 22. [Photo/ China Women's News] Huang (5th L, front) poses for photo at an IWD celebration in Hong Kong. [Photo/ China Women's News] (Women of China) Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-25 18:08:51|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close A Turkish aerospace company's ANKA unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is on display during a media preview of the 15th Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) in Langkawi, Malaysia, March 25, 2019. The 15th Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) will see the participation of hundreds of companies from dozens of countries, Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamad Sabu said on Monday. (Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung) LANGKAWI, Malaysia, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The 15th Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) will see the participation of hundreds of companies from dozens of countries, Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamad Sabu said on Monday. Speaking at a media briefing on the upcoming defense exhibition, Mohamad Sabu said 406 local and international companies from some 30 countries and regions had turned up for the five-day event which begins on Tuesday. "All preparations have been made, we are all ready," he said. "The outcome of LIMA 2019 will be useful for us to expand our network, prioritize, rebalance and strategize efforts to further strengthen the (defense) industry," he said. Mohamad Sabu said this edition of LIMA was expected to bring 44,000 trade visitors and 250,000 public visitors. He said that this year would see greater participation from non-military companies, offering technologies with civilian applications as part of a drive to make Malaysia an aerospace hub. The briefing was followed with an anti-terrorism demonstration involving the several Malaysian armed forces special units at the waterfront nearby the exhibition area. First launched in 1991 by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad during his first term, the biennial program has grown into a major arms and technology showcase, drawing hundreds of companies from dozens of countries. The highlights for this year are four aerobatic teams from Malaysia, India, Indonesia and Russia and they will showcase their skill at aerial maneuvers as part of the event, a staple part of the event. Additionally, 55 fighter jets and other aircraft from the participating countries would perform aerial displays at the Langkawi International Airport. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 00:10:45|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close Smoke rises following an Israeli air strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on March 25, 2019. Israeli warplanes attacked on Monday evening military posts and facilities that belong to militant groups in the Gaza Strip in response to earlier rocket attack into Israel. (Xinhua/Khaled Omar) GAZA/JERUSALEM, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Israeli warplanes attacked on Monday evening military posts and facilities that belong to militant groups in the Gaza Strip in response to earlier rocket attack into Israel. Israeli drones and warplanes hovered over the coastal enclave, where several explosions have been heard in various areas in Gaza city and the entire enclave, according to eyewitnesses, security sources and local media reports. A Xinhua reporter said that two large explosions were heard in northern Gaza Strip while Israeli army drones were hovering over Gaza city, and hospitals all over the coastal enclave declared a status of emergency. Security officials in Gaza said that Israeli warplanes struck two Hamas military facilities and training compounds in northern Gaza Strip. Ambulances rushed to the scene and no injuries were reported after Gaza militants evacuated their posts and military compounds. Earlier, seven Israelis were injured and severe damage was caused to several houses in the Hasharon area north of Tel Aviv in central Israel after a long-range rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip into central Israel. The Israeli cabinet had approved earlier on Monday a military operation against militant groups all over the Gaza Strip. No one has claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. Fawzi Barhoum, Hamas movement's spokesman in Gaza, said in a press statement that "if the Israeli occupation commits any stupidity against Gaza and its resistance, the cost will exceed all its evaluations." Meanwhile, Israel's military said that its air force has launched a series of airstrikes at the Gaza Strip on Monday, citing retaliation over an earlier rocket attack at central Israel. "The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) has begun striking Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip," a military notice said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 00:15:48|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (R) meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe (L) in Cairo, Egypt, March 25, 2019. (Xinhua) CAIRO, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi pledged to further enhance defense cooperation with China during his meeting with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe on Monday. During the meeting, Sisi recalled the long-standing China-Egypt relation during which the two sides had achieved fruitful results from their cooperation in all fields and highlighted China's contribution to world peace. He hailed China's great achievements in its development, saying that Egypt firmly supports the Belt and Road Initiative and expects to enhance cooperation in the field of infrastructure construction with the Chinese side. Sisi also expressed his hope that the two sides can further enhance defense cooperation and conduct more cooperation in the fields of counter terrorism, joint military drills, armed forces buildup as well as defense industry. Noting that the friendship between China and Egypt has a long history, Wei highlighted the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, adding that it has gone deeper and achieved pragmatic results. Wei said that China appreciates Egypt's important role in international and regional issues, supports Egypt's efforts to defend its independence and sovereignty, adding that China is ready to enhance cooperation and work together with Egypt to promote the Belt and Road Initiative to achieve better and faster development of bilateral relations. Under the leadership of the two heads of state, the military cooperation between China and Egypt has achieved fruitful results. "We are willing to work together with the Egyptian armed forces to implement important consensus between the two leaders and develop a higher level of relations between the two armies," Wei said. Wei also met with Egyptian Defense Minister Mohamed Zaki on Sunday. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 03:16:25|Editor: yan Video Player Close PARIS, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi put forward a three-pronged proposal for seeking a global governance solution that is fairer, more effective and conforms to the trends of history here on Monday. Wang who has been accompanying Chinese President Xi Jinping on a state visit to France made the remarks at an opening ceremony of a global governance forum co-hosted by China and France. The international community is looking forward to seeing China and France, two major countries, join efforts to promote world peace and progress while the global landscape has been undergoing changes, Wang said. "We are living at a time full of both opportunities and challenges," Wang said, adding that the relationships between countries are ever closer and exchanges between peoples are easier. In the meantime, Wang said, the world is beset with lack of driving forces for economic growth, an ever more prominent gap in development, a cold war mentality and unilateralism. Wang, against such a back drop, put forward a three-pronged proposal to the forum attended by some 200 people from business circles and think tanks of China and France. He called for candid consultations, sincere communications, in-depth exchanges and mutual learning among countries for thoughts, wisdom and consensus to improve the global governance. He underlined cooperation and a spirit of win-win and mutually beneficial partnership, calling for thorough discussions on cooperation between China and France in such areas as connectivity, World Trade Organization reform and digital governance. He called for constructive and feasible solutions for win-win and multi-win results so that people from various countries and all walks of life could share the benefits of global governance. China and France, he said, should undertake historical responsibilities, uphold a vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, staunchly safeguard multilateralism and the contemporary international system with the United Nations (UN) at the core, jointly promote world peace and development, and make unremitting efforts to advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. Jean-Yves Le Drian, Wang's French counterpart, said at the ceremony it is of great significance that France and China co-hosted the global governance forum during Xi's state visit to his country. Fifty-five years ago, Le Drian said, General Charles de Gaulle made a strategic decision to establish diplomatic relations with China, which, for one thing, showed France's independence and, for another, helped create a more balanced international system. France firmly supports the UN system and believes that multilateralism is indispensable, he said. In the face of a reality that basic principles of international relations are threatened by unilateralism and protectionism, France and China should join efforts, constantly make innovation, compare notes on the framework of global governance and jointly face challenges, he said. France, Le Drian said, supports fair competition, common security and is ready to strengthen cooperation with China on such global agenda as addressing the climate change. He added Eurasian connectivity and the Belt and Road Initiative are complementary, and that the French side supports the alignment of the two and the cooperation with China on relative projects. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 04:01:36|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close Palestinians stand near the headquarters of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh after it was destroyed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza City, March 26, 2019. Israeli drones and warplanes destroyed the headquarters of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza City on Monday night, no injuries reported. (Xinhua/Stringer) GAZA/JERUSALEM, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Israeli drones and warplanes destroyed the headquarters of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza City on Monday night, no injuries reported. Eyewitnesses and security sources said Israeli drones and warplanes fired several missiles at Haniyeh's headquarters in northwestern Gaza and completely destroyed it. They said huge explosions were heard in the neighborhood after the building was destroyed. Meanwhile, Israeli army confirmed that its air force struck and destroyed the headquarters of Haniyeh. "Fighter jets recently targeted the office of Haniyeh in the northern Gaza Strip neighborhood of Rimal," a military spokesperson said in a statement. The spokesperson said the building was used "for terror purposes by Hamas." Israel frequently targets Hamas sites and positions in Gaza but the strike on the office of a senior Hamas official is unusual. According to the military, jets also hit Hamas' Interior Security offices, a five-storey building in the Rimal neighborhood in the northern Gaza Strip. "The site is a prominent Hamas building and serves the organization's military wing," the army said. Fighter jets also struck a three-storey building in the Tzabra neighborhood, which according to the military was a secret headquarters of Hamas used by its General Security forces, General Intelligence, and Military Intelligence. Israeli warplanes and drones have been carrying out intensive airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Monday, targeting buildings, facilities and posts in response to earlier rocket attacks on central Israel which wounded seven Israelis. Earlier in the day, Hamas evacuated from all its buildings, compounds and facilities in fear of intensive retaliatory airstrikes from Israel on the Gaza Strip. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 04:11:38|Editor: yan Video Player Close GAZA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The militant groups in Gaza fired on Monday night a barrage of rockets into southern Israel after the intensive Israeli airstrikes on military facilities and compounds in the enclave. The announcement was made by the Joint military Chamber of Operations in Gaza, headed by Hamas, in an official emailed press statement. "The joint military chamber of operations began to launch rockets on the settlements of Sdirot, Nativ Ha'asarah, Nir A'am in response to the ongoing aggression against our people," said the statement. The Israeli cabinet earlier decided to strike military facilities and compounds that belong to Hamas and other militant groups in the Gaza Strip in response to an earlier rocket attack on central Israel that wounded seven Israelis. During the Israeli airstrikes, the headquarters of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was completely destroyed, in addition to two security buildings. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the escalation of Israeli intensive airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, according to an official statement published by the official Palestinian News Agency (WAFA). Abbas has been in intensive contacts with Egypt, Russia and the EU to contain the crisis and avoid more tension and wars in the Gaza Strip, the statement said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 06:52:14|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close HELSINKI, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Concrete security of candidates for members of parliament has become an issue in the ongoing Finnish general election campaign, three weeks ahead of the public voting. A candidate with immigrant background was attacked in eastern Helsinki by an ethnic Finn on Monday. On Sunday there was an attempt to attack politician Timo Soini, the foreign minister in the current care-taker cabinet. Soini had professional security protection that foiled the attempt, but the basic level candidate had no such protection. The assault on Suldaan Said Ahmeed, a candidate for the Left Alliance in Helsinki, was being investigated as a mild (or third degree) mugging and slander, Helsinki police said. The man hitting the candidate described the latter as "representing the wrong religion" and a pedophile. Lieutenant Heikki Porola from the Helsinki police department told national broadcaster Yle that the atmosphere in political events became more aggressive in the whole country. "This tense atmosphere has prevailed for a longer time," Porola said. Porola noted that the two incidents of recent days did not seem to be connected. "But they have features of behavior in common," he said. "I am not interpreting the actions as professional but some sort of targeting appears to be taking place," he said. Several candidates interviewed by Yle said they had themselves sensed the change in the atmosphere in the streets and market places. Laura Ylitalo, the manager of the Social Democratic Party's regional organization in Helsinki, told Yle the party had consulted also the security police. Joonas Leppanen, the party secretary of the Left Alliance, said that the police must ensure that the parties can arrange campaign events in peace. "Even though the parties disagree with each other, we have all committed to a democratic framework. This kind of attacking is an action against the democratic system," Leppanen said. Yle reported that at least the SDP, the Green party and the Feminist Party had urged their candidates not to campaign alone, but at least two candidates together. An election video of the Finns Party was questioned in the media on Monday as possibly admiring violence. In the video the frustration of the people appears as a monster rising from underground. The monster then attacks the decision makers who have "deceived the people". Lauri Nurmi, a political analyst for the news agency Lannen Media, said the video of the Finns Party "steps over a threshold that no political party bearing the responsibility of maintaining the social peace should step over." However, Jussi Halla-aho, chairman of Finns Party, on Monday dismissed the claims that the video instigates violence. The video was shown in a major cinema chain as pre-feature material. The cinema chain confirmed on Monday the film had passed their control. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 07:07:16|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close GAZA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Israel and militants in the Gaza Strip resumed mutual attacks early on Tuesday, just hours after an Eyptian-brokered cease-fire came into effect, local media reported. On Monday night, Fawzi Barhoum, spokesman of the Islamic Hamas movement said in a short text message that Egypt's mediation efforts succeeded in brokering a cease-fire with Israel. The Joint Chamber of Operations in Gaza, headed by Hamas, also affirmed in a short text message its commitment to the Egyptian-sponsored cease-fire. "We announce our commitment to calmness as long as the occupation is committed to it," it said. However, sirens were turned on after midnight when a barrage of rockets were fired from Gaza into southern Israel, and intercepted by Israeli army's Iron Dome anti-rocket system. Israeli drones and warplanes fired back at military targets in the Gaza Strip. Al-Jazeera Satellite Television quoted sources as saying the conditions Israel set for the cease-fire include ending the anti-Israel weekly March of Return rally in eastern Gaza close to the border with Israel. Israel also wants Hamas to stop the release of fire balloons, the night confusion units and the weekly rallies close to the maritime border between the northern Gaza Strip and Israel, according to al-Jazeera. The Israeli cabinet earlier decided to strike military facilities and compounds that belong to Hamas and other militant groups in the Gaza Strip in response to an earlier rocket attack on central Israel that wounded seven Israelis. During the Israeli airstrikes, the headquarters of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was completely destroyed in addition to two security buildings. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 07:12:16|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close LOS ANGELES, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The San Diego Zoo will return its last two giant pandas to China next month, said zoo officials Monday. "In honoring the terms of the Zoo's conservation loan agreement with the People's Republic of China, 27-year-old female giant panda Bai Yun and her son, 6-year-old Xiao Liwu, will leave the San Diego Zoo in April and will be repatriated to their ancestral homeland," said zoo officials in a statement. Bai Yun, or White Cloud in English, first arrived at the San Diego Zoo in 1996 from China. The name of her son, Xiao Liwu, means Little Gift in English. "The San Diego Zoo was honored to be chosen by conservationists in China to work with them to develop a new model for species conservation," said Douglas G. Myers, president and CEO of San Diego Zoo Global. "The panda program we began together demonstrates how powerful these collaborative efforts can be. We are extremely grateful to China for sharing the pandas with us and offering us the chance to serve this species in a leadership role," he noted. Another panda at the San Diego Zoo, 28-year-old Gao Gao, returned to China in October. The San Diego Zoo, located in Southern California, is globally recognized and a San Diego icon, hosting more than 4 million visitors each year. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 07:17:17|Editor: ZX Video Player Close Hu Zhengyue, vice president of the China Public Diplomacy Association, speaks at a seminar in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on March 25, 2019. Experts from China and Kuwait on Monday discussed ways of intensifying academic and media exchanges, calling for promoting communication between the two peoples. The discussion took place at a seminar held by the Chinese Embassy in Kuwait in cooperation with CPDA and Kuwait University in Kuwait City. (Xinhua/Nie Yunpeng) KUWAIT CITY, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Experts from China and Kuwait on Monday discussed ways of intensifying academic and media exchanges, calling for promoting communication between the two peoples. The discussion took place at a seminar held by the Chinese Embassy in Kuwait in cooperation with the China Public Diplomacy Association (CPDA) and Kuwait University in Kuwait City. On the sidelines of the event, the Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait Li Minggang said 2019 is the 48th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kuwait. "Both countries have developed relations at political, humanitarian and cultural levels," Li said. Kuwait is one of the first Arab countries to sign a cooperation agreement with China under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), he added. China is willing to develop its relations with Kuwait and deepen their strategic partnership by pushing forward cooperation between the two countries, the Chinese ambassador noted. The BRI, proposed by China in 2013, aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa on and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes. The initiative comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Hu Zhengyue, vice president of CPDA, said it is a right choice for China and Arab countries to develop partnership in the new situation. It is also the only way leading to mutual development and prosperity, Hu added. "The China-proposed initiative and the Kuwait Vision 2035 are highly compatible. By merging development strategies, the two sides will achieve mutual benefits and win-win results," he noted. Fahad Al-Rashed, a member of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development of Kuwait, said the BRI will bring economic benefits to Kuwait. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 07:22:18|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close CARACAS, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez on Monday said the country's main Guri hydroelectric plant was sabotaged again, causing another blackout in several regions, but authorities have managed to restore power quickly. "We want to inform the whole country that just as we have been denouncing, we have received a new attack on the load and transmission center of the National Electricity System," said Rodriguez. However, the state-run electricity company was able to restore power to the affected areas "in record time," he said. Venezuela suffered its worst blackout ever earlier this month, when a power outage plunged nearly the entire country in darkness for some five days. Officials blamed the blackout on sabotage by right-wing extremists working to undermine the government. "What took us five, six days, today we have solved in a few hours," said Rodriguez. Shiite Houthi rebels drive a military vehicle in the barrack of 1st Armored Division which was controled by the rebels in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sept. 22, 2014. (Xinhua File photo) SANAA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi rebel chief Abdulmalik al-Houthi said on Monday that his group's attack would reach as far as the capital cities of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in case of any military escalation in Hodeidah. "We warn of any military escalation in Hodeidah. The response will extend to the depth of the countries' capital cities involved in the escalation," al-Houthi warned in his speech aired through television and radio stations. He referred to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which are leading the military coalition against the Yemeni rebels. The speech was made to mark four years of the military coalition's intervention in Yemen's conflict, which began on March 26, 2015. "We are coming into the fifth year of resisting the foreign military aggression with a much more developed long-range ballistic missile arsenal," he said. "Enemy seeks to fail the Sweden Agreement to occupy our land ... but we will fight until the end," the Houthi leader added. Al-Houthi called on his supporters to mass on Tuesday at the largest square in the capital Sanaa to celebrate their steadfastness over the past four years of war. The peace deal, which was reached in Stockholm in December last year, was initially seen as a hope to end Yemen's war, but it has since stalled over what the United Nations calls "misinterpretation" of the deal's terms. The deal focused on the contested Hodeidah port city and general exchange of prisoners to rebuild trust between the government and Houthi rebels as the first step toward a comprehensive political settlement. Many Yemeni political experts criticized the deal, saying it lacks vital strategy to be implemented. The United Nations has since proposed several practical mechanisms through its cease-fire monitor team in Hodeidah to implement the deal, but all efforts have so far proved to be failures. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 08:04:58|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close People visit Macy's Flower Show at Macy's Herald Square flagship store in New York, the United States, on March 25, 2019. The annual flower show is held from March 24 to April 7 this year. With the theme of "Journey to Paradisios, Operation: Inspiration," the show features more than 5,000 types of plants depicting various outer space themes. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 09:07:36|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close TRIPOLI, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Nearly half a million internally displaced people (IDPs) who have returned to their homes in Libya are in need of humanitarian assistance, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Monday. "Currently in Libya, there are over 445,000 returnees that are in need of humanitarian assistance," UNHCR said. Many Libyan families are living in areas surrounded by unexploded remnants of war near their destroyed homes, UNHCR added. Several Libyan cities have been affected by years of armed conflict, while authorities are struggling to provide basic services for the people, mainly proper education and healthcare. In February, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the Libyan government launched a 202-million-U.S.-dollar humanitarian response plan for more than half a million people in the country to meet their urgent humanitarian needs, including healthcare, water and education. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 09:47:45|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close United Nations Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock (R) and Henrietta Fore, head of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), attend a press briefing on their recent visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the UN headquarters in New York, March 25, 2019. Mark Lowcock on Monday called on the international community to support the fight against Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the epidemic has claimed 621 lives. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) UNITED NATIONS, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The UN humanitarian chief on Monday called on the international community to support the fight against Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the epidemic has claimed 621 lives. "We don't think the world is paying enough attention to Ebola," UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock told reporters, making a 326-million-U.S. dollar appeal to fight the deadly disease. Lowcock said the appeal is to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of the DRC. He just returned from a journey to the African country along with Henrietta Fore, head of the UN Children's Fund, to look into the Ebola outbreak, the second worst outbreak of the hemorrhagic fever behind the 2014-2016 epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa. Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters shortly afterward the Fore-Lowcock presentation that the World Health Organization has now tallied more than 1,000 cases in northern DRC since the outbreak was declared in August 2018. "As of March 23, 1,009 confirmed and probable cases and 621 deaths had been recorded in North Kivu and Ituri (provinces)," Dujarric said. "More than 300 patients have been released following treatment." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 10:37:54|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) holds talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, March 25, 2019. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) PARIS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, on Monday agreed to carry forward the high-level ties between the two countries and forge a more solid, stable and vibrant China-France comprehensive strategic partnership on a new starting point in history. The consensus was reached during the talks between Xi and Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Xi said that great changes have taken place in the international situation, but the China-France relations have always kept developing on a high level and in a sound and stable way. He said that since President Macron took office, the bilateral ties have reached a new high in just less than two years, with many new outcomes achieved. This year is of special commemorative significance, as it marks the 55th anniversary of China-France diplomatic ties, the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Work-Study Movement in France, and also the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Xi said. "Knowing the past can help people judge today and move on better," he said. The world is undergoing major changes rarely seen in a century, and humanity stands at a crossroads, and for China, France and Europe, they also come to a critical stage of development, the Chinese president said. "China is willing to work with France to inherit the past and create the future, enable our close and enduring comprehensive strategic partnership to continue leading the way, and make more historic contributions to building an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity," Xi said. TRUST, COOPERATION AND FRIENDLY SENTIMENTS The Chinese president proposed that in order to develop the relations between China and France in a sound way, the two countries should have political mutual trust, practical cooperation and friendly sentiments between the two peoples. "Under the new situation, the two sides should do much better in those three aspects, and continue to explore the way for major countries to get along with each other, which should feature independence, mutual understanding, foresight, mutual benefit and win-win outcomes," Xi said. "In politics, we should not only build a strong 'dam' of mutual trust, but also a 'lighthouse' of ideal," he said. He suggested that the two countries deepen communication and exchanges in an all-round way and on various levels, fully leverage the roles of all institutional dialogues, and increase the exchanges between governments, legislative bodies, political parties and armed forces. The two sides should insist on respecting and accommodating each other's core interests and major concerns, pursue harmony in diversity, and seek common ground while reserving differences, Xi said. He urged the two countries to strengthen cooperation under the United Nations (UN), the Group of 20 and other multilateral frameworks, push for the implementation of the Paris agreement on climate change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, take practical action to safeguard multilateral trading regime and uphold the basic norms governing international relations as underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. On practical cooperation between China and France, Xi said the two countries should not only explore the "source of flowing water" in market, but also facilitate the "river channels" in policies. The two sides should deepen cooperation in nuclear energy, aviation, aerospace and other traditional sectors, and expedite cooperation in emerging areas including scientific and technological innovation, agriculture, finance and elderly care, Xi said. President Macron has on many occasions expressed the willingness of carrying out practical cooperation with China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which China appreciates, Xi said, adding that the two sides need to earnestly implement the BRI-related demonstration projects in third-party markets. He asked the two countries to provide more support and convenience for bilateral trade and investment. Noting that China has newly approved its foreign investment law, Xi pledged that the country will continue to greatly relax market access, optimize business environment, strengthen intellectual property rights protection, and create a new pattern of high-level opening-up. "We welcome more French businesses to invest and develop in China, and in the meantime, we hope the French side offers fair, open and non-discrimination treatment for Chinese businesses to invest in France," Xi said. On people-to-people and cultural exchanges, Xi called for enhancing both intergovernmental cooperation and non-governmental contacts. The two countries should fully use the China-France high-level people-to-people and cultural exchange mechanism, and promote cooperation in culture, tourism, language, youths and at local level, he said. Xi also asked the two countries to well organize the commemorative activities on the 55th anniversary of China-France diplomatic ties and the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Work-Study Movement in France, and to host a culture and tourism year in each other's country in 2021. Calling China and the European Union (EU) two major forces, markets and civilizations of today's world, Xi said China attaches importance to Europe's strategic status and role, and has always regarded deepening China-EU relations as a diplomatic priority. China supports France in continuing to play a leading role in the process of Europe's uniting for self-improvement, and hopes France exerts a more positive influence in pushing forward China-EU ties, Xi said. The Chinese president also urged both sides to accelerate the negotiations on a China-EU investment treaty, and initiate a joint feasibility study on the China-EU free trade agreement at an early date. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 11:03:00|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close NEW DELHI, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The Indian Air Force (IAF) has inducted the first batch of four Chinook CH-47F(I) heavy lift helicopters in the presence of IAF chief B.S. Dhanoa in the northern city of Chandigarh. "The induction of the CH-47F(I) Chinooks is an asset to the IAF's airlift capabilities," said Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa at the induction ceremony Monday. He added "This modern, multi-mission-capable, heavy-lift transport helicopter will enhance our heli-lift capability across all types of terrain to full effect." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 11:18:04|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu display the proclamation recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 25, 2019. U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, territory that Israel seized from Syria in 1967. (Xinhua/Ting Shen) WASHINGTON, March 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, marking a major shift in U.S. policy in the Middle East. The proclamation said that it is "appropriate to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights" because of the security need of Israel. "This was a long time in the making," Trump said before signing the decree at the White House with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu standing alongside. Netanyahu welcomed Trump's move over the Golan Heights which Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and called the recognition "historic." "In a day of history, we have never had a greater friend than President Trump," he said. In response, Syria's Foreign Ministry called the U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights as a "blatant attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Syria, state news agency SANA reported. Trump's move was widely believed a valuable and timely political asset for Netanyahu, who is seeking to be re-elected for a fifth term in the April elections but faces a tough fight from Israel's former Chief of General Staff Benny Gantz and a series of allegations over fraud and bribery. Netanyahu wanted to secure re-election at this point, said Wayne White, former deputy director of the Middle East Intelligence Office of the State Department. "Trump's help in the form of the warm, supportive Pompeo visit to Israel, Netanyahu's visit to the United States, and the Golan recognition will sway some Israeli voters." Darrell West, a senior fellow at Brookings Institution, also suggested that the recognition, which came right before the election, was designed to boost Netanyahu's re-election prospects. "But the recognition makes peace tougher because it widens the gulf between countries in the Middle East," he added. The decision helped Netanyahu politically, but it could imperil the Trump administration's Middle East Peace Plan, Dennis Ross, a distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said in an interview with Al-Monitor. "It will make it harder for Arab leaders to respond favorably to it. They will not want to look like they are acquiescing in the surrender of what they see as Arab land," the veteran U.S. Middle East peace negotiated noted. Israel seized the Golan Heights in the third Middle East war in 1967 and annexed it in the 1980s, but the international community never recognized the move. U.N. Security Council Resolution 497, adopted unanimously in December 1981, decided that the Israeli decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights is "null and void and without international legal effect." Trump's decision on the Golan Heights immediately drew broad opposition from the international community. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric also said on Monday that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "clear that the status of Golan has not changed." Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said in a statement on Monday that Trump's proclamation is void and a blatant violation of the international law. In his phone conversation with U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that the recognition of Israel sovereignty over the Golan Heights would lead to the violation of international law, impede the settlement of the Syrian crisis, and aggravate the situation throughout the Middle East. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu Monday tweeted that the U.S. recognition would never legitimize Israeli occupation. On the contrary, the move would further increase tension in the region by preventing peace efforts in the Middle East. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 11:23:06|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close CANBERRA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has threatened social media giants with "significant" penalties if they fail to remove terrorist contents. Morrison met with executives from Facebook, Google and Twitter on Tuesday to address their response to the Christchurch terror attacks and flagged legislation that could see executives face imprisonment if terrorist content is allowed to spread on their platforms. "We need to prevent social media platforms being weaponized with terror content," Morrison said in a statement on Monday night. "If social media companies fail to demonstrate a willingness to immediately institute changes to prevent the use of their platforms, like what was filmed and shared by the perpetrators of the terrible offences in Christchurch, we will take action." Regulating social media has become a priority for Morrison since the Christchurch attacks were live-streamed on Facebook and shared on YouTube. Facebook has revealed that it removed 1.5 million separate uploads of the footage in the 24 hours following the attacks. The original footage remained on Facebook for about an hour and was viewed more than 4,000 times. YouTube said it removed an "unprecedented" amount of content. Under the laws proposed by Morrison, failing to remove offending footage as quickly as possible after it is brought to the attention of the platform would be made a criminal offence. Failing to rapidly remove footage classified as "abhorrent violent material" by authorities would also be made an offence. If a platform is found to have breached the new laws, its executives could face significant penalties including imprisonment while the companies themselves would also be punished. Morrison will be joined at a meeting by Attorney-General Christian Porter, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton and Communications Minister Mitch Fifield, who said that the government wanted a commitment from social media companies to fight "terrorist material." "The government will be expecting commitments for the prevention, detection, blocking and removal of violent terrorist material," Fifield told News Corp Australia. Shortly after the Christchurch attacks, Morrison called on the G20 to make regulating social media a priority at June's meeting, saying it is "unacceptable to treat the internet as an ungoverned space." "It is imperative that the global community works together to ensure that technology firms meet their moral obligation to protect the communities which they serve and from which they profit," he wrote in a letter to Shinzo Abe, the prime minister of Japan and G20 chairman. Morrison's campaign against social media platforms has been supported by Bill Shorten, leader of the opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP), who wrote in a newspaper column appearing in Melbourne's Herald Sun earlier in March that "social media giants cannot be distant, far removed from the conduct of their platforms." "Social media and the internet are fantastic developments, allowing us to be exposed to ideas, to connect, to learn and to break down isolation," he wrote. "But the big media platforms have an obligation to better monitor and prevent hate speech." "I think it is time that they, like the rest of our media, worked out how they decided that some things are too dangerous and offensive to publish before they get the chance to cause harm." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 11:23:08|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close KIEV, March 25 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 people died and more than 32,000 were infected in a major measles outbreak in Ukraine in the past three months, the country's Health Ministry said on Monday. A total of 32,939 people, including 18,109 children, were infected from December 28, 2018 to March 12, 2019 by measles in Ukraine, the ministry said in a statement. Last year, 35,120 cases of measles were recorded in Ukraine nationwide compared with 4,782 cases confirmed in 2017. It marked the largest increase in measles cases in the world, according to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). Totally, an estimated 35 people have died of measles in Ukraine since the start of the outbreak of the disease in 2017. The Ukrainian health authorities blamed the low level of immunization for the outbreak of the disease. Measles is a highly contagious viral disease transmitted by respiratory droplets and direct contact. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 11:28:09|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close GABORONE, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Botswana's tourism sector grew 3.4 percent in 2018, injecting at least 2.7 billion U.S. dollars into the southern African country's economy, according to a report by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). In the report released Monday following the global organization's annual review of the economic and social impact of the tourism sector, the WTTC said that Botswana's tourism and travel sector had surpassed the Sub Saharan Africa average growth of 3.3 percent. "Botswana's tourism sector created an estimated 84,000 jobs which is 8.9 percent of the country's total employment," reads part of the report. The tourism industry continues to be one of the Botswana's cardinal economic sectors, literally the second anchor of the finance of the diamond rich country, contributing significantly to government revenue. Myra Sekgororoane, CEO of the parastatal Botswana Tourism Organization (BTO), said that Botswana has long grasped the potential of travel and tourism in driving economic growth, creating jobs and promote social development. "I am excited to see that Botswana recorded another year of growth ahead of the regional average. It is a reflection of the excellent work from our part," said Sekgororoane in a telephone interview with Xinhua on Monday evening. When briefing a panel of journalists in Botswana's capital city Gaborone late last year, President Mokgweetsi Masisi described the country's tourism sector as the "next big thing." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 11:38:10|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close YANGON, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar authorities have granted 54 more permanent residency applications in the country, according to the Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population on Tuesday. The approval, made at a meeting of the Central Committee for Implementation of Permanent Residency in capital of Nay Pyi Taw on Monday, included one foreign expert, three foreign investors and 50 former Myanmar nationals and foreigners who are related to Myanmar nationals. Of the 50 former Myanmar nationals, 21 applied through Myanmar embassies in Singapore and South Africa, while others are foreigners related to Myanmar nationals. The Central Committee for Implementation of Permanent Residency is headed by Minister of Labor, Immigration and Population U Thein Swe. Myanmar's permanent residency system started in January 2015 during the previous U Thein Sein's government under four categories for foreign experts, investors, former Myanmar nationals and foreigners who are related to Myanmar nationals. The system enables eligible foreign applicants to stay in Myanmar for an initial period of five years with a possibility of further extension. Up to the end of 2017, the Myanmar government had granted 338 foreigners to take up permanent residency in the country since the system was introduced. Myanmar has also relaxed some rules and regulations for the permanent residency in accordance with the international standards. However, according to the existing 1982 Citizenship Law of Myanmar, dual citizenship is not allowed. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 11:43:11|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close SYDNEY, March 26 (Xinhua) -- One in five women and one in eight men are becoming more tired and less productive, a new Australian study on mobile phone use revealed on Tuesday. Led by the Queensland University of Technology in Australia, researchers surveyed 709 mobile phone users across the country aged 18 to 83 and asked them a series of questions based on a similar study 13 years ago. Identifying a phenomenon "technoference," researchers discovered a significant increase in people blaming their devices for "losing sleep, becoming less productive, taking more risks while driving and even getting more aches and pains." According to study lead Dr Oscar Oviedo-Trespalacios, the issue is so bad that 24 percent of women and 15 percent of men are now considered to be "problematic mobile phone users." "When we talk about technoference we're referring to the everyday intrusions and interruptions that people experience due to mobile phones and their usage," he said. "Our survey found technoference had increased among men and women, across all ages." "For example, self-reports relating to loss of sleep and productivity showed that these negative outcomes had significantly increased during the last 13 years." "This finding suggests that mobile phones are potentially increasingly affecting aspects of daytime functioning due to lack of sleep and increasing dereliction of responsibilities," he added. Compared to a 2005 study, "technoference" issues for 18 to 24-year-olds jumped a staggering 40.9 percent, while those aged 25 to 29 also recorded a dramatic increase of 23.5 percent. Oviedo-Trespalacios said that with the number of smartphone users around the world expected to surpass 2.5 billion before the end of this year, the problem of "technoference" could get even worse. "The speed and depth of smartphone take-up in Australia makes our population particularly vulnerable to some of the negative consequences of high mobile phone use," he said. "Rapid technological innovations over the past few years have led to dramatic changes in today's mobile phone technology, which can improve the quality of life for phone users but also result in some negative outcomes." "These include anxiety and, in some cases, engagement in unsafe behaviours with serious health and safety implications such as mobile phone distracted driving." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 11:53:13|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping (2nd R) receives the original French version of "An Introduction to The Analects of Confucius", published in 1688, from his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron (1st R), as a national gift before their meeting in Nice, France, on March 24, 2019. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) PARIS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- "It is a pleasure to have friends coming from afar," the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius said in The Analects of Confucius, a collection of his ideas and sayings. This Chinese classic has now been given to a friend from afar as a national gift of France. That friend is Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is on a state visit to the European country. The original French version of "An Introduction to The Analects of Confucius," published in 1688, was presented to Xi as a national gift by his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, when the two leaders met on Sunday in Nice, France. Xi said he would take this precious gift back to China's National Library. The early translations of The Analects of Confucius had inspired French thinkers Montesquieu and Voltaire, said Macron. The only other remaining book from this version is now kept at his country's Guimet National Museum of Asian Arts. The soaring popularity of this Confucius classic in France is a good example of the long-standing cultural communication between the two countries. Former French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing once told Xinhua that he had read many Chinese classics, among which The Analects of Confucius would often be by his bedside. Apart from economic and trade cooperation, cultural exchanges are also an important part of the France-China ties, he said. At the Paris Phoenix bookstore, customers could easily find various Chinese books. Florine Marechal, a bookstore staffer, said the French versions of books like The Analects of Confucius are popular among many French readers, including herself. Marechal said she has been learning Chinese for seven years out of her passion for Chinese culture and literature, and gave herself a Chinese name, Fu Yating, which means elegance and grace. She likes reading Chinese books like The Analects of Confucius, as well as the works of other modern Chinese writers like Lu Xun and Ba Jin. Back in 2014, which marked the 50th anniversary of the China-France diplomatic ties, Xi wrote in a preface for a Chinese cultural relics exhibition in France that the enhancement of cultural exchanges of the two nations, both representing Eastern and Western civilizations, would consolidate public support for developing bilateral relations, improve the two cultures and forge diversified global civilizations. In that same year, The Analects of Confucius was voted as one of the 10 most influential Chinese books in France. According to Joel Bellassen, who involved in the voting as the general inspector of Chinese language at the French Ministry of National Education, the popularity of learning Chinese in France is closely related to historical bonds of the two countries. Aside from the well-known collection, the emerging Confucius Institutes are also associated with this great Chinese philosopher by French or European people as 131 Confucius Institutes and 251 Confucius Classrooms have been established in the European Union, among which 16 Confucius Institutes and two Confucius Classrooms are in France. The country is one of the earliest to bring Chinese language teaching into the national educational system under a teaching syllabus designed by its education authorities. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 12:48:19|Editor: ZX Video Player Close Lee Hsien Loong (R), Singapore's prime minister and secretary-general of the ruling People's Action Party, meets with Song Tao, minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, in Singapore, March 25, 2019. (Xinhua/Then Chih Wey) SINGAPORE, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) and Singapore's People's Action Party (PAP) have expressed their willingness to further develop the ties between the two parties. Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who also acts as the PAP's secretary-general, met here Monday with Song Tao, minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the CPC. The Singaporean prime minister said his country attaches great importance to developing its relations with China and is willing to build close contacts with the CPC and boost the cooperation between the two sides within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, with an aim to promote the bilateral ties to advance with the times. For his part, Song said China and Singapore have established an all-round cooperative partnership progressing with the times under the guidance of the leaders of the two countries which has chartered the direction for the further development of the bilateral relations. The CPC is willing to work together with the PAP to jointly implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and deepen the dovetail of the national strategies under the Belt and Road initiative and to advance bilateral ties and pragmatic cooperation in all fields to a new high, Song said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 12:53:20|Editor: ZX Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) holds talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, March 25, 2019. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) PARIS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, on Monday agreed to carry forward the high-level ties between the two countries and forge a more solid, stable and vibrant China-France comprehensive strategic partnership on a new starting point in history. The consensus was reached during the talks between Xi and Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Xi said that great changes have taken place in the international situation, but the China-France relations have always kept developing on a high level and in a sound and stable way. He said that since President Macron took office, the bilateral ties have reached a new high in just less than two years, with many new outcomes achieved. This year is of special commemorative significance, as it marks the 55th anniversary of China-France diplomatic ties, the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Work-Study Movement in France, and also the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Xi said. "Knowing the past can help people judge today and move on better," he said. The world is undergoing major changes rarely seen in a century, and humanity stands at a crossroads, and for China, France and Europe, they also come to a critical stage of development, the Chinese president said. "China is willing to work with France to inherit the past and create the future, enable our close and enduring comprehensive strategic partnership to continue leading the way, and make more historic contributions to building an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity," Xi said. TRUST, COOPERATION AND FRIENDLY SENTIMENTS The Chinese president proposed that in order to develop the relations between China and France in a sound way, the two countries should have political mutual trust, practical cooperation and friendly sentiments between the two peoples. "Under the new situation, the two sides should do much better in those three aspects, and continue to explore the way for major countries to get along with each other, which should feature independence, mutual understanding, foresight, mutual benefit and win-win outcomes," Xi said. "In politics, we should not only build a strong 'dam' of mutual trust, but also a 'lighthouse' of ideal," he said. He suggested that the two countries deepen communication and exchanges in an all-round way and on various levels, fully leverage the roles of all institutional dialogues, and increase the exchanges between governments, legislative bodies, political parties and armed forces. The two sides should insist on respecting and accommodating each other's core interests and major concerns, pursue harmony in diversity, and seek common ground while reserving differences, Xi said. He urged the two countries to strengthen cooperation under the United Nations (UN), the Group of 20 and other multilateral frameworks, push for the implementation of the Paris agreement on climate change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, take practical action to safeguard multilateral trading regime and uphold the basic norms governing international relations as underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. On practical cooperation between China and France, Xi said the two countries should not only explore the "source of flowing water" in market, but also facilitate the "river channels" in policies. The two sides should deepen cooperation in nuclear energy, aviation, aerospace and other traditional sectors, and expedite cooperation in emerging areas including scientific and technological innovation, agriculture, finance and elderly care, Xi said. President Macron has on many occasions expressed the willingness of carrying out practical cooperation with China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which China appreciates, Xi said, adding that the two sides need to earnestly implement the BRI-related demonstration projects in third-party markets. He asked the two countries to provide more support and convenience for bilateral trade and investment. Noting that China has newly approved its foreign investment law, Xi pledged that the country will continue to greatly relax market access, optimize business environment, strengthen intellectual property rights protection, and create a new pattern of high-level opening-up. "We welcome more French businesses to invest and develop in China, and in the meantime, we hope the French side offers fair, open and non-discrimination treatment for Chinese businesses to invest in France," Xi said. On people-to-people and cultural exchanges, Xi called for enhancing both intergovernmental cooperation and non-governmental contacts. The two countries should fully use the China-France high-level people-to-people and cultural exchange mechanism, and promote cooperation in culture, tourism, language, youths and at local level, he said. Xi also asked the two countries to well organize the commemorative activities on the 55th anniversary of China-France diplomatic ties and the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Work-Study Movement in France, and to host a culture and tourism year in each other's country in 2021. Calling China and the European Union (EU) two major forces, markets and civilizations of today's world, Xi said China attaches importance to Europe's strategic status and role, and has always regarded deepening China-EU relations as a diplomatic priority. China supports France in continuing to play a leading role in the process of Europe's uniting for self-improvement, and hopes France exerts a more positive influence in pushing forward China-EU ties, Xi said. The Chinese president also urged both sides to accelerate the negotiations on a China-EU investment treaty, and initiate a joint feasibility study on the China-EU free trade agreement at an early date. Macron said since France and China forged diplomatic relations 55 years ago, the two sides have always respected each other, which allowed them to conduct extensive and productive cooperation. Noting that the keynote of France-China comprehensive strategic partnership is cooperation, the French president extended his country's congratulations to the People's Republic of China for its huge achievements since its founding 70 years ago, and said that France is committed to being China's reliable and assured strategic partner, and is willing to join efforts with China to build a balanced, stable, safe and prosperous world. France has full confidence in the future of France-China relations, Macron said, pledging to boost cooperation with China in such fields as aviation, aerospace, nuclear energy, agriculture, finance, scientific research, automobile manufacturing and elderly care, and to align France's Industry of the Future initiative with Made in China 2025. France stands ready to actively participate in the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and the second China International Import Expo (CIIE), Macron said, adding that his country supports vigorously promoting bilateral exchanges and cooperation in education, culture, sports, tourism, military and defense affairs. Speaking highly of China's important leading role in tackling climate change and multilateral affairs such as peacekeeping, Macron stressed that France deems protectionism unacceptable. France and China have a lot of common ground in international affairs and have maintained close communication and coordination, he said. France and China, as well as the EU and China, can work together in advancing more global agenda, improving global governance system, and protecting multilateralism and free trade, he added. The French president also pledged to actively push forward the EU-China cooperative relations, saying his country holds that the EU's connectivity strategy and the BRI should be docked with each other. After their talks, the two leaders witnessed the exchange of bilateral cooperation documents including third-party markets cooperation, and met the press together. Macron held a grand welcome ceremony for Xi at the Arc de Triomphe before the talks. Xi arrived in Paris from the southern French city of Nice on Monday to continue his trip to the country. Two French fighter jets escorted Xi's plane as it flew from Nice to Paris. It is the second state visit by Xi to the European country in five years. France is the final stop of Xi's three-nation Europe tour, which has already taken him to Italy and Monaco. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 13:08:23|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close SYDNEY, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Australia and China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) signed a free trade agreement and an investment agreement here on Tuesday. With the ink now dry on the Hong Kong-Australia Free Trade Agreement and Investment Agreement, HKSAR's Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau believes that the two-way trade between the two economies is set to roar higher. "Hong Kong and Australia, both staunch advocates of free trade, have today sealed two high quality deals," he said at the signing ceremony. "The commitments we made to each other far exceed our World Trade Organization commitments, thereby enabling our goods, services and investments to enter each other's market under more preferential terms." Yau said against uncertainties in the global economic environment, the two bilateral agreements help provide transparency and predictability for trade and investment. According to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, it is also a major windfall for Australian economy. "Australian farmers, businesses, service suppliers and investors are the big winners from the certainty this agreement will bring," said the prime minister. "Our complementary economies share the same underlying principles of openness to trade and investment, and this will provide new opportunities for Australian businesses." "Under this agreement, zero tariffs will be locked-in on goods, market access will be guaranteed for services suppliers, and conditions for two-way investment will be significantly improved," Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 13:13:24|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close CHICAGO, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Consul-General in Chicago Zhao Jian called on the local Chinese community to make greater contribution to the cooperation and exchanges between China and the U.S. Midwestern states. Zhao made the appeal at a reception held by the Chinese American Association of Greater Chicago (CAAGC) on Saturday. "I can deeply feel a strong will in the American Midwest to conduct all-around cooperation with China, and I have also witnessed the diligent efforts made by the local Chinese community to enhance economic, financial and cultural exchanges between the two countries," said Zhao. Statistics show that China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 6.6 percent year on year to hit 90.03 trillion yuan (about 13.46 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2018, contributing more than 30 percent to the world's economic growth. China's economy has ample resilience, enormous potential and great creativity to unleash, which provides a great opportunity for the two countries to cooperate with each other, according to Zhao. As China and the United States are the world's two largest economies, the cooperation potential between China and the U.S. Midwest is as vast as ever, Zhao said. The past four decades of China-U.S. relations have proven that cooperation is the best choice for the two countries. As a Chinese saying goes, "amity between people holds the key to sound relations between states," friendship between the two peoples is the impetus for the development of China-U.S. relations, Zhao said. "We are looking forward to seeing the Chinese community continue to carry forward the traditional Chinese culture, support the modernization drive of the motherland and commit to the people-to-people exchanges between the two countries," added Zhao. Ye Ming, an overseas Chinese from the U.S. state of Indiana, echoed Zhao's opinion, saying that overseas Chinese community should try to get involved in various cultural and educational activities abroad and try to promote Chinese culture during the process. CAAGC Chairwoman Zheng Zheng said that as sound development of China-U.S. ties is the common aspiration of overseas Chinese, the CAAGC will work together with the Chinese Consulate-General in Chicago to facilitate bilateral exchanges in various fields. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 13:23:26|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. State Department said on Monday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov held a phone conversation over the situation in Venezuela. Pompeo told Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov that "the United States and regional countries will not stand idly by as Russia exacerbates tensions in Venezuela," according to a State Department statement. Pompeo noted that the presence of Russian military personnel in Venezuela "risks prolonging the suffering of the Venezuelan people," calling on Russia to cease "unconstructive behavior". "Washington's attempts to organize a coup in Venezuela and threats against its legitimate government are in violation of the UN Charter and undisguised interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state," Lavrov was quoted by a foreign ministry statement saying. Two Russian air force planes landed in Venezuela on March 23 carrying a Russian defense official and nearly 100 troops, reports said. The United States has been pursuing a policy of economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation against the Venezuelan government in support of the opposition leader Juan Guaido. Moscow has condemned Washington's threats against the legitimate Venezuelan leadership, calling them "blatant interference" in Venezuela's internal affairs and a "flagrant violation" of international law. The Trump administration recognized Guaido as the nation's "interim president" on Jan. 23, days after Nicolas Maduro was inaugurated for a second term as Venezuela's president. In response, Maduro severed "diplomatic and political" ties with the United States. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 14:33:45|Editor: ZX Video Player Close House of Representatives of the Philippines Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo talks during an interview in Quezon City, the Philippines, March 25, 2019. China's rapid development in the last 40 years has spurred common development in Asia, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, a member of the Board of Directors of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) and Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, said on Monday. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali) MANILA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- China's rapid development in the last 40 years has spurred common development in Asia, said Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, a member of the Board of Directors of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) and speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. Indeed, Arroyo, also a former Philippine president, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on Monday before she attends the BFA 2019 annual conference that China has proven to be a good partner rather than a rival for the rest of developing Asia. The 40-year cooperation between China and other Asian countries has brought tremendous progress, she said. This year's annual meeting of BFA, scheduled from March 26 to March 29 in Boao, a town in China's southern island province of Hainan, has the theme of "Shared Future, Concerted Action, Common Development." Arroyo recalled that when China was beginning the reform and opening up 40 years ago, the rest of developing Asia like the Philippines wondered whether China would become a rival or a partner. "But as it (China) progresses in the 40 years of reform and opening up we began to realize that China is not a competitor. It was proven to be a partner in development, it's a market for developing countries, a donor and a provider of capital and technology. That's how the shared development has progressed," Arroyo said. The BFA annual conference 2019 will focus on openness, innovation and globalization. Arroyo said she hopes that the forum will look back to the reform and opening up of China at the conference. "Look at what happened to China 40 years since it started its reform and opening up. It has meted 800 million people out of poverty," Arroyo said. "So, that is what reform and opening up did, that is what openness and globalization did to China." She said innovation and long-term vision of reform and opening up to the world are the keys to China's most extraordinary development and transformation in the last 40 years. China has given importance to technology, she added. During the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2018, China made a promise of furthering the opening up to the outside world. "I believe in globalization and free trade. It's very important that the leading countries in the world will champion globalization," Arroyo said. "Now if we look at the history, historically the world's leading economy was the United States, and historically also it saw its role to spearhead globalization and free trade. However, what happened is that there is now a new trend in the United States - the Trump style unilateralism and conservatism. That's a new policy. China has correctly stated 'we have to enhance reform and opening up.' So, that's very important that China is now taken up the cudgels for globalization through reforms and opening up," she added. The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe, Africa and beyond. Now the initiative has won wide support across the world. Arroyo said the Philippines is among the developing countries that will benefit from the Belt and Road Initiative. "With the infrastructure Build, Build, Build program of President Rodrigo Duterte, the Belt and Road Initiative will be very important for the Philippines in the coming years," Arroyo said, adding that "there's no country in the world that matches the recent track record of China and capability in the area of infrastructure." "I'm really very impressed by the enthusiasm displayed by China and so we in the Philippines should match that enthusiasm on the implementation side," Arroyo said. Arroyo was elected as a member of the Board of Directors of the BFA. She spoke highly of the role that the BFA has played during the last 18 years. Arroyo stressed the importance of the BFA to the world, especially to developing countries like the Philippines. "The BFA gives an opportunity for the world's leaders in business, politics, and society who are deeply involved in Asia to step back from their pressing issues of governance, of business and of society and look at the bigger issues. I think that is the use of the Boao forum," Arroyo said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 14:43:50|Editor: Liu Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 26 (Xinhua) -- A confidential report recently submitted by special counsel Robert Mueller to the U.S. Department of Justice marked the end of a nearly two-year investigation. However, that could hardly conclude the bitter partisan battle in Washington. According to U.S. Attorney General William Barr's synopsis, Mueller found no evidence of collusion between Donald Trump's campaign and the Russian government during the 2016 U.S. presidential election but did not reach a conclusion as to whether the president had obstructed justice. Barr concluded the special counsel's findings are "not sufficient" to support a charge. That is more than sufficient to give a sense of relief to the White House, which had been shadowed by Mueller's investigation, commonly known as the Russia probe, as six Trump associates, along with over two dozen others, had been indicted since the special counsel's appointment in May 2017. More good news for Trump's inner circle is that Mueller, according to Barr, "does not recommend any further indictments." The president has claimed a "complete exoneration," as his political allies were celebrating it as a victory. For the Democrats, Barr's four-page summary of Mueller's wide-ranging inquiry is far from a satisfying answer. To get a clearer picture of the special counsel's investigation, they are demanding a release of the complete report and Barr's appearance before Congress. A new fight has already started. Six Democratic committee chairs in the House sent a letter to Barr on Monday requesting that he submit the full report from Mueller to Congress by April 2. Also on Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked a non-binding resolution to make the full report public. The scenario was expected, as rarely is there a happy ending for both parties in U.S. politics, characterized by partisans bickering and you-win-I-lose games. During the Russia investigation, Republicans and Democrats were locked in a tit-for-tat fight in a politically toxic manner. As a result, the nation has been driven further apart. Mueller's report, no matter what findings it produces, by no means spells a solution to their entanglement. In other words, neither the end of the Mueller-led probe nor Barr's conclusions would put partisan fights to rest. Democrats' attempt to get the full report is set to clash violently with recrimination of the White House and Republicans, as each remains committed to turning the investigation into a political torpedo that could sink the opposing side. It appears that even from the beginning, Mueller's investigation had not been viewed as a way to purely address U.S. concerns over alleged Russian actions in 2016, therefore its end is not "the end" at all. Perhaps those seeking power in Washington care less about whether the partisan fight is a "witch hunt" or not, but more about which hunt they could join and win. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 15:24:02|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close MANILA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines and Cambodia have finalized the joint activities that both the Southeast Asian countries plan to implement in the coming months to boost their defense cooperation, the Philippine defense department said on Tuesday. At the inaugural Philippines-Cambodia Joint Defense Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting, which was held from March 11 to March 14, in Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, both sides discussed a string of regional defense and security issues and ways on how the two countries can further boost cooperation to hurdle these challenges. "The meeting facilitated the exchange of views on regional defense and security issues such as cyber security, counter-terrorism and violent extremism, and peacekeeping operations, among others," the Department of National Defense (DND) said in a statement. "The agenda also highlighted matters on the Philippines-Cambodia bilateral defense relations and finalized various engagement activities between both countries' army, navy, and air force," the statement read. Co-chaired by Philippine Defense Undersecretary Ricardo David and General Neang Phat, Secretary of State of the Ministry of National Defense of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the conference was an offshoot of the 2017 memorandum of understanding (MoU) on defense cooperation between the Philippines and Cambodia. Both officials expressed hope that the initial meeting "was a step forward to further strengthening defense relations between the two countries." Neang Phat emphasized the importance of the first meeting as it marks the positive development of bilateral relations between the Philippines and Cambodia. "I believe the JDCC is really important for our parties to work together to develop our Defense Cooperation Program and Development Plan, and I believe that our troops and our people are fully committed to the meeting and to fulfil all the requirements," General Neang Phat said. For his part, David said he was "pleased" that both countries managed "to advance our activities and engagements." "We hope that this will be sustained and enhanced, to ensure a more meaningful contribution to regional peace and prosperity," David said. The second JDCC meeting will be held in Manila next year. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 15:39:07|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close YANGON, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Four people were killed and eight others injured after a passenger bus crashed in Myanmar's southern Bago region, said the Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday. The crash took place in Kyauktaga township in early hours of Monday. With 42 passengers on board, a passenger bus tried to overtake a truck in the front and crashed into the truck on Yangon-Mandalay highway at 3:03 a.m. local time. The injured were brought to the nearby Myo Chaung township hospital and Pyu General Hospital for treatment. The bus driver was charged for negligent driving by the highway police. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 15:39:07|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close ISTANBUL, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Four illegal migrants, including a baby, died on Tuesday when a boat sank off Turkey's Aegean coast, the Turkish coast guard said. The fiber boat carrying a total of 15 illegal migrants capsized near the Ayvacik district in the northwestern province of Canakkale, the force said in a statement posted on its website. The coast guards rescued 11 migrants, the statement said, noting the rescue operation had ended as there was no missing person reported. The nationalities of the migrants, believed to have tried to sneak into a Greek island, were not immediately clear, the statement said, while the state-run Anadolu Agency reported them to be Iranians and Afghans. The Aegean Sea was once the main route for migrants fleeing into Europe via Turkey. A deal signed between Turkey and the European Union in March 2016 has helped reduce the flow of illegal migration. Since this year, a total of 3,975 migrants have attempted to reach the Greek islands via Turkey, down from 4,041 over the same period in 2018, according to figures released by the Turkish coast guard. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 16:09:11|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, March 25 (Xinhua) -- A Kenyan envoy to the United Nations (UN) reiterated on Monday the importance of safeguarding human dignity in the face of various forms of modern-day slavery. Lazarus Amayo, the permanent representative of Kenya to the United Nations, made the remarks at the commemorative plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly to mark the International Day of the Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Amayo said that observance of this day aims not only to raise awareness of contemporary forms of slavery, but also represents "an opportunity to strengthen our collective resolve to eradicate this scourge against humanity, from the face of the Earth." At a meeting themed "Remember Slavery: The Power of the Arts for Justice," he said it is horrifying to read in recent media reports that in the 21st century, there are millions who are victims of forced labor, debt bondage, forced marriages and human trafficking. All forms of bondage, be it unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers, child prostitution, forced labor, denial to the right to education, sex trafficking, domestic servitude, descent-inherited bondage or early and forced marriage, are condemned in today's society, Amayo said. The UN system along with member states must continue to publicize, educate and inform citizens of the existence and different forms of modern-day slavery and its consequences, especially on the most vulnerable groups, and of its dehumanizing impact on the entire human race, the Kenyan diplomat said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 16:09:11|Editor: ZX Video Player Close BEIJING, March 26 (Xinhua) -- French companies have been entering the Chinese market and tapping its potential in elderly-care, e-commerce, artificial intelligence and other fields. The ORPEA group is a global leader in long-term elderly care with French roots, offering services in nursing homes, rehabilitation hospitals and home care services. Nathaniel Farouz, CEO of ORPEA China, told Xinhua this is the best time to enter China since the elderly-care market is growing rapidly, which implies greater market scale, diversified needs, and more opportunities. The company opened its second nursing center in Changsha, Hunan Province at the end of last year after launching the first center in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province in 2016. France can be a strong partner to help China benefit from international experience, Farouz said, adding that China, with its innovative ecosystem, can help design future elderly care facilities. A wide range of French companies have actively embraced the business opportunities in China, with the direct investment from France to China seeing fast growth of 28 percent last year. FranceTD is a cross-border e-commerce platform, exporting high-quality French products such as food, wine, luggage and cosmetics to China. "With high-end daily French necessities becoming increasingly popular among Chinese consumers, more French firms are reinforcing their presence in China," Le Grix, founder of FranceTD said. According to the China International Import Expo (CIIE) Bureau, over 30 French companies have confirmed their participation in the second CIIE as of March 15. Meanwhile, the overall tariff rate on imported goods was lowered from 9.8 percent to 7.5 percent. "Consumers will also receive the benefits as companies tend to share the gains from tax cuts," Grix added. Moreover, the Belt and Road Initiative has provided French enterprises with new opportunities. For example, China Railway Express has routes reaching the cities of Lyon and Dourges in France from Wuhan and Yiwu in China. With China pledging to carry on an even bolder reform and wider opening-up, the two nations have made remarkable achievements in economic and trade cooperation. According to the Ministry of Commerce, bilateral trade volume saw a 15.5-percent increase to 62.9 billion U.S. dollars, hitting a record high last year. Mats Harborn, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, said that deeper EU-China engagement will help foreign companies in the Chinese market. Recently, China's national legislature passed the foreign investment law, a landmark legislation that will provide stronger protection and a better business environment for overseas investors. "The foreign investment law plays an important role in formalizing the legal foundation for the shift from the old catalog to the new-market access system, and we hope it could provide increased certainty for European businesses," said Harborn. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 16:14:13|Editor: ZX Video Player Close PARIS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- "China has realized the dream of gradually lifting its population out of poverty, and that's an incredible achievement," Sonia Bressler, a French writer and sinologist, told Xinhua in a recent interview. "It was my childhood dream to visit China, especially Tibet and the mountains there," Bressler said, who has already made six trips to China. "As a Westerner, the information we've received about China is not always positive... However, I am willing to discover and understand the Chinese civilization, to fulfill my dream," she said. Bressler's first trip to China in 2005 left a deep impression on her. During that trip, she traveled from France across Russia to China by train. "It was just being in China and being close to the Chinese people that changed my perspective on China," she said. Bressler's long train journey took her through Harbin, a northeastern Chinese city. She still remembers the two Chinese women that she met there. "Having noticed I wasn't eating enough, they handed me a tomato. I couldn't express my gratitude to them because of the language barrier, but at that moment, I determined to discover, to understand, and to meet these lovely Chinese people," said Bressler. After finally arriving in Beijing, she was surprised to find out that the modernized China was "completely different" from what she had been told to expect. She decided to introduce a developing China to the French readers in an objective way. She has traveled to Tibet three times since 2007, extensively interviewed local lamas, teachers, doctors, police officers and artists and published books demonstrating a new look at Tibet from the aspects of economy and politics, society, culture and ecological environment, for example in "Journey to the Heart of Tibet." In 2015, Bressler traveled about 8,000 km in one month to Xinjiang and other places along the ancient Silk Road. In early 2017, Bressler established the Silk Road Press to introduce the history of the ancient trade routes to French readers. In her works, China's development is not just about statistics, but about vivid stories. Thanks to her trips to the different parts of China, Bressler has witnessed the great changes brought about by the Chinese dream. China is realizing its dream at its own pace, and through its own vision to shape a brighter future, she said. China cannot develop without the world and vise versa, Bressler said, adding that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) connects the Chinese dream to the world's. "The Belt and Road Initiative accorded with the trend of the times," she said. "As a French citizen, I was delighted to see my country is positive about the BRI, and willing to cooperate with China in various fields," said Bressler. "The two countries should take the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to enhance mutual trust and strengthen exchanges and cooperation." "The China-Europe Railway Express has already transported goods between China and Europe. I believe I can continue my train trips to China again in the near future," said Bressler. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 16:19:13|Editor: ZX Video Player Close BEIJING, March 26 (Xinhua) -- China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) will open an online service on April 1 to facilitate application and inquiry of travel documents. The service will consist of the website s.nia.gov.cn, an app of NIA and mini-programs attached to WeChat and Alipay, the NIA said in a statement Tuesday. Through this online service, people will be able to submit the application forms for travel permits to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, book interviews with the authorities for application of travel documents and follow the review progress. Chinese citizens can also inquire about their travel documents, such as passport number and expiry date, and their travel records in and out of the country, the statement said. The result of such inquiries can be downloaded with the digital signature of NIA and can be used as a confirmation document for a third party, said Chen Yongli, an NIA official. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 16:39:16|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, March 26 (Xinhua) -- An Indian Navy's warship has arrived in Malaysia to participate in the 15th edition of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA-19), naval sources from New Delhi said on Tuesday. Vice-Admiral Karambir Singh would also be attending various engagements as part of "LIMA-19" as head of Indian Navy delegation. The anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ship INS Kadmatt would be participating in numerous activities planned as part of "LIMA-19" during seven days in Langkawi, including the International Fleet Review (IFR) by the prime minister of Malaysia, maritime and air demonstration, sea exercises with other participating navies, cultural exchange programs, cross visits to ships and sporting events, said a statement issued by India's Ministry of Defence. Numerous seminars and interactions are also planned on the sidelines of the main exhibition. INS Kadmatt is an indigenous stealth anti-submarine warfare corvette and was commissioned into the Indian Navy in January 2016. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 16:44:17|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Fast food giant McDonald's has signed an agreement for the acquisition of the Israeli artificial intelligence (AI) personalization start-up company Dynamic Yield, as published Tuesday by the two companies. Both companies did not reveal sums, but according to American and Israeli economic media, the deal is worth more than 300 million U.S. dollars. Dynamic Yield, founded in 2011 and headquartered in the coastal city of Tel Aviv and in New York City, has developed a platform that helps marketers increase their revenues. The platform is based on automatic matching of the marketer's website content to the customers, as well as the mobile site, application and the marketing emails. The company employs more than 200 people, half of them in Israel and the rest in the U.S., Singapore, Germany, France, Spain and Russia. So far, Dynamic Yield has raised 80 million U.S. dollars, including from the Chinese tech giant Baidu, The New York Times, Deutsche Telekom and venture capital funds. McDonald's, founded in 1940, is the world's largest fast food chain, with about 38,000 restaurants and 1.9 million employees in more than 100 countries. The company is traded at a market cap of about 142 billion U.S. dollars on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). McDonald's said that it will "utilize the Israeli technology to provide a more personalized customer experience by varying outdoor digital Drive Thru menu displays to show food based on time of day, weather, current restaurant traffic and trending menu items." "This decision technology can also instantly suggest and display additional items to a customer's order based on their current selections," the company added. Liad Agmon, co-founder and CEO of Dynamic Yield, said that the deal "is a major milestone in our company's history, representing a unique opportunity for us to develop at a higher scale of innovation and break the boundaries of what originally thought possible." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 16:49:18|Editor: ZX Video Player Close by Xinhua writer Yuan Quan BEIJING, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Shoulder-length hair, black leather jacket, arms across her chest, a faint smile, Xu Ying graces the cover of a youth magazine. A rock star? No, Xu, 36, is a scientist. Xu leads a team at China's prime natural sciences research institute in developing the ground system and augmentation technology of China's BeiDou satellites. Named after the Chinese term for the Big Dipper constellation, BeiDou is one of the four space-based navigation networks operating globally, along with the U.S. GPS system, Russia's GLONASS and the European Union's Galileo. Born in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Xu went to school at age 4 and on to university in Beijing at 16. Her interests from an early age lay in science, especially physics. "I enjoy the process of finding and solving problems, which gives me a sense of accomplishment," said Xu. In 2006, she participated in the application research of the BeiDou-2 satellites. Three years later, after postgraduate study, she was working at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 2015, at age 32, Xu was the academy's youngest doctoral supervisor. Many see her as a genius, but Xu sees herself as a young researcher and a normal woman who likes "eating snacks and shopping to disengage from work and release stress." Once asked whether women are suited to scientific research, Xu replied, "Judging by gender is no different to judging by star sign. It is not scientific at all!" Her fame went stellar after a public lecture in 2016. At that time, the second-generation BeiDou system was complete, with the networking of 14 navigation satellites, offering positioning, velocity measurement, timing, and communication services to the Asia-Pacific region. To help public understanding of the BeiDou system and its development, Xu drew amusing analogies in her lecture. BeiDou satellites can provide short message services to millions of subscribers. "You all probably know the story of Robinson Crusoe," said Xu. "Let's imagine a man washed ashore on a remote desert island. If he had GPS, he would only know where he was, but could not call for rescue, so he would still have to struggle in the wild. "But if he had a BeiDou receiver, the situation would be completely different. It would tell him where he was and send messages and his position to people hundreds or even thousands of miles away," she said. She recalled a tense moment at the first BeiDou satellite launch, when a sudden equipment failure was solved just four minutes before liftoff. She described how the ninth satellite launched during a thunderstorm, adding it successfully avoided colliding with lightning. She presented applications to track wild animals, control forest fires, and search for ships in trouble. She can explain esoteric research in language people understand, said science writer Wang Dapeng. "She is a rare young scientist who has made outstanding achievements in both research and science popularization." Like every celebrity, she's had to deal with her share of rumors. In 2011, a popular rumor had it that a college student had broken the codes of the BeiDou system, suggesting its precision and reliability were inferior to those of foreign rivals. Xu pointed out that BeiDou provided signals for both civilian and military users, but the student only cracked the civilian codes, which were not actually encrypted and posed no risk to the system. Like GPS and GLONASS, BeiDou has a free civilian service and there are no special civilian codes, Xu said. "We hope the BeiDou system can be used by people around the world." She had a message for anyone wanting to crack BeiDou's military codes. "Make a time-travel machine that can take you back to the day we designed the military codes, and then stand by and eavesdrop. Technically, making a time machine would be easier than breaking the codes." Xu's frank, witty, and well-founded explanations have attracted millions of hits and reposts on China's social media, where she is known as "BeiDou Goddess." The Communist Party flagship newspaper, the People's Daily, commented that "science popularization needs more Xu Yings." The newspaper said her speech was a "wonderful experience" and should be a lesson for other scientists. Since then, Xu has been a regular public speaker, frequenting science TV programs and lectures. Last year, BeiDou started to provide global services, and her audience took in more scientists from other countries. Xu has been named an Ambassador for China's Scientific Communication by the China Association for Science and Technology, along with the chief scientist of China's lunar exploration plan, Ouyang Ziyuan, and the first Chinese astronaut in space, Yang Liwei. China will launch 10 BeiDou satellites this year and complete the global network by 2020. Xu is busier than ever, but still promotes science publicly. She believes scientists have a duty to share their research with the public. "Good science popularization must be veracious, entertaining, and fight against science fraud and misconduct," Xu said. "I will continue to work on science popularization, to inspire more people to explore the unknown world and respect science." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 16:54:20|Editor: ZX Video Player Close BEIJING, March 26 (Xinhua) -- China will streamline procedures for applying for exit-entry permits for its citizens, according to the National Immigration Administration Tuesday. Chinese citizens on the mainland, regardless of where they were born or live, will be able to apply for passports and travel passes for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan at any immigration administrations across the country starting April 1. Citizens no longer need to return to their birthplaces to apply for exit-entry permits. The administration estimated that more than 21 million exit-entry permits will be issued to applicants outside their birthplaces in 2019, saving applicants more than 20 billion yuan (around 3 billion U.S. dollars) of transportation fees. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 16:59:21|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close SUZHOU, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese college volleyball players will have their very first All-Star Game in May. The Chinese University Volleyball Association (CUVA) All-Star Game will be held on May 25 in historic city of Suzhou in Jiangsu province, the first since the CUVA league was set up in 2006, organizers said on Monday night. "The All-Star Game provide a fabulous platform for college volleyball stars to showcase their skills together," said Wei Huayi, presideng of Huayu Group, which serves as the league's business operator and promoter. The voting for the All-Star game has been opened since last October, with the leading vote-getters collecting more than 30,000 votes. The voting will end on April 30th with a list of 21 top players. The 2018-19 CUVA league kicked off on October 15th last year. After five months of intense competition among men's and women's volleyball teams from 92 colleges, the CUVA Finals will be held in May. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 17:29:39|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close NEW DELHI, March 26 (Xinhua) -- At least 13 Indian fishermen from southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu were nabbed by Sri Lankan navy, India's official broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) reported on Tuesday. The fishermen were captured off the coast while fishing off Neduntheevu in international waters. Meida reports said three boats belonging to fishermen have been impounded by Sri Lankan authorities. The broadcaster quoting eyewitnesses reported that hundreds of other fishing boats were chased away by the navy of the island nation. Fishermen of the two countries are regularly jailed for accidentally crossing into each other's territory. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 17:44:42|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close HANGZHOU, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Lu Wei, former deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, was handed a 14-year jail term plus a fine of 3 million yuan (about 450,000 U.S. dollars) for taking bribes, the Ningbo Municipal Intermediate People's Court ruled on Tuesday. The money and property that he had received in the form of bribes, as well as any interest arising from them, would be sought and recovered before being turned over to the state treasury, according to the verdict. Lu stated his acceptance of the judgment in court and said he would not appeal. Lu was found to have taken advantage of his positions to help certain organizations and personnel with internet management, running enterprises, personal promotions and job transfers between 2002 and 2017, according to the court. He had directly or through others accepted or solicited money and property worth 32 million yuan from the above-mentioned organizations and personnel, the court said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 17:54:44|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close Jeremy Hodara, co-founder and co-CEO of Africa's leading e-commerce platform Jumia, receives an interview with Xinhua in Kigali, Rwanda, March 25, 2019. Africa's leading e-commerce platform Jumia has said it will be "100 percent Africa" for now and the future, and will not target markets outside Africa, due to great opportunities in the continent. (Xinhua/Cyril Ndegeya) By Xinhua writer Lyu Tianran KIGALI, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Africa's leading e-commerce platform Jumia has said it will be "100 percent Africa" for now and the future, and will not target markets outside Africa, due to great opportunities in the continent. Seven years after its establishment, the Nigeria-based company has operations in 14 African countries with 1.2 billion consumers and 29 million products, hotels, restaurants, and other services listed. There is more than 1 billion people in Africa, which will be doubled in the future, and there will be more African people on Internet than the whole U.S. population, Jeremy Hodara, Jumia's co-founder and co-CEO told Xinhua on Monday in an interview on the sidelines of the two-day Africa CEO Forum. "We have great opportunities ahead of us and we want to serve those consumers," said Hodara while attending the forum as a speaker of a e-commerce session. According to him, three components are needed to be a successful e-commerce company in Africa, which are very difficult for local and international companies to combine all of them. The first is to have right talents and right people to enable the company to know how to do e-ecommerce, he said. It also requires funds for technology, marketing and willingness to be in Africa, he added. Some reports called Jumia "Africa's Alibaba." One difference Jumia has with Alibaba is its large numbers of Africa's specificities that Alibaba doesn't know and doesn't have, said Hodara. "You have a lot of little details with everything we do in how you work with sellers, consumers, partners and how you do marketing, which are all very subtle and no one can replicate in Africa outside us," he said. Jumia signed a partnership with Chinese tech giant Xiaomi at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in Feburary, through which Jumia will open the official store of Xiaomi products on its platform and offer devices of Xiaomi exclusively in Africa. "Xiaomi is really one of the brands that have the most understanding of what it takes to win in emerging countries. Their products, strategy and approach are really the right thing for Africa," said Hodara. The Chinese company attaches importance to Africa and African consumers, instead of seeing Africa as its last market, he added. Jumia and Xiaomi have been working together for many years, and the partnership is the realization of years of work, according to him. Hodara also revealed the existed relationship between Jumia and Chinese companies. Jumia works all the time with other companies in China, and has a team in China working with many Chinese companies in phones, electronics, and televisions, and help them enter and do business in Africa, he said. In Hodara's eyes, China's ICT and e-commerce companies have a good understanding of e-commerce, and are really committed to being business online. Jumia is always interested in cooperating with other Chinese companies in Africa, provided they have "keen interest in Africa and right products with Africa," he added. About 1,500 participants, including Africa's top CEOs, international investors, experts and high-level policy makers, are meeting in Kigali from Monday to Tuesday, discussing major topics and key challenges for Africa's private sector. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 17:59:45|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close LANZHOU, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Infrared cameras have captured a snow leopard's nocturnal activity in northwest China's Gansu Province, local forestry authorities said. The rare footage was recorded in Aksay Kazak Autonomous County, Gansu Province on January 7. The video showed a snow leopard rolling around on the ground, yawning, and resting from around 7:50 p.m. to 2 a.m. the next morning. Snow leopards are considered to be nocturnal animals, but are most active at dawn and dusk, said Fan Zhiyong, a scientist with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). "The camera recorded six hours of a snow leopard's activities throughout the night. It provided very important material for the research of snow leopard's activity patterns," said Fan. A total of 20 infrared cameras were set up throughout the county between Oct. 2018 and March 2019. Six of the cameras have recorded snow leopards. According to Li Zhilong, head of the snow leopard protection project of local forestry and ecological management office, more cameras will be installed in a larger area to better protect the rare animal. Snow leopards are a Class A protected animal in China and are classified as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They live in the Himalayas in central and south Asia at an altitude of 2,500 to 4,500 meters. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 18:50:02|Editor: ZX Video Player Close BEIJING, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Lawrence Summers, a renowned U.S. economist, has praised the achievements made during China's development in the past decades. "When the history of the first half of the 21st century is written, it will be about China," said Summers at the Harvard Alumni China Public Policy Forum Center for China & Globalization Roundtable on Friday in Beijing. "China has one-fifth of the world's population, and has experienced redistribution from an impoverished nation to a nation setting the pace, from an entirely closed one to one that boasts the most Internet users in the world," said Summers, the Harvard economics professor and former director of the U.S. National Economic Council. "This change and process makes the industrial revolution look small in terms of scale," he added. Summers noted that the "U.S. economic failures are due to U.S. economic decisions," and "China is in no way the primary cause of U.S. economic suffering in the Midwest." He also warned that a recession is likely for the U.S. economy, due to risks of financial excess and geopolitical shock. Washington has long complained about the U.S. deficit with its trading partners worldwide. The gap, however, is continuing to widen despite tariff measures aiming to eliminate the discrepancy. Summers said both the United States and China need to accommodate each other on different issues. "There is great opportunity in this century ... and they need to be respectful and manage coexistence," he added. Speaking of the Belt and Road Initiative, Summers urged the United States "to be more cooperative." Separating itself from China and denying itself access to China's big market and technological advances do not serve U.S. economic interests, he noted. . . 2022 . . , , . ... Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 19:05:09|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Six Democratic committee chairs in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday requested Attorney General William Barr submit the full report from special counsel Robert Mueller on the Russia investigation to Congress by April 2. The top House Democrats wrote in a letter to Barr that his summary of the Mueller report "is not sufficient for Congress." "We look forward to receiving the report in full no later than April 2, and to begin receiving the underlying evidence and documents that same day," the letter said. The letter was signed by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, along with five other House panel chairs. Their request came a day after Barr submitted to Congress and made public a four-page summary of Mueller's confidential report. According to Barr's synopsis, Mueller found no evidence of collusion between Donald Trump's campaign and the Russian government during the 2016 U.S. presidential election but did not reach a conclusion as to whether the president had obstructed justice. Barr concluded the special counsel's findings are "not sufficient" to support a charge. Democrats are demanding the complete release of Mueller's report as well as Barr's appearance before Congress to get a clearer picture of the special counsel's investigation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, on Monday blocked an effort to unanimously pass a non-binding measure stating that Congress wants Mueller's report made available to lawmakers and the public. The measure was passed in an unanimous House vote earlier this month. Trump said Monday that it is up to Barr to decide whether the report will be released to the public, adding that he isn't thinking about pardoning anyone sentenced during the inquiry. Mueller took over the Russia investigation in May 2017 after Trump abruptly fired former FBI director James Comey, a move that raised questions about a potential obstruction of justice. The investigation has led to felony charges against 34 people, including six Trump associates and advisers, and three entities. Many of the charges against the Trump associates were related to lying to Congress or federal investigators. None of them were directly related to the question of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Trump has touted Barr's summary as a "complete exoneration." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 19:20:13|Editor: ZX Video Player Close JINAN, March 26 (Xinhua) -- As a flurry of "Thumbs-up" and "Likes" popped up on her mobile phone, 24-year-old fruit farmer Han Mei attracted over 5,000 viewers on her live-stream on a recent afternoon. Unlike "cyber-stars" doing musical performances or gaming live streams, Han attracted her 90,000 followers by selling fruit, such as peaches and persimmons, and sharing her country life in her hometown of Difang town, east China's Shandong Province. Over the past nine months, the turnover of her online store has exceeded 1.1 million yuan (163,800 U.S. dollars) with the highest single day turnover reaching 50,000 yuan. Difang town in Yimeng Mountain area, which used to be a major region of poverty, is only one of many areas benefiting from e-commerce and live-streaming. On Taobao, a large online shopping website run by Alibaba, over 100,000 farmers are doing the same thing as Han, with a total of more than 60,000 live-streaming broadcasts every month. "Online selling is not only a change in sales method, but also shows the improving quality of Chinese agricultural products and an upgrading agricultural industry," said Zhang Qingjin, director of the Institute of Agricultural Development of the Shandong Academy of Social Sciences. The Chinese government has been encouraging the use of e-commerce to alleviate poverty in recent years. The country has pledged to deepen agricultural supply-side structural reform and win the tough battle against poverty, according to the "No. 1 central document" released by central authorities in February. In recent years, Difang town has committed to developing new varieties of fruits, such as peaches and plums, and to moving up the value chain. It is now known as China's "town of canned fruit." "Almost every household has a member working in the canned fruit industry," said Zhang Guanlin, deputy head of Difang town. With 120 companies in the industry, the town produces 750,000 tonnes of canned fruit every year, with an annual turnover of 7 billion yuan. The likes of Taobao have advanced government efforts by introducing special poverty alleviation programs to train farmer live-streamers and help the countryside sellers promote their products. Online sales of China's agricultural products have enjoyed rapid growth. China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs says the country's e-commerce sales of agricultural products neared 300 billion yuan in 2017, creating 28 million jobs. By 2020, e-commerce sales are expected to reach 800 billion yuan. "Farmer Internet-celebrities have set a good example for farmers to mobilize themselves in fighting poverty," said Zhang Qingjin. "They also help advance the country's rural revitalization by earning their hometowns a reputation and creating a 'cyber-star economy'." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 19:40:20|Editor: ZX Video Player Close BOAO, Hainan, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Over 2,000 delegates, including government officials, entrepreneurs and scholars from 60 countries and regions are expected to attend the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) annual conference, authorities said at a press conference Tuesday. Premier Li Keqiang will attend the opening ceremony of the BFA annual conference and deliver a keynote speech Thursday, said BFA Secretary General Li Baodong at the press conference. Nearly 100 top corporate executives and 1,000 entrepreneurs will be among the 2,000 delegates attending this year's conference, Li said. The BFA annual conference runs from March 26 to 29 this year in Boao, a coastal town in Hainan Province, with the theme "Shared Future, Concerted Action, Common Development." "I believe that the Boao Forum for Asia is an open and inclusive platform, which welcomes policy-makers, entrepreneurs and scholars to freely discuss problems we all face and share their ideas and suggestions on the global economy and international relations," Li said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 19:45:21|Editor: ZX Video Player Close NAIROBI, March 26 (Xinhua) -- China is committed to supporting conservation of Africa's iconic wildlife species amid threats linked to poaching, climatic stress and high rate of urbanization, an official said on Monday. Peng Youdong, deputy administrator of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NGFA) of China said that Beijing has provided funds, technology and expertise to boost wildlife protection in Africa. "In recent years, China-Africa cooperation in the wildlife conservation has been well developed," said Peng. "The Chinese government and private sector have provided funds, equipment, manpower and technology to support African countries in the conservation of endangered species and habitats, and conducting capacity building trainings," he added. Peng spoke in Nairobi during a workshop on addressing wildlife trafficking that was attended by Chinese officials and business executives, senior Kenyan policymakers and representative of international conservation groups. He said the Chinese government has encouraged its investors and citizens living in Africa to rally behind protection of the continent's wildlife species in line with ecological civilization ethos. "The Chinese government has successfully raised the awareness of law-abiding among citizens and enterprises, and also actively promoted them to engage in local wildlife conservation and fundamentally eradicate illegal wildlife trade," said Peng. He had earlier met with Kenya's minister for tourism and wildlife Najib Balala where the two officials pledged to strengthen existing partnership aimed at promoting health of flora and fauna. Patrick Omondi, director in charge of research and planning in the ministry of tourism and wildlife said that Kenya values stronger ties with China to help reinvigorate conservation of threatened species. "There is need to work together with China, develop partnership on intelligence sharing and ensure our wildlife is protected. We should also conduct awareness on protecting wildlife," said Omondi. Omondi urged robust partnership with China to contain illegal trafficking of endangered species like Pangolins. Margaret Kinnaird, practice leader for wildlife at World Wildlife Fund (WWF) hailed China for leveraging on digital technology and influential celebrities to re-energize the campaign against trafficking of wildlife products from Africa. "We hope China will partner with African countries to secure transit points," said Kinnaird, adding that Chinese footprint in Africa should move beyond trade and infrastructure development to include protection of biodiversity. Zhou Fei, chief program officer at WWF China, said that wildlife protection that is a key component of China-Africa cooperation, will have positive impact on livelihoods and ecosystems. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 19:50:23|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close by Dana Halawi BEIRUT, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese analysts have expressed different points of views about the extent to which Lebanon and Russia can cooperate in different areas in the coming period amid President Michel Aoun's two-day visit to Russia. Hilal Khashan, chair of the Political Studies Department at the American University of Beirut, does not see any potential collaboration between Lebanon and Russia. Khashan told Xinhua that Lebanon cannot buy Russian weapons or even get military donations from Russia because the United States, the main supporter of the Lebanese Army, will not allow it. The United States is the biggest provider of military aid to Lebanon, as the Lebanese army has received a total of 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in military aid from successive American administrations since the 2006 war with Israel. Khashan believes that Lebanon and Russia cannot collaborate economically either. "Lebanon's economic ties are linked to the West and the Far East but not to Russia," he stated. He added that the only thing that Aoun hopes to achieve from his visit to Russia is to get the Russian administration to become more forthcoming about the return of Syrian refugees to their country. The strategy drafted by Russia aims at returning 890,000 Syrians from Lebanon to their country. Only 172,046 refugees returned so far out of 1.5 million residing in Lebanon. Political analyst Rajeh Khoury reiterated Khashan's remarks by saying that the goal of Aoun's trip is to reactivate the Russian strategy which has stopped due to the inability of Moscow to pay for rebuilding Syria, noting that the United States and Europe do not want Syria's reconstruction to take place before reaching a political solution in the country. Khoury said that the Lebanese army is militarily allied with the Americans and Europeans. "We cannot accept military aid from Russia because the U.S. won't allow it. Also, the Russians do not have the intention to cooperate militarily with Lebanon," said khoury while adding that, on the other hand, holding talks with the Russians gives political weight to Lebanon in its relations with the West. "This will give the impression that Lebanon can receive support from other powers in the world which prompts the U.S. to increase its support for Lebanon," Khoury added. Khoury said that Russia may be interested in the oil and gas sector in Lebanon, but Russia can be benefited in a limited way because the Americans play a great role in this field. Khoury believes that the U.S. has a long term strategy with regard to oil and gas in the East Mediterranean which is why U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a declaration recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. "The Golan Heights may also have oil. Exploratory drilling suggests that the territory's reservoirs could potentially yield billions of barrels," khoury argued. Meanwhile, Sami Nader, director of Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs in Lebanon, ruled out the possibility of Lebanon accepting any military aid from Russia. However, he assured that Russia will definitely help with the return of Syrian refugees from Lebanon to their homeland because the Russians have great influence inside Syria and on the Syrian regime. Nader is also much optimistic about the potential of an economic cooperation between the two countries. "We can have economic cooperation with Russia. The U.S. will not stand in the way. Russia is collaborating with Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the region. Even Israel has strong ties with Russia," Nader said. Nader believes that Russia and the U.S. can find a way to collaborate in Lebanon. Amal Abou Zeid, foreign ministry's representative on the joint Lebanese-Russian committee for the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland, told Xinhua that Lebanon and Russia can surely cooperate on the economic levels but not in the military area. "We want to be far from international conflicts but we surely want to improve our strategic ties with Russia and this has already happened in the oil and gas sector," Abou Zeid said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 19:50:23|Editor: ZX Video Player Close LANGKAWI, Malaysia, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese defense companies participating in the 15th Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA), which kicked of here on Tuesday, drew interest of host Malaysian officials in a major gathering of global defense players. Following the launch of the event, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad visited the Chinese Pavilion, the display area for several of the Chinese participating companies. Among those represented this year are China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC), China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Co., Ltd. (CSOC) and China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC). Deputy director of CSOC military trade department Ren Pengfei briefed Mahathir as he looked at the company's products including surface vessels, submarine products and torpedoes. Ren told the media that he also had briefed Mahathir on the on-going Littoral Mission Ship (LMS) project, of which four are being built for the Malaysian Navy, with the first set to launch on April 15, with the remainder scheduled for 2020 and 2021. The LMS is a class of large patrol vessel with a length of 69 meters and displacing 780 tons for patrol, anti-terrorism, rescue and protection of fishery activities. The contract was signed in 2017 as the first large military equipment order between China and Malaysia. Under the contract, China will design and build four LMS for the Malaysian Navy. The building of the second LMS for Malaysia started in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, last October. "Then we introduced him about some other products such as the MRSS (Multi Role Support Ship) and also the frigate, corvettes and patrol vessels, not only for the Malaysian Navy, also for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and also we introduced him about some torpedoes, underwater weapons and civilian equipment for the armed forces," said Ren. "The prime minister is quite satisfied," he added. Mahathir also took time to view a barrage anti-missile system, an area defense system combining a multiple rocket launch system with an integrated optical electronic tracking system offered by CSIC. "There are many attractive things in the Chinese section of the exhibition," the Malaysian prime minister told a press conference. "Of course China has made great progress and we are looking at the Chinese products." While it was the fourth time for CSOC to participate in LIMA, it is the first time for CETC to be at the Malaysia's resort island. With the emphasis on integrated network information system, the company has brought telecommunication and surveillance equipment, among others, to the exhibition, according to CETC International vice president Zhang Peng. "We want to showcase the technology capabilities of CETC," he said, while speaking highly of the service and organizing of the exhibition. Among the items on display are models of Long Range Surveillance Radar and the Airborne Warning and Control System, both manufactured by CTEC. A Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group's Wing Loong II drone was displayed outside the exhibition center, with which Mahathir took a picture. First launched in 1991 by Mahathir during his first term, the biennial LIMA has grown into a major arms and technology expo. The event will be held on March 26-30, with participation of 390 companies from 31 countries and regions. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 19:55:24|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close LONDON, March 26 (Xinhua) -- A British Airways (BA) flight destined for Dusseldorf in Germany has mistakenly landed in Edinburgh, Scotland, after flight plan paperwork was submitted incorrectly. The Times newspaper reported Tuesday that BA flight 3271 to Dusseldorf left the runway at London City airport on Monday and passengers only realised the error had been made when they heard the "welcome to Edinburgh" announcement after the plane had landed. The flight was operated by WDL Aviation, a small German aviation business, on behalf of BA. On Sunday, the plane flew Dusseldorf-London City-Edinburgh-London City-Dusseldorf. It was believed that someone had picked up or emailed the wrong day's flying programme and the mistake wasn't noticed. A BA spokeswoman said the company was working with WDL Aviation to establish why the incorrect flight plan was filed. "We have apologised to customers for this interruption to their journey and will be contacting them all individually," the spokesperson said. Sophie Cooke, a 24-year-old passenger on the flight, said when the pilot first made the announcement that the plane was about to land in Edinburgh everyone assumed it was a joke. She asked the cabin crew if they were serious. The pilot then asked passengers to raise their hands if they wanted to go to Dusseldorf. Everyone raised their hands. "The pilot said he had no idea how it had happened. He said it had never happened before and that the crew was trying to work out what we could do," Sophie said. The passengers remained on the plane during its stay at Edinburgh and took off again for its intended destination. They eventually landed in Dusseldorf more than three hours late. Passengers were entitled to 215 British pounds (about 284.5 U.S. dollars) in compensation. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 20:05:28|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close TOKYO, March 26 (Xinhua) -- A Japanese court on Tuesday ordered the government and Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO) to pay damages to 23 people who were forced to evacuate from their hometowns due to the 2011 nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The Matsuyama District Court handed down the ruling on Tuesday and awarded damages to 23 of the 25 plaintiffs who had evacuated from Fukushima to Ehime Prefecture in the wake of the nuclear crisis. The plaintiffs had been seeking compensation amounting to a combined 137.5 million yen (1.24 million U.S. dollars) in damages. The court, however, ordered the government and TEPCO to pay combined damages of just 27 million yen (244,750 U.S. dollars). The plaintiffs said that the compensation amount was far from sufficient, considering the nuclear disaster had led to them loosing their homes, livelihoods and severed connections between families, friends and communities. They had also claimed that the nuclear crisis had, along with financial losses, also caused a great deal of psychological suffering. Presiding Judge Judge Keiko Kuboi said Tuesday that the state and the utility could have predicted the impact of a massive earthquake-triggered tsunami on the nuclear plant, if orders from the now-defunct nuclear safety agency, made in 2002, were followed. The judge said TEPCO could have taken preventative flooding and other measures based on the possibility of a more-than-10-meter-high tsunami hitting the plant. The court's ruling was the 10th among 30 similar suits filed across Japan against both the government and TEPCO. Among similar cases already adjudicated, TEPCO was ordered to pay damages to plaintiffs in nine of them. The government along with TEPCO have been found liable in five of the similar cases. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 20:10:28|Editor: ZX Video Player Close WINDHOEK, March 26 (Xinhua) -- China continued to lead ahead of South Africa as the largest export destination for Namibian products, making up 18 percent of total exports, according to the annual trade statistics 2018 released Tuesday by the country's statistics agency. The growth in exports to China was mainly led by minerals such as copper and ores, according to Namibia Statistics Agency Statistician General Alex Shimuafeni. Shimuafeni said South Africa was ranked second with 16 percent, followed by Belgium and Botswana with 10 percent of total exports each, while the UK absorbed 7 percent. "The main commodities exported were precious stones and metals as well copper (22 percent each), vessels and boats (13 percent) mainly re-exports after exploration, ores (11 percent) and fish (10 percent)," he added. Meanwhile on the other hand, imports were mainly sourced from South Africa followed by Bahamas, Zambia, China, and Botswana. Last year China overtook South Africa as the largest export destination for Namibian products, making up 18.3 percent of total exports in the first quarter of 2018. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 20:15:29|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's envoy to the United Nations (UN) on Monday call on those of Africa descent to make 2019 a year of re-engagement with their African identities. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, permanent representative of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the United Nations, made the remarks at the commemorative plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly to mark the International Day of the Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. In recognition of the 400th Anniversary of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government at the last Assembly held in February this year recalled the depredations and evils of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and its industrialization of racism, dispossession, discrimination and dehumanization, Muhammad-Bande said. The leaders highlighted the strong spirit of resistance to the slave trade and reaffirmed their commitment to the unity of the African people, building an integrated Africa, as well as forging strong cultural, political, social and economic ties that will further the Pan-African dream among all peoples of African descent. Celebrating the "Year of Our Return," the AU places special emphasis on the diaspora and its contribution to development in Africa. It also pays tribute to the role of the civil rights movements in shaping the continent in the struggle for liberation and independence during the early 1960's, he said. The "Door of Return" is one pan-African initiative emblematic of an African Renaissance. It seeks to launch a new era of cooperation between Africa and the Diaspora in the 21st century. The objective of the Door of Return initiative, spearheaded by Ghana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe, is to advance African economic development in areas of tourism, infrastructure and renewable energy, the African diplomat said. The year 2019 should be a galvanizing one that will propel a surge of energy, and lead people of African descent to reconnect with Mother Africa, and vice versa, he said. There is no doubt that a decade of return must begin, as we replace the "Door of No Return" with "the door of our return," the African diplomat said, adding "we must all work together to make 2019 a milestone moment in the history of Africans; and therefore in world history, as Africa is but a part of this exciting world." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 20:20:30|Editor: ZX Video Player Close By Xinhua Writers Chu Yi and Zi Qiang KUNMING, March 26 (Xinhua) -- In a matter of seconds, Qian Yafen can easily locate the nearest vacant toilet on her cell phone. "I downloaded an app, clicked 'find a restroom' and then they just came up, with pictures of nearby public restrooms, numbers of available toilets as well as maps showing how I could get there," Qian said. She picked the nearest one and scanned a QR code on a tissue box after entering the restroom, which distributed free toilet paper. "It's brilliant! It helps avoid waste and solves my problem so quickly in a way that I'd never thought of," she said. Qian is visiting the Old Town, a famous UNESCO World Heritage Site with an 800-year history in the city of Lijiang, Yunnan Province, which attracted more than 14 million tourists last year. "The Old Town is so charming. I love it, especially its fabulous lavatories -- I even took pictures with them," she said. All 30 public restrooms in the Old Town are two-story buildings with traditional characteristics of Naxi, the native ethnic group. Two LED screens hanging at the entrance of each restroom designate both the men's and women's room as well as a unisex room. The screens also display the real-time temperature, humidity, and the concentration of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia gas. "You can check the availability of each toilet on the screen," said He Tang, a senior official with the protection and administrative bureau of Lijiang Old Town. "We use simple figures with numbers below to represent each toilet on the screen. Red means occupied while green stands for vacant," he added. According to He, a deodorization system has been installed, and the real-time monitoring of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia gas on the LED screen reflect the restroom's air quality. "Lavatories are related to our most basic need. We want to give visitors a five-star experience in the Old Town, and public restrooms cannot be left behind," he said. Since 2015, local authorities have invested more than 20 million yuan (about 3 million U.S. dollars) in renovating and maintaining public restrooms in the Old Town. Urine data such as sugar level is expected to be introduced in the future. These public restrooms are the epitome of the ancient city's digital development. There are 380 high-definition cameras working 24 hours in the Old Town to monitor public security, fire safety and other emergencies, the contents of which are accessed by local police stations and firehouses. "Facial recognition will be added into the system within the year," He said. The monitoring system could also indicate real-time visitor flow so tourists can easily check whether the scenic area is crowded on 13 digital information screens in the Old Town or on its official WeChat account. Two first-aid stations have been providing services at the Old Town since last year. Scanning a QR code or the ID card, one could get Automated External Defibrillators, stretchers, wheelchairs, bandages and other medical supplies for free. Meanwhile, local authorities have implemented a noise control system which will cut off the electricity to a bar if its noise exceeds 85 decibels ten times. "Digital integration is an inevitable trend, which could make the ancient city more attractive and contribute to sustainable development of its tourism industry," He said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 20:20:30|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close THE HAGUE, March 26 (Xinhua) --'Buste de Femme', a painting by Pablo Picasso that was stolen in 1999, has been found, Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant revealed on Tuesday. Dutch art detective Arthur Brand found the painting, after it had been circulated in the Dutch underworld for years. In 1999 the painting was stolen from the yacht of Saudi businessman Abdul Mohsen Abdulmalik al-Sheikh in Antibes, France. The businessman bought it in the 1980s from the Pace Gallery in New York. The painting, worth four million euros (4.5 million U.S. dollars) at that time, was never seen again. In 2015 Brand heard of a lost Picasso, at first not knowing what painting to look for, and after years of detective work he came to know that this particular work, the 'Buste de Femme', had regularly appeared in the Dutch criminal circuit over the past 20 years and that it was now in the possession of a businessman, who thought to have bought it in a legitimate deal, but now did not dare go to the police with it. "They are afraid they may be accused of theft. However, after consultation with the Dutch police and contacting the police in France, the theft turned out to be time-barred. Returning the painting voluntarily would only be a civil matter," Brand told the newspaper. Last Thursday representatives of the businessman brought the Picasso to Brand's apartment in Amsterdam. "The painting was still in good condition, but this should not have lasted two more years," Brand said. "We are just in time." 'Buste de Femme' was painted by Picasso in 1938, one year after his most famous painting, Guernica. It is a portrait of Dora Maar, who was the painter's mistress in the 1930s and 1940s, and a personal favorite of the painter. The work can now be returned to the Saudi businessman if he repays the insurance premium of 4 million euros. "I think he will do that," said Brand. "Because the painting is now worth 25 million euros." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 20:20:31|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close PARIS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- France reported its economic growth for 2018 at 1.6 percent, according figures released Tuesday by France's national statistics institute Insee. The figure was below the government's forecast of 1.7 percent. Last year's slowing performance stemmed mainly from less dynamic household expenditure whose rate slowed to 0.8 percent in 2018 compared to 1.1 percent recorded a year ago. According to Insee, France hit a 13-year low budget deficit in 2018. France recorded a deficit of 59.6 billion euros (67.41 billion U.S. dollars) in 2018, or 2.5 percent of GDP, the lowest level since 2006. The country's narrowed gap was the result of a decelerated public expenditure which was at 1.9 percent last year compared to 2.3 percent a year earlier. As a share of GDP, spending decreased by 0.4 percent to 56 percent. "Growth is solid ... The government's economic policy is paying off with better labor compensation and a favorite business investment policy," said French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire. "By stabilizing the public debt and reducing our deficit more than expected to 2.5 percent in 2018, we have stopped the steady drift of our public finances for more than 10 years. We will continue to recover our accounts while continuing to lower taxes," he said in a Twitter message. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 20:40:52|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close People visit Mahasthangarh, one of the earliest urban archaeological sites located in Bangladesh's Bogra district, some 197 km northwest of Dhaka, March 25, 2019. As one of the earliest urban archaeological sites so far discovered in Bangladesh, Mahasthangarh is the remains of the ancient city of Pundranagar. (Xinhua/Stringer) Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 20:30:33|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close BEIRA, Mozambique, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) said on Tuesday it is raising 281.7 million U.S. dollars to fund relief operations in Mozambique. The funding will be used to support relief operations in the first three months after Cyclone Idai and the subsequent disasters hit central Mozambique, Sebastian Rhodes Stampa, the coordinator of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "The requirements have been released, it has been sent out across the world and some governments are already considering funding for that appeal," he said. The OCHA coordinator said at the emergency operation center in Beira, the coastal city close to the most-affected area by Idai, that the appeal is vital for the operations in support to the government of Mozambique. "The people in need are 1.85 million in Sofala and Manica provinces, and the targeted people are 1.72 million," he said, adding that the data have come out through assessment done by the organization. The coordinator they are still in short of nurses and technicians, but the government and UN are mobilizing resources to support the affected families, with the support from many other partners. The UN experts have counted 500,000 hectares crop destroyed in provinces of Sofala, Manica and Tete, and 58,600 houses damaged. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 20:40:34|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close CAIRO, March 26 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian court on Tuesday upheld placing 145 people on terror list for five years, official MENA news agency reported. The Court of Cassation, Egypt's top court that gives final verdicts, rejected the appeal of the defendants. The defendants, belonging to a terrorist group known as "Tala'a Hasem," included TV anchors and journalists who work in some Turkish media. They were accused of planning for organizing the lines of militants of the now banned Muslim Brotherhood movement in Egypt to carry out terror attacks and to provoke chaos and violence. Wave of terrorism prevailed in Egypt since the military ousted former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in early July 2013 in response to mass protests against his rule and his currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 20:40:34|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close DUBAI, March 26 (Xinhua) -- After U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, condemnation has come from the Middle East countries. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain condemned on Tuesday Trump's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Saudi Arabia expresses its firm rejection and condemnation of the U.S. administration's declaration on Israel's sovereignty over the territory it seized from Syria in 1967 and later annexed in a move never recognized by the international community, said a government statement issued by the Saudi Press Agency. Also, the UAE said the move "puts at risk the chances to reach a comprehensive peace in the region," in a statement issued by the government published on the Emirates News Agency website. "No stability and peace will be achieved in the region with Israel's continuation of the occupation of the Palestinian and Arab territories," the statement added. "The Golan Heights is an occupied territory and the U.S. administration's decision will not affect this fact," said the statement. Bahrain's Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its position that Golan Heights is an Arab and Syrian territory, occupied by Israel since June 1967, which is confirmed by the resolutions of the UN Security Council, the ministry said. A team of doctors pose for a group photo at the China-Friendship hospital in Juba, capital of South Sudan, Sept. 18, 2017. The Chinese owned hospital is positively changing lives of South Sudanese. (Xinhua/Denis Elamu) JUBA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan has reached an agreement with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) to construct at least 26 hospitals across the nation. Riek Gai Kok, minister of health told Xinhua in Juba on Monday that the 26 hospitals are a result of a presidential pledge made in 2010 by President Salva Kiir to improve access to health care in the country. "China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation has offered to carry out some projects in South Sudan. Our priority right now is the implementation of the pledge made by President Salva Kiir in 2010," he said in Juba. "We have started engagement with CCECC, the (South Sudan) ministry of finance and Embassy of China represented by the commercial counselor have expressed support to this initiative," Kok added. He disclosed that the MoU signed with the Chinese firm will see CCECC undertake mobilization of finance through Chinese financial sources to support construction and equipping of these hospitals. CCECC will oversee development of technical proposal and feasibility study for the project, said the minister. South Sudan is already benefiting from a grant of about 33 million U.S. dollars provided by the Chinese government in 2013 to modernize and expand health facilities in the country that has greatly improved health care across South Sudan. One of the key developments is the main referral hospital, the Juba Teaching Hospital which is undergoing modernization and expansion works. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 20:50:39|Editor: ZX Video Player Close TOKYO, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The economies of Japan and China are highly complementary and the two countries are expected to make success stories of bilateral cooperation in a third country so as to further promote their economic cooperation, said Hiroshi Nakaso, former deputy governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ). Nakaso, also chairman of the Daiwa Institute of Research, was invited as a guest to the ongoing Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) held in south China's Hainan province on March 26-29. This year's BFA is themed "Shared Future, Concerted Action, Common Development." Nakaso, who also attended the forum in 2014, told Xinhua in Tokyo before heading to China that he expected a thorough discussion on Asian countries' common development this year. The world economy has uncertainties, but Asia will remain the engine of world economic growth, the expert said, adding that he is looking forward to seeing Japan and China set successful examples of bilateral economic cooperation in a third country so as to energize more cooperation. Nakaso pointed out that China and Japan, the two major economies in Asia, share economic complementarity. He said China has become Japan's largest trading partner, as imports from and exports to China account for more than 20 percent of Japan's total trade volume. Meanwhile, the agreements and memoranda signed during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Japan and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to China last year have strengthened bilateral cooperation in the financial sector, Nakaso said. "It is a framework of mutual benefits that allows the two countries to support each other's foreign currency reserves and consolidate the stability of their financial systems, which is of great practical significance," he said. Nakaso said he is looking forward to the successful economic cooperation between Japan and China in a third country. Such success, he said, would spur new investment and more cooperation. As for suggestions on the future bilateral cooperation, the former BOJ official said that it is important for the two countries to build a sustaining and unwavering relationship. "The relationship of mutual trust should be built at all levels, including the two nations' government departments and private enterprises," he said. Due to the U.S. trade protectionism among other factors, the world economy is facing increased uncertainty, which will potentially affect Asian economies, the expert said. However, he said Asia remains the most dynamic region in the world with a promising future for growth. Many Asian countries still possess the advantage of large populations, and combination of this advantage and improvement of production efficiency will keep Asia as the engine of world economic development, the economist said. Instead of fighting U.S. protectionism with protectionism, Asian countries, especially emerging ones, should take advantage of this opportunity to further improve their investment environments. The endorsement of Foreign Investment Law in China is exactly one of such major moves of progress, he said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 20:55:40|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close by Pau Ramirez RIO DE JANEIRO, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Brazil stands to be one of the major beneficiaries of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is in line with the government's economic development plan, Brazilian expert Xia Huasheng has said. The Belt and Road cooperation with China helps boost Brazil's agricultural exports and attracts investment for infrastructure construction from Chinese multinationals, which brings resources, experience and technology, Xia, a professor of finance at the Sao Paulo School of Business Administration under the prestigious Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV), told Xinhua in a recent interview. "Within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, the majority of projects are related to infrastructure," he said, noting strengthening infrastructure is essential to Brazil's economic recovery. "The new Brazilian government wants more investment in infrastructure projects," he added. Xia said the BRI is also in line with the pro-market policies of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who took office on Jan. 1. "The participation of Chinese multinationals is essential" to bilateral cooperation, because they not only invest in the government's infrastructure projects, "but they also take a series of measures to increasingly become local companies with greater interaction with Brazilian companies, and generate jobs and benefits for the country," Xia said. In his opinion, the Belt and Road can help open up markets and promote a greater "involvement" of the private sector in participating countries. "Heavy investment by the government is very important to laying the foundation of this initiative, which is now more mature," he said. "The moment has come for private companies and banks to take advantage of this opportunity to do business and generate benefits." He said he believes that the market forces of supply and demand within the context of globalization will prompt industrial, agribusiness, manufacturing and trade centers to be built along the Belt and Road, and gradually, greater interaction between such businesses will further expand the initiative. Through the initiative, goods and services from different regions can be traded at lower logistical costs, he said, and more jobs are meanwhile created, technology promoted, and living standards improved, especially of the people previously marginalized by globalization. Since its launch in 2013, the China-proposed BRI has involved more than 100 countries, making it a factor in promoting mutual benefit on a global scale and an important platform for international cooperation, said the academic. In Brazil, researchers are closely following the developments of the BRI, he said. China has remained Brazil's largest trading partner since it took the place of the United States in 2009. In 2018, bilateral trade hit a record 100 billion U.S. dollars, official data showed. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 20:55:40|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close SOFIA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian law enforcement officers have seized three kilograms of cocaine at the Kalotina checkpoint near the country's border with Serbia, authorities said here on Tuesday. The illicit drug, packaged in 148 polyethylene bags, was found on Friday in a bus traveling from Sofia to the Portuguese capital Lisbon, said the National Customs Agency (NCA), the Ministry of Interior and the National Prosecutor's Office in a joint statement. The bags were hidden in the lining of four jackets that one of the passengers, a 24-year-old Bulgarian citizen, carried in his suitcase, the statement said. The man was arrested and charged with drug trafficking, it said. The investigation is ongoing. In 2017, the NCA seized a total of 36.37 kg of cocaine in seven cases. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 21:15:44|Editor: zh Video Player Close Wang Xiaohui, executive deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of a global governance forum co-hosted by China and France in Paris, France, March 25, 2019. (Xinhua/Tang Ji) PARIS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese official said Monday China and France agree on the need for stronger global governance while stressing the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will be a boon for the world. Wang Xiaohui, executive deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), made the remarks in a speech delivered at the opening ceremony of a global governance forum co-hosted by China and France and held at the French Foreign Ministry during Chinese President Xi Jinping's current state visit to France. "Improving global governance requires a consensus. We need to accelerate changes, build partnerships and to be inclusive," said Wang, calling for a global governance featuring greater multilateralism. Wang added that global issues should be tackled through the joint efforts of all countries. Multilateralism is also needed to promote an economic globalization that is more open, inclusive and balanced and benefits all, he told a 200-strong audience including high-level officials, think tanks, business figures and representatives of international organizations. In his speech, Justin Vaisse, director general of the Paris Peace Forum, listed three reasons for France and China to jointly address the need for stronger global governance. First of all, bilateral ties are more mature and stable, and the exchanges between the two countries are frequent, said Vaisse. Secondly, as China's global influence continues to increase, France and the European Union (EU) hope to engage more with China. Thirdly, he noted, the deteriorating environment for global governance has become a source of concern for both France and China, calling for both to take action together. The holding of the global governance seminar displays France's willingness to work together with its partners, including China, he told the audience. The two-day forum saw discussions centered on topics such as the Belt and Road Initiative and connectivity, multilateralism and global governance, challenges and opportunities for digital governance, as well as climate change and biodiversity. Many representatives shared the belief in their speeches that China and France have broad opportunities for cooperation in global governance, and expressed hope to make their exchanges on the issue more regular. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian also addressed the forum. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 21:20:45|Editor: ZX Video Player Close SHANGHAI, March 26 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday marked the 1st anniversary of the trading of crude oil futures at the Shanghai Futures Exchange with the index launch, in the country's pursuit of higher-level opening-up. The index is based on the price movements and on the rate of return for the most actively traded contract for the crude futures at the Shanghai Futures Exchange, aiming to provide a clearer market reflection of the futures' continuous trading to investors at home and abroad. The Shanghai Futures Exchange began calculating the index based on futures trading during the night session of Monday and the index rose during Tuesday's trading. China launched the crude oil futures trading on March 26 last year. It was the first futures variety on the Chinese mainland open to overseas investors. So far, over 40,000 accounts have been registered for the futures trading. Oil and chemical industry giants, commodity traders and investment companies are among the active traders. According to the Shanghai International Energy Exchange (INE), a unit of the Shanghai Futures Exchange, it has registered 52 overseas agencies mainly from Hong Kong, Singapore, Britain, the Republic of Korea and Japan, which serve customers from Britain, Australia, Switzerland, Singapore, Cyprus, Seychelles, as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan. By Monday, in terms of unilateral transactions, the total trading volume of Shanghai crude oil futures contracts at INE hit 36.7 million lots with a turnover of 17.12 trillion yuan (2.55 trillion U.S. dollars). On average, the daily trading volume reached 151,000 lots, and a record maximum daily trading reached 359,786 lots, making China among the world's most active crude oil futures trading markets. The Shanghai Futures Exchange said Tuesday that it will develop a crude oil exchange-traded fund (ETF) in cooperation with stock exchanges, and will develop other new products. James Shekerdemian, head of Prime Services for the Asia Pacific at Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking, said the company has been tracking the contract prices of Shanghai crude oil futures over the year. The fast increasing trading volume of Shanghai crude oil futures indicated that the contracts had been highly recognized by the market, said Shekerdemian. The crude oil futures closed higher Tuesday at the Shanghai International Energy Exchange (INE), with the most active crude oil contract for May delivery going up 3 yuan to close at 454.8 yuan a barrel. Ding Jianping, head of the Center for the Study of Modern Finance at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, said the launch of the crude oil futures index echoes a growing focus on China's crude oil futures at home and abroad. China is the world's biggest crude oil importer. Since the launch of the Shanghai crude oil futures a year ago, futures contracts have been delivered seven times, with a total delivery volume of 7.2 million barrels. Related businesses such as trading, settlement, currency exchange, cross-border currency transfer, and delivery in bonds have been operated, which have promoted overseas energy companies' participation in the China market. Huang Yunzhi, an analyst with Industrial Securities Futures, said with the participation of multinational oil companies, oil traders and investment banks, Shanghai crude oil futures index can form a benchmark price reflecting the supply-demand situation in China and the Asia-Pacific region at large. China International United Petroleum & Chemicals Co. Ltd. signed contracts based on the price of the Shanghai crude oil futures with Shell and Chambroad Petrochemical last March and October, respectively. Jiang Yan, head of the Shanghai Futures Exchange, said Shanghai crude oil futures are interactive with peer contracts exchanged on the market of European countries and the United States. Transactions of WTI and Brent during the Asian trading period have turned more active since the launch of Shanghai crude oil futures. With the experience of the crude oil futures trading, China has gradually opened the trading of iron ore futures and PTA futures to overseas investors. Rochelle Wei, CEO of J.P. Morgan Futures Co. Ltd., said as China continues to open up its futures market and launch new varieties of products, the country's market will play a more important role in the world market and more overseas investors will join in. File Photo: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a press briefing in New York, the United States, May 31, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) WASHINGTON, March 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. State Department said on Monday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov held a phone conversation over the situation in Venezuela. Pompeo told Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov that "the United States and regional countries will not stand idly by as Russia exacerbates tensions in Venezuela," according to a State Department statement. Pompeo noted that the presence of Russian military personnel in Venezuela "risks prolonging the suffering of the Venezuelan people," calling on Russia to cease "unconstructive behavior". File Photo: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a joint press conference with his Austrian counterpart following their meeting in Moscow on March 12, 2019. (Xinhua/AFP) "Washington's attempts to organize a coup in Venezuela and threats against its legitimate government are in violation of the UN Charter and undisguised interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state," Lavrov was quoted by a foreign ministry statement saying. Two Russian air force planes landed in Venezuela on March 23 carrying a Russian defense official and nearly 100 troops, reports said. The United States has been pursuing a policy of economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation against the Venezuelan government in support of the opposition leader Juan Guaido. Moscow has condemned Washington's threats against the legitimate Venezuelan leadership, calling them "blatant interference" in Venezuela's internal affairs and a "flagrant violation" of international law. The Trump administration recognized Guaido as the nation's "interim president" on Jan. 23, days after Nicolas Maduro was inaugurated for a second term as Venezuela's president. In response, Maduro severed "diplomatic and political" ties with the United States. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 21:45:50|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close Palestinian DJ and music producer Saruna Mushasha works at her home-studio in the West Bank City of Ramallah, March 20, 2019. Saruna Mushasha, 22, is one of a handful of female DJs and music producers in Palestine. (Xinhua/Nidal Eshtayeh) by Fatima Aruri RAMALLAH, March 26 (Xinhua) -- At a home-studio in the suburbs of the West Bank City of Ramallah, a young Palestinian music producer worked on a new project to mix local with electric music, in an attempt to revive the Palestinian folklore. Saruna Mushasha, 22, is one of a handful of female DJs and music producers in Palestine. She got her education in music and sound engineering in the United States. She recently returned to Palestine with the hope of opening her own music production house with a special focus on female artists. As a member of a seven-people team, she was given an archive of local music and chants recorded from weddings and various occasions throughout Palestine by a local cultural center. The team decided to mix the music with modern electric music. The project was titled "ElectroSteen" derived from the two terms, electric and the Arabic name for Palestine. "Basically, ElectroSteen is a project that involves a bunch of Palestinian producers and DJs. We had access to vocal and sound archives and musical archives from the popular art centre," she said. The archives include music produced domestically by ordinary people during personal occasions in the 1980s and the 1990s from different villages in Palestine. "So, we have different instruments, vocals, and chants," Mushasha said. The music project is expected to yield an album with songs and music tracks, mixing the folklore with contemporary electric music in use of the advanced modern equipment and sound system software. She said with an excitement that "we had access to this huge encyclopedia of music and sound." "We take sample parts that we liked and blended them with more contemporary electric music," she added. The group said that it expected to put their new music production on stage with live performances, a step that may attract more young people around the world to present Palestinian folklore in a modern way. "It's like celebrating Palestinian heritage in a very modern way and bringing it back to the forefront of our culture," said Mushasha. The young DJ said the project "gives us an opportunity to express ourselves in a way that isn't traditional," and a chance to "explore other genres of music and other artists." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 22:00:53|Editor: ZX Video Player Close WUHAN, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The Sino-French Wuhan Ecological Demonstration City in central China's Hubei Province is expected to see 27 billion yuan (4.02 billion U.S. dollars) of fixed asset investment in 2019, official sources said. The money will be spent on infrastructure, ecological management and industrial projects, including 38 kilometers of road, the underground pipe corridor, and a power station, according to sources with the government of Caidian District, Wuhan City. The demo city project was initiated in 2014 as part of a deal signed between the Chinese and French governments. It is located in Caidian District, with a planned area of 39 square kilometers. So far, the demo city has signed more than 30 projects, worth a total of 35 billion yuan, with companies including French software firm Dassault Systemes and carmaker Renault. Wuhan has the most concentrated investment from France in China, with more than 100 French companies investing in the city. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 22:00:54|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Six laborers were killed Tuesday after they inhaled poisonous gas inside a septic tank in southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, local officials said. The laborers died at Nemili village near Sriperumbudur in Kancheepuram district, about 40 km south of Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu. "In a tragic incident here, six people died of asphyxiation after entering a septic tank where they inhaled a poisonous gas," a local government official associated with disaster management in Kancheepuram told Xinhua. "The men had entered the tank at an apartment to clean it." According to officials initially four people entered the tank and when they did not come out two others went inside to check on them. "None of them came out and after that villagers informed police and other officials," a police official said. "We rushed our team apart from fire service personnel to the spot. The bodies have been retrieved from the tank and sent to government hospital for post-mortem." The laborers were hired by the building owner to clear a block in the tank, officials said. Locals said the workers entered the drain without taking precautions or wearing a proper gear. Last week three farmers were killed and one went missing after they inhaled poisonous gas inside manhole of a drainage line in Maharashtra. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 22:00:55|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close KIGALI, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda is looking for massive foreign and local investments for the multi-million dollar projects lined up to spur economy growth, said Rwanda Development Board (RDB) on Tuesday in Kigali, capital of Rwanda. "Rwanda is safe and open for business and we have many investment opportunities in several sectors of the economy," RDB's chief investment officer Guy Baron said at a panel session dubbed "Invest in Rwanda" on the 7th Africa CEO Forum. "The country offers conducive environment for investors to do business," Baron said. He highlighted some major multi-million dollar projects in Rwanda that requires heavy investments, including Kigali Innovation City at the value of 315 million U.S. dollars, and Kigali City Duty Free Mall of 100 million dollars. "Rwanda is at the crossroads of the continent and has great fundamentals. The country has been on several occasions ranked high by the World Bank's doing business report," he said. Rwanda continues business reforms to boost investment and private sector growth, according to Emmanuel Hategeka, deputy CEO of RDB. Rwanda registered investments worth about 2 billion dollars in 2018, according to RDB. The latest doing business report ranks the landlocked country the 29th out of 190 countries in ease of doing business. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 22:21:07|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close A Lebanese girl(R) shows her name card in Chinese at the Confucius Institute of Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon, Feb. 27, 2019. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich) BEIJING, March 26 (Xinhua) -- With a few lines of graceful handwriting on its title page, the original French version of "An Introduction to The Analects of Confucius," a book published in 1688 with a brownish front cover, was presented to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a national gift by his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, when the two leaders met on Sunday in Nice, France. It's not the first time that the country, famous for its Louvre Museum and fashion designs, welcomed Xi's arrival. In 2014, the Chinese leader delivered a keynote speech at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, laying out his vision of civilization that features diversity, equality and inclusiveness. "We need to encourage different civilizations to respect each other and live together in harmony while promoting their exchanges and mutual learning as a bridge of friendship among peoples, a driving force behind human society, and a strong bond for world peace," Xi said. Five years on, China is joining various countries and regions to promote inter-civilization exchanges. HARMONY WITHOUT UNIFORMITY "Achieving harmony is like preparing a thick soup. Only with the right amount of water, fire, vinegar, meat sauce, salt and plum can fish and meat be cooked with the right taste ... Who can eat a soup with nothing but water in it?" Xi said at UNESCO. Citing an ancient Chinese scholar, Xi proposed to the world China's understanding of harmony, which is deeply rooted in the spirit of the Chinese people, and reflected in the country's diplomatic practices. "China made the solemn declaration to the world long ago that it is committed to pursuing peaceful development. It strives to develop itself by upholding world peace and maintain world peace through its development," Xi said at the Korber Foundation in Germany in 2014. Through a series of global events, Xi has continuously stressed the wisdom of "harmony without uniformity," which the Chinese have come to appreciate. China needs peace "as much as human beings need air and plants need sunshine," Xi said. "Hegemony or militarism is simply not in the genes of the Chinese." In his 2017 keynote speech at the UN Office at Geneva, Xi said that "China will do well only when the world does well, and vice versa." As the world's largest developing country, China has recognized that it can neither fulfill its development goals nor make greater contributions to the world without a firm pursuit of peaceful development. As the world's second-largest economy, biggest industrialized and trading country, China, sitting on the largest foreign exchange reserves, has contributed more than 30 percent of world economic growth and has lifted more than 700 million of its own out of poverty. Nearly a century ago, British philosopher Bertrand Russell said that there is something in Chinese ethics that means a lot to the modern world. Today, amid a weak world economic recovery, rising regional conflicts and growing terrorism, the world has fixed its eyes upon the East. Without chauvinism and zero-sum mentality, China promotes mutual respect, equality and win-win cooperation. The country has played a constructive role in addressing global issues such as the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and the conflicts in the Middle East. Martin Jacques, a professor at Cambridge University, has said that China offers "a new example" and "a new possibility" to the world. Petr Bystron, a member of the German Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee, said, "China's peaceful policy is a major factor of stability in the world and a haven of peace in Asia." INCLUSIVENESS, LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER "I have visited many places in the world. The best thing I wanted to do is to learn about differing civilizations across the five continents, what make them different and unique, how their people think about the world and life and what they hold dear," Xi said at UNESCO. "Greater exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations can further enrich the colors of various civilizations, heighten people's enjoyment of cultural life, and open up a future with more options," he said. Over the past five years, the Chinese president has visited more than 50 countries, and during his trips he has cited Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, British playwright William Shakespeare, and U.S. author Mark Twain to forge cultural exchanges, and to offer to the world the Chinese idea of upholding inclusiveness. In the U.S. bestseller titled "The Xi Jinping Era: His Comprehensive Strategy Toward the China Dream," Xi is depicted as a man with a great cultural vision who has profound knowledge in philosophy, history, literature, art and music. "To me, the moderate tea drinker and the passionate beer lover represent two ways of understanding life and knowing the world, and I find them equally rewarding," Xi said in a speech at the College of Europe in Belgium in 2014. "There are amazing similarities between China's Taichi and India's Yoga, and China's traditional medicine and India's Ayurveda. The life philosophies our people have held for thousands of years are very similar," Xi said on his state visit to India in 2014. In another speech delivered at Guildhall in the City of London in 2015, the Chinese president said that Tang Xianzu, a Chinese playwright, was a contemporary of William Shakespeare, as both passed away in 1616. In the eyes of Western observers, Xi is a master at telling stories, and his stories are usually both entertaining and meaningful. On Sept. 27, 2014, the 10th anniversary of the first Confucius Institute saw the Chinese leader receive letters from 286 Confucius Institutes from over 90 countries and regions. Now, China has established 548 Confucius Institutes and 1,193 Confucius Classrooms in 154 countries and regions, with 1.87 million students enrolled, according to the latest data. "We hope to build bridges of people-to-people exchanges and deliver better lives to the people," Xi said at the Leaders Roundtable of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in 2017. GLOBAL COMMUNITY WITH SHARED FUTURE "We will continue to push ahead with the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and continue to advocate for the development of a community of shared future for mankind. And we will work tirelessly for a more prosperous and beautiful world," Xi said in his 2019 New Year Speech. These words brought to mind his UNESCO speech, where he called on the international community to seek "wisdom and nourishment from various civilizations," and to "work together to tackle the challenges facing mankind." At the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2017, Xi also urged the people of all countries "to build an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity." Over the past two years, Xi's appeal has been incorporated into various documents, such as the UN Security Council resolutions, the UN Human Rights Council resolutions, the Qingdao Declaration of the Council of Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Action Plan (2019-2021). David Gosset, founder of the Europe-China Forum, said China has been pursuing the concept of "Datong," or "the world of great harmony," since ancient times, and the idea of building a community with a shared future for mankind is a reinterpretation of "Datong" in the 21st century. With China's continuous development, the idea -- steeped in Chinese wisdom -- will definitely have a profound influence on the world, Gosset said. Based on the conviction of a shared future, China has launched a series of projects within the framework of the BRI to bring development opportunities to countries along the Belt and Road. In 2018, when addressing a symposium in Beijing marking the fifth anniversary of the BRI, Xi noted that it is an initiative for economic cooperation, instead of a geopolitical alliance or military league, and it is an open and inclusive initiative rather than an exclusive bloc or "China club." Today, 123 countries and 29 international organizations have signed a total of 171 BRI agreements with China. The Mombasa-Nairobi railway, built with the assistance of Chinese companies and launched in 2017, has provided 50,000 jobs for local people and is estimated to have boosted Kenya's gross domestic product by 1.5 percent annually. The China-Europe Railway Express carries new opportunities to Europe and injects new impetus into Sino-French trade, whose volume exceeded 60 billion U.S. dollars in 2018. Keith Bennett, vice chairman of Britain's 48 Group Club, said the BRI "is inclusive and offers the greatest opportunity for both investment and development in decades." "Its emphasis on infrastructure and connectivity lays the best possible foundations for promoting all-round, comprehensive economic development and improvement of people's livelihood in the future," he said. (Video reporters: Jin Yuelei, Zhao Yuchao, Han Chong, Lian Zhen, Yu Yue, Zhou Zihan, Chen Chen, Han Qian, Ji Li; Video editor: Zhang Xinyi) Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 22:26:09|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close DHAKA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh on Tuesday celebrated the country's 49th Independence Day amid tight security. The day, a national holiday in Bangladesh, was celebrated with parades and paying of respect at Jatiyo Smriti Soudho, the national memorial at Savar on the outskirts of Dhaka. At Tuesday dawn, on behalf of the nation, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid tribute to martyrs of the Liberation War at the National Memorial in Savar. The celebrations began with a 31-gun salute at dawn by a smartly turned-out contingent drawn from the Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force while the bugles played the last post. Wearing the red and green of the Bangladeshi flag, people of all ages and all walks of life also thronged the national memorial to pay respect to war heroes. On March 26 every year, Bangladesh commemorates the country's declaration of independence on late hours of March 25, 1971. This year the government put in place tight security for the 49th Independence Day. Additional law enforcement personnel have been deployed to strengthen surveillance especially in Dhaka's diplomatic Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara areas since Sunday afternoon after threats of militant attacks were reported. Law enforcers were seen frisking people and setting up check-posts in Dhaka's key diplomatic zones. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 22:31:10|Editor: yan Video Player Close RAMALLAH, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Secretary General of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Saeb Erekat Tuesday said that U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights "does not create a right or bring a commitment." "The American decision is paving the way for a new era that is beyond international law, as it is replacing the principle of illegality of occupying other territory by force, by the principle of allowing the occupation by force and transforming the power of logic and law to the logic of power and injustice," Erekat said in a statement. The Palestinian official urged the international community to confront those policies and practices "before international relations are transformed to laws of the jungle." On Monday, Trump officially recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, seized from Syria in 1967, in a move hailed as "historic" by Israel's prime minister, during a joint press conference. Israel seized the Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in the 1980s, in a move never recognized by the international community. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry described the U.S. move as "blatant coup by the U.S. administration over policies of past administrations and a flagrant aggression against Arab rights, international legitimacy and its resolutions." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 22:36:10|Editor: yan Video Player Close BEIRUT, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The Head of the National Security Bureau of Poland Pawel Soloch said Tuesday that Poland will sign military agreements with Lebanon, local media reported. "Poland will send a delegation to Lebanon from the Polish defense ministry to conduct negotiations revolving around signing military agreements between the two countries," Soloch was quoted as saying by the National News Agency. His remarks came during his meeting with Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab. Soloch added that Poland is also considering a plan to rejoin the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Poland has officially withdrew its troops from the UNIFIL in 2009 after having joined since 1982 with a 450-member contingent. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 22:41:15|Editor: yan Video Player Close BEIJING, March 26 (Xinhua) -- China regrets the cancelling of the annual meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), but the responsibility does not lie in China, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday. Some countries insisted on manipulating the issue of Venezuela and tried to force the participation of Juan Guaido's representative, and as a result, the meeting could not be held as planned, spokesperson Geng Shuang told a press briefing. A few countries continued to stir up the sensitive political issue of Venezuela, rushed into recognition of the new representative appointed by Guaido shortly before the annual meeting amid substantial divergence between IADB members, and insisted on his attendance at the meeting, he said. Geng reiterated China's stance on the Venezuelan issue that all parties should adhere to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, abide by the norms of international law and international relations, and refrain from interfering in Venezuela's internal affairs. Although the representative appointed by Guaido had passed the voting procedure of the IADB, "Guaido himself is not a president who has been elected through legal procedures, and lacks legitimacy, which makes it difficult for China to allow his representative to attend the meeting in China," Geng said. "Changing Venezuela's representative at the IADB will not help solve Venezuela's problems. Instead, it damaged the atmosphere of the IADB annual meeting and disturbed preparations for the meeting," Geng said. "In order to ensure the holding of the meeting, China had demonstrated its prudent attitude toward the participation of the Venezuelan representative, put forward reasonable solutions, maintained in-depth communication with relevant sides and called on them to bear in mind the original intention of the meeting and avoid politicizing it. "This is an act of assuming responsibility." The IADB's 60th annual meeting was originally planned for March 26 to 31 in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province. China had attached great importance to and made a lot of preparations for hosting the meeting, Geng said. As a meeting of the financial industry, it should focus on financial cooperation and should not be disrupted by controversial political issues, Geng said, adding that most of the IADB members agreed with China's proposition and were very clear about who thwarted the holding of the meeting. "China believes that its cooperation with the IADB and Latin American countries will not be disturbed, and we have full confidence in strengthening cooperation in the future," the spokesperson added. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 22:41:17|Editor: yan Video Player Close LUSAKA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Foot and mouth disease has broken out in two districts of eastern Zambia, with over 1,000 animals affected so far, state-run news agency reported on Tuesday. The highly contagious viral disease has broken out in Vubwi and Lundazi districts, forcing the government to restrict the movement of animals in the two areas, the Zambia News and Information Service quoted provincial permanent secretary Buleti Nsemukila as saying. He said 600 animals have been affected in Lundazi district while 412 have been infected in Vubwi. He did not reveal if there have been any deaths. The official has directed law enforcement agencies manning road blocks to demand livestock movement permits from all vehicles carrying animals, adding that vehicles where drivers fail to produce the required documents should be impounded. He further advised farmers to be alert and report suspicious cases of the disease to the nearest veterinary officers in an effort to contain the situation. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 22:46:19|Editor: yan Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian and Chinese media have expressed mutual commitment to serve as connecting bridges in deepening growing people-to-people ties between Ethiopia and China. Ethiopia's state-run news agency ENA on Tuesday revealed the joint commitment that mainly aimed to enhance cooperation among the two countries' media, with particular emphasis on human resource development and exchange of information. Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) officials made the remarks following meeting with delegates from All-China Journalists Association (ACJA), who have visited the headquarters of Ethiopia's official news agency in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa on Monday, ENA said on Tuesday. "The two sides have agreed to enhance cooperation particularly on human resource development and exchange of information," ENA said. The delegates, who also visited various departments of ENA and held discussion with ENA's leadership on mutual cooperation, are comprised of media leaders and practitioners drawn from media outlets in China, it was noted. As part of the cooperation agreement, Ethiopian and Chinese journalists will have the chance to visit media houses and encounter with fellow journalists across the two countries with an aim to strengthen and promote relations between the two countries, it was noted. According to ACJA Executive Secretary Pan Gang, mutual cooperation among the two countries media and journalists "is a bridge for the people to people relation of both countries." "We have a mutual understanding with the Ethiopian News Agency. So we will enhance our existing cooperation between ENA and ACJA as well as our two countries at all levels," ENA quoted Pan as saying. "We will continue to invite Ethiopian journalists to visit China and send media personnel to visit Ethiopia to promote our future exchange of views," he said, adding "We understand very well that journalism is a bridge between our two countries and peoples to cement our existing relations and cooperation, to promote and consolidate common understandings." The ACJA, which was established in Shanghai, China in Nov. 1937, is a national association of China's journalism professionals. Ethiopia and China, with growing partnership across various development sectors, have witnessed positive results in deepening people-to-people relations between the two friendly countries. According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the comprehensive partnership between Ethiopia and China, which represents sustainable and predictable relations on various corporation areas, effectively showcases the successful South-South partnership modality. Frequent official visits by high-level officials of the two countries in recent years, in particular, helped the two countries to realize strategic agreements on further strengthening the people-to-people relations, which also paved the way for human development partnerships among the two countries, the ministry said in a statement recently. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 22:46:20|Editor: yan Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) on Tuesday urged African countries and pan-African institutions to exert concerted efforts towards finding lasting solutions to refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). The call was made by Olabisi Dare, Head of Humanitarian and Refugees, Returnees Displaced Person Division at the AU, who also stressed the need to strengthen the momentum in achieving credible results in reducing unwanted migration and displacement. "We at the AU are confident that together we can achieve the desired change in tackling humanitarian crises, through a new approach that lays emphasis on tackling root causes and achieving durable solutions as big steps towards a more peaceful and stable continent," Dare said. The AU, in partnership with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), has been training African policymakers and experts so as to create an improved understanding and effective implementation of legal and policy provisions contained in relevant international and AU instruments. "The course is tailored for African policy makers and civil servants to deepen their understanding of international and regional instruments in order to achieve effective protection of and assistance to forcibly displaced persons," Dare said. Cosmas Chanda, UNHCR Representative to the AU, also said that since its inception, the course has registered great success and hailed "as an important pillar in AU's quest to improve humanitarian action on the continent." The joint training program, which was commenced in 2016, has so far trained a total of 550 experts and policymakers across Africa, including senior government officials, experts from the AU and regional economic communities, the media as well as civil society, it was noted. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 22:46:21|Editor: yan Video Player Close NAIROBI, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday called on global coffee growers to adopt sound environmental methods to boost production and quality of the product. Kenyatta said the future outlook of coffee production is positive and likely to improve for the better once sound environmental methods are applied. "Most of the economies are driven by the coffee sub-sector hence the need to ensure that issues of safe environmental production are adhered to," Kenyatta said while opening the 124th Session of the International Coffee Council in Nairobi. He said the global low coffee production is worrying, yet the sector has provided livelihood for many people in addition to boosting the national economies of many countries. Kenyatta said that the coffee sector must be made sustainable and all the people involved in its production should benefit irrespective of their positions. "The coffee sector will improve only when all stakeholders especially farmers gets their fair share of their work," he added. The Kenyan leader said that the sub-Saharan Africa's coffee export dropped between 1990 and 2016 due to high cost of production, land use pressure and low pricing at the international level. More than 4,000 local and international delegates are attending the five-day conference. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 22:46:21|Editor: yan Video Player Close NAIVASHA, Kenya, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese contractor that is implementing the second phase of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR Phase 2A) from capital Nairobi to resort town of Naivasha has moved in to allay fears that it could be damaged by a tremor that hit the country early this week. A senior official from China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), the official contractor of the SGR Phase 2A project, said they had implemented new technology to enhance its safety amid tremors that caused a fault line along its railway corridor. Steve Zhao, spokesman for CCCC said all the elements in the station buildings, such as walls and the roof, had been tied together like a giant nest to resist tremors. "This will act as an integrated unit during earthquake shaking, transferring forces across connections and preventing separation," said Zhao. He said that other earthquake-resistant measures incorporated in the construction of the SGR Phase 2A include building the railway track on a wider sub-grade, which is the foundation on which the track is built on. "The sub-grade and slope in the SGR Phase 2A are relatively higher and wider in comparison to Phase 1 from Mombasa to Nairobi," Zhao told reporters. He said that during construction of the project, the contractor determined that the safest seismic fortification to be implemented in the construction was to meet an earthquake resistance intensity of 8, in the areas between Embulbul - Ngong and Duka Moja - Narok county. "When we began planning the construction of the SGR Phase 2A, we mobilized many seasoned geologists from the renowned China Earthquake Administration to conduct a thorough geological survey in the seismic belt along the railway line," said Zhao. He said the railway would not be affected since the earthquake resistance intensity used in construction was set considerably higher than what is ideally recommended. "In the unlikely event of the SGR Phase 2A corridor experiencing an earthquake similar to the 2008 Chinese Sichuan earthquake, it is guaranteed the railway line and other supporting infrastructure will not be destroyed," said Zhao. He said that columns have also been reinforced with a high strength steel mesh that acts like a rubber band. "This is done so that if you push the top of the column sideways as would an earthquake, the steel mesh just snaps the column back upright when you let go", said Zhao. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 22:56:24|Editor: yan Video Player Close MOGADISHU, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said Tuesday it has deployed a detachment of nine individual police officers (IPOs) in Dhobley in southern Somalia for capacity building activities. The AU mission said the police officers with varied expertise will work alongside Jubbaland State Police Force, to train local police and expand their presence in the region. Rex Dundun, AMISOM Police's chief of staff and acting AMISOM Police Commissioner, said in a statement issued in Mogadishu that the AU mission may also deploy a contingent of formed police unit in the town, to assist in joint security operations. The deployment of police officers to Dhobley is in fulfillment of the UN Security Council Resolution 2431(2018), which calls for a reduction of uniformed personnel and increased presence of the AU police in the country, to support the expansion and maintenance of law and order. Dhobley and the rest of Lower Jubba region is currently secured by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) under AMISOM. "We are aware of the tremendous responsibility the Kenya Defence Forces of AMISOM have, in securing Dhobley and ensuring that the area is safe. Now is the time to build the local police capacity, so that they can now take charge of the internal security of Dhobley and its environs," Dundun added. The AU police officers will be in Dhobley for the next one year, during which they will bolster the capacity and develop substantial police presence in the entire Lower Jubba region. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 23:31:30|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close BOAO, Hainan, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will accelerate Italy's commercial relationship with China, a senior Italian official said Tuesday. "It is really a project to strengthen friendship between two peaceful countries. It's the basis on which we build commercial and cultural exchanges," said Michele Geraci, undersecretary of state of the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, at a panel discussion of the ongoing Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) annual conference. On March 23, Italy signed a MoU with China to jointly advance the construction of the BRI, becoming the first Group of Seven nation to join the initiative. The signing of the MoU will boost Italy's commercial cooperation with China, which had lagged behind other European countries in the past 10 to 15 years, Geraci said. Geraci said that China and Italy could have win-win cooperation in areas including infrastructure, especially water transport projects. Such initiative will also be important to the country's many small and medium-sized enterprises, and it will be their call to decide on specific projects to participate in. Geraci said that he expected other countries to follow Italy to join the initiative and sign the MoU. The BFA annual conference runs from March 26 to 29 in Boao, a coastal town in China's southern island province of Hainan. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 23:41:35|Editor: yan Video Player Close TIRANA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Albanian State Police started training on Tuesday at the Security Academy here in the capital ahead of the local elections slated for June 30. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the police forces training, Director of the Albanian State Police Ardi Veliu said police is the main actor to guarantee the right to vote for all Albanian citizens as they "operate in accordance with the law." Head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Albania Bernd Borchardt said he was confident that the police forces will remain neutral during the electoral process. "I am sure that the professionalism of public institutions, including state police, will guarantee the people that their votes are really valid and that the final result will reflect the political will of the entire Albanian society," Borchardt said. Albania will hold local elections on June 30. The government has started the preparation for these elections, whereas the opposition parties refused to participate, accusing the Socialist government of being corrupt and linked to organized crime. During the past month, the main opposition Democratic Party and other small parties have organized several protests involving violence calling for early election and refusing to hold dialogue with Prime Minister Edi Rama from the Socialist Party. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 23:46:37|Editor: yan Video Player Close WINDHOEK, March 26 (Xinhua) -- An official with Namibia's main telecommunications firm MTC has hailed the firm's cooperation with Chinese tech giant Huawei. Such a partnership is not only promoting the development of information communication technologies, but also promoting the overall technological progress, said Kim Jin, head of MTC's Account Department, in an interview with Xinhua. The cooperation between MTC and Huawei over the years has brought 3G, 4G, and 4.5G technologies to Namibia, he said. "The two telecommunications partners joined forces to bring world class technologies to Namibia while contributing to the well being of society," he said. Under the partnership with Huawei, Namibia became the first country on the continent to adopt 40G bit/s DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing), an innovative technology used to increase bandwidth over existing fiber networks, in 2011. Among its many achievements including first 4G network in Namibia in 2012 and Africa's first 4.5G network trialed in Namibia in 2016. In 2017, with its '081Every1' initiative, MTC worked with Huawei to provide 100 percent population coverage in Namibia. Namibia's President Hage Geingob had said that companies such as MTC and Huawei are at the forefront of ensuring that Namibia "maintains pace with technological developments by staying ahead of the technology growth curve." Jin said MTC will continue to work with outstanding international vendors including Huawei to bring secure and cutting edge technologies, including cloud and 5G, to Namibia to better serve customers in the southwestern African nation. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-26 23:46:37|Editor: yan Video Player Close BEIJING, March 26 (Xinhua) -- China will work harder this year for a more enabling business environment by tackling areas of weakness to better energize the market and stimulate social creativity, the State Council's executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang decided on Tuesday. Premier Li Keqiang pointed out in the Government Work Report this year that the government will work to energize market entities, and maintain and increase their level of activity by improving business environment and cutting institutional transaction costs. The Tuesday meeting called for redoubled efforts to tackle the pressing issues and measure up to advanced standards in fighting the tough battle of improving the business environment. The government will further streamline administration by cutting procedural requirements, including shortening the negative list on market entry, decoupling business licenses and operating permits, simplifying the reviewing process for construction projects and reducing the types of industrial production permits. The goal is to cut the time required for starting a business to within five working days and for companies to access electricity service to within 45 working days before the end of this year. "Governments at all levels must take improving the business climate as a key measure for stimulating market dynamism. Just as the tax and fee cuts are designed to lessen corporate burdens, improving the business climate is meant to serve the same purpose. In face of fierce international competition, we must tackle all the areas of weakness in our business environment, such as access to credit as well as bankruptcy filing," Li said. It was also decided at the meeting to implement the principle of competitive neutrality, and overhaul the policies and measures that hamper the growth of private businesses or fail to treat domestic and foreign investors as equals. The fair competition review system will be implemented in all governments including and above the county-level before the end of this year. Under this system, all business-related policies shall go through fair competition review and mechanisms for filing complaints and third-party evaluation will be established to forestall or redress any action that precludes or constrains competition. In the meantime, it is imperative to enhance impartial regulation and tackle inadequacies in government oversight or corporate enforcement of their primary responsibilities. In the areas concerning public safety and health, a system of hefty fines and compensations will be set up to hold companies accountable for the grave consequences arising from their breach of law. The meeting also urged to comprehensively enhance the protection of intellectual property and promote credit rating-based regulation to foster a dynamic, fair and orderly market. "We must move quickly to sort through existing decrees to see that our policies are open, transparent and pro-free trade," Li said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 00:16:46|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Tuesday that digital technology can drive growth and efficiency of local service delivery. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the annual Cambodia Outlook Conference under the theme "Digital Transformation towards Industry 4.0," Hun Sen said Industrial Revolution 4.0 is becoming an important catalyst for socio-economic development in Cambodia. "Digital technology can improve public sector capacity for the government, increase accountability and transparency in local service delivery, and assist government at all levels to reach more people," the prime minister said. It could also strengthen cooperation, partnership and innovation within ministry and inter-ministries and other relevant institutions across the country, he said. "To seize the full benefits from digital economy, Cambodia needs to put more efforts in order to promote strong and high economic growth for the long term," Hun Sen said. The one-day conference brought together some 350 participants, including government officials, national and regional experts, academics, and researchers as well as representatives of development partners, non-governmental organizations and private sector. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) also brought Artificial Intelligent Robot Sophia to the conference in order to showcase the development of digital technology and innovation. "With the rise of Industry 4.0, digital transformation could be the new growth engine that Cambodia needs to realize its long-term vision of becoming an upper-middle income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2050," said Mey Kalyan, chairman of the Cambodia Development Resource Institute, which organized the conference. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 00:16:46|Editor: yan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov said on Tuesday he is concerned that "we may once again be facing another dangerous escalation of violence in Gaza with potentially catastrophic consequences." Addressing a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East situation, Mladenov said a rocket was launched from the Gaza Strip on March 25, directly hitting a house in central Israel. Seven family members were injured, including three children. Over the following 24 hours, at least 103 rockets and mortars were fired from Gaza towards Israel, some of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome system, while others caused material damage to a house in Sderot or hit uninhabited areas, he said. The Israeli Air Force conducted 42 strikes on various locations in Gaza, while some 16 shells were fired by the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli navy towards Gaza. According to local sources, seven Palestinians were injured as a result of the strikes. Several buildings were destroyed, including Hamas offices and security buildings, Mladenov added. "The last two days have shown us how precipitously close we are to the brink of war," said Mladenov. He asked the members of the Security Council to call on all sides to exercise maximum restraint as the situation remains very tense. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 00:21:50|Editor: yan Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani security officials said on Tuesday that four terrorists were killed by detonating their explosives after security forces conducted an operation in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province, local media reported. Balochistan Home Secretary Haider Shikoh said at least four security personnel sustained injuries during an exchange of fire when a house in the Naseerabad area of the province was raided over the presence of terrorists, according to the reports. He said the terrorists began firing at the security officials when they reached the house, forcing the latter to retaliate with full force. After the exchange of fire, the terrorists, including a woman, blew themselves up upon finding no way out to escape. According to a senior local police official, a house right next to the terrorists' hideout collapsed due to the explosions, leaving four persons inside that house injured. All the injured people were shifted to hospital, where several among the injured were reported to be in a critical condition. The area surrounding the terrorists' hideout was sealed off as a combing operation went underway in the area following the raid. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 00:21:51|Editor: yan Video Player Close MADRID, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Spanish exports to the United Kingdom will be one of the elements most affected by the process of the UK leaving the European Union (EU), John Wetherell, professor of economics at the EAE Business School, told Xinhua. Just what 'Brexit' will finally look like has still to be agreed by the British Parliament, after the original Brexit agreement Prime Minister Theresa May reached with the EU has been rejected twice by the House of Commons. Frantic debates are now taking place to try and decide the final form of the agreement, but the thing that does look certain is that Spain will be affected one way or another. "Following the economic crisis of 2008, Spain has become a country which exports a lot and it needs foreign markets in order to grow," said Wetherell, explaining that the agricultural and automobile sector would be among the most affected. Wetherell also highlighted that the performance of sterling in the wake of Brexit could affect the numbers of British tourists visiting Spain. Around 17 million Britons visited Spain in 2018, more than from anywhere else in the world, and a fall in the value of the pound could see that number drop significantly. "If the pound falls, Spain will suffer as tourists will go to Turkey or to destinations with currencies weaker than the euro," he commented. Last week saw the Bank of Spain predict that if the UK left the EU without a deal it would cost Spain around 9 billion euros over five years, taking around 0.8 percent off its gross domestic product or GDP. Meanwhile, if the UK leaves with an agreement, Spain's economy would be much less affected, with just 0.2 percent coming off GDP. Wetherell was optimistic that despite warnings to the contrary, Brexit would not have a disastrous effect on the British economy either. "The UK economy has not been badly affected so far by the uncertainty caused by Brexit and this is due to internal consumption... The UK would not be as badly affected as Spain, which needs foreign markets and the UK is an important market for Spain," he said. The professor did warn that the Britain was "very very close to leaving the EU without an agreement," but he is confident of "a last-hour agreement to save the situation." Monday saw the House of Commons vote to take control of the Brexit process from Theresa May, but members of parliament hold very different views about what should happen now. Opinions in the UK Parliament range from preferring a no-deal Brexit to supporting May's deal, holding a second Brexit referendum or even cancelling Brexit completely. There are even rumors that May could offer to resign in a last ditch attempt to bring Conservative Party opponents into line to get her deal passed and it is safe to say that nobody knows what the coming days will bring. (1 euro currently equals to 1.13 U.S. dollars) Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 00:26:52|Editor: yan Video Player Close TIRANA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Over 20 diplomatic service employees who allegedly "do not meet the criteria" have been dismissed from the Albanian Foreign Ministry, Gent Cakaj, Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, said here on Tuesday. Cakaj told a press conference that the government's reformist agenda does not coincide with nepotism in any sector. "Over the past five years, Albania's Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has been putting a lot of effort into setting up an excellent diplomatic service," Cakaj said. According to him, a working group charged with examining the quality management of human resources at the Albanian state's diplomatic service has been set up to pursue this goal. Moreover, Cakaj invited all interested parties to apply for the vacancies in the diplomatic group. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who is also Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, delegated, on Jan. 23, the task of directing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Cakaj. Cakaj, 28, was chosen by Rama during the reshuffle of about half of his cabinet last December in response to student protests against a law on higher education. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 00:26:54|Editor: yan Video Player Close QUNEITRA, Syria, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Tens of Syrians gathered on Tuesday in the city of al-Baath in southern Quneitra province to protest the U.S. recognition of the Syrian Golan Heights as part of Israel. Waving the Syrian flags, the people chanted slogans stressing that the Golan Heights are part of Syrian territory and carried banners reading "All of us for Golan" and "Golan is a Syrian area." The popular outrage comes against the decision of U.S. President Donald Trump to recognize the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the war in 1967 and annexed the territory in 1981. Holding the Syrian flag, Bilal Sulaiman, 40 years old, told Xinhua that Trump doesn't have the right to grant a Syrian land to the Israelis. "The Golan is Syrian territory, not only on paper but with its people, its land and rocks and water. It's a Syrian land and this is its identity," he said. Wearing the traditional attire of the people of Golan and Quneitra, Jawdat al-Tawil, 60 years old, said the Syrian people completely reject Trump's announcement. "We, the people of Golan, are Syrian citizens and we reject the decision of Trump and we don't even recognize such decisions because Golan is a Syrian area and everything in it is Syrian," al-Tawil told Xinhua. For his part, head of the Quneitra Council Shehadeh al-Muri said the Golan Heights belong to the Syrian people. "This land has owners and is not related by any means to the Zionist entity (Israel). It's fortified by its people and one day it will inevitably be liberated," he said. Quneitra is adjacent to the Golan Heights and there is a crossing between Quneitra and the Golan Heights run by the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). The crossing had been closed for many years during the crisis but was reopened in October last year. The Quneitra crossing was the only crossing for the Syrians in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights to enter Syria, but people in the Syrian side are not allowed to enter the Golan Heights. Syrian students of the Golan Heights had used the crossing ahead of the Syrian crisis to study in Syria. Also, there have been marriages between Syrians in Golan and Quneitra in the past. The UNDOF forces were first deployed between Syria and the Golan Heights in 1974 to separate Syrian and Israeli forces after Israel occupied the Golan Heights during the 1967 war. A day earlier, the Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned Trump's recognition of the Syrian Golan Heights as Israeli territory. The ministry said in a statement that Trump's move is a "flagrant violation of the sovereignty of Syria," adding that the Syrian government completely rejects the decision and the Golan Heights will always remain as Syrian territory. "Trump does not have the legal right to legitimize the occupation of others' land by force," the ministry said. Recognizing the Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights has been a recent demand by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which comes months after the Trump administration moved the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the contested city of Jerusalem. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 00:31:56|Editor: yan Video Player Close DAMASCUS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- At least seven fighters of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were killed overnight by a surprise attack of Islamic State (IS) sleeper cells in northern Syria, a war monitor reported Tuesday. The IS operatives launched their surprise attack against the SDF at a checkpoint between the city of Manbij, in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo province, and the provincial city of Aleppo, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Britain-based watchdog said three other SDF fighters were wounded and search is underway for the perpetrators. The attack comes days after the SDF rounded up tens of sleeper cells of IS in Manbij. The observatory said that between 4,000 and 5,000 IS sleeper cells are present in areas controlled by the SDF in northern Syria. On March 23, the SDF declared the elimination of the IS organization in eastern Syria and the end of the self-declared "caliphate" in the war-torn country. University of Cincinnati provides road map to combat human trafficking in Ohio More than 1,000 victims of human trafficking in Ohio have been identified thanks to a University of Cincinnati study published Tuesday, March 26, by the Ohio Department of Public Safety's Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS). An additional 4,209 individuals were considered to be at risk of trafficking victimization during the same period. The UC study, titled "Estimating the Prevalence of Human Trafficking in Ohio," examined data from 14 distinct sources that included child welfare, law enforcement, legal and juvenile justice agencies, primarily from the years 2014 through 2016. UC researchers then processed the information into a single database with a common set of measures. The process included identifying and removing duplicate victim records. An estimated 1,032 victims were identified. "This study demonstrates that it is imperative that Ohio's child welfare and juvenile justice systems are equipped with appropriate resources to identify and serve victims of human trafficking and the youth who are at risk to be victimized," said Governor Mike DeWine. The study, which was funded by a $100,000 OCJS grant, is the first of its kind to use individual case records to identify human trafficking victims as defined by the federal Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. Past estimates had relied upon methods such as random samplings of polls, self-reporting in surveys and computer models. "Obtaining reliable data is essential to implementing informed anti-trafficking policy," said Sophia Papadimos, state anti-trafficking coordinator. "The University of Cincinnati and collaborating partners have equipped the state with new prevalence estimates that will help guide Ohio's human trafficking response efforts." The estimates of known victims and at-risk individuals "are likely very conservative relative to the true number of victims," according to the UC study. "Human trafficking victims are particularly hard to identify because they rarely self-identify as a victim while being trafficked." Additionally, a number of records on human trafficking were unavailable to the research team because of agency restrictions and other factors. "Ohio has made tremendous progress toward understanding and combating human trafficking, and this study further demonstrates the state's commitment to that end," said UC assistant professor of criminal justice Valerie Anderson, the study's principal investigator. "We are hopeful that the findings of this study -- which include an inventory of data capacity and tracking capabilities -- will lead to the creation of tools and systems that will ultimately help identify and respond to victims of human trafficking." The study found that law enforcement, courts, child welfare services and other agencies use disparate recordkeeping systems that are unable to easily integrate or share information. The study's conclusions include recommendations to optimize data collection among the agencies involved in combating human trafficking. Recommended are: The creation of a uniform reporting system for agencies serving vulnerable populations to trace trafficking cases and risk factors while preventing the creation of duplicate reports; Incentives for agencies to implement this system, along with training for law enforcement and other service providers who are likely to interact with potential trafficking victims; Prioritizing the collection of socio-demographic information, such as race, ethnicity and foreign national status; and Integration of strategies that researchers have used to measure other hard-to-reach or hidden populations, such as behavioral screening and assessment tools. The findings emphasize the importance of working toward identifying individuals not reached by existing systems -- individuals who could have different experiences than those eventually identified by formal systems. Risk factors of human trafficking among minors Individuals ages 17 and under who exhibited a history of four or more of the following were considered to be at risk of human trafficking victimization by a child welfare agency examined in the study: Child sexual abuse Running away (four or more times in the prior year) Homelessness Truancy Juvenile court involvement Child Protective Services involvement, including foster care Drug use Psychiatric admissions Multiple sexual partners Sexually transmitted diseases and/or pregnancy ### This story has been published on: 2019-03-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 00:31:57|Editor: yan Video Player Close ARUSHA, Tanzania, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian police on Tuesday announced the killing of five suspected armed robbers in western part of the nation. Martin Otieno, Kigoma Regional Police Commander, said that the incident occurred after the suspected robbers engaged in a gunfire exchange with the police at the Rusohoko village forest along the Kibondo-Kasulu road. He said the police were in routine patrols around the area when the suspects attempted to block vehicles on Kibondo-Kasulu road to rob the passersby. Otieno said that two police officers were injured in the gunfire exchange. "We will continue conducting patrols everyday as we target to end all the types of crime in our region. We are still searching for other suspected bandits who disappeared into the Rusohoko forest," he said. The regional police chief assured the public that his force was well prepared to fight against people who are involving in criminal acts. Reports have it that in recent months, there have been increased public concerns on the increased crime in western Tanzania's district of Kibondo. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 00:36:57|Editor: yan Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan has introduced a new civil aviation policy in order to facilitate and benefit tourists and boost the country's aviation industry, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Tuesday. Addressing a media briefing here after a federal cabinet meeting, Chaudhry said taxes and related charges have been reduced to zero for aviation services using a maximum of 40-seater airplanes for carrying people to areas of tourist interest. He said e-visa facility was being provided to five countries including China, Britain, Turkey, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates, adding that next month, 170 other countries and regions will be given e-visa facility, while people from 58 countries and regions can get visa on arrival at the airport. He said the Pakistani Interior Ministry in a notification issued earlier in the day has ended its regime of acquiring No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for foreign tourists. "Foreigners will no more need to have NOC to move in the country," he added. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 00:41:59|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close JUBA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan said Tuesday it has reached an agreement with Chinese firm Shandong Hi-Speed Group Co., Ltd (SDHS) to embark on construction of major highways linking the capital Juba to the remote countryside. Rebecca Joshua Okwaci, minister of roads and bridges said the move will boost peace and trade besides helping connect people across the country that have suffered a five-year-long conflict. "Together we are celebrating the signing of the agreement witnessed by the President (Salva Kiir). The President has encouraged us with a policy of oil for development for which we are now embarking on the first ever construction of one of the roads in South Sudan that will be followed by other roads," she told journalists in Juba during inspection of the road equipment. Okwaci disclosed the first phase will soon start with construction of the Juba-Terekeka-Yirol to Rumbek road. "We believe that roads are peace, roads are stability, trade, connectivity of the people and country," added Okwaci. She lauded the Chinese government for supporting infrastructure development in the youngest nation which currently has only one major tarmacked highway, the Juba-Nimule, a gateway to Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa. Li Chao, SDHS representative in South Sudan, lauded the South Sudanese government for trusting the company with the major road construction project. "Yesterday (Monday) we signed a multi-party agreement and contract agreement with ministry of roads, petroleum and finance. So we extend our great gratitude to the people of South Sudan and the trust given by the government of South Sudan for this project," he said. "We have done a lot of preparation for the implementation of this project including the mobilization of all the machinery to speed up our implementation and construction of the project," he added. "We are confident that we can deliver a satisfying project to the people of South Sudan and also take this opportunity to take root in South Sudan and serve for the people of South Sudan," Li said further. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 00:47:00|Editor: yan Video Player Close JERUSALEM, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel had carried out the largest strike on militant sites in Gaza since 2014 and threatened to launch more strikes. Netanyahu made the remarks during a speech via satellite to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) annual gathering in Washington. The speech was broadcast from the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv because Netanyahu decided to cut short his visit to the United States in the wake of an escalation of tension with Gaza after a long-range rocket hit a home in central Israel on Monday. He landed in Israel earlier on Tuesday and headed directly to the Defense Ministry for security consultations, his office said. "In the last 24 hours, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) destroyed major Hamas terrorist installations on a scale not seen since the end of the military operation in Gaza four years ago," he said. "Now I just come from a meeting with our Chief of Staff and our senior command," he added. "And I can tell you, we are prepared to do a lot more." Israeli warplanes and helicopters carried out dozens of airstrikes overnight between Monday and Tuesday, targeting 15 militant sites, according to the Israeli army. Among these sites were the headquarters of Hamas Chairman Ismail Haniyeh, which was destroyed to the ground. Militants in Gaza responded with a barrage of rockets launched towards communities in southern Israel. An Israeli military spokesperson said at least 30 short-range rockets were launched, triggering air raid warning sirens and the Iron Dome anti-rocket system. One rocket hit a residential home in the southern city of Sderot, causing damage but no injuries. A tensed calm was restored on Tuesday after an unofficial Egyptian-brokered cease-fire was achieved. However, Netanyahu was under pressure by some of his far-right coalition partners to continue pounding Gaza. Naftali Bennett, leader of the ultra-nationalist party the "New Right" and a cabinet minister, urged Netanyahu to "wipe out" Hamas leadership in Gaza. The escalation came in a sensitive time, ahead of Israel's April 9 general elections and before Hamas' anniversary of the "Great March of Return," the weekly protests along the Gaza-Israel fence that began on March 30, 2018. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 00:52:02|Editor: yan Video Player Close LAGOS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's police on Tuesday said unknown gunmen have kidnapped a Catholic priest at Ankuwa village in the troubled Kachia area of Kaduna state in the northern part of the country. State police spokesman Yakubu Sabo, who made this known to reporters in Kaduna, said operatives were already combing the village with the view to rescue John Bako Shekwolo and arrest the abductors of the priest. Shekwolo was abducted on Monday night, said Sabo. The Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna said the abducted cleric is the parish priest of St. Theresa's Catholic Church in Kachia area of the state. A statement signed by the Chancellor of Archdiocese Daniel Kyom asked members and other well-wishers to offer prayers for the release of the priest. Kyom also called on the kidnappers to release the cleric unharmed. The Kaduna state has witnessed a series of attacks by unknown gunmen since February, leading to hundreds of deaths. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 01:02:06|Editor: yan Video Player Close ALGIERS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Algerian Army Chief of Staff Ahmed Gaed Salah on Tuesday called for the dismissal of the President Abdelaziz Bouteflika for health-related reasons. "We must adopt a consensus solution that meets all legitimate demands of the Algerian people and respects the Constitution, and guarantees the continuity of the state's sovereignty," said the army chief. He called for the use of Article 102 of the Constitution, which allows the Constitutional Council to declare the position of president vacant when the country's leader is unable to perform his duty "because of serious and lasting illness." The opposition party has been calling for the implementation of the Article 102 since 2013, when Bouteflika suffered a stroke, and has since rarely made public appearances. On March 11, Bouteflika postponed the presidential elections scheduled for April 18, and pledged not to run for a fifth term in office, after nationwide protests broke out against his earlier decision to pursue a fifth presidential term. In case Article 102 is implemented, Speaker of the Council of the Nation (upper house of parliament), Abdelkader Bensalah, would rule the country for a transition period of 135 days to prepare for the election of a new president. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 01:07:08|Editor: yan Video Player Close TORONTO, March 26 (Xinhua) -- A suspect involved in the alleged kidnapping of a Chinese student in Toronto has been arrested, said York Regional Police Tuesday. However, the kidnapped student named Wanzhen Lu has not been located, according to the police. On early Tuesday morning, the police arrested a man aged 35 in the City of Toronto. The man is believed to be involved in the kidnapping of the Chinese student. "His name will not be released at this time as he has not been charged as of yet," said the police in a press release. "With this new development, the suspects are once again urged to release Mr. Lu unharmed. We strongly recommend they seek legal counsel and turn themselves in," the police added in the statement. On Monday, the vehicle involved in the kidnapping of 22-year-old Chinese student Wanzhen Lu in Canada was recovered after the police received tips from the public that led them to a location in Toronto where the vehicle used in the kidnapping was found. The vehicle was not occupied at the time. On Saturday evening, Lu was kidnapped by masked and armed suspects in an underground parking garage of a condo building in Markham of Toronto area when he and his Chinese friend got out of their vehicle. Three armed suspects forced the student into a black minivan and fled from the underground parking garage. Police said that there are four suspects, including the vehicle driver in the alleged abduction. "We have been in close contact and communication with the police, urging them to rescue the kidnapped student as soon as possible. The police said that they are doing their best to solve the case. We have also contacted the student's parents in China," said a spokesman of the Chinese Consulate-General in Toronto. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 01:57:22|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of a global governance forum co-hosted by China and France in Paris, France, March 26, 2019. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) PARIS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel here on Tuesday and put forward a three-point proposal on the further development of China-Germany relations. The two leaders met on the sidelines of a global governance forum co-hosted by China and France. China-Germany practical cooperation has maintained a sound momentum of development despite an increase of volatility and uncertainty in the current international situation, Xi said. China was Germany's largest trading partner for a third consecutive year in 2018, with a nearly 140 percent increase in German companies' actual investment in China, he said. China, Xi told Merkel, has set its goals and ideas that it would continue to deepen reform, expand opening-up and promote high-quality economic development. Noting that China stands firm in sticking to opening-up, Xi said China is also sincere in advancing and expanding its cooperation with Germany and with the European Union (EU). China is willing to join efforts with Germany to continue to expand and consolidate the basis of China-Germany cooperation, so as to bring more benefits to the two peoples, he said. Recalling that Merkel has repeatedly expressed her firm belief in win-win cooperation, the president said China also considers joint cooperation, mutual benefits and win-win results the only right choice in resolving various global problems. Under the current circumstances, the significance of strengthening China-Germany and China-EU cooperation is beyond the bilateral scope, Xi said, putting forward a three-point proposal on the next-stage development of China-Germany ties. Firstly, the two countries should deepen their bilateral cooperation to set an example of win-win cooperation for the world, Xi said. Noting that China and Germany are not rivals nor adversaries, Xi said seeking win-win results through cooperation is the main thread in China-Germany ties, and urged the two sides to boost cooperation in such fields as artificial intelligence, automatic driving, new materials, new energy, life sciences and smart city. Xi said he hopes that Germany would create a friendly and open policy environment for Chinese enterprises to invest and develop in Germany. Secondly, the Chinese president proposed that the two countries take the lead in China-EU cooperation to inject more stability into the world. China sees Europe as an important force in promoting world multipolarization, and has always been a staunch supporter for Europe's path of unity and self-improvement, Xi said. With China and Europe being the world's two major forces of stability and two major economies, the steady growth of their relations conforms to the common interests of both sides, and is conducive to increasing stability in the complex and ever-changing world today, he said. China hopes that Germany would exert an important and positive influence on helping the EU to focus on cooperation and avoid disturbance, he added. Thirdly, the two countries should jointly advance global governance to safeguard multilateralism, Xi said. China is willing to work with Germany to uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, he said, urging the two sides to enhance coordination within the framework of the Group of Twenty to make greater contributions to improving global economic governance. The Belt and Road Initiative is conducive to promoting international economic cooperation and building an open world economy, Xi told Merkel, pledging to expand third-party cooperation with the German side. Merkel said Germany and China share broad common interests, with sound development of bilateral ties in recent years, and close communication and cooperation at all levels and in various fields. Germany would like to deepen its economic and trade relations with China in the digital age, and is willing to actively participate in the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Merkel said. Germany is looking forward to fully utilizing the market opportunities brought by China's further opening-up, and will provide a fair and favorable market environment for Chinese enterprises to invest and start business in Germany, she said. The chancellor noted that her country is committed to promoting EU-China cooperative relations and stands for joint efforts of the EU and China in safeguarding multilateralism. Xi arrived in Paris from the southern French city of Nice on Monday to continue his state visit to France. France is the final stop of Xi's three-nation Europe tour, which has already taken him to Italy and Monaco. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 01:57:23|Editor: yan Video Player Close KHARTOUM, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Sudan on Tuesday condemned a decision by the U.S. administration recognizing Israel's sovereignty over Golan Heights. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns, in the strongest terms, the decision of the U.S. administration recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the occupied Golan," said Sudan's Foreign Ministry in a statement. "The decision constitutes a clear violation of the international legitimacy and the concerned resolutions of the UN Security Council," said the ministry. It added that the U.S. move legalizes occupation and aggression, and undermines the principles of the international law. The ministry further reiterated that the unilateral American decision would not change the legal status of the Syrian Golan Heights. It urged the international community to reject the U.S. decision as it represents a flagrant challenge to the international legitimacy and a threat to the international peace and security. U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognizing the Israeli sovereignty over Syria's Golan Heights which Israel occupied in 1967 and annexed it soon after. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 02:07:24|Editor: yan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council members from the European Union said Tuesday that they do not recognize Israel's sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights. The five members -- Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, and Poland -- issued a joint statement after U.S. President Donald Trump's Monday proclamation to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the territory that Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981. "Our position on the status of the Golan Heights is well-known, and we would like to make it clear that this position has not changed. In line with international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, notably Resolutions 242 and 497, we do not recognize Israel's sovereignty over the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967, including the Golan Heights, and we do not consider them to be part of the territory of the State of Israel," said the statement, which was read out to reporters by Belgian UN ambassador Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve. "Annexation of territory by force is prohibited under international law. Any declaration of a unilateral border change goes against the foundation of the rules-based international order and the UN Charter." The EU members of the Security Council also raised strong concerns about broader consequences of recognizing illegal annexation and about the broader regional consequences. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 02:07:24|Editor: yan Video Player Close OSLO, March 26 (Xinhua) -- An avalanche in Norway's northern county of Nordland has killed two people, news agency NTB reported Tuesday. According to Tore Hongset, rescue leader from the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (HRS), it was unlikely that there were more people in the avalanche masses. The two people were driving construction machinery on a road in the area when a 200-meter-wide avalanche happened around noon on Tuesday. Rescue personnel from the fire service, police and volunteers were transported to the site and quickly located the machinery buried in the snow, about 15 meters from the road. "At a few minutes' intervals, the two men were excavated and confirmed dead," Bent Are Eilertsen, chief of staff at the Nordland police district, said in a press release. The police had warned against driving in the area because of threatening snow masses. The police themselves had to use a Sea King rescue helicopter to transport rescue personnel, dogs and equipment because of the difficult conditions, NTB reported. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 02:12:25|Editor: yan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli ambassador to the United Nations said Tuesday that his country would continue to strike Gaza unless attacks on Israel from Gaza were to stop. Israel on Monday launched strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza after a rocket from Gaza struck a home in central Israel earlier Monday that wounded seven people. The injured include a grandmother, a baby and two children, Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador, told reporters. "Make no mistake. We will not accept a reality in which our children become targets of Hamas. We are determined to protect our people. If these terror attacks continue, the leaders of Hamas will feel the might of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and will be buried in the tunnels of Gaza," said Danon. The ambassador displayed a photo of the house that was hit by the rocket on Monday. He said the house in the community of Mishmeret, north of Tel Aviv, is just a few hundred feet away from his own home. Asked whether the Israeli military action in Gaza would continue, Danon said: "We are ready for all scenarios. We targeted Hamas sites and we will continue to do so." The ambassador said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has returned to Israel from the United States and was meeting with military leaders. Netanyahu cut short his Washington trip after Monday's rocket attack. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 02:17:27|Editor: yan Video Player Close SKOPJE, March 26 (Xinhua) -- North Macedonia's President Gjorge Ivanov refused to decree three laws passed by the Parliament, local media reported on Tuesday. Ivanov refused to sign and send back to Parliament the Law on Protection Against Discrimination, the Law on the Operational Technical Agency and the Law on Electronic Communications. Ivanov said that he would not sign the laws due to his "solemn vow to protect the Constitution and the interests of the country." While commending on the refusal to endorse the laws, the ruling SDSM lawmaker Jagoda Shahpaska said the president was undermining the efforts for the protection against discrimination. Under the regulation the laws will be voted again by the Parliament and after being adopted will be publicized on the Official Gazette. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 02:27:29|Editor: yan Video Player Close by Wang Zichen BRUSSELS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese technology firm Huawei's chief representative to the European Union (EU) said on Tuesday that it welcomes the objective approach of the European Commission's recommendation on 5G security. "Huawei welcomes the objective and proportionate approach of the European Commission's recommendation on 5G security. Huawei understands the cybersecurity concerns that European regulators have. Based on mutual understanding, Huawei looks forward to contributing to the European framework on cybersecurity," said a statement emailed to Xinhua. "We are firmly committed to continuing working with all regulators and partners to make the 5G rollout in Europe a success," read the statement. The statement is attributed to Abraham Liu, chief representative of Huawei to the EU institutions, on the occasion of the publication of the European Commission's recommendation on security for 5G on Tuesday. The European Commission announced a series of operational measures in its recommendation on Tuesday. At the national level, the European Commission said each member state should complete a national risk assessment of 5G network infrastructures by the end of June 2019, after which they should update existing security requirements for network providers and include conditions for ensuring the security of public networks. At the European Union level, the recommendation said member states should exchange information and complete a coordinated risk assessment by Oct. 1 2019. On that basis, member states would agree on a set of mitigating measures that can be used at national level. The recommendation said member states have the right to exclude companies from their markets for national security reasons, and possible risks in relation to third-country should be assessed, but did not single out any particular company or country of origin. Huawei, headquartered in Shenzhen, southern China, is a global leader in information and communication technology. One of Huawei's major businesses is to sell equipment, software and services to telecom operators which provide Internet, broadband, wireless, plus fixed and mobile phone services Huawei's partners in Europe include big-name telecom operators such as Deutsche Telekom, British Telecom, Vodafone, Orange, Proximus and others. The Chinese company has more than 12,000 employees in Europe, over 70 percent of whom are hired locally, according to Huawei. In 2018, the company procured goods and services worth 6.3 billion U.S. dollars from Europe. Huawei has been a target of the U.S., which, despite offering no evidence to support its claims, said the Chinese company could be a security threat to Europe. The U.S. campaign to ban Huawei has been met with suspicion and resistance here in Europe, with heads of businesses saying banning Huawei could put back 5G rollout in Europe. Banning Huawei in Europe would be both "expensive" and "hugely disruptive," putting back 5G's arrival in Europe for "two years," the Chief Executive of Vodafone Nick Read said in February. The European Commission recognized the importance of 5G on Tuesday, saying in the recommendation that "Fifth generation (5G) networks will form the future backbone of our societies and economies, connecting billions of objects and systems, including in critical sectors such as energy, transport, banking, and health, as well as industrial control systems carrying sensitive information and supporting safety systems." "5G is also a key asset for Europe to compete in the global market. Worldwide 5G revenues should reach the equivalent of 225 billion euros in 2025. Benefits of 5G introduction across four key industrial sectors, namely automotive, health, transport and energy, may reach 114 billion euros per year," said the recommendation. The European Commission has a 5G Action Plan that sets the target dates of 2020 for commercial launch of 5G in all member states and 2025 for comprehensive roll-out in cities and along major transport paths. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 02:32:31|Editor: yan Video Player Close RABAT, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The growing ties between Chinese and Moroccan peoples have consolidated the basis for cooperation between the two countries, said Li Li, Chinese ambassador to Morocco, in a recent interview with Xinhua. China and Morocco have witnessed in recent years increasing exchanges in sectors including tourism, culture and healthcare, said Li. Since Morocco has announced the visa waiver for Chinese citizens in June 2016, the number of Chinese tourists to Morocco has increased from less than 20,000 per year to some 180,000 in 2018, according to the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism. Tourism serves as an important way to cast away stereotypes of a country, said Li, elaborating that previously, the perception of Moroccans about China is deeply influenced by the Western media, while as more Chinese have travelled here, the Moroccans get to know a real and modern China through communication with Chinese people. Also, the large number of Chinese tourists has generated remarkable revenues for Morocco's tourism-dependent economy, boosting the development of the North African country and promoting trade between the two countries, said Li. The Chinese ambassador hailed tourism as a new form of economic cooperation between China and Africa. "As cooperation based on infrastructure projects or natural resource exploitation is traditionally dominated by large enterprises, tourism usually involves participation of Chinese citizens, adding new insight and vitality to the conventional cooperation." In addition, cultural communication between China and Morocco is flourishing during past years. Since 2009, Morocco has established three Confucius Institutes in Rabat, Casablanca and Tangier respectively, with thousands of registered students. The growing number of Chinese tourists has encouraged many Moroccans to learn Mandarin and know about Chinese culture, and the authorities of both countries have vowed to support Mandarin teaching in Morocco to meet the increasing demand. Last December, the Chinese Culture Center was inaugurated in the Moroccan capital Rabat. A Chinese-themed bookseller and a Chinese medicine center are expected to be launched in Rabat and Casablanca respectively this year. The Chinese Culture Center, set up as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, has held a series of events to let the Moroccans know and understand better about Chinese culture, serving as an important bridge linking peoples of both countries, said Li. Since 1975, a total of 1,784 Chinese medical personnel have provided service to Moroccan people across the country. Now, a medical team of 78 members are helping Moroccans in different regions. The ambassador proudly told Xinhua that the Moroccans are grateful to the help of the Chinese doctors over the past 30 years. "Chefchaouen's health director told me that half of the city's population were born in deliveries that were aided by Chinese doctors." Morocco enjoys a unique geographical advantage, which allows it become an important hub in China-Africa cooperation, China-Arab cooperation and China-EU cooperation, concluded Li. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 02:37:33|Editor: yan Video Player Close JERUSALEM, March 26 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli government official said Tuesday that there is no ceasefire with the Islamic Hamas movement in Gaza Strip and the fighting could resume "at any moment." The official, speaking on conditions of anonymity, said that, contrary to the reports about a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, "there is no ceasefire and the fighting could restart at any moment." "It was decided to reinforce forces and be prepared," the official added. An Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that more forces have been deployed along the fence between Israel the Palestinian enclave. "Following the situation assessment led by the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi ordered a reinforcement of an additional infantry brigade headquarters and an artillery battalion to the southern region," the spokesperson said in a statement. Additionally, more reserve soldiers will be called up, the spokesperson said. The statement came amidst the tense calm restored on Tuesday morning and shortly after the restrictions imposed in the south of Israel on Monday were lifted. The restrictions included blocking of roads for civilians, closing schools, and halting train services in the south. Israel attacked overnight the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip with dozens of airstrikes, targeting Hamas military targets, according to the Israeli army. At least seven Palestinians were wounded, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza. Militants in Gaza later fired at least 30 short-range rockets towards communities in southern Israel. Some of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system while some others fell on open fields, except for one rocket that hit a home in Sderot city. The escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas in Gaza was triggered by a long-range rocket fired from Gaza that exploded in central Israel on Monday, injuring seven people. Tensions have been rising along the Gaza-Israel fence since the Palestinians in Gaza staged weekly rallies from March 30, 2018 to protest the 12-year-long crippling blockade imposed by Israel and Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 02:52:36|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close PARIS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- China and France have pledged to jointly safeguard multilateralism and improve global governance, according to a joint statement issued Tuesday during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the European country. The two countries believe that in the current situation, upholding multilateralism is the best way to advance international cooperation in tackling growing common risks and challenges as well as in safeguarding world peace and prosperity, the joint statement said. On global economic governance, the two countries call for pushing forward the economic globalization towards a more open, transparent, inclusive and non-discriminative system, and safeguarding the rules-based, WTO-centered multilateral trading regime. They will continue to make joint efforts to build an open world economy, reject protectionism in all forms and guarantee a level playing field, added the joint statement. They agree to strengthen China-European Union (EU) ties, support the docking of China's Belt and Road Initiative with the EU's connectivity initiatives including the Euro-Asian connectivity strategy, and strengthen exchanges within the framework of the China-EU Connectivity Platform. The two countries stress that China and the EU are increasingly relying on each other, and that against this backdrop, the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership should be developed to advance global governance reform, and make the multilateral system more effective, better reflect the principle of fairness and justice, and better respond to the challenges in the 21st century. The two countries, in the spirit of mutual benefit, promise to reach an ambitious China-EU comprehensive investment treaty at an early date, which will include market access and investment protection. On climate change, China and France pledge to implement the Paris Agreement in an all-round way. The two countries, said the joint statement, will also work together to push for global concerted efforts to address biodiversity loss, and prepare for the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to be held in China next year. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 02:52:38|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close People walk on the "Peace Bridge" in Derry, a border city in Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, on March 20, 2019. The looming possibility of a hard Irish border that could be created by Brexit causes agony to people in Derry, a border city in Northern Ireland not unfamiliar with dark days of division and violence. (Xinhua/Han Yan) by Xinhua writers Gui Tao, Gu Zhenqiu and Jin Jing BELFAST, Britain, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The looming possibility of a hard Irish border that could be created by Brexit causes agony to people in Derry, a border city in Northern Ireland not unfamiliar with dark days of division and violence. There are widespread concerns in Derry over the inconveniences caused by the possible return after 21 years of border posts, police patrols and security installations prompted by a no-deal Brexit. A hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland could jeopardize the security of the second largest city in Northern Ireland, which manages over 46,600 cross-border journeys each day. John Boyle, mayor of Derry, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview that his city supports the retention of the current soft border that facilitates the movement of people, goods and services. "Brexit has brought very significant challenges," he said. "A no-deal Brexit is potentially a disaster for us." Boyle said Brexit uncertainty has made it very difficult for the city to prepare for eventualities. GAME CHANGER The zigzagging 500-km border that separates the Republic of Ireland from Northern Ireland is embroiled in a tug-of-war at the epicenter of the ongoing Brexit crisis. Britain's withdrawal deal has twice been vetoed by its Parliament in part due to concerns over the Irish border arrangement known as the 'backstop'. According to the European Union (EU), this arrangement is intended as a safeguard mechanism that would keep Britain in a customs union with the EU and would remove the need for checks along the border until a permanent new trading relationship is found. But many pro-Brexit British lawmakers fear the 'backstop' will trap Britain in regulatory lockstep with the EU, insisting they won't vote for a divorce deal unless it is removed. EU leaders, however, said the Withdrawal Agreement they concluded with the British government cannot be reopened. The power struggle over the border could be a game-changer for the island of Ireland and the United Kingdom as a whole. Brexit is set to change the current border between two countries into a border between EU and non-EU areas. The once hardly felt boundary will thus become Britain's first land border with other European countries. Zhang Meifang, Chinese consul general in Belfast, explained to Xinhua that the security situation in Northern Ireland is generally stable and local residents and businesses that are bound to be affected by changes to the status quo on the border are closely following the latest Brexit news. Brian Renaghan, 50, whose farm is split into two by the Irish border - one half in County Armagh in Northern Ireland and the other in County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland, said Brexit had put him into an awkward situation. Along with a hard Brexit would come the disappearance of EU subsidies for half of Renaghan's farm, calling into question whether he and his cattle could continue to move freely as they do now. "The farm has been hijacked by Westminster," he told Xinhua. "They do not understand the rural areas and they do not understand Ireland." The farmer, whose family has been running the border farm for four generations, set up his own blog titled "Brexit Farm" and started unloading both his frustration and his hopes. HORRIFIC MEMORIES The Irish border area was a flashpoint during the decades of conflict that cost over 3,600 lives after the 1960s. The free flow of people and goods across the near-invisible border today underpins both the local economy and Northern Ireland's peace process. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) waged a campaign for the reunification of the island, leading to 30 years of what is known as "the Troubles". British troops patrolled Northern Ireland and communities were divided, becoming no-go area for either Roman Catholics or Protestants. At the height of "the Troubles", many of the 200 recognized border crossings were closed and watchtowers were erected near major border points, manned by armed British troops. The bombings, killings and assassinations came to an end 20 years ago, when an agreement was signed to restore peace to Northern Ireland. Breidge Mcgarvey, a Derry resident whose family lives less than 10 meters from the border, said a hard border is the last thing she wants to see because it may risk damaging peace on the island. She can still remember the checkpoints, barricades and surveillance cameras during "the Troubles" 30 years ago. The social worker is very concerned that they would reappear along with a hard border, and once again severely interfere with her life and privacy. "People here have suffered enough and nobody wants them back again," she said. "They would put fear in people and stress people out." Cormac Toner, 23, who lives in Northern Ireland's Ormagh and crosses the Irish border at least twice on a daily basis to work in the Republic of Ireland, said he is very concerned over the prospect of a hard border. Policemen and barricades that could come back along with a hard border will make people's lives worse, he said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 02:57:40|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close The U.S. Capitol is seen in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 26, 2019. The U.S. House of Representatives failed on Tuesday to override President Donald Trump's veto of a congressional resolution blocking his declaration of a national emergency at the nation's southern border with Mexico. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) WASHINGTON, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. House of Representatives failed on Tuesday to override President Donald Trump's veto of a congressional resolution blocking his declaration of a national emergency at the nation's southern border with Mexico. The lower chamber, controlled by Democrats, voted 248-181, short of the two-thirds majority needed for an override. The national emergency declaration, which Trump made last month in a bid to get funding for the construction of a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, would allow the president to shift billions of U.S. dollars from military construction projects to fulfilling his signature campaign promise. Congress sent a resolution to the White House this month terminating the emergency declaration, which Trump vetoed almost immediately. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 03:12:45|Editor: yan Video Player Close RABAT, March 26 (Xinhua) -- King Abdullah II of Jordan will pay a friendly and working visit to Morocco on Wednesday and Thursday at the invitation of Moroccan King Mohammed VI, the Moroccan Ministry of Royal Household, Protocol and Chancellery announced on Tuesday. During his visit, the Jordanian king will have official talks with his Moroccan counterpart, the ministry noted. The visit reflects the deep relations of friendship, cooperation and solidarity between the two brotherly peoples thanks to the shared will of the two kings, it added. The visit to Morocco is one stop of Jordanian king's international tour that will bring him also to Tunisia, Italy and France. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 03:17:46|Editor: yan Video Player Close RIGA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Latvia will likely delay a planned reform of its renewable energy subsidy scheme, as Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins has advised the parliament to wait with the reform because of legal concerns. Speaking to reporters after Tuesday's cabinet meeting, the prime minister said he recommended against passing the legislation that would do away with the so-called mandatory procurement component, a special charge included in electricity bills to subsidize renewable energy producers. The parliament had planned to ditch the much-criticized subsidy scheme by March 31, as the inclusion of the "green energy" component in electricity bills has caused great discontent among energy consumers. The Economics Ministry warned on Tuesday that an abrupt discontinuation of the renewable energy subsidy scheme might lead to legal disputes, including investment protection lawsuits and complaints to the constitutional court. "The risks of legal action can be significantly reduced by providing compensatory mechanisms and prolonging the transition period," the ministry said. Economics Minister Ralfs Nemiro has now been given two months to work out proposals on how to best phase out the mandatory procurement component system. Karins said that notwithstanding the delay, the mandatory procurement component will eventually disappear from electricity bills. However, the prime minister did not set a new deadline for the reform. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 03:32:51|Editor: yan Video Player Close BUCHAREST, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The Romanian police seized over 1,000 kilograms of high-purity cocaine in the Danube Delta, with a black market value of some 340 million U.S. dollars, the country's anti-organized crime authorities announced Tuesday. The police found on Friday a total of 1,040 kilograms of the drug in an overturned boat and in its surrounding waters near the beach of Sf. Gheorghe, the southernmost estuary of the Danube, according to the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT). DIICOT chief Felix Banila told the briefing on Tuesday that the police had previously traced the source of a one-kilogram-package of cocaine dropped from a van and finally found the bulk of the drug. "Following investigations into the cargo trace, Romanian investigators found....packages wrapped in rubber bottles with the same logo, content and way of packing with the lost package from the van two days before," he said. Drugs were brought with armored cars in Bucharest and the purity of cocaine was 90 percent, showed the result of the analysis. DIICOT determined that the drugs originated in South America and were transported to Romania by sea. Two Serb citizens were detained in Tulcea and the police believed that some Romanians also participated in the case. Because of the geographical location, Romania forms part of the Balkan route for drug smuggling. Cocaine is shipped from South America in large quantities through the ports of the Black Sea and is mainly intended for markets outside the country. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 03:57:54|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on the sidelines of a global governance forum co-hosted by China and France in Paris, France, March 26, 2019. (Xinhua/Gao Jie) PARIS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker met here Tuesday and agreed to strengthen China-European Union (EU) relations and global governance cooperation. The leaders met in the French capital on the sidelines of a global governance forum co-hosted by China and France. Noting the increasing volatility and uncertainty in the international situation with a rising tide of protectionism, Xi said China is willing to work with all parties to firmly uphold multilateralism, improve global governance and jointly address global challenges. China and Europe are two major forces in the world, and are important participants in and constructors of the economic globalization process, Xi said, adding that they share broad common interests. The Chinese president proposed that the two sides join efforts in three aspects. Firstly, they should together uphold multilateralism, Xi said, urging China and Europe to protect the status and authority of the United Nations (UN) and the international system with the UN at its core. China is willing to increase communication and cooperation with Europe within the framework of the UN, and actively strive for more achievements in resolving international disputes by political means, addressing climate change, promoting sustainable development and other fields, Xi said. Secondly, he proposed that China and Europe work to facilitate development and prosperity on the Eurasian continent. China is willing to continue to push forward the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative and the EU's Euro-Asian connectivity strategy, Xi said, adding that China will promote bilateral as well as third-party market cooperation to realize mutual benefits and win-win results for all parties. Thirdly, China and Europe should improve strategic mutual trust, he said. China has always regarded the EU as a strategic partner of cooperation and supported the EU's solidarity, stability and prosperity, Xi said. Stressing that China and Europe share far more common interests than differences, the Chinese president urged both sides to take the lead in upholding peace, development and win-win cooperation, and make the cake of cooperation bigger. China stands ready to work with European countries to promote the development of China-Europe ties, he said. Speaking of their meeting, Macron said it has sent a positive signal to the international community that the EU and China firmly uphold multilateralism. Meanwhile, France and China have inked a joint statement on jointly safeguarding multilateralism and improving global governance, which fully demonstrates the strategic nature of their cooperation, Macron said. France and the EU are willing to further enhance mutual trust with China, and together shoulder the historic responsibility of promoting world peace, security and development, he said. Noting that the world today is faced with many difficult problems regarding peace and development, Merkel underlined China's success and huge achievements in lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. Germany attaches importance to China's key role in international affairs, highly appreciates China's support for Europe's prosperity, and is willing to work with China to advance the process of multilateralism, she said. Juncker said the EU and China, as cooperation partners, could do great things together for the world. The EU stands ready to accelerate cooperation with China and play a positive role in jointly addressing global challenges, he said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 03:57:54|Editor: yan Video Player Close BERLIN, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Two speeders received a life sentence for murder after causing a fatal accident with an uninvolved driver during a high-speed crash in Berlin, the responsible regional court in Berlin announced on Tuesday. "The defendants have played with the lives of other people for no reason," said the presiding judge at the Berlin regional court, Matthias Schertz. "What happened had nothing to do with negligence," added Schertz. In an illegal street race on Berlin's highly frequented Kurfuerstendamm and Tauentzienstrasse in 2016, the two men had been driving at excessive speeds of over 170 kilometers per hour and were running red traffic lights. The German court stated that the two men "deliberately accepted the death of other traffic participants". During the race, the car of one of the defendants collided with the vehicle of an uninvolved man who died at the scene of the accident. After the collision, the scene of the accident had looked "like a terrorist attack", commented presiding judge Schertz. The case had been renegotiated at the Berlin regional court after the Federal Court of Justice (BGH), Germany's highest court, had overturned an earlier verdict due to insufficient proof of the defendants' intentions. In the earlier verdict from 2017 that was found valid on Tuesday, the two defendants had already received life sentences by the Berlin regional court for causing the fatal accident. It was the first time in Germany that participants of an illegal car race were sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. "Today's verdict is not yet final," the court announced and German media reported that the attorney of one of the defendants announced to have already filed an appeal against the verdict. In this case, Germany's highest court, the BGH, will once again have to deal with the two speeders for a final decision. U.S. President Donald Trump (L) meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018. (Xinhua/Lehtikuva/Heikki Saukkomaa) MOSCOW, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Russia is ready to make further efforts to enhance economic cooperation with the United States, which currently falls short of its potential, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday. Putting it mildly, Russia-U.S. cooperation is below its potential. "We would like to add additional impetus to our economic and investment cooperation," Lavrov said at a meeting with representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia. In this regard, the presidents of the two countries discussed the idea of setting up a coordinating business council involving top executives of five to seven private companies from each side at their meeting in Helsinki last July, according to Lavrov. The top diplomat praised steadily growing bilateral trade and investment between Russia and the United States, which reflects mutual interest of their business communities. "We would like to attract foreign business, including from the United States, and create favorable conditions for it. We hope for a reciprocal favorable attitude towards Russian business circles," Lavrov said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 04:17:58|Editor: yan Video Player Close BEIRUT, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday urged Arabs to continue resisting Israel's violations and aggression in the region, in response to the U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights. "The only way for the Syrians to restore their authority over the Golan Heights, and for the Lebanese to regain Shabaa farms, Kfar Shuba hills and Ghajar village in addition to retaining full rights in their oil, gas and water resources, and for the Palestinians to get their full rights is through resistance," Nasrallah said in a televised speech on Al Manar TV. Nasrallah said that it has become obvious that U.S. President Donald Trump, who signed a declaration recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, does not recognize or respect the role of the United Nations and any international resolutions, or even the UN Security Council itself. He said that Trump's move proves that international organizations are incapable of protecting the nations' rights. "Countries all over the world, even those that are allied with the U.S., believe that the Golan is an Arab Syrian territory occupied by Israel," Nasrallah said. He said that the Arab reaction to Trump's move should be to withdraw the Arab Peace Initiative during the Arab League Summit which will take place later this month in Tunisia. "This is the least that Arab leaders can do if they still have any dignity at all," he said. The Arab Peace Initiative is a proposal for an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict which was endorsed by the Arab League in 2002 at the Beirut Summit. Nasrallah refuted U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's speech during his recent visit in Lebanon, which accused Hezbollah of preventing the Lebanese from living their dreams by threatening the country's internal stability. "Pompeo attacked Hezbollah while he did not mention the Israeli's invasion of Lebanon and its crimes in Lebanon's Al Khiyam and Ansar and in Palestine. He did not mention either Israel's violations of Lebanon's sovereignty every day or Israel's threats to destroy Lebanon and preventing the country from benefiting from its oil and gas resources," the Hezbollah leader said. Nasrallah said that the Lebanese people's dream is to regain their occupied territories and to live in peace and prosperity, and Hezbollah is working on reaching these goals. "It is Israel that is preventing the Lebanese people from reaching their goals," he said. He added that Hezbollah has huge military power but it never uses it to threaten Lebanon's internal stability. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 04:28:00|Editor: yan Video Player Close LISBON, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Portugal's budget deficit fell to 0.5 percent of GDP in 2018, its best result since the country's return to democracy in 1974, the National Statistics Institute (INE) revealed on Tuesday. The INE reported a public administration deficit of 913 million euros (1,029 U.S. dollars) for 2018, a major improvement on 2017's figure of 5.77 billion euros. Government forecasts had been revised down several times, from 1.1 percent in the 2018 State Budget of Q4 2017, to 0.7 percent in the Stability Program presented to the European Union in April 2018. In February this year, Mario Centeno, Portugal's finance minister, said he was expecting 0.6 percent. Not only did the actual figure of 0.5 percent beat even that, but the INE told ECO, an online economics magazine, that it might be revised lower still. There are good indications that the final reading, due for release in September 2019, may see the figure nudge down to 0.4 percent. By way of comparison, the 2017 budget deficit came in at 3 percent. That figure was skewered by the near 4 billion euro recapitalization of Caixa Geral de Depositos bank. Without the recapitalization, the score would have been 0.9 percent. But the 2018 figure likewise included over 1 billion euros worth of cash injections, to Novo Banco, the legacy bank of the failed Banco Espirito Santo (BES), and to the BES investor credit recovery fund. According to the INE, "the improved balance in 2018 was principally determined by an increase to current account revenues, especially to tax receipt and social security contributions, a reflection of developments in economic activity and employment." Indeed the INE also announced on Tuesday that tax revenues in 2018 accounted for 35.4 percent of GDP, a highest level since 1995. Portugal's prime minister, Antonio Costa, called the day's data "historic and honorable." In comments reported by Portuguese Lusa News Agency, he said "this is not the result of spending cuts or raised taxes, but of economic growth." Centeno agreed, saying the positive results "didn't require a miracle" but were the product of economic policy. "Portugal has won in its bid for credibility," he said. The INE and the government expect the deficit to come in at 0.2 percent in 2019. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 04:28:00|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close Mayor of Derry John Boyle is seen during an interview with Xinhua in Derry, a Northern Ireland border city in the United Kingdom, on March 20, 2019. The "backstop," a mechanism to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland after Brexit, is "vital" for Northern Ireland, said John Boyle, mayor of British city Derry which sits on the border. (Xinhua/Han Yan) by Xinhua writers Jin Jing, Gu Zhenqiu, Gui Tao DERRY, Britain, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The "backstop", a mechanism to avoid a hard border between Britain and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit, is "vital" for Northern Ireland, said John Boyle, mayor of British city Derry which sits on the border. "From my perspective, the backstop is vital in terms of retaining that particular element of the relationship between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland," the mayor told Xinhua in an exclusive interview. FREE MOVEMENT ESSENTIAL According to the Brexit deal, the "backstop" will be applied after Brexit until there is an alternative in place between Britain and the European Union (EU) that prevents a hard border. Boyle said about 15,000 people or 30 percent of the workforce in Derry, also known as Londonderry, travel daily from Ireland to work and many thousands travel from Ireland to Derry to seek education in colleges and universities. "The most important solution around Brexit is that we retain that soft border that there always will be a freedom of movement for people, for services, for goods,"he said. The "backstop" has remained the sticking point in British Prime Minister Theresa May's hard-brokered Brexit deal that had been rejected overwhelmingly twice by the parliament since January. Hardcore Brexiteers fear that the backstop will trap Northern Ireland and thus Britain in the EU, threaten the country's integrity and comprise its right to strike trade deals with third parties. The mayor noted that during the 2016 referendum, 56 percent of the population of Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU while almost 80 percent of voters in his constituency voted for Britain to remain. "For us, the relationship with the European Union is very, very important, because European structural funds and European financial support has meant so much to our city and also for business. And to break that relationship is something that's very worrying as we go forward," he said. BACKSTOP VITAL FOR PEACE Boyle said the backstop is vital in the sense that it is framed in the Good Friday Agreement that ended decades of conflicts known as the Troubles between the north and the south that took at least 3,000 lives. The Good Friday Agreement, signed in 1998, secured the peace in the region, while essentially erasing the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "I think you have to bear in mind the political situation here in Northern Ireland is very different from the political situation anywhere else," he said. "Without a backstop, there may well be very significant challenges for us and the future, and that is something that many people are concerned about," he said. The support of the EU was "very, very vital" during the building of peace process, he said. "We are still in a situation where we require that sort of financial assistance here in Northern Ireland," he added. The mayor said he would favor a second referendum to break the Brexit impasse and he hoped the result would be different. During the 2016 referendum, people had no idea what they were voting for, he said. "People didn't know what they were voting for. They didn't know what their future might be, " he said "It would be my view that if there's a deal that can be cobbled together, put it back to the people and ask the people if they're happy with that deal." "And I would be fairly sure that there might actually be a different result if they do that," he said. CHINESE INVESTMENT WELCOMED Meanwhile, the mayor welcomed Chinese investment in the city which has formed strong bond with Chinese northeastern city of Dalian, noting that delegations from Derry and Dalian have exchanged visits in the last 12 months. "We're building up a relationship with that very significant city and northern China." he said. "We expect to see more Chinese people coming here to learn about us, and we expect more of our people to go to China and learn about China. And so we're building those very good relationships." The mayor said Brexit might present a good opportunity for investment as the region has a highly educated workforce and enjoys a strong connection with Ireland of EU. "I think there's a great opportunity for Chinese investment in the future, and this region. I think, perhaps Brexit will present a very strong opportunity." he said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 04:33:00|Editor: yan Video Player Close TEHRAN, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's recent move of recognizing Israel's "sovereignty" over the occupied Golan Heights. Trump's unilateral move was against international law, Rouhani was quoted as saying by official IRNA news agency. "The U.S. unilateral move to grant a piece of land to a usurper (state of Israel), which belongs to a nation (Syria), is a violation of international law," Rouhani was quoted as saying. Besides, in a phone conversation with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi later on Tuesday, the Iranian president called for "closer cooperation" among countries in the Middle East to counter the U.S. and Israel, Press TV reported. "The Zionist (Israel) regime's excessive demands and Washington's wrong decisions further necessitate closer cooperation among regional countries," Rouhani told the Iraqi prime minister. "Worrisome remarks about the violation of the Palestinian and Syrian nations' rights, particularly about the Golan Heights, are very dangerous for regional security," he added. On Monday, Trump proclaimed to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the territory that Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981. However, the international community has never recognized the Israeli move. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 04:38:01|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close Peng Liyuan(4th L), wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and UNESCO special envoy for the advancement of girls' and women's education, attends the special session on girls' and women's education in Paris, France, March 26, 2019. (Xinhua/Ding Lin) PARIS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, on Tuesday attended a special session on girls' and women's education here at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). At the session, some laureates of the UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education gave brief remarks on their understanding and promotion of the undertaking. Peng, a UNESCO special envoy for the advancement of girls' and women's education, appreciated the efforts made by UNESCO and the prize winners, and shared China's successful practices in this regard. In a review of her work in this field for the past five years, Peng especially referred to the Spring Bud Project, a program launched by China Children and Teenagers' Fund to help dropout girls return to school and to improve teaching conditions in impoverished areas. She stressed that promoting the education of girls and women is a lofty cause that deserves attention, support and devotion from more people. Knowledge and skills are two great forces that can change the lives of women, and with equal and quality education, they all have the opportunity to be outstanding, added Peng. She said China will continue to support UNESCO in organizing the award, and help empower more children and women to embrace a brighter future with opportunities and platforms for international educational cooperation created by the joint development of the Belt and Road. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said that nearly 130 million girls are out of school globally and that women take up two-thirds of the 750 million illiterate people in the world. Advancing girls' and women's education is an important part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and a focus of UNESCO, added Azoulay. The UN body, she said, thinks highly of the remarkable achievements accomplished by China in this cause and appreciates the outstanding contribution of Peng. In a meeting with Azoulay before the special session, Peng said China firmly supports UNESCO's and the director-general's work, and hopes the two sides will continue to deepen cooperation to jointly promote world peace and prosperity as well as the progress of human civilization. Azoulay said that China has made great achievements in the past 70 years, including progress in the development of education and women's affairs. UNESCO highly values the cooperation with China and the support from China is of great importance under current circumstances, she said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 04:53:06|Editor: yan Video Player Close VALLETTA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The Maltese government has put forward proposals to introduce a mechanism in the country's electoral law with the aim of boosting female representation in parliament. Addressing a press conference about the proposed reforms on Tuesday, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said,"We are proposing changes because we believe in an equally represented society, and one which is fair and which embraces inclusion in the clearest possible manner." Under the proposed reform, up to 12 Maltese women will be elected to parliament under a "gender corrective mechanism" which kicks in if either of the two sexes is represented by fewer than 40 percent of the elected House. The additional 12 candidates that will become MPs will be selected on the basis of their performance in the general election. Other reforms aimed at making parliament more gender equal are also proposed, including the publication of a policy on gender issues and harassment. A process will be started through which parliament will also be able to implement more family friendly measures such as a childcare service and a change in the time parliament meets. The government also proposed a system by which political parties will receive state funding in return for recruiting and training female candidates. The public consultation on the reforms was officially launched on Tuesday and will close in one month. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 05:08:08|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close PARIS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- French European Affairs Minister Nathalie Loiseau on Tuesday announced she quit office to head President Emmanuel Macron's party list for the European elections in May. "I send my resignation to the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic... It will take effect after the cabinet meeting tomorrow when I will take part for the last time," Loiseau said while she started the European campaign. "A number of populist forces are going up in Europe and we are going to fight them," she warned. Loiseau's departure from the government is likely to prompt a cabinet mini-reshuffle. The new face to handle European affairs portfolio will be known later in the week, according to local media. In their bid to snatch more seats in European Parliament, the ruling party unveiled its list for the uncoming contest. Called "Renaissance," it included 30 candidates with Pascal Canfin, former head of conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in France,in second position. Recent polls shown Macron's party ahead of the far-right party "National Rally" in voting intentions for the European Parliament elections with up to 23 percent of the votes. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 05:13:10|Editor: yan Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday announced a plan to return American astronauts to the moon within five years, warning that if NASA cannot do it, it is NASA, not the mission, that must change. The schedule is four years ahead of NASA's current plan of sending crew to the surface of the moon by 2028. It is "the stated policy of this administration" to return American astronauts to the moon "within the next five years," said Pence at a meeting of the National Space Council, which he chairs. Pence called for a "major course correction" for NASA and reigniting a "spark of urgency," pointing out it was in the 1960s when the United States became the first nation to reach the moon. Pence said that the first woman and the next man on the moon will both be American, and that they will land at the lunar South Pole which has "great scientific, economic, and strategic value." He criticized the delay of NASA's new-generation heavy lift rocket, saying it is being plagued by "bureaucratic inertia." Pence recommended the use of commercial launch systems instead. "If American industry can provide critical commercial services without government development, then we'll buy them," said Pence. Pence also threatened to "change the organization, not the mission" if NASA is not capable of landing American astronauts to the moon within five years. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 05:18:11|Editor: yan Video Player Close GAZA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- A tense calm prevailed in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza Strip on Tuesday despite the launch of a rocket into southern Israel, causing no damage or injuries. An Israeli army spokesman tweeted on Tuesday night that a rocket fired from Gaza landed in southern Israel, where sirens were triggered off. No one claimed responsibility for the attack. Meanwhile, two Palestinian factions announced that the Egyptian mediators informed them that Israel is committed to preserving calm in the coastal enclave. Khader Habib, a senior Islamic Jihad leader, said in a press statement that clam was dominating in Gaza, as a result of the Egypt-brokered ceasefire understandings between the two sides. But the understandings were only oral, he added, citing that the Israeli side "doesn't want to declare a ceasefire agreement in fear of the Israeli public pressure that may occur before holding the parliamentary elections in Israel on April 9." Habib also reaffirmed the Palestinian factions' commitment to calm "as long as the Israeli side is committed to." Asked by Xinhua if there were Israeli conditions for maintaining the calm such as stopping the night demonstrations at the border and ending the launch of arson balloons, Habib denied that Hamas accepted any Israeli conditions "as long as the siege is still imposed on Gaza." Wisam Zughbor, the leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), confirmed that the Egyptians informed the Palestinian factions that Israel was committed to calm in the Gaza Strip. "The Egyptian mediators informed the factions that it will continue its efforts to enforce calm and exert pressure on the two sides to carry on with their commitments to calm," he said. The Palestinian factions' commitment to calm is linked to the extent of the Israeli commitment, he added. Early Sunday morning, a long-range rocket fired from the Gaza Strip struck central Israel, damaging several buildings and wounding seven Israeli civilians. No one claimed responsibility for the attack. In retaliation, Israel launched more than 50 airstrikes on military targets in Gaza, including the headquarters of Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh. In return, the join chamber of military operations in Gaza, which comprises Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the DFLP and other minor groups, fired several barrages of rockets into southern Israel. During the clashes, about 10 Palestinians were injured, Palestinian health authorities in Gaza said. Mufid al-Hassayna, minister of housing and public work, said that over the past two days, Israeli warplanes destroyed 30 housing units in the Gaza Strip. Over the past two days, Egypt and the United Nations Special Peace Envoy to the Middle East Nicolai Mladinov have been mediating between the two sides to reach a ceasefire. However, tension is still high in the Gaza Strip as the Palestinians are preparing for the "1 million" march on Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the Marches of Return and the Palestinian "Land Day." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 05:33:13|Editor: yan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Tuesday congratulated Guinea-Bissau for the peaceful conduct of March 10 legislative elections. In a statement, the Security Council expressed its congratulations to the Bissau-Guinean people and government as well as political leaders, civil society organizations, for the peaceful conduct of the elections. The members of the council commended international partners, and the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS) for their support in elections preparation, and applauded the role of international, regional and domestic election observation missions for their contributions to the transparency of the electoral process. The council called upon leaders of all political parties to continue to refrain from inciting followers toward any violent action and to respect the outcome of the poll. The members of the Security Council noted the importance of a credible, free, fair and peaceful presidential election to be organized within the legally-mandated time frame in 2019, and they also called upon the national authorities to expedite the review of Guinea-Bissau Constitution. The West African country has been in a political crisis since August 2015, when President Mario Vaz deposed Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira, his main political rival. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 05:48:16|Editor: yan Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 26 (Xinhua) -- A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max, on its way to be grounded, made an emergency landing at the Orlando International Airport Tuesday afternoon, authorities said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 05:53:17|Editor: yan Video Player Close GAZA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Israeli air fighters launched on Tuesday night an airstrike on an Islamic Hamas movement's military facility in southern Gaza Strip in response to the earlier rocket attack into Israel, no injuries reported, medics said. The Gaza-based Radio of al-Aqsa reported that Israeli army drones and warplanes attacked three different military posts and facilities in southern Gaza Strip area of Khan Younis, adding that severe destruction was caused to the posts. Medical sources said that no injuries were reported, but flames of fire and polls of smoke have been seen coming out from the targeted sites. An Israeli army spokesman said in a press statement that the resumption of airstrikes on military facilities and posts were carried out in response to an earlier firing of a rocket from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel. Earlier on Sunday morning, a long-range rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip and struck central Israel, where several buildings were badly damaged and destroyed and seven Israeli civilians were injured. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. The Israeli cabinet had instructed to strike on the Gaza Strip, where more than 50 airstrikes had been carried out on the Gaza Strip's militant facilities and compounds, including the headquarters of Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh. In return, the join chamber of military operations in Gaza, which comprises Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) and other minor groups, fired several barrages of rockets into southern Israel. During the trade of fire between Israel and Gaza militant groups, Gaza Health Ministry said that ten Palestinians injured and were evacuated to the hospitals for medical treatment. The Israeli media reported that Israel had conveyed a message to Hamas through the Egyptian mediators for a ceasefire that the Israeli army would largely respond to rockets firing into Israel. Khader Habib, a senior Islamic Jihad leader, said in a press statement that the Israeli side "doesn't want to declare a ceasefire agreement in fear of the Israeli public pressure that may occur before holding the parliamentary elections in Israel on April 9." Habib reaffirmed the Palestinian factions' commitment to calm "as long as the Israeli side is committed to," adding "calm for clam." Asked by Xinhua if there were Israeli conditions for calm such as stopping the night demonstrations at the border with Israel and stop releasing arson balloons, he said that "we don't accept any condition as long as the siege is still imposed on Gaza." Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 05:53:17|Editor: yan Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 26 (Xinhua) -- A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max, on its way to be grounded, made an emergency landing at the Orlando International Airport (OIA) Tuesday afternoon, authorities said. The plane took off from the airport in Orlando, U.S. state of Florida, shortly before 3 p.m., according to OIA spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell. Airport officials said the plane, with only a pilot and a co-pilot aboard, experienced a malfunction and had to return to Orlando for an emergency landing. It landed safely. The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane, which was being ferried to western state of California to be grounded, experienced an engine problem and that it is investigating. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 06:03:19|Editor: yan Video Player Close BEIRUT, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Wang Kejian said Tuesday that China is willing to actively participate in the construction of new telecommunication projects in Lebanon. During a meeting with Lebanese Telecommunication Minister Mohammad Choucair, Wang hailed the excellent cooperation between the two sides in the telecom industry. He said that China is willing to actively take part in the next-phase construction of Lebanese telecom projects, and expects to carry out more pragmatic cooperation with Lebanon under the Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013 for building trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Africa and Europe along the ancient Silk Road trade routes. The Chinese envoy also expressed the hope that "Lebanon will provide an open and fair business environment for Chinese companies to do business in the country." For his part, Choucair spoke highly of the technology and service provided by Chinese telecom companies in Lebanon, as well as the good cooperation between the two sides. He welcomed China's continued active participation in the construction of telecom infrastructure in Lebanon, especially the construction of 5G networks. The minister added that Lebanon will act on basis of its own national interests and industry development needs, free from any external interference, in a bid to create a good and fair competing environment for foreign companies, including Chinese ones. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 06:13:21|Editor: yan Video Player Close DOHA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Qatari Minister of State for Defense Affairs Khalid Al Attiyah on Tuesday discussed here with visiting Italian Minister of Defense Elisabetta Trenta means to boost military and defense cooperation. Attiyah received Trenta and her accompanying delegation during an official visit to Qatar, said a statement by the Directorate of Moral Guidance at the Ministry of Defense. The two sides also discussed the latest regional and international developments, the statement said, giving no further details. Qatar and Italy are bound by close relations in the security and military fields as part of Doha's bid to strengthen its armed forces. The Qatari defense ministry signed in 2016 contracts allowing Italy's firm Fincantieri to build seven new-generation warships as part of its program to upgrade Qatar's royal navy. On June 30, 2018, Attiyah launched the project at a celebration by the company to mark the beginning of operations to build the vessels. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 06:23:23|Editor: yan Video Player Close by Xinhua writers Luo Jingjing, Yang Shilong NEW YORK, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese and Asian art collectors have become more knowledgeable, sophisticated and are branching out for more Western works, said Francis Belin, president of Christie's Asia, who is excited about the trend. "Chinese clients have evolved from being very dedicated to Chinese arts to gaining increasing interest in other categories and expanding the spectrum of the type of objects that they wish to collect," Belin told Xinhua in an interview in New York City during Christie's Asian Art Week held on March 19-26. Diversity of collecting is one of three "fundamental trends" the auction house has observed among the Chinese and Asian buyers, Belin said, noting the increased appetite to collect across categories. About 10 or 20 years ago, Asian collectors focused primarily on the art that relates to their own culture, he said, "we've seen this evolved in the past years to be much more holistic in the collecting of our Asian buyers." There is "more appetite" among them for western arts across the period, be they old masters' paintings, impressionist, or modern and contemporary, he said. The second trend is that Chinese and Asian markets continue to grow and flourish despite short-term macroeconomic challenges the world is facing, Belin said. "We continue to see strong appetite for collecting and strong growth. We continue to see a very strong demand and we do see (in Asian Art Week here) very strong buying appetite from our clients; a depth of biding that even surprised ourselves," he said. The third key trend in Asia is growing number of young collectors, Belin said. "There are more young billionaires in Asia than we have in Europe and in the U.S., and that's also reflected in collecting, which is very exciting for Christie's, because we can bring our clients much earlier on the collecting journey with the best art across the world. And we can accompany them for even longer time in their journey." The flourishing Chinese culture market represents "fantastic opportunities" for Christie's and the auction house always attaches greater importance to the Chinese market, said the senior industry leader. Being the first international fine art auction house to be granted a license for art transaction in China, Christie's has established two art galleries in the Chinese mainland, one in Beijing and one in Shanghai. "We use these galleries to organize lectures and to bring knowledge of our international specialists to existing and emerging collectors in China," said Belin. "I think the key distinction that Christie's has is really the strong footprint in the Chinese mainland... The footprint helps realize Christie's commitment to be present and be close to the collectors through further expansion into the Chinese mainland market." Belin describes the two galleries as "backbone" of Christie's various activities in China. The auction house started its live auction in the Chinese mainland since 2013, when it brought a diverse categories to local collectors. The United States was the world's largest art market, accounting for 42 percent of sales by value, according to The Art Market 2018, an annual report analyzing the global art industry and produced by UBS and Art Basel. China leapfrogged Britain to take second position with 21 percent market share. Britain, with 20 percent of the global market, is followed by France. Asia accounted for 23 percent of global sales in 2017, while Asian buyers made 15 percent of global transactions through intermediaries. Chinese buyers alone have taken the lion's share with 10 percent, a significant increase compared to the much thinner 4 percent of 2016 which again shows the continued growth of purchasing power in Asia, said the report. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 06:33:25|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping (2nd L), French President Emmanuel Macron (2nd R), German Chancellor Angela Merkel (1st R) and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker attend the closing ceremony of a global governance forum co-hosted by China and France in Paris, France, March 26, 2019. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) PARIS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday urged countries around the world to make concerted efforts in four aspects and jointly shape the future of mankind in the face of severe global challenges. Xi made the remarks at the closing ceremony of a global governance forum co-hosted by China and France in Paris. Besides Xi and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, the event was also attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. China and France, both important players in global governance, enjoy a broad political consensus and a solid foundation for cooperation on such major issues as safeguarding world peace, security and stability, upholding multilateralism and free trade, and supporting the United Nations (UN) in playing an active role, Xi said. He noted that China and France are both committed to the principles of mutual respect, mutual trust, equality, openness, inclusiveness and win-win results. The two countries, he added, have been jointly safeguarding the fundamental principles in international relations and advancing the improvement of global governance, and have become an important force for safeguarding world peace and stability and promoting the advancement of human civilization. Xi proposed a four-pronged approach to addressing "four deficits" in global affairs. Firstly, the Chinese president called for fairness and reasonableness to address the governance deficit. It is advisable to uphold a vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits and the principle that global affairs should be settled by the peoples of the world through consultation, Xi said, calling for actively advancing the democratization of global governance rules. He also called for upholding the UN, a banner of multilateralism, giving full play to the constructive role of global and regional multilateral mechanisms, and jointly pushing for the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. Secondly, Xi called for consultation and understanding to address the trust deficit. It is advisable to put mutual respect and mutual trust in the first place, make use of dialogue and consultation, seek common ground while shelving and narrowing differences, increase strategic trust, and reduce mutual suspicion, Xi said. It is also advisable to take a right approach to justice and interests by putting justice before interests, Xi said. He urged closer communication and dialogue between different civilizations so as to increase mutual understanding and mutual recognition between one another. Thirdly, he called for joint efforts and mutual assistance to address the peace deficit. It is advisable to uphold a new vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, discard Cold-War and zero-sum mentalities, reject the law of the jungle, and settle conflicts through peaceful ways, he said. He also called for rejecting such approaches as beggaring thy neighbor and seeking benefits at the expense of others. Fourthly, Xi called for mutual benefit and win-win results to address the development deficit. It is advisable to pursue an innovation-driven, well-coordinated and inter-connected, and fair and inclusive approach and forge a growth model of vitality, a cooperation model of openness and win-win results, and a development model of balance and common benefits, so that people from across the world could share the benefits of economic globalization, Xi said. The Chinese side supports necessary UN reforms and safeguards the multilateral trading system, Xi said, adding that his country welcomes France and other countries to actively take part in the development of the Belt and Road. He also called for joint efforts to advance the negotiations on a China-European Union (EU) investment agreement. Hailing China-France friendship, Xi called on the two countries to strengthen cooperation with a long-term and future-oriented perspective under the new circumstances. China and France should deepen cooperation in traditional areas, accelerate cooperation in emerging areas, strengthen cooperation in addressing climate change, implement the Paris Agreement in an all-round way, and push for positive results at the UN 2019 climate summit, so as to benefit the two peoples as well as the whole world, Xi said. Macron said communication and coordination between the EU and China play an indispensable role in safeguarding multilateralism. The EU and China take similar positions in such areas as the Iranian nuclear issue, climate change and Africa's security and development, and both insist on the construction of a strong and just multilateral system, he said. He said that China's fast development and poverty alleviation efforts are impressive. France attaches importance to the significant and active role played by China in international affairs, he said. The EU and China, as important forces on the world stage, should increase strategic mutual trust and promote cooperation through dialogue, he said. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by China is significant and can play an important role in world peace, stability and development, he said. The EU could align its development strategy with the BRI in an innovative way and jointly promote Eurasian connectivity, he added. Merkel said the sound relationship between European countries and China has laid a good foundation for carrying out multilateral cooperation between the EU and China. The EU should accelerate the negotiations on the EU-China investment agreement, and actively discuss participation in the BRI, she said. The EU and China should cooperate to safeguard multilateralism and compare notes on reforms of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other multilateral institutions, she said. Germany, she said, proposes to hold a leaders' meeting between the EU and China next year. Referring to the EU and China as important strategic cooperative partners, Juncker said it is important that the two sides maintain dialogue on an equal footing. He called for the EU and China to actively advance the negotiations on the EU-China investment agreement and maintain coordination on major international issues such as WTO reforms. Juncker said he is looking forward to seeing positive results at the upcoming EU-China leaders' meeting. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 06:33:25|Editor: yan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov said on Tuesday he is concerned that "we may once again be facing another dangerous escalation of violence in Gaza with potentially catastrophic consequences." Addressing a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East situation, Mladenov said a rocket was launched from the Gaza Strip on March 25, directly hitting a house in central Israel. Seven family members were injured, including three children. Over the following 24 hours, at least 103 rockets and mortars were fired from Gaza towards Israel, some of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome system, while others caused material damage to a house in Sderot or hit uninhabited areas, he said. The Israeli Air Force conducted 42 strikes on various locations in Gaza, while some 16 shells were fired by the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli navy towards Gaza. According to local sources, seven Palestinians were injured as a result of the strikes. Several buildings were destroyed, including Hamas offices and security buildings, Mladenov added. "The last two days have shown us how precipitously close we are to the brink of war," said Mladenov. He asked the members of the Security Council to call on all sides to exercise maximum restraint as the situation remains very tense. According to Mladenov, the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is continuing unabated. The advancement, approval or tender of more than 3,000 units in the occupied West Bank, is the largest batch since May 2018. This includes the latest announcement of over 800 units in Ariel, he said. Mladenov reiterated that the establishment of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, has no legal effect and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law, as stated in resolution 2334, and must cease immediately and completely. The demolition and seizure of Palestinian structures also continues, said Mladenov. Mladenov said he is "deeply concerned" by the lack of progress towards the realization of a two-state solution in line with relevant United Nations resolutions, long-standing international parameters and prior agreements. Given the interconnected nature of conflicts throughout the region and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict's potential to fuel extremist narratives, creating the conditions for the parties to return to meaningful bilateral negotiations remains critical, he said. "What is needed however first and foremost, is the necessary leadership and political will to take concrete steps in support of ending the occupation and realizing a lasting peace. Until that can be found, another generation of Israelis and Palestinians is destined to spend their lives searching in vain for an elusive peace," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 06:43:26|Editor: yan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- A Brazilian female peacekeeper serving in the Central African Republic has been selected to receive the United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award, the UN announced on its official website on Tuesday. According to the UN's statement to correspondents, Marcia Andrade Braga, a Naval officer working in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), will receive the award from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the 2019 Peacekeeping Ministerial, held at the UN Headquarters in New York this Friday. Serving as the Military Gender Advisor in MINUSCA Headquarters since April 2018, Braga helped build a network of trained gender advisors and focal points among the mission's military units and promoted the use of mixed teams of men and women to conduct community-based patrols around the country, the statement said. The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix commented that Braga is "a stellar example of why we need more women in peacekeeping: peacekeeping works effectively when women play meaningful roles and when women in the host communities are directly engaged." Created in 2016, the United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award recognizes the dedication and effort of an individual peacekeeper in promoting the principles of UN Security Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, said the statement. Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-27 06:48:26|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Richard Ferrand, president of the French National Assembly, in Paris, France, March 26, 2019. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) PARIS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping underlined the spirit of independence when meeting with Richard Ferrand, president of the French National Assembly, here on Tuesday. Xi said he was delighted to visit the time-honored French National Assembly, noting that the old generations of Chinese leaders studied in France and developed a bond with the European country. Fifty-five years ago, Xi said, General Charles de Gaulle, in a remarkable spirit of independence, made the strategic decision to establish diplomatic relations with China. Such spirit has now become ever more indispensable when the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, he said. China-France relations, which have become closer, more stable and more productive, are marching forward on a right path, Xi said. China and France, as two great nations, should intensify people-to-people exchanges and dialogue of minds, while promoting mutually beneficial cooperation in a broad range of areas, Xi said. The president said China is ready to deepen cooperation with France in traditional areas and expand cooperation in emerging ones. China is committed to promoting world multipolarization and resolute in safeguarding multilateralism, Xi said, adding that his country is ready to intensify communication and coordination with France on international affairs. It is very important that China and the European Union (EU) strengthen cooperation in the face of prominent instabilities and uncertainties in the international situation, Xi said. China firmly supports the process of European integration, Xi said. Stressing that exchanges between the legislative bodies are an important part of China-France relations, Xi said China supports its National People's Congress in carrying out friendly exchanges with the French National Assembly, and hopes for closer inter-party, subnational and cultural exchanges between the two countries. Ferrand said his country takes pride in the precious bond between France and the first generation of Chinese leaders. The French National Assembly is ready to deepen friendship between France and China, and carry forward the tradition of friendly communication and cooperation in various areas, he said. The French side is willing to join hands with the Chinese side to safeguard multilateralism and strengthen cooperation between the EU and China, he added. 33 de noi cazuri COVID-19 la Cluj In judetul Cluj, in ultimele 24 de ore au fost raportate 33 de noi cazuri de COVID-19, cu o treime mai putine fata de ziua precedenta. Incidenta continua sa scada si a ajuns astazi la 1,44 cazuri la... Acesta este doar un sumar al stirilor. Vizitati siteul nostru pentru mai multe stiri complete! [citeste mai departe] EU leaders fear that Ukraines next president may prove unwilling or unable to accelerate reforms they have spent five years investing in, and on which the country's much hoped for accession to the Union depends Open source The election due on Sunday is now seen as a three-horse race between President Petro Poroshenko, who has won praise for keeping Ukraine together in the chaotic aftermath of the Crimea annexation, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a comedian who plays a fictional president in a popular TV series. Kyiv based Western diplomats have expressed concerns over how effectively either of the front runners would pass reform and tackle corruption. We certainly know what we get with Poroshenko, one diplomat told Reuters. We think we know what well get with Tymoshenko. With Zelenskiy, we have no clue. All of them are flawed, said another. There is no candidate where you will sit there and go: Yes!. The ongoing situation of Russian aggression in the east of the country has made the task of reform difficult, a fact that is well understood in Brussels, but there is also fears of a lack of will. Successive rounds of sanctions on Russia show the West is still willing to bat for Ukraine, although a desire to prevent Russia from interfering in other former Soviet republics is also a factor. Italy, Greece, Hungary and other countries closer to Moscow are also keen to repair their own bi-lateral relationships, and may seize on any lack of meaningful reform as a reason to withdraw their support for the renewal of sanctions. A Ukrainian president weak on reforms could tip the balance, and jeopardise not only sanctions, but also international funding and ties with a bloc that has given Ukrainians visa-free travel, a right some two million people have exercised in less than two years. What Ukraine now risks, is squandering the goodwill and belief it got since 2014, the second diplomat said. The governments calculation is that theyll be supported no matter what. Read the original text at EU Today. Let's view the most important publications, where the main topic is precisely the presidential elections, as well as the candidates who run for them, and the prospects that Ukraine will get Open source Before the scandal with Yuriy Lutsenko, Ukraine's Prosecutor General, who accused US ambassador Marie Yovanovitch of corruption, as well as National Anti-Corruption Bureau intervention in the 2016 U.S. elections, we began to search what the English-language media tell about the presidential elections in Ukraine. And when the scandal had subsided, there was no significant change in attitude towards our country. It seems that the optimism of Western analysts is resistant to any trials: most of them write that Ukraine, in any case, deserves the support of its reforms. But Lutsenkos statement, which is not directly related to the elections (although it casts a shadow on top politicians), is hardly commented on by the Western mass media - they only retell an eventual outline. We should also recall what happened on March 20 - a week and a half before the first round of elections. Open source Open source It is obvious that well see the consequences of Lutsenkos statement very soon. Andy Hale, a columnist for the English version of Radio Liberty, is convinced that "the war of words between Lutsenko and the United States is heating up the political situation on the eve of the presidential elections in Ukraine." Hale, however, makes no assumptions, how the recent excesses will affect the elections themselves and, most importantly, their results. Open source "Tymoshenko and Poroshenko will battle again in the runoff" So, in particular, the Brian Mefford from Atlantic Council writes that, in general, the Ukrainian elections are unpredictable, but five things seem certain. Open source "Zelensky's victory is Putin's dream" At the same time, Meffords colleague from the British Express, journalist Rachel Russell, does not treat Zelenskys candidate so casually and doesnt discount him. On the contrary - in her material, she asks Who is Volodymyr Zelensky? and answers like this: actor, comedian, businessman, a person without political experience. Open source nstead, he sells tickets to comedy gigs to share his policies and shares behind the scenes campaign videos on Facebook and Youtube. He has described himself as very liberal but if he is elected, he will have to tackle Ukraines ongoing tensions with Russia. But it seems that the victory of Zelensky, who previously stated that he wants to stop the war in the east of Ukraine, can also mean success for Putin, "said Rachel Russell. In her article, she quotes Alexander Motyl, a professor of political science at Rutgers University, and a representative of the Atlantic Council, who says literally the following: A Zelensky victory would be Putins dream scenario." "Putin is hoping for and may be committed to doing everything possible to bring about a Poroshenko defeat. At the same time, adds Russell, Dmitry Razumkov, Zelenskys adviser, assured everyone that the comedian will not bow down the Russians. "Isn't it better to elect a comedian who knows how to deconstruct gags?" In a large article in the English-speaking Voice of America, Jamie Dettmer also stresses that the West is worried about Volodymyr Zelenskys lack of political experience. Although the publication as a whole is not about that, about the factors that led to the emergence of this candidate. Open source Several businesspeople VOA interviewed say they are still being strong-armed by tax inspectors demanding bribes. And petty everyday graft remains, infuriating ordinary people forced to shell out bribes " All this creates a tense social situation where "more Ukrainians live below the poverty line than before Maidan" and "the lack of economic opportunities makes young Ukrainians flee abroad." Therefore, it is not surprising that this year a significant amount of the electorate wants to give votes to Zelensky. "Poroshenkos performance indicators are quite good The publication of the aforementioned professor of political science at Rutgers University, Alexander Motyl, contrasts markedly with the pessimism of the previous columnist. The message of this author was published on the Foreign Policy website - and it is also devoted to the elections and analysis of Ukrainians everyday life. Open source Instead, about half of Ukrainians detest him. And a quarter would rather elect an inexperienced comedian to lead the country " All in all, then, Poroshenkos overall record is pretty good. He saved the country from Russiathereby earning Russian President Vladimir Putins undying enmityand set it firmly on the path of pro-Western integration and reform. Poroshenko is rightly criticized for having failed to bring any of the countrys past or current elites to justice for their malfeasance under Yanukovych. Although the crooks remain at liberty, Poroshenko has done much to reduce the institutional and structural sources of corruption... Presumably, Poroshenko decided to combat corruption without attacking the corruptioneers on purpose. That makes sense, Motyl suggests. He adds: critics are wrong to think that corruption is a greater threat to Ukraines existence than Russia. Putins rockets could incinerate Ukraine in a few seconds. His armies could occupy the country in weeks and kill hundreds of thousands of people in the process. And, as Russias obsession with rearmament and nuclear war suggests, its blockade of Ukraines ports on the Sea of Azov, its continued presence in the occupied Donbass, and its stationing of thousands of Russian soldiers and tanks along Ukraines frontier cannot be interpreted as signs of benign intent. So why are so many Ukrainians so convinced that nothing has changed that they would elect Zelensky? A large part of the answer is that the Euromaidan revolution generated unrealistic expectations that Ukraine would catapult into the European Union overnight The reality is that, although Ukraine has steadily moved toward integration with European institutions, it still has a long way to go before it becomes the Switzerland of Eastern Europe " "Whoever ends up on Bankova, he or she can expect a big push from the countrys friends in the West " And nevertheless, the pace of reforms has slowed down over the past two years, noted the famous diplomat and former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Steven Peifer. His thoughts on this topic appeared on the Brookings Institution website - a non-profit public organization headquartered in Washington. Open source Western donors will have to resist backsliding on what Ukraine has achieved and press for completing the critical mass of reforms that would allow the economy to grow at a substantial and sustained rate. Given their assistance funds and low-interest credits, the donors will have leverage. " In general, Steven Peifer sums up, 2019 is unlikely to be a breakthrough year for Ukraine. However, if it plays out right, and if Kyiv receives continued support from the West, the stage couldnot would, but couldbe set for an important change in 2020. "Is Ukraine a typical European country?" Probably, the quintessence of all the doubts and hopes that Ukrainian elections have grown in the West is a replica of the famous Bloomberg agency observer Leonid Bershidsky. "The campaign for Ukraines March 31 presidential election is shaping up to be a big spectacle if nothing else. But the underlying question is serious: Is Ukraine a typical modern European country with the requisite political diversity and balance of power, or is it still a post-Soviet hybrid regime in which incumbency means much more than simply being familiar to voters?" Open source "Ukrainian politics are noisy, colorful and performative. The current set of candidates is modern European politics incarnate: Traditional left-right divisions are hard to trace; all the candidates use populist tricks and emotions, rousing nationalist and anti-elite rhetoric. The race promises to be livelier than anything Russia has seen since the 1990s and at least as much fun as the most dynamic Ukrainian elections," writes Bershidsky. But is this a real fight, or can Poroshenko use the power of his office to help him seal a victory even though he failed to fulfill the reformist, anti-corruption promise of the 2014 Revolution of Dignity? Candidates such as Sadovyi and Hrytsenko appear to be resigned to that prospect and are focused on getting into parliament to limit Poroshenkos power. European-style fractured politics work best in parliament-centric systems. Ukraines post-Soviet legacy includes a strong presidency that devalues the countrys powerful democratic impulses, the columnist said. Bershidsky, as we see, is no less interested in parliamentary elections than in presidential elections. At this point, other experts agree with him - in particular, some of those cited above. What system of power Ukraine will receive and where it will go we will finally judge only after October 2019. Now we are approaching only the first, intermediate stage of the "reset" of Ukraine. Although it undoubtedly plays an enormous role in the fate of our state. The man was recruited by the Russian special services when he was crossing Uspenka checkpoint Ukrainian border guards detained a member of an illegal armed formation, battalion of the Russian Orthodox Army with a nickname Domovoy ("bogie" in English, - ed.) on the administrative border with Crimea on Chongar checkpoint, as the press office of Ukraines Border Guard Service reported. Ukrainian citizen born in Kirovograd region who lived in Crimea arrived from the temporarily occupied territory to Chongar checkpoint, the message reads. The officers of the operational units of Azov - Black Sea regional department, Ukraines Security Service and National Police in Crimea and Sevastopol defined that in 2014 this citizen participated in the illegal armed formations on the territory of the so-called Donetsk Peoples Republic. According to him, before 2014 he lived in Russia with his family. He used to visit Ukraine through Uspenka checkpoint, which was then opened. During one of such crossings, he was recruited by Russian special services for participation in the combat actions in Ukraine in the army of the so-called Donetsk Peoples Republic. Then, he joined the battalion of the Russian Orthodox Army where he got a nickname Domovoy, the border guards informed. It was noted that later, on one of the weekends the man returned to Russia with his family and decided not to come back to the militants. He used to meet with the servicemen of Russias special units, who carried out various subversions against the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The detainees were passed to the representatives of the National Police in Crimea and Sevastopol, the message says. The accused says he bought the Russian military uniform before his visit to Ukraine Eric Estu, the Czech soldier Open source A soldier from the Czech Republic, who served at airborne battalion, is accused of separatism in Donbas in 2015. A man denies participation in the combat actions as Novinky.cz reported. A 35-year-old Eric Estu came to the territories of Ukraine controlled by occupants in 2015. He stayed there for three weeks. The Prosecutors Office accuses him in the terrorism. According to the body, he stayed in the trenches with the militants and help them in weapon maintenance, shelled the Ukrainian positions during this time. It is confirmed by photo and video published on his Facebook page. The Prosecutor states that Eric wears the Russian military uniform with militants patches and hold a weapon on these photos. Eric Estu denies holding of the combat actions in Donbas. He states that he went to these territories as a tourist to know more about the birthplace of his wife and visit his old friend Andriy Usov. Eric states that he bought the Russian uniform when he was at Prague and original patches were bought from the separatists. Eric and his friend Andriy were walking in the city and communicating with the occupants. The friends wanted to make a photo during the communication with the militants and took AK-47 and grenade launcher for a picture. A man states that he did not participate in the combat actions. Eric states that he shot from the rifle but just for interest and in the destroyed house. As we reported, Russian occupants have opened fire on two education establishments in Donbas. Earlier two Ukrainian soldiers were injured in Donbas combat zone. Over the past 24 hours, the Russian occupation troops performed seven attacks. They used Minsk-banned weapons twice, including 82mm mortars and 122mm artillery. Open source On Tuesday, March 26, pro-Kremlin occupants have shelled Ukrainian outposts 14 times. The Joint Forces Operation HQ reported that on Facebook. In Donetsk region, the enemy attacked Avdiivka, Krasnohorivka, Vodyane, Lebedynske, Kamyanka and Mariinka. The Russian mercenaries used small arms, heavy machine guns, stationary and under-barrel grenade launchers. In Luhansk region, the militants fired mortars of various calibers and anti-tank missile launchers. BMP-1, infantry fighting vehicle and 120 mm mortars were used in the attack on Novoluhanske. One Ukrainian serviceman was wounded in combat over the day. Recently, officers of the Security Service of Ukraine detained the DNR militant in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine. He moved to Ukraine and wanted to regain the Ukrainian documents that he had lost. The press office of Security Service reported that on Facebook. In early 2019, the man decided to move to Ukraine for permanent residence. He tried to get a duplicate of his documents, which he allegedly lost. However, the SSU staff found that in February 2015, the militant lived in the territory of the occupied Horlivka and joined the illegal DNR armed group. There, the detainee received the call sign "Coob" and served in the "military intelligence of Novorossiya". The man was actively involved in the fight against the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The pro-Russian militants shelled Mariinka with the use of the 82-mm ordnance and two houses were damaged as a result of it as the Prosecutor Generals Office reported. The representatives of the illicit armed formations attacked from temporary occupied Trudivske village, Donetsk region. Two houses were damaged in the result of it. This fact was proceeded by the Prosecutor Generals Office. As we reported, Russian occupants have opened fire on two education establishments in Donbas. According to the report of the OSCE SMM that dates back to March 23, 2019, the Mission members spotted damage done to the school building in Petrovsky district in Donetsk. 'It's a 15-cm hole on the altitude of 30 cm above the ground. According to the OSCE patrol's estimates, the damage was done due to the use of heavy machine gun fire', the post reads. In another case, the team of OSCE SMM reported a hole and several cracks in the window glass on the first floor of the school building located in Golmivsky (the occupied area of Donetsk region). Earlier two Ukrainian soldiers were injured in Donbas combat zone. Over the past 24 hours, the Russian occupation troops performed seven attacks. They used Minsk-banned weapons twice, including 82mm mortars and 122mm artillery. Imagine Europe as a target on a radar screen, and you can see the warning alerts flashing red and ubiquitous. Europe is undergoing a multipronged, hybrid attack. The assailants do not coordinate and their goals may vary. But what these flashing signs represent is clear: In the new great-power competition among the United States, China and Russia, Europe has become prey. Its political allegiance to a weakening West, its internal divisions, its attractive assets and its market of 500 million consumers make it an ideal target. The six-day visit to Italy and France that Chinas president, Xi Jinping, is finishing this week could be read as a case study of one great power testing those points of weakness and wealth. Russia, for its part a familiar friend and foe, has been at work for some time. The range of Moscows tools to undermine democratic electoral processes and the cohesion of the European Union, from troll factories to assistance provided to far-right and anti-establishment parties, is now part of our political landscape. Five years of sanctions for the annexation of Crimea have not dented the Kremlins appetite for meddling in European affairs, nor have they prevented Russia from doing lucrative business. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, over the past couple of years Russia has managed to increase its economic footprint in European Union countries that are more welcoming than others, notably Austria, Italy and the Netherlands. Another recent report, by the online activist organization Avaaz, has shown the active role played by the French-language version of Russia Today, the Russian state media organization; it includes disseminating news, real and fake, about the yellow vests protests in France. The stations constant coverage of the most violent clashes have proved widely popular on YouTube. China uses a different approach. Under the guise of the concept of a new Silk Road, with its echoes of Marco Polo, President Xi wants to connect Europe to China economically. This has meant buying the port of Athens and some other crucial gates to southern Europe. Greece was desperate for money, Germany could see no wrong. The new Silk Road, now more prosaically described as the Belt and Road Initiative, has also involved setting up an organization called 16+1 (16 European former Communist states, 11 of them European Union members, plus China) to kindly help them build infrastructure. In two years, I have had six bilateral meetings with my Chinese counterpart, the prime minister of one small European Union country in the 16+1 said. Need I say more? More daringly, the highlight of Mr. Xis visit to Italy, a founding member of the European Union, was the signing on Saturday of a Memorandum of Understanding to endorse the Belt and Road Initiative project. No longer content with the periphery, China is aiming for the heart of Europe with newfound tenacity: When Washington and Brussels expressed their displeasure with his move on Italy, Beijing doubled down. The United States, supposedly Europes greatest ally, has its own fight with China a big fight over trade that has already slowed economic growth in Europe, and over technological dominance. In a normal world, Washington would have enrolled its European allies in its fight. But this is not a normal world. President Trumps America treats Europe either as a competitor or as a vassal. Not a week has passed without new bullying from the Trump administration. At the Munich Security Conference in mid-February, Vice President Mike Pence ordered European Union governments to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal and stop undermining American sanctions which also penalize European companies. French and British defense officials were incensed when America, whom they had followed into Syria, decided unilaterally to withdraw its troops while asking the French to stay behind. And, at a tense discussion about European defense behind closed doors, a senior American diplomat, speaking with a grant of anonymity from reporters in order to allow frankness, sternly lectured West European participants for not being sensitive to the United States and to President Trump. Then came warnings against choosing the giant Chinese tech company Huawei to develop fifth-generation (5G) wireless networks, and threats by Richard Grenell, the American ambassador to Germany, of retaliation involving restrictions on intelligence sharing. Gordon Sondland, the United States ambassador to the European Union, warned of retaliation if Brussels limits the involvement of American companies in European military projects. Mr. Trump threatened Europe with severe economic pain if no progress was made in delicate trade talks. Soon enough, reports came out of Washington that Mr. Trump wants to bill European countries for the deployment of American troops, plus 50 percent for the privilege of hosting them, according to Bloomberg News. Europe is a soft target. A close group of 28 states, but not a federal state, it is hampered by its complex decision-making process. The Brexit chaos will inevitably leave its mark. As the French historian Pierre Nora has noted, Europeans, once masters of the world, are now pushed to its periphery. But Europe does not have to accept defeat. A senior European intelligence official recently said there was a wake-up call in the range of threats confronting the E.U., including interference from Russia and the alt-right, and Americas weaponization of extraterritorial laws in order to weaken our companies. We must assert our European economic sovereignty, he said. We must rearm collectively. For that to take place, unity and political will are essential. Within the European Union as it is, that would be an uphill battle. Europeans need more than a wake-up call. They must decide whether they can contemplate the prospect of their continent being cut up piece by piece by competing bigger powers, or whether they want to regain enough collective strength and common sense to control their own destiny. 5G networks will be a test. Though Huawei has the technological lead, strong doubts persist about its security. There are European alternatives. As the German center-right politician Norbert Rottgen pointed out on Twitter, Europe has the technological capabilities to become an actor itself. That would be expensive. Hence the political question: Do we want to seize this opportunity or let it pass? But what role would Europe play in this new world? On March 5, Frances President Emmanuel Macron issued a solemn call for A European Renaissance that was published throughout Europe. Europe is not just an economic market. It is a project, he wrote, adding that the European civilization unites, frees and protects us. In an understated reaction titled Getting Europe Right, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer of Germany, the new leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union, set out a different vision. The contrast could be called the status quo vision versus the strategic vision. The lack of accord between these two close, major European nations shows the extent of the challenge. On China, though, they finally seem ready to act together. Moved by a sense of urgency to counter the Chinese divisive strategy, President Macron has invited Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel and the president of the European Unions executive arm to join him in what was originally planned as a bilateral meeting with President Xi, on Tuesday in Paris. Some European leaders still see their continent as the last defender of democracy and multilateralism. Few, unfortunately, are ready to unite to take up that fight. Read the original text at The New York Times. Open source The European Union has offered the expert assistance to the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in issues of the provision of the law enforcement activity for the preparation of the draft laws on the illicit enrichment, as Interfax-Ukraine reported citing EU Ambassador to Ukraine Hugues Mingarelli. We have proposed our experts to the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada to prepare the proper draft law and find the solution, he said. The Ambassador also expressed the hope that the cooperation with the EU in the macro-financial aid will not suffer. Constitutional Court of Ukraine ruled unconstitutional an article of a Criminal Code on the illicit enrichment of public officials upon the pretext that the provisions of the article violate the presumption of innocence. The Constitutional Court said that the legislative structure of Article 368-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine "permits accusations based on assumptions." In addition, it includes the provisions regulating the process of evidence, although this is related to the criminal procedure law. In addition, the Constitutional Court said that the legislative definition of "illegal enrichment" as a crime makes it possible to shift this responsibility from the prosecution to the defense. Later President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed the new draft law on the article on the illicit enrichment and later it was registered in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Besides, Nazar Kholodnytsky, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office said that all criminal proceeding should be closed by the detectives or prosecutors due to the decision of the court to cancel the article on the illicit enrichment and those with the served charges can be closed only by the prosecutors. The prosecutor is obliged to refuse from the supporting of the public prosecution during the next session on the proceedings. The number of forms with education in the Ukrainian language has significantly decreased Open source There are no schools with the education in the Ukrainian language in annexed Crimea, as Crimean Human Rights Group reported. According to the group, the data published by the Russian Education Ministry in Crimea does not correspond to reality. The Education Ministry states that there are schools in Crimea with education in the Ukrainian language in all forms but the number of such schools has significantly decreased. According to its data, there is only one such school in Feodosia. The Crimean Human Rights Group communicated with the parents of the students of this school and its leadership. It got to know that in fact all subjects are taught in the Russian language and the Ukrainian language is taught as the separate subject. Besides, the Education Ministry stated that there are two schools with Ukrainian language education in Crimea. However, it turned out that the Ukrainian language is taught as the optional subject and all other subjects are taught in the Russian language. The Education Ministry also spreads fake information about Crimean Tatar schools. According to it, there are three Crimean Tatar schools and 19 schools with education in the Crimean Tatar language. Crimean Human Rights Group states that in fact there is no school with the education in Crimean Tatar language on the peninsula. The children are taught in the Crimean Tatar language and the Russian language there. Earlier we Russias Duma Spokesperson Vyacheslav Volodin offered to demand the compensations from Ukraine for economic losses of Crimea when it was Ukrainian. As we reported Google corporation began to show occupied Crimea as a part of Russia for Russian users. MEPs commented on the recent negotiations in Moscow, where Ukrainian delegation met with Russian top officials and discussed lowering the prices of Russian gas supplies to Ukraine From left to right: Gazprom head Alexey Miller, Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev, Ukrainian presidential candidate Yuriy Boyko and Viktor Medvedchuk. Gas talks on March 22, 2019 Government of th Russian Federation Some lawmakers in the European Parliament positively evaluated the latest visit of the delegation of Opposition Bloc - For Life to Russia. The political party's leaders Viktor Medvedchuk and Yuriy Boiko held negotiations with Russian Premier Dmitriy Medvedev and CEO of Gazprom energy monopolist Aleksei Miller. The talks were focused on resuming direct supplies of the Russian gas to Ukraine and keeping the transit across the Ukrainian gas transport system. The ride of two pro-Kremlin politicians evoked an outrage of President Petro Poroshenko, not to mention a certain part of the Ukrainian society. A number of members of the European Parliament, however, supported this initiative. MEP Nicholas Bay (France) To me, the fact that some presidential candidates offer a rapprochement with Russia is a very good initiative - as long as it contributes to the de-escalation of conflict. It's in everybody's interest - that of Ukraine, Russia and the EU. We also depend on the Russian gas (that makes some 40 percent of the total consumption. It is obvious that Ukraine should be playing an important role in fixing our relationships - despite the fact that certain pro-Western forces in Ukraine play their own game, and it's against Russia. And that, actually, does not meet the interests of Ukraine or Europe. One has to act, watching Russia and Europe alike. This is the Ukrainian specifics, which we should respect. But that positions should be used for being a mediator in fixing Russian-European relations, both political and economic ones. The European politician insisted that the talks are 'necessary for healthy political relations'. MEP Jiri Payne (Czech Republic): Negotiations mean that we can communicate and avoid conflict. And it is the same with Ukraine. I would like Ukraine to establish ties with Europe. After all, communication works. The same goes for contacts with Russia: it is necessary to talk and work together. If there is any possibility for negotiations (no matter if it is gas or fuel), you need to communicate. This is the way to build political relations. At the same time, Viktor Medvedchuk believes that breaking relations with the Russian Federation and the CIS countries and reorienting to the European market was a disastrous decision for Ukrainian economy. He sees a resource for growth of the Ukrainian economy and welfare of citizens in restoring economic cooperation with the Russian Federation. Viktor Medvedchuk, chairman of the political council of Opposition platform For Life: We, from our political power, will do everything we can, to begin the process of restoring pragmatic economic relations, primarily in the interests of Ukraine, the country, and the Ukrainian people, and make sure it continues. This is our strategic goal. We are confident that it is correct, and we will do everything to achieve this goal. The administrative protocos were made against both activists as they supposedly spoiled the strip on the passport Ruslan Suleimanov and Remzi Bekirov Crimean solidarity Activists Remzi Bekirov and Ruslan Suleimanov, detained by the Russian law enforcers today at the administrative border with annexed Crimea, were released as Anton Naumlyuk, the correspondent of Radio Liberty reported on Facebook. It is reported that the administrative protocols were made against both activists, as they supposedly spoiled the strip on the passport (according to the Russian border guards, the magnetic strip was spoiled in their passports, while it was undamaged during the detention). It is noted that the protocol was not issued to the activists. They have spent over seven hours at the border checkpoint. As we reported, Russian border guards detained two Crimean Tatars Remzi Bekirov and Ruslan Suleymanov near Kalanchak checkpoint on the side controlled by the occupational authorities. It should be noted that in February 2017 both were detained near the house of Merlen Mustafayev. The Crimean Tatars were convicted and served an administrative arrest (five days) for the allegedly illegal rally. In March 2017, Simferopol District Court imposed administrative arrest (three days) on Remzi Bekirov for alleged distribution of extremists materials in the social media. Ruslan Suleymanov took part in a one-person rally supporting the arrested Crimean Tatars. He was detained Crimean Tatars. He was convicted in a form of an administrative fine ($155,8). They started the illegal business in 2014; the natives of Donetsk region managed to supply the liquefied gas to the armed Russian militants, using the militant-held sections of the Ukrainian border Open source Two Ukrainians, residents of Kharkiv city are officially considered suspects in the case of illegal sale of gas to the Russian mercenaries of the so-called 'Donetsk People's Republic' ('DNR'). The press office of the State Security Service of Ukraine reported that on Tuesday. Two men, originally the natives of Donetsk region moved to Kharkiv. They've been making the illegal business since 2014. They used the militant-held sections of the Ukrainian border in Donetsk region to bring the liquefied natural gas to the Russian militants in 'DNR'. They paid taxes for that, but the money ended up on the accounts of 'DNR' mercenaries. The SBU detained the culprits. Recently, officers of the Security Service of Ukraine detained the DNR militant in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine. He moved to Ukraine and wanted to regain the Ukrainian documents that he had lost. The press office of Security Service reports that on Facebook. In early 2019, the man decided to move to Ukraine for permanent residence. He tried to get a duplicate of his documents, which he allegedly lost. However, the SSU staff found that in February 2015, the militant lived in the territory of the occupied Horlivka and joined the illegal DNR armed group. There, the detainee received the call sign "Coob" and served in the "military intelligence of Novorossiya". The man was actively involved in the fight against the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In the view of the recent escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza Strip, Kyiv calls for maximum restraint to avoid further armed conflict Ukraine made itself clear regarding the status of the Golan Heights and its territorial affiliation. The country's foreign ministry reported that Ukraine has been abiding by the 1981 UN Security Council decisions made in 1967, 1980 and 1981. 'Ukraine has been adhering by the UN Statute, living up to the UN Security Council decisions', Kateryna Zelenko, the ministry's spokeswoman stated. The Resolution No.497, passed in 1981 specifically states that 'Israel's decision to set its own laws, jurisdiction and government on the occupied Syrian Golan Heights is ineffective and has no international legal force'. The Ukrainian official admitted that Ukraine continues to 'consistently stand for the achievements of comprehensive peace regulation in the Middle East, taking into account the legitimate interests of Israel's security'. Zelenko added that Ukraine is concerned about the latest outbreak of violence between HAMAS militants and Israel. 'HAMAS movement-committed acts of terror aimed at Israel, specifically, the missile attacks of the Israeli territory' are deadly dangerous for the civilians and, thus, are totally unacceptable, she said. In the view of the recent escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza Strip, Kyiv calls for maximum restraint to avoid further armed conflict. The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) failed to hold the tender for the construction of the main data center. The tender for $12,6 million was blocked one more time by Anti-Monopoly Committee of Ukraine after the complaint of one the participators, who proved that the NBU artificially restricts the fair competition in the interests of particular producers. The NBU wants to follow its way and purchase the product from the company, which still works in annexed Crimea and stands for the lifting of the anti-Russian sanctions despite the international law, as Apostroph reported. The NBU wants to build the data center with TIER IV access level with the price of $12,6 million at Troeshchyna area of Kyiv. The industry experts note really overfunded budget of the project, stating that the data center might cost about $2-2,5 million. Three tenders of the NBU did not take place earlier and the fourth one was blocked by the board of the Anti-Monopoly Committee on the consideration of the complaints on the violation of the law in the sphere of the public procurement. It considers that the terms of reference are written for particular producers of the equipment and they violate the rights of other partakers. Podilzhylbud Company is sure that the most important components of the data centers, the systems of the air-conditioning and uninterrupted power supply are written in the terms of the reference for Schneider Electric Company. It is mentioned that the public tender for the creation of the project did not take place and Schneider Electric Ukraine Company is the developer of the project documentation for the NBU and it advises to install the products of its parent company. NBU openly play along its favorite. For example, the National Bank disqualified all partakers in the third tender, who came to the tender without Schneider Electric equipment, the message said. The investigation stated that the Ukrainian Schneider Electric reports directly to the Russian office, who manages the whole business of the company in the CIS states. Schneider Electric actively invests to Russia, despite the tense relations of the West and anti-Russian sanctions. Moreover, Schneider Electric still works in annexed Crimea, re-registering in Russia. The French company recognized the annexation of Crimea by Russia as legal, the message said. Schneider Electric has five plants in Russia. Over 60% of the sales of the company in Russia accounted for the production of the local plants. Moreover, the production of Russian plants is exported. Considering the fact that the Ukrainian representatives office reports directly to the office in Moscow, it is not excluded that Schneider Electric produced in Russia comes to the Ukrainian market. As we reported, Ukraine has lifted the sanctions from the Moldovan Metallurgical Plant, which is situated in Transnistria and controlled by Alisher Usmanov, the Russian oligarch tied with Putin. Earlier Australia imposed sanctions against seven citizens of the Russian Federation in connection with Russias attack on Ukrainian ships in the Kerch Strait in November 2018. Lyudmyla Denisova once again demanded that the Russian side provide the political prisoner with necessary medical assistance and suitable detention conditions Pavlo Gryb, the Ukrainian political prisoner Hromadske Ukrainian envoy for human rights Lyudmyla Denisova passed her Russian colleague Tatyana Moskalkova medical inquiries, which confirm the grave health conditions of political prisoner Pavlo Gryb. Denisova herself posted that on Facebook. The Ukrainian official states that currently, the Russian ombudsman has all the necessary information about Gryb's health status. Denisova demands that her Russian counterpart provide the political prisoner with necessary medical assistance and suitable detention conditions. Interference in the process is necessary now, she says; this is due to the fact that, apart from the serious health concerns, Pavlo announced a hunger strike. That prevents him from taking the medications from gastritis, one of the diseases he suffers from. Gryb delivered his last plea in court on March 21. On the day after that, Russia's North Caucasus district court sentenced him to six years behind the bars. In turn, the prisoner announced a hunger strike, protesting against the politically motivated decision in his case. Over 1,500 paratroopers, over 300 hardware units and military aircraft, including planes and helicopters, large landing ships of the Black Sea Fleet are involved in the drills The large-scale drills of the Russian Airborne Troops began at the territory of annexed Crimea as Russias Defense Ministry reported. According to the ministry, over 1,500 paratroopers, over 300 hardware units and military aircraft, including planes and helicopters, large landing ships of the Black Sea Fleet are involved in the drills. Parachuting of the personnel and military hardware from the planes of the military transporting aviation will take place. The landing of the Airborne Troops detachments from the military landing ships for the seizure and destruction of the control points of the hypothetical enemy and training camps of the illegal armed formations will be the most spectacular parts, the message said. It is noted that the regiments were put on alert, personnel and military hardware were transferred to the pointed are before the beginning of the drills. As we reported, the joint staff drills of the Joint Command of Regional Grouping of Forces of Belarus and the Russia Federation took place on March 18-22. Besides, militants of the terrorist group DPR (Donetsk People's Republic) held the combat drills in the safety zone in Donbas. Hugues Mingarelli, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Twitter Arsen Avakov Hugues Mingarelli, Head of EU representation to Ukraine, states that the reforms are not implemented fast enough as this process faces active resistance, as Interfax-Ukraine reports. "A struggle between those who try to preserve the status quo and reformers is always happening during the transition period. We can see such a struggle in Ukraine, but it is more active than in other countries with the transition process. Ukraine is one of the largest countries of the regions, so those people who could not form their interests contrary to the interests of the country over 25 years, are struggling to suspend or postpone the reforming process. Therefore, nobody should be surprised that the reforming process is not that fast and linear," he stated. At the same time, the Ambassador stressed that the EU supports the reformers. "Obviously the EU is with the reformers. Especially when its about reforming the judicial system. We will continue spending a lot of time, efforts, and resources to support you in this fight for the judicial system," the diplomat noted. As it was reported, the EU offered the Ukrainian Parliament an expert aid to develop the legislation on illicit enrichment. The case was closed based on the decision of the Constitutional Court, which canceled the criminal responsibility for the illicit enrichment The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has closed the criminal proceeding on the illicit enrichment of Serhiy Semochko, the First Deputy Head of Foreign Intelligence Service, as Ukrainian News reported. The case of Semochko is closed, the source said. It is noted that the case was investigated due to illicit enrichment. The case was closed based on the decision of the Constitutional Court, which canceled the criminal responsibility for the illicit enrichment. In November 2018, the NABU opened the criminal proceeding due to the illicit enrichment of Serhiy Semochko, the ex-Head of Chief Department of the Security Service in Kyiv and Kyiv region and First Deputy Head of Foreign Intelligence Service. NABU opened a criminal proceeding under the article on illicit enrichment as a result of a journalistic investigation against Serhiy Semochko. Earlier, on October 1, the results of the journalist investigation were presented, according to which Semochko owns expensive houses in Kozyn, an elite area near Kyiv, and Land Cruiser. Besides, as a result of his actions, 200 people died because of the absence of medicine for dialysis. Later the counterintelligence of Ukraines Security Service confirmed the Russian citizenship of common-law wife of First Deputy Head of Foreign Intelligence Service Serhiy Semochko. " " A hiker takes in Aloha Lake, surrounded by smoothly eroded granite boulders. It's situated in the Eastern Sierra Nevada, west of Lake Tahoe, along the Pacific Crest Trail. Federica Grassi/Getty Images Ever since the 2012 publication of Cheryl Strayed's best-selling memoir, "Wild," which chronicles her 1,100-mile (1,770-kilometer) solo hike along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) from California to Washington state, many more people have been lacing up their hiking boots. Hiking is now the fourth most-popular outdoor activity in the U.S., after running, fishing and biking, according to The Outdoor Foundation's 2018 Outdoor Participation Report. The report noted that 44.9 million people hit the trails in 2017, up from 30 million in 2006. The biggest jump in participation came between 2015 and 2016. Advertisement Trail experts say no definitive study has been conducted to determine why hiking has exploded in popularity over the last few years. But many do believe "Wild," which was made into a movie in 2014, has at least played a part. For instance, The Pacific Crest Trail Association issued 7,313 trail permits in 2018, up from a mere 1,879 in 2013. (The PCT runs from Mexico all the way to the Canadian border, a distance of 2,650 miles or 4,265 kilometers) But it's not just the PCT portrayed in Strayed's book that is attracting hikers. Members representing all 11 of the country's National Scenic Trails, of which the PCT is one, are reporting growth in trail traffic over the last five years, says Wesley Trimble, program outreach and communications manager for the American Hiking Society. In 2017, a record 3,389 hikers set out from Georgia to hike the Appalachian Trail (AT) which ends all the way in Maine. That's 40 percent more than in 2015. Trimble says in addition to the "Wild" effect, he believes hiking is increasing in popularity because more people are discovering the nation's various trail systems and learning about the concept of long-distance hiking. "I also think the Millennials, and even Gen Z, are putting a lot more value on experiences than on monetary items and career advancement," he says. "Cultural shifts have definitely played a role in the number of people getting out on the trails." Mike Wollmer is executive director of the Ice Age Trail Alliance (IATA), which protects, maintains and advocates for the Ice Age Trail, another one of the 11 National Scenic Trails. Wollmer believes social media has also helped to boost hiking numbers, as it is being used to showcase the beauty and diversity of U.S. hiking trails, construction projects and more. This is especially true for lesser-known paths such as the Ice Age Trail, which winds 1,150 miles (1,850 kilometers) around Wisconsin, highlighting the state's Ice Age landscapes. The IATA recorded 76 trail completions between the path's birth in the 1970s and 2012. During the next six years, another 114 people reported trail finishes. The IATA is active on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and many of its 21 volunteer chapters help with specific sections of the trail and have Facebook pages of their own. The hiking community also created the IATA-specific "Thousand Miler WannaBes" Facebook page, aimed at helping people achieve their dream of becoming a "thousand-miler," the prestigious designation the IATA bestows on those who have completed the entire trail. Too Much of a Good Thing? While the explosion in trail usage is heartening to the scores of volunteers who build, maintain and advocate for the country's various pathways, it has caused some growing pains. Trails such as the Appalachian and Pacific Crest, which span several states and numerous climates, are safest when certain sections are hiked at specific times of the year. You don't want to be laboring along the PCT's desert segments in the heat of summer, for example. But that means hikers tend to be clumped together on the trail, which strains the land and trail resources, such as shelters. More hikers also mean there will be more novices out there. And nature can be dangerous. There has been an increase in the number of hikers needing to be rescued from the arid southern New Mexico portion of the Continental Divide Trail, for example. "People aren't as prepared to be out there as in the past," Trimble says. Newbie hikers also need to be aware of sustainable trail practices, namely the seven "Leave No Trace" principles. These include practices such as packing out your trash, camping on durable surfaces and respecting wildlife. It's also important to stay on the trail. No taking little detours to avoid stepping in mud or water; that starts widening the path and results in trampled vegetation. "Your footprints do have an impact," Trimble says. Perhaps most critical, though, is that all hikers whether seasoned or novice should remember the importance of giving back. "Trails don't maintain themselves," Trimble says. "If every trail user would do just one day of trail work a year, it would make a huge impact." Another way to lessen impact is to seek out trails that are less popular than the PCT and the AT, like the Ice Age Trail. You'll be treated to lots of scenic beauty without all the crowds. Learn more about great hiking destinations in "Fifty Places to Hike Before You Die: Outdoor Experts Share the World's Greatest Destinations" by Chris Santella. HowStuffWorks picks related titles based on books we think you'll like. Should you choose to buy one, we'll receive a portion of the sale. NOW THAT'S INTERESTING The U.S. is home to 11 National Scenic Trails, an elite classification. These trails total some 17,000 miles (27,358 kilometers), with the shortest being the New England Trail (215 miles or 346 kilometers) and the longest the North Country Trail in the Midwest (4,200 miles or 6,759 kilometers). Blog Archive Dec 2021 (42) Nov 2021 (84) Oct 2021 (58) Sep 2021 (67) Aug 2021 (62) Jul 2021 (54) Jun 2021 (50) May 2021 (58) Apr 2021 (44) Mar 2021 (57) Feb 2021 (64) Jan 2021 (93) Dec 2020 (82) Nov 2020 (62) Oct 2020 (50) Sep 2020 (45) Aug 2020 (51) Jul 2020 (56) Jun 2020 (53) May 2020 (70) Apr 2020 (66) Mar 2020 (169) Feb 2020 (211) Jan 2020 (184) Dec 2019 (54) Nov 2019 (56) Oct 2019 (55) Sep 2019 (63) Aug 2019 (54) Jul 2019 (69) Jun 2019 (56) May 2019 (65) Apr 2019 (68) Mar 2019 (72) Feb 2019 (76) Jan 2019 (62) Dec 2018 (55) Nov 2018 (69) Oct 2018 (90) Sep 2018 (82) Aug 2018 (58) Jul 2018 (36) Jun 2018 (47) May 2018 (44) Apr 2018 (64) Mar 2018 (63) Feb 2018 (68) Jan 2018 (92) Dec 2017 (85) Nov 2017 (64) Oct 2017 (82) Sep 2017 (54) Aug 2017 (89) Jul 2017 (60) Jun 2017 (86) May 2017 (84) Apr 2017 (62) Mar 2017 (86) Feb 2017 (91) Jan 2017 (113) Dec 2016 (109) Nov 2016 (100) Oct 2016 (82) Sep 2016 (95) Aug 2016 (84) Jul 2016 (84) Jun 2016 (99) May 2016 (93) Apr 2016 (106) Mar 2016 (145) Feb 2016 (125) Jan 2016 (103) Dec 2015 (83) Nov 2015 (80) Oct 2015 (100) Sep 2015 (111) Aug 2015 (94) Jul 2015 (98) Jun 2015 (151) May 2015 (125) Apr 2015 (109) Mar 2015 (122) Feb 2015 (113) Jan 2015 (135) Dec 2014 (131) Nov 2014 (115) Oct 2014 (146) Sep 2014 (112) Aug 2014 (128) Jul 2014 (94) Jun 2014 (104) May 2014 (140) Apr 2014 (132) Mar 2014 (81) Feb 2014 (89) Jan 2014 (141) Dec 2013 (100) Nov 2013 (96) Oct 2013 (99) Sep 2013 (94) Aug 2013 (95) Jul 2013 (95) Jun 2013 (91) May 2013 (139) Apr 2013 (179) Mar 2013 (73) Feb 2013 (76) Jan 2013 (85) Dec 2012 (59) Nov 2012 (71) Oct 2012 (85) Sep 2012 (70) Aug 2012 (71) Jul 2012 (53) Jun 2012 (51) May 2012 (52) Apr 2012 (52) Mar 2012 (69) Feb 2012 (76) Jan 2012 (70) Dec 2011 (60) Nov 2011 (54) Oct 2011 (57) Sep 2011 (75) Aug 2011 (72) Jul 2011 (64) Jun 2011 (76) May 2011 (56) Apr 2011 (73) Mar 2011 (114) Feb 2011 (71) Jan 2011 (80) Dec 2010 (92) Nov 2010 (82) Oct 2010 (73) Sep 2010 (95) Aug 2010 (86) Jul 2010 (81) Jun 2010 (76) May 2010 (71) Apr 2010 (74) Mar 2010 (74) Feb 2010 (82) Jan 2010 (101) Dec 2009 (108) Nov 2009 (182) Oct 2009 (136) Sep 2009 (102) Aug 2009 (120) Jul 2009 (151) Jun 2009 (136) May 2009 (180) Apr 2009 (145) Mar 2009 (113) Feb 2009 (113) Jan 2009 (124) Dec 2008 (108) Nov 2008 (69) Oct 2008 (89) Sep 2008 (76) Aug 2008 (75) Jul 2008 (87) Jun 2008 (80) May 2008 (99) Apr 2008 (93) Mar 2008 (115) Feb 2008 (147) Jan 2008 (162) Dec 2007 (124) Nov 2007 (95) Oct 2007 (67) Sep 2007 (42) Aug 2007 (78) Jul 2007 (75) Jun 2007 (123) May 2007 (110) Apr 2007 (108) Mar 2007 (92) Feb 2007 (136) Jan 2007 (119) Dec 2006 (41) Nov 2006 (34) Oct 2006 (12) Sep 2006 (13) Aug 2006 (13) Jul 2006 (16) Jun 2006 (12) May 2006 (21) Apr 2006 (38) Mar 2006 (27) Feb 2006 (25) Jan 2006 (18) This years Rethink AgriFood Innovation Week in San Francisco saw an awkward uncle stride proudly into the weeks agenda for the first time with last Mondays inaugural Animal AgTech Innovation Summit. Animal agritech often struggles to evince the same aura and hype as other innovation hotspots in the agri and food space. Throughout the two major events later in the week the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit and Future Food-Tech (FFT) livestock farming often gets lambasted as an old-school relic; a bogeyman emitting too much carbon or methane; a doddery addict of water, gas, electricity, vaccines, antibiotics or soy; an abuser of animal welfare. And what about all that cow manure? Ew. So not Silicon Valley. Those dark, unpalatable visions of animal agritech are proving to be handy pitching fodder for trendier food tech startups touting their alternative proteins or dairy-free options. Animal AgTech is No Innovation Backwater But, such lowly placement in no way renders Animal AgTech an innovation backwater. In fact, what the gathering made clear is the giddy rate of change propelled by companies old and new coming to grips with new technologies. At any point during the summit, it was remarkable to glean how advanced livestock farming and aquaculture has become, and how much seems just around the corner. Buzzwords included gene editing, the Internet of Things, blockchain-backed traceability, facial recognition of livestock, big data crunching, satellite and drone monitoring, robotic milking, and microbiome manipulations. Cowboys and Zuckerbergs Representatives of Big Ag on the opening panel were all wary (and even a little fatalistic) about Big Tech like Facebook, Amazon or Google stepping in and dominating their sector within five years. Investors on a panel later in the day, however, were bullish that wont happen Big Ag will be gored by a stampede of dynamic and disruptive startups instead. To hold their own, established players at the summit spoke of rapid self-disruption, outlining plans to reduce or even eliminate the use of vaccines and antibiotics on their farms. Some were candid about their attempts to integrate their data systems in search of predictive and near-fully automated farming. Others dwelt on their responses to changing consumer sentiment, and their ongoing quests to bolster animal welfare and combat climate change. Our mission really is to remove antibiotics from animal production. We think it is the right thing to do for mankind, declared George Heidgerken, global head of livestock at pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, vowing to improve productivity while reducing pain and suffering. On climate change, he spoke out passionately against his sector and even his own company, urging further action. its not part of our strategy its part of our PR, he said with disgust, saying that has to change for the good of everyone. Marc de Beer, senior director, Global Nutritional Health at animal health group Elanco was more circumspect and less prone to rhetorical flourish. He also made a case for judicious use of antibiotics, an unsurprising stance for a company that makes a living from their distribution. He added, by way of a caveat, that Elanco would not exist if we did not recognise the strong trends away from that, confirming how the search was on for alternatives to vaccines and antibiotics. We feel theres always going to be a place for treating sick animals, he concluded, calling outbreaks of swine fever in China a major threat for the industry, while expressing confidence the solutions are there. Ask the Water. Ask the Data. Ask The Birds. Eager to also enter the debate on welfare innovation was Karen Christensen, senior director of animal wellbeing at Tyson Foods, though she did raise a few eyebrows when said that her company was asking the birds about their preference for living conditions. Were putting them in a lot of situations where they can make a choice, she later clarified, providing lighting of chicken hatcheries as an example. If you really dig into it, vision is very important for the birds, she said. We are working hard to let them design their own lighting programmes. Bruce Stewart Brown, senior VP of food safety at poultry giant Perdue, prefers to ask the water. The water consumption will tell you before the chickens do about how theyre feeling, he said. You can use the ventilation schemes in the controller to get ammonia, oxygen and Co2 metricsThe problem is, its not getting past that, to a decision-making formula, he said, highlighting a recurring theme of datasets not talking to each other. On the subject of actually bringing the smart use of data onto farms and creating accelerators, E. Michael Casle II, EVP and CEO of the feed division and North America sales at Irelands Alltech, said the key was via actually linking data-driven decisions with saving time, money and resources: If you think about it, reducing environmental impact means increased productivity. Thats one way to help farmers bring data into their work. Antibiotics Without Antibiotics By the time the second panel rolled around, the topic of nutrition and the microbiome became bafflingly complex to the point where one or two members of the audience quietly asked if any of the panelists really knew what the microbiome even was. The takeaways? Humanity has only identified and categorised a tiny percentage of the breathtaking variety of microorganisms thriving in the intestines of animals and the soil beneath them. Even so, there could be possibilities in the undiscovered, particularly as replacements for antibiotics, said Mike Seely CEO Ascus Biosciences and Viggo Halseth chief innovation officer of Nutreco. They can also turbo-boost digestion, added Bryan Tracey, CEO and cofounder White Dog Labs, which introduces clostridia to chickens, leveraging it from current corn ethanol production in the United States. We believe theres an innovation play, agreed Susanne Palsten Buchardt, VP of animal health and nutrition at Novozymes. We might take a small stake to know whats going on, she said of prospective investments or acquisitions, describing a tough internal debate of when are you the best owner, and when can you provide cash and capabilities? But not so fast: We are looking for IP. This is the dealbreaker, stressed Wilson Antonio Simon, global vice president of animal health and nutrition at Kerry, the taste and nutrition company, before complaining that the regulations are at least 10 years behind the science and innovation. Better to go with oral vaccinations, suggested Mazen Animal Health CEO Jenny Filbey. No longer any need to spray or inject the animal, she said, warning that preventions were still necessary to ward off epidemics. Her proof of concept is against the Porcine epidemic PEDV 100 percent fatal in newborn pigs, and against some aquaculture diseases. By 2026, we will be a $300 million company, she said. For Robert Gore, VP of agricultural applications at 4RY, spraying is still the way to go. Itll be more effective at improving cattle health than anything theyre talking about here, he told AgFunderNews following a panel on the digitalisation on farms. None of those guys look like theyve ever been on a farm. Theyve never stepped in cow shit, criticising some digital solutions as out of touch. Admittedly, at this part of the conference, speakers on the digitalization panel had descended into vagaries and bromides. Mareese Keane, who directs the Thrive Accelerator investment arm SVG Ventures, was too softball on her line of questioning, allowing an all-too-comfortable time for Sri Raj Kantamneni, managing director of digital insights at Cargill. Aidan Connolly CEO at Cainthus, and previously CIO at Alltech, at least pointed out that were under more scrutiny than weve ever been, but then his later comments became so generic as to be applicable to almost any conference. Dane Kuper, founder and CEO Performance Livestock Analytics, and Paulo Loueiro of Zoetis were similarly guilty. Gene Editing: Less Horny Cows and Exotic Aberdeen Angus Judging by the gene editing panel, the takeaway is that regulatory paths in South America have been cleared for gene editing of livestock, while in Europe and America, regulations remain tight and restrictive. All panelists wondered how this can be enforced, given the difficulties of discovering which cow is the clone and which one is original. The purpose of regulations is to protect consumers from risk not to stop all innovation from ever happening for ever onwards, amen. So the precautionary principle has probably done more damage to global sustainability than any agricultural decision ever, said Alison Van eenenaam, an Animal Geneticist at UC Davis, speaking to AgFunderNews during a coffee break. It really enables you to introduce useful genetic variants into a range of different backgrounds, which I think allows the ability to maintain the genetic diversity of our livestock. The public, she added, have been lied to and fear-mongered to by Greenpeace and a whole bunch of wealthy European activist groups, to be honest with you, spreading misinformation around this technology. In Brazil, new genetically-edited dairy cows are being phased in without horns. That is an issue of welfare, says Mitch Abrahamsen, chief commercial and scientific Officer at Recombinetics, who pointed out the brutal treatment currently to remove horns from cows to stop them wounding others by accident. Youll never get a Frankenstein, Abrahamsen told AgFunderNews during the drinks reception. Abe Huisman, director R&D, Swine, Hendrix Genetics and Rick Peterson, senior director, R&D, Animal Sciences Division, Intrexon also both mentioned how gene-edited disease resistance could prevent undue deaths of livestock during their talk. Wrapping up the day by giving the VC perspective, Jenny Rooke of Genoa Ventures, Spencer Swayze of Paine Schwartz Partners, Brett Morris of TechAccel and Kevin Zussman, VP at Cultivian Sandbox Ventures all noted an uptick investor interest in the sector, and were all largely skeptical that plant-based or cellular protein alternatives would reach price parity any time soon. They stressed that startups need to focus on proving their concepts for sectoral success, and needed to work closely with the real needs of farmers, not the imagined ones. Interactive training on the best low-cost, high-impact communication strategies for nonprofits after the Funder's Forum. The AFP-NM Academy is offering "Communications Toolkit for Nonprofits" in the afternoon. MediaDesk will present this interactive training on the best low-cost, high-impact communication strategies for your nonprofit after the Funder's Forum. The workshop will include hands-on breakout sessions and provide tactics to maximize your time, help you set priorities and prevent you from wasting time on strategies that don't serve your goals. The three-part training includes: - How to Set Communications Priorities - Top Low-Budget Communications Investments - Stop Using Social Media Platforms That Don't Serve You MediaDesk is a creative communications agency that works exclusively with nonprofits of all sizes. Their communications strategists understand the constraints, challenges and opportunities nonprofits face in communicating their mission powerfully and effectively. You are welcome to register and attend one or both of these events. Searching for disappeared anti-matter: A successful start to measurements with Belle II The Belle II detector got off to a successful start in Japan. Since March 25, 2019, the instrument has been measuring the first particle collisions, which are generated in the modernized SuperKEKB accelerator. The new duo produces more than 50 times the number of collisions compared to its predecessor. The huge increase in evaluable data means that there is not a greater chance of finding out why there is an imbalance between matter and anti-matter in the Universe. In the Belle II experiment, electrons and their anti-particles, the positrons, are brought to collision. This results in the generation of B mesons, couples consisting of a quark and an anti-quark. During earlier experiments (Belle and BaBar), scientists were able to observe that B mesons and anti-B mesons decay at different speeds (1). This phenomenon is known as CP violation (2). It offers an orientation when it comes to the question of why the Universe contains almost no anti-matter - even though after the Big Bang, both forms of matter must have been present in equal quantities. Will Belle II discover new physics? "However, the asymmetry observed to date is too small to explain the lack of anti-matter," says Hans-Gunther Moser from the Max Planck Institute for Physics. "That's why we're looking for a more powerful mechanism that has remained unknown to date that would burst the boundaries of the 'standard model of particle physics' that has been used to date. However, to find this new physics and to provide statistical evidence for it, physicists must collect and evaluate far more data than they have done to date." With this task in mind, the former KEK accelerator and Belle - which were operational from 1999 to 2010 - have been fully modernized. They are now being run under the names Belle II and SuperKEKB. The key new development is the 40-fold increase in luminosity, the number of particle collisions per area unit. For this purpose, scientists and technicians have significantly reduced the profile of the particle beam; at the same time, it will be possible to double the number of shot particle bunches in the future. The probability that the particles might actually hit each other is thus considerably increased. In this way, scientists will have 50 times the amount of data available for evaluation in the future. High-precision recording of particle tracks However, the additional amount of data presents major challenges when it comes to the quality of the analysis provided by the detector. After the particle collision, the B mesons decay by just 0.1 millimeters on an average flight. This means that the detectors have to work very quickly and precisely. This is ensured by a highly sensitive pixel vertex detector, a large part of which was developed and built at the Max Planck Institute for Physics and the semiconductor laboratory of the Max Planck Society. The detector has 8 million pixels overall, and delivers 50,000 images per second. "Several special technologies are built into the pixel vertex detector," Moser explains. "When new particle packages are fed into the SuperKEKB, which initially generates a very large background, we can blind the detector for about 1 microsecond. This means that non-relevant signals can be blocked out." Also, the detector sensors are no thicker than a human hair, with widths of just 75 micrometers. The physicists hope that in this way, they can prevent particles from being scattered while passing through matter. The start of the measurement operation will mark the end of a major construction project. For nine years, scientists and engineers have been working on the conversion and modernization of the detector. The run that has now begun will continue until 1st July 2019. The SuperKEKB and Belle II will restart in October 2019 after a brief pause for maintenance. ### (1) In 2008, the Japanese professors Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Maskawa won the Nobel Prize for Physics for this discovery. (2) Charge/Parity (3) The pixel vertex detector was developed and built by 11 research institutions: Excellence Cluster Universe, DESY, Semiconductor Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen, Karlsruhe Institute for Technology, Max-Planck Institute for Physics, Technical University of Munich, University of Bonn, Giessen University, University of Goettingen, Heidelberg University. Charge/Parity The pixel vertex detector was developed and built by 11 research institutions: Excellence Cluster Universe, DESY, Semiconductor Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen, Karlsruhe Institute for Technology, Max-Planck Institute for Physics, Technical University of Munich, University of Bonn, Giessen University, University of Goettingen, Heidelberg University. Contact: Dr. Hans-Guenther Moser Max Planck Institute for Physics +49 89 32354-248 moser@mpp.mpg.de This story has been published on: 2019-03-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. diegograndi/iStock(NEW YORK) -- A number of major art institutions and charities are suspending a consistent source of funding because of an ongoing opioid scandal. The Sackler family has come under scrutiny in light of a legal battle involving the pharmaceutical company that they own -- Purdue Pharma. The Sackler Trust regularly donates to museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Tate museums in the United Kingdom (UK), but now those museums and others are reviewing or refusing Sackler donations in light of the civil cases against certain family members and Purdue Pharma. The chair of the Sackler Trust released a statement Tuesday noting that "the current press attention that these legal cases in the United States is generating has created immense pressure on the scientific, medical, educational and arts institutions here in the UK," adding that "This attention is distracting them from the important work that they do." "The Trustees of the Sackler Trust have taken the difficult decision to temporarily pause all new philanthropic giving, while still honouring existing commitments," Dame Theresa Sackler, the chair of the Sackler Trust said in a statement released on behalf of the trustees. "I am deeply saddened by the addiction crisis in America and support the actions Purdue Pharma is taking to help tackle the situation, whilst still rejecting the false allegations made against the company and several members of the Sackler family," her statement reads. The statement ends by noting their continued commitment to the causes but "at this moment it is the better course for the Trust to halt all new giving until we can be confident that it will not be a distraction for institutions that are applying for grants." The decision to suspend their charitable giving comes after several high profile institutions already cut or loosened their ties to the controversial family. The president and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art released a statement saying they are "conducting a review of our gift acceptance policies" but acknowledges that the funding they have received from the Sackler family through the years "reflects the complexity that is common in this area." "The Sacklers began supporting The Met over 50 years ago decades before the invention of opioids and the public health crisis that has later ensued. The contemporary Sackler family is large and there are varying relationships among these branches with Purdue Pharma (some have had no relationship with the company for decades)," Daniel Weiss said in the Met's statement, adding that they have not received any gifts from the family in the past two years. The Guggenheim Museum noted that while they have received a total of $9 million in donations from the family between 1995 and 2015, they have not received any gifts since. "No additional gifts are planned, and the Guggenheim does not plan to accept any gifts," the museum said in their statement, though not making any suggestion that they would be returning the earlier gifts. The Smithsonian, which has a gallery named after donor Arthur M. Sackler, released a statement in February noting that the gallery opened in 1987 -- the same year of his death, and "eight years before OxyContin was approved for sale," the statement notes. In a subsequent statement, Linda St. Thomas, the chief spokesperson for the Smithsonian Institution, said that "at this time, we have no plans to approach any member of the Sackler family for a donation." Similar distancing has taken place across the pond, with the Tate galleries, which include museums like the Tate Modern and Tate Britain, confirming in a statement to ABC News that while the family has "given generously to Tate in the past," they will not be removing references to past Sackler donations but will not be accepting any further donations from the family. The National Portrait Gallery also announced last week that they would not be accepting what The New York Times describes as a long-discussed $1.3 million donation. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Grace Beauty(NEW YORK) -- Grace Beauty, an emerging cosmetics line, features products that keep people with physical disabilities top of mind. The U.K.-based brand currently has three reusable mascara wand add-ons available for pre-order and the first one to appear on Instagram was The Ring Grip. "Anyone, regardless of ability, should be able to use any beauty product they want to," according to a statement on Grace Beauty's website. "To help this cause, were making accessories for people with disabilities. Starting with mascara, we created add-ons for better grip, control and safety." The brand also introduced The Square Grip, which attaches to both sides of your mascara to make it easy to open and hold. There is also The Safe Grip, which comes with a wide-angled grip to ensure better control for users. According to Nylon, the wand add-ons are set to first ship on June 3 for about $10.45 each. In the meantime, Grace Beauty has begun building an online community for access to early releases and prototypes. "We want to hear your story and we want to help you tell it to the world," the company says. "By joining up we will start to feature community stories as we build our mission together." Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Frankfurt, September 6, 2011. The experienced IT and sales specialist was most recently account manager at autonomy and supports immediately harmony at the location Germany. Here he is, focus on the expansion of corporate positioning, especially in the area of E-Discovery and information governance solutions for companies to support them in the implementation of all necessary compliance guidelines, as well as directly in the fight against fraud and internal investigations. Recent developments such as the introduction of the UK Bribery Act and generally the implementation of compliance strategies in companies have resulted in an increased need for supporting solutions. Accordingly, ZyLAB recorded an increased demand for its solutions for E-Discovery and information management. Especially the German market is active, so that the global company now be Expanded sales team based in Frankfurt, Germany. We are very happy, that Claus blank supports us in the future with its know-how", explains Pieter Varkevisser, CEO of harmony. In a complex area, are long sales cycles commonplace and require intensive care. "" A high-quality customer service is also very important us which requires intense know-how and extensive experience both brings Claus blank with. "In the task, ZyLABs customer target group the extensive functionalities of - Discovery and information management to show systems, I see an exciting challenge", explains Claus blank. The technology excellent award by renowned analysts like Gartner offers best requirements in my opinion, to win more shares in the German-speaking market." Before the trained computer scientists came to harmony, he served over five years account manager at autonomy and before ten years at Verity - as account manager -. About ZyLAB distribution BV: with the modular Solutions for E-Discovery and enterprise-wide information management, organizations can manage all data of any format. Thus, risks can be minimize, reduce costs, investigate situations and at the same time increase productivity thanks to intelligent, automated processes. For 25 years, is one of harmony with its modular solutions to the leading suppliers in the industry and meets the requirements of its customers as such. To do this, he offers advanced technologies related to multilingualism, search, content analysis, document examination, as well as the E-Mail and records management. The harmony eDiscovery & production system was compliant with the electronic discovery reference model (EDRM) developed and includes modules for forensic analysis data collection, the selective sorting of specific documents, email conversion and archiving (Exchange, Lotus Notes and GroupWise), as well as for the legal review. ZyLABs XML based products and services are business far from corporations, authorities, courts and law firms used. Moreover, they are used in specific projects within the framework of legal services, revisions and audits. The systems are available alternatively as SaS (software-as-a-service) model. Currently, harmony has sold 1.7 million user licenses in more than 9,000 installations. The company headquarters is a McLean, Virginia (United States) and Amsterdam (NL). In addition, ZyLAB served local markets through offices in New York, San Francisco, Barcelona, Frankfurt, London, Paris and Singapore. Learn more about harmony see on the blog at zylab.wordpress.com. Editorial Contacts: ZyLAB Germany Claus blank on the shaft 4 60322 Frankfurt am Main, Germany telephone: + 49 69 7593 8460 fax: + 49 69 7593 8200 good PR agency news! 00:00 | Tokyo (Japan), Mar. 26. The launch took place at the Haneda International Airport , which welcomes over 80 million passengers every year. In this sense, the Peruvian Hello Kitty who wears a chullo (a knitted wool cap with ear flaps) and poncho was greeted with applause by Japanese and foreign travelers. Therefore, Sanrio's iconic character will promote the Inca country through digital platforms thanks to the creation of a webpage Within this framework, the site will provide information about Peru's tourist attractions and travel agencies, as well as a forum for questions. The new website is expected to receive between 50,000 and 60,000 visitors per month. In the first six months, at least 300,000 users are projected to visit the page. Furthermore, the campaign will be present in social media such as Instagram and Line with the purpose of promoting Peru as a destination among new followers. Japanese tourists Japanese tourists are linked to cultural, art, and traditional tourism. They interact with locals and value their work, as well as appreciate Peru's biodiversity and fauna. Ica, On average, they stay six nights in the Inca country. Plus, each visitor spends US$1,848, being Lima, Cusco Puno , and Arequipa regions their main destinations. (END) NDP/DTK/MVB Loading... The Exports and Tourism Promotion Board (PromPeru) in a joint effort with Sanrio Company has presented the Peruvian Hello Kitty campaign aimed at strengthening the positioning of the Inca country as a tourist destination for Japanese visitors.Publicado: 26/3/2019 In this sense, Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister Edgar Vasquez indicated the specialized fashion and decoration business event will take place in Lima on April 10-12. Out of the 241 exhibitors, 197 are small- and medium-sized enterprises. According to the official, the business deals might exceed the US$120 million posted last year. Likewise, Minister Vasquez underlined the importance of big companies' interest in participating in business rounds and exhibitions aimed at finding new products to be added to their catalogs. "The regions that will be present in this edition are Lima, Arequipa, Cusco, Ayacucho, Junin, Puno, La Libertad, Apurimac, Ica, and Huancavelica regions," he expressed. It should be noted over 300 foreign buyers from 30 countries will make 3,600 business appointments. More than 1,000 visitors from the United States, Brazil, Argentina, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Italy are also expected to attend the event. Sustainable fashion Peru Moda and Peru Moda Deco 's theme this year will be "Believe to be sustainable." It is aimed at calling for reflection on the fashion industry's impact on the environment, as well as presenting an opportunity to prove there is harmony between creativity and conscious design. Furthermore, the Association of Peruvian Exporters' (Adex) Textile Forum and Sustainable Fashion Forum will take place with the participation of national and international experts. Peru Moda and Peru Moda Deco are organized by PromPeru with the support of the Foreign Trade and Tourism Ministry (Mincetur), Foreign Affairs Ministry, Adex, Lima Chamber of Commerce (CCL), and National Society of Industries (SNI). (END) NDP/DTK/MVB The world's well-known international brands such as Kenzo, Gucci, Max Mara, Prada, Viviane Westwood, Scotch & Soda, Tory Burch, and Pinko have shown interest in participating in Peru Moda and Peru Moda Deco 2019 , the Exports and Tourism Promotion Board (PromPeru) has informed.Published: 3/26/2019 Previously, in Lima, he visited the editorial offices of Radio Programas del Peru (RPP), El Peruano Andina (Editora Peru), La Republica, Trome, and Depor. We need dialogue, we support dialogue , and I hope there will be a solution to this problem very soon," the official expressed. Energy and Mines Minister Francisco Ismodes and Presidency of the Council of Ministers' (PCM) Deputy Territorial Governance Minister Raul Molina held a meeting with Cusco Region Governor Jean Paul Benavente in order to promote audiences between the parts involved in conflict . Therefore, Ismodes and Molina also met with Apurimac Region Governor Baltazar Lantaron. Likewise, the officials will hold a meeting with Cotabambas district's and province's authorities in the said region. In this sense, the cabinet chief indicated the Energy and Mines Minister and Deputy Territorial Governance Minister are the government's representatives who act as intermediaries in the social problem between protestors and the mining company. Members of the Fuerabamba community (Apurimac region) have blocked a roadway corridor in Cusco region that is used by Las Bambas to transport its copper production to Matarani Port. It should be noted only the mining company's vehicles are forbidden to transit. Fuerabamba community demands Las Bambas to pay compensation for the use of the lands. (END) RMCH/SMA/DTK/MVB Prime Minister Salvador del Solar highlighted the fact that the Peruvian Government has constantly supported talks to solve the conflict around Las Bambas mining project.Published: 3/26/2019 YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. The first session of the four-day sitting of Parliament has kicked off today, reports Armenpress. 11 issues are included in the sessions agenda. The lawmakers will debate a number of draft laws. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. United States National Security Advisor John Bolton has said the U.S. will not tolerate hostile foreign military powers meddling with the Western Hemispheres shared goals of democracy, security, and the rule of law, referring to the Venezuelan situation. The Venezuelan military must stand with the people of Venezuela, he tweeted. The United States sends food and medicine to help the people of Venezuela. Rather than sending nuclear-capable bombers and special forces to prop up a corrupt dictator, Russia should work with the international community to support the Venezuelan people, he added. Earlier it was reported that two Russian cargo planes arrived in Caracas, bringing military-technical experts and cargo. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. France and China on March 25 signed a whole series of agreements during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Paris, reports TASS. The 14 cooperation agreements cover various areas, such as energy, culture, universe, aviation, as well as banking. Among other things it was announced that the deal on acquiring 300 Airbus A320 Airbus A350 XWB jets by China ends. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan Win McNamee/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The Trump administration is expanding its restrictions on U.S. funding for international health care providers and non-profits that perform or promote abortion, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Tuesday. It's an expansion on what is already the widest implementation yet of the so-called "Mexico City policy" -- one that has won praise from anti-abortion groups, but that critics say is having a devastating effect on rural health care in developing countries. The policy, named for President Ronald Reagan's announcement in Mexico, has been rescinded by successive Democrat presidents and re-implemented by Republicans since its inception. It originally blocked any U.S. funds for global health from going to NGOs that worked in family planning and reproductive health. But President Donald Trump expanded that, banning all foreign NGOs that conducted abortions or highlighted it as an option from receiving U.S. global health funds, including international health programs, such as those for HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, and malaria. Now, the administration is trying to close the gap even further, according to Pompeo, by refusing to provide funds to any group that gives money to other groups that perform or provide information about abortions. "This is decent. This is right. And I'm proud to serve in an administration that protects the least amongst us," Pompeo said Tuesday in Washington. The administration is also punishing the Organization of American States because one of the groups it works with conducted "abortion-related advocacy," according to Pompeo. The U.S. will reduce its contributions to the pan-American body that promotes democracy and good governance in the Western Hemisphere and will require a prohibition of funds for any lobbying for or against abortion in any future foreign assistance programs -- a prohibition required by law for all U.S. foreign assistance. The new restrictions won praise from anti-abortion groups for eliminating what loopholes there may have been in the policy, with which Pompeo said "the vast majority of our implementing partners have" complied. "Money is fungible," said the Susan B. Anthony List, a nonprofit that seeks to end abortion, in a statement. "We are excited to see Secretary Pompeo taking additional steps to ensure that Americans' hard-earned dollars are actually used for health assistance, not funneled to groups that push abortion." But critics, including some NGOs on the ground, have said the existing policy has already had damaging effects on health care, particularly in rural areas. Last June, the Center for Health and Gender Equity, or CHANGE, issued a report to show that the already existing restrictions have led to cutbacks for health care providers, many of whom are dependent on U.S. funding. Those cutbacks included closing certain facilities, laying off staff, and providing fewer services, including HIV/AIDS tests and consultations, according to the report. Pompeo dismissed those concerns, saying, "They're just wrong about that." "The theory that somehow not protecting every human life is destroying human life is perverse on its face," he added. "One need not perform abortions in order to protect people from HIV" or other diseases combated by US global health initiatives. The problem, critics like CHANGE say, is that in some communities there is only one health care provider who offers all kinds of services, which may include abortion and contraceptives. Democrats have re-introduced legislation to permanently repeal the Mexico City policy, with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen garnering 45 co-sponsors in the Senate and Rep. Nita Lowey, 150 co-sponsors in the House. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. Co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of Armenia, Yuliya Lovochkina (Ukraine, SOC) and Andrej Sircelj (Slovenia, EPP/CD), stated that the Armenian authorities are acutely aware of the extremely high expectations of the population for change. It is therefore important that the reforms now being formulated lead to concrete and tangible results, the co-rapporteurs said following a visit to Yerevan from 12 to 14 March 2019, PACE reported. The co-rapporteurs welcomed the commitment of MPs to give the Armenian National Assembly a central role in the institutional system, and the wish of members of the executive for a better distribution of powers. The vertical of power tradition is old in Armenia, and any declared willingness to put into place a real balance of powers can only be welcomed, said the co-rapporteurs, emphasizing that this could help a genuine democratic culture to take root in Armenia, marked by tolerance and the acceptance of a plurality of opinions. During their meetings, the co-rapporteurs were informed that in some areas, such as gender equality and the fight against corruption, there was a clear change of attitude and tone on the part of the authorities, and that the first tangible results in the fight against corruption had been achieved. We welcome the many major reforms being prepared, concerning the independence of the judiciary, the adoption of a new criminal policy and the creation of institutions specifically dedicated to fighting corruption and discrimination, and equally welcome the stated intention to develop these policies in an inclusive manner, they said. The co-rapporteurs will carefully follow the concrete implementation of these reforms. They called on the Armenian authorities to take advantage of the current very high level of public support to step up their efforts in the field of social reform, including improvements to social services for all Armenians. The co-rapporteurs praised the maturity with which Armenian political forces and the Armenian people had managed the peaceful revolution and the political transition that followed. This transition has now been completed with the elections of December 2018, considered free and fair by all international observers and the vast majority of Armenian political actors we met, they said. The changes the country is going through are profound. The Council of Europe and its Parliamentary Assembly are at the disposal of the Armenian people and their representatives to ensure the successful preparation and implementation of these changes, concluded Ms Lovochkina and Mr Sircelj. YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian met with President of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) Berge Setrakian, the Presidential Office told Armenpress. During the meeting President Sarkissian, who is a member of the AGBU Central Board of Directors since 2016, talked about the AGBUs ongoing and upcoming programs, attached importance to educational, cultural and humanitarian manuals aimed at creating interest among the Diaspora-Armenian young generation to the national rich heritage and traditions. Welcoming the organizations expanding presence and activity in Armenia, Armen Sarkissian highly valued the Unions engagement in solving pan-Armenian issues. At the meeting Armen Sarkissian and Berge Setrakian also touched upon the Armenia-Diaspora mutual ties, the AGBU mission aimed at developing and strengthening those ties, as well as the implementation of Armenian-centered programs. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has attended the inauguration of a new cheese factory in Armenia. Development Director Karen Baghdasaryan from Spayka, the Armenian company that will run the factory, said they will produce soft-ripened cheese and blue cheese in the factory. More than 15 million dollars was invested to implement the project, he said. According to him the company will procure more than 20,000,000 liters of milk annually from various provinces of the country. He said they will provide modern equipment to farmers to ensure high standards of the milk. Baghdasaryan said Spayka will soon issue bonds to enable those who trust in the companys success to be part of the process. The plant is located in Noragavit and uses German and Dutch technologies. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says while spending money on any program the important is to ask what the state and the people will receive for that, reports Armenpress. During his todays remarks at the National Academy of Sciences Pashinyan said there are many talks on the absence of money, but the problem is in other platform. According to him, the military-industrial complex is among those fields which puts concrete tasks before science, but according to the latest statistical data, the budget for the scientific-research part of the military-industrial complex has been underfulfilled. In other words, the state puts a concrete task before science, provides finance and it turns out that science doesnt solve this issue at least within a proper time and doesnt receive that funding. This is a concrete example when the talk is absolutely not about the absence of money. Money exists, has been provided, but is not spent because it turns out that we face a problem of professional potential and numerous other problems, Pashinyan said. He noted that since his election as PM of Armenia in May 2018 there hasnt been a case that any program is rejected for absence of money. If it turns out that Armenia needs any program, money will be found. Our work, including in the science field, should be aimed at solving concrete practical issues, which not only spend, but also bring money if not in the short-run but in the long-run, the PM said. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans wife Anna Hakobyan has presented her new official website on March 26. The website features comprehensive information about Hakobyans activities, such as visits and interviews, as well as information about the My Step Foundation and City of Smiles Foundation which she leads. Dear friends, today the annahakobyan.am website was launched, which will be constantly updated, she said on Facebook. This means you can follow my every step through this website. I hope you will like it and that it will be convenient for you, Hakobyan wrote and thanked the team who developed the website. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. Armenia a small country blessed with outstanding human capital is ambitious about its global role in the World, drawing on its traditional strengths of scientific excellence, creativity and intellectual prowess, Armenpress reports citing The Summit of Minds website. Information about the Armenian Summit of Minds, which will take place in Dilijan in June, is already released on its official website. The event organizers note that Armenian President Armen Sarkissian will host the Armenian Summit of Minds from June 7 to 9. The organizers say Armenia is the cradle of an ancient civilization rich in historical and cultural traditions. Yerevan, its capital city, is one of the most ancient in the world in 2018 it celebrated its 2800th anniversary. Armenia was also the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301 AD and a country whose alphabet was created in 405 AD. The young generation is actively engaged in the development of the nations future in the form of tech startups distinguished by an Armenian take on creative science. Armenia ready to act as vital bridge between different nations to the mutual benefit of the region as a whole is in the midst of an economic and societal revolution. To that end, it needs the support of friends. How can the world invest in Armenia and the regional countries? And how can the world benefit from Armenia? The Armenian Summit of Minds is a unique opportunity for participants to experience simultaneously the most ancient and the most innovative that the country has to offer. The outstanding natural surroundings of the resort town of Dilijan, famed for its spas and traditional crafts, offers the perfect location for the Summit of Minds special mix of hard thinking and experiential learning for both physical and mental wellbeing. The Monthly Barometer, the chief partner of the Summit, is a leading analytical newsletter. An agreement on the organization of the event was reached in September 2018 when the Armenian President was taking part in the Summit of Minds as a main speaker. The Summit of Minds is a major event gathering over 300 politicians, scientists, businessmen-investors, heads of large companies and media outlets from all over the world. The event aims at presenting new ideas on issues of global importance, establishing reliable partnering relations through direct discussions. Armenia is the first country to host the event outside Chamonix. The main topic of discussion during the expected Armenian Summit of Minds will be the Regional geopolitics, economy and investments: Multipolarity impact on trade and investment flows. Holding this event in Armenia will contribute to raising the countrys international ranking. The Summit is a unique opportunity to present Armenias potential, develop new cooperation directions and establish business ties. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Ambassador to Poland Samvel Mkrtchyan on March 21 met with Marshal of the Sejm (lower house of parliament) Marek Kuchcinski, the Armenian foreign ministry told Armenpress. The Marshal of the Polish Sejm congratulated the Armenian Ambassador on assuming office and made a number of practical proposals to strengthen the cooperation at bilateral inter-parliamentary and multilateral parliamentary diplomacy formats. Ambassador Mkrtchyan expressed full support to Marek Kuchcinskis approaches. Touching upon the historical and current role of the Armenian community of Poland, both officials emphasized the importance of public engagement. They highly valued the resolution adopted by the Polish Senate and Sejm in 2017 on the long presence of Armenians in Poland, as well as highlighted the need for the continuation of the future cooperation of parliamentary friendship groups. Marek Kuchcinski and Samvel Mkrtchyan also touched upon the situation in crisis zones of Middle East, highlighting the imperative to protect religious minorities. An agreement was reached to contribute to making mutual visits at various inter-parliamentary levels, as well as to take steps to expand the legal framework. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, MARCH 27, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan attended the opening ceremony of Spayka agro-holdings cheese and dairy products producing plant. The facility is equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technologies. The Head of Government toured the factory, constructed by an investment of about USD 15 million. 120 new jobs were created under the project, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia. It was reported that the production line enables the production of the whole range of cheese with mold. The annual output of Sambiel cheese will rise to more than 2000 tons. Sambiel will be consumed in Armenia, CIS and Middle Eastern countries. The factory will purchase more than 20 million liters of milk per year. The company has established a laboratory for milk quality testing. At the second stage, in cooperation with a Dutch investment company, Spayka intends to build another plant for semi-dairy and dry cheese assortments to produce Dutch and Swiss high-quality sorts of cheeses. The total amount of investment will rise to about USD 30 million, and the plants productivity will increase by over 6,000 tons. YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Ambassador to Belarus Armen Ghevondyan met with Director General of BelTA news agency Irina Akulovich, the Armenian foreign ministry told Armenpress. During the meeting they attached importance to the provision of information on the development process of the Armenian-Belarussian inter-state ties, the continuation of exchange of information and materials between the news agencies of the two countries, including under the memorandum signed between ARMENPRESS and BelTA news agencies in 2017. The implementation prospects of several outlined programs were discussed at the meeting. An agreement was reached on informing about the events to take place within the frames of the Embassy-news agency mutual partnership. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan sent condolence letter to President of Iran Hassan Rouhani on the occasion of the flood that claimed lives of some dozens. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the condolence message particularly runs as follows, I am deeply shocked by the news of the death of some dozens people as a result of the flood in friendly Iran. On behalf of the Armenian people and personally me I offer sincere condolences to you, the friendly people of Iran and convey words of sympathy and solidarity to the relatives and friends of the victims. Armenia is ready to support the friendly people of Iran in this difficult period and provide the necessary assistance for eliminating the consequences of the flood. Translated and edited by Tigran Sirekanyan Ms Moiam has asked potential sponsors to consider putting their weight behind Papua New Guinean writers. It is a means of building and strengthening Papua New Guinean literature, she said, and it gives writers the encouragement and recognition they need. The Prize was founded in 2010 and director Ruth Moiam said it has developed as the countrys most important platform for writers and poets. PORT MORESBY - The Crocodile Prize is getting ready for a big year as it continues to bring the best of Papua New Guinean writing to the world. The Prize has an attractive sponsorship program which offers organisations tangible benefits, she said. Supporting writers promotes the talent and creativity of the nation and makes a significant contribution to our national culture and identity. The Crocodile Prize organisation also publishes an annual anthology of the best PNG writing which is distributed free throughout PNG and retailed internationally. Since the beginning of the Prize, more than 2,200 original short stories, essays, poems, heritage legends and stories for children have been submitted. Poet Michael Dom, creative director of the Prize, said developing new talent and ensuring the best of PNG writing is published are central to the Prizes success. Most entrants have never been published before, Mr Dom said, and the Prize has become an important outlet for emerging writers. The Crocodile Prize is about supporting writers and improving what they do. One of our most important roles is to edit peoples work and nurture their natural talent. The end product is publication in the Crocodile Prize Anthology and in other channels, including the mainstream and social media. Its all about giving Papua New Guineans their voices. Past award winners and shortlisted writers have gone on to write books, win international awards, feature at overseas writers festivals and be engaged professionally for their writing skills. The Crocodile Prize is named after the first Papua New Guinean novel, Sir Vincent Eris The Crocodile, which was published in 1970. You can link to the Crocodile Prize Facebook page here SkinnyMe Tea founders $1.3M mistake. Source: Gretta van Riel/Getty Images Learn more of Gretta van Riels secrets to success by watching her full interview with Yahoo Finance for the The New Investors, My Story video series. Building a multi-million-dollar business from the ground up isnt easy and even the most experienced of business owners can fall victim to some disastrous mistakes. Australian entrepreneur Gretta van Riel would know. At the age of 22, with only $24 in her bank account, van Riel started her first business SkinnyMe Tea. The business quickly grew from zero to around $600,000 a month in revenue within six months. Speaking on Yahoo Finances new show, The New Investors My Story, van Riel explained that when the company rapidly grew, there was no Australian manufacturer in Australia which could fulfil an adequate level of tea orders. Read more about how Gretta van Riel built her multi-million dollar empire here Absolute disaster The $1.3 million mistake So what did she do? I had absolutely no idea really what I was doing. It was just problem solving on my fate. So I thought tea, China, lets give that a shot. That didnt work out so well. That was a disaster, she said. After placing a number of successful orders with a manufacturer in China, which were tested and quality assured in Australia, van Riel made her first huge mistake. [I thought], imagine how much faster we could grow and how much more money we could make, and how great it would be if I just had a years worth of tea, she said. So she placed one huge order for 12 months worth of tea at a value of US$1 million equivalent to A$1.3 million at the time. [The order was] held in a warehouse in Hong Kong for a while that costs money. We shipped it to Australia that costs more money. Got held in customs for a week that was another $80,000, she said. Then we finally opened up the tea, super excited to start shipping it out [as] wed just run out of our Australian manufacturers product. [But] the tea was compost, basically. It was disgusting. I wouldnt even let my team touch it without gloves on. It had metal bolts in it, had springs in it. You could just see it was wet and dirty, and disgusting, and we sent it off to be tested just for a laugh. And it had E. coli, all kinds of bacteria in it. Story continues So how did van Riel and SkinnyMe Tea recover? At first I handled it the way that everyone would, van Riel said. Break down a little. I cried a bit. When a lawyer friend in Hong Kong told van Riel that her chance of successfully suing the dodgy tea supplier and getting a refund was very unlikely it quickly became one of van Riels steep learning curves in her early career. I knew then that I just had to cut my losses and get over it very, very quickly. And that did become one of my biggest learnings, was to fail fast. Resilience is how quickly you can get over your failures. And that is what you need when youre starting out [in business]. Youre constantly problem solving. Youre constantly putting out fires. In order to fail fast, van Riel said you need to admit that youve made a mistake without letting your ego get in the way and not blaming anybody else. Instead van Riel found that due to her mindset she was able to overcome the mistake by accepting it had happened and moving on as quickly as possible in order to focus on the positives again. The bright side Van Riel added that where was one area in which she counted herself lucky. The $1.3 million order was paid for upfront. We didnt at one point [have a] $1.3 million debt, so that was one positive. If you needed any further proof that there's no such thing as an Australian housing market, this graphic surely seals the deal. Image: CoreLogic Posted on Twitter by CoreLogic's Head of Research Tim Lawless this week, it shows the decline in median home prices by individual region. For a marker, "Australia's" housing market downturn began in October 2017. In average weighted terms, nationwide prices have fallen 6.8% over this period as at the end of February. As the graphic shows, declines in some markets have been significantly larger than the national average, especially in Perth and Darwin, and in some regional areas linked to the mining industry. That's because the duration of the downturn in these regions has been significantly longer than in other parts of the country. More recently, median values in Sydney and Melbourne have also fallen faster than the national average. However, while price falls of more than 10% in Sydney have been widespread, similar declines in Melbourne have been limited to only parts of the city, at least at this point in the cycle. Elsewhere, prices in most other regions have only fallen modestly from the highs. There's also a handful of regions highlighted with bright green shading, indicating that median prices there have yet to peak. You can follow Tim on Twitter here. A senior member of Pauline Hanson's One Nation has has been caught trying to secure millions of dollars from the US pro-gun lobby, according to an explosive report by Al Jazeera. Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison has described the revelation as "deeply concerning".The series of events happened during an elaborate sting operation conducted by Al Jazeera, where a reporter posed as a gun advocate to embed himself with the National Rifle Association (NRA) in the U.S. The undercover journalist, known as Rodger Muller, set up a group called Gun Rights Australia, according to Al Jazeera, and started to get close to the main players of the NRA by claiming he was campaigning for Australia's strict gun laws to be repealed. In the video published by Al Jazeera, One Nation leader Pauline Hansons chief lieutenant James Ashby and Queensland branch leader Steve Dickson are recorded during a visit to Washington DC last year talking to the media relations team of the NRA about strategies that would help to weaken Australian gun laws. In another section of the video footage, the pair tell undercover journalist they are hoping to secure $20 million in donations to hold the whole government by the balls.During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon local time, Ashby and Dickson dismissed the conversation about funding as an insignificant moment following a lengthy drinking session. They also said they did not secure any funding from any US lobby groups. "Im going to apologise to the people of Australia for some of the things Rodger Muller filmed while we were having a drink at the bar," Dickson said. "We were having scotches for three or four hours."They also claimed the undercover sting was essentially interference by a foreign government and called for Al Jazeera to release the entire footage, as they believe their comments were taken out of context. Dickson and Ashby said they were more intent on sourcing technology and operational insights from the NRA than funding. "This was not about sourcing money from the NRA, it was about sourcing technology, sourcing an understanding about how they operate," Ashby told the media....the conversations that have been recorded where is a talk of $10 to $20 million, I will be the first to admit, wed arrived in America, we got on the sauce, wed had a few drinks and thats where those discussions took place, not with any potential donors, no one but Rodger Muller, Steve Dickson and myself."On Tuesday morning local time, Australias Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a tweet: "Reports that senior One Nation officials courted foreign political donations from the US gun lobby to influence our elections & undermine our gun laws that keep us safe are deeply concerning.> Reports that senior One Nation officials courted foreign political donations from the US gun lobby to influence our elections & undermine our gun laws that keep us safe are deeply concerning.> > Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) March 25, 2019The revelation comes as One Nation is fighting off suggestions that its anti-immigration, specifically anti-Muslim rhetoric, has contributed to the Christchurch mosque massacre in New Zealand on March 15.New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern moved swiftly to ban military-style semiautomatic and assault rifles in the wake of the killings.View this content at Business Insider There is no indication One Nation was successful in securing funds from the gun lobby. The recordings were also apparently taken before Senator Hanson strongly supported a crackdown on foreign political donations over $250. One Nation has been contacted by Business Insider Australia for comment.One Nation's NSW leader and former ALP leader Mark Latham said 10 days ago that his state branch supports Australia's existing gun laws "100%".> Well done Jacinda Ardern in tightening NZ gun laws to bring them into line with Aust. > Due to 1996 Howard laws our country has been blessed to avoid public massacres for 23 yrs. > These laws also respect rights of law abiding recreational shooters. > NSW One Nation supports them 100%> > Real Mark Latham (@RealMarkLatham) March 16, 2019 A senior member of Pauline Hanson's One Nation has has been caught trying to secure millions of dollars from the US pro-gun lobby, according to an explosive report by Al Jazeera. Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison has described the revelation as "deeply concerning". The series of events happened during an elaborate sting operation conducted by Al Jazeera, where a reporter posed as a gun advocate to embed himself with the National Rifle Association (NRA) in the U.S. The undercover journalist, known as Rodger Muller, set up a group called Gun Rights Australia, according to Al Jazeera, and started to get close to the main players of the NRA by claiming he was campaigning for Australia's strict gun laws to be repealed. In the video published by Al Jazeera, One Nation leader Pauline Hansons chief lieutenant James Ashby and Queensland branch leader Steve Dickson are recorded during a visit to Washington DC last year talking to the media relations team of the NRA about strategies that would help to weaken Australian gun laws. In another section of the video footage, the pair tell undercover journalist they are hoping to secure $20 million in donations to hold the whole government by the balls. During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon local time, Ashby and Dickson dismissed the conversation about funding as an insignificant moment following a lengthy drinking session. They also said they did not secure any funding from any US lobby groups. "Im going to apologise to the people of Australia for some of the things Rodger Muller filmed while we were having a drink at the bar," Dickson said. "We were having scotches for three or four hours." They also claimed the undercover sting was essentially interference by a foreign government and called for Al Jazeera to release the entire footage, as they believe their comments were taken out of context. Dickson and Ashby said they were more intent on sourcing technology and operational insights from the NRA than funding. Story continues "This was not about sourcing money from the NRA, it was about sourcing technology, sourcing an understanding about how they operate," Ashby told the media. ...the conversations that have been recorded where is a talk of $10 to $20 million, I will be the first to admit, wed arrived in America, we got on the sauce, wed had a few drinks and thats where those discussions took place, not with any potential donors, no one but Rodger Muller, Steve Dickson and myself." On Tuesday morning local time, Australias Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a tweet: "Reports that senior One Nation officials courted foreign political donations from the US gun lobby to influence our elections & undermine our gun laws that keep us safe are deeply concerning. Reports that senior One Nation officials courted foreign political donations from the US gun lobby to influence our elections & undermine our gun laws that keep us safe are deeply concerning. Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) March 25, 2019 The revelation comes as One Nation is fighting off suggestions that its anti-immigration, specifically anti-Muslim rhetoric, has contributed to the Christchurch mosque massacre in New Zealand on March 15. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern moved swiftly to ban military-style semiautomatic and assault rifles in the wake of the killings. View this content at Business Insider There is no indication One Nation was successful in securing funds from the gun lobby. The recordings were also apparently taken before Senator Hanson strongly supported a crackdown on foreign political donations over $250. One Nation has been contacted by Business Insider Australia for comment. One Nation's NSW leader and former ALP leader Mark Latham said 10 days ago that his state branch supports Australia's existing gun laws "100%". Chicago authorities on Tuesday dropped the charges against a US television actor accused of fabricating a hate crime, in a shock move that enraged the city's police and mayor, who dismissed it as a "whitewash." Prosecutors said they had shelved all 16 felony charges against "Empire" star Jussie Smollett in exchange for an agreement that he carry out community service and forfeit a $10,000 bond payment. But Smollett's lawyers claimed there was no such agreement, and that the actor was the victim of a rush to judgment. "There is no deal. The state dismissed the charges," attorney Patricia Holmes said as the actor celebrated with family, whose claim that Smollett had been vindicated was flatly rejected by the police. The 36-year-old, one of the main cast members on Fox musical drama "Empire" alongside Taraji P. Henson, was accused of masterminding a hoax attack in downtown Chicago to gain publicity and secure a bigger paycheck. He reported to police that he was attacked in the middle of the night in January by two masked men while walking near his home. Smollett maintained his innocence in the face of a damning public account from authorities' of their case against him. They accused him of sending himself a threatening letter and hiring two acquaintances to stage the attack, complete with homophobic and racial slurs, while invoking Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan. "I have been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one," Smollett, who is black and gay, said at a brief news conference. "This has been an incredibly difficult time," he added, "Honestly, one of the worst in my entire life." Chicago's police chief and mayor, both visibly angry, denounced the decision to drop the case and countered Smollett's insistence of his innocence. "This is a whitewash of justice," Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a former congressman and White House chief-of-staff, told a hastily-arranged news conference. "Mr. Smollett is still saying that he is innocent, still running down the Chicago Police Department. How dare (he)?" the mayor added. - 'We did not exonerate' - The prosecutor's office offered little explanation at first for suddenly reversing course before finally characterized its decision as a routine one carried out in thousands of cases. "This is not a new or unusual practice. An alternative disposition does not mean that there were any problems or infirmities with the case or the evidence," the Cook County State Attorney's office said in a statement. "We stand behind the Chicago Police Department's investigation and our decision to approve charges in this case. We did not exonerate Mr. Smollett." Authorities have said there is enough evidence to back up their case, including surveillance camera footage, text messages, phone records, and a cashed check Smollett wrote to brothers Ola and Abel Osundairo, both of whom worked on "Empire," to carry out the alleged plan. "I think this city is still owed an apology," Chicago police chief Eddie Johnson said Tuesday. "They chose to hide behind secrecy and broker a deal to circumvent the judicial system," he said. "I stand behind the detective's investigation." Holmes, Smollett's lawyer, acknowledged that the brothers had admitted carrying out the attack, but accused police of using "the press to convict people before they're tried in a court of law." "We believe that it was the correct result in this case. We are very happy with this result," she said. The initial news of the attack had prompted widespread sympathy for Smollett and outrage over the nature of the alleged crime. But the star was written out of the last two episodes of the most recent season of "Empire" -- which is set in New York but filmed in Chicago -- amid uproar over the accusations against him. Smollett said he wanted "nothing more than to just get back to work and move on with my life." His family described him as "an innocent man whose name and character has been unjustly smeared" in a statement published by the ABC News. Fox producers said Tuesday they were "gratified that all charges against him have been dismissed" but would not comment on whether he would return to the show. All charges have been dropped against actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of lying to police about a fabricated racist and homophobic hate crime. "Mr. Smollett is still saying that he is innocent, still running down the Chicago Police Department. How dare him?" said an outraged Mayor Rahm Emanuel, pictured here at an August 2018 event "Empire" star Jussie Smollett speaks to reporters outside Chicago's Leighton Courthouse after all charges were dropped against the actor. Beijing on Tuesday denounced a US report accusing the Chinese government of impeding access to Tibet as "full of prejudice" and warned that continued interference in the Himalayan region could damage US-China relations. The US State Department's report "disregards the facts, is full of prejudice and the Chinese side will never accept it", said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang at a press briefing in Beijing. "We urge the US side to... stop using Tibet-related issues to interfere in China's internal affairs so as not to cause damage to China-US relations and cooperation and exchanges between the two countries", he added. The report, which was released Monday, details issues with access to Tibet, including restrictions that have prohibited diplomats, journalists and ordinary citizens from visiting the mountainous region. According to the report, five out of nine US requests to visit Tibet were rejected last year, including one by Ambassador Terry Branstad. Beijing -- which claims it "peacefully liberated" the Himalayan area -- also stands accused of political and religious repression in the region. At least 150 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since 2009 in protest against Beijing's presence in Tibet, most of whom have died from their injuries. But China insists that Tibetans enjoy extensive freedoms and argues it has brought economic growth. It has also defended restricted access to the region as a result of "special geography" and "climatic conditions", and has said China welcomes more visitors to travel and do business in Tibet. The State Department report was part of the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act passed by US lawmakers in December. The law -- which China has strongly rebuked -- requires the United States by the end of this year to deny visas to Chinese officials in charge of implementing policies that restrict access for foreigners to Tibet. On Tuesday, Geng called the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act "gross interference" into China's internal affairs that sends the "wrong signal" to Tibetan separatists. China has defended restricting access to Tibet The number of emergency-room visits linked to cannabis in one hospital in the first US state to completely legalize its use tripled within a few years, according to a study that points to the dangers of ingesting the drug. Colorado legalized marijuana for recreational use in 2014, the first state to do so, making the study published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine particularly noteworthy. Nine other states have now legalized cannabis for recreational use, while 34 of the 50 allow its medical use. Researchers analyzed a half-million emergency-department visits at the University of Colorado hospital in Aurora from 2012 to 2016, of which roughly 2,500 were at least partially attributed to marijuana consumption. The number of such visits has increased yearly, from less than 250 in 2012 to more than 750 in 2016. While more than 90 percent of the visits were related to inhalation of the drug, the rest were linked to edible cannabis, whether in cookies, candy or any of the other food forms that have been used to ingest THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the plant's main psychoactive ingredient. Andrew Monte, a professor of emergency medicine and the study's principal author, said the tripling in total emergency-room visits was not altogether surprising. "Whenever there's a new drug in a community, that means there will be more emergency department visits associated with it," Monte told AFP. That applies even to conventional drugs, he said, like blood-pressure medications. But the proportion of emergency-room visits linked to ingested cannabis is far higher than usage rates would suggest. In Colorado, edible cannabis represented only 0.3 percent of the total weight of THC sold, but accounted for 10 percent of cannabis-related emergency-room visits. "I do think that part of it is naivete around the use of edibles," Monte said. "The edible phenomenon has been noticed by emergency physicians, but there's never been any data to back it up, and these data do that," he said. "The effects of cannabis edibles are much more unpredictable, and unfortunately they last a lot longer, and that results in people ending up in the emergency department." "They're not expecting to have bad anxiety effects or psychoses, and those effects last for a long time." Inhaled cannabis acts in less than 10 minutes, reaches peak concentration in the blood in 30 to 90 minutes and leaves the body in four hours. Ingested cannabis, on the other hand, reaches its peak in three hours, and THC remains in the body for up to 12 hours. That delayed action can lead first-time consumers to eat far too much, and too fast, leading to intoxication and sometimes acute psychiatric symptoms. A sign at a San Francisco, California festival warns of the strength of marijuana-infused edibles; a new study from Colorado underscores that warning The European Parliament on Tuesday adopted copyright reforms championed by news publishers and the media business, in defiance of the tech giants that lobbied against it. Despite an intense debate inside and outside of the Strasbourg chamber, MEPs ended up passing the draft law with 348 votes in favour, 274 against, and 36 abstentions. European lawmakers were sharply divided, with both sides subjected to some of the most intense rival lobbying the EU has ever seen from tech giants, media firms, content creators and online freedom activists. The culmination of a process that began in 2016, the revamp to European copyright legislation was seen as urgently needed, not having been updated since 2001, before the birth of YouTube or Facebook. The reform was loudly backed by media companies and artists, who want to secure revenue from web platforms that allow users to distribute their content. But it was strongly opposed by internet freedom activists and by Silicon Valley, especially Google, which makes huge profits from the advertising generated alongside the content it hosts. After the vote, a Google spokesperson warned that the reform "will still lead to legal uncertainty and will hurt Europe's creative and digital economies." - Protests and media stunts - The final days before the vote were marked by marches and media stunts, including tens of thousands of people protesting in Germany on Saturday under the slogan "Save the Internet". There were similar protests in Austria, Poland and Portugal, while major Polish newspapers on Monday printed blank front pages in an appeal that MEPs adopt the reform. "I know there are lots of fears about what users can do or not -- now we have clear guarantees for freedom of speech, teaching and online creativity," Commission vice president Andrus Ansip said after the vote. Germany was at the heart of the anti-reform movement, led by Julia Reda, a 32-year-old Pirate Party MEP who spearheaded a campaign against two of the law's provisions that have become flashpoints in the debate. Reda said the vote marked a "dark day for internet freedom" and decried that MEPs refused, albeit narrowly, to modify the text before the final vote. For Reda and her supporters the main worry was Article 13, which aims to strengthen the bargaining power of rights holders with platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Soundcloud, which use their content. Under the reform, European law for the first time would hold platforms legally responsible for enforcing copyright, requiring them to check everything that their users post to prevent infringement. - 'Details matter' - Reda and her supporters warned that Article 13 would require platforms to install expensive content filters that would automatically and often erroneously delete content from the web. Speaking after the vote, Reda told AFP that she still hoped the German government would bow to public pressure and demand changes to the law before it is formally adopted. After that, seen by most observers as a formality, member states will have two years to transpose the EU directive into their own legislation. "I think what the ultimate result will be that the internet will become more like cable television," Reda told AFP. "That generally there is going to be less diversity of online platforms because the risk of running a platform legally will become much higher." Backers of the law, led by MEP Axel Voss, answered that filters are not a requirement but they do not explain how companies can comply with Article 13 without them. The second article advocated the creation of a "neighbouring right" to copyright for news media. This is designed to enable news companies to demand payment when their output is used by information aggregators like Google News or social networks such as Facebook. Major publishers including AFP have pushed hard for the reform, seeing it as an urgent remedy to safeguard quality journalism and the plummeting earnings of traditional media companies. The reform, if properly implemented by member states "can help to maintain journalism in the field, which all evidence shows is still the best way to combat misinformation," said AFP CEO Fabrice Fries. But opponents have called it a "link tax" that will stifle discourse on the internet and pay only big media companies, with no real benefits for journalists or news gatherers. The reform is staunchly backed by France and several other member states, but some countries may decide to use the flexibility built into the reform that allows a loose interpretation of the rules. MEP Axel Voss, who supports the copyright reforms, votes in European Parliament on Tuesday The reform was loudly backed by media companies and artists, who want to obtain a better return from web platforms such as YouTube or Facebook that allow users to distribute their content The EU copyright reform is strongly opposed by tech giants like Google which make huge profits from the advertising generated on content they host India's main opposition Congress party has petitioned election officials to delay the release of a flattering new Bollywood biopic about Prime Minister Narendra Modi until after upcoming elections. Critics have said the film, due for release on April 5, is blatant propaganda and an attempt to woo voters before polls open six days later in India's almost six-week election. Congress, which hopes to unseat Modi in the vote, said on Monday that screening the movie, "PM Narendra Modi", would break election laws and that it should not hit cinemas until after voting ends on May 19. "This is no artistic venture. It is a political venture and that is what we have told the Election Commission and should not be allowed," senior Congress figure and former minister Kapil Sibal told reporters. The movie relates the Hindu right-wing leader's journey from his childhood days selling tea at a railway station to becoming chief minister of his home state Gujarat and leading his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a thumping victory against the Congress in 2014 elections. Under Indian election rules now in effect, the publication of any content deemed as campaign material -- including advertisements, films and even social media -- requires the election commission's prior approval. Another election silence law bans all campaign material, even if approved by the commission, 48 hours from the opening of polls. The commission said they have asked the makers of the Modi film to respond to the Congress's claims. Its producers would have to show that the film is an artistic rather than a political work. The movie has also become embroiled in another controversy, with two top lyricists publicly denying penning songs for the soundtrack after their names were mentioned in the film poster. The makers released a two-minute trailer of the film last week saying it is "based on a true story", with Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi playing Modi through various stages of his life. The trailer depicts Modi as a child selling tea and his transformation to a young stick-wielding member of Hindu supremacist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. It covers his days as a Hindu "sage" in the Himalayas, and later as a nationalistic politician issuing warnings to India's arch-rival Pakistan. The trailer also shows Modi lamenting the deadly riots that erupted in Gujarat when he was chief minister in 2002. Critics and victims' families have accused Modi of doing little or nothing to stop days of rioting that left more than 1,000 people dead, a majority of them Muslims. Congress's petition came as Eros Now, an online video platform, on Tuesday released the trailer for its own hagiographical biopic of Modi. "Modi: Journey Of A Common Man", directed by Bollywood filmmaker Umesh Shukla, releases on the site next month. The ten-part series will "highlight many important incidents that made Modi devote his life for the service of the country," said a press release announcing the trailer. burs/pdh/amu The makers released a two-minute trailer last week of the film saying it is "based on true story", with Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi playing Modi through various stages of his life Victims' families have accused Modi of doing little to stop days of rioting that left more than 1,000 people dead in 2002 Lawyers for the convicted Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman requested a new trial Tuesday, saying some jurors followed media coverage of the first one, violating the judge's orders. The former Sinaloa cartel chief was found guilty on February 12 of smuggling tons of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States. He is scheduled to be sentenced in June and faces the prospect of life in prison. After the conviction, Vice News published an interview with a member of the jury who alleged that at least five jurors defied orders not to follow media coverage of the three-month trial, look it up online, or communicate with anyone about the case. "We believe that juror misconduct deprived Joaquin of a fair trial in a case in which the defense was extremely restricted to begin with. We look forward to vindicating his rights in a new trial before a jury that will abide by its oath," Guzman attorney Eduardo Balarezo said. The defense team filed a motion with federal court in Brooklyn where the trial was held to seek a special hearing on the Vice News report. US judges routinely instruct jurors to refrain from watching media coverage of their cases, so verdicts will be based solely on information presented during the trial. "Reports of jury misconduct, of course, are nothing new in high-profile cases," the motion for a new trial reads. "One factor that sets these apart is a juror's frank confession that panel members actively sought out and actively discussed the most sensational extrinsic information -- including vile allegations that the defendant raped young girls," the motion added. These allegations came from a former Guzman associate who testified as a government witness. They featured in documents made public right before the jury started deliberating. The witness did not make these allegations while testifying. But they ended up being published in news reports. This US Department of Justice handout photo received February 19, 2019, shows Mexican drug baron Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman as he was extradited to the United States on January 19, 2017 to face charges British lawmakers have seized control over the stalled Brexit process from Prime Minister Theresa Mays government. The move came after Ms May conceded that Parliament would defeat her twice-rejected divorce deal with the EU again if she put it to a third vote. With Brexit delayed and the new departure date up in the air, the House of Commons voted to give itself control of the parliamentary timetable starting Wednesday so lawmakers can vote on alternatives to Ms Mays withdrawal deal. The government usually controls the scheduling of votes in Parliament. Theresa May pictured during Prime Ministers Questions in the House of Commons in London. Source: AAP Lawmakers who backed Mondays motion, which passed 329-302, hope the planned indicative votes will narrow the options down to one that can secure majority support. Possible options include a soft Brexit that maintains close economic ties with the EU or scrapping Britains departure altogether. Several government ministers quit their posts so they could back the motion. The government opposed the measure because it gave lawmakers temporary control of the parliamentary agenda, usually the governments prerogative. Prime Minister Theresa May departs following an emergency meeting of cabinet ministers on Monday. Source: Getty Images The government said it was disappointed in the vote, claiming it upends the balance between our democratic institutions and sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent for the future. But it also conceded that the new votes might be a way to break the months-long Brexit impasse Ms May said she would engage constructively with the results of the process, though she said she was sceptical that it would produce a decisive result. A demonstrator in an astronaut suit carries a sign during a Peoples Vote anti-Brexit march in London on Sunday. Source: AAP Earlier in the day, the prime minister acknowledged, with great regret, that her deal still lacked sufficient support to be approved as of Monday. She said she hoped to hold a third vote on the agreement later this week and was working to build support for the deal, which sets out the terms of withdrawing from the EU and the outline of future relations with the bloc. Tellers approach to announce the voting results on the main motion, which is the Letwin Amendment, passed by 329 votes to 302. Source: AAP Ms May warned opponents that continuing to reject the deal her government negotiated last year could lead to a slow Brexit that postpones the countrys departure indefinitely. Story continues With the March 29 Brexit day set almost two years ago days away and the withdrawal agreement lacking Parliaments approval, European leaders agreed to a postponement last week to avoid a chaotic cliff-edge departure. There is wide concern that Britain leaving without a deal would be disruptive for the worlds biggest trading bloc and deeply damaging for its ex-member country. However, the EU granted a shorter delay than Ms May sought. It said if Parliament approves the proposed divorce deal, the UK would leave the EU on May 22. If not, the government has until April 12 to tell the 27 remaining EU countries what it plans to do leave without a deal, cancel Brexit or chart a path to a new option. A puppet character depicting British Prime Minister Theresa May is brandished among Anti-Brexit campaigners. Source: AAP In agreeing to the postponement, European leaders hoped Britains deadlocked politicians would find a solution to the crisis. But the EU isnt counting on it. The European Commission said Monday it had completed planning for a no-deal Brexit, calling that outcome increasingly likely. The Prime Minister stands little chance of getting the deal she struck with the EU approved unless she can win over Brexit-backing lawmakers in her Conservative Party and its Northern Irish ally, the Democratic Unionist Party. The DUP said Monday that the partys position remains unchanged. Brexit protesters on Saturday. Source: AAP Ms May has come under intense pressure to quit the prime ministers post as the price of winning support for the deal. At a meeting Sunday at the prime ministers country retreat, Chequers, prominent Brexiteers told Ms May they might back the deal if she agreed to step down so a new leader could take charge of the next phase of negotiations, which deals with Britains future relations with the EU. Do you have a story tip? Email: y7newsroom@yahoo7.com.au. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo7s daily newsletter. Sign up here. Palestinian militants fired a rocket at Israel late Tuesday prompting further retaliation strikes from the Israeli army, with the late-night exchanges threatening claims of a truce. It comes hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was prepared for further military action in Gaza, at a highly sensitive time ahead of Israel's April 9 elections. The latest severe flare-up began early Monday when a rare long-distance rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit a house north of Tel Aviv, wounding seven Israelis. The Israeli military hit back with a series of air strikes across the enclave and Palestinian militants launched a barrage of new rockets. No casualties have been reported. Calm prevailed throughout Tuesday, with Hamas claiming Egypt had brokered a ceasefire, but as night fell Israel said a projectile was fired from Gaza around 8:00 pm (1800 GMT). Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and other groups said "the rocket that hit near Ashkelon was the work of an individual and the factions are committed to calm" as long as Israel is. "Our airforce just struck several Hamas terror targets in Gaza," the Israeli army tweeted late Tuesday. "If Hamas think that we'll sit idly by as their rocket fire, explosives, and breaches of Israel's border fence threaten the lives of Israeli civilians - they're wrong. "Our fighter jets and aircraft struck additional Hamas targets in Gaza," it later added. A security source in Gaza said an air strike hit a Hamas military base in Khan Yunis. Netanyahu, who cut short his US visit, had earlier said "we are prepared to do a lot more". "We will do what is necessary to defend our people and to defend our state," he said via satellite link to pro-Israel lobby AIPAC's annual conference. The army said that after an assessment with Netanyahu, the military chief of staff Lieutenant General Aviv Kohavi ordered more forces be sent to the southern region. Kohavi also "approved completing the summoning of additional reserve soldiers," a statement from the military read, without providing further details. - Avoid fourth war - The prime minister is widely believed to want to avoid a fourth war in Gaza since 2008 with unpredictable consequences ahead of the elections, but he is also under heavy political pressure. Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of protests and clashes along the Gaza-Israel border, and large demonstrations are expected for it. Netanyahu said earlier Tuesday that Israel's response to Gaza fire was the largest-scale attack on Hamas sites since the last war between them in 2014. The government closed its people and goods crossing with the blockaded enclave and reduced the zone in the Mediterranean it allows for Palestinian fishermen. It did not confirm the ceasefire announced by Hamas. Israel's army blames Hamas for the rocket that hit a house Monday in the community of Mishmeret, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Tel Aviv. A Hamas official, however, denied the group was responsible for that rocket and indicated it may have been fired by accident or even due to "bad weather". burs-ecl/fox Palestinians walk amidst the rubble of a building in Gaza City, after Israeli air strikes hit dozens of sites in response to rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would "do what is necessary to defend our people" Israeli volunteer rescuers check damage in house in the southern Israeli town of Sderot, caused by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip on March 25, 2019 Fire and smoke billow above buildings in Gaza City during reported Israeli strikes A US consulate staffer went on trial in a Turkish court on Tuesday accused of spying and attempting to overthrow the government in one of several cases fuelling tensions between the United States and its NATO ally. Metin Topuz, a Turkish citizen and liaison with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, was arrested in 2017 and has been accused of ties to US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen who Ankara says ordered a failed 2016 coup. Turkish police escorted Topuz weeping into the Caglayan courthouse in Istanbul, where he faces life in jail if found guilty, an AFP reporter said. The US charge d'affaires from the Ankara embassy and the Istanbul consul general were also at the court for the first hearing which is expected to last three days. "We expect Mr Topuz's release," his lawyer Halit Akalp told journalists, adding he had been given access to Topuz and met him twice last week. The trial opened as relations between the United States and Turkey have worsened with disagreements over Syria's war, Turkey's purchase of Russian missiles and the US refusal to extradite Gulen. The US embassy has called the accusations "wholly without merit". US officials say freeing "unjustly detained" Turkish nationals on their staff is a priority, as is the case of NASA scientist Serkan Golge, a dual US-Turkish national jailed on terror charges. Another Istanbul local consulate staffer, Mete Canturk, is under house arrest and facing similar charges to Topuz. A judge in January convicted Hamza Ulucay, a former local employee of the US consulate in Adana, southern Turkey, of helping outlawed Kurdish militants. He was released for time already served. - Diplomatic crisis - Topuz was formally charged in January. He is accused of contact with police officers and a former prosecutor suspected of links to the Gulen movement, according to Anadolu state news agency. His initial arrest in 2017 triggered a diplomatic crisis with both Turkey and the US suspending visa services, until they stepped back. "This has been a big deal in the Turkish-US relations, but Americans have reversed course from an earlier decision to impose visa bans and have decided to pursue a quiet diplomacy," said Asli Aydintasbas, a fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations. Since the failed 2016 coup against Erdogan, tens of thousands of people have been detained over suspected links to Gulen and more than 100,000 people have been sacked or suspended from public sector jobs. Gulen denies the coup accusations. Ankara has been criticised by its Western allies and human rights activists over the crackdown they say has undermined democracy. But Turkish officials say the raids are needed to clear Gulen's influence from state institutions. US relations with Turkey plummeted to a low last year over detained US pastor Andrew Brunson, triggering tit-for-tat sanctions that hit the local lira currency. Brunson was released in October last year and relations improved. But Erdogan's decision to buy S-400 missile systems from Russia has provoked warnings from Washington that the deal may impact its sale of US-made F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and trigger more sanctions. Turkey's push to buy the systems has raised questions among NATO allies over alliance equipment as well as concerns over the relationship between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ties were already strained over US support of Kurdish forces in Syria, which Ankara brands as a terrorist group tied to PKK Kurdish militants fighting an insurgency against the Turkish state. The dispute over the local staffer from the US consulate in Istanbul is one source of friction between the US and its NATO ally Turkey Erdogan's decision to buy S-400 missile systems from Russia have provoked warnings from Washington that the deal may impact its sale of US-made F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and trigger more sanctions Like many students of her age, 16-year-old refugee Fatmeh dreams of becoming a doctor. And a modest monthly sum of less than 10 euros could make all the difference. Originally from the Syrian city of Aleppo, the teenager has been living in Adana in southern Turkey for six years with her father and three small brothers. To help feed the family, the father sells Syrian pastries that she helps make at home. "I missed the first term of school to help my dad look after my three little brothers and prepare the pastries," she told AFP between classes at public school in Adana. Fatmeh is one of 460,000 refugees in Turkey -- most of them Syrian -- whose family benefits from monthly supplements aimed at keeping school-age children in class rather than out working. The money -- 35-50 Turkish lira for boys, and 40-60 lira for girls ($6-$11/5-9 euros) -- is part of the Conditional Cash Transfer for Education programme, funded by international sources like the European Union and managed by the UN children's fund UNICEF, the Red Crescent and the Turkish authorities. - Meagre sums - If the sums seem meagre, it can be a boon for poor Syrian families who often live on basic aid and informal work, especially those with several school-age children. The amount is similar to that given to Turkish families by the social services so as to avoid complaints that Syrian refugees get preferential treatment, says Mathias Eick, a spokesman for the EU's humanitarian operations. "We've assigned 86 million euros to the programme to date," he told AFP. Turkey is home to around 3.5 million Syrian refugees, and most of those benefitting from the programme are Syrian. According to UNICEF data, around 600,000 school-age Syrian children are in education in Turkey while another 400,000 are not. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of students who have officially signed up for classes end up skipping school to work and help their families survive. At Fatmeh's school in Adana, teachers listed absent students and contacted their parents to persuade them to let their children return, with the programme as an incentive. "The teachers in school were able to persuade my father by explaining how the aid could help," she said. "It wasn't hard because he always pushed me to go to school, but it was me who helped out in the house." - 'A big difference' - Twelve-year-old Moussab, also from Aleppo, found himself back at school three weeks ago after missing the first term. "We needed the money so I skipped school to work in a tailor's workshop. I earned 500 lira a month," he said. Reem Zeidane, one of the school's administrators, said last month they managed to bring back 45 of the 150 children who were absent from classes. "This payment makes a big difference for the families, especially those who have four or five children," Zeidane said. Turkish authorities and UNICEF have also set up a "non-formal" education programme, including Turkish courses, for refugee children and adolescents who have not attended school for at least three years. As part of this programme, 13-year-old Ali takes Turkish lessons every morning in a youth centre in Adana. In the afternoon, he works in a car workshop for a monthly salary of 400 lira. Ali's father, Hamza, is unemployed after two accidents at work, and his mother is ill. With four sisters, three of them in school, he is the main breadwinner. "If one day our situation improves, I'll quit work and sign up for school," he said. Fatmeh is one of 460,000 refugees in Turkey -- most of them Syrian -- whose family benefits from monthly supplements aimed at keeping school-age children in class rather than out working According to UNICEF data, around 600,000 school-age Syrian children are in education in Turkey while another 400,000 are not A Syrian woman, who sent her children to school, shows her bank cash card which is part of the Conditional Cash Transfer for Education programme The US envoy seeking a peace deal with the Taliban to end 17 years of war is heading back to the region for a new round of talks, the State Department said Tuesday. Zalmay Khalilzad will head to Afghanistan as well as neighboring Pakistan during the trip that began Monday and is scheduled to run through April 10. The State Department did not confirm he would hold fresh talks with the Taliban but said he would stop in Qatar, the usual location for negotiations with the militants. Khalilzad's trip is "part of an overall effort to facilitate a peace process that brings all Afghan parties together in inclusive intra-Afghan negotiations," the State Department said. The emphasis on negotiations among Afghans comes as the Taliban refuse to sit down for talks with the internationally recognized government of President Ashraf Ghani, despite US appeals. Tensions over the issue recently led to Ghani's national security adviser telling reporters in Washington that Khalilzad had not been transparent and accusing the US envoy, who was born in Afghanistan, of harboring personal ambitions in his native country. As Khalilzad headed back, the US ambassador to Kabul, John Bass, also emphasized the role of Afghans. "Afghans deserve to make their own choices about peace, including where they are prepared to compromise, where they are not prepared to compromise, & how to mend differences," Bass tweeted. The last negotiations between Khalilzad and the Taliban closed on March 12 in Doha and appeared to make headway. An outline of a deal is expected to see the United States withdrawing from Afghanistan in return for the Taliban promising not to let the country be used by foreign extremists -- the reason for the US attack following the September 11, 2001 attacks. President Donald Trump has voiced impatience with continuing America's longest war and late last year ordered the withdrawal of half the 14,000-strong US troop contingent. The State Department said Khalilzad would also visit Belgium, Britain, Jordan and Uzbekistan as he seeks global support for a peace deal. He met last week in Washington with representatives from China, Russia and the European Union. US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, seen here in February 2019, is returning to Afghanistan and other countries as he brokers a peace deal with the Taliban The US special envoy for North Korea is visiting Beijing to coordinate policies with China, the US embassy said Tuesday, a month after the failure of a denuclearisation summit. Stephen Biegun, Washington's North Korea envoy, is here to "continue US-China coordination on policies related to North Korea", a US embassy spokesman told AFP, declining to share more details. Biegun's visit to the Chinese capital overlaps with the arrival of an unidentified high-ranking North Korean, who was greeted by Chinese government officials and Pyongyang's envoy to China on Tuesday, reported South Korea's Yonhap news agency. It was not clear whether the visits by the US and North Korean officials were related. Biegun's trip comes after US President Donald Trump abruptly cut short the February 27-28 summit in Vietnam with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un amid fundamental differences between the two sides over dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program. The summit, their second in under a year, broke up without even a joint statement, and each sought to blame the other's intransigence for the deadlock. Both sides pledged to continue talking, but no new meetings have been scheduled. In mid-March, Biegun said Washington's goal was the complete denuclearisation of North Korea by the end of Trump's first term, and that it would not settle for incremental disarmament. "We will not lift these sanctions until NK (North Korea) completes the process of denuclearisation," he said. But on Friday Trump abruptly announced the cancellation of new sanctions on North Korea imposed by the US treasury. China has played diplomatic wingman to North Korea -- even loaning Kim an Air China jet to travel to his landmark meeting with Trump in Singapore last year -- as Beijing is intent on keeping Pyongyang within its sphere of influence. The North acts as a buffer state, keeping the 28,500 US troops in South Korea far from China's borders. In January, Beijing hosted Kim for the fourth time prior to his Hanoi summit with Trump -- something that has become somewhat of a ritual, with Kim briefing Chinese President Xi Jinping before and after his meetings with Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun is back in Beijing for talks with Chinese officials A US trade judge ruled Tuesday that Apple had violated a Qualcomm chipmaker patent and said she would recommend banning imports of some iPhones. International Trade Commission administrative law specialist MaryJoan McNamara wrote in a ruling that she would be recommending a "limited exclusion order together with a cease and desist order" against Apple. The company will not be required to post a bond while the order is under review by US President Donald Trump because the iPhones don't directly compete with any Qualcomm products, according to the ruling. The Californian tech giants have been locked in a long-running battle over patents and royalties that has played out in courts and administrative bodies worldwide. Apple accuses Qualcomm of charging for invalid patents and claims the chipmaker was seeking a disproportionate amount for a single component. Last week, Qualcomm won a $31 million verdict in its multi-front war with Apple over patented technology used in iPhones. A jury in a federal court in Southern California ordered Apple to pay Qualcomm for patent infringement for chips used on iPhone 7, 8 and X models. Patents at issue in that case involved "flashless booting" that allows devices to connect quickly to the internet after being turned on and technology that lets smartphone apps move online data efficiently. A third patent related to promoting rich graphics in games while protecting battery life, according to Qualcomm. On another front, a federal judge in southern California issued a preliminary ruling that Qualcomm owes Apple nearly $1 billion in patent royalty rebate payments the chipmaker is withholding, according to US media reports. Apple sued Qualcomm two years ago over the payments, which were part of a contracted arrangement. The judge's decision will be on pause until after a trial in the case. Qualcomm late last year escalated a legal war with Apple, accusing the iPhone maker of stealing secrets and sharing them with mobile chip rival Intel, according to court documents. Apple's goal was to buy mobile chips from Intel instead of depending on Qualcomm, the dominant maker of mobile phone processors and has argued that Qualcomm abuse of its dominant position was harmful to the whole industry. iPhone manufacturer Apple has been locked in a long-running battle over patents and royalties with chipmaker Qualcomm The United States said Monday it was not looking at an international court to try Islamic State extremists and urged countries to repatriate them after Syria's Kurds proposed a tribunal. Two days after the United States announced the complete defeat of the Islamic State group, the Kurdish force that holds some 9,000 foreign jihadists and their relatives -- 6,500 of them children -- voiced regret at the lack of response to US-led calls on Western nations to bring back their citizens for trial. The Syrian Kurdish administration said that a better idea would be to set up an international tribunal in northeastern Syria to prosecute the fighters also known as ISIS, who at their zenith imposed a brutal interpretation of Islam on millions of people across Iraq and Syria and carried out widespread beheadings and sexual assaults. But James Jeffrey, the US special representative on Syria policy, voiced little interest when asked about the proposal, saying: "We're not looking at that now." The "priority is to pressure countries to take back their own citizens who may or may not have committed crimes," Jeffrey told reporters in Washington. "If they put the effort into it, they can deal with it," he said. Repatriation is a sensitive issue for Western nations such as France and Britain, which have experienced attacks by homegrown extremists and have little interest in seeing more return. Britain has gone so far as to strip Islamic State proponents of citizenship. In the most high-profile US case, the United States last month said that Hoda Muthana, a young woman from Alabama who joined the Islamic State group, was not a citizen due to her father's former diplomatic status. President Donald Trump stunned allies in December when he ordered the withdrawal of 2,000 US troops from Syria, although faced with internal criticism he agreed to a limited presence. Jeffrey said that forces had begun to withdraw in December but declined to specify exact plans, saying US troops will stay "in very limited numbers" in northeastern Syria and at the Al-Tanf base used by the US-led coalition. The forces will "continue our clearing operations and stability operations against ISIS for a period of time not to be determined at this point," he said. A woman in the northeastern Syrian town of Qamishli visits a grave during the February 2019 funeral of a fighter from the Kurdish-led YPJ. The Syrian Kurdish administration is seeking an international tribunal to try members of the Islamic State group Donald Trump's administration announced Tuesday it was speeding up plans to send US astronauts back to the Moon, from 2028 to 2024, calling for a "spark of urgency" to prevail over delays that have plagued NASA's lunar return plans. "It is the stated policy of this administration and the United States of America to return American astronauts to the Moon, within the next five years," Vice President Mike Pence vowed in a speech in Huntsville, Alabama, the "Rocket City" where American launchers have been built since the 1960s. "Let me be clear, the first woman and the next man on the Moon will both be American astronauts launched by American rockets from American soil," he said, echoing previous declarations by NASA chief Jim Bridenstine that a woman could be the next human to set foot on the Moon. The first manned Moon flight since the last Apollo mission in 1972 had been scheduled for 2028. But the program has encountered frustrating delays in the development of a new heavy rocket for the Moon missions, the Space Launch System (SLS), whose first uncrewed flight was recently pushed back beyond 2020. Within months of taking office, President Trump made clear his desire to reinvigorate the American space agency, which had been somewhat adrift since the 2011 end of its shuttle program. In 2017, Trump set a goal of returning to the Moon as a first step before moving on to human exploration of Mars. NASA then adopted a schedule of launching a manned mission to the Moon in 2028. "That's just not good enough. We're better than that. It took us eight years to get to the moon, the first time, 50 years ago, when we had never done it before," said Pence, who heads the White House's National Space Council. "It shouldn't take us 11 years to get back." - 'Paralysis by analysis' - In his speech, Pence criticized the "bureaucratic inertia" and "paralysis by analysis" that he said had resulted in the SLS delays, and called for a "new mindset" at the space agency. Included in that criticism, though unnamed, was Boeing, who is building the SLS rocket that was scheduled to launch for its first flight in 2020, until NASA recently announced it would not be ready in time. "Urgency must be our watchword," said Pence. "Failure to achieve our goal to return an American astronaut to the Moon in the next five years is not an option." He said the US was engaged in a present-day "space race" under Trump, this time against China, just as the country was in the 1960s under President John F. Kennedy against the Soviet Union. Pence threatened to use commercial launch systems or to look to other partners if NASA is not ready in time. "To be clear, we're not committed to anyone's contract. If our current contractors can't meet this objective, then we will find ones that will," Pence said. "If commercial rockets are the only way to get American astronauts to the Moon in the next five years, then commercial rockets it will be," he said. He didn't mention SpaceX or other companies by name, but the allusion was clear, as SpaceX currently has rockets capable of launching heavy loads into space. "We got it loud and clear," NASA head Bridenstine responded to the vice president. He assured the gathering that the SLS rocket would be ready in 2020. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine talks to employees about the agency's progress toward sending astronauts to the Moon and on to Mars at the Kennedy Space Center Scale model of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that was scheduled to launch in 2020, until NASA recently announced it would not be ready in time Chronology of moon exploration since 1959 A former employee at a northern New York county jail has pleaded guilty to charges she engaged in sexual misconduct with three inmates under her supervision. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the conviction Tuesday. Jennifer Parker, of Lisbon, pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree criminal sexual act, a class E felony, and official misconduct, a class A misdemeanor. Parker worked as a kitchen supervisor at St. Lawrence County Correctional Facility in Canton. She admitted that she engaged in oral sex with an inmate between June 2011 and July 2011. She also admitted to engaging in oral sex with a second inmate in May 2012. Between February and March 2014, Parker forcibly touched a third inmate under her supervision. Under state law, inmates aren't capable of consent while incarcerated. "No corner of our society should be beyond the shade of justice, not even correctional facilities," James said. "This individual was entrusted with serving our state, but instead took advantage of her role and the individuals she was responsible for overseeing putting inmates and the entire facility at risk. This type of behavior will never be tolerated." Parker worked for nearly eight years as the head cook at the St. Lawrence County Correctional Facility. She resigned in June 2018. In December, Parker was indicted on 16 counts. The indictment followed a joint investigation by the attorney general's office and the New York State Police. After her guilty pleas, Parker will be sentenced May 20. She will be required to register as a sex offender. "This guilty plea demonstrates that those people who are placed in a position of trust and violate that responsibility will be held accountable for their actions," Acting State Police Superintendent Keith Corlett said. Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 As the deadline for an on-time state budget nears, good government groups hope Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders will fund early voting in the annual spending plan. The state Legislature passed an election reform package in January that authorized early voting in New York. Cuomo signed the bill more than a week later. The law establishes a nine-day early voting period ending on the Sunday before Election Day. Each county is required to have one early voting polling place for every 50,000 registered voters. To implement early voting, counties say the state needs to provide funding. The state Assembly and Senate budget resolutions contained aid for early voting and other reforms. The state Assembly's one-house budget would give counties $34 million to assist with the adoption of election reforms and the purchase of electronic poll books and on-demand ballot printers equipment needed for early voting's effectiveness. The state Senate's budget plan included $10 million to help counties institute early voting. However, Cuomo's budget proposal doesn't include direct aid for early voting and other reforms. His office has said that early voting would be funded by two changes: Expanding the internet sales tax to include transactions on marketplaces and the consolidation of the federal and state primaries. While the sales tax expansion would happen this year, any savings from the primary consolidation wouldn't be realized until 2020 the next year when federal and state primary elections will occur. Reinvent Albany, a group aligned with the Let NY Vote coalition which supports the election reforms, called for $58.1 million in the state budget to fund elections in New York. A bulk of the proposed appropriation $43.5 million would support the purchase of electronic poll books and other costs associated with early voting. Under-funding poll books and early voting "could slow their implementation or even imperil the reforms," the group contends. Without state support, counties would need to come up with the funding on their own. That will be challenging for counties, many of which have limited resources available to commit to early voting. At least one county has decided to borrow a seven-figure sum due to the lack of a state commitment to fund early voting. The Nassau County Legislature approved a measure to borrow $3.7 million for early voting. The funding will allow the county to purchase electronic poll books and other equipment. Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause/NY and a founding member of the Let NY Vote coalition, urged state leaders to add funding for early voting in the budget. "No county should have to go into debt to comply with state law," Lerner said. "The Senate and the Assembly have already put a combined $44 million in their one-house budgets to cover the cost of early voting, electronic poll books and election administration. Now it's time for the governor to get on board and put his money where his mouth is." Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The state Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved a bill that would authorize every New York school board to decide whether 5-year-olds should be required to attend kindergarten. The bill sponsored by state Sen. James Skoufis, a Hudson Valley Democrat, passed by a 61-0 vote. There was no debate on the measure, which would extend the power possessed by a small number of school districts to all boards of education. State law requires children ages 6 and up to attend school. There is an exception for eight New York school districts Buffalo, Cohoes, New York City, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Watervliet and Yonkers that allows the boards to mandate that 5-year-olds attend kindergarten. Cohoes sought the change due to chronic absenteeism in its kindergarten classes. The school district reported that in the 2014-15 academic year, the chronic absenteeism rate among kindergarten students was 27.4 percent. Under Skoufis' bill, if school boards require kindergarten attendance it would apply to children who are age 5 by Dec. 1. There would be exceptions for families who opt not to enroll their children in kindergarten until the following September. Students in non-public schools or who receive home instruction would be exempt. The legislation is supported by the New York State School Boards Association. A memo released by the advocacy group calls for the "immediate enactment" of the bill. More than 45 of the students in the state attend one of the eight school districts that are authorized by the state to require kindergarten attendance, according to the state School Boards Association. The organization noted that studies show students who attend kindergarten are better prepared for school. "Kindergarten should be treated as what it is, a critical part of the K-12 continuum," the memo explains. "This change in policy would reinforce the importance of kindergarten, where important skills are taught." There isn't a similar bill in the state Assembly. Skoufis, a former state Assemblymember, introduced the bill last year. The bill was referred to the Assembly Education Committee, but it didn't advance. Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 U.S. Rep. Jose Serrano, who has represented portions of the Bronx in Congress for nearly three decades, announced Monday that he has Parkinson's disease and will not seek re-election in 2020. Serrano, a Democrat, said he intended to continue representing the 15th Congressional District after his diagnosis. However, concerns about how fast the disease may progress led him to reconsider his future plans. "I plan to spend the rest of the 116th Congress fighting for the progressive values that I learned in the South Bronx," he said. Serrano, 75, was born in Puerto Rico and his family moved to the Bronx when he was 7 years old. He attended Lehman College before serving in the U.S. Army. In 1974, he was elected to the state Assembly. He represented a portion of the Bronx in the state Legislature until 1990, when he won a special election to succeed U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia. Serrano highlighted some achievements during his congressional career, including securing federal funds for the Bronx, increasing science, technology, engineering and math resources for minority students, his work on immigration policy and indigent legal services. A member of the House Appropriations Committee, he chairs the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science. He said he will use that position to advocate for climate change research, a fair justice system and accurate 2020 Census count. A handful of bills Serrano has authored have been signed into law. He sponsored the Voting Rights Language Assistance Act of 1992, which extended the language minority provisions of the Voting Rights Act for 15 years and expanded assistance for voters who weren't proficient in English. "To my constituents it has been the honor of my life to serve you," Serrano said. "To have gone from Mayaguez, to Mill Brook Houses, to the New York State Assembly, to the halls of Congress is truly the American Dream. I am honored to have had your trust over the years." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Take a look around at the homes in your neighborhoods. Are they well-maintained? Is there peeling paint visible on the outside or inside? Do children live there? It is especially important that if we have older housing stock, that it remains properly maintained. Childhood lead poisoning is preventable, but the damage caused by lead poisoning is irreversible. Do you live in a home built before 1978? If the answer is yes, then there is a good chance your home has lead paint. The year 1978 is important because that is when lead was removed from household paints. Lead paint in your house is not an immediate health hazard as long as it is intact, meaning that the paint is not chipping, peeling or flaking off, or in the form of paint dust. Did you know that around 95 percent of homes in the city of Auburn and around 80 percent of homes in Cayuga County were built before 1978? If you are a homeowner or landlord and you are looking to start some projects around your home, make sure you take time to know if your home has lead paint. There probably is old lead paint under the newer coats of paint. When lead paint is chipping or peeling, or you have sanded or knocked down walls, disturbing all of those layers of paint can create dust, which can become a hazard, especially if you have young children in the home. Children younger than 6 are more likely to get lead poisoning than any other age group. Most often, children get lead poisoning from breathing in or swallowing dust from old lead paint that gets on floors and windowsills, hands and toys. When you think about where children spend the majority of their time, it tends to be on the floor, playing or crawling around. The floor is also where dust collects and paint chips fall. When children are exploring their environments, oftentimes they will put things in their mouths and if those things have lead dust on them or are actual paint chips, they are poisoning themselves. Lead exposure can affect nearly every system in the body. There is no known safe level of lead in children, and exposure to even low levels of lead can affect a child's growth and development. The only way to know if a child is being lead-poisoned is by testing the blood for elevated lead levels. Most children show no physical signs or symptoms of lead poisoning, even at higher levels. Lead poisoning can harm a childs growth, behavior and ability to learn. Once lead poisoning has occurred, the damage to the childs central nervous system (brain) is irreversible. New York state requires doctors to do a blood lead test on all children at 1 year of age and again at 2. Testing usually occurs in the doctors office or a laboratory. Some local doctors have a machine, called the Lead Care II, which allows the testing to be done in the office simply by pricking the childs finger. If your childs doctor gives you a prescription and sends you to a laboratory for testing, it is important that you as the parent or guardian make sure that the testing takes place. If you are not sure if your child has had a lead test, contact their doctor to find out or call the Cayuga County Health Department. If you would like your child tested for lead, the department offers lead testing. Please give us a call for an appointment at (315) 253-1560. To learn more about lead poisoning and ways to prevent it, talk with your childs doctor or nurse, or you can call the Cayuga County Health Department at (315) 253-1560 or visit cayugacounty.us/lead. Deanna Ryan, M.S., is a senior public health educator with the Cayuga County Health Department. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 On Oct. 28, 2018, 23-year-old Marissa DArpino, of Auburn, called on her American Red Cross training in first aid/CPR/AED to save the life of an 18-year-old co-worker when the co-worker suffered a cardiac arrest. For this heroic and lifesaving action, I had the honor of presenting DArpino with the Red Cross Certificate of Merit in a recent ceremony at the central New York chapter board of directors meeting in Syracuse. The Certificate of Merit is the highest award given by the Red Cross to individuals who save or sustain a life using skills learned in a Red Cross training services course. It is signed by the president of the United States, who is the honorary chair of the American Red Cross, and the national chair of the board of the American Red Cross. Were extremely proud to present this Certificate of Merit to Marissa. Her actions exemplify our mission to help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. DArpino was working at American Eagle at Destiny USA when an 18-year-old co-worker was found lying on the floor in the break room, unconscious and not breathing. Along with another employee, DArpino used her Red Cross training to perform CPR until emergency personnel arrived. The young woman was transported to the hospital, and has made a remarkable recovery. Red Cross training gives people the knowledge and skills to act in an emergency and save a life. A variety of online, blended (online and in-person skills session) and classroom courses are available at redcross.org/takeaclass. If you or someone you know has used skills and knowledge learned in an American Red Cross training services course to help save or sustain the life of another individual, visit lifesavingawards.org to nominate, recognize or be inspired. Alan H. Turner II is regional CEO of the American Red Cross of Western and Central New York. For more information, call (315) 234-2200 or info.cny@redcross.org. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 AUBURN An Auburn man will spend up to three years in prison for raping and sending naked photos to a young girl. Todd Klino, 32, was arrested in November and charged with sending explicit images and messages to a 15-year-old girl. A Cayuga County Sheriffs Office investigation into the issue began Nov. 12 due to a tip received from the victim's family. The office said the inappropriate relationship spanned several months. After further investigation, Klino, of 26 Cross St., was also charged with third-degree rape, a class E felony, for engaging in a sexual relationship with the same girl for several months at a local hotel. Klino pleaded guilty to the rape charge and first-degree dissemination of indecent materials, a class D felony, in Cayuga County Criminal Court Jan. 22. Auburn man pleads guilty to raping, sending nude pictures to young girl AUBURN An Auburn man pleaded guilty in Cayuga County Criminal Court Tuesday to raping and Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann on Tuesday said he was concerned that Klino appeared to be minimizing his behavior and trying to back down from his plea in his pre-sentence report, particularly when it came to having sex with a minor. He said Klino admitted sending naked photos, but stated in the report that he pleaded guilty to the rape because he would likely get less prison time by doing so. Judge Mark Fandrich said a claim of innocence in a pre-sentence report is not enough to overturn a plea of guilty, and that he was prepared to move forward with sentencing. Klino also indicated he was ready to move forward. Klino was sentenced to one to three years in prison for his conviction of disseminating indecent materials and two years in prison with 10 years of post-release supervision for his rape conviction. His sentences will run concurrently. He will also have to register as a sex offender, the level of which will be determined before his release. Klino will have to pay various fees, including a $1,000 victim fee. An order of protection was also put in place for the victim. Also in court A New York City teen will spend up to three years in prison for using counterfeit travelers checks at the Auburn Wegmans. Dashaun Gray, 19, of Queens, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree possession of a forged instrument, class D felonies, in January. He admitted using two counterfeit $100 American Express travelers checks at Wegmans in July 2018. He bought a few items and got change back. In December, the Auburn Police Department reported it had to travel to New York City to retrieve Gray after the NYC police located him. Budelmann said a sentence of one to three years in prison on each count was appropriate because Gray had many similar pending charges in Onondaga County and also in Wisconsin. Fandrich sentenced Gray to one to three years in prison on each charge, to run consecutively, with a shock camp order a program that stresses discipline, intensive regimentation, work therapy and other services. He was also ordered to pay $200 in restitution to Wegmans. "I'm thankful for the opportunity you gave me. I made a mistake," Gray said in court. A woman was sentenced to prison for scrapping a car she didn't own in Locke in November. Christina Merithew, 31, identified as homeless in court records, was sentenced to 1.5 to three years in prison for her conviction of fourth-degree grand larceny, a class E felony. Her crime involved her stealing and scrapping a 2003 Jaguar. Budelmann said Merithew's pre-sentence report indicates scrapping the car was a drug-seeking behavior, noting she has a history of addiction and mental health issues. Being her sixth theft-related offense, Merithew's defense attorney John Price said her "long history of substance abuse issues" was "a contributing factor in her entire criminal history." Price said Merithew is "very determined to get herself clean," and asked Fandrich to consider giving her Comprehensive Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment program order. CASAT is a three-phase state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision program that begins with six months of substance abuse treatment. "I recognize that I didn't become an addict over night," Merithew said, adding she expects it to take time to get well and she wants to be in an environment free from drugs. Fandrich issued Merithew's sentence with a CASAT order so she can receive drug treatment while incarcerated. She was also ordered to pay about $1,400 total in restitution. A defense attorney sought a judicial diversion for a Weedsport man who state police say led officers on a 15-mile high-speed chase through Cayuga County. In August, Brandon Millhoff, 42, allegedly fled from troopers when they tried to pull his vehicle over to execute an arrest warrant. The chase, which began in Cato, ended just outside Auburn and it was called off due to safety concerns. No one was hurt. Police: Weedsport man struck three trooper vehicles in high-speed chase New York State Police were en route to the town of Conquest to execute an arrest warrant Mon Budelmann said Millhoff traveled at speeds over 115 mph and also smashed into three police cars. He was located the day after the chase in a hotel, he added, in possession of a controlled substance and a hypodermic instrument. When arraigned in October, Millhoff entered a not guilty plea to the nearly 30 criminal charges he faces. He was remanded to Cayuga County Jail in lieu of $50,000 cash or $100,000 bond bail. He has since been transferred to Wayne County Jail, and is still being held on bail. Attorney Ben Susman said he was requesting Millhoff be considered for judicial diversion. After being professionally evaluated, he said Millhoff was diagnosed with alcohol use disorder, severe, and severe use disorders for opioids, stimulants and nicotine. While judicial diversion can mean different things, Susman said he was requesting Millhoff to be allowed to participate in an intense in-patient treatment program followed by a probationary period and participation in felony drug court. Prior to participating in felony drug court, Susman said, there would be an agreed-upon prison sentence that Millhoff could face if he doesn't comply with drug court requirements. Budelmann opposed the request for judicial diversion, saying the defendant previously wouldn't agree to getting treatment and appears to want it now because he's facing prison time. "I think this was exceedingly serious conduct," Budelmann said, noting Millhoff allegedly threatened to slit his ex-girlfriend's throat and led a police chase while high on drugs. "The whole story here," Susman said, "is drug-use related. This is exactly what this statute is intended for." Fandrich said he will defer to Judge Thomas Leone to decide what's appropriate. After court, Susman said that since Leone is the judge for felony drug court he acts as the gatekeeper and will decide whether or not to allow Millhoff to participate. Richard Bizardi was arraigned in court on three counts of first-degree perjury. Bizardi, 43, was arraigned on a sealed indictment and then remanded to Cayuga County Jail in lieu of $2,500 cash or $5,000 bond bail. He is due back in court May 28. A Cato woman, already out on bail, was arraigned on four drug-related felonies. Tabitha Ferguson, 38, of 10636 Shortcut Road, was arraigned on two counts of fourth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, class C felonies, and two counts of fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, class D felonies. She entered a plea of not guilty to each charge. Staff writer Megan Ehrhart can be reached at (315) 282-2244 or megan.ehrhart@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter @MeganEhrhart. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. PORT BYRON Parents and representatives from the Port Byron Central School District asked the village board to renew the school resource officer's contract during a regular meeting Monday. Port Byron's meeting room was filled with people who wanted to speak during the public-to-be-heard portion. The support for the SRO comes after the district announced that its attempts to engage the village to make updates to its SRO contract were ignored. Port Byron village, school district in dispute over school resource officer contract The Port Byron Central School District has grown increasingly concerned over what it feels i The school district currently pays school resource officer Frank Ryan directly. The Cayuga County Civil Service Commission has since asked the district and the village to change the current arrangement, which is set to expire June 30, so that the village pays the officer. The commission reported to village Mayor Ron Wilson that the school never reported having an SRO, which meant the district wasn't complying with civil service rules. "It was the school that screwed up," Wilson said Monday, "and then we get blamed for it." Wilson said that he doesn't like the idea of the village having the liability of supporting a cop that the district, not the village, is in charge of. He noted other school districts in the county, such as Cato-Meridian and Moravia, have instead opted to have a school security officer which can be employed by the district directly and leave the village out of the equation. The issue with an SSO, school district attorney Matthew Fletcher said, is that the person wouldn't have peace officer status like an SRO does. "It provides a higher level of security for public school districts. The school has always relied upon the police officer status." On behalf of the school district, Fletcher asked that the village board renew the contract, but "change the funding process whereby the person be on the village payroll, but the school would reimburse the village for all of the costs associated with doing that." He told Wilson he didn't believe the concern of liability was "that meaningful of an issue," adding that as in the existing contract "if the SRO does something wrong, that's going to be on the school." Parents and others affiliated with the school also expressed their hope that the village renew the contract. "The perceived animosity between the village and the school needs to be shut out of this conversation," said Angelee Hitchcock, a parent, teacher and union president. "We need to move forward with the safety of the children in mind. That is the only goal. And what best serves them seems to be to continue the agreement the village and the school district have had." Paige Williams, a district music teacher, said a student expressed to her that people like officer Ryan are hard to come by. "We don't need just anyone, we specifically need Frank Ryan," she said. Tracy Bozeat, a parent and an employee at the Child Advocacy Center, said that Port Byron has one of the highest rates of child abuse in the county and the school needs all the resources possible. She said Ryan is not only "amazing to work with," but noted he is "highly trained in de-escalation," which is what the school needs. "Kids are involved. ... Sometimes we just need to swallow our pride," Hitchcock said. Staff writer Megan Ehrhart can be reached at (315) 282-2244 or megan.ehrhart@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter @MeganEhrhart. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Rest of Oregon Coast Spring Break's Weather a Pleasant but Mixed Bag Published 03/25/2019 at 5:53 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Oregon Coast) Spring break on the Oregon coast is living up to its reputation and not its name. As usual. Seasonal temps and normal conditions for this time of year are in order for the majority of the week, according to the National Weather Service meaning the coastline will be alternately raining on your spring vacation parade and then granting you sunbeams. However, just in time for the huge weekend where Washington and Oregon students have overlapping breaks, things will take a sunny turn, albeit shortly. Tuesday through Thursday show a mixed bag of conditions. Tuesday starts off somewhat rainy, then moves to mostly sunny with light winds and a high near 54. Wednesday goes into an on-and-off mode with partly sunny conditions and occasional rain, perhaps as much as a tenth of an inch. Friday brightens up a bit with mostly sunny conditions and a bit warmer at 58 or so, while Saturday goes partly cloudy and some chances of rain here and there. By Sunday, its mostly cloudy and some rain with highs in the upper 50s, and then a similar set of conditions for Monday. Models are in good agreement the shortwave trough bringing showers to the area on Wednesday and Thursday will be slowly exiting the region on Friday, the NWS said. This should bring a bit more sunshine to the area, but there may yet be another round of afternoon and early evening showers on Friday, particularly for areas away from the coast and across the higher terrain. Models and their ensembles are in fair agreement shortwave ridging will move over the Pacific Northwest sometime Saturday. This should lead to a mainly dry day with lowland locations likely rising well into the 60s Saturday afternoon. Models then suggest the shortwave ridge will shift east of the region Saturday night into Sunday and open the door to increasingly moist southwesterly flow. This will likely result in another frontal storm system bringing another round of cool and showery weather to the area Sunday and/or Monday, but timing uncertainty remains. Wave height has been exciting recently but also somewhat problematic. A Hillsboro woman was injured this weekend when the log she was sitting on in the north Oregon coast town of Manzanita was moved by a sneaker wave, rolling onto her and crushing her ribs. Experts warn to stay off logs near the surf and never turn your back on the ocean. Waves on the Oregon coast are calming down, lowering to about ten feet in combined seas Monday night but rising Tuesday to over ten feet. The timing between swells is rather long as well, which could result in more sneaker waves. On Wednesday and Thursday, combined wave height lowers to ten feet or below with short timing between swells, making for very safe beach conditions. Friday and Saturday wave height is extremely small, which will be excellent for all kinds of beachcombing along the shoreline. See Oregon Coast Weather. Oregon Coast Lodgings for this event - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted On Friday, a feminist tried to steal crosses from a pro-life display organized by Students for Life at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, before police officers stepped in.The unidentified female abortion activist (it's unclear if she is a student), is seen picking up pink crosses in a display known as the Cemetery of the Innocents; the crosses commemorate the lives of babies killed by abortion."The pink crosses," notes the Students for Life website, "are part of the spring #PlannedParenthoodTruth Tour on campus, where Students for Life groups are exposing the truth about Planned Parenthood's poor track record on helping women."reported the pro-life organization on Friday.Kaylena Wiederhold, Students for Life's Michigan regional coordinator, confronted the activists vandalizing the display on an area of campus the students responsibly obtained a permit for.she asked the purple-haired feminist holding a white garbage bag full of their crosses.the abortion activist answered.responded Wiederhold.claimed the vandal.Wiederhold, and a male pro-life student accompanying her, explained to the woman that the crosses are their property and noted that they obtained a permit for the location prior to the demonstration.Wiederhold asked her.When police officers who were manning a nearby Climate Change protest showed up, the feminist changed her tune, claiming she was merelyon campus." she quickly offered,responded one of the uniformed cops. And they do have a permit, like she explained to you."Wiederhold asked the woman to put the crosses back the way she found them, but the feminist refused, claiming she did not know where to put them.she insisted.she added, again admitting that she knew the crosses weren't merelyas she claimed to the officers."Free-speech on college campuses continues to be an issue," noted Wiederhold, reports Students for Life. "The abortion activists on campus should be ashamed of themselves for trying to disrupt a peaceful memorial to not only babies harmed by abortion, but also women, men, and families harmed by abortion.""We hope the University of Michigan will come out strongly in defense of free-speech on campus," she added. A Democratic candidate would be in good shape to win the 2020 presidential election, if it were held today. A March 14 Elon University poll shows North Carolina voters are more inclined to vote for a Democratic candidate than re-elect President Donald Trump.The poll surveyed 914 North Carolina registered voters either on the phone, by email, or through an online opt-in survey sample marketplace. Voters were polled from Feb. 20 to March 7. The survey has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.5 percent.If the 2020 presidential campaign were today, 48 percent of respondents would vote for the Democratic candidate, and 36.4 percent would vote for Trump. Six percent would vote for someone else.Registered Republicans continue to be Trump's core source of support in the state, with 77 percent of Republican voters saying they would vote for the president if the 2020 presidential election were held today. Registered Democratic Party members and unaffiliated voters largely prefer a Democratic candidate over Trump.Elon University asked voters about their impressions of the 12 people who have announced or are expected to announce their candidacy as Democratic candidates or Independents. Leading the pack of the increasingly growing candidate field is former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.About 55 percent of voters favor Biden, compared to 30 percent who negatively view the former vice president. Sanders enjoys a 44 percent favorability; 40.5 percent dislike the candidate.The favorability of the other candidates were: Elizabeth Warren: 29.6 percent favorable Kamala Harris: 26.6 percent favorable Cory Booker: 24 percent favorable Michael Bloomberg: 22.8 percent favorable Beto O'Rourke: 19.2 percent favorable Kirsten Gillibrand: 14.3 percent favorable Amy Klobuchar: 13.6 percent favorable 13.3 percent favorable 9.4 percent favorable Tulsi Gabbard: 5.6 percent favorable"North Carolina's Democratic Primary is still almost one year away, but, as of today, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders have major advantages in both recognition and favorability over the rest of the increasingly crowded field," Jason Husser, the director of the Elon Poll said in a news release . "Biden's numbers are better, by far, than any other candidate in our poll."The poll numbers aren't set in stone. Husser said he expects the gaps will narrow as voters get more familiar with the various candidates. Tomorrow morning (Tuesday), legislators in the House Health Committee will vote on HB184 - a bad bill that will cost taxpayers and State Health Plan members more than $1 million per day if it's enacted.HB184 () was drafted, proposed, and is supported by those who want to frustrate NC Treasury Secretary Dale Folwell in his ability to question exorbitant state health plan costs and to come up with a plan to meet state workers healthcare needs while cutting costs and saving the taxpayers money. More specifically,, the bill was written at the behest of hospital lobbyists to stop Treasurer Folwell from moving forward with reforms to the State Health Plan (the "Clear Pricing Plan") - reforms that will save Plan members $57 million every year in reduced out-of-pocket expenses as well as save taxpayers more than $258 million annually.The opposition to Folwell began when he dared to ask for transparency in the billing of services. He wanted to know how much hospitals were charging for procedures, tests, scans, services, etc. The response was blunt and clear - hospitals would not provide detailed information about their costs and they said they didn't think they should have to. While hospitals are claiming they need to charge the costs that they do because they are financially strapped, what the taxpayer doesn't know is that one of its CEO's made $5.5 million in salary and received another $500,000, when he retired. They have extensive investments and have funds sitting in accounts in the Caribbean. AND they have plenty of funds to lobby. It does not sit well with taxpayers when a special interest group wants to continuing gauging their pockets because of claims of insolvency yet they appear to be cash-rich behind the scenes.HB184 would create the Joint Legislative Study Committee on the Sustainability of the North Carolina State Health Plan (Committee) to usurp authority from Secretary Folwell. The bill reads: "The purpose of the Committee is to examine the needs and concerns of North Carolina teachers, State employees, and retirees participating in the North Carolina State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees (State Health Plan) and to redesign the State Health Plan in a way that adopts new practices and payment methodologies that promote health while incentivizing participation from both enrollees and providers."Those who proposed the bill and are supporting it are those who have been coopted by the hospital lobbyists and who are taking the side of the healthcare industry. To be clear, this is legislation that puts special interests (hospitals, and by association, physicians) ahead of the taxpayers. The state has massive unfunded liabilities in the State Health Plan which will ultimately bleed North Carolinian taxpayers, and Folwell is trying hard to fix it. He has a track record of fixing such problems.The special interests want to kick the can down the road while those unfunded liabilities that the taxpayers are ultimately responsible for will just continue to balloon.Hospitals want to delay these important reforms, and HB 184 would block Treasurer Folwell from implementing the Clear Pricing Project in 2020. Even though the State Health Plan Board of Trustees unanimously approved the Clear Pricing Project last year, hospitals want the General Assembly to "study" the issue for two years. That's code for "let the hospitals keep overcharging for care while we prevent the Treasurer from doing the job he was elected to do."The bill's primary sponsors are: Reps Josh Dobson (R-Avery, McDowell, Mitchell), Julia Howard (R-Davie, Rowan), William Brisson (R-Bladen, Sampson), and Gale Adcock (D-Wake). Rep. Chris Humphrey (R-Pitt, Lenoir) is also supporting the bill. It is currently in the House Health Committee, where it's fate will be determined. The chairman of that committee is Dr. Greg Murphy (R-Pitt). In general, if a committee chairman opposes a bill, he has the power to hold it indefinitely in committee, as has been done in the past by Senate committee chairmen on pro-gun bills. Steven Rader, in commenting on an article in The Daily Haymaker about the fight over the NC State Health Plan, noted: "Greg Murphy, in bringing this up for a vote as committee chairman, tells you a lot more about where he stands on Folwell than how he may ultimately cast his individual vote." Note that Rep. Murphy still has time to remove it from the agenda if he backs our State Treasurer and what he is doing on behalf of taxpayers. We hope he will do so. Rader further commented:We need conservatives to be CONSERVATIVE on this crucial issue. Contact your representatives ASAP and tell NOT to vote for the bill.Tomorrow, interested parties will be traveling to Raleigh, hopefully to the House Health Committee Meeting at 10:00 am. at the Legislative Office Building (LOB), Room 643 and then to speak with representatives in person.Brant Clifton, "#ncga: Bill Tying Dale Folwell's Hands on State Health Plan Slated for Committee Action on Tuesday," The Daily Haymaker, March 24, 2019. Referenced at:House Bill 184 (HB184) Text -House Bill 184 (HB 184) Sponsors and history --House Standing Committee on Health - Bumble Bee Foods is now using SAPs blockchain cloud platform to track yellowfin tuna, enabling anglers, buyers, pre-processors and canners to track the movement of fish from origin to packaging via a transparent, real-time supply chain platform. The data is available by scanning a QR code on the packaging. The first company to use SAP's Cloud Platform Blockchain, Bumble Bee was able to roll out the tracking system in about three months, enabling it to store shipment data and create a tamper-proof supply chain history. The blockchain platform, announced March 8, also allows consumers to scan the QR code and see information on where the fish was caught and the journey it took on its way to the store. The new traceability feature using SAPs blockchain is specific to Bumble Bee Foods Natural Blue by Anova fair-trade certified ahi tuna steaks, which is currently supplied by two companies representing about 5% of the supply chain. Bumble Bee is currently onboarding a third tuna provider but eventually plans on placing all of its suppliers on the blockchain. Bumble Bee CIO Tony Costa believes more companies will go the same way as food traceability and transparency becomes more important to suppliers and the public. For example, Walmart has rolled out blockchain to track its produce shipments and Maersk has done the same to watch as cargo traverses the globe. The following are excerpts from a Computerworld interview with Costa. When did you go live with SAPs blockchain for supply chain tracking? "Weve been putting QR codes on the product since the middle to end of January." What system were you using before to track tuna shipments? "Weve been doing traceability for a long time. Weve considered ourselves leading in the industry. If you look at our website today, all our bumblebee branded product [is traced]. We use a traditional database... to provide consumers and retailers the ability to track by [tuna] can or package [bar] code. "This is Anova-branded Natural Blue [seafood-branded] packaging. Thats where this all started. We acquired [frozen food company] Anova about four or five years ago. I was on this journey to figure out how to roll their product into our traceability matrix in addition to looking at the supply chain. Thats when it became pretty obvious to us we had a great opportunity to leverage blockchain on this portion of our business for doing traceability." Bumble Bee A QR code on a mobile phone used for accessing data about tuna shipments. Why just this portion of your business? Cant it translate to other products? "Oh, 100% yes. We feel it's applicable to everything we do. For us [it was] just to take this as a learning opportunity, especially as a piece of business that we hadnt implemented full traceability for the consumer only internally. But thats when we went into this co-innovation project with SAP with the understanding that once we got this figured out, wed then obviously focus on the rest of our brands and migrate that to the blockchain technology." How many of your tuna suppliers are currently part of the blockchain ledger? Right now we have two and were adding in a third one as we speak, all within Indonesia, all providing the loins to our business. And that continues through the supply chain to the finished good third party manufacturing." What lead you to adopt blockchain. Was there a watershed moment where you said, 'Aha'? "I think...the technology has been over-hyped, but it has a value proposition to it. What we came across, when we were looking at traceability, is its the perfect use case when you talk about tracing a piece of fish from Indonesia to a retail store and providing that information to the consumer. Its the perfect scenario. We didnt really look at this like were going to go do a blockchain project as much as we were going to continue our industry leadership around traceability and transparency ... and then we also wanted to leverage the latest and greatest technology in blockchain." How difficult was it to integrate your legacy systems with SAPs Cloud Platform Blockchain? "I think thats the best part. When you look at blockchain it creates that layer of independence. So, if you look at our supply chain from the fisher to the buyer to the pre-processor to the finished goods, those four steps in Indonesia, we own zero percent of that supply chain. Now it becomes an integration project. So, working with the loin factories, which is the pre-processor and the finished goods, we work closely with the NGOs and the systems in place in the lion factories to create that integration. That takes us out of the middle. Today, a lot of companies will take that information, theyll massage it and transform it and extend that to the consumer. This [way] we just open the blockchain to the different participants and it gets rendered." Bumble Bee A young boy in an Indonesia fishing village that supplies Bumble Bee with tuna holds a tablet. So, what technical integration was required between your legacy supply chain database and blockchain? "The beauty of this is we bring the business expertise and SAP brings the technology expertise. Were talking about best-in-class blockchain technology that they helped us create the interfaces, create the standards and work with third-party partners to help define the integration." How long did the integration take? "We kicked this project off in September 2018 and we were in pilot mode in December and we were up and running in full production by the end of January, early February. Pretty fast. "For us, weve been looking at this for a while. Blockchain technology, its been around for a long time. For us we always felt like we had something special because [we] have such a great relationship with our entire supply chain in Indonesia. So, the biggest challenge is working with them to share information and get it integrated. Once we decided to move forward with SAP, we already had a good idea we could accomplish that pretty quickly." Since going live, how does SAPs blockchain compare with your previous supply tracking system? "For us, the best part for us is we were able to consolidate all that disparate information in one place and leverage that throughout the blockchain. Typically, the fisher sells the fish to the buyer and they hand it to the pre-processor and then to the finished goods and it was a one-way street of information. Now, we put all that on the SAP analytics cloud and we can share that using permissions for the preprocessors or the buyers. Now think about it: you have these independent buyers in remote islands of Indonesia who are able to look at how much fish they bought from this village and each individual fisherman; they can look at trends and performance over the last week, last month, last year. The capabilities of where we see this technology going is just scratching the surface now." Bumble Bee The point of origin readout once the QR code on the product packaging is scanned by the consumer. So how does a fisherman or buyer get onto the blockchain ledger? "Ive been very sensitive going to these remote regions of the world and introducing too much technology. The last trip we were there about eight weeks ago, were sitting there and the whole village is out and the fishermen are coming in with the fish and there are two kids probably nine years old, a boy and a girl and theyre literally holding computer tablets. The boy showed us his tablet, hes running Minecraft and hes building boats with this application because he says he likes the challenge. "If you look at it from this perspective, technology is already there. That generation will be the next generation of fisher. So us introducing that technology is just a natural progression. "Everybody has a phone, whether its a smartphone or not. When youre talking about the buyers, the idea is to make sure they have a tablet or some form of smartphone going forward. As we adopt more technology and get it out there, thats the idea. Weve worked very closely with the Indonesian government, the Ministry of Fishery, the NGOs. They are investing amazing amounts of money into technology within the region. "We talked about these lion factories the pre-processors the systems theyre running have been developed by the NGO and theyve been funded by the Packard Foundation, the Walton Foundation and so many people are looking for areas to invest and all around the topic of food safety, transparency and sustainability. There is funding and interest in funding around the industry." So what does the user interface look like and how does it work? "Its all a QR-code, barcode-driven and developed by this NGO. From the time the supplier takes it to the pre-processor, everything is QR-code tracked. We track every piece of fish from the fisherman until we get the finished goods. And when we get the finished goods, we will produce it from the level of an island just to make it more simple. But all that data is still there, for anyone from the fisher all the way to the finish good to user to help drive more efficiency within the supply chain." Bumble Bee Children gather around a typical boat used for catching tuna in the waters off Indonesia. Are you concerned that as the amount of data grows on the blockchain ledger it may slow down or become overwhelmed from a performance perspective? "That was always on the forefront of our thinking when we designed this. If you think about tracking a piece of fish, you dont really need a whole lot of data from the species and the date and the different transactions throughout the process. So weve gone through minute details to make sure we kept the blockchain part very small and then have referenceable data outside the blockchain." So, the principle data is stored in a conventional database? "Absolutely." Bumble Bee Tuna loins with QR-coded labels that can be scanned to bring up tracking history information on the blockchain. Are you considering moving other products shipments onto the blockchain platform? "100%. Were in the requirements phase for moving all brands onto blockchain. "Im being very cautious, but we feel like have a great head start on that because we have defined all the elements and were already producing that and providing it to the consumer. So, were taking an aggresive approach and starting that in 2019 and hopefully well have a lot of that done sooner than later. "Our goal is to have all our products on blockchain, 100%." What was the cost to deploy the blockchain network and integrate it with your legacy systems? "We dont talk about cost. Were focused on the co-innovation of it with SAP. We dont get into the cost aspects." Can you say whether its more expensive or less than using a conventional databased to track goods on your supply chain? "I think its very comparable. And its different. Youre migrating to all cloud and license-based solutions versus investing in any software-based or platforms and so forth. I think youll find its a very comparable investment." Your legacy supply chain tracker, was that cloud or on premise? "Everything we do here is on the cloud for the most part. Wed capture a lot of that information in our internal databases but then extend it to a cloud version for the consumer." Was your internal database from SAP as well? "Part of it is and part is not. Its a custom, homegrown solution we put together to extend it out to the consumer." Henley Homes got permission to build a 149-home development on the site of the Baylis Old School complex on Lollard Street by promising to include some subsidised, below-market-rent units and "a network of courtyards and open spaces which will provide attractive areas for informal play. This will emphasise the sense of community within the scheme stressing that the common areas are there for the use of all the residents." But as the units were being finished, Henley got permission from Lambeth Council to replace the gates that allowed the kids living in subsidised housing to access the playground with a hedge that walled them off. When the first subsidised occupants moved in, they were sternly warned not to allow their kids into the development's playground because it was reserved for the children of the wealthier residents. Henley argued that it had satisfied its duty to provide play space for kids under five by adding a "small gated strip of play equipment near the back of the social housing unit." Henley shifted the blame to the freeholder (a ridiculous feudal institution that the English tolerate for mysterious reasons), who excuse the arrangement by arguing, falsely, that the subsidised homes are in a "a separate, albeit closely neighbouring block" and that "[although] the block overlooks the swing area, the residents have no access to it. This is for [a] very good reason being that [they] do not contribute towards the service chargeThis is in no way discriminatory but fair and reasonable." It's an expansion of the odious phenomenon of poor doors, already widespread in London, whereby people who live in subsidised units built in exchange for a planning variance are forced to use a separate lobby to avoid offending the sensibilities of the rich people with whom they share a building. However, in this case, the victims are children, including the Rea family child, who has a disability and uses a wheelchair, but who has a special bicycle that the family had planned on using in the shared playground (it's too heavy to carry to a nearby park). Many more such segregated playgrounds are planned for London. One, in Camden has a rooftop playground for the wealthy kids that literally looks down on the inferior play space for poorer kids. Dinah Bornat, an architect and expert on child-friendly design who advises planners, local authorities and the mayor of London, called the development "segregation" and said she has raised it with senior planners at the Greater London Authority. "Everyone I have told, at the highest level, has been absolutely horrified to hear that our planning system is not robust enough to stop this happening," she said. "To see hedges where plans showed gates, to see a segregated small play area for the social housing residents, while their children directly overlook a much nicer play area is appalling." She says it is an abuse of the planning process if developers make such fundamental alterations after the plans have been through a public consultation. "They are allowed to make minor changes," she noted. "But what they have done here is altered the layout to block access to social housing residents. We have to ask: was this a cynical move?" Too poor to play: children in social housing blocked from communal playground [Harriet Grant/The Guardian] Nicole Dieker (who has written for Boing Boing) is a journalist from Iowa who lived in Minneapolis, DC, Los Angeles, and Seattle before moving back to Iowa. In this story for Vox she explains why she moved (mainly, big cities are very expensive) and why she is happy in Cedar Rapids. I'm paying $650 a month for a gorgeous studio with a view of the Cedar River and in-unit laundry. I'm the first tenant to occupy this apartment (and the first tenant to use its brand new appliances). Considering that my first Seattle apartment was a converted hotel room with no kitchen and a landlord who advised me to wash my dishes in a bus tub and dump the dishwater into the toilet WHICH I DID, EVERY DAY living in this apartment feels like living in another world. Also, there's actually a pretty decent bus system. (I know, right? Everyone is surprised.) That, combined with a bike and the occasional Uber, meant I would be able to move back to the Midwest without having to buy a car. .., I'm also not worried about money anymore. Part of that comes from having been able to take a well-paying freelance career by which I mean $67K gross business income, $40K adjusted gross income from a high-cost-of-living area to a lower-cost-of-living area, but the interesting thing is that my career has continued to grow, even after moving away from the contacts and clients I'd built in Seattle. I used to teach in-person writing classes at Seattle's Hugo House, for example; now I teach online classes for Hugo House and in-person classes at the Iowa Writers' House. Ray Metcalfe ("two term Alaska state legislator, Alaska's 2016 Democratic Party Nominee for U.S. Senate, and whistle-blower whose actions resulted in the indictment of U.S. Senator Ted Stevens") has published model legislation that builds on the 9-0 Supreme Court decision in the corruption case of Virginia Governor McDonnell, a precedent Metcalfe interprets to mean that "While Citizens United guaranteed corporations the right to exercise political speech through political spending, Citizens United did not guarantee corporations the right to receive political favors in return.." Metcalfe's model legislation makes it a Class C felony for "for public officials to legislate or engage in the formal exercise of governmental power to regulate or otherwise create competitive advantages for, or direct appropriations to themselves, their business partners, their clients, their immediate family, persons who have given them gifts, their past, present, or sought-after employers, or their contributors, including contributors to independent expenditure campaigns intended to increase the probability of their election," rising to a Class A felony if the Trial Court also finds that a public official who has violated (a) of this section, also engaged in an 'official act,' resulting in, or attempting to result in, a quid pro quo intended to convey something of monetary value, for something of monetary value in return. In return includes past or future campaign contributions." After his work getting Ted Stevens indicted, Metcalfe worked with the FBI for two years on a string of corruption charges against Alaska state legislators that resulted in bribery convictions for four lawmakers and six lobbyists, so he's not playing around here. While the legislation seems exciting (I am not a lawyer, so this is something that I'm only cautiously optimistic about), the project is pretty shoe-stringy, and Metcalfe is seeking donations and signups to build the project out. (a) It is a class C felony (1 to 5 years prison) for public officials to legislate or engage in the formal exercise of governmental power to regulate or otherwise create competitive advantages for, or direct appropriations to themselves, their business partners, their clients, their immediate family, persons who have given them gifts, their past, present, or sought-after employers, or their contributors, including contributors to independent expenditure campaigns intended to increase the probability of their election. (b) The penalty is increased to a class A felony (5 to 20 years prison) if the Trial Court also finds that a public official who has violated (a) of this section, also engaged in an "official act," resulting in, or attempting to result in, a quid pro quo intended to convey something of monetary value, for something of monetary value in return. In return includes past or future campaign contributions. (c) It is a class A felony to receive an appropriation or secure a competitive advantage over competition for profit through regulation or statute by inducing public officials to violate (a) of this section. (d) Prohibited conflicts and official acts by public officials shall be narrowly construed. It is not applicable to contributions effecting votes on public policy unless that public policy also has a narrowly focused and substantial monetary impact on a select few. It is applicable to transactions with narrowly focused monetary consequences. Actions affecting legislation and/or regulations which similarly impact a broad spectrum of the population, and have relatively minor fiscal impacts incidental only to implementation, are exempt. Members of deliberative bodies may absolve themselves of potential conflict by entering their conflict into the record and refraining from voting. (e) For purposes of governing limitations of actions, in a prosecution under this act, the statute of limitations begins to run with the last act associated with the violation and continues for ten years. (f) The provisions of this Act are independent and severable. If any portion is found to be unconstitutional, the remaining portions remain enforceable. A Game-Changer in Combating Corruption [Ray Metcalfe/Bribestop US] (Thanks, Joshua!) In the EU, if a Member of the Parliament presses the wrong button on a vote, they can have the record amended to show what their true intention was, but the vote is binding. Today, the European Parliament voted to pass the whole Copyright Directive without a debate on Articles 11 and 13 by a margin of five votes. But actually, a group of Swedish MEPs have revealed that they pressed the wrong button, and have asked to have the record corrected. They have issued a statement saying they'd intended to open a debate on amendments to the Directive so they could help vote down Articles 11 and 13. We lost on a technicality, and there is no recourse. This is the most significant piece of internet regulation ever undertaken by a democratic government (that is, excluding Russian and Chinese internet regulations). It will do untold damage to the whole internet. And it's because someone pushed the wrong button. It's the Edward Tufte apocalypse. It'd be funny, if it didn't make me want to smash my laptop. SD have now announced that they'll add to the record that they intended to vote differently, but that doesn't change the vote itself. When it comes to voting buttons in the European Parliament, what's pressed is pressed. Thus, Parliament was stopped by only a single vote from voting on the decision to delete Articles 11 and 13 of the Directive. One wrongly-pushed button fewer, and the result for all of Europe could've been very different. Sweden Democrats & Swedish Social Democrats Defeat Motion to Amend Articles 11 & 13 [Emanuel Karlsten] It is important to understand all your tenants' rights in South Africa if you are to avoid getting exploited or harassed. Like it is for many other things, most people are oppressed because they are unaware of their own rights. It is easy to be taken advantage of when you are ignorant. Understand the rights that protect you in every situation, tenancy notwithstanding. Image: pexels.com Source: UGC Whether you are risking eviction or want to know more about South African law on properties, getting the right information is crucial. Research and use only reliable sources when digging for info. After all, the last thing you want is to find yourself on the wrong side of the law. Even so, you do not want to be cowered into accepting eventualities that are not favourable or even acceptable, just because you are clueless on such issues. How to evict a tenant in South Africa Common sense would have it that you are given notice, mostly by word of mouth in case there is no misunderstanding, before being evicted from your rented premises. However, this is not always the case as certain landlords tend to bully occupants out of their houses for one reason or the other. Sometimes it is the tenant that refuses to vacate. A smart landlord or tenant can seek legal redress for whatever complications that arise. As such, for a smooth eviction process, it is necessary for both tenant and landlord to understand the legal frameworks first. You need to know what is at stake to avoid being taken advantage of. Have you been wondering how to evict a tenant without a lease in South Africa? Well, the fact that they do not have a lease may complicate issues, more so if they are non paying tenants. Whatever you do though, try to work with your lawyer to serve notice of eviction. In case the tenant is stubborn, you may have to obtain a court order for the eviction. The process will cost you money and may take some time, but it will be worth it when all is said and done. You do not want to get yourself in unnecessary litigation processes just because you cut off basic amenities like water and electricity in an attempt to force the tenant out. Eviction when there are no issues Image: pexels.com Source: UGC In case you are not going through complicated issues with regard to tenants rights without a lease South Africa, you can always vacate a premise in peace. There are 3 types of evictions in South Africa, namely: Normal eviction Urgent evictions Organ of State specialized evictions. Tenant eviction process As you strive to get farmiliar with rental laws in South Africa, remember that the lease agreement must be adhered to. You risk being evicted as a tenant when you are in breach of the lease agreement. The process is as follows: The landlord will serve a notice to the tenant asking him or her to rectify the breach. In case there are no rectification efforts, the Landlord is allowed to terminate the lease contract as he wills. First, he should give the offending tenant notice of his intention to evict the tenant via the courts. The landlord should make an application to the court to have a Tenant eviction order issued to the stubborn Tenant. The court, in turn, issues the Tenant eviction order 14 days prior to the court hearing. This notice is issued to the Tenant as well as the municipality with jurisdiction in the locality. The court hearing happens when tenants must prove that their valid defense. In case of a valid defense, a trial date is set. Without such a defense, the warrant of eviction is issued to the sheriff with instructions of getting the tenants items out of the premises. The trial then starts, or the items are removed from the property. This is one of the aspects of property law South Africa residents need to understand. Since not everyone can be a landlord, it is necessary to stay within the agreement limits or risk being thrown out. Whenever you go out to rent a place, make sure you read and understand the lease agreement South Africa document before appending your signature. Do not let the excitement of finding your ideal place blind you from seeing the fine print. READ ALSO: Mahube Valley residents tell Msimanga to evict illegal land evaders What the law says Image: pexels.com Source: UGC As already described, eviction notice South Africa seems to be the legal way to deal with stubborn occupants. The big question, however, remains about who deals with the stubborn landlords? Not to worry. Tenants are also protected by law. Contrary to common belief, the PIE Act as the Prevention of Illegal Eviction and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act is not a tenant's okay to do whatever they want and not risk eviction. This law just protects residents from unlawful eviction but does not necessarily mean that they cannot be evicted. It only states that landlords would have to endure longer and painful waits if they fail to follow the procedures for eviction. According to Section 26(3) of the constitution, arbitrary evictions are not permitted. No one's home should be demolished, or their property thrown out of a premise without a court order. After all, relevant factors have been looked into. What this means is that the court cannot just issue an eviction order because the landlord asked for one. This is how a tenant's rights are protected against unruly landlords. It should also be noted that PIE Act governs residential property evictions and not commercial, holiday, agricultural or industrial property. The law applies only if the property is used for residential accommodation. The same law defines an unlawful occupier of such residential and as: a person who occupies land without the express or tacit consent of the owner or person in charge, or without any other right in law to occupy such land, excluding a person who is an occupier in terms of the Extension of Security of Tenure Act, and excluding a person whose informal right to land, but for the provisions of this Act, would be protected by the provisions of the Interim Protection of Informal Land Rights Act. How do you know that you are an unlawful occupier? You will be considered an unlawful occupier if: You are a defaulting tenant whose lease has been canceled for one reason or another. You are a defaulting mortgagor with a canceled bond and one whose property is been sold the process of execution; You are a squatter; or If you are a person that does not have express consent from the owner or lawfully authorized control of the premises. It is by understanding these occupant's rights in South Africa that you will get yourself out of trouble. It is advisable to be in good terms with the landlord or agent to avoid making any mistakes. Do not shy away from seeking justice in case of any levels of unfairness. You are protected by law. READ ALSO: A look at the Mpisane mansion: Sbu and Shauwn's massive crib has tongues wagging Mzansi reacts to Casters R25m: We have kids dying in pit toilets How much does it cost to build a house in South Africa 2019? Source: Briefly.co.za Former National Prosecuting Authority head, Shaun Abrahams, has found a new job in Botswana. Following his resignation, Abrahams is set to be lead prosecutor in a high-profile corruption case and it appears as if this has been in the pipeline for some time now. PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Briefly.co.za News on your News Feed! Shaun Abrahams, former NPA head, is set to lead prosecution in a major political corruption case in Botswana. Abrahams resigned as National Director of Public Prosecutions following a Constitutional Court ruling that his appointment had been unlawful. It seems as if the lawman has bounced back with this new case, prosecuting allies of Botswana's ex-president, Ian Khama, for allegedly looting R338 million from the nation's National Petroleum Fund. PAY ATTENTION: Do you want to know what's trending on Briefly.co.za? Join our WhatsApp group today. READ ALSO: Tito Mboweni claims ANC has failed to defeat apartheid system While Abrahams has not confirmed his involvement, a prosecutor close to the case has commented that: Abrahams has been working in Botswana for some months now. I think it is best for him to do something in life after his disastrous career at the NPA. According to News24, the former NPA head had a rocky start in his new position. One lawyer told local reporters that Abrahams would not be allowed to disrespect him after being accused of "talking some hot air". The case has, naturally, created division in the country with some saying law enforcement was being utilised to settle political disputes by President Mokgweetsi Masisi's administration, which is in a deadlock with his predecessor, Khama. Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news! Source: Briefly.co.za Beer Spa Offers Beer Baths While You Drink This Beer Spa Lets You Soak in Beer While Drinking One Forget plain ol bubble baths. Now you can have a bubbly beer bath. While slamming back a cold one is still on the menu at Chicago's Piva Beer Spa, the primary appeal of the Noble Square establishment is the option to soak in a tub of warm beer. Yes, really. Not only that, guests can order platters of bread, meat, and cheese, as well as enormous tankards of craft beer to enjoy while soaking in the tub. RELATED: Spa Treatments for Men Owner Dino Sarancic shared with Chicagos WGN9 some of the underlying reasons why the beer spa has proven to be so popular and potentially good for you. It's great for conditioning the skin; the active brewer's yeast in the beer is gonna be great for making the skin feel soft to the touch. The alcohol in the beer is a natural antimicrobial, he explained. The smell of hops is also a natural relaxant as well, so when you leave here, you should leave here with your hair feeling nice and shiny without being weighed down, your skin feeling soft to the touch, and just generally feeling relaxed. While the wild idea of getting drunk in a bathtub set to a balmy 98 degrees or so may sound like heaven, the idea is not necessarily a new one. In Europe, beer spas are fairly commonplace, one blogger who gave it a go overseas claimed that only beer ingredients were added to the mix. However, Sarancic went on the record to say that his boozy spa could boast 20 percent beer in the tub. Take that, Europe. Sarancic also had a few words to say about beer's legendary past and how it inspired his spa. You can go back a couple thousand years to see the Egyptians and Romans actually using beer in their beauty routines, he explained. So me and my father, we figured, why not bring some of that rustic charm to the modern-day world? ... It's not just for fun, there's actual benefits. And enjoying a beer while you're here is just a very relaxing way to unwind in the city. As for what else is in the beer spas future? Piva is set to make things even lazier and hazier with CBD soaks, as well as an option to undergo a full-on CBD massage. While bartenders may be fond of telling patrons to pick their poison, it looks like the medicinal properties of beer and cannabis may be a bigger business in the future. You Might Also Dig: Huawei rotating Chairman Eric Xu (Yahoo Finance Canada) SHENZHEN, CHINA Huawei Technologies Co. says the ongoing effort by the United States to convince other countries to ban it from participating in the deployment of 5G is not based on facts, but that the company will not waste resources trying to change the governments mind. Speaking to four Canadian reporters during a roundtable at the Chinese technology giants headquarters in Shenzhen, China on Tuesday, Eric Xu, one of the companys three rotating chairman, fired back at the United States government, saying its decision to ban the company is not evidence-based and that U.S. officials may not fully understand the threat of cyber security. Whats going on is not based on facts and evidence at all. It is attacking Huawei from a political perspective, Xu said through a translator during the wide-ranging roundtable discussion, which lasted more than 90 minutes. In that case, it is not possible for us to gain that trust back, and we dont not have this expectation on our part. Therefore, I would say it is a waste of our resources if we spend time and effort working on that. The rotating chairmans statement comes as the U.S. government continues its campaign to convince countries around the world to join them and ban the use of the Chinese telecommunication companys technology in the deployment of 5G wireless networks. Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that the U.S. would not be able to share information with countries using Huawei technology, citing to cyber security risks. So far, the sustained pressure from the U.S. has been met with resistance around the world. According to a Reuters report citing four people familiar with the matter, the European Commission will ignore U.S. calls to ban Huawei when it introduces a recommendation related to 5G networks this week. Subscribe today On Tuesday, Xu pointed to Germanys approach to 5G technology as a fair one that manages to address cyber security concerns while maintaining a level playing field. (Germany opted to not explicitly ban Huawei from participating in its deployment of 5G technology.) Story continues We think concerns around cyber security, real concerns about cyber security, are legitimate Singling out Huawei in this case will not address cyber security concerns, Xu said. I would doubt whether those government officials in the United States who have been lobbying around truly understand or can figure out what does cyber security really mean. I think its quite challenging for them. Huawei has also been at the heart of strained relationships between Canada and China since the companys chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou was arrested in December on behalf of U.S. authorities for allegedly violating U.S. sanctions against Iran. With Canada and China relations deteriorated, and Huaweis reputation in North America suffering, the telecommunications company has tried to improve its image by inviting journalists to its headquarters in China to interview key executives who have been notoriously reclusive in the past. Tuesdays interview touched upon a range of topics, including Meng Wanzhous arrest, the Chinese governments potential interference in company operations, and Huaweis various partnerships with telecommunications companies and universities in Canada. Xu said that, like the companys founder Ren Zhenfei, he sees Canada, Huawei and China as victims in this situation. When asked about why Huawei should be trusted, given the charges against the company and ongoing warnings from the U.S., Xu reiterated that decisions related to cyber security should be based on facts. Trust is something that develops and evolves, as society and as the world develops. But trust must be based on evidence and facts, Xu said. It should not be based on suspicions, assumptions, or the identity of the country or region of any company. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. Danielle Moore's family is visiting the plane crash site in Ethiopia where she was killed in search of closure, and hope the memorial fund they've created in her name allows her important work in the world to continue. Moore, a much-loved 24-year-old, was among the 18 Canadians killed in the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on March 10. She had been chosen to be a UN youth delegate to speak at the Environment Assembly in Kenya for her environmental, human and Indigenous rights activism. "My sister, she was just always very hopeful. That's just one of the characteristics that people need in order to change the world. You can't just be pessimistic and thinking that whatever you do, nothing will change. You have to do something," said her younger brother, David Moore, 22. They started a GoFundMe fundraiser in her name. "The question always is, how we can preserve Danielle's spirit in some way?" A total of 157 people from 35 countries died when the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane bound for Nairobi crashed moments after takeoff from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. Moore's memorial fund, started by her father, will support causes that mattered to Moore. She worked in Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Northern Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia on causes ranging from climate change to digital literacy to food security to Indigenous issues. "Now I just want to get going and keep pushing forward, spread her message, integrating the environment, protecting the oceans and helping other people in my life in a greater way that would make my sister proud," said Moore. Danielle Moore was from Scarborough, Ont., but was living in Winnipeg at the time of her death. Most recently, she travelled to remote communities in Ontario, Manitoba and Nunavut to teach children without access to internet how to code and program robots with Canada Learning Code. She supported many different causes, including the Spirit of the Buffalo's opposition to the Enbridge pipeline through Indigenous land. She advocated making Winnipeg a more bicycle-friendly city. Story continues Submitted by David Moore It was her work with Ocean Bridge last summer, where she was able to use her passion for marine biology to work in Haida Gwaii, B.C., cleaning up beaches and consulting with Indigneous elders on strategies for preservation and a cleaner world. That's where she met Micah Messent, who was also killed on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on the way to the conference. It won't be the exact same, but I know she would want us to continue on with her path and her passions and her goals in some sort of way. - David Moore Moore says the family will consult with all of her friends, fellow volunteers and co-workers coast to coast before deciding on how the money will be spent. "It won't be the exact same, but I know she would want us to continue on with her path and her passions and her goals in some sort of way," he said, adding his sister could not stay idle as long as there were problems in the world. "She always needed to do more." Moore says his sister had just gotten into the education program at the University of Ottawa, and planned to move there this month. Since her death, he says, he's been hearing of causes he didn't even know she was involved with, such as the Spirit of the Buffalo camp. "The Indigenous people there were burning a fire for her, in memory of her. Just hearing stuff like that also warms our family's heart," he said. "She was always caring and she was never selfish." He remembers when they were young she got a Game Boy Advance as a gift, but he'd always take it, so she eventually just gave it to him. "She was always happy to give the spotlight to others and help them promote themselves. She was really a selfless sister. Even though she was far away, she would constantly be messaging and trying to connect back with me," he said. "I miss her." Submitted by David Moore He says Danielle's death has been especially hard on their mother, who's Filipino. In her culture, a body is necessary for burial. But the family has no assurance they'll ever have their daughter's remains, and closure may never be possible. "It doesn't register. It's so unbelievable. But when it does click in, it clicks in. It's horrible. It's tough." The hope that her spirit can continue in this world, and that her work can continue through the people she touched, is what's keeping them going. "Bringing people together would've made her really happy. Because I feel like that's the only way myself and my family have been able to really try and get through the death of my sister. Realizing she spent so much time on earth trying to do as much as she could," he said. A post on his sister's blog is helping him deal with the loss. "In the midst of changing times, in the midst of a looming future, we can also revel in the idea that such a change/collapse can bring upon a new way of life. So I choose hope," Danielle wrote. "It's important to feel this grief. Grief is an emotional signal that we are aware of loss. But it is also important to work towards healing, always." In his darkest moments, Moore knows his sister would want him to keep going. "I could feel her there, just whispering 'come on, get up.' This isn't what she would want me to do. I basically feel like I need to work ten times harder to make up for the loss that is my sister's life." (Reuters) - More than 300 Boeing 737 MAX jets have been grounded worldwide after two fatal crashes in the past five months in Ethiopia and Indonesia killed nearly 350 people. Investigators looking to uncover the causes must answer one of the biggest questions: Was the plane's software to blame? WHAT WE KNOW - Boeing has stopped delivery of all new MAX jets. Its shares have fallen 12 percent since the Ethiopian Airlines crash, wiping $28 billion from its market value. - Boeing maintains its new, fuel-efficient jets are safe, but supported the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) decision to ground them. - Europe and Canada said they would independently certify the safety of the jets, further complicating plans to get the aircraft flying. - Boeing will mandate on MAX jets a previously optional cockpit warning light, which might have warned of problems that possibly played a role in the recent crashes of Ethiopian and Indonesian planes, sources said. - Indonesia's flag carrier Garuda said on Friday it sent a letter to Boeing asking to cancel an order for 49 MAX 8 aircraft, becoming the first airline to confirm plans to cancel an order after the crashes. - Investigators have found similarities in the 'angle of attack' data from both flights. A piece of a stabilizer in the wreckage of the Ethiopian jet with the trim set in an unusual position was similar to that of the Lion Air plane, sources said. - Investigators who verified data from the black box recorders of the Ethiopian plane have found 'clear similarities' with the doomed Lion Air flight, French air accident authority BEA has also said. - Experts believe a new flight control system, MCAS, on the jets, designed to stop stalling by dipping the nose, may have been a factor in both crashes, with pilots unable to override it as their jets plunged after a faulty sensor indicated a stall. But no conclusive evidence yet links the two accidents. - The pilot of the Ethiopian flight had reported internal control problems and received permission to return. The pilot of the Lion Air flight, which crashed on Oct. 29 with the loss of all 189 aboard, had also asked to return soon after take-off from Jakarta. Story continues - Investigators confirmed a Reuters report that the Lion Air pilots scrambled through a handbook to understand why the jet was lurching downwards in the final minutes before it hit the water. - Indonesia has advanced the date for the release of its report on the Lion Air crash to between July and August, versus a previous schedule of between August and September. - Boeing's commercial airplane division has brought in a new vice president of engineering while dedicating another top executive to the aircraft investigations, a company email showed. WHAT'S NEXT? - U.S. lawmakers said the planes could be grounded for weeks to upgrade and install the software in every plane. Other countries may ground the planes even longer. - The U.S. Transportation Department's inspector general plans to audit the FAA's certification of the jet, an official with the office said this week. The office can recommend changes or improvements to how the FAA operates. - The U.S. Justice Department is also looking at the FAA's oversight of Boeing, one of the people said. The FAA has said it is "absolutely" confident in its vetting. - The chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives transportation committee and another key Democrat asked the Transportation Department's inspector general to examine key decisions the FAA made in certifying the MAX jet for use. - U.S. President Donald Trump will nominate former Delta Air Lines executive Steve Dickson to head the FAA, the White House said. - Ethiopian Airlines said on March 16 that DNA testing of the remains of the passengers may take up to six months. - A preliminary report on an Ethiopian Airlines crash will very likely be released this week, the country's transport ministry said on Tuesday. - Boeing is this week briefing airlines on software and training updates for the MAX, with more than 200 global airline pilots, technical experts and regulators due in Renton, Washington, where the plane is built. (Compiled by Reuters bureaux) Show Dog That Escaped Crate on the Tarmac at Atlanta Airport Found, Reunited with Owners It was definitely Gayle's lucky day Tuesday was Gayles lucky day. Saturday not so much. The 2-year-old American Staffodshire Terrier broke out of her crate on Saturday while being loaded into a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight to Amsterdam from Atlantas Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, CBS 46 reports. The dog reportedly made it through security, but according to a statement from KLM, broke out of her cage during the cargo loading process, disappearing somewhere in the airports 4,700-acre span. Noble Dog Designs KLM expresses its sincerest regret and is actively working with the Atlanta Airport to search for the dog, a rep shared. Gayles owners were already at home in the Netherlands; the pup, a show dog, had been at a competition in Kentucky and was heading home with her handler. Ive never felt this distraught, utterly helpless and hopeless, owner Floris van Essen told CBS 46 by phone. Shes nothing but sweet but as you can imagine, a strange place, hard sounds, airplanes coming over, so shes bound to be skittish and scared out of her mind. Though these situations often turn out tragically, on Tuesday, Gayles family got the good news: the dog was spotted in a thicket near the airfield that morning, and rescuers were able to humanely trap her, reuniting her with her owner later that day. Kudos to #ATLs Ops team for its effort in bringing her back, Atlanta airport staff wrote on Twitter, sharing photos of the happy pup. A map illustrating Chinas silk road economic belt and the 21st century maritime silk road, or the so-called One Belt, One Road megaproject, is displayed at the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong, China. Photo: Reuters/Bobby Yip The UK parliament has voted down prime minister Theresa Mays Brexit deal twice and a third is apparently on the table. But while politicians also voted to reject Britain leaving the EU without an agreement, there is still a possibility that there could be a no-deal Brexit also known as a hard Brexit. This means there is still a risk to contagion spreading to other parts of the globe. In a recent research note from Nomura, entitled What the Brexit saga means for Asia, authors Rob Subbaraman and Michael Loo said that Asia would only face serious contagion in the event of a hard Brexit. The note was published just before the second parliamentary vote and the authors, like most analysts, pointed out that a hard Brexit was an unlikely event. However, even though members of parliament have voted to reject a no-deal Brexit when Britain is legally meant to leave the EU on 29 March, that vote is not legally binding and a hard Brexit could still be an outcome for the nation further down the line. Nomuras Subbaraman and Loo said that the UK crashing out of the EU would likely drive the economy into recession and prompt a large depreciation of GBP. The [Bank of England] could be forced to raise rates, putting considerable strain on the UK financial sector. While the UK is not a major export market for Asia, it is Britains connections to the Asian financial sector that pose a great risk, according to the note. Reflecting the UKs position as a global financial hub UK financial sector assets account for over 8x its GDP the financial channel is significant, Subbaraman and Loo said. UK banks have relatively large claims on Asia, particularly in the two financial hubs, Hong Kong and Singapore, but also in Malaysia and Taiwan. A global asset market sell-off could add to this financial channel, through negative wealth, confidence, and liquidity effects. However, we believe only in the unlikely event of a hard Brexit would there be a high risk of UK banks retrenching from Asia and activating these financial channels. A man who realized that he accidentally threw away his wallet in a Manhattan trash can last week was reunited with his credit cards and cash on Monday after the Department of Sanitation held the truck for days. Avrohom Levitt's wallet somehow fell into a shopping bag, which he then threw into a trash can at West 168th Street on Friday. It wasn't until days later, on Sunday, that he realized the wallet was gone: "I felt disappointed and upset but at the same time I was trying to work on myself to have more faith and have a positive attitude," Levitt told the NY Post. The tabloid reports that Levitt went to a Newark, NJ, waste transfer station on Monday to try to find the wallet. Working to his advantage was the fact that he had previously put a tracking device in his wallet to help him locate its precise location (Levitt apparently "tends to lose things a lot"). From the Post: Once he was near the truck, Levitt tried to see if his app would recognize the device but nothing. So a sanitation worker dumped out 20 to 30 garbage bags gradually for Levitt to sift through until he dug out his wallet which contained $68 dollars in cash, some credit cards and his toddlers passport card. We were literally on a pile of refuse and God lifted us up, Levitt said. I felt so excited I couldnt believe it. Lucky man who accidentally tossed wallet in trash on W. 186th Street in Manhattan recovered item during successful lost valuable search arranged by DSNY at waste transfer station. Our pleasure to assist. pic.twitter.com/RIv6jzr9ls NYC Sanitation (@NYCSanitation) March 26, 2019 Department of Sanitation Belinda Mager told Gothamist that if you realize that you've accidentally thrown something valuable away in the trash, you can call 311 and find out which garage the trash was headed to. Then, Sanitation will secure the truck and find a place where everything can be dumped out for the person to search for their item, she said. The key is to contact 311 pretty quickly. Levitt told the Post all the Sanitation workers were "the kindest and sweetest." Unfortunately, he says his wallet still smells. Photo credit: Tom Williams - Getty Images From Town & Country The Democratic primary field has winnowed significantly in recent weeksbut Bernie Sanders remains a strong contender. On the long campaign trail, he's been kept company by his spouse and close political advisor, Jane O'Meara Sanders. Jane has been on the political trail with her husband since he declared his candidacy for the 2020 Democratic nomination in February 2019. Bernie has described Jane as "one of my key advisors," and she is credited with helping him draft more than 50 pieces of legislation during his time in Congress. In Bernie Sanders's long career in national politics, he's always had one steadfast proponent: his wife, Jane O'Meara Sanders. And she's been a constant presence during his 2020 presidential campaign. So just who is Jane Sanders, Bernie's wife and collaborator? Like Bernie, Jane is a native Brooklynite. Jane was born in Brooklyn, and attended a Catholic girls' high school there before enrolling in undergrad at the University of Tennessee. She left before finishing college to have her three children with her first husband, David Driscoll, and would later receive her degree from Goddard College in Vermont. In the 1980s, Jane worked in the Juvenile Division of the Burlington Police Department, and later as a community organizer at King Street Area Youth Center. It was during that time that she met Bernie Sanders, when he was mounting his first campaign for Burlington mayor. "I was sitting in the second row, and our eyes met, but we didnt really talk afterwards," Jane told the Irish Times of hearing him speak on the campaign trail. "I felt it came from the heart, everything he said. He embodied everything I ever believed in." Photo credit: CQ Archive - Getty Images They soon began dating, and wed in 1988. While Jane and Bernie dont have children together, they have a blended family and consider each others kids their own: Heather Titus, Carina Driscoll, and Dave Driscoll from Janes first marriage, and Levi Sanders from Bernies. Story continues During Bernie's career in congress, Jane was right by his side. Jane worked with Bernie for years in an unofficial capacity, but once he was elected to Congress in 1990, her role increased in scope. She became her husband's chief of staff and policy advisor, although she didn't take a salary for her work. A 1996 article in the Washington Post credited her with writing 50 pieces of legislation during her six years alongside Bernie in Washington. She also helped Bernie found the Progressive Caucus in 1991. Photo credit: NurPhoto - Getty Images Her 2000s-era tenure as the president of Burlington College has come under fire. After six years in Bernie's congressional office, Jane was offered a job as provost at Goddard College, where she'd completed her studies. "When Bernie was elected, he said, 'Bet you never thought you'd be married to a congressman,'" she told the Washington Post at the time. "The other day, I said, Bet you never thought you'd be married to a provost.'" That lead to her job as president of Burlington College, where she worked from 2004 to 2011. Burlington shuttered in May of 2016, due to financial difficulties. The school noted in a statement at the time that it couldn't handle the "crushing weight of the debt" incurred from the purchase of a new campusa decision made under Jane Sanders's leadership. In 2017, news broke that the FBI and Department of Justice were investigating the real estate deal. According to the Washington Post, Burlington College's trustees said that Jane had provided false information about the amounts and timing of certain donations on documents given to a state bonding agency and a bank. In November of 2018, the U.S. attorney's office in Vermont informed Jane that they had concluded their investigation, and would not bring charges. Photo credit: Eric Thayer - Getty Images Recently, Jane co-founded the Sanders Institute. The Sanders Institute, a progressive think tank, was founded less than two years ago by Jane Sanders and her son David Driscoll. On March 15, 2019, the Institute announced that it would stop accepting donations and shut down operations, at least for the duration of Bernie Sanders's presidential campaign. In a press release, Driscoll explained that "continuing our active role in policy development may create the false impression that the Institute is part of the campaign." The organization had been criticized for blurring the line between campaigning and nonprofit worksomething Bernie alleged was the case with the Clinton Foundation during the 2016 race. Jane told the New York Times that these comparisons weren't at the front of their minds. "We didnt think about the Clinton or the Trump foundation," she said. "We just thought, Im going to be very active [in the presidential campaign]... its just too mushyit could become too mushy. We wanted to safeguard it. Its a suspension, not a shutdown." You Might Also Like Security is but a condition for our existence and our independence. The state of Israel has a special mission. Every state must ensure the wellbeing, welfare, and progress of its residents. Our state, too, is obligated to do so, but it is not the cardinal concern. The supreme task of the state of Israel is the redemption of the People of Israel through the ingathering of the exiles. If a land has a soul, then Jerusalem is the soul of the Land of Israel and the battle over Jerusalem is decisive and not only from a military standpoint. That pledge beside the waters of Babylon (If I forget thee, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill) is just as binding today as it was in those days; otherwise we will not be worthy of the name The People of Israel. Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen is a senior research fellow at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. He served in the IDF for forty-two years. He commanded troops in battles with Egypt and Syria. He was formerly a corps commander and commander of the IDF Military Colleges. Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh. blogspot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work. . ..BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,121..25 March '19..David Ben-Gurion was the only Israeli PM to make a point of stressing that the state of Israel has a higher purpose than providing a safe haven to persecuted Jews. During the first decade of statehood, he repeatedly emphasized:On the national level, the problem of security reflects the inextricable link between the spiritual and the physical aspects of the countrys existence. Yet the political-security conversation guiding Israel for years has been reduced to an excessive, if not exclusive, focus on physical security a point well understood by Israels Palestinian peace partners. Prominent PLO leader Abbas Zaki explained the organizations feigned endorsement of the two-state solution this way: If we divest the Jews of Hebron and Jerusalem, from which they draw their inspiration for their national existence, what will remain for them? What bond do they have to Jaffa and to Haifa? They will then collapse of themselves.Ben-Gurion, recognizing the spiritual calling of the People of Israel in its ancestral homeland, asserted during the early critical phase of the War of Independence that the struggle over Jerusalem was the key endeavor:There is little doubt that Israel is now at a fateful crossroads. The ongoing challenge of physically protecting the lives of its citizens ensures that its leaders will face complex and painful decisions. But there are other, no less critical considerations that must be factored into the decision-making equation notably powerful national, historical, cultural, and religious sentiments and aspirations.The state of Israel and the Zionist enterprise need an up-to-date Jewish-Israeli narrative that gives meaning to the century-long struggle in the ancestral homeland. Placing the sole emphasis on the physical aspects of the security problem, as some parties do in their eagerness to avoid the hard existential questions awaiting Israel, obscures this story. This is a time for clarity of purpose, not evasive pragmatism. [Update Below] If you happen to be walking around the Lower East Side this week, you may spot a new "Country Club Cannabis" pop-up at 2 Rivington Street. Along with "COMING SOON" notices, the signs on the windows demand to know, "ARE YOU WORTHY?" Probably not, and that's fine, but we are skeptical. The website and social media accounts for whatever this is are even more explicit in the club's stated desire to create an ultra-exclusive marijuana supper club that does background checks and doesn't allow people with ripped jeans to enter. So is it really a hilariously clumsy attempt at getting in on the ground floor of marijuana legalization via a privileged, discriminatory old school country club mentality? Or is it a social and artistic parody on marijuana startups trying to take a page from those cliched country clubs? Or perhaps just a prank thoughtfully timed to April Fool's Day? Or the looming passage of the state budget, which was supposed to include marijuana legalization but now may not? On their website, they write in their about section: "Country Club Cannabis was created with traditional values in mind. Soon, we will provide outstanding services available exclusively to our members. Join us in a celebration of our heritage to ensure an elevated, clean experience. We are founded on the belief that you should have a space where your reputation and influence can be recognized among others who share your values." It also includes a quote from CEO & Founder LH Taylor, whose name doesn't provide a lot of evidence one way or the other via Google searches. "I created Country Club Cannabis because I wanted a luxurious, safe place to be with people I trust turns out I found a whitespace in the industry." There's also a list of the "privileges" members are promised (including spa access, clubhouse dining and networking events, access to a rooftop greenhouse, and even access to legal counsel), then there's the "Conduct Standard" portion, which is either a spot-on satirization of the exclusionary practices of these kinds of clubs or painfully tone-deaf and possibly racist. It's also possible that the word "whitespace" is intended as some sort of satire or commentary on the racial disparities in marijuana arrests. Under the Contact Us section (or as they call it, "Are You One Of Us?"), they write, "Inquire before March 31, 2019 to help make legalized cannabis a refined reality." That date could have been timed to the end of the month, when the state budget is due on April 1st, a date many legalization advocates had hoped would bring good news. It's also April Fool's Day, obviously, so who knows! We've reached out to Country Club Cannabis for comment, and will update if and when we hear back from them. But the evidence so far all seems to point to this being a pop-up parody rather than a real thing. The space at 2 Rivington is run by Parasol Projects, who rents it out. They call it a "quintessential contemporary gallery space with its ten-foot tall all-glass storefront, large doors, and industrial metal flooring," and add, "Pop up for a week or more in this prime location with high foot traffic, just off the Bowery, at the Lower East Sides border with Nolita." In addition, on their Twitter and Facebook accounts, Country Club Cannabis links to an article about a new (and real) "private cannabis lounge" that's popped up in Massachusetts as a way to skirt around the fact that public marijuana cafes or bars are still illegal there. WB Journal writes, "In order to get high at Summit, members must bring their own marijuana, joints or edibles to enjoy in the club around other like-minded folks." This NYC version, coming on the heels of a failed push for marijuana legalization, certainly seems on its face to be a direct parody of that. This, but with style. https://t.co/Nq7WEsm9uX Country Club Cannabis (@cannabisclubny) March 25, 2019 There's also the over-the-top Instagram photos, whichagainare either a pretty accurate satirization of a certain boys club mentality, or woefully out-of-step with anything resembling good taste. (screenshot) It is also worth noting that Gothamist was also tipped off to this new venture by someone who is a creative director at Vice creative agency Virtue, with the provocative subject line "privileged white weed store opening in manhattan?" It's unclear if they are involved in any way, but we've reached out to that person for comment, and will update if we hear back. Just to reiterate: everything may be pointing toward this being some sort of ironic publicity stunt and/or conceptual art project, but we should probably never underestimate how crass some people are. Even if this forthcoming elitist "club" isn't real, which I'm skeptical of, it seems almost inevitable that some variation of this will arise eventually if/when marijuana is passed in the state. Update: As was expected, it's since been revealed that the Country Club Cannabis was set up by Drug Policy Alliance to highlight "how legalizing marijuana could be exclusive rather than inclusive." They have a petition up now asking people to urge Gov. Cuomo and other NY lawmakers "to end marijuana prohibition and repair the harms that criminalization has caused to our communities." (Photo: Unsplash/Artur Kraft) The Church said there needed to be "room for debate and a robust exchange of views" as it warned that holding to Catholic beliefs, particularly on marriage or sexuality, may soon be deemed "an attempt to stir up hatred". The warning was made in a submission to the Scottish Government's consultation on hate crimes following a review last year by Lord Bracadale. The consultation, which closed last month, asked members of the public for their responses to Lord Bracadale's report on hate crimes in Scotland in which he recommended that a protection of freedom of expression provision be included in any new legislation relating to stirring up offences. The Church welcomed the proposed protection for freedom of expression but said it was concerned that the definition of hate was becoming "contentious and open to misuse". "Care must be taken to allow room for debate and a robust exchange of views, ensuring that 'hate' doesn't include the kind of ordinary discourse where people reasonably hold divergent views," the submission states. "The fundamental right to freedom of expression, and the right of an individual to hold and express opinions, even if they are considered by some to be controversial or unwelcome must be upheld." The Church further warned that changes to hate crime laws may hinder, rather than help, community relations. This was a particular risk, it said, in communities where sectarianism is an issue. Catholic Parliamentary Office Director Anthony Horan said: "We do not believe there is a need for sectarianism to be specifically addressed and defined in hate crime legislation. Existing legislation, including existing statutory aggravations, are adequate." He went on to warn that suppressing the right to freedom of expression would "create divisions and foster grievances across society". "In a climate of heightened sensitivity there is a very real danger that expressing or even holding individual or collective opinions or beliefs will become a hate crime," he said. "We must guard against this and ensure freedom of expression, thought, conscience and religion are protected. "Some people might suggest that expressing the Catholic Church's position on marriage or human sexuality could be an attempt to stir up hatred. "This would obviously be wrong, but without room for robust debate and exchange of views we risk becoming an intolerant, illiberal society." The definition of hate crimes in Scotland was called into question last year when the Scottish Police launched a series of controversial billboard posters aimed at tackling hate crime. The posters were criticised by Christians who felt that they unfairly implied that they were bigots. One particularly contentious poster read: "Dear Bigots, you can't spread your religious hatred here. End of sermon. Yours, Scotland." The posters were withdrawn following a formal complaint by Barnabas Fund, a charity that supports persecuted Christians around the world. According to the charity, Police Scotland "investigated themselves and belatedly responded in December, concluding that there was no case to answer and no further action would be taken". Again I ask: How can Australians go well beyond blue? In other words, how can we decisively win the battlefield of our minds daily, and even see unprecedented break throughs in areas of mental health? Having a perseverance mindset leads to releasing our fuller potential. Every day our kids spend the majority of their time learning. They are learning to one day become citizens who contribute and realise their greatest potential. And for many young people, especially in western nations, despite having strong resources, educators and much state of the art technology, concerning trends continue to arise. We are confronted with weak literacy and numeracy results and educators and politicians alike are asking what can be done? While effective parenting is probably the greatest issue behind declining standards, we must also place the full weight of responsibility on the students themselves and their attitude towards their daily education. In Matthew Chapter 25 of the bible we see in the parable of the talents that talents were given to be stewarded and could be developed with perseverance. The man with five talents multiplied his talents to have ten talents because he had a perseverance-mindset. Another had a closed-mindset and hid his one talent and regressed completely. Friends, how are we approaching life and educating our kids? Are we quick to give up on challenges or embrace them as an opportunity to grow by persevering? When facing obstacles, are we quick to give up or are we saying what am I missing? Am I saying I cant do this and put it aside, or am I saying I havent worked it out yet, but I know Ill get there if I persevere. Am I saying as I face difficulties, this is a waste of time, or am I seeing it as opportunity to develop a high level of skill by persevering? When we face criticism are we quick to ignore feedback, or do we see critique and criticism as a free gift to help us solve our challenges by improving our outlook, by perseverance? Do we look at others success and feel like hiding away, or do we sit down and ponder what can I learn from their approach and adopt a persevering-mindset? Friends, we can either exercise a persevering, growth-oriented mindset or be a stick in the mud and adopt a closed-mindset. Both are a choice. Which mindset will help us to go beyond the blues and avoid a depressive, moody and pity party tendency, we can all fall into? If only we could always wear a perseverance-mindset bit like wearing socks! What does the bible say about a perseverance-mindset verses a closed-mindset? The writer James in the New Testament encouraged people to persevere in their trials and even count them a great joy, as it allows people to mature in stature and wisdom according to the highest life benchmark; living like the man Christ Jesus; perfect man and God! The writer to the Roman believers tells us to see sufferings as an opportunity grow in perseverance, to develop character of Christ, which will not disappoint, as it is authentic. Authentic Christianity has come under fire heavily, especially in recent times with the child abuse scandal; how can we return to the persevering mindset? Jesus in the gospels said to persist in hearing what he said so that people persevere unto the application of his words, and then believers would see a harvest, and of multiplication. A quick fix, want to see it now mindset robs people of harvest and equates to building on sand and is fallible. Joseph in the bible persevered and kept believing, despite being rejected by family, sold as a slave, and became a refugee, but he eventually became what God intended; the governor of the most powerful empire in that time! Like Joseph, we read of hundreds of bible characters that often faced incredible adversity, but instead of collapsing; they developed a perseverance-mindset unto the fulfilment of His plan. However, it must be noted that Gods grace and divine empowering was working together with human perseverance and will as a fuel rod for perseverance, giving the ability to await for Gods appointed time and season for things to arise. Why does a perseverance mindset lead to going well beyond blue? We are seeing a generation of young people arise who struggle to find hope amidst the pressures of life and study, weakening grades are a symptom, but for those who develop a perseverance-mindset there is a high tendency to realise their fuller potential and have hope. We need to grasp that Gods word can help develop this perseverance-mindset, which leads to a powerful impact on our emotional health. Think of people who persevered like a Thomas Edison to invent the light globe? Imagine their joy when they finally saw an actual globe shining and removing darkness! Imagine the joy of seeing how this discovery changed society? And imagine how anyone feels when their life throbs with joy and purpose; learning is organic? Imagine those that are true to Gods design for their lives and persevere to multiply their talents for the good of many? And yet there is a joy from perseverance that goes deeper giving divine consolation, in Matthew Chapter 25: Well done good and faithful servant. Were these words solely to be spoken at Christs return or could it be Jesus helping us persevere today: For what we are is Gods gift to us. But, isnt what we make of ourselves by perseverance, our gift to God? Mark Rusic was born in Melbourne and has a bachelor in Mechanical engineering. He became a missionary to many suffering hardship and poverty on Madura Island in Indonesia, for about 4 years in the early 1990s. He has worked as a pastor-life coach over the past 17 years. Mark is also an artist and author and has also written two books which are a collection of his own paintings, photography and poetry. These include Iconic Melbourne of Australia and Iconic Animals of Australia with a voice to release your giant potential within. He has been counted among some of Australias best-selling authors since 2014 and is a frequent public speaker in various community groups and churches, with a special grace for discipleship and to help people find and release what they are born for. If this article encouraged you do email Mark with your comments on markrusic@gmail.com. Ive been challenged with my understanding of greatness. During my last visit to New Zealand, I was able to receive wise counsel from one of my spiritual fathers in the faith. Pointing to the scriptures, he was able to invoke deep introspection in regard to the biblical definition of greatness. Greatness Referencing Mark Chapter 10 Verses 35-45, he exposited on how Jesus doesnt reject greatness, rather, He redefines it. Observing Jesus interactions with His disciples and us today, I think its interesting that He didnt rebuke the disciples request to be great. Instead, He reveals that the path to greatness is by being a servant. Mark, my spiritual father, went on to share that as a disciple, I need to follow Christs example of servant-leadership. He defined a servant as someone who has surrendered their personal rights to another: Christ. As I listened to Pastor Mark the Holy Spirit convicted me of my selfishness, blindness, and pride. I realized that I had fallen into a serve me mentality. Relearning to Serve Hidden in the deep recesses of my heart the me monster had been cowering until the illuminating light of Gods word exposed him there. As I reflected on my personal life and ministry, I had forgotten that the path to greatness isnt in the spotlight, but in the servants quarter. As my heart was exposed and holy conviction flooded my thoughts, I prayed for forgiveness and the Holy Spirits help in this area of my heart. With a sober journal entry, I counted the cost of biblical greatness: death to self, servanthood, and a willing surrendering of my rights to Jesus and His word. Im encouraged that Jesus is my example in how this practically applies to my life. I see that Jesus was consistently about His Fathers business. I see how He preferred others even to the point of His death on the cross. This is my pattern to follow. Though the price of greatness come with a huge cost, Im learning that blessing the heart of God is worth my temporal suffering. As I die to myself, I experience true life in Him and in His ways. Im experiencing a new found joy, peace, and intimacy with Jesus. As I serve Jesus and others, Im finding His Spirit sustain, supply, and satisfy my inner hope. Understanding that I have a long journey ahead, I beg that you would come and walk with me. We are all in need of a good heart and pride check. Together we can be great in His sight and in His kingdom. As we serve together, lets encourage one another to continue in humility and lowliness. Time is short and I have wasted too much of it serving myself. Its time for me and the church to take up the servants towel and unconditionally serve as Jesus has served us. We owe Him our everything. Lets start with a surrendering of our rights to His purposes. Lets be great together. Aaron Sabio lives in Oceanside is a pastor at Calvary Chapel Vista in Southern California. He enjoys coffee, volleyball, and singing with his worship band, [REVO] Collective Sam Chan, seeing all three of his flat mates (also his medical student mates) become Christians within two years, is pretty impressive. So we posited the question How did he do it. How did Sam Chan get a 100% conversion rate? Sam revealed the secret of his success, by introducing us to the concept of Community Validation. So Whats Community Validation? Breaking down, its something like this. People will find a story more believable (Plausible) when lots of people in their trusted community, family and friends also believe the same story. Now lets take this concept into our daily world. Were living in a Post-Christian world, thats our reality (the sooner we accept that reality, the more effective well be). This means that when we attempt to witness to someone, its likely that they have no trusted friends or family who beliefthe Evidence about Jesus, so they dismiss us as irrelevant. This goes some way toexplaining why our attempts fail. Weve got the conversion-sequence wrong. So Lets Get the Order Right To get a fair hearing, we need to get the sequence right. This is how he did it. He merged his two universes. Instead of having two separate spheres; one sphere with his Christian and the other with his non-Christian friends, he brought them into one. When he went out to dinner, the movies, sporting fixtures, and alike, he would invite his Christian and non-Christian friends to the same event. This way they were sure to interact. Especially his non-Christian friends were now doing stuff with Christians. When his non-Christian friends invited him out, he asked them whether his other friends (Christian) could hang out with them. There was usually no objection. The end result was that after two years of exposure to Christians, their lifestyle and their Church, when the evidence about Jesus was presented, with benefit of knowing other people who believed this stuff (community validation), they eventually became followers of Jesus. Consequently, the gospel presentation order in our post Christian world,is bring your non-Christian friends into your Christian world socially (alsotake your Christian friendsinto your non- Christian friends world).When their trust is won overtime, then present them with the evidence about Jesus, after this the personal experience of God, entering their lives will follow. Rather than trying the Evidence first, hoping they will believe it, then come to church (community validation) and afterward have a personal experience of God. Sounds Good in Theory, But Why is it so Hard? There a couple reasons. Firstly, it starts with us changing our lifestyle, to embrace change and do things differently. And as we know its hard to change entrenched bad habits. Ill leave it to you, to fill in the details here. Because Id like to move on to the second reason. Secondly, in the 1700s the Western world split off from the rest of world, to take a different path. The birth of modern science and the advent of the Enlightenment, meant we divided knowledge (whats knowable) into two categories. One the phenomenal and two the noumenal. The first refers to things we can know and learn by using our five senses. For example its sunny, because I can see the sun or its hot because I can measure the temperature. The noumenal, is not directly accessible or knowable by the use of our senses. For example love, justice and God. This doesnt discount the existence of these things, they are just as real, but theyre not measureable by the use of our five senses. Never Talk About Religion & Politics Discussing topics that fall within the gamut of the phenomenal will not cause any controversy. They are safe subjects. Such as What did you do on the weekend? The same cant be said when we moot subjects within the noumenal. Such as What are your views on God & Evolution or Abortion? For topics within the noumenalelicit a diverse range of opinions and strong emotions. They are not safe. So we are in a sense a de facto Closed Country, where we are in theory able to share our faith and evangelize, but in practise, its culturally taboo. This makes us feel uncomfortable talking about our faith and our non-Christian friends engaging with us. They dont have the vocabulary, to speak to this subject because God has been removed from our culture. Interestingly, this culturally imposed ban on talking about God, ethics and values, doesnt exist in other cultures. If youve travelled say to Africa, Israel, Asia or the Middle East, youll know what I mean. In these countries discussions on the noumenal is common place. People in these countries are quite open to talking about their beliefs. Lets Talk About Religion and Politics Theres a way to break through this unofficial ban on speaking about Jesus. Sam Chan avers that there are three levels or layers of conversation that we engage in (unknowingly), like the layers of an onion. When we understand them then the door opens to meaningful conversations about Jesus and why hes important to us. Want to know what they are? Sorry youll need to join me in the next issue. Where will take a closer look at this. Vic Matthews, has three degrees B.Optom, B.Arts& B. Christian Studies. He is a kiteboard tragic, who now works as a Christian Copywriter. He can be found at http://trustworthycopywriter.com/writing-services/christian-copywriter/ Vic Matthews' previous articles may be viewed http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/vic-matthews.html The year, the Tobacconist Association of America (TAA) formally released a list of its exclusive cigars the will be offered to members for 2019. These cigars made their debut at the TAAs 51st annual convention held at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic from March 17 to March 21st. This years TAA offerings list is the largest slated to date. It includes 14 limited edition cigars, in which 13 of them are making their debut. In addition, there are 9 ongoing blends offered on a year-round basis. Here is a rundown on this years releases. 2019 TAA Exclusive Series (Limited) AJ Fernandez has his first TAA Exclusive release. This one is a line extension of the popular New World line. While the New World is a box-pressed line the Redondo is a parejo. Wrapper: Nicaraguan Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaragua Vitola: 6 1/2 x 55 (Parejo) Price: $8.00 Box Count: 20 Production: 1000 boxes Estimated Ship Date: May 2019 Years in TAA Exclusive Series: 1 (2019) General Cigar returns to the TAA Exclusive Series for the second year in a row with the CAO Brazilia Select. This cigar is an off-shoot of the popular Brazilia line. The Brazilia Select doesnt use a Brazilian wrapper but a Connecticut grown Habano wrapper. There still is Brazilian tobacco, but its used on the binder. Wrapper: Connecticut Habano Grueso Binder: Brazilian Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican, Honduran Vitola: 6 1/2 x 60 Price: $8.99 Box Count: 12 Production: 1000 boxes Estimated Ship Date: April 2019 Years in TAA Exclusive Series: 2 (2018, 2019) For the sixth year in a row, Crowned Heads teams up with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jrs Tabacalera La Alianza for a unique TAA Exclusive. This years edition features a wrapper we dont see too often from that factory Brazilian Arapiraca. Wrapper: Brazilian Arapiraca Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra Filler: Nicaraguan Vitola: 6 1/2 x 60 Price: $11.25 Box Count: 20 Production: 1000 boxes Estimated Ship Date: May 2019 Years in TAA Exclusive Series: 6 (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) My Father Cigars has a TAA Exclusive Offering for the seventh time (including 6 consecutive years). This years is described as a blend variant of the Don Pepin Garcia Original (Blue Label). It comes in a Toro size and features Pelo de Oro tobacco. Wrapper: Nicaraguan Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan Vitola: 6 x 54 Price: $10.00 Box Count: 25 Production: 1250 boxes Estimated Ship Date: April 2019 Years in TAA Exclusive Series 7 (2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) C.L.E. Cigar Company returns to the TAA Exclusive Series for the fifth consecutive year. This is part of a larger rollout of a new brand called Eiroa Jamastran. One of the new sizes will be exclusive to the TAA and thats the iconic 11/18 size. The previous four TAA Cigars by C.L.E. all became national releases, so its quite possible the 11/18 will join that club in 2020. Wrapper: Honduran Binder: Honduran Filler: Honduran Vitola: 11/18 (6 x 54 x 50) Price: $16.50 Box Count: 18 Production: Under 1000 boxes Estimated Ship Date: April/May 2019 Years in TAA Exclusive Series: 5 (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) E.P. Carrillo returns to the TAA Exclusive Series for the second consecutive year. This time with a 6 x 56 line extension to the La Historia line the first new size for La Historia in nearly four years. Wrapper: San Andres Mexican Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan Vitola: 6 x 56 Price: $11.50 Box Count: 10 Production: 1000 boxes Estimated Ship Date: May/June 2019 Years in TAA Exclusive Series: 2 (2018, 2019) J.C. Newman Cigar Company brings its debut cigar to the TAA with the Brick House Ciento Por Ciento. This was a blend originally released for Europe, but now comes to the U.S. for TAA retailers in the form of a 6 1/4 x 54 vitola. This might be the toughest one to get. It not only has the best price point of the 2019 limited edition TAA cigars, but it also has the smallest production in terms of box count. Wrapper: Nicaraguan Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan Vitola: 6 1/4 x 54 Price: $7.40 Box Count: 25 Production: 500 boxes Estimated Ship Date: May 2019 Years in TAA Exclusive Series: 1 (2019) For 2019, Joya de Nicaraguan brings back its 6 1/2 x 50 box-pressed line extension of its Antano Gran Reserva line. This was a cigar also released as a part of the 2018 TAA Exclusive Series. This marks the third year Joya de Nicaragua has released an exclusive cigar fo the TAA. Wrapper: Nicaraguan Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan Vitola: 6 1/2 x 50 Price: $12.50 Box Count: 20 Production: 1000 boxes Estimated Ship Date: April 2019 Years in TAA Exclusive Series: 3 (2013, 2018, 2019) Joya de Nicaragua is also bringing a second cigar into this years exclusive series with the Seleccion de Torcedor 2019. Seleccion de Torcedor will eventually be an ongoing series offered in limited quantities on a worldwide basis. The project will feature a different blend selected by the torcedors that work at the Joya de Nicaragua factory. In order to get this cigar, retailers had to also order the Joya de Nicaragua Antano Gran Reserva Presidente. Wrapper: Nicaraguan Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan Vitola: 6 x 52 Price: TBA Box Count: 20 Production: 1000 boxes Estimated Ship Date: April 2019 Years in TAA Exclusive Series: 3 (2013, 2018, 2019) This year is the eighth consecutive year La Flor Dominicana brings an exclusive offering to the TAA. The La Flor Dominicana TAA 50th Segunda Edition brings back the blend introduced with the La Flor Dominicana TAA Golden Anniversary. While the Golden Anniversary was in the form of a torpedo, the Segunda edition is the form of a box-pressed toro. Wrapper: Nicaraguan Binder: Dominican Filler: Dominican, including Criollo 98 Vitola: 6 x 54 Price: $20.00 Box Count: 20 Production: 1500 boxes Estimated Ship Date: Fall 2019 Years in TAA Exclusive Series: 8 (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) There is also a second exclusive release by La Flor Dominicana for 2018. This one takes the Golden Anniversary blend and replaces the Nicaraguan Sun Grown wrapper with a San Andres Mexican wrapper. Fans of La Flor Dominicana might have to wait a while. Both the Natural and Maduro Segunda Edition cigars are among the last scheduled to release, as they are not slated to hit shelves until the fall. In addition, the two Segunda Edition cigars are the most premium offerings in the 2019 TAA Exclusive Series coming in at $20.00 each. Wrapper: San Andres Mexican Binder: Dominican Filler: Dominican, including Criollo 98 Vitola: 6 x 54 Price: $20.00 Box Count: 20 Production: 1500 boxes Estimated Ship Date: Fall 2019 Years in TAA Exclusive Series: 8 (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) For the fourth consecutive year, La Palina is participating in the TAA Exclusive Series with the La Palina Silver Label. The previous three TAA releases by La Palina all became regular production releases the following year. If this holds true, we may also see Silver Label generally available to all retailers in 2020. Wrapper: Honduran Binder: Costa Rican Filler: Costa Rican, Honduran, Nicaraguan Vitola: 6 1/2 x 52 Price: $10.00 Box Count: 20 Production: 1000 boxes Estimated Ship Date: May 2019 Years in TAA Exclusive Series: 4 (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) Nat Sherman has its second TAA release with the Nat Sherman Timeless 2019 Limited Edition. This is described as a blend variant of the Nat Sherman Timeless blend in the form of a 6 x 49 Short Churchill. Last year, Nat Sherman announced its previous ongoing TAA release the Panamericana was going national. Wrapper: Dominican Binder: Dominican Filler: Dominican Vitola: 6 x 49 Price: $14.50 Box Count: 10 Production: 1500 boxes Estimated Ship Date: April 2019 Years in TAA Exclusive Series: 2(On-going, 2019) Tatuaje returns to the TAA Exclusive Series for a record ninth consecutive year with the Tatuaje TAA Exclusive 51st. For the first time, a Tatuaje TAA release will feature a Mexican wrapper. This is also one of the most massive limited releases in TAA history as Tatuaje is planning to make 3000 boxes nearly double of any other TAA limited release in 2019. Wrapper: San Andres Mexican Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan Vitola: 5 x 52 Price: $11.95 Box Count: 20 Production: 3000 boxes Estimated Ship Date: June 2019 Years in TAA Exclusive Series: 8 (2011, 2012 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) 2019 TAA Exclusive Series (Ongoing) East Harlem, historically one of the city's vibrant immigrant gateways, is headed for a coveted spot on the National Registry of Historic Places after years of preservation efforts by local community groups. In addition to East Harlem, the state Board for Historic Preservation also named three other sites in New York City: St. Lukes Hospital in Morningside Heights, the George Washington Hotel in Gramercy Park, and Alku and Alku Toinen, a pair of buildings in Brooklyns Sunset Park that were the states first cooperative housing complex. All told, preservationists nominated 17 sites across the state for national status. As part of the process, the sites will be placed on the state Registry of Historic Places. Barring any unforeseen objections, they will then be added to the National Register following a second review by the National Park Service. A spot on the National Register does not prevent property owners from renovating or demolishing individual buildings, but it does make owners who meet preservation guidelines eligible for tax incentives and grants. Its a high honor for them, said Peg Breen, the president of the New York Landmarks Conservancy. Two of the buildings at St. Lukes Hospital, which has a total of 11 pavilions, were designated as city landmarks in 2002. Four of the buildings are currently being converted into apartments. Its nice when they overlap, Breen said. Maybe this gives the city Landmarks Preservation Commission reason to look at the other properties to see if they deserve merit at the city level. In the case of East Harlem, the project to get the neighborhood recognized at any level was three years in the making, according to Alexander Adams, the executive director of Civitas, a local community organization. Civitas was part of a larger group called Landmark East Harlem that spearheaded the application to the state. It brings to light how important East Harlem is for the city, Adams said. Telling the story of immigrants is telling the story of New York City. Beginning in the 1920s, the neighborhood was at various times associated with different ethnic groups and hence, different nicknames: Jews (Jewish Harlem), Italians (Little Italy"), and eventually, Puerto Ricans who dubbed the area El Barrio. The neighborhood grew to become a cultural hub for Latino working-class art and culture; it is widely recognized as the birthplace of salsa music, home to bodegas, Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Mexican eateries, and perhaps the most extensive array of street murals in New York City. In 2016, the New York Times named East Harlem one of the city's hottest neighborhoods, a mostly developer-led distinction, as Gothamist noted at the time. In recent years, the neighborhood has also seen an influx of Chinese residents, largely drawn by low rents relative to Chinatown. It was amid these gentrification pressures that East Harlem preservationists began organizing. With the help of a $5,000 grant from the Historic Districts Council, Landmark East Harlem hired a consultant who researched the neighborhood and came up with rough boundaries for the East Harlem Historic District, encompassing the area between Park and Pleasant avenues running from East 111th to East 120th streets. In terms of architecture, the report to the state prepared by Landmark East Harlem notes that the tenements in the East Harlem Historic District rival in quality those on the Lower East Side, which was added to the National Register in 2001. Adams said the group originally pushed the city to consider landmarking the district. But at the time, East Harlems ongoing rezoning, which was approved in 2017, complicated that effort, he said. As a compromise, the City Council agreed to approve the landmarking of three individual buildings: a former 19th-century meatpacking house and two former public schools. In recent years, some locals have accused the citys Landmarks Preservation Commission of ignoring Harlem, leaving the area's rich cultural and architectural history more vulnerable to development. Going forward, if local groups seek neighborhood landmark status, it would impose more development restrictions in the district. Adams noted that the city could elect to landmark a smaller section of the district. Its not immediate, he said. But he added, If this is well received and if the next wave moving into this area want to preserve the history and culture, theres a lot of options. For much of his time in office, Governor Andrew Cuomo was dismissive of the calls to legalize recreational marijuana. He once derided weed as a gateway drug and only seemed to pivot when Cynthia Nixon ran a long-shot primary against him last year. Now Cuomo is a convert to the cause and a newly empowered Democratic State Senate appears ready to make New York the eleventh state to legalize marijuana. But many roadblocks remain, and what once seemed inevitable is anything but. Cuomo announced recently he was dropping a proposal to legalize marijuana from his executive budget. On Tuesday morning, however, Cuomo assured Brian Lehrer, "Let's be clear, it is on the table and we're still talking about it." In practice, this means hopes legalization advocates had of achieving their goal before the new fiscal year on April 1st are in jeopardy. There will be time in April, May and June during the legislative session to round up the votes to pass a bill, though more time is not necessarily a good thing. In New Jersey, a vote to legalize pot was projected to happen yesterday, though it was called off at the last minute. Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, and legislative leaders announced they had reached an agreement to legalize and tax marijuana for adults 21 and older. Two other bills would also expand New Jerseys medical marijuana program and expunge thousands of pot convictions in the state. It's unclear when a vote will actually be held. Opponents of marijuana legalization in New York will have several months to organize and potentially peel away Democrats in swing districts who are leery of riling up their more conservative constituents. State Senator Diane Savino, Staten Island Democrat and longtime supporter of legalizing pot, said recently she was not optimistic legalization could happen with a free-standing bill. In Albany, lawmakers like to hash out major policy in the state budget. The process, typically rushed at the last minute, allows legislators to include controversial items in a general $175 billion budget and dodge tougher votes. A spokesman for State Senator Liz Krueger, the Manhattan Democrat carrying legislation to legalize and tax marijuana, told Gothamist budget talks are ongoing, declining to offer any new information. Both legislative leadersAssembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousinssupport legalization efforts but have a significant number of rank-and-file lawmakers who have raised persistent questions about what legally selling and taxing weed would look like in New York. Black legislators in Albany and the New York City Council, as well as progressive advocates, have threatened to derail the legalization push if the state doesnt guarantee a portion of the money raised (as much as $300 million annually) from taxing pot is channeled into an economic equity program to help people of color who have been most impacted by marijuana-related arrests, as well as ensure minority and women-owned businesses can profit from a huge new business. In Colorado, black entrepreneurs said they were banned from winning business licenses because of marijuana-related convictions. It would be a travesty for New York to legalize marijuana in a way that doesnt direct funding back to the communities hit hardest by criminalization, said Melissa Moore, the deputy state director of the Drug Policy Alliance. This type of reinvestment is crucial if we are going to close out the era of prohibition. Both legislative leaders are black, as well as the Assemblys majority leader, Crystal Peoples-Stokes. They are fighting for a sweeping expungement of records related to marijuana arrests. Marijuana legalization in New York must prioritize social justice and economic opportunity for people of color," Peoples-Stokes, who represents Buffalo, told Gothamist. "For decades, Black and Brown communities have been harmed by the inequitable enforcement of marijuana prohibition. Any legislation which seeks to regulate and tax marijuana for adult use must repair those harms by committing to sealing, vacating and expunging the records of those convicted of low-level marijuana offenses, establishing equitable access to entry into the industry, and ensuring that resources are dedicated for the investment in communities most harmed." Many advocates objected to Cuomos initial push to tie revenue raised from pot legalization to the MTA. Cuomo has since abandoned this proposal, instead supporting MTA fundraising through congestion pricing, as well as a new tax on highly-expensive, unoccupied second homesthough the latter proposal is currently losing momentum. While legalizing marijuana remains popular, the opposition is only strengthening. Parent Teacher Associations, county health officials, and physician-related groups including the Medical Society and American Academy of Pediatrics are lining up against the legalization push, citing health risks. With Republicans in the Senate unified in their opposition, Democrats can only afford to lose so many votes. Only 15 Democrats, including Krueger, have currently signed onto legalization legislation. Democratic county executives in Nassau and Suffolk Counties said recently they would take advantage of a possible opt-out proposal to ban selling marijuana on Long Island. Six Democratic state senators represent the suburban counties and the announcements by their county executives could persuade them to vote against a legalization bill. Opponents typically focus on the health risks associated with smoking marijuana and the potential for motorists to drive while high. The consensus is that using marijuana regularly does alter areas of the brain that are involved in cognition and thought processes in memory and learning, Dr. Frank Dowling, a Long Island psychiatrist working with the group Smart Approaches to Marijuana, tells WNYC's Fred Mogul. And the long-term usage, especially as a teen or young adult, can lead to long-term cognitive issues, even if someone stops using later on in life. Cannabis legalization advocates, meanwhile, argue that it's nearly impossible for an adult to overdose from marijuana, and have long pointed to the high death toll from alcohol-related illnesses, as well as alcohol poisoning from binge drinking, and accidents resulting from alcohol abuse. Law enforcement unions are also firmly against legalization, citing the difficulty of detecting whether someone behind the wheel has ingested or smoked pot beyond the legal limit. These unions are particularly potent in the suburbs, where a large percentage of their membership resides. At the heart of the debate isnt just a question of criminal justice or the possible damage to children: its how much legalizing marijuana will suddenly flood the market with a once illegal drug. New York is already home to a thriving marijuana black market. In 2017 alone, New York City topped all global cities, consuming about 77 metric tons of pot that year. With so much marijuana already in circulation, proponents of legalization simply hope to regulate and tax it, sending much-needed cash into state coffers. Five years after Colorado legalized weed, it doesnt appear young people are smoking pot more than they used to. Its unclear whether driving has become more dangerous. For New York, the greater challenge may be ending the black market altogether. With enough time, more pot sales become legal. Sixty-six percent of pot sales are projected to be legal in Colorado this year. Massachusetts, which legalized marijuana in 2017, only projects to have 24 percent of pot sold legally. With elections looming in 2020, the next three months may determine whether we ever see legal weed in New York. The stakes have never, for lack of a better word, been higher. Fossilized barnacles that hitched on the backs of prehistoric whales have retained information on ancient migration patterns, a new study reveals.Scientists from the University of California, Berkeley and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute has reconstructed the migration pathways of whale populationsmillions of years ago.Sticky CrustaceansBarnacles, or Balanus glandula, are mostly crustaceans related to crabs, lobsters, and shrimps. They attach themselves to rocks, the underside of vessels, and to other marine life. They secrete a fast-curing cement that works like a strong adhesive. Barnacles can attach to a whale by piercing its skin.There are more than 1,400 known species of barnacles. They feed through appendages known as cirri.For the study, the researchers probedthe Coronulid barnacles, which include species adapted to live on turtles, manatees, crabs, and snakes."Normally, the barnacles stay with a whale between one and three years, until they fall or are brushed off, often at whale breeding grounds. At least 24 fossil assemblages of whale barnacles have been found around the world," according to Larry Taylor, a visiting scientist at the Smithsonian, and a doctoral student at the UC Berkeley who led the study.Barnacles Are The Original GPSBased on the research, the oxygen isotope in barnacle shells changes depending on ocean conditions. The information stored on barnacles fossils allowed them to work like GPS trackers from the Pleistocene era.The scientists analyzed three whale barnacle shells from three sites.Through the reading of unique isotope signatures left in the shells, the barnacles can reveal the water bodies they passed through, helping reconstruct the whale's journey through time.The barnacle shell also reflectsthe ocean's temperature and overall isotopic composition of the location where it was formed. The fossils showed that the ratio of oxygen increases as the temperature declines.One significant finding showed that long-distance journeys of both ancient humpback, and gray whales are similar to those of modern-day whales."It seems like the summer-breeding and winter-feeding migrations have been an integral part of the way of life of these whales for hundreds of thousands of years," Taylor said.Whales And PanamaFor hundreds of thousands of years ago until today, whale subpopulations have convergedin the coast of Panama. Even in the modern day, whales from as far away as Gulf of Alaska and Antarctica visit the waters of Panama.Panama is a known breeding and birthing ground of humpback whales from both the northern and southern hemisphere. From July to October each year, over 2,000 whales are said to be visiting Panama.The full study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Manchester Uniteddefender Victor Lindelof is celebrating the birth of a baby boy.The centre-back skipped international duty with Swedenthis week in order to be with his wife Maja Nilsson Lindelof.And the former Benfica player was able to share in the joy of welcoming a son into their lives.Maja Nilsson posted two images of the couple with their newborn, showing both holding the little one. Victor also posted the picture of himself with his son.She captioned her post: 'I do not know what to write for text for a picture of his newborn son.'But here you have the best event of life captured in two pictures.'Lindelof joins fellow team-mates Paul Pogba and Fred who have also recently become fathers, while Chris Smalling and Matteo Darmian are also set to enter parenthood in the not-too distant future.The 24-year-old defender has rediscovered his best form under interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who has made Lindelof a first team regular.United return to Premier League action this weekend when they host Watford on Saturday. After two or three years that were packed full of smartphone designs that nearly bored us to death, things are finally starting to heat up in the smartphone industry. At least, they're starting to heat up on the Android side of the fence. Apple is expected to use almost the same iPhone design for the third consecutive year in 2019. Thankfully, Android vendors have finally decided to stop copying Appleand instead go their own way. Towards the end of last year, we saw all sorts of nifty new smartphone designs pop up in China. In 2019, things like hole-punch cameras, pop-up selfie cams, and more are making their way to the rest of the world. On top of all that, smartphone makers finally have the technology at their disposal to pack a tablet-sized screen into a pocketable device. The answer was foldable OLED screens, of course, and the first phones with foldable form factors are set to begin hitting store shelves beginning next month.We already know that Samsung plans to release its Galaxy Fold on April 26th in the United States. On Monday, Samsung announced that smartphone shoppers in Europe will be able to preorder the phone beginning that same day, ahead of its May 3rd release in the region. But some even more interesting news about the Galaxy Fold emerged on Monday, and unfortunately it's not quite as positive as launch details. Samsung's first foldable smartphone packs quite a punch, but a new leak suggests it doesn't translate its jaw-dropping specs into anywhere near as much power as it should.Don't Miss:At just $13.29, our favorite fast wireless charger costs less than most slow wireless chargersWhen Samsung finally detailed its exciting Galaxy Fold smartphone during last month's Unpacked press conference, we learned it would be just as powerfulas the most expensive Galaxy S10+. On paper, at least specs include Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855 processor, 512GB of storage, and a whopping 12GB of RAM. According to a new leak, however, it appears as though all that cutting-edge tech isn't translating to quite as much oomph as we had hoped.When we reviewed the Galaxy S10+, we were blown away by how powerful it was. The model we reviewed had just 8GB of RAM instead of 12GB like the high-end model, but it still managed to achieve Geekbench 4 test scores that topped every other Android phone available in the US. On the single-core test, our unit averaged a score of 3483. On the multi-core test, the Galaxy S10+ racked up a score of 11081, which is nearly as powerful as the iPhone XS's industry-leading score of 11269.The Galaxy Fold was recently spotted on the Geekbench siteahead of its release. With the same Snapdragon 855 chipset and 12GB of RAM instead of 8GB like our Galaxy S10+ review unit, we figured Samsung's foldable phone would score at least as well as the S10+, if not a bit better. Unfortunately, that's not the case at all. The Fold managed a single-core score of 3418, which is terrific. Under the heavy load of a multi-score test though, Samsung's foldable smartphone only managed a score of 9703, which is more than 1300 points less than the Galaxy S10+.The good news is it's still a month before the Galaxy Fold is set to be released, so there's a chance things could be further optimized before the phone hits store shelves. That said, we doubt Samsung has too much tweaking left to do this close to launch, so it looks like performance may have been throttled a bit for one reason or another. Neymar's father has revealed that his son is currently in talks over improving his contract at Paris Saint-Germain, despite attracting strong interest from Real MadridThe 27-year-old has been heavily linked with a return to Spainsince making his record-breaking 198million move to PSG in 2017 while Real president Florentino Perez is said to be a huge admirer of the forward.While a move to the Bernabeu will mean Perez having to break the bank to secure his services, a new contract at the Parc des Princes will rule out a switch completely.Talks over a new deal were confirmed by Neymar Snr before insisting that his son plans to stay put in the French capital.'Neymar is in the second year of his contract, so he has three more to run,' he told UOL Esporte. 'We are already discussing an extension with PSG.'His name has been the subject of rumours since he was 17 from the moment he took his first professional steps. Neymar has only experienced two transfers in his life, but he has known speculation for 10 years.'The probability that he does not leave [PSG] is great. People say: "Neymar is in every transfer rumour that concerns a big club in each window".'This reflects that his career is being handled well he is always one of the [important] names. However, that does not mean that he will join this club or that club.'Neymar's team-mate, Kylian Mbappe, is also a target for Real but the Spanish giants will have a tough time trying to convince PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi to allow either one of them to leave.Al-Khelaifi told El Parisienearlier this month: 'There is a lot of speculation that we will have to sell Neymar or Kylian but I can assure everyone that they will not leave.'Real have long believed Neymar has a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave this summer for 187m but it appears Eden Hazard and Mbappe are more favourable choices compared to the Brazil international. An early morning rocket fired from the Gaza Strip demolished a house in central Israel today, wounding seven people and prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut short a trip to Washington.The military quickly mobilized troops and called up reserves, setting the stage for a potential major conflagration shortly before Israel's upcoming elections.The rocket destroyed a residential home in the farming community of Mishmeret, north of the city of Kfar Saba, wounding six members of a family.The Magen David Adom rescue service said it treated seven people overall, including two women who were moderately wounded.The others, including two children and an infant, had minor wounds.The sounds of air raid sirens jolted residents of the Sharon area, northeast of Tel Aviv, from their sleep shortly after 5am, sending them scurrying to bomb shelters. A strong sound of an explosion followed.The Israeli military said militants from Gaza's ruling Hamas movement fired the rocket from one of their launching pads in southern Gaza Strip, near Rafah. Maj. Mika Lifshitz, a military spokeswoman, said it was a self-manufactured rocket with a range of 120 kilometres.She added that two armour and infantry brigades were being mobilized to the Gaza front and that a limited drafting of reserves was also taking place.The family home in Mishmeret was left in ruins, with tiles, broken furniture and debris scattered about. A shattered baby's crib lay among the rubble and two family dogs died in the explosion.'It's a miracle that nobody got killed,' said Assi Dvilanski, a Magen David Adom paramedic who was one of the first responders at the scene.Netanyahu, in Washington to meet President Donald Trump, held emergency consultations with military officials back in Israel and decided to cut his visit short, cancelling a planned address to the AIPAC conference and meetings with congressional leaders.'There has been a criminal attack on the State of Israel and we will respond forcefully,' he said. 'In a few hours I will meet with President Trump. I will return to Israel immediately afterward.'Anticipating a strong Israeli response, Gaza's Hamas leaders have apparently gone underground. Witnesses reported seeing Hamas evacuating its personnel from government premises. Hamas also announced that its Gaza chief, Yehiya Sinwar, had cancelled a scheduled public speech. Israel also shut down its main crossings into Gaza and imposed restrictions on fishing off the Gazan coast.Today's attack came 10 days after rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel's densely populated commercial capital of Tel Aviv. The Israeli military at the time struck back and the sides appeared to be hurtling toward another confrontation. But Gaza's Hamas leaders said the rocket was fired accidently and calm was quickly restored.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for today's attack, but it would seem to be much harder to dismiss the latest incident as another misfire.A possible trigger could be a prison riot late yesterday when Hamas-affiliated prisoners stabbed an Israeli guard in the neck in southern Israel. Israeli guards moved in to subdue the rioters, wounding about a dozen prisoners, three of them seriously. In a statement, Hamas called for an end to the crackdown.'We do not yet have a full understanding of who exactly ordered the firing of the rocket,' said Eran Lerman, a former deputy director at Israel's National Security Council. 'But clearly this is no longer something that can be explained away as a mistake or a technical failure.'Gaza is controlled by Hamas, an Islamic militant Palestinian group that seeks Israel's destruction and possesses a large arsenal of rockets and missiles capable of striking deep inside Israel. The territory is home to other Palestinian militant groups, including Islamic Jihad, an Iranian-backed armed organisation that also has a formidable rocket arsenal.Israel and Hamas are bitter enemies and have fought three wars since the group seized power in the strip in 2007. Smaller flare-ups have occurred sporadically since Israel and Hamas fought their last war in 2014. Israel says it holds Hamas responsible for all fire coming out of the coastal territory.The outburst comes at a sensitive time for both sides. Israel is holding national elections in 15 days. Netanyahu, who also served as defence minister, is locked in a tight fight for re-election and has faced heavy criticism from his opponents for what they say has been an ineffective response to Gaza militants.'The reality in which Hamas turned Israel into a hostage is unprecedented and unfathomable,' his chief challenger, Benny Gantz, wrote on Twitter on today.Netanyahu has also come under attack from his own nationalistic camp.'Israel's deterrence has collapsed, and it has to be said in all honesty Netanyahu has failed against Hamas,' said Education Minister Naftali Bennett, head of the Yamin HeHadash faction in Netanyahu's coalition. 'Netanyahu is a good prime minister but a failed defence minister.'In Gaza, Hamas has come under rare public criticism for the harsh conditions in the territory. An Israel-Egyptian blockade, combined with sanctions by the rival Palestinian Authority and mismanagement by the Hamas government have fuelled an economic crisis. The territory's residents have little desire for another war with Israel.Instead of a full-fledged conflict, Hamas has tried to end the blockade through a violent weekly protest movement along the Israel-Gaza border fence that it launched a year ago. It too has largely failed. About 190 Palestinians and an Israeli soldier have been killed during the weekly rallies.Egypt, Qatar and United Nations are trying to broker a long-term truce between Israel and Hamas but that effort has yet to bring about an agreement. At the same time, there has been an uptick in violence in the West Bank over the past week, with a stabbing and shooting attack that left two Israelis dead near a West Bank settlement and Israel's killing of two Palestinians it said attacked troops. With 153 reported measles cases since October, Rockland County has declared a state of emergency for the outbreak. Anyone under 18 years old who has not been vaccinated for measles will be banned from public places, like schools, houses of worship, shopping centers and restaurants, starting at midnight. "This is a public health crisis," Rockland County Executive Ed Day said. So far no fatalities have been directly attributed to the measles outbreak, but Day scoffed at those who think that remaining unvaccinated is acceptable "to gain immunity," pointing out that dangers include "pneumonia, encephalitis, and premature birth." The ban will be in effect for 30 days, or until the resident gets vaccinated. Day emphasized that "law enforcement will not be asking for vaccination records"which he called "ridiculous"but did say that if someone was found in violation, "their cases will be referred to the district attorney's office." Overall, the measles outbreak in New York State has been the worst in recent years, and many of the cases seem to be concentrated in areas with high Orthodox Jewish populations. A hotline for ultra-Orthodox mothers, Akeres HaBayis, appears to be spreading misinformation about vaccines. Immunization rates at ultra-Orthodox schools in Brooklyn also fell before the outbreak. The Journal News reports, "The outbreak has primarily affected members of the Orthodox Jewish community and exposure sites have mostly been in Monsey or Spring Valley, and anti-vaccination advocates last fall used [Akeres HaBayis] to tell parents to continue sending their children to school. But Rockland health officials caution that due to the small geographic size of the county, anyone who is unvaccinated is at risk for measles." About 85% of the Rockland County measles cases have afflicted those 18 years old or younger, with nearly 39% being ages three or younger. And 82% of the confirmed measles cases have not had the MMR vaccine. "Do the right thing," Day implored, noting when people will measles are in the public, they may be in contact with babies, pregnant women, the elderly, and people who are immunocompromised, all of whom may be extra vulnerable. He added that some members of the community had slammed doors or hung up on health inspectors, and mentioned "pockets of resistance" to the vaccination efforts. Some ultra-Orthodox nurses in Brooklyn are trying to fight "anti-vaccine propaganda". Tamil Nadu: Navy arrests 11 Indian fishermen for engaging in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters March 26,2019 | Source: Colombo Page Sri Lanka Navy has arrested 11 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu for allegedly breaching the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and illegally fishing in Sri Lankan waters. Naval personnel onboard a Fast Gun Boat attached to the Northern Naval Command, during a routine patrol in the sea area northwest of Analathivu Island arrested the11 Indian fishermen along with their three trawlers Monday night. The arrested Indian fishers and seized trawlers have been brought to the naval base SLNS Elara. After a medical test, the fishermen will be handed over to the Assistant Director of Fisheries in Jaffna for onward investigation, the Navy Media Unit said. As a result of continuous patrols conducted in territorial waters, the Navy on 23rd March also arrested 11 Indian fishermen together with two fishing trawlers engaged in illegal fishing activities. Sri Lanka: Soft-launch takes some wind out of deep-sea fishing? by N. Sathiya Moorthy March 26,2019 | Source: ORF Online The low-profile, soft launch of the joint project for supplying deep-sea vessels in mid-February may have denied yet another occasion for the Government of India and of the southern Tamil Nadu to adequately highlight the continuing efforts at easing Palk Bay tensions involving the States fishers in Sri Lankan waters. Apart from marketing the scheme more effectively to the affected Rameswaram fishers, a high-profile project-launch would have also sent a message across to Tamil fishers in Sri Lanka and also to their Government and Navy, on what is being attempted in the matter. If much of the local media and all of the national media missed out on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami handing over the first four deep-sea fishing vessels to the enrolled beneficiaries, they could not be blamed. He did so through video-conferencing from the State Government Secretariat in distant Chennai, the capital city that too along with other projects, all costing upwards of Rs 500 cr. Not many, barring possibly the district officials who were at the other end of the VC facility and the immediate beneficiaries even possibly got to know about it. Given the context and content, a high-profile, on-site ceremony, possibly involving Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Palaniswami at Rameswaram could have done the trick. Nearer home, it would have taken the message to more fishers in the affected neighbourhood, for them to feel convinced about the seriousness that the governments in the country attached to their long-term welfare and prosperity as much as to their immediate safety-at-sea. Given the history of fishers tensions between the two nations, the national and international media would have extensively covered a VVIP launch of the deep-sea vessels scheme, but it was not to be. A celebratory function would have taken the message even more across the Palk Strait, to their Tamil fisher-brethren in Sri Lanka, the latters polity, bureaucracy and Navy, that Governments and fishers in India are serious about sorting out the issue as much as possible and as fast as possible. Blue revolution Deep-sea fishing project has been on cards for more than a decade, though the Tamil Nadu Government was reportedly slow in acting on the proposal. It offered multiple advantages, but individual fishers as also the local industry needed to prepare themselves for the eventual shift from their current fishing methods. The make-over is yet to be completed, and in some cases even taken up but a start has now been made. Deep-sea fishing comes under the Centres Blue Revolution scheme, modelling the earlier successes of Green Revolution and White Revolution on the agriculture and animal husbandry fronts. Under the scheme, the Centre now provides 50-percent funding in the total cost of Rs 80 lakhs, and the state grants another 20 percent. Of the balance 30 per cent, the beneficiary contributes just has to contribute only 10 percent with the rest of it coming from banks, as loans. The Centre and the state government have facilitated bank loans for the purpose and the remaining 20 per cent is funded by banks. When completed over a five-year period, over 2,000 deep-sea vessels would have hit the waters off Rameswaram and neighbouring fishing hamlets, at a total cost of Rs 1,600. At present, the public sector Cochin Shipyard has been entrusted with building the deep-sea vessels to specifications. It is not unlikely that the private sector too may be encouraged to enter the sector, depending on demand in the coming years and based on strict quality-control. According to state government officials, the state-of-the-art boats, called 'Tuna long lining and gillnetting fishing vessels,' are equipped with modern navigation and communication equipment, besides advanced net hauling and liner winches. Other facilities include galleys, bio-toilet, refrigerated seawater system and stainless steel-clad PUF (polyurethane foam) insulated fish-hold, to preserve the catch. Two fishing harbours, Kunthukkal and Mookaiyur, both in Ramanathapuram district, are also being readied exclusively for the deep-sea fishing boats. Priority would be given to fishermen whose boats have been apprehended by Sri Lanka and those damaged in their custody, among other categories, a government order said. Public sector Cochin Shipyard is building a total of 16 such boats, besides other shipyards. Cultural conditioning Much of the off-shore fishing in southern Tamil Nadu is controlled by private sector canning industry in and from neighbouring Kerala. They have their refrigerated vehicles transferring the catch from the TN shores, where individual fishers in groups have been selling their catch, to canning factories in Kerala. At the level of the individual, Rameswaram fishers in particular and many, if not most, of the rest of the community elsewhere in the state are not culturally conditioned to stay in the seas for long periods, as required in deep-sea fishing. For generations and centuries, the Rameswaram fishers in particular have been out at sea only overnight. In the era before motor-boats, they used to spend days together on the other side of the Palk Strait, in northern Sri Lanka, before embarking on their return journey. However, there have been fishing communities in the southern coastal neighbourhood in the state where individuals and groups have been at sea on board deep-sea vessels for days and weeks together. The Thoothoor fishers in southern-most Kanyakumari district are a case in point. The state government has been encouraging the latter to work with the Rameswaram fishers and others, to prepare them in the matter. However, the Ockhi cyclone that hit southern Tamil and adjoining south Kerala seas and coasts alike in November 2017, led to panic among fishers not only in the region but also in the extended neighbourhood. Many fishers lives were lost in mid-sea, owing to inadequate communication. The state government has since come up with solutions to such problems, though the motivation for more fishers to sign in for deep-sea fishing needs to return in full measure. To address fishing communitys concerns regarding deep-sea human losses, Chief Minister Palaniswami also handed over five VHF communication sets to fishermen while inaugurating the deep-sea vessels. It is part of a scheme under the Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction project. However, much work needs to be done on this score, as well. Storage & marketing The erstwhile Government began well by announcing the setting up of a chain of 20 cold-storage facilities across the TN shores, end-to-end, for fishing communities to be able to hold on to their stocks, and sell it to the highest bidder when the prices are relatively favourable. This project itself has not taken off in a big way. Nor has the accompanying marketing mechanism and fishers education on international pricing put in place, for the states fishing community to benefit from. The education should involve identifying new markets for tuna and other species caught in the deeper waters off the TN coast without competing with those of Sri Lankan fishers, thus leading to a price-crash for both. Over time, the government should also design plans and schemes for mother-ships and factory-ships, like those being used by fishers from distant Taiwan, who are encouraged to fish off the Indian waters, in the absence of local competition. In the immediate context, deep-sea fishing could provide an alternative, longer lasting, bountiful fishing fields for the Tamil Nadu fishers than the risky Sri Lankan waters. If successful, it could provide an alternative to destructive bottom-trawling, which Rameswaram and most other TN fishers have got used to. Three, it could help reduce recurring coastal tensions also within the State, as traditional, artisanal fishers too have been resisting invasion into their limited-reach waters by bottom trawlers and other motorised vessels. World News: Blue Economy March 26,2019 | Source: Millennium Post Towards 'blue economy' In the contemporary world, economic growth and social well-being are the key development agendas from a well-to-do nation's perspective. They are the drivers of nations. The emerging economies pay more heed to these predominantly because of a direct relation to their development. Of course, at the heart of these is the added responsibility of sustainably progressing. Keeping the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals in the fray, and acknowledging environmental concerns which have aggravated due to Climate Change, nations have channelised their innovation towards renewable alternatives to promote a sustainable path in achieving their respective goals. Socio-economic development in a sustainable manner is perhaps the optimal mix the world should thrive for. This mix is what defines the Green economy, which is socio-economic development with respect to environmental well-being. The traditional goal of economic growth (increasing GDP) carried out by nations to target poverty, hunger, et al social setbacks has an irreversible environmental effect with almost half of the world's resources already exploited, that too unsustainably! Hence, the Green economy hosts tremendous potential for growth while safeguarding the environment. Similar to the Green economy model, 'Blue economy' a relatively new concept aims for improvement of social well-being while significantly reducing environmental risks to sustainably utilise oceans as a resource. Ocean as a resource does sound rather exploitative. But it is actually the opposite. Blue economy advocates better stewardship of our oceans or 'blue' resources and supports UN SDG #14 which states "Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development". Blue economy was coined by Dr Gunter Pauli who introduced this concept in the book "The Blue Economy: 10 years, 100 innovations, 100 million jobs". The blue economy has immense potential will reduce environmental risks and mitigate ecological challenges enabling us to achieve balanced socio-economic development. It uses smart shipping to lessen the impacts on the environment, harnesses renewable energy tidal, wind, wave - and is based on sustainable fisheries. It generates employment and provides food which collectively tackles hunger, poverty and unemployment the three primary concerns of developing nations. It conserves the ocean and related marine life tackling marine litter and ocean pollution. It further strives to protect the vulnerable coastal areas from the impacts of Climate Change. The untapped potential in the blue economy that will boost growth for India helping it become the third largest economy in the next decade and a half. Vice President stressed on something which, if explored, will yield tremendously for India. By developing technology to harness minerals Polymetallic nodules and polymetallic massive sulphides which contain nickel, cobalt, iron, and manganese and generating renewable energy, India can develop the blue economy infrastructure. It will also involve the modernisation of ports and allied facilities envisaged under Sagarmala (Project) where the government has allocated over Rs 3 lakh crore to fund 199 projects to be implemented in the next three years. Our oceans already provide for trade and commerce in the fields of shipping, offshore oil and gas, fishing, undersea cables, and tourism. Besides these areas, there are other emerging industries such as aquaculture, marine biotechnology, ocean renewable energy and sea-bed mining that can generate employment and reinvigorate economic growth. India will benefit immensely from a concerted effort to adopt the blue economy, particularly with the substantial economic potential that the Indian Ocean holds. With respect to the blue economy, India should focus on three critical and basic intentions: national developmental objectives, connectivity infrastructure, and regional influence. With nine states and two Union territories having coastal areas, India can pioneer a discourse on ocean resources which will serve as an alternative growth path, providing ample supplement to meet its national demands. India can learn and collaborate with Ocean countries that have utilised blue economy to meet their respective national agendas Australia, Mauritius, China, etc. At the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Blue Economy Ministerial Conference in 2015, India emphasised on Marine information and communication technologies (ICT) as a key emerging sector of its blue economy. India should initiate robust mechanisms for knowledge creation. The existing and new multilateral trading agreements should be redefined, enabling the creation of sustainable infrastructure to match future economic demands. In recent years, international support and cooperation for the development of the blue economy have gained further strategic importance and with IOR at its disposal, India can expedite policymaking and consequential implementation to emerge as a leader in the blue economy. With multilateral trade and research agreement with IORA members, reinforced shipping infrastructure under Sagarmala, the creation of Coastal Economic Zones (CEZ), development of Marine ICTs and advent of emerging marine industries, India reserves the potential to leave a large footprint on the blue economy narrative of the world. All it requires is the will and a focussed approach to sustainably utilise the vast Blue world. Gujarat: Fisherman hospitalised in Pakistan Jail, two from Pak die during treatment in Gujarat by Vijaysinh Parmar March 26,2019 | Source: News 18 Days after 50-year-old Indian fisherman Bhikhabhai Bahmbhaniya, a resident of Paldi village in Una taluka of Gir Somnath district, died during treatment in Pakistan jail, another fisherman from Gujarat fell ill in Pak jail. He is reportedly undergoing treatment in a Karachi-based hospital. Fishermen leaders told News18 that two Pakistani fishermen, who were jailed in a Gujarat jail, also died during treatment recently. The Fishermen leaders have appealed for reciprocal approach to India and Pakistan. Members of Pakistan-India Peoples' Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) have urged both the countries to show goodwill and expedite process to handover the mortal remains of the deceased to their respective families in India and Pakistan. On March 4, Indian Fisherman Bhikhabhai Bambhaniya had died during treatment in Pakistan. Bhikhabhai, along with other fishermen, had ventured into the Arabian Sea and was captured by Pakistan Marine Security Agency on November 15, 2017, while fishing near international maritime borders. According to Jivan Jungi, executive member of the PIPFPD, 54-year-old Punjabhai Chavda from Gujarats Kotra village of Kodinar taluka -- lodged in Pakistans Karachi jail since 2017 -- has been ill and hospitalised since the last two weeks. In India, Pakistani fisherman, identified as Mohammad Salim Chaudhary, who was caught by Indian security agencies in 2018 while entering Indian waters and was lodged in Bhuj jail in Kutch district, died during treatment. Another Pakistani fisherman, identified as Mohammad Sohel Saiyad, died during treatment in hospital in Bhuj town of Kutch. He was caught in 2016 by Indian security agencies for entering the Indian waters, Jungi told News18. We are in touch with the High Commissions of India and Pakistan to expedite the process to handover deceased fishermens mortal remains to their bereaved families. We urged Pakistani authorities to hand over Indian fishermans mortal remains as well as release the other fisherman who is ill and undergoing treatment on humanitarian grounds. The same way, we also urge Indian authorities to handover the mortal remains of two Pakistani fishermen who died during treatment in Indian jails in Gujarat, Jungi added. According to fishermen leaders, over 482 Indian fishermen are languishing in Pakistani jails currently. With no clear demarcation of the maritime border, India and Pakistan frequently resort to arresting fishermen who venture into the neighbouring countrys waters. Jungi is also demanding that doctors from both sides be allowed to visit the ill fishermen for better treatment. Pakistan should allow Indian doctors to medically examine Indian fishermen in their jails and Indian should also reciprocate the same so that fishermen get better health services, he said. Brunei must rowback on plans to implement changes to its penal code next month that could see LGBT+ people whipped or stoned to death for same-sex activity, human rights groups said on Monday. Brunei was the first East Asian country to introduce Islamic criminal law in 2014 when it announced the first of three stages of legal changes that included fines or jail for offences like pregnancy outside marriage or failing to pray on Friday. Previously homosexuality was illegal in Brunei and punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment, but the changes would allow whipping and stoning to death for Muslims found guilty of adultery, sodomy and rape, said human rights groups. The country delayed implementing the final two stages of changes after an international backlash in 2014 but now plans to go ahead with both on April 3, said Matthew Woolfe, founder of human rights group The Brunei Project. ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, a Manila-based human rights group, confirmed the implementation of the remaining changes were due to take place on April 3, citing government documents. RELATED | Brunei to pass law that will punish gay sex with death by stoning Manila-based OutRight Action International also confirmed Brunei was about to implement a new stage in its sharia laws. The Brunei Prime Ministers Department did not respond to an emailed request for comment. We are trying to get pressure placed on the government of Brunei but realize there is a very short time frame until the laws take affect, Woolfe told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, calling on governments to step up diplomatic pressure on Brunei. It took us by surprise that the government has now given a date and is rushing through implementation, said the Australia-based campaigner. Woolfe said there had been no major public announcements on the implementation of the penal code changes aside from a statement on attorney generals website late December which only came to light this week. Socially conservative attitudes prevail across Asia with Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei banning sexual relationships between men while Indonesia has seen an increase in raids targeting LGBT+ people in recent years. Brunei, a former British protectorate of about 400,000 nestled between 2 Malaysian states on Borneo island, is the 1st country in east Asia to adopt the criminal component of sharia at a national level. The full implementation of sharia penal law will apply severe penalties against consensual same-sex relations, including death penalty via stoning, Ryan Silverio, a coordinator at ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, said in an email. Dede Oetomo, one of Indonesias most prominent LGBT+ activists, said it would be a gross violation of international human rights if the changes went ahead. It is horrible. Brunei is imitating the most conservative Arab states, he said. | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde Reuters, March 26, 2019 The Hong Kong government has announced that nine types of commercial crime will be excluded from the upcoming update to the citys extradition laws. The new plan will allow Hong Kong to handle extradition requests from places such as mainland China and Taiwan. The business sector had voiced concern about the governments proposal , fearing those accused of commercial crimes could be extradited to the mainland. They said that violent crimes should be handled first, and commercial crimes removed. At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, the government announced that the draft law will be tabled to the Legislative Council on April 3. Secretary for Security John Lee said the legal update was needed to handle a Taiwan murder case in which the suspect returned to Hong Kong. It will provide an extradition mechanism for other regions where there are no pre-existing agreements. He said that the new case-by-case model of extradition will only include 37 types of crime. The updated law will also handle indictable offences in Hong Kong that involve a minimum punishment of three years behind bars. We believe that, when the case-by-case extradition arrangement is effective for some time, the public will understand how the mechanism and the law work, he said. The offences removed from the proposal include those relating to bankruptcy; companies; securities and futures trading; intellectual property, copyright, patents or trademarks; environmental pollution or protection of public health; exportation or importation of goods control, or the international transfer of funds; the unlawful use of computers; fiscal matters, taxes or duties; false or misleading trade descriptions. Lee said the decision was made as the government had noted how not all crimes were included in existing extradition agreements with other countries. For instance, only 20 types of offence were applicable in an agreement with Finland. He said human rights will be protected, and added that the double criminality principle where the crime in question exists in both places will be followed. Offences which carry the death penalty abroad will not be included. All the safeguards, all the principles, are there, he said. Asked if the government was favouring the business sector in making the change, Lee said the alteration was made after listening to opinions from different sectors. Taiwan authorities have said that it will not accept such extradition an plan, if it included the premise that Taiwan is part of China. Beijing claims that the island is one of its provinces and does not recognise it as an independent country. When Chief Executive Carrie Lam was asked about the opposition, she did not give a direct answer but said the government will actively implement policies in the face of difficulty. The central government supports us in solving the problem that we have to solve, she said. She also denied the extradition update was a backup plan for a national security law, which the government has yet to enact. Chamber welcomes plan The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce welcomed the changes, following a meeting between and Chamber and John Lee expressing concerns. [W]e are pleased that he has taken onboard peoples worries and taken steps to address them, said HKGCC Chairman Aron Harilela. Harilela said many existing bilateral agreements have additional safeguards above and beyond what is stipulated in the existing law, such as much longer lists of grounds for refusal, considerations of international treaties or agreements, as well as humanitarian factors. Business sector lawmaker Jeffrey Lam said the change helped with easing the concerns of his sector and many members of the public. But he said the government needed to explain why it did not remove the breach of financial trust offence. He denied that the government was only listening to the business sector, saying that common people could be affected by the legal change becaus for instance everyone uses computers: This is not only a concern for the business sector, he said. Democratic Party lawmaker James To said that, even with commercial crimes removed from the plan, business people could still be extradited to the mainland for other crimes. I urge friends from the business sector [the mainland] can still say your car ran over someone and killed them, he said. After people are surrendered to the mainland, it can charge them with some other crime with capital punishment. Civic Party lawmaker Alvin Yeung said the changes failed to respond to the international communitys concerns. The mainland legal system cannot provide a fair trial and human rights protections for Hong Kong people or anyone passing through Hong Kong, he said. Press conference row The government press conference also touched on topics such as the governments toll adjustment plan which the government decided to drop for a second time and the interim investigation report of the scandal involving the Shatin to Central MTR link. The Hong Kong Journalists Association said it was disappointed over the arrangement: We believe the arrangement means the press would be unable to focus on one issue, and means the public will be unable to digest the news, it said. The HKJA urged the government to avoid such an arrangement in the future. Lam said the three issues were announced on Tuesday because they were discussed at the Executive Council meeting that morning, and the government wished to announce them as soon as possible: Theres no need for any misunderstanding, she said. | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde Japans use of the death penalty has hampered negotiations with Australia on what would be an unprecedented agreement to tighten maritime defense cooperation in the face of Chinas aggressive behavior. The talks are intended to set the legal status of both armed forces when they visit each others countries to respond to natural disasters or conduct joint operations. Essentially, the proposed reciprocal access agreement would ease the immigration process for visiting forces and allow Australian military vehicles and fighter jets to enter Japan for use in the Self-Defense Forces exercise areas. The 2 countries had worked to conclude an agreement by early 2019. It would be Japans first such pact with a foreign country regarding visiting forces. However, Japanese government sources said Tokyo wants the agreement to include a clause that gives Japan preferential criminal jurisdiction rights over off-duty Australian personnel who commit crimes while visiting Japan for drills and other military-related purposes. Likewise, Australia would be given preferential criminal jurisdiction over off-duty SDF personnel who commit crimes in Australia, according to the sources. But Canberra has expressed concerns that Australian military personnel could be sentenced to death under Japanese law. All Australian states abolished capital punishment by 1985, and the last execution carried out in the country was in 1967. The Australian government in June 2018 also announced its diplomatic strategy to lobby the international community to abolish capital punishment. Japan and the United States are among the minority, as more than 2/3 of the worlds countries do not issue death sentences, according to Amnesty International. The Japanese government acknowledged that it is difficult to close the gap over the capital punishment issue with Australia, and that Tokyo remains cautious about exempting Australian troops from death sentences. A Japanese Defense Ministry official said the negotiations currently warrant no optimism. Under the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), Japan, in principal, has criminal jurisdiction over off-duty U.S. military personnel who commit crimes in the country. U.S. military personnel convicted of heinous crimes in Japan can be sentenced to death, a Foreign Ministry official said. To the inquiry from The Asahi Shimbun, a spokesperson of Australias defense ministry declined to comment on the criminal jurisdiction issue, saying the matter is under negotiation. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and then Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot agreed in July 2014 to start negotiations for a reciprocal access agreement. With China continuing to make moves in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, Abe and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in November agreed to work for an early conclusion of the talks. | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde The Asahi Shimbun, March 25, 2019 For Blima Marcus and her fellow ultra-Orthodox Jewish nurses, a 40-page booklet about vaccines thats been circulating in Brooklyns Williamsburg and Borough Park neighborhoods is Public Health Enemy No. 1. Called The Vaccine Safety Handbook: A Handbook for Parents, the magazine comes across as an official publication, cleanly designed and sporting extensive footnotes citing scientific studies. Published by Parents Educating and Advocating for Childrens Health, the booklet is commonly known as the PEACH magazine and has been passed among friends and relatives in ultra-Orthodoxalso known as Haredicommunities. And cover to cover, its full of misinformation about vaccines. When I got my hands on a copy...I realized this was a piece of anti-vaccination propaganda, said Marcus, a nurse practitioner at Memorial Sloan Kettering and adjunct professor of nursing at Hunter College. Amid the largest measles outbreak in nearly 30 years, and a rise in vaccine hesitancy within the ultra-Orthodox community, Blima and other members of the Orthodox Jewish Nurses Association decided to do something about it. They have been compiling a book of their own to respond to PEACHs assertions, which is slated for publication in the next few weeks. We decided to be a little tongue and cheek and call it PIE, Parents Informed and Educated, Marcus said. Theres a rotten peach on the front cover. She blames the PEACH magazine, and the hotline also run by the group, for the spread of fears about vaccines in their communities. Marcus realized the influence the PEACH book had while she was giving presentations about vaccines in living rooms for groups of Orthodox moms; she found the book spooked many of them. They had questions about the books claims, but they werent getting their questions answered at the doctors office. They just say its safe and your doctor knows best, Marcus said. Theyre just trying shut down the conversation. And that doesnt work in this area because its a very emotional topic for women. A cartoon from the PEACH booklet spreads misinformation about vaccines. Marcus felt like there needed to be a different approach to tackle PEACH, and have have been dissecting the PEACH magazine line by line, examining the source, and labeling each claim as false, distorted and incomplete statement, pants on fire, etc. No one has actually come out and provided refutations to their claims, Marcus said. If there is some evidence that they bring forward theyre very easily discredited. Listen to Gwynne Hogan's reporting on WNYC: The PEACH booklet has sections on vaccines and autism and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Anonymous anecdotes describe babies dying or becoming autistic after getting vaccinated. Passages hint at grand conspiracy theories about governments using vaccines to decrease the size of the population. Published by Orthodox Jews, the booklet is targeted to ultra-Orthodox Jews, with excerpts from the Torah, bits written in Hebrew, and a letter signed by several rabbis from Lakewood, New Jersey, and Philadelphia in support of parents of unvaccinated children. She says she understands why some Jewish parents are hesitant about vaccinesTheres just a lot of almost genetic fear of whether what the government says is true an if they want your goodbut accuses PEACH of unfairly exploiting those fears. The magazine even references the Nuremberg trials of Nazi leaders. Since last October, New York Citys Health Department has identified 181 measles cases among mostly unvaccinated children or babies too young to be vaccinated. Its three times as many cases as 2013, the last time the city saw a measles outbreak, which was also associated with the ultra-Orthodox communityand its the largest outbreak of the potentially lethal virus since the early '90s, though no one has died. As the nurses scrutinized the booklets claims, they identified cases where they said the PEACH manual mischaracterizes the findings of the studies it cites, or cherry-picks information from them. One example: the PEACH manual states that 93 percent of women in clinical studies reported adverse reactions to the human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV), but fails to mention the reaction was arm soreness. That's just upsetting to see them do that to people in their own community, Marcus said. In the books section on measles, the manual mentions that the World Health Organization determined that people with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine were 15 times more likely to catch measles during an outbreak. The citation refers to a 1984 book written by an anti-vaccination doctor. But the World Health Organization told WNYC they never made such a statement. They keep using one scientist who runs an anti-vaccine website but has published a book about how his daughter communicates with aliens, Marcus said. Shes referring to Neil Z. Miller, prominent voice of the anti-vaccination circuit and publisher and author of several books about vaccines. Hes also published a book written by his daughter, Ambassadors Between Worlds, Intergalactic Gateway to a New Earth, about how her sudden spiritual awakening had allowed her to communicate with extraterrestrials. In an email to WNYC, Miller defended his conclusions about vaccines. All of the information in my vaccine books comes from medical journals and is the result of my own hard work researching data, he wrote. A cartoon in the PEACH booklet spreads misinformation about vaccines. This type of slickly produced misinformation from anti-vaccination groups is familiar to Sean OLeary, a spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics, who specializes in vaccines and vaccine preventable illnesses at Childrens Hospital Colorado. He says hes seen the claims in the PEACH magazine used by anti-vaccination groups across the country for years. They use these sort of leaps of logic if youre not really paying attention and you dont live in this world of reviewing scientific literature its very easy to miss, OLeary said. I absolutely understand how parents get taken in by this. Theyre trying to do whats best for their children and these misinformed pamphlets; they play on parents fears. But OLeary added, the same thing that made the PEACH manual so dangerous, might make the PIE book by the group of nurses a success. This was being shared parent to parent. You get it from a trusted friend you think, Oh this must be true, he said. So the fact that people within the community around the community are helping dispel those myths I think is very powerful. One of the contributing researchers to the PEACH manual is Barbara Loe Fisher, who co-founded National Vaccine Information Center, a group that lobbies against mandatory vaccination laws. Contributing editor Moishe Kahan, who lives in Williamsburg, helped facilitate the PEACH groups conference calls, according to two doctors who were contacted by him. When reached by Gothamist/WNYC at his Williamsburg apartment, he threatened a reporter with arrest, adding, I have no interest in talking to fake news reporters. You can contact Blima Marcus and the other nurses involved at vaccinetaskforce@gmail.com. Gwynne Hogan is an associate producer at WNYC. You can follow her on Twitter at @GwynneFitz. Saint Ann's, a prestigious K-12 private school in Brooklyn Heights, has wrapped an investigation into decades' worth of employees' inappropriate behavior toward students. In a letter sent to parents and alumni on Monday, Head of School Vincent Tompkins and Board of Trustees President Mino Capossela said that out of 19 former staff and faculty members whose names came up during the inquest, investigators identified six men "who engaged in sexual misconduct or serious boundary violations" with Saint Ann's students. Founded in 1965, the school began looking into employee behavior in October 2017, after the administration caught wind of an alumni Facebook post about Stanley Bosworth, Saint Ann's founding headmaster. Bosworth, as the NY Times reported in 2010, "spoke freely with students about sex and prided himself on 'scandalizing and scaring away the bourgeoisie.'" He created the liberal atmosphere for which the highly selective school is famous, but according to this alum's account, he may have taken too many liberties himself: The Facebook post alleged that Bosworth had rubbed the student's leg during a private meeting in his office. The allegation prompted Saint Ann's to hire outside investigators, who ultimately deemed the report against Bosworth credible, although they could not corroborate it. (Bosworth died in 2011.) As a Saint Ann's alum who was at the school through the 1970s, i have a LOT of thoughts about this. My grandmother co-founded the school & always said she rued the day she hired Stanley Bosworth. Who was a supportive and visionary man in many ways. But the sex was, yes, an Issue. Anne Midgette (@classicalbeat) March 26, 2019 Still, in four of the six incidents mentioned in the letterwhich include non-consensual kissing, inappropriate touching, and sex between teachers and studentsinvestigators said Bosworth knew or may have known was going on, and took few meaningful steps to address it. In the 1970s, for example, "a Saint Ann's faculty member engaged in sexual intercourse with a high school student," according to the letter; Bosworth allegedly reprimanded the teacher for his behavior, but ultimately left the matter there. That employee retired about three decades later, in the mid-2000s. In another instance, reportedly known to Bosworth and the administration, an educator allegedly crossed a line with two students. That teacher left the school shortly after the second transgression, but continued to teach elsewhere, raising questions about how much information Saint Ann's may have shared with his future employers: In the 1990s a Saint Ann's faculty member engaged in inappropriate physical contact and boundary-crossing behavior with a female high school student. The investigation found that this behavior was reported to administrators at the school around the time of its occurrence by the victim and others, but no disciplinary action was undertaken. In the late 1980s and 1990s this same teacher engaged in boundary-crossing and other inappropriate behavior with at least one female lower school student. The investigation found that Bosworth and other administrators were made aware of this behavior in the early 2000s, and the teacher resigned shortly thereafter. This teacher is currently employed at another school and Saint Ann's informed that school that we received allegations about him. Saint Ann's has now shared the findings of our investigation with his current employer. He is the only former faculty member about whom the investigation reached a finding who we were able to establish is currently working in another K-12 school. The letter describes the school's historically inadequate response to complaints as "a failure of our institutional culture that compounded the harm done by the initial misconduct," and characterizes the investigation as a step toward improving "transparency and accountability." And indeed, after Saint Ann's undertook the investigation in 2017, it learned that John Smith, the former head of its middle school, had reportedly been serving underage students alcohol and weed in his home. Smith resigned in January 2018, and the community was made aware of the situation in a separate letter from Tompkins. "Saint Ann's has always been a place that prides itself on listening to and celebrating our studentstheir intellect, their passions, their potential. In these instances, we failed to be true to our own vision of children and of education," Monday's letter states. "We acknowledge our failures with deep regret and with a renewed commitment to ensuring that those who are in our care will be safe." But I dont want to go among mad people," Alice remarked. "Oh, you cant help that," said the Cat: "were all mad here. Im mad. Youre mad." "How do you know Im mad?" said Alice. "You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldnt have come here. Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland With freedom comes responsibility. Eleanor Roosevelt I am a retired newspaperman. I live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 44 years, Lou Ann. I grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather. Report all errors to DonSurber@GMail.com One of my friends called the other day and reminded me that I had first met Barack Obama when he was a state senator, soon after I had discovered that he wasn't an Israeli Irishman. He was running for the U.S. Senate and conventional wisdom said he had no chance at all. He was in 4th place in an 8 person race. Some friends and I put on a fundraiser for him here in L.A. where his presentation stunned everyone in the room. I recall that it cost $75 to get in. After he was done speaking, there was not a single flat surface in the house that wasn't taken by someone writing another check. He was just a state senator no one had ever heard of and you could hear the word "president" be uttered. (He went on to win the primary with 53% of the votes, his closest opponent, Illinois state Comptroller Dan Hynes, taking 24%.) The reason my friend brought him was because he wanted to ask me if I saw any resemblance between Beto and Obama. I thought about it for a moment before responding that they were both males. I also got to know Beto a bit before he was in Congress. He was making the jump from the El Paso City Council to Congress-- successfully primarying a corrupt, conservative Democrat, Silvestre Reyes, a Pelosi crony. Blue America endorsed him and helped him win the primary. I like Beto, even if he's not what I had hoped for in a rockin' young congressman and even if he's sketchy on policy and-- as it turns out-- not as good, at least in practice, on the campaign finance reform issues he's always shouting about. Still... a nice guy, always willing to talk through policy differences in a respectful and open way, more than I can say for many politicians. But a president of the U.S.? I don't see it. Yesterday, a couple of NBC reporters, Lauren Egan and Alex Seitz-Wald, wrote how Beto could be a threat-- to Biden on his right and Bernie on his left . They start by interviewing some old dumbbell ex-Republican worried about Biden and Bernie being old and Bernie being a socialist. Apparently Setz-Wald picked his typical man on the street who's no longer a Republican but still watches Fox News. "Beto's theme of bringing people together really resonates with me. This division is very unsettling," sayeth the idiot. While Sanders' allies have worried that O'Rourke could eat into the Vermont senator's base of young progressives, Biden may end up being the one with the most to lose among mainline Democrats more concerned with electability than political revolution. Instead of shoring up his progressive bona fides in the face of left-flank attacks, O'Rourke has emphasized a Biden-esque message of civility while making a case that he can win the White House by stumping in the very Midwest states that Biden allies argue "Middle-Class Joe" is most capable of carrying. "Because he generates so much excitement, a lot of people think Beto is a real threat to Bernie Sanders," said Bill Press, a liberal talk radio host who has hosted meetings of Sanders' kitchen cabinet. "Actually, for that very reason, plus the fact that he's closer to Biden than Bernie on the issues, I think Beto's much more of a threat to Joe Biden." "Some Democrats are asking: If you already have a more exciting, younger, centrist white male in the race, why do you need Joe Biden?" Press said. ...The core of ORourke's stump speech is about inclusion, sounding more like Biden, who has been dinged by the left for speaking warmly of Republicans, than Sanders or Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) who portray their campaigns as us-versus-them fights against a corrupt political system. The former Texas congressman has repeatedly declined to call himself a "progressive," saying he doesn't like labels, and refused to adopt ideological litmus-test issues, like Medicare for All. You can always count on a fool like Seitz-Wald to portray Medicare-for-All as an "ideological litmus-test issue," rather than as policy as crucial for the development of the country as Social Security once was. There were people just like him who had nothing to say about it beyond it being an ideological litmus-test issue. Time for more already familiar pablum from Beto: "Let's make sure that before we are Democrats or Republicans, we see each other as Americans and human beings and treat one another accordingly," ORourke said in Cleveland, repeating one of his common refrains. And O'Rourke, who draws comparisons to Barack Obama on the stump, is even challenging one of Biden's chief assets-- his association with the popular former president. "People underestimate how difficult it is to run from the lead position," said Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis. "The real challenge for Biden and Sanders," he continued, "is going to be how do they keep people energized and excited about their candidacy, which really puts the onus on their ideas. Whereas for new candidates like Beto and (Kamala) Harris, it can be about their candidacy and their ideas." Older white voters who turned out to ORourke's events in the midwest nearly universally expressed fondness for Biden, but also concerns about the former vice president, even if they weren't fully sold on O'Rourke. Beto's fans seem as superficial and vapid as he comes across on the stump. While I was putting this post together, I got an e-mail from Beto's slick, inauthentic campaign. "In just six days, we have a chance to do something really big together, Howard. Something important-- for our country and our campaign to elect Beto. Please stick with us for a few moments while we unravel this." What did they unravel? Just that Beto will continue to imply he supports Bernie's and Elizabeth Warren's issues-- which he doesn't-- in order to raise money from low-info voters on his mailing list. Seitz-Wald quoted one of the infatuated Beto supporters, a woman named Carolyn Harryman, who came to Beto's first campaign event in Keokuk, Iowa, and said beating Trump is her biggest concern in 2020 "I think Biden is smart and a superb human being, but I think we need new ideas." A superb human being? The conservative old racist? Seitz-Wald also dug up Sharon Quinn, a 70-year-old retiree from Scranton, Pennsylvania, Biden's hometown, worried what a run would do to the former vice president's family. "Trump will eviscerate his family, his past, everything. I think he could be an excellent secretary of state, or something like that. We have a lot of fear for him if he runs," she said. "Beto is a blank slate, Quinn continued. "He has intellectual curiosity and authenticity that we're looking for." Yeah, Blank Slate For President. Nice bumpersticker! Or something like that. Vietnams labor productivity remains among the lowest in its neighborhood and the gap with regional peers is widening, a captain of industry says. Vu Tien Loc, chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), said Vietnam's labor productivity in 2017 was $10,232, equivalent to 7.2 percent of Singapores, 18.4 percent of Malaysias, 36.2 percent of Thailands, 43 percent of Indonesias and 55 percent of the Philippines. Besides, the gap is continuing to widen, creating a challenge to the Vietnamese economy, Loc told a workshop on "Improving Vietnam labor productivity to enhance national competitiveness" in Hanoi last Thursday. Vu Tien Loc, chairman of the VCCI at the workshop. The poor performance is clearly shown in the 2018 Vietnamese Labour Productivity Report by the Vietnam Institute for Economic and Policy Research (VEPR) using data from 1991 to 2015. Nguyen Duc Thanh, founder and director of the VEPR and the author of the report, said the increase in Vietnams labor productivity was modest and inconsistent. "The rate only increased by three times in 25 years." According to the study, construction and industry had the highest productivity followed by services. Agriculture, forestry and fishing ranked lowest. In industry, the state-owned and domestic private sectors showed a decline in productivity while the foreign-invested sector improved at modest rates. "Labor productivity is not only measured by human resources but also depends on the working environment," Thanh said. Experts agreed that Vietnamese enterprises have not invested adequately in facilities and technology, thus failing to offer laborers a conducive environment to promote its competence. Economist Pham Chi Lan noted that the difficulty in competitiveness and accessing finance and other resources has resulted in low labor productivity in private domestic companies, especially small and medium-sized. She also blamed the weak enforcement of regulations for failing to put enough effort to enhance labor productivity in Vietnam. Economist Pham Chi Lan highlights Vietnam's poor labor productivity problem. Prof Kenichi Ohno of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Tokyo, said Vietnam has adopted some labor productivity methods from Japan such as kaizen and 5S but on a minor scale. Kazen is the Japanese word for "improvement". In business, kaizen refers to activities that continuously improve all functions and involve all employees from the CEO to the assembly line workers. 5S is a workplace organization method that uses a list of five Japanese words which are translated as "Sort", "Set in order", "Shine", "Standardize" and "Sustain", describing how to organize a work space for efficiency and effectiveness. Ohno stressed the important role of the government and its strong commitment to enhancing productivity. VCCI chairman Loc suggested the national productivity movement should be spread to every business and organization to increase awareness. He recommended giving an annual productivity award to 100 enterprises with the highest labor productivity. Loc also stressed the importance of reforming education and training to improve labor quality. The endangered birds are flocking to Kien Giang Province, 20 km from their habitat in Cambodia. Nguyen Phong Van, director of Phu My Species-Habitat Conservation Area in the Mekong Delta's Kien Giang Province, said since the beginning of January sarus cranes have been flocking to the area. They stay for a few days and then return to Cambodia, about 20 km (12 miles) away. On March 14 the biggest flock so far 54 birds arrived, most of them adults. "This year the cranes returned two months earlier than last year and have been coming more often since the natural conditions in the reserve are better and the food source is steady," Van said. He said more arrive at the end of March and beginning of April as the water drops and it's easier for them to catch fish. Last year the largest numbers were in April, when nearly 100 arrived. In Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap Province, four hours away, four sarus cranes flew in almost two weeks ago in search of food. Sarus cranes, the tallest species of flying birds on earth, can grow up to 152-180 cm (60 70 inches) with a wingspan of 220-250 cm (87 98 inches), and weigh up to 8 10 kg. They are listed in the Vietnam Red Book and the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species, and so strictly protected. Sarus cranes forage in shallow waters and fields, frequently probing mud with their long bills. They are omnivorous, eating aquatic plants, insects, fish, frogs, and other small creatures. The Phu My Species-Habitat Conservation Area was established in 2016. The main area is about 940 hectares while the buffer zone is over 1,700 hectares. This is the only remaining grassland ecology reserve in the west of Vietnam, and is a seasonal migratory destination for the sarus crane. In Dong Thap, this species and other birds live in the 7,300-hectare Tram Chim National Park, which is strictly protected. Monsanto's Roundup weed killer atomizers are displayed for sale at a garden shop near Brussels, Belgium, November 27, 2017. Photo by Reuters/Yves Herman Vietnam has issued a ban on fresh imports of glyphosate-containing herbicides after a U.S. court ruled they are carcinogenic. A U.S. court ruled last Tuesday that Roundup, a weed killer produced and sold by controversial American agrochemical giant Monsanto, causes cancer. Vietnams Plant Protection Department has asked businesses to stop signing new import contracts for glyphosate-based herbicides. Products already in circulation are not affected by this decision, however. "As soon as we heard the second U.S. trials verdict that glyphosate is related to cancer, we have issued a document to ban new herbicide imports containing the active ingredient. The removal of this substance from the list of usable herbicides in Vietnam will also be issued in the near future," a Tuoi Tre report quoted Hoang Trung, head of the Plant Protection Department, as saying. The department also asked businesses, organizations and individuals to report back on the production, sales and storage of glyphosate-based herbicides. Last Tuesday, the San Francisco federal court ruled that Roundup, a glyphosate-based weed killer produced by Monsanto, could cause cancer. The finding was a unanimous jury decision, Reuters reported. German pharmaceutical firm Bayer, which acquired Monsanto for $63 billion last year, has denied that glyphosate or Roundup causes cancer, and said that it was disappointed with the jurys decision. A study by researchers from the University of Washington last month said glyphosate raised the cancer risk of those exposed to it by 41 percent, CNN reported. Specifically, the chemical increases the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system. "All of the meta-analyses conducted to date, including our own, consistently report the same key finding: exposure to GBHs (glyphosate-based herbicides) are associated with an increased risk of NHL," wrote the studys authors in a paper published by journal Mutation Research. Glyphosate is the worlds most widely used weed killer. Monsanto's Roundup was the first glyphosate-based weed killer but is no longer patent-protected and many other versions are now available. In Vietnam, glyphosate-based herbicides are also widely used, said Trung. The country uses about 30,000 tons of the chemical every year, in which 60 percent are from herbicides, local media reported. It is not clear what the remaining 40 percent of the chemical is used for. This is not the first time Monsantos been accused of making products with adverse effects on human health. Vietnam has repeatedly asked that Monsanto and other U.S. firms compensate Vietnamese victims affected by Agent Orange, a toxic defoliant containing the gene-altering dioxin, during the Vietnam War. Monsanto has also been in the news for spending millions of dollars to stop a regulation that would require mandatory labeling of products containing genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Monsanto has also been ordered by the U.S. courts several times to pay compensation to American plaintiffs who have suffered health issues from exposure to the company's products. A California man was awarded $289 million in August after a U.S. court jury found Roundup caused his cancer. That award was later reduced to $78 million and is on appeal, AFP reported. About 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of methamphetamine seized in Ho Chi Minh City on March 20, 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Quoc Thang When occupants of a pick-up truck fled after a failed attempt to bribe the police, an earnest investigation was launched. The investigation began last October when traffic police in Quang Binh Province in central Vietnam, which shares a border with Laos, stopped a pick-up on a highway. Two men in the vehicle tried to bribe the police. When the police rejected the attempt and decided to check the back of the vehicle, they fled into a nearby forest. The traffic police stumbled on 309 kilos of methamphetamine that day. Police later found one of the two men, a 24-year-old Lao national named Xeng Vang. Xeng Vang told the police that he was paid more than VND200 million ($8,600) to travel over 440 km (275 miles) along the central region, taking the drug from Ha Tinh Province bordering Laos to Da Nang, the biggest city in central Vietnam. Given the high amount of drugs seized, the Minister of Public Security, To Lam, assigned the Drug Crime Investigation Department to expand investigation. Investigators found that a trafficking ring run by a Chinese group was transporting the meth from the Golden Triangle into Vietnam. In some cases, Vietnam was a transit point for drugs to be distributed to other countries later. On February 12 this year, after four months of tracking down the ring, the department sent 200 armed officers to Ha Tinh to take down Vang Cheyang Briachear, another Lao national, and seized 294 kilos of meth. The 26-year-old was on his way from Laos to Vietnam. Investigators kept the ring under surveillance and identified its leader as a Chinese man named Wu Heshan, 56. They found that after the two failures in Quang Binh and Ha Tinh, Wu reinforced his gang and chose the Bo Y border gate in Kon Tum, a Central Highlands province, to transport the drug from Laos to Vietnam. According to investigators, Wu operated his drug ring under the cover of a garment firm in the outlying district of Binh Tan in Ho Chi Minh City. They said that the garment company, Hasan, is registered in the name of a Vietnamese woman in her 40s, believed to be a girlfriend of the Chinese drug lord. In the five years since Hasan was established, it had only 40 customs declaration forms for garment products and its warehouse was tightly guarded around the clock, which made police suspicious. Members of the ring rented apartments or stayed in hotels near the company. The company hired Vietnamese guards, but no one was allowed to know what they were guarding, they said. Every time the "goods" arrived, the guards would be told to stay away. On March 19, police decided to take action after they found out that Wu had assigned a team to transport around 300 kilos of meth from Kon Tum to HCMC, from where the drug would be taken to Taiwan. To bust this case, major-general Pham Van Cac, head of the Drug Crime Investigation Department, traveled from Hanoi to HCMC to guide the investigation. Seven teams with nearly 300 officers were set up to keep a close watch at four places suspected of hiding the drugs. Vietnams one ton meth bust was a five month operation Ma tuy minh hoa Police raided a meth warehouse in Ho Chi Minh City on March 20, 2019 On March 20, a raid was carried out by officers from the Ministry of Public Security's Drug Crime Investigation Department in coordination with the Southern Border Guard's Special Forces, HCMC police and police from the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong. Dozens of armed mobile police officers, plainclothes policemen and border guards raided the warehouse of Hasan. 16 Chinese including Wu, three Vietnamese and one Lao national were detained and a pickup truck transporting about 300 kilos of meth was seized. As they continued their investigation, police discovered that Wus gang had transported 270 kilos of meth to the Philippines via the sea. On March 22, Vietnam customs police and Filipino police joined hands to seize that drug consignment. With 300 kilos of meth in HCMC, 309 kilos in Quang Binh, nearly 300 kilos in Ha Tinh and more than 270 kilos on the way to the Philippines, Wus ring is the biggest that the public security ministry has ever investigated and busted to date. The drug crime department is continuing its investigation and looking to track down more gang members. Vietnam is a key trafficking hub for narcotics around the Golden Triangle, an intersection of China, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar and the world's second-largest drug producing region. It also has some of the worlds toughest drug laws. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine face the death penalty. While heroin has long been common among users in Vietnam, the use of synthetic drugs like meth or ecstasy is on the rise, especially among youth. Seven people died after using drugs at an electronic music festival in September last year in Hanoi, sparking off an alarm and prompting tougher crackdowns. Office workers walk on a street in Tokyo. The number of Vietnamese expats grew highest among foreigners in Japan last year. Photo by AFP/Yoshikazu Tsuno The number of Vietnamese expats in Japan grew highest last year, but the rate of illegal immigrants is up too. The number of Vietnamese residents living in Japan jumped 26.1 percent from a year earlier to 330,835 last year, accounting for 8 percent of foreign nationals in the Northeast Asian country, the Japan Times reported Friday. Citing data from Japan's Justice Ministry, it said this growth had propelled Vietnam to overtake the Philippines as the third largest minority group in Japan, behind China and South Korea. The growing presence of Japanese companies in Vietnam has sparked increased interest among younger Vietnamese to study and/or undertake technical training programs in Japan in the hope of landing a well-paid job, the report said. According to Japans Immigration Department, Vietnam surpassed China to become the largest group of technical intern trainees in the country at 164,499 last year, an increase of 30 percent over the previous year. However this spurt in numbers has also been accompanied by increasing rates of illegal immigrants among the Vietnamese residents. Last year, at least 74,000 foreigners overstayed their visas and illegally stayed on in Japan. South Koreans topped this list, followed by the Vietnamese. The number of illegal Vietnamese residents found in Japan rose 65 percent year-on-year to 11,131 in 2018, representing the highest increase of illegal foreign residents in the country. Of these, 80 percent came to Japan under the technical trainee program or on student visas, official figures showed. The reputation of Vietnamese people living in Japan also took a hit following a Japanese police report in 2017 that said they committed more crimes than any other foreign non-permanent residents in the country, accounting for 33 percent of the total number of crimes committed, mainly shoplifting, burglary, visa overstay and illegal work cases. A police interpreter in the Chubu region of Japan told the Japan Times that around half of Vietnamese trainees and students were not able to afford their tuition fees, prompting them to drop out of school to turn to a life of crime. Japanese authorities are currently investigating the disappearance of 700 foreign students at a local university, many of them Vietnamese. Our latest installment of Quick Bites brings us to Red Hook for margaritas and tacos. THE VIBE Red Hook has always seemed to have more than its fair share of first-rate dive bars, but even so, when Bait & Tackle shut down about a year ago it was tough for the locals to lose one of their favorite "living rooms." Unlike most of these sorts of New York stories though, there's a happy turn of events here, as the appealingly scruffy and instantly comfortable San Pedro Inn opened in the same corner spot a couple of weeks ago. Gone are Bait and Tackle's taxidermy treasures and year-round Christmas lights, and in their place are... a thousand other things. The decorchaotic, nostalgic, rude, funnyreads as if it's been layered on the walls over the course of a drunken decade, but of course the whole thing came together as a piece. In fact, San Pedro is kind of an art installation come to life, and much of the creative inspiration and actual objects emerged from both an exhibition at Pioneer Works (one of the owners here is Gabriel Florenz, who was also the founding artistic director at the nearby cultural center), and an after-hours Bushwick biker bar run by Greg Minnig and Jason Grunwald. The whole thing comes together as a kind of eclectic roadhouse. And fortunately, as art directed as the whole room is, it doesn't feel contrived. Everyone involved clearly put a lot of love and energy into San Pedro and, if you spend even a few minutes with them down at the end of the bar, you'll see that they've made it into a place that they personally want to hang out at with their friends. The massive mahogany bar itself was rescued from an abandoned house in Bushwick, and the cozy three-sided booths were custom made by a buddy of theirs, as were the concrete tables set up on San Pedro's upper level, which will soon double as an occasional stage. (Scott Lynch / Gothamist) THE BITES So San Pedro is very much a bar, and you could drink here every night for weeks without ordering food and not feel weird about it. But that would be a mistake. The chef here is Norberto Piattoni, who played with fire at Metta in Fort Greene up until recently, and is now cooking up a short but satisfying menu of simple Mexican snacks. The tacos, for instance, are bare-bones affairs, a warm, floppy grilled tortilla filled with a mound of meat (or mushroom), a bit of raw onion and parsley on top. Last Thursday evening I made quick work of an okay Carnita, a better Carne Asada, and an even-better-still Lengua. The flavors definitely need some amplification, so you'll want to pour on the housemade hot sauce, served in repurposed Corona bottles, and give a few shakes from the salt placed at every table. The Mushroom Quesadillas are dense and chewy, with plenty of funghi and gooey cheese inside, and the accompanying salsa adds a bright zing to things. The Tamale is fine, and certainly filling enough to make for a good drinking companion (I got the "roja" version, though prior to my adding hot sauce it was unclear why it was designated as such). Surprisingly, the best dish on my table turned out to be the Tostada Frijoles, the tortilla here fried crisp and snappy, with an ample mound of beans and creamy queso fresco on top. Made me wish I tried the Sour Cabbage version as well. THE VERDICT The opening of San Pedro is obviously great news for locals, and it already feels like a place you could easily settle in for a few hours on any given night. Combine that with Piattoni's Mexican bites, and the situation gets elevated into what may even be a destination drinking spot. The San Pedro Inn is located at 320 Van Brunt Street, at the corner of Pioneer Street, and is open on Monday and Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., on Thursday and Friday from 5 until 4 a.m., on Saturday from noon to 4 a.m., and on Sunday from noon to 2 a.m. Closed Tuesday. (718-576-3916; sanpedroinn.com) Nguy Thi Khanh, director of Green Innovation and Development Center (GreenID) is named of the most 100 most influential people in climate policy in 2019. Photo courtesy of GreenID A Vietnamese woman has made it to the global list of 100 most influential people in climate policy for her advocacy of sustainable energy solutions. Nguy Thi Khanh, founder and director of Green Innovation and Development Center (GreenID), has become the first Vietnamese ever that makes it to the annual. This year, the list also honors Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swede who started a school strike for climate outside the Swedish parliament, and David Attenborough, a renowned English broadcaster, natural historian and environmental advocate. Khanh, 43, is in the Academia and Advocacy category of the list, which was published on the official site of Apolitical, a global network for government which helps public servants find ideas, people and partners they need to take on the hardest challenges facing their societies. Its funders and partners include the Cabinet Office, the European Commission, the Canadian government and the World Economic Forum. In 2011 Khanh founded GreenID to educate communities in rural areas on renewable energy and convince officials to adjust their policies towards sustainable development. She is also the advocacy coordinator for the Vietnam Rivers Network, a forum designed to protect rivers and promote sustainable development. One of her most significant contributions is an effort to curb coal pollution in Vietnam. She used her scientific research and worked closely with authorities to promote long-term, sustainable energy projects and reduce Vietnams dependency on coal, helping reducing carbon dioxide emissions in Vietnam by 115 million tons a year. She told VnExpress last year: "Energy is important for economic development, and it also has a huge impact on the environment and the people. But there was very little involvement of civil society in the governments energy plans." In 2018 she became the first Vietnamese to be honored by the U.S.s Goldman Environmental Foundation with the Goldman prize, an annual award for grassroots environmental activists. She was quoted as saying on the foundation's website: "Vietnams energy future is at a crossroads. Every decision and every dollar invested today will be felt in Vietnam and in earths climate for decades to come." This year's 100 most influential climate activists included just two Southeast Asians, the other being Tri Rismaharini, the mayor of Surabaya city in Indonesia. Rismaharini is said to have transformed the city known for pollution and congestion into one that is focused on sustainability and rich in green spaces, and thanks to her there are now 11 landscaped parks in Surabaya. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un makes his way to board a train to depart for North Korea at Dong Dang railway station in Vietnam, March 2, 2019. Photo by Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit Russia for talks this spring or summer, RIA news agency cited Russian lawmaker Alexander Bashkin as saying on Monday. The exact date of the trip has not been set yet, Bashkin said. The United States last week imposed new sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear weapons programme, the first such steps since a U.S.-North Korean summit collapsed last month. The Kremlin confirmed on a conference call that a trip by Kim to Russia was being worked on but said that it was not able to provide further details. "As soon as there is a concrete agreement on time, place and the form of the meeting, we will present the relevant information," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call. Hyon Song Wol, head of the North Korean Samjiyon art troupe takes a photo of Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choe Son-Hui (C) ahead of the welcoming ceremony of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un (not pictured) at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam March 1, 2019. Photo by Reuters/Luong Thai Linh U.S. President Donald Trump was open to easing sanctions on North Korea provided there was a 'snapback' clause if the North restarted nuclear activities. According to South Korean media reports of a North Korean statement from a March 15 news conference by North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, Trump had a "flexible position" on the issue during his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last month. However, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton "created an obstacle", South Korean news agencies Yonhap and Newsis reported late on Monday. The second U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi broke down without resolution but North Korea has continued to speak positively about Trump. Choe said relations between the two leaders were still good and that "the chemistry is mysteriously wonderful", according to news reports from the media conference in Pyongyang. News reports at the time did not mention Choe saying Trump had been flexible about easing sanctions on North Korea provided there was a 'snapback' clause. There was no explanation for the apparent omission. Trump said on Friday he decided against imposing new large-scale sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear weapons programme. He has stressed since the collapse of the Feb. 27-28 summit his good personal relationship with Kim. His administration has repeatedly said it was willing to reengage, although there has been no sign of direct contact between Washington and Pyongyang. However, Choe criticised Pompeo and Bolton, with the new statement saying they had created obstacles to constructive negotiations between the two leaders "out of pre-existing hostility and mistrust." That was in line with earlier reports. Bolton told reporters outside the White House at the time that Choe's statement was "inaccurate." The new statement also says Kim "faced much opposition and challenges" from within North Korea in order to make the second summit happen. " ... our people, especially our military and munitions industry, are saying we must never give up nuclear capabilities," it said, according to Yonhap. An aerial view of Southwest Cay, also known as Pugad Island, controlled by Vietnam and part of the Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea. Photo by Reuters/Francis Malasig Former Philippine ministers say China's artificial islands in the South China Sea have destroyed the environment and decimated coastal communities. They have filed a formal complaint with an international tribunal. Two former Philippine government officials, along with a group of Filipino fishermen, filed a complaint last Thursday with the International Criminal Court (ICC) accusing China's President Xi Jinping of "crimes against humanity" for irreversible environmental degradation caused by China's construction projects on reefs and atolls in the South China Sea. Albert del Rosario, the former foreign secretary, and former anti-corruption chief Conchita Carpio-Morales, issued the complaint. They accuse China of "seriously undermining the food and energy security of coastal states in the South China Sea." "It presents one of the most massive, near permanent and devastating destruction of the environment in humanity's history," said del Rosario in a statement. "This adversely affects not only 320,000 Filipino fishermen, but also present and future generations across nations." "We demand accountability from those who destroy marine areas," said Carpio-Morales. Since 2013, China has been building artificial islands on coral reefs for military installations in the South China Sea, which the Philippines calls the West Philippine Sea. Does the ICC have jurisdiction? The ICC complaint was filed two days days before the Philippines' withdrawal from the international tribunal took effect on March 17. In a statement, Philippine presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo called the move a "futile exercise," adding that it would probably be dismissed because China and the Philippines are no longer ICC members. However, del Rosario and Carpio-Morales insisted that the ICC has jurisdiction over China and President Xi. They said Xi "committed the crime within Philippine territory," and emphasized that the complaint was filed before the Philippines left the ICC. Since taking office in 2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been building closer relations between Manila and Beijing. He said the ICC complaint would not affect relations with China. Troubled waters China claims most of the South China Sea as its territory. An estimated annual $5 trillion in trade, and a third of all maritime traffic, passes through its waters. The area also reportedly has large deposits of oil and natural gas. It claims waters close to Brunei, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, and the Philippines, and territorial disputes regularly erupt among the nations. Vietnam calls the waters the East Sea. Tension between the Philippines and China escalated in 2012, when the Chinese Coast Guard barred Filipino fishermen from fishing in Scarborough Shoal, an ancestral fishing ground. Manila took the matter to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. In 2016, the court ruled that China has no legal basis for its sweeping territorial claims over the entirety of the South China Sea. However, President Duterte refused to enforce the historic ruling, arguing that his country does not want to go to war with China. Duterte's move seemed to improve relations with China. Philippine government officials reported that Filipino fishermen can now freely fish in Scarborough Shoal. But fishermen say that the agreement between the two heads of state does not hold water in the high seas. "Our fishermen are no longer being bombarded by water canons, their boats are no longer bumped by the Chinese Coast Guard, but the Chinese sailors take their best fish, give them cigarettes and noodles and call it a barter arrangement," Larry Artegame, chairman at the Alliance of Fishermen Victimized by Calamity and Climate, told DW. Artegame added that Filipino fishermen are only allowed to fish around the Scarborough Shoal, but are not permitted to enter it and use it for shelter during stormy weather. "What our government offers is not sufficient for fishermen," he said. ICC complaint more symbolism than strategy? The ICC complaint has been called a "patriotic move" and several Philippine legislators called for the public to rally behind it. "In filing a case against Chinese President Xi Jinping, the complainants provided us with a powerful template of courage as we continue to assert our sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea," Philippine Senator Risa Hontiveros said in a statement. Others were more guarded. Environmental lawyer Tony La Vina told DW that he cautiously supported the move. "It will have to be argued very well. It will be a challenge to convince the ICC to look into it." The two former ministers acknowledged that they face an uphill battle. "It may or may not work but at least we explored it. We are not happy with the way our people are being treated and we will look for every possible resource to get the treatment that we deserve," said del Rosario. This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 14 years and 30,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going. Adhering to their commitment to provide reliable and affordable electricity in Bangladesh, Summit and GE Power (NYSE: GE) announced they will proceed with the co-development of Summit Meghnaghat II, a 583 MW combined cycle gas power plant at Meghnaghat, near Dhaka, Bangladesh. The announcement follows the signing of a 22-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between Summit Meghnaghat II Power Company Limited (SMIIPCL), a subsidiary of Summit Group, and the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB). SMIIPCL also signed several other agreements, with the Government of Bangladesh, Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB), Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited. The power plant is expected to be operational by 2022 and will generate the equivalent electricity needed to supply up to 700,000 homes in Bangladesh. Summit and GE Power signed the equipment and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) scope of the project in 2017, while the services agreement was signed in 2018. Together, the two agreements are worth approximately $390 million. "The phenomenal growth of Bangladesh in the last decade has established Bangladesh as a role model. Summit is proud to have played a role in it. With today's 583 MW project, Summit embarks upon investing four billion dollars in the next five years to help eradicate poverty, create employment and support Bangladesh to achieve SDGs." said Muhammed Aziz Khan, Founder Chairman of Summit Group. GE Power will be providing the turnkey solution for the Summit Meghnaghat II power project, and is responsible for the design of the facility, supply and installation of the equipment and commissioning works. The equipment being provided by GE includes one 9HA.01 gas turbine, one heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), one steam turbine generator, condenser and associated systems, as well as balance of plant (BOP) solutions. Additionally, GE will provide services including the maintenance and repairs of the power generation equipment at the facility for a period of 20 years, helping to sustain the efficiency, reliability, performance and availability of the plant. It will also result in a higher plant load factor (PLF) of the facility over the years, ensuring the lower cost of generation of electricity. "Bangladesh's power sector is undergoing a transformational shift as the Government takes conducive policy decisions and actions to meet the targeted 40 GW of installed power capacity by 2030," said Deepesh Nanda, CEO, Gas Power Systems, GE South Asia. "GE's long-term association with Summit is a testimony to our efforts to support this transformation by introducing advanced, innovative solutions into Bangladesh's energy ecosystem. This will contribute towards providing uninterrupted access to electricity to all, benefiting households, businesses and industries across the country." he added. Summit is amongst the largest independent power producers (IPP) in Bangladesh, generating close to 2 gigawatts (GW) for the national grid. The company's relationship with GE dates back more than a decade, with GE's 9E and 9F gas turbines currently powering Summit's 335 MW Meghnaghat I and 341 MW Bibiyana II combined cycle power plants, respectively. Summit is committed to bringing advanced technology to Bangladesh's power sector and has chosen GE's HA fleet to equip its upcoming power plants in the country. GE's HA technology has now helped to deliver two world records - one for powering the world's most efficient combined cycle power plant, based on achieving 63.08 percent gross efficiency at Chubu Electric Nishi-Nagoya Power Plant Block-1 in Japan and another for helping EDF's Bouchain Power Plant achieve 62.22 percent net combined cycle efficiency in France. As such, it is recognized for record-setting efficiency in both the 60 hertz and 50 hertz segments of the global power market. Moreover, the turbines deliver industry-leading operational flexibility, contributing to increased dispatch and ancillary revenue, and exceptionally low life-cycle costs per megawatt. Today, GE Power's HA gas turbine technology has achieved more than 270,000 operating hours across more than 30 units in operation, with 86 orders of the technology from more than 35 customers in 16 countries globally. About Summit Summit is the largest independent power producer (IPP), generating around 2 gigawatts (GW) for the national grid and is also the largest infrastructure conglomerate in Bangladesh. Summit is also implementing a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) off the coast of Moheshkhali, Cox's Bazar with storage capacity of 138,000 m and regasification capacity of 500 mmcfd. This is expected to be commissioned by mid-April 2019, ahead of contracted schedule. In addition to this Summit, Mitsubishi and GE have planned to invest USD 3 Billion in Bangladesh for the proposed gas-to-power project including four units of 600 MW combined cycle power plants (total generating capacity of 2,400 MW) powered by GE's flagship 9HA gas turbines, two units of on-shore LNG terminal with total of 380,000 m capacity at Matarbari, Moheshkhali. Contacts: Mohsena Hassan Summit Corporation Limited +88 01713081905 mohsena.hassan@summit-centre.com About GE Power GE Power is a world energy leader providing equipment, solutions and services across the energy value chain from generation to consumption. Operating in more than 180 countries, our technology produces a third of the world's electricity, equips 90 percent of power transmission utilities worldwide, and our software manages more than forty percent of the world's energy. Through relentless innovation and continuous partnership with our customers, we are developing the energy technologies of the future and improving the power networks we depend on today. For more information please visit www.ge.com/power, and follow GE Power on Twitter and on LinkedIn. Contacts: Tarun Nagrani GE South Asia +91 124 4906760 Tarun.nagrani@ge.com TransGard, which has installed proven animal-prevention fencing at more than 3,000 substations in North America, announced it has reached an agreement with PowerLink Electrical Sales, a leading manufacturers' representative agency serving the electric power industry. Based in Westlake, Ohio, PowerLink will offer TransGard's patented substation animal mitigation products to utilities, cooperatives and other energy providers in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, West Virginia and western Pennsylvania. TransGard developed the only substation fencing that deters climbing animals by delivering a mild electric shock a humane technique that, according to IEEE, offers the most effective barrier against animal incursion. TransGard prevents outages caused by squirrels, snakes, raccoons, cats, and a range of other animals including birds. "TransGard has a history of providing high-quality, effective products to protect substations," says Ed Matheny, PowerLink's president. "TransGard products align themselves extremely well with PowerLink's other offerings and we're glad to be able to expand our services to our customers in such a definitive way." For information on TransGard substation protection products and how they eliminate substation outages caused by climbing animals and birds, visit www.transgardfence.com. For information on PowerLink and its services, visit www.yourpowerlink.com. TransGard, based in York, Pennsylvania, delivers patented substation protection exclusively engineered to eliminate substation outages caused by climbing animals and birds. TransGard has installed fences at more than 3,000 substations in the U.S. and Canada. For more information or to view case studies, visit www.transgardfence.com. PowerLink Electrical Sales is the leading manufacturer's representative agency in the Midwest. For more information, visit www.yourpowerlink.com. Fortum's Kalax wind power project in Narpes, Finland has been approved for the Finnish national renewables scheme. The effect of the wind power park is expected to be approximately 90 megawatt (MW) and the annual power generation approximately 300 gigawatt hours (GWh). The Kalax wind park will receive a support of EUR 2.87 per megawatt hour (MWh) if the market price for power is below EUR 30 per MWh. The renewables scheme was opened up for a total of 1,400 GWh of annual generation. The approved projects are to be commissioned within three years from approval. The Kalax project still requires an investment decision by Fortum. The cost of wind power has developed favourably over the recent years and Fortum is developing projects in the Nordics that are to be realised without public support schemes. "The granted premium is very low, but will offer some additional compensation on top of the spot price, should market prices be very low. It is time for wind power to become a part of the power market on the same basis as other production forms, without separate support. The support scheme is supposed to be a temporary solution and new support schemes are not needed", says Joonas Rauramo, Vice President Wind Generation at Fortum. Based on its strategy, Fortum will continue to build on its long-standing expertise to grow in CO2-free power generation. In solar and wind, the ambition is to increase the solar and wind portfolio to a multi-gigawatt scale. Fortum's business model in renewables consists of development, construction, and asset management of solar and wind assets. Fortum utilises partnerships and other forms of co-operation to maintain a more asset-light structure. Fortum Corporation Ingela Ulfves, VP, IR and Financial Communications Further information: Mikko Iso-Tryykari, Development Manager, Wind, tel. +358 50 453 2650 Ingela Ulfves, VP, IR and Financial Communications, tel. +358 40 515 1531 Rauno Tiihonen, IR Manager, tel. +358 10 453 6150 Mans Holmberg, Manager, IR and Financial Communications, tel. +358 44 518 1518 On November 11, 2007, Josue Estebanez killed a 16-year-old left-wing activist named Carlos Palomino on a Metro train in Madrid. More than a decade later, Estebanez has become a cult figure for white supremacists across the world, including Brenton Tarrant, the terrorist who killed 50 people at two mosques in New Zealand. Tarrant had written Estebanezs name on his rifle magazine, along with the names of far-right figures responsible for mass murders in other countries. New Zealand mosque shooter Brenton Tarrant traveled to Spain in 2018 In English- and Spanish-language forums, on underground websites and social media sites, Estebanez is revered as an idol, with users from the Netherlands, Ukraine and Australia paying their respects to the neo-Nazi. Estebanezs fame largely stems from the fact that there is a four-minute 20-second video of his crime. Security cameras show how the then-25-year-old former soldier pulled out a 25-centimeter knife when he saw a group of left-wing activists waiting to board at the next platform. Estebanez was on his way to an anti-immigration demonstration organized by the far-right group National Democracy (DN). Palomino and his friends were planning to join the counter-demonstration. An image uploaded to Twitter of the magazines apparently used during Fridays terrorist attack in New Zealand. Josue Estebanez is among the names written on the ammunition. Reuters In the video, Palomino boards the train and approaches Estebanez, grabbing the neo-Nazis Three Stroke sweatshirt, a brand associated with the far right. In one quick movement, Estebanez stabs Palomino in the heart. The 16-year-old died minutes later outside Legazpi Metro station. Estebanez was sentenced to 26 years in prison in a case that, for the first time in the Spanish justice system, recognized ideological reasons as an aggravating factor in the crime. Online radicalization Initially, the murder of Palomino only received coverage in Spanish media but it was quickly celebrated by white supremacists across the world thanks to the internet. Estebanez began to build cult status after he gained attention on xenophobic online forums such as Stormfront. Some users called for donations for Estebanez, while others asked forum members to send supportive letters to his prison cell. Everyone wants to know why more violent acts of this type are happening, and one of the factors that could be motivating them is the internet, says Peter Langman, a psychologist from the United States. This no longer a local issue, it has become inspiration for radicals across the world Researcher Jacob Davey On the sixth anniversary of the murder, the white supremacist website The Daily Stormer a reference to Adolf Hitlers favorite tabloid Der Sturmer published an article by Alfred Heisenberg describing Estebanez as a brave soldier who was cornered by red terrorists. I cant imagine the adrenaline that must have flooded through the body of this hero when the train doors opened and he was surrounded by the crowd, the article read. A video uploaded to YouTube also celebrates the fact that Estebanez acted alone. Under the English title 50 AFA [anti-fascists] versus one nationalist in Spain, the clip replays the killing with video game music. Other YouTube videos from various countries call for Estebanez to be released from prison Just seven months ago, the neo-Nazi group The Nordic Resistance Movement described Estebanez as a champion in a podcast. The program was shared with the hashtags #estebanez and #libertad (freedom). The researcher Jacob Davey says that ideologically driven hate crimes such as the murder of Palomino have widespread repercussions. This is no longer a local issue, it has become inspiration for radicals across the world, explains Davey, who works for ISD, a London-based organization that monitors hate crimes online. Neo-Nazis in Spain The DN party, which organized the anti-immigration march Estebanez was planning on attending, launched a Spain-wide campaign in his support after he was sent to prison. Dubbed Fair trial for Josue, the campaign had little impact on the ground but years later it continues to be mentioned in radical online forums. [Estebanez] is going to serve 26 years for defending himself from a communist attack. He felt an irrational fear and that is what made him act that way, says party president Pedro Chaparro. Esteban Ibarra, the president of the Movement against Intolerance, believes that Spain is home to small but very active groups of neo-Nazis with very radical ideas. For instance, Anders Behring Breivik, the terrorist behind the 2011 attacks in Norway, had in-depth knowledge about the Spanish far right, which he demonstrated in a manifesto he wrote before the attack. There is a network that connects online. Apparently they are lone wolves but they are in contact with the rest in secret forums. There is an ideological connection and they travel a lot, says Ibarra, who has spent 25 years studying and reporting on far-right groups. The mosque shooter Tarrant traveled to Spain in 2018 and visited eight provinces. Police are now investigating what he did during those days and who he visited. There are suggestions that it was on this trip that he learned about Estebanez. Risk of copycats Authorities and experts are concerned that growing online radicalization could lead to copycat crimes. According to the psychologist Langman, the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 was explicitly mentioned as an influence in 30 school shootings inside and outside the United States. But stopping the spread of extremist content online is proving a big challenge for authorities, the media and internet providers. Mosque shooter Tarrant, for instance, was apparently radicalized in internet forums like the English-language 8chan, where hate speech is freely spewed without moderation. The owner of the forum, Jim Watkins, a US businessman who lives in the Philippines where he raises pigs, has defended the lack of moderation in interviews on the grounds of "freedom of expression." Tarrant filmed the shooting at the two mosques on a GoPro camera and streamed the video on Facebook Live. Social media monitoring teams have worked to eliminate the video from all networks. According to Facebook, it deleted 1.5 million videos related to the killing in the first 24 hours. English version by Melissa Kitson. The Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador during one of his morning conferences. Jose Mendez (EFE) Spain has rejected a diplomatic request by Mexico, whose president is demanding an apology for the abuses he said were committed by Spanish conquistadores 500 years ago. Mexicos leftist leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, of the National Regeneration Movement, recently sent a letter to the king of Spain, Felipe VI, urging him to acknowledge these abuses and to ask for forgiveness so there can be full reconciliation between both countries. The arrival of Spaniards to present-day Mexican territory cannot be judged in light of contemporary considerations Spanish government In a release, the Spanish government said that it firmly rejects the arguments contained in the letter, which was sent to the monarch via the Spanish Foreign Affairs Ministry. We emphatically reject its contents, said the Spanish government in a statement after EL PAIS reported on the letter, which is dated March 1. The arrival of Spaniards 500 years ago to present-day Mexican territory cannot be judged in light of contemporary considerations. Our brother nations have always known how to read our common past without anger and with a constructive perspective, said the Spanish government in its statement. The government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), said it remains ready to work together with the government of Mexico and continue building the appropriate framework to intensify the existing ties of friendship and cooperation between our two countries, which allow us to face our future challenges with a shared vision. Conquest of Mexico The move comes on the 500th anniversary of the arrival in modern-day Mexico of the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes, and two months after Pedro Sanchez paid an official visit to the country. A painting at the Prado Museum depicting Cuauhtemoc made prisoner by Hernan Cortes. Lopez Obrador said that he has sent a similar letter to Pope Francis in Rome. In a video shared on his Twitter account, the Mexican leader said he has asked the head of the Catholic Church for an apology for violations of what are today known as human rights: there were killings, impositions... the so-called Conquest was waged with the sword and the cross. The year 2021 will mark the 500th anniversary of the fall of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, and the 200th anniversary of Mexicos independence. The conquest of Mexico began in 1519, when Hernan Cortes arrived in modern-day Veracruz state with around 500 men, triggering a series of events that ended with a victory for the Spanish. Lopez Obrador, who assumed office in December 2018, says that nothing can be truly commemorated until reconciliation takes place. Sources said that the apology is not requested for the conquest itself, but for the crimes against the indigenous populations. The contents of the letter, according to Mexican sources, allude to Spains earlier moves to offer historical reparation to Sephardic Jews, and to Spains experience with historical-memory issues. Beatriz Gutierrez Muller, the Mexican presidents wife, reportedly played a decisive role in the wording of the letter. Lopez Obrador has appointed her to the position of coordinator of the Honorary Advisory Council of Mexicos Historical and Cultural Memory initiative. Sources in the Mexican government insisted that the request was not motivated by rancor and that the idea of a reconciliation process had already been discussed during the Spanish prime ministers trip to Mexico in late January. These same sources noted that Mexico is not seeking any financial redress, and that the country is willing to bring the same critical attitude to the excesses committed by indigenous groups. I will [apologize] too because after the colony, what happened with the extermination of the Yaquis or the Maya was terrible, says Lopez Obrador in the video. These same sources said that the Mexican government is irritated by the fact that Spain is apparently not reflecting on the events of 500 years ago. It is something that cannot be avoided, said one source. The Spanish government has not organized any events to observe the 500th anniversary of Cortes arrival in modern-day Mexico. At a recent meeting with the press, Culture Minister Jose Guirao admitted that Cortes is not viewed in a very friendly light in Mexico, and argued that the previous Popular Party (PP) administration failed to allocate any funds for anniversary celebrations. Instead, the government of Pedro Sanchez has focused on observing a much less controversial date: the 80th anniversary of the arrival in Mexico of Spains republican diaspora following the end of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). English version by Susana Urra. Spains National Security Council has warned that xenophobia is on the rise in Spain. In a report, approved on March 15, the council found that while Spaniards attitude on immigration continues to be more welcoming than the European average, there has been a slight drop in the positive trend in recent years. We have to educate society on the positive effects of immigration and the positive value of diversity National Security Council report The report sees the need for a strategy, backed by public and private institutions, to support migrant integration in Spain, and adds that more state funding should be put toward this goal. The document also recommends reviewing the overall strategy on fighting racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance. The National Security Council adds that a new survey must be done on how Spanish people feel toward migrants, given the apparent rise in xenophobic sentiment. We have to launch programs and specific strategic actions to educate society on the positive effects of immigration and the positive value of diversity, while avoiding and counteracting xenophobic discourses, the report explains. According to the National Security Council, these programs should include initiatives to encourage media professionals to learn about immigration and its positive aspects and develop a respectful and favorable attitude toward social diversity. While the report does not mention the far-right political party Vox, which has surged in popularity, it does warn that the appearance of populist movements in several European countries is a risk to the stability of the European Union. Undocumented migrants in Spain The report argues that the illegal trafficking of migrants is one of the greatest threats to national and international security. In 2018, Spain became the main gateway for migrants into Europe, with arrivals jumping 161.7%. Last year, 64,421 undocumented migrants arrived in Spain and, although work is being done to stop this upward trend [...], everything indicates the figures will be higher in 2019, the report says. To address this issue, the National Security Council says that Spain must collaborate with Morocco and Algeria, and close the Atlantic route [with] the cooperation of Mauritania and Senegal. The document recommends supporting the security forces in these countries so that they can control their borders, and helping the countries to access EU funds. In 2018, Spain became the main gateway for migrants into Europe, with arrivals jumping 161.7% According to statistics from the Interior Ministry presented in the report, most undocumented migrants who arrived in 2018 were Moroccan (13,041), Guinean (6,113), Malian (5,762) and Algerian (4,693). The number of migrants from Mali, the only sub-Saharan country that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited as Spains leader, increased nearly ninefold between 2017 and 2018. The number of unaccompanied minors also jumped, rising 162% in 2018 to 13,796, with most arriving in Andalusia, Catalonia and Melilla, a Spanish exclave city in North Africa. In 2017, 97% of unaccompanied minors were men and half of them were from Morocco. Requests for asylum and other applications for international protection also rose, increasing by 75% in 2018 to 55,668. The highest number of requests came from Venezuelans, with applications nearly doubling from 10,629 to 20,015 in just one year. English version by Melissa Kitson. The North Korean embassy in Madrid. Google Maps More information Spanish judge issues international arrest warrants against two attackers of the North Korean embassy The 10 individuals who broke into the North Korean embassy in Madrid on February 22, assaulting personnel and taking computers and cellphones with them, immediately fled to the United States via Portugal, the court investigation shows. Judge Jose de la Mata, of Spains High Court, Audiencia Nacional, has lifted the seal on an investigation into the mysterious attack against the embassy, which is located in the upscale residential area of Aravaca. Court papers show that after speeding out of the embassy in luxury vehicles, the attackers broke up into four small groups and traveled to Lisbon, where they boarded an airplane bound for Newark, New Jersey. The attackers broke up into four small groups and traveled to Lisbon, where they boarded an airplane bound for Newark Seven of the 10 individuals have been identified, including their alleged leader, a man named Adrian Hong Chang who has Mexican citizenship but is a US resident. Five days after the Madrid incident, this man contacted the FBI to provide information about it. The court investigation details how the assailants planned the attack, which lasted several hours. After breaking in, the group identified itself to personnel as members of a human rights association working for the liberation of North Korea. According to the investigating judge, Hong Chang purchased tactical and combat material at a Madrid store ahead of the attack. This material included five fast-draw gun holsters, four combat knives, six H&K replica handguns, a shoulder holster, four pairs of goggles, five tactical flashlights and five different kinds of restraints. Between February 20 and 22, four other members of the group, among them Ram Lee, a South Korean national, and Sam Ryu, a US citizen, bought additional material at a local hardware store, including shears, 33 rolls of double-sided tape, duct tape, pliers and a telescopic ladder. Armed with this equipment, at 4.34pm on February 22 the assailants drove to the embassy, where Hong Chang asked to see the commercial attache, whom he already knew from an earlier visit when he had posed as a businessman. According to Judge De la Mata, Hong Chang took advantage of a moment of carelessness by embassy personnel to let his accomplices in. The group ran in with machetes, knives, lead bars and replica handguns, and began violently hitting the occupants, until they were overpowered and immobilized with handcuffs and cable ties. Three assailants took the business attache down to the basement and encouraged him to defect One of these people was able to jump from the first floor of the building, and despite sustaining injuries from the fall, she ran out of the compound calling for help. A passerby who saw her alerted the police and the health services. The police established a security perimeter and rang the doorbell of the embassy, where Hong Chang himself opened the door, dressed in a jacket with a lapel pin showing the face of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. After introducing himself as a high representative of the diplomatic mission, Hong Chang told the officers that nothing unusual was going on, and that if anyone was hurt, the consulate should be immediately contacted. After spending 60 minutes inside the meeting room, three assailants took the commercial attache down to the basement and encouraged him to defect. When the latter asserted that he would not, he was again bound and his head covered with a black bag. The investigation says that embassy personnel were held for several hours, and that the attackers took a couple of pen drives, two computers, two hard drives (one containing security images) and a cellphone. Most members of the group then drove off in three embassy cars at around 9.40pm. Later, Hong Chang and one other assailant went out the back door and left in another vehicle. English version by Susana Urra. Hernan Cortes' troops conquering Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital. Getty A request from Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to Spains King Felipe VI for an apology over the Spanish conquest has prompted responses from a range of figures in both countries. One of the bluntest messages came from the Spanish writer Arturo Perez-Reverte, known for his Alatriste series of novels. Hes the one who should apologize, since he has Spanish surnames and is living there. If this individual really believes what hes saying, hes an idiot. If he doesnt believe it, he has no shame, the writer and former war correspondent wrote on Twitter in the early hours of Tuesday morning. He sent out another, more generic, tweet later this morning. One gets sick and tired of seeing the history of Spain, with as much light and shade as that of any other country, keep being turned into a target for all demagogues. Que se disculpe el, que tiene apellidos espanoles y vive alli. Si este individuo se cree de verdad lo que dice, es un imbecil. Si no se lo cree, es un sinverguenza. Arturo Perez-Reverte (@perezreverte) Meanwhile, in Mexico, Diego Fernandez de Cevallos, a presidential candidate in 1994, told Milenio Television that it was as if we called on the Mexican president to demand that Trump apologize because they stole half our land from us. Ifigenia Martinez, a former leader of the Mexican left, burst out laughing when asked about Lopez Obradors request. From the point of view of history, the scars are still there, but they cant be fixed. We already overcame that stage, and are proud of that. Theres no room for an apology, she said. The Mexican academic Martin Rios, an expert in colonial history, said that he thought the request was very logical and coherent coming from Lopez Obrador. In the end it reflects what he learned in the public education system. But its a distortion of the processes. The way in which the president expressed himself is a reflection of a very traditional education, promoted by the state after the revolution, and it has a marked indigenist slant. Its a deformation of the historical reality, a manipulation and a political use of history. The request is very logical and coherent coming from Lopez Obrador. In the end it reflects what he learned in the public education system Mexican academic Martin Rios From Spain, Carlos Martinez Shaw, a senior fellow in Modern History at the National University of Distance Learning (UNED), says that asking for an apology from a head of state for actions that took place 500 years ago, pitting societies that had little to do with ours against each other, is extemporaneous and anachronistic. It was a military conquest, with all of the damage that this entails, but in the three centuries of subjugation there were moments of coexistence and resistence. Martinez Shaw, who is also a member of Spains Royal Academy of History, adds: If some of the affected communities themselves had asked for this, it might make some sense, but between states it borders on the ridiculous, its a qualitative leap in this brand of revisionism, and it could end up affecting relations between both countries. English version by Simon Hunter. Some 219 members of the National Guard of Ukraine have died in hostilities in Donbas, 812 have been wounded in action and 14 members are missing, director of the communications department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Artem Shevchenko has said. The National Guard of Ukraine marks its fifth anniversary. Shevchenko said on Facebook that 34,495 guardsmen had taken part in the Donbas war, 1,364 had been given state awards, in particular 188 posthumously. There are three Heroes of Ukraine (posthumously): Major General Serhiy Kulchytsky, Lieutenant Bohdan Zavada, soldier Yevhen Telnov. Currently, the National Guard of Ukraine has 45,000 members (the law provides for an increase, if necessary, to 60,000 people), he said. The European Union has offered the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on Legislative Support of Law Enforcement expert assistance for preparing legislation on illegal enrichment, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine Hugues Mingarelli has said. Mingarelli told Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday that the delegation had offered its experts to help prepare the respective bill. He said he hoped cooperation with the EU in the area of macro-financial assistance would not suffer. As reported, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine declared unconstitutional Article 368-2 of Ukraine's Criminal Code of Ukraine because its provisions did not comply with the principles of the rule of law and the presumption of innocence. On February 28, 2019, parliament registered a draft law of the President of Ukraine on amending the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code on liability for illegal enrichment (No. 10110). The bill would require pretrial investigators to establish that assets are legally owned, as well as to prosecute illegal enrichment when there are no signs of abuse of office and bribery. Several members of parliament submitted bills alternative to the presidential one. Ukraine's 1+1 Media Group has responded to the statement by member of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada (Bloc of Petro Poroshenko parliament faction head) Artur Herasymov about incumbent President Petro Poroshenko's intention to file suit against TV Channel 1+1. The group said all facts from journalist investigations are based on evidence and it would prove this in legal proceedings. "1+1 Media Group declares the every fact that has been reported in investigations is based on evidence and witnesses () The group is ready to defend its reporting in court using the language of facts and evidence," the group said in a press release. The group said the reaction of Poroshenko during the peak of the presidential election campaign shows "the weak and groundless position of acting authorities," and is pressure on independent media and freedom of speech, something that is impermissible from the incumbent president. "Lawyers and advisors of the president should know that the path between intent and an actual suit demands time and real counter-arguments," the statement said. TV Channel 1+1 attempted to receive comment from the presidential administration about reported facts, but no response was given to numerous attempts seeking clarification. As reported, Herasymov earlier said Poroshenko intended to sue TV Channel 1+1 for circulating lies and disinformation. "Petro Poroshenko decided to sue TV Channel 1+1 for systematic lies on a large scale, for spreading large amounts of disinformation that damage the honor and dignity of the presidential candidate and president," Herasymov said in a statement. Poroshenko's presidential campaign headquarters urged Ukrainians to treat news and other information products of the media group with great caution, since there appears "more and more political orders from the owner." "In recent months, the information policy of one of the Ukrainian television channels has undergone significant changes ... We are talking about Channel 1+1. The owner of this media did not measure up to the tests of the fourth estate He turned the channel into an instrument of dirty political technology and black PR against one of the presidential candidates, namely Petro Poroshenko. Ihor Kolomoisky rudely trampled on the basic principles of free journalism and freedom of speech," Herasymov said in the statement. Incumbent Head of State Petro Poroshenko has the largest electoral fund among the presidential candidates of Ukraine, who is followed by leader of the Batkivschyna Party Yulia Tymoshenko, showman Volodymyr Zelensky, and parliamentarian Serhiy Taruta, according to the analysis of financial reports conducted by the CHESNO movement with reference to data from the Central Election Commission (CEC). "Those who, according to the results of opinion polls, are at the top of the list of favorites became leaders in the size of election funds. But the list is headed not by Volodymyr Zelensky, but by Petro Poroshenko. Hrytsenko's reports [Anatoliy Hrytsenko], Vilkul's [Oleksandr Vilkul], Liashko's [Oleh Liashko] and the ones by several other presidential candidates are not yet available therefore, the rating may change," the website of the movement said on Monday. According to the published information, Poroshenko financed his election campaign on his own. So, from February 8 to March 18, he transferred UAH 415 million to his election fund. The size of the electoral fund of Tymoshenko, according to the interim financial report, is UAH 164 million. All funds came from the accounts of the Batkivschyna party. The analysis noted that in 2018, Batkivschyna paid the TV channels almost UAH 127 million for Tymoshenko's advertising, and several tens of millions were officially spent on outdoor advertising. "That is why the real minimum cost of Tymoshenko's campaign is about UAH 320 million," it says. Election fund of showman Zelensky is UAH 102.8 million. The analytical report says that the funds came from different sources. In particular, most of all - over UAH 68 million - were transferred by individuals, another UAH 16 million - by the Servant of the People party. In addition, Zelensky himself replenished his electoral fund by UAH 11.5 million. According to the preliminary report of CHESNO, Taruta's electoral fund amounted to UAH 98.4 million, most of which came from individuals, while he invested almost UAH 33 million on his own, and another UAH 7 million was transferred from Osnova party. According to the information provided by CHESNO, Poroshenko's expenses in hryvnia equivalent for elections set a record in the history of the presidential elections in Ukraine, but in terms of dollars, he spent less than $15.4 million, while ex-President Viktor Yanukovych spent over $40 million in 2010, and Tymoshenko - $36 million. CHESNO movement also notes that the candidates have already spent most of the money from the funds for campaigning, primarily for advertising in the media. The total number of short-term observers from the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) and the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America at the presidential elections in Ukraine will be 296 people, said head of the UWC mission Eugene Czolij. "On election day, the election process will be observed by 219 short-term observers. The UWC mission also closely cooperates with the observation mission of the constituent organization, namely the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, which delegated 77 short-term observers. Therefore, 296 short-term observers will work together in two missions," Czolij said at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday. Czolij said the reports of both missions would be presented in the final report of the UWC mission. According to the head of the mission, UWC monitors will come from 17 countries. In addition, representatives of this mission will observe the voting at foreign polling stations in the diplomatic missions of Ukraine in 24 countries. Czolij said the UWC mission had already mobilized 122 long-term observers. "Long-term observers work in different parts of Ukraine and monitor the media in their countries of residence for the presence of any facts of misinformation. Information obtained online is checked for accuracy and is classified according to sources and topics," he said. Czolij said observers met with representatives of the authorities, experts in the field of media monitoring and communication. He said there are fears that results of voting in the first round of the presidential elections, the filing of complaints and their consideration in the courts could last until the voting day in the second round. Czolij said Ukraine's Central Election Commission (CEC) would have 10 days to establish the results of the voting, and five days to set aside complaints to the 6th Administrative Court of Appeal regarding decisions of the CEC, which should be considered within two days. In addition, there are two days on appeal in the High Administrative Court of Cassation, which will also have to make a decision within two days. "If you count all these days from March 31. That is, 10 days, plus five, and three times two days each is 21 days If the courts wait to decide issues until the last day, we can assume that the decision of the High Administrative Court of Cassation could get out on the day of the second round, namely April 21," the head of the UWC said. On Wednesday, March 27, at 13.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference on the subject: "Know-How of Elections 2019: Promises, Manipulations, Psy-ops against the Voter." Participants include: political analyst, head of political and legal programs of Ukrainian Center for Social Development Ihor Reiterovych, expert and political scientist of Ukrainian Center for Social Development Yaroslav Teleshun and expert of Ukrainian Center for Social Development on information and image-building technologies Tetiana Illyuk (8/5a Reitarska Street). Press accreditation by phone: +38 068 166 8659. DUBAI, March 24 (Reuters) - Iran said on Sunday it would expand its ties with Lebanon in spite of the "provocative and interventionist" call by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for Beirut to choose sides, Iranian state television reported. On a regional tour to drum up support for Washington's harder line against Tehran, Pompeo said on Friday that Lebanon faced a choice - "Bravely move forward as an independent and proud nation, or allow the dark ambitions of Iran and Hezbollah to dictate your future". Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi dismissed Pompeo's remarks. "Because of the failure of its policies in the Middle East, America has turned to the outdated and disgraced weapon of threats and intimidation to impose its imperious policies on other countries," Qasemi (Ghasemi) said, state television reported. "While respecting the independence of Lebanon and the free will of its government and nation, Iran will use all its capacities to strengthen unity inside Lebanon and also to expand its ties with Lebanon." Hezbollah, whose influence has expanded at home and in the region, controls three of 30 ministries in the government led by Western-backed Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, the largest number in its history. The dominant Shi'ite Muslim power Iran and Hezbollah, founded in 1982 by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, are major players in the war in Syria and the fight against militant groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad, which include Islamic State. Qasemi said that Lebanon's Hezbollah was a legal and popular party. "How can Pompeo make such impudent and irrational remarks (about Hezbollah) while visiting Lebanon," he said. Tensions between Tehran and Washington has increased since U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers last May, and then reimposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic. The restoration of sanctions is part of a wider effort by Trump to force Iran to further curb its nuclear program and to end its ballistic missile work as well as its support for proxy forces in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East. The U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo has once again sent a message greeting the new Iranian Year (beginning March 21) to all the people who celebrate Nowruz (literally the New Day) across the world. In the message published by the State Department's official website, Pompeo says, "I would like to wish a Happy Nowruz to the people of Iran, and to everyone who celebrates this ancient tradition that marks the arrival of spring and a New Year, including people in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, the Kurdish people, and their communities in the United States." He has also noted, "For millennia, Nowruz has endured as a cornerstone of culture and heritage for many peoples and societies. Nowruz brings family and friends together to reflect on the past while celebrating the future and is a time for connecting with loved ones both near and far." Referring to the restrictions the Islamic Republic has imposed on social media users, Pompeo asserts, "As Iranians celebrate Nowruz this year, they should be able to have unrestricted access to social media sites to share photos of their holiday gatherings and to send New Year's greetings to loved ones living in other cities or even abroad. The proud Iranian people deserve to enjoy the best of life without fear of repression." He has ended his message, by wishing, "May this Nowruz bring new beginnings and a brighter future for everyone! Happy Nowruz!" Earlier on the first day of the new Iranian year, Pompeo had relayed his greetings to the people of Iran, in a short message. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called on the regular army and the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) March 26 to help clear flood waters from cities, inundated by days of heavy rains. He asked the armed forces to deploy their engineering know-how and resources and help other agencies in getting rid of exisiting flood waters in cities. While Iran is mourning the victims of the recent flash floods in the ancient city of Shiraz, many parts of the country are on high alert, expecting more inundation. The Islamic Republic's Vice President, Eshaq Jahangiri, has called Iranians to ignore "social media rumors" and unite in defending the capital city, Tehran, against a possible flood. Recent floods left eighteen dead in the historic city of Shiraz, and one in Sar-e Pol-e Zahab in the western province of Kermanshah. Officials on Tuesday warned that ten Iranian provinces face danger of more destructive floods until Wednesday. An armored car driving through the worst hit area in Shiraz on March 25. Tuesday morning the official government news agency reported that a seasonal river 65 km from the central city of Isfahan has broken its banks and a few local earth dams have been swept away by floods. Meanwhile, in Lorestan Province, western Iran, the city of Pol-e Dokhtar is struggling with a power outage, and lack of drinking water while all roads leading to the town are disconnected by an unprecedented flash flood. Pol-e Dokhtar, which already experienced a flood three months ago, is currently surrounded by water. According to the governor of Lorestan, Moussa Khademi heavy precipitations in recent days have caused an ominous overflow of rivers in the province. Meanwhile, the caretaker of the Governorate of Golestan Province, northern Iran, has called the citizens of Gomishan city to leave their homes, or move to upper floors, if their residences are more than one-story high. The Governor of Golestan was sacked by the Islamic Republic's Vice President, for being on holiday abroad, and not returning to his duties when he was needed. "Several Governors and more than 100 legislatures are currently on holiday somewhere abroad, but only I fell victim for being away, just because of the flood; tough luck" Hashemi has lamented. President Rouhani himself has been harshly criticized on social media for the slow response of his government and local officials the flood disaster. He once again tried to respond to the criticism March 26, insisting that officials have done whatever was possible and most were discharging their duties. The Interior Ministry's spokesman, Salman Samani, has insisted that an investigation will be underway to decide who has been responsible for the recent disastrous flash floods in the historic city of Shiraz, leaving eighteen dead. Floods in Western Iran, Sare Pol Zahab In the meantime, an Iranian journalist, Yashar Soltani, known as the whistleblower of widespread financial corruption in Tehran municipality, accused a former Mayor of Shiraz of filling up a flood channel with rubble and turning it into a public road. Former Mayor, Samad Raja, immediately retaliated by insisting that he had only been responsible for the landscaping and paving the flood channel with asphalt. He added that the project for turning the flood channel into a public road was designed by a prominent university professor and started by two of his predecessors. Iran Meteorological Organization (IRMO) has warned that Iran is confronting the risk of deadly flash floods in the coming days. The provinces of Ardebil, Bushehr, Chahar Mahal&Bakhtiari, Fars, Ilam, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Khuzestan, Kohgilouyeh&Boyer Ahmad, Kurdestan are going to experience thunderstorms, high winds, rivers overflowing, slippery roads and heavy snowfall in coming days, IRMO has warned. In a bit of good news, Iran's crude oil pipelines have not been damaged by flooding in recent days and the transfer of oil is taking place normally, Abbasali Jafarinasab, the director of the Iranian Oil Pipeline and Telecommunication Company, was quoted as saying on Tuesday by SHANA, the news site of the Iranian oil ministry. The recent flash floods have been so devastating that even the Iranian Ambassador to London, Hamid Baeidinejad, has called the people to be careful and listen to the directives of the authorities to keep themselves safe. Reporting with IRNA, ISNA, Fars and Reuters UPDATED, with Iran denial. Hours after Turkey's interior minister was quoted as saying that a joint operation against Kurdish militants was launched together with Iran, an Iranian official denied any role. Turkey's Anadolu news agency had quoted Soleyman Soylu on Monday saying, "We started staging a joint operation with Iran against the PKK on our eastern border as of 0800 (0500 GMT) this morning". PKK, is listed as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies. "We will announce the result later," he added. But Iran's Fars news agency, close to the Revolutionary Guard, quoted a source at the Iranian armed forces saying, "The Turkish army carried out the operation against the militant group PKK, but Iran's armed forces were not part of the operation". Soylu had not specify precisely which PKK bases the operation targeted but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has in the past said it would be against militant hideouts in Iraq. The Turkish military has often bombed PKK bases in Iraq's mountainous northern regions as part of its decades-long operations against the group. Iranian security forces have also fought the PKK affiliate, the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) in the past. Both groups have bases in neighboring Iraq. The PKK has waged a three-and-a-half decade insurgency against the Turkish state, initially seeking independence and more recently autonomy for Turkey's Kurdish minority. Fighting has left tens of thousands dead. With reporting by AFP, Reuters Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 22 times, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said March 26, Trend reports. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26 Trend: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has viewed conditions created at Bakmil station of Baku Metro after major overhaul. Chairman of Baku Metro Closed Joint Stock Company Zaur Huseynov informed the head of state of the work carried out here. The reconstruction work started in August, 2017. Commissioned in 1970, Bakmil has been operating as a station since 1979. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26 Trend: On March 26, during the day, units of the Armenian armed forces have resorted to provocations in various directions of the front, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said March 26, Trend reports. A serviceman of the Azerbaijan Army Ellezov Ellez Aleddin was killed as a result of the shelling by the enemy of the positions of our units on the Fizuli direction of the front this evening, said the ministry. The leadership of the Ministry of Defense expresses its deep condolences to the family and relatives of the shehid (martyr)! "At the same time, the Armenian media has spread information about the alleged attempt of the Azerbaijani side to propel forward its positions by carrying out engineering work on the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border. We officially declare that the spread information is untrue and another provocation of the Armenian side, as well as it aims to aggravate the situation at the front. As a result of decisive and adequate actions undertaken by the units of the Azerbaijan Army, the enemys firing positions were suppressed and its further provocations were stopped. Currently, the units of the Azerbaijan Army fully control the situation on the front line, reads the statement of the Defense Ministry. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 26 By Elchin Mehdiyev Trend: Gas has been provided for the first time to the village of Galajig, located in the Ismayilli District of Azerbaijan, Trend reports referring to the public relations department of Azerigaz. Representatives of the executive power of the district and the local populace took part in the event held on this occasion. It was noted that 655 houses have been provided with gas in the village. The locals were greatly delighted with the extension of a gas line to the village. The villagers who spoke at the event expressed gratitude to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev for this. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 25 Trend: US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo congratulated Azerbaijani people on the occasion of Nowruz, said a message on the official website of State Department, Trend reported. "I would like to wish a Happy Nowruz to the people of Iran, and to everyone who celebrates this ancient tradition that marks the arrival of spring and a New Year, including people in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and their communities in the United States," he said. Pompeo added that for millennia, Nowruz has endured as a cornerstone of culture and heritage for many peoples and societies. "Nowruz brings family and friends together to reflect on the past while celebrating the future, and is a time for connecting with loved ones both near and far. May this Nowruz bring new beginnings and a brighter future for everyone! Happy Nowruz!" he said. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, March 25 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov instructed to expand cooperation with Japans Toyota Motor Corporation, Trend reports with reference to the Turkmen TV channel Watan. It is expected that this issue will be raised during the working visit of the Turkmen representative delegation to Japan planned for the near future. The Turkmen president instructed to visit the Toyota plant and get acquainted with the organization of production, various brands of modern environmentally friendly hybrid vehicles and electric cars. In this context, it was instructed to work out the issue of supplying new modifications of motor vehicles to Turkmenistan, the report said. Turkmenistan has long-term productive contacts with Komatsu and Itochu Corporation, motor transport, road construction and earthmoving equipment used at almost all construction sites in the country, in the fuel and energy sector, transport and agriculture. Speaking about the need to consider the possibility of purchasing new types of motor vehicles, the Turkmen president stressed that particularly high standards of safety, reliability and environmental friendliness should be required for these vehicles. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26 By Fakhri Vakilov Trend: During the visit of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the United Arab Emirates, agreements were reached totaling more than $10 billion, Trend reports with reference to the presidential press service. The agreement was reached after the meeting between Mirziyoyev and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the Qasr Al-Vatan Palace in Abu Dhabi. "A joint statement was adopted between Uzbekistan and the UAE. The parties exchanged signed documents on cooperation in the areas of investment, finance, alternative energy, industrial and infrastructural development, agriculture, and customs administration. It was reported that in general during the visit, agreements were reached totaling more than $10 billion, the press service noted. During the negotiations, Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted that the United Arab Emirates in a short historical period of time - fifty years - had done a miracle in the desert: the country had become one of the world centers of economy, innovation, trade, finance and tourism. Last year, trade turnover between the countries amounted to almost $400 million. The commission has been tasked to bring this figure to $1 billion in the coming years, increase the supply of goods and implement joint projects for processing raw materials and manufacturing value-added products. A separate topic is tourism. Residents of the Emirates are interested in the mausoleums of great ancestors of the Uzbek people and nature of the country. Moreover, it was noted that the introduction of a visa-free regime for UAE citizens will contribute not only to the development of tourism, but also to further enhance trade and economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation between the countries. In his turn, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, highly appreciated the reforms being carried out in Uzbekistan to liberalize the economy, improve investment climate and strengthen international prestige of the country. Diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and the UAE were established on October 25, 1992. Nowadays, there are 107 enterprises in the country with participation of investments from the Emirates, and 28 representative offices of firms and companies operate in Uzbekistan. They are mainly engaged in the production of textiles, building materials, canned fruit, printing, wholesale trade and rendering services. --- Follow author on Twitter:@vakilovfaxri Tehran, Iran, March 26 Trend: The head of Iran Steel Producers Association Rasoul Khalifeh-Soltani has announced the country's steel exports are expected to grow in the new Iranian year (started March 21,2019), due to its low prices and rise of production. "Iran's steel price is the cheapest in the world and only China has the compatible price. The new Iranian year (started March 21, 2019) would be of good advantage for Iran's steel exports if there are no sanctions-related problems or money transferring issues," he said, Trend reports via IRNA. Referring to the statistics from steel exports during the past 10 months of the last Iranian year (started March 21, 2018), Khalifeh-Soltani said that the general steel production had a 7-percent rise in this period, to 17.5 million tons. "Due to domestic recession, construction cuts and reduced revenues, the domestic steel consumption has dropped but the rise of construction in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria would be beneficial for Iran's steel products," he said. "The foreign exchange rate had tripled last year, therefore the low steel prices have led to rise of exports," he added. "Considering foreign currency consumption, Iran's steel industry is not able to return $700 million -$1 billion of its surplus exports revenues to the country's economic cycle," he added. Khalifeh-Soltani noted that while the foreign exchange rate has tripled in recent months, the price of steel for domestic consumers is not expensive. Iran is among the ten biggest steel producers in the world with production capacity of 35 million tons. The country is expected to reach 55 million tons in 2025. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: In February 2019, the volume of cargo transshipment from the US and Israel through the ports of Turkey amounted to 4.962 million tons, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Turkey told Trend. The volume of transshipment of goods from the US through the ports of Turkey amounted to 2.665 million tons during this period. "In February 2019, the volume of cargo transshipment from the US by ships flying the flag of this country amounted to 3,868 tons, and vessels flying the flags of other countries amounted to 2,566,800 tons," the ministry said. It was noted that the transshipment of goods from the US was not carried out by vessels flying the flag of Turkey during this period. The ministry also said that the volume of cargo transshipment from Israel through the ports of Turkey amounted to 2.295 million tons in February 2019. According to the information, the volume of cargo transshipment from Israel by ships flying the flag of Turkey for the specified period amounted to 302,141 tons. "During this period, the volume of cargo transshipment from Israel by ships flying the flag of this country amounted to 15,551 tons, and vessels flying the flags of other countries to 1,977,990 tons," the ministry said. In February 2019, 3,514 ships arrived at Turkish ports. Some 1,260 vessels sailing under the flag of Turkey and 2,254 vessels sailing under the flags of other countries arrived at Turkish ports in February 2019. The gross registered tonnage of all vessels in February 2019 amounted to 58.483 million tons. The gross registered tonnage of the vessels arriving at Turkish ports under the flag of Turkey amounted to 8.917 million tons, and the gross registered tonnage of the vessels under the flags of other countries was 49.566 million tons, the ministry stated. During two months of 2019, 7,339 vessels arrived at the Turkish ports. The gross registered tonnage was 121.125 million tons. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26 By Matanat Nasibova - Trend: The Azerbaijani company "Sirab" plans to expand the list of export destinations by the end of 2019, Fagan Alishanov, the head of the company's export department, told Trend. He noted that the Arab countries will become a new export destination of the company in 2019. "We plan to arrange exports to Kuwait and Qatar. Primary volumes will be small, but they will gradually increase. We have been exporting for 8-9 years, so we have managed to establish contacts with many CIS countries, as well as with some European ones. For example, the company has its representative office in Latvia, and we supply our products to all three Baltic states," Alishanov said. "We ship our products to Russia by rail cars, and there is a very high demand for Sirab there. Relatively small volumes are shipped to the Turkish market and to Poland. We are in constant search for partners abroad, and we are waiting for new offers from our potential customers outside the country," the source said. The production plant for the Sirab mineral waters is located in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @MatanatNasibova Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26 By Fakhri Vakilov Trend: The Board of Governors of the Fund for International Development (OFID) at the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) approved a project to provide drinking water to 22 settlements in the Yangikurgan region and part of Namangan, Trend reports with reference to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan. "The total cost of the project will be $54 million. Its implementation is planned for 2020-2025. As a result, more than 200,000 mostly rural residents of Namangan region will be provided with clean drinking water. The OPEC OFID loan will be issued for 20 years with a five-year grace period," the press service of Foreign Ministry noted. OFID is an intergovernmental development finance institution dedicated to the socio-economic support of developing countries that are not OPEC member countries. The Fund is primarily engaged in assisting the poorest countries with low incomes and economic development. Assistance to such countries is provided within the framework of developed projects and adopted programs, through lending, subsidies to maintain the balance of payments, as well as the provision of grants for the development of trade, technology and research. --- Follow author on Twitter: @vakilovfaxri Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 26 By Sara Israfilbayova Trend: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) plans to attract a consultant to support the Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan in the development and implementation of a competitive (auction) scheme for renewable energy producers, Trend reports referring to the banks website. It is planned to begin the implementation of these plans in May of this year. According to the bank, it is expected that the auctions will be financed from technical cooperation funds managed by the EBRD. The EBRD supports the development of alternative energy in Azerbaijan. In a recent interview with Trend, Ivana Duarte, head of the EBRDs representative office in Azerbaijan, said that the bank will consider financing renewable energy projects in Azerbaijan, after their development as part of the banks technical assistance. The EBRD has been operating in Azerbaijan since 1992. The banks largest loans include financing the construction of the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline ($500 million), and the development of Shah Deniz 2 ($1 billion). Follow the author on Twitter: @IsrafilbekovaS ABC/Craig SjodinStevie Wonder is throwing a party in London, and Lionel Richie's on the guest list. Stevie will take the stage July 6 in London's famed Hyde Park, as part of the year's British Summer Time Festival. In an Instagram announcement, he says, "I wanna personally invite you to my party. It's the Stevie Wonder Song Party, celebrating life, love and music." Lionel is billed as a "very special guest" on the bill. The two men are, of course, longtime pals and have worked together many times over the years, including on the landmark charity song "We Are the World." Tickets go on sale this Friday. Other artists who'll be performing at this year's British Summer Time Festival, which takes place over a number of weekends, include Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, British alt-rock band Florence + the Machine, and U.K. superstar Robbie Williams. As previously reported, Lionel will launch his Hello tour in May, while Stevie will be playing a benefit concert June 24 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26 By Fakhri Vakilov Trend: Belarus plans to seriously increase exports of pharmaceutical products to the market of Uzbekistan, Trend reports with reference to the Minister of Health of Belarus Valery Malashko following a meeting with Uzbek Ministry of Health delegation. "If last year we delivered pharmaceutical products for $2.6 million, then I think that as a result of this meeting we will export products for $4.7 million in 2019. It is very important that we have started the practice of creating joint ventures - this is provides an opportunity to supply semi-finished products not only to Uzbekistan, but also to third countries, and this is an expansion of the sales market for our enterprises, " Malashko said. Minister of Health of Uzbekistan Alisher Shadmanov stated that the meeting discussed ways of joint partnership in the pharmaceutical industry. He added that the Belarusian pharmaceutical products have a large share in the Uzbek market. The purpose of the visit of Uzbek delegation was to study the experience of the Belarusian health care. In particular, how the health management process is improved, the provision of primary and specialized high-tech medical aid, how the work on training, retraining and advanced training of personnel is structured. Belarus is indeed the leader in the region for the protection of motherhood and childhood. Such indicators have been observed for many years, Alisher Shadmanov stressed. The visit of the delegation of Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan to Minsk on March 25-28 takes place in continuation of the agreement between the relevant departments of the two countries, signed in Tashkent in September 2018 following the talks of President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirzieyev. It is planned to visit the leading Belarusian Scientific Practical Center, pharmaceutical enterprises, as well as the Belarusian State Medical University. Follow author on Twitter:@vakilovfaxri Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Mar. 26 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: A representative delegation of Turkmenistan has planned to hold talks in Tokyo on the participation of Japanese business circles in investment projects in the oil and gas industry of Turkmenistan, Trend reports referring to the Turkmen government. The matter was discussed at a government meeting. Emphasis was particularly placed on the importance of direct investments by Japanese companies in various sectors of the economy of Turkmenistan, as well as the creation of joint export-oriented enterprises. A report on the preparation of the working visit was submitted by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chairman of the Turkmen-Japanese Committee for Economic Cooperation Rashid Meredov, deputy prime ministers in charge of the fuel and energy sector, industry and transport Myratgeldi Meredov and Mammethan Chakiyev, as well as the head of the state-owned Turkmengas and Turkmenhimiya concerns and the State Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of Turkmenistan. The visit program envisages discussing the course of commissioning work at the petrol production complex erected in the Ahal Region of Turkmenistan. In accordance with the framework agreement between the Turkmengas state concern, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. consortium and "Sojitz Corporation", it is planned to specify the details of the design and construction of the second phase of this enterprise. In addition, the negotiation agenda will include the financing of an agreement on the supply of pipes and other products for the development of the Galkynysh gas field in Mary Region by Sumitomo. A series of meetings are planned with the leadership of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, the Kawasaki Heavy Industries Co. Ltd, Mitsubishi Corporation, Toyo Engineering Co. Ltd., Sojitz, and Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) companies, along with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 13 By Matanat Nasibova Trend: Gazprombank, as part of its cooperation with the Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR, plans to implement a new, expensive industrial project, Alexey Chichkanov, First Vice-President of Gazprombank, told Trend. According to him, the volume of investments in the new joint project will exceed the amount invested in the construction of the polypropylene production plant in Azerbaijan threefold. "This will be a very large-scale project in the field of industry. We are currently consulting, discussing all the details and parameters of interaction. At the same time, we are studying agricultural projects, but it is still too early to name specific partners and the facilities that will be built in Azerbaijan. We see a prospect in the implementation of agricultural projects, because the trade turnover of agricultural products between Russia and Azerbaijan is the biggest," Chichkanov said. According to him, it is about financing in connection with the creation of enterprises by Azerbaijani and Russian investors. "It could be joint ventures or facilities for the production and processing of agricultural products, the construction of which is planned in Azerbaijan. We also expect to develop public-private partnership in Azerbaijan. It seems to us that the construction of toll roads from Baku towards the border with the Russian Federation or the reconstruction of railroads could be implemented on the basis of public-private partnership," he said. Chichkanov went on to say that Gazprombank is counting on a long-term and fruitful cooperation with SOCAR in the future. "Today we have a large project for building a polypropylene production plant with the Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR. It has already been commissioned, and this is one of the largest industrial projects implemented in Azerbaijan," he said. The Gazprombank Group includes many different companies that operate not only on the financial market, but also on the markets of precious metals, oil and gas, construction and others. In Azerbaijan, the bank participated in financing the SOCAR Polymer project, allocating a loan in the amount of $489 million. Last fall, Gazprombank also concluded an agreement with the Azerbaijan's State Oil Company SOCAR and the Russian Export Center. The agreements will allow the bank to support the supply of Russian equipment and services that are in demand in Azerbaijani projects. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @MatanatNasibova Tehran, Iran, March 26 Trend: Iran's Minister of Industries, Mines and Trade Reza Rahmani has announced the recent flood has damaged more than 1,500 production units in Aq Qala County, Golestan Province and 300 production units in cities of Mazandaran Province, while Aq Qala Industrial Park went down under the water. Reza Rahmani said that Aq Qala Industrial Park is completely under the water, while part of Sari 2 Industrial Park is also under the water and transportation in these areas is not possible. Accessing to Aq Qala Industrial Park with its 215 industrial units is only possible via boat, he said, Trend reports citing ILNA. "Some of the people in Golestan were carpet weavers and the recent flood have damaged 10,000 carpet producing units in Bandar Turkman, Gomishan and Aq Qala counties, he added. He noted that the country's provinces and economic activists are sending their aids to Golestan Province. The officials are present at the region and provide services to the people." "The government meeting in Wednesday will decide on how to compensate the flood damages of industrial and production units, he added. At least 18 people were killed and around 100 others were wounded in flash floods in Iran's southern province of Fars. Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 26 By Matanat Nasibova Trend: The decision of President Nursultan Nazarbayev to resign as head of Kazakhstan, like his entire political course, is a wise and far-sighted step, head of the Baku Club of Political Science and candidate of political sciences Zaur Mammadov told Trend. While addressing the people of Kazakhstan on the air of the republican TV channels on March 19, 2019, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev announced his decision to step down from his duties as president. Nazarbayevs successor is Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, chairman of the Senate (upper chamber) of the Kazakh parliament. "Nazarbayev will remain in the history of his country as a wise politician and prominent statesman, as a leader of the nation. Therefore, his authoritative opinion will continue to have a positive impact on strengthening the statehood after his resignation as well. In general, the issue of continuity, along with that of transit of power, is important for Asian countries, for preserving a stable domestic and foreign policy course. Of course, the people of Kazakhstan were lucky that the country was headed by Nazarbayev during the period of independence, since it was thanks to his efforts that present Kazakhstan has become an important regional player," said Mammadov. The expert noted that Kazakhstan has entered the 21st century as a fairly experienced and active participant in international relations at various levels. "Having made his bet on multilateral cooperation, the country has seriously demonstrated itself both on a regional and a global level. In the first case, this concerns a number of initiatives and the participation of the republic in the development of integration processes in the post-Soviet space, starting from the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and ending with the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)," Mammadov continued. According to the expert, the position of Nazarbayev in the integration and other processes in the Eurasian space has always been taken into account by the leaders of neighboring countries. "Nazarbayev has always held a principled and firm position in matters of international and regional importance. At the same time, the head of Kazakhstan supported the fair position of Azerbaijan in connection with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in organizations such as the CSTO and the EEU, and supported the territorial integrity and inviolability of the Azerbaijani borders. It is of fundamental importance for us that Kazakhstans foreign policy is built precisely taking into account the principle of recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as an integral part of Azerbaijan," Mammadov said. The expert further noted that close bilateral cooperation has been established between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in all areas. "Energy and transport cooperation is being strengthened between the countries. Here we can also include international transport and logistics projects, such as Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA), Trans-Caspian international transport route (China-Turkey-Europe), Baku-Tbilisi-Kars and other projects," Mammadov said. The expert recalled that Nursultan Nazarbayev, along with Azerbaijani national leader Heydar Aliyev, laid the foundation for Azerbaijani-Kazakh relations, expressing hope that the course laid out under President Nazarbayev will be continued by his followers. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26 By Matanat Nasibova Trend: The level of corruption in Armenia being off the charts is a well-known fact, and this is one of the key reasons for the extremely depressing socio-economic situation in the country, independent economist Sergei Volodin told Trend. According to the expert, as long as there are government officials like Hakob Arshakyan in the Armenian government, the country will continue to be in a deplorable state in the coming decades. "Ever since the time of the Sargsyan regime, corruption has been an integral part of the socio-economic life in Armenia, and with the advent of the new government, nothing has actually changed. So, it is meaningless to talk about some kind of well-being in a country where the main corruptioneers are in charge of the state. It seems that Prime Minister Pashinyan is quite happy with the current state of affairs, as he has gathered corrupt officials around himself. It is therefore unsurprising that Arshakyan was allowed to veto a major investment project, which quite literally stirred the Armenian media," said Volodin. According to recent information in the Armenian media, businessman Artur Yerznkyan, who lives in Russia, planned to invest $200 million in the telecommunications sector of Armenia. The entrepreneur's plans included the creation of a new mobile operator (the country currently has three), but the Minister of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies of Armenia Hakob Arshakyan vetoed this major investment project. Volodin went on to say that it is not at all surprising that Armenia holds the last place in the region in terms of investment. The fact that this is being noted in the Armenian media indicates that the society sees that it will be difficult for Armenia to get out of a socio-economic crisis under the current government, Volodin said. The expert believes that, at such a pace, Pashinyan and his entourage will soon lead the Armenian economy to a dead end. France and China reaffirmed their support for the Iran nuclear deal, and their intention to achieve the full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, French President Emmanuel Macron said, Trend reported citing Sputnik. "We reaffirmed our desire to support the 2015 agreement with Iran and to achieve the full verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions", Macron said during a joint press conference with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is currently in France with a visit. Iran signed a deal with Russia, China, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States in 2015 to scale down its nuclear research in return for sanctions relief. US President Donald Trump pulled the United States from the pact and reinstated sanctions on Tehran last year, including curbs on financial transactions. China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the European Union the other signatories to the Iran nuclear deal slammed Washington's withdrawal from the agreement and the reinstatement of sanctions, saying it threatened not only Iran but also countries and companies that continued to do business with Tehran. The second summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un concluded with no agreement signed in Hanoi in February. Trump walked away from the talks, saying that Kim demanded full sanctions removal, while not pledging to denuclearize exactly the areas that Washington wanted. The US president, however, praised progress in the dialogue and said that it would continue at the level of experts. At their first summit in Singapore last June, Trump and Kim agreed to denuclearize the Korean peninsula in exchange for freezing US-South Korea military exercises. Two Chinese nationals have been indicted on federal kidnapping and extortion charges in the disappearance of a Costa Mesa, Calif., luxury car dealer another Chinese national who is believed to have died during his abduction and whose body has never been found, Trend reports citing South China Morning Post. Guangyao Yang, 25, and Peicheng Shen, 33, who were living in West Covina, were indicted by a federal grand jury February 22, the US attorneys office announced this week. Both men were charged with kidnapping, conspiracy to kidnap, attempted extortion and threat by foreign communication. Yang and Shen were arrested in China and remain in custody there for their role in the crime, authorities said. We are working with our law enforcement counterparts to seek justice in this case, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said. Authorities said Shen, who was using an alias at the time, met with Ruochen Tony Liao, 28, several times under the pretence that he would help him collect a debt. During their third meeting, officials said, Shen kidnapped Liao from a San Gabriel shopping centre on July 16, 2018, and then, with Yang, held him hostage at a house in Corona and attempted to collect a US$2 million ransom from his family. The day after his abduction, Liaos parents received two pictures of their son from his WeChat messaging app profile showing him with his legs bound, his hands restrained behind his back and his eyes taped, according to court documents. Liaos father told federal investigators he got a phone call a short time later and he heard his son say in Mandarin: Father save me, help me, I have been kidnapped. The victims father said the kidnappers demanded that the ransom money be deposited in three Chinese bank accounts within 3 hours, according to court records. He said a man told him on the phone: Your son has made me very poor. I have lost everything and suffered a divorce because of him. Liao is believed to have died during his kidnapping. Investigators believe that Shen and Yang drove to Mojave, Calif., July 18 to bury or otherwise dispose of the victims body or other physical evidence involved in the crime. On the same day, Shen had the wardrobe of the Corona house re-carpeted, according to prosecutors. Yang also performed an internet search on how long it takes for a corpse to decompose in soil, according to court records citing the contents of Yangs phone that Chinese authorities gave to investigators. British lawmakers voted on Monday to wrest control of Brexit from Prime Minister Theresa May for a day in a bid to find a way through the European Union divorce impasse that a majority in parliament could support, Trend reported citing Reuters. Lawmakers should now vote on a range of Brexit options on Wednesday, giving parliament a chance to indicate whether it can agree on a deal with closer ties to Brussels, and then try to push the government in that direction. The move underlined to what extent May has lost her authority, although she said the government would not be bound by the results of the so-called indicative votes on Wednesday. Mondays vote was put forward by Oliver Letwin, a lawmaker in Mays Conservative Party, and came after the prime minister admitted that the deal she had agreed with the EU after two years of talks still did not have enough support to pass. Lawmakers backed Letwins proposal by 329 votes to 302, and were almost certain to confirm their decision in the final vote of the evening on the overall motion as amended. Earlier, May said the proposal would set an unwelcome precedent and could lead to support for an outcome to which the EU itself would not agree. No government could give a blank check to commit to an outcome without knowing what it is, May said before the vote. So I cannot commit the government to delivering the outcome of any votes held by this house. Last week, the EU agreed to delay Britains original March 29 departure date because of the deadlock. Now, it will leave the EU on May 22 if Mays deal is approved by parliament this week. If not, it will have until April 12 to outline its plans. Mondays vote was an attempt to find a way to come up with such a plan European Council President Donald Tusk said last week that all Brexit options were still open for Britain until April 12, including a deal, a departure with no deal, a long extension - or even revoking Article 50 and remaining in the EU. But nearly three years after the 2016 EU membership referendum and four days before Britain was supposed to leave the bloc, it was still unclear how, when or if Brexit would take place, with parliament and the nation still bitterly divided. Mays deal was defeated in parliament by 149 votes on March 12 and by 230 votes on Jan. 15, but she had signaled that she would bring it back a third time this week. To get her deal passed, May must win over at least 75 MPs who voted against her on March 12 - dozens of rebels in her Conservative Party, some opposition Labour Party MPs and the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which props up her minority government but has voted against the deal so far. Why would the prime minister ever expect us to give support to an agreement which is based on a lie? DUP Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson told BBC television. A Singapore Airlines (SIA) arriving from Mumbai declared emergency after landing in Changi Airport at 7.54am on Tuesday, March 26, Trend reported citing Connected to India. The airlines is assisting authorities with investigation regarding a bomb threat concerning the flights, according to a report by Channel NewsAsia. According to website FlightAware, SQ423 a Boeing 777-300ER departed Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 11.36pm local time on Monday. It arrived in Singapore 31 minutes late, and eclared an emergency during landing. Plane Finder showed the other planes around it were diverted. "Singapore Airlines confirms there was a bomb threat concerning SQ423 operating from Mumbai to Singapore on Mar 26, 2019," SIA told Channel NewsAsia. "The aircraft arrived in Singapore at 0754hrs (local time). We are assisting the authorities with their investigations and regret that we are unable to provide further details."Its arrival in Singapore was 31 minutes late, the site added. A Southwest plane that was on its way to be grounded had to make an emergency landing at the Orlando International Airport on Tuesday, Trend reports citing Fox News. A Southwest Boeing 737 Max took off from Orlando International Airport at 2:50 p.m on Tuesday. Airport officials said that it experienced a malfunction and had to return to Orlando for an emergency landing. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the plane experienced an engine problem. Officials went on to say that there were only two passengers: a pilot and a co-pilot. The plane landed safely and the FAA is investigating. The plane, Southwest Flight 8701, was being ferried to Victorville, California to be grounded, the FAA said. President Trump previously ordered that all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 aircrafts be grounded after one crashed in Nairobi, killing 157 people. Six of those planes, including five Southwest planes, were grounded at the Orlando International Airport. Southwest says that they are committed to safety during this time. KYODO NEWS - Mar 25, 2019 - 23:02 | All, Japan Japanese researchers said Monday they have found the country's oldest known rock dating back 2.5 billion years in the western prefecture of Shimane, around 500 million years earlier than the previous oldest discovery. The Hiroshima University team collected fragments of the rock located near a forest road in the town of Tsuwano. The granite-gneiss metamorphic rock, formed by intense heat, has a striped appearance. Many rocks of the same age exist in North Korea and northeastern China, and analysis of the latest specimen is likely to provide insight into the formation of the Japanese archipelago, which was originally connected to the Asian continent. "We will study the chemical composition of the rock and make clear from which part of the continent it came," said Yasutaka Hayasaka, an associate professor at Hiroshima University. The previous oldest rock in Japan consists of 2 billion-year-old gneiss found in Hichiso, Gifu Prefecture, in 1970. On Monday, Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa said Indian Air Force (IAF) will receive a massive boost in its combat capability with the induction of the Rafale fighter and Pakistan will not come anywhere near the Line of Control or the international border. The first Rafale jet will arrive in Indian in September 2019. Calling the twin-engine Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) Rafale jet superior to any fighter in the arsenal of either the Pakistani Air Force or China's People's Liberation Army Air Force, ACM Dhanoa pointed out that once "the Rafale comes in, the deterrence of our air defence will increase manifold". The IAF top gun said "I have said earlier also (that) it is giving you a tremendous capability jump. It is superior to all the aircraft in the inventory of both our adversaries. Once Rafale comes in it will ensure the deterrence of our air defence will increase manifold and they will not come anywhere near our LoC,". India is buying 36 Rafale fighters from France's Dassault Aviation a part of its effort to modernise the IAF arsenal. While the first Rafale will join the IAF in September 2019, the 36th jet will land in India in 2022. The Rafale was the star attraction during February 20-24, 2019, Aero India show at Bengaluru's Yelahanka Air Force Station. The French Air Force had come with three Rafale jets for the biennial show. also read BJP seeks EC to stop candidature of Mohd. Akbar Lone on raising pro-Pakistan slogan However, at 15.3 metres long with a width of 10.9 metres and 5.34 metres high, the Rafale is not the biggest fighter but one of the most versatile 4++ generation aircraft in the world currently. The empty aircraft weight of Rafale is 9,500 kg while a fully loaded and the armed plane will weigh 24,500 kg which can carry out air superiority, air defence, close air support, in-depth strikes, reconnaissance, anti-ship strikes and nuclear deterrence missions. The Rafale has 14 hardpoints out of which five can carry drop tanks and heavy ordnance. With the capability to carry missiles and bombs weighing up to 9000 kgs, the Rafale can operate the MICA air-to-air Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles, in their IR (heat-seeking) and EM (active radar homing) versions. The MICA missile can also be used within visual range (WVR) too. On other hands, the other weapons that Rafale can fire are the HAMMER (Highly Agile and Maneuverable Munition Extended Range) modular, rocket-boosted air-to-ground precision-guided weapon series, fitted with INS/GPS or INS/GPS/IIR (imaging infra-red) guidance kits, or with INS/GPS/laser guidance kit. The SCALP long-range stand-off missile, AM39 EXOCET anti-ship missile, laser-guided bombs, 2500 rounds/minute NEXTER 30M791 30 mm internal cannon as well as the upcoming METEOR long-range air-to-air missile which can hit targets over 100 kilometres away. also read Nirmohi Akhara approach SC on Ayodhya land dispute case JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Police Monday arrested a 42-year-old man from Delhi for allegedly spying for Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI. The official said that Mohammed Parvez arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan spy agency . The official said, Parvez allegedly honey-trapped Indian Army soldiers through fake identity to collect confidential and strategic information and passed those to the ISI, which gave him financial support. Taapsee Pannu and Abhishek Bachchan to reunite for Sanjay Leela Bhansali film? Additional Director General (Intelligence) Umesh Mishra said, Mohammed Parvez was already arrested by the National Investigation Agency or NIA for anti-national activities and was in judicial custody since 2017. He was brought to Jaipur on Monday for interrogation, following which the state police arrested him. Kesari box office early estimate: Akshay Kumar's film beats the lifetime total of Pad Man Parvez was presented before a Jaipur court, which sent him to a four-day police custody Mishra said, ISI gave all necessary support for passing confidential information. He further said, Pervez got mobile SIM cards on photo and identity card copy of people on assurance of quick visa formalities done at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. Conniving with SIM card retailers, he got the numbers activated to share information with his handlers, Pervez revealed that he was in contact with ISI handlers and had travelled to Pakistan "17 times in the last 18 years", he said. . Henry Villarreal tests out the touch screen technology on the new voting machines at the Comal County Election's Office on Thursday, March 7, 2019. New research by the University of Liverpool and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine shows that vaccination with weakened strains of Salmonella may also protect against other infections. The researchers hope that the findings could impact vaccination strategy in the developing world, where infectious diseases are common and where broader protection could potentially save many lives. Typhoid fever is a bacterial bloodstream infection caused by Salmonella Typhi that is estimated to affect between 11-18 million people and cause between than 128,000-190,000 deaths annually worldwide. Published in the journal Science Advances, a new experimental study presents promising first data on the 'non-specific' immune response triggered by the live oral typhoid vaccine Ty21a. "Live-attenuated Salmonella vaccines are low-cost, well-tolerated and easily administered. These vaccines could potentially be included in global vaccination programmes, not just for their impact on Salmonella, but also for their off-target, non-specific beneficial effects," says lead author Dr Shaun Pennington from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Previous evidence has suggested that some live-attenuated vaccines, such as those for measles and polio, can stimulate the human immune system to generate a wider protective response and lower all-cause mortality. In order to investigate whether Salmonella vaccines might offer similar protection, the researchers vaccinated a small group 16 healthy adults in the UK with the Ty21a vaccine and studied its impact on their immune system over the course of six months. They looked at immune responses targeting Salmonella as well as those targeting a range of other pathogens. The changes they observed to levels of infection-fighting white blood cells (monocytes) and immune system messengers (cytokines) suggest that Ty21a can strengthen the immune response against subsequent, unrelated infections. "The next step is to observe whether these responses also occur in children in low-income settings where their impact would be greatest. We'd like to conduct further clinical studies, where we will be able to assess the wider impact of our observations in conferring protection against other common infections, not just Salmonella," says Professor Melita Gordon from the University of Liverpool and Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, who was the study's principal investigator. The researchers add that the ability to manipulate live-attenuated Salmonella so that they express components of other pathogens could make their findings particularly exciting for future 'vector vaccine' design. "Salmonella vector vaccines could provide Salmonella-specific protection, vectored-pathogen protection and non-specific protection, making live-attenuated Salmonella a hugely powerful 'triple threat' tool for global vaccine development," adds Professor Gordon. The paper 'Nonspecific effects of oral vaccination with live-attenuated Salmonella Typhi strain Ty21a' is published in Science Advances. ### Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Ben Margot FILE - In this Dec. 17, 2010 file photo, trucks make their way on eastbound in Livermore, Calif. Its lets-make-a-deal time on Oregons controversial and potentially far-reaching climate change legislation. After weeks of public hearings and lobbying by individuals and companies that would be affected by the legislation, the co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Carbon Reduction on Monday unveiled the first round of amendments and compromises they are willing to make to pass a cap and trade program. Sen Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, and Rep. Karin Power, D-Milwaukie, co-chairs of the Legislatures Joint Committee on Carbon Reduction, offered up a substantially revamped version of the legislation on Monday, 125-plus pages of new language and tweaks to the program to make it more attractive to various special interests. Expect more negotiations in the coming weeks. At a high level, House Bill 2020 would have Oregon follow in Californias footsteps, setting up the second, economy-wide cap on greenhouse gas emissions in the country. The hard cap would require a 45 percent drop from 1990 emission levels by 2035, and an 80 percent drop by 2050. It would require polluters emitting more than 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents each year to buy allowances in a state auction or on a secondary market to cover some portion of their emissions, yet to be finalized. In theory, the cap, and the number of allowances would gradually decline, driving up the price of emissions, and forcing companies to either reduce their own or buy progressively more expensive allowances from the state or a secondary market to offset their pollution. Large industrial companies, natural gas utilities and farm advocates - including some of the most significant emitters of greenhouse gases in the state - have been pushing hard to have their sectors fully, partially or temporarily excused from the program due to its potential impacts on household expenses, business costs and potentially jobs. Environmentalists, meanwhile, were hoping to hold the line on concessions to large polluters and industry, opposing any additional free emissions allowances or other giveaways to fossil fuels, oil or natural gas utilities specifically. They have also been pushing to have more of the proceeds from emissions auctions invested in rural communities, which they maintain would be especially hard hit by the legislation. At an earlier meeting with the editorial board and staff members of the Oregonian/Oregon Live, environmental and progressive business groups suggested that they wanted to draw a hard line against any further emissions concessions to big business and fossil fuel companies. Despite what appeared to be additional giveaways in Mondays amendments, they professed support for the new version of the bill. Its quite complex, so were still trying to wrap our heads around it, said Brad Reed, a spokesman for the environmental coalition Renew Oregon. Everyone has skin in the game from day oneWere not unhappy where the amendments landed. Overall, the package looks fairly positive to us. Meanwhile, a business coalition calling itself the Partnership for Oregon Communities found little to like in the amendments. The amendment introduced today does little to address the concerns raised during the hearings held around the state," Preston Mann, a spokesman for the group said in a news release. "Like the original bill, the amendment would still result in significant cost increases for consumers and businesses alike and would hand even more power to unelected bureaucrats through a complex and unproven new regulatory process. The token rebates included in the amendment will do little to offset the significant financial burden every Oregonian will face under the program, especially considering the programs imperceptible environmental benefits." Senate Republican Leader Herman Baertschiger, R-Grants Pass, also expressed continuing skepticism of the bill. The only climate this bill is going to change is the business climate, and not in a positive way, Baertschiger said in a news release. This amendment will still drown businesses and consumers in significant price increases and will have little impact on the environment. Rural Oregon and Oregons businesses will suffer. House Speaker Tina Kotek and Senate President Peter Courtney dropped by the co-chairs press conference Monday afternoon to show support for the legislation. We will vote on this measure, said Courtney, D-Salem, then repeated himself to make the point. We will vote on this measure. And right now were really in a position where we can start working on the bill. Among the major changes in the new version: Don't Edit Courtesy of Georgia-Pacific Corp Georgia Pacific's Wauna Mill, a pulp and paper plant, in Wauna, Oregon. New emission standards for industrial companies: One big fear of sponsors and a mantra of industrial lobbyists is that significant new carbon costs would force big industry to leave the state and do their polluting elsewhere, meaning job losses in Oregon but no emission reductions. To phase in the carbon costs more slowly and give businesses time to adapt, the original legislation provided regulated industrial companies with 100 percent free emissions allowances in year one, followed by a steady, incremental decline in free allowances. The idea was to push the companies gradually to meet their proportional share of emissions reduction targets in 2035 and 2050, or pay the price in the form of higher priced allowances. That trajectory is less clear in the new version. It reduces the amount of free allowances to 95 percent of emissions for the first three years of the program, which sounds more restrictive. But thereafter, the companies would receive allowances equal to 95 percent of the theoretical emissions if theyre using the most efficient equipment or technologies available. Its a squishier benchmark that could fuel future debate and lobbying efforts. Many businesses say theyre already using best available technology, so this standard might not force equivalent reductions compared to the original bill. Other businesses could face dramatic emission reductions, depending on how the standard was applied. So the impact on future allowance auction revenues, and the resulting investment in some of the programs designed to reduce emissions or adapt to Oregons changing climate, remains unclear. The state plans to update the best available technology standards for each regulated entity over time, but it would only do so every six years. Dembrow said Monday that the overall goal of the changes in the industrial emissions standards was to be more effective in reducing emissions. But he did not have any analysis to back that up. Realistically, he acknowledged, most of the big emissions reductions would initially come from improvements in energy efficiency and the transportation sector, which is the largest source of greenhouse emissions in the state. Power said the goal, first and foremost, was to protect our (big industrial companies), because having them move elsewhere is not a good option, she said. Dembrow and Power also said Monday that they hope to reach a deal to reduce the impact of the legislation on natural gas utilities, who have complained that their customers would face big rate hikes under the bill. No details were discussed Monday and environmentalists oppose any further concessions. There are new, more restrictive amendments, too. The new version of HB 2020 eliminates special exemptions for fluorinated gas emissions, powerful greenhouse gases emitted by Intel and other chipmakers in their manufacturing processes. Waste incinerators are no longer exempted, and proceeds from their allowance purchases will be used to improve programs to reduce and recycle plastics. Landfill emissions, meanwhile will be exempted from the program and reportedly regulated elsewhere. Don't Edit Brent Wojahn In this file photo, a farmer cultivates a field outside of Condon, Oregon. Gasoline/diesel refunds for rural/lower income Oregonians and (potentially) farmers: House Bill 2020 is expected to raise gasoline prices to 14 to 15 cents a gallon by 2021, when the program kicks in, with subsequent increases based on the prevailing cost of emissions allowances. One consistent complaint about the legislation is that it would have a disproportionate impact on rural households because they are forced to drive longer distances and use more gas. The new version of HB 2020 envisions a Climate Action Refund program, administered by the Department of Revenue. The program would provide rebates of 100 percent of the impact of the program on median household fuel costs, up to $100 million per year. Its not precisely clear how this would work. The bill would give the Department of Transportation and the states Carbon Policy Office authority to develop a formula to estimate the program impact, including miles traveled and fuel costs. The co-chairs estimated the initial impact of the legislation on the median rural household at about 33 cents per day, or $120 a year. They also said that the refunds would consume about a fifth of the cap and trade programs overall revenues, leaving less money to invest in transportation projects that could reduce emissions. They also said they are working on a potential rebate program to lessen the impact of the higher gas prices on farmers, though nothing was included in the amendments released Monday. Don't Edit Stephanie Yao Long In this file photo, commuters on Portland's Ross Island Bridge. More clarity on spending transportation revenues: The largest portion of overall program revenues is expected to flow into the state highway trust fund. Participants in public hearings wanted more definition on how the money would be spent. Under Mondays amendments, the Oregon Transportation Commission will administer a competitive grant program, which would be distributed 50-50 between state and local projects. And the commission is required to consider geographic equity of investments, as well as the balance between greenhouse gas reduction and climate adaptation programs. Support Oregon workers and products: The amendments include labor standards and contracting preferences for projects funded by the cap and trade revenues. They include baseline wage and benefits standards, as well as preferences for products and commodities made in Oregon and the United States. (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. analysts are cautiously optimistic about the company expanding its services business, a move they see as offering long-term growth potential. However, Mondays big media event was seen as lacking key details, and even bulls say it will take a few years for the products to have a material impact on revenue or earnings. The company unveiled a video-streaming service and a credit card, among other initiatives, as part of a plan to build out its service offerings at a time when sales for its iPhone line have shown signs of weakness. Apple derived 15 percent of its revenue from services in 2018, while more than 60 percent came from its iPhone, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Shares of Apple rose as much as 2.2 percent on Tuesday, snapping a two-day skid. Heres what analysts are saying about the event: Canaccord Genuity, T. Michael Walkley The announcements support Apples ecosystem approach, and the higher-margin services revenue growth will continue outpacing total company growth. Affirms buy rating and lifts price target to $230 from $185, which is one of the highest targets on the Street. Morgan Stanley, Katy Huberty Big picture, this strategy aligns with our thesis that Services, not devices, hold the key to Apple revenue and profitability growth over the next 5 years. However, while the breadth of the services that were launched was impressive, the lack of pricing detail makes it difficult to evaluate the financial impact. Keeps estimates unchanged but lifts price target to $220 from $197. Affirms overweight rating. Citi, Jim Suva The event represented a boost to every angle of its services, but it wont be a major catalyst for the shares as consumers are slow to change their behavior. Affirms buy rating and $220 price target. Goldman Sachs, Rod Hall The event was materially different than expected, as it had anticipated the TV service to be available immediately, and for more pricing details to be announced. Story continues Though all of these services are interesting from a platform churn point of view none seem likely on our calculations to materially impact EPS in the short term. As a result, we expect the focus to return to the slowing iPhone business. Affirms neutral rating and $140 target. What Bloomberg Intelligence Says These services will take two years or more to materially affect Apples growth. Still, its foray into original content will allow Apple to tap a high-growth market. -- John Butler, Global senior telecom analyst-- Click here to view the research Piper Jaffray, Michael Olson The primary takeaway from todays event is that Apple is increasingly looking for ways to leverage the massive (~1.4B) base of active installed devices by layering on more services per user/device. The new services could help Apple show services revenue upside in fiscal 2019. The Apple TV app being available on various smart TVs, along with Amazon Fire and Roku, is important to driving higher adoption. Price target raised to $201 from $187. Affirms overweight rating. Loup Ventures, Gene Munster The four services that Apple announced could add more than $20 billion of high visibility annual revenue within five years. While we are maintaining our estimate of $78B in Services revenue in 2023, the levers to achieving that number are more clear. Keeps hold rating and $160 price target. (Updates stock and chart to market open, adds Canaccord comment.) To contact the reporters on this story: Jeran Wittenstein in San Francisco at jwittenstei1@bloomberg.net;Ryan Vlastelica in New York at rvlastelica1@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Catherine Larkin at clarkin4@bloomberg.net, Steven Fromm For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. (Bloomberg) -- Qualcomm Inc. has fired multiple legal shots at Apple Inc. aiming to use patents to get an import ban on the iPhone. In separate rulings Tuesday, one hit and one missed. The U.S. International Trade Commission on Tuesday invalidated a Qualcomm patent for a battery-saving feature. Earlier in the day, a separate trade judge said Apple infringed a different Qualcomm patent and recommended certain older models of the iPhone be banned. The commission is scheduled to release a final decision in that case in July. The cases are among some 80 worldwide between the companies in a dispute thats lasted more than two years. Qualcomm is hoping a victory, particularly an import ban, could give it greater leverage in technology licensing negotiations. Qualcomm says its due billions of dollars in unpaid royalties on the iPhone as the two tech giants argue over the value of the chipmakers patents. The Cupertino, California-based Apple denied infringing any of the patents in the two cases and claimed Qualcomm is trying to shut its only U.S.-based competitor out of the market, something Apple argues will hinder the development of the fifth-generation of mobile communications. In both cases at the trade agency, Apple argued that no import ban should be imposed even if a patent violation is found. "Were pleased the ITC has found Qualcomms latest patent claims invalid, its another important step to making sure American companies are able to compete fairly in the marketplace, Apple said in a statement following the second ruling. Qualcomm is using these cases to distract from having to answer for the real issues, their monopolistic business practices. Heres a Detailed Look at What's Inside an iPhone Qualcomm, based in San Diego, argued that the opposite is true. If it cant enforce its patents, that will lessen the value of its innovation and give rivals, particularly Chinas Huawei Technologies Co., a chance to gain greater market share. Qualcomm has called the Intel products inferior, and accused Intel and Apple of incorporating unlicensed Qualcomm inventions into the Intel chips to improve their quality. Story continues In the earlier case on Tuesday, ITC Judge MaryJoan McNamara said she would be recommending an import ban on certain models of iPhones, which are made in China, according to a notice posted on the Washington agencys electronic docket. The judge found no violation of two other Qualcomm patents in the case. Qualcomm jumped as much as much as 2.6 percent in New York on that earlier ruling. Both stocks reflected the partial wins and losses in extended trading following the commission decision. Apple was up less than one percent while Qualcomm fell less than one percent. Read more: Apple and Qualcomms Billion-Dollar War Over an $18 Part In the case before McNamara, Qualcomm contended that Apple iPhones with Intel Corp. chips infringed two patents related to ways to improve the speed and quality of data downloads and one for a power-saving feature. Its seeking an order that would ban imports of those iPhones. The judges finding of infringement related to the power-saving feature, according to the notice. Her full findings arent yet public, and wont be until both sides get a chance to redact confidential information. We appreciate Judge McNamaras recognition of Apples infringement of our hardware patent and that she will be recommending an import ban and cease and desist order, Qualcomm General Counsel Don Rosenberg said in a statement when the earlier notice came out. The company had no immediate comment on the later-issued decision from the full commission. The original complaint in the McNamara case linked that patent only to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, but it was unclear which models would be affected by this decision. If the ban only applies to those models, it could have a multibillion-dollar impact on Apple for each year that it still offers those devices. The company will probably discontinue them in the next two years. The second decision announced Tuesday targeted a broader range of iPhones, including the iPhone 7, iPhone 8 and iPhone X, and only ones that had Intel chips. Models that had Qualcomm chips wouldnt be affected. The commissions full decision, which sidestepped arguments for now over whether the legal battle between the two tech titans has broader implications for the U.S. supremacy in the fifth generation of telecommunications, isnt yet public. Apple, chafing under what it considers onerous and expensive licensing requirements, has directed its contractors to stop paying Qualcomm until the two sides can reach a new deal. Its also turned to Intel to supply the modem chips on its newest models. Apple likely generated about $58 billion from the iPhone in the U.S. in its 2018 fiscal year. The majority of iPhone sales last year were from newer models like the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus. Qualcomms Technology By all accounts, Qualcomms technology underpins all modern communications and its a large player in the development of industry standards, spending billions of dollars on research each year. Its also richly rewarded -- the company makes money off the chips in all mobile devices, and also gets paid for the use of its inventions in chips made by others. The Federal Trade Commission has accused Qualcomm of using its patents on industry standards to shut out competitors from the market and demand high licensing fees, and the two sides await a judges ruling in that case. The patents in this case dont relate to standardized technology but Apple claims Qualcomm is using the ITC to maintain monopoly power. The cases are In the Matter of Certain Mobile Electronic Devices and Radio Frequency and Processing Components, 337-1093 and 337-1065, both U.S. International Trade Commission (Washington). (Updates with Apple comment in fifth paragraph.) To contact the reporters on this story: Susan Decker in Washington at sdecker1@bloomberg.net;Ian King in San Francisco at ianking@bloomberg.net;Mark Gurman in San Francisco at mgurman1@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jon Morgan at jmorgan97@bloomberg.net, Alistair Barr For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. (Bloomberg) -- Here is Apple Inc.s statement on Tuesdays ruling from the U.S. International Trade Commission, which invalidated one Qualcomm Inc. patent after a judge in a separate case at the agency said Apple infringed on another: Were pleased the ITC has found Qualcomms latest patent claims invalid. Its another important step to making sure American companies are able to compete fairly in the marketplace. Qualcomm is using these cases to distract from having to answer for the real issues, their monopolistic business practices. They are being investigated by governments around the world for their behavior, and we look forward to detailing the many ways theyre harming consumers and stifling innovation when we present our case in San Diego next month. To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Gurman in San Francisco at mgurman1@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Mark Milian at mmilian@bloomberg.net, Alistair Barr For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. DUBAI, March 25 (Reuters) - Bahrain's liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal will start commercial operations in May, with the first LNG shipment to be imported mostly from the UAE's ADNOC, state media quoted the CEO of Bahrains National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) as saying. Bahrain LNG is the developer of the receiving and regasification terminal within the Khalifa bin Salman Port facility in Hidd, Bahrain, Bahrain LNG's website says. The terminal also houses an offshore LNG receiving jetty and breakwater, a regasification platform, subsea gas pipelines from the platform to shore, an onshore gas receiving facility, and an onshore nitrogen production facility, according to the website. Bahrain's first LNG floating storage unit is anchored in the United Arab Emirates' Fujairah port, Refinitiv Eikon data shows. The storage unit is expected to arrive at the Hidd terminal in May, Bahrain News Agency quoted NOGA chief executive Jassem al Shirawi as saying on Monday. The report did not specify the overall shipment amount, a small part of which Chevron will deliver later. The terminal is more than 98 percent ready and the trial period will last only a few weeks, he told the news agency. "Bahrain has signed agreements with more than 25 companies and gas-producing countries from around the world to import LNG," al Shirawi was quoted as saying. The LNG import terminal, with a capacity of 800 million cubic feet per day, will allow Bahrain to import the super-chilled fuel as demand grows for natural gas to feed large industrial projects, generate power and produce oil. (Reporting by Dahlia Nehme; Editing by Dale Hudson) A futuristic helicopter prototype developed by two of the biggest names in aerospace is finally airborne, an important milestone for a design intended to compete for upward of $100 billion in future military business. The SB>1 Defiant, a helicopter developed by Lockheed Martin's (NYSE: LMT) Sikorsky division and Boeing (NYSE: BA), took to the skies over West Palm Beach, Florida, on March 21, hovering over an airfield for about 30 minutes. The flight was a long time coming for the Defiant, which was originally scheduled to fly in 2017 but experienced a series of setbacks during development. The Defiant hovers over an airfield with pine trees in the background. The SB>1 Defiant's first flight. Image source: Boeing/Lockheed Martin. The Defiant is part of a push to move helicopters into the 21st century. The frame has two main rotors and a rear-mounted pusher propulsor to improve stability and allow it to travel faster than conventional helicopters while retaining the helicopter's traditional hovering and low-speed operation advantages. "Clearly, the performance, speed, and agility of Defiant will be a game changer on the battlefield, and we look forward to demonstrating for the U.S. Army the tremendous capabilities of this aircraft," David Koopersmith, vice president and general manager of Boeing Vertical Lift, said in a statement announcing the flight. The coaxial design, with rotors spinning in opposite directions, coupled with special software counters the tendency of helicopter blades to generate uneven lift and turbulence at high speeds. Two competing concepts The Boeing/Lockheed design is one of two demonstrators participating in the Army's Joint Multi-Role technology program aimed at helping the military define what it wants from a future vertical-lift aircraft. One of the Army's top priorities has been acquiring a new helicopter that is faster, more stable, and able to haul large loads even in thin atmosphere and other extreme conditions. The Defiant will face off in the competition against Textron's (NYSE: TXT) Bell V-280 Valor, a tilt-rotor aircraft similar to the company's popular V-22 Osprey. The Valor has been airborne since late 2017 and has been logging test flights ever since. Story continues Artist rendering of Textron's Bell V-280 Valor in operation. Artist rendering of Textron's Bell V-280 Valor. Image source: Textron. The designs will not lead to an immediate payday for any of the companies involved, but the long-term stakes are significant. The Army over the coming decades wants to replace its massive fleet of UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters using next-generation aircraft, and a successful demonstration now could position either of these designs for future contracts. Overall, the Army could need as many as 4,000 medium-class helicopters at a projected price tag of $100 billion. The demonstrator effort will heavily influence the requirements for future Army rotorcraft procurement, so the better performer in this demonstration will have a strong endorsement of its technology. Contracts on the horizon Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky will have a chance to quickly apply what it has learned about its dual rotor technology through the Defiant in a real dogfight. The Army in October released a request for a new Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA), with a plan to select two bids to deliver prototypes able to fly by 2023. Sikorsky is expected to submit a dual-rotor design that borrows from the Defiant. The Army intends to select two prototype winners that will receive about $735 million apiece by fiscal 2023 to continue development and build their design. Video of the SB>1 Defiant's first flight. Source: Lockheed Martin/Boeing While the Defiant is a separate aircraft, any impressions -- favorable or unfavorable -- to come out of that demonstration could influence Army decision makers considering the FARA and other future competitions. Only a handful of helicopters have ever been built using Sikorsky's dual blade technologies, and one of them, a prototype light combat helicopter, was involved in a nonlethal "hard landing" crash in 2017 during testing. The Defiant is Sikorsky's opportunity to prove it has worked out the kinks. Here's who wins The payout for investors might not be immediate, but for long-term holders, the upcoming helicopter wars are worth monitoring. Assuming the Defiant testing goes well, I believe the Sikorsky design, with its helicopter-like maneuverability, is well-positioned to fill future Army reconnaissance and attack missions, while the Textron design with its airplane-like hull is a better fit for troop and cargo carrying and long-range missions. Lockheed Martin has a chance to come out a winner no matter what happens because the company partnered with Textron's Bell unit on the Valor design before spending $9 billion to buy Sikorsky in 2015. But the allure of future contracts is why Lockheed spent big on Sikorsky, and the company will certainly want to see its wholly owned unit succeed. Boeing is in a more complicated position, as its partnership with Sikorsky is centered on the Defiant and does not cover all the different helicopters Sikorsky has under development. Boeing-made designs including the Apache and Chinook are high on the list of programs that could be phased out in favor of new procurements. That's all speculation for now, as the Defiant still must prove its chops. There's a lot of testing to come, but investors can at least breathe a sigh of relief now that the Defiant is finally airborne. More From The Motley Fool Lou Whiteman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Textron. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Boeing has invited regulators, technical experts, and pilots from around the world to a briefing scheduled for Wednesday for a company status update. The meeting is being taken as a sign that Boeing is close to a software fix that would keep the 737 Max from the suspected problem of mistakenly pushing the nose down, thinking that the plane is climbing too high and close to stalling. The aerospace giant is trying to salvage its reputation in the aftermath of the Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed the 157 people on board. It and the Lion Air flight from Indonesia last fall that killed 189 people had one thing in common: the Boeing 737 Max 8. Since the Ethiopian disaster, orders have been cancelled, with more cancellations in the works. Flights are grounded around the world, Boeings share prices have dropped by 14%, and a fix could cost $500 million and take six months to complete. Thats all to say nothing of the risk of massive lawsuits. Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde GebreMariam said in a statement Monday that he still believes in Boeing. But the process remains turbulent. Garuda Indonesia, which planned to cancel its order for 49 of the craft, said that it was informed of the meeting on Friday, which wasnt enough time to free up a pilot to attend. The airline requested a webinar briefing, but reportedly Boeing said no. At the foundation is a question of whether Federal Aviation Administration should have deregulated some safety-certification functions and turned them over the Boeing, which had pushed for a faster process. U.S. lawmakers are looking at increasing oversight. Dr Muhammad Saqib Raza wants to return from a Syrian prison A British surgeon accused of joining Isis has made a plea to patients he treated on the NHS to help bring him home. Dr Muhammad Saqib Raza, 40, has been locked in a jail in Syria run by Kurdish forces for more than a year. He is being held near Raqqa, the fallen capital of the former Isis caliphate. Dr Raza, who has dual British and Pakistani nationality, told the Daily Mirror he was a victim of anti-terrorism terrorism, saying the Home Office had done nothing to try to return him to the UK. This picture taken on March 24, 2019 shows a discarded Isis group flag lying on the ground in the village of Baghouz in Syrias eastern Deir Ezzor province near the Iraqi border, a day after IS groups caliphate was declared defeated by the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (Picture: AFP/Getty) Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are claiming victory over Isis, which means as many as 300 Britons could ask to return home. Dr Raza made an appeal to the patients he treated during his eight years as a facial surgeon with the NHS. He said: When you, my patients, wanted help, I treated you like you were my own family. Now Im stuck in this prison hellhole and nobody cares. My patients, maybe you care. I beg you, patients of mine, to help me in return for what I did for you. I helped hundreds of you in Leicester, London, Bournemouth, Poole, Chelmsford and Oxford and other places in my eight years in the NHS as a facial surgeon. I beg you to raise your voices in protest and help get me home. Read more Who will be the next PM? These are the favourites to replace Theresa May Shopworker stabbed to death as six people knifed overnight across London Miracle postman died for 21 minutes and came back to life on his way to the morgue Dr Raza, who has a four-year-old son, left his home in Leicester to go to Turkey in 2017. It is alleged he had become increasingly extreme in his views, but he claims he went from Turkey to Syria on a humanitarian mission to help in a hospital. He claims he was kidnapped on the Turkish border with Syria and sold on to Isis, who he says held him against his will. He said: In my cell I also heard the Coalition bombing, bombing, bombing and people dying, dying, dying. And I wished the bombs would kill me too. Dr Raza was captured in IS territory last year by the SDF. He claims he had just fled from Isis when he was captured by Kurdish troops. Story continues Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces flash gestures with their hands while standing next to the SDFs unfurled flag while on watch duty in the village of Baghouz in Syria (Picture: AFP/Getty) He was found with a laptop and 13,000 euros, which Kurdish forces believe were linked to his support for Isis fighters. Dr Razas wife, a Pakistani woman living in Leicester, divorced him after he left Britain, the Mirror reported. His case follows that of teenage jihadi bride Shamima Begum, who left her home in east London when she was 15 to marry an Isis fighter in Syria. Her British citizenship was stripped from her by home secretary Sajid Javid after she appealed to be allowed back into the UK. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK CareDx protects innovation in transplantation by enforcing patent protection BRISBANE, Calif., March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CareDx, Inc. (CDNA), a leading molecular diagnostics company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of clinically differentiated, high-value diagnostic solutions for transplant patients, today announced that it has filed a patent infringement suit against Natera, Inc., in the United States District Court for Delaware. CareDx is asserting U.S. Patent Nos. 9,845,497 and 8,703,652, that are exclusively licensed to CareDx from Stanford University. Stanford is joined in the suit as a necessary party because it is the registered owner of these patents. These patents cover non-invasive monitoring of organ transplant rejection through cell-free DNA analysis. CareDx is seeking all available remedies, including damages and injunctive relief. The suit asserts that Natera infringes through its marketing and performance of a test to analyze cell-free DNA from a transplant patient to inform rejection. CareDx has been dedicated to continued research and development in transplantation for 20 years, and secured an exclusive license to the technology when it acquired ImmunMetrix in 2014. If intellectual property is disrespected, it is the transplant community that is impacted, said Peter Maag, CEO of CareDx. The intellectual property behind AlloSure was developed with substantial involvement from leading transplant researchers. We are filing this suit to support future innovation in transplantation. We will continue to monitor activities in the transplant field and vigorously defend our intellectual property where appropriate to protect our substantial investments and leadership position. About CareDx CareDx, Inc., headquartered in Brisbane, California, is a molecular diagnostics company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of clinically differentiated, high-value diagnostic solutions for transplant recipients. CareDx offers products along the pre- and post-transplant testing continuum, and is the leading provider of genomics-based information for transplant patients. Story continues For more information, please visit: www.CareDx.com. CONTACTS: Investor Relations David Clair Integrated Corporate Relations, Inc. 646-277-1266 david.clair@icrinc.com Despite protestations from the U.S. and disquiet within its own government, Italy on Saturday signed up for the Belt and Road InitiativeChinas foreign-policy centerpiece that aims to create new trading routes spanning Asia, Europe and Africa. China and Italy signed a memorandum of understanding including 29 agreements that cover everything from satellites and media to banking, agriculture and natural gas. Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said the deals were worth 2.5 billion ($2.83 billion) but could end up being worth 20 billion ($22.62 billion), according to Reuters. Italy hopes to benefit handsomely from Belt and Road. Metals plant-builder Danieli will get to build a steel plant in China. Power engineering firm Ansaldo Energia will supply parts for a new Chinese power plant. Italian exports will get more promotion in China via the Suning ecommerce group, and Chinese tourism in Italy should also see a boost. Power via ports All of this is great news for recession-hit Italy, which wants to close its trade deficit with China. But what does China get? Italy is the first founding member of the European Union and the first G7 member to join the Chinese initiative. Its new memorandum of understanding with China clearly brings extra prestige to Belt and Road. But it also provides a useful physical foothold in the region. Two of the deals signed Saturday will see the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) develop and manage the Italian ports of Genoa and Trieste. As noted by the South China Morning Post, GenoaItalys biggest portis well established, but Trieste, next to the Slovenian border, provides a fresher opportunity. An aerial view of the commercial harbor of the northeastern city of Trieste along the Adriatic Sea on October 8, 2017. According to an official statement about the Trieste deal, CCCC will develop the rail infrastructure around the port in order to increase of the influence of the port of Trieste both in Central Europe and in the Chinese maritime markets. Our commitment is to support the exports to China and the Far East of our [small and medium-sized businesses], which do not have the appropriate size to deal with this type of investment, said Zeno DAgostino, the president of the Eastern Adriatic Sea Port Authority (AdSP.) The AdSP will enable Italian companies to develop in Chinese logistic and port platforms that allow the Made in Italy strategy to develop in China. Story continues American anger China already majority-owns Greeces crucial Piraeus port, a natural gateway for goods coming in from the Far East via the Suez Canal. But Trieste is far closer to the Central and Eastern European markets that China wants to reach through Belt and Road. The Italy-China deal does have its limits, which is likely a result of American fury and skepticism from other Western European countries. Critics characterize the Belt and Road Initiative as debt trap diplomacy, noting that previous deals have seen China take over China-developed assets that the host countries couldnt pay off, such as Sri Lankas Hambantota port. And the U.S. in particular is stressed out about the role played by the worlds biggest telecommunications equipment firm, Chinas Huawei, in the imminent deployments of 5G mobile networks. Di Maio insisted Sunday that the MOU contains nothing for [Washington] to worry about, nothing relating to 5G or any agreement on strategic telecommunications. Clashing on China However, the situation also reflects differing opinions within Italys populist coalition government. Di Maios Five Star Movement is pro-China, while the far-right League party is keener on staying on the U.S.s good side. The Leagues Matteo Salvini, who is Italys other deputy prime minister, made a point of avoiding a state dinner on Saturday where Chinas President Xi Jinping made an appearance. Xi went on to France, where he met President Emmanuel Macron for dinner on Sunday. Macron tweeted about France and Chinas strategic partnership and multilateralism, but hes a hawk when it comes to Chinese trade and Xi wont be securing anything comparable to the Italian MOU on that visit. The German foreign minister, Heiko Maas, also expressed a warning for Italy. If some countries believe that they can do clever business with the Chinese, he told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, then they will be surprised when they wake up and find themselves dependent. (Bloomberg) -- Citigroup Inc. is jumping into the battle over the $90 billion in swipe fees that merchants pay each year to process debit and credit cards. The bank is developing a new digital consumer-payments business that will allow large merchants to collect from cards, mobile wallets and bank-account transfers. Citigroup will work with Mastercard Inc.s payment-gateway services to connect with payment processors and mobile wallets around the world. Key Insights Citigroups new product could address the growing concern among U.S. merchants that have been looking for a way to lower the amount they spend on electronic payments, especially through solutions that connect directly to a consumers bank account, avoiding traditional credit and debit card networks. Citigroups treasury and trade solutions unit has long helped large multinational corporations pay overseas suppliers and partners. Theyre going to take that same technology and help large merchants who want to sell their goods to foreign consumers. This kind of cross-border payment capability is something other merchants have been investing in, most notably with Ant Financials purchase of Londons WorldFirst. Get More The payment processing space has been rapidly consolidating. In January, Fiserv Inc. agreed to pay $22 billion for First Data Corp. Earlier this month, Fidelity National Information Services Inc. said it will buy Worldpay Inc. in a $43 billion deal. This is a new and rapidly growing space and we have taken a very comprehensive and innovative approach which we believe will position Citi as a leader among both existing and new market participants, Manish Kohli, Citigroups global head of payments and receivables at the banks treasury and trade solutions unit, said in the statement. Read the full statement here. To contact the reporter on this story: Jenny Surane in New York at jsurane4@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Michael J. Moore at mmoore55@bloomberg.net, Daniel Taub, Steve Dickson For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. Pinterest is racing toward its IPO after the company filed its S-1 form last week. Its shares will soon be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, likely sometime in April. There are several key financial figures that potential Pinterest investors should note when deciding whether to buy stock, including the company's $756 million in sales last year, its $63 million loss, and monthly active users totally 265 million at the end of 2018. But potential investors should also be asking themselves what, if any, competitive advantages the company has over its peers. At first glance, there don't seem to be many. Pinterest generates far less in sales than many of its competitors, and its user base is much smaller. But there are three ways Pinterest has managed to stand out in the crowded social media landscape. The first is that Pinterest hasn't had to deal with the same political and security issues that social media platforms have faced, thus making it a somewhat safer marketplace for advertisers. Second, the company says that its user base is dominated by women, who are core decision-makers when it comes to household purchases. And third, its users are much more open to brand advertising than most social media users. The red Pinterest logo. Image source: Pinterest. 1. Pinterest has avoided the muck its competitors have been caught in Pinterest doesn't consider itself a social media company and instead calls itself a "visual discover engine." There was a time when a company distancing itself from the social media category would have been a bad thing. But not anymore. Even Snap, with its messaging and photo-sharing app Snapchat, calls itself a "camera company" and not a social networking company. Why does this help Pinterest? For one, it means that the company can distance itself from some of the backlash that social media companies -- particularly Facebook and Twitter -- are experiencing right now. Both Twitter and Facebook have publicly said that their platforms served up politically charged ads created by Russia with the intent of influencing opinions during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. The companies have since changed their political advertising rules to help address this problem. Story continues Facebook, in particular, has also faced a laundry list of bad reports over the past year, including stories about data leaks and privacy concerns. The company acknowledged in October that hackers had gained access to login information from 50 million of its users. And just last week, the company said that hundreds of millions of passwords weren't encrypted on its servers. Meanwhile, Pinterest hasn't experienced these problems. That doesn't necessarily mean advertisers are flocking to the company instead of social media platforms, but it does help Pinterest differentiate itself in the digital ad space. If advertisers become more concerned with how Facebook and others are conducting their business, or if advertising rules on the platform become too strict, then Pinterest could be a good alternative for ad companies. 2. Pinterest's users make important household purchase decisions Pinterest said recently that two-thirds of its user base are women, and that the vast majority of them are moms. As it relates to competitive advantage, it's interesting that Pinterest says these users "... are often the primary decision-makers when it comes to buying products and services for their household." That's important data for advertisers, which are clearly interested in making sure that their digital ad campaigns are targeted to not only the right demographic, but also to those who are ultimately able to make purchasing decisions. So far, it appears that Pinterest's user base is, in fact, making more purchases. The company said an analysis by Oracle for 2016 and 2017 retail transactions showed that, on average, "Pinterest households were 39% more likely to buy retail products, and they spent 29% more than the average household." While Pinterest doesn't have the same reach that some social media platforms have, its users are clearly an in-demand group for advertisers based on their spending habits. 3. Advertising is "native content" on Pinterest The company recently said in its S-1 filing that "[T]he majority of Pins saved on our service are from businesses. Ads do not compete with the content Pinners want to see -- they are native content." That's a heck of a difference versus Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others where content is often interrupted by ads. Additionally, Pinterest noted that many of its users log into its platform specifically to start researching things they want to buy, according to a Comscore survey that the company commissioned. Pinterest also pointed out recently that research from Cowen and Company showed that "more people use Pinterest to find or shop for products than on social networks." With Pinterest users already more open to seeing branded content on the platform -- with many going specifically to find things that they want to purchase -- Pinterest certainly has a unique opportunity to grow its advertising. But that doesn't mean it'll be easy. A tablet with Pinterest pins on it. Image source: Pinterest. Pinterest still faces an uphill battle Despite its potential, investors should understand the hurdles Pinterest faces. For starters, it has just 265 million monthly active users, versus Facebook's 2.3 billion, Instagram's more than 1 billion, and Twitter's 321 million. Advertisers traditionally flock to where the most eyeballs are, and the biggest social networks still have Pinterest beat in this regard. Additionally, Pinterest admitted in its filing that it's still trying to figure out its advertising strategy. In its S-1, it noted, "We are still in the early stages of building an advertising product suite that fully taps the value of this alignment between Pinners and advertisers, but we believe it will be a competitive advantage over the long term." The company's early monetization efforts have certainly worked well, but there's no guarantee that it can continue to keep it up. Sales grew 60% from 2017 to 2018, which is a substantial (but not staggering) amount of growth. Additionally, the company is looking to the international market for more sales growth but says that it's still an unproven market. It could be challenging to strike the right balance of content and ads to appeal to international users. All of which means that, on paper, Pinterest doesn't appear to have any significant advantages among social media competitors. Sure, it has a unique platform that may be more conducive to ads, but the company doesn't yet have the user base to convince advertisers that they should spend their money primarily on Pinterest. More From The Motley Fool Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Chris Neiger has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Facebook and Twitter. The Motley Fool owns shares of Oracle. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. BRUSSELS, March 26 (Reuters) - The following are mergers under review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EU merger process: APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS -- DA Agravis Machinery Holding and Danish Agro Machinery Holding to acquire Kesko Group's agrimachinery activities in Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania from Finnish subsidiary Konekesko Oy (approved March 25) -- U.S. tech and consulting services provider DXC Technology to acquire U.S. software development company Luxoft Holding (approved March 25) -- Japan's CK Holdings Co, which is owned by KKR, to acquire Italian car parts maker Magneti Marelli from Italian auto maker Fiat Chrysler Automotives (approved March 14) NEW LISTINGS -- France's Engie S.A. and Canada's Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec to obtain joint control over Brazil's Transportadora Associada de Gas S.A. (notified March 21/deadline April 30/simplified) -- U.S.-based private equity companies TA Associates Management and Vista Equity Partners Management to acquire joint control over Aptean Inc. and Yaletown Acquiror (notified March 22/deadline May 2/simplified) EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES -- U.S. aluminum company Novelis, which is a unit of India's Hindalco Industries Ltd, to acquire aluminum processor Aleris (in-depth investigation opened by Commission on March 25) -- German energy company E.ON to acquire German peer Innogy's retail and network activities (notified Jan. 31/deadline suspended on March 22) FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE MARCH 27 -- Swiss chemicals company Sika to acquire French rival Parex from private equity firm CVC Capital Partners (notified Feb. 20/deadline March 27) MARCH 28 -- ArcelorMittal and Italy's CLN Group to acquire joint control over two Italian steel service centers of the Ilva Group (notified Feb. 21/deadline March 28) MARCH 29 -- Financial services company Great-West Lifeco's Irish Life and Clyde Property Fund and UK property developer Hammerson to jointly acquire a shopping centre in Dublin, Ireland (notified Feb. 22/deadline March 29) Story continues APRIL 9 -- India's HCL Technologies to acquire sole control over four of IBM's software product portfolios (notified March 5/deadline April 9/simplified) -- France's Caisse des Depots et Consignations and solar group Reden H2 to acquire joint control over French photovoltaic power plant company Berroute (notified March 5/deadline April 9/simplified) -- France's Mirova and Bouyges Batiment International to acquire joint control of Bouygues Construction Airport Concessions Europe (notified March 5/deadline April 9/simplified) APRIL 11 -- Mercuria Energy Group to acquire marine fuel logistics company Aegean Marine Petroleum Network (notified March 7/deadline April 11/simplified) APRIL 17 -- GTCR LLC and U.K.'s Apax Partners LLP to acquire joint control of U.S.-based Dolphin TopCo (notified March 13/deadline April 17/simplified) APRIL 24 -- Swedish telecoms provider Telia Company to acquire Bonnier Broadcasting which cludes brands such as Swedish TV4 and streaming service C More and Finnish MTV (notified March 15/deadline April 24) -- French fashion company LVMH to acquire sole control over British hotel and travel operator Belmond Ltd (notified March 15/deadline April 24/simplified) APRIL 25 -- French nursing home operator Financiere Colisee to acquire sole control over Belgian nursing home operator Armonea Group (notified March 18/deadline April 25/simplified) APRIL 26 -- Liberty House Group to acquire sole control over steel companies Galati/Skopje HoldCo, Paloma S.r.l., ArcelorMittal Ostrava a.s., Liege Steel Industry SA and ArcelorMittal Dudelange S.A. (notified March 19/deadline April 26/simplified) APRIL 30 -- Italy's doBank S.p.A. to acquire sole control over Altamira Asset Management S.A. and its affiliates with the exception of Altamira Asset Management Cyprus (notified March 21/deadline April 30/simplified) MAY 2 -- International power plant supplier Ansaldo Energia and Russia's REP Holding to create REPH Ansaldo Gas Turbine joint venture (notified March 22/deadline May 2/simplified) MAY 13 -- Germany's Thyssenkrupp and India's Tata Steel to set up a steel joint venture (notified Sept. 25/deadline extended to May 13 from April 29 after the companies asked for more time) MAY 20 -- Electronic and motor manufacturing company Nidec to acquire sole control of U.S. white goods maker Whirlpool Corp's compressor subsidiary Embraco (notified Oct. 8/deadline extended to May 20 from May 13) JUNE 3 -- UK mobile telephony provider Vodafone to acquire U.S. Liberty Global's telecommunications business in the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Romania (notified Oct. 19/deadline June 3) GUIDE TO EU MERGER PROCESS DEADLINES: The European Commission has 25 working days after a deal is filed for a first-stage review. It may extend that by 10 working days to 35 working days, to consider either a company's proposed remedies or an EU member state's request to handle the case. Most mergers win approval but occasionally the Commission opens a detailed second-stage investigation for up to 90 additional working days, which it may extend to 105 working days. SIMPLIFIED: Under the simplified procedure, the Commission announces the clearance of uncontroversial first-stage mergers without giving any reason for its decision. Cases may be reclassified as non-simplified - that is, ordinary first-stage reviews - until they are approved. (Reporting by Clare Roth;) FILE PHOTO: Silhouettes of laptop users are seen next to a screen projection of Facebook logo in this picture illustration taken March 28, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo (Reuters) - Facebook Inc said on Tuesday it has removed more accounts from Iran, Russia, Macedonia and Kosovo, citing what it described as "coordinated inauthentic behavior." A total of 2,632 pages, groups, and accounts were removed from Facebook and Instagram for operations linked to the above mentioned countries, the social media platform said. 513 of those accounts were tied to Iran, while 1,907 were linked to Russia, Facebook said. The accounts tied to Russia were largely removed for spam with a small portion of those engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior, according to the statement. Facebook also said the pages and accounts were removed for their behavior and not content. The social media platform has recently been cracking down on such accounts in many countries after coming under fire in the last two years for its self-admitted sluggishness in developing tools to combat extremist content and propaganda operations. The company had also removed certain accounts tied to Iran earlier in January. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Bhanu Pratap in Bengaluru; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier and Shreejay Sinha) The French Council of the Muslim Faith said Monday it is suing Facebook and YouTube for allowing the livestream of the Christchurch massacre on their platforms earlier this month, Reuters reports. The council represents millions of Muslims in France. The group said its suing the French branches of both social networking sites for broadcasting a message with violent content abetting terrorism, or of a nature likely to seriously violate human dignity and liable to be seen by a minor, according to court documents. In France, the punishment for such acts can amount to three years in prison and nearly $85,000 in fines, according to The Guardian. A Facebook vice president said the original footage was viewed at least 4,000 times before Facebook could remove it, according to NPR. However, copies of the video were quickly reproduced and shared across social media platforms, leading to countless more views of the March 15 violent attack on worshippers at two mosques in New Zealand. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she spoke with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg to make sure the video was scrubbed from the platform. In the days following the white nationalist attack, multiple major companies in New Zealand said they would pull their advertising from Facebook. According to the councils court filing, Facebook did not remove the video broadcast until 29 minutes after it started. Facebook acknowledged this in a blog post. The first user report on the original video came in 29 minutes after the video started, and 12 minutes after the live broadcast ended, said Facebooks deputy general counsel, Chris Sonderby. Both Facebook and YouTube have faced criticism over the footage, and for failing to crack down on white supremacist content. (Bloomberg) -- When Googles boss sits down with a top U.S. military official on Wednesday, the conversation will likely center on Googles presence in China -- particularly a lab that may be more trouble for the company than its worth. Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer of Alphabet Inc.s Google, will meet in Washington D.C. with General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to a person familiar with the situation. The internet giant extended the invitation after criticism from Dunford about Googles artificial intelligence work in China, which he said "indirectly benefits the Chinese military." Dunford cited an AI lab that Google opened in Beijing in late 2017. Less than two years later, the small office is causing a massive headache for Google, sitting at the locus of a collision between the companys global ambitions and the U.S. militarys mounting unease over Chinas technical might. A spokesman for the Defense Department confirmed that Dunford is scheduled to meet with a senior Google official this week, but declined to provide further details. Representatives from Google didnt respond to requests for comment. Google will also brief staff of the Homeland Security Committee on Monday about its work in China and with the Pentagon, according to a spokesman for committee chairman Senator Ron Johnson. The conflict is a risk to Googles cloud-computing business, which relies on the companys AI prowess and is a major source of future revenue growth outside of advertising. Both the Pentagon and China are huge potential buyers of internet-based services, a multibillion-dollar market. Googles chief rivals in the cloud business, Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp., have aggressively courted both buyers. But Google hasnt. In the past year, the Mountain View, California-based company bowed out of an AI contract with the Pentagon while expanding its search for new businesses in China. Those simultaneous moves were met with fevered backlash in Washington. Lawmakers grilled Google about its plans in China, and the Pentagon, concerned about Chinas national investment in AI technology, has launched a public campaign to shame the company. Story continues A week ago, Google issued a statement saying it "was not working with the Chinese military" after U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the company in a tweet on March 16. Google withdrew its search engine and most other services from China in 2010, citing censorship concerns, but has maintained advertising sales and software-engineering offices there. By the time Google opened its Beijing lab, the company had just sealed a deal that underscored its willingness to work with the U.S. military. In September 2017, Google was awarded portions of a contract for Project Maven, a Pentagon initiative to use image-recognition technology to analyze drone footage, according to a report in Gizmodo. Two months later, Google announced the Beijing AI center. Like many decisions at the company, this was driven by a desire to hire the best coders. Google has spent the past five years signaling to investors and the public that it is the worlds leading AI company, but it needs talented engineers to maintain this lead. "AI and its benefits have no borders," Fei-Fei Li, the Google executive then running the Beijing lab, wrote in a 2017 blog post announcing the center. "And we want to work with the best AI talent, wherever that talent is, to achieve it." Technicians in AI are particularly rare and expensive, and many of them are in China. Li, a Chinese-born computer scientist, citing a statistic that almost half of the research in scientific journals on AI came from Chinese authors. At the time, Li ran research for Googles cloud division, and she placed Jia Li, one of her deputies, in charge of the Beijing center. Google has since held talks about starting to sell its cloud services in China, Bloomberg News reported in August. So far, the company has mostly given away technology free. A main focus of Googles AI lab is supporting TensorFlow, an open-source coding library that lets engineers and companies more easily run AI programs that automate tasks or handle reams of data. For Google, the tool is a critical way to gain the allegiance of software developers, who may end up paying Google for cloud services later. Last year, Amazon and Microsoft announced their own AI labs in China. Unlike Google, those two companies already sell cloud services in China. Amazon has even promoted its government work -- an Amazon Web Services presentation from 2018 lists 33 public sector customers in China. Both Amazon and Microsoft have also pursued cloud deals with the U.S. military, while Google retreated from the Maven contract after employee protests. Some Google engineers even refused to work on an "air gap" security feature last year that would have helped the company compete for sensitive military contracts. "This is not about me and Google," Dunford said last week at an event hosted by think tank the Atlantic Council. "This is about us looking at the second- and third-order effects of our business ventures in China, Chinese form of government, and the impact its going to have on the United States ability to maintain a competitive military advantage." A Pentagon spokesman said that Dunford doesnt have any meetings planned with other technology companies at this time. As for Googles Beijing lab, its founding managers have left. The website for the lab describes it as working on education initiatives, "user experience," and the development of Tensorflow. Two weeks ago, the website offered another description, according to a version of the page saved by the Internet Archives Wayback Machine: "Were developing a world-class research effort dedicated to creating artificial intelligence solutions to real-world problems." (Updates with China AI story tout after seventh paragraph.) --With assistance from Daniel Flatley. To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Bergen in San Francisco at mbergen10@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tom Giles at tgiles5@bloomberg.net, Jillian Ward, Alistair Barr For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. OVERLAND PARK, KS, March 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Green Globe International, Inc. (OTCPINK: GGII) is a Delaware company engaged in building a vertically integrated CBD and cannabis supply chain and developing a centralized marketplace for the 1000s of farmers that have entered into Hemp farming after the successful passing of the 2018 Hemp-Farm Bill. Mr. Thomas Elafros, CEO, stated, We are pleased to provide the following update, recent achievements and near term view of what we look to accomplish. 1. Industry involvement CEO, Tom Elafros, Board member of the Planted Association of Kansas organization ( http://www.plantedks.org ) and GGII was a proud sponsor of the Hemp Symposium in Hutchinson, KS. It was a successful event in which we met many key farmers and related parties who are interested in the activities of GGII, especially as it relates to the need for full vertical hemp ancillary business and infrastructure for growing, extraction and processing. Numerous opportunities, doors opened and ongoing discussions. Additionally, we are collaborating with Bill Cook and a new organization being rolled out, Missouri Hemp Association, focused on initiatives that will benefit those involved with Hemp. We look forward to building a strong relationship with this organization. 2. We are building our team. From sales to capital, social media, website development and the advisory board, we have been selective about bringing people on board with consistent values and a passion for our business. In a relatively short period of time, we have built a team of over ten individuals working in various capacities helping to build our infrastructure for the future, five of which are focused on sales. In addition, we have established a strong advisory board with appointment of industry experts, Mr. Bill Cook - our AG expert ( https://agmaxx.com ) and Mr. Joel Cape - our legal and AG transactional expert ( https://capefirm.com ), as our initial members. Story continues 3. The company continues to build key partnerships. We have established supply relationships with five manufacturers and currently have over 40 products for sale through our channels. In addition, we have relationships with extraction facilities in Oklahoma and Colorado and continue to look for new opportunities in the Midwest. 4. We are currently rolling out our full-scale sales initiatives in Kansas, Missouri and Texas. Our initial product launch includes general wellness (CBD and CBG), health and beauty products and vape products. Our feet on the ground sales strategy is beginning to take shape. 5. The company is near completion of our online sales store to include the ability to offer bulk, wholesale and retail products through our single site. This robust platform will provide efficient distribution capability from a single site. Anticipated launch coming over the next month ( https://greenglobeintl.com ). We continue to expand our social media footprint as we connect with shareholders and investors as well as retail consumers and hemp enthusiasts to network our company into the future. 6. We are collaborating with local farmers on a Hemp research program in Kansas to provide information on seed genetics, SOP for grow operations, yield enhancements, growing conditions and sales and market intelligence. This initiative will provide future revenue streams from Biomass sales as well as collaboration and training programs for farmers. Our consortium member has filed an application for a growers license and we anticipate approval to commence growing Hemp in the next month. 7. The Company continues to evaluate revenue producing acquisition candidates and opportunities for partnerships or joint ventures in the hemp space as there are numerous opportunities for us to acquire businesses in line with our goals to expand into a full-scale vertically integrated cannabis company. We will be selective about these opportunities to insure economic value add to our shareholders. We have been very busy building the foundation to support scalable growth and are poised to take advantage of the multitude of business opportunities in this potential $20 Billion industry. We are working hard every day to bring value to shareholders and are beginning to build momentum in the marketplace We want to thank all of our investors for being a part of the continued growth of the company, Mr. Elafros concluded. Also look for the interview with Bill Cook on his Ag Disclosure YouTube channel - Link will be posted on our social media. Investors are encouraged to follow Green Globe using: Twitter: https://twitter.com/GreenglobeGGII Company Website: https://greenglobeintl.com Company email: info@greenglobeintl.com Certain members of the media lost their objectivity and their minds during the course of the special counsel investigation, and now they can extinguish their hair-on-fire with endless tears that the final report didn't include instructions to cart off the president and his spawn to federal prison or gitmo. Robert Mueller has been pretty tight lipped over the course of his 22 month probe, which has led wishful leftists to conclude this canary eater was so full of ammunition his mere existence proved such a threat to the presidency he needed bi-cameral, bi-partisan legislation to shield him from imminent termination. Oddly enough that never happened, nor did the report strike the fatal, impeachable blow the sour grapes crowd cravenly craved. ABC's Brian Ross set off a trend worse than nursing shoes as street wear back in december 2016 when he published a claim Michael Flynn was directed by candidate Trump to cozy up with the Russians. It was a single source anonymous tip, and it was wrong and his butt was suspended. Anthony Scaramucci was falsely accused by CNN of being investigated for some pre-inaugural snuggling with a Russian banker, and of course that was retracted and the writers resigned after running with the optimistic play from, again, an unnamed single source. I'm pretty sure wishful thinking is not a course traditionally taught in journalism school, but it fueled too much of the Russia investigation coverage from May 2017 to the present. Even the tight lipped Mueller brigade had to issue a terse buzzfeed smackdown when the master clickbaitors claimed the president instructed his thick headed attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress in 2017. So now what? It depends who you ask, but the "journalists" who so desperately needed this to be the deathknell are throwing around phrases like "this is only the beginning" and "it feels like the seeds of a cover up are here!" that's on you Joy Reid, and I think you might need to cover up your naked hostility and come to grips with the fact this brand of delusion will not aid impeachment and undo the election making room for Queen Hillary, but it's actually *helping* the president. Story continues Lefty journos: you blew it! Peter Strzok was right all along when he texted his side piece Lisa Page just two days after Mueller was appointed Special Counsel, "there's no big there there." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP Because the Mueller Report is here and so far there's nothing there. Let's stick to facts and ideas, because the truth is your strange fiction didn't stick. Related Articles Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi reacts after winning the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai (Picture: AP) A maths and physics teacher from Kenya who gives most of his salary to poorer pupils has won a $1 million (760,000) prize for the worlds best teacher. Peter Tabichi, a teacher at Keriko Secondary School, was awarded the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize at a ceremony in Dubai. The event was hosted by Hollywood star Hugh Jackman, who performed songs from his film The Greatest Showman. Mr Tabichi is a member of the Franciscan religious order and gives away 80% of his pay to support pupils who otherwise could not afford books or uniforms. Mr Tabichi, right, was presented with the award by actor Hugh Jackman (Picture: AP) The nine other finalists, including Britains Andrew Moffat, from Parkfield Community School in Birmingham, rushed on to the stage to embrace and congratulate their colleague. Mr Tabichi said: Every day in Africa, we turn a new page and a new chapter. Read more Who will be the next PM? These are the favourites to replace Theresa May Shopworker stabbed to death as six people knifed overnight across London Miracle postman died for 21 minutes and came back to life on his way to the morgue Today is another day. This prize does not recognise me but recognises this great continents young people. I am only here because of what my students have achieved. This prize gives them a chance. It tells the world that they can do anything. Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi donates 80% of his salary to his pupils (Picture: AP) Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi, centre, actor Hugh Jackman, left, and Dubai crown prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, right, at the ceremony (Picture: AP) Part of the ceremony, which was also attended by the Earl of Wessex, included a video message from Andrew Lloyd Webber, who paid tribute to teachers all over the world and emphasised the importance of music education. Lord Lloyd-Webber said: Teachers deserve far more praise than they often receive. Today, as I fear we all know, education is under threat all over the world from funding shortages, lack of resources, and importantly, too few teachers. This is particularly true in the case of music education, where many young people lack access to instruments, tuition and opportunities to perform. The award marked the end of the annual Global Education and Skills Forum. Could there be life under the ice? (Getty) NASA is to launch a tiny spacecraft towards one of the more mysterious objects in our solar system a moon of Neptune which might be able to host life. NASA researchers believe that Triton may have liquid oceans benath its icy surface, kept liquid by ammonia in the water. NASA researchers at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas revealed a plan to launch a small spacecraft towards the moon. The moon was glimpsed by NASAs Voyager 2 in 1989, which captured images which led scientists to believe there might be liquid water beneath the surface. Neptunes moon Triton was the last stop on Voyager 2s tour of the outer planets (Getty) The time is now to do this mission, Louise Prockter, director of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. Read more Who will be the next PM? These are the favourites to replace Theresa May Shopworker stabbed to death as six people knifed overnight across London Miracle postman died for 21 minutes and came back to life on his way to the morgue The time is now to do it at a low cost. And we will investigate whether it is a habitable world, which is of huge importance. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK (Bloomberg) -- Nintendo Co. rose the most in almost eight months after the Wall Street Journal reported the company plans to introduce two new Switch console models as early as this summer. The shares climbed as much as 6.8 percent to 32,520 yen in Tokyo on Tuesday, the most on an intraday basis since Aug. 1. One of the models will have enhanced features to cater to avid gamers, while the other version is expected to be a cheaper alternative for casual players, the Journal reported, citing unidentified Nintendo parts suppliers and software developers. In January, Nintendo cut its forecast for Switch shipments to 17 million units in the fiscal year through March, down from an earlier projection of 20 million. The Kyoto-based company needs hit games that appeal to more consumers beyond its most loyal customers. In an interview that took place before Christmas and was published in January, the Sankei newspaper cited President Shuntaro Furukawa saying the company is not considering a price cut or a new model. If the article is accurate, this would support our forecast of virtually flat year-on-year Switch sales next fiscal year, Masahiro Ono and Yui Yasumoto, analysts at Morgan Stanley MUFG, wrote in a research note after the story. The appearance of a lower-price model could also drive demand for a wider range of software. The new models may be launched at the E3 2019 video game expo in Los Angeles in June, with a wider release possible months later, the Journal said, citing one person familiar with the plans. Unit sales will range between 17 million and 18 million units this fiscal year and 15 to 17 million the following year, the Morgan Stanley MUFG analysts forecast. (Updates with analysts comments from fourth paragraph.) --With assistance from . To contact the reporter on this story: Pavel Alpeyev in Tokyo at palpeyev@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Edwin Chan at echan273@bloomberg.net, Robert Fenner For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. (Bloomberg) -- Norway is facing a tough political decision on who should be allowed to build out its next-generation telecommunications network amid a push by the the U.S. to shut out Chinas Huawei Technologies Co. In an interview on Friday, Norways new digitization minister, Nikolai Astrup, said the decision isnt black and white. Norway is looking over the compliance with its security laws ahead of a pending tender where suppliers such as Ericsson AB and Huawei are set to compete in the roll-out of the 5G networks. Norways Telenor ASA has used Huawei technology in its 4G network, and so far there are no security issues, according to the minister. We have no indication that the security in the network is not good today, Astrup said on Friday in an interview at his office. We have a close dialog with the companies, and there are no indication of this. Astrup declined to give a timing on his decision, saying he hopes to make one before next years 5G roll-out. Obviously, there is a major political dimension here, but my task must be to pay attention to what I will contribute to solve, to combine security and a rapid roll-out of 5G, he said. The U.S. administration of President Donald Trump has been pushing its allies to bar Chinas Huawei from their telecom networks. So far, not a single European country has banned the company, which has repeatedly denied its a security threat. But Norways own security service has also warned against Huawei. Astrup is focused on the risk of having just one supplier providing the technology for what are critical data networks. Testing equipment from several providers and ensuring they can communicate with each other is now a priority. If the operators choose an approach of vendor diversity, then national dependency on one vendor would be reduced, he said. Hanne Tangen Nilsen, chief security officer at Telenor ASA, said in an email that they have a good dialog with the Norwegian authorities about the security in the infrastructure. She also said that they havent yet set a date for when they will chose suppliers, but that they are currently running 5G pilots with Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia in Norway and Denmark through 2019. Story continues According to Astrup the next generation network will be crucial for the nations petroleum and fisheries industries to become even more productive. But a higher degree of digitization also brings with it a greater risk of cyber crime, as seen last week when Norways aluminum maker Norsk Hydro ASA was hit by a ransomware attack that forced it shut parts of its production. Theres no doubt that the more we do digital, the more vulnerable we become, Astrup said. All it takes is a small back door, a tiny security hole that is needed before unauthorized persons can access information. (Adds comment from Telenor in 10th.) To contact the reporter on this story: Sveinung Sleire in Oslo at ssleire1@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jonas Bergman at jbergman@bloomberg.net, Kim Robert McLaughlin For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. Epitaph Records Bad Religion has released a new song called "Do the Paranoid Style," which will appear on the punk band's upcoming album, Age of Unreason. The track, available now for digital download, is a 105-second ripper inspired by a 1964 essay titled "The Paranoid Style in American Politics," written by historian Richard Hofstadter. "When fringe groups blame shadowy forces for their problems, it is, at worst, delusional," guitarist Brett Gurewitz says of the message behind the song. "But when those holding the levers of power do the same thing, it's not delusion, it's a method of de-legitimizing the opposition. It's a tool of authoritarianism." Age of Unreason, the follow-up to 2013's True North, is due out May 3. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. By Barani Krishnan Investing.com - The lights have gone out in Caracas again, just as U.S. oil tank readings are expected to have dipped for a third week in a row, to OPEC's joy. WTI settled up $1.12, or 1.9%, at $59.94, after a session peak at $60.37. That was just shy of last week's 2019 high of $60.39 for the U.S. crude benchmark. London-traded Brent, the global oil benchmark, rose 59 cents, or 0.9%, to $67.40 by 2:53 PM ET (18:53 GMT). New York-traded West Texas Intermediate came close to matching that four-month high after Venezuela's second major blackout this month left the South American nation's streets and oil industry in darkness, worsening the crisis for embattled President Nicholas Maduro, whom the U.S. and some 50 other countries are seeking to replace. Sulfur-laden Venezuelan oil is precious to U.S. refiners of diesel and heavy transport fuels, and they may not be able to get a barrel of it anymore due to Trump administration sanctions aimed at ensuring Maduro's government doesn't enjoy a cent of its petroleum revenue from the United States. Those sanctions and others on Iranian oil, combined with OPEC cuts, are expected to have resulted in a third-straight week of U.S. crude stockpile declines last week. With the American Petroleum Institute due to release at 4:30 PM ET a snapshot on what official inventory figures for last week could have been, attention has turned again to the tight supply situation in the market. Analysts expect the U.S. Energy Information Administration to announce on Wednesday an official decline of a little more than 1 million barrels in crude stockpiles for the week ended March 22 and will be perusing the API report for how close they might be with that estimate. Figures released from the two often diverge, last week being the perfect example. The API, which collates its number from voluntary reporting by industry participants, cited a draw of a little more than 2 million barrels. The EIA, which requires mandatory reporting by all in the industry, ultimately reported a drawdown of nearly 10 million barrels. Story continues Even if Wednesday's dataset shows a lower drop than forecast, a third-straight week of declines totaling more than 13 million barrels could immediately strengthen the tight supply narrative forced by the Venezuela/Iran sanctions and production cuts by OPEC, Russia and their allies under the enlarged OPEC+ pact. That, combined with flat interest rates from the Federal Reserve and a drop in U.S. oil drilling activity, has pushed crude prices up as much as 30% this year. But once Wednesday comes and goes, economic worries and how those influence oil demand might matter even more. "We are likely to see further consolidation and sideways trading in oil for a while unless demand concerns deepen further, especially from places like China and other emerging market economies," said Fawad Razaqzada, technical analyst at forex.com, who says last week's 2019 high of $60.37 must be decisively broken for oil bulls to progress. The Saudis, however, aspire for at least $70 Brent and an ideal price of $80-$85, which may be difficult to achieve given the current economic backdrop. "Brent is short-term bullish at around $65," said Matthew Tuttle, founder of Riverside, Conn.-based Tuttle Tactical Management, which has some $600 million in assets. "Anything more will depend on how dovish the Fed acts." Related Articles U.S., China resume trade talks in Beijing after 'productive working dinner' Oil prices rise amid OPEC's ongoing supply cuts, U.S. sanctions Carlyle takes step forward on $1 billion U.S. oil-export project Investing.com - Oil prices were higher on Tuesday, bouncing back from three sessions of declines triggered by pessimism around global growth, as investors shifted their focus back to OPEC supply cuts and expectations of lower U.S. inventories. It appears that concerns about demand have taken something of a back seat, Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) analyst Carsten Fritsch said. Instead, market participants are focusing on the tight supply situation again. OPEC, which together with some non-affiliated producers like Russia, known as 'OPEC+', agreed late last year to reduce output by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) to remove a glut and prop up prices. Further price support came from another power cut in Venezuela, the second to hit the OPEC nation this month, which further dented its ability to export. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures jumped $1.35, or around 2.3%, to $60.19 a barrel by 8:40AM ET (12:40 GMT), within sight of a four-month peak of $60.39 reached last week. Elsewhere, Brent oil rose 86 cents, or about 1.3%, to $67.67 a barrel. Oil prices had been hammered on Friday as part of a general sell-off in global markets on concerns about slowing global growth. While the economic data hasn't improved since then, the market seems at least to have absorbed the shock. Market players are now looking ahead to the release of fresh weekly data on U.S. commercial crude inventories. The American Petroleum Institute is due to release its weekly report for the week ended March 22 at 4:30PM ET (20:30 GMT), amid expectations of a decline of about 2.4 million barrels. The U.S. Energy Information Administration's weekly report will be released on Wednesday. In other energy trading, gasoline futures gained 1.2% to $1.913 a gallon, while heating oil ticked up 0.8% at $1.997 a gallon. Natural gas futures dipped 0.3% to $2.764 per million British thermal units. -- Reuters contributed to this report Related Articles U.S., China resume trade talks in Beijing after 'productive working dinner' Oil prices rise amid OPEC's ongoing supply cuts, U.S. sanctions Carlyle takes step forward on $1 billion U.S. oil-export project (Bloomberg) -- Oracle Corp. will dismiss several hundred workers in May as the worlds second-largest software maker tries to rejigger its faltering cloud-computing strategy. The database giant plans to cut 352 people on May 21, according to a notice filed last week with the state of California. The staff reductions include 255 people at its Redwood City, California, headquarters and 97 people in Santa Clara, California. While the announced cutbacks represent a small number of people for a company with 137,000 employees as of May 31, they include people who worked in Oracles infrastructure cloud units that were meant to help spur growth, according to news reports. Business Insider reported last week that the company also had eliminated an unspecified number of jobs outside of California over the past week. The software maker has struggled to increase revenue amid a transition to internet-based programs and services. As our cloud business grows, we will continually balance our resources and restructure our development group to help ensure we have the right people delivering the best cloud products to our customers around the world, Oracle spokeswoman Deborah Hellinger said in a statement. To contact the reporter on this story: Nico Grant in San Francisco at ngrant20@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Andrew Pollack, Emily Biuso For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. SALT LAKE CITY, March 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Overstock.com, Inc. (OSTK), a tech-driven online retailer and advancer of blockchain technology, announces that its 2019 annual meeting of stockholders will be held at 1:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) on May 9, 2019 at its corporate offices located at 799 W. Coliseum Way, Midvale, Utah. Holders of record at the close of business on March 12, 2019 will be entitled to vote at the meeting. The Company intends to webcast the meeting and will announce the webcast details closer to the date of the meeting. About Overstock.com Overstock.com, Inc Common Shares (OSTK) / Series A Preferred (Medici Ventures tZERO platform: OSTKP) / Series B Preferred (OSTBP) is an online retailer and technology company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Its leading e-commerce website sells a broad range of new products at low prices, including furniture , decor , rugs , bedding , home improvement , and more. The online shopping site, which is visited by nearly 40 million customers a month, also features a marketplace providing customers access to millions of products from third-party sellers. Overstock was the first major retailer to accept cryptocurrency in 2014, and in the same year founded Medici Ventures, its wholly-owned subsidiary developing and accelerating blockchain technologies to democratize capital, eliminate middlemen, and re-humanize commerce. Overstock regularly posts information about the company and other related matters on the Newsroom and Investor Relations pages on its website, Overstock.com . O, Overstock.com, O.com, Club O, Main Street Revolution, and Worldstock are registered trademarks of Overstock.com, Inc. O.biz and Space Shift are also trademarks of Overstock.com, Inc. Other service marks, trademarks and trade names which may be referred to herein are the property of their respective owners. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements include all statements other than statements of historical fact. Additional information regarding factors that could materially affect results and the accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained herein may be found in the Company's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2018, which was filed with the SEC on March 18, 2019, and any subsequent filings with the SEC. Story continues SOURCE: Overstock.com, Inc. Public Relations: pr@overstock.com Investor Relations: ir@overstock.com New legislation banning smacking is being considered in Wales [Photo: Getty] Parents could be banned from smacking their children under legislation being introduced today by the Welsh government. Ministers in Cardiff are hoping Wales will become the first country in the UK to stop fathers, mothers and other adults acting in a parental capacity from physically punishing their children. If passed by the assembly, it will be made law and children will have the same protection from physical punishment as adults. Under current laws, parents cannot be criminally convicted for smacking their children as long as the punishment is considered to be reasonable. But the new proposals would see this defence removed. The Welsh government insisted parents and guardians would still be able to raise children effectively, claiming the proposed law would not stop them from grabbing a child about to step out into a busy road, or brushing a youngsters hair against his or her will. Julie Morgan, the deputy minister for health and social services, said: We are sending a clear message that the physical punishment of children is not acceptable in Wales. What may have been deemed as appropriate in the past is no longer acceptable. Our children must feel safe and be treated with dignity. READ MORE: Number of parents fined for taking children on term time holidays doubles in a year The Government-led bill is being supported by a number of organisations including the NSPCC, Barnardos and Action for Children, and comes as a private members bill in Scotland is currently being considered by MSPs which would remove the defence of justifiable assault in Scots law. But the campaign group Be Reasonable, backed by The Christian Institute and The Family Education Trust, argued the move would criminalise ordinary parents. Spokeswoman Lowri Turner said: It is disappointing that the Welsh Government has decided to press on with this unnecessary piece of legislation that will do nothing to protect children, but will criminalise loving parents. Story continues As we have seen from a slew of Freedom of Information requests, parents suspected of smacking face suspension, investigation by the police and social services, and prosecution. Research published last year found 81% of parents of young children in Wales disagreed that it is sometimes necessary to smack a naughty child. Meanwhile, the Parental Attitudes Towards Managing Young Childrens Behaviour 2017 survey found only 11% of parents with young children reported they had smacked their children in the last six months. The bill will now be scrutinised by AMs, with Welsh Government sources confident it will be passed by the National Assembly and brought into law after achieving Royal Assent by Spring 2020. Welcoming the announcement, Sally Holland, childrens commissioner for Wales, said: Theres nothing reasonable about physically punishing a child. This bill sends a clear signal that Wales is a country which protects children; a country which will afford children equal protection from physical punishment as adults; a country which promotes childrens rights. Viv Laing, head of policy at NSPCC Cymru, said: Its wrong that children in Wales have less protection from assault and that a legal defence which does not exist when an adult is hit can be used to justify striking a child. Which other countries have banned smacking? Wales would join the 54 countries around the world which have already banned the physical punishment of children. Sweden was the first to do so back in 1979, and is now joined by including Greece, Latvia, Albania, DR Congo and Kenya. In the UK, US and Australia reasonable chastisement is still allowed. Viv Laing, head of policy at NSPCC Cymru, said: Its wrong that children in Wales have less protection from assault and that a legal defence which does not exist when an adult is hit can be used to justify striking a child. We have long campaigned for equal protection for children and we strongly believe a change in the law is a common-sense move. Closing this loophole brings Wales in line with dozens of countries across the world and is simply about fairness and equality for our children. READ MORE: What is snowplough parenting? Professor Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: When a parent raises a hand to a defenceless child, whether thats a smack, slap or another physically harmful behaviour, they have lost control. Research tells us that children who are physically punished are more likely to have poorer mental health and physical well-being and when they grow up, are more likely to engage in self-destructive or antisocial behaviour. Hurting a child isnt acceptable and it is a form of child abuse. Back in 2017 a university lecturer spoke out about her desire to see smacking made illegal. Felicity Gerry, a law lecturer at Charles Darwin University in Australia believes spanking, hitting or smacking a child should be outlawed. Slapping, spanking, smacking and hitting a child with a wooden paddle are forms of violence that would amount to assault if applied to an adult, she told The Daily Telegraph. Her comments come after last year it was revealed that smacking children in the UK could be banned if a UN inquiry ruled in favour of making the parenting practice illegal. Additional reporting by PA. By Mike Stone WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As the U.S. further pushes to separate itself from Chinese telecommunications equipment maker Huawei Technologies, the Pentagon is laying the groundwork to use technology from rivals Nokia and Ericsson in its 5G development plans, a Pentagon official said on Monday. "I am not sure we are going to have a total U.S. solution," Ellen Lord, the Department of Defense's under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment said. "We are talking to Ericsson, we are talking to Nokia quite a bit." Simultaneously, the U.S. is laying the groundwork to develop its own technology to support 5G enabled communications, said Lord, who is the Pentagon's chief weapon's buyer. The United States has lobbied Europe to shut out Huawei, saying its equipment could be used by the Chinese government for espionage. But the European Commission is expected to ignore U.S. calls to ban Huawei Technologies. Huawei has strongly rejected the allegations and earlier this month sued the U.S. government over the issue. At the same time, Lord said that military to military discussions about future 5G networks were going well for the United States. On the military side, "there is actually a huge dialog going on about what is the path forward," Lord said. "We have frankly seen a lot of our European allies leaning forward to work with us on that." (Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington, D.C.; Editing by Chris Reese) March 25, 2019 Amsterdam, the Netherlands Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) today convenes the 2019 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM) and publishes the agenda with explanatory notes. The agenda includes proposals to re-appoint Frans van Houten as President/CEO and member of the Board of Management, and Abhijit Bhattacharya as member of the Board of Management fulfilling the role of CFO. The AGM agenda also includes proposals to re-appoint David Pyott as a member of the Supervisory Board with immediate effect, and to appoint Elizabeth Doherty as a member of the Supervisory Board per August 1, 2019. Ms Doherty is a senior finance executive with 30 years of international finance experience in large multi-national organizations across a range of industries. She has extensive operational experience in international consumer and retail businesses, specifically with branding, marketing and online sales. Her expertise will be invaluable in view of Philips transformation into a customer-centric solutions company focused on health technology across the personal health and professional healthcare domains. As previously reported, Heino von Prondzynski, whose third term will expire at the end of the AGM 2019, and Jackson Tai, whose second term will expire, will step down as members of the Supervisory Board. Furthermore, the agenda includes the proposal to re-appoint Ernst & Young Accountants LLP as the external auditor of Philips. The AGM will be held at the Hotel Okura Amsterdam (Ferdinand Bolstraat 333, Amsterdam) on Thursday May 9, 2019, beginning at 14:00 hours CET. Click here to view the complete agenda with explanatory notes, the Annual Report 2018 (which was published on February 26, 2019), the binding nominations, as well as all other documents related to the AGM, including the new services agreements between the company and each of Mr Van Houten and Mr Bhattacharya. For further information, please contact: Steve Klink Philips Group Press Office Tel.: +31 6 10888824 E-mail: steve.klink@philips.com Story continues Ksenija Gonciarenko Philips Investor Relations Tel.: +31 20 59 77055 E-mail: ksenija.gonciarenko@philips.com Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib; AIPAC 2019. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: AP (3), Michael Brochstein/Zuma Wire) WASHINGTON The first evening of the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, was punctuated by a rousing address from House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., who like several other speakers sharply criticized the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. There are 62 new Democratic freshmen in the House, Hoyer said at one point during his Sunday-evening speech. Not three. The crowd, which was said to be 18,000 people in size, cheered for what was an unmistakable reference to new House members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and, in particular, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. All three have been, to varying degrees, charged with hostility to Israel, with Omar accused of outright anti-Semitism. Hoyer seemed to indicate that while Israels traditional enemies, such as Syria and Iran, remain as determined as ever, it is the rising antipathy toward Israel expressed through the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement that is the bigger threat. BDS, which seeks to curb Israels economic might, has found support on college campuses, as well as from celebrities such as Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters. AIPAC, which will feature speakers including Vice President Mike Pence, has skewed increasingly right in recent years, and most major Democratic nominees for president decided to stay away this year. In perhaps another sign of this rightward drift, this years meeting identified a new enemy: socialism. Or, rather, the progressivism that is increasingly popular in the Democratic Party. That progressivism has embraced BDS, having come to view Israel as an oppressive power and the Palestinians as a nonwhite minority whose experience is not dissimilar from that of American people of color. In a show of protest on Sunday evening, anti-Israel protesters projected messages onto the facade of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, where the AIPAC convention was held. Stop Killing Palestinian Children, one message said, an apparent reference to Israeli military incursions into the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Stop U.S. Aid for Israels Crimes, said another. Story continues Protest messages on the facade of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, during AIPAC in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Alexander Nazaryan/Yahoo News) Inside the cavernous convention hall, the mood was just as pugnacious. Vowing to defeat BDS, Hoyer declared the movement anti-American, though he did not explain why this was so. Hoyers message matched the theme of this years AIPAC conference which is Together for Good. The implication was clear: Insult Israel and you insult the United States. I stand with Israel, proudly and unapologetically, said Hoyer who is not Jewish with audible emotion in his voice. So, when someone accuses American supporters of Israel of dual loyalty, I say: Accuse me. Later, attendees said Hoyers message resonated. Allan Kaplan, an investor from San Francisco, said that socialism was being used as another way to promote an anti-Semitic approach to politics. It doesnt really have anything to do with socialism. Its just an old canard in a new skin. Yehudit Barsky, who works for the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism in New York City, pointed out that Israel has a rich history of socialism, perhaps best reflected in the farm collectives known as kibbutzism. She hoped that more education would wean the new House members off their suspicion of the Jewish State. Despite AIPACs rightward shift, there were still Democrats in the audience, including Miami University of Ohio student Daveed Abrams. He was hopeful and forgiving. I think that besides the anti-Semitic comments Ilhan Omar made, she has a lot of potential. I think that shes willing to fight for peoples rights, he said, adding that it was acceptable to criticize Israel, though not to do so in plainly anti-Semitic fashion. None of the evenings main speakers mentioned Omar or her House peers by name. They didnt have to, given the immense attention she has attracted. Allusion, if not subtlety, sufficed. Americans dont support Israel because AIPAC is influential, said Meghan McCain, a conservative commentator who is the daughter of the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. AIPAC is influential because Americans support Israel. She also made reference to Israels detractors in the halls of Congress, as former Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn. the first Jewish American on a major party presidential ticket and a close friend of McCains father stood next to her. Inside the Walter E. Washington Convention Center during AIPAC. (Photo: Alexander Nazaryan/Yahoo News) Ron Dermer, the former Israeli ambassador to the United States, went so far as to suggest that Israel might enact a boycott of its own by refusing to trade with certain countries. He asked the audience to imagine a world without mobile phones or certain medications, a reference to Israels vaunted digital technology and biomedical sectors. This may seem far-fetched, but things can change quickly, noted Joan Ryan, a member of Parliament in the United Kingdom. Ryan was one of several members of Parliament to recently quit the Labour Party, which is broadly the equivalent of the Democratic Party in the United States, over frustration with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has stood accused of both harboring personal anti-Semitic beliefs and permitting such beliefs to fester within Labour. Im proud to be a Zionist, said Ryan, who is also not Jewish. She told her fellow supporters of Israel that it was imperative to "stay on our guard" and "stand our ground." Outside the convention center, protester Rich Siegel, who had come from New Jersey, was standing his ground too, as hundreds of AIPAC attendees streamed past him. Siegel stood amid them, holding a Palestinian flag and a sign that said, When do we Jews notice that Israel is a terrorist state? Siegel said that he had been completely indoctrinated into the cult of Zionism as a youth, going so far as to live and work in Israel, only to become disillusioned in his middle years. He accused Israel of ethnic cleansing and said he felt a moral obligation to protest AIPAC. Siegel added that he was glad that, given the unambiguously critical message on his placard, nobody had physically attacked him. Theyll just walk by, he said, and call me a schmuck. Protester Rich Siegel outside AIPAC. (Photo: Alexander Nazaryan/Yahoo News) _____ Read more from Yahoo News: By Hayoung Choi and Hyunjoo Jin SEOUL (Reuters) - Asiana Airlines revised its accounts and said its annual loss widened after auditors raised doubts about the financial statements of South Korea's second-biggest carrier, sending its shares tumbling almost 18 percent on Tuesday. Asiana Airlines said it has got its auditor to sign off on its 2018 financial statements after reflecting provisions related to maintenance of leased aircraft and others, which increased costs. The company revised down its 2018 operating profit to 28.2 billion won ($24.92 million) from 88.7 billion won, while its net loss increased to 196 billion won from 105 billion won. The airline also said its debt was more than six times its equity. Asiana's auditor Samil PwC had previously said it could not complete its audit because it had not been provided with enough information to evaluate the airline's provisional debt related to maintenance of leased aircraft, as well as the fair value of stakes in affiliates bought in 2018. The move prompted two South Korean credit rating agencies to warn they may cut ratings for the airline to junk status. Asiana, part of South Korea's Kumho Asiana Group conglomerate, has sold assets to improve cash flow and reduce debt from aircraft purchases, as it battles rising fuel costs and competition from low-cost carriers. The accounts revision, mounting debt and possible credit ratings downgrades have raised investor concerns over Asiana's liquidity position. Asiana will have to repay around 1 trillion won in debt this year, said Lee Han-joon, an analyst at KTB Investment and Securities. If its credit rating is cut, the company will face a call to pay back some of its debt earlier, he said. "As doubts grow over the company's capacity to issue asset-backed securities, which has been its last resort to raise funds, Asiana could face a liquidity crisis. Further, it's unclear if it has more assets to sell," Lee said. Nice Investors Service, one of the two credit ratings agencies that warned on Asiana's ratings, said it is not planning to adjust the ratings within this week, while the other, Korea Investors Service, was not immediately available for comment. Story continues Shares of Asiana fell to as low as 3,335 won on Tuesday, before closing at 3,435 won, down 15 percent. That was their sharpest one-day fall ever. Asiana's biggest shareholder, Kumho Industrial, slumped as much as 28.3 percent. Trading in Asiana and Kumho resumed on Tuesday after being suspended for two days by the Korea Exchange as auditors had issued qualified opinions on the financial statements of both companies. "We vow to recover trust from investors and financial organisations by adopting strict accounting standards," Asiana said in a statement on Tuesday. ($1 = 1,131.5800 won) (Reporting by Hayoung Choi, Heekyong Yang and Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Stephen Coates and Muralikumar Anantharaman) Old Man Winter isn't done with the West this week. Snow has already been falling today in northern California, across the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada, as well as in the Cascades of Oregon. Much more is expected in the next few days, adding to the massive heaps of snow at the ski resorts, but making trouble for drivers. Here and Now Short-term snowfall outlook, Monday through Tuesday morning, March 26. (Source: NOAA) Short-term snowfall outlook, Monday through Tuesday morning, March 26. (Source: NOAA) The first of two cold fronts this week is hitting the West Coast right now, producing heavy snow mainly in California through Tuesday morning. It will likely dump totals of 12 to 24 inches above 5,000 feet in elevation (with locally higher amounts) from western Plumas County to Lassen Volcanic National Park. Snowfall accumulations of an inch or two are possible down to 4,000 feet. Some parts of Siskiyou County, above 4,000 feet, could see up to 16 inches of fresh snow, while lower slopes below 4,000 will likely receive two to six inches. Wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph will make travel even tougher, particularly through the following areas: Highway 89 at Snowmans Summit Mount Shasta Ski Park Highway Black Butte Summit on I-5 Mount Shasta City US-97 around Tennant Sawyers Bar Road near Etna Summit Snow will spread eastward later today and tonight across the west slope of the northern Sierra Nevada, where accumulations of four to eight inches will be common, with pockets of up to 12 inches. Typical trouble spots will be US-50 over Echo Summit, as well as I-80 over Donner Pass. Several inches of snow will cover roads, including CA-70 and CA-89, in eastern Plumas County and eastern Sierra County. Looking Ahead Snow will keep coming down Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday night in the northern Sierra Nevada as a second cold front comes in right behind the first one. However, snow will also develop in the southern part of the mountain range, leading to potential road closures. In Eastern Plumas and Sierra counties, look for additional snow accumulations of 10 to 20 inches west of US-395, and four to eight inches above 5,000 feet elsewhere. Lighter amounts up to two inches are possible down to valley floors by Wednesday evening. Winds gusts will reach 50 mph on the highest peaks. Story continues Other areas in the target zone are from Yosemite to Kings Canyon National Park, including Camp Nelson and the Tulare County Mountains. Total snow accumulations of 12 to 24 inches are a good bet above 5,000 feet, with isolated spots of up to 36 inches possible along the crest. Powerful gusts could reach 65 mph on exposed ridgetops and near the crest. Mono County, including Mammoth Lakes and Mammoth Mountain, could get slammed with eight to 16 inches of snow, and up to 22 inches along the crest. Dangerous winds could gust as high as 80 mph across Sierra ridges, and up to 40 mph in valley locations. Mammoth Mountain has already received an incredible 54 feet of snow this winter, and other resorts in the region are having stellar seasons, too. Weather Nation.PNG Various winter weather alerts have been issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) for eastern California, and more may be added later today or tonight. Updates can be found on this interactive map, and check chain laws here for the latest updates on winter driving. Look for more weather updates throughout the week on the FreightWaves website. Image sourced from Pixabay Want more content like this? Click here to Subscribe Permalink See more from Benzinga 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. (Bloomberg) -- With Paris simultaneously playing host to Chinas president Xi Jinping and a Huawei Technologies Co. launch event, international onlookers mightve expected cybersecurity concerns to be a talking point this week. But its not. French President Emmanuel Macron and his advisers avoided any public discussion of contentious issues at a Tuesday morning event to mark the state visit, while Huawei focused on promoting its consumer brand by unveiling the P30 smartphone line in front of some 1,500 people in the French capital. I dont believe in in the efficiency of confrontational postures, but in a demanding spirit of cooperation, Macron said at the state visit event, standing next to Xi, under the glass ceiling of the Elysee presidential palace reception hall. Europe is trying to build a coherent strategy with China, he said, adding that we give ourselves the means to be sovereign, like China has always done, with no discrimination on foreign investments, which are welcome in France like in Europe. The atmosphere in Paris is the latest demonstration of Europe de-escalating whats been a tense few months of U.S.-led anti-China tech sentiment, centering around Huawei. As part of Xis visit, Macron invited German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to join the state visit on Tuesday morning. Read more about how Trumps effort to persuade others to exclude Huawei isnt going entirely to plan Macrons words reflected Frances ongoing strategy to stealthily safeguard its communications networks while avoiding explicit conflict. The country is planning to pass a new bill in Parliament next month to strengthen security requirements for suppliers of future 5G mobile networks. But the public tone from government officials, as well as telecom executives, has grown more conciliatory. Huawei is also keen to focus on what it sells, rather than defending against allegations of enabling spying. Executives in Paris this week steered clear of security talk to instead discourse at length about what colors its new P30 smartphone will be available in, the quality of its four cameras, and its new speaker technology that makes it harder for calls to be eavesdropped in public places. Story continues Its unveiling comes about a month after the company revealed the expensive MateX -- a model that unfolds to become a small tablet computer, and supports next-generation 5G wireless technology. Peter Gauden, product marketing manager at Huawei, told reporters at an event ahead of the Paris launch that the company wasnt worried that consumers would want to wait for the more cutting-edge folding device. Its a completely different audience, he said. --With assistance from Nate Lanxon. To contact the reporters on this story: Marie Mawad in Paris at mmawad1@bloomberg.net;Helene Fouquet in Paris at hfouquet1@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Giles Turner at gturner35@bloomberg.net, Nate Lanxon For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. JERUSALEM (AP) The Israeli army on Tuesday bombed several targets in the Gaza Strip and bolstered its forces along the volatile frontier as a truce with the territory's Hamas rulers showed signs of unraveling. Palestinian militants responded with a new barrage of late-night rocket fire, setting the stage for a fresh round of fighting less than two weeks before Israel holds national elections. The violence is likely to become a major theme in the final stretch of a tight re-election campaign for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu cut short a visit to the U.S. and rushed back to Israel on Tuesday to deal with the crisis. After meeting with Netanyahu, Israel's military chief, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi, ordered an additional troop buildup along the border. Netanyahu had been scheduled to give a speech in Washington to the AIPAC pro-Israel lobbying group. Instead, he addressed the group by satellite, telling them that over the past 24 hours Israel had pounded militant sites in Gaza on a scale not seen since a 2014 war with Hamas. "I can tell you, we are prepared to do a lot more," he said. "We will do what is necessary to defend our people and to defend our state." Tuesday night's airstrikes came in response to a lone rocket attack. The military said it hit a Hamas military compound and a weapons manufacturing warehouse in southern Gaza. Militants responded by firing another rocket. Israel said both projectiles landed harmlessly in open areas. The sudden burst of late-night fighting ended a daylong lull that had raised hopes of a cease-fire taking hold. Israel and Hamas are bitter enemies that have fought three wars and dozens of skirmishes since the Islamic militant group seized control of Gaza in 2007. The latest round of violence was triggered by a rocket fired early Monday from Gaza that slammed into a house in central Israel and wounded seven people. Overnight, the Israeli air force pounded militant sites of Gaza's Hamas rulers and the smaller Islamic Jihad group. The targets included a multistory building in Gaza City that Israel said had served as a Hamas military intelligence headquarters and the office of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Gaza's Health Ministry said seven Palestinians were wounded. Story continues Gaza militants responded by firing dozens of rockets into southern Israel, forcing residents to spend the night in shelters and canceling school across the region. The fighting subsided by Tuesday morning. Senior Hamas official Ismail Radwan told reporters Tuesday that the militant group accepted a cease-fire plan with Israel, saying "we are committed to it" as long as Israel is. There was no immediate comment from Israel. Both Netanyahu and Hamas are in difficult situations, and neither side would seem to have an interest in a major conflagration. Netanyahu is locked in a tight race for re-election, and heavy fighting near the April 9 election could turn voters against him. Netanyahu has sought to campaign as the country's most experienced statesman and security expert. Netanyahu faced the difficult task of delivering a tough blow to Hamas while avoiding protracted fighting that could work against him on election day. He has come under heavy criticism from both allies and opponents for what they say has been a failure to contain Gaza militants. In Gaza, Hamas is facing perhaps the toughest domestic test of its 12-year reign. An Israeli-Egyptian blockade, combined with sanctions by the Palestinian Authority and mismanagement by the Hamas government, have fueled an economic crisis that has left Gaza with an unemployment rate above 50 percent. Hamas has been leading weekly protests along the Israeli perimeter fence for the past year in hopes of easing the blockade, but the demonstrations, in which some 190 people have been killed by Israeli fire, have had little effect. Last week, hundreds of Gazans trained their ire on Hamas instead as they protested the dire conditions. Hamas responded with a violent crackdown, beating and arresting dozens of demonstrators and drawing rare public criticism. The sides have conducted indirect cease-fire talks through Egyptian mediators in recent months, and Israel even allowed the delivery of millions of dollars of Qatari aid to Hamas to ease harsh conditions in the territory. Netanyahu has indicated the election would not deter him from acting. "Hamas needs to know that we will not hesitate to go in and take all necessary steps, regardless of anything, any date, other than Israel's security needs," he said after meeting Trump. Two weeks ago, rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel's densely populated commercial capital of Tel Aviv, and the Israeli military struck back hard, seemingly headed toward all-out-conflict. But Gaza's Hamas leaders said the rocket fire was accidental and the fighting quickly subsided. For Israelis living along the border who have suffered from years of rocket attacks, that is little comfort. "The Israeli government can't, under no circumstances, settle," said Haim Jellin, a Labor party candidate for parliament and a former head of the bordering Eshkol regional council. "Firing at Israeli communities that border with Gaza is the same as firing toward Tel Aviv, and it's impossible we will show restraint at the continuous firing." ___ Akram reported from Gaza City, Gaza Strip. In the United States, "Medicare-for-all" proposals are igniting debate over the future of the health insurance industry -- and that could create a wealth of investing opportunities. If you're interested in investing in this important market, it's important to understand what health insurance is and isn't, how companies target different niches within this industry, and how to analyze their financials. What is health insurance? Health insurance is insurance that provides payment for medical services, such as emergency room and doctor visits, drug prescriptions, medical equipment and devices, and medical procedures. Health insurance doesn't typically provide coverage for vision or dental care, although some plans may do so. A road stretches into the distance with the year 2019 painted on it. IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES. Health insurance is offered by private companies -- such as UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), the nation's largest private health insurer -- or through the government. Most Americans receive health insurance from private insurers via their employer. The cost of this health insurance is usually subsidized by the employer as an employee benefit. That said, some employers contribute more than others, so an employee's share of the monthly cost of employer-sponsored health insurance varies. The amount that's paid by consumers every month to health insurers is called the premium. On the government side, the two best-known health insurance programs are Medicare and Medicaid. Those programs fall under the purview of the U.S. Government's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Specifically, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency within HHS, is responsible for them. Medicare Medicare is a health insurance plan for all Americans age 65 and up, and it has four components, helpfully labeled Part A, Part B, Part C (Medicare Advantage), and Part D. Part A provides coverage for hospital care, and most people don't pay a premium for it. Part B provides coverage for non-hospital health care, such as primary- or specialty-care doctor visits. People pay a monthly premium for Part B health insurance, but it's relatively low compared with private health insurance because the government significantly subsidizes the cost. Story continues Part D plans provide prescription drug coverage. They're offered by private insurers, and they generally come with a premium. And finally, Part C -- health insurance -- is more widely known as Medicare Advantage. Medicare Advantage plans are offered by private insurers, and they usually combine Part A, Part B, and Part D coverage into one plan. Most people pay a monthly premium for Medicare Advantage, but here, too, the cost is government-subsidized, so it's relatively inexpensive compared with employer-sponsored health insurance. Additionally, private companies also offer Medigap health insurance plans that provide coverage for health-care costs (such as out-of-pocket expenses) that aren't covered by Part A or Part B. Medicaid As a government-funded health insurance program, Medicaid is administered by the individual states. Enrollment is limited to Americans who are disabled or who have a household income that's below preset maximums. Some states choose to manage their Medicaid health insurance programs directly, but many states outsource the management to private health insurance companies, such as UnitedHealth or Centene Group (NYSE: CNC). Two pairs of hands encircling a paper cut-out of a family. IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES. How the industry works Investors can't invest directly in government health insurance. But they can invest in private companies that offer health insurance, whether that's through employers or directly through health insurance exchanges (including the Affordable Care Act's marketplace). Investors can also invest in private companies that sell Medicaid Advantage plans or Part D prescription drug plans, or those that manage state Medicaid programs. Private health insurance companies choose the markets they will do business in based on their analysis of each market's pool of patients. If they choose to operate within a state, they're regulated by that state's health insurance laws. But they don't have to participate everywhere within a state. If they desire, they can offer insurance in some communities and not in others. To determine whether to participate in a market, health insurers employ actuaries. Actuaries compile and analyze data regarding the health of a population, then use this information to determine the premiums insurers must charge and the coverage restrictions they must put in place in order to be profitable. As a refresher, a deductible is the amount a patient must pay for their care before insurance coverage begins. A co-pay is a fixed amount paid by a patient in addition to the amount paid by their insurer. Co-insurance is a the percentage of the cost of health care paid by a patient. And an out-of-pocket maximum is the most a patient will pay toward their health care in a specific period. Actuaries help insurers decide how to balance the pricing of their monthly premiums, deductibles, co-pays, co-insurance, and out-of-pocket maximums in any given market. If a health insurer's actuarial analysis supports doing business in a market, then the health insurer will charge premiums to employers, employees, or individuals. Or, in the case of Medicaid or similar programs, such as the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), it will charge a per-person fee to manage a state's program. If the insurer's actuarial analysis proves incorrect, that insurer must wait until the plan is up for renewal. Then, the insurer can either withdraw from the market or increase their premiums and fees. In the case of government programs, a health insurer can opt not to rebid for the contract or can file a higher bid. Ultimately, health insurers are profitable when the premiums and fees they collect exceed the cost of the health care they provide to their members, plus their operating and non-operating expenses. Patient health care is the largest expense facing health insurers, so they negotiate with health-care providers and companies on pricing to save money. Health insurers may create "limited networks" consisting of providers and companies that have agreed to lower prices in exchange for less competition. And they may use different coverage "tiers" to encourage patients to choose lower-priced treatment options. For instance, they may offer members a lower co-pay if they choose a health-care provider from a favorable "tier." The top health insurance companies The private health insurance market is dominated by large companies, but UnitedHealth and Anthem Inc. (NYSE: ANTM) are the largest publicly traded health insurers. Both companies offer health insurance through employers and directly to individuals. Additionally, each also markets Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare Part D plans, and Medigap plans, and they manage state programs, including Medicaid, too. UnitedHealth is the larger of the two. It served a combined 49 million members as of December 2018, and it generates more than $225 billion in annual revenue from premiums, fees, and services. Anthem served 40 million members in 2018, and its revenue from premiums, fees, and services exceeds $90 billion per year. Other large, publicly traded health insurers include Humana (NYSE: HUM), Centene, and WellCare Health Plans (NYSE: WCG). Humana specializes in Medicare Advantage and part D plans. Centene and WellCare specialize in managing state health insurance programs, including Medicaid. The following table highlights the member populations most important to each of these companies' revenue. Top Health Insurance Companies Company Symbol Employer market Individual market Medicare Medicaid UnitedHealth Group UNH Anthem ANTM Humana HUM Centene CNC WellCare WCG = significant source of revenue. Data: Corporate SEC filings. How to analyze a health insurance stock Investors can analyze health insurers similar to the way they look at companies in other industries, but there are some important metrics that deserve particular attention. Revenue growth is an important consideration in every industry, but the insurance marketplace is mature, so changes in revenue here typically occur because of alterations to premium prices or decisions to enter or exit specific markets. That means it's important to understand why revenue is changing before drawing conclusions. For example, UnitedHealth's revenue growth decelerated after it determined its participation in the Affordable Care Act marketplace wasn't profitable enough. Alternatively, Centene's revenue increased because it decided to enter the Affordable Care Act marketplace, despite the marketplace's lower profit margins. In this example, UnitedHealth's higher operating expenses made ACA participation unprofitable, but Centene's lower operating expenses made entering the ACA market worthwhile. If an investor didn't fully understand the reasoning behind these conflicting decisions, they might draw the wrong conclusion regarding the respective changes to revenue. The medical care ratio, or MCR, may be the most important metric that health insurers report for investors to track. (It's also sometimes called the health benefits ratio.) The MCR tells investors, in percentage terms, how much of the premiums the insurer collects are being used to pay for members' health care. Generally, a lower MCR is better than a higher one, but there are some caveats. Insurers such as UnitedHealth and Anthem make most of their money in the employer-based health insurance market, and that market tends to have a lower MCR because members are generally healthier than Medicare or Medicaid participants. Meanwhile, Medicaid insurers including Centene tend to report a higher MCR because members in that market tend to require more health care. Generally, a MCR between 80% and 85% is desirable for employer-focused health insurers, while a sub-90% MCR is OK for a Medicaid insurer. If MCR changes dramatically, it's important to understand why. Management will usually address the cause for changes in its MCR in its quarterly earnings conference call or in its quarterly or annual filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. MCR changes are often temporary, so investors shouldn't necessarily extrapolate one quarter into the future. Instead, it's better to evaluate the trend in MCR over time. Investors should also pay attention to operating margin. Insurers spend a significant amount on member health care and selling, general, and administrative expenses. As a result, operating margin is typically in the mid-single-digit percentages for insurers serving the employer-sponsored insurance market and the low-single-digit percentages for Medicaid insurers. Medicare insurers, including Humana, usually produce operating margins in between those of commercial and Medicaid insurers. A die with a percentage sign and a piggy bank on opposite sides of a balance. IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES. How top health insurers compare The health insurance industry faces political risk associated with health-care reform that could be more problematic for smaller players than for larger ones. Also, health insurance companies that are less diversified in membership could be more negatively affected by legislation that imperils their negotiating power with health-care providers and drug developers. For these reasons, it's helpful to understand how exposed the top health insurance companies are to political risk. UnitedHealth and Anthem got 24% and 39% of their revenue from employer and individual health insurance markets in 2018. Government health insurance solutions contributed 52% of UnitedHealth's revenue and 61% of Anthem's revenue in the period. UnitedHealth's Optum health services business, including its pharmacy benefit manager and data analytics solution, accounted for about 19% of revenue in 2018. Anthem is in the process of launching its own pharmacy benefit manager, so it could generate more revenue from services beginning in 2020. Humana is the purest play in Medicare. Medicare products account for more than 80% of its sales, and it offers at least one Medicare product in each of the 50 U.S. states. Florida is its biggest state, contributing 15% of revenue. Centene and WellCare are both big Medicaid insurers, but Centene does derive revenue from other markets, including the ACA marketplace. About 60% of Centene's 14 million members are Medicaid members, and Medicaid accounts for about 65% of revenue. Commercial health insurance membership represents roughly 14% of total membership and accounts for about 21% of revenue. The rest of Centene's revenue comes from Medicare (approximately 8.5%) and other solutions. Over at WellCare, Medicaid represents 64% of revenue and Medicare accounts for the bulk of the rest. WellCare serves 3.9 million Medicaid members as of the end of 2018. The following table shows revenue, MCR, and operating margin for each of these insurers: Top Health Insurance Companies Company Revenue (TTM) Year-Over-Year % Change MCR Operating Margin UnitedHealth Group $226 billion 12% 81.6% 7.7% Anthem $91 billion 2.6% 84.2% 5.9% Humana $57 billion 7.7% 83.7% 3% Centene $60 billion 24% 85.9% 2.4% WellCare $20 billion 18.3% 86% 3.4% Data: SEC filings. YoY = Year over year. MCR = Medical Cost Ratio. A pen puts the letter X over the letters ACA. IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES. What to watch in 2019 An attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act failed in 2017; however, that doesn't mean that Congress won't act in ways that negatively impact membership, revenue, or profitability at health insurance companies in 2019. The 2020 presidential race will also heat up as the year progresses, and health-care costs are likely to be in focus. Health-care spending is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 5.5% between 2018 and 2027, reaching nearly $6 trillion, according to a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) National Health Expenditures report. If that happens, then health-care spending will grow to 19.4% of gross domestic product in 2027 from 17.8% in 2019. The anticipated increase in health-care costs suggests that changes could be coming to affect insurers. President Trump has already outlined strategies to rein in spending on medicine, but drug industry lobbyists are angling to have intermediaries -- and, perhaps, health insurers -- bear some of the brunt of legislation to crimp drug pricing. If changes include lowering members' level of cost-sharing, this could increase insurers' MCR and weigh down their operating margin. For this reason, investors will want to keep a close eye on Washington, D.C., in 2019. More From The Motley Fool Todd Campbell has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. His clients may have positions in the companies mentioned.The Motley Fool recommends UnitedHealth Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. WASHINGTON (AP) An exuberant President Donald Trump took a victory lap on Capitol Hill Tuesday, emboldened by the end of the special counsel's Russia probe, even as Democrats pressed insistently for Robert Mueller's full report and Justice Department officials said more information could be released in "weeks, not months." Trump strode into a high-spirited gathering of Senate Republicans, flanked by party leaders, saying the attorney general's weekend summary of Mueller's report "could not have been better." GOP senators applauded his arrival, and he celebrated what he called his "clean bill of health." But challenges are ahead for both the Republicans and the Democrats who hope to deny Trump re-election next year. Both parties are readjusting their aims and strategies in the post-probe landscape, pivoting to health care and other issues that are more important for many voters, even with Mueller's full findings still unknown. At House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's own closed-door caucus meeting Tuesday, she urged rank-and-file Democrats to "be calm" and focus on the policy promises of health care, jobs and oversight of the administration that helped propel them to the House majority last fall. "Let's just get the goods," Pelosi said. Not that the Democrats are forgetting Russia and the 2016 presidential election. Many Democrats dismiss the four-page summary released by Attorney General William Barr as inadequate. "I haven't seen the Mueller report. I've seen the Barr report. And I'm not going to base anything on the Barr report," said Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland. "The president is saying he's been completely and totally exonerated by the report," Raskin said. "The one sentence we've seen from the report says this is not an exoneration of the president." Meanwhile, a Justice Department official said it will take Barr "weeks, not months" to finish reviewing Mueller's longer, still-confidential report and make a version available for the public. It's not clear whether that will be Mueller's own words or another synopsis. Trump has said he "wouldn't mind" if the full report were released. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he's hesitant to agree to releasing information from Mueller that would "throw innocent people who've not been charged under the bus." He is blocking legislation approved unanimously by the House calling for the report's release. Story continues In the GOP luncheon, Trump was in a lively mood, senators said. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said the president is "always high energy. He had a little extra today." Russia report aside, the president showed an eagerness to move on. He told GOP senators that health care should be their focus heading into the 2020 election. He said he wants them to abandon efforts to simply repeal "Obamacare" and instead focus on a replacement for President Barack Obama's signature law. "I was a little surprised he came out of the chute in health care," said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., after the meeting. "He wants us to try again." Even so, the White House was making a new effort to get rid of the Affordable Care Act entirely. In a legal filing late Monday, the administration said it would not defend the act against a court challenge essentially encouraging the law's demise. Meanwhile, House Democrats, led by Pelosi, unveiled their own sweeping measure to rescue the program on Tuesday. Trump's hour-long talk to Senate Republicans touched on trade, foreign policy and a vote later in the day on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal, which the Senate declined to take up. Trump said the climate-change proposal would be a good campaign issue to fight over with Democrats. Almost no mention was made of the president's national emergency declaration to expand the border wall with Mexico, even though the House was voting on an effort to block it as the senators lunched. Congress had voted to block Trump, and he had vetoed that action. House members voted 248-181 to override Trump's veto, but that was well short of the needed two-thirds majority. Fourteen Republicans joined Democrats in trying to block the president from taking military funds to build his long-promised wall. The president seemed to have heeded advice from allies, including Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who encouraged him to use the political capital he's now gained to accomplish policy goals. Pelosi's advice to Democrats to stick with the strategy that won them control of the House in 2018 was reinforced by Obama himself, who counseled freshman Democrats at a reception Monday night. Obama advised the newly elected lawmakers to focus on constituents' hopes and concerns, while also identifying issues they feel so strongly about that they'd be willing to lose their House seats in fights over them, according to people at the private party. The focus must go beyond Russia and collusion, Democratic leaders said. "House Democrats did not win the election on collusion; we didn't win the election on impeachment; we didn't win the election on obstruction of justice," said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic Caucus chairman. "Our candidates didn't even talk about those issues. What we all collectively talked about was making life better for everyday Americans ... and that's what we're going to continue to do." At the same time, Democrats will continue their investigations of the Trump-Russia connection, and other aspects of the president's finances and business practices, including his tax returns. "You can't move forward on a four-page memo," said Rep. Karen Bass of California. "It's hard for me to accept that as an objective opinion." Six House Democratic committee chairmen have written to Barr asking to have Mueller's full report by April 2. If not, they have suggested subpoenas could be issued. ___ Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Andrew Taylor, Catherine Lucey, Jill Colvin, Alan Fram, Mike Balsamo and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report. ___ Follow all of AP's Trump Investigations coverage at https://apnews.com/TrumpInvestigations . PA seeks full gun registration By John Lott Jr. March 23, 2019 Pennsylvania Democrats want to register your guns. On March 15, state House Representatives Angel Cruz (D-Philadelphia), Mary Isaacson (D-Philadelphia) and Mary Jo Daley (D-Montgomery) proposed the Firearms Registration Act, from which only antiques and guns owned by law enforcement would be exempt. Gov. Tom Wolf strongly supports the bill. "The bill would require Pennsylvanians seeking to do anything with a gun, whether that be own, possess, sell or transfer, to apply for gun registration through State Police," said Cruz. "This (Pennsylvania State Police) database will aid all law enforcement officials with investigations and with tracking missing or stolen firearms." State police have kept records on all transfers of handguns (both private and through dealers) since 1931 and thus already have a registration system for them. Records on handgun purchases through dealers go back to 1901. The new regulations would add in the private transfer of long guns as well as a $10 fee per gun per year as well as fingerprinting and citizenship verification. ..... Not only is the plan a classic prelude to fascilitating gun confiscation but it also wants to make a per gun charge, per year, of $10 for the 'privelage'. You are encouraged to read also this Ammoland article which includes all the other 'requirements', all being more than draconian. PA firearms owners must challenge this vigorously. Back to Top By David Shepardson (Reuters) - U.S. officials have not yet validated data from the black boxes of an Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed killing all 157 people on board, emphasizing the investigation remains in the very early stages, two officials briefed on the matter told Reuters Sunday. Earlier on Sunday, a spokesman for the Ethiopian Transport Ministry said the data from the black boxes was successfully recovered and teams from the United States and Ethiopia had validated it. Citing analysis of the black boxes recovered from the wreckage of the March 10 disaster, the spokesman said the crash had "clear similarities" with October's Lion Air crash. Investigators are trying to determine why the aircraft plunged into a field shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, searching for possible similarities to an October Lion Air crash that killed 189 people. The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are assisting the investigators. The officials said after investigators reviewing black box data return to Addis Ababa and start conducting interpretive work, the NTSB and FAA will assist in verification and validation of the data, the officials said. NTSB spokesman Eric Weiss did not immediately comment Sunday on the report that the NTSB had "validated" some data but said As the U.S. accredited representative to the Ethiopian-led investigation, the NTSB is a full partner during this fact-finding phase." "That includes providing assistance in analyzing the FDR data, working to develop a transcript from the CVR, processing and documenting on-scene evidence and participating in interviews." The FAA said Wednesday that some physical evidence recovered at the scene was part of the governments decision to order the planes' grounding. (Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington, writing by Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) * Russian planes arrived on Saturday - media reports * Two months after U.S. disavowed President Maduro * Pompeo tells Lavrov U.S. will "not stand idly by" (Adds Kremlin) By Lesley Wroughton and Brian Ellsworth WASHINGTON/CARACAS, March 25 (Reuters) - The United States on Monday accused Russia of "reckless escalation" of the situation in Venezuela by deploying military planes and personnel to the crisis-stricken South American nation that Washington has hit with crippling sanctions. The Russian planes and military personnel arrived outside the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Saturday, according to local media reports, two months after the Trump administration disavowed President Nicolas Maduro. Washington has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's legitimate president and demands that Maduro leave power, which Russia has described as a U.S.-backed coup against the socialist government. "The United States condemns Russia's deployment of military aircraft and personnel to Caracas, which is another contradiction of both Nicolas Maduro's and Russia's calls for non-intervention in Venezuela and is a reckless escalation of the situation," a State Department spokesman said. The vice president of Venezuela's Socialist Party, Diosdado Cabello, confirmed two planes had flown to the country from Russia, but he did not give a reason or say they carried troops. "The planes from Russia landed in Venezuela because they were authorized by the only government that there is in Venezuela, and it's called the government of Nicolas Maduro," Cabello said in a speech broadcast on state television. The Kremlin declined to comment on the planes on Tuesday or to the accusations from the U.S. State Department. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in a phone call on Monday that Washington would "not stand idly by" as Russia backed Maduro, who has overseen a dramatic collapse of a once-bustling economy. Story continues However, Pompeo did not say what the United States would do in response to Russian troops. "MILITARY OPTION" U.S. President Donald Trump said in 2017 that the "military option" was on the table when it comes to Venezuela, but administration officials have since downplayed talk of armed intervention. A spokesman for the U.S. military's Southern Command, which oversees U.S. forces in Latin America, said Russia's deployment of troops "directly undercuts the democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people." "(Maduro's) former regime, aided and abetted by countries like Russia and Cuba, continues to repress democratic actors in Venezuela," said the spokesman, Armando Hernandez. The Organization of American States regional grouping called the presence of Russian military equipment and personnel "a harmful act to Venezuelan sovereignty." Bloomberg News, citing an unnamed Venezuelan information ministry official, reported that the officials had come to perform maintenance on Russian military equipment that Venezuela had purchased through bilateral accords. The information ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the presence of the planes or the Bloomberg report. "Such cynicism on the part of a country like the United States," wrote Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza on Twitter. "(With) a growing military budget of more than $700 billion, it seeks to interfere with the technical military cooperation programs between Russia and Venezuela." Russia has warned the United States and neighbors against a military intervention in Venezuela. The Trump administration has imposed crippling sanctions on Venezuela's crucial oil industry. On Friday it sanctioned its development bank, Bandes, in efforts to choke off financial flows to Maduro's government and called on Venezuelan military leaders to abandon him. Maduro has denounced the sanctions as U.S. intervention and maintains diplomatic backing from Russia, China and Cuba. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton in Washington and Brian Ellsworth in Caracas; Additional reporting by Luc Cohen and Angus Berwick in Caracas, and Phil Stewart in Washington, and Tom Balmforth, Katya Golubkova in Moscow; Editing by Susan Thomas, Tom Brown and Lisa Shumaker) Brits will Sexit by refusing to comply with the UKs looming porn block, according to a survey of users of porn website xHamster. In April, porn websites will be blocked by UK internet providers and users will have to verify their age using a drivers licence, passport, or credit card to access X-rated content a move many see as both ineffective and an attack on privacy. A survey of over 26,000 UK xHamster visitors shows a lack of awareness of the impending regulations and that a majority will instead use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or other workarounds in order to avoid entering personal data. A VPN hides the websites surfers visit and even the country they live in, Brits will Sexit by refusing to comply with the UKs looming porn block, according to a survey of users of porn website xHamster. In April, porn websites will be blocked by UK internet providers and users will have to verify their age using a drivers licence, passport, or credit card to access X-rated content a move many see as both ineffective and an attack on privacy. A survey of over 26,000 UK xHamster visitors shows a lack of awareness of the impending regulations and that a majority will instead use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or other workarounds in order to avoid entering personal data. A VPN hides the websites surfers visit and even the country they live in, rendering the age check useless. And using anonymous cryptocurrency to buy a VPN can add an extra, virtually impenetrable level of privacy. It can even protect users from sextortionist hackers. The survey also found almost half (47.4%) of respondents were not aware of the regulations, and fewer than 40% plan on complying. Data privacy concerns (74.7%) and government intrusion (63.5%) top the list of issues. Only 4% believe the regulations will be completely effective. Nearly 60% say they will not be effective. Sexit looming Alex Hawkins, Vice President of xHamster, which is complying with the regulations, said: A majority of respondents said that, given the option of a VPN or offline, non-age-verified material, theyd go around the system a Sexit, in which vast numbers of adult content users either abandon regulated sites or use a VPN to avoid detection by British authorities. The Digital Economy Act 2017 is an attempt to prevent kids from seeing inappropriate content, but it has been slammed as ineffective and even dangerous. We support efforts to limit access to adult material by under 18s, and we will be complying with the UK regulations, Hawkins added. However, the data seems to show that a vast majority of porn users will abandon the UK regulations, either by leaving UK internet space or by abandoning online content altogether. Story continues Such a Sexit of nearly 60% of current adult content consumers has major implications, not just for adult sites, but for the BBFC, which has designed the regulations. The governments own impact assessment found that: Adults (and some children) may be pushed towards using ToR (a platform for accessing the dark web) and related systems to avoid age verification, where they could be exposed to illegal and extreme material that they otherwise would never have come into contact with. The Open Rights Group has previously warned the Digital Economy Act could lead to porn companies being required to create a database of what everyone has watched. Experts fear a database could be targeted by cyber criminals looking to blackmail those on it. Jim Killock, the Director of Open Rights Group, told Sky News: This could go horribly wrong, exposing people to blackmail, fraud, and career-damaging data leaks. The post UK porn block: xHamster survey shows Sexit Brits will refuse to comply appeared first on Coin Rivet. HENDERSON, NV / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / According to Motley Fool, "Aurora Cannabis, Canopy Growth, and Tilray combined made less than $150 million in the last quarter, yet all three marijuana stocks have market caps of at least $6.7 billion, with Canopy's market cap a whopping $16 billion. We're talking about stratospheric price-to-sales (P/S) ratios for all three stocks." This means investors looking for opportunities with upside in the cannabis space may want to branch out and find more under-the-radar opportunities. Looking for under-the-radar cannabis investments, we found CleanSpark, Inc. (CLSK). The company is one of the US's top microgrid solutions according to Navigant Research, who added them to their top 10 in 2018. CLSK may be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the cannabis boom because they have created a solution for the cannabis industry that can help growers save as much as 82% on electricity costs. According to their latest press release, the company is focusing its marketing efforts on the largest users in the cannabis market - the agricultural (grow) facilities. This can serve as a strong potential source of revenues in the coming years. The company hopes to get its first contract soon in 2019. Today we are highlighting: CleanSpark, Inc. (CLSK), Aurora Cannabis, Inc. (ACB), Tilray, Inc. (TLRY), Cronos Group, Inc. (CRON) and Terra Tech Corp. (TRTC). CleanSpark, Inc. (CLSK) (Market Cap: $143.972M, Share Price: $3.36) has made deals across the board including a $900k contract to install a CLSK microgrid at a U.S. Marine Corps Base, as well as an $18.3 million deal with NYSE company MAC. CLSK also just closed a $5 million round of funding, recently completed the acquisition of Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc., which is expected to add $3.6 million in gross sales to CLSK's bottom line during early 2019 alone, and is working on an up listing. Research CLSK today. Aurora Cannabis, Inc. (ACB) (Market Cap: $9.371B; Share Price: $9.25) reported that it had agreed to acquire 51% stake in Portuguese company, Gaia Pharma Ltd., at an undisclosed sum. The company is planning to establish a medical cannabis production facility along with other derivative products as the company expands its reach to Europe. The company, which was granted permission to build an EU GMP-compliant cannabis cultivation facility by the Portuguese Health Ministry, will be renamed Aurora Portugal Lda. Construction of the new facility will be carried out in phases with the first expected to be completed by the third calendar quarter of 2020. The first phase is expected to result in production capacity of about 2,000 kg a year, growing to 4,000 kg a year once the second phase is completed. Story continues Tilray, Inc. (TLRY) (Market Cap: $6.495B; Share Price: $67.78) acquired Manitoba Harvest from Compass Group Diversified Holdings (CODI). Under the terms of the Agreement, Tilray has acquired Manitoba Harvest on a cash and debt-free basis, for an aggregate maximum purchase price, including cash and class 2 Common Stock in the capital of Tilray ("Tilray Shares"), of C$419 million pending the achievement of certain milestones after the closing of the Transaction. Founded in 1998, Manitoba Harvest is the worlds largest hemp food manufacturer and a leader in the natural foods industry. Cronos Group, Inc. (CRON) (Market Cap: $3.683B; Share Price: $20.53) announced in early December that it had entered into a subscription agreement with Altria Group, Inc., one of the leading tobacco brands in the world, pursuant to which Altria agreed to make an approximately C$2.4 billion equity investment in Cronos Group on a private placement basis in exchange for common shares in the capital of the Company . Altria will also receive Warrants of Cronos Group (the "Warrants"), that if fully exercised, would provide the company with an additional approximately C$1.4 billion of proceeds. The Shares issuable to Altria will result in Altria holding an approximately 45% ownership interest in Cronos Group (calculated on a non-diluted basis) and exercise of the Warrants would result in incremental ownership of 10% for a total potential ownership position of 55%. In Feb 2019, shareholders of Cronos overwhelmingly approved the strategic investment agreement with Altria Group, Inc. Terra Tech Corp. (TRTC) (Market Cap: $80.828M; Share Price: $0.99) announced the company has agreed to acquire the remaining stake in the Blum Reno dispensary in Nevada. Under the agreement, Terra Tech will increase its stake in the Reno, Nev.-based dispensary to 100% from 50%. The acquisition includes the Blum dispensarys cannabis licenses as well. Additionally, Terra Tech's ownership in the building which houses the dispensary will increase from 50% to 100%. The agreement is subject to the approval of the Nevada Department of Taxation. The company expects to receive response within 60 to 90 days. Signed by Priyanka Goel, CFA Legal Disclaimer: This article was written by Regal Consulting, LLC ("Regal Consulting"). Regal Consulting has agreed to a three-month term consulting agreement with CLSK dated 9/12/18. The agreement calls for $10,000 in cash, and 30,000 restricted 144 shares of CLSK per month. Regal and CLSK have signed an amendment to extend the contract for twelve months starting 10/10/18, and increased the cash component to $20,000 per month. CLSK has paid an additional $12,000 for services provided in November. CLSK has paid an additional $88,000 for services provided in December. CLSK has paid an additional $100,000 for services for January. CLSK has paid an additional $100,000 for services for February. Regal was paid an additional $100,000 for March services. CLSK has paid All payments were made directly by Clean Spark, Inc. to Regal Consulting, LLC. to provide investor relations services, of which this article is a part of. Regal Consulting also paid one thousand dollars cash to microcapspeculators.com to distribute this article. Regal Consulting may have a position in the securities mentioned in this article at the time of publication, and may increase or decrease its position without notice. This article is based on public information and the opinions of Regal Consulting. CLSK was given an opportunity to edit this article. This article contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any results predicted herein. Regal Consulting is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority, and does not provide or claim to provide investment advice. http://www.regalconsultingllc.com/full legal disclaimer/ Full Legal Disclaimer Click Here. Contact Information: Company Name: ACR Communication LLC. Contact Person: Media Manager Email: info@microcapspeculators.com Phone: 1-702-720-6310 Country: United States SOURCE: ACR Communication LLC. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/540134/Under-the-Radar-Cannabis-Opportunity Want to participate in a research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and earn a $60 gift card! If you are an income investor, then Thanachart Capital Public Company Limited (OTCPK:THNU.Y) should be on your radar. Thanachart Capital Public Company Limited, an investment holding company, provides various financial services in Thailand. Over the past 10 years, the US$2.0b market cap company has been growing its dividend payments, from 0.90 to 2.6. Currently yielding 4.8%, lets take a closer look at Thanachart Capitals dividend profile. See our latest analysis for Thanachart Capital What Is A Dividend Rock Star? It is a stock that pays a stable and consistent dividend, having done so reliably for the past decade with the expectation of this continuing into the future. More specifically: It is paying an annual yield above 75% of dividend payers It consistently pays out dividend without missing a payment or significantly cutting payout Its has increased its dividend per share amount over the past It is able to pay the current rate of dividends from its earnings It has the ability to keep paying its dividends going forward High Yield And Dependable Thanachart Capitals yield sits at 4.8%, which is high for Banks stocks. But the real reason Thanachart Capital stands out is because it has a proven track record of continuously paying out this level of dividends, from earnings, to shareholders and can be expected to continue paying in the future. This is a highly desirable trait for a stock holding if youre investor who wants a robust cash inflow from your portfolio over a long period of time. OTCPK:THNU.Y Historical Dividend Yield, March 25th 2019 If there is one thing that you want to be reliable in your life, its dividend stocks and their constant income stream. In the case of THNU.Y it has increased its DPS from 0.90 to 2.6 in the past 10 years. It has also been paying out dividend consistently during this time, as youd expect for a company increasing its dividend levels. These are all positive signs of a great, reliable dividend stock. Story continues The current trailing twelve-month payout ratio for the stock is 39%, which means that the dividend is covered by earnings. Going forward, analysts expect THNU.Ys payout to remain around the same level at 37% of its earnings. Assuming a constant share price, this equates to a dividend yield of around 4.6%. Furthermore, EPS is forecasted to fall to 6.44 in the upcoming year. If you want to dive deeper into the sustainability of a certain payout ratio, you may wish to consider the cash flow of the business. Companies with strong cash flow can sustain a higher payout ratio, while companies with weaker cash flow generally cannot. Next Steps: There arent many other stocks out there with the same track record as Thanachart Capital, so I would certainly recommend further examining the stock if its dividend characteristics appeal to you. However, given this is purely a dividend analysis, you should always research extensively before deciding whether or not a stock is an appropriate investment for you. I always recommend analysing the companys fundamentals and underlying business before making an investment decision. There are three essential aspects you should further examine: Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for THNU.Ys future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for THNU.Ys outlook. Valuation: What is THNU.Y worth today? Even if the stock is a cash cow, its not worth an infinite price. The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether THNU.Y is currently mispriced by the market. Other Dividend Rockstars: Are there strong dividend payers with better fundamentals out there? Check out our free list of these great stocks here. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading. (Bloomberg) -- Wirecard AG surged the most in more than a decade after saying irregularities found in an external investigation into fraud allegations in Asia werent material. While the company -- which had previously rejected wrongdoing -- acknowledged a number of accounting oversights and potential criminal liability for some employees in Singapore, the sums involved were not significant for a company with more than 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) in annual sales, according to a Wirecard statement. The selected findings of the external report from Singapore-based law firm Rajah & Tann was limited to specific transactions and based on documents provided by the company. Rajah & Tann couldnt resolve all the issues, saying it could not correlate certain payments made between business partners and Wirecard entities with agreements between them. The firm also found evidence of contracts being created for audit purposes. The shares surged as much as 32 percent, the steepest intraday gain since October 2008, and were up 28 percent at 3:16 p.m. in Frankfurt trading, valuing the company at 15.6 billion euros. This is a huge relief, said Wolfgang Specht, an analyst at Bankhaus Lampe who has a buy recommendation on Wirecard. The report looks better than expected. It found small erroneous entries, but no systemic fraud or misconduct by the core management. The digital payments company has been under intense pressure over the past weeks after the Financial Times published a series of reports about alleged fraud at the companys Singapore unit. The shares plunged as much as 50 percent, despite repeated denials. The volatility prompted Germanys financial regulator to temporarily ban short sales of Wirecard stock, and Munich prosecutors are probing for potential market manipulation. Rajah & Tann presented an initial probe last May. That report listed allegations of potential financial irregularities, money laundering and forgery at Wirecards Asian unit. The German company had repeatedly denied all the charges, arguing that the report is based on evidence that is either faulty or forged. Story continues Wirecards management also fought back against the reports from the Financial Times, calling the stories inaccurate, misleading and defamatory. According to Rajah & Tanns latest report, Wirecard employees wrongfully recorded 2.5 million euros of revenue in 2017 and improperly accounted for a 3 million-euro asset for one week in 2018. While dubious contracts were prepared, none of the funds -- except for one transaction of 63,000 euros -- flowed to Wirecard affiliates. Wirecard got its start two decades ago processing payments for gambling and pornography websites, but has since morphed into a developer of software and systems for online payments and fraud protection used across the internet. Its revenue almost doubled in the two years to 2018 to 2.1 billion euros, following acquisitions of at least 18 companies in recent years. In September, it replaced Commerzbank AG in Germanys benchmark DAX stock index alongside titans such as Volkswagen AG, Siemens AG and Deutsche Bank AG. (Adds analyst comment in fourth paragraph, details from findings in ninth.) --With assistance from Richard Weiss and Jan-Patrick Barnert. To contact the reporter on this story: Stefan Nicola in Berlin at snicola2@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Giles Turner at gturner35@bloomberg.net, Chris Reiter For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. Yahoo Japan is the latest Japanese conglomerate to enter the cryptocurrency sector with its own exchange. | Source: REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo Taotao, a crypto exchange based in Japan, is planning to launch in May with the approval of Japanese authorities. According to a CNBC report in April 2018, Yahoo! Japan said that it will acquire a 40 percent stake in BitARG Exchange Tokyo, which has since reportedly been rebranded to Taotao. Yahoo Japan Corp said on Friday it would buy a minority stake in a Tokyo-based cryptocurrency exchange, becoming the latest major Japanese financial services provider to shrug off security concerns and join the digital money industry, the report read. Prior to that, in March 2018, CCN reported that Yahoo! Japan is preparing to launch a cryptocurrency exchange. Why Are Conglomerates Committing to Crypto? In Japan alone, at least five major financial institutions and technology conglomerates in the likes of Bic Camera, Rakuten, SBI Holdings, GMO, and Yahoo! Japan are now involved in the cryptocurrency industry in a major way. Rakuten, known as the Amazon of Japan, acquired a small cryptocurrency exchange last year for $2 million to integrate an infrastructure to potentially accept cryptocurrency payments, and Bic Camera, the countrys biggest electronics retailer, integrated a bitcoin payment system across all its stores nationwide. In South Korea, virtually every leading conglomerate across major industries are committed to crypto, including Samsung, Hyundai, Kakaos Dunamu, and SK in areas such as mining, trading, and blockchain development. Read the full story on CCN.com. Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) have signed $10 billion worth of agreements on cooperation in investment and finance, renewable energy, industry and infrastructure development, agriculture, and other fields, according to Uzbekistan's presidential website. The agreements were signed on March 25 in Abu Dhabi during talks between Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev and the crown prince of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, Muhammad bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the deputy supreme commander of the U.A.E. armed forces. The parties agreed to broaden trade and economic ties, carry out joint projects on energy and infrastructure, strengthen cooperation in science, technologies, and education. The presidential site says that the parties also discussed international and regional issues. Uzbekistan has recently lifted the visa regime for U.A.E. citizens. Mirziyoev has taken steps to open Uzbekistan to the outer world and improve ties with its neighbors since he became president following the 2016 death of his predecessor, Islam Karimov. During Karimov's autocratic 27-year rule, Uzbekistan's policies were more oriented to isolation. City Editor Tom Roeder is the Gazette's City Editor. In Colorado Springs since 2003, Tom has covered the military at home and overseas and has covered statehouses in Denver and Olympia, Wash. His main job, though, is being dad to two great kids. Yes, I found a better job Yes, but I'm still looking for a new job Yes, I retired Yes, I started my own business No, I like my current job No, but I'm currently looking for a new job Vote View Results Ambiguities still a concern as government gears up for investment summit The first investment summit the government organised in March 2017 had ended on a high note, drawing investment commitment worth $13.5 billion from six countries. Those backing a sweeping regulatory overhaul of Colorados oil and gas industry predict the measure would bring in millions more than it would cost the state. That notion has met vehement opposition since Senate Bill 181 was introduced late last month and Mondays House Finance Committee hearing on the measure was no different. After hours of debate, the measure pushed by Democrats was passed on to the House Appropriations Committee with a party-line vote. Costs and revenues from the bill remain difficult to predict because theres no way to quantify its impact on the industry in the years to come. The bill would hand local governments control over industry development and operations, increase emission monitoring and direct the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to prioritize public health and the environment over fostering the industry. If the measure is enacted, the states cost for the 2019-2020 is estimated to be just over $995,000 for seven new employees two deputy directors, an administrator, a toxicologist and a financial expert for the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. The state would net an estimated $3 million during that same year, from drilling application and permitting fees allowed under the bill, the bills fiscal note states. The fiscal note predicts another $3 million in revenue for the 2020-2021 fiscal year, against expenditures of $880,000. Costs dont stop at those new employees, opponents warned Monday. Increased regulation and costs could drive the industry elsewhere, costing Colorado thousands of jobs and millions if not billions in tax revenue, opponents say. Why would I come in to this state and make an investment when I could go 100 miles north and they have just as good of resource and more consistent, dependent and reliable policies that I, an investor, can rely upon? asked committee member, Rep Rod Bockenfeld, R-Watson. Its not a stimulative bill, said Dan Haley, who heads the Colorado Oil and Gas Association. Its not meant to encourage oil and gas activity in Colorado. During Mondays hearing dozens reiterated those points. Supporters dismissed those cost estimates as fear mongering. The bill would neither quash the states oil and gas industry nor would it push local governments to financial ruin, they said. You can have clean air, you can have health and also, at the same time, have economic growth, said Gary Kaufman, director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environments Air Pollution Control Division. Others noted that the increased control afforded to local governments would be on an opt-in basis. Bill sponsor Rep. Yadira Caraveo, D-Thornton, said the industrys effects on the health and welfare of Coloradans are often passed on to the state, and curbing those costs would save money. The bill appears likely to pass the House before its sent to Gov. Jared Polis desk. Democrats pushed the measure through the Senate last month and through another House committee hearing in the House last week, to the chagrin of many Republicans. conrad.swanson@gazette.com @conrad_swanson Lt. Col. ML Cavanaugh, PhD, is a nonresident fellow with the Modern War Institute at West Point. This essay is an unofficial expression of opinion; the views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of West Point, the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense, or any agency of the U.S. government. House Minority Leader Patrick Neville, R-Castle Rock, wants to stop passage of an anti-energy bill that will cause a statewide recession and kill good jobs. After less than three months in office, Gov. Jared Polis promotes a doctrine that raises concern. Japan opens its door for Nepali skilled workers Nepal and Japan signed an agreement on Monday, formally paving the way for migration of Nepali workers to Japan, one of the most lucrative labour destinations for Nepali workers, under the government-to-government modality. Anup Ojha is a reporter for The Kathmandu Post primarily covering social issues and human interest stories. Before moving to the social beat, Ojha covered arts and culture for the Post for four years. Grand Old Partisan salutes Logan Roots, born this day of 1841. After graduating from Illinois State University, he recruited volunteers for the Union army and enlisted as lieutenant. Business savvy made him a quartermaster for General William Sherman. His fellow officers commended Roots: "We will forever remember with gratitude the zeal he has constantly manifested in our welfare, the vigilant care with which the wants of ourselves and the men of our respective commands have always been anticipated and supplied. His unremitting attention to our wants in camp, his continued watchfulness over our comfort on the many long and weary marches, his frequently and voluntarily exposing himself to the thick dangers of the battlefield, where quartermasters are not supposed to go, to share the dangers with, and administer to the comfort of the members of this regiment, have indelibly engraven his memory in recollections of living gratitude upon the hearts of the men of this command." Mustered out in Arkansas, he decided to remain there. Roots purchased a farm and engaged in several commercial ventures. This patriotic Republican helped create the state GOP and campaigned for ratification of the postwar constitution. Upon re-admission to the Union, he won the first of two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. President Ulysses Grant named him a U.S. Marshal. Later on, Roots invested in railroad and telegraph and telephone projects. He established the First National Bank of Little Rock and was the state banking association's first president. His speeches at national expositions attracted significant investment to the state. Here is a Video Version of this article on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-znP1fd536s Michael Zak is author of Back to Basics for the Republican Party, a history of GOP civil rights achievement. Each day, Michael Zak's grandoldpartisan YouTube channel and Grand Old Partisan blog celebrate more than sixteen decades of Republican heritage. And, see Speech Raves for audience feedback from his presentations in thirty-one states so far. He also wrote the 2005 Republican Freedom Calendar. Clarence Thomas cited Back to Basics for the Republican Party in a Supreme Court decision. Buy the book at Amazon "This is the most amazing book about politics that I have ever read. The Overview should be required reading for anyone with even a minor interest in government. The remainder is an enthralling history lesson that I will never forget. For years, we have all been misled about the true nature of the GOP. This is the real deal! Read it and be proud!" "Michael Zak wrote the definitive history of the GOP." "Back to Basics for the Republican Party is the most significant contribution to the Republican Party in the last twenty years apart from Ronald Reagan." "Back to Basics for the Republican Party is more important to our party now than ever before." and "one of the best books I ever read" When someone shares with you something of value, you have an obligation to share it with others. Blog Archive December (1) November (2) October (2) September (2) August (3) July (3) June (3) May (2) April (2) March (3) February (2) January (2) December (2) November (2) October (2) September (3) August (3) July (4) June (4) May (5) April (4) March (4) February (4) January (4) December (4) November (6) October (2) September (3) August (2) July (10) June (3) May (2) April (8) March (5) February (3) January (4) December (4) November (5) October (5) September (4) August (7) June (4) May (4) April (2) March (5) February (2) January (4) December (3) November (4) October (4) September (3) August (4) July (4) June (5) May (3) April (3) March (4) February (5) January (5) December (2) November (3) October (4) September (4) August (4) July (4) June (5) May (4) April (4) March (5) February (4) January (4) December (5) November (4) October (4) September (4) August (4) July (4) June (4) May (3) April (4) March (3) February (4) January (2) December (5) November (5) October (8) September (7) August (7) July (8) June (8) May (5) April (7) March (6) February (2) January (4) December (3) November (7) October (3) September (3) August (4) July (5) June (8) May (7) April (7) March (5) February (6) January (8) December (6) November (5) October (7) September (4) August (7) July (7) June (6) May (8) April (10) March (12) February (3) January (8) December (9) November (7) October (7) September (8) August (9) July (5) June (7) May (4) April (4) March (5) February (8) January (6) December (5) November (5) October (5) September (2) August (2) July (3) June (2) May (5) April (1) March (3) February (4) January (1) December (3) November (3) October (3) September (2) August (2) July (2) June (4) May (4) April (4) March (4) February (4) January (3) December (5) November (5) October (4) " " A new study found a link between asthma and hay fever and an increase in psychiatric illness. mladenbalinovac/Getty Images Doctors who treat patients with asthma and hay fever might want to also keep an eye on their mental health, according to the results of a large new study out of Tri-Service General Hospital in Taiwan. These unlikely compatriots appear to be linked, with people with asthma and hay fever at a 1.66-fold higher risk of developing a mental illness than those without the ailments, as reported on April 24, 2018 in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry. To fine-tune the connection, the researchers looked at a massive health insurance database covering the length and breadth of Taiwan for the years 20002015. All told, they examined data for 139,941 people without any history of allergic diseases, as well as 46,647 people with problems like hay fever or asthma. The resultant data showed that, over the period of 15 years studied, 10.8 percent of patients suffering from allergic diseases at some point were diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. By contrast, only 6.7 percent of people without allergic disease wound up with a psychiatric diagnosis. Advertisement Despite the increased risk, it's obvious that hay fever and asthma don't doom a person to a psychiatric illness diagnosis. After all, plenty of people suffer from allergies, but never have trouble with mental illness. Still, awareness of the link is sure to help doctors better monitor patients for signs of psychiatric disorders, many of which are very manageable with a range of medications and/or therapies. Indeed, this large study was the brainchild of a Taiwanese physician who wanted to confirm a link that previous small studies had reported. "As a clinician, I observed that some patients with the three 'A's [asthma, allergic rhinitis/hay fever and atopic dermatitis/eczema] appeared to suffer emotionally," says Nian-Sheng Tzeng in a press release. "Therefore, I wanted to clarify whether these allergic diseases are associated with psychiatric disorders." The findings were hardly static across the board, however. "In this study, we found that the groups of atopic dermatitis alone and the allergic rhinitis + atopic dermatitis were associated with a lower risk of psychiatric disorders, but all the other four groups, such as bronchial asthma alone, allergic rhinitis alone, bronchial asthma + allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma + atopic dermatitis, and the combination of all these three allergic diseases, were associated with a higher risk of psychiatric disorders," the researchers write in the study. The study did not examine why the two are connected, but one theory is that the body inflammation so commonly associated with allergies could be the culprit, as it is also thought to be present in people with psychiatric illnesses like depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Additionally, it's possible that the physical symptoms of hay fever and asthma could be made worse by the stress of psychiatric disorders. Now That's Interesting The number of people with asthma continues to grow. One in 12 Americans had asthma in 2009, while just one in 14 had it in 2001. Worldwide, 300 million people have asthma, and 70 percent of those also have to deal with allergies. In Case You Missed It: Here are the top five stories from today's paper Take a quick look at some of the important news you may have missed from todays paper. " " This lithograph of the Salem witch trials shows how mass hysteria took over Salem Village. Wikimedia/(CC BY-SA 2.0) From the realistically frightful scenes of "The Blair Witch Project" to the decidedly wholesome Glinda the Good Witch in the "The Wizard of Oz," magical mavens are at the center of some of our most enduring and endearing stories. There are also modern-day practitioners of witchcraft, a term used to describe several different groups including Wiccans most of whom focus on positivity and using magic for good. There was a time, however, when being considered a witch was a veritable death sentence. Take Salem Village, Massachusetts, in 1692. Two young girls, 9-year-old Elizabeth Parris and 11-year-old Abigail Williams, began having "fits," which included body spasms and uncontrolled screaming. The town doctor diagnosed them as being afflicted by "black magic" and accused them of practicing witchcraft a notion that didn't sit too well in the Puritan settlement. Advertisement Contrary to legend, however, these so-called witches were not burned at the stake. In fact, none of the men, women or children accused of practicing witchcraft in Salem were killed that way. Most likely, the recounting of the Salem witch trials became intertwined with stories of actual executions by fire in Europe. During European witch trials between the 15th and 18th centuries, people accused of witchcraft were commonly burned at the stake. Occasionally, they were hanged before being burned. The punishment was in accordance with the Holy Roman Empire's "Constitutio Criminalis Carolina" law, which contended that the punishment for witchcraft was death by fire. Church and civic leaders led the charge, executing as many as 50,000 people across Europe in what is now France, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia and Scotland [sources: Andrews]. So what actually happened to the colonists accused during the Salem witch trials? Nineteen died by hanging, their bodies swaying on the infamous Gallows Hill. (Five were hanged on Aug. 19, 1692, alone.) One elderly man died when he was stoned with heavy rocks, and others died in jail while waiting for their day in court. Bridget Bishop was the first to be hanged June 10, 1692, although her exact misdeeds seemed to amount to no more than rumor and speculation. Her case became a template for those that followed. Bishop was accused by the girls "afflicted" with black magic, but she denied their claims. Then a witness came forward to support the accusers, followed by more townspeople who described previous acts of witchcraft supposedly performed by Bishop. Bishop's trial, and those of many others accused of witchcraft, ended with a guilty verdict no matter how improbable the evidence. During the Salem witch trials, more than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft, which amounted to nothing more than a lot of finger pointing in a short timespan. The hysteria lasted little more than a year before the local government deemed the trials a mistake and attempted to compensate the families of those that were convicted and hanged. In 2001, more than 300 years after 19 men and women put to deaths during the Salem witch trials, five women were officially exonerated by the state of Massachusetts, including Bridget Bishop, and four others: Susannah Martin, Alice Parker, Wilmot Redd and Margaret Scott. The act was approved by the state legislature and signed on Halloween. Advertisement Originally Published: Apr 22, 2015 The Hope College Winter Film Series will show Woman at War on Monday-Saturday, April 1-6, at 7:30 p.m. in the Knickerbocker Theatre. Woman at War tells the story of Halla, an independent woman in her late 40s who declares a war on the local aluminum industry to stop its operations in the Icelandic highlands. She succeeds in pausing the negotiations between the Icelandic government and the aluminum corporation, but in the midst of her dangerous, and at times illegal, activism, a long-forgotten application to adopt a child from Ukraine is approved. Halla is faced with the challenge of having this new addition to her life while still fighting for her cause. The film is in Icelandic, English, Spanish and Norwegian with English subtitles. It is not rated. Tickets are $7 for regular admission, and $6 for senior citizens, Hope College faculty and children, and will be sold at the door. The Knickerbocker Theatre is located in downtown Holland at 86 E. Eighth St. The key is to let nature lead the way, says Jean-Eric Paquet, the European Commission's Director General for Research and Innovation As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ Lahan, Golbazaar plan housing for Dalit families Two municipalities of Siraha have started the construction of an integrated modular settlement for the impoverished Dalit families in the district. Fedorovekb/iStock(WASHINGTON) -- In 2011, when federal counterterrorism officials held meetings about foreign terrorism with various local police departments across the country, they received pushback from police on the ground who wanted to focus on domestic terrorism instead. "It wasn't uncommon for the police chiefs to raise concerns about violent sovereign citizens or domestic extremist groups, because at that point they were dealing with crime and violence from those groups more often than that of Islamic extremists," said John Cohen, who worked at that time as the principal deputy counterterrorism coordinator at the Department of Homeland Security and acted as the departmental lead on countering violent extremism. "They were having violent confrontations with anti-government militia extremists, white supremacy propaganda on college campuses, an emergence of hate crimes of people who were targeting minarets and Jewish people and Muslims," Cohen said. Cohen, who has since left DHS and is now an ABC News contributor, said the local police chiefs would say domestic extremist groups were "more of a pressing problem." The response from federal counterterrorism officials, according to Cohen, was, "'Well, that's not really something were focused on.'" Some experts say the focus on and prioritization of Islamic extremism by government authorities over the past few years stands in contrast to domestic terrorists and white supremacists who have recently gained prominence through violent attacks. The mass shootings at two New Zealand mosques this month raised alarms about the global threat posed by white supremacists, while the 2015 Charleston church shooting and the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in the U.S. have heightened concerns domestically. "There is no question post-9/11 that a huge amount of resources appropriately [were] put toward countering Islamic extremism," said Mary McCord, a visiting professor at Georgetown University Law Center and a former acting assistant attorney general for National Security at the Department of Justice "There's no question that more resources have been put into that than have been put into domestic terrorism. But that doesnt mean that the domestic terror threat has been ignored," she said. But some experts say the existing legal frameworks gives prosecutors more tools to deal with foreign Islamic extremists than domestic terrorists, and that there are several reasons acts of domestic terrorism are treated differently under the law. Legal loopholes The designated list of terrorist organizations the U.S. references is focused internationally, according to Seamus Hughes, the deputy director of the Program on Extremism at the George Washington University. He said it's that way because it was drawn up by the U.S. State Department, which handles international affairs. Domestic terrorism investigations dont "have the same tools in the toolbox" as foreign terrorism investigations, Hughes said, referencing certain constitutional rights American citizens hold and the legal purview allowed in prosecuting those tied to groups on the aforementioned list of terrorist organizations. The First Amendment, which protects free speech and the right to peaceably assemble in the U.S., means that the "KKK and other white supremacists groups [are] protected. Their violence is not," McCord said. Another reason more is known about people who help foreign terrorist organizations is a key law that exists in those instances, but does not apply to anyone helping U.S.-based groups that could be viewed as inspiring terror or acts of terror. Many individuals in the U.S. with ties to ISIS or al-Qaida are charged after they are caught "knowingly provid[ing] material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization, or attempts or conspires to do so," under this law in the U.S. Code. And while actions related to that crime could apply in many high-profile domestic cases involving white supremacists, there is no equivalent charge for anyone associated with domestic terror groups. "There's not a domestic counterpart to statutory language that exists pertaining to international terrorism," Cohen said. Additionally, experts say the way so-called lone wolf terrorists associate themselves informally with terror groups rather than acting as "official" members of those groups has changed, potentially impacting how individuals could be charged. "Law enforcement is facing a threat that in many respects is very different from the ones it's faced in the past," said Cohen. "The focus has typically been on people who join a group -- so whether they're neo-Nazis or members of al-Qaida, law enforcement has typically focused its attention on people that join the organization and train in the organization," Cohen said. "Today we face a very different reality. Instead of people joining organizations, we are finding increasingly individuals commit attacks or conduct hate crimes on behalf of an ideology but independent of any group." McCord is one of a growing number of people who believe the creation of a domestic terrorism statute may be useful in instances where white nationalists and other homegrown extremist groups are involved. She told ABC News the shooter who attacked the Pittsburgh synagogue in November 2018 could theoretically be considered under such a hypothetical statute, as could the man who allegedly sent unexploded package bombs to prominent Democratic leaders and the CNN headquarters in October 2018. While a domestic terror statute could possibly increase jail time for would-be attackers, McCord said there is a semantics argument to be made as well: If a violent act was intended to send a message to a certain group of people, calling it "terrorism" acknowledges that terror can strike at the heart of many groups for many reasons -- not just in instances where Islamic extremism is at play. "'Terrorism' is about sending a much bigger, broader message the label, I think, is important here," McCord said. Sending a message from the White House While Hughes said he thinks the existing legal and investigative frameworks are "relatively adequate," he did say that a signal from the Trump administration that combating domestic terrorism was a priority would help in funding allocations towards those initiatives. "Some signal from the White House that this is important will have a catalyzing effect on the rest of government," Hughes said, adding that he does not think the White House has shown that interest. McCord believes it's "time to make sure the resources being put toward the domestic threat are commensurate to the size of the threat." President Donald Trump suggested in the wake of the New Zealand mosque attacks that he didnt feel white nationalism was a widespread issue. When asked if he thought it was a growing threat, Trump responded, "I don't really." "I think it's a small group of people that have very, very serious problems. Its certainly a terrible thing," Trump continued on March 15, the day of the New Zealand attack. McCord pointed to that quote as a sign of what he sees as a disconnect. "I don't know how you can look at whats gone on in the U.S. and abroad in the past couple of years and not say it's a problem," McCord said. Cohen said beyond not considering white nationalism a priority, the language the Trump administration has chosen to use for various issues is also problematic. "They're using the language and they've adopted some of the themes that are fundamental to the white supremacist ideology so its a combination of factors," Cohen said. While there is no explicit indication the Trump administration is consciously mimicking the language of white supremacists -- and in spite of his condemnation of hate groups -- there have been some instances of the president and his administration using the same language as white supremacist attackers. For instance, Trump has used the word "invasion" when discussing immigration several times. In the aftermath of the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, investigators discovered the shooter had written online that a Hebrew nonprofit that helped refugees was responsible for "invaders that kill our people." Some four months later, during remarks in the Oval Office on the same day as the New Zealand terror attacks -- and minutes after sharing his condolences -- the president used the term "invasion" when talking about what he views as a national emergency on the southern border. "People hate the word 'invasion,' but thats what it is. It's an 'invasion' of drugs and criminals and people, Trump said on March 15. Hearing similar sentiments online has emboldened white supremacists and other domestic extremists, McCord says. "There is a polarized environment in the country right now that has allowed people to step off the internet and out of the memes into the physical space and commit acts of violence," McCord said. "It's so easy to find like-minded people [online], it starts looking like things are more acceptable and more widespread than they really are ... They find a lot of support for their ideas that helps them -- at least in my opinion -- that helps them to move into the next place into violence," she said. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Making bureaucracy deliver It would be safe to say that collectively, most of us following this investment summit, wish to see in the next decade a laterally inducted bureaucrat heading the largest private company with foreign investment based solely on merit. Nepal Tourism Board fails to get its transactions audited, again The Nepal Tourism Board has once again failed to get its transaction details of the fiscal year 2017-18 audited by the Office of Auditor General, in what looks like a tradition it has maintained for the last few years. IranWire published the text of her brief letter along with a summary of her case. Gholian made international headlines along with fellow activist and prisoner Esmail Bakhshi in late 2018 and early 2019 after their participation in labor protests at the Haft Tapeh sugarcane factory. Both were arrested for their activities and experienced torture while in detention, before being released on bail. They were separately rearrested in February after both spoke out publicly about their experiences. Their families have also reportedly come under threat as Iranian authorities strive to suppress public awareness of the torture and arbitrary detention. But Gholian and Bakhshi have been the subject of multiple calls to action by groups like Amnesty International, which was quick to warn that they were in imminent danger of further torture after their re-arrest. Despite ongoing threats to both her and her loved ones, Gholians letter proclaims that she no longer thinks about being released on bail again, and that this is far less important to her than sharing her pain with fellow political prisoners. No doubt some of them shared their own pain with the outside world through similar letters on the occasion of Nowruz. After all, the Center for Human Rights in Iran marked the occasion by pointing out that this is a common practice, and by providing excerpts from some of the letters the Center has translated into English over the years. Many of these letters have been addressed to the prisoners loved ones, as when Arash Sadeghi wrote to his wife, who would later be imprisoned herself, My love, think about a tomorrow when everyone will have a share of happiness How small this prison is compared to our attainable dream of happiness and freedom. But Sadeghi is well-known for carrying on his activism from behind the bars of Evin Prison, and it is fair to assume that such Nowruz letters have steadily had an impact on public perceptions, both among Irans civilian population and around the world. This was the implication of an article written by the former Iranian-Canadian political prisoner Maziar Bahari and published in IW. His article to mark the Nowruz holiday focused on how it has been marked specifically by persons who have been imprisoned for their membership in the Bahai religious community. Bahari suggests that the majority of Iranians were inattentive to the plight of the Bahai in the early days of the Islamic Republic but that their sympathy has grown over the years, as human rights advocates highlighted the situation and the various instances of individuals Bahais being arrested for their defiance of the regimes unofficial ban on the minoritys access to higher education. Pointing to a traditional practice of tending to wheat sprouts around the time of Nowruz, Bahari says that Bahai prisoners are known for growing the plant, known in Persian as sabzeh, in the windows of their cells. With patient care being needed to cultivate the plant, Bahari writes, It reminds most Iranians of their glorious past, their hopes for a brighter future and, of course, of the current situation of their country. But he also points out that a number of these sabzeh plants are thrown to the floor and trampled by sadistic prison wardens. This speaks to the markedly different ways in which Nowruz is recognized by those who are fighting repression in the Islamic Republic and by those who are perpetuating it. Emphasizing that same contrast, Iran Human Rights Monitor reported that in the roughly three weeks leading up to the Iranian New Year, at least 13 prisoners were executed and at least one of these executions was carried out in public. The article also suggested that this may reflect a turn toward even more hardline tendencies within the Iranian judiciary following this months appointment of Ebrahim Raisi as the new head of that institution. During his speech at the inauguration ceremony, Raisi emphasized on the course of massacre, execution, and suppression to safeguard the regime, IHRM noted. As well as having demonstrated a penchant for corporal and capital punishment during his time as a public prosecutor, Raisi earned the condemnation of human rights groups through his participation in the death commissions of 1988 that have been deemed responsible for approximately 30,000 executions over the course of a months-long massacre of political prisoners. Raisis appointment as judiciary head was given a great deal of public discussion and the implicit rejection of international human rights standards might be seen as an extension of the intimidation tactics that are on display in the regimes executions and particularly its public executions. The website for the Iran Human Rights organization acknowledged that the rate of public executions actually decreased in 2018 relative to other years, primarily or entirely because of changes in the judiciarys sentencing standards for certain non-violent drug crimes. But the same article notes that the change may not be permanent and that there were five known public executions in the first two weeks of 2019 alone. Many executions go unreported by the judiciary and it can take time for human rights advocates to assemble accurate information, so the current trend in executions at Nowruz may remain unknown for some time. But in the run-up to the holiday, concerns about possible trends were already well established. Iran Human Rights reported that some of the latest known executions were carried out as punishment for vague charges like enmity against God or spreading corruption on Earth. The latter charge has notably been levelled against four out of eight conservationists whose mass arrest in early 2018 has become a prominent case study in the regimes repression of actual and perceived dissent, which may continue to escalate as Iran enters a new calendar year. If you were unfamiliar with the Regime, this might seem like a fairly normal speech, with the Keep Calm and Carry On mentality that is plastered over all sort of trinkets. However, you should know that Iran is completely capable of increasing production if only the Regime would stop funding terrorism and allow workers to be paid by Regime-affiliated companies. The Regime could well unite the people against foreign threats if they stopped criminalising political opposition or individual freedoms. The Regime could convince people to question foreign propaganda, if foreign media wasnt printing the truth while the Regimes media prints propaganda. However, the Regime will not do that. Rouhani said that Irans problems are created by those who: despise Iran live outside the country set up the structure of Iranian society before the 1979 Revolution He blamed everyone but the mullahs for the problems that the mullahs have created and then had the nerve to say that poor management will exacerbate socioeconomic problems as if his job is not managing Irans problems. Rouhani said that while the US is putting pressure on the Regime at the moment, but that if the Iranian people stood together, they could show Irans enemies that they are stronger than the sanctions, which would lead to the lifting of sanctions. As noted previously, the Regime would need to pay their workers and grant their people rights for this to happen. He even claimed that most countries, plus the UN, International Atomic Energy Agency and the International Court of Justice, are on Irans side. To clear up any confusion, no theyre not. Many of them have sanctions against Iran and the UN recently issued it 66th censure of Iran for human rights violations. Khamenei, meanwhile, blamed Irans economic crises on poor management and recommended boosting national productivity, which again the Regime has the responsibility to fix, before beginning his tirade against Saudi Arabia for its plans to start a nuclear energy program. It appears as though Rouhani may have outdone Khamenei in hard-line rhetoric this time around, due to his remarks about foreign enemies, but this should surprise no one. Dr Mohammed Al-Sulami, the Head of the International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah), wrote: Such comments prove that the Wests bet on the so-called moderate reformists in Iran in recent years has paid little dividends. There is no difference between Khamenei and Rouhani when they are placed under domestic or foreign pressure. But why is this? Well, many analysts say that its because the world has failed to put enough pressure on the Iranian Regime to withdraw its support for the Houthis. Adnan Mansour, a Yemeni political expert living in Cairo, said: The Iranian regime continues to provide all types of weapons to Al Houthis in order to keep fighting against legitimacy troops and ensure that Tehrans mullahs will have a strong foothold in Yemen. He said that the war would continue, with millions of Yemenis continuing to suffer, until the world is clear that Iran is the puppet master of these horrific crimes. Mansour explained: Iran is determined to expand its influence in the Arab region and extend it to Yemen after Syria and Lebanon through its proxies. This is something that Arab nations have long complained about, as well as Irans exacerbation of sectarian strife in the Middle East. While the coalition has won back large swathes of territory, the main population centres remain under Houthi control, which means that they are effectively under Irans control. This includes Hodeida port the main entry point for goods and aid where a major battle took place last year. The Yemeni forces pulled back because of humanitarian concerns over the impact of the battle. The problem is that the Houthis are using the port to smuggle in weapons from Iran to sustain their military efforts- theyve even threatened to attack Saudi Arabia if the Yemeni government forces try to liberate Hodeida and refuse to withdraw from the area despite stipulations they agreed to in a ceasefire deal. Mansour said: Iran has a hand in aborting the implementation of the Hodeida agreementThe UN failure to put enough pressure on Al Houthi militias and their Iranian patrons harms the credibility of the international organization and the agreements, which it meditates. What is the use of peace agreements if they are not implemented? It is clear that the Houthis are not serious about peace talks, mainly because Iran is saying no and Iran controls the purse strings. Hassan Abu Taleb, an expert at the Cairo-based Al Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, said: Al Houthis have wasted several chances to peacefully settle the crisis, a matter that confirms they pursue a project, which they will not renounce. The international community and the [UN] Security Council appear to have no clear vision about how to deal with Al Houthi movement. Yes, Simon's Cat is between the covers again The new book is called Simon's Cat vs the World and you can win your own copy, acco... Ruling and opposition parties at odds over handling of the Chand outfit The main opposition, Nepali Congress, has taken exception to the way the government is dealing with the Communist Party of Nepal, led by Netra Bikram Chand. Binod Ghimire covers parliamentary affairs and human rights for The Kathmandu Post. Since joining the Post in 2010, he has reported primarily on social issues, focusing on education and transitional justice. - It's Showtime happily did a live conversation with the hosts of It's Showtime Indonesia - This happened during their "Tawag ng Tanghalan" segment - It's Showtime Indonesia aired for the very first time on March 25 PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed ABS-CBN's noontime show, It's Showtime, had a live conversation with the It's Showtime Indonesia's hosts, as they aired for the very first time. KAMI learned that this is the It's Showtime's first international franchise, which is in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Kapamilya show is now turning global and all of the hosts were ecstatic about it. In fact, they will also celebrate their 10th anniversary this coming October. As a tribute and courtesy to the Filipino viewers, the It's Showtime Indonesia hosts performed the "bamboo" dance, then the "Kapamilya" hosts showcased the "budots" dance, which was popularized in Davao City. The It's Showtime hosts also showed-off their energetic "madlang people" and so are the studio audience of It's Showtime Indonesia. The It's Showtime Indonesia hosts are Chika Jessica, Luna Maya, Indra Herlambang, Raffi Ahmad, and Filipino Leo Consul. As reported by ABS-CBN News, they will start to do the past original segments of It's Showtime Philippines, like Cash-Ya! Kaya! Copy Cut, Bida Dance, Ansabe, and their iconic segment Sine Mo To. PAY ATTENTION: Using free basics app to access internet for free? Now you can read KAMI news there too. Use the search option to find us. Read KAMI news while saving your data! In a previous report by KAMI, Vice Ganda removed his wig on Its Showtime. It happened when Vice was pretending that he lost control of himself after taking a sip of the juice that Jackque Gonzaga gave to him. It's Showtime Philippines started airing on October 24, 2009. PAY ATTENTION: 15 Memorable Photos From The Amazing Baby Shower Of Meghan Markle Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! We received a lot of messages and stories from our female viewers about the stressful experience of being disrespected in public over their choice of clothes. A message to all the citizens is that we should stop telling women what to wear and stop trying to justify rude behavior on KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel! Source: Kami.com.ph Review: Norma Elia Cantu. Cabanuelas A Novel. Albuquerque, University of New Mexico Press, 2019. Isbn book/ebook 978-0-8263-6061-8 / 978-0-8263-6062-5 Michael Sedano Cabanuelas doesnt mean theres no place like home, in Cristiano, yet the English expression paraphrases the attention-getting title and floral cover that, hopefully, leads a browser to pick up Norma Elia Cantus novel in the form of a scholars travel diary, Cabanuelas from academic publisher University of New Mexico. A local form of managing time, "las cabanuelas" wont be entirely clear--to me they're not-- but ni modo. Not knowing things isnt what the books about. Maybe gente from Laredo get it. The story itself comes to readers smoothly through narration and conversation, unfolding quickly from a happy Fulbright settling into her Madrid digs, into a love story. Love story needs an adjective. Setting down the book after a couple days steady enjoyment, readers can supply their own adjective. Might women say Cabanuelas is a sweet summer romance, and leave it at that? A male reader might sit there agape at what Nena does to Paco. Nena was always going to leave at the end of her Fulbright-Hays, while Paco believed she would relent. Might some broken-hearted swain see Paco as just Nenas latest? Doomed love story. Futile love story. Bittersweet love story. Tragic. Summer dalliance. Adjectives like that fit, depending on how you read this interesting story told from a womans point of view. Taxonomists will find Cabanuelas fits comfortably on the shelves of Chicana feminist United States fiction. Its a conclusion the author emphasizes in the final paragraph of the book where the narrator says Nena is happy with the Chicana feminist work she is doing now. Her teaching. Her writing. Her beloved borderlands. Laredo. Its all as it should be. But. Cantu writes the effortless prose of a travel writer or memoirist reporting contemporary events, a diarist. The writing is supposed to appear effortless and Cantu controls her art with excellence. The author Cantu fleshes out her plot of the relationships path, reporting Nenas scholarly pursuits in la Biblioteca Nacional and those of her fellow medievalists poring through aging histories. The scholar Cantu tracks down contemporary expressions of her historical findings, giving the book a geographical structure tied to the Catholic Church saint-day calendars. No Cabanuelas time here. In fact, Nena's religious foundation irks agnostic Paco. Nena is a liberated woman of the 1980s. Paco, Nenas love, replaces a guy back home with hardly a pause between men in her bed, from jazz to opera in this case. Paco works in the art department of a publishing house, and does freelance work. Hes an intellectual with a car. Nena semi-moves in. But she keeps up her share of the rent with the roomies as a safeguard against homelessness. La Chicana scholar comes loaded with attitude, and gets disarmed. It may be occupational propensity to fall in love with a studied cultura. Nena manages to do that with her scholars eye. Nena's sense of history leads her to see how traditions become themselves in every annual expression. Change not only is inevitable, its what happens every year. Folklorists reading Cabanuelas will enjoy Nenas observations linking New Mexico and Texas fiestas and traditions like matachines, or precariously balanced statues paraded into someones back yard, to root expressions continuously practiced in Spanish villages. Similarly, readers will find interesting how Spanish regionalisms lend distinct identities and language to ones view of a no-longer monolithic Spain and Spanish culture. Most readers know about Basques and Catalan separatists, Nena explores regional folklore, not just Valencia but a particular village in that region. Then another in Asturias. Then another, and on and on through the scholars quest for authenticity. Theres lots of code-switching in Cabanuelas, and a distinctive style. The author, or her editor, resist the technique of appositional translations. She/they allow Spanish to express its own meaning, rarely adding that following translation. I dont remember seeing an italics anywhere. Linguists will enjoy forays into dialect. A Chicana grows up multilingual, English, Spanish, Tex-Mex. In Spain, people continue to speak local idioms like Gallego, Valenciano, but they're not mutually understood. The essentially monolingual boyfriend enjoys Nena's linguistic color, but remonstrates Nena for her Texanism, mande which some gachupines would take literally and order her around. Feminists will enjoymen will learn from ithow Nena doesnt like being objectified as Flaca nor PDA, public display of affection, of Paco wrapping his arm across Nenas shoulders like he owns her. But youre mine, Paco innocently protests. Men don't get it. But. Thats the writer's stylistic idiosyncracy. Cantu employs the conjunction as a dysjunction, building a logic into a narrative then bringing it full stop. "But." suggest theres more, an ellipsis, but the author usually doesnt explore whats left out, if it doesnt fit the paragraph, even though we all know there's more here. He must really love me, she ponders. And he was upset, and hurt, but by his actions he forgave me. What possessed me? She wonders. Cant be just jealousy. Or can it? He is right; I destroyed his property. And she imagines a book with her letters to him. And his letters to her. Must be in the future when she writes about this part of her life, this is part of the story. No. Whats done is done. But. Perhaps she will write it all. Who knows who will read them? No. Ill see him or call him occasionally, she vows but no letters. Thats all. But. Nena has searched Paco's home to find and destroy all the cards and letters she mailed from her forays into the country. She's erasing evidence of herself from future lovers of Paco's. There's irony in a scholar of literary ephemera destroying her own ephemera. Set in 1980, Cantu updates Nena's and Paco's story to 2000 at the Madrid Operahouse, when Nena and Paco see each other a final time and readers can put that adjective in front of love story. Nenas friend Martha has heard Nenas memories of her Fulbright, her research, the passion that tempted her, the man who wanted her. Nena introduces that man to Nena's best friend. Martha thinks Pacos a wimp. And ugly. Why would the author do this to Nenas dewy-eyed memory of her summer man? Its literature as equipment for living for dewy-eyed lovers. Events like Nenas and Pacos affair, happen when theyre supposed to, when youre young, and only one time. After this, a woman matures out of the motives that guided her path to that point. She continues along the trail, more woman for it. As it should be. Youre going to love Cabanuelas with its several layers of academia, tourism, language and dialect, Chicanidad, smooth easy-reading style. But. But in the story of a womans amorous adventures, theres another side. My View By Paco Fulano She broke my heart, la flaca. You hear those stories from los universitarios, how these norteamericanas come to do research in la biblioteca nacional, and while theyre here they find a lover, use him, and at the end of her Visa, vuela vuela chicanita back to your tierra and never think of me. Well thats what happened to me. I saw her at a fiesta and looked for her all day only to meet up with her back home. I loved her way of mixing Castellano with Ingles, and how she recognized her homeland in nuestras costumbres. Always curious, my Nena, making friends in villageshasta con gypsiesfinding stories behind the stories. Nenas love for the traditions are part of her emotional make-up. Academic scholarship is a gift of self-interest, she can spend all the time in the world thinking, looking up information, writing books and monographs other scholars read. She loved the regional dialects that are fused with the local customs, but she never got over her distaste for Gachupines like me. But. Im Asturiano. What a reward for me that shed eventually come out with a book about that time when we were young. Ronald Reagan and the Republicans had just taken over that country. We were at that age when our careers were taking off. Me, production artist in the publishing house, her a Fulbright year and a sabbatical from teaching in the University. I liked the book. Some of it I didnt know she was aware, like that time I invited her just to show her off to my friends. And she just didnt get some stuff. Theres nothing wrong with the weekly tertulia but some of her gilipolla friends I didnt care for. I would prefer to use a free afternoon hearing different performances of an aria than sip tepid espresso in the back of that bookstore. I did a lot of things she didnt notice, like using my car to take her and her roommates sight-seeing all over the country. Notice she never mentions who paid for gasoline? But she had a good time and that was how I wanted it. Forever, vale? I hope everyone in Spain doesnt read Cabanuelas and think she played me. I was young and she was my jewel. I needed her. New Orleans was a ritual we played but I asked her to come back. That last night, when I saw her again, I was with my Alicia, and still me. But la flaca, she was not who she used to be, not my flaca any more. So it goes. I hope mi chicanita sells a lot of books with my story. Unpardonable mistake This is not something we should be reminding the authorities: The question paper setting process needs to be vetted by the head and members of the boards of studies concerned and later by an expert panel. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe A soundwall blocks noise from the busy 10 Freeway near Alhambra. (Robert Petersen for LAist) The tall, beige, unremarkable-looking concrete barriers that stand between freeways and neighborhoods are, in fact, doing something remarkable. They're called soundwalls, and they're protecting ears from an unending cacophony of traffic that's more than just a nuisance. Freeway noise can lead to hearing impairment, anxiety, sleep disturbance and hypertension. Faced with a wall, sound can do three things: it can be reflected, absorbed, and/or transmitted (passed through to the other side). Freeway soundwalls are built tall and thick enough so that they reflect soundwaves created by traffic and allow only the soundwaves that travel over and around the wall to reach the other side. Today, there are thousands of miles of freeway soundwalls all over the country. But the original idea for soundwalls can be traced right back here to Los Angeles -- back to the 1940s -- when freeway noise started interfering with performances at the Hollywood Bowl. After the two-mile long Cahuenga Pass Freeway opened in 1940 near the Hollywood Bowl, concertgoers and residents started complaining about traffic noise. So, in 1945, the California Department of Public Works conducted a noise study, which recommended building a 10-foot high wall to block the traffic noise. But the wall wasn't built and noise complaints grew as the entire Hollywood Freeway was opened several years later, clogging the road with 183,000 vehicles a day -- almost double the volume it was designed to carry. The state highway department conducted additional studies regarding the problem of freeway noise at the Bowl and later recommended building an even taller 30-foot tall wall. These early studies helped lay the foundation for freeway soundwalls. In 1954, L.A. Mayor Norris Poulsen appointed a committee to study the noise caused by the 101 Freeway. According to L.A. City Council records from that time, the city's general manager recommended developing a sound barrier consisting of high vegetation to screen the Hollywood Bowl. This aerial shot from 1954 shows Hollywood Bowl and the nearby 101 Freeway, which concertgoers made regular noise complaints about. (Courtesy Los Angeles Public Library archives) But instead of building the wall, city records show officials decided to crack down on cars without mufflers, hoping they could prevent excessive noise. A new city job was created: Motor Vehicle Muffler Inspector. The city ordinance creating the job position noted that the noise caused by the 101 Freeway threatened "the peace, health and safety of persons living in areas adjacent to [the] Freeway." Meanwhile, Hollywood was also complaining about freeway noise. Movie studios worried that it would interfere with filming. In 1956, the state Department of Public Works conducted a study of freeway noise at the Columbia Pictures Ranch in Burbank -- now Warner Bros. Ranch -- where dozens of movies and television shows have been filmed, including I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched. And the complaints kept coming. As more freeways were built, more people complained about the noise. Then in 1968, the California Department of Public Works built what is believed to be the state's first official freeway soundwall on Interstate 680 in Milpitas, near San Jose. This concept art from a 1968 Caltrans report on freeway noise shows an idea for a "noise shield," which became the common soundwalls that you can find along freeways all over Southern California. (Courtesy Caltrans) Several years later (and decades after they were first proposed), sound barriers started appearing in Los Angeles -- and across the country -- after the passage of the passage of the Noise Control Act of 1972, which set forth a nationwide program to reduce the effects of freeway noise and provided federal funding to build soundwalls. Over the years, billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on freeway soundwalls. And to be built, they all had to meet the same requirement: it had to be noisy enough to merit one. Sixty-seven decibels was chosen as the threshold "because it was found that that is the level at which you can carry a conversation in the outdoors," said Ben Jong, senior manager of transportation planning for Los Angeles Metro. Above 67 decibels, people have to raise their voices to be heard, Jong explained. To put that into context, the typical vacuum cleaner measures 70 decibels and a jackhammer measures 102 decibels. Soundwalls don't eliminate all noise, but they aim to reduce it by a noticeable level. Whenever the California Department of Transportation recommends a soundwall, they make sure that "the wall will reduce the noise level by a minimum of 5 decibels," said Jin Lee, a senior transportation engineer in charge of Caltrans' Noise and Vibration Unit, "because 5 decibels is what we consider a readily noticeable change." Put another way, a 5 decibel reduction is like a 25% decrease in loudness. If you want to hear the difference a soundwall makes, here's what it sounds like directly on the side of the 10 Freeway. And here's the difference behind the soundwall. Soundwalls don't eliminate all noise, but they aim to reduce it by a noticeable level. (Robert Petersen for LAist) While the vast majority of soundwalls are composed of concrete blocks, they don't have to be. Any material will work, as long as it is dense and thick enough. The city of Long Beach erected a soundwall in 2013 made of mulch. Dubbed "The Great Wall of Mulch," it consists of two parallel chain link fences (12 feet high and 3 feet apart from each) running for 600 feet, with the space in between the fences filled with wood chips from city street tree trimmings. "As far as we know it's the only sound barrier of its kind in the United States," said Larry Rich, sustainability coordinator for the city. The mulch wall was comparatively cheap - costing about $125,000 - and it has the dual benefit of mitigating noise and air pollution. At this point, there are no plans to extend the pilot wall, but it shows that there are other options for soundwalls other than concrete. About 250 miles of soundwalls have been built throughout L.A. County, according to Caltrans. Another 200 miles of freeway are currently eligible, Jong said. But don't expect them all to be constructed anytime soon. L.A. Metro inherited a serious backlog of projects when it took over the responsibility for building the majority of freeway soundwalls in the county from Caltrans in the late 1990s. New freeway soundwalls are still being built, but with construction costs of between $10-20 million per mile, according to Jong, Metro simply doesn't have the funding to meet the demand. Agency officials estimate it would cost over $2 billion to build all the soundwalls currently on the eligibility list. But not everybody loves freeway soundwalls. Some people consider them a view-blocking eyesore. And some argue that the walls don't even work that well. Caltrans has looked into alternative noise mitigation techniques, such as transparent fiberglass soundwalls or pavement that generates less noise. But according to transportation officials, concrete soundwalls will continue to be the primary tool in the fight against freeway noise as long as they are viewed as the most practical, long-term, and cost-efficient method. Jin Lee from Caltrans said the state agency is "constantly trying to innovate the methodology as to how to reduce noise as well as come up with new materials and new methods to reduce the noise." "I can foresee different methods other than soundwalls," he said. "But, meanwhile, for the next ten to twenty years it will probably be mostly soundwalls." . Google. Blogger Water quality testing equipment, kits to be sent to all local federal units The Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD) under the Department of Health Services has allocated budget to 753 local units across the country for the procurement of equipment and reagents to examine the quality of drinking water. FRANCE AND U.S. STRIKING DIFFERENT NOTES IN AFRICA There were smiles all around in Kenya as French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta shook hands over a series of infrastructure deals worth $3.3 billion. It was the third stop on the French presidents East African charm offensive and the first-ever visit to Kenya by a French head of state. ADVERTISEMENT France wants trade and commercial relationships that are fair and profitable for the Kenyan people, Macron said. Alluding to Africas many relationships with China often freighted with debt, French investments would be respectful of the receiving countrys sovereignty and sustainable, he pledged. Among the newly signed deals is a contract for a railway line from Nairobi to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, a trip of about 12 miles that can take up to two hours by car. Other signed deals include a 30-year concession for a French company to operate a highway linking the Kenyan capital and Mau Summit in western Kenya, a contract for a solar power plant and a contract for coastal and maritime surveillance. The railway, President Kenyatta said, will help completely transform the lives of millions of urban workers. It should be operational by 2021. The two leaders then shared a photo op seated in Uhurus new Peugeot 3008 SUV assembled in Kenya. Still, France faces an uphill battle to win more deals in Africa, where China, Turkey and others have moved in quickly and competition is fierce from African countries ADVERTISEMENT In 2017, French exports to Kenya, a former British colony, were about $200 million about half Ugandas exports to its neighbor. China exported $3.8 billion, making it Kenyas biggest trading partner. Nonetheless, France made few missteps if any on its four nation African tour while U.S. Asst. Secy of State Tibor Nagy earned negative headlines while in Cameroon for chiding President Paul Biya over a list of human rights violations. Pro-government groups were unhappy with his references to the detention of opposition leader Maurice Kamto and 150 of his supporters and to the violence in the western Anglophone separatist regions. Other countries on Tibor Nagys itinerary are Uganda, the DRC and Rwanda. Coincidentally, the official visits come as both French and America governments are under fire at home over the erosion of civil liberties, income inequality, racism and the rise of white nationalism and neo-Nazism. Heather Hutt Announced in Senator Kamala Harris Diverse New Hires In Senior Roles WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) on Monday announced the hiring of three staff members, all women of color. Heather Hutt has been appointed as State Director, Deanne Millison will serve as Legislative Director, and Meaghan Lynch has been named Press Secretary. I am thrilled to have Heather, Deanne, and Meaghan on my team, said Senator Harris. Each of these women are experienced public servants, and I am confident they will serve the people of California well. Heather Hutt has been named State Director for Senator Harris. A Los Angeles, California native, Hutt joined Senator Harris office in 2017 to work as Harris Southern California Deputy State Director and in 2018 was promoted to Deputy State Director where she worked on Senator Harris community town halls, civic engagement, and liaising with key leaders. She is currently organizing Maternal Morbidity roundtables with health care professionals to discuss implicit bias in health care throughout the state to amplify Senator Harris Maternal CARE Act legislation. Prior to working for Senator Harris, Hutt was the District Director for California State Senator Isadore Hall in Californias 35th Senate District. Prior to accepting her position in government, she was a founding partner in The Hutt Group, a marketing, branding, and event production company. Her work has been recognized by the California State Democratic Party African American Caucus for Breaking the Glass Ceiling as the first African-American Deputy State Director for the U.S. Senate in Californias history. In 2018, New Frontier Democratic Club honored Hutt with the Emerging Leaders Award. ADVERTISEMENT Deanne Millison has been newly hired as Legislative Director for Senator Harris. Previously, she served as the Deputy Director for the Legislative Council and Government Affairs Team (LCGA) in the Mayors Office for the City of Chicago. Prior to joining the City of Chicago, Millison served as the Legislative Director and Oversight Investigations Counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services, where the Honorable Maxine Waters, served as Ranking Member. Before taking the leadership role with the House Democratic Financial Services Committee, she served as Counsel for other Congressional Committees including the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs and the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce. Millison started her legal career at the law firm of Jenner & Block, and later clerked for the Honorable Sharon Johnson Coleman. She received her B.A. in Political Science with Honors and a minor in Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis, MO, and her J.D. from Harvard Law School. She is also a proud fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago. Meaghan Lynch has been named Press Secretary for Senator Harris. Prior to joining Senator Harris office, Lynch served as Communications Director and Counsel for U.S. Representative G. K. Butterfield (D-NC), Chief Deputy Whip for the House Democratic Caucus and former Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. Lynch began her career in the office of Congressman Butterfield as an intern. Prior to taking her place in public service, Lynch worked as senior associate at a strategic communications firm in Washington, DC. A North Carolina native, Lynch graduated with honors from North Carolina State University with bachelors degrees in Psychology and Communications. She received her J.D. from Howard University School of Law and is a member of the Maryland State Bar. NEWLY-ELECTED LEADER OF CONGO RESISTS LATEST POWER GRAB BY EX-PRESIDENT Joseph Kabila, ex-president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, may have gone once too often to the cookie jar, taking back one by one all of the powers and rights earned by his successor from a recent election, Felix Tshisekedi. President Tshisekedi may have have had enough. ADVERTISEMENT After a disputed vote that gave the former presidents allies an overwhelming majority in the upper house of parliament 80 out of 100 seats while the actual presidents Union for Democracy and Social Progress party (UDPS) gained only three the newly-named senators were blocked from taking office in a surprise move by President Tshisekedi. Earlier, Kabilas coalition claimed to have won about 70 percent of seats in the lower house of parliament and a clear majority of provincial assembly seats. The decision not to seat the parliamentarians could trigger a confrontation with ex-president Kabilas camp two months after Tshisekedi succeeded him in the DRCs first ever transfer of power via the ballot box since the country became independent in 1960. After an inter-ministerial meeting, acting interior minister Basile Olongo said Tshisekedi was suspending the senators induction and postponing elections for provincial governors, due on March 26, until further notice. He also asked prosecutors to open inquiries into ingrained corruption among elected officials. Senators and provincial deputies, those who corrupt and those are corrupted (must be) severely punished, the president was quoted as saying. ADVERTISEMENT The Democratic Republic of Congos upper house is elected indirectly by the countrys provincial assemblies a process that critics say is notorious for kickbacks. Tshisekedis inauguration on Jan. 24 was also not without controversy. It followed elections that were marred by widespread irregularities and allegations by the countrys powerful clergy that another opposition candidate, Martin Fayulu, was the real winner. Kabilas camp has criticized the decision of President Tshisekedi, setting the stage for a bitter confrontation. w/pix of J. Kabila (l) and F. Tshisekedi PLAZA WEST COVINA TO HOST SPECIAL PETS-ONLY PHOTO SESSION WITH THE EASTER BUNNY ON APRIL 7TH WHAT: Plaza West Covina invites all local pet owners to a special just-for-pets photo session with the Easter Bunny on Sunday, April 7th. Peter Cottontail will spend a few heartwarming moments posing with each well-mannered, leashed dog or cat (and humans too) while professional photographers snap a picture every pet family will treasure for a lifetime. All furry friends must be leashed or in carriers to participate. Those attending the event should enter through the north parking lot, near Best Buy and XXI Forever. To learn more, visit the Plaza West Covina website at www.shoppingplazawestcovina.com . WHEN: Sunday, April 7th: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. WHERE: Plaza West Covina Easter Bunny Located in Center Court 112 Plaza Drive West Covina, CA 91790 ADVERTISEMENT Do you enjoy a good gothic novel? Do you wonder what it would have been like to be a part of a trio of three gifted sisters living a lonely... Tuesday, March 26, 2019 Today the Supreme Court issued an 8-1 decision in Republic of Sudan v. Harrison (covered earlier here). Justice Alitos majority opinion begins: This case concerns the requirements applicable to a particular method of serving civil process on a foreign state. Under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 (FSIA), a foreign state may be served by means of a mailing that is addressed and dispatched . . . to the head of the ministry of foreign affairs of the foreign state concerned. 28 U. S. C. 1608(a)(3). The question now before us is whether this provision is satisfied when a service packet that names the foreign minister is mailed to the foreign states embassy in the United States. We hold that it is not. Most naturally read, 1608(a)(3) requires that a mailing be sent directly to the foreign ministers office in the ministers home country. Justice Thomas dissented, writing: I would hold that respondents complied with the FSIA when they addressed and dispatched a service packet to Sudans Minister of Foreign Affairs at Sudans Embassy in Washington, D. C. https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/civpro/2019/03/scotus-decision-in-republic-of-sudan-v-harrison-service-of-process-on-a-foreign-state-under-the-fsia.html Tuesday, March 26, 2019 Johnathan Hindenach was a student at Olivet College in Michigan in 2008; he took a class that included a trip to Florence, Italy. While in Italy, Hindenach killed someone. An Italian court found him criminally responsible and placed him in a psychiatric hospital. Hindenach's family sued Olivet College, alleging it failed to properly monitor Hindenach's mental health before the murder. An appellate court in Michigan sided with Olivet College, stating the school was aware Hindenach suffered from depression and took medication, but it was not foreseeable he would murder someone and be hospitalized for his actions. WRAL.com has details. https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/tortsprof/2019/03/mi-college-not-liable-for-murder-committed-by-student-studying-abroad.html Many people around the United States are wondering what will happen next, now that a report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election has been completed. Special Counsel Robert Muller gave the report to U.S. Attorney General William Barr on Friday. Barr, who was appointed by President Donald Trump and approved by Congress last February, then released his outline of the reports main findings on Sunday. In his summary, Barr said, The report does not recommend any further indictments. Barr also wrote that the special counsels office made no secret charges that have yet to be made public. His office continues to study the report to see how much of it can be released to the public. Russian interference The report, Barr said, was divided into two parts. The first part looked at Russias interference in the 2016 presidential election. It found that a number of Russian nationals and organizations used the internet to spread disinformation and to incite social conflict. It also found that Russian government actors hacked into computers in the U.S. to gather or spread information to influence the election. Barr explained that investigators also aimed to understand if anyone connected with Trumps campaign committed a crime by joining Russian efforts to influence the election. Barr quoted the report as saying: [T]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities. Obstruction of justice Barr said the report also looked at concerns that Trump had obstructed justice in other words, attempted to block legal investigations. On this question, the attorney general said the report did not say the president was guilty, but it did not say he was innocent, either. Instead, it sets out evidence on both sides of the question. Then the special counsel wrote that while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. However, Barr said he, the deputy attorney general, and other top Justice Department officials, had concluded that the special counsel did not provide enough evidence to charge the president with a crime. Reactions Many different reactions to the completion of the report and Barrs comments were voiced over the weekend. Supporters of Trump said the report showed that the president and his campaign were not guilty of what has been called collusion a secret agreement with the Russians. Trump tweeted on Sunday that the result meant that he did not hide anything, block anything and was cleared of wrongdoing. Opposition members critical of the president have called for all of the report to be released to the public. They also point to other investigations of Trump, his family and associates. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, both Democratic Party leaders, released a joint statement. It said Attorney General Barrs letter raised "as many questions as it answers. They also said Barr was not fair or objective in his findings. Democratic Party Representative Jerry Nadler of New York said he would call for Barr to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on the issue. History of the investigation The investigation has been the subject of fierce debate between the political parties in Washington. It also has brought into question the fairness of news reporting on the issue and proved deeply divisive in areas like social media. Acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein ordered the investigation into Russian interference in May 2017. The timing of the move raised questions because it happened soon after Trump fired former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey. Rosenstein has remained as the deputy attorney general but has said he will step down soon. Defenders of Muellers investigation say he has carried out the order fully. The special counsel received nearly 500 search orders, requested evidence from 13 foreign governments and questioned about 500 witnesses. As a result, Mueller charged 25 Russians with wrongdoing related to interference. He also brought charges against six aides and advisors to the Trump presidential campaign. Trumps first national security advisor, Michael Flynn, resigned and admitted to lying to investigators. Trumps one-time campaign manager, Paul Manafort, was found guilty of avoiding taxes and lying on bank statements. On Monday, the Trump administration signaled that it is up to Barr and the Justice Department to decide what details of the investigation can be released to the public. Im Mario Ritter Jr. Kenneth Schwartz and Masood Farivar reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story hacking n. secretly getting access to a computer system to get information or to cause damage conspire v. to secretly plan with someone to do something that is harmful or illegal A Kenyan teacher who gave away most of his monthly earnings to poor people has won a $1-million prize. Peter Tabichi was named the winner of the Global Teacher Prize on Sunday at a ceremony in Dubai. Australian actor Hugh Jackman presented the award. Tabichi teaches science to high schoolers in the village of Pwani, Kenya. The public school where he teaches has just a single computer and has problems connecting to the internet. It also has no library or laboratory. Almost one-third of children in Pwani are orphans or have only one parent alive. Tabichi is credited with helping many of his students not only stay in school, but also take part in international science and engineering competitions and go on to college. After his win, the teacher told the Associated Press, I feel great. I cant believe it. I feel so happy to be among the best teachers in the world, being the best in the world. He said he plans to use the prize money to improve the school and help feed the poor. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said in a statement that Tabichis story is the story of Africa and of hope for future generations. In his acceptance speech, Tabichi explained that his mother died when he was 11 years old. He said his father, a primary school teacher, raised him and his brothers and sisters by himself. Tabichi invited his father, who was in Dubai for the award ceremony, up on stage. The crowd cheered loudly when Tabichi asked his father to hold the award. The Global Teacher Prize is awarded by the Varkey Foundation. That groups founder, Sunny Varkey, established the for-profit company GEMS Education, which operates 55 schools in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Qatar. Tabichi was chosen from 10,000 applicants in 180 countries. His teachings are not limited to the classroom. To help his community prepare for droughts, Tabichi offers villagers guidance on how to grow famine-resistant crops. He calls such knowledge a matter of life and death. Now in its fifth year, the Global Teacher Prize is the largest of its kind. Last year, a British art teacher won the award for her work in one of the most ethnically diverse places in Britain. Her efforts were said to help students feel welcome and safe in a neighborhood with high murder rates. Past winners include a Canadian teacher for her work with indigenous students in an Arctic village where suicide rates are high, and a Palestinian teacher for her work in helping West Bank refugees affected by violence. Im Ashley Thompson. The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story library - n. a place where books, magazines, and other materials (such as videos and musical recordings) are available for people to use or borrow orphan - n. a child whose parents are dead stage - n. a raised platform in a theater, auditorium, etc., where the performers stand applicant - n. someone who formally asks for something (such as a job or admission to a college) : someone who applies for something indigenous - adj. produced, living, or existing naturally in a particular region or environment 1. Yes. Patrol cars in the lot and armed officers inside would deter would-be criminals. 2. Yes. Police should announce their plans and be highly visible during store hours. 3. No. The citys police officers have other obligations. More private security is the answer. 4. No. Perhaps, but installing more surveillance cameras would be a better deterrent. 5. Unsure. More police might help, but it could also stretch KPDs resources too thin. Vote View Results Jorge Altieri touches a helmet with old bloodstains on it. The device saved his life in 1982, when Britain and Argentina fought a war over the Falkland Islands. The helmet, recently returned to Altieri, had been lost on the battlefield many years ago. "I look at it and I get teary-eyed from all the memories," he said. Argentina lost the war after its troops invaded the Falklands, a group of islands in the South Atlantic. In all, 649 Argentines and 255 British soldiers died in the fighting. Argentina still claims ownership of the islands, which it calls the Malvinas. British officials call them the Falklands and say they are self-governing and under British protection. Relations between the countries have improved recently. A deal permitting a team of experts to recover and identify the remains of Argentine soldiers is one example. Today, the soldiers who fought and relatives of those who died say recoveries of helmets and other objects seized after the war have helped them heal. Diego Carlos Arreseigor is an Argentine military veteran. This month, he announced that he is planning to return the helmet of British soldier Alexander Shaw to his family. Shaw was killed in battle at the age of 25. The helmet is expected to reach Shaw's sister Susan in April or May. Arreseigor said he found the helmet with other equipment and hid it from a British soldier. He kept if for 37 years, thinking of it as "a trophy of war" that made up for "the loss and pain of so many fallen friends." Shaw died just hours before a cease-fire took effect. Arreseigor said the British soldier's story moved him. "It's sad like all war stories. I just turned 60 and I demand our sovereignty over Las Malvinas, but I also pay homage to those who died Argentine and British because I think that's the way to rebuild." For Altieri, seeing his helmet again helped him find similar closure. "I can't stop looking at it, thinking about what it did to stop the bomb shrapnel blowing my head off," he said. Altieri lost an eye and part of his brain in a blast during the battle for Mount Longdon on June 12, 1982, two days before the fighting stopped. After the cease-fire, a British soldier took Altieri's helmet to London. After the soldier died, his family kept the helmet until it was put up for sale four years ago. Altieri offered to buy it, but a British man offered to pay twice the amount. Altieri could not persuade the man to sell it back to him. Recently, however, the helmet went up for auction on eBay, an e-commerce website. The asking price: about $13,000. Altieri feared he had lost it, until he heard the news: an Argentine businessman had bought it for Altieri. "All the memories of what I lived in the Malvinas came back to me," Altieri noted. He hopes to display it at home before giving it to a Falklands war museum. "I want people to see it and see what happened to us there," he said. I'm John Russell. The Associated Press reported this story. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story helmet n. a hard hat that is worn to protect your head teary-eyed adj. having eyes that are wet with tears trophy n. a prize or award; using the equipment of a defeated army as a memorial of victory sovereignty n. the power of a state or area to govern itself homage n. something done to honor someone or something closure n. a feeling that a bad experience has ended and that you can start to live again in a calm and normal way auction n. a public sale at which things are sold to the people who offer to pay the most One morning in January, Kefayat Ullah walked to his school in southern Bangladesh, just as he had done most days over the past six years. Kefayat had always been one of the top students in his class. But on this day, the 16-year-old was told he had been expelled. The schools headmaster told him that he and more than 60 of his classmates were no longer permitted to attend school. The reason? A government investigation had identified them as Rohingya refugees. We went back home crying, Kefayat said. Rohingya are mostly stateless Muslims from neighboring Myanmar, also known as Burma. More than 730,000 Rohingya fled across the border after Myanmars military launched an offensive against suspected rebels in late 2017. The United Nations has said the violence was carried out with genocidal intent. Thousands of children, like Kefayat, were born in Bangladesh after their parents fled earlier waves of violence in Myanmar. For years, schools in Bangladesh quietly welcomed Rohingya, who live along the southern coast in the worlds largest refugee settlement. But the growing number of arrivals has tested Bangladeshs government. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the country is not able to fully welcome all of the refugees. Myanmar has said it is ready to welcome back the refugees. However, the country from which they fled still is dealing with ethnic tensions and violence. The United Nations says conditions are not right for them to return. 'Hungry for education' In some countries, governments permit refugees to study in local schools or permit groups operating in the camps to teach the national curriculum. But Bangladesh has not recognized the majority of the Rohingya as refugees. And it does not give Bangladeshi birth certificates to children born in the camps. The government has also prevented centers in the camps from teaching Bangladeshs education curriculum, says the U.N. childrens agency, UNICEF. The recent school expulsions mean that hundreds of thousands of Rohingya may miss out on critical years of education. Many students are depressed and frustrated, said one 21-year-old. He asked not to be named because he was continuing to pass as Bangladeshi so he could go to university. The young man added, Yes, we are somehow pretending to be Bangladeshi students. Yes, we have got some education. But now, where will we go? The world should think about this: if we cant study, our future will be damaged. We are hungry for education. Jamal Uddin is headmaster of Leda High School, where Kefayat was once a student. He said of the decision to expel Rohingya, We are very sorry and disappointed. He added, The government is providing everything for the Rohingya -- why not education? But other people support the decision. They include the schools founder, Kamal Uddin Ahmed. He said the arrival of the Rohingya has created big problems for the local community. Some have blamed Rohingya for bringing drugs and crimes to Bangladesh. How do you think I feel? We dont mind the Rohingya, but we mind our lives, Kamal said. In January, the head of Bangladeshs Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission wrote to school headmasters in and around the city of Coxs Bazar. In the letter, commission chief Abul Kalam noted, It has been seen the trend of Rohingya childrens participation in getting education has been increasing. He also noted that some Rohingya were using false identity documents so they could go to school. Abul said, It is advised to monitor strictly so that no Rohingya children can take education outside the camps or elsewhere in Bangladesh. He told the Reuters news agency that Rohingya were getting an education from learning centers operating within the camps. Secret studying But many children and their parents describe the learning centers that international agencies operate as offering mostly unstructured learning and playtime. A temporary school run by Rohingya volunteer teachers opened in February. However, the lead teacher said they had no official permission to operate. Karen Reidy is a communications officer at UNICEF, which leads education programming in the camps. She said her group was working on making other countries curriculums into a learning framework for refugee children. Theres a risk in the camps that we will see a lost generation of children if we dont manage to catch them with education, with skills and training at this critical point in their lives, she said. At the Nayapara camp, Kefayat and other expelled students tell stories from their years of secret study in Bangladeshi schools. Some of their classmates were cruel to them, said Kefayat. They used the word Rohingya, Burma to tease us, he said. Nevertheless, we were happy. We need education. Kefayat dreamed of completing his education and becoming a reporter to help our community, he said. Now, he watches his onetime Bangladeshi classmates travel to and from class in their clean white clothes. We feel sad when we see the local students studying in a nice place, quietly, he said. Now we are always worried and thinking what will we do? Im Ashley Thompson. And I'm Jonathan Evans. The Reuters news agency reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Quiz: Rohingya Struggle to Continue Their Education in Refugee Camps Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story headmaster - n. the person who is head of a school intent - n. an aim or purpose curriculum - n. the courses that are taught by a school, college, etc. certificate - n. a document that is official proof that something has happened frustrated - adj. very angry, discouraged, or upset because of being unable to do or complete something pretend - v. to act as if something is true when it is not true trend - n. a general direction of change monitor - v. to watch, observe, listen to, or check (something) for a special purpose over a period of time strictly - adv. used to describe a command, rule, etc., that must be obeyed framework - n. the basic structure of something This curried butternut squash and beets is an easy, elegant side dish that elevates simple roasted squash and beets with the addition of hot curry powder, a generous drizzle of lime juice, and a garnish of parsley or cilantro. At first glance, this simple recipe for curried butternut squash and beets may seem like your standard roast vegetable side dish. However, tossing your veg with curry powder before roasting and incorporating a generous splash of lime juice at the end makes it not only more complex but vastly more surprising.Angie Zoobkoff *NOTE What is Madras Curry Powder? Madras curry powder is a slightly hotter version of curry powder due to the addition of ground dried chiles, usually kashmiri chiles, resulting in a slightly redder hue. Its important to clarify that Madras curry powder, though named for an Indian city, is actually British in origin. If you cant find Madras curry powder, simply use regular curry powder and add a pinch of kashmiri chile powder or cayenne pepper. Or, if you care for a milder burn, simply swap your usual curry powder. Curried Butternut Squash and Beets This curried butternut squash and beets is an easy, elegant side dish that elevates simple roasted squash and beets with the addition of hot curry powder, a generous drizzle of lime juice, and a garnish of parsley or cilantro. Trine Hahnemann Prep 20 mins Cook 40 mins Total 1 hr Sides European 4 to 6 servings 203 kcal No ratings yet Print Recipe Ingredients US Metric 14 ounces red and/or golden beets (about 3 medium) 10 1/2 ounces butternut squash or Hokkaido pumpkin (red kuri squash) 2 tablespoons Madras curry powder* (see NOTE above) 4 to 5 tablespoons olive oil Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 to 3 tablespoons lime juice Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro to serve Directions Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Peel the beets. Halve the squash or pumpkin, scrape out the seeds, and wash the skin well, then cut both the beets and pumpkin into 3/4 inch (2-cm) chunks. Place the beets on 1 baking sheet and the squash on another. Sprinkle half the curry powder, oil, salt, and pepper on the beets and half on the squash and toss to combine. Spread the vegetables in a single layer. Bake until the vegetables are soft but not overcooked, 35 to 40 minutes. (The beets may take longer than the squash.) Sprinkle the lime juice over the vegetables, add the parsley or cilantro, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Print Recipe Show Nutrition Serving: 1 portion Calories: 203 kcal (10%) Carbohydrates: 18 g (6%) Protein: 3 g (6%) Fat: 15 g (23%) Saturated Fat: 2 g (13%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g Monounsaturated Fat: 10 g Sodium: 82 mg (4%) Potassium: 638 mg (18%) Fiber: 5 g (21%) Sugar: 9 g (10%) Vitamin A: 1083 IU (22%) Vitamin C: 17 mg (21%) Calcium: 52 mg (5%) Iron: 2 mg (11%) Recipe Testers Reviews Originally published March 26, 2019 Recipe 2018 Trine Hahnemann. Photo 2018 Columbus Leth . All rights reserved. All materials used with permission. If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. David S. Law (Washington University in St. Louis - School of Law; The University of Hong Kong - Faculty of Law; Washington University in St. Louis - Department of Political Science) & Hsiang-Yang Hsieh (Washington University in St. Louis - School of Law) have posted Judicial Review of Constitutional Amendments: Taiwan (Constitutionalism in Context (David S. Law ed., CUP forthcoming 2019)) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Scholars frequently distinguish between hard and soft forms of judicial review: hard review gives courts the final say on constitutional questions, whereas soft review attempts to strike a balance between judicial and legislative supremacy by giving the legislature the ability to override or set aside what the courts have done. However, the binary hard/soft distinction does not convey the full spectrum of possibilities between the extremes of legislative and judicial supremacy. On the one hand, so-called "hard" review can in practice operate like soft review because, even in systems of nominally hard review, the government usually retains the ability to effectively override the courts via constitutional amendment. On the other hand, courts have increasingly turned to options that are harder than "hard" review. A small but growing number of courtsthe Taiwanese Constitutional Court among themhave claimed the power to invalidate constitutional amendments as unconstitutional. Yet even judicial review of constitutional amendments does not exhaust the options at their disposal. Analysis of Taiwans experience with judicial review over the last thirty years holds a number of lessons about judicial power and constitutional politics. First, soft review, hard review, and even review of constitutional amendments are merely intermediate points on a spectrum of judicial power that ranges from no judicial review to the judicial initiation of constitutional amendments. Moreover, the spectrum itself is dynamic and prone to expansion. In the face of new challenges, courts find new ways of asserting themselves, and in so doing, they continually remake the frontiers of judicial power. Second, there is no point on this spectrum where a courtor any other institutionis guaranteed the last word. Whenever courts assert themselves, other institutions have the ability to respond, and vice versa. Different responses are available at different points on the spectrum, but a response always exists. It is a defining characteristic of politics that, for every move, there exists a countermove. Finality is as elusive in constitutional politics as in any other form of politics. Third, the celebration of dialogic judicial reviewin which constitutional questions are resolved via interaction between courts and legislatures rather than by judicial fiatis problematic because, in some sense, all judicial review is dialogic. The fact that courts are never guaranteed the last word means that every plausible institutional configuration can be characterized as dialogic in the sense of allowing or inviting some degree of interaction, or dialogue, between the courts and the legislature. Finally, a courts position on the spectrum of judicial power is not necessarily fixed by the constitution and can instead be highly fluid. As the recent history of the Taiwanese Constitutional Court demonstrates, it is possible for a court to traverse the entirety of the spectrum in a relatively short period of time without any corresponding change in the constitution itself. Major shifts in judicial power can occur without formal constitutional change because judicial power is at least as much a function of the political and institutional context as of the constitutional text. Highly recommended. Representatives from the Macau International Airport Company limited (CAM) recently attended the 17th 2019 Routes Asia Forum in Cebu. Eric Fong, director, and Franco Kwan, deputy director of Marketing Department, participated in the forum. The three-day forum was hosted by the Philippine Tourism Authority, attracting over 1,000 representatives including over 100 airlines, 200 airports and 30 national tourism authorities around the world. The Annual Routes Asia Forum is regarded as one of the most important events in the civil aviation industry, CAM noted in a statement. During the forum, Turkish Airlines expressed their intention to establish a route to Macau next year with the aim of developing Asian cities, but for now, the aircraft capacity is being deployed to the regional routes. CAM noted that a number of Southeast Asian airlines also intend to operate flight services in Macau in the near future. In addition, meetings were also carried out with Chubu Centrair International Airport, Sendai International Airport, Mumbai International Airport, Sydney Airport and Melbourne Airport representatives to explore route cooperation opportunities. According to CAM, the forum also provided an industry platform for the Macau International Airport (MIA) to communicate with aviation operators around the world to seek cooperation opportunities for future route development and helped to further consolidate and expand the flight service network of MIA. During the three-day forum, CAM representatives participated in over 20 meetings with various prospective airlines, airports and tourism organizations. In the forum, one- on-one meetings were arranged with various airlines and airports to explore business opportunities and to provide an overview of MIA. LV China protested the latest transit through the Taiwan Strait by American warships, warning the U.S. not to undermine relations between the two countries. China has been closely monitoring from start to end the passage by the U.S. warships through the Taiwan Strait, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular news briefing in Beijing on yesterday. China has lodged stern representations with the U.S. Two U.S. vessels entered Taiwanese waters off the islands southwest coast heading north on Sunday, Taiwans Ministry of National Defense said in a statement. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the patrol, identified the vessels as the Navy destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur and the Coast Guard cutter Bertholf. The patrol comes days before a scheduled visit to Beijing by U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, as talks on a trade agreement continue between the worlds two largest economies. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He is set to lead a delegation to Washington starting on April 3. The U.S. has over the past year increased its naval transits through the 180-kilometer wide strait that separates Taiwan from the Chinese mainland. Sail-bys in January and February also drew protests from China, which considers the island a province. Yesterday, China urged the U.S. to avoid undermining ties between the worlds two biggest economies and support peace and stability in the strait, Geng said. Bloomberg The openness of Chinas financial markets to the rest of the world isnt high, so theres a lot of room for increased access, according to Peoples Bank of China Governor Yi Gang. Yi said foreign financial services institutions should be treated the same as domestic ones in terms of shareholding proportions, scope of business and licenses. Speaking at a forum in Beijing on Sunday, he said the central bank will focus on providing more hedging tools in 2019 to help investors manage risks. Officials made repeated pledges at the China Development Forum over the weekend to open up more of the economy to foreign companies and ensure a level playing field with domestic firms. The government is also seeking to bring foreign expertise and capital into play at a time of slowing economic growth, high debt levels and concerns about long-term financial stability. We need to improve the financial risk prevention mechanism in line with financial opening- up. The opening of the financial sector isnt the origin of financial risks, but the opening could add to the complexity of risk control, Yi said. He also promised to help people hedge their money in Chinese markets, something that foreign companies and investors have been asking for. An important task for this year is to study how capital markets can more accurately determine prices, supply sufficient types of hedging tools so that all types of investors can more effectively manage risks, Yi said. He added that increasing the type of financial instruments available enables optimization of asset allocation. The Chinese currency is a topic in the ongoing trade talks with the U.S., with the Trump administration concerned about Beijings potential devaluation to blunt the impact of tariffs. According to Yi, a flexible currency exchange rate is a complementary step in Chinas opening as it helps absorb risks. Top officials have previously promised that they wont use manipulation of the yuan to gain a trade advantage. The central bank has already withdrawn from day-to-day interventions and now more and more market participants are getting used to a flexible exchange rate, Yi said, repeating an earlier pledge on exchange-rate reform. Also at the weekend, top officials pledged to lower tariffs and expedite debt sales in 2019 as they seek to manage the economic slowdown while tackling the standoff with the U.S. Vice Premier Han Zheng said the government will continue to cut import taxes and create a first-rate environment for foreign businesses, though he didnt add details on tariff cuts. The government will speed up bond sales and the use of the funding to boost domestic demand, Finance Minister Liu Kun said at the same event. Fiscal policy will play a bigger role in supporting the real economy in spite of slowing revenue growth, Liu said, repeating a plan to reduce taxes and fees by at least two trillion yuan (USD298 billion) this year. About 70 percent of the planned cuts will come from taxes while the rest from lower social security premiums and other fee reductions, he said. Bloomberg The Shenzhen Urban Transport Planning Center is allegedly developing a maglev train that can reach speeds of up to 600 kilometers per hour, according to reports by Hong Kong media. Earlier last week, the First Workshop on Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area Maglev and Advanced Rail Transit Development was held at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. During the workshop, the Shenzhen center informed that it is studying the construction of high- speed maglev test lines in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other Greater Bay cities. The train is said to directly reach other Greater Bay cities in half an hour and to promote resource interaction within the region. The centers director, Zhang Xiaochun, said that the maglev test lines in the study will connect to Guangzhou airport, Guangzhou central district, Nansha Free trade zone, Shenzhen airport, and Hong Kong airport. The goal is to establish Chinas first high-speed maglev intercity line, according to Zhang. In response to media enquiries, Hong Kongs transport and housing bureau said that it is paying close attention to the long-term cross-boundary transport arising from the development of the Greater Bay Area. The Hong Kong authority further noted that, when considering new cross-border infrastructures, the impact on passenger traffic and financial performance posed by the Hong Kong section of the high-speed rail and by the existing cross-boundary railways should be measured as well. The maglev train is also one of the key research and development projects of the national science and technology ministrys 13th five-year plan. In 2020, a pilot 600 kilometer per hour maglev train is expected to start operation. As of today, Macau has only been connected to mainland China in terms of the railway system through the train network in Zhuhai. JZ The visiting delegation from the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung has signed contracts for USD23.3 million worth of agricultural and fishery products with buyers from the SAR, Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong announced. According to Leong, 49 companies from Macau and Kaohsiung signed 27 long-term contracts, with a total value of MOP188 million. The products ordered by the SARs supermarkets and food suppliers include fish, pineapples and other agricultural specialties of Kaohsiung. The contracts were signed during a promotional event attended by Leong and Kaohsiung Mayor Daniel Han Kuo-yu, who led the municipal delegation visiting Macau on Saturday after his trip to the Hong Kong SAR (more on p11). On Saturday, the Chief Executive, Chui Sai and Han exchanged views on promoting trade, and cultural and tourism activities. Han believed that there was potential for cooperation between Kaohsiung and Macau, especially regarding exports of Kaohsiungs agricultural products. The mayor said he hoped to enhance trade with Macau and promote tourism and cultural cooperation between the two cities. LV A new requirement from the Philippine government being asked of overseas Filipino workers has sparked frustration amongst the community, who are complaining that it has taken effect too suddenly. The new measure, controlling the ability to acquire an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) a clearance issued to overseas workers requires Philippine workers to present a contract verified by the consulate, along with an addendum that requires the employers to cover the cost of repatriation in case of death. Although the new guidelines, issued last week, are only applicable to new workers vacationing for the first time, and to those who have changed employment on-site, a number of migrants consider the transition a hassle, with some having been threatened with termination. We have received news from concerned Filipino workers that they heard of employers terminating their workers, allegedly due to the new measure. We, however, to date have not received any direct information or complaints coming from a terminated worker, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in the SAR, led by Ramon Pastrana, said. Under the regulations of the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA), migrant workers undergo an official process to safeguard the rights and protection of these employees contrary to what usually occurs in the SAR as most workers find employment while on tourist visas. Thus, POLO clarified that Philippine rules and regulations mandate that Filipinos wishing to work overseas need to process their employment documentation with the POEA before departing abroad. However, the office admitted that it is not easy to fulfill the requirements. Some of these requirements, like a photocopy of an employers ID and other information, do not sit well with some employers because of privacy concerns, Pastranas office explained. To ensure that the harmonious relationship between the employer and worker is maintained, we explain to them that these requirements help us check on the authenticity of the employers signature on the contract and the basic contact details also assist in coordinating matters involving employer-employee relations, it added. As of Sunday, POLO has received a total of 130 requests for verification since the new measure was implemented. Jassy Santos, president of the Progressive Labor Union of Domestic Workers, lamented that the only problem in the new legislation is that domestic workers do not have a copy of their contract, nor a standard contract. Although the consulate provides the standard contract that is found on the website of the Labour Affairs Bureau, she said that not all employers are willing to sign. Just today [yesterday], two compatriots texted me saying that they are having a hard time to come back here because their OEC was not verified, while I am also aware of a case where a worker was terminated because of the new measure, she said. Santos also said that the memo was put in place immediately, without consultation with them, noting that not all employers are willing to sign the addendum. This measure will protect us but there was also no consultation. I believe the consulate also thinks that it [the memo] occurred [fast], Santos explained. Not all migrant workers are being provided with medical insurance which is also needed as one of the requirements; and if it is being provided, it usually does not cover the cost of repatriation in the case of death. Meanwhile, POLO is studying how to assist workers without the risk of being laid off, treating the cases individually. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will visit China for one day next week for talks with President Xi Jinping, adding to signs that any tensions between the two nations are easing. A longer visit had been in the planning for some weeks, but its been shortened following the terrorist attacks in Christchurch, Ardern told reporters yesterday in Wellington. Shell discuss a range of bilateral, regional and international issues including upgrading the existing free trade agreement on April 1. Ardern will also meet Premier Li Keqiang and open New Zealands embassy in Beijing. This is an important visit, she said. New Zealand places a high priority on our relationship with China. I do look forward to our ongoing engagement. China hopes her visit strengthens bilateral trust and expands cooperation between the two nations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a briefing in Beijing yesterday. Arderns government was buffeted by a string of incidents earlier this year that fueled concerns China was turning a cold shoulder toward New Zealand after it barred Huawei Technologies Co. from its next-generation wireless network. Opposition politicians called for the government to shore up the relationship with China to avoid potentially dire economic consequences for more than USD19 billion in two-way trade. Among the issues were claims that some exports were facing delays being cleared through Chinese ports and a report in a Chinese newspaper that tourists were canceling plans to visit New Zealand. Delays in Arderns visit to China, originally planned for late last year, were also cited as an example of friction, as was the postponement of the launch of the China-New Zealand Year of Tourism in Wellington. That event has been rescheduled for later this week and will be hosted by Chinas minister of culture and tourism. Bloomberg A former senior Philippine police official said President Rodrigo Duterte, who has faced widespread criticism over his deadly drug crackdown, has been photographed with two Chinese men involved in illegal drugs and that he sent a report to warn him about the two. Dismissed Senior Superintendent Eduardo Acierto said late Sunday that hes unaware what government action has been taken after he submitted his report about the Chinese men to top police officials starting in December 2017. Instead, Acierto said hes now facing illegal drugs complaints and has been the target of death threats that forced him to go into hiding recently. In my investigation, I discovered that our president [] is often accompanied by two people deeply involved in illegal drugs, Acierto, who was a veteran anti-narcotics official before he was dismissed last year by an anti-graft agency, said in a video message shown to reporters before he appeared at a news conference in Manila. What popped into my mind at the time was maybe the president isnt aware that these are suspected drug lords. Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Aaron Aquino told The Associated Press that he received Aciertos report and sent it to Dutertes office, adding that both his office and that of the president took steps to validate the allegations against the two Chinese. An initial check showed that at least one of the Chinese was not facing any illegal drugs case in the country, he said. There was a suspected drug dealer in the northern Philippines with the same name as one of the two Chinese Acierto identified in his report, but Aquino said investigators would have to check if they were the same person. Its wrong to say that there was no action taken because it was acted upon, Aquino said. He played down the significance of the photographs showing Duterte with the two Chinese men, saying officials often get approached by all sorts of people for group photographs without being able to rapidly check their background. I get to be asked for selfie shots and I wouldnt know that the one Im being photographed with is a drug lord, Aquino said. Aside from his alleged involvement in the irregular issuance of gun permits that led an anti-graft prosecutor to order his dismissal last year, Acierto also faces criminal complaints for his alleged role in the entry of a large amount of methamphetamine through the Bureau of Customs in Manila, Aquino said. In terms of credibility, its evident that hes not credible because, first of all, he has been implicated in the smuggling of drugs, Aquino said. Aciertos confidential report about the alleged drug links of the two Chinese contained many details, including the involvement of one of them in the establishment of a secret methamphetamine drugs manufacturing laboratory that was raided by authorities in 2004 in southern Davao city, where Duterte served as a longtime mayor before rising to the presidency in mid-2016. Police have not said if they investigated those specific allegations or what they found out. Profiles of the two Chinese provided by Acierto to reporters said they were similarly involved in the manufacturing, financing, the importation, transhipment and local distribution of meth or shabu, referring to the local name of the powerful stimulant. Acierto said he made a video message about his findings and contacted the media to make them public to be sure the potential danger the two men posed would be dealt with even if he gets killed. He did not elaborate on the death threats but said they forced him to go into hiding with the help of friends and church people.Jim Gomez & Bullit Marquez, Manila, AP South Korea said some North Korean officials returned to an inter- Korean liaison office yesterday, three days after the North abruptly withdrew its entire staff citing unspecified instructions from higher-level authorities. It wasnt immediately clear why North Korea sent some workers back to the office or whether it would restore a full staff. The Norths decision to withdraw its staff on Friday came a week after its vice foreign minister threatened to pull out of nuclear negotiations with the United States following the collapse of a nuclear summit last month between leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump in Vietnam. Seouls Unification Ministry, which deals with inter-Korean affairs, said in a statement that four to five North Korean officials showed up for work yesterday at the liaison office in the North Korean border town of Kaesong and told South Korean officials they came to work their usual shifts. The ministry said the North had still not provided a clear explanation as to why it withdrew staff from the office. It expressed hope that even the partial return of North Korean personnel would allow the office to serve its essential function. The North reportedly had sent about 10 workers each working day to the office since it opened last September as part of a slew of reconciliation steps between the rivals agreed to by Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. We plan to continue operating the inter-Korean liaison office like we did in normal times, said Baik Tae-hyun, the ministrys spokesman. Some analysts say the withdrawal was part of North Korean efforts to pressure South Korea to back its position with the United States more strongly following the breakdown of the Trump-Kim summit. North Korean state media have recently demanded that South Korea distance itself from the United States and resume joint economic projects that have been held back by U.S.-led sanctions against the North. The Koreas in past months have also dismantled some of their front-line guard posts, halted military exercises across their border and vowed to resume inter-Korean economic projects when possible, voicing optimism that international sanctions could end, allowing such projects. While Moon says inter- Korean reconciliation is crucial for achieving progress in nuclear negotiations, the breakdown of the Trump-Kim summit has created a difficult environment to push engagement with the North. Washington and Pyongyang have struggled with the sequencing of North Koreas nuclear disarmament and the removal of sanctions, and blamed each other for the collapse of last months meeting in Hanoi. The liaison office between the Koreas is the first since the Korean Peninsula was split into a U.S.-backed capitalistic South and a Soviet-supported socialist North in 1945. The rivals previously used telephone and fax-like communication channels that were often shut down in times of high tensions. Kaesong is also the location of a now-shuttered factory complex that was jointly run by the two Koreas. It combined South Korean capital and technology with cheap North Korean labor. Both Koreas want the United States to allow exemptions from the sanctions to permit the reopening of the factory park, which provided North Korea with much-needed foreign currency. Critics say Kaesong and other inter-Korean economic projects helped North Korea fund its nuclear weapons program. AP Residents have been complaining for some time about the frequent, obstructive and disrespectful parking of truck trailers in many streets in the surroundings of Concordia Industrial Park in Coloane. On a visit to the location, the Times observed a significant number of these vehicles parked, some of them reportedly for long periods on streets and areas where parking, and even stopping, is forbidden. The authorities have been contacted regarding the case, however answers have not been forthcoming. After almost a month the Transport Bureau (DSAT) has finally acknowledged the questions, replying, we have reinforced our joint operation with the Public Security Police Force (PSP) in removing the truck trailers. The DSAT further explained to the Times that these removed trailers will be subjected to the same procedures as abandoned vehicles, which will mean that if they are not reclaimed by their owners within the legal period, they will be reverted to the government and sold in public auctions by the Financial Services Bureau. Asked about the apparent lack of use of several parking areas nearby that are specially designed for heavy vehicles and despite the alleged need for such spaces the DSAT would make no speculations about the cause for their underuse. We make no assumptions about the reasons that the parking places specially designed and assigned to heavy vehicles are not in use. Meanwhile, we will continue to look for spaces suitable for solving the parking problems of the sector. Questioned by the Times on the same issues, the PSP responded: Regarding the illegal parking situation of the trailers, we have followed up on it proactively and have communicated with the other departments including the Customs Service and the Transport Bureau. We will update the information of the relevant trailers and their owners regularly so that our Traffic Department can follow up and handle the situation more effectively in the future, added the PSP. The police authorities also revealed plans to convene a meeting and coordinate the four parties proactively, [namely the police force,] the transport sector, the Customs Service and the Transport Bureau, and formulate a suitable proposal in relation to the issues of trailers, including their entry and departure from Macau, their registration number plate, the set-up of a legal parking area, etc. in order to solve the problem. It is important to note that several accidents have, in the past, occurred involving parked truck trailers, some with deadly consequences. Five people died yesterday in a shooting in Chinas Inner Mongolia region, authorities said. An individual shot and killed five people before being apprehended by police, authorities said in Inner Mongolias eastern Kailu county. Police did not describe the suspect, provide a motive or say whether anyone else was injured. Gun crime is rare in China, where private firearm ownership is almost entirely forbidden. But guns can be purchased on the black market through online dealers. Regulations introduced in 2014 mandate that police officers carry guns a change after decades in which Chinese police were unarmed. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- With the principal findings of special counsel Robert Mueller's report into Russian interference in the 2016 election having been made public, Democratic contenders for the party's presidential nomination in 2020 have swiftly focused their ire squarely on Attorney General William Barr, who they say should immediately release the full report and its supporting documents. Several candidates decried the summary from President DonaldTrump's "handpicked" Attorney General, whose summary of Mueller's report stated that the "Special Counsel did not find that the Trump campaign, or anyone associated with it, conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in these efforts," saying the four-page letter does not provide the public with sufficient information about Mueller's findings. Congress voted 420-0 to release the full Mueller report. Not a 'summary' from his handpicked Attorney General. AG Barr, make the full report public. Immediately," Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted Sunday about a House vote two weeks ago as the news broke that Barr had delivered a letter to Congress summarizing Mueller's findings. "Let's speak truth that the American public deserves transparency and accountability and the Mueller report must be made public for a full accounting of what happened," California Sen. Kamala Harris, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said during a campaign rally in Atlanta Sunday evening. "The Attorney General of the United States must be required to come and testify before Congress instead of just submitting a four page memo of what happened. "A short letter from Trump's hand-picked Attorney General is not sufficient," Harris added in a Sunday evening tweet. Barr, who was selected by Trump to replace his first attorney general, former Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 54-45 last month. All six Democratic U.S. Senators who have announced presidential bids voted against Barr's confirmation. "This is simply a four-page letter from the presidents attorney general that summarizes what happened and leaves open a lot of questions," Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who, like Harris, sits on the Senate Judiciary, said in an interview with CBS News on Monday. "Barr, during his [confirmation] hearing and now as attorney general has pledged that he wants to make everything he can public and were going to call him on that. We want to see this report." "The American people deserve the opportunity to read the full Mueller report, not a sanitized summary from Donald Trumps hand-picked AG," Washington Gov. Jay Inslee tweeted Sunday evening. "The Trump administration has proven it cant be trusted. Its time to #releasethereport." "Trump's attorney general just release his four-page summary of the Mueller report. That's not good enough. The American people deserve to see the full report and findings from this investigation immediately -- not just the Trump administration's in-house summary," read an e-mail blast from New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker's presidential campaign. Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams likened Barr's summary to "your brother summarize your report card to your parents." "It is deeply inappropriate for someone who is an avowed partisan, who, in part auditioned for the job by disparaging the report to be responsible for summarizing the report." Abrams said in an interview Sunday. "I am always suspect of a process that does not have independence and transparency, and I think we should demand that we get to see the report in full, no redactions and no questions. The attention on Barr is only expected to grow in the coming days, as Democratic leaders like House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler have already said they will ask the attorney general to testify publicly before Congress. On Twitter, President Trump was quick to claim "total EXONERATION," after Barr's summary was released, despite the fact that the Special Counsel specifically declined to exonerate him on the issue of whether or not he obstructed justice. Asked Monday by ABC News' Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl in the Oval Office whether or not Mueller's investigation was a "witch hunt," President Trump said he said the investigation went on "far too long," but added that he would not mind if Mueller's full report was made public. "Up to the Attorney General but it wouldn't both me at all," Trump said. But even amid their unified calls for Barr to release the full Mueller report, some Democratic candidates will now have to contend with their claims that went beyond just speculation over Trump and his 2016 campaign's ties to Russia. "You have a president, who in my opinion, beyond a shadow of a doubt, sought to, however ham-handedly, collude with the Russian government, a foreign power, to undermine and influence our elections," former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who launched his presidential campaign earlier this month, said on the campaign trail in South Carolina on Saturday. While other candidates have not gone as far as O'Rourke, their rhetoric has suggested they believe that foreign powers do hold sway over Trump and his administration. "Under this administration, America's position in the world has never been weaker. When democratic values are under attack around the globe, when authoritarianism is on the March, when nuclear proliferation is on the rise, when we have foreign powers infecting the White House like malware, Harris, who told ABC's Jimmy Kimmel last week that Americans want a candidate who can "prosecute the case" against Trump in 2020, said in January during her official campaign kickoff speech in Oakland, California. Other Democratic presidential hopefuls like South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, say the release of Barr's summary underscores the point that the party can never fully rely on the famed prosecutor's mysterious report as the sole rationale for denying Trump a second term in office. "I think this is further evidence that it would be a mistake for Democrats to think that the way for the Trump presidency to end is by way of investigation," Buttigieg, who is expected to formally announce his presidential candidacy next month, said in an interview with MSNBC on Sunday. "That could, of course, happen but weve got to be paying attention to the kinds of conditions that made it possible for somebody like him to get here in the first place." Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Introducing The Main Index There are now over 43,000 individual posts here on A Light In The Darkness. They have all been individually added into Main Index categories. To get the full experience out of A Light In The Darkness and its very extensive library of items, covering virtually all things paranormal, supernatural etc ... we recommend that you flick down the Main Index, which runs down the right hand side of the blog page ... to find the indexed category in which the subject matter you seek is located. Alternatively, why not use long search bar you will find towards the top of the blog page ... ENJOY Why Do States Privatize their Prisons? The Unintended Consequences of Inmate Litigation. (Job market paper). The United States has witnessed privatization of a variety of government functions over the last three decades. Media and politicians often attribute the decision to privatize to ideological commitments to small government and fiscal pressure. These claims are particularly notable in the context of prison privatization, where states and the federal government have employed private companies to operate and manage private correctional facilities. I argue state prison privatization is not a function of simple ideological or economic considerations. Rather, prison privatization has been a (potentially unintended) consequence of the administrative and legal costs associated with litigation brought by prisoners. I assemble an original database of prison privatization in the US and demonstrate that the privatization of prisons is best predicted by the legal pressure on state corrections systems, rather than the ideological orientation of a state government. PDF of most recent version here, comments welcome. Appendix here. Do Private Prison Companies Suffer When Inmates Win Lawsuits? The central claim of my dissertation argues it is the advent of inmates rights and rising prisoner litigation that contributed to the rise of prison privatization in the state. A separate dissertation chapter considers this relationship from the viewpoint of the business: is it the case that the economic future of the company is vulnerable to the announcement of successful court orders? I use event study methodology and find I find that on aggregate, investors are not particularly concerned with these judicial decrees. Rather, investors respond to the lawsuits in those states that are the most consequential for private prison firms business. This chapter fleshes out the behavior of private prison companies and provides further empirical evidence for the central claim of the dissertation, that private prison firms are indeed vulnerable to the announcement of court orders. This is without a doubt, one of the most beautiful pieces of writing it has been my pleasure to read. I hope my grandkids get half of the lessons it can give. Read it, and you cant help but feel good--but you will look at life a little different. James P - Amazon review -------------- I'm heavily into reading the book now and I've already laughed till I hurt. You have a wonderful gift lady FarmMom --------------------------- Most informative features for categorizing marmoset vocalizations. Credit: Shi Tong Liu/University of Pittsburgh For humans to achieve accurate speech recognition and communicate with one another, the auditory system must recognize distinct categories of soundssuch as wordsfrom a continuous incoming stream of sounds. This task becomes complicated when considering the variability in sounds produced by individuals with different accents, pitches, or intonations. In a recent Nature Communications paper, Shi Tong Liu, a bioengineering Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering, details a computational model that explores how the auditory system tackles this complex task. The research is led by Srivatsun Sadagopan, assistant professor of neurobiology, whose lab studies the perception of complex sounds in realistic listening conditions. "A 'word' may be pronounced in different ways by different voices, but you are still able to lump all of these utterances into a category (a specific word) with a distinct meaning," said Sadagopan. "In this study, we examined how the brain achieves this by using animal calls as a greatly simplified model system. Vocal animal species such as marmosets, macaques, and guinea pigs produce several types of calls which carry distinct behavioral 'meanings,' but they also face the problem that different animals produce these calls with a lot of variability." The published paper, "Optimal features for auditory categorization", focuses on vocalizations of the common marmoset. Xiaoqin Wang, professor of biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University, provided a large set of marmoset vocalizations that captured the wide range of variability in these sounds. The team then used information theory and a "greedy" search algorithm to find features of each vocalization type that consistently occurred despite all of the variability. Their strategy was to select a set of features that jointly maximized performance, but avoid features that were too similar to each other. "We fed our algorithm a bank of marmoset calls and asked it to find the most informative and consistently recognizable features," explained Liu. "The final output was a set of 'most informative features' that are characteristic to a particular call typemuch like the distinguishing features of a face (e.g. finding eyes or a nose in an image). By detecting the presence or absence of these most informative features in incoming sounds, the model can identify the vocalization type with very high accuracy." After the features were shown to be effective in the theoretical model, the team returned to the animals to test if the brain was in fact looking for these informative features. They found interesting results when they compared data from their model to neural responses recorded from marmoset auditory cortex by Sadagopan when he was a graduate student in Xiaoqin Wang's lab. "The neural evidence supports our model, which means it can be used as a solid foundation for future studies," said Liu. "Our model gives powerful and accurate predictions of what the brain is listening for in vocalizations. This research has applications in advancing speech recognition technology and auditory prostheses, and I plan to use this work to better understand how the brain can isolate relevant sounds in crowded spaces." The team's work was supported by research grants from the National Institutes on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), the Pennsylvania Lions Hearing Research Foundation, and the Samuel and Emma Winters Foundation. Explore further Neuroscientists train a deep neural network to process sounds like humans do More information: Shi Tong Liu et al. Optimal features for auditory categorization, Nature Communications (2019). Journal information: Nature Communications Shi Tong Liu et al. Optimal features for auditory categorization,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09115-y It's one of the scariest things a person could ever hear: "You have cancer." Every single day, nearly 47,000 people around the world, on average, are diagnosed with cancer. And while the disease can affect anyone, there is extreme disparity when it comes to cancer care and prevention globally. About 70 percent of all deaths from cancer occur in low- and middle-income countries. The reasons are myriad and complex; meanwhile, the human suffering is ubiquitous in these resource-limited settings. In Botswana, a democratic nation in southern Africa with a population of approximately 2.3 million, workforce capacity in the health sector is a major challenge to providing comprehensive cancer care. One example of many: there is only one medical oncologist in the country's largest referral hospital. To say that this doctor is spread thin would be a gross understatement. Grueling experiences for people seeking cancer care Cancer patients at varying stages of illness, known and unknown, camp out in Botswana's referral hospitals for days or weeks at a time, waiting to be seen. Waiting for test results. Waiting for consults. Waiting for a bed to open up. Waiting for medication. Waiting for surgery. Waiting, in some cases, to die a slow and painful death without any palliative care. Some have traveled upward of 500 miles to get there, and not because they are seeking a second or third opinion or have exhausted all other treatment options. Quite the opposite, actuallymany patients arrive at Botswana's referral hospitals without any information about their condition other than that they "have cancer." Patients carry around their own medical recordspaper charts, notes from other appointments, even X-ray filmsin binders or plastic bags. Commonly, they arrive with only an initial cancer diagnosis from a tissue biopsy, but they haven't had the follow-up exams needed to develop a treatment plan, or those procedures weren't properly documented. "People are dying from curable cancers in Botswana because of delays in each step of the cancer care process," says Richard Marlink, an oncologist and the director of Rutgers Global Health Institute, based at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Recently, the university announced the launch of the Botswana-Rutgers Knowledge Collaborative, a partnership with Botswana that has the potential to create transformational change throughout the country. Marlink says a root cause of this inequity in cancer care is "the breakdown in communication across Botswana's public health system, combined with the absence of coordinated care, from cancer prevention and screening through diagnosis, imaging, treatment, and chronic or supportive care." Despite the skills, knowledge, and experience of the nation's small-but-mighty health care workforce, the resources that are desperately neededhuman, technical, logistical, pharmaceutical, financial, psychosocialare in extremely short supply. In Botswana, they're doing the best they can with what they havebut it's not enough. Building knowledge by way of technology Botswana and Rutgers are partnering to improve cancer care and prevention in material ways. Because a key challenge in Botswana is workforce capacity in the health sector, an early action item will be to train more clinicians to provide the specialized medical services that are needed in oncology and related fields, such as radiology, pathology, pharmacy, and nursing. Through the use of telementoring, the Botswana-Rutgers partnership will create a virtual extension of the health workforce and enable learning in both directions. Currently, if a hospital in Botswana only has one radiologist, it takes three to four weeks for a CT scan to be read, and patients needing more advanced imaging are sent to facilities in South Africa, which can take months to complete. "These barriers to care will essentially disappear," Marlink says. "We can build and bridge the connections that exist within Botswana, within Rutgers, and with our partners around the world." According to Marlink, clinical experts will be able to provide real-time input on cases from a distance, while also creating a knowledge bank to inform their future work and to help train others. Botswana native Tlotlo Ralefala, head of the oncology department at Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, the nation's capital city, believes that a telementoring program focused on medical specialty training and knowledge exchange is a necessary step toward improving cancer care in Botswana. Providers in remote areas will have prompt access to advice from specialists, and patients will benefit from efficient referrals and effective care management, she says. "For every cancer patient, the importance of early diagnosis and initiation of the appropriate treatment cannot be overstated," Ralefala says. "This will lead to less morbidity and mortality associated with advanced disease." Aligning Rutgers' expertise with areas of need and growth in Botswana While this telementoring program will be a cornerstone of the Botswana-Rutgers partnershipcreating capability and reach that can swiftly affect many of Botswana's health care needsit is just one expression of the partners' commitment to moving the nation forward. As Botswana President Mokgweetsi Eric Masisi and Rutgers President Robert Barchi announced on February 15, the Botswana-Rutgers Knowledge Collaborative will focus on health care, information technology, higher education research, entrepreneurship, civic leadership, and other needs to help Botswana transform its economy, which historically has been dependent on natural resources. In addition to cancer care and prevention initiatives, Rutgers Global Health Institute will contribute to the opening of Botswana's Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital and has mobilized Rutgers' School of Engineering to help create a biomedical engineering curriculum for undergraduates at University of Botswana. National strategies with global impact Rutgers, a state university with a global impact, is engaged in nearly 400 international partnerships. This partnership will benefit from Marlink's deep relationships and experience in Botswana, originating in the 1990s, when he was a leader in setting up HIV/AIDS clinics throughout the country's 34 district hospitals and more than 500 primary care clinics. At the time, Botswana had the highest prevalence of HIV in the world. The country's national roll-out of a comprehensive treatment program for HIV/AIDS helped attract billions of dollars in international aid to Africa. This increased funding supported many developing countries' efforts to control the rapidly escalating epidemic in the same way that Botswana did. "We need to confront cancer the same way, step by step, before it's too late," Marlink says, referring to projections that, by 2030, low- and middle-income countries will have experienced the world's highest increase in cancer rates. "Once we show that cancer care and prevention is possible on a national scale in Botswana, funding for cancer may start to flow, enabling implementation in other developing countries throughout Africa and globally. We can save so many more lives." En route to long-term impact Rutgers Global Health Institute and University of Botswana School of Medicine faculty members, physicians Tendani Gaolathe and Refeletswe Lebelonyane, are overseeing operations at the institute's office in Botswana. Together with global oncology fellows Ashwin Chandar and Sukhdeep (Rita) Kaur, who are senior hematology/oncology fellows at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the team already is working with partners in Botswana to support existing cancer control projects. The Rutgers fellows, for example, have helped create a patient referral protocol, audit chemotherapy drugs and pharmacy procedures, and review national guidelines for breast cancer care and prevention. "This is all very exciting and innovative," Gaolathe says. "Everyone who contributes also will benefit, and together we will make a real impact for the people of Botswana." Explore further Patients' HIV status should not impact their cancer care (HealthDay)Colon cancer is highly preventable through regular screening. But the right type of screening depends on your particular risk factors, an expert says. Each year in the United States, more than 140,000 people are diagnosed with colon cancer, and about 50,000 die from the disease. It's the second-leading cause of cancer death in the country. "With colorectal cancer screening, we can detect precancerous lesions and get them removed," said Dr. Kofi Clarke, chief of gastroenterology at Penn State Medical Center. "We've begun to notice the incidence of colorectal cancer decreasing in the past few years, and we believe that is partly due to screening," Clarke said in a center news release. Most people at average risk should start getting screened at age 50, but black people should start screening at age 45, Clarke said. Average risk means there is no family or personal history of polyps, colon cancer or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and no history of abdominal radiation as a child or radiation treatment for prostate cancer. Screening options for people at average risk include colonoscopy, virtual colonoscopy, and fecal tests. Colonoscopythe gold standardis recommended every 10 years. It allows doctors to view the inside of the colon and remove any polyps or abnormal findings for further testing. A less invasive option is virtual colonoscopy, a CT scan of the colon. It should be done once every five years. "But if the test detects polyps, you will still need a colonoscopy to have them examined," Clarke said. Other options include stool DNA tests, which should be done once every three years. Fecal tests that check for blood in the stool are recommended once a year. People at high risk for colon cancer should have a colonoscopy once every five years and preferably should not use the other screening options, Clarke advised. "For those with a family history of colorectal cancer, we recommend they start screenings at either age 40 or five years before their family member was diagnosed," Clarke said. People with IBD should begin screening after eight years with the condition. If you're uncertain about your colon cancer risk level, talk with your doctor. Explore further What you need to know about polyps in your colon More information: The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more on The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more on colon cancer screening Copyright 2019 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Twenty-eight weeks into her first pregnancy, Rabia's worst fears were realised. She went into labour, and the baby was stillborn. The bleeding started the next day. "It was severe bleeding, uncontrolled," Rabia recalls. "The doctors and nurses were changing the bed sheets after every two or three minutes. They were red with blood." She was at a hospital in her hometown of Taxila, north of the Pakistani capital Islamabad. The hospital was small and poorly equipped; it employed hardly any gynaecologists, and did not have the facilities to give Rabia a blood transfusion or to surgically explore the cause of the haemorrhage. As her condition worsened and the bleeding continued unabated, panicked medical staff referred her to a larger hospital, over an hour's drive away, in the nearby city of Rawalpindi. By the time she reached the next hospital, everything was a blur. She had lost so much blood that she was experiencing multiple organ failure: her kidneys, liver and lungs were all beginning to fail. In Pakistan, blood banks are generally in short supply, and on top of this Rabia has a rare blood type. In a race against the clock, doctors tested the blood of the relatives who had travelled with her. Her husband desperately called friends, colleagues, anyone he could think of who could quickly get to the hospital. Those that matched gave blood, which was transfused into Rabia immediately. At the same time, doctors sought to stop the bleeding and warned her family that she might not survive. But, after ten days in hospital, she made a full recovery. As she struggled to make sense of her experience, Rabia who five years later is now 31 and studying for a Ph.D. in environmental sciences looked up every medical paper she could find about the horror she had experienced. As she read, she realised that she was one of the lucky ones. Postpartum haemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide, responsible for around 100,000 deaths every year. The condition is usually defined as blood loss of more than 500 ml within 24 hours of a vaginal birth, or more than 1,000 ml, together with signs of decreased blood circulation, following a caesarean. While around 6 per cent of women giving birth all over the world in rich and poor countries alike develop postpartum haemorrhage, 99 per cent of deaths from it occur in low- and middle-income countries. Put bluntly, if you develop postpartum haemorrhage in the UK or France, it is extremely unlikely you will die. If you develop it in Pakistan or Nigeria, there is a significant chance that you will. This disparity applies to maternal deaths across the board: 99 per cent of maternal deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries. A level of bleeding after giving birth is normal, because a woman has to bleed when the placenta detaches. But for some women, this does not stop. Postpartum haemorrhage can have various causes, but by far the most common is uterine atony. In simple terms: during delivery, the uterus squeezes to push the baby out away from the uterine wall, to which it is attached via the placenta. All being well, the uterus would then contract and seal off the bleeding. Sometimes, that doesn't happen, so the uterus remains dilated and blood flow is uncontrolled. In other cases of postpartum haemorrhage, the placenta might not detach entirely. Or the uterus might rupture, causing bleeding inside and out. Or the vagina might be torn, which can cause severe bleeding. Typical treatment for postpartum haemorrhage involves uterine massage, and drugs such as misoprostol, oxytocin or ergometrine, all of which help the uterus to contract. If this treatment doesn't work, doctors might take surgical steps manually removing trapped parts of the placenta, placing temporary sutures on the uterus, stitching external or internal lacerations on the vagina, or, in extreme cases, performing a hysterectomy and removing the uterus altogether. It can be difficult to identify the cause of the bleeding; during the time this takes a woman may lose a critical amount of blood and, as Rabia did, suffer multiple organ failure. For many, this will cause irreversible damage or death. It is notoriously difficult to obtain reliable statistics for maternal mortality; a 2015 report by the World Health Organization (WHO) noted that many countries "lack comprehensive systems" for recording these deaths and that "underreporting" is rife. On the best estimates available, the global maternal mortality rate fell by 44 per cent in the 25 years from 1990 to 2015. While this is a vast improvement, it still means that around the world, more than 200 women die for every 100,000 who give birth. In 2009, Haleema Shakur-Still and Ian Roberts, two research scientists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, began to wonder if they might be able to add a tool to the arsenal in the battle against maternal death. They had been working on a clinical trial of a drug called tranexamic acid. The drug, which makes it easier for the body to stem bleeding by stopping blood clots from breaking down, was out of patent and therefore cheap. It had been invented by husband and wife Shosuke and Utako Okamoto in Japan in 1962. The Okamotos thought it might be a useful treatment for postpartum haemorrhage, but they could not convince local doctors to perform a clinical trial. Instead, tranexamic acid was picked up by a pharmaceutical company and used as a treatment for heavy periods and after tooth extractions. Shakur-Still and Roberts's trial, CRASH-2, tested its use on people who were bleeding badly from injuries. The results were striking. If the drug was given intravenously within three hours of injury, it reduced the risk of death by a third. As the two scientists worked with doctors around the world, the subject of postpartum haemorrhage came up again and again. "Doctors in Nigeria were seeing women come into the emergency department having given birth elsewhere, and bleeding to death," says Shakur-Still. "It's so far removed from our experience here [in the UK] that I didn't even believe that was a reality, until I started looking at the data." In March 2010, Shakur-Still and Roberts launched the WOMAN (World Maternal Antifibrinolytic) trial, working in 21 countries to test whether tranexamic acid might similarly reduce deaths from postpartum haemorrhage. The double-blinded trial enrolled 20,000 women with postpartum haemorrhage, randomly assigning them to receive either 1 g of intravenous tranexamic acid, or a matching placebo, in addition to usual care which would typically consist of uterine massage, one or more of the drugs aimed at helping the uterus contract, or surgery. Nigeria was the first country to come on board for the WOMAN trial. Around the country, 53 hospitals took part. University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, a sprawling city in southern Nigeria, was the organisational centre. The thing about postpartum haemorrhage, doctors say, is the chaos. It is a race against the clock to stop the bleeding and find the cause before the patient loses a critical amount of blood and goes into irreversible shock. Nike Bello, a consultant in gynaecology and obstetrics at UCH Ibadan, has treated too many cases of severe postpartum haemorrhage to count. "[In some cases] we did every single step of surgery, one by one, and she still died. Even after we removed the uterus and ligated all the arteries," she says. She works at a large, well-equipped government hospital, an expansive complex set back from a traffic-clogged road. The most severe cases end up here, women referred from more basic facilities, often having lost massive amounts of blood before arrival. Those that stand out in Bello's mind are the ones that lived. One woman came in having given birth elsewhere, bleeding from lacerations to her vagina. The wounds had been packed with gauze, but it had not stemmed the bleeding. The gauze was soaking red, blood dripping through. "I looked at the vagina and it was all avulsed, it was like someone took a razor to it and shredded it to bits," says Bello. "I really can't explain what they did." Seeing how severe the blood loss was, she decided to take the woman to surgery immediately. The anaesthetist intervened: there was no blood to replace what she was losing, he said, and what if she died in surgery? In Nigeria, the desperately underfunded healthcare system works on a pay-as-you-go model, where patients and their families must purchase anaesthetic, drugs or blood before medical procedures can be carried out. Payment can be deferred for surgery if a patient cannot afford it, but not for drugs. The reasoning is that hospitals can absorb the cost of the doctors' time on surgery but cannot afford to replace medicines that have not first been paid for. If blood banks have stock of the right blood type, patients must buy it before they can receive a transfusion. As there are limited supplies of blood, more often than not, they also have to find a donor. This woman's family did not have the funds to purchase the blood, and needed to go home to look for more money, which could cause a fatal delay. "We are saying that if we arrest the bleeding she might die but if we don't arrest the bleeding she will die," Bello told the anaesthetist. "I would rather the patient dies while I am trying to save her than watch her die without trying." They took her to surgery. Bello sewed the multiple wounds on the vagina, but the other tissue around it began to tear. As she stitched, the family returned with enough money for four pints of blood. The transfusion was given, and the wounds were eventually sealed off. The woman's life was saved. Nigeria has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world; according to the WHO, the country accounts for 19 per cent of all maternal deaths worldwide. Around 800 women die for every 100,000 births. While this figure has lowered over the past two decades, it is still the worst in sub-Saharan Africa. Postpartum haemorrhage is the leading cause. As in other parts of the world, eclampsia a complication resulting from high blood pressure is a close second. Even when a woman survives postpartum haemorrhage, it can have devastating consequences. Oladapo Olayemi, another consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology at UCH, once treated a nurse, an employee at the hospital, who haemorrhaged after giving birth to her first child. The bleeding was severe and nothing was working to make it stop. As Olayemi operated, he realised he would have to remove her uterus in order to save her life. The woman survived, but for three months afterwards, she would not speak to him, ignoring him when she passed him in the corridor. "Childbearing is a major aspect of our social life," says Olayemi. "It is seen as a social success to have children, and she only had one. This means you are reluctant to remove the uterus you have to weigh saving her life. Sometimes you take that decision too late." Only 32 per cent of women in Nigeria deliver their babies with a skilled attendant; the vast majority deliver at home, at a basic health facility, or with a traditional midwife. This means that if a woman begins to haemorrhage, there can be long delays before she gets the right treatment. Often, by the time she reaches a large hospital like UCH, she will already have been to two or three smaller hospitals along the way. This, added to the financial pressure of having to buy medicines and blood before treatment, is a serious logistical problem. Against this context, it is clear why doctors at UCH and elsewhere in Nigeria were eager to take part in the WOMAN trial. But given the scale of the challenges, could tranexamic acid help? The trial ran for six years, during which time Utako Okamoto, the co-inventor of the drug, died (her husband, Shosuke, had died in 2004). When the results came out in April 2017, they vindicated the Okamotos' original thesis that it could be effective for postpartum haemorrhage. If tranexamic acid was administered within three hours of birth, the risk of death reduced by 31 per cent, around a third. "It buys us time," explains Bello. "It makes the bleeding slower, so you can replace blood and fix the problem." Before the trial, there were concerns that the drug which encourages blood clotting might have an adverse effect since pregnant and lactating women are already prone to blood clots. But the trial showed that it did not. "For us in Nigeria, [the results] are very significant," says Bukola Fawole, a professor at UCH and Nigeria's project lead on the WOMAN trial. "If postpartum haemorrhage accounts for 25 per cent of all maternal deaths, and if we utilise tranexamic acid in every woman who is bleeding sufficiently early, it will reduce almost a third of those deaths. For us, that is huge." The WHO updated its recommendation on using tranexamic acid for postpartum haemorrhage in light of the WOMAN trial. But almost two years after the results came out, the drug isn't always easily available in the countries that need it most. Tranexamic acid is cheap, heat-resistant, easy to store and to produce, and it is proven to save lives. Why aren't we using it everywhere? In 2010, Rizwana Chaudhri, the dean of Rawalpindi Medical University in Pakistan, attended a conference for obstetricians and gynaecologists in London. She picked up a leaflet that asked: "Would you like to be part of a trial to save mothers?" As she sat in the conference hall, she got out her phone and emailed right away. "Postpartum haemorrhage is one of the main killers in our country," she tells me. "Anything we can do to save even one human life, with any added drug, would be beneficial." She soon became the WOMAN project lead for Pakistan. The Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi, where Chaudhri practises, was the centre of the trial. Twinned with the capital Islamabad, Rawalpindi is Pakistan's fourth-largest city, a densely populated maze of streets. Pakistan's population is rapidly growing: this hospital alone delivers 21,000 babies annually, Chaudhri says. Demand far outstrips the facilities. On the postnatal ward, beds are shared by two women, sometimes three, and their babies. In the nursery, where premature babies and those with jaundice or other serious problems are cared for, incubators designed for one baby are filled with five or six, lined up next to each other with name tags around their wrists. This is a government hospital, so patients receive free medical care, and no one is turned away. It serves a huge geographical area encompassing both urban centres and far-flung villages. Like UCH in Ibadan, it is a referral centre, and by the time women reach this hospital after giving birth at home or in a basic health unit, they may have already lost a critical amount of blood. "Death usually occurs when there is a delay," explains Chaudhri. "The golden period is the first three hours. There are three main delays. The first is decision making. The woman is not empowered enough to decide, 'I'm going [to the hospital].' The family decides and they may have to contact their males. The second is money they may not have transport. The third is the distance they have to cover, and that they have no idea where to take them, so they go from one facility to another." According to Sadia Khan, a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology, the Holy Family Hospital typically sees two women a day with severe postpartum haemorrhage. The role of poverty and the marginalisation of women is hard to ignore. "In Pakistan, the fertility rate is high and the inter-pregnancy interval is low a woman might be having a baby every year, which is a risk factor," says Khan. "Especially in rural areas, the mother is probably the last person in the household who is the priority." Poor nutrition means that more than 50 per cent of Pakistani women of reproductive age are anaemic, compounding the problem of postpartum haemorrhage: if a mother's haemoglobin levels are already low, she is less able to withstand heavy blood loss. The vast majority of women do not seek any antenatal care at all, meaning they might be unaware that they are anaemic and therefore at high risk of complications. In the most extreme cases of haemorrhage, women enter a state called disseminated intravascular coagulation, when all the blood in their body fails to coagulate. This can cause bleeding from elsewhere the gums, the nose. At this stage, it is very hard to save their life. In 2016, two years after her stillbirth, Rabia was pregnant again. She had read everything she could find online about postpartum haemorrhage, and spoke to her family doctor in Taxila to ask what could be done to prevent a recurrence. The doctor told her about the trial for tranexamic acid. Rabia left the appointment and scoured the internet for information about the trial. "I found the whole literature, the WOMAN project, this trial going on globally," she says. As the due date approached, she anxiously prepared. Her husband gathered blood donors from among their friends and family, and this time they went straight to a large hospital when she went into labour. After giving birth to a healthy baby girl, the bleeding started again. The horror of her last experience, the uncontrolled bleeding and the organ failure, rushed back to Rabia. "I was thinking that history is going to repeat," she says. An injection of tranexamic acid was delivered, alongside other measures such as intrauterine packing with gauze and manual removal of placenta pieces that had failed to detach. Miraculously, it seemed to Rabia, the bleeding stopped. Within a day, she had made a full recovery. The tranexamic acid "made a difference, definitely," she says. When the trial results came out in April 2017, the doctors who had worked on it in Pakistan were jubilant. Tranexamic acid, which stops blood clots from breaking down, works in a totally different way from other drug treatments for postpartum haemorrhage, which mainly focus on helping the uterus to contract. "If the patient has had the uterotonic drugs and needs two transfusions, the addition of tranexamic acid means the need for blood transfusions is reduced, as is the need for surgery," explains Khan. "It's easily available, cheap, very effective. It's a magic drug." Zainab lives in Ibadan, Nigeria. When she went into labour seven years ago, she decided to go to UCH, where she worked as a health attendant. She felt perfectly well, but it was her first child, so she didn't know what to expect and didn't want to take any risks. Her husband was at work, but she didn't ask him to go with her. She walked into the hospital herself and presented at the labour ward. At first, things went smoothly. Her child was delivered, a healthy baby boy. After that point, her memory is hazy. "I can't even explain, the music changed within two seconds. I knew I had a baby boy, but the only thing I can remember is opening my eyes and seeing I was in an anti-shock gown." These compression garments are sometimes used to stem bleeding. Zainab remembers a doctor explaining to her that a trial was going on, and that there was an injection that might stop the bleeding. She agreed to have it. She was absolutely sure that she was going to die. The doctors administered tranexamic acid along with a blood transfusion. She doesn't know how long it took, but the bleeding stopped. "I thank god that research was going on there," she says. "In short, I am alive. My baby is doing fine. Without that research, I might not be alive today." Although she was careful about her health and sought medical support during her pregnancy, Zainab had never heard of postpartum haemorrhage. "I knew women were dying in delivery, I knew things happened, but I thought I could never be a victim." In May, her son will be seven. She often thinks about the trial. "If this drug was not available, where would I be today? Who would be taking care of that poor boy?" In fact, now that the trial is over, tranexamic acid is not available in much of Nigeria, or in many other countries where maternal mortality is high. Nigeria's health minister Isaac Adewole, a gynaecologist by training, issued a directive recommending that every hospital in the country stock it. But progress has been slow, in the face of underfunding and poor infrastructure. "The drug is available, but not as widely available as we would wish," says Bukola Fawole, the country's WOMAN project lead. "We want it to be available in every nook and cranny." He and his colleagues have been running sessions with gynaecologists, obstetricians and midwives to raise awareness of the drug. These efforts are ongoing, but the problem of distribution remains. Tranexamic acid is not produced in Nigeria. The price increased after the trial results perhaps because of increased demand, as well as a simultaneous collapse in the Nigerian currency. During the trial, the drug was provided for free to the 50 hospitals that took part. Today, even those hospitals do not all stock tranexamic acid, because of the cost and the difficulty of finding a reliable supplier. According to Tolulope Adebisi, the pharmacist at UCH in Ibadan, it can be challenging to get hold of tranexamic acid. Hospital pharmacies work privately, on a supply-and-demand basis. If a doctor doesn't prescribe a drug, pharmacists won't stock it, but this can become a vicious circle, as doctors won't prescribe drugs that are not routinely stocked. "Drug companies don't want to tie up their capital with drugs like that, except if they are sure of a ready market," says Adebisi. "They prefer antibiotics, antimalarials, things that are fast-moving." At a large teaching hospital such as UCH, pharmacists have well-developed relationships with a range of suppliers, and are more easily able to stock tranexamic acid. "We have our regular reliable suppliers," she says. "For smaller hospitals, it might be more difficult to access." A vial of 500 mg of tranexamic acid can cost 1,500 naira (3.20), and two would be needed for the recommended dose. This is significantly more expensive than the other drug treatments for postpartum haemorrhage a further deterrent for patients. According to Adebise, some cheaper versions of the drug are becoming available, but they are still not widely accessible. This is all the more frustrating, because where tranexamic acid is being used, it appears to be having an effect. "We still encounter postpartum haemorrhage a lot, it is still very common, but they don't die," says Oladapo Olayemi, one of the consultants at UCH. "Locally here, the hospital has adopted it, and the impact was immediate." He notes a general improvement in maternal outcomes alongside the impact of tranexamic acid with traditional midwives, for instance, being faster to refer women to hospital when they are experiencing haemorrhage. Maternal mortality remains high in certain countries for a complex host of reasons going far beyond the actual medical complications from poor nutrition to the marginalisation of women. In much the same way, the challenges in implementing new treatments are multifaceted. Studies suggest that there is typically a time lag of 17 years between a successful clinical trial result and a drug being widely in use around the world. The reasons for this can vary. It takes time to change human behaviour, and for doctors to integrate a new treatment into their arsenal. Drug supply can also be an issue. And in countries such as Pakistan and Nigeria, where state infrastructure is weak, implementation of recommendations can be slow. In some countries that took part in the trial, such as Uganda, tranexamic acid is barely being used. "The infrastructure is just not there in some places," says Ian Roberts, one of the trial directors at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. This problem is not unique to tranexamic acid. Creating a market for a new drug, or for a new use of an old drug, is a laborious and unglamorous process. In international development parlance, this is referred to as "market shaping", attempting to create a balance where there is enough demand for a drug to make it profitable for pharmaceutical companies but also good value for the countries purchasing it. Many doctors have been unaware of what tranexamic acid can do. In Pakistan, faced with so many cases of postpartum haemorrhage and too little use of the drug to treat it, Rizwana Chaudhri decided to take action. "What is the use, putting in so much effort and money, and it goes on the shelves?" she says. The country has a well-developed pharmaceutical industry, and unlike in Nigeria, several companies produce tranexamic acid domestically, meaning that it is cheap and easily available. Soon after the trial results, Chaudhri got in contact with one of the largest of these, Hilton Pharmaceutical. In the absence of public funding to disseminate news of the successful results, the company funded Chaudhri and her colleagues to hold seminars around the country to inform clinicians about the new use for tranexamic acid. So far, sessions have been held in Pakistan's major cities Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta with plans for more over the next year. Given its easy availability in the country, the drug was already widely used for a variety of conditions, but if it was used for postpartum haemorrhage, this was ad hoc given the lack of clinical evidence. "Previously, even if it was practice to give tranexamic acid, it was usually given late if you tried everything else and that failed," says Chaudhri. "But this trial has proved that this is first-line management. Everybody who has the knowledge is now using it." When it comes to reducing maternal mortality, there are many contributing factors that have nothing to do with the drugs on offer. In both Pakistan and Nigeria, as well as in a host of other lower-income countries, women in rural areas may not have easy access to a proper hospital in which to deliver; if they are referred, there are often no ambulance services to transfer them. Even if gynaecologists and obstetricians at hospitals know what to do and how to do it, staff at more basic healthcare facilities will still be ill-equipped to treat postpartum haemorrhage. "We need to train people," says Chaudhri. "Even if they're not well-versed with all the procedures, they should know how to transfer the patient, do the packing and give an IV line." The next stage of the WOMAN trial will explore whether tranexamic acid can prevent postpartum haemorrhage when it is given to high-risk women, such as those with anaemia, before any haemorrhaging has started. "For lots of women, by the time they start bleeding, it's almost too late," says Haleema Shakur-Still, one of the trial directors. "We wondered if we give tranexamic acid even before they start to bleed, whether you can prevent postpartum haemorrhage happening in the first place." The researchers are also exploring alternatives to intravenous use, such as a drinkable dose or intramuscular injection. This would make treatment much easier at basic health units, where staff may not have the expertise to administer a drug intravenously. In late 2018, Rabia gave birth for a third time, to her second healthy child. Having experienced postpartum haemorrhage twice, she made the decision, with her doctor's advice, to have a caesarean. An injection of tranexamic acid was administered. There were no complications. "My experiences were horrible and when I recall that time, it is terrifying," she says. "To conceive is a great thing. But the matter of concern is to have a safe pregnancy, a healthy baby and healthy mother." Explore further Simple treatment for severe bleeding could save lives of mothers around the world Provided by Mosaic This article first appeared on Mosaic and is republished here under a Creative Commons licence. Credit: CC0 Public Domain A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in Spain has found evidence of neurogenesis in the brains of people right up to old age. In their paper published in the journal Nature Medicine, the group describes their study of the brains of recently deceased people and what they found. Over the past several years, scientists have been unable to agree on whether new neurons are generated in the brain (neurogenesis), and if they are, how long it persists and in which parts of the brain it happens. A lot of research in this area has focused on the hippocampus because it is the part of the brain most involved in storing memorieslogic suggests that new neurons would be required to allow for storage of new memories. Also, the hippocampus is one of the brain structures that is damaged by memory-robbing conditions like Alzheimer's disease. Last year, an international team of researchers concluded that neurogenesis does not occur in the hippocampus after childhood. In this new effort, the researchers report what they believe is proof that quite the opposite is truethat in fact, neurogenesis continues right on up until old age. Prior research has found that in the early stages of development, neurons contain a protein called doublecortin, which can be seen under a microscope. The research in Spain relied very heavily on this information. The researchers studied corpses that recently deceased (within 10 hours of death) and had their brains suspended in a liquid solution known to keep neuronal tissue fresh, at least for a few hours. They removed thin slices of brain material from the hippocampus and looked at them under a microscope for signs of doublecortin. The researchers report that they found numerous examples of cells with doublecortin, which showed that new neuronal growth was occurring in the brains of people who had died at ages ranging from 43 to 87. Notably, they did the same tests on people who had had Alzheimer's disease and found very few examples of neurogenesis, suggesting the disease not only robs people of old memories, it also prevents them from forming new ones. The researchers also note that they used a more stringent approach to corpse preservation, and that might explain why they found different results than the team last year. Explore further New neurons archive old memories More information: Elena P. Moreno-Jimenez et al. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is abundant in neurologically healthy subjects and drops sharply in patients with Alzheimer's disease, Nature Medicine (2019). Journal information: Nature Medicine Elena P. Moreno-Jimenez et al. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is abundant in neurologically healthy subjects and drops sharply in patients with Alzheimer's disease,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-019-0375-9 2019 Science X Network Elena Nicoladis, professor in the Department of Psychology, is lead author on a study finding a link between gesturing and how people tell stories. Photo credit: John Ulan Credit: John Ulan There are many stereotypes about gesturing across culturesthe idea that Italians are prone to hand-talking, for example. But new research by University of Alberta scientists suggests that the amount you gesture when telling a story has more to do with what you're saying than where you're from. "We wondered if how frequently people gesture isn't determined so much by their culture alone, but rather by what they are saying when they are speaking," said Elena Nicoladis, lead author and professor in the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Science. "So we designed a study to look at the differences in how people present a story, and how that affects how they gesture." Previous research shows that English speakers, for instance, prefer to tell stories in chronological order, play by play. In other cultures, such as China, it is more common to focus on the moral or meaning behind a story. The study involved first-language speakers of French, Spanish, Mandarin, and Hindi who spoke English as a second language. Participants were asked to watch a cartoon and then tell the story back to the researcher. The researchers first examined how often each person gestured. The results found that French and Spanish speakers gestured a lot when telling the story, while the Hindi and Mandarin speakers did not. Next, they looked at the storytelling style that each participant adopted. "Sure enough, the French speakers and Spanish speakers were very much telling the story in chronological ordervivid events illustrated with gestures," explained Nicoladis. "The Hindi and Mandarin speakers were much more focused on why the events in the story happened." Maybe, Nicoladis explained, it's not so much that there are cross-cultural differences in how frequently people gesture. Instead, how they are speaking is related to how frequently they gesture. "This could tell us that spoken language is primary," said Nicoladis. "How people are planning to speak seems to determine a lot of nonverbal communication, like gesturing, that happens. How you speak might be far more important than how you are communicating nonverbally." The paper, "Gesture frequency is linked to story-telling style: Evidence from bilinguals," was published in Language and Cognition. Explore further Seeing isn't required to gesture like a native speaker More information: ELENA NICOLADIS et al, Gesture frequency is linked to story-telling style: evidence from bilinguals, Language and Cognition (2019). ELENA NICOLADIS et al, Gesture frequency is linked to story-telling style: evidence from bilinguals,(2019). DOI: 10.1017/langcog.2018.25 Credit: CC0 Public Domain The cocktail of man-made chemicals that we are exposed to daily is a health risk which current regulations and risk assessment overlook. This is the conclusion of the EU Horizon 2020 EDC-MixRisk project that is now being presented. We are exposed to a large number of man-made chemicals in our everyday life. This creates combinations of chemical mixtures, to which we are subjected during our whole lifespan. Current risk assessment and management practices, however, focus mainly on exposure to single substances. Exposure to hazardous substances, especially endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), during the foetal period is of particular concern, as it can lead to irreversible changes in the development of organs and tissues and increased susceptibility to diseases later in life. The EDC-MixRisk project was initiated to investigate how effects caused by real-life relevant mixtures could be studied. The project developed a novel approach based on identifying and testing EDC mixtures associated with adverse health outcomes in humans. An overarching conclusion from the EDC-MixRisk project is that current regulations of man-made chemicals systematically underestimate health risks associated with combined exposures to EDCs or potential EDCs. Effects caused by exposure during the foetal period By using epidemiology data from the Swedish pregnancy cohort SELMA (a cohort of more than 2300 pregnant women), reference mixtures were created to mimic real life exposures (at concentrations found in the pregnant women). These mixtures were tested in various experimental (cell and animal) models, and the toxicological data from these tests were used to establish new methods and strategies for mixture risk assessment in order to better account for complex environmental exposures. Professor Ake Bergman at Stockholm University and coordinator of the project, says "the novel whole mixture approach applied in EDC-MixRisk has allowed us to assess the number of mothers in the SELMA cohort that are at risk for effects in their children, effects related to growth and metabolism, neurodevelopment and sexual development". Researchers in Professor Testa's laboratory in Milano spearheaded the use of human brain organoids to directly assess the impact of such mixtures on the closest available model of the developing human brain. They uncovered that even at real life concentrations, EDCs interfere with the same regulatory networks that are already involved in the genetic forms of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. "This new method enables the investigation of relevant chemical exposures on equally relevant windows of sensitivity during human brain development", Professor Testa points out. In Paris, the team of Professor Demeneix investigated whether the mixtures interfered with brain development and growth through modulation of thyroid hormone signalling. Professor Demeneix underlines that "Thyroid hormone is essential for brain development and children born to mothers that have insufficient thyroid hormone also have increased risk of autism spectrum disorder and IQ loss. Thyroid hormone signalling and numerous thyroid hormone dependent genes were disrupted by the mixture in the different models tested. These findings reveal a mechanism whereby brain development is affected by exposure to the chemicals at relevant human exposure levels." Explore further Brain development disorders in children linked to common environmental toxin exposures More information: Policy brief from the EDC-MixRisk project: Policy brief from the EDC-MixRisk project: edcmixrisk.ki.se/wp-content/up k-PRINTED-190322.pdf (HealthDay)State Medicaid programs must do more to make sure that people at high risk for lung cancer are screened for the deadly disease, a new American Lung Association report says. Medicaid is the public assistance program offering health care coverage for low-income Americans. Medicaid coverage for screening high-risk people varies widely between states: 31 Medicaid fee-for-service programs cover screening, 12 programs do not provide coverage, and seven states did not have information available on their coverage policy. In addition, eligibility criteria used for screening varied by state, as did whether prior authorization was required. "Lung cancer is called the quiet killer, as it has few early symptoms and is oftentimes caught too late," American Lung Association President and CEO Harold Wimmer said in an association news release. "Coverage for screening with low-dose CT is critical, and this analysis will advance our work to ensure those eligible with state Medicaid coverage have access to this lifesaving screening," he added. The American Lung Association has partnered with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center on educational initiatives to improve coverage for recommended lung cancer screenings in state Medicaid programs. "Our mission at MD Anderson is to end cancer, and we know that the best way to do this is through cancer prevention and early detection," said Dr. Peter Pisters, president of MD Anderson. "Evidence-based screening is vital for those at high risk to ensure that lung cancer, when it's present, is detected as early as possible. These actions must also complement our efforts in tobacco prevention and cessation, through which we could eliminate the vast majority of lung cancers," Pisters said. Lung cancer screening, which is recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), is covered as a preventive service at no cost by most private health insurance plans as well as by Medicare. However, state Medicaid programs are not required to cover the screening or can offer coverage with significant barriers. Coverage of screening is especially important for Medicaid clients because 26.3 percent of them are current smokers, which is a major risk for lung cancer. The USPSTF defines those at high risk of lung cancer as people aged 55 to 80 who have a 30 pack-year history of smoking and currently smoke or have quit smoking within the past 15 years. Pack-year is a unit of measuring how much a person smokes over time. For example, a person who smokes a pack a day for 30 years has a 30 pack-year history. Eight million Americans are considered at high risk. If all high-risk people were screened, about 25,000 lives would be saved, according to the American Lung Association. Explore further Risk-based lung cancer screening may save more lives than current USPSTF guidelines More information: The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more on The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more on lung cancer screening Copyright 2019 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Parents may often feel like they are not "on the same wavelength" as their kids. But it turns out that, at least for babies, their brainwaves literally sync with their moms when they are learning from them about their social environment. In a new study being presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society's (CNS) annual meeting in San Francisco this week, researchers found that how well babies' neural activity syncs with their moms' predicts how well they learn social cues about new toys. "Despite the fact that this is such a powerful learning mechanism, surprisingly little is known about how the human brain performs social learning," says Victoria Leong, of the University of Cambridge. "When we connect neurally with others, we are opening ourselves to receiving information and influence from others." In a body of new work being presented at the CNS meeting, cognitive neuroscientists are starting to shed light on the social brain and new ways to study it. "We're this massively social species and yet the field of neuroscience has focused on the brain in isolation," says Thalia Wheatley of Dartmouth College, who is chairing a symposium on the topic at CNS. "There's this huge gap in knowledge about how our brains work in concert with other minds." Dissatisfied by the classical neuroimaging studies that put people in dark, loud, and isolated brain scanning machines to understand the human mind, Wheatley is working to come up with new methods to understand how brains behave in a social context. Social brains interact like a dance, Wheatley and Leong say, where partners take their own steps but move in concert, continuously adjusting and adapting. At the CNS meeting, scientists presented work on the mother-infant and other social connections, as well as how even fruit flies have vivid social lives that require a new neural understanding. The mother-baby connection "There is no substitute for being physically present and in the moment to connect with an infant." That's the key message to come out of the new work by Leong and colleagues. In the study, her team looked at how mothers' emotional responses toward novel toys affected their infants' decisions to interact with the toys. Infants wearing wireless EEG technology would watch their mothers, who were also wearing wireless EEG, show either a positive emotione.g. smiling and saying "I like this"or a negative emotion toward an objecte.g. frowning and saying "I don't like this." The babies would then choose which object to play with. The researchers analyzed whether the level of "neural synchrony" between the mother and infant predicted how the infant would respond to a toy. "We found that stronger neural synchrony predicted a higher likelihood of social learning by the infant," Leong says. Neural synchrony is when brainwaves from two people follow predictable patterns with respect to each other. The researchers found that social signals like eye contact were associated with increased synchrony and improved social learning, though Leong says that there is still much work to be done in teasing apart exactly what leads to the neural synchrony. Conducting EEG work with infants is challenging, Leong says, but rewarding. If they are ready and interested in the task, that resulting data is "like pure nectar. You feel like you've been granted exclusive backstage access to one of the most exciting reality shows on the planet," Leong says. "But on the other hand, if they are having a tummy ache, or are teething, or would just rather be left alone, this sentiment is expressed loudly, firmly, and with escalating urgency until the nice lady who is trying to put on a funny hat with wires retreats into a corner." For Leong, the work has wide significance for classroom learning, social bonding, and developmental disorders. "I am interested in understanding what happens when parents or children fail to synchronize with each other, which may occur in certain mental health difficulties and developmental disorders, and the impact that this might have on learning and developmentin the longer term," she explains. Common bonds "The overarching goal of the symposium is to show that we and other species are social and there's something really important about looking at a brain in its social context," says Thalia Wheatley of Dartmouth. "We can't fully understand the human mind or any other social mind without understanding what happens in interaction." While humans are an undisputedly social species, a growing amount of research is also showing sociality in unexpected species. "Most people don't think of fruit flies, for example, as being social at all," Wheatley says. But, as Giovanni Bosco, also of Dartmouth College, will present at CNS, fruit flies communicate with each other with their wing patterns, and understanding their communication is key to understanding them. "Many fruit fly behavioral paradigms need to be revisited given our new appreciation of how social these animals are," Bosco says, because fruit flies used in research are raised in isolation and then do not behave as they would in nature. Simple strategies like co-housing them quickly changes their communication and behavior. New methods are needed to better understand the social mind across species, Wheatley says. Indeed, says Leong, understanding interpersonal neural signals is "a new frontier that is ripe for exploration." Wheatley is currently working on a new method that allows people in fMRI scanners to talk to each other at the same time across different sites. "We are excited about creating new tools that will open up new ways to study the brain in interaction." More information: The symposium " The symposium " An Emerging Neuroscience of Social Connectedness " is taking place at the CNS annual meeting in San Francisco. More than 1,500 scientists are attending the meeting from March 23-26, 2019. Mary Rebekah Trucks, a senior therapist with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, delivers rehabilitation therapy to a young infant. Credit: Virginia Tech Strokes are devastating events often associated with people over 65. But large numbers of infants have strokes, too. Now, in the nation's first multicenter pediatric stroke recovery trial, researchers and clinicians from 12 sites across the United States will evaluate an innovative therapeutic approach to help 8-month-old to 24-month-old infants. Called I-ACQUIRE, the Phase III clinic trial will examine the effectiveness of a pediatric therapy to increase upper extremity skills, gross motor development, and cognition in 240 children nationwide who experienced strokes when they were under four weeks old. Sharon Landesman Ramey, a professor and distinguished research scholar at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, and Warren Lo, a pediatric neurologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital and a clinical professor of pediatrics and neurology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, are the lead principal investigators for the five-year, $13.5 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health. The I-ACQUIRE therapy will be tested in children at a three-hour and six-hour daily dose for four weeks to determine whether the more intensive dosage produces better outcomes, or whether the three-hour daily sessions are as effective. The intensive rehabilitation protocol is based on more than two decades of pediatric rehabilitation research led by Landesman Ramey and Stephanie DeLuca, the co-directors of Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Neuromotor Research Clinic. "It's an eye-opener when people learn that babies, like adults, have a very high risk for stroke," Landesman Ramey said. "About half of these infants will not have a permanent impairment, but for the remainder, stroke is a serious event that can produce lifelong, serious neuromotor problems. Given the impact of infant stroke on the child and families, it is astonishing that there is little or no scientific evidence to support the current rehabilitation approaches being used." Findings from the trial have the potential to transform clinical rehabilitation for more than 3,000 newly diagnosed infants annually in the United States who have strokes either before birth or during their first month of life. Perinatal stroke results from a blockage in an artery within the brain in children before they are born or during the first month of their lives. The stroke damage in the brain commonly results in muscle weakness, loss of motor control, and paralysis on one side of the body. It can also affect communication abilities and other developmental areas. "We are honored to bring together expertise in pediatric neurology, psychology, rehabilitation, and neuroimaging to this unprecedented clinical trial," Lo said. "Perinatal stroke is a life-altering neurological condition where there is a vast opportunity to improve early development and independence so that these children can reach their full potential." DeLuca and Landesman Ramey originally developed and tested a novel form of pediatric movement therapy, adapted from a form of treatment for adults known as Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy, when they worked together at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Key features include a specially constructed lightweight cast for the child's non-impaired arm and hand that compels infants to increase their efforts to use the side impaired by the stroke. The casting always occurs jointly with an intensive rehabilitation protocol that is administered for many hours per day, five days a week for four weeks in a row. Unlike adults, infants have not developed use of their upper extremities, so after stroke they are not "recovering" lost skills; instead, they are acquiring brand-new age-appropriate skills that the therapist induces through reinforcement and a process known as skills shaping. Researchers and I-ACQUIRE master therapists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute make plans to teach the rehabilitation protocol of therapists from site's around the nation. The training is expected to begin in June. Seated (from left) are Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Neuromotor Research Clinic co-director Stephanie DeLuca, Craig Ramey, a professor and distinguished research scholar; Sharon Ramey, the co-principal investigator for the trial; therapist Kelsey Burke, and (standing from left) research coordinator Laura Bateman, senior therapist Dory Wallace, and senior therapist Mary Rebekah Trucks. Credit: Virginia Tech "Three or six hours of therapy may sound shocking, but as both parents and therapists will tell you, young children love playing and interacting with people, food, objects and toyswhich is what the therapy feels like to the child. Of course, there are moments of frustration when the therapist is challenging the child," Landesman Ramey said. "For the babies, effective therapy is a form of guided play. They learn how to use their impaired side in every kind of activity from eating, pulling to sit or stand, crawling or walking, to waving and hugging." The I-ACQUIRE trial is part of a national stroke research network, known as StrokeNet, that involves two national and 29 regional coordinating centers funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, a university-level research institute of Virginia Tech, will oversee the I-ACQUIRE phase III trial, which includes funding for the program leadership's work in Roanoke as well as sub-awards to a national coordinating center at the University of Cincinnati, a national assessment core at the Ohio State University, statistics and data management center at the Medical University of South Carolina and a neuroimaging center at Stanford University. DeLuca, with Craig Ramey, a professor and distinguished research scholar at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, and a team of I-ACQUIRE master therapists in Roanoke, Virginia, will directly train the field therapists in the I-ACQUIRE rehabilitation technique and monitor the implementation of the treatment at the 12 locations where clinical treatment will occur. In addition to training field therapists, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute I-ACQUIRE experts will treat children in Roanoke during the trial in a novel parent-home program. "We are very excited to be part of and to play a major leadership role in this very important clinical trial for children," said Michael Friedlander, executive director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and Virginia Tech's vice president for health sciences and technology. "Both Dr. Ramey and Dr. DeLuca are true pioneers and innovators in the development and implementation of this important therapeutic intervention that they now will bring to the entire country in a rigorously designed and controlled study. As a biomedical research institute with a major focus on neuroscience, brain plasticity and development and neuroimaging, we are particularly enthusiastic to see the translation and implementation of fundamental scientific principles from the laboratory to the clinic to improve the lives of children and families." The I-ACQUIRE trial will pay close attention to training and standardization. "Babies take naps when they want, get fussy when they want, get sick, and get needy at unpredictable times," said Joseph Broderick, the principal investigator for StrokeNet's national coordinating center at the University of Cincinnati. "These are all events that will impact the delivery of treatment within the home. However, the therapists will record the amount of therapy delivered so this can be measured. This is critical for the trial and for the future generalization into practice, if the trial is positive." Broderick directs the University of Cincinnati Gardner Neuroscience Institute, but learned firsthand the special challenges families face when infants have strokes after his grandson had a cerebral infarction before he was a month old, and went on to receive the treatment being evaluated in the clinical trial. "Parents are desperate for any intervention that can help their child and three- or six-hours of in-home therapy for five days a week would be extraordinarily welcomed," Broderick said. "The presence of a therapist in the home is not viewed as a burden, but a huge help and opportunity." The therapy is not covered through health insurance, but if it proves effective across the research sites, it could be insured in the future. "This is well-designed study that targets a specific age group," Broderick said. "We will see if it works." In clinical experiences with more than 30 infants who have received this highly intensive form of ACQUIRE therapy before the age of 2, Landesman Ramey said more than 90 percent have benefited."In this trial, we're focusing on the total child. We are fascinated by how motor development interacts with intelligence and cognition," Landesman Ramey said. "Beside better movement, we've seen children get much better in a language and cognition, and we've seen improvements in their social and emotional development. For a family looking at a lifetime ahead of them with a child who has had a stroke, these changes in multiple aspects are perhaps the most profound and consequential transformation." In addition to the coordinating centers, children will receive therapy at clinical sites in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Cincinnati, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; Houston, Texas; New Haven, Connecticut; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roanoke, Virginia; and San Diego, California. Study enrollment will begin in the summer of 2019. Parents and clinicians interested in participating in the clinical study can find out more by contacting Ramey at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute or consulting the clinicaltrials.gov website later in April. Moving into aged care can affect a persons ability to remain connected to their local community, but most aged care facilities dont provide access to digital devices. Credit: www.shutterstock.com, CC BY-SA Older adults are more digitally connected than ever, even though their uptake of internet-based technologies remains lower than for younger age groups. Today's senior citizens are likely to spend their spare time tweeting about their social lives and Facetiming their grand kids. This is good news because research shows that social interactions benefit us. The drive to join the digital community is no doubt influenced by social media becoming an important platform for news and information, sharing experiences and connecting with friends and family. Nevertheless, age-related gaps in digital engagement ("the digital divide") still exist. As our research shows, people who live in aged care environments are at risk of being excluded from the digital world. A digital community Moving into aged care can affect a person's ability to remain connected to their local community. The facility might be some distance away from the neighbourhood in which they have lived. They may be unable to travel to maintain relationships. Low levels of social connectedness and participation are related to poor health and higher mortality risks, as well as a significant reduction in quality of life. Family can provide an important source of social contact and support but geographic distance can again make frequent visits difficult. Digital engagement in later life might not always be desired or possible. But access to online resources can enhance older adults' well-being through improved access to information and more frequent social interactions. The social internet An early study reported psychosocial benefits from providing computer training in internet use for aged care residents. These include improvements in life satisfaction and lower levels of depression and loneliness. In another study, a once weekly video conference with a family member had a positive impact on loneliness and perceived social support. But there is little information on informal and unstructured use of the internet by residents because the use of digital technologies in aged care remains largely invisible. Residents are omitted from many surveys and reports. In a recent Swiss study, where all residents in a facility were offered wi-fi access, 14% used the internet. This percentage is similar in that age group living in the community. Staying connected We conducted telephone interviews with over 70 members of the public who had a family member or friend living in residential aged care. We spoke to family and friends rather than seniors because we wanted to hear about residents who had physical and mental challenges, as well as healthy seniors who tend to volunteer for research. To reduce the risk of bias, we did not mention in our study advertising that we wished to talk to people about technology use. Our research highlighted the enthusiasm with which many older people have adopted digital technologies. Nearly half of the 80 residents spoken about owned a computer or a smartphone. The average age of residents was 86 years, and the oldest was 102. Sometimes the family had purchased a device for the resident, specifically to make communication easier. Mobile phone calls, texts and emails were the most common methods of communication using these devices. Technology not only enabled residents to interact with family and friends they seldom saw (for example, those overseas) but also resulted in increased interactions with people who visited more often. While dementia and other serious health issues reduced the likelihood of uptake, the frequency of personal visits was not affected by technology use. Family help Importantly, family members were essential to residents' digital connectedness. They often bought the device, set up software and troubleshooted any technical problems. They were also involved in the day-to-day use of technology. For example, some residents used video conferencing, but needed assistance to initiate the call. Interviewees endorsed the use of digital devices if they were used to supplement social contact, rather than supplanting it. The majority reported that they were not aware of computers being available for residents in common areas of the facility they visited. Aged care operators do not generally provide wi-fi access to residents. They have to arrange this with their own internet provider. These deficits are of concern because residents don't always have family or friends to help them become digitally connected. Devices were also often criticised for their small keys and buttons which are difficult to manage for arthritic hands and by people with vision impairments. Older users, it seems, must try to adapt their abilities to devices that have been designed for younger people. Senior citizens are an important consumer group which is only going to increase in number in the future. The time has come for aged care operators and the technology industry to engage in meaningful efforts to meet their needs. Explore further Rates of social isolation vary by rurality and demographics This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This transmission electron micrograph (TEM) depicts the liberated, chain-like, ribonucleic acid (RNA) genome of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) pathogen. RSV is a negative-sense, enveloped RNA virus. The virion is variable in shape and size, with a diameter ranging between 120 and 300 nm, and is unstable in the environment surviving only a few hours on environmental surfaces. Credit: CDC/ Dr. Erskine Palmer In healthy adults, RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, feels like the common cold with a runny nose, chest congestion and cough. However, it is the second leading cause of death in infants. In fact, nearly 40 percent of infants who contract this widespread virus develop severe bronchiolitis or pneumonia, with 1 to 3 percent hospitalized. Each year, there are about 64 million cases and about 160,000 deaths due to RSV worldwide. Contracting RSV within the first few months of life can make a child more susceptible to developing asthma later in life. The elderly and immune compromised populations, including cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment, also suffer substantial morbidity and mortality. A new publication in Frontiers in Immunology by Stephania Cormier, the LSU Department of Biological Sciences Wiener Chair professor, and colleagues offers new insights for vaccine development, both active and passive, to prevent this deadly disease. This study is of particular interest following the recent failure of ResVax, an RSV vaccine by Novavax, to prevent RSV disease in infants via maternal immunization. "Because an infant's immune system develops gradually within the first six months of life, the immune system does not respond and fight back in the same way as an adult would when infected by RSV. Since there are currently no effective RSV vaccines available, infants are essentially defenseless against this common virus," Cormier said. The paper reviews the existing data demonstrating the importance of a family of small proteins called type 1 interferons, which are released by cells in response to viruses and are key to the body's immune response. For example, when an infant is exposed to the influenza virus, its body launches an interferon response that fights back against the virus. However, infants who develop severe RSV bronchiolitis or pneumonia do not launch an interferon response when exposed to RSV. The scientists urge pharmaceutical companies to consider strategies for enhancing type 1 interferon responses to aid in combating RSV in infants. "Vaccine developers need to look at how infants are responding immunologically to a vaccine at the site of infection. Our research shows that simply increasing circulating neutralizing antibodies is not enough to prevent disease in infants; it is also important to induce type 1 interferons," Cormier said. She suggests approaches to restore a normal interferon response to a vaccine, which enhances the body's immune response providing protection from disease. Since development of active vaccines is a long and costly endeavor, pharmaceutical companies are also interested in passively administering antibodies manufactured in the lab. For the past 20 years, the leading product of this type called Synagis has been used to reduce disease severity in the high risk population of premature birth infants. The new understanding of the host immune response to RSV suggests that improvements on Synagis need to provide both the antiviral activity and a countermeasure to the viral distortion of the host immune response. "Because Synagis has been a useful drug, most pharmaceutical efforts have targeted the same viral protein, called the F protein, as this approved drug. However, a different viral protein, called the G protein, has been implicated as a key driver of the immune system's weak response. Antibodies against the G protein provide antiviral activity that is as good as those targeting the F protein, while also normalizing the host immune response," said co-author Lawrence Kauvar, chief scientific officer of Trellis Bioscience, which is close to being ready to begin testing an antibody against the G protein in human clinical trials. In developing a new RSV vaccine for infants, the scientists urge the vaccine developers to think outside of the box. "If we can unlock infants' type 1 interferon response, it could potentially change vaccines for all infants. It's exciting," Cormier said. Explore further Two novel immune-response clusters identified to RSV More information: Diego R. Hijano et al, Role of Type I Interferon (IFN) in the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Immune Response and Disease Severity, Frontiers in Immunology (2019). Diego R. Hijano et al, Role of Type I Interferon (IFN) in the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Immune Response and Disease Severity,(2019). DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00566 Credit: United Way of West Alabama Because of our unique demographics, Miami is poised to be the greatest bilingualism-promoter in the United States. Why is this goal worth pursuing? Substantial research shows that there are significant advantages unique to bilingual individuals. This is especially the case for children raised speaking two or more languages from an early age. For example, bilingualism is linked to enhanced executive function, which are skills related to paying attention, planning, controlling impulsivity and staying focused on a task. Bilingual individuals are better able to accept others for their differences. Bilingualism has been shown to delay the onset of symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease in older adults. The impact of bilingualism spans the life of an individual and has long-lasting benefits on health and education. And let us not forget: research shows that bilinguals earn higher salaries than monolinguals! Science shows that bilingualism can even protect children from the risk factors that are associated with poverty. We know that adverse experiences (ACEs) during childhoodsuch as being raised in povertycan be harmful for brain development. Growing up in impoverished, stressful environments is often associated with exposure to toxic stress. But promising studies suggest that bilingualism can buffer some of these negative cognitive effects of poverty. Recent studies by Ellen Bialystok and colleagues demonstrate that bilingual children, including children in low-income households, were less influenced by irrelevant distractors and better able to focus than monolingual children. (Calvo & Bialystok, 2014; Pascale de Abreu et al., 2010). These results suggest that promoting bilingualism can help disadvantaged children reach their full potential and to do better in school. Bilingualism also promotes strong cultural bonds between children and their families. Unfortunately, common myths, including the notion that bilingualism causes language or cognitive delays, continue to abound in our city and nation. In a recent study that we conducted here in Miami, many Hispanic parents reported that their child's pediatrician and/or teacher recommended that they stop using Spanish and switch to English at home with their child. In other studies, Hispanic children were found to show strong signs of rejecting Spanish when they had a choice to speak either language. Miami, we must change this. Health care providers should encourage bilingualism due to the multitude of cognitive, social, economic and health benefits that result from dual language exposure. Let us clarify by providing some facts about bilingualism. Being exposed to two languages will not confuse a child. Autistic children can be raised as bilinguals; bilingualism will not negatively affect autistic children's language development (Lund, Kohlmeier, & Duran, 2017). In fact, bilingualism has been shown to help autistic children with cognitive flexibility (Gonzalez-Barrero & Nadig, 2018). A child's proficiency level in the heritage language (for example, Spanish) is directly related to how much input he or she receives in that language. To achieve full bilingual proficiency, one has to speak the two languages as much as possible. Immigrant parents should never be discouraged from speaking their native language to their children. When parents talk to their babies in their native heritage language (e.g. Spanish), it actually helps babies better learn English later on, versus being talked to in non-native English. Miami, we are the most bilingual city in the Americas (Carter & Lynch, 2017). Dual language use should be a unifying force in our community. It is never too late to start learning a language in order to reap the brain benefits of bilingualism. Pediatricians and nurses are in a trusted and privileged position to give recommendations to families about bilingualism and how it relates to early child development, family strengths and lifelong child health and development. We urge these and other pivotal work forces to assist families in understanding the benefits of early language exposure in the home. Let us continue to propel bilingual education to the forefront of our goals as a city and work together to dispel myths that deter bilingual language development. Explore further Children take longer to learn two languages at once compared to just onedon't fret Researchers found children prefer junk food over healthy food with or without cartoon characters marketing the products. Licensed characters did, however, influence kids to choose between similar products. Credit: University of Colorado at Boulder Parents and lawmakers looking to cartoon characters as a reason children choose cookies over carrots may be looking in the wrong direction, according to a new report from CU Boulder's Leeds School of Business and Colorado State University's College of Business. For the article published in the April issue of the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, researchers ran several tests allowing kids to pick between snacks with or without licensed characters like SpongeBob or Scooby Doo on the packaging. They found children are more likely to pick foods branded with licensed characters when choosing between similar products, like two packages of carrots. If the choice is between carrots or cookies, however, cartoon characters did not trump children's taste buds. "The primary influence on kids' choices is taste," said paper co-author Margaret C. Campbell, a professor of marketing at the Leeds School of Business. "The licensed character only has an influence on moving kids' choices between foods with the same level of expected taste." That means proposals like the United Kingdom's 2018 effort to ban cartoon characters on junk food packaging may miss the mark. "While previous studies show a major spike in characters on food packages, our new research finds that, while those characters may influence brand choice, they don't have a strong effect on choice of healthy over indulgent foods," said study lead author Bridget Leonard, a CU Boulder Ph.D. candidate during the research, now an assistant professor of marketing at Assumption College. "More research needs to be done on how to get children to make those healthy choices." The studies do hold an important takeaway for marketers promoting healthy food, however, finding parents are influenced by licensed characters, too. "We found that characters did have an effect on caregivers' perceptions that a food is fun or for kids," said Kenneth Manning, a Colorado State University College of Business professor. "Thus, including licensed characters on packages may help brands in their efforts to position foods as designed for children." The researchers also found licensed characters did not affect how much kids eat of a particular snack. More information: Bridget Leonard et al. Kids, Caregivers, and Cartoons: The Impact of Licensed Characters on Food Choices and Consumption, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing (2019). Bridget Leonard et al. Kids, Caregivers, and Cartoons: The Impact of Licensed Characters on Food Choices and Consumption,(2019). DOI: 10.1177/0743915619827919 Stressful life events were linked to higher incidents of heart attack, stroke and other types of cardiovascular disease in black women, according to new research that also looked at whether a person's resilience could help ward off the impact of stress. The study did not find a connection between resilience and cardiovascular disease, but its authors encouraged more research into that area and other potential links. "Stress may be particularly relevant for African-American women, given the discriminatory environment in which these women may live. However, research on the relationship between stress and CVD [cardiovascular disease] among African-American women is sparse," said the authors of an Ohio State University-led study published March 26 in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. Among 10,785 black postmenopausal women who were followed over an average of 12.5 years, those who experienced significant life eventssuch as the death of a spouse or close friend, getting divorced, abuse, losing a job or having major financial problems were more likely to have a cardiovascular event. Angina was the most common, followed by stroke, heart disease and congestive heart failure. Women who experienced stressful events had a higher risk of cardiovascular events at ages 55 and 65. But that same kind of stress was less likely to affect their cardiovascular disease risk as these women got older. In addition, the connection between stress and cardiovascular events lessened after adjusting for traditional risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, diabetes and lack of physical activity. "Stress might play a role in developing cardiovascular disease, but what's even more important are the conventional risk factors that we already know about," said study author Ashley Felix, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Ohio State University's College of Public Health in Columbus. "So, in thinking about prevention of cardiovascular disease, it's never too early and it's never too late to start eating right, exercising and quitting smoking because those are really the interventions that will make a meaningful impact in reducing cardiovascular disease risk." Researchers also explored the role of resilience, or the ability to bounce back from adversity. Resilience wasn't found to offset the association between stress and cardiovascular events, but Felix said that's probably more a reflection of how it was assessed, particularly among black women. That's not surprising given how complicated resilience can be to measure, said Dr. Michelle Albert, a professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco and author of an editorial that accompanied the study. "There are no great resilience scales. None of them can really capture even just a blush of resilience," said Albert, director of UCSF's Center for the Study of Adversity and Cardiovascular Disease. Albert commended the study for both the way it looked at experiences over a stretch of time and for focusing on black women. "There's usually a comparison between whites and blacks, or blacks and somebody else. It's not usually where just black women are looked at, and that's very commendable on the part of the authors," she said. Researchers called it "unfortunate" that few studies have investigated the link between stress and cardiovascular disease in large groups of black women, especially since this population is disproportionately affected by psychosocial challenges including limited access to health care, lower median household incomes, less access to healthy food choices, and higher exposure to crime when compared to white women. Albert said looking at race-related connections are key to "getting to the bottom of the issue, in part because black women, among all women, have some of the worst outcomes in cardiovascular disease and are often shuffled aside under the rubric of 'women.'" "It's really important they looked only among black women," Albert said. "In general, the whole concept of black women's race or ethnicity is usually very much minimized." Explore further Physically active women have significantly decreased risk of heart disease American Heart Association News covers heart and brain health. Not all views expressed in this story reflect the official position of the American Heart Association. Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. If you have questions or comments about this story, please email editor@heart.org. Credit: CC0 Public Domain One of the largest ever clinical trials in children with epilepsy, which aims to find out which treatment approach works best for children and their families, is launching today. The nationwide Changing Agendas on Sleep, Treatment and Learning in Childhood Epilepsy (CASTLE) trial is led by Professor Deb Pal from King's College London and Professor Paul Gringras from the Evelina London Children's Hospital, with a key preparation study led by Professor Chris Morris of the University of Exeter Medical School. Funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NHIR), CASTLE is one of the only trials to compare antiepileptic drugs against active monitoring with no medication. The programme is also supported by The University of Liverpool, Edge Hill, and Oxford Brookes Universities. The CASTLE trial is launching on Purple Day, the family-focused epilepsy awareness day on March 26th, and 28 NHS Trusts across the UK have already signed up to take part. The researchers are aiming to enroll 300 children with rolandic epilepsy. Rolandic epilepsy is the most common form of childhood epilepsy, affecting around 10,000 young people in the U.K. Seizures happen most often at night and affect children between the ages of 5 and 12 before tapering off in adolescence. Treating epilepsy with drugs to reduce seizures has traditionally been the goal of medical treatment. However, the drugs used to treat epilepsy often slow down a child's thinking and learning. Because children with Rolandic epilepsy 'grow out' of their seizures, doctors and parents often don't know whether to treat children or not, and many families choose no medication. The CASTLE research programme focuses on more than seizures. The study led by Professor Chris Morris identified and prioritised wider aspects of living with rolandic epilepsy that are of importance to families to measure as outcomes in the trial, such as children's learning, sleep, behaviour, self-esteem and mood. This study also reviewed and recommended the best ways to measure quality of life for children with epilepsy. Professor Chris Morris at the University of Exeter says: "Young people with epilepsy, parents and health professionals took part in a systematic process to reach agreement about the most important aspects of health to measure in trials of treatments aiming to improve the health and quality of life of children with epilepsy. This ensures the trial focuses on what is most important to inform deicisions about whether to use treatments in the future." The trial will compare two licensed drugs, comparing their effects to active monitoring with no medication. NICE guidelines recommend treatment with the standard epileptic drug carbamazepine which is very effective at preventing seizures but can have negative impacts on learning. A newer drug called levetiracetam might be just as effective but without impacts on learning but has not been evaluated in a rigorous clinical trial for rolandic epilepsy. Professor Deb Pal from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King's, and co-leader of the trial, says: "For the first time in a major trial we are taking a very broad view of outcomes, looking beyond seizures to learning and a host of other issues that are important to young people and their parents. We hope the results will put to bed the notion of whether antiepileptic drugs cause more harm than good for some children with epilepsy, and help families decide the best course of action." A second key aim of the CASTLE trial is testing whether improving sleep can reduce seizures. The researchers have developed the world's first online sleep behaviour intervention especially for epilepsy, which teaches parents how to encourage good sleep in their children. The trial will test how well the sleep intervention works both with and without medication for seizures. Professor Paul Gringras from Evelina London Children's Hospital, and co-leader of the trial, says: "Sleep and seizures are intimate bedfellows. There is a vicious cycle whereby seizures and medications can affect sleep, but broken or insufficient sleep can also increase likelihood of seizures. This sleep disruption has huge impact on whole families, with mothers of children with epilepsy rarely getting more than four hours a night. We are asking a simple but vital questioncan improving a child's sleep reduce their seizures and improve their and their parents' well-being?" The trial is funded by 2.3 million from the National Institute of Health Research and brings together a wealth of expertise from UK research institutions, including the University of Liverpool, Edge Hill University, the University of Exeter, Oxford Brookes University and Bangor University. Families interested in taking part are encouraged to speak to their paediatrician or epilepsy nurse. More details on taking part are available online: http://castlestudy.org.uk/take-part/ Explore further Genes influence sleep/wake timing of seizures in people with epilepsy By Damali Mukhaye. The opposition Forum for Democratic Change president, Patrick Amuriat Oboi has challenged the ruling party National Resistance Movement to stop doing things that are contrary to the agenda of Inter party organization for Dialogue (IPOD). Speaking during the handing over ceremony of IPOD chairmanship from UPC to DP, Amuriat says that the continued harassment, attacks and violence against other political parties from NRM will not take IPOD anywhere. He says, the aim of IPOD is to promoting the multiparty democracy so the ruling party should take the lead by pushing the IPOD agenda asserting that there is need to resolve the issue of respect for each other. He says as FDC will stay committed to the cause of IPOD. Meanwhile the deputy Treasurer of NRM Kenneth Omona faulted FDC for snubbing the summit which was organized by IPod last year. The leadership of IPOD is rotation to political parties for six months basing on the alphabet order. " " Small business grants that get appropriated through legislative bodies are often intended to address larger social or economic challenges. Tom Merton/Getty Images These days, a website is a necessity for any small business. Services like WordPress and Square Space enable even the most technically challenged business owners to launch beautiful, functional, low-cost websites. However, these "starter sites" don't necessarily offer the interactive functionalities and merchant services that today's small businesses require in order be competitive. Furthermore, with technical challenges from mobile functionality to the growing need for companion applications ("Apps") to consider, the world of website design can get really tricky, and really pricey really fast. Any politician will tell you that supporting small businesses is one of their top priorities. But the small business grants that get appropriated through Congress and state, or even local, legislative bodies are often intended to address larger social or economic challenges. Government grants often come with strings attached. Caron Beesley, writing for the U.S. Small Business Administration, puts it bluntly, saying, "Don't waste your time pursuing 'free money.' Chances are you won't find it" [source: Beesley]. Advertisement Nevertheless, in some cases, a business may be able to fund its website design with funds obtained through public grants, even if the grants are intended for larger purposes. Trees Atlanta is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting Atlanta's forest through planting, conservation and education. Because "education" is one of its founding principles, Trees Atlanta was able to utilize funds secured through grant writing and its capital campaign to design and develop its website and other education-related initiatives. Nonprofits and small businesses focused on goods and services of special benefit (for example, green technologies, minority-owned businesses, research and development, health care industries, etc.) may have an easier time securing public grants. Check Grants.gov to see what kinds of public funds are available and whether your business might qualify. There are also private grant programs targeted toward for-profit small businesses. Chase Bank's "Mission Main Street" and American Express's "Corporate Social Responsibility" programs provide grant dollars to a small number of eligible small businesses each year. Though highly competitive, these private grants tend to have fewer strings attached and may be a better option for small businesses seeking grant funding for general use. Finding grant funding for your small business website may be difficult, but it isn't completely impossible. Tenacity is the key. If you're feeling tenacious, head over to the next page for related articles and lots more information. " " Do you need a tax ID number for your online business? That can depend on the services that you plan to provide. Jim Corwin/Getty Images Meet Joe and Amy. Joe owns an online iPhone repair company and Amy sells adorable crocheted anime elephants on Etsy. Do they need tax ID numbers for their online businesses? Let's find out. The phrase tax ID number most likely refers to a federal employer identification number (EIN). However, it could also refer to a state tax ID number. We'll break down both and help Joe and Amy decide which numbers they need. Advertisement Determining If You Need an EIN Number Sole proprietors and limited liability corporations (LLCs) with no employees can use a personal Social Security number in place of an EIN. Joe's LLC has employees, so he is required to get an EIN number. Amy, however, is the sole proprietor of her business, so she is not required to get an EIN number. Had either of them operated a business that was required to file employment, excise or ABT (alcohol, tobacco and firearms) tax returns, or if their business involved certain types of organizations (like trusts, estates, nonprofits), then they would have been required to get an EIN number. The Internal Revenue Service has a helpful online quiz that business owners can take to determine if an EIN is required for their business. Determining If You Need a State Tax ID Number If you're in the business of selling things online, chances are you need to get a state tax ID number (also called a sales tax permit, reseller certificate or similar). Because Amy is selling goods online, she's most likely required to charge her clients sales tax (and pay sales tax on the goods she sells), for which she'll need a state tax ID number. Joe sells a service (phone repair) as opposed to inventory. However, if he charges his customers for parts, he may be required to collect sales tax on those parts. So he'll likely need a sales tax ID number as well. The good news for both Amy and Joe is that their state tax ID number enables them to buy their raw materials at wholesale prices. So, her yarn and his parts should be more affordable, and they can pass this savings along to their clients. Next, Amy and Joe need to figure out how to obtain the tax ID numbers they need. Click over to the next page to discover how. By Ruth Anderah. The General Court Martial sitting at Makindye has transferred back to Luzira prison boda boda 2010 patron Abdullah Kitatta after 13 months on remand at Makindye police barracks. The order to Transfer Kitatta to a civilian prison comes after a request from the armys prosecutor Captain Samuel Masereka after he informed court that its now safe to remand Kitatta to a civilian prison given the fact that his case is now coming to an end and it no longer poses a threat to his life . Captain Masereka added that security at Luzira prison has since been tightened and Kitatta will be safe in there . However his lawyer Shaban Sanywa put up a spirited resistance against the transfer of his client to a remand center in which prosecution knows that security is not guaranteed yet there are rumors that he was going to be poisoned from the barracks. Kitatta and nine other people are facing charges of unlawful possession of firearms, ammunitions and Military gears which prosecution says they are a monopoly of only defence forces. Kitatta now joins his nine co-suspects at Luzira prison after the courts chairman Lt. Gen Andrew Gutti concurred with the prosecution that his security is now guaranteed. Related Stories Kitatta denies being a member of Bodaboda 2010 Kitatta co-accused was not given a gun by police GVM Law adds senior counsel Hollister GVM Law announced that Jonathan Hollister is joining the firm as senior counsel and GVM Laws existing 14-person estate planning group. Hollister brings more than 25 years of experience in estate planning and real estate law to GVM Law, said a news release. We are delighted to welcome Jonathan Hollister to our team, said Estate Planning Department head Jamie Watson. Hollister comes to GVM Law with expertise in estate planning as a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. Pujals Team earns award Jerry and Susan Pujals of Napa, with Coldwell Banker Brokers of the Valley, earned membership in the companys International Presidents Premier Circle. This award represents the top 1 percent of all sales associates worldwide, said a news release. The Pujals Team is also recognized for being the number one Coldwell Banker team for sales volume in California, said a release. Info: 707-249-0518 Lail Vineyards names Perry national sales manager Robin Daniel Lail, proprietor of Lail Vineyards, announced that Matthew Perry has been appointed national sales manager. A successful sales professional with wine industry experience spanning two decades, Perry will oversee Lail Vineyards national sales and distribution, said a news release. We are delighted that Matthew has joined our team at Lail Vineyards, said Lail. He shares our passion for wine and family and worked for several years in his own familys distribution business. Napa Square offers executive suite concept Cushman & Wakefield announced that Napa Square, located at 1455 First St. in downtown Napa, has introduced a new executive suite concept to the marketplace. Situated on the second floor of the three-story building, the new offices are being offered to individuals or groups on a monthly or longer-term rental basis. Major nearby corporate hubs like San Francisco and Oakland already have extensive executive suites, and coworking concepts (such as Regus and WeWork), said a news release. One of the employers taking advantage of the new executive suites offered by Napa Square is Farella Braun + Martel, a law firm in San Francisco. What started with a Monday morning hit-and-run crash into a fire hydrant ended with the arrest of two Bay Area adults suspected of subsequently trashing the bathroom of an American Canyon hotel, police say. American Canyon Police first headed to the scene of a hit-and-run on Newell Drive near Donaldson Way around 11 a.m., according to the police department. Officers learned a gray Nissan Sentra, reported stolen in Oakley, crashed into a fire hydrant and fled the scene, police say. Officers noticed debris from the damaged car at the scene of the crash, then found a freshly damaged Nissan abandoned a couple of streets away. At 1:30 p.m., officers headed to the DoubleTree hotel in American Canyon, where people reportedly trashed the bathroom. Officers found two people who matched the description from the hotel call and hit-and-run crash: Antioch resident Devian Synciere Valencia, 18, and Pittsburg resident Alexis Hill, 19, police say. Hill said she drove the Nissan, had the keys and had a methamphetamine pipe, police say. Both were arrested within an hour and booked into Napa County jail around 4 p.m., jail records show. Hill was arrested on suspicion of one felony charge related to stolen property and two misdemeanors related to hit-and-run and having drug paraphernalia, jail records show. Valencia was arrested on suspicion of two misdemeanors related to stolen property and hit-and-run, jail records show. They remained in jail as of Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A group of St. Helena youth will spend part of their summer vacation in Haiti working to improve the quality of life in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. This will be the 10th trip overall and third visit to Haiti for the Grace Episcopal Church youth group led by Erika Mueller. Previous destinations have included a Navajo reservation in New Mexico, Houston post-Hurricane Harvey, Guatemala, and Fairbanks, Alaska. Twenty-one youth members and six adults will spend one week working on construction projects in the mountain village of Fond Blanc, which is about two hours from Port-au-Prince. The June 15-23 trip is being coordinated with Next Step Ministries, which assesses local needs and advises visiting church groups on how they can help. (Next Step) has groups plugged in all summer long, so were just one piece in a really big puzzle, Mueller said. We get to come in and do our work and see some progress, but we know were part of something much bigger. A March 16 Have a Heart for Haiti fundraiser held at the church raised more than $20,000 for the trip. Fundraising will continue after Easter with Flamingo Flamboyance, where would-be donors pay to have pink flamingos removed from their lawn or moved to the lawn of another would-be donor. During the trip, the group will reconnect with villagers they met during previous visits in 2013 and 2015, when St. Helena youth helped build an orphanage, church and school to serve the population of a few hundred people. Weve built relationships, especially with the children, Mueller said. Kids are climbing all over you the whole week. Some members of the youth group have stayed in touch with the Haitian kids through a sponsorship program, and a few members have older siblings who went on one of the previous trips. The trip costs about $1,900 per person to cover travel expenses and reimburse the Fond Blanc community for the cost of food. Fundraising will pay for about half of that cost, and youth and their families will pay the rest. Its pretty incredible for one little community being able to raise this much money, Mueller said. People can donate at grace-episcopal.org/donate-now (select youth group donation) or send a check with mission trip in the memo line to Grace Episcopal Church, Attention Erika Mueller, 1314 Spring St., St. Helena, CA 94574. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Tuesday, March 19 1809 Solicitors were spotted on Scott Street. 2329 A caller on Adams Street heard gunshots for about 10 minutes. Wednesday, March 20 1008 Report of a rockslide near Deer Park Road and Mund Road. Police notified the CHP. 1010 A woman gave a caller claiming to be from Apple access to her computer so he could download her financial information. The man gave her step-by-step on instructions on what to do when she logged on. He also told her to stop moving her purse when she was moving it. She plans to contact her credit card companies about the issue. 1123 Report of a reckless driver passing in the center lane of Main Street near Spring Street. 1814 Police notified Caltrans that Public Works was fixing a water main at Main/Vidovich. 1909 Medical aid for a possible stroke victim on Hillview Place. 1928 A drunk patron drove away from a Main Street restaurant in a gray Infiniti. Police checked the area and notified the sheriffs office and CHP. 2041 Report of a loose dog on Pope Street. Thursday, March 21 1126 A caller from the previous day said hackers were still trying to access her money and appeared to have made purchases using her computer. Police took a report. 1315 Someone left graffiti at Wappo Park. 1644 Non-injury fender-bender on Highway 29. 2003 Report of a possible drunk driver on Main Street. 2013 Police responded to a family disturbance on Starr Avenue. Friday, March 22 0133 Report of a possible vehicle theft on Mitchell Drive. 1007 Gas was leaking into the road at Main/Spring. 1032 St. Helena police and sheriffs deputies responded to a family disturbance on Sunnyside Road. 1311 A car had been keyed sometime since Dec. 28. 1345 Three shots were heard from Pinot Way. 1347 Medical aid for an employee injured by a power tool on Inglewood Avenue. 1611 The crosswalk lights at Main/Charter Oak werent working. Saturday, March 23 1838 The CHP asked police to check on the St. Helena owner of a pickup theyd found with blood inside. 1953 Medical aid for a possible diabetic problem on Hunt Avenue. Sunday, March 24 2251 Report of a dog barking and whining near Grove Court. 2313 Report of a car swerving and passing over double yellows on Highway 29 near Whitehall Lane. Monday, March 25 0921 Report of a large pothole in the elm tunnel, causing cars to swerve around it. 0921 A black Camaro was seen weaving and speeding on Silverado Trail. 1041 Police took a missing person report. 1416 A Lexus had been left running, unlocked, with its lights on for two hours on Main Street. 1559 An officer presented a First Aid badge at a Girl Scouts meeting. 1907 Report of a possible drunk driver weaving and traveling very slowly on northbound Highway 29 north of St. Helena. Police notified the CHP. By Damali Mukhaye. The Uganda peoples congress has handed over the leadership of the inter-party organization for democracy to the Democratic Party after their term expired. Speaking while handing over the leadership to DP, the outgoing chair Okea Lawrence bragged that during their leadership,they organised the first ever IPod summit which was attended by majority of political party leaders including president Museveni . He says that they also met a number of different parties when they visited each one of them at their respective offices and organized a number of retreats for the IPOD members asserting that the DP has a big mantle to take up what they did not achieve. The incoming chair Gerald Siranda says that they are going to work tooth and nail to resurrect the mul-party system in the country through mobilizing all the political parties to come on board. Hundreds of residents took advantage of Fridays open house to share their opinions about streetside parklets, crosswalks, and other aspects of St. Helenas upcoming downtown streetscape project. About 180 people signed in during the four-hour drop-in event at the vacant Masonic building, and consultant David Gates estimated the total crowd at between 200 and 250. Four students from St. Helena Elementary Schools fourth- and fifth-grade leadership class also attended to share input provided by 240 classmates. Photos of streetscape concepts and architectural designs from other cities were displayed, and guests were given blue colored dots to stick next to the most appealing photos. Pots and planters, thats nice. Make the street look pretty, said Ester Akersloot, placing one of her dots, then gesturing toward another photo of a planted median strip. This would be pretty arty, wouldnt it? But I dont think its necessary myself. We need better sidewalks, for sure. Last year Akersloot successfully lobbied the city to design a continuous sidewalk on the south side of Hunt Avenue so that residents like her can safely walk to the downtown. During the open house, she spoke in favor of building a new public restroom off Main Street and installing directional signs to help people find the existing restrooms at Lyman Park and Lewis Station Park. Maybe put signs up and arrows restrooms this way, Akersloot suggested. Bill Ryan, one of the organizers of the St. Helena Street Piano at Lyman Park, said hed like to install a second piano at a new mini-parklet a pocket of public space created by bulbing out the sidewalk, often at the site of a crosswalk. Theyre all over San Francisco, Ryan said. A street piano at a mini-parklet would have a nice local, organic appeal, and it suits both locals and visitors, he said. Tom Allen, whose Downtown Renaissance project explored similar ideas, was excited about the renewed push to spruce up the downtown space. Streetscape improvements, gathering places for pedestrians, fixing up the alleyways, more attention and resources for the trees this is great, Allen said. In addition to comments about the streetscape, people used the open house to weigh in on the Adams Street property, City Hall, a potential new hotel, and the need for a community center. We asked them to design the stove but theyre looking at the whole kitchen, said David Gates, one of the consultants guiding the project. He saw that as a sign that theres strong public will to design a comprehensive project that builds on St. Helenas unique sense of place. People are starting to realize they have an opportunity here, Gates said. Its very exciting. The input from Fridays open house will help shape the design of the downtown streetscape project. Construction of the new sidewalks is scheduled for spring 2021. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Theyre the twin demons plaguing Bay Area residents: the never-ending grind of bumper-to-bumper traffic and the ever-climbing cost of housing. But in a recent poll, voters said that when it comes to tackling those most vexing issues, they are far more willing to open their wallets to fix traffic problems than they are to support a wide-ranging plan to bring down high housing costs. In the poll, carried out for the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and this news organization, 83 percent of respondents cited the cost of housing as an extremely or very serious issue, compared to 76 percent of voters who said the same of traffic congestion. But 71 percent of respondents said they would support a one-cent sales tax to combat traffic problems by expanding transit lines, upgrading roadways and other measures above the 2/3 margin needed to pass such a tax compared to 43 percent who said theyd support a multi-faceted plan to address high home prices and rents. The poll, conducted by the marketing research firm Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz (FM3) and Associates, surveyed 1,913 likely voters in the nine Bay Area counties from Feb. 14 to 24. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points. Some experts said it was likely the results reflected voters response to the specific proposal outlined in the poll, rather than a general unwillingness to support solutions to bring down high housing costs. The poll asked about an omnibus measure, called the CASA Compact, thats meant to make it easier to build more housing through zoning changes and tax-backed affordable housing funds, and to help existing renters stay in their homes by capping what they pay. It is unlikely voters would be asked to approve the entire plan only tax hikes must go before voters but it is possible they could see pieces of it on local ballots in years to come. JR Starrett, the advocacy and community engagement director for the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California, said that Bay Area voters have demonstrated their support for bonds and other taxes for affordable housing in recent years, approving 14 out of 17 ballot measures in the region since 2015. The results of the poll, he said, are not in line with the results weve seen at the ballot box time and time again. But it was hard to refute the enthusiasm the polls respondents demonstrated for fixes aimed at reducing traffic problems. Theres a lot more consensus around what to do about maintaining and improving the regions roadways and transit arteries, said Carl Guardino, president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. In addition to the bulk of respondents who said they would support a 1-cent sales tax for traffic and transit improvements, 64 percent of respondents said they would back the same projects if they were financed through a $50 billion bond measure and a 0.4 percent gross receipts tax on businesses in the Bay Area. Support for the measure was consistently high in Alameda, San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, but varied depending on the type of funding scheme in Contra Costa, Sonoma, Napa and Solano counties. Contra Costa County voters, for example, were much more likely to support the sales tax and less likely to support the tax on regional businesses. Were heartened that 71 percent of us are willing to reach into our pockets to address this through a 1-cent sales tax, said Guardino, whose group has led the campaigns for a series of transportation taxes. That is quite a statement and a commitment by Bay Area voters. Those transit expansions cant come soon enough for Myrna Walton, a long-time Berkeley hills resident who recently moved to Oaklands Rockridge neighborhood to be closer to BART. At 77, she can no longer drive at night, a relatively recent development that had her feeling trapped in her home. But being able to walk 10 or 15 minutes to the BART station has been liberating, she said. I have a sense of freedom I didnt have before, Walton said. I was afraid of becoming a dangerous driver, but I had no alternatives. Still, she says, shed like to get rid of her car completely, but relying on Uber and Lyft to get to places that are hard to reach by transit can be expensive. The East Bay is too spread out, she said, and theres only so many places within walking distance of BART. Even for those who can choose to drive, traffic congestion has reached untenable levels, said Oakland resident Sam Jackson. The time people spend slogging along at speeds of 35 mph or slower has increased 80 percent from 2010 to 2017, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Its a complete waste of time, Jackson said. Even if you have a really nice car, and youre the type of person who likes to drive, youre still only going 10 miles an hour over the Bay Bridge. Support for transportation investment is consistent with at least a 40-year history in the region, said Russell Hancock, president and CEO of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, a regional think tank. But, the results are even more impressive given voters last year approved a $3 toll increase over six years, the first dollar of which went into effect this year, said David Metz, of FM3 and Associates, which conducted the poll. And theyre still hungering for investment, he said. Its a testament to the level of frustration people feel. When it comes to housing, however, the solutions are a lot more polarizing, and respondents were split on the best strategies to address the issue. The CASA Compact calls for removing bureaucratic red tape around permitting and zoning restrictions, imposing a regional rent cap and tighter rules to protect tenants from evictions, and added taxes on employers, property owners and a sales-tax to generate $1.5 billion to help build housing at all income levels. Alexander Boyovich, a Concord resident, is keenly aware the traffic problem is rooted in the fact there arent enough homes near job centers, but said he couldnt support any proposal with a regional rent cap. He wanted to see only market-based solutions to make it easier for developers to build homes, instead. As Bay Area moves left, these conservative voters are moving out Read the article On one hand, there are things in there that are helpful, if all were doing is loosening supply constraints, he said. But on the other side of the fence, youre tightening the supply constraints. So, its like youre shooting yourself in the foot. Renters were far more likely than homeowners 62 percent compared with 32 percent to support the measure, as were respondents under the age of 40, with 56 percent of the voters polled voicing their approval, compared with 39 percent of respondents 40 to 59, and 35 percent of those 60 and above. Income played a role, as well. Of the voters making less than $60,000 annually, 57 percent said they would support the plan, along with 53 percent of earners making between $60,000 and $120,000, as opposed to just 39 percent of those making $120,000 or more. That should come as no surprise, with the people who are least secure in their housing situations feeling the most pressure, said Ellen Wu, the executive director of Urban Habitat, a housing and transportation advocacy agency. She sat on the committee to draft the CASA Compact, but didnt sign the agreement because her organization feels it doesnt do enough to ensure existing residents wont be displaced by new development. By design, she said, the 10-point CASA plan has a little something in it for everyone to love and to hate. That was kind of the whole point, that there would be compromises and trade-offs, Wu said, adding that she wasnt surprised voters gave it a lukewarm reception. It looks like it did its job. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Theres long been a somewhat competitive relationship between the power of governors and legislators to make law and the ability of voters to overturn what the politicians wrought and/or make law themselves via the initiative process. However in recent years that relationship has evolved from merely competitive to something approaching hostility. Having achieved total domination of the Capitol, Democratic politicians clearly resent sharing lawmaking authority with voters. We have seen numerous attempts to kneecap the initiative process. Weve seen Democratic attorneys general twist the ballot wording of measures they oppose, such as last years effort to repeal new gas taxes, and weve seen those attorney generals and governor refuse to defend voter-approved initiatives in court. The latest wrinkle appears to be an increasing willingness by the dominant Democrats to thumb their noses at voters by pursuing policies that contradict what the voters decreed. Two such examples popped up this month. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared that he will not allow any more executions of criminals murderers mostly and ordered the states execution chamber to be demolished. He justifies it as a moral issue, even though the states voters have repeatedly declared their support for capital punishment twice in this decade alone. Just days later, a bloc of Democratic members of the Assembly unveiled a package of housing bills, including one that would cap annual rent increases in local jurisdictions that do not have local rent control ordinances. If enacted, it would, in effect, repeal the states Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which prohibits local governments from imposing rent control on units built after 1995. Just four months ago, Californias voters had the opportunity to repeal Costa-Hawkins via Proposition 10, which was placed on the ballot by rent control advocates. Voters refused to pass the measure. The author of Assembly Bill 1482, David Chu of San Francisco, justified his end run around voters by saying its needed to address the states housing affordability crisis. In recent years we have seen massive rent gouging. Not just 10 percent increases, or 25 percent, but 50 percent, 100 percent, 200 percent, Chiu said. Our bill would cap the amount a rent can be increased annually at a level sufficiently above the Consumer Price Index to allow a landlord to receive a fair return. Our Legislature has failed to act to address the plight of struggling tenants, Chiu added, saying his bill would for the first time create some rent certainty, allowing tenants to plan for their futures and remove the risk of unexpected rent increases. Capital punishment and rent control are serious issues and what Newsom declared and what Chius bill would do face stiff opposition from those who believe the death penalty is a deterrent and that rent control would worsen Californias housing crisis by discouraging badly needed construction. However, theres another issue here: whether, indeed, ultimate political power is vested in voters, or in officeholders. If governors and legislators can simply ignore the will of voters, or block them from making decisions politicians dont like, then California becomes more autocratic and less small-d democratic. Thats the sort of thing that Third World dictators, such as Venezuelas current despot, do. Its the sort of thing that Democratic politicians routinely accuse Donald Trump of doing. It disrespects the people they purport to serve. CALmatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how Californias state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary. No one protested back in the 1970s, when first Congress and then every state granted 18-year-old citizens the right to vote. If they were old enough to die for their country, went the reasoning, they were also old enough to help make its decisions. Now, a top-ranking Democratic state legislator wants to expand the franchise to let 17-year-old Californians vote in primary elections if they will turn 18 before the next general elections. If a voter is going to be eligible to vote in a general election, why wouldnt we want to allow them also to have a say in who they will be voting for in that election? said Assembly Speaker pro tem Kevin Mullin of San Mateo. He wants the Legislature to put a proposed state constitutional amendment allowing this new right on the March 3, 2020 primary ballot. This is not exactly a new idea: 23 other states already allow 17-year-olds to vote in primaries. And its been proposed before in California: Just last year, Democratic Assemblyman Evan Low of Campbell introduced another amendment lowering the voting age to 17 in all elections. That one died in an Assembly committee. Its easy to see this idea as a ploy by Democrats to assure they stay in power indefinitely. After all, it would be yet another way to expand the electorate, and a political truism says that the more voters turn out in any election, the better Democrats will do. The effort is part of a series of moves by California Democrats since 2015 to get ballots into the hands of more and more voters. They enacted Election Day voter registration used by more than 40,000 new voters last fall. They legalized ballot harvesting, where operatives of all parties can help voters fill out ballots, show them how to sign the ballots and then assist them in mailing those ballots or otherwise turning them in. Democrats also passed motor voter, making voter registration automatic for anyone getting a drivers license unless they decline. Despite management problems that saw some voters registered to parties they didnt want, this also produced tens of thousands of new votes. It all contrasted sharply with simultaneous Republican moves to restrict voting rights in states where they controlled both governors offices and legislatures. Some of those rules may be loosened considerably soon, as Democrats took over eight governors posts and six legislatures last fall, still leaving the GOP with 21 states where it controls the entire state capital. Although Republicans lately have tried to suppress voting numbers while Democrats do all they can to open ballots for virtually everyone, this has only been a partisan issue for about the last eight years. Before then, voting was a matter of civics, almost all Americans agreeing that the more voters turn out, the better for the nations social and political fabric. Thats still the rhetoric Democrats use, while Republicans maintain all the Democrats vote-expansion moves are aimed at groups more likely to vote Democratic, including undocumented immigrants. California Republicans have had little to say about the states recent voting expansions, but they were the first to take advantage when mail voting opened to all in the late 1970s, after previously being available only to those who could not get to the polls. For one example, many analysts attributed ex-Gov. George Deukmejians 1982 upset win over Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley to the GOPs skillful use of newly legalized unlimited absentee votes. Now, some Republicans blame the new rules for their big losses last year, saying they must do what Democrats did in the 80s: master the new tactics. Democrats today use the old-fashioned civic rhetoric to plump for their voter-expansion efforts, including 17-year-old primary voting. Im a strong supporter of civic engagement, says Mullin. This is about getting more Californians involved in the political process regardless of their political affiliation. And who knows? If this states Republicans ever manage to expand their appeal beyond their current conservative base, they also might find ways to turn 17-year-olds and other new voters their way, rather than letting them go lemming-like to the Democrats. Thomas D. Elias writes the syndicated California Focus column. He is author of the book, The Burzynski Breakthrough: The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It. A recent mailer received by Napa County residents, apparently authored by George Bachich, opens the first paragraph by saying, Your property is about to be wrenched from your control. The second paragraph opens with, Napa County is poised to revoke your property rights and damage your property value by enacting the Water Quality and Tree Protection Ordinance (WQTPO). It seems clear that Mr. Bachich has concluded that Napa County is designing an ordinance intended to harm our interests by stealing our property rights. In support of his argument, Mr. Bachich offers his interpretation of facts drawn from the proposed ordinance. This is the type of scare tactics and fear mongering that has become all too common today. Anyone interested can read the ordinance by accessing it online and deciding for themselves. Aside from his interpretation, what can be made of Mr. Bachichs core argument that the county is about to wrench control of your property from you? I am a county resident and own a small piece of property. It's my hope that my property will at least retain its value while providing me with shelter and enjoyment. Isnt that what we all desire? Mr. Bachich claims the county wants to wrench control of my property by enacting the proposed WQTPO. Quite honestly, one wish for my property is to have a safe, dependable supply of water. Without water, my property will be worthless. Without water, my property will not provide the shelter and enjoyment I hope for. However, I have no control of the aquifer that provides my water. I have no control of the watershed that provides the surface water many others depend upon. Most residents of Napa County share my same situation in that they do not control the source of their water either. For most of us, our water supply is in the hands of larger property owners who draw from the aquifers and engage in activities that affect water run-off. We (who have no control over our water supply) are, so to speak, down-stream in the water availability pipeline. We depend upon others up-stream to do the right thing. When that concern has been brought up at county meetings, the response by the other side has been, "then get the money and buy the land yourself." With that type of mindset, what chance do I have of protecting my water source except for Napa County to be proactive. Climate change is a fact and the county needs to act now to assure that in the future there will be a water supply for both large and small landowners. Disputes over water have been happening in California for more than a century. Mr. Bachichs argument that the county is about to damage our property values by stealing our property rights is really dependent on the property in question. If large property owners are allowed the freedom to take actions on their land that harm the water supply of many other property owners down-stream, then the freedom granted to one has the potential to cause harm to many others. Untold properties can be harmed by the actions of a few. As one of the down-stream property owners, I much prefer to view the countys proposed ordinance as a protection of my property rights. Therefore, whether the county is about to steal your property rights or protect your property rights is entirely a matter of perspective. To borrow from Winston Churchill, never have so many been dependent on so few. Lisa Hirayama Napa Peskov says US aggressive rhetoric does not contribute to detente in relations Russia US tornado leaves 79 people killed 133 new cases of coronavirus confirmed in Armenia ICRC representatives visit Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan UK urges allies to seek alternatives to Russia natural gas 168.am: Armenia ex-police chief hospitalized NBC: US holds back additional military aid to Ukraine to avoid tension Person, 26, found dead in Armenia water pit Criminal case launched into killing of Armenia soldier Man found dead in Yerevan At least 2 killed from tornado in Arkansas Investigative Committee: Staff left combat positions and fled as a result of which adversary invaded Armenia territory Jill Biden comments on talks about US President's mental fitness Poland PM issues ultimatum to Russia 30 new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh Media: Islamic State takes responsibility for 2 blasts in Kabul France presidential candidate Eric Zemmour to visit Armenia US to sell 18mn barrels of oil from its strategic reserve Famous Armenia singer declared wanted Bright Armenia Party leader: ECtHR obliges Azerbaijan to pay 30,000 to Badalyan as moral damage compensation Psaki: US seeks diplomacy in context of situation between Russia and Ukraine 290 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Biden believes leaders of all other countries would like to be in his place Armenia PM: Internal patriots do not calm down because their foreign partners do not consider the mission over Peskov: Russia concerned about NATO military equipment transfer via Greece port Esplanade of Armenia opens in Paris Armenia soldier dies, 2 others wounded Newspaper: Bill that pampers Armenia banks to have very serious consequences Newspaper: What to expect from Armenia parliament special session next week? Boris Johnson threatened with resignation due to parties during pandemic Kopirkin: Russia is ready to make all efforts to contribute to normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations Armenia MFA: '3+3' platform needs to refrain from duplicating formats with mandate to settle conflicts RT: US may build facilities in Georgia and Armenia to support its 'defense activities' Armenia 2nd President: We will continue the struggle, all the phony cases will be crushed MFA: Armenia calls on Azerbaijan to refrain from provocative rhetoric Hero of 44-day Karabakh war Garik Hovakimyan's sister Mariam is born Republican Party of Armenia Executive Body holds session chaired by Serzh Sargsyan Iranian Embassy: Iran supports '3+3' platform during meeting held in Moscow Armenia ex-defense minister on Prosecutor General's Office imposing attachment on his assets Alen Simonyan: Armenia is in one of the most crucial stages in its history, and opposition is demanding my resignation PM: Armenia is committed to contributing to global mission of strengthening democracy, and we hope we're not alone Armenia MOD: Soldier who was injured from gunshot fired by fellow serviceman has regained consciousness Armenia Deputy PM: Omicron variant is not sufficiently explored First meeting within scope of '3+3' regional platform held in Moscow NEWS.am daily digest: 10.12.21 Armenia soldier killed while resisting Azerbaijanis' attack, 8 are injured, 6 of whom are in severe condition Armenia PM introduces new Head of State Supervision Service Romanos Petrosyan Armenia human rights activists: There were cases when POWs were brought to territory under Azerbaijan's control The book Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman was translated and published on the initiative of Ardshinbank Armenia regional governor, IFRC Secretary General discuss return of Armenian POWs originally from Shirak Province Armenia human rights activist: Number of Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan is 80 more than the confirmed one Pashinyan: Environmental sphere is of strategic importance for Armenia Armenia President: We must understand that we are entering completely different era for humanity Dollar goes up somewhat in Armenia Armenia State Revenue Committee chief meets with French Development Agency Regional Director Opposition 'Armenia' faction MPs Artur Sargsyan and Mkhitar Zakaryan released from penitentiary institution Head of Armenia's Norabak village: Azerbaijan has military post that is 2 km from us Armenia finance minister receives France Ambassador and French Development Agency Regional Director Armenia opposition MP Ishkhan Zakaryan leaving 'With Honor' faction Russian and Armenian Deputy FMs meet in Moscow Armenia PM highlights importance of speedy conclusion of full-format agreement between Iran and EEU Armenia opposition MPs Mkhitar Zakaryan and Artur Sargsyan to be released without court decision today Armenian opposition MP Armen Charchyan is released Armenia MOD: Armenian side has one casualty, few soldiers are injured, exchange of fire is over Armenias Pashinyan: High-tech component development also important in Eurasian integration context Armenia Deputy PM dismisses his two assistants Nazarbayev says Azerbaijan can become observer country in Eurasian Economic Union Head of Armenia village: The Azerbaijanis tried to advance in direction of Sotk, but our soldiers didn't let them Armenia MOD: Azerbaijan attacked in eastern direction of border Special court hearing underway on case of Armenia opposition lawmaker behind bars Artsakh officials visit Stepanakert memorial 2 more die of coronavirus in Karabakh Vardenis protesters dismiss Armenia MOD statement on obstructing car taking wounded soldier to Yerevan Armenia FM briefs Francophonie chief on regional security issues (PHOTOS) Armenia Police: 13 people apprehended near MFA building Armenia protesting residents reopen Martuni-Vardenis motorway due to border tension Armenia parliament passes changes to some laws Armenia MOD: Deputy commander was told in Vardenis that car taking wounded soldier to Yerevan would be obstructed 347 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Armenia opposition movement staging protest inside MFA building By Benjamin Jumbe. The UPDF chief of Defence Forces Gen. David Muhoozi has requested the EU to continue the support to AMISOM. The CDF made the appeal while meeting a delegation of European Union ambassadors led by Attilio Pacifici at the UPDF and Ministry of Defense Headquarters, Mbuya. He further stressed that the draw down of forces in Somalia should be condition and not time based. Meanwhile the EU Mission head Pacifici applauded UPDF participation in establishing peace and security not only in Uganda but the region however expressing concern over continued presence of ADF in Eastern DRC. The US decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights is another step towards the destruction of the international legal framework for resolving the situation in the Middle East, said the spokeswoman for the Russian MFA, Maria Zakharova. Earlier, US President Donald Trump signed a declaration recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Unfortunately, it may escalate tensions in the Middle East. Such things can only exacerbate the situation, TASS reported quoting Zakharova. According to this resolution, Israels decision to establish its laws, jurisdiction, control over the indicated part of the territory of Syria does not really have legal force, she noted. During the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel occupied the Golan Heights, and in 1981 unilaterally annexed them. YEREVAN. A delegation from Armenia, and led by Deputy Foreign Minister Artak Apitonian, on Monday and Tuesday participated in an antiterrorism conference that was held in Bratislava, and within the framework of Slovakias chairmanship-in-office at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Also, Apitonian delivered an address at the high-level part of this event, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. The deputy FM began his address by condemning the recent terrorist attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. Reflecting on hate crimes, especially their praise at the state level by some countries, Apitonian expressed concern that such an approach creates a fertile ground for the spread of radicalism and terrorism. The deputy FM stressed that Armenia has condemned at international platforms the terrorists atrocities against ethnic and religious groups in Syria and Iraq. He added that foreign terrorist fighters return to their countries of origin negatively affects the security and stability of the OSCE region, and can lead to increased tension in the conflict and crisis zones. In conclusion, Artak Apitonian underscored the need for comprehensive engagement by all countries as well as international and regional organizations in the fight against terrorism. Saudi Arabia condemned the decision of the US administration to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Reuters reported. According to the source, Saudi Arabia expresses its rejection and condemnation of the US administrations declaration that it recognizes Israels sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights. It will have significant negative effects on the peace process in the Middle East and the security and stability of the region, a statement on Saudi Arabias state news agency SPA said. Turkey also strongly condemned the US recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, said the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday. "The U.S. once again ignored international laws, however, this decision will never legitimize Israel's annexation, Anadolu Agency reported referring to Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglus tweet. The signing ceremony took place on Monday at the White House as part of the talks between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Arab and Islamic world states, Russia, as well as key European states, including Germany and France, have previously spoken out against such unilateral actions. The Golan Heights before 1967 were part of Syria. Two thirds of the heights were occupied by Israel during the Six Day War in early June 1967. In December 1981, the Israeli Parliament passed a law extending Israeli jurisdiction to the Golan Heights. The UN Security Council did not recognize this decision. The UN General Assembly has repeatedly called the annexation illegal and called on Israel to return the Golan to the Syrians. The Russian Foreign Ministry, in its turn, noted that the US decision on Golan may destabilize the Middle East. The decision of US President Donald Trump to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights is contrary to international law and directly affects the Lebanese interests, AMN reported referring to the Lebanese President Michel Aoun. His remarks came during the meeting with Russian lower house speaker Vyacheslav Volodin in Moscow. Of course, this affects the immediate interests of Lebanon. We believe that the leader of a foreign state has no right to dispose of foreign territories like that. In addition, the move is fraught with the escalation of social tensions, not to mention the fact that such steps contradict international law and the decisions of the UN Security Council in the most blatant way, he said. As reported earlier, the signing ceremony took place on Monday at the White House as part of the talks between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Arab and Islamic world states, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, as well as key European states, including Germany and France, have previously spoken out against such unilateral actions. The Golan Heights before 1967 were part of Syria. Two thirds of the heights were occupied by Israel during the Six Day War in early June 1967. In December 1981, the Israeli Parliament passed a law extending Israeli jurisdiction to the Golan Heights. The UN Security Council did not recognize this decision. The UN General Assembly has repeatedly called the annexation illegal and called on Israel to return the Golan to the Syrians. The Russian Foreign Ministry, in its turn, noted that the US decision on Golan may destabilize the Middle East. The bill authored by State Senator Anthony J. Portantino (DLa Canada Flintridge), to reestablish a trade office between California and Armenia on Monday passed the State Senate Business and Professions Committee. The bill received bi-partisan support and garnered a unanimous vote. Armenian Consul General Armen Baibourtian flew to Sacramento to offer testimony in favor of the proposal, Asbarez reported. Armenia is an important trade partner with California with strong and long-standing relationships. SB 302 will formalize trade and economic ties. As the representative of the largest Armenian community in a legislative district in the country, I am very honored and glad that this bill is moving forward in the Senate. California is embracing the Armenian Community and all it has to offer our state and its exciting to be part of that excitement, commented Senator Portantino. SB 302 will establish a regional trade office to promote economic relations in a developing area of the world that show emerging market potential. The regional trade office would be located in Armenia and would serve the developing economies of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Armenia has worked hard to develop diplomatic and economic ties worldwide. Today, 120 countries have recognized Armenia as an independent state and over 70 countries have established direct diplomatic relations. One or my top priorities as Consul General is to increase economic opportunities between Armenia and the California. I was very pleased to offer testimony in support of this important proposal. There is tremendous excitement in Yerevan, Glendale and Sacramento about the burgeoning beneficial relationship on the horizon and feel we are capturing that excitement. Our hope it will lead to mutual benefit, concluded Armen Baibourtian, Consul-General Armenia. Former Calif. State Senator Jack Scott originally created the California/Armenia International Trade Office through legislation. Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger terminated it in 2007. SB 302 would require the Yerevan trade and investment office to, among other things, promote the export of California goods and services into the Republic of Armenia and facilitate access to educational exchange programs between California and the Republic of Armenia. YEREVAN. The capital city Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction on Tuesday is examining the appeal which the defense has filed with respect to stopping the criminal proceedings against second President Robert Kocharyan on the basis of presidential immunity. Robert Kocharyan, who is a defendant in the criminal case into the tragic events that occurred in downtown capital city Yerevan in March 2008, is remanded in custody since December 7, 2018. He is charged under two articles of the Criminal Code. Robert Kocharyan was first remanded in custody on July 27, 2018 by a decision of the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction. But on August 13, the Court of Appeal granted Robert Kocharyans legal defenders appeal to commute the first-instance courts decision on remanding their client in custody, and Kocharyan was released from courtroom on the grounds that he had presidential immunity. But on November 15, the Court of Cassation overturned the Criminal Court of Appeal decision on remandingand on the grounds of presidential immunityRobert Kocharyan in custody, and the case was sent to the same court for a retrial. And with its ruling on December 7, 2018 the Criminal Court of Appeal upheld the first instance courts July 27 decision on remanding Robert Kocharyan in custody. On the same dayDecember 7, Kocharyan was remanded in custody a second time. On March 1 and 2, 2008 the then authorities of Armenia used force against the opposition members who were rallying in downtown Yerevan, and against the results of the presidential election on February 19, 2008. Eight demonstrators as well as two servicemen of the internal troops were killed in the clashes. But no one had been brought to account for these deaths, to this day. cestes001/iStock(WASHINGTON) -- A government watchdog has launched an investigation into potential interference in the distribution of millions of dollars in aid money to Puerto Rico, a senior official told Congress on Tuesday. The inquiry was initiated earlier this year after Democrats raised concerns that President Donald Trump purposefully tried to steer money away from the island, possibly in favor of more politically friendly red states like Texas and Alabama that also have suffered natural disasters. Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, was hit by Hurricane Maria in September 2017, causing some $100 billion in damage. Jeremy Kirkland, general counsel to the Inspector Generals office at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said his office initiated the review at the request of Congress. HUD and the governor Puerto Rico agreed last fall to some $1.5 billion in housing and other assistance to the island in response to hurricane damage. The HUD inspector general doesnt have the power to investigate the White House, but it would likely be able to review executive orders given to the agency. Were in the process of looking into whether or not there has been any interference and do plan to report back to Congress on what we find, he told the House Financial Services Committee. Kirkland suggested the probe would be limited by the offices jurisdiction. Where we can, we have asked those questions about interference, he said. Trump has publicly accused local leaders in Puerto Rico of mismanaging funds, an allegation they deny. He also has threatened to cut off disaster aid for California - a blue state - while insisting that federal emergency officials must give A Plus treatment to the Great State of Alabama, following last years tornado damage. Last fall, Trump tweeted that Puerto Rico was using disaster relief to pay off other obligations. The U.S. will not bail out long outstanding & unpaid obligations with hurricane relief money! he wrote. Democratic Reps. Nydia M. Velazquez of New York, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, and Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona pushed for the internal investigation in a letter to the inspector general last January. According to the letter, HUD allocated $20 billion in disaster recovery grants. But despite agency approval, we understand that HUD has yet to make little of these funds available," the lawmakers said. Puerto Rico's Governor Ricardo Rossello has asked to meet personally with Trump. He says his administration has been "diligent" in its management of aid but is struggling with extreme poverty. "There is a patent, severe lack of knowledge regarding the inequalities sustained by the U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico and of the use of the recovery funding in all the reports that have been attributed to your administration," he said in a recent Facebook message. HUD Secretary Ben Carson announced March 1 that the agency had approved a plan to distribute aid to Puerto Rico but with "tight fiscal controls." This is an unprecedented investment and since Puerto Rico has a history of fiscal malfeasance, we are putting additional financial controls in place to ensure this disaster recovery money is spent properly, Carson said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. On 26 May, Armenias Minister of Emergency Situations Felix Tsolakyan received representative of the Office of Uzbekistan of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Armenia Murai Hiromitsu. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the three-year Improving crisis communication and public awareness for disaster risk management program and the course and organizing of the Improving anti-fire equipment program. The minister attached importance to the multilateral cooperation of the Ministry of Emergency Situations with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency and added that the main purpose of the programs under implementation is to take measures to reduce disaster risks and raise the level of public awareness. In particular, in the first phase of the actions envisaged within the scope of the Improving anti-fire equipment program, the regional departments of the Rescue Service in Shirak, Lori and Syunik Provinces. The departments of Shirak and Lori will each receive 5 firefighting trucks and one escalator, while the department of Syunik will receive 4 firefighting trucks and one escalator. The machines will be transferred during a solemn ceremony to be held on 6 May. Expressing gratitude for the reception, Murai Hiromitsu stated that the Japanese government attaches importance to the cooperation with the Republic of Armenia in crisis management and, in this sense, offered to take advantage of Japans rich experience in resisting disasters. At the end of the meeting, Minister Tsolakyan expressed gratitude to the Japanese government for the assistance and, expressing the gratitude of the Armenian people, recalled that there is an Armenian khachkar (cross-stone) placed near the memorial dedicated to the innocent victims of the Spitak Earthquake, eternalizing the memory of the Japanese rescuers who died during the rescue efforts. U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights contradicts the international law, Reuters reported. No one could imagine that a person in America comes and gives land of a nation to another occupying country, against international laws and conventions... Such action is unprecedented in the current century, Rouhani was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA. The US President Donald Trump signed on Monday a declaration recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, Lebanon, as well as key European states, including Germany and France, have previously spoken out against such unilateral actions. The Golan Heights before 1967 were part of Syria. Two thirds of the heights were occupied by Israel during the Six Day War in early June 1967. In December 1981, the Israeli Parliament passed a law extending Israeli jurisdiction to the Golan Heights. The UN Security Council did not recognize this decision and has repeatedly called the annexation illegal and called on Israel to return the Golan to the Syrians. Beijing has rejected the US President Donald Trumps decision to recognize the Israeli sovereignty over The Golan Heights, said the spokesperson for Chinese MFA Geng Shuang. China opposes any unilateral actions and does not want a new aggravation in the region, the diplomat said. According to him, the international community recognizes the Golan Heights as occupied. The Foreign Minister also recalled the resolutions of the UN Security Council, which require Israel to withdraw troops from these territories. The US President Donald Trump signed on Monday a declaration recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, Lebanon, Iran as well as key European states, including Germany and France, have previously spoken out against such unilateral actions. The Golan Heights before 1967 were part of Syria. Two thirds of the heights were occupied by Israel during the Six Day War in early June 1967. In December 1981, the Israeli Parliament passed a law extending Israeli jurisdiction to the Golan Heights. The UN Security Council did not recognize this decision. The UN General Assembly has repeatedly called the annexation illegal and called on Israel to return the Golan to the Syrians. Artsakh President Bako Sahakyan addressed on Tuesday a congratulatory message to Gladys Berejiklian, Premier of New South Wales of Australia, Artsakh Presidents press service reported. Respected Ms. Berejiklian, On behalf of people and authorities of the Artsakh Republic and myself personally I would like to extend my most heartfelt congratulations on Your re-election as the Premier of Australias New South Wales. Your strong professional competence and great human qualities, the wealth of knowledge and expertise You possess are the essential pillars enabling to carry out efficiently this very challenging and responsible mandate. I think back with particular warmth to Your visit to Artsakh, our meetings and discussions. We take pride in having a compatriot like You, who enjoys sincere respect and trust in Australia and among the world-spread Armenians. I congratulate You once again and wish You robust health and great success both in your tenure and in personal life, the statement said. Armenias Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan today received newly appointed US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Lynne Tracy. The Prosecutor General congratulated the ambassador on assuming the high diplomatic mission and expressed confidence that her activities would highly contribute to the development of relations in all sectors, including legal aid. Davtyan stated that the Prosecutors Office of Armenia and the US Embassy in Armenia have established a high level of mutual trust and cooperation that has provided the opportunity to implement major projects targeted at the capacity-building of Armenias prosecutors and judicial-legal reforms. The Prosecutor General particularly valued the experience of the partnership with US law-enforcement authorities in the fight against transnational crimes and the mutual trust. Ambassador Tracy expressed gratitude for the reception and stated that the partnership between the two countries law-enforcement authorities helps raise the level of effectiveness of the joint fight against organized crimes, illicit circulation of narcotics and other international crimes. She also expressed satisfaction with the relations established with the Prosecutors Office of Armenia. During the meeting, the parties discussed the activities that Armenia is carrying out in the fight against trafficking and certain types of crimes and in the spheres of criminal-legal and criminal-procedural protection of fundamental human rights. Artur Davtyan stated that the fight against corruption remains one of the absolute priorities of Armenias prosecutors and added that one of the key objectives of the sector is to create lawful mechanisms for the return of assets stolen from the country, expressing confidence that, if necessary, US law-enforcement authorities would provide adequate support within the scope of specific criminal cases. Artur Davtyan provided the ambassador with details about the initiatives that Armenias prosecutors have taken to ensure more guarantees for exercise of several fundamental rights prescribed by the European Convention on Human Rights within the scope of criminal proceedings and the results of those initiatives. During the meeting, the parties also discussed other issues of mutual interest and reached an agreement on maintaining the helpful practice of responding to each others issues as quickly as possible. Bahrain plans to roll out a 5G mobile network by June, partially using the technology of the Chinese company Huawei, despite the US warnings that the equipment of the Chinese telecommunication giant can be used for spying, Reuters reported. The US warned countries against using of the Chinese technologies, having stated that Beijing can use Huawei for espionage. China rejected the charges. VIVA Bahrain, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabian state-controlled telecoms firm STC, has signed an agreement to use of the products of Huawei for creation of a 5G network. We have no concern at this stage as long as this technology is meeting our standards, Bahrains Telecommunications Minister Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed told Reuters, commenting on the US concerns regarding Huawei technology. According to the minister, Bahrain will be one of the first countries in which 5G will be available throughout the territory. The government does not restrict any foreign company in providing equipment for the 5G network in Bahrain, he said. The base of the Fifth fleet of US Navy, which is used for patrol of several important shipping lanes, including near Iran, is located in Bahrain. The United States warned that the countries that if Huawei technology is used, they will reduce the level of cooperation in a number of areas, for example, intelligence sharing. Australia and New Zealand have banned operators from using Huawei equipment, but the European Union is expected to ignore US calls. I suggest holding one of the sessions of the National Assembly in Gyumri. This is what Deputy of the Prosperous Armenia faction Sergey Bagratyan declared in the National Assembly on 26 March. Well try to overcome the obstacle and discuss the issues through direct contact with citizens. We need to pay heed to the issues since this will provide the opportunity to introduce new laws, Bagratyan said. As the MP stated, this initiative will be helpful in the cases when the government doesnt manage to present the initiatives and the parliament doesnt want to do it independently. He also stated that this serves as a good way of becoming familiar with the cultural life in Armenia and establish contacts with the population. Armenia has only ten provinces, and the National Assembly can hold outgoing sessions in all ten provinces. The people constantly complain that MPs remember them only during elections. In any case, we can refute that ten times, he joked. The threat of Turkish President Recep Erdogan to turn the Hagia Sophia into a mosque offends not only Christians, but also the international community, said Greek FM George Katrougalos, Greek Reporter reported. It is not only a great temple of Christendom the largest for many centuries it also belongs to humanity. It has been recognized by UNESCO as part of our global cultural heritage, the Greek FM reminded. According to him, questioning of this status is not just an insult to the sentiments of Christians, it is an insult to the international community and international law. We want to hope that the correct statements of March 16 by the Turkish leadership will be valid and there will be no change of this status, he added, referring to Erdogan's speech in which he ruled out its transformation into a mosque. Erdogan announced the possibility of turning of Hagia Sophia into on mosque on March 24, on the eve of Greek Independence Day of Greece. This is not unlikely. As you know, the mosque was converted to a museum in 1935, as a reflection of the (Republican Peoples Party) CHP mentality. We may as well take a step and change that, Erdogan concluded. Earlier, Erdogan said that he did not support the idea of turning the Hagia Sophia, located in Istanbul, into a mosque, since this could lead to serious consequences. As the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah noted certain steps have already been taken in the direction of turning it into a mosque: "In 2015 the Quran was read in the building for the first time in 85 years. The following year, the religious authority of Turkey began to broadcast religious readings during the holy month of Ramadan, and the call for prayer was repeated inside (the cathedral) on the anniversary of the first revelation of the Quran to the prophet Muhammad. Hagia Sophia is is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture. The current building was originally constructed as a church between 532 and 537 on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. Following the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque. In 1935 the building was transformed into a museum. It looks like its taking Armenia a long time to become a full-fledged parliamentary country. This is what Deputy of the Prosperous Armenia faction Mikayel Melkumyan declared during the hour of announcements at the National Assembly. There are many issues in this regard, but I have been in parliament since 2012 and dont remember any closed discussion on the multi-profile and various types of relations of the Republic of Armenia with the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic). So, I suggest that I organize a closed discussion between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh in the near future. In regard to this, I would also like to stress the fact that no matter which way the foreign policy vector turns, Armenia always needs to be adequately ready for a military-political alliance between Armenia and Artsakh, he stated. In the second part of his speech, Melkumyan touched upon the increase of customs duties for automobiles. Customs duties for automobiles will sharply rise starting from 1 January 2020 as a requirement of the Eurasian Economic Union, but Armenia has work to do. Lets wait a little and see what initiatives the government will undertake. I would like to reaffirm that Armenia will lose $50,000,000 a year. If Armenia imports more than 100,000 cars this year, and if I multiply at least $500,000 per car by 100,000, I get 500,000,000, and the 10% customs duty is 50 million. I believe this issue will be solved, and the solutions will be political. This is not an economic solution. This is a local issue. So, I believe the Government of the Republic of Armenia needs to be able to negotiate with the relevant advisory board of the of the Eurasian Economic Commission and reach a solution that will be in Armenias favor. The EU countries will be asked to share data on cybersecurity risks connected with 5G network and take steps to eliminate them by the end of the year, stated the European Commission, leaving without comment the US calls to ban using the equipment from China's Huawei Technologies in the EU for creating 5G network, Reuters reported. The purpose consists in using the tools available in accordance with existing security regulations, as well as cross-border cooperation, to solve problems connected with the expansion of next-generation networks. The decision was made, despite US pressure to boycott Huawei technology, due to concerns that China is using the company's equipment for spying. Huawei categorically denied the charges and filed a lawsuit against the US government. The EU countries should assess the cybersecurity risks connected with 5G by the end of June. The EU general assessment should be ready by October 1. After that, EU countries will have to agree on risk mitigation measures by the end of the year. Measures may include certification requirements and testing of products or suppliers that are considered to be potential threats to security. By October 1, 2020, the EU will decide on further actions. Large telecom operators oppose the ban on Huawei, saying that such a move could postpone the creation of a 5G network for years. Huawei, the world's largest maker of telecommunications equipment, competes with Swedens Ericsson and Finnish company Nokia. On 26 March, Acting Minister of Diaspora Babken DerGrigorian received the delegation of Javakhk-Armenians, including Primate of the Georgian-Armenian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan; Vicar of the Georgian-Armenian Diocese in Samtskhe-Javakhk and Tsalka, Archimandrite Maghakia Amiryan; Executive Director of JAVAKHK Compatriotic Union Foundation Armen Avetisyan; businessman Aram Sanosyan; President of the Union of Armenian Businessmen of Georgia, businessman Samvel Aghekyan; Coordinator of the Armenian NGOs of Samtskhe-Javakhk and Kvemo-Kartli Artak Gabrielyan; historian Vahe Sargsyan and representatives of the Support to Javakhk Foundation. The main purpose of the cognitive meeting was to become familiar with the newly appointed leader of the Georgian-Armenian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church and discuss the paths to solutions to the key issues of Javakhk-Armenians, reports the news service of the Ministry of Diaspora, according to NEWS.am. Greeting the guests, Babken DerGrigorian attached importance to the support of the Ministry of Diaspora to the solution to the community, cultural and educational issues of the Armenians of Javakhk and stated that the Office of the Chief Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs would also be involved in these activities in the near future. Primate of the Georgian-Armenian Diocese, Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan expressed gratitude for organizing the meeting and introduced newly appointed leader of Samtskhe-Javakhk and Tsalka, Archimandrite Maghakia Amiryan. I am glad to mention that, after a two-year interval, the community of Samtskhe-Javakhk and Tsalka will finally have a new leader that has great experience in working with the community and particularly the youth. Lets congratulate him and wish him success. I would like to thank the Ministry of Diaspora for organizing this meeting and for its willingness to become familiar with the issues of Javakhk-Armenians. Since the first day of its establishment, the ministry has supported the Armenians of Javakhk, and we hope the support continues, the leader of the Georgian-Armenian Diocese added. Archimandrite Maghakia Amiryan stated that he has been collaborating with the Ministry of Diaspora for many years and hoped his great experience would help overcome the hardships. During the meeting, the participants touched upon the issues and challenges facing the community. The guests expressed gratitude for the effective meeting, and it was decided to hold discussions more often and make them ongoing. Five US allies in the European Union declared their disagreement over the President Donald Trumps recognition of Israels sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights and and expressed "strong concern" about the consequences of this decision, AP reported. The ambassadors of five members of the UN Security Council - France, Germany, Great Britain, Poland and Belgium - issued a joint statement, noting that they do not recognize sovereignty of Israel over the Golan heights which Israel occupied in 1967. Annexation of territory by force is prohibited under international law, and any unilateral border changes go against the rules-based international order and the U.N. Charter, they said. We raise our strong concerns about broader consequences of recognizing illegal annexation and also about the broader regional consequences." On March 25, President Donald Trump officially recognized the Golan Heights as part of Israel, which was announced at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Golan Heights is a disputable territory in the Middle East the biggest part of which is controlled by Israel, while the eastern part by Syria. Just as Israel, Syria considers the Golan Heights a part of its territory. From 1944 to 1967 the Golan Heights were a part of the Syrian province of Quneitra. Two thirds of the territory was seized by Israel during the Six-Day war in June 1976. Story Highlights Just 7% of Ukrainians approve of the leadership of Russia Approval of EU leadership rose from 36% in 2016 to 48% in 2017 WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The level of anti-Russia rhetoric from most of the candidates in Ukraine's election this weekend would have been unthinkable a decade ago, when Ukrainians were much more likely to approve than disapprove of the Kremlin. However, five years after losing Crimea to Russia, and with no clear end to fighting between Ukraine's government and Russian-backed separatists in the East, Russia's leadership has few fans left. Just 7% of Ukrainians in 2018 said they approve of Russia's leadership. Anti-Russian sentiment within Ukraine is highest in areas with closer ties to Europe, with just 3% of those living in the North and Central areas (including Kiev) approving of Russian leadership. Conversely, the Russian-speaking East and South (which excludes Crimea and separatist-controlled regions) saw higher ratings of 12%, although nearly seven in 10 adults in those regions (69%) still disapproved of the leadership of Russia. Still, Russia looms large over the election, and relations with Ukraine's neighbor are on the minds of candidates and voters. Many prominent candidates -- including all of the main contenders -- have put their opposition to Russia front and center in their campaigns and have championed warmer relations with the West, raising the possibility of joining the European Union and NATO. This includes incumbent President Petro Poroshenko, who just last week slapped new sanctions on Russian citizens and entities in connection to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the situation in Crimea. His challengers Yulia Tymoshenko and Volodymyr Zelensky -- who is leading in many polls -- have also pushed for both closer ties with the West and bringing other countries to the peace-talks table with Russia. Ukraine Continues to Warm Toward West This is all taking place against a backdrop in which Ukrainians have warmed to relations with the West at the expense of those with Russia in recent years. Nearly half of adults in Ukraine (47%) approve of Germany's leadership and 28% approve of U.S. leadership, compared with single-digit approval of Russia's leadership. This growing closeness applies to Western multinational bodies as well. Poroshenko has repeatedly called for Ukraine to join NATO, stating that they could have a roadmap for accession by 2023. The latest data, from 2016, suggest that slightly more residents see the alliance as a threat to their country (35%) than associate it with protection (29%). More than a quarter (26%) of Ukrainians feel that NATO is neither. Feelings toward the European Union are rapidly warming as well. In 2017, 48% of adults in Ukraine approved of EU leadership, a 12-percentage-point increase from the year before. Apart from defense, there is likely a large economic component to this as well. Faced with a stagnant job market back home, an increasing number of Ukrainians are choosing to find work abroad. EU countries are among the most desired destinations for Ukrainians who say they would move away from Ukraine if they could. Bottom Line A hard-line stance against Russia has gradually become the primary talking point for the current front-runners in the Ukrainian presidential elections. As the population has increasingly turned against Russian leadership and influence, candidates are increasing their rhetoric to match. Yet candidates will need to turn their rhetoric into actionable proposals if they are to convince voters that they can overcome the corruption and ineffectiveness that so many associate with the current government. For complete methodology and specific survey dates, please review Gallup's Country Data Set details. Learn more about how the Gallup World Poll works. SIU partners with UM on major economic development portal by Tim Crosby CARBONDALE, Ill. Southern Illinois University will play a major role in an innovative economic development effort aimed at helping businesses and entrepreneurs in Missouri as well as central and southern Illinois have better access the expertise of its faculty, students and other resources. In collaboration with the University of Missouri, SIU is helping create an Innovation Exchange, which is essentially a web portal that facilitates communication between business and the universities. Connecting businesses to universities, thanks to grant funding The effort is funded with a matching grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, which will pour in about $700,000 equal to the time and cash the SIU and UM systems have invested in securing the $1.4 million effort. The portal not only will help business and entrepreneurs access expertise, but also help graduate students find important internships and employment opportunities, said Robert Patino, director of the Office of Technology Transfer at SIU. Our faculty will be able to respond to research challenges easily and compete for them on a competitive basis, said Patino, who helped organize the effort to win the federal grant. Students working for faculty will have access to industry mentorship, increasing the likelihood that they will get a job in their field of research. By the time the grant ends, officials expect to have created about 25 to 35 conventional jobs and 50 student opportunities annually. Those numbers are expected to rise as adoption of the portal increases. A bridge to encourage economic development SIU and the UM together employ more than 4,000 research and development-focused faculty, and perform more than $400 million in externally funded work in those areas each year. The Innovation Interchange program will help bridge the traditional gap between industry, academic institutions and regional resources that radiate around St. Louis vibrant business community, which includes many bioscience, technology and advanced manufacturing companies. The portal can support anything from small or start-up companies to large industrial giants while helping younger faculty develop new relationships with industry. It also will make collaborations among SIU faculty easier, Patino said. For example, if a School of Medicine faculty member needs an engineer with memory shape alloy expertise, or a pharmacist with drug delivery knowledge, they can use the portal to quickly find that expert and engage in the collaboration, he said. An ambitious future UM will start out running the program. By the end of the grant cycle, however, the two university systems will create a non-profit organization with a board of directors. A director and staff will be hired to operate the web portal and administer the program going forward. The effort will help SIU overcome challenges it faces in working with large companies and getting them to invest resources in its campuses, Patino said. Although the university creates significant amounts of intellectual property, getting industry to adopt or license such technology isnt always easy because it doesnt always fit neatly with a companys needs. In other words, sometimes there is no business case to bring the technology in-house and SIU is then left with the hope that the faculty member will create a startup company to incubate the technology further to make it a better, more commercial candidate, he said. Vital collaboration The new model funded by the grant creates more of a pull than a push for intellectual property, Patino said. Using this approach, SIU faculty will have the opportunity to solve relevant problems that industry is already facing, increasing the likelihood that intellectual property generated would be of interest to them. Partnering with UM is a win-win for the universities, as well, Patino said. Together, the two university systems will have the critical mass needed to make the project attractive and successful, he said. And this program is scalable, meaning, we can bring more universities into the fold and many more companies into the fold as time goes on. (Adds that NRA lobbying arm declined to comment) By Colin Packham and Byron Kaye SYDNEY, March 26 (Reuters) - Australia's nationalist One Nation party allegedly sought millions of dollars from the U.S. gun lobby and discussed weakening the country's strict gun control laws with the U.S. National Rifle Association, Al Jazeera reported. Posing as the head of a fake Australian pro-gun lobby, Al Jazeera secretly filmed top officials from Pauline Hanson's One Nation allegedly meeting NRA executives in Washington in 2018. The One Nation officials also discussed the possibility of raising A$20 million ($14.22 million) prior to a meeting with a U.S. gun lobby supporter, the report said. Concerned about foreign influence in Australian politics, particularly from China, the government introduced laws banning foreign political donations in November last year. The One Nation meetings took place in September. "Reports that senior One Nation officials courted foreign political donations from the U.S. gun lobby to influence our elections and undermine our gun laws that keep us safe are deeply concerning," Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a post on Twitter on Tuesday. The two party representatives recorded in the Al Jazeera report, chief of staff James Ashby and Queensland state leader Steve Dickson, confirmed they attended the meetings but denied accepting a donation from the NRA. "These conversations with the NRA were to look at nothing more than their (campaign) techniques," Ashby told reporters in Brisbane. "This was not about sourcing money from the NRA." NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam referred questions about Al Jazeera's report to the group's lobbying arm, the NRA Institute for Legislative Action. NRA-ILA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker said the group had no comment on the report. Australia has some of the world's strictest firearm laws, implemented after a lone gunman killed 35 people at Port Arthur on the island state of Tasmania in 1996. Story continues Australia banned semi-automatic weapons, launched a firearm buy-back scheme after the massacre, and imposed strict licensing rules which require weapons to be locked up when not in use. The role of One Nation in promoting right-wing nationalism in Australia has come under the spotlight in recent days following the killing of 50 Muslims in New Zealand earlier in March, allegedly by an Australian white supremacist. Al Jazeera said on its website the report was three years in the making. In the report, Ashby and Dickson can be heard allegedly telling NRA officials that with their help, the party could win enough seats to gain the balance of power in Australia's upper house of parliament. "We get the balance of power, very simply that means that we have the testicles of the government in our hand at every given stage," says Dickson. "Guns, in the scheme of things, are still going to be the be-all and end-all." In another meeting with a U.S. gun lobby supporter, Dickson says: "It's going to get down to money at the end of the day. We can change the voting system in our country, the way people operate, if we've got the money to do it." The footage allegedly records an NRA lobbyist telling both Dickson and Ashby that it would benefit the U.S. pro-gun movement if Australia's gun laws were relaxed. "That helps us because the biggest argument we get from folks is, 'Well, look at Australia,'" he says. In an emailed statement to Reuters, Ashby described the recordings as "skullduggery" and said he had referred the matter to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the Australian Federal Police over concerns of foreign political interference in the lead-up to a federal election in May. Al Jazeera is Qatar's state-owned broadcaster. The head of its investigative unit who reported the segment, Peter Charley, said the allegation he was acting on behalf of a foreign government were "risible." "We're journalists doing a job," Charley told Reuters by telephone. "The original intention was to infiltrate the NRA. It was only quite late in the game that One Nation came into the frame." Nationalists have struggled to gain a significant voting bloc in Australia's parliament, although One Nation did wield considerable influence in the upper house between 2016 and 2018. The party fractured last year with several resignations, but it is hoping to regroup at the coming national election, with its support base being largely rural voters disillusioned with the major parties which they accuse of being city-focused. ($1 = 1.4063 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Colin Packham and Byron Kaye; Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Michael Perry, Sam Holmes and Bernadette Baum) (Adds Reuters/Ipsos poll, Republican fundraising appeal) By Sarah N. Lynch and Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General William Barr plans to issue in a matter of weeks a public version of the special counsel's report that found President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign team did not conspire with Russia, as Trump prepared to use the findings against his political opponents. Democrats attempted to change the subject to healthcare after the report from Robert Mueller appeared to shatter their case that Trump was an illegitimately elected president. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 48 percent of Americans still believed Trump worked with Russia to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, down 6 points since conclusions from the Mueller report came out on Sunday. The poll found Trump's job approval rating had ticked up 4 points to 43 percent following release of the findings. There was a thirst for more information, as 57 percent of Americans said they wanted to see the entire report. Barr released his own summary of the report's central findings on Sunday but said he needed more time to review the report to determine how much of it could be made public. A Justice Department official said on Tuesday that Barr's plan was to release a public version in "weeks, not months." Congressional Democrats have demanded Barr turn over the report to them by April 2, which would only leave a week for the Justice Department to complete its review. The Justice official said there was no plan to share an advance copy of the report with the White House. Some portions of Mueller's confidential report contain materials that arose during secret grand jury proceedings. Federal rules generally prohibit the government from releasing that information to the public. The report also contains information about ongoing criminal investigations that Mueller referred to other U.S. attorneys' offices. Story continues Barr has not yet revealed a precise date for when the final public version might be ready. The Justice Department has not commented on the Democrats' request that it be released to Congress by next week. Trump and his top aides attacked unidentified political opponents for starting the campaign investigation, calling the actions treasonous and worth probing. "I think what happened was a disgrace," Trump told reporters on a visit to the U.S. Capitol, where he had lunch with Republican senators. Republicans also were out for retribution, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying he supported a push for an inquiry into potential missteps by law enforcement officials in their probe of Trump. Senator Chuck Schumer, leader of the Democratic minority in the Senate, leaped on a court filing from the Justice Department that said the entire Obamacare healthcare law - the signature legislative accomplishment of Democratic President Barack Obama - should be struck down in the courts. The law provides healthcare coverage for an estimated 20 million people, and Trump and his Republican allies, who see it as government overreach, have failed to replace it despite vows to do so. "It is a stark reminder of the difference between our two parties: Democrats are fighting to expand and improve healthcare coverage and lower costs while Republicans are trying to take it all away and raise costs," Schumer said on the Senate floor. Republicans said during their lunch with Trump they discussed ways to improve the healthcare system. TRUMP CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISING Trump's re-election campaign launched fundraising drives in the aftermath of the Mueller report. "Democrats allowed this WITCH HUNT to go on for 2 YEARS. Its time to show them were tired of their PARTISAN investigations," said one fundraising appeal. Trump suggested he had been the victim of a smear campaign launched by senior officials in the Obama administration. "It went very high up, and it started fairly low, but with instructions from the high-up," Trump told reporters, without offering details. "This should never happen to a president again." Trump advisers were predicting he would go on the offensive at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Thursday night, his first major appearance since the Mueller investigation concluded. "We reserve the right to remind the American people that the Democrats have tried for two years, by lying to the American people, to overturn the election results of 2016," a senior Trump campaign official said. "And they dont get to just turn the page and say: 'Never mind." (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch, Susan Cornwell, Chris Kahn and Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Alexandra Alper, Richard Cowan and David Morgan; Editing by Bill Trott and Peter Cooney) (Adds quotes, details; paragraph 3 onwards) BEIJING, March 26 (Reuters) - A Chinese court on Tuesday jailed the former chief internet regulator, Lu Wei, for 14 years, having found the once influential official guilty of taking bribes worth almost $5 million. Lu, one of numerous senior officials caught up in President Xi Jinping's sweeping anti-graft campaign, had already been expelled from the ruling Communist Party, which tightly controls the courts. At the height of his influence, Lu, a colorful and often brash official by Chinese standards, was seen as emblematic of pervasive internet controls, although his downfall has not brought a reversal of those policies. The court, in the eastern city of Ningbo, said in a statement that Lu had accepted the verdict and would not appeal. Lu, 59, pleaded guilty in October after prosecutors had accused him of abusing his power in various government posts over 15 years, including as the head of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). Between 2002 and 2017, he received illicit assets from government units or individuals worth more than 32 million yuan ($4.77 million), the court said in the statement. He had "shown repentance" and "actively returned" most of the money and property, it added. Reuters could not reach Lu in jail to seek comment, and it is unclear who acts as his lawyer. Lu worked his way up though China's official Xinhua news agency before becoming head of propaganda in Beijing and then moving to internet work in 2013. He became a deputy propaganda minister after being replaced at the internet regulator. Under Lu, the regulator did not carry out Xi's instructions in a timely or resolute fashion, China's anti-corruption watchdog has said. The government blocks websites it deems a challenge to party rule or a threat to stability, from foreign social media platforms and news outlets to sites such as Google's main search engine and Gmail service. Story continues Organizers of China's first World Internet Conference in 2014, set up under Lu to promote Beijing's vision of internet governance, irked foreign tech firms by seeking their agreement on a last-minute declaration on "internet sovereignty." Tech industry representatives declined to sign, and rights groups condemned it as a bid to undermine internet freedom. When Lu visited Facebook Inc's U.S. campus in 2014, he was greeted in Mandarin by Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of the social networking site that has long been blocked in China, a Chinese government website has said. Lu had vociferously defended China's internet curbs. In 2015, he told reporters: "Indeed, we do not welcome those that make money off China, occupy China's market, even as they slander China's people. These kinds of websites I definitely will not allow in my house." ($1=6.7132 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Michael Martina and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) (Adds details and background) By Paresh Dave SAN FRANCISCO, March 26 (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google said on Tuesday it was launching a global advisory council to consider ethical issues around artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. The council, which is slated to publish a report at the end of 2019, includes technology experts, digital ethicists, and people with public policy backgrounds, Kent Walker, Google's senior vice president for global affairs, said at a Massachusetts Institute of Technology conference. The group is meant to provide recommendations for Google and other companies and researchers working in areas such as facial recognition software, a form of automation that has prompted concerns about racial bias and other limitations. "We want to have the most informed and thoughtful conversations we can," Walker said on stage at the MIT Technology Review event in San Francisco. "We want to sit down with the council and see what agenda they want to set." Google already has its own internal AI principles, which, among other provisions, bars the California-based tech firm from using AI to develop weapons. The eight-member Advanced Technology External Advisory Council includes Joanna Bryson, an associate professor in computing at the University of Bath; William J. Burns, a former U.S. deputy secretary of state, and Dyan Gibbens, chief executive of Houston-based drone startup Trumbull, according to a Google blog post. The council will meet four times, beginning in April, the blog post said. (Reporting by Paresh Dave; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Rosalba O'Brien) (Adds comment by European members of U.N. Security Council) By Maher Chmaytelli DUBAI, March 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights united Washington's Arab allies and their regional foe Iran in condemnation on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait criticized Monday's move to recognize Israel's 1981 annexation and said the territory was occupied Arab land. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi said it was an impediment to peace. Iran echoed the comments, describing Trump's decision as unprecedented in this century. "No one could imagine that a person in America comes and gives land of a nation to another occupying country, against international laws and conventions," President Hassan Rouhani was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA. Trump, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looking over his shoulder during a visit to Washington, on Monday signed a proclamation officially granting U.S. recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. The European members of the United Nations Security Council - France, Britain, Germany, Belgium and Poland - said they did not recognize Israel's sovereignty over the territories it has occupied since June 1967, including the Golan Heights. "We raise our strong concerns about broader consequences of recognizing illegal annexation and also about the broader regional consequences," they said on Tuesday. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1981 in a move the U.N. Security Council declared unlawful. "It will have significant negative effects on the peace process in the Middle East and the security and stability of the region," said a statement on Saudi state news agency SPA. It described the declaration as a clear violation of the U.N. Charter and of international law. Trump senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner visited the Gulf Arab region last month to seek support for the economic portion of a long-awaited peace proposal for the Middle East. Gulf Arab states host U.S. troops and are important for Washington's regional defense policy. Story continues Qatar, which has been at loggerheads with other Gulf states over its policies, joined them in rejecting Trump's move and called on Israel to end its occupation of the Golan Heights and comply with international resolutions. Lebanon said the decision contravened international law. "The world is witnessing a black day," Lebanese President Michel Aoun wrote on Twitter during a visit to Russia. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanons Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, a key Damascus ally, said the move was evidence of U.S. "disdain and disregard" for the Arab and Muslim world and of international law. "This absolute supporter of Israel cannot be a sponsor of the peace process and here he is today dealing a deadly blow to the so-called peace process," Nasrallah said in a televised speech. Nasrallah said Trump had been emboldened by Arab "silence" after U.S. recognition last year of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and warned that the West Bank, also captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, could be next. (Additional reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in London, Mohamed El-Sherif in Cairo, Laila Bassam and Ghaida Ghantous in Beirut, Michelle Nichols at the United Nations, writing by Sylvia Westall; editing by William Maclean, Ed Osmond, Peter Graff and Jonathan Oatis) (Adds comment from acting Pentagon chief, House failure to override veto) By Idrees Ali and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee on Tuesday denied the Pentagon's plan to shift $1 billion to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico, a move that while largely symbolic, highlights the concern lawmakers have about using the defense budget to pay for the wall. Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan announced on Monday that the Department of Defense had shifted $1 billion from other military construction projects to build part of the barrier along the southern border. Democratic Representative Adam Smith, the committee's chairman, said the panel did not approve the proposed use of Pentagon funds. His stance could end up being symbolic, as the Pentagon insists it has the authority to shift the money. However, it could prompt Congress to change the law to prevent presidents from taking similar action in the future. A court battle over the issue is also likely. "The committee denies this request. The committee does not approve the proposed use of Department of Defense funds to construct additional physical barriers and roads or install lighting in the vicinity of the United States border," Smith said in a letter to the Department of Defense. During a House Armed Services Committee hearing that was in progress when Smith released his statement, Shanahan acknowledged that the decision to move money could impact the Pentagon's ability to reprogram funds in the future. "It was a very difficult discussion and we understand the significant downsides of losing what amounts to a privilege," Shanahan said. Shanahan's move to shift military dollars to pay for the wall without consulting Congress could lead lawmakers to cut off the Pentagon's authority to reprogram funds, something Smith hinted at during the hearing. Lawmakers from both political parties were critical of the decision to use military funds for the wall. Story continues "Changing decades of reprogramming practice is going to have difficult consequences for the whole government, but especially for the Department of Defense," Representative Mac Thornberry said in the hearing. The House failed on Tuesday to override President Donald Trump's first veto of the "national emergency" he declared last month to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall that Congress has not funded. Smith told the hearing that Trump's proposed $750 billion defense budget would not pass as it was proposed. That budget included $100 billion in a "slush fund" meant to fund ongoing wars but which the Pentagon intends to use to boost the amount of money it has available to avoid budget caps. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Idrees Ali; Editing by Dan Grebler) (Recasts) By Hyonhee Shin and Joyce Lee SEOUL, March 26 (Reuters) - South Korea's nominee for unification minister said on Tuesday that North Korea cannot expect to achieve a prosperous economy and keep its weapons programs, as nuclear talks have stalled since the collapse of a U.S.-North Korea summit last month. The summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi fell apart over conflicting demands by the North for sanctions relief and from the United States for Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons. Since then, relations between the two Koreas have been left in limbo. South Korean President Moon Jae-in recently tapped pro-engagement scholar Kim Yeon-chul as new unification minister in charge of inter-Korean affairs. "I will seek a creative solution so that North Korea and the U.S. can meet again soon and find common ground," Kim told a confirmation hearing, without elaborating. Kim, 55, advised Moon's office on Korean summits before moving to head the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification. If he passes the hearing, he is expected to expedite Moon's initiative for a "peace-driven economy." Kim said North Korea has taken some action toward denuclearisation but it was "insufficient," and the increased priority that North Korea is giving to its economic development should be used as leverage to encourage more progress on dismantling its weapons programs. "Basically I think they can't have both nuclear weapons and the economy at the same time," Kim said. A professor who headed a think tank affiliated with the Unification Ministry under Moon, Kim is a staunch advocate for a restart of inter-Korean economic cooperation, but progress has been hampered by international sanctions over the North's nuclear and missile programs. Kim apologized past remarks he made on social media as a scholar that had prompted some opposition lawmakers to nickname him "North Korean spokesman." In 2011, Kim had described a torpedo attack by North Korea that sank a South Korean navy ship in 2010 as an "accidental incident." Story continues While stressing the North carried out the torpedo attack, he said the sanctions imposed by the South's then government should be resolved in a "flexible" manner, noting that the sanctions hurt South Korean firms. In 2010 Kim wrote an opinion piece in which he referred to the killing of a South Korean tourist by a North Korean soldier in the North's Mount Kumgang resort in 2008 as a "rite of passage." At the hearing, an opposition politician aired a recording of demands from the son of the deceased tourist for Kim to clarify his remarks. The nominee said the North was responsible for the incident, and expressed condolences to the tourist's family. (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Joyce Lee; Editing by Michael Perry & Simon Cameron-Moore) (Adds Twitter reply by Omar) TEL AVIV, March 26 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "it's not about the Benjamins" as he hit back on Tuesday against any suggestion that U.S. politicians are paid to support Israel. A tweet in February by Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, a freshman legislator from Minnesota, was widely seen as echoing an anti-Semitic slur that Jews influence governments through money. "It's all about the Benjamins baby," Omar wrote, using a slang term for $100 bills. She subsequently apologized, saying she was grateful for "Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history" of anti-Semitic references. Netanyahu, addressing a Washington convention of the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC, said via satellite from Tel Aviv: "Some people will just never get it. They'll never understand why the vast majority of Americans - Jews and non-Jews alike - support Israel." He did not mention Omar by name. "Take it from this Benjamin: it's not about the Benjamins," Netanyahu said. "The reason the people of America support Israel is not because they want our money, it's because they share our values." A few hours later, Omar responded on Twitter: "This from a man facing indictments for bribery and other crimes in three separate public corruption affairs. Next!" The Israeli attorney-general said on Feb. 28 that he intends to indict Netanyahu on corruption charges in three cases. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing. In another tweet, Omar said: "White supremacist violence is on the rise globally. Right-wing extremists killed more people in the US in 2018 than any year since 1995. Anti-Semitic violence accounted for 58% of religious hate crimes. Yet the topic Netanyahu chose to focus on was me." Netanyahu had been due to address AIPAC in person, but returned to Israel on Tuesday, two days ahead of schedule, after a rocket attack from Gaza wounded seven people in a village near Tel Aviv. His speech touched on numerous issues, including Gaza and Iran, before referencing Omar's February tweet. (Writing by Jeffrey Heller Editing by Mark Heinrich) (Corrects number of North Korean workers that U.S. believed were working in China to 50,000 from 80,000) By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS, March 26 (Reuters) - Russia sent home nearly two-thirds of some 30,000 North Koreans working there during 2018 and China repatriated more than half of those employed there but did not specify a figure, according to unpublished reports by Moscow and Beijing to the United Nations Security Council. The one-page reports, seen by Reuters on Tuesday, were submitted to the council's North Korea sanctions committee in compliance with a 2017 resolution that demanded the repatriation of all North Korean workers by the end of this year to stop them earning foreign currency for leader Kim Jong Un's government. The United States has said it believed Pyongyang was earning more than $500 million a year from nearly 100,000 workers abroad, of which some 50,000 were in China and 30,000 in Russia. The U.N. Security Council has steadily toughened sanctions on North Korea since 2006 to choke off funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim have met twice in the past year in a bid to negotiate denuclearization. The December 2017 U.N. resolution required countries to report to the sanctions committee this month on all North Korean workers repatriated during 2018 "including an explanation of why less than half of such" workers were repatriated if applicable. Russia reported that in 2018 the number of North Koreans "with valid work permits in the Russian Federation decreased from 30,023 to 11,490 persons." Key North Korean ally China said it had repatriated "more than half of the total DPRK nationals earning income." "China will continue earnestly implementing its international obligations, carry out the repatriation work in an orderly manner and complete the repatriation on time," wrote China's Mission to the United Nations, adding it did not want the report to be made public. Story continues The United Arab Emirates told the Security Council committee it had sent home more than half of the North Koreans earning money in the country during 2018, repatriating 823 people. It did not say how many North Koreans were still in the country. Poland reported that in December 2017, 451 North Koreans were working there and that number had dropped to 37 by the end of last year. Some of those 37 might have already left Poland by crossing the European Union's external border in another country, it added. In 2015, Marzuki Darusman, a U.N. human rights investigator, said the North Koreans abroad worked mainly in mining, logging, textiles and construction. The reports submitted by Russia and China to the sanctions committee did not specify what industries had employed the North Koreans. New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a 2017 report that "the treatment of North Korean workers overseas falls short of international labor standards, with no right to freedom of association or expression, control by minders who limit freedom of movement and access to information from the outside world, long working hours and no right to refuse overtime." North Korea has said its laborers were working abroad legally and were not mistreated or forced to go. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Michael Perry, Jeffrey Benkoe and James Dalgleish) (Adds source familiar with U.S. assessments on Venezuela) By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) - A Russian military contingent that arrived in Venezuela over the weekend, drawing U.S. condemnation, is believed by the U.S. government to be made up of special forces including "cybersecurity personnel," a U.S. official told Reuters on Tuesday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States was still assessing the Russian deployment, which Washington has called a "reckless escalation" of the situation in Venezuela. Two Russian air force planes landed outside Caracas on Saturday carrying nearly 100 Russian troops, according to local media reports, two months after the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump disavowed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Venezuela's government has confirmed two planes landed from Russia at the weekend and were authorized by Maduro but has given no more details. The Trump administration has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's legitimate president and demands that Maduro step down. Russia has described this as a U.S.-backed coup against the socialist government. The U.S. determination that the Russian contingent includes cybersecurity specialists suggests that part of their mission could be helping Maduro's loyalists with surveillance as well as protection of the government's cyber infrastructure. Russia's main objective in providing the military assistance, including cyber experts, would likely be to help shield Maduro from "regime change" and ensure a foothold for Moscow in Latin America, according to a source familiar with U.S. government assessments of Venezuela. Russia also has major energy investments in OPEC member Venezuela. Russia's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the presence of "Russian specialists" in Venezuela was governed by a military-technical cooperation agreement between the two countries. It did not provide further details. Story continues U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in a phone call on Monday that Washington would "not stand idly by" as Russia backed Maduro. The United States and most Western countries have backed Guaido while Russia, China and Cuba are among those that have continued to support Maduro, who retains control of Venezuela's state institutions, including the military. On Tuesday afternoon the Lima Group of Latin American countries said in a statement it was concerned about the arrival of military airplanes in Venezuela. "We reiterate our condemnation of any military provocation or deployment that threatens peace and security in the region," said the group formed in 2017 to pressure Maduro, which includes Brazil, Canada, Colombia and Peru. U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to Pompeo on Tuesday urging him to determine if Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua should face mandatory U.S. sanctions for conducting significant transactions with the Russian defense and intelligence sectors. (Reporting by Matt Spetalnick, additional reporting by Mark Hosenball, Editing by Richard Chang and Rosalba O'Brien) (Updates throughout with quotes, detail) By Catarina Demony LISBON, March 26 (Reuters) - Hundreds of firefighters were battling a cluster of wildfires in northern Portugal on Tuesday, with strong winds and unexpected high temperatures making it tougher for authorities to put out the flames. With no rain in sight and temperatures above usual for this time of year, reaching 28 degrees Celsius in some regions on Monday, Portugal has been on high alert for wildfires since the beginning of the week. The weather conditions resemble those that caused a devastating wildfire in the central town of Pedrogao Grande in June 2017, killing 64 people and injuring more than 250. The fire was the worst disaster in modern Portuguese history. Usually, crews are on alert for wildfires from May but on Tuesday evening there were already eight active fires across the country, mostly in the north. The fires have flared earlier as temperatures have risen. The most aggressive wildfire has been raging in the municipality of Oliveira de Azemeis since the early hours, with 450 firefighters on the ground battling four active fronts. "We have a very serious problem to solve because the fire has got a new front as a result of strong winds," said Joaquim Ferreira, head of the local Civil Protection department, quoted by Portuguese news agency Lusa. "The fire is becoming very large and intense." Firefighters will work overnight to try to extinguish the wildfire but strong winds are likely to hinder the operation. The temperature in the northern river city of Porto, near the coast, but not far from the fire, was around 20C on Tuesday, compared with a March average of 12C. "This meteorological scenario means an increase in the fire risk index from Monday until Wednesday with favorable conditions for the rapid spread of fires throughout the mainland, with high to very high levels," the Civil Protection said on its website. In the district of Esposende, also in northern Portugal, a wildfire on Tuesday forced authorities to evacuate two schools due to high levels of smoke. Two main roads in the district were also shut. Around 75 firefighters battled the wildfire in Esposense, which started on Tuesday morning, but has since been put out. A fire in Vila Nova de Gaia, near Porto, edged close to people's homes, but that was brought under control. (Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Axel Bugge and Alison Williams) (Adds Trump tweet, comment by Becerra, other details) By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday failed to override President Donald Trump's first veto, leaving in place the "national emergency" he declared last month to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall that Congress has not funded. Democrats who control the House did not attract enough Republican support, falling some three dozen votes short of the two-thirds majority vote needed to overturn Trump's veto. Just 14 Republicans joined 234 Democrats in voting to override, one more Republican than had bucked Trump in a previous House vote on the border wall emergency. One Democrat and two Republicans did not vote. With the 248-181 tally, Trump is now likely to continue scouring federal accounts for money he wants redirected to building a border wall, which he says is needed to curb illegal immigration and drug trafficking. However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Representative Joaquin Castro, author of the resolution to overturn Trump's move, said lawmakers would keep trying to block him through the regular congressional process of appropriating funds, as well as reviewing his emergency declaration again six months from now. The battle over Trump's emergency declaration also shifts to the courts, with various legal challenges already underway that could slow Trump's building plans for some time. A coalition of 16 states sued in federal court in February to stop Trump's border wall emergency; another four states joined the lawsuit this month. "Thank you to the House Republicans for sticking together and the BIG WIN today on the Border," Trump wrote on Twitter after the House vote. "Today's vote simply reaffirms Congressional Democrats are the party of Open Borders, Drugs and Crime!" Trump declared the national emergency on Feb. 15 in an attempt to bypass Congress and move taxpayer funds for the wall away from other uses already approved by the legislature. Bipartisan majorities of both the House and Senate rejected his move, voting to terminate the emergency before the president vetoed their resolution on March 15. Story continues BYPASSING CONGRESS Democrats argued the Republican president had overstepped his authority by going around Congress, because the legislature has the power to control spending under the U.S. Constitution. "We take an oath to the Constitution, not to the president of the United States," Pelosi said on the House floor. But Republicans insisted Trump had acted legally under a 1976 law known as the National Emergencies Act, under which previous presidents had declared dozens of emergencies. "The president has the authority to act. The president is using the authority Congress has given him," said Republican Representative Sam Graves. Trump's position was possibly strengthened by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's conclusion after a 22-month investigation that the Republican president's campaign team did not collude with Russian interference in the 2016 election. Moscow has denied meddling. That political victory for Trump may make it more challenging for Republicans to defy the president on a range of things, including his signature issue, the border wall. Even though the two issues clearly arent related, it increases the presidents strength and popularity and puts him in a stronger position, Republican Representative Tom Cole said before the House vote. After the vote, Pelosi and Castro said in a statement that Congress would keep working through the appropriations process to "terminate this dangerous action" by the president. Indeed, earlier Tuesday, the House Armed Services Committee sought to deny the Pentagon the authority to reprogram funds for the wall, an action that could potentially set up another courtroom battle. The Pentagon had announced Monday that it was shifting $1 billion from military construction projects to build part of the wall. But Democratic Representative Adam Smith, the Armed Services Committee's chairman, said Tuesday the panel did not approve the proposed use of Pentagon funds. The leader of the 20-state lawsuit to stop the border wall emergency, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, said after the House failed to override Trump's veto that the states "are ready to fight long and hard to stop his (Trump's)fabricated emergency in its tracks." For two years, Congress has refused to meet Trump's demands for funding the wall he promised in his 2016 election campaign, although it appropriated some funds for border fencing and other barriers. This year, Trump sought $5.7 billion in wall funding. When Congress refused, the standoff triggered a month-long partial government shutdown. That ended when the president agreed to $1.37 billion for border barriers, far less than he wanted. The president then declared the emergency, vowing to divert funds from other accounts for the wall. (Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Additional reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Tom Brown) (Adds background, byline) By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) - The United States sent Navy and Coast Guard ships through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, the military said, as the United States increases the frequency of movement through the strategic waterway despite opposition from China. The voyage risks further raising tensions with China but will likely be viewed by self-ruled Taiwan as a sign of support from Washington amid growing friction between Taipei and Beijing. The two ships were identified as the Navy Curtis Wilbur destroyer and the Coast Guard Bertholf cutter, a U.S. military statement said. "The ships' transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," the statement said. "The U.S. will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows," it added. Taiwan is one of a growing number of flashpoints in the U.S.-China relationship, which also include a trade war, U.S. sanctions and China's increasingly muscular military posture in the South China Sea, where the United States also conducts freedom of navigation patrols. Washington has no formal ties with Taiwan but is bound by law to help defend the island nation and is its main source of arms. The Pentagon says Washington has sold Taiwan more than $15 billion in weaponry since 2010. China has been ramping up pressure to assert its sovereignty over the island, which it considers a wayward province of "one China" and sacred Chinese territory. China has repeatedly sent military aircraft and ships to circle the island on drills in the past few years and worked to isolate the island internationally, whittling down its few remaining diplomatic allies. The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency released a report earlier this year describing Taiwan as the "primary driver" for China's military modernization, which it said had made major advances in recent years. U.S. President Donald Trump has said trade negotiations with China were progressing and a final agreement "will probably happen," adding that his call for tariffs to remain on Chinese imported goods for some time did not mean talks were in trouble. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Sandra Maler) (Adds U.S. official, background, details) By Tom Miles GENEVA, March 26 (Reuters) - The World Trade Organization was forced to postpone a regular dispute settlement meeting on Tuesday after the United States refused to recognize Venezuela, diplomats said, potentially putting a long-term obstacle in the WTO's trade dispute system. The United States is among some 50 countries that have recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president. A U.S. official said the WTO's dispute settlement body (DSB) could not legitimately consider an agenda item submitted by the "illegitimate Maduro regime," referring to President Nicolas Maduro's government. A WTO official said the monthly DSB meeting had been postponed "until further notice." It was unclear how long the problem would last. "If one country puts an item on the agenda of every meeting and another country refuses to accept that the agenda can be discussed... then it may take a long time before a meeting can actually take place," one diplomat said. The DSB oversees the process of trade disputes, formally adopting rulings and appeals. The system is already under threat because the United States is blocking the appointment of new appeals judges, casting the resolution of disputes into doubt. Tuesday's meeting was due to hear Venezuela's request for the DSB to set up an adjudication panel to hear its legal challenge to U.S. sanctions - imposed by Washington to put pressure on Maduro. "Because the Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela, Maduros representatives are not the legitimate representatives of a WTO Member. Therefore, neither the agenda item nor the panel request would legitimately be before the DSB," the U.S. official said, on condition of anonymity. Guaido and his backers regard last years elections that gave Maduro a second term as fraudulent, while Maduro has denounced Guaido as a U.S. puppet who is seeking to foment a coup. Story continues Other items on the WTO agenda included Russia's request for a panel to hear a complaint against the European Union's duties on certain steel products, and Thailand's request for a panel to rule on Turkish duties on air conditioners. Dozens of other disputes are already underway and will need sign-off by the DSB in order for rulings and appeals to be legally valid. It was unclear if there was any way for such disputes to progress and get resolved if the DSB is unable to meet. Diplomats in Geneva are aware that merely failing to agree on the agenda for a meeting can freeze an organization for the long term. Just up the hill from the WTO, the Conference on Disarmament, the main U.N. nuclear negotiating forum, has been paralyzed for more than 20 years because of a stalemated agenda. (Reporting by Tom Miles Editing by Frances Kerry) (Recasts first paragraph, adds details from ruling, quotes from justices) By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) - In the words of Justice Elena Kagan, an Alaska hunter can now "rev up his hovercraft in search of moose" after the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously ruled in favor of his bid to use a river on a federal preserve to reach his prey. The nine-member court sided with hunter John Sturgeon, who park rangers had prevented from riding his hovercraft on a river through territory overseen by the National Park Service to reach remote moose-hunting grounds in the northernmost U.S. state. It marked the second time Sturgeon has won at the Supreme Court in his long-running feud with the federal government. "But now, we finally resolve it for good by saying that Sturgeon can take his hovercraft out of storage," said Kagan, the liberal justice who authored the ruling. The justices "wish Sturgeon good hunting," Kagan added in a statement read from the bench. The court decided that the National Park Service cannot regulate the Nation River in the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve where Sturgeon was stopped in 2007 because it is not "public land" owned by the federal government. The justices also concluded that the park service cannot regulate lands and waters within Alaskan national parks that it does not own. People in some parts of the United States, especially western states, have complained about too much federal control of public lands. The ruling is limited to a specific federal law that addresses lands in Alaska and does not apply to other states. Sturgeon's lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In March 2016, when the case first reached the Supreme Court, the justices ruled unanimously against the federal government and directed the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider a ruling against Sturgeon. But the 9th Circuit in 2017 again ruled in favor of the government, prompting Sturgeon to appeal. Story continues Sturgeon argued that the regulation banning hovercraft in federal parks and preserves had no force in Alaska because the river fell under the jurisdiction of the state, which allows hovercraft. The state of Alaska supported Sturgeon, noting that Congress in 1980 specifically limited National Park Service jurisdiction over land within a conservation area that is not federally owned. The nationwide rule regarding hovercraft, which travel on a cushion of air, dates to 1996. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham) Korean Air and Delta Air Lines apologized to a family after their son, who has a serious peanut allergy, were stranded with his little brother in a foreign country. Rakesh and Prajakta Patels 15 and 16-year-old sons were traveling alone from Atlanta, Georgia, to Manila, Philippines (where their father is temporarily located for work) after visiting their elderly grandfather in the hospital. The boys were booked on a Delta flight to Seoul, South Korea, with a Korean Air connection to Manila. (The two are partner airlines). The Patels eldest son has a serious allergy to peanuts and all tree nuts. As pro travelers, they all carry multiple Epi-Pens (portable devices that inject life-saving epinephrine in the event of anaphylactic shock), communicate with the flight crews and wipe down their seats for peanut dust. But this was the boys first flight without their parents. We only fly Delta because they have been so accommodating with my sons allergies, Prajakta, 41, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. But the connecting flight was new, so we were nervous. The teens had a smooth flight on the 14-hour Delta leg. But in Seoul, the Korean Air flight attendant allegedly said that peanuts would be served, after a gate agent said otherwise, moments beforehand. According to Prajakta, her sons were told they could either endure the flight with peanuts or leave the plane. The gate agent came on the plane and told my sons to get off, she tells Yahoo Lifestyle. One of my kids was shaking theyre alone in a different country. Where were they supposed to go? She says the agent tugged on her sons shirt to encourage him to move. Back in the gate area, the teens offered to sit in the back of the aircraft with the older one wearing a mask. Prajakta says her sons started walking back toward the plane but the agent nudged one of her boys with his elbow, closed the gate door, and said, Now its closed. The boys called their parents in Atlanta. We were frantically calling Delta to help us figure it out, Prajakta tells Yahoo Lifestyle. They said the boys could fly a different carrier, but we didnt know their nut policy, so they flew Delta back to Atlanta. Story continues A week later, the boys are in school and the family filed a complaint with Korean Air, requesting refunds for the flights. Korean Air tells Yahoo Lifestyle in a statement: Korean Air is aware that peanut and food allergies are an industry issue and no airline can guarantee a food allergy-free environment. But we are reviewing ways to deal with this issue in a safe and feasible way. We totally understand the risks faced by passengers with nut and food allergies and will certainly try to accommodate them better in the future. Korean Air sincerely apologizes to Mr. and Mrs. Patel and their sons. Customer service is a mainstay of the Delta and Korean Air partnership and we regret that the Patels experience did not reflect our common values. We are reviewing this incident and will strive to create a better customer experience. And Delta tells Yahoo Lifestyle, Were sorry for this familys ordeal, and we are working with our partner Korean Air to examine the processes surrounding this incident. We will use our findings to create a consistent experience for customers flying Delta and our partner airlines. Flying with peanut allergies isnt foolproof, Prajakta tells Yahoo Lifestyle, but she wants airlines to improve employee education. It takes a village to spread awareness. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. (Adds Verhofstadt) By Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS, March 25 (Reuters) - EU officials said on Monday they had completed their plans for what they saw as an increasingly likely no-deal Brexit, piling pressure on British Prime Minister Theresa May as she battled to persuade her own lawmakers to back a divorce agreement. May was fighting to keep control of Britain's exit from the European Union as some in her party called on her to quit and parliament plotted to wrest the Brexit process away from her government. "Time is running out. A disastrous no-deal Brexit is more likely than ever," said Guy Verhofstadt, a Belgian europhile who deals with Brexit as a member of the European Parliament, which must sign off on any final divorce agreement. "We are prepared for this scenario," said one EU official, referring to the prospect of Britain crashing out without any agreements on trade or transition to avoid the economic shock of a sudden break. EU officials said France, Belgium and the Netherlands - which face Britain across the Channel and the North Sea - were hiring up to 2,100 people for additional customs and checks on animals and plants in case they were needed. Member states were setting up 20 new border inspection points, they added, as the bloc prepared some measures to protect expatriates' rights and extend cooperation in transportation in the event of a no deal. Brexit had been due to happen on March 29 before May secured a delay at an EU leaders summit last week. Now, Britain will leave on May 22 if the prime minister's deal is approved by parliament this week. If not, Britain will have until April 12 to offer a new plan or decide to leave without a treaty. The deal May negotiated with the EU has already been defeated in parliament twice - by 149 votes on March 12 and by 230 votes on Jan. 15. THE BREXIT PLASTER "We don't want a no-deal Brexit, we'd much rather have the Withdrawal Agreement, but if it is to be a no-deal, let's do it quickly," said the EU official under condition of anonymity. Story continues "They compare it to a plaster - you can take it off very very slowly and it'll hurt for some time. Or you can take it off very very quickly and it's done. They want certainty." Contingency plans are temporary and would not solve all the problems that would arise, another EU official said. "It doesn't mean things would be smooth or easy," that official said. "What we expect to see is more waiting time for goods and people when crossing the border into the continent." After last week's EU leaders summit, diplomats said there was still work to do to prepare for a no-deal Brexit in countries including Ireland and Belgium. And there is no solution in sight for the Irish border - which will become the EU's only land frontier with the United Kingdom after Brexit - to avoid extensive checks on an island with a long history of violence. (Editing by Andrew Heavens) Growth investors focus on stocks that are seeing above-average financial growth, as this feature helps these securities garner the market's attention and deliver solid returns. But finding a great growth stock is not easy at all. That's because, these stocks usually carry above-average risk and volatility. In fact, betting on a stock for which the growth story is actually over or nearing its end could lead to significant loss. However, it's pretty easy to find cutting-edge growth stocks with the help of the Zacks Growth Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which looks beyond the traditional growth attributes to analyze a company's real growth prospects. KB Home (KBH) is one such stock that our proprietary system currently recommends. The company not only has a favorable Growth Score, but also carries a top Zacks Rank. Studies have shown that stocks with the best growth features consistently outperform the market. And for stocks that have a combination of a Growth Score of A or B and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy), returns are even better. Here are three of the most important factors that make the stock of this homebuilder a great growth pick right now. Earnings Growth Arguably nothing is more important than earnings growth, as surging profit levels is what most investors are after. For growth investors, double-digit earnings growth is highly preferable, as it is often perceived as an indication of strong prospects (and stock price gains) for the company under consideration. While the historical EPS growth rate for KB Home is 31.2%, investors should actually focus on the projected growth. The company's EPS is expected to grow 52.5% this year, crushing the industry average, which calls for EPS growth of -8.2%. Cash Flow Growth Cash is the lifeblood of any business, but higher-than-average cash flow growth is more beneficial and important for growth-oriented companies than for mature companies. That's because, high cash accumulation enables these companies to undertake new projects without raising expensive outside funds. Story continues Right now, year-over-year cash flow growth for KB Home is 53.5%, which is higher than many of its peers. In fact, the rate compares to the industry average of 31.2%. While investors should actually consider the current cash flow growth, it's worth taking a look at the historical rate too for putting the current reading into proper perspective. The company's annualized cash flow growth rate has been 45% over the past 3-5 years versus the industry average of 23.7%. Promising Earnings Estimate Revisions Superiority of a stock in terms of the metrics outlined above can be further validated by looking at the trend in earnings estimate revisions. A positive trend is of course favorable here. Empirical research shows that there is a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. There have been upward revisions in current-year earnings estimates for KB Home. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has surged 0.1% over the past month. Bottom Line KB Home has not only earned a Growth Score of B based on a number of factors, including the ones discussed above, but it also carries a Zacks Rank #2 because of the positive earnings estimate revisions. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. This combination positions KB Home well for outperformance, so growth investors may want to bet on it. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report KB Home (KBH) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. By Michael Breen When U.S. President Donald Trump was on his way to Hanoi last month to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a second time, experts said he would have to come away with an agreement of sorts. If he did not he would, in diplomatic terms, have failed. Well, Mr. Trump went home with nothing. May we say then that he failed? Is his North Korea policy in tatters? The truth is as with so much to do with the mercurial American president, and of course with the opaqueocracy that is North Korea it is hard to say. What we do know is that Trump remained polite about Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader. We know Trump well enough by now to know that he would signal a real collapse of negotiations with an insult. "Rocketman is a loser. North Korea should fire him." The absence of such a tweet is evidence that the talks stumbled, but did not fall. But that does not mean Trump is not on a road to failure. Consider this in terms of what both sides want. The Americans want North Korea to denuclearize. This means they want North Korea to declare itself as a non-nuclear-armed state, destroy or hand over its weapons, turn the facilities into ploughshares, and because know-how alone would allow the country to go nuclear again in under a year if it changed its mind reassign its nuclear scientists as chefs or something and, I assume, shut down nuclear weapons courses at Kimilsung University or wherever they are. The trouble with this objective is that it is too specific and does not get to the heart of the "Korea problem." The problem, I would argue, is that the northern and southern parts of the severed nation are opposite in terms of values and practice and lack any basis for good faith unity. De-arming North Korea fails to address these circumstances, which underscore the very reason it needed to arm itself in the first place. What does North Korea want? North Korea's leaders may be rational and consistent, but they are opaque, which leads to a lot of guessing about them. One certainty is that they want sanctions lifted. After that, it becomes unclear. Possibility number one is that they want to come in out of the cold, develop their economy and that for this they are prepared to destroy their known nuclear weapons and facilities, but retain the potential to re-arm. Another possibility is that they plan no real change and are approaching Trump from a risk management perspective. If that is the case, they might serve up a missile launch when Trump announces his plan for re-election. A third possibility is that they still want to unify the peninsula on their own terms and see nuclear weapons as integral to this aim. These possibilities are not mutually exclusive. But they have one thing in common there is a role for nuclear weapons. A fourth possibility that North Korea wants to give up being a nuclear power and return to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty with its tail between its legs would be nice, but appears to be the least favored by analysts. It is precisely because it is this last scenario that the U.S. is pushing for that suggests the talks may well fail. I hope I am wrong, but the answer to our question of whether Trump is failing may well be, no, not yet. Beira (Mozambique) (AFP) - A cyclone which struck southern Africa has affected almost three million people, of whom nearly 500,000 have been driven from their homes, the United Nations said on Tuesday. Cyclone Idai smashed into Mozambique on March 15, unleashing hurricane-force winds and rain that flooded much of the centre of the country and then battered eastern Zimbabwe and Malawi. More than 700 people have been killed in Mozambique and Zimbabwe alone and hundreds are missing, according to an AFP toll compiled from figures provided by governments and some UN agencies. The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) said roughly 3,125 square kilometres (1,200 square miles) of land had been swamped, and nearly three million people across the three countries had been affected. "Close to 500,000 have been displaced," the agency said in a briefing note. In New York, UN humanitarian aid chief Mark Lowcock launched an appeal to provide Mozambique with $282 million (250 million euros) of relief aid over the next three months. Similar campaigns will shortly be launched for Zimbabwe and Malawi, he said. - Hunger - Survivors of the cyclone began receiving medicine, food and tents Tuesday as floodwaters receded, enabling a detailed picture of the crisis to emerge for the first time. In the small village of Bejaga, some 150 survivors were hungry. In the past week relief workers have dropped off "just a cup of (vitamin fortified) soya per family. It's way too little," said peasant farmer Francisco Lopez. "We are waiting," he told AFP. He had salvaged a few maize cobs in the mud and he sifted through them grain by grain, looking for any edible morsel. He had dried the food on a tarpaulin, but much of it was rotten after nearly two weeks under water. "We really have nothing to eat, we have received almost nothing in aid," he said. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' Sebastian Rhodes Stampa said Monday that 30 aid missions were flying in while others were going by road "so we can really deliver volume." Story continues International Organisation for Migration (IOM) chief Antonio Vitorino cautioned, though, that food shortages were likely for months to come because of destruction to farmland. "Given its devastating impact, Cyclone Idai could rank as the worst disaster to hit the region in decades," he said in a statement. An estimated half a million hectares (1.2 million acres) of crops have been destroyed, much of which had been ready to harvest, and loss of livestock is likely to be severe. - Health peril - Stagnant water, decomposing bodies and lack of sanitation in overcrowded shelters in Mozambique could create breeding grounds for cholera, typhus and malaria, experts say. The WHO says it is withdrawing 900,000 doses of cholera vaccines from a global stockpile to help forestall an epidemic. The government has already identified some suspected cases of cholera, the head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Elhadj As Sy, said. "The worst thing is the children crying and looking for their parents... It is heartbreaking," he said, adding that it remained unclear how many children may have been orphaned. Medical services in the affected region were stretched even before the cyclone hit. Beira hospital's operating theatre sustained serious damage. As many as 17 health centres have lost their roofs, Doctors without Borders (MSF) said. The South African military has deployed several aircraft to the affected area and an EU-funded WFP helicopter is supporting rescue and recovery efforts. AbbVie Inc. ABBV announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has approved its key pipeline candidate, risankizumab, for the treatment of adult patients with plaque psoriasis, generalized pustular psoriasis, erythrodermic psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. The interleukin-23 (IL-23) inhibitor will be marketed under the trade name of Skyrizi. Following this nod, Japan became the first country to approve Skyrizi for patients suffering psoriatic disease and failing to show an adequate response to the conventional therapies. The approval was based on the safety and efficacy data from the phase II/III studies, namely sustaIMM, ultIMMa-1 and IMMspire, which evaluated Skyrizi in the Japanese patients with plaque psoriasis, generalized pustular psoriasis and erythrodermic psoriasis. Also, a global phase II study evaluated Skyrizi for treating patients with active psoriatic arthritis, which also formed basis of its application filing in Japan AbbVie has developed Skyrizi in collaboration with the privately held Boehringer Ingelheim. Shares of AbbVie have declined 13.7% so far this year against the industrys increase of 3.7%. We would like to remind investors that earlier this month, the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) rendered a positive opinion, recommending the marketing approval for Skyrizi to treat moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Notably, AbbVie had filed the marketing application in the EU last May and in the United States last April. AbbVies application will now be reviewed by the European Commission, which will announce its decision in two months time. The FDAs decision is also awaited in the first half of 2019. AbbVie expects an approval for another key pipeline candidate, upadacitinib, this year. Upadacitinib, an oral investigational JAK inhibitor, has been developed for the treatment of adult patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The nod and the successful commercialization of upadacitinib are crucial for long-term growth at AbbVie, especially as a biosimilar competition looms large on its blockbuster RA drug, Humira. Story continues Several companies made biosimilar versions of Humira. With Humira accounting for around 61% of AbbVies sales, the entry of biosimilars will leave a huge impact on the companys financials. Per settlements with a set of seven manufacturers including Amgen AMGN, Biogen BIIB, Pfizer PFE, Momenta among others, Humira biosimilars are expected to be launched across the United States in 2023. However, AbbVie faces a direct biosimilar competition in Europe and other countries, accounting for approximately 25% of the total global Humira revenues. Humira biosimilars were first unveiled in the EU last October. In 2019, AbbVie fears a 30% plunge or a $2-billion decline in the international Humira sales. Zacks Rank AbbVie currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Is Your Investment Advisor Fumbling Your Financial Future? See how you can more effectively safeguard your retirement with a new Special Report, 4 Warning Signs Your Investment Advisor Might Be Sabotaging Your Financial Future. Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Pfizer Inc. (PFE) : Free Stock Analysis Report AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) : Free Stock Analysis Report Biogen Inc. (BIIB) : Free Stock Analysis Report Amgen Inc. (AMGN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research By Hamid Shalizi KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan has recalled its ambassador from Pakistan over reported remarks by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan that suggested Kabul should set up an interim government, calling the comments "irresponsible." Khan told Pakistani journalists on Monday that forming an interim Afghan government would smooth peace talks between U.S. and Taliban officials since the militant group refuses to speak to the current government, according to comments published in The Express Tribune. The Afghan government was a hurdle in (the) peace process that was insisting that Taliban should talk to it, Khan was quoted as saying. He also said he had cancelled a scheduled meeting with Taliban leaders because of objections by the Afghan government. Afghanistan summoned Pakistan's deputy ambassador to discuss the "irresponsible" remarks by Khan, foreign affairs ministry spokesman Sibghatullah Ahmadi said in a series of tweets on Tuesday. The Afghan government deemed Khan's statements as "an obvious example of Pakistan's interventional policy and disrespect to the national sovereignty and determination of the people of Afghanistan," Ahmadi said. U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad, the chief U.S. negotiator with the Taliban, weighed in on Kabul's side, saying on Twitter that while Pakistan had made "constructive contributions" to the peace process, "Khan's comments did not." "The future of Afghanistan is for Afghans, and only Afghans, to decide. The role of the international community is to encourage Afghans to come together so they can do so," Khalilzad added. The Afghan-born U.S. diplomat's comments come amid tensions between Washington and Kabul over Khalilzad's exclusion of the Ghani government from the talks with the Taliban. Khalilzad is pressing the Taliban to hold talks on Afghanistan's political future with a broad spectrum of Afghans, including government officials. Story continues The Afghanistan-Pakistan row marks the third time in just over a month that Kabul demanded an explanation from Islamabad over comments related to peace talks, illustrating the flaring tensions between the two neighbours at a sensitive time. U.S. and Taliban officials have held recurring talks to end the 17-year war, but the Taliban considers the Afghan government led by President Ashraf Ghani as illegitimate. Ghani's mandate expires in May, and pressure is mounting on him to step down before the next presidential election, scheduled for Sept. 28. Ghani has rejected the idea of an interim government. (Reporting by Hamid Shalizi in Kabul; Additional reporting by Jonathan Landay in Washington; Writing by Rod Nickel; Editing by Gareth Jones, Peter Graff and Peter Cooney) WASHINGTON Attorney General William Barr plans to deliver special counsel Robert Mueller's report to Congress and the public in "weeks, not months," a Justice Department official said Tuesday, offering the first indication of how soon the government would release more complete findings of the investigation. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly, said the department has "no plans at this time" to provide a copy of the report to the White House before it is made public. Lawmakers intensified their demands for access to the special counsel's full report. Leaders of six House committees said in a letter to the attorney general that they wanted to see the entire document by April 2. They asked him to turn over the evidence Mueller's investigators gathered, saying the materials were "urgently needed by our committees to perform their duties under the Constitution." Barr issued a four-page summary of that report Sunday, declaring that Mueller's 22-month inquiry had not found that Donald Trump or his presidential campaign conspired with Russian efforts to sway the 2016 election. On the separate question of whether Trump sought to thwart the investigation, Barr said he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein determined that the president's conduct did not constitute a crime after Mueller's team declined to reach a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice. Trump and his allies swiftly declared victory in the inquiry. Congressional Democrats said Barr's summary only heightened their interest in obtaining a fuller account of how Mueller reached his conclusions. No conspiracy: Mueller report: Investigation found no evidence Trump conspired with Russia, leaves obstruction question open William Barr: Congressional Democrats question AG's decision that Trump didn't obstruct justice A small team of Justice Department staffers is reviewing the report to determine which parts are based on grand jury testimony or would reveal information about other pending cases, subjects Barr said the department is required to keep secret, according to an official who was not authorized to speak publicly. Story continues Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Tuesday that he discussed the timing of the report's delivery with the attorney general Monday night. Graham said he asked Barr whether the document could be delivered within weeks, adding that Barr replied, "I think so." Graham said lawmakers should give Barr "a reasonable amount of time to go through the report" and determine which parts can be released. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter Monday to Barr calling for the report's release. "A four-page summary ... with no underlying evidence or findings, is not adequate to accomplish our constitutional, legislative, and oversight responsibilities," Feinstein said. Democrats said they were particularly interested in Mueller's decision not to determine whether the president committed obstruction and how Barr could have reached his own conclusion so rapidly. A Justice Department official said Mueller's team informed Barr and Rosenstein in a meeting three weeks ago that it could not reach a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice. Mueller's indecision on obstruction, the official said, was unexpected. It was Bob Muellers decision not to reach a conclusion on obstruction, the official said. It was entirely Bob Muellers decision. Barr, nominated by Trump to replace Jeff Sessions, is all but assured to be called to testify before Congress to explain his action, along with the special counsel in what is shaping up as a protracted political fight that could spill into 2020 presidential election cycle. In his letter, Barr said department lawyers would review the report to remove material that must remain secret, such as grand-jury-related information. Then, he said, he would review it again to determine "what can be released in light of applicable law, regulations, and Department policies." Vindication: Muellers report found no Russia collusion, but vindication remains elusive for Trump Analysis: With Mueller report in, nothing's over. But for Trump, everything has changed Democrats pointed to recent history to suggest they are entitled to more. In September 2016, the FBI released documents related to its investigation of Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email server during her time as secretary of state. Justice Department officials have since turned over 880,000 pages of documents on the Clinton email inquiry, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chair of the House Intelligence Committee, said in an op-ed last week. "There's no excuse to bury information on Trump Russia and counterintelligence." Mueller's office began winding down its work. Prosecutors who work there notified federal courts that they were withdrawing from a case involving former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, to be replaced by prosecutors from the U.S. attorney's office in Washington. Contributing: Bart Jansen Members of the protest group Herndon Reston Indivisible outside the White House on March 25, 2019. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AG William Barr plans to deliver Mueller report to Congress and the public in 'weeks, not months' Algiers (AFP) - Algerian leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika held onto power for some 20 years through a debilitating stroke but the veteran of the independence struggle finally appears to have lost his grip in the face of mass protests. His presidency, the longest in the history of the North African state, survived the Arab Spring uprisings that toppled other leaders in the region. But on Tuesday, after weeks of demonstrations against his rule and a demand from the army to start impeachment proceedings, Bouteflika bowed to the pressure and submitted his resignation, state media said. It was Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term in office earlier this year that sparked public anger and brought hundreds of thousands out onto the streets across the country demanding he step down. Dubbed Boutef by Algerians, he had helped foster peace after a decade-long civil war in the North African country in the 1990s which killed nearly 200,000 people. "I am the whole of Algeria. I am the embodiment of the Algerian people," he said in 1999, the year he became president. In recent years, Bouteflika has had a history of medical problems. A stroke in 2013 affected his mobility and speech, and he has used a wheelchair ever since. He is rarely seen or heard in public. He has also faced criticism from rights groups and opponents who accuse him of being authoritarian. When Bouteflika came to power with the support of an army battling Islamist guerrillas, nobody expected him to stay in office for so long. After his election he addressed critics who saw him as another puppet of the military, saying: "I'm not three-quarters of a president." Paradoxically, it was only after his stroke that Bouteflika was able to consolidate power in a country where the shadowy intelligence service has long been viewed as a "state within a state". - Long spell in exile - Bouteflika was born in Morocco on March 2, 1937 to a family from western Algeria. Story continues At the age of 19 he joined the National Liberation Front (FLN) in its struggle against the French colonial rulers. When independence came in 1962, he was appointed minister of sport and tourism at the age of just 25, under Algeria's first president, Ahmed Ben Bella. He became foreign minister the following year, a post he held for more than a decade, but was sidelined after the death of president Houari Boumediene in 1978 and went into self-imposed exile. While he was abroad the military-backed government cancelled the 1991 elections, which an Islamist party had been poised to win, sparking a decade of bloodletting. Bouteflika returned from Switzerland in 1999 to stand for president with the backing of the army which saw in him a potential figure of reconciliation. He initially faced six rivals, but when the opponents dropped out, crying foul, he found himself the only candidate. He proposed an amnesty for rebels who laid down their arms and twice secured public endorsement for "national reconciliation" through referendums. The first, in September 1999, was a major gamble but paid off, leading to a sharp decrease in violence that helped propel Bouteflika to a second term in 2004. His third term in 2009 followed a constitutional amendment allowing him to stand again. His supporters argue that under his stewardship public and private investment created millions of jobs and dramatically lowered unemployment. But a lack of opportunity continues to drive many Algerians abroad as youth unemployment remains high. When the Arab Spring erupted in January 2011, Bouteflika rode out the storm by lifting a 19-year state of emergency and using oil revenues to grant pay rises. For political commentator Rashid Tlemcani, Bouteflika "should have left office at the end of his second term, after securing national reconciliation and conquering the hearts of a large part of the population". - Voting in a wheelchair - In April 2013, Bouteflika was rushed to hospital in France after his stroke, and spent three months recovering. He had already been hospitalised in Paris in 2005 because of intestinal problems from which he never fully recovered. Bouteflika's decision to seek a fourth mandate in 2014 after 15 years in power sparked both derision and criticism from those who questioned his ability to rule. He did not even campaign and voted from a wheelchair, but still won an official 81 percent of the vote. But it was Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term in elections, which had been due to be held in April, that proved the last straw for many Algerians. His candidacy was formally submitted on March 3 while he was in Switzerland for what the presidency described as another round of routine medical tests. On March 10, he returned home, and the next day pulled out of the race, and cancelled the elections. Initial elation from demonstrators, turned to anger when he confirmed he would stay on in power beyond the term of his mandate. They returned to the streets in their hundreds of thousands to push again for him to leave and a string of key allies began abandoning the president. Algiers (AFP) - Algeria's army chief called Tuesday for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to be declared unfit to govern, following weeks of mass protests demanding the ailing leader step down. The move would potentially clear the way for elections to be organised in the coming months unless the president recovers. "It is necessary, even imperative, to adopt a solution to get out of the crisis which responds to the legitimate demands of the Algerian people, and which guarantees the respect of the provisions of the constitution and safeguards the sovereignty of the state," General Ahmed Gaid Salah said in a televised speech. The armed forces chief of staff, considered loyal to Bouteflika, added that the solution "is in article 102" of the constitution, under which parliament could declare the president unable to perform his duties due to serious illness. The 82-year-old leader uses a wheelchair and has rarely appeared in public since suffering a stroke in 2013. Bouteflika said last month he would run for a fifth term in office, despite concerns about his ability to rule, triggering a wave of protests that brought hundreds of thousands into the streets. He later promised not to stand for another term but also postponed the elections, angering protesters who saw the move as a ploy to stay in power. The army chief's call was welcomed with car horns honking in Algiers. By Lamine Chikhi and Hamid Ould Ahmed ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria's powerful army chief of staff called on Tuesday for a constitutional move that would see President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika declared unfit for office following weeks of mass protests, signaling an end to his 20-year rule. Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaed Salah, addressing army officers in a speech broadcast on state TV, called for a unified stand to defuse tensions in the sprawling North African state, a major oil and gas exporter. It is rare for the army to directly intervene during crises in Algeria but the hundreds of thousands of people who have been pushing the ailing Bouteflika to step down, as important allies deserted him, prompted the military to try and restore order. Salah said the solution would be based on Article 102 of the constitution and achieve a consensus of "all visions and parties". That article applies under certain conditions, such as deteriorating health. Bouteflika, 82, has rarely surfaced in public since suffering a stroke in 2013. The next formal step is for the constitutional council to formally to declare Bouteflika unfit for office, a decision that members of parliament's lower and upper house need to ratify by a two-thirds majority. Based on Article 102, the chairman of parliament's upper house, Abdelkader Bensalah, would serve as caretaker president for at least 45 days in the nation of more than 40 million people. El Bilad television said the constitutional council had convened in special session after Salah's intervention. State TV opened with Salah's announcement but there was no word on a constitutional council meeting. On Tuesday night, the Huffpost Maghreb said a protest leader had rejected the army's attempt to have Bouteflika declared unfit, saying the people instead wanted a national government of consensus - not a continuation of the aging and secretive elite entrenched in power since independence from France in 1962. "The Algerian people don't accept that the government, or a symbol of power of this system, manages the transition period," lawyer Mustapha Bouchachi said, according to the online outlet. Algerians will face uncertainty for some time. A critical factor will be the position of the military, which is likely to act as a kingmaker, as it has done in past decades. There is no obvious candidate for the presidency now. For years, rumors have swirled about potential successors, but no one credible has emerged with the backing of the military, the political and security establishment and is not at least 70. Louisa Driss, a political science professor at Algiers University, said Salah's announcement would not placate protesters, and the elite would try to preserve its interests. "This announcement is also a declaration of inadmissibility with regard to the claim for a democratic transition," said Driss. "Which brings us back to the hypothesis of a (replication) of the political system without Bouteflika." The last time the generals stepped in during a crisis in Algeria was in 1992, when the generals canceled an election that Islamists were poised to win. That move triggered a civil war that killed an estimated 200,000 people. Algerians have dark memories of that conflict and the military is highly sensitive to any instability. The stakes are high, for Algeria is a leading member of OPEC and a top gas supplier to Europe, though so far oil and gas output appears unaffected by the unrest, an International Energy Agency (IEA) official said on Tuesday. Algeria is also regarded by Western states as a partner in counter-terrorism, a significant military force in North Africa and the Sahel, and a key diplomatic player in efforts to resolve crises in neighboring Mali and Libya. CANNY OPERATOR RUNS OUT OF ROAD Bouteflika, among the veterans of the 1954-62 war of independence against France who dominate Algeria, consolidated his power by outfoxing would-be rivals in the military and security services, and containing grassroots discontent. When the "Arab Spring" protests toppled Arab leaders across the region eight years ago, oil revenues enabled him to boost state spending and buy peace in the streets. But Algerians have since lost patience with unsuccessful efforts to reduce unemployment, ease daily hardships and tackle high-level unaccountability, corruption and nepotism. In the latest unrest, one ally after another abandoned Bouteflika, emboldening protesters. Bouteflika ran out of options as he became increasingly isolated and failed to buy time. He bowed to protesters by reversing a decision to seek another term and putting off elections that had been set for April. But he stopped short of quitting as head of state and said he would stay on until a new constitution is adopted, effectively extending his current term. "In this context it became necessary, even imperative, to find a solution to end the crisis that responds to the legitimate demands of the Algerian people and which quarantines the rules of the constitution," Salah was quoted by the state news agency APS as saying. Thousands of people had returned to the streets of the capital Algiers earlier on Tuesday calling on Bouteflika to resign, keeping up popular pressure. "The system must go. There is no point for it in resisting," said Belkacem Abidi, 25, one of about 6,000 protesters, mostly students, who gathered in downtown Algiers on Tuesday. (Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Mark Heinrich) Andrew Zimmern attends the New York City Wine & Food Festival on Oct. 13, 2018. (Photo: Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for NYCWFF) Andrew Zimmern now hosts his own travel shows, such as Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern and The Zimmern List, and he appears regularly on Live! With Kelly, Rachael Ray and other popular shows. His life is completely different than when he was a homeless alcoholic and drug addict a few decades ago. I didnt shower for a year. Every night, I slept on a pile of dirty clothes on the floor that I called my bed. I didnt really sleep; it was more like passing out, Zimmern told Artful Living for its spring issue. Every couple days, I would steal a bottle of Comet cleanser that I would pour in a circle around my sleeping area so rats and roaches wouldnt crawl over me in the middle of the night. And I thought that was OK and normal. Thats how bad it was. Zimmerns mother had suffered brain damage after being administered the wrong anesthesia for surgery when he was very young, and he ended up living in the apartment they had once shared with only a nanny and a housekeeper to look after him. Without much supervision, Zimmern said he began drinking and doing drugs at a young age and he knew addiction was an issue for him even before college. I very quickly started doing pills, cocaine, hallucinogens. By the time I went to college, I had already experimented with heroin, Zimmern said. So when I got to college, the gloves came off, and I became a typical New York garbage head. Whatever was around was my drug of choice. He didnt reach what he considers his low point until 1990, when friends began telling him that his drinking was scaring them around the same time that he was evicted from his apartment. I had no one to call, no ones couch to crash on, Zimmern said. Everyone had had enough. At one point, Zimmern decided to drink until his body broke down. After a few days, though, he decided to reach out to a friend, who happened to be planning an intervention for him, and Zimmern got help. He ended up in a treatment program, followed by several months at a halfway house that required him to get a job. He washed dishes in his early days there. Story continues Zimmern said he still regularly attends AA meetings. I believe we are all just an arms length away from that next drink or drug, he said. My disease has not gone away; its just dormant inside me. I have to remind myself that my disease is just in there exercising and doing pushups, waiting for me to stop doing the things that keep me well. But I also know that as long as I keep doing the things that keep me well, Im going to stay well. Because of that, Zimmern strongly believes the country should treat addiction and other mental health issues just as it treats medical health problems. I think its shameful [the way it is treated]. Actually, its beyond shameful. Its criminal. And Im choosing my words carefully here, said Zimmern, whos still in shock over the June 2018 suicide of his friend and fellow traveler Anthony Bourdain. I dont think its too dramatic to say that ignoring our fellow Americans in need and watching them die when they could have been helped is its own form of genocide. I think ignoring these crises in our country is bordering on criminal at this point. Zimmern revealed that he learned of Bourdains death when he woke up to 80 missed calls and 220 texts, from everyone he knows in the restaurant and food industry. I started to read some of the notes, and I started to cry. I called my crew and said, Were not going to work today at 11. I need some time. It was just an awful, awful, awful day, Zimmern said. It wasnt until many hours later that the shock because your first this is someone you know. Hes your friend. Theres stuff to do, people to call. Then as the day went on, we were reminded what a symphonic presence he had and how culturally important he was to so many people. And the shock I still cant believe hes not with us. Read more on Yahoo Entertainment: Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Entertainment & Lifestyles newsletter. Mexico City (AFP) - The Mexican president's demand for an apology over the "abuses" of colonialism drew opposite reactions across the Atlantic Tuesday -- anger in a Spain still proud of its imperial glory, and eyerolls in Mexico. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador tore open a 500-year-old wound Monday when he said he had sent letters to the king of Spain and the pope urging them to apologize for the conquest of the Americas and the misdeeds committed in the name of the crown and the Church in the centuries of colonialism that followed. The Spanish government responded with a blunt no, saying it "firmly rejects" the idea. The Vatican, for its part, said it considered the matter closed, recalling on its website that a series of popes already apologized for the abuses committed in the name of evangelizing the indigenous peoples of the New World. That includes Pope John Paul II in 1992, on the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas, and Pope Francis on two occasions -- in Bolivia in 2015 and Mexico in 2016. In Spain, the Mexican president's foray into the history books got swept up in the politics of a country gearing up for snap elections on April 28, in which conservative parties are trying to portray Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as a weak defender of national interests. The leader of center-right party Ciudadanos, Albert Rivera, called the Mexican president's letter "an intolerable offense to the Spanish people." Esteban Gonzalez Pons, a lawmaker in the European Parliament with the conservative Popular Party, said Lopez Obrador should "stop fighting" dead conquistadors. And Arturo Perez-Reverte, one of Spain's most popular contemporary writers, said if the Mexican president "really believes what he says, he's a fool." - 'More important business' - Lopez Obrador said he was not trying to antagonize Spain. Story continues "We're not going to get into a confrontation with the government of Spain... We are simply proposing an idea we think would help bring our peoples closer together," he told a press conference. In Mexico, the most notable reaction to the president's remarks was apathy. Many wondered why the leftist leader was not focusing on more pressing problems, such as rampant crime and corruption. "Honestly, I think we have situations in this country that he should be concentrating on a little bit more," Tristan Velazquez, a 23-year-old government worker in Mexico City, told AFP. Mexico and other Latin American countries already held raging debates over the legacy of colonialism in 1992, on the 500th anniversary of Columbus's arrival. There was puzzlement over Lopez Obrador's decision to reopen to the topic in connection with another anniversary -- that of conquistador Hernan Cortes's first battle, waged on March 14, 1519, with the indigenous inhabitants of Centla. "It wasn't great timing," said historian Lorenzo Meyer, of the College of Mexico. "Mexico can't make anyone apologize," he told AFP. "You can't do it by force. If you try, the only response you can expect is anger, is 'Who do you people think you are?'" - Messy history - There were, however, events that took place during the Spanish conquest worth apologizing over, Meyer said. Mesoamerica had an estimated population of 15 million to 30 million people when Cortes arrived with an army of several hundred men, carrying horses, swords, guns and smallpox -- all unknown in the New World at the time. After a century of battles, massacres and plagues, an estimated one million to two million indigenous inhabitants remained. "The demographic catastrophe of the conquest is clear," he said. Mexico, which gained independence in 1821, has a complicated relationship with its colonial past. The nation is the product of "mestizaje," the mixing of the Old and New Worlds. But it is a history tainted by violence, rape and oppression. The angry reaction in Spain to Lopez Obrador's comments indicates the past is still problematic there, too, said Meyer. "I don't understand the virulence of the Spanish response," he said. "It shows Spain hasn't gotten over it, either." Other historians said there was no point in Spain and Mexico fighting over the past. As author Francisco Martin Moreno told TV network MVS, Spain and Mexico "didn't even exist as such" 500 years ago. burs-jhb/oh Apple has announced its official entry into the fintech arena with the launch of its own credit card, currency exchange services, and cashback incentives to potentially entice its one billion-plus users away from their mainstream banks. During the launch event, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the firm saw an opportunity to transform another fundamental method of payment. Thats the credit card. We think Apples uniquely positioned to make the most significant change in the credit card experience in 50 years. At the moment, the service offering looks pretty sleek and simple, and very much in line with other virtual banks like Revolut or Monzo, who have respectively been gaining significant traction with consumers over the last few years with their own digital banking alternatives. The Apple Card will be issued by Goldman Sachs and MasterCard will provide support as a key payment processor. The iPhone can now be used as a wallet and will become the new hub of all forms of payments (either online or offline). The banking app also looks set to leverage location and other data from users iPhones to help track and provide insightful information about users spending habits. Of course, there will inevitably be instances where a physical card will be required, and it looks like Apples offering will certainly stand out from the crowd. The card will be made from a luxury composite (titanium) and has no card number, expiry date, or even signature on its super-sleek design. What next for Apple? As of late, Apple has been struggling with falling revenues for its hardware products. Over the years, we have seen handset prices from the firm skyrocket and innovation stall as a flurry of smaller and more nimble hardware providers have taken market share away from the tech giant. With the firm now under pressure from Wall Street to get back to its $1 trillion valuation, we may see the Silicon Valley giant look to expand its highly profitable services and now fintech divisions to follow competitors in the space by offering other financial services such as loans, investments, trading, and maybe even cryptocurrencies. Story continues Apple just took Facebook on in the race for the worlds biggest bank. Ran NeuNer (@cryptomanran) March 25, 2019 Is Apple becoming the worlds biggest bank? Another rumoured route for Apple could be to launch its own native (and fiat-pegged) currency on its wallet and banking platform. In terms of active users for its iOS platform, Apple surely rivals the reach of Facebook to hold the crown of the worlds biggest single place to interact and do commerce. Facebook has recently been heavily rumoured to be entering the native currency market with its blockchain-based payment system, potentially set to be unveiled later this year. By Ross Chalmers March 26, 2019 Over the last 50 years, we have seen little innovation from or disruption to mainstream banks. Fintech players have seen growth as of late, but the scale of their user base is still significantly disadvantaged when compared to the payment providers they need to support the core functionality of their payment and currency exchange capabilities. With a player like Apple entering the scene, the company may actually have the scale to control enough of the touch points of payments to one day say that it can handle everything in-house (potentially on its own blockchain) faster and cheaper than the legacy payment providers. This would truly bring some much-needed disruption to the legacy banking industry as it stands today. The post Apple looks set to disrupt the banking industry with launch of new credit card and currency exchange services appeared first on Coin Rivet. Auto companies globally have been reeling under the impact of recalls, of late. A recall is issued when a vehicle or its parts pose safety risks or do not comply with the stipulated norms. In case of a recall, auto manufacturers are required to solve the problem through replacement, repair, and refund or in extreme cases repurchase the defective vehicle. Auto companies are bearing the brunt of negative portrayal with recalls frequently making headlines. These can be attributed to various issues, for instance non-compliance with the emission standards, risk of fire, brakes & wheels related concerns, hatchback problems and of course faulty Takata airbag deflators. Recall Episode In the past month, the auto industry has been embroiled in various cases of auto recall by incumbents such as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. FCAU, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. HMC, Daimler AG DDAIF and British multinational car manufacturer, Jaguar Land Rover. Earlier this month, Honda announced that it is likely to recall around 1 million older vehicles in the United States and Canada. The company is likely to recall many of its popular models for the second time as the Takata airbag inflators that were installed at the time of the previous recalls could pose serious safety hazards. Just a couple of days later, Fiat Chrysler made the announcement of recalling approximately 965,000 gasoline vehicles that dont comply with U.S. emission standards. The flawed vehicles are from the United States and Canada that will require catalytic converter replacements. Adding to the woes of the industry, again, almost at the same time, it was reported that Jaguar Land Rover is going to recall 44,000 vehicles in the United Kingdom owing to release of CO2 emissions higher than the permissible limit. The recall is likely to affect vehicles equipped with JLRs 2.0-liter diesel engine in cars built between 2014 and 2018. In another incident, just a week ago, it was announced Daimler Trucks North America is recalling more than 3,300 heavy-duty Freightliner Cascadia trucks due to a probable air bag glitch in the steering wheel. Conclusion The reports of frequent recalls of a huge number of vehicles on various grounds such as faulty airbags, non-compliance of emission norms, seat belts, etc. indicate widespread failure of quality and safety issues. The auto manufacturers need to introspect deeply in order to eliminate the risks of driving. Among the stocks discussed above, Fiat Chrysler and Honda currently carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Daimler presently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Honda, Daimler and Fiat Chrysler have an expected long-term growth rate of 1.7%, 2.7% and 8.9%, respectively. Is Your Investment Advisor Fumbling Your Financial Future? See how you can more effectively safeguard your retirement with a new Special Report, 4 Warning Signs Your Investment Advisor Might Be Sabotaging Your Financial Future. Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Daimler AG (DDAIF) : Free Stock Analysis Report Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (HMC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCAU) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. A company in California has announced a precautionary recall of avocados after Listeria monocytogenes was discovered in environmental samples taken during a government inspection. The Henry Avocado Corporation announced the voluntary recall in a news release, noting no illnesses had been reported in association with the avocados. We are voluntarily recalling our products and taking every action possible to sure the safety of consumers who eat our avocados, Phil Henry, the companys president, said in the statement. The avocados being recalled were distributed from the California packing centre to a handful of states, including Arizona, California, Florida, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and North Carolina. Concerned consumers can identify the potentially contaminated products by the Bravocado stickers put on the organic produce. The stickers also indicate they come from the state of California. Listeria symptoms include diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal pain, severe headaches, fevers, and stiffness. The infections can sometimes be fatal among those with compromised immune systems, the elderly, and children. The Centre for Disease Control suggests anyone with severe symptoms should seek medical treatment Henry Avocado Corporation noted avocados from Mexico sold by the company are not subject to the recall. Anyone who believes they have purchased recalled avocados has been urged to throw the produce away, or to bring the avocados back to the store where they were purchased for a refund. By Alexander Cornwell DUBAI, March 26 (Reuters) - Bahrain, headquarters of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, plans to roll out a commercial 5G mobile network by June, partly using Huawei technology despite the United States' concerns the Chinese telecom giant's equipment could be used for spying. Washington has warned countries against using Chinese technology, saying Huawei could be used by Beijing to spy on the West. China has rejected the accusations. VIVA Bahrain, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabian state-controlled telecom STC, last month signed an agreement to use Huawei products in its 5G network, one of several Gulf telecoms firms working with the Chinese company. "We have no concern at this stage as long as this technology is meeting our standards," Bahrain's Telecommunications Minister Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed told Reuters on Tuesday when asked about U.S. concerns over Huawei technology. The U.S. embassy in Bahrain did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The U.S. Fifth Fleet uses its base in Bahrain, a Western-allied island state off the Saudi coast, to patrol several important shipping lanes, including near Iran. Bahrain expects to be one of the first countries to make 5G available nationwide, Mohammed said, although he cautioned it would depend on handset and equipment availability. Early movers like the United States, China, Japan and South Korea are just starting to roll out their 5G networks, but other regions, such as Europe, still years away and the first 5G phones are only likely to be released in the second half of this year. Bahrain's state controlled operator Batelco is working with Sweden's Ericsson on its 5G network, while the country's third telecom Zain Bahrain is yet to announce a technology provider. No foreign company is restricted by the government from providing equipment for Bahrain's 5G network, Mohammed said, adding that the mobile operators chose who they worked with. Story continues Australia and New Zealand have stopped operators using Huawei equipment in their networks but the European Union is expected to ignore U.S. calls to ban the Chinese company, instead urging countries to share more data to tackle cybersecurity risks related to 5G networks. Mohammed said the rollout of the 5G network was an "important milestone" for Bahrain, which is hoping investments in technology will help spur the economy which was hit hard by the drop in oil prices. "It is something we are proud to have," he said. (Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Kirsten Donovan) German Chancellor Angela Merkel is under intense pressure to lift Berlins arms-export ban on Saudi Arabia. Photo: Reuter/Eva Plevier French envoy to Germany Anne-Marie Descotes warned, in an essay entitled From German-free to mutual trust, that Berlins strict, complicated arms-export rules are hampering defence cooperation between the two countries. Descotes said that Berlins rules on arms exports, and lengthy waiting times for licences, were untenable and are forcing many companies to adopt German-free strategies, by not using German-made parts in their weapons. Companies, she said, have to make long-term investment decisions, and face much legal uncertainly. She also warned that export authorisation for even the smallest German components can take over a year, causing defence companies to get hit with fines for defaulting on deliveries or losing contracts altogether. Quoting German chancellor Angela Merkels statement on European Unity the times when we could completely rely on others are over, Descotes wrote that realistic export possibilities on the basis of clear and predictable rules are an essential prerequisite for the survival of our European defence industry. The essay, published on the Federal Academy for Security Policy website, comes at a time when France, the UK, and other EU countries, are putting pressure on Germany to lift its embargo on arms exports to Saudi Arabia, implemented after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey. German-made parts are essential to many weapons systems, and Berlin has been broadly criticised for hampering weapons development and European weapons sales with its insistence that no German parts at all can be used in weapons that will be sold to Saudi. Airbus CEO Tom Enders last month accused Germany of showing a kind of moral superelevation, on the issue of exports, and that this would damage joint defence projects. He told Reuters that one option for the future would be for Airbus to make German-free weapons, noting: It has been driving us crazy at Airbus for years that when there is even just a tiny German part involved in, for example, helicopters, the German side gives itself the right to, for example, block the sale of a French helicopter. The government in Berlin is considering extending the Saudi arms embargo beyond the end of March, but the debate is splitting the coalition government, as the Social Democrat partners want to extend it to October. New York (AFP) - Boeing has flown test flights of its 737 MAX to evaluate a fix for the system targeted as a potential cause of two deadly plane crashes, two sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday. The aviation giant, which has been under fire and its flagship narrow-body planes grounded since March 13, tested the system upgrade on Monday, two days after pilots from American Airlines did simulation flights in Renton, Washington, the sources said. Boeing needs authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration before the MAX can return to service. But the company still has not submitted its proposed software patch to the FAA, a government source told AFP. The aircraft was grounded following two deadly accidents involving Ethiopian Airlines earlier this month and Lion Air in October which killed 346 people. Engineers have been focusing on addressing problems with the MCAS system, a stall prevention system designed to point the nose of the 737 MAX 8 downward if it is in danger of stalling, or losing lift. The system has been criticized since it can malfunction, and make it difficult for pilots to control the aircraft. Both of the recent crashes occurred moments after takeoff. The MCAS, or Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, was installed in the MAX because they are heavier than in the previous version of the 737. A Boeing spokesperson declined to comment, but said the company is in regular contact with regulators. Boeing remains under intense pressure following the two crashes, which will be the subject of a Senate hearing Wednesday. Top US transportation officials are expected to face questions from lawmakers on the FAA's certification of the 737 MAX and whether regulators have become too cozy with the company, and fast-tracked some approvals. Brasilia (AFP) - Brazil's right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday ordered the armed forces to hold "appropriate commemorations" of the March 1964 military coup -- while denying it was a coup. "Our president has ordered the Defense Ministry to carry out appropriate commemorations related to March 31, 1964," 55 years on, Bolsonaro's spokesman Otavio Rego Barros said at Planalto Palace in Brasilia. The celebrations should be carried out according to "what the commanders deem right within their respective garrisons, and within the context in which they should be performed," the spokesman added. Bolsonaro, an ex-Army captain, says he admires the military dictatorship that overthrew President Joao Goulart and ruled the country for over two decades until 1985. Yet "the president does not consider what happened March 31, 1964 a military coup," Barros said. "He believes that society as a whole, perceiving the danger that the country was experiencing," was able that day to unite "civilians and military, to recover and return to our country onto its course. "And if that had not happened, today we would have here some kind of government that would not be good for anyone," the spokesman added. Bolsonaro has always been a strong supporter of the Brazilian military. Since taking office in January, he has also had fond words for other military dictatorships in Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s, such as the Paraguayan Alfredo Stroessner (1954-1989) and that of Chile's Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990). WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) - Brazil is not considering the use of military force in Venezuela and hopes for a peaceful solution to the country's crisis, Defense Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva said on Tuesday as he met his American counterpart at the Pentagon. "That's not a hypothesis we're considering. Brazil is looking forward to a peaceful and swift solution to the crisis in Venezuela," he said, when asked whether the use of military force might be appropriate. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Dan Grebler) By Guy Faulconbridge and Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May held crisis talks with senior colleagues and hardline Brexiteers on Sunday trying to breathe life into her twice-defeated European divorce deal after reports her cabinet was plotting to topple her. The United Kingdom's exit from the European Union was already slipping from May's weakened grasp as she struggled to increase support for her deal and parliament prepared to grab control of Brexit in the coming days. At one of the most important junctures for Britain since World War Two, politics was at fever pitch. Yet, nearly three years since the 2016 referendum, it remains unclear how, when or if Brexit will ever take place. May called rebel lawmakers including Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees Mogg and Steve Baker to her Chequers residence on Sunday, Downing Street said, along with ministers David Lidington and Michael Gove. The two ministers denied reports they were being lined up as a possible caretaker prime minister. "The meeting discussed a range of issues, including whether there is sufficient support in the Commons to bring back a meaningful vote (for her deal) this week," a spokesman said. May was told by Brexiteers at the meeting that she must set out a timetable to leave office if she wants to get her deal ratified, Buzzfeed reporter Alex Wickham said on Twitter. With May humiliated and weakened, ministers publicly downplayed any immediate threat to her leadership, insisting she is still in control and the best option is for parliament to ratify her Brexit deal. The 2016 referendum revealed a country divided over much more than EU membership, and has sparked soul-searching over everything from immigration to what it means to be British. The divisions show no sign of healing: hundreds of thousands of people marched through London to demand another referendum on Saturday and 5.2 million have signed a petition calling for another vote. Brexit supporters are also mobilising for what they fear will be a betrayal of the referendum. Story continues Illustrating the high stakes, the Sunday Times reported that senior ministers were plotting a "coup" against May. The newspaper said 11 unidentified ministers agreed May should stand down, warning she has become a toxic and erratic figure whose judgement has "gone haywire". But two potential candidates to replace her denied such ambitions. "I think (she) is doing a fantastic job," Lidington said. "One thing that working closely with the prime minister does is cure you completely of any lingering shred of ambition to want to do that task," he quipped. Gove also downplayed the possibility of ousting May: "I think it is not the time to change the captain of the ship." SECOND REFERENDUM? Finance Minister Philip Hammond, too, said a change of prime minister would not break the impasse, though he acknowledged it may be impossible for parliament to back May's plan. "If that is the case then parliament will have to decide not just what it's against but what it is for," he told Sky News. That opens an array of possibilities including a much softer divorce than May had intended, a second plebiscite, a revocation of the Article 50 divorce papers, or even an election. Hammond did not rule out another public vote. "I'm not sure there's a majority in parliament in support of a second referendum," he said. "Many people will be strongly opposed to it, but it's a coherent proposition and it deserves to be considered along with the other proposals." Brexit had been due to happen on March 29 before May secured a delay in talks with the EU. Now a departure date of May 22 will apply if parliament passes May's deal. If she fails, Britain will have until April 12 to offer a new plan or decide to leave without a treaty. Some lawmakers have asked May to name her departure date as the price for supporting her deal. Lawmakers are due on Monday to debate the government's next steps on Brexit, including the delayed exit date. They have proposed changes, or amendments, including one which seeks to wrest control of the process from the government in order to hold votes on alternative ways forward. Amendments are not legally binding, but do exert political pressure on May to change course. Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay said an election could be the consequence if lawmakers back proposals contrary to the pledges on which the government was elected. "At its logical conclusion, the risk of a general election increases because you potentially have a situation where parliament is instructing the executive to do something that is counter to what it was elected to do," he told the BBC. (Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Keith Weir and David Goodman) LONDON British lawmakers were preparing to blow open the Brexit process and put a host of rejected options back on the table including keeping the U.K. close to the European Union or even remaining a member as Prime Minister Theresa May defiantly insisted Tuesday that Parliament should approve her twice-defeated divorce deal instead. A British flag flies near the "Big Ben" clock tower of Parliament in London. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote Wednesday on multiple flavors of Brexit, after the House of Commons voted to wrest the parliamentary timetable away from Mays weakened government and hold votes on alternatives to her rejected withdrawal agreement. The largely pro-EU legislators behind the unprecedented move hope to find a form of Brexit that can command a majority in Parliament. Votes are due to be held Wednesday on options that could include remaining in the EUs single market and customs union, calling a new membership referendum and canceling Brexit all ideas that May has repeatedly rejected. They plan to see which ideas have the most support, and then hold another day of votes next week to try to find agreement on a proposal. The government, which usually controls the scheduling of votes in Parliament, said the lawmakers move upends the balance between our democratic institutions and sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent for the future. The votes will not be legally binding, and Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC that the government wouldnt pre-commit to accepting the option backed by lawmakers because they may come up with a plan that is impractical. Its also possible lawmakers could support contradictory options, or none at all. If the Commons voted for the sun to rise in the west, the government would not be able to implement that, he said. The best way through this impasse is the one deal that has been negotiated with the EU that can be delivered quickly now, Hancock said, referring to the prime ministers agreement. But government officials acknowledged they were no longer in control of Brexit. Mays authority was hanging by a thread after 30 members of her Conservative Party defied her instructions and voted late Monday for Parliament to take control of the process. Three government ministers resigned rather than vote with the government. Story continues Almost three years after Britons voted to leave the EU, the date and terms of its departure are up in the air. Last week, the EU granted Britain a delay to the scheduled March 29 exit date, saying that if Parliament approved the proposed divorce deal, the U.K. would leave the EU on May 22. If not, the government has until April 12 to tell the 27 remaining EU countries what it plans to do leave without a deal, cancel Brexit or propose a radically new path. EU officials, exasperated by months of British political gridlock, welcomed Parliaments move to take control. The EU legislatures top Brexit official, Guy Verhofstadt, said the U.K. lawmakers votes could dramatically alter the course of the U.K.s departure. It is possible now to work in Britain toward a cross-party alliance, he said. May continued to push for approval of her deal with the EU even though the House of Commons overwhelmingly rejected it during votes in January and March. The government said it might be possible to hold a third vote on the agreement Thursday, but only if it looked like there was a reasonable chance it might pass. That appeared unlikely after the small but influential Democratic Unionist Party from Northern Ireland, which props up Mays minority government, refused to water down its opposition to the withdrawal agreement. The DUP controls 10 crucial votes in the House of Commons, and many hard-line Brexit supporters may follow the partys lead when deciding how to vote. DUP Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson wrote in the Daily Telegraph that his party couldnt support Mays toxic deal. He said delaying Brexit by up to a year would be preferable to volunteering to be locked into the prison of the withdrawal deal with the cell door key in the pocket of Michel Barnier, the EUs chief negotiator. May has warned pro-Brexit legislators that continuing to reject the deal could lead to a slow Brexit that postpones the countrys departure indefinitely, Jacob Rees-Mogg, a leading pro-Brexit Conservative, acknowledged that the choice seems to be Mrs. Mays deal or no Brexit. I have always thought that no deal is better than Mrs. Mays deal, but Mrs. Mays deal is better than not leaving at all, he said on the Conservative Home podcast. Some members of the public, meanwhile, are losing patience with the parliamentary process and the fading promises made by pro-Brexit politicians. Its a little bit similar to the way that when youre in quite a good nightclub and then a friend of yours says I know somewhere else to go and then you all leave and then you realize you cant get into the other club, said tech executive Russell Robinson. It was a very badly thought out plan and now were stuck in the street eating kebabs, he said, referring to a common late-night fast-food staple. Raf Casert in Strasbourg, France, contributed to this story. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: British Parliament considers its own Brexit plans Wednesday Montreal (AFP) - A Canadian judge lifted Monday all remaining restrictions on former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr, who had been the US detention center in Cuba's youngest prisoner after his 2002 capture in Afghanistan. Khadr, 32, has been living under strict conditions in his native Canada since 2015 when he was repatriated as part of a US deal for a guilty plea, which he has since recanted, saying he just wanted out of Guantanamo. Justice Mary Moreau in Alberta province said Khadr's time in conditional release should be considered as time in detention. She also cited his good conduct to justify lifting the remaining conditions on his movement -- including traveling abroad. Khadr was sentenced in 2010 to eight years plus time served for murdering a US soldier with a grenade, attempted murder, conspiracy, providing material support for terrorism and spying, but was later sent home to serve the remainder of his sentence. "I think it's been a while but I'm happy it's here, and right now I'm going to just try to focus on recovering, and not worrying about having to go back to prison, or, you know, just struggling," Khadr told reporters as he left the court in Edmonton. His lawyer Nate Whitling added: "All those conditions that were restricting his liberty up to this point are now gone, so for example he can apply for a passport, he can talk to his sister, he can travel around the world or around Canada without having to seek permission." Khadr's father, a financier for Al-Qaeda who was killed in a clash with Pakistani troops in 2003, had taken his son to Afghanistan as a child. His lawyers fought for several years to have his status as a minor at the time of the attack recognized. Canada's Supreme Court finally agreed one week before his conditional release in 2015. In Canada, Khadr married and was accepted into a nursing program, but says his legal woes -- including a civil suit brought by the widow of the special forces soldier he was convicted of killing -- sidelined his studies. A Canadian government payout of Can$10 million (US$7.5 million) to him in 2017 to settle a lawsuit for having violated his rights, provoked outrage. Carnivals Europe Business Is Running Into Brexit Uncertainty The worlds largest cruise operator is feeling the brunt of Europes instability. Carnival Corp., which has lines that cater to British, German, and Italian travelers, said during an earnings call Tuesday that bookings in Europe and Asia are ahead of where they were a year ago, but at lower prices. CEO Arnold Donald said the company has run up against multiple forces: Brexit uncertainty in the U.K., heightened political uncertainty in Germany and France, as well as ongoing economic malaise in much of Europe, including Italy. But, he said, Despite those headwinds, wave season was consistent with the strengthened demand we experienced going into the year, building further confidence in our full-year revenue expectations. Citing fuel prices and exchange rates, Carnival Corp. cut its earnings forecast for the full year, from $4.50$4.80 per share to $4.35$4.55 per share. Donald said the company expects a $155 million hit from fuel and currency for 2019. Shares were down 8.76 percent to $51.69 Tuesday afternoon. In a note to investors, Stifel analyst Steven Wieczynski wrote in the subject line: Expect Share Pressure Until European Concerns Dissipate. Wieczynski said he believed stock prices were down for several reasons. He said most investors expected some upside baked into Carnivals initial forecast, since the company tends to be conservative in its estimates. We are one quarter into the year and a positive revision has not materialized, he wrote. Second, managements commentary around bookings conveys a modest slowdown in the pace of overall booking volumes, while European pricing challenges persist. Still, the cruise company beat analyst expectations by reporting earnings of 48 cents per share for the quarter that ended Feb. 28. Revenue increased from $4.2 billion a year ago to $4.7 billion for the first fiscal quarter of 2019. Net income, however, dropped from $391 million last year to $336 million this year due to higher costs. Story continues Carnival said its North American and Australian brands are showing strength: the booked position for 2019 is ahead of the prior year at higher prices. One exception is Alaska, which is seeing a big increase in capacity this year. Prices there are down compared to last years record levels. Executives didnt quantify any impact from the United Kingdoms ongoing Brexit saga, but said there were some repercussions. There is uncertainty relating to Brexit, Chief Financial Officer David Bernstein said during the call. The UK is doing okay. But clearly had it not been for the uncertainty, we probably would have done perhaps a little bit better in the UK. You will never know for sure. The company expects European revenue growth to be driven by capacity increases at brands including Costa Cruises, which is adding a new ship later this year, and AIDA Cruises, which added a new vessel late last year. Going forward, our earnings growth will include a higher contribution from capacity growth, Donald said. That increase in capacity will lend itself to more predictable revenue growth and enable us to better contain costs, in essence, enhancing the reliability of future earnings growth. Subscribe to Skift newsletters covering the business of travel, restaurants, and wellness. What happened? The European Parliament has overwhelmingly approved a measure to abolish the twice-yearly time change. The change, which would come into effect in 2021, now goes to European Union member states for further negotiations. What about Brexit? As with most things, there is a Brexit link. The plans could apply to the UK if it is still in the EU or in a transition period at the cut-off point in two years time. The government would then have to decide whether to choose winter or summertime. But it gets tricky with the island of Ireland. If the UK does not implement the plans it raises the possibility of Northern Ireland having a different timezone to Ireland for six months a year, or, if it opted, to the rest of the UK. Even more bizarrely, individual countries could well get to choose whether they stick permanently with summer time or winter time and that could vary from country to country. The changes would mean those countries wishing to keep summer time in perpetuity would make their last clock adjustments in March 2021, while those countries who opt to keep winter time would make their last change in October 2021. British Summer Time officially starts at 1am on Sunday 31 March, when the clocks go forward one hour to 2am. Read more Could this be the last time the clocks change? (The Guardian) Full story: Ireland could end up with two time zones (The Independent) When do the clocks go forward? (Provider here) Drivers will be given up to 3,000 a year to swap their cars for public transport. A trial in the West Midlands will ask participants to ditch their vehicles and instead rely on buses, trains, electric car hire and bike-sharing schemes. If you commute by car, could you be persuaded to permanently part with your vehicle and use public transport instead? Read the full story and have your say below: Charges dropped against US actor accused of making up attack Lawyers acting for Empire actor Jussie Smollett say charges alleging he lied to Chicago police about a hate crime attack against him have been dropped. Smollett, 36, had faced up to 48 years behind bars on 16 counts of filing a false police report. It was announced on Tuesday that all charges had been dropped. Smollett had been indicted on suspicion of making a false report that he was attacked by two men who shouted racial and homophobic slurs. Read the full story here (The Guardian) Story continues Coin collector jailed for life for murdering fellow enthusiast A coin collector who stabbed a rival to death and then stole his collection has been jailed for life. Danny Bostock, 33, entered the Colchester flat of Gordon McGhee as a burglar and knifed the 52-year-old at least 14 times when he awoke, Ipswich Crown Court heard. After the murder, Bostock searched the flat for the coin collection, which included limited edition Beatrix Potter 50p pieces. Bostock then tried to cause a gas explosion to destroy the evidence. Read the full story here (The Independent) This shocking footage will make drivers think twice about how close they are to the vehicle in front. Highways England released video showing several cars braking sharply and one being struck by a HGV as they try to stop for an incident ahead on the M6 in Cheshire. 57 miles The US defence department has redirected around $1 billion (758 million) to allow construction of part of the US presidents much-trumpeted wall along the US-Mexico border. Army engineers have been given permission to start planning and building 57 miles of 5.5m (18ft) high fencing near the Yuma, Arizona and El Paso, Texas sections of the border. Donald Trump had previously declared Mexico would pay for the wall. Read the full story here (Sky News) Checking your credit on a regular basis is one of the most important money-managing tasks that should be on your to-do list. Checking your credit is vital so you can correct mistakes, spot signs of identity theft, and make sure you have a reasonable credit score. But, how do you check your credit? This step-by-step guide will help you to understand how to get a look at your credit report and credit score. Hands holding a tablet displaying a credit score of 811 Image source: Getty Images. 1. Decide whether you want to check your credit report, credit score, or both Your credit report is a detailed summary of all of your financial accounts, as well as of inquiries made by lenders when you applied for credit. When you pull your credit report, you can see all the accounts you currently have open, as well as accounts you've recently closed. Your report details the current balance on your credit cards or loans as well as your credit limit. It also shows whether you've always paid on time or have been 30, 60, or 90 days late. Judgements against you and charge-offs are also shown on your report, as well as lenders who've looked at your credit recently in response to your request to obtain financing (these are inquiries). Pulling your credit report is important because you want to see if there are inquiries you don't recognize or accounts you didn't open -- both of which could indicate identity theft. You also want to find out if any creditors are reporting inaccurate info, such as late payments you didn't make. Your credit score, on the other hand, is a three digit number lenders use as a shortcut to determine if you're creditworthy. You actually have tons of different credit scores, as credit scoring agencies and lenders have proprietary formulas they use to assign you a score. The two most commonly-used scores are your FICO Score and your VantageScore, both of which run on a scale from 300 to 850. You'll want to check your credit score because your score affects whether you'll be approved for a mortgage, personal loans, or credit cards. It also affects the rate you'll pay for financing, and whether landlords and other companies will consider you trustworthy or high risk. Story continues 2. Visit the right website If you want to check your credit report, you can do so at AnnualCreditReport.com. This site was authorized by federal law to provide free copies of your credit reports from each of the three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You're entitled by law to receive one report from each of these credit reporting agencies for free each year. Unfortunately, when you check your report on this website, you will not be able to see your credit score for free. If you want to check your credit score, you'll need to look elsewhere. Many credit card companies allow you to sign into your online account and check your credit score for free, including the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express. Discover also allows anyone to obtain a free FICO Score -- you don't have to be a customer. 3. Request your report or score Once you're on AnnualCreditReport.com -- or on a site that allows you to check your credit score -- you'll need to actually request your report or score. If you're checking your credit score, you can typically start the process just by clicking a button to Continue or See Your Score. But, if you're checking your credit report, you'll need to decide which report to select. Because you're allowed to see a report from each major credit reporting agency once a year, it can make sense to space out your requests. You could pull your TransUnion report in January, your Equifax Report in April, and your Experian report in August, for example. That way, you're looking at your report several times throughout the year and can easily spot mistakes. If this is the first time you've been to AnnualCreditReport.com, it doesn't matter which report you request first and you can go in any order. If you've already pulled one of your reports during the year, you'll need to pick a different one. 4. Input your information In order for your report or score to be pulled, the website you're on is going to need to get some identifying information from you. This includes your Social Security number, full name, date of birth, current address, and other addresses you've lived at in the past two years. This is all valuable and important personal information, so make certain you're on a reliable website before providing it. If you're signed into your credit card's online account and are requesting they provide you with your credit score, you may not need to input all this info since the site already knows who you are. 5. Verify your identity Once you've requested your credit report, you'll be asked some questions to verify your identity. These questions are designed to be things only you know the answers to. You may be asked how long you've had a mortgage on a property you own; what your monthly bills are; what make, model, year, and color your car is; questions about your family relationships, or other details strangers wouldn't know. It can sometimes be hard to remember the answers to these questions -- but if you get them wrong, then you may not be able to see your credit report. Depending on the site you're using to pull your credit score, you may also need to verify your identity before you can see your score. However, many websites that offer free credit scores will ask you to register. This means you input your info once, create an account, then come back again to check your score without going through the whole identity verification process. 6. Review your report or score carefully After you've verified your identity, you'll see your report or your credit score. Be sure to look at each carefully. If you see mistakes or problems on your report, you can dispute inaccurate information by contacting each of the credit reporting agencies. If your credit score is lower than you expected it to be, this can send up a red flag that you should check your credit report to see what's bringing down your score. Check your credit on a regular basis Now you know how simple and easy it is to check both your credit report and your credit score. Go check yours today, and keep checking them often so you'll know how you're doing with building credit -- and can correct any problems quickly if you see something on your report or score that concerns you. The Motley Fool owns and recommends MasterCard and Visa, and recommends American Express. Were firm believers in the Golden Rule. If we wouldnt recommend an offer to a close family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Ascent either. Our number one goal is helping people find the best offers to improve their finances. That is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team. China to buy 300 Airbus planes in a huge blow to Boeing originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The Chinese aviation industry is investing in 300 Airbus planes, delivering a blow to Boeing as the American company continues to deal with the fallout from the safety issues related to two recently downed 737 jets. China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CAS), a Chinese leasing company, will buy a total of 300 Airbus aircraft, the companies announced on Monday during Chinese President Xi Jinping visit with French President Emmanuel Macron. Underscoring the political significance of the deal, both leaders were present at the signing of the agreement. We are honored to support the growth of Chinas civil aviation with our leading aircraft families single aisle and widebodies, Guillaume Faury, President of Airbus Commercial Aircraft and Airbus' future CEO, said in a statement. Our expanding footprint in China demonstrate our lasting confidence in the Chinese market and our long-term commitment to China and our partners. PHOTO: Boeing 737 airplanes are pictured on the tarmac at the Boeing Renton Factory in Renton, Washington, March 12, 2019. (Jason Redmond/AFP/Getty Images, FILE) (MORE: Pressure mounts on FAA as more countries ground or ban the Boeing 737 MAX 8) The Chinese agreed to buy 290 A320 and 10 A350 XWB aircraft. China's aerospace market is integral to both aircraft manufacturers, and Boeing aircraft offered key leverage to President Donald Trump in the trade dispute with China until the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 plane on Mar. 10 and the subsequent grounding of those jets around the world. The cause of the crash has not been determined yet, but the company is fighting to rebuild trust with airlines and customers. PHOTO: An Airbus A350 XWB aircraft, manufactured by Airbus SAS, performs an aerial display during the Dubai Airshow on Nov. 9, 2015, in Dubai. (Victor Fraile/Power Sport Images/Getty Images, FILE) (MORE: Ethiopian Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane 'black box' data now in international hands) China will need 7,400 new passenger and freight planes in the next 20 years, or more than 19 percent of global demand for more than 37,400 new aircraft, according to Airbus China Market Forecast for 2018 to 2037. Last September, Boeing cited similar figures for Chinese demand, saying the company forecast that China will need 7,690 airplanes to meet demand that is expected to increase 6.2 percent annually. Story continues The Airbus deal comes amid a week of deal-making between China and European allies while trade talks with the U.S. remain unresolved. Just days earlier, Italy signed on to become the first developed economy to sign on to China's global investment program for Beijing's "new Silk Road" infrastructure programs, completing $2.8 billion in deals while Xi was in Italy. "With a shared value of safety, be assured that we are bringing all of the resources of The Boeing Company to bear, working together tirelessly to understand what happened and do everything possible to ensure it doesnt happen again," Boeing Chairman and CEO Dennis Muilenburg said in a statement on Tuesday. "Boeing stands together with all our customers and partners to earn and strengthen the flying publics trust and confidence in us every day." ABC News' Jeffrey Cook and David Kerley contributed to this report. China has banned imports from a second Canadian canola firm, its customs administration said Tuesday, the latest escalation of a burgeoning row between the two countries. Following the detection of harmful organisms in canola shipments from Viterra Inc., China's customs authority has decided to revoke the firm's company registration and suspend imports of its canola seeds, it said in an online statement. China's customs administration will "continue to strengthen the on-site quarantine and laboratory testing and identification of imported Canadian canola seeds", it added. At a press briefing Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang called the latest ban "normal quarantine safety precautions" that were "scientific and reasonable", as well as in line with both Chinese laws and international practice. The ban comes less than a month after Beijing removed the export permit of major Canadian canola firm Richardson International, which was blocked following the discovery of "hazardous pests" in its shipments. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland decried the decision, and said that were "no scientific reasons for this action". Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also weighed in, saying on Tuesday that his government is "taking very seriously the situation around canola" and would "continue to work with (China) to resolve this dispute". He added that Ottawa is considering sending a high-level delegation to China to press the issue. China defended its ban as "completely reasonable and legal", and said that it had to protect the health and safety of its citizens. Canada exported more than Can$5 billion (US$3.75 billion) worth of canola last year, with almost half of it -- or about five million tonnes -- going to China, according to industry figures. Relations between Ottawa and Beijing have been thrown into crisis by the December arrest in Vancouver of Meng Wanzhou -- the chief financial officer of telecoms giant Huawei -- at the request of the United States. Story continues Washington wants to put Meng on trial on fraud charges for allegedly violating Iran sanctions and lying about it to US banks, and the case has become a major headache for Ottawa. Following Meng's arrest, China detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor in what observers saw as retaliation. Earlier this month, days after Canada launched an extradition process against Meng, China announced it suspected Kovrig of spying and stealing state secrets and alleged fellow Canadian Spavor had provided him with intelligence. Both men have been denied access to lawyers and allowed only monthly consular visits. Meng is free on bail in Vancouver as the extradition process continues. Her next court date for the start of extradition hearings is May 8. BEIJING, March 26 (Reuters) - China said on Tuesday that most members of the Inter-American Development Bank backed its stance on not "politicizing" its annual meeting, which was canceled in a spat over Venezuela's participation. The bank on Friday called off this week's meeting of its 48 member countries in China after Beijing did not let a representative of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido participate, two sources with knowledge of the decision said. The sources said the decision was made in Washington at a meeting of the executive board of the bank, after China refused to change its position. The IADB is Latin America's largest development lender. Speaking at a daily news briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that China "had difficulty allowing" Guaido's representative to attend as Guaido himself lacked legal standing. China had called on all the participants to avoid the meeting being "politicized," but some countries had tried to force the participation of Guaido's representative, meaning the event could not go ahead, he added. Most of the bank's members endorsed China's position and believed the meeting should focus on financial cooperation and should not be "disturbed by controversial political topics, and are very clear about who thwarted the successful holding of the meeting," Geng said. China believes that its cooperation with the bank and the majority of Latin American countries won't be disturbed, he added. Last Thursday, the United States threatened to derail the March 26-31 meeting unless Beijing granted a visa to Guaido's representative, Harvard economist Ricardo Hausmann. The meeting, slated to bring together finance and development ministers from the lender's members, was meant to mark the bank's 60th anniversary. Guaido invoked the constitution to assume Venezuela's interim presidency in January, saying the re-election of President Nicolas Maduro was not legitimate. Most Western countries have recognized Guaido as head of state, but Russia and China, among others, back Maduro. The Washington-based bank was the first multilateral lender to replace a Maduro-selected representative with one backed by Guaido. The move would eventually open lines of credit to Venezuela should Maduro step down. The International Monetary Fund and World Bank have so far not made a decision on whether to recognize Guaido officially as head of state. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Kim Coghill) As Washington and Beijing continue the year-long tug-of-war on trade, top Chinese officials are sending out some positive signals by emphasizing the common ground on both sides. Chinese regulators promised to further open up the worlds second-largest economy at the China Development Forum, a state-hosted conference in Beijing. They also directly addressed central issues the U.S. negotiators have been pushing, shifting away from its tough stance when trade talks first started one year ago. The key asks the U.S. has put in the negotiation with China fit into our own needs of reforms, said Lou Jiwei, the chairman of China's National Social Security Fund and the former Finance Minister, on Sunday. Lou went on to explain that what the U.S. wants, including the protection of intellectual property, open access to the market, and removal of industry protectionism policies are consistent with our current reform direction. Weve been trying towards this direction for years and the progress weve made is obvious to all, Lou said. China has been setting up IP courts across the country since 2014. In March, it passed the new foreign investment law, which aims to create a level playing field for domestic and foreign firms. The new law bans forced technology transfers, a sticky issue during the year-long trade dispute. Although China said its not under any outside pressure to accelerate the domestic reform, the newly-introduced measures to protect foreign companies are widely seen as efforts to facilitate trade talks with U.S. negotiators, who are expected to meet this week in Beijing and in Washington again in early April to finalize a deal. Opening financial sector for the sake of China One of the bright spots China has been talking about is the opening up of its financial sector. The $40 trillion financial market has been under heavy regulation and capital control. The discussion to grant foreign institutions greater access started before the trade war, but things have sped up in the past year. American Express, for example, won approval to be the first U.S. card network to clear card payments in China in November. Story continues Yi Gang, the governor of Chinas central bank, admits the reform faces some internal resistance from people who worry that giving foreign players a greater role could harm the stability of the domestic financial system. But Yi believes foreign competitors can benefit Chinese people. Given the experience of our opening history, we think that every field that are opening, it's getting more competitive, better services, and any field that are closed, it's less efficient, it's more backwards, said Yi at the forum. China also doesnt want to seem like its caving to the U.S. and that its opening up in exchange for U.S. recognition. Chinese government has this roadmap and timetable, said Yi. They are going to do it for the sake of China. But another top financial regulator seems to care more about what the U.S. has to say. Fang Xinghai, the vice chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), said China's financial sector is well prepared for opening up and signals more could come. "The CSRC is in charge of the securities, public fund and so on. We have no problem opening up and competing in this field. If the U.S. has such a complaint that were too slow, we can also speed up, Fang said. Lets wait and see what will happen." Krystal Hu covers technology and China for Yahoo Finance. Write to her via krystalh@yahoofinance.com Read more: China builds the worlds longest high-speed rail as a rail stalls in the U.S. Apple cuts iPhone XR price for partner sellers in China Amazon eyes closed Sears stores for Whole Foods expansion TORONTO (AP) China has suspended the license of a second major Canadian canola exporter, a blow to $2 billion worth of exports that is widely seen as retaliation for Canada's arrest of a top executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei. China's General Administration of Customs announced Tuesday on its website that officials have detected several hazardous organisms in shipments of canola seeds from Viterra Inc. It said shipments from the company have been blocked to prevent the introduction of pests to China. China announced earlier this month it had halted imports from Canada's other major canola exporter, Richardson International Ltd, also citing contamination. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he might send a high- level delegation to China over the canola issue and acknowledged "challenges" in Canada's relationship with Beijing. China was infuriated by the Dec. 1 arrest of Huawei's chief financial officer on a U.S. extradition warrant alleging fraud and has since arrested several Canadian citizens on charges the government here says are spurious. "Clearly, they want to keep punishing us," said Guy Saint-Jacques, a former Canadian ambassador to China. Canada last year exported $2.1 billion worth of canola seeds to China, by far its largest customer for the grain, which represented 17 percent of all Canadian exports to China. A spokesman for Viterra confirmed the ban and said all of its exports are tested to ensure they meet import standards. "Market access issues such as this one hurt our industry and Canadian farmers. We are hopeful for a quick resolution to this matter," the spokesman said in a statement. Industry officials were skeptical about China's reason for halting imports. Richardson has denied China's allegations of pests. "We're very perplexed about how there can be any change in our canola between this week and eight weeks ago," said Brian Innes, spokesman for the Canola Council. Story continues The arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei's founder at Vancouver's airport has led to the worst relations between Canada and China since the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. "We are in a real mess because of the extradition request of the Americans," Saint-Jacques said. "This is now translating to billions of dollars in lost sales. It's important for the U.S. government to be more forceful and try to help us out." On Dec. 10, China arrested two Canadians in an apparent attempt to pressure Canada to release Meng. A Chinese court also sentenced a Canadian to death in a sudden retrial in December, overturning a 15-year prison term handed down earlier. It is not the first time that Beijing has struck back against a nation that appeared to cross it. In 2010, China suspended a bilateral trade deal with Norway and restricted imports of Norwegian salmon after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Chinese political prisoner Liu Xiaobo. Britain and other countries were also retaliated against over official meetings with the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader who is considered a dangerous separatist by Beijing. A court in China sentenced the country's former head of internet censorship, Lu Wei, to 14 years in prison for bribery on Tuesday, as part of President Xi Jinping's ongoing anti-graft campaign. Lu, who was charged with accepting bribes from 2002 to 2017, was also fined 3 million yuan ($450,000), said the Ningbo Intermediate People's Court in eastern Zhejiang province. He accepted the verdict and will not appeal, the court added in a post on its official Twitter-like Weibo account. Lu, who oversaw a tightening of online censorship during his tenure at the Cyberspace Administration of China, was a fierce defender of China's policy of internet control. In 2015, he explained that censorship was necessary to protect online freedoms, and that "freedom without order doesn't exist". A year later, Lu stepped down from his post, and officials announced he was being investigated for suspected disciplinary violations in 2017. Prosecutors said that Lu used his influence and position at various government organisations, including the Cyberspace Administration of China and Xinhua News Agency, to help others in exchange for benefits. According to the court, Lu had accepted or solicited bribes worth 32 million yuan ($4,770,000). Social media users were blocked from commenting on certain posts on Lu's sentencing, while some media outlets had scrubbed out select responses. The former China internet tsar was once named among the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine. He also met with several Silicon Valley executives, including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who personally welcomed him to the company's Silicon Valley headquarters in 2014. Zuckerberg has made several attempts to woo China's top brass, including Xi, as the US social networking site, along with Twitter and Google, remains blocked by the country's "Great Firewall" of online censorship. Lu is part of a growing group of Communist Party cadres caught in Xi's anti-graft campaign, which critics say has served as a way to remove the president's political enemies. Story continues More than one million officials have been punished so far during Xi's six-year tenure. In October, Meng Hongwei, former Interpol president and vice minister of China's public security bureau, was accused of accepting bribes, after he disappeared on a visit to China from France, where his wife and children live. Last week, Meng's wife urged French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss her husband's case with Xi during his official visit to Paris. In her written appeal, Grace Meng demanded that her husband be allowed to receive visits from his lawyers. Former security head Zhou Yongkang -- who appointed Meng vice security minister in 2004 -- was also accused of bribery, as well as abuse of power and leaking state secrets. In 2015, he was sentenced to life in prison. Danny Bostock, left, has been jailed for the murder of fellow coin collector Gordon McGhee, who he stabbed to death in August 2018. Bostock will serve life with a minimum of 30 years. A coin collector who stabbed a fellow enthusiast to death and then stole his collection has been jailed for at least 30 years. Danny Bostock, 33, entered Gordon McGhees flat as a burglar and knifed him at least 14 times when he awoke, Ipswich Crown Court heard on Tuesday. Judge David Goodin jailed Bostock for life for the savage murder, adding that he must serve 30 years in prison before he can be considered for release. Bostock was cool-headed enough after the murder to search Mr McGhees flat for the coin collection, which included limited edition Beatrix Potter 50p pieces, Judge Goodin said. Danny Bostock has been jailed for life for the murder of coin collector Gordon McGhee at his home in Colchester, Essex. Bostock stabbed him to death over a rare Beatrix Potter 50p. (PA) Bostock then tried to cause a gas explosion to destroy evidence. A jury found Bostock guilty of murder and of attempted arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered. The missing items have not been recovered. Judge Goodin said witnesses described Mr McGhee as a generous man and that Bostock knew of this generosity as Mr McGhee had showed him his personal coin collection. The scene in Colchester, Essex after the death of Gordon McGhee, 52 in August 2018. (SWNS) Addressing Bostock, Judge Goodin said: He gave you one, two or three of them, duplicate coins of which he had more than one, in recognition of your own interest in that area so you could have it for your own collection. When he did that, sparking your immediate and keen interest, he sowed the seeds of his own destruction at your hands. You decided you could have that collection then in the early hours you went after it. Mr McGhee, 52, was found dead in the bedroom of his flat in Colchester, Essex, on August 22 last year. Gordon McGhee, 52, was found knifed 14 times before his attacker fled and tried to torch his flat. Source: Essex Police The scene in Forest Road, Colchester, Essex, after Gordon McGhee, 52, was found murdered in August 2018. (SWNS). Read more from Yahoo News UK: Man with Down syndrome died after being left without food Jack Shepherd to return to UK to fight conviction Millionaires son kills friend in McLaren supercar crash The gas cooker had been left on and a half-burnt dishcloth was left in the hallway following what the judge described as a calculated attempt to destroy the crime scene. Judge Goodin said Bostock placed the lives of neighbours at grave risk by trying to blow up the flat. Story continues Police said DNA on the dishcloth matched Bostocks, and that trainer prints at the scene were linked to him. His DNA was also found on a ripped package used to store Mr McGhees collectable coins, a large quantity of which were missing. Some of the limited edition 50p coin designs issued by the Royal Mint to commemorate Beatrix Potter. Bostock, of Berberis Walk, Colchester, had convictions for 44 previous offences including rape. In a victim impact statement, Toni Smith, whom Mr McGhee regarded as his daughter, said she was paralysed by shock and heartbroken when she was told of his death. Alison Levitt QC, mitigating, said the murder was not pre-meditated but happened when something went terribly wrong during the course of this burglary. She added that Bostock did not go to the flat armed with a knife. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Zayna Achmar, who had been studying clinical psychology at the Chicago branch of Argosy University for three years, was blindsided when the college closed this month. The last days were chaotic and emotional, she said. Professors emptied out their offices, while students ran around trying to get their academic records. Even the library was giving away its books. None of this had been on her mind when the 32-year-old enrolled at the university years ago, hoping to get her doctorate. Several people close to her had gone to the for-profit university, and it was accredited, so she thought it was safe. Over the past semester, Argosy crumbled, it seemed, with little notice. I am not just devastated for myself, but for the professors and everyone else affected, Achmar said. There were warning signs, though students unfamiliar with the world of higher education may not have known where to look for them. In many cases, that unfamiliarity was what brought them to an Argosy branch in the first place. Here's what many of them didn't know. Argosy University is in receivership and facing accreditation issues, while students have not received financial aid funds. For-profit or nonprofit? Most American colleges are tax-exempt. Whether they're public or private, revenue from tuition and donations are supposed to go back into the university. For-profits like Argosy University are supposed to make money. (Argosy tried to convert to a nonprofit college in 2017, but the U.S. Department of Education rejected that change before the college closed.) What's happening: Trouble at for-profit colleges in 5 graphs Those universities often appeal to students for their ease of access and flexible hours: They often offer classes close to where students live and at night, to accommodate work schedules. They make enrolling easy and market to students a clear career path and a better life in an attainable time frame. In the fall 2018 semester, U.S. four-year for-profits enrolled nearly 765,000 students. (Thats down about 15 percent from fall 2017, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse.) Story continues They advertise with great gusto and capture attention in a way that, say, a community college cant. They also have a reputation for high-profile closures. In 2018, the Education Corp. of America's 75 campuses shut their doors. In 2016, ITT Technical Institute closed. In 2015, it was the for-profit Corinthian College that fell. The list goes on: More than 100,000 students have been displaced by closings of colleges chains since 2015, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. Often, the closures came after the federal government had started monitoring the colleges' use of student-loan money. But why? The reason dozens of for-profit colleges closed in December When colleges close, students must pick up the pieces. And while they can in many cases get their federal student loan forgiven, there is no making up for lost time or the income they gave up while they were in class. It's also unclear if other institutions will take the credits they earned. Even those who complete their programs might still find themselves at a disadvantage. More debt, lower salaries Those who attend a for-profit certificate program are 1.5 percent less likely to be employed, compared with peers in a public program. The for-profit students, if they find employment, also earn 11 percent less than their counterparts, according to a study co-authored by Stephanie R. Cellini, a professor at George Washington University who studies for-profits. Research is clear, Cellini said: Students at for-profit universities take on more debt, and often the future gains dont materialize. But those enrolled dont seem to know that. In many cases, they dont even know if theyre enrolled at a public or private institution. In data gathered by the Department of Labor, students were asked to identify if they attended a public or private university. Many failed, Cellini said, to properly identify what kind of college they attended. Students at for-profit schools also have the hardest time paying back their federal students loans. According to the Department of Education, from fall 2014 to fall 2017, 15.6 percent of for-profit students who started to repay their loans eventually defaulted. In contrast, only about 10 percent of students who went to public schools defaulted, and roughly 7 percent of private-school students. It's not just undergrad: At some law schools, graduates can't pass the bar Choosing a law school? 5 questions you should absolutely ask Then why enroll? It's easy and the degrees make more sense "Flexible learning," an "affordable tiered tuition plan" and more than "$16 million in scholarships" in the past academic year, Argosy University's website boasted as recently as Feb. 20. The site also touted nearly 101,000 graduates and small class sizes. "Perhaps your next step should be on our campus," the site read. Argosy made a good pitch, and it made enrolling easy, too. Many for-profits forgo a drawn-out admissions process or long waits for acceptances. The admissions offices at for-profits are often 'one-stop' shops that make it easy to enroll, said William Tierney, a professor of higher education at the University of Southern California. But the student is frequently not aware of what they have gotten themselves into. What's more, for-profits offer what appear to be clear connections between degrees and jobs. Thats helpful to students who may be unfamiliar with college and the value of a traditional degree. People with a degree in English, for example, dont work in English. They may be technical writers, teachers or even journalists. There are an awful lot of kids who have no idea how to proceed, said Guilbert Hentschke, a professor of education at the University of Southern California. (If that's you, a great place to start is by asking a college admissions office for help navigating the application process or for examples of which degrees can lead to certain careers.) Still, for-profits can fill an important need in preparing students for careers not typically associated with a traditional university education, said Steve Gunderson, president of the Association of Career Education Colleges and Universities, which are for-profit schools. His group has been pushing for an oversight group, preferably through the U.S. Department of Education, that would monitor struggling for-profits and oversee transfers of students when a for-profit suddenly closes. Some warning signs include institutions that are bleeding students or bad student outcomes, which could include low graduation rates. Your best weapon: Research So whats the best way to avoid an institution that might go belly-up? Research, said Cellini. The College Scorecard, which is run by the U.S. Department of Education, collects important metrics about universities such as their graduation rates, the average annual cost and how much students earn after graduating. It also details if the school is public, private or for-profit. Accreditation alone shouldnt put peoples mind at ease, both Cellini and Hentschke said. Different accrediting groups have different criteria. Regional agencies tend to have stricter standards than national accrediting groups, Cellini said. In the case of Argosy, the main warning sign was out there, but harder to spot. The Argosy University branches were on the College Scoreboard's website, but that site didn't include the most recent information about whether the school was under financial monitoring by the Education Department. Those details live on a different part of the department's website and require visitors to download a spreadsheet. (Some listings on the College Scorecard do indicate a school is under financial monitoring, though that information is updated periodically and is not always up to date.) While the university eagerly touted its credentials on its website, it was harder to find information about its financial health. The Education Department had been monitoring the university since 2007 and increased its scrutiny in January as the school's financial struggles worsened. Institutions are not required to report this information to their students. An empty classroom at Argosy University on March 8, 2019, in Phoenix. Students like Achmar interviewed for this story said they received little information about the colleges challenging situation prior to the spring 2019 semester, when they suddenly stopped receiving financial aid. Information about Argosy's financial health likely would have benefited Achmar. She has identified some schools that might take all her credits, though others may require her to take additional classes. She again fells in limbo, and the stress has inflamed a chronic medical condition. But it seems like all she can do now is wait. Maybe if I understood more of the business side of things, I would have been more of an informed consumer, she said. I am definitely more cautious now. I have been screwed by a system. I expected that system to advocate for me and make things right, and they didnt. Education coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation does not provide editorial input. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A college closed, leaving thousands without a degree. How to keep it from happening to you A big question clouding American politics for more than two years was whether anybody from President Donald Trumps winning campaign assisted in Russias interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Special Counsel Robert Muellers criminal investigation, in producing indictments against Russian nationals and former Trump advisers, dropped hints that some people in the Trump campaign had at least wanted to play ball with Russia. In the end, though, Muellers team concluded there was no conspiracy or coordination, just as Trump has long said. 1. What did Mueller conclude? Muellers final report says the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities, according to the four-page letter Attorney General William Barr delivered to Congress. This was despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign, Barr wrote. 2. What clues pointed to the campaigns involvement? An intriguing one involved Roger Stone, a political operative who advised Trump. He hinted during the 2016 campaign that he knew in advance that the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks would release unflattering information hacked from the campaign of Trumps Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Since that hacking was carried out under the guidance of Russian intelligence, according to U.S. investigators, Stone who was arrested on Jan. 25 on charges of witness tampering and making false statements was seen as a possible link between Trump and the Russian election interference. Furthering that idea, Trumps onetime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, says he overheard Stone tell Trump that he was communicating with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange about a massive dump of emails that would damage Hillary Clintons campaign. 3. What was in those emails? First, WikiLeaks released almost 20,000 emails from inside the Democratic National Committee that showed how staffers there had favored Clinton during her primary campaign against Senator Bernie Sanders. That prompted the resignation of the DNCs chairman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Later, WikiLeaks released tens of thousands of emails from the Gmail account of John Podesta, Clintons campaign chairman; this email dump is the one that Stone seemed to know was coming. The material hacked from Podesta produced unflattering headlines about Clinton saying politicians need both a public and private position on tough issues; Clinton allegedly being fed in advance a question that would be posed during a televised debate; and Clinton speaking of her dream of a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders. Looking back on her defeat, Clinton said the WikiLeaks email dumps had been like Chinese water torture. Story continues 4. What other clues were there? Paul Manafort, chairman of Trumps campaign for two months, may have shared polling data with an associate tied to Russian intelligence. Former Trump foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos pursued Russias help in the campaign and interacted with a suspected Russian agent who promised compromising information about Clinton. And as Trump was sewing up the Republican Partys nomination in June 2016, a Russian lawyer offering information on Clinton was granted a meeting at Trump Tower in New York with Trumps eldest son, Donald Jr.; Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner; and Manafort. 5. What did Mueller conclude about all this? Thats not known, since Muellers report to Barr is still secret. Democratic lawmakers have demanded the full report as well as the underlying evidence so they can pursue their own investigations. Muellers team of investigators and prosecutors charged six former Trump advisers, 26 Russian nationals and three Russian companies. Five of the six former Trump advisers have pleaded guilty, though none to charges of helping Russia interfere with the election. (Stone, the sixth, has vowed to fight his charges in court.) A former Federal Bureau of Investigation director, Mueller was called back into service as special counsel to oversee the probe. Eight days before his appointment, Trump had fired the head of the FBI, James Comey, whod been a key player in the investigation. 6. How did this all begin? In April 2016, Democratic Party leaders called in a cybersecurity firm to look at suspicious software on their computers. The firm said it found digital footprints of hackers tied to the Russian government. The Democratic National Committee went public with the news and the suspicion of Russian involvement in June of that year, just after Clinton clinched the partys nomination for president, and just after Assange said his group had upcoming leaks in relation to Hillary Clinton. 7. And WikiLeaks got those emails from Russia? Thats the allegation. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a campaign to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process and Clintons candidacy, and that along the way, Putin and his government developed a clear preference for Trump. Russias efforts included hacking and leaking the emails that undermined Clintons campaign, plus using phony accounts and advertising on Facebook and Twitter to sway American public opinion. U.S. intelligence says Russias General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate, or GRU, gave the emails to WikiLeaks through an intermediary. Some of the emails also were released through the persona of a purported Romanian hacker, Guccifer 2.0, and a website, DCLeaks.com, both of which promoted the hacked information to certain journalists. 8. How does Assange respond? From the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he lives under political asylum, Assange has denied that the Russian government was his source of the hacked emails. But an indictment released by Mueller in July 2018, charging 12 Russian military intelligence officers allegedly assigned to disrupt the U.S. election, said that WikiLeaks asked Guccifer for the hacked emails in order to help promote them in advance of the Democratic National Convention, and that Guccifer responded with instructions on how to access them. 9. What does Putin say? The Russian leader confirmed he did in fact want Trump to win the election but said that was only because Trump was interested in improving U.S.-Russian relations. As for allegations of meddling in the U.S. election, Putin called them utterly ridiculous. 10. What does Trump say? He has always insisted that no evidence would emerge of collusion, which in legal terms would translate to conspiracy. Trump dismisses as a total hoax the suggestion that his campaign welcomed Russian interference. Here are the companies Yahoo Finance is watching today. Theres a new leader for Unilever's (UL) beauty business. The company just hired Sunny Jain from Amazon (AMZN) to head up the division. Jain has been with Amazon for the last 6 years, after spending nearly two decades at Procter and Gamble. Mastercard (MA) is going deeper into international payments. It plans to invest $300 million dollars in the IPO of Network International. That's a Dubai-based company that ranks as one of the largest payment processors in the Middle East. It's been gearing up for an IPO in London and could be valued at $3 billion. A mixed quarter at McCormick (MKC). The spice maker beat on earnings last quarter but sales came up just short of expectations. It was pressured by a miss in consumer sales while its flavor division beat. The CEO says the results show their "fundamentals are very strong" and is confident in growing the company. Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) may be getting some changes to its business model. A group of activist investors are looking to launch a proxy war to remove the company's entire board of directors, according to the latest reports. The firms are claiming that the retailer has failed to adapt to more consumers buying online and has let costs increase. WeWork reported that its losses doubled to about $2 billion last year. The company said its revenue doubled to nearly $1.8 billion but its losses increased as it continued to spend on expanding its network of shared offices overseas. At the end of 2018, the office-sharing company had more than 400,000 members paying for space. An American Airlines Airbus A321 lands at Miami International Airport on Feb. 24, 2019. Passengers on American, Alaska and JetBlue airlines were greeted with travel hassles Tuesday morning due to a brief computer outage. Passengers couldn't check in, and the boarding of flights was held up due to a technical glitch at airline reservations giant Sabre. The problem lasted about 30 minutes, American spokesman Ross Feinstein said. No flights on the airline were canceled. "We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience,'' the airline said in a statement. Sabre also apologized via Twitter, blaming a "system issue.'' Earlier today, Sabre experienced a system issue that impacted some customers. Technical teams were immediately engaged. Systems have recovered and customers are reporting normal operations. We apologize for the inconvenience to those affected. Sabre (@Sabre_Corp) March 26, 2019 During the outage, airlines were telling passengers to be patient, with JetBlue responding to one passenger's tweet: "Hang tight, we'll assist as soon as we can." Hang tight, we'll assist as soon as we can. JetBlue Airways (@JetBlue) March 26, 2019 This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Widespread computer outage briefly affects passengers on American, Alaska and JetBlue airlines Democrats are in charge of the House of Representatives once again, and so they have placed a bill on the House floor that would admit the District of Columbia to the Union as a state. The political motivations are clear. The new state for which they propose the unwieldy name State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth would be reliably Democratic, adding two senators and one representative to the partys totals. There are plenty of reasons to oppose this precise solution, but the issue of taxpaying Americans not having a representative voice in Congress is not easily dismissed. And if Congress wants to address that issue, Puerto Rico, not the District of Columbia, should become our 51st state. Republicans have reason to support such a move along with Democrats. The GOP party platform has favored Puerto Rican statehood for decades, but Republicans have remained wary of acting on the issue, convinced that Puerto Rico, like D.C., would be a reliably blue state. Thats not exactly true. Puerto Rico had a Republican-affiliated governor as recently as 2013, and its current nonvoting delegate to Congress, Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, is a Republican. If Puerto Rico became a state, it is reasonable to believe that Gonzalez-Colon or another Republican would take one of the islands two seats in the Senate. Puerto Rican statehood, besides being the right thing to do on the merits, would also enhance the nations appreciation of federalism and further entrench the conservative value of local control. Puerto Rico differs in significant ways from the rest of the United States, but this should be seen as an asset, not a liability. Admitting it to the union would increase diversity among the states, forcing us to question whether one-size-fits-all federal laws are the best way to govern an increasingly varied people. Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony from its discovery by Christopher Columbus in 1493 until Spain ceded it to the United States after the Spanish-American War in 1899. Other parts of the United States were once Spanish colonies, including Florida and the entire Southwest. Story continues Those lands were sparsely populated, though, which meant that an influx of English-speaking Americans overwhelmed the existing Spanish and Native American populations, making them demographically similar to the rest of the country relatively quickly. This was not the case in Puerto Rico. The islands population at annexation was nearly 1 million, and while some English-speaking people moved to the new colony, they were always a minority. (Even today, roughly 95 percent of Puerto Rico residents speak Spanish as their primary language.) There were religious differences at annexation, too, as the island was majority-Catholic while the rest of the United States was overwhelmingly Protestant, despite several decades of heavy immigration from Catholic countries in Europe. These differences may have accounted, along with then-prevailing racial prejudices, for the ambiguous status of Puerto Rico within the American nation. In 1917, Congress extended American citizenship to anyone born on the island after 1898. In doing so, it recognized that the island was a permanent part of America, while also conveniently allowing draft-age men there to be conscripted as the nation entered the First World War. Under a constitution adopted in 1952, Puerto Rico chose to continue the ambiguous status quo. In that document, the island is called a commonwealth, and the term has come to signify the relationship that exists between Puerto Rico and the federal government a free, associated state whose people are Americans but lack some of the political rights of Americans who live in the 50 states. After five referendums with varying wording and results, that relationship continues to this day. In 2017, Puerto Rican voters chose statehood in a referendum on the islands status. It was the fifth referendum in the past 50 years, but, owing perhaps to its low-turnout or perhaps to Congresss reluctance, no offer of statehood was extended by the federal government, nor did the Puerto Rican government formally request a change in status from free association to full membership in the American union. That leaves the exact legal status of Puerto Rico in limbo, but the island and its residents are without a doubt a part of America. Puerto Ricans are Americans. They serve in our military and contribute to our nation. Yet they lack the voting rights that Americans in the 50 states take for granted. Statehood would rectify that problem, integrating Puerto Rico more closely into the nation of which it is already a part. These points have all been made before by statehood advocates, and they alone would justify granting statehood to Puerto Rico. What is often unsaid is that making Puerto Rico the 51st state would also be good for the rest of America in one specific way: It would remind us why we are a federal republic. Modern advocates of unitary government like to say that states are meaningless nowadays, that the differences between them are so minute that there is no point in honoring them. This was not the attitude of the Founding Fathers, many of whom found even the limited central government imposed by the Constitution to be threatening to the local distinctions between what had originally been separate colonies. It seems trivial to point out now, but there were serious cultural differences among the 13 colonies even when all were majority-Protestant and majority-English. Puritan Massachusetts, Quaker Pennsylvania, and Anglican South Carolina did not view themselves as the same. Sizable ethnic (the Dutch in New York, the Germans in Pennsylvania) and religious (the Catholics in Maryland) minorities added to colonial diversity. Federalism, though primarily a political measure, also worked to preserve these unique subcultures of early America. As the nation grew, the states became more diverse. Louisiana was a French colony when the United States acquired it in 1803, and that distinctive colonial heritage still flavors the culture and the law there today. The Southwest, as already mentioned, was historically Spanish, and Hawaii had a long history as an independent kingdom before being annexed by the United States in 1898. Although our nations cultural differences are less acute than they once were, thanks to internal migration and homogenized mass media, the states still vary from one another. Federalism helps maintain that variation within a united republic. Federalism would help preserve Puerto Ricos culture even as the island would become more deeply integrated with the rest of America. Indeed, Puerto Ricos representatives in Congress would probably call for guarantees of federalism to make sure of that. Although many in the Republican party believe that the island would be thoroughly Democratic as a state, Puerto Rican politicians would not be keen on the national Democratic partys penchant for consolidating power in Washington, D.C. To see how federalism would look if Puerto Rico were admitted as a state, we need only examine our neighbor to the north, Canada. In most respects, Canadians are just like Americans: a majority-English-speaking, majority-Protestant people living in a collection of former British colonies. The exception to the rule is Quebec. When Canada began the gradual process of securing independence from the United Kingdom, federalism was seen as the only way to unite the English-speaking Protestant provinces with the French-speaking Catholic one. And while the differences between Catholic and Protestant are less important to most people nowadays, the differences between French- and English-speaking Canadians remain and have helped preserve the federal nature of Canadas union when other centralizing, progressive trends in Canadian politics might have destroyed it. Even when Canadas government is to the left of ours, federalism is maintained, with foreign affairs and economic policy mostly handled in Ottawa and cultural and educational matters dealt with at the provincial level. We think of Canada and the U.K. as both having socialized health care, and thats true. But the two systems are not managed the same way. Britains National Health Service is the sort of top-down model that conservatives in this country fear; Canadas model is managed by the provinces, not unlike our Medicare system. Both systems would probably entail too much government intrusion for most Americans, but the Canadian version offers more local control, and works better, than Britains. Changes in Canadian governance over the years have involved negotiations between the provinces and the federal government. Disputes over federalism led to conventions between provinces, not just debates in the federal legislature. In the Meech Lake Accord in 1987 and the Charlottetown Accord in 1992, these compromises failed, but even failure in such a scenario is better than huge top-down reforms rammed through without regard for local concerns. A more diverse conglomeration of states would likely lead to similar demands for more local autonomy, which could not come at a better time. The United States government has grown too big and centralized to be controlled by a single executive. Greater variation in geography, size, and culture among the states would force us to appreciate anew the need for federalism and might even lead to a more clearly defined division of powers between the different sovereignties, as found in Part VI of Canadas 1867 constitution. A century of drift away from the American Constitutions vital federalist principles has left them ripe for rediscovery and renewal. Adding a new state to the Union, especially one already accustomed to remaining culturally distinct within the American nation, would spur that process forward. Congress should admit Puerto Rico as a state, and Americans as a whole should embrace the differences within our nation and the federal structure that allows them to coexist in peace. More from National Review We listen to local police and fire departments scanner traffic, but sometimes miss crimes, wrecks, fires or other incidents, especially if they happen overnight. If you know of something were not covering yet, please let Managing Editor Jeff Pownall know by emailing him at jpownall@lufkindailynews.com, or submit a news tip online by visiting lufkindailynews.com/tips. WASHINGTON Presidential hopeful Cory Booker will speak at a major fundraising dinner for the nation's largest gay rights organization Saturday, giving him a chance to woo an increasingly politically active community. The Human Rights Campaign called the New Jersey senator one of the many "pro-equality champions" running for the White House in 2020. That potential field also includes South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, the first major party presidential hopeful with a same-sex spouse. Like many other Democratic constituencies, however, gay rights organizations are taking their time deciding who in the crowded field of hopefuls has the best chance of ousting President Donald Trump. "We want to defeat Donald Trump and Mike Pence, No. 1, with four exclamation points," JoDee Winterhof, senior vice president for policy and political affairs, recently told USA TODAY when asked about HRC's expected involvement in the 2020 elections. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the nations largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization, will co-host a forum for 2020 Democratic presidential candidates this fall. Saturday's dinner, which is in Los Angeles, is expected to bring together around 1,000 active members and supporters. Celebrities expected to attend include Christina Aguilera, who is being honored by the group. The activism follows closely on a record number of LGBTQ candidates winning office in the 2018 elections in which the community provided some of the energy that helped Democrats take the House and many governorships across the country. Booker has consistently sided with the HRC on its most important issues, including championing non-discrimination legislation, according to the organization. He also spoke at major HRC dinners or galas in 2012, 2013 and 2015. "Senator Booker has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to our community and we are honored to welcome him to one of our most crucial events of the year," said HRC president Chad Griffin. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cory Booker snags speaking spot at major LGBTQ dinner TBILISI, Georgia (AP) A fugitive British man wanted for the manslaughter of a woman killed during a London date on a speedboat is to be extradited from Georgia, a court ruled Tuesday. Jack Shepherd, 31, vanished while on bail over the manslaughter of 24-year-old Charlotte Brown, who died when his speedboat hit a log and flipped on the River Thames in London in December 2015. The pair, who met on a dating website, had spent the evening at a restaurant before taking to the river. The web designer showed up at a police station in Tbilisi, Georgia, in January and turned himself in. He was tried in absentia in Britain and sentenced last year to a six-year prison term. The victim's family and politicians including Prime Minister Theresa May had called on Shepherd to hand himself in. Shepherd's lawyer Tariel Kakabadze told reporters after the ruling that his client had agreed to be extradited and was eager to "answer all the questions" that he did not get a chance to address while the trial went on without him. Shepherd said at the previous hearing that he wish he could "sit down with Charlotte's family and explain" what happened. Associated Press Voters in the South Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia are set to decide Sunday whether to break away from France, a referendum that is important for French geopolitical ambitions and is being closely watched amid growing Chinese influence in the region. The process is aimed at settling tensions between native Kanaks seeking independence and those who want the territory to remain part of France. The accord provided for the progressive, accompanied and irreversible transfer of powers from the French state to New Caledonia, except in the areas of defense, public security, justice, foreign affairs and currency. In the first such referendum in 2018, 43.6% of voters supported independence, and 46.7% favored it in a second vote held in 2020. Charges against Jussie Smollett dropped (AP Photo/Matt Marton, File) Criminal charges against Jussie Smollett have been dropped after being accused of faking a police report claiming he was attacked earlier this year. Back in January, it was reported that the Empire star was victim to a racist and homophobic attack though the tides swiftly turned against him and he was accused of making it all up in order to leverage more money from the show. Smollett was facing 16 felony charges in Chicago but on Tuesday they were all dropped by the Cook Country State Attorneys office. This has been an incredibly difficult time, honestly one of the worst of my entire life, Smollett said. But I am a man of faith and I am a man that has knowledge of my history and I would not bring my family, our lives or the movement through a fire like this. I just wouldnt. The actors lawyers, Tina Glandian and Patricia Brown Holmes told Buzzfeed News that his record had been wiped clean. Read more: Line of Duty creator plotting the end of the show Jussie Smollett expressed his gratitude to his fans for their support after all charges against him of lying to police were dropped on Tuesday. He was a victim who was villified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgment, the lawyers said. Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions. The entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. A spokesperson for the Cook County State Attorneys office said: After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollets volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case. Read more Avengers: Endgame run-time revealed Smollett has been accused of orchestrating the alleged attack with two brothers, who were extras on Empire, in order to gain public sympathy and increase his salary during the negotiations with Fox. He was also accused of sending a letter threat to himself and was subsequently fired from the Fox show after Chicago P.D. filed criminal charges. His family, in a statement, maintained that he was always innocent. He was the victim of an assault and then falsely blame for his own attack, they said. This morning truth has prevailed and he has been vindicated. Tehran (AFP) - The death toll from major floods swamping much of Iran has risen to 21, emergency services said Tuesday, as authorities sent safety warnings to mobile telephones across the country. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a message of condolence urging officials to speed up relief efforts and compensation for victims of the floods, which the authorities described as unprecedented. The disaster, which the energy minister blamed on climate change, struck in the middle of Iranian New Year holidays, with many relief workers on vacation. Nineteen people were killed and 98 injured in the southern city of Shiraz, while one person died in the western province of Kermanshah and another in Lorestan, also in the west, rescue services said. At least 110 people were reported wounded, according to the health ministry. With 20 of Iran's 31 provinces experiencing floods or facing an imminent threat, the country's National Crisis Management Committee was activated at the cabinet level. Iran's meteorological service has warned of more heavy showers until Wednesday, and flood warnings have gone out for central provinces such as Isfahan and the capital Tehran. Overnight the crisis management committee sent out multiple text messages to all mobile telephones in Iran urging people to be cautious and await instructions from official sources. "Remain calm when facing possible dangers... do not honk your car horns in mountainous regions as it might cause avalanches," one of the messages read. "Do not setup tents near rivers or mountainous areas... and most importantly do not cross bridges when floods are running underneath," read another one. The floods followed extreme rainfall which at times was equivalent to half of the average annual levels within 24 hours. It follows major floods on March 19 in the northeastern provinces of Golestan and Mazandaran, for which no official casualty toll has been given. Story continues Such a widespread flood threat is unprecedented in arid Iran, which until 2018 was dealing with decades of drought. "Climate change is forcing itself on our country," said Energy Minister Reza Ardekanian, who is in charge of dams and water supply. "These unprecedented floods in our country are because of climate change worldwide," he said on Monday, quoted by the Tasnim news agency. WASHINGTON Goodbye Mueller investigation, hello health care. Just two days after special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation was shown to have found no collusion between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia during the 2016 election, Democrats were largely united in moving away from the issue, including impeachment. They viewed it as a political gift when the Trump administration told a federal court Monday that it would ask judges to toss out the 2010 Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. I believe that the Mueller report has been done. That's a chapter that's closed. And I think that last night, this administration opened a new chapter when it moved to completely invalidate the Affordable Care Act," House Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn told CNN Tuesday morning. In a meeting of House Democrats Tuesday morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi briefly discussed a four-page summary of Mueller's investigation sent to Congress by Attorney General William Barr. Democrats have demanded a copy of the full Mueller report. But her comments emphasized moving forward on the Democratic policy agenda, according to a copy of her remarks provided by a congressional aide. Were focusing right now on some of the bills that were going to be bringing to the floor," Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-Fla., said after the meeting. House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., opened his weekly leadership press conference by talking about the Trump administration's call to get rid of Obamacare. He addressed the Mueller report minimally, to remind reporters that Democrats didn't take over the House because of impeachment. We won control of the House of Representatives, not focused on Russia, not focused on collusion, not focused on impeachment, not focused on obstruction of justice, but focused on health care, and on infrastructure and on cleaning up corruption in Washington D.C.," he said. Story continues Obamacare fight: White House says it wants a court to throw out health law Trump's victory lap: Will Mueller outcome help Trump in 2020? Trump and his allies have taken a victory lap since the findings were announced Sunday. The president joined Republican senators for lunch at the Capitol Tuesday where he told reporters, "the Mueller report was great. It could not have been better. It said no obstruction, no collusion, it could not have been better.'" In a letter to Congress Sunday, Attorney General William Barr said that Mueller's probe did not find evidence Trump or members of his campaign conspired with Russia's efforts to influence the 2016 election. But the report left "unresolved whether the president's actions and intent could be viewed as obstruction." At the Capitol, Trump said the GOP message on Obamacare following his administration's announcement Monday was "The Republican Party will soon be known as the party of health care. You watch. Even Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a progressive who has been vocal about her desire to see Trump out of office, distanced herself from impeachment Monday. Whats tough, is impeachment, in principle, is something that I openly support, but its also just the reality of having the votes in the Senate to prove that. So thats something we have to take into consideration," Ocasio-Cortez responded when asked whether impeachment should remain on the table. She said the Mueller report shouldn't change Democrats' political calculus going forward because it was never the pillar of what they campaigned on, even in her "deep blue district." Ocasio-Cortez was echoing a stance being pushed by Democratic leadership. Last week, before the summary had been released, in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY, Pelosi dismissed progressives who were calling for impeachment and said that it would be "a gift to the president." Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., insisted Tuesday morning that Democrats weren't pivoting to health care from Mueller because they had been focused on it the whole time, along with the rest of their agenda. "We have been in a place for a long period of time where we said 'impeachment was a distraction' and that we were not pursuing impeachment," Hoyer said. He acknowledged that there were still members who "feel very, very strongly that this president is, by actions, by words, not qualified nor appropriate to be United States." Regardless, he said, impeachment "is not on the table." One Democrat who disagrees is Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. During that same Tuesday morning meeting, Tlaib pitched a resolution that would call for a Judiciary Committee investigation into whether Trump as president has committed any impeachable offenses, according to her spokesman, Denzel McCampbell. "We all swore to protect our nation, and that begins with making sure that no one, including the President of the United States, is acting above the law," Tlaib wrote in a letter she has been circulating with colleagues and obtained by USA TODAY. Democrats haven't completely abandoned the Mueller report. They've demanded the full report, by April 2, according to Hoyer. And they say they are prepared for a fight if they don't get the document, which could include issuing a subpoena. Contributing: Todd Spangler with the Detroit Free Press, Bart Jansen and Maureen Groppe with USA TODAY Related: This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democrats' strategy on Mueller report: Steer clear of impeachment, talk about health care Washington (AFP) - US lawmakers may be insisting on the release of Robert Mueller's entire report, but senior Democrats warn that fixating on investigations of President Donald Trump could alienate voters in 2020. Trump, claiming vindication after his recently installed Attorney General Bill Barr concluded that the report shows Trump did not collude with Russia regarding the 2016 US election, has said he welcomes the report's publication. Several Republicans have followed his lead. But Democrats, aware that nothing quite fires up their base like a denunciation of the deeply controversial Trump, were left performing a delicate dance as they prepare to wage campaigns to oust him from the White House. Several of the Democratic presidential hopefuls demanded release of the full findings and mulled their next steps, but they and their allies warned of potential overreach. "How 2020 candidates communicate with voters is up to them, but generally speaking none of them seem to see Mueller and Russia as a winner," said Senator Brian Schatz, six of whose Democratic Senate colleagues are running for president. "We have to do our oversight job, but that doesn't mean we're campaigning on this issue," he told AFP. "We're campaigning on health care and economics and climate action." Senator Amy Klobuchar, a moderate contender for the nomination, concurred, telling CBS on Monday that while it is imperative for lawmakers and the American public to see the published Mueller report before charting a path forward, "2020 is going to be very focused on economic issues." "So guess what? We can do two things at once: ensure the law is followed, and make sure we're focusing on an optimistic economic agenda for this country." Dark horse candidate Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, went further, saying on MSNBC that "it would be a mistake for Democrats to think that the way for the Trump presidency to end is by way of investigation." Story continues - 'Learn from our mistakes' - Trump is unquestionably riding high. He claims credit for a robust economy and has trumpeted the recent defeat of the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria. Barr's determination that there was no evidence of collusion was a boost to his re-election prospects, and the unburdened president will be free to knock his Democratic rivals when he holds a campaign rally Thursday in Michigan. While the prospects for Trump's impeachment have receded, many Democrats say their questions have just begun. Democrats have seized on one line of Mueller's text, quoted in Barr's summarizing letter to Congress, that "while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." They also take note that Mueller's report declined to conclude whether Trump obstructed justice. The Democratic chairs of six House committees, including panels on the judiciary, oversight and finance, wrote to Barr demanding that the full report, underlying evidence and documents to be delivered to Congress by April 2. They also plan to press on with their probe of Trump through existing congressional investigations. Zac Petkanas, a 2016 Hillary Clinton aide who is now a Democratic strategist, said that determining whether or not there is evidence of obstruction of justice "should be a question of Congress to decide on what to do, not Donald Trump's hand-picked attorney general." The investigation has ended, he said, "but we don't know what Robert Mueller has said, and until that fact comes to light, this will dog this White House until Donald Trump is no longer there." While Democrats are hardly saying collectively that it's time to move on, many are acknowledging the need to stay laser focused on pocketbook issues during the upcoming election, much as Democrats did in the 2018 midterms when they won back the House of Representatives. "I didn't run any ads about Mueller or about the investigation, seldom got asked about it," said Senator Tim Kaine, who handily won re-election in Virginia last year. "People want to talk about health care." Some Republicans, aware of a potentially overzealous effort by Democrats to pursue a deep dive on the Russia investigation or even push for Trump's impeachment, pointed to the cautionary tale from 20 years ago, when their party, accused of waging a partisan political war, lost House seats during the debate over impeaching Bill Clinton. Senator Lindsey Graham, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, offered simple advice to Democrats: "Learn from our mistakes." By Jeff Mason and Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A fight brewed between Democrats and Republicans over the public release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, while President Donald Trump kept up attacks on his critics on Monday. As the Senate Judiciary Committee's Republican chairman called for an investigation into the origins of the probe of any Trump campaign links with Russians, the Senate leader blocked a second attempt by Democrats to pass a measure aimed at pushing the Justice Department into full disclosure of the report. Six committee chairs in the Democratic-led House of Representatives called on U.S. Attorney General William Barr, in a letter seen by Reuters, to release the full Mueller report to Congress by April 2. Earlier this month, the House voted 420-0 in favor of making the report public, with no Republican opposition. Barr on Sunday released a four-page summary of conclusions of the investigation that detailed Russian interference but cleared the Republican president's campaign team of conspiring with Moscow. No one outside the Justice Department has yet seen the report, including the White House. The Justice Department has not said whether it will release Mueller's full report, but Barr has said he will be as transparent as possible. A person familiar with the matter said there were no plans at this time to show the Mueller report to the White House. Trump on Monday vented his anger at the inquiry and vowed investigations into unnamed political enemies who did "evil" and "treasonous things." The probe left unresolved the question of whether Trump engaged in obstruction of justice. Senator Lindsey Graham, the Republican Senate Judiciary Committee chairman and a Trump ally, told reporters he would ask for an investigation. Barr told Graham in a telephone call that he would be willing to testify to the panel about the Mueller probe, according to a spokesman for the senator. Republican U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, noting that it took nearly two years for Mueller to conduct his investigation, said after blocking the Democratic measure: "It's not unreasonable to give the special counsel and the Justice Department just a little time to complete their review in a professional and responsible manner." Trump said on Monday that "it wouldn't bother me at all" if the report were released but that it was up to Barr. The end of the Mueller inquiry did not spell the end of the investigative pressure on Trump by Democrats, who gave no indication of easing up on their multiple congressional investigations into his business and personal dealings. Democratic lawmakers were likely to face a protracted legal battle that will turn on Trump's right to keep communications with his advisers private, legal and political experts said. One of Trump's lawyers, Jay Sekulow, said at least part of the report should be withheld. Sekulow said it "would be very inappropriate" to release the president's written answers to questions posed by the special counsel, calling the responses provided in November confidential. After lengthy negotiations, Trump reversed his previous stance that he would be willing to submit to an in-person interview with the Mueller team, ultimately agreeing only to provide written answers. FIGHTING BACK The president and his allies in Congress went on the offensive as the summary gave him a political victory ahead of his 2020 re-election bid, with no allegations of criminal wrongdoing brought against him. "There are a lot of people out there that have done some very, very evil things, very bad things, I would say treasonous things against our country," Trump told reporters at the White House, without mentioning anyone by name or citing specific actions. Trump pledged new investigations but did not specify who would conduct them or who should be targeted. Trump in the past has called for investigations of Hillary Clinton, the Democrat he defeated in 2016. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders called for congressional hearings to investigate prominent Trump critics including former U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI Director James Comey and other FBI figures. In an appearance on NBC's "Today" program, Sanders said: "The media and Democrats have called the president an agent of a foreign government. That is an action equal to treason, which is punishable by death in this country." Asked if Trump owed Mueller an apology, Sanders added: "I think Democrats and the liberal media owe the president and they owe the American people an apology." Trump had repeatedly accused Mueller, a former FBI director, of running a "witch hunt" with a team of "thugs" and having conflicts of interest. But asked on Monday if Mueller had acted honorably, Trump said: "Yes." Mueller, who submitted his confidential report on his findings to Barr on Friday, neither accused Trump of obstruction of justice in trying to impede the investigation nor exonerated him of obstruction, according to the summary. Barr said he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller, concluded the investigation's evidence "is not sufficient to establish that the president committed an obstruction-of-justice offense." The Mueller investigation had cast a cloud over Trump's presidency but he has declared himself fully exonerated, despite what Barr's summary said on the obstruction of justice issue. On March 5, Mueller visited the Department of Justice's main office in Washington to meet with Barr and Rosenstein and told them he would not be reaching a conclusion with respect to obstruction, a decision that was unexpected, a department official said. The Kremlin said on Monday that President Vladimir Putin was ready to improve ties with the United States following the release of Barr's summary and called on Washington to formally recognize there was no collusion. Russia repeated its denial of U.S. intelligence agencies' findings that it meddled in the election. Mueller, in previous legal filings, described a Russian campaign to interfere in the election through hacking and propaganda to sow discord in the United States, harm Clinton and boost Trump. Mueller charged 12 Russian intelligence officers, 13 other Russians accused of taking part in a disinformation campaign and three Russian companies. (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Susan Heavey; Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell, Mark Hosenball, Sarah N. Lynch, Doina Chiacu, Makini Brice, David Morgan and Lawrence Hurley in Washington and Tom Balmforth and Maxim Rodionov in Moscow; Writing by Will Dunham and Grant McCool; Editing by Bill Trott and Peter Cooney) Former Enron executive Jeffrey Skilling is on the crypto trial after years in jail. | Source: AP Photo/Pat Sullivan, File A little over a month after being released from prison for his involvement in one of the grandest corporate scandals in history, Jeffrey Skilling, the former chief executive of collapsed U.S. energy giant Enron is reportedly eyeing the blockchain sector, according to the Wall Street Journal report. The report adds that Skilling has met with ex-Enron executives as well as software developers and blockchain and cryptocurrency specialists. Per sources, the early-stage project is basically a digital platform which will connect investors to energy projects. One of the former Enron executives who has already pledged his support for the project is Lou Pai. According to NPR, Pai made approximately $270 million after cashing Enrons stocks prior to the collapse of the energy giant. Skillings Blockchain Project Covered Under a Hood of Secrecy The exact nature of Skillings blockchain project remains mysterious though as the people he has met have inked nondisclosure agreements. Skilling reportedly developed the idea in 2015 while serving time at a Montgomery correctional facility in Alabama. He is said to have been worried that by the time of his release someone else would have come up with it. Though little is known about Skillings blockchain idea, except that it is targeting the energy sectors, the report comes at a time when this particular industry has embraced blockchain technology in a variety of areas. This includes trading, quality control, and tracking. Read the full story on CCN.com. A dog who went missing at an Atlanta airport on Saturday has been found and reunited with one of her owners. Gale, a prize-winning show dog from the Netherlands, has been reunited with her owner after disappearing at an Atlanta airport and going missing for days. (Photo: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport ) HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport tweeted the good news on Tuesday, three days after the prize-winning show dog from the Netherlands disappeared while being loaded onto a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight. Gale, an American Staffordshire terrier, was heading home from an event in Kentucky. One of her owners, Floris Van Essen, told ABC News earlier this week that he and his wife panicked after learning their dog had apparently vanished. Were really missing a family member, Van Essen said at the time. We dont have any children, the dogs are our children. Van Essen told ABC that staff said they found Gales crate empty when they went to load it onto the plane. However, KLM said in a statement to HuffPost that the dog broke out of the cage while workers were loading her into cargo. Rescuers searched 4,600 acres of field surrounding the airport, a spokesman told ABC. Local news station WSB-TV reported that a wildlife biologist was involved in the effort to track down Gale. People searched more than 4,000 acres of fields surrounding the airport to find Gale. (Photo: NNehring via Getty Images) The airport tweeted Tuesday afternoon that she had been spotted in an airfield thicket that morning and that staff had set out a baited trap for her. The plan apparently worked, with the airline tweeting out photos showing the elusive dog back in safe hands not long after. Gale, back in safe hands at last. (Photo: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport) The incident comes days after a dog was found dead in the cargo hold of a KLM flight following the planes arrival in Los Angeles. This story was updated throughout after Gale reunited with her owners. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. Related Coverage If You Love Your Pet, Think Twice Before Checking Them As Airplane Cargo Rogue Cat Rescued After Hiding Out In New York Airport For Over A Week Also on HuffPost Purebred Golden Retriever dog outdoors on a sunny summer day. Senior man walking with his German Shorthaired Pointer in city park Senior dog with a missing fang Old senior retired bluetick coonhound pet hunting dog lying down on blanket looking sleepy tired exhausted relaxed sad depressed sick ill frail comfortable lonely It is now over a decade since Bella's mum broke loose one night. However, Bella still enjoys life to the extreme; she loves going for walks, but when it is going uphill, frequent rest stops are called for. She loves flopping flat on the floor and watching the world go by and this typical stance begs the question: 'How can anyonw resist?a An old dog resting in grass. Senior Husband And Wife Who Take A Walk In The Meadow With A Dog Senior Chocolate Labrador Retriever standing on dock A woman pets her dog An older dog. Senior German shorthaired pointer female, almost 15 years old Portrait of Woman with Golden Retreiver This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said on Monday that he will use his authority as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee to potentially "look into the other side" of the story now that special counsel Robert Muellers investigation is complete. Mueller's report into the Kremlin's interference in the 2016 presidential election did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia, according to a letter to Congress from Attorney General William Barr. The letter describes "two main" Russian efforts to influence the election including "attempts by a Russian organization to conduct disinformation and social media operations in the United States" and "the Russian governments efforts to conduct computer hacking operations" targeting former Secretary of State Hillary Clintons presidential campaign and the Democratic Party. Graham, one of President Donald Trumps staunchest allies on Capitol Hill, said he would like to "find somebody like a Mr. Mueller" to look into several other grievances, which he laid out to reporters during a press conference, including why the FBI spied on Trump associate Carter Page, and the 2016 airport tarmac meeting between former attorney General Loretta Lynch and former President Bill Clinton. "When it comes to the FISA warrant, the Clinton campaign, the counterintelligence investigation, its pretty much been swept under the rug ... those days are over, he said. Im going to get answers to this." He added: "If the shoe were on the other foot, it would be front page news all over the world. The double standard here has been striking and quite frankly disappointing." Graham, like most Democrats and several other Republican senators, also called for the public release of the Mueller report. "My desire is for the public to get as much of the report as possible" Graham said. Several Republicans have indicated that despite the Mueller investigation being over, they want to see the underlying evidence. I appreciate the Attorney Generals quick turnaround in sharing his summary of the Special Counsels report. AG Barr should release as much of the report as possible, without jeopardizing U.S. intelligence sources and methods or ongoing Department of Justice prosecutions, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr said Sunday in a tweet. But other GOP senators also think its time for Congress to move on from investigating Trump. "Democrats in Congress now have a choice to make: accept the findings of the Mueller report and move on to advancing the business of the American people or instead pander to their fringe base by rejecting the Mueller report and launching politically-motivated and conspiracy-fueled investigations that will further divide our country," GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said in a statement. Graham also vowed to bring in Attorney General William Barr before his committee to testify on the investigation and its findings. But it was unclear if he intends to call in Mueller. "I don't know the answer to that about the special counsel himself," Graham said. "Let's start with Mr. Barr, who is in charge of the Department of Justice. I want you to know as much as you possibly can know. It's a big deal." Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Lunaticoutpost.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program , anaffiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.Amazon, the Amazon logo, MYHABIT, and the MYHABIT logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.Don't be a pest to the forum.No profanity in thread-titles or usernamesNo excessive profanity in postsNo Racism, Antisemitism + HateNo calls for violence against anyone..This website exists for fun and discussion only. The reader is responsible for discerning the validity, factuality or implications of information posted here, be it fictional or based on real events. The content of posts on this site, including but not limited to links to other web sites, are the expressed opinion of the original poster and are in no way representative of or endorsed by the owners or administration of this website. The posts on this website are the opinion of the specific author and are not statements of advice, opinion, or factual information on behalf of the owner or administration of LunaticOutPost.Com. The owners or administration of this website can't be hold responsible for content hosted on sites that posters link to in; including, but not limited to, posts, signatures, private messages and such. This site may contain content not suitable for minors and if you feel you might be offended by such content, you should log off immediately.This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Users may make such material available in an effort to advance awareness and understanding of issues relating to civil rights, economics, individual rights, international affairs, liberty, science & technology, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.In accordance with industry accepted best practices we ask that users limit their copy / paste of copyrighted material to the relevant portions of the article you wish to discuss (no more than 50% of the source material) provide a link back to the original articleIf you are a legal copyright holder or a designated agent for such and you believe a post on this website falls outside the boundaries of "Fair Use" and legitimately infringes on yours or your clients copyright please contact [email protected] This website is owned by :Marco ZwaneveldDrijfriemstraat 522516 XR The HagueNetherlands.I will not rent, sell, share or otherwise disclose your personal information to any third party.We might contact you from time to time regarding your purchases or the services (like forums and announcement lists) you have subscribed to.Some of the 3rd party advertisers on lunaticoutpost.com may use cookiesto track peformance and/or to serve relevant ads.If you wish to read more and/or opt out of such cookies, please visit: http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/ SANTO DOMINGO, March 25 (Reuters) - Dominican President Danilo Medina met Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua on Monday, the president's office said, deepening ties between the countries as the United States warns governments in the region against getting too close with China. The leaders met to follow up agreements that the countries struck in November and also reached two new accords on economic cooperation, the Dominican government said. The meeting is among the first official visits between the countries since the Dominican Republic cut ties with Taiwan and established relations with Beijing last May. Panama and El Salvador have also made the switch in recent years. "The representatives of the Chinese government emphasized the interest they have in supporting the (Dominican Republic) in increasing its exports to China and promoting a greater flow of tourists from that nation to ours," the Dominican government said in a statement. U.S. President Donald Trump last Friday in Florida pledged investment in a meeting with five Caribbean leaders, including Medina. The White House had said earlier in the week that Trump wanted to work with leaders to "counter China's predatory economic practices." The United States and China are embroiled in trade disputes, with talks to resolve them apparently in the final stages. Trump and the leaders did not discuss Chinese investment issues, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness told reporters after the meeting. (Reporting by Jorge Pineda; writing by Julia Love; editing by Grant McCool) SANTO DOMINGO (Reuters) - Dominican President Danilo Medina met Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua on Monday, the president's office said, deepening ties between the countries as the United States warns governments in the region against getting too close with China. The leaders met to follow up agreements that the countries struck in November and also reached two new accords on economic cooperation, the Dominican government said. The meeting is among the first official visits between the countries since the Dominican Republic cut ties with Taiwan and established relations with Beijing last May. Panama and El Salvador have also made the switch in recent years. "The representatives of the Chinese government emphasized the interest they have in supporting the (Dominican Republic) in increasing its exports to China and promoting a greater flow of tourists from that nation to ours," the Dominican government said in a statement. U.S. President Donald Trump last Friday in Florida pledged investment in a meeting with five Caribbean leaders, including Medina. The White House had said earlier in the week that Trump wanted to work with leaders to "counter China's predatory economic practices." The United States and China are embroiled in trade disputes, with talks to resolve them apparently in the final stages. Trump and the leaders did not discuss Chinese investment issues, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness told reporters after the meeting. (Reporting by Jorge Pineda; writing by Julia Love; editing by Grant McCool) WASHINGTON Emboldened by special counsel Robert Mueller's finding that there was no collusion with Russia in the 2016 election, President Donald Trump and his Republican allies are going on offense over the issue as he heads into next year's campaign. After Attorney General William Barr's summary of Mueller's conclusions exonerated Trump on the question of collusion, White House aides and Trump surrogates came out swinging in an effort to discredit Democratic critics, the media and the Justice Department over the now-completed 22-month probe. Trump described Mueller's probe as an "illegal take-down that failed" and urged "somebody" to look into the origins of the collusion allegations. On Thursday, he will have a chance to tout the outcome and press his criticisms when he heads to Michigan for one of the first rallies of his reelection campaign. "After all this politically commissioned investigation has put Trump associates through, it's clear the bogus inquiry requires scrutiny," said Michael Caputo, a former Trump campaign aide. "If there is no investigation to get to the bottom of this, there is no real justice in America at all." Nearly 500 witnesses, 675 days: The Mueller investigation by the numbers Post-Mueller report: Senate moves to investigate the Russia probe Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said that both he and the president would continue to hammer Democrats and reporters who promoted what they regard as a bogus conspiracy theory of a conspiracy with Russia. "I wish they would slow down one bit and say, 'I'm sorry,'" Giuliani said. "We're going to keep demanding that." Democrats disagreed with Trump's claim of full vindication. The Mueller investigation did not "exonerate" the president of obstruction, although it did not conclude that he had done so, according to Barr's four-page summary. Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said that after reviewing the report, they determined there was not enough evidence to establish obstruction of justice. Story continues Democrats have demanded the full Mueller report and questioned whether political motivations played a role in Barr's determination to clear Trump on obstruction of justice. The impact on 2020: Donald Trump takes victory lap over Mueller result. Will it help him in 2020? The rest of the Mueller report: DOJ offers no clue when full report could be released; House leaders want it April 2 Trump on offense Combined with claims of vindication emanating ever more loudly from Trump's orbit, some White House aides have criticized individual Democrats most notably Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee while others have called for additional investigations into how and why the Justice Department began its probe into Russia in the first place. The strategy "is a bracketing attempt to extinguish any hope that congressional Democrats will continue to try to use this to damage the president over the next 18 months," said Ron Bonjean, a longtime GOP political strategist. Trump allies have raised the prospect of an investigation into the Justice Department and contend that the president was the victim of a "witch hunt," even though House Republicans spent months investigating similar questions and found no direct evidence the department's conduct was motivated by politics. Vindication?: Muellers report found no Russia collusion, but vindication remains elusive for Trump Schiff: Republicans call for Rep. Adam Schiff to resign, step down from intelligence committee 'Classic frame-up' "What they should really be investigating is who started all this," Giuliani said Monday, echoing what has become a leading refrain for Trump surrogates. "This was a classic frame-up. It didn't come out of thin air." Trump wants to "definitely find out how all this happened, so it won't happen again," Giuliani said. "He has said, publicly and privately, that this should not happen to a future president." As of yet, there has been no indication that the White House is weighing action to punish the FBI or to use exoneration on collusion to interfere with separate investigations into Trump's business dealings that are being led by state and federal prosecutors in New York. Special counsel Robert Mueller and his wife, Ann, at a church across from the White House on March 24, 2019. Pardon push back Beyond using the Mueller conclusion as campaign fodder, Trump's ability to punch back against the inquiry is limited, experts said. The president could fire Justice Department officials, including U.S. attorneys, but such acts carry new legal and political risks for the White House. Trump threatened to fire former Attorney General Jeff Sessions for months before finally forcing his resignation in November. Trump could pardon any of the half-dozen former associates who have been caught up in Mueller's probe or ongoing investigations by federal prosecutors in New York, though neither Trump nor his aides have offered any indication he would do so. Neither Trump nor his aides have ruled out pardons at some point in the future. Havent thought about it, Trump said Monday when asked about pardons. Brian Kalt, a constitutional law professor and presidential pardon expert at the Michigan State University School of Law, said Trump has enormous discretion to grant pardons of those convicted of federal crimes. More problematic, Kalt said, would be any attempt to try to curtail federal investigations under way in New York. Those investigations continue to threaten people close to the president, including his son, Donald Trump Jr., and longtime Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg. His former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, who faces three years in prison after pleading guilty to fraud and orchestrating illegal payments to women who have claimed to have had sex with Trump, is cooperating with prosecutors. He can fire the U.S. Attorney," Kalt said, but he cant fire individual prosecutors in the office they are civil servants, not presidential appointees. Jonathan Turley, a constitutional law expert at George Washington University in Washington, said a presidents pardon authority does not give Trump license to use his power as chief executive to hinder or stop investigations into his own alleged crimes in offices like the Southern District of New York." Trump promises: Did Trump keep his 19 promises to insulate himself from his business? Only he knows. 'I am not protecting Mr. Trump anymore': Michael Cohen ties the president to ongoing criminal probes Graham review Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., indicated Monday he intends to spearhead another review of the origins of the collusion narrative. That approach could let Trump continue to use the investigation as a campaign talking point while leaving the more risky work of attempting to prove political bias at the Justice Department to others. Graham, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he wants to explore the justification for surveillance warrants against Carter Page, a foreign-policy adviser to the Trump campaign that were based in part on a "dossier" of salacious material collected by former British intelligence worker Christopher Steele. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee helped to fund Steele's research. Trump and other Republicans have focused on the fact that Steele's controversial dossier alleging links between Russia and Trump's campaign made up part of the evidence investigators used to obtain a wiretap on Page. A trove of FBI documents made public last year showed the FBI disclosed Steele's motives when they requested the wiretap but nevertheless found the material credible. Graham urged Trump to focus on an agenda for the country, rather than trying to settle a score. "Im going to look at the FISA abuse or the FISA warrant process, Im going to do it working with Democrats, I hope," Graham said. "And if I were you Mr. President, I would focus on whats next for the country." Contributing: Bart Jansen, Michael Collins and Eliza Collins This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump, GOP look to settle score with Democrats, media over Mueller investigation WASHINGTON President Donald Trump scored a huge political victory after special counsel Robert Mueller absolved him of conspiring with Russia to swing the 2016 election. The big question is whether the president can use the special counsel's finding to boost his re-election prospects. Trump is already harvesting early fruits of his victory. The outcome of the nearly two-year investigation removes a cloud hanging over his 2020 race and frees up time for him to focus on his policy agenda. Congressional Republicans may be less likely to distance themselves from him. Congressional Democrats have to rethink how hard to go after Trump in their own investigations. My advice to the president for whatever its worth is youre probably stronger today than youve been anytime in your presidency," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump ally, said Monday. "The question for you is, how do you use it?" In many ways, the political landscape remains frozen. Trump still faces a fragmented Congress in a politically divided nation that will view Mueller's report through partisan lenses unless there are hidden mines waiting to explode from other investigations into Trump and his businesses. Having struggled to expand his popularity beyond an enthusiastic base, Trump needs to win over skeptical swing voters while fending off a large field of Democrats who have lined up to challenge him and attack him at every turn. "I dont plan on voting for Trump, but I say that without knowing who the other candidate is," said Mike Robertson, a self-described independent from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "I can see a scenario where I really bite my lip and vote for Trump." Robertson said Mueller's findings won't be a factor for him since there was no "hardcore evidence" of collusion. The 2020 campaign will probably center on issues such as the economy, taxes, health care and immigration not to mention the president's polarizing persona. Story continues "I dont see [the Mueller probe] fundamentally changing near, or longer-term, politics," said veteran political analyst Stuart Rothenberg. "It was an additional headache, a question mark that Republicans faced, an additional opportunity for Democrats to talk about the presidents alleged corruption and the like. But when you strip Mueller away, he added, its still a deeply divided country with two very different parties having very different views of the direction of the country and how to treat Donald Trump. Here's how the conclusion of the investigation could help Trump or not. President Donald Trump turns to depart after speaking with the media after stepping off Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, March 24, 2019, in Washington. The Justice Department said Sunday that special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation did not find evidence that President Donald Trump's campaign "conspired or coordinated" with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election. 2020 prospects Republicans predict the Mueller findings, as framed by Attorney General William Barr, will lift the presidents re-election chances next year. But any boost will probably be no more than a short-term sugar high, several political and polling experts said. It has basically no impact. Not one iota, said Patrick Murray, director of Monmouth Universitys Polling Institute in New Jersey. The voters who are paying attention to the Mueller report already had strong opinions about Donald Trump one way or the other or the other. (And) even though we dont know the details, it wont change (the minds of) any of them. Scott Jennings, a GOP strategist and commentator, called the findings a huge boon for Trump in 2020, as it enhanced his credibility and made the Democrats look like unhinged conspiracy theorists. Another Republican consultant, Alex Conant of Firehouse Strategies, agreed. We can all breathe a little easier with this behind us, he said. Andrew Smith, a pollster at the University of New Hampshire, expects the impact in November 2020 will be minimal given the scarcity of undecided voters and the fact that both sides are deeply entrenched. What it gets down to is rooting for your team. It doesnt matter who the captain is or who the star player is, he said of public reaction. Itll motivate Republicans more so and may dispirit Democrats a bit, but I dont think it will change minds. More: Trump claims 'total exoneration' from Mueller summary despite lack of answers on obstruction Trump's agenda With the Mueller investigation behind him, Trump can focus more closely on his legislative agenda, which includes infrastructure changes and winning congressional approval of a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada. That doesnt mean getting that agenda through Congress will be any easier. The opposite may be true, said Republican political strategist Ron Bonjean. The results of the Mueller report will only divide the Democratic-led House further apart from Trump, and the likelihood of him signing high-profile legislation is growing dimmer by the day, Bonjean said. Jennings doesnt see much hope for Trump scoring any wins on legislation because Democrats just cant bring themselves to work with this president. Conant sees a glimmer of hope. If Mueller had found evidence of wrongdoing, then Trump could have forgotten about getting anything else through Congress, he said. Democrats will continue to fight much of Trumps agenda, Conant said, but now there is at least an opening for bipartisanship on trade, prescription drug costs and infrastructure. Special Counsel Robert Mueller walks past the White House, after attending St. John's Episcopal Church for morning services, Sunday, March 24, 2019 in Washington. Democrats must reassess The strategy for handling Mueller's conclusions has the potential to divide Democrats. Some may want to pursue Trump investigations more aggressively than others. Even before Barr released his summary of Mueller's report, Democrats were grappling with concerns that investigating Trump could overshadow their agenda on kitchen-table issues like healthcare and jobs. Some liberals wanted the House to move toward impeachment while members from districts where Trump is popular took a wait-and-see approach. In an interview with USA TODAY last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., dismissed calls by liberals for impeachment and said the evidence would have to be so overwhelming that Republicans got on board or else it would be a gift to Trump. Immediately after the Mueller findings were made public, Democrats appeared to be more in sync. Nearly all called for Mueller's report to be made public and there was little talk of impeachment. Even Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who has previously said she would support impeachment, took a much broader approach. He can stay, he can go. He can be impeached, or voted out in 2020. But removing Trump will not remove the infrastructure of an entire party that embraced him; the dark money that funded him; the online radicalization that drummed his army; nor the racism he amplified+reanimated, she tweeted Sunday. Democrats can still move forward with their investigations, said Paul Beck, a professor emeritus of political science at Ohio State University. But they need to proceed very carefully," he said. The party is likely to face competing pressures from voters. Richard Pineda, a Democrat from El Paso, Texas, said Democrats have a responsibility to the Constitution "to ensure that all these layers and threads have been addressed." "The president was never questioned in the investigation," Pineda said. "That means Congress still has the duty to pursue investigations as necessary." But Andrew Mackowiak of Green Bay, Wisc., hopes the issue is put to bed. "I think a lot of people are just tired of everything that's going on," he said. More: Nearly 500 witnesses, 675 days: The Mueller investigation by the numbers Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, March 25, 2019. GOP unity If Mueller had found collusion between the Russians and the Trump campaign, it could have created havoc inside the GOP, said Conant, the GOP consultant. It would have torn the party apart, he said. Instead, Republicans are more united behind Trump than ever before. Senate Republicans, in fact, were quick to react Sunday after the attorney general released a four-page summary of Muellers report. Some, including those facing competitive re-elections in 2020, urged the release of more information. Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate Republican who gained a primary challenger this week, said Muellers report should be released in as complete a form as possible. Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, the other senator running for re-election in a state Hillary Clinton carried in 2016, made a similar remark. But Gardners statement also echoed a main point of many other Republicans: Lets move on. It is time for Congress to move forward and get to work for the American people, Gardner tweeted. Many Republicans were already reluctant to break with Trump because of his popularity with the base, and that is likely to continue. Im sure he feels he can run roughshod over all of them, said Murray of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. Without an indictment, this just simply strengthens his control over the base and, therefore, particularly cows senators up for re-election in 2020. In fact, Graham announced Monday that the Senate Judiciary Committee he chairs will examine the origins of the FBI investigation of Trump and his campaign. Several congressional Republicans have suggested that political motivations may have played a role in the launch of the Russia probe but Justice Department officials have emphatically denied that. And in the House, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., should step down after promoting allegations of collusion between Trump and the Russian government. More: After Mueller report, Senate moves to investigate the Russia probe Trump called an 'illegal takedown' Contributing: Robin Opsahl, Des Moines Register; Doug Schneider, Green Bay Press-Gazette; Monroe Trombly, Mansfield News Journal; Jesse Garza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Aaron Montes, El Paso Times. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump takes victory lap over Mueller result. Will it help him in 2020? Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall revealed her excitement at the imminent arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs baby during a hectic walkabout through Havanas old town with Prince Charles. Amid frenzied scenes, American tourist Mimi Ricketts asked the 71-year-old royal: Are you excited about the new baby joining your family? The beaming duchess, dressed in sky blue, told the 60-year-old from St Louis, Missouri: Yes very much so. Meghan is due to give birth next month. US tourist Mindy Whittle also got the chance to meet royalty and said after her encounter: "I love her (Camilla's) dress. We shook hands - do I have to pay extra for that?" The couple drew excited crowds on their visit to the Cuban capital Credit: Jane Barlow/PA Pandemonium broke out as the royal couple embarked upon their walkabout in the UNESCO World Heritage site as security guards used a heavy handed approach to control the media amid thronging crowds. Unusually for a royal engagement, no barriers were put up so as not to restrict tourists paying a visit to one of the capitals most popular hot spots. Arriving at El Templete, the site of the first mass held in Havana in 1519, the prince and the duchess were met by the citys official Historian Eusebio Leal, in the year that the city celebrates its 500th Anniversary. As temperatures hit 27 degrees Celsius, Camilla put up a parasol to protect her from the blazing sun as the walking tour took in a visit to the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, the former official residence of Cubas 65 colonial Governors (Captains General). Prince Charles laid a wreath when he arrived in Havana on Sunday Credit: Phil Noble/Reuters Home to the Museum of the City of Havana (Museo de la Ciudad), the Prince unveiled a new statue of William Shakespeare as the latest addition to the areas commemorating notable literary figures. The royal couple also visited a female run bicycle repair and rental business while Charles,70, peeled off to visit Escuela Taller, a workshop which trains young people in restoration techniques. Camilla stopped in at Hogar Materno Infantil, Havanas largest maternity home and Plaz de San Francisco to view a performance by La Colmenita, a childrens theatre. Story continues They concluded their tour at the Church and Convent of St. Francis of Assissi where they will view a digitised display from the British Library and watch a rehearsal by all-female Chamber Music Group, Camerata Romeu. Built in Havana at the end of the sixteenth century and used for worship by the English during the year they occupied Havana. It is now used for concerts. Many of the buildings Havana Old Town have recently been restored to their former glory. El Templete commemorates the site of the first mass and town council of San Cristobal de la Habana, celebrated on November 16, 1519. It includes the commemorative ceiba tree, sacred in many religions, which is visited by local people every year in search of prosperity and well-being. Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) is expected to deliver a year-over-year decline in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended February 2019. This widely-known consensus outlook gives a good sense of the company's earnings picture, but how the actual results compare to these estimates is a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price. The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on April 2. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower. While management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call will mostly determine the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations, it's worth having a handicapping insight into the odds of a positive EPS surprise. Zacks Consensus Estimate This largest U.S. drugstore chain is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.70 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -1.7%. Revenues are expected to be $34.87 billion, up 5.6% from the year-ago quarter. Estimate Revisions Trend The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 3.09% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period. Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Earnings Whisper Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. This insight is at the core of our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction). The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Story continues Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only. A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP. Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell). How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Walgreens? For Walgreens, the Most Accurate Estimate is lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bearish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of -2.35%. On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #4. So, this combination makes it difficult to conclusively predict that Walgreens will beat the consensus EPS estimate. Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue? Analysts often consider to what extent a company has been able to match consensus estimates in the past while calculating their estimates for its future earnings. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number. For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Walgreens would post earnings of $1.43 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.46, delivering a surprise of +2.10%. Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates four times. Bottom Line An earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss. That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Walgreens doesn't appear a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Elizabeth Hurley has modelled for a magazine shoot in a reimagined version of the Versace safety pin dress that helped her cement her celebrity status in the 90s. The 53-year-old actress and swimwear entrepreneur shared a photo of the updated Versace gown, which she wears in the Harpers Bazaar April 2019 Instagram account last night. Although the dress has several differences to the original its neckline is less plunging, for instance its thigh high split and crucial gold safety pin detail still hail back to the iconic look Hurley first wore in 1994. Then an up-and-coming model, Hurley took to the red carpet in the infamous dress at the Los Angeles premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral, which she attended with then-boyfriend Hugh Grant. READ MORE: Celebrities over 50 in swimwear Elizabeth Hurley pictured in the Versace black safety pin in 1994 (left), and in a similar version on the April 2019 Harpers Bazaar cover. [Photo: Getty/Instagram] Speaking to the publication about the dress that made her famous, Hurley admits she had no idea about red carpet fashion. I urgently needed to find a dress to wear for Hughs premiere, and in those days I had no idea about fashion, she says. I remember going to an office where they literally fished a dress out of a white plastic bag. I took it home and did my own hair and makeup, fighting Hugh for the mirror Hurley has previously denied that she would wear the iconic Versace dress again. Story continues Just last year, she told Grazia that she would feel slightly depressed bringing it back. READ MORE: Elizabeth Hurley ages like fine wine Im not sure I would [wear the Versace safety pin dress again], to be honest. People dont like to wear their wedding dresses again do they? Hurley told the publication. I think you couldnt look better in it second time around. I mean, 24 years on, you could end up feeling slightly depressed, so, no! Click below to see pictures of Elizabeth Hurley breaking the internet in her swimwear line: READ MORE: Elizabeth Hurley stuns in yellow bikini That dress is definitely for someone 20 years younger than me. Hurley isnt the only celebrity known for looking years younger than her true age. Recently, Reese Witherspoon, 42, graced the cover of US Vogue looking incredibly similar to her 19-year-old daughter, Ava Phillippe. Whats more, earlier this year Jada Pinkett Smith, 47, featured on the front of the first digital edition of Harpers Bazaar alongside daughter Willow Smith, 18, and 65-year-old mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris. All three women share the same glowing skin and youthful features. The Copyright Directive, including Article 13, was approved by the European Parliament. The European Parliament has backed controversial new copyright laws which critics fear could ban memes and change the way the internet works. The laws hold technology companies responsible for material posted on their services without the correct permission. Antonio Tajani, the president of the European Parliament, said the vote would put an end to the existing digital Wild West by establishing modern rules. Reacting to the vote in the European Parliament, Jim Killock, executive director of Open Rights Group said: This is a very bad day for free expression, for copyright and democracy. Millions of people have voiced their opposition and thousands have protested against it. Read more Who will be the next PM? These are the favourites to replace Theresa May Shopworker stabbed to death as six people knifed overnight across London Miracle postman died for 21 minutes and came back to life on his way to the morgue If copyright filters go ahead, large numbers of mistaken takedowns will impact what we do and say online. The EU Parliament has made a serious error of judgement here. We will go on doing everything we can to stop this being the disaster it promises to be. The new rules could mean, for instance, that Google News has to pay publishers for using snippets of articles. Privacy activists have warned of the chilling implications of new adjustments to copyright law claiming that it could allow a clampdown on DIY online culture. People gather at the front of the European Parliament building in Strasbourg, France (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias) Article 13 and Article 11 of the Copyright Directive mean that user-generated content (including memes, text audio and video) have to be screened by websites to see if they violate copyright. That means that things such as memes which use pictures from films and comics would be in violation of the law. Musicians have also warned that it could spell an end to DIY remixes. Privacy group the Electronic Frontier Foundation posted a letter signed by 70 internet experts including inventor of the World Wide Web Tim Berners-Lee and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wale warning of the dangers of the law. Story continues The EFF letter said, By requiring Internet platforms to perform automatic filtering all of the content that their users upload, Article 13 takes an unprecedented step towards the transformation of the Internet, from an open platform for sharing and innovation, into a tool for the automated surveillance and control of its users. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - The European Parliament on Tuesday adopted copyright reforms championed by news publishers and the media business, in defiance of the tech giants that lobbied against it. Despite an intense debate inside and outside of the Strasbourg chamber, MEPs ended up passing the draft law with 348 votes in favour, 274 against, and 36 abstentions. European lawmakers were sharply divided, with both sides subjected to some of the most intense rival lobbying the EU has ever seen from tech giants, media firms, content creators and online freedom activists. The culmination of a process that began in 2016, the revamp to European copyright legislation was seen as urgently needed, not having been updated since 2001, before the birth of YouTube or Facebook. The reform was loudly backed by media companies and artists, who want to secure revenue from web platforms that allow users to distribute their content. But it was strongly opposed by internet freedom activists and by Silicon Valley, especially Google, which makes huge profits from the advertising generated alongside the content it hosts. After the vote, a Google spokesperson warned that the reform "will still lead to legal uncertainty and will hurt Europe's creative and digital economies." - Protests and media stunts - The final days before the vote were marked by marches and media stunts, including tens of thousands of people protesting in Germany on Saturday under the slogan "Save the Internet". There were similar protests in Austria, Poland and Portugal, while major Polish newspapers on Monday printed blank front pages in an appeal that MEPs adopt the reform. "I know there are lots of fears about what users can do or not -- now we have clear guarantees for freedom of speech, teaching and online creativity," Commission vice president Andrus Ansip said after the vote. Germany was at the heart of the anti-reform movement, led by Julia Reda, a 32-year-old Pirate Party MEP who spearheaded a campaign against two of the law's provisions that have become flashpoints in the debate. Story continues Reda said the vote marked a "dark day for internet freedom" and decried that MEPs refused, albeit narrowly, to modify the text before the final vote. For Reda and her supporters the main worry was Article 13, which aims to strengthen the bargaining power of rights holders with platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Soundcloud, which use their content. Under the reform, European law for the first time would hold platforms legally responsible for enforcing copyright, requiring them to check everything that their users post to prevent infringement. - 'Details matter' - Reda and her supporters warned that Article 13 would require platforms to install expensive content filters that would automatically and often erroneously delete content from the web. Speaking after the vote, Reda told AFP that she still hoped the German government would bow to public pressure and demand changes to the law before it is formally adopted. After that, seen by most observers as a formality, member states will have two years to transpose the EU directive into their own legislation. "I think what the ultimate result will be that the internet will become more like cable television," Reda told AFP. "That generally there is going to be less diversity of online platforms because the risk of running a platform legally will become much higher." Backers of the law, led by MEP Axel Voss, answered that filters are not a requirement but they do not explain how companies can comply with Article 13 without them. The second article advocated the creation of a "neighbouring right" to copyright for news media. This is designed to enable news companies to demand payment when their output is used by information aggregators like Google News or social networks such as Facebook. Major publishers including AFP have pushed hard for the reform, seeing it as an urgent remedy to safeguard quality journalism and the plummeting earnings of traditional media companies. The reform, if properly implemented by member states "can help to maintain journalism in the field, which all evidence shows is still the best way to combat misinformation," said AFP CEO Fabrice Fries. But opponents have called it a "link tax" that will stifle discourse on the internet and pay only big media companies, with no real benefits for journalists or news gatherers. The reform is staunchly backed by France and several other member states, but some countries may decide to use the flexibility built into the reform that allows a loose interpretation of the rules. (Corrects number of North Korean workers that U.S. believed were working in China to 50,000 from 80,000) By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS, March 26 (Reuters) - Russia sent home nearly two-thirds of some 30,000 North Koreans working there during 2018 and China repatriated more than half, but did not specify a figure, according to unpublished reports by Moscow and Beijing to the United Nations Security Council. The one-page reports, seen by Reuters on Tuesday, were submitted to the council's North Korea sanctions committee in compliance with a 2017 resolution that demanded the repatriation of all North Korean workers by the end of this year to stop them earning foreign currency for leader Kim Jong Un's authorities. The United States has said it believed Pyongyang was earning more than $500 million a year from nearly 100,000 workers abroad, of which some 50,000 were in China and 30,000 in Russia. The U.N. Security Council has steadily toughened sanctions on North Korea since 2006 to choke off funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have met twice in the past year in a bid to negotiate denuclearization. The December 2017 U.N. resolution required countries to report to the sanctions committee this month on all North Korean workers repatriated during 2018 "including an explanation of why less than half of such" workers were repatriated if applicable. Russia reported that in 2018 the number of North Koreans "with valid work permits in the Russian Federation decreased from 30,023 to 11,490 persons." Key North Korean ally China said it had repatriated "more than half of the total DPRK nationals earning income." "China will continue earnestly implementing its international obligations, carry out the repatriation work in an orderly manner and complete the repatriation on time," wrote China's mission to the United Nations, adding that it did not want the report to be made public. Story continues In 2015, U.N. human rights investigator Marzuki Darusman said that the North Koreans abroad worked mainly in mining, logging, textiles and construction. The reports submitted by Russia and China to the sanctions committee did not specify what industries had employed the North Koreans. New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a 2017 report that "the treatment of North Korean workers overseas falls short of international labor standards, with no right to freedom of association or expression, control by minders who limit freedom of movement and access to information from the outside world, long working hours and no right to refuse overtime." North Korea has said its laborers were working abroad legally and were not mistreated or forced to go. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Michael Perry and James Dalgleish) By Jan Wolfe WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General William Barr's conclusion that President Donald Trump did not obstruct justice, revealed publicly on Sunday in a letter to lawmakers, reflects inherent difficulties in proving such an obstruction case, legal experts said. Barr sent a four-page letter to congressional leaders summarizing a report by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller handed in on Friday, which remains confidential. Mueller was appointed to investigate whether Trump's campaign conspired with Russia to influence the 2016 election and to probe whether the president later unlawfully sought to obstruct the probe. Mueller vindicated Trump on the core question of Russian collusion, writing in his report that "the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities," according to Barr's letter. While Mueller stopped short of determining whether Trump obstructed justice, Barr concluded there was insufficient evidence to bring such a case. Following are some reasons why proving an obstruction case against Trump was so difficult and what may lay ahead. WHAT DID MUELLER SAY ABOUT AN OBSTRUCTION CASE AGAINST TRUMP? Mueller said he did not reach a finding on whether Trump obstructed justice and set out "evidence on both sides of the question," according to Barr's letter. Barr did not make this evidence public, noting only that Mueller said there were "difficult" factual and legal questions raised by an obstruction case. Muller said "while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him," according to Barr's letter. Barr, however, found there was insufficient evidence to establish an obstruction case against Trump. WHY WAS IT DIFFICULT TO PROVE OBSTRUCTION AGAINST TRUMP? A federal law makes it a crime to attempt "to influence, obstruct or impede the due administration of justice." Story continues To prove obstruction, prosecutors must show an individual acted with a "corrupt," or improper motive - a specific intent to impede an investigation. Mueller's obstruction investigation likely focused on Trump's interactions with former FBI director James Comey, legal experts said. According to Comey, in February 2017 Trump asked him to back off an investigation into national security adviser Michael Flynn over Flynn's contacts with Russia. Trump eventually fired Comey in May 2017. "I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go ... He is a good guy," Trump told Comey, according to a memo written by the former FBI director. Some legal experts have said in the last year that Trump's intent was clearly to block an investigation, and that there was a strong obstruction of justice case to be made. But others have said that establishing that Trump acted with the "corrupt" intent of blocking the investigation would have been difficult. Trump could have argued he was simply vouching for Flynn's character, and not pressuring Comey to drop an investigation, these lawyers said. In an interview with NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt that aired two days after the firing, Trump said he was thinking of "this Russia thing" when he fired him. But Trump also said in the NBC interview and in others that he fired Comey because he was incompetent, weakening a potential obstruction case, experts said. WHY DID BARR CLEAR TRUMP OF OBSTRUCTION? An obstruction of justice case against Trump was also undermined by Mueller's findings that the Trump campaign did not conspire with Russians to interfere in the election. Obstruction of justice is usually coupled with some underlying wrongful act that is being covered up, experts said. Barr cited this shortcoming in his letter, saying that, "while not determinative, the absence of such evidence bears upon the president's intent with respect to obstruction." Barr's letter also notes that obstruction, like any crime, requires to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in court. Barr also noted that many of the actions described in Mueller's report "took place in public view." Obstruction of justice typically describe secret efforts to impede a court proceeding, and Barr may have viewed the public nature of Trump's acts as weakening the case against him. COULD CONGRESS PICK UP THE OBSTRUCTION INVESTIGATION? Yes. Democrats took control of the House of Representatives in January, giving them investigatory powers including the ability to issue subpoenas. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement on Sunday that the fact that Mueller had not cleared Trump of obstruction "demonstrates how urgent it is that the full report and underlying documentation be made public without any further delay." COULD CONGRESS BRING AN OBSTRUCTION CASE AGAINST TRUMP? The U.S. Constitution empowers Congress to remove a president from office for "high crimes and misdemeanors," including obstruction of justice through a process of impeachment. In an impeachment proceeding, lawmakers have broad leeway to define obstruction of justice and are not bound by Barr's determination, legal experts said. But impeachment is a very political process, and appears unlikely because Trump's Republican party controls the Senate. Some Democratic lawmakers had hoped Mueller's investigation would lay a groundwork for impeachment, but that hope has now largely faded. (Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Sandra Maler) By Humeyra Pamuk and P.J. Huffstutter COLUMBUS, Neb./CHICAGO, March 26 (Reuters) - Nebraska grain farmer Ryan Ueberrhein was barely breaking even after the U.S.-China trade war pushed prices for his soybean crop to a decade low. Then the nearby Elkhorn River burst its banks as flooding swept across the U.S. farm belt. Uberrhein's farm was left covered in debris after the roiling water receded. He has mounting debts. And he is worried that President Donald Trump may not be able to strike a trade deal with China that would end tariffs on U.S. soybean exports - and allow him to sell whatever grain is left intact at a better price. Frustration is building across farm country at what feels like a never-ending season of bad news. The trade war "keeps damaging us," said Ueberrhein, 34, of Valley, Nebraska, who voted for Trump. "What the president is doing, we stand by him, but ... we cant keep getting hit just because a deal can't be made quickly." U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are set to arrive in China this week for another round of trade talks with their Chinese counterparts. The two sides have yet to agree on many core issues. Farmers who spoke to Reuters remained supportive of Trump. Soybean exports to China hit a four-year low in February because of the trade war. China is the biggest buyer of U.S. soybeans, which are the largest single U.S. agricultural export. A near halt in exports has hit a rural economy already struggling after years of oversupply cut farm incomes by 50 percent in the past five years. Debt in the agrarian economy has hit levels last seen during the U.S. farm collapse of the 1980s. (Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/2TkUDjk) The Nebraska Rural Response Hotline, which provides support to farmers and ranchers, has received a record number of calls about financial distress, said John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union. Calls about suicide and depression were up, too, he said. Story continues The latest piece of bad news came on March 11, when the Trump administration released its 2020 budget and proposed a 15 percent cut for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, calling its subsidies to farmers "overly generous." It did not matter to farmers, who helped vote Trump into office, that the budget will not pass muster with Democrats who control the House of Representatives, Hansen said. Some farmers took the proposed cut to subsidies for crop insurance as an insult. "How many times do you have to kick us when we're down?" he said. That insurance is crucial to Richard Oswald, who farms near Phelps City, Missouri. The flood has already swallowed his childhood home, many of his fields and more than 20,000 bushels of corn. His four grain bins have burst, after water-logged corn expanded and split open. "If our government and leaders can't step up and start to lead, we're done for," he said. For years, Oswald paid extra for flood insurance. He hoped that government talk of investing in improving U.S. infrastructure would come through - and bolster the levees and dams throughout the Midwest. But this year, as the trade war dragged on, he dropped the policy to reduce expenses. So he will get no insurance money for the lost corn, Oswald said. A few days ago, one of his lenders called. Oswald didn't have to pay the loan right away, the lender said, but he would have to repay it sooner or later. "Help needs to come from Congress, but Congress is so divided, I don't know what's going to happen," Oswald said. DISASTER DECLARATION Trump approved a disaster declaration for Nebraska on Thursday, making federal funding available in nine counties that bore the brunt of the recent floods. On Saturday, he approved one for flood-affected counties in Iowa. Greg Ibach, a USDA under secretary, is touring the damage in Nebraska, and Bill Northey, another under secretary, will head to Iowa, agency officials told Reuters. U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa said the farm belt states would need more aid, suggesting a separate relief bill to offer compensation to farmers for livestock killed in the floods and grains in storage that will have to be destroyed. "The United States government has always been the insurance of last resort," Grassley said in a phone interview on Friday. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts put agricultural flood damage for the state at nearly $1 billion. Iowa officials are projecting losses of at least $1.6 billion, with at least $214 million in damage to the agriculture sector. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said her state would need assistance beyond what is granted through disaster declarations. Farmers, meanwhile, are staring at waterlogged fields and expecting more floods. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said last week that the flooding would worsen in coming weeks as snow on the ground melts and water flows downstream. Iowa farmer Dave Newby said the standing water in his fields was already threatening his planned start to corn in mid-to-late April. Newby, like many farmers, had been looking to boost his corn plantings this year because such a large volume of soybeans had been left unsold because of the trade war. The same was the case in nearby Nebraska. Parts of flooded farmland remained under water and farmers had yet to assess the damage the piled-up sand, silt and debris caused to soil. Almost all said planting will likely be delayed, which could lead to lower yields. "Normal planting would take place around May 1, but I doubt we will make it," said Kendal Sock, a cattle and corn farmer in Genoa. "I wish theyd get this trade deal done, like now." (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and P.J. Huffstutter; Additional reporting by Mark Weinraub and Tom Polansek in Chicago and Jarrett Renshaw in New York; Editing by Caroline Stauffer, David Gaffen, Simon Webb and Leslie Adler) Qamishli (Syria) (AFP) - Four and a half years ago, French toddler Jana set off on a family holiday to Morocco -- but her jihadist father instead spirited her to Syria, where he joined the Islamic State group. Now devoted uncle Mustafa Tarbouni is on the ground and desperately trying to secure the seven-year-old's release from a cramped displaced camp in the war-torn country's northeast, where he believes the little girl is stuck with thousands of jihadist wives and their children. "The call that I make here -- 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the camp -- is that the French government finally intervenes and brings Jana" back home, the 49-year-old said, on the steps of a government office in Syria's semi-autonomous Kurdish region. Jana has more than doubled in age since she was ripped away from her family aged just three, but Tarbouni is hoping a birthmark at the top of her thigh will help confirm her identity. Thumbing through a voluminous file, he displays endless pictures of the smiling little girl -- one clearly displaying the birthmark. "I have all the necessary documents -- the identity card, the passport receipt, birth certificate, all the photos -- to prove the identity of this child," he told AFP. Jana was last seen in eastern Syria in January, he said, but he can't disclose how he knows. She was seen "in the streets of Shaafa", one of a string of utterly destroyed settlements that meanders to Baghouz, a village on the Euphrates River where US-backed forces last week dealt a death blow to the IS "caliphate". The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces announced the end of the group's territorial control on Saturday, after a grinding ground campaign supported by US-led coalition air strikes. - 'Sacrifice my niece- In August 2014, Jana's father Eddy Lerroux picked up Jana from his ex-wife's home in central France, allegedly to take her to Morocco on holiday. Story continues But instead the jihadist and his partner Jihane Makhzoumi took Jana, and three other children -- including a six-week-old baby -- to the "caliphate", which then sprawled across a vast swathe of oil-rich territory in Iraq and Syria equivalent to the size of the United Kingdom. An Islamic convert who adopted the name Zayed, Lerroux died "in fighting" in 2015 in Palmyra, an area in the central Syrian desert then controlled by IS, according to Tarbouni. Makhzoumi was arrested at Roissy airport in Paris on her return to France in October 2016. She brought back "her own three children, but decided to sacrifice my niece by leaving her behind", Tarbouni said. Today, Jana is with a Libyan woman affiliated to IS who provided "Arabic courses to women and children inside this terrorist organisation", he said. He says he has drawn his information from the work of journalists covering the jihadist group and the testimonies of IS wives who have returned from Syria. - 'Children suffering' - Syria's Al-Hol camp is home to around 6,500 foreign children, among thousands more detained relatives of alleged jihadists whose fate is providing a major headache for the Kurdish authorities. They have repeatedly called on their home countries to take them back, but these nations have mostly been reluctant. At least 80 French children were still stuck in Syria as of mid-February, French sources estimated. Tarbouni, who works as a child protection specialist, says he has devoted years to the quest to find Jana, including by lobbying multiple French government ministries. Jana's family also contacted the International Committee of the Red Cross, a non-governmental organisation working to reunite families with children dragged into the caliphate's orbit, he says, but without success. But Paris repatriated "five orphans and (other) isolated" minors in mid-March, spurring him back into action. He claims the Kurdish authorities are waiting only for a "green light" from France's foreign ministry to allow him to enter Al-Hol camp. So on Monday, he says, his lawyer filed a request with that ministry. "It's been almost five years without any progress," said the uncle on the mother's side. "All I ask for... is a helping hand from the ministry." A Kurdish official in change of foreign affairs declined to comment on the case. Several international agencies, including the UN's agency for children UNICEF, have called for foreign children to be brought home "as soon as possible". Two lawyers have lodged cases at the United Nations, calling on Paris to bring all children born to jihadists home. France says it has not excluded bringing more orphans home, but will examine each file case by case. Tarbouni says Jana "is the symbol of many children who are suffering in the camps" of northeast Syria. "It is truly time we solved this problem," he said. "The parents made the choice" to join IS. "But the children had no choice." On Mar 25, we issued an updated research report on Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA FMS. The company plans to invest in designing training facilities, training courses and optimizing facilities to meet the increasing demand for home dialysis products and services in developing economies. In 2019, the company is likely to make huge investments in China, wherein it has 15 years of experience on the product side. Now, it is trying to leverage on the chronic diseases and the current development of the Chinese healthcare market. Precisely, Fresenius Medical is expected to form a network of more than 100 clinics and invest in home dialysis in China during the upcoming years. The companys focus is also likely to be on the Indian market, where it has just launched the 4008A machine. For 2019, Fresenius Medical expects adjusted revenue growth of 3-7%. Adjusted net income is expected to grow between (2%) and 2%. For 2020, adjusted revenues and adjusted net income are estimated to grow at mid-to-high single digits. Fresenius Medical is also likely to invest around EUR 100 million in 2019 to sustainably improve its cost base in addition to the GEP II program. Investors should notice that the 2019 cost-optimization program is expected to be accretive to net income from 2020. These apart, Fresenius Medical recently announced the FDA device approval for its computer-assisted ultrafiltration control software, which aims to improve fluid management during hemodialysis (HD). This further fortifies the Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) companys foothold in the global renal medical devices and services space. Additionally, the company continues to gain from its Health Care Products unit. Notably, Fresenius Medical witnessed solid growth in the EMEA and Asia Pacific regions. Its recent buyouts of Sound Physicians and NxStage Medical are added positives. Nonetheless, Fresenius Medical has numerous competitors in the field of health care services as well as the sale of dialysis products. Tough competition in the niche markets is likely to impede the companys sales opportunities and lose market share. However, per management, concerns that arise due to competition represent low risk for the company in the short-term as well as in the mid-term. The company faces aggressive rivalry from HCA Holdings, DaVita HealthCare and Baxter International. Story continues Reflective of this, shares of Fresenius Medical have declined 21.4% against the industry's 12.4% growth in a year's time. The current level also compares unfavorably with the S&P 500 index's gain of 7.6% over the same time frame. Stocks to Consider A few better-ranked stocks from the MedTech space are DexCom, Inc. DXCM, Varian Medical Systems, Inc. VAR and Masimo Corporation MASI, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. DexCom delivered a positive earnings surprise in each of the trailing four quarters, the average being 132.3%. Varian Medical has long-term earnings growth rate of 8%. Masimo Corporation has long-term earnings growth rate of 15.6%. Is Your Investment Advisor Fumbling Your Financial Future? See how you can more effectively safeguard your retirement with a new Special Report, 4 Warning Signs Your Investment Advisor Might Be Sabotaging Your Financial Future. Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (FMS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Varian Medical Systems, Inc. (VAR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Masimo Corporation (MASI) : Free Stock Analysis Report DexCom, Inc. (DXCM) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research 10/8/2015, McLean, VA. Gannett headquarters building In the fight for control of Gannett Co., a detail emerged Tuesday that shines new light on the proxy battle for the owner of USA TODAY and more than 100 other media properties. Before attempting a hostile takeover of USA TODAY's owner, MNG Enterprises Inc. repeatedly floated the idea to Gannett officials that the company should acquire MNG's newspapers, which operate as Digital First Media, according to a regulatory filing by Gannett on Tuesday. MNG representatives including Heath Freeman, vice chairman of MNG and president of hedge fund Alden Global Capital, approached Gannett repeatedly since 2015 when Gannett and Tegna Inc. spun off into separate companies, with suggestions that Gannett should consider buying MNG's holdings, Gannett said in the filing. Gannett made the disclosures in an annual proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The document includes advice to shareholders on measures that will be considered at the corporation's annual meeting in May. The filing came after MNG nominated six director candidates to Gannett's board following Gannett's decision to reject MNG's unsolicited bid to acquire Gannett for $12 per share. MNG's nominees include Freeman, MNG Executive Chairman R. Joseph Fuchs, MNG Chief Operating Officer Guy Gilmore, former MNG President Steven Rossi, Freightquote.com Inc. founder Timothy Barton and The Cogent Group Principal Dana Goldsmith Needleman. Gannett said MNG made the casual overtures at industry events and in private meetings with board members until just weeks before MNG launched its unsolicited bid. Earlier this month, MNG disclosed that it had discussed with Gannett the possibility of "a potential strategic combination" in the past, but didn't reveal that it had discussed being acquired. Top jobs: Costco, T-Mobile, Google, Apple ranked among best places to work When approached at industry events, Gannett CEO Robert Dickey and Chief Financial Officer Alison Engel "replied that the Company was not interested in pursuing an acquisition of MNG at the time," according to the filing. Story continues In December 2018, Larry Kramer, a director of the company and former president and publisher of USA TODAY, had breakfast with Freeman, during which they spoke about the newspaper industry. At the end of the meeting Freeman "casually suggested that a combination might benefit both companies," Gannett said in the filing. Kramer referred Freeman to board chairman John Jeffry Louis III. Days later, Martin Wade, a member of MNG's board, and Louis met in a pre-arranged meeting not related to the Kramer's meeting with Freeman, Gannett said. Wade made a similarly casual mention of a possible combination of the companies, Gannett said. Louis responded to Wade "that he would be willing to have a conversation on the possibility of a combination, but that he did not want to interrupt the Companys CEO search process at that time," and "Wade indicated that he thought the desire to avoid an interruption in the search made sense" and suggested a 2019 meeting between Louis and Freeman to discuss the matter, according to Gannett. Dickey recently announced that he would retire effective in May, and the Gannett board is continuing a search for his replacement. Weeks after the Louis-Wade meeting, MNG disclosed a 7.5 percent stake in Gannett and announced its unsolicited bid to acquire the company. Gannett suggested in a letter to shareholders Tuesday that MNG "is using its proposal as a ploy to open discussions" about a possible Gannett acquisition of MNG. MNG declined to comment on the discussions with Gannett officers and board members. "Given these facts, Gannett continues to question whether MNG is in fact a buyer or a seller," Gannett said in a letter to shareholders. Gannett on Tuesday officially recommended that shareholders reject MNG's nominees. MNG, also known as Digital First Media, said in a statement Tuesday to USA TODAY: "Gannetts Board is running on its track record of value destruction and declining profitability, and on a risky digital transformation plan that cannot compete with the immediate value that would be provided by MNGs all-cash, premium proposal of $12 per share or any higher offer that may emerge. We believe our fellow Gannett shareholders deserve a board that is committed to running a full and fair process to maximize value now before further value is lost and any current premium is squandered and that is qualified to successfully run the business in the interim. Gannett reiterated Tuesday its previous statement that MNG has failed to arrange deal financing for its proposed deal to acquire Gannett and has failed to "answer basic questions regarding how it would overcome likely antitrust and pension issues." MNG has cited a letter it received from Oaktree Capital Management saying it "is highly confident" that the deal could be arranged using at least $1.725 billion in debt financing. Douglas Arthur, a stock analyst at Huber Research Partners, who tracks Gannett, said it's possible that MNG wants to get out of the newspaper business. "They are probably looking for an exit strategy," Arthur said Tuesday in an email. "How do the investors get out and at a profit?" Digital First Media has come under scrutiny for heavy cuts at its newspapers, such as The Denver Post. The company has said it can do a better job running Gannett than current management has. Gannett, which owns USA TODAY and 109 local publications as well as various digital marketing assets like ReachLocal, has said it remains confident in its plan to continue building its digital revenue. Schumer weighs in: Chuck Schumer questions bid to buy Gannett in letter to owner of Digital First Media Does it have the money? MNG says outside firm endorses its ability to finance proposed Gannett acquisition "Your board believes that MNGs nominees would not bring any additive skills or experience to the Gannett board," Gannett said in Tuesday's letter. "Additionally, your board is cognizant of Aldens history of engaging in transactions that have destroyed value while lining the pockets of Alden and its affiliates, including, at MNG, stripping newspapers of certain assets while paying Alden generous management fees. Your board believes that MNGs nominees are being put forward simply to advance Aldens goal: to enrich itself at the expense of Gannetts shareholders." Gannett said Tuesday that it would hold its annual stockholders meeting at 8:30 a.m. May 16, when shareholders will cast ballots on the nominees. Gannett shares rose 1.5 percent Tuesday to close at $10.45. Gannett has said that one key reason why MNG's proposed board nominees are not acceptable is because of their ties to Alden. Major companies that issue advisory opinions for shareholders on corporate proxy fights to date have not issued any recommendations for the escalating battle. However, some have issued general guidelines. For instance, Glass Lewis 2019 guidelines state that board members should be wholly free of identifiable and substantial conflicts of interest, regardless of the overall level of independent directors on the board. In assessing the independence of directors, we will take into consideration, when appropriate, whether a director has a track record indicative of making objective decisions, the guidelines also state. Likewise, when assessing the independence of directors we will also examine when a directors track record on multiple boards indicates a lack of objective decision-making. Contributing: Kevin McCoy Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gannett says Digital First Media first floated possibility of selling itself to Gannett Tbilisi (AFP) - A Georgian court on Tuesday ruled to extradite a British man who killed his date in a speedboat crash in London and gave himself up in the ex-Soviet republic after fleeing his country. Judge Arsen Kalatozishvili of Tbilisi City Court ruled that Jack Shepherd, 31, be sent to Britain after he "consented to the prosecutor's demand for his extradition," his lawyer Mariam Kublashvili told AFP. Extradition procedures could take around "three weeks" and Shepherd "will appeal the extradition in a higher court if the British authorities fail to guarantee his safety," Kublashvili added. "He is very much concerned about his safety" in Britain, the lawyer said, adding that he "wants to be placed in solitary confinement, to be monitored round-the-clock by CCTV cameras and to have access to journalists." Shepherd was convicted of manslaughter last year for the death of Charlotte Brown, a 24-year-old woman he took on a champagne-fuelled first date on his speedboat in the River Thames in 2015. The boat flipped over after Shepherd handed Brown the controls. She was recovered unconscious and later died in hospital. Shepherd, a web designer, was rescued after being found clinging to the upturned hull. - 'Suicidally depressed' - He vanished before his trial last summer and was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence and sentenced to six years in prison in his absence. An international warrant was issued for his arrest. In January, he turned himself in to police in the Georgian capital Tbilisi and has since then remained in custody, awaiting an extradition trial. His lawyers said earlier that Shepherd denies committing any crime and is confident that he will be acquitted. Shepherd flew into Tbilisi last March from Istanbul and lived openly in a rented apartment in the city centre. He spent his time in Georgia travelling across the country, frequently going to night clubs and attending social events. Story continues In a Georgian television interview, Shepherd defended his decision to go into hiding, arguing that Brown's death was an accident and he was not to blame because she was driving the boat at the time. In January, Shepherd told a Georgian judge that "after the accident I felt suicidally depressed at what had happened. That's why I've been unable to speak about it." "I regret not taking part in the court proceedings," he said, referring to his trial in Britain. Tbilisi (AFP) - A Georgian court on Tuesday ruled to extradite a British man who killed his date in a speedboat crash in London and gave himself up in the ex-Soviet republic after fleeing his country. Jack Shepherd, 31, "consented to the prosecutor's demand for his extradition and will most likely be sent to Britain next week," his lawyer Tariel Kakabadze told AFP. Shepherd was convicted of manslaughter last year for the death of Charlotte Brown, a 24-year-old woman he took on a champagne-fuelled first date on his speedboat in the River Thames in 2015. The boat flipped over after Shepherd handed Brown the controls and she was recovered unconscious and later died in hospital. Shepherd, a web designer, was rescued after being found clinging to the upturned hull. He vanished before his trial last summer and was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence and sentenced to six years in prison in his absence. An international warrant was issued for his arrest. In January, he turned himself in to police in the Georgian capital Tbilisi and has since then remained in custody, awaiting an extradition trial. Shepherd had travelled to Tbilisi in March last year from Istanbul and had been living there openly ever since. In a Georgian television interview, Shepherd defended his decision to go into hiding, arguing that Brown's death was an accident and he was not to blame because she was driving the boat at the time. Berlin (AFP) - German prosecutors confirmed Tuesday they are investigating the 2017 sale of three submarines to Israel, a potential corruption scandal implicating allies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "An evaluation of the (international) press coverage has given cause for a preliminary investigation," a spokesman for Bochum's prosecutors office, which specialises in financial corruption cases, told AFP without giving more details. On Monday, business newspaper Handelsblatt reported that German authorities are investigating the large military contract concerning the sale of German-built submarines, at the request of authorities in Israel who have been investigating the matter since 2016. The case, known as "3000", focuses on suspicion of corruption surrounding the sale of three 'Dolphin' class submarines and four 'Saar 6' naval vessels, built by German industrial giant Thyssenkrupp for a reported sum of around two billion dollars. Last week, Michael Ganor, a former Thyssenkrupp employee, was arrested in Israel after informing police of his intention to "change the version he gave during the investigation" into corruption suspicions around the purchase of the German submarines. The scandal threatens to drag in Netanyahu as several of his relatives and close affiliates have been implicated. Police said in November there was evidence to press charges against a number of suspects, including Netanyahu's cousin and lawyer David Shimron. Netanyahu was questioned as a witness in the case and was not considered a suspect. His main political rival, Benny Gantz, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, last week called for a full investigation into the affair. Intercept co-founder Glenn Greenwald said Monday night that he was banned from appearing on MSNBC due his skepticism regarding the charge that the Trump campaign colluded with Russians to sway the 2016 election, which was championed by much of the networks on-air talent for the past two years. Let me just say, [MSNBC] should have their top host on primetime go before the cameras and hang their head in shame and apologize for lying to people for three straight years, exploiting their fears to great profit, Greenwald told Fox News Tucker Carlson. These are people who were on the verge of losing their jobs. The whole network was about to collapse. This whole scam saved them. Not only did they constantly feed people for three straight years total disinformation, they did it on purpose, Tucker. There was a whole slew, not just me, of left-wing journalists with very high journalistic credentials, far more than anyone on that network, like Matt Taibbi and Jeremy Scahill and many others, including myself, who were banned from the network because they wanted their audience not to know that anybody was questioning or expressing skepticism about the lies and the scam they were selling because it was so profitable, he continued. Greenwald is one of a small number of left-leaning journalists who was vindicated Sunday when attorney general William Barr released a summary of the Mueller report that exonerated Trump and his associates of colluding with Russian operatives. Barrs summary of the report also indicates that Mueller did not make a determination with respect to whether Trump obstructed justice, as was alleged in the wake of his firing of former FBI director James Comey, but Barr determined independently that insufficient evidence existed to bring that charge. MSNBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. More from National Review Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) tore into the Green New Deal on Tuesday, stating on the Senate floor that the only thing needed to combat climate change is for Americans to fall in love and have more babies. Lee, who has expressed doubt before over the climate science finding that human activity is the main driver of global warming, bashed a resolution laying out the tenets of the Green New Deal. The congressional resolution was introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) last month. Im not immediately afraid of what carbon emissions unaddressed might do to our environment in the near future, or our civilization or our planet in the next few years, Lee said during a Senate debate. Im mostly afraid of not being able to get through this speech with a straight face. I rise today to consider the Green New Deal with the seriousness it deserves, he said tongue-in-cheek, before displaying a series of fantastical images on a nearby easel meant to suggest that the Democrats proposal shouldnt be taken seriously at all. One of the pictures featured a cartoon image of former President Ronald Reagan firing a machine gun while riding a velociraptor. "I rise today to consider the Green New Deal with the seriousness it deserves. This, of course, is a picture of former President Donald Reagan, firing a machine gun while riding on the back of a dinosaur." - Sen. Mike Lee pic.twitter.com/K2qqcCtbAB Chris Cioffi (@ReporterCioffi) March 26, 2019 The Green New Deal is a set of policy proposals focused on job creation through the development of the U.S. renewable energy sector. The plan aims to ensure that all Americans have a job with a family-sustaining wage, adequate family and medical leave, paid vacations, and retirement security. The resolution also seeks to reduce greenhouse gases emitted by the agricultural sector factory farms account for a large percentage of methane emissions but it does not call for the elimination of cows, as many Republicans have claimed. Critics of the proposal also falsely contend that it calls for a ban on airplanes. Story continues Lee displayed an image of Star Wars hero Luke Skywalker riding a tauntaun on the icy planet of Hoth, jokingly suggesting that Alaskans would have to ride the snow-adapted creatures because of Green New Deal air travel restrictions. He then showed a picture of superhero Aquaman riding a giant seahorse, suggesting that Hawaiians would need to ride them to reach the mainland for the same reasons. Climate change is no joke but the Green New Deal is a joke, Lee said. It is the legislative equivalent of Austin Powers Dr. Evil demanding sharks with frickin lasers on their heads. So whats the best way to combat climate change? Babies, Lee declared. The solution to climate change wont be found in political posturing or virtue signaling, he said. It wont be found in the federal government at all. You know where the solution can be found? ... In churches, in wedding chapels, in maternity wards across the country and around the world. His anti-science word salad continued: Climate change is an engineering problem not social engineering but the real kind. Its a challenge of creativity, ingenuity and most of all, technological innovation. And problems of human imagination are not solved by more laws; theyre solved by more humans. More babies will mean forward-looking adults, the sort we need to tackle long-term large-scale problems. American babies, in particular, are likely going to be wealthier, better educated and more conservation-minded than children raised in still industrializing countries. Children are a mark of the kind of personal, communal and societal optimism that is the true prerequisite for meeting national and global challenges together. The courage needed to solve climate change is nothing compared with the courage needed to start a family. The true heroes of this story arent politicians and they arent social media activists theyre moms and dads and the little boys and girls that they are at this very moment putting down for naps or helping with their homework, building treehouses and teaching them how to tie their shoes. Lee concluded his nearly 15-minute speech by bizarrely claiming that the solution to almost every problem in the world is to fall in love, get married and have some kids. Ocasio-Cortez quickly fired back at Lee on Twitter, mocking his eyebrow-raising remarks. If this guy can be Senator, you can do anything, she tweeted. Like many other women + working people, I occasionally suffer from impostor syndrome: those small moments, especially on hard days, where you wonder if the haters are right. But then they do things like this to clear it right up. If this guy can be Senator, you can do anything. https://t.co/vU4ChbTnnr Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 26, 2019 The Democratic freshman lawmaker wasnt the only high-profile figure to weigh in on Twitter. Actor Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker, bashed Lees use of his image. I was foolish to think this was photoshopped, he tweeted. Had I recognized that this guy was a Republican, I would have instantly realized this was his argument against Global Warming. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. I was foolish to think this was photoshopped. Had I recognized that this guy was a Republican, I would have instantly realized this was his argument against Global Warming. #CongressSmellsBadOnTheInside https://t.co/Ofbk1h7GxM Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) March 26, 2019 This article originally appeared on HuffPost. WASHINGTON The major climate and energy proposal known as the Green New Deal failed to advance in the Senate on Tuesday as Democrats slammed Republicans for orchestrating a bad-faith exercise designed to expose divisions in their ranks. Most Democrats, most of whom view the resolution as an ambitious road map to address the threat of climate change, declined to engage by voting present. Republicans, meanwhile, all voted not to advance the resolution after spending weeks ridiculing it as loony, unnecessary and wildly unrealistic. The measure, which was nonbinding, fell short of the necessary 60-vote threshold needed to advance to a final vote. No senators voted in support of it. Four members of the Democratic caucus voted against it: Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Doug Jones of Alabama, and independent Angus King of Maine. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) jointly issued the resolution, which staked out the basic tenets of what future legislation on a Green New Deal should strive for, including guaranteeing clean-energy jobs to millions of Americans, bolstering electric vehicle manufacturing and generating as much of the nations electricity from renewables as possible over the next decade. Sixty-four Democrats signed on as co-sponsors from the start, a number that ballooned to 100 in just a few weeks, with 89 co-sponsors in the House and 11 in the Senate. But the resolution proved divisive as Republicans lampooned it with unfounded claims that the proposal called for banning hamburgers and risked triggering a genocide. Unions that rely on the fossil fuel industry for high-wage jobs came out against the resolution. In response, some moderate Democrats dismissed the resolutions goals of aiding Americans suffering the health effects of pollution and issued their own weaker, less specific climate proposals instead. Last month, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced he would be bringing the resolution to the floor to give senators an opportunity to go on record and see how they feel, betting it would prove too radical for a good number of Democrats. Story continues But Democratic leadership urged members to unite against the gambit by voting present, a strategy they view as their best option to contain divisions within their ranks regarding the resolution. The party executed a similar move in 2017 when Republicans teed up a vote on a Medicare for All plan authored by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-V.t.). In a lengthy statement issued after the vote, King said he supported taking climate action but he expressed concern about Green New Deal resolutions overly aggressive goals, calling them unrealistic and far too broad. Jones, meanwhile, said the Green New Deal is not a good policy for my state and Im sure its not a good policy for America. The Alabama Democrat is up for re-election in 2020 in a red state. Supporters of the resolution maintained they had achieved what they had set out to do by igniting a national conversation about climate change, an issue that scientists have grown increasingly alarmed about. Indeed, coverage of climate change increased greatly on cable news shows, especially on Fox News. This resolution has struck a powerful chord with the American people, Markey said at a Monday press conference. The Green New Deal was always designed to be an opening of a national discussion. And it has worked. In just six short weeks, everyone is debating a Green New Deal. Theres been more debate about climate change in the last six weeks than in the last six years. While many GOP senators relished mocking Democrats over the Green New Deal and its botched rollout, few have offered serious proposals of their own to address the threat of climate change. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) on Monday called the Green New Deal a silly proposal, but credited it for bringing the issue of climate change to the top and forcing Republicans to say what were for. To that end, he said he supported a Manhattan Project for clean energy that focuses on advanced computing, solar, green buildings, cars those are all items Republicans should be able to support. But Alexander said the matter ought to be handled by boosting funding to existing programs rather than through a new, transformative proposal like the Green New Deal. At a Sunrise Movement press conference on Tuesday morning, Senate Democrats pounded Republicans for broadly thwarting climate efforts and rejecting the scientific realities of human-caused global warming. The Republican Party is out of the mainstream, Markey said. Republicans continue to ignore climate change at their political peril they will pay a price at the ballot box in 2020. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), the first 2020 contender to speak, recounted the destruction she witnessed in Iowa last week, where the Midwests historic floods wreaked havoc. She cited the mounting death toll from climate catastrophes in wildfire-charred California and storm-ravaged Puerto Rico, Texas and Florida, and criticized Republicans for zealously reversing Obama-era greenhouse gas regulations. Now suddenly they want a vote on the Green New Deal? she said. We will not fall for this stunt. The New York Democrat joined every other 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful who serves in the Senate in voting present on the resolution. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Australia's hard-right One Nation party has been accused of seeking donations from US gun lobby group the National Rifle Association ahead of the upcoming general election, according to an Al Jazeera investigation. Secret recordings aired by the Qatar-based broadcaster showed members of Pauline Hanson's party seeking $10-20 million in donations from the NRA apparently in return for trying to loosen Australia's tight gun laws. An Al Jazeera investigator posed as a gun lobbyist to facilitate the meeting between Hanson's chief of staff, James Ashby, the party leader in Queensland and the NRA in Washington -- meetings which were video-taped. In the footage, Ashby was shown saying that he wanted political support, powerful NRA software -- to aid voter targeting -- and help with donations. "If the NRA want to rally their supporters within Australia, that's one start," Ashby said in one meeting ahead of the sit-down with the NRA. "Two, I'd love to get my hands on their software. And three, if they can help us with donations, super." Ashby is heard saying that a $10 million donation would allow One Nation to win eight seats in the Senate, parliament's upper house, giving the party sufficient power to influence legislation. However, following the Christchurch massacre any move to roll back Australia's strict gun control legislation would likely encounter widespread opposition. One Nation has two seats in the outgoing Senate, one of them held by party founder Hanson. NRA official Lars Dalseide later offered the group advice on how to respond to mass shootings in a way that would avoid tighter gun restrictions. The Al Jazeera report prompted calls for a probe into whether One Nation officials had violated rules against foreign interference in Australian elections. Prime Minister Scott Morrison tweeted Tuesday that the report about senior One Nation officials courting "foreign political donations from the US gun lobby to influence our elections & undermine our gun laws that keep us safe are deeply concerning". Story continues However, he refused to tell his supporters not to back the party in Australia's ranked voting system. Morrison's Liberal party are struggling in the polls and are keen not to alienate One Nation voters or their own supporters on the right. The Liberals may yet need to rely on second-preference votes to win marginal seats. "There are many reasons not to vote for One Nation. It's a long list. We've seen some of those on display in recent times. Today we saw further evidence of that," he said. But the prime minister added: "There are plenty of extreme views out there," singling out the country's Green party. Another video purported to show the Australians meeting with representatives of Koch Industries, a company run by conservative powerbroker and activist mega-donor Charles Koch. In that meeting, Queensland party leader Steve Dickson offers to change Australia's "voting system" in return for cash. In a statement to Australian media, Ashby attacked Al Jazeera, accusing it of being a propaganda arm of the Qatari government. He indicated the party had reported Al Jazeera to the police to investigate whether the media group was working as an unregistered foreign agent. It's no secret that medical care is a huge burden for retirees on a fixed income. And while many seniors fear that a single hospital stay could be enough to drive them into bankruptcy, there's another expense that could end up putting their retirement at risk: dental care. Though dental care is a clear necessity for working Americans and seniors alike, older folks need to be even more vigilant about maintaining proper oral health and getting ahead of issues before they escalate. The problem, however, is that many lack insurance that will pay for it. A senior man looks in the bathroom mirror as he brushes his teeth. IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES. While Medicare will cover health expenses like hospital stays, doctor visits, and prescription drugs, it does not cover dental care for seniors. As such, nearly 70% of Medicare enrollees have no dental coverage at all, reports the Kaiser Family Foundation. And not shockingly, half go without seeing a dentist. Among seniors who do spend money on dental care, it's enough to seriously eat into their budgets. In 2016, the average Medicare beneficiary spent $922 on out-of-pocket dental costs. And you can bet that number was higher for folks who experienced major oral health issues, or needed specialty dental services. Case in point: The cost of a ceramic or porcelain crown can cost up to $2,000 for patients who lack dental insurance. If you're a senior who's struggling to afford dental care, or a soon-to-be retiree who's nervous about this impending expense, know that there are a few things you can do to ease the burden. 1. Sign up for Medicare Advantage Medical Advantage is an alternative to original Medicare that offers one major benefit over it: dental coverage. The great thing about Medicare Advantage is that your plan must provide at least the same amount of coverage as original Medicare, and in many cases, you'll get a lot more. There are numerous Advantage plans to choose from, so you'll need to read up on your choices and find the plan that's best for you. Story continues 2. Get dental insurance Much of the time, supplemental insurance for Medicare won't actually cover dental services, so buying it won't help in this particular regard. What you can do, however, is purchase separate dental coverage, the cost of which will depend on the plan you select. 3. Understand your dental coverage Whether you buy dental insurance independently or get coverage through a Medicare Advantage plan, it's crucial that you take the time to understand your benefits. This will help you determine how much of your costs you're responsible for, keeping in mind that you might be on the hook for a deductible on top of your office copays. At the same time, be sure to stick to dentists who actually take your plan. Opting for an out-of-network provider could leave you liable for the entire cost of your treatment, even if you have coverage in place. 4. Never hesitate to negotiate or get a second opinion Some dentists are more aggressive in their treatment plans than others. If your oral health professional recommends a costly procedure, it pays to get a second opinion before resigning yourself to a whopping bill. At the same time, it never hurts to negotiate the cost of your dental treatment, especially if you're without insurance. Some dental offices will work with you to make your care more affordable. 5. Boost your savings before retiring If you're already retired, this advice won't apply. But if you're at the tail end of your career, pushing yourself to stay in the workforce a little bit longer could allow you to pad your nest egg, thereby giving you access to additional income that can be used to cover your dental care as a senior, or whatever other medical bills come your way. Similarly, if you're not already on Medicare and have a high-deductible health insurance plan through your job, it pays to see if you're eligible to fund a health savings account. Doing so will give you an extra source of income to tap once you're retired and those dental bills start piling up. Dental care is a necessity at every stage of life, but it could become a huge budget-buster in retirement. Take the above steps to make your care more manageable so that you're not tempted to skimp on dental services and put your oral health at risk. More From The Motley Fool The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Whether you're trying to master the art of joint rolling or just want to try to alleviate a sore back, every cannabis user should know the difference between CBD and THC. TL;DR: THC will get you high. CBD probably won't. But it's really more complicated than that. What are cannabinoids? Cannabinoids are naturally occurring compounds that interact with receptors found throughout the body to achieve certain physiological effects. Scientists have identified over 100 different cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, but the ones you'll most commonly hear about are delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Humans, along with all vertebrates like dogs, cats, fish, and birds, produce endocannabinoids neurotransmitters that bind to receptors and impact pain, mood, appetite, sleep, and a variety of other functions. Exogenous cannabinoids, meanwhile, aren't produced by the body but can be found in marijuana as THC, CBD, and a variety of other compounds. Why does THC get you high while CBD doesn't? This part gets complicated, but what you need to know is that THC tends to interact with the parts of your body that makes you feel "high," while CBD tends to interact with the parts that reduces inflammation. Researchers have identified two receptors in the human body that respond to cannabis, known as CB1 and CB2. These receptors are part of the larger endocannabinoid system, which helps regulate hormone secretion to influence appetite, mood, and energy. Jeffrey Raber, CEO of California-based cannabis chemistry lab The Werc Shop, says that although CBD and THC have the same atoms, they're rearranged very differently. "Because of that, it's a wildly different key going into the lock," Raber said in a phone interview. CB1 receptors are most prominent in the central nervous system, while CB2 receptors are found more in the peripheral nervous system. Story continues It's a lot of confusing phrases basically, whatever affects CB1 receptors are more likely to have psychoactive effects because they affect the brain and spinal cord. Whatever affects CB2 receptors will likely affect the rest of your body, reducing inflammation without giving you the "high" feeling that weed brings. THC has an affinity to bind to CB1 receptors: It won't shut off your breathing or heart like opioids do because it doesn't affect the brain stem, but it does trigger that euphoric "high" feeling. CBD, meanwhile, has a stronger affinity to CB2 receptors, which is why it can reduce inflammation without being psychoactive. That's not to say that THC will exclusively bind to CB1 and CBD will exclusively bind to CB2. "It's not like this molecule only reacts with that receptor, and it's only going to do its thing," Raber clarified. CBD may still react with CB1 receptors and THC may still react with CB2 receptors, but both are way more likely to interact with the reverse. And most CBD products, whether a tincture to help you sleep at night or a shot of oil in your smoothie, won't get you high if it's hemp-derived because hemp products cannot legally be sold if they contain a THC content higher than 0.3 percent. How do they work together? Anecdotally, cannabis consumers report less feelings of anxiety and paranoia when they consume products with both THC and CBD, as opposed to products that contain just THC. In one study in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, participants who were given CBD before they were administered a dose of pure THC experienced less cognitive impairment and paranoia than participants who only received pure THC. Wired describes CBD as an "antidote" to weed freak outs. "In a basic sense, the two together act differently than when they are used by themselves," Raber explained in an email. He says that one or both of two actions can happen: receptors can be activated differently, and/or CB1 and CB2 receptors can change. Essentially, the pathways that your cells communicate through change if THC and CB1 interact less, you'll experience less psychoactive effects. The presence of CBD, for some reason, makes you feel less high. "So you are somehow not getting as much THC activity at CB1," Raber said. "Which is therefore lowering the potential for causing anxiety and paranoia." That still leaves a lot unexplained, but as High Times notes, there's so much more to be studied about cannabis and the brain. Raber says CBD can interact with over 60 receptors in the body, and its full potential is yet to be understood. All marijuana technically has both THC and CBD, but decades of curating plants without understanding CBD's potential means that weed tends to be very high in THC. CBD content has been overlooked in favor of weed that'll guarantee an extreme high. If you tend to get anxious after smoking weed, try out products that have a more balanced ratio of THC and CBD, or are higher in CBD. What's the difference between hemp and marijuana? Hemp and marijuana are both derived from cannabis plants, but industrial hemp can't be more than 0.3 percent THC to be legal under the 2018 Farm Bill. That means that hemp-derived CBD, which is rarely psychoactive, is legal all across the country regardless of whether or not marijuana is legal in a certain state. That's not to say that all CBD products will be accessible nationwide. The Food and Drug Administration still considers CBD to be a "drug ingredient" and won't allow CBD in food or health products. Do ratios matter? Yes. The higher the CBD to THC ratio, the less high you'll get. Because CBD counteracts the psychoactive effects of THC, you're more likely to get comfortably stoned on a 1:1 ratio than an 18:1. A 1:1 ratio means that there's the same amount of CBD and THC in the product, whereas an 18:1 ratio means there are 18 parts CBD to one part THC. That doesn't mean it's an exact science, though. Since marijuana is still federally illegal, clinical trials testing THC/CBD ratios are limited, and many of the reviews are anecdotal. If you want to dabble in ratio dosing, it's pretty much up to you to figure out what works. CBD vs THC Heres the Difference Image: bob al-greene / mashable What about terpenes? Also known as terpenoids, terpenes are the oils found in all plants. In cannabis plants, the terpenes can determine the "type" of high you'll tend to experience, from a more relaxing anxiety-easing sedation with linalool, often found in lavender, to a more alert burst of creativity with limonene, a terpene found in citrus fruits. The cannabis industry often categorizes weed by calling products either a sativa, which are known for more creative, energetic highs, or indica, which are known for "in da couch" calming highs. Hybrids supposedly combine the two sensations. But the differentiation is relatively meaningless; those are botanical categories, not chemical ones. That means that the terms sativa and indica refer to the plant's shape and physical traits more than what the plant can do for you. Terpenes, meanwhile, also play a role in how the plant tastes and smells. Growers have been tinkering with terpenes by breeding cannabis plants, curating plants that will give you a targeted high. "Cannabinoids are important for turning it on," Raber explained previously for Mashable. "But which direction is goes is gonna be determined by which terpenes and other minor cannabinoids are around them." If you're looking for a specific kind of high, you should look at two things: the CBD and THC ratio, and the terpenes present. When they're all working together, you'll probably experience a better high than vaping pure THC. What is the entourage effect? Sometimes called the "ensemble effect," the entourage effect takes THC, CBD, other cannabinoids, and terpenes into account when getting high. The buzzword basically means that the therapeutic benefits of weed are greater when you consume products made of multiple compounds from the whole plant, instead of just THC. The phrase was popularized by a 2011 study that looked into how interactions between cannabinoids and terpenes can be used to treat various medical disorders. Think of it like a cocktail: It's going to be a much more fulfilling experience. If you include all of the extra ingredients instead of just drinking straight liquor. Full spectrum? Isolate? What? You'll probably find these words emblazoned across cannabis product packaging, bragging about how it's made of "pure" CBD or "full-spectrum" plant. "Unfortunately we don't have standardized definitions of these terms," Raber said. "Isolate most likely refers to single-molecule, just CBD by itself." Isolate oils are entirely CBD. It isn't more potent than full-spectrum oil, although it was previously believed to be; a 2015 study found that full-spectrum CBD oil eases inflammation more consistently than isolate oil does. It gets blurry when cannabis companies label products "full-spectrum," or "whole plant," or "broad spectrum." Although some companies may label products "full-spectrum" if all of the naturally occurring cannabinoids including CBD and THC and terpenes from a plant are included, Raber notes that without an industry-wide standard, all "full-spectrum" really means is that there's more than one cannabinoid present. "As a whole, we really should strive for standardized definitions," Raber said. "If someone says, 'This is the spectrum,' well how far am I on it? Are there a hundred things in here? How do we know?" Cannabis company MassRoots describes full-spectrum and isolate as two different kinds of pasta sauce. While full-spectrum oil includes tomatoes, mushrooms, meat, and the works, an isolate oil would just be made of tomatoes. But until the cannabis industry figures out a way to define what "full-spectrum" really means, there's little regulation guaranteeing that the product you're about to consume has more than just THC or CBD in it. How do you get CBD? If you do live in a state with legal recreational marijuana you can consume CBD products in a variety of ways. It'll be up to you to decide which works best for you and at what dosage so you'll need to do some experimenting. It's best to start with a low dose and move up over a few days when you're starting out. Tinctures are herbal extracts made from infusing plants in alcohol. You can consume these through a dropper used under the tongue. (Just make sure to let the drops absorb and not swish the liquid around in your mouth that will impact how your body absorbs the CBD.) Oils use a carrier oil like coconut oil or hemp seed oil. Like tinctures, you can consume CBD oils by using a dropper under the tongue. Edibles like CBD gummies are appealing because of their taste. CBD gummies are particularly popular, but many contain CBD isolate. Vaping is also popular, but can result in lung irritation if it's made of cheap carrier liquids. If you're going to vape CBD, check out the ingredients before buying any products cannabis vapes shouldn't use the same ingredients as nicotine vapes. Patches allow users to consume CBD through their skin with a simple adhesive patch, you can get the benefits of CBD without needing to vape or take edibles. Now that you know the difference, go forth and blaze it. Police dogs have been honoured for their roles in the London 2017 terror attacks. The PDSA awarded the dogs their Order of Merit, for carrying out duties including checking suspects fake suicide vests immediately after the attack near Borough Market. (PA) Unsung heroes of the 2017 London Bridge terror attacks have been honoured almost two years on from the atrocities. The PDSA has honoured dogs from the Met and British Transport Police which were involved in checking the fake suicide vests of the three London Bridge attackers after they were shot dead by police. Along with their handlers they were involved in checking dozens of buildings for explosives as officers worked to ensure the scenes were safe. Now they have been rewarded with the PDSAs Order of Merit recognising their work. Police dogs have been honoured for their roles in the London 2017 terror attacks. The PDSA awarded the dogs their Order of Merit, for carrying out duties including checking suspects fake suicide vests immediately after the attack near Borough Market. (PA) PD Delta, Firearms Support Dog, with handler PC Mark Snoxhall receives the PDSA Order of Merit, for terror attack heroics. He is one of seven hero police dogs receiving an award for helping emergency services during the 2017 London terror attacks at Westminster Bridge, London Bridge and Borough Market. The three London Bridge attackers Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba killed eight people on June 3 2017 and wore fake explosive belts made of water bottles wrapped in silver tape to instil terror. In the Westminster Bridge attack, in which five people were killed on March 22 2017, a police dog team was sent in to check terrorist Khalid Masoods car for a bomb after it crashed into the railings outside Parliament. Four dogs were also used to search for potential devices among the chaos on the bridge. In total, 19 dogs were used in the aftermath of the two terror attacks and seven dogs were chosen by ballot to receive the PDSA awards. PD Kai, Explosive Detection Dog, receives the PDSA Order of Merit, for terror attack heroics. She is one of seven hero police dogs receiving an award for helping emergency services during the 2017 London terror attacks at Westminster Bridge, London Bridge and Borough Market. PD Jax, General Purpose Dog, with handler PC Craig Howarth receives the PDSA Order of Merit, for terror attack heroics. He is one of seven hero police dogs receiving an award for helping emergency services during the 2017 London terror attacks at Westminster Bridge, London Bridge and Borough Market. PD Dave, Explosive Detection Dog, with handler PC Andy Salter receives the PDSA Order of Merit, for terror attack heroics. He is one of seven hero police dogs receiving an award for helping emergency services during the 2017 London terror attacks at Westminster Bridge, London Bridge and Borough Market. The charity said the dog teams worked in the knowledge that they could have encountered real bombs and explosive belts. The dogs teams honoured today include Kai, an explosive detection dog and handler Pc Jean Pearce; Delta, a firearms support dog and handler Pc Mark Snoxhall; and Dave, an explosive detection dog and handler Pc Andy Salter, all from the Met. Kai, a spaniel, was deployed in both attacks. The British Transport Police dogs include Bruno, an explosive search dog and handler Pc Rob Smith; Marci, a general purpose dog and handler Pc Neil Billany; and Jax, a general purpose dog and handler Pc Craig Howarth. Chief Inspector Graham Horwood, of the Mets Taskforce, said: In 2017 we were sadly met with some unimaginable events. Our police dogs and their handlers were required to work in the most challenging environments and we are delighted to hear that their extraordinary work has been recognised. Story continues Read more from Yahoo News UK: Coin collector jailed for life over fellow enthusiasts death Jack Shepherd to return to UK to fight conviction Millionaires son kills friend in McLaren supercar crash PD Bruno, Explosive Search dog, with handler PC Rob Smith receives the PDSA Order of Merit, for terror attack heroics. He is one of seven hero police dogs receiving an award for helping emergency services during the 2017 London terror attacks at Westminster Bridge, London Bridge and Borough Market. PD Marci, General Purpose Dog, with handler PC Neil Billany receives the PDSA Order of Merit, for terror attack heroics. He is one of seven hero police dogs receiving an award for helping emergency services during the 2017 London terror attacks at Westminster Bridge, London Bridge and Borough Market. British Transport Police Inspector Paul Miles said: I am immensely proud of our dogs and their handlers. They worked through physically and emotionally challenging conditions without second thought, courageously walking into danger and putting the publics safety before their own. A PDSA spokeswoman said: Throughout the incident the teams worked with the knowledge that potential further danger remained all around them, but put the safety of the public ahead of their own as they tirelessly continued their work. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Beirut (AFP) - The head of Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah on Tuesday called for "resistance" a day after the United States recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. US President Donald Trump on Monday officially recognised Israeli sovereignty over the strategic border area, seized from Syria in 1967 and then annexed in 1981 in a move not recognised by the international community. Hezbollah is a key backer of the regime in neighbouring Syria, where its fighters have helped Damascus gain ground against rebels and jihadists during the eight-year civil war. In a televised speech on Tuesday, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said the only option left to Syrians to take back their land -- and for Palestinians to achieve their "legitimate rights" -- was "resistance, resistance, and resistance". He described Trump's move as "a crucial turning point in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict". Trump's decision "deals a knockout punch to what is called the peace process in the region, which is built on (the concept of) land in exchange for peace". He called on the Arab League, which has suspended Syria's membership over the bloody repression of protests leading to the war, to take action at a summit at the end of the month in Tunis. The 21-member bloc should "call for the withdrawal of the Arab peace initiative... from the table" of negotiations on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, he said. The initiative, born in 2002 in Beirut, called for Israel to withdraw from all land it occupied in 1967, in exchange for normalisation between all Arab states and Israel. Trump's Golan decision sparked condemnation from the Arab League, as well as several regional states, including Lebanon, Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia. Hezbollah, the only side not to have disarmed after Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, is credited with expelling Israel from the south of the country in 2000. Israel and Hezbollah fought a devastating month-long war in 2006, and skirmishes still erupt along a UN-patrolled demarcation line. BEIRUT (Reuters) - Islamic State said on Tuesday it had launched a deadly attack on Kurdish forces in northern Syria overnight, the first such claim by the group since U.S.-backed forces proclaimed the capture of its last territory in Syria last week. A spokesman for the U.S.-backed militia that controls Manbij said a terrorist attack on a checkpoint at the city's entrance killed seven fighters on duty. A U.S. official said all the casualties were among members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Islamic State said in a statement that "caliphate soldiers attacked a checkpoint of the apostate PKK (Kurdistan Worker's Party)" west of Manbij using machine guns and killed nine fighters. Some 30 km (20 miles) from the Turkish border, Manbij has been a flashpoint in the Syrian conflict and occupies a critical spot, near the junction of three separate blocks of territory that form the spheres of Russian, Turkish and U.S. influence. It was seized in 2016 from Islamic State by Syrian militia allied to the SDF, a militia force spearheaded by the Kurdish YPG and which controls roughly a quarter of Syria. The SDF on Saturday proclaimed the capture of Baghouz, Islamic State's last territory in Syria, eliminating its rule over a self-proclaimed "caliphate", but the jihadists remain a threat, with followers around the world. [nL8N2171Y5 "We cannot blame a specific side for this attack, but it is definitely linked to the proclamation of victory over Daesh," Manbij Military Council spokesman Sharfan Darwish said. "The purpose of these attacks is to incite sedition. Also the parties troubled by the defeat of Daesh are trying to threaten stability in the area," he told Reuters. Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the PKK, which has waged a 34-year-old insurgency in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast. Originally an offshoot of al Qaeda, Islamic State took swathes of Iraq and Syria from 2014, imposing a reign of terror with public beheadings and attacks by supporters abroad. (Reporting by Rodi Said in Qamishli and Sarah Dadouch in Istanbul; Editing by Alison Williams) Rome (AFP) - Italy's anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) may be on its last legs amid electoral flops, a corruption scandal and an identity crisis that risks tearing it apart, experts say. In the latest blow, M5S took home just 20 percent of votes in Sunday's regional election in Basilicata in southern Italy, less than half what it got there in the March 2018 general election. "What surprises me is not the decline but the fact that it has come so late," Piergiorgio Corbetta, sociology professor at the University of Bologna, told AFP. "Their growth was unexpected, their fall was inevitable. "A movement which brandishes the great utopian idea of a fight against all forms of elite, necessarily changes its spots when it becomes elite itself -- and that distances some of its voters," he said. Winning a staggering 32 percent at the general election last year, things were looking decidedly rosy for a movement founded by a comic and determined to overthrow the old guard in its quest for honest politics. But it did not have the numbers to govern alone and many of its supporters found it difficult to stomach the decision to form a coalition government with the right-wing, anti-immigrant Northern League. Its electoral promises have since largely fallen by the wayside as the increasingly popular League calls the shots. - 'Free fall' - Having railed against crookedness within traditional parties, M5S has discovered that its biggest victory -- taking control of Rome -- is proving to be its biggest headache too. Several prominent members in Rome's mayoral office have been or are currently under investigation and the head of the city council assembly was arrested last week on suspicion of corruption. On the national level, a growing number of its MPs no longer hesitate to vote against leader Luigi Di Maio and his policies. The 32-year old is reluctant to expel the rebels, however, according to dissident M5S senator Elena Fattori. Story continues "Perhaps because the Movement is already in free fall. If they start expelling people who support its original theses, they risk disaster" at the European elections in May, she said. That could be the final blow -- should the M5S perform badly in the European Parliament polls it could persuade ambitious League leader Matteo Salvini that the time is ripe to quit the coalition and force a fresh general election. - 'Leadership crisis' - Paola Nugnes, another M5S dissident, believes that after eight months of government, "the risk is that there is no longer any difference between the Movement and the League. "The Movement has in fact 'Salvinised itself', positioning itself ideologically on the right," she said in a reference to Salvini. And it has paid a heavy price, getting just 19 percent and 11 percent respectively in elections in Abruzzo and Sardinia this year -- compared to some 40 percent in both regions last year. The M5S is suffering a leadership crisis after its charismatic founder, comic Beppe Grillo, took a step back, Corbetta said. "The Movement is a creature of Beppe Grillo, without him, it would not exist. Grillo is an excellent communicator but not a politician, and that's why he retired," he said. "It is an orphan. It is experiencing a strong leadership crisis and this dynamic is destined to continue," he added. Corbetta, who has edited a book of essays on the Movement, said the bad performance at regional elections is proving a turn-off for other voters, creating a vicious circle. Despite its woes, Di Maio and Salvini have promised each other, and Italians, that the coalition will last its full five-year term. Jacob Rees-Mogg: If we take this deal we are legally out of the European Union. Photograph: Luke Dray/Getty Images Jacob Rees-Mogg has hinted at a Eurosceptic u-turn over Theresa Mays Brexit deal. The Tory backbencher said the choice seems to be Mrs Mays deal or no Brexit, which has been interpreted as a reluctant endorsement of the beleaguered leaders deal as Parliament voted to seize control of the process. I have always thought that no deal is better than Mrs Mays deal, but Mrs Mays deal is better than not leaving at all, the European Research Group chairman said on a ConservativeHome podcast. He added that Brexit may now be a process rather than an event and it could take time to fully break away from Brussels. Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement on Brexit to the House of Commons, London. He later tweeted a link to the interview with the words: The choice seems to be Mrs Mays deal or no Brexit. The move will pile pressure on fellow Leavers Boris Johnson and Iain Duncan Smith to switch and support her deal. The news comes as the Prime Ministers fragile authority suffered another blow as three ministers quit to back a Commons amendment enabling MPs to take control of Commons business to stage a series of indicative votes on alternatives to her deal. The defeat heaps further pressure on Mrs Mays position and could increase the chances of an early general election if MPs back plans for a softer Brexit which would be unacceptable to the Prime Minister or Tory Eurosceptics. Theresa May addresses the House of Commons. (PA) The key dates in the UKs article 50 extension. (PA) The choice seems to be Mrs Mays deal or no Brexit.https://t.co/GggHZ7NEv5 Jacob Rees-Mogg (@Jacob_Rees_Mogg) March 26, 2019 The Prime Minister will address Tory MPs at a meeting of the 1922 Committee on Wednesday amid speculation that setting a timetable for her departure could sway more Conservatives to back the deal. Following Mondays resignations Mrs May has now received 34 resignations from her government in the past 12 months. At Tuesdays regular Cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister is expected to be confronted with calls for free votes on the rival options. Story continues Many around the Cabinet table will argue for a free vote so Parliament can truly show what it would support, a Cabinet source said. Alistair Burt, who quit his Foreign Office role in order to vote for the Commons amendment, said: Parliament should seek urgently to resolve the situation by considering alternatives freely, without the instruction of party whips, and Government should adopt any feasible outcome as its own in order to progress matters. The earliest Britain could leave the EU is now said to be April 12. Read more: Boris Johnson claims Theresa May has bottled it Who will be the next Prime Minister? Resignation rumours surround Theresa May I did not believe the Government was prepared to do that, so had to vote to ensure this happens. Steve Brine, who quit as a health minister, suggested the revolt in favour of the indicative votes amendment could actually boost the chances of Mrs Mays deal finally getting through by persuading Tory Eurosceptics such as Mr Rees-Mogg it was the best form of Brexit on offer. Those on my side who dont like the deal, maybe they will realise that the House of Commons is prepared to act, he told the BBC. And, anything from here, as far as they are concerned, gets softer in terms of Brexit. He added: You have to accept that a second referendum or revoking Article 50 are on the table because they will probably be some options. The 2017 Tory manifesto ruled out membership of the single market and customs union and Mrs May told MPs on Monday that no one would want to support an option that contradicted the manifesto on which they stood for election to this House. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK John Leslie Riley and Alan Stephen Shelton have been ordered to repay 50,000 they stole from car parks by doctoring transactions. (Facebook) A couple who stole 50,000 from parking machines have been ordered to pay back their ill-gotten gains. John Leslie Riley, then 62, and Alan Stephen Shelton, then 57, had worked at Blackburn Malls car park for 19 years, becoming deputy manager and manager. Between 2015 and 2016 they concocted a method of opening a parking machine and taking out money while the other would act as a lookout, Preston Crown Court heard. Riley was sentenced to 36-weeks in jail and Shelton for 30-weeks after they both pleaded guilty to the thefts at an earlier court hearing. Riley and Shelton used the money to fund lavish holidays together. (Facebook) Metro reports that the pair would doctor transaction logs to cover their tracks and used the cash to go on lavish holidays. Riley was sentenced to 36-weeks in jail and Shelton for 30-weeks after they both pleaded guilty to the thefts at an earlier court hearing. An investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act has now revealed they jointly profited by 50,000. Wayne Jackson, prosecuting, said that 37,000 was already held in a solicitors account to meet part of the penalty. He added that the pair were jointly and severally liable for the amount. Judge Simon Newell accused the couple of acting for profit and personal greed and ordered them to repay the rest of the money owed within three months, or face a further nine months behind bars. Read more from Yahoo News UK: Man with Down syndrome died after being left without food Jack Shepherd to return to UK to fight conviction Millionaires son kills friend in McLaren supercar crash John Leslie Riley and Alan Stephen Shelton have been ordered to repay 50,000 they stole from car parks by doctoring transactions. (Facebook) The couple were caught out when two anonymous letters detailing their crimes were sent to management. A police investigation discovered a wallet at their home containing holiday tickets they had bought. Judge Newell added: You have caused damage, harm and distress in the lives and emotions and in some cases the health of people you have worked with. You have breached their trust over a long period of time. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK In British politics, the job of the speaker of the House of Commons is to chair debates in Parliament from a position of total impartiality. Throughout the Brexit process, some have claimed (with good reason) that Speaker John Bercow is not merely partial but has aimed to steer Brexit in the direction of the Remain-voting establishment. On January 9 Bercow caused great controversy when he changed the rules for Parliaments meaningful vote. Proposed by former attorney general Dominic Grieve, the new amendment gave the government just three days as opposed to the original three weeks to decide on its next steps should Theresa Mays deal be voted down. (It was voted down.) The effect of this amendment was to take control of the Brexit process from the government and give it back to Parliament. The trouble is that Parliament is too conflicted to get anything done. Another trouble is that many conservative members of Parliament took Bercows actions to be evidence of pro-Labour bias. For instance, one MP asked him why his car has a derogatory anti-Brexit sticker b*llocks to Brexit, its not a done deal but the speaker merely replied that the vehicle belongs to his wife. This might be true, but the Daily Telegraph reported last year that he had told a number of students that he had voted Remain. And this month he also prevented a parliamentary vote on whether to block a second referendum (which keeps this option on the table for anti-Brexit MPs). Another controversy arose this month when Bercow cited a law dating back to 1604 that would prevent the government from voting a third time on Mays withdrawal deal unless significant changes have been made to it. Significantly, this seemed to please both ardent Brexiteers and those who want to stop Brexit. Both groups are unified in opposition to Mays Brexit-in-name-only deal. After May had given a speech blaming members of Parliament for a Brexit delay Britains decision deadline is now April 12 rather than March 29 Bercow told Parliament: Story continues None of you is a traitor. All of you are doing your best. This should not be and Im sure will not prove to be a matter of any controversy whatsoever. From the chair let me say that I believe passionately in the institution of parliament. In the rights of members of the house. And in their commitment to their duty. And I use the word duty in the singular advisedly. The sole duty of every member of Parliament is to do what he or she thinks is right. What did he mean by this? At face value, Bercow claims that he is not partisan but simply likes speaking truth to power. Bercow vetoed the suggestion of an address to both houses of Parliament by the president of the United States, Donald Trump, on a state visit. In May 2013, Bercow broke parliamentary precedent in favor of Tory skeptic MPs by allowing them to debate whether or not there should be a referendum to leave the EU. Though this motion didnt pass, it did set the ball rolling the ball David Cameron later kicked off the cliff when he announced the EU referendum. In December 2018, Bercow allowed a motion on whether the government was in contempt of Parliament when it refused to make public the official legal advice on its Brexit deal. But perhaps Bercow just enjoys exercising his own power and being the source of so much controversy. For instance, when Jeremy Corbyn was caught mumbling the words stupid woman about Theresa May, Bercow faced accusations of similar comments and bullying. Whether or not this will turn out to be Bercows Brexit remains to be seen. But his behavior does raise questions as to why one person, who is supposed to be chairing a debate, has so much say in such a monumental process. More from National Review JPMorgan JPM plans to move roughly 300 investment banking employees from the London office to other hubs in the European Union (EU) in case of a no-deal Brexit. It asked employees working in areas such as sales and risk to sign new contracts for relocating. This news was first reported by Bloomberg. The concerned employees were informed about the possibility of relocation several months ago. Now, as the company is activating Brexit plans, employees will have to decide to shift or risk losing jobs. Nonetheless, per some sources, the bank plans to redeploy employees to other roles in an effort to avoid layoffs. Earlier, JPMorgan revealed plans to move hundreds of employees in case of a no-deal Brexit. This was to ensure continued bloc trading, advisory and banking services to clients. It is building offices in Frankfurt, Paris and Luxembourg as part of its Brexit plan. Britains exit from EU is now scheduled on May 22 if Prime Minister Theresa May's proposed withdrawal agreement receives approval from the parliament later this week. Otherwise, Britain may offer new exit plan until Apr 12 or decide to leave without a deal. Apart from JPMorgan, several financial institutions are preparing for Brexit. In February 2019, Barclays BCS revealed plans to shift some equity and credit derivative sales jobs to Paris as it revamps operations ahead of Brexit. Likewise, Bank of America BAC and HSBC Holdings HSBC began relocating jobs to Paris. JPMorgans shares have gained 2% in the past three months compared with the industrys growth of 6.7%. Currently, JPMorgan carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Is Your Investment Advisor Fumbling Your Financial Future? See how you can more effectively safeguard your retirement with a new Special Report, 4 Warning Signs Your Investment Advisor Might Be Sabotaging Your Financial Future. Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Bank of America Corporation (BAC) : Free Stock Analysis Report JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Barclays PLC (BCS) : Free Stock Analysis Report HSBC Holdings plc (HSBC) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research By Amanda Becker and Sharon Bernstein WASHINGTON/SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Kamala Harris on Tuesday released a plan that would use federal money to raise teachers' salaries, in a nod to several constituencies whose help she will need to win next year's Democratic presidential nomination teachers unions, women and black voters. The proposal Harris' first major policy rollout as a 2020 White House candidate would invest $315 billion over 10 years to give the average teacher a $13,500 raise, or about a 23 percent salary increase, according to a Harris campaign aide. It would be financed by expanding an estate tax on the wealthy but the aide did not provide details. The National Education Association (NEA), which has 3 million members, and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), which has 1.7 million members, are likely months away from endorsing in the 2020 Democratic primary, if they do so at all. AFT President Randi Weingarten described Harris' plan as "bold" and called on other candidates to offer their own detailed proposals. Harris' campaign shared the proposal with labor leaders over the weekend, as she announced her intention to raise teacher pay at a campaign rally in Houston. "She actually understands that we have a real problem here," Weingarten told Reuters in an interview. "Parents are saying they don't want their kids to become teachers and teachers are selling their blood plasma to make ends meet." Harris' rollout comes after a wave of high-profile teachers strikes across the country that drew attention to stagnant teachers' salaries including in Los Angeles and Oakland in Harris' home state of California, where her campaign aims for a strong showing. "Having the endorsement of a teachers' union is huge in California. They're trusted allies and trusted validators as far as voters are concerned," said Roger Salazar, a Democratic strategist in Sacramento, California, who has advised gubernatorial and congressional campaigns. Story continues As the strikes showed, teachers are a politically active group and their support for a candidate can "turn into a lot of doors knocked on and a lot of activity for you up and down the state," he added. California, the most populous U.S. state, moved up its 2020 primary to "Super Tuesday" in early March. It has about 500 of roughly 3,800 Democratic state delegates that will officially pick the eventual nominee at the Democratic National Convention. Teacher salaries are typically set by state and local governments. But Harris said in Houston that teacher pay is a national crisis that merits a national response, citing data from the liberal-leaning Economic Policy Institute that teachers make on average 11 percent less than other similarly qualified professionals with college degrees. Under her plan, which Reuters reviewed ahead of its release, the U.S. Department of Education would coordinate with state education agencies to set base salary goals for teachers, the federal government would provide the first 10 percent of funding to raise salaries and then give $3 for every $1 a state uses for pay increases. The federal government would also provide additional money to boost teacher salaries in high-need schools that disproportionately serve black and Hispanic students and fund teacher recruitment and training programs at historically black colleges and other institutions that serve minority populations. Harris' campaign cited data showing that in the women-dominated field of education, female teachers have lower average salaries than male teachers with the same education and experience. Black teachers likewise have lower average salaries than white teachers. Harris' teacher pay proposal could resonate with Democratic primary voters beyond California. In South Carolina, which hosts the first primary in which black voters are a sizeable Democratic constituency, legislators are weighing a teacher pay increase. In Texas, which also votes on "Super Tuesday," the Republican governor has said low teacher pay is an emergency and called for raises. (Reporting by Amanda in Washington and Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) Kinder Morgan, Inc KMI has withdrawn from Enbridge Incs ENB proposed Texas COLT deepwater crude oil export project off Freeport, TX on the Gulf of Mexico coast. Kinder Morgan had mentioned the time commitment to move the project through a regulatory phase. However, a recent internal review revealed that the project was not in line with the companys strategic priorities. The project, estimated at a cost of around $800 million, was planned to be built in a Gulf of Mexico area that is located about 40 miles south of Freeport. The project began as a joint venture of Enbridge, Kinder Morgan and German marine terminal operator Oiltanking to accommodate Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs). It is one of eight similar projects that have been proposed to transfer U.S. shale to overseas markets by loading supertankers capable of carrying about 2 million barrels each. The plans for this project were revealed in January, 2019 by Kinder Morgan and Enbridge when a permit application was filed with the U.S. Maritime Administration. Oiltanking remains committed to the project. Enbridge has opted to farm in to Kinder Morgans stake in the project. It expects the facility to be well positioned to cater to the supply diversity that attracts overseas U.S. crude buyers. The proposed COLT project will be capable of loading 23 supertankers per month at a rate of 85,000 barrels per hour. Oil will be transferred through a 42-inch (107 centimeter) pipeline. The vessels will be anchored at an offshore platform about 30 miles (48 kilometers) off Texas, in 110 feet (33.5 meters) of water. VLCCs, which have a capability of carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil in a single load, are turning out to be the tanker of choice for exports. However, U.S. ports are not prepared to handle them as they are too shallow. A fully loaded VLCC tanker requires 66 feet of water, while ship channels in Texas and elsewhere are usually40-45 feet. Subject to receiving approval from the authorities, the offshore export terminal will be supported by an underwater pipeline and an onshore tank farm. The unit will be capable of storing around 15 million barrels of crude. The offshore platform would be able to load a VLCC tanker in a day by getting crude oil from U.S. shale plays such as the Permian Basin in West Texas, the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas and the Bakken Shale of North Dakota. Zacks Rank & Key Picks Currently, Kinder Morgan carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked players in the energy space are Antero Resources Corporation AR and CrossAmerica Partners L.P. CAPL. Both Antero Resources and CrossAmerica Partners sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Antero Resources is an independent explorer, primarily engaged in the acquisition and development of natural gas, natural gas liquids as well as oil resources in the Appalachian Basin. The companys earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the last four quarters. CrossAmerica Partners is involved in the wholesale distribution of motor fuels, comprising gasoline and diesel fuel. The partnership delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 452.2% in the last four quarters. Is Your Investment Advisor Fumbling Your Financial Future? See how you can more effectively safeguard your retirement with a new Special Report, 4 Warning Signs Your Investment Advisor Might Be Sabotaging Your Financial Future. Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report CrossAmerica Partners LP (CAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Kinder Morgan, Inc. (KMI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Enbridge Inc (ENB) : Free Stock Analysis Report Antero Resources Corporation (AR) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research PRISTINA (Reuters) - Kosovo's government said it will ban gambling for 10 years following the deaths of two casino workers this month during armed robberies in separate towns. After the deaths, customs officials raided dozens of gambling shops and found many of them were operating illegally. More than one hundred slot machines were confiscated. Only a state controlled lottery will be able to operate, Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said during a government session on Tuesday at which the cabinet voted to back the 10 year ban. "It is total chaos, a total abuse and it is good that we are stopping this," Haradinaj told a press conference. The ban proposal will now be sent to parliament for approval. The gambling industry has grown rapidly in the past ten years. The Gambling Association of Kosovo says it now employs 4,000 workers. Ruzhdi Kosumi, who owns 14 gambling shops, said 40 of his workers will be left jobless. "The decision to close us was taken after two of our workers were killed. This is nonsense. We lost people and now we are losing our jobs," Kosumi told Reuters. With a third of the population unemployed, Kosovo is one of the poorest countries in Europe. The country of 1.8 million people declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Political instability, crime and corruption have kept investors away. (Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; Editing by Peter Graff) The man who stabbed two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova at her home in the Czech Republic in 2016 was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison. Radim Zondra, 33, was convicted of causing serious bodily harm by a regional court in Brno. Prosecutors had sought a 12-year sentence for Zondra, who pleaded not guilty. Kvitova's spokesman, Karel Tejkal, said she respected the court's ruling. "She's satisfied with the verdict because she identified the convicted person as the attacker," Tejkal said. The left-handed Kvitova suffered slashing injuries to her left hand and fingers in the December 2016 home invasion at her apartment in Prostejov. She needed more than five months to recover. Kvitova, 29, reached the final of the Australian Open in January, her first Grand Slam final since winning Wimbledon for the second time in 2014. Kvitova is currently ranked No. 2 in the world, a career high. She faces Australian Ashleigh Barty in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open on Tuesday night. If she wins the tournament, she would claim the No. 1 spot from Japan's Naomi Osaka. --Field Level Media Barr is still reviewing Mullers report William Barr: Although my review is ongoing, I believe that it is in the public interest to describe the report and to summarize the principal conclusions reached by the Special Counsel and the results of his investigation. Barr immediately makes clear that his letter will only be a summary of the top-line conclusions from Robert Muellers 22-month investigation. At just four pages long, the letter makes no claim to outline the full substance of the special counsels findings, nor does it detail the evidence Mueller has amassed or the legal reasoning behind his decision making. Instead, we have the bare bones. Mueller had handed the full report to the attorney general less than 48 hours earlier, and Barr makes clear he is still reviewing its contents. On the size of the investigation In the report, the Special Counsel noted that, in completing his investigation, he employed 19 lawyers who were assisted by a team of approximately 40 FBI agents, intelligence analysts, forensic accountants, and other professional staff. The Special Counsel issued more than 2,800 subpoenas, executed nearly 500 search warrants, obtained more than 230 orders for communication records, issued almost 50 orders authorizing use of pen registers, made 13 requests to foreign governments for evidence, and interviewed approximately 500 witnesses. Here, the sheer size of the Mueller investigation is laid bare for the first time. Although the cost of the Russia investigation has been public for some time, along with the 37 public indictments issued by Mueller, the scale of the evidence he has amassed has not been known. Barr is clearly alluding to how comprehensive the special counsels investigation has been. While the length of Muellers final report is not known, it is likely to be based on hundreds of thousands of pages of evidence. Democrats have made clear they want access to as much of the report and its underlying evidence as possible. Story continues No new indictments The report does not recommend any further indictments, nor did the Special Counsel obtain any sealed indictments yet to be made public. This is the first of Barrs major announcements: Mueller will issue no fresh charges as the investigation wraps up. This is clearly good news for members of Donald Trumps inner circle, including his son Donald Trump Jr, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and, indeed, for Trump himself. There had been speculation that a number of sealed indictments in the same district court handling the Mueller prosecution could relate to further indictments from the special counsel. This is now clearly not the case. However, other criminal investigations involving the president and members of his inner circle are ongoing, most notably in the southern district of New York. Barr makes no comment on the status of these proceedings. On collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia The Special Counsels investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. As the report states: [T]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities. This is undoubtedly a pivotal conclusion of the investigation. Following almost two years of investigation Barr says that Mueller has found no evidence to prove that any member of the Trump campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election. He quotes only a partial sentence from the report to substantiate this. Also of note here is Barrs supplying a short definition of how Mueller defined collusion. Quoting directly from Muellers report in a short footnote, Barr says the special counsel counted collusion as an agreement tacit or express between the Trump campaign and the Russian government on election interference. This means that for any member of the campaign to be accused of colluding with Russia they would have had to have done so knowingly. Barr says that Mueller found two ways in which Russians interfered during 2016: a coordinated internet disinformation campaign and direct computer hacking. He provides no further details on the crimes themselves but further information on at least some of these actions has already been made public by Mueller through criminal indictments. On obstruction of justice The Special Counsel therefore did not draw a conclusion one way or the other as to whether the examined conduct constituted obstruction. Instead, for each of the relevant actions investigated, the report sets out evidence on both sides of the question and leaves unresolved what the Special Counsel views as difficult issues of law and fact concerning whether the Presidents actions and intent could be viewed as obstruction. The Special Counsel states that while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. Barr briskly moves on to the last major revelation from Mueller: the special counsel was unable to decide whether Donald Trump obstructed justice during the investigation. Barr once again hangs a partial sentence quoted from the report making clear that Mueller did not completely clear Trump of obstruction. But the scant details make it impossible to understand the legal reasoning behind Muellers decision nor all the evidence taken into account to make it. Conclusion on obstruction of justice After reviewing the Special Counsels final report on these issues; consulting with Department officials, including the Office of Legal Counsel; and applying the principles of federal prosecution that guide our charging decisions, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and I have concluded that the evidence developed during the Special Counsels investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense. This revelation is likely to be the most controversial, at least until more of Muellers report is released. It was Barr and his deputy Rod Rosenstein, both appointed to their positions by Trump himself, that decided the president should face no prosecution over obstruction of justice. Although Barr displays those he consulted with to make that decision and cites justice department guidelines governing the process, there is no escaping that the decision not to prosecute the president was made by one of his own cabinet members who has already privately described Muellers investigation of obstruction of justice as fatally misconceived. Barr explains his decision not to charge Trump with obstruction Generally speaking, to obtain and sustain an obstruction conviction, the government would need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a person, acting with corrupt intent, engaged in obstructive conduct with a a sufficient nexus to a pending or contemplated proceeding. In cataloguing the Presidents actions, many of which took place in public view, the report identifies no actions that, in our judgement, constitute obstructive conduct, had a nexus to a pending or contemplated proceeding, and were done with corrupt intent, each of which, under the Departments principles of federal prosecution guiding charging decisions, would need to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to establish an obstruction-of-justice offense. Barr provides a little elaboration on his decision not to charge Trump with obstruction. Critically, Barr makes the point that at least part of the reason Trump is not being charged is due to the lack of an underlying crime. That while there may be sound arguments for Trump obstructing justice, it was not itself a criminal act because there had been no crime in the first place. There is also a suggestion from Barr here that while many of these potentially obstructive actions took place in public it seems likely he is partially referring to Trumps public comments on his decision to fire FBI director James Comey there are others the public may not yet know about. Will the public see the Mueller report? As I have previously stated, however, I am mindful of the public interest in this matter. For that reason, my goal and intent is to release as much of the Special Counsels report as I can consistent with applicable law, regulations, and Departmental policies. The attorney general concludes by making a commitment to making parts of Muellers report available to the public. In a letter to lawmakers on 29 March, Barr said a redacted version of the report would be delivered to Congress by mid-April, possibly before. Senior Democrats have indicated they will issue a subpoena for the full report if they are not satisfied with what Barr provides. Buenos Aires (AFP) - The Lima Group condemned Tuesday the presence of Russian military planes in Venezuela as a provocation threatening regional peace. The 13 Latin American states and Canada said they were concerned "over the arrival of two Russian military aircraft" in Venezuela and condemned "any provocation or military deployment that threatens peace and security in the region." The statement was issued by the foreign ministry of group member Argentina. The body, set up in 2017 to advocate for a regional solution to Venezuela's political and economic crisis, also renewed a call to nations that still maintain friendly ties with "the illegitimate regime of Nicolas Maduro" to help search for a democratic solution. Russia, which recognizes Maduro as leader, sent two planes carrying 100 troops and tons of military equipment to Caracas on Saturday. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido charged that the deployment violates the constitution of the troubled South American country. Russia's foreign ministry said the deployment was "in strict accordance with the constitution of that country and with full respect for its legal norms." The Lima Group -- comprising Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Santa Lucia -- all recognize Guaido as interim president. By Richard Lough and Jean-Baptiste Vey PARIS (Reuters) - Europe's top leaders told President Xi Jinping on Tuesday they wanted a fairer trading relationship with China, signaling an openness to engage with Beijing's "Belt and Road" infrastructure project if it meant more access to the Chinese market. The Europe Union, the world's largest trading zone, has become increasingly frustrated by what it sees as the slow pace of economic opening in China, even after years of granting China almost unfettered access to EU markets for trade and investment. As he seeks to forge a common European front to challenge China's rise, French President Emmanuel Macron invited German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to talks with Xi in Paris. "We, as Europeans, want to play an active part (in the Belt and Road project)," Merkel said after the talks. "That must lead to a certain reciprocity, and we are still wrangling over that a bit." Juncker, who will host an EU-China summit in Brussels next month, reinforced EU calls for better trade reciprocity so that "European businesses could have the same degree of access to the Chinese market as Chinese businesses have in Europe." The Belt and Road Initiative, championed by Xi, aims to link China by sea and land with Southeast and Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa, through an infrastructure network along the lines of the old Silk Road. France says any Silk Road-style cooperation must work in both directions. Even as he presided over the signing of trade deals with China worth tens of billions of dollars this week, including an Airbus deal to sell 300 aircraft to China's state buying agency, Macron pushed back against Beijing's rights record and ambitions. "The European Union is based on respect for individual freedoms and fundamental rights," Macron, said on Monday, referring to Beijing's alleged mistreatment of Muslim Uighurs. "That's why France brings this issue up in its dialogue with China to express concerns that are ours and those of Europe on the question of respecting fundamental rights in China." Europe's quest to hold a common line on China's advances became more difficult after Italy on Saturday became the first major Western country to endorse the Belt and Road initiative. The rapprochement between Rome and Beijing has alarmed Italy's European allies, who consider it a strategic error to let Chinese companies acquire EU infrastructure such as ports. In a sign the European Union wants to tighten conditions on access for Chinese businesses, it is about to introduce a system to screen foreign investments, particularly those affecting strategic infrastructure or technology. It has also urged leaders to back its plan to limit access to EU public tenders. Sat beside Xi, Macron said competition and cooperation were natural but that Europe and China should strengthen multilateralism through deeper cooperation. "We must.. accelerate work underway between China and the European Union on modernizing the WTO to better respond to issues around transparency, overcapacity, state subsidies and dispute settlement," Macron said on Tuesday. "What's at stake is demonstrating that cooperation yields more than confrontation." Seeking to reassure his European counterparts, Xi said both sides should "increase the positive energy". "Cooperation is greater than competition," Xi said. "We shouldn't be always worried about watching our back with suspicion while moving forward." (Additional reporting by Leigh Thomas; Editing by William Maclean and Angus MacSwan) By Michel Rose PARIS (Reuters) - The head of French President Emmanuel Macron's party list for upcoming European elections launched her campaign on Tuesday with a potshot at Britain's pro-Brexit leaders. "Do you remember the slogan 'take back control'?" European affairs minister Nathalie Loiseau said as she announced her resignation in order to lead the LREM party into the May 26 European Parliament election. "It was a good slogan but the wrong answer, and we can see the state they're in now," said Loiseau, a career diplomat who previously headed France's elite ENA civil service college. "Taking back control of our destiny can only be achieved with Europe," she said. Loiseau, who has taken the lead government role on Brexit talks, had already caused a stir when she joked last week that she had named her cat "Brexit". "He wakes me up every morning meowing madly because he wants to be let out, and then when I open the door he stays put, undecided, and then looks at me daggers when I put him out," she said on Facebook. She later admitted she had no cat, but the joke indicated French incredulity at the turmoil surrounding Britain's departure from the EU. Among the major French political parties, Macron's is the last one to announce its candidates for the European parliament - a signal he is counting mostly on himself to campaign in the elections for the Strasbourg-based assembly. After initially framing the election as a clash between anti-immigrant nationalists and pro-European "progressives" such as himself, Macron has lately insisted on a more protectionist message with his "Europe that protects" agenda. The first 30 candidates on the so-called "Renaissance" list announced by the ruling Republic On The Move party on Tuesday includes in second position Pascal Canfin, the former head of conservation group WWF in France, in a sign Macron is also eyeing the green vote in his bid to break up old party lines. According to recent polls putting him just ahead of far-right leader Marine Le Pen's party, he could expect to win about 20 seats in the assembly. Polls also show the hitherto dominant political forces in Strasbourg, the conservative EPP and the center-left Social-Democrats (S&D), would fail to win a majority by themselves. That could place liberal centrists currently in the ALDE grouping, which Macron is hoping to unite under a new pan-European umbrella, in a potential king-making position for picking senior roles in EU institutions. The fact Sandro Gozi, a former center-left Italian european affairs minister, is also on Macron's list, suggests Macron is trying to lure Italy's Democratic Party (PD) away from the S&D. MINI RESHUFFLE Loiseau's departure from the government is likely to lead to a cabinet mini-reshuffle. French media have named presidential adviser Clement Beaune as a possible replacement for Loiseau, who was a little-known technocrat when Macron picked her to be number two in the foreign ministry. As Macron's Europe advisor, Beaune, 37, a self-confessed anglophile, has been an influential voice in shaping the president's European policy, from Brexit negotiations to euro zone reform. The soft-spoken ENA graduate has never held public office but knows the inner workings of government well after a stint as budget advisor to former Socialist prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, before joining Macron's staff at the economy ministry. (Additional reporting by Elizabeth Pineau; Editing by Angus MacSwan) Nate Allred/Shutterstock They say you should never stick anything smaller than your elbow in your ear, and here's a really compelling reason why: A British man ended up in the emergency room after collapsing with a seizure: He had a brain infection thanks to a cotton swab. According to the medical journal BMJ Case Reports, the otherwise healthy 31-year-old had been suffering from left ear pain and disgusting discharge for two weeks prior to the seizure. The man also had headaches on the left side of his head that were intense enough to make him vomit; that happens to be is one of the 16 signs your headache could be something serious. To top it all off, he was having difficulty remembering people's names. In the emergency room, doctors scanned his brain and found abscesses (serious infections) just above his left ear canal. When the doctors performed a surgical exploration of his ear canal, they found a "retained cotton bud"; while cleaning his ear with a cotton swab, the tip came off and got stuck in his ear. Instead of using cotton swabs to explore your ears, try one of these other 17 genius uses for cotton swabs that won't land you in the hospital. "The man developed a severe bacterial infection [necrotizing otitis externa] that started in his ear canal, progressed into the bone at the base of his skull, and then moved upward, into the lining of his brain," Live Science reports. Alexander Charlton, MD, the lead author of the report and part of the team who treated the patient, told Live Science he suspects that either toxins from the bacterial infectionor pressure on the brain from swellingtriggered the seizure and the temporary memory loss. Dr. Charlton believes the cotton tip had been there for a while, given all the wax and debris surrounding it. Once the doctors cleared the debris and treated the man, he made a full recovery. Ten weeks later he was symptom-free with no signs of infection. If you're wondering how to keep your ears clean, here's the right waywithout using a cotton swab. Giuseppe Ulleri died in hospital amid concerns he hadnt eaten for days (Picture: PA) A man with Downs syndrome died days after his family raised concerns about the lack of nutrition he was given at a hospital, an inquest has heard. The family of Giuseppe Ulleri believe that he went 10 days without being fed during his stay at Manchester Royal Infirmary, where he died from pneumonia after struggling to ingest food through a tube, jurors were told. Outlining the events leading up to the death, coroner Angharad Davies explained how the 61-year-olds condition meant that he had difficulty communicating and was not able to take care of himself, meaning he was the subject of a deprivation of liberty safeguarding order. Jurors heard how, on the morning of February 26, 2016, he was found lying on the floor of his bedroom in Withington, Manchester, by staff working for LArche, a company who looked after Mr Ulleri and supplied his living accommodation. Mr Ulleri was admitted to hospital after suffering a fall (Picture: PA) Mr Ulleris family believe that insufficient nutrition at Manchester Royal Infirmary hospital contributed to his death in March 2016 (Picture: PA) Although initial scans taken at Manchester Royal Infirmary that day did not show any significant injuries, he was readmitted the next day after volunteers at LArche grew concerned about difficulties he appeared to have in walking and swallowing. The inquest at Manchester Coroners Court heard how an X-ray and CT scan revealed fractures to the vertebrae in his neck, right hip and right wrist. The coroner explained how, due to the risk of potential pulmonary aspiration, he was made nil by mouth for part of his stay, and had a nasogastric tube, a plastic tube running through the nose and into the stomach, inserted on March 9, 2016. Read more Who will be the next PM? These are the favourites to replace Theresa May Shopworker stabbed to death as six people knifed overnight across London Miracle postman died for 21 minutes and came back to life on his way to the morgue But the coroner explained how the tube only stayed in place for a day, as the patient struggled to use it and felt uncomfortable with it in place. Ms Davies explained: Joe had long periods of time when he had no nutritional support when he stayed in hospital, and for a long period the only nutrition he had was that 24 hours when the tube was in place. Story continues Giving evidence, Mr Ulleris brother Peter said he had phoned into a best interests meeting at the hospital on March 16, 2016, where it was agreed that a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, where a tube is inserted into the patients stomach through the abdominal wall, would take place on March 18. The witness said he believed his brothers condition was deteriorating due to lack of sufficient nutrition, and said he told staff: Why the delay? He could die from this. Mr Ulleri, left, with his father Pietro Ulleri (Picture: PA) He explained how the delay in giving Mr Ulleri nutrition meant he was too weak to recover from the procedure, and he died on March 20, 2016, having suffered from aspiration pneumonia, which occurs when food, stomach acid or saliva is inhaled into the lungs. Another witness, Sister Christine OGrady, worked for LArche at the time and said she had grave concern regarding the perceived lack of pain relief or nutrition Mr Ulleri was given in hospital. She said that before he was made nil by mouth on March 4, 2016, he had started coughing when staff at the Manchester Royal Infirmary attempted to feed him, meaning he had not been properly fed for a considerable amount of time. Mr Ulleri went 10 days in hospital without being fed, his family believe (Picture: PA) Sister OGrady said to jurors she told a member of staff at the hospital: If you dont do anything about it, then I will be seeing you in court. Naomi Tomlinson, who was also working for LArche at the time of Mr Ulleris death, said there seemed to be a lack of joined-up thinking at the hospital. Discussing the communication she had with staff the day before his death, she said: Within 24 hours, there was a very quick escalation from Joe is not going to die to Joe is dying. Giving evidence on Monday, another of Mr Ulleris brothers, Giovanni, explained how he had been an integral part of the family. Telling jurors how his brother had been born in Bolton but lived in the south of Manchester for much of his life, he said: Rather than hide Joe away, mum and dad took him everywhere and were so very proud of him. When people stared at him, Joe would throw them one of his smiles and you could not help but smile back at him. Were all deeply in shock that we will never again see his cheeky innocent smile, or feel the tender embrace from one of his hugs. The inquest, which is expected to last five days, continues. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK The Dirt (Credit: Netflix) A member of the technical crew on the new Motley Crue biopic movie The Dirt is suing both the band and Netflix after suffering horrific burns in an on-set accident. Louis DiVincenti, who worked as a rigging grip on the film, received second and third-degree burns over 50 percent of his body, and later had his foot amputated. He spent seven weeks in hospital being treated for the burns, which happened on the movies set in New Orleans, which had been mocked up to look like the famous Whiskey A Go-Go club in Los Angeles. Read more: Bad Boys spin-off producer loses leg in horrific stunt accident DiVincenti was de-rigging the sets green screens on March 11 last year when a metal pipe he was holding connected with live power line. He was rushed to the University Medical Center in New Orleans, where he was given a two percent chance of survival by doctors. But he miraculously survived, receiving treatment and skin grafts for the burns, as well as multiple surgeries, including the amputation of his right foot, according to The New Orleans Advocate. Read more: Avengers: Endgame run-time revealed His lawsuit names both Netflix and the band, who are producers on the movie, which is adapted from the 2001 memoir The Dirt: Confessions of the Worlds Most Notorious Rock Band, penned by Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, Vince Neil and Nikki Sixx, with the New York Times writer Neil Strauss. DiVincenti says that the production was negligent in not making sure the power line was isolated, claiming that it had not conducted safety assessments, and is now to be held liable for his injuries. He is seeking $1.8 million around 1.35 million in damages. Neither Netflix nor the band have commented on the suit. The movie, which finds Douglas Booth as Nikki Sixx, Iwan Rheon as Mick Mars, Colson Barker as Tommy Lee, and Daniel Webber as Vince Neil, was released on Netflix last week. Its received mixed reviews. With 14 restaurants to her name today, lawyer-turned-chef Martha Hoover has spent the last 30 years building a peerless culinary empire in Indianapolis. That trendy farm-fresh dining that the whole world has been enjoying for more than a decade now? Shes been doing it since she unveiled her first location of Cafe Patachou in 1989. Thirty years later, her empire includes urban farms, a foundation that feeds children living in Indys food deserts and plans for an all-women coworking facility. Hers is a story of someone who, through food, achieved the American Dream. But youve likely never heard of her. And she knows it. Related stories After a Fraught First Year, Chef April Bloomfield Abruptly Shutters Hearth & Hound in Los Angeles The World Restaurant Awards Is Giving a Voice to Future Culinary Vanguards Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger's Recipe for Success Hoover attributes her lack of national recognition to three things: where shes based (the US food scene is decidedly coast-obsessed), the type of venues shes developed (she started with a casual breakfast and lunch spot instead of a serious dinner destination) and because shes a woman. When talking about how shes come up into the world of food and restaurants, Hoover doesnt shy away from discussing the sexist experiences shes faced. An anecdote about how a renowned commercial kitchen designer didnt do right by her essentially because he didnt think she would be successful and didnt want her to waste her husbands money is one that Hoover has shared numerous times to underscore the world she was entering in 1989. It goes back to my gender, sure she explains. But I will take partial responsibility. She admits that in addition to facing gendered roadblocks, there was an internal struggle: While she was confident in, and proud of, the work she was doing, Hoover wasnt immediately comfortable with talking about it. And thus, her voice faded into the background. Story continues I was falling back into the role of that polite woman who was not trying to get too much attention, she explains. I needed to break away from the cultural narrative that it was a braggy woman who did that, but that it was OK for a man to do that. Once I had that realization, it became very easy to start telling my story. That story doesnt start with a grandiose claim that Martha Hoover was setting out to change the way people in Indiana were eating. I just wanted to feed my community the kind of food I was serving at home, she says. It was that simple. I didnt think I was remarkably unique. Even though Indiana is in the middle of Americas agricultural heartland, people werent eating fresh food in 1989. So she worked with nearby farmers to stock the first Cafe Patachous pantries with seasonal ingredients that would go into nutritious salads, omelets featuring locally sourced eggs and homemade soups. It was simple, and it was a hit. The Hoover brand has since grown to be more than just a daytime, neighborhood cafe (though there are now six locations of Cafe Patachou). Indy is well-fed thanks to a Neapolitan pizzeria, an intimate cocktail venue, a cafeteria-style restaurant and a fried-chicken hangoutall under Hoovers direction. And she believes that this lack of pretense about what shes doing has been instrumental to her success. But a deeper dive reveals that its much more than just modesty that has propelled Patachou to new heights. Im running a people-centric company that also happens to be stable and profitable, she explains. There was a time when people thought that was mutually exclusive. While shes the first to say that she didnt initially strike out to be a change in the restaurant world, that is exactly what she became by creating a fair and nurturing working environment for the people she hired. Today, she has more than 400 staffers and can boast a low turnover rate. People want to work for Hoover because of her leadership style where everyone, regardless of his or her role in the company, is valued. Im not a huge believer of the traditional office hierarchy, Hoover says. Instead, she created an ecosystem where everyone is empowered to use his or her voice, to ask questions, to pursue a career and not just to collect the paycheck she signs. Shes acutely aware that just because shes at the top doesnt mean only her perspective mattersor is even the most importantbecause every part of Patachou feeds into other parts. And this, she says, is one of the major ways that the restaurant industry can be disrupted. The idea that its the chefs or owners voice that carries the heaviest weight is as archaic as eating out-of-season produce. And its by investing in the people who build your company with you that you can truly achieve what you set out to. To that end, there are many people-facing activations at Patachou, Inc., including finance literacy programs as well as plans for a dedicated hub geared toward providing employees the support they need to flourish at the company. (For more on that, check out Hoovers column on the restaurant industry in the Spring 2019 issue of Muse.) So maybe this is why most Americans arent familiar with Martha Hoover. Its from the inside that shes been implementing the most groundbreaking initiatives in the food industry. At a time where restaurant figures are making headlines for exhibiting a lack of respect for those working under them, Hoover is doing the exact opposite. And its resonating with the right demographic. Our younger employees embrace it, Hoover reveals. They want to work for a company where their values are mimicked and theres room for career growth. And what weve been doing for 30 years, other restaurants have to do if they want to succeed. Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday he supported a push by a Republican colleague for an inquiry into potential missteps by law enforcement officials in their probe of possible collusion between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia. "I think Senator (Lindsey) Graham has raised a legitimate question ... I think it's not inappropriate for the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, with jurisdiction over the Justice Department, to investigate possible misbehaviors," McConnell told reporters. (Reporting by Richard Cowan; Writing by Makini Brice) BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno said Tuesday he fully supports the financial inclusion efforts of the government. The BSP will fully support and carry forward our financial inclusion agenda so that services will be accessible to majority of Filipinos, Diokno said during the Financial Technology Alliance Index Summit held at the Bangko Sentral. He said the financial technology transformation altered the business landscape that required businesses to innovate to flourish and survive.The BSP is ahead of the curve in identifying the opportunities and setting guidelines for financial inclusion The BSP remains committed to establishing regulatory environment for fintech firms to thrive but aware of the risks, Diokno said. He said the BSP prepared the groundwork in the last three years for expanded financial inclusion efforts that would benefit the Filipino people. He mentioned the launch of the BSP last year of Instapay, an automated clearing house that is useful for e-commerce payments where people can just use a card or phone in paying any transactions.InstaPay followed the successful launch in November 2017 of Peso Net, the first clearing house under the National Retail Payment System, as a part of its efforts to establish a safe, efficient and reliable payment framework in the country. InstaPay is an electronic fund transfer service that allows customers to transfer peso funds almost instantly between accounts of participating banks supervised by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and non-bank e-money issuers in the country. The service is available 24 hours a day, all year round. Diokno said the amendments to the charter of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas provided the regulator more power to expedite these financial inclusion efforts. President Rodrigo Duterte earlier signed into law Republic Act No. 11211 which amended RA 7653 or the New Central Bank Act. The new BSP charter embodies a package of reforms that will further align its operations with global best practices, improve the BSPs corporate viability and enhance its capacity to craft proactive policies amid rising interlinkages in the financial markets and the broader economy. The BSP Charter amendment is critical to the financial inclusion efforts, Diokno said. Thai pro-democracy factions on Tuesday moved to unite and thwart a junta-backed party from forming a government after the first election since a 2014 coup. The junta appeared to be in pole position to return to power as a civilian administration after preliminary results from Sunday's poll showed its proxy party had secured an unexpected majority of the popular vote. Around 7.6 million votes went to Phalang Pracharat with 94 percent of ballots tallied, the Election Commission has said. That gives it -- and its prime ministerial candidate, junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha -- a strong claim to legitimacy from a poll held under new junta-scripted rules. It is more than 400,000 ballots ahead of Pheu Thai, the populist party toppled from power by the 2014 coup and affiliated with self-exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. But Pheu Thai still appeared set to become the largest party in the lower house, on track for 137 constituency seats compared to Phalang Pracharat's 97, according to early figures. It also was poised to receive a much-needed boost from other parties in the pro-democracy camp intent on creating an alliance. Future Forward, a youth-oriented force that took over five million votes, said in a statement late Tuesday that it would join "a coalition of parties opposing the prolonging" of junta rule. Those parties are expected to meet Wednesday to reveal more details. Under the stewardship of telegenic leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, Future Forward won 30 constituency seats and is expected to collect more when separate party list seats are announced. Experts predict days -- perhaps weeks -- of messy negotiations, with both Pheu Thai and Phalang Pracharat claiming the right to form a government. Another smaller party, Bhumjaithai, the vehicle of a cabal of savvy billionaires whose allegiance shifts with the political winds, is likely to be crucial in swinging a lower house majority towards or against the junta party. Story continues It has proposed Anutin Charnvirakul, 52, for prime minister and trailed promises of boosting rural incomes across the northeast by allowing medicinal cannabis to be grown. Seen as a rare compromise figure across a political landscape bisected by personal hatreds, he was once a senior official in a Shinawatra party. - Free and fair? - Disqualifications of candidates and disputes over poll irregularities are likely to reshape the balance of the 500-seat lower house before May 9, when final results are to be published. As the horse-trading plays out, questions are also swirling over election irregularities, with millions of invalidated ballots, dodgy oversight of polling and bungling by election authorities that may have wildly skewed initial numbers. The Election Commission is also releasing the results in a staggered fashion, claiming "human error" when reporters pointed out that a handful of provinces returned more ballots than the voter turnout. Regional election monitor ANFREL announced Tuesday in a statement the initial ballot tabulation process was "deeply flawed", which did "further damage to the perceived integrity" and public trust in the results. "It is very confusing and someone needs to clarify it," said Watcharee Chanpeng, a 41-year-old voter in Bangkok. The United States said Tuesday that it saw "positive signs" of a return to democracy in the country, but urged a transparent probe of allegedly widespread irregularities. "The voting along with, we note, robust media coverage of the process and open debate of its merits, those are positive signs for a return to a democratic government that reflects the will of the people," State Department spokesman Robert Palladino told reporters. Even against a coalition the junta is not finished. Apart from other parties that have yet to declare their intentions, Phalang Pracharat has the advantage of a 250-member military-appointed upper house or senate that has a say in voting for the next prime minister. Prayut, a stern army chief who engaged in increasingly bizarre publicity stunts ahead of the polls as part of an image-makeover, told reporters Tuesday he would "put this country on the road to unity and reconciliation to move the country forward". Thaksin sits at the heart of Thailand's political rupture. His parties had won all elections since 2001 with votes from the poor, in the process unsettling the Bangkok-centric elite and their royalist army allies who have struck back with coups and court cases. On Monday he told AFP in Hong Kong he believed the polls were "rigged" and riddled with "irregularities." burs-joe/aph/rma MEXICO CITY, March 25 (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday he had asked the Spanish government and Pope Francis to apologize to indigenous Mexicans for wrongs committed during the Spanish conquest some 500 years ago. Lopez Obrador said in a video shared on Facebook and Twitter he had written to Spain's King Felipe VI about the matter. "I already sent a letter to the king of Spain and another letter to the Pope so that they ask forgiveness of indigenous peoples for violations of what are now known as human rights," he said. Spain is one of Mexico's biggest sources of foreign direct investment. The Mexican government has yet to ratify a new free trade deal reached with the European Union in April 2018. Speaking with his wife at an archaeological zone in the southeastern state of Tabasco, Lopez Obrador said the letter cited massacres that took place during the Spanish conquest at the beginning of the 16th century. "The churches were built above the temples, our patriotic heroes were excommunicated," he said. "We are going to reconcile but first we ask for forgiveness." Spain's foreign ministry did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The ministry published a statement rejecting the contents of Lopez Obrador's letter, according to domestic media. Reuters was not immediately able to obtain a copy of the statement. "The arrival 500 years ago of the Spanish on present-day Mexican territory cannot be judged in light of contemporary considerations," the government said, according to Spanish media. "The government of Spain reiterates its willingness to work together with the government of Mexico." (Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz Writing by Julia Love Editing by Paul Tait) MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday he had asked the Spanish government and Pope Francis to apologize to indigenous Mexicans for wrongs committed during the Spanish conquest some 500 years ago. Lopez Obrador said in a video shared on Facebook and Twitter he had written to Spain's King Felipe VI about the matter. "I already sent a letter to the king of Spain and another letter to the Pope so that they ask forgiveness of indigenous peoples for violations of what are now known as human rights," he said. Spain is one of Mexico's biggest sources of foreign direct investment. The Mexican government has yet to ratify a new free trade deal reached with the European Union in April 2018. Speaking with his wife at an archaeological zone in the southeastern state of Tabasco, Lopez Obrador said the letter cited massacres that took place during the Spanish conquest at the beginning of the 16th century. "The churches were built above the temples, our patriotic heroes were excommunicated," he said. "We are going to reconcile but first we ask for forgiveness." Spain's foreign ministry did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The ministry published a statement rejecting the contents of Lopez Obrador's letter, according to domestic media. Reuters was not immediately able to obtain a copy of the statement. "The arrival 500 years ago of the Spanish on present-day Mexican territory cannot be judged in light of contemporary considerations," the government said, according to Spanish media. "The government of Spain reiterates its willingness to work together with the government of Mexico." (Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Writing by Julia Love; Editing by Paul Tait) Madrid (AFP) - The 500-year-old wounds of the Spanish conquest have been ripped open afresh with Mexico's president urging Spain and the Vatican to apologise for their "abuses" -- a request Madrid said it "firmly rejects". Spain's centuries of dominance in the New World, backed by the Catholic Church, leapt from the history books to the headlines when Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called Monday on Spanish King Felipe VI and Pope Francis to apologise for the conquest and the rights violations committed in its aftermath. "I have sent a letter to the king of Spain and another to the pope, calling for a full account of the abuses and urging them to apologise to the indigenous peoples (of Mexico) for the violations of what we now call their human rights," Lopez Obrador said. He made the remarks in a video, filmed at the Mayan ruins of the indigenous city of Comalcalco and posted on Facebook and Twitter. "There were massacres and oppression. The so-called conquest was waged with the sword and the cross. They built their churches on top of the (indigenous) temples," added the anti-establishment leftist. "The time has come to reconcile. But let us ask forgiveness first." Spain's rejection was immediate and blunt. "The government of Spain deeply regrets that the letter the Mexican president sent to his majesty the king, whose contents we firmly reject, has been made public," a statement said. "The arrival, 500 years ago, of Spaniards to present Mexican territory cannot be judged in the light of contemporary considerations," it said. "Our two brother nations have always known how to read our shared past without anger and with a constructive perspective." - 'Has no shame' - The demand for an apology comes as Spain gears up for a snap general election on April 28 in which conservative parties are trying to portray Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as a weak defender of the nation's interests because of his attempts at dialogue with Catalan separatists. Story continues The leader of centre-right party Ciudadanos, Albert Rivera, said Tuesday the Mexican president's letter "is an intolerable offence to the Spanish people". Esteban Gonzalez Pons, a lawmaker in the European Parliament with the conservative Popular Party, said Lopez Obrador should "stop fighting" dead Spanish conquistadors and instead fight Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro "who continues to kill". Mexico has stayed neutral in Venezuela's crisis and unlike Spain it has not recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president. Arturo Perez-Reverte, one of Spain's most popular contemporary writers, also weighed in, saying if the Mexican president "really believes what he says he is a fool". "If he doesn't believe it, he as no shame," he added. But far-left party Podemos said the Mexican president was "right" to demand an apology. - 'Imposed itself' - After making his remarks, Lopez Obrador visited the city of Centla, the scene of the first battle between Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes and the indigenous peoples of the land now known as Mexico, on March 14, 1519. With the help of horses, swords, guns and smallpox -- all unknown in the New World at the time -- Cortes led an army of fewer than 1,000 men to defeat the Aztec empire, the start of 300 years of Spanish rule over Mexico. The abuses continued until independence in 1821, and beyond, Lopez Obrador said. "Thousands of people were murdered during this period. One culture and civilisation imposed itself on another," he said later in a speech. Mexico has a complicated relationship with its colonial past. Its history, culture, food and the Mexican people themselves are the product of "mestizaje," the mixing of the Old and New Worlds. According to a government study, 98 percent of Mexicans have some combination of indigenous, European and African ancestry. But although that mixture made modern Mexico -- and gave the world chocolate, tacos de carnitas and Day of the Dead -- it is also a past tainted by violence, rape and oppression. Lopez Obrador, 65, took office in December after a landslide election win that represented a firm break with Mexico's traditional political parties. A folksy populist, he pulls no punches in going after elites and has sought to cast himself as a champion of indigenous peoples. FILE In this Dec. 19, 2018 file photo, former first lady Michelle Obama responds to questions as she is interviewed by actress Sarah Jessica Parker during an appearance for her book, Becoming: An Intimate Conversation with Michelle Obama (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File) Former First Lady Michelle Obama is on track to have the fastest selling memoir of all time, according to her publishers, Penguin Random House. Since it was published in November, Becoming has sold ten million copies and has become an international sensation. On Tuesday, Thomas Rabe, chief executive of Penguin Random Houses parent company Bertelsmann, said he believed that these memoirs could well become the most successful memoir ever. Obamas book, and her husbands yet to be published companion autobiography, already hold the record for the highest price paid for presidential memoirs. In 2017, Penguin Random House paid 65 million dollars for the pair. Barack Obamas favourite things, from The Carters Apes*** to his wifes memoir Becoming The book provides an intimate look into the life of a First Lady, as well as Obamas relationship with her husband; in Becoming she revealed their fertility struggles and the sacrifices she made for his presidency. According to Neilsen, Becoming is currently the 11th best selling autobiography since 1998 in the UK, behind books by Dawn French, Peter Kay, and her own husband Barack Obama. Anne Frank currently holds the all-time best-selling spot, with 35 million copies sold worldwide. The book has become accompanied by a highly successful tour and press campaign, which will see her return to the UK in April to appear at the 20,000-seat O2 arena in London. MARANELLO, Italy (AP) Mick Schumacher will move closer to emulating his father when he drives a Ferrari Formula One car in an official test next week. Ferrari says the 20-year-old Schumacher will drive on April 2 in Bahrain. The German, who is racing in Formula Two this year with the Prema team and is a Ferrari Driver Academy member, will drive on both days of the testing session. On April 3, he will be at the wheel of an Alfa Romeo on the Sakhir circuit. Schumacher's father Michael won seven F1 titles, five of those with Ferrari from 2000-04. Michael Schumacher holds the record for race wins with 91 and is second for pole positions behind Lewis Hamilton. The tests will come after Mick Schumacher's F2 debut this weekend. Mick Schumacher says "I am consciously putting all thoughts of the test to one side, because I am also very much looking forward to competing in my first F2 race and would like to focus 100 percent on the weekend to come." ___ More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/apf-AutoRacing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Heavy flooding could return to the midwest this week with rain predicted to pummel the US region, forecasters warn. Floods were unleashed last week by a bomb cyclone storm, forcing thousands from their homes in Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri, killing at least three. Although floodwaters have receded in recent days, more damage is possible as spring rains arrive and more snow in northern states melts and flows into rivers. The National Weather Service predicts that eastern Nebraska and western Iowa could receive up to two inches of rain from Wednesday to Friday. That much rain would certainly send river levels higher, creating problems for homes behind levees that were weakened in the initial flooding. Were not done yet and I think thats the other thing that we want to make sure folks are watching very closely, Iowas agriculture secretary Mike Naig said. Meteorologist Bryon Miller said the good news is that the river crests following this weeks forecast storm will likely be lower than during recent floods. It doesnt look like it will be anywhere near the crests we saw at the height of this, said Miller. The Mississippi river is expected to keep rising in the Minnesota capital of St. Paul this week after reaching major flood stage yesterday morning. About half a dozen roads in the city are closed, as well as several parks and boat launches. Additional reporting by agencies The supercar was destroyed in the crash, which claimed the life of a female passenger (Picture: Central European News) A man has crashed a 257,000 supercar at 186mph, killing his teenage female friend who was a passenger. German media reported that the driver of the bright green McLaren 650S was the son of a millionaire from Essen. The car crashed on the A52 motorway near the German city in North Rhine-Westphalia, killing the 18-year-old female passenger. She died after being thrown from the vehicle into nearby trees. The car crashed near the German city of Essen (Picture: Central European News) An investigation is being carried out into what caused the crash (Picture: Central European News) The 23-year-old driver, identified in German media as Lars, reportedly told police he had been driving at 186mph. The car crashed through a barrier after the driver lost control while driving in the outside lane, it was reported. Read more Who will be the next PM? These are the favourites to replace Theresa May Shopworker stabbed to death as six people knifed overnight across London Miracle postman died for 21 minutes and came back to life on his way to the morgue A police spokesman said: For as yet unconfirmed reasons, the young man lost control of the car at the Essen-Kettwig junction, veered to the right and smashed through the crash barrier. The driver was taken to hospital suffering from shock, local media said. The police spokesman said: The cause of the accident may have been down to high speed or an overtaking manoeuvre. We also cannot rule out the possibility that the car had a technical problem. The car crashed through a barrier (Picture: Central European News) The car was reportedly travelling at 186mph (Picture: Central European News) Emergency services at the scene of the crash (Picture: Central European News) The wreckage is currently being investigated to determine whether the vehicle was in a safe driving condition. The police spokesman said: A preliminary investigation was initiated on suspicion of negligent homicide. According to investigators, the impact was so great that the victims seat belt was ripped off and she was catapulted into some nearby trees. The supercar was reportedly register in the name of the drivers father. Many motorways in Germany do not have speed limits, but it is unclear if this was the case here. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK The government is set to launch next month the bid process for San Miguel Corp.s P735-billion New Manila International Airport in Bulacan. Hopefully, within the next two weeks we will publish the bid documents, Transportation Undersecretary for aviation Manuel Antonio Tamayo said. Tamayo said the terms of reference for the Swiss Challenge would be published by April. Swiss Challenge is a form of procurement, usually required in an unsolicited project, where other parties are given an opportunity to challenge the bid of the proponent. San Miguel president Ramon Ang described the project as a game changer that would bring more foreign tourists to the Philippines. The New Manila Airport Project will be built over a period of five to seven years to full completion. The project, which was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority chaired by President Rodrigo Duterte, involves the construction of a world-class, major international gateway with four to six parallel runways, modern terminals, a seaport and an industrial zone.It is located 27 kilometers from Ninoy Aquino International Airport, or 45 minutes from any point in Metro Manila via multiple expressways. The new airport is expected to create one million jobs during the construction phase, according to Ang. San Miguel proposed to build the massive airport complex on a 2,500-hectare property in Bulakan, Bulacan. San Miguel said earlier it tapped Standard Chartered Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. as co-financial advisors for the planned project. Ang said SMC, the parent company, was fully backing SMHC for the airport project. Ang said he agreed with the Department of Finances position that both companiesSMC and SMHCshould sign a joint liability agreement. By Emma Rumney BEIRA, Mozambique (Reuters) - Rescue teams in Mozambique moved hundreds of people displaced by Cyclone Idai's massive and deadly flooding to safer shelters on Monday, while the government made preparations for a cholera outbreak that it says is inevitable amid the devastation. In areas west of the port city of Beira, hundreds of people were trapped for more than a week after Idai hit, surviving in vast tracts of submerged land with no access to clean water and shrinking food supplies. Water has been slowly receding and there was no rain in Beira on Monday, meaning some roads have become passable. But the size of the disaster zone means getting aid to the most needy is still difficult. "We are more organised now, after the chaos that we've had, so we're delivering food and shelter to more people today," Land and Environment Minister Celso Correia told reporters. The number of people in makeshift camps had risen by 18,000 to 128,000 since Sunday, he said, adding that the government would install a prevention and treatment centre for cholera in areas affected by the cyclone. "We have a lot of diarrhoea, but teams are working on the ground to say whether it is really cholera or not. But as I said there will be cholera," Correia said. In Buzi village, southwest of Beira, Reuters reporters saw hundreds of cyclone victims carrying their few possessions on their heads as they were moved to a displacement centre near the airport, where aid agencies have set up tents with access to drinking water. Idai lashed Beira with winds of up to 170 kph (105 mph) on March 14, then tore inland through Zimbabwe and Malawi, flattening buildings and killing at least 686 people across the three countries. United Nations aid chief Mark Lowcock said on Monday that the world body was appealing for $282 million to fund a response to the disaster in Mozambique for the next three months. This would cover relief including health, water and sanitation, he told reporters. Story continues "Mozambique is, we think, the worst hit, but there are very real needs in the other countries as well," said Lowcock, adding that appeals for Zimbabwe and Malawi would be launched in the coming days. LOSING EVERYTHING The scale of the disaster has meant aid has been slow to arrive. Communities near Nhamatanda, around 100 km northwest of Beira, were due to receive assistance on Monday. On Sunday inhabitants of poor farming communities in that area told Reuters their food had run out and rescuers were yet to reach them. Aid workers distributed maize meal in the Chipinge district of eastern Zimbabwe, where there was no power or piped water. "We lost all our perishables after Cyclone Idai," Chipinge resident Kudakwashe Mapungwana said. "Since then we have no electricity at all and women are busy buying charcoal which is very expensive." Correia said the death toll in Mozambique remained roughly unchanged at 447 on Monday. Zimbabwe's Local Government Minister July Moyo told state radio that the storm had killed 179 people in Zimbabwe, up from a previous government estimate of 154, but that 329 people were still unaccounted for. In Malawi, the death toll from torrential rains and flooding, some of which occurred before the cyclone hit, had risen to 60 from 56, a spokesman at the Ministry of Homeland Security said. The government was sending relief items by train and truck, he said. The death toll in Mozambique could rise steeply as receding floodwaters allow rescuers to access remote areas or if waterborne diseases like cholera gain a foothold. Cholera is spread by faeces in sewage-contaminated water or food, and outbreaks can develop quickly in a humanitarian crisis where sanitation systems are disrupted. It can kill within hours if left untreated. The secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said after a visit to Mozambique that the situation there was a "ticking bomb" as regards waterborne diseases. Elhadj As Sy said: "I'm raising that alarm because so many of these waterborne diseases are a great risk but they are preventable." (Additional reporting by Stephen Eisenhammer, Siphiwe Sibeko, Maria Vasilyeva and Yvonne Bell in Beira, Philimon Bulawayo in Chipinge and MacDonald Dzirutwe in Harare, Frank Phiri in Blantyre, Tom Miles in Geneva, Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Writing by Alexander Winning; Editing by Hugh Lawson, Andrew Heavens and Frances Kerry) WASHINGTON (AP) For President Donald Trump, the fight over the "witch hunt" is only just beginning. Now that special counsel Robert Mueller's two-year investigation into Trump's campaign is over, it's being transformed into a rallying cry and a weapon for the president's re-election campaign. The pall of the two-year probe lifted Sunday, when Attorney General William Barr released a summary of Mueller's findings that said the wide-ranging investigation found no evidence of collusion by Trump's 2016 campaign with the Russian government. Barr's four-page letter was immediately seized upon by the Republican president and his allies as a weapon to use against Democrats, the so-called Deep State and the media. "There are a lot of people out there that have done some very evil things, very bad things, I would say treasonous things against our country," Trump said Monday as he sat in the Oval Office next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Those people will certainly be looked at." Even before Mueller's conclusions were revealed, it was clear that Trump saw the end of the investigation as a political opportunity. As the president's lawyers debated legal strategy, Trump aides and political allies developed a plan to turn the end of the probe into the launching pad for a new round of attacks on the president's foes and a moment to reinvigorate his supporters in the run-up to the 2020 campaign. Trump surrogates rushed to take a victory lap, depict the probe as a failed coup and rub the results in the face of Democrats, many of whom had spent months promising that Mueller would turn up more. "You've made a great victim of Donald Trump here," Trump counsellor Kellyanne Conway said on Monday morning. Trump's campaign moved quickly to raise money off the Mueller news, with a text message to supporters stating, "Dems raised millions off a lie. Now we FIGHT BACK!" Story continues The team's plans going forward are more expansive, according to seven aides and allies involved with the effort, most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about private deliberations. While Trump's base has long been suspicious of Mueller, the president's team believes independents and moderate Democrats who backed him in the last election but have since soured may return to the fold if convinced he was unfairly targeted. Some Republicans who had mused about a primary challenge to Trump if Mueller returned a smoking gun may now stay on the sidelines. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, one of several Republicans considering a bid to unseat the president, had told the AP last month he would only mount a campaign if the political dynamics in the race have changed. Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, though, said Monday in New Hampshire that "I wasn't really counting on the president getting caught in the soup" and was still considering a bid. Major talking points for Democrats who had pinned great hopes on Mueller may have vanished. And some swing voters, wary at the prospect of endless investigations and talk of impeachment, may prove more sympathetic to the president. The president and his allies will now link the report with the investigations launched by House Democrats and try to make the case that, in the wake of Mueller's findings, further probes are partisan overreach. "I think they can't move forward until they apologize," Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani told The Associated Press. He singled out Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and said the congressman's investigation would have no credibility because he had deemed Trump "treasonous" and promised clear evidence of collusion that didn't materialize. "If there are people who contrived this investigation, who made up this collusion, maybe they themselves should be investigated," Giuliani said. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., echoed that sentiment, making clear that Republicans weren't ready to move on from the investigations, firing a warning shot to Hillary Clinton and Justice Department officials that "to those who were abusive of the process in 2016 on the other side, you haven't had much scrutiny, but that's coming." Democrats have pointed out that Mueller found evidence for and against obstruction and have demanded to see his full report. The president's allies also intend to use the moment to heighten attacks on the media, which many Trump supporters believe unjustly fanned the flames of the special counsel's probe in an effort to bring down the president. They aim to highlight specific news organizations and, in some cases, individual reporters and paint them as biased and untrustworthy, according to two presidential confidants. The president's campaign and pro-Trump outside groups are poised to amplify the message that Democrats tried to use the probe to obstruct the White House's agenda, while his advisers expect Fox News and the conservative media to act as an echo chamber. A full-throated attack on the investigation also will be the centerpiece of Trump campaign events, including rallies, Trump advisers have said. Trump's next rally is set for Thursday in Michigan, a state he narrowly won in 2016 and will invest in heavily this time. Count on hearing an earful. ___ Lemire reported from New York. Associated Press writer Hunter Woodall contributed reporting from Concord, New Hampshire. ___ Follow Lemire on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@JonLemire and Miller at http://twitter.com/@zekejmiller Attorney General William Barr's letter Sunday to congressional leaders is designed to provide the "principal conclusions" of special counsel Robert Mueller 's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign. But on one of the two central topics from the Mueller report - possible obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump - Mr Barr's letter leaves unanswered more principal questions than it answers. The first puzzling aspect of the Barr letter is its report that Mr Mueller, after making a thorough factual investigation of evidence bearing on possible obstruction of justice, "determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgment." Mr Mueller's report, we are told, is rather perfectly fence-straddling, stating only that "while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." So Question No. 1: Why did Mr Mueller, whose charges as a prosecutor include making precisely these sorts of judgments and bringing them to a federal grand jury, decline to do so in this case? Obviously, he was able to reach decisions with respect to the 37 individuals or companies that he charged over the course of his investigation. What extra-prosecutorial considerations caused the famously dutiful and thorough Mr Mueller to leave such a core part of his job unfinished? Mr Barr's letter then informs Congress that he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein decided to step into the breach. Mr Barr writes that Mr Mueller's decision "to describe the facts of his obstruction investigation without reaching any legal conclusions leaves it to the Attorney General to determine whether the conduct described in the report constitutes a crime." But this cryptic statement is really just a description of the gap, not an explanation for why Mr Barr stepped in. That raises the second critical question: Did Mr Mueller ask Mr Barr to step in? Or is Mr Barr simply asserting a general power to reach conclusions for the Justice Department that Mr Mueller thought he himself couldn't or shouldn't? While in some bureaucratic sense, the attorney general, as head of the Justice Department, bears responsibility for all of the department's decisions, I am unaware of a single instance in my years in the Justice Department in which a final prosecutorial decision was left to the attorney general without so much as a recommendation from the actual prosecutor. Story continues We need to know the answer. If, say, Mr Mueller's reason for refusing to exercise this judgment was that he believed the involvement of the president made the question a political one for Congress, Mr Barr's move would represent a rank overruling of a key conclusion of Mueller, as well as a power grab from Congress. The final unanswered question, and perhaps the most consequential: What was the nature of the analysis that Mr Barr and Mr Rosenstein applied in deciding that Mr Mueller's evidence was not sufficient to establish that the president committed obstruction? The consensus of many scholars and commentators, based just on the publicly available evidence, has been that the case for obstruction was strong. Did some additional confidential evidence sway Mr Barr and Mr Rosenstein? Was it some particular legal reading of the obstruction statute? This last possibility is unsettling. Mr Barr's letter says that he and Mr Rosenstein consulted with the department's Office of Legal Counsel before coming to their conclusion. This raises the possibility that the Mr Barr analysis is premised on some controversial and expansive view of executive power that neither Congress nor the courts would endorse. We know that Mr Barr wrote an unsolicited letter to department officials before he took office that could be read to embrace the view that the president cannot obstruct justice while exercising his enumerated powers, such as the pardon power, regardless of his motive for doing so. It would be an outrage if this were the basis for Mr Barr's and Mr Rosenstein's decision. That is not simply because the view is thoroughly wrong and discredited - which it is - but because it would effectively pre-empt, or sharply hamstring, the ability of both coordinate branches to decide the question. The Washington Post By Simon Lewis NAYPYITAW (Reuters) - Myanmar's Supreme Court heard the appeal on Tuesday of two Reuters journalists imprisoned for breaking a colonial-era official secrets law, in a case that has raised questions about Myanmar's progress towards democracy. Reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo have spent more than 15 months in detention since they were arrested in December 2017, while investigating a massacre of Rohingya Muslim civilians involving Myanmar soldiers. Law officer Ko Ko Maung, representing the government, said they had been found in possession of secret documents that could have harmed national security. Outlining their grounds of appeal, the reporters' lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, cited lack of proof of a crime and evidence that the pair were set up by police. A policeman had told a lower court last year that officers had planted secret documents on the two reporters. A district court judge in Yangon found the two journalists guilty under the Official Secrets Act last September and sentenced them to seven years in prison. The Yangon High Court rejected an earlier appeal in January. Both remain separated from their young daughters. The wife of 32-year-old Wa Lone gave birth to their first child last year while Wa Lone was behind bars. Kyaw Soe Oo celebrated his 29th birthday in Yangon's Insein jail this month. The journalists were not present at Tuesday's hearing, but their families had travelled to the capital Naypyitaw, about 370 km (230 miles) north of Yangon, to attend. "We are expecting to reunite as a family as soon as possible," Kyaw Soe Oo's wife, Chit Su Win, told reporters outside the Supreme Court compound. The reporters' convictions were heavily criticised by press freedom advocates and Western diplomats, putting additional pressure on Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate who took power in 2016 amid a transition from military rule. Suu Kyi said in September, the week after their conviction, that the reporters' case had nothing to do with press freedom as the men had been jailed for handling official secrets, not because they were journalists. Story continues "Myanmar's Supreme Court has the opportunity to correct the serious miscarriage of justice inflicted on Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo for the last 15 months," Reuters Editor-in-Chief Stephen J. Adler said in a statement. "They are honest, admirable journalists who did not break the law, and they should be freed as a matter of urgency." 'DANGEROUS FOR THE COUNTRY' Khin Maung Zaw, the reporters' lawyer, told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the trial court had wrongly placed the burden of proof on the reporters, and the prosecution failed to prove they broke the official secrets act. "The police planted the documents on Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo so their investigation of the massacre would be stopped," he said. Before their arrest, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo had been working on a Reuters investigation into the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men and boys by security forces and Buddhist civilians in western Myanmar's Rakhine State during an army crackdown that began in August 2017. The operation sent more than 730,000 Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh, according to United Nations estimates. During eight months of hearings prior to their conviction, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo testified that two policemen they had not met before handed them papers rolled up in a newspaper during a meeting at a Yangon restaurant on Dec. 12, 2017. Almost immediately afterwards, they said, they were bundled into a car by plainclothes officers. A police captain, Moe Yan Naing, testified that, prior to the restaurant meeting, a senior officer had ordered subordinates to plant documents on Wa Lone to "trap" the reporter. Ko Ko Maung, the government law officer, told the Supreme Court the police officer the reporters said handed them the papers, Lance Corporal Naing Lin, had denied doing so. He said the reporters were caught holding secret documents at a routine traffic stop. "If these documents were received by an opponent or enemy of Myanmar, it could be dangerous for the country," he said. Supreme Court Justice Soe Naing adjourned the case at the end of Tuesday's hearing, without giving a date for a ruling. (Additional reporting by Shoon Naing, Editing by Alex Richardson and Sam Holmes) Had Hillary Clinton just won the 2016 election, there would have been neither a Mueller investigation nor much talk of Russian collusion. No Trump Victory, No Collusion Investigation A losing Donald Trump would have slunk off to left-wing and Never-Trump ridicule and condemnation and no investigation about collusion. A defeated Trump would have posed no threat to the 16-year Obama-Clinton progressive project. President Clinton would have been content to let her unverified but lurid dossier rumors hound Trump for the rest of his life, with Trump as the supposed loser who had tried, in cahoots with the Russians, to unfairly beat Hillary, though he pathetically failed even at that. Of course, a President Hillary Clinton herself may well have faced some Russian blackmail attempts. Kremlin fixers would have likely threatened to go public that their planted lies to Christopher Steele were gobbled up by President Clintons own private Fusion GPS hit team. In essence, the Russians would have claimed that they had fueled the dossier that wounded the Trump campaign and expected some sort of quid pro quo, perhaps in Uranium One fashion. Obama-administration bureaucrats Attorney General Loretta Lynch, subordinate attorneys general such as Bruce Ohr and Rod Rosenstein, FBI grandees such as James Baker, James Comey, and Andrew McCabe, intelligence kingpins such as John Brennan and James Clapper, and national-security officials turned intelligence sleuths such as Susan Rice and Samantha Power would all have been competing on the basis of service beyond the call of duty for top jobs in the Clinton administration. Among their swamp talking points would have been rival obsequious claims to have squashed Trump. Clinton-administration transition officials would have had to parcel out patronage by judging the relative help of people who had seeded Hillarys Steele dossier around the government and the media, or fooled a FISA court to monitor Carter Page and thereby generated leaks that the Trump campaign was under investigation, or obstructed the Clinton email investigation, or placed an informant in Trumps campaign, or unmasked the contents of surveilled conversations and leaked them to the press. Story continues Translated, that means the hysteria that helped prompt the Mueller investigation was in part whipped up by those who had knowingly acted unethically or illegally during and also after the 2016 campaign. These Obama officials bet on the sure-thing but wrong horse and suddenly, after Nov. 8, 2016, feared that they were soon to be subject to lots of criminal exposure. Assume that both the ruse of collusion and James Comeys leaking gambit to prompt a special counsels investigation were thus the preemptive defenses of an assortment of crimes by Obama-era officials, such as lying to federal officials, conspiracy to obstruct justice, illegally leaking confidential or classified documents to the media, deceiving a FISA court, and myriad conflicts of interest. In other words, there were never any evidentiary reasons to appoint a special counsel other than to divert attention away from an array of wrongdoing. After 22 months, that fact finally became clear even to a largely partisan group of attorneys, once eager to become folk heroes by aborting the Trump presidency. Let us hope both that Attorney General Barr can now turn to the real illegal behavior of an entire array of Obama-administration officials, and that the public at last can have access to unredacted documents that record their frenzied and illegal efforts. No Phony Dossier, No Investigation The Clinton-purchased Steele Dossier was the encephalitic virus that infected the entire Washington establishment between 2016 and 2019. Without it, there would have been no such thing as collusion, much less a Mueller investigation. Had James Comey and his associates (and Bruce Ohr had briefed them all previously on the shaky dossier) been honest and apprised the FISA court in October 2016 that their opposition research evidence for a warrant was 1) paid for by Hillary Clinton, 2) largely written by a foreign national (with help from the spouse of Obama DOJ official Bruce Ohr) who despised Donald Trump and who was dismissed from his nebulous relationship with the FBI, 3) remained unverified, and 4) served as the basis for submitted news accounts that in circular fashion supposedly substantiated collusionary behavior, then the writ might have been rejected and the dossiers usefulness died. Immediately after the election, the dossier was reinvigorated (by nervous-lame-duck careerists like John Brennan and James Clapper, and Senator John McCain) to serve a new role in aborting the Trump presidency, given that it had always been the only real basis for the entire mythology of Trump-Russian collusion. Paul Manafort was no doubt duplicitous and acted in a variety of felonious ways, but, without the seeded dossier, his illegal behavior would no more have sparked a wider investigation of the Trump campaign than the actions of the Podesta brothers (whose suspect Russian ties had long contaminated the Clinton campaign) would have spurred investigations of liberal Russian collusion and profiteering. The Machiavellian brilliance of Trump-hater and otherwise washed-up hack Christopher Steele was his knowledge that lying outrageously (just ask Jussie Smollett) is a far more effective weapon than lying incrementally. So, Steeles insertion of the Trump-prostitute-Obamas-hotel-bed-urolagnia meme was the sharp hook that snagged Washingtons swamp creatures. The Steele dossier was not just spurious in its wild claims about Carter Page eyeing billion-dollar payoffs or a bumbling Michael Cohen in Prague on a secret Trump collusionary mission, it was also so salacious that it served as lurid pornography that supercharged its odyssey throughout the bowels of the Obama government and the media. The All-Stars and Dream Team Were Flawed from the Beginning Robert Mueller spent over $30 million and 674 days in vain ferreting out collusion not because it was necessarily difficult to prove such a charge either true or false. After all, the basis for the allegation, the veracity of the Steele dossier, could have been easily and quickly adjudicated. Indeed, already by May 2017 and the beginning of Muellers investigation, the dossier was roundly denounced as fraudulent. FISA transcripts of surveilled conversations had already apprised officials that there was no direct evidence of collusion, which is why Peter Strzok, well before Mueller began, had privately warned his paramour and soon to be fellow Mueller team member, Lisa Page, that theres no big there there to the collusion charge. What explains the cost and length of the Mueller investigation? Its not the (relatively easy) challenge of adjudicating collusion. Its the politicized make-up of his team, which relentlessly and expansively drove on to tag any Trump aide with almost any crime imaginable. Mueller could have saved the nation a great deal of national angst and division had he only insisted on a brief series of special requisites in his personnel selections: 1) None of his lawyers and investigators should have donated either to the Trump or Clinton campaign; 2) there should have been some numerical parity between Democratic and Republican members; 3) attorneys should not in the past have directly defended either the Trump or Clinton Foundation or any aides who had previously worked for Trump or Clinton; 4) they should not have transmitted on government devices any prior hyper-partisan praise or invective concerning either Trump or Clinton. Yet Mueller could not fulfill even those minimal requirements. And the result was twofold: Mueller never escaped the charge that his team was biased; and, because it was stocked with progressives, in its zeal to get Trump, the investigation started out with the Soviet assumption that to convict the guilty criminal Trump, they needed only enough time and money to find the right crime. Members including Page, Strozk, and Weissman had either in email or in texts on their government phones or computers earlier expressed hyper-partisan, anti-Trump views. Another working for Mueller, Jeannie Rhee, a prosecutor on the team, had been employed as outside counsel at one point by the Clinton Foundation. Rhee also had represented Obama official Ben Rhodes in the Benghazi controversy; Rhodes, remember, after the election, was outspoken in his efforts to resist the Trump administrations initiatives. Another prominent Mueller team member, Aaron Zebley, had once defended Hillary Clintons staffer Justin Cooper. Cooper infamously had set up the private and illegal email server in the basement of the Clintons home. Mueller attorneys such as former federal officials Andrew Weissmann and Zainab Ahmad had also both previously communicated with, and been briefed by, Bruce Ohr, who allegedly had warned them of the unverified nature of the Steele dossier. Mueller team member Strzok had long been directly involved in Clinton-Trump investigations. He had previously interviewed Michael Flynn (Jan. 24, 2017) to learn about possible Trump-Russian collusion. Earlier, Strozk had interrogated Clinton aides Huma Abedin and Cheryl Mills in connection with the Clinton email scandal; both had clearly lied to the FBI and both had been given de facto immunity. In short, Peter Strozk had no business posing as a disinterested investigator of Trump. Another lead attorney on Robert Muellers team had also previously been assigned to the investigation of the Clinton emails. After the election, the unnamed Mueller team member, later revealed to be Kevin Clinesmith, had bragged in a text to an FBI attorney acquaintance of his opposition to Trump: Viva le [sic] resistance. Other than Mueller himself, a registered Republican, there was no known member of the Republican party, or Republican donor, on his legal team. The point is not that Mueller deliberately selected a biased team. Its that he did not exercise proper caution in order to avoid even the appearance of bias in such a high-profile investigation. That is why liberal activists and the media were understandably giddy on hearing of the make-up of the team, and they gushed approbation of their newly adopted army, untouchables, all-stars, and dream team or what Max Boot praised as a hunter-killer team of crack investigators and lawyers. It did not help appearances that the appointed Mueller was a longtime friend and associate of fired FBI director James Comey, who had bragged that he had sought to prompt a special-counsel investigation by deliberately leaking to the press confidential (if not in one case classified) memos of private conversations with the president. Worse still, Acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversaw the Mueller investigation, signed off on a misleading FISA writ after the start of the Mueller investigation. Rosenstein also had provided the official rationale for firing James Comey, and he had been knee-deep in prior investigations involving both Trump and Clinton. Rosenstein allegedly had agreed to wear a wire, shortly before Mueller was appointed, to capture enough supposedly treasonous or unhinged Trump dialogue to invoke the 25th Amendment. Remember, in surreal fashion, Rosenstein stepped up to oversee Muellers work because, unlike Attorney General Jeff Sessions, he posed as someone who had no such conflicts of interest. In the end, to justify the absence of any proof of collusion, Muellers progressive attorneys and investigators descended to dogging small-time wannabes and a few shady operators on charges that had nothing to do with Russian collusion before they finally ended up ignominiously going after minor nobodies such the braggart and provocateur Roger Stone and Infowars Jerome Corsi. Does anyone doubt that a comparable conservative team of lawyers including a few Trump donors, with $30 million of government money, a 90 percent favorable press, and 22 months time, while investigating Team Clinton and its hangers-on, couldnt find scads of extraneous felonies, apart from its purported mission of investigating the collusionary Steele dossier? Mueller, Progressive Hero? The bias and the wasted resources and time of the stymied Mueller investigation will not matter to progressives. They saw Mueller and company as heroic, or at least useful, for all the righteous damage that the special prosecutor has already inflicted on the hated Trump administration. For some 674 days, Donald Trump was under a cloud of a special investigator, prying into all aspects of his personal and private life, as well as the lives of his family and aides. Or to put it another way, for 83 percent of Trumps first term, constant media announcements have blared about the bombshell to come as the noose is tightening and the walls are closing in all as inaccurate as they were damaging to the efficacy of the administration. The mainstream-network, MSNBC, and CNN prophesies of impeachment hearings driven by Russian collusion had, as planned, driven down Trumps polls. Between 2017 and 2019, Muellers supposed prelude to impeachment caused defections among a once-solid Republican House and Senate and thereby stalled initiatives, thwarting efforts to curb illegal immigration, repeal Obamacare, quickly confirm judicial nominees and executive appointees, and preserve diplomatic leverage abroad. Without the Mueller investigation and enablers such as Representative Adam Schiff (who had falsely insisted to the media that the dossier was not integral to a pre-election FISA application and had not launched the FBI investigation before the election), and without the MSBNC/CNN punditry, all the serial conspiratorial talk of invoking the 25th Amendment and the emoluments clause, as well as the comical McCabe-Rosenstein palace coup and the efforts of the resistance to thwart Trumps administration from the inside, as outlined in the Sept. 5, 2018, anonymous New York Times op-ed, would probably have been written off immediately as short-lived psychodramas. Instead, they were all sensationalized by a 90-percent-biased media as the prefaces to the Mueller bombshell to come. In the end, Muellers investigation really did prove to be a witch hunt, just as half the country came to conclude. It has probably forever ended the idea that a special prosecutor can be useful or fair. It has curtailed foreign-policy options and prevented the traditional American realist approach to Russia as a triangulating counterweight to China. It ruined the lives of innocents such as Carter Page and the reputations of dozens of others such as General Michael Flynn. It divided the country in its transparent violation of any sense of disinterested investigation and turned the idea of American jurisprudence into a version of the Soviets Show me the man and Ill show you the crime. And now that it is over, we should not forget what it wrought and those who empowered it. Editors Note: This article originally misidentified FBI agent Sally Moyer as an acquaintance of Kevin Clinesmith who had sent disparaging texts about President Trump. The mistaken reference has been corrected. More from National Review By Steven Scheer and Tova Cohen TEL AVIV (Reuters) - U.S. chip supplier Nvidia Corp has no plans for further acquisitions for the time being after its nearly $7 billion purchase of Israeli chip designer Mellanox Technologies, its chief executive said on Tuesday. "I like to have money and so I am going to save money for a while," Jensen Huang told a Calcalist business conference in Tel Aviv. "This is a great acquisition. I am not looking for another." Nvidia earlier this month agreed to buy Mellanox for $6.8 billion, beating rival Intel Corp in a deal to help the firm boost its data center and artificial intelligence (AI) business. "Everybody wanted it," Huang said. When asked if he paid too much, he said: "Beyond imagination." "But the company has created amazing technology and has a great future," he said. Nvidia, once known as a provider of gaming chips, now also provides chips to speed up AI tasks such as teaching servers to recognize images. Mellanox makes chips that connect those servers together inside the data center. "Our strategy is we would like to double down on data centers. The future of computing is heavily focused on data centers," Huang said. 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. Huang noted that following the deal with Mellanox, which is expected to close by the end of the year, there would be no cost cuts and the Mellanox brand would be maintained. "We are going to keep every single product line. We are going to keep every single employee," he said, noting he planned to grow Mellanox's business in Israel. "There is no overlap whatsoever and there are no cost synergies." Huang said investors were initially wary about the acquisition. But since the deal's announcement on March 11, Nvidia's shares have risen 15 percent to $173.80. (Editing by Mark Potter) It was a week when oil prices moved past $60 per barrel, while natural gas futures dropped. On the news front, upstream players Denbury Resources Inc. DNR and Penn Virginia Corporation PVAC agreed to dissolve the strategic agreement that they entered into last October. Meanwhile, Murphy Oil Corporation MUR signed a deal to sell oil and gas assets in Malaysia. Overall, it was a mixed week for the sector. While West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures edged up 0.4% to close at $59.04 per barrel, natural gas prices lost 1.5% to $2.753 per million Btu (MMBtu). (See the last Oil & Gas Stock Roundup here: Transocean's Contract Awards, Eni's Angola Discovery & More) The U.S. crude benchmark rallied to four-month highs, after government data showed a large weekly decline on surging exports. Further to this, hefty draws in product inventories (gasoline and distillate) boosted bullish sentiment in the energy market. As it is, crude is being supported by the so-called OPEC+ deal that is cutting production by around 1.2 million barrels per day until the end of June. U.S. sanctions against Venezuela and Iran also continue to tighten the commoditys fundamentals. However, natural gas prices dropped on smaller-than-average decrease in supplies and forecasts of warmer weather, which might lead to the heating fuels tepid demand. Recap of the Weeks Most Important Stories 1. Denbury Resources and Penn Virginias $1.7-billion acquisition deal has been called off via mutual agreement. For each Penn Virginia stock, Denbury was supposed to pay $25.86 in cash and 12.4 shares of its common stock. There will be no termination fee involved in the process, per the agreement. Denbury made the merger agreement as Penn Virginias Eagle Ford assets were expected to have a low breakeven point, which could have complemented its portfolio. The acquisition could have brought in opportunities of short cycle development to the companys medium cycle development assets. The combined entity was expected to have an enterprise value of $6 billion. Following the closure of the transaction, Denbury stockholders were expected to hold around 71% of the combined entity. However, opposition from shareholders of Penn Virginia, like Mangrove Partners, led to the termination. Story continues Activist investment fund Mangrove Partners, a major shareholder of Penn Virginia, has been very vocal against the merger since the very beginning. Last year, it increased its active stake in Penn Virginia to 10.7% from 9.5% and called on the termination of the merger deal, which was expected to be closed in the first quarter of 2019. (Read more Denbury & Penn Virginia Mutually Abort $1.7B Merger Plan) 2. Murphy Oil announced that its subsidiary has entered into an agreement to sell two of its Malaysian assets in an all-cash transaction worth $2.127 billion. The assets will be sold to PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited (PTTEP). In addition to the purchase price, PTTEP will also pay $100 million in a bonus payment contingent upon certain future exploratory drilling results prior to October 2020. Subject to required approval from different agencies, this transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2019. Murphy Oil intends to utilize the proceeds through share buyback, repayment of debts and investment, in order to expand its operation in oil-focused domestic assets. Murphy Oil plans to invest $750 million of the proceeds to expand its operation in oil-rich Eagle Ford Shale and the Gulf of Mexico. The Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company might opt for acquisitions or fund both deep-water projects and U.S. onshore opportunities. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. In addition, $750 million will be utilized to strengthen its balance sheet by reducing outstanding debt. The company will utilize $325 million to pay off its senior credit facility to a zero balance and $425 million targeted to the repurchase or redemption of outstanding senior notes. (Read more Murphy Oil to Sell Malaysian Assets to Focus on Domestic Oil) 3. The Williams Companies, Inc. WMB recently reported that it has inked a deal with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) to create a joint venture (JV), in order to optimize the companys midstream operations in the western Marcellus and Utica basins. The $3.8-billion partnership incorporates Williams Ohio Valley Midstream and Utica East Ohio Midstream systems. Per the agreement, which is expected to be concluded within the next two quarters, CPPIB will acquire a 35% stake in the JV for around $1.34 billion. Williams is expected to retain the remaining interest in the partnership and act as the operator. Notably, the company acquired the remaining 38% stake in the Utica East Ohio Midstream from Momentum Midstream and included it in the JVs asset base. The midstream property processes and fractionates natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs) in the prolific Utica shale play. Williams expects the formation of the JV to create cost synergies, and reduce operating and maintenance costs in the assets mentioned above. The move will create an opportunity for the company to invest in the Utica region in a more efficient manner and enable it to provide its clients with enhanced services. This, in turn, will strengthen the companys presence in the Northeast. (Read more Williams Forms Marcellus, Utica JV With Canadian Fund) 4. Imperial Oil IMO has decided to decelerate development of Aspen in situ oil sands project amid pipeline crisis and market uncertainty in Canada. The integrated energy company gave a green signal to the C$2.6-billion project in November 2018 with intent to commence production by 2022. The Aspen project is likely to produce 75,000 barrels of oil per day as well as generate direct and provincial revenues of more than C$4 billion along with C$10 billion in royalties for Alberta. The project is likely to be delayed by at least a year due to intervention by Alberta government along with other competitive issues. Notably, the project was sanctioned before the government of Alberta announced its production curtailment program in response to the widening crude price differentials. The province issued a mandate on Dec 2, 2018 to remove 325,000 barrels of oil production per day from the market beginning in 2019. While the governments intervention narrowed the differentials (from $44 a barrel in December to near about $10 currently), the scenario is still uncertain amid the pipeline pinch. The delay of Enbridges Line 3 project along with the latest court rulings for TransCanadas Keystone XL pipeline is making it difficult for companies to balance output levels with pipeline capacity without mandated cuts. (Read more Imperial Oil Ramps Down Aspen Project Amid Market Uncertainty) 5. Petrobras PBR is reportedly set to receive around $10 billion from the Brazilian government to settle the transfer-of-rights dispute. The dispute basically relates to the oil-producing zone offshore Brazil (known as the transfer-of-rights area) and dates back to 2010. Notably, in 2010, the government granted Petrobras the right to explore 5 billion barrels of oil and gas off the Brazilian coast, in return of additional shares in the company. The governments move was seen as an effort to maintain control in the state-owned energy giant. It was estimated thereafter that the transfer-of-rights area held recoverable resources comprising around 15 billion barrels of oil and gas, which was in excess of what Petrobras was entitled to produce under the 2010 deal. Per latest updates, both the parties are close to reaching a final agreement, wherein Petrobras is likely to receive a compensation of around $10 billion from the government. Further, the Brazilian oil giant is likely to receive payments from third-party bidders who are seeking to partner with it to develop deepwater oil projects. Hence, the companies bidding for the exploration of the area have to compensate Petrobras to the extent to which the latter has already invested in those blocs. Bloomberg projects Petrobras to receive an additional $9 billion from the companies, in addition to the payment it will be receiving from the government. (Read more Petrobras Eyes $10B on Government Dispute Resolution) Price Performance The following table shows the price movement of some the major oil and gas players over the past week and during the last 6 months. Company Last Week Last 6 Months XOM +0.4% -6.8% CVX -1.8% +0.8% COP -2.2% -13.2% OXY -0.4% -19.6% SLB -2.1% -30.2% RIG -0.8% -34.7% VLO -0.5% -26.6% MPC +1.4% -27.6% The Energy Select Sector SPDR a popular way to track energy companies remained essentially flat last week. But longer-term, over six months, the sector tracker is down 13.8%. Offshore driller Transocean Ltd. RIG was the major loser during this period, experiencing a 34.7% price decline. Whats Next in the Energy World? As usual, market participants will be closely tracking the regular releases i.e. the U.S. government statistics on oil and natural gas - one of the few solid indicators that comes out regularly. Energy traders will also be focusing on the Baker Hughes data on rig count. Is Your Investment Advisor Fumbling Your Financial Future? See how you can more effectively safeguard your retirement with a new Special Report, 4 Warning Signs Your Investment Advisor Might Be Sabotaging Your Financial Future. Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (PBR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Imperial Oil Limited (IMO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Transocean Ltd. (RIG) : Free Stock Analysis Report Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (WMB) : Free Stock Analysis Report Denbury Resources Inc. (DNR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Murphy Oil Corporation (MUR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Penn Virginia Corporation (PVAC) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade The Department of Transportation on Tuesday warned that it will drop the unsolicited proposal of Naia Consortium unless it resolves certain issues by April 30. The talks are taking longer. I want to impose a cap. By April 30, if no agreement [was reached with Naia Consortium], we will do it [Naia rehab], Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said. I will stop talking with them [after April 30]. I will cross that bridge when I get there, he said.Tugade said the government might pursue the Naia rehab project or accommodate other proposals from the private sector. Tugade did not disclose the unresolved issues on the consortiums proposal. Transportation Undersecretary for planning Reuben Reinoso earlier said there were provisions in their proposal which appeared to require a government guarantee. The consortium secured an original proponent status for the rehabilitation and upgrade of Naia in September 2018. The declaration of the original proponent is considered the first step in the rehabilitation and expansion of Naia, which is operating beyond its rated capacity. The consortiums proposal is still subject to review and approval by the National Economic and Development Authoritys board and to a Swiss Challenge in accordance with the requirements of Republic Act No. 7718 or the Build-Operate-Transfer Law.The consortiums members are Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc., AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Alliance Global Group Inc., AEDC, Filinvest Development Corp., JG Summit Holdings Inc. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. The unsolicited proposal, which was submitted to the DOTr and Manila International Airport Authority on Feb. 12, 2018, aims to transform Naia into a regional airport hub and expand its capacity to meet the anticipated growth in passenger traffic. The Naia project supports the governments Build, Build, Build program with its plan to develop the airport into a world-class facility and a regional air transport hub by upgrading its airside, landside and air navigation supportbuilding on the gains already achieved by the DOTr in terms of improving the traffic of aircraft movements on its runways. The P102-billion proposal involves expanding and interconnecting the existing terminals of Naia, upgrading airside facilities, developing commercial facilities to increase airline and airport efficiencies, enhancing passenger comfort and experience and elevating the status of Naia as the countrys premier international gateway. The project aims to increase Naias capacity up to 65 million passengers per year from about 40 million It will elevate Naia to the level of major regional airports such as Changi in Singapore and Suvarnabhumi in Bangkok. It is also seen to become a viable transit hub for the Asean region. Naia Consortium tapped Changi Airports International Pte. Ltd. of Singapore to provide technical support in the areas of master planning, operations optimization and commercial development. By Zoe Tabary WASHINGTON, March 26 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Nearly one in three people living in West and Central Africa fear losing their homes and land in the next five years, according to a survey of 33 countries, making it the region where people feel most insecure about their property. More than two in five respondents from Burkina Faso and Liberia worry their home could be taken away from them, revealed Prindex, a global property rights index which gauges citizens' views. In West Africa, "a history of governments and investors seizing land for large projects has made people more insecure," said Malcolm Childress, executive director of the Global Land Alliance, a Washington-based think tank that compiles the index. Insecurity can lead to people struggling to plan for their futures, holding back entire economies, Childress said. "In countries like Rwanda, however, which are mapping and registering customary land, that uncertainty is much lower," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, adding that only 8 percent of the country's respondents feared losing their homes. In Southeast Asia and Latin America, which Childress said had strong institutions documenting land, only 21 percent and 19 percent of people, respectively, reported feeling insecure about their property. The survey, conducted by U.S. polling firm Gallup and launched in Washington, D.C., at a World Bank conference on Tuesday, is the largest ever effort documenting how secure people feel about their homes and land at a global level. A lack of formal documentation and poor implementation of land laws threaten tenure in many countries, experts say, with more than 5 billion people lacking proof of ownership, according to the Lima-based Institute for Liberty and Democracy. Survey respondents cited being asked by their landlord to leave the property as well as family disagreements as the main reasons for feeling insecure. The index also found that 12 percent more women than men felt they might lose their property in the event of divorce or death of a spouse. Story continues That gap shows "there is a long way to go in meeting the aspiration of equal economic rights for women worldwide," said Anna Locke from the Overseas Development Institute, a British think tank that is involved in the index. The survey for the first time sampled respondents in Britain, where 11 percent of people feared losing their home, mainly due to a lack of money or other resources. More than 50,000 people were questioned about ownership or tenure in 33 countries most of them from Africa, Latin America and Asia. Over the next year, the poll will be extended to 140 countries. Prindex is an initiative of the Omidyar Network - with which the Thomson Reuters Foundation has a partnership on land rights coverage - and the UK's Department for International Development. (Reporting by Zoe Tabary @zoetabary, Editing by Jason Fields. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights, and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org) OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma reaches $270 million settlement related to opioid crisis originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin, settled its first significant lawsuit on Tuesday related to its aggressive marketing of a painkiller that is part of the ongoing nationwide opioid epidemic. The $270 million settlement with the state of Oklahoma marks a milestone for the company, which is exploring filing for bankruptcy and currently faces 1,600 additional lawsuits by cities, counties and states related to its role in the painkiller crisis. The deal earmarked $200 million for the Oklahoma State University Center for Wellness and Recovery, a treatment and research center, that would boost the center to a national level. Purdue will also pay $60 million toward the state's legal fees. An additional $12.5 million will go towards measures fighting the opioid epidemic in cities and counties in Oklahoma. (MORE: 'It doesn't get easier': Mom reflects on daughter's opioid overdose death 2 years later) Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter's office, which filed the lawsuit, disclosed the terms of the deal at a press conference Tuesday afternoon. In addition, Purdue will not promote opioids in Oklahoma, including "employing or contracting with sales representatives to health care providers" in Oklahoma, Hunter said. The company issued a statement supporting the settlement. Purdue has a long history of working to address the problem of prescription opioid abuse and diversion. We see this agreement with Oklahoma as an extension of our commitment to help drive solutions to the opioid addiction crisis, and we pledge Purdues ongoing support to the National Center and the life-saving work it will do for generations to come," Dr. Craig Landau, CEO of Purdue Pharma, said in a statement emailed to ABC News. (MORE: The family behind Purdue Pharma gets the boot from hedge fund over opioid crisis: Sources) Story continues "The addiction crisis facing our state and nation is a clear and present danger. Last year alone, out of the more than 3,000 Oklahomans admitted to the hospital for a non-fatal overdose, 80 percent involved a prescription opioid medication," Hunter said. "Additionally, nearly 50 percent of Oklahomans who died from a drug overdose in 2018 were attributed to a pharmaceutical drug." "Deploying the money from this settlement immediately allows us to decisively treat addiction illness and save lives. This agreement is only the first step in our ultimate goal of ending this nightmarish epidemic," Hunter said. "We are out of time to deal with the responsibility. We have to deal with this crisis." Hunter said the state struck the deal in part because of Purdue's potential bankruptcy, but that the settlement is structured in a way to guarantee the state will be paid, no matter what the company's financial fate may be. PHOTO: In this file photo bottles of prescription painkiller OxyContin pills, made by Purdue Pharma LP sit on a counter at a local pharmacy in Provo, Utah, April 25, 2017. (George Frey/Reuters, FILE) Purdue Pharma is owned by the Sackler family, which is facing increasing censure from financial and philanthropic institutions for its role in manufacturing and marketing opioids. The families of Dr. Mortimer and Dr. Raymond Sackler, who were not defendants in the suit, announced an additional $75 million donation Oklahoma State's National Center for Addiction Studies and Treatment. "We applaud Attorney General Hunter for his thoughtful and constructive approach to this agreement, which recognizes the complexity and multiple causes of our nations addiction epidemic," the Sackler families' statement said. "We also want to make clear that the recent attacks on our family are not accurate and misdirect attention away from crucial issues such as the terrifying rise in illicit fentanyl overdoses." Experts said the OxyContin producer could have settled to avoid more public disclosures. The settlement was announced the day after the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled against Purdue -- as well as Johnson & Johnson and Israel-based Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, the other defendants in the suit -- to delay an upcoming trial by 100 days. The start date remains May 28 in Cleveland County District Court. (MORE: Sackler family pausing donations as top museums cut ties to OxyContin maker) "I was surprised at the size of the settlement," Richard Ausness, an expert in product liability at the University of Kansas Law School told ABC News. "But Purdue avoided a nasty trial and the possibility that more evidence of wrongdoing would come out during discovery or at trial. In addition, most of the settlement money has been earmarked for addiction treatment and Purdue might claim that it is contributing to solving the addiction problem instead of frittering away its assets in fruitless litigation." Ausness added that Teva and Johnson & Johnson may be able to settle with the state for less because they had a much smaller share of the market. "I think that it would be wise for them to settle in order to avoid being 'home cooked' by a hostile Oklahoma jury if the case goes to trial," he said. Johnson & Johnson and Teva did not respond to a request for comment. ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to release former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on bail for six weeks to receive medical treatment but said he would not be allowed to leave the country. Sharif is serving a seven-year sentence imposed last year for failing to disclose the source of income that allowed him to acquire the Al-Azizia Steel Mills in Saudi Arabia. He has appealed. The case was heard by a three-judge panel headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa. The three-time former premier has been suffering from a heart condition and kidney problems and has been admitted to hospital. A previous bail appeal was rejected last month. The Supreme Court removed Sharif from office in July 2017 for not disclosing part of a salary drawn from his son's company and he was later convicted in two separate cases of failing to disclose sources of income. In one of those cases, over the ownership of upmarket properties in London, the high court granted him bail last September, suspending a 10-year sentence until a final decision on his appeal against the conviction. The appeal process in both cases is continuing. Sharif has termed the charges against him politically motivated and accused the military and courts of working together to end his political career and destabilise his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party. ($1=140.20 Pakistani rupees) (Reporting by Syed Raza Khan; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said he feared another security incident with India, after the two nuclear-armed countries engaged in a dangerous escalation that fueled "war hysteria" in New Delhi ahead of elections next month. In an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, Khan said tensions were still high even after the crisis over a militant attack in the disputed region of Kashmir had eased with the release of an Indian pilot captured by Pakistani forces. "I'm still apprehensive before the elections, I feel that something could happen," Khan told the newspaper. Pakistan and India, which have fought three wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947, passed through a crisis last month after India accused Pakistan of being behind a militant attack that killed 40 policemen in Pulwama, in Indian-controlled Kashmir in February. Islamabad denied responsibility for the attack, which was claimed by Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e Mohammed, but the attack prompted India to launch a cross border air strike against what it said was a militant training camp in Pakistan. Pakistan responded with air strikes of its own and in an ensuing dog fight over Kashmir, at least one Indian plane was shot down and its pilot captured. The pilot was subsequently returned to India, leading to an easing in the crisis. Khan has offered to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue, the latest in a long series of confrontations over Kashmir, a majority Muslim region that is claimed by both countries. However he said Modi's government appeared to be using the tensions for electoral purposes. "When Pulwama happened I felt that Mr Modi's government used that to build this war hysteria," Khan told the Financial Times. "The Indian public should realize that this is all for winning the elections, it's nothing to do with the real issues of the subcontinent." He repeated a denial that Pakistan was involved in the Pulwama attack and said a crackdown had been launched against militant groups. Although the immediate crisis has eased, parts of Pakistani airspace continue to be closed to overflights, causing severe disruption to several international airline operations. A spokesman for Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority said major airports had been re-opened and most commercial flights resumed after Pakistani airspace was closed during the height of the standoff but some areas were still closed. "Part of the airspace is still closed for overflying - it's partially open and partially closed. All major airports are open but a small part of the airpace is still closed," the spokesman said, declining to elaborate. (Reporting by James Mackenzie; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) A Pentagon decision to redirect up to $1 billion to build 57 miles of fencing along the Mexican border was slapped down Tuesday by a House panel that rejected the "reprogramming action." Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan authorized the Army Corps of Engineers on Monday to plan and build the 18-foot-high fencing and to construct and upgrade roads and install lighting near the border in Yuma, Arizona, and El Paso, Texas. Shanahan said the $1 billion plan was in support of the national emergency declaration President Donald Trump issued last month after Congress refused to appropriate the $5.7 billion he wanted for construction of a border wall. "The committee denies this request," U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a letter to the Defense Department comptroller. "The committee does not approve the proposed use of Department of Defense funds to construct physical barriers and roads or install lighting in the vicinity of the United State border." More: House fails to override President Trump's veto of national emergency resolution Some Republicans also were skeptical. Texas Rep. Mac Thornberry said he opposes using defense funding for other purposes but suggested Shanahan faced a lot of criticism for decisions that you had nothing to do with. Shanahan said he understood the concerns, but he was executing a legal order from the commander in chief. It was not immediately clear what effect the committees decision would have on wall construction. The panel doesnt have the legal authority to block the transfer, but it could make changes in the law to block any funding shifts in the future. Trump has repeatedly claimed the wall is needed to keep criminals from entering the USA. Shanahan cited the need to "block drug-smuggling corridors across international boundaries of the United States in support of counter-narcotic activities of federal law enforcement agencies." Story continues A razor-wire-covered border wall separates the United Shanahan, in testimony Tuesday before Smith's panel, reiterated his claim that the transfer of funds to the wall wouldn't jeopardize national security. Shanahan announced the $1 billion plan late Monday. Several Democratic senators on the Appropriations Committee signed a letter blasting Shanahan for failing to seek approval from the congressional defense committees. We have serious concerns that the department has allowed political interference and pet projects to come ahead of many near-term, critical readiness issues," the letter said. The Senate will not take up the measure since it failed in the House, according to the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Trump said his declaration of a national emergency to build the wall allows him to tap billions targeted for military construction projects ranging from garages to air traffic control towers. The projects have been approved by Congress, but contracts have not been signed. Last week, Shanahan forwarded to Congress the list of construction projects the Pentagon could delay but not cancel to redirect funds to the wall. Contributing: Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY; The Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pentagon chief blasted for plan to redirect $1 billion to build 57 miles of border wall With prudent moves to bolster presence in the low-risk tobacco space and gains from efficient pricing, Philip Morris International Inc. PM has become a preferred investment pick. Well, this renowned tobacco players shares have gained around 34.1% in the past three months compared with the industrys rally of 28.2%. Lets take a look at the factors that are driving this Zacks Rank 2 (Buy) company. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Moves to Boost RRPs Bode Well Tobacco companies are placing their bets on reduced risk products (RRPs) such as e-cigarettes. With radical investments for undertaking research and development in this category, Phillip Morris is pioneering the radical shift from harmful tobacco products to low-risk alternatives. In fact, the companys IQOS, a smokeless cigarette, is among one of the leading RRPs in the industry. In October 2018, the company launched additional versions of IQOS in Japan. These next-generation devices are backed by substantial scientific insights and research. The company expects such advanced and high-quality products to aid adult smokers to switch from traditional cigarettes to smoke-free options. IQOS users at the end of fourth-quarter 2018 totaled 9.6 million. Going ahead, the company expects consistent growth in IQOS and Heated Tobacco category. Further, to cater to the rising demand for such products, Phillip Morris is undertaking plant conversions. This was witnessed in the companys Papastratos factory in Greece, for the production of HEETS a unit used with IQOS. Moreover, the marketing and technology sharing agreement between Philip Morris and Altria Group MO is expected to boost business for the players. Currently, the agreement is under FDA review. Additionally, Phillip Morris has inked a deal with Canada-based Parallax that provides low-risk alternatives of tobacco. Other tobacco companies like British American Tobacco BTI and Vector Group VGR are striving to expand in e-cigarettes and other low-risk tobacco options. Story continues Pricing Is a Key Upside Strong pricing is propelling Philip Morris to generate substantial revenues in the combustible category. Moreover, the price hikes enable the company to maintain margins at the desired level. As smokers tend to absorb price increases due to their addiction, this strategy could be of some help in the near term. Wrapping Up In addition to the aforementioned upsides, this well-known tobacco giant is likely to continue gaining from a strong brand portfolio that comprises popular names such as Marlboro, L&M, Bond Street, Parliament, Chesterfield and Virginia Slims among others. We expect such factors to continue aiding Phillip Morris and help it sustain in investors good books. Is Your Investment Advisor Fumbling Your Financial Future? See how you can more effectively safeguard your retirement with a new Special Report, 4 Warning Signs Your Investment Advisor Might Be Sabotaging Your Financial Future. Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Philip Morris International Inc. (PM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Vector Group Ltd. (VGR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Altria Group, Inc. (MO) : Free Stock Analysis Report British American Tobacco p.l.c. (BTI) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Bees, hoverflies and other pollinating insects disappear from quarter of UK habitats in population crash (Getty) Insects such as wild bees and hoverflies are dying out in many parts of the the UK, and it could pose a threat to food we eat, researchers have found. Between 1980 and 2013, a third of more than 300 species studied experienced population declines, while a smaller number (11%) became more abundant. Scientists believe that the loss of biodiversity could pose problems in coming years. Dr Gary Powney, from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, said: While the increase in key crop pollinators is good news, they are still a relatively small group of species. Therefore, with species having declined overall, it would be risky to rely on this group to support the long-term food security for our country. Read more Who will be the next PM? These are the favourites to replace Theresa May Shopworker stabbed to death as six people knifed overnight across London Miracle postman died for 21 minutes and came back to life on his way to the morgue If anything happens to them in the future, there will be fewer other species to step up and fulfil the essential role of crop pollination. The value of pollinating insects to the UK economy has been estimated at 690 million per year. While around 34% of pollination is carried out by honeybees, a scarcity of hives means crop farmers are highly reliant on their wild cousins and other insects, especially hoverflies. The research is based on analysis of more than 715,000 observational records collected by volunteers between 1980 and 2013. A total of 353 bee and hoverfly species, all known pollinators, were included in the study which focused on around 19,000 cells each covering a square kilometre of countryside. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday condemned the rise of anti-Semitism as a "cancer metastasizing" in the Middle East, Europe and in the United States, where he said the Trump administration would vigorously oppose it. In a speech to a major pro-Israel U.S. lobby group in Washington, Pompeo accused Britain's opposition Labour Party of tolerating anti-Semitism, calling it a "national disgrace". He said attacks against Jews were increasing in France and Germany and hate crimes against Jews in the United States were up by one third in 2017. He slammed the "multiple attacks" on the Orthodox Jewish community in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Speaking to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference, Pompeo said anti-Zionism - opposition to the existence of Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people - was a form of anti-Semitism that was on the rise. "The Trump administration opposes it unequivocally and we will fight it relentlessly," he said, "Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism." Earlier on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Israel's 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights in a boost for Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu, who faces an election on April 9. Some political analysts say that Republicans hope support for Israel will attract Jewish voters and note Republicans in Congress were outspoken in condemning comments by Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar that some viewed as anti-Semitic. At the same time, critics have credited Trump's confrontational, nationalistic rhetoric with encouraging right-wing extremists and feeding a surge in activity by hate groups in the United States. The administration has flatly rejected that charge. After a counter-protester was killed in 2017 at a white supremacist rally in Virginia where demonstrators chanted "Jews will not replace us," Trump said there was blame on "both sides." In Britain, Labour has been battling accusations of anti-Semitism for over two years. Nine lawmakers have quit the party, citing the leaderships handling of anti-Semitism in the ranks as well as its Brexit stance as their reason for leaving. In France, home to the largest Jewish community in Europe, anti-Semitic attacks increased 74 percent in 2018 to 500, according to figures released in February. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton and David Alexander; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The preliminary report on the March 10 Ethiopian Airlines crash will very likely be released this week, Ethiopia's transport ministry spokesman told Reuters on Tuesday. "It will very, very likely be released this week but there could be unpredictable things," Ethiopian transport ministry spokesman Muse Yiheyis said by phone from the Ethiopian capital. "I can't say (it will be released) today or tomorrow," he added. (Reporting by Kumerra Gemechu; Writing by Maggie Fick; Editing by Michael Perry) By Sylvia Westall MUSCAT (Reuters) - Qatar Airways threw its support behind Boeing on Monday as the U.S. planemaker faces its biggest crisis in years after two deadly crashes of its flagship 737 MAX jet. Regulators grounded the worldwide MAX fleet after an Ethiopian Airlines MAX crash killed all 157 people on board this month, wiping 14 percent off shares in the world's biggest planemaker. "As far as I am concerned, I have full confidence in Boeing and their ability to resolve any technical issue," Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar al-Baker told reporters in Muscat. Qatar Airways, one of the largest Middle East carriers, is a major Boeing customer. It has ordered 20 MAX jets and committed to buying a further 40. It has taken delivery of five of the aircraft, according to Boeing's website. Baker has a reputation for heavily criticizing aircraft manufacturers. It ordered the MAX jets after a dispute with Airbus over an order for their similar sized A320neo aircraft. The airline will delay the April delivery of a single MAX jet until the cause of the crash is known, Baker said. "I am sure that the aircraft will get back into the skies soon and that Boeing will get to the bottom of what happened and if there is something technical wrong that they will find a fix for it," he said. Attention has focused on the anti-stall system, known as MCAS, and the sensors that activate it. MCAS pushes the planes nose down if it believes it is ascending at too steep an angle. Qatar Airways will attend a Boeing briefing this week on software and training updates for the MAX, Baker said. The MAX is an upgrade to Boeing's best-selling 737 narrowbody jet and only entered service in 2017. Boeing has booked MAX orders worth more than $500 billion at list prices. The Ethiopian crash is the second fatal crash involving the MAX jet. In October, a MAX operated by Indonesia's Lion Air fatally crashed killing all 189 on board. Baker said he believed the worldwide grounding was driven by public perception. Passengers around the world asked airlines to change flights or refunds to avoid flying on the MAX after the Ethiopian crash. "The regulator had to act to give confidence to the people, that the regulators were looking after their interests," he said. (Reporting by Sylvia Westall, writing by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Louise Heavens and Keith Weir) A lawmaker on Tuesday said the release of P5 billion to farmers late last year will help them brace for an extended dry spell in at least 19 provinces this year. Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte said the funds were released ahead of the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 11203 or the rice tariffication law that mandates the government to provide a specific fund for agriculture development. Under the rice tariffication law, the importation of rice was liberalized but the law mandates a creation of a fund to help farmers who will be adversely affected by the liberalization of rice importation. He said the provincial government of CamSur declared a state of calamity as the latest dry spell has affected a critical portion of the province. Villafuerte suggested that P1 billion to P2 billion of the P5-billion fund released by the DBMahead of the establishment of the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund under RA 11203be used for the procurement of drought-tolerant rice seeds to help farmers tide over the projected El Nino spell in 2019. The DA can procure the drought-tolerant rice seed varieties in time for the succeeding cropping seasons to mitigate the effects of the dry spell on the farm sector, Villafuerte, who is a co-author of RA 11203, said. According to the International Rice Research Institute, there are eight drought-tolerant rice seed varieties available to farmers for highland and lowland planting.Villafuerte, vice chairman of the House committee on appropriations, recalled that Budget department said it had released a Special Allotment Release Order to the DA amounting to P5 billion last December for the National Rice Program, which will complement the would-be RCEF, the funds of which are to be come from the upcoming rice import tariff collections. Maricel V. Cruz On top of adjusting to a rice-tariffied regime, farmers also have to cope with this years El Nino phenomenon, with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) forecasting that drought to likely hit Metro Manila, Pangasinan, Bataan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Masbate, Rizal, Antique, Iloilo, Bataan, Northern and Western Samar and Dinagat Islands. Earlier, Villafuerte said the RCEFs allocation of P10 billion will help the agriculture sector modernize and gain access to lending facilities. As provided under the bill, the RCEF will have a minimum annual allocation of P10 billion for six years, and tariff revenues from rice imports in excess of P10 billion shall be appropriated by the Congress for this sector, based on a menu of programs in the rice tariffication law. Under the bill, the proposed fund will be allocated as follows: 50% for grants to farmers associations, registered rice cooperatives, and local government units in the form of rice equipment, to be implemented by the Philippine Center for Post-Harvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech); and 30% for the development, propagation and promotion of inbred rice seeds to rice farmers and organizations, to be implemented by the Philippine Rice Research Institution (PhilRice). The 10 percent will be in the form of credit at preferential rates to rice farmers and cooperatives to be managed by the Land Bank (Landbank) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP); and the remaining 10% for extension services to teach rice farmers modern methods of farming, seed production, and farm mechanization, to be administered by PhilMech, PhilRice, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Bermuda's premier has taken a swipe at Canada by stating the QuadrigaCX incident would've never happened under the island nation's crypto rules. | Source: Flickr/WorldEconomicForum Premier David Burt, the leader of the island nation of Bermuda, has boasted that the current situation that embattled Canadian crypto exchange QuadrigaCX finds itself would have been prevented if the exchanges crypto keys had been kept in his country. Speaking in an interview with Fortunes Balancing the Ledger segment on March 25, Premier Burt argued that such a situation would have been averted because of the existing legislation in Bermuda that governs the operation of its native crypto space. His comments were made following the death of Gerald Cotten, the founder, and CEO of QuadrigaCX, the Canada-based crypto exchange platform, in December 2018. Cotten died suddenly in India, taking the location of the private keys to the exchanges cold wallets to his grave. This is Not Canada. We have Rules here in Bermuda Since then, QuadrigaCX has been unable to gain access to the cold wallets, where a vast majority of the exchanges reported 190 million CAD (about $145 million at the time) in customer and operating funds were kept. Its been one financial hardship after another since then. During the interview, Premier Burt stated that QuadrigaCXs situation would have been much different if the exchange had been registered in Bermuda. In part, he said: Read the full story on CCN.com. BEIJING (AP) A look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and potential oil and gas reserves: ___ EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a weekly look at developments in the South China Sea, the location of several territorial conflicts in the region. ___ CHINA COMPLAINS OVER LATEST US CRUISE China has complained to Washington over the latest cruise by U.S. ships through the Taiwan Strait, considered a hot-spot for conflict between the two nations. Reports said the U.S. sent the destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur and the Coast Guard cutter Bertholf through the strait from Sunday night to Monday morning. The 100 mile (160 kilometer)-wide Taiwan Strait separating the self-ruling island democracy is international waters. However, China considers Taiwan its own territory to be brought under its control by force if need be and closely monitors all foreign military activity in the waterway. "The Chinese side has been closely monitoring the U.S. warships sailing through the Taiwan Strait," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Monday. "We are well aware of the whole process. We have also made complaints with the U.S." Geng said the U.S. should abide by previous commitments to China "so as not to avoid damage to China-U.S. relations and peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait." The U.S. says the status of Taiwan is to be determined by the two sides, but is bound by law to treat any threat to Taiwan's security as a matter of national importance. China considers control over Taiwan a matter of national pride, as well as key to its access to the Pacific, the South China Sea and elsewhere. Meanwhile, Taiwan claims territory in the South China Sea and operates a military installation on Taiping Island, also known internationally as Itu Aba. It is the largest naturally occurring islet in the group but has been dwarfed by China's construction in the area of seven man-made islands atop coral reefs equipped with airstrips and other military infrastructure. Story continues ___ PHILIPPINE FOREIGN SECRETARY PRAISES CHINA The Philippine foreign secretary heaped praise on China's ruling Communist Party during a visit to Beijing, underscoring the growing distance between the Philippines and the United States as China's regional political and economic influence rises. Teodoro Locsin said Wednesday that China's authoritarian one-party system has provided opportunities for developing economies to grow and has given them a certain momentum for improvement that Western democracies currently lack. "Without the new China there will be no prospect whatsoever for the developing world to grow into emerging economies," Locsin said. The secretary's remarks reflected sentiment in the Cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte, who has frequently praised China and criticized his county's long-standing alliance with the U.S. Earlier this month, the Philippine defense secretary said his country's defense treaty with the U.S. needs to be re-examined, bringing expressions of concern from Washington. The newfound goodwill comes despite the fact that China and the Philippines have competing claims to territory in the South China Sea. The Philippines has been successful at international arbitration to contest China's claim to virtually the entire crucial waterway, but Beijing has ignored the ruling. ___ EX-PHILIPPINE OFFICIALS CLAIM CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY Two former Philippine officials are filing a complaint with the International Criminal Court accusing Chinese President Xi Jinping of crimes against humanity over his government's assertive actions in the South China Sea. The two former officials contend that China's actions have deprived thousands of fishermen of their livelihood and wrecked the environment. Former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and ex-chief anti-graft prosecutor Conchita Carpio Morales said Thursday that they filed the complaint with the tribunal before the current Philippine president's move to withdraw the country from the tribunal took effect. They accused Xi and other Chinese officials of turning seven disputed reefs into islands, causing extensive environmental damage, and of blocking about 320,000 Filipinos and other counties' fishermen from their fishing grounds. "This has seriously undermined the food and energy security of the coastal states in the South China Sea, including the Philippines," del Rosario and Carpio Morales said in a statement. China's island building, which started in 2013 in an effort to construct air and naval bases in the disputed waters, reportedly destroyed large expanses of coral reefs and endangered fisheries. "It presents one of the most massive, near permanent and devastating destruction of the environment in humanity's history," they said. There was no immediate reaction from China. Duterte decided to withdraw the Philippines from the ICC last year in a move that took effect March 17. Duterte's move has been challenged by human rights advocates before the Philippine Supreme Court. ___ US NAVY PROTESTS CHINESE BEHAVIOR A senior U.S. Navy commander says the U.S. won't alter its so-called "freedom of navigation" sailings in the disputed South China Sea and has pressed ahead with such operations despite a dangerous maneuver by a Chinese navy ship against an American destroyer. Vice Adm. Phillip Sawyer, commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, told reporters in Manila that Washington protested that "unprofessional behavior" by the Chinese ship, which maneuvered very close to the USS Decatur as the latter sailed closely by a Chinese-occupied island in the Spratlys in September. "No, it's not going to change where we do our freedom of navigation operations," Sawyer said when asked if the Sept. 30 incident off Gaven Reef would change such U.S. Navy operations. Several such sail-bys have been undertaken by American naval ships since that close encounter in the disputed waters, he said. "It was concerning because the ships got too close," Sawyer said, adding that U.S. officials have voiced "our displeasure with what we consider to be unprofessional behavior." The USS Decatur had sailed within 12 nautical miles of Gaven Reef when a Chinese destroyer approached within 45 yards (41 meters) of the bow of the U.S. Navy ship, which changed course to prevent a collision. The Decatur was also warned to leave the area, U.S. Pacific Fleet officials said at the time. China said the Luoyang, a Chinese missile destroyer, was deployed to identify the U.S. warship and drive it away near Chinese territory. Beijing protested the Decatur's action as provocative. One of seven disputed reefs transformed by China into militarily fortified islands in recent years, Gaven is claimed by China, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan. Malaysia and Brunei also have claims in the South China Sea. ___ Associated Press writer Jim Gomez reported from Manilla, Philippines. Republicans have blocked an attempt by Democrats to force the release of Robert Muellers Russia report in its entirety despite Donald Trump claiming it was a complete and total exoneration of him. A day after attorney general William Barr released to Congress the main conclusions of the special counsels investigation into Russias alleged interference in the 2016 and possible collusion with the Trump campaign, Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell stopped a Democratic effort to ensure all of it was made public. Earlier this month, the House of Representatives voted 420-0 in favour of making the report public, with no Republican opposition. On Monday, Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer asked for unanimous consent for the nonbinding resolution, previously passed by the lower chamber. Whether or not youre a supporter of President Trump....there is no good reason not to make the report public, Mr Schumer said, according to The Hill. Its a simple request for transparency. Nothing more, nothing less. But Mr McConnell did not agree. He said given it took Mr Mueller and his team almost two years to complete his work, it was not unreasonable to give the special counsel and the justice department just a little time to complete their review in a professional and responsible manner. On Twitter, he added: No collusion. No conspiracy. No obstruction. Its good news that we can conclusively set aside the notion that the president and his team had somehow participated in Russias interference in our electoral process. In his report, Mr Mueller said he found no evidence of a direct link between what he said were Moscows efforts to interfere in the 2016 election, and the Trump campaign. On the issue of whether the president had obstructed efforts to investigate possible collusion, he set out the case for and against in regard to several incidents. Yet he determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgement. In turn, Mr Barr and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, decided the presidents actions did not constitute a crime. Story continues On Sunday, Mr Trump claimed the report had completely cleared him on both counts something that was not true. It was a complete and total exoneration, said Mr Trump, as he returned to Washington DC from Florida. Its a shame that our country had to go through this. To be honest, its a shame that your president has had to go through this. On Monday, at the White House, Mr Trump was asked whether he believed he full report should be made public something Democrats are desperate to happen. Up the attorney general, he said. But it wouldnt bother me at all. WASHINGTON As the nation learned special counsel Robert Mueller did not find evidence that the Trump campaign conspired with Russia, Republicans celebrated and then took aim at many of the president's foes. One of the biggest targets thus far: Rep. Adam Schiff, who heads the House Intelligence Committee. "Adam Schiff should resign," White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Monday morning on Fox News. "He has no right as somebody who has been peddling a lie day after day after day unchallenged." She added Democratic-led investigation in the House would "never have the credibility of the Mueller investigation." Attorney General William Barr issued a four-page summary of Mueller's report on Sunday, declaring that Mueller's 22-month inquiry had not found that President Donald Trump or his campaign conspired with Russian efforts to sway the 2016 election. But, on the issue of whether Trump had sought to thwart the investigation, Barr said he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein determined that the president's conduct did not constitute a crime because Mueller's team did not reach a conclusion on whether Trump had obstructed justice. Republicans took the findings as a victory lap and called out Schiff by name repeatedly on Monday. The Mueller shield: Analysis: With Mueller report in, nothing's over. But for Trump, everything has changed 'The American people deserve the full truth': Justice Department offers no clue when Mueller's full report could be released as pressure intensifies House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. asked for him to step down from his post leading the House Intelligence Committee. "I am calling on him to leave the committee as chairman," McCarthy told Fox News, firing off a number of concerns, including his past comments on evidence of possible Russian collusion with the Trump campaign. "He should apologize to the American public and he should step back from being chair of the intel committee," McCarthy said. Story continues After two years of manufactured outrage on this issue, its time we move on for the good of the nation. Its also time for @RepAdamSchiff to apologize for deceiving the American people. He has proven himself unfit to chair the House Intelligence Committee. pic.twitter.com/XHwKUInIHb Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) March 25, 2019 Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, fired off a number of tweets attacking Schiff, even using the hastag "#FullOfSchiff." "Couldnt agree more with my friend @GOPLeader," he said replying to McCarthy's call for Schiff to leave his committee post. "After spending 2 years lying to the American people about the collusion conspiracy, this truther is STILL doubling down on his lies. He's a hack & serial fraud. If he had an ounce of integrity, he would resign today. #FullOfSchiff" Well, he can always show the American public all the evidence he says hes seen. That would clear thing up. Otherwise hes just a disgrace to the position. Between the lies and the leaks why would anyone in their right mind ever trust The House Intelligence Committee again??? https://t.co/TXiNx3JfW1 Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 25, 2019 He also questioned why Schiff should not "face any repercussions" for his statements over the years about Trump's connections to Russia. In another tweet, he said Schiff's conduct had erased trust in the committee. After Barr's letter on Sunday, Schiff said he accepted Mueller's conclusions but contended that it did not clear Trump of wrongdoing. "Mueller did not find sufficient evidence to establish conspiracy, notwithstanding Russian offers to help Trumps campaign, their acceptance, and a litany of concealed interactions with Russia. I trust Muellers prosecutorial judgement, but the country must see the evidence," he said on Twitter. He added in another post: "Mueller spent two years investigating obstruction of justice and found evidence that 'does not exonerate' Trump. Barr took two days to set aside that evidence. The entire report must be published and evidence provided to Congress so the American people can judge for themselves." Schiff seemed to shrug off the resignation calls and told CNN that the attacks werent surprising. Im more than used to attacks from my GOP colleagues and I would expect nothing less, he told CNN. Other top Democrats also stood up for him, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "Democrats arent going to be intimidated by the White House or Congressional Republicans, were not going to be distracted from securing the release of the full Mueller report and the underlying evidence, and we will continue to pursue legitimate oversight because thats what the Constitution requires," Ashley Etienne, a spokeswoman for Pelosi, told Politico. While Trump and other Republicans claimed vindication in the aftermath of Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, many still pointed to unanswered questions about whether the president's actions constituted obstruction of justice. By the numbers: Nearly 500 witnesses, 675 days: The Mueller investigation by the numbers Democrats continued to demand the public release of the report, sending a letter late Monday to Barr that demanded Mueller's findings by April 2. "Your four-page summary of the Special Counsels review is not sufficient for Congress, as a coequal branch of government, to perform [its] critical work," the letter reads. "The release of the full report and the underlying evidence and documents is urgently needed by our committees to perform their duties under the Constitution." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Republicans call for Rep. Adam Schiff to resign, step down from intelligence committee Ryanairs dig at British Airways after the airline accidentally flew passengers bound for Dusseldorf to Edinburgh backfired after hundreds of Twitter users pointed out the firm was in no position to judge. (Twitter) Ryanairs attempt to poke fun of a British Airways blunder that saw a plane bound for Dusseldorf land in Edinburgh has backfired. The firms social media team posted to its official Twitter account offering BA a present an image of the cover of Geography for Dummies. But Twitter users made a number of suggestions of books Ryanair could read, including Customer Service for Dummies. The joke was made after British Airways used the wrong flight plan on Monday, leaving passengers hundreds of miles from their anticipated destination. Ryanair has been accused of a Twitter fail after its joke at British Airways expense backfired. Stock image (PA) Ryanair trolled BA in a tweet that afternoon with the suggested reading material but the firm was again named the UKs least-popular short-haul airline. BA replied to the tweet saying: No-one is perfect. Twitter users quickly came back with book suggestions lampooning the low-cost airline, including Employment Law for Dummies. Read more from Yahoo News UK: New cars could be fitted with speed restricters In 2018 Ryanair was forced to cancel hundreds of flights after strike action by pilots and staff who were complaining about conditions. The strikes caused disruption for tens of thousands of passengers. In December 2018 the Civil Aviation Authority began legal action against Ryanair after it refused to pay compensation to passengers over the cancelled and delayed flights. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK New York (AFP) - Large museums are rejecting funds from the Sackler family, underscoring the growing unease with the main source of the philanthropic dynasty's riches: the painkiller at the center of the US opioid crisis. With net worth estimated at more than $13 billion, the Sacklers are among the world's richest families, according to Forbes. And they have used their wealth to become significant funders of the arts and education. Their story is the epitome of the American dream: three brothers -- Arthur, Mortimer and Raymond -- born in Brooklyn to Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York after World War I, become psychiatrists, and then built Purdue Pharma after buying a struggling New York drug company in 1952. Purdue became a dominant force in the pharmaceutical industry, largely due to the blockbuster painkiller OxyContin, the highly addictive drug now subject to more than 1,000 lawsuits over its role in the opioid crisis. The company's success helped the brothers amass enough wealth to become major philanthropists: the Sackler name is a visible presence at Harvard, Cornell, Columbia, Yale, Tufts and Oxford universities, as well as entire wings of two of the world's greatest museums: the Louvre in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The donations earned Arthur the moniker of a "modern Medici" by art scholar Thomas Lawton. Arthur passed away in 1987, nearly a decade before OxyContin was introduced, and his heirs sold his stake in Purdue to the other two brothers when he died. The wealth of the remaining branches was based on what the New Yorker magazine called "an empire of pain" through "ruthless marketing." - Cutting ties - That tradition of giving continued in the next generation, with two of Raymond's children endowing a professorship at the Yale Cancer Center. "My father raised Jon and me to believe that philanthropy is an important part of how we should fill our days," Richard Sackler said in 2009. Story continues Richard, who lives in Austin, Texas, also has donated to both the Democratic and Republican parties and conservative think tanks. Mortimer Sackler had luxurious mansions in London, the south of France and Switzerland. Several of his seven children have been on the board of Purdue, while one, Mortimer D.A. gave $9 million to the Guggenheim museum between 1995 and 2015. But the museum has cut all ties with the family. "No additional gifts are planned, and the Guggenheim does not plan to accept any gifts," the museum said Friday. Britain's National Portrait Gallery earlier this month cancelled a A1 million ($1.3 million, 1.1 million euros), donation from the Sackler Trust and the UK's Tate galleries followed suit. The trust on Monday announced it was suspending all donations in Britain. - 'Deceptive' practices - The privately-held Purdue Pharma, based in Connecticut, released OxyContin in 1995 and the powerful drug reportedly has generated more than $30 billion in revenues. In 2017, 47,000 people died of opioid overdoses in the United States (prescription drugs, heroin and fentanyl), according to the Centers for Disease Control. That same year, 1.7 million people were suffering from addiction to painkillers like OxyContin. The Sackler family has been inextricably linked to the company: Mortimer and Raymond led Purdue as the company developed OxyContin into a blockbuster drug. Mortimer died in 2010 and Raymond in 2017. The last Sackler left the Purdue board earlier this month. In 2007, Purdue and three top executives pleaded guilty to a felony charge by the US Justice Department for lying about the addiction risk posed by OxyContin, and paid a fine of $634.5 million. The company remains the target of about 1,600 lawsuits in federal court, as well as hundreds of complaints at the state level. A complaint filed by Massachusetts state charged that Sackler family members "directed deceptive sales and marketing practices." On Tuesday, the company reached a $270 million settlement with the state of Oklahoma of a lawsuit holding drug companies responsible for the addiction epidemic, according to media reports. The family gives few interviews, but is regularly photographed at society gatherings. A family spokesperson declined to comment for this story. The Samsung Galaxy Fold has arrived and its on sale in May (Getty) Samsung has been promising phones with folding screens for years and its Galaxy Fold has finally got a UK release date and price. Brace yourselves, though, its going to retail at 1,799 The Galaxy Fold will be available on Friday 3rd May via Samsung shops and its online store, and only available on EE. Pre-orders for the device go live from Friday April 26, and customers can register their interest from today. Last week a leaked video caused consternation among fans, showing a huge crease down the middle of the 7.3-inch Infinity Flex Display, which opens and closes like a book. The device unfolds to have a seven-inch screen (Samsung) Previously, when the phone was shown off at Mobile World Congress, it was kept inside a case, so that people couldnt see whether there was a crease. Several companies including Samsung have unveiled phones with folding screens this year including Xiaomi which unveiled a double folding device. Read more Who will be the next PM? These are the favourites to replace Theresa May Shopworker stabbed to death as six people knifed overnight across London Miracle postman died for 21 minutes and came back to life on his way to the morgue Motorolas iconic RAZR flip phone set to be relaunched in a very hi-tech new version with a foldable touchscreen, the Wall Street Journal reports. The phone is set to be a limited edition of just 200,000 created by tech company Lenovo and Motorola, and will be a premium device costing up to $1,500 (1,100). Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK CAIRO, March 26 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia denounced U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Israel's 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights, a statement released by the Saudi Press Agency said early on Tuesday. "Attempts to impose fait accompli do not change the facts," the statement said. It said the Golan Heights was an "occupied Syrian Arab land in accordance with the relevant international resolutions." "It will have significant negative effects on the peace process in the Middle East and the security and stability of the region," it said. Trump, with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looking over his shoulder during a visit to Washington, signed a proclamation on Monday officially granting U.S. recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East War and annexed it in 1981 in a move not recognized internationally. The Saudi Press Agency report described Monday's declaration as a clear violation of the United Nations Charter and of international law. (Reporting by Mohamed El-Sherif Editing by Paul Tait) The Metro Manila Development Authority will close all bus terminals located along Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue in June, after the Holy Week, as part of governments effort to address traffic in Metro Manila. MMDA general manager Jojo Garcia said the agency has already coordinated with local government units to stop issuing business permits to bus firms to operate bus terminals along EDSA. He said the removal of bus terminals is expected to reduce the number of provincial buses plying Metro Manila, specifically along Roxas Boulevard, Pasay, and EDSA-Taft area, and will provide connectivity between different transport modes and services, allowing efficient and seamless travel for the riding public. We have already coordinated with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board [LTFRB] and the Department of Transportation [DOTr] on the closure of terminals after Holy Week, he said. The MMDA, LTFRB and the Department of Transportation held a meeting with regards to the closure of bus terminals along EDSA, based on the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte that provincial bus terminals along Edsa be closed. Its about time to close the bus terminals along EDSA because it contributes to at least 20 percent of the traffic in Metro Manila, he said. Garcia said they will start a dry-run of the bus terminal closures after Holy Week, as he clarified that it would be a dry-run, as thousands of passengers would still use the terminals because of the long vacation. We do not want to be hasty and careless as many passengers will be using the terminals before and after the Holy Week, he said. The closure of the Edsa bus terminals is expected to address traffic congestion in Metro Manila as some provincial buses tend to load and unload passengers along major thoroughfares. Several bus terminals are now being constructed for provincial buses at the south and north of Metro Manila such as in Valenzuela City and in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim said. He said the local government units will play a crucial role on the removal of the terminals since they are the ones issuing the business permits needed to operate the business establishments.Meanwhile, the MMDA also reiterated that the no window hours policy for number coding scheme is in effect on all major roads and Mabuhay Lane routes, and warned to apprehend violators. In meeting with officials of the Metro Manila Council (MMC), Garcia made the clarification following erroneous rules on traffic number coding scheme have circulated online and created confusion among motorists. The MMC, composed of Metro Mayors, is the policy-making and governing body of the MMDA. We have agreed to standardize the no window hours scheme on national roads and roads listed as Mabuhay Lane, Garcia said in the meeting attended by representatives from 17 local government units in Metro Manila. Garcia said members of the MMC have agreed also to amend their existing number coding schemes and traffic code implemented in their jurisdiction. He said the no window hours will reduce at least 20 percent of cars along these roads, adding the MMDA has already has coordinated with the MMC to effectively continue to implement the no winod hours along major road and Mabuhay lane routes. The MMDA again appealed to motorists for their patience and understanding. The Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or the number coding scheme is enforced during weekdays from 7 am to 8 pm on major thoroughfares in Metro Manila, including EDSA. Under the scheme, vehicles banned on a certain day of the week depending on their licensed plate or conduction sticker ending digits cannot traverse major thoroughfares and Mabuhay lane routes for any hours between 7 am and 8 pm. Effective immediately, MMDA traffic enforcers will apprehend violators on national roads while counterpart traffic enforcers of local government units will do the apprehension in their jurisdiction, said added. Per Paal Kibsgaard, CEO of Schlumberger Limited SLB, the company has decided not to enter into fresh field management agreements. Rather than inking such new deals, this largest oilfield service provider is likely to prioritize monetizing its prevailing contracts associated with Schlumberger Production Management (SPM). Under the SPM business,created in 2011, Schlumberger is engaged in developing the customers oilfields so that they can extend the life of the same and continue to increase production as well as cashflows. In its SPM business, Schlumberger has invested considerably over the past few years. This massive investment has led the company to generate neutral cashflow from the same operations in 2018. As a result, without spending further on new such projects, the company is willing to execute and monetize the current developments so that its SPM business could generate free cashflow since the beginning of 2019 as management stated. At the Scotia Howard Weil 2019 Energy Conference, Kibsgaard also informed that the companys oilfield services business in the international market will improve in 2019. This was owing to fresh investment initiatives taken by the nations like China, Angola, Indonesia and Mexico where oil and natural gas production volumes have been declining over the past few years. However, in the land market of North America, this years investments in exploration and production activities will decrease more than 10% year over year, notified Kibsgaard. This, in turn, could hurt Schlumbergers business in the continent. Based in Houston, TX, Schlumberger currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Meanwhile, a few better-ranked players in the energy sector are Antero Resources Corporation AR, NGL Energy Partners LP NGL and Ultrapar Participacoes SA UGP. While Antero Resources and NGL Energy sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Ultrapar carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Story continues Antero Resources is likely to see earnings growth of 20% in the next five years. NGL Energy is likely to witness earnings growth of 227% for the fiscal year ending March 2019. Ultrapar is likely to see 25% earnings growth through 2019. Is Your Investment Advisor Fumbling Your Financial Future? See how you can more effectively safeguard your retirement with a new Special Report, 4 Warning Signs Your Investment Advisor Might Be Sabotaging Your Financial Future. Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report NGL Energy Partners LP (NGL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Schlumberger Limited (SLB) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. (UGP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Antero Resources Corporation (AR) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research WASHINGTON It's never a dull day on Capitol Hill. Sen. Mike Lee took an unconventional route in blasting the Green New Deal, a sweeping progressive proposal to address climate change, on the Senate floor. The Utah Republican honed his inner troll while using everything from posters showing Aquaman and Star Wars characters to quotes from Austin Powers to paint the bill as "ridiculous" and something that would never pass in Congress and never work. "After reading the Green New Deal, I'm mostly afraid of not being able to get through this speech with a straight face," he said starting his remarks. "I rise today to consider the Green New Deal with the seriousness it deserves." GOP senators have ridiculed the plan, unveiled by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass. in February, because The Green New Deal's original talking points called for even more drastic goals: a build-out of high-speed rail that would make carbon-emitting airplane travel obsolete; an end to dependence of nuclear power as well as fossil fuels; and the creation of "a sustainable, pollution and greenhouse gas free, food system" that would no longer rely on "farting cows." The Senate shot down the measure, which also calls for a broad social remake of the American economy, on Tuesday, with Democrats helping to kill it. No senator voted for it; 57 (including all Republicans and a handful of Democrats) voted against it; and the remaining 43 (all Democrats) voted "present" as a protest. Republican opponents, led by GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., were eager to bring it to a vote because they believe the plan they continually lambaste will turn off voters heading to the polls next year. The bill called not only for combating climate change by eliminating carbon emissions caused by fossil fuels and shifting the economy to one powered by renewable fuels, but also prescribed a broad social justice platform advocating for free housing, medical coverage and higher education for all Americans. Story continues Before the vote, Lee used his speech to tear apart the proposal with sarcastic humor. He went on to display a variety of posters, starting with a depiction of former president Ronald Reagan riding a velociraptor. In the poster, Reagan is firing a machine gun and has a rocket launcher strapped to his back. The velociraptor is holding a tattered American flag. More: Green New Deal, backed by Ocasio-Cortez, to get its first vote on Capitol Hill Tuesday Mike Lee, having a normal one pic.twitter.com/dY07FEAX3D Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 26, 2019 "This image has as much to do with overcoming communism in the 20th Century as the Green New Deal has to do with overcoming climate change in the 21st," he said. "The aspirations of the proposal have been called radical, they've been called extremebut mostly they're ridiculous. There isn't a single serious idea here. Not one." He ridiculed the bill's original talking points, which called for eliminating air travel, by citing fictional solutions from movies and comic books. Lee offered a solution to air travel in winter when trains aren't as dependable. "Tauntauns!" Lee exclaimed as he pointed to a poster from Star Wars. The photo showed Luke Skywalker riding the animal in the 1980 film "The Empire Strikes Back." He explained the species was a native to the "ice planet of Hoth" and could help people get around in the snow. He admitted that using the "species of space lizards" to get around might not be as convenient, but said they "offer their own unique benefitsts," including being carbon neutral. Lee continued mocking the bill and said he found a solution for those who seek to travel to Hawaii, across thousands of miles of ocean, if they could not use planes or boats. He displayed a third poster, this one of the comic book character Aquaman riding a 20-foot seahorse. "Under the Green New Deal, this is probably Hawaii's best bet," he said of the seahorse. "Now, I'm the first to admit that a massive fleet of giant, highly trained seahorses would be cool. It would be really, really awesome." He continued, pulling out a poster showing a scene from the movie Sharknado to show he understood the effects of climate change. He said he knew that "critics will no doubt chastise us for not taking climate change seriously." "Climate change is no joke but the Green New Deal is a joke. It is the legislative equivalent of Austin Powers' Dr. Evil, demanding sharks with freaking lasers on their heads," he said quoting from the 1997 film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. "The green new deal is not a serious policy document because it's not a policy document at all," Lee said. "It is, in fact, an aesthetic one." Lee had his own solution to solving climate change: Having more kids. "The solution to climate change is not this unserious resolution," he said. "The solution to so many of our problems, at all times and in all places: fall in love, get married and have some kids." Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, one of the founders of the proposal responded in a series of tweets on Tuesday. Like many other women + working people, I occasionally suffer from impostor syndrome: those small moments, especially on hard days, where you wonder if the haters are right. But then they do things like this to clear it right up. If this guy can be Senator, you can do anything. https://t.co/vU4ChbTnnr Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 26, 2019 She posted a photo of Lee's posters then lamented, "GOP Senators are using their Congressional allowances to print Aquaman posters for themselves to argue that a #GreenNewDeal saving our nation from climate change is a waste of money,'" she wrote. In another tweet, she said that occasionally she has moments when she wonders "if the haters are right. "But then they do things like this to clear it right up," she wrote. "If this guy can be Senator, you can do anything." Contributing: Ledyard King This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Senator uses Star Wars posters, image of Reagan riding a dinosaur to blast Green New Deal Senators block progressive Green New Deal proposal originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The Senate on Tuesday voted down a procedural measure to advance the Green New Deal, a wide-reaching proposal that would address climate change. The final tally was 0-57. Forty-three Democrats voted "present" in protest of the measure, even though many of them have said that they support the framework of the resolution. Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Angus King of Maine, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Doug Jones of Alabama voted no with the Republicans. Ahead of the vote, Senate Democrats blasted the vote as a sham. Democratic Party leaders said they believe Republicans used the vote as a political ploy to divide Democrats on a high-profile progressive idea. Instead, Democrats want members of the Republican leadership to schedule hearings rather than bringing the legislation straight to the floor for a vote. (MORE: 2018 makes last 5 years the warmest in history, scientists say, as Democrats put climate change on agenda) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell denied earlier on Tuesday that the vote was a sham and, when asked by a reporter if he believed climate change to be real and caused by humans, he replied, I do. He further challenged Democrats, If you believe the Green New Deal is the prescription for America, why would you not want to vote on it? On the floor, just before the vote, he added, I have to say, its remarkable enough to see a major political party coalesce around a proposal to forcibly remake the entire country according to whats fashionable in Brooklyn and San Francisco, McConnell said. But it is even more stunning to see my colleagues so angry and upset at the opportunity to back up their new philosophy with their votes. PHOTO: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey speak during a press conference to announce Green New Deal legislation to promote clean energy programs outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Feb. 7, 2019. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images, FILE) McConnells decision to hold a vote on the deal suffered a blistering rebuke from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a co-sponsor of the legislation. The Senate vote is a perfect example of that kind of superficial approach to government, Ocasio-Cortez said on Tuesday. What McConnells doing is that hes trying to rush this bill to the floor without a hearing, without any markups, without working through committee -- because he doesnt want to save our planet. Because he thinks we can drink oil in 30 years when all our water is poisoned. Story continues McConnell has called the proposal a far-left wish list originating with the most radical, farthest-left members of the new House Democratic majority. In a series of speeches, Republicans blasted the Green New Deal as wildly unrealistic and a radical environmental policy. (MORE: Ocasio-Cortez, Democrats propose 'Green New Deal' to counter climate change) PHOTO: Debris and residences leveled by the wildfire line a neighborhood in Paradise, Calif., Nov. 15, 2018. (Noah Berger/AP, FILE) The wide-reaching proposal calls not just for a massive overhaul of the nation's energy sector over the next 10 years, but also investments in the country's education, infrastructure and health care systems and a redesign of the entire U.S. economy. Progressive Democrats and climate activists say the Green New Deal is the only plan proposed, so far, that is ambitious enough to have an impact to prevent the worst case scenario of global warming. Supporters frequently cite a recent United Nations climate report that warned some effects on the environment could become irreversible in the next two decades. Ultimately, the Green New Deal focuses on the alarming findings of recent climate change reports -- increasing numbers of natural disasters like wildfires, droughts and floods which are reportedly the result of rising levels of greenhouse gases; mass migration expected from affected regions; more than $500 billion in lost output by 2100 -- and suggests drastic solutions, such as bringing greenhouse gas emissions down to net-zero. The resolution also calls for 100 percent of U.S. energy demand to be "clean, renewable and zero-emission" and for a redesign of transportation systems nationwide in order to eliminate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. Its time to move past gotcha politics and on to a real debate on the bold action that is necessary to save our communities. Unfortunately, we cant have a good-faith policy debate while one party remains a wholly owned subsidiary of the fossil fuel industry, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, who also co-sponsored the resolution, said in a statement Tuesday. We need bipartisan acknowledgment that this crisis is real; that it presents an existential threat to our nation; and that the only serious solution is to make the bold pivot from polluting fossil fuels to clean and renewable energy in the next dozen years. ABC News' Stephanie Ebbs contributed to this report. * Stratford-upon-Avon backed Brexit in line with UK result * Nearly three years on, town shows Britain's divisions * Brexiteers fear plan to exit EU will be thwarted * Those who want to remain say they will never give up By Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, England, March 26 (Reuters) - In William Shakespeare's ancient birthplace, discontent over Brexit runs even deeper than three years ago when this "scepter'd isle" shocked the world by voting to leave the European Union. The 2016 referendum revealed a United Kingdom divided over much more than EU membership, and has sparked impassioned debate about everything from secession and immigration to capitalism, empire and what it means to be British. Just days before the United Kingdom was originally supposed to leave the EU on March 29, nothing is resolved: it remains uncertain how, when or if it ever will. Brexit, and the future of the kingdom, is in play. In Stratford-upon-Avon, which voted in line with the national 52-48 decision to leave, both Brexiteers and Remainers are aghast at what they said was the national humiliation of Prime Minister Theresa May's collapsing exit negotiations. With its Anglo-Saxon heritage, black-and-white Tudor houses, understated wealth and lucrative Shakespeare tourist business, Stratford is as typically English as a town gets. But under the gilded surface, both sides of the Brexit divide have ominous warnings for the politicians in London: Dash our dreams and face a much deeper fissure that will bleed the United Kingdom for generations to come. For Molly Giles, a barrister in Stratford who campaigned to leave, Brexit is under attack. She warned that if it is thwarted the long-term stability of the country will be in peril too. "It would not be an open wound, it would be a deep internal wound that is slowly bleeding," Giles, a 36-year-old local Conservative Party councilor, told Reuters on the banks of the River Avon where swans glided beside rowers. Story continues "We would not be able to come together," she said. Figures in both camps lay claim to Shakespeare, a towering figure of national pride who recast some of Europe's great love stories and tragedies and quarried the history of kings for some of the jewels of the English language. Brexiteers say he would have voted leave and Remainers say he would have voted to stay. In a famous passage of Richard II, Shakespeare, writing just half a century before the English Civil War, chided the Bordeaux-born king for bringing England to its knees in the 1390s. "This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise... That England that was wont to conquer others hath made a shameful conquest of itself," nobleman John of Gaunt intones. The Bard may have died four centuries ago, but some argue Britain's modern-rulers have once more brought the nation low. May, who voted to stay in the EU, is a failed prime minister who has "mis-sold" a poor deal and so should make way for true Brexiteers, Giles said. The result of Brexit being foiled would not be a French-style yellow vest burning of the capital's boutiques, she added. Rather, the 17.4 million people who voted to leave would be cast into the political wilderness and many would be susceptible to demagogues in the future. "The problem then is: who steps into that vacuum? Who turns up to then appeal to these people to say 'I'm someone completely different' and actually not just completely different but somebody who says 'I'm going to trash the system and that is why you should vote for me.'" BREXIT FOREVER? Cast either as an epic opportunity or grave mistake, Brexit has turned many of the assumptions about Britain upside down just as the world grapples with the rise of China and the West's deepest divisions since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union. Calm political discourse has been replaced by fury, and often suspicion; the two-party political system has crumbled; the unity of the United Kingdom has been questioned; and its reputation as a pillar of economic stability has been tarnished. Opponents of Brexit say it will torpedo what remains of the United Kingdom's post-imperial clout, make its population poorer and strain to breaking point the sinews that bind England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland together. While the anger of Brexiteers increases in line with the uncertainty of the outcome, the bitterness of those who want to remain has grown steadily since the June 23, 2016 referendum. In a town house in Stratford some of those campaigning for a second referendum gathered last week ahead of a major march in London. The mood was one of anger, despair and defiance. Sophie Clausen, a writer and artist originally from Denmark, said the battle was personal. Recalling the rhetoric that had fostered her sense of mistrust in British politicians, she cited Prime Minister May's comments that those willing to move abroad were "citizens of nowhere" while EU workers in Britain had been able to "jump the queue." "I don't think this can be healed," Clausen said. "It will take a generation." Despite living in Britain since 1994, she was not allowed to vote in the referendum. Jonathan Baker, a retired head teacher, said he would continue to campaign for EU membership even if they lost a second referendum. "If it takes another 30 years to get back then so be it," he said. "We'll do what the Brexiteers have been doing. We won't give up." BATTLE OF FUTURES For some, Brexit was driven by anger at an elite in London who, they believed, neglected swathes of the country. For others it was a chance to reclaim sovereignty and control of its borders, free Britain from a sclerotic EU and build an economy more suited to a world racing into a technological revolution. But for many opponents, Brexit is a plot hatched by shady financiers who sold a lie to millions of voters in an attempt to build a supercharged capitalist island state that will sweep away the social consensus of post-World War Two Britain. At the heart of the debate is a belief on both sides that Brexit is a fight for two opposing futures, and that the downside is Britain left behind by the world as a marginal island in the north Atlantic. Treachery is feared. Both sides are united in contempt for the political leaders in Westminster. "There are no giants at the moment, there's none, they're midgets," said Sally Bigwood, who used to run a business training accountants. Bigwood grew up in Virginia in the United States and came to Britain in 1966. She wants another referendum. "We are fighting for the future of the country, to define what Britain is. Is it going to be a caring, inclusive society or is it going to be extreme capitalist where the only thing important is making money. That is what this is about." From the other side, Edward Fila, a 70-year-old former candidate for the anti-EU UK Independence Party, agreed that Westminster had let the country down, but said the division would only heal once Britain had followed through on the result of the referendum. A failure to leave, he said, would not only shatter the two parties that have dominated British politics for more than 100 years, but tear at the broader fabric of society. "We have to have a conclusion to this, it has to be done," he said, sitting in front of the vast Royal Shakespeare Company theater. "Regardless of what pain we all have to go through, there has to be an outcome." (Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton; Editing by Pravin Char) (Reuters) - A Southwest Airlines Co Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft without passengers and of the type that was grounded two weeks ago, landed safely on Tuesday after declaring an emergency over an engine-related problem leaving Orlando International Airport in Florida, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said. The plane was headed to Victorville, California for repositioning but returned safely to Orlando at about 2:50 p.m. (1850 GMT). The FAA grounded the 737 MAX following two fatal crashes since October but has allowed airlines to conduct flights without passengers to move planes to other airports. A Boeing spokesman said it the company was "aware of the incident and supporting our customer." Southwest did not immediately comment. (Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Grant McCool) Jack Shepherd caused the death of Charlotte Brown in December 2015. Source: PA Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd will return to the UK to begin serving his prison sentence after a judge ruled he must be extradited from Georgia. A court in Tbilisi approved Britains extradition request today after Shepherd said he wishes to take part in an appeal against his conviction over the death of 24-year-old Charlotte Brown. He had been on a first date with Ms Brown when his speedboat overturned, plunging her into the icy waters of the River Thames, and fled the UK while facing trial at the Old Bailey. Jack Shepherd is taken into a courtroom in Georgia. Source: PA In his absence, the 31-year-old was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to six years in jail, but he has been granted permission to appeal the conviction. After months in hiding in the capital, Tbilisi, he handed himself into police and was jailed for three months. His lawyer in Georgia, Tariel Kakabadze, told the Press Association: He is not fighting extradition. No date has been set yet for Shepherds appeal hearing. The family of Ms Brown, from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, have fought a battle for justice following her death in December 2015. Charlotte Browns family arrives at the Old Bailey. Source: PA Charlottes father Graham Brown said the extradition brings the family a bit closer to winning justice for Ms Brown. When Shepherd does come back, hopefully he will start showing some remorse and accept responsibility for his part, Mr Brown told ITV News. Were hoping that he wont follow through with his appeal, which causes the family more anguish, but I guess that could be a forlorn hope. Shepherd, a web designer originally from Exeter, has been detained in a Tbilisi prison after he handed himself in to the authorities last month. Prosecutor Naniko Zazunashvili said: He knew the boat was not in good working order and knew Charlotte Brown had no skills to control the boat and he let her control the boat. While being on board the boat Jack Shepherd took obligation to take care of Charlotte Brown, but this obligation was violated. Ahead of the latest court hearing, Mr Kakabadze had estimated that Shepherd could return to the UK as early as this week. Washington (AFP) - Survival rates of extremely preterm infants have improved by leaps and bounds since the 1980s, with US and Swedish studies published this week providing new data on the trend. Doctors previously estimated the earliest gestational age a baby could be considered viable outside the womb was 28 weeks, when they weigh around 2.2 pounds (one kilogram) -- about 12 weeks short of the 40-week length of a normal pregnancy. Babies are considered premature under the 37-week mark. But over the last nearly 40 years, that 28-week limit has steadily dropped, and now some babies delivered at 24, 23 or even 22 weeks (measured from their mothers' last menstruation) are able to survive, even as they weigh 1.1 pounds or less. A Japanese baby who weighed only 9.44 ounces (268 grams) when he was born at 24 weeks made headlines in February: he was headed home in good health after five months in the hospital. "I've been in this business for 40 years, and I've seen the threshold of viability move back about one week every 10 years or so in my practice," Edward Bell, a neonatologist at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital, told AFP. Sweden holds the world record for earliest neonatal viability: 77 percent of babies born between 22 and 26 weeks in 2014 to 2016 survived one year, up from a 70 percent about 10 years before, according to a study published Tuesday in the the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). In those 10 years, Sweden standardized its procedures for neonatal advanced life support: immediate intubation at birth, administration of drugs and a quick transfer to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Nearly 90 percent of deliveries in Sweden now occur in one of six hospitals in the country that have top-level NICUs. "Before, for a baby born at 22 or 23 weeks, an individual doctor could say that it is not worthwhile to do anything," said Mikael Norman, coauthor of the Swedish study and a neonatologist at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm. Story continues For infants younger than 22 weeks, the survival rate has improved from 3.6 percent to 20 percent over the last decade, and for those born at 26 weeks, eight in 10 survive. - US lags behind - Since the 1990s, there have been three major medical advances in the effort to improve premature infant survival. Artificial surfactants help keep babies' poorly developed lungs inflated when they exhale, while maternal steroid injections right before birth can speed up fetal lung development (growing as much in one day as what might usually take a week) and improved mechanical ventilation techniques also help premature babies. These techniques are widely available in developed countries, but significant disparities remain -- from country to country and even between various hospitals. In Britain, France and the United States, about half of extremely preterm infants (less than 26 or 27 weeks) survive, according to studies conducted in the last few years. And the US system is not equivalent to its Swedish counterpart. American health care is rife with inequalities that can play out in the level of antenatal care pregnant women in different demographics receive. A study in JAMA shows that geographic racial segregation in the US manifests itself in health care, as premature black infants have a greater likelihood of being born in lower-quality hospitals. But the survival rate is still improving, even in the very rare instance of babies who are born weighing under 14 ounces, the subject of a third JAMA study -- focused on US data -- published Monday. Of infants born between 22 and 26 weeks and weighing less than 14 ounces in 21 US hospitals between 2008 and 2016, 13 percent survived -- one of them weighed only 11.6 ounces. At such a low gestational age, the risk of complications is much higher, as three fourths of children born that early show developmental delays at age two. All told, "it tells you that survival is possible," said Bell, a coauthor of one of the US studies. "One can't say clearly that these babies should be always resuscitated," Bell said, "but parents deserve to have this information and probably should have a say in whether they're resuscitated." Icy giant planets in the laboratory Giant planets like Uranus and Neptune may contain much less free hydrogen than previously assumed. Researchers from the German Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) drove shock waves through two different types of plastic to reach the same temperatures and pressures present inside such planets, and observed the behavior using ultra-strong X-ray laser pulses. Unexpectedly, one of these plastics kept its crystalline structure even at the most extreme pressures reached. Since the icy giant interiors are made up of the same components as the plastic, planetary models may need to be partially reconsidered, as reported in the journal Scientific Reports (doi: 10.1038/s41598-019040782-5). Carbon and hydrogen are among the most abundant elements in the universe, and are a major constituent of icy giant planets such as Uranus and Neptune. In the outer atmosphere, these atoms are found in the form of methane gas, but deeper inside the high pressure can lead to more complex hydrocarbon structures. Predicting the phases and structures that material takes at these conditions is one of the big questions of planetary research. In order to better understand the structure of the ice giants, an international team led by the two HZDR researchers Dr. Nicholas Hartley and Dr. Dominik Kraus investigated two types of plastic in a laboratory experiment: polystyrene and polyethylene. These materials are similar in chemistry to the hydrocarbon inside the planets. At the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in the US, the scientists exposed the samples to conditions predicted to be present around ten thousand kilometers below the surface of Neptune and Uranus. At this depth, the pressure is almost as high as in the core of the earth and two million times higher than the atmospheric pressure on the earth's surface. Reaching extremely high pressures At such high pressures and temperatures, the only possible structure that the researchers expected was diamond, or that the samples would be melted. Instead, they observed stable hydrocarbon structures up to the highest pressures reached, but only for the polyethylene samples. "We were very surprised by this result," says Hartley. "We did not expect the different initial state to make such a big difference at such extreme conditions. It's only recently, with the development of brighter X-ray sources, that we're able to study these materials. We were the first to think that it might be possible - and it was." Since the extreme conditions inside the ice giants on Earth can only be reached for a brief moment, the researchers need lightning-fast measurement methods. There are only a handful of ultrafast X-ray laser facilities worldwide, and time for measurements is rare and highly demanded. Kraus and Hartley were awarded a total of three twelve hour shifts for their experiments, and so had to use every minute to carry out as many measurement runs as possible. The actual moment where they shock the sample and probe with the X-ray laser takes only a few billionths of a second. An unexpected structure appears Even during the experiments, the researchers were able to recognize initial results: "We were very excited because, as hoped, polystyrene formed diamond-like structures of carbon. For polyethylene, however, we saw no diamonds for the conditions reached in this experiment. Instead, there was a new structure that we could not explain at first", Hartley recalls. By comparing the data with previous results at lower pressures, they identified it as a stable structure of polyethylene, which had been seen at five times lower pressure, and only at ambient temperatures. The discovery of the research team demonstrates how important it is to better characterize the temperature and pressure conditions inside the ice giants, and the chemistry that these lead to, in order to understand their structure and physical properties. Models of Uranus and Neptune assume that the unusual magnetic fields of these planets may originate from free hydrogen, which these results could imply is less common than expected. In the future, the researchers want to use mixtures including oxygen, in order for their experiments to better match the chemistry inside the planets. The researchers from HZDR were joined by scientists from the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, the Osaka University, the TU Dresden, the TU Darmstadt, the GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the University of California in Berkeley, the University of Warwick, the European XFEL, LULI at the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris and the University Rostock. ### Publication: N.J. Hartley, S. Brown, T.E. Cowan, E. Cunningham, T. Doppner, R.W. Falcone, L.B. Fletcher, S. Frydrych, E. Galtier, E.J. Gamboa, A. Laso Garcia, D.O. Gericke, S.H. Glenzer, E. Granados, P.A. Heimann, H.J. Lee, M.J. MacDonald, A.J. MacKinnon, E.E. McBride, I. Nam, P. Neumayer, A. Pak, A. Pelka, I. Prencipe, A. Ravasio, M. Rodel, K. Rohatsch, A.M. Saunders, M. Scholmerich, M. Schorner, A.K. Schuster, P. Sun, T. van Driel, J. Vorberger, D. Kraus: Evidence for crystalline structure in dynamically compressed polyethylene up to 200 GPa, in Scientific Reports, 2019 (DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40782-5) More information: Dr. Nicholas Hartley Institute of Radiation Physics at HZDR Phone: +49 351 260-3634 | Email: n.hartley@hzdr.de Media contact: Simon Schmitt | Science editor Phone: +49 351 260-3400 | Mobile: +49 175 874 2865 | Mail: s.schmitt@hzdr.de Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf | Bautzner Landstr. 400 | 01328 Dresden / Germany | http://www. hzdr. de The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) performs - as an independent German research center - research in the fields of energy, health, and matter. We focus on answering the following questions: * How can energy and resources be utilized in an efficient, safe, and sustainable way? * How can malignant tumors be more precisely visualized, characterized, and more effectively treated? * How do matter and materials behave under the influence of strong fields and in smallest dimensions? To help answer these research questions, HZDR operates large-scale facilities, which are also used by visiting researchers: the Ion Beam Center, the High-Magnetic Field Laboratory Dresden, and the ELBE Center for High-Power Radiation Sources. HZDR is a member of the Helmholtz Association and has five sites (Dresden, Freiberg, Grenoble, Leipzig, Schenefeld near Hamburg) with almost 1,200 members of staff, of whom about 500 are scientists, including 150 Ph.D. candidates. This story has been published on: 2019-03-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. ABC News(NEW YORK) -- Gold Star dad Khizr Khan -- who came under fire from then-candidate Donald Trump after decrying his proposed ban on Muslim immigrants -- condemned the president's recent comments bashing the late Sen. John McCain, with whom he had a long-standing feud. "How dare this Russian-tainted president disrespects our hero," Khan told Meghan McCain on "The View" about Trump's attacks on the late senator. Trump recently railed on McCain, who died last summer, both on Twitter and in a speech at a tank manufacturing plant. "Senator McCain has meant so much to this nation because of his sacrifice -- because of his family's sacrifice and service," added Khan, whose son, an Army captain, was killed in Iraq. "We have been elevated because of his family and senator McCain." Khan's praise for McCain comes nearly three years after he spoke out against Trump, then the Republican nominee, at the Democratic National Convention saying he "sacrificed nothing" for his country. In a 2016 interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, Trump declared he's "made a lot of sacrifices," questioned if "Hillary's scriptwriters [wrote]' Khan's speech, and insinuated that Ghazala didn't speak during her husband's speech because of her religion. During the public feud between Trump and Khan in 2016, Sen. McCain spoke out in support of Khan's family and condemned Trump's attacks on him. "Arizona is watching. It is time for Donald Trump to set the example for our country and the future of the Republican Party," the Arizona senator and 2008 GOP presidential nominee said in a statement. "While our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us." On "The View" Monday, Khan told Meghan McCain he was "honored to sit under" the "grace" and "dignity," of Senator McCain's family, who he calls a "hero of this nation." Khan's son Humayun Khan was a University of Virginia and ROTC graduate, U.S. Army captain and war hero. In 2004, Khan's son lost his life stopping a suicide bomber while serving in Iraq. Posthumously, Humayun was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his actions. The relationship between Khan and John McCain dated back to 2005, about year after his book "Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life" was published. Khan revealed on "The View" that McCain's book was the last book he sent to his son to read, and it ended up being the topic of the last conversation he would ever have with his son. "I asked [Humayun] in my last conversation, 'Did you receive the book?' He said, 'It's a wonderful book. All of my camp is reading it and we are encouraged,' Khan said. "That is Senator McCain." "This president forgot to read about the chapter that teaches how to be commander-in-chief of the United States. Somebody should read it to him," he continued. "So he can learn to take care of those who have sacrificed so much." The president took a number of jabs at the late senator this month, including calling him out for being last in his class," saying he was never a fan and that he never will be after McCain voted against repealing Obamacare, and bashing him for not receiving proper credit for his funeral arrangements. Last week, Meghan McCain said she's "emotionally exhausted" from responding to Trump's attacks on her late father, but no longer expects doesn't expect 'decency' from the president's family. Attacking someone who isnt here is a bizarre low, McCain said. My dads not here but Im sure as hell here." Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. To help ease the widespread inconvenience of all customers in the East Zone, Manila Water Company Inc. announced today that it is set to give all of its customers a one-time voluntary bill waiver for March 2019 consumption, which will be reflected in the April billing. This move, with inputs from the Regulatory and Corporate Offices of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), also shows the companys strong commitment to recover customer trust and confidence amid this water shortage. Manila Water president and CEO Ferdinand Dela Cruz said that this development hopes to ease the inconvenience brought about by the water interruptions experienced by their customers. We understand the profound frustration that our customers have expressed. And we sincerely apologize for the widespread inconvenience that we have caused all our customers in the East Zone concession area with this unprecedented water shortage that began on March 6, which is beyond the typical service interruption, Dela Cruz said. The announced one-time March bill waiver scheme has two parts: One is that all Manila Water customers will receive a bill waiver of the minimum charge in their March consumption. This represents 10 cubic meters covering water, environmental and sewer charges. The other being, for hard-hit barangays with absolutely no water service for at least seven (7) continuous or broken days from March 6-31, they will not be charged at all throughout March. Recovery Efforts As Manila Water implements this one-time bill waiver, the company said that it continues to focus on its service recovery efforts. As of March 25, Manila Waters 8 to 12 water availability at ground floor level has reached 97%. From a high of 61 Hard Hit Barangays, we are down to 8 Hard Hit Barangays which are dependent on interim network solutions, static tanks or water tankers, said Dela Cruz. Manila Water also shared that the companys supply deficit is down from 150MLD to 107MLD. But there are still small pockets, sitios or streets with intermittent no water situations resulting from operational adjustments and pressure management, he clarified. As for the initiatives of some groups and government units, Dela Cruz expressed the companys gratitude to all of their partners who continue to assist their customers during this water shortage situation. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the mayors, Congressmen, Barangay Captains, Homeowner Associations, Condo Corp Administrators, the Philippine National Red Cross, the Bureau of Fire Protection, DENR, NWRB, MMDA, DOH, private organizations, NGO and many more good hearted citizens, he said. Manila Water remains committed to work round the clock for its customers and to continue partnering with MWSS in addressing this situation in accordance with the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte. As of this writing, 97.70 percent of consumers in the east zone now have longer hours of water availability for about 8 to 12 hours, at least at the ground floor level, after the decision to implement a rotational supply scheme that started on March 14. Of this, Dela Cruz added, We continue to seek your understanding and patience in the implementation of the scheduled water service interruption scheme which is aimed at refilling our 28 network reservoirs. WASHINGTON The drawing of election districts to benefit one political party over another divided Supreme Court justices Tuesday largely along ideological lines, with Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh holding the key votes. Faced with challenges to congressional maps drawn by North Carolina Republicans and Maryland Democrats to maximize their chances of victory, the court's liberal justices decried them, while conservative justices defended state lawmakers' right to design them. Giving opponents of partisan gerrymandering a glimmer of hope that the court might finally strike down the unsavory practice were the open-minded views expressed by Roberts and Kavanaugh. While noting that a map drawn by state legislators without any partisanship "would be the first time in history," Roberts acknowledged that technological advances have led to "a change in how redistricting has been done." Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks outside the Supreme Court Tuesday as the justices heard oral arguments in two cases challenging partisan gerrymandering in North Carolina and Maryland. "Have we really reached the moment, even though it would be a big lift for this court to get involved, where the other actors can't do it?" Kavanaugh asked, referring to Congress, voter initiatives and state courts. The major hurdle standing in the way of a decision striking down one or both maps appeared to be a standard for how much partisanship is too much. In the end, that may be sufficient to beat back both challenges, as it has been in the past. "We need to have a number or some formula," Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch said. "Otherwise, every case is going to come to this court." The high court has never declared an election map drawn for blatant partisan advantage unconstitutional. The justices have reasoned that elected officials are expected to joust for power in that fashion, while courts should be reluctant to intercede. But challengers were betting that this year, with these maps, the court might see things differently. In a relatively "purple" state where the 2016 gubernatorial election was decided by 10,000 votes out of 4.6 million cast, the North Carolina map was drawn to give Republicans a 10-3 advantage in Congress. In more liberal Maryland, the map gave Democrats a disproportionate 7-1 majority. Story continues More: Gerrymandering: Voting rights and redistricting for elections collide at Supreme Court What's at stake more broadly is the way state and congressional election districts are redrawn once every decade in most states a system dominated by political self-interest that grows more intense every time the Supreme Court declines to tame it. If the justices decide the congressional maps in North Carolina or Maryland violate the Constitution by relegating some voters into irrelevance, it could signal a sea change in the way legislatures controlled by one party have tried to rig the map-making process. If, on the other hand, they do not rein in the practice, election districts drawn after the 2020 census could be even more extreme, leading to more lopsided elections and more ideological gridlock in Congress. The court has declined to intervene five times before, most recently last year, when the justices refused to decide challenges in Wisconsin and Maryland. Since then, Kavanaugh has succeeded the retired Anthony Kennedy, who represented the swing vote on the issue. While other conservative justices were willing to shut the door to such challenges in the past, Kennedy held out hope for a standard defining how much politics is too much. For the past decade, Democrats have been victimized by gerrymandering the most. Republicans seized power in many states in the 2010 midterm elections, giving them control over the redistricting process. Democrats are at a disadvantage entering the 2020 elections, which will determine who draws the next decade's state and congressional lines in most states. The legal fight against partisan gerrymandering continues even as voters in several states demand commissions already used in eight states, including California, to draw maps designed to treat both parties fairly. Ballot measures in Colorado, Michigan and Utah were approved last fall, while Missouri and Ohio voters won passage of other changes. Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Associate Justice Samuel Alito all noted that voters are taking opposition to gerrymandering into their own hands, inferring that perhaps the high court should stand aside and let that happen. But Associate Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor argued that when legislatures place voters into districts where their votes won't make a difference, they are stripping them of their rights. "You're discriminating on the basis of a group's speech and diluting their vote accordingly," Sotomayor said. Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, often in search of a compromise that will cross ideological lines, suggested "a way to catch real outliers" by ruling, for instance, that a legislature cannot give the state's minority party two-thirds of the seats up for grabs. "That would be pretty extreme," Breyer said. "And the virtue of it it's absolutely simple." Whatever the court decides could affect several other states with lawsuits pending, including Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. The justices last year let stand the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision striking down that state's congressional map and replacing it with one that helped Democrats win more seats in November. North Carolina's congressional map represents the freshest test. The facts aren't even in dispute: Lawmakers in the state, where the statewide congressional vote swings back and forth between Democrats and Republicans, openly declared their intention to draw a 10-3 congressional map. More: Stumped in two cases on partisan election maps, Supreme Court could turn to North Carolina next term To achieve their goal, the map packed Democrats into three districts and spread them among the other 10. In one glaring example, it split North Carolina A&T State University, the nation's largest historically black college, between the 6th and 13th congressional districts. Challengers have noted that some 24,000 alternative maps generated by computer revealed that Republican legislators' choice was more partisan than 99 percent of them. Paul Clement, the lawyer representing those lawmakers, said the array of alternatives shows that the process is discretionary, and therefore best left to the politicians rather than the courts. "Well, that's making lemonade out of lemons," Associate Justice Elena Kagan quipped. The Maryland map that returned to the high court was drawn by the legislature's Democratic majority to oust a longtime Republican congressman and give Democrats a seventh congressional seat. More: Political maps under fire as Supreme Court case on tailor-made districts looms That rural 6th district is home to 40 miles of the Appalachian Trail, but it was stretched to include wealthy suburbs of Washington, D.C. Heading into the 2010 elections, it had nearly 50,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats. Two years later, the reverse was true. Roberts and Kavanaugh, who both live in Maryland near the challenged district, readily agreed the 7-1 ratio was disproportionate to the political breakdown of the state. "It does seem that this is a situation where the state is taking retaliatory action against Republicans who were in that district and had a more effective vote, and penalizing them for exercising their right to vote by moving them out to a different district," Roberts said. Still, the chief justice appeared concerned about a court-imposed solution based on a "rough mathematical threshold." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Court shows divisions over gerrymandering; Roberts, Kavanaugh appear conflicted Although salty foods often get a bad rap when it comes to your health, salt therapy has some surprising benefits. Salt therapy, also known as halotherapy, is a treatment that involves inhaling small salt particles in a controlled environment called a halochamber, according to Payel Gupta, MD, a national spokesperson for the American Lung Association and an allergy, asthma and immunology physician at ENT & Allergy Associates in New York City. The salt sauna treatments, which cost about $45 per session, are often done in rooms made of pink Himalayan salt bricks. This room is designed to replicate the natural microclimate of a salt cave, Gupta tells Yahoo Lifestyle. The unique characteristics of the microclimate within these natural caves are stable air temperature, moderate to high humidity and the presence of fine aerosol elements sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium as well as a lack of airborne pollutants and pollens. The treatment has been touted to help relieve respiratory conditions such as asthma, cystic fibrosis and COPD, along with improving skin conditions, such as eczema and dermatitis. However, more evidence-based research is needed to back up those claims. There are a lot of theories on why this therapy might be helpful from the tiny salt particles being inhaled killing off microorganisms in the lungs to reducing inflammation and decreasing mucus, or a mixture of these hypotheses, says Gupta. We do know that salt has anti-inflammatory properties, and we have seen this in patients who have inflammation in their nasal passages doing nasal salt water rinses with a clean salt solution has shown anti-inflammatory benefits with these patients. Salt therapy provides anti-inflammatory benefits. (Photo: Getty Images) Sitting in a room surrounded by salt isnt the only way to reap the potential benefits. Another treatment is float therapy a hit with celebrities, including Jennifer Lawrence and Kristen Wiig. It involves floating in a dark, soundproof tank thats filled with warm salt water. Flotation tanks, which use 1,000 pounds of Epsom salts, can help reduce stress and anxiety and ease back and joint pain. Story continues Because theres so much salt, your body just naturally and effortlessly floats on top of the water, Joel Granik, founder of Floating Lotus in New York City, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. The temperature of the water is the same temperature as your body. After a few moments, you stop feeling the water itself. The effect is somewhat like floating in outer space. Yahoo Lifestyles Julie Tong tried flotation therapy and, even though she was skeptical at first, she now says shell be back for more. I had my doubts about floating in a pool of salt, but as soon as I stepped in, it was so relaxing, so Zen, Tong says. I would 100 percent try it again. The flotation treatment costs about $150 per session. If thats beyond your budget, you can get similar benefits by creating your own flotation therapy at home. Simply mix a few cups of Epsom salts (such as Dr. Teals Pure Epsom Salt Soaking Solution, $6, target.com) into a warm bath and then soak. While the jury is still out on whether they actually work, some say Himalayan salt lamps like this one by Levoit Kyra for $19 on amazon.com help keep the air cleaner at home and boost mood. Video produced by Kat Vasquez. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Beirut (AFP) - The Islamic State group on Tuesday claimed an attack on US-backed forces in the northern Syrian city of Manbij, days after their "caliphate" was declared defeated. Manbij is a former IS stronghold that is now ruled by a military council affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the US-backed Kurdish-led alliance that declared victory over IS in its last redoubt in eastern Syria on Saturday. At around midnight (2200 GMT) on Monday, gunmen opened fire at fighters manning a checkpoint at the entrance to the city, killing seven, the council said. IS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement published on its social media channels on Tuesday. "The caliphate's soldiers attacked a checkpoint... west of Manbij city last night," it said. A spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, Sherfan Darwish, said it could be a revenge attack. "After the victory over IS, we have entered the phase of sleeper cells," Darwish told AFP. "These sleeper cells are being activated and carrying out attacks but we will foil their operations." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the war, said it is "the first attack of its kind" since the SDF declared the defeat of the "caliphate" last week. Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said it was also the bloodiest attack in Manbij since January 16, when 19 people -- including four US service personnel -- were killed in a suicide bombing claimed by IS. IS has vowed to carry out revenge attacks against the SDF over the six-month offensive against it that culminated in the jihadists' defeat in the village of Baghouz, close to the Iraqi border, on Saturday. The Observatory said hundreds of SDF members have been killed in attacks believed to have been carried out by IS sleeper cells since August. Manbij is also a major point of contention between the Kurds, who lead the SDF, and neighbouring Turkey, which is deeply opposed to their autonomous administration in northeastern and parts of northern Syria. Story continues The city is one of the few areas west of the Euphrates that remains under Kurdish influence after Turkish troops and their Syrian rebel allies overran the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in March last year. Ankara has threatened to launch a new offensive to dislodge the People's Protection Units (YPG) -- the Kurdish force that forms the backbone of the SDF -- from the entire length of the border. The YPG is considered a terrorist group by Ankara because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the outlawed rebel group that has fought a deadly insurgency for self-rule in southeastern Turkey since 1984. Most American consumers are likely completely unaware that well-known food chains and coffee brands like Panera, Peets, Pret, Keurig, Krispy Kreme, Caribou, Intelligentsia, and Stumptown are all owned by a single private German company, JAB Holding. But that may change now. The family behind JAB, the Reimanns, is facing scrutiny for its Nazi past, after the German newspaper Bild reported that Albert Reimann Sr. and his son Albert Reimann Jr., both of whom are now deceased, had ties to the Third Reich. According to Bild, both men were fierce Hitler supporters and anti-Semites, donated to the SS military force, and used forced labor of French prisoners in their factories. In other words, the Reimann family fortune is rooted in the Nazi party. And that could put the brands in the JAB portfolio under the microscope like never before. The four family members who own and run JAB today are descendants of German chemist Ludwig Reimann. The company is named after Ludwig Reimanns business partner and father-in-law, Johann Adam Benckiser. And the family fully acknowledges the facts of the Bild report. Its all correct, Peter Harf, the managing partner of JAB Holding and spokesperson for the family, told Bild. The family was absolutely ashamed. In the wake of the Bild report, the family is donating 10 million euros to a charity it has not named yet. The Reimanns also say they hired a historian in 2014 to investigate their ancestry, but the historians full report will not be finished until 2020. David Foster for Yahoo Finance The business problem that now faces JABs many brands is whether consumers will show their disapproval with their dollars. The full list of brands in the JAB portfolio is eye-popping: Panera, Peets, Krispy Kreme, Keurig-Dr. Pepper, JDE, Caribou, Intelligentsia, Stumptown, Brueggers Bagels, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Noahs New York Bagels, Espresso House, Insomnia Cookies, and cosmetics company Coty, which owns Calvin Klein, Clairol, Covergirl, OPI, Marc Jacobs and more. Story continues Of course, many companies that are household names today had well-documented ties to the Nazis during World War II or used forced labor, including Volkswagen, BMW, Bayer and Nestle. Yahoo Finance has begun reaching out to all of the JAB-owned brands to request comment on the report about the Reimanns, and will update this post. Daniel Roberts is a senior writer at Yahoo Finance who often covers food and coffee. Follow him on Twitter at @readDanwrite. Read more: German powerhouse JAB gets even bigger with Keurig-Dr Pepper Snapple acquisition How grocers feel about Amazon: There was fear before, theres a lot more fear now Why so many brands are opening fancy flagship stores in NYC 3 big reasons sports retail chains are vanishing By Joey Roulette (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, speaking on behalf of the Trump administration, announced on Tuesday an accelerated goal of putting Americans back on the moon within five years "by any means necessary," a challenge accepted by NASA's top official. Pence, chairing a meeting of the administration's National Space Council in Huntsville, Alabama, declared, "We're in a space race today, just as we were in the 1960s." NASA had previously been aiming to return astronauts to the lunar surface by the year 2028, after first putting a "Gateway" station in orbit around the moon by 2024 as a stepping stone for the next attempt at a crewed lunar landing.The U.S. Apollo program, the space agency's forerunner to the current effort at returning humans to Earth's natural satellite, tallied six manned missions to the moon between 1969 and 1972. So far, only two other nations have carried out controlled "soft" landings on the moon - the former Soviet Union and China - but those were with unmanned robot vehicles. "We will be the first nation to return astronauts to the moon in the 21st century," Pence said. "It is the stated policy of this administration and the United States of America to return American astronauts to the moon within the next five years." Pence's remarks first caused some confusion over whether a "return" to the moon necessarily meant landing astronauts on the moon or putting them into lunar orbit by 2024. But NASA officials later clarified that a moon landing within five years was, indeed, the stated objective. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a Twitter post: "Challenge accepted. Now let's get to work." Bridenstine also said NASA on Tuesday had issued its first "task order" for commercial delivery services to the moon, adding that nine U.S. companies under contract with NASA were bidding to deliver the first set of science instruments and technical demonstrations to the lunar surface. NASA has already set its sights on the moon's south pole for renewed human exploration, a region believed to hold enough ice water to be recovered for use in synthesizing additional rocket fuel. The moon in turn is seen by NASA as a key stepping stone on the way to an eventual manned mission to Mars. (Reporting by Joey Roulette in Orlando, Florida; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Sandra Maler) Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump's administration vowed Tuesday to see Obamacare -- a massive, but controversial reform intended to bring health care to more Americans -- struck down. Top Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway said the policy, which became law after a fierce legislative battle under then president Barack Obama, had failed. "It wasn't the magical elixir for Americans," she told reporters. Conway was speaking after Trump's Justice Department announced an abrupt escalation in the administration's push against Obamacare by siding with a Texas federal court ruling that declared the health care law unconstitutional. The department had previously said it backed parts of the law. But in its new position, it said that it sided fully with the December ruling made by Judge Reed O'Connor following a lawsuit brought by conservative states. That ruling is currently being appealed and the resulting impasse looks increasingly likely to end up in the Supreme Court -- putting a politically radioactive issue center stage as the country moves towards the 2020 presidential election. Obamacare, formally called the Affordable Care Act, was one of the most consequential healthcare measures in US history. At the heart of the law was a mandate that Americans buy health insurance, while also forcing insurance companies to accept all applicants, even if they have pre-existing health conditions. Democrats saw the law as a historic step to getting tens of millions of Americans who had no health coverage to participate in what is a highly uneven and often inaccessible system. Republicans, on the other hand, attacked the law from the start -- especially the mandate on buying insurance -- as government overreach. A penalty that the law originally imposed on anyone failing to get insurance has already been repealed by Congress. - Pre-existing conditions protection? - Conway stressed that again Tuesday, saying the mandate is "not America." Story continues Health care "is one of the most intimate aspects of your life," she said. But she denied warnings from Democrats that scrapping Obamacare will once more allow insurance companies to reject applicants depending on their state of health -- a practice that pushes huge numbers of people to get by with no medical coverage at all. "We have to make sure that pre-existing conditions are protected," she said. And Trump, speaking to reporters before a meeting with congressional Republicans, insisted that he wanted alternatives to Obamacare, rather than merely scrapping the law. "The Republican Party will soon be known as the party of health care. You watch," he said. Democrats reacted with anger to the administration's latest move. "Tonight in federal court, the Trump Administration decided not only to try to destroy protections for Americans living with pre-existing conditions, but to declare all-out war on the health care of the American people," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday. "Democrats will continue to fight relentlessly to protect people with pre-existing conditions and to deliver lower health costs and prescription drug prices for every American," she added. In 2012, five of the nine Supreme Court justices upheld the law. All five remain on the court. Donald Trumps former chief adviser has warned the US president is going to go full animal after he was partially exonerated by Robert Muellers investigation. Steve Bannon, who left the White House in 2017, predicted Mr Trump would come off the chains and use the special counsels findings to bludgeon his opponents and ignore congressional oversight requests for documents. William Barr, the attorney general, sent a four-page letter to Congress outlining Mr Muellers conclusions following the sprawling 22-month probe into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia or Mr Trump obstructed justice. Mr Mueller cleared Mr Trump of conspiracy with Russia, but he did not draw a conclusion on an obstruction charge. Mr Barr, though, concluded the evidence in the report which has not been made public was not enough to bring a prosecution. When I saw no new indictments I thought, Oh my God! They didnt indict anybody regarding the Flynn investigation, they didnt indict Don Jr, Mr Bannon told Yahoo News before Mr Barr submitted his letter on Sunday. Maybe [Mueller] could have details about obstruction of justice that are not indictable, but are meaningful. Mr Trump on Tuesday morning appeared to live up to his former advisers prediction, tweeting angrily about the medias coverage of the probe. The Mainstream Media is under fire and being scorned all over the World as being corrupt and FAKE, he wrote. For two years they pushed the Russian Collusion Delusion when they always knew there was No Collusion. They truly are the Enemy of the People and the Real Opposition Party! The Mainstream Media is under fire and being scorned all over the World as being corrupt and FAKE. For two years they pushed the Russian Collusion Delusion when they always knew there was No Collusion. They truly are the Enemy of the People and the Real Opposition Party! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 26, 2019 He also shared a tweet by Tom Fitton, president of conservative activist group Judicial Watch, who claimed the probe was deep state abuse and called for a separate investigation into Hillary Clintons private email use. WASHINGTON Endorsing the idea that the courts should strike down all of former president Barack Obama's health care law, President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he and the Republicans will embrace the issue ahead of next year's elections. "The Republican Party will soon be known as the party of health care you watch," Trump told reporters after the Justice Department asked an appeals court to uphold a Texas judge's decision to invalidate the entire law known as "Obamacare." Trump tweeted a similar sentiment just minutes before a meeting with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill. Democrats said the health care issue helped them reclaim the U.S. House in last year's congressional elections, and it will help them win back the presidency next year especially if the Obama health care law is struck down. "Republicans thought they had put a scab on their self-inflicted health care wounds from 2018, but Donald Trump just ripped off the band-aid again by going to court to try and overturn it," said Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson. The Republican Party will become The Party of Healthcare! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 26, 2019 The Trump administration told a federal court in New Orleans late Monday that it would ask judges to toss out the entire Affordable Care Act, a decision that cast further uncertainty over the future of a federal law that has extended health insurance to millions of Americans. Obamacare: Trump administration says it will ask a court to throw out entire health law Nikki Haley: Finland UN official Kai Sauer slams Haley over her health care remarks In a letter filed with the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Justice Department lawyers said that a lower courts ruling that the health care law is unconstitutional should be affirmed and that the United States is not urging that any portion of the district courts judgment to be reversed. Story continues A coalition of Republican-led states brought a lawsuit, Texas v. United States, arguing the entire health law should be thrown out. In a ruling last December, U.S. District Court Judge Reed OConnor in the Northern District of Texas agreed with the GOP-led states' argument that the health law was unconstitutional. The judge ruled that the constitutional foundation for the law the requirement that people buy insurance or pay a penalty was no longer constitutional because Congress had repealed the penalty. O'Connor ruled that because that provision was so central to the health law, the whole thing had to be invalidated. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump claims GOP will be the 'party of health care,' after urging judge to toss out Obamacare READ: House, Senate try again to end impasse Speaker: I never micromanaged 2019 budget bill Donald Trump and his supporters have pointed to a four-page summary produced by William Barr, who the president appointed to lead the Justice Department late last year, as evidence of his exoneration in Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The summary does not claim the special counsel exonerated Mr Trump. Nor does it answer whether Mr Mueller found evidence the president obstructed justice as the probe looked into his campaigns scores of contacts with Russian operatives over the course of the election. For now, the attorney generals summary yields more questions than answers surrounding Mr Muellers report, which remains closely held at the highest echelons of the Justice Department. If and when Mr Muellers findings are made public, Mr Trump may be forced to walk back the victory lap his administration has taken with the release of Mr Barrs summary. Or, the report could verify what Mr Barr has claimed in his guidance to Congress; that nobody within the presidents circle committed criminal wrongdoing involving a conspiracy to throw the election in his favour. Regardless, the special counsel is far from the only entity to investigate Mr Trump. His financial dealings, contacts between Russians and his campaign associates and other major scandals that have plagued the White House since he took office have all become the subject of at least 17 different ongoing probes. Those include newly-launched investigations conducted by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, multiple lawsuits and several other state entities probing possible criminal conduct on the part of the president and his aides. Here are all the entities currently conducting probes surrounding Mr Trump: The Southern District of New York: There are at least three investigations currently underway in the prosecutors office located in the presidents hometown of Manhattan. Investigators are probing his inauguration committees finances. Story continues Four additional investigations across New York: Prosecutors in multiple offices throughout New York are exploring the presidents personal finances and financial dealings, including investigations being carried out by both the state and citys tax departments. The Department of Justice: The Public Integrity Section at the Justice Department is looking into whether an influential Republican donor named Elliott Broidy was cashing in on his connections to Mr Trumps White House. The Eastern District of Virginia: There are at least three cases still ongoing within this district surrounding Mr Trump, including one involving Kamil Ekim Alptekin, one of ex-National Security Adviser Michael Flynns advisers who has been charged with lying to the FBI and acting as an agent of the Turkish government. The Washington DC Attorneys Office: The office responsible for sentencing Mr Trumps top advisers is still carrying out cases into the release of hacked emails from Hillary Clintons campaign and the Democratic National Committee to WikiLeaks. Attorneys General in Maryland and Washington DC: The two attorneys general offices have filed a lawsuit accusing Mr Trump of possible emoluments clause violations. Attorneys General in Washington DC and New Jersey: The two attorneys general offices have filed a lawsuit and issued subpoenas against Mr Trumps inauguration committee. The Senate Intelligence Committee: Richard Burr, the Republican head of the committee, confirmed it would continue investigating Russian interference in 2019, despite previously having released a report last year that claimed Russia sought to influence the election without any intention to aid Mr Trump. The House Oversight Committee: The committee which held the explosive testimony made by Mr Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen may reissue at least 64 subpoenas previously blocked by the groups former Republican leadership. Its investigating numerous angles into Mr Trumps presidency and 2016 campaign, as well as alleged hush money payments sent to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have had an affair with the president. The House Judiciary Committee: A sprawling probe has been launched this month by the committee to determine whether the president has obstructed justice in any of the ongoing criminal investigations against him, as well as whether he has abused his power or broke campaign finance laws. The House Intelligence Committee: The newly-Democratic-controlled committee has reopened an investigation into Russian interference after it was previously closed by Republicans. The scope has since expanded to include enquiries into whether Mr Trump or his associates can or have been leveraged by foreign actors. The House Financial Services Committee: The committee is investigating Mr Trumps ties to Deutsche Bank, and the banks lending practices. Several members of Mr Trumps family use Deutsche bank, including his daughter and senior adviser, Ivanka Trump. The House Ways and Means Committee: Richard Neal, the chairman of the committee, has said the entity is gearing up to subpoena copies of the presidents tax returns both personal and professional. The House Foreign Affairs Committee: The committee is investigating whether Mr Trumps business dealings have impacted his administrations agenda on foreign policy. By Steve Holland and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday recognized Israel's 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights in an election boost for visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, prompting a sharp response from Syria, which once held the strategic land. With Netanyahu looking over his shoulder at the White House, Trump signed a proclamation officially granting U.S. recognition of the Golan as Israeli territory - a dramatic shift from decades of U.S. policy. The move, which Trump announced in a tweet last Thursday, appeared to be the most overt gesture by the Republican president to help Netanyahu, who had been pressing Trump for the move since February 2017. Israel captured the Golan in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1981 in a move not recognized internationally. Netanyahu, who faces an election on April 9, earlier on Monday said he was cutting short his U.S. visit after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, blamed on Hamas, wounded seven people near Tel Aviv. Israel launched retaliatory air strikes in Gaza. Israel's prime minister arrived in Washington on Sunday, originally for a four-day trip. His chief rival for the premiership, Benny Gantz, also visited the U.S. capital, telling a major pro-Israel lobbying organization that he was the better alternative to lead the country. In signing the proclamation, Trump said "This was a long time in the making." He handed the pen that he used for his signature to Netanyahu, and said: "Give this to the people of Israel." The prime minister welcomed Trump's action and said Israel had never had a better friend. He harked back to two previous Middle Eastern wars in justifying Israel's need to hang on to the Golan. "Just as Israel stood tall in 1967, just as it stood tall in 1973, Israel stands tall today. We hold the high ground and we should never give it up," he said. Syria reacted swiftly to Trump's proclamation, calling it a "blatant attack" on its sovereignty and territorial integrity and saying it had a right to reclaim the Golan. At the United Nations, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "clear that the status of Golan has not changed," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. "The U.N.'s policy on Golan is reflected in the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and that policy has not changed," Dujarric said. A U.N. Security Council resolution adopted unanimously by the 15-member body in 1981 declared that Israel's "decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights is null and void and without international legal effect." It also demanded Israel rescind its decision. NATO ally Turkey termed the U.S. recognition unacceptable and said it would take action against it, including at the United Nations, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said. The Arab League also condemned the move. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has refused to talk to the United States since Trump ordered the U.S. embassy moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, expressed his "absolute rejection" of the Golan move in a statement issued by the Palestinian Authority news service Wafa. The presidency reaffirmed that sovereignty is not decided by either the US or Israel no matter how long the occupation lasts," the statement said. The negative reactions reprised last week's response to Trump's tweet announcing the move. The announcement triggered direct or implied criticism from European as well as Middle Eastern countries and organizations, including Britain, Germany, France, the European Union, Turkey, Egypt, the Arab League and Russia. Elsewhere in Washington, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel group, held its annual meeting with speaker after speaker expressing U.S. support for strong ties with the country. "We stand with Israel because her cause is our cause, her values are our values, and her fight is our fight," Vice President Mike Pence said on Monday. Pence also talked tough against Iran, saying that under Trump, "America will never allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon." Netanyahu challenger Gantz appeared before the gathering, and vowed to protect his country against threats from Iran and Syria. He called for unity in Israel. "We must remember if that we want hope, we must have unity," he said. With election day approaching, opinion polls put Netanyahus right-wing Likud and Gantzs centrist Blue and White party neck and neck. (Reporting by Steve Holland and Jeff Mason; editing by Jonathan Oatis) WASHINGTON About a half hour before Attorney General William Barr sent Congress a four-page letter summarizing Robert Mueller's investigative findings Sunday, a Justice Department official briefed a White House lawyer on Barr's letter. A Justice Department official called White House lawyer Emmet Flood at around 3 p.m. to give him a "read out" of the letter, according to a department official speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details of document's release. The attorney general's letter went to Capitol Hill around 3:30 p.m. White House lawyers had wanted to review the Mueller report before any findings were submitted to Congress an idea that drew sharp criticism from Democrats. According to a letter Barr sent to Congress Sunday, Mueller's investigation into Russian interference did not find evidence that Trump or members of his campaign conspired with Russia's efforts to sway the 2016 election. But the special counsel's report left "unresolved whether the president's actions and intent could be viewed as obstruction," the letter said. "While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him" on whether he obstructed justice, Mueller said in the report, according to Barr, who was appointed to his job by Trump in December. Report delivered: Robert Mueller delivers report marking end of investigation Read the letter: Attorney General Barr's letter to Congress announcing end of Mueller's Russia probe Mueller report conclusions from AG Barr Who's who: Robert Mueller investigation: Key players in 2016 election probe Follow the money: Yes, the Mueller investigation is costly. But the millions seized from Manafort have it on track to break even Previously: Robert Mueller has spent two years investigating Trump, and he hasn't said a word. It's possible he never will. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mueller report: White House lawyer briefed on attorney general's letter just before public release A new fight over the future of the Affordable Care Act has erupted in the nations capital and is likely to ensure that health care remains in the spotlight through the 2020 elections. In a dramatic shift, the Trump administration has asked a federal appeals court to invalidate the Affordable Care Act in its entirety, according to a legal filing made Monday night. The administration had previously said that the ACAs protections for people with pre-existing conditions should be struck down, but that the rest of the law could remain in place. But in a Justice Department letter sent Monday night to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the Justice Department said the court should affirm an earlier ruling by a federal judge declaring the entire law invalid. In December, Judge Reed O'Connor had ruled that the ACAs individual mandate had become unconstitutional after Republicans eliminated its penalties as part of their 2017 tax overhaul. OConnor further said that the change rendered the entire ACA invalid. Whats at stake: If OConnors ruling stands, more than 20 million people who currently receive health insurance through the federal exchanges and Medicaid expansion stand to lose coverage. The law touches on many parts of the health care system that would be affected as well, such as FDA approval of biologic medicines and rules on nutritional labeling. Nicholas Bagley, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School who served in the Justice Department during the Obama administration, says that the sheer reckless irresponsibility is hard to overstate. The notion that you could gut the entire ACA and not wreak havoc on the lives of millions of people is insane. The Act is now part of the plumbing of the health-care system. Which means the Trump administration has now committed itself to a legal position that would inflict untold damage on the American public. A political boomerang? President Trump tweeted Tuesday that The Republican Party will become The Party of Healthcare! But given how the issue helped Democrats in the 2018 election and how Republicans have struggled to come up with a replacement for Obamacare this move left many political analysts scratching their heads. Fresh off a huge political victory in the Russia investigation, the White House shifted the conversation back to far less favorable grounds. Politically, this makes no sense, Axios Sam Baker says. Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi must be dancing in the streets. Story continues CNNs Chris Cillizza says that the decision to go after Obamacare in full ensures that health care will be a deciding factor in the 2020 election, in ways that could hurt Republicans: Switching the spotlight of the national debate from Russia to health care so quickly would be risky under any circumstances but is particularly problematic given that a) the past five elections have shown that people care deeply about and vote on the issue of health care and b) getting rid of Obamacare is not a broadly popular view with the American public. Whats next: The Justice Department said it would file a brief providing more details on its change in position on the law. The case is likely headed for the Supreme Court, where Chief Justice John Roberts could once again play a deciding role in the fate of the health care law. Like what you're reading? Sign up for our free newsletter. Istanbul (AFP) - A US consulate staffer went on trial in a Turkish court on Tuesday accused of spying and attempting to overthrow the government in one of several cases fuelling tensions between the United States and its NATO ally. Metin Topuz, a Turkish citizen and liaison with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, was arrested in 2017 and has been accused of ties to US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen who Ankara says ordered a failed 2016 coup. Turkish police escorted Topuz weeping into the Caglayan courthouse in Istanbul, where he faces life in jail if found guilty, an AFP reporter said. The US charge d'affaires from the Ankara embassy and the Istanbul consul general were also at the court for the first hearing which is expected to last three days. "We expect Mr Topuz's release," his lawyer Halit Akalp told journalists, adding he had been given access to Topuz and met him twice last week. The trial opened as relations between the United States and Turkey have worsened with disagreements over Syria's war, Turkey's purchase of Russian missiles and the US refusal to extradite Gulen. The US embassy has called the accusations "wholly without merit". US officials say freeing "unjustly detained" Turkish nationals on their staff is a priority, as is the case of NASA scientist Serkan Golge, a dual US-Turkish national jailed on terror charges. Another Istanbul local consulate staffer, Mete Canturk, is under house arrest and facing similar charges to Topuz. A judge in January convicted Hamza Ulucay, a former local employee of the US consulate in Adana, southern Turkey, of helping outlawed Kurdish militants. He was released for time already served. - Diplomatic crisis - Topuz was formally charged in January. He is accused of contact with police officers and a former prosecutor suspected of links to the Gulen movement, according to Anadolu state news agency. His initial arrest in 2017 triggered a diplomatic crisis with both Turkey and the US suspending visa services, until they stepped back. Story continues "This has been a big deal in the Turkish-US relations, but Americans have reversed course from an earlier decision to impose visa bans and have decided to pursue a quiet diplomacy," said Asli Aydintasbas, a fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations. Since the failed 2016 coup against Erdogan, tens of thousands of people have been detained over suspected links to Gulen and more than 100,000 people have been sacked or suspended from public sector jobs. Gulen denies the coup accusations. Ankara has been criticised by its Western allies and human rights activists over the crackdown they say has undermined democracy. But Turkish officials say the raids are needed to clear Gulen's influence from state institutions. US relations with Turkey plummeted to a low last year over detained US pastor Andrew Brunson, triggering tit-for-tat sanctions that hit the local lira currency. Brunson was released in October last year and relations improved. But Erdogan's decision to buy S-400 missile systems from Russia has provoked warnings from Washington that the deal may impact its sale of US-made F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and trigger more sanctions. Turkey's push to buy the systems has raised questions among NATO allies over alliance equipment as well as concerns over the relationship between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ties were already strained over US support of Kurdish forces in Syria, which Ankara brands as a terrorist group tied to PKK Kurdish militants fighting an insurgency against the Turkish state. By Lesley Wroughton and Brian Ellsworth WASHINGTON/CARACAS (Reuters) - The United States on Monday accused Russia of "reckless escalation" of the situation in Venezuela by deploying military planes and personnel to the crisis-stricken South American nation that Washington has hit with crippling sanctions. The Russian planes and military personnel arrived outside the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Saturday, according to local media reports, two months after the Trump administration disavowed President Nicolas Maduro. Washington has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's legitimate president and demands that Maduro leave power, which Russia has described as a U.S.-backed coup against the socialist government. "The United States condemns Russia's deployment of military aircraft and personnel to Caracas, which is another contradiction of both Nicolas Maduro's and Russia's calls for non-intervention in Venezuela and is a reckless escalation of the situation," a State Department spokesman said. The vice president of Venezuela's Socialist Party, Diosdado Cabello, confirmed two planes had flown to the country from Russia, but he did not give a reason or say they carried troops. "The planes from Russia landed in Venezuela because they were authorized by the only government that there is in Venezuela, and it's called the government of Nicolas Maduro," Cabello said in a speech broadcast on state television. The Kremlin declined to comment on the planes on Tuesday or to the accusations from the U.S. State Department. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in a phone call on Monday that Washington would "not stand idly by" as Russia backed Maduro, who has overseen a dramatic collapse of a once-bustling economy. However, Pompeo did not say what the United States would do in response to Russian troops. "MILITARY OPTION" U.S. President Donald Trump said in 2017 that the "military option" was on the table when it comes to Venezuela, but administration officials have since downplayed talk of armed intervention. A spokesman for the U.S. military's Southern Command, which oversees U.S. forces in Latin America, said Russia's deployment of troops "directly undercuts the democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people." "(Maduro's) former regime, aided and abetted by countries like Russia and Cuba, continues to repress democratic actors in Venezuela," said the spokesman, Armando Hernandez. The Organization of American States regional grouping called the presence of Russian military equipment and personnel "a harmful act to Venezuelan sovereignty." Bloomberg News, citing an unnamed Venezuelan information ministry official, reported that the officials had come to perform maintenance on Russian military equipment that Venezuela had purchased through bilateral accords. The information ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the presence of the planes or the Bloomberg report. "Such cynicism on the part of a country like the United States," wrote Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza on Twitter. "(With) a growing military budget of more than $700 billion, it seeks to interfere with the technical military cooperation programs between Russia and Venezuela." Russia has warned the United States and neighbors against a military intervention in Venezuela. The Trump administration has imposed crippling sanctions on Venezuela's crucial oil industry. On Friday it sanctioned its development bank, Bandes, in efforts to choke off financial flows to Maduro's government and called on Venezuelan military leaders to abandon him. Maduro has denounced the sanctions as U.S. intervention and maintains diplomatic backing from Russia, China and Cuba. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton in Washington and Brian Ellsworth in Caracas; Additional reporting by Luc Cohen and Angus Berwick in Caracas, and Phil Stewart in Washington, and Tom Balmforth, Katya Golubkova in Moscow; Editing by Susan Thomas, Tom Brown and Lisa Shumaker) By Andrew Chung and Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared divided along ideological lines again on whether the contentious practice of manipulating electoral district boundaries to entrench one party in power may violate the constitutional rights of voters, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh emerging as the potential deciding vote. More than two hours of arguments in major cases from North Carolina and Maryland on the practice known as partisan gerrymandering focused on whether courts should be empowered to block electoral maps when they are drawn by state legislators expressly to give one political party a lopsided advantage. Conservative justices, who have a 5-4 majority on the court, signaled skepticism toward judicial intervention while liberal justices seemed supportive. The ruling, due by the end of June, could impact U.S. elections for decades either by allowing federal courts to curb partisan gerrymandering or by giving state legislators a free hand to draw districts as they choose. Kavanaugh, appointed last year by President Donald Trump, said he did not dispute that extreme partisan gerrymandering was a problem for democracy. But he wondered whether judges should be allowed to intervene when there has been "a fair amount of activity" in states to address the problem, including the creation of independent commissions to draw electoral maps rather than legislators in the interest of fairness. In 2016, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to uphold Arizona's independent redistricting commission. The justices last year failed to deliver a definitive ruling on the legality of partisan gerrymandering. They got another chance in the cases before them on Tuesday challenging a Republican-drawn 13-district statewide U.S. House of Representatives map in North Carolina and a single Democratic-drawn House district in Maryland. "Have we really reached the moment, even though it would be a big lift for this court to get involved, where the other actors can't do it?" Kavanaugh asked, referring to states. Fellow conservative Trump appointee Justice Neil Gorsuch echoed that sentiment, asking: "Why should we wade into this?" Legislative districts are redrawn nationwide to reflect population changes after the U.S. census each decade. In most states, this redistricting is done by the party in power. Critics have said gerrymandering has become increasingly effective and insidious, guided by precise voter data and powerful computer software. The result in many states has been the creation of electoral districts, sometimes oddly shaped to include or exclude certain localities, that maximize one party's chances of winning and dilute the clout of voters who support the other party. Plaintiffs in North Carolina and Maryland said the maps were drawn to diminish their voting power, violating their constitutional rights. In both cases, lower courts ruled that the contested districts violated the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection under the law, the right to free speech and association, or constitutional provisions governing elections. 'YOU'RE DISCRIMINATING' In North Carolina, Republican legislators reworked House districts in 2016 to ensure that 10 Republicans were elected to House seats, compared to just three Democrats, in a state where voters are closely divided between the two parties. Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor told Paul Clement, the lawyer representing the Republican legislators: "This is what this is all about: you're discriminating on the basis of a group's speech and diluting their vote accordingly." Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts and Kavanaugh asked questions that sounded supportive of the Republican voters who challenged the Maryland district. Democrats redrew its boundaries to help a Democratic candidate defeat a Republican congressman, moving some Republican voters out of the district into a heavily Democratic neighboring district. "You think it's all right to retaliate against the Republicans from the district that were moved out because of how they voted?" Roberts asked Maryland's lawyer, Steven Sullivan. Kavanaugh said Sullivan was trying to "run away from the obvious" by downplaying the partisan intent of the Democratic map-makers. On the Maryland map, liberal Justice Elena Kagan said that "under any measure, this is excessive." But Roberts also noted that state legislators have always drawn maps with partisan interests in mind. "You'd agree that if you had a partisan-free map ... that would be the first time in history, right?" Roberts asked the Maryland voters' lawyer, Michael Kimberly. Gerrymandering is carried out by cramming as many like-minded voters as possible into a small number of districts while spreading the rest in other districts too thinly to form a majority. Liberal justices spoke of the unfairness of maps that allow a party to receive far fewer seats than their statewide vote tally would indicate. They appeared to get some support from Kavanaugh, who asked repeatedly whether the Constitution could require "proportional representation" - with legislative seats gained being proportional to the statewide vote's party breakdown - to be used when districts are drawn. For a Reuters graphic on the North Carolina case, click https://tmsnrt.rs/2HC8mvU (Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham) By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday imposed fresh sanctions on a network of companies and people in Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates it said was helping to raise billions of dollars to fund the operations of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards. The U.S. Treasury blacklisted 25 people and organizations, including a clutch of front companies based in the three countries, that were working on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Iran's defense ministry to raise money for their activities. The targeted institutions include banks and other financial institutions such as Ansar Bank, Atlas Exchange, Iranian Atlas Company, the U.S. Treasury said in a statement. "We are exposing an extensive sanctions evasion network that was established by the Iranian regime to evade American sanctions," Brian Hook, the U.S. special envoy for Iran, told reporters. "With this action today we are increasing our pressure even further on the Iranian regime." Hook described Ansar as "the banker" of the Revolutionary Guards and its overseas operations run by Quds Force. He said the bank paid the salaries of IRGC-Quds Force employees and Iranian foreign fighters in Syria. "They created front companies to access the U.S. financial system on their own," said Hook, adding that Tehran was feeling the pressure from U.S. sanctions and created the network to look for a way around the restrictions. He said the Ansar front companies had raised $800 million over the last year and a half to buy military vehicles and to fund the IRGC's and Quds Force operations. Additionally, Hook said the United States was sanctioning Iran's defense ministry "for its support for terrorism" and providing logistics support to the Revolutionary Guards. A U.S. official said the sanctions were not related to the U.S. State Department's labeling of groups as so-called foreign terrorist organizations, known as FTOs. The defense ministry was blacklisted in 2007 for its role in weapons of mass destruction proliferation, Hook added. "We are now expanding our authorities against Iran's ministry of defense for its support for terrorism," Hook told reporters at the State Department. The sanctions are part of a campaign by Washington to pressure Tehran to negotiate a comprehensive plan to end its nuclear and missile programs. President Donald Trump withdrew last year from a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers. Since abandoning the agreement, the United States has imposed a string of new sanctions aimed at choking off Iran's funding, especially from oil. The IRGC is by far Iran's most powerful security organization and has control over large stakes of the Iranian economy and huge influence in its political system. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton and Susan Heavey; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli, James Dalgleish and Paul Simao) Martin Romualdez READ: Romualdez is next SpeakerSara By Chris Prentice and David Lawder NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) - U.S. labor officials on Tuesday pressed lawmakers to strengthen enforcement of the provisions of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) intended to protect workers, the latest sign that the trade deal could face hurdles to passage in the Democrat-led House of Representatives. Renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was one of President Donald Trump's campaign promises and part of his broader push for better terms of trade for the United States. He has said that bad deals have cost millions of jobs. Representatives from some of the largest and most influential unions in the United States told lawmakers on Tuesday that the reworked pact does not go far enough to ensure improvement of wages and working conditions, especially for Mexican workers. "All the NAFTA renegotiation efforts in the world will not create U.S. jobs, raise U.S. wages or reduce the U.S. trade deficit if the new rules do not include clear, strong and effective labor rules that require Mexico to abandon its low wage policy," Celeste Drake of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations said at a House Ways and Means subcommittee hearing. In late 2018, the leaders of the United States, Mexico and Canada signed the deal to replace NAFTA, but it has yet to be reviewed and ratified by Congress. Trade among the three countries totals more than $1 trillion. Democrats, who took control of the House of Representatives in January, have traditionally been skeptical of free trade agreements and sympathetic to labor groups. Their support is essential to USMCA's passage. USMCA requires its three signatories to maintain labor laws in line with international standards, and to enforce them. But critics have called the agreement's enforcement mechanism insufficient, saying it will still allow weak unions and resulting low wages in Mexico, while failing to stanch the flight of U.S. factories to lower-cost Mexico. Story continues NAFTA, launched in 1994, put labor provisions in an unenforceable addendum to the agreement, allowing Mexican wages to stagnate despite a flood of factory investment from U.S. companies. "The (USMCA) labor chapter is an improvement. The problem is the enforceability mechanism," said Shane Larson, a director with the Communications Workers of America, advocating for reopening the agreement. Autoworkers, too, are concerned about the new agreement, despite provisions aimed at requiring more vehicle value content produced in North America and in high-wage areas in the United States and Canada. USMCA "takes some positive steps but doesn't measure up to being able to make more good-paying jobs now and going forward," said Josh Nassar, legislative director of the United Auto Workers union. The imposition of NAFTA led to decades of lost jobs for autoworkers, who watched U.S. factories close as manufacturers moved production to Mexico. House Democrats have greeted USMCA coolly, telling U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer earlier this month about their concerns about labor enforcement and provisions that could lock in higher drug prices. "This agreement is a continuation of the assault on the American middle class," Brian Higgins, a Democratic representative from New York, said on Tuesday at the hearing. The Trump administration is lobbying to persuade Congress to ratify USMCA this year. Trump visited Capitol Hill on Tuesday to meet with Senate Republicans, and was due to discuss the trade pact with House Republicans later in the afternoon. (Reporting by Chris Prentice in New York and David Lawder in Washington; editing by Simon Webb and Steve Orlofsky) WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers should empower the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to impose civil penalties on consumer credit reporting agencies that fail to secure customers' records, congressional auditors recommended in a report released on Tuesday. The Government Accountability Office also urged the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to improve its oversight and supervision of such credit reporting agencies (CRAs). Concerns over the security of consumer data, particularly with credit reporting companies, have loomed large since Equifax Inc's massive data breach in 2017 that exposed the personal information of more than 143 million Americans in one of the largest hacks ever. If the FTC had the power to fine such companies for violating data security provisions, that would boost consumer data security, given customers have few avenues to protect such sensitive information even after major data breaches, the GAO said. Giving federal agencies greater oversight power, however, would run counter to the Republican Trump administration's vows to reduce and curb federal regulations. "While companies in many industries have experienced data breaches, CRAs may present heightened risks because of the scope of sensitive information they possess," GAO, an independent research arm of Congress, said in its February report. The FTC should "have all of the appropriate enforcement options to fulfill its mission of protecting consumers," the watchdog said. U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Banking panel's consumer protection subcommittee and a presidential candidate for the party's 2020 nomination, released the findings ahead of a congressional hearing on the issue. "Vulnerabilities still exist," they said in a statement. "We need to give the FTC more tools to crack down on consumer data abuses and the CFPB needs to do its job, hold these firms accountable, and protect consumers." Story continues Later on Tuesday, the Democratic-controlled House oversight panel was scheduled to examine how the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau can boost cybersecurity at consumer reporting agencies with representatives from the GAO, the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection and the grassroots advocacy group U.S. PIRG. In separate comments in the report, the CFPB said it lacked certain authorities to oversee security provisions. The FTC investigated Equifax in the wake of the 2017 cybersecurity breach that drew intense public interest and brought the company's chief executive to testify before Congress. The FBI also launched its own probe, and various lawmakers introduced bills seeking to respond to the hack. Other credit reporting agencies include TransUnion and Experian PLC. (Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Bernadette Baum) By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republicans on Tuesday defeated the "Green New Deal" resolution that called for tackling climate change by moving the United States off fossil fuels, while Democrats said the vote was a political stunt on an issue that will not die. The vote was 57 against the resolution in the 100-member chamber, with 43 Democrats voting "present," avoiding an up-or-down vote. Republicans won over Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema and one independent senator, Angus King, who usually votes with that party. The Green New Deal, introduced last month by Democrats, marked an initial attempt to define legislation to create government-led investments in clean energy like wind and solar power, infrastructure and social programs. Democrats have said the plan, which is backed by most of the party's presidential candidates, was designed to spur debate during the 2020 campaign on the intricate problem of how to tackle climate change while boosting the economy, not to force the party to take sides in a quick vote. But Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell forced a vote before the plan had the chance for a national debate or hearings in Congress. In a move that likely previews their wider strategy ahead of next year's presidential election, Republicans used the plan to try to sow discord among Democrats, painting their rivals as shifting to socialism and embracing extreme policies. McConnell wrote on Twitter that Americans would see which senators are against the deal and which "are so fully committed to radical left-wing ideology that they can't even vote 'no' on self-inflicted economic ruin that would take a sledgehammer to Americas middle class." Asked before the vote whether he believes climate change is happening and if humans are contributing to it, McConnell said: I do. The question is how do you address it." He said the way to fight climate change was by encouraging private companies to innovate. The non-binding Green New Deal resolution sought to speed a transition of the U.S. economy away from burning oil, gas and coal and emitting greenhouse gases from cars and industry blamed for climate change. Its name referenced Democratic President Franklin Roosevelt's Depression-era New Deal that used massive government-led investments to lift the economy. Democratic Senator Edward Markey, who unveiled the plan with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, told reporters that McConnell and other Republicans "fail to understand ... that the Green New Deal is not just a resolution, it is a revolution." TO FIGURE IN 2020 CAMPAIGN Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein was criticized by Green New Deal supporters after she was filmed last month telling children she opposed the resolution because it was too expensive. But she sided with the majority of Democratic senators in voting "present," to show unity in the party. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat running for president in a crowded field, told reporters that most Republican lawmakers were treating climate change like a "political stunt." Gillibrand said most Republican lawmakers were lockstep in support of President Donald Trump's policies of rolling back environmental regulations and withdrawing from the 2015 Paris international climate agreement and "have refused to put forward any real plan to address climate change in any meaningful way." Senator Lamar Alexander, a Republican, has offered a response to climate change that proposes to engage innovation by doubling research funding in 10 technologies including advanced nuclear, batteries and capturing carbon for burial underground, a plan critics say does not act fast enough. Former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper became the first 2020 Democratic candidate to oppose the plan, writing in the Washington Post that it would give the government too much power in investment decisions. To spur innovations needed to curb climate change, "government must not shun the private sector," Hickenlooper said in the piece. As scientists say climate change is causing billions of dollars worth of damage by making floods, storms and droughts more intense, debate is expected to amplify ahead of 2020. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told reporters the Green New Deal was discussed with Trump at a party lunch on Tuesday. Graham said Trump told Republican senators: "Make sure you don't kill it too much because I want to run against it." (Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Additional reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Peter Cooney and Susan Thomas) By Andrew Chung WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday prevented American sailors injured in the deadly 2000 al Qaeda bombing of the Navy destroyer USS Cole from collecting $314.7 million in damages from the government of Sudan for its alleged role in the attack. In a 8-1 ruling, the justices overturned a lower court's decision that had allowed the sailors to collect the damages from certain banks that held Sudanese assets. The decision represented a major victory for Sudan, which denies that it provided any support to al Qaeda for the attack in Yemen. Sudan was backed by President Donald Trump's administration in the case. In the ruling, the justices agreed with Sudan that the lawsuit had not been properly initiated in violation of U.S. law because the claims were delivered in 2010 to the African country's embassy in Washington rather than to its minister of foreign affairs in the Sudanese capital Khartoum. "Sudan is pleased with the decision," said Christopher Curran, who represented Sudan's government in the case. "No one disputes that the sailors on the Cole were the victims of a brutal terrorist attack. But Sudan vehemently disputes any culpability in that attack, and is determined to clear its name." A lawyer for the sailors, Kannon Shanmugam, expressed disappointment. "The fight for justice for the Cole victims and their families continues," Shanmugam said. A lower court had levied damages by default because Sudan did not defend itself against allegations that it had given support to the Islamist militant group. The Oct. 12, 2000, attack killed 17 sailors and wounded more than three dozen others when two men in a small boat detonated explosives alongside the Navy guided-missile destroyer as it was refueling in the southern Yemeni port of Aden, blasting a gaping hole in its hull. The vessel was repaired and later returned to full active duty. Fifteen of the injured sailors and three of their spouses sued Sudan's government in 2010 in Washington. At issue was whether mailing the lawsuit to Sudan's embassy violated the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, a U.S. law governing when foreign governments may be sued in American courts. Writing for the court's majority, conservative Justice Samuel Alito said that other countries' foreign ministers must be reached where they normally work, "not a far flung outpost that the minister may at most occasionally visit." 'RULE OF LAW' Alito expressed sympathy toward the sailors, writing that the ruling may seem like it is enforcing an empty formality. "But there are circumstances in which the rule of law demands adherence to strict requirements even when the equities of a particular case may seem to point in the opposite direction," Alito said, adding that the case had sensitive diplomatic implications. Alone in his dissent, conservative Justice Clarence Thomas said that allowing litigants to send notices of lawsuits to embassies would comply with both U.S. and international law. The Trump administration had told the justices that a ruling against Sudan could impact how the U.S. government is treated by foreign courts because the United States rejects judicial notices delivered to its embassies. The sailors were highly critical of the administration's position. "Particularly given this administration's solicitude for veterans, its decision to side with a state sponsor of terrorism, against men and women who are seeking to recover for grievous injuries suffered in the service of our country, is inexplicable and distressing," they said in a legal brief to the court. In 2012, a federal judge in Washington issued a default judgment of $314.7 million against Sudan. Individual plaintiffs were to receive between $4 million and $30 million each. A separate judge in New York later ordered certain banks to turn over assets they had held for Sudan to partially satisfy the judgment. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York upheld those orders in 2015. (Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham) Dubai (AFP) - Global ride-hailing service Uber will acquire its Middle East rival Careem for $3.1 billion, the two companies announced on Tuesday. "Careem and Uber are joining forces. We have reached an agreement in which Uber will acquire Careem for $3.1 billion," a joint statement said. Under the deal, Careem will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Uber but will continue operating independently. Careem will retain its branding, services and separate app. Uber will pay $1.4 billion in cash and the remaining $1.7 billion in convertible notes, the statement said. "Uber will acquire all of Careem's mobility, delivery, and payments businesses across the greater Middle East region, ranging from Morocco to Pakistan, with major markets including Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates," the statement said. "This is an important moment for Uber as we continue to expand the strength of our platform around the world," Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi said. Careem chief executive and co-founder Mudassir Sheikha welcomed the acquisition, saying it will be good for customers. "Joining forces with Uber will help us accelerate Careem's purpose of simplifying and improving the lives of people, and building an awesome organisation that inspires," Sheikha said. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and the transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020. Dubai (AFP) - Global ride-hailing giant Uber will acquire its Middle East rival Careem for $3.1 billion in the region's largest technology industry transaction, the two companies announced on Tuesday. The deal boosts Uber's worldwide presence ahead of a keenly anticipated stock market debut. "Careem and Uber are joining forces. We have reached an agreement in which Uber will acquire Careem for $3.1 billion," a joint statement said. Under the deal, Careem will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Uber but the two app-based transport and delivery companies will continue operating independently, the statement said. Careem said it will retain its branding, services and separate app in the greater Middle East region. It is expanding its services to include mass transportation, delivery and payments. Uber will pay $1.4 billion in cash and the remaining $1.7 billion in convertible notes, the joint statement said. "Uber will acquire all of Careem's mobility, delivery, and payments businesses across the greater Middle East region, ranging from Morocco to Pakistan, with major markets including Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates," it said. The acquisition comes as Uber prepares for its initial public offering -- expected next month -- which could, according to some estimates, see the rideshare giant's value increase to $100 billion. - 'Massive, untapped' - Dubai-based Careem, established in 2012, boasts more than a million drivers and 30 million users across 120 cities in the Middle East and North Africa. Uber, established in 2010, entered the Middle East market two years after the creation of Careem and the two companies remained in direct competition in a fast-developing market. Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi described the move as important for the company's expansion plans. "This is an important moment for Uber as we continue to expand the strength of our platform around the world," Khosrowshahi said. Story continues "Working closely with Careem's founders, I'm confident we will deliver exceptional outcomes for riders, drivers, and cities, in this fast-moving part of the world." Careem chief executive and co-founder Mudassir Sheikha welcomed the acquisition, saying it will be good for customers. "Joining forces with Uber will help us accelerate Careem's purpose of simplifying and improving the lives of people, and building an awesome organisation that inspires," Sheikha said. "The mobility and broader internet opportunity in the region is massive and untapped, and has the potential to leapfrog our region into the digital future." The acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020. The two companies said that together they will be better placed to improve the region's transportation infrastructure at scale and offer diverse mobility, delivery and payment options. It will also speed up the delivery of digital services to people in the region through the development of a consumer-facing super-app that offers services such as Careem's digital payment platform (Careem Pay) and last-mile delivery (Careem NOW), they said. Geneva (AFP) - The UN said Tuesday it had sent a team of investigators to Mali's restive Mopti region, where more than 150 people were massacred this weekend. The raid took place on Saturday in the village of Ogossagou, home to the Fulani herding community, near the town of Mopti in central Mali. The UN rights office said at least 153 people were killed and 73 injured in the attack. Local officials and security sources told AFP on Monday the death toll had climbed to 160. The attack marked a "significant" surge in "violence across communal lines and by so-called self-defence groups apparently attempting to root out violent extremist groups", said UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani. In the Mopti region alone, attacks had led to "some 600 deaths of women, children and men, as well as thousands of displaced persons" since March 2018, she told reporters. More than a third of those killed had died since the beginning of 2019, she added. The UN has sent a team of 10 human rights officers, a child protection officer and two crime scene investigators to the Mopti region to investigate Saturday's attack, Shamdasani said. - 'Circle of impunity' - "We are in direct contact with the authorities," she said adding that the UN had offered to help to "bring the perpetrators to justice in order to break the circle of impunity". A militia from the Dogon ethnic group -- a hunting and farming community with a long history of tension with the Fulani over access to land -- is suspected of having carried out Saturday's raid. Shamdasani said that "on many occasions the attacks are said to be motivated by a desire to root out individuals linked to violent extremist groups". Jihadist raids remain a persistent threat, and in the centre of the country, an ethnic mosaic, the attacks have taken a bloody toll on groups with a history of rivalry. The Fulani, who are mainly Muslim, have been accused of supporting a jihadist preacher, Amadou Koufa, who rose to prominence in central Mali four years ago. Story continues So-called self-defence groups have emerged in the Dogon community with the declared aim of providing protection against the insurgents. "There is this development of stigmatisation... They are deliberately targeted," Shamdasani said. On Sunday, the Malian government announced the dissolution of one Dogon militia. The victims of Saturday's attack, many of them women and children, were shot or hacked to death with machetes, a security source told AFP. Christophe Boulierac, a spokesman for the UN children's agency UNICEF, told reporters in Geneva that around one third of those killed were children, and that 31 children were also injured. "This tragic killing and maiming of defenceless children is on an unprecedented scale," he said. Saturday's massacre was the deadliest attack in Mali since the 2013 French-led military intervention that drove back jihadist groups who had taken control of the north of the country. United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Hoping to spur international action on climate change, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has told world leaders that only the most ambitious carbon-cutting countries will be showcased at a key summit in September. In a note sent to member states, Guterres outlined plans for an "action-oriented" summit featuring a wide range of "deliverables" from governments to inject new impetus to the fight against global warming. "It will be a summit of showcasing ambitious proposals for climate action and implementation," said the four-page document sent to UN member-states and seen by AFP on Tuesday. The September 23 summit at the United Nations is billed as the first major stock-taking gathering of world leaders on climate change since the Paris agreement was reached in 2015. The event follows a string of reports containing dire predictions about the future of the planet as carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise, pushing targets set out under the Paris accord further out of reach. President Donald Trump's 2017 decision to pull the United States out of the Paris accord will also cast a cloud over the summit that will be held on the sidelines of the General Assembly meeting in New York. In the document, Guterres asked countries to present "concrete, realistic plans" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent over the next decade and to net zero by 2050. - Picking the best - Setting up a selection process similar to a contest, the United Nations will convene a meeting in Abu Dhabi on June 30-July 1 to pick the most ambitious proposals to take center stage at the summit. To make the cut, countries will have to come up with plans that have a "transformational impact" that breaks new ground or aims at "dramatically scaling up an existing initiative." The chosen proposals will be innovative, inclusive and have the ability to be replicated across sectors or regions, said the document sent to member-states last week. Story continues Countries chosen to be in the summit spotlight will earn recognition as leaders on climate change and arguably a bigger say in crafting the world's response to what the United Nations has called the defining issue of our time, UN officials say. Guterres has made clear the world has fallen behind on its commitment in the Paris agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by capping the rise in Earth's temperature at "well under" two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). "Let's be clear, we are not winning the race," Guterres told reporters as he discussed the damage from Cyclone Idai in southern Africa. "At the present level, things will get worse and worse. We need to reverse this trend." Countries will need "to substantially increase the commitments made in their national determined contributions" that were submitted to fight greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris accord, he said. We have recently issued an update research report on Union Pacific Corporation UNP. High freight revenues and consistent rewards to shareholders buoy optimism on the stock. The Omaha, NE-based company is being aided by strong growth in freight revenues for quite some time. Freight revenues, which contribute significantly to the top line, increased 8% year over year in 2018. Also, volume growth driven by high freight revenues is expected to drive the companys first-quarter 2019 results. Furthermore, improvement in operating ratio (operating expenses as a percentage of revenues) and reduced tax rates are other positives for the company. Operating ratio improved 1.1 points compared with the adjusted year-ago figure to 61.6% during 2018. Notably, lower value of the key metric bodes well. Also, Union Pacific expects the metric to be below 61% in 2019. Moreover, we are impressed with the companys efforts to reward investors in the form of dividend payouts and share buybacks. Evidently, the company hiked quarterly dividend by 10% to 88 cents per share on February 7, 2019. This is the fourth dividend hike announced by the company since November 2017. On the same date of dividend hike announcement, the company's board approved a new share repurchase program to buy up to 150 million of its common stock. In fact, Union Pacific returned around $10.5 billion to stockholders in 2018. Of the $10.5 billion, $8.2 billion and $2.3 billion were returned through buybacks and dividends, respectively. Union Pacific Corporation Price Union Pacific Corporation Price | Union Pacific Corporation Quote Additionally, we are positive on Union Pacifics efforts toward promoting safety and enhancing productivity. To this end, the company's progress toward installing positive train control (PTC) on its network is commendable. The Unified Plan 2020 program, which focuses on improving service reliability and network efficiency apart from promoting safety, is expected to be fully implemented by mid-2019. Story continues The positivity surrounding the Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock can be gauged from the Zacks Consensus Estimate being revised up 0.5% in the past 60 days for current-quarter earnings. The company also has an impressive Growth Score of B. Other Stocks to Consider Investors interested in the Zacks Transportation Sector may consider SkyWest, Inc. SKYW, Azul S.A. AZUL and Fly Leasing Limited FLY, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. All the three stocks boast an impressive surprise history. SkyWest outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average being 16.9%. Azul beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters, the average being 63.1%. Fly Leasing surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average being 42.2%. Is Your Investment Advisor Fumbling Your Financial Future? See how you can more effectively safeguard your retirement with a new Special Report, 4 Warning Signs Your Investment Advisor Might Be Sabotaging Your Financial Future. Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report SkyWest, Inc. (SKYW) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fly Leasing Limited (FLY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Union Pacific Corporation (UNP) : Free Stock Analysis Report AZUL SA (AZUL) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research United Airlines is threatening to fire some flight attendants it suspects are engaging in a sophisticated effort to grab the best trips such as lucrative and comfortable long-haul flights to London, Sydney, or Tokyo and selling them to colleagues, according to a new memo. We have zero tolerance for this prohibited behavior, wrote P. Douglas McKeen, senior vice president for labor relations. When we discover that its occurring, we will fully investigate and take appropriate action, up to and including discharge. This marks the second time in the past month United has warned employees not to commit fraud against their employer. Early in March, United admitted it fired 35 employees it said had sold their employee travel passes. Employees can give the passes, which permit inexpensive travel, to friends and family but cannot sell them. According to United, some passengers paid as much as $4,000 for a years worth of discounted flights. The recently uncovered fraud was more of an inside job, United said, with flight attendants scheming to take advantage of colleagues. Both the union and the company said in separate memos that upset flight attendants brought the matter to their attention. Neither memo said how may flight attendants were accused of unethical behavior, but it is believed to be a small number. United said an overwhelming number of flight attendants followed rules. Over the past few months, we have been aware that many of you have voiced concerns about illicit trip brokering where certain individuals have been improperly parking and holding trips for their personal gain, the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) said in its note, dated March 23. Weve heard your frustration and recognize how many of you have exercised restraint in reporting this egregious activity to management because we are unionists. Story continues The Scheme At United, as with most U.S. carriers, crews bid for trips based on seniority, so flight attendants with the longest tenure usually take the best trips. Flight attendants often prefer the longest flights, both because they pay more in a shorter time period theyre paid by the hour but only when in the air and they have longer layovers, often in better hotels than for domestic trips. Uniteds contract allows flight attendants to trade trips to colleagues if they cannot fly them. The system is designed to ensure coverage for unforeseen events, McKeen said. Those trades are not the issue, McKeen said. What were addressing is the growing problem of selecting, trading, or parking a pairing to broker, buy, or sell it to another flight attendant. Neither United nor the the union representing Uniteds cabin crew, would say much about the circumstances. But McKeens memo, along with a similar one from the union, suggests this practice is more involved than some flight attendants simply asking for payment from friends in exchange for a cushy trip. United said it searched social media and found flight attendants using code words to describe the kickback approach, promising hugs, kisses, candy canes, and expressions of appreciation to flight attendants who participated. This is about fairness, plain and simple, McKeen said. No flight attendant should have an unfair advantage beyond their seniority rights when it comes to managing their schedule or accessing flying opportunities. Usually, organized labor protects members on the verge of disciplinary action but the union said it would not stand by behind members who committed fraud against other flight attendants. United, meanwhile, said it would continue to investigate. We know schedules are very important to our flight attendants, and we work closely with AFA to make sure our flight attendant scheduling is fair for all of them, a United spokesman said in an email. Subscribe to Skift newsletters covering the business of travel, restaurants, and wellness. Gloria plays host to Hugpong bets posted March 27, 2019 at 01:45 am by Manila Standard March 27, 2019 at 01:45 am THE SPEAKER SPEAKS. In vote-rich Negros Occidental, Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo hosts Tuesday senatorial candidates of the Hugpong ng Pagbabago with campaign manager Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio in the hometown of the Speakers sister-in-law, Marilou Arroyo, where the latter is running unopposed for a seat in the House of Representatives. Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo hosted Tuesday senatorial candidates of the Hugpong ng Pagbabago in the hometown of her sister-in-law in Negros Occidental where the latter is running for the House of Representatives. READ: Arroyo goes all out for Hugpong When I saw the schedule of Hugpong, Ive seen that they dont get a rally yet here. Since my sister-in-law is a candidate in the fifth district, I said maybe we can invite them. Of course, they accepted it. Negros Occidental is a very big province... Its really for the Hugpong candidates to introduce themselves to the people of Negros Occidental, she told reporters during her visit to Teleperformance Bacolod City, the first BPO company in the Visayas region which she inaugurated in 2006. Arroyos sister-in-law, Marilou Arroyo, is running unopposed for the fifth congressional district of Negros Occidental. After visiting her Roll-on-Roll-off ports and urban poor housing projects, Arroyo continued with her sentimental journey by going to the first BPO office in the Visayas region. Like what we did the last time, I want to go to my favorite projects. Of course, developing the BPO industry was one of my proudest accomplishments and I remember this was a first in the Visayas when we opened it here. Thats why we visited again in 2010 when I was reviewing my projects, she said. Arroyo has been credited for the rise of the BPO industry in the Philippines. Her pioneering initiatives and her administrations support to the industry led to its phenomenal growth in the country. These included the creation of the ITBPAP, creation of the Commission on Information and Communication Technology, providing investor support through the accreditation of buildings used by the industry, completion of infrastructure projects like airports, and training vouchers from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority worth over P800 million from 2007-09.During her presidency, BPO industry grew on an average of 65 percent per annum over a decade and had nearly half a million workers by the end of 2009 which was then President Arroyos last full year in office, growing from only $1.3 billion in 2003 to $8.9 billion in 2010. By the end of her term in 2010, the Philippines has assumed the No. 1 position as top BPO destination. Today there are about 1.3-million Filipinos working in the BPO industry. It is expected to grow to 1.7 million in the coming years accounting to 10 to 15-percent share of the global market share. Arroyo was delighted to see the growth of Teleperformance in Bacolod City and the entire country. Im so happy how it has grown and Im so happy that those who were working here before are still here now in higher positions. Thats really something to be said about the companys ability to retain its talents. Thats really a ground for congratulations and of course theyve grown, she said. Arroyo has been going on a sentimental journey to her favorite projects during her presidency as she prepares to step down from public service on June 30. READ: Arroyo sees no conflict on poll sorties COMMENT DISCLAIMER: Reader comments posted on this Web site are not in any way endorsed by Manila Standard. Comments are views by manilastandard.net readers who exercise their right to free expression and they do not necessarily represent or reflect the position or viewpoint of manilastandard.net. While reserving this publications right to delete comments that are deemed offensive, indecent or inconsistent with Manila Standard editorial standards, Manila Standard may not be held liable for any false information posted by readers in this comments section. By Malcolm Foster TOKYO (Reuters) - In Japan, every emperor's era has its own name - appearing in places such as coins, official paperwork and newspapers - and with abdication coming at the end of April, speculation is swirling about what the new "gengo" will be. Although the Western calendar has become more widespread in Japan, many people here count years in terms of gengo or use the two systems interchangeably. Emperor Akihito's era, which began in 1989, is Heisei, making 2019 Heisei 31. The new era name is one of biggest changes practically and psychologically for Japan at the start of Crown Prince Naruhito's reign on May 1. On April 30, Akihito will abdicate, ending an era in the minds of many Japanese. The new name is so secret that senior government officials involved in the decision must surrender their cell phones and stay sequestered until it is broadcast, media reports say. City offices and government agencies, which mostly use gengo in their computer systems and paperwork, have been preparing for months to avoid glitches. To make the transition easier, authorities will announce the new gengo two Chinese characters the cabinet chooses from a short list proposed by scholars a month early, on April 1. "We've been working on this change for about a year," said Tsukasa Shizume, an official in the Tokyo suburb of Mitaka, where the era name will be changed on 55 kinds of paperwork in 20 administrative sections. The month-long lead time should be sufficient, he said. Fujitsu and NEC Corp. have been helping customers ensure the switch doesn't crash their systems. Programs have been designed to make it easy to change the gengo, said Shunichi Ueda, an NEC official. "If people want to test their computer systems, they can use a trial gengo and see if it works," he said. Most major companies use the Western calendar in their computer systems, so it won't affect them as much, although smaller companies might run into some problems, he said. Story continues In Tokyo's Minato ward, officials will cross out Heisei on thousands of documents and stamp the new gengo above it. NATIONAL MOOD The era name is more than just a way of counting years for many Japanese. It's a word that captures the national mood of a period, similar to the way "the '60s" evokes particular feelings or images, or how historians refer to Britain's "Victorian" or "Edwardian" eras, tying the politics and culture of a period to a monarch. "It's a way of dividing history," said Jun Iijima, a 31-year-old lawyer who was born the last year of Showa, the era of Akihito's father, Emperor Hirohito. "If you were just counting years, the Western system might be sufficient. But gengo gives a certain meaning to a historical period." The 64-year Showa era, which lasted until 1989, has generally come to be identified with Japan's recovery and rising global prominence in the decades after World War Two. The imperial era name is also a form of "soft nationalism," said Ken Ruoff, director of the Center for Japanese Studies at Portland State University. "It's one of these constant low-level reminders that Japan counts years differently and Japan has a monarchy," he said. The gengo characters are carefully chosen with an aspirational meaning. Heisei, which means "achieving peace," began on Jan. 8, 1989, amid high hopes that Japan would play a greater role in global affairs after decades of robust economic growth. Soon afterward, Japan's economic bubble popped, ushering in a long period of stagnation and deflation. The rise of China and South Korea diminished Japan's international prominence, and a series of disasters - including the 1995 Kobe earthquake and 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crises - has marred Heisei's image. FADING USE In daily life, usage of the gengo system is slowly declining as Japan integrates into the global economy. A recent Mainichi newspaper survey showed that 34 percent of people said they used mostly gengo, 34 percent said they used both about the same, and 25 percent mainly the Western calendar. In 1975, 82 percent said mostly gengo. Both calendars use Western months. Japanese drivers licenses have started to print both dates, instead of just gengo. Iijima, the lawyer, says legal paperwork uses the era name because that's what the court system uses. But in daily life he uses both. For global events, he thinks in terms of the Western calendar - like the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks - and uses both dating systems for domestic events. He is indifferent about what characters will be chosen for the next gengo. But remembering that his grandparents suffered during World War Two, he hopes that it will be an era without war, that Japan will keep up economically with China and India and that it will grow into a "mature," more tolerant place. "I hope Japan can become a society where minorities can live more easily," he said. (Reporting and writing by Malcolm Foster; additional reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Gerry Doyle) Istanbul (AFP) - A US consulate staffer went on trial in a Turkish court on Tuesday accused of spying and attempting to overthrow the government in a case that fuelled tensions between the United States and its NATO ally. Metin Topuz, a Turkish citizen and long-time liaison with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, was arrested in 2017 accused of ties to US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says ordered a failed 2016 coup. Turkish police escorted Topuz weeping into the Caglayan courthouse in Istanbul, where he faces life in jail if found guilty, an AFP reporter said. Topuz rejected the indictment that charges he was in contact with police officers and a former prosecutor accused of involvement in the Gulen movement. "During my 25 year service at DEA, I met a lot of police personnel and public officials and exchanged business cards with them," Topuz told the court. "I have no duty other than to serve as a translator between the interlocutors. "I haven't betrayed my homeland as is claimed... The accusations are humiliating for me and my family. I am innocent." The US charge d'affaires from the Ankara embassy and the Istanbul consul general were also in court for the first set of hearings, which is expected to last three days. The trial opened as relations between the United States and Turkey have worsened with disagreements over Syria's war, Turkey's purchase of Russian missiles and the US refusal to extradite Gulen. The US embassy has called the accusations "wholly without merit". US officials say freeing "unjustly detained" Turkish nationals on their staff is a priority, as is the case of NASA scientist Serkan Golge, a dual US-Turkish national jailed on terror charges. Another Istanbul local consulate staffer, Mete Canturk, is under house arrest and facing similar charges to Topuz. A judge in January convicted Hamza Ulucay, a former local employee of the US consulate in Adana, southern Turkey, of helping outlawed Kurdish militants. He was released for time already served. Story continues - Diplomatic crisis - In the indictment, Topuz is accused of engaging in espionage activities as well as arranging arms trafficking through exchanges on the Whatsapp messaging service. Topuz's initial arrest in 2017 triggered a diplomatic crisis with both Turkey and the US suspending visa services, until they stepped back. "This has been a big deal in the Turkish-US relations, but Americans have reversed course from an earlier decision to impose visa bans and have decided to pursue a quiet diplomacy," said Asli Aydintasbas, a fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations. Since the failed 2016 coup against Erdogan, tens of thousands of people have been detained over suspected links to Gulen and more than 100,000 people have been sacked or suspended from public sector jobs. Gulen denies the coup accusations. Ankara has been criticised by its Western allies and human rights activists over the crackdown they say has undermined democracy. But Turkish officials say the raids are needed to clear Gulen's influence from state institutions. US relations with Turkey plummeted to a low last year over detained US pastor Andrew Brunson, triggering tit-for-tat sanctions that hit the local lira currency. Brunson was released in October last year and relations improved. But Erdogan's decision to buy S-400 missile systems from Russia has provoked warnings from Washington that the deal may impact its sale of US-made F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and trigger more sanctions. Turkey's push to buy the systems has raised questions among NATO allies over alliance equipment as well as concerns over the relationship between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ties were already strained over US support of Kurdish forces in Syria, which Ankara brands as a terrorist group tied to PKK Kurdish militants fighting an insurgency against the Turkish state. Washington (AFP) - The US Treasury took fresh aim Tuesday at the international network funnelling dollars and euros to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), naming 25 individuals and entities for financial sanctions. The targets were front companies of the IRGC-controlled Ansar Bank and Ansar Exchange in Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, that have collectively been able to move more than $1 billion for the Tehran regime, the Treasury said. The funds have benefitted both the IRGC and the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, according to a Treasury announcement. The sanctions seek to lock those named out of the global financial system by banning US citizens and US businesses -- including international banks with a US presence -- from doing business with them. "Any foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitates a significant transactions for any of the individuals or entities designated today could be subject to US sanctions," the Treasury warned. The 25 named were mostly relatively small trading and money exchange firms, dubbed by the Treasury "front companies," and their owners and managers who worked with Ansar Bank and Ansar Exchange. In addition key figures in Ansar Bank and Ansar Exchange were designated for sanctions. "This vast network is just the latest example of the Iranian regime's use of deceptive practices to exploit the global financial system and divert resources to sanctioned entities," said Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Sigal Mandelker. Washington has stepped up economic pressure on Iran since President Trump decided to withdraw last year from the 2015 agreement to freeze the country's development of nuclear weapons, saying Tehran was "not living up to the spirit of the deal." In January, however, Central Intelligence Agency Director Gina Haspel told Congress that Iran continued to comply with the terms of the deal. The United States has once again sailed a pair of Navy warships through the politically-sensitive Taiwan Strait ahead of high-level trade negotiations between Donald Trumps administration and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. A spokesperson for the Navys Seventh Fleet confirmed the passage of the US Navy destroyer, the USS Curtis Wilbur and the US Coast Guard cutter, the USCGC Bertholf, through the region, saying The ships transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific in a statement to CNN. China previously expressed concerns about the passage of US warships through the roughly 160 kilometre (100 mile)-wide waterway when the Navy carried out a similar operation just days before Mr Trump and Mr Xi Jinping held bilateral meetings last year. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement on Saturday the upcoming meetings are aimed at improving the trade relationship between the United States and China. Tensions have flared in recent years between China and Taiwan, which considers itself a sovereign state despite Beijing declaring ownership over the East Asian island. The bitterness has escalated in part due to US challenges of Chinas claim to sovereignty over virtually the entire South China Sea. In late September, a Chinese destroyer came close to colliding with a US destroyer warship in the South China Sea in what the Navy called an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre. As the US and China became entrenched in a tit-for-tat exchange of increasing tariffs, Mr Trumps administration sought to make ship passages through the strait a more common occurrence. The Navy has reportedly sailed warships in the waterway at least three times this year, as opposed to nearly once annually prior to July. China regards Taiwan as its own territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary. The sides split amid civil war in 1949 and most Taiwanese favour retaining their current de-facto status of political independence while maintaining close economic ties with China. Story continues There is no international law restricting civilian or military shipping from passing through the Taiwan Strait. The Associated Press contributed to this report ROME (AP) The Vatican official who negotiated a landmark agreement between the Holy See and China on bishop nominations said Monday that the path to normalizing Catholic life in the country "is still long" but that a new future is now possible. Speaking in public for the first time since the accord was signed Sept. 22, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli revealed details of his nearly four-decade-long effort to heal the rift with China while attending a book launch event. Celli choked up at times, recalling the suffering he had seen while meeting with clandestine bishops, as well as the "profound suffering" of illegitimate bishops forced to accept episcopal consecration without papal consent. Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte, fresh off a visit to Italy by Chinese President Xi Jinping and signing an agreement to support Beijing's "Belt and Road" infrastructure initiative, also attended the book launch at the headquarters of the Italian Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica. China's estimated 12 million Catholics are split between those belonging to the government-backed Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, which is outside the pope's authority, and an underground church loyal to the pope. Underground priests and parishioners are frequently detained and harassed. The September deal was aimed at uniting the flock, regularizing the status of seven bishops who weren't recognized by Rome and thawing decades of estrangement between China and the Vatican. But some of China's underground faithful have deep reservations about the deal, seeing it as a sell-out to the Communist government and a betrayal of their long loyalty to the pope. Celli said he has no fears about the criticism that the deal sold out the underground church, saying, "I recognize there are positive elements for dialogue." "This provisional agreement is not just a point of arrival, but a point of departure for a more concrete and fruitful dialogue for both sides," he said. Story continues Celli, who also was the key negotiator in the Vatican's Vietnam negotiations, said he began working on the China dossier in 1982, soon after the end of the Cultural Revolution. In those years, China severed official relations with Vatican, which was "literally inundated" with letters from bishops and priests who survived crackdowns by officially atheist governments. The letters, written in remarkably good Latin, Celli said, gave the Holy See the first solid evidence of a Catholic Church divided into two communities. Celli said his first meeting with Beijing authorities, at the Chinese Embassy in Rome, was "not easy. The human rapport was tense, to say the least." A "limited sense of mutual trust" and poor communications impeded progress, which required a bridge to overcome the "rigidity of principles" on both sides, he said. With the Sept. 22 agreement, which established protocols for nominating bishops going forward, "undoubtedly we have increased mutual trust," Celli said. "The path of normalizing the life of the church is still long," he said, noting the difficulty of harmonizing a church that is both fully Catholic, and fully Chinese. "Some would say I'm too optimistic," Celli said. "I've never had illusions. But hope? Yes. I'm willing to welcome the surprise of the Lord, even in China." By Vivian Sequera and Corina Pons CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's government told workers and school children to stay home on Tuesday as the second major blackout this month left the streets of Caracas mostly empty and residents wondering how long power would be out amid a deepening economic crisis. President Nicolas Maduro's Socialist government, which had blamed sabotage by the United States and the opposition for the previous power cut, said an "attack" on its electrical system caused the blackout that first hit on Monday. The outage shuttered businesses, paralyzed the country's main oil export terminal, and stranded commuters. Intermittent service has long affected Venezuela's largely rural interior, but residents of Caracas fear the increasing blackouts in the capital mean that unreliable power is becoming the new normal for them, too. "I hope that now with these blackouts in Caracas they can do something, that everyone reacts," said Maria Melendez, a seamstress in the western city of Punto Fijo who said she has had to replace damaged appliances during previous blackouts. "They used to say that Caracas is Caracas, and everywhere else is weeds and snakes. Now Caracas will also be weeds and snakes if we continue like this." The blackout came amid tensions with the United States over the weekend arrival of Russian military planes, which led Washington to accuse Moscow of "reckless escalation" of the country's political crisis. The United States believes the planes were carrying "cybersecurity personnel," a U.S. official told Reuters on Tuesday. That would suggest part of their mission could be helping Maduro's loyalists with surveillance and protecting the government's cyber infrastructure. Russia, which has major energy investments in OPEC member Venezuela, has remained a staunch ally of Maduro, while the United States and most other Western nations have endorsed opposition leader Juan Guaido. Citing the constitution, Guaido in January assumed the interim presidency, saying Maduro's re-election last year was fraudulent. Maduro says Guaido is a U.S. puppet attempting to lead a coup against him and has blamed worsening economic difficulties on sanctions imposed by Washington. Power had returned to many parts of Caracas by noon on Tuesday, but businesses remained idle and few pedestrians were walking the streets. Those who went to work because they had not heard that the workday had been canceled were returning to their homes. "How am I supposed to find out, if there's no power and no internet?" said dental assistant Yolanda Gonzalez, 50, waiting for the bus near a Caracas plaza. "Power's going to get worse, you'll see." GOVERNMENT BLAMES "FAR RIGHT" Venezuela's western cities, including Maracaibo and Barquisimeto, as well as the central city of Valencia, also had no power on Tuesday, according to witnesses. The main oil export terminal of Jose and the country's four upgraders that make its crude exportable were paralyzed by the outage, industry workers said. Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez on Monday said the blackout was the result of an attack on Venezuela's main hydroelectric Guri dam which had affected three major transmission lines. He did not explicitly blame the outage on any particular individual or group. But he said, "the intention of Venezuela's far right is to attack, generate anxiety and anguish, in order to seize power and steal all our resources." Brazil Mines and Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque said on Tuesday that Venezuela had not complied with its contract to supply northern Roraima state with energy since March 7, without providing details. The first of Venezuela's blackouts this month began on March 7. For nearly a week it left millions of people struggling to obtain food and water and hospitals without power to treat the sick. Looting in the western state of Zulia destroyed hundreds of businesses. Electricity experts say the outages are the result of inadequate maintenance and incompetent management of the power grid since the late President Hugo Chavez nationalized the sector in 2007. "The new normal for the electrical supply is greater vulnerability and less reliability," said Miguel Lara, a former president of the state-run entity responsible for the power system. (Reporting by Vivian Sequera, Brian Ellsworth and Corina Pons; Additional reporting by Mayela Armas; Writing by Brian Ellsworth and Luc Cohen; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Rosalba O'Brien) Members of parliament will vote on Wednesday on their preferred Brexit options. Photo: Tolga Akmen/Getty Images Here are some of the top business, market, and economic stories you should be watching today in the UK, Europe, and abroad: Brexit: MPs take control British members of parliament (MPs) are gearing up to vote on Wednesday on their preferred Brexit options in a bid to solve the Brexit impasse. However, there are concerns that no majority will emerge for any of the options, which could include a very soft Brexit or no Brexit at all. The UK pound (GBPUSD=X, GBPEUR=X) was not making any big moves on Tuesday as the future of the UK and Brexit remains uncertain. This upcoming round of voting gives MPs an unusual amount of control over setting the agenda and wrests power away from prime minister Theresa May and her government. UK lawmakers must arrive at an agreed course of action by April 12 and the plan also needs to be palatable to the European Unions 27 member countries, noted Lukman Otunuga, a research analyst at the broker FXTM. All these seemingly unending twists and turns only serve to ensure that the pound remains highly sensitive and volatile as Brexit uncertainties intensify in the near-term. The pound is up by about 4% against the US dollar and up 5.5% against the euro since the start of the year. However, the currency is still well below its pre-referendum levels from early 2016. Food and drink in the spotlight: Ocado and Fever-Tree Shares in Ocado (OCDO.L) are surging by about 5% to an all-time high after the food-delivery and logistics specialist announced it had inked a partnership deal with Australias Coles Group. Coles Group, which is one of Australias largest retailers, plans to use Ocados know-how to improve its online grocery delivery business. This is Ocados fifth major overseas deal in less than 18 months. READ MORE: Can Ocados deal-making frenzy continue? Meanwhile, shares in drinks-maker Fever-Tree (FEVR.L) were getting shaken and stirred after the company reported its annual results for 2018. The stock was down by as much as 8% at the start of the day, but then posted a full recovery. Story continues The company reported a 40% surge in sales in 2018 as consumers drank more gin and demanded Fever-Trees premium carbonated mixers. But the results also showed that Fever-Tree profit margins were getting squeezed and the company was not growing as quickly in the US market. UK growth was good at 53%, although of course slower than we have seen in previous years. US sales growth was encouraging, rising 21%, although they are yet to take off like they did in the UK market, noted Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at trading platform Markets.com. Global stock market overview European stock markets were mixed on Tuesday morning. Britains FTSE 100 (^FTSE) was posting some modest gains, while Germanys DAX (^GDAXI) was slipping into the red. This comes after most Asian markets pushed higher on Tuesday. US stock futures were also pointing up in the hours ahead of the opening bell. EU-China meetings French president Emmanuel Macron welcomed Chinese president Xi Jinping to the Elysee Palace on Tuesday to discuss climate change and trade issues. German chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker are also taking part in the talks. Huawei launch in Paris Chinese smartphone-maker Huawei is set to unveil its new flagship P30 and P30 Pro smartphones in Paris on Tuesday. This is a world premiere for the new phones. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. WTS recently announced that it has funded and helped install two water filtration systems in India to provide clean drinking water to underprivileged members of the rural community. Markedly, along with Planet Water Foundation a U.S.-based non-profit organization that works to bring clean water to the worlds most impoverished communities four Watts Waters employees have built AquaTowers in two schools in the Thane-Palghar district of Maharashtra. Notably, Watts Water first partnered with Planet Water in 2016. Since then, they have brought clean water to 13,000 people in Cambodia, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Puerto Rico. Watts Waters employees from its Shanghai, China, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Auckland, New Zealand offices helped install the towers that remove bacteria and viruses, while providing 1,000 people with 10,000 liters of clean water on a daily basis. The noble initiative was part of Planet Waters Project 24, where its corporate partners annually build towers in rural communities on World Water Day on Mar 22. As a global leader in water technologies, Watts Water is committed to improving access to safe water. It is proud to volunteer in India where there is huge demand for washing, cleaning and cooking/drinking water, particularly in rural regions. The company plans to fund two additional AquaTowers later in 2019 in partnership with Planet Water. Furthermore, the company is focused on bolstering growth through new product development, geographic expansion and key account management. These initiatives are expected to be conducive to top-line growth and margin expansion in 2019. Watts Waters operating margin expansion will likely be driven by higher volume and productivity increment efforts. The company continues to reinvest a portion of the productivity savings in selling and marketing, R&D and IT systems to fund future growth. It believes Asia-Pacific segments margin will expand on the back of higher volume. Notably, Watts Water consistently looks for strategic opportunities to invest in new products and markets or divest existing product lines. It also remains focused on maintaining stringent quality control and testing procedures at each manufacturing facilities. Watts Water is seeking to accelerate organic growth, drive margin expansion and reinvest in future growth and productivity initiatives. The company aims to launch smart and connected product strategy in 2019, which is likely to provide it with further differentiation in the marketplace. In addition, Watts Water is committed to enhancing shareholder value and executing its balanced cash allocation strategy while following its long-term strategy of growing business organically and through acquisitions. Driven by diligent execution of operational strategies, the stock has rallied 20.6% on an average compared with the industrys rise of 13.8% in the past three months. Story continues Currently, Watts Water has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A few better-ranked stocks in the broader industry are Woodward, Inc. WWD, Harris Corporation HRS and Motorola Solutions, Inc. MSI, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Woodward has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 12.9%. Harris has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 8%. Motorola has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 8%. Is Your Investment Advisor Fumbling Your Financial Future? See how you can more effectively safeguard your retirement with a new Special Report, 4 Warning Signs Your Investment Advisor Might Be Sabotaging Your Financial Future. Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Motorola Solutions, Inc. (MSI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Harris Corporation (HRS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (WTS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Woodward, Inc. (WWD) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research For about a decade, I never took more than a long weekend off. During that time, I ran a large store, worked for a major technology company, and served as the editor of a daily newspaper. None of these companies -- not even the one that owned the newspaper, which has a well-deserved reputation for treating people badly -- required me to forego longer vacations. I chose not to take time off out of a misguided sense of duty, self-importance, and lack of understanding. Now I'm a little more self-aware. I started by taking the Fourth of July week off every year (because you only miss four days of work), and even that small break showed me that time away makes me better at my job. It also showed me that while I'm valued by my coworkers and bosses, they can make it through a week or two without me. That has led me on a quest to take more time off. Luckily, I work for an employer that values work/life balance, but many people aren't so lucky. That's a mistake being made by employers both big and small. Whether you're an employee or an employer, there are real benefits to time off, and they go both ways. People relax on a beach. You don't have to go to a beach but you should take time off. Image source: Getty Images. Take a break Vacations aren't just about tropical drinks, relaxing, and not going to work. They're a relief from the pressure valve of working every day. Taking vacation alleviates job stress according to a study from the American Psychological Association. Those findings match similar reports from a study of Canadian lawyers and one done at the University of Vienna. Neither the worker nor the company can necessarily see that someone has become stressed in their job. In fact, some companies may think that because they offer a relaxed workplace stress isn't a factor. In reality, stresses pile up in even the most laid-back atmospheres, and time not at work is needed to recharge. "Vacations have the potential to break into the stress cycle. We emerge from a successful vacation feeling ready to take on the world again, wrote Susan Krauss Whitbourne for Psychology Today. "We gain perspective on our problems, get to relax with our families and friends, and get a break from our usual routines." Story continues What should businesses do? A lot of people don't take time off out of a sense of duty. That's actually a good problem, as it indicates a well-run company where employees like working. But breaking that cycle requires the company take an active role in getting employees to take vacations. The first step, of course, is offering a liberal vacation policy. Make sure even new workers get two weeks off in their first year, and be more generous with employees with seniority or higher-level jobs. After granting the time, make sure people actually take it by scheduling employee time off. That has a practical impact at smaller companies -- you can make sure you give people time off and still have the staff needed to operate. Don't force people to take the weeks you want them to, but make sure they do schedule some time off (and be flexible with changes). Once the time comes for workers to be off, make sure they actually disconnect. That means not emailing them questions and encouraging them to disconnect (you may even offer a vacation bonus for staying away). It may be hard to operate without some employees. Finding that out is important, and allows you to make plans for what would happen if that employee left. Ideally, after a week, your employee will come back relaxed and ready to go. They will also attack their job knowing that the company survived, and more stress-free vacations are ahead. More From The Motley Fool The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. U.S. Treasury bonds, especially the long-dated ones, have gained popularity lately especially in the wake of declining yields and demand for safe haven amid global slowdown concerns. Declining Yields U.S. Treasury yields logged in the largest weekly decline of 2019 with 10-year yields tumbling as low as 2.42% and the three-month yields falling to 2.455% last week. With this, the spread between yields of three-month Treasury bills exceeded those of 10-year notes for the first time since 2007, causing an inverted yield curve (long-term rates fall below short-term). This historically signals an upcoming recession (read: Fear an Inverted Yield Curve? Short Financial Stocks With ETFs). The sharp decline in short-term yields came on the back of the Feds more-than-expected dovish view that has set the stage for a bond rally. The central bank said in its latest FOMC meeting that there will be no rate hike for this year, citing softness in the U.S. economy. Global Growth Concerns Rounds of downbeat data across the globe have escalated fears of a global slowdown. This is particularly true as the eurozone manufacturing sector activity in March contracted at the fastest pace in nearly six years, per the latest IHS/Markit research data. German manufacturing activity growth was the weakest in six and a half years while Frances private sector also sank. Additionally, the U.S. manufacturing sector Flash Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) tumbled to its lowest level in nearly two years. The bleak data confirmed the trend of sharply decelerating global economy, and has pushed down the long-term yields (read: 4 Safe Haven ETFs to Escape Recession Warnings). Moreover, uncertainty surrounding Britains exit from the European Union as well as the yet-to- materialize trade deal weigh over global growth, resulting in flight to safety in long-dated U.S. Treasuries. As such, long-term Treasury bond ETFs have been on the rise over the past week and will likely continue to do so, at least for the near term. Below we have profiled five ETFs that are surging the most on the current chaos. These funds have a favorable Zacks ETF Rank of #3 (Hold) and look interesting, especially as long as global growth worries prevail (see: all the Government Bond ETFs here). Vanguard Extended Duration Treasury ETF EDV This fund provides exposure to the long-term Treasury STRIPS market by tracking the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury STRIPS 2030 Year Equal Par Bond Index. It holds 82 bonds with effective maturity of 25.2 years and average duration of 24 years. Expense ratio comes in at 0.07%. The product has amassed $972.6 million in its asset base while sees moderate volume of 131,000 shares per day on average. It has added 3.9% in a week. SPDR Portfolio Long-Term Treasury ETF SPTL This fund tracks the Bloomberg Barclays Long U.S. Treasury Index, charging investors 6 bps in annual fees. It holds 50 bonds in its basket with average maturity of 25.06 years and adjusted duration of 17.59 years. SPTL is one of the popular choices in the long-term Treasury space with AUM of $1.6 billion and average daily volume of 834,000 shares. SPTL is up 2.8% in a week. iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF TLT This is the most popular and liquid ETF in the long-dated bond space with AUM of $10 billion and average daily volume of 9 million shares. It tracks the ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index, holding 34 securities in its basket. The fund has average maturity of 25.39 years and effective duration of 17.48 years. It charges 15 bps in fees per year and has gained 2.8% in the same time frame (read: Muni Bonds Off to Best Start Since 2006: 5 Hot ETFs to Buy). Vanguard Long-Term Government Bond ETF VGLT With AUM of $825.1 million, this fund follows the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Long Treasury Bond Index. It holds 50 bonds in its basket with effective maturity of 25.5 years and average duration of 17.1 years. The ETF trades in good volumes of around 1198,000 shares and has 0.07% in expense ratio. The product is up 2.7% over the past week. iShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF TLH This fund tracks the performance of the ICE U.S. Treasury 10-20 Year Bond Index and holds 13 bonds in its basket. Average maturity and effective duration come in at 16.12 years and 11.65 years, respectively. TLH has accumulated $968 million in its asset base while trading in lower volumes of 87,000 shares a day on average. It charges 15 bps in annual fees and has gained 2% over the past week. Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox? Zacks free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week. Get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report iShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLH): ETF Research Reports Vanguard Extended Duration Treasury ETF (EDV): ETF Research Reports Vanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF (VGLT): ETF Research Reports iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT): ETF Research Reports SPDR Portfolio Long Term Treasury ETF (SPTL): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report A Dutch art detective dubbed the Indiana Jones of the Art World has struck again, finding a Picasso painting worth 25 million euros stolen from a Saudi sheiks yacht on the French Riviera in 1999 Arthur Brand said he had handed back the 1938 masterpiece entitled Portrait of Dora Maar, also known as Buste de Femme (Dora Maar) to an insurance company earlier this month. The discovery of the rare portrait of Maar, one of Pablo Picassos most influential mistresses, is the culmination of a four-year investigation into the burglary on the luxury yacht Coral Island, as she lay anchored in Antibes. Two decades after its theft and with no clues to its whereabouts, the French police were stumpedand the portrait, which once hung in the Spanish masters home until his death in 1973, was feared lost forever. But after a four-year trail which led through the Dutch criminal underworld, two intermediaries turned up on Brands Amsterdam doorstep 10 days ago with the missing picture. They had the Picasso, now valued at 25 million euros wrapped in a sheet and black rubbish bags with them, Brand told AFP. It was yet another success for Brand, who hit the headlines last year for returning a stolen 1,600-year-old mosaic to Cyprus. He won world fame in 2015 after finding Hitlers Horses, two bronze statues made by Nazi sculptor Joseph Thoraka discovery about which he had a book out earlier this month.The theft of the Picasso, valued at around seven million dollars at the time, baffled French police, sent the super-rich scurrying to update boat security and prompted the offer of a big reward. In 2015, Brand first got wind that a Picasso stolen from a ship was doing the rounds in the Netherlands, although at that stage I didnt know which one exactly. It turned out that the painting had entered the criminal circuit, where it circled for many years often being used as collateral, popping up in a drug deal here, four years later in an arms deal there, said. It took several years and a few dead ends before pinning down that it was actually the Picasso stolen from Saudi Arabian billionaire Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Abdulmalik Al-Sheikhs yacht as the mega-cruiser was being refurbished, Brand said. Brand put out word on the street that he was looking for Buste de Femme (Dora Maar) and in early March he struck gold. Two representatives of a Dutch businessman contacted me, saying their client had the painting. He was at his wits end, said Brand. He thought the Picasso was part of a legitimate deal. It turns out the deal was legitimatethe method of payment was not, Brand laughed.Brand called the Dutch and French policewho had since closed the caseand who said they would not prosecute the current owner. Since the original theft, the painting must have changed hands at least 10 times, said Brand. Brand said he had to act quickly, otherwise, the painting may have disappeared back into the underworld. I told the intermediaries, its now or never because the painting is probably in a very bad state... We have to act as soon as we can.Then, just over a week ago, Brands doorbell rang at his modest apartment in Amsterdam, and the intermediaries were there with the painting. After unwrapping it, I hung the Picasso on my wall for a night, thereby making my apartment one of the most expensive in Amsterdam for a day, Brand laughed. The following day, a Picasso expert from New Yorks Pace Gallery flew in to verify its authenticity at a high-security warehouse in Amsterdam. Also present was retired British detective Dick Ellis, founder of Scotland Yards art and antiquities squad, representing an unnamed insurance company. There is no doubt that this is the stolen Picasso, Ellis, who now runs a London-based art risk consultancy business, told AFP. Ellis is famous for recovering many stolen artworks including Edvard Munchs The Scream, lifted from the National Gallery of Norway in 1994. Its not only the public interest to recover stolen works of art, he said. You are also reducing the amount of collateral that is circling the black market and funds criminality. Buste de Femme is back in possession of the insurance company, which now had to decide the next steps, Brand and Ellis said. The first all-female spacewalk in history has now been put on hold and women back here on Earth are not happy. Earlier this month, NASA announced to much acclaim that they would hold the historic spacewalk on March 29 with astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch. Kristen Facciol of the Canadian Space Agency would provide ground support at the Johnson Space Center in Houston as the two astronauts ventured outside of the International Space Station. But mere days before the mission, NASA canceled the historic spacewalk for an anti-climactic reason: they didnt have enough spacesuits to fit the astronauts. During a spacewalk with astronaut Nick Hague on March 22, McClain determined that she fit better in a medium-sized space suit instead of the larger one she used while training. This effectively ended the all-female portion of the mission, as NASA can only construct one medium-sized suit in time for the walk and that one will go to Koch. Koch had been scheduled to conduct this spacewalk with astronaut McClain, in what would have been the first all-female spacewalk, NASA said in a statement on Monday. However, after consulting with McClain and Hague following the first spacewalk, mission managers decided to adjust the assignments, due in part to spacesuit availability on the station. McClain learned during her first spacewalk that a medium-size hard upper torso essentially the shirt of the spacesuit fits her best. RELATED: NASAs Mars Rover Is Declared Dead After 15 Years of Exploration: Rest Well, Rover They added: Because only one medium-size torso can be made ready by Friday, March 29, Koch will wear it. News of the cancelation did not go over well online, and many social media users criticized the agency for the decision. NASA just canceled the first all-female spacewalk because it wont have enough suits that fit women astronauts ready in time, wrote one user. I guess sexism really can transcend the Earthly plane. Story continues Yet some users were supportive, citing the importance of safety. RELATE VIDEO: Meteor-Like Object Seen Over Los Angeles Not An Alien Invasion After All Im super disappointed about the all-woman spacewalk not happening as scheduled this Friday, wrote Emily Lakdawalla, but Im also super supportive of astronauts having the authority to say, I would be safer using a different piece of equipment. An all-woman spacewalk WILL eventually happen. The mission will now go on with Koch and Hague at the helm, who will be replacing batteries on the station that were installed last year. McClain will now perform her first spacewalk on April 8 with Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques, and NASA has not announced a timetable to when an all-female walk may finally happen. By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fabiana Rosales, the wife of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, will meet U.S. Vice President Mike Pence at the White House on Wednesday and first lady Melania Trump in Florida on Thursday, White House officials said. The high-profile meetings are aimed at demonstrating U.S. backing for Guaido, the head of Venezuela's national assembly, who in January invoked the constitution to assume the interim presidency, arguing that President Nicolas Maduro's 2018 re-election was illegitimate. "The United States is determined to support Interim President Guaidos leadership as he champions freedom and the restoration of democracy for the Venezuelan people," a White House official said in a statement about Pence's meeting with Rosales. Most Latin American and Western countries have recognized Guaido as Venezuela's rightful leader. Maduro, who retains control of state functions and the country's military, says Guaido is a puppet of the United States. Melania Trump will meet with Rosales, a 26-year-old journalist and opposition activist who is considered Venezuela's first lady by supporters, at the Trumps' private Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, on Thursday, a spokeswoman for the first lady said. Rosales, who told Reuters before her trip that her family and friends have been stalked and threatened, is also expected to visit New York City and Miami during her U.S. trip. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton, Editing by James Dalgleish and Tom Brown) A CCTV still as shown by the BBC capturing the moment Mrs Royce was robbed near Manchesters Sackville Street, in China town, last Thursday. (BBC) A woman was robbed by a group of thieves as she was having a seizure in a city centre street. Leonora Royce was lying unconscious when her mobile phone and money were stolen just off Portland Street, Manchester, at 1am on Thursday, the BBC reports. Mrs Royce said she would not let the crime, which was captured on CCTV, stop her working in the city. Greater Manchester Police said it had arrested a man, 46, on suspicion of robbery. The incident was spotted by Manchester City Council CCTV operators who alerted police, and officers arrived at the scene within minutes. Leonora Royce, of Stockport, was robbed as she suffered an epileptic fit in Manchester at around 1am on Thursday. (BBC) Mrs Royce, from Stockport, said she had picked a letter up from her office in the early hours of Thursday, and then it gets a bit vague when she went back into her car. She said she did not remember what happened until police brought me round. Mrs Royce said she was told her seizure had lasted for about six minutes, and a group of people had taken her possessions. Her husband Jordan, who watched the footage, described the attack as evil. He said: She fell to the floor and had a seizure. At this point a group of people descended on her like the walking dead. Leonora Royce, of Stockport, was robbed as she suffered an epileptic fit in Manchester at around 1am on Thursday. Her husband Joshua has slammed the robber as disgusting. (BBC) They literally clambered at her and clawed at her taking all her possessions while she was laid on the floor at her most vulnerable. And then they even went into her car and tried to rob stuff from that as well. Mrs Royce said she had bruising and needed dental work. Her husband said the offenders could have caused her more serious injuries. Read more from Yahoo News UK: New device could force cars in the EU could be forced to stick to speed limits Walker discovers 17th century pirate grenade Millionaires son kills friend in McLaren supercar crash When someone is [having a seizure] even intervening can cause damage. It is an absolute disgrace. However, Mrs Royce said she refuses to live in fear after the attack, saying: I wont let it change my daily life. Im not going to let it define me. Im still going to work in the city. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The all-female staff of the Vatican newspaper's monthly magazine on women's issues have resigned abruptly en masse, saying the new editor was trying limit their autonomy and put them "under direct male control". "Women Church World" has run a series of controversial stories, including on the sexual abuse of nuns by priests and nuns working for free as servants for bishops. Lucia Scaraffia, who started the magazine seven years ago, has called for a Vatican commission to investigate sexual abuse of women in the Catholic Church. In an open letter to Pope Francis, she said the 11 women felt they were being "reduced to silence" and denounced an attempt to "return to the antiquated and arid custom of decisions from above, under direct male control". The women will also explain their decision to quit in an editorial next month. Copies of it and the letter were made available to Reuters by one of the members on Tuesday. In the editorial, Scaraffia lamented an attempt to return to selection of women "who assure obedience, renouncing any possibility of opening a true, free and courageous dialogue." In a statement, Andrea Monda, who became editor of newspaper L'Osservatore Romano three months ago, denied the accusations. He said he had guaranteed the women "the same total autonomy and same total freedom" the magazine had previously enjoyed and had only made some suggestions about story ideas and people to involve in them. Monda, a layman, said he has confirmed the magazine's budget despite cost-cutting elsewhere in the Vatican's media operations. He rejected accusations that he was seeking a return to "self-referential clericalism" and said "Women Church World" would continue to be published. The resignations were the latest in more than a year of upheavals in the Vatican's communications department. The previous editor of the Vatican newspaper, Giovanni Maria Vian, a close friend of Scaraffia, was abruptly replaced by Monda on Dec. 18. The same reshuffle of the Vatican's Secretariat for Communications saw Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli, a friend of Pope Francis, named editorial director of all Vatican communications. On Dec. 31, Vatican spokesman Greg Burke, an American, and his Spanish deputy, Paloma Garcia Ovejero, resigned over disagreements on overall communications strategy. Monsignor Dario Vigano resigned as overall head of Vatican communications in March after a scandal over a doctored letter he distributed to journalists. (Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Catherine Evans) Johnny C. Taylor Jr., a human-resources expert, is tackling your questions as part of a series for USA TODAY. Taylor is president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, the world's largest HR professional society. The questions are submitted by readers, and Taylor's answers below have been edited for length and clarity. Have a question? Do you have an HR or work-related question youd like me to answer? Submit it here. Question: Why would a worker get written up for changing the breakroom TV channel to Fox News when it's OK to change the channel to CNN? Robin Johnny C. Taylor, Jr.: Free-speech rights are guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution, but the Constitution doesnt apply to private employment. Employers generally have the authority to control how employees express themselves on the job and are allowed to discipline and even terminate employees who act unprofessionally or create disturbances and this includes political expression. Dying tradition?: Greeting card companies need a sympathy card: CVS, Walmart poised to cut back Weapons purchasing: Saudi Arabia buys the most weapons from the US government. See what other countries top list. Let me explain further. Contrary to popular belief, there is no right to free speech in private workplaces, and political party affiliation and political speech are generally not protected at work. For example, it is permitted for any employer or supervisor who favors CNN over Fox News because of political reasons to discipline a co-worker for turning on Fox in the breakroom, especially if the broadcast is causing or could cause a disturbance. Some state laws protect what employees say or how they express themselves in the office, based on their use of federal or state constitutional free-speech rights. How to quit: What happens if I don't provide two weeks' notice for leaving my job? A tricky situation: How do I turn down a job offer at a company I might want to work at in future? Story continues But watching a cable broadcast on break time might not be protected under state law if an employee wasnt then expressing opinions on the broadcast or amplifying the point of view to influence co-workers. If your employer is in the private sector and not a government workplace, the companys bias and judgment in disciplining employees with differing political opinions is allowed. In other words, the free speech protections of the Constitution and state law likely stop at the employers front door. In the interest of peace and harmony in these contentious times, perhaps the employer should tune the TV to ESPN or HGTV. Then again, maybe the company should unplug the breakroom TV and encourage employees to truly take a break. Q: Can a company charge different health benefit rates to different employees for the exact same coverage? Brad Taylor: For employer-sponsored health plans, the answer is yes and no. Companies can charge different rates, or premiums, through a tiered system that bases employees contributions on their pay. In other words, those making lower wages pay less, and higher-earners pay more. But companies cannot discriminate in favor of highly paid employees, nor can they set arbitrary rates. And they certainly cant set rates based on an employees health. Although companies can charge different premiums, most choose not to do so. According to HR consultancy Aon Hewitt, just 21 percent of employers set health-insurance premiums based on employee pay. Companies with a sliding scale based on income usually do so out of a sense of fairness. As health insurance gets more expensive and employees absorb more out-of-pocket costs, some employers worry that lower-paid workers will bear an undue burden or will go without health insurance. Working for a bad boss?: How to know if your office is a hostile work environment Workplace diversity: Should I say I'm a minority on job application? Tiers are created as companies commit to trying to provide all their employees at all pay levels affordable health-care benefits. Keep in mind that health insurance rates at small employers those with fewer than 50 employees are often based on the ages of the employee and their covered dependents. Its important to understand that your compensation goes beyond pay and often includes valuable benefits such as health insurance. HR is accustomed to answering employees questions about benefits. If you want to know more about your premiums, contact your HR department. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can worker get written up for changing TV to Fox News? Free-speech rights differ in office European leaders welcomed Chinese president Xi Jinping to the Elysee Palace in Paris, France. Photo: Reuters/Philippe Wojazer Multilateralism, rivalry, and Chinas huge Silk Road infrastructure project were the key themes at a meeting between Chinese and European leaders in Paris on Tuesday. Chinese president Xi Jinping, French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Angela Merkel, and EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker acknowledged that the competition and rivalry between China and the EU could be healthy, but emphasised the need for equal access to each others markets. At a press conference following the meeting, Macron said the group had very fruitful discussions about climate change, multilateral trade, trust, and how the EU can play a role in Chinas One Belt One Road infrastructure project in Europe. China will certainly continue in its reforms and openness, Xi said at the press conference. For 40 years, China has been walking the path which made reform possible we will continue moving forward, and continue being open. Chinas ambitious Silk Road sea-and-land infrastructure project is currently stoking concern in Europe, especially in the wake of Italys recent announcement that it has signed a deal with Beijing to take part. Italy is the first G7 nation to join the project, which will see Beijing invest 7bn (6bn, $7.9bn) into Italian ports. Regarding the One Belt One Road initiative, it is a major project and as Europeans we want to play a role, but there needs to be reciprocity and it is still a little difficult to find how this reciprocity will function, Merkel said. She said multilateralism always starts with good bilateral relations, adding that the European leaders had discussed the ideas of cooperation and rivalry with Xi. Juncker stressed during Tuesdays press conference that European companies must find the same access to Chinese markets, as Chinese companies have access to Europe. He added that it was important that the Silk Road initiative should benefit European citizens too. Gunther Ottinger, European commissioner for budget and human resources, has urged the EU to veto Italys deal with Beijing. He said the body should take into account EU and national interests and have the ability to veto Chinese-backed infrastructure projects in Europe in the future. By Abdulrahman Al-Ansi SANAA (Reuters) - An air strike killed seven people at a Save the Children-supported hospital on Tuesday as Yemenis rallied to show support for the Houthi movement on the fourth anniversary of a war that has killed thousands and pushed the country to the brink of starvation. The Iran-aligned Houthis have controlled the capital Sanaa and Yemen's largest populated areas since 2014 when they ousted the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. The United Nations is pushing ahead with tough talks with the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government to find a political solution to the conflict. A missile struck a gas station near the entrance to a rural hospital 60 miles (100 km) from the city of Saada in the northwestern part of the country at 9:30 a.m. local time, killing seven people, including four children, Save the Children said in a statement. The strike killed a health worker and the person's two children, said Save the Children, which said it supports the hospital. Two more children and a security guard were among the other dead, and eight people were wounded, the group said. In the capital Sanaa, men, women and children marched waving the red, white and black national colors, and chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition against the Houthis, and the United States which backs it. They also blamed U.S. ally Israel for destroying the country. Massive speakers played "America and Israel, death and mutilation to you" and "five or fifty years, we will face the criminal coalition". Reuters witnesses said tens of thousands of people, including supporters of the Houthis' Ansarullah group, had gathered in Sabeen Square in central Sanaa since the early hours of Tuesday morning. "This is a message to the world, that at the start of the fifth year (of the war), Yemenis will be stronger ..., a message that the Yemeni resistance will be even greater," said Mohammed Haidarah, a protester. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif blamed Saudi Arabia and its allies for rejecting peace. The coalition accuses Iran of supplying the Houthis with arms, including drones and missiles. Iran and the Houthis deny the accusations. "On the eve of the war's shameful fifth year, a reminder that it's not too late to stop the nightmare that this war has become," Zarif said on Twitter. YEMENI FLAG Many people taking part in the rally painted their faces in the colors of the Yemeni flag and others danced holding assault rifles and traditional daggers as Houthi leaders cheered the crowd from the main podium. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the head of the Houthis' Supreme Revolutionary Committee, denounced the U.S. decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty on the Golan Heights. "It is a recognition from someone who does not own to someone who does not deserve," he told the crowd. Tens of thousands of people have died in the war pitting the Houthis against the Saudi-led coalition, which intervened in Yemen in 2015 to restore Hadi's government to power. The war has displaced over two million people and driven the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country to the verge of famine. Both sides agreed at U.N.-sponsored talks in December to a truce and troop withdrawal from the port city of Hodeidah, which has become a focus of the war, and an exchange of prisoners. The ceasefire has broadly held, although sporadic clashes continued as the United Nations struggled to implement the withdrawal of troops, a confidence-building measure meant to clear the way for a broader peace settlement after four years of war. However, violence has escalated in other areas since the U.N. peace process started. (Additional reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in London and David Alexander in Washington; Writing by Aziz El Yaakoubi; editing by Ed Osmond and James Dalgleish) WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - Citing pockets of resistance that are impeding the county's efforts to stem a measles outbreak that has risen to 153 cases since October, Rockland officials today declared a state of emergency. Starting at midnight, anyone who is under 18 and not vaccinated against measles will be banned from public places. This ban will last until the declaration expires in 30 days or until people are vaccinated. Places covered under the ban include shopping centers, restaurants, schools and places of worship. Outdoor gathering places are not included. Rockland County Executive Ed Day announces a state of emergency for Rockland County related to the measles outbreak. The county will be disseminating signs explaining the ban this afternoon to be posted in public areas included in the ban. Although Rockland's outbreak has primarily affected members of the Orthodox Jewish community, Rockland County Executive Ed Day said theres no religious exemption. The county executive said the timing was meant to coincide with family gatherings during the upcoming holidays of Passover and Easter. Noncompliance will carry penalties of six months in jail or a $500 fine, although Day said law enforcement would not be deployed at any location seeking proof of vaccination. The announcement comes days after county health officials announced six new exposure sites in Spring Valley and Monsey, including Target in Spring Valley Marketplace, All Fresh Supermarket, Atrium Plaza, Designers Spot, TOR bus loop 2 Eastbound and International Taxi. This was the first time the county released new exposure sites since Thanksgiving weekend. Measles cases have been slowly rising. On March 21, the county announced a total number of 150 confirmed measles cases since the outbreak began in October. State health officials declined to declare a state of emergency in Rockland last month after measles got national attention due to an outbreak and emergency declaration in Washington state. Officials said they were holding regular emergency preparedness calls with local health departments since October after activating its incident management system. At the time there were 137 total measles cases in the county. Story continues Measles outbreak: Judge in New York denies request to allow 44 unvaccinated students back in class New York lawmakers:: Let teens get vaccines against parents' wishes Rockland's exposure sites have mostly been in Monsey or Spring Valley, and anti-vaccination advocates last fall used a phone hotline called Akeres HaBayis to tell parents to continue sending their children to school. But Rockland health officials caution that due to the small geographic size of the county, anyone who is unvaccinated is at risk for measles. Rockland County Legislator Aron Wieder, D-Spring Valley, said he reserved comment until he's heard more details. He was unaware of the planned state of emergency until a press announcement was issued. "Overall, I think that people should be mindful about this terrible disease," said Wieder, who is Hasidic. "I think there is a false perception that people in the Orthodox Jewish community are not vaccinated. Thats not the case. I'm vaccinated. All my children are vaccinated." World Health Organization: People choosing not to vaccinate is now a global health threat Schools targeted Rockland County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert issued an order on Dec. 5 that schools in the 10952 and 10977 ZIP codes with vaccination rates under 95 percent must keep unvaccinated children from attending. Nine yeshivas were fined in November for not reporting unvaccinated students. A federal judge denied a temporary injunction to allow unvaccinated students to return to class at the Green Meadow Waldorf School after parents brought a lawsuit against the county. In a letter to all Rockland County public school superintendents sent out this afternoon, BOCES CEO Mary Jean Marsico said that although she was waiting to hear more information, the responsibility for enforcement is on the parent or guardian of the child. Marsico said she has been in talks with the Department of Health and Rockland County Executives Office. Once additional information is given, schools will be notified the appropriate course of action. New York City's health department has reported 181 measles cases as of March 19. A new outbreak with eight measles cases in New Jersey began earlier this month after an outbreak linked to the one in New York was declared over in January. Measles exposure: Newark Airport travelers may have been exposed to measles, passenger diagnosis shows Anti-vaxxers: Facts alone don't sway anti-vaxxers. So what does? The original measles cases in New York and New Jersey in October came from travelers visiting from or traveling home from Israel, which is experiencing a measles outbreak that has affected more than 3,400 people and caused at least two deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed 314 measles cases in 2019 as of March 21 in 15 states, including New York, New Jersey and Washington. Measles has been eliminated in the United States due to high vaccination rates, but pockets of measles outbreaks can break out in un- or under-vaccinated areas due to travelers bringing in measles from outside of the U.S., officials said. Follow Matt Spillane, Rochel Leah Goldblatt and Nancy Cutler on Twitter: @MattSpillane, @ReporterRox and @nancyrockland This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: New York county declares state of emergency for measles, bans unvaccinated minors from public places Michael Yang President Rodrigo Duterte will kill Michael Yang, his former economic adviser if the Davao-based Chinese businessman is involved in illegal drugs, Malacanang said on Tuesday.Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo made the statement after sacked Philippine National Police officer Eduardo Acierto claimed that the President and former PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa ignored an intelligence report about Yangs alleged involvement in illegal drugs. You dont know this guy [Duterte]. He [Duterte] will kill him if he [Yang] is involved [in illegal drugs], Panelo told reporters. In other developments: Malacanang said Tuesday Yang is no longer Dutertes economic adviser. Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said in a text message that Yangs one peso per annum contract expired on Dec. 31, 2018. Acierto released his own matrix showing the alleged links of Yang and Chinese businessman Allan Lim to the narcotics trade. According to the matrix, Yang and Lim are both linked to the drug syndicate of Johnson Chua, a Chinese national, allegedly operating in the Philippines. Philippine National Police Chief Oscar Albayalde on Tuesday denied receiving an intelligence report from Acierto that tying Yang and a certain Allan Lim to the illegal drugs trade in the country. Malacanang said Tuesday Acierto, who linked Yang to the illegal drug trade, was just disgruntled and probably wanted to get back at Duterte and the government after he himself was tagged in the drug trade. Acierto on Monday slammed the government and accused Yang of involvement in the drug trade against which the President has been waging a relentless war. Albayalde on Tuesday rejected the claim by Acierto that Yang and a certain Allan Lim had ties to the illegal drug trade. Opposition senatorial bets have urged Ombudsman Samuel Martires to investigate President Rodrigo Duterte and other administration officials in light of the allegations of a former police official linking Yang to illegal drugs. Panelo said Duterte would not tolerate anyone involved in illegal drugs regardless of their relationship. But he remained unconvinced that Yang was into drugs, saying that Yangs closeness to Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua spoke for his reputation. Also, common sense will tell us that he is not involved. According to the President, Ambassador Zhao slept in the house of Yang. And we all know that the Chinese government is against illegal drugs, and the Ambassador will never associate himself with anyone involved in drugs, Panelo told reporters on Tuesday. In October last year, Duterte cleared Yang of alleged drug links, saying the Chinese envoy admitted sleeping at Yangs residence in Makati. The Presidents spokesman recalled Dutertes narrative. The fact alone that you are an ambassador of China, and your government is against the illegal drug industry, how can you be associating yourself with somebody you know to be involved in drugs? Obviously, hes not involved, Panelo said. Unless you can show proof that he is involved, the [Presidents trust and confidence [in Yang] remains. On Sunday night, Acierto surfaced to claim that Yang was involved in the illegal drug trade. The sacked police officer also revealed 2017 documents detailing the supposed links of Yang and another Chinese national, Allan Lim, to illegal drugs. Acierto, an anti-narcotics operative, bared his groups intelligence report on Yang might have provoked the President. My conclusion there is that the drug lords have penetrated the upper echelons of government. They now have access to authorities. They werent investigated. Instead, I was the one being probed now... Yes, [the President] tolerated them, said Acierto. For Immediate Release Chicago, IL March 26, 2019 Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Gulfport Energy Corp. GPOR, QEP Resources Inc. QEP, Chesapeake Energy Corp. CHK, Southwestern Energy Co. SWN and Antero Resources AR. Here are highlights from Mondays Analyst Blog: Natural Gas Falls After Smaller-than-Average Supply Decrease The U.S. Energy Department's weekly inventory release showed a slightly smaller-than-expected decrease in natural gas supplies. Moreover, the drawdown fell short of the five-year average. Influenced by these factors, natural gas prices ended Friday at $2.753 per million Btu (MMBtu), down 1.5% over the week. The EIA Inventory Data Stockpiles held in underground storage in the lower 48 states fell by 47 billion cubic feet (Bcf) for the week ended Mar 15, just below the guidance (of 48 Bcf decline) as per the analysts surveyed by S&P Global Platts. The decrease was also significantly lower than both the five-year (2014-2018) average net shrinkage of 56 Bcf and last years drop of 87 Bcf for the reported week. Following past weeks supply decline, at 1.143 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), natural gas inventories are 556 Bcf (32.7%) under the five-year average and 315 Bcf (21.6%) below the year-ago figure. Fundamentally speaking, total supply of natural gas averaged around 93.5 Bcf per day, essentially unchanged on a weekly basis as dry production remained flat. Meanwhile, daily consumption fell 6.2% to 91.3 Bcf primarily due to weaker residential/commercial sector demand amid higher-than-normal temperatures in California and the U.S. Northeast. Volatile Last Few Months for the Fuel While natural gas has rallied more than 8% over the past month, its still 44% below the four-year high of $4.929 per MMBtu reached in mid-November. The early onset of winter, together with the lowest level of stocks in 15 years, demand from power plants and growing LNG shipments lifted the commodity to almost $5 per MMBtu. Story continues But the euphoria didnt last long as mild weather in December and early January led to smaller withdrawals that markedly reduced the storage deficit and sent prices lower. What Lies Ahead? The fundamentals of natural gas consumption continue to be favorable. The demand for cleaner fuels and the commoditys relatively lower price has catapulted natural gas' share of domestic electricity generation to 35%, from 25% in 2011. Moreover, new pipelines to Mexico, together with large-scale liquefied gas export facilities have meant that exports out of the U.S. are set for a quantum leap. Finally, higher consumption from industrial projects will likely ensure strong natural gas demand. However, record high production in the United States and expectations for explosive growth through 2020 means that supply will keep pace with demand. Therefore, prices are likely to trade sideways but for weather-driven movements. Want to Own a Natural Gas Stock Now? The uncertain natural gas fundamentals (considering its seasonal nature) is responsible for the understandable reluctance on investors part to dip their feet into these stocks. Moreover, most natural gas-heavy upstream companies like Gulfport Energy Corp., QEP Resources Inc., Chesapeake Energy Corp., Southwestern Energy Co., etc. carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which means that investors should preferably wait for a better entry point before buying shares in them. If you are looking for a near-term natural gas play, Antero Resources might be an excellent selection. The company has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). This Denver, CO-headquartered companys expected EPS growth rate for three to five years currently stands at 20%, comparing favorably with the industry's growth rate of 18.8%. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Today's Best Stocks from Zacks Would you like to see the updated picks from our best market-beating strategies? From 2017 through 2018, while the S&P 500 gained +15.8%, five of our screens returned +38.0%, +61.3%, +61.6%, +68.1%, and +98.3%. This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. From 2000 2018, while the S&P averaged +4.8% per year, our top strategies averaged up to +56.2% per year. See their latest picks free >> Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Southwestern Energy Company (SWN) : Free Stock Analysis Report QEP Resources, Inc. (QEP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Chesapeake Energy Corporation (CHK) : Free Stock Analysis Report Antero Resources Corporation (AR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Gulfport Energy Corporation (GPOR) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research (Reuters) - A motorway bridge over a New Zealand river was washed away in a severe rain storm on Tuesday, prompting the authorities to declare a state of emergency. The storm battered the west coast of New Zealand's South Island, forcing 300 km(186 miles) of road to be closed due to flooding, according to media reports. Footage shown on local television and distributed on social media showed part of the Waiho Bridge, near the town of Franz Josef, breaking off in torrential river flooding and swaying loose in the rushing water, with the remaining sections soon collapsing. In a short video posted on Facebook, Westland Mayor Bruce Smith declared a state of emergency and said the storm was expected to continue for another day. "I have concerns about people's lives in Franz Josef," Smith said in the message, adding another bridge was also damaged. There were no reports of injuries. About 50 people, mostly tourists, were staying at a makeshift emergency centre in a local hall to see out the storm, media reported. The Meteorological Service of New Zealand said in a statement the storm was "a significant event even by West Coast standards". It added that the New Zealand Transport Agency was advising residents of the South Island's west coast to avoid all but essential travel. The Waiho Bridge has been raised three times since 2002 after flooding left sediment that lifted the river's floor, media reported. (Reporting by Byron Kaye in SYDNEY; Editing by Kim Coghill) Nigerian music stars Phyno and Teni are the newest brand ambassador for popular mint sweet brand TomTom. Just before the quarter of 2019 ends, Phyno and Teni have secured some money in the bag after sealing a new ambassadorial deal. The new deal sees the two artiste become the new face of cool. TomTom unveiled both stars as the new face of the brand recently. To celebrate the deal both Teni and Phyno have shared the news to their fans. The Case hit maker in a speech recalled how she used to pack some TomTom as part of her lunch for school while she was much younger. Home | News | General | Bauchi guber poll: Governor Abubakar congratulates Senator Bala Mohammed on electoral victory - Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar of Bauchi state has congratulated his opponent and winner of the state gubernatorial election, Senator Bala Mohammed - Governor Abubakar says invited the governor-elect to join him in working out the process of a smooth transition - The governor also urged Abubakar to caution his supporters to be law-abiding while celebrating Following his electoral victory, Senator Bala Mohammed has been congratulated by his opponent and the incumbent governor of Bauchi state, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, who he defeated in the state gubernatorial election. The disclosure was contained by the governor's special adviser on media and strategy, Ali M Ali on Monday, March 25, Daily Trust reports. Legit.ng notes that the governor said: I congratulate my brother, Sen. Bala on this victory at the polls. READ ALSO: Supplementary elections: EU observers commend INEC over improved logistics I am delighted to note that in spite of the intensity of the campaigns in our dear state, a peaceful election took place without bloodshed. Let me therefore invite the Governor-elect to join me in working out the process of a smooth transition. I sincerely thank the entire people of Bauchi state for their support to my administration and urged them to extend the same to the incoming administration. I also urge the governor-elect to caution his supporters to be law-abiding while celebrating since the period of campaigns is now over." Legit.ng previously reported that the Bauchi state gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Bala Mohammed won the governorship election in the state. Mohammed defeated incumbent Governor Muhammed Abubakar of the All Progressive Congress, (APC). The pending result of Tafawa Balewa was regenerated, collated and announced at the INEC headquarters on Monday night, March 25. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Announcing the result, the new collation officer of Tafawa Balewa Local government area, Dr Musa Dahiru of the Federal University Kashere, said that PDP polled 39,225 votes as against 30, 055 votes scored by the APC and incumbent governor, Mohammed Abubakar. What has changed in Nigeria since the last election? | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | EU releases report on Sokoto, Benue, Plateau, Bauchi, Kano supplementary elections - The European Union Election Observation Mission reportedly commend INEC for improving electoral procedures and logistics during the re-run elections - The EUEOM also commented on the use of smart card readers and other crucial issues concerning the re-run elections in five states - The chief observer, Maria Arena, will return in June to present the missions final report The European Union Election Observation Mission (EUEOM) to Nigeria has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for improving electoral procedures and logistics following the March 23 supplementary governorship election. In a statement released in Abuja on Monday, March 25, EU EOM explained logistical arrangements and procedures were mostly followed in areas observed by the mission, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. INEC improved logistical arrangements with most polling units observed, open within half an hour of the official opening time. READ ALSO: Adamawa assembly election: PDP wins 13 seats, APC clinches 11 In the polling units that could be fully observed, there were improved logistical arrangements and procedures were mostly followed. Smart card readers were used to accredit voters in all polling units observed. However, manual accreditation procedures were not always correctly followed if card readers failed to authenticate fingerprints. The group observed that collation process was followed and finalised within 24 hours in many states. The collation process was finalised in Bauchi, Benue, Plateau and Sokoto within 24 hours, but in Kano it was suspended for several hours due to concerns over the safety of lower-level collation staff. For security reasons, collation of results in two of 29 LGAs in Kano had to be undertaken at the state collation centre. Similarly, ward collation had to be undertaken at one Local Government Area (LGA) in Bauchi. EU observers noted that overall collation procedures were followed and the process was generally transparent. The mission added that the media played a vital role in enhancing the credibility of the election. Adding to transparency of the process, the media provided live coverage of state-level collation. Positively, national and state-level media in Benue, Plateau and Sokoto regularly updated the public about the supplementary elections. Media and social network users also scrutinized and debated the use of state resources in the days before the supplementary elections. The chief observer, Maria Arena, will return in June to present the missions final report, which will include recommendations for future electoral processes. EU observers visited 12 collation centres and observed party agents present in all. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app In a related development, Legit.ng previously reported that the Coalition of INEC Accredited Observers for the Kano state re-run supplementary governorship election hailed the electoral commission for distributing the election materials on time. The leader of the group, Ambassador Chinyere Manukwem, made the commendation while addressing newsmen in Kano on Sunday, March 24. Manukwem represented the Global Initiative for Civic Training and Youth Development, one of the 18 observer groups accredited by INEC. She said the commendation was necessary because the distribution of both sensitive and non-sensitive materials was done in good time. 2019 elections: Do you still trust INEC to conduct fair elections? - Nigerians speak| Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | My life is in danger - Rivers AAC governorship candidate cries out - Rivers state AAC candidate, Biokpomabo Awara, alleged some people are after his life - Awara also accused Governor Wike of bribing his running mate who just defected to PDP N200 million - The AAC governorship candidate expressed confidence of winning the election, despite his running mate's defection The Rivers state governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Biokpomabo Awara, has alleged his life is in danger. The Nation reports that Awara also claimed that his running mate, Chief Akpo Bomba Yeeh, who defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday, March 25, collected N200 million from Governor Nyesom Wike to defect from the AAC. Legit.ng notes that these allegations are coming barely one week to April 2 commencement of collation of results of March 9 governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers state. READ ALSO: Adamawa assembly election: PDP wins 13 seats, APC clinches 11 Awara who expressed surprise over the resignation of his running mate alleged that gunmen were on the trail of him and members of his family. His words: I saw my running mates resignation online. I have not received the resignation letter he claimed to have addressed to me. I do not know about Yeehs resignation. I have not received any resignation letter from my deputy. Christians the world over believe in fair play but Wikes actions and reactions cast serious doubts on his sense of morality. Wike had earlier said the AAC was not a party to reckon with. It is shocking he could shamelessly use public funds meant for the development of Rivers state to shop for deputy governorship candidates of opposition parties. The same Rivers governor had earlier bought off the deputy governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Rivers state, despite existing provisions, which clearly show that deputies are part owners of joint tickets, who cannot be easily separated from their candidates, once they have appeared on the ballot. Despite the antics of Wike, Rivers people have obviously taken the position that the outgoing governor can no longer lead them. I won the March 9 governorship election. Whatever INEC plans to do, the Rivers people will resist attempts to steal their mandate. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike on Monday, March 25, said that nobodys personal interest can be bigger than that of the Rivers adding that all leaders must work together to move the state forward. Wike, who spoke when he received the deputy governorship candidate of the African Action Congress ( AAC), Chief Akpo Bomba Yeeh, at the Government House Port Harcourt, said history will be kind to the latter for placing Rivers interest above personal consideration. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better. Election not a do or die affair - Sanwoolu | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Just in: Buhari makes new appointment President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Prof. Aliyu Jauro as the new Director General/ Chief Executive Officer of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, (NESREA). The Nation reports that NESREAs deputy director (information), Oyofo Sule, confirmed his appointment in a statement issued on Monday, March 25, in Abuja. According to the statement, Jauro takes over from Dr Lawrence Chidi Anukam whose tenure expired on the 17th of February 2019. READ ALSO: Adamawa assembly election: PDP wins 13 seats, APC clinches 11 Legit.ng gathers that before his appointment, Jauro was deputy director at the National Centre for Petroleum Research and Development, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, (A.T.B.U) Bauchi. He holds a Bachelor of Tech. Degree in Industrial Chemistry from A.T.B.U Bauchi and MSc and PhD Degrees in Industrial Chemistry from the same university. He joined the university as a graduate assistant in 1997 and rose through the ranks to become a professor in Industrial Chemistry in 2014. Addressing the management and staff on assumption of office, the new director general said: I am here to move the agency to the next level. I expect high standard of professionalism, integrity and dedication to duty. He promised to operate an open-door policy, stressing that he will bring his wealth of experience to bear in ensuring that NESREA lives up to its mandate. He commended the acting director general, Miranda Amachree, for the achievements recorded in her short period in that capacity. Professor Jauro won the German Academic Exchange Scholarship (DAAD) and the European Association of Organic Geochemists (EAOG) Travel Grant in 2005. He is a fellow of the Chemical Society of Nigeria (CSN), as well as a member of the Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria, (MICCON) and of Polymer Institute of Nigeria (MPIN). PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, March 25, hosted some All Progressives Congress (APC) senators to a dinner at the new Banquet Hall of the State House in Aso Rock, Abuja. Attendees at the event senators included serving senators and senators-elect of the party as well as state governors of Lagos, Plateau, Kogi, Kaduna, Jigawa, Kebbi, Zamfara, Osun. Also present were the APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, and Boss Gidahyelda Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better. INEC announces Buhari as 2019 election winner, Nigerians react | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | How APC, PDP others stand in Adamawa after state assembly elections - INEC - INEC released the results of the Adamawa state House of Assembly elections' - The electoral body said the PDP won 13 seats, APC got 11 while ADC got 1 - Adamawa state has 25 state assembly seats The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won 13 seats of the Adamawa state House of Assembly. The commission said in a statement by Rifkatu Maxwell, its Head of Voters Education and Publicity on Monday, March 25, in Yola, that the All Progressives Congress (APC),which is the ruling party in the state, won 11 seats. It also said that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) won one seat. READ ALSO: APC wants IGP, DSS to probe Atiku for allegedly hacking INEC server Adamawa has 25 state assembly seats and out of these, the Peoples Democratic Party won 13 seats and the African Democratic Congress won one seat. The ruling party, the All Progressives Congress won 11 seats, it said. It listed the PDP elected state constituencies to include Demsa,Gombi, Guyuk, Uba/Gaya, Hong and Jada/Mbulo Others are: Lamurde, Madagali, Nassarawo/Binyeri, Michika, Numan, Song and Yola North state constituencies. The commission said the 11 seats won by All Progressive Congress, include Fufore/Gurin, Fufore/Verre, Ganye, Girei and Leko/Koma. Others are: Maiha, Mubi North, Mubi South, Shelleng, Toungo and Yola South. The African Democratic party won only Mayo-Belwa state constituency, the electoral umpire added. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that had adhered to a court order stopping it from conducting the Adamawa supplementary governorship election. The spokesperson, for the electoral commission, Festus Okoye, made the disclosure during a briefing on Thursday, March 21. While the commission has also complied with the order, it has equally taken steps to vacate this and dismiss the action, Okoye said. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better. INEC announces Buhari as 2019 election winner, Nigerians react | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Breaking: PDP's Bala Mohammed wins Bauchi governorship election The Bauchi state gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Bala Mohammed has won the governorship election in the state, The Nation reports. Mohammed defeated incumbent Governor Muhammed Abubakar of the All Progressive Congress, (APC). The pending result of Tafawa Balewa was regenerated, collated and announced at the INEC headquarters on Monday night, March 25. READ ALSO: Adamawa assembly election: PDP wins 13 seats, APC clinches 11 Announcing the result, the new collation officer of Tafawa Balewa Local government area, Dr Musa Dahiru of the Federal University Kashere, said that PDP polled 39,225 votes as against 30, 055 votes scored by the All Progressive Congress (APC) and incumbent Governor Muhammed Abubakar. Total registered voters at Tafawa Balewa LGA was 139,240 accredited voters 74,181, total votes cast was 73,779, total valid votes, 73041, rejected votes 738. Before the final announcement of the results of Tafawa Balewa LGA, PDP had polled 475,888 votes against 470,570 votes secured by the APC. However, with the addition of Tafawa Balewa LGA, PDP won with 515,113 votes against 500,625 votes secured by APC. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that residents of Bauchi state called on Governor Abubakar to concede defeat after his re-election bid suffered a massive setback. The people made this call in reaction to the results of the just concluded supplementary elections which indicated that Abubakar lost to the candidate of the PDP. Abubakar who is seeking re-election for a second term in office had in 2015 defeated candidate of the then incumbent governor, Isa Yuguda. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better 2019 elections: Do you still trust INEC to conduct fair elections? - Nigerians speak| Legit TV. [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Ajimobi approves appointment of Prof. Adebiyi as new rector for Poly Ibadan - Governor Abiola Ajimobi has appointed Prof. Kazeem Adebiyi as the new rector of Polytechnic Ibadan - The governor also approved the appointment of other principal officers of the institution - Professor Adebiyi would to take over from the acting rector of the institution, Femi Ipadeola, in substantive capacity Oyo state governor, Abiola Ajimobi, has approved the appointment of Prof. Kazeem Adebiyi, as rector of the Polytechnic, Ibadan. Legit.ng reports that this was contained in a statement signed by the states commissioner for information, culture and tourism, Toye Arulogun, and made available to newsmen in Ibadan on the evening of Monday, March 25. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Adebiyi is to take over from the acting rector, Femi Ipadeola, in substantive capacity. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Arulogun said that the governor also approved the appointments of other principals of the institution. Other appointments approved are: Modupe Fawole, as the registrar, Olawale Ojesola, as Bursar, Dr Samuel Ajala, as chief librarian and Stephen Ipadeola, as director of works and services'', he said. He explained that the appointments became imperative following the expiration of the tenure of the erstwhile management staff of the institution on February 13. The governor said interviews were conducted by the institutions governing council and the selection process moderated by some external faculties. He said that the appointments take immediate effect, stating that government looks forward to their hardwork, diligence and professionalism in realising its mission for the institution. The 50 year-old Adebiyi, an alumnus of the institution, is a member of COREN and Nigerian Association of Engineers and Nigerian Society of Engineers. He holds an ordinary national diploma in mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic Ibadan, B.Mechanical engineering, M.Sc Industrial Engineering and Ph.D in Industrial Engineering. Fifty six year-old Fawale, who was appointed registrar was until her appointment the deputy registrar of the Institution. Fawale, who is a member of Nigerian Institute of Management and Association of University Administrators, holds a degree in Teacher Education and Religious Studies as well as Masters of Education in Guardian and Counselling.(NAN) Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo state, revealed why the incumbent governor of the state, Abiola Ajimobi, failed to win Oyo south senatorial election on Saturday, February 23. It was reported that the APC leader, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said that Ajimobi's arrogance and reckless speeches were mainly responsible for the defeat he suffered from the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kola Balogun. READ ALSO: N1.3trn stolen in 4 years by 32 entities - Magu NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! Nigerians express mixed feelings as JAMB reduces admission cut-off to 120 | - on Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General The recent confiscation of more than a billion pesos worth of shabu shows that big-time drug traffickers are using the Philippines as a transshipment point, the police said Tuesday. International drug syndicates continue to mock our laws and smuggle in large volumes of illegal drugs as seen in the recent confiscation and arrest of foreign nationals, said Philippine National Police spokesman Sr. Supt. Bernard Banac. Last week, state anti-narcotics agents seized some P1.1 billion of shabu inside the posh village of Ayala Alabang in Muntinlupa and arrested three Chinese nationalsCua Kian Kok, 43; Go Kei Kei, 40; Li Zhao Yang, 19 and a Filipino, Emmanueal Pascual, 79. Agents from the Philippines Drug Enforcement Agency found 43.5 kilograms of shabu worth P295 million in the parking lot of Festival Mall and another 123 kilograms of shabu worth P836 million in Ayala Alabang Village. Banac agreed with the assessment of President Rodrigo Duterte that the drug situation was worsening. But the Department of the Interior and Local Government said the number of drug users has fallen dramatically as a result of the governments relentless war on drugs. Interior Department spokesman Jonathan Malaya said that with the continued arrest of either drug pushers or users following aggressive police operations, the government is winning the war on drugs. The Palace, meanwhile, said the PDEA should file charges against local celebrities involved in the illegal drug trade. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the Palace is saddened by the PDEAs report that 31 celebrities have been included in the governments watch list of suspected drug personalities.Were saddened that these people are involved. But we will never tolerate it. If there is sufficient evidence, then they [authorities] should and they must [file charges], Panelo said in a Palace press briefing. PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino confirmed that 31 popular celebrities are listed in their drug watch list, but said these names had not yet been validated. Aquino said the agency has recovered text messages from a male celebrity who allegedly bought 200 pieces of ecstasy from slain drug dealer Steve Pasion. Pasion, a suspected big-time ecstasy supplier, was killed two weeks ago in an operation by PDEA operatives. President Duterte has vowed to shower anti-drug enforcers with a P1.5-million reward for the death of Pasion. They even serve as role models as the youth look up to them but in reality, they order as much as 200 pieces ecstasy, Aquino said, adding that some of the personalities in the drug watch list are television hosts and even portray wholesome roles in showbiz. In an interview on radio dzMM, Aquino said he has already coordinated with his counterparts from at least 55 countries to determine the point of origin of hauls of cocaine bricks found floating in Philippine waters. Aquino acknowledged they were facing a blank wall. Even the United States [of America] Drug Enforcement Administration and the countries we have communicated with are also facing a blank wall, he added. Gunmen on Monday kidnapped a Catholic priest, Rev. Father John Bako Shekwolo at Ankuwa village in the Kachia area, in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The state police command confirmed the incident, noting that operatives were already combing the village in a bid to rescue the priest and arrest his abductors. The Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna said the abducted cleric is the Parish Priest of St. Theresas Catholic Church, Ankuwa in Kachia LGA of the state. According to the statement from the Kaduna State Police Command, the cleric was kidnapped by unknown gunmen around 8:00 p.m. In the statement signed by the police spokesman, DSP Yakubu Sabo, the priest was taken to an unknown destination. Information reaching the command from the Divisional Police Office in Kachia indicated that on Monday at about 0800hrs, armed men entered the residence of the cleric and took him away to unknown destination. A team of policemen led by the Kachia Divisional Police Officer, Police Mobile Force personnel and operatives from the command Anti-Kidnapping Unit were promptly mobilized to the village with a view to combing the general area for the possible rescue of the victim and arrest of the criminals. The Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Ahmad Abdulrahman appeals to the general public to assist the police with relevant information that could help in curbing the menace of banditry in the state. KINDLY DROP A COMMENT BELOW Home | News | General | Collapsed buildings: President Buhari vows to deal with offenders - President Muhammadu Buhari sad offenders in collapsed building cases will be dealt with - The president said the dark days of impunity have gone - Buhari said his focus was on the growth of the country and its impact on the people President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed concern over the incessant building collapses across the country, warning that those responsible for such incidents of professional negligence will feel the full wrath of the law. The President gave the warning when he received the leadership of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), led by Obafemi Onashile, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday According to the president, the dark days of impunity are gone for good, assuring Nigerians that his administration will remain focused and committed to creating an inclusive and diversified economy. READ ALSO: Melaye, PDP senators kick as APC backs Lawan for 9th NASS Senate president He told members of the Institute that the recent tragic incident in Lagos, and many others across the country, were reminder of the need to strictly adhere to quality standards on construction projects. Young innocent lives must never be lost due to incompetence and greed. Simply put, no corners must be cut. I want to assure you that those responsible for such incidents of professional negligence will feel the full wrath of the law, he said. The President welcomed recommendations and suggestions from the Institute on how to enhance the construction industry, directing that they make a formal submission to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing as soon as possible. President Buhari, again, used the opportunity to thank Nigerians for clearly expressing their desire to move the nation forward. Let me start by thanking you for your kind prayers, the President told members of the Institute, who came to congratulate him on his re-election and pledge their solidarity with his administration. President Buhari added: `Nigerians have clearly spoken of their desire for the country to move forward. On our part, we remain committed to the Change Agenda. By the grace of God, and with your continued prayers and support, the dark days of impunity are gone for good. While highlighting the administrations achievements in stimulating the economy in the past three years, the president noted that growing the nations economy means national growth must impact the silent majority. He said: This is why in the past three years; we focused on key job-creating sectors such as agriculture and infrastructure development. You will all recall that our agriculture and infrastructure programmes contributed to our exit from recession. This is a clear example of how, if we push inclusive job-creating policies, growth will follow. We will remain committed to these and other programmes to ensure the success of our nation is felt by the majority of Nigerians. In his presentation, the President of NIQS, Onashile appealed to the Federal Government to create a Directorate of Quantity Surveying and Projects Costs Management to address the issue of unclear delineation of professional functions amongst construction professions within the Government. He also made a case for Quantity Surveyors to be mandated and allowed to undertake cost management of projects of all forms on behalf of Government, among others. The Institute while congratulating the President on his well-deserved re-election, expressed its support and total confidence in his administration and leadership direction which have brought hope, progress and stability to Nigeria. A highpoint of the visit was the conferment of the Fellowship Grade of the NIQS-the highest cadre of membership- on President Buhari. The President was also honoured with the Life Champion of Anti-Corruption Crusade in Nigeria Award. Recall that the wife of the president offered her condolences to the victims of the school building collapse, which claimed the lives of no fewer than 20 people, including school children. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Aisha, who took time to visit women and children wards of the hospital, prayed to God to grant the families that lost loved ones the fortitude to bear the loss. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! Lagos School Collapse: My aunts children are trapped - lady weeps| Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Regent Taiwo Oyebola Agbona always dresses like a King, she rules Aaye Town in Ondo (photos) - Young Regent Taiwo Oyebola Agbona rules Aaye Town in Ondo state in place of the next King - The Regent was crowned in 2017, to rule until the traditional chief chooses the next King - Regent Taiwo Oyebola Agbona must always dress like a King to properly play the role of a ruler The idea of a female King ruling a town in Nigeria is not common, but it is not unheard of. This young beauty, Regent Taiwo Oyebola Agbona, is proof that this idea exist, since she has been doing this for a year. Regent Taiwo Oyebola Agbona had been crowned in 2017, to temporarily take the throne of her ancestors until the traditional chief that appoints Kings (Afobaje) chooses one through the guidance of their ancestors. It was gathered that the Regent was chosen due to the fact that she is the first girl child. She was crowned to take the throne after, the Alaaye of Aaye Oba Agbona Orimori 11, passed and joined his ancestors on May 4, 2017. Meet beautiful young Regent Of Aaye Town in Ondo Facebook source: Tina Joseph Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Ooni of Ife and his wife Olori Prophetess Naomi host Aje Festival The Regent had graduated from Achievers University in Owo, Ondo. She had studied medical laboratory science. PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app According to reports, the Regent is forbidden to kneel to any human being, she is not allowed to eat in public, she must not have intercourse and must always wear royal attire for Kings. READ ALSO: Forbes Top 10 Wealthiest Celebrities In 2018 She always dresses like a King Facebook source: Tina Joseph Source: Facebook PAY ATTENTION: Get your daily relationship tips and advice on Africa Love Aid group May Her Majesty reign in peace...Kabiyesi oo!! READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that the Ooni of Ife Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi had a grand entrance into the wedding reception of Temidayo Abudu and the love of her life, Ade Makanjuola. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better There is light at the end of the tunnel - Ooni of Ife - on Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Why police is most corrupt public institution in Nigeria - SERAP survey reveals - A new survey by SERAP has ranked the police as the most corrupt public institution in the country at 63% - The report said that a bribe is paid in 54% interaction with the police out of every 100% police interaction - The power sector came second place on the list of the five most corrupt institutions with 49%. A new public survey released by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) on Tuesday, March 26, reported high levels of corruption in public institutions in Nigeria for the past five years. The police came first as one of the five major public institutions placed under study, while the power sector was the second most corrupt in the country on the list, Vanguard reports. READ ALSO: Melaye, PDP senators kick as APC backs Lawan for 9th NASS Senate president Other public institutions identified as corrupt by 70% of Nigerians who responded to the survey are the health, judiciary and education ministries, with the report saying nothing has changed in the last five years. The corruption ranking was contained in a report the SERAP titled 'Nigeria: Corruption Perception Survey' which was delivered at the Sheraton Hotels, Lagos, on Tuesday, March 26. The report partly read: a bribe is paid in 54% of interactions with the police. In fact, there is a 63% probability that an average Nigerian would be asked to pay a bribe each time he or she interacted with the police. That is almost two out of three. The chair of the report launch, Professor Akin Oyebode, said though Nigerian is seen as the giant of the continent, it is still burdened by corruption, as could be seen in the free and fair election it could not hold He siad: Nigeria is looked upon as a giant of Africa. Yet Nigeria could not conduct free, fair and credible elections. It is a smear on the image of Nigeria. If we do away with selective enforcement and condonation of corruption, we will build and live in a better society. "Corruption is a refined form of stealing. The politicians are stealing our common patrimony. Development of the people is almost inversely proportional to the level of corruption. The report also showed how Nigerians have to bribe their ways through access basic public services like healthcare, education, power, among others. It said: Corruption remains a significant impediment to law enforcement, access to justice and basic public services such as affordable healthcare, education, and electricity supply. Several Nigerians have to pay a bribe to access police, judiciary, power, education and health services. "Corruption is still a key concern in the country with 70% of Nigerians describing the level of corruption as high and in the same measure, stating that corruption levels either increased or remained the same in the last five years. The national survey carried out between September and December 2018, covered the police, judiciary, power, education and health sectors to assess the state of corruption in law enforcement and public service provision. Another part of the report showed how the police force ranked high among other corrupt public institutions and how this has affected public service delivery in the country. It added: Bribery experiences were interrogated and recorded in the key sectors of education, health, the police, judiciary and power. Data analysis was conducted under five different and interrelated variables. There was a 63% probability that an average Nigerian would be asked to pay a bribe each time he/she interacted with the police. The likelihood of bribery in the power sector stood at 49%. With the chances of encountering bribery at the judiciary, education and health services standing at 27%, 25% and 20% respectively. The police were the most adversely ranked on this indicator. For every 100 police interactions reported by the respondents, there was a bribe paid in 54 interactions. The prevalence levels stood at 37% in the power sector and 18% in education,1 7.7% in the judiciary and 14% in the health sector. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that the Police Service Commission (PSC) said it was yet to begin the screening of applicants who applied for recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force. The commission received 315,032 applications at the close of the portal on January 11 for an advertised 10,000 vacancy. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better. Are Nigerian Policemen the worst in the world? | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | World | Africa | Ian Khama's 'allies' allegedly looted 250 million pula Former South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) boss Shaun Abrahams has found a new job in Botswana. City Press claims that Abrahams was appointed two months ago after being approached to lead the prosecution team in a politically charged case involving supposed allies of former Botswana president Ian Khama, who are alleged to have looted 250 million pula (R338 million) from that country's National Petroleum Fund. A prosecutor familiar with the developments said: "Abrahams has been working in Botswana for some months now. I think it is best for him to do something in life after his disastrous career at the NPA." In Botswana, Abrahams appeared for the state for the first time on Thursday before the Broadhurst Magistrates' Court in Gaborone, where the accused parties in the matter were demanding that the state reveal further particulars about the case they were facing. The controversial case has among its accused a sitting judge, Justice Zein Kebonang; his cousin Sadique Bakang, who is a former Cabinet minister; Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority executive director Mogomotsi Seretse; and businessperson Kago Stimela. The case has caused many divisions in Botswana, with some saying the country's law enforcement agencies were being used to settle political scores by the new administration of President Mokgweetsi Masisi, who is at loggerheads with his predecessor, Khama. However, Masisi's supporters say he is a corruption buster and has identified this case as his administration's first "trophy" in the fight against corruption, and that he has vowed to throw everything at the accused in the National Petroleum Fund. The case has been beset by several postponements, mostly at the insistence of the prosecution, with the charges being either reduced or altered, and several amendments being made to the charge sheet. The case centres on the alleged looting of funds that were transferred to the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services for the construction of fuel storage tanks. The money was diverted for the purchase of military hardware from Israel. The accused face charges ranging from money laundering, abuse of office, theft and giving false information to a person employed in the public service. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa Home | World | Africa | Masawara Group hands over relief packs for 500 families Companies in the Masawara Group on Friday (22 March) handed over relief packs to Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Sekai Nzenza and Deputy Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Jennifer Mhlanga to help those affected by Cyclone Idai. The Masawara Group is made up of the Zimnat Insurance Group, Cresta Group of Hotels, Minerva Risk Advisors, Botswana Insurance Company, Grand Re-Insurance, Sable Chemicals, Dademutande and Joina City. The donated relief packs, consisting of two blankets, two buckets, 10 litres of water, 4kgs sugar, 4kgs rice, four litres of cooking oil, 10kg mealie meal, one pack of matemba, four plastic plates, four spoons, four cups, two bars of soap, two packets of diapers and three packs of sanitary wear, will benefit 500 families. These items were packed in a plastic bin that can be re-used to store food or water. Receiving the donation from Zimnat Group chief executive officer Mustafa Sachak and Minerva managing director Lydia Tanyanyiwa, Minister Nzenza expressed her gratitude for the gesture by the Masawara Group. "I am so pleased and touched by the level of support we have received so far but having come here today I am finding it difficult to fully appreciate it," she said. "What the Masawara Group has done is to think way ahead of us. I am the Minister of Social Welfare and I have worked in relief before but what the Masawara Group has done today is incredible. "You really thought deeply about the basic needs of the people affected. The list of items clearly shows that you put a lot of thought into the basic needs of those people," Ms Nzenza said. In a speech read on his behalf by Ms Tanyanyiwa, Masawara Group chairman Shingai Mutasa said the Group hoped to do something else for the victims in the long term. "In addition to this immediate relief, we hope to do something in the long term to help minimise the impact of future natural disasters," he said. "We will be looking at doing something permanent in the long run, something that will lessen the impact of such disasters in future, such as perhaps work on building a disaster preparedness shelter, where people can take refuge when such cyclones occur," Mr Mutasa said. Deputy Minister Mhlanga further commended the Masawara Group for the assistance it was giving. She assured the group that the supplies would be delivered to the intended recipients. "This donation is coming at a time when support is indeed required. I would like to assure the nation and the Masawara Group that a proper accountability with regards to the receipt of donations is in place," Ms Mhlanga said. In addition to the relief packs, members of staff within Masawara companies contributed food items, clothing, bedding and money to help assist the cyclone victims. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa Naturally, the Britons have a great affinity for honours. This is due to various reasons. Some were hereditarily bestowed with titles such as knighthood, Lordship and were compelled to add a suffix after their names. These suffixes included titles such as MA, BA or PhD. Some titles were meritoriously awarded due to academic achievements. It is because of blind following that it had become a norm that titles are synonymous with intelligence. However amongst those with titles are thieves, cheats and dishonest individuals. It has become a norm in modern society that amongst the thieves, cheats and most corrupt are those with high titles some that were acquired dubiously from some bogus institutions of higher learning,(universities) It is common knowledge that in 1980 the cabinet of Robert Mugabe had highly educated individuals, amongst these academics, was Dr Benard Chidzero. Mugabe himself was the most educated President in the world but that type of education and titles did not yield the best for Zimbabwe. What has dumbfounded most Zimbabweans is the dismal failure of the highly educated subsequent cabinets of Zimbabwe since 1980. This goes also to the second republic's cabinet which is composed of highly decorated military generals and academics who have no solution to an array of socio-economic and political problems facing our beloved Zimbabwe. It is because of the above situations that have been prevailing in this country since independence that the writer of this article argues that, *'Visionaries do not follow titles but courage and commitment to serve.'* Indeed politics need dedicated, committed and honest cadres who do not base their skills on titles but premised on humility, love, patriotism and dedication to serving the nation of Zimbabwe. Such leadership is not concerned about self but the national ethos are the driving force behind them. This has been lacking in Zimbabwe for a long time. The late Morgan Tsvangirai had a humble and modest education but he espoused great human understanding. He felt for the people and managed to achieve great socio-political success despite his educational qualifications. This feat could not be achieved by those professors and PhD holders in the subsequent governments that have graced the Zimbabwean political space. It is therefore prudent that as the MDC congress looms closer and closer it is necessary to evaluate candidates before being swayed by titles with no corresponding benefits to the general citizenry of our country. *Honorable Felix Magalela Mafa Sibanda is a Human Rights Defender, Civil Rights Activists,, Former Legislator, who feels strongly, Academic, Politician, Philanthropist of high repute who feels strongly about not to use titles to outsmart citizens without giving them corresponding value.* Home | World | Africa | Econet goes full force in search of Cyclone Idai survivors ZIMBABWE's largest telecommunications firm, Econet Wireless, says it has deployed the full might of its organisational capacity in search of survivors of the recent Cyclone Idai. In a statement, the firm's chief executive officer, Mr Douglas Mboweni, said Econet has brought in six helicopters, several drones and rescue boats as it steps up its disaster relief efforts in the worst-hit districts of Chimanimani and Chipinge in the Eastern part of the country. "We believe no stone should be left unturned in the search and rescue of survivors," he said. Mr Mboweni is leading a team of more than 50 volunteers from within the Econet group, its foundation (Higherlife) as well as private citizens drawn from across the country. The use of drones is part of Econet's relentless search for innovative solutions to problems. He said: "We use drones for inspecting structural defects on our towers among other network deployment related things, but we realised that we can use them in the search for survivors. "They are better than helicopters in certain situations because they fly much lower. "We give all information to the authorities that we are working closely with." For the Econet boss, the most exciting thing is not just the technology but the partnership with other companies as well as with the firm's customers. Mr Mboweni said companies in Victoria Falls and Kariba had sent specialist boat crews to navigate the rivers while others had supplied specialist equipment. "We also have doctors who have joined us as volunteers," he said. Mr Mboweni added that the national airline, Air Zimbabwe, had also partnered with Econet to get cyclone donations from people in Victoria Falls and Bulawayo through Econet Shops, and airlift them to Harare where Econet logistics teams were transporting them to Mutare, enroute to the holding camps in Chimanimani and Chipinge for distribution to the victims. Mr Mboweni commended the international and local medical crews working with field hospitals and local hospitals. "You need to see what is happening out there. We have amazing people and also friends who have quietly come to help us." He said his company was working closely with the Civil Protection Unit as well as the Airforce of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces in the disaster relief effort. "We are all part of Team Zimbabwe really on this. We are working very closely together. If we find a survivor or a body, we call the army, police or the Airforce. "We are even sharing resources on the ground." Econet has released $5 million cash for the search and rescue efforts and has also been raising money from donors internationally. "Mr Masiyiwa and his wife are raising money for all our foreign currency requirements. They have paid for things like the helicopter hire from South Africa and for fuel," Mr Mboweni said. Econet is already thinking of the next phase of the challenges ahead. "After the search and rescue, comes recovery and burial of our dead. "We have already activated our EcoSure funeral policy team and we have delivered at least 50 coffins in our efforts to support the families bury their dead." The real work, according to Mr Mboweni, was to help communities recover and get back on their feet again. "Being able to help schools to re-open, communities to recover as well as our farmers and small businesses, is the huge challenge that lies ahead, but we're willing to take it on. "It's sad and devastating what happened. But we consider ourselves more than just a business; we are part of the fabric of the economy and of the communities we serve." The Econet group entities involved in the relief effort are Econet Wireless, Cassava Smartech (incorporating Steward Bank and EcoCash), Liquid Telecom and Higherlife Foundation. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa Home | World | Africa | Preacher heaps praises on Mnangagwa, Mayor storms out Mayor Solomon Mguni stormed out of an interdenominational Cyclone Idai memorial prayer meeting held here on Sunday after one of the preachers poured scorn on Zanu-PF's rivals. The youthful mayor felt offended by pastor Frank Kunda after he showered praises on President Emmerson Mnangagwa, while attacking opposition parties for inviting sanctions in the country - thus politicising the event. The event, held at Harvest House International Church's headquarters - was in line with Mnangagwa's declaration of two days of national mourning for more than 300 people who lost their lives after Cyclone Idai struck Chimanimani in Manicaland, as well as parts of Masvingo. The mayor who was seated with his delegation right on the front chairs, surprised many when he led the walk out. Ward one councillor, Mlandu Ncube who also attended the event said Kunda described Mnangagwa as God-sent. "Pastor Kunda said Mnangagwa was chosen by God and he is aware of the opposition parties who are enemies of the State and God. Opposition parties will tow the line even if they don't want," Ncube told the Daily News. "That was unexpected from a senior pastor like him; Imagine he turned the emotional Sunday service into a Zanu-PF praise rally. "He praised Mnangagwa for his visionary leadership and foresight' which praise offended His Worship the mayor of the City of Bulawayo, Mguni and is delegation of seven councillors," he added. The mayor confirmed the incident saying it was unnecessary for a respectable man of God to politicise an interdenominational prayer event, worse coming on the background of hundreds having lost their lives in the recent deadly Cyclone Idai. "The behaviour offends against the spirit of unity in diversity in the city and more particularly in that we had been invited to pray for victims of Cyclone Idai. There was, with respect, no need to politicise the process. "It was a call to duty. It was a prayer service for the metropolitan province in view of the declaration of two days of mourning by Mnangagwa. People must distinguish a political party business from a government function," said Mguni. Kunda refused to comment, referring this reporter to the Harvest House Church's founding leader, bishop Colin Nyathi. "You will have to phone my senior pastor Nyathi, I am not empowered to speak to the media," he said. Nyathi could not be reached for comment. Chimanimani district in Manicaland was where Cyclone Idai last hit with intensity before blowing itself out. At least 300 people are thought to have died as a result of the cyclone with latest official figures revealing hundreds more injured and up to 5 000 displaced. Chimanimani district remains one of the least accessible with many roads completely wiped away for several kilometres. Destruction in the region is on a huge scale and a lack of safe drinking water remains an issue, with many water pipes having been blown away. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)' team finally made access into the district on Thursday last week despite the heavy rock fall blocking roads and bridges having been completely washed away. Many in the area have lost their homes and livelihoods as entire sections of towns were destroyed. In an effort to rescue those affected, volunteer pilots, the armed forces of South Africa and Tanzania and international aid agencies on Thursday stepped up their activity in the areas. The United States government also announced its military would join the effort while Britain has flown in tents and rescue kits as well as pledging 12m (14m) for the humanitarian mission being mounted to feed and house hundreds of thousands who are now homeless. MSF will also continue to provide assistance in the three countries. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa Its funny how China has remained silent over a complaint filed by former Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto del Rosario and former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales against Chinese President Xi Jin-ping for crimes against humanity for alleged harassment of Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea, and how President Rodrigo Duterte and other Philippine officials are tripping over themselves to defend China. The Chinese government does not have to say anything. It can rely on its friends in the high echelons of the Philippine government to defend them. It has always been the case after all in many issues raised against China in its continued creeping invasion of Philippine territory in the South China Sea. Who needs a spokesperson when its the President of the complaining country himself and his top officials who always rise to defend them? I would say that there is no jurisdiction over this country, and especially over China, Duterte told reporters Thursday night. China is not a member of the International Criminal Court. Duterte said he believed the case would not adversely affect the diplomatic relations between the Philippines and China as the two former officials no longer represented the Philippine government and were now considered ordinary citizens. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo, of course, agreed with his boss: The filing of the complaint may be a futile exercise. The ICC has no jurisdiction over China. While upholding the right of Del Rosario and Morales to file the complaint, Panelo said: We reiterate, however, that the Philippines under the Duterte administration is engaged in a diplomatic negotiation, through a bilateral consultation mechanism, over the West Philippine Sea issue. We do not need the help or disturbance of a biased tribunal known to politically prosecute heads of state, the very reason why powerful countries like the United States, China, Russia, and Israel, to name only a few, have either withdrawn their membership as State Parties from the Rome Statute or declined to be members of the ICC, he added. Panelo did not stop short of saying Del Rosario and Morales had the right to file the complaint or to say that ICC had no jurisdiction, he went further by describing the international body as a biased tribunal known to politically prosecute heads of state. There you go. Why should China issue any statement, or Xi answer any question regarding the issue? The President of the complaining country and his spokesperson already did the job. And guess what? The statements by Duterte and Panelo evoked the desired thank you from the Chinese government. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang applauded Dutertes defense of Xi and describing the situation in the disputed sea as stable and heading for the better. A few individuals in the Philippines cannot stir up big trouble, he added. Reassuring words coming from China weeks ahead of a planned fourth visit by the President to meet again with Xi. The complaint filed by Del Rosario and Morales, which was filed just two days before the Philippines formally withdrew from the ICC, was the first such action from the Philippine side, albeit not from the government, to follow up on a ruling by a United Nations tribunal in July 2016 that the Philippines has exclusive rights over the area around Scarborough Shoal, which is 124 miles west of Zambales, well within the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Arbitral Tribunal also said China had no legal basis to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within its claimed nine-dash line. Del Rosario and Morales lodged their complaint on behalf of Filipinos and the hundreds of thousands of Filipino fishermen who they said were being persecuted and injured by Chinas aggressive island-building and occupation of islands in the West Philippine Sea.Del Rosario, who was the Philippine foreign secretary when the tribunal issued the 2016 ruling, and Morales argued that the atrocious actions of Chinese officials in the South China Sea and within Philippine territory constitute crimes against humanity that the ICC can prosecute. US Indo-Pacific commander Admiral Philip Davidson has confirmed that Chinese Coast Guard vessels continue to intimidate Filipino fishermen in Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal). In his testimony before the US Senate Armed Services Committee on Feb. 12, Davidson said, Chinese Coast Guard vessels now fall under the command of the Central Military Commission and regularly harass and intimidate fishing vessels from our treaty ally, the Philippines, operating near Scarborough Reef, as well as the fishing fleets of other regional nations. Last year, the crew of a Chinese Coast Guard vessel were caught on video taking away the best catch of Filipino fishermen in the area. The Philippine government, as usual, did not file a protest against these blatant violations of the UN Tribunal ruling and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, of which the Philippines and China are signatories. Instead, then Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque dismissed the incidents as maliit na bagay (of little consequence) and that what happened was a barter, not piracy or harassment as they really are. In fact, he said we should be thankful the Filipino fishermen can now fish there. Roque was just being consistent with the Duterte administrations flawed policy of appeasement with regards the Philippines relations with China, especially on matters pertaining to the South China Sea territorial dispute. Panelo echoed the same line recently when he said the Philippines should be thankful to China for building a maritime rescue center instead of filing a protest because he said that could help fishermen in distress. Del Rosario and Morales know Filipinos can never rely on this administration to protect its people from harassment by the Chinese nor protect the countrys territory from Chinas continued assault. They now have turned to the ICC to let the world know that not all Filipinos have grown a blind love to China and not all are willing to give up the nations sovereignty. For this patriotic act, we should salute them. [email protected] Val Abelgas is a former editor of Manila Standard. He now lives in the United States. This is in response to the column article of Mr. Charlie V. Manalo published on March 11, 2019 entitled Where have all the PhilHealth funds have gone? In 2018, we posted a record net income of P11.6 billion which is 4400 percent higher compared to 2017. Our premium collections reached P132 billion while our return on investments is at P6.7 billion. Our restated 2017 financial statement shows that we posted P237 million in net income instead of P4.7-billion net loss as previously reported. This was after all remaining claims were submitted in early 2018 for reimbursement. We already communicated this matter to the Commission on Audit for validation and concurrence. On benefit payouts for pneumonia Pneumonia was identified as the fourth leading cause of death and second leading cause of morbidity in the Philippines. With the ballooning number of claims for pneumonia, PhilHealth instituted reforms which include a minimum of four days length of stay which was later lifted and replaced by a medical pre-payment review. Recently, the requirement to submit Claim Form 4 was instituted to help us assess the quality of care provided to our members. On payments for cataract removals We have pursued aggressive measures to ensure that our fund is protected against abuses. In 2015, we have authorized up to a maximum of 50 approved requests per ophthalmologist per month but not to exceed 10 scheduled surgeries per day. This is to ensure quality surgeries and to prevent fraud as well. Since then, there has been a decrease of some 33 percent in the total number of cataract claims between 2016 and 2017. As of February 2019, a total of 22 facilities and 14 health care professionals were charged in relation to fraudulent cataract claims. On the alleged 10.6-billion fund diversion scandal This was the subject of congressional inquiries. We inform the author that cases have already been filed before the Office of the Ombudsman against those allegedly involved and we defer this matter to appropriate authorities to once and for all settle this issue.On case rate payments The National Health Insurance Act of 2013 defines case-based payment as a payment method that reimburses health care institutions a predetermined FIXED rate for each treated case or disease. Section 34 of the law allows us to employ this system as a form of provider payment. Case rate empowers PhilHealth members by making it known to them in advance how much they are entitled to in terms of benefits for a particular availment. Case rates also reduce discretion in adjudicating claims, and allow PhilHealth to effectively impose its No Balance Billing (NBB) policy for indigents, sponsored, and senior citizen members. Likewise, international experience with this type of provider payment shows that it encourages efficiency in overall medical management of cases. On instituting reforms and commissioning experts We have been continuously instituting reforms over the years to improve our operational efficiency. Parallel to the introduction of enhanced benefit packages, we have also intensified our efforts to curb fraud and abusive practices of members, accredited health care providers, and even PhilHealth employees. Through the years, PhilHealth has been and is continuously managed by capable leaders who possess expertise and mastery of the law, actuarial science, medicine, among others. Each President and CEO appointed at the helm has contributed in their own way to what PhilHealth is now. We also have financial, actuarial and management experts within our ranks and in the board who contribute to the effective management of the funds entrusted to us by our members. In previous years, PhilHealth even hired the services of fund managers but due to audit concerns, their services have been terminated. I believe that more than expertise, what PhilHealth needs at its helm is someone with strong political will to see through the completion of all the reforms it has to undertake, and to be able to extract discipline, and to address all the challenges brought about by the different views of internal and external stakeholders. We would like to assure our members that we remain focused on our mission to ensure quality health care for our members. We welcome feedback from members like you, so that together, we can work towards further improving the National Health Insurance Program for the next generations to come.Vice President for Corporate Affairs GroupPhilHealth When Albertas government announced obligatory oil production cuts last December, it was a desperate attempt to arrest a price slide of the local crude benchmark that had led to discounts of over US$50 a barrel compared to WTI. Now, the discount is less than US$10, and not everybody is happy about it. Albertan producers are already pressured by insufficient pipeline capacity as the Trans Mountain expansion projects gets bogged down in lawsuits and lack of investor interest, and as Line 3s expansion was delayed for six months. Now, they are also feeling the pressure of costly oil-by-rail transport. Oil-by-rail has emerged as the only viable alternative to pipelines for local oil producers. In fact, last November the government of Canadas oil province announced it was buying more oil trains. These have a total capacity of 120,000 bpd and will cost Alberta US$264 million (C$330 million). The trains should reach their full capacity later this year and help to reduce the discount of Western Canadian Select to West Texas Intermediate by about US$3 (C$4) per barrel. Right now, however, a smaller discount is the opposite of what the industry may need, according to some. Bloombergs Robert Tuttle recently wrote how Canadian crude became from too cheap to too expensive in a matter of months after the production cuts were announced. Now, WCS needs to be US$15 cheaper than Mexicos Maya heavy to be competitive for Houston refiners, according to IHS Markit director of crude oil markets in North America, who spoke to Tuttle. It now appears that the government may have overshot slightly, Kevin Birn said. The market is always going to be more complicated than people anticipate. Related: Whats Keeping Oil From Rallying To $75? Indeed, the market is more complicated than that. In addition to pipeline capacity shortages and costly oil-by-rail, now traders are shunning long-term crude oil contracts for Canadian crude because of the uncertainty surrounding production in the short term. I wont take any forward positions in Canada right now. Everyone is wondering what the government is going to do ... one announcement can ruin your year, one trading source told Reuters earlier this month. This is a problem for the industry because the only way producers can lock in forward oil prices is through contracts for later delivery. With that option reduced, both producers and refiners in Canada and the United States have become more vulnerable to unfavorable price swings. But the complication may eventually work in Albertan producers favor. The global supply of heavy crude is falling thanks to U.S. sanctions against Venezuela, which have reduced the flow of Venezuelan heavy to Gulf Coast refineries to zero. It is also falling thanks to the latest OPEC production cuts: the cartels biggest producers are cutting their heavy oil production and not their light crude output. Demand for heavy crude, meanwhile, is steady. Some expect it to rise substantially in the coming months as refiners prepare for the new IMO sulfur emission rules due to come into effect next year. To produce low-sulfur bunkering fuel, they need heavy crude, and not just the light sweet oil from the shale patch. So, its tough to be in Alberta oil right now, but if demand for heavy crude remains healthy, it will make the North American market a sellers market. In a sellers market, Canadian crude will be a lot more competitive with the Mexican grade. This should relieve some of the load, at least temporarily. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: China is taking advantage of steep discounts for Iranian and Venezuelan crude to increase its imports from the two countries sanctioned by the United States, Bloomberg reports, adding that prices for Iranian and Venezuelan oil are at their lowest since November 2017. From Iran, China has been importing an average of 446,000 bpd, which is substantially higher than the amount Washington agreed to let it import under the sanction waivers it granted eight large Iranian oil buyers in November. However, the 360,000-bpd allowance does not take into account oil produced by Chinese companies taking part in the development of Iranian oil fields. As for Venezuela, Chinese oil buyers are not subject to sanctions that Washington imposed on state oil company PDVSA in January, so theoretically, they can continue buying as much Venezuelan crude as they like. However, one of their Indian counterparts, Reliance Industries, has stopped importing Venezuelan crude because of its exposure to the U.S. financial system, just in case. Chinese companies also have exposure to this system. Last month, Chinese traders and refiners bought some 531,000 bpd of Venezuelan crude, which was 17 percent more than they bought in January and the highest since December 2017. One analyst from the Shanghai-based unit of commodity research firm ICIS-China told Bloomberg its mostly about the price. Increased purchases from Venezuela may very likely be due to cost concerns, Li Li said, adding that state oil buyers in China could resell the cheap crude to independent refiners at a profit. However, there is also the grade consideration: Venezuela is a large producer of heavy oil and Iran also produces heavy grades. The sanctions have shrunk heavy crude supply and has pushed prices a lot higher than normal, so, said Li, As heavy oil gets more expensive, China of course wants to secure as much of cheap supplies as possible, especially from those who are friends with China. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: For countries who have complete control over their oil industry through their state-run oil behemoths, its easy to order them to increase oil outputcosts be damned. But sinking money into oil and aging oil fields or in new and cost-intensive plays comes with risks, and in Chinas case, investors arent so sure that its onslaught of capex planned over the next five years is a winning bet. Still, Chinas largest state-run oil majors, China Petroleum & Chemical (SINOPEC), China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) have plans to shell out billions for what some see as rather unprofitable oil fields for the sake of shoring up the states energy security in direct response to President Xis call last year for them to increase oil production. The billions in capex planned for the next five years from Chinas three companies that together operate over 90 percent of Chinas oil-producing fields are not insignificant and represent a huge increase from spending in recent years. Sinopec, for one, announced only days ago that it will spend US$20.3 billion in 2019 aloneUS$8.9 billion of which will be dedicated to just upstream operations. This upstream capex represents more than a 40 percent increase in spending over 2018, and will be used in part to increase production at its aging Shengli oilfield, whose reserves fell to just 16 million barrels by end 2018 vs 49 million barrels the year prior, according to Reuters. Sinopecs dilemma is clear. Its net profit plunged in 2018 as its costs for purchasing crude oil rose over 40 percent as oil prices ticked upward. It is being squeezed by the rising cost of oil, and it has plans to refine even more crude in 2019, making it even more desperate to lower the amount of crude oil it must purchase by pumping more oil at home. CNOOC, too, has major plans to up its capex, to the highest level since 2014. In January, it announced that it would lift capex to between US$10 billion and almost US$12 billion this year, and announced even bigger plans to double the number of exploration projects and proven oil and gas reserves by 2025. Related: Sources: Saudis Admit They Want $70 Oil CNPCChinas largest oil and gas supplier, last year promised to spend US$22 billion by 2020 to boost oil production as its production in old and dying fields peters out. CNPC is hoping this spend will increase production by 75 percent. To this end, CNPC plans on enlisting the help of foreign firms as well in order to capitalize on others technology that it lacks, according to a South China Morning Post article from earlier this month. The mad scramble by Chinas big three to make large investments comes in response to President Xis directive last July to increase production as its thirst for oil continues to be robust. Its own oil production, too, is on the decline, leaving it in a predicament of potentially catastrophic proportions that are only exacerbated by the trade row that is endlessly dragging on with the United States. But producing oil and producing oil at a profit are two entirely different things. The reality is that Chinas oilfields are aging, and getting oil out of the ground will be costly. According to data crunched by Bloomberg earlier this week, Chinas oil reserves have been on a steady and terminal decline, with producing falling about 12 percent over the last three years. While Chinas hopeful increase in production may indeed offset production declines in its older oil fields, it is unlikely to be sufficient enough to also decrease its appetite for crude oil imports, which serviced a whopping 70 percent of its crude oil needs in 2018. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The percentage of renewables in the global energy mix has risen significantly over the years due to, for example, lower costs for photovoltaic cells. The improved financial position of wind and solar energy has been a boon for the fight against climate change. With the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2016, an accord was reached on dealing with greenhouse-gas-emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance starting in 2020. Regardless, of the unilateral withdrawal of the United States, it was the first time that developed, and the developing countries agreed on measures to mitigate climate change. An early attempt to unite the world in 1997 resulted in the Kyoto Protocol hosted by Japan. The event was an outspoken sign of Tokyos support for the fight against global warming. Recently, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe even published an op-ed in the Financial Times calling for other countries to join Japan and act now to save our planet. Despite Japans support for environmentalism, plans concerning the construction of another 7 GW of coal-fired power plants contradict Tokyo's intentions. Also, through its banks and international development agencies, the Asian country is financing a string of coal-fired power plants from Vietnam to Indonesia. The Japan Bank for International Cooperation is providing $5.2 billion in financing for six coal-related projects in southeast Asia. Also, in the area of public relations, Japan is far from achieving its goals. During the 2017 United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Bonn, Germany, an international network of nongovernmental organizations awarded the Fossil of the Day prize to Japan. The winner represents the country that has done most to obstruct international negotiations on climate change mitigation. Tokyo has set itself the goal of reducing coals share in its energy mix to 26 percent by 2030 from 32 percent in 2016. Despite a short period of progress, CO 2 emissions have been rising again after the tsunami of 2011 and the subsequent disaster at Fukushima which led to the closure of the countrys nuclear facilities. Related: Sources: Saudis Admit They Want $70 Oil To achieve its goals, Japan needs to significantly increase energy production from renewable sources and restart all reactors. Tokyo intends to increase the share of renewables in its energy mix to approximately 22-24 percent and nuclear power to 22 percent. However, significant technical, geographic, and financial hurdles constrain Tokyo in achieving these goals. The Asian country faces monumental challenges due to its geography. The country's interior consists out of scenic but inhospitable mountainous areas while the majority of the population is restricted to narrow coastal territories. The rocky surface and the Japanese archipelago isolate metropolitan cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Kobe which increases costs to create a well-connected and efficient grid. Japan, therefore, lacks a national power grid and instead has ten service areas, each with its transmission network. Furthermore, due to the problematic geography, Japan is having a hard time increasing its share of renewables compared to European countries. The mountainous terrain decreases the amount of suitable land in the vicinity of major cities for the installation of wind and solar power infrastructure. Offshore wind farms are also facing opposition from the country's powerful fishing lobby which has significantly hampered development. Related: Worlds 2nd Largest Oil Company Sees Huge Drop In Profit On top of that, Japan is lacking energy resources of its own, which has resulted in a large energy import bill. The nuclear disaster at Fukushima and the closure of all facilities have increased demand for LNG which propelled Japan into becoming the largest importer of the fuel in the world. The rise of China and growing demand for LNG in India mean that regional competition for LNG will keep the price of this commodity elevated. To improve the security of supply, Japanese firms are encouraged to maintain a broad portfolio including coal. Finally, it remains uncertain whether the companies operating Japans nuclear power plants will be able to restart the reactors in the face of increased public opposition and tighter regulation. Experts question whether the restart of the program is realistic given the technical, safety and cost hurdles involved. Failing to restart nuclear reactors will be a boon for coal-fired power plants (see figure below). Nevertheless, multiple companies are developing alternative technologies that could change the energy mix of the Asian country. Japanese auto companies have been investing in fuel-cell vehicles for several decades. The government is supporting these efforts with plans for the construction of 160 hydrogen filling stations before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Furthermore, the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holding (TEPCO) and JXTG have announced the construction of the worlds biggest hydrogen stations in mid-2020 which could mean that predictions on Japans future energy mix will alter if these plans come into fruition. By Vanand Meliksetian for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Data released by the Chinese energy bureau this week shows that the country added a whopping 194 million tonnes of coal mining capacity over the course of 2018. This revelation comes in direct contrast with Chinas widely publicized promises to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, especially dirty coal, as well as specific avowals to do away with excess mining capacity. By the end of last year, according to numbers from the National Energy Administration, Chinas total coal mining capacity had gone from 3.34 billion tonnes at the end of 2017 to 3.53 billion. These numbers do not even take into account a further 1.03 billion tonnes per year of already-approved coal capacity currently under construction, nor do they include another 370 million tonnes per year that are currently being extracted as part of a trial operation. Whats more, Chinas National Energy Administration has already greenlighted an additional seven coal mining operations which altogether would have a capacity of million tonnes per year within a period of time which already started at the beginning of 2019. According to data published by Chinas National Bureau of Statistics, Chinese mines produced 3.55 billion tonnes of coal last year, a 5.2 percent increase as compared to 2017. The bureau also reported that in 2018 the country generated a total of 4.979 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity from coal-fired power plants, 6 percent higher than the same measure in 2017. While coal mining capacity has seen an overall increase, however, the total number of coal mines in China has actually declined. At the end of 2018, the Chinese National Energy Administration reported 3,373 domestic coal mines, down from 3,907 in 2017. The majority of the coal mines that have been shuttered recently were small and ineffective operations in eastern China. At the same time, production in the west has seen considerable expansion in capacity. Related: Sources: Saudis Admit They Want $70 Oil This increase in Chinese coal capacity has attracted negative attention from the international community, with critics voicing concern that this development goes directly against the nations promise to decrease the amount of coal used in their total energy mix, and therefore will prevent the worlds second-largest economy from meeting its committed goal of capping their carbon emissions by 2030. In fact, according to a report released by the International Energy Agency this week, not only are global carbon dioxide emissions continuing to climb, but ever-increasing energy demand around the world has led to record-high emissions from particularly dirty coal-fired plants. Last year the worlds energy demand grew by 2.3 percent, and 70 percent of that demand was met by fossil fuels, with a large contribution from relatively young coal-fired plants in Asia. Thanks in large part to these plants, global emissions from coal-fired power plants surpassed 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide for the first time in history. These newly released numbers deal a crushing blow to any optimism about decreasing global emissions and even the overall effectiveness of the Paris climate agreement. For a while, things were looking up: emissions decreased, although very slightly, from 2014 through 2016, and coal emissions, in particular, went down. But now that progress appears to be in reverse. In response to this weeks International Energy Agency report, Stanford University professor of Earth system science Rob Jackson told the Washington Post, We are in deep trouble. The climate consequences are catastrophic. I dont use any word like that very often. But we are headed for disaster, and nobody seems to be able to slow things down. China is only one part of the problem. Discouragingly; the United States and Europe have seen an increase in admissions as well. That being said, countries with massive and rapidly expanding middle classes such as China and India can be expected to continue driving up demand and therefore emissions, especially if they continue to lean on fossil fuels to fill their populaces growing need. Whats more, Chinas fleet of coal plants are mostly young--around an average of 12 years old with a total lifespan of 40 years--and as their capacity continues to increase, we can expect coal-fired emissions to keep breaking records in the coming years. By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: On February 15 President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) announced the launch of Pemexs Strengthening Programme, a six-year plan designed to improve the companys financial position through the liquidation of assets, a reduction in tax payments and improved efficiency. It includes the monetisation of promissory notes worth MXN35bn ($1.8bn), a pledge to crackdown on corruption and fuel theft, expected to save MXN32bn ($1.7bn), and tax relief amounting to MXN90bn ($4.7bn) through to the end of 2024. The reforms are set to see investment in Pemex increase from last years MXN204bn ($10.5bn) to MXN288bn ($14.9bn) this year, according to by Alberto Velazquez Garcia, the companys CFO, some 5.5 percent more than originally estimated. Reforms to boost exploration and production activity This projected fiscal improvement is one of the key factors, along with investments in new technologies and public-private collaborations, that is expected to increase Pemexs oil production. After reaching peak crude output of 3.4m barrels per day (bpd) in 2004, the company has seen production fall to current levels of around 1.8m bpd, with the government aiming to lift this to 2.5m bpd by 2024. To boost production in the short and medium term the Strengthening Programme foresees the development of 20 new fields: 16 shallow water deposits and four onshore finds. Although proven oil reserves have dropped from 47.8bn barrels in 1997 to 7.2bn at the end of 2017, according to BPs Statistical Review of World Energy report released in June last year, industry figures are nonetheless supportive of the planned expansion. The activities of Pemex are key to the national economy and there is a lot of potential in the exploration of mature fields in Mexico, Fernando Barbosa Sahagun, chairman of Petroindustrias Globales, an energy sector technology provider, told OBG. However, in order to meet government production targets and to secure long-term sustainability, analysts have encouraged Pemex to team up with private sector players to help fund the exploration of the countrys deepwater assets, with some 60bn barrels of oil estimated to lie beneath the Gulf of Mexico. Related: Whats Keeping Oil From Rallying To $75? Indeed, in January ratings agency Fitch noted that the company could improve its financial situation and successfully expand its operations through the authorisation of new joint partnerships with private oil companies. This comes amid concerns over the issuance of exploration licences under AMLOs government, which came to power on December 1 last year, after it requested in December that the sector regulator cancel two upstream auctions rounds and postpone the awarding of seven onshore clusters from February to October this year, citing a wish to evaluate the contract-awarding process. Private sector uncertainty, which these postponements increased, is fuelled by AMLOs plans to give Pemex a more substantial role in the countrys energy industry. The president was a staunch critic of 2013 reforms that aimed to open the sector up to greater private investment and end the states 75-year monopoly over energy exploration and production. Nevertheless, as the new administrations energy reforms are only in their initial stages, it is unclear how the relationship between Pemex and the private sector will unfold throughout the rest of AMLOs presidency. Debt remains a concern despite positive reforms The governments plan to revamp the energy sector has been received positively by industry players, with major figures, including the Business Coordinating Council which represents the interests of the countrys private sector telling local media that it constituted a move in the right direction. Supporting this view, Alejandro Villarreal, the executive director of oilfield services provider Cotemar, told OBG, Mexico and the oil and gas industry need a solid, reliable and efficient Pemex. The new administration is making progress in this regard. Nevertheless, with debts of $106bn making Pemex the most indebted oil company in the world, according to Bloomberg, analysts have argued that the tax breaks do not go far enough. Related: What Norways Decision To Divest Means For US Shale Both Fitch and representatives from asset management firm Bluebay said they believed the company needed fiscal relief of between $9bn and $15bn annually over the medium term to strengthen the firm, with funding required to upgrade infrastructure, invest in new exploration and production activities, and boost existing output. The impact of the high level of indebtedness was highlighted on January 29 when Fitch downgraded Pemexs debt rating two notches to BBB-. AMLO questioned the decision, highlighting that many of the challenges affecting the company such as liquidity, corruption and waste are being addressed, and that the reforms would see Pemex avoid subscribing debt this year, for the first time in 10 years. However, the ratings agency reaffirmed the downgrade, stating that the recently announced support package, while a step in the right direction, was not enough to adequately boost exploration and production activities. Furthermore, following the government announcement of the Strengthening Programme on February 15, the price of Pemex bonds with an expiration date of 2027 fell 0.9 percent to $97.39. This asset price fall can be taken as an indication that the market was not fully convinced that the tax breaks will prove sufficient to improve the companys fortunes. By Oxford Business Group More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: President Rodrigo Duterte has often said he will not tolerate even the whiff of corruption from the men and women that work for his administration. On occasion, he has proved this by firing high-ranking officials and heads of agencies who have been caught up in allegations of wrongdoing and abuse of office. The President returned to this theme Sunday, during a campaign rally in Cagayan de Oro City for candidates running under his PDP-Laban party, where he once again lamented that he had to remove officials who had helped him get elected. In a tacit admission that not much else befell those he had fired, the President also urged the Ombdusman to investigate and prosecute the sacked officials. That seems to be the line that his spokesman took Monday about a member of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Sandra Cam, who has been accused of graft before the Office of the Ombdusman. A private citizen, Lino Espinosa Lim Jr., asked the Office of Ombudsman last week to investigate Cams properties, including a newly opened resort in Masbate, which he alleged were worth P500 million. In his letter, Lim alleged that Cam failed to include these in her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth for 2017 and 2018.Cam said on Monday confirmed she owns properties in Masbate but denied her assets are worth P500 million. She also said former PCSO general manager Alexander Balutanwho had resigned over allegations of corruptionwas behind the unexplained wealth complaint against her. Reacting to suggestions that Cam be fired, like other officials who had been touched by that whiff of corruption, or at least investigated, the Palace demurred. "Since it's already with the Ombudsman and the Ombudsman has the power to suspend, I think we'll let it do the process," Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said. "We will not be duplicating any investigation considering the fact that there is now a pending case with the Ombudsman. This is all and good. Cam, like any other person accused of wrongdoing, is entitled to due process, which we presume is what she will get from the Ombudsman. On the other hand, if the President insists on firing people on the mere whiff of corruption, he ought to do this consistently, no matter who is involved. To add credibility to his tough stand against corruption, he might also wish to reconsider his practice of reappointing those he has fired to other positions in government. That just spreads the odor around. Saudi Arabia has been signaling for weeks that it is and will be doing whatever it takes to rebalance the oil market by slashing exports and pumping well below its quota under the OPEC+ dealdespite US shales persistence. Yet, while neither the Saudis nor OPEC would officially admit that they are aiming for higher oil prices or a specific price of oil, the combined efforts of the OPEC/non-OPEC group to withhold 1.2 million bpd of supply are targeting a tighter marketand higher oil prices. Even if higher oil prices are indeed helping U.S. shale producers to pump oil at record levels, OPECs largest producer and de facto leader Saudi Arabia reportedly prefers higher oil prices rather than hanging onto its market share. The Saudis are aiming for at least $70 a barrel Brent Crude because the Kingdoms budget needs these higher prices, industry sources familiar with Saudi Arabias oil policies tell Reuters. And they may need even higher than that. According to estimates from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Saudis need much higher oil prices for a budget breakeven in 2019at $80-85 a barrel, Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the IMF, told Reuters last month. Oil at $80, however, is sure to draw harsh criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, whose oil price tolerance threshold appears to be Brent above $65. The latest tweet aimed at OPEC at the end of February called on the cartel to take it easy, when oil prices were roughly where they are nowat Brent around $66 a barrel. Related: What Norways Decision To Divest Means For US Shale Oil at $80 would also be the beginning of demand destruction at a time when economists and markets are already fretting about slowing economic growth in China and other major economies and the still unresolved U.S.-China trade dispute. So while the Saudis are probably aware that they cant afford to push oil prices to their budget breakeven, the goal, according to Reuters sources, is still above the current oil prices. The last time Brent Crude traded at $70 or above was in early November last year, when prices were plummeting from the $80-plus levels from early October. At that time, in the run-up to the return of the U.S. sanctions on Irans oil when Washington was promising zero Iranian exports, Saudi Arabia, its close Gulf Arab allies, and Russia had opened the taps to pump more oil to offset what was expected to be a severe loss of Iranian barrels. But then the U.S. granted waivers to eight key Iranian customers, sending prices sharply downward, exacerbated by fears of a global economic growth slowdown. With U.S. waivers due to expire in early May, Saudi Arabia and OPEC appear to be timing oil policy changes more carefully this time around, potentially to prevent high volatility and a miscalculation in supply. Last week, a panel of the OPEC+ allies said it was recommending that partners cancel a scheduled extraordinary meeting in mid-April, leaving the decision for the cuts extension for a meeting at the end of June instead. The panels motivation for scrapping the April meeting is In consideration that market fundamentals are unlikely to materially change in the next two months. Related: Schlumberger Wont Take New Full-Oilfield Management Projects Market fundamentals may not materially change in two months, but the U.S. decision on Iranian waivers will be in before OPEC meets at the end of June to decide what to do nextroll over the cuts, extend the cuts with changed quotas, or scrap the reductions. Saudi Arabia, which has received President Trumps support when the world shunned Riyadh over the killing of Saudi government critic Jamal Khashoggi, could again find itself subject to Trumps pressure to take it easy and relax cuts, especially if oil prices were to reach $70 a barrel or higher. However, the Saudis may not budge this time, according to a source in OPEC who spoke to Reuters. They (the Saudis) do care about Trump, but they cant do whatever he says every time, the OPEC source told Reuters last week. The fiscal position and budget needs of Saudi Arabias oil-dependent economy could trump concerns over loss of market share or President Trumps pressure to keep oil prices low. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Developments are unfolding that continue to put the U.S. at odds with much of the Arab world, including Saudi Arabia. On Monday, Trump recognized Israels 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights in what many media outlets called an election boost for visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The move prompted a sharp response from Syria, which once held the strategic land. The Syrian foreign minister said the same day that U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights will lead to its isolation, according to state television in Syria. Fellow-NATO member Turkey has also come down hard over Trumps Golan Heights decision, calling it a grave violation of international law. This unfortunate decision...demonstrates that the U.S. Administration continues its approach to be part of the problem, rather than part of the solution in the Middle East, a Turkey foreign ministry statement said. This decision is completely null and void for Turkey, the statement added. The 22-member state Arab League also took issue with Trumps controversial move. Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit condemned Trumps recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory, saying on Monday the decision does not change the areas status, according to a statement published by Egypts state news agency MENA. Territory gained during Six Day war Israel captured the Golan in the 1967 Six Day War and annexed it in 1981 in a move still not recognized internationally. Additionally, the UN does not recognize territorial claims over land gained during the war. Adding angst to Trumps move, the Six Day War still lingers in the minds of many Arabs that saw initial victory on the battlefield turned into humiliating defeat at the hand of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Losses for the Arab coalition, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, during the brief conflict, were huge. Egyptian casualties numbered more than 11,000, along with 6,000 Jordanian casualties and 1,000 Syrian casualties, compared with only 700 for Israel. The Arab armies also suffered crippling losses of weaponry and equipment. The lopsidedness of the defeat demoralized both the Arab public and the political elite at the time. Related: Oil Is Set To Rise, But The Rally May Not Last During the war, Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, Old City of Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights; the status of these territories remain a major point of contention in the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict. These captured territories also created buffer zones around the initial state of Israel. Early Tuesday morning, behind its other Arab allies, Saudi Arabia also denounced Trumps Golan Heights move. Attempts to impose fait accompli do not change the facts, a Saudi Press Agency statement said. It added the Golan Heights was an occupied Syrian Arab land in accordance with the relevant international resolutions. It will have significant negative effects on the peace process in the Middle East and the security and stability of the region, it said. The Saudi Press Agency report also described Trump declaration as a clear violation of the United Nations Charter and of international law. Western criticism However, criticism for Trumps recognition of the Golan as Israeli territory isnt coming just from Arab countries, but from U.S. allies as well. An editorial in the London-based Financial Times yesterday said Donald Trump has once again displayed a reckless disregard for international norms by announcing that the US should recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights. In doing so, the U.S. president has made his boastful pledge that he will deliver the ultimate deal to end the Arab-Israeli conflict seem even more preposterous, it added. Related: Sources: Saudis Admit They Want $70 Oil An even more strongly worded opinion piece in Berlin-based DW news said Trumps Golan initiative was ignorant and dangerous. However, in a side shot, it actually praised the president while criticizing his Golan move. It is possible that Trump's battering-ram style may very well lead to unexpected successes when it comes to North Korea and China. But his intention to recognize Israel's illegal annexation of Syria's Golan Heights is in another category altogether, the piece added. Pragmatic world view On the other hand, it can be argued that Trumps move fits into his Middle Eastern plan, vastly different than that of his predecessors, particularly Barack Obama who offended Gulf State monarchies, especially Saudi Arabia, when he praised the Arab Spring in 2011, as the arch of history. Trumps plan in the Middle East continues to be more pragmatic, centering around a decidedly Trumpesque agenda. Moreover, he doesn't mind stepping on toes to achieve these ends. In his world view, a secure Israel, the removal of the Iranian threat, and a strong working relationship with Saudi Arabia to help against Iran, as well as having influence over Saudi oil production to keep a lid on global oil prices seems to suffice. It remains to be seen how Trumps recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory will impact U.S.-Saudi relations. Yet, as far back as 1945 when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt meet Saudi King Abdul Aziz ibn Saud on the heavy cruiser USS Quincy along the Suez Canal during the waning days of World War II, the largest sticking point between the two fledgling allies was U.S. support of a then-proposed state of Israel and Palestinian concerns over such a state. These two factors have plagued relations between Washington and Riyadh ever since, even leading to the 1973 Arab oil embargo that unsuccessfully tried to get Israel to give up lands gained during the Six Day War in 1967. It did, however, bring the U.S. and its Western allies to its knees economically, ushering in a major geopolitical shift that persists to this day. Only now, as the U.S. produces more than 12 million b/d of oil, has the country started to remove that threat of economic coercion. By Tim Daiss for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The unrelenting unrest in Algeria in the form of mass protests seeking to force President Abdelaziz Bouteflika out of office has investors worried; but so far, there are no signs that oil and gas output has been affected. On Tuesday, the International Energy Agency (IEA) told Reuters that Algerian production and exports had not been affected, but the agency continued to monitor the situation for new developments. Cause for concern has increased since ExxonMobil moved to halt talks over Algerian shale assets last week over the protests and what Exxon clearly views as dangerous instability. Protests began in mid-February with Bouteflikas attempt to run for a fifth term as president. Those same protests succeeded in forcing Bouteflika to publicly announce he would not be running for a fifth term; however, protests have not ceased and show no signs of letting up until the president steps down. What Exxon is eyeing is a situation in which Bouteflika is forced to resign and what ensues in a political vacuum that leads to further unrest for the major oil producer. Investors are now closely watching what the militarys next move will be, with news emerging today that the military chief of staff has publicly taken sides with the protesters. Other political elite have also appeared to abandon Bouteflika, including some ruling party members and key business leaders. In the meantime, Algerias state-run oil company, Sonatrach, has priced its April-loading cargoes of Saharan blend at flat to Dated Brent, Reuters reports, compared to 30 cents above Brent for March cargoes. This will hit at the heart of the issue, which is that Bouteflika needs high oil prices to keep subsidizing his autocratic rule, and hes not getting them. The debate is now focused on politics, but the real iceberg is the risk of an economic crisis in the next couple of years and no one has a strategy to tackle this, Riccardo Fabiani, Algeria analyst at Energy Aspects, a London-based consultancy, told the Financial Times. Foreign reserves are falling very quickly and they probably have less than two years of import cover left. By Damir Kaletovic for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The government of British Columbia has proposed tax incentives for energy companies with ambitions in the LNG segment, CBC reports, citing Finance Minister Carole James, who claims that such incentives would create thousands of jobs. "British Columbians are counting on us to attract LNG investment that meets strict conditions: delivering jobs and financial benefits to B.C., creating economic partnerships with Indigenous peoples and protecting our clean air, land and water," the minister said. The proposal was announced soon after the British Columbian government praised the final investment decision on the US$31-billion LNG Canada project, which was announced last October, after months of uncertainty. LNG Canada will be the first liquefied natural gas production and export facility in the country, and according to federal PM Justin Trudeau, it is the single largest private sector investment project in Canadian history. LNG Canada is a project of Shell, with a 40-percent stake, Malaysias Petronas with 25 percent, PetroChina with 15 percent, Mitsubishi with 15 percent, and South Koreas Kogas with 5 percent. Given the size of the investment and the potential job creation, it would make sense for the NDP government to seek to attract more energy projects in this segment while it continues to staunchly oppose the expansion of the Trans Mountain oil pipeline. However, there is opposition against LNG Canada as well. Most recently, LNG Canada made headlines when work on the GasLink pipeline that would feed natural gas to the B.C. coast liquefaction facility was halted after a couple of indigenous artifacts were found at the construction site. The artifacts, according to the B.C. energy regulator, did not originate in the place where they were found. Some read this as the regulator insinuating that they were put there to stop work on the pipeline, which some First Nations are protesting against passing through their territory. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Norways state oil and gas major Equinor plans to join a battery technology investment fund worth US$180 million as part of a diversification strategy focused on renewable energy and storage, Fortune reports. Energy storage is drawing increasing attention in the industry as it is widely considered the factor that could guarantee the mainstream future of wind and solar power generation facilities, solving what is perhaps their biggest problem: intermittence. The fund Equinor has chosen for its investment, Volta Energy Technologies, has a marked focus on energy storage, investing in various technology businesses related to this segment in the industry. Equinor, which used to be called Statoil, last year announced a rebranding program that centered on a change of name to reflect its ambitions to be perceived as a broader energy company rather than one focused solely on oil and gas. The rebranding was also part of its diversification drive. Energy storage is a natural focus of attention for energy companies as are renewables, since they are in the same industry. Equinor has been particularly active in wind power, with stakes in four offshore projects in the UK, one in Germany, and a large-scale offshore project in the United States. It also has a participation in a solar power project in Brazil and has invested in two companies developing solar power technology. Earlier today, media reported that the Norwegian company had also taken part in a funding round for a smart grid developer, Reactive Technologies. The round, according to the UK and Finland-based company, raised an eight-digit sum. Equinors push into business areas different from its core oil and gas business reflects a government-level push for more renewables. Earlier this month, the Norwegian government approved a proposal by the countrys sovereign wealth fund to divest from pure-play oil and gas producers to reduce its exposure to oil and gas price volatility. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Saudi Arabia, through its oil behemoth Saudi Aramco, is looking to decreasing its carbon footprint by creating a global gas business, Aramcos CEO Amin Nasser said during an industry event in China on Tuesday. The move is part of companys strategy to boost efforts to grow its natural gas output, from both conventional and unconventional reserves. Saudi Aramco is already a top global oil producer but still lagging behind in gas production. The oil giant is expanding its gas sector under an ambitious $150 billion investment plan over the next 10 years that will see production rise to 23 Bcf/d from its current 14 Bcf/d. Saudi Arabia aims to export as much as 3 billion cubic feet of gas per day by 2030. Eventually, Aramco aims to use gas for 70% of its power generation. Any surplus gas would be exported, and Chinas market is robust. Saudi Aramco said recently its natural gas reserves stood at 319.5 Tcf as of the end of 2017, up from a previously reported 302.3 Tcf. As for China, Aramco is a major investor energy sector there and as of last month, was its biggest crude oil supplier, topping Russia. In February, Saudi Aramco announced a joint venture with Chinese companies NORINCOP Group and Panjin Sincen, to develop a $10 billion refining/petrochemical complex in northeast Chinas Liaoning Province. Related: Texas Needs 11,000 More Miles Of Pipelines The joint venture, agreed during Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's two-day trip to China last month, is expected to be put into operation in 2024, and will promote the development of a fully integrated refining and petrochemical complex in Panjin. With the capacity to refine 15 million tons of oil and produce 1.5 million tons of ethylene and 1.3 million tons of paraxylene a year, the annual sales revenue of the company is expected to exceed $14 billion. According to the agreement, Saudi Aramco holds 35 percent of the joint venture, Norinco and Panjin Xincheng hold 36 percent and 29 percent respectively. Also, Saudi Aramco also has considered making investments in liquefied natural gas projects in the Russian Arctic and the United States. According to some news report, the company is also eyeing investment in Australia, as of recently the worlds top exporter of LNG. By Damir Kaletovic for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The fire at a petrochemical storage site at Deer Park, Texas, which blazed for days and halted some ship traffic at the Houston port, has intensified calls for increased scrutiny of oil and fuel storage facilities, potentially requiring tougher regulations for many proposed oil storage terminals along the U.S. Gulf Coast. A fire at the Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) that started on Sunday, March 17, continued until Wednesday and prompted many state agencies to start looking into the reasons of the incident. Residents of Deer Park and Galena Park were told twice last week to stay indoors, and schools canceled classes for several days. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed on Friday an environmental lawsuit against ITC seeking injunctive relief and civil penalties in connection with the fire at the petrochemical site. The state of Texas works hard to maintain good air quality and will hold ITC accountable for the damage it has done to our environment, Attorney General Paxton said. ITC has a history of environmental violations, and this latest incident is especially disturbing and frightening. No company can be allowed to disrupt lives and put public health and safety at risk, he added. The federal Chemical Safety Board said last week that it would investigate the fire, which engulfed 11 above-ground storage tanks. Investigations and reviews of the investigations could result in proposals for increased environmental scrutiny for many future storage facilities that are planned to accommodate the growing U.S. oil production for exports. Harris County in Texas, the site of the ITC fire, plans to review the investigations and could propose amendments to state regulations, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo told Reuters. State lawmakers have a role here, too. They can make risk management plans readily available so emergency responders and the public have specific information on potential hazards at chemical facilities. Right now, they are difficult to obtain in the state of Texas, Elena Craft, senior director for health and climate at Environmental Defense Fund, wrote in an op-ed in Houston Chronicle last week. They can close the loophole that allows industry to avoid penalties for unauthorized pollution releases, Craft said. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Of course. You would have to be be barking mad to want to bring this rabble to NZ. But then socialists are mad by definition. It's not as if we don't have... " " Demonstrators gather outside of the United States Supreme Court during oral arguments in Gill v. Whitford to call for an end to partisan gerrymandering on Oct. 3, 2017 in Washington, D.C. Olivier Douliery/Getty Images Back in the 1790s, America's founding father Alexander Hamilton said that "the true principle of a republic is, that the people should choose whom they please to govern them" [source: Whitaker]. That statement embodies what is supposed to be one of the strengths of American-style democracy that all Americans are equal, and that each citizen has an equal say at the ballot box in choosing their elected representatives. But that's not happening in Wisconsin, according to the Democratic plaintiffs in Gill v. Whitford, a case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in October 2017. They argued that Republicans who control that state's legislature have unfairly rigged the system to hold on to power, even though Democrats have won a majority of the votes cast statewide for the Assembly, the legislature's lower house, in the last three straight elections [source: Wines]. Advertisement You may be wondering: But how could a party manage to hold the majority of legislative seats if they don't get a majority of the votes? All it takes is a little gerrymandering. That's the political trick of manipulating the size and shape of electoral districts, in order to give one party an advantage over its opposition [source: Donnelly]. Gerrymandering dates back to the very beginnings of the U.S., and it's been employed throughout the years to distort the political process and prevent opposition parties from challenging those in power. Gerrymandering can be occur in state legislative districts, but it also can be used to enable one party to dominate a state's congressional delegation as well. A 2017 report by the Brennan Center for Justice calculated that in the 26 most populous states that account for 85 percent of congressional districts, Republicans managed to net 16 or 17 seats in the 2016 congressional elections because of partisan bias in the redistricting process. That's a big slice of the 24 seats that Democrats would need to flip in order to gain control of the House in the 2018 election. The report also said that almost all the gerrymandered districts reside in just seven states: Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Texas and Virginia [source: Royden and Li]. In June 2018, the Supreme Court dismissed Gill v. Whitford, saying that the plaintiffs lacked standing and did not rule on the case's merits. The case was sent back to a lower court [source: Associated Press]. Had the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision throwing out Wisconsin's legislative map, it would have sent shockwaves through American politics, possibly invalidating districting schemes in 20 other states as well [sources: Wines, Ellenberg]. Though gerrymandering seems aimed at subverting democracy, the courts have pretty much allowed it over the years, unless it's been used for purposes of racial discrimination. In June 2019, the Supreme Court went even further and, in a 5-4 vote along ideological lines (Rucho vs. Common Cause) ruled that "partisan gerrymandering claims present political questions beyond the reach of the federal courts" meaning that federal judges should not second-guess lawmakers' decisions. In this article, we'll explore the history of gerrymandering, why it has become so prevalent and so extreme, and how it interferes with voters' opportunity to be fairly represented in Congress. We'll also look at possible solutions to the problem. But first, here's a basic explanation of why gerrymandering is able to take place. " " Balloons drop at the end of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's address at the 2012 Republican National Convention. Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post/Getty Images One of the weirdest presidential election years on record Does it get any stranger than mud-slinging over the size of a candidate's manhood? may end, at least on one side, in the weirdest political convention in years. Or ... maybe not. It depends on whom, and when, you ask. And it also depends on what happens between now and the Republican National Convention taking place July 18-21 in Cleveland, Ohio. And if we get that far and the Grand Old Party still hasn't settled on a nominee? Advertisement "That," says Phillip Ardoin, a political scientist at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, "is when things get interesting." Debates Benefiting Democracy? Many political pundits are predicting a contested Republican convention. A contested convention is what used to be known as a "brokered" convention, when powerful male politicos smoked big cigars in back rooms and wielded a lot of power. A contested convention now is, in definition, straightforward: It's a convention in which no candidate has won the majority of delegates (in this case, 1.237) needed to secure a nomination. It's happened plenty that's why there's a term for it though not lately. Here's how it could happen: If no candidate arrives at the convention with 1,237 pledged delegates, it's still possible for him (or her) to get to the number with a little backroom wooing before the first vote is taken. Some delegates are not bound to any candidate, so if a candidate is close, a good early convincing could make all the difference. But ... If after the first vote no candidate has hit the magic number, all bets are off. Many delegates (depending on the rules of their state) will be released from their commitments and a true free-for-all for their votes breaks out. But naturally, It's a tad more complicated than that. Some delegates are bound to vote a certain way until later votes are taken (if later votes are taken). Some, as we said, are free agents from the start. Rules can be changed. (That's a biggie. A little more on that later.) The real question: Is a contested convention happening this year? " " Dwight D. Eisenhower accepting the Republican Party's nomination as its presidential candidate in 1952, the most recent year the political party chose its candidate at a "brokered" or "contested" convention. CBS Photo Archives/Getty Images The Trump Factor This is where we mention Donald J. Trump, the bombastic reality-show star, real-estate mogul and front-runner for the Republican nomination. Trump playing this strictly down the middle is the reason this election year is so whacked-out. He's a polarizing figure, both inside and outside of the Republican Party. ("Here's what I know. Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud. His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University," said 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who is openly calling for a contested convention). There are many Republicans who don't see any way that the controversial Trump could win the White House in November's general election, so they don't want him as their nominee. The problem with that is, if Trump has the needed 1,237 delegates, stopping him will be next to impossible. The political-minded and data-driven site fivethirtyeight projects Trump coming up short of 1,237, though it's tantalizingly close. Others think he'll probably reach it and Cleveland will just be a rubber-stamp thing. "I think the Republican Party, prior to the convention, will solidify and fall behind Trump," Ardoin says. "Trump needs to get about 55 percent of the remaining delegates ... He should be able to do that. I would say there's a 70 percent chance that's going to be the case." And there are some in charge of the GOP who just aren't sure. "It's going to get old, it's going to get clarified, and it's going to feel like it was a long time ago when we're sitting in the middle of summer with a nominee," Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus told CNN earlier this month. A few days later, Priebus told ABC News, "We're preparing for that possibility." Trump has said that his delegate totals should be enough, even if he doesn't have a majority when he gets to Cleveland, and has hinted that his backers could cause "riots" in Cleveland if things start to turn south for him. Priebus isn't buying the "I have more than anyone else" argument. "A plurality is a minority," the RNC's head honcho told ABC, "and a minority doesn't choose for the majority." Does Contested Equal Chaos? Republicans against Trump are, in many ways, stuck between a rock and ... another rock. They don't want him as a nominee. But they know, as history points out, that their chances of finding a successful nominee out of a contested convention aren't great either. From the Pew Research Center: "We looked at all 60 Democratic and Republican nominating conventions from 1868 (the first post-Civil War election) to 1984, the last time a convention presented even a glimmer of uncertainty. Over that time, 18 candidates (eight Republicans and 10 Democrats) were nominated on multiple ballots; of those, only seven were elected president (and four of them were running against another multiple-ballot nominee, so one of them had to win)." The good part about a convention and, yeah, maybe a bad part is that a convention is a fluid thing. There are rules, sure. But rules can be changed. It is, after all, their party, and a privately organized group independent of the both federal and state governments. "This isn't run a government-run election. This is a party-run election," Ardoin says. "They can change the rules when the convention starts. They can do whatever they want." In 2012, for example, delegates passed a rule requiring all nominees to have the support of a majority of delegates in at least eight states. That was written specifically to keep Ron Paul from being on the ballot and giving him the chance to raise a ruckus on national TV. Would the party heads make rules changes to deny Trump an easy path to nomination? Raise the number of delegates needed to 1,500? Make Rule 40 include 10 or 15 states so that nobody reaches that threshold and delegates have more choices? Something else? A lot is to be decided between now and the convention. Huge states with huge delegate counts, including today's primaries in Connecticut, Pennsylvania and other states, and California (on June 7), are still in play. It's been a strange ride so far. And the convention is still a long, long ways off. Now That's Interesting Only 26 percent of more than 12,000 recent Gallup poll respondents identify as Republicans, and only 29 percent see themselves as Democrats; a whopping 42 percent identified as independents. 3DSculptor/iStock(HOUSTON) -- The history-making, all-female spacewalk that was scheduled to happen on Friday, during Womens History Month, has been canceled by NASA. The cancellation is due in part to spacesuit availability, NASA announced Monday. In other words, the agency did not have enough spacesuits sized for women on the International Space Station. The spacewalk was supposed to be led by NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch, with the assistance of Kristen Facciol, a Canadian Space Agency flight controller, on the ground in Houston. Two more women, Mary Lawrence, lead flight director, and Jackie Kagey, lead spacewalk flight controller, were also scheduled to take part from Houston. McClain, who has been stationed at the International Space Station since December, completed her first spacewalk on March 22 and discovered then that she needed a medium-size hard upper torso, or the shirt of the spacesuit, according to NASA. That is apparently the same size worn by Koch, who arrived at the space station earlier this month. NASA has a limited availability of spacewalking spacesuits and there is only one medium-size top on the space station. Koch will now do the spacewalk on Friday with a male astronaut, Nick Hague. McClain is now expected to perform her next spacewalk on April 8 with another male, Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques, according to NASA. McClain and Koch are both part of the Expedition 59 crew at the International Space Station. They joined NASA in 2013, the year NASA's astronaut class was 50 percent female. A spacewalk is defined by NASA as "anytime an astronaut gets out of a vehicle while in space." Fridays spacewalk, to upgrade batteries on the space station, is expected to last around seven hours. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Europasaurus holgeri - twice. These portraits are of the same animal using the same specimen and the same view, but one is restored with ... " " Seats reserved for Apple and FBI representatives before the start of a House Judiciary Committee hearing titled 'The Encryption Tightrope: Balancing Americans' Security and Privacy,' in March 2016 Drew Angerer/Getty Images In fall 2013, a young man named Ross Ulbricht was arrested at a public library in San Francisco, distracted by two FBI agents posing as a couple in the middle of a loud and passionate argument. That distraction proved crucial as another agent swept in to grab Ulbricht's laptop before he could close it. If Ulbricht had closed it, the computer's hard drive would've encrypted itself and made it much more difficult to prove the U.S. government's case against the man. What was Ulbricht's crime? The 29-year-old ran an online criminal marketplace called Silk Road, and his laptop showed him still logged in as the site's administrator and provided the feds with a detailed diary of his every movement and criminal action. In February 2015, he was convicted on charges of money laundering, hacking and conspiracy to commit drug trafficking. The files copied from his hard drive before they could be encrypted were crucial to the prosecution. " " A supporter of Ross Ulbricht, the creator and operator of the Silk Road underground market, stands in front of a Manhattan federal court house on the first day of jury selection for Ulbricht's trial. Spencer Platt/Getty Images Advertisement Encryption Everywhere Since Ulbricht's arrest, encryption has become more widespread, with everything from iPhones to Facebook's Messenger app using it. Many devices advertise encryption as a selling point. State and federal security and law enforcement officials are less enamored of it, not surprisingly. Writing in 2015, New York County District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. noted "criminal defendants charged with all manner of crimes, including rape, kidnapping, robbery, promotion of child pornography, larceny, and presumably by those interested in committing acts of terrorism" appreciated the safety that the iOS 8 operating system provided them. "Criminal defendants across the nation are the principal beneficiaries of iOS 8, and the safety of all American communities is imperiled by it," wrote Vance. The longstanding issue came under particular scrutiny in 2016, after FBI and Apple argued over access to San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook's iPhone (the FBI eventually did gain access). In 2017, the FBI said it was sitting on nearly 7,800 encrypted devices the agency claimed contain evidence critical to putting more criminals behind bars. The agency later revised that estimate downward, to less than 2,000, writes ZDnet. Advertisement The Encryption Standoff What to do about those encrypted devices? Well, the U.S. Department of Justice has lobbied for a law mandating that tech companies develop tools that would allow law enforcement to circumvent encryption and access data on their customers' devices. No such law has been drafted, but the agency is still pursuing the matter. This effort is not unprecedented. In 1993, Congress considered a law mandating the use of the so-called "Clipper chip," which would store a copy of an encryption key for law enforcement and allow the decryption of secure files with a warrant. The chip, however, had serious technical vulnerabilities and was met with massive backlash that killed the project just three years later. So what is the DOJ requesting? "[It's] calling on technology companies to develop a technical solution that allows them to respond to lawful court orders without fatally compromising security" and support strong encryption standards, emails a DOJ spokesperson who asked not to be named. A way to do this without compromising encryption simply does not exist, wrote cybersecurity expert Matt Blaze in a 2015 Washington Post op-ed. (Blaze published the guide to the Clipper chip's vulnerabilities in 1994.) Moreover, such a solution would effectively create an exploitable backdoor. This is extremely consequential. When programmers apply an encryption algorithm, they use a library of proven approaches. These algorithms are developed by experts who have advanced degrees in mathematics, and they're thoroughly tested in the wild. The same algorithms that encrypt your text messages on an iPhone and your laptop's hard drive are pretty much the same kinds of algorithms that encrypt your online purchases and banking sessions. Advertisement Far-reaching Consequences And this is ultimately why undermining encryption is a cure far worse than the disease. We rely on encryption algorithms to secure our private data and the nearly $2.8 trillion global e-commerce market. A backdoor allowing a third party to read details of transactions means there will be a built-in way to snoop on countless credit card purchases. It also could be used to capture online banking sessions and other personal data useful for blackmail, identity and credit card fraud. Today, this sort of hacking requires tricking the user into giving hackers access to their computers and internet connections. A backdoor would make such snooping far easier because nothing would be required of the victims other than using the web. Online shopping would no longer be safe as currently heavily encrypted transactions would be trivial to decrypt. Online banking would be like giving random strangers a copy of your bank statements along with account and routing numbers. And while global e-commerce cratered, credit card processing terminals at brick-and-mortar stores also would be deeply compromised because they too run the same algorithms to secure your data. Cash would become the only safe way to buy things, setting the global economy back decades. Even then, using the ATM means risking having your PIN and debit card numbers swiped within a now easily penetrable network. But only government would have these shortcuts or skeleton keys, right? Wrong. If encryption is weakened for governments, it's also weakened for hackers because you're effectively solving an equation for which there's only one answer. It's impossible to solve the same math problem and come up with two completely different answers depending on the person solving it. And if there's a skeleton key to break encryption for law enforcement, the people who have access to it can be millionaires many times over selling it to hackers, and some of them inevitably will. For their part, a DOJ spokesperson notes via email that the term encryption backdoors "is unhelpful and is not what the Justice Department is seeking," adding that "diminished access to the content of lawfully obtained data is not just an issue for Governments alone, but a mutual responsibility for all stakeholders." The spokesperson also writes that "the Governments of the Five Eyes encourage information and communications technology service providers to voluntarily establish lawful access solutions to their products and services they create or operate in our countries." While this seems anodyne enough from a political standpoint, the lack of specificity indicates that the DOJ wants some way to decrypt data on command with a warrant, despite security experts saying that such a way simply does not exist due to the rules of mathematics. Whatever happens, one thing is certain: Encryption will remain a fiercely contested issue for years to come. Now That's Interesting Five Eyes is the name of the network of five countries that share intelligence with each other. It's composed of the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar Albayalde said Tuesday, March 26, they do not have any intelligence information linking presidential economic adviser Michael Yang to the illegal drug trade.Dismissed PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar Albayalde said Tuesday, March 26, they do not have any intelligence information linking presidential economic adviser Michael Yang to the illegal drug trade. Dismissed police official, Senior Superintendent Eduardo Acierto, earlier accused Yang, a Davao-based Chinese businessman who is close to President Rodrigo Duterte, and a certain Allan Lim to illegal drug trade. But Albayalde said Yang is not included in the PNP intelligence division's list of drug personalities. As far as the PNP is concerned, wala po kaming information whatsoever on the alleged illegal activities of Michael Yang, he said in a press briefing in Camp Crame. But Albayalde said the PNP may conduct verification based on the allegations of Acierto. Yes, of course, (we will consider launching investigation against Yang). Kung may mga intelligence information especially coming from the intelligence community, we will. SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) naman yan if we receive intelligence reports, he said. It is possible kasi wala naman sinabi ang pangulo natin na hindi pwedeng galawin yung mga kaibigan o advisers niya. Alam natin ang Presidente walang sinisino sa laban sa illegal na droga, corruption at krimen, he added. Acierto said Sunday, March 24, that Yang and Lim are among the biggest drug lords in the country, responsible for running clandestine laboratories in Davao and Cagayan de Oro cities. Acierto said he exposed the matter to warn the government and because he had already been receiving death threats. He said he received an information that a Davao group was contracted to kill him with a reward of P15 million. Kung meron siyang death threat he can surface and pwede naman niya sabihin sa amin. Probably,, we can help him just like any other citizen kung meron siyang nakikitang death threat then why not, said Albayalde. Acierto, who had been a member of the PNP's anti-narcotics units for at least 18 years, said he prepared the report in August 2017 and submitted it to then chief PNP Ronald dela Rosa, then Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director Aaron Aquino, and Police Deputy Director General Camilo Cascolan. Story continues He said copies of the report was also sent to Albayalde, Senator Richard Gordon, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, and former Special Assistant to the President Christopher Bong Go. Albayalde, however, denied the allegations of Acierto that he did not do anything upon receiving the report, saying he could not remember receiving such. I can only speculate that Acierto could be doing all these indiscriminate allegations in a vain attempt to muddle the ongoing case resulting from his indictment in the P6.4-billion shabu smuggled inside magnetic lifters through the Bureau of Customs, he said. My advice for him is to 'man-up' and face the charges squarely rather than shoot from the hip with indiscriminate accusations, he added. Acierto was one of the government officials implicated in the P11 billion worth of smuggled drugs concealed in magnetic lifters that were found at the Manila International Container Port (MICP), as well as in a warehouse in Cavite. He refused attending investigation launched by the lawmakers on the matter. Albayalde said the timing of Aciertos surfacing is also questionable considering that Dela Rosa is running for the senatorial position under the governments party. (SunStar Philippines) SUCCESSFUL hotel owners love creating positive experiences for their guests.One of the local hotel brands that remains one of Cebus favorites is Be, which is owned by the Benedictos, a familiar name SUCCESSFUL hotel owners love creating positive experiences for their guests. One of the local hotel brands that remains one of Cebus favorites is Be, which is owned by the Benedictos, a familiar name in Cebus diplomatic corps. The newly renovated Be Resort Mactan stands tall, competing alongside international hotel chains along the Punta Engano stretch in Mactan Island. It has also carved a name for itself in the high-end resort segment in Panglao Island, Bohol through Be Grand Resorts. Instrumental to Bes success in hospitality is Grand Benedicto, the eldest child of Enrique Benedicto. He is the president of Enrison Holdings Inc. and the honorary consul of Romania. Benedicto said entering the hospitality industry was a decision that made sense, since they were already into furniture and cement. The hotel was like a culmination of all the industries we are in, he said. Besides Be Resorts, the Benedictos also own Mabuhay Towers in Cebu IT Park, Mabuhay Filcement and Berben Wood Industries Inc. Benedicto earned a business administration degree from the University of San Carlos. But even without a background in hospitality management, his leadership and business acumen, earned while working for the familys businesses, made Be a sought-after second home of local and foreign tourists while they are in Cebu and Bohol. What was your first job? My first job was with Berben Wood Industries Inc., a furniture export company. I joined the family business right away. The decision to join the family business came naturally. It wasnt something that I was obliged to do and not something that I didnt want to do, but it was something that was there already. It was something I expected to do right after college, and maybe something that (my parents) expected, too. Berben Wood was a good training ground because it was an export-driven company. I was exposed to the complete cycle of business. I practically learned everything there. Who inspired you to get into business? Story continues I cant recall if there was one because at that time, we were just thinking about what to do with our properties. It was just a flow of events. We had a beach house back then where the family spent weekends. Be Resorts Mactan was established 10 years ago. In 2015, we expanded to Bohol and set up the Be Grand Resort in Panglao. When did you realize this was what you were meant to do? I think it was not a realization. Its more of grabbing opportunities. I think it is a good industry to be in, considering how it has grown over the years. I wont say we came in late, nor did we come too early. I believe we came just right in time, when Cebus tourism industry was flourishing and that Cebu and Bohol needed more rooms to accommodate visitors. I think it is all about timing. Everything has to come into play. The right people have to come in, the property has to be there and the infrastructure should be in place. Why did you pick this type of business or industry? Tourism opportunities in Bohol and Cebu are astounding. They both offer different guest experiences. It was a good business move to diversify into hospitality when the family had already carved a name in furniture and cement. Our venture into tourism was a bit difficult because it was our first. It was a bigger leap, but after learning how to do it, run and operate the hotel, the expansion in Bohol came easier. Where did you get the training you needed to succeed? Tourism is a dynamic industry, so we constantly update ourselves with the evolving demands of our guests. Working for the different business units of the family helped me run the resort business well. From time to time, we also participated in tourism shows and exhibitions to capture more of the market and broaden our network. These are important avenues for us to learn and upgrade the things that are new in the industry. How many times did you fail before you succeeded? It is not about failing but about rising up after you fail. Failure is relevant; it is part of every entrepreneurial journey. It is part of learning. EMBATTLED former police official Senior Superintendent Eduardo Acierto released Tuesday, March 26, a drug matrix that showed the involvement in the illegal drug trade of President Rodrigo Dutertes "economic EMBATTLED former police official Senior Superintendent Eduardo Acierto released Tuesday, March 26, a drug matrix that showed the involvement in the illegal drug trade of President Rodrigo Dutertes "economic adviser," Michael Yang. READ: Dismissed cop tags 2 Chinese nationals close to Duterte as drug lords Based on the drug matrix, Yang is a member of the Johnson Chua drug syndicate led by a certain Johnson Co, who is based in mainland China but was recently monitored in Hong Kong and Macau. The matrix showed that Co has business partners running Chinese warehouses being used in illegal drug operations in Cagayan de Oro City and General Santos City. Yang, alias Dragon, and his partner, Allan Lim, are in-charge of facilitating the entry of illegal drugs in the country through the help of several officials in the Bureau of Customs, it stated. It also showed that Yang is receiving P50,000 for every kilo of shabu, which will be delivered to their business partners. Acierto said Lim is behind the clandestine laboratory, which was raided by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Cavite in July 2018. Recovered from the laboratory were P10.4 billion worth of drugs and equipment for the manufacturing of illegal drugs. He said Lim was arrested during the operation but was later released due to technicality. Acierto said Yang also provided shipping documents for the entry of the illegal drugs recovered during a raid in a warehouse in Cagayan de Oro in 2005, which was operated by a certain Allan Sy, as well as those found in Dumoy and Bunawan, Davao clandestine laboratory during an operation in 2004. He said all the said illegal drugs were all from Cos drug group. Acierto said the matrix was among the reports he submitted to former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald dela Rosa, former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director Aaron Aquino, and Police Deputy Director General Camilo Cascolan. He said copies of the report was also sent to PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde, Senator Richard Gordon, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and former special assistant to the president Christopher Bong Go, hoping that it will reach Duterte. Story continues He said he does not have direct access to the President. Acierto said he felt betrayed considering that after submitting such report, he was tagged by Duterte as among the police officers involved in illegal drugs. Duterte tagged Acierto in October 2018 as among the police officials involved in illegal drugs. Acierto was also implicated in the P11 billion worth of smuggled drugs concealed in magnetic lifters that were found at the Manila International Container Port, as well as in a warehouse in Cavite. Albayalde said in a press briefing in Camp Crame Tuesday, March 26, that he could not remember receiving a report from Acierto concerning Yang's involvement in the illegal drug trade. I can only speculate that Acierto could be doing all these indiscriminate allegations in a vain attempt to muddle the ongoing case resulting from his indictment in the P6.4-billion shabu smuggled inside magnetic lifters through the Bureau of Customs, he said. He also said that Yang is not included in the PNP intelligence division's list of drug personalities. (SunStar Philippines) MANILA, Philippines (AP) A former senior Philippine police official said President Rodrigo Duterte, who has faced widespread criticism over his deadly drug crackdown, has been photographed with two Chinese men involved in illegal drugs and that he sent a report to warn him about the two. Dismissed Senior Superintendent Eduardo Acierto said late Sunday that he's unaware what government action has been taken after he submitted his report about the Chinese men to top police officials starting in December 2017. Instead, Acierto said he's now facing illegal drugs complaints and has been the target of death threats that forced him to go into hiding recently. "In my investigation, I discovered that our president ... is often accompanied by two people deeply involved in illegal drugs," Acierto, who was a veteran anti-narcotics official before he was dismissed last year by an anti-graft agency, said in a video message shown to reporters before he appeared at a news conference in Manila. "What popped into my mind at the time was maybe the president isn't aware that these are suspected drug lords." Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Aaron Aquino told The Associated Press that he received Acierto's report and sent it to Duterte's office, adding that both his office and that of the president took steps to validate the allegations against the two Chinese. An initial check showed that at least one of the Chinese was not facing any illegal drugs case in the country, he said. There was a suspected drug dealer in the northern Philippines with the same name as one of the two Chinese Acierto identified in his report, but Aquino said investigators would have to check if they were the same person. "It's wrong to say that there was no action taken because it was acted upon," Aquino said. He played down the significance of the photographs showing Duterte with the two Chinese men, saying officials often get approached by all sorts of people for group photographs without being able to rapidly check their background. Story continues "I get to be asked for selfie shots and I wouldn't know that the one I'm being photographed with is a drug lord," Aquino said. Aside from his alleged involvement in the irregular issuance of gun permits that led an anti-graft prosecutor to order his dismissal last year, Acierto also faces criminal complaints for his alleged role in the entry of a large amount of methamphetamine through the Bureau of Customs in Manila, Aquino said. "In terms of credibility, it's evident that he's not credible because, first of all, he has been implicated in the smuggling of drugs," Aquino said. Acierto's confidential report about the alleged drug links of the two Chinese contained many details, including the involvement of one of them in the establishment of a secret methamphetamine drugs manufacturing laboratory that was raided by authorities in 2004 in southern Davao city, where Duterte served as a longtime mayor before rising to the presidency in mid-2016. Police have not said if they investigated those specific allegations or what they found out. Profiles of the two Chinese provided by Acierto to reporters said they were similarly involved in the "manufacturing, financing, the importation, transhipment and local distribution of meth or shabu," referring to the local name of the powerful stimulant. Acierto said he made a video message about his findings and contacted the media to make them public to be sure the potential danger the two men posed would be dealt with even if he gets killed. He did not elaborate on the death threats but said they forced him to go into hiding with the help of friends and church people. Acierto, who spent 18 years of his 33-year police career in anti-narcotics work, said he initially welcomed Duterte's passion to combat illegal drugs. But he said he later realized that the president's crackdown took a wrong approach by targeting mostly poor drug suspects instead of addressing the "supply side" by going after drug producers, financiers and largescale traffickers. "Maybe the killings are not the solution and most of those killed belonged to the lower classes," Acierto said. "If there's supply there will be addicts. Will they annihilate all these Filipinos?" More than 5,000 drug suspects have been killed in what the police reported were gunbattles that ensued during drug raids under Duterte's crackdown. The killings have alarmed Western governments and human rights group and sparked two complaints for mass murder before the International Criminal Court. Duterte denies condoning extrajudicial killings but has openly threatened drug suspects with death. ___ Associated Press videojournalist Cecilia Forbes contributed to this report. Ten people were treated for smoke inhalation, and employees and shoppers had to be evacuated when a fire broke out at a five-story shopping mall in Azerbaijans capital, Baku, on March 26, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. In this footage, helicopters can be seen working alongside firefighters to extinguish the blaze. Russian news agency Vestnik Kavkaza reported that Azerbaijans Emergency Situations Minister, Deputy Interior Minister, and head of the Executive Authority of the Nizami District, where the shopping center was located, were all on-site after reports of the fire broke out. The fire, which was only extinguished after several hours, almost entirely destroyed the mall, local media reported. Preliminary reports suggest that the blaze began after a nearby diner exploded and flames ignited the shopping center, the exterior cladding of which was said to be made of flammable material. Akper Novruzov, fire department chief at Azerbaijans Ministry of Emergency Situations, said that the building did not comply with fire safety regulations, according to media reports. Credit: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty via Storyful The People Power Monument in Quezon City set the backdrop for thousands of motorcycle riders to oppose the law requiring motorcycles to carry bigger license plates. Despite the mounting pressure from the riders, Senator Richard Gordon reminded the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to stand firm in implementing the newly-enacted Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act or Republic 11235. Gordon reiterated the importance of drafting the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the said law, and emphasized the importance of aligning it with its goal of protecting the public from crimes committed using motorcycles. The government is now taking action against riding-in-tandem crimes with the enactment of this law. We should not let this law die because of poor implementation; that is why the LTO should do the IRR properly, Gordon said in a statement. Gordon, who authored and sponsored the said law, volunteered to help in drafting the IRR to make sure that it reflects the genuine spirit of the law. Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) said it will consult with riders when they draft Republic Act 11235s IRR. Republic Act 11235 ibtimes.com The Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act was officially signed by President Rodrigo Duterte last March 8. It requires motorcycles to be fitted with bigger license plates that are big enough to be readable from a distance of at least 15 meters. It also mandates that all license plates be color-coded to identify the region where the motorcycle was registered. However, riders and transport groups protested on making the license plates bigger, saying it could endanger riders and pedestrians as well. The post Law Requiring Bigger Motorcycle License Plates Receives Backlash from Motorcycle Riders appeared first on Carmudi Philippines. THERE will be no lavish party or fanfare when President Rodrigo Duterte celebrates his 74th birthday on March 28, Thursday, at his home in Davao City, Malacanang said on Tuesday, March 26.The President THERE will be no lavish party or fanfare when President Rodrigo Duterte celebrates his 74th birthday on March 28, Thursday, at his home in Davao City, Malacanang said on Tuesday, March 26. The President would just spend his special day privately with his family, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo told Palace reporters in a press briefing. "The same celebration. He stays in the house and with family," Panelo said. Last year, Duterte celebrated his 73rd birthday without a "lavish" party. Duterte, the second among the five children of Vicente and Soledad, was born on March 28, 1945 in the central Philippine city of Maasin, Southern Leyte. (SunStar Philippines) FISHERMEN found anew seven blocks of suspected cocaine off Bagamanoc in Catanduanes.Local police said three fishermen found the blocks while fishing off Bagamanoc around 1 p.m. Monday, March 25.The fishermen FISHERMEN found anew seven blocks of suspected cocaine off Bagamanoc in Catanduanes. Local police said three fishermen found the blocks while fishing off Bagamanoc around 1 p.m. Monday, March 25. The fishermen immediately turned the illegal contraband over to police. The suspected cocaine has an estimated weight of 8.635 kilos. The police then turned the blocks over to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. Since February, over 100 kilograms of cocaine have been recovered from the country's eastern seaboard, particularly in the provinces of Aurora, Quezon, Camarines Norte, and Camarines Sur in Luzon, as well as Dinagat Group of islands in Caraga, Davao Oriental, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao Del Sur in Mindanao. (SunStar Philippines) Freelance reporter Asad Hashim received the 2018 Agence France-Presse Kate Webb Prize Tuesday, recognising his intrepid coverage of the plight of ethnic Pashtuns and blasphemy issues in his native Pakistan. The award, named after one of AFP's finest correspondents, highlights journalism by locally hired reporters across Asia working in risky or difficult conditions. Hashim, 33, was honoured for an illuminating series of articles on ethnic Pashtuns and other minority groups caught in the crossfire of Pakistan's bloody battle against militants. These included an investigative report into enforced disappearances allegedly conducted by the country's powerful military and a reporting mission to the South Waziristan tribal region - the birthplace of Pakistan's Taliban - to look into the civilian toll from landmines. Pakistan has battled homegrown militancy for nearly 15 years, with tens of thousands of people killed. Insurgents still retain the ability to launch devastating attacks despite dramatic improvements in security in recent years. Pakistan also routinely ranks among the world's most dangerous countries for media workers, and coverage critical of the powerful military is considered a red flag, with reporters at times detained, beaten and even killed for running afoul of the security establishment. "(He is) a very good writer, a very good storyteller, and a very brave journalist," said AFP Asia-Pacific regional director Philippe Massonnet during a ceremony in Islamabad Tuesday. The award also recognised his work on other highly sensitive issues, such as Pakistan's blasphemy laws and its judicial system. "I feel like this award is not just a recognition of my work," said Hashim. "It's recognition of the environment and particular difficulties that all Pakistani journalist are facing." The Kate Webb Prize, with a 3,000 euro ($3,400) purse, honours journalists working in perilous or difficult conditions in Asia, and is named after a crusading AFP reporter who died in 2007 at the age of 64, after a career covering the world's troublespots. "The award means continuation of Kate's name... and the continuation of what she did as a journalist. I think all those things are very important," said Rachel Miller, Webb's sister. The award, which in 2017 went to Myanmar journalist Mratt Kyaw Thu for his brave coverage of ethnic and religious conflict in his homeland, is administered by AFP and the Webb family. Palestinian militants fired a rocket at Israel late Tuesday prompting further retaliation strikes from the Israeli army, with the late-night exchanges threatening claims of a truce. It comes hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was prepared for further military action in Gaza, at a highly sensitive time ahead of Israel's April 9 elections. The latest severe flare-up began early Monday when a rare long-distance rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit a house north of Tel Aviv, wounding seven Israelis. The Israeli military hit back with a series of air strikes across the enclave and Palestinian militants launched a barrage of new rockets. No casualties have been reported. Calm prevailed throughout Tuesday, with Hamas claiming Egypt had brokered a ceasefire, but as night fell Israel said a projectile was fired from Gaza around 8:00 pm (1800 GMT). Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and other groups said "the rocket that hit near Ashkelon was the work of an individual and the factions are committed to calm" as long as Israel is. "Our airforce just struck several Hamas terror targets in Gaza," the Israeli army tweeted late Tuesday. "If Hamas think that we'll sit idly by as their rocket fire, explosives, and breaches of Israel's border fence threaten the lives of Israeli civilians - they're wrong. "Our fighter jets and aircraft struck additional Hamas targets in Gaza," it later added. A security source in Gaza said an air strike hit a Hamas military base in Khan Yunis. Netanyahu, who cut short his US visit, had earlier said "we are prepared to do a lot more". "We will do what is necessary to defend our people and to defend our state," he said via satellite link to pro-Israel lobby AIPAC's annual conference. The army said that after an assessment with Netanyahu, the military chief of staff Lieutenant General Aviv Kohavi ordered more forces be sent to the southern region. Kohavi also "approved completing the summoning of additional reserve soldiers," a statement from the military read, without providing further details. - Avoid fourth war - The prime minister is widely believed to want to avoid a fourth war in Gaza since 2008 with unpredictable consequences ahead of the elections, but he is also under heavy political pressure. Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of protests and clashes along the Gaza-Israel border, and large demonstrations are expected for it. Netanyahu said earlier Tuesday that Israel's response to Gaza fire was the largest-scale attack on Hamas sites since the last war between them in 2014. The government closed its people and goods crossing with the blockaded enclave and reduced the zone in the Mediterranean it allows for Palestinian fishermen. It did not confirm the ceasefire announced by Hamas. Israel's army blames Hamas for the rocket that hit a house Monday in the community of Mishmeret, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Tel Aviv. A Hamas official, however, denied the group was responsible for that rocket and indicated it may have been fired by accident or even due to "bad weather". burs-ecl/fox GERMANTOWN, Maryland -- Earth Networks announced on March 15 the completion of the Philippines first nationwide severe weather monitoring and alerting network with associated software services for the GERMANTOWN, Maryland -- Earth Networks announced on March 15 the completion of the Philippines first nationwide severe weather monitoring and alerting network with associated software services for the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) agency of the Philippines. The announcement was made at the 6th annual InterMET Asia conference in Singapore. Initiated in 2017, and formally commissioned this week, the technology partnership between Pagasa and Earth Networks is the first of its kind in the Philippines and surrounding regions, powered by a network of total lightning sensors and real-time automatic weather stations for mesoscale monitoring. Installed and operated together with Philippines partner West Point Engineering, the 10-year program includes: * Real-time lightning detection powered by the Earth Networks Total Lightning Network * On-the-ground weather monitoring via the Earth Networks Weather Network, integrated with Pagasa's existing weather data systems * Sferic Maps, a web-based severe weather monitoring and alerting platform * Severe weather data and visualization tools such as Dangerous Thunderstorm Alerts and PulseRad, a lightning-derived radar alternative Short-range point forecasts powered by ENcast, enabling emergency response planning for specific disaster-prone sites * Comprehensive training and maintenance for all weather sensors Data from the collaboration will be commercially available to public and private industries in the region to improve and inform decision-making around severe weather. This will further enable a commercial sustainability model for these severe weather monitoring and alerting systems. Earth Networks has also deployed its first Outdoor Alerting System in the Philippines to provide wide area public alerting. Pagasa is the Philippines public weather service provider, issuing typhoon and flood warnings, public weather forecasts, advisories, meteorological, astronomical, climatological products and other specialized services primarily for the protection of life and property and in support of economic productivity and sustainable development. Story continues Earth Networks is a global provider of weather information services, including the Earth Networks Total Lightning Network, with 1,700 total lightning sensors across 100 countries. Newly expanded in the Philippines, it is the worlds most advanced lightning network technology, featuring comprehensive monitoring of both in-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning, enabling faster localized storm alerts and more accurate weather forecasts. Our partnership with Earth Networks is an exciting next step in our commitment to bring the best, most technologically advanced weather information systems to the Philippines, said the Pagasa administrator. We can already see the benefits in improvements to our near-term forecasts, nowcasting and severe weather warning capabilities and look forward to further enhancements as a result of our cooperation. We are delighted to build this innovative partnership model with PAGASA to help further our vision for a safer and more prosperous world, said Jim Anderson, senior vice president for Global Sales at Earth Networks. In addition to helping Pagasa with more accurate forecasting, severe weather monitoring and alerting, these new sources of data will greatly benefit a wide range of weather-sensitive industries in the Philippines, such as aviation, agriculture, energy and utilities. These commercial partnerships will further help sustain and expand these capacity enhancements for many years to come, Anderson added. (Business Wire/via AP) A Dutch art detective dubbed the "Indiana Jones of the Art World" has struck again, finding a Picasso painting worth 25 million euros stolen from a Saudi sheikh's yacht on the French Riviera in 1999. Arthur Brand said he had handed back the 1938 masterpiece entitled "Portrait of Dora Maar", also known as "Buste de Femme (Dora Maar)" to an insurance company earlier this month. The discovery of the rare portrait of Maar, one of Pablo Picasso's most influential mistresses, is the culmination of a four-year investigation into the burglary on the luxury yacht Coral Island, as she lay anchored in Antibes. Two decades after its theft and with no clues to its whereabouts, the French police were stumped -- and the portrait, which once hung in the Spanish master's home until his death in 1973, was feared lost forever. But after a four-year trail which led through the Dutch criminal underworld, two intermediaries turned up on Brand's Amsterdam doorstep 10 days ago with the missing picture. "They had the Picasso, now valued at 25 million euros wrapped in a sheet and black rubbish bags with them," Brand told AFP. It was yet another success for Brand, who hit the headlines last year for returning a stolen 1,600-year-old mosaic to Cyprus. He won world fame in 2015 after finding "Hitler's Horses", two bronze statues made by Nazi sculptor Joseph Thorak -- a discovery about which he had a book out earlier this month. - Drugs and arms deals - The theft of the Picasso, valued at around seven million dollars at the time, baffled French police, sent the super-rich scurrying to update boat security and prompted the offer of a big reward. In 2015, Brand first got wind that a "Picasso stolen from a ship" was doing the rounds in the Netherlands, although "at that stage I didn't know which one exactly." It turned out that the painting had entered the criminal circuit, where it circled for many years "often being used as collateral, popping up in a drug deal here, four years later in an arms deal there," said. It took several years and a few dead ends before pinning down that it was actually the Picasso stolen from Saudi Arabian billionaire Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Abdulmalik Al-Sheikh's yacht as the mega-cruiser was being refurbished, Brand said. Brand put out word on the street that he was looking for "Buste de Femme (Dora Maar)" and in early March he struck gold. "Two representatives of a Dutch businessman contacted me, saying their client had the painting. He was at his wits' end," said Brand. "He thought the Picasso was part of a legitimate deal. It turns out the deal was legitimate -- the method of payment was not," Brand laughed. Brand called the Dutch and French police -- who had since closed the case -- and who said they would not prosecute the current owner. "Since the original theft, the painting must have changed hands at least 10 times," said Brand. Brand said he had to act quickly, otherwise the painting may have disappeared back into the underworld. "I told the intermediaries, it's now or never, because the painting is probably in a very bad state... We have to act as soon as we can." - 'Hung it on my wall' - Then, just over a week ago, Brand's doorbell rang at his modest apartment in Amsterdam, and the intermediaries were there with the painting. After unwrapping it, "I hung the Picasso on my wall for a night, thereby making my apartment one of the most expensive in Amsterdam for a day," Brand laughed. The following day, a Picasso expert from New York's Pace Gallery flew in to verify its authenticity at a high-security warehouse in Amsterdam. Also present was retired British detective Dick Ellis, founder of Scotland Yard's art and antiquities squad, representing an unnamed insurance company. "There is no doubt that this is the stolen Picasso," Ellis, who now runs a London-based art risk consultancy business, told AFP. Ellis is famous for recovering many stolen artworks including Edvard Munch's "The Scream", lifted from the National Gallery of Norway in 1994. "It's not only the public interest to recover stolen works of art," he said. "You are also reducing the amount of collateral that is circling the black market and funds criminality." "Buste de Femme" is back in possession of the insurance company, which now had to decide the next steps, Brand and Ellis said. The recent labour market reform and the implementation in Spain of a model similar to the Austrian focused a few interesting conferencias-debate organized the past 27 and 28 October by the Hispano-Austriaca Association of Jurists (AHAUJ). In the words of its President, D Mercedes Aguado, these acts have helped to highlight the principal uncertainties faced Spain before the importation of this system that the Government has already given the green light with law 35/2010 of 17 September. To better understand how it works and the way that you can apply in Spain the capitalization Fund of severance, rapporteurs of the category from the Ambassador of Austria in Spain excmo. Mr. D. Rudolf Lennkh, D Ana of Timothy, specialist in comparative law from the Legal Department of Porsche in Salzsburgo, or the commercial delegate of Austria in Spain, D. Robert Punkenhofer gathered at a few conferences organized by the AHAUJ in Madrid, in a space loaned by CaixForum Center Social and Cultural of the Social work of the Caixa and Barcelona, in the facilities of Barcelona Activa. The conclusions that can be drawn among the Austrian experience has shown that this model has resulted in a lowering of the dismissal in Austria and to increased labour mobility. Austrian experts also explained that this system is mandatory for all employees and self-employed and that capital is managed by boxes which operate as investment funds. After 3 years of contributions, the employee can cash accumulated in the event of dismissal, termination of the contract by mutual agreement, or retirement. But, without a doubt, one of the most contentious points discussed in the Conference was the form of financing of this Fund. While in Austria, explained its Ambassador, the Fund is sourced with contributions from the employer, who pays monthly 1.53% of the gross monthly salary of each worker to a provident fund for employees, in Spain it is still to be determined who will assume the payment of these funds. In order to lawfully enter and reside in Germany, you must have permission from the authorities sootvetstsvuyuschee. These permissions are the visa, permission for an emergency stay in Germany (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) and permission to permanent residence in Germany (Niederlassungserlaubnis). The entry visa is available for short visits to Germany for up to three months. In addition to single visa can be issued returnable visa valid for up to five years. On such a visa can stay in Germany until three months once in six months during the period of the visa. Aufenthaltserlaubnis yavletsya residence permit in Germany and issued for a specified period and with a purpose. For example, to study at university, attending language courses, in exceptional cases and for attending school. To study at university issued a visa for up to two years, followed by extension every time the same term, if the study is not completed, but can be completed in reasonable time. To prepare for university entrance permit to stay should not exceed two years. After graduation, the residence permit may be renewed for up to one year to find work. Face, obtain a residence permit in connection with their studies, can not be issued another resolution related to other grounds of residence in Germany, if this is not a legitimate reason. Person with a student visa, permitted to engage in employment 90 days per year or 180 days per year in a half-day of employment. "Niederlassungserlaubnis" is of a permanent residence permit and can engage in labor activity without restrictions. Terms providing indefinite residence permit are contained in 9AufenthG. General conditions of obtaining this residence is the presence of at least 5 years of temporary residence permit, sufficient income to live, etc. In marriage to a citizen of Germany, the foreign spouse is issued "Aufenthaltserlaubnis', which is renewable. Indefinite residence permit issued to a foreign spouse, if within three years had an emergency permit to stay and marriage is not dissolved, there are no grounds for expulsion, and he is fluent in German language at the basic level. If the marriage, which lasted for at least two years, a residence permit foreign spouse will be extended for up to one year, if he had a temporary or permanent residence. In the event that after divorce the foreign spouse be able to independently provide their own accommodation and had a permanent residence permit issued to him and permanent residence. This article discusses general issues of legal entry and residence in Germany. If you have questions and problems associated with living in Germany, requires an individual consultation with all the features of the case. Similar cases do not exist. This article provides general information purposes and is not a substitute for individual consultation. Rechtsanwalt Andreas Nod Munzstrasse 5, 10178 Berlin. Tel. +49 (0) 30/74776143 View of Elusa trash mound. Credit: Guy Bar-Oz. A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in Israel has found evidence that suggests rapid climate change might have been a factor in the fall of part of the Byzantine Empire. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes their study of trash mounds outside the boundaries of the ancient settlement of Elusa and what they found. The Byzantine Empire (often referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire) existed from approximately 330 to 1453 CEits capital was Constantinople and its size changed dramatically over the course of its existence. At its largest, it included land in Greece, Italy, the Balkans, Asia Minor, North Africa and the Levant. The Empire ceased to exist when it was conquered by the Ottomans in 1453. Prior research has suggested that the Empire lost its hold on the Levant due to Islamic conquests in the seventh century. In this new effort, the researchers suggest the invaders might have had a little help from Mother Nature. The researchers note that their study of the ancient settlement of Elusa in the Levant (now in Israel) did not begin with studying trash heapsit was only after they became curious about the large mounds just outside of what had once been the settlement's borders. A little digging revealed that the mounds were nothing more than trash heaps that had been formed from discarded material by the people of Elusa. Shells from Elusa trash mound. Credit: Guy Bar-Oz. The researchers excavated all the way down to the bottom of one of the mounds and found that it had been created in layersthis suggested that the trash dumping had occurred as part of a concerted effort. The researchers suggest it was due to the efforts of organized trash collectors. But they also found something elsethe organized trash collection had ceased nearly a century before the settlement had been overrun by invaders. But why? The researchers suggest it was likely a sign that the settlement had fallen on hard times. If that was the case, what might have caused it? Olive pits recovered from Elusa trash mound. Credit: Guy Bar-Oz Other research has shown that a mini-ice age occurred, starting in 536 CE, officially referred to as the Late Antique Little Ice Age. It was set off by three volcanoes erupting and filling the skies with so much debris that much of Europe and Asia became colder. And that led to crop failures and hard times. The researchers note that Elusa's chief export at the time was Gaza wine, and while wine production was not impacted by the little ice age, exports to major customers might have been. With customers drying up, the settlement of Elusa might have suffered both hard times and a shrinking population, making it easy pickings for the invaders when they arrived. Excavation at Elusa trash mound. Credit: Guy Bar-Oz. Explore further Israel discovers large Byzantine-era wine press More information: Guy Bar-Oz et al. Ancient trash mounds unravel urban collapse a century before the end of Byzantine hegemony in the southern Levant, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2019). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Guy Bar-Oz et al. Ancient trash mounds unravel urban collapse a century before the end of Byzantine hegemony in the southern Levant,(2019). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1900233116 2019 Science X Network Model of the Belle II detector: Electrons and their antiparticles, the positrons, are accelerated in the SuperKEKB ring and collide in Belle II's core. Credit: KEK/Belle II Since March 25, 2019, the Belle II detector instrument in Japan has been measuring collisions of particles generated in the SuperKEKB accelerator. The new duo produces more than 50 times the number of collisions compared to its predecessor. The huge increase in data means that there is now a greater chance of explaining the imbalance between matter and antimatter in the universe. In the Belle II experiment, electrons and their anti-particles, positrons, are directed to collision. This results in the generation of B mesons, couples consisting of a quark and an anti-quark. During earlier experiments (Belle and BaBar), scientists were able to observe that B mesons and anti-B mesons decay at different speeds, a phenomenon is known as CP violation. It offers an orientation when it comes to the question of why the universe contains almost no antimattereven though after the Big Bang, both forms of matter must have been present in equal quantities. "However, the asymmetry observed to date is too small to explain the lack of antimatter," says Hans-Gunther Moser from the Max Planck Institute for Physics. "That's why we're looking for a more powerful mechanism that has remained unknown to date that would burst the boundaries of the 'standard model of particle physics' that has been used to date. However, to find this new physics and to provide statistical evidence for it, physicists must collect and evaluate far more data than they have done to date." The SuperKEB ring, in which electrons and positrons are accelerated to collide in the Belle II experiment. Measuring the particle traces, physicists are looking for unusual decay patterns. Credit: KEK With this task in mind, the former KEK accelerator and Bellewhich were operational from 1999 to 2010have been fully modernized. The key new development is the 40-fold increase in luminosity, the number of particle collisions per area unit. For this purpose, scientists and technicians have significantly reduced the profile of the particle beam; it will also be possible to double the number of shot particle bunches in the future. The probability that the particles might actually hit each other is thus considerably increased. In this way, scientists will have 50 times the amount of data available for evaluation in the future. High-precision recording of particle tracks However, the additional amount of data presents major challenges when it comes to the quality of the analysis provided by the detector. After the particle collision, the B mesons decay by just 0.1 millimeters on an average flight. This means that the detectors have to work very quickly and precisely. This is ensured by a highly sensitive pixel vertex detector, a large part of which was developed and built at the Max Planck Institute for Physics and the semiconductor laboratory of the Max Planck Society. The detector has 8 million pixels overall, and delivers 50,000 images per second. "Several special technologies are built into the pixel vertex detector," Moser explains. "When new particle packages are fed into the SuperKEKB, which initially generates a very large background, we can blind the detector for about 1 microsecond. This means that non-relevant signals can be blocked out." Also, the detector sensors are no thicker than a human hair, with widths of just 75 micrometers. The physicists hope that in this way, they can prevent particles from being scattered while passing through matter. The start of the measurement operation will mark the end of a major construction project. For nine years, scientists and engineers have been working on the conversion and modernization of the detector. The run that has now begun will continue until 1st July 2019. The SuperKEKB and Belle II will restart in October 2019 after a brief pause for maintenance. Explore further Belle II measures first particle collisions China can easily fulfill its Paris climate pledge to peak greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, but sourcing 20 percent of its energy needs from renewables and nuclear power by that date may be much harder China can easily meet its Paris climate pledge to peak its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, but sourcing 20 percent of its energy needs from renewables and nuclear power by that date may be considerably harder, researchers said Tuesday. Tripling the share of non-fossil fuels will require a major overhaul of China's recalcitrant power sector and the full deployment of a fledgling emissions trading system, they said in the journal Nature Communications. There is a lot at stake. If the world's top carbon polluter fails to achieve these and other voluntary targets, the 2015 treaty's cornerstone goal of capping global warming at "well below" two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) may remain out of reach. On current trajectories, the planet is set to warm twice that much by century's end. China has also pledged to expand carbon-absorbing forests by 4,500 square kilometres before 2030, compared to 2005 levels. "China is on track to achieve its climate commitments," lead author Kelly Sims, director of The Fletcher School's Climate Policy Lab at Tufts University, told AFP. "It is not pulling back from implementing the Paris Agreement even though US President Donald Trump signalled his intention to do so." Over the last decade, China has positioned itself as a global leader on climate action, enacting a raft of policies to slow the growth of its carbon footprint and, eventually, make it shrink. Tripling the share of non-fossil fuels in China's energy mix will require a major overhaul of the country's recalcitrant power sector and the full deployment of a fledgling emissions trading system Global warming, however, has not always been the mainor even the primarytarget. "The vast majority of China's policies have co-benefits for energy security, economic reform and reduced ground-level pollution," Sims told AFP. More than a millionup to 2.8 million, according to a recent studypremature deaths in China each year are attributed to foul air. Room for more ambition The only major climate policy exclusively aimed at reducing CO2 levels is China's emissions trading scheme (ETS). Introduced in 2017, it is set to cover more than 1,700 power companies and some three billion tonnes in greenhouse gas emissions. China's total emissions in 2018 topped 10 billion tonnes of CO2, well over a quarter of the world total. Driving up the price of carbon within the ETS and boosting the share of renewables in China's electricity grid will both depend on revamping the country's power sector, the study said. "The main challenge is completing power sector reform," said Sims. Primary energy demand growth by fuel in major energy markets, change from 2017 to 2018 "There is political resistance from owners of existing coal plants, and from the provinces with major coal production and coal use." To assess China's chances of meeting its carbon-cutting promises, Sims and colleagues canvassed 18 experts, and modelled the implementation of 14 climate policies. China has come in for sharp criticism from watchdog groups for not setting more ambition carbon-cutting targets. The Carbon Action Tracker, which evaluates the CO2 reduction efforts in relation to capacity, has labelled Beijing's "highly insufficient." "Discouragingly, a rise in coal consumption drove Chinese CO2 emissions to a new high in 2017, which will likely be exceeded again in 2018," it noted. But the experts said that Beijing still has plenty of time to put its emissions curve on a downward track before 2030. "There is certainly room to be more ambitious in its peaking target," Sims added. China is also under pressure to bring downand account foremissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane, a byproduct of both natural gas and livestock production. "But China cannot stop climate change alone," Sims said. "All of the major industrialised countries will need to reduce their emissions, and rapidly developing countries will need to implement alternative growth strategies with the help of wealthier countries." Explore further 2018 spike in energy demand spells climate trouble: IEA More information: Kelly Sims Gallagher et al. Assessing the Policy gaps for achieving China's climate targets in the Paris Agreement, Nature Communications (2019). Journal information: Nature Communications Kelly Sims Gallagher et al. Assessing the Policy gaps for achieving China's climate targets in the Paris Agreement,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09159-0 2019 AFP Credit: Clausthal University of Technology Sparks are a fascinating phenomenon well-known from campfires, flint stones and electric sparklers and other pyrotechnic articles. Looking at sparks more closely reveals the limited colors in which they appear. Dark red-orange sparks are known from charcoal, iron powder leads to yellow/golden sparks, and hot burning elemental metal powders such as aluminum and titanium can form bright white sparks. The color of sparks is dominated by black body radiation. Consequently, the temperature of the spark controls its emitted wavelength. Differently colored sparks, e.g. green, blue, bright red/pink are not possible in the solid state. To achieve sparks in these colors, gas phase combustion is required. In the gas phase, element-specific emission takes place. In principle, the full spectrum of colors could be achieved, as known from the flame colors of various elements. Unfortunately, although few metals that burn in the vapor phase are known, the resulting sparks are very short, thick and the visual appearance is poor. This is readily explained by the fast evaporation of the metal. Researchers from the Clausthal University of Technology (Germany) headed by Prof. Eike G. Hubner searched for long-burning and intensively colored sparks. After considering the theoretical background, first author Felix Lederle and Eike Hubner found one metal that should form long-burning green sparks: erbium. Using erbium powder of an appropriate grain size around 80 microns unexpectedly led to the first description of color-changing sparks burning in three phases and final branching of the sparks. The findings have recently been published as very important paper and cover feature in the European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry. The phases of the spark are readily explained by a cooler starting phase, which exhibits black-body emission (orange-white), a very hot phase that leads to vapor-phase combustion and intense green emission of erbium monoxide in the gas phase, and finally a third phase based on black-body emission, again. The different phases of the spark have been analyzed by time-resolved emission spectra in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institute, Goslar (Germany) by co-author Jannis Koch. Additional experiments were performed with other materials such as tellurium for blue and sodium-soaked silica powder for yellow sparks. The color changing erbium sparks present a long-flying, bright and intensively colored appearance, and may allow producing sparklers and other pyrotechnic devices in exotic colors. Furthermore, the investigations can be helpful for bright flares and signaling devices. At the end of their publication, the scientists present the first smokeless indoor fountain based on color-changing erbium sparks and other uncommon compositions, such as a fountain with dark-red sparks based on diamond powder. Explore further Smoking cessation may reduce risk of rheumatoid arthritis Provided by Clausthal University of Technology With its essential oils, mint keeps away weeds the menthone contained in the oil might be used as a basis of environmentally friendly bioherbicides. Credit: CC0 Public Domain A new collaborative project will support the development of local communities in rural Uganda by creating and commercialising new varieties of mint. In conjunction with Ugandan partners, Cardiff University researchers will combine scientific research with engagement, training and commercialisation activities, to support local Ugandan communities to grow mint crops, with the aim of developing new mint-oil products for local commercial benefit. The leaves of mint plants produce several essential oils, the key component of which is menthol. These essential oils are used in a range of applications, from food flavourings to cosmetics and personal care products such as toothpaste and shower gel. Pineapple mint species also contain nepetalactone, which is a potent natural insect repellent. The market for mint oil-based products has a value of around $800m a year. "Given the large commercial value of mint oil extracts, we are confident that wide-scale cultivation of mint crops in Uganda could prove a viable resource for globally competitive production of mint essential oils," explained project lead Dr. Simon Scofield from Cardiff University School of Biosciences. "With the help of a grant from BBSRC, and in partnership with Makerere University (Uganda), we are looking to develop new mint varieties that can be cultivated in rural Uganda to produce high yields of essential oils containing menthol or nepatalactone. These oils can then be used to develop locally-made products for the benefit of the rural Ugandan economy." Using biochemical analysis and metabolic engineering, the project team will screen a range of mint varieties to identify those with naturally high yields of menthol or nepetalactone. The next step will be to manipulate key genes involved in the biosynthesis of essential oils, to increase the production of menthol and create new, 'elite' mint varieties. The most promising varieties will then undergo field trials to determine their viability for growth under varying conditions in three regions of Uganda. A significant portion of the project will involve upskilling local communities and supporting local business ventures that emerge as a result of the project. Newly-formed local community enterprise groups will propagate and distribute plant material to farmers and provide the necessary training to enable effective crop cultivation and harvesting. "By working in partnership with local residents and community organisations, we can ensure that any sustainable financial benefits accrue principally to local communities," said Dr. Peter Randerson from Cardiff University's School of Biosciences, who is responsible for coordinating the links with Ugandan community enterprise groups. "This will enable rural populations to benefit from enhanced production of mint essential oils, and help support and improve the long-term prospects of local communities in rural Uganda." Explore further Consumers can save dramatically on wireless by skipping unlimited The archive of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, MD, the late hospice and palliative care pioneer and author of some two-dozen books, including the 1969 On Death & Dying, has been acquired by Stanford Libraries Department of Special Collections. The Swiss-American psychiatrist is best known for having developed the theory of the five stages of grief. The Kubler-Ross Archive is a wonderful addition to our Special Collections and offers tremendous opportunity for interdisciplinary investigation and exploration across law, medicine and sociology, to name only a few, said Matt Marostica, PhD, JD, associate university librarian for public service and collection development. David Magnus, PhD, the Thomas A. Raffin Professor in Medicine and Biomedical Ethics and director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, identified unpublished lectures and essays by Kubler-Ross from the late 1970s and early 1980s. He proposes to edit them for publication. Among the many documents in the archive, he highlighted a trove of thousands of letters from dozens of countries reflecting her widespread influence around the world. Maren Monsen, director of the Program in Bioethics and Film at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, plans to make use of video components of the Kubler-Ross archive in documentary films. After the video content is transferred to a high-quality digital format, she intends to create educational videos for distribution to multidisciplinary trainees in the health professions. The children of Kubler-Ross Ken Ross, president of the Elisabeth Kubler-Ross Foundation, and Barbara Rothweiler, PhD chose to give the archive to Stanford Libraries after meetings in Phoenix with faculty and with Benjamin Stone, curator for American and British history at the libraries. Like most modern archives, the collection runs the gamut from manuscript and printed materials to correspondence, photographs, video and audio recordings. Most important, it contains archived, not-yet-made-public work by the pioneering thinker and practitioner in the palliative care movement. The earliest item in the archive is a family scrapbook from the 1930s depicting Kubler-Ross childhood in Switzerland. The bulk of the archive includes material from the 1980s to 2000s, a period in which her ideas gained greater traction. Of special note are complete runs of newsletters from the Shanti Nilaya Healing Center, which she founded in Escondido, California, as well as manuscript drafts of her memoir, The Wheel of Life. Credit: ARS California produces 99 percent of the walnuts grown in the United States. New research could provide a major boost to the state's growing $1.6 billion walnut industry by making it easier to breed walnut trees better equipped to combat the soil-borne pathogens that now plague many of California's 4,800 growers. In a new study, a team of scientists at the University of California, Davis, and USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS)used a unique approach to sequence the genomes of the English walnut and its wild North American relative by tapping into the capabilities of two state-of-the-art technologies: long-read DNA sequencing and optical genome mapping. The resulting genome sequences are believed to be of the highest quality ever assembled of any woody perennial. "By sequencing the genome of a walnut hybrid, we produced complete genome sequences for both parents in the time normally required to produce the sequence of one genome," said Ming-Cheng Luo, leading genomics investigator on the project and a research geneticist in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis. This approach could be applied to genome sequencing of trees and many other woody perennials, opening the door to a better understanding of the genetic blueprints of almonds, pecans, pistachios and grapes. "Like walnut, these other crops naturally cross-pollinate and are therefore highly variable," said Jan Dvorak, co-principle investigator and genetics professor at the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis. "Variability has always greatly complicated our ability to produce a high-quality genome sequence for such crops, but these new technologies now make it possible," Dvorak added. In California, walnuts are grown commercially using rootstocks chosen specifically for their ability to tolerate various soil-borne diseases. "We chose to cross the widely used English walnut specifically with the wild Texas Black walnut because of its native resistance to several soil-borne diseases and root nematodes, which are serious pests of walnut in California" said Dan Kluepfel,a USDA-ARS scientist and principal investigator of the walnut-rootstock development project. The assembled genome sequences of the two walnut species also will now help researchers identify genetic markers that breeders can use to develop new varieties with improved pathogen and pest resistance. Explore further Research team cracks the walnut genome More information: Tingting Zhu et al. Sequencing a Juglans regia J. microcarpa hybrid yields high-quality genome assemblies of parental species, Horticulture Research (2019). Tingting Zhu et al. Sequencing a Juglans regia J. microcarpa hybrid yields high-quality genome assemblies of parental species,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41438-019-0139-1 Credit: CC0 Public Domain Scientists from The University of Western Australia have discovered two enzymes that explain the sensitivity of wheat plants to salty soils. The findings could lead to advances that strengthen crops against salinity, an issue costing WA farmers more than $500 million a year. Published in the journal New Phytologist the research from the UWA School of Molecular Sciences, the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology (PEB) and The National University of Malaysia describes two enzymes in wheat that are especially sensitive to salt and that appear to be the weak link that leads to plant death in saline soils. The researchers also discovered wheat has a natural defence system that can bypass one of the sensitive enzymes, partially protecting against salt. Salinity is a global agricultural issue, and in Australia it affects more than 2 million hectares of farmland, half of which is in Western Australia. Farmers in affected areas see crop yields reduced by more than a quarter. An improved understanding of the effects of salinity on crops at a molecular level is essential for developing more tolerant wheat varieties. UWA PEB Dr. Nicolas Taylor, lead author of the study, said more robust varieties of wheat would not only reduce yield losses, it would allow farmers to reclaim land currently too saline for wheat crops. "Previously we knew that salt exposure causes a dramatic loss in wheat yield, but we didn't know exactly what was happening on a molecular level," he said. The bypass system identified by the researchers, called the 'GABA shunt', allows wheat plants to stop using one of their salt-sensitive enzymes when threatened by saline soil. However, the resistance provided by the GABA shunt also appears to have a limit, and is overpowered by especially saline soils. According to Dr. Taylor, studying GABA shunt could lead to advances in the fight against salinity. "If we can learn how to control the GABA shunt, its timing and intensity, we may be able to boost the wheat plant's natural resistance to salt, without an impact on yield," he said. "By understanding exactly how salt is damaging wheat plants, we can look for varieties with improved natural salt tolerance and introduce them into breeding programs." Explore further Researchers develop highest yielding salt tolerant wheat More information: M. Hafiz Che-Othman et al. Wheat mitochondrial respiration shifts from the tricarboxylic acid cycle to the GABA shunt under salt stress, New Phytologist (2019). Journal information: New Phytologist M. Hafiz Che-Othman et al. Wheat mitochondrial respiration shifts from the tricarboxylic acid cycle to the GABA shunt under salt stress,(2019). DOI: 10.1111/nph.15713 Bringing endangered species back from the brink. Credit: Shutterstock A technique to produce eggs from ovarian tissue in the lab may offer hope for critically endangered species like the Northern White Rhino that have passed what is currently considered the point of no return. A research team at the University of Oxford has begun work to find a new way of saving the Northern White Rhino by using tissue taken from animal ovaries to produce potentially large numbers of eggs in a laboratory setting. Led by Dr. Suzannah Williams, researchers working on the Rhino Fertility Project will refine the method that she has successfully demonstrated in mice. Rhino tissue is scarce and precioushowever, ovarian tissue has been obtained by Dr. Williams from a euthanased Southern White Rhino which provides the foundation for the work. The research is being funded by Mr Andre Hoffmann, via Fondation Hoffmann. The desperate plight of the Northern White Rhino has highlighted the precarious situation of many endangered species around the world. Previous breeding programmes had been successful in raising their numbers but the animals were destroyed by poachers. The world's last remaining male died in 2018 leaving just two female rhinos, Najin and her daughter Fatu, neither of which are capable of producing offspring naturally. Although sperm has been saved by conservationists from male Northern White Rhinos, any successfully fertilised eggs would have to be raised in a surrogate mother most likely a Southern White Rhino, one of their closest living relatives. Dr. Suzannah Williams of Oxford's Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health, said: "With the death of the last male, Sudan, the Northern White Rhino has passed the point where it can be saved naturally and is a shade away from extinction. This will add yet another species to the list of those wiped out by humans. "What is exciting about this research is that it could enable us to pull critically endangered species back from the brink by utilising ovarian tissue from old or injured animals to produce offspring. "Once genetic variation within a population has been lost, it is lost forever. This makes it important for us to be able to maintain as many breeding individuals as possible in any conservation programme, to maximise genetic diversity of future populations. This will be a huge buffer against disease and ill health in the long-term, and give the new herds better genetic ability to adapt to changing environments in the future." Dr. Suzannah Williams added: "Some researchers are exploring the possibility of using the remaining Northern White Rhino sperm to cross-breed with Southern White Rhinos to create a hybrid population, but I think we should focus on preserving the Northern White Rhino as the unique species it is, and this project enables us to move directly towards this goal. "If successful, this technique would be a powerful tool in the global effort to conserve endangered species." Explore further Scientists fine-tune method to save rhinos This loggerhead was entangled in a line dragging a plastic bucket. Credit: U.S. Coast Guard, Matt Strucic The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was established in 1973 to protect "imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend" and help them recover. The Trump administration has put forth a number of proposals that would weaken the ESA. These include measures to allow for the consideration of economic impacts when enforcing the ESA, ending the practice of automatically giving threatened species the same protection as endangered species, and making it easier to remove species from the endangered list. In a way, this is nothing new because the ESA has been under attack for decades from construction, development, logging, water management, fossil fuel extraction and other industries that contend the act stifles economic development. But between 2016 and 2018 alone, there were almost 150 attempts to undercut the ESA; and last year, from July 8 to 22, Republicans in Congress or the Trump administration introduced 24 such measures and spending bill riders. These bills included efforts to remove the gray wolf's protected status in Wyoming and the western Great Lakes; a plan to remove from the endangered list the American burying beetle that lives on oil-rich land; and a strategy to roll back protection of the sage-grouse, which also inhabits oil-rich land in the West and whose numbers have declined 90 percent since the West was first settled. The Trump Administration recently opened up nine million acres of sage-grouse habitat to drilling and mining. Endangered species, if not protected, could eventually become extinctand extinction has a myriad of implications for our food, water, environment and even health. Extinction rates are accelerating Ninety-nine percent of all species that have ever lived have gone extinct over the course of five mass extinctions, which, in the past, were largely a result of natural causes such as volcano eruptions and asteroid impacts. Today, the rate of extinction is occurring 1,000 to 10,000 times faster because of human activity. The main modern causes of extinction are the loss and degradation of habitat (mainly deforestation), over exploitation (hunting, overfishing), invasive species, climate change, and nitrogen pollution. There are also other threats to species such as the pervasive plastic pollution in the oceana recent study found that 100 percent of sea turtles had plastic or microplastic in their systems. Emerging diseases affecting more and more wildlife species such as bats, frogs and salamanders are the result of an increase in travel and trade, which allows pests and pathogens to hitch rides to new locations, and warming temperatures that enable more pests to survive and spread. Wildlife trafficking also continues to be a big problem because for some species, the fewer members there are, the more valuable they become to poachers and hunters. How many species are endangered? According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species, over 26,500 species are in danger of extinction. This includes 40 percent of amphibians, 34 percent of conifers, 33 percent of reef-building corals, 25 percent of mammals and 14 percent of birds. In the U.S., over 1,600 species are listed as threatened or endangered. A 2018 report by the Endangered Species Coalition found that ten species in particular are "imperiled" by the Trump administration's proposals: California condor, giraffe, Hellbender salamander, Humboldt marten, leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles, red wolf, rusty patched bumble bee, San Bernardino kangaroo rat, West Indian manatee, and Western yellow-billed cuckoo. The web of life San Bernardino Kangaroo rat. Credit: Photo: Gursharan Singh While it may seem unimportant if we lose one salamander or rat species, it matters because all species are connected through their interactions in a web of life. A balanced and biodiverse ecosystem is one in which each species plays an important role and relies on the services provided by other species to survive. Healthy ecosystems are more productive and resistant to disruptions. A recent study found that extreme environmental change could trigger an "extinction domino effect." One of the study's authors said, "Because all species are connected in the web of life, our paper demonstrates that even the most tolerant species ultimately succumb to extinction when the less-tolerant species on which they depend disappear." So saving one species means saving its habitat and the other species that live there too. "When you lose one species, it affects the ecosystem and everything around it gets a little bit more fragile while it adapts to change," said Kelsey Wooddell, assistant director of the Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability. "Even if it's not a keystone species [a species that others in an ecosystem depend on], its loss will weaken the functionality of the entire ecosystem, which just makes it easier for that ecosystem to stop working." What are the consequences of extinction? Altering ecosystems through cascading effects If a species has a unique function in its ecosystem, its loss can prompt cascading effects through the food chain (a "trophic cascade"), impacting other species and the ecosystem itself. An often-cited example is the impact of the wolves in Yellowstone Park, which were hunted to near extinction by 1930. Without them, the elk and deer they had preyed upon thrived, and their grazing decimated streamside willows and aspens, which had provided habitat for songbirds. This left the stream banks susceptible to erosion, and a decline in songbirds allowed mosquitoes and other insects the birds would have eaten to multiply. When the wolves were reintroduced to the park in 1995, they once again preyed on the elk; plant life returned to the stream banks and along with it, birds, beavers, fish and other animals. (Note: David Bernhardt, acting secretary of the Department of the Interior, just announced a proposal to strip gray wolves of their endangered status in the Lower 48 states.) Kelp forests are another classic example. They play an important role in coastal ecosystems because they provide habitat for other species, protect the coastline from storm surges and absorb carbon dioxide. Yet kelp forests are rapidly getting mowed down by exploding numbers of purple sea urchin. California sea otters eat the purple sea urchins that feed on giant kelp. These otters used to number in the hundreds of thousands to millions, but their population has been reduced to about 3,000 as a result of unchecked hunting in the 19th century and pollution. Moreover, in 2013 the sunflower starfish, which also eats purple sea urchins, began dying because of a virus that was likely exacerbated by warmer waters. Without the sea otter and the sunflower starfish predators, the purple sea urchin began feasting on the kelp forests, which declined 93 percent between 2013 and 2018. (A new study found that kelp forests are now also threatened by ocean heat waves.) The explosion of sea urchins not only damaged the kelp ecosystem, it also had serious impacts on Northern California's red urchins that are valued for sushi. Fish that need the kelp forests for spawning, such as sculpin, rock cod and red snapper may become vulnerable in the future as well. As another example, Wooddell explained that on Guam, after the invasive brown tree snake was accidentally introduced to the island in the 1950s, 10 of the island's 12 endemic bird species went extinct. "Typically birds eat seeds and spread seeds elsewhere on the island but that is no longer a functioning ecosystem," she said. "So the forest and the trees have decreased a lot. And Guam is covered in spiders because the birds are not there to eat them." Losing apex species has multiple effects Eliminating the large predators at the top of the food chain, the "apex species," may be humans' most serious impact on nature, according to one study. These large species are more vulnerable because they live longer, reproduce more slowly, have small populations, and need more food and a greater habitat area. Scientists say their loss has played a role in pandemics, fires, the decline of valued species and the rise of invasive ones, the reduction of ecosystem services, and decreased carbon sequestration. Elephants are an apex species that may go extinct in our lifetime, as a result of tourism, habitat loss and poaching for ivory. This could dramatically change ecosystems in Africa and Asia. Through consumption and digestion, elephants disperse more seeds farther than any other animals; this fosters the growth of plants and trees that birds, bats and other animals depend upon for food and shelter. Otter in a kelp field. Credit: Photo: Doug Knuth Elephants also dig water holes that all animals share, and they fertilize the soil with their rich dung, which provides food for other animals. The loss of apex species can also affect wildfires. After rinderpest, an infectious virus, wiped out many plant-eating wildebeest and buffalo in East Africa in the late 1800s, plants flourished. During the dry season, this over-abundance of vegetation spurred an increase in wildfires. In the 1960s, after rinderpest was eliminated through vaccinations, the wildebeest and buffalo returned. The ecosystem went from shrubbery to grasslands again, decreasing the amount of combustible vegetation, and the wildfires decreased. Jeopardizing pollination Seventy-five percent of the world's food crops are partially or completely pollinated by insects and other animals, and practically all flowering plants in the tropical rainforest are pollinated by animals. The loss of pollinators could result in a decrease in seed and fruit production, leading ultimately to the extinction of many important plants. Flying foxes, also known as fruit bats, are the only pollinators of some rainforest plants. They have been over-hunted in tropical forests with several species going extinct. One study noted that 289 plant species, including eucalyptus and agave, rely on flying foxes to reproduce; in turn, these plants were responsible for producing 448 valuable products. Bees pollinate over 250,000 species of plants, including most of the 87 crops that humans rely on for food, such as almonds, apples and cucumbers. But in recent years, large populations of bees have been wiped out by the mysterious "colony collapse disorder" wherein adult honeybees disappear from their hive, likely in response to numerous stressors. Over the last 20 years in the U.S., monarch butterflies, which pollinate many wildflowers, have decreased 90 percent. The rusty-patched bumble bee, another important pollinator and the first bee species to be put on the endangered list, now only occupies one percent of its former range. Insect populations overall are declining due to climate change, habitat degradation, herbicides and pesticides. A 2014 review of insect studies found that most monitored species had decreased by about 45 percent. And a German study found 75 percent fewer flying insects after just 27 years. As insect populations are reduced, the small animals, fish and birds that rely on them for food are being affected, and eventually the predators of fish and birds will feel the impacts as well. One entomologist who had studied insects in the rainforest in the 1970s returned in 2010 to find an up to 60-fold reduction. His study reported "a bottom-up trophic cascade and consequent collapse of the forest food web." Endangering the food chain Plankton, tiny plant and animal organisms that live in the ocean or fresh water, make up the foundation of the marine food chain. Phytoplankton are critical to the health of oceans and the planet because they consume carbon dioxide and produce oxygen during photosynthesis. In 2010, researchers found that phytoplankton had decreased 40 percent globally since 1950, and attributed the decline to rising sea surface temperatures. The scientists speculated that the warming surface waters did not mix well with the cooler, deeper waters rich in nutrients that phytoplankton need. In addition, zooplankton are very sensitive to slight changes in the amount of oxygen in the ocean, and may be unable to adapt as areas of low oxygen expand due to climate change. The quantity and quality of plankton also affects the nutrition of other creatures further up the food chain. In the Mediterranean Sea, the biomass of sardines and anchovies declined by one-third in just ten years. One scientist speculated that this is because the sardines' and anchovies' normal plankton had disappeared, so they had to resort to eating a less nutritious species of plankton with fewer calories. Changes in plankton quality could be a result of water temperature, pollution or lack of nutrients, but scientists are not exactly sure why the plankton makeup in some places is changing. If it is due to global warming and pollution, some say the situation could worsen. Credit: Johnny and Rebecca However, Sonya Dyhrman, a professor in Columbia University's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences who studies phytoplankton with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, is more sanguine about the future. "Microbes like phytoplankton can adapt, can acclimate, and can evolve, so I worry less about lineages of phytoplankton going extinct and more about how phytoplankton community composition will change in the future ocean," said Dyhrman. A different community composition of phytoplankton could change the food web structure, but Dyhrman is not really worried about the total collapse of fisheries. She is concerned, however, that "there could be changes in ocean ecosystems and we don't really know what those changes will be. What will the architecture of that ecosystem look like in the future? The problem is, the ocean is already changing and we don't understand the architecture of the ecosystem right now well enough to predict what will happen in the future." Losing nature's therapeutic riches More than a quarter of prescription medications contain chemicals that were discovered through plants or animals. Penicillin was derived from a fungus. Scientists are studying the venom of some tarantulas to see if one of its compounds could help cure diseases such as Parkinson's. One molecule from a rare marine bacterium could be the basis of a new way to treat to melanoma. Scientists have so far identified about 1.7 million different types of organisms, but between 10 and 50 million species are thought to exist on Earth. Who knows what substances or capabilities some of these species might possess that could help treat diseases and make human lives easier? Destroying livelihoods According to a study for the U.N., the continued loss of species could cost the world 18 percent of global economic output by 2050. Already, a number of industries have been economically impacted by species loss. The collapse of bee populations has hurt many in the $50 billion-a-year global honey industry. Atlantic cod in the waters off of Newfoundland formed the basis of the local economy since the 15th centuryuntil overfishing the cod destroyed the livelihoods of local fishermen. In North Carolina, the commercial scallop industry collapsed after the excessive hunting of large sharks in the northwestern Atlantic led to a proliferation of cownose rays, which devoured the scallops. What you can do about extinction Extinction is hard to see. We may not realize how much of the natural world has been lost because the "baseline" shifts with every generation. Past generations would regard what we see as natural today as terribly damaged, and what we see as damaged today, our children will view as natural. Wooddell believes the most important thing one can do is to put pressure on Congress and elected leaders to create land management, pollution and other sustainable policies that will protect biodiversity and the environment. However, because it's unlikely that these kinds of top-down policies will be instituted in the current political climate, she recommends mobilizing grassroots community groups to create "bottom-up" policies. Here are some other things you can do to protect endangered species and prevent extinction: Explore further Invasive species and habitat loss our biggest biodiversity threats Provided by Earth Institute, Columbia University This story is republished courtesy of Earth Institute, Columbia University http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu. MEP Axel Voss, who supports the copyright reforms, votes in European Parliament on Tuesday The European Parliament on Tuesday adopted copyright reforms championed by news publishers and the media business, in defiance of the tech giants that lobbied against it. Despite an intense debate inside and outside of the Strasbourg chamber, MEPs ended up passing the draft law with 348 votes in favour, 274 against, and 36 abstentions. European lawmakers were sharply divided, with both sides subjected to some of the most intense rival lobbying the EU has ever seen from tech giants, media firms, content creators and online freedom activists. The culmination of a process that began in 2016, the revamp to European copyright legislation was seen as urgently needed, not having been updated since 2001, before the birth of YouTube or Facebook. The reform was loudly backed by media companies and artists, who want to secure revenue from web platforms that allow users to distribute their content. But it was strongly opposed by internet freedom activists and by Silicon Valley, especially Google, which makes huge profits from the advertising generated alongside the content it hosts. After the vote, a Google spokesperson warned that the reform "will still lead to legal uncertainty and will hurt Europe's creative and digital economies." Protests and media stunts The final days before the vote were marked by marches and media stunts, including tens of thousands of people protesting in Germany on Saturday under the slogan "Save the Internet". The reform was loudly backed by media companies and artists, who want to obtain a better return from web platforms such as YouTube or Facebook that allow users to distribute their content There were similar protests in Austria, Poland and Portugal, while major Polish newspapers on Monday printed blank front pages in an appeal that MEPs adopt the reform. "I know there are lots of fears about what users can do or notnow we have clear guarantees for freedom of speech, teaching and online creativity," Commission vice president Andrus Ansip said after the vote. Germany was at the heart of the anti-reform movement, led by Julia Reda, a 32-year-old Pirate Party MEP who spearheaded a campaign against two of the law's provisions that have become flashpoints in the debate. Reda said the vote marked a "dark day for internet freedom" and decried that MEPs refused, albeit narrowly, to modify the text before the final vote. For Reda and her supporters the main worry was Article 13, which aims to strengthen the bargaining power of rights holders with platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Soundcloud, which use their content. Under the reform, European law for the first time would hold platforms legally responsible for enforcing copyright, requiring them to check everything that their users post to prevent infringement. 'Details matter' Reda and her supporters warned that Article 13 would require platforms to install expensive content filters that would automatically and often erroneously delete content from the web. Speaking after the vote, Reda told AFP that she still hoped the German government would bow to public pressure and demand changes to the law before it is formally adopted. The EU copyright reform is strongly opposed by tech giants like Google which make huge profits from the advertising generated on content they host After that, seen by most observers as a formality, member states will have two years to transpose the EU directive into their own legislation. "I think what the ultimate result will be that the internet will become more like cable television," Reda told AFP. "That generally there is going to be less diversity of online platforms because the risk of running a platform legally will become much higher." Backers of the law, led by MEP Axel Voss, answered that filters are not a requirement but they do not explain how companies can comply with Article 13 without them. The second article advocated the creation of a "neighbouring right" to copyright for news media. This is designed to enable news companies to demand payment when their output is used by information aggregators like Google News or social networks such as Facebook. Major publishers including AFP have pushed hard for the reform, seeing it as an urgent remedy to safeguard quality journalism and the plummeting earnings of traditional media companies. The reform, if properly implemented by member states "can help to maintain journalism in the field, which all evidence shows is still the best way to combat misinformation," said AFP CEO Fabrice Fries. But opponents have called it a "link tax" that will stifle discourse on the internet and pay only big media companies, with no real benefits for journalists or news gatherers. The reform is staunchly backed by France and several other member states, but some countries may decide to use the flexibility built into the reform that allows a loose interpretation of the rules. Explore further Final push at European Parliament for EU copyright reform 2019 AFP Time evolution of dielectric loss spectra during liquid-liquid transition of triphenyl phosphite at 214 K. The horizontal axis is the measurement frequency. The frequency of the peak shifts to lower frequencies with time, the dynamics of liuquid is drastic slowing down of with liquid-liquid transition. Credit: 2019 Hajime Tanaka, Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo A team at the University of Tokyo has described in unprecedented detail the rare phenomenon of liquid-to-liquid phase transitions in a pure substance. By showing how a liquid made of just one type of molecule can switch between liquid and glassy states, this research may lead to a novel way to control the transport properties of a liquid. Phase transitions include such phenomena as ice melting (solid to liquid), or steam coming from a teakettle (liquid to gas). However, the study of how one arrangement of molecules changes into another reveals complex details about the strength of their interactions. In conventional phase transitions, as with an iron bar melting into molten metal, added heat causes the atoms to vibrate so violently that they break free of their solid lattice arrangement and assume a liquid form. The team at the University of Tokyo studied a much rarer type of phase transition: from one liquid state to another. In this research, they found that even without changing temperature, relatively free-flowing triphenyl phosphite could gradually vitrify into a glassy state in which the molecules remain disordered but are much less mobile. The different phases were identifiable experimentally based on how quickly the molecules could relax after being perturbed. "Contrary to intuition, there is a growing body of experimental and theoretical evidence that even a single-component substance may have multiple liquid states," says lead author Hajime Tanaka. They found that the phase transition can occur in two very different ways. The first is called "nucleation and growth," a slow process that requires the emergence of one phase in the other overcoming a barrier to get started. The other type is spinodal decomposition, in which the transition can smoothly proceed without any barrier. The researchers also discovered a critical temperature, above which only nucleated growth could occur, but below this temperature, spinodal decomposition was possible. "From the viewpoint of practicality, triphenyl phosphite may be one of the best systems for studying liquid-to-liquid transitions, since the transformation takes place at ambient pressure and moderate temperatures," says first author Ken-ichiro Murata. "Phase transitions, particularly those that involve a change from a liquid to a glassy state, are often used in the manufacturing of polymers. This research may greatly enhance our ability to optimize and control these processes." The study is published in PNAS. Explore further Vapor drives a liquidsolid transition in a molecular system More information: Ken-ichiro Murata el al. Link between molecular mobility and order parameter during liquidliquid transition of a molecular liquid.PNAS (2019). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Ken-ichiro Murata el al. Link between molecular mobility and order parameter during liquidliquid transition of a molecular liquid.(2019). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1822016116 Scheme of the phenomenon: light, which strikes the films of nanoclusters, promotes the charge flow between the two electrodes. Credit: Galchenko/Klinke: University of Hamburg/Swansea University Tiny nanoclusters of metal atomssuch as gold and silverhave properties which mean they can be used as semiconductors, a joint Swansea-Hamburg research team has discovered. The finding opens the door to a wide range of potential new applications, from phone displays and flatter screens to wearable technology. Semiconductors are at the heart of modern electronics. Amongst their many uses are in display devices for mobile phones and televisions, light detectors, and solar cells for providing energy. The two main types of particle-based semiconductors already in use are colloidal quantum dots and organic semiconductors. These materials are at the nanoscale. Their tiny size means they are subject to a phenomenon known as quantum confinement, which causes changes to their optical and electronic properties. These changes make them suitable for their intended applications. Metal nanoclusters combine aspects of both these other materials. Like colloidal quantum dots, they are very stable. Like organic semiconductors, they are atomically precise, or molecular, containing a specific number of atoms in their metallic core. However, despite containing all the right ingredients, metal nanoclusters had never before been shown to display semiconducting properties. This is where the Swansea-Hamburg team made the breakthrough. The team devised a way of making films of nanoclusters consisting of 25 gold atoms (Au25). They then observed that the nanoclusters displayed semiconducting properties. Specifically, they observed field effect and photoconductivity in phototransistors made of these films. These unique properties are hallmarks of all semiconducting materials. The team is made up of researchers from Swansea University's chemistry department and the University of Hamburg in Germany. Professor Christian Klinke of Swansea University chemistry department explained the potential applications of this finding: Model of the atomically precise gold clusters with 25 gold atoms and stabilizing ligand molecules. Credit: Galchenko/Klinke: University of Hamburg/Swansea University "The discovery of semiconducting properties in metal nanoclusters could pave the way for a variety of new applications, from field effect transistors and photodetectors to light emitting diodes and solar cells. These devices could be manufactured on flexible bases. Many metal nanoclusters, including the ones we investigated in this report, have almost infinite stability, which could make them suitable for ink-jet printing applications. We need to build on this finding and refine the technique further. But this discovery points the way ahead. It shows that we can use metal nanoclusters to produce high quality semiconducting films that are easy to assemble." Other researchers from the team explained other potential applications: Dr. Andres Black of the University of Hamburg said: "The affinity of the metal core to different molecular functionalities could make them highly sensitive gas sensors" Michael Galchenko, also of the University of Hamburg said: "The integration with other low dimensional materials could yield heterostructures with new and interesting functionalities." Professor Owen Guy, head of Swansea University chemistry department, said: "Semiconductors are a big focus for our work here at Swansea, both in our chemistry department and our Centre for NanoHealth. Christian's work is very exciting for next generation semiconductor materialsan area in which Swansea University is leading activity, with our industry partners. These findings, made possible by our close links with Hamburg, are a significant step forward in the field. It shows that for research, as for teaching, our chemistry department is at the forefront". The findings were published in the journal, Advanced Materials. Explore further Chemical engineers develop new theory to build improved nanomaterials More information: Michael Galchenko et al. Field Effect and Photoconduction in Au 25 Nanoclusters Films, Advanced Materials (2019). Journal information: Advanced Materials Michael Galchenko et al. Field Effect and Photoconduction in Au 25 Nanoclusters Films,(2019). dx.doi.org/10.1002/adma.201900684 On March 26, 2019, the MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite provided a visible image of Tropical Cyclone Joaninha in the Southern Indian Ocean. Credit: NASA Worldview, Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) Visible imagery from NASA's Terra satellite showed Tropical Cyclone Joaninha as it moved through the Southern Indian Ocean triggering warnings in the island nation of Mauritius. Mauritius is an island nation, known for its beaches, lagoons and reefs. It is located to the northeast of Reunion Island. The Mauritius Meteorological Services (MMS) issued several warnings on Joaninha. On March 26 a Strong wind and High Wave warning were in effect for Rodrigues valid until 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday, March 27, 2019. MMS noted "The intense tropical cyclone Joaninha evolving to the east of Rodrigues is causing strong southerly winds to blow over the island. Gusts may reach 100 kph (62mph) in places. The cyclone is also generating heavy swells of the order of 5 to 7 meters (16 to 23 feet) which are influencing the sea state around Rodrigues. Also storm surge will cause a rise in the sea water level of about 1.5 meters (5 feet) above the normal tides which will result in the inundation of low lying coastal areas particularly to the east, south and south-west." On March 26, 2019, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite provided a visible image of Joaninha. Joaninha had a 15 nautical-mile wide eye surrounded by powerful thunderstorms. Bands of thunderstorms spiraled into the center of circulation from the eastern quadrant. On March 26 at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC) Joaninha had maximum sustained winds near 115 knots (132 mph/213 kph). Joaninha was centered near 19.6 degrees south latitude and 65.2 degrees east longitude. That's about 86 nautical miles (99 miles/ 159 km) east of Port Mathurin, Mauritius Joaninha is moving through an area of warm waters, which will continue to fuel it. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted that the wind shear, outside winds that can affect a storm at different altitudes, was light, so it will not affect the storm on its track to the south for the next day or two. Explore further NASA finds heavy rainfall around Tropical Cyclone Joaninha's center More information: For local updates from the MMS, visit: For local updates from the MMS, visit: http://metservice.intnet.mu Credit: CC0 Public Domain A native marsupial population that was successfully relocated to a pocket of urban bushland in the northern suburb of Craigie is now helping to regenerate the bush. Dr. Leonie Valentine, a research fellow with UWA's School of Biological Sciences, is leading the research project to monitor and assess the quenda, a species of bandicoot endemic to south-western WA. Quenda numbers have historically declined due to habitat loss and predation by feral and domestic animals. Dr. Valentine said the project involved working with WA's Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions to relocate 43 quenda in 2013 after the City of Joondalup installed a predator-proof fence around Craigie bushland in 2010. Funding was provided by the National Environmental Science Programme: Threatened Species Recovery Hub. "We've been monitoring the quenda to assess their health and measure the population and what we've found is that from the original 43 individuals, the numbers have grown and we've identified an extra 120 quenda. They're all in excellent health and they seem to be breeding well," she said. Dr. Valentine said the quenda's digging was able to change the nutrient composition and microbial activity of the soil. "Quenda have very long, sharp claws and they're known for their digging and fossicking habits. What we've also found is that they're digging up a lot of the soil and really changing the micro-habitat in Craigie bushland and we're fascinated to see what that might mean down the track." Dr. Valentine said one of the most enjoyable parts of the research had involved talking about the project with local people who used the bushland for recreation. "While we're trapping, monitoring and examining the quenda population we get to interact with all sorts of people," she said. "A lot of people come up to us while we're working and talk to us about the quenda they've seen and they're very interested in looking for them, which is great." Explore further Backyard bandicoots could be key to urban bushland health A dark-eyed junco, an American goldfinch, and a house finch feed on sunflower seeds on a snowy day. Bird watchers report that cold weather influences how much they feed birds, more so than time or money. Credit: Cynthia Raught, Virginia Tech People in many parts of the world feed birds in their backyards, often due to a desire to help wildlife or to connect with nature. In the United States alone, over 57 million households in the feed backyard birds, spending more than $4 billion annually on bird food. While researchers know that bird feeding can influence nature, they do not know how it influences the people who feed those birds. "Given that so many people are so invested in attracting birds to their backyard, we were interested in what natural changes they observe at their feeders beyond simply more birds," said Ashley Dayer, an assistant professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation in the College of Natural Resources and Environment at Virginia Tech. "In particular, we wanted to know how they respond to their observations. For example, how do they feel if they see sick birds at their feeders, and what actions do they take to address these observations?" Researchers Ashley Dayer and Dana Hawley of Virginia Tech recently published their findings in People and Nature, a new journal published by the British Ecological Society. The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia. The researchers analyzed how people who feed birds notice and respond to natural events at their feeders by collaborating with Project FeederWatch, a program managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that engages more than 25,000 people to observe and collect data on their backyard birds. A birdwatcher fills the feeders in her backyard. Here, she will observe birds and other natural events, which her feeding may contribute to. Credit: L. Williams, Virginia Tech Using a survey of 1, 176 people who feed birds and record their observations of birds in the Project FeederWatch database, the researchers found that most people noticed natural changes in their backyards that could be due to feeding, including an increase in the number of birds at their feeders, a cat or hawk near their feeders, or a sick bird at their feeders. "More and more, we see that humans are interacting less with nature and that more of our wildlife are being restricted to areas where there are humans around. Looking at how humans react to and manage wildlife in their own backyards is very important for the future of wildlife conservation and for understanding human well-being as the opportunities for people to interact with wildlife become more restricted to backyard settings," said Hawley, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Science. Hawley's research program at Virginia Tech focuses on wildlife disease ecology and evolution. "From my 17 years working with people who feed birds as part of citizen science projects, I've heard a great deal about their impactful observations at their feeders," said co-author David Bonter, director of Citizen Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "This study provides important information about the breadth and pattern of these experiences through responses of over 1,000 participants. The findings will help us at Project Feederwatch improve how we work with bird watchers toward our shared goal of bird conservation." The people who feed birds also responded, particularly to cats at their feeders, by scaring off the cats, moving feeders, or providing shelter for birds. When observing sick birds, most people cleaned their feeders. When observing more birds, people often responded by providing more food. Fewer people acted in response to seeing hawks; the most common response to this was providing shelter for the feeder birds. These human responses were, in some cases, tied to peoples' emotions about their observations, particularly anger. While cats near feeders most commonly evoked anger, sick birds led to sadness or worry. Emotions in response to hawks were more varied. "Feeding wild birds is a deceptively commonplace activity. Yet, it is one of the most intimate, private, and potentially profound forms of human interaction with nature. This perceptive study uncovers some of the remarkable depth associated with bird feeding and discerns that people who feed birds are alert to a wide range of additional natural phenomena," said Darryl Jones, a professor at the Environmental Futures Research Institute and School of Environment and Sciences at Griffith University in Australia, who was not connected to the study. One surprising result that the researchers found in this study was that when deciding how much to feed birds, people prioritized natural factors, such as cold weather, more than time and money. Most people believed that the effects of their feeding on wild birds was primarily good for birds, even though many observed and took action in response to natural events in their backyard that could impact the health of the birds and might partly result from their feeding. "Overall, our results suggest that people who feed birds observe aspects of nature and respond in ways that may affect outcomes of feeding on wild birds. More work is needed to fully understand the positive and negative effects of feeding on wild birds and, thereby, the people who feed them," said Dayer, whose research focuses on the human dimensions of wildlife conservation, applying social science to understand human behavior related to wildlife. Explore further When managing birdfeeders, think bird health and safety More information: Ashley A. Dayer et al, Observations at backyard bird feeders influence the emotions and actions of people that feed birds, People and Nature (2019). Ashley A. Dayer et al, Observations at backyard bird feeders influence the emotions and actions of people that feed birds,(2019). DOI: 10.1002/pan3.17 Tanzania plans to conclude talks on developing a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the East African country. Equinor, one of the companies involved in the talks, could be selected for the project, according to the Energy Ministry. The construction of the LNG export terminal near huge offshore natural gas discoveries in deep water, south of the country, has been held up for years by regulatory delays. Negotiations between the government and international oil companies, which started in 2017, have so far failed to lead to a deal. The project is meant to enable the export of gas from Tanzania. The new round of talks will ensure all parties involved will benefit fairly from the project, Energy Minister Medard Kalemani said at a meeting with Equinor executives. Equinor, alongside Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil and Ophir Energy, plan to build a $30 billion onshore LNG plant. we are keen to implement this key project for the economy by concluding the talks in September this year, the ministry said. Tanzania has an estimated 58 trillion cu ft of natural gas reserves. President John Magufuli said he would pursue partnerships that enable his nation to benefit more from its resources. Large Hadron Collider dipole magnets. Credit: CERN Tomasz Skwarnicki, professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University, has uncovered new information about a class of particles called pentaquarks. His findings could lead to a new understanding of the structure of matter in the universe. Assisted by Liming Zhang, an associate professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, Skwarnicki has analyzed data from the Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb) experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Switzerland. The experimental physicist has uncovered evidence of three never-before-seen pentaquarks, each divided into two parts. "Until now, we had thought that a pentaquark was made up of five elementary particles [called quarks], stuck together. Our findings prove otherwise," says Skwarnicki, a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Skwarnicki is part of a team of researchers, including members of Syracuse's High-Energy Physics (HEP) Group, studying fundamental particles and forces in the Universe. Most of their work takes place at the CERN laboratory, whose LHC is the biggest, most powerful particle detector in the world. It is within the LHC that protons are flung together at high energies, only to collide with one another. What lies inside the particles, when cracked open, helps scientists probe the mysteries of the fundamental universe. Studying proton collisions from 2015-18, Skwarnicki has confirmed the existence of substructure within a pentaquark. The giveaway, he says, was a trio of narrow peaks in the LHC kinematic data. Each peak refers to a particular pentaquarkspecifically, one divided into two parts: a baryon, containing three quarks, and a meson, with two quarks. A peak also suggests resonance, a short-lived phenomenon during particle decay, in which one unstable particle transforms into several others. Resonance happens when protons (a type of baryon) meetor, more accurately, glide into one anotherduring an LHC collision. What is unique about each of these three pentaquarks is that its mass is slightly lower than the sum of its partsin this case, the masses of the baryon and meson. "The pentaquark didn't decay by its usual easy, fall-apart process," Skwarnicki says. "Instead, it decayed by slowly and laboriously rearranging its quarks, forming a narrow resonance." Understanding how particles interact with and bind together is Skwarnicki's specialty. In 2015, he and then Ph.D. student Nathan Jurik G'16, Distinguished Professor Sheldon Stone and Zhang made headlines with their role in LHCb's detection of a pentaquark. Theorized a half century earlier, their discovery drew on LHC data from 2011-12. LHCb's latest data utilized an energy beam that was nearly twice as strong. This method, combined with more refined data-selection criteria, produced a greater range of proton collisions. "It also gave us 10 times more data and enabled us to observe pentaquark structures more clearly than before," Skwarnicki says. "What we thought was just one pentaquark turned out to be two narrow ones, with little space between them." The data also revealed a third "companion" pentaquark. "All three pentaquarks had the same patterna baryon with a meson substructure. Their masses were below appropriate the baryon-meson thresholds," he adds. Skwarnicki's discovery occurred relatively fast, considering that LHCb stopped collecting data less than three months ago. Eric Sedore, associate CIO for infrastructure services in Information Technology Services (ITS), played a supporting role. His Research Computing Team provided the necessary computer firepower for Skwarnicki to achieve his goals. In addition to Skwarnicki and Stone, HEP includes Professors Marina Artuso and Steven Blusk and Assistant Professor Matthew Rudolph. The group currently is building an apparatus on campus called the Upstream Tracker (UT), being shipped to and installed at CERN next year as part of a major LHCb upgrade. "The UT will significantly enhance LHCb, which is composed of about 10 different sub-detectors. I am hopeful that the UT will lead to more discoveries," says Skwarnicki, adding that Artuso and Stone are the UT Project's leader and deputy, respectively. Skwarnicki is excited about LHCb because it helps explain how the smallest constituents of matter behave. His latest discovery, for instance, proves that pentaquarks are built the same way as protons and neutrons, which are bound together in the nucleus of an atom. "Pentaquarks may not play a significant role in the matter we are made of," he says, "but their existence may significantly affect our models of the matter found in other parts of the universe, such as neutron stars." Explore further CERN's LHCb experiment reports observation of exotic pentaquark particles Tunisian activists of the countrys 2011 revolution have lambasted the 36th handicrafts creation fair held in capital Tunis over the presence of books containing speeches of ousted leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Officials from the Handicrafts Office (affiliated to the Ministry of Tourism) distributed Traditions & Artistic Crafts from Tunisia, a book containing quotes of Ben Ali who was deposed in 2011 and had since then been living in Saudi Arabia, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reports. He is wanted by Tunisian justice for several charges. The book caused controversy with activists criticizing the fair organizers on social media over what they branded a conspiracy by the regime against the revolution, MEMO adds. Constitution Classes Resume for the First Three Weeks of December, then we take a break the week before Christmas and the week after Christmas. The National Endowment for Democracy, in partnership with RFE/RL and the Embassy of the Czech Republic invites you to a discussion with the 2019 cohort of Vaclav Havel Journalism Fellows from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and the Russian Federation (bios below) Introductory remarks Tomas Petricek Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Joanna Levison Director of Media and Public Affairs, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Moderator Miriam Lanskoy Senior Director for Russia and Eurasia, National Endowment for Democracy Wednesday, April 3, 2019 2:00 p.m.3:30 p.m. 1025 F Street, N.W., Suite 800 Washington, DC 20004 Twitter: Follow @NEDemocracy and use #NEDEvents to join the conversation. All cameras and media must register with NED public affairs. Please email press@ned.org to register as a member of the press. The Vaclav Havel Journalism Fellowship is an initiative of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and is generously supported by the Dagmar and Vaclav Havel Foundation VIZE97. Inspired by the late Czech leader's belief in the transformational power of free speech and building on RFE/RL's legacy of promoting more open societies through journalism, the Fellowship is targeted at young journalists from countries within RFE/RL's broadcast region. In an era of resurgent authoritarianism and the growing influence of state propaganda, developing independent journalistic talent is more important than ever. Please join us for a conversation with some of the emerging young voices in independent media from Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, the Russian Federation, and Armenia, as they discuss the common challenges they face while reporting within their home countries and across the region. Special introductory remarks will be given by Tomas Petieek, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, and Joanna Levison, the Director of Media and Public Affairs at RFE/RL. Carl Gershman, the President of NED will introduce the Foreign Minister. Speaker Biographies Tomas Petricek was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic in October 2018, after serving as Deputy Minister in charge of setting the overall policy and strategic goals of the Foreign Ministry. Before joining the government, Petricek was a senior advisor in the European Parliament and had a successful career in local government in the City of Prague. Joanna Levison is Director of Media and Public Affairs at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) with over 20 years of experience in international media relations and democracy promotion. Before joining RFE/RL in 2009, Levison worked as a foreign policy officer for Iraq and the Middle East in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the U.S. Department of State. Miriam Lanskoy is Senior Director for Russia and Eurasia at the National Endowment for Democracy and will moderate the discussion. Vaclav Havel Journalism Fellows 2019 Victoria Colesnic has worked for a number of independent Moldovan media outlets, producing multimedia stories on domestic violence, mental health, unemployment, and migration. For the last year, she has worked as a local correspondent for VICE Romania. Tornike Mandaria is a Georgian journalist and media critic based in Tbilisi who has worked for online outlets including On.ge one of the leading independent news websites in Georgia and JAMnews, which covers current trends in the Caucasus including the conflicts in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Nagorno-Karabakh. Gulnar Salimova is a journalist, photographer, and documentary filmmaker reporting on domestic issues in Azerbaijan. She has published visual stores on the Chai-khana.org platform and is currently working on a photo project about the Romani community in Azerbaijan. Karina Merkuryeva is a journalist who has worked for a number NGOs and independent Russian media outlets including the prisoners rights project Russia Behind Bars (Rus Sidyashchaya), Open Russia, and TV Rain. She writes about regional and domestic politics, business, and culture. Hermine Virabyan is a freelance journalist, photographer, and videographer from Armenia, was a correspondent for Chai-khana.org and has covered human rights, social and political issues as a correspondent for Hetq.am, Urbnews.com and Medialab.am. ----------------------------------- Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 tel: +1.202.457.6900 * http://www.rferl.org * fax: +1.202.457.6992 i Institute of Linguistics building in a critical condition By Levan Abramishvili Three Georgian alphabets were added to the list of UNESCOas Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016. The Georgian word for "alphabet" is aaaaaa (anbani), after the names of the first two letters of the Georgian alphabets. All three of them coexist today, while wide society uses Mkhedruli, the Orthodox Church of Georgia utilizes both Nuskhuri and Mrgvlovani alphabets, they are also used and researched by scholars, historians, and linguists.The main institution dedicated to researching the Georgian language is the Arnold Chikobava Institute of Linguistics. Regrettably, the building that they are situated in is in a dire condition.aThe knowledge and experience of the previous generation are transferred to the next generation through the language. Otherwise, the development of the culture would be impossiblea wrote Chikobava, whose name the Institute proudly carries today.Born in a small village of Sachikobavo in 1898, Arnold Chikobava was one of the firsts to bring Georgian linguistics to the international arena. He was one of the first members of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences and remained a pillar of the academy for over 45 years.Chikobava penned more than fifteen monographs, and about five hundred research papers concerning the structure and vocabulary of old and new Georgian. He was heavily involved in the work of unifying of the Georgian literary language norms and processing the Georgian scientific terminology. Arnold Chikobava's contribution to studying the Georgian language, Kartvelian languages and dialects are immense.With the specialists trained by him and under the guidance and editorship of Chikobava, the eight-volume monumental Georgian Language Explanatory Dictionary was compiled. The creation of such dictionaries is oftentimes perceived as a historical phenomenon in every nation's life and viable for the survival of the language itself.He was an initiator of establishing the Department of Caucasian Languages at the Tbilisi State University in 1933-34 academic year. It was the only department of this field in the country. Abkhazians and Ossetians, as well as students from Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Adyghe, the Chechen Ingush Republic, and Karachay-Cherkessia studied at the Georgian and Russian sectors of this department alongside Georgians. This contributed to increasing collaboration between the peoples of Transcaucasia.The Arnold Chikobava Institute of Linguistics, located in the heart of Tbilisi in a historical building on Ingorokva street, has been serving as a hub of linguistic research for almost 80 years.The main goal of the Institute is to study Georgian from the normative and historical viewpoints. They research the problems of phonetics, grammatical structure, syntax, vocabulary and dialectology of other Kartvelian (Megrelian-Chan, Svan) and Ibero-Caucasian (Abkhaz-Adyghe, Nakh, Daghestanian) languages in synchronic and diachronic aspect, also a connection of these languages with other ones from the typological viewpoint.Institute of Linguistics is the only scientific institution, where more than 30 languages (among them 15 are written languages) of the Ibero-Caucasian (Paleo-Caucasian) family are researched. Results of research are published in the form of monographs and in scientific collections.Not only the scholars at the Institute study different Caucasian languages, but they are in the heart of the Georgian language, working hard to adapt it to the challenges the ever-changing world creates.Georgia became an independent country created the necessity of creation of corresponding terminology and standards in the official sphere. The institute carries out systematic work on normalization and unification of Georgian scientific-technical terminology. In the era of rapid scientific development, an important task of the institute is to find and introduce the semantically exact, formatively pliable terms suited for the nature of the language.It is important for languages to keep modernizing and adapting to the new advancements in the world. The experience of the Institute creates an environment where the Georgian language can thrive and develop.Unfortunately, the Institute operates in a building that is on the brink of collapse. There have been promises from the previous government of relocating Institute to a safer building, but the promises proved to be futile.The director of the institute, Nana Machavariani, said that the Institute is working closely with the Government of Georgia and the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia on various issues, including that of the Instituteas building.aThe Institute is a hub of science and linguistics research and is situated in a building that poses a threat to the well-being of the staff and researchers. We have received many promises from the government and are in a process of waiting for a solution to the problema said Machavariani.The walls of the building are cracked open, creating a haunting vision that is hard to believe comes from a modern-day research institution. For years, the lack of attention from the officials has only worsened the situation of the building. Scholars dedicated to the study of languages show up at work every day uncertain if they will be able to walk out of the building safely.Despite such an enormous problem, the Arnold Chikobava Institute of Linguistics continues their crucial work to make sure that the Georgian language is studied and preserved for future generations. About Me Scott Because prophetic scriptures are found throughout the bible, it is obvious that a comprehensive, systematic approach would be useful, if not necessary, for the understanding of prophecy. Past prophecies have been fulfilled in a literal manner, as confirmed by the dating of these writings and historical records of confirmation. These past prophecies also serve as a model of how to interpret future prophecies. A literal view of prophecy clearly indicates a certain sequence of events will occur within a single generation, concluding with the Tribulation and Second Advent and these events will be obvious. The prophetic signs appear to be present in this generation and we believe these signs are revealed in the news from around the world. View my complete profile Health insurance company AAR has responded to damning allegations made by activist Boniface Mwangi who accuses the insurer of fraud and giving him the runaround with regards to his surgery on 22nd March. In a long post on social media, Boniface Mwangi alleged that AAR had agreed to cover the costs of the surgery to remove a cyst on his left breast. However, the night before the surgery, Mr Mwangi received a call from an AAR staff who informed him that they would not pay for the surgery. The night before the surgery, on 21st March, I received a phone call from a Ms. Sheila Mbogo, informing me that they were not going to pay for my surgery, as they considered the cyst to be a pre-existing condition, for which the waiting period is two years. TWO YEARS! She further stated that l was a new client. Why? Well, last year my cover lapsed for 3 months, and at the point of renewal, the insurance claims I was considered to be a new member, Mwangi wrote in part. According to Boniface, he was lied to by three AAR employees about the terms and conditions of his insurance cover. But in a rejoinder, AAR says they informed Boniface Mwangi that the surgical procedure was not included in his cover. They also allege that the waiting period for a pre-existing condition is one year and not two as claimed by Boniface Mwangi. Heres AAR full statement: Read Boniface Mwangis full story below. In November 2016, l gave a speech on how the Kenyan middle class is only a phone call away from poverty. If you or your loved one is diagnosed with a terminal illness, and you dont have a lot of money, youll end up being bankrupted. At the time, I hadnt yet discovered another truth; that a health insurance cover isnt a guarantee that your insurer will pay for your treatment when you need them to do so. On October 19, 2017, an overzealous police officer shot me with a teargas canister, at close range. I was treated at Kenyatta Hospital and discharged, but later on developed a large swelling on my left breast, where the canister hit me. After the swelling healed, l was left with a big cyst, often referred to as a man boob. So one side of my chest was more swollen than the other. It didnt bother me at first, but after a lot of prompting from my wife and friends, l decided to have it checked and, subsequently, made a decision to have it surgically removed this year. I made an appointment with a doctor, at a hospital and the surgery was set for 22nd March 2019. My insurer agreed to cover the costs. My family and I have been faithful members of AAR since 2010. The night before the surgery, on 21st March, I received a phone call from a Ms. Sheila Mbogo, informing me that they were not going to pay for my surgery, as they considered the cyst to be a pre-existing condition, for which the waiting period is two years. TWO YEARS! She further stated that l was a new client. Why? Well, last year my cover lapsed for 3 months, and at the point of renewal, the insurance claims I was considered to be a new member. My conversation with Sheila concluded with an agreement that l needed to get the rejection from the medical insurer in writing and, once it was done, she would give me a call. Unfortunately she never called back and I thought it must have been a misunderstanding that had then been resolved. After all, the hospital had already been given clearance by the insurer for my surgery. I went for the surgery on 22nd March and, thankfully, the cyst was successfully removed. In the afternoon, while still recuperating from the effects of the anesthesia, the hospital administrator walked in with a letter that had been delivered by AAR, stating that they would not settle my bill. Still groggy, I tried to call my insurance agent to clarify. The person to whom we paid our premiums, Sam Ngethe, Business Manager AAR, wasnt picking my wifes calls. I then called the AAR switchboard and spoke to a lady called Josephine from the AAR Care team. l explained my issue and she promised to call back. Hours went by without a phone call and l resorted to tweeting about it. After a lot of back and forth calls, I finally spoke to a Ms. Carolyne Nekesa. She spoke to her team and, three hours later, got back to me saying she had consulted with her bosses and, my faithfulness to AAR insurance notwithstanding, told me l was considered to be a new client since l had delayed to renew my cover last year. She flatly refused to address the lies that Sheila, Josephine and the team had told me before. Lies that Sheila had called my wife to say they would not cover my surgery. (What exactly was the lie?) The company was emphatic that, according to their terms and conditions, l was a new client; terms that Sam did not disclose when we renewed our health insurance last year. The hospital was kind enough to release me without payment, to avoid accumulation of additional hospital bills and we agreed to settle in time. Thank God everything went well with the surgery and the hospital. Health insurance companies in Kenya take our personal health for granted, especially when people with valid medical covers are denied healthcare. There are health insurance companies who are still collecting premiums, but you cannot use their cover in any of the private hospitals because these insurers simply dont honor their obligations. The reason health insurance companies can do that and get away with it, is because we have very weak protection laws. We are used to being taken advantage of. I was lied to by not one or two AAR employees, but three of them. They are confident nothing will happen to them, perhaps because they were speaking under the authority of their bosses; after all, they are not in the ethics business. Conducting health insurance business for the sole aim of making profits is purely evil. Doctors take the Hippocratic oath; a promise that they will do everything possible to help their patients and to have high professional standards in their work. What binds the medical insurance companies to do the right thing? Nothing. Zero. Profit is their silent oath. They do not train doctors or support medical schools. They have people specifically hired to write contracts that are hard for ordinary folks like you and me to understand, so that they can try to evade paying when you make a claim. The Kenyan government trains doctors who also work in private practice, while on public hospitals payroll. l wish the public hospitals would have an electronic sign-in and sign-out system for doctors working in their hospitals, and a big display board indicating doctors on duty and what time they are supposed to be there. I believe that it would help to know which health insurance companies and private hospitals are working with doctors who should be rotating in public wards. Everyday people are fundraising to pay a medical bill for someone, but if National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) was well run with no fake patients being taken to India for fake medical treatment and private hospitals conspiring with NHIF to steal from us that is all the medical cover Kenyans would need. We cant satisfy the greed of private health insurance firms and we must demand that the health ministry provides quality, affordable healthcare for all, otherwise these health insurances continue to thrive at our expense and the majority of Kenyans cannot afford life-saving healthcare. The right to health is a basic human right, guaranteed by the Constitution of Kenya. Article 43 (1) (a) provides that every person has the right to the highest attainable standard of health, which includes the right to healthcare services, including reproductive healthcare. Lets demand that right. I am sharing my story and l hope anyone who has suffered in the hands of Health Insurance companies can also share their stories as well. Whats your medical story? Its time to name and shame them. Use the hashtag #HealthInsuranceFraudsters Former Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero was Monday dealt a huge blow after a magistrate dismissed his application challenging graft charges brought against him. In his application, Kidero had requested to be charged separately from the other 10 accused persons arguing that the DPP lumped them together to embarrass him. Dr Kidero also challenged charges of conspiracy to commit corruption arguing that it was faulty. In the case, Kidero and former members of his administration have been charged with conspiracy to commit an offence of corruption leading to the loss of Sh213 million. In a ruling on Monday, Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti dismissed Kideros application noting that the court was not given sufficient reasons either by way of precedent or otherwise to give it necessary authority to discharge Kidero or any other accused persons from the trial. The magistrate also dismissed an application by directors of companies alleged to have fraudulently received payments from City Hall. The directors challenged the move to charge them together with the companies. The upshot of the matter then is that having observed, this court finds that all the charges as preferred meet the threshold of the law in criminal pleadings, procedure and practice, Ogoti said. Accordingly, the two applications are hereby disallowed and dismissed, Ogoti ruled. Kidero and former officials in his administration are facing charges of corruption and economic crimes including conspiracy to commit corruption, abuse of office, fraudulent acquisition of public property, dealing with suspect property and unlawful failure to pay tax to a public body. The trial will start on May 6. Octopizzo has maintained that legalising marijuana in Kenya will do more good than harm for users of the outlawed plant. According to Octo, legalisation is vital in that it will stop young users from abusing it. This is not about me, but it is a serious thing and it has even been tabled in parliament, says Octopizzo. The rapper states that weed should be easily accessible to the public the way cigarettes are. Marijuana users will freely smoke it anywhere because whether its legalised or not, our kids are using it but they are abusing it. People are using it badly and that is why it is affecting them while others have made businesses out of it, he said. What I am saying is if it is already being used, why dont we just legalize it but then create ways that it can be managed how people use it. We know that marijuana is sold in chemists in some counties but its access us managed. That is why some people will never shy away from using it. Octopizzo adds that people are in denial but they are shy to talk about. That is one of the things Kenyans are afraid to talk about. It is like talking about unsafe sex where we end up getting under 18 children getting kids. Octo further recounts a day he met eight-year-old kids that are prostitutes in Kisii county during the day. Nobody is talking about that, I feel so disturbed because I have a 10-year-old kid. There are so many important things that people need to talk about in this country especially that are affecting young people, Mental health issues are there but you will hear people blaming this on weed, he says. When we as artiste come out to talk about it, most assume saying we are just rappers. I try to make a difference with my foundation by meeting these people and by talking to them because at times we reach a point we even feel that our leaders dont even help and we cannot just sit and wait them do everything. Tertiary education is a significant investment for both parents and prospective students. Education fees can go up to the seven-figure sum in Ringgit, while students may spend up to seven years studying for a degree. As such, like with any investment, careful research is a must. While there is plenty of information regarding courses and institutions available online, this material is scattered all over the Internet. This spread of information makes it hard for both parents and prospective students to draw direct comparisons between institutions. Fortunately, there are several websites dedicated to assisting readers in searching for the right course and institution of higher learning. Here are five of the best. First launched in 2011, EasyUni has been connecting parents and prospective students with over 3,000 universities and colleges from over 20 countries. The higher education portal enables parents and future students to collect information and apply for courses from both local and international universities, without the need to visit each universitys respective website. Aside from its easy application process, EasyUni also offers students partial scholarships of up to 30% for applying to selected courses through their online portal. It should be noted that the scholarship only covers tuition fees and that all payments will be made directly to the students chosen universities. EduAdvisor is a tertiary education course comparison site that aims to help customers make an informed decision. EduAdvisor allows you to easily judge between the various available institutions through its course-specific university comparison table. It is a useful tool as you can compare the estimated fees, entry requirements, intakes, and course duration of the institutions side-by-side. Besides that, EduAdvisor provides free online personal counseling services and career quizzes to help students gauge their strengths and weaknesses. It is convenient as parents and students do not have to go to an education fair for these services, and instead access them instantly at home. We continue down our list of websites with Afterschool.my. Like EduAdvisor, Afterschool allows users to compare and apply for courses offered by local universities. That said, Afterschool provides more options to the user than EduAdvisor by including local public universities in their list of collaborating institutions. Another unique feature of Afterschool is that users can apply for scholarships offered by companies and government agencies directly via their scholarship section. The scholarship section features a list of scholarships available and their respective submission deadlines. This feature allows the users to compare and apply to scholarships without the need to visit various individual websites. We conclude our list of helpful websites for university hunting with Study Malaysia. Study Malaysia was launched in 1998 by the Ministry of Education as a comprehensive guide to all learning institutions in Malaysia. These institutions include polytechnic, international, and technical and vocational schools. The governments higher education site also provides users with tips on university applications, career guides and education news updates. Like Afterschool, Study Malaysia has a dedicated page on scholarships and education loans available for further studies in Malaysia and abroad. Preparation Is Key With over 200 institutions of higher learning in Malaysia alone, searching and applying for college or university can be a challenge. Still, it is important to do the necessary research as tertiary education is a noteworthy investment for personal development. As such, you should really make use of these websites to find the courses and universities that suit your needs and strengths. With that, we wish the future students out there all the best in their next phase of education. 0 0 votes Article Rating SHARE The Raila-led ODM party has made good on its threat to impeach Deputy President William Ruto. Led by Siaya Senator James Orengo, ODM legislators pledged to institute an impeachment motion to remove the DP from office. Speaking Sunday, Orengo said a Deputy President can be kicked out of office if its found that he or she has violated the Constitution or any other law. According to Orengo, Kenya cannot make progress with a Deputy President who is constantly at the center of every corruption case. Orengo, who was campaigning for Chris Karana in Ugenya, noted that it is easier for the removal of the Deputy President on constitutional grounds rather than through criminal prosecution. I want to repeat here and now that the Senate together with the National Assembly, we want to bring a motion of impeachment to kick out DP Ruto from office, Orengo stated. The Siaya Senator implored lawmakers to make maximum use of the Constitution to deal with those who think they are above the law. His sentiments were echoed by ODM party secretary-general Edwin Sifuna who said they already have DP Rutos file ready for the impeachment motion. Sifuna added that DP Ruto is a conman and that it has taken Jubilee seven years to figure it out. The lawyer claimed this is why President Uhuru Kenyatta sounded a warning days ago when he said no one family friend or political ally would be spared in the war on corruption. The seven years Ruto was in ODM were enough to know the type of person he was and that is why we were telling Kenyans that he is a conman, said Sifuna. As the ODM fraternity, we assure the President that we are behind him and the DCI in the war against corruption. " " NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik makes a spacewalk in November 2009, during the final space shuttle flight to or from the International Space Station. His spacesuit protected him from the UV rays. NASA NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong gazed through overlapping shields. While the Ohio native took his "one small step" onto the moon, he was wearing a transparent, bubble-shaped helmet fitted with visors that could be raised or lowered at will. The innermost visor and the bubble itself were made of polycarbonate shielding a material that helped protect Armstrong from getting an overdose of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Like visible light beams, UV rays are electromagnetic waves released by our sun. Moderate exposure to some of those waves can do a body good. Contact with ultraviolet B (UV-B) rays, for example, prompts human skin to manufacture vitamin D3. But when we absorb too much of this radiation, DNA can get irreparably damaged, opening the door for skin cancer. And of course, we're all familiar with sunburns, another potential side effect of UV overexposure. Advertisement Besides UV-B, there are two other major UV radiation categories: ultraviolet A (UV-A) and ultraviolet C (UV-C). Each type moves at a different wavelength, with UV-A's being the longest. Rays of UV-C are considered especially harmful to human beings. We're very lucky, then, to have an ozone layer that absorbs nearly all of the UV-C rays and most of the UV-B ones that enter Earth's atmosphere. Sunscreen offers us Earth-dwelling folk some measure of defense against the UV rays that pass through the ozone barrier. (FYI: Wearing appropriate clothes is a good idea, too.) Yet the moon doesn't have much of an atmosphere, so its surface is awash in ultraviolet radiation. There's evidence to suggest that the abundant UV rays may be partly responsible for the levitating clouds of lunar dust we've observed on Earth's natural satellite. With so much unfiltered UV radiation afoot, you might think that astronauts who visit the moon would come home with terrible sunburns. But that didn't happen to Armstrong and company. Spacesuits including those donned by the Apollo explorers are made with heavy fabrics that block out UV rays. The suits also come with see-through helmets. For these and for some of the attached visors designers use ultraviolet-stabilized polycarbonate, an ultra-tough plastic that protects astronauts' faces from UV radiation. A lesser building material could leave the space travelers vulnerable to "snow blindness" and other optic conditions that may arise when UV rays damage parts of the human eye. As it stands, there's really no need for a spacesuit-clad astronaut to put on sunscreen. That said, a member of the Gemini 9 crew did get a triangular sunburn on his back in 1963. Gene Cernan had been in low-Earth orbit, working on the exterior of his spacecraft, when the outer seams on his suit ripped, exposing him to intense solar heat. The risk of contracting sunburn goes way down when astronauts are inside a spaceship. Aboard the International Space Station for example, astronauts regularly do their work in nothing but ordinary cotton shirts and pants. To protect them from sunburns, the ISS uses UV-blocking windows, as do most space exploration vessels. Back on the moon, though, extraterrestrial UV radiation may have claimed some nonhuman victims. You know those six American flags that were planted up there? Some astronomers think that decades of bombardment from powerful UV rays could've bleached them white by now. Learn more about the challenges of interplanetary exploration in "Interplanetary Outpost: The Human and Technological Challenges of Exploring the Outer Planets" by Erik Seedhouse. HowStuffWorks picks related titles based on books we think you'll like. Should you choose to buy one, we'll receive a portion of the sale. NOW THAT'S INTERESTING On the Apollo 12 mission, a TV camera was ruined when astronaut Alan Bean the fourth man to ever walk on the moon accidentally aimed it at the sun. If you have a problem with a stock brokerage firm, either as an investor or a financial professional, call Sallah Astarita & Cox, LLC Let's find out if our attorneys, who are former SEC Enforcement attorneys and broker-dealer counsel, can help you. YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The United States military will support humanitarian relief efforts in Mozambique after a powerful cyclone slammed into the country more than a week ago. President Donald Trump on Sunday directed the military to do so, according to a statement from the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), a unified combatant command of the Armed Forces. AFRICOM said it will respond to requests from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for support and assistance in the flooded regions across central Mozambique. AFRICOM has assigned its Djibouti-based Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa to lead the military's relief efforts. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Defense will provide support at the request of the Mozambican government. "U.S. Africa Command is actively monitoring and assessing the situation while positioning assets to support the government of the Republic of Mozambique, Marine Corps Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, who's the commander of AFRICOM, said in a statement Sunday. We are actively working with the Department of Defense, interagency partners, and Government of the Republic of Mozambique to provide assistance." Tropical cyclone Idai made landfall near the Mozambican port city of Beira in the late-night hours of March 14 and slowly moved inland that weekend. The storm ripped through central Mozambique, southern Malawi and eastern Zimbabwe, bringing with it heavy rainfall and wind gusts of up to 105 miles per hour. The region's drought conditions -- bone-dry soil unable to absorb the torrential rainfall -- gave way for flash flooding. The death toll from the intense cyclone has continued to rise in the days since, as response teams begin to access inundated communities and the scale of devastation becomes more clear. Mozambique bore the brunt of the storm. At least 447 people have now been reported dead and more than 1,500 others have been injured, according to the National Emergency Operations Center, a unit of the country's National Disaster Management Institute. Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi has warned that as many as 1,000 people could be dead. Over 15,000 homes in Mozambique have been damaged or destroyed by the storm, while more than 3,000 schools have been damaged. Nearly 129,000 people have been rescued from the floodwaters but many more await help, according to Mozambique's National Emergency Operations Center. In Zimbabwe, at least 154 people have been reported dead, 162 others injured, 136 marooned and 187 missing as of Saturday, according to the country's Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting. There were at least 56 cyclone-related deaths reported in Malawi. "The situation will get worse before it gets better," Henrietta Fore, executive director for the United Nations Children's Fund, said in a statement Saturday. "Aid agencies are barely beginning to see the scale of the damage. Entire villages have been submerged, buildings have been flattened, and schools and health care centers have been destroyed. While the search and rescue operations continue, it is critical that we take all necessary measures to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases which can turn this disaster into a major catastrophe." Various humanitarian agencies and aid groups are on the ground providing relief to people in the three affected countries. Here are some of the organizations helping those impacted by tropical cyclone Idai: Americares has deployed a team to Mozambique to assess health needs and coordinate emergency shipments of medicine and relief supplies for survivors. You can donate to Americares Worldwide Disaster Relief Fund here to support its response to the cyclone. CARE has emergency experts in Mozambique assessing the damage while providing search and rescue support around the hard-hit city of Beira. They are working to provide much-needed supplies to the area, including tents, buckets, tarps, blankets and hygiene kits. The organization also has teams on the ground in Zimbabwe and Malawi to assess the needs of the affected communities. You can make a donation here to support their efforts in southern Africa. Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres has teams in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi assessing the damage, trying to reach hard-hit communities and working to deliver medical kits as well as water and sanitation supplies to those in need. You can make a general donation here. Humanity & Inclusion has 40 staff members on the ground, including a small team in Beira. The group has worked in Mozambique since 1986, tackling issues stemming from the country's 25-year-long civil war with a focus on people with disabilities. Staff members are currently working to clear roads to rural communities cut off from humanitarian aid in the wake of the cyclone. You can make a donation to support their efforts here. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has an emergency response unit in Beira that will provide sanitation for 20,000 people every day. Another emergency response unit is expected to arrive in the coming days and will provide clean water for 15,000 people a day. Two emergency field hospitals are also en route to Mozambique to provide urgently-needed medical care. You can donate to their Mozambique campaign here. The International Rescue Committee has launched an emergency response for people displaced by the cyclone in eastern Zimbabwe. The organization has teams on the ground in the hardest-hit areas providing medical care and emergency supplies for the most vulnerable. You can donate to support their efforts here. Oxfam has teams assessing the needs of people worst affected in all three nations. You can make a general donation here. Save the Children has delivered at least 51 metric tons of humanitarian aid to Mozambique, including tarps, buckets and tents. The organization is also working to provide displaced families with kits for water purification and hygiene. An estimated 350,000 children in Martinique alone are said to be in dire need of immediate relief. You can donate to support their efforts here. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Two of Kenyas current high-flyers in music; rapper Khaligraph Jones and Otile Brown, are back at it again. The duo has teamed up for its third collaboration Japo Kidogo that premiered on YouTube on Monday afternoon, amassing over 28,000 views in just two hours. The mellow-voiced Otile Brown and Khaligraph Jones first joined forces in 2015, before Khali was Mr International. They worked on Imaginary Love, a song that introduced music lovers to Otile Brown. In 2017, they worked together again on the track Nataka but it never really took off compared to Imaginary Love. Their new hit Japo Kidogo is no different from their previous releases; it is a romantic song that sees Khaligraph Jones once again shelve his gangster rap for singing. Japo Kidogo is produced by Vicky Pon Dis while the video is directed by Enos Olik. Check it out below. Rating 6/10. Microsoft experts discovered privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution vulnerabilities in a tool from Huawei. Microsoft researchers discovered privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution vulnerabilities in a tool from Huawei, both flaws were classified as high severity. The experts discovered the flaws because the kernel sensors in Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) detected an anomalous behavior associated with a Huawei device management driver. Further analysis revealed that the Huaweis PCManager tool pre-installed on MateBook laptops is affected by a vulnerability (CVE-2019-5241) that can be exploited by an attacker for local privilege escalation. An attacker can trigger the flaw by tricking the victims into executing a malicious application. We discovered such a driver while investigating an alert raised by Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protections kernel sensors. We traced the anomalous behavior to a device management driver developed by Huawei. Digging deeper, we found a lapse in the design that led to a vulnerability that could allow local privilege escalation. reads the security advisory published by Microsoft. We reported the vulnerability (assigned to CVE-2019-5241) to Huawei, who responded and cooperated quickly and professionally. On January 9, 2019, Huawei released a fix. Microsoft researchers also discovered another flaw in Huawei PCManager, tracked as CVE-2019-5242, that can be exploited for arbitrary code execution. Having been able to freely invoke IOCTL handlers of the driver from user-mode, we looked for other capabilities that can be abused. We found one: the driver provided a capability to map any physical page into user-mode with RW permissions. continues Microsoft. Invoking this handler allowed a code running with low privileges to read-write beyond the process boundariesto other processes or even to kernel space. This, of course, means a full machine compromise. The two vulnerabilities were disclosed in February at Microsofts Blue Hat conference in Israel. The Chinese telecommunication giant addressed both vulnerabilities in January. The two vulnerabilities we discovered in a driver prove the importance of designing software and products with security in mind. Security boundaries must be honored. Attack surface should be minimized as much as possible. In this case, the flaws could have been prevented if certain precautions were taken, concludes Microsoft. Pierluigi Paganini The latest account of Trump Administration's latest punitive ideas for responding to drug problems | Main | "Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2018" March 16, 2018 New Philly DA puts forward new policies intended to "end mass incarceration and bring balance back to sentencing" This Slate article, headlined "Philadelphias New Top Prosecutor Is Rolling Out Wild, Unprecedented Criminal Justice Reforms," reports on the remarkable new policies put forward by the former defense attorney who is the newly elected Philly DA. Here are highlights: On Tuesday, Krasner issued a memo to his staff making official a wave of new policies he had announced his attorneys last month. The memo starts: These policies are an effort to end mass incarceration and bring balance back to sentencing. The most significant and groundbreaking reform is how he has instructed assistant district attorneys to wield their most powerful tool: plea offers. Over 90 percent of criminal cases nationwide are decided in plea bargains, a system which has been broken beyond repair by mandatory minimum sentences and standardized prosecutorial excess. In an about-face from how these transactions typically work, Krasners 300 lawyers are to start many plea offers at the low end of sentencing guidelines. For most nonviolent and nonsexual crimes, or economic crimes below a $50,000 threshold, Krasners lawyers are now to offer defendants sentences below the bottom end of the states guidelines. So, for example, if a person with no prior convictions is accused of breaking into a store at night and emptying the cash register, he would normally face up to 14 months in jail. Under Krasners paradigm, hell be offered probation. If prosecutors want to use their discretion to deviate from these guidelines, say if a person has a particularly troubling rap sheet, Krasner must personally sign off. Its the mirror of a lot of offices saying, If you dont ask for the max youve got to get my permission, says David Rudovsky, a prominent Philadelphia civil rights attorney. For longtime career prosecutors, this will take some getting used to. You want to be sure your assistants are actually doing it, Rudovsky says. Krasners lawyers are also now to decline charges for marijuana possession, no matter the weight, effectively decriminalizing possession of the drug in the city for all nonfederal cases. Sex workers will not be charged with prostitution unless they have more than two priors, in which case theyll be diverted to a specialized court. Retail theft under $500 is no longer a misdemeanor in the eyes of Philly prosecutors, but a summary offensethe lowest possible criminal charge. And when ADAs give probation charges they are to opt for the lower end of the possible spectrum. Criminological studies show that most violations of probation occur within the first 12 months, the memo reads, Assuming that a defendant is violation free for 12 months, any remaining probation is simply excess baggage requiring unnecessary expenditure of funds for supervision. When a person does break the rules of probation, minor infractions such as missing a PO meeting are not to be punished with jail time or probation revocation, and more serious infractions are to be disciplined with no more than two years in jail. In a move that may have less impact on the lives of defendants, but is very on-brand for Kranser, prosecutors must now calculate the amount of money a sentence would cost before recommending it to a judge, and argue why the cost is justified. He estimates that it costs $115 a day, or $42,000 a year, to incarcerate one person. So, if a prosecutor seeks a three-year sentence, she must state, on the record, that it would cost taxpayers $126,000 and explain why she thinks this cost is justified. Krasner reminds his attorneys that the cost of one year of unnecessary incarceration is in the range of the cost of one years salary for a beginning teacher, police officer, fire fighter, social worker, Assistant District Attorney, or addiction counselor. The policies memo is available at this link, and all sentencing fans will want to check out the entire document. March 16, 2018 at 05:14 PM | Permalink Comments I am become a crime victim in Philly, you have my blood oath. I will having him investigated for sexual harassment. I will be offering a reward for any victim that comes forward, woman, man, dog. So help, I will hire Gloria Alred, pro hac vice. Posted by: David Behar | Mar 16, 2018 7:04:36 PM This guy makes perfect sense, I like it. This what the Feds should do, calc the cost if eCh sentence the Ausa reccommends and present it the judge. When they put it in the lical paper, they must also i clude the cist, the Ausa and the judges name. This would help to some degree. Takes guts to do epwhat he is doing, most just worry about getting re-elected, like our congress and senate staff does. Og well. Posted by: MidWestGuy | Mar 16, 2018 9:53:48 PM I predict record crime this year. I believe for the first time Philadelphia will exceed 400 murders. All because of this new leftist approach to crime and justice. Already within the last 2 years crime has gone up significantly and every Wawa has at least 2 panhandlers and con men. With any luck the impending misery will be a catalyst for future Republican leadership. Posted by: Mike | Mar 17, 2018 6:54:36 AM Mike. Philadelphia is very government dependent. They are on welfare or getting government subsidies. It will be a long time before all those Blacks, Jews, Hispanics, and welfare recipients will vote their real interest. Crime will also be suppressed by the 1500 opioid overdose death. These prevent 30000 crimes year over year cumutively. So the deaths of last year's cohort prevent 30,000, that of 2 years ago, another 30,000. So on. Crime may disappear entirely. It will be ironic. That will result in unemployment among the Democrats dependent o the criminal. That is why Krasner is desperate to have more on the streets. Stanford Law School radicalized lawyer, and paid agent of George Soros, will falsely take the credit for the drop in crime. I would enjoy seeing the people of Philadelphia punished by more crime for their corrupt voting. The problem? More will steam into the next county where I live. I once gave a wedding speech, proposing building a wall on City Line Avenue, and making Philadelphia pay for it, to keep out the dirty Yuppie Democrats ruining my town. I got booed by the dirty Yuppies. This used to be a paradise only a few miles from the Fallujah like condition in the city. No longer. It has become an over-regulated, Democrat hellscape. Posted by: David Behar | Mar 17, 2018 7:13:04 AM Krasner is scum. Posted by: federalist | Mar 17, 2018 7:17:23 PM What makes him scum in your view, federalist? Is it just because he is a Democrat or because he is a former defense attorney or something else? Posted by: Doug B. | Mar 18, 2018 6:48:33 AM Prof. Berman. I hope my deleted post answered your question. If it did not, nothing will. The answer had nothing to do with partisan politics, nor even with disagreement over sentencing. It had to do with his character and association. Krasner was also endorsed by Black Lives Matter. He got $2 million from his sponsor to defeat a seasoned, female prosecutor. Posted by: David Behar | Mar 18, 2018 3:54:03 PM Prof. Berman. This is addressed to all Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and atheists with a law license. How can you stay silent when the central doctrine of the common law has been plagiarized from the Medieval Catholic Church catechism? How can you stay silent when your client gets totally different sentencing based on this horse shit? You morons, you traitors to the constitution, and to our secular nation. I urge all law student with similar beliefs listed above to pound their books on their desks when the cult indoctrinator tries to promote supernatural beliefs from the Catholic Church, such as mind reading, future forecasting, and standards of conduct based on those of a fictitious character. If the professor will not stop, beat his ass, put a tall dunce hat on him, and kick him out of class. He is your servant, you are not his. Kick the idiot to the street. To the credit of the Medieval Church, they attributed these supernatural powers to God after a soul arrived to be judged by God. That is their faith, and it should be accepted. Only the lawyer profession believed men could use them to judge other men. These cause vastly different sentencing outcomes for the same act with the same damage to another. Posted by: David Behar | Mar 18, 2018 7:21:18 PM "This is addressed to all Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and atheists with a law license. How can you stay silent when the central doctrine of the common law has been plagiarized from the Medieval Catholic Church catechism?" "Cultural assimilation" or if one prefers "social conditioning" or if one prefers "brainwashing". Take your pick, Behar. Posted by: Selfie Man | Mar 18, 2018 8:59:21 PM Selfie. Problem. The Establishment Clause. I have read the Sharia. I liked 90% of it. It has a lot of softness. It has less procedure. It has a lot of rehabilitative ethos. It is effective, and saves many lives of crime victims. All Muslim nations, no matter how poor, have low crime rates. Why is enforcing the Catechism in state law any less offensive, any more acceptable than enforcing the superior Sharia? If I proposed it replace the catechism as the basis of the common law, what would Berman say? How is it he can indoctrinate modern, intelligent students into the false and delusional crap he does? He is the one that studied Medieval Philosophy in college, not me. He was taught the technical meaning of reason. He suppresses it. He is a cult member in total denial. We can argue philosophy. He is in such denial, he cannot even mention the 15 million identity thefts as a sign of exploding crime numbers, never mind the billions of violations of criminal felony federal laws on social media. He is obsessed with the insane Decarceration policy of the Democratic Party platform. He repeatedly posts false statistics, and wicked, dangerous, insane proposals to open the prison doors. We had a natural experiment in history. Castro streeted his prisoners to the USA in the Marielito Boat Lift in 1980. Only 20,000 of the refugees were criminals. They caused a massive crime wave everywhere they were placed. The federal government had to spend $millions on imprisoning them in federal facilities. Now, the lawyer profession wants a million predators loosed. I do not call that madness. I call it, evil. Posted by: David Behar | Mar 18, 2018 9:49:37 PM David, a few responses: 1. I asked for federalist's view on Krasner, not yours. 2. The Code of Hammurabi arguably articulated many criminal law doctrines you are eager to lament 2000 years before the Catholic Church existed. So your regular rants about criminal law being Church law are poorly conceived, in addition to being repetitive and intemperate. 3. My job is to teach students about current laws while encouraging them to think critically about their meaning and application. We discuss internet crimes like child porn offenses, but those crimes are not in the current FBI accounting of crimes rates. Same is true for lots and lots and lots of other crimes like DUIs and speeding and the massive amount of gambling and drug crimes that go unreported and/or unprosecuted. I am not in "denial" about any of this, and the "cult" you lament is the reality of modern US criminal law. We know from so many of your comments that you dislike this reality. But my student will practice in the real world, not a Behar-o world. 4. I deleted a few posts of yours which had more vitriol than I wanted to see and that triggered some comment backlash that your rants can sometimes engender. I may soon set a daily quota on posts for you and delete others in the hope it may get you to ration rants and pollute this space less, as you seem unable to understand how your repetitive comments and off-putting rhetoric spoils the atmosphere for others. Posted by: Doug B. | Mar 18, 2018 11:22:14 PM For reasonsI have discussed here---firing a prosecutor who just started a murder trial--thereby delaying justice for a family. Such studied indifference to the suffering of a family is appalling and should remove him from polite company. Posted by: federalist | Mar 19, 2018 7:45:31 AM We are not in your dining room. I am invitee to this blog, as I am to your privately owned sidewalk. You own it perhaps to the deed line in the middle of the street. However, you may not exclude me from the sidewalk, nor from the pavement, based on the protected classes nor based on viewpoint. That is the argument yet to be made against Facebook/Twitter/Microsoft/Google. Those are the largest sidewalks in the world with billions of invitees. They may not exclude anyone. We are using the Notebook of Henry of Bratton, a monk. Worse than a monk, a French guy (Bratton = Brittany). In that day, getting to substance would be a humiliation for a lawyer. This is the origin of your ridiculous, fraudulent proceduralism, France. He worked for Edward I. He invented forcing Jews to wear yellow Stars of David. He killed all the Jews, and excluded them from England for 400 years. Worse, he killed a million Scot, Welsh, and Irish. Nice origin for a profession. Our laws are filled with Latin, not with Babylonian. How would like them filled with the stilted Arabic of the Koran? You have taken the argument to an extreme. The law against murder is in the 10 Commandments, so let's make murder legal. That is not the point. You are evading the super-natural nature of these doctrines, attributed to God, even by the Church. You are not allowed to have super-natural doctrines in a secular nation. They and your class are silly, ridiculous, a joke. Thank you for making the point, by adding crimes I did not mention. You decarceration advocates need to address them. The FBI Index covers 8 crimes, 3 being violent. Your claim is based on police reports, which are political tools of Democratic administrations to increase crime, and the necessity for funding of big government, with crazy cost of treatment of dubious value. The structure of prison is the treatment for anti-social personality disorder. They can do very well there. The gold standard of crime measurement, the household Crime Victimization Survey was "fixed" by the Obama administration, and now real rates of the 8 common law crimes should be called, unknown. I use the word, cult. Find a better word for people who hold supernatural beliefs. They bully and indoctrinate modern, intelligent students. Dissenters are expelled and shunned if they question these fundamental beliefs. The hierarchy has crushed lawyers who were the smartest, richest, and most powerful for the slightest deviation from this fundamental orthodoxy. The Supreme Court has ruled, there is no recourse. These beliefs are to generate jobs and income. So you take our $trillion and deliver no value. Indeed, every year an average lawyer lives, he destroys $million in economic value. Your real purpose is actually a good one. The Rule of Law adds tremendous value and is well worth $trillion. People can focus on what they want to do, and not worry about survival all day. You have yet to deliver it. The Behar-o world is called empiricism. Your remedies are physical, incarceration, and fines, where money is a measurement of labor. Your procedures have to be empirical, and not supernatural. Posted by: David Behar | Mar 19, 2018 11:07:26 AM Behar, your spout incoherent drivel: utter cant and nonsense, full of sound and fury but signifying nothing. Posted by: Hanna | Mar 19, 2018 2:56:09 PM Hanna. You spout personal insults and silly ipse dixits. Posted by: David Behar | Mar 19, 2018 4:44:02 PM David, your own complaints about the FBI Index highlights how empiricism is always infused with normativity. Should we "count" the crime of underage drinking on college campuses? Would you say our incoherent patchwork of criminal laws dealing with alcohol and other intoxicants have a "super-natural nature"? Arguably, alcohol and drug prohibitions draw from the Koran more than from the Bible. Your rants remind me a bit of the 20-somethings who get enamored with Ayn Rand and objectivism and resist acknowledging that the world is a lot more complicated than a simplistic philosophy can address. Your mantra of empiricism and rants against the lawyers does not engage enough of reality to get one very far. Posted by: Doug B | Mar 19, 2018 8:11:47 PM I do not understand how drinking alcohol is super natural. Alcohol in the body can be measured. You may argue the validity of these measurements, and make $10,000 a case, twice a day. In Muslim countries, and among Methodists in the US, there is no alcohol addiction, nor any health consequence of alcohol, killing 100,000 in the US. Prohibition resulted in only a 50% drop in consumption, and induced tremendous benefits to crime control, to the economy, and to the well being of the population. Death by cirrhosis happens to 10% of alcoholics, but is a reliable indicator of the addiction rate. It dropped during Prohibition. The legislature may take these facts and decide what it values. That is solid empiricism. It is also the ultimate, real world outcome, re-election, for the legislator that represents popular consensus. Where is there anything supernatural in any of those alcohol matters? The supernatural doctrines are mind reading (mens rea), including the mind reading of half the criminals who are drunk, and may have no recall of a crime, future forecasting in torts, and standards of conduct to be set by a fictitious character, in all subjects of the law where the word, reasonable, is uttered. The latter is said to be from a fictitious character because the standards must be objective. The real reason is that your profession is covering up his identity, which is Jesus. That was an open fact in 1275 AD. Read St. Thomas Aquinas. Everything you do is from the Cathedral University of Paris of 1275 AD. Henry took classes with St. Thomas. The IRAC, the disputation, renamed the adversarial system, the format of the brief, of the motion, all are unchanged from that era and from the work of monks. Disputation (the adversarial system) is claimed to be the best way to discover the truth. That is strictly 1275 AD horse manure. It is the best way to generate double fees for many hours for both lawyers. It cuts off the smartest and most experienced guy in the court, the judge. If he so much as drives by the intersection of the accident or crime, he will be impeached and disbarred. The court looks like a church. The robes are those of a Catholic priest. The gavel, the bench is an altar. The standing, the sitting, the oaths. The non-business like, the religious hushed tones for the peasants. All is from the 13th Century church. What are you, blind and deaf? Did you not notice any of that? It is all cult intimidation to impose bullshit doctrines by force. You can email me if you do not wish to breach your privacy. Did you take a course in Medieval philosophy in college? Or, if not, did you take Western Civ 101, the first fall term? Or, if not, did you take high school World History, where this subject was well covered? Posted by: David Behar | Mar 19, 2018 11:56:18 PM I am the best friend of the lawyer profession. The Rule of Law is an essential utility product, and should be regulated like a utility. Your number should be half or a third what it is. The 20,000 lawyers for 100 million Japanese is too few. The 1.5 million for 350 million in the US is too many. Your salary should be 4 times what it is, because of the high value of your product, once safe and effective. Your public esteem should be 10 times what it is. You will have an empirical practice, testing any rule in small, then larger jurisdiction. You will stop lawless regulation and deference to the executive branch regulatory decisions. All regulations will be enacted by the accountable and capable legislature, down to the sink heights for the handicapped. If the voters do not want that bullshit, they will throw the elected officials out at the next election. In cult deprogramming, one must take a hold of the body. That is why I have proposed the arrest, one hour fair trial, and the execution of the 25,000 members of the lawyer hierarchy. It can be done in one day. No one here here is in it, and everyone here will greatly benefit from this proposal. The crime is insurrection against the constitution. The execution must be immediate, and not reviewable. The sole evidence in the one hour fair trial will a recording of a legal utterance violating the constitution. Posted by: David Behar | Mar 20, 2018 12:27:44 AM David, I did not ask if you thought "drinking alcohol is super natural," I asked if you thought criminal laws dealing with alcohol and other intoxicants have a "super-natural nature" (using your term). I asked because those laws, which you now seem to claim are "solid empiricism," generate much more work for (criminal) lawyers than many others and incorporate a host of mens rea and reasonableness doctrines (e.g., "possession with the intent to distribute"). Do you know the history of alcohol Prohibition in the US? Do you know the name George Remus, to give one notable example of a notable lawyer who exploited these laws? Do you know how folks quoted scripture to support these laws AND how the laws had "reasonable" religious exceptions? My point is to highlight how simplistic and facile your analysis is when asserting some laws are religious and bad, while others are empirical and good. To that end, since you dislike reasonableness doctrines thinking them "supernatural," what of the Fourth Amendment's prohibition of unreasonable searches and seizures? Are you eager to execute or defend lawyers who litigate this provision of the Constitution? Are rules created by police forces to guide police actors based on this provision (e.g., do not shoot fleeing suspects) an example of "lawless regulation"? Again, my point is to highlight how simplistic and facile your rants here are, and others get annoyed in the way one gets annoyed hearing a child constantly whine about wanting ice cream for dinner every night (and then claiming we should execute members of the vegetable hierarchy). I allow you to keep commenting in this space because even simplistic and facile criticisms of modern laws and lawyers can be valuable. But I will continue to urge you to keep the simplistic and facile rants limited and civil. Posted by: Doug B | Mar 20, 2018 9:06:08 AM I am simple because the constitution is simple. It is written at the high school English level, and is quite plain in its meaning. It has an Establishment Clause. It makes our nation a secular, and empirically based nation. The law may not impose religious doctrines on others. These prohibited doctrines include anonymous, but clearly Catholic doctrines of intent, foreseeability, and reasonableness. Even the Church gave up on Scholasticism 100 years ago. To be behind the times more than the Catholic Church is a really extreme achievement. Not even the Church of the 13th Century believed man could exercise these powers. Indeed, it is blasphemy to believe man has the powers the Church properly attributed to God, after the soul reached God for judgment. That is their faith, and I respect. Not only is the lawyer crazy, but he is a blasphemer of the Church he is copying. Had I been an prelate, I would have hauled your boy Henry before the papal inquisition, and roasted his heinie over an open fire. The hubris of that lawyer zane is unbelievable. It has Article I Section 1, giving "all" lawmaking powers to the Congress. The police policy of not shooting a fleeing suspect is mandatory, coming from a lawless Supreme Court decision, based on the feelings of the Justices, eliminating centuries of police tradition, implying only the guilty will flee. If you want to describe what searches are allowed, have Congress pass a law. Do the same to stop the shooting of fleeing suspects. They have the capacity to do so more quickly than executive agencies. People who can put out legislation with 1000's of pages, in a few weeks, can do so for regulatory purposes. They can outpage the 10,000 page Register of Federal Regulation. That way voters who do not like the regulation can primary the legislator responsible, or vote for the other party. There is no way to get accountability from a federal bureaucrat. They do not give their names. One may not threaten any without breaking a law. Aside from the lawlessness of all executive regulations, they smack of executive tyranny for which an English king was beheaded. If you want judicial review, if you want executive branch regulation, if you want to use the word, reason, which is the ability to perceive God, in contrast to intellect, which is subject the temptation of sin, ratify an amendment to the constitution. Until you do, all these lawyer acts are in insurrection against the constitution, a capital offense. Posted by: David Behar | Mar 20, 2018 10:19:29 PM David, you have avoided confronting the fact that reasonableness appears in the text of the Fourth Amendment. It make no sense to assert the First Amendment bars laws concerned with reasonableness when the Fourth Amendment makes that the touchstone for defining the limits of police powers. And Thomas Jefferson, a legendary proponent of the separation of church and state, spoke of intent in the commission of various crimes in his famous 1778 Bill for the new state of Virginia: http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/amendVIIIs10.html. So, again, your contentions about these doctrines and the Constitution are neither simple nor sound. And to call for execution of those who pass/support laws using intent or reasonableness is just plain silly. What is not sill is complaining about considerable and excessive law-making by executive and judicial branch authorities. But Congress and state legislatures often delegate, formally and informally, this law-making power. Staying on point of this blog, consider the Sentencing Reform Act, which created a judicial branch agency to write binding sentencing guidelines. You are on solid ground contending legislatures should author all sentencing rules rather than an agency (as happens in Ohio and other states), but you are not on solid ground when saying the relevant conduct rules referencing what is "reasonably foreseeable" violates the Establishment Clause. Posted by: Doug B | Mar 21, 2018 12:33:48 AM Delegation is prohibited. It began after a mind reading decision, calling delegation "implied" if the parameters you mentioned were "intelligible." This is more mind reading of the dead, and ridiculous, insultingly fraudulent, like a seance with the departed. (Your dead relative wants you to give me your money. I would be arrested for a laughable attempt to defraud.) It is an evasion of the need to amend the constitution. The Fourth Amendment has the word "unreasonable." However, it also defines it in empirical terms, by use of the word "probable", meaning more than 50% likely to be true. The "reasonableness" can be measured, and the standards can be changed if there is a failure to comply with the need for 51% rate of success. If anyone knows of such a study, I could not find one. That is not a constitutional problem, however. Reason is the ability to perceive God, in the technical jargon of Scholasticism, from where the common law came. The best guide is the New Testament, according to St. Thomas, the mentor of Henry. That book was about Jesus. Unless otherwise specified, as in the Fourth Amendment, all use of the word "reason" refers to Jesus and to his standards of conduct. That word, in any legal utterance should be presumed to violate the Establishment Clause. All Latin also violates it, since only one kind of people speak it. Again, I do not bash the Church. I bash the lawyer profession. The Church would even say the lawyer is blaspheming by attributing the powers of God to man. Foreseeability is also a power of God, and Thomas discusses His power to prevent accidents. Outside of negligence claim in the criminal law, this is a problem in tort liability. It is at the core of duty. Problem: it is a supernatural power. Only God had it according to the Church, even in the 13th Century. This has led to the worthlessness of torts to safety, when they could be useful. Only technology has improved safety. However, tort lawyers using this fraudulent scheme have taken out $trillions from the economy. They deterred countless $trillions in new developments. That should have gone to research to enhance safety. Posted by: David Behar | Mar 21, 2018 11:04:26 AM Post a comment "The Effects of Voluntary and Presumptive Sentencing Guidelines" | Main | Suffolk County DA produces remarkable new prosecutorial polices memo John Mills has this notable new Daily Journal commentary following up on recent California capital developments. The main headline of the piece is "Newsom may have halted executions, but the machine keeps on ticking." And the subheadline carries forward the theme: "Gov. Gavin Newsom made history by declaring a moratorium on executions in California and even tweeting out images of the execution chamber being dismantled. Although I was in Sacramento, I missed the announcement. I was in court on one of my death penalty cases." The full commentary give particular attention to what California's Attorney General might now do to really change the course of capital punishment in the state. I recommend the full piece, and here are excerpts: Attorney General Xavier Becerra is uniquely positioned to help bring it to a halt. He has called Newsom's reprieve "a bold, new direction in California's march toward perfecting our search for justice." I agree. But Becerra's statement is remarkable because there is so much that more he could do, large and small, to support that effort beyond defending the governor's decree. Taking up any one of them would be a much better use of state resources than defending hundreds of death sentences that will almost certainly never be carried out. In the death penalty cases Becerra is currently defending, he could admit in court what Newsom acknowledged in his executive order: California "death sentences are unevenly and unfairly applied to people of color." Supporters and opponents of the death penalty agree that the most obvious impact of race on death sentencing is the race of the victim. This effect is greatest when the defendant is black, and where a crime is committed is a much better predictor of a death sentence than the culpability of the perpetrator. Tragically, we as a state have failed to divorce our country's racist history from our harshest penalties in the present. Admitting as much would clear the way for the courts to hold that California's death penalty is inconsistent with our state's constitutional commitments to equal protection under the law. Becerra could also confess other defects, any one of which would acknowledge the unconstitutionality of California's death penalty regime. For example, by design, California's death sentencing statute reaches virtually every murder, as studies by preeminent experts have confirmed.... He could admit to other systemic problems, such as the inherent cruelty of languishing under a sentence of death for decades, the lack of required jury findings for aggravating circumstances, and arbitrariness in the process by which a person becomes eligible for execution. Any one of these admissions would be well supported and, if also endorsed by the courts, would bring California's experiment with the death penalty to an end. He could also take a more case-by-case approach. The commentary in opposition to Newsom's moratorium has suggested that California is special, that whatever problems may be present with the death penalty in other states, just don't affect us. That's a lie.... Even taking the modest steps of not appealing a grant of relief from a death sentence, waiving procedural defenses to claims challenging the legality of a sentence, or asking for an evidentiary hearing in cases where there are troubling claims about sentences of death would each be a leap towards ensuring that justice is done where the stakes are highest. So far, Becerra has not taken that tack. He has, instead, consistently opposed relief, invoked procedural barriers to reviewing the merits of constitutional claims, and failed to take steps that would expedite, rather than block the delivery of justice. There are many other actors who could do many other things to mitigate the excesses and arbitrariness inherent to the use of the death penalty. But the reforms proposed here could be accomplished with little or no cost and would demonstrate an executive branch unified in its determination to put justice first. It is time for a bold new direction from the attorney general. First-time event champions retail channel in Southeast Asia; Keynote speakers COURTS, ELECTROLUX and INTEL stress the power of customer experience BANGKOK, THAILAND /SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 26 March 2019 - GATESConsumer Channel Summit, Southeast Asia concludes at the Centara Grand Ladprao inBangkok with over 250 top executives from the consumer technology industry. In just its first year, GATESSummit brought together leading channel partners from 10 countries across theregion for over 1200 pre-scheduled 1-on-1 meetings with senior executives frominternational technology brands. Ben Tan, CEO at Courts (Singapore), speaks at GATES Summit GATES Summit was supported by ETERNAL ASIA, KONCEPT C andTOSHIBA as Platinum Sponsors; PHILIPS and PROMATE as Gold Sponsors; and DIVOOM, MY FIRST and STM as Silver Sponsors. Singapore'sleading technology trade promotion association, SG TECH, supported a delegation of Singapore-based brands to meetSoutheast Asia's top retail channel partners at GATES Summit. GfK MARKETINSIGHTS served as Knowledge Partner and openingkeynoter at GATES Summit. Events partners also speaking at the conferenceincluded COURTS, ELECTOLUX and INTEL. Dr. Alok Bharafwaj, Managing Director at CREOVATE TRANSFORMATION and moderatorof the panel discussion, summed up the common themes of the summit:"transformation, technology and tomorrow." Ben Tan,Country CEO at COURTS Singapore, said in his keynote address: "Today's consumerexpects the best of both worlds, speed and experience, and we aim to deliverthe best of all platforms. Physical and online stores are both important. Thechallenge is how to integrate both channels seamlessly." Organizers of the 3-day event expressly focused onSoutheast Asia's burgeoning consumer technology channel, inviting theretailers, etailers and distributors who specialize in serving these markets.In addition to a showcase of innovative products and solutions targeting thebusiness channel, the GATES conference program aimed to address their criticalinformation needs. Story continues The panel discussion, titled "Top Channel Voices," featured seniorexecutives debating the challenges and opportunities for Southeast Asia'schannel partners. "Technology and information are making the customer more powerful,"said Doan Viet Dung, CEO at ShopDunk (Vietnam), who stressed the importance of maximizing thein-store experience. Ajay Mohan, Marketing Director at Intel, stated it more directly: "Customer experience is the new brand!" AshishKapahi, Executive Director at GATES, said: "There is real power in partnership. All channelexecutives who took part in the panel discussion referenced, in some way, theneed to work together to solve problems and build win-win relationships. This wasundoubtedly a main theme at the GATES conference in our first year, and itdemonstrates just how important our platform will be for the channel communitymoving forward." GATES GIVES INNOVATORS AN EDGE GATES Summit provided a springboard fornew-to-market vendors to expand their retail reach. Participating exhibitors PADMATE, KOKOON and SILENTMODEall completed successfully crowdfunding campaigns in the past year and usedGATES to build out their distribution channels now that they are "ready forretail." Padmate was ranked as most-backed and most-funded tech product onIndiegogo in 2018, raising over US$ 3.3 million. RickeyXiong, SalesDirector at Padmate, says: "Wehave backers from more than 130 countries for PaMu Scroll. Now we are settingup retail channels to reach customers in stores, with a great product and withaffordable price. At Padmate, we will continue to lead the way and plan aseries of new launches in 2019." GATESSMART PITCH provided vendors an opportunity todeliver a 90-second elevator pitch for their latest product or solution onstage. This informative and entertaining session featured three awards, withwinners chosen in real-time through electronic voting by the audience ofchannel partners. SMART PITCH Best Design: UB+ SMART PITCH Best Innovation: Promate SMART PITCH Game Changer: Mobile Pixels SMART PITCH Best Presentation: My First GATES hosted the prestigious ICT Industry Excellence Awards 2019 at the Gala Dinner. Throughlive electronic voting, channel partners recognized vendors for theirexceptional channel performance in Southeast Asia over the past year. The GATES Gold Awards honored participatingvendors at the event. Award winners include: ICT INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE AWARDS DELL was voted COMPUTING Vendor of the Year APPLE was voted SMARTPHONE Vendor of the Year APPLE was voted DIGITAL LIFESTYLE Vendor of the Year SAMSUNG was recognized for MARKETING EXCELLENCE SAMSUNG was honored for OUTSTANDING OVERALL PERFORMANCE GATES GOLD AWARDS PROMATE was voted MULTICATEGORY vendor PROMATE was voted ACCESSORIES & PERIPHERALS vendor UB+ was voted AUDIO vendor TUCANO was voted CASE, BAGS & PROTECTORS vendor PROMATE was voted top INNOVATOR among vendors OAXIS was voted GAMING & GADGETS vendor WD was voted HARDWARE vendor GATES Consumer Channel Summit, Southeast Asia was held 20-22 March 2019 at theCentara Grand Ladprao in Bangkok. For more information, visit www.thegates.biz and follow on Twitter @GATES_Summit About GATES APAC Pte. Ltd. A leader in industry channel ecosystems, GATES helps facilitate acceleratedgo-to-markets for organizations across Technology Verticals through strategyand sales. Based in Singapore, GATES has built an extensive network of channelsin the APAC region, addressing some of the fastest growing markets in theworld. GATES hosts events including CONSUMER CHANNEL SUMMIT (retailers,etailers and specialist distributors) for Southeast Asia and BUSINESS CHANNELSUMMITS (system integrators, resellers and value added distributors) forIndonesia, India and Vietnam. When a woman holds a brand of wealth, people try to find out who is or was her husband. It is because the majority of wealthy women usually inherit their fortunes from their life partners. Nevertheless, women have been making great steps in the world of business and making themselves self-made billionaires. It is the case with the richest woman in Singapore, Christina Ong with a net worth of $1.8 billion. Christina Ong also referred to as the Queen of Bond Street owns several establishments. She founded the COMO Group which comprises the COMO Hotels and Resorts, fashion group Club 21 and wellness brand, COMO Shambhala. She continues to expand, and now she owns many franchises and lifestyles stores all over the World. She has also penetrated the real estate industry. In fact, she got the name Queen of Bond Street from the many properties she owns on Bond Street, London. Christina is known to be a hands-on and detail oriented woman. Ong is a great role model for many entrepreneurs and business people. She has received several awards that include a Hall of Fame Award and Singapores Meritorious Service Medal. What many people who explore the business World need to understand is that success does not come on a silver plate. You earn it through years of handwork. Qualities Necessary to Succeed as an Entrepreneur Christina Ong success means more than starting new ventures every other time. Regardless of the fact that those who know her describe her as silent and secretive, she positions herself to succeed. It takes the right attitude and determination to achieve success. Here are the qualities of a successful entrepreneur like Christina from which you should learn. A Strong Desire to Succeed An entrepreneur should have a strong inner drive. Dont allow peoples sentiments and discouragements erode your vision. A strong desire should overcome obstacles. You should not only set big goals but also commit yourself to achieve despite the setbacks you encounter. A healthy opinion of your skills and abilities will place your self-confidence on a high score. Story continues Accomplishing goals, persistence and sustained effort are the characteristics of a strong desire. Christina is highly vibrant and determined to bring success in every area of her business. Thus, you will not only need to initiate an endeavor but also persist to succeed. In the face of obstacles, fatigue, and boredom, you fight to prevail, and this delivers performance and results. Look Out for New Innovations Succeeding in business requires that you come up with new ways of doing things. Christina is not known for one kind of industry. She is in fashion, real estate, hospitality, tours and travel and she is getting into more other sectors. One may wonder how she manages to penetrate several different areas. It is about continually reinventing yourself and coming up with new approaches to doing business. Christina is well innovative. If you walk along Bond Street in London, the shopfronts carry the names of the most famous in the fashion world. You will find names like Prana, Donna Karan, and Armani. This business woman knows she can do business out of other peoples dreams of elegant living. She uses the power of a name. The innovativeness culture is evident in all her areas of business. Openness in Adopting Change It is hard to make profits on old age methods, and so embracing change is what will help you flourish in business. Be headstrong and stubborn when you decide to choose other options. Christina knows the power of doing it differently, and she understands the impact it makes. In her most ambitious hotel, the Metropolitan on Park Lane, she decides that the staff there will be dressed by DKNY differently from the Halkins where Giorgio Armani did the designing. Change brings evolution which then defines the path to success. Evolution of products, services, technology, and ideas deliver a victorious outcome. Entrepreneurship requires mind-openness and eagerness to learn whole new things. It is the approach to keep you on top. Keeping abreast with the latest technology, techniques, and trends will take you a long way in providing what customers will appreciate. Accept Rejection and Constructive Criticism Criticism points at something you are doing wrong or something that requires change. Accepting how others are challenging you is a crucial way of getting success. It is through them that you learn your shortcomings in business and you should initiate amendments. It is also another way of acquiring skills to do business. It is resourcefulness to listen to others and improvise. Even the Ongs family has been a subject of criticism. But they never allowed criticism to weigh them down but instead strengthened them. Some people say that Christina owes her success to his father. Neither did she object this comment nor did she stop working harder. She continually demonstrates that though others may seem to set the pace for you, it is your obligation to maintain the spirit. Strive to be Unique The question you should ask yourself is what makes Christina succeed in almost everything she put her hands on? People name her Queen of Bond Street, She shakes everyone in the fashion industry, COMO cuisines are highly praised and so on. Ong knows how to set herself apart from competition using Blue Ocean Strategy. This approach is something she trains many to adopt. Thus, one way to stay afloat is to create a unique brand that stands out of the crowd. This helps to appeal more to customers than your competitors. Uphold an identity that shows your clients that you are different from the rest. Create a brand that is an empire away from the competition. Shine through your products, advertisement, employees and retail stores. Being unique includes giving value to customers. Offer something they want, need and appreciate. It will surprise you to see they will value your prices too even when they are higher than those of competitors. The richest woman in Singapore shows in every aspect what it takes to succeed in business. If you follow the above lessons, you will destine yourself for greatness in the business world. If you are struggling in business, step back and see how you can fix issues using these lessons as tips to do better. Here are more articles for you: How Much to Invest in the Best REITs Singapore The Richest Women in Singapore How They Made Their Wealth Things You Should Know About CPF Contribution Rates in Singapore (By Racheal Muriithi) Related Articles - The philanthropy of the super-rich - The top 10 richest soccer players in the world - People who become rich are able to delay gratification Odette is the first Singapore restaurant to take the top spot in Asias 50 Best Restaurants list MACAU, CHINA - MediaOutReach - 26 March 2019 - The 2019 list of Asia's50 Best Restaurants, sponsoredby S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, was announced at an awards ceremony at Wynn Palace, Macao. The winning chefs and restaurateurs celebrate at the seventh annual Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, at Wynn Palace, Macau. Odettein Singapore has taken top honours, succeedingfour-time winner Gaggan in the No.1spot. Serving Asian-inspired modern French cuisine, chef Julien Royer's Odette claims the coveted titles of The Best Restaurant in Asia, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, and TheBest Restaurant in Singapore. The 2019 list features 10 new restaurants,including a debut entry from Malaysia (Dewakan,No.46) and a new restaurant in the Philippines (Toyo Eatery, No.43). Host destination Macao counts Jade Dragon, rising eight places toNo.27, and Wing Lei Palace debutingat No.36. IndividualCountry Awards : Japan Japan leads the 2019 list with 12 entries whileDen (No.3) earns the title of The Best Restaurant in Japan for asecond consecutive year. Den's chef, Zaiyu Hasegawa, was also named the 2019recipient of the Chefs' Choice Award,sponsored by Estrella Damm, the only award voted for by the chefs of theAsia's 50 Best Restaurants 2019 list to recognise a peer making a positiveimpact on the restaurant scene. Thailand After holding the No.1 spot for fourconsecutive years, Gaggan in Bangkokmoves to No.2 while retaining thetitle ofThe BestRestaurant in Thailand. Entering the list at No.16, Gaa in Bangkok claims the HighestNew Entry Award while the restaurant's executive chef, Garima Arora, is named elit Vodka Asia's Best Female Chef 2019. Among the remaining six Thailandentries, Sorn, specialising inSouthern Thai cuisine, is a new entry at No.48. Singapore Singapore claims seven entries on the list,including newcomer Nouri making abow at No.39 and longtime favourites BurntEnds and Jaan rising to No.10and No.32 respectively. Story continues GreaterChina Ultravioletby Paul Pairet (No.6) inShanghai is named The Best Restaurant inChina. Hong Kong counts nine restaurants, including first-time entries Vea (No.34) and Seventh Son (No.44). Soaring 25 places to No.15, modern Frenchbistro Belon is crowned with thisyear's Highest Climber Award. Ascending 11 places to No.7, Mume in Taipei clinches the title of The Best Restaurant in Taiwan, bestingtwo-time winner, Raw (No.30). Regional Locavore (No.42) in Bali holds the title of The Best Restaurant in Indonesia and winsthe Sustainable Restaurant Award inAsia, presented to the restaurant with the highest environmental and socialresponsibility rating, as determined by audit partner Food Made Good. IndianAccent (No. 17) returns as The Best Restaurant in India for afifth successive year. Ministry of Crabin Colombo (No.35) is named The BestRestaurant in Sri Lanka for a fourth time while Toyo Eatery, the 2018 recipient of the Miele One To Watch Award,enters the list at No.43, claiming the honour of The Best Restaurant in Philippines. Popular Seoul restaurant Mingles (No.13) retains the title of The Best Restaurant in Korea. Otheraward winners announced include: Asia's Best Pastry Chef Award,sponsored by Valrhona: Fabrizio Fiorani from Il Ristorante Luca Fantin, Tokyo Italian chef FabrizioFiorani developed his pastry skills in the kitchens of such acclaimedrestaurants as La Pergola in his native Rome. His desserts seamlesslycomplement chef Luca Fantin's contemporary Italian tasting menu. Art of Hospitality Award: 8 Otto e Mezzo Bombana 8 Otto e Mezzo Bombana's outstanding hospitality, led by GeneralManager Marino Braccu, creates a highly refined but warm atmosphere in whichdiners can enjoy Chef Bombana's creations. Other award recipients include JL Studio in Taichung, Taiwan, earning the MieleOne To Watch Award and celebratedchef Seiji Yamamoto, of Nihonryori RyuGin in Japan, who is the inaugural winner of the AmericanExpress IconAward. Howthe Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list is compiled The list is created from thevotes of the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants Academy, an influential group of over300 leaders in the restaurant industry across Asia, each selected for theirexpert opinion of Asia's restaurant scene. The panel in each region is made upof food writers and critics, chefs, restaurateurs and highly regarded'gastronomes'. Members list their choices in order of preference, based ontheir best restaurant experiences of the previous 18 months. There is nopre-determined check-list of criteria, but there are strict voting rules. To see more details on Asia's50 Best Restaurants voting process, visit http://www.theworlds50best.com/asia/en/our-manifesto.html Note to media: For further information, images and media assetsfrom Asia's 50 Best Restaurants,please register at our online media centre at https://www.theworlds50best.com/asia/en/media-centre-registration.html Online MediaCentre Website: https://mediacentre.theworlds50best.com By Hayoung Choi and Hyunjoo Jin SEOUL (Reuters) - Asiana Airlines revised its accounts and said its annual loss widened after auditors raised doubts about the financial statements of South Korea's second-biggest carrier, sending its shares tumbling almost 18 percent on Tuesday. Asiana Airlines said it has got its auditor to sign off on its 2018 financial statements after reflecting provisions related to maintenance of leased aircraft and others, which increased costs. The company revised down its 2018 operating profit to 28.2 billion won ($24.92 million) from 88.7 billion won, while its net loss increased to 196 billion won from 105 billion won. The airline also said its debt was more than six times its equity. Asiana's auditor Samil PwC had previously said it could not complete its audit because it had not been provided with enough information to evaluate the airline's provisional debt related to maintenance of leased aircraft, as well as the fair value of stakes in affiliates bought in 2018. The move prompted two South Korean credit rating agencies to warn they may cut ratings for the airline to junk status. Asiana, part of South Korea's Kumho Asiana Group conglomerate, has sold assets to improve cash flow and reduce debt from aircraft purchases, as it battles rising fuel costs and competition from low-cost carriers. The accounts revision, mounting debt and possible credit ratings downgrades have raised investor concerns over Asiana's liquidity position. Asiana will have to repay around 1 trillion won in debt this year, said Lee Han-joon, an analyst at KTB Investment and Securities. If its credit rating is cut, the company will face a call to pay back some of its debt earlier, he said. "As doubts grow over the company's capacity to issue asset-backed securities, which has been its last resort to raise funds, Asiana could face a liquidity crisis. Further, it's unclear if it has more assets to sell," Lee said. Story continues Nice Investors Service, one of the two credit ratings agencies that warned on Asiana's ratings, said it is not planning to adjust the ratings within this week, while the other, Korea Investors Service, was not immediately available for comment. Shares of Asiana fell to as low as 3,335 won on Tuesday, before closing at 3,435 won, down 15 percent. That was their sharpest one-day fall ever. Asiana's biggest shareholder, Kumho Industrial, slumped as much as 28.3 percent. Trading in Asiana and Kumho resumed on Tuesday after being suspended for two days by the Korea Exchange as auditors had issued qualified opinions on the financial statements of both companies. "We vow to recover trust from investors and financial organisations by adopting strict accounting standards," Asiana said in a statement on Tuesday. ($1 = 1,131.5800 won) (Reporting by Hayoung Choi, Heekyong Yang and Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Stephen Coates and Muralikumar Anantharaman) A man walks at the hallway of a building during a blackout in Caracas, Venezuela March 26, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins By Mircely Guanipa and Deisy Buitrago PUNTO FIJO, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela's main oil export port of Jose and the country's four crude upgraders have been unable to resume operations following a massive power blackout on Monday, according to industry workers and a union leader close to the facilities. The most recent oil shipment for export, on the carrier Dragon chartered by Russia's Rosneft, left Jose, which is owned by state-run PDVSA, on March 24, according to Refinitiv Eikon vessel-tracking data and PDVSA's trade documents. "There is no electricity, everything is paralysed," oil workers' union leader Jose Bodas told Reuters on Tuesday. The blackout, Venezuela's second major power outage in a month, left streets mostly empty in the capital Caracas as school and work were cancelled. President Nicolas Maduro's government again blamed the outage on an "attack," which comes amid a power struggle with the opposition and tensions with the United States. Local experts and electrical engineers told Reuters both the current outage and a prolonged blackout that began March 7 were due to years of underinvestment and lack of maintenance. Several electricity transmission lines were affected this time, halting power at PDVSA's oilfields, upgraders and terminals, according to one of the sources. The total effect of the outage on the company's operations is unclear. Neither PDVSA nor Venezuela's oil ministry immediately responded to requests for comment. PDVSA's four crude upgraders in the country's Orinoco Belt, capable of converting up to 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) of extra heavy oil into exportable crude grades, are operated along with Chevron from the U.S., Norway's Equinor, France's Total and Rosneft. "We tried to restart operations last night, but for now only emergency staff are working there," an upgrader worker said. The Petropiar upgrader, part-owned by Chevron, and the Petromonagas facility, in which Rosneft has a minority stake, could not fully restart since the first blackout hit on March 7, three sources said. Petrocedeno, part-owned by Total and Equinor, and Petrosanfelix, which is fully-owned by PDVSA, halted operations after the blackout on Monday. Story continues Representatives for Chevron, Rosneft, Total and Equinor did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Another source said workers would attempt to restart the upgraders overnight or on Wednesday. The blackout earlier this month also interrupted oil exports at Jose, the lifeblood of the OPEC nation's economy, eroding total export volumes and causing delays in loading and discharging oil. Another PDVSA worker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said the port had been evacuated around 2 p.m. local time on Monday. (Reporting by Mircely Guanipa and Marianna Parraga, writing by Luc Cohen; editing by Rosalba O'Brien, Bernadette Baum and Chris Reese) By Emma Rumney and Stephen Eisenhammer BEIRA, Mozambique (Reuters) - Cyclone Idai's deadly hit has left some 1.85 million people in need of assistance in Mozambique in a catastrophe that United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday rang "yet another alarm bell" about climate change. Guterres described Idai, which flattened homes and caused massive flooding after slamming into Mozambique near the port of Beira on March 14, as "an uncommonly fierce and prolonged storm". The cyclone ripped through neighbouring Zimbabwe and Malawi, killing at least 686 people across the three southern African countries. In hardest-hit Mozambique, tens of thousands of homes were destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people were displaced across an area of some 3,000 square km (1,200 square miles) - roughly the size of Luxembourg. "At least one million children need urgent assistance and this number may well grow. We fear that whole villages have been washed away in places we have yet to reach," Secretary-General Guterres told reporters at the United Nations. Some reports said $1 billion worth of infrastructure had been destroyed, he said. The storm was, Guterres said, "yet another alarm bell about the dangers of climate change". While scientists say single weather events cannot be attributed to climate change, they say global warming is causing more extreme rainfall and storms, sweltering heatwaves, shrinking harvests and worsening water shortages around the world. Receding flood waters in Mozambique have allowed greater access, and a greater sense of how much people have lost. Thousands of people, stranded for more than a week by the flooding, are now being moved to safer shelters. "We're now going out on the ground, dropping people off from helicopters to determine what the critical needs are," said Sebastian Rhodes Stampa, coordinator in the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Story continues BIG, DENSE POPULATION The relief focus has increasingly turned to preventing or containing what many believe will be inevitable outbreaks of malaria and cholera. No cholera cases have yet been confirmed, but health workers have reported an upsurge in cases of diarrhoea - a symptom of the disease. "We are testing as we go," said Rob Holden, the World Health Organization's (WHO) incident manager in the capital Maputo. "But nonetheless we are treating acute watery diarrhoea, it's the same as treating cholera. That's just the diagnosis." Dozens of people queued in front of a clinic in Beira's Munhava district on Tuesday, as nurses wearing surgical masks handed out a chlorine solution to prevent the spread of diseases. "There is a big population, dense population in Beira," said Gert Verdonck, emergency coordinator for Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). "Of course any spread of any kind of epidemic will be a lot quicker here." The WHO is dispatching 900,000 doses of oral cholera vaccine from a global stockpile. The shipment is expected to arrive within 10 days, and a first round of vaccinations will target 100,000 people. Cholera is spread by faeces in sewage-contaminated water or food, and outbreaks can develop quickly in a humanitarian crisis where sanitation systems are disrupted. It can kill within hours if left untreated. The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has designated Mozambique a level three emergency, placing it on a par with Syria, Yemen and South Sudan. The agency is preparing to feed 1.7 million people in Mozambique, which has a population of around 30 million. The United Nations is appealing for $282 million to fund the first three months of the disaster response in Mozambique, and a total of $337 million. So far, only 2 percent of that amount has been funded. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday it will consider emergency financial assistance in Mozambique under an IMF Rapid Credit Facility. While it was still early to precisely assess the cyclone's macroeconomic effects and reconstruction costs, "these will be very significant", the IMF said in a statement. IMF chief of the mission visiting Mozambique, Ricardo Veloso, said it would loan Mozambique $60 million to $120 million under its loan facility to help in reconstruction efforts. Mozambique admitted in 2016 to $1.4 billion of previously undisclosed loans, prompting the IMF to cut off support and triggering a currency collapse and debt default. SEARCHING THROUGH RUBBLE In Zimbabwe, where 179 people have died, another 329 people were still unaccounted for on Monday. In Chimanimani district, villagers used hoes and shovels to dig through debris on Tuesday and search for missing relatives believed buried in mudslides unleashed by the cyclone. One family has spent a week digging day and night for four relatives, in what was once a settlement of 500 people but has been reduced to rubble. Large rocks, some more than two metres (six feet) high, rolled down from a nearby mountain at high speed and are all that remains after the storm swept away a police camp, houses and an open market. "I am an orphan now and I am so much in pain because I lost my brother who looked after me. He was more of a father to me," said Sarah Sithole, 32, whose policeman brother was washed away while on night duty at the police station. "We will continue searching until we find him and bury him. We will not rest," she said, her hands and feet covered with red soil. Around 95 percent of roads in affected districts have been damaged, impeding access to rescuers with earth moving equipment. Zimbabwe has asked South Africa to send search dogs, a local government official said. The WFP said it will aim to distribute food assistance to 732,000 people in Malawi and 270,000 in Zimbabwe. (GRAPHIC - Cyclone Idais destructive path, https://tmsnrt.rs/2HxKqdk) (Additional reporting by Gift Sukhala in Chimanimani, Zimbabwe, MacDonald Dzirutwe in Harare, Stephanie Ulmer-Nebehay in Geneva, Michelle Nichols at the United Nations, Manuel Mucari in Maputo and Tanisha Heiberg in Johannesburg; Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by William Maclean and Frances Kerry) The bodies of two Bangladeshis killed in the Christchurch mosques shooting earlier this month have been returned home to their grieving families, relatives said late Tuesday. The bodies of Zakaria Bhuiyan, a welder, and Omar Faruk, a builder, arrived at Dhaka airport on a Singapore Airlines flight from New Zealand. Bhuiyan and Faruk were praying at the Al Noor Mosque when an Australian white supremacist opened fire on worshippers, killing 43. Another seven were murdered at a separate mosque when the shooter turned his weapon on Muslims there, in the worst violence of its kind ever seen in New Zealand. Five Bangladeshis were killed in the massacre and many others were injured. The grieving relatives, who came from outside the capital to receive the bodies, rented mortuary vans to take the bodies home. Bhuiyan's uncle Qari Ullah said the family would arrange funeral prayers for his nephew at his village in central Narsingdi district. "His family is quite poor. He died when they were only starting to dream of financial solvency. Only Allah knows what will happen now," Ullah told AFP in tears. Faruk's body was also taken by his relatives to his home in Narayanganj district where he will be laid to rest. An AFP photographer at the scene saw the relatives tearfully receiving the coffins from the airline and leaving for their homes. The body of Mozammel Haque, another Bangladeshi killed in the heinous attack, is expected to arrive in Bangladesh on Wednesday, a Bangladeshi official told reporters. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said her government has decided to shelve for the second time a plan to change tolls on Hong Kongs cross-harbour tunnels, and the plan would not be revived before the government takes back running of the Western Harbour Tunnel in 2023. Lam also insisted that the decision would not weaken the governments authority. Instead, it showed her cabinet was willing to come up with solutions to the citys problems in the face of vested interests, she said. Hong Kong is a diverse society, and there are vested interests so when these proposals cant get enough support from the Legislative Council, we will respect them, she added. Lam was referring to the governments plan to raise tolls at the publicly operated Cross-Harbour Tunnel and Eastern Harbour Tunnel, while lowering them for the privately run Western Harbour Tunnel, which is underused because of its higher charges. The government first presented its motion on the changes to Legco in January. But Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan abruptly withdrew it after strong opposition from members. The government made two changes to the motion in the hope of getting more support, but legislators across the political spectrum remained unconvinced as the proposed toll increases remained unchanged. Those changes involved allocating the increased revenue, expected to be about HK$913 million (US$117 million) between 2020 and 2023, to a fund for motorists to improve their vehicles safety; and a tolls review after the government takes back running of the Western Harbour Tunnel in 2023. The secretary for transport and housing and his colleagues have made huge efforts to explain, to clarify, and to address concerns Chief Executive Carrie Lam Chan had been expected to table the plan again on Wednesday, but a source said on Monday that the motion would be withdrawn. At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Lam said the Executive Council had agreed with her that morning that the proposal should be shelved. Story continues The motion will be retracted to avoid wasting the legislatures time for a practical reason: we did not have enough votes, she said. Until the government takes back ownership of the Western Harbour Tunnel in 2023, we will not seek to rationalise traffic distribution among the three tunnels through adjusting tolls. Chan also said at the press conference that officials had tried their best to sell their best proposal to solve traffic congestion at the tunnels. The government will continue to tackle Hong Kongs traffic issues through other means, such as negotiating with tunnel operators on waiving the toll for franchised buses with a view to relieve the pressure for bus companies to increase fares. The government will also consult the Central and Western District Council on rolling out a pilot scheme for electronic road pricing to alleviate congestion in Central. Pro-establishment lawmaker Tony Tse Wai-chuen said he was disappointed that the proposal was shelved. But Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting said the governments latest move showed that it had ignored public opinion in coming up with the proposal. Dont expect a wall to open up for you just because you knocked your head against it twice, he said. Before chairing the Executive Councils weekly meeting on Tuesday morning, Carrie Lam was also asked if shelving the toll plan would be a defeat for her government. I dont think so. It just shows that as a government we are trying to find solutions to solve more problems for Hong Kong The secretary for transport and housing and his colleagues have made huge efforts to explain, clarify, and to address concerns, she said. If members of the Legislative Council cant support the current proposal, then as a government we have to respect that particular decision. But what I am saying is it should not be interpreted as a means of weakening governance. Lam was also asked to comment on a Taiwanese officials warning on Monday that the self-governing island could issue a travel alert for Hong Kong if the citys government pushes ahead with a plan to allow extraditions to mainland China, Taiwan and Macau, among other places. This came as the citys former No 2 official Anson Chan Fang On-sang also urged Americans conducting business in the city to voice their concerns about the proposal. Lam said: I do not wish to comment on any particular comments made by external parties, except to say that we are doing it really to ensure public safety and to ensure justice is done. So we will continue with our work. The secretary for security has run around various chambers and organisations to listen to their views and concerns. The Security Bureau last month proposed amending the law to allow the surrender of fugitives to jurisdictions with which the city has no extradition deal. Officials said the bill was meant to close loopholes exposed by a case last year in which Taiwanese authorities were unable to prosecute a Hongkonger accused of killing his girlfriend in Taipei before fleeing home. More from South China Morning Post: This article Dropping cross-harbour tunnel toll plan for second time does not weaken Hong Kong government, says leader Carrie Lam first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2019. Source: Hyflux A shareholder of embattled Singapore water treatment company Hyflux is planning to stage a protest at Hong Lim Parks Speakers Corner on Saturday (30 March) against its restructuring plans and recent developments. The organiser, 43-year-old Alex Leong, told The Straits Times that he received approval from the police and the National Parks Board on Monday for the protest. He expects many people to turn up, saying that a group of fellow Hyflux investors had been discussing a protest for some time. Protest days before crucial vote on restructuring plan Hyflux is currently in the midst of navigating an increasingly challenging attempt to restructure its staggering debts of almost $3 billion. News of the planned protest comes a mere days before a 5 April vote by Hyfluxs creditors on a restructuring plan, which needs at least 50 per cent in number and 75 per cent in value of each creditor class to be passed. The restructuring plan, offered by SM Investments (SMI), could bail out Hyflux with a $530 million lifeline for 60 per cent of the company, but it had also threatened to leave the deal on 1 April unless the defaults were rectified. Leong told The Straits Times that the plan could potentially wipe out 97 per cent of what he has invested so far, should creditors vote in favour of the plan. He had reportedly invested around $100,000 into Hyflux preference shares as part of the groups fundraising efforts in 2011, and also reinvested all his dividends back into the company. Appeal to PUB for goodwill Besides venting displeasure over Hyfluxs troubled state of affairs, the protest which will be held around 3pm also intends to appeal to the Public Utilities Board (PUB) for goodwill over what the investors perceive as a raw deal. On 21 March, the national water agency said it would take over Hyfluxs Tuaspring desalination plant at zero dollars and waive the compensation sum it is entitled to, if the company does not remedy its defaults by 5 April. Story continues According to Channel NewsAsia, Leong said that PUBs announcement has been hard to swallow for retail investors, given that their investments had been used by Hyflux to fund the building of the integrated plant. He hopes the agency can consider compensating the shareholders out of goodwill. Far cry from high-profile rise Hyfluxs current woes are a far cry from when it became the first water treatment company to be listed in Singapore in 2001. Its profile in the global water industry grew, winning it contracts in China, India and the Middle East. Analysts say Hyflux may have taken on too many capital-intensive projects with long lead times, borrowed too much and was too optimistic with its projections. Its debts reached a tipping point when it was unable to divest its expensive Tuaspring desalination and power plant, and another in Tianjin. The Tuaspring plant was built at a cost of $1.1 billion after winning a 25-year concession in 2011. Under the water purchase agreement signed with PUB, it has to deliver up to 70 million gallons of desalinated water per day to PUB for a 25-year period from 2013 to 2038. However, PUB says that Tuaspring has failed to keep the plant reliably operational as required. Losses snowballed after its gas-turbine power plant started selling excess capacity in 2016 to the power grid, which had a glut of electricity caused by the opening of the market to competition. Earlier on Monday, the Securities Investors Association (Singapore) wrote to the Hyflux board, stating that PUBs notice of default and SMIs threat to walk out have caused anxiety among investors. It noted that the cancellation of a scheduled town-hall meeting by Hyflux has also created anxiety, and the meeting had not been reconvened. Algerian Energy Separately, Hyflux said in a statement last night it has received a request for arbitration from Algerian Energy Company against the company and its partners Tlemcen Desalination Investment Company SAS and Malakoff Bhd in relation to its seawater desalination plant in Algeria. Algerian Energy has filed the request with the International Chamber of Commerces (ICC) International Court of Arbitration in Paris, over disputes arising out or in connection with the water purchase agreement dated 9 December 2007. Hyflux said it has until April 20 to file an answer to the arbitration request. Hyflux said that due to the uncertainty of the outcome of the companys ongoing reorganisation process and the unpredictability of the financial outlook for 2019 the company is therefore unable to assess and disclose the financial impact of the arbitration proceedings on the group for the current financial year ending Dec 31, 2019. Related stories: Investors set to lose up to 90% on Singapores Hyflux water debacle Hyflux CEO to contribute entire stake to restructuring plan SIAS queries Hyflux on operations, valuation and accountability matters in open letter Turkish Aerospace will participate in LIMA (Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition) 2019, which will be held in Langkawi, Malaysia from March 26 to 30, 2019. There, the company will display its ANKA MALE Class UAV. Turkish Aerospace will participate in LIMA (Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition) 2019, which will be held in Langkawi, Malaysia from March 26 to 30, 2019. There, the company will display its ANKA MALE Class UAV. The ANKA Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV (Picture Source : Turkish Aerospace) For the first time in its history, the combat proven ANKA MALE Class UAV System, which is used for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance missions will be on display at Langkawi on the static booth (No: OD07) during the LIMA 2019. In addition to the ANKA platform, T129 ATAK Multirole Combat Helicopter, GOKBEY Multirole Utility Helicopter, HURKUS Advanced Trainer, HURKUS-C Light Attack and Armed Reconnaissance Combat Aircraft and TF/Turkish Fighter models will be displayed at Turkish Aerospaces booth(No: B555). Turkish Aerospace, being ambitious in the Asian market, is going to hold various negotiations. The export negotiations for ANKA UAV Systems, which is the most closely related type of interest for Asian countries, initiated in the last years exhibition in Malaysia, will continue. Turkish Aerospace is effectively carrying out its activities in order to introduce ANKA UAV Systems in Asia thus, will conduct high level meetings for supply of ANKA UAV Systems to Malaysia. As a reminder, ANKA, advanced Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) class Unmanned Aerial System, performs day and night, all-weather reconnaissance, target detection / identification and intelligence missions with its EO/IR and SAR payloads, featuring autonomous flight capability including Automatic Take-off and Landing. ANKA, which has taken its rightful place in the Turkish Armed Forces inventory, has accumulated more than 15.000 flight hours in different geographical locations and demanding environmental conditions. MANILA, Philippines The Commission on Population (PopCom) suggests the conduct of a study regarding Metro Manilas day-time population in order to address the problem of water shortage. Such a study, according to PopCom Executive Director Juan Antonio Perez III, will provide authorities a much accurate data that is vital in planning for the basic social services that the public needs. Likewise, government agencies will be able to provide appropriate responses or actions to problems such as water and power shortages. The study could even address the long-standing traffic woes affecting Metro Manila and nearby areas. The Commission noted that the population in the National Capital Region (NCR) is higher during the day than it is at night because of movement of employees living in nearby provinces but working in the metro. Most businesses and government agencies are also located in Metro Manila, and transactions are open only during the day. At present, Metro Manila has a population of 12 million people. By 2025, PopCom projects that it will increase by 11 percent or additional 2 million people. Region 3 is expected to have an additional two million in population while Region 4 is seen to experience as increase in statistics by three million people. PopCom argued that an areas population definitely affects supply such as water in Metro Manila, therefore it is best to have the data updated. We hope na ma-update namin ang mga resource planning nila by giving them this information. Otherwise off-target na naman tayo sa pagtulong sa ating mga mamamayan, (We hope to update the resource planning by giving them this information. Otherwise, were off target in terms of social services for the people,) explained Perez. Perez recalled that the Commission already submitted a proposal to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for the conduct of the study with a request of P40 million to P50 million budget. The official said that such a study is very much necessary otherwise the government will not be able to provide the most appropriate response to the peoples need like water allocation. Story continues Water shortage, according to Perez, not only affects one person but even industries and institutions such as hospitals. Businessmen and investors might also withdraw their intention to venture in Metro Manila if water problems persist. Apart from Metro Manila, PopCom is planning to also update its data on the population of major cities like Metro Cebu, Metro Davao and Cagayan De Oro City. Marje Pelayo (with details from Rey Pelayo) The post Study on day-time population in Metro Manila may help address water woes PopCom appeared first on UNTV News. Thailand's 2014 coup leader and junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha is one step closer to power after a shock election Sunday that lifted his party ahead in the popular vote. Army-aligned Phalang Pracharat won more than 7.6 million votes, about 400,000 votes ahead of Pheu Thai, the party linked to exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. But preliminary figures show Pheu Thai has won in 137 constituency seats nationwide, compared to Phalang Pracharat's 97. So who is actually leading, and what happens next? - Who won the election? - Both parties have claimed the right to lead Thailand's next government, leaving voters confused. Phalang Pracharat believes winning the popular vote gives them the mandate. But Pheu Thai disputes this, saying they now hold more of the 350 available constituency seats in the 500-seat lower house. This is where it gets tricky. Both are now in negotiations with other smaller parties to cobble together a majority in the lower house. But results for an additional 150 "party list" seats, which will take more of the popular vote into account, have yet to be released. Loyalties up for grabs include Bhumjaithai, which won 39 constituency seats, and political newcomer Future Forward, led by telegenic frontman and fierce junta critic Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. All told, the victorious party need 376 seats of the 750-member combined upper and lower houses to pick a prime minister. But the upper house or senate is a 250-member body appointed by the junta, virtually guaranteeing Phalang Pracharat success. - Was it 'free and fair'? - Billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra, who has been in self-exile since 2008, told AFP in an interview that the election was "definitely" rigged. Pressure is mounting on the Election Commission to explain several allegations of irregularities, and the hashtag #RiggedElection has trended on Thai Twitter. Poll monitor ANFREL says there were 2.8 million invalidated ballots, or around 6 percent of the total, and the tabulation of votes were "deeply flawed". But it also said that shortcomings may not significantly have impacted the result. "I have brought up many, many aspects of this election and repeatedly said it did not meet with certain standards," said ANFREL secretary general Rohana Hettiarachchie, who pointed to the legal framework underpinning the poll such as the appointed senate. But "I think it is unfair if we conclude whether it is free and fair or not." A candidate from the Democrat Party -- which dropped to fifth in the popular vote -- filed a complaint Monday about vote-buying in a southern province the night before the poll. According to the commission's own figures, the number of ballots cast in some provinces far exceeded the voter turnout -- but was dismissed as "human error" when questioned by reporters. By Tuesday more than 700,000 people had signed a petition to dissolve the Election Commission. Pheu Thai's prime minister candidate Sudarat Keyuraphan said her party was probing several irregularities in the polls. - How did Prayut's party perform so well? - Pheu Thai and other pro-democracy parties hoped to leverage discontent with a junta that has ruled Thailand for nearly five years after ousting the administration of Thaksin's sister Yingluck in 2014. But before the elections, junta-aligned Phalang Pracharat poached more than 40 MPs from the Pheu Thai party, many of them stalwarts in their constituencies. These politicians are often seen as the solvers of local problems, and Thai voters -- especially in more rural areas -- are likely to remain loyal to their patron instead of any party ideology. Under the wing of most politicians are also people known as "canvassers" working to persuade locals -- either in cash or in kind. Analysts say the impact canvassers have in elections is pivotal. Phalang Pracharat may have also benefited from an election eve message from Thailand's king, who urged voters to support "good people" and not those who create "chaos". The junta has portrayed itself as the defender of the monarchy. Honda Cars Philippines has more than 35 dealerships nationwide. Among the dealers around the Philippines, there are four dealership networks in Visayas which includes Honda Cars Cebu, Honda Cars Iloilo, Honda Cars Mandaue, and Honda Cars Negros Occidental. These four dealerships in the Visayas region are crucial in further expanding Honda Cars Philippines market reach. Honda Cars Cebu is one of the dealer partners of Carmudi Philippines. So, if youre from Cebu, you can find special promo deals from Honda Cars Cebu in our website. With that in mind, we thought of finding out which are the popular Honda vehicles in the Queen City of the South. To do that, we looked into our data to see which are the top-selling Honda vehicles in Cebu. #5: HR-V The HR-V comes in as the fifth best-selling Honda vehicle in Cebu. This vehicle is a five-seater subcompact crossover that is available in two variants. The 2019 HR-V has a starting price of PHP1,295,000 for the 1.8 E CVT variant. On the other hand, the top-of-the-line RS Navi CVT variant is priced at PHP1,495,000. The HR-V is powered by a 1.8-liter gasoline i-VTEC engine that delivers 140 hp and 172 Nm of torque. In addition, the Honda subcompact crossover comes with a ground clearance of 185 mm. #4: MOBILIO It seems that seven-seater vehicles are popular in the Philippines as the Mobilio enters the list as the fourth best-selling Honda vehicle in Cebu. The Mobilio is Hondas challenger in the competitive seven-seater MPV segment in the Philippines. It is available in three variants with a starting price of PHP884,000. Under the hood, the 2019 Mobilio is equipped with a 1.5-liter gasoline engine that produces 118 hp and 145 Nm of torque. The engine is connected to either a five-speed manual or a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) depending on the variant. #3: BR-V Securing the third spot is the BR-V, which is also a seven-seater vehicle. The BR-V is marketed by Honda as an SUV but if you look at its overall design, this vehicle is more of a crossover. The 2019 BR-V is available in five variants with a starting price of PHP1,030,000. It is powered by a 1.5-liter gasoline engine that generates 118 hp and 145 Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). Story continues #2: CR-V The CR-V owns the crown as the second best-selling Honda vehicle in Cebu. The CR-V is the first Honda vehicle in the Philippines thats available with a diesel engine. The 2019 CR-V can seat up to seven occupants and it has grown in terms of overall size, which now makes it a vehicle that can slug it out with other seven-seater SUVs. It is available in four variantsthe entry level 2019 CR-V comes with a gasoline engine and can only accommodate up to five occupants. The gas version of the CR-V is priced at PHP1,658,000. On the other hand, the entry-level 2019 CR-V with a diesel engine has a sticker price of PHP1,688,000. The CR-V is powered either by 2.0-liter gasoline or 1.6-liter diesel engine. #1: CITY The best-selling Honda vehicle in Cebu goes to the City. This subcompact sedan has outshined its seven-seater siblings mainly because of its price tag. The 2019 City is available in five variants with a starting price of PHP828,000. Other than the price, the City is one of the ideal cars in the market that would attract new drivers such as fresh college graduates. The City is powered by a 1.5-liter gasoline engine that generates 118 hp and 145 Nm of torque. Transmission options can either be a five-speed manual or a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). The only City that comes with a manual transmission is the base variant. For more information about brand-new Honda cars, visit this link. Visit Carmudi Philippines to start shopping for brand-new and used cars. The post Top-Selling Honda Vehicles in Cebu appeared first on Carmudi Philippines. Dynamised by a telegenic billionaire, staffed by trendy graduates and powered by the millennial vote, Future Forward (FFP) has emerged as a new force in Thai politics, with a mission to restructure an unequal economy and take an axe to the army's influence. At FFP's headquarters in Bangkok the euphoria was barely concealed as early results from Sunday's election showed it on track to 30 lower house seats, with a proportional party list system likely to reward their five million-plus ballots with dozens more. If the results play out -- and the menace of legal troubles fades for Future Forward -- it will be Thailand's third largest party, barely a year after being formed. Its agenda is radical; re-writing the constitution to excise the military from politics, slashing the defence budget, ending conscription and addressing Thailand's chasmic inequality. And its 40-year-old figurehead, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, scion of the Thai Summit auto-parts group, says he is in it for the long haul. "The party was not formed just to run in this election," he told AFP, asserting "our end game" is to help Thailand return to a democracy. "Our agenda is the public agenda... we are here because we want to push for genuine change." Thanathorn knocks back a mug of water handed to him by a young aide, wearing a Future Forward t-shirt and brogues -- without socks -- like several other staffers. Despite his vast wealth, which he put in a blind trust before the polls, Thanathorn's pull comes from a mix of corruscating takedowns of the ruling junta and a deft common touch. The tone of his campaign was in stark contrast to more staid rivals, engaging in what amounted to a conversation with his fans over Twitter and rallies. At headquarters there is a notable absence of the deferent "wais" of respect among the junior staff -- and none of the hushed reverence normally associated with corridors of Thai power. Instead, aides buzz around laptops scribbling totals from constituencies, wide-eyed at the party's unexpected momentum. Some just recently graduated, reflecting the hitherto untapped demographic of millions of millennials. Many were first time voters, wearied by Thailand's carousel of coups and short-lived governments and a political stage populated by ageing generals and grandstanding politicians who refuse to exit. "The new division is between the people who support the military regime and the people who oppose the military regime," Thanathorn added. - 'We will be relentless' - Their policy platform is more far-reaching than Pheu Thai, which is on course to be the largest lower house party despite being several million votes down on the last election in 2011. It is still linked to ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, a divisive 69-year-old who lives in self-exile but still plays the political game from overseas. Future Forward scooped up seats across the country, in part aided in their quest for proportional party list seats by the dissolution of the Shinawatra-linked Thai Raksa Chart party. It was taken out by a court just weeks before the election for running a princess as candidate for premier. "People voted strategically," said Napisa Waitoolkiat, political scientist from Naresuan University. For the pro-democracy camp "why not vote for somebody new?", she added. With a firm bridgehead established, Future Forward says they are ready to join an anti-junta government. But Thanathorn, for now, insists he will not run for premier. Equally, party officials say they are ready to menace the military from opposition, where their youth and progressive agenda are likely to cast the generals and bureaucrats from junta-allied Phalang Pracharat in a bad light. "FFP is definitely the new force of Thai politics," said 20-year-old student Chayata Sripanich, who voted for the party. It has given Thais "a new lens on things... that politics and elections are to be discussed with policies and agendas rather than focusing purely on politicians," she added. But Thai politics is also a treacherous space, especially for newcomers with big ideas. Party leaders including Thanathorn have already been targeted with legal cases over petty alleged misdemeanours that can result in political bans for individuals and whole parties. With the junta and big business in its sights, Future Forward is also likely to make powerful enemies. But Thanathorn is confident his narrative of a country in need of structural surgery will take root. And he is unequivocal that they are entering Thailand's bear-pit politics with teeth bared. "We will work relentlessly, continuously," he says. The rising trade tensions between the United States and China should not be defined simply as a new cold war between the worlds two largest economies, according to international relations expert Dr Parag Khanna. It is a much broader dynamic that reflects the changing centre of gravity for trade from one focused on the transatlantic movement of goods to Eurasia, said Khanna, the founder of Singapore-based strategic advisory firm FutureMap and the author of six books. When it comes to the trade war, there are more than two players, Khanna said. This is a many directional tug of war. Chinas loss is someone elses gain. Its Aseans. Americas loss is someone elses gain. Its Europes. Khanna, whose latest book is The Future is Asian, is a featured speaker at the Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference in Hong Kong on Tuesday. About US$1.6 trillion of trade currently occurs between the European Union and Asia far outstripping the USs trade with either region, Khanna said. That is expected to grow to US$2.5 trillion in a decade, he said. Against that backdrop, the Trump administration is wise to seek reciprocity in trade with China, but the US must remember that Europe is its geo-economic competitor, Khanna said. If the US and Europe speak with one voice when it comes to opening up China, but Europe is the only one who has reached free trade agreements throughout Asia guess who wins?, he said. As a student of diplomacy and strategy, it is not the first time well see where America does the heavy lifting on an issue and Europe steals the prize. The Trump administration has placed tariffs on nearly half of goods imported from China as it seeks to press Beijing to further open up its markets and address long-running issues on trade, including the forced sharing of technology by foreign companies that want to operate in China. US and Chinese officials are expected to meet in Washington next month in hopes of reaching an agreement on trade. Story continues US President Donald Trump also has pulled the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), in favour of pursuing free trade agreements with individual countries. By not joining the TPP, the US runs the risk of being voluntarily and involuntarily cut off from the Eurasian centre of gravity in global trade, Khanna said. Being a winner in geopolitics does not mean you are a winner in geoeconomics. If you are self-sufficient, you dont empathise with the rest of the world that needs trade more than you need it, Khanna said. Thats why the trade war is so badly miscalculated. Everyone else does need to trade with everyone else a lot more than North America needs to trade with everyone else. At the same time, China like Japan and South Korea is voluntarily shifting some manufacturing to other parts of Asia as it faces rising labour costs and seeks to better penetrate fast-growing markets in Southeast Asia. It is Asias own interest to do this. The largest investors in Asean are Japan and China and South Korea. Asians themselves are driving this change, Khanna said. Its in their own interests to drive down their costs and better access those fast growing markets. That is why Chinas largest trading partners in aggregate is its own neighbours. More from South China Morning Post: This article US-China trade war reflection of shifting centre for global trade, author says first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2019. The US envoy seeking a peace deal with the Taliban to end 17 years of war is heading back to the region for a new round of talks, the State Department said Tuesday. Zalmay Khalilzad will head to Afghanistan as well as neighboring Pakistan during the trip that began Monday and is scheduled to run through April 10. The State Department did not confirm he would hold fresh talks with the Taliban but said he would stop in Qatar, the usual location for negotiations with the militants. Khalilzad's trip is "part of an overall effort to facilitate a peace process that brings all Afghan parties together in inclusive intra-Afghan negotiations," the State Department said. The emphasis on negotiations among Afghans comes as the Taliban refuse to sit down for talks with the internationally recognized government of President Ashraf Ghani, despite US appeals. Tensions over the issue recently led to Ghani's national security adviser telling reporters in Washington that Khalilzad had not been transparent and accusing the US envoy, who was born in Afghanistan, of harboring personal ambitions in his native country. As Khalilzad headed back, the US ambassador to Kabul, John Bass, also emphasized the role of Afghans. "Afghans deserve to make their own choices about peace, including where they are prepared to compromise, where they are not prepared to compromise, & how to mend differences," Bass tweeted. The last negotiations between Khalilzad and the Taliban closed on March 12 in Doha and appeared to make headway. An outline of a deal is expected to see the United States withdrawing from Afghanistan in return for the Taliban promising not to let the country be used by foreign extremists -- the reason for the US attack following the September 11, 2001 attacks. President Donald Trump has voiced impatience with continuing America's longest war and late last year ordered the withdrawal of half the 14,000-strong US troop contingent. The State Department said Khalilzad would also visit Belgium, Britain, Jordan and Uzbekistan as he seeks global support for a peace deal. He met last week in Washington with representatives from China, Russia and the European Union. Photo credit: Henry Foods From Country Living Henry Avocado announced a voluntary recall of whole avocados this weekend due to a potential health risk. While no illnesses have been reported as of yet, during a recent routine health inspection at a California packing facility, some avocados tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. As a result, California-grown avocados sold in bulk to retail stores are being recalled "out of an abundance of caution." The six states affected by the recall include Arizona, California, Florida, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Wisconsin. All shipments from the packing facility are subject to the recall; however, avocados imported from Mexico (where Henry Avocado also distributes) are safe to eat. To identify the fruit in question, look out for either a "Bravocado" sticker on conventional avocados or a "California organic" sticker on organic avocados. These are the ones that may contain listeria. If you've purchased one of the fruits in question, do not eat it. Throw it away or return it to the place of purchase for a refund. Young children and elderly people are at the highest risk for getting infections if they eat food contaminated with listeria, as are others with weaker immune systems. Healthy individuals may experience short-term issues like high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain or diarrhea. In a statement, President of Henry Avocado Phil Henry said: "We are voluntarily recalling our products and taking every action possible to ensure the safety of consumers who eat our avocados." ('You Might Also Like',) On Monday March 25, Indian Navy's Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) corvette, the INS Kadmatt (P 29), has arrived at Langkawi, Malaysia, for a seven days official visit. The ship is scheduled to take part to the 15th edition of Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition, LIMA-19 during this visit. On Monday March 25, Indian Navy's Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) corvette, the INS Kadmatt (P 29), has arrived at Langkawi, Malaysia, for a seven days official visit. The ship is scheduled to take part to the 15th edition of Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition, LIMA-19 during this visit. The INS Kamorta (P28) at LIMA 2015, Malaysia (Picture Source : Navy Recognition) This ship, the second of its class (the first of its class is the INS Kamorta, P29), is scheduled to participate in various activities as part as LIMA-19, including the International Fleet Review (IFR) by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, a maritime and air demonstration, Sea Exercises (with 29 other Navies), some cultural exchange programmes, cross visits to other ships, and even sporting events. As a reminder, the INS Kadmatt is an Indian indigenous stealth ASW corvette that was commissioned into the Indian Navy in January 2016. It's been armed with state-of-the-art weapons, sensors and engines and has been designed to accomodate a Seaking ASW helicopter. The ship has a multitude of networks such as Total Atmospheric Control System (TACS), Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS), Integrated Bridge System (IBS), Battle Damage Control System (BDCS) and Personnel Locator System (PLS) to facilitate a contemporary and process oriented System of Systems for optimal functioning of the warships, said the Indian Navy. As part of the Indian Navy's visit to Malaysia, Vice Admiral Karambir Singh, PVSM, AVSM, ADC, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command will also be attending various engagements at LIMA 19, as head of the Indian Navy Delegation. This comes as the Malaysian Navy and the Indian one (which are maritime neighbours) continue to closely interact on issues related to training. As part of this partnership, Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) frigate KD Jebat took part to the Operational Sea Training in Kochi in October 2018 (with FOST as Flag Officer Sea Training), while RMN KD Lekir took part to the IFR held in Visakhapatnam in February 2016. Singapore will no longer hear hi, welcome to Chilis as of this week, because the American casual restaurant chain breathed its last on March 24. In what appeared to be an abrupt announcement yesterday, the brand put up a Facebook post informing customers it had shuttered all its outlets on the island the day before. The short online farewell thanked guests for all the great moments and memories over the past 10 years, eliciting sad reacts from netizens who seemed to really enjoy the burgers, steak, and enchiladas there. If youre a fickle foodie, you probably havent stepped into a Chilis in years, seeing as how weve got plenty of other (dare we say, better) options in Singapore. But unfortunately for loyal fans of the eatery, if you didnt get a chance to say goodbye to its Tanglin Mall, Resorts World Sentosa, and Clarke Quay Central branches, its too late now. At least it lasted an entire decade, which is more than we can say for other international F&B concepts thatve tried and failed to make their mark on the tough dining scene in Singapore. This article, Chilis exits Singapore without warning, shutting down all 3 outlets last Sunday, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. Want more Coconuts? Sign up for our newsletters! With a new chef de cuisine in the kitchen, The Knolls at Capella Singapore has recently revamped its menu, placing Mediterranean-influenced dishes next to local and regional classics. If youve never been to the Sentosa hotels signature restaurant, its a pretty elegant space that looks out on the blues of the pool nearby and an abundance of greenery leading out to the sea beyond. (Plus, that gold commemoratory plaque cementing the exact spot where Trump and Kim had their historic summit last year warrants a visit to the venue ironic or not.) The poolside view. Photo: Capella Singapore The place is peaceful, to say the least. Youll feel like youve left the shores of Singapore and somehow landed in Bali, on a tranquil stretch of sand far from the city. And Chef Ignacio Morenos food calls for just that a quiet spot for you to take in the flavors of each dish and savor the idyllic experience in its entirety. Burratina with a glass of champagne, because why not? Photo: The Knolls Drawing inspiration from Spain, Italy, Greece, and the south of France, his new menu spotlights creamy burratina ($30) colored with roasted eggplant, capers, tomato, and holy basil as a starter, followed by a juicy slab of slow-cooked Iberico pork ($38) thats nicely paired with leeks, romesco, and ratatouille. If youre going the seafood route, try the plate of roasted seabass ($40) with peas, beans, dollops of black garlic, and a citrus bisque foam. Those in the mood for something more local can pay a pretty penny for familiar dishes like Hainanese chicken rice or laksa with prawns and quail eggs. Seabass. Photo: The Knolls Even if you dont have the time for a leisurely afternoon meal working your way through the menu, The Knolls offers a Power Lunch option ($42-$52) as well. From noon to 3pm, the two- or three-course set includes signatures like the Capella Club with bacon, fried egg, cheddar, and avocado on toasted pain de mie, as well as gluten-free and vegetarian plates such as the quinoa tabbouleh with pomegranate dressing and puffed buckwheat. Story continues Hazelnut and apricot gateau. Photo: The Knolls For sweets, youve got a variety of tiramisu ($18), organic sweet corn creme caramel ($16), hazelnut and apricot gateau ($16) or ice cream and sorbet scoops ($5 each). But what we recommend is the handful of Spanish churros ($16) that, dare we say, are hands down the best weve tried in Singapore. Unlike the carelessly fried-to-a-crisp dough sticks weve had elsewhere, these exquisite bite-sized babies, served nice and warm with dark chocolate ice cream and cocoa sauce, are impossibly fluffy and moist on the inside, enveloped by a delicate, crispy exterior. Theyve been handled with love, and it shows. Wed gladly return just for dessert. FIND IT: The Knolls is at Capella Singapore Reservations: 6591-5046 Open daily 7am-11pm MRT: HarbourFront This article, The Knolls at Capella puts out a new menu of Mediterranean dishes, with set menu options for leisurely lunches, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. Want more Coconuts? Sign up for our newsletters! After four years at the top of the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants listing, chef Gaggan Anand, who will close his "superstar" restaurant in Bangkok in 2020, is handing over the reins to a confrere in Singapore. Contemporary French restaurant Odette, which already has two Michelin stars, is run by French chef Julien Royer. Having been ranked 28th in The World's 50 Best Restaurants of 2018, the 36-year-old French chef Julien Royer has zoomed to the top of the podium of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants with the restaurant named after his grandmother. Royer spent time working for Michel Bras in France and Antonin Bonnet in London, then set up his own restaurant at Singapore's National Gallery in November 2015. Less than a year after it opened, it was awarded two Michelin stars. An ambassador of French cooking techniques, Royer sources products from across the world to create refined dishes which also pay homage to the flavors of the continent in which he lives. The French have another representative on the list in the form of the Perpignan native Paul Pairet who moved up two places with his Shanghai-based multisensorial restaurant Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, and is now in sixth position. Having been ranked number one in this listing for four years, Gaggan Anand is now in second place, while the unclassifiable Zaiyu Hasegawa (and his Tokyo restaurant Den) came in third. Hasegawa, who has also won this year's Chef's Choice Award, is still the highest-ranking representative of Japanese cuisine in the list. Japan is making its mark in the Asia's 50 Best ranking, which was announced in Macao, as it has a total of a dozen restaurants in the list. And the prize for Asia's Best Pastry Chef was finally awarded to a chef based in Tokyo Fabrizio Fiorani who works for Il ristorante Lucas Fantin. The full list of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants is available at www.theworlds50best.com. Last Tuesday, a police report was filed for the benefit of Minister Shanmugam, after he was threatened with an egg in a Facebook comments section. According to STs report, the police are now investigating two people over the matter. One of them for posting a FB comment expressing his desire to egg Shanmugam; the other for providing details about an upcoming Meet-the-People session, where Shanmugam might be in attendance. The report did not specify if the egg in question would be chicken, duck, or perhaps even quail. Nor did it mention if the intended missile would be raw, runny, or god forbid, hardboiled for 11minutes to cause maximum trauma upon impact. Nevertheless, the police are treating this with all due seriousness. If convicted for the offence of communicating an electronic record to incite violence, the egg conspirators could face up to 5 years in prisonor approximately half the lifespan of a battery hen. As acts of political protest go, this isnt exactly the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. However, it is not exactly a Change.org petition to ban Nas Daily either. Instead, it comes from a long line of egg-related protests. Mr Fraser-Anning, the Australian parliamentary bigot, was egged not two weeks ago for his anti-muslim remarks. So was Nigel Farage, Ed Miliband, Jeremy Corbyn, Richard Nixon and Arnold Schwarzeneggeralbeit for differing reasons. If we consider non-poultry projectiles (and I think we should), the list can be expanded to include George W. Bush (shoe), Wen Jia Bao (shoe), Rupert Murdoch (cream pie), NZ Minister Steve Joyce (Dildo), Garry Kasparov (radio-controlled Dildo), and Venezuelan President Maduro (mango). Given this list of illustrious statesman and hurled objects, we need to ask ourselves the question: Why we do throw things at politicians? Why are they so susceptible to the eggs and mangoes of outrageous fortune? What gives? One theory has it that our prevailing meme culture is what makes egging so powerful. An egg cracking its contents on some assholes head makes for a good picture, a better headline, and an infinite amount of sublime memes. Story continues In the age of instantaneous digital reproduction, it can be a splat heard around the world. After all, public image is the lifeblood of every politician, and gravitas its most valued currency. By humiliating them and making them look weak, one effectively diminishes their illusory power as public figures. Hence, there is no punishment more fitting than a french cuff drenched in egg white. This is, arguably, doubly effective in Singapore, where losing face is a real thing. Think of the Oxley Road saga and all those comments about the dirty laundry. Think about the puritanical parsimoniousness we expect from our Bata-wearing, Casio-touting politicians. However, throwing shit at public figures has added benefit. It allows you to respond without legitimizing certain arguments that do not deserve a proper response. This can be an effective means of putting someone down without getting entangled in their noxious worldview. After all, politicians sometimes spew idiotic nonsense that is too vile to engage with. If you choose to argue with someone like Mr. Anning seriously, you are giving undue credence to their ideassomething which should be avoided at all costs. By flinging your metaphorical faeces at them, you can dismiss their ideas without truly engaging with them or giving them the respect accorded by an actual argument. Last but not least, throwing eggs or other detritus at a public figure is often effective because it is a weapon of the weak. The politician cannot respond properly without inadvertently destroying themselves in the process. Toss a egg at Shanmugam and he can either respond in one of two ways. He can either a) ignore the egg or b) get angry and call the police to arrest you. Either way, its a win/win situation for whoever launched the egg, because the rules are different for the powerless/powerful. If he ignores the egg, you win because a gesture of protest has been allowed to go unpunished. If he engages with the egg and gets angry/indignant/over-involved, you still win because you have forced him to descend to your level. You have made him look absurd because anything he does will be deemed an overreaction to the trivial act of a thrown egg. Punch the egg-thrower and you lose because cant you take a joke? Ignore the egg-thrower and you lose because everyone knows you will be spending the next few hours cleaning slime out of your hair. There is no way out of that situation without looking slightly worse for wear. Hence, our politicians have every reason to be afraid of eggs. Violence often backfires because you turn your victim into a martyr, inadvertently advancing their cause instead of yours. Anger is likewise fruitless because you only make your opponent seemed cool and reasonable in comparisonif carried too far. Humour (and/or humiliation) is thus the best, and perhaps the only way to deal with the powers that be. Throw an egg and they have no choice but to catch it. No wonder the police are involved. For the best results, always cook your eggs in butter like Gordon Ramsay. For more egg-related news, write to us at community@ricemedia.co. The post What If A Singaporean Politician Gets Egged? Hypothetically Speaking, Of Course appeared first on RICE. Photo credit: Alex Wong - Getty Images From Esquire We often make great sport out of konztitooshunal skolar Mike Lee, the Republican senator from Utah whose understanding of the Constitution stopped somewhere short of the first Cleveland administration. But on Tuesday, he got up before the Senate to speak against the proposed Green New Deal as part of Mitch McConnell's trickeration to force a demonstration vote on the subject, and Mike Lee quite simply was a laff riot. And the senator, as you see, was generous enough to put both the video and the text of his statement up on the Intertoobz so none of us would miss it. First of all, Mike Lee is very brave. Unlike some of my colleagues, I am not immediately afraid of what carbon emissions, unaddressed, might do our environment, our civilization, and our planet. Unlike others, I am not immediately afraid of what the Green New Deal would do to our economy and our government. After all, its not going to pass today. Rather, after reading the Green New Deal, I am mostly afraid of not being able to get through this speech with a straight face. For Mr. President, I rise today to consider the Green New Deal with the level of seriousness it deserves. He then proceeds to make a whole litany of funnies about how ridiculous the idea of a massive solution to an existential problem can be. (A lot of it is arrant bullshit. The proposal does not seek to ban airplanes, to name one of the stupid arguments in which Lee has wrapped himself.) He later dismisses even the idea of a federal solution to the problem, but he is good enough to share his own idea on how we're going to keep Louisville safe from overpriced beachfront housing. The solution to climate change wont be found in political posturing or virtue signaling like this. It wont be found in the federal government at all. You know where the solution can be found? In churches, wedding chapels, and maternity wards across the country and around the world. This, Mr. President, is the real solution to climate change: babies. Climate change is an engineering problem not social engineering, but the real kind. Its a challenge of creativity, ingenuity, and technological invention. And problems of human imagination are not solved by more laws, but by more humans! Story continues WATCH: Sen. Mike Lee uses Reagan, a machine gun, and a velociraptor to argue against @AOC's Green New Deal https://t.co/q30t3Johaq pic.twitter.com/hluEacyvNE - The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) March 26, 2019 More people mean bigger markets for innovation. More babies mean more forward-looking adults the sort we need to tackle long-term, large scale problems. American babies, in particular, are likely going to be wealthier, better educated, and more conservation-minded than children raised in still-industrializing regions. As economist Tyler Cowen recently wrote on this very point, by having more children, you are making your nation more populous thus boosting its capacity to solve [climate change]. Finally, Mr. President, children are a mark of the kind of personal, communal, and societal optimism that is the true pre-requisite for meeting national and global challenges together. The courage needed to solve climate change is nothing compared with the courage needed to start a family. Of all the preposterous right-wing hand-waving at this problem, this is, to borrow a useful sketch from the Pythons, the semaphore version of Wuthering Heights. And I'm sure that the people of Louisiana will all pitch in and fck like bunnies in order to produce enough babies to prevent the imminent arrival of the Gulf of Mexico. The state has been losing its southern portion for decades, a process that is helped along immeasurably by exacerbating events-like, for example, increasingly powerful hurricanes-that may be tied to the climate crisis. From The New Yorker: Atmospheric warming, ocean warming, ocean acidification, sea-level rise, deglaciation, desertification, eutrophication-these are just some of the byproducts of our species success. Such is the pace of what is blandly labelled global change that there are only a handful of comparable examples in Earths history, the most recent being the asteroid impact that ended the reign of the dinosaurs, sixty-six million years ago. Humans are producing no-analogue climates, no-analogue ecosystems, a whole no-analogue future. At this point, it might be prudent to scale back our commitments and reduce our impacts. But there are so many of us-nearly eight billion-and we are stepped in so far, return seems impracticable. It also seems that the United States government is utterly unable to cope with this existential crisis-and will be, as long as people like Mike Lee keep getting elected. Respond to this post on the Esquire Politics Facebook page here. ('You Might Also Like',) Major study uncovers sea change in worlds understanding of Atlantic conveyor belt Posted on 26 March 2019 by Guest Author This is a re-post from Carbon Brief by Daisy Dunne An international research programme has uncovered data that could transform scientists understanding of the Atlantic Ocean current a circulation pattern that plays a central role in determining weather across the world. The research, published in Science, challenges the long-held view that the strength of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is primarily driven by processes in the Labrador Sea, which is in the north-west Atlantic. Instead, the project finds that over a 21-month period the strength of the AMOC was most linked to processes in waters between Greenland and Scotland, more than 1,000 miles away in the north-east Atlantic. The research is very useful for our understanding of how climate change could affect the AMOC because it points us in the direction of which regions and processes might be particularly important for maintaining the overturning circulation, a scientist tells Carbon Brief. Conveyor belt The AMOC which is sometimes referred to as the Atlantic conveyor belt is a large-scale ocean current that moves warm, salty water from the tropics to regions further north, such as western Europe. The graphic below shows the two main parts of the AMOC. The first is the flow of warm, salty water in the upper layers of the ocean northwards from the Gulf of Mexico (red line). This is made up of the Gulf Stream to the south and the North Atlantic current further north. The second is the cooling and freshening of water in the high latitudes of the Atlantic, which then sinks and returns southwards towards the equator at much deeper depths (blue line). The warm water that the AMOC carries northwards releases heat into the atmosphere, which means it plays a crucial role in keeping western Europe warm. Without it, winters in the UK could be around 5C colder. Scientists fear that climate change could be causing the AMOC to slow down. Last year, two studies published in Nature found that the AMOC had slowed by 15% since the mid-20th century. Further AMOC slowdown has been linked to an increased risk of intense storms in Europe and faster sea level rise in parts of the US, among other problems. But to fully understand how climate change could affect the AMOC, scientists need to get a clearer picture of what drives the ocean current, says Dr Penny Holliday, a principal research scientist at the UKs National Oceanography Centre and UK lead of the Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Programme (OSNAP). OSNAP, which was launched in 2014, involves more than 100 researchers from the UK, US, Canada, China, France, Germany and the Netherlands. It takes continuous measurements in the northern part of the AMOC where warm water sinks and travels back towards the tropics in order to get a better idea of what drives this overturning. To do this, it has deployed two arms: OSNAP East, which extends from the Labrador Sea off the north-east coast of Canada to south-west Greenland, and OSNAP West, which reaches from south-east Greenland to the coast of Scotland. (The location of each arm is shown in red on the map below. The Labrador Sea is situated close to AR7W.) Each arm is made up of an array of measuring instruments which enable the researchers to gather continuous measures of the strength of the ocean current, says Holliday: It consists of a whole load of moorings, which are ways in which we string instruments between the seafloor and the sea surface in the deep ocean. So theres an anchor at the bottom and along that wire we string instruments that can measure various things like the speed of the water, the velocity of the water, temperature and the salinity. In the parts of the ocean that the moorings cannot reach, the researchers rely on Argo floats and gliders, she says: [Argo floats] drift around the ocean and, every 10 days, they surface and transmit their location and their data and then sink back to 2,000m. They give temperature and salinity data. The other part of the array are these things called gliders which are a bit like floats, but they have wings so that they can glide down to the deep ocean and glide back up again. A diagram of the layout of the measuring arrays deployed by the programme is shown below. (There are several other long-term international projects monitoring different parts of the AMOC. These include the RAPID project, which has deployed an array of instruments reaching from Florida to Morocco (shown on the first map), and the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) South AMOC monitoring programme, which reaches from South Africa to South America.) Abandoning Labrador The new study details the results of the first 21-month observing period of the OSNAP. One key finding is that the long-held view that the Labrador Sea was a key site in determining the strength of the AMOC could be incorrect, Holliday explains: We found that the mean and the variations in the strength of the overturning circulation is dominated by processes happening between Greenland and Scotland we call it the OSNAP east part. And, actually, the overturning that takes place in the Labrador Sea is rather small and doesnt contribute to the month-to-month changes. This finding is shown on the graph below, where the black line represents the overturning circulation across the entire array, the blue line shows overturning in OSNAP east region and the yellow line shows overturning in the OSNAP west region (where the Labrador Sea is). The graph shows how waters around OSNAP east play a major role in determining the strength of the AMOC, Holliday says: The fact that the blue and the black line is really close together is saying that the OSNAP east region is dominating the [A]MOC and its variability. The findings represent an exciting step forward in scientists understanding of the AMOC, says Prof David Thornalley, a researcher of the AMOC from University College London, who is not involved in the OSNAP. He tells Carbon Brief: This finding is very useful for our understanding of how climate change could affect the AMOC because it points us in the direction of which regions and processes might be particularly important for maintaining the overturning circulation. We can then focus on examining how susceptible these regions and processes are to climate change. Still a slowdown? The findings suggest that changes to the Labrador Sea may have a played a smaller role in the AMOC slowdown observed over the past few decades than previously thought, says Prof Benoit Thibodeau, a researcher of the AMOC from the University of Hong Kong, who is also not involved in OSNAP. He tells Carbon Brief: This is not a total surprise as some studies already suggested that the linkage between convection in the Labrador Sea and the AMOC was weak. Thissuggests that processes in the Labrador Sea do not seems to play an important role in the 20th century weakening of the AMOC and that we should pay more attention to the Irminger basin and the Nordic Seas when trying to apprehend potential consequences of climate change on the ocean circulation. Though the findings could cause scientists to refocus their studies, this does not mean that previous research projecting further weakening of the AMOC over the 21st century as a result of climate change is incorrect, Thornalley says: This paper is not really questioning the overall concept that warming and increased freshwater input at high latitudes is likely going to lead to a weaker AMOC. I think that is a pretty robust result most pretty much all scientists would agree with. However, this study does potentially alter our thoughts on exactly how it will weaken and what regions are the most critical. The findings are very interesting but it could be too soon to draw conclusions, says Levke Caesar, a PhD student studying the AMOC from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). She tells Carbon Brief: The time series is way too short to revise our understanding of the relative importance of the different convection sites. These first results rather stress the importance of continuing these measurements to connect the variability on such short time scales to that on the intra-annual to decadal scale. The results highlight how important long-term data collection is to fully understanding the impact of climate change on the AMOC, says Prof Monika Rhein, an oceanographer from the Institute for Environmental Physics at Bremen University, Germany, who is also not involved in OSNAP. In a Perspectives article accompanying the new research, she writes: Only long-term continuous time series can provide the much-needed benchmark to evaluate the climate model simulations. The promising results from the OSNAP array, its proximity to the Labrador Sea, and the questions raised about the processes causing AMOC variability provide excellent incentives to continue the OSNAP array for the next decades. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Nearly two years after Robert Mueller began his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, the Mueller reportaka President Donald Trumps favorite witch hunthas arrived. Newly appointed Attorney General William Barr released a summary of the report that concluded that the president did not collude with Russia, and while the White House and Fox News celebrated the favorable outcome, others around the country let out a groan. Still, as Jimmy Kimmel pointed out on Monday, our collective dismay is a bit ironic given the alternative: that our president deliberately assisted in an illegal foreign operation. Half of America is upset that our president didnt collude with Russia, Kimmel said. Seems like we should probably be happy about that, shouldnt we? Advertisement Though few have actually seen the Mueller reportand Mueller did express that it does not exonerate the presidentthat didnt stop Trumps team from prematurely basking in the good news. I hear Kellyanne Conway drank the blood of an entire goat last night, said Kimmel. Throw in that Stormy Daniels ex-lawyer Michael Avenatti was charged with multiple crimes yesterday, and youve got an abnormally triumphant week for the White House. The only way Trump could be happier with this Mueller report is if a porn star rolled it up and spanked him with it, said Kimmel. Get Slate Culture in Your Inbox We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Even as some Democrats insist that we cant be certain of Trumps innocence until the full report is available, Kimmel feels pretty sure that Trump didnt collude with Russiabecause he would never have been able to mastermind that kind of operation. Putin wanted him in there and did what he had to do, Kimmel said. Basically, Trump got in the White House the same way Lori Loughlin got her kid into USC. The Jussie Smollett case took an unexpected turn on Tuesday, when prosecutors announced that they had dropped all charges against the Empire actor, who stood accused of staging a fake hate crime and filing a false police report. Earlier this month, a grand jury indicted Smollett on 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct, but the Cook County States Attorneys Office released a statement calling the decision to dismiss those charges a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case considering his volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago. Advertisement At a press conference following an emergency court session, Smolletts attorney Patricia Brown Holmes said that there was no deal with prosecutors and that Smolletts forfeiture of his bond, which was set at $100,000 and of which he paid $10,000, was not a condition of the dropped charges.* The States Attorneys Office says that without the completion of these terms, the charges would not have been dropped. As of Tuesday, the case has been sealed. Holmes also admonished the Chicago Police Department for trying the case in the press, echoing an earlier statement in which she called Smollett a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Smollett originally said that two men assaulted him in late January with bleach and a rope while yelling racist and homophobic slurs as well as This is MAGA country. During a news conference, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson had claimed Smollett paid two brothers $3,500 to attack him because he was unhappy with his salary on Empire. Police said they were in possession of the check that Smollett allegedly made out to Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo for that purpose, but Smollett continued to maintain his innocence, arguing that the check was for nutrition and training. The case drew the attention of Donald Trump, who asked Smollett on Twitter: What about MAGA and the tens of millions of people you insulted with your racist and dangerous comments!? Advertisement Get Slate Culture in Your Inbox We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Smollett spoke briefly at the press conference to say that he wants to get back to work and his life. I would not be my mothers son if I was capable of one drop of what Ive been accused of, he said. He would not answer questions about the Chicago Police Department or the Osundairo brothers but called the ordeal an incredibly difficult time, honestly one of the worst of my entire life. In light of the charges against him, the producers of Empire had announced that Smolletts character, Jamal Lyon, would be cut from remaining two episodes of the Fox show to avoid further disruption on set. Fox released a statement declining to comment, but the writers room of Empire tweeted a CNN chyron declaring the dropped charges. Advertisement Advertisement More black. I once wrote a short story that did not identify its hero as black until halfway through. My editor queried this: I assumed that these characters were white. We disagreed, then fought. Hackles and tempers rose. Sweeping statements were made about genre and obliquity and readerly expectations. I cited Toni Morrisons short story Recitatif, which does not specify either of its two main characters racial identities. At one point, the editor wondered if I might want to pull the story and take a kill fee and move on. Eventually, my concession: I named some minor characters as white, a reversal of the norm. Im grateful for your wherewithal, the editor later told me. Advertisement Moot black. I was recently asked by another publication to contribute an essay about Toni Morrison, who just turned 88. I sent along a piece about revising the chapter on Beloved in my first scholarly book during a strange Easter weekend I spent in Cambridge, England. The editors found this a little niche. Their explanation of what they wanted instead made me uncomfortable. It seemed to me that they were asking for a strong critique of Morrison, or more precisely, of what she stands for, or more precisely yet, of what other people have taken her to represent. One phrase in particular made me ache: They wanted this takedown to come from a black writer. The second piece I sent, a somewhat defensive paean to Morrison and her work, was rejected. Too academic, they said. Mute black. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are many ways to be difficult in this world: stubborn, demanding, inconvenient, complex, troublesome, baffling, illegible. Black womanhood is where they overlap. The funny thing is, I know this because of Toni Morrison. Morrison is difficult. Shes difficult to read. Shes difficult to teach. Shes difficult to interview. Notwithstanding the voluminous train of profiles, reviews, and scholarly analysis that she drags behind her, shes difficult to write about. But more to the point, she is our only truly canonical black, female writerand her work is complex. This, it seems, is difficult to swallow. Morrisons difficulty as a writer is neither coy nor glibly aspirational. It is an ethos. Morrisons writing is difficult to read because it tends toward the ambiguous. Her magnum opus, Beloved, is a case in point. This 1985 novel revolves around an ethical knot worthy of Greek tragedy: a historical incident in which a fugitive from slavery tried to murder her children rather than let them be recaptured; she managed to kill one before she was found. This act is already hard to fathom. Morrisons prose makes it even harder. How disconcerting it was as a teenager to open a novel with such a simple, sentimental title and read those unaccountable first lines: 124 was spiteful. Full of a babys venom. In Unspeakable Things Unspoken, a classic essay reprinted in her new collection, The Source of Self-Regard, Morrison explains that abrupt opening: The reader is snatched, yanked, thrown into an environment completely foreign. Snatched just as the slaves were. Advertisement Advertisement Im an English professor, and Im not ashamed to admit that it took me three readings to understand Beloved at even a basic level. There are certain passages in Beloved that no student I teach ever gets on the first go. (Do you remember how the men get orally raped when Paul D. is working on the chain gang? This is what I mean.) This shouldnt be surprising; the same is true of our most prized canonical white writers. Faulkner and Joyce dont get dismissed for their difficulty; theyre praised for it. Morrisons difficulty as a writer is neither coy nor glibly aspirational. It is an ethos. Shes put it this way: My language has to have holes and spaces so that the reader can come into it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Get Slate Culture in Your Inbox We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. These gaps are made literal in the chapter told by Beloved herself, who is as fragmented and slippery as her sentences: I am gone now I am her face my own face has left me I see me swim away a hot thing. Who is Beloved? Is she the ghost of the murdered child? An enslaved woman who was locked up by an abuser? A water spirit from the stream behind 124 Bluestone Road? Everyone in the novel has a different answer, just as everyone has a conflicting judgment of the murder of the child. The point is that we cannot know, we cannot judge. Or maybe the point is that there are ways of knowing that allow these contradictions to coexist in one person. As Morrison once said in an interview: It was clear to me that it was not at all a violation of African religion or philosophy; its very easy for a son or parent or a neighbor to appear in a child or in another person. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Either way, the ambiguity is indispensable. To be straightforward would defeat the purpose of this insistent questioning, which is, she has said, an egalitarianism that places us all (reader, the novels population, the narrators voice) on the same footing. Morrisons democratic bent doesnt pander, however. She doesnt condescend to your level but challenges you to rise to hers: My writing expects, demands participatory reading. As shes said of Faulkner: The structure is the argument. Morrison herself might reject this comparison. I am not like James Joyce; I am not like Thomas Hardy; I am not like Faulkner, she has said. I am not like in that sense. If this seems unduly pointed, she shuns comparison with Maya Angelou and Alice Walker, too: Theyre very different writers, very, very different from me. How? Well, one self-edits and one doesnt. This is, I think, the source of Morrisons reputation as a difficult personality. On one hand, she refuses to be whitewashed into canonical neutrality. On the other, she refuses to be relegated to her race or gender, not because black womanhood is less than, but because it is often condemned to a narrowness disavowed by other identities. Im already discredited, Im already politicized, before I get out of the gate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Morrison has spent her whole career negotiating the Scylla and Charybdis of writing what she calls nonracist, yet race-specific literature. Shes willing to accept the labels only because being a black woman writer is not a shallow place but a rich place to write from. It doesnt limit my imagination; it expands it. Its richer than being a white male writer because I know more and Ive experienced more. On her birthday, I noticed that this quotation had been shared on Twitter by the magazine that published the 2003 profile in which it appearedwith the last sentence excised. Morrison has always been uncompromising about the richness of black life. She put it this way in 1981: From my perspective there are only black people. When I say people, thats what I mean. Advertisement Two clips of old Morrison interviews have been circulating on social media lately. In both, shes asked why she writes primarily about black people. (Questions like this are almost inconceivable now, thanks to her.) In one, Morrison explains that she started to write without the white gaze after reading writers like Chinua Achebe and Bessie Head, who could assume the centrality of their race because they were Africans. And they didnt explain anything to white people. In the other clip, Morrison is asked whether shell ever incorporate white lives into her novels. First, she notes that she has; then, in her gentle, probing voice, she says: You cant understand how powerfully racist that question is, can you? Because you could never ask a white author, When are you going to write about black people? Its inconceivable that where I already am is the mainstream. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Morrisons imperiousness never fails to thrill me. I once saw her speak in San Francisco. Quizzed about the homoerotic overtones in her novel of female friendship, Sula, Morrison tilted her head and said: If I wanted to write about a lesbian love affair, dont you think I would have done that? Asked about the black woman who has done more to popularize her work than anybody else, she chuckled: Oprah Winfrey made me a rich woman, and thats all I have to say about that. I watched with a kind of gleeful terror when Morrison appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss Paradise, which was a selection for Winfreys book club. One reader confessed: I questioned the value of a book that is that hard to understand. Morrisons responses were more withering than anything Jonathan Franzen ever said about Oprahs Book Club. Morrison declines the idea that because shes a black woman, she must placate or patronize anyone, even other black women. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I often think the writer she has the most in common with is Vladimir Nabokov, another notoriously difficult outsider who now sits at the center of the American canon. They each evince a hauteur that isnt defensive but inborn, and cut with a sense of humor. Morrison likes to say she grew up feeling superior, like an aristocrat. Her titles are soft wordsBeloved, Love, Paradise, A Mercybut as she puts it in Beloved, love is a killer, and her novels, like Nabokovs, brim with cruelty. A mother lights her son on fire. A man locks up a woman to perform medical experiments on her. Poisoning occurs with Shakespearean frequency. Most people dont realize that Toni Morrison writes horror novels. But she is more invested in genre fiction than you might imagine. Both she and Nabokov are fascinated by Poe, for example, and flirt with melodrama, the fantastic, the Gothic. Advertisement Advertisement Is this why her place in the canon still has an asterisk beside it? She had to fight for it. When, outrageously, Beloved didnt receive a National Book Award, the protest petition had only 48 signatories. Now that shes appeared on too many listsshes the only black woman ever to win the Nobel; in 2006, Beloved was voted in a New York Times poll the best novel of the previous 25 yearsIve seen people spurn Morrison as obvious or undeserving, as if so much praise surely begs the question. Im always struck by this contradiction at the core of her reputation. My British grandmother once called Beloved both perplexing and a potboiler. Morrison incenses people. How dare she be difficult and a black woman? (Can you think of any other black woman renowned for intellectual complexity?) How dare she refuse to comfort or seduce or translate? It cannot be easy to be Toni Morrison. Advertisement Advertisement Yet I aspire to it. Toni Morrison would never accede to a request to explain a short story. Toni Morrison would never write a critique she didnt believe in. I often think of her words: All of my life is doing something for somebody else. Whether Im being a good daughter, a good mother, a good wife, a good lover, a good teacherand thats all that. The only thing I do for me is writing. Thats really the real free place where I dont have to answer. I, too, yearn for that specific, human, black, female freedom: to feel at ease to be difficult. Slate has relationships with various online retailers. If you buy something through our links, Slate may earn an affiliate commission. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. All prices were up to date at the time of publication. There might be a treasure lurking in your refrigerator right now: last nights dinner. For many, leftovers are an uninspiring burden: something to be drearily reheated in the microwave or eaten cold, straight out of the Tupperware. While it is true that I love a sliver of cold next-day lasagna, Ive taken on a new role as a leftover evangelist: I want more home cooks to treat leftovers not as a duty but a source of pleasure and inspiration. In my latest cookbook, Secrets of Great Second Meals, I exhort my readers to look at leftovers as great ingredients for their next simple yet delicious creation. That extra rotisserie chicken has so much potential: It could soon be a sesame chicken salad! Or enchiladas! Those cheese ends gathering in your drawer could be grated and made into gougeres, one of the worlds great appetizers. The benefits go beyond the gustatoryreinvigorating leftovers helps reduce food waste, and becoming more nimble with what we have on hand helps us become better cooks. After all, if you have some essential tools to add freshness and appeal to already-cooked ingredients, you can easily use them to embellish your cooked-from-scratch meals as well. Obviously fresh foods like herbs, onions, chiles, and citrus can boost leftovers texture and flavor. But I also regularly turn to packaged condiments, which benefit from always being on hand in your fridge or pantry, to spark new life into not-quite-new food. Here are some of my favorite movesand the condiments that make them possible. Add Some Heat In general, I have simplified my cooking over the years, but when it comes to spice, I want a condiment to complicate my food. I love spiciness, but I generally want more than the searing sour chile heat that a sauce like Tabasco delivers: I want aroma and texture, too. (If blazing heat is what you seek, look to this spicy-food FAQ.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My eternal favorite chile condiment is harissa, the North African chile blend that gets its earthiness from spices like coriander, cumin, and caraway. I love to make my own, but I often keep a packaged version on hand as well. Harissas vary greatly, and I lean toward a less-tangy, more oil-based version. You can dab it directly on leftovers to add liveliness, perk up an omelet with a small spoonful, or consider stirring it into a simple tomato sauce to make an aromatic simmering base for a stew of roasted vegetables or canned chickpeas. Chiles combined with umami-rich ingredients like fermented beans can always give your food a lift. I was sick this week and bought a mediocre roast chicken to feed the family instead of roasting my own. Today, my appetite was coming back, and I made a quick stir fry of the leftovers with some baby greensit would have been a lackluster, utilitarian lunch, but I added a dab of fermented black bean chile paste to the onions and oil I started cooking in the pan. After a minute, I added in the chicken and the greens and tossed them well: They were transformed by this little Sichuan alchemy of fragrant heat and leathery umami flavors. Another lesser-known condiment to add to your repertoire is yuzu kosho, a thick chile and citrus condiment from Japan that tastes a bit like funky preserved lemon with a good slap of heat. Use it sparingly to start, but youll quickly appreciate its snappy presence. Because of its potency, I like to add it to another vehicle like dipping sauce, mayonnaise (see below), or stir it into a broth. Sometimes a dish does need straight-up hot sauce: that clarifying burst of red-pepper heat and tartness can be a welcome tweak to reheated greens, say, or something crisply fried. For that purpose, I still keep a good vinegar pepper sauce, like my go-to Crystal Hot Sauceat the ready. Sandwich Magic Take a delicious spicy condiment, including those above, horseradish, or even an ornery mustard, and mix it with mayonnaise and perhaps a squeeze of lemon. The result? An instant sandwich-elevating, spreadable sauce with some intense spice. Though I love homemade mayonnaiseI mean, really love ithaving good jarred mayonnaise on hand like the Ojai Cooks Lemonaise is key to the improvisatory nature of this hack. Make a Salad Crisp salad adds brightness and crunch to protein like meat or tofu, but a spirited vinaigrette will really elevate your meal. Thats why good mustard is essential to my condiment wardrobe. The best Dijon is sharp but rounded, vinegary but creamy. In leftover land, it plays a key role in brightening sandwiches, of course, but it also sharpens and emulsifies vinaigrettes. Over the years, Ive grown most fond of Fallot mustard. You can get smaller jars, but since I am whimsical, I like to order the larger jar that comes in an old-fashioned mustard bucket that you can later use to hold cutlery or flowers. Sometimes a salad wants a creamy dressing, and in that case, I turn to tahini. One of my favorite things about tahini is that you can make a decent dressing just by mixing it with water. Add garlic and lemon and/or herbs and youll be swimming in luxury. I also sometimes like to add toasted sesame oil to my dressing to really underscore the sesame flavor. My favorite tahini, Al Arz brand, recommended by the high priest of Mediterranean flavors himself, Yotam Ottolenghi, is hard to find in the United States (and thus pricey); it is very toasty-nutty without the bitterness that plagues a lot of easier to source brands. Soom tahini, recommended by chef Michael Solomonov, is my favorite domestic option. Float Leftovers in Soup Repurposing leftovers as soup is a classic move. I puree previously cooked vegetables into creamy soups, and I whisk lemon and egg into chicken broth to make creamy Greek avgolemono. But if I have little time on my hands, Ill often just stir some white miso and some spicy gochujangthe Korean fermented bean and chile pasteinto some homemade chicken broth or dashi or water. Then, I reheat extra tofu or vegetables in the broth for an almost-instant meal that is still warm and restorative. Dipping Is Important Sometimes the difference between a sad Tupperware of leftover noodles and a bowl is in a tasty dipping sauce. One of the all-time great leftover wake-ups is a lime-fish sauce dressing like nuoc cham, for which youll want to have good fish sauce on hand. There are many good options, but I like the decided richness of Red Boat fish sauce, which gets bonus points for its petite bottle, so it fits in my refrigerator door shelf. These days Im also regularly tossing leftover meat, vegetables, and noodles in this tangy and aromatic sauce (recipe at bottom of the page), which is a mix of soy, rice vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil, ginger, and scallions. Soy sauces and tamari have become a very fancy condiment category, but for everyday applications, I have grown fond of light Thai soy sauce, like Healthy Boy brand which has a clean texture, bright salinity, and umami. Do I also love the happy boy on the label? Yes, I do. Add Some Sprinkles Im too old to think that sprinkles add any flavor to an ice cream sundae but not too old to want something festive to top my food. The good news is that now is a great time to access savory confetti to sprinkle on top of reheated veggies, soups, and rice bowlstoppings that add color, texture, and flavor to what might otherwise be an ordinary meal. I often make my own furikake with toasted nori, sesame seeds, and Maldon smoked salt, but the rice-seasoning blend is easy to purchase ready-made, if youre not craving a project. In Mexico and central America, youll often find fruit topped with pucker-y chile-lime seasoning Tajin, and its delightful for salads and cheesy dishes alike; I also like to embellish an eggy breakfast tacomaybe one made with leftover beanswith a tart sprinkle of the stuff. Of late Ive had a real weakness for the onion-garlic crunch of everything spice, especially this version with dill added to it (does that make it more than everything spice?). This week, I tossed some sourdough on the verge of staleness with olive oil and some of the everything spice then toasted in the oven to make some pretty flashy croutons. And finally, the king of savory sprinkles: dukkah is a coriander-forward combination of nuts and spices, that can function as a dry dip or a flavorful and slightly crunchy topping for salads, soups, and eggs alike. Its especially nice tossed on a bowlful of pureed vegetable soup. A Condiment Coda: Make Marinades Though I have been writing about how these condiments help enliven leftovers, they are also a great first step to zippier cooking in general, and they can be quickly combined to add flavor to food you are cooking for the first time. Here are a few of my favorite quick combinations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harissa plus olive oil plus orange zest makes a marinade full of earthy-spicy goodnessexcellent for chicken and root vegetables. Miso plus canola oil plus a small dash of hot sauceadds toasty richness thats equally good on flank steak, oily fish like black cod, and tofu. Tahini plus olive oil plus garlic, plus a pinch of smoked paprikaa rich and nutty rub for roasted squash and root vegetables. Mustard plus creme fraiche or sour creammakes a creamy-spicy accent that is great for pork loin and chicken. For me, cooking is more of a rhythm than a series of individual meals: One of the great pleasures of the kitchen is figuring out how one meal can traildeliciouslyinto the next. And having the right suite of condiments on hand can serve as a catalyst to such inventive and improvisational cooking. Advertisement Ginger Scallion Sauce cup canola or other neutral oil 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar 1 teaspoon light soy sauce Juice of one lime teaspoon fine sea salt 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 1 bunch scallions, washed, thinly sliced, white and dark-green parts only Whisk together the oil, vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice, fine sea salt, sesame oil, and ginger. Stir in the scallions. You can use dressing right away, but it is most flavorful if it can sit around for 30 minutes or more before serving. Excerpt from Secrets of Great Second Meals by Sara Dickerman (William Morrow Cookbooks, 2019) Slate has relationships with various online retailers. If you buy something through our links, Slate may earn an affiliate commission. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. All prices were up to date at the time of publication. On Sunday, paparazzi captured celebrities including Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Courtney Love, and Tyler, the Creator filing into an exclusive event at a secret location in Los Angeles. So far, its just another weekend in Southern California. According to the Daily Mail, however, that event was for the church started by Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. Wait, what? As it turns out, West has been hosting weekly church servicesor something like themsince early this year. Sunday Service, as West calls it, has quickly become a phenomenon. But is it really a church? Whats going on here? Lets break it down. Advertisement What happens at Kanyes Sunday Services? Music performances, mostly. Clips from this weeks program posted to Instagram by Kendall Jenner capture a joyful vibe, with a huge choir bouncing and clapping as they perform West and Jay-Zs Lift Off, wearing what appear to be Yeezy jumpsuits. Performers including Kid Cudi and 070 Shake have joined West to perform. NME published a set list from the first event, summarizing the program as gospel versions of West songs including Father Stretch My Hands and Heard Em Say. In January, he also performed a new song, titled Well Find a Way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Can kids attend? Sure, at least if youre North West. Kim Kardashian West recently posted several clips of her oldest daughter dancing at one of the services. Crowd participation seems to be encouraged. Advertisement Advertisement So is it just a concert series? Not exactly. At least once, West has delivered some ad-libbed spoken inspiration between songs. In January, an unfortunately timed riff on Michael Jackson and separating art from artist drew heat until his wife stepped forward to say hed been misinterpreted. Last week, DMX led an energetic prayer in which he nimbly quoted from several Psalms, among other passages of the Bible. In an interview with TMZ, 112 frontman Slim compared Wests approach to church to his own nondenominational Christian upbringing: You can take music thats going on right now, and you change it and put the Lord, Jesus, you know, make it Christian, he said. It brings the youth to church. It makes church cool. Advertisement It does sound cool. Where is it? I want to go. Its location changes, but these are private events. Early images seemed to depict indoor performance spaces, often featuring dramatically monotone lighting. This weekends service took place outside, in a location with a grassy seating area, forested hills, and a dirt performance area. It looked like a beautiful day. You probably would have had a great time. Advertisement Isnt there a history of Kardashian-adjacent figures starting churches? Yep. Kris Jenner, the family matriarch, has been described as a founder of the California Community Church, an apparently nondenominational congregation that has met in Agoura Hills, California, for about a decade. Before being hand-picked by Kris to lead her church, Rev. Brad Johnson had resigned in disgrace from a larger congregation nearby. Johnson performed the televised marriage ceremony of Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom in 2009, and Kim has said he also took in one of the familys dogs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The family is also responsible for boosting several other telegenic pastors to stardom, including Miami-based Rich Wilkerson Jr., who married Kim and Kanye in Italy and later got his own reality show. Kylie and Kendall Jenner have attended the evangelical Hillsong Church, a favorite of celebrities including Justin Bieber. And the family has been photographed attending Sunday worship services together for years. Still, it doesnt really seem like Sunday Service is a church in the traditional sense. Thats fair. And it may be ending anyway. West apparently told the crowd this week that it was the last time on the mountain, so the events future is unclear. The Daily Mail also reported that police broke up this weeks event due to a noise complaint. Perhaps we can agree that Sunday Service isnt a church, but simply a weekly upbeat all-ages gathering that happens to take place on Sunday mornings and attracts people who share a similar spiritual sensibility to enjoy participatory music performances led by a choir, to pray, and to soak up wisdom from a charismatic leader. For an essential list of condimentsfrom mild to hot!that will spice up your cooking, click here. Chances are youre one of millions who enjoy the nose-running, body-sweating, stomach-churning, mouth-burning effects of spicy food. Why do we, as a species, willingly (and enthusiastically) subject ourselves to this? Whats really happening to our bodies when we dig into the hottest curry on the menu? Here are some explanations of whats physically going on inside you when you load up on heat. Advertisement Can spicy food damage your tongue? No, not when you ingest the amounts we typically consume in food. In fact, when you eat spicy food, youre not burning your tongue at allyoure a victim of a neurological response. When you take a bite out of a chile pepper, the peppers membranes release capsaicin, a chemical compound that clamps onto your mouths neurotransmitters, which regulate temperature. These are the same receptors that would tell the roof of your mouth, say, that it was being burned from a bite of scorching hot brick-oven pizza, but in the spicy food scenario, the receptors falsely alert you that youre literally burning your mouth. These receptors exist all over your body, which also explains why you have a burning sensation on your fingers after chopping serrano peppers (or in your eyes if you absentmindedly rub them). But, according to Keith Cadwallader, a professor at the University of Illinois, theres no damage to any tissue itself: The interaction is simply a signal that our brains interpret as a blast of heat. And it certainly doesnt damage your taste buds, as the capsaicin doesnt even interact with them. Spiciness isnt a taste; its simply a pain response. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why would I like something thats a pain response? Scientists havent fully figured out the answer to this question yet, according to Gary Beauchamp, a researcher at the Monell Chemical Senses Center and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, but theyve proposed a few theories. Its possible we have trained ourselves to like spicy food because along with the pain from that pop of Sriracha we get a little jolt of endorphins as our bodies try to curb the pain, or it might be that we become conditioned to like the sensations that accompany delicious and satisfying foods. Others speculate that we like it because it stimulates saliva production, which allows us to eat food more easily. Some have said its the same kind of psychological pleasure some people get from roller coasters: a physical thrill with no real risk of harm. Its possible we like it because of indeterminate health benefits. Still others say spicy food enhances the flavor of salty foods. The real answer may be none of these, or several. What we do know is that spicy food only really appears to appeal to humans. It seems likely chile peppers produce capsaicin in part to deter other mammals from eating them. Infants naturally dislike the chemical, but at some point during adolescence, many children develop the taste for it. How much you end up liking spicy foods seems to be both cultural and individual: Theres evidence that some people naturally have higher tolerances, possibly because of genetics, according to Beauchamp. But again, even that is up for debate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If I dont like spicy food now, can I make myself like it? Yep. Theres evidence that by exposing yourself to small doses of capsaicin, youll slowly adjust and build up a tolerance to spicy foods. The heat receptors in your mouth do build up an amount of resistance to it, and they become less responsive the more they are triggered, which is why some people notice they need twice as much Cholula as they once did. It appears to be easier to acclimate to it as a child, but adults can also work their way into tolerating higher levels of the chemical, ideally when placed with foods you already like. You can test this out in the shorter term, though. According to Linda Bartoshuk, a professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, if you eat a jalapeno pepper, the burning sensation will subside in 15 minutes, but the residual effect of that encounter will last a couple days. During those two days, you can try other spicy foods, and they will seem less spicy than they normally would. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why do I suddenly start sweating when I eat spicy foods? Advertisement When your brain gets the signal that theres a fire in your mouth, it reacts with its own methods for cooling itself down: sweating and breathing rapidly. Youll also start producing more mucus, saliva, and tears, which is the bodys effort to purge itself of the chemicals causing the pain. What about hiccups? Because the pain receptors that capsaicin triggers exist throughout your body, spicy foods can cause discomfort all through digestion. They can cause a burning sensation when they latch onto the receptors on the lining of your esophagus, then more discomfort and cramping in your stomach, and, yes, even a burning sensation on the way out. But it may also cause hiccups for some people: When capsaicin inflames the nerve that passes motor information to the diaphragm to help us breathe, it can cause involuntary spasmshiccups. Advertisement How do I get the burning in my mouth to stop? Room temperature water, as you might know from experience, doesnt help that much. Thats because the water only spreads things around. But very icy water may help, as, again, your mouth interprets the spiciness as temperature heat. Studies also show that capsaicin dissolves in fat, alcohol, and a protein found in dairy, so the tip to have a glass of milk nearby is solid advice. But fatty foods will also do the trick. Advertisement So even really intense peppers dont do any harm to your body? Well, there are reports of some people, in a few anecdotal cases, getting injured during extreme chile peppereating contests. It seems likely that these injuries mostly come from the shock of the experience, but in at least a couple instances, eating extremely spicy food has been thought to be responsible for spasms in arteries that led to nonfatal heart attacks and a thunderclap headache. At high enough concentrations, capsaicin can harm you by blocking the production of certain neurotransmitters, making it so nerve cells cant communicate with one another, but your body will prevent you from consuming that much of the chemical by vomiting and otherwise sending you the unavoidable signals that it is rejecting the substance you are putting in your body. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In terms of discomfort, you can get diarrhea when your body overproduces gastric mucus, causing your digestion rate to speed up too much. Those are unpleasant but ultimately minor effects, but if you already have underlying problems such as stomach ulcers, ulcerative colitis, Crohns disease, IBS, or Celiac disease, you can experience a temporary worsening of your symptoms. For some susceptible people, breathing in capsaicin could lead to an asthma attack or other respiratory distress. But in general, while exposure to extreme chiles can be uncomfortable and often painful, theyre not harmful for your health. Advertisement Advertisement OK, Im feeling bold. Whats the hottest pepper I can try? Peppers capsaicin levels are measured on the Scoville scale, which offers a gauge for relative spiciness. Theres no upper limit to the scale (bell peppers sit right at zero), but Guinness World Records says the highest point right now is set by the Carolina Reaper, which clocks in at 1.6 million Scoville Heat Units or SHU (you can get a far less stomach-upsetting taste of the pepper in hot sauce form). By comparison, Sriracha and Tabasco sauces are generally measured around a meager 2,000 SHU. Jalapenos range from 2,500 to a little over 8,000 SHU, whereas a really spicy habanero will reach about 500,000 SHU. Advertisement Advertisement The Carolina Reapers run as Guinness worlds hottest pepper may soon come to an end. Two other peppers claim to be hotter: Dragons Breath, at 2.5 million SHU, and Pepper X at 3.2 million SHU. Given that the Carolina Reaper, only half as hot as Pepper X, once sent a man to the hospital, its safe to say you shouldnt try either of those without first figuring out your limits. Slate has relationships with various online retailers. If you buy something through our links, Slate may earn an affiliate commission. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. All prices were up to date at the time of publication. In Us, the primary thing that visually distinguishes the Wilson family from the doppelgangers who invade their vacation home is how they are dressed: The doubles have the Wilsons same features, bodies, and limbs, but instead of pajamas, theyre all wearing matching red jumpsuits. The doubles are terrifying, a zombie-like people intent on killing their counterparts, so naturally their outfits become imbued with a similar sense of menace. But try to separate the jumpsuits from their horror-movie context for just a minute: Arent they also kind of cute? Dont they make you at least a little curious to see if you can pull off that the Tethered look? Yes, the jumpsuits are meant to be scary. But they also might be spring fashion goals? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Twitter, many people have voiced curiosity about where the Tethered in the movie got the jumpsuits. Perhaps subconsciously because they want to get their own? Jordan Peele knew what he was doing with these jumpsuits. They have specific and astute resonances within the movie: As worn by, we find out later in the movie, a whole underclass of trapped people, the jumpsuits invite a sinister association with mass incarceration. In addition, they recall the famously be-jumpsuited villain of yore Michael Myers. But these one-pieces also correspond to trends in fashion. The jumpsuit has been ascendant in womens fashion for the past five years or so: In 2017, Refinery29 declared that the fashion industry had become infatuated with an especially workmanlike version of jumpsuits, also known as boilersuits or mechanics coveralls, describing them as [s]hapeless but economically cut They erase your differences and swallow your sex appeal. By the counterintuitive logic of fashion, the jumpsuits lack of appeal was its most appealing quality. In other words, theyre so anti-fashion that they became high fashion. Advertisement Advertisement Thats why you can see similarly utilitarian jumpsuits all over the place these days: Theyre on sale at American Apparel (though not in red) and worn by the salespeople at cooler-than-thou brand Glossiers Manhattan store (in millennial pink, of course). Stylish men can do jumpsuits, too: This Monday at an Apple presentation, Apple designer and, it turns out, low-key hypebeast Wyatt Mitchell wore a white Dickies jumpsuit with Converses from a Virgil Abloh collaboration onstage. Yes, the jumpsuits are meant to be scary. But they also might be spring fashion goals? Even the details of the Us jumpsuit are optimized for our current fashion moment. Us costume designer, Kym Barrett, told Fashionista that she intentionally cropped the pants to show the ankles, particularly, so that youd really see the flesh and bone of these people. This is grim within the context of the movie, but on the outside, wider-legged, crop-length pants just so happen to be a silhouette thats on the rise, if you can get the phrase flesh and bone out of your head. Should you wear an Us-style jumpsuit this season, in red or any old color? As the movie shows, they work on a variety of shapes and sizes, from adults to children. Theyre flattering on no one, which makes them flattering on everyone. Its probably the closest youll ever come to wearing the same outfit as a fashion plate like Lupita Nyongo. You might scare your friends, but you also might inspire a radical discussion about the American class system and Peeles commentary on itmore than you can say for most outfits! The American Israel Public Affairs Committees 2019 policy conferencethe pro-Israel lobbys marquee annual eventsometimes felt defined by those who werent in attendance as much as by those who were. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been due to address the conference in person on Tuesday morning but cut his visit to Washington short after a Hamas rocket attack injured seven people in central Israel, prompting Israeli retaliation against Gaza. (He spoke by video.) Then there were the Democratic candidates for the 2020 presidential nomination who chose not to attend, earning praise from the liberal group MoveOn, which had publicly called on them not to participate in a conference put on by an organization described as a partisan lobbying group that has undermined diplomatic efforts and given a platform to Islamophobes. These included Sens. Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, and Amy Klobuchar, who all have spoken at AIPAC in the past. Vice President Mike Pence called out the candidates in a combative speech for boycotting this very conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both sides were somewhat exaggerating the significance of the non-attendees. They werent exactly boycotting, as its unlikely they were invitedAIPACs policy is not to invite candidates to speak outside of election years. Still, primary candidates have used the event to network and fundraise in the pastin 2007, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton held dueling receptions on the conference floor. It seems possible some candidates may have concluded that the backlash theyd prompt among progressives for participating in the conference outweighed the backlash among staunch Israel supporters for not participating. At the very least, AIPAC is less of a must-attend than it used to be. But if you were looking for evidence that the Democratic Party is souring on AIPAC, much less any sort of Jexodus from the Democratic Party, it was hard to find in the list of this years speakers, which included the bulk of the Democratic congressional leadership: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, House Appropriations Committee Chair Nita Lowey, Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Eliot Engel, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Robert Menendez all stood with their Republican counterparts to proclaim the bipartisan nature of the U.S.-Israel alliance. Few, if any, lobbying groups could hope to assemble such a guest list. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While her name was never mentioned onstage, another spectral presence in the convention hall was freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar, whose support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movementand recent comments about AIPACs influence and the dual loyalty of Israel supporterssparked accusations of anti-Semitism. (Take it from a Benjamin, its not about the Benjamins, Netanyahu joked in his video address, referencing Omars most controversial tweet.) Pences speech implicitly called for her to be removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Referring vaguely to recent controversies, Pelosi said in her speech, We will never allow anyone to make Israel a wedge issue. In this Congress, support for Israel remains ironclad and bipartisan. Engel, Omars committee chairman, said, We may have some people say things they should not say, but by and large the American people support the U.S.-Israel relationship. Hoyer, who will lead the regular AIPAC-sponsored trip for freshman members to Israel this summer, referred to Omar and her ideological allies Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, saying, There are 62 freshman Democrats. Not three. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To underline the point, three freshman Democrats from the House as well as newly elected Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema addressed the conference on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Still, Pences words rankled some Democrats at the conference. Im concerned that some conference-goers might be left with the impression that Ilhan Omar speaks for the Democratic Party, Halie Soifer, executive director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, said in an interview. Just as I, as a Democrat, would never accuse any Republican of being represented by Steve King, I also would like people to recognize that Ilhan Omar is an outlier within our party. Perhaps in response to recent controversies, Pences speech notwithstanding, bipartisanship was a major theme of this years conference, which to its credit included voices from across the political spectrum of both countries. At a panel on progressive activism in Israel, Rabbi Susan Silverman from the group Women on the Wall, which advocates for the full rights of women to pray at the Western Wall, described the upcoming Israeli election as a choice between democracy and theocracy. Chen Arieli, an Israeli LGBTQ activist who next month will assume office as deputy mayor of Tel Aviv, said friends had criticized her for attending what they considered a right-wing conference but that We need to start building a broad progressive movement. This is the place to start building it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some self-described progressives went over the top in their eagerness to show off their pro-Israel bona fides. Engel boasted of having never missed an AIPAC conference in his 32 years in Congress. J. David Cox, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, who spoke about Israels strong labor laws and compared the BDS movement to Trumps Muslim ban, declared unprompted, I love Israel as much as I love the United States of America and I would give the ultimate sacrifice for Israel. Advertisement Most Democrats fall somewhere in the very wide gulf between that stance and Omars. A more common sentiment is the argument New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio made at the conferencethat specific disagreements with the current Israeli government cannot detract from the requirement that Israel must be defended. Advertisement Pointing to recent polling data on Jewish Democrats, Soifer said, Theres overwhelming support for Israel within our community. When it comes to how they define that, it doesnt necessarily mean endorsing and supporting every aspect of this current government. Stav Shaffir, a Knesset member from the Labor Party and former leader of the 2011 social justice protests, told me in an interview, What people hear in the U.S. about Israel is mostly what they hear about the prime minister of Israel. They hear the voices of the government. What theyre missing is that the majority of Israelis disagree with their government. The majority of Israelis are very progressive. Advertisement Advertisement Theres overwhelming support for Israel within our community. When it comes to how they define that, it doesnt necessarily mean endorsing and supporting every aspect of this current government. Halie Soifer Although Pence and Trump may try to paint the current Democratic aspirants for the White House as Israel-haters (and implicitly by extension, Jew-haters), the candidates are more likely to take some version of this nuanced position: that Israel is an ally to be defended and a country to be admired, but its current government should not be immune to criticism. Advertisement Netanyahu, in many ways, makes this position easier. The prime ministers personal corruption and political cynicism (his recent move to include the racist, terrorist-supporting Otzma Yehudit party in his coalition was too much even for AIPAC), and his transparently partisan interventions into U.S. politics under the Obama administration, tested the faith of even some of the staunchest pro-Israel Democrats. But what happens if and when Netanyahu is finally out of the picture? (He is up for re-election on April 9, and even if he wins could face indictment on corruption charges this summer, which will increase pressure on him to step down.) Then Democrats wont have such a convenient unifying villain. Advertisement Advertisement On Monday morning, Benny Gantz, the former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff who is Netanyahus strongest rival in the upcoming election, addressed the conference. Gantz promised a change if he were elected, saying there would be no racists leading our state institutions. No corruption leading our way. He also promised a new commitment to relations with the U.S. in the true spirit of bipartisanship that has served us so well in the past. On a number of key issues, however, Gantz might not be that dramatic a change. Gantz praised Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels united and eternal capital and his more recent recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. He pledged that Israel would never withdraw from the Jordan Valley, which forms the border between the West Bank and Jordan. He has said in the past that he stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Netanyahu when it comes to Iran. The main drivers of antipathy toward Israel on the American left are Israels ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories and hawkish policies in the wider Middle East, policies defended by many Democratic leaders. Common antipathy toward the polarizing figure of Netanyahu (not to mention Trump) has made this divide easier to paper over. But what would happen if many of the same controversial Israeli policies were supported by a centrist Israeli prime minister like Gantz, perhaps governing in a coalition with the left? Democrats hoping to avoid a radioactive schism may miss Bibi when hes gone. Since 2004, the Supreme Court has wrung its hands about the problem of partisan gerrymandering without actually doing anything to stop it. Last term, the justices were supposed to finally declare whether lawmakers violate the Constitution when they manipulate district lines to rig electionsonly to punt on the question. Justice Anthony Kennedy, the probable swing vote in the case, then resigned, leaving the fate of gerrymandering in the hands of his successor, Justice Brett Kavanaugh. On Tuesday, the court once again heard challenges to political redistricting. There were few surprisesthe justices have been through this beforeuntil Kavanaugh spoke up in the second hour. And while its far too soon for voting rights advocates to declare victory, the justice, a Maryland voter, sounded genuinely disturbed by mapmakers successful effort to neutralize Republican voters. If Kavanaugh sides with the liberals, the Supreme Court will, at long last, impose real constitutional limitations on this scourge to democracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Going into Tuesdays arguments, the conventional wisdom was that the voting rights plaintiffs in both cases, Common Cause v. Rucho and Benisek v. Lamone, were doomed. Without Kennedy, this logic went, there just arent five votes to rein in gerrymandering. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch have spurned the notion that federal courts should referee redistricting. Roberts famously dismissed the evidence that lower courts have used to gauge gerrymanders as sociological gobbledygook. (It isnt.) Kavanaughs views on gerrymandering are a mystery, but few expected him to take the step that Kennedy wouldnt and curtail the practice. Instead, the five conservatives seemed ready to declare that partisan gerrymandering is nonjusticiable, meaning courts cannot regulate it because they lack judicially manageable standards to identify and remedy unlawful maps. Advertisement Advertisement Rucho was Tuesdays first case, a challenge to North Carolinas congressional map. (Republicans hold a 103 advantage over Democrats and boasted that they gerrymandered their way to this lopsided margin.) For a while, the arguments played out familiarly: Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor roasted Paul Clements defense of the gerrymander; Alito and Gorsuch helped prop up his argument. Kavanaugh asked a few ambivalent questions. Does the Constitution require proportional representation, a system in which parties win seats in rough proportion to the votes cast for them? Why should the courts get involved when some states are resolving the issue by creating independent commissions? (Never mind that the Supreme Court barely upheld these commissions by a 54 vote and could now strike them down.) Advertisement When Maryland Solicitor General Steven M. Sullivan approached the lectern to defend his own states gerrymander, however, Kavanaugh grew notably more engaged. As Sullivan insisted that the shape of Marylands 6th Districta sprawling bricolage of rural counties and wealthy suburbswas not heavily influenced by partisan politics, Kavanaugh looked incredulous. Advertisement Advertisement Kavanaugh appeared closer than Roberts to joining Kagans crusade and placing limits on really extreme gerrymanders. The stated goal was 71, he told Sullivanmeaning Democratic politicians declared that they wanted to create seven Democratic districts (including the sixth) and just one Republican district. I dont think you should run away from the obvious. Kavanaugh then ran through the geographic absurdity of the map, reminding us all that he is a Maryland native. (Youve got Easton grouped with Carroll County!) He also challenged Sullivans hypocrisy, pointing out: You start your brief by saying that you agree partisan gerrymandering poses a threat to democracy. Presumably, then, some gerrymandering is badbut not Marylands. Why not? What should the test be to distinguish a benign gerrymander from a malevolent one? Kavanaugh asked. Advertisement Advertisement Michael Kimberly, who represents the Maryland voters challenging the 6th District, proposed one solution. He argued that todays partisan gerrymandering is really just a high-tech form of official retaliation for political expression. The Supreme Court has already held that the First Amendment prohibits retaliation against state employees, government contractors, and prisoners for their political speech. This same principle should apply when legislators retaliate against voters for their association with a political party. To create its current map, Maryland shuffled hundreds of thousands of Republicans out of a district long represented by a GOP congressman, simply because of their political affiliation. The remaining Republicans then lost their ability to translate their votes into electoral success, and the district flipped Democratic. In another context, such blatant discrimination on the basis of viewpoint would be unconstitutional. Why isnt it here? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not clear whether Kavanaugh agreed with Kimberlys theory. But he seemed to appreciate the fact that it is appealingly straightforwardand that it separates run-of-the-mill gerrymanders from the worst of the worst. As Kagan noted, once the Supreme Court starts policing redistricting, legislators will (presumably) stop bragging about how they screwed over voters who support their opponents. At that point, it will become much more difficult to divine legislators illicit intent to retaliate against political expression. Plaintiffs would need to show really dramatic effectswildly warped districts, massively disproportionate outcomes, and so onto infer illicit intent. The federal judiciary would not be flooded with gerrymandering lawsuits; only in rare, flagrant cases would courts find evidence sufficient to invalidate a district. Advertisement Advertisement Kavanaugh did not sound entirely convinced by Kimberly or Kagan. Still, he seemed more open to the argument than Roberts, who professed angst over the constitutional harms of gerrymandering and then rejected possible solutions. It would be a mistake, though, to write off either justices vote: Much more so than their conservative colleagues, both recognized that political redistricting is noxiously antidemocratic. But Kavanaugh appeared closer than Roberts to joining Kagans crusade and placing limits on really extreme gerrymanders. By the end of Tuesdays arguments, voting rights supporters had a fair reason to be optimistic. It would not be shocking if Kavanaugh and Roberts ultimately stuck with their conservative instincts and shut the federal courthouse doors to partisan gerrymandering plaintiffs. But it is now apparent that Kavanaugh and maybe Robertsboth of whom live in gerrymandered Maryland districtsare earnestly grappling with the evils of political redistricting. If either swings left, they could ensure that the Supreme Court delivers its most important voting rights victory of the century so far. Mo Brooks, a five-term congressman from Alabama, cited an anti-Semitic argument pushed by Adolf Hitler while condemning Democrats and the press for their big lie about collusion during a speech on the House floor Monday. It appears Brooks was attempting to draw parallels between President Donald Trumps critics and Nazis. But the language he used, directly citing Mein Kampf, instead positioned himself, the president, and his party as the Nazis in his analogy and the Democrats as the Jewsvictims of a vilification effort rooted in part in the Nazi insistence that Jews were malicious liars. Advertisement While the big lie is now thought of as a propaganda technique used by the Nazisthe propagation of a lie so enormous it is given credence because of its brazennessthe term was actually coined by Hitler and his followers. The big lie, according to Hitler, was by traitorous Jews who blamed the violently anti-Semitic German Gen. Erich Ludendorff for Germanys defeat in World War I.* Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brooks, apparently thinking reading from the book would drive home the similarities between Democrats and Nazis, quoted Hitlers Mein Kampf verbatim during the Republican response to Attorney General William Barrs summary of Robert Muellers report: A big lie is a political propaganda technique made famous by Germanys National Socialist German Workers Party, but more on that later. For more than two years, socialist Democrats and their fake news allies have perpetrated the biggest political lie, con, scam, and fraud in American history. Attorney General Barrs executive summary of Muellers report has publicly confirmed what many of us have known for a long time: The accusations of collusion between President Trump and Russia in the 2016 elections are nothing but a big lie. The Mueller report vindicates President Trump and his 2016 campaign from the socialist, baseless, reckless, and false big lie charges of Russian collusion. Socialist Democrats and their fake news media allies were shameless, shameless in their big lie scam that has inspired hatred against President Trump and violence against Americans who support Americas foundational principles. If socialists in the fake news media had any honor, they would cleanse their souls and atone for their sins. More likely, however, they will double down and propagate even more big lies because doubling down is essential to big lie theory. In that vein, I quote from another socialist who mastered big lie propaganda to a maximum, and deadly, effect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brooks then began to directly quote from the 10th chapter of the first volume of Hitlers autobiography, reading a full paragraph-long excerpt that began: In the big lie, there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie. Advertisement Advertisement With the drama of a big reveal, Brooks then concluded: Who is this big lie master? That quote was in 1925 by a member of Germanys National Socialist German Workers Partythats right, Germanys socialist partymore commonly known as the Nazis. The author was socialist Adolf Hitler, in his book Mein Kampf. Mr. Speaker, America can either learn from history or be doomed to repeat it. When it comes to big lie political propaganda in America, as the Mueller report confirms, Americas socialists and their fake news media allies are experts and have no peers. Regardless, America must reject their big lies or succumb to the danger that lurks, and horrific damage that results. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brooks is not the first Republican to falsely describe the Nazis, a fascist and right-wing political party, as a socialist, leftist one, and many in the GOP have gone out of their way to emphasize the socialist part of the partys name. And its not the first time Brooks has made historically dubious and racially charged claims about a group of people. He has compared border crossings by Latin American immigrants to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, and he has accused the Democratic Party of launching a war on whites. Someday, when were sitting around the electronic campfires weve lit to pretend-warm the huts in our Mars colonies, we will tell our grandchildren about whatever vestigial memories we have of facts. Perhaps we will be able to date their demise to the 46-ish hours between the announcement on Friday, March 22, 2019, that Robert Mueller had submitted his final report to Attorney General William Barr, and the letter Barr released on Sunday, March 24, 2019, which purported to summarize its contents and legal conclusions entirely. Advertisement In those 46 hours, there were exactly two facts known: that nobody else had been indicted by Mueller, and that Barr did not find any proposed action by Mueller to be inappropriate or unwarranted. That was, quite literally, all we knew. And into that voidthat absence of factsswept the spin. On Fox News, the declamation came forth that there had been an actual finding, of, what else, no collusion. Indeed, as Justin Peters noted, the television news station that exists exclusively to protect and defend the presidents preferred narrative declared, without basis in any publicly known or knowable fact, that it was No Collusion Day! While every other network was trying to parse out scenarios and future outcomes, and carefully explaining that nothing definitive had been shared with the public, conservative media and congressional Republicans were already claiming that the facts had been amassed, and assessed and released, and supported their cause. Were they clairvoyant? Did they have some insider information? No, they just had the special feeling they get at Fox: The facts are not material to the claim. In the absence of any knowable facts, Republicans declare victory and invent their own. In the absence of any knowable facts, Democrats declare defeat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By the time Barrs summary of the Mueller reportreportedly hundreds of pages condensed into just fourwas released on Sunday afternoon, the fact-free claims had already congealed into hardened conclusions. There had been no crimes, no conspiracies, no bad acts committed. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced that the Justice Department had produced a total and complete exoneration of the president. (This was false). So did the president. By continuing to use the word collusion, which is legally meaningless, the GOP continues to distract from what the probe was really about and to elide any discussion of what an equivocal finding on obstruction really means. In the absence of facts, Republicans invent the words they need to claim victory. In the absence of facts, Democrats roll over. Advertisement In the absence of any knowable facts, Republicans declare victory and invent their own. In the absence of any knowable facts, Democrats declare defeat. The Barr letter doesnt completely exonerate President Donald Trump of anything, as Will Saletan argues here, not of collusion nor of obstruction. It simply shows that collusion and obstruction were defined to exclude what [Trump] did. The summary defined criminality explicitly in order to exclude the presidents bad conduct, including broadly known conduct never mentioned in the summary. And Barr, who was never invited to do so, issued a legal conclusion of his own on the question of obstruction in order to settle the matter. His summary letter is ostensibly predicated upon almost two years of amassed evidence, but it is not factsinstead, it raises vastly more questions than it answers and appears to be profoundly wrong on some questions of law. Still, its a win for the GOP, while progressives, who had convinced themselves that constitutional democracy would be saved only when Robert Mueller led Donald Trump away across the White House lawn in handcuffs, declare defeat. Some of the most loyal Mueller-will-save-us dreamers never really understood what Mueller intended to do with the facts he was gathering, anyway. Indicting a sitting president wasnt ever really on the menu. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mueller himself has been vilified and excoriated by the president and his boosters for monthsbut even in the face of victory, he was somehow not vindicated, either. In their view, hes still a deep state pretender: On Mondays Fox & Friends, Steve Doocy asked Rudy Giuliani, the presidents lawyer, Do you give Robert Mueller credit and do you feel bad about the discrediting of Robert Mueller from you and the president? Get The Angle in Your Inbox Every weekday, Slate's copy editors round up the stories you should read. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. No, laughed Giuliani. No, I dont at all. He deserved every bit of criticism he got. Giuliani also took the opportunity to grimly warnon the same showthat someone had tricked the FBI into opening the original investigation. Yes, yes, yesand youre going to find out, believe me, who it was, he said. Sen. Lindsey Graham announced that hes opening hearings into the FBIs handling of Hilary Clintons emails. In their telling, Mueller completely and thoroughly exonerated Donald Trump for everything bad, establishing him as the most lawful president ever, and the time has come to destroy the Justice Department as punishment. Win-win. Advertisement The question that is left to answer is whether the failure to indict a sitting president means that Mueller failed at his job. Mueller has spent his past 22 months as special counsel practically spitting out factsin the indictments that carefully detailed a Russian hack of DNC servers and an effort by Russians to tilt the 2016 election, and in the indictments that hit senior members of the Trump campaign both for improper foreign connections and for lying about them. In the 46 hours between the Mueller report and the Barr summary, those were dismissed by Trump defenders as mere process crimes. (Thats their lawyerly term for lying, which they then proceeded to do as they asserted what Mueller has and has not concluded.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The real tragedy of the Barr report is that he has facts at his fingertipsnot just facts about the ways in which members of the Trump campaign acted inappropriately and then lied about it, which we all know, but also facts about obstruction that we do not yet know. But like Fox News had done a day before, Barr gave us spin in lieu of facts while asking us to believe that they are the same thing. The House voted 4200 to let us see the report. Donald Trump last week said that he wanted the report to be made public. If in fact Donald Trump is completely exonerated, we would be well served by knowing that as a country. And yet, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he will block public access to the full report because mumble something mumble national security. Advertisement In a world in which facts really mattered, the notion that Republicans won and Democrats lost the Mueller report, based on an incomplete summary that drew hasty conclusions without showing any work, would be laughable. Especially if the author of that summary auditioned for his job by claiming that presidential obstruction of justice couldnt ever be a real thing, anyway. William Barr could write his letter in 46 hours because he had always known what it was going to say. Advertisement We do not live in a black-and-white world. The answer is not that Trump either did nothing wrong or committed massive crimes for which he can be removed from office. Muellers reportwere we ever to inspect itappears to have split the difference, and delivered its findings in nuanced shades of gray. But at this point, it almost doesnt matter whether we can inspect it. The lines are drawn and the legal questions have been answered, not with findings but with political sides retreating to partisanshipone side says the president is cleared (and is now doubling down on attacking the press and the Justice Department) and the other side looks at the brick wall it is facing and concedes that maybe its not worth it, anyway. This has been the state of play for years now. The biggest question just might be why we expected anything else. Purdue Pharma, the company that produces OxyContin, has agreed pay out $270 million in a settlement over its role in the opioid epidemic in Oklahoma, the states attorney general announced Tuesday afternoon. The Sackler family, which owns the company and has itself faced increased scrutiny after emails surfaced showing efforts by one member to mislead the public about the risks of opioids, has also agreed to contribute to the payments. The settlement averts a trialand the possibility of any potentially more damaging information emerging in courtset to start May 28 for the now deeply unpopular company, which more than any other company has become associated with the decades-long crisis that in 2017 alone killed 72,000 Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other pharmaceutical companies targeted by the same lawsuit, including Johnson and Johnson, are still scheduled to go to court, and it is not known if they will settle as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the New York Times, $100 million of the settlement will go toward a new addiction treatment and research center at Oklahoma State University in Tulsa. The Sacklers will contribute $75 million over five years to that center. Another $60 million will go toward state court costs, $20 million for medicine for addiction treatment, and $12.5 million to cities and counties to help them recuperate some of the costs of the epidemic. Purdue Pharmas legal troubles are far from over. Although the company has already settled in two other cases, 35 state cases and one massive federal casea collection of 1,600 smaller ones consolidated and overseen by a judge in Clevelandstill loom. According to the Times, Purdue Pharma has explored the possibility of filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring, which would make it harder for plaintiffs to collect on large judgments. That possibility, according to the Times, in part motivated the decision to settle out of court rather than aim for a higher civil judgment. Advertisement Advertisement Recent litigation has battered the Sackler familys image, and a January court filing in Massachusetts provided evidence several members of the family directed an effort by the company to downplay the addictive nature of the painkillers and push doctors to prescribe heavier doses and keep their patients on it for longer, even as it knew of the dangers and addictive nature of opioids. We have to hammer on abusers in every way possible, Richard Sackler wrote in an email in 2001, when he was president of the company, according to the filing. They are the culprits and the problem. They are reckless criminals. The Sacklers are also known for their philanthropy, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Tate museums in London, and Britains National Portrait Gallery have all announced in recent weeks that they would no longer accept donations from the Sackler family. Curveball: Last week, the yield curve for U.S. Treasury bonds inverted for the first time since 2007. The curve inversion has been a pretty reliable indicator of impending economic recessions in the country for the past few decades. So does this mean its time to panic? Maybe not quite yet, as Jordan Weissmann explains, but its worth it to be aware. Solidarity: On Monday, a large number of Lyft and Uber drivers in California went on strike, demanding higher wages and improved working conditions on the eve of the companies potential IPOs. April Glaser spoke with two drivers about why theyre striking and the grueling toll of the ride-sharing economy. Advertisement Beloved: Throughout her career, Toni Morrison has been called difficultdifficult to read, difficult to interview, difficult to understandand shes never seen fit to apologize for it. Author Namwali Serpell finds power in that imperiousness: I, too, yearn for that specific, human, black, female freedom: to feel at ease to be difficult. On the occasion of Morrisons new essay collection, The Source of Self-Regard, Serpell celebrates the Nobel Prizewinning novelist and her uncompromising brilliance. Spice up your life: Instead of thinking of leftovers as sad remnants of a former meal, cookbook author Sara Dickerman writes, use them as ready-made ingredients for a fresh new creation. Mix leftovers with one of these 19 essential condiments to make a tasty second-day soup, salad, or sandwich with just the right amount of spice. And why does spicy food make your nose run and your body sweat, anyway? Molly Olmstead has the answers. For fun: Kanyes Sunday Services. No church in the wild, Nitish President Donald Trumps main tactic, when confronted with a challenge, is to lie, about everything, indiscriminately: not so much to obscure the truth (though thats part of it) as to render the concept of truth irrelevant. Team Trumps instant reaction to Attorney General William Barrs four-page letter summarizing the Mueller report is the most obvious case in point from the past few days. Not only did Trump tout Barrs conclusion that there was no collusion with the Russian government; he and his press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, also proclaimed that it exonerated him from the charge of obstructing justice, when in fact, the letter explicitly said the report does not exonerate him of that charge. Advertisement But, also in the past few days, there was another instance of lyingless high-profile but no less illustrative of the general pattern and, in its own way, very damaging to our policies and politics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Thursday, the Treasury Department blackballed two Chinese shipping companies for evading sanctions on North Korea. National security adviser John Bolton hailed the measure, imploring the maritime industry to do more to stop North Koreas illicit shipping practices. The next day, Trump tweeted, I have today ordered the withdrawal of those additional Sanctions! In a brief statement, Sanders explained the reversal: President Trump likes Chairman Kim and he doesnt think these sanctions will be necessary. Many commentators (including me) expressed outrage and befuddlement at this course of events. Then, later that same day, administration officials explained this had all been a misunderstanding. Trump, they said, had canceled large-scale sanctions that Treasury was about to impose directly on North Korea. This clarification was noted, without skepticism, in news stories about the sanctionsthereby rendering the stories barely newsworthy. Some critics on Twitter even commended Trump for blocking a provocation instigated by Bolton and other hawks, which could have intensified tensions and possibly led to conflict. Advertisement Advertisement Trump lies not so much to obscure the truth (though thats part of it) as to render the concept of truth irrelevant. Then, on Tuesday, Bloomberg News, citing five people familiar with the matter, reported that this explanation was falsea cover story to make the White House look less messy and Trump seem more in control of policy. It turns out there were no large-scale sanctions in the works. What Trump reversed in his tweet were the previous days sanctions against the two Chinese shipping firmsas originally reported. Advertisement As of Tuesday afternoon, other news agencies, which recited the phony clarification, have not yet followed Bloombergs leadand it would be surprising if they did, except maybe in a two-inch squib. The whole tale is too complicated and it would require reopening a story that hadnt been much of a story anywaybut it seemed not to be much of a story only because of the clarification, which turns out to be false. So the lie persists, and the picture of an utterly disheveled White House and a chaotic foreign policy emerges a little foggier than it should. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Liars keep lying when they see they pay no penaltyand, more often than not, incur benefitsfor lying. The entire Trump-doused Republican Party is leaping in. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says its deeply disturbing that President Barack Obama didnt do more about Russias hacking of the 2016 election while he was still in officewhen, in fact, Obama tried to get bipartisan support for taking measures but McConnell refused to cooperate; so Obama, in order to avoid appearances of partisanship, took less action than he should have. Unless McConnell has amnesia, he knows that hes lying. He doesnt care. Whatever works. Advertisement Advertisement Ballsier still is the Trump team slapping the liar label on the reporters and news analysts who have been tracking corruption, obstruction, and other malfeasances allegedlyand, in many cases, indisputablycommitted by Trump and his entourage. Some of these analysts probably inferred too much from the lines they drew between suspicion and certainty. But many of these malfeasances are as clear as day. For some, we dont yet know what the Mueller report says becauseit bears repeating over and overBarrs four-page letter is not a precis of the Mueller report, nor could it be, even if hed written it with the best intentions (which cant be assumed). Still other charges, especially those dealing with finances, lie outside Muellers purview, which was to examine links between the Trump campaign and Russia. Advertisement Advertisement Finally, Mueller was said to be working on two reports, or at least two parts of a report: one on criminal activity, the other on counterintelligence. Barrs letter seems to deal entirely with the former. Will we ever hear anything about the latter? Will its conclusions vindicate Trumps Monday morning victory lap? Advertisement The main point of Trumps celebration, and his condemnation of all those who still resist it, is to close off further inquiry, to make it seem that the Barr letter is the end of the story, to make future investigationsthe release of the Mueller report itself, any probes by the House committees, any indictments by the Southern District of New Yorkseem, at most, mere appendages to the narrative the Trump White House constructed in the wake of the letter. Whether or not it was Barrs intent, his letter will now be used as a bludgeon to discredit every criticism of Trump, in every sphere, as fake news and witch hunts. Many people will believe them, and many others will hesitate to disagree. Late Sunday afternoon, after two years of investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller and his team of 19 lawyers and approximately 40 FBI agents, intelligence analysts, forensic accountants, and other professional staff, Attorney General William Barr delivered to Congress his summary of the Trump report. While the debate has quickly focused on congressional Democrats calls for disclosing the full report, one item included in Barrs memo should be incontrovertible and remains remarkable: A foreign power took deliberate actions in an attempt to subvert Americas democracy. For Muellers extensive investigation and Trumps own attorney general to confirm that fact should be the real headline this weekand it should be an urgent call to protect our democracy better as the 2020 presidential campaign heats up. Advertisement Barrs summary highlights that Mueller found two main Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election. The first attempt to influence the 2016 election, according to Barr, involved attempts by a Russian organization, the Internet Research Agency (IRA), to conduct disinformation and social media operations in the United States designed to sow social discord, eventually with the aim of interfering with the election. It was this line of action that led to the indictments of 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies for committing federal crimes while seeking to interfere in the United States political system in information warfare against the United States. It was also the focus of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report on the social media tactics used by the IRA in its attempts to influence U.S. political discourse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The second attempt involved the Russian governments efforts to conduct computer hacking operations designed to gather and disseminate information to influence the election. This effort centered around the hacking of emails and computers owned by individuals associated with the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign. The stolen information was disseminated through various intermediaries, including WikiLeaks. This led to the July 13 indictment of 12 Russian military intelligence officials for conspiring to influence the 2016 election. The 2017 assessment by the CIA and FBI also found that Russia did interfere in the 2016 presidential election with the goal to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process. Perhaps if these 25 indictments had been filed at the same time as the release of the Barr summary, this extensive rendering of a foreign nations attack on our elections would be garnering significant media attention. Regardless, the conclusion of Muellers investigation should be an urgent reminder that our elected officials, our candidates, and our government must take this as a serious threat. They have to begin taking action to prevent our 2020 elections from being targeted again. Here are seven recommendations to help safeguard our democracy: Advertisement 1. Investigate entities that were aided by or affiliated with Russia. Advertisement The extent to which other entities assisted Russia remains cloudy, so it is imperative that investigations continue into organizations such as WikiLeaks and Cambridge Analytica. Barr acknowledges in his memo that WikiLeaks was involved with the dissemination of stolen emails and other information. And Cambridge Analytica, its parent company SCL Group, and key executives may have had significant engagement with Russia, according to whistleblower Christopher Wylie, who tweeted, when I was at Cambridge Analytica, the company hired known Russian agents, had data researchers in St Petersburg, tested US voter opinion on Putins leadership, and hired hackers from Russia - all while Bannon was in charge. The American people deserve to know who else was assisting or collaborating with Russia. Fortunately, it appears that the House Judiciary Committee may continue to investigate these ties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 2. Hold those involved accountable. Deep into 2018, the State Department had yet to spend any of the $120 million it has been allocated since late 2016 to counter foreign efforts to meddle in elections. Given that its highly unlikely any of the 25 Russian individuals or companies indicted will ever face trial for their actions, accountability may have to come through either financial punishment or strategic engagement. In 2018, the U.S. took steps to sanction Russia for its behavior, including its interference in our elections. However, in January 2019, Senate Republicans defeated a bipartisan bid to keep sanctions in place against companies owned by Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Deripaska, as the U.S. Treasury noted, has himself said that he does not separate himself from the Russian state. These types of economic measures put in place to punish Russia are a key driver in preventing this type of overt action in the future and must be adhered to moving forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, while the White House no longer has a cybersecurity coordinator, the U.S. did release documents in 2018 that laid out a strategy acknowledging the threats associated with cyberspace. These documents, the U.S. Cyber Command Vision, and a Department of Defense Cyber Strategy provided the framework for the United States Cyber Command and the National Security Agency to launch a campaign to shut down Russian troll farms in an effort to block and deter interference in American elections. Hopefully a combination of sanctions and deterrence will cause Russia and others to pause before implementing plans to target U.S. elections. 3. Focus on disinformation. Within the State Department exists a hub for coordinating overt U.S. counterpropaganda efforts worldwide: the Global Engagement Center. The recently named coordinator of the GEC, Lea Gabrielle, a U.S. Navy fighter pilot and former Fox News journalist, cited Russia as one of the countries we should most worry about using propaganda to undercut U.S. interests. The GECs budget for 2019 was only $55 million. Legislation has been introduced to raise that amount to $115 million. Yet deep into 2018, the State Department had yet to spend any of the $120 million it has been allocated since late 2016 to counter foreign efforts to meddle in elections or sow distrust in democracy. As a result, not one of the 23 analysts working in the departments Global Engagement Centerwhich has been tasked with countering Moscows disinformation campaignspeaks Russian, and a department hiring freeze has hindered efforts to recruit the computer experts needed to track Russia efforts. Congress needs to hold the State Department accountable for the GECs shortcomings in countering foreign propaganda and in even deploying the funds allocated to it for such purposes. After all, it was Congress that added counter-state propaganda, such as counter-Russia propaganda, to the GECs mission in the first place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, we need to invest in education around better media analysis skills, such as distinguishing facts and opinions, identifying hate speech, and noticing where information had been omitted. Similar courses in Ukraine have shown they can be quite successful, and in a time where the ability to discern between fact and fiction is becoming more complicated, this training may be essential. 4. Protect our elections. While the focus may be on the IRA and hacking, our elections are also vulnerable. A U.S. Senate report in May 2018 said that in 2016, cyber actors affiliated with the Russian Government conducted an unprecedented, coordinated cyber campaign against state election infrastructure. Russian actors scanned databases for vulnerabilities, attempted intrusions, and in a small number of cases successfully penetrated a voter registration database, and, in a small number of states, these cyber actors were in a position to, at a minimum, alter or delete voter registration data. Advertisement In order to secure our elections, we need to allocate funds to upgrade our voting systems. While $380 million in leftover Help America Vote Act grant funding was distributed to states earlier this year, many say they continue to face major funding challenges. In fact, according to a report by the Brennan Center, 121 election officials in 31 states said they need to upgrade their voting machines before 2020but only about one-third of them have enough money to do so. Forty states are using machines that are at least a decade old, and 45 states are using equipment thats not even manufactured anymore. Under H.R. 1the For the People Act introduced in early January by House Democratsnearly $1.5 billion would be authorized to fund states to improve voting technology and reduce cybersecurity vulnerabilities in election infrastructure. Unfortunately, both Senate Republicans and President Donald Trump oppose this bill, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has assured his side he plans to officially ignore it in his chamber. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, has introduced an election security bill, the Protecting American Votes and Elections Act, which would authorize the Homeland Security Department to set minimum cybersecurity standards for voting machinemakers. Finally, the Election Systems Integrity Act, proposed by Sens. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota; and Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, would require disclosure of foreign ownership of election service providers so that state and federal officials would know who is behind the companies that provide election equipment. This act directly addresses issues such as when the corporate host of Marylands statewide voter registration, candidacy, and election management system was revealed to have been bought by a parent company with links to a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin. Advertisement 5. Regulate international distribution of campaign/polling information. As more and more intelligence is gathered about American citizens, be it via technology companies or foreign state actors, it is time to consider this data to be sensitive to the point of export regulation. For example, Paul Manafort shared polling data on the 2016 election with a Russian man linked to Moscows intelligence agencies, according to Robert Mueller. Americans should demand that this type of information, be it polling or any type of audience analysis, be considered sensitive and be regulated per the U.S. Export Control System as a means to promote our national security interests and foreign policy objectives. Advertisement 6. Regulate tech platforms. Given the impact that social media and tech platforms are having on an advertising and influence basis, it is imperative that the reach of those platforms is in line with the regulatory regime that governs broadcast TV and radio. Parts of H.R.1 and the Honest Ads Act would explicitly ban the purchase of political ads by foreign nationals. Additional considerations could focus on requiring federal licensing for foreign accounts looking to disseminate information, providing geo-information on issue-related pages, and expanding and extending electioneering communications rules to cover online ads. Advertisement Advertisement 7. Take the pledge. Finally, political candidates need to be willing to agree to a code of conduct with a long list of forbidden tactics. As Justin Hendrix writes, these might include the deployment of bots, trolls, false accounts and websites, fake or misleading groups, or the use of highly misleading, manipulated video or audio artifacts such as deep fakes. Participants would also pledge not to hack their opponents or to acquire or otherwise share or utilize hacked materials and agree to avoid the illicit acquisition or use of data. Thanks to Muellers work and Barrs letter to Congress, Americans of all political persuasions now should agree that Russia attempted to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and in turn should be on guard that the 2020 presidential election will likely be a significant focus. In the face of a grave national security threat, we must contemplate how to protect our elections and democracy from foreign interference. While the recommendations above may not eliminate the threat, it is important that the conversation about potential solutions begins in earnest. Until then, we may be, in the vein of Mark Twain, at risk for history once again rhyming. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Within the United States, numerous laws have been passed at the state and local levels to regulate facial recognition technology (FRT)yet looming tensions remain. FRT is expected to grow substantially in the coming years due to increased investing and the eagerness of entities to adopt it. At the same time, U.S. lawmakers and privacy advocates are challenging the technologys proliferation by raising the consequences it can have on societyand calling for increased regulation. As facial recognition becomes increasingly pervasive, privacy concerns are compoundedprompting reconsideration of whether current laws appropriately balance its benefits and harms. Robert Gilpin, R.I.P. - The Washington Post : His greatest book was written in 1981, but the main theory in it is perhaps more trenchant now... We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies , click here. The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless. The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well. By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism. Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza. Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres. The chatbot also teaches Slovak users about disinformation. News: Receive favorite authors articles by email. Try the new feature and turn on the subscription. Checkbot is the first Facebook chatbot in Slovakia to uncover disinformation. (Source: Seesame) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Labelling opponents as the biggest enemies, sharing fake news and pictures, publishing unsigned articles and spreading hatred; these are some of the ways disinformation media deceive people. Checkbot, Slovakia's first chatbot on Facebook, was launched by a group of Slovaks and should now help fight these practices. A robot is expected to automatically respond to people's questions and help Slovaks disclose misleading and manipulated news online. More than half of people in Slovakia believe in conspiracy theories, which is the most among the Visegrad Group countries, said Peter Jancarik of PR agency Seesame, as quoted by the TASR newswire. The agency therefore came up with the idea of Checkbot to uncover fake news on Facebook. The chatbot can be used by any of Slovakia's 2.7 million Facebook users. It speaks an easy language so that older people, who are often victims of hoaxes and disinformation, can also understand it, Jancarik added, as quoted by the Hospodarske Noviny daily. How does it work? Anyone who wants to verify whether a piece is factual can click on Checkbot, either on Facebook or its official website. A computer algorithm with human intelligence and empathy come together in Checkbot, said Tomas Krissak of Open Society Foundation, as quoted by Hospodarske Noviny. After Checkbot says Hi to a user, it asks for a link to check a given news story. Checkbot first looks into whether the website that published the story is listed on the Konspiratori.sk website, which contains the list of websites spreading conspiracy theories and fake news. Subsequently, the chatbot analyses vocabulary and pictures used in the text. We are going to focus on comments below the stories from disinformation websites, where hatred and nonsense are shared, added Krissak, as quoted by TASR. The chatbot also motivates people to uncover and learn more about fake news. It asks them questions such as who the author is, if the story spreads hatred and fear, and whether at least two independent sources are cited in the story. In addition, Checkbot is able to send its users notifications on fake news if it is massively shared on Facebook. Expansion planned The idea came from Seesame, the Open Society Foundation think tank and activist Juraj Smatana. The creators of the Slovak chatbot also plan to export the concept abroad. They are already discussing this possibility with Czech organisations, which are considering the implementation of Checkbot because the database of conspirators also contains Czech disinformation websites. It is an experiment, which is relatively easily transferable abroad, said Jancarik, as quoted by TASR. Checkbot was created by Slovak firm Touch4IT with the financial support of the ESET Foundation, the US Embassy in Slovakia and telecommunications services provider Slovak Telekom. Moreover, the Embassies of Canada and the Netherlands supported the project as well. Trot Insider has learned that pacing mare Tall In The Saddle has passed away at the age of 28. A well-bred daughter of Legal Notice - Sonsamette, a full-sister to the great Sonsam, Tall In The Saddle raced against the likes of Harem Success and Queens Arms in the Ontario Sires Stakes program at two before racing at tracks across the province in conditioned and claiming ranks up until the age of nine. Making 130 starts, Tall In The Saddle posted a career summary of 11-21-19 while earning $75,185 and taking a mark of 1:58.3 at Hanover Raceway at the age of seven. As a broodmare, Tall In The Saddle produced Imitandthatsthat, a son of Fit For Life that banked $64,984 and took a mark of 1:54.1 at Windsor Raceway. "She enjoyed her racing career until we retired her in 2000," said owner Patrick Denomme. "She spent her retirement on our farm in Woodslee and we enjoyed everyday we had with her." Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Tall In The Saddle. The communist Soviet Union fell in late 1991, leaving many Eastern European countries without direction. Explore the fall of the Soviet Union, the economic issues it caused, and how Eastern Europe recovered. Learn about what the Soviet Union was and what caused its collapse and the end of the Cold War. Explore the effects of the collapse and a timeline of the Soviet Union from its inception to its dissolvement. Fall of the Soviet Union & End of the Cold War | Causes & Timeline Democratization in Russia is a topic that the country has been shy about and unable to attain, yet has always been philosophized about. Learn more about its currently incomplete process, early attempts at democracy, and its past leaders: Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin. The change in Russia's society after the demise of the Soviet Union was a sharp one. In this lesson, dive into the history and timeline of Yeltsin and the New Russian Republic, including the fall of the Soviet Union, Yeltsin's early career, and Yeltsin as president. Ethnic cleansing has persisted as an international issue in the years since World War II, as seen in the Yugoslav Wars when Serbian nationalist forces sought to eradicate Croats, Slovenes, and Bosnians. Follow the rise to power and war crimes of Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, and examine his controversial sentencing and death. The communist takeover of Czechoslovakia in 1948 led to a number of tumultuous events. Learn about President Bene's exile, the battle for control between the coalition and the communist party, victorious February and the impetus for NATO. The Brezhnev Doctrine had a large influence in Eastern Europe as it implied military intervention on any perceived weaknesses among the nations in the region. Discover more about the impact of the Brezhnev Doctrine on Eastern Europe, its background, and its downfall in the 1980s. Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the Soviet Union, broke from the hardline policies of Stalin while also maintaining oligarchic communism. Learn about his early career, destalinization, his foreign relations, and the end of his power. Battle of Britain: Definition, Facts & Summary The Battle of Britain was an air battle fought over three months during WWII between Germany and Britain. Explore the definition, facts, competing strategies, and summary of the Battle of Britain, and consider why the Germans didn't invade and the reason Hitler decided not to. Deng Xiaoping and the Four Modernizations In 1978, China had some big industrial issues it was trying to correct. In this lesson, we'll talk about one of its most elaborate solutions, as well as the person who implemented it. The People's Republic of China: Politics & Economy The People's Republic of China was founded following the Chinese Civil War in 1949. Learn about the politics and economy of the People's Republic of China by exploring its leaders, including Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, and then discover the current position of China as it functions in the 21st century. The US Defense and Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced the approval of a sale of 25 F-16C/D Block 72 fighter jets for a cost of $3.8 billion to Moroccos Royal Armed Forces. The deal will further bolster Moroccos air force supremacy in the region as the North African country plans to revamp its operating fleet of 23 F16 with state of the art electronic systems and weaponry for $983 million. The deal will be effective once it receives the approval of the US congress. The purchase will improve interoperability with the United States and other regional allies and enhance Moroccos ability to undertake coalition operations, as it has done in the past in flying sorties against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, the DSCA said in a statement. The Moroccan military ordered 24 F-16s in 2008 and lost one in 2015 while taking part in the Saudi-led air operations in Yemen. The F-16 Block 70/72 is the newest and most advanced F-16 configuration to date, with a structural life more than 50 percent beyond that of previous F-16 aircraft, according to Lockheed Martin. It features an active radar with new avionics and software that takes advantage of new technologies. The Empire of Japan was expanded through territorial acquisitions and wars during the early 20th century. Learn about the outcomes of the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War, the Takeover of Korea, and how World War II led to the end of Imperial Japan. The last Chinese dynasty, the Qing dynasty, fell in the early 20th century. Explore the Qing dynasty, examine the impact of China's wars with European powers, and learn about the unrest and revolution that led to the formation of the Republic of China. During the 16th and 17th centuries, India was an important trading hub with goods Europeans craved, such as silk, spices, and opium. Learn about European imperialism in India and explore the impacts of the British East India Company and the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Between the two World Wars, conflict between China and Japan persisted. Learn the history of the 'Interwar' conflict in Asia, the economic and military rise of Japan, and the political instability of China that contributed to Japanese aggression. The collapse of the one mighty Ming and Qing dynasties in China came as the result of pressure from European trade and wars over opium, as well as a succession of weak rulers. Learn about the rise of the Qing and Ming, the impact of agriculture on the Chinese economy, the influence of explorations by admiral Zheng He, and the eventual fall of the dynasties. Decolonization and nationalism in Israel, Egypt, Africa and Algeria after World War II was a tumultuous affair but a great stride for independence in the region. Learn about which nations were involved and their movements. From 1900 to 1945, Indochina faced imperialism, political upheaval, and unrest. Explore Indochina's cultural profile during this period, then discover what happened when the French arrived, Japan's impact in the region, and the opposition from Vietnamese nationalists led by Ho Chi Minh. The Treaty of Nanjing was an important milestone in both Western and Chinese history. This lesson explains the history behind the Treaty of Nanjing, the main points of the agreement, and its effects. Learn about the domino theory and the importance of Eisenhower's speech that applied the theory to communism. Learn how the domino theory may have led the United States into the Vietnam War. In the 17th century, Spain was the most powerful country in Europe, but its status began to decline due to a series of bad decisions by its kings caused bureaucratic and economic issues. Learn how engaging in ill-advised wars led to the decline of Spain and the emergence of competing powers in Europe, such as France, Great Britain, and the Dutch Republic. European imperialism in Africa was marked by invasions, colonization, and rivalries. Learn about this period by first exploring the background to European imperialism in Africa, then discovering the impact of the Scramble for Africa, including invasions, occupations, and rivalries. The British reign over India was initiated as an economic venture, but also sought to impose technological and cultural features as well. Learn the effects of their rule and about the controversial decision of choosing Indian nationalism or Western appropriation. During the Holocaust, Nazis sought to create a 'master race' and began a genocidal program called the Final Solution to kill all Jewish people in Europe. Explore the Holocaust, antisemitism, Nazi Germany, Auschwitz, and the Final Solution. China's Boxer Rebellion was a revolt at the turn of the 20th century against colonial forces from Europe, the United States, and Japan. Learn how to define the Boxer Rebellion, explore a summary of its background, causes, and history, and examine the resulting war, the Boxers' defeat, and the conflict's aftermath. Chinese society is fascinating to study due to the social climate of the strict, disciplined, but also productive state of Chinese culture. Learn more about Chinese society during the Ming and Qing dynasties of 1368-1911, explore the impact of Confucian values, and understand the importance of art and literature in the era. Learn who was Deng Xiaoping and read about his Chinese economic reforms. Understand the best explanation for how Deng Xiaoping modernized industry in China. The Yalta Conference and The Potsdam Conference: US Diplomacy & International Politics During World War II The Yalta Conference involved planning the future of Europe and the Potsdam Conference involved planning the remake of Germany. Explore US diplomacy and international politics during World War II and the main points of both conferences. Vladimir Lenin's Communism & the Soviet Union | Who Was Vladimir Lenin? Discover who Vladimir Lenin was and his contribution to communism. Learn how his exposure to Marxist thought led to Lenin communism and revolution in Russia. Imperialism in Africa: Lesson for Kids During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Europeans controlled almost all of Africa, leading to widespread changes on both continents. Learn about the origins of imperialism in Africa and how it has shaped the area to this day in this lesson. Eddie Woo and Annabelle Chauncy, a powerhouse team in the classroom. You dont hear the word kismet used a lot these days. But when Annabelle Chauncy (BA 07, LLB 10) and Eddie Woo (BEd(Second)(Math) 08) sat next to each other at the 2017 Alumni Awards, kismet was definitely involved. They were both there as award winners: Chauncy, for building and operating community schools in Uganda; Woo, for his achievements as one of Australias most influential and effective mathematics teachers. Chauncy remembers them bonding almost instantly over their passion for education. By the end of the awards night I think I already had him booked on a plane to come over to Uganda, she says. Its a long way from the leafy Sydney suburb of Cherrybrook, where Woo teaches at Cherrybrook Technology High School, to the Ugandan capital of Kampala. Not unexpectedly, the always engaging and animated Woo, is across the numbers. Its a country of 44 million people in an area the size of Victoria, he says. Talk about an energetic place. Everyone hustling, everyone trying to get by. Driving just 20 minutes out of Kampala, things quickly become very different. There are few actual towns but the verdant country is dotted with small properties where subsistence farmers grow food for their families, with hopefully some left to sell. The mud huts where most of them live have no running water, no electricity. Most travel is done by foot. It was in a rural area even further out that Chauncy chose to build her first school. How that happened is a story she now finds hard to believe, herself. The talks in Berlin, which were attended by 24 people, developed a 'Code of Conduct for Syrian Coexistence', although some criticised them for lacking political vision writes Asharq al-Awsat. After two years of closed-door talks between various segments of Syrian society, most notably Sunnis and Alawites, they decided to go out in the open and declare a document on joint Syrian coexistence. The document presents principles that are supra-constitutional and provide the ground to the formation of an all-encompassing council that steers clear of the regime-opposition equation. The final round of these talks was held in Berlin on Friday and Saturday. Twenty-four figures attended to represent various Syrian social communities. Among them were nine Alawite former lawmakers, elders and influential social figures. They came together at a roundtable with opposition, rebel and clan leaders, as well as Kurdish and Christian figures, from throughout Syria. While diplomats dismissed the talks because they lacked a political vision, others highlighted its social significance. Asharq Al-Awsat attended the second day of talks that were moderated by Syrian constitutional expert, Dr. Nassif Naim. The media was not allowed to disclose the exact location of the meeting or the names of the participants, who assured that the Syrian authorities were not aware of the details of their discussions and agreements. They portrayed themselves as Syrians, who refuse to be described in sectarian terms. The idea of the dialogue first emerged in 2016 and meetings were held by Alawite and Sunni figures in France and Switzerland. After overcoming various differences over the transition phase and formation of a presidential council in Syria and after introducing some structural changes, more meetings were held between the Alawite and Sunni teams in mid-2017. The participants included Mulham al-Shabali, of the Al-Fawara tribe, Sheikh Amir al-Dandal, of the Al-Aqaidat tribe, Aounein al-Jarba, of the Shamar tribe, Mustafa Kiyali, of the National Bloc in Aleppo-Idlib, and various Alwaite figures from Tartus, Homs and Latakia. After months of discussions, they agreed to form a council of the eleven-item Code of Conduct for Syrian Coexistence. Three spokesmen were chosen to explain the eleven principles and present them to embracing social environments inside and outside Syria. Saturdays talks witnessed a heated debate over foreign forces in Syria, until the question over why the figures chose to come out into the open was raised. Everyone had his own reply. Jarba said that he noticed that the code of conduct was positively received by his acquaintances and his the embracing environment because they realized that the participants were seeking to establish the central social system of a future Syrian state that is based on social justice. On the broader level, he stressed the need to introduce a greater Arab role in Syria. He urged Arab countries, starting with Saudi Arabia, to lead the Arab role in resolving his countrys crisis. Other countries have interests, but Arab ones are our relatives and Saudi Arabia is our older brother, he was quoted as saying. Moreover, Jarba said that the Syrian people do not believe that a solution could be found in the regime-opposition equation. The solution lies in the embracing environment and the code of conduct is a message of reassurance to the people that there were forces that were working for them and their future. He warned that the regime will not allow the emergence of a civil society and believes that the solution lies in local societies. We are the guarantees of the future and the participating Alawites know this, he stressed. Former Syrian Ambassador to London Sami al-Khaimi warned that the danger lurking around Syria is that the Syrians are not united in combating foreign ambitions. He stressed the need for Syrians to seek economic interests. After two days of talks, each figure returned to Syria or back to their expatriate life. They did, however, agree on promoting the code of conduct and seeking efforts to resolve disputes in their local communities without waiting for a long-stalled political solution to come from higher powers. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, who have a firm control over Idleb province, clashed with Islamic State militants, resulting in the death of one child reports Zaman Al Wasl. Clashes erupted late on Saturday between the powerful Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Islamic State (ISIS) militants in the northern town of Bennish, leaving a child dead, sources told Zaman al-Wasl. Abou al-Harreth, a security officer from Tahrir al-Sham, told Zaman al-Wasl that the clashes erupted with ISIS members who escaped from Idleb Central Prison weeks ago. Formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is the dominant force in Idleb province, and has killed most of its opponents, including citizen journalists and human rights advocates. Tahrir al-Sham and other hardline groups have refused to pull their fighters from Idleb, despite the creation of the demilitarized zone that was announced by rebel backer Ankara and regime supporter Moscow last September, and which was supposed to separate regime troops from rebel fighters in Idleb and adjacent areas. This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Broken regime promises and a continuing deterioration of living conditions in the southern province of Daraa have pushed people to protest writes Human Voice. An Assad regime Air Force Intelligence center in Daraa province was attacked, while the revolutionary mobilization against the Syrian regime in the province continues. Quoting local sources, The Horan Free League said, For the third time in a week, unidentified figures attacked an Air Force Intelligence office in the town of Dael in the central Daraa countryside. The sources said that there were clashes with light weapons that lasted for half an hour without any reports of wounded on either side. On Thursday night, in the town of al-Hirak in the Daraa countryside, unidentified figures burned an image of Bashar al-Assad 12 hours after it was placed near the citys station, and then its remains were removed during the day. On Wednesday, a regime agent had placed the image near the station in response to an image of Assad being burned at the city entrance two days earlier. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented a new assassination, which is part of the escalating security collapse in Daraa province, where unknown gunmen on Mar. 22, 2019, used machine guns to kill a former fighter in the rebel groups of Tel Shehab in the Daraa countryside, who reached a settlement with regime forces, after they took control of the area, and had recently joined the Fourth Division. The group, which call themselves the Popular Resistance, called on young men to join their ranks and to resist the Assad regime, which has broken promises and violated the settlement and reconciliation agreements and forcibly conscripted young men into the ranks of its army. The Popular Resistance said in a statement issued on its Facebook page that it would be, the shield that defends Syrians in all their forms, wherever they are, and called on young men of Houran to join them. According to the Popular Resistance statement, this comes as a result of, the Assad regime breaking promises and carrying out arrests and forcing young men into compulsory and reserve service, and forcing defectors back to service in their ranks, taking advantage of the harshness of the life and the difficult conditions in which people are living. The Popular Resistance addressed its statement to the young men across Syria, calling for them to join their ranks to, drive away oppression from the oppressed and to continue the path to freedom for which blood and bodies were spent. The Popular Resistance was formed by a group of young men from Houran in mid-November after the Assad regimes forces took control of the provinces of Daraa and Quneitra with Russian and Iranian backing, in a fierce military campaign that led to the displacement and settlement agreements in the province. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. The Liwa al-Quds militia was stopped in Aleppo by a patrol from the Fourth Division, which led to fighting and caused one known fatality writes Al-Modon. The al-Hamdaniyeh district in western Aleppo has witnessed internal fighting between regime militias, who used heavy and medium machine guns, according to Al-Modons correspondent, Khalid al-Khatib. The clashes lasted a few hours and wounded dozens of people, who were transferred to the Military Hospital in Aleppo. The Hamdaniyeh district and the districts around the Military Academy saw a temporary curfew, followed by searches and arrests, according to Al-Modons sources. The clashes killed a first lieutenant, Awas Deeb, from the Assad Academy for Military Engineering, which is between Hamdaniyeh and New Aleppo. A loyalist media site in Aleppo said that Deeb was wounded while in Hamdaniyeh by accident, after a stray bull hit him in the head. He was transferred to the Military Hospital, where he lost his life shortly after. A source told Al-Modon that the clashes in Hamdaniyeh and areas close to the Military Academy occurred between groups from the National Defense, Fourth Division, and Liwa al-Baqer militias on one side, and the Liwa al-Quds militia on the other. Confrontations between the two sides began after a Fourth Division patrol intercepted an armed Liwa al-Quds group while they were passing through the neighborhood. The confrontations escalated until reinforcements for both sides arrived from the Military Academy in Hamdaniyeh and from the Artillery Brigade in the al-Zahraa Association area. According to Al-Modons sources, the officer who was killed, Awas Deeb, arrived to the site of the clashes with the reinforcements coming from the Military Academy, and that his death was not an accident. The western districts of Aleppo have seen deployments by loyalist militias since the beginning of March. The area has seen the increasing expansion and deployment of the Liwa al-Quds militia, which is backed by Russia, at the expense of Iranian-backed militias, which nearly took full controlled the residential blocks and western districts, which have been on the front lines with the armed opposition since the end of 2018. The Fourth Division, Liwa al-Baqer, and the National Defense comprise a security belt around the Military Academy, which is considered an Iranian observation point, as well as being the biggest military position inside Aleppo for the Revolutionary Guard and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. Liwa al-Quds has enjoyed major support from Russia since the start of 2019, with hundreds of new recruits joining its ranks who were trained in special facilities in the Handrat Camp north of the city that Russian forces established near the new Russian observation point in Tellet Handrat. Russia has deployed hundreds of new Liwa al-Quds members in the al-Zahraa Association area and on the outskirts north of the New Aleppo district. They have established a central base for them inside the Artillery Brigade near the Russian observation post in al-Zahraa Association area. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. The Popular Authority for the Liberation of the Golan has rejected the comments of Donald Trump and has linked it to the upcoming election in Israel writes Al-Watan. The Popular Authority for the Liberation of the (occupied Syrian Arab) Golan said that it would discuss with the relevant state authorities the matter of activating the military wing of the authority, after US President Donald Trumps tweet about recognizing the sovereignty of the Israeli occupation of the Golan. In a statement to Al-Watan, the head of the group, Ibrahim al-Ali, condemned Trumps announcement and said, He is giving away something that is not his property, and he has no right to do this. He said that it was a completely individual American decision, and said that he believed that this decision by the President will not effect the realities on the ground and that it is, one of the cards for the election next month in the Israeli Knesset. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Thirty-seven countries from across Africa, two-third of the African Union members, expressed support for the UN process to settle the regional dispute over the Sahara. At a meeting in Marrakech, the participating countries stressed the need for backing the UN process and refraining from pushing the African Union into stands that block efforts towards a political, lasting and mutually acceptable solution in line with the Security Council resolutions. The meeting was also a chance to highlight the African Union decision 693, adopted last July in Nouakchott at a summit of the pan-African organization. The decision states clearly that the Sahara should be tackled only within the UN framework barring the road to adversaries of Moroccos territorial integrity within the African Union who sought to create a parallel mechanism. Moroccan diplomacy welcomed the AUs decision as a victory on the Sahara issue. The decision made it clear that a troika made of the previous, incumbent and upcoming chairmen of the African Union is the only body that can make statements on the Sahara. The Marrakech meeting was attended by 70% of the African Union member states sending a strong message to the countries that turn in the orbit of Algiers and Pretoria, the guardians of separatism in the continent who have for years used the Kingdoms absence from the African Union to manipulate the pan-African organization into adopting stands that undermine the UN process. In recognizing the Algerian-backed and funded separatist SADR entity in the 1980s, the African Union and its predecessor have prejudged the outcome of negotiations in total disregard for the UN process and for Moroccos historical rights as a country that was divided by two colonial powers. With only 13 countries attending a pro-Polisario meeting sponsored by South Africa in Pretoria, Morocco scores yet another victory as support for the separatist thesis wanes across Africa. Prior to Moroccos return to the African Union, 28 states had explicitly asked the chairman of the African Union to freeze the membership of the Polisario in the African Union. Last July, was the beginning of the AU remedying its past biases towards Morocco, which is now expanding its influence in the continent through active engagement along a solidarity based African policy yielding projects that address Africas pressing issues of economic and human development. Moroccos gradual strengthening of its ranks within the AU resulted so far in putting an end to the instrumentalization by Algeria and its allies of the AUs most powerful body, the Peace and Security Council which was divested from treating the Sahara issue. Even at the terminological level, the AUs official statements stopped repeating Algerian propaganda. Henceforth, the Sahara is framed using the UN terminology, which never referred to Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara as occupation. The Polisario and their Algerian mentors are feeling the heat of an imminent change in the AU in favor of Moroccos territorial integrity and sovereignty over the Sahara. With two-thirds of African countries not recognizing the Algerian-sponsored separatist entity, the Polisairo is becoming an aberration that disrupts the works of the AU commissions. A contraceptive earring patch is shown as it would be worn on a woman's ear. The white contraceptive patch can be seen attached to the earring back and adhered to the back of the ear. Credit: Mark Prausnitz, Georgia Tech Family planning for women might one day be as simple as putting on an earring. A report published recently in the Journal of Controlled Release describes a technique for administering contraceptive hormones through special backings on jewelry such as earrings, wristwatches, rings or necklaces. The contraceptive hormones are contained in patches applied to portions of the jewelry in contact with the skin, allowing the drugs to be absorbed into the body. Initial testing suggests the contraceptive jewelry may deliver sufficient amounts of hormone to provide contraception, though no human testing has been done yet. A goal for the new technique is to improve user compliance with drug regimens that require regular dosages. Beyond contraceptives, the jewelry-based technique might also be used for delivering other drugs through the skin. "The more contraceptive options that are available, the more likely it is that the needs of individual women can be met," said Mark Prausnitz, a Regents Professor and the J. Erskine Love Jr. chair in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "Because putting on jewelry may already be part of a woman's daily routine, this technique may facilitate compliance with the drug regimen. This technique could more effectively empower some women to prevent unintended pregnancies." This proof-of-concept research was supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under a subcontract funded by FHI 360. Contraceptive jewelry adapts transdermal patch technology that is already used to administer drugs that prevent motion sickness, support smoking cessation, and control the symptoms of menopause, but have never been incorporated into jewelry before. Contraceptive patches are also already available, but Prausnitz believes pairing them with jewelry may prove attractive to some womenand allow more discreet use of the drug delivery technology. An earring is shown paired with a transdermal patch backing. The white ring is the patch containing the contraceptive hormone. Credit: Mark Prausnitz, Georgia Tech "There is a lot of experience with making and using conventional transdermal patches," he said. "We are taking this established technology, making the patch smaller and using jewelry to help apply it. We think that earring patches can expand the scope of transdermal patches to provide additional impact." Postdoctoral Fellow Mohammad Mofidfar, Senior Research Scientist Laura O'Farrell and Prausnitz tested the concept on animal models, first on ears from pigs. Test patches mounted on earring backs and containing the hormone levonorgestrel were also applied to the skin of hairless rats. To simulate removal of the earrings during sleep, the researchers applied the patches for 16 hours, then removed them for eight hours. Testing suggested that even though levels dropped while the earrings were removed, the patch could produce necessary amounts of the hormone in the bloodstream. The earring patch tested by the researchers consisted of three layers. One layer is impermeable and includes an adhesive to hold it onto an earring back, the underside of a wristwatch or the inside surface of a necklace or ring. A middle layer of the patch contains the contraceptive drug in solid form. The outer layer is a skin adhesive to help stick to skin so the hormone can be transferred. Once in the skin, the drug can move into the bloodstream and circulate through the body. If the technique ultimately is used for contraception in humans, the earring back would need to be changed periodically, likely on a weekly basis. The contraceptive jewelry was originally designed for use in developing countries where access to health care services may limit access to long-acting contraceptives such as injectables, implants and IUDs. However, Prausnitz says the technology may be attractive beyond that initial audience. "We think contraceptive jewelry could be appealing and helpful to women all around the world," said Prausnitz. The researchers tested patches adhered to earring backs, about one square centimeter in area, and placed them tightly on the skin of the test animals. Earring backs and watches may be most useful for administering drugs because they remain in close contact with the skin to allow drug transfer. The dose delivered by a patch is generally proportional to the area of skin contact. An earring patch (white) that can deliver contraceptive hormone while being worn on an earring back. The size of the patch is about one square centimeter. Credit: Mark Prausnitz, Georgia Tech "The advantage of incorporating contraceptive hormone into a universal earring back is that it can be paired with many different earrings," Prausnitz noted. "A woman could acquire these drug-loaded earring backs and then use them with various earrings she might want to wear." Though transdermal drug-delivery patches have been available since 1979, testing would be required to determine whether the earring patch is safe and effective. In addition, research would be required to determine whether the concept would be attractive to women in different cultures. "We need to understand not only the effectiveness and economics of contraceptive jewelry, but also the social and personal factors that come into play for women all around the world," Prausnitz said. "We would have to make sure that this contraceptive jewelry concept is something that women would actually want and use." The technique could potentially be used to deliver other pharmaceuticals, though it would only be suitable for skin-permeable drugs that require administration of quantities small enough to fit into the patches. "We think there are uses beyond contraceptive hormones, but there will always be a limitation that the drug has to be effective with a low enough dose to fit into the limited space in the patch," Prausnitz said. "It also should be a drug that would benefit from continuous delivery from a patch and that is administered to a patient population interested in using pharmaceutical jewelry." The earring patch is designed to add another contraceptive option for women. "Pharmaceutical jewelry introduces a novel delivery method that may make taking contraceptives more appealing," he added. "Making it more appealing should make it easier to remember to use it." More information: Mohammad Mofidfar et al, Pharmaceutical jewelry: Earring patch for transdermal delivery of contraceptive hormone, Journal of Controlled Release (2019). Journal information: Journal of Controlled Release Mohammad Mofidfar et al, Pharmaceutical jewelry: Earring patch for transdermal delivery of contraceptive hormone,(2019). DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2019.03.011 People gather at the front of the European Parliament building in Strasbourg, France, Tuesday March 26, 2019, to show their support for the copyright bill. The European Parliament is furiously debating the pros and cons of a landmark copyright bill one last time before the legislature will vote on it later. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias) European Union lawmakers approved a copyright directive Tuesday to give writers and artists more protection of their creative rights and incomes, an intensely contentious measure that could have major trans-Atlantic implications for American technology companies. The European Parliament voted 348-274 to pass the online copyright bill, with 36 abstentions. Opponents argued the legislation, which had been in the works for three years, would stifle freedom and creativity online. The EU's member countries gave the measure preliminary approval in February and have final reviews set for next month. If the directive is enacted, companies such as Apple, Facebook and Google parent company Alphabet likely would have to pay European artists more and do more to keep work that appears online from being used without permission. The most controversial section would make companies responsible for copyrighted material that is uploaded to their online platforms. "Web giants have been able to benefit from content created in Europe by paying derisory taxes, transferring huge profits to the U.S. or China," European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said. "Parliament has chosen to put an end to the existing digital Wild West." Lobbying against the bill by internet giants was said to be so intense even after EU members gave their provisional support that passage wasn't viewed as a sure thing Tuesday. Axel Voss, Member of the European Parliament and rapporteur of the copyright bill, poses for the media at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Tuesday March 26, 2019. The European Parliament is furiously debating the pros and cons of a landmark copyright bill one last time before the legislature will vote on it later. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias) German EU lawmaker Axel Voss, who was the bill's lead backer, let out a massive sigh when the vote tally flashed up on a screen inside the European Parliament building in Strasbourg, France. "We have agreed a new set of rules which will do exactly the opposite of killing the internet," Voss said. After the vote, Google said in a statement that the bill "will still lead to legal uncertainty and will hurt Europe's creative and digital economies. The details matter, and we look forward to working with policy makers, publishers, creators and rights holders as EU member states move to implement these new rules." EDiMa, an association of European tech companies, said in a statement that the version approved Tuesday improved on earlier drafts, but "we still fundamentally disagree with it, as it undermines other EU law, tries to force a licensing business model on open platforms, and weakens the fundamental privacy and freedom of speech rights of EU citizens." European Parliament Brexit chief Guy Verhofstadt speaks during a press conference at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Tuesday March 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias) Tens of thousands of people marched in cities across Germany over the weekend to protest what the EU sees as reforms and what critics see as restrictions that could lead to online censorship. Outside parliament, a French band performed music to push the point that artists need higher payments and better copyright protection. "There is nothing like free lunch, and I don't know why the giant techs should carry on, you know, having a free lunch on our expense," French music producer Wally Badarou said. In France, ever the guardian of European culture, the government greeted the bill's passage with relief. Axel Voss, Member of the European Parliament and rapporteur of the copyright bill, stands at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Tuesday March 26, 2019. The European Parliament is furiously debating the pros and cons of a landmark copyright bill one last time before the legislature will vote on it later. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias) "The EU message is clear," French Culture Minister Franck Riester said. "Everyone intervening on the European market must respect our common preferences, whether it is copyright or fiscal rules" that require America's tech companies to pay more taxes in Europe. The leader of the EU parliament's liberal ALDE group, Guy Verhofstadt of Belgium, countered the bill's critics by saying the cards had been stacked so much in favor of "monopolistic American companies" that it was ridiculous to talk about a free internet. "The only freedom you have is to send your data mainly to U.S. companies who are using it for their profit. That is all," Verhofstadt said during Tuesday's session. People gather at the front of the European Parliament building in Strasbourg, France, Tuesday March 26, 2019, to show their support for the copyright bill. The European Parliament is furiously debating the pros and cons of a landmark copyright bill one last time before the legislature will vote on it later. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias) People gather at the front of the European Parliament building in Strasbourg, France, Tuesday March 26, 2019, to show their support for the copyright bill. The European Parliament is furiously debating the pros and cons of a landmark copyright bill one last time before the legislature will vote on it later. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias) Axel Voss, Member of the European Parliament and rapporteur of the copyright bill, speaks at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Tuesday March 26, 2019. The European Parliament is furiously debating the pros and cons of a landmark copyright bill one last time before the legislature will vote on it later. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias) Axel Voss, Member of the European Parliament and rapporteur of the copyright bill, stands at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Tuesday March 26, 2019. The European Parliament is furiously debating the pros and cons of a landmark copyright bill one last time before the legislature will vote on it later. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias) An EU flag flies at the front of the European Parliament building in Strasbourg, France, Tuesday March 26, 2019. The European Parliament is furiously debating the pros and cons of a landmark copyright bill one last time before the legislature will vote on it later. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias) Explore further German Wikipedia blacked out in protest of EU copyright plan 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. In addition to the fact that limousine travel is very glamorous, it is also the most comfortable trip you can... Italy has supplied several cities and towns in Libya with highly equipped ambulances as it seeks to play a key role in the countrys fix. The vehicles are offered to the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) as part of the Solidarity Bridge program launched by the Italian government, Libya Observer reported. The EU country has sought to play key role in Libyas reunification after the country descended into chaos following the fall and killing of Muammar Gaddafi. Rome in November tried to snatch an agreement from the rival parties but the talks failed with leader of the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar refusing to sit with GNA leader Faiez Serraj. 1+ days ago This Is Why You Gotta Love The Lovesac Company The Lovesac Company Comfortably Beats The Consensus The Lovesac Company (NASDAQ: LOVE) is a story-within-a-story that we see accelerating its hyper-growth over the course of the next year. Not only is the furniture industry benefiting from strong tailwinds put in place by the pandemic but it is a growing concern within the industry. Read Article Recent constitution change maneuvers to expand President Fattah al-Sisis stay in power beyond 2022 and the unprecedented crackdown on criticism must wake up US policymakers, the Carnegie Endowment Center notes warning that the totalitarian regime in the most populated Arab country may not last long in front of growing discontent and anger. In a paper titled Worse than Mubarak published on Foreign Policy, the center sounds the alarm over current tightening political situation in Egypt; one of the key US allies in the Arab world. The authors of the piece, Amy Hawthorne, Deputy Director for research at the Project on Middle East Democracy, and Andrew Miller, Deputy Director for policy at the Project on Middle East Democracy, depict the deterioration of civil rights in Egypt under al-Sisi who has turned out to be the worst and most totalitarian ruler in the modern history of Egypt. By removing the first freely elected President of the country Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, al-Sisi harbored the hope of millions of Egyptians, but the countrys strongman has so far walked away from the 2011 revolution that sought to establish a civilian regime in replacement of former autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak. After embarking on his last four-year mandate won during last year March almost unchallenged elections, al-Sisi and his followers are one step away from modifying the 2014 constitution that will allow the General-turned President to remain in power until 2034, Hawthorne and Miller wrote. Actually, Egypts parliament has overwhelmingly voted mid-February to approve draft constitutional changes that could extend President Abdul Fattah al-Sisis time in office by another 12 years. Al-Sisi is due to stand down in 2022 when his second four-year term ends, but the amendments will lengthen presidential terms to six years and let al-Sisi serve another two. The authors of the paper noted that the amendments will bolster al-Sisis hand over power in three main ways. This change would abrogate Sisis pledge to respect the sole remaining win from the 2011 uprising against Mubaraks three-decade dictatorship: restricting presidents to two four-year terms, they said. The constitutional changes would hand Sisi direct control over the judiciarys top appointments and even its budget. That would destroy the last shreds of independence in a judicial system that, although much weakened in recent years, still contains a few brave judges willing to push for the rule of law. Thirdly, the authors of the articles believe, the Egyptian Armed forces will become much more emboldened in intervening in domestic politics, in its so-called role to maintain the constitution and democracy and safeguard the basic components of the state. Many Egyptians, known critics of the regime, have gone missing or unaccounted for while hundreds of thousands languish in prison for mere comments judged hostile to the countrys strongman. Artists, journalist and celebrities have been reduced silence, the authors of the paper recalled. The regime has enjoy the relative silence of Western powers, including the US and the EU who view al-Sisi as an important ally in the fight against terrorism in the region. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly backed the Egyptian President and continued providing the traditional US military aid. Washington has already been far too quiet in the face of Egypts rising authoritarianism. But the United States cannot afford to ignore Sisis pursuit of absolute power and the risks it poses to Egyptian and regional stability, the article warned. It suggested that the White House and Congress should make clear that they recognize Sisis brazen power play for what it is and will refuse to give him political cover or unconditional support if he proceeds. The authors fear that growing discontent materialized by repeated attacks in urban areas and continued fighting between the army and Islamists in the Sinai, coupled with economic hardship imposed by austerity measures could become downfalls of the regime in the manner it happened to Muammar Gaddafi in Libya and Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Yet this concentration of power, which is designed to shore up his regime, may make it more vulnerable over time. Political science scholarshipand real-life examples in Muammar al-Qaddafis Libya and Saddam Husseins Iraqhas shown that personalist regimes are substantially more likely to end in violence than other forms of authoritarian governance, the authors said. The afternoon, dying, as my friend, they transpiraban bronca hours as my friend! It luia a boil to impotence in the bedroom and there was my friend Giorgio Michi Travia reclining, with many kilos less, with the look and starving, lost in the rugged geography of a tomorrow away, surrounded by their loved ones, I stretched my hand, he rejoiced in verme-always glad you see me - crammed with force; grabbing it as a hope, as a solution, perhaps by being hand of doctor friend. There was this Globetrotter, born in Italy, he lived in Argentina and other countries and 24 years ago lies in Trujillo, next to him, was his heir, biological, social and artistic: Jonathan, we talked a while and remember when it increpaba to put theatre to serve the people, in their struggle for national liberation, we remember, when increpaba their indifference to GodWe recall the coincidences and differences in political, social and existential and now there he was, walking with chivalry, with dignity, the hard trail, boiling path quote-pathological of malignancy that mercilessly, without reasonable breaks, destroys all the physiological our Agency's institutions and ends up obstructing us, removing us breath, appetite, the necessary physiological relief, intoxicating us sadistic and slowly to break the will of the victims, but it was not the case of my friend, because he was there fighting as a Gladiatorhis could be more than the nasal oxygen, their desire could more than chlorides, their wishes could be rather than probes them, his longings could more than humedecian dressings, its gringas pupils I stare and told me what chance do I have? There has to be some drug that prolongs my life! Claro - you trying replied-to give encouragement, was thoughtful, knew that it was impossible, he was lucid, thinking, she didn't want farces, nor mentiras piadosas and I then delved into that puddle of pain and not found words, nor literary geometries, to comfort, to mitigate, he knew what you have, what follows, just grabbed his hands and told her slowly dear friend are giving a lesson of value, strength of will, of hope! and this lesson is not only for students, but for his family, for his friends, was teaching us to withstand the afternoon, receiving the night and live the next morning; Remembered you that they were the teachings of Christ, he said that if! asked for permission to comment on them publicly, he told me that Yes, he was a believer!, I left knowing that we would not talk ever, knowing that always live there where has a cell that breathes Theatre, where there is a theatrical work applauded and praised, where there is a demanding, talented director and friend, in every artistic success of his son Jonathan. There where there is a flare star in the sky, that radiates light and teachings to always loved Giorgio! Original author and source of the article. . King Abdullah II of Jordan is expected in Morocco on Wednesday for a two-day friendship and working visit. King Abdullah II of Jordan will pay on Wednesday and Thursday a friendship and working visit to Morocco at the invitation of King Mohammed VI, the ministry of the royal household, protocol and chancellery announced. The Moroccan Monarch will hold official talks with his guest, the ministry said, adding that the visit translates the deep relationship of friendship, cooperation and solidarity binding the two brotherly peoples, underpinned by the two sovereigns shared will to consolidate the multidimensional relations existing between the two countries. A blog for students in my introductory classes in government, and any interested passersby. You'll find news items and random stories that illustrate any of the topics we cover in class. Special attention will be paid to the constitutional issues associated with contemporary issues and disputes. Feel free to send me stories you find important. Please note that due to spam, I'm limiting the ability of people to comment on these pages. My apologies. Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship. Miguel Angel Moratinos, the UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, paid tribute to King Mohammed VI in Geneva on Monday for his commitment to strengthening spaces for cultural dialogue and coexistence, and consolidating the foundations of global peace. Moratinos, who was attending a meeting held in his honor by the United Nations Office at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, paid tribute to the Sovereign for his initiatives to promote dialogue and mutual understanding among nations, as well as his moves to protect places of worship and preserve the cultural and spiritual heritage of different religious communities. In response to the address of Moroccos Permanent Representative in Geneva, Omar Zniber, who reiterated the Kingdoms support for the efforts of this UN body, Miguel Angel Moratinos underlined the pioneering role of Morocco and its King in spreading the values of tolerance, openness and cohabitation between religions and civilizations. He also highlighted the importance the Moroccan constitution grants to the strengthening and anchoring of the principles of tolerance, coexistence and protection of religious sites. The Geneva meeting provided an opportunity to discuss measures to enhance the protection of religious sites and the preservation of their sacredness. Last Friday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the Alliance of Civilizations to prepare a plan of action to fully engage the UN system in the protection of religious places. This call came following the terrorist attack on two mosques in New Zealand that left over fifty dead and dozens wounded. As you may remember from our previous article, the McDonald's near Luxembourg Gare will permanently close its doors in June. Should it be replaced by another fast-food outlet? Seeing burgers everywhere? You're not alone. From affordable take-away places, to international fast-food chains and lavish restaurants serving bunned black-Angus with truffle mayonnaise - the burger fever has a stranglehold on the Grand Duchy. Long gone are also the days when only carnivores could have a burgasm: mushroom veggie burgers are gaining popularity and so is the "LetzeBurger." The latter combines the traditional Gromperekichelcher with Luxembourgish cheese. However, not everything's a happy meal in the high-calorie world of burgers and fries. Ever since Luxembourg's first fast-food restaurant opened its doors back in 1968 ("Wimpy" on place de Paris in Luxembourg City), competition has metamorphosed into an insatiable beast. The burger wars have claimed another victim: McDonald's near central station will close in June. Traffic jam on fast-food avenue While the closure of the McDonald's near central station won't deal a heavy blow to the large multinational, the announcement of the closure created quite the stir in the Grand Duchy. After all, the outlet welcomed almost a thousand clients per day. According to Paperjam, McDonald's did not renew its lease. Moore Foods CEO Gary Moore, who runs ten restaurants for US chains in Luxembourg, was hoping to obtain the lease for Five Guys, which opened in August 2018. Only meters away, Subway, Burger King, and Five Guys are still filling empty stomachs. The high rent prices may have been a factor, despite Luxembourg being one of the countries with the highest PPBM (price per Big Mac). BURGER KING - Luxembourg's king of fast food? Burger King seems to get the upper hand over McDonald's: the chain boasts restaurants in Foetz, Bascharage, Luxembourg, Bertrange, Wasserbillig, Capellen and Leudelange. And, according to Le Quotidien, another outlet will open coming Thursday in Mersch. Ever since Luxembourg and Belgium's Quick restaurants were bought by QSR Belgium, American brands are gaining ground in the Grand Duchy. The gradual Americanization does not sit uneasy with many customers: last year, a petition was started to transform Esch's Quick into a Burger King. The Grand Duchy is getting hungrier (almost) by the minute In this context, the latest statistics from the Horesca sector are revealing. Luxembourg currently boasts 1,232 restaurants and 1,095 bars/cafes. In 2000, there were 905 restaurants and 1400 bars/cafes, and, back in 1985, only 417 restaurants and 1641 bars/cafes called the Grand Duchy their home. In short, the restaurant sector is booming in Luxembourg: for the first time in the country's culinary history, there are more restaurants than bars. However, the statistics do not reveal which of these restaurants belong to the somewhat controversial "fast-food" category. On Tuesday morning, the police presented an overview of crime in the Grand Duchy in 2018. General crime rose by 1.5% in 2018, predominantly consisting of break-ins and theft. At 61%, theft remains the most common infraction. In the last year, there were around 1,500 residential break-ins. Pascal Peters, the central director of the police, attributed the increase to a number of burglaries controlled and managed by crime groups abroad. One of the individuals arrested by the police confirmed this information. As Peters explained, patrols in Luxembourg are unable to deter such internationally-organised burglaries. Instead, to put an end to these break-ins, the Grand Duchy must work with its neighbours. As for infractions against others rather than property infractions, three people were killed in Luxembourg last year. However, the number of physical violence and injury cases relating dropped to 2,600. Down from 2,690 in 2017, and 3,187 a few years prior in 2014. In a response to a parliamentary question submitted by ADR MP Jeff Engelen, Minister of Agriculture Romain Schneider and Minister for the Environment Carole Dieschbourg revealed that the use of the toxic herbicide glyphosate has gone down in Luxembourg. According to statistics, around 13,000 kilograms of the toxic herbicide were sprayed in Luxembourgish fields in 2016. This marks a decrease of 4,000 kilograms compared to 2011. Engelen also enquired as to how much glyphosate is used for public spaces. In the last ten years, the CFL has purchased around 10,500 litres of Roundup, the trade name of glyphosate. The ministers reminded Engelen that the use of spray herbicides has been banned on green spaces in municipalities since 2016. South Sudans Minister of Petroleum, Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth on Monday visited Qatar to boost ties between the two nations. In a meeting with the Acting CEO of Qatar National Bank (QNB) in Doha, Abdallah Mubarak Al-Khalifa, Minister Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening bilateral ties. QNB was the first Middle Eastern bank to open in South Sudan in 2011 and provided a line of credit to purchase food and fuel in 2014. The two officials discussed cooperation between Qatar and South Sudan in the fields of trade, commerce, economic development, support for small businesses, and infrastructure projects. Together we have a lot of work to do to bring oil production back on stream at full strength. I have confidence that with QBN and our Qatari partners we can go far, said Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth. South Sudan, East Africas only mature oil producer, has faced monumental challenges in rebooting its oil and gas sector, as investors had security concerns. However, last year has seen a resurgence of investors interest in the country. Earlier this year, South Sudans oil minister declared that improved relations with Sudan will help restore crude production to the levels it reached when it gained independence, lifting pressure on the two neighbors ailing economies. South Sudan fought a 20-year independence war with Sudan, seceding in 2011, but the fate of the two economies remains closely tied. A sweet and homey family, food (and, yes, a little feud) tale,offers a lot of can't-miss ingredients which hit their mark pretty damned close to the bull's eye -- if you don't mind a combination of food so delicious looking you can indeed nearly taste it, quite a bit of exposition and some sentimentality in both style and content.didn't mind and suspects you might not, either.As directed by Singapore filmmaker(shown below, of), and perhaps written by him, too(thelists no actual writer on the film),is the story of a young man named Masato, who is distant from his chef/ramen shop-owner father (his mother died years ago) and who, more than anything else, desires to learn how to make a really delicious soup, just like his family members made in the old days when everyone was alive and (relatively) happy.To this end Masato (played with great charm and feeling by) leaves Japan for Singapore and some family members he has not seen for years. The movie becomes a kind of "food" journey, in which not only do we get to see the food made and eaten but we also hear aboutto make it. This verbal/visual combination works surprisingly well in helping us understand what's so special about the menu here. Granted, you cannot actually taste the food, but I thinkcomes as close in this regard as any movie I've so far seen.The acting ensemble assembled by the filmmaker proves every bit as good as Mr. Saitoh, too. Each member brings such caring and grace to the proceedings that you are immediately pulled in to the story and the emotions it conjures.Discovering a trove of family momentos is the key to sending our boy off to Singapore and to the new friends and old family members he encounters there -- who, in addition to all the cooking, more than make the trip worthwhile.Mr. Khoo flips back and forth between past and present and does this cannily enough that we soon easily follow along. During the film's second half, we get a history lesson regarding Japan and Singapore during World War II -- which serves to explain the events that still divide this family.offers an unusual kind of culture clash, one that is finally put to rest via food. Yes, it's sentimental as all get-out, but the movie also hits its mark, over and over again, with surprising accuracy. I suspect that by the finale you'll agree that the words, "Let's eat!" have seldom been uttered with such meaning and resonance.Fromand running a crisp 90 minutes, the film opened in New York City last weekend (at theand) and will open in another 20-odd cities across the country during April and May. Clickthen scroll down to click onto see all currently scheduled playdates, cities and theaters. (Here in Boca Raton, it will tentatively open May 3 at the.) Morocco believes in the potential for increased trade on the African continent and co-development in various sectors, said Monday evening in Marrakech, Moroccan Minister of Economy and Finance, Mohamed Benchaaboun. We have already conducted major operations with several African countries in the areas of services, including financial services (banking and insurance), as well as telecommunications and public works, Benchaaboun told a press briefing, held at the end of the first day of the ministerial segment of the 52nd Session of the Economic Commission for Africas (ECA) Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (COM 2019) held in Marrakech. In this connection, he noted that the setting up of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will offer us an opportunity to accelerate what has been done with each country and will open a whole continent to exchanges in all directions and to co-development, which will enable growth to be raised to a higher level for the countries concerned. Benchaaboun also said that COM2019 is an opportunity to examine and highlight all the opportunities offered by digitalization and the use of new technologies to promote African economy. For her part, ECA Executive Secretary Vera Songwea said that the first day of the ministerial sessions had begun with discussions on the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2063 Agenda for Action. She expressed concern that overall, growth levels on the continent remain below what is needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, noting that to achieve those Goals, Africa needs to triple its 2018 growth rate of 3.2 per cent. She said that the achievement of the 2030 SDGs requires $680 billion in funding and that the debate has shown that improving taxation, through broadening the base, could generate up to $480 billion. After noting that financial inclusion remains a challenge for many African countries, Ms. Songwea emphasized the social contract with the private sector, which is willing to contribute to the SDGs. She pointed out that Africa also needs increase in private investments and external trade, adding that the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will boost growth on the continent. In her opening remarks before conference earlier Monday, the ECA Executive Secretary said the private sector is vital for the African continent as it accounts for 90% of employment, insisting that the private sector is the engine of Africas economy. According to her, the private sector accounts for over 80 per cent of total production, two thirds of total investment, and three fourths of lending within the economy. The private sector also provides jobs for about 90 per cent of the employed working-age population, she said. To enable the AfCFTA enter into force, it needs to be ratified by 22 of the 54 member countries of the African Union. So far 21 countries have ratified the AfCFTA, with Ethiopia being the latest and 15 countries have deposited their instruments of ratification. As a reminder, the ministers meeting in Marrakech this week is to allow conference delegates to build momentum towards greater continental integration by hashing out the policy details of the historic AfCFTA. COM2019 held March 20-26, under the theme Fiscal Policy, Trade and the Private Sector in the Digital Age: A Strategy for Africa, focused on the contributions of digital technology, both to the development of economic exchanges in Africa and the strengthening of national budget policies and the improvement of tax collection. Delegates also discussed how to align national policies to boost tax revenues, improve the management of public expenditure, tackle illicit financial flows and make private finance available for public projects. The meeting was attended by scores of officials and experts, including UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohamed, Vice-President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and Moroccos Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Omar Hilale. Many bears saved from captivity, hunting and trading have been transported to one of Vietnams largest bear sanctuaries, where they receive the best care from the wildlife well-being workers. Most rescued bears had already sustained injuries and had unpleasant experiences when they were first carried to Vietnam Bear Rescue Center in Vinh Phuc Province, which is Hanoi's neighbor. The sanctuary, founded in 2005 by wildlife charity Animals Asia, is now a cozy home to 178 bears that seem to have a happy life thanks to the care of 76 workers, mostly foreign veterinary professionals. Here they can play with toys and one another quite happily, said Phan Thi Thuy Trinh, one of the workers. They are also well fed and receive regular health checks and tailored nutritional combinations. Trinh added that the animals have a list of provided foods that vary seasonally. They get gifts on major public holidays, she said. Their lives are wonderful. Saved from tragic past Annemarie Weegenaar, who prefers to be called Anna, has spent nearly a decade helping rescued bears in Vietnam and now leads the bear care division at the center. She was visibly touched telling Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper the past plight of the bears before they were brought here. She said after many bears were rescued, they suffered distress and their health was so poor that they had to undergo surgery and special care to be able to recover from the shock. It was very difficult to approach the mammals when they were new at the sanctuary, as they were frightened by memories of maltreatment from humans for a long time, she said. What the bears experienced sometimes scared even the workers. A bear cub lost an eye and had one side of its body severely wounded after being hit by a hunter who had killed its mother in front of it. The animal is now still afraid of crowds of people although it has grown up, Anna said. At the time of their respective rescues, some bears were found to have lost their hearing and sense of smell, some sustained necrosis and some were unable to stand on their feeble legs. A bear was named Survivor after it was the only found alive at a bear farm in north-central Vietnam. The animals were not fed at the farm and Survivor was nothing but skin and bones when rescuers found it. Another bear, Vandrew, was found with one of its arms damaged, as the animal had bitten the limb out of intense thirst when it was caged. Vandrew was saved and taken to the center, but it can only move by jumping now as doctors failed to help him regain the use of the arm, according to Anna. Dao Anh Tuan moves a bear at Vietnam Bear Rescue Center in Vinh Phuc Province, northern Vietnam. Photo: Thuy Trinh / Tuoi Tre Tuan the Bear The key element in the bear care is the workers love, she underlined. Bears at the center were given various names after people who granted sponsorship for the animals such as Olley, Rose, Dolley, Coco, Mausi, Mausi, Moggy, Bubu, Nelson and Easy. Anna said the workers have to memorize all the names, which are often the only way to draw the bears attention. One of the workers who have formed a cooperation lasting 12 years the longest time of all with the sanctuary is Dao Chau Tuan, who goes by the nickname Tuan gau," or Tuan the Bear. He gives care to the bears and sometimes lost slept over how to create toys suitable for their injuries. When I come up with an idea, I immediately commit it to paper, fearing it might slip out of mind, he said. If I dont have ideas then, Ill keep thinking the following day. He was one of the workers who held Christmas celebrations for the bears, which he said gave him great joy seeing the mammals running out of the cages to get colorful presents hanging on Christmas trees. The other day, Tuan was receiving medical treatment in a neighbor of Vinh Phuc when he suddenly left the hospital and ran back to the center to see the bears, he recalled, giving yet another example of his deep affection for the animals. He said the service for the bears has vastly transformed him from a person who has no interest in wildlife into someone working enthusiastically for them. I rescued bears multiple occasions and realized how badly they had been treated. I started developing a love for them, he said. My character gradually changed. I've become more composed and kinder. I no longer like eating meat and prefer to be a vegetarian instead. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Here are todays leading news stories: Politics -- Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan had a meeting with Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister and Co-ordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean on Monday, as part of the latters official visit to Vietnam. Society -- More than 3,000 human trafficking cases have been discovered across Vietnam between 2011 and 2018, of which 600 cases involved victims under 16 years old, the Ministry of Public Security announced on Monday. -- Police in the north-central province of Nghe An confirmed on Monday they had arrested a 29-year-old man for selling a pair of frozen tigers at the price of VND18 million ($774). -- A driver of a sleeper bus has been fined VND7.5 million ($322.5) after the vehicle was caught on camera running at high speed in the wrong direction along an expressway in Da Lat, a famous tourist city in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong. -- The Peoples Committee in the central city of Da Nang has praised a group of young people for cleaning up garbage at Da Den (Black Rock) Beach within the Son Tra Peninsula on Sunday -- Police in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa are investigating a case where a 31-year-old woman died after being admitted to the provinces general hospital for over a day, following a complaint of the deceaseds older sister. -- Doctors at the Childrens Hospital 1 in Ho Chi Minh City have been able to remove a giant hump weighing about 3.1 kilograms from a newborn baby girl hailing from the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre. Business -- The central government is mulling over granting a permit for a US$5.4 billion petrochemical complex project in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, to be developed by Thailands Siam Cement Group (SCG). -- Although the African swine fever epidemic has only affected northern provinces and some north-central localities, the disease is taking a toll on pork sellers in southern Vietnam as many consumers and organizations have been shunning away from purchasing the meat. Sports -- Vietnam will face Thailand in the last Group K match of the 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Championship qualifiers at My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi at 8:00 pm on Tuesday. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! People in Ho Chi Minh City and other localities in southern Vietnam have been sweltering through blistering weather over the last few days, as the dry season is reaching its peak in the region. The weather pattern has been roasting southern localities and is expected to become more intense in the upcoming days, according to the southern hydro-meteorological station. Temperatures are forecast to be between 36 and 37 degrees Celsius this week before topping 38 degrees Celsius in April. There will be unseasonal rains for about two days at the end of March. An unseasonal rain occurred in Ho Chi Minh City and some southern provinces on Sunday morning, but it only lasted 10 to 15 minutes and did nothing to cool down the atmosphere. A child is protected from the sun while being outside in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre According to Le Dinh Quyet, an official from the southern weather station, temperatures in the region over the past weeks were still lower than last years highest, which was 38.1 degrees Celsius in Bien Hoa, the capital of Dong Nai Province, which borders Ho Chi Minh City. But Quyet said the current sweltering weather is already taking a toll on local residents, with mercury hovering above 30 degrees Celsius from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm. The hot weather may linger up to 8:00 pm on some occasions, which can be quite unpleasant for local residents, he said. Dr. Le Duc Tho, a dermatologist, warned that UV Index in Ho Chi Minh City has been at a high level, which can be dangerous to human health. It is recommended that people wear protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen when outside during the day, he said. A man sprays water at the street in front of his house to cool down the heat in Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre The spell of baking weather has negatively impacted the lives and production of people in the region. In Ho Chi Minh City, air-conditioned cafes and shopping malls have been increasingly packed with customers, especially in the afternoon. My rented house doesnt have an air-conditioner, said Nguyen Hai Thang, a university student. It can be really hot and uncomfortable at noon even though I turn on two electric fans. Thang added he often goes to his school campus or local coffee and milk tea shops to shelter from the heat. Officers are on duty to prevent forest fire at U Minh Ha National Park in the Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau. Photo: N.Hung / Tuoi Tre In the Mekong Delta, many farms and reservoirs are drying out, according to the observation of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters. Tran Van Anh, a farmer in Soc Trang Province, said that production cost for his veggie farm has doubled compared to the rainy season, as he has to spend extra money on water pumps and pest prevention. In Ca Mau Province, water levels in many reservoirs are currently low, posing a high risk of water deprivation for local residents if the situation persists. Provincial authorities have been on duty around the clock to promptly deal with any fire at the U Minh Ha National Park. Meanwhile, the number of young patients with respiratory diseases has been rising due to the boiling weather in the Mekong Delta hub of Can Tho, according to Dr. Tran Van De, director of the citys childrens hospital. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! ABC screens the Melbourne Comedy Festival Gala in support of Oxfam this Sunday, hosted by Tom Gleeson. Appearing are Nazeem Hussain, Tommy Little, Paul Foot, DeAnne Smith, Becky Lucas and Rhys Nicholson. I cant wait to show ABC viewers the funniest comedians from Australia and the world. It has been a dream of mine to host the Gala ever since I was asked to last week, says Gleeson. Host Tom Gleeson is one of the sharpest minds in Australian comedy. His stand-up shows are relentlessly hilarious and masterful. Despite his ruthless grillings, hes still got a lot of love to give! This one-off spectacular is not just a great night out, its a chance to do some good. After all, laughter is the best medicine. Oxfams ongoing partnership with the Festival has made a difference to the lives of thousands of people, tackling poverty head-on by providing clean water, decent toilets and practical, life-changing solutions for people in need. An ABC TV Production. Series Producer Tom Whitty, Executive Producer Nicholas Hayden, Head of Factual & Arts Josie Mason Campbell. 8:40pm Sunday on ABC. After the many diplomatic setbacks it suffered abroad, the Algeria-backed Polisario separatist front is currently facing a growing internal dissent. Last week, precisely on March 18, a young officer, who claimed to be deputy commandant of a Katiba (battalion) of the so-called Gendarmerie of the Polisario, surrendered to the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) at Farcia in the Oued Draa region, and expressed his wish to rally his motherland, Morocco. This Tuesday, a group of 12 separatist activists showed up at the Sahara defense wall on the side of Mahbess and approached a unit of the FAR, chanting cheers for King Mohammed VI, reported the news website le360, quoting reliable sources. The twelve repentant separatists were allowed access to the national territory where they are being cared for in line with the usual procedures, the website said. Parallel to the general situation of unrest in Algeria, with the continuous demonstrations against Bouteflika and his clan, a climate of uncertainty is prevailing in the Tindouf camps too. The revenant of last week had said there are still other repentant separatists who want to return to their country. Over the years, many senior executives of the Polisario have returned to their native land after they realized that the separatist front is fooling them with independence dreams that will never come true. Martin Clunes is now filming the 9th series of Doc Martin in Port Isaac, Cornwall. Clunes returns as Dr. Martin Ellingham, the GP with a brusque bedside manner and a phobia of blood, in eight new episodes produced by Buffalo Pictures. Caroline Catz returns as Doc Martins wife, Louisa Ellingham, who has resigned from her job as headmistress at the local school to pursue a new career in child counselling. Also returning are Dame Eileen Atkins plays Doc Martins formidable Aunt Ruth. Ian McNeice as Bert Large, with Joe Absolom as his son Al. John Marquez is PC Joe Penhale, Jessica Ransom is the doctors receptionist Morwenna Newcross and Selina Cadell is pharmacist Mrs Tishell. We love going to Cornwall to make Doc Martin, and we miss it when we are not there. The county is so beautiful, and the people have been so warm and welcoming to us. It is the best job in television, says Clunes. In this new series the Docs career is hanging in the balance. His future as a GP is under scrutiny from the General Medical Council following complaints about his irascible approach to patients. While it was initially reported that the series would end after Series 9, Martin Clunes clarified that it had only been commissioned as far as 2019, thereby not ruling out future plans. Doc Martin screens in Australia on ABC. Married at First Sight participant Ines Basic behaved like an absolute brat after drinking driving and swearing at police on Christmas Day, a magistrate at Cleveland Magistrates Court said today. 29 year old Basic pleaded guilty to drink driving and obstructing police among other offences. The court heard Basic had been drinking champagne and vodka from about 10am on Christmas Day 2018. Police were called after she intentionally ran into a vehicle parked in a driveway at 7pm in Redland Bay. Basic tried to stop an officer from getting out of a police car and later told a female officer to f****** arrest me, arrest me b**** when they arrived. She gave officers a false name of Vanessa Dorothy Ines and recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.146. Her lawyer asked for a conviction not to be recorded so his client could travel to the US where she had media opportunities lined up. Magistrate Deborah Vasta ordered Basic to serve 70 hours of community service to help her get into reality and understand the real fabric of society. Basic was snapped by waiting media when she arrived at court via limousine, with a bodyguard in tow. In an unrelated case another MAFS participant, Daniel Webb is facing charges over his alleged involvement in a telemarketing scam. Media reports suggest as part of his bail conditions he had to check in at the police station every fortnight and had to fly home from filming MAFS to undertake these check in to ensure he wasnt breaching his conditions. The case returns to Brisbane Magistrates Court in May. Ines Basic has been sentenced to 70 hours community service after pleading guilty to public nuisance and mid-range drink driving at Cleveland Magistrates Court. The 29-year-old arrived at court in a limousine, and entered the courthouse flanked by a body guard. #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/GJd5IUgqGH 7NEWS Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) March 26, 2019 Source: Yahoo WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Brazil is not considering the use of military force in Venezuela and hopes for a peaceful solution to the country's crisis, Defense Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva said on Tuesday as he met his American counterpart at the Pentagon. "That's not a hypothesis we're considering. Brazil is looking forward to a peaceful and swift solution to the crisis in Venezuela," he said, when asked whether the use of military force might be appropriate. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Dan Grebler) DRC President Felix Tshisekedi joined African political figures and business leaders in Rwanda on Monday for a business forum aimed at boosting private investments and regional integration. "No one should be satisfied with business as usual," Rwandan President Paul Kagame said in his opening speech in front of some 1,500 stakeholders gathered for the Seventh Africa CEO Forum in Kigali on Monday.The two-day forum, attended by national leaders and business executives from Togo, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, has brought to light the lack of progress made in improving regional integration and inter-African commerce."This is the time for the private and public sectors to come up with new ideas and make more progress, Kagame insisted.Despite more than 40 countries signing up to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) last year to enable the free movement of goods and services, "a lot remains to be done," said the Rwandan leader.One of the main obstacles is politics."If the politics is bad, everything else is bad," he added, speaking at a time where tensions between Rwanda and Uganda notably are strained. Earlier this month, Kigali closed its border with Kampala accusing it of arresting Rwandans, disrupting regional trade and of providing support and space for anti-Rwanda groups.Rwanda's relations with neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo have not fared better in the past either, but the presence of Congo's leader Felix Tshisekedi at the Africa CEO forum, on a personal invitation from Kagame, is a bellwether of better days to come.Quest for recognitionTshisekedi's visit "is important as Paul Kagame has invited a certain number of CEOs to this forum, including other heads of state, so it is a sign of recognition," comments Emmanuel Dupuy, president of the Institute for European Perspective and Security Studies (IPSE)."What is also important is that this visit coincides with that of his contender Martin Fayulu, who is visiting Europe to highlight the fact that the elections were not fair," adds Emmanuel Dupuy.Independent observers have questioned the legitimacy of Tshisekedi's victory, after Fayulu accused the opposition leader of doing a back-room deal with outgoing President Joseph Kabila to block him from power. Both Kabila and Tshisekedi deny the allegations.Tshisekedi is in "a fragile position because he does not have much leverage and he has raised a lot of expectations within the population," says Kris Berwouts, an independent analyst and author of Congo's Violent Peace."The president needs the visibility and the reinforcement from outside partners and I think this is one of the important results he wants to achieve through this forum," he told RFI.From foes to friendsThe choice of Paul Kagame as an ally has nonetheless surprised critics."We all remember the days where the Rwandan army was physically present on Congolese territory with a very huge negative impact on the population," adds Berwouts.During Congo's Second War, Rwanda invaded its giant neighbour with the aim of crushing Hutu militants who fled over the border after killing more than half a million Tutsis in the 1994 genocide.In 2010, the United Nations accused Kigali of plundering Congo's minerals, and even today, many Congolese still accuse Rwanda of arming and supporting rebel militia.For IPSE's Dupuy, it is time to end "mutual accusations from both countries of using the others wealth. There is a need to work closely together because the two are important players in the region."In a symbolic gesture, Tshisekedi on Monday visited a genocide memorial and paid tribute to the 800,000 victims, a first by any Congolese leader.Later in the day, his country was honored by the forum's organisers, who lit up the Kigali Convention Center, the venue of the Africa CEO Forum in the red, blue and yellow colours of Congo's national flag.Land of opportunityDiplomacy may have been one of Tshisekedi's primary motivations for attending the forum, but so too was the hunt for investment."The attractiveness of DR Congo is still there," comments Laure Gnassou, an economist with extensive experience working on Congo.The new president is notably keen to reassure investors unsettled by the country's volatile political situation.Despite the crisis, foreign direct investment to Kinshasa was 1,400 million USD in 2017 according to the World Investment Report, a sign that, "with or without the crisis, the country can still attract foreign direct investment," says Gnassou.The challenge now for Tshisekedi will be to attract investment beyond the mining sector towards other industries such as agro-business. He must also tackle corruption.Last year, several members of former leader Joseph Kabila's family were implicated in the Panama Papers, a giant data leak exposing a system of crime, corruption and wrongdoing."Nothing has been done to address this," says Gnassou, warning that such lack of action could have a negative impact on the country's business climate.DR Congo "remains a land of opportunity for investors because it is a resource-rich country."For it to remain that way, it will depend on "how far Tshisekedi goes to address corruption to attract both foreign and national investors," says Laure Gnassou. DRC President Felix Tshisekedi joined African political figures and business leaders in Rwanda on Monday for a business forum aimed at boosting private investments and regional integration. "No one should be satisfied with business as usual," Rwandan President Paul Kagame said in his opening speech in front of some 1,500 stakeholders gathered for the Seventh Africa CEO Forum in Kigali on Monday. The two-day forum, attended by national leaders and business executives from Togo, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, has brought to light the lack of progress made in improving regional integration and inter-African commerce. "This is the time for the private and public sectors to come up with new ideas and make more progress, Kagame insisted. Despite more than 40 countries signing up to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) last year to enable the free movement of goods and services, "a lot remains to be done," said the Rwandan leader. One of the main obstacles is politics. "If the politics is bad, everything else is bad," he added, speaking at a time where tensions between Rwanda and Uganda notably are strained. Earlier this month, Kigali closed its border with Kampala accusing it of arresting Rwandans, disrupting regional trade and of providing support and space for anti-Rwanda groups. Rwanda's relations with neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo have not fared better in the past either, but the presence of Congo's leader Felix Tshisekedi at the Africa CEO forum, on a personal invitation from Kagame, is a bellwether of better days to come. Quest for recognition Tshisekedi's visit "is important as Paul Kagame has invited a certain number of CEOs to this forum, including other heads of state, so it is a sign of recognition," comments Emmanuel Dupuy, president of the Institute for European Perspective and Security Studies (IPSE). "What is also important is that this visit coincides with that of his contender Martin Fayulu, who is visiting Europe to highlight the fact that the elections were not fair," adds Emmanuel Dupuy. Story continues Independent observers have questioned the legitimacy of Tshisekedi's victory, after Fayulu accused the opposition leader of doing a back-room deal with outgoing President Joseph Kabila to block him from power. Both Kabila and Tshisekedi deny the allegations. Tshisekedi is in "a fragile position because he does not have much leverage and he has raised a lot of expectations within the population," says Kris Berwouts, an independent analyst and author of Congo's Violent Peace. "The president needs the visibility and the reinforcement from outside partners and I think this is one of the important results he wants to achieve through this forum," he told RFI. From foes to friends The choice of Paul Kagame as an ally has nonetheless surprised critics. "We all remember the days where the Rwandan army was physically present on Congolese territory with a very huge negative impact on the population," adds Berwouts. During Congo's Second War, Rwanda invaded its giant neighbour with the aim of crushing Hutu militants who fled over the border after killing more than half a million Tutsis in the 1994 genocide. In 2010, the United Nations accused Kigali of plundering Congo's minerals, and even today, many Congolese still accuse Rwanda of arming and supporting rebel militia. For IPSE's Dupuy, it is time to end "mutual accusations from both countries of using the others wealth. There is a need to work closely together because the two are important players in the region." In a symbolic gesture, Tshisekedi on Monday visited a genocide memorial and paid tribute to the 800,000 victims, a first by any Congolese leader. Later in the day, his country was honored by the forum's organisers, who lit up the Kigali Convention Center, the venue of the Africa CEO Forum in the red, blue and yellow colours of Congo's national flag. Land of opportunity Diplomacy may have been one of Tshisekedi's primary motivations for attending the forum, but so too was the hunt for investment. "The attractiveness of DR Congo is still there," comments Laure Gnassou, an economist with extensive experience working on Congo. The new president is notably keen to reassure investors unsettled by the country's volatile political situation. Despite the crisis, foreign direct investment to Kinshasa was 1,400 million USD in 2017 according to the World Investment Report, a sign that, "with or without the crisis, the country can still attract foreign direct investment," says Gnassou. The challenge now for Tshisekedi will be to attract investment beyond the mining sector towards other industries such as agro-business. He must also tackle corruption. Last year, several members of former leader Joseph Kabila's family were implicated in the Panama Papers, a giant data leak exposing a system of crime, corruption and wrongdoing. "Nothing has been done to address this," says Gnassou, warning that such lack of action could have a negative impact on the country's business climate. DR Congo "remains a land of opportunity for investors because it is a resource-rich country." For it to remain that way, it will depend on "how far Tshisekedi goes to address corruption to attract both foreign and national investors," says Laure Gnassou. Demonstrators wave large European Union flags as they stand on Parliament Square during the anti-Brexit Peoples Vote rally in London on March 23, 2019. Photo: Luke MacGregor/Bloomberg via Getty Images With the clock ticking down to the U.K.s briefly extended Brexit deadline, Parliament voted on Monday night to wrest control of the process away from Prime Minister Theresa May and her government. Now Parliament is set to hold a series of votes on Wednesday on several potential paths forward. Under the two-week reprieve E.U. leaders granted May in Brussels last week, the country must either pass the deal May negotiated with the other E.U. countries, come up with a viable alternative, or crash out of the bloc with no deal on April 12. In the past few days, May reverted to her strategy of furiously whipping support for her plan, to no avail. On Monday, she acknowledged to the House of Commons that there was still not enough support in the chamber to hold another vote on her deal. A short time later, the house voted 329 to 302 in favor of an amendment put forward by Conservative MP Oliver Letwin to hold a series of votes that will determine which options have majority support. Rogue MPs scheduling a vote against the wishes of the government is a marked departure from standard procedure in the British system, so Letwins motion was highly controversial. May opposed the Letwin amendment vociferously and attempted to corral Tory MPs into voting against it, but it passed with 30 defections from her party, including three ministers who resigned their cabinet posts to vote against the government. She had previously tried to nip the amendment in the bud by offering to arrange her own series of votes on Brexit alternatives, but backers of the motion said they didnt trust the government to present MPs with the full range of options. Mondays vote was the latest and greatest in a series of Brexit-related humiliations for May, illustrating how completely she has lost control over the process and how great a wedge it has driven between Parliament and her government. The significance of this event may be somewhat inscrutable to those following Brexit developments in the U.S., where such conflicts between the Legislative and Executive branches are more routine. Heres an overview of what happened, why it matters, and what it means. Whats an indicative vote? In U.K. parliamentary parlance, an indicative vote is a nonbinding vote in the House of Commons meant to gauge support among MPs for a policy proposal and find out whether it could command a majority. Indicative votes generally come in sets, with Parliament voting on several proposed solutions to a given problem in this case, the Brexit deadlock so MPs can vote for more than one option. Since the idea is to determine the mood of Parliament, they are also often free votes, in which MPs are not whipped to follow the party line. Indicative votes dont usually commit the government to any particular outcome, even if they result in a clear preference, and May was quick to note in the Commons on Monday that she cannot commit the government to delivering the outcome of any votes held by this house. This type of vote is unusual, but previous governments have used them to take Parliaments temperature on controversial questions with many possible answers. For example, Tony Blairs government held indicative votes in 2003 to build consensus around a plan for reforming the House of Lords as a partially or wholly elected body. In that instance, MPs voted down every single option, and Lords reform remains stalled to this day. Why was Mondays vote such a big deal? The Brexit debacle has already created an unusually adversarial relationship between the U.K. government and Parliament, bringing the country to the verge of a constitutional crisis over the separation of powers. In a statement responding to the passage of the Letwin amendment, the spokesman for the Department for Exiting the European Union warned that it upends the balance between our democratic institutions and sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent for the future. Indeed, this vote represents a disruption of the normal order, but not everyone agrees that this is necessarily a bad thing. In the Westminster system, the government usually sets the agenda for Parliament, deciding what gets voted on and when. The opposition and backbench MPs are given opportunities to set the houses business on certain days, but the government still gets to decide when those days are. Letwins motion is unusual because it involves taking that power away from the government on a specific day, and against the governments explicit wishes at that. While its not strictly unprecedented, Parliament hasnt made a move like this in a very long time: The closest analogue in the past century is the Norway Debate of 1940, which led to the downfall of Neville Chamberlains war cabinet and ushered in the prime ministry of Winston Churchill. In her futile attempts to maintain control of the Brexit debate, May has recently avoided scheduling days for nongovernment MPs to take control of the agenda, fearing precisely what is going to happen on Wednesday: votes on proposals her government didnt have any hand in developing and cant necessarily deliver. Some of Letwins backers argued on Monday that Mays attempts to tightly control the Brexit agenda had forced their hand; Conservative MP Dominic Grieve said the house had been prevented from doing its ordinary job by the governments straitjacket. What will MPs be voting on? We dont know exactly what MPs will be considering on Wednesday, but the indicative votes will likely cover a circumscribed range of options for resolving Brexit, which could include: Another binding vote on the deal May negotiated with the E.U. A no-deal Brexit Asking the government to renegotiate the deal toward a specific outcome in mind, such as further changes to the Irish border backstop Scrapping Mays negotiated arrangement in favor of a softer Brexit involving a Canada- or Norway-style trade relationship with the E.U. A second referendum allowing the British public to decide what kind of Brexit they want, or if they would prefer to cancel Brexit entirely Revoking the U.K.s withdrawal notice and canceling Brexit entirely The first two options are unlikely to fare well, as Parliament has already decisively rejected Mays deal twice and refused to put it to a third vote, while MPs voted earlier this month to rule out leaving with no deal. A vote in favor of a second referendum could be combined with one of the other options; for example, if Wednesdays votes produce majorities for a Canada-style deal and for a second public vote, Parliament could call on the government to organize a referendum with the Canada option as one of the choices on the ballot. This is just the sort of policy-making free-for-all May had hoped to avoid, even as she did such a poor job staving it off. In its response, the Brexit department also urged MPs to be realistic, stressing that any options considered must be deliverable in negotiations with the E.U. The statement also reminded Parliament that exercising one of these alternatives could require a longer Brextension than the brief reprieve Brussels has already granted. What happens now? Stay tuned. Parliament has not demonstrated the ability to build consensus around Brexit in the past two years, and theres no reason to think that theyll have more success in the next two days. The past several months of deliberation have given the strong impression that there is simply no majority to be found for any option. Wednesdays indicative votes could easily turn out like 2003, with MPs rejecting everything; they might also produce the opposite problem, with majorities voting in favor of multiple, mutually exclusive solutions. New Statesman columnist Stephen Bush lays out the problem succinctly: The majority for indicative votes was reliant upon a host of MPs who have vowed not to block Brexit, and a host of MPs who have vowed to find any means to prevent it. Take away either and there is no majority for anything. Indeed, the absence of a majority is one reason why, at this late hour, Parliament is giving itself the option to completely rewrite the plan for Brexit. The other reason, of course, is that May has been exceedingly stubborn in attempting to ram through her deal, even though it never garnered any public or parliamentary enthusiasm, while stonewalling discussion of other possible options. If May has been right about one thing, however, it is that the deal she negotiated with the E.U. is the only deal the E.U. has agreed to. After her European colleagues iced her out in Brussels last week and gave her only a two-week extension rather than the three months she asked for, its clear that Europe has lost its patience. If MPs end up telling May to go back to the E.U. and demand more delays just so they can argue some more, she might as well resign immediately, because thats not happening. The headlines may say Parliament has taken control of Brexit, but when all is said and done, the E.U. itself will get to decide what the U.K. can or cant get away with. Sign Up for the Intelligencer Newsletter Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. FILE PHOTO: An aerial photo shows Boeing 737 MAX airplanes parked at the Boeing Factory in Renton, Washington, U.S. March 21, 2019. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson/File Photo By David Shepardson and Eric M. Johnson WASHINGTON/SEATTLE (Reuters) - The U.S. aviation regulator will significantly change its oversight approach to air safety by July following two fatal Boeing Co MAX 737 passenger plane crashes, according to written congressional testimony seen by Reuters. At a U.S. Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) acting head Dan Elwell will say the agency's oversight approach must "evolve" after the deadly crashes, according to the testimony. While specific details on oversight changes were not clear, lawmakers are expected to question Elwell on how the regulator intends to change the process by which a manufacturer such as Boeing can to a large extent certify their own planes and flight software systems. Anti-stall software on the Boeing 737 MAX plane is among the leading areas of focus for investigations into the two crashes. Investigators have pointed to "clear similarities" between the crashes, putting pressure on Boeing and U.S. regulators to come up with an adequate fix. The aviation industry has been thrown into flux by a Lion Air crash in Indonesia last October that killed 189 people and an Ethiopian Airlines disaster on March 10 that killed 157, both involving Boeing's 737 MAX single-aisle plane. A spokesman for Ethiopia's transport ministry, which is leading an investigation in Addis Ababa, said the preliminary crash report would very likely be released this week. Boeing's fastest-selling 737 MAX jet, with orders worth more than $500 billion (378 billion) at list prices, has been grounded globally by the FAA, although airlines are still allowed to fly them without passengers to move planes to other airports. One such passenger-less Southwest Airlines Co Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft landed safely on Tuesday after declaring an emergency over an engine-related problem leaving Orlando, Florida, the FAA said. The issue was not related to a computer system on the 737 MAX, Southwest said. Story continues Elwell's testimony discloses that Boeing first submitted a proposed upgrade to its anti-stall software - the Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System, known as MCAS - to the FAA for certification on Jan. 21. Boeing confirmed that in a statement on Tuesday, saying verification and certification flights took place on Feb. 7 and March 12, which is within the typical testing time period. The documentation to show FAA compliance was expected at the end of the week, Boeing said. PILOTS WELCOME CHANGE The Allied Pilots Association, which represents American Airlines pilots, said it welcomed steps toward increased safety. "We're also very interested in any changes to the FAA's structure and certification process that would ensure that never again would a critical system like MCAS not be transparent to pilots," the association said in a statement, highlighting some pilots' concerns that they had been unaware of the existence of MCAS on MAX aircraft they were flying. Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg visited Boeing's Seattle-area facilities on Tuesday and attended at least one all-hands meeting with engineers, two people familiar with the matter said. Boeing is this week briefing airlines on software and training updates for the MAX, with more than 200 airline pilots, technical experts and regulators from around the world due to come to the Renton, Washington, facility where the 737 is assembled. As well as FAA approval, any MAX software fixes will need a green light from governments around the world, a process that could take months. Boeing's software fix for the 737 MAX will prevent repeated operation of the anti-stall system and deactivate it altogether if two sensors disagree widely, two people familiar with pilot briefings told Reuters on Monday. Upgrading an individual 737 MAX with Boeing's new software only takes about an hour per plane, though the overall process could stretch on far longer as it is rolled out across the global fleet because of stringent testing and documentation requirements by engineers and regulators, according to a senior FAA official with knowledge of the process. Boeing shares closed down slightly on Tuesday. They have lost about 12 percent and $29 billion in market value since the crash in Ethiopia. Representative Peter DeFazio, who chairs the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, sent a letter on Tuesday to the FAA, asking it to hold an independent, third-party review of Boeing's proposed changes to the 737 MAX before it is returned to service. The FAAs review must be thorough, deliberative and cannot be rushed, he and Representative Rick Larsen wrote. The third party should include experts to objectively advise on the certification of new and novel technology. (Reporting by David Shepardson in WASHINGTON, Kumerra Gemechu in ADDIS ABABA and Eric M. Johnson in SEATTLE; Additional reporting by Alwyn Scott in NEW YORK and Tracy Rucinski in CHICAGO; Writing by Maggie Fick and Grant McCool; Editing by Keith Weir/Mark Potter/Bill Rigby) Shepherd, who went on the run last year after killing a woman in a speedboat crash on the River Thames, attends court hearing in Tbilisi Jack Shepherd, who went on the run last year after killing a woman in a speedboat crash on the River Thames, attends court hearing in Tbilisi, Georgia January 29, 2019. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze TBILISI (Reuters) - A court in Georgia ruled on Tuesday to extradite a British man who went on the run following the death of a woman in a speedboat crash on the River Thames in London. Jack Shepherd, 31, was convicted in Britain in absentia last year of the manslaughter by gross negligence of Charlotte Brown, 24. He was sentenced to six years in jail. After months on the run, Shepherd turned himself in to police in Georgia earlier this year. He told the court on Tuesday he agreed to his extradition so he could take part in an appeal process. "This week he will be extradited, he will be sent to the United Kingdom," Tariel Kakabadze, Shepherd's lawyer, said after a court hearing in Tbilisi. Shepherd took Brown for a ride on a speedboat in December, 2015 during a first date. The boat crashed and the couple were thrown into the water. Shepherd was found clinging to the hull but Brown was pulled from the water unconscious and died from cold water immersion. Prosecutors said Shepherd was drunk and that neither he nor Brown was wearing a life-jacket. (Reporting by David Chkhikvishvili; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Ed Osmond) Israeli forces have continued to hit targets across the Gaza Strip, just hours after a ceasefire was reported to have taken effect. The ceasefire was brokered by Egypt on Monday but shortly afterwards there were air raid sirens heard in southern Israel and rocket fire reported from Gaza. At least 30 rockets were fired into Israel on Monday, according to Israel, but nearly all of them were intercepted or landed in uninhabited areas. But six Israelis were injured when a rocket landed on a home in a farming community. The Iron Dome rocket defence system had not been activated because the attack was unexpected. In retaliation, Israel hit back with 15 airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, including the offices of Hamas's supreme leader Ismail Haniyeh. The building was destroyed, as was another in Gaza City that Israelis identified as the militant group's military intelligence headquarters. Seven Palestinians were injured but none were killed, according to Gaza's health ministry. Commenting on the rockets fired into Israel, the country's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "Israel will not tolerate this. I will not tolerate this." Speaking during a meeting at the White House with US President Donald Trump, he added: "Israel is responding forcefully to this wanton aggression. "We will do whatever we must do to defend our people and defend our state." The renewed violence comes as Mr Netanyahu faces a tough race for re-election on 9 April, with critics accusing him of being too soft on Hamas. He has been indirectly involved in the ceasefire talks through Egyptian mediators and he even allowed Qatari aid to be delivered to Hamas to help those in Gaza. Also, he is facing allegations of corruption . Hamas, meanwhile, has its own problems: the US has recently recognised Israel's control of the Golan Heights and the Israel-Egyptian blockade, sanctions by the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas's own incompetence have worsened the economic situation in Gaza. Story continues More than half of those living in the strip are unemployed. Last week hundreds of Gazans protested against the poor conditions but Hamas responded by beating and arresting dozens of them. In a statement, Mr Haniyeh said Palestinians "will not surrender" and their militants "will deter the enemy if it exceeds the red lines". Israel and Hamas have fought three wars, the most recent in 2014, which lasted 50 days and killed more than 2,000 Palestinians and 73 Israelis. It's the biggest planet in our solar system and larger than all of the other planets combined and many scientists believe it was formed near the sun. However, a new study shows quite the contrary, according to research article accepted into the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, astronomers believe now the planet formed near Uranus. One of the researchers involved in the paper is from Lund University in Sweden, he said: "This is the first time we have proof that Jupiter was formed a long way from the Sun and then migrated to its current orbit." Jupiter, its moons and orbiting asteroids11 And it was a long migration to this point, one that took approximately 700,000 years! Researchers studied asteroids called Trojans, observing that Jupiter had a lot more of them in front, rather than behind it (50% more to be exact). The scientists also managed to conclude the planet is about 4.5 billion years old. According to the study, researchers say the planet picked up steam (fuelled by the gravitational force of gases) and made its way TOWARD the sun, picking up massive asteroids along the way. Nasa is planning to launch a probe in 2020 to study the Trojan asteroids and learn more about Jupiter's core. The 16-year-old was last seen getting on a bus in Aberdeen in November. The family of Liam Smith have said they are heartbroken after a body found in woods was confirmed as that of the missing teenager. The 16-year-old was last seen boarding a bus in Aberdeen on November 17 last year. A member of the public discovered a body on Friday afternoon in woods south of Banchory in Aberdeenshire. Police Scotland have confirmed it was that of the missing schoolboy. We can confirm that the body found on in the #Banchory area on Friday 22 March, 2019 is that of teenager Liam Smith, who was reported missing from #Aberdeen in November, 2018. Read more: https://t.co/pxt7Oot7vl NorthEastPolice (@NorthEPolice) March 25, 2019 In a statement released by police, Liams mother Alix said: While we never gave up hope of finding Liam, we were realistic about the challenges facing us. Our hearts are broken. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved in the search for Liam including members of the public who took it upon themselves to help. Thank you also to everyone who has left messages of support which have provided us with comfort at extremely difficult times. At this most difficult time of all, we would ask for privacy as we try to come to terms with our enormous loss. Specialist resources including a police helicopter, search dogs, and the dive and marine unit had been deployed in the search for Liam. Police Scotland said there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding his death. Cyclone Idai has left some 1.85 million people in need of urgent assistance in Mozambique, according to the UN humanitarian agency, as local officials said they had found the first cases of cholera. FRANCE 24 met some of those fleeing the floods. Idai flattened homes and provoked widespread flooding after slamming into Mozambique near the port of Beira on March 14. It then ripped through neighbouring Zimbabwe and Malawi, killing at least 750 people across the three southern African countries.Mozambique which has a population of around 30 million was hit hardest, with tens of thousands of homes destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people displaced across an area of some 3,000 square kilometres.Five cases of cholera have been "confirmed" in Mozambique, the director of national health, Ussein Isse, announced on Wednesday.>> Read more: Death toll from Cyclone Idai tops 750, more than 100,000 displacedFRANCE 24s reporters met flood victims in Sofala province, one of the most affected areas in the country, where there is no electricity and roads and fields are still flooded.Here, for people desperate to flee the disaster-struck area, leaving on foot is the only option.Everybody is crying for food, there is no food, says construction worker Marcos Mourao. We see the helicopter passing [above]. We make some signs, but nobody is stopping.Mourao has walked 50 kilometres already, but he has a further 700 ahead of him to reach his home in Zambezi province. This is my life, he says, clinging to a plastic bag that shields some documents from the water. That is why I am carrying it like a baby. Most of the people have lost everything.>> Read more: Mounting fears for children separated from parents after Mozambiques cycloneOfficials say 447 people have died in Mozambique as a result of the cyclone. But in the stricken Buzi district, part of Sofala province, people say local casualties have not been counted.People over thereare laying fishing nets, says flood victim Vasco Joaquim. And those nets are catching dead bodies. Click on the player above to watch the report by Ayesha Ismail, Caroline Dumay and Stefan Carstens. Cyclone Idai has left some 1.85 million people in need of urgent assistance in Mozambique, according to the UN humanitarian agency, as local officials said they had found the first cases of cholera. FRANCE 24 met some of those fleeing the floods. Idai flattened homes and provoked widespread flooding after slamming into Mozambique near the port of Beira on March 14. It then ripped through neighbouring Zimbabwe and Malawi, killing at least 750 people across the three southern African countries. Mozambique which has a population of around 30 million was hit hardest, with tens of thousands of homes destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people displaced across an area of some 3,000 square kilometres. Five cases of cholera have been "confirmed" in Mozambique, the director of national health, Ussein Isse, announced on Wednesday. >> Read more: Death toll from Cyclone Idai tops 750, more than 100,000 displaced FRANCE 24s reporters met flood victims in Sofala province, one of the most affected areas in the country, where there is no electricity and roads and fields are still flooded. Here, for people desperate to flee the disaster-struck area, leaving on foot is the only option. Everybody is crying for food, there is no food, says construction worker Marcos Mourao. We see the helicopter passing [above]. We make some signs, but nobody is stopping. Mourao has walked 50 kilometres already, but he has a further 700 ahead of him to reach his home in Zambezi province. This is my life, he says, clinging to a plastic bag that shields some documents from the water. That is why I am carrying it like a baby. Most of the people have lost everything. >> Read more: Mounting fears for children separated from parents after Mozambiques cyclone Officials say 447 people have died in Mozambique as a result of the cyclone. But in the stricken Buzi district, part of Sofala province, people say local casualties have not been counted. People over thereare laying fishing nets, says flood victim Vasco Joaquim. And those nets are catching dead bodies. Click on the player above to watch the report by Ayesha Ismail, Caroline Dumay and Stefan Carstens. Many migrants have crossed the border in the hopes of seeking asylum in the US (Picture: PA) The Pentagon has authorised the transfer of $1 billion (758 million) to build a new wall along the US-Mexico border. In a significant victory for US president Donald Trump, the money will be distributed to army engineers to plan and build a 57-mile stretch of pedestrian fencing, roads and lighting along the border. Building the wall was a major promise of Mr Trumps presidential election campaign, but he has met opposition to the plan from Congress. He declared a national emergency last month in an effort to fund the controversial wall without congressional approval. US president Donald Trumps controversial border wall project has been allocated funding by the Pentagon (Picture: PA) Last week, the Pentagon gave Congress a list that included $12.8 billion (9.7 billion) of construction projects for which it said funds could be redirected for construction along the border. Acting secretary of defence Patrick Shanahan said in a memo to secretary of homeland security Kirstjen Nielsen that the Department of Defence had the authority to support counter-narcotics activities near international boundaries. Read more Who will be the next PM? These are the favourites to replace Theresa May Shopworker stabbed to death as six people knifed overnight across London Miracle postman died for 21 minutes and came back to life on his way to the morgue Mr Shanahan authorised the US Army Corps of Engineers to begin planning and executing the project that would involve building 57 miles of 18fthigh fencing, constructing and improving roads, and installing lighting within the Yuma and El Paso sections of the border. Mr Trump says the situation at the border is a crisis and says the wall is needed to prevent criminals getting into the US, but critics say he has concocted the border emergency. Democrats have complained that the Pentagon did not seek permission from relevant committees before telling Congress about the funding. Building the wall was one of Mr Trumps most oft-repeated campaign promises, though he claimed the money would come from Mexico, not American taxpayers. Story continues Mr Trumps emergency declaration drew unanimous opposition from congressional Democrats and opposition from some Republicans, especially in the Senate, where politicians objected that he was abusing presidential powers. Protesters took to the streets after Donald Trump declared a national emergency to seek funding for a wall at the US-Mexico border (Picture: PA) It has been a good week for Mr Trump after Attorney General William Barr said special counsel Robert Mueller had ended his two-year investigation without evidence of collusion by his 2016 campaign with the Russian government. Democrats were hoping to use the border emergency battle in upcoming campaigns, both to symbolise Mr Trumps harsh immigration stance and claim he was hurting congressional districts around the country. Last week, the Pentagon sent politicians a list of hundreds of military construction projects that might be cut to pay for barrier work. Though the list was tentative, Democrats were asserting that Republican politicians were endangering local bases to pay for the wall. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Kim Yeon-chul, a nominee for South Korean Unification Minister, speaks during a confirmation hearing for the post of Unification Minister at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, March 26, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji By Hyonhee Shin and Joyce Lee SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's nominee for unification minister said on Tuesday that North Korea cannot expect to achieve a prosperous economy and keep its weapons programmes, as nuclear talks have stalled since the collapse of a U.S.-North Korea summit last month. The summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi fell apart over conflicting demands by the North for sanctions relief and from the United States for Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons. Since then, relations between the two Koreas have been left in limbo. South Korean President Moon Jae-in recently tapped pro-engagement scholar Kim Yeon-chul as new unification minister in charge of inter-Korean affairs. "I will seek a creative solution so that North Korea and the U.S. can meet again soon and find common ground," Kim told a confirmation hearing, without elaborating. Kim, 55, advised Moon's office on Korean summits before moving to head the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification. If he passes the hearing, he is expected to expedite Moon's initiative for a "peace-driven economy." Kim said North Korea has taken some action towards denuclearisation but it was "insufficient", and the increased priority that North Korea is giving to its economic development should be used as leverage to encourage more progress on dismantling its weapons programmes. "Basically I think they can't have both nuclear weapons and the economy at the same time," Kim said. A professor who headed a think tank affiliated with the Unification Ministry under Moon, Kim is a staunch advocate for a restart of inter-Korean economic cooperation, but progress has been hampered by international sanctions over the North's nuclear and missile programmes. Kim apologised past remarks he made on social media as a scholar that had prompted some opposition lawmakers to nickname him "North Korean spokesman". Story continues In 2011, Kim had described a torpedo attack by North Korea that sank a South Korean navy ship in 2010 as an "accidental incident." While stressing the North carried out the torpedo attack, he said the sanctions imposed by the South's then government should be resolved in a "flexible" manner, noting that the sanctions hurt South Korean firms. In 2010 Kim wrote an opinion piece in which he referred to the killing of a South Korean tourist by a North Korean soldier in the North's Mount Kumgang resort in 2008 as a "rite of passage". At the hearing, an opposition politician aired a recording of demands from the son of the deceased tourist for Kim to clarify his remarks. The nominee said the North was responsible for the incident, and expressed condolences to the tourist's family. (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Joyce Lee; Editing by Michael Perry & Simon Cameron-Moore) US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights has united Washington's Gulf Arab allies and regional foe Iran in condemnation. Trump broke with decades of US policy on Monday, recognising Israeli sovereignty over the strategic territory it seized from Syria in 1967 and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait all criticised Washingtons decision, describing the territory as occupied Arab land. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, two close allies of the US, said the move was an impediment to peace and security in the region.For once, the Gulf States were in agreement with arch-foe Iran, which described Trump's decision as a throwback to a bygone era of colonial land grabs."In a point of time when colonialism ruled, some colonialist powers did such things and bestowed parts of one country to another, but this is unprecedented in the present century," said Irans President Hassan Rouhani, according to the official government website."Nobody could have believed that a man would come in America and unilaterally and against all international laws and regulations give away a land belonging to one country to an aggressor," the Iranian leader added.US first to recognise Golan as IsraeliTrump, with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looking over his shoulder during a visit to Washington, signed a proclamation on Monday officially granting US recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in a 1967 war and annexed it in 1981, in a move the UN Security Council said was unlawful.The US is the first country to recognise Israel's sovereignty over the Golan, which the rest of the international community regards as Israeli-occupied.Trumps recognition will have significant negative effects on the peace process in the Middle East and the security and stability of the region", said a statement on Saudi state news agency SPA.The Saudi statement described the declaration as a clear violation of the United Nations Charter and of international law.Golan is SyrianTrump's special adviser Jared Kushner visited the Gulf Arab region last month to seek support on the economic portion of a long-awaited peace proposal for the Middle East. Gulf Arab states host US troops and are important for Washington's regional defence policy.Qatar, which has been at loggerheads with other Gulf states over its policies, joined them in rejecting Trump's move and called on Israel to end its occupation of the Golan Heights and comply with international resolutions.Lebanon said the decision contravened international law."The world is witnessing a black day," Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Twitter during a visit to Russia. Syria's state news agency SANA said thousands of Syrians had gathered in the streets of different cities in protest at the US move.SANA posted photographs of a march in the southern city of Sweida on Tuesday morning, in which men and women carried Syrian and Palestinian flags and banners reading "Golan is Syrian."(FRANCE 24 with AFP, REUTERS) US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights has united Washington's Gulf Arab allies and regional foe Iran in condemnation. Trump broke with decades of US policy on Monday, recognising Israeli sovereignty over the strategic territory it seized from Syria in 1967 and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community. On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait all criticised Washingtons decision, describing the territory as occupied Arab land. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, two close allies of the US, said the move was an impediment to peace and security in the region. For once, the Gulf States were in agreement with arch-foe Iran, which described Trump's decision as a throwback to a bygone era of colonial land grabs. "In a point of time when colonialism ruled, some colonialist powers did such things and bestowed parts of one country to another, but this is unprecedented in the present century," said Irans President Hassan Rouhani, according to the official government website. "Nobody could have believed that a man would come in America and unilaterally and against all international laws and regulations give away a land belonging to one country to an aggressor," the Iranian leader added. US first to recognise Golan as Israeli Trump, with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looking over his shoulder during a visit to Washington, signed a proclamation on Monday officially granting US recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in a 1967 war and annexed it in 1981, in a move the UN Security Council said was unlawful. The US is the first country to recognise Israel's sovereignty over the Golan, which the rest of the international community regards as Israeli-occupied. Trumps recognition will have significant negative effects on the peace process in the Middle East and the security and stability of the region", said a statement on Saudi state news agency SPA. Story continues The Saudi statement described the declaration as a clear violation of the United Nations Charter and of international law. Golan is Syrian Trump's special adviser Jared Kushner visited the Gulf Arab region last month to seek support on the economic portion of a long-awaited peace proposal for the Middle East. Gulf Arab states host US troops and are important for Washington's regional defence policy. Qatar, which has been at loggerheads with other Gulf states over its policies, joined them in rejecting Trump's move and called on Israel to end its occupation of the Golan Heights and comply with international resolutions. Lebanon said the decision contravened international law. "The world is witnessing a black day," Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Twitter during a visit to Russia. Syria's state news agency SANA said thousands of Syrians had gathered in the streets of different cities in protest at the US move. SANA posted photographs of a march in the southern city of Sweida on Tuesday morning, in which men and women carried Syrian and Palestinian flags and banners reading "Golan is Syrian." (FRANCE 24 with AFP, REUTERS) By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday imposed fresh sanctions on a network of companies and people in Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates it said was helping to raise billions of dollars to fund the operations of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards. The U.S. Treasury blacklisted 25 people and organizations, including a clutch of front companies based in the three countries, that were working on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Iran's defence ministry to raise money for their activities. The targeted institutions include banks and other financial institutions such as Ansar Bank, Atlas Exchange, Iranian Atlas Company, the U.S. Treasury said in a statement. "We are exposing an extensive sanctions evasion network that was established by the Iranian regime to evade American sanctions," Brian Hook, the U.S. special envoy for Iran, told reporters. "With this action today we are increasing our pressure even further on the Iranian regime." Hook described Ansar as "the banker" of the Revolutionary Guards and its overseas operations run by Quds Force. He said the bank paid the salaries of IRGC-Quds Force employees and Iranian foreign fighters in Syria. "They created front companies to access the U.S. financial system on their own," said Hook, adding that Tehran was feeling the pressure from U.S. sanctions and created the network to look for a way around the restrictions. He said the Ansar front companies had raised $800 million over the last year and a half to buy military vehicles and to fund the IRGC's and Quds Force operations. Additionally, Hook said the United States was sanctioning Iran's defence ministry "for its support for terrorism" and providing logistics support to the Revolutionary Guards. A U.S. official said the sanctions were not related to the U.S. State Department's labelling of groups as so-called foreign terrorist organizations, known as FTOs. The defence ministry was blacklisted in 2007 for its role in weapons of mass destruction proliferation, Hook added. Story continues "We are now expanding our authorities against Iran's ministry of defence for its support for terrorism," Hook told reporters at the State Department. The sanctions are part of a campaign by Washington to pressure Tehran to negotiate a comprehensive plan to end its nuclear and missile programs. President Donald Trump withdrew last year from a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers. Since abandoning the agreement, the United States has imposed a string of new sanctions aimed at choking off Iran's funding, especially from oil. The IRGC is by far Iran's most powerful security organisation and has control over large stakes of the Iranian economy and huge influence in its political system. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton and Susan Heavey; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli, James Dalgleish and Paul Simao) Stephen Paddocks hotel room. Photo: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police As of today, owning a bump stock, the device that allows a semiautomatic rifle to fire continuously with a single pull of a trigger, is illegal in the United States. Nineteen months after Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers in Las Vegas, killing 58 and wounding hundreds more, the niche accessory that allowed him to fire more quickly (but also less accurately) has been officially banned. The move faced a flurry of legal challenges before going into effect Tuesday. But while several individual bump-stock owners have been granted a stay, Chief Justice John Roberts declined to stop the government from enforcing the ban. A second request to block the ban is pending in front of Justice Sonia Sotomayor and shes expect to uphold it. That means a measure that has been called the most significant new federal gun control measure in recent memory will come into effect thanks to a Republican president elected with the help of the NRA. Its not hard to imagine the type of hysteria this move would have caused if it had happened under President Obama. But his administration argued it was up to Congress to ban bump stocks. The Trump administration took a different view. Under thenacting attorney general Matthew Whitaker, the Department of Justice reinterpreted existing federal law and moved forward with the ban by changing regulations. Its the kind of thing that would have had Second Amendment absolutists taking to the streets four years ago. Instead, many bump-stock owners begrudgingly followed the ATFs guidelines and turned over or destroyed the devices. For destruction, regardless of manufacturer or model, a Bump Stock must be made incapable of being readily restored to its intended function by, e.g., crushing, melting or shredding the Bump Stock, an ATF document says. Cutting the device will also be allowed so long as the Bump Stock is completely severed in the areas constituting critical design features. Those who dont comply could face ten years in prison and be fined $250,000. Perhaps surprisingly, the NRA has been largely silent on the subject. The groups most aggressive pushback came in December, when it said it was disappointed by the ban. It hasnt posted anything on Twitter or Facebook today. Gun Owners of America, another gun-rights group, has aggressively fought the ban and the DOJs authority to ban the devices through regulations. The ban has supporters in the gun-control movement, with Everytown and Moms Demand Action mobilizing their followers on its behalf. But its unlikely to have any effect on gun violence in the U.S. Bump stocks are novelties that most people hadnt heard of prior to Las Vegas. The government estimates that Americans own 520,000 of them, at the high end. That leads to an obvious question: If banning bump stocks annoys gun-rights advocates but does little to stop gun violence, why is the Trump administration doing it? Because it makes Trump look proactive on gun violence without actually doing anything to stop it. A close up of the grenade from the Schiedam, a ship captured by pirates and in turn the Royal Navy but sank in the late 1680s off the Cornish coast. (SWNS) A walker has uncovered his own piece of pirate treasure after a relic from a shipwreck washed up at low tide. The Schiedam was a former merchant ship which was captured by pirates, and later sank off the Cornish coast in storm in 1684. She sank at Dollar Cove, a cove near Helston, Cornwall, and the spot where the wreckage came to rest has recently being exposed by a freak low tide. Robert Felce went out to the scene and to his shock he found a grenade from the shipwreck. After more than 330 years in the sea, the grenade was embedded inside an encrusted mass of sediment and pebbles, which are attracted to metal objects in seawater. Robert Felce discovered a grenade from the Schiedam, a ship captured by pirates and in turn the Royal Navy but sank in the late 1680s off the Cornish coast. (SWNS) Robert, from Mullion, Cornwall, knew what to look for as in previous years he has found two similar grenades from the same wreck. He said: I found my third grenade on Dollar Cove at low tide. The tide had an influence on the find in that that week was some of the lowest spring tides of the year and it is possible to get out that bit further to examine areas not usually visible. The storms and winds have brought lots of changes to Dollar Cove with there being far more rock than sand there now. Read more from Yahoo News UK: New device could force cars in the EU could be forced to stick to speed limits Jack Shepherd to return to UK to fight conviction Millionaires son kills friend in McLaren supercar crash The Schiedam was a former Dutch merchant ship. She was captured by Barbary pirates in 1683 and then seized by the British. The Schiedam was then used as a transport ship by the Royal Navy and was packed with arms and ammunition from a failed British colony in Morocco. Split up from the convoy returning home, she found herself trapped in Mounts Bay and ran aground during a storm on April 4, 1684. Last November David Gibbins, of Cornwall Maritime Archaeology, shared stunning pictures and video of the wreck site. The site was rediscovered by David and his colleague Mark Milburn two years ago but this is the first time the site has been so extensively revealed. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Marty Mathis Wins partypoker LIVE MILLIONS South America Main Event ($873,700) March 26 2019 Matthew Pitt Marty Mathis won $87,500 for his 17th-place finish in the 2011 PCA Main Event, a sum that remained his largest live poker tournament score for more than eight years. That changed on March 24 when he was crowned the 2019 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS South America Main Event champion, an accolade that came with an $873,700 prize. Not only that, but Marty Mathis bought in to the event with partypoker live dollars, which he has been grinding online at partypoker, putting him in a prime position to take down the partypoker PP LIVE $1M Leaderboard which rewards $100,000 to the leader in April. 2019 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS South America Main Event Final Table Results Place Player Country Prize (R$) Prize (USD) 1 Marty Mathis United States R$3,494,800 $873,700* 2 Bruno Volkmann Brazil R$2,748,400 $687,100* 3 Matas Cimbolas Lithuania R$2,236,800 $559,200* 4 Samuel Gagnon Canada R$1,480,000 $370,000 5 Vlada Stojanovic Serbia R$1,200,000 $300,000 6 Caio Hey Brazil R$1,000,000 $250,000 7 Michael Sklenicka Czech Republic R$800,000 $200,000 8 Andre de Oliveira Brazil R$600,000 $150,000 *reflects a three-handed deal A field of 439 players turned out for the 2019 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS South America Main Event, which featured a USD$5 million guaranteed prize pool. Of those 439 starters, 55 received prize money for their efforts. The likes of Jack Sinclair, Richard Trigg, Bryan Piccioli, Tom Middleton, Manig Loeser and Patrick Leonard all cashed in the $10,300 buy-in event, the latter falling in 10th place for R$240,000 (US$60,000). The eight-handed final table was reached on Day 4, although two of its members crashed out to leave only six players in the hunt for the title. Andre Busato busted in eighth place when he moved all in for slightly more than 13 big blinds with ace-queen and was snapped off by Matas Cimbolas who was laying in wait with pocket kings. The five community cards ran out with no drama and Busato was busto. Cimbolas did the damage again a few moments later when Michael Sklenicka pushed his short stack all in with queen-jack. Cimbolas made the call with ace-ten and his ace-high was enough to reduce the player count by one. Six Players Return for Day 5 Caio Hey was the first casualty on Day 5 Day 5 started then with six players and all six were guaranteed the equivalent of US$250,000. Five of those players jumped up the pay ladder early on the final day when Samuel Gagnon opened to 2.6 million during the 600,000/1,200,000/1,200,000 level (with big blind ante). Caio Hey three-bet all-in for 17.9 million and Gagnon called. It was a pair of red deuces for Hey and a pair of black sevens for Gagnon. Gagnon improved to a set on the flop and Hey was drawing dead after the turn. A couple of hours passed without an elimination before Vlada Stojanivic lost a coinflip to Mathis that ended his participation in the tournament. With blinds now 700,000/1,400,000/1,400,000, Bruno Volkmann opened to 2.8 million in the cutoff, Mathis called on the button and Stojanovic jammed all in for 20.8 million in the big blind with what turned out to be pocket tens. Volkmann ducked out of the way, but Mathis called with ace-king of hearts. The flop fell without an ace or king, but it did display two hearts. Mathis completed his flush on the turn to send Stojanovic to the showers. Next to fall was Gagnon who opened to 4.5 million with queen-seven of hearts during the 1,000,000/2,000,000/2,000,000 level and Volkmann called on the button with pocket fours. An eight-seven-three flop saw Gagnon check-call a 5.5 million bet from Volkmann. The turn was a four, improving Volkmann to a set. Gagnon again check-calleded a bet, this time one worth 12.5 million. Gagnon checked again on the king of clubs river and Volkmann set his opponent all in. After using a time extension, Gagnon called off his last 44 million chips only to see his pair of sevens was now an expensive second-best hand. Three-Handed Deal Struck The final three players went on a 40-minute break to discuss a deal for the remaining prize pool. A deal was agreed upon, one that left US$212,000 extra for the eventual champion. Cimbolas would progress no deeper in the tournament, busting in third place at the hands of Mathis. A min-raise with ace-five on the button to 5 million from Cimbolas was called by Mathis from the big blind holding king-ten. Cimbolas paired his five but Mathis flopped trips. Mathis check-raised Cimbolas 4 million bet to 11.1 million and Cimbolas called. The nine of spades on the turn completed a potential spade flush and Mathis led for 40 million. Cimbolas had 42 million chips in front of him and he moved all-in. Mathis snap-called and Cimbolas saw he was drawing dead. Bruno Volkmann finished in second place. Going into heads-up, Mathis had 96 big blinds to Volkmann's 80 bigs, so the contest was far from over. The pair battled for three hours with Mathis leading for the majority of the time until Volkmann clawed his way back to even. Mathis then began to turn the screw and by the time the final hand took place, Volkmann was down to his last 17.7 million chips and Mathis held 421.3 million. Volkmann open-shoved those 17.7 million chips into the middle with queen-deuce and Mathis called with the dominating queen-eight. Neither player improved their hand, and Mathis eight-kicker played, making the title along with US$873,700 in prize money all his. Photographs courtesy of the partypoker LIVE team. Binky Felstead is a doting mother to daughter India, but after recently taking a well-deserved mummy break to the Maldives, the star began to suffer from mum guilt. Speaking exclusively to HELLO!, the mother-of-one opened up about the first 21 months with her daughter and how her recent trip with friends to the sunny destination caused her to feel apprehensive. The former Made in Chelsea star welcomed her first child, India Elizabeth Felstead-Patterson, in June 2017. The reality television personality, who parted ways with her daughter's father Josh Patterson in September of the same year, has now spoken openly about the struggles of single parenthood. binky- The mother-of-one shares a close bond with her mother READ MORE: Exclusive: The newest Made in Chelsea stars spill the beans on joining the show The mother-of-one explained: "I felt a bit of mum guilt because I've never left India for five days before, but it was such a good thing for me to do. I got 12 hours sleep for the first time in almost two years." It seems that the extra sleep was not the only thing that Binky appreciated, as she received a huge heart-warming smile upon her return from her daughter. Despite her nerves about leaving India for five days, the 28-yar-old told HELLO!: "It's made me a better parent to have some time out and a bit of rest." Whilst away, the one-year-old spent quality time with her dad and his family in Norfolk, something that Binky appreciates is important. binky Binky suffered with mum guilt on her trip to the Maldives With Mother's Day fast approaching, the aspiring fitness entrepreneur took some time to reflect on how relationships with her family have changed since she has become a mother. "My mum and I have always been exceptionally close, becoming a mum has given me a closer bond with my sister. It's amazing having the three cousins so close in age, I'm glad they've got each other no matter what. I'm sure they'll be asking each other 'can you cover for me tonight' when they're older." Story continues READ MORE: Louise Thompson and her fiance Ryan Libbey quit Made in Chelsea Binky has released a Mother's Day collection with Phillippa Herbet, with the decision to "call the collection Alexandra because it is more mature. It represents a transition in my life." The collection represents Alexandra's childhood memories and can be found at: https://philippaherbert.co.uk. Loading the player... The Duchess of Cornwall looked her typically fabulous self on Sunday as she arrived in Cuba with husband Prince Charles. Looking heavenly in Havana, the royal gave us all a lesson on how to work airport chic, wearing a light and flowing floral dress that had the cutest ruffles running throughout the fabric. Camilla, 71, added a pair of nude, slingback flats, a long pearl necklace and carried her handbag of choice throughout the tour - a raffia tote by high-end brand Heidi Klein. The royal looked lightly tanned and very relaxed, sporting minimal makeup and her trademark hair was as coiffed as ever. It looked as if Charles wanted to coordinate with his wife - he was pictured rocking a smart grey suit. What a stylish pair, eh? camilla-parker-bowles-dress-cuba Summer style! Camilla looked incredible in Cuba It has been a busy trip for the couple, who have seen a lot of places in a short space of time. On Saturday, Charles and Camilla arrived in Grenada - the home of chocolate! The pair visited the country's world-famous chocolatiers, innovative spice producers and stewardship of the Caribbean sea. Loading the player... After the pair jet landed at the Maurice Bishop International Airport, they were greeted by the Governor General Dame Cecile La Grenade. Keeping in with her kaftan theme, this time Camilla wore a lovely cream one, that had white piping on the cuffs and collar. She wore espadrilles and once again, sported a parasol. She also decided to buy a straw hat from one of the market stalls which we have no doubt she will wear back in the UK once the weather gets warmer. MORE: The Duchess of Cornwall turned heads in turquoise on royal tour of the Caribbean Later that day, the couple took a romantic stroll along the beautiful beach of Grenada. Mother-of-two Camilla removed her shoes and went barefoot, although Charles wasn't so brave and kept his chic brown brogues firmly on his feet. READ: The Duchess of Cornwall just stepped out in the funkiest of shoes in Barbados It's not long now until the Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcome their first child together, and one person that can't hide her excitement is the Duchess of Cornwall. During a walkabout in Havana's old town during their second day in Cuba, the wife of Prince Charles was asked by American tourist Mimi Ricketts if she was excited about the new baby, and Camilla beamed as she quickly replied: "Yes, very much so." camilla-meeting-crowds-cuba This is the second time the Duchess, who herself is a grandmother-of-four, has spoken out about Prince Harry and Meghan's baby news, the first being shortly after the announcement was made last October. At the time, Kensington Palace revealed that Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall as well as other members of the royal family were "delighted for the couple." MORE: Prince Charles reveals all about the royal baby On the same week, Charles paid a visit to the Royal Lochnagar Distillery in the Scottish Highlands, where a reporter asked the royal if he had "toasted news of the royal baby". To which, Charles replied, "Oh yes, absolutely," before adding, "Several times, at the moment!" camilla-charles-cuba The royal couple are currently in the middle of their Spring tour, and have already spent two days in Cuba. Prince Charles and Camilla are the first members of the British royal family to ever visit the country and are certainly making the most of it. On Monday they visited the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, the former official residence of Cubas 65 colonial Governors (Captains General) and a female-run bicycle repair and rental business. READ: Prince Charles expresses his fears for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal baby Loading the player... Later on, the duo parted ways temporarily and Charles, 70, headed to Escuela Taller, a workshop which trains young people in restoration techniques, whilst Camilla, 71, stopped in at Hogar Materno Infantil, Havanas largest maternity home. The royal couples tour continues until 28 March. Photo credit: Michael Thompson From Town & Country THE PROPERTY: A rare architectural jewel, this country house on the Isle of Mans Arragon Mooar Estate is designed in the Palladian style, but reimagined in an unusual elliptical form. Built in red sandstone with a domed copper roof, it enjoys a secluded location and 360-degree views. Spanning 280 acres in total, the estate is available for sale either in its entirety or in two separate lots (Arragon Mooar with 180 acres and Ballafurt Farm with 100 acres). Photo credit: Michael Thompson THE LOCATION: Approached via a wildflower-bordered North Drive, home to a bronze cannon dating from the 17th century, the property lies in the southern part of the Isle of Man, close to the village of Ballasalla and about a five-minute drive from the airport, which operates regular flights to London City, London Gatwick, Manchester, Dublin and Liverpool. Both the historic capital, Castletown, and the modern capital, Douglas, are accessible within a 15-minute drive. Photo credit: Michael Thompson THE INTERIOR: Every single feature in the property is designed to work seamlessly with its historical layout, from the cantilevered staircase in Ancaster limestone to the floor of the galleried atrium, with its three-dimensional-effect design. With six en-suite bedrooms, each unique in its decorative scheme, a drawing-room, dining-room, library and kitchen/breakfast room, the home is ideal for hosting guests. Photo credit: Michael Thompson WHY WE LOVE IT: Its the plethora of unique details that really make this property, from the bespoke carpets made in Thailand in each bedroom to the elliptical glassware and crockery in the kitchen. Photo credit: Michael Thompson BUY IT NOW: Offers in excess of 30,000,000 with Savills I feel like I might weep tears of joy into my flat white as I write this piece because, though we're only a few months into 2019, I can feel a real sense of positive change happening in the fashion industry. Yes, that's right2019 is the year of sustainability in fashion, and the proof isn't just coming from "industry experts" or business reports as you might expect. It's coming directly from emerging designers and brands. When I started researching the best new bag brands for this piece, I began where I often do for brand discovery: scrolling through Instagram. In diving deeper into the many popular new bags the fashion set is carrying, I was overwhelmed by the pattern I saw among each of the different brands' ethos: The coolest new bags on Instagram share the common thread of sustainability at the core of their brands. Though there are a number of requirements to becoming a 100% sustainable fashion brand (similar to being able to label food "organic"), many of the practices inherent to these brands are a major step in the right direction. These include prioritising artisan craft, quality production, ethical material sourcing and timeless designswith each brand imbuing their personal, diverse experiences into the bags. Handbags are more of an investment piece by nature, and these brands offer an opportunity to literally carry their story with you every day. Whether they are completely transparent about their production process or simply aiming to create pieces to last decades in both style and quality, you can be assured that these nine new bag brands are leading the way to a more sustainable futureand in style, of course. Keep scrolling to discover the new bag brands we love right now and shop the key styles from each one. ELLEME Finally available in the UK via BrownsFashion.com (who are stocking just a couple of choice styles right now), we've been longing for a long, long time for this French brand to make its way into our closets. Story continues Elleme comes direct from the hippest part of Paris, Le Marais, and the brand was founded by Jingjing Fan. It's appreciated for its simple, practical, roomy and curvacious styles. The raffia pieces look set to be particularly popular for summer 2019. Elleme Yellow and Brown Baozi Raffia Small Tote Bag (300) Elleme Shopper (370) STEE Pay attention to Stee, people. Seriously. Designer Estelle Orilland has previously worked at major design houses like Chloe, Yves Saint Laurent, Stella McCartney and Marni, creating some of their most iconic styles in recent years. Her new creations are equal parts innovative as they are quality and each bag is named after Orilland's daughter and her friends. The Neo bag is already a street style star, while Ruth makes for a gorgeous everyday accessory. Stee Neo Ring Bag (579) Stee Ruth Small Shopper (579) RATIO ET MOTUS Ratio et Motus, launched last year by Angela Wang and Daniel Li in New York, is about the balance of reason and emotion. Timeless and versatile, they harken to old Celine or even Grace Kelly in Rear Window. Simply, they are forever bags. Ratio et Motus Sister Leather tote (770) Ratio et Motus Lady Leather Tote (890) MEDEA SISTERS Medea is already being hailed It-bag brand of 2019, probably because its bags are being toted by everyone from mega influencers to Rihanna. Designed by Italian sisters Camilla and Giulia Venturini, the leather shoppers come in many brilliant shades and various shapes, so there's definitely one just for you. Medea Hanna Leather Crossbody Bag (520) Medea Crossbody Tote Bag (520) ALFEYA VALRINA With a mission to promote fair labour practices in Indonesia, Alfeya Valrina is already off to a great start as an emerging designer. Add her background and training from the Fashion Institute of Technology and a heavy dose of cool and you have her brilliant collection of bags that come in a rainbow of colours. Alfeya Valrina Joe Joe Bag (140) Alfeya Valrina Joe Joe Croc Embossed Leather Bag (193) INNE Inne was born out of the desire to keep the art of Filipino craftsmanship alive, with the added modernity of transparent and sustainable practices. The woven detail on the Sia shopper makes it a sellout style while the macrame totes are a very chic version of last summer's popular net bags. Inne Sia Shopper Tote (151) Inne Natalia Petite Macrame Bag (18) IMAGO-A I have a huge crush on Imago-A, having first discovered its perfectly shaped shoulder bags and then realising I wanted every bag in the collection. The brand's designs are built upon "geometric and sculptural shapes that are both original and functional," which each style speaks to in detail. Imago-A N43 Carre Top-Handle (374) Imago-A N44 Lucite Buckle Mini (222) IF I FELL If I Fell by Ashli Fell in New York is brand I am keeping my eye on after discovering it through stylist Sissy Sainte-Marie's Instagram. Her signature Fell bag is designed to be seasonless and works for any occasionno matter which colour you pick. If I Fell Mini Fell Bag (223) If I Fell Crossbody Mini Bucket (265) MARINA RAPHAEL Designer Marina Raphael has a lot going right. With design in her DNA (she is of the Swarovski family), she is still completing a degree in business while creating her luxury brand. The bags remind me of elevated holiday totes and feature shapes in warm terra-cotta tones and woven leathers. Marina Raphael M'O Exclusive Riviera Woven Straw Bag (1380) Marina Raphael M'O Exclusive Rene Woven Leather Bag (1380) RYLAN STUDIO Rylan was founded by Australian influencer Brooke Testoni last year and is already a massive hit. These have been championed by Moda Operandi's Fashion Director, Lisa Aiken for their vintage feel. The rattan style keeps selling out, so keep your eyes open for its restock. Rylan Black Croc Emboss Small Bag (468) Rylan Rattan Small Bag (390) FOLKLORE If mini bags are your jam, then this is the new handbag name to know. Set up by Central Saint Martins graduate Haya Al Abdulkareem a few years ago, it's really the past few months that has seen this indie label shoot up into the bloggersphere. In fact, everyone from Monikh in London to Eleonora Carisi in Milan to Carmen Hamilton in Sydney has one of their little loop-handled bucket bags. It's called the Kyklos, and it comes with a handy long strap tooperfect for those of us who don't like to carry everything but the kitchen sink. Folklore Wrap Bag (179) Folklore Kyklos Bag (533) Up Next: I See New Fashion Brands Every Day, But These 5 Really Stand Out This story was published at an earlier time and has since been updated. Opening Image: @hannahalmassi Read More from Who What Wear Queen Letizia is known for her ladylike, classic style. Whenever she steps out she looks totally flawless with not a hair out of place and she only proved this further over the weekend when she arrived in Buenos Aires. Walking alongside her husband, King Felipe VI, the 46-year-old stunned in Spring-ready mint green. Elegant and streamlined, the pencil dress, designed by Hugo Boss, was sleeveless with a pinafore neckline and featured a gorgeous black buckled belt that cinched her in at the waist. letizia Keeping the whole look demure, she paired the dress with a pair of Magrit cream pointed satin stilettos and carried a matching clutch bag. She wore her hair down and her makeup was beautifully natural. Enhancing her skin with a little foundation and a subtle blush, her eyes were lightly rimmed with a soft smokey brown eyeshadow. Her eyelashes were predictably fluttery and she simply wore a dark nude on her lips. She completed the look with her favourite Chanel earrings. READ MORE: Is this the ultimate royal fashion staple? Duchesses Kate, Meghan and more in chic pussy bow blouses Her husband looked equally well-dressed pairing a navy jacket with black trousers (no easy feat to pull off) and proved you can wearing separates and still look smart. Pulling the whole look together with a cheerful pink tie, he complimented the green of his wife's dress perfectly. READ MORE: Royal fashion faux pas! Fashion mishaps from Meghan Markle to Kate Middleton A stylish week indeed for the mum-of-two, this isn't actually the first time she's wowed over the past seven days. Last Thursday she floored crowds as a lady in red while attending an awards ceremony in Caceres, a city in Western Spain. Wearing scarlet from head-to-toe, she opted for the vibrant suit by Roberto Torretta which featured a beautiful tailored jacket and flares that had mini side-slits at the ankle, revealing her matching shoes. Never afraid to make a statement, but always keeping it ultra chic, we think she might just be the best-dressed royal around. Competition is tough for science-based research opportunities during the summer semesters. So members of the biology, chemistry and physics departments at the University of North Georgia (UNG) celebrated this spring 2019 semester that five students won highly competitive research internships for the upcoming summer. The students three physics majors, one biology major and one chemistry major were offered opportunities to work at renowned programs and facilities. For the first time in school history, a UNG student has been accepted to the Amgen Scholars U.S. Program. Cory Duckworth, a senior pursuing a degree in biology, was one of 750 students who applied for few than 40 slots for the prominent national award. He will work as a scholar this summer at the Stanford Summer Research Program in California. Duckworth said he knows the experience will help with his future plans. "It will expose me to new research skills and help me decide what I want to do and where I want to study in the future," the 26-year-old from Hiawassee, Georgia, said. "And I will stand out in applications for graduate school." UNG junior Jessica Hamilton stood out among applicants to earn an internship at a prestigious German research institute. She was one of 300 international students selected for the DAAD Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) scholarship from more than 1,900 who applied. Hamilton will intern at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Gottingen, Germany. "I woke up at 5:30 a.m. and saw the email saying 'Congratulations,'" said Hamilton, who lives in Dahlonega, Georgia, with her 4-year-old daughter. "I thought 'Oh my God. I actually got it.'" The 31-year-old said she felt her work in the classroom and undergraduate research project with Dr. Gregory Feiden on starspots has finally paid off. He agreed. "Competition for this internship is fierce, and Jessica is most deserving. This award is the culmination of her sustained, dedicated effort over the past two years," said Feiden, assistant professor of astronomy in the physics department at UNG. "This is a pivotal moment for her career. I'm excited to see where she goes from here." Hamilton, who is also an S-STEM Scholar, is not the only physics major who earned a competitive summer internship. Amanda Ash, who has partnered with Hamilton on starspot research and presented at a conference in summer 2018, won a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at the Smithsonian-Harvard Center for Astrophysics. She will work with astrophysicists for 10 weeks in in Cambridge, Massachusetts. "Dr. Feiden is good at pushing undergraduates to pursue bigger and better opportunities," said Ash, a 19-year-old from Woodstock, Georgia. "I'm excited to see how other professors conduct research. I hope to get new ideas, and when I return to UNG in the fall, I can bring those new ideas to the table." UNG sophomore Mark Leggiero, who is pursuing dual degrees in physics and engineering, is ready for the hands-on experience at Brookhaven National Laboratory. He secured a Department of Energy (DOE) Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) at the research facility in Upton, New York. "They have an electron accelerator called the NSLS-II, which can be used as a big X-ray microscope," said the 19-year-old from Buford, Georgia. "My job will be to create a robotic system that exchanges samples inside the microscope to increase efficiency in imaging. Im excited that I get to do something Im genuinely interested in while preparing myself for a career in engineering." Only 10 students are selected to participate in the NSF REU at Florida State University. UNG senior and S-STEM Scholar Emily Storck was one of them. The 20-year-old from Buford, Georgia, will conduct research on light and matter from May 27 to Aug. 2 in Tallahassee, Florida. "I'm looking forward to doing research in one of fields that I'm thinking about going into," she said, adding it will prepare her for graduate school. "It will be extremely helpful because an REU is snapshot of what you do at grad school." All five students plan to attend graduate school, and all agree a summer research opportunity gives them an advantage over the competition. "I will have an experience at a research-level institute that is well-known in my field," Hamilton said. "That will be my key into graduate schools." Students interested in pursuing summer research opportunities or undergraduate research projects may contact the CURCA office at curca@ung.edu. Uprooted Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next. Pelosi didnt waste time after the administration called for judicial destruction of the Affordable Care Act. Photo: J Scott Applewhite/AP In what was either serendipity or an extremely rapid response, House Democrats unveiled a new bill that shored up elements of the Affordable Care Act that the Trump administration has been messing with, with excellent timing, as Dylan Scott reports: House Democrats are rolling out a plan to strengthen the Affordable Care Act that would expand federal insurance subsidies and reverse the Trump administrations attacks on the health care law but avoids the partys internal fight about more ambitious proposals to extend health coverage. Democrats released the bill the day after the Trump administration said it wanted the entire health care law thrown out by the courts, underscoring the striking divide between the two parties on an issue at the top of voters minds. The legislation covers a number of perceived weaknesses that have appeared in the structure of Obamacare, including some engineered by the administration: * It expands the tax credits available under the law, both reducing costs for lower-income families and expanding eligibility so middle-class Americans can receive federal assistance. * It creates a national reinsurance program to offset high medical bills for insurers and thereby keep premium increases in check. * It rolls back Trump actions expanding skimpier health insurance plans, giving states the freedom to undermine the laws benefits requirements, and cutting enrollment outreach funding. Pelosi reportedly plans to roll out these proposals in individual bites, forcing House Republicans to cast votes augmenting their opposition to the increasingly popular health-care program (none of this is likely to see the light of day in Mitch McConnells Senate). The politics of it are obvious: By changing its position to support total elimination of Obamacare (without even a replacement), the administration has given Democrats a fresh opportunity to remind Americans that Republicans have no real plan for health care other than destroying protections they previously enjoyed. This, of course, is the very argument Democrats used to great effect during the midterm election campaign. Team Trumps move on Obamacare is looking more and more like a major unforced error. They had been trying to reframe the health-care issue for 2020 as one in which they drove a wedge between Democrats who supported or opposed controversial single-payer legislation all the while warning of socialized medicine and higher taxes. Now Democrats can remain united in resisting attacks on the status quo instead of appearing to be the disrupters: This is an expansive package of proposals that would make ACA coverage more affordable and reduce the number of people uninsured, but it is not a replacement for the far-reaching plans for universal coverage like Medicare for all, Larry Levitt, senior vice president for health reform at the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, told HuffPost. With Democrats proposing to solidify and build on the ACA and the Trump administration still trying to repeal it, the health care battle lines for 2020 are pretty clear. And if Democratic presidential candidates dont get too loud and contentious about their differences over how to achieve universal coverage, thats probably the where the battle lines will stay. Sign Up for the Intelligencer Newsletter Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. Japan faced its worst nuclear disaster in March 2011, when an earthquake triggered a massive tsunami. It not only devastated the fukushima nuclear plant but also left more than 18,000 dead. It was the worst nuclear accident in a generation. Moreover, thousands of other people lost their lives from illness linked to the aftereffects of the tragedy. This is based on official data furnished by the government. Japan to partially lift evacuation order for one of towns hosting Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant https://t.co/vQIg6KAphe The Japan Times (@japantimes) March 26, 2019 Daily Mail UK reports that Japan decided to lift an evacuation order in some places since the level of nuclear radiation is now lower. These are the towns Okuma and Futaba where the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is located. The government said it plans to lift the order for part of Okuma town on April 10. Toshitsuna Watanabe, Mayor of Okuma, welcomed the move and said it will help to start reconstruction work in the region after eight years. The nuclear disaster left a trail of destruction The incident happened in March 2011. It began with the massive earthquake that led to a tsunami and caused extensive damage to the nuclear setup in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The death toll was in thousands and there was a large-scale evacuation of people from danger zones. Apart from direct casualties, people died from diseases believed to be related to radiation. The government has taken necessary steps for decontamination by removing the radioactive topsoil and cleaning affected areas to restore normalcy. They have gradually lifted evacuation orders across some regions affected by the meltdown and encouraged the residents to return. However, people are still worried about the safety aspects because nuclear radiation has far-reaching implications. Discuss this news on Eunomia Daily Mail UK says a recent poll revealed that anxiety about radiation remains for nearly 60 percent of Fukushima region residents. In fact, even now more than 50,000 people do not want to return. They appear to have doubts about the effectiveness of the measures taken by the government. Hesitation among the residents of Okuma According to The Mainichi, government officials say the mandatory evacuation order for residents of the town of Okuma will be lifted on April 10. That will help Okuma Mayor Toshitsuna Watanabe to open the town's new office on April 14 so that it can start operating on May 7. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant suffered extensive damage from the tsunami the engulfed the six-reactor nuclear power plant located on the Pacific Coast. It resulted in core meltdowns and the world's worst nuclear disaster since the 1986 Chernobyl crisis. Hurricanes, floods, forest fires, cyberattacks countless disaster scenarios can disrupt business operations and threaten an organizations financial stability. Biomedical research communities are not immune to these threats, said Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association (APHA), who will speak at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC in Roanoke, Virginia, on March 28. Disasters that damage research laboratories and the institutions that house them can have enormous impacts on the safety and well-being of humans and research animals, on career trajectories, and on scientific progress, Benjamin said in a statement. Continuing scientific advancement and the promise of future discoveries will require a commitment to resilience and an unparalleled partnership across the emergency management academic research sectors. Benjamin, a member of the National Academy of Medicine, will discuss ways to plan for disasters and mitigate risks during the research institutes Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture at 5:30 p.m. His free public presentation, Strengthening the Disaster Resilience of Academic Research Communities, will take place at 2 Riverside Circle in Roanoke, Virginia. The consequences of recent disasters, such as hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, have shown that the investments of the U.S. federal government and other research sponsors which total about $27 billion annually are not uniformly secure. In addition, biomedical research communities contribute billions of dollars to the national economy each year. In 2017 alone, National Institutes of Health extramural funding generated an estimated $68.8 billion in economic output in the United States. Locally, a recent economic analysis by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service estimated that the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute will generate $450 million annually to Roanokes economy by 2027. Proactive disaster resiliency planning helps secure future growth in jobs, infrastructure, and scientific discovery. Dr. Benjamin has been recognized as one of the most influential physician leaders in our nation. Drawing from firsthand experience as a physician, he understands what happens when preventive care is not easily accessible, said Michael Friedlander, vice president for health sciences and technology and executive director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. We look forward to welcoming him to Roanoke and hearing him share advice about resiliency planning with our local community, researchers, physicians, and students. Voted among the top 100 most influential people in health for a decade, Benjamin was appointed to the National Infrastructure Advisory Council in 2016. In this capacity, he advises the president on how to secure and protect critical infrastructure nationwide. Prior to becoming the APHAs executive director in 2002, Benjamin oversaw the expansion of Marylands Medicaid program while he served as secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Board-certified in internal medicine, he has written more than 100 scientific articles and book chapters. Starting out as an emergency medicine attending physician while working as chief of acute illness at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington, Benjamin has worked in medicine for nearly 40 years. A native of Gaithersburg, Maryland, Benjamin is a graduate of the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois College of Medicine. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the National Academy of Public Administration, a fellow emeritus of the American College of Emergency Physicians, and an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health. The lecture will also be webcast on the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute website. Dont buy into President Trumps reveling and celebration over Muellers non-collusion opinion. Trumps legal jeopardy has exploded with more than a dozen investigations that could all lead to his spending the remainder of his life broke and sitting in prison. By James DiGeorgia President Donald J Trump is reveling in his claim of a complete and total exoneration from Robert Muellers investigation, but its not true, and his legal jeopardy has soared over the past 22 months. Mr. Mueller noted after all, according to the attorney general William Barr wrote in his summary letter on Sunday to Congressional leaders. "While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him," Trump, his businesses, his three oldest children, son in law, and some of his executives are facing a large number of federal and state probes in New York, California, Illinois that could all potentially lead to criminal indictments. Many legal experts insist that these criminal investigations are likely to pose an even greater threat than the Russia probe. Federal prosecutors from the Southern District Attorney Generals office in Manhattan are pursuing at least two known criminal inquiries. The first is focused on possible corruption that took place with his Inaugural Committee. The second is a criminal investigation into the hush-money scandal that has left his former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, heading to prison for campaign finance violations, and which Trump was referred to as an unindicted co-conspirator. Special: Imagine an options trading service that has delivered over 4,872% in winning trade recommendations over 11 years. That's 442% a year in winning trade recommendations. Check it out! Just $49 for the first 60 days! POTUS also is now confronted by growing investigations by both New Yorks attorney general, and Manhattan DA who are investigating Mr. Cohens claims that President Trump committed bank fraud. The investigation centers around exaggerating his wealth when seeking loans for real estate projects, a failed bid to buy the NFLs Buffalo Bills and to illegally underpay state and city real estate and income taxes. Also, state insurance regulators are looking into whether President Trump and his businesses gave false information to insurance companies. This is bolstered by a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York Patrick Cotter who was quoted yesterday as referring to these NY probes as very real and very significant and if youre Trump, this has got to feel, in some ways, like an even greater threat than the Russia probe. While its true that President Trump denies any wrongdoing and has dismissed all of the New York state and federal investigations as politically motivated harassment, the reality is any or all of these investigations may prove to be Trumps Waterloo. State senator Nick Scutari, sponsor of the marijuana legalization bill, speaks to reporters in Trenton, N.J. Photo: Seth Wenig/AP/REX/Shutterstock New Jersey governor Phil Murphys marijuana legalization bill is a model of progressive reform. The legislation wouldnt just end prohibition of a substance less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco, thereby providing the state with a new source of revenue, police with one less distraction from deterring violent crime, and disadvantaged young people with lower odds of ending up incarcerated for their youthful indiscretions. It would also wipe away the criminal convictions of anyone in New Jersey convicted of possessing up to five pounds of ganja a threshold much higher than expungement programs enacted in other states. Altogether, Murphys bill would erase the criminal records of hundreds of thousands of low-level drug offenders. Finally, the proposal would ensure that a significant percentage of legal marijuana businesses would be minority-owned enterprises. The bill is nearly as politically popular as it is substantively admirable. A recent Monmouth University poll found that 60 percent of New Jersey voters support legalizing recreational marijuana, while three-quarters back clearing the records of those convicted of weed possession. And yet, after two-years of lobbying, the bill died without a vote Monday, after it became clear that a majority in the Democratic-led state senate opposed the measure. A coalition of Republicans and moderate Democrats including some African-American lawmakers who feared the implications that legalization would have on the public health of their communities remained steadfast in its opposition. Well be back at this, New Jersey Senate president Stephen Sweeney told reporters shortly after the vote was canceled. Anybody who thinks this is dead is wrong This is not an issue thats going away. Marijuana will get passed in the state of New Jersey one way or another. The bill did have the necessary votes to clear the state assembly, according to sources who spoke with the Star-Ledger, but remained a handful of supporters shy in the senate. The disparity between New Jersey voters overwhelming support for marijuana legalization in opinion polls and their representatives stalwart opposition to the measure in the state senate might seem puzzling. But it is consistent with a broader pattern in the politics of legalization. While ten states and Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational weed, only Vermont has done so through legislation. Earlier this month, a pair of New Jersey lawmakers who oppose marijuana legalization introduced a bill that would let the states voters decide the issue directly. At the time, Murphys office expressed opposition to the proposal. But given the experience of other states, a ballot referendum might well be the governors best path forward. A pro-E.U. demonstrator holds a placard featuring Putin in London on June 11, 2018. Photo: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images After days of wall-to-wall coverage of the conclusion of the Mueller investigation about which we still know nothing except for Attorney General Barrs four-page summary, which Stacey Abrams described as like having your brother summarize your report card to your parents you might wonder what the rest of the world is making of these titanic developments. Not all that much, it turns out. As difficult as this may be to comprehend, our friends and foes alike seem to have taken our measure and concluded first, that President Trump is not going anywhere this year; and second, that yet another surge of controversy around him is no longer of top interest to international media consumers hungry for local stories and focused on their own crises. The British press, understandably, was filled with coverage of the million-person London demonstration calling for a Brexit revote as an alternative to crashing out of the European Union, and of developments in Parliament that dont seem to be making a no-deal Brexit any less likely. While U.K. papers did feature Barrs no collusion verdict prominently on Monday, over in France, headline pride of place went to a massive new Chinese order of Airbus jets, at the expense of Trumps friends at Boeing. The conservative German paper Bild asserted that the Mueller outcome had won Trump reelection but both French and German media devoted as much analysis to Washingtons surprise recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights as to Mueller. By Monday afternoon, leading African news outlets werent even covering the Mueller developments though the state-owned Nigerian Television Authoritys home page still featured a ten-day-old story about the Trump administrations decision to deny entry to anyone working on International Criminal Court investigations targeting the U.S. And while some major Asian outlets were covering Mueller, Chinese state-run media was busy pondering Kellyanne and George Conways relationship among its lead U.S. stories (pretty husband is still quite a boss, read one translated headline). There was one place where Muellers report, and Barrs conclusion that there wasnt sufficient evidence that Trump obstructed justice, got a lot of excited attention: Moscow. The Daily Beasts Julia Davis collected some of the most over-the-top Russian commentary, including politician Alexei Pushkovs description of the Mueller report as a mountain that birthed a dead mouse, which, if its not exactly Pushkin or Dostoevsky, does convey a certain strength of feeling. A popular Russian TV host declared that Russia didnt elect Trump [but] will most definitely elect him in 2020. Which does lead to an important point: Muellers investigation led to the conviction of several senior Trump campaign officials for improper ties to Russian and other foreign actors. Along with its two dozen indictments of Russian intelligence operatives, who will likely never appear in a U.S. court, came a mound of evidence laying bare how Russian intelligence operatives and their partners made multiple efforts to influence the 2016 election outcome, and sow dissension and doubt about the strength and integrity of the U.S. democratic process. One reason to insist on the release of the entire report is to learn as much as possible about the evidence linking Moscow to the Trump campaign, whether or not anyone is ever charged, or in presidents case, impeached. But theres another reason that ought to transcend the partisanship around pursuing various charges: to spread as broadly as possible what Mueller learned about Russian tradecraft how Moscow did what it did, never mind who may have helped out. That information could be the foundation for an effective policy to make it harder for any outside actors to undercut U.S. democracy, no matter whose interests they may harm or benefit. Laura Rosenberger, who runs the Alliance for Securing Democracy (and who lived this experience firsthand as a foreign policy adviser on the 2016 Clinton campaign), described the situation to me in stark terms: We also know from separate DOJ charges and administration officials that these efforts continued through the midterms, and are ongoing today. Addressing Russias interference is a matter of national security, and will require partisanship to be put aside to take real steps to harden our defenses, deter Russia and other countries that might seek to follow suit, and build societal resilience. A partisan response would not only hamper such efforts; with increasing polarization and weakening our institutions a goal of Putins efforts, it would play directly into Putins hands. So global media and the international public may have tired of the Trump circus, and decided that Washington is now too enmeshed in its own delusions and dysfunctions to affect their lives. But intelligence agencies around the world will be watching the next steps carefully to see whether Washington can summon the will to repair our system and protect ourselves and whether anyone can protect a democracy when some of its contestants are determined to win at any price. Sign Up for the Intelligencer Newsletter Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. past daily news Sep 13 (1) Sep 09 (15) Sep 06 (12) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (10) Aug 31 (17) Aug 29 (14) Aug 26 (13) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (12) Aug 19 (21) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (10) Aug 10 (10) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (10) Aug 06 (10) Aug 05 (8) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (14) Jul 29 (1) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (10) Jul 22 (11) Jul 19 (16) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (10) Jul 15 (13) Jul 12 (7) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (11) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (8) Jun 28 (7) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (8) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (9) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (9) Jun 18 (8) Jun 15 (9) Jun 13 (13) Jun 11 (11) Jun 09 (19) Jun 06 (10) Jun 04 (10) Jun 03 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (5) May 30 (5) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (7) May 26 (6) May 25 (4) May 23 (6) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (7) May 19 (9) May 18 (4) May 17 (6) May 16 (5) May 15 (7) May 14 (3) May 13 (3) May 12 (9) May 10 (3) May 09 (7) May 08 (4) May 07 (3) May 06 (5) May 05 (8) May 03 (9) May 02 (1) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (5) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (8) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (5) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (1) Apr 19 (5) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (5) Apr 14 (2) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (2) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (2) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (7) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (6) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (10) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (5) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (7) Mar 12 (5) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (8) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (12) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (8) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (8) Feb 28 (7) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (6) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (6) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (1) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (2) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (6) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (6) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (2) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (1) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (8) Jan 30 (2) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (1) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (4) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (2) Jan 20 (2) Jan 19 (3) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (2) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (6) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 05 (5) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (1) Dec 31 (5) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (5) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (2) Dec 17 (1) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (2) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (2) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (1) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (5) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (10) Nov 28 (6) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (3) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (6) Nov 19 (2) Nov 18 (5) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (5) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (9) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (6) Oct 22 (4) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (4) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (1) Oct 06 (10) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (1) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (5) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (6) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (6) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (5) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (8) Sep 05 (6) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (5) Aug 31 (8) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (6) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (1) Aug 26 (4) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (7) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (4) Aug 21 (4) Aug 20 (7) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (8) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (8) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (8) Jul 31 (1) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (2) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (10) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (5) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (2) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (1) Jul 16 (10) Jul 14 (7) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (7) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (7) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (2) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (5) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (6) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 18 (2) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (3) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (8) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (10) Jun 05 (14) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (6) Jun 02 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (7) May 30 (2) May 29 (7) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (4) May 25 (5) May 24 (4) May 23 (5) May 22 (5) May 21 (5) May 20 (3) May 19 (10) May 18 (6) May 17 (3) May 16 (6) May 15 (2) May 14 (3) May 13 (5) May 11 (1) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (4) May 07 (2) May 06 (4) May 05 (6) May 04 (5) May 03 (5) May 02 (1) May 01 (6) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (7) Apr 28 (8) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (14) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (1) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (1) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (1) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (2) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (6) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (5) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (9) Mar 26 (4) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (9) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (13) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (6) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (9) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (9) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (10) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (2) Feb 03 (8) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (5) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (7) Jan 26 (8) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (6) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (6) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (12) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (8) Jan 12 (6) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (7) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (9) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (8) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (4) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (5) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (1) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (10) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (12) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (6) Dec 08 (7) Dec 07 (12) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (13) Dec 04 (6) Dec 02 (8) Dec 01 (8) Nov 30 (6) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (8) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (11) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (7) Nov 17 (6) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (5) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (14) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (5) Nov 04 (11) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (10) Nov 01 (8) Oct 31 (12) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (13) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (8) Oct 22 (5) Oct 21 (11) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (10) Oct 12 (11) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (10) Oct 09 (7) Oct 08 (5) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (14) Oct 04 (9) Oct 03 (12) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (9) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (7) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (10) Sep 21 (12) Sep 20 (12) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (11) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (8) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (10) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (9) Sep 07 (8) Sep 06 (11) Sep 05 (2) Sep 04 (8) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (9) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (4) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (2) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (6) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (6) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (7) Aug 06 (7) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (11) Aug 02 (6) Aug 01 (9) Jul 31 (11) Jul 28 (7) Jul 27 (11) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (1) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (2) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (7) Jul 15 (4) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (5) Jul 06 (6) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (3) Jun 30 (8) Jun 29 (5) Jun 28 (6) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (1) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (7) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (6) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (7) Jun 05 (5) Jun 04 (7) Jun 03 (1) Jun 02 (9) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (8) May 30 (7) May 29 (5) May 28 (5) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (3) May 23 (5) May 22 (2) May 21 (3) May 20 (7) May 19 (11) May 18 (1) May 17 (7) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (4) May 11 (11) May 10 (2) May 09 (6) May 08 (6) May 07 (2) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (5) May 03 (8) May 02 (4) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (13) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (5) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (2) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (9) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (2) Apr 19 (2) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (6) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (2) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (6) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (7) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (9) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (6) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (8) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (6) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (6) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (9) Feb 24 (11) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (7) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (6) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (2) Feb 12 (5) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (10) Feb 08 (9) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (2) Feb 05 (9) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (7) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (7) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (14) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (10) Jan 18 (11) Jan 17 (9) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (10) Jan 06 (8) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (5) Jan 01 (14) Dec 30 (13) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (5) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (7) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (5) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (9) Dec 16 (8) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (17) Dec 09 (8) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (10) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (7) Nov 30 (9) Nov 29 (6) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (15) Nov 24 (7) Nov 23 (15) Nov 22 (9) Nov 21 (6) Nov 20 (11) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (13) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (7) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (13) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (8) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (8) Nov 01 (6) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (15) Oct 26 (10) Oct 25 (10) Oct 24 (13) Oct 23 (9) Oct 21 (8) Oct 20 (13) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (8) Oct 16 (14) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (13) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (15) Oct 07 (7) Oct 06 (11) Oct 05 (18) Oct 04 (14) Oct 03 (1) Oct 02 (10) Sep 30 (11) Sep 29 (11) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (15) Sep 26 (7) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (17) Sep 20 (20) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (11) Sep 16 (10) Sep 15 (12) Sep 14 (9) Sep 13 (12) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (8) Sep 09 (9) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (13) Sep 06 (15) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (10) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (12) Aug 31 (14) Aug 30 (14) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (8) Aug 27 (9) Aug 26 (12) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (6) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (11) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (5) Aug 01 (5) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (9) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (8) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (6) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (6) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (15) Jul 15 (14) Jul 14 (5) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (12) Jul 11 (8) Jul 10 (3) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (10) Jul 05 (4) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (10) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (2) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (7) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (11) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (14) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (8) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (11) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (16) Jun 03 (8) Jun 02 (12) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (7) May 30 (15) May 28 (7) May 27 (5) May 26 (21) May 25 (14) May 24 (10) May 23 (7) May 22 (8) May 21 (11) May 20 (5) May 19 (4) May 18 (10) May 17 (11) May 16 (5) May 15 (6) May 14 (7) May 13 (12) May 12 (10) May 11 (7) May 10 (13) May 09 (4) May 08 (7) May 07 (3) May 06 (6) May 05 (9) May 04 (14) May 03 (7) May 02 (10) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (8) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (14) Apr 22 (16) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (16) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (10) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (11) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (8) Apr 10 (12) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (13) Apr 07 (9) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (15) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (15) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (11) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (10) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (12) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (8) Mar 24 (7) Mar 23 (15) Mar 22 (17) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (8) Mar 19 (4) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (19) Mar 15 (13) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (20) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (13) Mar 08 (13) Mar 07 (7) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (16) Mar 02 (16) Mar 01 (13) Feb 29 (8) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (16) Feb 26 (10) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (12) Feb 23 (14) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (12) Feb 18 (12) Feb 17 (11) Feb 16 (8) Feb 15 (9) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (10) Feb 12 (11) Feb 11 (13) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (13) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (19) Jan 31 (21) Jan 29 (11) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (13) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (2) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (13) Jan 21 (11) Jan 20 (9) Jan 19 (13) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (11) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (13) Jan 13 (9) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (7) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (7) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (8) Jan 01 (5) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (9) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (1) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (6) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (13) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (10) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (11) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (9) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (10) Dec 08 (13) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (8) Dec 04 (11) Dec 03 (12) Dec 02 (16) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (11) Nov 28 (15) Nov 27 (16) Nov 26 (11) Nov 25 (9) Nov 24 (13) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (1) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (10) Nov 15 (3) Nov 14 (10) Nov 13 (14) Nov 12 (8) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (12) Nov 05 (17) Nov 04 (12) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (12) Oct 31 (11) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (10) Oct 28 (18) Oct 27 (16) Oct 26 (11) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (12) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (12) Oct 20 (17) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (15) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (10) Oct 14 (16) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (12) Oct 09 (21) Oct 08 (22) Oct 07 (19) Oct 06 (18) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (17) Oct 03 (13) Oct 02 (14) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (14) Sep 29 (15) Sep 28 (12) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (15) Sep 25 (13) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (10) Sep 22 (12) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (4) Sep 19 (12) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (16) Sep 16 (21) Sep 15 (14) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (10) Sep 11 (16) Sep 10 (7) Sep 09 (8) Sep 08 (10) Sep 07 (7) Sep 06 (5) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (9) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (1) Aug 28 (10) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (14) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (13) Aug 20 (9) Aug 19 (13) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (8) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (12) Aug 11 (9) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (14) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (1) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (6) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (2) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (6) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (6) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (5) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (5) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (9) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (1) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (13) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (7) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (9) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (3) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (7) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (11) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (2) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (8) Jun 03 (9) Jun 02 (6) Jun 01 (4) May 30 (7) May 29 (9) May 28 (13) May 26 (8) May 25 (5) May 24 (2) May 23 (8) May 22 (9) May 21 (7) May 20 (4) May 19 (6) May 18 (7) May 17 (8) May 15 (9) May 14 (5) May 13 (8) May 12 (6) May 11 (6) May 09 (7) May 08 (6) May 07 (11) May 06 (7) May 05 (4) May 04 (11) May 03 (5) May 02 (4) May 01 (9) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (4) Apr 28 (9) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (10) Apr 22 (8) Apr 21 (9) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (4) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (6) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (6) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (5) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (2) Apr 05 (2) Apr 04 (5) Apr 03 (7) Apr 02 (7) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (1) Mar 28 (2) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (2) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (4) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (6) Mar 20 (9) Mar 19 (9) Mar 18 (8) Mar 17 (9) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (11) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (12) Mar 11 (9) Mar 10 (12) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (5) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (11) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (8) Feb 27 (9) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (8) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (10) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (7) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (2) Feb 14 (8) Feb 13 (12) Feb 12 (8) Feb 11 (10) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (2) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (12) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (8) Jan 26 (13) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (12) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (10) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (11) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (4) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (3) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (8) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (9) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (10) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (10) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (9) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (10) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (1) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (9) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (7) Nov 25 (12) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (6) Nov 18 (10) Nov 17 (12) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (12) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (7) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (6) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (9) Nov 03 (6) Nov 02 (14) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (9) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (8) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (2) Oct 19 (11) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (7) Oct 15 (7) Oct 14 (8) Oct 13 (5) Oct 12 (8) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (5) Oct 09 (11) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (8) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (10) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (7) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (5) Sep 27 (8) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (11) Sep 24 (15) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (10) Sep 17 (10) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (8) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (7) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (7) Sep 02 (7) Sep 01 (2) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (5) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (9) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (12) Aug 19 (8) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (8) Aug 11 (7) Aug 10 (12) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (4) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (12) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (8) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (8) Jul 20 (6) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (8) Jul 17 (2) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (9) Jul 13 (10) Jul 11 (9) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (7) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (7) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (15) Jun 26 (10) Jun 25 (9) Jun 24 (16) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (12) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (6) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (13) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (14) Jun 10 (3) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (16) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (18) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (8) May 31 (3) May 30 (6) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (6) May 23 (4) May 22 (8) May 21 (5) May 20 (6) May 19 (2) May 18 (9) May 17 (1) May 16 (5) May 15 (5) May 14 (7) May 13 (7) May 12 (7) May 11 (4) May 10 (4) May 09 (5) May 08 (10) May 07 (4) May 06 (13) May 05 (4) May 04 (10) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (9) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (9) Apr 24 (7) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (10) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (7) Apr 14 (11) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (9) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (6) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (10) Apr 03 (9) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (8) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (8) Mar 22 (7) Mar 21 (14) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (11) Mar 17 (12) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (8) Mar 14 (13) Mar 13 (8) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (8) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (3) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (15) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (12) Mar 02 (20) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (11) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (14) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (8) Feb 16 (11) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (7) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (6) Feb 07 (5) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (2) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (3) Jan 26 (2) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (7) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (5) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (7) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (4) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (3) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (1) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (2) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 27 (1) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (8) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (1) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (7) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (9) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (2) Dec 01 (8) Nov 29 (5) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (5) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (5) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (12) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (12) Nov 11 (6) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (9) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (11) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (7) Oct 26 (7) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (7) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (2) Oct 21 (7) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (7) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (20) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (21) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (34) Oct 04 (24) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (7) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (5) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (5) Sep 26 (6) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (2) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (9) Sep 19 (11) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (6) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (11) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (6) Sep 06 (10) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (5) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (8) Aug 31 (5) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (7) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (8) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (2) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (7) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (4) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (6) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (7) Jul 23 (10) Jul 22 (8) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (7) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (10) Jul 16 (11) Jul 15 (5) Jul 13 (5) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (12) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (8) Jul 03 (10) Jul 02 (12) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (23) Jun 27 (18) Jun 26 (12) Jun 25 (14) Jun 24 (15) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (15) Jun 20 (9) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (11) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (6) Jun 15 (6) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (9) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (2) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (3) May 30 (5) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (2) May 25 (8) May 24 (7) May 23 (6) May 22 (9) May 21 (6) May 20 (5) May 19 (6) May 18 (9) May 17 (10) May 16 (11) May 15 (5) May 14 (11) May 13 (6) May 12 (7) May 11 (7) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (10) May 07 (8) May 06 (11) May 05 (5) May 04 (9) May 03 (3) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (5) Apr 29 (8) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (10) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (10) Apr 16 (8) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (11) Apr 11 (6) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (9) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (2) Apr 02 (6) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (3) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (5) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (9) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (10) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (2) Mar 10 (1) Mar 09 (6) Mar 08 (4) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (6) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (9) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (4) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (2) Feb 17 (1) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (7) Feb 11 (2) Feb 10 (2) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (5) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (9) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (3) Feb 02 (10) Feb 01 (9) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (5) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (8) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (1) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (1) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (2) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (4) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (8) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (6) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (8) Dec 10 (5) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (4) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (7) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (7) Dec 02 (1) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (2) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (16) Nov 27 (7) Nov 26 (5) Nov 25 (2) Nov 24 (6) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (15) Nov 19 (8) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (5) Nov 08 (8) Nov 07 (9) Nov 06 (9) Nov 05 (1) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (8) Nov 02 (6) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (8) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (1) Oct 22 (6) Oct 21 (1) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (10) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (15) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (7) Oct 10 (1) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (6) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (8) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (8) Sep 24 (8) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (9) Sep 20 (7) Sep 19 (8) Sep 18 (4) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (7) Sep 12 (7) Sep 11 (9) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (10) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (15) Sep 04 (5) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (7) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (11) Aug 27 (2) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (15) Aug 24 (6) Aug 23 (8) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (7) Aug 19 (2) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (9) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (5) Aug 08 (7) Aug 07 (9) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (11) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (5) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (6) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (8) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (14) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (6) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (8) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (14) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (12) Jun 15 (12) Jun 14 (10) Jun 13 (10) Jun 12 (9) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (12) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (12) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (3) May 25 (5) May 24 (9) May 23 (16) May 22 (12) May 21 (11) May 20 (7) May 19 (10) May 18 (8) May 17 (8) May 16 (10) May 15 (8) May 14 (5) May 13 (1) May 12 (6) May 11 (9) May 10 (9) May 09 (10) May 08 (9) May 07 (6) May 06 (5) May 05 (7) May 04 (10) May 03 (7) May 02 (9) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (12) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (9) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (2) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (10) Apr 14 (7) Apr 13 (5) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (7) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (8) Apr 05 (8) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (6) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (11) Mar 30 (12) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (6) Mar 24 (9) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (12) Mar 20 (14) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (8) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (12) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (8) Feb 29 (11) Feb 28 (5) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (13) Feb 25 (10) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (10) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (18) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (5) Feb 16 (9) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (8) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (10) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (12) Jan 30 (7) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (7) Jan 27 (12) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (11) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (6) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (12) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (6) Jan 17 (11) Jan 16 (9) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (9) Jan 10 (10) Jan 09 (5) Jan 08 (10) Jan 07 (5) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (10) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (7) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (9) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (8) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (1) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (6) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (13) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (7) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (7) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (9) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (7) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (8) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (10) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (10) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (8) Nov 17 (9) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (12) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (7) Nov 07 (8) Nov 06 (10) Nov 05 (8) Nov 04 (7) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (11) Nov 01 (10) Oct 31 (5) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (8) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (5) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (11) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (7) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (9) Oct 14 (7) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (8) Oct 09 (9) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (12) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (13) Oct 04 (11) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (14) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (12) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (7) Sep 25 (10) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (8) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (7) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (14) Sep 16 (7) Sep 15 (11) Sep 14 (13) Sep 13 (11) Sep 12 (9) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (13) Sep 08 (11) Sep 07 (11) Sep 06 (16) Sep 05 (1) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (8) Sep 01 (7) Aug 31 (1) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (5) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (7) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (10) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (12) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (13) Jul 28 (10) Jul 27 (6) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (12) Jul 22 (14) Jul 21 (6) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (12) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (6) Jul 15 (8) Jul 14 (15) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (6) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (6) Jul 07 (9) Jul 06 (15) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (10) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (11) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (11) Jun 24 (9) Jun 23 (10) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (8) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (5) Jun 18 (15) Jun 17 (8) Jun 16 (13) Jun 15 (15) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (6) Jun 12 (15) Jun 11 (7) Jun 10 (7) Jun 09 (18) Jun 08 (20) Jun 07 (17) Jun 06 (9) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (12) Jun 03 (13) Jun 02 (14) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (13) May 30 (8) May 29 (6) May 28 (8) May 27 (17) May 26 (8) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (9) May 22 (4) May 21 (4) May 20 (11) May 19 (14) May 18 (6) May 17 (10) May 16 (4) May 15 (5) May 14 (28) May 12 (9) May 11 (17) May 10 (15) May 09 (12) May 08 (5) May 07 (4) May 06 (10) May 05 (8) May 04 (10) May 03 (5) May 02 (6) May 01 (8) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (12) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (5) Apr 22 (10) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (13) Apr 19 (11) Apr 18 (11) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (11) Apr 14 (17) Apr 13 (6) Apr 12 (16) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (1) Apr 09 (18) Apr 08 (14) Apr 07 (6) Apr 06 (10) Apr 05 (21) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (13) Apr 01 (8) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (11) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (10) Mar 23 (12) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (8) Mar 20 (4) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (9) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (2) Mar 12 (14) Mar 11 (13) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (17) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (7) Mar 05 (13) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (14) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (18) Feb 28 (8) Feb 27 (2) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (13) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (13) Feb 22 (12) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (16) Feb 18 (17) Feb 17 (15) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (15) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (8) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (15) Feb 10 (11) Feb 09 (13) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (15) Feb 04 (15) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (14) Feb 01 (15) Jan 31 (11) Jan 30 (9) Jan 29 (19) Jan 28 (9) Jan 27 (9) Jan 26 (16) Jan 25 (19) Jan 24 (17) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (15) Jan 21 (9) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (12) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (14) Jan 12 (11) Jan 11 (13) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (20) Jan 07 (11) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (14) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (14) Dec 30 (15) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (10) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (11) Dec 24 (9) Dec 23 (9) Dec 22 (15) Dec 21 (12) Dec 20 (11) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (6) Dec 16 (12) Dec 15 (14) Dec 14 (11) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (17) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (12) Dec 07 (16) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (5) Dec 04 (12) Dec 03 (15) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (12) Nov 30 (16) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (13) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (15) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (8) Nov 19 (9) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (9) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (10) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (7) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (14) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (13) Nov 01 (9) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (18) Oct 28 (13) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (12) Oct 25 (14) Oct 24 (20) Oct 22 (18) Oct 21 (18) Oct 20 (19) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (18) Oct 15 (8) Oct 14 (11) Oct 13 (9) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (27) Oct 08 (14) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (10) Oct 03 (6) Oct 02 (9) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (13) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (9) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (14) Sep 24 (4) Sep 23 (14) Sep 22 (20) Sep 21 (11) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (14) Sep 17 (8) Sep 16 (17) Sep 15 (6) Sep 14 (11) Sep 13 (9) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (14) Sep 09 (12) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (9) Sep 04 (20) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (16) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (13) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (11) Aug 25 (10) Aug 24 (14) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (13) Aug 21 (10) Aug 20 (13) Aug 19 (15) Aug 18 (8) Aug 17 (10) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (11) Aug 13 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (10) Aug 10 (17) Aug 09 (6) Aug 08 (13) Aug 07 (11) Aug 06 (13) Aug 05 (11) Aug 04 (11) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (10) Jul 30 (21) Jul 29 (14) Jul 28 (13) Jul 27 (16) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (15) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (15) Jul 21 (19) Jul 20 (17) Jul 19 (9) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (26) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (20) Jul 14 (16) Jul 13 (19) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (13) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (16) Jul 05 (9) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (15) Jul 02 (11) Jul 01 (14) Jun 30 (13) Jun 29 (19) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (9) Jun 26 (16) Jun 25 (22) Jun 24 (17) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (15) Jun 21 (14) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (17) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (10) Jun 16 (17) Jun 15 (13) Jun 14 (14) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (13) Jun 11 (15) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (10) Jun 08 (23) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (20) Jun 05 (10) Jun 04 (11) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (21) Jun 01 (14) May 31 (10) May 30 (14) May 29 (8) May 28 (23) May 27 (20) May 26 (16) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (10) May 22 (18) May 21 (14) May 20 (12) May 19 (18) May 18 (14) May 17 (13) May 16 (4) May 15 (7) May 14 (16) May 13 (13) May 12 (8) May 11 (18) May 10 (8) May 09 (7) May 08 (13) May 07 (11) May 06 (15) May 05 (18) May 04 (17) May 03 (7) May 02 (5) May 01 (11) Apr 30 (19) Apr 29 (21) Apr 28 (18) Apr 27 (16) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (20) Apr 22 (23) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (16) Apr 19 (13) Apr 18 (6) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (16) Apr 15 (18) Apr 14 (13) Apr 13 (14) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (14) Apr 08 (12) Apr 07 (18) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (11) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (16) Mar 31 (16) Mar 30 (22) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (19) Mar 26 (31) Mar 25 (25) Mar 24 (26) Mar 23 (27) Mar 22 (22) Mar 21 (22) Mar 20 (13) Mar 19 (21) Mar 18 (20) Mar 17 (24) Mar 16 (18) Mar 15 (9) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (29) Mar 12 (15) Mar 11 (11) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (20) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (6) Mar 06 (21) Mar 05 (22) Mar 04 (19) Mar 03 (9) Mar 02 (20) Mar 01 (11) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (27) Feb 26 (15) Feb 25 (18) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (19) Feb 22 (24) Feb 21 (10) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (25) Feb 18 (16) Feb 17 (19) Feb 16 (23) Feb 15 (8) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (16) Feb 11 (12) Feb 10 (18) Feb 09 (12) Feb 08 (14) Feb 07 (8) Feb 06 (27) Feb 05 (28) Feb 04 (24) Feb 03 (17) Feb 02 (20) Feb 01 (23) Jan 31 (16) Jan 30 (20) Jan 29 (26) Jan 28 (17) Jan 27 (21) Jan 26 (24) Jan 25 (16) Jan 24 (14) Jan 23 (16) Jan 22 (17) Jan 21 (19) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (17) Jan 18 (13) Jan 17 (14) Jan 16 (10) Jan 15 (21) Jan 14 (16) Jan 13 (19) Jan 12 (30) Jan 11 (14) Jan 10 (11) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (23) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (21) Jan 05 (15) Jan 04 (18) Jan 03 (9) Jan 02 (12) Jan 01 (15) Dec 31 (18) Dec 30 (7) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (6) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (28) Dec 23 (12) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (17) Dec 20 (19) Dec 19 (19) Dec 18 (22) Dec 17 (24) Dec 16 (17) Dec 15 (29) Dec 14 (22) Dec 13 (12) Dec 12 (22) Dec 11 (24) Dec 10 (25) Dec 09 (18) Dec 08 (15) Dec 07 (21) Dec 06 (24) Dec 05 (30) Dec 04 (28) Dec 03 (26) Dec 02 (22) Dec 01 (33) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (9) Nov 28 (18) Nov 27 (25) Nov 26 (17) Nov 25 (23) Nov 24 (27) Nov 23 (12) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (15) Nov 20 (23) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (24) Nov 17 (21) Nov 16 (20) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (15) Nov 13 (27) Nov 12 (23) Nov 11 (19) Nov 10 (21) Nov 09 (13) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (16) Nov 06 (32) Nov 05 (24) Nov 04 (20) Nov 03 (29) Nov 02 (12) Nov 01 (15) Oct 31 (20) Oct 30 (22) Oct 29 (27) Oct 28 (20) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (21) Oct 25 (15) Oct 24 (23) Oct 23 (26) Oct 22 (27) Oct 21 (28) Oct 20 (24) Oct 19 (13) Oct 18 (9) Oct 17 (30) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (20) Oct 14 (14) Oct 13 (17) Oct 12 (16) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (19) Oct 09 (22) Oct 08 (16) Oct 07 (18) Oct 06 (23) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (15) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (22) Sep 30 (25) Sep 29 (20) Sep 28 (17) Sep 27 (13) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (15) Sep 24 (24) Sep 23 (23) Sep 22 (18) Sep 21 (20) Sep 20 (11) Sep 19 (24) Sep 18 (25) Sep 17 (25) Sep 16 (19) Sep 15 (21) Sep 14 (15) Sep 13 (10) Sep 12 (23) Sep 11 (23) Sep 10 (25) Sep 09 (25) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (17) Sep 05 (14) Sep 04 (24) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (19) Aug 31 (20) Aug 30 (11) Aug 29 (24) Aug 28 (24) Aug 27 (16) Aug 26 (26) Aug 25 (21) Aug 24 (15) Aug 23 (19) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (25) Aug 20 (27) Aug 19 (19) Aug 18 (24) Aug 17 (14) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (15) Aug 14 (16) Aug 13 (21) Aug 12 (30) Aug 11 (19) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (12) Aug 08 (17) Aug 07 (21) Aug 06 (26) Aug 05 (23) Aug 04 (21) Aug 03 (12) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (19) Jul 31 (21) Jul 30 (25) Jul 29 (29) Jul 28 (23) Jul 27 (17) Jul 26 (11) Jul 25 (21) Jul 24 (14) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (19) Jul 21 (15) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (10) Jul 18 (15) Jul 17 (22) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (21) Jul 14 (20) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (29) Jul 10 (19) Jul 09 (17) Jul 08 (26) Jul 07 (21) Jul 06 (18) Jul 05 (14) Jul 04 (20) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (24) Jul 01 (23) Jun 30 (23) Jun 29 (18) Jun 28 (16) Jun 27 (16) Jun 26 (17) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (32) Jun 23 (29) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (17) Jun 20 (25) Jun 19 (28) Jun 18 (19) Jun 17 (25) Jun 16 (23) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (14) Jun 12 (22) Jun 11 (19) Jun 10 (17) Jun 09 (15) Jun 08 (16) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (29) Jun 05 (27) Jun 04 (24) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (22) Jun 01 (13) May 31 (9) May 30 (26) May 29 (19) May 28 (15) May 27 (15) May 26 (23) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (24) May 22 (13) May 21 (21) May 20 (18) May 19 (16) May 18 (7) May 17 (12) May 16 (25) May 15 (24) May 14 (23) May 13 (19) May 12 (17) May 11 (8) May 10 (6) May 09 (14) May 08 (21) May 07 (26) May 06 (14) May 05 (14) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (24) May 01 (13) Apr 30 (15) Apr 29 (24) Apr 28 (24) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (13) Apr 24 (27) Apr 23 (15) Apr 22 (21) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (17) Apr 19 (8) Apr 18 (20) Apr 17 (27) Apr 16 (27) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (8) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (22) Apr 09 (15) Apr 08 (15) Apr 07 (17) Apr 06 (14) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (19) Mar 31 (25) Mar 30 (13) Mar 29 (9) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (23) Mar 26 (22) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (25) Mar 23 (16) Mar 22 (13) Mar 21 (24) Mar 20 (27) Mar 19 (20) Mar 18 (24) Mar 17 (17) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (20) Mar 13 (28) Mar 12 (30) Mar 11 (20) Mar 10 (21) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (8) Mar 07 (17) Mar 06 (20) Mar 05 (19) Mar 04 (15) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (12) Feb 28 (16) Feb 27 (17) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (23) Feb 24 (15) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (10) Feb 21 (24) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (24) Feb 18 (19) Feb 17 (27) Feb 16 (13) Feb 15 (11) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (13) Feb 12 (13) Feb 11 (21) Feb 10 (16) Feb 09 (15) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (17) Feb 06 (21) Feb 05 (17) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (23) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (8) Jan 31 (17) Jan 30 (22) Jan 29 (23) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (24) Jan 26 (12) Jan 25 (9) Jan 24 (12) Jan 23 (19) Jan 22 (19) Jan 21 (14) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (12) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (20) Jan 16 (14) Jan 15 (23) Jan 14 (8) Jan 13 (20) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (18) Jan 09 (11) Jan 08 (18) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (12) Jan 05 (12) Jan 04 (11) Jan 03 (10) Jan 02 (9) Jan 01 (9) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (13) Dec 26 (15) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (8) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (14) Dec 19 (17) Dec 18 (14) Dec 17 (14) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (9) Dec 14 (9) Dec 13 (11) Dec 12 (16) Dec 11 (18) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (24) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (19) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (26) Dec 04 (15) Dec 03 (20) Dec 02 (17) Dec 01 (11) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (18) Nov 28 (21) Nov 27 (10) Nov 26 (22) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (18) Nov 21 (9) Nov 20 (17) Nov 19 (16) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (21) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (20) Nov 12 (16) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (9) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (15) Nov 06 (18) Nov 05 (19) Nov 04 (16) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (17) Oct 31 (17) Oct 30 (21) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (16) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (16) Oct 24 (18) Oct 23 (14) Oct 22 (17) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (6) Oct 19 (8) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (12) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (19) Oct 14 (15) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (10) Oct 10 (23) Oct 09 (13) Oct 08 (15) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (13) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (16) Oct 03 (17) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (20) Sep 30 (17) Sep 29 (9) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (14) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (19) Sep 24 (13) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (5) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (21) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (20) Sep 16 (16) Sep 15 (10) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (18) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (24) Sep 10 (17) Sep 09 (16) Sep 08 (16) Sep 07 (10) Sep 06 (20) Sep 05 (13) Sep 04 (23) Sep 03 (14) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (11) Aug 31 (11) Aug 30 (13) Aug 29 (18) Aug 28 (14) Aug 27 (21) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (8) Aug 24 (10) Aug 23 (17) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (14) Aug 20 (20) Aug 19 (20) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (9) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (12) Aug 14 (14) Aug 13 (19) Aug 12 (14) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (12) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (18) Aug 07 (16) Aug 06 (16) Aug 05 (20) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (12) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (16) Jul 30 (16) Jul 29 (11) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (9) Jul 26 (17) Jul 25 (20) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (11) Jul 22 (18) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (14) Jul 18 (11) Jul 17 (15) Jul 16 (12) Jul 15 (10) Jul 14 (8) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (17) Jul 11 (18) Jul 10 (16) Jul 09 (13) Jul 08 (10) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (8) Jul 05 (16) Jul 04 (14) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (13) Jul 01 (16) Jun 30 (19) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (19) Jun 27 (21) Jun 26 (27) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (23) Jun 23 (12) Jun 22 (9) Jun 21 (18) Jun 20 (15) Jun 19 (24) Jun 18 (21) Jun 17 (13) Jun 16 (9) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (18) Jun 13 (24) Jun 12 (18) Jun 11 (23) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (24) Jun 08 (27) Jun 07 (5) Jun 06 (25) Jun 05 (30) Jun 04 (23) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (16) Jun 01 (17) May 31 (18) May 30 (19) May 29 (17) May 28 (23) May 27 (15) May 26 (10) May 25 (19) May 24 (16) May 23 (16) May 22 (27) May 21 (20) May 20 (26) May 19 (6) May 18 (8) May 17 (20) May 16 (8) May 15 (18) May 14 (5) May 13 (21) May 12 (9) May 11 (8) May 10 (12) May 09 (18) May 08 (11) May 07 (27) May 06 (12) May 05 (16) May 04 (19) May 03 (14) May 02 (18) May 01 (18) Apr 30 (25) Apr 29 (27) Apr 28 (11) Apr 27 (10) Apr 26 (18) Apr 25 (10) Apr 24 (29) Apr 23 (29) Apr 22 (14) Apr 21 (15) Apr 20 (20) Apr 19 (22) Apr 18 (16) Apr 17 (32) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (21) Apr 13 (15) Apr 12 (13) Apr 11 (14) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (20) Apr 08 (36) Apr 07 (22) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (28) Apr 04 (20) Apr 03 (29) Apr 02 (32) Apr 01 (18) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (15) Mar 28 (22) Mar 27 (24) Mar 26 (17) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (13) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (15) Mar 20 (18) Mar 19 (19) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (10) Mar 16 (6) Mar 15 (18) Mar 14 (24) Mar 13 (18) Mar 12 (18) Mar 11 (17) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (18) Mar 07 (25) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (16) Mar 04 (22) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (23) Feb 29 (19) Feb 28 (25) Feb 27 (26) Feb 26 (23) Feb 25 (12) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (15) Feb 22 (26) Feb 21 (31) Feb 20 (12) Feb 19 (21) Feb 18 (15) Feb 17 (10) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (19) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (20) Feb 11 (9) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (28) Feb 08 (20) Feb 07 (22) Feb 06 (20) Feb 05 (19) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (16) Feb 02 (28) Feb 01 (37) Jan 31 (27) Jan 30 (31) Jan 29 (18) Jan 28 (14) Jan 27 (10) Jan 26 (18) Jan 25 (26) Jan 24 (34) Jan 23 (21) Jan 22 (21) Jan 21 (18) Jan 20 (18) Jan 19 (18) Jan 18 (26) Jan 17 (24) Jan 16 (23) Jan 15 (30) Jan 14 (20) Jan 13 (18) Jan 12 (24) Jan 11 (11) Jan 10 (23) Jan 09 (22) Jan 08 (17) Jan 07 (17) Jan 06 (9) Jan 05 (18) Jan 04 (15) Jan 03 (19) Jan 02 (14) Jan 01 (6) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (15) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (7) Dec 26 (10) Dec 25 (16) Dec 24 (13) Dec 23 (16) Dec 22 (11) Dec 21 (26) Dec 20 (28) Dec 19 (14) Dec 18 (25) Dec 17 (23) Dec 16 (19) Dec 15 (22) Dec 14 (38) Dec 13 (26) Dec 12 (25) Dec 11 (27) Dec 10 (31) Dec 09 (15) Dec 08 (30) Dec 07 (31) Dec 06 (27) Dec 05 (38) Dec 04 (25) Dec 03 (27) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (36) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (17) Nov 28 (23) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (16) Nov 25 (14) Nov 24 (18) Nov 23 (21) Nov 22 (21) Nov 21 (24) Nov 20 (20) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (17) Nov 17 (17) Nov 16 (34) Nov 15 (25) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (21) Nov 12 (18) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (12) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (4) Oct 29 (1) Oct 01 (1) Jul 29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1) The MAGA people cant let go of their obsessive hatred of Hillary Clinton. Photo: RJ Sangosti/Denver Post via Getty Images My first real understanding of the conservative obsession with the personal destruction of Hillary Rodham Clinton came in Des Moines, on the eve of the 2016 Iowa caucuses. At a Ted Cruz rally I noticed about half the attendees wearing pins that read Hillary for Prison, featuring a cartoon depiction of the former secretary of State behind bars. By the time Donald Trump won the nomination to face Clinton in the general election, the rank-and-file Republican hate frenzy toward this relatively conventional center-left Democrat metastasized to become a major feature of campaign rallies, with Lock Her Up chants providing a steady drumbeat to the GOP candidates own bombastic attacks on his opponent. After Trump won his unlikely election victory and Clinton largely receded from public view, claims from his supporters that she, not Trump, deserved to be investigated by the FBI and the Justice Department regularly arose alongside every new allegation of malfeasance by the president or his campaign. Right on through the midterm elections, every time Trump mentioned his former opponent at public events the same old Lock Her Up cries quickly emerged. As pathological as the phenomenon may seem, its not surprising that the first thought many MAGA folk had after Robert Mueller decided not to pursue further prosecutions in the Russia collusion case was to demand a fresh investigation of Hillary Clinton and her alleged responsibility for the Steele dossier that many of them blamed for the entire witch hunt against Trump. As usual, arch-sycophant Lindsey Graham was on the case, talking about turning the tables in Trumps presence at a fundraising dinner shortly after the news broke of Muellers decision: A lock her up chant broke out at Mar-a-Lago tonight during Sen. Grahams speech as he called for an investigation into Clinton and the origins of the dossier. Trump watched on from a table in the ballroom. Kevin Liptak (@Kevinliptakcnn) March 23, 2019 Graham soon made it clear this wasnt just a taunt made to amuse POTUS, as the Daily Beast reported: In a Monday press conference on Capitol Hill, the South Carolina senator one of the presidents staunchest allies in Congress declared that his next move is going after Democrats and the Department of Justice over what happened to Trump. Graham laid out a laundry list of questions and grievances that have been stewing on the right since the 2016 election: How did the FBI go about spying on Carter Page, a Trump campaign associate with links to Russia? What was the deal with Bill Clinton meeting with Barack Obamas attorney general, Loretta Lynch, on an airport tarmac? How did the infamous dossier compiled by hired British spy Christopher Steele come to be? What about Hillary Clintons emails? All of these questions, Graham said, will be at the top of the agenda for the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, which he chairs. The Clinton emails and the Steele dossier arent the only alleged HRC sins Trumps allies now want to make the object of high-level investigations. Amid its massive coverage of Trumps supposed vindication by Mueller, Breitbart.com was pushing for a probe of the so-called Uranium One scandal: It is a well-known tactic, particularly among modern-day Democratic political operatives, to accuse your opponent of committing offenses that you and your team have actually committed. By doing so, you deflect public opinion away from what must not be discovered your own illegal activities. A number of unanswered questions surround the role then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton played in handing over 20 percent of Americas uranium supplies to Uranium One, a company entirely owned by the Russian government. To date, no serious investigation has been launched into this highly controversial decision. The psychology of tit-for-tat vengeance here is pretty naked, Id say. But unsurprising as it is, given Clintons symbolism as the feminist Red Queen of liberalism in the eyes of angry conservatives for decades, its amazingly self-indulgent for people who ought to be focused on their still-uphill fight to hang onto power in 2020. What, exactly, can a renewed vendetta against HRC accomplish for Trump and the GOP at this point? The kind of people who exult at the thought of Clinton donning an orange jumpsuit and dining on prison fare fall into two categories, neither of whom are 2020 swing voters or people who need motivation to vote: hard-core MAGA people who would follow their brutish warlord to hell and back, or hard-core anti-Clinton progressives who are deeply invested in a post-Clinton, left-trending Democratic Party. A GOP thats not only backward-looking in longing to bring back the America of the 1950s, but cant let go of its hatred for a vanquished opponent, is not well-equipped to win an entirely new battle. No wonder conservative media kept buying into idiotic predictions that HRC would run again in 2020. Thats the contest they wanted, and will not get. A big, beautiful wall. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images Donald Trump commands the loyalty of more than 33 percent of the House of Representatives. For this reason, the situation at Americas southern border is officially a national emergency. Late last year, the president took the federal government hostage, in a bid to coerce Congress into passing a multibillion-dollar appropriation for his border wall. Congress refused to pay his ransom. So Trump announced that the situation at Americas border constituted a national emergency and that he therefore had the authority to use his offices emergency powers to redirect funds away from Pentagon projects, and into building his monument to American xenophobia. Weeks later, both chambers of Congress passed a resolution rejecting Trumps declaration. The president vetoed it. On Tuesday, a large majority of House members voted to override this veto but not the two-thirds majority necessary for defeating it. Democrats had tried to get their Republican colleagues to break ranks by publicizing various military projects that might lose funding, should Trumps plan go through. But only 14 GOP House members backed the override effort Tuesday, just one more than had voted for the original resolution. Nevertheless, Trump remains a long way from fulfilling his signature campaign promise. While the president has overcome a legislative challenge to his power grab, judicial ones remain. A variety of states and organizations are challenging the constitutional validity of the order. And even if Trumps plan survives those challenges, he will likely still face the difficulty of winning eminent-domain lawsuits in order to secure control of the borderlands where he wishes to build his wall. Thus, its quite possible that Trumps order will do little, save for emboldening the next Democratic president to push back the boundaries of executive authority. As the genuine international emergency of climate change deepens and our veto-point-laden legislative system grows evermore anachronistic Democratic presidents will likely use aggressive reinterpretations of existing statutes in order to combat ecological crisis. With his emergency declaration, Trump has provided his successors with a model, and precedent, from such subversions of congressional authority. Robert Pinsky in the New York Times: Lawrence Ferlinghetti celebrates his 100th birthday on March 24 with the publication of Little Boy, his life story told in flashes and arias. No ones biography has more completely or ardently embodied the visions and contradictions, the achievements and calamities, the social mobility and social animosities, of that life span. Poet, retail entrepreneur, social critic, publisher, combat veteran, pacifist, poor boy, privileged boy, outspoken socialist and successful capitalist, with roots in the East Coast and the West Coast (as well as Paris), Ferlinghetti has not just survived for a century: He epitomizes the American culture of that century. Specifically, he has been a unique protagonist in a national drama: the American struggle to imagine a democratic culture. How does the ideal of social mobility affect notions of high and low, Europe and the New World, tradition and progress? More here. Emily Underwood in Science: One of the thorniest debates in neuroscience is whether people can make new neurons after their brains stop developing in adolescencea process known as neurogenesis. Now, a new study finds that even people long past middle age can make fresh brain cells, and that past studies that failed to spot these newcomers may have used flawed methods. The work provides clear, definitive evidence that neurogenesis persists throughout life, says Paul Frankland, a neuroscientist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. For me, this puts the issue to bed. Researchers have long hoped that neurogenesis could help treat brain disorders like depression and Alzheimers disease. But last year, a study in Nature reported that the process peters out by adolescence, contradicting previous work that had found newborn neurons in older people using a variety of methods. The finding was deflating for neuroscientists like Frankland, who studies adult neurogenesis in the rodent hippocampus, a brain region involved in learning and memory. It raised questions about the relevance of our work, he says. But there may have been problems with some of this earlier research. Last years Nature study, for example, looked for new neurons in 59 samples of human brain tissue, some of which came from brain banks where samples are often immersed in the fixative paraformaldehyde for months or even years. Over time, paraformaldehyde forms bonds between the components that make up neurons, turning the cells into a gel, says neuroscientist Maria Llorens-Martin of the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center in Madrid. This makes it difficult for fluorescent antibodies to bind to the doublecortin (DCX) protein, which many scientists consider the gold standard marker of immature neurons, she says. The number of cells that test positive for DCX in brain tissue declines sharply after just 48 hours in a paraformaldehyde bath, Llorens-Martin and her colleagues report today in Nature Medicine . After 6 months, detecting new neurons is almost impossible, she says. When the researchers used a shorter fixation time24 hoursto preserve donated brain tissue from 13 deceased adults, ranging in age from 43 to 87, they found tens of thousands of DCX-positive cells in the dentate gyrus, a curled sliver of tissue within the hippocampus that encodes memories of events. Under a microscope, the neurons had hallmarks of youth, Llorens-Martin says: smooth and plump, with simple, undeveloped branches. More here. Sophie Pinkham at the NYRB: One of the most alarmingthough also eerily beautifulaspects of Browns book is her description of the way radioactive material moves through organisms, ecosystems, and human society. Of the infamous May Day parade held in Kiev just after the explosion, Brown writes: The newsreels of the May holiday did not record the actions of two and a half million lungs, inhaling and exhaling, working like a giant organic filter. Half of the radioactive substances Kyivans inhaled their bodies retained. Plants and trees in the lovely, tree-lined city scrubbed the air of ionizing radiation. When the leaves fell later that autumn, they needed to be treated as radioactive waste. Radioactive fallout was distributed far beyond the Exclusion Zone, which was, after all, just a circle on a map. Clouds absorbed radiation and then moved with the wind. Red Army pilots were dispatched to seed clouds with silver iodide so that radioactive rain would fall over provincial Belarus rather than urban Russia. Belarusian villagers fell ill, as did the pilots. more here. You can imagine what Nancy Pelosi is saying to Judiciary Committee chairman Jerrold Nadler about the possibility of impeachment proceedings. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images House Speaker Nancy Pelosi got quite a bit of flak for her public remarks earlier this month raining on any prospective impeachment parade. She did clearly indicate that she might change her mind if something compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan came to light about Trumps conduct. And very likely one thing she had in mind as a theoretical game-changer was the Mueller report, at that point a rumbling on the near horizon. Yes, it is possible that Attorney General Barr mischaracterized Muellers findings in the summary he sent to Congress this weekend. But Republicans have already decided Trump has been exonerated by Muellers decision not to pursue additional indictments and Barrs decision that obstruction of justice charges are unwarranted. So unless something very surprising happens next, Pelosis disclaimer about overwhelming and bipartisan sentiment about Trump is not about to be satisfied. So if anything, she will likely set her face even more strongly against the initiation of impeachment proceedings, and will probably get less backlash from impeachment-happy Democrats going forward. There is one argument we may hear that pushes in the opposite direction: If Trump does, despite his long pattern of bad behavior, manage to slither beneath the wheels of a justice system he ultimately supervises, impeachment proceedings could be the only way he and his crew can be held accountable. If, for example, the administration refuses to release the full Mueller report as Pelosi and other Democrats have demanded, suspicions that something incriminating is buried there grow stronger. In an implicit threat, John Lewis, a leading member of Pelosis House leadership team, said over the weekend that at this point impeachment is still on the table. The lawmaker who would actually initiate impeachment proceedings, Jerrold Nadler of New York, who has echoed Pelosis position, also made it clear that demands for the full Mueller report are unconditional, as the New York Times reports: Mr. Nadler said he rejected Mr. Trumps claim of vindication, and zeroed in on Mr. Barr, whom he described as having prejudged the matter of obstruction. He auditioned for his job by writing a 19-page memorandum giving a very extreme view of obstruction of justice in presidential power and saying basically no president can commit obstruction of justice, Mr. Nadler said, referring to a memo Mr. Barr wrote in June 2018 about executive authority. Mr. Nadler pledged to use every tool at his disposal to gain access to the full report and evidence the public release of which Mr. Barr said Sunday raised challenges given grand jury and other sensitive information. Its also possible other prosecutors, or House investigators themselves, may still turn up evidence that changes the political calculation against impeachment. But if Barr isnt hiding something important from the Mueller report, its definitely a blow to Team Impeachment, including its chief bankroller, billionaire Tom Steyer, as Politico notes: Even Tom Steyer, the billionaire funder of Need to Impeach, seemed put off by Sundays announcement. Steyer released a statement that didnt once mention the word impeachment, but instead called for the release of the full Mueller report. At this point, time is not on the side of those who long for impeachment proceedings. The 2020 presidential election cycle is now underway, with the first Democratic candidate debate already scheduled for June. Any impeachment proceeding that coincides with an election process that could remove Trump from office at the end of his term will seem like an attempted coup detat to hard-core Trump supporters, and superfluous to many other Americans. Since a successful move against Trump in Congress would require a lot of Republican support in terms of Senate votes, not just Pelosis criteria every day we draw closer to the battlements of the titanic partisan struggle just ahead, a first-term impeachment fades further away. No one should forget that Republicans managed to produce the first midterm gains for the party holding the White House since 1934 when they moved toward impeaching Bill Clinton in an election year. Before too long, even the most adamant impeachment advocates will be focused on removing Trump from office on November 3, 2020. Sign Up for the Intelligencer Newsletter Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. Whos going to cast the first stone at Mayor Pete for not being a real Christian? Photo: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images As someone whose identity includes serious Christianity and serious progressive political stances, Ive always been wary of trying to counter the Christian right with some sort of Christian left, in a Bible-quotationloaded competition to claim God for a party or ideology. As Barack Obama once convincingly argued, doubt about what God wants people to do politically is an important part of an attitude of humility which used to be called the fear of God. Its also part of the foundation for the great American doctrine of separation of church and state, which was sacred to Southern Baptists when I was growing up in that faith community (theyve dramatically flip-flopped since then, alas). Still, its important now and then to challenge the conservative assertion often shared in ignorance by secular media that religiosity, and particularly Christian religiosity, dictates reactionary positions on culture and politics. So I found it interesting and provocative that 2020 presidential candidate Cory Booker goes out of his way to talk about his own religious faith: [Booker] bids fair to become the most overtly Christian Democratic presidential candidate since Jesse Jackson and perhaps even Jimmy Carter, at a time when his party is trending irreligious and the opposition claims a monopoly on all things biblical. What makes Booker different from many left-of-center figures who are personally religious is that he purports to be progressive because of his faith, not despite it or incidentally alongside it (e.g., the way John F. Kennedy referred to his own faith as an accident of birth). If this becomes central to his identity as a presidential wannabe, it will be provocative to both the Christian right and to secular Democrats. And that could be both a benefit and a handicap for Booker 20. As E.J. Dionne observes, there is another 2020 Democratic presidential candidate whos conspicuously talking about his faith, the fast-rising dark horse Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana: During an appearance on MSNBCs Morning Joe last week, the 37-year-old from South Bend, Ind., made a modest plea: I do think its important for candidates to at least have the option to talk about our faith, he said. He specifically targeted the idea that the only way a religious person could enter politics is through the prism of the religious right. An Episcopalian and a married gay man, Buttigieg pointed to the core Christian concept that the first shall be last; the last shall be first. He added: What could be more different than what were being shown in Washington right now often with some people who view themselves as religious on the right, cheering it on? . . . Here we have this totally warped idea of what Christianity should be like when it comes into the public sphere, and its mostly about exclusion. Which is the last thing that I imbibe when I take in scripture in church. Dionne notes that Booker and Elizabeth Warren share Buttigiegs willingness to talk about Christian faith. But what makes Mayor Pete especially interesting is that he challenges the idea that Christianity is inherently homophobic in a direct and personal manner. To him, LGBTQ folk arent third parties who are the subject of some argument between Christians and progressives: Hes Christian, progressive, and gay. So conservative Christians who like to imply that their more accepting co-religionists arent real or orthodox because they dont exclude gay people need to be willing to tell Buttigieg hes taking the Lords name in vain. And that may be and certainly should be uncomfortable for them. The Episcopal Church of America accepts gay parishioners, priests, and bishops in churches that recite the Nicene Creed every Sunday and have as authentic a claim to orthodoxy as any other church and more than many. So, too, do such solid elements of the American and global religious landscape as the United Church of Christ (a.k.a. Congregationalists), the Presbyterian Church (USA) (the largest gathering in that faith tradition), the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ditto), the Unitarian-Universalist Association, and many congregations and whole regions of the United Methodists and my own Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) that embrace gay people as equals in every way. There are many smaller denominations and nondenominational gatherings that do the same. And thats aside from the millions of individual Catholics, Evangelicals, and Pentecostals who reject, quietly or openly, the homophobia of their own denominations. Any Democratic presidential nominee who can authentically talk about his or her faith would be well advised to do so if only to confound Christian-right leaders and followers who have cast their own lots with the heathenish warlord in the White House. But Pete Buttigieg offers a particularly interesting contrast with the 45th president. Would anyone be confident in accusing this married, churchgoing, Afghanistan veteran of being ethically inferior to Donald Trump? Not without risking hellfire. Sign Up for the Intelligencer Newsletter Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. SD senator defies House Speaker, releases AG impeachment petitions South Dakotans now have a record of lawmakers who supported a special session to consider the impeachment of Attorney General Ravnsborg. A man was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of his friend in Rio Rancho in August, but the case was dismissed from Sandoval County Magistrate Court in order to bring it before a grand jury. Cameron Martinez, 23, of Mescalero, was charged with involuntary manslaughter due to a negligent act, a fourth-degree felony, in the shooting death of 29-year-old Benjamin Lorenzo Sanchez Jr. of Ruidoso Downs, according to the criminal complaint filed in magistrate court. Martinez also faced charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, another fourth-degree felony, as well as negligent use of a deadly weapon, a petty misdemeanor. That (case) will be brought before the grand jury in the near future, said 13th Judicial District Attorney Lemuel Martinez. Martinezs attorney, Todd Holmes of Alamogordo, said the shooting was 100 percent accidental and his client and Sanchez had been friends since childhood. According to the Rio Rancho Police report and criminal complaint, officers were called to a home on Sawmill Road just before 3:30 a.m. Aug. 5. They found two men struggling over a handgun wrapped in a shirt. One man, later identified as Martinez, was making suicidal statements, and the other was trying to take the gun from him, according to police. Martinez soon dropped the gun. Officers found Sanchez dead and interviewed three witnesses to the shooting. The witnesses said the homeowners hosted a party starting around 11:30 p.m. that night. After everyone else had gone to sleep or left the room, the three witnesses, Sanchez and Martinez were drinking in the kitchen and began discussing guns. According to witness statements, Martinez retrieved his handgun from his car to show the group, disassembled it, reassembled it, put ammunition in and cycled the action, ejecting one or two cartridges. One witness said Martinez began pointing the gun at people. According to all of the witnesses, Sanchez joked that Martinez wouldnt shoot him. Then, they said, Martinez pointed the gun at Sanchez and fired once. Sanchez slumped over, bleeding profusely from the neck. According to the three witnesses, Martinez immediately became distraught and suicidal. Two of the witnesses had known Sanchez and Martinez before the incident and told police the two were close friends and they believed Martinez thought the gun was unloaded. When investigators interviewed Martinez, he said he had a gap in his memory and didnt remember Sanchez being shot. According to the criminal complaint, he didnt dispute witness statements that he shot Sanchez, but said it couldnt have been intentional. He told police it could have been an accident due to horseplay, and he had pointed the unloaded gun at people in the past. According to the New Mexico Courts website, prosecutors dropped the case against Martinez on Sept. 25 in magistrate court in order to bring it before a grand jury in district court. Holmes said the case was the saddest hed seen and Martinez was devastated. Its been a rough go of things, Holmes said. He said Martinez had been allowed to attend Sanchezs funeral, which was unusual in such a legal case, and he hoped it didnt go before a grand jury but was left as dismissed. Our hearts continue to go out to the victims family, Holmes said. The report on this incident, which the Observer hadnt previously been notified of, was included with R paperwork provided in response to an Inspection of Public Records Act request for arrest records turned into the RRPD records office from Feb. 28-March 6. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. Tragedies like the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High and Sandy Hook Elementary school massacres eventually fade from view, blunted by other mass shootings and the passage of time. But for the survivors, the pain can never end. The father of a Sandy Hook victim killed himself Monday, just days after two Stoneman Douglas students also took their lives. The Florida deaths have officials in Parkland and nearby Coral Springs renewing their communities focus on the suicide prevention and mental health resources that remain available 13 months after a gunman killed 17 people at the high school. In Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 first-graders died along with six staff members six years ago, the body of 49-year-old Jeremy Richman was found outside his office Monday morning. Richmans daughter Avielle was fatally shot at Sandy Hook. He had visited Florida last week and met with the parents of Stoneman Douglas victims, said Lori Alhadeff, whose 14-year-old daughter Alyssa died there. Richman and his wife oversaw The Avielle Foundation, a group they started dedicated to preventing violence by better understanding brain health. Our hearts are shattered, and our heads are struggling to comprehend, the foundation said in a statement. Tragically, his death speaks to how insidious and formidable a challenge brain health can be and how critical it is for all of us to seek help for ourselves, our loved ones and anyone who we suspect may be in need. Multiple suicides among mass shooting survivors can be alarming, but mental health experts said the Florida deaths are not surprising. They come amid a rising nationwide trend: More than 47,000 U.S. suicides occurred in 2017, at the highest rate in at least half a century 14 per 100,000. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among U.S. teenagers. One of the big risk factors for suicide is exposure to violence, said Dr. Louis Kraus, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Even if they werent hit by bullets or didnt see shots fired, anyone who was at that school is at risk, Kraus said, and should be screened. The scars simply dont go away with a fresh coat of paint, he said. Psychologist April Foreman, a board member at the American Association of Suicidology, said survivors are more prone to suicide and thus must be vigilant about mental health check-ups just as if they had a family history of breast cancer or heart disease. With help, people can overcome their suicidal impulses, she said. Its not a foregone conclusion that this will happen to everyone whos been exposed to this and the majority of people who are suicidal dont go on to die. They go on to recover and live, she said. The first suicide took place March 16. Cara Aiello told WFOR-TV last week that her 18-year-old daughter Sydney had suffered from survivors guilt her friend, Meadow Pollack, died in the attack. Sydney had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and struggled to attend college because she feared being in a classroom, but never asked for help, her mother said. Coral Springs police officer Tyler Reik confirmed Monday that a Stoneman Douglas sophomore apparently killed himself Saturday, but said an official determination had not been made pending an autopsy. The boys name was not immediately released. Community leaders, government officials, parents, police and others held an emergency meeting Sunday after the second student suicide, Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky said. The biggest push will be to alert parents to talk to their children about whether they are having suicidal thoughts and outline the danger signs for them, such as personality changes or a preoccupation with death, she said. The groups also want students to look out for each other, and noted that the community counseling and resource centers that opened after the attack still remain available. The task has been made more difficult as Stoneman Douglas students are on spring break. Hunschofsky said that while there is concern the two suicides could lead to more, it is more dangerous not to discuss what happened. We cannot be afraid of talking the only way we are going to identify people who need help is to talk about it, she said. A 16-year-old Stoneman Douglas sophomore who was in a classroom where three students died on Feb. 14, 2018, told The Associated Press on Monday that she tried to kill herself four times before she entered therapy. At first, she was ashamed, she said, fearing that accepting counseling would mean she couldnt handle my problems and I was broken. But her attitude changed with the support of therapists, family and friends, said the girl, who the AP is not naming because of her age. The girl said she fears not every Stoneman Douglas student who needs counseling is getting it and noted that some teachers seem uncomfortable talking about suicide and simply want to move on. In Connecticut, Richman was among the Sandy Hook relatives suing Infowars host Alex Jones for contending the Newtown shooting never happened. Neil Heslin, whose son, Jesse Lewis, was killed at Sandy Hook, said the families grief has been compounded by such conspiracy theories. Every day you get up, you expect to get punched in the chin, Heslin said. I give Jeremy credit for what he accomplished with his work and his amazing strength that grew through the years. Newtown Police Lt. Aaron Bahamonde said Richman left a suicide note, but did not disclose its contents. On Monday, residents streamed into the Resiliency Center of Newtown, which was set up shortly after the shooting as a place for therapy and for people to gather to talk. Richman worked with the center in providing brain health first aid for children and others. His friend, Stephanie Cinque, the centers executive director, said people are angry, sad and shocked by his death. Theres mixed feelings throughout town, she said. Grief is complicated. Its very sad for the family, the children, the entire community. So today were letting people know its OK to have those feelings. The emotional scars survivors feel last for decades. Columbine High massacre survivor Heather Martin was not physically injured in the 1999 shooting that left 13 dead, but said she took years to emotionally overcome the attack. She helped form the Rebels Project, named after Columbines mascot, to assist mass trauma survivors. Resilience is connecting with other people and gaining strength from other people, Martin said. You dont always have to be the strongest person. ___ Tanner reported from Chicago. Associated Press writers Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; Dan Elliott in Denver; and Joshua Replogle in Parkland, Florida, contributed to this report. __ Editors note: The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 800-273-8255. The Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 crisis support by text. Text 741741 to be connected to a trained counselor. Students from Broward County schools can text FL to 741741. Albuquerque police on Monday evening identified the woman killed when she was struck by a racing car on Saturday night as Angelica Baca, 39. Baca was struck by a car near Louisiana and Ross SE, according to a police news release. Police have said that two cars were racing north on Louisiana when Baca was struck by one of the cars. Officials have said that an airman who works on Kirtland Air Force Base with the 58th Special Operations Wing was involved in the wreck in some capacity. Officials have said that four airmen from Kirtland Air Force Base were in a car involved in the crash. No one has been charged in connection to the womans death. In the digital age, where we have near-instant access to information, sometimes its actually harder not easier to get to the unvarnished truth. Such is the case with the growing migrant population passing through New Mexico as (members) seek asylum in the United States. As a physician at a large public hospital, I have spent my entire career caring for people from all walks of life, regardless of insurance or resident status. We are trained to care for the people in front of us, as the migrants now are. As deputy cabinet secretary of the New Mexico Department of Health, Ive been tasked with guiding the departments efforts to assist in the growing volunteer efforts of our medical community to provide migrants passing through New Mexico basic medical attention. A recent guest column in the Albuquerque Journal might have raised fears about the health of migrants as they reach our border. Without facts, its natural for fear to take hold. The Department of Health, actively monitoring the situation, would like to set the record straight: The health issues of the incoming migrants are not dangerous to New Mexicans, despite what was written and what was apparently discussed at a recent political meeting in Deming. These commentators have sought to make political hay out of a supposed low immunization rate among migrants entering New Mexico. The truth is migrants arrived immunized. Many of their home countries have immunization rates comparable to New Mexico and the United States. The worst of the illnesses are identified and treated as people arrive at the border. Cases of communicable diseases are very rare. Those that exist are treated before they are ever released to our states churches and shelters. Migrants currently arriving by bus in Albuquerque and Las Cruces do not arrive in our local shelters seriously ill, or with the sort of dangerous, infectious diseases that might frighten residents. They arrive tired, dehydrated and hungry. They are people who have literally walked hundreds of miles over a period of weeks without proper nutrition and hydration, and are treated for the health issues related to that. In Las Cruces and Dona Ana County, the Department of Health is piloting a project where we are providing a mobile medical unit, a doctors office on wheels, where community partners from the local medical community, doctors, nurses, even medical students all are assessing migrants. Assessing their health at shelters further reduces medical visits to our health care systems in our communities. Most migrants simply require over-the-counter medicines. Those that need antibiotics need them for minor infections considered common for folks who have made this sort of dangerous journey. They dont leave to travel to their asylum sponsors without them. As I said, in the digital age, its harder to get to the unvarnished truth; unfortunately, that makes it easier for rumors, fears and even political agendas to slide into the news. There can be disagreement about how we feel about what the federal government should and should not do with regard to legal immigration and asylum-seekers. But, in the end, public health isnt about politics. Its about people, and we at the Department of Health are about providing the safety net services needed in our state. Were about protecting people, all the people, and we will continue to provide resources as needed for our medical community volunteers to ensure the health of migrant travelers as they begin their next chapter in America. Neither Nolan Arenado nor Charlie Blackmon ever played for the Albuquerque Isotopes, but the two Colorado Rockies stars felt right at home on a beautiful purple-accented, sun-splashed Monday at Isotopes Park. We know this because at batting practice, Arenado expressed, to everyone and no one in particular, his distaste for Patsy Clines Walkin After Midnight blaring on the public address. That aint no hitting music! said Arenado, though the reigning National League home run champion and owner of an 8-year, $260 million contract extension somehow, some way, managed to block it out and hit tape-measure shot after tape-measure shot. His go-to for BP? Anything but slow-dancing music, Arenado said with a laugh later. We also know this because Blackmon, who spent Sunday night in Albuquerque, said being here reminds me of Coors Field. I didnt sleep so great last night because of the elevation balls are flying, my mouth is dry. A lot of things that remind you of Denver, you find right here at Isotopes Park. See, there was no artificial politeness of guests. We got instead the candor of family. And family was the theme of the day Monday, when the Triple-A Isotopes hosted the Rockies for an exhibition game. The two entities also took the opportunity of the festivity there was no obvious reason to do it otherwise to renew their vows. The two-year extension of the Player Development Contract keeps the two together through 2022. Its a natural marriage, Isotopes manager Glenallen Hill said Monday during the pregame announcement, which included Isotopes and Rockies brass. From where I sit, our players are well taken care of. The signs seem to indicate the relationship is functional. Arenado and Blackmon were established big-leaguers when the Topes and Rox joined forces in 2015. And Daniel Murphy is a significant free-agent addition to a team that experienced little offseason turnover. Otherwise, the 2019 Colorado roster is littered with players who have gotten their kicks and helpful experience on Route 66. Heres a staggering example of such, and for an organization that is contending, not breaking down to rebuild: In each of the last 168 games, the Rockies starting pitcher was a former Isotope. That streak will continue Thursday when Kyle Freeland gets the Opening Day nod in Miami. I think thats how we have to do it, the Rockies way, said Colorado manager Bud Black. Its an organization that scouts hard; we develop our players in a way to get them to the big leagues. And were going to have to rely on a lot of young players from year to year. IMG_4361 Hill and his staff obviously are doing their part to keep that line moving, which can explain in large part the Rockies satisfaction in his performance even though the Isotopes are only 264-304 in his tenure. Hes on me, said former Isotope Garrett Hampson of Hill. Hes making sure I stay doing what I need to do to help (the Rockies) win utilizing my speed and doing the little things. I love it. As for what the Rockies can do for the Isotopes? I think we just saw it. A huge crowd of consumers of concessions, merchandise, and tickets to future games showed up. On a Monday afternoon, even. Arenado, who hit an altitude-aided homer Monday that barely escaped the confines of the left-field wall at 371 feet, noted the event was good for the fan base. Its not an easy trip for us when we have to go to Fort Myers (Fla., for an exhibition with Minnesota) tomorrow, but its important to show what theyre producing here. Weve got some really good players that came through here. Does that mean the Rockies will come back soon for another exhibition? Rockies GM Jeff Bridich continues to love the synergy between Colorado and Albuquerque, but we havent even crossed that bridge. When they do choose to cross it, the Isotopes will be waiting. We are always interested, Albuquerque GM John Traub said. The Rockies vs. us, the Rockies and somebody else, two other teams. It took 674 days, more than 2,800 subpoenas, nearly 500 search warrants, more than 230 orders for communication records, 13 requests to foreign governments for evidence, approximately 500 witness interviews, 19 lawyers and around 40 FBI agents, intelligence analysts, forensic accountants and professional staff. Its expected to cost taxpayers well over $25 million. And you cant read it. Special counsel Robert Muellers Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election has been boiled down into a four-page summary by Attorney General William Barr, a Trump appointee. President Donald Trump has heralded it as a total and complete exoneration. Trump haters are already casting doubt on the summarys source. And thats why, if we as a nation are to move on from this, we need to be able to read it for ourselves. Yes, even with a full release there are those who will believe what they want just as there are those who believe there was someone on the grassy knoll and a hangar full of spacemen is housed at Area 51. But for the majority of Americans, it is essential the work done by Muellers team is made public. It bears noting there is strong precedent. The Watergate and Iran-Contra reports were published. The Starr report into myriad abuses of power by then-President Bill Clinton was released Sept. 11, 1998. The House of Representatives voted to make it public; it came out as a paperback just days later, Sept. 16. (Get it for 25 cents on Amazon with free Prime shipping.) The 2019 House voted almost unanimously March 14 to release the Mueller report (420 for, none against, four abstaining). Trump says releasing it doesnt bother him. So as Nike proclaims, Just Do It. Ditto for the full FISA applications that were key to the investigation and based in part on the Steele dossier paid for with Clinton campaign money via a law firm. Because unless that happens, both sides will agree only that the Russians worked to influence the 2016 presidential election and remain at polar opposites on Trumps involvement. Based on Barrs four-page letter to congressional leaders, the report doesnt specifically exonerate the president on the question of obstruction of justice, including the firing of FBI Director James Comey. Nor does it accuse him. Instead it presents for and against evidence for Barr to consider. Mueller apparently makes it clear the Russians did try to influence the election with a social media disinformation campaign intended to sow discord, the successful hack into computers of people affiliated with the Clinton campaign and Democratic Party and the public dissemination of those materials through various intermediaries, including WikiLeaks. Those acts led to indictments against Russian military officers. Muellers probe led to indictments of people who had been affiliated with Trump, most notably former campaign chair Paul Manafort and security adviser Michael Flynn the former on tax fraud charges that predate the election, the latter for lying to the FBI. However, the report notably does not recommend any further indictments, nor did the special counsel obtain any sealed indictments yet to be made public. Barr said he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein like Mueller a target of Trump for his role in what the president calls a witch hunt determined there was not sufficient evidence to establish that the President committed an obstruction of justice offense. He said Mueller recognized the evidence does not establish that the President was involved in an underlying crime related to Russian election interference. It should be a relief to every single American that the leader of the free world apparently did not collude with the leader of what has been known as the Evil Empire. But the political environment today is so fractured and toxic that every Trump foe and every Trump fan is from Missouri and needs Barr to show me the results of all that investigatory time and effort. We got the Starr report in under a week. The clock is ticking. This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers. Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal Its a couple of years behind schedule, but the Albuquerque Police Department has released its annual Use of Force Report for 2016 and 2017. The report shows: APD officers were dispatched to about 450,000 calls for service in 2016 and 480,330 in 2017; use-of-force cases represented fewer than one-tenth of 1 percent of those calls. Fewer than 2 percent of all arrests involved use of force. In 2017, the large majority of people involved in use-of-force cases were unarmed 74.8 percent. In 2016, it was 48.5 percent, but about 30 percent were classified unknown. Firearm discharge made up about 2 percent of all use-of-force cases over the two years, and rose slightly from 2016 to 2017. Over 2016 and 2017, there were almost three times as many use-of-force incidents as there were show-of-force incidents defined as an officer pointing a firearm or other impact weapon at a person. From 2016 to 2017, show-of-force incidents rose 35 percent and use-of-force incidents remained consistent. The report, compiled by the departments compliance bureau and the force division of internal affairs, is mandatory under the 2014 settlement agreement signed by the Department of Justice and the city in the wake of an investigation that found APD had a pattern of using excessive force. APD plans to compile and release the 2018 report by the end of this year. Analyzing data The new police administration says it encountered several challenges in analyzing data collected by the old administration, calling the previous methods poor at best in the reports introduction. The DOJ court-appointed monitor has also previously taken issue with the departments data collection and analysis methods over the years. Cori Lowe, the commander of accountability and oversight division, said she joined the division in December 2017, and Commander Rob Middleton took over the internal affairs force division in March 2018. Lowe said part of the delay in compiling the report arose from the time it took the two of them to create a game plan for how to verify data and make sure they were including all instances of show of force, use of force and serious use of force. Lowe said they also had to take into account policy changes over the years as the administration tried to better define terms and procedures. The 2015 Use of Force Report, compiled by the previous administration, follows a different format. It does not track shows of force. The 2015 report found .04 percent of dispatched calls resulted in an officer using force. Lowe said they believe the increase in use of force in 2016 and 2017 is likely due to more accurate reporting. Especially with show of force, there was a lot of confusion for a while on what exactly that meant, she said. Lowe said she doesnt believe it was intentional, but some officers were not reporting when something was actually a show of force. Now were starting to catch that and our officers are definitely getting better on getting that information accurately reported. What do the numbers mean? Robby Heckman, a member of the community coalition APD Forward, said the report is critical for the community to evaluate whether the reform effort is working. But, he said, the group had some concerns that the report didnt delve deep enough into the full story. For example, it doesnt include data on how many use-of-force instances were out of compliance with policy, how many officers were disciplined for use of force and if any policy or training changes were made. Heckman said one issue that stood out in the report was the dramatic increase in the percentage of use-of-force cases that involved unarmed victims. He said he would like to see that the department is paying attention to that data and trying to address it. Is APD producing this report to strictly comply with paragraph 79 (of the settlement agreement)? Heckman asked. Or are they genuinely going to produce and use this report to have an institutional reflective look at what do these numbers mean and how can we identify and then address issues that they reflect? City Councilors Isaac Benton and Pat Davis both said they were happy to finally have the report in hand and noted that it was overdue. Benton said the report is a good example of how the city can use real data when analyzing the police forces interactions with the public. Theres a lot of negative press about the Department of Justice intervention, but this shows that there can be some good that can come out of it when we start looking at ourselves and our police force more closely, Benton said. Among the other findings outlined in the report: Empty-hand techniques such as strikes, grabs, kicks, take downs and distraction techniques made up the majority of use-of-force cases at 70 percent in 2016 and 60 percent in 2017. Fewer people were injured in use-of-force cases in 2017 than in 2016, but a much higher percentage of the injured needed to be hospitalized in 2017 (94 percent over 68 percent in 2016). Native Americans were involved in about 15 percent of use-of-force cases, but they make up less than 5 percent of the citys population. Officers were injured in about 23 percent of use-of-force cases but had to be hospitalized in less than 3 percent of those cases. As use of electronic control weapons like those made by TASER increased, other types of use of force decreased. APD Use of Force Report 2016-2017 by Albuquerque Journal on Scribd Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal The crowd of roughly 55 was given one question: What information do you need from assessments to help you better do your job in your role? The question, asked at a state Public Education Department community session Thursday night, spurred conversation about what the next statewide exam should look like an ongoing, mammoth task happening in New Mexico now. It comes after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham nixed PARCC, leaving the state in need of a replacement. In the interim, kids this spring will take the New Mexico Standards Based Assessment of Mathematics and English Language Arts, a shorter transition test that uses PARCC questions. For hours, educators, students, parents and community members at Thursdays session discussed what they wanted to see in the next test and relayed that information to PED representatives. Instead of just selecting something or continuing with the transition assessment which could be an option we really want to take the opportunity to listen to our stakeholders, said Gwen Perea Warniment, PED deputy secretary. Feedback ranged from wanting more specific data to getting results sooner. The brainstorming will be considered by a Student Success Task Force, a team appointed by PED Secretary Karen Trujillo that will convene next month and compiled into a report. PED is aiming to break down the assessment reconfiguration into two phases. In the first phase, the task force will make a recommendation for a math and English assessment for spring 2020. And in the second phase, the team will recommend a long-term replacement. At the Albuquerque input session, Juniper Chrisp, an 11-year-old eighth-grader, spoke on behalf of the student group. They had pages of thoughts. Chrisp relayed that the students wanted to see a test that was less about memorization and more about critical thinking. And they wanted to know how the information being tested would affect them in real life. The students also stressed their qualms with a timed test. Some results can reflect feelings of pressure and not what people learned in the class, Chrisp said. Feedback was also emphasized. Chrisps group suggested kids be given a list of what to improve on and how to improve, or a log-in system they could access to view their results. Anna Gilletly, Junipers mother, represented the parents group. Parents wanted results within the same school year. Gilletly pointed out that getting assessment results after the school year can be hindrance to intervention. Ultimately, parents wanted to know as soon as possible where their kids werent on par and have access to school resources to get them there. As for the teachers, Greg Butz, a social studies teacher at Cottonwood Classical Preparatory School, a charter school, said his group was seeking meaningful and actionable data. He said the teachers wanted specific information that showed exactly where kids needed help not just a genre or broad subject area. Butzs group used the example of functions. Because there are more than 70 functions in mathematics, teachers are hoping New Mexicos next test will narrow in on which functions students are proficient in and which functions are giving them trouble. The group is also hoping the test focuses on growth versus proficiency. Albuquerques meeting, hosted at Albuquerque Public Schools new Berna Facio Professional Development Complex, was just one stop on PEDs tour. This month, PED and partner New Mexico State University are traveling around the state to hold similar input sessions. They were in Santa Fe in early March and will go to Artesia, Farmington and Deming next. Jussie Smollett in court earlier this month. Photo: E. Jason Wambsgans/AFP/Getty Images Prosecutors in Chicago dropped all charges against actor Jussie Smollett Tuesday, just two weeks after he pleaded not guilty to 16 counts related to allegedly lying to police about being a victim of a homophobic and racist hate crime. Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him, Smolletts lawyers said in a statement following the surprise reversal by prosecutors. Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgement. Smollett, who has always denied lying to police or orchestrating the attack, was free on $100,000 bond. I have been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one, he told reporters Tuesday. We believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case, the Cook County States Attorneys office said Tuesday. The decision came after reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollets volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago. The 36-year-old actor has said he was attacked by two men while walking in Chicago. The men, Smollett said, yelled racist and homophobic slurs, hit him, put a noose around his neck, and said to him, This is MAGA country. The Chicago Tribune explains what happened next: Police initially treated the incident as a hate crime, but their focus turned to Smollett after two brothers who were alleged to have been his attackers told police that Smollett had paid them $3,500 to stage the attack, with a promise of an additional $500 later. Police pieced together much of their evidence by reviewing footage from about 55 police and private surveillance cameras showing the brothers movements before and after the attack. Its unclear what evidence emerged that led prosecutors to drop the case. Sign Up for the Intelligencer Newsletter Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal The U.S. Border Patrol closed all five highway checkpoints in New Mexico on Saturday and reassigned agents to help with the influx of migrant families and unaccompanied children. To process and ensure appropriate care for those in custody, resources, including personnel, have been diverted from other border security priorities, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said in a statement. Border Patrol agents have been coping with a surge in families crossing the border in the federal agencys El Paso sector, which includes all of New Mexico. In the Sunland Park and El Paso areas, agents have been taking an average of 600 people a day into custody this month. Most are parents and children from Central America seeking asylum. For the agency to transport and process the large number of migrants, its highway checkpoints have been temporarily shut down. Six checkpoints are closed: all five in New Mexico and one in West Texas. The closure of five Border Patrol checkpoints in New Mexico further highlights the lack of resources allocated to our rural stretches of the border, said Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, D-N.M. This is why I introduced bipartisan legislation to address the needs of Border Patrol in rural areas, starting with hiring and retention. In the short term, though, we need to prioritize and redirect resources to the areas in the most need to help protect the safety of families, agents and communities. The Border Patrol operates checkpoints on highways within 100 miles of the border in search of undocumented immigrants and illicit drugs. Agents also find stolen vehicles and wanted felons, according to the Border Patrol. Last month, a suspect ran the Border Patrol highway checkpoint on Interstate 25 north of Las Cruces and led agents, New Mexico State Police and Dona Ana County sheriffs deputies on a chase. When the man stopped near Hatch, he held his 7-year-old son hostage at gunpoint. The standoff ended with a New Mexico State Police officer shooting the suspect in the foot and rescuing the child. The boy was not injured. Neither was his mother, who escaped by jumping out of the vehicle when it stopped. Border Patrol agents at highway checkpoints nationwide last year seized more than 41,863 pounds of cocaine, 2,717 pounds of heroin, 405 pounds of methamphetamine and more than 6,360 pounds of fentanyl, according to data from CBP for fiscal year 2018. The agency has said highway checkpoints are integral to the Border Patrols security mission. The checkpoints in southern New Mexico are on Interstate 10, Interstate 25, N.M. 185 near Hatch, and U.S. 54 and U.S. 70 near Alamogordo. The checkpoint that was shut down in West Texas, on U.S. 62/180, is a popular route to Carlsbad from El Paso. Historically, those posts have provided valuable assistance to us in certain law enforcement investigations, but currently there is no observable effect these closures will have on Dona Ana County, said Kelly Jameson, spokeswoman for the Dona Ana County Sheriffs Office. Though it is a temporary measure, the Border Patrol could not say when the highway checkpoints in New Mexico will reopen. In a significant shift, the Justice Department now says it backs a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act, the signature Obama-era health law. It divulged its position in a legal filing Monday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans, where an appeal is pending in a case challenging the measures constitutionality. A federal judge in Texas ruled in December that the laws individual mandate can no longer be sustained as an exercise of Congresss tax power and further found that the remaining portions of the law are invalid. Previously, the Trump administration had not gone as far, arguing in a June brief that the penalty for not buying insurance could be distinguished from other provisions of the law, which could still stand. Officials said there were legal grounds only to strike down the laws consumer protections, including those for people with pre-existing health conditions. But in the new filing, signed by three Justice Department attorneys, the administration said that the decision of U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor should be affirmed and that the entirety of the ACA should be invalidated. Because the United States is not urging that any portion of the district courts judgment be reversed, the government intends to file a brief on the appellees schedule, the filing stated. If it were successful, the Justice Departments position supporting the judges ruling would potentially eliminate health care for millions of people and create widespread disruption across the U.S. health care system from removing no-charge preventive services for older Americans on Medicare to voiding the expansion of Medicaid in most states. The change comes as newly empowered Democrats in the House have vowed to protect the ACA from Republican attacks. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., pledged in a tweet Monday night that Democrats would fight relentlessly to preserve affordable, dependable health care. Timothy Jost, an emeritus professor at the Washington and Lee University law school, called the Justice Departments new position crazy and legally untenable. I cant believe that even the 5th Circuit would take that position, he said in an interview, suggesting that arguably the nations most conservative appeals court would still be reluctant to accept the reasoning backed by the administration. It would be like invalidating the Interstate Highway System, causing chaos on an unimaginable scale. Its conceivable that the entire Medicare payment system would collapse. The filing reflected a strictly political decision, not a legal decision, Jost said. Trump has wanted to get rid of the ACA, and I guess he sees an opportunity here. Q: My pediatricians office was closed because she went to Santa Fe to advocate for a particular bill, relating to childrens health. What is a doctors role in the Roundhouse? A: In the words of Dr. Isaac Abt, the first president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, It should be our aim to discover neglected problems and, so far as in our power, introduce reform. Advocacy means speaking out on behalf of patients. Individual advocacy is the direct care and resources that you provide to patients every day. This could include calling an insurance company, school, another provider, or a social service agency on behalf of a patient. Community advocacy builds on and reaches beyond individual advocacy in that it affects not only children seen in a professional setting, but also, more broadly, the children within the community. Community advocacy takes into consideration the environmental and social factors influencing child health, such as exposure to violence, safe places to play, poverty, child abuse and access to healthy foods. Advocates, including pediatricians, look for ways to work with community partners to address these issues. State and federal advocacy are about changing the public policies, laws and rules that impact childrens health. At the state level, this might include issues such as pediatricians working together to pass a law that would ban smoking in public places to keep children from breathing secondhand smoke. Federal advocacy involves supporting national laws that affect childrens health. For example, the federal government allocates funds for state-run programs, such as Medicaid and the Maternal and Child Health block grant. Pediatricians can become involved in advocacy efforts that help expand Medicaid funding or require testing of pediatric drugs. To provide more insight into this important issue, I interviewed Dr. Lance Chilton. He is an Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics at the University of New Mexico, past president of the New Mexico Pediatric Society, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Community Pediatrics, and lifelong advocate for childrens health and well-being. Q: Dr. Chilton, as a pediatrician, what role do you play at the Roundhouse? A: Pediatricians often go to the Capitol to advocate on behalf of children and childrens programs. Children dont get to vote, so we have to advocate on their behalf. I specifically go to give a child-centered and physician-specific perspective to analysis and summary of some of the 1,300+ bills the legislators deal with during 60 action-packed days and nights of the legislative session. Q: What aspects of childrens health care are dependent on state funding? A: Seventy-two percent of New Mexico children are born on Medicaid, which is a state and federal program highly dependent on state funding. But, since safety and education are also critical to child health, state funding supports much of those, as well. Regulation of Medicaid and of health insurance is also important to children, and there was lots of legislation on those subjects this year. Q: What bills pertaining to childrens health care were discussed this legislative session? A: There was legislation on Medicaid, health insurance and education, as well as a bill that tried to get all of the pediatric subspecialists to work together better, a bill to teach teachers about the effects of poverty and a bill to provide data about our child protection system. Q: What should pediatricians do to improve health care for children in New Mexico? A: Among my thoughts help parents be the best teachers and friends for their children, talk about being sure to read with their children, immunize children to prevent serious disease, get them outdoors into nature, be willing (as pediatricians) to talk with older children about whatever the child wants to know about and advocate for governmental policies that keep children well. Q: What can parents do to improve health care for children in New Mexico? Specifically, how do we find and contact our legislators and what exactly should we say? A: Go to nmlegis.gov and youll find it easy to get your legislators names, addresses and phone numbers. This years session is over, so theyll have a little more time, so invite them for coffee, and tell them what you think is important for your children and all the children of New Mexico. Anjali Subbaswamy is a Pediatric Intensive Care Physician at UNM. Please send your questions to her at asubbaswamy@salud.unm.edu. After years of back pain, Timothy Lunceford decided in July to try an injection of umbilical cord blood, an unproven treatment increasingly touted by chiropractors and pain doctors as a cure for achy joints. A day after he got the shots, Luncefords back began throbbing. After two days, he was feverish and could hardly move. It felt like someone stuck a knife into the middle of my back and just left it there, said Lunceford, a 52-year-old wildlife biologist from Athens, Texas. Lunceford said his wife rushed him to a hospital, where doctors found E. coli and another type of bacteria in his blood. Nurses gave him antibiotics to fight life-threatening sepsis, and a neurosurgeon scraped infected tissue from his spine. For 58 days, Lunceford remained hospitalized, wracked by intense pain. Over the past year, at least 17 people have been hospitalized after being injected with products made from umbilical cord blood, a little-known but fast-growing segment of the booming stem cell industry, according to state and federal health officials and patient reports. Sold as a miracle cure for a variety of intractable conditions, the injections have sickened people in five states, prompting new warnings from health officials. All but two of the illnesses have been linked to a single company: Liveyon of Yorba Linda, Calif. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report in December tying 12 cases in multiple states to treatments sold by the company. Three additional patients in Texas and Maine have filed lawsuits against Liveyon claiming the companys product infected them with bacteria. Liveyon, founded in 2016, sells tiny vials of a solution it says is derived from umbilical cord blood, which it claims is an especially potent source of healing stem cells. In ads and on its website, Liveyon says its product is as miraculous as the birth of a child itself and stimulates regenerative healing. Such products are not approved by federal regulators or supported by clinical research, but businesses selling them say they provide relief to many patients. Many health professionals say the injections like most stem cell therapies violate Food and Drug Administration rules against using unapproved drugs and are potentially dangerous. The CDC report revealed a specific risk: bacterial infection. The CDC said it had documented a dozen patients who had developed a variety of maladies from the injections, including swollen spinal discs, infected bones and joints, and abscesses in their backs. Three of the 12 patients were hospitalized for a month or more, the report said. The CDC did not name the patients, but the date of Luncefords injection and the length of his hospital stay match those of a patient listed in the CDC report. On Sept. 28, after the FDA and other health officials inquired about the infected patients, the company issued a recall for all treatment vials marketed under the name Liveyon ReGen. Blaming the California company that manufactured the vials, Liveyon executives said they hired a new manufacturer in Florida and changed the name of their product to Liveyon Premier MAXCB. Were a victim as much as the patients who were infected, Liveyons founder and chief executive, John Kosolcharoen, said in one of several interviews with The Post. I feel like we tried to do everything right. Internal company records show that Liveyon received reports of patients falling ill and testing positive for E. coli as early as June 5, 2018 nearly four months before the recall. Liveyon executives did not dispute that finding but said they did not act sooner because they believed the infections were caused by doctors who inadvertently contaminated their product while injecting patients. However, the CDC found that the bacterial contamination probably occurred before distribution to doctors. After obtaining 10 unopened vials of Liveyon treatments from clinics in Texas and Florida where patients had fallen ill, the CDC report said, investigators found bacteria in eight of them. In the weeks since then, CDC officials said, they have obtained many more ReGen vials directly from Liveyon and found bacteria in a large proportion of them. Kosolcharoen said he continues to believe that doctor error contributed to the rash of infections. He added that Liveyon has spent a lot of time and money trying to establish and follow best practices in a field rife with bad actors. Were just the tip of the iceberg, and were the cleanest in the iceberg, Kosolcharoen said. If anyone else knew whats going on in this industry, they would roll over in their grave. Liveyon continued to distribute vials of Liveyon ReGen into the fall. The first reports of infected patients reached the CDC in September. After investigating cases in Texas and Florida, CDC issued a call to other health departments nationwide. By mid-December, the CDC had found 12 patients: seven in Texas, four in Florida and one in Arizona. CDC officials later said they confirmed a 13th case of infection. Dorothy OConnell, 90, of Brazoria, Texas, said she is among those patients, and details of her case match one investigated by the CDC. OConnell received Liveyon injections for her arthritic back and neck on Sept. 12, according to her daughter, Elaine Dilley. Within days, she started throwing up, and I had to call an ambulance, Dilley said, adding that her mothers pain was so intense, you couldnt touch her. OConnell was airlifted 50 miles north to a hospital in Houston. Her kidneys were shutting down, and they were worried she was going to have a heart attack, Dilley said. The doctors didnt think she was going to make it. Despite her age, OConnell had always been able to take care of herself, including mowing her own lawn, Dilley said. Now her mother has been left with damaged vision, hearing and balance, Dilley said, and has had to learn to walk again. Seven months after his July injections, Lunceford, the patient from Athens, Texas, said he still experiences persistent stabbing pains and has been unable to return to work. He, OConnell and three other Texas patients have filed lawsuits against Liveyon, alleging negligence. Liveyon has denied their claims and is fighting them in court. Stem cells can divide and renew themselves over long periods, and some can grow into any kind of cell in the body. Eventually, researchers say, stem cells could be used to treat many diseases, including macular degeneration, diabetes and Parkinsons. But those therapies are still being developed; the only FDA-approved stem-cell treatment is for blood disorders like leukemia. Many leading researchers characterize the other products being sold now as snake oil saying there is little oversight, little scientific rationale for the procedures and little proof they have any effect. Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE The state budget proposal awaiting action by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham includes funding to shorten at least a little the waiting list for a state-run program that helps people with developmental disabilities. The $7 billion spending plan includes about $7.5 million in state appropriations that could be used as a match to secure federal funding. Altogether, roughly $27.5 million could be available to remove about 300 people from the 5,000-person waiting list. The exact amount depends on a variety of factors, including the cost of providing the services. The average wait time is over 13 years. We still have work to do, Rep. Elizabeth Thomson, D-Albuquerque, said in an interview, but I feel like were moving forward. Thomson said she had hoped to win approval for much more funding. But the extra money in the budget will help nonetheless, she said. The budget proposal, House Bill 2, also includes about $1.5 million to plan and begin offering new services to people even as theyre stuck on the waiting list. Lujan Grisham has already directed her administration to craft a plan to help people while they wait, and it could be up and running by January, said David Morgan, a spokesman for the state Department of Health. About 20 states already offer similar services. New Mexico has struggled for years with how to keep up with the demand for services for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The percentage of people diagnosed with autism and Down syndrome is climbing, and the per-client cost of providing services is increasing. Analysts working for the Legislative Finance Committee have recommended taking steps to control costs while slowly ramping up funding over time. The services are delivered through whats known as the waiver program because the federal government, for some states, has waived the requirement to use a nursing home or institutional setting to provide services. The waiver program began about 35 years ago as a way to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by serving them in the community rather than in institutions. Clients can receive therapy, help with employment and other services. Lujan Grisham, a Democrat who took office Jan. 1, has until April 5 to act on the budget proposal and other legislation passed in the final days of the legislative session. She is a former Cabinet secretary for the state Department of Health the agency that oversees the waiver program. New Mexico and six other states that rely on a major waterway in the U.S. West have finished a yearslong effort to create a plan to protect the Colorado River amid a prolonged drought, the federal government announced last week. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman commended Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming for reaching a consensus on the Colorado River drought contingency plan. Now the states are seeking approval from Congress to implement it. It is time for us to work with our congressional delegations to move forward to make sure we can implement DCP this year, Burman said on a call with reporters. The Colorado River serves 40 million people and 7,812 square miles of farmland in the West. Under the drought plan, states voluntarily would give up water to keep Lake Mead on the Arizona-Nevada border and Lake Powell upstream on the Arizona-Utah border from crashing. The push for federal legislation comes after the Colorado River Board of California voted last week to move ahead without a water agency that has the largest entitlement to the rivers water. The Imperial Irrigation District was written out of Californias plan when another powerful water agency, the Metropolitan Water District, pledged to contribute most of the states voluntary water cuts. Imperial had said it would not commit to the drought plan unless it secured $200 million in federal funding to help restore a massive, briny lake southeast of Los Angeles known as the Salton Sea. IID has one agenda, to be part of a DCP that treats the Salton Sea with the dignity and due consideration it deserves, not as its first casualty, Imperial board President Erik Ortega said. The Bureau of Reclamation had given states until Tuesday of last week to submit comments on what to do next after California and Arizona failed to meet federal deadlines to wrap up their drought plans. Burman said she will cancel the request now that all states are on board. Arizona says it doesnt expect its remaining work to delay implementation of the drought plan. The states plans are meant to supplement existing guidelines that dictate water deliveries to Arizona, Nevada and California. The Bureau of Reclamation previously predicted a more than 50 percent chance that Arizona and Nevada would not get their full allocations of water in 2020. The latest study shows a shortage might be averted because of above-average snowpack. In New Mexico, the basin that feeds the Rio Grande is about 138 percent of median levels. But officials say one good year of snowpack wont reduce long-term risks for the Rio Grande or the Colorado River. The drought contingency plan takes the states through 2026, when existing guidelines expire. The states already are preparing for negotiations that will begin next year for new guidelines. We all recognize were looking at a drier future, said Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources. LORDSBURG, N.M. A fourth person has died after a tractor trailer hit two other vehicles in southwestern New Mexico last weekend. State Police say the driver of a pickup truck 51-year-old Arnold Rojo of Sierra Vista, Arizona died from his injuries at a hospital Tuesday. The collision occurred Sunday near Lordsburg on Interstate 10. State Police say it appears a Freightliner crossed the center median and hit another big rig head-on and a pickup truck. Three people were pronounced dead at the scene. They were the second tractor trailers driver, 47-year-old Jose Apodaca of El Paso, Texas; a passenger in the pickup, 47-year-old Susan Rojo of Sierra Vista; and the Freightliner driver, 50-year-old Sean White of West Covina, California. A 13-year-old female passenger in the pickup was critically injured. CARACAS, Venezuela Venezuelans reacted with despair and resourcefulness on Tuesday as nationwide power cuts closed schools and businesses, paralyzing a nation that was only starting to recover from its worst blackouts earlier this month. The new outages, which began Monday, forced people to follow now-familiar routines: scour neighborhoods for food in the few shops that were open or seek out the few spots where they could find a signal on their mobile phones and get in touch with family and friends. The collapse of the power grid was yet another setback for a country whose oil reserves made it one of Latin Americas wealthiest decades ago. Venezuela doesnt stand a chance anymore, there is no life here, said Johnny Vargas, a frustrated restaurant worker who said he wishes he could leave the country. People cant work anymore; we cant do anything. In Caracas, lights flickered on and off in various districts, raising hopes and then dashing them as people once again reflected on divergent explanations from the government of President Nicolas Maduro, which alleged sabotage, and the U.S.-backed opposition, which said state corruption and incompetence is to blame. Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez posted a video of a fireman training a hose on smoking equipment at a power facility, seeking to reinforce his claims that Venezuela is under attack by terrorists executing a U.S.-led scheme to sow chaos. Authorities said they had detained six people in connection with the outage, but provided no details outlining the accusations against them. The U.S. and Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido say allegations of sabotage are an attempt to deflect attention from government failures. The governments allegations arent credible in part because it said the military had deployed to protect the entire power grid after the last blackouts, Guaido said. Jose Aguilar, an expert on the Venezuelan electrical grid, said images of a blaze shared by the government as well as information from engineers on the ground indicate the fire began inside one of three critical transformers near the Guri dam, which provides most of the countrys electricity. He attributed the blaze to neglect, saying equipment that facilitates an electrical currents passage was not regularly maintained. Sitting on a bench in a plaza, 72-year-old Armando Taioli gestured at people walking in the streets or traveling in buses and said they were adapting as best they could to the power outages, but that he fears social unrest if the situation deteriorates. That calm, you have to be worried about it, Taioli said. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said schools and industries would be suspended for a second day on Wednesday as officials work to restore electricity. After the last blackouts started on March 7, the situation became increasingly desperate for many Venezuelans who lost access to water because pumps failed without electricity. Looters ransacked hundreds of businesses in the city of Maracaibo. The blackouts eased nearly a week later, but many areas only had intermittent power even after the government said the problem was solved. The new outage appeared to have affected the majority of the 23 states in Venezuela, whose steep economic decline contributed to the flight of more than 3 million people, or one-tenth of the population, to other countries as the crisis escalated. Guaido says Maduros re-election last year was rigged, and the U.S. has imposed sanctions on Venezuela in an attempt to force the Russia-backed president from power. Simmering political tension was apparent Tuesday, as a video circulating on social media showed a man appearing to kick a car and other men throwing objects at it. Guaidos spokesman Edward Rodriguez said the incident was an attack on vehicles carrying lawmakers from the opposition-controlled National Assembly after a session. Opposition activists say they are sometimes targeted by colectivos, a term for pro-government enforcers in civilian clothing who are seen on Caracas streets from time to time. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned the attack and called on state security forces to protect civilians against violent armed groups. These acts of intimidation will not succeed in delaying the inevitable the peaceful restoration of democracy, stability, and prosperity to the people of Venezuela, he said. Netblocks, a non-government group based in Europe that monitors internet censorship, tweeted Tuesday that network data shows 85 percent of Venezuela was offline with little evidence of recovery. Dr. Julio Castro, one of the leaders of the non-profit Doctors for Health, said on Twitter that one person had died as a result of the latest outage an 81-year-old woman who perished after doctors were unable to connect her to a respirator on a different floor of the Central Hospital of Maracay because they could not use the elevators. A survey of hospitals conducted by Castros group found most had power or access to a generator but lacked water. The countrys main airport at Maiquetia said its emergency generator was operating and that international flights were on schedule. Many international airlines have stopped flying to Venezuela in recent years. Debit cards are a common form of payment in Venezuela, where cash is scarce and hyperinflation hit several years ago. Without power, the cards werent working on Tuesday. So some shops that were open gave meat and dairy products to customers in hopes of getting paid later, since the goods wont last without refrigeration. Shopkeeper Jose Ferreira, 59, said hed rather give to a stranger and hope for payment later than lose everything. There are still honest people in this country, he said. Rocio Perez, 31, bought a kilogram of meat on credit. Id like to buy more, but I have to cook and eat it immediately to avoid problems, Perez said. I dont even want to think about getting sick. ___ Associated Press journalist Clbyburn Saint John contributed from Caracas. ROSWELL, N.M. A four-day trial of a New Mexico man accused of a 2004 murder ended with a hung jury. The Roswell Daily Record reports the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict Friday on the first-degree murder charge against 35-year-old Juan Olivares Jr. Chaves County prosecutors say Olivares shot and killed 22-year-old Jonathan Ledesma in Roswell in February 2004. They say he then shot himself to fabricate a story that another person fired at both him and Ledesma. Olivares attorneys say a shooter had waited for their client to walk through the alley before opening fire, killing Ledesma and wounding Olivares. Prosecutors say they have not made a decision on their next step. They could seek a new trial or move to dismiss the charges. ___ Information from: Roswell Daily Record, http://www.roswell-record.com NEW YORK Google and the McClatchy publishing company say they will work together on an experiment launching three digital-only outlets to provide local news in U.S. communities that are currently news deserts. Besides providing news to the three communities, which the companies havent named yet, the idea is to test business approaches that could revive local journalism. More than 1,800 U.S. newspapers have closed over the past 15 years, most of them in small towns, according to a University of North Carolina study. Big-city newspapers also suffering declines in staff and circulation. Google will provide the money and wont be involved in the newsrooms, said Craig Forman, McClatchys president and CEO. Our objective at McClatchy is to explore new models for independent local news and information, Forman said in a blog post on Tuesday. Googles objective is to test the business models and operational aspects necessary to succeed in local news. Ultimately, those findings may lead to Google expanding its tools and services to enable other companies to do similar work. Google said the project is part of its $300 million, three-year news initiative. Among the other ideas it is testing is an easy-to-use system allowing people to subscribe to various publications, with the Guardian and Washington Post among the participants. Theres been a flurry of philanthropic and experimental efforts recently aimed at arresting the decline in the local news industry, although finding new business models has proven elusive. Meanwhile, a study issued Tuesday by the Pew Research Center further illustrated some of the problems facing the local news industry. Pew found that only 14 percent of American adults said they had paid for local news within the past year, such as through a subscription, donation or membership. Asked why, half of the people questioned said there was free content available to them. Thats not surprising, because people told Pew that television and radio was the most-preferred source of local news. The idea that the local news industry is suffering hasnt reached most of the potential customers. Pew found that 71 percent of Americans believe their local news outlets are doing very or somewhat well financially. Certainly, any attempt by the industry to inform consumers about their financial challenges seems to have gone unheard, said Amy Mitchell, Pews director of journalism research. The study is based on a survey of nearly 35,000 adults on Pews American Trends Panel and Ipsos Knowledge Panel, taken between Oct. 15 and Nov. 8, 2018. Preparing for the next Sandy. Photo: Christos Pathiakis/Getty Images During Manhattans first couple of centuries, water was always a short stroll away. Tall masts swayed at the end of the block, the newest houses sitting on moist soil that had only just been wrested from marshland. Over the years, the island was fattened, its edges pushed out by filling the shallows with dead horses, broken carts, household refuse, and rubble from ceaseless street-grading projects. Much of this extra land sat just inches above high tide; waves slopped over piers and quays and hurricanes barreled through every once in a while, but each time the city dried off and rebuilt. Now the waters are coming back to stay. Superstorm Sandy gave New Yorkers a preview of the future in 2012, yet its not just mammoth waves that will dampen the citys future but the slow-moving, inexorable advance of the seas. In the coming decades, the tides will find New Amsterdams original coastline, lapping the corner of Wall Street and Pearl Street, at times even rushing up to Bowling Green. Left to its own devices, the Financial District will look like a high-rise Venice, its spires in the clouds and its feet in the brine. Which is why Mayor Bill De Blasio has produced a new plan to keep lower Manhattan dry. Its a combination of makeshift barriers and megaprojects: hilly waterfront parks, higher esplanades, floodwalls that can be deployed when a storm is bearing down, and even a new chunk of the city slung out into the East River. It will be one of the most complex environmental and engineering challenges our city has ever undertaken and it will, literally, alter the shape of the island of Manhattan, the mayor wrote. If that portentous tone sounds familiar, it may be because in 2013, then mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a similarly sweeping and urgent, $20 billion proposal: we refused to pass the responsibility for creating a plan onto the next administration, he declared. Well, here we are, six and a half years after Sandy, just barely getting started. True, the city has moved a few inches off square one. The Bjarke Ingels Group, one of the participants in the new study, has redesigned the East Side waterfront, from East 25th Street down to Montgomery Street on the Lower East Side, a project partly funded by a $338 million federal grant left over from the Obama Administration. That segment, plus others near the Manhattan Bridge, Battery Park, and Battery Park City, are slogging through the design and approvals process, and could conceivably begin construction within the next two years. By the time the last megastorms tenth anniversary rolls around, we might see a few scattered measures to guard against the next. Jainey Bavishi, director of the Mayors Office of Recovery and Resiliency, points out that the new plan comes equipped with the first comprehensive analysis of how flooding would affect which streets and buildings, plus a more realistic sense of what can be achieved, and when. The science has evolved rapidly, and we have a lot more certainty of what things are going to look like, adds James Patchett, president of the citys Economic Development Corporation. Maybe so, but the proposal is short on details, which will have to be worked out block by block, in hundreds of community meetings. For now, the document reads as though it had been conceived to justify De Blasios vaguely comical presidential ambitions, a table-thumping plea for national attention. The most troubling section is the one that finds an unpatchable hole in the citys coastal defenses: the mile-long stretch from the Brooklyn Bridge to Battery Park, including the Financial District and South Street Seaport. Here, buildings, bridge piers, utilities, tunnels, and the FDR Drive are so tightly jammed and so close to the waters edge, that there is nowhere to slip in a berm or a flood wall. Leave it as is, and 20 percent of the neighborhood will eventually flood every day. De Blasios planners insist that to keep water from invading the land, land must invade the water. The only option, they say, is to erect a barrier in the East River, somewhere between 50 feet and two city blocks out from the current shoreline. Protecting the multibillion-dollar investment that is lower Manhattan requires another multibillion investment, and the sheer quantities of stone, steel, people, and money packed into that narrow spit justifies the expense and the ecological disruption. A couple of decades from now, you might walk to the end of Wall Street, and instead of ducking beneath the FDR and getting on the ferry, you could just keep walking uphill. The prospect of creating new acreage within shouting distance of Wall Street could quickly turn an environmental tool into a real estate boondoggle, raising the specter of an offshore Hudson Yards. Patchett insists that the city would rather create a park than a neighborhood, but that depends on whether the federal government comes back around to seeing climate protection as a national security issue. Its everyones preference not to do development there, Patchett says. But we may need some development to finance it. In other words, if the government doesnt step up, private investors will, so long as we let them build something they can sell. The modern desire to colonize the river predates anxiety about climate change. The 1966 Lower Manhattan Plan proposed continuing the 300-year-old task of pushing the islands edges out in all directions. Part of that vision evolved into Battery Park City, a neighborhood elevated just high enough to survive Sandy unscathed. Bloomberg administrations 2013 plan envisioned a new high-rise Seaport City slung into the East River. A few years later, the engineering firm AECOMthe same company that carried out the analysis for the De Blasio reportunveiled a wildly ambitious (and quickly shelved) plan to build Red Hook up and out, turning it into Brooklyns Battery Park City. To some experts, though, walling New York off from the water makes about as much sense as air-conditioning Central Park. A few believe that coastal cities are doomed in the long run, anyway, and that the next centurys political, financial, and cultural capital will be in some safe inland spot with plenty of fresh water like Cleveland. (If that sounds far-fetched, take a look at the Financial Times mesmerizingly visual reminder that todays great city can be tomorrows backwater, and vice versa.) Optimists remain hopeful that coastal cities can adapt to an altered climate, just as they have to mass immigration, deindustrialization, economic upheavals, and war. But adapting doesnt mean an impermeable barricade. Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Venice got used to water coursing through their centers. New York forgot that skill long agoBroad Street was once a canal, and so was Canal Streetso perhaps it could relearn it. Sea level rise is only one of many threats that climate change will bring, and battling it can make the city vulnerable in other ways. Raise the city and wall it in, and you might find that flooding from torrential rainstorms has nowhere to go. An aged drainage system regularly leaves Riverside Park (which is partly built on a platform above railroad tracks) a semi-permanent swamp. The danger of spending fortunes on the wrong defenses is not confined to coastal cities. Last weeks catastrophic flooding in the Midwest revived an old debate over whether the matrix of levees crisscrossing the plains can keep up with intensifying weather. There are two types of levees, the geologist Nicholas Pinter told the Washington Post. Those that have failed and those that will fail. New York has been adding to its real estate for hundreds of years, so another round of expansion seems an oddly archaic way of tackling a new problem, says landscape architect (and Macarthur fellow) Kate Orff. If our goal is really to adapt to projected conditions, and not just preserve the status quo, I would focus on critical infrastructure, like hospitals, power generators, and transportation, rather than on a big comprehensive plan that encircles all of lower Manhattan, she says. The problem with one big fix is that its binary. If you dont get it exactly rightif, say, a seawall proves to be too low for the job, or too expensive to completethen you get it very, very wrong. We know sea levels are rising, Orff says, but we have to ride a fine line between being prepared and not making huge mistakes that we cannot unmake. Sign Up for the Intelligencer Newsletter Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. SACRAMENTO, Calif. U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. sentenced James Jay Hitt, 51, of Anderson, to 40 years in prison for distributing and receiving child pornography, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to evidence presented at trial, Hitt interacted with a 12-person network of child pornographers, managed a blog where he posted child pornography and messaged people through a Russian website that served as a platform for child pornographers to trade and discuss child pornography. Based on a lead from the FBI in Ohio, investigators in California searched Hitt's house on Jan. 4, 2013. When they entered his house, he waved a knife at them. Officials found over 4,000 images and dozens of videos of child pornography on a desktop computer, an 80-gigabyte internal hard drive and several CDs in Hitts house. Hitt has been in custody since June 15, 2015. He had a prior conviction for a crime relating to sexual abuse that enhanced his sentence. Paradise, Calif. - The Paradise Irrigation District will hold a public community meeting Tuesday night. The meeting will center around Paradise's water system after the Camp Fire and how to get clean water. PID says it will provide an overview on the current status of the water systems impacted by the Camp Fire, what has been done and what the next steps are. Representatives with PID will also address questions from the community, the Division of Drinking Water, Governor's Office of Emergency Services and FEMA. Last weekend, we learned the water within the district is clean, but the distribution pipes could be contaminated or eroded. The meeting is Tuesday, March 26, from 6 - 9 p.m. at Paradise Alliance Church on 6491 Clark Road, Paradise. SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. - The Shasta County District Attorney said a "chronic offender" was sentenced to prison time and a local program. The district attorney said Don Longwood plead guilty to one count of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, two counts of possession of a controlled substance, one count of resisting arrest and one count of receiving stolen property. All of the convictions are misdemeanors. Longwood is part of the Shasta County Chronic Offender Accountability Program. He was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in Shasta County Jail, with the last 3 1/2 years of the sentence suspended if he completes an in-patient program at Teen Challenge. The DA said Longwood will serve the first year in custody and then be transported to Teen Challenge. If Longwood fails to complete the program at Teen Challenge, he will serve his entire sentence at the Shasta County Jail. Beardo, one of Indias leading luxury grooming products for men has partnered with Kings XI Punjab as they kick off their campaign to win the 2019 edition of the IPL. Beardo will be the official Grooming Partners for the Kings XI Punjab this season as they hunt for their maiden title. The unmistakable Beardo logo will prominently feature on all caps and helmets of all players of the Kings XI Punjab. In a short span of 03 years, Beardo has grown to become Indias most chosen mens grooming brand. Similarly, the Kings XI Punjab have gone on to become one of the most popular, successful and entertaining franchise in the league. It is precisely this passion and innovation that unite Beardo and Kings XI Punjab: the team continually demonstrates its ability and willingness to stand out from the crowd. This partnership will help create entertaining moments and content that brings together two very popular entities, determined to amplify the excitement. Beardos association with Kings XI Punjab is a fantastic opportunity for the brand to connect through one of the most followed sporting spectacles in India and instantly engage with the right audience. Ashutosh Valani, Co-founder, Beardo said, "Were thrilled to be the grooming partners for Kings XI Punjab. Theyre one of the most exciting teams in the league that have a united legion of devoted fans across generations and cultures. Keeping in sync with Beardos continuous effort to introduce new innovative product to our mens grooming range, the association gives us a chance to showcase our merchandise at one of the biggest sporting events in the world. Commenting further on the association, Mr. Satish Menon, CEO, Kings XI Punjab said, I welcome Beardo to Kings XI Punjab, knowing that we have the right partner with whom we can create a unique future with new ideas. Were positive that this association will offer something new to our fans and also help us connect with new cricket enthusiasts. We look forward to a successful partnership with Beardo." Extending its legacy in India, the finest Belgian chocolate brand Callebaut has announced its search for Indias Callebaut Patissier of the Year (CPY). CPY 2019 will start with a nationwide hunt for Indias best gourmet pastry chef via a boot camp series across Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, in April 2019, followed by a grand finale in May 2019, in Mumbai. Having celebrated talent such as Chef Alisha Faleiro at CPYs first edition in 2017, the 2019 edition will push the creative quest for the Future of Chocolate, beyond all known boundaries thus far. This years theme will challenge contestants to create new flavour sensations and design new forms of desserts, pastries and confectionery, keeping in mind futuristic tastes, textures, innovation in application and presentation. Callebaut Patissier of the year is a platform weve created to showcase the best pastry talents in India, making it a coveted title to win for the professional chefs to become national champions. After the successful first edition in 2017, were back with this years competition with much more interesting theme, raising the bar to exemplify professionalism and creativity. The erstwhile edition was solely dedicated to the art of chocolate celebrating Indian heritage, this year the theme of the competition is future of chocolate, in a world of constant change and technology being pivotal to these dynamics the realm of virtual world is merging with the real world. We expect to see chefs bring in their interpretations of this into creativity that will take chocolate to the next level!, says Deepa Dsouza, Director Gourmet Sales, Barry Callebaut India & Sub-continents. The selection process requires interested chefs who have minimum three years of experience in a reputed Academy, Bakery Chain or Hotel to submit their applications with a portfolio of images of creations and/or sketches outlining their previous work experience on cpy_2019@barry-callebaut.com by March end. Thirty entries will be selected by a top end jury of celebrated chefs such as Chef Seung Yun Lee (Head - Chocolate Academy, Singapore), Chef Sarah Todd (Masterchef Australia Contestant Season 6), Chef Vinesh Johny (Co-founder and Executive Pastry Chef of Lavonne Academy of Baking Science & Pastry Arts, India), Chef Avijit Ghosh (Corporate Pastry Chef, Hotel LeelaVenture Ltd.) and Chef Minette (Head of Chocolate Academy South Africa). Following the portfolio review, a chosen few will move on to compete in chocolate task boot camps across Mumbai (at the Callebaut Chocolate Academy), Delhi (at Academy of Pastry Arts, India) and Bangalore (at Lavonne Academy) on April 5th, 7th and 14th respectively. Two out of ten participants from each city will be selected for the finale on May 3rd and 4th in Mumbai, where each chef will be put through rigorous tasks to create Cake of the day-Entremets, Moulded praline/Bonbons, Chocolate bars, a Chocolate display and a final mystery challenge, all themed across expressing what they feel will be the Future of Chocolate in India. Three promising chefs will be crowned the CPY 2019 winners and will stand to win all expense paid educational trips to learn from world renowned experts at Chocolate Academy center Wieze Chocolate Academy center Singapore and a master class with an international chef at the Chocolate Academy center Mumbai respectively. CPY 2019 will give Indian patissiers the perfect opportunity to glean techniques from some of the best chocolatiers and pastry chefs in the world. It is all about diving deeper into the world of chocolate and developing an increased capacity to enjoy the finest chocolates available. Chocolate Academy centers are venues for the exchange of technical skills, dialogue and the sharing of love for all aspects related to chocolate. Whether youre a pastry chef, professional cook or simply a chocoholic, really, who couldnt use this kind of training? For more details, visit https://www.instagram.com/callebautindia/ Good-bye, Robert. We hardly knew ye. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images A day has passed since Attorney General William Barr issued his four-page summary heard round the world. As we now know, special counsel Robert Mueller found no coordination between the Trump administration and Russia. But beyond that important conclusion, were left with a lot of questions. Intelligencer staffers Jonathan Chait, Benjamin Hart, and Ed Kilgore discuss the fallout from a momentous weekend. Ben: There was obviously a lot riding on Robert Muellers findings, and his conclusion that there was no coordination between Russia and the Trump administration is unambiguously good very good news for President Trump. But were still dealing with a scant amount of information here: just the four-page summary from Attorney General Barr that takes a nothing to see here attitude on the question of obstruction of justice. What do you think the odds are that well see the full report soon or ever? Jon: My guess is the odds are high, but I truly dont have much confidence in that. Ed: Were hearing positive signals from the administration, but then again, I dont trust them as far as I can throw them. So: dont trust but verify! Jon: My sense is that if it goes to a court fight, Democrats have a good chance. Ed: Theres also the question of redactions. Does full really mean full? Ben: Do you foresee a document in which all words are crossed out except Trump and not guilty? Ed: Haha. That wouldnt be full. Jon: Like the very short version of a blurb on the poster of a terrible movie. A film the New York Times Ben: Haha. Jon: Look, I buy the underlying claim that Mueller did not find any crimes he could charge Trump with. Im 99 percent confident the full report will not yield any collusion-related crimes. With the obstruction parts, there could be some new pieces, but if youre not going to charge him after he told Comey to let Flynn go and then fired him and then dangled pardons on Twitter, then youre never going to charge obstruction. Ben: Right. As both of you wrote about yesterday, Barr asserted that Trump couldnt have obstructed justice, because the underlying crime he was obstructing didnt exist. This seems like faulty logic. But then again, even if we see the full report and theres a much better case for obstruction than Barr signaled, where does that leave Democrats? I dont sense theres going to be much enthusiasm to prosecute that angle further, among them or the public. Ed: What Ive called the no harm, no foul approach to obstruction pretty much rules anything out if an underlying crime isnt alleged. Jon: I am sure hearings will continue. Ben: Hearings, yes, but its hard to imagine a world in which this is the thing Nancy Pelosi wants to focus her energy on. Jon: It never was. And to be clear, just because Im interested in a topic, doesnt mean I think Democrats should make it their message. I do think it does generally throw the press corps on the defensive. Ed: I just wrote about the odds of impeachment really fading now. Aside from the fact that the Mueller investigation seems to have become a dead end, theres the little problem of the calendar. I could see House Democrats continuing to churn up evidence thats of use in 2020, but 2020, not some illusory preelection removal of Trump from office, is now paramount. Ben: As it has been among the candidates running for president the whole time. Ed: Well, yeah, the first 2020 candidate debates will be in June of this year. Thats really soon. Unless candidates are going to promise to impeach and remove Trump if he beats them, the issue is rapidly becoming moot. Ben: None of us are Donald Trump fans here. But is part of you, you know, relieved that our president wasnt colluding with a foreign power? Jon: What scenario did you fear that has not turned up? Trump speaking directly to a Russian government official and asking them to hack the DNC emails beforehand? Ben: A much more coordinated, quid pro quo effort between the Trump campaign and Russia their help in exchange for a soft stance toward Putin, for example. Jon: That doesnt seem wildly worse than him asking Russia to do it through the TV. Ben: I think it does. Ed: I might be relieved a bit more if I were not half-convinced Trump will refuse to leave office if he loses in 2020, on made-up voter fraud grounds. Jon: The thing about quid pro quo is that its not clear from Barrs summary that this possibility was ruled out. I mean, thats not a crime. A lot of very bad possible or reported actions are not crimes, or would be hard to prove in court if they were. Ben: Ed, Im not saying relieved in an overall sense, just maybe grateful that our president isnt actually a Russian agent. Jon: I never worried he was a Russian agent. Ed: Me either.Hes too self-centered to serve a foreign power. Jon: I still worry that he is influenced one way or another by Russia Ed: I still worry that Russias influence is based on perceived mutual interests and values. Trumps close friends around the world are mostly bad actors. Jon: This could answer those questions: From @JuliaEAinsley: Breaking: @KenDilanianNBC reports that the FBI is prepared to brief the Gang of 8 on the findings of Muellers counterintelligence investigation into Trump (i.e. whether the president is under the influence of a foreign power) Ed: Presumably that would get into noncriminal influence, if there is any. Jon: Exactly. Im assuming Cohens testimony was correct, that Trump anticipated a several-hundred-million-dollar payday from the Moscow project. Dangling lucrative business deals is a well-worn Russian method of cultivating foreign pols. It doesnt mean they own them, but it gives them a lot of influence. Ben: In the aftermath of the Barr letter, what is the most important question surrounding Trump and Russia thats left dangling? Ed: Um, Id say Muellers actual findings on obstruction are still a pretty big deal. We know he punted, but we dont know how many yards he had to go. Jon: Barr said most of the obstruction has been reported, but most could mean anything from 51 percent to 99 percent, so theres some mystery there. Im pretty curious if they find out what the 75 pages of polling data Manafort gave Kilimnik was for. Probably not, since Manafort kept the omerta, but that would be interesting. Ben: And then theres the pee tape. Real or very real? Jon: Its a DVD. Ed: That just earned you an extra stretch in the media reeducation camps to come. Jons already in solitary for the duration. Firstpost print, the weekly newspaper recently launched by Network18, has announced a unique campaign FP Campaign Trails. Building on its promise of giving readers a ringside view of news and key events driving the current political narrative in the country, the campaign will give selected readers an opportunity to accompany seasoned journalists into the field and experience the heat and dust of elections first hand. For most people, elections are typically limited to armchair discussions the only on-field experience they get is through the actual act of voting. This campaign will allow readers to experience the actual workings of democratic processes and electioneering like never before. The campaign will have 5 different trails from across the country Coastal Karnataka, Marathwada, Kashmir valley, Bengal and Varanasi. These areas have been selected as much for their political significance as also to give the campaign a pan India spread. Each trail will be for 3 nights & 4 days and will run from April 8th to May 6thduring the last stages of campaigning in each region. Each trail will try to cover an election rally by a big national leader; enable interactions with local leaders and party functionaries; and most importantly, with various communities that represent the key issues at stake in the chosen region. Towards the end of each trail, participants would take part in a short workshop, when they report their observations on the trail. The reports would be collated and presented on Firstpost, with due attribution to contributing participants. Commenting on this programme, Rahul Kansal Business Head Firspost print and Group Brand Advisor, Network18 said, Firstposts mission as a newspaper, is to help its readers 'get inside the news. It tries to do so not just through its editorial content, designed to give readers a ring-side view of whats going on. But also through programs like Firstpost Campaign Trails, which take readers physically to the ringside, to experience the heat and dust of Indias elections. For details on the campaign please log onto https://www.firstpost.com/elections-campaign-trail Do keep reading Firstpost weekly for coverage of the campaign Reinforcing the commitment of bringing the most comprehensive reportage of the General Elections, News18 India has further lined-up extensive and diverse weekend programming for its viewers. Comprising of channels renowned shows, the programming aims to bring not only up-to-the-minute updates but also cover substantive issues related to the elections. Extending the umbrella branding Sabse Bada Dangal, News18 India present special on-ground episodes of its popular shows- Lapete Mein Netaji, Desh ko Jawab Do and Ye Desh Hai Hamara. Featuring renowned Hindi poets, Lapete Mein Netaji is based on a hasya kavi sammelan format featuring top politicians, bringing humor and sarcasm to the serious political discourse. Recently, the show travelled to Varanasi where it witnessed presence of popular Hindi poets and satirists like Damdar Banarasi, Chirag Jain, Pratap Singh Faujdar and Gaurav Chauhan along with political leaders - Kaushlesh Singh of BJP; Lalitesh Pati Tripathi of Congress and Manoj Rai Dhoopchandi of SP. Bringing top newsmakers across leading political parties on a single platform, channels intense debates place audience and their issues at the heart of their reportage. Taking the discussions on-ground to enhance engagement, News18 India recently telecast a special episode of Desh Ko Jawab Do from Lucknow. The debate featured top local politicians such as Rakesh Tripathi of BJP; Surendra Rajput of Congress and Anurag Bhadoria of SP, wherein they discussed the key concerns and mood of the voters in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Along with fierce debates, the channel is also showcasing in-depth profiling of top newsmakers of every week like PM Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi to name a few, through special election episodes of the show Poster. With wide-ranging and incisive programming throughout the week, News18 India aims to provide an unparalleled access to its viewers during the worlds largest democratic exercise. Stay tuned to News18 India for all election related updates Sabse Bada Dangal- Lapete Mein Netaji: Saturday & Sunday, 8 PM Sabse Bada Dangal- Desh Ko Jawab Do: Saturday, 5:30 PM Sabse Bada Dangal- Ye Desh Ha Hamara: Sunday, 5:30 PM Sabse Bada Dangal- Poster: Saturday & Sunday, 7 PM TRA Research, Indias leading consumer-insights company launched the second edition of Indias Most Consumer-Focused Brands 2019 (CFB), a study measuring the brands increase in Buying Propensity, the keenness-to-buy among Indian consumers. Samsung, the South Korean Multinational major leads the TRAs most consumer-focused brands 2019 report this year. It is followed by Tata Motors at 2nd place and Apple secures 3rd position with the latter having climbed two ranks over last year. Hero Motocorp has secured 4th slot while Nike is at 5th rank for consumer-focus. CFB 2019 reports the list of brands that increased their Buying Propensity over last year. This years repot lists 500 brands based on the Buying Propensity comparison of two successive years data. Commenting on the launch of CFB Report 2019, Mr. N Chandramouli, CEO, TRA Research said, TRAs Most Consumer-focused brands 2019 report in its second edition exhibits substantial shift. The biggest find is that of the seven new brands that made it to the list as compared to last year all have made it into the Top 20 Most Consumer-Focused Brands list. Three Tata Brands Tata Motors (ranked 2nd), Tata Salt (ranked 15th) and Tata Tea (ranked 20th), which were not a part of the list last year, also made it to the Top 20. Some other new entrants to the Top 20 list include Bajaj Pulsar (ranked 9th), Reliance Jio (ranked 18th) and Sony (ranked 19th). A few brands made significant strides over last year to make it to the Top 20 Most Consumer-Focused Brands. These include LIC (ranked 6th, with a jump of 82 ranks), State Bank of India (ranked 12th with a climb of 74 ranks) and Lakme (ranked 17th with a jump of 92 ranks). Of the 11,000 brands studied, only 541 brands showed an increase in Buying Propensity over last year, with 95% brands registering a fall in Buying Propensity in the same period. TRAs Buying Propensity Matrix is a scientific brand measurement model that gets to the root of consumer buying behaviour to understand and measure the customers buying keenness. It attempts to understand this through the overt, covert and contextual buying drivers of consumer influences. By increasing Buying Propensity a brand creates a natural pull for the consumer towards the brand measured as a consumers Trust (the transactional drives to buy) and Attractiveness (the psycho-socio-cultural desire drives to buy). These two combine to make the fundamental substrate on which all buying decisions are made, Chandramouli added. Among Indias 500 Most Consumer-Focused Brands, 37 Super-Categories and 236 Categories were listed. The categories with the maximum brands were F&B, FMCG and automobile contributing to 28 per cent of the total brands in the listings. Some of the important category leaders in Consumer-Focused Brands are Panasonic (rank 57) in Consumer Electronics; Liberty (rank 64) in Footwear; Kenstar (rank 163) in Durables, LOreal (rank 66) in FMCG; Sun Pharma (rank 76) in Pharmaceuticals; Tata Sky (rank 72) in DTH; DMart (rank 111) in Retail, Fastrack (rank 31) in Branded Fashion, JW Mariott (rank 155) in Premium Hotels, Google (rank 16) in Internet Search, and Kit Kat (rank 135) in Food & Beverage. DAVAO CITY, Philippines The children advocacy group Salinlahi on Tuesday hit the Department of Health (DOH) for its refusal to release into public the list of names of children who were vaccinated with Dengvaxia from 2016 until 2017. In a statement released to the media, Salinlahi Secretary General Eule Rico Bonganay said DOH insisted the issue on privacy when it declined to make public the list of names in a recent deliberation on the budget for Dengvaxia victims in the House of Representatives. The DOH should consider that many children were vaccinated without the consent of their parents, it is important to release the master list for the people to effectively monitor their children, Bonganay pointed out. He argued that the DOH must not use the privacy issue as it will hinder the people in protecting their children amidst the public health disaster caused by Dengvaxia vaccination. The House approved during the deliberation the proposed P1.16 billion medical support fund for Dengvaxia victims. Salinlahi noted down that a total of 87 children who were given at least a dose of Dengavaxia vaccine already died. Despite the debacle, the government continues to reject proposals of releasing the names of those children vaccinated. It is also difficult to verify the number of children who are now experiencing health problems after receiving Dengvaxia vaccine sans the master list, Bonganay stressed. The Dengvaxia budget deliberation exposes the rotting public health situation in the Philippines, it is enraging that it costs the lives of 87 children and put the lives of about 900,000 children in danger for the government to tackle these issues. With or without Dengvaxia, public health care must be prioritized by the state! the statement added. Read more here. WHERE is the ACLU????? Under the guise of protecting the public from measles, Rockland County NY has banned unvaccinated children from public places. Read that again. Healthy American children banned from public places. How the hell do you enforce that? Where is the outcry that was given to Immigrant children held in detention? Where is the outcry over what are the new Jim Crow laws circa 2019? How soon before we have a knock on the door with the vaccination police demanding we hand over our children? We need another Passover miracle. This is a frightening trend toward totalitarianism in the name of safety. It is NOT about safety. At this point, we're at a loss to define the madness. Merck is rich. Public health is safe. Politicians sit pretty. Why? Press Dateline MSNBC TODAY Mueller ReportPoliticsU.S. NewsBusinessWorldTech & MediaTHINKSports Measles outbreak leads New York county to ban unvaccinated children from public spaces Share this Health news Measles outbreak leads New York county to ban unvaccinated children from public spaces The Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang It was a cold day in February five years ago when a psychologist sent by the local authority issued a chilling warning to Sinead: Give up your rights to protect your son or we will take him from you. After 25 years of caring for someone with autism, including winning a judicial review to ensure funding for his education, Sinead was not too scared by the threat. There is not a court in the land that would do such a thing, she replied. One month later, police turned up on her doorstep with a council official to say that a secret court hearing had empowered the authorities to seize her son Martin. At the same time, social workers arrived at the farm where Martin was enjoying work experience and told him that they needed to take him into safety since his parents were unable to care for him and then put him in a care home two counties away. Read this chilling story at DailyMail.uk here. President Donald Trump's fiscal year 2020 budget pitch includes a pool of money for early-stage work on the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility what the U.S. Department of Energy is now calling the proposed Savannah River Site plutonium pit production hub. The president's request features $410 million for SRPPF conceptual design work and related project "activities," according to newly published National Nuclear Security Administration budget documents. The NNSA is a semiautonomous DOE agency. The requested money, far from actual appropriations, is highlighted under a plutonium sustainment subhead in the budget documents. The NNSA and the U.S. Department of Defense on May 10, 2018 together recommended reworking the now-defunct Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility for a plutonium pit production mission. Plutonium pits are nuclear weapon cores. Eighty per year are needed by 2030, according to the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review. Fifty per year would be produced at SRS at a recapitalized MOX, now coined SRPPF and another 30 per year would be produced at an upgraded Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, according to the joint recommendation. Energy Secretary Rick Perry talks SRS, pit production following Plant Vogtle event U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry firmly believes the Savannah River Site is the right place to recurrently produce a large tranche of pluto The NNSA terminated the controversial MOX project on Oct. 10, 2018. The NNSA has since funded millions and millions of dollars and tasked Savannah River Nuclear Solutions with MOX transition and early SRS pit production design work. Los Alamos "plutonium experts" are involved as well, according to a NNSA senior spokesperson. The DOE's budget documents acknowledge both of those things. U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry on March 22, answering questions from reporters at Plant Vogtle, said he "absolutely" believes SRS is the right place to pump out the majority of the needed plutonium pits. Perry further said he is "confident" the 80-pits-per-year demand will be satisfied by 2030 because of "American ingenuity" and the Trump administration's attentiveness to modernization. Trump's budget allocates about $16.5 billion overall to the NNSA, a figure dominated by weapons activities. Michael Avenatti. Photo: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images Michael Avenatti is in trouble. Hes facing federal extortion charges in Manhattan, where the FBI alleged on Monday that he demanded $22.5 million from Nike in exchange for his silence about a pay-to-play NCAA scandal. The U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles charged Avenatti with wire fraud and embezzlement in a separate case. Both occurred as the attorney and would-be 2020 presidential candidate weathers the fallout from splits with his former firm and ex-client, porn actress Stormy Daniels. It wasnt long ago that Avenatti was gaining traction as an outspoken Trump foil. His appearance in September on Tucker Carlson Tonight, where he accused Carlson of giving the president a pass despite having unprotected sex with a porn star with a four-month-old son at home, showcased his willingness to go low with the worst of right-wing media. He involved himself in several anti-Trump crusades, ranging from undocumented immigrant children to the assault allegations facing Brett Kavanaugh, drawing ebullient crowds to speeches in New Hampshire and Iowa. His White House ambitions were taken somewhat seriously, including by Politicos Bill Scher, who declared in September that Avenatti was already winning the 2020 Democratic primary by setting the tone in terms of his temperament and policy ideas. Avenattis own case for his candidacy required markedly less imagination. I think [the Democratic nominee] better be a white male, he told Time in October. When you have a white male making the arguments, they carry more weight. Should they carry more weight? Absolutely not. But do they? Yes. Avenatti has since denied saying this, but appears to have a habit of making poorly received statements and then claiming he didnt. He denied earlier this month having phoned attorney and Atlantic writer Ken White to harass and insult him. White says that phone records documenting whom Avenatti called, and when, prove otherwise. But assuming he made them, it grows clearer by the day what Avenatti meant when he spoke to Time. Being white and male was not just a descriptor for him it was an expression of an ethos, whereby both identities lent him an unearned authority and instilled in him an aggressiveness and willingness to play fast and loose with the rules that he saw as ideal qualities for beating Trump. The logic behind their utility is that Trump must be matched blow for blow. When the president goes low, his Democratic opponent must go lower, fighting dirty to cleanse what the Republican has defiled. The opponent accomplishes this by replicating his enemys temperament and perceived strengths including, in Avenattis estimation, the authority and unaccountability vested in him by his whiteness and maleness. The irony is that the only guaranteed outcome of this strategy is the empowerment of yet another white man who fancies himself exempt from having to treat other people fairly and honestly. Putting stock in this conception of whiteness yields dividends, as the 2016 election has demonstrated. But that does not make it an ethical or trustworthy investment. A coarse and immoral white male Democrat in the White House addresses only part of the problem that a coarse and immoral Trump presidency embodies. The extra weight given to white mens words is not the natural order of things, nor should it be taken for granted, as Avenatti concedes. It draws its power from constant assertion and reaffirmation its true because Americans make it true every day, whether consciously or unconsciously. There is no easy way to address this reality that doesnt begin with recognizing it while it is happening and rebuking it. Avenatti may never have been a serious presidential candidate, but he was and is a serious white man who has expressed a troubling willingness to weaponize whiteness and maleness to right what he believes to be wrong. Its certainly tempting to draw upon the power that these intersecting identities embody especially if it provides a shortcut to deposing what seems like a greater or more immediate evil. But that power should always be looked upon with suspicion. Prosecutors will spend much of the near future painting Avenatti as an untrustworthy grifter to build their case. But Americans dont need the law to tell us that skepticism toward him was warranted. A man so open to wielding, and thus reaffirming, white patriarchy should have been a much tougher sell to begin with. Sign Up for the Intelligencer Newsletter Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. When pro-Israel activists descend on Capitol Hill on Tuesday for their annual lobbying day, they will be significantly scaling back their efforts to tackle the pro-Palestinian boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. Unlike last year, the American Israel Public Affairs Committees agenda for the day of cordial meet-and-greets with lawmakers and their staffs does not include the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, legislation to prohibit companies and their employees from providing information to the United Nations that could be used to publicly list businesses operating in the West Bank. Nor does the agenda cover the Combating BDS Act, another top legislative target according to AIPACs latest available lobbying disclosures. Instead, AIPAC is directing its activists to ask Congress for a nonbinding resolution condemning the BDS movement. Reps. Bradley Schneider, D-Ill., and Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., introduced the bipartisan resolution in the House alongside Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Ben Cardin, D-Md., in the upper chamber. Congress and successive administrations have sought to deepen bilateral economic ties and protect Israel against pernicious boycott efforts, AIPACs 2019 lobbying agenda states. Congress must continue to stand by US allies against discriminatory practices that are contrary to US interests. The temporary retreat comes as the new Democratic leadership in the House is still figuring out how far to take the anti-BDS fight amid Republican efforts to paint the party as anti-Israel. While only two House freshmen support BDS, the AIPAC-backed anti-BDS bills have exposed a bruising intraparty debate among Democrats with several lawmakers, including high-profile presidential candidates, coming out against the bills on free speech grounds. I read this as AIPACs effort to support something that can get overwhelming bipartisan support, which is a resolution against BDS but not legislation that will impose penalties on those who support it, said Michael Koplow, the director of the Washington-based Israel Policy Forum. AIPAC did not respond to Al-Monitor's request for comment. The resolution argues that BDS undermines the possibility for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by demanding concessions of one party alone and encouraging the Palestinians to reject negotiations in favor of international pressure. Its a significantly more modest deliverable than AIPACs push for the Israel Anti-Boycott Act during last years lobbying day. With 58 co-sponsors, the bill from Cardin likely had enough support to clear the Senates 60-vote threshold last year, but it never advanced. The Senate, however, did pass the Combating BDS Act, introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., by a 77-23 vote in February. That bill would give legal cover to more than 20 states with anti-BDS laws or executive actions on the books. The American Civil Liberties has come out against both the Cardin and Rubio bills. Only one Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., voted for the Combating BDS Act. Undeterred, AIPAC asked the House to follow the Senates lead and pass the bill, which was bundled with a security assistance package for Israel. But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., came out against the bill. While activists wont be pushing the House to pass the bill on Tuesday, AIPACs lobbying agenda does direct them to thank senators who voted for the Combating BDS Act. A third bill, the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, which Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., reintroduced earlier this month, could allow the Donald Trump administration to crack down on academic boycotts of Israel by expanding the Education Departments definition of anti-Semitism. Republicans, meanwhile, have sought to highlight two freshman Democratic lawmakers both Muslim for their embrace of BDS: Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. While the resolution being pushed by AIPAC activists mentions neither Omar nor Tlaib by name, its a clear rebuke of their views. Omar in particular has faced charges of anti-Semitism for her comments criticizing AIPACs role in advocating for pro-Israel policies. Hoyer took a thinly veiled swipe at both Omar and Tlaib during a speech at AIPAC on Sunday, promising to lead the largest-ever delegation of congressional freshmen to Israel in August despite Tlaibs efforts to launch a competing trip. Following Hoyer's lead, Vice President Mike Pence called for Omars removal from the House Foreign Affairs Committee in his AIPAC speech today. Pence also assailed Democrats as a whole for failing to advance anti-BDS legislation on Capitol Hill. Egypt's experts in the textile industry have concerns that the establishment of the largest Chinese textile city in the country known as Mankai Textile Industrial Park will divert the government's attention from supporting the loss-making local textile industry and from helping it gain competitiveness in the international market. On Jan. 16, Egypt's Minister of Trade and Industry Amr Nasser announced that China's Ningxia Mankai Investment Co., which has been operating in the textile industry for more than 10 decades, has made an investment of 2.1 billion Egyptian pounds ($121.6 million) to establish the infrastructure for the first phase of the Chinese textile city in Sadat City, north of Cairo. Nasser said the Armed Forces Engineering Authority has completed about 50% of the construction work in the first phase of the Chinese textile city. The whole city will spread over an area of 3.1 million square meters (1.2 square miles) and house 592 factories. Negotiations between Egypt and China on building the textile city started in May 2017, and the two sides signed an agreement for establishing it in the industrial city of Sadat on Nov. 5, 2017. Nasser said the pilot operation of the first phase is planned to start in May, adding that the first phase, which will include building 150 factories, is set to be completed by the end of this year. Mankai Investment has signed preliminary sales contracts with 49 Chinese factories for the first phase and is negotiating with more than 60 Chinese investors to sign contracts selling more factories for the same phase. The project includes four phases and will be developed over four years (until 2022). Upon completion, the city's annual production will reach 60 billion Chinese yuan ($9 billion), according to Mankai Investment's website. The idea that Egypt's textile and garment industry has started to gain the attention of foreign investors such as clothing-export giant China inspires optimism and fear at the same time. The establishment of the city could be a value added to the country's economy as it is expected to boost the state's production and volume of exports in the textile sector. But there is also fear that this city will complicate matters for the state-owned weaving and textiles companies which are suffering from low productive capacity and drive them out of the market. Mohamed el-Morshedy, chairman of the chamber of textile industries in the Federation of Egyptian Industries, told Al-Monitor, The spinning and weaving industry in Egypt is made up of the state-owned business sector that includes 32 companies, the investment sector that includes companies owned mainly by foreign investors, and the Egyptian private sector. The performance of state-owned textile companies has been going downhill since the 1990s. They have been left without being updated and supported by the state, and consequently, they ended up being just huge complexes in various governorates with outdated machinery, a large number of unskilled workers with a clear shortage of raw materials and liquidity, Morshedy said. Morshedy said the problems of the local textile industry started with the liberalization of the cotton sector in Egypt in 1994. Liberalization exposed farmers to volatile global prices and rising fertilizer costs, leaving the market unstable and shrinking. This pushed farmers to turn to the production of more lucrative crops. Consequently, Egypt saw the 1 million acres of cotton crops cultivated in the early 1990s gradually dwindle over the years, leaving local textile factories unable to secure supplies of cotton. According to a statement by Minister of Agricultural Ezz Eddin Abu Steit in August, only 366,000 acres of cotton were planted in 2018, compared with 1.5 million acres in the 1980s and 1 million acres in the early 1990s. What also cripples the productivity of state-run textile companies is that they work with outdated machines that have not been replaced with new ones since the 1960s, Morshedy said. According to a Jan. 13 statement by the minister of the public business sector, Hisham Tawfik, of the 32 companies of the state-run Cotton and Textile Industries Holding Company, 23 are operating at losses totaling 3 billion pounds (about $174 million) annually, while the remaining nine are making just slim profits. Morshedy believes that the establishment of the Chinese textile city appears to be a lifeline for the local textile industry. But, practically, the start of the work of the new factories inside the city which will be using modern machinery and equipment could spell the end of the existing undeveloped state-run textile factories. It would have been better for the Egyptian government to have developed the existing state-run textile factories through coordination between the Egyptian Ministry of Public Business Sector and Mankai Investment, which has decades of experience in the textile industry to support the state-run textile factories and help them to gain a foothold in the international market, Morshedy added. However, the chairman of Egypt's Textile Export Council, Magdi Tolba, said the establishment of the Chinese textile city can turn Egypt into a major international and regional exporter of textiles. The production of the Chinese textile city is aimed at foreign markets and not for local consumption. Hence, it can play a pivotal role in pushing up Egypt's economy through increasing the volume of its exports, Tolba told Al-Monitor. He said Egypt's textile-export volume is very low compared with other emerging markets such as Vietnam and Bangladesh. This is why, he added, the establishment of the Chinese textile city in Egypt is an opportunity to make use of Chinese expertise in advancing the Egyptian textile sector and making it competitive with the world's top producers and exporters of garments. According to data released by the World Trade Organization in 2018, Bangladesh is the second-largest apparel exporter in the world after China. In 2017, Bangladesh exported garments worth $29 billion. In the same year, China exported clothing items worth $158 billion, and Vietnam exported $27 billion worth of garment products. Meanwhile, Egypt's exports of readymade clothes during the first nine months of 2018 were just $678 million, according to a report issued in November by Egypt's General Organization For Export and Import Control, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Trade and Industry. President Donald Trump may have sparked vocal condemnations from world leaders on Monday when he officially recognized Israels annexation of the Golan Heights, but another battle over the occupied territory is quietly shaping up on Capitol Hill. Republicans are pushing their own bills that would make Trumps decree permanent, preventing a future president from undoing it. No Democrats have yet gotten on board in either the House or Senate, and today House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., threw cold water on the effort when asked by Al-Monitor. Its another thing at a time when were trying to still bring peace and Im a very strong supporter of a two-state solution to complicate that with actions which were seemingly unnecessary from any immediate demand or action to move Israel from its control of the Golan Heights, the No. 2 leader in the House said at his weekly press briefing. The presidents actions seem to be more political than substantive. Meanwhile, liberal groups such as the Jewish Democratic Council of America have begun lining up against the bill. While JDCA does not question Israeli control of the Golan, we do question the timing of the president's decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan, which appeared to be a political calculation, the group said in an emailed statement. We also believe that US policy toward Israel should remain a bipartisan issue. This is not a bipartisan bill. Hoyer, a staunch pro-Israel Democrat, made clear that he believes that Israels control of the Golan Heights is absolutely essential for its security. And he did not outright oppose the bill, which he said he had yet to read. But his stated concerns for the potential impact on Israel-Palestinian talks could put a damper on efforts to make the bill bipartisan. Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., introduced the bill in the House, where it has 23 Republican co-sponsors. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, leads the effort in the Senate and has so far attracted seven other Republicans. One co-sponsor, Sen. Lindsey Graham R-S.C., penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on Monday calling on Congress to immediately vote on the legislation, writing that Mr. Trumps decision could be undone by a future president who is a friend to Syria or a foe of Israel. Graham visited the Golan Heights with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month and vowed to press Trump to recognize the Israeli annexation, a request the prime minister started making last year. Republicans have sought to paint Democrats as insufficiently supportive of Israel in recent months, largely over significant opposition in the party to legislation cracking down on the pro-Palestinian boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. The push over the Golan Heights is shaping up to be the next partisan battle over Israel. Neil Strauss, the digital director for the Republican Jewish Coalition, told Al-Monitor last week, If Democrats are committed to bipartisan support for Israel, as they claim, they will get behind this effort. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, became the first lawmaker and first 2020 presidential candidate to oppose Trumps decision last week. In a tweet, she called the move shortsighted and accused Trump and Netanyahu of putting their own political interests ahead of the interests of our respective countries. Trumps decision was well received, however, at the American Israel Public Affairs Committees (AIPAC) annual conference this week. Still, the pro-Israel lobby did not direct its activists to push lawmakers on the Golan Heights today when they made the rounds on Capitol Hill. (In another sign of the growing partisan division over Israel policy, AIPAC downgraded its anti-BDS push this year, simply asking for nonbinding resolutions condemning the movement.) The House Foreign Affairs Committee declined to commit to taking up Gallaghers bill when pressed, even though Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., has previously come out in support of recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan. In addition to permanently locking in Trumps decree this week, the bill would include the Golan Heights as part of Israel in all spending and trade bills while authorizing joint scientific, industrial and agricultural projects in the occupied territory. The Syrian civil war and the resultant presence of extremists on Israels northern border, including Hezbollah, al-Qaeda and [the Islamic State], underscores the importance of Israeli control of this strategic area, Engel told Al-Monitor in an emailed statement. This is the reality of the situation, and there is no circumstance under which Israel should give that strategic advantage to the murderous [Bashar al-Assad] regime. Despite lobbying from Cruz and Graham, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has also yet to schedule a markup. The office of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., did not reply to Al-Monitors request for comment. Unlike Hoyer, however, McConnell praised Trumps decision while addressing AIPAC today. The United States recognizes that the Golan is part of Israel, said McConnell. Period. Is Ezzatollah Zarghami the next populist to rise from Irans hard-line camp? The recent activities of the former head of the conservative-dominated state broadcaster, who has been in constant verbal clashes with moderate President Hassan Rouhani, certainly raises this question. Born into a religious family in 1959, Zarghami's father never bought a television. He, however, ended up being a cinephile, binging on movies. In high school, he was a classmate of Hassan Tehrani-Moghaddam, the father of Iran's ballistic missile program who was killed in 2011, and also former Reformist parliamentarian Hamid Reza Katouzian. When the 1979 Islamic Revolution overthrew the shah, then 20-year-old Zarghami was just starting a civil engineering program at Amirkabir University. Soon, he became one of the students who seized the American Embassy, leading to the cutting of diplomatic relations with the United States. Zarghami also became involved in cultural activities. He joined the newly formed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a radio anchor during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. For a period of time during the conflict, he led the teams tasked with domestically producing missiles a first for Iran, which was being showered with missiles fired by Saddam Husseins forces as almost no country was willing to sell it arms. Zarghami left the IRGC with the rank of general. In an interview last year, he stated that his resignation stemmed from his interest and activities in politics. In 1995, Zarghami was appointed deputy culture minister overseeing cinematic affairs, a position he held for two years. During his tenure, he issued harsh guidelines for artists, while the process for getting script approvals became more difficult. His approach was met with dissatisfaction among cinema activists, leading to then-President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani distancing himself from Zarghami. He, however, believes he paved the way for artists, claiming to have had friendships with prominent directors, including Abbas Kiarostami, who passed away in 2016. In 2004, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei appointed Zarghami as head of the state broadcaster. His 10-year tenure as the chairman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) overlapped with three presidencies: Mohammad Khatami (1997-2005), Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005-2013) and Hassan Rouhani (2013-present). Throughout the term of hard-liner Ahmadinejad, whose presidency saw the Iranian economy experience a downturn and which was criticized for mismanagement of both domestic and foreign policy, Zarghami stood firmly behind him, covering the country's situation in a way that was perceived as biased while giving little space to Reformists and moderates. He developed his ties with Ahmadinejad and accompanied him on his 2010 trip to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York. According to Zarghami, the two repeatedly spoke on the phone when Ahmadinejad was in office a relationship he has maintained to this day. What may have contributed to the Zarghami-Ahmadinejad friendship the most were the events of 2009. In the tumultuous presidential election that year, Ahmadinejad was declared the winner while the two Reformist candidates, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, said that the ballot was rigged. Massive protests followed in a number of cities, including Tehran. At the time, many blamed Zarghami for the tensions in the country, given the IRIBs biased coverage of events, which provoked supporters of the Reformist candidates. This approach lasted through Zarghami's tenure and up until this day. Of note, Zarghami did not accept Mousavi's request to address the public in a live broadcast, insisting that it be pre-recorded. Moreover, a number of prominent TV hosts were banned under Zarghami. After Rouhani's electoral victory in 2013, Zarghami described Ahmadinejad as a "precious treasure for the Islamic Republic" and a "unique figure who swiftly turned into a global figure." When Rouhani sought to give a televised address to explain the results of the first 100 days of his presidency, the two disagreed over the preferred interviewer, resulting in a one-hour delay in the airing of the address. The state broadcaster had, at the time, also turned against the government, which was engaged in negotiations over Irans nuclear program with six world powers. As Zarghami's tenure as IRIB chairman came to an end in 2014, he grew more active on social media, including Instagram, Telegram and Twitter. Meanwhile, he held breakfast meetings with controversial figures whether Reformists or hard-liners in order to portray himself as an inclusive politician. While reports emerged in 2016 about a potential run in the presidential election the following year, he rejected them. However, he then appeared as a candidate of the conservative coalition known by its Persian acronym JAMNA. Zarghami ultimately lost JAMNAs backing, which went to conservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi and former Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. He was further enraged when Raisi announced that he would be running independent of JAMNA, calling for Raisis exclusion from JAMNA's ticket. While Zarghami has intensified his activities on social media and has taken relatively soft positions regarding such platforms and social issues, he expresses harsh views in private settings. He recently got into a verbal fight with Rouhani at a meeting of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, reportedly telling the president: "What was that thing that you said about the hijab, cyberspace and [internet] filtering? Some of your remarks were unrealistic and some others were against Islamic and revolutionary values." Rouhani is said to have replied, "I am not obliged to answer you. Get out [of here]," adding that he would no longer participate in the meeting as long as Zarghami was present. Rouhani had on Jan. 21 slammed the arrests of women for not strictly observing the hijab, and described the state policy of blocking social media as a "mistake." These positions caused serious disagreements among Iranian elites, rallying hard-liners and particularly the new generation of conservatives behind Zarghami on social media. This is while Zarghami had previously stated that if there are "active and strong" local messaging apps, the existence of thousands of foreign versions of such apps would not be a problem. He has also blamed Rouhani for the blocking of Telegram. While maintaining his presence in the media, Zarghami is seeking to portray himself as a potential leader of a new generation of hard-liners: a bipartisan justice-seeker, a supporter of minority rights, a figure opposed to the dire conditions faced by ordinary Iranians. He often expresses open-minded positions in public, even though his past and current activities indicate a different mindset. However, given the disappointment with both Reformists and conservatives, the possibility of an Ahmadinejad-type populist rising to power is high. Zarghami, who is following in the footsteps of the former conservative president, has the potential to be that populist leader. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi visited Egypt March 23, the premier's first trip abroad since assuming his post last October. Following the two-day trip, Iraq's Foreign Ministry described the visit as not only a success for Iraq's policy of distancing itself from all political axes, but also an opportunity to expand work with different economic circles in the region. The statement also emphasised encouragement of all countries to invest in Iraq despite their political disputes in the region. During a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Abdul Mahdi discussed several economic projects, including a potential electricity deal. Later on, Jordan's King Abdullah joined the tripartite summit to discuss the extension of an Iraqi pipeline to Egypt. Iraq and Jordan had previously agreed to build a pipeline to transfer Basras oil in southern Iraq to the port of Aqaba in western Jordan. The 1,000-mile (1,600-kilometer) pipeline will transfer Iraqi crude from Basra to export ports in Aqaba, at a cost of about $18 billion and a capacity of one million barrels per day. The agreement on the pipeline extension has yet to be finalized, but according to their final statement, the three leaders have agreed on working on common infrastructure and expanding their economic ties and will establish a committee to follow up on the agreements. In his opening speech, Abdul Mahdi said, This summit marks a major turning point in the future of common relations and the interests of our peoples." He added, Our agreements will serve the interests of many other countries as well. It could have been a reference to the United States' forthcoming Mideast peace plan commonly referred to as the deal of the century that will ostensibly work to resolve Arab-Israeli disputes by promoting major economic deals that serve the interests of both sides. This is especially relevant due to Israel's location in the middle of the pipeline, which could eventually transfer Iraqi oil to Israel as well. During the Sulaimaniyah Forum on March 6-7, Iraqi President Barham Salih highlighted the economic role of Iraq in bringing peace to the region, saying that Iraq is moving toward being a bridge between the regions economies by linking infrastructure between the Gulf, Turkey and Iran on one side and between the Arab region and the Mediterranean region on the other." Similarly, in his speech to the Egyptian Parliament, Abdul Mahdi said, Our country cooperates with everyone and rejects the axes and war that destroyed our countries and peoples. Iraq hosted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in mid-March, a visit that resulted in the signing of several economic agreements, the waiving of visa fees between the two countries and a significant expansion of bilateral ties. Iraq was also the destination of Jordans King Abdullah last month, after Salih paid a visit to Jordan and Saudi Arabia to expand Baghdad's relations with the Arab world. Yet Iraq's efforts to expand ties with Egypt goes far beyond the economic angle. Military and security cooperation between the two countries was also among the meeting's main goals. During his meeting with Sisi, Abdul Mahdi highlighted the importance of drying up the sources of terrorism, adding, Cooperation between Egypt and Iraq will be essential for this matter." Egypt, like Iraq, has had success in fighting terrorism. The Islamic State was active in Egypts Sinai Peninsula for years before Egypt succeeded in eliminating the group and restoring security to the area. The new Iraqi policy of being a bridge in the region rather than getting involved in regional conflicts requires Iraq to build an independent position in the region and for rival powers to stop interfering in Iraq's internal affairs. This message was also made clear to the Iranian president during his recent visit to Iraq. Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani told Rouhani, Iraq's sovereignty must be respected." In his speech welcoming Rouhani, Salih said, We hope that Iraq can become a bridge between the regions nations based on mutual respect and common interests." He added, Iraq is lucky to be a neighbor with Iran, as well as a neighbor with Turkey and connected to the Arab world at the same time." Iraq's new policy was also likely informed by US President Donald Trump's recent comment that he wants US troops in Iraq to keep an eye on Iran, further prompting Iraq to distance itself from all conflicts and instead build independent relationships with all parties. If Iraq succeeds in building this dream bridge across the Mideast, it stands to play a major peacemaking role in the region. Hamas claimed yet again that a missile that demolished a home in central Israel on March 25 was fired from Gaza by mistake, a mishap of the sort that occurred March 14 with the firing of two rockets at Tel Aviv. Israelis are no longer buying the explanation and are beginning to realize the attacks were deliberate. Despite the assessment that Hamas was behind the attack two weeks ago, as I wrote here, Israel was quick to accept the absurd Hamas claim of a malfunction in order to avoid a war with Gaza prior to the April 9 elections. I also wrote that the missiles appeared to be an act of defiance by the military wing over what it views as the political leaderships misguided policy, which supposedly ignores the Jihad against Israel and is selling out the resistance (Muqawama) in order to preserve its hold on power. Senior officials of the armed wing believe that any discussions with Israel are pointless as long as it maintains its siege of the Gaza Strip. As aforementioned, Israel was taken by surprise once again on Monday when a heavy, long-range missile from Gaza struck a house in the community of Mishmeret northeast of Tel Aviv. Seven people, most members of one family, sustained light to moderate injuries. But Israel was not the only one surprised by the early morning attack. The political leadership of Hamas, which is seeking to advance a long-term cease-fire deal with Israel, was also caught unaware just as it was two weeks ago by the firing on Tel Aviv. At the time, an Egyptian delegation was meeting in Gaza with Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar to discuss prospects of a deal with Israel following the elections. They were also talking about a temporary easing of Israels blockade to allow residents to let off steam in light of their growing anger over the economic crisis in the Strip, which erupted into violent protests against Hamas in recent days. Israel is now convinced that Hamas' armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, no longer accepts the authority of the political leadership. This is an important conclusion for anyone wanting to understand the complex situation within the Islamic movement, and it should serve as a warning flag for Israels defense and political authorities ahead of any future long-term deal. In other words: Israel will be able to strike a deal with the movements top leadership, such as Haniyeh, Sinwar and Moussa Abu-Marzouk, who serves as the de facto Hamas foreign minister in talks with Egypt. Nonetheless, head of al-Qassam Brigades Mohammed al-Deif and the other seniors of the armed wing are the ones calling the shots, and they could sabotage any arrangement with Israel. By their recent actions, they let Israelis know they can fire rockets to targets within a 30-kilometer (18-mile) range farther than before. What led to this weeks long-range missile launch? Although the sides continue to discuss a framework agreement and Shin Bet head Nadav Argaman even met in Cairo on March 16 with the head of Egyptian intelligence Abbas Kamel to discuss solutions to the Gaza crisis, the various contacts have not yielded a clear outcome. Israeli defense officials believe that both rocket attacks this month into central Israel are a result of the unrest that flared up in recent weeks among Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails after Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan ordered the jamming of their cellphones in a bid to stop phone smuggling into the prisons. The Israel Prison Service and Israels security authorities did not object to what Erdan described as a pilot program but thought the timing was wrong and could result in an escalation given the tensions in Gaza and the West Bank. In the evening hours of March 24, two Hamas inmates at the Ketziot Prison in southern Israel stabbed two guards with improvised spikes. Nine Hamas prisoners were injured in the ensuing riot. The missile toward Mishmeret was fired several hours later. The Hamas members jailed in Israel are an integral part of the movements military wing, soldiers who had sacrificed themselves for the cause. They were now signaling their distress to the leadership over the phone jamming, which for them was the final straw in an Israeli campaign to cut them off from their families. In January 2018, Israel began reducing the number of permits for Palestinians to visit their relatives jailed in Israel. In October 2018, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation voted for a bill that would ban Red Cross and family visits to Hamas prisoners in light of the continued Hamas refusal to allow Red Cross visits to two Israeli civilians believed held in Gaza. The Knesset gave the bill preliminary approval. In the wake of these developments, Hamas regards the phone jamming as a deliberate attempt to sever contact with their families. Erdan argues that the prisoners use phones to send instructions for terror attacks against Israelis a somewhat misleading claim. The phones serve the prisoners mostly to keep in touch with their families and to convey messages not necessarily terror-related to Palestinian prisoners in other Israeli jails. Should Israel give in to Hamas inmates and keep ignoring the phone smuggling? Of course not. However, as security officials and prison authorities repeatedly argue, timing is the issue. Israel is in a bind. The missiles fired from Gaza into the Israeli heartland as an act of provocation expose the helplessness of its military and political echelons. Although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short his visit to Washington and insisted that his timetable would not prevent Israel from taking necessary action against Hamas, it is hard to believe Israel would let itself be drawn into an all-out assault on Gaza two weeks prior to the April 9 elections. Israels 2014 war with Gaza, known as Operation Protective Edge, lasted 50 days. It cost the lives of 2,200 Palestinians and dozens of Israelis, and it badly undermined support for Israel around the world due to the thousands of civilian casualties in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces was thus careful not to hit Hamas leaders or activists in the bombing raids it conducted in retaliation for the rocket on Mishmeret. The target bank it chose mostly installations, buildings and warehouses conveyed to Hamas' leadership that the current round of violence could be stopped before it deteriorates into war. Indeed, several hours later Hams announced that a cease-fire was reached with Egyptian mediation. However, it turned out once again that the military wing was refusing to accept the political leaderships authority, firing some 30 rockets into Gaza border communities. Another war with Gaza the fourth since the group took control of the Strip in 2007 has been averted for now. But Israel realizes more than ever that Hamas is under the control of its military arm, leaving the political leadership helpless with the attendant implications for any future arrangement or agreement with Israel. Will Culture Minister Miri Regev exploit for campaign propaganda purposes the photos of the house struck in Mishmeret on March 25 by a Hamas rocket from Gaza? Will she, as she did on March 17 after a gun and knife attack on the West Bank left two Israelis dead, warn that this is what awaits Israel if the leftist-Arab bloc defeats her right-wing bloc in the April 9 elections? In these crazy days, surely someone will claim that Hamas launched a long-range projectile at the Israeli heartland to steal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus thunder as he attended President Donald Trumps signing of the declaration recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. A festive White House event like that can certainly sideline what have become routine attacks from Gaza on Israeli border communities. Photos of the injured Israeli family against the backdrop of the live broadcast from the White House signing ceremony, however, illustrate the strategic price that Israel has paid and will continue to pay for the alliance between the Israeli and American right. US intervention in Israeli elections is not unusual, but this is the first shift in US policy on the territories that Israel has occupied since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and on the UN resolutions condemning the occupation. In a 2011 paper by the Institute for National Security Studies, David A. Weinberg, a former staff member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, detailed instances of US presidential meddling in Israeli politics. For example, a former senior National Security Council official recalled that President George H. W. Bush had wanted to get rid of Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir in the early 1990s. President Bill Clinton organized a summit in Sharm al-Sheikh in 1996 for a photo-op to boost the electoral prospects of Shimon Peres against Netanyahu. In a 2018 interview with the Israeli journalist Raviv Drucker on Israels Channel 10, Clinton admitted that he had tried to help Peres. I did try to be helpful to him because I thought he was more supportive of the peace process, Clinton said. And I tried to do it in a way that was consistent with what I believed to be in Israels interest. French President Francois Mitterrand also tried to help Peres, and British Prime Minister Tony Blair made no secret of his support for Peres Labor Party. Weinberg also noted that Egyptian President Anwar Sadat had supported Likud Prime Minister Menachem Begin in the late 1970s, and Jordans King Hussein had backed Netanyahu. Trump, however, is the first American leader since 1967 whose intervention in Israeli politics undermines the peace process. The strategic repercussions of US recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights are more far-reaching than those of Trumps decision last year to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem. Despite Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital, at the inauguration of the embassy building, the United States declared that the move did not signal recognition of Israels annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967. In fact, Trump declared at the time that Jerusalems permanent borders would be determined in negotiations with the Palestinians. On the other hand, US recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan constitutes a violation of international law and of UN resolutions, which hold that the Golan remains Syrian territory. Whereas the US Embassy move could be construed as a reversible, symbolic political gesture, recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan could turn out to be an irreversible politico-legal measure. In July 2018 at a congressional hearing on whether the United States should recognize Israels annexation of the Golan, Daniel Kurtzer, former US ambassador to Israel, testified that the administration of President Ronald Reagan had firmly opposed Israels 1981 annexation of the Golan. In fact, even that Knesset law left the door open to an eventual deal with Syria that would necessarily have included discussion of the Golans future. The Princeton University professor, who also served as a member of US Middle East peace talk teams under Democratic and Republican administrations, noted that Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin had conducted US-mediated peace negotiations with Syria based on Israels return to the June 4, 1967, border. Kurtzer said four of Rabins five successors Peres, Netanyahu, Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert had conducted clandestine or public talks with Syria based on that same policy. Even Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, according to Kurtzer, did not explicitly disavow the governments accepted policy that left the issue of the Golans final status to negotiations between the two parties. The former ambassador added that although negotiations with Syria did not yield a comprehensive agreement, the two sides did bridge some gaps, including on issues related to the Golan. Today, Israel needs security from Syria and its erstwhile allies, not a peace process with Syria, Kurtzer argued. Should a moment arrive in the future when, under a different Syrian regime, the possibility of peace emerges, Israel will be in a position to take its decision regarding the ultimate status of the Golan Heights. Kurtzer predicted that a US decision to raise the Israeli sovereignty issue would draw attention away from the crimes of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime and its support by Iran and Russia. Middle East scholar Matti Steinberg agrees with Kurtzers assessment. In a conversation with Al-Monitor, he said that US recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan would lead Arab states to support Syria and at the same time push Assad deeper into the arms of Iran and Russia. Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war and Syrias expulsion from the Arab League, there has been an unspoken agreement between Israel and Arab League members regarding the status quo on the Golan as well as Israeli air raids on Syrian territory. The US move, Steinberg said, risks destroying the greatest diplomatic development for Israel in the past two decades the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which offers Israel peace and normalization with all Arab states and member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Yossi Beilin, a former minister, believes the US move drastically limits the door opened in 2002 by the Arab Peace Initiative for a final-status agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Speaking in Paris on March 21, Beilin said that even if Israel and the Palestinians reach an agreement, the Arab initiative would not lead to a normalization of ties with the Arab and OIC countries. Instead, the American-Israeli move forces them to demand that Israel withdraw from the Golan Heights. Absent Israeli consent, normalization could not be forged. Indeed, shortly after Trump's recognition of the Golan as Israeli territory, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain condemned the move. The Saudi statement asserted that the Golan remains occupied Syrian Arab land and emphasized that US recognition would negatively affect the Middle East peace process and the stability and security of the region. US recognition of Israels annexation will be put to its first test when the Arab League convenes for its annual summit at the end of March in Tunis. March 26 marks the 40th anniversary of Israels peace treaty with Egypt, following which Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula and dismantled its settlements in the northern Sinai. Such a treaty would have been highly unlikely on the watch of the duo of Trump and Netanyahu. All that remains for the victims of the rocket in Mishmeret and their fellow Israelis is to seek solace in the declarative and irresponsible move by these two populist leaders. The Israeli armys response to the latest Hamas rocket attack that injured seven people in central Israel has remained limited despite political pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to punch back ahead of next months elections. Israel bombed Hamas bases overnight and fired missiles at the office of the militant groups leader, Ismail Haniyeh. But public calls for a more aggressive response remain unfulfilled; instead, an Egypt-mediated cease-fire is reportedly under discussion. Why it matters: The Israeli governments response to attacks from Gaza are a major issue in the April 9 legislative elections. Netanyahu is running on his reputation as a proven statesman who can best defend Israel against its enemies, but he risks looking weak with a tepid response to provocations. His main opposition, the Blue and White party, includes three former army chiefs and a former security minister, and is well placed to capitalize on any loss of trust in Netanyahus record on national defense. Netanyahu's dilemma: A stronger response such as bombing heavily populated areas, sending in ground forces or targeting Hamas leaders could lead to full-scale war and mass military and civilian casualties. The goal of such an operation would have to be to topple Hamas in Gaza, with unpredictable costs. And if international uproar once again forces an end to Israeli operations before theyre complete, that would be the death knell of the Netanyahu governments efforts to reach a long-term agreement with Hamas. Once again, the prime ministers short-term political interests are clashing with the countrys long-term strategic plans. The solution: It seems Netanyahu has decided to stick with his security advisers recommendations and keep talks with Hamas alive. To reduce political damage, the prime minister has taken to attacking his opponent, Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz, for failing to rein in Hamas when he was chief of staff of the army. What's next: Netanyahu has gathered his security Cabinet to decide on the next steps. For now it appears Egyptian mediation will lead to a cease-fire. Security officials, however, expect Hamas to push the limits again before the elections. Know more: Shlomi Eldar explains Hamas two-front strategy in the West Bank and Gaza, and why Israel played down a recent rocket strike near Tel Aviv, which is hosting Eurovision in May. - Danny Zaken Trump couldnt care less. Photo: Albin Lohr-Jones/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images The conservative movement knows that its fiscal priorities have no democratic mandate. Thus, it has decided to simply lie to the public about what its priorities are, while exploiting our nations civic decay and anti-majoritarian institutions, to covertly advance its ideological goals. The conservative movement sees the rule of law as a rhetorical cudgel, not a binding obligation. Conservatives will declare their unconditional fealty to that concept when they need a substance-free justification for reversing a popular policy. The moment deference to existing statutes becomes an obstacle to their own ambitions, however, conservatives will abandon their commitment to lawfulness as abruptly as they ditched their principled opposition to Donald J. Trump. For these reasons, the movements approach to governance is fundamentally nihilistic. If it cannot persuade the public to oppose ambitious public-sector programs through argument, it will try to do so through sabotage. After all, the more dysfunctional big government becomes, the stronger the case against expanding its purview may appear. And since the movements gerrymandering and vast propaganda apparatus have left most Republican officeholders more accountable to the paranoid delusions of Limbaugh listeners than to the material interests of their median constituents, ideological posturing takes precedence over administrative competence. Liberals have been writing versions of this indictment for decades. And conservatives have been contesting it for just as long. But on Monday night, Donald Trumps Justice Department effectively declared the American rights harshest critics correct by announcing that it believes the judiciary must declare the entirety of the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. Last December, a Texas district court reached that conclusion, on grounds too specious for conservative intellectuals to defend. Specifically, Judge Reed OConnor ruled that once Congress had repealed the individual mandate in 2017 (by setting the penalty for forgoing health insurance at $0), the rest of the ACA became illegitimate, because Congress did not intend for the laws other provisions to exist in the absence of said mandate. To its credit, the National Reviews editorial board provided its readers with a succinct explanation for why this argument was absurd: His ruling holds that the individual mandate can no longer be constitutionally justified as a tax now that it is set at zero, and that since Congress considered the mandate central to Obamacare when it enacted that law in 2010, the whole thing has to go. Neither half of this argument is valid. There is, in the first place, no longer any individual mandate to justify. The Supreme Court in 2012 eliminated it as a legal requirement on individuals to buy insurance, and the Congress eliminated it as a tax in 2017. The government is no longer taking any unconstitutional action via this spectral, zero-dollar tax. The deliberate decision by Congress to eliminate the tax without eliminating the rest of Obamacare, meanwhile, shows that Congress in 2017 no longer considered it essential to the law. (OConnor claims that the Congress wanted to repeal Obamacare but could not reach the required supermajority in the Senate. That a majority of both chambers would have agreed on a way to repeal Obamacare is not at all clear, and not a proper subject for speculation by a court; and in any case Congress knew that a very likely outcome of passing the tax-reform bill was that most of the law would stay, but the tax would go.) At the Washington Examiner, the conservative policy writer Philip Klein offered a similar assessment in a column titled, I hate Obamacare, but Texas judges decision on its unconstitutionality is an assault on the rule of law. Before OConnors ruling, the Trump administration had disagreed. The Justice Department has an obligation to defend duly-enacted laws against legal challenge, unless it concludes that no honest argument can be made in their favor. And last June, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions concluded that the case against the legality of the ACAs protections for people with preexisting conditions was too impeccable to defend. In Sessionss view, one could not credibly claim that Congress had intended to preserve such protections when it eliminated the individual mandate (even though Congress literally voted against eliminating those protections, shortly before eliminating the individual mandate). But after OConnors ruling, and the backlash among the conservative intelligentsia, Trumps DOJ changed its position in the case. Now, the administration claims that its own stance from last summer is indefensible: The repeal of the individual mandate did not render Obamacares protections for people with preexisting conditions unconstitutional it rendered all of the laws provisions unconstitutional, from its expansion of Medicaid to its requirement for chain restaurants to disclose the number of calories in their dishes. This move affirms all of the criticisms of movement conservatism outlined above. Congressional Republicans tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017. They found that even with conservative voters grossly overrepresented in both chambers of Congress (thanks to gerrymandering in the House, and malapportionment in the Senate) their vision for health-care policy was too unpopular to enact. Thus, they disavowed that vision. In 2018, Republican candidates (including attorneys general who had brought the Obamacare challenge before OConnor) campaigned on their support for preserving protections for preexisting conditions. Donald Trump echoed that support. Now, his administration is calling on unelected judges to eviscerate not only those protections, but also the subsidized health insurance on which more than 20 million Americans rely. Which is to say: It is asking the judiciary to implement its heinously unpopular policy in the name of the rule of law even though, as health-law economist Nicholas Bagley explains, that very request constitutes an assault on the rule of law. The bad faith on display here is jaw-dropping. Does the administration really think that the very position it advanced just month ago is so untenable that it must now adopt an even crazier view? Much as it may dislike the fact, the Trump administration has an obligation to defend acts of Congress. Absent that obligation, the sitting administration could pick and choose which laws it wants to defend, and which it wants to throw under the bus. Indeed, the decision not to defend is close cousin to a decision not to enforce the law. If the ACA really is unconstitutional, wouldnt continuing to apply the law violate the very Constitution that empowers the President to act? Finally, the administrations position prioritizes ideological posturing over the public interest to a degree that can only be described as sociopathic. Paul Ryans attempt to repeal the ACA and replace it with a more austere public health-insurance program was cruel and contemptible. But calling on the judiciary to tear out the infrastructure of the American health-care system and thereby, cut off 20 million Americans access to basic medical care, while sending the private insurance market into freefall so as to coerce Congress into passing a more austere public health-insurance program? That isnt a conservative cynics approach to policy-making; its a comic-book supervillains. All of which is to say: Trumps quest to repeal Obamacare by judicial fiat wraps the conservative movements heinous health-care agenda, contempt for popular sovereignty, indifference to the rule of law, and nihilistic approach to governance up in a single package. Democrats would be well-advised to wave that package in voters faces until theyre persuaded to peek inside. Sign Up for the Intelligencer Newsletter Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. The Donald Trump administrations top envoy for Syria confirmed today that the United States would continue to keep a residual troop presence in the war-torn country for the foreseeable future to ensure the lasting defeat of the Islamic State (IS) even as the Pentagon begins to draw down troops. As the US administration celebrated the capture of the last IS-held territory in Syria this weekend, James Jeffrey, the special representative for Syria engagement and special envoy for the US-led anti-IS coalition, added his voice to the list of officials who have walked back expectations of a complete withdrawal from the country. The comments come as the Defense Department is doubling down on its support for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in eastern Syria. "Our forces will stay on in very limited numbers in the northeast and al-Tanf to continue our clearing operations and our stability operations against [IS] for a period of time, not to be determined at this point," Jeffrey told reporters at the State Department. In a barrage of statements this weekend, the Pentagon and the top US military commander in the Middle East hit similar notes, indicating that the American troop presence could remain for some time. On Saturday, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan indicated the US mission is far from complete, while US Central Command chief Joseph Votel said the US-led coalition will continue our collective fight to bring about the enduring defeat of IS. Meanwhile, the White House said Trump wants to draw down our presence in a safe, deliberate, and coordinated manner. The Defense Department appears to be putting forward ideas aimed at keeping American resources tied up in Syria in its budget released earlier this month. In the document, the Pentagon decided to sustain $300 million in US backing for the SDF, which is seeking the Trump administrations guarantees of protection after leading the counter-IS fight. The amount remains the same as last year; the Pentagon is hoping to use this money to nearly double the number of SDF fighters receiving stipends, on the way to growing the force to 61,000 troops. The fiscal year 2020 budget request says that setting conditions to prevent an IS resurgence and deny it a safe haven following the US withdrawal from Syria "will be heavily reliant on ongoing US support of the VSO. VSO stands for vetted Syrian opposition, the Pentagons term for American-backed forces opposing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Current and former Pentagon leaders have publicly voiced their displeasure with the US withdrawal; Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis resigned over the issue, and the Defense Departments civilian chief for special operations said during congressional testimony that it would be more difficult for the United States to advise and assist Syrian opposition units from afar. While the budget includes significant cuts in small arms support from the Pentagon to the SDF, it increases by 45% funding for the groups vehicles, including bulldozers needed to clear minefields and improvised explosive devices left by IS. The Pentagon is also calling for the continued equipping of what are termed internal security forces; this would see Kurdish factions of the SDF linking up with local security forces. The incoming CENTCOM chief, Marine Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, floated the same plan in his December confirmation hearing before Trump first called for a US withdrawal. But the political damage may have already been done. Last week, Mazlum Kobane, the head of the Syrian Democratic Forces, told Al-Monitor that negotiations with the regime are inevitable even as the United States has publicly tried to persuade the group to stay away from Assad. Meanwhile, IS could have as many as 20,000 fighters, who are crossing freely back and forth between the Iraqi and Syrian borders. "They're reconstituting in small groups, operating in the shadows as a low-level insurgency" Jeffrey said. "They're not holding terrain. They're not controlling populations." The conflict between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain has become a lose-lose situation and threatens the security of the region, said Lolwah R. M. Al-Khater, spokesperson for Qatars Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor in Washington, DC. This is definitely not a healthy situation and has many other consequences, including political consequences, for the entire region, Al-Khater said, referring to the crisis that erupted in June 2017 when Saudi Arabia, the UAE and its allies, including Egypt, severed diplomatic relations with Qatar. She further stated, It is going to compromise the security of the region in general. Al-Khater, appointed spokesperson in 2017 by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, said that despite multiple mediation efforts including calls by US President Donald Trump for meetings between the opposing sides little progress is being made to resolve the nearly two-year-old conflict. It has become the new norm in a way, [and] there are thousands of families that are paying the price for this. Al-Khater, who previously served as minister plenipotentiary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as director of planning and quality at the Qatar Tourism Authority, also spoke about Qatars vision for Syria, Afghanistan and the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, among other topics. Following the May 23 announcement that the Islamic State (IS or ISIS) had lost its last territorial stronghold in Syria, questions surrounding reconstruction efforts have become even more pressing. Qatar has said that it will be part of the reconstruction efforts in Syria, said Al-Khater, adding that Syria risks a resurgence of the terror group if the root causes of its rise are not properly addressed. Once again, ISIS lost the territories, but the sentiments are there. The roots of the problem are there. We have been saying that unless we have transitional justice in Syria, it will be very difficult to prevent the resurrection of ISIS. Meanwhile, Al-Khater was cautiously optimistic when it came to the future of talks being hosted in Doha between Taliban and American negotiators. She remarked, The most recent round of negotiations has been the longest ever in the history of this conflict 16 days nonstop. Because we dont have other selfish interests in this, thats why I think the different stakeholders trust Qatar. Al-Khater stressed Qatars hope that Doha can facilitate a lasting peace process in Afghanistan that will include everyone, and will not exclude anyone, and will ensure that no violent acts will be exercised against any innocent civilians. Regarding the Trump administrations much-anticipated Middle East peace plan, expected to be released after April 9 elections in Israel, Al-Khater said that it is her hope the proposal will take into account all the factors on the ground. She warned against a plan that ignores the reality of the situation. Imposing a plan might work for the politicians, but it will not work for the people, she said. The many UN resolutions that were issued throughout the years need to be respected, Al-Khater asserted. This is our expectation. This is our hope. Qatar will work relentlessly to achieve that a just peace, a lasting peace. And this term lasting is important. We will not spare any effort with that. A full transcript of the interview, conducted by Al-Monitor managing editor Tyler Huffman, follows. Al-Monitor: Tell us about your visit to Washington. What are the main items on your agenda? Al-Khater: I have a number of meetings and engagements in Washington, DC, including a couple of public talks. Its very important for us in Qatar to engage with the United States at multiple levels. In my capacity Im at the intersection of politics and media, so this requires some engagement with journalists and not only officials. This includes think tanks. Think tanks are playing a vital role in shaping policy in [Washington] DC and elsewhere as well. So its very important for us to engage and answer questions. Were very open about that we know that people have many questions and were happy to answer all of these. Al-Monitor: I assume you have been discussing the blockade as well as other issues. What is the status of US mediation efforts to reconcile Qatar with Saudi Arabia and the UAE? Al-Khater: From the very beginning the United States tried as much as possible to engage in mediating the current conflict, mainly through the Kuwaiti mediator. Unfortunately, its been our neighbors who have not responded to any of the calls that were made by the Kuwaitis and by the Americans. The president [Trump] called for a meeting several times. No answer, again, from the neighbors. Unfortunately, we [are where we] were almost a year and a half ago. Things are stabilizing not in a good sense in terms of resolving the crisis. It has become the new norm in a way, with the exception that there are thousands of families that are paying the price for this, families that are separated. They need to go to a third country to meet up. This is definitely not a healthy situation, and has many other consequences, including political consequences, for the entire region. Lets remember that these same actors that have imposed these measures on us on Qatar are creating problems elsewhere in the region. Al-Monitor: As you mentioned, the emir of Kuwait and the sultan of Oman have been working to mitigate the strained relations in the Gulf Cooperation Council. What is your assessment of the future of Gulf security? Qatar participated with other Gulf and regional leaders at Centcom earlier this month. Al-Khater: Weve been saying that this current situation is not a healthy situation. Its a lose-lose situation in a way. It is going to compromise the security of the region in general. Yes, most of the efforts that the United States is leading security-wise and military-wise in the region have not been interrupted in a major way. Yet if this situation continues it will be very difficult to envision enhancing this and taking it to a different dimension. Al-Monitor: The Syrian Democratic Forces a few days ago said that IS no longer controls territory in Syria. Al-Monitor has been reporting that the Syrian Kurdish leadership envisions an eventual reconciliation with the Syrian government. What do you think happens next in Syria, in those areas liberated from IS, and will Qatar be part of the reconstruction process in Syria? Al-Khater: Qatar has said that it will be part of the reconstruction efforts in Syria, however this requires certain checks and balances to be in place to make sure that the beneficiaries really benefit from these efforts. And this will be a process, a collective process, not only from Qatars side, but from the UN and other international stakeholders as well. In terms of the future of Syria through the lens of ISIS, violent extremism, etc. its not very promising. Once again, ISIS lost the territories, but the sentiments are there. The roots of the problem are there, not only the ideology, but also the socioeconomic incentives are still there. We have been saying that unless we have transitional justice in Syria, it will be very difficult to prevent the resurrection of ISIS. Al-Monitor: Qatar has been instrumental in US talks with the Taliban. Tell us about how Qatar sees its role in the mediation, and what you hope to see as the outcome in Afghanistan. Al-Khater: Qatar has so far been the only country that was able to bring both parties together. The most recent round of negotiations has been the longest ever in the history of this conflict 16 days nonstop. This is considered an accomplishment. Because we dont have other selfish interests in this, thats why I think the different stakeholders trust Qatar. We really hope that we can facilitate a lasting peace process in Afghanistan that will include everyone, and will not exclude anyone, and will ensure that no violent acts will be exercised against any innocent civilians. Al-Monitor: The Trump administration is expected to launch its Middle East peace plan after the Israeli elections on April 9? What are your expectations, and what are you most concerned about? What role do you see Qatar playing in the next phase of the Mideast peace process? Al-Khater: We really hope that this plan will be a plan that respects international law, a plan that will take into consideration all the factors on the ground. Imposing a plan might work for the politicians, but it will not work for the people. So the elements for us are very clear. The many UN resolutions that were issued throughout the years need to be respected. This is our expectation. This is our hope. Qatar will work relentlessly to achieve that a just peace, a lasting peace. And this term lasting is important. We will not spare any effort with that. Al-Monitor: Based on the reporting on the deal so far, is there something that Qatar is most concerned about in the peace plan? Al-Khater: The most recent development about the Golan Heights although this is not directly linked to the Palestinians, but its connected to the overall picture this is a development that is not necessarily helpful. There are many questions that are not answered yet: the refugees; the right to return; the settlements, whether this [enterprise] will stop or not. How are you going to create a viable state when the territories of this state namely Gaza and the West Bank are not connected geographically. This is unheard of. So once again, all these factors need to be resolved, and resolved in a manner that will be just and sustainable. The element of sustainability is very important. You can impose a certain reality but then if this reality is going to cause or ignite certain sentiments that are not favorable, then you can just imagine the consequences of that in the future. Al-Monitor: You mentioned the recent Golan Heights decision. What is Qatars reaction to that? Al-Khater: We have issued a public statement joining our voice to the voice of the European Union, Germany, France, the UK, you name it. All international community members have expressed a deep concern about that step, calling upon the US not to take it any further. But it seems like a decision has been made and signed. Al-Monitor: Qatars relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood and affiliated groups, such as Hamas, is often brought up. What is the status of your ties with the Brotherhood, Hamas and related groups? How do you see the future of Islamic political parties in the region? Al-Khater: Prior to the American request during George W. Bushs time when there was a request for Qatar to mediate between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority prior to that, there was virtually no relationship between Qatar and Hamas. It was mainly Qatar and the Palestinian Authority. It was only upon the request of the US that Qatar started this relationship. Weve asked our American colleagues whether this is something that they currently think should change, and no sign was given from their side. They think that this relationship is actually facilitating talks and facilitating the pledging of aid to Gaza. So thats with respect to Hamas. In terms of the Muslim Brotherhood, the United States does not consider the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization, [and] neither does the European Union. And thats the stance of Qatar, just like all Arab countries with the exception of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. The rest of the Arab countries do not consider the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. That said, there is a huge spectrum between not considering it a terrorist organization and supporting it. We definitely dont support the Muslim Brotherhood. As a matter of fact, we were just in a discussion this morning, and I took my colleagues through the narrative of the relationship between Qatar and say Egypt and Tunisia. The aid from Qatar to Tunisia and Egypt never stopped. It was [ongoing] before the Brotherhood, during [President Mohammed] Morsis time, and Ennahdas time in Tunis and even beyond that. As a matter of fact, the biggest investment Qatar made in Tunisia is under the current government, which is quote-unquote secular. Nidaa Tounes, the ruling party, is considered a secular party, yet Qatar made the biggest investment in Tunisia under its rule. So once again, all of these are indicators that Qatar has been supporting these countries regardless of who is ruling these countries. We dont antagonize them, but we dont support them. Al-Monitor: How do you see the future of these parties more generally in the region? Al-Khater: Thats a very interesting question. So there was a moment during the Arab Spring, in the beginning of the Arab Spring, that was in a way considered an Islamist moment. They were winning all the elections. My personal sense is that had that democratic process taken its course, they would have definitely lost their popularity. And that would have been a very organic, natural way to kind of, one, have democracy take its course, and two, have the best when it comes to governance whether its liberal or Islamist or whatever to let the people have their say. So I think thats the future. As long as you corner them and make them go underground, theyre going to resurge. If you let them go through the normal process of democracy, I think they will lose a lot of their popularity. Al-Monitor: How do you see the role of China in the Gulf and the Middle East? Should the US be concerned about Chinese influence? Al-Khater: Once again, the Chinese have economic interests in the region, and they dont delve into internal politics. This has been their advantage for many governments or regimes in the region and beyond. Is this going to change? It could. The more they get involved in the region, maybe they need to become more and more politicized. Regarding if the US should be concerned, I cannot answer on behalf of US officials, but it really depends on how we look at it. Its definitely a strong economic power. Al-Monitor: As a leader in Qatars Foreign Ministry and a woman, can you say something about the role of women in diplomacy in Qatar, the Gulf, and the region? Al-Khater: In Qatar in the Foreign Ministry, around 30% of our diplomats are females. And collectively, between diplomats and people on the administrative side, its almost 40% women in the Foreign Ministry, so its a really good percentage. And I think were getting more and more [women]. Higher education graduates in Qatar are almost 67% female; 52% of the labor workforce in Qatar is female. So the status of women in Qatar is good. There are many social constructs, of course, to sometimes challenge and change, but policy-wise I think its leaning toward empowering women generally speaking. In the Gulf, this was the case up until the most recent crackdown on many female activists, unfortunately, in some of the neighboring countries. This is very unfortunate. But, other than this, other indicators are good as well a higher percentage of higher education graduates, involvement in the workforce, and so-on and so-forth. So overall its good, with the exception that I just mentioned. In the region generally, the problem is that when you talk about women in the Arab region, its a question that is really intertwined with many other questions: poverty, illiteracy, many, many other things. And women are subjected to them just like men are subjected to them. But in the case of women, sometimes it becomes double because of all of the other factors, including the social constructs, etc. But Im hoping that this is going to change going to change through good governance that will create more job opportunities, better educational opportunities, and so on and so forth. And this will kind of uplift not only women, but men and women together. Al-Monitor: How do you assess US policy and sanctions on Iran? Are the sanctions effective? What would you advise the US on how to address Iranian behavior in the region? Al-Khater: Our stance when it comes to Iran and the region [is that] Iran is a geographical reality that no one can change. The way we look at it, because were closer much, much closer to Iran, could be much, much different [from how the US looks at it]. We still disagree with Iranian foreign policy when it comes to Syria and Yemen, for example, yet we think that there needs to be a dialogue at one point. Were not going to wipe Iran off the map, and likewise they cannot do this to us. Thats why we need this formula to work together. Qatar is actually offering to facilitate such a conversation should the different parties be willing to engage. Once again, there was a nuclear deal in place a nuclear deal that we were not involved in when it was forged and when it was canceled, we were not involved in that as well, although we are supposed to be when I say we I mean the GCC in general we are supposed to be the main stakeholders. And thats why we think that we need to have our own independent policy when it comes to that. We share the same concerns. I mean if anyone should be concerned about Irans nuclear projects, it should be us, no one else, because we will be the most affected by that. But we do realize that a region with a deal is better than a region without a deal. A region without a deal might push Iran actually to just go forward with its own plans. But when we put the right measures and checks and balances in place, this will be beneficial for all parties. On March 24, Russias Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin met in Moscow with Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, the UN Development Program's director of the regional bureau for Europe, and David Akopyan, the UNDP's country director in Syria. The Russian Foreign Ministry reported, "UNDP representatives in Syria have informed us about the current state of affairs in Syrias early reconstruction and about the results achieved in the context of the implementation of projects with Russias donor participation aimed at rebuilding residential areas and basic infrastructure in Syria." In September 2018, the 60th Damascus International Fair saw substantial participation from Russian companies. At the international fair, a road map of Russian-Syrian economic cooperation was adopted. Priority projects in industry, energy, transport, health care and construction were further discussed in Damascus in December 2018 at the 11th meeting of the permanent Russian-Syrian Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation. All of these events raised a broad scope of practical issues, including legal issues, related to the participation of Russian companies in Syrian reconstruction. Since its independence, Syria has witnessed periods of openness, or al-infitah, despite the traditional domination of the Syrian state in economic affairs. These periods of openness include the free movement of capital in 1946-1963; the endorsement of loyal private businesses under Hafez al-Assads rule from 1970-2000; and the prewar liberalization and privatization policies during the first years of Bashar al-Assads presidency. Thus, both in domestic and international activities, Syrian entrepreneurs and industrialists are accustomed to conducting business in accordance with the rule of private commercial law. At the same time, Syrian entrepreneurs, especially, medium- and small-sized entrepreneurs, have suffered from too much bureaucracy, corruption, complicated legal practices (such as registration and licensing procedures), the monopoly of shadow business groups and threats of raids posed by government-affiliated businessmen, popularly known as children of the authority, or awlad al-sulta in Arabic. The raiding and racketeering problems are still there, as Syrian authorities grant concessions to top military commanders, loyalist communities, newly emerged business elites and foreign allies. All of the groups feel entitled to exclusive rewards in the reconstruction business for their contribution to saving Assads rule. The aforementioned legal and institutional problems became visible a long time ago. Over the course of the 2000s, attempts to develop trade and build strategic economic partnerships with Turkey, Arab states, the European Union, China and India faced challenges in dealing with a series of government-adopted legislative acts. These include laws on the establishment of private banks and banking confidentiality (2001); legislative decrees on licensing Islamic banks and on investment in the insurance sector, health and higher education (2005); a legislative decree amending the investment law and a new commercial code (2007); a foreign businesses law (2008); and a legislative decree on the creation of the public Syrian Investment Company (2010). In 2016 and early 2017, Damascus, inspired by military victories achieved with the support of Russian and Iranian forces, introduced a number of legislative norms aimed to show that the country's socio-economic life was undergoing a revival. They included: The law on the establishment of the Small and Medium Projects Development Agency, affiliated with the Ministry of Economy and Foreign Trade (MoE). The law was meant to regulate projects in agriculture, industry, traditional handicrafts, commerce, services and intellectual activities to link national development strategies with project plans and to coordinate between public, private and civil sides of their implementation. The law on the establishment of the Agency for Support and Development of Local Products and Exports under the MoE. The law on the formation of the Scientific Excellence and Creativity Agency, linked to Ministry of Higher Education. The law establishing the Loan Risk Insurance Establishment, aimed to insure the risks of the credit and loans provided for small and medium projects, procuring funds to do that and investing the establishments surplus funds at a value of no more than 25% of its capital (which is set at 5 billion Syrian pounds) in various low-risk financial investments. The legislative decree exempting poultry and cattle farms from income tax for a period of five years. The legislative decree exempting imported machines and production lines, bound for licensed industries, from customs duties and import fees. In 2016, a new law came into force that enacted public-private partnership (PPP). Its major goal was to ensure long-term investment contracts based on public-private consortiums with foreign participation in infrastructure and other sectors, except oil and gas exploration. The PPP Council was established under the chairmanship of the prime minister of Syria. Russian companies repeatedly expressed interest in participation in the Syrian reconstruction based on PPP principles. However, to the day, they are anxious about relevant legal issues, mainly, guarantees and conditions of return from their financial and technological investments. This dictates the need for real-life adaptation of the PPP tools and algorithms. The second problem relates to the necessity of enhancing the transparency of tender procedures. Russian companies, especially those that have never worked in Syria before, are particularly concerned with having clear guidance on the procedures, which would be made publicly available, either on governmental websites or other public sources. The third problem deals with Syria's weak mechanisms of international arbitration. The country needs full-scale arbitration structures, similar to the Lebanese Arbitration and Mediation Center, which is used nowadays by the Syrian private sector. Meanwhile, Russian companies are often reluctant to use Syrian state courts for the resolution of commercial disputes. This is due to longtime routine practices and high costs of judicial representation of their interests in Syria. In a nutshell, the main challenge for Syrian authorities in attracting business partners and investments from Russia and other countries is the need to modernize the local legislative base, eradicate excessive bureaucratic measures and improve legal practices. MOSCOW President Donald Trumps statement on the need for the United States to recognize Israels sovereignty over the Golan Heights has sent shock waves all the way to Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the decision may destabilize the already strained situation in the Middle East. Peskov added that the shift presented by Trump "by no means works for the tasks and goals" of the Mideast peace process. "Its the other way round," he added. On March 22, President Vladimir Putin convened a meeting of Russia's Security Council, a presidential body that consults on Putin's national security policies. Russias domestic problems and the situation in the Middle East following Trump's decision dominated the agenda. "It was stated that a very unstable and strained situation in [the Middle East] must not be provoked by ill-considered actions and statements by countries that have a direct bearing on the settlement process," the Kremlin later noted. Shortly after the announcement, the Israeli Embassy in Moscow initiated a meeting between Israeli Ambassador Gary Koren and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. The official readout of the encounter doesnt list the Golan Heights as an item on the agenda, only mentioning that the diplomats exchanged views on topical regional developments, including the Syrian settlement and Israeli-Palestinian affairs. The reaction in Moscow reflects both Russias official position on the issue as well as fears over the possible security implications of Trump's decision for the area. "Russia, as you know, maintains that the Golan Heights belong to the Syrian Arab Republic," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on Friday. "This is certified by [UN Security Council] Resolution 497 of Dec. 17, 1981. A change in the status of the Golan Heights that skirts the UN Security Council is a direct violation of the UN decisions." This situation in no way contributes to stability in the Middle East. In cases like this, one would do better just maintaining silence rather than exacerbating matters with such polarizing statements, said Sergey Tsevkov, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Federation Council (Russias Senate). Two Russian diplomats who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity argued that Trumps decision may not change things on the ground dramatically, for he will just be formalizing the long-standing reality of the Israeli occupation of the Syrian territory, as Moscow sees it. However, Trumps move gives Moscow an opportunity to both take another hit at his deal of the century and consolidate Russias own image of a more just, consistent and law-abiding mediator in the region. Russias official statement on Trumps announcement reads as follows: Such statements are yet another indication of the contempt that Washington shows for the norms of international law, UNSC resolutions and the principle 'land for peace' adopted at the Madrid peace conference that both Russia and the US co-sponsored, as well as the Arab peace initiative. But [the statements] are in line with this [US] administration's course to revise the internationally recognized legal basis for the settlement of the situation in the Middle East." The reference to the cooperation between Moscow and Washington over the area is important. Although Russia sees the Golan Heights as an occupied territory, Moscow also perceives it as a possible de-confliction zone between Israel and Syria (and, by extension, Iranian-backed militias). During the Helsinki summit that brought together Trump and Putin in July 2018, the Golan Heights was arguably the main item Putin could offer Trump to discuss in terms of US-Russia cooperation on Syria. The south of Syria should be brought [in]to full compliance with the treaty of 1974 about separation of forces of Israel and Syria," Putin said back then. "This will bring peace to [the] Golan Heights, and bring more peaceful [relations] between Syria and Israel, and also provide security for the State of Israel. Mr. President [Trump] paid special attention to the issue during todays negotiations." The Russian proposal was well-received in Israel and at the time was interpreted as yet another message to Iran to pull its forces and allied militias back from the border with Israel. We managed to agree on some aspects on Syria, Putin later told Russian Channel One. In particular on the southern de-escalation zone near the Golan Heights, with full consideration of Israeli interests and we also earlier discussed this with our Iranian partners. So we are on the right track in regard to fixing the situation in a broader sense, not just Syria. In a bid to further promote this proposal, Russia deployed its military police along the Bravo line that later enabled UN observers to return to their own mission to monitor the cease-fire and separation of the forces. Now, with the United States recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, the security buffer between Israeli and Syrian/Iranian forces that Moscow sought to establish may be put into question, raising risks for a direct collision of enemy forces. Perhaps the biggest fallout for Russias own interests in the situation concerns the Crimean Peninsula. In 2014, when Russia took over Crimea from Ukraine in what Moscow viewed as a historical reunification, while most of the world saw it as an annexation the greatest criticism of Putins actions, which led to harsh anti-Russian sanctions, was Moscows blatant move to unilaterally redraw state borders in violation of established norms and agreements. Shortly after Trump's announcement of his decision, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denied that US recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the occupied territories is a double-standard policy." "What the president did with the Golan Heights is recognize the reality on the ground and the security situation necessary for the protection of the Israeli state. It's that simple," Pompeo told Sky News. We, at least, held a referendum in Crimea that showed that the overwhelming number of people there wanted to be part of Russia," sneered a senior Russian official in conversation with Al-Monitor. "Whats the deal with the referendum in the Golan Heights? And, by the way, are we all now going to join forces and sanction America for its decision? Israels own position on Crimea, as reflected in the UN voting on respective resolutions, was often defined by the current moment in relations with Russia. In March, the Israeli delegate was absent during the UN vote condemning Russias annexation of Crimea. The move sparked criticism by then-Secretary of State John Kerry and approval from Moscow, which saw it as an act of support by Israel. Yet the latest vote on the issue on Dec. 17 saw Israel vote in favor of two UN General Assembly resolutions urging Russia to withdraw forces from Crimea. Earlier that month Israel supported another Ukraine-sponsored resolution condemning Russian human rights violations in Crimea and labeling Russia an "occupying force" on the peninsula. The move came amid bad blood between Russia and Israel over the downing of the Russian spy aircraft in Syria, in what the Russian Defense Ministry called an Israeli provocation. Some in Moscow believe, however, Russia is unlikely to appeal to the precedent with the Golan Heights to defend its own position on Crimea over concerns of antagonizing Israel. Yet the situation around the Golan Heights weakens the reasoning of those who opposed Russias takeover of Crimea. It may also create some leverage for Moscow in its own private deliberations with Europeans over sustainability of sanctions over Crimea. On the rooftop of a building in the city of Afrin in northwestern Syria, Keilistan Afrini celebrated Nowruz in protest against a decision by Syrian armed opposition factions to ban celebrations of the Kurdish New Year that falls on or around March 21 every year. Afrini lit the Nowruz fire with her friends, and they danced to the rhythm of Kurdish music. She told Al-Monitor that they took photos of themselves tied to their musical instruments with metal chains as a sign of celebration and protest at the same time. She added, For us, Nowruz means going out into nature, celebrating, lighting fire in all fields and singing from morning to evening. But we held small-scale celebrations instead. While Afrini and her friends celebrated Nowruz, three members of the opposition in Afrin raided the place and extinguished the fire. But a military force soon came and apologized, promising to hold the members accountable. For the second year in a row, Afrin citizens were deprived of going out into nature to celebrate Nowruz, which they consider a national holiday. Nowruz coincided last year with Operation Olive Branch, which the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) launched against the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG); as a result, Turkish-backed forces came to control Afrin fully. In mid-March of this year, Afrins Kurds felt hopeful when a joint statement was released by the local councils in Afrin, announcing an official holiday on the occasion of Nowruz. The statement called on people to celebrate in a special way and allowed them to embrace nature, which is one of their rituals. But the councils warned them against large gatherings for their own safety. The statement was soon recalled, however, and another was released. The second statement canceled the official holiday celebrations and banned citizens from protesting, walking, burning tires or celebrating. Afrin citizens, including displaced Arabs from other regions, felt angry. Shaffan Ahmad, 60, a farmer from the village of Sheh in the Afrin countryside, told Al-Monitor, The decision to ban celebrations shocked us. Even local council employees in Sheh were surprised. The decision made me feel Afrin was not ours, but rather the occupiers. A former member of the Afrin civilian council told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, We were seeking an official celebration in Afrin for local councils and factions, with the participation of citizens, but it seems the councils statement bothered the military factions. So the councils had to cancel the statement and ban celebrations. The member added, We were hoping to turn Afrin into a model for the Syria we want, but what happened was insulting for the local councils in front of their citizens. It deepened the social rift among Kurdish Arabs. Dijwar Afrini, 35, who hails from Afrin, did not seem surprised. He expected military factions to ban Kurds from celebrating. He told Al-Monitor, Those who destroyed the statue of Kaveh the Blacksmith, which is the symbol of Nowruz, will not allow us to celebrate. Afrin citizens want to light a fire to celebrate the holiday, and they do not want to protest or raise anti-factional slogans. But the ban and the factions anger prevented the citizens from celebrating. Fighters affiliated with Turkish-backed opposition factions destroyed the statue of Kaveh the Blacksmith in March 2018, soon after taking control of Afrin. An FSA military leader in Afrin told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, The decision to ban Nowruz celebrations in public places resulted from information that the Kurdistan Workers Party was planning to bomb the celebration place and frame the FSA factions for it. The source added, The ban was put in place for security reasons and out of fear for civilians lives. It did not aim to limit the freedom of Kurds in practicing their rituals, as party members claimed. In a move showing solidarity, activists displaced from eastern Ghouta expressed their sympathy with Afrins Kurds, congratulated them and participated in Nowruz celebrations in Afrin despite the ban. Khaled al-Rifai, who was displaced from Arbin in eastern Ghouta, told Al-Monitor, I decided to participate in Nowruz and break the fear barrier of my Kurdish friends. I urged them to celebrate and extended the greetings to them. As people from Damascus and its countryside, including eastern Ghouta last year, fled to Afrin, local citizens saw this wave of displacement an attempt to instill demographic change and accused Turkey of supporting this step. Rifai said those who have moved to Afrin want to change the stereotype that the YPG has that the displaced are settlers taking the properties of Afrin citizens. Ammar Hamou contributed to the article. Syrian Kurdish officials say they remain opposed to any US plans for a safe zone that would foresee the further injection of Turkish forces and their rebel opposition Free Syrian Army allies in territories currently under their control along the Turkish border, saying any such arrangement would escalate tensions and add to instability. A safe zone that allows for Turkish troops to come into our areas is completely unacceptable. The US goal should be to prevent Turkish aggression against us as we have no aggressive intentions toward Turkey, a senior official in the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) told Al-Monitor in a telephone interview. The official was responding to the latest comments by Jim Jeffrey, the United States Syria envoy, about a proposed safe zone. In a State Department press briefing yesterday, Jeffrey said, In terms of the Kurds, what were working with is with Turkey to have a safe zone of some length along the Turkish border where there would be no YPG forces, because Turkey feels very nervous about the YPG and their ties to the PKK. YPG is the acronym for the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, the militia that played an instrumental role at the helm of the SDF in securing the defeat of the Islamic State. PKK stands for the Kurdistan Workers Party, the Kurdish rebel grouping that has been fighting the Turkish military since 1984 and oversaw the establishment of the YPG. Turkey is livid over the continued partnership between the US-led coalition and the YPG and has been threatening to attack the group in the swath of territory extending from the east bank of the Euphrates River all the way to the Iraqi border, saying the group is a danger to its national security. Last year, Turkish forces proved they meant business when they drove the YPG out of the Kurdish-majority enclave of Afrin. Jeffrey noted, We understand those concerns. Weve been involved for many years dealing with the threats to Turkey out of the Qandil Mountains" in Iraqi Kurdistan, where the PKK command is based. He went on, We dont want to see another Qandil Mountains in Syria. The diplomat underlined, however, that the purpose of a safe zone would be to protect both sides. We also do not want anyone mishandling our SDF partners, some of whom are Kurds. And so therefore, were working for a solution that will meet everybodys needs. Some analysts say this may prove impossible. Aaron Stein, the director of the Middle East program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia, told Al-Monitor, The issue remains the fundamental incompatibility of the SDFs goals with Turkish security concerns. These goals, outlined in detail by the SDFs commander-in-chief Mazlum Kobane in a recent interview with Al-Monitor, include demands that the SDF be allowed to maintain control over the territories it currently runs in the northeast, which amount to a third of the country. He said this would be a necessary condition for any future agreement with Damascus, but it's one that the regime is unlikely to accept either. The other glaring flaw in the safe zone idea is that none of the Europeans called upon by US President Donald Trump to help police the zone have shown any interest in doing so. Stein said, There is talk of trying to work around this problem and introduce a third force into the proposed buffer zone, but this isnt in line with what the Turks are saying publicly that they want. Turkey wants its own forces to monitor the zone. The third force being considered are Syrian Kurdish militants loyal to the YPGs political rivals grouped under the Kurdish National Council and Syrian opposition leader Ahmad Jarbas Elite Forces. But that is pie in the sky, fairy tales, Stein added. Faced with the prospect of a Turkish invasion once US forces withdraw, a large number of Kurds and Arabs living in SDF-governed territory say they view the return of regime forces as the lesser evil, especially if the Russians serve as guarantors in any such arrangement. Optimally they would like the Americans to be the guarantors but that is highly unlikely, given Washington's refusal to talk to Damascus and the introduction of new sanctions to squeeze it further. If anything, the State Departments current policy to broker a deal between the SDF and Turkey appears geared not so much to deconflict them as to prevent the regime from coming back. And while it disavows all interest in regime change, it wants Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to go and for the regimes behavior to fundamentally change in character. Neither seems likely in the near future. The SDF official concurred that Russian backing for the Kurds if and when they sit down with the regime is contingent on their breaking off ties with the United States. He summed up their dilemma, But until we know what the United States actual plan is we dont want to end our alliance with them. In the meantime, the Russians appear happy to let Turkey continue its threats to attack the YPG. The message is that either you let the regime return or face the Turks, because the Americans will not defend you, just as they did not do in Afrin, the official said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took a clear, strong stance against the recent decision by US President Donald Trump to recognize the Golan Heights as Israeli land. What remains unclear, though, is how he might follow through on his strident opposition. Trump's unfortunate statement has brought the region to the brink of a new crisis, Erdogan said March 22 during his speech addressing foreign ministers at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Istanbul. Trump announced his decision March 21 and signed an official proclamation March 25. Turkey and the OIC cannot be expected to remain silent on such a sensitive issue and submit to a fait accompli. We can never allow legitimization of occupation," Erdogan said at the meeting. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also expressed his opposition quickly. Attempts by the US to legitimize Israels actions against international law will only lead to more violence and pain in the region," he tweeted March 21. "Turkey supports Syria's territorial integrity." Turkey proclaims it is sensitive to the territorial integrity of other countries, probably because of its own fears of an independent Kurdistan." Turkey loudly protested Trump's December 2017 decision to relocate the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and acknowledge Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. However, in Turkish foreign policy, the status of the Golan Heights isnt as important as Jerusalem's. In 1981, when Israel decided to annex the Golan Heights it had captured from Syria in 1967, the Turkish governments reaction was limited to condemning the decision in a statement; Ankara refrained from using its rights to protest under international law. For example, the Turkish Embassy in Damascus had suggested that Ankara declare it preserves its right to object, to defend the rights of Turkmens who lived in 22 villages for 1,000 years, but Ankara decided not to do this. So, what's the cause of the current anger and sensitivity Turkey expresses over the status of the Golan Heights? Erdogan had done everything in his power to topple the Syrian regime since 2011, only recently changing his tune. We will pursue the Golan Heights until the end, Erdogan said during a recent election rally in the central Anatolian province of Konya. Yet Turkeys opposition to the Trump administration's decision to recognize the Golan Heights as `Israeli territory doesnt mean Turkey will put aside the conditions it has set for rebuilding its ties with Damascus. Turkey expects the Syrian regime to develop a new constitution that provides rights for the opposition, and wants elimination of the autonomous Kurdish entities in northern Syria, which Turkey considers a threat to its border. Syrian peace talks held in Astana, Kazakhstan, and organized by Iran, Russia and Turkey, were built on United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254. The resolution emphasizes the importance of Syrian territorial integrity, but doesnt make any reference to the Golan Heights problem, so it doesn't provide any possible solution on the matter. The Iran-Russia-Turkey trio could very well add the Golan Heights matter to its agenda, to increase pressure on the United States, but even if that happens, nobody really expects the conflict to become a top priority for the three governments. According to Yasar Yakis, a former Turkish foreign minister, Erdogans opposition to the recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory isn't only about Turkeys sensitivity regarding other countries' territorial integrity, but also about Erdogans tendency to oppose all Israeli policies as a whole. This is a firm rejection of Israels policy of expansion in general. Looking back, we see Turkey has only paid lip service to Syrias territorial integrity," he told Al-Monitor. "Turkish and Syrian interests with the Kurds in northern Syria overlap with Syrian territorial integrity. But Turkey isn't defending Syrias territorial integrity with the same determination as its other concerns." Though Iran is likely to add the issue to the Astana agenda, accompanied by Russia and Turkey, this will not alter the Astana priority of eliminating armed groups and securing internal peace in Syria. In other words, the Syrian process will not be linked to ousting Israel from the Golan Heights, according to Yakis. Thus, the Golan Heights conflict is now poised to be added to the bilateral issues between the United States and Turkey. Those ties are already strained due to other disagreements over US support of Syrian Kurdish groups, and Washington's refusal to extradite cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey accuses of plotting the coup attempt in 2016. Turkeys determination to purchase Russian S-400 missile systems also adds to US-Turkey friction. Should one expect to see yet another flare of tension between the United States and Turkey because of the Golan Heights? Turkey had raised its voice over the transfer of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but then quickly kept mum, just like that. Our reaction to the Golan Heights will be similar, Yakis said. Former diplomat Aydin Selcen, meanwhile, links Erdogans stance to the current situation. After the massacre in New Zealand, the OIC met in Istanbul in response to Turkeys call. Erdogan couldnt remain mum, Selcen told Al-Monitor. Trump with his Golan tweet gave support to Netanyahu on the eve of the Israeli elections. We have elections coming up in Turkey. Erdogans [antagonistic] relations with Netanyahu are obvious. That's why I wasnt surprised by Erdogans reaction. Nevertheless, Selcen does not think the Golan Heights conflict will have the same prominence as the other important disagreements between Ankara and Washington. Turkish-US ties are in a state of a car crash because of the S-400s/F-35 equation, moving from slow motion to real time. The Golan Heights are neither more nor less detail in this respect, Selcen added. Palestine and Syria are the leading foreign policy issues Turkey turns to when it wants to shift public attention away from domestic policies. Thus, just as in many other loud showdowns, Turkeys opposition to Trump's Golan Heights move could remain mere rhetoric. With the approach of local elections in Turkey, proclaimed a matter of survival by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the absence of one thing is striking: armed attacks by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). According to the Turkish government, the calm stems from its efforts in the fight against terror, but others believe it is not a matter of the PKK's capacity, but a strategic choice on the organization's part. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu summarized Turkeys fight against the PKK in 2018 in an assessment delivered to parliament in November: We conducted 87,838 operations against the PKK and [killed] 1,289 terrorists. Our field operations over the past two years have gone up three times compared with earlier periods. With our field pressure, the PKKs armed attacks which reached 965 in 2017 declined to 677 in 2018, while their [land]mine and improvised explosive device attacks were reduced to 148 from 250. Soylu further stated, The decline in armed clashes is especially significant as it shows their loss of attack capability. Also, the number of terrorists in Turkey, which had been around 2,500, decreased by 69%, to around 750-880. The organization's recruitment is now at its lowest in 30 years. In 2015, 3,881 people joined the organization; the number last year was a meager 95. Soylu credited the decrease in the number of Kurdish fighters to a significant increase in the operational mobility of Turkish security forces and the resulting increased pressure on the PKK. The declining ranks of the PKK also suggest reduced interest in joining the organization. Soylu claimed that the PKK has almost reached the end of the line in Turkey. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told the state-owned Anadolu Agency October that the PKK had some 17,000 fighters in Turkey (750, or 4%), northern Iraq (3,000, or 18%) and northern Syria (13,000, or 78%). Akar perked up ears when he said the struggle with the PKK would not end until the PKK presence is eradicated in northern Syria. Obviously, Ankara is watching the groups transfer of its military strength, logistics and training operations in bulk to northern Syria. After a nearly two-and-a-half-year cease-fire during the Kurdish-Turkish peace process, intense fighting had resumed in July 2015. Toward the end of 2015, clashes in southeastern Turkey had basically devolved into trench-barrier warfare, while western metropolitan centers, including Ankara and Istanbul, became primary targets of both the PKK and the affiliated Kurdistan Freedom Hawks. In 2017, after trench-barrier warfare ceased, clashes shifted back to rural areas. The following year, 2018, turned out to be much calmer than the two preceding years. Was the calm and the decline in PKK activities because the organization has lost its punch in Turkey or because the group strategically opted not to launch attacks? Both reasons are likely at play. In other words, the PKK's relative inactivity in 2018, as noted by Turkey's interior and defense ministers, is due to the pressure of incessant security operations as well as a conscious decision to forego attacking major cities. Turkish security forces did not cutback their efforts against the PKK despite their substantial duties abroad and ongoing domestic efforts against the Gulenist network, which is accused of plotting the botched coup in 2016 and is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey. Turkish security forces are continuing fast-paced pre-emptive efforts in Turkey and northern Iraq, not merely reacting to non-stop operations. In the meantime, precision air strikes by Turkish F-16s are seriously limiting the ability of PKK fighters to enter and leave Turkey. Of course, an ever-increasing number of drones contributes significantly to reconnaissance, surveillance and precision targeting. Soylu said the police and gendarmerie have 37 in operation, and in the next two years, 70 more will be added to the inventory. According to a defense expert who spoke to Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity, the number of flight hours in 2018 for unmanned aerial vehicles was seven times more than during the previous year. Turkey also sharply increased its attacks against PKK leaders that year. According to the Ministry of Interior, some 1,700 PKK militants were taken off the battlefield. This figure encompasses those killed or captured and those who surrendered. About 110 (7%) of those were from the list of top leaders, a much higher number than ever before. That same year, 141 Turkish soldiers, gendarmerie and paramilitary village guards were killed and wounded in operations against the PKK in Turkey. Despite increased operations in 2018, Turkish casualties that year were lower than in 2017, with 270 casualties, because of the increased use of drones and developments in human intelligence and signal intelligence. I have never before heard of the number of PKK fighters in Turkey dropping below 2,000. Given that the official estimate for 2018 is around 700 to 800, why hasn't the PKK sent in 1,200-1,300 more forces to preserve its area of domination? Why didn't the PKK reinforce its mountain presence in 2018 to sustain its initiative inside Turkey? According to Turkish officials, the PKK has sufficient military strength in northern Iraq and Syria for such a reinforcement. In addition, despite the blows the PKK received in urban areas, it has been able to preserve its strength in that sector. It could have transferred forces to rural terrain, so why didnt it? It appears to have been a strategic choice by the PKK's command in the Qandil Mountains, in northern Iraq. The command currently views Turkey as a secondary front, giving priority instead to northeastern Syria. Although PKK clashes with the Islamic State (IS) have basically ended, it's significant that the PKK has not shifted its forces from northeastern Syria to northern Iraq and Turkey. It is not unreasonable to assume that this strategic choice reflects the PKKs promises to the United States that the PKK-affiliated Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units not use US-supplied weaponry and equipment inside Turkey. Moreover, the PKK doesnt want to resort to violence in western Turkey because it might endanger the growing prestige and positive image it has created abroad in its struggle against IS. The reality is that according to Ankaras official figures, 13,000 of the PKKs total 17,000 combatants are in northern Syria. What Ankara wonders now is whether those 13,000 will be demobilized and disarmed after the clashes with the conclusion of fighting against IS at Baghouz or whether they will remain active in northern Syria. The answer is likely to be determined by bargaining among the United States, Turkey and PKK headquarters in the Qandil Mountains. People in Alabama can get a sneak peek of Ken Burns sweeping new documentary, Country Music, on Friday at the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery. A 6 p.m. event presented by Alabama Public Television will offer excerpts from the film, focusing on Alabama native Hank Williams and his contributions to the genre. Two of Burns longtime collaborators, Dayton Duncan and Julie Dunfey, will be on hand for the free screening, introducing the film clips and answering questions from the audience. No tickets are required for the preview, set for the Joseph M. Farley Auditorium at the archives, 624 Washington Ave. Selections from the archives collection of Hank Williams memorabilia will be on display, and the producers are set to attend a reception after the screening. Fridays event is part of a traveling roadshow of screenings and discussions planned for more than 30 markets around the country, leading up to the films premiere on Sept. 15 on PBS. The agenda also includes a concert on Wednesday at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, with performers such as Dierks Bentley, Rosanne Cash, Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Kathy Mattea, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Holly Williams and Dwight Yoakam. Country Music, which spans 16 hours over eight episodes, will examine the origins the music and focus on the artists who created and shaped it, including Williams, the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Bill Monroe, Bob Wills, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and Loretta Lynn. Birmingham native Emmylou Harris will be featured in the documentary, as well, along with Charley Pride, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks and more. At the heart of every great country music song is a story, Burns said in a prepared statement. As the songwriter Harlan Howard said, Its three chords and the truth. The common experiences and human emotions speak to each of us about love and loss, about hard times and the chance of redemption. As an art form, country music is also forever revisiting its history, sharing and updating old classics and celebrating its roots, which are, in many ways, foundational to our country itself. The documentary is scheduled to air on Alabama Public Television stations on Sept.15-18, and September 22-25 at 7 p.m. CT. Country Music also will stream online via PBS platforms, including PBS.org and PBS apps. Burns, Duncan and Dunfey spent eight years researching and producing the film, a publicist says, adding that the team conducted interviews with more than 100 people, including 40 members of the Country Music Hall of Fame. The documentary chronicles the highs and lows of country musics early days, from southern Appalachias songs of struggle, heartbreak and faith to the rollicking Western swing of Texas, Californias honky-tonks and Nashvilles Grand Ole Opry, according to a press release. "The film follows the evolution of country music over the course of the 20th century as it eventually emerges to become Americas music. Duncan wrote the screenplay for Country Music, as well as text for an illustrated companion book thats set for release in September. Report a digital subscription issue If you are being blocked from reading Subscriber Exclusive content, first confirm you are logged in using the account with which you subscribed. If you are still experiencing issues, please describe the problem below and we will be happy to assist you. Submit Photo: Arnaud Delrue Edouard Louis is a French novelist and critic. His third book, Who Killed My Father, an indictment of Frances neglect of the rural working class, is out from New Directions today. He spoke with Intelligencer about the downsides of American individualism, his excitement about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and why his family members dont read much. Can you describe your background? I grew up in a very small village in the north of France. There were two factories in the village where everyone used to work, but in the 80s and 90s, they fired most of the people and moved to another country. So I grew up in the 1990s, in a context where people didnt have any jobs anymore, didnt have any hope anymore. My father and my mother stopped school at 14. They didnt want to study and were stuck in this postindustrial village. And I grew up as a gay man in this milieu. My sexuality was the thing that made me escape, because it was impossible to breathe there. That made me try to think about this milieu, to think about my past and write about it. So I dedicated my very first books to these people who are very rarely represented. Youve accused the French left of abandoning the kind of people you grew up with. Does that include Francois Hollande and the Socialist Party? Mm-hmm. Hollande carried on a process that started a long time before, in the 80s and the 90s. A conservative revolution took place in Europe, and the institutional left stopped talking about poverty, they stopped talking about work, they stopped talking about pain. There was a new language that was created: like responsibility, gestion, commonwealth, le bien commun, common wellness. Hollande erased poor people from the language. And so the far right in France, in Europe, and I suspect in the United States, said, Okay, we are the ones who are going to talk about excluded people except they did it in another way: in a horrible, awful, violent way. When I was a child, my father and mother hesitated between voting for the left and the far right. This would be very exotic in the bourgeoisie, because people vote either for the right or for the left, or the left and the center. But it was happening frequently in my childhood. It was a desperate way of finding someone who would talk about you, who would represent you. Of course, you have people who are deeply racist sometimes my brother is deeply racist and will never change but I truly believe that among the people who suffer, an important percentage could really switch from one side to the other. The left has to be there in order to not let the far right win this struggle. Whats the condition of the French left now? Jean-Luc Melenchon, who ran and lost in 2017, seemed closer to being a genuine socialist During Melenchons campaign, my little brother sent me a text message to tell me, I am going to vote for Melenchon. I couldnt believe it. But it always takes time to create something new. People should never forget that, for example, in France, in the 1980s, the far right, the National Front, was doing 3 or 4 percent in the elections. People were so scared, and they said, Oh, its the beginning of fascism! And now, when they do 30 percent, people say, Ah, we are relieved its only 30 percent! You need time to really change the psychological structure of people and make them understand that there is another way of perceiving themselves, another way of talking about themselves. And its the same thing in the U.S., of course. Donald Trump was not created out of nothing; he is the continuation of a long process. Its partly the fact that the Democratic Party, like the Socialist Party in France, became more and more a party of the Establishment, or the dominant class. I was living in New York during the 2016 election. I tell you, as a guy who comes from the working class, when I saw Hillary Clinton speaking, she had such a privileged body language! She was so bourgeois in the way of moving, of talking. I felt intimidated by her. I dont think people should scream and speak with poor language, but I felt in my flesh that this woman was not going to support people like me. Of course I would have preferred that she won, but I didnt feel represented by what she was saying. One difference we have here is that a lot of people just really hate the government, and thats been a constant since long before the Democratic Partys neoliberal turn. You dont have that problem in France. Your brother might have racist tendencies, but hes not likely to be against the welfare state. Thats absolutely right. The intellectual and political traditions are very different. Ive spent a lot of time in the U.S., teaching at Brown University and Dartmouth College. What really hit me at the beginning, like a storm, was to see how little, in general, American people care about poverty and about black issues and about class domination. Photo: New Directions There is a strong idea of the will in the United States. Will as something to drive behavior. There is this idea that if you want to do something, you can do something, you know? When in France, we have a stronger tradition and, in my opinion a truer one to see willpower as a consequence of political structure. You show how being in a certain milieu, how being women in a certain milieu, how being a certain kind of person in a certain crowd, destroys the very possibility of will. For example, someone like my brother or my father didnt want to study. It was out of the question because no one was studying. They didnt have to think about it. You mean their way of being was inherited. They didnt have to determine it for themselves. Exactly. It is the social structure that creates your mind, and not your mind that goes against the social structure. Its very difficult to address this in America, even in the universities. You said in an essay a couple years ago that there were no books where you grew up, but it wasnt because the people around you were dumb. It was because the high culture had rejected the working classes. I think its a very important issue. I started to write my books because people from towns like mine were not represented in the literary field. So in a way I wrote against literature in the same way Toni Morrison was writing against literature. I wrote in the Guardian about a day when I was in a cab, and I told the driver I was studying literature. He told me, I dont know that many books, but what I see is that they never give literary prizes to people of color in France. This man, even if he tells me, I dont read books, he knows that books dont talk about him. If we want to reinvent the left, we also have to challenge the cultural world, and then cultural production: books, movies, poetry, literature, and everything. What they are talking about, what they are ignoring, which kind of violence they are reproducing. The political field, its the same way. And most of the time, in France and the U.S. this is something these two countries have in common when you are in the cultural milieu, you are with publishers, you are with journalists, they always have this feeling that they are on the good side of the world because they are part of culture, and that this culture was necessarily progressive. But its not true for so many literature-excluded black people and queer people. When I teach in the U.S., I always say to my students, You shouldnt like literature too much. You have to be suspicious of literature, and then if you are suspicious, you will include life and experiences and voices and bodies that were not included before. Challenge it, and then you will make great literature. And I deeply believe it. Because in the U.S., a bunch of people, they think they are already fighting by just doing literature. [Laughs.] The word socialism has been toxic in America for six or seven decades. Thats changing, thanks in part to Bernie Sanders, but people still have very little sense of what it means. In France, youve always had a major party that calls itself socialist. Well, most of the people here who would call themselves socialist have nothing to do with socialism so it works in a similar way. And it was the same way in Germany and a lot of parties in Europe. Weve seen what I call the end of shame in the political sphere. People like Theresa May and Emmanuel Macron dont hesitate to insult poor people and say that they have to work harder. Probably Jacques Chirac and Hollande agreed on that, even if they didnt express it in public. With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, my first reaction was, Finally, she talks about reality! When I was a student, I would open the papers or turn on the TV, and see politicians speaking, and I would think, What kind of society are they talking about? Its not the society that I live in! When they were saying these words obsessively, like responsibility, what does it mean? My father had an accident at the factory when he was 35. He couldnt walk for a few years. His back was destroyed. But then, according to the French state, he was supposed to go back to work. The only job for someone like him was to be a street sweeper, because he had no education or diploma. The work destroyed his back even more. And so when you say responsibility, what are you talking about? I cant even answer to that kind of language, because it has nothing to do with reality. And so when Ocasio-Cortez talks about corruption, when she talks about pain, when she talks about rage, I think that finally someone is talking about reality. And people see that this movement toward reality can be associated with socialism, and so we understand what socialism can be. But in the end, the language is not very important. The importance is what we create, how we affect peoples bodies. Sure, although we happen to be in a rare moment where the word socialism can really electrify people. I hope so, and I hope also that something will change within the liberals in the United States. I remember once I was at a literary cocktail party in New York, and there were waiters serving us, and I was so struck by the ability of the American bourgeoisie to completely avoid the people who were serving them, who were giving them Champagne as if they were not existing. I wanted to scream to the waiter, Im on your side! Dont believe that Im like them! Im not like these people! It sounds anecdotal, but I think that it was very relevant in the way American society has trouble tracing the problems of social violence, social inequality, structural inequalities. You really have to learn in order to ignore people that much. This May, Birmingham native artist Mary Frances Whitfield will have her first solo exhibit in the city. The self-taught artist, whose work is currently on display at the Phyllis Stigliano Gallery in New York, will present a series of paintings called Why? The exhibition features paintings that depict the racial terror of lynchings against black people in the South, and many of the works will be shown for the first time in Whitfields hometown. Developed as a collaboration with the Jefferson County Memorial Project, the paintings will be displayed at UABs Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts (AEIVA) and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Two of the paintings set to be housed at the BCRI depict the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church and a lynching involving the Ku Klux Klan. The BCRI will display two of the paintings from Why? in its Confrontation Gallery, a room in the Institute where visitors can walk through renderings of black and white citizens while listening to voice recordings of jarring statements people would most likely only make behind closed doors, an experience meant to give patrons a face-to-face look at racial tension. Visitors are confronted with these statements and ask themselves, Could that have been my voice? We felt this was the most fitting place for these powerful works by Mary Whitfield, BCRI digital marketing manager Joi Brown told al.com in an email. Co-curated by AEIVAs John Fields and Dr. Brandon Wolfe, UABs assistant vice president of Campus and Community Engagement, the work from Mary Frances Whitfield: Why? will be on loan from local and regional art collectors and from the Phyllis Stigliano Art Projects in New York. The Confrontation Gallery in the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (Courtesy, the BCRI) Born in Birmingham in 1947, Mary Whitfield moved to New York when she was seven years old, but she returned to Alabama every summer. In Birmingham, shed listen to stories from her grandmother, an activist in her own right who joined the March on Washington in 1963 and took part in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches for voting rights. Whitfield, who started painting in the 1970s, has expressed her love for the South and revisiting her roots. Her paintings, now primarily watercolor on canvas, depict black people in day-to-day life in the Old South, including playing games and washing clothes. Her works also depict the plight of black people in the South, including scenes of slavery and picking cotton. After viewing exhibits that explained the horrors of lynching during her first visit to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Whitfield decided to incorporate those themes into her paintings. Considered a revered outsider artist (a formal term in the art world referring to artists who are self-taught or have not had any formal training, ranks that include Alabama artists Thornton Dial, Lonnie Holley, and the Quilters of Gees Bend) Whitfields paintings have graced the 2018 Outsider Art Fair and the Birmingham Museum of Art. Gail Andrews Trechsel, former director of the Birmingham Museum of Art, wrote a profile of Whitfields work in Kathy Kemps 1994 book Revelations: Alabama's Visionary Folk Artists. In 2018, the Equal Justice Initiative opened the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, a museum and memorial believed to be the nations first site to document racial inequality from slavery through the Jim Crow era and into the present. The six-acre project in Montgomery is the also the first memorial in the country dedicated to more than 4,000 lynching victims. Hanging in the memorial are slabs engraved with the names of those victims. Some of those slabs represent a county in Alabama where a lynching was documented. The EJI created duplicate slabs with the hope that the counties would claim them and use them to create their own memorials. Thats the mission of the Jefferson County Memorial Project, a citizen-led coalition formed to bring the Jefferson County lynching memorial to Birminghams Linn Park. In February, the JCMP released a report detailing the lives of 30 documented victims of lynching in Jefferson County. Abigail Schneider, JCMP's project director, says art is a crucial part of sparking a larger countywide discussion around the history of racial violence and the legacies of racial injustice that still exist today. Were trying to use all different forms of media to allow people to connect to this history in the way that they feel most comfortable, Schneider told Al.com. "Were taking a very painful part of history and using it for public discussion, so we want to be intentional about how we do that. So, we are heavily relying on art as one of those forms of interpretation. Mary Frances Whitfield: Why? is one of a series of exhibits unfolding in Birmingham in relation to the project. The Birmingham Museum of Art and Studio 2500 on 26th Avenue North will also host exhibits this year. The exhibit at Studio 2500, set to open June 21, will have the theme Art Against Hate. Schneider says the project is also in the early stages of planning a community arts initiative, which will feature work from local artists and residents. Two of the paintings from Mary Frances Whitfields exhibit Why? will be on display at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute from May 31 to Aug. 10. Admission to the BCRI ranges from free to $15. The large-scale exhibition of Why will run at the Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts from May 31 to Nov. 23. The opening reception to the exhibition is 6:00 p.m. on Friday, May 31 at the Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The events are free and open to the public. For more information, go to uab.edu/news/arts. A retired state trooper who is now a state lawmaker wants to put a limit on how long a driver can stay in the left lane on interstates without passing vehicles. Rep. Phillip Pettus, a Republican from Lauderdale County, said he believes his bill can improve traffic flow and help prevent incidents where anger about a slow left-lane driver boils over into violence. He has dubbed his bill the Anti-Road Rage Act. People just get so irritated with people holding up traffic in the left lane, Pettus said. His bill would prohibit a driver from staying in the left lane on an interstate for more than a mile and a half without completely passing another vehicle. It would allow exceptions for conditions that make staying in the left lane necessary, such as traffic congestion, road construction, inclement weather and approaching a left lane exit. Pettus said other states have similar laws and he borrowed heavily from a law in Texas. He said a mile and a half is the allowed distance because thats about the distance tractor-trailers need to pass a slightly slower moving truck. Pettus retired as a captain in the Alabama State Troopers in 2013 after a 25-year career. He was elected to the House the next year. He said slow drivers blocking traffic flow in the left lane cause hazards because faster drivers resort to passing them in the right lane. And if they cant get around them, it causes traffic to back up, Pettus said. The interstates were made for you to drive in the right lane and for you to get over in the left lane to pass. If the bill becomes law, law enforcement officers could issue only a warning citation for the first 60 days it is in effect. Pettus said he has proposed his bill previously but it has not received enough votes to pass the House. Lawmakers return from spring break on April 2. Alabama and national politics. A state representative has issued an apology for an outburst on the Alabama House floor last week, and House Speaker Mac McCutcheon has issued a statement saying such behavior would not be tolerated. On Thursday, Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, called her Republican colleagues cowardly and began shouting at Speaker Mac McCutcheon after he struck his gavel and had her microphone cut off. Givan shouted at McCutcheon for several minutes, saying she had a constitutional right to say what she was saying, and left the House floor after McCutcheon called for security. Givan issued an apology Saturday afternoon and McCutcheon issued a statement today. Had the representative from Jefferson County not left the chamber when she did, I would have had her removed, McCutcheon said in his statement. House members were not the only people subjected to a stream of harassing statements and obscenities during the representative from Jefferson Countys outburst. House staff, visitors in the House gallery, and nearly a dozen pre-teen and teenage pages were present on the floor at the time of the incident. Conduct such as this should never be tolerated from anyone and it will not be tolerated from House members as long as Im Speaker. Givans statement said she responded to the incident in a manner that did not reflect my character or political office. Here is the full statement issued Saturday: "In light of a recent incident that I felt directly challenged my Constitutional Rights and those of all Alabamians I responded in a manner that did not reflect my character or political office. I apologize for any behavior that was not seen as professional however, as an elected official, I will continue to be a champion for justice and equality. "In todays politically contentious environment it is important for all citizens to address social injustice. But I recognize that it is equally important to maintain composure and professionalism when doing so. I will continue to work with a servants heart for all Alabamians and I humbly express my apologies to my colleagues while I also issue them a challenge to avoid actions that encourage division and oppression." Givan said this afternoon that her apology is not directed at McCutcheon and she stands by her point that she had a right to continue to speak. Givan said she planned to meet with McCutcheon about the incident. The Legislature is on spring break this week and returns on April 2. This story was updated at 4:32 p.m. to add comments from Givan, including her full statement issued on Saturday. A north Alabama man pleaded guilty today to two felonies for scalding his girlfriends young children with hot water nearly four years ago. Derrick Defoe, a 33-year-old from Athens, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for two counts of aggravated child abuse. Amanda Reyer, is already serving 40 years in connection with the case. The victims are Reyers children. In 2015, her 2-year-old daughter was treated for second- and third-degree burns over 80 percent of her body. The womans 5-year-old son suffered similar injuries on his legs and buttocks, prosecutors said. The children can continue to march forward with their lives and put this behind them, said Limestone County District Attorney Brian Jones. They have the comfort of knowing the people that hurt them are going to be in prison for the next 40 years. Defoe pleaded guilty today before opening statements began in his trial. He was charged with two counts of each of the following: aggravated child abuse, attempted murder and first-degree domestic violence. Because of Defoes guilty plea on the abuse charges, the others are being dropped. Limestone County sheriffs deputies started investigating Defoe and Reyer in June 2015. Reyer took her daughter, who was 2 at the time, to Huntsville Hospital for treatment of burns over the majority of her body, authorities said. Reyer claimed the girl fell into a bathtub of scalding water, but authorities said they were suspicious. Amanda Reyer is serving a 40-year sentence at Tutwiler Prison in Alabama. Deputies went to investigate at the couple's home on the 21000 block of Tillman Mill Road and said they found Defoe there with an infant and Reyers son. Jones said the victims family is pleased with the guilty pleas in the case. Now they can put this behind them, he said. A woman who allegedly failed to appear on a homicide charge in Mobile was captured in the Florida panhandle Monday during a traffic stop. Sara Butner, 35, was arrested by the Marianna Police Department after officers identified the vehicle she was driving as stolen from Pensacola, according to local law enforcement. It was discovered Butner failed to appear to face homicide charges in Mobile. Her outstanding homicide charge was confirmed by the Marianna Police Department, although no record of it exists in Mobile or Alabama state court records. The details of the alleged homicide are not known at this time. Her passenger Melvin Miles, 45, was arrested after being allegedly found in possession of chemicals used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. It was also discovered Miles had absconded from his parole and an active warrant was out on him from the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Miles and Butner have been transported to the Jackson County Correctional Facility (FL). Neither is likely to make bail given they are both fugitives from justice. Updated at 12:23 p.m.: Vice President Mike Pence announced in Huntsville on Tuesday that America now has a vision to return astronauts to the surface of the moon within the next five years. Pence says it is the policy of this administration to return astronauts to the surface of the moon in the next five years. The first woman and the next man on the moon will be American astronauts, Pence says. lee roop (@leeroop) March 26, 2019 Pences voice rose for emphasis as he made the announcement during a speech at a Space Council meeting in the historic Saturn V Hall at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Pence said with NASAs giant SLS rocket and Orion space capsule fully funded by the Trump administration, the space agencys objective is to land a man on the moon within five years. The last astronauts walked on the moon in 1972. Speaking just outside the gates of Redstone Arsenal, home of the Marshall Space Flight Center, Pence celebrated the work of Huntsvilles rocket engineers and promised they had a prominent role in future American space travel. We are committed to Marshall, Pence said. Pence mentioned that China landed an unmanned spacecraft on the dark side of the moon last year, the first such landing out of earths view. The U.S. must re-establish itself as a worldwide leader in space travel, Pence said. The rules and values of space will be established by the first ones to get there, Pence said, adding that it is Americas challenge to make sure those values are ours. To realize the vision of returning to the moon, NASA must make changes, Pence said. NASA must transform itself into a leaner, more accountable organization, Pence said, adding that NASA as now composed is not capable of meeting the goal. Some of those changes NASA may face concern the emergence of commercial rockets. If a commercial rocket or lunar lander is ready, NASA has to have the authority and willingness to use those vehicles, Pence said. Original story: Vice President Mike Pence arrived at Huntsville International Airport on a blustery Tuesday morning, greeting supporters on the tarmac before a series of meetings at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center about the future of American space travel. "Hey everybody," Pence shouted to about 50 invited guests at the airport shortly after touching down at 9:48 a.m. Pence was formally greeted at the steps of the plane by Alabama Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, and Madison County Commission Chair Dale Strong. Pence was accompanied by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao. Pence met with the invited guests on the tarmac, posing for pictures and signing autographs for about 10 minutes before boarding his limousine for the high-speed journey down I-565 to the state's top tourist attraction. Among the invited guests at the airport were longtime state and local Republican official Elbert Peters, Frances Taylor, the Alabama representative on the National Federation of Republican Women, Madison County Republican Party executive chair Brad Taylor and Madison County District Judge Linda Coats. There was one supporter wearing a red Make America Great Again cap and a child decked out in an orange NASA astronaut flight suit among the invited guests. Upon arrival at the rocket center, Pence entered the Education Resource Center for private meetings in advance of his formal remarks at the Space Council meeting in the Saturn V Hall of the Davidson Center for Space Exploration. Local officials at the space council meeting included Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Madison Mayor Paul Finley and an array of state legislators. Also in attendance was former NASA Acting Administrator and Marshall Space Flight Center Robert Lightfoot. Following the space council meeting, Pence is expected to meet with children attending Space Camp this week at the rocket center before departing. Chao, Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin Buzz Aldrin and NASA historian and author Homer Hickham are also expected to join Pence on the Space Camp tour. The University of Alabama in Huntsville is expected to hire Darren Dawson as its next president. Dawson will replace the retiring Robert Altenkirch at UAH, pending a vote of the UA System Board of Trustees at an April 12 meeting in Huntsville. Finis St. John IV, interim chancellor of the UA System, announced Tuesday that he would be recommending Dawson for the UAH presidency. Dawson is the dean of engineering at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. Before his five years at Kansas State, Dawson spent 24 years at Clemson University in a variety of ascending positions. The national search for UAHs ninth president was launched in October after Altenkirch announced his retirement plans. Chaired by Board President Pro Tempore and Huntsville native Ron Gray, the 21-member Search Advisory Committee was representative of the UAH faculty, staff, students, Huntsville community and trustees. The Committee members are to be commended for their service and dedication, Gray said in the announcement. During the course of the committees review and throughout the interviews, Dr. Dawson was clearly the leading candidate. According to the announcement, Dawson earned his degrees in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech. His extensive research background includes emphasis on controls and robotics with more than $20 million in grant and contract awards. He has industry experience with Westinghouse at the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory. I want to thank the UAH Presidential Search Advisory Committee for its hard work over the last six months and believe that Dr. Darren Dawson is the right person to lead UAH to the next levels of excellence, St. John said in the announcement, citing Dr. Dawsons 30-year record of achievement in higher education, his extensive research background, and his strengths in fundraising and innovation. According to the announcement, Dawsons academic awards include the NCR Undergraduate Teaching Award (1992), the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award (1994), the National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award (1994), the Georgia Institute of Technology Council of Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni Award (1995), the Centennial Professorship (2000), the Murray Stokely Award for Excellence in Teaching Award (2003) and the COES Collaborative Research Award (2007). Dawson and his wife, Kim, have a daughter, Jacklyn, who is a junior at Kansas State, and a son, David, who is a freshman in high school. An investigation is underway after skeletal remains possibly belonging to the same person were found in two different Alabama counties this week. It all began Monday when the Talladega County Sheriffs Office received a phone call in reference to someone finding human remains. Sheriffs investigators launched a probe and determined that the bones found in Talladega County had been removed from a home in Coosa County. Coosa County Sheriff Michael Howell said the initial discovery was made in the Talladega Springs area, but said he could not yet release additional details, including how the bones were found and by whom. Investigators from both agencies then went to a home on Coosa County Road 99 in Sylacauga where they found more human remains inside the residence. Howell said they believe the skeletal remains are that of one individual, but further testing is required to confirm that theory. He said the remains had been at the Coosa County location for quite some time and said some of them were recently moved to Talladega County. Because of the ongoing investigation, he could not elaborate. The sheriff said authorities are investigating the death and trying to determine the identity of the remains. Anyone with information is asked to call the Coosa County Sheriffs Office at 256-377-2211. This is an opinion piece. If elected, you would be the first openly gay president of the United States, Stephen Colbert said to Pete Buttigieg after the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, declared his candidacy. While the characterization of being openly gay or out is relatively new, the fact is the United States has already had a gay president whose contemporaries knew it: James Buchanan. Indeed, the United States has also had a gay vice president and, maybe more surprisingly, a gay senator from Alabama. If students taking U.S. history classes are taught anything about Buchanan, they learn that he was "our only bachelor president." How quaint. But, by using euphemisms, we falsely educate students - indeed all Americans - about the realities of this country's history. We also distort how and why Buttigieg's sexual identity matters today. Before becoming president in 1857, Buchanan openly lived with William Rufus King, who at various times served as senator from Alabama, ambassador to France and, finally, Franklin Pierce's vice president. They met in Washington as young politicians, and lived together on and off for more than 16 years until King's death from tuberculosis in 1853. Buchanans biographer, Jean H. Baker, believes that his relationship with the Southerner King partially explains why this Pennsylvanian was a doughface, a Northerner who did not oppose slavery. Indeed, Buchanan explicitly urged the Supreme Court to deliver an expansive ruling in the Dred Scott case - which denied freed slaves American citizenship and forbade Congress from regulating slavery in U.S. territories - and lobbied Congress to admit Kansas as a slave state. How do we know Buchanan and King were a couple? In 1844, after King assumed his posting in Paris, Buchanan wrote a letter to a friend, complaining about being alone and not being able to find the right gentleman partner: "I am now 'solitary and alone,' having no companion in the house with me. I have gone a wooing to several gentlemen, but have not succeeded with any one of them. I feel that it is not good for man to be alone; and should not be astonished to find myself married to some old maid who can nurse me when I am sick, provide good dinners for me when I am well, and not expect from me any very ardent or romantic affection." Maybe he was only looking for a roommate, but who "woos" a roommate? And he admits he would not deliver "ardent or romantic affection" to a woman. Similarly, King wrote Buchanan from Paris: "I am selfish enough to hope you will not be able to procure an associate who will cause you to feel no regret at our separation. For myself, I shall feel lonely in the midst of Paris, for here I shall have no Friend with whom I shall commune as with my own thoughts." Their peers knew about their relationship, which Buchanan and King made no real effort to hide. Andrew Jackson referred to King as "Miss Nancy" - a euphemism for a homosexual. Other contemporaries called King Buchanan's "better half," and one congressman referred to him as "Mrs. B." All this would be quite peculiar if Buchanan was not gay. And we are not likely to get more explicit acknowledgment because both Buchanan and King had their personal papers burned after death. Skeptics will note that in 1819, at age 28, Buchanan was engaged to Anne Coleman, daughter of a rich Pennsylvania ironmaster. Ultimately, she canceled the engagement and shortly thereafter apparently committed suicide. A rumor in the 1850s had Buchanan involved with Sarah Childress Polk, the widow of President James Polk, but it was never substantiated. In all, there is no evidence that he ever was intimately involved with another woman. At best it could suggest Buchanan was bisexual. By not openly discussing this moment, we forget that being gay in the mid-19th century did not automatically exclude a man from national leadership. The idea that some people, including politicians and social leaders, are gay was not news or shocking to our forefathers. Americans generally considered it a private matter, and irrelevant to holding or performing public office. We obscure or even deny all this history, and, consequently, we miseducated our children and misdirect our attention. Moreover, we obfuscate perhaps the one positive step we took as a country in electing James Buchanan, who makes almost every list of the worst U.S. presidents. So, sorry, Pete Buttigieg, you can't aim to be the first gay president, although you could be the first married gay president. Let's stop pretending Buchanan was a bachelor, and take a lesson from our forebears. Instead of focusing on a candidate's sexuality, let's spend our time assessing their aptitude to lead our country in this perilous moment in history. - - - Ezekiel Emanuel is vice provost for global initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania. Later this month, another Alabama hospital will close. This marks the states thirteenth hospital closing in eight years. Unfortunately, this has become all too common in the state and it puts many lives at risk. Our state and nations health care system should be the number one priority, but we need to focus on appropriate solutions that will solve this problem, not create new ones. As administrator for Choctaw General Hospital in Butler, Ala., a small rural town in the Black Belt, I see firsthand every day the rural health challenges our state faces with disparities and lack of access. Im encouraged by the strides our health care system has made to improve on ACA and identify real solutions moving forward. One of these solutions is expanding Medicaid. Many of our patients rely on Medicaid to get the health care coverage they need. Recently, Rep. Terri Sewell and Sen. Doug Jones made Medicaid expansion their top priority by sponsoring legislation that would give states like Alabama incentives for expanding Medicaid. This is commonsense legislation that would have a tremendous impact on our rural hospitals and health care system. From left, U.S. Sen. Doug Jones is joined by: Glenn Sisk, CEO of Coosa Valley Medical Center in Sylacauga; U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell; Grove Hill Mayor Cynthia Jackson; and Vernon Johnson, CEO of Dale Medical Center in Ozark. However, some members of Congress have proposed a Medicare for all plan in which the government runs everyones health care coverage. Elizabeth Warren was in Alabama last week visiting Selma and discussed her support of a Medicare for all plan. Shes part of a group of outspoken Democrats pushing for a massive overhaul of the countrys healthcare system. Providing greater access to care for Americans is important, but a one-size-fits-all approach to coverage will only exacerbate our current problems and create new ones. The American Hospital Association and the Federation of American Hospitals (FAH) recently released a report that examined the Medicare for all plan. It found that under the government-run plan, hospitals would be faced with $774 billion in cuts. Alabama specifically would lose $10.9 billion under a Medicare public option proposal. This would be detrimental to many hospitals, especially in rural areas, which are already facing financial setbacks that could impact patient access and care. Medicaid has helped millions of Americans receive health-care coverage. The Alabama Hospital Association estimates that about 326,000 Alabamians could gain health care coverage if Medicaid was expanded in the state. This is the health care reform we need instead of a complete overhaul of the system that would harm patients and providers. Its time we put patients first and focus on solutions that make sense. J.W. Cowan is Administrator for Choctaw General Hospital in Butler, Alabama Engineering and construction conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Tuesday made an open offer to acquire a 31 per cent stake in IT services firm Mindtree for Rs 5,030 crore ($730.20 million). L&T offered to buy 5.13 crore fully paid-up equity shares of Rs 10 each from Mindtree at Rs 980 apiece. Last week, L&T bought 20.40 per cent stake in Mindtree from Cafe Coffee Day founder VG Siddhartha for about Rs 3,300 crore and said it would raise its stake in Mindtree to 66.32 per cent by spending as much as Rs 7,464 crore through a combination of open offer and stock market purchase. The company plans to acquire majority stake in the company, which has hit the hurdle as the promoters of the IT services company vocally opposed the takeover, saying that the engineering giant will bring no value to their company. The Mindtree promoters--including Chairman Krishnakumar Natarajan, Subroto Bagchi, Managing Director Rostow Ravanan and Chief Operating Officer NS Parthasarathy--are holding an aggregate 13.32 per cent stake in the company. According to back-of-the-envelope calculation, the promoters of Mindtree will get Rs 2,144 crore for their 13.32 per cent stake at Rs 980 a share. Also Read: Will L&T splurge more to woo Mindtree promoters? In a separate development, Mindtree board, at its meeting today, decided not to proceed with a buyback of equity shares of the company. Further, the board invited views from the directors on the unsolicited offer made by L&T for the equity shares of the company. It has decided to immediately constitute the Committee of Independent Directors (IDC) in the interest of all stakeholders to provide their reasoned recommendation in respect of the unsolicited offer by L&T for the consideration of the shareholders. "All the independent directors will be members of the IDC, and the IDC has elected Apurva Purohit, lead independent director, as the chairperson of the IDC and spokesperson," Mindtree said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange. Also Read: 'Our parents had no money, they only gave us idealism': Subroto Bagchi writes motivational letter to Mindtree employees The company said that IDC will consider and evaluate all aspects of the unsolicited offer, taking into account all relevant facts, circumstances, data related to the Company and industry and the interests of all stakeholders involved. This committee will be supported by independent legal and financial advisors to help it with its deliberations. Meanwhile, shares of Mindtree closed 1.1 per cent higher at Rs 950.55 apiece on the BSE on Tuesday. Edited by Chitranjan Kumar Sydney, Australia How should you respond to a deadly mass shooting if you are a gun rights advocate? First, Say nothing. If media queries persist, go on the offence, offence, offence. Smear gun-control groups. Shame them with statements such as How dare you stand on the graves of those children to put forward your political agenda? This was the advice the USs most powerful gun lobby gave Australias One Nation party, according to an Al Jazeera investigation, when representatives of the Australian far-right group sought guidance from the National Rifle Association (NRA) on loosening the Pacific countrys strict gun laws. The NRAs playbook on mass shootings came to light during the course of a three-year undercover sting by Al Jazeeras Investigative Unit. Rodger Muller, an Australian undercover reporter who infiltrated the gun lobbies in the US and Australia, used a hidden camera to record a series of meetings between representatives of the NRA and One Nation in Washington, DC in September last year. The secretly filmed footage provides a rare inside view of how the NRA deliberates over mass shootings and seeks to manipulate media coverage to push its pro-gun agenda. Australias One Nation party, led by Senator Pauline Hanson, has long sought to relax the countrys gun laws, which ban almost all automatic and semi-automatic rifles and shotguns. The rules, some of the toughest in the world, were introduced in 1996 after a gunman with a semiautomatic rifle killed 35 people in the town of Port Arthur. Since then, Australia has had no mass shootings where the attackers did not know their victims. However, the NRA has denounced Australias laws as not the definition of common sense. The graves of those children Muller, Al Jazeeras undercover reporter who posed as a gun-rights campaigner, introduced One Nations Chief of Staff, James Ashby, and the leader of its Queensland branch, Steve Dickson, to the NRA, and travelled with the pair to Washington, DC last year. Ashby and Dickson were hoping to secure up to $20m in political donations from supporters of the US gun lobby. In meetings at the NRAs Virginia headquarters, officials provided Ashby and Dickson tips to galvanise public support to change Australias gun laws and coached the pair on how to respond to a mass shooting. The best method to handle media inquiries in the wake of a massacre was to say nothing, according to Catherine Mortensen, an NRA media liaison officer. But if inquiries persisted, she recommended an offensive communications strategy. That included deflecting public concern by smearing supporters of gun control. Just shame them to the whole idea, said Lars Dalseide, another member of the NRAs public relations team. If your policy, isnt good enough to stand on itself, how dare you use their deaths to push that forward. How dare you stand on the graves of those children to put forward your political agenda? Dickson responded: I love that, thank you. Then, explaining how the NRA manipulated media coverage, Dalseide told One Nation to enlist the services of friendly reporters. You have somebody who leans to your side that worked at a newspaper, maybe he was covering city hall or was a crime reporter, Dalseide said. We want to print up stories about people who were robbed, had their home invaded, were beaten or whatever it might be and that could have been helped had they had a gun. And thats going to be the angle on your stories. Thats what hes got to write. Hes got to put out two to five of those a week. Outrage of the week Another NRA tip was to ghost-write columns for pro-gun law enforcement officials. We pitch guest columns in the local papers, said Mortensen. A lot of the times, well write them for like a local sheriff in Wisconsin or whatever. And hell draft it or she will help us draft it. Well do a lot of the legwork because these people are busy. And this is our job. So, well help them and theyll submit it with their name on it so that it looks organic. You know, that its coming from that community. But we will have a role behind the scenes. As for social media, the NRA recommended producing short videos that highlight how useful a gun is for self-defence. These are hugely popular and theyre short little snippets. You know, Joe Blow, cashier at the local convenience store, had his firearm with him and protected himself, said Mortensen. Those are good because theyre short and they kind of get you outraged. We call it like the outrage of the week. During the same meeting, Dickson told the NRA that African gangs imported to Australia were committing rape and burglary in the country, including coming into the house with baseball bats to steal your car. To that, Dalseide advised the following: Every time theres a story there about the African gangs coming in with baseball bats, a little thing you can put out there, maybe at the top of a tweet or Facebook post or whatever, like with not allowed to defend their home, not allowed to defend their home. Boom. The NRA officials named in this report, One Nation, Dickson and Ashby did not respond to Al Jazeeras requests for comment. Johannesburg, South Africa Joe Slovo Drive is a gateway to Johannesburgs inner city. It leads to an intersection into town or up to a freeway onto multiple nodes of the metropolis. For years it was plagued by crime. People were urged to beware of criminals who would smash and grab valuables from car seats, hold drivers at gunpoint to hijack their vehicles or steal from pedestrians. Some avoided the road completely, creating a warren of alternative routes into the city. At the intersection today, safety wardens stand at the traffic lights two men dressed in shirts and ties, each holding a sjambok, a thin leather whip with a loaded history. It was used to punish Malay slaves, by the Voortrekkers, to drive oxen and later became a symbol of apartheid police. More recently, the whip has been used at student rallies and in several malicious attacks. Whether it is the controversial weapon or the presence of the men holding them once criminals themselves crime at the intersection has plummeted. Captain Munyai of the Jeppe Police Station said it has been a long time since the local station received a report of an incident. Since theyve been standing there, our smash and grabs are very low. The crime rate there now is very low, he told Al Jazeera. As crime fell, officers kept asking themselves: Whos the owner of this company? Who do they report to? I can only imagine some of the threats they must get from the criminals. I think they're very brave. Frank Leya, local resident Collin Khumalo is an unusual candidate to lead an initiative cleaning up what was once one of Johannesburgs hottest crime spots. In 1995, he was sentenced to life plus 45 years in jail for armed robbery and murder, where he ran a notorious prison gang. Sitting in his simple office in South Africas biggest city, almost five years after his release, he said: When youre in the gang, you become cold, you cant love anyone, you dont have sympathy for anyone. When youre in that space, for me, fighting someone was, if I didnt do it, I didnt feel OK. In Kutama Sinthumule Correctional Centre, gangs used religious meetings as opportunities to strategise, issue orders, share weapons and get cannabis. But in 2001, he met a pastor who broke a wall showed [me] that human beings can still love other human beings. I remember thinking that I wanted to change. His allies in prison insisted he couldnt leave the gang, but Khumalo was sure. [I told them], guys if you kill me you kill me, but Im not coming back. Safety warden Bennett Ranthoka takes pride in the difference his team have made in the area [Tshego Mmahlatji/Al Jazeera] In his remaining years in prison, he concentrated on church and education and formed a committee called Fear Free Life, a programme started by inmates addressing the core of rehabilitation of offenders, he said. He wrote modules on moral regeneration, understanding gangsterism, how to leave gangs and adopting a positive lifestyle. After presenting the programme to prison management, Fear Free Life began classes. In the first class, 60 students packed into a room meant for 30, he said. There was a hunger from people for transformation and change. When transferred to Johannesburg Prison, the programme travelled with Khumalo and was adopted across all four sections of the facility. It reduced crime In 2013 he was released on day parole and launched Fear Free Life as a non-profit organisation, setting up offices near Joe Slovo Drive. Soon, he met local property owners who wanted to reduce crime in the area. Propertuity, Jozi Housing, Trafalgar, Mafadi all contributed something towards the project, and then it flew, he said, clicking a finger. It reduced crime at that intersection, I think it was from 100 to 0. This branch of the project, Urban Initiatives, now works in several areas of the city. The safety wardens take an active role to keep the busy intersection crime-free [Tshego Mmahlatji/Al Jazeera] More than 250 people are now employed in the non-profit, most of whom are former offenders, paid through the support of City Improvement Districts, property owners, business people that need our services, Khumalo said. Zola Dambula, chairperson of the local Community Police Forum, said: The community around Berea are very much appreciative of their presence there. Despite its apparent success, the initiative raises questions about the possible threat of violence to deter criminals. But according to Urban Initiatives finance manager, Darlington Radebe, the team of safety wardens stays in close contact with a security company, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department and the South African Police Service in the area. The key to our strength is recruiting mostly reformed gang members and inmates and most of them they actually grew [up] on the streets, they know how the streets work, said Radebe. If criminals are armed, they use radio communication to call on security officers and a response team. Were not a security company, said Khumalo. We mainly do patrolling, cleaning, and other jobs that our clients might require us to do within the ambits of the law. Because it is funded by the private sector, others question if Urban Initiatives is another example of how safety in the country is the reserve of people who can afford it. South Africas private security industry is among the largest in the world. In 2017, a third more was spent on private security than the governments police budget. Regular commuters have formed a friendly relationship with the men on patrol [Tshego Mmahlatji/Al Jazeera] The safety wardens patrolling Joe Slovo Rd at the Abel Rd intersection are yet another plaster on the festering wound of inequality in South Africa, said Simon Sizwe Mayson, whose doctoral research and work in the neighbourhood explores inequality and socio-economic wellbeing. As a short term fix, Urban Initiatives seems to do a better job than other security companies, without guns. They employ past offenders that would otherwise find it very difficult to earn an income. He added, however, that the projects success is based on inequality. In essence, its the have-nots protecting the haves [the car owners] from the have-nots. The wound is still there. Violence will rise. Collective wellbeing will sink, even for the rich, until there is a collective movement towards greater equality. Public support While working on the 51st floor of Ponte the once-notorious cylindrical skyscraper of apartments overlooking the intersection local resident Frank Leya said he used to witness the regular onslaught of smash and grabs happening. But ever since those guys came, we see them walk through traffic to make sure there isnt any smash and grabs, he said. Workers walking through Yeoville used to get mugged by that intersection but a lot of that is not happening any more. You can even drive with your windows down when its hot, you know? Theyve made the biggest difference. And theyre still there late at night when community members walk to and from the taxis. The problem is we dont have a lot of them so theres only so much they can do. I can only imagine some of the threats they must get from the criminals. I think theyre very brave. Sometimes I think about looking for another job but I can't leave here, I need to keep it safe. Bennett Ranthoka, safety warden On duty, safety warden Bennett Ranthokas chest puffs out as he fans his hand along Joe Slovo Drive. People come with toy guns, with real guns, I dont care, he said. I chase them away. He talks about the difference theyve made at the intersection and then sighs. Sometimes I think about looking for another job but I cant leave here, I need to keep it safe. Beside him, a woman carrying a baby on her back waits at the traffic light. He gestures towards them. You see, theyre safe. Im here so theyre safe. Afzal Kohistani, who campaigned against honour killings carried out seven years ago, was shot earlier this month. Allai, Pakistan Afzal Kohistani had lost hope of ever getting the security he needed. The last time he approached the police in the northern Pakistani city of Abbottabad for protection, they dragged him inside the police station and beat him for hours. Weeks later, the 30-year-old was back in Abbottabad for another hearing in a case that he had single-handedly kept alive for seven years, after the murders of at least three women and three of Afzals brothers over a matter of honour. Soon, he would be the latest victim, a manifestation of the high, and incessant, cost of attempting to extract justice in cases involving so-called honour crimes in Pakistan, which have claimed at least 4,900 lives since 2012, according to data from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). Afzal hails from the Palas valley, in the remote northern Pakistani region of Kohistan, about 350km by road from the capital Islamabad. Strictly conservative cultural traditions are enforced in the region through tribal councils known as jirgas. In 2012, two of Afzals brothers appeared in a video alongside four women, singing and dancing in a small room during a wedding. The women Begum Jan, Shireen Jan, Bazigha and Amna sat in a line, clapping in time to the music as Bin Yasir filmed them, and Gul Nazar danced by himself in a corner. When the video leaked into public knowledge, a jirga was ordered. The boys and girls were from different tribes and, as such, their meeting was forbidden under local custom. Javed Azadkhel, a local Muslim leader from the girls Azadkhel tribe headed the meeting, and declared that both the men and women must be killed. (The leader refused to be interviewed for this story, but denied any wrongdoing in comments by telephone.) Afzal, fearing for his brothers lives, made his way to Islamabad, holding a press conference outside the Supreme Court in May 2012, demanding the men and womens lives be protected. A week later, he reported the women had been killed. His two brothers, meanwhile, had fled into hiding. Since then, Afzal had pursued the case at every level with the police, government bodies and through the courts, attempting to have the perpetrators arrested and his family given protection. In 2013, three of his elder brothers not the ones in the video were shot dead when gunmen from the girls tribe ambushed them outside a mosque. He had come to Abbottabad about 145km from the remote village where his family has lived in hiding for seven years for yet another hearing, as the case continued to wind through Pakistans labyrinthine court system. In the course of the court proceedings, the Azadkhel admitted in November that three of the women were killed, but claimed it was done by a family member, Shamsuddin, who himself was killed in 2018. A view of the busy Sarban bazaar in Abbottabad, where Afzal Kohistani was shot dead [Asad Hashim/ Al Jazeera] On the evening of March 6, in the busy Sarban market, where you can buy everything from school bags to dried fruit, Afzal hailed a Suzuki pick-up van and got in the back. Alongside him was his nephew Faiz-ur-Rehman, who often accompanied him on these trips to court for protection. Afzal took out his phone and spoke to Nazar, his brother, briefly, before browsing through Facebook, waiting for the van to depart. There were no other passengers. Minutes later, eyewitnesses heard at least four shots ring out. Faiz ran out of the vehicle, firing Afzals pistol into the air before chasing after the three men he says attacked them. He was arrested with a gun in his hand while appearing to police to be fleeing the crime scene, minutes later. Afzal Kohistani lay in a pool of blood in the van, already dead. We have nothing left Gul Nazar, 28, a slim but robustly built young man with thick, dark brown hair, is seven years older but unmistakably the same face as was seen in the grainy wedding video. Faiz was sent there for Afzals safety. A nephew is like a son how can a son kill his father? he asks, alleging three men, Abdul Hameed, Mausam Khan and Habib-ur-Rehman, from the girls tribe carried out the attack. Police told Al Jazeera Mausam Khan is in custody, and they are continuing to search for the other two. [Afzal] screamed in every corner of Pakistan, he knocked on every door. But he got no justice, says Nazar, sitting in the small three-room concrete and tin-roofed house outside a small village in the Allai valley, where the family has been hiding out since 2012. And now he has been killed. And now we say the same thing: there is a danger to us, there is a danger to our family. Back in the village in Kohistan, he says, the perpetrators have been boasting about the killing. They are telling everyone. They are enjoying it. They say that Afzal was a difficult target, because he was interacting with the state. If we can kill him, killing the rest [of us] is easy. Nazar lives with Bin Yasir, the other brother in the video, and their eldest brother Gul Shahzad in the ramshackle home, little more than a hut perched on a mountainside with no running water, electricity or heating. Kohistanis brother Bin Yasir, 25, who was in the original video, came to the capital Islamabad seeking legal aid and the support of the government to get justice [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera] In all, 44 people live in the cramped quarters, including his brothers five widows and all of their children. For years, Afzal had managed to get donations and funds to the family to keep the household going. The other brothers are too afraid to leave their home, certain that betraying their location or identity would lead to an attack. Nazar and Yasir were studying in Mansehra when the jirgas decision was announced. They have not been home since, and never completed their degrees. I cant even go to the bazaar, or to the road to do a days manual labour, says Nazar. Bin Yasir, 25, says he fears for the familys future and is uncertain how they will make ends meet without Afzals help. We are not able to provide for ourselves or our families, he said. We are living imprisoned in our home for seven years. Afzal was still finding a way to make things work, but now we have nothing left, and we dont know how to continue surviving. In the small courtyard where the women of the family prepare food each day, a child screams happily as he plays with a plastic tricycle. The eight women and 21 daughters of the household, meanwhile, remain sequestered in a small room for the duration of Al Jazeeras visit. Insiders, outsiders and controlling women This very feudal and tribal nature of patriarchy, it really sees women as property or a sexual object, as belonging to men, says Farzana Bari, a rights activist who travelled to Afzals village twice in 2012 on judicial fact-finding missions. She said on the second occasion, locals presented two imposters for questioning, claiming they were the women in the video. A later mission by a judge, Shoaib Khan, reported the same thing occurring. Facial recognition analysis on one of the girls carried out by the UK-based Digital Barriers, done at the request of activists in 2013, bears this assertion out, saying it was unlikely the woman the missions met was the one in the video. Nazish Brohi, a researcher who focuses on gender, says the complicity of the community in covering up the crime comes from a division between what villagers consider to be insiders and outsiders, and the fact that policing womens behaviour and bodies is considered a subject only to be arbitrated by the community itself. They are happy for the state to secure the street, but they certainly dont want the state talking about domestic violence and coming into the home, she says. The silence, that comes from the fact that even if they are from a different tribe or family, they share the same world view, principles, beliefs and ethical universe. In that sense, they know that they are coming at it from within the same internal logic of the [villages moral] framework. Bari argues the subjugation of women and the policing of their bodies and movements whether in Kohistan or elsewhere stems from an economic base. Male domination has a very material base of controlling women and womens labour, she says. Women are free domestic labour at home. That status quo, no man wants to dismantle. There is a dividend of patriarchy which every male enjoys. Brohi agrees, but argues while the economic base is changing in Pakistan, social structures such as strictly conservative tribal customs are slow to catch up. Economic structures have changed and evolved, but the superstructures havent caught up, she says. What we are seeing is a moment of disconnect, with social systems trying to catch up with economic realities. Brohi argues when the economy was purely agrarian, it was a choice of collaborating or starving. That led to collectivised senses of identity, as opposed to looking at rights as being derived at the individual level. When a woman decides to run away with her lover, its not just her own body she is making a decision about, because in rural Pakistan even now marriage is a tool of governance. In that context, where people are creating their own configurations, one person acting on their own disrupts the whole system. Afzal Kohistanis younger brother Gul Nazar, 28, who appeared in the 2012 video, has been living in hiding for years, and cannot even go to the bazaar to buy basic necessities out of fear for his life [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera] After the women were killed, Gul Nazar says, the Azadkhel tribe held a jirga, inviting members of other clans to witness what they had done, just as they boasted of killing his brother Afzal years later. For sociologist Saadia Toor, who studies gender and power relations, that fact is not surprising, because acts meant to restore honour must be public to have that effect. [The punishment] reproduces the social code, she says. It is not just about punishing the transgressor, but it is about having the punishment serve as a lesson to everyone else, that this is what happens when you break the social code. That has to be public for it to work. Impossible to escape At least 419 people were killed over issues of honour across Pakistan last year, according to HRCP data on reported cases. That number is down from at least 919 killings in 2012, the year the Kohistan video case occurred. Afzal Kohistanis travel bag hangs on a peg in the room he shared with several others in their house in Allai [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera] Despite Afzals murder, his family says they will not stop fighting for justice for their brothers and the women who were killed. We are not willing to compromise on [opposing these jirgas], said Muhammad Ishaq, Kohistanis cousin, at a recent meeting with Pakistans National Commission of Human Rights. They shot Afzal. They can shoot me 100 times, but we will not compromise on this, he said, his eyes flashing with anger. Bari, however, fears that statement may be too close to the truth. Nothing will happen. This boy [Faiz] will remain in jail. Possibly these two boys, if they are not protected, they will also be killed. And there will be silence. No one will talk about it, and it will be forgotten. For Gul Nazar, too, all these years after the video first emerged, there is a sense there is no escaping his societys retribution. It is completely impossible to escape. Six years is a short time it could be 100 years and the same thing would happen. If we fall into their hands, they wont leave a single one of us alive. Outside, the rain falls gently on Afzal Kohistanis grave. Afzal Kohistanis grave stands in the shadow of a government high school, a few metres away from the home he fled in the Allai Valley [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera] Asad Hashim is Al Jazeeras digital correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia The mere thought of stepping outside during a Mongolian winter is enough to chill ones bones. For years, Mongolian children have braved the frigid winter for a taste of glory, risking life and limbs to win prize money for their families. Thanks to the efforts of human rights advocates, they will no longer. In late January, the Mongolian government banned horse races during the winter which, in Mongolia, lasts from October to May. Horse racing has caused injuries to many Mongolian children even leading to deaths in some cases who are preferred to adult jockeys because of their smaller size. Government figures show that in 2017, 10,435 children participated in horse races, out of which 169 were injured and two died. In winter, risks are heightened as children suffer frostbite while riding in cold and windy conditions. Moreover, the visibility is lower so the fear of getting lost or thrown from a horse is high. Despite years of protest by child welfare groups, change has been slow. Horse racing is a lucrative business in Mongolia, as members of parliament and other elite members of the society own many of the racehorses and hire child jockeys from poor families as their riders. In a country with a rural poverty rate of 35 percent, parents often depend on their childrens earnings for their familys survival. Horse racing and herding are integral to Mongolian culture. Chinggis Khans horseback warriors are the stuff of Mongol legends and still today, a nomads wealth is in great part measured by how many horses he keeps. But those opposed to winter horse racing argue that it is rooted in elite greed, rather than in tradition. Child welfare advocate Bolorsaikhan Badamsambuu explained that winter horse racing has only emerged over the last two decades as a tool for elite income generation and networking. UNESCO has recognised Nadaam, a July holiday celebrating horse racing, archery, and wrestling, as part of Mongolias intangible cultural heritage. However, as Badamsambuu argues, children racing in winter is not part of this tradition. The current Mongolian horse-racing obsession is promoting all-seasons horse racing and is destroying the lives of children. The legal battle to outlaw winter and childrens horse racing has been led by Baasanjargal Khurelbaatar, an Ulaanbaatar-based lawyer who took on the case pro bono. She worked with 27 civil society organisations to present the case in the countrys Supreme Court. While her group has been successful in changing legislation, enforcement may be difficult. The lawyers did what we were supposed to do. Now government organisations must work even harder to protect children, Khurelbaatar told Al Jazeera. While the US decision to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights is primarily being explained away with geopolitics, it, in fact, has much more to do with US domestic politics. With this move, President Donald Trump aims to cement the gradual shift in partisan support of Israel from the Democrats to the Republicans and rally evangelical Christians around his presidency. He chose to sign the Golan Heights sovereignty decree on March 25 as American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the main Israel lobby group in the United States, was holding its annual conference in Washington. This year, the event took place against the backdrop of Democratic House Representative Ilhan Omars comments criticising the lobby and the decision of a number of Democratic presidential candidates to boycott it. Trump and members of his administration took the opportunity to attack the Democratic Party, with Vice President Mike Pence rebuking the Democratic party for being afraid to stand with the strongest supporters of Israel in America. A few days earlier, Trump was even more explicit: I dont know what happened to them, but they are totally anti-Israel. Frankly, I think they are anti-Jewish. The White House is purposefully feeding a narrative that the Democrats commitment to Israel is wavering and that there are growing signs of what one former Trump campaign aide has called Jexodus the supposed exodus of American Jews from the Democratic camp, which they have traditionally supported, to the Republican one. Although there is scant evidence that Jewish voters are switching to the Republican Party en masse, there are indications that attitudes towards Israel within the Democratic base are changing. In a December 2017 CNN survey, 71 percent of Democrat respondents opposed the US moving its embassy to Jerusalem, while 79 percent of Republicans approved. The bipartisan divide over Israel is growing and will continue to grow as millennials become more influential in US politics within the American electorate. But despite Trump seemingly encouraging a Jexodus, it is not the Jewish vote he is after; Jews are only two to three percent of the American electorate. Rather, his goal is to secure the support of and a high turnout in the 2020 presidential election among evangelical Christians, who make up 25 percent of the US population. The evangelical community supports Zionism, although for a different reason than Jews, and a number of its members occupy prominent positions in the Trump administration. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo touted his evangelical links on his recent visit to Israel. Asked by the Jerusalem-based Christian Broadcasting Network interviewer whether Trump was sent by God like Queen Esther to help save the Jewish people from the Iranian menace, Pompeo replied: As a Christian, I certainly believe thats possible. Trumps right-wing politics and unconditional support for Israel have been enthusiastically welcomed by the Israeli right. The US president boasted earlier this month that he would poll at 98 percent if he were to run in the Israeli elections. His popularity among Israelis has jumped from 56 percent in 2017 to 69 percent, according to a survey by Pew Research Center. There has always been a complex political symmetry between Israeli and US politics. Right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu never got along with two liberal US presidents; Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. However, Trump is the gift that keeps on giving. The US president has regularly come to Netanyahus rescue with major US policy decisions made in Israels favour, whenever the embattled Israeli prime minister had faced a domestic crisis. The Golan Heights announcement, for example, came right after the Israeli attorney generals office declared its intention to indict the Israeli prime minister in three corruption cases. The current collusion between right-wing leaders in both the US and Israel is unprecedented and is marginalising the left in both countries and pushing back against what they perceive as liberal institutions, most notably the media and the judiciary branch. Trump hopes to use this alliance to engineer a sway to the right in US politics, similar to the one in Israel. While political decisions favouring Israel are certainly boosting Trumps and Netanyahus chances of re-election, they are conflicting with other US objectives in the Middle East. Pompeos March 22 visit to Beirut, for example, was eclipsed by Trumps decision on the Golan Heights, which undermined his call on local political forces to deter Hezbollah. The Trump-Netanyahu alliance is putting Arab allies of Washington in a difficult position, as unconditional US gifts to Israel are increasingly antagonising the Arab public. These policy distractions undertaken by the Trump administration are undermining the USs attempt to deter Iran and are in many ways helping Tehrans anti-US narrative. The growing alliance between the US evangelicals and the Israeli right is polarising US and Middle East politics and, while it may secure short-term electoral gains for Trump and Netanyahu, in the long term, it may prove disastrous. The pursuit of policies motivated by biblical interpretations risks not only derailing US foreign policy, just like it did under the Bush administration, but also alienating some Republican voters, especially millennials. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. The UK House of Commons has just seized control of Brexit. So what happens next? Simon Usherwood is Professor of Politics at the University of Surrey, and Dep Director of the "UK in a Changing Europe". This week, the British Parliament decided to take Brexit into its own hands. On Monday night, they accepted an amendment that means they will now spend the coming days taking a series of indicative votes essentially, votes to test the extent of support for a number of options that the United Kingdom could follow in its slow and painful withdrawal from the European Union. This decision by Members of Parliament is significant because it is the first time that they have pushed back against the government of Theresa May in a way that might fundamentally change the path of Brexit. Yes, MPs did vote (twice) against the deal that May had brought back from her negotiations with the EU, but on both occasions, they effectively left it up to her to work out the next steps. By contrast, the indicative votes have the potential to force choices on the government. But this is not without its difficulties. Voting on what? Firstly, Parliament has to decide what those choices might be. Its one thing to say that it doesnt like the current Withdrawal Agreement, but quite another to map out the alternatives. In practice, these break down into two main categories: options on outcome and options on procedure. The current deal says that the UK and EU will work towards an extensive free trade agreement, but with the UK outside of the EUs single market and customs union. These imply a relatively distant relationship the single market and customs union are at the heart of the EUs economic integration. So Parliament will want to consider whether committing to staying within either or both of these is preferable. Those options are consistent with what the EU might be willing to negotiate in a future relationship after membership, but Parliament has also seen other ideas that are much less acceptable. These include the Malthouse Compromise and the Brady amendment, both of which seek among other things to renegotiate the Irish backstop element of the Withdrawal Agreement, something that the Europeans have ruled out doing. Procedurally, the big question facing Parliament is whether to throw the matter back to the electorate with another referendum. While this lacks a large degree of support among MPs at present, it might look more appealing if those MPs decide they want to pursue a course of action that is very different from the one undertaken so far by the government. At the most basic level, the choice of options that MPs will select from is likely to be a very political process, so it will need to be seen to be fair if it is to produce a useful conclusion. Voting how? That need for fairness extends to the second major problem: How to select among the options? Parliament does not have much experience in these kinds of votes and the last major attempt on House of Lords reform back in the late 1990s produced an outcome where no one option got majority support. Here the choice for MPs is whether to simply gauge their views or to force them towards more of a consensus. It is quite simple to produce a list of options and then to ask MPs to indicate which is their preferred one. But if theres one thing that has been clear in recent months it is that there is no course of action that a majority supports. The only exception to this is a strong desire to avoid leaving without a deal, but that is not sufficient by itself to guide what happens instead. What seems likely then is some system of ranking or preferential voting, possibly done in several rounds, to knock out the least-popular options and to try and build more support for alternatives. This makes sense in trying to get a more determined answer from MPs, but it also underlines how important it is that there is an appropriate selection of options for them to choose from. To take just one (very possible) scenario, it may be that there is a majority for some second-best option that has hardly any support as a first choice. If MPs havent been asked about their ordering of preferences, then that second-best compromise might have been knocked out of the running before it can emerge. By the same token, voting systems contain the potential to produce perverse outcomes. The authors of the process that will be used must be aware of the biases and incentives that will be present and clear to MPs about how the process itself will shape the outcome. Voting for what purpose? The final challenge facing Parliament on these votes will be the extent to which the government takes any notice of the outcome. Theresa May already indicated on Monday that she would not be willing to follow instructions that went against her partys election manifesto; that is she will reject any plan to maintain membership in the single market or customs union. Since the government controls the very large part of the Commons business, MPs might find that they have spent much effort on something that is effectively ignored. In that situation, the big question will be whether MPs take a further step to shape matters by changing their rules the ones that currently give the government so much power to produce new decisions that compel May and her ministers to follow the will of Parliament. That would be a big step for a body that has long been relatively weak in asserting its powers, but would bring it more in line with equivalents in other countries. Of course, such actions would not be without consequences. In the context of Brexit, the EU might find it hard to know whether the government or Parliament is now in charge of negotiations, with all the issues that this might produce. If there is a lasting stand-off between different parts of the UK system how is the EU going to be able to plot a course that both reaches a stable outcome and that protects its own interests? In the face of such uncertainty, the EU might feel it is better just to walk away from more confusion and instability. Domestically, such a move would underline just how weak the current government has become. For some MPs, that might just be the push they need towards deciding that the time has come to call it a day and to allow a general election to take place. And how that would turn out is even more uncertain and problematic than these indicative votes, especially given the depth of feeling on all sides about this process. Given that both the Conservatives and Labour lack clear policies on Brexit, even a general election might not resolve the issue in a lasting way. Just as the UK is finding Brexit difficult to get a handle on, so too might Parliament find that there are no easy answers. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Scott Morrison says laws were made to criminalise taking foreign political donations to prevent lobbyists influence. Australias prime minister on Tuesday expressed concern over an Al Jazeera report that an influential minor political party had asked the US gun lobby for donations to help undermine Australian gun laws. A three-year Al Jazeera investigation showed One Nation party officials Steve Dickson and James Ashby flew to the United States for meetings with the National Rifle Association and other pro-gun interest groups in September last year, just weeks before the Australian Parliament banned foreign political donations. It is unclear whether they secured any money. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his government had made laws to criminalise taking foreign political donations so foreign lobbyists cannot seek to influence our politics. Reports that senior One Nation officials courted foreign political donations from the US gun lobby to influence our elections & undermine our gun laws that keep us safe are deeply concerning. Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) March 25, 2019 The Al Jazeera report, using secret recordings made by Rodger Muller, a journalist posing as a gun lobbyist, with a hidden camera, comes ahead of Australian elections expected in May. One Nation, an anti-Muslim party that had four senators after the 2016 election but has been left with two after defections, said in a statement that all party members have always complied with the law. The NRA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Accusing Al Jazeera of vote meddling, One Nation said it complained to the main domestic security agency and police due to concerns of foreign interference into Australian politics in the lead up to the imminent federal election, it said. Al Jazeera are a state-owned propaganda arm of the Qatari government and are not a legitimate media organisation, the party said. The role of One Nation in promoting right-wing nationalism in Australia has come under the spotlight in recent days following the killing of 50 Muslims in New Zealand, allegedly by an Australian white supremacist. New Zealand has responded by banning a range of semi-automatic weapons and foreshadowing a government-funded buyback of newly outlawed guns. The countrys response is similar to how Australia strengthened its gun laws following the murders of 35 people by a lone gunman in 1996 in Tasmania. India's tinkering with lead economic indicators and suppression of discomforting economic data is prompting global economists to plan an independent index for India, former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan told India Today TV's Rajdeep Sardesai and Rajeev Dubey. "There is a whole lot of noise around our statistics to the extent that investors are starting to get worried and people are talking about a Li Keqiang index for India," says Rajan. The Li Keqiang Index was created by The Economist and named after head of China's Liaoning province who allegedly said he did not trust government statistics and maintained his own index of broad industrial indicators that couldn't be easily fudged such as electricity consumption and railway volume. India has restructured the GDP methodology and, of late, withheld discomforting employment data prepared by NSSO which suggested unemployment is at a 4-decade high. India also held back FDI data inexplicably. ALSO READ:108 economists denounce tinkering with India's economic indicators; call for unity Earlier this month, 108 economists had issued a statement objecting to the tinkering with India's economic indicators. "The national and global reputation of India's statistical bodies is at stake. More than that, statistical integrity is crucial for generating data that would feed into economic policy-making and that would make for honest and democratic public discourse," the economists said in a statement. Their move was later countered by 131 chartered accountants who endorsed the government's statistics and called the economists' intervention "baseless allegations with political motivations". A US State Department memo exposed by WikiLeaks said, Li Keqiang who was then the People's Party Committee Secretary for Liaoning, told US ambassador that he did not trust Liaoning's GDP numbers. Hence, he created his index of three leading indicators: Rail cargo volume, electricity consumption and credit issued by banks. ALSO READ:Arun Jaitley writes off economists' concerns over data integrity, calls campaign politically motivated Investment bank Haitong Securities also used the term 'Keqiang index' in its index to indicate the deceleration in China's economy since 2013. "Some people are developing a Li Kequiang Index for India because they are no longer paying attention to the GDP numbers. Our GDP numbers are not being trusted by international investors which is why we need some outside opinion, a committee of experts, may not be all from outside the country but who can reliably pronounce on the quality of our statistical structure," says Rajan. Incidentally, right after the restructuring of India's GDP methodology, Mumbai-based broking firm Ambit Capital had created its own Keqiang Index. Ambit's Keqiang Index captured power consumption, air cargo, vehicles sales and capital goods imports. ALSO READ:Raghuram Rajan endorses NYAY but sceptical of funding, says no space for Rs 7 lakh crore subsidy The Hindu nationalist BJP party has been engaged in a bloody struggle with the TMC party to gain support in West Bengal. At an election rally in the state of West Bengal in India, a local leader from Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) described how workers from the states ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) had disrupted a public meeting in January by destroying their vehicles. So, we thrashed them in retaliation, smashed their vehicles and burned their party office, Arup Das, a district secretary of the Hindu nationalist BJP, roared at the rally in the town of Kharagpur. Stand up and protest, Das said to the crowd. Trinamool Congress will run away in fear. Political differences have been erupting into tension and sometimes violence across India ahead of the general election in April-May, but its particularly bad in West Bengal. Both the BJP and the TMC are accusing each other of killings, beatings, vandalism and making false allegations to the police. After losing three state elections late last year and now facing weak farm incomes and slow jobs growth that undermine his backing in the BJPs traditional Hindu base in the north Modi is driving hard to pick up support in West Bengal. The push has set him and the BJP on a collision course with firebrand politician Mamata Banerjee, the TMC leader and the states chief minister. For Banerjee, popularly called Didi or elder sister, defeating the BJPs challenge is vital to cement her power base and bolster her image as a possible future prime minister if opposition parties win enough seats to form a coalition government. BJP is rising in West Bengal, said Udayan Bandyopadhyay, head of the political science department at Bangabasi College in Kolkata, the state capital. There is a sense of anti-incumbency that is working against Banerjee, who has won the previous two state assembly elections, Bandyopadhyay said. The BJP did well at village council polls last year, and a recent survey showed the party winning eight out of the 42 parliamentary seats in West Bengal, up from two currently. BJP activists protest against the Bengal government as they are arrested by Kolkata police during a protest rally in Kolkata [Piyal Adhikary/EPA] To be sure, Modi could win the national election without taking many seats in West Bengal. What could have been a close contest has changed in recent weeks because of a suicide car bomb attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. That led to a warplane attack on what the government said was a terrorist training camp in Pakistan, and subsequent retaliation by the Pakistanis. Pollsters say they expect Modi to get a boost because of the sense of nationalism stirred by the events in Kashmir. And the disorder among parties opposed to the BJP will also play in its favour. Save democracy The BJP has been holding a series of mega rallies in West Bengal that are headlined by top BJP leaders, including Modi himself. Rather than emphasising its national agenda, such as driving economic growth and providing affordable housing, the BJP in West Bengal has been focusing more on accusing TMC of corruption and Banerjee of running a dictatorship. The BJP said it had to cancel several visits by senior leaders to address rallies as Banerjees administration denied permission for their helicopters to land. The BJPs West Bengal President Dilip Ghosh said police and other government officials were being used by Banerjee to thwart democracy in the state. Ive announced openly [that] everyone should carry batons [and] bamboos and if goons attack you, you hit back. So we are fighting back. Now goons are afraid to turn up, said Ghosh. On Saturday, Rahul Gandhi, president of the opposition Congress Party, also accused the TMC of regularly harassing and beating up its workers in West Bengal. Still, it will be an uphill task to defeat 64-year-old Banerjee, an aggressive and strong-headed politician with grassroots appeal. Posters of Banerjee in a quintessential Bengali lower-middle-class cotton sari and rubber flip-flops are seen across the state. In January, she brought together more than 20 regional parties, including the congress, on one stage in Kolkata under the United India banner. It was a show of opposition to the BJP that drew crowds of hundreds of thousands from rural West Bengal. Hindu groups linked to the BJP have accused Banerjee of appeasing Muslim voters [Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters] The Muslim vote Banerjee has announced the creation of government subsidies and incentive schemes aimed at benefiting the poor. But critics say she is attracting voters by funding local clubs and organising events, such as mass marriages, where gifts can be made. Hindu groups linked to the BJP also accuse her of appeasing Muslim voters, who make up about one-third of the electorate, by providing separate schools, hospitals and training institutes for the community and handing out stipends. Since independence, there has never been a bigger anti-Hindu government in West Bengal, said Jishnu Basu, the general secretary in charge of south Bengal for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Hindu nationalist parent organisation of the BJP. Banerjee did not respond to requests to be interviewed for this article. Derek OBrien, TMCs parliamentary party leader, said the allegations from the BJP were shameless and that Modis party aimed to divide communities. They use their dirty tricks department to create this conversation of polarisation. It is sickening, he said. Although elections are still weeks away, some voters are already saying the BJP could bring prosperity to the state. The verdict of the general public is to give BJP a chance this time, said 71-year-old Gour Majhi, a potato farmer, at the Kharagpur BJP rally. Vanessa Rodel and her daughter Keana, 7, arrived in Toronto on Monday night after years of harassment in Hong Kong. A Philippine woman who helped shelter former NSA contractor Edward Snowden when he fled to Hong Kong has been granted refugee status in Canada. Vanessa Rodel and her seven-year-old daughter Keana arrived in Toronto on Monday night. I feel so great and I feel like Im free, she said. Lawyer Robert Tibbo represented Rodel as she sought asylum in Hong Kong in 2013 after being targeted by an armed group in her homeland. The lawyer asked her to help Snowden hide out there after he leaked documents revealing extensive United States government surveillance programmes. Tibbo said Hong Kong rejected Rodels asylum request and since then officials there have grilled her over her contacts with Snowden, who now lives in exile in Russia. Tibbo and a nonprofit group called For the Refugees wants Canada to accept five others who helped Snowden. Worlds most wanted man Snowdens lawyer decided to go public with the identities of the refugees after learning that movie director Oliver Stone had found out about them and would incorporate their role into his film on Snowden, which was released in 2016. The three families, who didnt realise they were harbouring one of the worlds most wanted figures at the time, said they feared being sent back. Since that became public they have been targeted by the Hong Kong government who called up all of their refugee claimants and denied them all on the same day after about a half hour, For the Refugees spokesman Ethan Cox said. They have had their support payments cut off. Theyve only been able to survive off donations to our non-profit. Snowden tweeted about Rodel and her daughter. Thank you to all those in Canada and around the world who have made this possible, he wrote in French. After so many years, the first of the families who helped me is free and has a future. But the work is not over with solidarity and compassion, Canada can save them all. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said she could not comment on privately sponsored refugee applications. Survivors of Cyclone Idai in Mozambique are facing hunger and disease, say UN officials amid an urgent call for aid. Cyclone-ravaged Mozambique faces a second disaster from cholera and other diseases, officials have warned, as the United Nations launched an urgent aid appeal for an estimated 1.8 million people affected by storm winds and flash floods. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, described Cyclone Idai which slammed into Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi on March 14 as one of the worst weather-related catastrophes in the history of Africa. We fear that whole villages have been washed away in places we have yet to reach, he said, raising the spectre of hunger, saying the storm had inundated Mozambiques breadbasket on the eve of harvest. Mozambican authorities, cited by Portuguese news agency Lusa, put the death toll at 468. At least 259 died in Zimbabwe, while another 56 died in Malawi. Officials said these figures were very preliminary with more bodies expected to be found as floodwaters drain away. More than 10 days after the storms deadly hit, emergency responders were racing to contain deadly diseases such as cholera, which officials said will break out as more than a quarter-million displaced people shelter in camps with little or no clear water and sanitation. 190323060006297 Many wells were contaminated by the floods. There is no food Survivors living in tent camps, schools, churches, roads and other impromptu places said they have little but their clothes. At least I had a home before the cyclone, life was a little normal even though I didnt have much, Humberto Jose, a resident of the hard-hit city of Beira told Al Jazeera. But now I have lost everything, its not just me sleeping here, the streets are full of families with children, he said. Dozens of health centres have been damaged by the cyclone [Mike Hutchings/Reuters] Daviz Simango, mayor of the devastated city, told Al Jazeera there is no food in Beira. We need to work. We need to get to our farms, we need to rebuild ourselves, he said. In the small village of Bejaga, some 150 survivors were hungry. In the past week relief workers have dropped off just a cup of (vitamin-fortified) soya per family. Its way too little, said Francisco Lopez, a farmer. We are waiting, he told AFP news agency. He had salvaged a few maize cobs in the mud and he sifted through them grain by grain, looking for any edible morsel. He had dried the food on a tarpaulin, but much of it was rotten after nearly two weeks under water. We really have nothing to eat, we have received almost nothing in aid, he said. Long, long journey The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was expecting a spike in malaria cases in Mozambique as the disease-carrying mosquitoes breed in standing water. No cholera cases have yet been confirmed, but health workers have reported an upsurge in cases of diarrhoea a symptom of the disease. WHO said 900,000 oral cholera vaccines were expected to arrive later this week. We must not let these people suffer a second disaster through a serious disease outbreak or inability to access essential health services. They have suffered enough, Dr Djamila Cabral, the WHO Representative in Mozambique, told reporters in Geneva. She said people in camps were living in horrific conditions and that about 55 health centres had been severely damaged. The UN has appealed for $282m to help cyclone victims in Mozambique. David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP), told Al Jazeera from Beira that it would take a long time for the region to recover. The cyclone has come and gone but the devastation is here to stay. Were doing everything we can to get food into these villages, the problem is roads are gone, electricity is gone, theres no clean water. So we have serious issues all throughout this region that has been devastated, he said. This is going to be a long, long journey. Beasley added that the WFP has deployed 150,000 people to help relief efforts and plan to scale up to 600,000 in the next five to six days and possibly 1.7 million over the next few months. The agency has designated Mozambique a level-three emergency, placing it on par with Syria, Yemen and South Sudan. Washington, DC The Trump administrations decision to further expand the so-called global gag rule that bans foreign aid to groups providing or promoting abortion will undermine the health and human rights of women and girls globally, rights groups said on Tuesday. The rule is sending a very clear signal to the rest of the world that the US is comfortable turning its back on the human rights of women and girls around the world, Veronika Cernadas, a spokeswoman for the Center for Reproductive Rights told Al Jazeera. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Tuesday that the US was furthering its expansion of the global gag rule by cracking down on NGOs that provide funding to other groups that provide or promote abortions. We will refuse to provide assistance to foreign NGOs that give financial support to other foreign groups in the global abortion industry, Pompeo told reporters. He added that this administration has shown that we can continue to meet our critical global health goals, including providing healthcare for women, while refusing to subsidise the killing of unborn babies. The Reagan-era policy, also known as the Mexico City policy, bans international organisations that receive US funding from providing abortion services or offering information about the procedure. The rule has traditionally been rescinded or rolled back by Democratic presidents and reinstated by Republican leaders. The administration of US President Donald Trump reinstated the rule after taking office and expanded it to include funding coming from the US Department of State, USAID and Department of Defense. 171203131419207 According to health groups, the rule now targets the entire US global health assistance portfolio, which includes more than nine billion dollars in global health assistance funding. Due to the cuts and expansion of the rule, you lose the most effective providers for comprehensive services in countries where it is so important to have US foreign assistance form womens access to those services, said Elisha Dunn-Georgiou, the vice president of programmes at PAI, a global organisation working to advance reproductive health. What we see is that particularly rural women, marginalised populations, young people, really the most vulnerable populations are the ones that are the most hit by this policy, she told Al Jazeera. Disregard womens rights According to rights groups, the expansion of the rule means that NGOs providing services to prevent and treat malaria, HIV and other infections diseases have been greatly affected. They also argue that limiting funding to organisations that provide access to family planning, including abortion, will force more women and young girls to make the decision to have unsafe abortions. 180121144023315 Pompeo also said that expansion of the rule means that the US will cut funding to the Organisation of American States (OAS). The institutions of OAS should be focused on addressing crises in Cuba, Nicaragua and in Venezuela, not advancing the pro-abortion cause, he said. Rights groups have accused the Trump administration of waging a war against womens rights and reproductive health by reinstating the global gag rule, appointing anti-abortion rights activists to key posts in federal departments dealing with womens health and seeking to cut Title X funding to health providers that perform abortions or make abortion referrals. The approach overall is to punish women and disregard womens rights, Dunn-Georgiou said. There is no attempt at all to provide comprehensive reproductive health services to women and to give women the option to live their healthiest lives. The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) says the companies disseminate materials that encourage terrorism. One of the main groups representing Muslims in France is suing Facebook and YouTube, accusing the media companies of inciting violence by allowing the streaming of footage of the Christchurch massacre on their platforms. The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) said the companies had disseminated material that encouraged terrorism and harmed the dignity of human beings. There was no immediate comment from either social media company. The shooting at two mosques in New Zealand on March 15, which killed 50 people, was livestreamed on Facebook for 17 minutes and then copied and shared on social media sites across the internet. Facebook said it raced to remove hundreds of thousands of copies. However, footage could still be found on Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet Incs YouTube a few hours after the attack, as well as Facebook-owned Instagram and Whatsapp. Abdallah Zekri, president of the CFCMs Islamophobia monitoring unit, said the organisation had launched a formal legal complaint against Facebook and YouTube in France. Both companies have faced widespread criticism over the footage. The chair of the US House Committee on Homeland Security wrote a letter to top executives of four major technology companies last week urging them to do a better job of removing violent political content. A spokesman for the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ) welcomed the French groups action. He said his organisation had been planning to contact Facebook to register their complaint but had been busy dealing with the aftermath of the attacks. They have failed, big time, this was a person who was looking for an audience and you were the platform he chose to advertise himself and his heinous crime, said FIANZ spokesman Anwar Ghani, referring to Facebook. We havent been in touch with the (French) group but certainly, something which can deter the social media space in terms of these types of crimes, we would be supportive of that, he said. A man has been charged with one count of murder over the Christchurch shootings and will next appear in court on April 5. US imposes fresh sanctions of network of companies and individuals it says are helping fund Irans Revolutionary Guard. The United States on Tuesday imposed fresh sanctions on a network of companies and individuals in Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates it said was transferring billions of dollars and euros to Irans elite Revolutionary Guard. The US Treasury said it was blacklisting 25 people and entities, including front companies based in the three countries, associated with Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL). The targeted institutions include banks and other financial institutions, including Ansar Bank, Atlas Exchange, Iranian Atlas Company. We are targeting a vast network of front companies and individuals located in Iran, Turkey, and the UAE to disrupt a scheme the Iranian regime has used to illicitly move more than a billion dollars in funds, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. The sanctions seek to lock those named out of the global financial system by banning US citizens and US businesses including international banks with a US presence from doing business with them. Mnuchin said the IRGC and MODAFL continued to try to evade sanctions to help Irans government fund terrorism and destabilise the Middle East. Any foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitates a significant transaction for any of the individuals or entities designated today could be subject to US sanctions, the Treasury warned. Front companies The 25 named were mostly relatively small trading and money exchange firms, dubbed by the Treasury front companies, and their owners and managers who worked with Ansar Bank and Ansar Exchange. This vast network is just the latest example of the Iranian regimes use of deceptive practices to exploit the global financial system and divert resources to sanctioned entities, said Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Sigal Mandelker. The US reimposed sanctions against Iran after US President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers, and moved to isolate Tehran. According to Trump, Tehran was not living up to the spirit of the deal. In January, however, CIA Director Gina Haspel told Congress that Iran continued to comply with the terms of the deal. The US has also imposed a string of new sanctions, including against the IRGC and its external arm, Quds Force, to choke off funding for its overseas operations. The IRGC is by far Irans most powerful security organisation and has control over large stakes in Irans economy and a huge influence in its political system. The Democratic-controlled House fell short on Tuesday in its effort to override US President Donald Trumps first veto, handing him a victory in his effort to spend billions more for constructing barriers along the Southwest border than Congress has approved. The chamber voted 248-181 in favour of overriding Trumps veto. That fell 38 votes short of the 286, or two-thirds, votes needed for Democrats and their handful of Republican allies to prevail. The outcome, not a surprise, enabled Trump to move forward on an issue that was a hallmark of his 2016 presidential campaign and of his presidency. The emergency declaration would let Trump shift an additional $3.6bn from military construction projects to erecting barriers along the border with Mexico. House Democrats who tried to override Trumps first veto say his plan to shift billions of extra dollars into building border barriers is a waste of money and an abuse of his powers. Congress initially voted to provide less than $1.4bn for barrier construction, which fell short of the funding Trump had asked for. As a result, Trump allowed the government to shut down for 35 days, the longest of its kind in US history. Later in February, he declared a national emergency at the border to circumvent Congress. The national emergency is also being challenged in the courts. {articleGUID} US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Tuesday Congress will work through funding process to counter Trumps action on national emergency and border wall. Diverting funds Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan announced on Monday that the Department of Defense had shifted one billion dollars from other military construction projects to build part of the barrier along the southern border. But Democratic Representative Adam Smith, the Armed Services Committee chairman, said the panel did not approve the proposed use of Pentagon funds. The committee denies this request. The committee does not approve the proposed use of Department of Defense funds to construct additional physical barriers and roads or install lighting in the vicinity of the United States border, Smith said in a letter to the Department of Defense. Smith announced the denial of the one billion dollars transfer in a statement as his committee held a hearing on the Pentagon budget. Smith told the hearing that Trumps proposed $750bn defence budget would not pass as it was proposed. That budget included $100bn in a slush fund meant to fund ongoing wars but which the Pentagon intends to use to boost the amount of money it has available to avoid budget caps passed by Congress, worrying politicians. {articleGUID} Shanahans decision to shift military dollars in order to pay for the wall without consulting Congress could lead politicians to cut off the Pentagons authority to reprogramme funds. Setting a precedent Democrats were hoping to use the border emergency battle in upcoming campaigns, both to symbolise Trumps harsh immigration stance and claim he was hurting congressional districts around the country. The Pentagon sent politicians a list last week of hundreds of military construction projects that might be cut to pay for barrier work. Though the list was tentative, Democrats were asserting that Republican politicians were endangering local bases to pay for the wall. Opponents of Trumps emergency warned that besides usurping Congresss role in making spending decisions, he was inviting future Democratic presidents to circumvent politicians by declaring emergencies to finance their own favoured initiatives. Trump supporters said he was simply acting under a 1976 law that lets presidents declare national emergencies. Trumps declaration was the 60th presidential emergency under that statute, but the first aimed at spending that Congress explicitly denied, according to New York Universitys Brennan Center for Justice, which tracks the law. Southern city of Shiraz suffers extensive damage as government urges people to cancel trips amid forecast of more rains. Tehran, Iran Flash flooding in southern and parts of western Iran has left at least 23 people dead and more than 200 injured, according to news agencies citing officials, as the government urged people to cancel trips and warned of more rains. The Ministry of Interior advised Iranians on Monday evening to cancel any trips and take the warnings seriously with the Disaster Management Organisation sending nationwide text messages to warn people about taking routes that are prone to flooding, including those in mountains and river banks. The disaster comes during Iranian New Year, Nowruz, holidays when many Iranians travel in the country. There were only two sets of 15-minute heavy rainfalls that caused the flood to spread through the city, a resident of Shiraz, the worst-affected city, told Al Jazeera. The number of casualties would have been less, had people avoided staying there or leaving as soon as they saw the flood coming. Damaged vehicles are seen after a flash flooding in Shiraz [Reuters] The countrys Meteorological Organisation put 12 provinces on high alert until Wednesday, predicting a higher chance of flood due to heavy rains across the country from western parts on Monday and Tuesday to eastern and northeastern regions later on. Flights to and from Tehrans Mehrabad International Airport have been either cancelled or delayed due to bad weather. At least 22 routes were blocked due mostly to the climatic conditions, local news agencies reported. Fars news agency reported that President Hassan Rouhani cut short a trip to Qeshm Island due to the flooding disaster. In a public statement, Rouhani offered condolences to the victims while thanking rescue crews, the armed forces and the police for rescue operations. Opposition and some media outlets have criticised Rouhani over the handling of the flood disaster. Possibility of an overflow Flooding also killed one person in Sar-Pol Zahab county in the western Kermanshah Province, where some residents still live in temporary cabins. They are trying to restore or re-build houses and apartments damaged by a strong earthquake that took hundreds of lives last year. The lives of those who live close to the banks of the Arvand river, however, are more at risk amid the possibility of an overflow. Because many residents are not willing to abandon the houses that are being restored, they refuse to leave the area to go to a safer place, Farzad Nasimipour, a resident of Sar-Pol Zahab, told Al Jazeera. The 32-year-old political science graduate said there is a risk of more casualties in the coming days if there is no immediate action to evacuate residents from places at a higher risk of floods. In a horrifying video being shared on social media, which is believed to be recorded from a window of a bus, strongly flowing water is seen washing away cars as well as pedestrians unable to hold on to a concrete power pole. Other pictures, too, show numerous damaged cars piled up by the flood at the northern entrance of Shiraz city. Vehicles piled up after the flash floods in Shiraz [Reuters] In the northern Mazandaran Province, dozens of bridges have been destroyed, while in other parts hundreds of villages were submerged under flood water. The northern floods started more than a week ago, hitting mostly areas in Golestan Province southeast of the Caspian Sea. Its governor was recently fired over his refusal to cut short a trip abroad as disaster decimated the region. The flooding is likely to impact tourism; more Iranians were expected to travel inside the country after the devaluation of the Iranian rial made foreign trips expensive. The rial has lost significantly because of the new round of US sanctions imposed by US President Donald Trump, who unilaterally pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal signed in 2015. Palestinian rocket fired from Gaza and Israeli military conducts air raid, but truce appears to hold on Wednesday. Gaza City A Palestinian rocket struck Israel and the Israeli military conducted an air raid in Gaza despite a ceasefire announced by Hamas, but the exchange of fire appeared to end overnight on Wednesday. There were no immediate reports of any damage or casualties from the latest rocket fire, which the Israeli army said was launched at around 8pm (18:00 GMT). Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other groups said the rocket that hit near Ashkelon was the work of an individual and the factions are committed to calm as long as Israel is. A security source in Gaza said an air raid hit a Hamas military base in Khan Yunis following the projectile launched at Israel. A fraught quiet has settled over the Gaza Strip after Israeli air raids on the besieged coastal enclave that began on Monday after a rocket strike on a home in central Israel. An Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, announced around 19:00 GMT on Monday, was confirmed by a Hamas spokesperson, but the exchange of fire between armed groups in Gaza and the Israeli military continued, residents in the strip said. The latest flare-up took place after a long-range missile was fired from Gaza into the Israeli community of Mishmeret 20km north of Tel Aviv early Monday, wounding seven people. No group from Gaza has claimed responsibility, but Israel blamed Hamas, the movement that rules the strip, and deployed tanks and reservists at the Israeli fence east of the Gaza Strip. Throughout Monday night, Israeli warplanes targeted Hamas and Islamic Jihad positions with air raids. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyas office was destroyed in the attack, as well as several residential buildings. The Israeli army confirmed its warplanes carried out 15 bombardments in the Gaza Strip. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, seven Palestinians were injured. Sameh al-Ghazali, a Gaza resident, lost his home in Gaza City. We were shocked when we received a phone call from the Israeli army last night telling us to evacuate our home within seconds, the father of one told Al Jazeera. The residential building he lives in, which consists of three floors, is owned by four Ghazali families and also hosts the al-Multazem Insurance Company. All the families living in the area evacuated their homes as well. An F-16 missile levelled the building in a cloud of dust. I have no words, Sameh said. I did not expect in my life that our house would be bombed. The whole family is in great shock. In one instant we lost memories and all of our hard work in life. At least 10 children lived in the building. Now the family members are scattered among the homes of their relatives. What happened is the summary of our lives in Gaza, Sameh said. You could lose anything or anyone in the blink of an eye. Ceasefire holding The ceasefire was announced after Gazas armed groups launched a barrage of rockets towards Israel but, in a joint statement, the armed factions said they would stop firing rockets if Israel ceased its air raids. We affirm our response to the Egyptian mediation of the ceasefire and declare our commitment to calm if the Israeli occupation does as well, the statement said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut a visit to the United States short, where he was due to deliver a speech at the annual AIPAC conference in Washington, DC, vowing to respond forcefully. Yair Levin, a minister from Netanyahus Likud party told Israeli news outlet Ynet: It is clear there is no ceasefire. We are responding to every attack. So far, on Tuesday, both Israel and armed factions in the Gaza Strip have stopped firing. Netanyahus rivals have accused him of being too soft on Hamas, and thus the recent wave of escalation, according to Gaza-based political analyst Mohsen Abu Ramadan, can be attributed to the upcoming Israeli elections on April 9, in which the prime minister is seeking re-election. [The air strikes] come within Netanyahus attempts to prove himself to his rival candidates, Abu Ramadan said. But to the Israeli public, he has not achieved that goal of delivering a blow to Gazas armed factions, so we can expect Netanyahu to resort to another wave of attacks. Another surge in confrontation likely Whether the Palestinian factions would stick to the ceasefire was unclear. Abu Ramadan said there was a possibility more rockets would be launched, given the timing of events. On Saturday, Palestinians in Gaza will mark one year since the Great March of Return protests began. The weekly demonstrations, which kicked off in commemoration of Land Day, has witnessed Palestinians from all walks of life participating near the Israeli fence at five encampment points along the strip, demanding an end to Israels 12-year blockade. In their protests, they also call for the right to return to their ancestral villages and towns, most a few kilometres away on the Israeli side, which their grandparents were ethnically cleansed from in the run-up to the establishment of the state Israel. More than 250 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces during these protests, and tens of thousands have been wounded. Two Israeli soldiers were killed in the same time period. Abu Ramadan said he expects another surge of confrontation between Gaza and Israel. There will likely be an escalation of the use of force by Israeli soldiers against the demonstrators, he said of the upcoming protest where tens of thousands of people are expected to participate. This increases the prospects of armed factions firing rockets as a response. Al Jazeera has reached out to Hamas officials but received no response. Gathering takes place at a time when there is a widening political divide in the US over the Israel-Palestine conflict. Washington, DC, United States US officials including Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with more than a dozen US lawmakers appeared on stage on the second day of AIPACs annual conference to vow support for Israel as it responded to an alleged rocket attack by Hamas with air strikes on Gaza. Pence listed the policy moves President Donald Trump had taken to support Israel, drawing applause from about 18,000 attendees at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee gathering. Under President Donald Trump, if the world knows nothing else the world knows this: America stands with Israel, Pence said. Trump meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, signed a declaration recognising Israeli control of the Golan Heights. President Trump also promised to shut down the PLO office in Washington if the Palestinian Authority didnt promise to take immediate steps to stop funding terrorists who murder innocent Israeli civilians with American tax dollars and when the PLO refused, President Trump shut their office down, Pence said. When President Trump promised to cut off funding to anti-Israel agencies at the United Nations, he meant it. And last year, the United States ended all US contributions to UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East], the vice president said. Beyond all that, the president promised to stand up to the worlds leading state sponsor of terror, and he withdrew the United States of America from the disastrous nuclear deal with Iran. There will be no more pallets of cash to the mullahs in Iran, Pence said. Last year President Trump did what no American president for the last 20 years had the courage to do when he moved the American embassy to Jerusalem, the capital of the state of Israel, Pence said. Rising anti-Semitism Referring to Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel, Pompeo recounted his recent visit to Israel when he became the first US secretary of state to visit the Western Wall with an Israeli prime minister. Pompeo warned of rising anti-Semitism worldwide in the Middle East, Europe and the US. The United States stands with the Jewish people and Israel in the fight against the worlds oldest bigotry, Pompeo said. My friends, let me go on record, anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism, Pompeo said, drawing applause. Following the alleged Hamas rocket attack in Israel on Monday, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley criticised the United Nations and other Western nations for failing to support Israel at such moments. Whats interesting is, at the UN, I can guarantee you it is radio silent. They are not saying anything about Hamas, Haley said. But if it was any one of those countries theyd be calling an emergency Security Council meeting. Condemning Hamas Representative Elliot Engel of New York, chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, and other foreign affairs leaders in the House and Senate are circulating a Dear Colleague letter condemning Hamas to demonstrate unwavering US support, Engel said. The US-Israel relationship has to remain strong, Engel said. It is good to see so many AIPAC activists because we want to take that message to Capitol Hill. AIPAC members are poised to visit members of Congress in their offices in the US Capitol on Tuesday. Representative Nita Lowey, a New York Democrat who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, said she expects Congress to approve a $3.8bn aid package for Israel, especially she said, with support from AIPAC members who will be lobbying their members of Congress on Tuesday. There are 18,000 citizens of the United States of America who are here. And when you come to our offices, you understand the issues, you are well prepared, so you have the respect of members. Sometimes there are disagreements, but when you come and share the facts, there is support from both sides of the aisle because you know what you are talking about, Lowey said. Representative Kay Granger, a Texas Republican on Appropriations, said support for Israel in the Congress had always been bipartisan and the rocket attack should be seen as evidence to the imperative for continuing support. Just look at what happened this morning. It couldnt be more timely, Granger said. It is proof that you can never ever let your guard down. Deeply disturbed Organisers of the AIPAC conference assembled a series of panel events to promote the idea that support for Israel is bipartisan among Democrats and Republicans, even as some Republican speakers drew applause for condemning Representative Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat who has criticised AIPAC. I am deeply disturbed by some in the Congress who are threatening this alliance. I dont think Ive seen this in the 15 years that Ive been in the Congress and dont have a tolerance for that, said Representative Michael McFaul, the senior Republican on the House Foreign Relations Committee. I just think we have a duty and an obligation to denounce anti-Semitism in all of its forms, McFaul said. The AIPAC conference is happening at a time when there is a widening political divide in the US over the Israel-Palestine conflict. Americans, particularly on the left, are increasingly unhappy with Israels treatment of the Palestinians. None of the Democrats seeking the partys 2020 presidential nomination was scheduled to appear at the conference. The progressive US grassroots political organisation MoveOn urged Democrats to #skipAIPAC. Other US politicians from both parties who appeared on AIPACs stage included: top House Republican Kevin McCarthy, freshman members of the House of Representatives David Trone, Elaine Luria, Dan Crenshaw, Susie Lee, and Denver Riggleman and Senators Tammy Duckworth, Martha McSally, Kyrsten Sinema, and Jim Risch. BDS is pure unadulterated racism, said Risch, who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. His comments echoed others at the conference who condemned the pro-Palestinian-rights BDS movement that advocates boycotts, divestiture and sanctions on Israel in order to pressure the nation to change its policies. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman chose to go back to his squadron in Srinagar during his four-week sick leave, instead of spending time with his family in Chennai, media report suggested. The IAF pilot was advised to go on sick leave for at least three weeks before resuming duty following his capture by the Pakistani Army on February 27 after his MiG-21 Bison jet was shot down in a dogfight with Pakistani jets. As per standard procedure, the ace fighter had undergone a series of medical tests as part of the "cooling down" process and had also completed two weeks of debriefing with the Indian Air Force (IAF) and other security officials. "During his sick leave, the officer had the option of going to his family home in Chennai where his parents live but he decided to go back to Srinagar where his squadron is deployed for operations," ANI quoted IAF sources as saying. Also Read: IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman to go on a three-week sick leave before he joins duty "At the moment, the officer has decided to stay with his men and machines in Srinagar and would be required to come back from New Delhi for a review by medical board which will decide on his fitness for flying fighter planes," they added. Abhinandan Varthaman has struck a chord with people for his utmost dignity and valour in the face of extreme situations he faced in Pakistan during his two-day captivity. His conduct during his time in Pakistan was praised by politicians, strategic affairs experts, ex-servicemen, celebrities and others. Also Read: Bengaluru artist pays tribute to Abhinandan Varthaman; creates typewriter portrait comprising letters, symbols IAF pilot Abhinandan was captured by the Pakistani army from Horran village (barely 7 km from the LoC) in Bhimber district of PoK after ejecting from his jet, which was hit during a dogfight with Pakistani fighters. However, Pakistan released the IAF pilot within 60 hours after India applied intense diplomatic pressure on the beleaguered neighbour by courting support from major powers in the world, including the US, the UK and France. Edited by Chitranjan Kumar Sharif is currently serving a 7-year term in a corruption case stemming from the 2016 Panama Papers scandal. The Supreme Court of Pakistan agreed on Tuesday to release former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on bail for six weeks to receive medical treatment but said he would not be allowed to leave the country. Sharif is serving a seven-year sentence imposed last year for failing to disclose the source of income that allowed him to acquire the Al-Azizia Steel Mills in Saudi Arabia. The three-time former prime minister, 69, has been suffering from a heart condition and kidney problems and has been admitted to hospital. A previous bail application was rejected last month. The decision was then challenged in the Supreme Court. 190225084530182 This wont be the first time Sharif has received medical attention. Since his December conviction, he has been released on bail on several occasions for treatment in the eastern city of Lahore. Sharif and his children two sons and a daughter were charged with three counts of corruption during his two periods in power in the 1990s. Sharif served as prime minister in 1990-1992, 1997-1999, and 2013-2017; he has been unable to complete a single five-year term. His two previous governments were dismissed over corruption charges and through a military coup in 1992 and 1999, respectively. His younger brother and three-time chief minister of Punjab the countrys most populous province Shehbaz Sharif also stands trial for a housing scam. Shehbazs son and the opposition leader in Punjab Assembly, Hamza Shehbaz, is also facing inquiries in connection with multiple corruption cases. More loss for families as they face the long-term effect of mass shootings a year after Parkland. As family and friends of mass shooting victims attempt to piece together their lives, some are confronted by new tragedies. Two survivors of the last years Parkland shooting in Florida have died in apparent suicides within the span of a week. Community leaders are urging parents to speak to their children about the trauma that still haunts many of the students. Al Jazeeras Rob Reynolds reports. As Muellers report on possible foreign collusion in Trump campaign comes out, US voters want to move on. US President Donald Trump has been hitting back at his enemies after the report cleared him of conspiring with Russia. But many in the general public have not followed the constant speculation and wall-to-wall reporting closely, while others have grown weary of the political infighting. They want legislators to turn their focus to bread-and-butter issues instead. Al Jazeeras Andy Gallacher reports from Miami, Florida. Jose de la Mata believes all the identified suspects went to the US after the raid. A Spanish court has accused 10 people of forcing their way into the North Korean embassy in Madrid and trying to persuade an official there to defect. High Court judge Jose de la Mata, who on Tuesday lifted a secrecy order on the case, believes the group of intruders identified themselves as human rights campaigners during the assault, according to a document of Spains High Court. A few days later their leader contacted the US agency, the FBI, to pass on information about the raid, a court document said. The document said it had found evidence of various crimes, including trespassing, injuries, threats and burglary committed by a criminal organisation at the embassy in Madrid. A judicial source told the Reuters news agency that the judge believes all the identified suspects went to the US after the raid and that he would request their extradition to Spain, where they could face up to 28 years in prison. State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said the US government was not involved in the raid, which Spanish High Court documents said involved a Mexican citizen who is a US resident and a US citizen, in addition to South Korean citizens. The United States government had nothing to do with this, Palladino told a regular news briefing, stressing that the United States called for the protection of embassies, whichever country they belonged to. He referred questions about the investigation to Spanish authorities. The FBI said in a statement that it is our standard practice to neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation, adding that the agency had a strong working relationship with Spanish law enforcement partners. Spains Interior Ministry had previously said police were investigating an incident at the embassy on February 22, but gave no details except to say that a North Korean citizen had been injured and that no one had filed a complaint. A Mexican citizen who is a US resident, identified as Adrian Hong Chang, led the group, the Spanish High Court said in the document, based on the investigation of the incident. The group stole computers, hard disks and pen drives, it said. It was not clear how the court knew that the man had contacted the FBI. Three of the intruders took an embassy official into the basement and encouraged him to defect from North Korea. They identified themselves as members of a group who campaigned for the liberation of North Korea, the document said. The Washington Post reported earlier this month that a dissident organisation called Cheollima Civil Defense had carried out the raid. Knives and fake guns The Spanish court document gave a detailed account of the intruders movements before, as well as during the intrusion, including their stay in a hotel and purchases of knives, balaclava masks and fake guns. The group included a US citizen and South Korean citizens. There was no immediate comment on the matter from the US State Department or South Koreas Foreign Ministry. Spains Interior Ministry declined to comment. The embassy raid occurred shortly before the February 27-28 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in Hanoi. The Mexican, Hong Chang, said he had carried out the raid voluntarily and he did not identify his companions, the court document said. The court identified the US citizen as Sam Ryu. The group kept embassy staff tied up for several hours and then searched the premises for arms before leaving, at which point they separated into four groups and headed to Portugal. Hong Chang then flew from Lisbon to New York. In Spain, the High Court has the power to investigate criminal offences, after which formal accusations are launched. Ruling Communist Partys fourth-ranked leader Wang Yang said situation in Xianjiang was continuing to develop well. Xinjiang needs to perfect stability maintenance measures and crack down on religious extremism, the ruling Communist Partys fourth-ranked leader said on a tour of the Chinese region where members of the Uighur community have been put in internment camps. Critics say Uighurs and other Muslims who live in Xinjiang are being held in detention centres, though the government calls them vocational training centres. Authorities say it has a genuine need to prevent extremist thinking and violence. During a March 20 to March 25 visit to Xinjiang, including Kashgar and Tumxuk in the Uighur southern part of the region, Wang Yang said the situation in Xinjiang was continuing to develop well, the official Xinjiang Daily said on Tuesday. Authorities must perfect stability-maintenance measures, and maintain high pressure on the three forces, the paper cited Wang as saying, referring to terror, extremism and separatism. Correctly implement the partys policy on ethnic minorities, resolutely oppose and crack down on ethnic separatist forces, added Wang, who heads the leading but largely ceremonial advisory body to Chinas parliament. Resolutely oppose and crack down on religious extremist thought, and at the same time ensure the normal religious needs of believers in accordance with the law. Counter growing criticism China has been stepping up a push to counter growing criticism in the West and among rights groups about the programme in the Xinjiang region bordering Central Asia. That has included inviting foreign diplomats and reporters to visit on well-chaperoned tours, including a Reuters reporter who went there in January. The government has shown happy, well-dressed people in the centres on these trips, and said they are treated respectfully and have their rights protected. Rights groups, however, say there is mistreatment and even torture. Charges China denies. The government has not said how many people are in these centres. Adrian Zenz, a leading independent researcher on Chinas ethnic policies, said this month an estimated 1.5 million Uighurs and other Muslims could be held in the centres in Xinjiang, up from his earlier figure of one million. However, European Union ambassadors in Beijing will not be visiting Xinjiang this week after receiving a government invitation, as such a trip needs careful preparation, a spokesperson for the bloc said on Monday. A US official told Reuters that highly choreographed tours to Xinjiang organised by the Chinese government were misleading and propagated false narratives about the region. Dilxat Raxit, a spokesman for the main exiled group, the World Uyghur Congress, said the invite sent to EU officials to Xinjiang was a political trick meant to deflect pressure from the international community. We hope the EU officials could use this opportunity to ask for an unobstructed deep understanding of the situation on the ground, and refuse Chinas specially orchestrated political show, he said in a statement. Topuz is accused of having links to US-based Turkish Muslim scholar Gulen, whom Ankara blames for 2016 coup attempt. The trial of a Turkish employee of the US consulate in Istanbul has started after he was charged with espionage and attempting to overthrow the Turkish government in one of several cases heightening tensions between the United States and its NATO ally. Metin Topuz, a Turkish citizen and liaison with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, was arrested in 2017 and has been accused of having ties with US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says ordered a failed 2016 coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The trial begins as relations between the US and Turkey have worsened with disagreements over Syrias war, Turkeys purchase of Russian missiles and the US refusal to extradite Gulen. The first hearing of Topuzs trial in Caglayan court in Istanbul is expected to last three days. He faces life in prison if found guilty of spying and plotting to overthrow the government. The US embassy has called the accusations wholly without merit. 190130150146816 US officials said freeing unjustly detained Turkish nationals on their staff was a priority, as was the case of NASA scientist Serkan Golge, a dual US-Turkish national jailed on terror charges. Another Istanbul local consulate staffer, Mete Canturk, is under house arrest and facing similar charges to Topuz. A judge in January convicted Hamza Ulucay, a former local employee of the US consulate in Adana, southern Turkey, of helping outlawed Kurdish fighters. He was released taking into account the time already served in jail. Diplomatic crisis Topuz was formally charged in January. He is accused of contact with police officers and a former prosecutor suspected of links to the Gulen movement, according to Anadolu state news agency. His initial arrest in 2017 triggered a diplomatic crisis with both Turkey and the US suspending visa services until they stepped back. 171012121016887 This has been a big deal in the Turkish-US relations, but Americans have reversed course from an earlier decision to impose visa bans and have decided to pursue a quiet diplomacy, said Asli Aydintasbas, a fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations. Since the failed 2016 coup against Erdogan, tens of thousands of people have been arrested over suspected links to Gulen and more than 100,000 people have been sacked or suspended from public sector jobs. Gulen denies the coup accusations. Ankara has been criticised by its Western allies and human rights activists over the crackdown they say has undermined democracy. But Turkish officials say the raids are needed to clear Gulens influence from state institutions. US relations with Turkey plummeted to a low last year over jailed US pastor Andrew Brunson, triggering tit-for-tat sanctions that hit the local lira currency. Brunson was released in October last year and relations improved. 181219014706284 But Erdogans decision to buy S-400 missile systems from Russia has provoked warnings from Washington that the deal may affect its sale of US-made F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and trigger more sanctions. Turkeys push to buy S-400 missile systems has raised questions among NATO allies over alliance equipment as well as concerns over the relationship between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ties were already strained over US support of Kurdish forces in Syria, which Ankara brands as a terrorist group tied to the PKK, which is fighting against the Turkish state. Local officials say at least 160 people were killed and scores more wounded in Saturdays attack in Mopti region. The United Nations has sent a team of investigators to Malis restive Mopti region, where more than 150 people were killed this weekend, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday. The raid took place on Saturday in the village of Ogossagou, home to the Fulani herding community, near the town of Mopti in central Mali. Local officials and security sources told AFP news agency that the death toll had climbed to 160, while the UN rights office said at least 153 people were killed and 73 were wounded. The horrific attacks marked a significant surge in violence across communal lines and by so-called self-defence groups apparently attempting to root out violent extremist groups, said Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN rights office. 190324154604780 In the Mopti region alone, attacks had led to some 600 deaths of women, children and men, as well as thousands of displaced persons since March 2018, she told reporters. More than a third of those killed had died since the beginning of 2019, she added. The UN has sent a team of 10 human rights officers, a child protection officer and two crime scene investigators to the Mopti region to investigate Saturdays attack, Shamdasani said. We are in direct contact with the authorities, she said adding that the UN had offered to help to bring the perpetrators to justice in order to break the circle of impunity. An armed group from within the Dogon ethnic group a hunting and farming community with a long history of tension with the Fulani over access to land is suspected of having carried out Saturdays raid. On Sunday, the Malian government announced the dissolution of one Dogon militia. Shamdasani said that on many occasions, the attacks are said to be motivated by a desire to root out individuals linked to violent extremist groups. Deliberately targeted Raids remain a persistent threat, and in the ethnic mosaic of the centre of the country, the attacks have taken a bloody toll on groups with a history of rivalry. The Fulani, who are mainly Muslim, have been accused of supporting a violent preacher, Amadou Koufa, who rose to prominence in central Mali four years ago. So-called self-defence groups have emerged in the Dogon community with the declared aim of providing protection against Fulani armed groups. There is this development of stigmatisation They are deliberately targeted, Shamdasani said. Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Malis president, vowed on Monday to beef up security during a visit to the area. Justice will be done, he vowed. Amadou Diallo, a local councillor who denounced the attack as ethnic cleansing, told AFP the death toll had jumped to 160 and will probably be higher still. An AFP reporter on Monday said many homes in the village had been burned down and the ground was littered with corpses. I have never seen anything like that. They came, they shot people, burned homes, killed the babies, said 75-year-old survivor Ali Diallo. Saturdays attack was the deadliest in Mali since the 2013 French-led military intervention that drove back armed groups who had taken control of the north of the country. The state is no longer there; there is no state protection to ensure safety and its presence in those areas, Adama Gaye, West African analyst and former director of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc, told Al Jazeera, warning that attacks on the Fulani had become a recurrent problem which needed to be addressed by the Mali government and at the regional level. People have concluded that there is even a risk of genocide they are using the word genocide regarding the Fulanis its a very serious situation. Christophe Boulierac, a spokesman for the UN childrens agency UNICEF, told reporters in Geneva that around one-third of those killed were children, and that 31 children were also injured. This tragic killing and maiming of defenceless children is on an unprecedented scale, he said. Venezuela has been hit by yet another electricity blackout, including much of the capital, Caracas, sowing alarm two weeks after a nationwide outage that paralysed the country. The power cut in the capital occurred around 1.20pm local time (17:20 GMT) on Monday, affecting the electricity supply to the city centre. After nightfall, many apartment buildings in the Caracas metro area home to around six million people were aglow again and traffic lights were back on, but people in many other states reported they were still in the dark. President Nicolas Maduros government blamed the outage on an attack targeting the Guri hydroelectric plant. Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez said the latest blackout was a result of an attack on the charging and transmission centre at the Guri dam, which supplies 80 percent of the power to the country of 30 million. What (last time) took days, now has been taken care of in just a few hours, Rodriguez said, saying the fix had been made in record time. Earlier, a local newspaper reported that the power was out at Venezuelas main international airport outside Caracas. Mobile phone signals were disrupted and televisions were blanked out. Shops hastily lowered shutters, fearing looters. Government blames opposition Rodriguez told state television that the opposition was responsible, claiming it wants to plunge the population into profound unease. Juan Guaido, the opposition leader recognised as Venezuelas interim president by the United States and many of its allies, countered on Twitter that Maduros government uses these moments to disinform and create anxiety. He said at least 17 of the countrys 23 states were affected, as well as much of the capital district covering Caracas, retweeting a graphic by web monitoring organisation NetBlocks showing the internet down for 57 percent of Venezuela. Anxious Twitter users who were online said several big cities in the west of the country, including Barquisimeto, Maracaibo and Barinas, were affected. Not another blackout, no God, no, tweeted Flore Melero, a 29-year-old resident in the town of Ocumare del Tuy southeast of Caracas. Sitting in the office, without power but with a generator, wondering How long will this new blackout last? Do I have enough water at home? What about the meat and chicken in the freezer?' tweeted a Caracas resident, Andres Betancourt. Their comments summed up the panic and concerns that have lingered since the last blackout, which started on March 7 and lasted a week. During that blackout, more than a dozen patients in hospitals died, public transport came to a halt, production slowed in the vital oil sector and water supplies were interrupted, forcing citizens to turn to sewage outflows and polluted water sources. Maduro had blamed the previous outage on a cyberattack on the Guri plant, alleging the US role. He went on to order the creation of a new military unit to protect basic installations. Observers at the time said that while a US attack was possible, it was unlikely. They said years of underinvestment, poor management and corruption were the culprits, and they predicted more power cuts would follow. Citizens frustrated According to a study by the opposition-ruled legislature and the medical group Medicos por la Salud, about half of Venezuelas hospitals have generators. In the last blackout, however, many did not work or were insufficient for the needs of intensive-care patients, neonatal wards and dialysis patients. Mondays blackout also hit the National Assembly building, forcing occupants to exit in the dark using stairs. In the streets of Caracas, anxiety was evident as residents worked out how to return home without a working subway network and few overcrammed buses. Im wondering how to get home because theres no metro [train]. I live in the centre and it takes me two hours. I move slowly, said Ana Gonzalez, a frail 64-year-old who was closing up the cleaning products shop where she worked. For others, frustration and anger bubbled over, adding to a sense of powerlessness created by years of economic crisis that has made food and medicine scarce and prompted an exodus of more than 2.7 million Venezuelans since 2015. Here, nobody tells the truth. The media dont tell the truth. And were prevented from doing our work, said Yoan, an electrician wiring up a frozen yoghurt shop Rafael, working in a printing shop where all the machines had come to a stop, accused the government of not doing repairs to the power grid. They give so many warnings about the network being damaged and they do nothing, he said. Washington, DC Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke via satellite on the last day of AIPACs annual convention in Washington, DC, closing a three-day pro-Israel festival marked by partisan jabs between opposing politicians in the United States and news of rising conflict between Israel and Hamas. Speaking from Israels military headquarters, Netanyahu told attendees of the American Israel Public Affair Committee (AIPAC) conference he had just come from a meeting with his chief of staff and military leaders after exchange of fire between Israeli forces and armed groups in Gaza. Netanyahu also took the opportunity to label US critics of Israels treatment of Palestinians as anti-Semitic. In recent weeks, we have heard a lot about the rise of forces who want to pull America and Israel apart. So I can tell you one thing they will fail, Netanyahu said. Those who seek to defame this great organisation AIPAC, those who seek to undermine American support for Israel, they must be confronted, the prime minister added. Israeli warplanes targeted Palestinian homes in Gaza after a rocket landed on an Israeli home north of Tel Aviv, injuring seven. Amid an uneasy ceasefire, the prime minister said he was prepared to use whatever force was necessary to defend Israel. Netanyahu, who faces reelection on April 9, had cut short a visit to Washington, returning to Israel after meeting US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday. {articleGUID} Some 18,000 people attended AIPACs conference, including 4,000 students from US colleges in a pro-Israel leadership development programme. AIPAC is working to counter rising public opinion in the US in favour of the Palestinians on college campuses and among younger Jewish Americans. Outside the convention, members of Jewish Voice for Peace held a protest on a street corner offering AIPAC-branded toast to passersby and displaying a billboard on a truck depicting Netanyahus face with the hashtag #SkipAIPAC. Several Democrats, including multiple 2020 presidential contenders, decided not to attend AIPAC amid pressure to boycott the conference. Critics of AIPAC said the decision by some Democrats to skip the event showed a change in the larger political landscape surrounding attitudes towards Israeli policy. AIPAC supports $3.8bn a year in US military aid to Israel and is pushing for legislation in Congress that would penalise those who support the BDS Movement, a pro-Palestinian global effort to pressure Israel through boycotts, sanctions and divestment. A few members of Jewish Voice for Peace held a protest on a street corner outside the AIPAC conference [William Roberts/Al Jazeera] Focus on Ilhan Omar Leading US politicians at the conference condemned US critics of Israel as anti-Semitic but some warned against Republican efforts to deploy support for Israel as a political weapon against Democrats. I am worried that if we do not unite to take action against a growing tide of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment we will live to regret what our politics become, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said. Washington has been lit by a political brush fire ever since comments by first-year Representative Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat and one of two Muslim women elected in 2018, were interpreted as critical of Israel and AIPAC with some claiming her comments were anti-Semitic. The House of Representatives passed a broadly worded resolution on earlier this month condemning anti-Semitism and bigotry generally. The measure included a defence of AIPAC. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, sought to reassure the AIPAC audience that support for Israel remains strong among leading Democrats in Congress. {articleGUID} Israel and America are connected now and forever, Pelosi said. We will never allow anyone to make Israel a wedge issue. That pledge is proudly honored in this Congress where support for Israel remains ironclad and bipartisan. Omar has remained defiant in the face of criticism at AIPAC. Its been fascinating to see such a powerful conference so focussed and so fearful of a freshman member of Congress, Omar told reporters on Capitol Hill, according to reports. She later tweeted, I like so many others have not criticized AIPAC because of its membership or the country it advocates for. I have criticized it because it has repeatedly opposed efforts to guarantee peace and human rights in the region. We need leadership that unites country Senate Republicans have put Pelosi in a box over anti-BDS legislation that would allow states and localities to withhold business contracts from anyone who supports BDS. The bill passed the Republican-led Senate and divides Democrats, some of whom see it as a free speech violation. Pelosi has decided not to advance the bill in the House and will put forward a nonbinding resolution condemning BDS instead. Senator Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat and senior member of Senate Foreign Relations, warned Republicans against tagging Democrats unfairly as anti-Semitic and he offered a veiled shot at Trump. I cannot stay silent when the entire Democratic Party is castigated as Jew haters when what we really need is leadership that unites this nation and the world against the rise of anti-Semitism, hatred and white supremacy across the globe, Menendez said. Trump had told Republican donors at a private March 11 event at his Mar-a-Lago club, the Democrats hate Jewish people, according to a report citing people in attendance. When you accuse Jews of funding caravans of asylum seekers at our southern border or fail to call out and condemn the rise of white supremacy at home or abroad, you are fanning those flames, Menendez said There is simply no excuse for dangerous vitriol from any politicians that threatens both the safety of Jewish Americans and Israels core existence. History warns us against letting anyone use the Jewish community as a pawn in a political game. For what is politically expedient today, may not be tomorrow when you are dealing with a leader who lacks any genuine understanding of the history of anti-Semitism, racial hatred and white supremacy, Menendez said. From a militia to a semi-state, the Houthis have strengthened their presence in Sanaa, despite near-daily aerial raids. Sanaa, Yemen At a checkpoint on the outskirts of the capital Sanaa, Abu Ali and his colleagues are on duty, inspecting passengers and vehicles entering the capital city which has been under Houthi control since 2014. The driver stops the bus, opens the door and hands over a list of the passengers on board. Abu Ali looks at the names, glances at the seated passengers, and says: ID cards please. All passengers rummage in their pockets or handbags, they had made sure their documents were ready. Abu Ali starts from the front seat of the bus and takes about 10 minutes to look at the passengers passports or ID cards. Nobody on the bus questions his authority. Today, and after four years of war, the Houthis have transformed themselves from an isolated militia in Saada to a local state that rules the bulk of Yemens north with an iron fist. They have deepened their influence through a combination of force and strengthening alliances with powerful tribes and leading Yemeni figures using political expedience or buying loyalties. On a local level, they have established a system of administration by appointing supervisors in every district. The supervisors take all the decisions needed for day-to-day administration, escalating any larger decisions up to higher Houthi management. Their points of focus are largely security, maintaining control, and mobilising more people to fight for their cause. The Houthis have proved to be more capable to govern than the legitimate government, Abdulaziz Mohammed, a passenger on the bus from Aden to Sanaa, told Al Jazeera. If we strike a comparison between Sanaa and Aden, Sanaa is better with regard to security. The popular support for the Houthis today is strengthened by the ever-present threat of aerial bombings by the military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The coalition, which started its bombing campaign four years ago, has resulted in thousands of deaths and enormous destruction to the Arab worlds poorest country. 190308161105740 The Houthi takeover of Sanaa The Houthis are Zaidi Shia originating from Saada in northern Yemen, their official name is Ansar Allah, or the supporters of God. They gained prominence after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, and have survived repeated attempts by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, supported by Saudi Arabia, to eradicate them. They share an ideological affinity with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and with Iran by extension. After the advent of the Arab Spring to Yemen, President Saleh was removed and replaced by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, a Sunni politician from the south. The Houthis were unhappy with this arrangement, as well as with their allotment in the proposed reconfiguration of Yemen into a federation of sorts. In 2014, the Houthis formed an alliance with Saleh and elements of the armed forces who were still loyal to him and opposed to Hadi, who was seen by some as a Saudi puppet. They moved on Sanaa in September 2014 and overthrew Hadi. They soon took the port city of Hodeidah as well and began to move on Aden. The situation was dangerous for Saudi Arabia, which did not want to see vital shipping lanes under the control of the Houthis and its regional rival, Iran. And thus, Operation Decisive Storm was born, a coalition of nations led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE that went to war to reinstate Hadi and the internationally recognised government he headed. Decisive Storm backfires Operation Decisive Storm was declared on March 26, 2015, with many expecting the coalition, that also included Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan and Qatar until 2017 -, to defeat the Houthis quickly. Backed by the US and a host of other nations, including several European countries, the coalition embarked on a relentless aerial bombardment that continues to this day. But instead of defeating the Houthis and their loyalists in Yemen, the destruction it wrought increased anger and enmity towards the Saudi-UAE-led bloc. Ali Alamrani, a 40-year-old resident of Sanaa, said, Saudi Arabia has the right to worry about its national security or the so-called Iranian influence in Yemen but it does not have the right to spend four years destroying our vital facilities such as bridges, schools and hospitals. When I see this destruction by the coalition, I am convinced it doesnt want good for Yemen. Instead, it wants to make Yemen kneel. I am also convinced that the Houthis are defending Yemen against this unfair destruction and humiliation of Yemenis. The longer the war lingers, the more opponents the coalition creates in Yemen, political experts in Sanaa told Al Jazeera. The coalition is not against the Houthis only; it is against the entire Yemen, Mohammed Abdu, a Sanaa-based political writer, said. If they [the coalition] were honest, they would have ended the war earlier. Since they want to turn Yemen into a fragmented, unstable and chaotic state, this has taken longer. For example, the UAE is supporting southern secessionists in order to undermine Yemens legitimate [Hadi] government. The coalition intentionally works to weaken the government and keep President Hadi in exile in Saudi Arabia. These practices can never be for the good of Yemen, Abdu told Al Jazeera. Continuous defiance In spite of its massive military force, the Saudi-led coalition has failed to suppress the Houthis over four years of air raids, numerous ground contingents and marine forces and weapons. So far, the coalition is not victorious, and should they win the war one day, it is a military failure that all the coalition countries spent several years to defeat a militia in Yemen, said Abdu. At a press conference in Sanaa last week, Houthi military spokesperson Yahia Sarie said that they would continue to manufacture weapons capable of hitting Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. The defiant Houthi narrative was continued by Houthi defence minister, General Mohammed al-Atifi, who said in a speech that the fifth year of war will be different. The aggressors [the coalition] will pay the price of their intransigence, and the fifth year of resistance will be the year of surprises, a year of great and decisive victory, Houthi-run Saba news agency quoted al-Atifi as saying. Our armed forces today have cadres, expertise, competencies and strategic deterrent weapons that can defeat the coalition, he added. Whether these statements are a matter of exaggeration or real confidence, the fact remains that Yemen will continue to see a prolonged war between the Houthis and their opponents as long as the UN-sponsored peace efforts remain at a dead end. Remembering the black night Operation Decisive Storm was coined by Saudi Arabia as a crucial military intervention to cut off Irans hands in Yemen, while the Houthis mark March 26 as a celebration of their steadfastness. However, Yemeni civilians have nothing to celebrate on this day. Faisal Mohammed, a 32-year-old resident in Sanaa, said he vividly remembers the worst night of his life. It was midnight of March 26, 2015, when the Saudi-led Arab coalition made Sanaa a city of horror. The earth was shaking, the explosions were heard everywhere and the warplanes awakened the entire city, casting fear among all civilians. It was a black and fearful night, Mohammed recalled. Four years of war have been like 40 years. The fifth year of suffering has started and only God knows when life in Yemen will return to normal, said Mohammed. Shares of Jubilant Life Sciences tumbled over 7 per cent, hitting four-month low, in intra-day trade on Tuesday. The stock touched an intra-day low of Rs 673.70, down Rs 51.65, or 7.12 percent, on the Bombay Stock Exchange. In the last five trading session, shares of the company declined as much as 22.93 per cent on the BSE since March 19, which was Rs 843.35. Paring some of early losses, shares of the company ended at Rs 686, down 5.37 per cent, against previous closing price of Rs 724.95. According to data available with exchange, as much as 1.44 lakh shares changed hand over the counter today as compared to two-week average of 2.29 lakh shares. On the National Stock Exchange, the stocks of the company closed trade at Rs 678.90 apiece, down 6.07 per cent. It touched an intra-day high and low of Rs 725.70 and Rs 678, respectively. On March 21, the drug maker said the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) classified API manufacturing facility, in Nanjangud, Mysore, as Official Action Indicated (OAI). The US drug regulator, which conducted the inspection from December 10-18, 2018, stated that the facility might be subject to a cGMP regulatory or enforcement action based on this inspection, and that FDA could withhold approval of any pending applications or supplements in which this facility is listed. Also Read: Sensex rises 425 points, Nifty reclaims 11,450; Reliance Industries share price gains over 3% The company had said that FDA's announcement will not have an impact on its revenues from operations of this facility. "As per the agency's internal procedures, the company can engage with the agency within 40 days to seek to get the decision downgraded from the OAI classification. In that regard, Jubilant is in the process of sending a further update to USFDA of its corrective actionsregarding the agency's inspectional observations from December 2018," Jubilant Life Sciences said. Earlier this month, the USFDA issued a warning letter for the company's Roorkee facility. If the company does not implement the necessary corrective actions, the agency may withhold approval of any new applications or supplements till the company addresses all issues raised by the agency. US revenues from the facility is about 4 per cent of the total revenues of the company. Edited by Chitranjan Kumar Also Read: Jet Airways extends its winning streak to the third consecutive session Protesters across war-torn Syrian denounce US decision on Golan Heights as Hezbollah chief calls for resistance. Thousands of Syrians have staged protests across different cities against US President Donald Trumps formal recognition of Israels sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, a move that has sparked global concern and a call for resistance from Lebanons Hezbollah. Men and women carrying Syrian and Palestinian flags and banners reading Golan is Syrian marched through the southern city of Sweida in Syria on Tuesday, according to state-run SANA news agency, as Imad Sara, the countrys information minister, called for a strong response and at a rally in Damascus. Protests also took place in southern Deraa, about 20 kilometres from the Golan Heights, and in northern Aleppo, as well as Homs and Hama in the countrys centre. We are here to condemn Trumps Golan decision, said Mohammad Shaaban, a protester in Aleppo. The Golan is Arab and Syrian whether they like it or not. Trumps move on Monday made the US the first country to recognize Israels sovereignty over the Golan, which was captured from Syria in a 1967 war and regarded by the rest of the international community as occupied territory. Syria has called the move blatant aggression. Amid growing condemnation, including from a number of USs European allies, the leader of Hezbollah said the decision proves resistance, resistance, and resistance was the only way to retake lands occupied by Israel. In a televised speech on Tuesday, Hassan Nasrallah described Trumps move as a crucial turning point in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, which deals a knockout punch to peace in the region. Syrians protest in the northern city of Aleppo against the US decision to recognise Israels sovereignty over the Golan Heights [George Ourfalian/ AFP] Hezbollah, the only side not to have disarmed after Lebanons 1975-1990 civil war, is credited with expelling Israel from the south of the country in 2000. The group is a key backer of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, where its fighters have helped Damascus gain ground against rebels and other armed groups during the countrys eight-year civil war. Nasrallah said it was the muted response of Arab countries to Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel last year that had encouraged a similar declaration on the Golan. Therefore we must expect, and I tell that to the Arab and Muslim people and in particular our Palestinian brothers, we should expect that after a while Trump comes out and says he is supportive of the Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank too, he warned. Meanwhile, ambassadors from the five EU members of the UN Security Council France, Germany, Britain, Poland and Belgium issued a joint statement saying that they do not recognise Israels sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Annexation of territory by force is prohibited under international law, and any unilateral border changes go against the rules-based international order and the UN Charter, they said. We raise our strong concerns about broader consequences of recognizing illegal annexation and also about the broader regional consequences, they said. All five countries are close US allies. Trumps Golan decision has also sparked condemnation from the Arab League, as well as several regional states, including Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Many political junkies still remember Lee Atwater who died 28 years ago from a brain tumor on March 29, 1991. While the passing of the fiery political operative and former GOP national chairman remains largely un-commemorated, an event this past year with Atwaters fellow South Carolinian Lindsey Graham echoes Atwaters fearlessness on the political stage. Senator Graham reportedly is preparing a counter-investigation into Democrats in the wake of President Trump being absolved of any Russian collusion. Lee Atwater cut his teeth in the campaigns of South Carolina politicians such as Strom Thurmond. Catapulting to advise Ronald Reagan, Atwater quickly became a force in GOP politics. George H. W. Bush ascended to the presidency in no small part due to Atwater. Had he not become ill, many believe Atwater would have snow-plowed Bush 41 to re-election. Despite Bushs loss, Atwaters impact on Americas political landscape rippled for decades, Both Bush 43 and his brother Jeb owe much of their political capital to their father, who in turned owed much to Atwater. Lee Atwater (cropped from an official White House photo) A short drive from the town of Aiken, South Carolina where Atwater grew up, another prominent political figure was born in the tiny town of Central, South Carolina. This one would eventually assume the Senate seat of Strom Thurmond, in whose shadow Atwaters career sprouted. Lindsey Grahams education also occurred in his home state, and the young attorney and commissioned officer swept into Congress with the Gingrich-led Contract with America wave in 1994. Settling into Congress, Graham exuded enthusiasm and enjoyed significant popularity as a representative of upstate South Carolina. In 2002, Graham successfully launched a Senate career, winning the seat being vacated by Strom Thurmonds retirement. While mild compared to todays political stunts, Lee Atwater broke ground in assault politics. So much so that it appeared that most Republicans actively tried to distance themselves from Atwater-like tactics. The GOP Congress, along with subsequent presidential nominees, seemed eager to seek likeability rather than generate respect -- or as in the case of Lee Atwater, fear. George W. Bush rarely answered the withering attacks on his character, leadership, and intellectual capacity from the Left. Grahams longtime ally and seeming mentor in the Senate, John McCain -- in a glaring contrast to the tributes at his death -- was spitefully demeaned and castigated by the Left when he ran against Barack Obama in 2008. Yet the battle-hardened prisoner of war who years later seemed eager to push against Trump, was reluctant to unleash his famous temper on his attackers. Following McCains example, perpetual nice guy Mitt Romney, again seemingly saved all his retaliatorily outrage for Donald Trump but none for opposing views of the Left nor the vile insults levied against him -- including mocking his faith. Baffling and frustrating his constituents, talk radio, and conservatives, Graham seemed cozier with those across the aisle rather than those whose values he claimed to represent. His stance on immigration even earned him the nickname Lindsey Graham-nesty from Rush Limbaugh. In the eyes of many, Graham hardly posed a threat to the agenda of the political Left and appeared to embody the swamp Trump promised to drain. Until the Kavanaugh hearing. That singular event led Graham to shockingly unleash fire and fury. Shedding the one-sided decorum clung to by Republicans, Graham stunned the nation with raw outrage. Post-Reagan, many Republicans seemed willing to wait for their funerals to receive respect. Atwater saw it differently. President Trump also sees it differently. Graham now appears to possess an awareness that his strengths a better negotiating tactic that capitulation, offense puts more points on the board than defense, and opponents must also reach across the aisle. Graham remains an honorable, and by most accounts, a level-headed man. Although not traveling the path of political guerilla warfare embedded in Atwaters history, 2018 did witness Graham reaching deep and taking a mighty swing. In doing so, Graham, like George McFly against Biff Tannen, stepped from marginalized to respected. Sometimes, even the kinder and gentler must not only stand, but aggressively fight. For decades, conservatives craved a Republican to retaliate upon those mercilessly attacking them and their values. Oft-repeated whispers of Lee Atwaters name became a crescendo that coalesced into Trumps name. Grahams name never occurred to them. Like Trump, Lee Atwater relished the fight. Graham wages war differently. Without the vintage Atwater ruthlessness, Grahams force seems to emanate from love of what he defends. Yet, at the Kavanaugh hearing, Graham unexpectedly instilled Atwater-esqe wariness in his opponents -- and under his leadership as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, a repeat of the circus displayed at the Kavanaugh hearing is unlikely. Although on different trails and timeframes, the measured path of Lindsey Graham now intersects that of Lee Atwater -- both as warriors from South Carolinas centuries of rich history. Each stepping from a senators shadow (Thurmond and McCain), their Southern shadows have risen again on Americas political landscape. Peter Rosenberger host a weekly national radio program for family caregivers and has authored several books including 7 Caregiver Landmines and How You Can Avoid Them. He was born in raised in Anderson, South Carolina. He may be found at http://www.hopeforthecaregiver.com Over the past several years, weve seen an increasingly persistent crackdown on conservative voices by big tech companies. In 2016 we saw former Editor of Breitbart, Milo Yiannopoulos, banned from Twitter for vague and subjective reasons. Twitter claimed it was due to him violating their terms of service. As conservatives have pointed out, however, these same terms of service somehow dont apply to liberal users of their platform, such as Sarah Jeong. Despite celebrating how she enjoys being cruel to old white men, and comparing dumbass f*cking white people to dogs pissing on fire hydrants, she is still verified, and has not been suspended once. In 2018, we saw Alex Jones, a popular conspiracy theorist and radio host, have his online presence completely wiped out of existence. In just 24 hours, he was completely banned from The Apple Store, Facebook, YouTube, and Spotify, despite having millions of subscribers. Twitter and other social media platforms quickly followed suit, giving many conservatives the impression that this was a coordinated attack on free speech by big tech companies. Just recently as well, weve seen Amazon remove anti-vax books, and as many conservatives know, things are only going to get worse. News sites, like The Independent, Huffington Post, CNN, and Buzz Feed, are beginning to delete their comments sections altogether. Why? Its simple they know that most Americans dont buy into their agenda. They want to make conservatives feel isolated, as if nobody else agrees with us. Disqus removed their platform from popular manosphere website Return of Kings, again, under the typical leftist excuse of hate speech. Theyve also removed their platform from Info Wars, making it difficult for users to engage with one another on important topics. Thats where a new piece of software known as Dissenter comes in. Over the past year, weve seen an incredible amount of innovation come from conservatives, who have been forced to either innovate, or see our rights trampled on. Dissenter aims to fight big tech censorship, because with just a simple browser extension, you can literally comment on any page on the internet, with zero fear of being suspended, deleted, or silenced. Take a look at a recent article that The Guardian published, for example, which heavily pushes the agenda of having transgender women (AKA, men) compete against women in sports. Any American with half a brain knows that men competing against women in a physical sport is cruel, deranged, and should not be legal. So, it should come as no surprise, that the reporters over at The Guardian have deleted their comments section, in anticipation of this. But, with Dissenter? It looks like there were already 4 comments on this page, even though this new commenting platform just came out just over a week ago and is still gaining steam. With Dissenter, conservatives can literally call out journalists on their lies, right on their websites and they can do it all with zero fear of censorship, being de-platformed, or being banned. One user, comments: Women athletes and their fans are being gaslighted on this issue Another, sardonically writes: In other news, the Guardian debates the hotly contested issue of whether 2+ 2 actually equals 4. Using a simple desktop browser extension, conservatives can literally bypass all of the big tech companies trying to censor us, and have an open, free discussion. Even news sites that still have comments sections are known for heavily editing them. Twitter and YouTube have been accused of censoring comments, and manipulating their algorithms to suppress conservatives. But with Dissenter? Common sense, conservative voices can finally rise to the forefront again. We no longer have to worry about internet censorship (at least in comments), because we can literally put our own comments section on any page on the internet. Just download the extension, install it on whatever browser youre using, and voila youre now 100% free to comment on literally any URL online, with zero fear of censorship. As expected, the mainstream media is terrified about this, and has been working overtime to discredit the platform, and portray it as a bad thing. Engadget says that Dissenter is putting a far-right comments section on every site, and Vice News says that users of far-right social network Gab can now comment on the entire internet. Even so, theres nothing they can do about it. For too long, conservatives have been shut down for simply speaking their opinions, and its finally time for us to stop worrying about speaking freely. Lets take another example of how Dissenter is changing the landscape of online discourse, by taking a look at the SPLC. Yes, this is the same SPLC that accused conservative YouTuber and Documentary Filmmaker Lauren Southern of spreading hate, and Jewish speaker Milo Yiannopoulos of being a Nazi. In fact, theyve even got an entire Extremist File on Jared Taylor, for simply speaking out against the constant anti-white propaganda so rampant in this country. Unsurprisingly, theres no comments section on any of their pages. No users calling them out on their lies, exposing their anti-white agenda, or pointing out how they use legal intimidation to shut down conservative voices. Taking a quick look at the Dissenter extension however, theres already a whopping 128 comments on the official SPLC website, even though Dissenter is barely over a week old. One user stated: The SPLC is the biggest hate group in America, and hes already got 113 upvotes and three replies. Another user sarcastically stated: Careful with the Dissenter comments guys, the SPLC may not like them, to which he got 70 upvotes and three replies. As you can see, the applications are nearly limitless. A journalist for CNN posts a lie on Twitter, and the algorithms favor all of the people who agree with him? Conservatives can literally call him out, right on his Twitter page, using Dissenter. An article promoting mass immigration goes viral, and the editors are working overtime to make sure common sense, conservative comments are removed from their website? We can just speak our minds on Dissenter, and no uppity editor or snarky journalist can do a thing. With the recent launch of Dissenter, it seems that there may still be hope for freedom of speech on the internet and while its certainly not the end of the war, its a decisive win in the battle for freedom of speech in our comments sections. It is hard to say why Facebook said my recent video about Andrew Yang was hate speech. It could have been the fact that Yang, a dark-horse contender for the Democrat presidential nomination, gave a speech at Harvard where he predicted that within ten years, roving gangs of Caucasian youths would be roaming the streets of America, attacking Asian people because white people were jealous of their professional success. That is, after all, what white people do all the time to black people right now. Right? Lets hear it straight from the same mouth that wants to give every American $1000 a month: Who is going to be the boogie man of the next 10 to 20 years? Who is going to be the next great rival in the eyes of American society? China. And so what do you think the attitude is going to be over time for the shrinking, insecure white majority that is losing their jobs for Chinese Americans or Asian Americans? Personally, I said to a group at Harvard, we are one generation away from falling into the same camps as the Jews, who were attacked in the synagogue in Pittsburgh. We are probably just one generation away from Americans shooting up a bunch of Asians because theres a giant cold war with China. That is the great danger I fear my children are going to grow up in. Yes, its on video. No, I would not expect anyone to believe this unless they actually heard Yang say it. So here it is. And yes, that is the video Facebook declared to be hate speech. So be careful -- it is toxic. To be fair, less than hate speech, Yangs comments are just good old-fashioned stupid speech. A much more likely reason why Facebook again sent me to FB jail is how I gently reminded the mysterious Dr. Wang that his paranoid fantasies about white on Asian violence do not exist, at least in this particular Marvel universe. But what we do find around this country is what black people are doing every day, right now: black people target Asians for crime and violence and robbery and murder and home invasions. And it is never the reverse. Though you already knew that. I document this tsunami of black on Asian violence and denial hundreds and hundreds of times on my different platforms, including Minds.com, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Amazon, and lets not forget the pages of this illustrious site. Facebook, like its fellow hive-mind member YouTube, really, really, really hates when I give examples of what I am talking about. Especially when it busts up their favorite fairy tale of relentless white racism and endless black victimization. Especially when I show how that is the greatest lie of our generation. In the Yang video, I included a recent clip of an 89-year Chinese woman walking through her San Francisco neighborhood when a black person stopped her, robbed her, beat her with her own cane, then left her lying in a pool of blood on a local playground. She is still alive, if you want to call it that. And her granddaughter recently held a meeting to build bridges" with the black community so we can avoid black people robbing and killing old Chinese people in the future. The stupid speech just never ends. None of the bridge builders brought up an article from the local paper that said black on Asian violence is the dirty secret of San Francisco -- a police study found 80 percent of the street robberies in that town were black on Asian. City council members pretended they were surprised. Asian community leaders said that was not the least bit surprising. The story of how black people target Asians for violence and crime can be found in headlines all over the country, though few connect the dots among the exact same stories in Sacramento, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, New York, Cleveland, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, and on and on and on. All documented in videos and articles and podcasts and of course books: All show the same thing: Despite the protestations of Jussie Smollett, there are no groups of violent white people roaming the country hurting black or Asian people. That is a black thing. And as for the violence directed at Jewish people, that is a black thing too. And yes, we document that as well, more than anyone in America. But I dont think that matters to Yang. Or Facebook. Or the 89-year-old Chinese woman who will never be the same, even if she survives her recent beating -- violence made possible by the denial, deceit and delusion from the dangerous fantasies of Mr. Andrew Yang and his accomplices at the Facebook, YouTube and Silicon Valley hive mind. Colin Flaherty is a man on the run. He was removed from Facebook for a month again this week. And a few days before that, his scintillating bestseller Dont Make the Black Kids Angry was removed from Amazon. And a few days before that, his popular podcast was -- stop me if youve heard this before --removed from iTunes. And of course, Ive been kicked off YouTube more times than most people have videos on YouTube. But we persevere. Here and on Twitter and minds.com and my podcast and other places, however temporarily. Despite all that, his audience keeps growing. A left-wing acquaintance emailed me the following comment: "The fact that the rich are drinking champagne while the poor struggle to feed their children strikes me as simply wrong. This is presumably the position of the Church as well. Society has to allocate its assets somehow, and this extreme division seems immoral to me. A rich society like ours should at a minimum feed its people, provide them basic health care, etc. The extreme concentration of wealth happening now makes this impossible. This is a moral argument." He fancies himself a champion of the poor, of the underdog, of the lumpen-proletariat. To him, Christians and anyone who is on the right or even centrist have betrayed any and all ideals of benevolence and equal treatment of one's fellow men. He is blissfully unaware that the U.S. from its founding has had mechanisms (poor houses and other welfare programs) for the indigent. We have to this day an incredible so-called "safety net" (which some would say actually encourages lack of personal responsibility). A pastor I know who works as a case worker for Good Shepherd, a Catholic charity, told this writer that he suggested to one of the welfare recipients who was a client of Good Shepherd that he should find a job, and that this would bring him a lot of satisfaction. The man replied that he was satisfied with receiving his many welfare benefits, and had no intention of looking for employment. Food stamps, Medicaid, Section 8 housing, government housing, disability benefits, WIC for baby food, and a host of ancillary services are available to those below the poverty line. Neither party rejects the concept of welfare for the poor. But in New York City, when Rudy Giuliani became mayor, he started putting some rigorous welfare-to-work requirements into the various programs. These became models for cities throughout the country. Then, during the Obama administration, the welfare-to-work concept was downplayed, and work requirements were removed from the federal system. Whatever one may think about our welfare systems, redistributing wealth is wholly different conceptually from providing for the needs of the poor. The idea of "redistributing wealth," the Robin Hood-socialist-communist ideal, as I call it, to me is inherently immoral because it takes away our liberty. If a person or family has an extra guest room in the house, no government, no group, no other individual should be able to tell that homeowner or condo-owner he has to take a homeless beggar off the street and put him in that room. We should do everything in our power to help others. Governments should establish charitable institutions. But the idea of government as Robin-Hood-on-jet-skis is an idea whose time must never and will never come. Aristotle defended property rights against common ownership 2,500 years ago as he evaluated what was the best type of city-state in his volume on Politics. At the same time, the Old Testament aligned itself with property rights, although the fundamental political unit was the tribe, not the city-state. The New Testament in many verses re-affirms the right of ownership and of control over one's property and the assignment of wages to workers. When the Pilgrims under the leadership of John Winthrop came to the shores of present-day Massachusetts, they briefly tried to build a community without private property, but many people did not produce, and others experienced resentment when those who were not applying themselves were taken care of at the same level of those who were more active and productive. The community re-evaluated its original set-up and decided to reinstitute private property, but with a Christian spirit of neighborliness and voluntary cooperation. Then, hundreds of years later, during the socialistic administration of FDR and the New Deal, where demand-side economics attempted to undermine classical free-market concepts advanced by Adam Smith, the National Industrial Recovery Act, including its wage and price controls, was declared unconstitutional by a unanimous Supreme Court. Yet the Left continues to press for an agenda where private property is sacrificed on the altar of "equality" and "social justice" even though the greatest minds throughout the ages, including Aristotle, Moses, and Jesus, have repeatedly stated that the lack of control over one's property leads to tremendous social dissatisfaction and is legally and philosophically unjustifiable. My bitter left-wing acquaintance continues to insist that Christians, Republicans, and other miscellaneous conservatives are hideous, exploitative monsters living in the England of Charles Dickens's day, or worse. In his gloomy fantasy world, the underclass of Americans are like the impoverished orphan children of Calcutta who wander the streets, bereft of all the goods of society. This writer challenged him in an email by asking, "You can't possibly believe that, can you? What kind of evidence is there to support such an extreme thought? Who are these evil men and women who are literally taking food out of children's mouths? What Republicans are taking away food from 'starving children'? What super-rich person is literally preventing children from eating?" The idea of the top 1% or top 0.1% of the U.S. starving children is a distortion, hyperbole. The truth is that many of the super-rich, like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, and many others past and present, have given away a phenomenal percentage of their wealth. The impulse of Christianity and the West is to help third-world families in desperate need, not to destroy people in the name of collectivization and redistribution of wealth. What about those starving "third-world" kids who are being fed by Feed the Children and World Vision, or Life Outreach providing fresh water for the poorest of the poor, all great evangelical Christian organizations? What about the U.S. Peace Corps and our providing the bulk of support for UNICEF, the United Nations organization that provides aid to children in the Least Developed Developing Countries (LDDCs)? Also, in the U.S. we have more than 40 million on food stamps plus all kinds of food pantry programs. Students can have free breakfasts and lunches at every school in populous New York City and elsewhere because of Department of Agriculture guidelines. Any of us might enjoy a glass of champagne whenever we feel like it. Most Americans are not struggling to feed their children, including those of us above the poverty line, but not yet in the 1%. Are we craven monsters because we enjoy our cars, even though terrorists get some of the proceeds from gas spent at the tank? We don't need vows of poverty, nor do we need to feel guilty about "having stuff." Both are unwise extremes. However, charity and generosity remain virtues, and we should be wise and righteous stewards of the moneys and assets we have. Image: OccupyFightsForeclosure via Flickr. I cancelled meeting with Taliban: Imran Khan 26 March, 2019 Related News Imran Khan distributed loan cheques under Kamyab Jawan Programme PTI govt to face all challenges coming its way: Imran khan More on this View All Top 2021 Accessories We Know You Will Love Types of Casino Payment Methods Tips for Taking Incredible iPhone Travel Photos Are Slot Developers Important for players? Best Poker Hands ever played on a Casino Hand Wash and Toiletries in Pakistan And the Role of DUPAS in Reshaping the Industry Woke Bingo ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan revealed on Monday that he had cancelled his scheduled meeting with the Taliban in Islamabad due to concerns expressed by the Afghan government. He said shadows of war were still hovering over Pakistan and India as Prime Minister Narendra Modis administration could go for another misadventure before general elections in the neighbouring country. The prime minister said Pakistan was likely to hit big offshore oil reserves near Karachi which would be enough to meet the countrys requirement and save over $12 billion annually on account of oil import bill. My meeting with the Taliban was scheduled but it was cancelled due to concerns shown by the Afghan government, Mr Khan said while talking to a group of media persons at the Prime Minister Office. However, he did not elaborate when and with which Taliban representatives his meeting had been fixed. Media reports had suggested that after a recent round of talks with the United States in Qatar, the Taliban had called off a planned meeting in Pakistan with a plea that most of the members of their negotiating team were unable to travel because of sanctions by the US and United Nations. A statement in this regard was issued on Feb 17 a day before the militant group was scheduled to arrive in Islamabad to meet Prime Minister Khan and possibly US officials. It did not provide further details. Responding to a question about Indias war hysteria, the prime minister said: The danger is not over. The situation will remain tense till forthcoming general elections in India. We are already prepared to avert any aggression from India. He said Indian Prime Minister Modi was trying to cash in on anti-Pakistan narrative during his election campaign. Talking about possibilities of big oil discovery near Karachi shores, Prime Minister Khan said: The country will become self-reliant in fuel oil if possible reserves near Karachi are successfully tapped. He said the government was spending $12bn annually on import of oil and once the local reserves were dug out that huge amount would be saved. Urging the nation to pray for big recovery, the prime minister said he would soon give good news to the people. Responding to a question about the bad health of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, PM Khan said there was no law in the country which permitted him to allow the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) supreme leader to get medical treatment abroad. Should we change the law to allow him [Mr Sharif] to get his medical treatment abroad? Should we allow all 150,000 convicts to get their medical treatment in foreign countries? This is mere blackmailing, he added. He said the government was providing best facilities to Mr Sharif for his treatment in the country. Nawaz Sharif remained prime minister of the country three times but he could not give such a single hospital where he can get his medical treatment. He [Mr Sharif] increased his factories from one to 30 but could not establish a hospital, he added. Prime Minister Khan said former finance minister Ishaq Dars farther used to sell bicycles while he [Mr Dar] was getting his treatment in London. Answering a question about Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, he said the PPP leader was afraid of his own accountability by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). He said PPP leaders were involved in money laundering through fake bank accounts. Air tickets of model Ayan Ali and Bilawal were purchased from the same bank account, he claimed. The prime minister said NAB cases against save-democracy political parties were not made in the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government. They [PPP and PML-N] appointed NAB chairman, not us, he added. He said NAB was not subordinate to the government but the anti-graft watchdog should lay its hands on big fish instead of indulging in petty cases. Replying to a question about his palatial private residence on a hilltop of Banigala, the prime minister said he bore the entire expense of his house from his own pocket. I spent Rs6 million for erection of barbwire around my house and got constructed its road by selling a gift. Economic crisis Talking about the economic crisis, Prime Minister Khan said his government had inherited the financial crunch as the previous government had left a record debt of Rs30 trillion. If my government takes less loans it means we are in the right direction. He said the PTI government had taken steps to stop money laundering, adding that foreign reserves were increasing and investors were coming to Pakistan. Lauding the governments foreign policy, he said it was on the right direction. Earlier, the US was asking us to do more but now it is praising us and acknowledges that there will be no peace in Afghanistan without Pakistan, he added. During the media talk, the prime minister was accompanied by Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Finance Minister Asad Umer and Chairman of Task Force on Energy Sector Reforms Nadeem Babar. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Umer said that progress had been made in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and now both sides were closer to a deal. He claimed that the government had successfully cut down the countrys imports to 72 per cent and managed to handle the economic crisis to some extent. The man who used to run the CIA, and lost his job when Donald Trump took office, did a huge amount of damage to the United States by calling the sitting president a traitor. Because of his presumed access to information unavailable to the public, many foreign leaders had reason to believe that they could resist the demands and requests of President Trump by simply outlasting him in office. Think Kim Jong un, Xi Jin ping, Angela Merkel, and of course Vladimir Putin for starters. Victor Davis Hanson has pointed out that almost fifty years of American diplomacy has rested on the policy initiated by Henry Kissinger of playing off Russia and China against each other, but the Russia conspiracy hoax put an end to the ability of President Trump to use that valuable tool. Brennan has been throwing around charges of treason for a long time: Brennan castigated Trump for a widely condemned joint appearance with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland in which Trump suggested he found Putin more credible than the U.S. intelligence communitys assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Donald Trumps press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of high crimes & misdemeanors, Brennan tweeted, using language associated with impeachment. It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trumps comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you??? Brennan has kept up his false attacks on Trump through regular appearances on MSNBC, where he is a paid contributor. Including very recently, as Terry Moran of ABC is pointing out John Brennan has a lot to answer forgoing before the American public for months, cloaked with CIA authority and openly suggesting hes got secret info, and repeatedly turning in performances like this. pic.twitter.com/EziCxy9FVQ Terry Moran (@TerryMoran) March 25, 2019 He used the prestige of his position as DCI to advance his argument that the president was a criminal and a traitor. What he did makes it harder for future DCIs to maintain the confidence of the country; he poisoned that high office with partisan hackery. Terry Moran (@TerryMoran) March 25, 2019 But now that the Mueller Report has stated there is no evidence of any collusion between Russia and Trump or any members of his staff, Brennan is attempting to squirm out of responsibility for his lies: Brennan on MSNBC: Well, I don't know if I received bad information but I think I suspected there was more than there actually was. I am relieved that it's been determined there was not a criminal conspiracy with the Russian government over our election. pic.twitter.com/V2D7Cg9KsV Wojciech Pawelczyk (@PolishPatriotTM) March 25, 2019 I am waiting for him to blame Trump for ending his security clearance, though of course an honest man would have kept his mouth shut if there were no longer good information available to him. Of course, that might mean no more checks from MSNBC deposited in his bank account. Of ourse, what Brennan must really be worried about is his probably large role in launching the spying on the Trump campaign that took place long before Crossfire Hurricane was begun by the FBI counterintelligence operation under Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. Meanwhile, I have to wonder how much longer Brennans gig at MSNBC will last, given the memo that the Trump re-election campaign has sent to all the networks. Via Legal Insurrection: Six Democrats were mentioned in a memo sent by the re-election campaign to networks: Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Rep. Jerry Nadler, Rep. Adam Schiff, Rep. Eric Swalwell, DNC Chair Tom Perez, and John Brennan, former CIA director. From CNBC: Trumps re-election campaign sent a memo to television producers on Monday instructing them to employ basic journalistic standards when booking six current or former government officials that the campaign said made outlandish, false claims, without evidence while on air. The others targeted in the memo either declined to comment or did not respond to a request for comment from CNBC. The Trump campaign letter comes a day after Attorney General William Barr told lawmakers that special counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence of conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. The two-page letter, which was distributed to producers for all the networks and cable outlets, cited comments that the guests made on air alleging that there was evidence of collusion. Moving forward, we ask that you employ basic journalistic standards when booking such guests to appear anywhere in your universe of productions, wrote Tim Murtaugh, the campaigns director of communications, in the memo. The campaign wrote that the producers should begin by asking the following question: Does this guest warrant further appearances in our programming, given the outrageous and unsupported claims made in the past? At a minimum, if these guests do reappear, you should replay the prior statements and challenge them to provide the evidence which promoted them to make wild claims in the first place, Murtaugh wrote. One thing we know: Rachel Maddow, MSNBCs biggest eyeball-getter, isnt penitent in the least: The Justice Department announced that it would support an appeals court decision that the entire Obamacare law should be thrown out. The decision reverses previous policy that supported keeping some protections for people with pre-existing conditions. The federal judge's sweeping ruling last December was a blow to a group of Democratic-led states who had sued to stop several changes to the law from going into effect. That ruling is now being appealed and is likely to end up at the Supreme Court. Politico: "The Department of Justice has determined that the district court's judgment should be affirmed," three Justice Department lawyers wrote to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which is now considering the case. "[T]he United States is not urging that any portion of the district court's judgment be reversed." Regardless of the outcome, legal experts anticipate that the 5th Circuit's ruling will be appealed to the Supreme Court. If the courts ultimately strike down Obamacare over the objections of a group of Democrat-led states, which have spent more than a year defending the health law in court the consequences could be substantial for patients, health care organizations and other groups that have adapted to the nine-year-old law. More than 20 million Americans are covered through the ACA's Medicaid expansion and its insurance exchanges. The sweeping law the object of repeated legal challenges since its 2010 passage has transformed the nation's health system, creating new patient protections and reshaping payments for doctors and hospitals. Some of the Trump administration's proposed drug price reforms depend on provisions contained in the ACA. Senior Trump health officials haven't detailed how they would respond if all of Obamacare is struck down. If this decision is upheld and Obamacare is finally killed, it would be the largest rollback of the welfare state in history. It would also result in millions of people being thrown off their insurance plans or unable to afford the premiums without the federal subsidy. What of the 8 million people who took advantage of the expansion of Medicaid? States will probably pick up the slack for some of them. It's likely that Congress will try to address the problem of covering people with pre-existing conditions - if the two parties can agree on a plan. But no one who supports the repeal of Obamacare should have any illusions; it will throw the private insurance industry into chaos. But insurance companies will eventually adapt. The mandated coverages that everyone had to pay for even if they didn't want them will be gone, which will give the industry the freedom to offer many more plans in various price ranges. But some people are going to fall through the cracks. Ending a major federal program like Obamacare will not be without pain, especially since the ACA has spread its tentacles throughout the healthcare industry. Ripping out those tentacles is not going to be easy. A law that never should have been passed, sold to the American people with blatant lies, enacted along entirely partisan lines, and proved itself to be mostly unworkable could be eliminated entirely. But its legacy will be felt for many years. The prestige of Americas elite universities is rapidly deflating, as scandals reveal them to be far from disinterested seekers of the truth and shapers of the minds of the meritocratically-selected future leaders. The hard truth is that they are big businesses, as self-interested and narrow-minded as any corporation, but harder to take because of all the pretensions. The admissions scandals unfolding, with more indictments promised, is but one pillar of elite academic prestige that is getting very shaky. Equally if not more serious is the problem of research fraud, spurred by the availability of gigantic research grants, mostly from the federal government. When phony research is produced, if not caught it can lead to horrendous outcomes, as other researchers use the fake results in their own work. Eventually, bridges could collapse, patients die, or airplanes crash when the knowledge is applied in the real world. Thats why this story from NPR is so important, yet receiving comparatively little attention. Bill Chappell writes: Duke University is paying the U.S. government $112.5 million to settle accusations that it submitted bogus data to win federal research grants. The settlement will also bring a $33.75 million payment to Joseph Thomas, the whistleblower who drew attention to the fraud when he worked for Duke. Thomas, a former Duke lab analyst, sued the university on behalf of the federal government, saying that a Duke researcher fudged data to help the university win and keep lucrative grants from two agencies, the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency. The dozens of grants in question covered the study of the lung function of mice. The Justice Department says Thomas' lawsuit alleged that "between 2006 and 2018, Duke knowingly submitted and caused to be submitted" claims to federal agencies that were unknowingly paying grant money for falsified research data. It adds that while the agreement settles the court case, it does not mean Duke has been determined liable. Duke says it "discovered the possible research misconduct in 2013 after the [research] technician was fired for embezzling money from the university." Levine Science Reserach Center at Duke University (photo credit: NPatrick6) Caught red-handed and forced to disgorge a gigantic fortune, Dukes president Vincent E. Price is trying to claim the high ground: Discussing the university's ethical standards in a statement about the case, Duke President Vincent E. Price said virtually all of the school's researchers are dedicated to meeting them. "When individuals fail to uphold those standards," he added," and those who are aware of possible wrongdoing fail to report it, as happened in this case, we must accept responsibility, acknowledge that our processes for identifying and preventing misconduct did not work, and take steps to improve." But Joseph Thomas, the comparatively low-level lab staffer who discovered the fraud, did not experience this dedication, of which President Price spoke: Thomas' attorneys, from the law firms Gentry Locke; Healy Hafemann Magee & Thomas; and Brooks Pierce, said that in the fallout from the case, Joseph Thomas was "vilified and suffered substantial personal hardships as he found himself out of work for over a year." Thomas was working as a lab research analyst for Duke University Health Systems when, his lawsuit alleges, he learned that a researcher in the pulmonary division had violated the False Claims Act, defrauding the government of millions of dollars. In a lawsuit filed under seal in 2013, Thomas and his attorneys said that as the pulmonary division's former clinical research coordinator, Erin Potts-Kant was supposed to certify the validity of the unit's work and ensure that it fulfilled government requirements. But instead, the suit stated, "Potts-Kant engaged in systematic and near-universal research fraud," including, in some cases, making up data outright "in lieu of actually performing experiments." The suit also accused those who supervised Potts-Kant of ignoring signs of possible fraud or misconduct. In addition, the federal government was not at first interested in pursuing Thomass complaint, which is why he pursued the lawsuit that is making him a wealthy man: Thomas' attorneys say he stuck with the case after the government opted not to mount its own investigation after he reported his allegations and filed suit. "In many meritorious cases, the government decides to 'intervene' at that stage of the proceedings, basically taking over the lead of the case," lawyers for Thomas said. "But here, that never happened. This left Mr. Thomas and his lawyers at the point of the spear going against a venerated academic institution with enormous resources." Duke University is widely considered one of Americas best. The US News and World Report ranking has it at #8 among national universities. President Trump is notching a series of trade war victories following Special Counsel Robert Muellers nothingburger vindication of our Make America Great Again change agent. With the two-year investigation by the full apparatus and resources of the U.S. Administrative State unable to find Donald Trump and his team guilty of illegitimately stealing the election from Hillary Clinton, the globalist community must accommodate President Trump as Vox Populi, the Latin term for "the voice of the people." The globalist corporate and political community did not pay much attention to candidate Donald Trump, until he swept the April 26, 2016 Northeastern Super Tuesday primaries by winning 108 of the 116 pledged delegates from Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. First snickering about how pathetic it was that a reality show huckster might win the Republican nomination, the globalist cabal became apoplectic the next day when Trump in his first major foreign policy speech promised to scrap the bipartisan post-Cold War doctrine described by George Friedman of Geopolitical Futures as consensus acceptance of the U.S. as both a member of multinational institutions and treaties defining trade, as well as the U.S. using its military power to shape unstable regions. Trump shockingly stated that as president he would maintain the maximum amount of freedom by not announcing a doctrine, because the U.S. has tended to be locked into a set of policies on trade, the Middle East and other matters. Trump argued that he opposed written doctrines for two reasons: 1) they assume a tactical predictability that isnt there, forcing reality to make war with strategy; and 2) predictability in foreign policy gives opponents a tremendous advantage. But Trumps most disruptive statement was his rejection of the false song of globalism. With over 60 years free trade having served as the guiding principal that drove global intergovernmental organizations and open-ended military alliances, Trump declared a rebellion against the New World Order where voters self-interest was strategically constrained by a labyrinth of treaties and protocols. Financed by multi-national corporate lobbyists, weaponized by elements of U.S. law enforcement, and trumpeted by the main stream media, the Trump Resistance was the insurance policy to stop Trumps effort to dump globalism. At the peak of the faux-scandal last year, the Media Research Center reported that of the 1,007 evening news stories about the Trump White House on ABC, CBS and NBC from June 1 to Sept. 30, 92% were percent negative, and just 8% were positive. But with the Mueller report giving nothing to the resistance movement, it may now be payback time, starting with the looming release of the Justice Department Inspector Generals report and the parallel investigation by federal prosecutor John Huber into claims of FBI malfeasance and potential crimes during the RussiaGate investigations. The Japanese car maker Toyota tried to get out in front of new Trump trade war payback by announcing on Monday March 18th that it was investing $13 billion in U.S. production capacity increases and building expansions at Toyotas unit plants in Huntsville, Alabama, Buffalo, West Virginia, Troy, Missouri, and Jackson, Tennessee. Toyota also promised to make its transaxles and engine parts in the U.S. Ford on Wednesday announced that as part of its $11.1 billion global electric vehicle initiative, it will invest $900 million to add 900 jobs producing all-electric cars at its Flat Rock Assembly Plant south of Detroit. The move is expected to also attract vendor jobs. Italian-based Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV on Friday said they are poised to invest $4.5 billion in five Michigan plants and create 6,500 jobs in Metro Detroit, plus make investments in its heavy-duty Mack Truck facility. A reenergized President Donald Trump flew to Ohio on Wednesday to demand that General Motors and the UAW union make concessions to keep that gorgeous northeast Ohio Lordstown Assembly open. The carmaker in November temporarily placed about 1,000 employees at other GM factories. But Trump lambasted both GM and union leaders as "not honest," saying that union workers should support him and get the leadership to "lower your dues." In the most significant post-Mueller trade response, Hong Kongs South Chinas Morning Post reported that former member of Chinese central banks monetary committee David Li Daokui said late on March 25th that President Xi Jinping expected Trumps election win to create trouble. Xi suggested: He is new, from outside political institutions. He does not believe in a lot of things. He will try, but he will be burnt. In a peace offering, Li suggested that China was just playing the long game and wanted to see who blinks first, when the negotiations spiraled out of control last summer. Li believes that Beijing and Washington will soon come to a trade agreement and should set up monitoring mechanisms and a protocol for regular dialogue to keep track of the commitments for resolving the trade dispute. The American Line Pipe Producers Association has urged United States President Donald Trump's administration to maintain the Section 232 tariffs on steel imports from Canada and Mexico. While the trade group supports the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement - signed in late November to replace the existing North American Free Trade Agreement - it is against having that deal tied to the removal of the Section 232 tariffs against the two nations, Washington-based law firm Wiley Rein LLP said on Tuesday March 26. The association claims that the trade-distortive behaviors of Canada and Mexico disqualify the countries from receiving trade relief. In particular, it pointed to a final US Commerce Department determination last month that Canadian large-diameter welded pipe producers were dumping the product into the domestic market at a rate of 12.32%, down from the previous dumping rate of 24.38%. South of the border, the Mexican large-diameter pipe market is closed to American producers, the association noted. Mexicos most recent WTO Trade Policy Review indicates that current tenders for oil and gas pipeline projects issued by Mexicos National Hydrocarbons Commission require 25% local content... This requirement will reach 35% by the end of 2025, it added. It is imperative that Section 232 tariffs relief be maintained on both Canada and Mexico in order to uphold the presidents goal of increasing US steel capacity, including domestic [large-diameter welded pipe] capacity, to support US national security needs, the association said. The failure to do so will directly undermine [large-diameter welded pipe] production in the United States and increases the possibility of Canada and Mexico becoming platforms for circumvention by China and other countries. But should the tariffs be rescinded in lieu of quotas, the quotas should abide by the stated intent of the Section 232 measures to protect US national security in addition to the domestic steel industry, it added. Such a quota should be well below the 2016 to 2018 average volumes for US imports from Canada any quota set at historic levels would improperly reward Canada for its surge of [large-diameter welded pipe] imports at dumped prices, the group added. The United Steelworkers union had called on the Trump administration early last month to lift the Section 232 measures against Canada, with former US Trade Representative employees anticipating that the tariffs would be removed prior to the ratification of the USMCA. The agreement requires approval from each countries' legislatures in order to take effect. Fastmarkets AMMs assessment for US domestic X65 line pipe currently stands at $1,365-1,405 per short ton fob mill, down by 12.2% from $1,550-1,605 per ton when the Section 232 tariffs went into effect for Canada and Mexico on June 1 of last year. The separation between Sonys widely used mobile camera technology and its much stronger DSLR-like mirrorless cameras has been entirely deliberate, according to recently reported statements attributed to Sony Senior Manager of Global Marketing Adam Marsh. The executive points to a company structure maintained by the previous President and CEO of Sony, Kaz Hirai, and an internal company culture meant to ensure that the camera division remained completely unique from the mobile division. The purpose of that division was effectively to ensure that the mobile cameras found on Sonys handsets and often shipped in units embedded in third-party devices, were inferior to the nearly $4,000 cameras Sony sells to its other audience. However, thats all about to change as the company moves forward. Why the sudden change of heart? Advertisement As expected from rumors leading up to the launch of Sonys latest mobile flagship, the Xperia 1, thats all but gone away thanks to a restructuring that occurred within Sony in 2018. With all of Sonys photo divisions now joined under the Imaging category and Alphas own Kimio Maki leading the way, users will steadily gain more features and capability moving forward. In fact, Mr. Marsh claims that features should start spreading across Cybershot, Alpha, and Xperia wherever the features can be shared. The initial results of the change include the introduction of world-first features such as mobile-based Eye Autofocus features and Cinema Pro on Sonys Xperia 1 flagship two camera technologies found in Sonys dedicated cameras but not previously allowed over to the mobile side. More directly, Sony has brought its BIONZ X over to mobile. In addition to the above-mentioned features that also means the Sony Xperia 1 will be able to accomplish up to 10 fps AF/AE tracking for high-precision captures in terms of both autofocus and exposure. Why isnt this already the best camera yet? Advertisement Sonys new Xperia 1 flagship, set to start shipping to consumers in late spring in a black, purple, gray, or white color scheme, will undoubtedly feature one of the best mobile cameras available. The features listed above are tied together behind the three 12-megapixel snappers found inside the Sony Xperia 1. Each serves a different purpose, combining a 16mm super-wide sensor with a 26mm wide sensor and a 52mm telezoom sensor. The camera will also enable capture of Raw photo format images, feature a faster capture than previous devices, and come packing the optical image stabilization that has often been missing in those handsets. Thats all with an f/1.6 aperture lens and 1.4um sensor, stacking up for what could arguably be the best smartphone camera available if it leveraged the full potential of the Alpha divisions innovation. According to Mr. Marsh, the company has realized that offering DSLR-like features in a mobile device is a good thing. Thats exemplified by the fact that the corporate barriers holding back Sonys mobile cameras are beginning to come down and further showcased in the Xperia 1. Advertisement None of that necessarily means that every top photography invention is making its way to mobile just yet but Sonys top marketing executive does seem to believe that things are headed in that direction. OnePlus is launching new Open Beta versions of OxygenOS for the OnePlus 5 and 5T as well as the newer OnePlus 6 and 6T models. The updates are similar across the board and seemingly introduce the same features, but there is an exception for the OnePlus 6 and 6T in that these variants have received additional improvements to the Gallery apps photo editor. The latest beta software release for the OnePlus 5 is labeled Open Beta 29, whereas the One Plus 5T is receiving Open Beta 27. Meanwhile, the OnePlus 6 and 6T have been updated to Open Beta 15 and 7, respectively. The launch format is similar to previous Open Beta releases including the ones introduced by the OEM in February. App permissions migration and more Advertisement One of the updates highlights appears to affect OnePlus Switch the OEMs app capable of migrating user information such as contacts, texts messages, and media files from other phones to OnePlus handsets. The app now seems to support the migration of app permissions on top of the usual user data. All four software versions include screenshot UI and general UI optimizations. The color adaptation for cards has been improved in the launcher, and weather-related information has seen some tweaks as well. The weather timeline now follows the system time format and along with general bug fixes, the app should now deliver more detailed weather alerts. The changelog for the OnePlus 6 and 6T mentions an additional improvement for the Gallery app, i.e., an improved photo editor but doesnt go into details as to how the editor is now better. Only time will tell whether this feature will eventually make its way onto future Open Beta releases for the OnePlus 5 and 5T. Advertisement To beta or not to beta The latest releases are labeled as Open Beta, which means that regular OnePlus smartphone users who rely on public OxygenOS builds will not receive any update notifications until these new features will be migrated over to a public OTA package. On the other hand, users already signed up to the OEMs beta program will receive these latest builds over-the-air, and they are encouraged to provide feedback and help the OEM refine the new additions to the software before they reach all eligible customers. As usual, adopting early software features poses a risk. Some additions might not be working as intended or could be outright broken. A beta program is virtually part of the late development process and its highly recommended for users not to update their daily drivers to these potentially-unstable builds. Advertisement Readers who might want to stay ahead of the curve by joining the Open Beta at the risk of dealing with software issues can head down to the official forums and follow the instructions provided by the OEM, for both signing up to the program as well as providing feedback and submitting bug reports. The latest public OxygenOS version is 9.0.12 which was released for the OnePlus 6T in February. Similarly, OxygenOS 9.0.4 arrived for the OnePlus 6 on the same day, and both versions are based on Android 9 Pie. Google will launch Android Q later this year following a number of beta releases and its likely that OnePlus will eventually join the Android Q beta with some of its smartphone models. Imran Khan met with EU High Representative Prime Minister Imran Khan, on Monday, met with European Unions (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Frederica Mogherini, with both sides eyeing collaboration for reform agenda for Pakistan. PM Khan said that Pakistan highly valued its relations with the EU and all its member states. Welcoming the High Representative, he expressed satisfaction on the positive momentum in the ties and hailed the economic block as Pakistans major trade and investment partner. The premier took great pride in the appreciation in the bilateral trade in the wake of the GSP-plus scheme. Touching over the current regional situation, Mogherini was informed about Pakistans positive role in the Afghan reconciliation process and the normalisation of heightened tensions with India. The prime minister urged the EU to highlight the ongoing violations of human rights being committed in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). Mogherini, also serving as the vice-president of the European Commission, appreciated the handling of post-Pulwama situation by PM Khan. Upon being briefed about PM Khans reform agenda, including good governance, eradication of corruption, rule of law and poverty alleviation, she assured of EUs support and said that it coincided with the EUs core principles and values. EU foreign policy chief is on an official visit to Pakistan and also participated in a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi after a meeting held in Islamabad, on Monday. Mogherini regarded the rise in Islamophobia as a threat not only for Muslims but for all of European society as it threatens diversity. She continued, The strength of our societies lies in our diversity, and whoever attacks the diversity of our societies attacks the entire society, not just one segment of it. The chief asserted, This is why for the European Union, institutions, for me personally, for all our member states, it is a priority to make sure that Islamophobia doesnt find any place in the European Union. She also offered condolences to the bereaved families of the nine Pakistanis killed in the Christchurch terror attacks. Qureshi joined in as she commended New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, for her humane response to the recent Christchurch terror attack. FM Qureshi was of the view that the Kiwi premier had shown a different way of dealing with [Islamophobia] and had told the world how societies can gel together. He expressed great concern over the rising Islamophobia and warned that the EU should also be worried by this disturbing trend as it housed a large Muslim community. With reference to a recent meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers, he apprised the EU representative about his comprehensive plan to tackle Islamophobia globally. The meeting had been called to discuss the causes, impacts and the way forward in the wake of the attacks in Christchurch. As the press conference went underway, Qureshi and Mogherini talked about other issues discussed in their meeting, which included an increase in Pakistan-EU trade. Both officials stressed the importance of peace and stability in Afghanistan as Mogherini lauded Pakistan for generously hosting Afghan refugees. She further added that the EU recognised that it can be difficult. Qureshi and Mogherini had met for the fourth round of Strategic Dialogue between Pakistan and the EU in Islamabad, where they agreed to a new Strategic Engagement Plan to build a strong partnership in diverse fields. Marysville, CA (95901) Today Periods of rain. High 49F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch.. Tonight Rain. Low 46F. Winds SSE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible. The Open Day at Beirut will be held at 9.00am on Saturday, March 30 at Movenpick Hotel Beirut, General de Gaulle Avenue Raoucheh, Beirut. The Open Day at Jounieh will be held at 9.00am on Monday, April 29 at Hotel Burj on Bay, Main Road, Kfar Yassine. The airline said it is looking for open-minded, helpful, friendly and service-oriented candidates to deliver its award-winning onboard experience to customers. Applicants hoping to give their careers a flying start can walk in with an up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV) in English, and a recent photograph. Cabin Crew are offered an entire employment package, which includes a variety of benefits such as a tax-free income, free high standard shared accommodation in Dubai, free transport to/from work, medical and dental cover as well as exclusive discounts on shopping and leisure activities in Dubai. Nawaz Sharif given bail for six weeks 26 March, 2019 Related News Imran Khan distributed loan cheques under Kamyab Jawan Programme PTI govt to face all challenges coming its way: Imran khan More on this View All Top 2021 Accessories We Know You Will Love Types of Casino Payment Methods Tips for Taking Incredible iPhone Travel Photos Are Slot Developers Important for players? Best Poker Hands ever played on a Casino Hand Wash and Toiletries in Pakistan And the Role of DUPAS in Reshaping the Industry Woke Bingo The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted former premier Nawaz Sharif bail for six weeks to obtain medical treatment within the country. A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa granted bail to Sharif today on medical grounds against two surety bonds of Rs5 million each. The short order, read out by the chief justice in Court Room No 1, said that Sharif will have to surrender himself to jail authorities once the bail period is over. If he fails to surrender, he will be arrested. In case Sharif wishes to apply for bail on medical grounds when he returns to jail after six weeks, he will have to consult the high court, the order said. Khawaja Haris, Sharif's legal counsel, had requested the court for bail for eight weeks. After the short order was announced, Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz tweeted, praising God. PML-N leaders, including former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, also welcomed the decision. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had yesterday submitted an appeal opposing Sharif's bail petition, asking that it be rejected. Sharif is serving a seven-year prison sentence awarded to him by an accountability court in the Al Azizia corruption case. The former premier had filed a bail plea in the IHC on medical grounds but it was turned down last month, as the high court noted that "none of the reports [about Sharif's condition] suggest that continued incarceration of the petitioner, in any way, would be detrimental to his life". PML-N leaders Pervaiz Malik, Shaista Pervaiz, Khurram Dastagir, Amir Muqam, Sadia Abbasi, Rana Sanaullah and Pervez Rashid and others had arrived in court ahead of the hearing earlier today. Special security measures were taken to ensure "smooth functioning" of the court during the hearing, which is being held in Court Room No 1. As the hearing began, Sharif's lawyer Haris apprised the court of the former premier's medical reports. The chief justice observed that Haris had submitted an additional document in court, which the lawyer explained was a letter from one Dr Lawrence to Dr Adnan. When the court inquired who Dr Adnan was, Haris replied that he was Sharif's personal physician. Justice Khosa remarked that the document was correspondence between "'Person A' and 'Person B'" and was not addressed to court. He further questioned the "legal status" of the letter. "How can we determine this letter's authenticity? This letter has been written by a private individual to another private individual," he said, adding that the bench had read it because it was submitted by Haris. "How can this letter be presented as evidence?" Sharif's lawyer clarified that he was "not depending upon the letter" in this case. Haris told the court that the former premier is suffering from heart ailments and had gone through open-heart surgery and therefore, required an angiography which is a "complicated matter". Haris told the court that one of the veins supplying blood to Sharif's heart was 43 per cent blocked. Additionally, he said, Sharif's blood sugar level and blood pressure needed to be monitored at all times. "It is said that after a person goes through an open-heart surgery, he becomes 20 years younger," Justice Khosa remarked. He asked if Sharif can be treated in a hospital in Pakistan and said that the court would allow the former premier to receive treatment in whichever hospital he chooses. Haris insisted that his client needed bail as his "health [condition] is serious". Haris said that Sharif was also suffering from kidney disease which was in the third stage, and would need dialysis if it advanced to the fourth stage. Justice Khosa asked if the petitioner had any other "proof" of Sharif's deteriorating health apart from Dr Lawrence's letter. "Should we believe Dr Lawrence's letter as it is? If he had said that [Sharif's] kidney ailment has reached stage four, should we have believed it as well?" the chief justice asked, adding: "You are building your case on medical grounds and all we have [as evidence] is Dr Lawrence's letter." "Can we take a letter as a basis [of proof] in a criminal case?" Justice Khosa asked. Haris told the bench that five medical boards had been formed to examine Sharif's medical condition and every one of them had declared that the former premier's kidney ailment was at the third stage. They had also recommended that he should be admitted to a hospital. Haris said that Sharif had been "diagnosed with angina" and that he had already had two attacks. He insisted that Sharif's condition was "worsening day by day" and urged the court to consider the "seriousness of Sharif's medical condition". Haris cited PPP leader Asim Hussain's case, who had been granted bail on similar grounds and was also allowed to go abroad. The chief justice warned that worsening medical condition was the "best basis" for securing bail if "it's not misused". In order to secure bail on medical grounds, the chief justice said, Sharif's counsel will have to prove that the former premier's health is deteriorating. Sharif will also have to prove that staying in jail will threaten his life, Justice Khosa said. According to Sharif's medical reports, Justice Khosa said, the former prime minister has been suffering from heart ailments since 2003. The chief justice also observed that Sharif has been suffering from these medical conditions for several years but had "quite an active routine". He further said that different people had "several types of medical histories but they survive". He added that the court had already reviewed Sharif's medical reports that were submitted earlier and nothing in the them suggested that Sharif was in danger. "The [medical] history you are telling [the court about] is old," Justice Khosa said. "We want to see if bail can be granted keeping in view these medical conditions." "Are the hospitals and doctors in Pakistan not eligible for Nawaz Sharif's treatment?" Justice Khosa asked and said the court could order that the former prime minister be treated in a hospital in Pakistan. Haris insisted that Sharif will be "stressed" if he remains in jail. He added that it would not be "appropriate" to treat him while he is under stress. The chief justice noted that Sharif is a convict added that even if the court grants him bail for a few weeks, he will have to return to jail. NAB's legal counsel, during his arguments, said that none of Sharif's reports mentioned his ailments and had merely recommended checkups. He insisted that the former prime minister was being "monitored 24 hours a day". He refuted Haris' argument that Sharif was suffering from a life-threatening disease. Justice Yahya Afridi, who was part of the bench, asked: "If his [Sharif] life is not in danger then why have the medical boards recommended that he goes through an angiography?" Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, the third member of the bench, said that NAB had shifting Sharif from "one hospital to another". "You [NAB] should open a hospital," the chief justice said and asked why every person who was being investigated by NAB faced mental duress. "NAB's attitude is such that people have started to commit suicide," he said, adding that the top court was "looking into that matter as well". Rather than fading deferentially into the terrain that surrounds them, the houses that best exemplify the new Chilean architecture are, like Nerudas impure poetry, emphatically man-made rough-hewn and, at times, surreal. T The New York Times Style Magazine Before he got into collecting, Byrne didnt even know what I liked, he recalled in a 2015 interview with Art+Auction magazine. New York dealer Jack Tilton suggested that he attend Art Basel, and after two trips to Switzerland, he bought six pieces in 1988 on a budget of $60,000. That was the beginning of the collection, he said. After I got those first six, I was bitten. The Hollywood Reporter A labor or employment contract is a binding agreement between an employer and an employee, that addresses important employment terms, including those related to wages, benefits, termination procedures, and the duties and responsibilities of both parties. A well-drafted agreement not only sets out the ground rules of the relationship but also limits risk for both parties. In this chapter, we provide an outline of the salient features of labor contracts across five major ASEAN economies. Indonesia Indonesian labor contracts can be for either a fixed term or indefinite term. While an indefinite term contract may be in oral or writing, a fixed-term agreement must be concluded in writing in the local Bahasa Indonesia language. The contract may be bilingual Bahasa Indonesia and the language of the foreign party. However, in case of any conflict, the Indonesian version prevails. The fixed term contract may be undertaken for a period of maximum two years and may only be extended once for a maximum period of one year. Further, it can be renewed once for a period of two years after a grace period of 30 days following the expiry of the first term of the contract. An indefinite-period employment contract, on the other hand, is open-ended. It must be noted that the rules on fixed-term contracts do not apply to expatriate employees. They are permitted to work in Indonesia for a specified term and a work permit can only be issued for a one-year term at a time, except in certain cases. In terms of worker rights and protection, fixed-term and part-time employees have similar entitlements as employees on an indefinite contract, including wages, overtime pay, leave, and social security. Certain additional benefits under the employment law, however, may apply for employees who have indefinite-term employment agreements, such as the right to receive a severance package upon termination by the employer. Social security In Indonesia, the social security program is run by the countrys social security organizing agency or Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial (BPJS) in collaboration with the employer, whose contribution rates are as follows: Malaysia In Malaysia, a labor contract must be formalized in writing. The contract must include key terms of the employment relationship including location of work, scope of work, wage rates, wage period, holidays, benefits, and matters relevant to preservation of health and safety. The labor contracts are governed by the Employment Act, 1955 and can be established for either fixed term or an indefinite period. Employers must take note that if an employees fixed-term contract is renewed multiple times, the Malaysian courts may consider the said employee as a permanent employee in the event of any disputes related to dismissal. Social security Both employers and employees must contribute to an employee social insurance program through Malaysias Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and the Social Security Organization (SOCSO) which cover retirement, disability, survivors benefits, and medical payment. Domestic workers, foreign workers, self-employed, and the spouses of the self-employed are exempt from contributing to both the EPF and the SOCSO. Philippines The Philippine labor law recognizes the following five categories of employment arrangements based on the nature of the employment. Regular employment, where the employee renders work for an indefinite period; Probationary employment, wherein the employment is subject to a period of observation and evaluation with an aim to assess the workers suitability for permanent employment; Project-based employment; fixed period or term-based employment; or seasonal employment where the arrangement pre-determines the expiration of the project, term, season or incidental activity. An employment contract is concluded for each of the employment types. It may be oral or written so long it satisfies the essential requirements and the minimum statutory standards prescribed by the labor code. Any part of an employment contract that does not meet the standards is considered invalid. In general, the employment contracts are arranged in English, however, an employer must provide a dual language contract in Filipino if an employee is a Philippine national.. Further, the contract must clearly state the terms of employment suitable to the employee type to avoid confusion or any future disputes. Social security The Philippines social legislation requires both employees and employers to contribute to the Social Security System (SSS), National Health Insurance Program and the Home Development Mutual Fund that covers sickness, maternity, disability, retirement, deaths and funerals, health insurance and housing loans. The contribution rates are set based on the employees monthly compensation. The employer is not permitted to deduct its share of contribution from the employees monthly contribution. Singapore In terms of employment protection and rights, all of Singapores workforce (excluding public servants, domestic workers and seafarers) are set to be covered under the Employment Act of Singapore (EA) with effect from April 1, 2019. At present, Singapore categorizes its workforce into two types employees who are covered under the EA EA employees, and employees who are not covered under the EA non-EA employees. The EA is the primary statute that regulates the relationship between an employer and employee and provides for the basic terms and conditions for employees covered by the EA. The EA requires employers to offer terms that are either comparable to or exceeding the terms set out as per its guidelines, to its employees. Any employment term or clause that is less favorable than that listed in the Act, would be considered null and void. At present, the EA covers every employee (foreign or local) who is under a contract of service with an employer, except the following Seaman; Domestic workers; Individuals employed by a statutory board or government managers and executives. These include professionals with tertiary education and specialized knowledge or skills whose employment terms are similar to that of government managers or executives such as lawyers, accountants, dentists, and doctors.; and Individuals employed in managerial or executive positions with a minimum monthly salary of S$4,500. This salary cap will be removed with effect from April 1, 2019, and statutory protections and benefits under EA must also be extended to those earning more than S$4,500 a month. The core provisions of the EA are to be now expanded to include all managers, executives and professionals regardless of their monthly salary. Social security The Central Provident Fund (CPF) is Singapores social security saving scheme that covers healthcare, retirement and housing needs of its workforce. It is funded by contributions from both employers and employees. The CPF is mandatory for Singapore citizens or foreigners holding Permanent Resident status and working in Singapore. It is voluntary for Singapore citizens and PRs who work overseas. However, it is not applicable to foreign employees. The contribution rates are set by law and vary depending on the age, the wage band, the resident status of the employee, that is, whether the employee is a Singaporean citizen or PR, and the number of years for which the employee has had PR status). Thailand Thailand does not mandate a written agreement between the employer and an employee. However, it does impose strict labor regulations with regards to working terms and conditions. In practice, therefore, it is advisable for employers to set out written terms and conditions of employment to avoid legal disputes or liability with regards to remuneration. If an employment agreement is made in writing, an employer must provide a copy to the employee immediately after it has been signed. Further, companies employing 10 or more workers must publish written work rules at the workplace and file them with the district labor office within the prescribed period. These rules must be published in the Thai language as well as in English for foreign workers. The published rules must include the following: working days; regular working hours and rest periods; holidays and rules for taking holidays; rules concerning overtime work and work on holidays; date and place of payment of basic pay, overtime pay, holiday pay and holiday overtime pay; leave and rules for taking leave; discipline and punishment; submission of complaints; and termination of employment, severance pay and special severance pay. Additionally, a workplace having 20 or more employees must also provide a written working conditions agreement as part of the employees contractual employment terms. Social Security Employers are generally required to register their employees with the workmen compensation fund and social security fund. Both employers and employees are required to contribute to the Social Security Fund at the rate of 5 percent of the employees income, up to a maximum of THB750 (US$23) per month. Further, a provident fund is managed wherein both employer and employee make equal monthly contribution ranging from two to 15 percent of the monthly remuneration. Banks have moved in to take a majority stake in the airline after Jet failed to convince potential investors. Abu Dhabis Etihad bought a 24 per cent stake to keep the airline running. (Photo: AFP/File) New Delhi: Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal will step down from the board of the Indian carrier he founded 25 years ago and its lenders will seize control, the company said, as part of a deal led by state-run banks to save the airline from bankruptcy. Saddled with debt of more than USD 1 billion, Jet has been on the brink of collapse, and had to ground more than two-thirds of its fleet as it struggled pay lenders, suppliers, pilots and leasing companies. Banks have moved in to take a majority stake in the airline after Jet failed to convince potential investors, including its largest shareholder Etihad Airways, to save the airline. Goyals departure, however, could reignite investor interest in Indias oldest private airline. Sources told Reuters in November that Tata Sons had been in active talks to invest in Jet on the condition that Goyal would step down or take a less prominent role. Saving Jet is crucial for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he looks to avoid thousands of job losses ahead of a general election. His government had urged state-run banks to rescue the airline, sources have told Reuters. India has already seen one airline go bankrupt in recent years. The demise of Kingfisher Airlines in 2012 left thousands without jobs and lessors lost millions of dollars. Kingfishers founder Vijay Mallya, who owes money to banks and creditors, took to Twitter to express his displeasure with the government and state-run banks for not saving his airline. Only wish the same was done for Kingfisher, said Mallya, who is living in London and has been declared a fugitive economic offender by a court in India. Under Jets rescue plan, its lenders, led by State Bank of India (SBI), will take a stake of just over 50 per cent, the airline said in a stock exchange announcement on Monday. The banks will issue a loan of 15 billion rupees (USD 218 million) to meet Jets obligations and will form an interim management committee to oversee operations, it added. Jet will use the money to partly clear dues owed to lessors, vendors, creditors and employees in a phased manner, the airline said in a separate statement. It will re-deploy several of its grounded aircraft and renew many of the routes it had temporarily suspended. Goyals 51 per cent stake has been halved to make room for the banks, according to reports by Indian TV. No sacrifice is too big for me to safeguard the interest of Jet Airways and the families of the 22,000 employees, Goyal said in the statement. Long haul As part of the bailout plan, lenders will start a bidding process to sell their Jet stake to a new investor. In the meantime they will nominate two directors to Jets board. Bids to buy a stake in Jet will open on April 9 and close on April 30 with the expectation that a new investor will be in place by May 31, SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar told CNBC-TV18, adding that even Goyal would be eligible to bid for it. Even as news of Goyals departure led to a rally in Jets shares, which closed 12.4 percent higher on Monday and rose as much as 8.5 percent in early trade on Tuesday, analysts say there is still a long road ahead. The next steps, which include the amount of equity capital being infused and selection of the new board, are more critical, said Kapil Kaul, CEO of aviation consulting firm CAPA India. It is critical to have a world class board led by a chairman with proven credentials, Kaul said, adding that the short timeline for the lenders plan to sell their controlling stake was also ambitious unless they have an investor in mind. lso, the banks have converted only 1 rupee (USD 0.0145) of their debt into equity. That means the airline still needs to service all of its existing loans. SAD DAY for Indian aviation Goyals exit as chairman brings an end to an era during which he built Jet into one of Indias leading airlines with more than 120 planes, enviable landing slots and flights to places such as Hong Kong, Dubai, Paris and London. Goyals wife, Anita, with whom he set up the full-service carrier at a time when state-run Air India was the only formidable opponent, will also step down from the board. Jet has survived collapse once before when it got close to running out of cash in 2013. On that occasion, Abu Dhabis Etihad bought a 24 per cent stake to keep the airline running. But competition from low-cost carriers, such as IndiGo and SpiceJet Ltd, together with high oil prices, hefty fuel taxes and a weak rupee have piled on the pressure in recent months. Today is indeed a sad day for Indian aviation, said Ajay Singh, chairman and managing director at SpiceJet. Goyal and his wife made India proud by launching a world class airline, Singh added. He said this was a wake-up call for Indian policy makers. We urgently need to address structural challenges that make Indias airlines uncompetitive to airlines around the world. Pakistan used F-16 to down two Indian aircraft: DG ISPR Military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor has rejected Indian claims that Pakistan used US-made F-16 jets to down two Indian aircraft in a dogfight late February, telling Russian news agency Sputnik that JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft developed jointly with China were used instead. The aircraft which engaged those targets and fought them were JF-17. As regard to how to use F-16, in what context they were used or not because at that point of time our entire air force was airborne now it remains between Pakistan and the US to see how the MoUs regarding the use of F-16 have been adhered to or otherwise, the Inter-Services Public Relations director general said in an interview. Asserting that Pakistan will use whatever it deems necessary for legitimate self-defense, Major General Ghafoor said Pakistan decided to respond to Indias February 26 incursion but chose not to threaten civilian lives. Sharing Pakistans account of the events that preceded the dogfight on February 28, he said Indian jets violated Pakistani airspace on February 26, dropping payloads without inflicting any casualties or damage to the infrastructure. Next day, our air force, while staying within our own airspace, took four targets in India-held Kashmir. Being a responsible country, we could have caused damage even to the military installations or human life but we had to show our will, capability and resolve. So what we did we first chose the targets, and when the targets were locked by the aircraft, we shifted the point of impact to a safety distance where there was no infrastructure or human life, meaning thereby that we wanted to tell Indians that we had the capability to hit that military target, but in the interest of peace in the region we are only showing you our capability, he said, adding that Pakistan has the footage of this operation. The head of the militarys media wing also categorically ruled out the possibility of Pakistan using its nuclear weapons, saying Islamabad sees them as more of a deterrence tool to prevent actual wars. Since we have gone overtly nuclear, as India also in 1998, our stance is that this capability eliminates the possibility of conventional war between the two states. So that is to say, this is a weapon of deterrence and a political choice. No sane country having this capability would talk about using it, Maj Gen Ghafoor said. He asserted that even though the protection of the country is of the utmost importance, it would be insane to discuss the use of nuclear weapons. Pakistan is willing to take steps towards non-proliferation of nuclear arms but only if India does the same, Maj Gen Ghafoor said. Pakistan will undertake anything which is based on equality. You cannot tie the hands of Pakistan and keep India open. Anything that happens should happen for both countries, he stressed. Maj Gen Ghafoor said Pakistan is negotiating defence industry cooperation with Russia in the areas of aviation, air defense systems and anti-tank missiles. We are having the aviation, we are having the air defense, we are having the anti-tank domain, which we are negotiating. And that will be positive negotiations, he said, and noted that Pakistan will welcome Russias role in mediating the recently inflamed tensions between Pakistan and India. We will welcome any third-party mediation, which can bring peace in the region. And Russia is more than welcome, he said. The ISPR chief said Pakistan values Russias role in the Afghan settlement process and recognises Moscows importance in regional processes. We greatly value the relevance and importance of Russia in the region, especially what role Russia has lately played toward the Afghan reconciliation, he said. Russia looks toward balance of power and multi-polarity in the world. We value Russias voice as the voice of reason, and we will love if Russia, being a powerful country, plays its role which enables bringing peace in South Asia and beyond. E-Residency is a status provided to people who are neither citizens nor residents of Estonia. What is e-Residency? E-Residency is a status provided to people who are neither citizens nor residents of Estonia, but are granted an Estonian digital ID and access to Estonia's e-services. In practical terms, it connects you with Estonia and Estonian business environment, including the freedom to run a global, EU-company online from anywhere in the world. The program was launched in December 2014 by the government of Estonia and it has so far attracted more than 50,000 people from 157 countries around the world. Why did Estonia come up with the e-Residency program? The initial idea behind e-Residency was to make Estonia great. As you know, Estonia regained its independence in 1991 from Soviet occupation and we quickly realised that we needed to find something to set ourselves apart from our neighbours. Norway had oil, Finland mobile phones, Sweden design. So, we embarked on massive technological innovation. It was also very convenient for us because we had to build an entire and efficient administration and being digital helped us to mitigate the costs while providing public services, in that case e-services, to our population. The process took time. It took great courage to invest in IT solutions and take the information technology route. Now, we can say we have designed one of the most advanced digital societies in the world, a system offering efficient digital services to our population. So, when we had to think about ways to make Estonia great. It quickly became obvious that this digital society that we have built throughout the years was one of our main assets. We envisioned that more people could benefit for this, even without coming to Estonia or being Estonian. This is how we got this idea of e-Residency, which came from a unique and simple question: Why should a country only offers its services to its population and not also to other people around the world who could benefit from these e-services?. It is not a technological innovation, we only offer access to an infrastructure that already exists for Estonians. It is an innovation in the mindset. With e-Residency, we serve people who are neither our citizens nor our residents. But opening our digital borders helps us to generate Estonias revenues for the future that will benefit all Estonian citizens, supports Estonian companies in connecting internationally and, by contributing to put the country on the map, it enhances our soft power and national security. Why should Indians become e-Residents? For e-residents, Estonia offers increasingly convenient ways to successfully pursue activities independently of their location. Indeed, digital entrepreneurs selling digital services and offering cross-border IT and consultation services, location-independent entrepreneurs who could work from any location in the world and digital nomads professionals who live and work in more than one country per year are the people who benefit the most from e-Residency. E-Residency gives them a way to establish trusted company in Europe and remotely manage it with low overheads. India has the worlds largest freelance workforce. Europe is one of the key markets for them owing to its huge demand. By bringing the freelancers under the e-Residency umbrella, we aim to provide them with a platform whereby they can further flourish their businesses. India is an entrepreneurial country. Companies, especially those in software development & technology can leverage from Estonia since we pioneer in ICT technologies, especially in e-governance. e-Residency can provide Indian entrepreneurs with the opportunity to open and run a global EU company fully online while being in India and gain access to the European market of 500 million people. How many Indians have already become e-Residents? In India, there are over 2,430 e-residents who have created 325 companies. In the last one year alone, over 1062 individuals enrolled for the program in India and created around 205 new Estonian companies. Among the notable Indian e-Residents are Mr Mukesh Ambani, Chairman & Managing Director of Reliance Industries and Union Minister of Information Technology Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad. Reliance Industries has set-up a research centre for Jio in Estonia. The research centre aims at understanding digital society of Estonia and the benefit it can offer to India and Indians. But of course, the majority of our e-residents in India are digital entrepreneurs, freelancers and IT specialists. For instance, Deepak Solanki is developing LiFi technology an innovative alternative to WiFi from Delhi through his company, Velmenni, registered in Estonia. Among his notable clients, you may find Airbus or Air France, for instance. On a smaller scale, Raj Bhatta works as an education consultant from Gujarat and has set up his business, Connecting Wings, as an e-resident as well in order to advise students on application process for graduate programmes overseas. Nishant Gupta is another interesting e-resident from Bangalore. I have met him at Demo Day in Bangalore in December. Together with his partner, they have created Renaura, a research and formulation company in the beauty, personal care and wellness domains, which develops and manufactures specialty products that solve targeted problems primarily for the salon professional market under the brand iluvia Professional. They became e-residents in order to target European markets. How do you ensure easy cross border fund transfer for Indian e-Residents? Regarding banking services, Estonian banks tend to serve e-residents who have a business connection to Estonia and can provide a clear understanding of their business, among other considerations, and always require to have a physical meeting in Estonia. However, e-residents are actually enable to conduct all business activity using any bank or fintech across the European Economic Area. We have several partnerships with payment institutions such as Holvi, InstaRem or Payoneer in order to widen the choice of financial services available to e-residents and accessing banking services through these companies doesnt require any physical meeting. E-Residents can also use one of Estonias best success stories - Transferwise Borderless for convenient cross border fund transfer, and to get a European IBAN and a credit card. For cross-borders payments, payment services such as PayPal are also accessible for e-residents. What are the reasons behind the successful startup culture in Estonia? I would say its the combination of several factors. First of all, the development of our digital administration and society allowed every Estonian to benefit from a hassle-free and non bureaucratic administration, which partially explains that Estonia has now the highest number of startups per capita in Europe. Estonia put the right public policies in place right after regaining its independence, making sure the country would be pro-business and initiative. Our government is always open to test innovation ideas. Estonia was the first country to authorize i-voting, to legalize ride-sharing apps and of course to launch e-Residency. Estonia has always had excellent engineers, even during Soviet occupation, and an entrepreneurial mindset. That mindset let many Estonians to create amazing start-ups in the recent years, which inspired others and contributed to make our country one of the best startup hubs. Skype has been founded by Estonians, as well as Transferwise, Playtech and Taxify, now called Bolt. We are all very proud of these unicorns. So, cooperation and mix between an innovative government, a digital society, pro-business public policies and a dynamic private sector is the key in my opinion. What are the reasons behind your focus on India? E-Residency mostly benefits to digital entrepreneurs, freelancers and digital nomads, so we focus on these profiles. This is why we see a lot of interest coming from India, of course, which hosts a lot of IT freelancers, but also Turkey our fastest growing market in 2019 so far -, Ukraine, Russia and several hubs for digital nomads such as Bali, Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Tokyo, Berlin There are some similarities between Estonia and India. Like Estonia, India has always been a very entrepreneurial country. India has the worlds largest freelance workforce with the highest percentage working in software development & technology, while Estonia is a global leader in ICT technologies, especially in e-Government. They operate in IT hubs such as Bangalore and Hyderabad as well from Tier II and Tier III cities. Goa is also increasingly becoming a hub for both Indian and international digital nomads. We look forward to build more connections between them and Estonian companies through e-Residency and bridge them to European market, while providing them with tools that will help their businesses to prosper. Former Punjab DGP Shashi Kant on Monday tweeted a photograph of his boarding pass issued at the New Delhi airport. The Air India spokesperson said the boarding passes seemed to be printed during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit held in January and the photographs were part of the advertisement from third parties. New Delhi: Air India on Monday decided to roll back its boarding passes bearing photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani after they came in for criticism. The airline had earlier said the passes, featuring the photographs which were third-party advertisements, would be withdrawn if they are found to be in violation of the Model Code of Conduct. Air India has decided to roll back the boarding passes of Vibrant Gujarat which had photos of the prime minister and the Gujarat chief minister, said Air India spokesperson Dhananjay Kumar According to news agency reports, former Punjab DGP Shashi Kant on Monday tweeted a photograph of his boarding pass issued at the New Delhi airport, questioning how pictures of the two leaders could be on it. At New Delhi airport today March 25th, 2019. My Air India Boarding Pass, prominently flashes Narendra Modi, Vibrant Gujrat & Vijay Rupani. Picture of boarding pass is below. Wonder why we are wasting public money on this Election Commission, which doesnt see, hear or speak..., he tweeted. The Air India spokesperson said the boarding passes seemed to be printed during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit held in January and the photographs were part of the advertisement from third parties. The rolls seem to be the ones left over from the boarding passes printed during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit and the photos are third-party advertisements. It has nothing to do with Air India. These boarding passes are not just for Gujarat, but are in use across India, Mr. Kumar was quoted by news agencies as saying. According to reports, on March 20, tickets with photos of the prime minister were withdrawn by the railways after the Trinamool Congress complained to the Election Commission about them. The railways had also said that it was a third-party ad and leftover from a pack of tickets printed a year earlier. The national transporter had instructed zones to withdraw the tickets. The Chinook, twin-engine, tandem rotor, is multi-role, vertical-lift platform, which is used for transporting troops, artillery, equipment and fuel. A Chinook helicopter during its induction into the IAF at Chandigarh Air Force Station on Monday. (Photo: PTI) Chandigarh: Four Chinook heavy-lift helicopters made in the US were inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) here on Monday. After inducting the helicopters, IAF Chief B.S. Dhanoa said induction of Chinook will be a game-changer the way the Rafale is going to be in the fighter fleet. The first four of the 15 CH-47F (I) Chinook helicopters, which were ordered from Boeing in September 2015, were commissioned into the IAFs 126 Helicopter Unit (HU) at a ceremony held here. The Chinook, twin-engine, tandem rotor, is multi-role, vertical-lift platform, which is used for transporting troops, artillery, equipment and fuel. The helicopter can carry out military operations not only during the day but at night too. Speaking at the function here, Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa said, Our country faces a multitude of security challenges, we require vertical lift capability across a very diversified terrain. The IAF operates from bases which are from sea level to very high altitude advance landing grounds. The helicopter will give the IAF quantum leap in terms of ability to transport cargo to precarious high altitude locations. The aircraft is one of its best in its category, he said. The all-weather capable aircraft can also used for humanitarian and disaster relief operations and in missions such as transportation of relief supplies and mass evacuation of refugees. SC said that as CBIs status report was filed in a sealed cover, it cannot pass any order at the moment without hearing the other side. The bench, which also comprised Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, granted 10 days to the probe agency for filing the application. (Photo: File) New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday termed as very, very serious the revelations made by CBI in its fresh status report relating to the recent interrogation of the then Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with the Saradha chit fund case. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said it cannot close its eyes if some very, very serious facts are disclosed to it and directed CBI to file an application seeking appropriate relief against Kumar, who had earlier headed the state SIT on the chit fund case. The bench, which also comprised Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, granted 10 days to the probe agency for filing the application. Kumar and others can respond to the plea seven days thereafter. Supreme Court said that as the CBIs status report was filed in a sealed cover, it cannot pass any order at the moment without hearing the other side. The apex court was hearing the CBI contempt application against various senior officials of the West Bengal government including states DGP and then Kolkata police chief on the ground of non-cooperation in its probe and alleged destruction of evidence. Lemon juice prepared was unfit for human consumption. The incident came to light when a video of a stall worker preparing lime juice using water from an overhead tank went viral on social media. (Screengrab) Mumbai: A food stall on the Kurla railway station was Monday sealed for allegedly selling poor quality lemon water to customers, an official said. Lemon juice was being prepared under the unhygienic condition and was unfit for human consumption, he said. The incident came to light when a video of a stall worker preparing lime juice using water from an overhead tank went viral on social media Monday evening, he said. In the video, the worker is purportedly seen using water from the tank, placed over the stall, for preparing lime juice, he said, adding a commuter had tagged the video to the Central Railways (CR) Twitter handle. Taking immediate cognisance of the video, senior CR visited the stall on platform number 7-8 of the Kurla railway station, the official said. Samples of lemon juice were collected and sent for bacteriological examination, he said, adding the stall was sealed immediately by CR officials. The stall's licence holder has been called Tuesday for inquiry Tuesday, he said. In the wake of this incident, drive-by health inspectors and officials from the commercial department has been intensified to inspect hygiene and water quality of all the food stalls under the CR's Mumbai division, the official said. The Malaysian PM was the chief guest at the Pakist-an National Day celebrations on March 23. All flights, including international flights, flying westward from/over Pakistan are not being allowed to fly over India by Pakistan even though India hasnt put any restriction, sources pointed out. New Delhi: Dismissing false Pakistani media reports, Indian government sources on Tuesday said Pakistan strangely did not make an exception for visiting Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad and had banned the aircraft carrying him from entering Pakistani airspace through the direct air route that passes through India. Since the military tensions with India last month, Pakistan has prevented commercial aircraft from entering its airspace from India and this surprisingly applied to the aircraft carrying the Malaysian PM as well who was on his way to Pakistan, sources said. Sources added that even though Indian aviation regulator DGCA had given overflight clearance to the Malaysian PMs flight, it had to take a longer route to reach Pakistan because Islamabad denied permission. The Malaysian PM was the chief guest at the Pakist-an National Day celebrations on March 23. All flights, including international flights, flying westward from/over Pakistan are not being allowed to fly over India by Pakistan even though India hasnt put any restriction, sources pointed out. Reports regarding denial of overflight by India to Malaysian PM on his recent trip to Pakistan are false and motivated. The truth is that Pakistan has blocked its own airspace from flights which are overflying India. Ther-efore, even though DGCA had given overflight clearance, the flight, it had to take a longer route beca-use Pakistan denied permission, Indian government sources said. It is strange that even for their national day gu-est from Malaysia, Pakist-an could not make an exception, thereby resulting in a longer flight by Malaysia PM. It may also be noted that all flights flying westward from/over Pakistan are not being allowed to fly over India by Pakistan even though India hasnt put any restriction, sources added. Swaraj had also sought a report from Indian high commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria on the matter. New Delhi: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday made it clear to Pakistan that two Pakistani Hindu girls, who were earlier kidnapped, forcibly converted to Islam and married off to their captors in Pakistans Sindh province, should be restored to their family immediately and that justice should be done. Forced conversion of Hindu girls in Pakistan : The age of the girls is not disputed. Raveena is only 13 and Reena is 15 years old. Even the Prime Mini-ster in Naya Pakistan will not believe that girls of this tender age can voluntarily decide about their conversion to another religion and marriage. Justice demands that both these girls should be restored to their family immediately, Ms Swaraj tweeted. After the recent shocking incident, it may be recalled that the Indian government on Sunday sent an official note to the Pakistan government, asking it to take remedial measures to ensure the safety of minorities in Pakistan. Ms Swaraj had also sought a report from Indian high commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria on the matter. The incident had also earlier set off a war of words in which Ms Swaraj, in a response on Twitter, blasted Pakistan information minister Fawad Chaudhry, saying she had only sought a report from the Indian commissioner and that this showed that Mr Chaudhry was jittery and had a guilty conscience. Mr Chaudhry had earlier said it was an internal issue of Pakistan and had sought to taunt Ms Swaraj about the treatment of minorities in India, citing Gujarat and Jammu. The CJI, however, refused to comment on the seriousness or otherwise of the allegations made by the investigating agency against the top official. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday termed as very, very serious the revelations made by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in its status report on interrogation of the then Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar in the Saradha chit fund scam and asked the probe agency to file an application if it wants permission for his custodial interrogation. The top courts observation comes a month after it directed the CBI to file an affidavit giving details about the alleged contempt committed by West Bengal police and Mr Kumar in connection with the case. Mr Kumar, who has now been shifted to the CID, is facing heat for allegedly tampering with evidence, including CDR (call data records), in the Rs 10,000 crore Saradha chit fund scam that involves several politicians from the ruling Trinamul and other parties. He earlier headed the state SIT to probe the chit fund scam. A three-judge bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, after perusing the documents given by the CBI in a sealed envelope, told the attorney general it is a serious matter. The CJI, however, refused to comment on the seriousness or otherwise of the allegations made by the investigating agency against the top official. He directed the CBI to file a separate application in 10 days with regard to certain prayers it has made for further action against Mr Kumar. Senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, appearing for West Bengal officials, opposed the liberty being granted to the CBI to file an application against Mr Kumar. While considering the contempt matter, suppose some very, very serious things come to our notice then, should we close our eyes to that, the bench said. The bench was hearing contempt applications filed by the CBI against the state DGP, chief secretary and Mr Kumar for defying the apex courts order in Saradha scam and tampering with evidence. The probe agency filed the contempt plea last month after the February 3 incident in which CBI personnel, who had gone to question Mr Kumar at his residence, were taken into custody and manhandled by the West Bengal police. The plea said Mr Kumar was served with summons multiple times, but failed to respond and created obstacles in the investigation. In a subsequent hearing, the Supreme Court had said that the CBI was permitted to bring material on record to support its claim that the police commissioner was trying to destroy evidence. If Kolkata police commissioner even remotely thinks of destroying evidence, bring the material before this court. We will come down so heavily on him that he will regret, the Chief Justice had said. The apex court had also taken note of the February 3 incident in which top state cops allegedly sat with chief minister Mamata Banerjee on dharna to protest the CBI bid to question Mr Kumar. After the apex courts intervention, Mr Kumar appeared before the CBI in Shillong for questioning. Apart from Kolkata police chief, other suspects who have so far been questioned by investigators include ex-Congress leader and present BJP minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, ex-Trinamul MP and present BJP leader Mukul Roy, Trinamul minister Suvendu Adhikari, ex-Trinamul minister Shyamapada Mukherjee, industrialist Harsh Neotia, painter Suvaprasanna, actor and ex-Trinamul MP Mithun Chakraborty. Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday announced that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income to poor families. A senior AAP leader said if the Congress could fulfil its promise it is good but it might be difficult to get out of the shadow of the BJP which promised to give Rs 15 lakh if elected to power. (Photo: File) New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party Tuesday drew a comparison between the BJP's Rs 15 Lakh promise ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls to Congress's minimum income plan, asking voters to beware of such rhetoric. The AAP posted a picture on Twitter showing a man getting kicked out of an ATM with BJP written on it and another ATM with Congress on it, with a caption of "beware of jumlas (rhetoric)". A senior AAP leader said if the Congress could fulfil its promise it is good but it might be difficult to get out of the shadow of the BJP which promised to give Rs 15 lakh if elected to power. In a big-bang poll promise, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday announced that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income to poor families, benefiting around 25 crore people, if his party is voted to power in Lok Sabha polls, and asserted it will be the "final assault" on poverty. In the previous general election, Joshi had given up his Varanasi seat for PM Modi and moved to Kanpur, where he won by a huge margin, Like Advani, MM Joshi is also deeply resentful of the manner in which he was pink-slipped by his party. (Photo: PTI | File) New Delhi: BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi in a message to voters has declared that he has been told by his party not to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, reported NDTV. Joshi is the latest to be benched after LK Advani. Like Advani, MM Joshi is also deeply resentful of the manner in which he was pink-slipped by his party. The message was delivered by BJP general secretary Ramlal and some sources said Joshi felt that of such a decision had been taken, the least that party chief could have done was to convey it to him. Joshi's message on Monday, addressed to his constituency, read: "Dear voters of Kanpur, Shri Ramlal General Secretary (Org), Bharatiya Janata Party conveyed to me today that I should not contest the ensuing parliamentary election from Kanpur and elsewhere." Joshi, who has been a union minister and BJP president, has also not been included in the campaigners list of Uttar Pradesh. In the previous general election, Joshi had given up his Varanasi seat for Prime Minister Narendra Modia nd moved to Kanpur, where he won by a huge margin, BJPs Ramlal has been the bearer of grim tidings for all old-timers. Advani, Kalraj Mishra, Shanta Kumar and Kariya Munda were informed by Ramlal that they would not contest this time. They were reportedly informed on phone and told to announce that they wouldnt contest elections. However, Advani refused but all others did. Read: LK Advani, MM Joshi find no place in BJP's list of UP campaigners According to source, Advani is also hurt that Amit Shah did not come and inform about the decision. Amit Shah will contest his Gandhinagar seat this time. LK Advani and MM Joshi, both founder members of the BJP were denied any post after the party came to power in 2014. For the first time in decades, the two leaders will not be seen in the Lok Sabha elections. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. Ppl will not come out on the streets to defend some corrupt families: Imran Khan 26 March, 2019 Related News Imran Khan distributed loan cheques under Kamyab Jawan Programme PTI govt to face all challenges coming its way: Imran khan More on this View All Top 2021 Accessories We Know You Will Love Types of Casino Payment Methods Tips for Taking Incredible iPhone Travel Photos Are Slot Developers Important for players? Best Poker Hands ever played on a Casino Hand Wash and Toiletries in Pakistan And the Role of DUPAS in Reshaping the Industry Woke Bingo Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday said he is confident that the people will not come out on the streets to defend some corrupt families. There has had not ever been even a single public movement in the world which was driven only to protect the corruption of a family, Imran Khan said while talking to media here at the PM Office. We did hold protest demonstration for four-and-a-half months, but it was against issues, he said. The opposition on the other hand wants to cover up its money laundering cases while some want to hide under the garb of medical treatment, he added. Offering his specially designed container truck for the long sit-in before the Parliament House, Prime Minister Imran Khan said the Pakistan Threek-e-Insaf launched its movement against the electoral rigging and later protested on the Panama Papers issue. The prime minister said he wants NAB to target the top men involved in corruption rather than singling out the corrupt at the lowest tier. You can only eradicate corruption when you get to the men at the top, he said, and added the Supreme Court too raised the same issue with the NAB. When asked whether former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will be allowed medical treatment abroad, Imran Khan asked, Under which law can he be allowed to proceed abroad? He said hundreds and thousands of prisoners are already in various jails and there has to be justice. Imran Khan said he always believed in the rule of law and quoted a Hadith of Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), stressing that the powerful in a society cannot be given preference over the less fortunate. The PML-N government remained in power in the Punjab province for around 30 years, and they could not build even a single medical treatment facility to cater to the illness of their political elite, he said. They can build their factories and business empires, but they cannot build hospitals, he regretted. Imran cited the examples of absconding former finance minister Ishaq Dar and other family members of Sharif family, who always had their medical checkups and treatments abroad. I will not like to be blackmailed that there is no medical doctor or hospital in Pakistan that cannot provide the requisite treatment, he said, and added the best possible facilities were already being extended to the former prime minister. Imran recalled his long case of Banigala property and said he provided every document asked by the Supreme Court. However, on the contrary, the former prime minister did not provide even a shred of evidence to prove that he has nothing to do with the Avenfields apartments, he added. To a question about ongoing cases in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), he said his government has nothing to do with initiating the cases of money laundering against the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leadership. He said the cases were initiated in 2016 by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government. He said former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar wanted to probe fake bank accounts in the wake of arrest of model Ayan Ali, who was caught trying to smuggle foreign currency abroad. Imran Khan said his government will be launching the countrys largest comprehensive poverty alleviation project on March 27. He said with the input from China, he is looking forward to undertaking measures to fight the rampant poverty. Regarding the role of opposition in the parliament, Imran Khan regretted that they are not taking democracy seriously. They want to have a NAB accused as head of the Public Accounts Committee and use the parliament to cover up their misdeeds, he said, and added the people pay for holding of parliament session and each minute costs the nation around Rs 80,000 to 90,000. The prime minister, when asked about the performance of his cabinet, said he along with his team has attended more cabinet meetings than those of Nawaz Sharif in his five years tenure. When asked about the performance of chief ministers of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Imran Khan said they understand and realise the problems of the masses. He said Usman Buzdar is being compared to former Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif who has been in power for past 30 years and the province incurred losses in billions. Let him give a chance. They stand with our mission, he said, and added their performance is satisfactory. Imran Khan said his government inherited Rs 30,000 billion as loans when it came into power while the PML-N inherited Rs 15,000 billion and the PPP faced a deficit of Rs 6,000 billion. The Rs 6,000 billion figure, he said, is equivalent to the total loans the country had borrowed since 1947. The prime minister said Pakistan will not need to import oil if reserves are found near Karachis seas. We are hopeful of finding large reserves of gas and oil in the sea near Karachi. The nation should pray for this and I will soon share good news regarding this. God willing the reserves will be so large that we will not need to import any oil, he said. The prime minister said he has managed a cut of Rs 350 million in the expenses of the Prime Minister Office and said he shifted to his private residence at Banigala and is paying from his own pocket the salaries and expenses. He said the PTI raised Rs 6 million on its own to construct the fence around his residence and the road from his residence to the main road was also constructed through his own resources. He said he is paying the expenses of Zaman Park residence also from his own pocket. The prime minister said Pakistan is pursuing one of the best foreign policies in two decades and the United States has now come to acknowledge its role in bringing peace to Afghanistan. He said since coming to power, his government has pursued good and stronger relations with all countries and in particular with those in the region. He said Pakistan now enjoys exemplary ties with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, China, Turkey, Malaysia and many more and is desirous of further improving these relations in the days ahead. He, however, pointed to the war hysteria created by the outgoing government of Prime Minister Narendar Modi as the Indian general election is just round the corner. We have concerns and Pakistan needs to keep a full vigil till the election process is over in India, he said. To a question about the remarks of US President Donald Trump in which he said both Pakistan and the US have good relations and that he will meet Pakistani leadership, Imran Khan said Pakistan is examining the statement. Imran Khan was flanked by Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Finance Minister Asad Umer and Chairman Task Force on Energy Sector Reforms Nadeem Babar. Speaking on the occasion, Asad Umer said there has been progress in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the two sides have managed to bridge the gap between their points of view. Today we are much closer to the IMF, he said. Singh wanted to contest national elections from Nawada but was given Begusarai. Amid the wave of displeasure, Singh might not contest the 2019 general elections. (Photo: File) New Delhi: Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Monday expressed dissatisfaction over BJP's decision to change his parliamentarian seat for upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Singh wanted to contest national elections from his constituency Nawada but was given Begusarai without any consultation, ANI reported. "My self-respect is hurt that no other MP's seat was changed in Bihar. It was decided without talking to me. State BJP leadership should tell me why was it done. I've nothing against Begusarai but I can't compromise with my self-respect," Singh said. The BJP has given the seat to Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) as sealed under the seat-sharing agreement. In 2014 polls, Singh delivered a major defeat to RJD's Raj Ballabh Prasad. However, this time if Singh agrees to contest the polls, he will face the popular student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who will contest as the CPI's candidate from Begusarai. Amid the wave of displeasure, Singh might not contest the 2019 general elections. Last week, LJP leader Chirag Paswan said that it was too late to make any changes in the seat-sharing agreement now. "I do not wish to cause Giriraj ji any grief, but I think we have gone too far now to revisit the decision," Chirag Paswan said. The NDA had announced 39 candidates for the polls in Bihar. Bihar will go on the elections from 11 April. Packages consist of popular tourist destinations, rallies and interactions with election candidates and local politicians. The packages were first tested during the 2012 state elections in the Western state of Gujarat and have now mushroomed nationwide. (Photo: File) New Delhi: Indias frenetic cities, historical monuments, tasty food, and beautiful scenery may be among the biggest attractions for foreign tourists. But with election fever hitting India, a few of them are prepared to forgo some of that - and the elephant ride - to meet an election candidate or attend a political rally. The worlds biggest democracy, with about 900 million voters, is set to decide in April-May whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi gets a second term following his thumping victory in 2014, and that gives the Indian tourism industry a different way to market the country. Some Indian tour companies are courting international visitors with week-long election tourism packages that would try to combine some traditional sightseeing with access to political campaigning. The packages were first tested during the 2012 state elections in the Western state of Gujarat and have now mushroomed nationwide. The Indian election is like a festival, founder of Election Tourism India and Chairman of Gujarat Tourism Corporation Society Manish Sharma told Reuters. Election campaigns and rallies in India can be spectacular in terms of scale, reflecting the power of fundraising for the state and national political parties. Events and rallies headlined by Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the head of his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Amit Shah, and the opposition Congress partys Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have generated a lot of interest, Sharma said. The Ahmedabad-Gujarat based Election Tourism India, which works with more than 35 tour companies across India, has received nearly 3,500 bookings for election packages from outside India, he said. The packages consist of popular tourist destinations, political rallies and interactions with election candidates and other local politicians. The length of the election - it takes more than five weeks for everyone to be able to vote - also provides tour operators with plenty of options. The trips offered range from 5 to 8 days, and offer visits to a wide variety of places. The packages are not expected to appeal to the average tourist but more for those who are inclined in politics, such as political students, journalists and researchers. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. PM Modi will begin campaigning for elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Western Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. PM Modi will been addressing an electoral event in Uttarakhands Rudrapur on Thursday. (Photo: File) New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah will be addressing around 125 and 150 rallies between last week of March and mid-May when campaigning for the upcoming national elections. PM Modi will begin campaigning for elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Western Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. The highlight of the day will be a massive rally in Meerut on Thursday. It will be aiming for public support for the ruling party in eight seats across western UP. Uttar Pradesh will go to the polls in the first phase of elections on April 11. Despite of ruling the state, BJP is expected to face a tough fight from the BSP-SP alliance this time. However, BJP chief Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have been making rounds to stir up supporters. On Monday, Adityanath visited a temple in Mathura along with local lawmaker Hema Malini after which she filed her nomination papers. PM Modi will been addressing an electoral event in Uttarakhands Rudrapur on Thursday. In 2014 elections, the BJP had swept all the five seats in Uttarakhand. Prime Minister will visit Jammu and Kashmir for a rally in Akhnoor the same day. Security has been tightened in the town in view of his visit. He is scheduled to visit Jammu region again in the second week of April for a rally in Kathua. On Friday, PM will have a packed scheduled with three rallies in Odishas Koraput, Telangana's Mahboob Nagar and Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool. PM will be in Odisha on March 29 and April 1. He will also hold two rallies each in Assam and West Bengal on March 30 and April 3. Modi will be having a public meeting at Itanagar on March 31, and will hold a video interaction on the same day with those who extended support to his Main Bhi Chowkidar (I, too, am a watchman) campaign. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. The former union minister said he was not at all disappointed that the opposition alliance to take on the BJP. The former Karnataka Chief Minister argued that each and every State has to be "analysed" on its own merit and one can't generalise. (Image: File) Hyderabad: Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily said Tuesday opposition parties may not have come together to fight the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections in all states but would join hands post-poll to form government. The former union minister said he was not at all disappointed that the opposition alliance to take on the BJP has not materialised in some states. "...idea-wise, spirit-wise, they (opposition parties) are all united against (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi. Common agenda is: he (Modi) should go", Moily said and claimed the opposition would form government. The Congress has strong presence in many states, where the party has no option but to fight other parties which are also opposed to the BJP, according to him. He cited the political landscape in Kerala, where the Congress-led UDF and CPI-M-anchored LDF are in direct fight, as an example to drive home his point. "In Kerala, it's UDF versus LDF, there is no BJP at all. BJP's presence is totally negligible. There, we have to fight against each other. We cannot make alliance with LDF", Moily told PTI. On the issue of opposition alliance, the former Karnataka Chief Minister argued that each and every State has to be "analysed" on its own merit and one can't generalise. "There will be pre-poll alliance in some States, post-poll alliance in some other States. Such arragement is not opposed to the principle of opposition unity", he claimed. "Common objective is to defeat BJP everywhere. There cannot be hard and fast rule in every State. It differs from State to State", Moily said. Asked if the Left parties would join hands with the Congress after the elections, he said: "That will inevitably happen, when fighting against the BJP". On the minimum income guarantee scheme announced by the Congress President Rahul Gandhi yesterday, Moily said it's a "great way forward" towards lifting the poor out of poverty. Asked if this announcement would pay rich electoral dividends to the Congress in the polls, he said: "Definitely. Manifesto is always taken by the people seriously. Since it's targetted at the poorest of the poor, they look forward with lot of expectations. It's not an election stunt". 2nd member of Margdarshak Mandal, after Advani, to be denied ticket. New Delhi: Murli Manohar Joshi, a Bharatiya Janata Party veteran and a former party president, has been told by the party leadership that he will not be contesting the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. Dr Joshi is a sitting MP from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The BJP on Tuesday released its tenth list of candidates for Lok Sabha elections, declaring 29 nominees for Uttar Pradesh and 10 for West Bengal, and it nominated Satyadev Pachauri to contest from Kanpur. Sources said that though Dr Joshi was keen to contest elections, poll managers of the saffron party were not in favour as the chances of the Congress candidate, former Union minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, winning from Kanpur this time look stronger. Dr Joshi, who had vacated the Varanasi parliamentary seat for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and contested from Kanpur instead in 2014, had defeated Mr Jaiswal by more than two lakh votes. Miffed with the decision to not field him, and unhappy with the manner in which the partys central leadership conveyed the decision to him, Dr Joshi wrote an open letter to Kanpur voters informing them he has been told by party general secretary (organisation) Ramlal that he should not contest the ensuing parliamentary election from Kanpur and elsewhere. Dr Joshi is the second party veteran and member of the partys Margdarshak Mandal, after L.K. Advani, who has been denied a ticket this time. The Margdarshak Mandal was formed after the BJP came to power at the Centre and the party leadership placed an unofficial age bar of 75 years for organisational posts to promote second-generation leaders. However, the Margdarshak Mandal is perhaps the only group within the BJP that never held a single meeting since its inception. Mr Advani had contested from Gujarats Gandhinagar in 2014, a seat that has gone to party president Amit Shah. Interestingly, Dr Joshis name is also missing from the list of BJPs campaigners for UP polls. Mr Advanis name also did not appear in the partys campaigners list in 2014, and now. Though the party leadership had claimed that the age bar is only for holding a post either in the organisation or the government, it has been implemented for ticket selection. Mr Advani at 91 and Dr Joshi at 85 have crossed the BJPs age bar of 75 and join the list of other leaders who have been benched B.C. Khanduri, B.S. Koshiyari, Kariya Munda, Kalraj Mishra, Bijoya Chakravarty and Shanta Kumar. Taking a dig at the BJP leadership over the issue, AAP chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, The way Modiji has insulted his elders Advaniji and Murli Manohar Joshiji is completely against Hindu traditions... Hinduism teaches us to respect our elders. The elders who built the home were thrown out. One who cant be loyal to his elders, who will he be loyal to? Is this the Indian tradition? Reacting on the development, Congress Manish Tewari said, If this is true that Murli Manohar Joshi has been benched, this is Narendra Modis payback for the scathing Estimates Committee Report that Dr Joshi authored that exposed Indias defence spending as a per cent of GDP is at pre-1962 levels. The BJP has already made it clear that the PM would contest from one seat only in the ensuing general elections. Bhopal: Amid growing suspense over renomination of Lok Sabha speaker and septuagenarian BJP leader Sumitra Mahajan from Indore in Madhya Pradesh in the upcoming polls, local party leaders have demanded to field Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the seat. Core committee of Indore unit of BJP on Tuesday wrote a letter to Central Election Committee (CEC) of the party demanding to declare Indore as second seat for the PM, in addition to the Varanasi where he was going to seek re-election in the upcoming parliamentary polls. The core committee of Indore unit of BJP has passed a resolution seeking PMs nomination for the seat, an Indore BJP leader said. The BJP has already made it clear that the PM would contest from one seat only in the ensuing general elections. Other BJP leaders who were in the race for BJP ticket for Indore included Indore Municipal Corpo-ration mayor Malini Gour and BJP national general secretary in-charge of West Bengal Kailash Vijayvargiya. Incidentally, the Pradesh Election Committee (PEC) of the party has recommended the single name of Ms Mahajan to the Central Election Committee for consideration for her re-nomination from the constituency. Party sources however said the delay in declaring candidate for Indore along with 13 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh has led to suspense over Ms Mahajans renomination from the constituency. Talks making buzz in the BJP circle said the possibility of denial of ticket to Ms Mahajan this time on ground of her crossing 72 years of age, as happened in the case of L K Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi, cannot be ruled out. Ms Mahajan has won the seat eight times in a row. She was only woman MP in the country who won elections in a constituency consecutively for eight times. BJD MP Pinaki Mishra said the case was an old one it had no merit. BHUBANESWAR: Odisha politics has heated up with information coming to fore that Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was interrogated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on November 25, 2017, in connection with a coal block allocation case. The opposition BJP has sought a reply on this from the CM. According to ANI, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Monday, seeking expediting the CBI investigation in a coal block allocation case in which an inquiry was pending against Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik. As per the petition filed by one Vaibhav Verma, MS Central collieries Co Ltd & Ors (Nagpur) was awarded the Takli-Jena-Bellora coalfield in Maharashtra in 1998, even before its registration. Naveen Patnaik was the then Union minister of mines thus making his role questionable. The CBI has already interrogated Naveen on the issue and thus, theres no reason to delay the case, the plea said, adding: Naveen Patnaik has already been interrogated by the CBI on November 25, 2017. That after interrogation of Mr Patnaik, there is no reason for delay; however as evident, again there is a delay of almost two years since his interrogation and the CBI is yet to complete its investigation and has failed to take any concrete steps despite the fact that Supreme Court is monitoring the coal block cases. The case was registered on March 26, 2014, and the CBI investigation into the allocation of captive coalfields was part of Supreme Court-monitored probe between 1993 and 2010. The allegations in the case are those of forgery, criminal breach of trust and selling of coal in the open market against the concept of captive allocation of coal mines for a specified end-use product, stated the application. BJD MP Pinaki Mishra said the case was an old one it had no merit. The case has no merit at all. Some people are deliberately dragging CM Naveen Patnaiks name for political gains. They will be frustrated as their move will yield no results, said Mr Mishra. This was Prasads first visit to Patna after he was declared BJPs Lok Sabha candidate from Patna Sahib. BJP candidate from Patna Sahib and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Bihar party chief Nityanand Rai at the BJP office in Patna on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI) Patna: A clash broke out between supporters of Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Rajya Sabha MP R.K. Sinha at the Patna airport on Tuesday. This was Mr Prasads first visit to Patna after he was declared BJPs Lok Sabha candidate from Patna Sahib. Sources said that supporters of another senior BJP leader R.K. Sinha tried to create a ruckus and showed black flags to Mr Prasad as soon as he came out of the airport. BJP insiders said that supporters of Mr Sinha were upset after party declared Mr Prasad as their candidate for the Patna Sahib constituency. Sources claim that Mr Sinha was the first choice for Patna Sahib Seat after BJP decided to replace rebel party leader Shatrughan Sinha. I want to thank my party for this responsibility. I was born and brought up in Patna. I believe that my partys commitment to nationalism and good governance will help Narendra Modi return as Prime Minister, Union minister Mr Prasad said. BJP insiders claim that several rounds of discussions were held before NDA partners announced the list for 39 of the 40 candidates in Bihar and the name of Rajya Sabha MP R.K. Sinha was also discussed for the Patna Sahib seat. Political analysts are of the opinion that RK Sinha has a major stake in the Kayastha community. The caste has around 25 per cent voter base in Patna Sahib. Sources claim that R.K. Sinha is also popular among the local masses here because he began his political career in Patna. The court took on record a list of 59 candidates, marked as X, to be fielded by Dhinakaran-led group. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday held that the claim of Tamil Nadu strongman T.T.V. Dhinakaran to the symbol of pressure cooker in an exclusive manner cannot be accepted as his group, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), is not a registered political party. However, to ensure a level-playing field for the group which is giving up the claim to two leaves symbol of AIADMK, the court directed the Election Commission to consider allotting any other common symbol to Mr Dhinakarans candidates who are likely to be fielded in 40 Lok Sabha seats and 19 Assembly seat in by-elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi made it clear that its order suggesting a common symbol should not be interpreted as a judicial recognition of Mr Dhinakarans group, which has neither been registered nor recognised as a political party under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The bench, including Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, made it clear that if candidates fielded by Mr Dhinakaran-led group win they will be treated as Independent candidates. After hearing arguments from senior counsel Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Mr Dhinakaran, and senior counsel Aryama Sundaram for the Election Commission, senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi, Guru Krishna Kumar and K.V. Viswanathan for the AIADMK group led by chief minister Edappaadi K. Palaniswami, the bench said, We are not inclined to grant any recognition to the appellant (Dhinakaran) or his group to the symbol of pressure cooker. As Mr Sibal insisted that a common symbol be allotted to Mr Dhinakarans candidates, the CJI pointed out that the group had never applied for registration as a political party. This anarchy you have brought upon yourself. You should have applied on March 15 when we refused your SLP. You could have applied under Section 29A yesterday. Why do you think we adjourned the case yesterday? Chief Justice said, The (Dhinakaran) group considered itself heir to AIADMK. They missed the bus. But they are still a group. Giving different symbols to his candidates will ruin his career. The court took on record a list of 59 candidates, marked as X, to be fielded by Mr Dhinakaran-led group. Offering partial relief to Mr Dhinakarans group on the last day for filing nominations for the second phase of Lok Sabha polls on Tuesday, the bench said, The EC on proper satisfaction that the candidates named in the document marked with the letter X (list of names) want to contest the election under any one common symbol, will make all endeavour to ensure that in the forthcoming elections... the aforesaid candidates be allotted any one particular free symbol. The bench disposed of the appeal filed by Mr Dhinakaran against the Delhi high court order confirming the Election Commissions order allotting two leaves symbol to the AIADMK group led by EPS. Mr Rohatgi countered Mr Dhinakarans plea for a common symbol for all his candidates. Mr. Dhinakaran says he will not register his group. He says I will not comply with Section 29A... Now he wants the pressure cooker symbol. How can this be entertained by the court? Mr Dhinakaran had floated AMMK after he and V.K. Sasikala were expelled from the Palaniswami-led AIADMK. On March 15, the apex court had agreed to hear a plea of Mr Dhinakaran challenging a Delhi high court order granting the two leaves symbol to the AIADMK faction led by EPS on the limited aspect of allowing use of pressure cooker as a common symbol by all its candidates. Kapil Sibal moved an application in the Supreme Court to see that the hearing in the case does not take place before 2019 elections, he added. Gorakhpur (UP): Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday termed the Congress minimum income scheme a poll gimmick and accused it of obstructing the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya along with the SP and BSP. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is likely to visit the party bastions of Amethi, Rae Bareli and Faizabad beginning Wednesday in her next leg of campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, party officials said. Earlier too the Congress party had given the slogan of garibi hatao. The announcement of a minimum (annual) wage of Rs 72,000 (too) is nothing but a gimmick, said Mr Adityanath, addressing a Vijay Sankalp Rally here. On Ram temple, Mr Yogi said, The Congress, Samajwadi Party and BSP are the biggest hurdles in construction of the Ram temple. An army of advocates was brought to the fore by the Congress (to obstruct the construction). Mr Kapil Sibal moved an application in the Supreme Court to see that the hearing in the case does not take place before 2019 elections, he added. There is a family which starts remembering Lord Ram when elections draw closer but sit in temples in the posture of offering Namaz, the chief minister said, apparently referring to an incident involving a Gandhi family member. These people visit places to show disrespect to great men. They offer garlands worn by them to the statue of Lal Bahadur Shastri, he added, without taking names. While the Congress serves biryani to terrorists, the BJP feeds them bombs, he added. Mr Adityanath also compared the achievements of previous governments with those of the Modi government and his own in two years, claiming the BJP government did much better. He also attacked the previous governments on the issue of corruption and asserted that due to Mr Modi, an All India Institute of Medical Sciences was being built in Gorakhpur and a fertiliser plant, closed for 26 years, was revived here. Syed Murad Ali Shah appeared before NAB Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah Monday appeared before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to record his statement in the fake bank accounts case. The combined investigation team (CIT) headed by DG NAB Rawalpindi Irfan Mangi grilled Shah for about one-and-a-half hour with regard to Thatta Sugar Mills and asked him to file a reply to the questionnaire handed over to him within two weeks. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders Nayyer Bukhari, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar accompanied the chief minister. Shah was scheduled to appear before NAB on March 26, however he requested to appear before the bureau on March 25. Talking to media after the interrogation, Shah said the NAB officials questioned him about Thatta Sugar Mills and that he responded to all the queries. He maintained that it would have been better if the anti-graft watchdog had summoned him in Sindh instead of Rawalpindi. He said he has assured NAB of his cooperation in the investigation and has no plans of filing a reference against the anti-corruption bodys chairman. He continued that he is being investigated by the bureau despite the Supreme Courts orders of removing his name from the JIT report. He said NAB told him that they are investigating him on the top courts orders. My media trial is being conducted, Shah said. I came here today on my personal expenses and hundreds of guards were deployed here, however, had I been asked to appear in Karachi I would have appeared quietly. The case is being heard in Rawalpindi and none of our experiences in Rawalpindi have been good, he said. Artisans from six states will display products that are aesthetically manufactured by fusing the age-old art forms with contemporary designs. Coming to the city for the first time is the largest bazaar for handmade products, featuring deeply rooted traditional designs fused with contemporary innovations. From grass furniture to leather lamps, modular wall ties to tribal papier mache, silk ikats to cotton brocades, Junoon, hosted by Jiyo, is a six-day celebration boasting of an array of individualistic designs. Starting this Sunday, it will showcase contemporary items from the world of slow fashion, forest foods and bespoke designs that are created and owned by the self-empowered communities of Indias red corridor Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. On display from Madhya Pradesh, apart from the bagh printed saris and handcrafted jewellery, are earth totems as incense burners made by potters of Mandla and painted by the gond tribals using clay slips developed for a unique outdoor application. Dhokra art from Odhisa You will see asymmetrical weaves that have never been done before and the Bavanbuti weaving. From Odisha, you will see products made of Sabai grass, which was used to make ropes, like lamps and bowls that provide a livelihood of `300 a day to the craftsmen, says Rajeev Sethi, Director and the brainchild behind Jiyo, a project of The Asian Heritage Foundation that celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. As a self-empowering initiative generating livelihood in creative and cultural industries, Jiyo emphasis on re-positioning the traditional skills through design-led product development. From Jharkhand, there are six bamboo fish trap makers who now make lamps and screens earning a better income. Then we have Mahua jam, sharbat and jelly. From Telangana, we are looking at some amazing ikkats and Guntur food, adds Sethi, the genius behind the Jaya He art walk at Mumbai Airport T2 Terminal. For someone who has meandered villages after villages discovering the traditional art and artisans with freedom fighter Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay since the 60s and 70s, Sethi asserts this sector to be Indias first creative industry. What we have touched with Jiyo are just 22 districts. There are 620 districts in India carrying the huge amount of potential that is yet to be unearthed. We are not even touching the tip of the iceberg. You will see 600 designs made from the many art forms from these districts, he adds. With the untapped traditional art forms in every village that can be created into some original content, the Padma Bhushan awardee points to the paradox between poverty and culture. The poorer you are, the more cultured you will be. You teach people skills, they will not pick up the gun. In Bhagan Bigha village near Nalanda in Bihar is an ancient school of weaving from the Buddhas time, which is being revised and the weavers who were pulling rickshaw are back making beautiful weaves, says the 70-year-old. However, the reason for Jiyo to have ventured into the commercial capital is to show people the future of corporate social responsibility. To be able to make the plethora of artisans see the light of the day, we need the corporate sector. We know these people exist, but we have to re-imagine, re-invent so that people in the urban areas will see it with a different lens. There are more than 600 districts and we need this sector to take them to the next stage, concludes the noted Indian designer and scenographer. The exhibition is on from March 31 to April 4 At Grand Hyatt, Santacruz (E). For the Congress, Mumbai North, which has predominantly been a BJP and Shiv Sena stronghold, has always proved a tough constituency. Mumbai: Bollywood film actress Urmila Matondkar is likely to be fielded by Congress from the Mumbai North seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The Rangeela actress has been offered a ticket by Congress to take on the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) sitting member of Parliament, Gopal Shetty, said sources. According to party insiders, Ms Matondkar is exp-ected to join the Congress in the next couple of days after which the party will announce her name as its nominee for the Mumbai North seat. For the Congress, Mumbai North, which has predominantly been a BJP and Shiv Sena stronghold, has always proved a tough constituency. Hence it was looking for a strong candidate to fight a tough rival like Mr Shetty, who had defeated the then-sitting MP Sanjay Nirupam by more than 4,46,000 votes in 2014. Actresses like Asawari Joshi and Shilpa Shinde had also asked for a Congress ticket from the Mumbai North constituency, but the party didnt consider their demands. After the crushing defeat in 2014, Mr Nirupam has been trying to shift himself to the neighbouring Mumbai North West constituency, where he has a strong base. Despite opposition from other party leaders, his name has been finalised by the party high command, said sources. If Ms Matondkar is given a ticket, she will be the second Bollywood personality to contest the Mumbai North seat. Earlier, Congress had fielded Govinda, who defeated senior BJP MP Ram Naik in 2004. Mr Naik, who is now the Uttar Pradesh governor, had represented this constituency five times consecutively. In 2004, Govinda trounced Mr Naik by over 50,000 votes. However, in 2009, Mumbai North was split in half after delimitation. Made up now of only the citys northern suburbs, it proved unlucky again for Mr Naik. As an Maharashtra Navnirman Sena candidate polled 1.5 lakh votes, Mr Nirupam defeated Mr Naik by just 5,770 votes. Mr Shinde will be contesting the Solapur seat on a Congress ticket in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Mumbai: Senior Congress leader and former home minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Tuesday made a stunning claim that he recently received an offer to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, he made it clear that he is a staunch Congressman and would remain with the party. Mr Shinde, who will be contesting the Solapur seat on a Congress ticket in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, claimed that his daughter Praniti Shinde, a sitting MLA, was also approached with an offer to join the BJP. Speaking to mediapersons after filing his nomination in Solapur on Monday, Mr Shinde said, The BJP had tried to woo my daughter with many offers, but she remained unmoved. Similarly, for the Lok Sabha polls, a couple of top BJP leaders invited me to join their party, but I firmly refused. There is no question of leaving the Congress... My daughter and I have Congress blood in our veins. We will not be swayed by their allurements. We are both committed Congress workers and will continue to remain so till our last breath, he said. However, the former chief minister of Maharashtra refused to disclose the names of the persons who allegedly made an offer to him. A person of my stature had approached me, he said. Mr Shindes revelations have created ripples in political circles. There has been a strong tussle among political parties to hijack candidates and leaders from each others outfits to improve their prospects of victory. The BJP in Maharashtra has been successful in wooing many leaders such as Sujay Vikhe-Patil, Ranjitsinh Mohite-Patil, Ranjitsinh Naik-Nimbalkar and Bharati Pawar from Opposition parties and even assured them a party ticket for the Lok Sabha polls. When asked about the defection of Sujay Vikhe-Patil to the BJP, Mr Shinde responded saying that choosing a party was everyones right. While Sujay has joined the BJP, his father Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil is a committed Congressman, he said. In Solapur, the BJP has fielded Jai Siddheshwar Shivacharya, a religious guru from the Lingayat community. However, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) leader Prakash Ambedkars decision to contest from Solapur has made it an interesting triangular contest. The intent to shape discussion in this direction became evident when the CBI began reopening virtually defunct cases of terrorism filed against Malik. Last months arrest and subsequent booking under the Public Safety Act (PSA) of Yasin Malik, followed by the previous weeks proscription order against the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, is the ruling BJPs electoral ploy. Although the political situation in Jammu and Kashmir remains volatile, the government, instead of building on claimed gains from the airstrikes against terrorists and terror-facilities in Pakistan, chose to take a step aimed at harnessing its core Hindu voters in the Jammu region and in other states. This is evident in the jubilant responses to the Centres move by organisations ranging from various Kashmiri pandit bodies and individuals to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. In the discourse following the Centres gazette notification, there is reference only to Maliks involvement in various terrorist crimes and killings in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The intent to shape discussion in this direction became evident when the CBI began reopening virtually defunct cases of terrorism filed against Malik. It is being overlooked that since the mid-1990s, when he publicly eschewed violence, Malik has been a part of political discussions with various governments. It has been conveniently disregarded that the Atal Behari Vajpayee government treated him as a stakeholder in 2003 when it initiated the dialogue process. Maliks arrest and the subsequent ban on the JKLF is a continuation of the BJPs tactics of taking every step in the troubled state with an eye on its support elsewhere in India. In a significant Independence Day speech in 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared that the Kashmir imbroglio could not be solved by bullets. Two months later, the Centre appointed Dineshwar Sharma as its special interlocutor to engage with various sections of Kashmiri society, including the separatists. Maliks arrest and the ban on the JKLF is the final act of abandoning PM Modi's much-vaunted endorsement of the call for a healing touch. With that tack abandoned, the twin decisions have to be seen as part of a series of steps taken by the BJP and the Centre from before the imposition of Governors Rule in J&K in June 2018. To go back, the BJP's move to withdraw from the Mehbooba Mufti-led coalition and the subsequent imposition of Central rule, although imminent for a long time, ended all the hopes generated by the BJP's decision to join hands with the Peoples Democratic Party. The withdrawal proved that the assessment of the BJP taking a bold step away from Syama Prasad Mookerjee and the partys past stance was premature. The imposition of Governors Rule, the refusal to hold simultaneous Assembly elections along with those for the six Lok Sabha seats from the state and the post-Pulwama/Balakot biggest ever crackdown against radical separatists is proof that the BJP had never abandoned its past stance on Kashmir. Since the early 1950s, the Sangh Parivars Kashmir vision has been shaped by its old slogan Jahan hue balidaan Mookerjee; woh Kashmir hamara hai (The Kashmir for which Mookerjee gave up his life is ours). The word hamara, or ours, is the operative part almost a giveaway and surely not a opening gambit to begin a process of reconciliation in a place with a history of conflict with the state and persecution of ordinary citizens. The BJP cadre may not have formally raised this slogan in recent years, but the sentiment has never been hidden. From the time the BJP joined the coalition with the PDP, it never allowed the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed or his daughter subsequently, to enact roles which enabled them to provide the much-needed healing touch. The experiment of two parties of contrasting views had raised hopes that the BJP would work towards altering the deep-rooted prejudice, even bordering on dislike and apathy, towards Kashmiris in most parts of India. But such hopes have been dashed, and now it is evident that Prime Minister Modi is back to the party's old understanding that Kashmir has to be managed as a security problem, and not a political one. It appears fairly certain that party stalwarts, Mr Modi downwards, would campaign vociferously in at least the Jammu region and raise sensitive issues like the scrapping of Articles 370 and 35A. As always, the BJP looks at Kashmir and its people as a monolith, whereas it not just socially diverse but also politically varied. Creating a singular view of Kashmiri people results in a widespread bias, often degenerating into violence against them, as seen in the immediate aftermath of the Pulwama terror strike. This enables the BJP to solidify its support by claiming it is the only party capable of showing Kashmiris their place. The BJP and its affiliates have furthered a belief that every Kashmiri thinks alike, whereas the reality is anything but this. There are four distinct sections of Kashmiri people based on their political orientation and security profile. The first are obviously militants, with whom no dialogue is possible. This section, despite the BJP attempts to paint them as the majority, form a small part of Kashmiri society. The second category comprises separatists and those who sympathise with them. The third are the alienated ordinary citizens, which is possibly the largest section. The fourth group, also very large, are those with disagreements and grievances against the Centre and the mainstream political parties, but who are yet willingly a part of the political process. There is considerable overlap among the people in the second, third and fourth sections, and the efforts of the Centre through dialogues must be on the one hand to wean people away from the second and third groups, and to simultaneously ensure that those who are willing to give politics a chance do not join other groups because of being clubbed with the rest. Sadly, the BJP makes no such effort, and if it hypes up its campaign and backs it with action like the arrest of Malik and the ban on the JKLF, it will further push people to migrate to a higher level of disgruntlement and disenchantment. Islamophobia represents prejudice and hate against Muslims in Western and Hindu, Buddhist and Jewish societies. The Christchurch tragedy represents the union of two extremist tendencies - white supremacy and Islamophobia. White supremacy says that whites are superior to other races and hence must dominate them. It targets Muslims, but also blacks, Hispanics, Asians and Jews. Islamophobia represents prejudice and hate against Muslims in Western and Hindu, Buddhist and Jewish societies. Both are old views. White supremacy was the official view in the West for centuries and spawned great evils like colonialism, slavery, genocide and Nazism. It was gradually displaced to the fringes over the last century. But only the overt use of force against other races has declined. Non-violent racial dominance via socioeconomic policies continues, eg in the US under conservatives. So there is class-based economic exploitation at work via the unfair division of profits between capital and labour. Then there is social discrimination at and beyond work against weaker races and ethnicities of all classes. The two combine to privilege rich whites. The forms of social prejudice vary across the conservative spectrum. Moderate conservatives practise it via quiet socioeconomic policies that mainly harm minorities. Severe conservatives use openly racist rhetoric that demonises and marginalises minorities. Finally, fringe ones still engage in violence against minorities, which has now become passe among other conservatives. So the aim across the spectrum evolves from keeping minorities marginalised, to openly humiliating and keeping them out, to physically eliminating them. Moderate and severe conservatives usually congregate, but keep fringe ones at arm's length. Still, the racist rhetoric of severe conservatives feeds the fury and terrorism of fringe ones, who obtain ideological sustenance from mainstream conservatism. But the sheer global hegemony of whites via less overt and violent tools and greater policing powers keep white supremacist terrorism small in the West. The targets of white supremacy have evolved over time - natives, blacks, Jews, Asians, Hispanics, and now Muslims, as white supremacy intersects with Islamophobia. Western Islamophobia has a history stretching back to early Muslim conquests. More recently, it has been reignited by the Iranian revolution, Muslim extremism and growing Muslim migration to the West. These trends have reignited latent Islamophobic terrorism among some groups in other societies too - Hindu, Jewish and now even Buddhist-majority ones. As in the West, the aim is limited to keeping a weak group subjugated, though the intensity and tools vary: from isolated attacks in India and Sri Lanka, occupation in Israel, to ethnic cleansing in Myanmar. But the most potent form of terrorism still emerges from some Muslim groups; it differs from other forms in key ways. Firstly, the aims are more diverse. As in the states mentioned, in some Muslim states too, it is wreaked by dominant groups aiming to keeping weak groups subjugated. But militancy is also employed to pursue freedom, overthrow secular regimes, end Western dominance, and establish a global 'caliphate'. Related to this is the organisational diversity, ranging from lone operators and small groups in the West to well-trained insurgent groups and even armies in other places. Secondly, the claimed links and references to religion are more explicit. Thirdly, the global reach is wider, covering several continents, with only white supremacist terrorism coming somewhat close. Fourthly, it is the only one which has managed to conquer and hold territories. Also, the links of some militant groups with certain Muslim countries are much stronger and overt, with only Myanmar being ahead of them. Finally, the bulk of their violence is visited upon people of their own faith. But unlike other forms of militancy, which are all currently expanding, it is in decline as seen in the clean-up in Pakistan and the Levant. Even so, it beats others in potency. It is unlikely that other forms will come close to it in potency. This is important to realise, for there is much injured indignation being expressed after the New Zealand attack to the effect that it shows that militancy is not only a Muslim problem. That certainly is true and there is much that non-Muslim states must do to curb their own terrorist groups. However, there is a widespread need to do much more in Muslim states like Pakistan. Here too, overall societal biases against other faiths have fed local terrorism while misplaced state policies spawned regional ones. Is the state willing to eliminate both? Until the state does so, the recent gains against terrorism may just be temporary. By arrangement with Dawn Simultaneously, the US is laying the groundwork to develop its own technology to support 5G enabled communications. The United States has lobbied Europe to shut out Huawei, saying its equipment could be used by the Chinese government for espionage. (Photo: AP) As the US further pushes to separate itself from Chinese telecommunications equipment maker Huawei Technologies, the Pentagon is laying the groundwork to use technology from rivals Nokia and Ericsson in its 5G development plans, a Pentagon official said on Monday. I am not sure we are going to have a total US solution, Ellen Lord, the Department of Defenses under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment said. We are talking to Ericsson, we are talking to Nokia quite a bit. Simultaneously, the US is laying the groundwork to develop its own technology to support 5G enabled communications, said Lord, who is the Pentagons chief weapons buyer. The United States has lobbied Europe to shut out Huawei, saying its equipment could be used by the Chinese government for espionage. But the European Commission is expected to ignore US calls to ban Huawei Technologies. Huawei has strongly rejected the allegations and earlier this month sued the US government over the issue. At the same time, Lord said that military to military discussions about future 5G networks were going well for the United States. On the military side, there is actually a huge dialog going on about what is the path forward, Lord said. We have frankly seen a lot of our European allies leaning forward to work with us on that. New Galaxy Apps Store brings app discovery and download experience in 12 local Indian languages. Galaxy Apps Store provides a strong personalised recommendation engine delivering users the option to download the apps that would best serve their needs. Strengthening the connect with its strong user base, Samsung India today announced that it has partnered with Indus App Bazaar to empower its users to discover and access their favourite mobile applications in 12 Indian languages. The announcement comes at a time when the industry is witnessing an exponential increase in app downloads from smaller towns and cities across India. Samsungs latest Make for India offering will help millions of Indians navigate through an exhaustive catalogue of apps on the Galaxy Apps Store, in their vernacular language. Galaxy Apps Store is available in English and Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Odia, Assamese, Punjabi, Kannada, Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali and Marathi. Galaxy Apps Store now empowers users to download a host of free applications, without having to sign in, making the experience seamless and hassle-free. Galaxy Apps Store provides a strong personalised recommendation engine delivering users the option to download the apps that would best serve their needs. Galaxy Apps will have special sections for highlighting all Indian innovations to Samsung smartphone users, which is in line with the Government of Indias Startup India initiative. A man who struck British opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn while holding an egg in a pro-Brexit protest was jailed for 28 days. Corbyn was not hurt in the incident. (Photo:AP) London: A man who struck British opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn while holding an egg in a pro-Brexit protest was jailed for 28 days on Monday. The 31-year-old suspect, John Murphy, from Barnet in the north of the city, was charged with assault by beating in a pro-Brexit protest. Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot told Westminster Magistrates' Court that she had taken into account the "current climate" in jailing the man, calling it "an attack on our democratic process". Corbyn was not hurt in the incident, which occurred during a visit to the Finsbury Park Mosque in his Islington constituency in north London. Corbyn said he was "shocked and surprised" by the attack, in a statement read to court. "I feel these kind of attacks drive a wedge between elected representatives and those who elect them in the first place. We are now reviewing and increasing my security protection." The mosque was the scene of an anti-Muslim attack in June 2017, when a man drove a van into worshippers leaving late-night prayers. Darren Osborne was sentenced to life in prison after killing one man and injuring several others in that attack. Hamas said Egypt had brokered the ceasefire following the escalation that came before Israel's April 9 elections. Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet commented on the claim. (Photo: AFP) Tel Aviv: Israeli air strikes hit sites across the Gaza Strip on Monday in retaliation for a rare rocket attack that hit a house near Tel Aviv, before Hamas said a ceasefire was reached. Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip, said Egypt had brokered the ceasefire following the escalation that came just two weeks before Israel's April 9 elections. Israel, whose strikes began around the same time Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US President Donald Trump in Washington, has not yet commented on the claim. "Egyptian efforts succeeded with a ceasefire between the occupation and the resistance factions," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said. The ceasefire claim came after Israeli air strikes hit the office of Hamas's leader and dozens of other targets across the Gaza Strip on Monday evening. Those strikes were in response to a rocket from the Palestinian enclave that hit a home north of Tel Aviv and wounded seven people early Monday morning. On Monday night, a barrage of rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel in response to the strikes, causing air raid sirens to ring out in southern Israel. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries due to those rockets. Seven people were wounded in Gaza, the enclave's health ministry said, as explosions rocked areas of the Gaza Strip and balls of fire rose into the sky. There was no indication Hamas leader Ismail Haniya was at his office at the time it was hit. In comments from the White House, Netanyahu said "Israel is responding forcefully to this wanton aggression," while Trump spoke of Israel's "right to defend itself". Netanyahu said he would return home after meeting Trump, cancelling an address to pro-Israel lobby AIPAC's annual conference on Tuesday. Gaza City buildings hit One Israeli strike destroyed a building in Gaza City that Israel alleged was a secret headquarters for Hamas security and intelligence. Residents of Gaza said the building was known to house the Hamas-linked Multasim insurance company. Hamas's interior security office in Gaza City was also hit. A joint statement from militant groups in Gaza, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, took responsibility for the barrage of rockets fired in response to the Israeli strikes later Monday night. The rocket from Gaza that hit a house in Israel early Monday was a rare long-distance strike and Israel's army said it was fired by Hamas. A Hamas official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, denied the group was behind the rocket, evoking the possibility it was caused by "bad weather". The Israeli house hit was located in the community of Mishmeret, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Tel Aviv, police said. The rocket would have had to travel some 120 kilometres (75 miles) from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where Israel said it was fired from. The hospital treating the wounded said seven Israelis were injured lightly by burns and shrapnel, including three children. One of the wounded was a six-month-old child and six of them were members of the same British-Israeli family. The house was destroyed in the wake of the rocket and subsequent fire, with burnt wood, a children's toy and other debris piled at the site. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008, and Netanyahu is believed to want to avoid another one with unpredictable results ahead of the elections. But he faces a tough challenge from a centrist political alliance led by former military chief Benny Gantz and came under pressure to react firmly. Gantz asked on Twitter, referring to corruption allegations against Netanyahu, whether the prime minister would "finally focus on the security of the citizens of Israel instead of dealing only with his legal concerns." One-year anniversary Monday's rocket followed another rare incident on March 14 in which two rockets were fired from Gaza towards Tel Aviv. No damage or injuries were caused, but Israel responded to that and further rocket fire by hitting what it said were around 100 Hamas targets across the Gaza Strip. Four Palestinians were reported wounded in those strikes. Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad denied they were behind the March 14 rocket fire towards Tel Aviv, raising the possibility they were launched by fringe groups. Israel's military said they were launched by Hamas, but later Israeli media reported the army's preliminary assessment was that they had been fired by mistake during maintenance work. Even if the ceasefire announced by Hamas holds, there could soon be further tensions. Saturday marks the first anniversary of Palestinian protests and clashes along the Gaza Strip's border with Israel. An informal truce between Hamas and Israel had led to relative calm along the border, but recent weeks have seen another uptick in violence. China on Monday said that it would like to see the easing of tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack. It is the first strategic dialogue between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday. (File Photo) Beijing: China on Monday said that it would like to see the easing of tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack and the issue would figure in the first strategic dialogue between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday. Qureshi who arrived here on Monday is visiting China, days after Beijing for the fourth time blocked a bid in the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday to designate Pakistan-based chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group Masood Azhar as a "global terrorist" by putting a technical hold on the proposal, a move India termed as disappointing. The JeM has claimed responsibility for the February 14 Pulwama attack that left 40 CRPF personnel dead and escalated tensions between India and Pakistan. The proposal to designate Azhar under the 1267 al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council was moved by France, the UK and the US on February 27. "As neighbour, China would like to see easing of tensions between the two. We would like to see the two countries continue to engage in dialogue for the peace and stability of the region," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing here. "I believe the issues causing regional tensions will be discussed," Geng said. To another question whether the issue of listing of Azhar would figure in the talks specially in the backdrop of Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui expressing confidence that it would be resolved, Geng said, "well I can't prejudge the topics" that are going figure in the talks. "But they will discuss issues of bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual concern," he said. Regarding the listing of Azhar, "China will continue to deal with the issue with a responsible and constructive manner and will maintain close communication with all parties, including India and Pakistan," he said. Lu on Sunday exuded confidence of resolving the sticky issue of designating Azhar as a global terrorist through consultations. "I am quite sure this matter (listing of Azhar by the UN) will be resolved. This is only a technical hold and the matter can be resolved through continued consultation," Luo said on the side-lines of an event at the Chinese embassy. According to reports in the Pakistani media, Qureshi, which is on a three-day visit to China, will hold comprehensive discussions on the entire range of bilateral relations, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Both sides will also discuss the regional situation and cooperation at multilateral fora. Qureshi will also address the Political Parties Forum on the CPEC and participate in the ruling parties' dialogue between the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and the Communist Party of China. He will also call on the Chinese leadership, the reports said. The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). India is opposed to the project as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Geng said China welcomed the talks between India and Pakistan last week to open the Kartarupur Corridor. India and Pakistan last year agreed to open up a special border crossing linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur - the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev - to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district. "We welcome this interaction. Hope this can further ease tensions between both sides and improve regional situation. India and Pakistan are neighbours and always live with each other," he said. Good relations between both will serve the interest of both and common aspirations of the international community, he said. "We hope the two sides continue to show goodwill meet halfway, resolve difference through dialogue and uphold regional peace and stability together," he said. Asked whether Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou who recently visited Pakistan would visit India also, Geng said, "As far as I know China and India maintain communication at various levels. So if there such a visit we will release the information in a timely manner." Mr Ken Ashigbey, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, has said network operators in 2018 paid a total of GH1.94 billion tax and a direct capital expenditure of over GH276 million to the state. He explained that the mobile industry contributed close to nine percent of Ghanas total revenue basket and employed more than 1.7 million people directly and indirectly. Mobile Phone, he said, was a key channel for e-governments strategy and financial inclusion drive, with public institutions now using mobile money, SMS, and USSD platforms to deliver services to the public. Mr Ashigbey was speaking during the launch of Mobile Report by Jumia Ghana Limited in Accra to enlighten the public on the state of smartphone accessibility in Africa, particularly Ghana, and how it was contributing to socio-economic development. He said since the inception of mobile phone usage in the country, 25 years ago, the industry had connected close to 70 percent of the population, which amounted to over 20 million individuals and connected about half of the population to the internet through their mobile phones. With the governments drive for digitisation and building smart citizens, leveraging mobile technology is key to the vision and requires collaboration by all stakeholders, including; development organisations, private sector players like; Jumia and the mobile industry itself, he said. The collaboration, he said, would create opportunities to extend mobile services to unconnected populations, empower women and reduce all forms of inequality amongst the citizenry. I will use this platform to reiterate that mobile is a powerful tool in enhancing peoples lives by enabling them to access personalised, value-added services. Speaking on the rampant sale of pre-registered sim cards to mobile phone users, Mr Ashigbey urged telecommunication companies to get a robust database to revalidate sim cards that had been registered to track agents who registered them with their identification cards and sold to customers. Mr Ore Odusanya, the Managing Director of Jumia Ghana Limited, who delivered the report said, Jumia in 2018 sold 1.5 million smartphones in Africa as against 900 thousand in 2017. According to the report, he said brands like Huawei and Samsung were reaching out to the underserved segment of the market and introducing affordable smartphones and other brands continued to introduce highly specked smartphones at high prices, which contributed to 60 percent of the smartphones sold in Africa. These brands, he said, were Infinix, Tecno and Hotwave, adding that, they were among the top five mobile brands on Jumia in 2018. Mr Odusanya noted that the adoption of smartphones, came the purchase and use of data which implied a direct impact on growth in the sector. He disclosed that mobile broadband coverage in Ghana in 2018 was 80.33 percent and Jumia would launch its "Mobile Week" from April 8 to 14, 2019 to enable members of the public purchase smart phones at discounted prices. The brands that would participate in the Mobile Week include; Samsung, Tecno, Infinix, Huawei, and Apple. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video An American Airlines jet at the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport is pictured. The commercial carrier is accused of two recent curfew violations that will be the focus of a penalty hearing scheduled for 4 p.m. today at the Airport Operations Center off Owl Creek Road. The market is changing fast with new players becoming increasingly influential, high demand for real estate assets from across a wide range of investors, burgeoning demands on developers and a fast-growing proptech sector, said Bonteil. These changes create challenges but also fantastic opportunities for our clients and our firm. Solomon is retiring from the firm after 19 years to take up a different role within the real estate sector. Australia plans social media safety laws following NZ mosque attack The atrocity of the mosque attack in Christchurch was exacerbated by the sharing of footage on social media which is set to lead to new legislation in Australia. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says that the same rules that exist in the physical world should exist online and the government plans to introduce criminal penalties for social media firms that fail to act in the interests of Australians safety. The GPT Group has sold its half stake in the MLC Centre with the help of Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF). GPT sold its stake to Dexus Wholesale Property Fund for $800m through pre-emptive rights in the co-ownership agreement between the companies. Dexus will now wholly own the iconic Sydney building. HSF advised GPT on the pre-emptive rights, the sale process, and the negotiation of the sale contract. The global legal giant said that both companies had ambitious timeframes for entering into the contract, but it was able to use its extensive knowledge of the property to complete the deal within deadlines. Simonian, who was joint chair of BCLPs international trade group and head of its Asia practice, will co-chair Crowell & Morings international trade group, together with John Brew. Chuck, who headed BCLPs China practice, will become head of Crowell & Morings Asia practice. The BCLP raid follows the hiring of former BCLP partner David Stepp, who joined Crowell & Moring in August. We are thrilled to welcome this diverse group of top flight lawyers at a time when international trade issues, particularly in China, are of paramount importance to our clients. Our new team has in-depth knowledge about how best to help clients move goods, services, and people across borders in todays challenging global trade climate, said Philip Inglima, Crowell & Moring chairman. Their collective skill set will expand our capabilities and provide clients with the highest level of service to address their global corporate and supply chain needs. Ambassador Robert Holleyman, the president and CEO of Crowell & Moring International, said that he will work closely with Simonian and Chuck on providing trade, corporate, policy, regulatory, international employment, and global mobility advice to clients. Our Shanghai office, in conjunction with our Los Angeles and Washington D.C. based international trade teams, will provide a valuable platform to help clients access and navigate the growing market, he said. This group brings a wealth of talent to our law firms International Trade Group and positions us for growth in Asia. (NejroN Photo/Bigstock.com) (NejroN Photo/Bigstock.com) The work and holiday visa programme allowing young people to travel, work and study in Australia has been expanded to allow more young people from various countries to participate.The arrangements are now in place for young people in Spain, Peru, Chile and Israel. The Australian Government hopes that the increase in the number of visas will encourage them to work in regional areas where there are shortages of workers, particularly in agriculture which traditionally employs a lot of young people from overseas.While on their first visa, working holiday makers can undertake specified work in regional areas to become eligible for a second visa and therefore extend their stay. From July 2019, the option of a third year stay will also be available to them if they undertake six months of regional work in their second year in Australia.The work and holiday visa requires first time applicants to hold or be studying towards tertiary qualifications and to speak a functional level of English and the programme is likely to be extended further as the Government is currently in discussions with a number of other countries for a cap increase.The number of places available to Spanish nationals under the Work and Holiday Maker programme has been increased from 1,500 per year to 3,400 while for Israeli nationals has risen from 500 to 2,500. For Peru the numbers have been increased from 100 to 1,500 and for Chile from 2,000 to 3,400.'These additional places will allow thousands more young people each year to enjoy a 12-month holiday in Australia, during which they may undertake short term work and study,' said Immigration Minister David Coleman.'This arrangement will provide additional support to regional Australia by encouraging more workers to the areas that need them. The increase to places will provide regional areas and farmers with access to more workers,' he explained.Meanwhile, applications for the new temporary Sponsored Parent visa will open on 17 April 2019. The Sponsored Parent (Temporary) subclass 870 visa provides parents and grandparents with a new pathway to reunite and spend time together through having the opportunity to visit Australia for a continuous period of up to five years.There is also the opportunity to apply for a second visa for another five years after a short period outside Australia, meaning parents and grandparents will be able to spend up to 10 years in Australia.Up to 15,000 visas may be granted each year and measures have been put in place to strengthen the visa framework, and require Australian sponsors to act as a financial guarantor for any outstanding public health costs incurred by the visa holder whilst in Australia, including hospital and aged care fees. Coleman pointed out that this ensures taxpayers are not required to cover additional costs.Also coming up is the introduction special visa arrangements for aged care providers to hire overseas workers with specialised skills that will support older Australians from multicultural backgrounds.These will allow aged care facilities to access a personalised visa arrangement to hire employees with the skills to cater for the needs of their communities' elderly and deliver specialised services that better understand a residents' cultural needs.The company-specific labour agreement enables aged care providers to access overseas workers where they previously have been unable to, as the required occupation is not on the list of eligible skilled occupations. The Ghana Muslim Mission (GMM) has prayed for the souls of the victims of the New Zealand mosque massacre and greeted the government and people of that country for their support during the painful days. The National Executive Council and the entire membership of the GMM as well as all Muslims extend sincere condolences to the families of victims who lost their lives in the New Zealand mass murder according to the National Chairman of the mission Dr. Amin Bonsu during a special prayer for the victims of the massacre which happened some three weeks ago. While condemning the massacre, the mission prayed that the dastardly act does not happen again anywhere in the world. We would like to appeal to everyone worldwide to avoid violence, terrorism, racism, extremism, murder and all sorts of hate crimes. We should all know that we belong to one God who created us from one parent Adam and Hawa (Eve); hence we should love one another and live together in peace and harmony, Dr. Bonsu said during the prayers and press conference. The mission used the opportunity to condemn the recent attacks on journalists and encouraged members of the media to be bold in the discharge of their duties. To the police, the mission asked that they exhibit circumspection in the discharge of their duties and avoid the extreme use of force on innocent citizens. We also appeal to all Ghanaians to be law abiding and appreciate the work of the security agencies, especially the Ghana Police Service, who are always with us as we undertake our daily chores, the mission said. The GMM also asked members of the various ethnic groups to avoid issues that divide them as harmony is better than the instances of ethnocentric violence. Dr. Bonsu quotes a relevant portion of the Holy Quran to support this. Quran 49 vs 13 Allah Almighty says, O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted. The best person is the one who is conscious of Allah, and doesnt harm his fellow. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The mid-size workhorse is billed absolutely beyond tough by the Japanese automaker, who presented the Absolute Concept at the 40th Bangkok International Motor Show 2019. The question is, does this truck have the skills to put the Ford Ranger Raptor to shame?Not quite, no. For starters, the engine, four-wheel-drive system, and transmission are all bone-stock standard. Protective body paneling that appears to be carbon fiber and gloss-black paintwork are featured, complemented by Falken all-terrain tires, beadlock wheels with six lug nuts, and ABSOLUTE stickers on either side of the bed.Look even closer, and youll notice a handful of red detailing along with aluminum accents for either fascia and the running boards. Two auxiliary LED clusters on the roof and a locking tonneau cover for the bed complete the makeover, and were not exactly impressed. The L200 might be a popular choice in the segment, but Mitsubishi doesnt know how to infuse excitement on the same level as Ford.Even General Motors has more convincing off-road pickups in this segment, and the Colorado ZR2 comes to mind. The American Expedition Vehicles-tuned Colorado ZR2 Bison is even more extreme, and Mitsubishi doesnt exactly care because their mid-size truck isnt available in the United States.Build-up Robustness, Truck Dynamism, Mechanical Durability, and More Solid and More Rugged are some of the taglines Mitsubishi uses to describe the Absolute Concept. Take a moment and look through the photo gallery, then read those statements once again, trying not to laugh out loud.On that note, the fifth generation of the L200 is also available with Fiat badging. The Fullback Cross looks much better than the Mitsubishi, bridging the gap between lesser models and the overpromising concept before your eyes. HP This one is a little bit confusing, but we don't need to know everything about the package to "enjoy" the look. A small Russian shop called WS-DV just posted these two photos on Instagram, showing the Honda Vezel with a Lambo-style front bumper.What' a Honda Vezel? The same thing as the HR-V. Now, the little Japanese crossover was designed from day one to have a sporty roof, as the word coupe is peppered all over the press release. But pretending it's a Lamborghini requires a huge stretch of the imagination.The Vezel has been available in Russia since 2013, so about as long as in Japan. We don't know if it's popular, but it probably only comes with a 1001.5-liter engine or something of that underpowered sort.As far as we can tell, the only major component of this body kit is that beaked nose. The whole bumper has been changed, with large intakes all over. The execution is really bad, but at least it scores points for grabbing your attention.Down the side, we see a matching set of side skirts and a variety of pointless accessories for Vezel owners to spend their money on. These include covers for the door handles, the filler cap, chromed door mirrors and tinted windows with rain protectors. Honestly, this looks like a dodgy taxi if anything.There's no photo of the back end, but a black wing can be seen towering over the trunk. No pricing is available at this moment. The crazy kit is probably cheaper than a Lamborghini brake caliper. But does that make a good deal? No, no it doesn't. In the 1950s, 400500 Americans died every year from measles and another 100 from chicken pox. In the last major outbreak of rubella in 1964'65 some 11,000 pregnant American women lost their babies and 2,100 newborns died. The 1960s vaccine revolution all but wiped out these diseases by 2000. But now they are back in the U.S. and around the world. Much onus for this regression so far has been laid on the global anti-vaccination movement. But experts blame much more sweeping reasons, primarily a tectonic change in how humans live now as opposed to three, four and five decades ago. so far has been laid on the global anti-vaccination movement. But experts blame much more sweeping reasons, primarily a tectonic change in how humans live now as opposed to three, four and five decades ago. At the top of the list: we are living closer together in ever-swelling cities, trading and traveling much more, creating climate change, migrating in big numbers and failing to keep vaccination levels high enough for "herd immunity." "What changed is that society changed," Jeremy Farrar, an expert on infectious disease and director of the U.K.-based Wellcome Trust, tells Axios. Driving the news: Disease was under control for a few decades, but now the environmental circumstances under which they were contained have utterly changed. So new answers have to be found. The big picture: For 2019, U.S. officials have confirmed 481 measles cases in 16 states as of Saturday, according to the website Precision Vaccinations. The Centers for Disease Control confirms 151 cases of mumps for January and February in 30 states and the District of Columbia. And Kentucky alone has an outbreak of 32 cases of chickenpox as of last week. Europe, too, has had a surge of mumps, pertussis, rubella and tetanus over the last two years, reports the World Health Organization. Measles alone killed 72 people in Europe last year, among 82,596 who contracted the disease, according to the agency. In the U.S., the outbreaks are often concentrated in tight-knit communities like former Soviet immigrants in Clark County, Washington. Three states New York, Texas and Washington are the "leading measles hot-spots" in the U.S., per Precision Vaccinations. The diseases are often brought into these communities by travelers returning from countries like Israel, Madagascar, the Philippines and Ukraine. How the revolution happened: The vaccine against measles was licensed in 1963, chickenpox in 1995, mumps in 1967, and rubella in 1969. Jonas Salk's polio vaccine igniting the vaccine revolution came into use in 1955, and the oral version, created by Albert Sabin, was commercialized in 1961. But the revival of these once-unavoidable, disfiguring and sometimes deadly diseases is only part of the new age of epidemics they are a component of the general breakdown of the decades-old political and social order. This is particularly apparent in the anti-vaccination movement, what has been rebranded "vaccine hesitancy." "People wonder, 'Why am I still getting vaccinated if disease no longer exists?' It's not a stupid question," Farrar said. the anti-vaccination movement, what has been rebranded "vaccine hesitancy." "People wonder, 'Why am I still getting vaccinated if disease no longer exists?' It's not a stupid question," Farrar said. But the trend includes the other social factors as well: climate change, migration, urbanization and elevated travel, which are spreading disease-carrying species such as mosquitoes, bats and rats. What's next: Farrar is pressing for governments to create a commercial impetus for companies to figure out how to navigate the new age. But to get started, says Peter Hotez, dean at the Baylor College of Medicine and author of Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachels Autism, they need to separate out the various factors. As Boeing battles to get its bestselling fleet airborne again, European rival Airbus said Monday it's signed a $35 billion jet deal with China. The details: Airbus secured the deal during a state visit by China's President Xi Jinping to Paris. The order is for 290 A320 planes and 10 jets from the A350 line. The other side: Boeing announced it would provide free software upgrades to airlines that had bought the 737 MAX jets that have been grounded, pending the outcome of a safety investigation following 2 fatal crashes in less than 6 months. Defying poor pre-election polling, Palang Pracharat, the Thai army's proxy party, performed well in this past weekend's elections, the country's first since 2011. However, its success came amid low turnout, claims of widespread fraud and irregularities, and repeated bungling of results by Thailand's Election Commission. Why it matters: Thailand, a U.S. treaty ally, is now likely to remain alone among middle- and upper-income countries as a place where the armed forces wield dominant power, leaving it in league with poorer and more fragile states like Egypt, Pakistan and Mauritania. Details: Palang Pracharat apparently captured the second-most constituency seats in the lower house of parliament. (Final, confirmed results have not yet been announced.) Along with allies in the senate, whose members were chosen by the armed forces, Palang Pracharat and coalition parties likely will be able to lead the country, with Prayuth, who led Thailand's 2014 coup, assuming the position of prime minister and running the civilian government. The armed forces' dominance of the senate was entrenched in a new constitution that also made it easier for Palang Pracharat to control the lower house. The party drew support from older voters and residents of Bangkok and received an eleventh-hour implicit endorsement from the supposedly (but not really) apolitical monarch. Where it stands: The results do not point toward future stability. Puea Thai, a populist anti-junta party, appears to have won the most constituency seats in the lower house, and the anti-junta parties collectively won the largest share of the popular vote. In a system with a truly elected senate, fairer election laws or a better climate for political activism, they would have had the first chance to form a government and pick a prime minister. There will be a struggle between Palang Pracharat and the opposition. If Palang Pracharat forms a government relying largely on its army-installed senate allies it could infuriate supporters of the anti-junta coalition and undercut the perceived legitimacy of the new government. The standoff could worsen if Palang Pracharat forms a government comprising supporters in both houses, while Puea Thai and its allies control the lower house, all but ensuring political gridlock. What to watch: Prayuth has proven an irascible, thin-skinned leader. If he becomes prime minister, he would have to run the country in a climate unlike that of the past five years of harsh repression and may struggle in the face of real political opposition, a freer press and more public criticism. The kingdom likely will continue to drift, undermining its economy and ensuring that the men in green do not return to the barracks. Joshua Kurlantzick is senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations. Voters are more focused on their own lives than the Mueller report, 2020 hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told CBS's "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" Monday night. What she's saying: Warren said she took "maybe 100 questions" campaigning in New Hampshire at the weekend. "Do you know how many were about the Mueller report? Zero," she said. "What people were asking about were the things that touch their lives ... what people are focused on is whats happening in their lives and what is going to help us decide what kind of a country were going to be." The big picture: The former law professor said she did want the full report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller to be released. She doesn't trust Attorney General William Barr's summary that findings do not conclude President Trump has committed a crime. "When we see the whole report, well know what the basis is for this, period," she said. A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted. Go deeper: House Democrats call on Barr to testify about Mueller report The Green New Deal failed to pass a procedural hurdle in the Senate on Tuesday, with Democrats denouncing the motion as a "sham" and largely voting "present" as a show of unity. Between the lines: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell brought the vote in a political effort to get Democrats on the record and highlight intra-party divisions over the ambitious proposal. Democrats have argued McConnell held the vote in order to eliminate any debate, hearings or public testimony about the resolution, which many see as a starting point for addressing the threats posed by climate change. 43 Democrats voted "present." Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), Doug Jones (Ala.) and Angus King (Maine) who is an independent but caucuses with Democrats voted "no." Go deeper: When we talk about the cost and complexity of the U.S. health care system, we usually dont account for the time, money and labor donated by friends and family members sometimes even strangers. But those unofficial supports are a large and growing part of American health care. Why it matters: Americans raise hundreds of millions of dollars per yer in donations to help with medical bills, and the care patients get from family and friends is worth billions. Caregivers bear a financial and emotional burden that the formal system depends on, but does not acknowledge or accommodate. The big picture: Health care economist Aaron Carroll writes in The New York Times about his experience helping out a friend who was undergoing cancer treatment. His stories, and the similar stories he collects from other patients and caregivers, will probably sound familiar: spouses and siblings taking time off work to be there during treatment; friends pitching in to offer a ride to the hospital, or help with child care. These are all things we do without hesitation, but they are not free. There are direct costs, like travel. Theres lost productivity as people take time away from work. And caregivers then must rearrange their own lives, too. Its hard to put a number on the precise value of volunteer caregiving most people dont log the hours they spend in a family members hospital room but whatever that number is, it is not small. The average cost of caring for someone with cancer can range from $7,000 during initial treatments to as high as $72,000 over a longer timeline, according to studies Carroll cites. The Alzheimers Association, meanwhile, says 16 million people are caring for someone with Alzheimers or dementia. It estimates the value of that care at $234 billon again, not accounting for the emotional toll on caregivers. Patients also rely on friends, family and strangers to pay their bills. Medical campaigns on the crowdfunding site GoFundMe raise about $650 million per year., the company says. It sees roughly 250,000 medical campaigns a year. Between the lines: Access to these unofficial support systems is not equal. A successful medical GoFundMe often takes a certain level of production value, including access to video equipment. And volunteer caregiving often requires a flexible job and some level of disposable income, making it easier to assemble higher up the socioeconomic ladder. Whats next: Lawmakers in several states are considering tax credits to help caregivers either hire professional help or defray certain costs for example, retrofitting a home to accommodate a disability, Kaiser Health News reports. California is debating a caregiver tax credit, and AARP is pushing similar proposals in Arizona, Illinois, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin, per KHN. The bottom line, from Carroll: Rides to the hospital are care. The time spent at home with those recuperating after procedures is care. Watching and monitoring and caring for the ill in their home is just as much care as doing the same in a hospital. We are willing to pay a fortune for the former, and almost nothing for the latter. Satellite navigation systems like the Global Positioning System (GPS) make so many different pieces of our global infrastructure tick that most countries treat their signals as sacrosanct, knowing that interfering with them could have devastating effects. But a new report released Tuesday is giving us the first broad view of a country Russia that's pervasively tampering with the service. The big picture: Global navigation satellites including GPS and less-used competing services like Russia's GLONASS are coordinated networks of atomic clocks in outer space that can be used to triangulate precise locations or coordinate precise timing. Without them, everything from global shipping to financial markets would suffer. Why it matters: It's easy to see the military, transportation and pizza delivery importance of precise location information. The timing signals are extremely important, too. The stock market needs precision timing to handle transactions down to the fractional second. Precise timing is a critical component in telecommunications because it allows national and international networks to synchronize. The intrigue: Russia has been called out several times before for interfering with global positioning satellite systems. It is known to have pursued the national security and military use of interfering with GPS in a way no other country has. But before the study by the C4ADS think tank, no one had really taken a scientific look across all of Russia's activities to see how constant the disruptions are. To do that, C4ADS used University of Texas equipment placed on the International Space Station to monitor more than 9,800 suspected instances since 2016 where fraudulent global navigation signals appear to have been broadcast in the Russian Federation, as well as instances where similar signals were broadcast in Russian conflict zones like Crimea and Syria. C4ADS is not formally accusing the Russian government of being behind any of the fraudulent, "spoofed" signals. It would be impossible to make that kind of determination from the space station. But, but, but: It is clear that many of the instances largely serve Russian national interests. In Russia, C4ADS found that several spoofed signals came from areas where Russian VIPs (like President Vladimir Putin) were traveling or that contained military or domestic facilities Russia wants to protect (including a "multimillion-dollar 'palace'" reportedly built for Putin). "multimillion-dollar 'palace'" reportedly built for Putin). Those areas broadcast the coordinates of airports in places where there are no airports. The spoofing was frequent enough that C4ADS reports the Russian internet firm Yandex had to redesign its ride sharing app. Otherwise, it billed passengers for sudden trips to the airport whenever their driver passed through a spoofed area. Airports that mysteriously seemed to appear in the Black Sea were so disruptive that the United States issued a warning to international cargo firms. Why airports? Many manufacturers of drones use GPS chips to prevent their products from flying into airport airspace. C4ADS suspects the spoofing was to prevent drone attacks or surveillance. Meanwhile, Russia also used spoofing in combat zones, particularly Syria, to try to limit attacks against its installations. Unlike in Russia, the fake signals were intended to mimic connections to satellites without providing discernible location information. Rather than thinking they were at airports, navigation chips couldn't figure out where they were. This is likely because drone attacks in Syria often used equipment modified to ignore the airport blocks, making it more productive to disorient pilots rather than trick the aircraft. All of the spoofing Russia has been involved in appears to have been focused on faking a location rather than disrupting timing. But the C4ADS report notes that disrupting locations during NATO and Russian military exercises affected timing anyway, impacting Finnish and Norwegian cell phone networks. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is one of several prominent Republicans to demand that House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) step down from his position for promoting allegations of a Trump campaign conspiracy with Russia, Politico reports. The big picture: Attorney General William Barr released a summary of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Sunday that concluded there was not sufficient evidence to establish a Trump-Russia conspiracy. Trump defenders are taking the news as complete vindication of the president, while Schiff has joined other Democrats in demanding that the full Mueller report be released to the public, while pressing on with his committee's own investigation into Russian contacts. Go deeper: 3 key quotes from Barr's summary of Mueller report Audio Attachment: Listen to Pius Enam Hadzide Deputy Minister of Information, Pius Enam Hadzide, has dismissed suggestions that the Finance Ministry organized a party to celebrate an economic hat-trick. The Finance Ministry courted controversy when they organized a party to mark the successful Eurobond, the completion of the IMF-ECF programme and the appreciation of the Cedi, something they consider as an economic hat-trick. The Sector Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, was spotted in various pictures circulated on social media holding a plate of waakye; a local delicacy. Other staff members were seen eating kenkey and fish. Some critics wonder why this should be celebrated when the focus should be on other things. According to them, it was in bad taste and needless. The Deputy Minister, speaking to the issue on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo said what the Finance Ministry organized was a staff durbar with a touch of promoting made in Ghana goods. It was a staff durbar; the only difference was that they were celebrating made in Ghana products, otherwise its nothing new. If it was a celebration, I would have spoken against it but it was not a celebration, he said. He, however, conceded that management of communication around this durbar has been problematic. Watch Pius' submission below Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Israels election campaign came to Washington today, with both frontrunners making high-profile appearances. Some 6,000 miles away, the Israeli military was mobilizing for an aerial offensive. Driving the news: After a rocket fired from Gaza struck a family home north of Tel Aviv early this morning, injuring seven people, Israel responded with force. The military says it struck Hamas public security offices and the office of the Islamist organizations chairman, among other targets. Israels acting foreign minister told Channel 13 News it was the largest operation undertaken in Gaza since 2014. Hamas fired rockets in response. The latest: Just as things looked like they might spiral into war, Hamas announced a ceasefire. It's unclear if it's holding. As the Telegraphs Jerusalem correspondent Raf Sanchez tweeted: The psychological whiplash that people in this region live with is unreal. Back in Washington this morning, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Trump before cutting his visit short in light of the attack. Benny Gantz, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces who is making a strong centrist challenge in the April 9 elections, criticized Netanyahu for the deteriorating security situation. Gantz later addressed the pro-Israel AIPAC conference in Washington, stressing his military bona fides while calling for unity and condemning racism and corruption. Those were thinly veiled swipes at Netanyahu, who boosted a racist fringe party in a pre-election maneuver designed to ensure a right-wing majority in the Knesset and is facing indictments in three bribery and fraud cases. Yet another scandal reared its head this week. This one concerns a submarine deal Netanyahus critics claim he profited from (he denies it). But while polls show Gantzs party narrowly leading Netanyahus, they also show most Israelis expect Netanyahu to keep his job. Before departing Washington, Netanyahu lavished praise on President Trump during a ceremony in which Trump officially recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights. He told Trump: Israel has never had a better friend than you. Internationally, Trump has never had a better friend than the Israeli prime minister. He has clashed with the leaders of most of Americas traditional allies. Not with Netanyahu. Theyre kindred spirits. Both castigate the fake news media, claim to be the victims of a witch hunt, and paint visions of destruction and destitution should they be removed from office. Their relationship is also politically symbiotic. Trump sees political advantage in being the president who moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and steadfastly defended Israel at the UN. Netanyahu, meanwhile, is placing his close ties with Trump at the center of his campaign. The bottom line: Netanyahu claims events like today's show he's the only man who can keep Israel safe, while his opponents argue they prove he's not keeping Israel safe enough. But at the heart of Israel's security lies its relationship with the U.S.. Ernest Moniz, President Obama's former energy secretary and now CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), believes the risk of a nuclear weapon being used is now higher than at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis. Driving the news: In a lengthy interview, Moniz told Axios he is particularly concerned about the erosion of the U.S.-Russia arms control regime, which could collapse entirely if the Trump administration declines to renew the New START treaty. Moniz says a move like that would remove the transparency that exists between the nuclear powers. He also says arms control has been an enormous part of sustaining even in dark periods dialogue between the U.S. and the Soviets, and now the U.S. and the Russians. He raised a frightening scenario: A cyberattack on command and control systems (from either a state or non-state actor) that leads to a false warning of an incoming attack. Given the broken state of U.S.-Russia communications, a president would have just minutes to decide whether to respond, and limited information to act on. Beyond the potential for miscalculation, Moniz said current debates in the U.S. and in Russia are "reviving the idea of nuclear weapons as battlefield weapons" rather than tools for deterrence. On North Korea, Moniz said that if the Trump administration sticks to its all-or-nothing approach to denuclearization, "the chances of success are miniscule." He said North Koreas testing freeze does enhance U.S. national security while it lasts, because Kim Jong-un hasnt demonstrated he can strike the U.S. with an intercontinental ballistic missile. But he added: "We frequently forget that there are ways of delivering nuclear weapons that dont involve missiles." An example would be "a ship going into a harbor." Nine countries currently have nuclear weapons, including North Korea. NTIs long-term goal is the elimination of all nuclear weapons, but Moniz conceded that the nuclear club could actually grow in the next decade or so. He said the primary short-term risk is an arms race following the collapse of the Iran nuclear deal, which he helped negotiate. "That has to be a proliferation concern in the region, with a couple countries being the obvious focus of concern," he said. Moniz said the other area of concern is East Asia: "If some of [North Koreas] neighbors lose confidence in our military backing for them, then there is a risk there as well." The bottom line: Moniz cited geopolitical uncertainties, asymmetries in conventional strength between nuclear powers and the introduction of new risks, particularly in the cyber realm, as factors that make a nuclear strike more likely. And he said the behind-the-scenes work to mitigate those risks is falling far short of what is needed. Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday directed NASA to return humans to the surface of the moon within the next five years, using either the troubled Space Launch System (SLS) rocket or a rocket from a private space company. "It is the stated policy of this Administration and the United States of America to return astronauts to the Moon within the next five years." Why it matters: Returning humans to the moon, establishing a permanent human presence there and then launching Mars missions is the Trump administration's vision for the next iteration of American space exploration. It's also ambitious, and a timetable that's likely to slip. Details: "We're actually being told the earliest we can get back to the moon is 2028," Pence said, referencing new information about the SLS program's timetable. "Now that would be 18 years after the SLS program was started, and 11 years after the president of the United States directed NASA to return American astronauts to the moon. ... That's just not good enough," Pence said. While SLS would be the most powerful rocket ever built by the agency and is designed for deep space missions, it's years behind schedule and well over budget. The intrigue: Pence took a swipe at Boeing, the primary contractor on SLS, by saying the space agency needs to look for other launch solutions if SLS delays continue. "To be clear, we're not committed to any one contractor. If our current contractors can't meet this objective, then we'll find ones that will," Pence said. Boeing is already reeling from two fatal crashes of its best-selling Boeing 737 MAX series aircraft. Between the lines: Pence, who chairs the U.S. Space Council, spoke at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the primary center of the SLS program. He also hinted that changes are in store for NASA's structure and goals to better ensure milestones are reached on time. "As you will hear in these recommendations, we will call on NASA not just to adopt new policies but to embrace a new mindset that begins with setting bold goals and staying on schedule," Pence said. NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine recently floated the idea of using commercial rockets, such as those from SpaceX, to bring astronauts back to the moon. Pence hinted that may be needed if SLS isn't ready. NASA has also selected a new lunar destination: the moon's South Pole, where astronauts have not yet visited. Reality check: Returning astronauts to the moon within 5 years is an extremely ambitious goal, and one that may be impossible for NASA to meet given the status of the SLS rocket. In addition to overcoming technical hurdles, achieving this 5-year goal would also depend on adequate funding from Congress as well as the re-election of President Trump, since a Democrat in the White House could redirect NASA starting in 2020. Go deeper: In major shift, NASA may use commercial rockets for next moon mission Education Minister Arayik Harutiunian reiterated on Tuesday his demands for the resignation of the long-serving rector of Armenias largest and oldest university who is facing growing pressure from the government. Harutiunian claimed that Yerevan State University (YSU) has experienced regress under Aram Simonian, the man who has run it for the last 13 years. I see very serious problems with [Simonians] tenure, he told reporters. Just look at the current state of YSU and see where YSU is headed. The minister spoke the day after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian publicly demanded the resignation of unnamed university rectors who he said are linked to Armenias former leadership. Pashinian said they placed the universities under the strong influence of the former President Serzh Sarkisians Republican Party (HHK) and tried to prevent students from joining street protests that brought him to power last May. Harutiunian did not deny that Pashinians demands were primarily addressed to Simonian, who remains affiliated with the HHK. He expressed confidence that YSUs Board of Trustees will continue to discuss government efforts to oust the rector. The board narrowly failed to sack Simonian when it met on February 28. Only half of its members are appointed by the government. Simonian, meanwhile, again refused to comment on Pashinians latest remarks, saying that the prime minister did not name names. I have been rector for 13 years and various speculations have revolved around me during all this time, he told journalists. I cant comment on every speculation. Simonian also declined to say whether he thinks Pashinians statement amounted to a breach of YSUs autonomy guaranteed by Armenian law. In a statement issued earlier this month, YSUs Scientific Council accused Harutiunian and Davit Sanasarian, the head of the State Oversight Service (SOS), of interfering in the universitys internal affairs. The SOS, which is subordinate to the prime minister, implicated the YSU administration in serious financial irregularities in December. The Armenian police likewise alleged last month that Simonian has embezzled YSU funds and engaged in other corrupt practices over the past decade. Simonian, who has still not been formally charged with any crime, denies the allegations as politically motivated. He has said that he will not resign before serving out his current term in office in 2020. Former President Robert Kocharian continued to challenge his arrest in court on Tuesday, insisting through his lawyers that Armenias constitution gives him immunity from prosecution on charges stemming from the 2008 post-election violence in Yerevan. An article of the constitution stipulates: During the term of his or her powers and thereafter, the President of the Republic may not be prosecuted and subjected to liability for actions deriving from his or her status. Kocharians lawyers cited this clause as a district court in Yerevan began considering their demand to free their client and throw out the coup charges that were brought against him in July. One of the lawyers, Hovannes Khudoyan, said investigators have still not explained why they believe the clause does not apply to do the high-profile criminal case. Khudoyan argued that Armenias Court of Appeals upheld the ex-presidents immunity from prosecution when it ordered his release from pre-trial custody in August. Acting on prosecutors appeal, the higher Court of Cassation overturned that ruling in November, however, ordering the Court of Appeals to examine the case anew. The latter allowed law-enforcement authorities to press charges against Kocharian and again arrest him on December 7. One of the prosecutors, Vahe Tolmazian, cited the Court of Cassations decision when he objected to Kocharians demands. Tolmazian also presented a large number of written documents in support of his objections, leading the court of first instance to adjourn the hearings. Kocharian as well as three retired army generals stand accused of overthrowing the constitutional order in the wake of a disputed presidential election held in February 2008, less than two months before he completed his second and final presidential term. Armenias Special Investigative Service says that they illegally used the armed forces against opposition supporters who demonstrated in Yerevan against alleged electoral fraud. Eight protesters and two police servicemen were killed in street clashes that broke out late on March 1, 2008. Kocharian declared a state of emergency in the Armenian capital on that night. All four men deny the charges. Kocharian, who was also charged with bribery last month, has accused the current authorities and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in particular of waging a political vendetta against him. Pashinian, who was one of the main opposition speakers during the February-March 2008 protests, has dismissed the ex-presidents claims. Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 22 times, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said March 26, Trend reports. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Trend: Gazprombank, as part of its cooperation with the Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR, plans to implement a new, expensive industrial project, Alexey Chichkanov, First Vice-President of Gazprombank, told Trend. According to him, the volume of investments in the new joint project will exceed the amount invested in the construction of the polypropylene production plant in Azerbaijan threefold. "This will be a very large-scale project in the field of industry. We are currently consulting, discussing all the details and parameters of interaction. At the same time, we are studying agricultural projects, but it is still too early to name specific partners and the facilities that will be built in Azerbaijan. We see a prospect in the implementation of agricultural projects, because the trade turnover of agricultural products between Russia and Azerbaijan is the biggest," Chichkanov said. According to him, it is about financing in connection with the creation of enterprises by Azerbaijani and Russian investors. "It could be joint ventures or facilities for the production and processing of agricultural products, the construction of which is planned in Azerbaijan. We also expect to develop public-private partnership in Azerbaijan. It seems to us that the construction of toll roads from Baku towards the border with the Russian Federation or the reconstruction of railroads could be implemented on the basis of public-private partnership," he said. Chichkanov went on to say that Gazprombank is counting on a long-term and fruitful cooperation with SOCAR in the future. "Today we have a large project for building a polypropylene production plant with the Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR. It has already been commissioned, and this is one of the largest industrial projects implemented in Azerbaijan," he said. The Gazprombank Group includes many different companies that operate not only on the financial market, but also on the markets of precious metals, oil and gas, construction and others. In Azerbaijan, the bank participated in financing the SOCAR Polymer project, allocating a loan in the amount of $489 million. Last fall, Gazprombank also concluded an agreement with the Azerbaijan's State Oil Company SOCAR and the Russian Export Center. The agreements will allow the bank to support the supply of Russian equipment and services that are in demand in Azerbaijani projects. By Leman Mammadova Nakhchivans Sirab mineral water, which is one of Azerbaijan's most famous brands, will enter new foreign markets. The Azerbaijani company plans to expand the list of export destinations by the end of 2019, Fagan Alishanov, the head of the company's export department, told Trend. He noted that the Arab countries will become a new export destination of the company in 2019. "We plan to arrange exports to Kuwait and Qatar. Primary volumes will be small, but they will gradually increase. We have been exporting for 8-9 years, so we have managed to establish contacts with many CIS countries, as well as with some European ones. For example, the company has its representative office in Latvia, and we supply our products to all three Baltic states," Alishanov said. "We ship our products to Russia by rail cars, and there is a very high demand for Sirab there. Relatively small volumes are shipped to the Turkish market and to Poland. We are in constant search for partners abroad, and we are waiting for new offers from our potential customers outside the country," the source said. The production plant for the Sirab mineral waters is located in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan. Today, the most advanced technologies are used in the production of Sirab. Sirab mineral water received recognition in many foreign countries. Recently, "Sirab" OJSC was awarded with a gold medal at the XXV International exhibition "PRODEXPO 2018" in Moscow in 2018. Azerbaijan is famous for its pleasant climate and rich natural resources. Since ancient times its people have not used a lot of medication, and rather heal with the help of recuperative water, fresh air, light and other home remedies. Very valuable mineral waters are widely spread in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. It is not coincidental that Nakhchivan is called the "Natural museum of mineral waters". The most valuable mineral water deposits of Nakhchivan are Sirab, Badamli, Vaykhir, Daridag, Nahajir, Gizilvang, Jahri, Gamur, Gahab, Dasta and others, with their extremely balneological hydro resources and diversity encompassing all types of carbon-carbonate, carbon-chloride and sulfur waters. The Sirab mineral water source is located in Nakhchivan`s Babek region in the slope of a mountain, 1100 meters above sea level. Derived from the name of the same village - Sirab, it means Sir ab- mysterious water, or Persian "Ser ab" - main (head) water. There are basically three mineral water basins in Sirab: Kalbaaghil, Shorsudara and Kutandagh. Even the chemical compound of these waters is different from each other. Water in Kalbaaghil basin is mined from the 250 meters of depth, and included in the Georgian Borjomi type water group for its low-mineralized, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbonate-calcium-natrium peculiarities. Sirab water is consumed both in aerated and non-aerated forms. Sirab`s product, which is enriched with carbon dioxide, is not recommended for people suffering from hyperoside gastritis. Sirab contains iron, bromine, lithium, strontsium and other useful chemical elements. Relating to the volcanic origin waters, it is also useful in the treatment of gastro-intestinal, liver, kidney, urinary and other diseases. According to the experimental and clinical study of Sirab`s reaction with the functioning of the pancreas, it was found out that the water increases the activity of the pancreas. Sirab is considered to be the best example of healing carbon dioxide water in recent years, being Nakhchivan`s most popular brand of mineral water. From the foundation day of the plant to the present, natural mineral medical-drinking water Sirab has won deserved recognition for its curative properties and great taste by consumers, not only in Azerbaijan but also in Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Iran and other countries. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Audio Attachment: Parliament, on Monday, observed a one-minute silence for victims of the New Zealand shooting incident as well as citizens of Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique who have died because of the cyclone. A statement was read in Parliament on Monday commiserating with the government of New Zealand following the shooting which occurred on March 15, 2019. They also paid tributes to victims of Cyclone Idai which led to over 750 deaths. Speaking on the floor, Monday, the Minority spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa suggested that Mr Speaker, I propose, if it pleases you, that we all as Members of Parliament make voluntary donations in cash or in kind which we should put together and donate to our fellow Africans in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe who are in dire need of our urgent assistance. However, this act did not go down well with a lot of people as they took to social media to condemn the MPs for not acknowledging the ghastly accidents that took the lives of over 60 people in Ghana. They wondered why Parliament by Monday, had not yet reacted to the tragic news or also observe a minute silence for the over 50 casualties. Adding his voice to the public outrage, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Kumbungu constituency, Ras Mubarak who was not in the House at the time, said the public was right to be angry. I found it rather strange that over 70 of our compatriots had perished sadly in Fridays twin accident and the House of Parliament that represents the people of Ghana didnt demonstrate any show of support to the victims of the accident. It is very disappointing and if the public is angered by it, it is rightly so. The unhappiness of the public is righteous indignation . . . we needed to rise to the occasion, but unfortunately we didn't live up to that, he told the media. But reacting to this in an interview on Citi Eyewitness News, Mr Ablakwa said per the standing orders in Parliament, "you submit a statement to the speaker when you want to make a commemorative statement" and that "admissibility lies in the bosom of the Speaker and its the Speaker who will read through the statement to approve it and determine which day the statement will be made". According to him, "he couldn't have proceeded to amend the statement (which he submitted days ago) on the floor to include the two accidents; adding if he had included that of that, he would be ruled out of order and the Speaker would not have allowed him to speak at all." He also described as erroneous the impression that members of Parliament cherish other nationalsat the end of the day its humanity. We are one people and the House of Parliament knows its duty and we will not place other countries over our people". Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Audio Attachment: Parliament has been criticized for observing a minute silence for victims of the shooting in New Zealand as well as citizens of Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique who have died and have been displaced because of the cyclone, instead of the dozens who died in two separate accidents in their own country, Ghana, last Friday. Social media was awash with various comments, many wondering why Parliament has not yet reacted to the tragic news or also observe a minute silence for the over 50 casualties. Adding his voice to an interview on Citi Eyewitness news, Monday, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Kumbungu constituency, Ras Mubarak who was not in the House at the time, said the public was right to be outraged. I found it rather strange that over 70 of our compatriots had perished sadly in Fridays twin accident and the House of Parliament that represents the people of Ghana didnt demonstrate any show of support to the victims of the accident. It is very disappointing and if the public is angered by it, it is rightly so. The unhappiness of the public is righteous indignation . . . we needed to rise to the occasion, but unfortunately we didn't live up to that, he said. He also bemoaned the fact that government is yet to react to the ghastly accident. " . . Its not just Parliament who did not live up to (the occasion), look at the response to the crises by the government; absolutely shambolic . . . the President didnt find it necessary to pass by; what will it take for the President to fly from Accra to visit those in the hospital?" he asked. Click the audio above to listen to Ras Mubarak Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Derrick Ohene Bekoe, the Member of Parliament for Upper West Akim in the Eastern Region has urged the government to look within when investigating the circumstances leading to the destruction of a GRIDCo pylon in Tema. According to him, the impression being created that saboteurs of this government have deliberately caused the collapse of ths pylon sounds too credible to believe. I am saddened about the fact that some communicators of the NPP are casting insinuations and we understand what they are attempting to do. They want to point accusing fingers at the NDC, but I want them to know that in politics, one can harm oneself just for public sympathy, Hon. Bekoe said on UTVs 'Adekye Nsroma' programme. The Upper West Akim Lawmaker further advised the government and its communicators to desist from pointing fingers at the NDC unnecessarily while investigations are still ongoing. . . the government must not proceed in that tangent because in this multiparty politics we are practicing, when things are not going well for a government as we are seeing, it can turn around and create negative news just for public sympathy, he added. These comments come on the heels of an assertion made by Hon. Peter Amewu, the Minister of Energy, after discovering that the Tema power transmission lines were hacked down by the use of some corrosive chemicals. Meanwhile, an internal committee has been set up by management of GRIDCO to begin investigations into the alleged hacking down of the pylon. The Bureau of National Investigations and the Police Service have also commenced investigations into what the Minister of Energy believes is a deliberate destruction of power transmission lines of the Ghana Grid Company in Tema by saboteurs who would want to plunge the nation into darkness. But Hon. Derrick Bekoe wants Minister and Government Communicators to channel their energy into finding the culprits rather than pointing accusing fingers at the biggest opposition party. Source: Prince Obimpeh/UTV/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A 33-year veteran of the Houston Police Department charged in the shooting death of his wife may have been motivated by jealousy after an evening gathering, a relative told investigators. Pearland police on Saturday were called to a house in the 1900 block of Canyon Creek Court after a woman found her mother, Belinda Hernandez, 52, dead inside the kitchen. Hours later, the victim's husband, Hilario R. Hernandez, 56, was taken into custody in Kingsville, southwest of Corpus Christi. The couple's daughter, Christina Foos, told investigators that she and her husband, Alex, had been eating and drinking with her parents the previous night at a dinner party at the Hernandezes' home along with a family friend, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the Houston Chronicle. Alex Foos told investigators that he believed Hilario Hernandez was upset with his wife because of "perceived flirting with (the family friend)," according to the affidavit. READ MORE: Houston police officer faces murder charge after Pearland killing When Christina Foos returned home after 11:30 p.m. Friday, she texted her mother as she always did to say that she had arrived safely. When Foos didn't receive a text in response, she grew concerned and called her mother's phone, she told investigators. Hilario Hernandez picked up, informing his daughter that her mother was "fine" before hanging up. When Belinda Hernandez didn't answer her phone the following morning, Foos and her husband went to the Hernandezes' home in Pearland around noon to check on her. Christina Foos came out of the house screaming, telling her husband that "her father had shot her mother" and to call 911. A neighbor who lives across the street told Pearland police that he heard multiple gunshots while walking his dog outside their home around midnight on Saturday. The neighbor said he saw Hilario Hernandez leave the house in his pickup truck shortly afterwards. Once on the scene, police investigators found a black handgun on an island counter in the kitchen with numerous spent shell casings around the kitchen and near the back door of the Hernandezes' home. Belinda Hernandez was found face down on the kitchen floor and declared dead at the scene. Hilario Hernandez was arrested in Kingsville hours later. An HPD lieutenant told Pearland investigators that Hernandez had indicated to her via text that "he would kill himself, or turn himself in to her," according to the affidavit. HPD spokeswoman Jodi Silva confirmed that Hernandez, a sergeant, had worked for the department for 33 years. Hernandez was transported to the Brazoria County Jail, where he was in custody Monday with bail set at $800,000. Belinda Hernandez was a librarian at Shadycrest Elementary, according to the Pearland Independent School District. The district planned to have extra counselors on campus Monday to help children cope. The couple had been married for more than three decades and had two grown children. "I was very happily married; I loved my children," Belinda Hernandez told the Chronicle in 2014, when she was featured in a story about fulfilling her dream of becoming a teacher. "But I always had my one regret. I wished I had gone to college and become a teacher." She returned to college in 2011 to make that dream a reality. "I will always remember her beautiful smile and her hugs were the best," Christina Foos told KPRC 2 News. "That's what I'll always remember about my mother." Foos didn't want to discuss the shooting, but said her mother was "deeply, deeply missed." "She loves reading," she told the news station. "She believes that is one of the most important things. She believes in literacy and she wanted to instill that in the children to give them a bright future. She loved children and she loved working at Shadycrest." Foos said Belinda Hernandez was a "devoted mother, wide, sister and friend.... Everyone has a hole in their heart because she just fileld it with so much love." Belinda Hernandez will be laid to rest at 10 a.m. Saturday. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation Staff writer St. John Barned-Smith contributed to this report. Nick Powell covers Galveston County for the Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and send him tips at nick.powell@chron.com NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. The Beaumont and Hardin-Jefferson school districts may be close to resolving a financial dispute related to Bevil Oaks move last year. Lawyers representing the districts in the matter reached a tentative agreement late Monday morning, said Haley Turner, who is representing H-JISD. The attorneys will take their proposal to their respective clients before returning to the Commissioners Courts in each county at a later date. The two districts have been at odds over how much Hardin-Jefferson ISD owes Beaumont ISD for its share of school bonds issued before Bevil Oaks and its 48 or so students were annexed into H-JISD at the beginning of the 2018-19 school year. RELATED: Beaumont ISD releases Bevil Oaks to Hardin-Jefferson Hardin-Jefferson had offered to pay a lump-sum of $652,155 to cover its share of bond debt to be incurred over the next 20 years. That figure is based on taxable property values in Bevil Oaks in 2018 the year after Tropical Storm Harvey decimated the community and sent real estate prices plummeting. Beaumont ISD officials want to use pre-Harvey values from 2016 in part because those were the figures cited when the petition for the annexation was sent to the state in 2017. Under that formula, H-JISD would owe BISD a total of $2.18 million over the next 20 years, Miles Bradshaw, an attorney representing Beaumont schools, said Monday. The number was found by calculating what percentage of BISDs overall tax base came from Bevil Oaks in 2016, he said. RELATED: School swap fuels hope in Bevil Oaks Now the question is, Do we continue using those pre-Harvey values, which were being used in the annexation all along, or do we use values from 2018, which are more than 100 percent lower in the Bevil Oaks area? Bradshaw said. The matter was addressed in a Jefferson County Commissioners Court workshop. A similar meeting in Hardin County was canceled after the tentative agreement was reached, Turner said. No further information on the proposed agreement was disclosed. If the counties cant reach an accord on the percentage of BISD bond debt to be allocated to H-JISD, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath will make the decision. Turner, the attorney for Hardin-Jefferson, said the two sides were legally required to use the 2016 numbers to file the petition in 2017 but those values were not meant to be binding. Even Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick said that trying to use 2016 numbers was just not realistic. Commissioner Eddie Arnold pointed out that, even if BISD had retained Bevil Oaks, it would now be bringing in post-Harvey revenue. He proposed setting a new payment each year based on property values at that time, whether they rise or fall. RELATED: Beaumont ISD projects $1.6M revenue decrease Another sticking point was a 13.62-acre tract that BISD was forced to transfer to H-JISD as a result of the annexation. Bradshaw argued that BISD should be compensated for the land since it was purchased by the district. Turner said H-JISD did not choose to gain the property and noted that it is in a flood plain and of no value to the district. Turner said H-JISD would consider selling the land and giving the proceeds to BISD. Bradshaw said he would be open to discussing that. haley.bruyn@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/HaleyWrites_BE courtesy photo The Hardin County Sheriff's Office arrested a Silsbee woman suspected of robbing a Valero station in the 2100 block of Texas 327 while brandishing a machete, Sheriff Mark Davis said in a news release. The Sheriff's Office said Yolanda Barton, 44, of Silsbee and an unknown person came into the store at 4 a.m. Monday and demanded money. Barton was armed with a machete, according to the release. The two left the scene in a Ford Mustang, Davis said. Port Arthur LNG has been added to the list of industrial companies offered tax abatements by Jefferson County. Commissioners Court on Monday approved offering the company 100 percent tax abatements for the first 10 years of its operation at 2904 W. Gulfway Drive in Port Arthur. Sempra Energy plans to build two production units known as trains at the site that are capable of producing up to 11 million metric tons of LNG each year. The new plant is expected to be completed in January 2023 as part of an investment estimated to be worth at least $5.6 billion. The possibility of similar tax breaks for a potential Chevron Phillips plant in Orange County caused much debate and even the resignation of Orange County Judge Dean Crooks earlier this month. Crooks, who said he was never outright against abatements, suggested commissioners take a critical look at the potential investment before deciding to offer the breaks. The issue is also being debated at the statehouse as the provision of the tax code that allows local governments to give tax abatements is set to expire in September. A similar clause that gives school districts the same authority expires at the end of 2022. Some advocates say the breaks are necessary to maintain the states economic health, while opponents call them expensive handouts to private businesses for actions the businesses would take with or without the help. Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick said tax abatements are practically a necessity due to competition the county faces to attract new industry. Especially in the refining and petrochemical industry, these projects are on a global scale, he said. Were not just in competition with other states, were in competition with other countries. Texas already struggles because such nearby states as Louisiana and Mississippi have lower property taxes, said Dale Craymer, president of the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association. Low labor and construction costs in other countries make the state even less competitive globally, he said. And although the nation is generally a more politically stable option, emission standards can be more strict in the U.S. as well. So tax abatements are a key incentive to bring jobs and investment into the area that likely will stay long after the breaks expire, Branick said. Were going to continue, unless there are three members of the court that change their mind, to be supportive of abatements, he said. Maybe if tomorrow Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama werent offering tax abatements, wed look at changing it. Aside from being a tool to attract new business, these agreements can also allow counties to shape a companys workforce and how it invests in the community. The agreement signed by the commissioners this week mandates that Port Arthur LNG maintain at least 80 new, full-time jobs. If the company falls below that number, the abatement will be reduced by a number proportionate to the employment requirement. It also will be required to give local labor, vendors, suppliers and subcontractors a timely opportunity to bid on contracts in addition to preference and priority over non-local options. Port Arthur LNG understands the importance of utilizing suppliers located in the state of Texas and employing local labor and other personnel from the communities in which the LNG facility is located, the company said in its application for tax abatement. The company pledged to make reasonable efforts to encourage the utilization of such suppliers and employment of such personnel. Commissioner Michael Sinegal, whose district the plant will be in, said the county and other regulatory partners must do a better job of enforcing requirements in the abatement agreements for using minority-owned local contractors and hiring locals who belong to minority groups. Theres always some loophole or politicking so theyre not getting a fair shake, he said. kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/KaitlinBain Sometimes stories are simpler than theyre made out to be. That appears to be the case with Jeff Bezos. When the National Enquirer reported that Bezos, the Amazon founder who is the worlds richest man, was having an extramarital affair and had sent racy texts, including photos of his penis, to his girlfriend, Bezos assembled a high-priced legal and PR team to mount an aggressive defense. All of a sudden, sympathetic commentators began suggesting Bezos had been hacked. There was word that a government entity had gotten hold of the texts and photos. There was dark speculation of international intrigue, that Saudi Arabia might have used the Enquirer to target Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, in retaliation for the Posts coverage of the murder of the columnist and Saudi regime critic Jamal Khashoggi. And of course, President Trump played some sort of behind-the-scenes role. Master manipulator Bezos orchestrated it all, using his security consultant to feed information to his newspaper, and also writing a much-discussed personal statement published on Medium. This statement that (Bezos) has released tonight is absolutely extraordinary, MSNBCs Lawrence ODonnell said on Feb. 7, and I think it is a gigantic moment, actually in this history of our digital communication, which everyone has known has been at risk for quite a while, that any one of us could be hacked. We could have private things revealed through stolen emails, stolen texts, that sort of thing. And here is someone who stands up and says, Im not going to take it anymore. The Saudis are being brazen, MSNBCs Chuck Todd said on Feb. 8. Weve caught them being brazen with Qatar. Weve caught them being brazen with Jamal Khashoggi. This would not surprise if it ends up being more connected to them because theyve been acting this way. The Saudi connection aspect of the allegation from Jeff Bezos, said CNNs Chris Cuomo, also on Feb. 8. Bezos says ... that you had (National Enquirer chief David) Pecker go to the White House with a Saudi guy that he was trying to raise money from. The dinner was a reward from the president. The Khashoggi reporting that The Washington Post did would really bother the Saudis, the Saudis wound up giving Pecker the money. Peckers now going after Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, maybe this has something to do with the Saudis, maybe even the president. Story unravels And so on. The Bezos team spun quite a story. But holes quickly appeared in their handiwork. In early March, The New York Times published a detailed look at how the long-married Bezos came to be involved with his girlfriend, former Los Angeles local news anchor Lauren Sanchez. As the two got together, the paper reported, a smitten Sanchez was not shy about sharing intimate details of the relationship with her friends. By last year, they were having an affair, the Times wrote. Three people in Ms. Sanchezs extended social circle said she was giddy and in love, showing amorous texts to a number of Brentwood and Beverly Hills moms. Sanchez was, to say the least, not particularly discreet in handling the revealing texts and photos that Bezos sent to her. And then there was, in the Times description, Sanchezs fame-hungry brother-manager, Michael Sanchez, described as a loose cannon and an incorrigible gossip even in a town full of them. Now, The Wall Street Journal reports that Michael Sanchez, a talent agent who has managed television pundits and reality-show judges, has also long been a source for the Enquirer. And, according to the paper, Michael Sanchez sold the Bezos texts to the Enquirer for $200,000. Imagine that. Mogul sends deeply private texts to gossipy L.A. girlfriend who has gossipy, fame-hungry brother, and somehow it gets out! No Saudis required. Familiar tale It is not unusual for men caught sexting with women not their wives to claim they have been hacked, or that their texts have somehow been stolen. Remember that Anthony Weiner tried the same thing. But few have the resources of Jeff Bezos, and few could rely on so many media commentators to spread the story. At the same time, the Bezos spectacle also attracted the attention of more serious journalists, who found out that the real Bezos story is much simpler than all the Saudi speculation. It is, in fact, an old story, of people acting foolishly in the course of an extramarital affair. All the money in the world couldnt change that. Byron York is chief political correspondent for The Washington Examiner. Prospect Oral Surgery Center in Monroe Township, N.J., is celebrating its 10th anniversary of serving patients. Five highlights: 1. Oral and maxillofacial surgeon Yuan Hung, DDS, owns the surgery center, which opened in 2009. 2. Prospect Oral Surgery Center offers procedures including dental extractions, oral lesion biopsies, dental implant placement, and treatment of facial and oral trauma. 3. Healthy Living Magazine named Prospect Oral Surgery Center among New Jersey's top dentists in 2017, 2018 and 2019. 4. The surgery center is equipped with Sirona SL 3D digital imaging X-ray equipment for the diagnosis of jaw conditions. 5. Monroe Township Mayor Gerald Tamburro will hold a ceremony April 9 to celebrate the practice. Although Exact Sciences' Cologuard completed its 2 millionth test, the multitarget stool DNA test remains a topic of contention in the gastroenterology space. Touting 92 percent sensitivity and 87 percent specificity rates for detecting all stages of colorectal cancer, the test remains a popular alternative for a patient who won't undergo a colonoscopy. Despite the rising prominence of alternatives, colonoscopy is still viewed as the gold standard for CRC detection, according to these specialists, and is a first-line recommend treatment. Here, four gastroenterologists share their thoughts on Cologuard. Note: Responses were edited for clarity and style. Michael Bass, MD, gastroenterologist, Newark, N.J.-based GI Specialists of Delaware I feel most gastroenterologists would agree Cologuard is a potent weapon in the armamentarium against colon cancer. The 92 percent sensitivity for CRC, and 69 percent sensitivity for detection adenomas with high grade dysplasia, make it the standard second line option, next to colonoscopy. National screening rates are already well under target, and we will likely see the overall rate decline further, as the push to screen younger people continues to gain traction. Cologuard will likely play an increased role, as we fight to get the younger population screened. However, a major issue with Cologuard is the false positive rate. The purported rate is 6 percent in those aged 50 to 65. However, DNA methylation occurs during the normal aging process, and thus causes more false positives in people above the age of 65 (a 13 percent false positive rate). One must keep in mind still that many patients above 65 gravitate towards noninvasive testing, because of increased complication rates from colonoscopy and anesthesia. Alan Gingold, DO, gastroenterologist HIllsborough, N.J.-based Digestive Healthcare Center Cologuard is a noninvasive stool test that screens for colon cancer. The test was approved in 2016 by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force as an accepted colon cancer screening option and CMS includes coverage for this test for patients between the ages of 50 and 84 who are considered average risk patients. The test is actually a combination test which looks for both the genetic material found in colon cancer and some more advanced colon polyps and it detects hemoglobin in the stool using fecal immunochemical testing. The test is about 92 percent sensitive for detecting colon cancer and about 69 percent sensitive for detecting advanced colon polyps. It does have about a 13 percent false positive rate. If a patient has a positive Cologuard test, it is recommended that they then undergo a colonoscopy to evaluate further. Cologuard is an acceptable option for patients who either are at higher risk for colonoscopy complications, possibly due to underlying breathing or cardiac issues or for patients who for whatever reason would prefer to undergo a less invasive screening option. About 60 percent to 70 percent of people who should be screened for colon cancer are getting screened, yet there is still a significant gap in people who are not getting screened. Cologuard every three years is one available option for people in need of screening. Other options are colonoscopy every 10 years or more frequently if polyps are found or patients have other risk factors yearly FIT testing or fecal occult blood testing. Finally, virtual colonoscopy every five years or flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years, would also be acceptable screening options. Colonoscopy still remains the gold standard and the preferred colon cancer screening test available. Otto S. Lin, MD, Gastroenterologist, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle Multitarget fecal DNA testing, sold in the U.S. under the brand name of Cologuard, is currently FDA- approved for CRC screening in average-risk individuals, i.e., those without a family history of colon cancer or a personal history of precancerous polyps. Cologuard is a stool test that detects genetic mutations commonly seen in colon cancer; it also detects microscopic amounts of blood in the stool. When performed at intervals of every three years, it is covered by Medicare as well as some private insurance plans. A large study involving 9,989 subjects demonstrated that Cologuard detects 92 percent of CRC, with accuracy almost as good as that of the gold standard test, colonoscopy. However, the accuracy of Cologuard for detecting large precancerous polyps (42 percent) was significantly lower than that of colonoscopy. Colonoscopy is still considered the preferred screening test for CRC because of its high accuracy and its ability to remove polyps or perform biopsies at the time of the procedure. However, Cologuard is a viable second-line test for those patients who are unwilling to start off with a screening colonoscopy, as long as they understand that they will need to undergo colonoscopy if the Cologuard test comes back positive. Paul Limburg, MD, Gastroenterologist, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., Exact Sciences, Co-chief Medical Officer CRC is the second leading cause of cancer-related death, yet 1 in 3 Americans age 50 and older are not up-to-date with recommended screening. All the major colorectal cancer guidelines emphasize that choice plays an important role in getting people screened. Cologuard is a non-invasive colorectal screening test approved for use by men and women, 50 years of age and older, who are at average risk for colon cancer. It is the only non-invasive screening option that has a nationwide, multilingual, patient navigation program. Further, the data show the test is superior to FIT at detecting colorectal cancer (including early-stage cancers and right-sided cancers) and advanced precancerous lesions (including high-grade dysplasia and sessile serrated polyps greater than 1 cm in size). Since being introduced in 2014, more than 150,000 providers have prescribed Cologuard and over two million people have been screened with Cologuard nearly half of whom were previously unscreened. The healthcare community agrees that increasing nationwide screening rates is a top priority and we believe Cologuard is an attractive, noninvasive option. Bottom Line Systems and Medical Reimbursements of America, sister companies and providers of healthcare revenue recovery services, are coming together under one brand to address hospital revenue cycle challenges. The companies, which are owned by Riverside Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm, will unify under one name: Revecore. "Over the past 20 years, both organizations have built a strong reputation as the definitive experts in underpayments, denials, automobile and workers' compensation claims for some of the largest healthcare systems in the country," Max Osofsky, Revecore's board chairman and general partner at Riverside Partners, said in a news release. "We are excited for BLS and MRA to maintain their market position as leaders and trusted providers in healthcare revenue cycle management under a new common name." The new brand is aimed at unifying BLS and MRA in the revenue cycle business and helping them invest in infrastructure and technology. The organizations will operate independently but have a shared services organization that includes the executive team, finance, technology, human resources, legal, and sales and marketing. More articles on healthcare finance: Hospital leaders share how they're thriving amid healthcare's transition For-profit hospital stock report: Week of March 18-22 Rural Virginia hospital sees earnings nearly double after expanding specialty services Lewes, Del.-based Beebe Healthcare President and CEO Jeffrey Fried left the role March 26. Six things to know: 1. Mr. Fried assumed the top post at Lewes-based Beebe Medical Center, the organization's primary facility, in 1995. 2. Prior to that, he was COO at Lancaster (Pa.) General Hospital. 3. He is a member of the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board and a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. 4. He is also chairman of the Delaware Hospital Association. 5. A spokesperson from the health system was unable to confirm to Becker's Hospital Review Mr. Fried's career plans following his departure. 6. Rick Schaffner, RN, Beebes executive vice president and COO, will take over as interim CEO. In chronological order, here are four updates on a business scandal involving members of Baltimore-based University of Maryland Medical System's board: March 18: Baltimore mayor resigns from U of Maryland Medical System board amid scrutiny Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh resigned from the UMMS board of directors amid scrutiny for failing to disclose a previous $500,000 book deal with the organization. March 19: 3 board members resign from U of Maryland Medical System, 4 others on leave of absence: 5 things to know Two more board members resigned from UMMS one day after Ms. Pugh gave up her role on UMMS' board. March 20: Baltimore mayor returns $100K from $500K book deal with U of Maryland Medical System Ms. Pugh missed several public appearances March 20 amid criticism over the $500,000 book deal she had with UMMS while sitting on the system's board of directors. March 21: CEO of U of Maryland Medical System to take leave of absence amid scandal The president and CEO of UMMS agreed to take a leave of absence, effective March 25, amid a scandal involving business deals between the system and several of its board members. More articles on leadership: 3 board members resign from U of Maryland Medical System, 4 others on leave of absence: 5 things to know Wisconsin hospital lays off CEO amid affiliation 50 Northwestern Memorial Hospital employees fired for accessing Jussie Smollett's records Maryland's General Assembly is considering legislation that would provide more oversight of the University of Maryland Medical Center after reports surfaced that a third of its 27-member board has business ties with the Baltimore-based health system, according to The Baltimore Sun. In the wake of the controversy, Democratic House Speaker Michael Busch proposed reform legislation March 21 to place more oversight on the quasi-public system. In addition to receiving millions in taxpayer funds that private hospitals don't, UMMS' board of directors is appointed by Maryland's governor, and some state lawmakers sit on the board. Mr. Busch asked Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh to give his opinion on whether some parts of the proposed reform could be expanded to include the state's private hospitals, according to the report. The Baltimore Sun reviewed state disclosures and federal tax forms from Maryland private hospitals like MedStar Health in Columbia, Baltimore-based LifeBridge Health and Mercy Medical Center, also in Baltimore. The publication found most of the hospitals had business dealings with board members. Business deals between board members and hospitals aren't uncommon. They're also allowable if properly disclosed and if members avoid discussions and votes related to their business interests. Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh failed to disclose a previous deal with UMMS and resigned from the organization's board of directors March 18, sparking the scandal. The president and CEO of UMMS agreed to take a leave of absence, effective March 25, amid the controversy. More articles on leadership: 3 board members resign from U of Maryland Medical System, 4 others on leave of absence: 5 things to know Wisconsin hospital lays off CEO amid affiliation 50 Northwestern Memorial Hospital employees fired for accessing Jussie Smollett's records Coupeville, Wash.-based WhidbeyHealth CEO Geri Forbes is retiring July 1. In the wake of the March 15 announcement, the editorial board of a local newspaper is calling for more transparency into why Ms. Forbes is leaving her post. The South Whidbey Record's editorial board said Ms. Forbes retired after "a year of bad financial news and a week of rumors." "To calm community concerns about the direction of the hospital, the elected hospital commissioners and those who were appointed need to engage with the community and adopt a new spirit of openness," the editorial members wrote. The editorial board also requested more information about the hospital's budget and facilities. At the time Ms. Forbes announced her retirement, the South Whidbey Record reported that the WhidbeyHealth's commissioners were scrutinized after Ms. Forbes received a bonus despite a construction budget that was $3 million more than expected. Ms. Forbes led the health system for four years, beginning in February 2015. In her announcement, Ms. Forbes said she plans to spend more time with family and friends. In a press release to the South Whidbey Record, she said, "Among the many organizations in which I've collaborated, I am the most proud of the contribution to our community I've seen provided by this team, who treats you as if you were family and always maintains quality of care as a top priority." Mario Schlosser, CEO of Oscar, spoke to Slate about launching a startup in a highly regulated industry like health insurance. Interviewed by Seth Stevenson March 18 for Slate's "Who Runs That?" podcast, Mr. Schlosser answered questions about regulation, price transparency and "Medicare for All" proposals. Three quotes from the podcast: 1. On entering a highly regulated market: "People don't start insurance companies overnight, and don't start them really with the backgrounds we had. I'm a computer scientist. I came at this from the engineering/technology sides, and really thinking members deserve a better user experience in healthcare. So that was certainly very daunting. We, at the same time, thought that the system is so obviously, so stupidly designed. There wasn't really anybody in the healthcare system who had an obvious incentive to try to get my healthcare costs down, frankly, to get me to go to more efficient doctors and doctors with better quality outcomes." 2. On price transparency: "We can get a lot farther in transparency of cost and quality than we are right now, and it will help some. But I don't think you can put it entirely on the shoulders of the individual to make those decisions to make sure insurers connect more closely and intensely with providers, with hospitals and doctors, and form more integrated entities. That's what we've done with the Cleveland Clinic, for example. We have a Cleveland Clinic health insurance plan called the Cleveland Clinic | Oscar insurance plan. It splits costs 50-50 and we have an incentive to be more open, very open about the cost there and really drive the costs as much as possible on both sides, and the outcomes at the same time." 3. On Medicare for All: "When people say 'Medicare for All,' the part I agree with is the part that says, we want to have coverage for everybody, and the government [has] to play a role in, if necessary, subsidizing that, and should play a role in making sure people are really getting coverage. The part I don't agree with is to switch the entire thing over to a government-run system. And there's a very simple argument for it, which is that if you switch a system over into the government's hands that right now costs us 18 percent of [gross domestic product], you have two choices. Either you raise taxes a crazy amount for this, to pay for that, or you undo what's most off in [the] U.S. versus other countries, which is unit costs for doctors and hospitals. If you took those down to where they are in, let's say, Germany, Switzerland, Singapore you would instantly bankrupt half of the healthcare system. Both of these avenues are fools' errands." Lawmakers in Texas have proposed two bills that would allow physicians to sell certain medications from their offices in the state, according to a KVEO TV news report. Five things to know: 1. The two bills filed in Texas would let physicians sell noncontrolled substances at their offices, such as antibiotics or prescription ibuprofen. 2. The practice of dispensing drugs right from a physician's office is illegal in Texas and three other states. Even in states that allow the practice, it is carefully regulated. For example, in New Jersey, physicians must have a special permit from the state board of pharmacy. 3. The Texas Pharmacy Association opposes the bills, arguing that pharmacists are the medication experts and allowing a physician to dispense the medication could place a patient's health and safety at risk. 4. "The threat to the practice of pharmacy, I don't see it," said Tom Schnorr, PharmD, who works at Austin Compounding Pharmacy, but notes that lawmakers should address several areas before implementing a law. "My biggest concern is proper labeling, packaging, and the infamous making sure there's follow-up and counseling," he said. 5. Physicians say they would be able to offer patients convenience and savings. A first-of-its-kind proposal to create a prescription drug affordability board in Maryland advanced last week after a Maryland House committee overwhelmingly voted in favor of it, according to The Baltimore Sun. The Health and Government Operations Committee voted 19-3 to support the legislation, which will head to the full House for a vote this week. The bill would create a drug affordability board, filled with government appointees, that could set limits on how much state and local governments pay for high-cost medications. The goal is to lower prescription drug spending in the state. The drug industry's leading trade group, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, opposes the legislation, calling it "dangerous." The group said it could lead to delays and other challenges for patients. On March 19, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., penned a letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma and Inspector General Daniel Levinson addressing concerns with physician-owned distributorships adhering to the Sunshine Act. A POD arrangement gives physicians ownership shares of an implantable medical device company, and often the devices are used in the physician's specialty or practice. Five things to know: 1. Mr. Grassley and Mr. Wyden begin the letter by stating that some physician owned distributorships may have violated the Physician Payment Sunshine Act requirements to disclose physician ownership and investment. He calls PODs "inherently suspect," alleging the arrangement could motivate unnecessary procedures and influence device selection. 2. Last August, CMS sent special advisories to PODs reminding them to report physician ownership under the Sunshine Act, which includes monetary penalties for non-compliance. 3. In the letter, the senators asked Ms. Verma and Mr. Levison to address several issues, including: Whether HHS OIG reviewed and audited the CMS sunshine database for POD compliance. Describe steps HHS OIG has taken, or will take, to ensure POD-related data is accurate. Whether HHS OIG updated the Compliance Program Guidance for healthcare organizations to address PODs. How HHS OIG investigates claims that a POD failed to report physician investment or ownership. Outline enforcement of a March 2013 HHS OIG special fraud alert related to PODs. The letter also asks CMS and HHS OIG to "commit to conducting a detailed review of Sunshine Act filings to determine the extent to which the 2018 special notices had effect on POD-related disclosures" and provide information on how the Sunshine Act could be improved to ensure physician ownership and investment reporting. 4. The letter requests a response from CMS and HHS OIG by April 15. 5. Mr. Grassley was part of a team that previously requested more information about PODs in 2011; the Senate Finance Committee received a report detailing an increase in spien surgeries at hospitals that purchased devices from PODs. The report also suggested PODs increase the cost of healthcare. The committee subsequently held a hearing in 2015 focused on the potential risks of PODs, according to a Policy & Medicine report. The headlines have been carrying a worrying message: Northern Ireland will be the region hit hardest by Brexit. That conclusion merits a careful look at precisely what has been said. Is there evidence on which the conclusion can reasonably be based? Has the statement been based on clear assumptions about the circumstances affecting the conclusions? Since the EU referendum was held, two overlapping features have done a serious disservice to the discipline of economics. First, the anticipated implications of the EU referendum were badly reported. Would Brexit lead to a major economic collapse in the UK economy as some headlines suggested? Second, how reliable can economic forecasts be and do questions of reliability mean that professional forecasts are a waste of time? Some UK commentaries have, unfairly, been mischievously critical. For Northern Ireland the commentaries have tended to quote headlines with little regard to the basis on which the comments are based. In short, the foresight offered by professional analysis of events in the local or national economy has been reported in terms that have been sometimes excessive and sometimes misunderstood. As a defence, one conclusion should be accepted before there is debate about more detailed comments. Economic forecasting will always be subject to margins of error, not necessarily errors that can be avoided but errors from the unpredictability of the behaviour of people, businesses and Governments. A second qualification is also merited. Economic forecasting becomes more hazardous the further ahead the assessment is looking. As a much younger economist some of my learning experience for more than one government (but including a period at HM Treasury) was helping to give advice on current economic trends and their implications for taxation and spending policies. Critically, the focus was essentially on economic management over the next 2-3 years: essentially short-term forecasting. Short-term economic forecasting was a developing science and an art form. Today, the official Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) delivers a well-regarded equivalent. Short-term economic forecasting has the relative advantage that it attempts to measure trends that are more predictable. Longer-term forecasts must be vulnerable to major events, significant innovation and international crises. The possibility of major exogenous changes means that longer-term forecasts cannot adequately anticipate big exogenous changes. To that extent, long term forecasts will always be at risk. That does not make them valueless. Longer-term macro-modelling will help to aid understanding of some of the most unhelpful forecasts of what Brexit would mean. In the months after the referendum, pessimism about the outlook gained headlines, followed some months later, by saying that the pessimism was wrong. The economy kept growing therefore the pundits were 'proved' wrong. That was a misunderstanding. The forecast was trying to say what would happen after Brexit was fully implemented. Even now, Brexit has not yet been implemented so that the economic forecasts should not be judged until Brexit is finished. Another recurring problem has been forecasts of an impact on the economy where the forecasts are based on specific (sometimes not adequately acknowledged) assumptions. If the UK leaves the EU with an agreed withdrawal agreement, and a continuing transition period, the economy may remain stable. If the withdrawal is without a deal, there will be unwelcome damage to the economy. Many of the most serious withdrawal forecasts are being reported without adding that they are being presented assuming the absence of an agreed deal. Northern Ireland has been particularly vulnerable to this confusion. Yes, we may expect to lose jobs, see some businesses shift to other places and (if there is no deal) the re-emergence of a land border with some cross-border technical requirements. The no-deal situation will mean that, whatever the many months of UK-EU efforts to avoid either a hard or soft border, in default, there will be a border. Even an agreed EU-UK objective of a frictionless border has proved beyond the best of human ingenuity. In spite of last week's political chaos, the mood in financial markets still seems reasonably relaxed that a hard Brexit can be avoided. Do markets know something that escapes politicians and the media, or are we facing major event risk and troubling market and economic conditions in coming months? One contentious possibility might be that markets believe there is some method beneath the madness. On this view, really damaging outcomes will be avoided because UK politicians are engaged in a clever if confusing strategy to maximise concessions they might win from what is clearly a weak bargaining position. Seen through a 'game theory' lens, the various twists and turns could be elements in a complicated plan entailing a sequence of interactions with other players designed to win the best possible deal for the UK. The starting assumption in standard game theory is that all players act rationally. However, rational behaviour for UK policymakers could be to act unpredictably in their negotiations to create uncertainty that may make others more co-operative in their dealings with them. On that interpretation, the UK is playing really well. Importantly, the Brexit payoff that the UK and the EU are trying to maximise must be measured in political as well as economic terms. If Brexit were viewed exclusively in economic terms, the UK should not have voted to leave. But a recent poll found 43% of Britons favoured leaving at the end of March compared to 38% that wanted a delay. Strong political drivers mean there is now some tolerance for the likely significant economic costs of a no-deal Brexit within the UK. Such 'rational irrationality' may make negotiating the endgame a little easier for Mrs May. For her Government, dealing with the EU has probably been far less complicated than winning domestic support. Game theory might suggest it would have made sense for Mrs May to sustain some element of domestic tension through the past couple of years to win concessions from the EU, as domestic differences would limit how much she might reasonably be expected to concede. However, a persistent problem has been to ensure these domestic differences didn't become so wide that they completely undermined the credibility of the UK Government with its EU counterparts. To play this domestic game successfully, Mrs May would have needed to run the clock down towards the Brexit deadline while keeping outcomes at both ends of the spectrum (no-deal and remain) firmly open as possibilities. As the original deadline approached, she has increasingly threatened domestic factions to believe that if they didn't compromise, their least-preferred outcome might materialise. This process has been painful, particularly for Mrs May, but that should have been expected. A frequently cited example of game theory, 'the prisoner's dilemma', suggests circumstances in which a group might adopt an obstinate position, even if other positions held out some possibility of better results, to lessen the likelihood of their least-preferred outcomes. Mrs May now seems to be desperately trying to draw various factions within the UK Parliament away from such non-co-operative games towards a compromise centred on 'her' deal. The new two-stage deadline of April or May is a clever device that should increase risk aversion among at least some of the factions within Parliament. The outcome of a prospective third vote this week should be much closer than previous debacles but is still uncertain. The possibility, if Theresa May loses, of a lengthy extension that might allow both a general election and a second referendum as well as pose the more immediate problem of holding EU elections, is a marvellous mechanism for sharpening the mind. For the main parties, the threat of a voter backlash as well as the risk of even more public and damaging internal divisions might encourage reluctant support for the current Withdrawal Agreement or something quite similar. It is far from clear that there is any method in the madness surrounding Brexit. However, financial markets remain reasonably confident that a withdrawal deal will be agreed, thereby avoiding wide-reaching economic and political fallout from the UK crashing out. This may simply reflect the view that common sense will prevail once all other approaches have been exhausted. Alternatively, it could be that some see in recent chaos a heavily concealed pattern consistent with the strategic interactions of game theory. If that is the case, even more complicated manoeuvres lie immediately ahead and it could become even more complex thereafter as attention turns to the UK's future relationship with the EU. Deirdre McGlone and Marc Gysling at the entrance to Harveys Point One of Co Donegals most famous hotels has been sold for an undisclosed sum. Harveys Point on the shores of Lough Eske has been bought by a fund managed by Davy Real Estate. The venue is a popular wedding reception choice for couples from Northern Ireland. Its been sold after 30 years by Deirdre McGlone and Marc Gysling. Ms McGlone said: This is a life-changing choice for us as a family. Marc and I want to spend more time with each other and with our three teenage children. Life is for living. We have spent an immensely enjoyable 30 years at Harveys Point and it has been an amazing journey. This is a milestone year for the hotel and a year of celebrations are planned. However, the time has come for someone else to write the next chapter of the Harveys Point story. The fund already has interests in hotels in Ireland. Tom Barrett of Savills managed the off-market sale of the hotel. Visitors to any of the five Center Parcs holiday resorts in the UK can be safe in the knowledge that each one sticks to a tried and tested formula. At the heart of each is a water park, high-quality self-catering accommodation and a number of family-friendly restaurants. But the company has broken away from its standardised layout for its first Irish resort. "It was pretty clear almost immediately that actually having a good Irish family pub with good food, good ales, etc, is what would go down really well. So we've built that into the mix of the areas," says Martin Dalby, chief executive of Center Parcs. Since announcing plans for a 230m investment in Ballymahon, Newcastle, Co Longford - and indeed for some time before - Mr Dalby has become a regular visitor to the Republic. He has seen the pub culture firsthand. "We've actually noticed it coming out to Dublin. You go out at 10 o'clock at night and the places are absolutely throbbing with people - whereas in the UK everybody's gone to bed," he says. Yorkshire-born Dalby, dressed in a sleeveless jacket and casual trousers, is also taking care to make sure the pub as authentic as possible. "We're working with an Irish designer, an Irish company in terms of the menu development. So we want everything to be absolutely Irish," he adds. "All the sourcing, the food supply, everything is all from the island of Ireland. And that's been a key factor actually all the way through the project. "We've really said right from the beginning, as much as is humanely possible we want to source all of our goods and services from Ireland. "We want to become a part of the business community, a part of the local community as well." In Great Britain, Center Parcs needs no explanation, particularly among its core customer base of affluent families. But there will be some surprises for Irish visitors who are not familiar with the Center Parcs model. For one, it's based on a very tightly regimented system. The holidays slots are broken down into weekday breaks and weekend breaks. Visitors have a window during which they can arrive and leave. For laid back Irish holidaymakers, a new mindset may be required. Mr Dalby is confident that Irish customers will adapt and embrace the model. "The way that we manage Centre Parcs is very regimented," he says. "It's a massive logistical exercise. "So, for example, on changeover day we ask our guests who are leaving to be out of their accommodation by 10 o'clock. "And the guests who are arriving for the weekend, we ask that they join us at three o'clock. "Which means we've got five hours, which is a small window to clean hundreds of units of accommodation. It's no mean feat. So unfortunately it has to be like that. "You couldn't have people just deciding to come out whenever they felt like it, it just wouldn't work." Another aspect of the group's five Great Britain resorts which Irish tourists will notice when the Longford property opens this summer will be cost. According to Mr Dalby, the holidays will be keenly priced. Yet while the water park is included, additional activities are extra and can add up for larger groups. But add-ons such as activities are central to the group's business model. "Approximately 60% of our business in the UK is from selling the accommodation. And the other 40% is then based on what you do when you come to Center Parcs," he says. "So restaurants, bars, cafes, leisure activities, the spa, all those things where you pay to do those things is about 40% of our business." There will be a learning curve at Ballymahon, which is aimed squarely at the domestic market. But Mr Dalby is very confident that it will work and that Center Parcs is here for the long haul. He references Woburn in England, which opened in 2015. "It was an instant overnight success, because it was opening in the UK where the brand awareness was already extremely strong and high. And everybody knew what Center Parcs were all about. Most people you'd meet on the street have actually been at some point," he says. "That won't be the case in Ireland, clearly. We think it will take two to three years to build up the amount of occupancy and the level of demand for the products in Ireland." He believes word of mouth will play a huge part in that, although the company is already investing heavily in marketing here. "But we are absolutely crystal clear that within two to three years Longford Centre Parcs will be 95% occupancy, it'll be no different to the UK. "It'll be part of everyone's repertoire for a short-break holiday where they can spend time with the family, make some great memories, and we'll become part of the establishment." Mr Dalby himself comes from a working-class area near Leeds and was ambitious from an early age. He left school at 16 because that was what every else did at the time. "There was one or two posh kids that stayed on into sixth form, but the majority of kids left at 16 and they went to get a job because they needed money. The family needed money. It wasn't just about the individual," he recalls. Soon afterwards he joined a small regional office of brewing company Scottish & Newcastle and they offered him further training. "I used to go every Friday for five years and at the end of it I was a fully qualified accountant," he says. "My whole career experience proves that if you work hard and are driven to make a career of something then anything is possible. You know, I didn't leave school at 16 thinking 'one day I'm going to be the CEO of Centre Parcs'. But I always knew I was going to be something." Scottish & Newcastle bought Center Parcs in 1990, as part of a diversification strategy, which at that time was in Europe and the UK. Ten years later it sold the business, splitting it into two businesses - one in the UK and one in Europe. There were three Center Parcs in the UK then and two have opened since. The Irish one, owned by the UK operation, will be the first international expansion for that business. "We've been looking at Ireland for over a decade or so. And then, of course, the financial crisis came along. It seemed to make sense just to hold back," says Mr Dalby. "So we sat back and just watched the world correct itself and all of that. And then probably in about 2012-13 or so, we felt we could see the green shoots in Ireland starting to come and things were picking up." Finding a site is always the biggest challenge for Center Parcs and Longford might not seem like the most scenic of holidays destinations. For Mr Dalby it ticks all the boxes. "Because we look for certain characteristics. It needs to be 400 acres in size. We need a coniferous woodland," he says. "We need it to be fairly wet. We need the building conditions to be good. And the main thing is the access for people in terms of the road network is very good. And strategically, and if you drew the map of the whole of Ireland and stuck a pin in the middle, you'll land on the site." He is not unduly worried about the possible impact of Brexit on their Irish plans. "First of all, this is a product for domestic customers in Ireland. I think the other thing is this is a very long-term investment for the company, we're going to be here for many, many years to come. "I'm sure that all the issues of Brexit will be long resolved and forgotten about as we continue to trade in Ireland." In fact, he believes the company will perform well through economic challenges. "We really are not concerned. If you look at the track record of Center Parcs through recession and the financial crisis in the UK we were one of the very strongest companies out there. "Our occupancy levels of over 95% continued all the way through the financial crisis." Just like in the UK, the company expects its target market to be relatively well off, although he says that during their off-peak periods "the prices are very attractive and absolutely affordable". But generally "slightly more affluent, larger families, are the main target market for our business". And although families make up the bulk of visitors, adult groups also go - with the high-quality Aqua Sana spa a particular draw, says according to Mr Dalby. Irish customers sometimes feel they get fleeced by companies from Great Britain with operations in the Republic, but Mr Dalby says not so with Ballymahon. "It's slightly cheaper than the other ones," he says, partly because locations such as Woburn target the affluent London market. As well as the Irish pub, Center Parcs has made a couple of other of changes for this market. It won't have a Starbucks, as its research found Irish people prefer independent coffee houses. And the research also found that there isn't the same love of Indian food as there is in the UK. "We've actually developed the menu, and we've been trialling it in the UK, to introduce some more Asian dishes as well to make it a bit more Thai/fusion-based," says Dalby. "And they are going down really well in the UK." Center Parcs Longford Forest opens in the summer, although the exact dates has not yet been confirmed. So Mr Dalby won't have long to wait to see if the research has paid off. Up to 700 jobs could be created after a massive 300m gas-fired Belfast power plant was given the green light, it has emerged. Belfast Power wants to built the huge plant at Belfast Harbour, which could produce up to half of Northern Ireland's electricity at peak times. Now, the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has issued a notice of opinion to approve the major development. The firm behind the scheme says 700 jobs could be supported during the build, with 35 full-time roles once it's operational. Work is expected to start in autumn, with the plant up and running by 2022. It's the second major scheme to be given the go-ahead by Stormont, despite no ministers being in place. Just last week, Translink was given approval for its ambitious 208m Belfast Transport Hub. The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has also given approval to a new 15m cruise ship terminal at Belfast Harbour, aimed at boosting the city's connectivity with ships and attractiveness as a destination. Ciaran Devine, director of Belfast Power Limited said the power station project approval comes at a "critical time for Northern Ireland's electricity industry, and the power station will play a central role in ensuring we have enough electricity to meet demand over the coming years". "The project also represents a significant shift towards low-carbon electricity generation in Northern Ireland," he said. "This is good news as we continue towards decarbonisation and it will ensure competitive costs, benefiting customers." Belfast Power is working alongside Siemens Energy to design and operate the plant. In a previous interview with the Belfast Telegraph, co-founder Ciaran Devine said it could power up to 50% of Northern Ireland's homes and businesses at peak time. Ciaran and his brother Stephen have already built an 83m biomass-fuelled power station in Londonderry, under their firm Evermore. Ann McGregor, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, welcomed both approvals and said the "permanent secretary for the Department for Infrastructure must be commended again for making these two further decisions". "At over 300m, the Belfast Power Station project is of significant strategic importance, not only for Northern Ireland's electricity infrastructure, but also for the economy in terms of the amount of jobs that will be created during its construction and again while operational," she said. Mr Devine says that "at a time of considerable uncertainty, we're proud to be bringing this level of investment to Belfast, which will result in the creation of over 700 full-time jobs when construction begins and over 35 full-time roles when the plant is operational". He added: "DfI has been thoroughly professional in its approach to the application since it was submitted in April 2017." The company will now participate in a capacity auction to be conducted by the Utility Regulator, he said. One of the largest residential developments in Northern Ireland has been approved for the Waterside area of Londonderry. South Bank Square, in the company's first investment in the city, plans to invest 100m in almost 800 homes at Ballyoan near Crescent Link and Clooney Road. The plan was approved by Derry City and Strabane District Council last night. The outline planning application is made up of a mix of new homes including detached, semi-detached, townhouses, and apartments. The development will create an estimated 90 full-time jobs each year during the 10 years it is expected to take to complete the project. Work is expected to start early next year. Seamus Gillan, the owner of South Bank Square, said: "We are very pleased with the committee's decision to approve our application. We would like to thank everyone at the council who worked on and supported this proposal, as well as the elected representatives for the area, and members of the planning committee who have decided to approve our plans for the development. "Projects of this scale do not happen in the city every day." Mr Gillan continued: "This development will bring an enormous investment to the area, which will produce a significant economic benefit for the whole community. In addition to the headline figure of our 100m investment, we expect that up to 1,000 construction jobs will be created during the construction period over the next 10 years." "Throughout the planning process we have sought to engage meaningfully with the council as well as the local community. As a result, this approval will not only deliver new homes and a great place to live, but will help deliver considerable improvements to the road infrastructure in the area, including at the Caw Roundabout. "Overall, we are delighted that the application process has ultimately resulted in a positive outcome for everyone involved." An artists impression of plans for the retail and apartments scheme which will be renamed The Village in Carryduff One of Northern Ireland's oldest shopping centres is to be renamed and revamped as part of an 8m plan. Carryduff Shopping Centre in Co Down has been vacant for around three years after a period of steady decline following the closure of former anchor tenant SuperValu. Now, owner Causeway Asset Management has unveiled plans to revamp the site and rename it The Village. The company said it is now talking to new retailers about taking space in the centre at Church Road. And it's understood German discount grocer Lidl could be a viable anchor tenant after the retailer was linked to opening up in the town last year. However, Causeway said there was no further detail on which retailers it was in conversation with. But a spokesman for Lidl said: "As Northern Ireland's fastest-growing supermarket, with ambitious plans to expand our footprint across the region, we routinely assess all areas for potential growth. Carryduff has been identified as an area of interest to us and we will be continuing to monitor and assess its investment potential." Causeway Asset Management's plans include the renovation of the former SuperValu site, three prime retail units and a restaurant, the retention of two existing units and the construction of 21 apartments, car parking and extensive landscaping. Planning permission was granted for the project in November 2018. Brian Kearney, director of Causeway Asset Management, said: "For a long time now residents of Carryduff have wanted to see this site rejuvenated into a contemporary space that will attract investment and footfall, while meeting the needs of the local community. "The scheme at The Village will combine modern retail units fit for 21st century occupiers alongside contemporary housing to restore the site into a vibrant economic hub." Aodhan Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, said shopping centres now had to work much harder and offer more than just shops. "For these areas to be successful it's not just about the shops, but making it an experience that the consumer will enjoy and it's about making them a destination. "It's not just about getting people to spend their money, but also their time." He said the revamped centre would hope to be able to draw shoppers from the outskirts of Belfast but also those who were commuting through Carryduff on their way to Belfast from south Down. Patients champion: Margaret Grayson from east Belfast who received an MBE from Prince William for services to cancer research After devoting her life to caring for cancer patients as a therapy radiographer, Margaret Grayson had an epiphany when she found herself a patient in her own department. The gruelling surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment she faced after a breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 54 left her with a renewed appreciation of just how crucial research is to saving lives. And it's one of the reasons why, since her retirement nine years ago, she has devoted her time to pioneering patient involvement in cancer research, helping to shape treatments and approaches by medical teams both here and across the UK. Margaret represents Northern Ireland on numerous UK-wide research committees and steering groups, but it is as chair of the NI Cancer Research Consumer Forum (NICRCF) where she has really helped to make a difference. She has been chairperson of NICRCF since it was established in 2011. It is made up of people who have experience of cancer and who meet regularly with researchers to provide vital input into services and treatments for patients. Since retiring after 39 years working in the Belfast Cancer Centre, Margaret is busier than ever, working with healthcare professionals and scientists and influencing Personal and Public Involvement (PPI) at local and national levels. She has won several awards in recognition of her work and last month was again honoured for her contribution to cancer research when presented with an MBE by Prince William. A strong voice for patients, she says her own diagnosis, the tragic loss of her young niece to cancer, as well as the death of six friends who went through treatment with her, have made her passionate about her work now in research. "Firstly, I want to give something back for the treatment I received when diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004," she explains. "I realised that the technique for my surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and continuing hormone therapy, was down to research. Other patients had taken part in a clinical trial to enable my treatment and I would like to thank them all. "Secondly, I met seven other patients in the chemo unit who were all diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time as me and we became close friends. "Sadly, I have been to six funerals. I want a situation where seven friends meet in 2019 and beyond, who will remain friends for longer than five years. Only research can make this happen. "My third reason is the memory of sitting with my niece and her young husband, back in 2000, as she said goodbye to her 18-month-old baby boy. "She was only 32 and she died from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. I sat with her and her husband as she cradled her baby on the day that she died. Expand Close Patients champion: Margaret Grayson from east Belfast who received an MBE from Prince William for services to cancer research / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Patients champion: Margaret Grayson from east Belfast who received an MBE from Prince William for services to cancer research "That's why I wanted to get involved in research and am so passionate about it. I want to see another mother be there for her child and only research can do this." Margaret (69), whose husband Stuart died suddenly of a heart attack in his 40s, has one daughter, Vicky (37). Outside of her job, she also had an interest as a young woman in supporting people, and trained with Relate as a counsellor in her 20s. Ten years before she retired, the Belfast Trust supported her through a master's degree in counselling and she completed a post-graduate degree in psychotherapy, allowing her to provide psychological support for patients. Margaret developed the role of information and support radiographer and won UK Radiographer of Year in 2004. It was her job to listen to the fears of patients newly diagnosed with cancer and to help them find coping strategies. "I did training with Relate in my 20s, and doing the degree allowed me to bring my outside training and hospital worlds together," she says. "I love radiotherapy and that might sound awful but I found that in my role, people would come in and trust me to listen to them and I never failed to be humbled by that trust. "Part of my job also involved speaking to undergraduates. We would have had 260 people a day in the radiotherapy department getting treatment and I always said to the students that while you cannot cry with everyone, when you don't cry at all you know you have been there too long. "You never stop feeling their pain and what they are going through. The impact on their families and friends is also massive. "When I first started out at 18 in the 1960s, 'the Big C' was not talked about and even today there is still a great fear around the word cancer. "Cancer brings people face to face with their own mortality and my job was to talk through their fears with them. "When you are diagnosed with cancer and sitting in that waiting room it really doesn't matter what job you have or where you live. "Sitting there beside other people who have a cancer diagnosis, you realise that you share a common bond and great friendships are formed. Expand Close Patients champion: Margaret Grayson from east Belfast who received an MBE from Prince William for services to cancer research / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Patients champion: Margaret Grayson from east Belfast who received an MBE from Prince William for services to cancer research "We have a bell which people are invited to ring on their last day of treatment and the rest of the waiting room will clap for them when they ring it as everyone wants to be at the point when they can ring that bell." Margaret faced unthinkable loss in her late 40s just two years before her breast cancer diagnosis. Her husband Stuart died suddenly from a heart attack and within two-and-a-half years she also lost her only brother and only sister, her mother, brother-in-law and niece, all from different illnesses. It meant that when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2004 at the age of 54, the people closest to her were gone. As a devoted Christian and member of Mountpottinger Presbyterian Church, she found great support from the congregation when she needed it most. "The group of people closest to me weren't there when I was diagnosed, except for my wonderful daughter who was studying for her degree at the time," she recalls. "But my church family became my family and rallied round and that was very special. I just found people were so kind and caring." After supporting other cancer sufferers for over 20 years, Margaret had suddenly found herself on the other side, as a patient. "It doesn't really matter who you are or what you know, when you are told you have cancer you lose a certain amount of control of your life. You go into that room knowing what you are doing that day and what your plans are for the rest of the year. "When you walk out, you have a patient label and with that comes vulnerability in that you don't have control of your life anymore. From then on, it is controlled by tests and appointments. "Even though oncology was my world, I sat on the other side of that world with a lack of control, facing the unknown." Her own experience has made her passionate in her belief that the patient/carer voice is central in research. The NICRCF is made of up 23 members who have all been impacted by cancer, including patients, carers and friends. Margaret says: "We work with researchers. They are the experts in their field and we are the experts on living with cancer. Taking those two voices together to design research has given great strength to the research and keeps patients central to it. A lot of what we have done is focused on the quality of life for people living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis. "Many people live with the long term side-effects of treatment and what we do is designed to help them move on after treatment." Stuart McIntosh, consultant breast surgeon at Belfast City Hospital, acting clinical director of the NI Cancer Trials Network and clinical senior lecturer at Queen's University Belfast, summed up the role of the forum: "The forum members provide a valuable contribution to the development of research locally. "Their input into study design, and the provision of a consumer perspective on study documentation, is extremely helpful for researchers, who may not always appreciate the issues of greatest relevance to consumers and patients. "I have found that working in partnership with the forum has been very useful for me as a chief investigator, and provides a perspective which is not always apparent to researchers." Margaret's devotion to research saw her pick up the Iris Colvin Lifetime Achievement Award for Health last April, presented by the Women's Forum NI, acknowledging her exemplary leadership and care for cancer patients. She was also delighted and surprised to be made an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours last June, travelling to Buckingham Palace on February 5 to be presented it by Prince William. She adds: "When I got the letter I couldn't believe it. I was really shocked. I am also very humbled and I see it as recognition, not just for me, but for everyone on the patient forum and for what has been done in cancer research. Prince William was so lovely, very tall and also very handsome. "He talked about cancer research and as patron of the Royal Marsden he does have a specific interest in cancer research. Everybody told me to just go and enjoy it and I did. It was really a very special day." The NI Cancer Research Consumer Forum is inviting anyone with an interest in hearing more about new advances in cancer treatment, and also how to get involved and influence cancer research, to join them at an information event today at Belfast City Hospital, from 4.30-6.30pm. If you would like to attend this free event contact Amy, tel: 028 90 638468 or email nictn@belfasttrust.hscni.net More than 1bn is needed to upgrade Northern Ireland's road network to an acceptable standard, a report warns today More than 1bn is needed to upgrade Northern Ireland's road network to an acceptable standard, a report warns today. Spending has been running at around 50m per year less than what is required, auditors said. This underfunding has increased the overall backlog of necessary maintenance expenditure to 1.2bn. Read More Minor roads in rural areas are worst affected and continue to deteriorate. Business leaders warned that a poor roads system could harm our ability to attract investment. The findings are set out in a report published today by the Northern Ireland Audit Office. It notes that around 4m a year is being spent on personal injury claims as a result of the substandard road network. And 240,000 is being spent dealing with claims of damage. Auditor General Kieran Donnelly said: "It is clear from this report that short term, inadequate funding of road maintenance expenditure is causing the serious deterioration of a key public asset. The securing of a long term funding option needs to be a priority." The Department for Infrastructure has responsibility for Northern Ireland's road network. Today's report notes that significant operational savings have been made, particularly in day to day structural maintenance. However, these have been outweighed by long-term financial pressures. The report states: "Whilst the condition of roads making up the trunk road network is still relatively good, the other roads making up the local road network continue to deteriorate at a faster rate, as less money is made available to maintain them to the same standard." It adds: "Whilst the overall level of funding has improved, it is still less than required to maintain network condition in a satisfactory, steady state. "As a result, the department's estimated amount of investment required to clear the overall structural maintenance backlog has increased from 168m (at today's value) in 1998 to 1.2bn." The report highlights how the department relies heavily on late in year funding for structural maintenance, reducing its ability to plan this work properly. "Over time, these funding pressures have constrained spending on good, value for money preventative maintenance, contributing to a higher proportion of expenditure on reactive maintenance, which does not always provide value for money," it adds. "More recently, funding pressures have led to lower priority defects being no longer recorded or repaired, allowing further damage to occur and accelerating the rate of network deterioration. This is likely to lead to higher costs in the future, which could have been avoided." The department is obliged to repair any road defects likely to pose a risk to public safety. Defects that are undetected or not repaired increase the risk of damage to a vehicle or injury to people, and can result in legal claims. The report states the total cost, including compensation and legal bills, of claims resulting from vehicles damage averaged 240,000 over the past five years. The costs in relation to personal injuries average at nearly 4m a year over the same period. In 2015/16 personal injury claims accounted for about 8% of structural maintenance. In 2017/18, 3,934 vehicle damage claims were received. The report adds: "The department expects another significant peak in the number of successful vehicle damage claims in 2018/19." Angela McGowan, the director of CBI Northern Ireland, said there was a strong link between good infrastructure, higher productivity and economic growth. "Failure to maintain roads adequately today will present us with a much higher cost of maintenance in the future and also negatively impact the region's ability to attract inward investment," she said. "For the business community, poor road maintenance translates into increased risk of accidents, greater wear and tear of vehicles and increased journey times for workers, as well as deliveries of supplies and end-product." Ulster Unionist MLA John Stewart said that the report should act as "a wake-up call". "There needs to be a general acceptance that spending on infrastructure investment and maintenance help the wider economy and there has to be the political will to make good on previous pledges," he said. Sinn Fein MLA Philip McGuigan said he was concerned that rural roads were deteriorating at a faster rate. "As an elected representative in a rural constituency I regularly lobby to have potholes repaired and road conditions improved," he said. The Department for Infrastructure said it welcomed the Audit Office's findings. It said: "The report recognises that for many years the funding for road maintenance has been below the level required to maintain the structural integrity of the road network and with some 26,000 kilometre of roads, 286,000 street lights, 5,900 bridges and 14,000 traffic signals to maintain, the report identifies the need for planned, timely, targeted intervention. "Working closely with our colleagues in the Department of Finance, the department will now consider the five recommendations outlined and what measures can be put in place to address the issues raised, making a formal response in line with accompanying guidance to the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018." Health charities in Northern Ireland have welcomed a proposal to cut the number of breast cancer assessment centres here from five to three. The Department of Health has launched a 12-week consultation and says the move will concentrate resources, even if some women will have further to travel. Currently, women who have an issue identified through breast screening or a GP visit will be referred to one of the five centres for further investigation. The waiting time target of 14 days, however, is rarely met. Gareth Kirk, chief executive of Action Cancer, said the proposal was a positive step. "We would certainly welcome the consultation. It's about what's best for the client or for women in this case," he said. Mr Kirk said Action Cancer's research showed women were quite prepared to travel some distance to be seen more quickly. "Some of the problems are not unique to Northern Ireland in this case. There's obviously a world shortage of radiologists and radiographers," he said. "Northern Ireland is suffering from that as well so it makes sense to have fewer but more effective centres. "We would certainly encourage the public to respond to the consultation." The move was also praised by the Macmillan charity in Northern Ireland. Heather Monteverde, head of services, said: "We know that more and more people will experience cancer - by 2030 the number of people living with cancer in NI is predicted to reach around 100,000. "As the very first breast cancer nurse specialist in NI, I know only too well the distress that women can feel waiting to be seen at an outpatient clinic to find out whether or not they have cancer. By concentrating resources in fewer sites, women will be seen much quicker." She added that those who did not have a cancer diagnosis would get the reassurance they needed sooner, and those who did would start treatment sooner. "We cannot keep doing things the way we've always done or our health and social care system will continue to deteriorate." Assessment services are currently provided at Altnagelvin, Antrim Area, Craigavon Area, Belfast City and the Ulster hospitals. The new set-up would see assessments offered at Altnagelvin, Antrim and Belfast, with the Ulster Hospital the most likely location in the capital. A report on breast surgery services here is also due from the Department of Health by the end of the year. Richard Pengelly, Department of Health Permanent Secretary, said: "We have listened carefully to patient voices and it is very clear that timely access to care is the overriding priority. "The way breast assessment services are currently delivered is becoming increasingly fragile. "Staffing challenges are an important factor behind these pressures and demand for care - including urgent referrals for suspected cancer - is increasing. "Sticking with the current model would mean ongoing and worsening vulnerability, with deteriorating waiting times for assessment. That would simply be unacceptable. "Consolidating care on three sites means we can provide durable and quality services, for the benefit of patients and staff." Other proposed measures include a centralised appointment booking system and a regional Breast Assessment Network to shape future service provision. Proposals to reduce the number of stroke units in hospitals here are also expected to be announced today. The reconfiguration of acute stroke services is a major part of plans to reform and restructure health service delivery in the region. Patients who suffer strokes can currently receive emergency treatment at eight hospitals. It is understood a number of different models will be announced, all of which propose a reduction in that number. Floral tributes outside the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown, Co Tyrone (Liam McBurney/PA) PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton has decided to refer the initial PSNI response to the Greenvale Hotel crush to the Police Ombudsman. It has been revealed that the police officers who were first on the scene of the tragedy withdrew to await further support. Read More Lauren Bullock (17) from Donaghmore, Morgan Barnard (17) and Connor Currie (16), both from Dungannon, died following the crush at the Greenvale Hotel as crowds of young people waited to gain entry to the venue on St Patrick's Day. Greenvale Hotel owner Michael McElhatton and a 40-year-old man arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the incident have been released on police bail. Expand Close Connor Currie Photopress / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Connor Currie Deputy Chief Constable Stephen Martin said that the police investigation was "active and wide ranging" and "it is right and proper that the actions of all those involved are considered". He revealed that the first police officers arrived at the hotel grounds shortly after receiving the 999 report. Following their initial assessment they made attempts to establish more detail and information about what was happening and subsequently withdrew to await further police support. When the first ambulance arrived police moved forward in support of them. "The timing and nature of police actions during this period require further investigation to fully establish the facts," Deputy Chief Constable Martin said. Expand Close Morgan Barnard Photopress / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Morgan Barnard "The Chief Constable has therefore decided that the initial police response should be subject to independent scrutiny and it is in the public interest to refer the circumstances and the nature of the actions of the first officers arriving at the scene to the Police Ombudsman." The families of the victims have been informed of the referral. Expand Close Lauren Bullock Photopress / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lauren Bullock "The confidence of the families and the confidence of the communities we serve are at the forefront of our minds in our decision to refer this matter to the Police Ombudsman," Deputy Chief Constable Martin said. "We will work with the Ombudsman to support whatever action he undertakes and would ask that people do not speculate or prejudge the outcome of the Ombudsmans investigation." Glenbeg Walk in Limavady where it is believed murder victim Darren McGurk was injured A 32-year-old man has been remanded in custody charged with murdering a man in Limavady. Karl Mark John Watson appeared at Coleraine Magistrates Court yesterday accused of killing 23-year-old Darren McGurk. Watson, of Glenview Drive in Limavady, is also charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice by allegedly trying to interfere with a witness. Police had received a report last Thursday that Mr McGurk had suffered a serious head injury in an alleged assault at a house in the Glenbeg Walk area of Limavady the previous evening. He was taken to hospital, where he died on Sunday. The accused had been arrested on Friday and had been originally charged with grievous bodily harm and attempting to pervert the course of justice. Following Mr McGurk's death he was further arrested and charged with murder. The defendant appeared in the dock in handcuffs yesterday. A police officer said she believed she could connect the accused to the charges. A prosecutor said she was asking for a remand in custody. A defence solicitor said he had been "specifically instructed" not to make a bail application. He told the court: "My client's family have asked on their behalf to extend their sincere condolences to the McGurk family on this tragic situation. It is a close-knit community." District Judge Peter King remanded the defendant in custody to appear back at the same court via video-link on April 15. A judge has said he will take a hard line against professional street beggars who flew to Northern Ireland every six weeks. Barney McElholm made the pledge at Londonderry Magistrates Court yesterday when he jailed a 30-year-old mother of seven from Bucharest for two months after she admitted stealing a bottle of vodka from Tesco at Strand Road in Derry last Saturday. The district judge said he did not believe Florica Crina Ispas was a genuine indigent street beggar as she had claimed following her arrest. Instead, he said he believed the defendant was "a member of a professional gang of street beggars who could afford to fly into and out of Northern Ireland every six weeks, on a shift basis, to beg". A police officer told Mr McElholm the defendant was stopped by supermarket staff as she attempted to leave without paying for the bottle of vodka. He said the defendant had previous convictions for street begging in Belfast last December, January and last month. Applying for bail, defence solicitor George Copeland said the defendant had no passport but had a visa visiting card which entitled her to travel from Romania to any EU country. "She instructs that she flew in from Bucharest to Dublin six weeks ago and that she has been living on the streets of Dublin, Belfast and Derry since then. "She was arrested as she walked through the check-out area while she was speaking on her mobile phone to her children in Romania and she forgot to pay for the vodka", he said. Mr McElholm said the defendant had similar convictions dating back to last December, yet said she only arrived here six weeks ago. "I don't believe a single word of what she has said and I'm going to take a tough line in such cases in future. This woman in my view is part of a professional group of people who come here to beg and who then fly out again. They can afford to fly in and fly out again", the judge said. Mr McElholm said he recently had a meeting with local agencies to discuss the issue of street begging. "These people are not genuine indigent street beggars. They fly in and out on six weekly shifts," he added. "These people are doing a great disservice to people who are genuinely homeless. "They are a professional group coming here to street beg and to take advantage of the generous and good nature of the local people", he said before jailing the defendant for two months. Secretary of State Karen Bradley has given the go-ahead for a 350m city deal for Belfast and announced she was continuing to work on a deal for Londonderry. Mrs Bradley signed the Heads of Terms for the deal alongside the Belfast City Regional Deal partners and the Northern Ireland Civil Service on Tuesday. The deal will see the UK Government invest 350 million into the Belfast region over the next 15 years. It is proposed that this figure will be matched by the Northern Ireland Executive once the devolved institutions are restored. The city deal will be further bolstered by co-investment of upwards of 150m from Belfast Region City Deal partners and investment by the private sector is anticipated to bring the total investment package to over 1 billion. It is hoped the deal will see the delivery of more than 20 projects to help create up to 20,000 new jobs. Read More The programme is intended to help grow the regions business strengths in life and health sciences; ICT, digital and creative industries, and advanced manufacturing. It will also support digital development and tourism-led regeneration across the entire region, through infrastructure developments and investment in skills to connect people to jobs and services. Mrs Bradley said she was delighted to get the deal over the line. "I am also engaging closely with the Chancellor to secure a financial announcement for the Derry-Londonderry Region City Deal and help unlock the huge potential that Derry-Londonderry has to offer," the Secretary of State said. "The UK Government is committed to developing a comprehensive and ambitious set of City Deals across Northern Ireland and delivering a stronger economy that works for everyone." Lord Mayor of Belfast Deidre Hargey said the signing of the deal marked a "significant milestone in our journey towards substantial investment in inclusive regional regeneration". "Its testament to the power of collaboration and partnership and we look forward to progressing plans with our wide range of partners, including our colleagues working to deliver a programme of investment for Derry-Londonderry and the North West region," the Sinn Fein councillor said. "This is an investment which will improve quality of life for people living here and further enhance our attractiveness as a destination of choice for investors, visitors, new residents and students alike." A woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted in the bathroom of a Belfast apartment told police she thought she was going to die, a jury heard yesterday A woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted in the bathroom of a Belfast apartment told police she thought she was going to die, a jury heard yesterday. Orhan Kibar is accused of inviting two young women to his Russell Court apartment at Claremont Street in the early hours of November 25, 2017 and raping them. The 43-year-old denies three counts of rape and one count of false imprisonment. A jury at Belfast Crown Court heard the women - who at the time were aged 18 and 19 - both claim they were sexually assaulted by Kibar. The jury of seven women and five men heard that Kibar is a Turkish national who has been living in Northern Ireland for "some time". Prosecuting, Charles MacCreanor QC said the two friends had been at Queen's Students Union on the evening of November 24, and as the bar closed they left at around 1.30am. As they stood on the street, they were approached by a "complete stranger" who started talking to them. This stranger, who the Crown say was Kibar, asked if they wanted to go to a party. They walked with him a short distance to his apartment in Russell Court, but when they entered his flat, they realised there was no party. Mr MacCreanor said the 18-year-old was offered a drink and a smoke, while the 19-year-old woman fell asleep on the settee. The 18-year-old then went to the toilet, and said Kibar came into the bathroom and grabbed her. She said he was aggressive, there was a struggle and Kibar pulled down his trousers. The woman said Kibar sexually assaulted her. She later told police she bit him and was finally able to flee the bathroom. Mr MacCreanor said as she fled, she didn't see her friend sleeping on the settee in the living room, and also left her coat and phone in the apartment. The 18-year-old ran onto the street, and bumped into someone she knew. In a "distressed state", she described what had happened and police were called. As officers were trying to locate the apartment, Mr MacCreanor said "they were met by a young woman in an upset and very distressed state running down the corridor, who was shouting she had been raped". When officers went to the apartment and Kibar opened the door, the woman said: "That's him," and he was arrested. The second woman told police that after she and her friend went to Kibar's flat, she fell asleep and "completely blacked out". Mr MacCreanor told the jury: "The next thing is, she woke up and the defendant was naked on top of her, raping her." The prosecutor said the woman told Kibar she needed to go to the toilet, and that after a few minutes he let her go to the bathroom - then when she stepped out of the bathroom, he was standing there naked. It's the Crown's case that Kibar then pushed the 19-year-old back, that she thought he had a weapon like a knife or screwdriver that he was going to stab her with, and that during a struggle he broke one of her fingers. Kibar is accused of holding her down and raping her a second time, after which she was able to flee his flat. Both women were found to have abrasions to their private area. Other injuries included a broken finger suffered by one of the women. Kibar was arrested and charged with four offences - namely raping the 18-year-old and falsely imprisoning her in the bathroom, and raping the 19-year-old twice. A bite injury was also noted on his left hand. The trial is expected to last for two weeks. At hearing. Theresa May makes a statement on Brexit to the House of Commons (House of Commons/PA) MPs are to have a series of indicative votes on the way forward for Brexit after passing an amendment to take control away from Prime Minister Theresa May. It comes after they passed an amendment from Sir Oliver Letwin by a vote of 329 to 302. The amendment allows backbench MPs to start the process of organising a series of indicative votes from Wednesday. This aims to allow the Commons to establish whether there is a majority for any Brexit outcome, with Sir Oliver advising compromise would be necessary to reach agreement. Among the options likely to be voted on will be a Norway-style deal or a second referendum. Read More Ministers Richard Harrington, Steve Brine and Alistair Burt quit the Government to allow them to vote in favour of the proposal. Mr Harrington said he resigned as business minister because he believed the Government's approach to Brexit was "playing roulette with the lives and livelihoods of the vast majority of people in this country". A total of 30 Conservative MPs were listed as having voted in favour of the Letwin amendment. MPs then approved the amended Government motion allowing Parliament to seize control of the Commons agenda to hold a series of indicative votes by 327 votes to 300. Another backbench amendment to allow the Commons to have a vote if the UK is seven days away from leaving the EU without a deal was narrowly rejected by MPs by 314 votes to 311. Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's Brexit coordinator, welcomed the result on Twitter. "Parliament takes control. An opportunity to build a cross-party cooperation leading to an enhanced political declaration & a closer future relationship! #Brexit," he wrote. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn welcomed the result, hailing the fact the House had now "taken control". Expand Close Jeremy Corbyn (House of Commons/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jeremy Corbyn (House of Commons/PA) "This Government has been an abject failure and this House must now find a solution," he said. "This House must also consider whether any deal should be put to the people for a confirmatory vote. "Where this Government has failed, this House must, and I believe will, succeed." The Department for Exiting the EU said the vote on Sir Oliver Letwin's amendment set a "dangerous, unpredictable precedent" for the future. "It is disappointing to see this amendment pass, as the Government made a clear commitment to provide a process to find a majority in Parliament for a way forward this week," a spokesman said. "This amendment instead upends the balance between our democratic institutions and sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent for the future. "While it is now up to Parliament to set out next steps in respect of this amendment, the Government will continue to call for realism - any options considered must be deliverable in negotiations with the EU. "Parliament should take account of how long these negotiations would take and if they'd require a longer extension which would mean holding European Parliamentary elections." The latest developments comes after Prime Minister Theresa May admitted on Monday that there was still not enough support to get her Brexit withdrawal deal through the House of Commons. She said that she would attempt to raise support for the deal in the coming days in the hope of holding a third meaningful vote on her deal. A 20-year-old who stabbed a man through the heart as he intervened to stop him tampering with a bicycle in Belfast city centre has been handed a minimum nine year-year jail sentence for the murder. Callin Wilson showed no emotion when Judge Patricia Smyth told him "there is no question that you pose a significant danger to others". Hazem Ahmed Ghreir - who made Northern Ireland his home after fleeing war-torn Syria in 2015 with his brother Rami - died from a single stab wound to the heart. Belfast Crown Court heard that while Wilson has given numerous and differing accounts of what occurred on the evening of June 4, 2017, it seemed likely Mr Ghreir (30) saw him engaging in "inappropriate behaviour" such as tampering with a bicycle. Hazem thought we could have a good life here. Brother Rami Addressing Wilson, Judge Smyth said: "In a public-spirited way, he sought to intervene, running towards you and taking hold of your shoulder. "You were observed removing your right hand from the pocket of your hooded top and making a sharp movement towards Mr Ghreir's chest. It is the prosecution case that this is the point at which you stabbed him. "Mr Ghreir was able to follow you and restrain you for a period before he collapsed." Thanking the police, Hazems brother Rami described him as charismatic and spoke of how he hoped to life his life in Northern Ireland. Hazem was my youngest brother," he said. "He was kind, generous, hard working, well-educated and he made friends wherever he went - people were drawn to him like a magnet. Hazem thought we could have a good life here. It was hard being away from our family and Hazem missed our parents but he kept smiling everyday and looked forward to talking to them. I am so sad Hazem is not here and its hard without him, especially after spending every day with him. My parents are very upset but they are thankful to the investigation team for everything they have done. Hazems brave actions have tragically cost him his life. Police The fatal incident occurred close to the Dublin Road, and on the evening in question, Mr Ghreir was working as a delivery driver for a fast-food restaurant. His murder was pointless and we still dont fully understand what motivated Mr Wilson to kill him. He has shown little remorse," said Detective Chief Inspector Pete Montgomery after the sentencing. Callin Wilson, who was unemployed and living in Belfast at the time, was tampering with a bicycle at the back of a hotel in the area when he was disturbed by Hazem. I suspect this public spirited Syrian man was trying to prevent a crime from taking place when he was stabbed in the chest with a knife. As Hazem lay on the ground dying, Callin Wilson then rifled through his pockets and stole his mobile phone before fleeing the scene." To stab someone in the chest for no obvious reason and then steal their belongings as they lie dying in the street is something that most of us will find hard to comprehend. Callin Wilsons actions display an abhorrent lack of respect for the life of another human being and today I welcome that someone who is assessed as dangerous has been put behind bars. Hazems brave actions have tragically cost him his life. He was originally from Syria and he moved to Northern Ireland hoping for a better life where he could feel safe. Sadly, it was in Northern Ireland that his life was cruelly cut short by a single stab wound to the heart. He was a much loved son and brother, and while nothing will ease their pain and suffering, I hope todays sentencing brings them some degree of comfort that this dangerous man is now behind bars. I suspect this public spirited Syrian man was trying to prevent a crime. Police After stabbing Mr Ghreir, Wilson initially walked away but returned and put Mr Ghreir in the recovery position using his feet. He again left the scene, but returned and after rifling through Mr Ghrier's pockets he stole his iPhone. While Mr Ghreir was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead from a single stab wound to his chest at 11.15pm, Wilson walked to a nearby Tesco Express. He was arrested leaving the store, telling police "I didn't do anything". Also found on him was a blood-stained knife. During Tuesday's sentencing, it emerged that Wilson has a mental disorder branded as "complex" by Judge Smyth. She said there was "clear evidence" that Wilson displayed signs of this as far back as infancy, and revealed he was referred to child and adolescent mental health services back in 2010. Also noted by Judge Smyth were concerns about Wilson's opportunistic behaviour, cruelty to animals and inappropriate sexual behaviour, as well as "concerning incidents in school" including trying to put a wire round a female teacher's neck. Expand Close Victim Hazem Ahmed Ghreir Photopress Belfast / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Victim Hazem Ahmed Ghreir Questions need to be asked how the safety net deemed necessary to protect both you and innocent members of the community failed to emerge. Judge Patricia Smyth Wilson, the Judge said, also had a fascination with knifes and an unhealthy interest in TV programmes depicting crime scenes. At the time of the murder, Wilson was living - without any assistance or supervision and aged 18 - at Flax Foyer in Belfast, which is accommodation for homeless young people. Citing Wilson's long-standing mental condition, concerns expressed by the medical profession and the fact he was not under any care of service in June 2017, Judge Smyth said: "Questions need to be asked how the safety net deemed necessary to protect both you and innocent members of the community failed to emerge, so that tragedies like this do not happen in the future." Wilson was told he will serve a minimum term of nine years before he is considered eligible for release by the Paroles Commission. If and when he is released, he will serve the rest of his life sentence on licence. He was also handed a concurrent 12-month sentence for both possessing and making indecent images of children. The charges relate to 426 images of children, mostly teenage boys, which were found on his laptop when his accommodation was searched by police after the murder. The partner of a man who admitted inflicting injuries on their one-year-old daughter has been questioned about suspected child cruelty, the High Court heard today. Prosecutors said the north Antrim woman's phone was seized after photos were discovered on it. New developments in the investigation emerged as her 24-year-old boyfriend was refused bail. The man, who cannot be identified, is accused of squeezing their baby's head while she was crying. The little girl was admitted to the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine with facial bruising in November last year. Medical staff believed her injuries were due to the sustained application of some sort of force to her head. No explanation was given at that stage by either parent. The mother later alleged her partner had been left alone with their daughter for a period of up to 30 minutes, the court heard. When the woman returned the baby was crying and she raised the alarm to claim he had done something to hurt the child. The man was subsequently arrested and charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Defence barrister Declan Quinn said the man has made confessions to his partner and police. "He said the child was crying, he went to put the dummy back in her mouth and inexplicably placed both hands around either side of her head and squeezed for a few seconds," counsel submitted. "He cannot understand why he did this when she was crying." With the man described as having Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), he is expected to rely on his mental state and impulsive actions as a defence to the charge. Mr Quinn stressed his client's "extreme remorse" over what happened. The court was told the little girl is due to be placed with a grandmother after being looked after by social services. Opposing the man's renewed bid for bail, a Crown lawyer set out how he wanted to go back to live with his partner. "She has now been reported for the alleged offences of withholding information and child cruelty," the prosecutor disclosed. "When the mother was being interviewed yesterday (police) uncovered some further evidence by way of pictures on her phone. That phone has now been seized so it can be examined." Denying bail to the man, Judge Stephen Fowler QC indicated he would reconsider any fresh application to live at an address outside the couple's hometown. A Co Antrim man has been told by a magistrate that he may have set a record for having the most alcohol detected in a drink-drive reading in Northern Ireland A Co Antrim man has been told by a magistrate that he may have set a record for having the most alcohol detected in a drink-drive reading in Northern Ireland. James McCurdy (48), of Ashbrook Park in Balnamore near Ballymoney, was more than five times the legal limit. The court heard that McCurdy was discovered slumped in a vehicle which had crashed on Monday, February 25 this year. He registered 185 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, with the legal limit being 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. McCurdy appeared at Coleraine Magistrates Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol in his breath. When District Judge Peter King was told the reading, he said: "I think we may have a record here." A prosecutor said that police had been called to a report of a vehicle being involved in a collision at Balnamore Road, Ballymoney. The defendant was slumped over and was so drunk that he had to be lifted out of the vehicle by officers. McCurdy's speech was slurred and he was unable to respond to questions, the court heard. Judge King described the reading of more than five times the legal limit as a "gross amount" of alcohol. A defence lawyer said that his client was a "man of good character" but at the time of the offence he had been on a three month drinking binge. He said McCurdy was also on medication for arthritis, which further impaired his driving. The lawyer said the defendant had never previously even been handed a penalty point. He was "embarrassed" to be in court and was relieved no one had been injured by his actions, the lawyer continued. Judge King said the previous clear record made the case "completely inexplicable". He said the level of drink involved meant he was not prepared to deal with the case straight away, as he said it was probably the highest reading he had ever heard. Sentencing was adjourned to the end of April for a pre-sentence report to be prepared. However, McCurdy left the court with an interim driving disqualification. Floral tributes outside the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown, Co Tyrone (Liam McBurney/PA) Police Ombudsman investigators have begun their probe into how the PSNI responded to the Greenvale Hotel disco crush tragedy on St Patrick's night. On Tuesday, police admitted the first officers on the scene after the initial 999 call withdrew to await support and only moved in when the first ambulance arrived. Chief Constable George Hamilton called in the ombudsman in order to establish the facts of the response feeling it in the public interest the actions of all those involved are considered. The families of the three teenagers killed have been informed of the development. On Tuesday evening the Ombudsman's officer confirmed it had opened a case. A spokesman for Dr Michael Maguire's officer added: "Our thoughts are with the families who have been so tragically bereaved. Our investigators have now begun gathering information about the initial sequence of events, and have appealed for witnesses to contact them. They are keen to hear from anyone who saw police in the area of the Greenvale Hotel on St Patricks evening, 17 March. Our investigators can be contacted by email at the following address: witnessappeal@policeombudsman.org. It would be helpful if anyone contacting us can include a contact telephone number in their email. Lauren Bullock (17) from Donaghmore, Morgan Barnard (17) and Connor Currie (16), both from Dungannon, died following the crush at the Greenvale Hotel as crowds of young people waited to gain entry to the venue on St Patrick's Day. Read More Greenvale Hotel owner Michael McElhatton and a 40-year-old man arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the incident have been released on police bail. Deputy Chief Constable Stephen Martin said that the police investigation was "active and wide ranging" and "it is right and proper that the actions of all those involved are considered". He revealed that the first police officers arrived at the hotel grounds shortly after receiving the 999 report. Expand Close Connor Currie Photopress / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Connor Currie Following their initial assessment they made attempts to establish more detail and information about what was happening and subsequently withdrew to await further police support. When the first ambulance arrived police moved forward in support of them. "The timing and nature of police actions during this period require further investigation to fully establish the facts," Deputy Chief Constable Martin said. Expand Close Morgan Barnard Photopress / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Morgan Barnard "The Chief Constable has therefore decided that the initial police response should be subject to independent scrutiny and it is in the public interest to refer the circumstances and the nature of the actions of the first officers arriving at the scene to the Police Ombudsman." Expand Close Lauren Bullock Photopress / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lauren Bullock "The confidence of the families and the confidence of the communities we serve are at the forefront of our minds in our decision to refer this matter to the Police Ombudsman," Deputy Chief Constable Martin said. "We will work with the Ombudsman to support whatever action he undertakes and would ask that people do not speculate or prejudge the outcome of the Ombudsmans investigation." A Co Down teenager whose body was apparently left near a Belfast hospital after being driven from the scene of a car crash had a "zest for life that could bring joy to all around her", according to her devastated parents. Four men have been questioned after Tara Wright (17), from Donaghcloney, was discovered in the grounds of Belfast City Hospital in south Belfast at around 3am on Sunday. Read More A family statement said: "As parents we are devastated by the heartbreaking passing of our beautiful daughter Tara. "Tara was a kind, funny, charismatic bright young girl with her whole life ahead of her and we can't believe that we now have to say goodbye to her. Expand Close Tara Wright / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Tara Wright "Tara will be remembered as she lived, a fun-loving, energetic and vibrant soul with a zest for life that could bring joy to all around her. "Tara will be missed immeasurably not only by us, but her entire family, especially her brothers and sister Charles, Alistair and Anna, who will never forget the love they had for her and the love she had for them." Expand Close Tara Wright / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Tara Wright Police believe Ms Wright was involved in a crash in which a Mercedes car left the road in Castlereagh nearly 30 minutes earlier. The vehicle was found on its roof near the roundabout at Ballygowan Road close to the Manse Road junction, around eight miles from the hospital. Another man was injured in the collision, which was reported to police at around 2.30am. Expand Close The crash scene in east Belfast Photopress Belfast / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The crash scene in east Belfast Around 25 minutes later Ms Wright was found by ambulance service personnel, who tried to resuscitate her. However, she was pronounced dead at the scene. The PSNI initially said the teenager had been found on the ground next to a grey MG car. However, CCTV footage examined by police has established that Ms Wright was inside the vehicle when ambulance staff arrived. The man who was rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast after being found injured after the crash was last night in a critical condition, according to a health trust spokesman. DUP councillor Mark Baxter said the news of Tara's death had devastated the community. Expand Close Police examine the car Tara was discovered inside at City Hospital / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police examine the car Tara was discovered inside at City Hospital "There are no words to describe the deep sense of shock felt in the community over the untimely death of someone so young," he said. "It's so sad and all we can do is keep this family in our thoughts and prayers." He said the circumstances in which Tara had been found had prompted many questions, but he pleaded for everyone to think of the teenager's loved ones. "There is so much speculation circulating as to the circumstances, but behind it all, a family have to try and come to terms with such a tragic loss," he said. "So I'd ask those who have any information to contact the police and to respect the family involved at this most difficult time." He added: "My heart also goes out to the family of the other young individual who is ill in hospital and again my thoughts will Expand Close Tara Wright. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Tara Wright. be with them at this time." Meanwhile, friends of the 17-year-old have paid moving tributes on social media. Ellis Quigley said he worked with Tara at TeleperformanceUK in Newry, and wrote on Facebook that he saw her on the day of her death. "Can't believe I only saw Tara yesterday and saw that smile that would make anyone's day and now she's gone," he wrote. "The funny memories of work and nights out seeing her will be cherished so much. Sending so much love and prayers to her family and friends." In another Facebook tribute, Neo Godson said that his heart was "completely broke" by her death. "Tara you were such an amazing, funny and kind person, a best friend to me. You walked into the room and just put a smile on everyone's face," he posted. Expand Close Tara Wright Photopress / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Tara Wright "You brought the laugh to anywhere you went, you knew how to just make everyone happy. You were just so amazing and unique. All of the memories I have of us I will cherish forever. "I would do anything in this world to hear your voice one more time. I love you always and rest easy beautiful." Inspector Nigel Henry said yesterday that officers are following a line of enquiry that Tara had been taken to the hospital in the MG. He revealed that four men aged 20, 21, 28 and 30 - who had been arrested on Sunday but have since been released on bail - are assisting officers to establish the circumstances leading up to Ms Wright's death. Offering his sympathies to her family, the senior officer appealed for anyone who witnessed either vehicle to come forward, including motorists who may have dashcam footage of the cars. "Our investigation is at an early stage. However, we do believe that Tara was injured during the one-vehicle road traffic collision on the Ballygowan Road," he explained. "We are appealing to anyone who witnessed either the silver Mercedes or grey MG to contact us to assist us with our enquiries. "We also believe that a grey coloured MG vehicle conveyed Tara to the area of Belfast City Hospital. Therefore we are also appealing to anyone who witnessed this vehicle between the Ballygowan Road and the hospital to contact police." If Ms Wright's death is officially confirmed to have been connected to Sunday's collision, it will bring the total number of people killed on Northern Ireland's roads to 14 so far this year. Anyone with information can contact the PSNI via the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 227 of 24/03/19. Susan Henry who died from carbon monoxide poisoning at her family home in Cookstown A law making carbon monoxide detectors compulsory would mean the death of a Co Tyrone pensioner would not have been in vain, her family has said. Susan and Olive Henry were speaking at the end of an inquest into the death of their mother, also Susan (66), who passed away on August 14, 2018 from carbon monoxide poisoning from a wood burning stove in the living room of the family home in Cookstown. The sisters said they want everyone to be aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide and install an alarm so no other family would experience their tragic loss. Olive Henry said: "We are devastated by the loss of our mum and nothing will bring her back to us. "It is heartbreaking that her death could have been prevented if we had known about carbon monoxide and carbon monoxide alarms. "If a law is put in place making the installation of carbon monoxide detectors compulsory and this makes people more aware of the real dangers then some good would have come from mum's death." Mrs Henry's husband Desmond and another daughter, Hester, who were asleep upstairs in the house, were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning at Craigavon hospital. They survived the tragedy because Hester was awoken by the family cat jumping on her bed "going berserk". The inquest, sitting in Omagh, heard how Mrs Henry often spent the night downstairs in the living room of her home because of "pain issues" and that on August 13, her husband Desmond lit the wood burning stove for her before he retired to bed at around 10.30pm. He told the court that the next recollection he had was of the family dog barking so he went downstairs to investigate but after he reached the bottom stair he passed out and had no further memory until he woke up in hospital. In her evidence, his daughter Susan said she received a call shortly after 7am on August 14, 2018 from her sister Hester saying their father was collapsed at the bottom of the stairs but she "wasn't making a pile of sense on the phone". Susan Henry said her sister told her she was woken by the family cat jumping on her bed, "clawing" the covers and "going berserk" so she got out of bed and went to check on her father in the next room before they both went downstairs where Mr Henry collapsed. Susan rang the emergency services while she was making her way to her parent's home but thought her father had fallen down the stairs and didn't realise "anything was wrong" with her mother until she entered the house. Assistant State Pathologist Dr Chris Johnson said his post mortem on Mrs Henry showed over 53% carbon monoxide level in her blood. A level of around 30% or lower can be fatal. Fire Service Group Commander Max Joyce said he suspected carbon monoxide as soon as he was aware that three people were unconscious and gave the order for everyone, including the casualties, to leave the house. He said the paramedic who was performing CPR on Mr Henry refused to stop and Mr Joyce ordered every door and window be opened. Mr Joyce's investigation showed gaps around the door of the wood burning stove and debris in the flue, which would have allowed carbon monoxide to build up. There was also a high amount of soot in the living room. Mr McGurgan said there is "a pressing need for legislation" regarding the fitting of carbon monoxide alarms. He said he would write to the head of the Civil Service about the matter, but urged householders to fit a working smoke alarm and a working carbon monoxide detector. He said he would also write to the chief executive of the Ambulance Service regarding personnel entering premises to try and save someone's life but putting their own at risk. A man knocked unconscious by a single blow outside a Londonderry bar during an altercation on Sunday afternoon has warned others that one punch can kill. Bogside man Gareth Conaghan (32) suffered two broken cheekbones, a broken eye socket, a fractured skull and two bleeds in his brain after the incident in Creggan Street shortly before 3pm on Sunday. Speaking from his hospital bed, Gareth said that what started out as a few quiet pints on a Sunday afternoon with friends ended with him lying unconscious on the street and being rushed to hospital by ambulance, his family unsure if he would pull through. "There was an altercation outside the bar when I was out for a smoke," he said. "The last thing I remember is being punched and falling to the ground. I knocked myself out. I don't remember what happened when I was lying on the ground but witnesses said that people came to help me and called an ambulance. "I came around in the hospital, I don't remember any of it. I had to have a CT scan on Sunday night, I have had X-rays on my face. I have two broken cheekbones and my eye socket is broken. They say I have a fractured skull, I have two bleeds on my brain and I have a big nasty gash on the back of my head where I hit my head when I fell. "I am just waiting to hear how bad the bleeds are on my brain, to see if there is any lasting damage." Gareth, an insurance worker, said he wanted to warn others out socialising not to get involved in fights or altercations. "I might not have been here today," he said. "I could have died for all I know. I have heard about the one punch could kill. "It is a dangerous thing and it can happen. It happened to a man recently in Limavady. He died four days after he was hurt. "I'm still not out of the woods at the minute, I have to wait and see what the doctors say about these brain bleeds. "I'm stressed out and worried about if there is any lasting damage there. "I just want to make people aware of how dangerous these situations can be. People should stop fighting when out. It's not nice on the people and families who need to deal with everything afterwards." Gareth added: "Try and be the bigger person, don't get yourself into trouble, you could end up getting charged and going to jail over it and ruining your own life. "I would urge people to be careful, to look after their friends and family or whoever is out with you. Just be safe." A PSNI spokesperson said: "Police are investigating a serious assault which happened on Creggan Street, close to Marlborough Street on Sunday at around 2.45pm." They appealed for witnesses to contact police on 101, quoting incident reference number 816 of 24/03/19. The Stardust Justice Campaign with Lauri Sivonen, the adviser to the Commissioner for Human Rights in the European Council (Lynn Boylan/PA) The Stardust justice campaign has travelled to Strasbourg to meet with the office of the Human Rights Commissioner. Sinn Fein MEP Lynn Boylan hosted the meeting with Lauri Sivonen, the adviser to the Commissioner at the Council of Europe Dunja Mijatovic, and the families to outline their fight for a new inquest. Families of Stardust Tragedy meet with office of Human Rights Commissioner @LNBDublin https://t.co/eV8jvwTGm3 pic.twitter.com/1Q6qmQtg1Q Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) March 26, 2019 Forty-eight young people died when a popular nightclub in Artane, Dublin, was destroyed in a blaze on Valentines Day in 1981 in what is considered the worst fire disaster in the history of the state. The families have petitioned the Attorney General for a new inquest, citing fresh, previously unrecorded evidence. The group plans to lodge a formal application for the fresh inquest in the next two weeks. Todays meeting was very productive, and worthwhile, Ms Boylan said. The solicitor for the campaign outlined the legal case for requesting a new inquest, and how the experience of the Stardust families was symptomatic of the difficulties that Irish citizens can experience in accessing justice. Fundamental human rights have been violated in the case of the Stardust and it was important that the families were able to detail their personal experiences in trying to access justice for the last 37 years. It is incredible that those who survived the fire have never given evidence on what happened that night. While the Council of Europe cant make recommendations on individual cases, it is important that the case of the Stardust and the broader issues of accessing justice were brought to their attention. I would hope that when the Human Rights Commissioner next visits Ireland, she would consider making access to justice one of her priorities, especially applications made under Article 2, the right to life and would make recommendations to the Irish Government on reforming the system. Taking the fight for Justice to Europe, Stardust Delegation in Strasbourg today #JFT48 pic.twitter.com/jBpgUI1adP Justice for Stardust 48 (@48NeverCameHome) March 25, 2019 Darragh Mackin of Phoenix Law, Belfast, a solicitor for the families, said the case for a new inquest is indefensible. Today is a pivotal step forward in the Stardust families campaign for truth and justice, he said. We raised the deficiencies and ineffectiveness of the previous investigative processes, and why there is now an indefensible case for a fresh inquest. The EU Commissioner on human rights was very receptive and as such we now look forward to further engagement in the coming weeks. Investigations into the fire showed that a number of escape routes from the dance hall were blocked as emergency doors were locked by chains. Concerns have also been raised about the investigation of the scene, which allowed politicians and media to walk through the building just hours later. Despite findings of safety breaches, there were no prosecutions over the incident. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is scheduled to meet with the families on May 29, to discuss their campaign. DUP Brexit spokesperson Sammy Wilson has said that his party would rather see a one-year delay to Brexit than support Prime Minister Theresa May's withdrawal deal. Writing in The Telegraph Mr Wilson said that his party would not let "the PM or the Remainer horde in Parliament to bully us into backing a toxic Brexit deal". His comments come after European Research Group (ERG) chair Jacob Rees-Mogg indicated he may be willing to back Theresa May's deal if faced with a choice between that and no-Brexit. It marks a split between the DUP and ERG who have been closely aligned throughout the Brexit process, with both groups opposing the controversial Irish border backstop. Read More The support of the DUP and the hardline Brexiteers in the ERG are seen as key for Mrs May if she wishes to get her Brexit deal through the Commons. While some in the ERG may be beginning to waver, it appears as though the DUP position remains unchanged and they will not back Mrs May's deal during a third Meaningful Vote if it takes place later this week. Mr Wilson said that if Brexit is postponed for a year it would give the UK a chance to "have a say on the things which affect us". Even if we are forced into a one-year extension, we at least would have a say on the things which affect us during that time and would have the right to unilaterally decide to leave at the end of that one-year period through the simple decision of not applying for a further extension," the East Antrim MP said. Surely this is a better strategy than volunteering to be locked into the prison of the withdrawal deal with the cell door key in the pocket of Michel Barnier?" Read More Speaking after the initial short Brexit extension was granted last week European Council President Donald Tusk said that "anything is still possible", including a longer extension. The fate of Brexit is in the hands of our British friends. We are prepared for the worst but hope for the best. Remember, hope dies last, he said. However European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that the Brexit negotiations were over. This closes and completes the full package. There is no more that we can have, he said. The father of Jack Shepherds victim believes justice is edging closer after a judge in Georgia ruled the speedboat killer must be extradited to the UK where he will begin his prison sentence. A court in Tbilisi approved Britains extradition request on Tuesday after Shepherd said he wishes to take part in an appeal against his conviction over the death of 24-year-old Charlotte Brown. The pair had been on a first date when Shepherds speedboat overturned, fatally plunging Ms Brown into the icy water of the River Thames in London. Shepherd fled his manslaughter trial at the Old Bailey, but the fugitive surrendered to authorities in Georgia six months after being found guilty in his absence. The 31-year-old was sentenced to six years imprisonment but has been granted permission to appeal against the conviction. He told the Tbilisi court that he made the difficult decision to not contest extradition because I wish to participate in the appeal process, to fight for my freedom and to be reunited with those I love, my family, my son. However, Graham Brown said the reality was Shepherd had a weak case and no choice but to return, as the father celebrated the extradition ruling. It brings it a bit closer that we are going to get justice for Charlotte. We are pleased it appears to be coming to an end, Mr Brown told ITV News. Were hoping that he wont follow through with his appeal, which causes the family more anguish, but I guess that could be a forlorn hope. Expand Close Charlotte Brown (Metropolitan Police/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Charlotte Brown (Metropolitan Police/PA) One of Shepherds lawyers in Georgia, Tariel Kakabadze, estimated Shepherd could return to the UK within two weeks. Shepherd also faces a grievous bodily harm charge over an alleged assault in Devon on March 16 last year. A warrant for his arrest was issued by magistrates in Newton Abbot after he failed to attend the court. No date has yet been set for the appeal hearing. Shepherds legal team had mulled fighting extradition altogether and successfully delayed his return by convincing a judge to rule out a fast-tracked process. The Crown Prosecution Service formally requested his extradition on March 1. Shepherd appeared at the Old Bailey on January 26 last year to deny manslaughter by gross negligence but jurors were made aware of his absence at the start of his trial in July. In January, the web designer, originally from Exeter, handed himself in to authorities in Tbilisi, where he has been detained ever since. The family of Ms Brown, from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, have fought a battle for justice following her death in December 2015. Shepherd will be returned to the Old Bailey before he is committed to prison. The Scottish Government will hold another consultation on fracking as pressure grows for a full legal ban (Danny Lawson/PA) A final decision on a fracking ban in Scotland has been delayed for a further government consultation. Ministers announced an effective ban on the oil and gas extraction technique in 2017. Following a legal challenge from petrochemical firm Ineos, a Court of Session ruling last June found no prohibition against fracking in Scotland. The Scottish Government had said it would inform the Scottish Parliament of its finalised policy on the development of unconventional oil and gas in the first three months of 2019. Now, Energy Minster Paul Wheelhouse has announced that a further eight-week public consultation will be held, expected to start after April 21. This looks like a cynical attempt to try and keep a ban on fracking out of the upcoming Climate Change BillClaudia Beamish MSP He announced the new consultation in response to a parliamentary question on fracking, adding: Our final policy on unconventional oil and gas will be confirmed and adopted as soon as possible after this process is complete. Scottish Labours environment spokeswoman Claudia Beamish said: The SNP government is kicking this issue into the long grass yet again. This would be the third government public consultation on fracking and the fourth overall including the consultation on my members bill. This looks like a cynical attempt to try and keep a ban on fracking out of the upcoming Climate Change Bill. That would be unacceptable. She said Scotland has the power to ban fracking and her party is looking at the best way to do so, either through the Climate Change Bill or her members bill. The Scottish Liberal Democrats said the current situation in Scotland on fracking has left communities worrying about their futures. Environmental charity Friends of the Earth Scotland called for a full legal ban. The Scottish Government's final decision on #fracking has been delayed. Ministers announced further consultation as legal advice this week showed Scottish Parliament can, and should, ban the industry. #BanFrackingNow https://t.co/7qiJ1oqTCX Friends of the Earth Scotland (@FoEScot) March 26, 2019 Its head of campaigns, Mary Church, said: Communities on the frontline of this dirty industry who have been waiting for over four years for the Scottish Government to bring its long drawn-out process on unconventional oil and gas to an end, now face even further delay. Holyrood has the power to ban fracking its time for the Scottish Government to stop dilly-dallying, have the courage of its convictions and legislate to stop the industry for good. Last week, a legal opinion by Aidan ONeill QC, commissioned by Friends of the Earth Scotland, suggested the Scottish Parliament has the legislative competence to pass a fracking ban. It indicated doing so would be less likely to result in successful legal challenges from companies with an interest in the industry. Green MSP Mark Ruskell said: QC advice is clear that Scotland has the powers to implement a legally watertight ban on this destructive and unsustainable practice and the government should get on with doing that. Greens will give MSPs the chance to back that call tomorrow when we lead a debate in parliament on the global climate emergency. A Scottish Government spokesman said: The Scottish Governments preferred policy position is it does not support onshore unconventional oil and gas development in Scotland. Scottish Ministers are entering the final stages of the policy making process on this important issue. He said an addendum to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) report would be consulted on, adding: This approach is required to ensure the continuation of the cautious, evidence-led approach we have consistently taken towards the development of an unconventional oil and gas policy for Scotland. Theresa May leaves the House of Commons following the key Brexit votes (Dominic Lipinski/PA) The Irish Government are insisting that the border backstop must apply even in the event of a no-deal Brexit, diplomatic sources say. The Irish Times has reported that sources say the Irish Government will insist on the backstop to ensure there is no return to a hard border. It is understood that the Irish Government believe that the backstop is the only way of protecting the Good Friday Agreement and keeping the border free from infrastructure. An Irish source said on Monday that the "backstop applies in all situations", even a no-deal scenario. Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal has become deadlocked over disagreements around the backstop, which is opposed by the DUP and Tory Brexiteers. Expand Close Leo Varadkar Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Leo Varadkar They claim that the backstop would create a trade border in the Irish Sea and could leave the UK tied to the EU indefinetly. Read More On Monday the EU warned that checks on goods entering the Republic of Ireland from the UK will have to be "immediately" applied in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The stark statement was made as the European Commission completed its no-deal planning and said it is increasingly likely that the UK will crash out of the Union on 12 April. At the weekend Taoiseach Leo Varadkar claimed proposals for what would happen in a no-deal scenario were very rough. He said the Republic is intensifying our no-deal preparations. "They have been very much underway now for months, if not years. They are being intensified and finalised at the moment. We need to see now what happens in Westminster over next couple of days and weeks and well take it from there. Expand Close Sammy Wilson in the House of Commons. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sammy Wilson in the House of Commons. However, the DUP's Brexit spokesperson hit out at recent comments from Mr Varadkar's comments, calling the backstop a "bluff". "We were told that a hard border was inevitable and unavoidable in the absence of a deal and that the backstop was the only way this could be prevented," the East Antrim MP said. "What we now see is that alternatives are available and they are being actively considered." The East Antrim MP said the backstop had been "a negotiating tactic". "The acknowledgement that the backstop isn't the only way to prevent a hard border does raise the question however as to what the last two years of EU intransigence has been about," he said. "It has been the EU's stubborn insistence upon the backstop which created the possibility of a no-deal exit. It has been left until a few weeks before an extended deadline before the EU has finally acknowledged its bluff." Qantas has said the first year of non-stop flights between Perth and London has exceeded expectations (Steve Parsons/PA) A non-stop flight between the UK and Australia has exceeded expectations one year on from its historic launch. Qantas service between the city of Perth, on the west coast of Australia, and London Heathrow became the UKs longest non-stop regular passenger flight when it was launched in March last year. Despite the mammoth 17-hour journey, the airline says nearly every flight over the past year has been full, with the service turning a profit almost immediately. One year later: Perth-London exceeds expectations... and speed records. Find out more: https://t.co/TEtENBME02 pic.twitter.com/VxjjH3hSnM Qantas (@Qantas) March 25, 2019 There were a lot of expectations around this flight, both within Qantas and the broader community, and frankly its exceeded them, said Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce. The work we put into managing passenger jet lag and designing a comfortable cabin has paid off. Its the longest flight on our entire network but it has the highest level of customer satisfaction. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner service covers 9,009 miles, which is 24% further than the UKs previous longest route, operated by Garuda Indonesia between Heathrow and Jakarta (7,275 miles). During its first 12 months in operation, the link has carried 155,000 passengers, with flights 94% full on average, compared to the industry average of 80%. The average flight time from Perth to London was 17 hours and one minute but its fastest journey clocked in at 16 hours and 19 minutes. Going in the other direction, the fastest journey was just 15 hours and 15 minutes. We didnt plan to regularly break speed records in both directions, said Mr Joyce. The current title holder arrived into Perth from London a full hour ahead of schedule thanks to prevailing winds and our new flight planning system. Just under 60% of passengers on the London-Perth leg are from Australia, with UK residents making up the majority of overseas passengers at 31%, while the route has been heralded for boosting tourism in Western Australia. The airline has also given an insight into the habits of its passengers, with Mission Impossible: Fallout named as the most-watched film on the route. The most popular meals for customers in business class were barramundi and beef and Yorkshire pudding, with a glass of red wine, while white wine was the top choice in economy, alongside Guinness beef pie with potato mash. Qantas is working on Project Sunrise, which could see the first direct flights from Sydney to London. Prime Minister Theresa May putting her message across in the House of Commons yesterday Theresa May leaves the House of Commons following the key Brexit votes (Dominic Lipinski/PA) MPs last night dramatically seized control of the Brexit agenda from Prime Minister Theresa May - potentially paving the way for a "softer" deal that keeps the UK closer to Brussels. The Commons voted by 329 to 302 - a majority of 27 - for a cross-party amendment to enable MPs to stage a series of "indicative votes" on alternatives to the Prime Minister's deal. Read More Three pro-EU ministers Richard Harrington, Alistair Burt and Steve Brine quit the Government to vote for the amendment. They were among 30 Tory MPs to support it. Mr Harrington, a business minister, accused the Government of "playing roulette" with the lives and livelihoods of the people of Britain in its handling of Brexit. The Department for Exiting the EU said the vote had set a "dangerous, unpredictable precedent" and called on MPs to show "realism" in deciding what options to support. The result is another humiliation for Mrs May, who earlier warned MPs not to "overturn the balance of our democratic institutions" which means the Government normally controls business of the House. She made clear she would not feel bound by the result of any indicative votes - which could include a "softer" Norway-style deal, or a second referendum. "No Government could give a blank cheque to commit to an outcome without knowing what it is," she said. "So I cannot commit the Government to delivering the outcome of any votes held by this House. But I do commit to engaging constructively with this process." The successful amendment tabled by Tory former minister Sir Oliver Letwin means MPs will take control of the Commons order paper from 2pm tomorrow. Meanwhile, Ulster Unionist leader Robin Swann challenged the DUP to exert greater influence on the Government after the Prime Minister cited Northern Ireland as a reason for delaying Brexit. The DUP accused Mrs May of making "a threadbare and weak excuse" for not departing from the EU on March 29. The party said it was the first time it had heard this argument from the Prime Minister. Blame for any lack of preparation in Northern Ireland for a no-deal Brexit lay solely with her Government, the DUP added. Mrs May earlier told the House of Commons it was necessary to extend the date of the UK leaving the EU because Northern Ireland was unprepared for no deal. With devolution suspended, she said Stormont civil servants didn't have the power to make the necessary decisions. She said a form of direct rule would be needed for Northern Ireland in the event of a no-deal Brexit. "If there is no Stormont government, if powers are needed and ministerial direction is needed which is not available to civil servants currently, it would require some direct application of powers here from Westminster," she said. Mrs May acknowledged there wasn't currently enough support in the Commons for her to bring back her Brexit deal for a third meaningful vote. But she pledged to continue her efforts to build support for the deal and to stage a vote before the end of the week. In a 15-minute conversation earlier yesterday with the Prime Minister, DUP leader Arlene Foster repeated her party's opposition to the Withdrawal Agreement. But UUP leader Robin Swann was highly critical of the DUP's Brexit strategy. "If the DUP are going to continue their confidence-and-supply arrangement with the Conservative Party, then they would need to start having some impact instead of acting as bystanders and wringing their hands when Northern Ireland and our position within the UK are used as a bargaining chip in negotiations," he said. "Their 'strong' words which they trotted out when they signed their pact with the Conservative Party need to be backed up by actions rather than just looking for another pay-out." Responding to Mrs May's statement to MPs, DUP MP Gavin Robinson said: "We want a sensible deal so we can leave the EU in a structured, orderly way. We will continue to work for a better deal which respects the referendum result and protects the Union. "While the Prime Minister blames the lack of a Northern Ireland government for being unable to exit the EU on March 29, this is a threadbare and weak excuse." SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan said: "We've now long since passed the point where any promise of a meaningful decision from this Government became meaningless. "The problem hasn't changed and neither has the solution. MPs must bank the backstop and support the deal. The political circus has to stop." Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy said border communities must not become "collateral damage for British Government policy in Ireland again". He said: "Whether the date shifts or not, we're still a matter of days away from a change in the arrangements that people have become used to over the past 20 years here." Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry said: "Something has to give and if not, the UK will stumble into a catastrophic no-deal situation." The European Council has set a deadline of Friday for the Prime Minister to secure parliamentary approval for her Withdrawal Agreement if the UK is to leave the EU with a deal on May 22. Fergus Ewing said it was a significant day for the South of Scotland (John Paul Photography/PA) Holyrood has backed the principle of a new enterprise agency being set up for the south of Scotland. But while MSPs unanimously supported the legislations needed to create such a body, they called for improvements to be made. Labours Colin Smyth said the proposals would currently leave the new body serving ministers in Edinburgh and not responsible to local people. He added: Thats not acceptable to me and it is not acceptable to the people of the south of Scotland. As the Bill progresses I will table a number of amendments including one to make it a legal requirement for the agency to consult and report on performance with local people. This must be an agency rooted in the south and accountable to communities in the south of Scotland. Our vision is for a body that will drive inclusive growth, increase competitiveness and tackle inequality within the South of ScotlandRural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing He spoke during a debate on the South of Scotland Enterprise Bill, with Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing hailing the approval of its general principles as a significant day for the area. He told MSPs: Our vision is for a body that will drive inclusive growth, increase competitiveness and tackle inequality within the south of Scotland. He added that the Bill set out the overarching strategic aim of the body to further the economic and social development and improve the amenity and environment. Conservative MSP Edward Mountain, the convener of Holyroods Rural Environment and Connectivity Committee agreed action was needed to boost the economy in the area. The new enterprise body will cover both the Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders council areas. Fellow Conservative Finlay Carson said: The region needs a dedicated vehicle that will help to transform growth and help to provide more opportunities. GPs are under threat through new pension legislation, MSPs have warned (Anthony Devlin/PA) Changes to NHS pensions from next week could lead to redundancies and increased difficulty in recruiting and retaining GPs, MSPs have warned. The current employer contribution rate will rise from 14.9% to 20.9% on April 1, following the latest valuation for the pension scheme. MSPs on the Scottish Parliaments Health and Sport Committee warned that the change could have a detrimental effect on GP practices, hospices and charities unless the funding shortfall is met. Labour MSP Dave Stewart told the committee that the change would affect GPs dramatically, through increasing staff costs. This may end up in redundancies in the longer term, he said. It may also affect GP practices who cannot continue, and go back to health boards, which is a worry. Theres a particular issue in rural areas it will affect the recruitment and retention of GPs. Expand Close David Stewart warned that extra funding is needed to cope with the changes (Andrew Cowan/Scottish Parliament/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp David Stewart warned that extra funding is needed to cope with the changes (Andrew Cowan/Scottish Parliament/PA) Mr Stewart highlighted analysis from Childrens Hospices Across Scotland that this will cost them an estimated 350,000 a year equivalent to the salary for nine full-time nurses. He said the UK Government passing on funding to deal with the impact on Scotland through the Barnett formula would allay his concerns. SNP MSP Sandra White said a lot of people are not aware of the change and that it could have really dire affects on front-line services. She said: Its them [the UK Government] that have raised this pension funding, therefore it shouldnt be incumbent upon us, the Scottish Parliament, which doesnt have that power, to make up the shortfall. Committee convener Lewis Macdonald said Public Finance Minister Kate Forbes had written to the committee stating: Failure to fully fund these costs will have a significant and detrimental effect on the delivery of essential front-line services in Scotland. She added: If there is a shortfall in the funding from the UK, the Scottish Government will consider how this shortfall will be met. Mr Macdonald suggested the committee write to Ms Forbes seeking confirmation that come what may, the shortfall will be met and there will not be the impact on GP practices, hospices and others. The committee agreed to write to the minister and also registered no formal objection to change in regulations. Scottish members will be allowed to attend weddings and funerals The Scottish branch of the Orange Order has voted to allow its members to attend services in Catholic Churches. The move will see members allowed to attend weddings, funerals and other services which has proved controversial in the past. It was ratified by the group at a Grand Lodge Meeting last month and has been communicated to the membership of the group. After being contacted by the Belfast Telegraph the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland said it had "no comment" to make on the issue. This is a matter for the Grand Lodge of Scotland," a spokesperson said. The rules of the Orange Order state that members "should not countenance (by your presence or otherwise) any act or ceremony of Popish worship." Orange Order member Simon Hamilton attended the funeral of former deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness at the Long Tower Chapel in Londonderry in 2017. He faced no sanction for his attendance. Mr Hamilton accompanied DUP leader Arlene Foster to the funeral, Mrs Foster led an Orange Order parade in Fife last June. In 2011 then UUP leader Tom Elliot and MLA Danny Kennedy, both Orangemen, underwent disciplinary proceedings for attending the funeral of murdered PSNI officer Ronan Kerr. The way copyright works online across the EU is to change after the European Parliament approved reforms designed to reflect the digital age. Supporters and opponents across the political, celebrity and public spectrum have been undecided about the best way to protect the work of creatives, musicians and journalists online in the face of heightened competition with tech giants. After years of debates and amendments, MEPs voted in favour of the controversial reforms. But what do they mean for the internet? Will I still be able to upload content online? Expand Close (Nick Ansell/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (Nick Ansell/PA) People will still be able to upload content, though users might see tech giants such as YouTube and Facebook increasing the amount they remove if materials contain any copyrighted work. Tech companies already remove music and videos that are copyrighted for example, YouTube scans uploads and matches them up to a database of files submitted by content owners, giving the original creator of that work the option to block, monetise or simply track it. Under Article 11 and Article 13 of the reforms, tech companies will be more liable for any copyrighted content uploaded on to their platforms, while creators will have more power to negotiate better remuneration deals for the use of their works. Why are the tech giants against the move? Expand Close (Nick Ansell/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (Nick Ansell/PA) The companies affected by the changes argue the reforms are unrealistic and existing systems already pay artists fairly. YouTube in particular has warned EU-based users could be cut off entirely from videos. Why are other people against the reforms? Not only have the tech giants themselves come out against the copyright changes, members of the public and politicians are concerned it could have an impact on freedom of speech and expression. What does it mean for news online? Expand Close (Philip Toscano/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (Philip Toscano/PA) Article 11 relates more specifically to the sharing of news articles. With news shared widely on social network platforms, it is increasingly difficult for news organisations to continue funding quality journalism. The inclusion of news agencies in the text of the directive can also be interpreted as a recognition of the quality of our work and of the importance that news agency journalism has, especially for safeguarding European media as a whole, as European news agencies are the main providers of quality news to most of the other media organisations in Europe, said Alexandru Giboi, secretary-general of the EANA (European Alliance of News Agencies). The likes of Google News and Facebook will still be able show snippets of news articles. Non-commercial encyclopaedias like Wikipedia have also been made exempt. Will I still be able to share memes and GIFs? Memes and GIFs were feared as a possible victim of the new copyright rules, given they largely depend on scenes from television and movies, but tweaks made earlier this year specifically made memes and GIFs safe for purposes of quotation, criticism, review, caricature, parody and pastiche. When will it come into force? EU member states will have two years to implement the new rules. Will it come into force in the UK? The UK will essentially be able to decide if it wants to implement the new rules as well but its not clear what it will choose to do in face of Brexit uncertainty. Whether the UK leaves Europe with or without a deal, its hard to see that it would not follow Europes lead on this, whatever the respective outcomes of the EU vote tomorrow and Brexit, said Raffaella De Santis, associate at law firm Harbottle & Lewis. What the papers say March 25 (PA) Another significant day for Brexit leads the majority of the papers on Tuesday. The Times reports that Parliament seized control of Brexit after a Commons vote, with three government ministers resigning as they joined 29 Tory MPs defying a three-line whip to defeat the Government. The Times 26/3/2019 Theresa May told MP's that if they took control of Brexit they would "overturn the balance of our democratic institutions". Photo : Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament#thetimes #tomorrowspaperstoday #theresamay @thetimes pic.twitter.com/j01IA8tSnO The Times Pictures (@TimesPictures) March 25, 2019 The Daily Telegraph says Theresa May has been left powerless after MPs backed the plan to hold votes on alternatives to her deal. The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph 'MPs vote to take control' #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/jTwVSZN7oj The Telegraph (@Telegraph) March 25, 2019 The i calls it yet another humiliation for the Prime Minister, while the Daily Express says Mrs May was warned that triggering a general election might be the only way to end the Brexit deadlock. The Guardian reports that the PM had earlier announced she did not have the support to justify holding a third meaningful vote on her deal. Guardian front page, Tuesday 26 March 2019: MPs vote to seize control of Brexit from May pic.twitter.com/w1sQZHer6J The Guardian (@guardian) March 25, 2019 Mrs May has admitted Britain could be heading for a slow Brexit after Tory Eurosceptics refused again to back her plan, the Financial Times reports. Just published: front page of the Financial Times, UK edition, Tuesday 26 March https://t.co/O2raH0Wm7S pic.twitter.com/wstrO1lDP0 Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) March 25, 2019 The Metro runs with the headline: Stuck in the muddle with EU, while The Sun claims Mrs May is in a Mexican stand-off with Brexiteers after she hinted at quitting in exchange for MPs passing her deal. The Daily Mail questions whether Britain could be facing a general election after ministers suggested the chaos over Brexit could see it happening within weeks. In other news, the Daily Mirror reports that energy firms are holding 909 million of customers cash after a mild winter left many in credit. And the Daily Star claims killer hornets are set to invade Britain as temperatures rise. Nasas first ever all-female spacewalk will no longer go ahead as planned because of a late change to one of the astronauts spacesuit size requirements. Astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch were originally due to take part in the historic moment on Friday, but the space agency has announced that male astronaut Nick Hague will now go instead of McClain. Weve seen your tweets about spacesuit availability for Fridays spacewalk. To clarify, we have more than 1 medium size spacesuit torso aboard, but to stay on schedule with @Space_Station upgrades, its safer & faster to change spacewalker assignments than reconfigure spacesuits. pic.twitter.com/tPisBHaF2p NASA (@NASA) March 26, 2019 The American space agency said that McClain originally thought a large-sized spacesuit would be fit for purpose, but following a spacewalk last week decided that a medium would be safer. There is more than one medium size spacesuit torso on board the International Space Station, Nasa explained, but it would not be able to make it available in time. It was therefore deemed safer and faster to change spacewalker assignments instead of reconfiguring spacesuits. We have another medium size spacesuit segment on the station, Nasa spokeswoman, Stephanie Schierholz, said. Anne trained in M and L and thought she could use a large but decided after Fridays spacewalk a medium fits better. In this case, its easier (and faster!) to change spacewalkers than reconfigure the spacesuit. Some more shots of the #spacewalk on Friday was privileged to work with my friend and colleague @NASA_Astronauts @AstroHague pic.twitter.com/KueUo7HXFm Anne McClain (@AstroAnnimal) March 25, 2019 To date, spacewalks have all been entirely male-led or a mix of male and females, but never all-female. Many took to social media to express their disappointment, while others agreed that safety should come first and shared hopes of an all-female spacewalk being rescheduled in the not so distant future. The space agency has not stated when it will try again to make an all-female spacewalk happen. A view of the White Cliffs of Dover in, Dover, Kent (Gareth Fuller/PA) The European Parliaments top Brexit official has said that we see for the moment a real Brexit revolt in the United Kingdom, with over five million people signing an online petition to revoke Britains decision to leave the EU and a million taking to the streets to stay in the EU. Guy Verhofstadt said he felt especially encouraged by the vote in the House of Commons seizing more control over the stalled Brexit process. That has set up a series of votes this week that could dramatically alter the course of the UKs departure. Mr Verhofstadt said: It is possible now to work in Britain toward a cross-party alliance. He added: I hope it will lead to a proposal that can be backed by a majority (in Westminster). Ethiopian Airlines' chief executive has said the pilots who flew the plane that crashed on March 10 had trained on "all appropriate simulators", rejecting reports that they had not been adequately prepared to handle the new aircraft. Tewolde Gebremariam said the airline owns simulators to help pilots train on the Boeing 737 Max, which has software that requires new training. The software can pitch the plane's nose down in some cases to keep it from stalling. There is speculation that the software could have contributed to the crash, which killed 157 people, as well as to the crash of another Boeing 737 Max, a Lion Air flight, in October. Regulators say both planes had similar erratic flight paths shortly after take-off, an important part of their decision to ground the roughly 370 Max planes around the world. After the Lion Air crash off the coast of Indonesia, the US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing issued new training material for pilots. But questions remained over whether the training was sufficient and if airlines like Ethiopian had access to simulators to give pilots thorough experience handling the software. Mr Gebremariam said Ethiopian Airlines owns and operates a Boeing 737 Max simulator. "Contrary to some media reports, our pilots who fly the new model were trained on all appropriate simulators," Mr Gebremariam said. "The crews were well trained on this aircraft." The chief executive had said he thinks the warnings and extra training material from Boeing and US regulators "might not have been enough". Ethiopian Airlines is widely seen as Africa's best-managed airline. It had been using five of the Max planes and was awaiting delivery of 25 more. Boeing is updating the plane's anti-stall software and has invited more than 200 pilots, technical experts and regulators to its factory in Renton, Washington, for a briefing. The Federal Aviation Administration expects Boeing's update this week. As part of the update, Boeing said it is tweaking the anti-stall software so the system will rely on data from more than one sensor before it automatically pushes the plane's nose lower. The system will not repeatedly push the nose down, and it will reduce the magnitude of the change. The maker of OxyContin has reached a settlement with the US state of Oklahoma over the prescription painkillers role in the nations deadly opioid crisis, officials have said. Oklahomas attorney general scheduled an afternoon news conference to announce the terms of the agreement with Purdue Pharma. The giant has made billions of dollars from OxyContin but has been hit with over 1,000 lawsuits from state and local governments trying to hold the company responsible for the scourge of addiction. The move comes after the Sackler Trust, which has donated millions to science, healthcare, education and the arts, announced it was pausing all new giving. It is run by the Sackler family, members of which control Purdue Pharma. The Sackler family is responsible for 75 million US dollars (56.7 million) of the 270 million dollar (204 million) settlement, according to a person familiar with the agreement. Expand Close Pill bottles left in protest outside the headquarters of Purdue Pharma (Jessica Hill/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Pill bottles left in protest outside the headquarters of Purdue Pharma (Jessica Hill/AP) Prescription opioids like OxyContin were a factor in a record 48,000 deaths across the US in 2017, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Purdue Pharma has settled other lawsuits over the years, and three executives pleaded guilty to criminal charges in 2007. But this is the first settlement to come out of the current coast-to-coast wave of litigation that focuses mostly on the companys more recent conduct and threatens to push it into bankruptcy. The agreement was announced after the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Monday denied a request from drugmakers to postpone the start of the states trial in May. Sandy Coats, a lawyer for Stamford, Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma, did not immediately return a call seeking comment. A lawyer suing Purdue on behalf of local governments across the country welcomed the settlement. That suggests that Purdue is serious about trying to deal with the problem, said Paul Hanly, who is not involved in the Oklahoma case but is representing scores of other governments. Expand Close Dame Theresa Sackler (Philip Toscano/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dame Theresa Sackler (Philip Toscano/PA) Hopefully, this is the first of many. But Cheryl Juaire, whose 23-year-old son Corey died of an overdose in 2011, said she was devastated to hear about the settlement. She had been organising a group of hundreds of mothers to go to the first day of the trial and stand outside with photos of their dead children. Ms Juaire, from Massachusetts, said a complete airing of the facts is the only way to fully hold Purdue to account. They cant settle, she said. That would be a huge disservice to the tens of thousands of families here in the United States who buried a child. Thats blood money from our children. Oklahoma sued 13 opioid manufacturers in all in 2017, accusing them of fraudulent marketing that led to thousands of overdoses and deaths. State officials have said that since 2009, more Oklahomans have died from opioids than in vehicle crashes. The 12 remaining defendants still face trial. It would be the first of the current round of lawsuits brought against the industry in the US to go to trial. Purdue Pharma introduced OxyContin more than 20 years ago and marketed the powerful painkiller aggressively to doctors. Experts say those tactics contributed to overuse and abuse. As the accusations have mounted, the Sackler family that controls Purdue Pharma has faced personal lawsuits and growing public pressure. We support the Prescription Drug Safety Network @rxdrugsafety s innovative approach to driving measurable improvements in knowledge gain and self-reported confidence related to #prescription drug safety. #preventioneducation. Learn more, https://t.co/zTBzF6WIrM pic.twitter.com/9YpdNoESMP Purdue Pharma L.P. (@purduepharma) March 22, 2019 A Massachusetts court filing made public earlier this year found that family members were paid at least four billion US dollars from 2007 until last year. The Sacklers are major philanthropists around the world, and the family name is emblazoned on the walls at many of the worlds great museums and universities. But in the past few weeks, the Tate museums in London and the Guggenheim Museum in New York have cut ties with the family, and other institutions have come under pressure to turn down donations or remove the Sackler name. This month, Purdue Pharma officials acknowledged that are considering filing for bankruptcy because of the crush of lawsuits. More than 1,400 federal court cases against pharmaceutical companies have been consolidated in front of a single judge in Cleveland who is pushing the drugmakers and distributors to settle with state and local governments. The pregnant mother of one of the teenagers who lost their lives in a "crush" outside a disco on St Patrick's Day still "doesn't believe that he's gone". His father says the family are "devastated and broken". Morgan Barnard (17), Lauren Bullock (17) and Connor Currie (16) died in the unexpected events at the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown, Co Tyrone, that Sunday night. Morgan's father, James, says he and Morgan's mother, who is 18 weeks pregnant, are "struggling to come to terms" with his death. "I'm not sure how we'll get through, hour by hour, day by day. Maria, me, the family, we're devastated, broken. She has chosen not to believe it at the moment." Read More There's a natural order to things: we are born, we grow, we get old and we die. At least, that's the way it is supposed to be. Often, though, fate, and unexpectedly with cruelty, intervenes. When that happens, we call it a tragedy, from the Greek 'tragoidia', referring to a drama based on human suffering. Most of us have, or will, over the course of a lifetime, lose loved ones. In general, the old go first - a parent, an aged aunt, a favourite uncle. And, generally, in the scheme of things, they depart from us one at a time. Expand Close Morgan Barnard Photopress / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Morgan Barnard When fate steps in and changes the order of things, through illness, a wanton act, or a freak - inexplicable almost - incident like at Cookstown and snatches loved ones from under our watch, tragedy takes on a colossal heartbreaking guise. Expressions like "devastated", "broken", "can't believe it" are natural and understandable reactions. Inevitable, even. When such tragedy occurs, the loss is devastating to loved ones left behind but, sometimes, too, a collective numbness can set in and desensitise the rest of us to the pain of those left to pick up the pieces. It is, perhaps, a coping mechanism of sorts. Having said that, there can be few on this island who have not felt for what was visited upon the parents, families and friends of the three young people from Co Tyrone. It's every parent's unuttered nightmare - the thought that your child might die before you. They're young, they're healthy, with their whole life seemingly before them and, then, in an instant - that moment in Cookstown on St Patrick's night - death snatches them from you. My father once told me that worry was not an emotion that a parent could control. That whether your kids were five or 50, you worried about them from the day they were born until, well, hopefully and statistically, the day you died and they moved centre-stage. Expand Close Connor Currie Photopress / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Connor Currie Will they get over the chickenpox? Where are they at 3am? Or, later still, you hope that job/mortgage/spouse-to-be works out for them. That and a million other silly things. It's called being a parent. A million other silly thoughts no longer in the future for the parents of the Tyrone teenagers. For the young, the world is their oyster: first loves, school pals, dances on St Patrick's night and maybe that drink or two. And, because the world these days seems a smaller place, parents are lulled into a false sense of security about their children's safety. They are, after all, just a mobile phone call away. And so they go, to that dance, or whatever, but parents still worry. And the wretched sadness and sense of despair, the future that is denied those families in Tyrone only, again, reinforces in every parent that innate worry. As family, we breakfast of a morning and go our separate ways, to school, or work, and instinctively expect to gather round the home hearth come close of day. It should have been so for the families of Morgan, Lauren and Connor, and not end in tragedy. If our young are intent on going to that party, or teenage dance, or whatever good and decent thing they wish to collectively do, then go they must. But it only takes a step onto an unfamiliar roadway, or a crush from a heaving queue of energetic young people, to make it all go horribly wrong. Something the parents of those three young people learnt last week. And something they are going to have to learn to live with for the rest of their days - facing their grief relatively alone, into a future that now seems so much more uncertain and unsafe. Cruel, even. Paul Hopkins is a writer and commentator More than 1bn is needed to upgrade Northern Ireland's road network to an acceptable standard, a report warns today Road maintenance is simultaneously the least prestigious and most important element of our road network. While new roads are desirable, it is also essential to keep what we have in working order. Read More Today's report highlights that we need to spend 143m per year just to keep the existing road network in the same state, yet in the past few years we have spent only 92m. This means that a maintenance backlog is developing, which now stands at 1.2bn. To put this in perspective, that is the same as the cost to upgrade the entire A5 from Derry to Aughnacloy to dual carriageway. For politicians seeking to win votes, it is tempting to scrimp on maintenance to fund new roads. But there is only so long that this can be done, and we are now reaping the consequences. With limited funds the Department for Infrastructure has, understandably, focused efforts on resurfacing our motorways and A-class roads which carry the most traffic. However, this means that our rural road network - which constitutes over three-quarters of our 25,000 km of roads - is increasingly being neglected. It is primarily here that we are seeing more and more potholes as road surfaces age, crack and eventually crumble into potholes, leading to damaged vehicles and even crashes. Most drivers have had the experience of having to avoid a pothole in the road, but unless politicians - or, in their absence, civil servants - focus a higher percentage of their funds onto road maintenance, it is only going to get worse. Wesley Johnston is a commentator on Northern Ireland roads and motorways Fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces hold their rifles while standing in formation as authorities announce the end of Islamic State's last stronghold in Syria, March 23, 2019. Bangladesh will bar citizens who left to join the Islamic State in Syria, authorities told BenarNews on Tuesday, as Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines took divergent steps in preparation for the possible return of their nationals after U.S.-backed forces demolished the extremist groups last territorial pocket over the weekend. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by U.S. airstrikes, announced on Saturday that they had captured the last IS stronghold in eastern Syrias Deir Ezzor province and arrested almost 800 foreign fighters, including an unspecified number of Bangladeshis. If any suspect, in some ways, manages to arrive, we will arrest them and try them in accordance with law. We will not allow any terrorists to come to Bangladesh, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told BenarNews, when asked about the governments policy in case any Bangladeshi who fought for IS tried to return home. The United States and other countries have largely refused to reclaim their nationals. During the past two weeks, thousands of people fled Deir Ezzor, on the west bank of the Euphrates River, according to an SDF spokesman. Dhaka authorities have not determined exactly how many Bangladeshis left the country to join the militants who rampaged across Syria and Iraq and seized territory in 2014. But Khan said suspected IS fighters or supporters would be taken into custody if they landed at any airport in Bangladesh. We have instructed the airports to remain alert for them, he said. Hundreds from South, Southeast Asia According to the United Nations, more than 40,000 foreign fighters from 110 countries might have travelled to join terror groups in Syria and Iraq. That figure includes 800 from Indonesia, 154 from Malaysia, 100 from the Philippines and 40 Bangladeshis, according to a July 2018 report from the International Center for the Study of Radicalization (ICSR) at Kings College in London. Meanwhile, a Malaysian security official who requested anonymity said Kuala Lumpur would expedite its efforts to repatriate 23 Malaysians who had sought help to return home. We are still in negotiation with several parties to bring them home, the source told BenarNews in a phone interview, referring to the suspected militants. Efforts are still ongoing and there are many procedures we have to follow and go through because their passports were destroyed because of the war. He said 51 Malaysians, including 17 children, were still believed to be in a Syrian prison manned by Kurdish forces. Malaysia will bring them home on a few conditions, he said. Nationals returning from Syria or Iraq would be assessed on a case-by-case basis to evaluate the degree to which each one was involved in IS, and action would be taken accordingly, Malaysian police counter-terrorist chief Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay told BenarNews last month. Returnees, he said, would not be automatically jailed. If they are not arrested, they will still need to undergo a de-radicalization program that is run by us before they are released back into society. Apart from that, we will continue to keep contact with them (returnees), Ayob said. As many as 102 Malaysians have ventured to Syria and Iraq since 2013 in hopes of joining IS, but 40 have been killed in combat or other circumstances, including nine in suicide bombings, and 11 have since returned home, Malaysian police officials had told BenarNews previously. On Monday, Indonesias national police spokesman, Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo, told reporters in Jakarta that the elite police anti-terrorism unit Densus 88 would continue hunting suspected terrorists and monitoring terror cells in the country despite ISs defeat in Syria. Densus 88 are also still profiling and implementing mitigation efforts by implementing preventive strikes to anticipate lone-wolf terror attacks, Dedi said. Last year, Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu told BenarNews in an interview in Washington that some 700 Indonesians had joined IS. At its height in 2014, the Islamic State, also known by other acronyms such as ISIS or ISIL, controlled Raqqa and Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city, and considered large tracts of land on both sides of the border among its important bastions. IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who claimed to be the successor to the caliphs, the Islamic emperors who ruled the region in past centuries, declared the establishment of an Islamic caliphate in Mosul and persuaded thousands of Muslims around the world, including Bangladeshis, Malaysians and Indonesians, to travel to the region and fight. In August 2017, 18 Indonesians who admitted to having joined IS in Syria were placed in police custody after returning to their homeland, officials said. Col. Gerry Besana, spokesman of the Philippine militarys Southern Command, told BenarNews in a recent interview that security systems had been set in place that would make it difficult for Filipino fighters to return home. He said at least two Filipinos Mohammed Reza Kiram and his wife, Ellen Barriga, a Muslim convert were believed to have joined IS in Syria in 2015. We are worried more of the local fighters trained in a foreign land, he said. In May 2017, another militant faction headed by Isnilon Hapilon, the acknowledged IS leader in Southeast Asia, took over southern Marawi city and engaged government forces in a five-month battle that killed 1,200 people, most of them militants. Hapilon, who was backed by foreign fights, was among those who were killed. Suspected pro-IS militants also killed 23 people in a bomb attack at a southern Philippine church last January, authorities said. Bangladeshi origin not same as Bangladesh citizen Khan, the Bangladeshi home minister, emphasized that many of the IS fighters who had been identified in the international media as Bangladeshis turned out to be non-citizens, even though they were of Bangladeshi origin. They will not be allowed in Bangladesh, he said. For instance, he said, Shamima Begum, who grabbed headlines after she fled her east London family for Syria in 2015 when she was 15 and married an IS fighter, was confirmed to be a British citizen of Bangladeshi origin. She never even visited Bangladesh. She is not our citizen, Khan said. Bangladeshi officials dealing with counter-terrorism often decline to talk on record about IS. But an official with the national polices counter-terrorist and transnational crimes unit told BenarNews that around 40 Bangladeshi youths had gone to Syria and Iraq to fight for IS. The government never admitted the militant groups presence in Bangladesh even after militants had claimed responsibility for a massacre at a Dhaka cafe in July 2016 the deadliest terror attack in the nations history. Twenty hostages, two policemen and two cafe workers were killed in the overnight siege along with the five militants. In an interview with the Bengali newspaper Prothom Alo, Monirul Islam, the police counterterrorist chief, said Bangladeshis who went to Syria-Iraq to fight for IS did not keep Bangladeshi passports or any travel documents. Some of those who travelled to Syria have been trying to return home. Their photographs and other relevant data have been sent to the airports, Islam said. We have instructed to ensure that they must not avoid arrest. Bangladeshi physician Rokonuddin Khandker and his wife, Nayeema Akter, and their daughters Ramita Rokon and Rezwana Rokon and son-in-law Saad Kayes have been trying to come back, counter-terrorism officials told BenarNews. They said dentist Arafat Rahman Tushar and siblings Ibrahim Hasan Khan and Junaid Hasan Khan, who allegedly went to Syria in 2015 and fought for IS, have also been trying to return. Law-enforcement officials believe that IS fighters would pose security threats in Bangladesh by joining forces with local militant groups. Bangladeshis returning from the Syrian battlefields must be questioned extensively, Brig. Gen. Sakhawat Hossain, a security analyst, told BenarNews. They must be separated from the ordinary prisoners inside the jails, he said. We need to know what inspired them to fight for the IS. Kabul For decades it seemed inconceivable that these talks would actually take place. But peace negotiations and talks on American troop withdrawal between the US and the Afghan Taliban have begun months ago. The Afghan government, however, has not yet been included. BILD asked Minister of Foreign Affairs Salahuddin Rabbani (47): What is going to happen to womens rights in your country when the Taliban returns? Rabbani: Womens rights in our country are the absolute red line! There wont be any restrictions for girls who are going to school. We are not going to sacrifice what we have built in the past 18 years. BILD: German soldiers have fought against the Taliban. Did they die in vain considering that radicals are about to regain power? Rabbani: We hold the highest respect for the victims of our German friends. The 56 German soldiers who have died here have paid the ultimate sacrifice to establish peace and stability in Afghanistan. The final goal of these soldiers, of these German sons, who came to Afghanistan and stayed here, was their quest for peace and stability. My message to the German mothers and fathers who have lost their sons and daughters is that it is because of them that we now have peace and stability in our country. BILD: You are taking considerable risks in negotiating with the Taliban. How do you know that ultimately there wont be another reign of terror? Rabbani: My father sacrificed his life for freedom in this country when he negotiated with the Taliban. Everybody knows that. Our position is clear. Thats why we are saying that we have to work if we want to make peace. There is no other path than negotiations to end this conflict and these problems. However, it has to be clear that when we talk about peace it doesnt mean that we are capitulating. We are not talking about restoring the Taliban reign in this country. That is not the case. We dont just have a single party or group in Afghanistan, we have many. It is important to them that the peace process doesnt end up in a new emirate as it was founded in 1996. BILD: What about the many Afghan refugees that are fleeing to Germany? Rabbani: The Afghans who are fleeing the country are fleeing from insecurity and lack of jobs. It has created an environment in which many feel that they will find a better job and a better life elsewhere. That is why they are leaving their homes and their country. But if we establish peace and stability and create opportunities for investment from other countries, people wont find it necessary to leave Afghanistan. They will stay. Hence, the peace process is very important. Lesen Sie auch Afghanistan's Ashraf Ghani Germany cannot become a fortress He governs a country where there are attacks almost every day and from which hundreds of thousands of people have fled to Germany. BILD: So how do you deal with the fact that the Afghan government is NOT involved in the peace process? Instead the Taliban is negotiating with a US representative. Rabbani: We appreciate very much what the US is doing in Afghanistan. They have paid with their blood and wealth for the past 18 years. They sacrificed their sons in Afghanistan. We honor that and we are grateful. Of course, they are also economically active. They provide aid and support for our national defence and security forces. The entire international community contributed to these achievements, but the United States were at the forefront of these efforts. We very much appreciate the efforts made by the US. One of the things they made clear to us is that there wont be an agreement without the Afghan government. When it comes to a final decision, the Taliban and the Afghan government will get together on this matter. BILD: What could Germany do to help? Rabbani: Germany is prepared as Minister Maas has made clear to host peace talks, in form of a third Bonn Conference. The Afghan government appreciates that. When the time comes, we will reach out to our German friends. BILD: Are you also considering peace talks with the Taliban in Germany? Rabbani: The willingness to host a third Bonn Conference has clearly been made. I am sure that Germany would considere it, if we were to request direct peace talks. Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, my coming interviews with former President Donald Trump Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices For Immediate Release, March 26, 2019 Contact: Lori Ann Burd, (971) 717-6405, laburd@biologicaldiversity.org Document Shows Trump Administration Has Known Since 2017 That Chlorpyrifos Jeopardizes Existence of 1,399 Endangered Species WASHINGTON Top officials at the Department of the Interior, including Acting Secretary David Bernhardt, have known since October 2017 that the insecticide chlorpyrifos jeopardizes the existence of 1,399 protected species. The Trump administrations efforts to undermine those findings highlighted today in a New York Times investigation were revealed in a document obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity through the Freedom of Information Act. The determination, by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service scientists, that the insecticide jeopardizes 1,399 plants and animals on the endangered species list has prompted no action by the Trump administration to curb its use. Instead, at the request of pesticide companies, the administration has worked to undercut the findings of government scientists and delay all further efforts to assess and reduce the impacts of pesticides on endangered species. It's outrageous that Trump, Bernhardt and the industry hacks inhabiting this administration are speeding the extinction of nearly 1,400 endangered species by refusing to take any action on chlorpyrifos, said Lori Ann Burd, environmental health director at the Center. If political appointees weren't stopping the government's own scientists from doing their jobs, this brain-damaging, wildlife-killing horror of a pesticide would already be banned. Shortly after Trump was elected, former EPA administrator Scott Pruitt reversed the work of career scientists who were implementing a planned ban on chlorpyrifos, which scientific research has shown harms brain development in children. But the document obtained by the Center reveals for the first time the full extent of chlorpyrifos' harm to the nation's most endangered species. The scientists' draft biological opinion, which contains a full analysis of the pesticide's harm, is summarized in the document. That draft opinion the culmination of four years of analysis was completed by the Fish and Wildlife Service in 2017. But it was never released to the public, and its release has since been indefinitely delayed by Trump administration officials. The summary document shows that in the biological opinion, expert wildlife scientists found that the existence of 1,399 protected plants and animals is being jeopardized by chlorpyrifos. The opinion also found that another organophosphate pesticide, malathion, is jeopardizing 1,284 species, and a third, diazinon, is jeopardizing 175 species The jeopardy determinations raise serious alarms about the loss of pollinators and the consequences to endangered plants resulting from the use of the three insecticides. Plants make up more than 50 percent of all endangered species, and the overwhelming majority of endangered plants are dependent on insect pollinators to reproduce. Because the EPA allows the use of these three insecticides virtually anywhere, the harm to plants is widespread. Even as more and more studies point to pesticides as the leading cause of disturbing drops in insect populations, the Trump administration is only concerned about protecting pesticide company profits, said Burd, who sits on the EPA's pesticide program federal advisory committee. This administration's shameful political meddling in scientific assessments demands an independent investigation by the Department of the Interior's inspector general and makes it clearer than ever that David Bernhardt's not fit to lead the agency. Calendars obtained by the Center indicate that on Oct. 25, 2017, Bernhardt was scheduled to be briefed by career staff at the Fish and Wildlife Service and shown a PowerPoint containing the findings of the pesticides' widespread harms to endangered plants and animals. Bernhardt had two additional meetings with Fish and Wildlife on Oct. 26; another on Oct. 27; and then two more meetings with the agency the following week, according to calendars of Gary Frazer, the Service's assistant director for endangered species, obtained by the Center. It was highly unusual for Bernhardt to have six meetings with Fish and Wildlife in a week, but he was on a mission to kill these scientific assessments once he saw the facts about how chlorpyrifos use is a death sentence for endangered species, said Burd. "This is how Bernhardt operates. In the shadows, with little regard for what the law or science requires. Background The Fish and Wildlife Service biological opinion was required as part of a legal settlement with the Center for Biological Diversity. In that settlement the agency agreed to assess by Dec. 31, 2017 the harms the three widely used pesticides pose to endangered plants and animals, as required by the Endangered Species Act. The assessments were on track to be completed and released to the public in 2017. But shortly after contributing $1 million to President Trump's inauguration, Dow Chemical, the maker of chlorpyrifos, directly requested that the assessments be scuttled. In May 2017 the Service announced that the draft biological opinion assessing the three pesticides harms was nearly complete and would be ready for public comment within months. As Fish and Wildlife Service career staffers were preparing to make the biological opinion available for public comment, on Oct. 25, 2017 they briefed Trump's political appointees, including Bernhardt and Fish and Wildlifes acting director Greg Sheehan, on the result of the agency's nearly four years of rigorous scientific review. After that meeting the consultation process halted, just as Dow had requested. The draft biological opinion was not released for public comment as promised. Despite missing the deadline in the Center's settlement, the completion of the biological opinion has been postponed until at least 2021. Other public documents previously obtained by the Center through the Freedom of Information Act showed that the draft biological opinion outlining the harm of the three pesticides was completed in 2017. This new document summarizes the sweeping extent of the harm that the three pesticides pose to hundreds of endangered species. In addition, the National Marine Fisheries Service found in December 2017 that chlorpyrifos jeopardizes the continued existence of southern resident killer whales and 37 species of salmon, sturgeon and steelhead. But the EPA has refused to take any protective action. For Immediate Release, March 26, 2019 Contacts: Randi Spivak, Center for Biological Diversity, (310) 779-4894, rspivak@biologicaldiversity.org Martin Hayden, Earthjustice, (202) 745-5218, mhayden@earthjustice.org Leta Huta, Endangered Species Coalition, (202) 320-6467, lhuta@endangered.org John Bowman, Natural Resources Defense Council, (202)289-2349, Jbowman@nrdc.org Nicole Ghio, Friends of the Earth, (510) 900-8061, nghio@foe.org More Than 160 Groups Urge Senate to Reject Bernhardt for Top Interior Post WASHINGTON More than 160 conservation groups sent a letter to U.S. senators today urging them to oppose the nomination of fossil fuel lobbyist David Bernhardt as Interior secretary, citing his efforts to enrich corporations at the expense of the environment. Bernhardt's confirmation hearing is set for Thursday before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. He consistently puts private profit above the public interest, crafting policies to benefit past clients and rolling back longstanding rules to protect habitat, imperiled species and public health, the letter says. David Bernhardts conflicts of interest, industry ties and questionable judgment make him ill-suited to lead the Department, and his confirmation would place our most cherished natural and cultural resources at even greater risk. Bernhardt has already shown us that hes the most dangerous person to be in charge of our public lands and endangered species, said Randi Spivak, public lands director at the Center for Biological Diversity. He puts industry profits before public interest and the environment every single time. If Bernhardt is confirmed, his contempt for our natural world will become even more entrenched in the Interior Department. Any senator who votes to confirm him will be culpable. Bernhardts list of former clients includes Eni Petroleum, Noble Energy, National Ocean Industries Association, Cadiz, Inc. and Haliburton Energy Services the same industries hes charged with regulating. Bernhardt has played a key role in rolling back protections for endangered species, migratory birds and sage grouse. Hes working to open the nations coasts to oil drilling and is greatly expanding fracking on public lands. The Trump administrations dirty industry favor factory is working harder than ever with the nomination of David Bernhardt, said Martin Hayden, vice president of policy and legislation at Earthjustice. As a lobbyist, Bernhardts client roster reads like a whos who of the worst corporate polluters in the United States, from Taylor Energy to Halliburton. The Senate should reject this industry-sponsored hack and send him out through the revolving door of Washington for the last time. To confirm Bernhardt is to hand over the future of our public lands, wildlife, waters and everything they support to a man who made his living for decades attacking all of that to benefit the biggest industrial polluters on the planet. His sorry record in protecting Americas natural resources, wildlife and waters makes Bernhardt uniquely unfit for the job, and lawmakers should reject his nomination, said John Bowman, managing director of government affairs at the Natural Resources Defense Council. David Bernhardt is a prime example of the culture of special-interest, big-money, influence peddling surrounding this administration, said Leda Huta, executive director of the Endangered Species Coalition. If we are serious about protecting and stewarding our nations wildlife and public lands, then the Senate needs to reject Bernhardt. David Bernhardt is a fossil fuel industry hack who spent his career protecting corporate polluters, said Nicole Ghio, fossil fuels program manager for Friends of the Earth. His industry conflicts of interest make him absolutely unfit to lead the Department of the Interior. The Senate must reject Bernhardts nomination to protect our public health and public lands. State security last week arrested documentary filmmaker Zenzele Ndebele and charged him with "possession of offensive weapons at public gatherings", under Section 43 of Zimbabwe's Criminal Law Code, according to his lawyers and news reports. A woman walks in front of a picture of President Emmerson Mnangagwa in Bulawayo, in June 2018. Authorities in the Zimbabwean city detained documentary filmmaker Zenzele Ndebele on March 21. Credit: CPJ/AFP/Zinyange Auntony. Security officers found a used tear gas canister in the journalist's car when he arrived for a meeting between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and civil society organisations at State House in Bulawayo, his lawyers Nqobani Sithole and Lewis Maunze, told CPJ.Ndebele told the security officers that he had picked up the canister at a protest and forgotten about it, Maunze said.Ndebele's home and office were raided and he was held in custody at the central police station until a scheduled court appearance, Maunze said. Ndebele's camera operator, Sautsani Ali, was also detained but has since been released, according to the Zimbabwean chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)."We urge Zimbabwean authorities to release Zenzele Ndebele immediately and to drop the ridiculous charge against him," said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Angela Quintal. "His arrest smacks of retaliation for his past work, and makes a mockery of the very idea of dialogue between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and civil society."Police questioned Ndebele in September about his documentary Gukurahundi Genocide: 36 years later, on a massacre by the army of thousands of civilians in the 1980s, according to news reports and a statement at the time by MISA-Zimbabwe. Ndebele told CPJ at the time that he had received death threats.If found guilty, Ndebele could face up to five years in prison or a fine of US$2,000, according to a MISA-Zimbabwe tweet Authorities in Ghana should hold to account the police officers responsible for beating journalist Malik Sullemana, ensure a thorough investigation into their actions, and protect the safety of the press during interactions with police, the Committee to Protect Journalists said. Police officers are seen in Ghana's capital, Accra, on March 28, 2018. Several officers were recently suspended in Accra after allegedly assaulting reporters from the local Ghanaian Times. Credit: CPJ/Francis Kokoroko/Reuters. Sullemana, a court reporter and investigative journalist with the state-owned Ghanaian Times newspaper, was beaten by police officers in Accra and then arrested following a traffic incident in the morning of March 14, the journalist told CPJ. Sullemana said he was beaten again at the police station before being permitted to leave and seek medical attention later that day.Sullemana and his colleagues who were also at the scene, reporters Salifu Abdul Rahman and Raissa Sambou Ebu, told CPJ that while they do not think they were targeted for their profession during the initial traffic incident, they believe the officers treated them more harshly because they were journalists.The incident came nearly one year after journalist Latif Iddrisu was attacked by officers in an Accra police station in the course of reporting, as CPJ reported at the time."There is absolutely no reason for police in Ghana to have assaulted journalist Malik Sullemana, and those involved should be held accountable," Angela Quintal, CPJ Africa Program Coordinator, said from New York. "This attack, and at least one other like it, indicate that some police officers in Ghana not only disregard journalist safety but are actively hostile and violent to the media, which is unacceptable."According to Sullemana, the altercation began when a police officer on a motorcycle collided with the Ghanaian Times-branded car that Sullemana, Rahman, Ebu, and their driver were riding in at the time. The officer fled the scene, and the Times staffers followed him and confronted him, Sullemana said.The Times staffers began arguing with the officer, and the argument escalated after several other officers arrived and noticed Sullemana filming them, Rahman told CPJ.Sullemana told CPJ that officers punched him in the face during the argument, searched him, and then arrested him. Rahman told CPJ that he witnessed officers "beat [Sullemana] up" before handcuffing him and pushing him into a police vehicle.Ebu told CPJ that she was also struck by police officers during the altercation. She was hit in the stomach; she told CPJ that she was recovering from a cesarean birth three months earlier, and had to be rushed to the hospital, where her condition soon stabilised.Sullemana told CPJ that during the ride to the station, a senior officer said that journalists, "write negative stuff about [the police]."When they arrived at the station, Sullemana said the same officer told him they would "teach you a lesson" and did not intervene as other officers proceeded to kick, punch, and insult him, resulting in blood clotting in his left eye, bruises on his left arm, and swelling in his left leg.On March 18, Sullemana gave an official statement to the police about the incident, he told CPJ.On March 20, three of the police officers involved in the incident were suspended pending an investigation, according to a statement from the Ghana police on social media and Ghanaian police spokesperson David Eklu, who spoke with CPJ over WhatsApp. Eklu told CPJ the suspension would last for a maximum of three months.According to the statement, the officers involved in the roadside incident are being investigated by regional authorities for the "alleged assault of journalists from Ghanaian Times."The Police Professional and Standard Bureau has opened a separate investigation into the conduct of the officers who were on duty at the police station when Sullemana was assaulted there, according to the statement and EkluWhen Sullemana gave his official statement, he was informed that an investigation had been opened alleging that he assaulted a police officer, the journalist told CPJ. Eklu told CPJ on March 20 that he "cannot tell at this stage" if any of the Ghanaian Times journalists are under investigation. Many people use their browser's incognito, or private, mode to browse the internet privately. However, this mode doesn't actually make them as invisible as they think. All the browsing data can still be tracked with the help of users' IP addresses. Daniel Markuson, digital privacy expert at NordVPN How to browse privately Private browsing mode makes sure your computer is not storing browsing data locally. This way, your searches, logins, or visited pages cant be retrieved later. Yet thats far from completely private, explains Daniel Markuson, a digital privacy expert at NordVPN. All your browsing data can still be tracked by your ISP, employer, websites you visit, or any other third party that can access your IP address.For example, if a user logs into their Amazon, Facebook, or any other online account, the private mode will not conceal their browsing data from these sites.Chrome will start recording your cookies and history again if you sign into one of Googles apps, making the whole incognito thing useless. Google, Apple, and Mozilla, developers of the most popular browsers worldwide with the private mode, are completely upfront about this in their privacy policies, says Markuson.However, browsing incognito can be useful as well. It is especially handy if you plan to book flight tickets or hotel rooms. As a private browser window does not save cookies, travel websites cannot see that you have been interested in the specific dates before and hike up the prices accordingly. It is also a good tool if you share the same device with other people or when you are on a public computer.Choose another browser. Using one of the major browsers may seem like the most convenient choice for everyday online activities. While it is entirely possible to tweak Google Chrome, Safari or even Microsoft IE with plugins and advanced settings for security and privacy, these are far from their key features. You can choose a less known browser that provides more privacy online.Choose a private search engine. There are a few search engines that respect your privacy. The most popular one, perhaps, is DuckDuckGo. It doesnt use cookies, doesnt store any personal identifiable information, and discards IP addresses from it server logs.Use Tor for browsing. Its a powerful privacy tool. It routes your traffic through a series of different nodes before connecting you to your online destination. This way, it becomes difficult to determine where you originally came from. However, Tor may slow down you internet speed considerably.Start using a virtual private network. It replaces your IP address with that of a remote VPN server, so any online monitoring based on tracking your IP address fails. VPN also encrypts your traffic, hiding your browsing habits from your ISP, hackers, and other third parties. NordVPN is one of the most popular options. This job expired on 24 May 2019. Canada NewsWire TORONTO, March 25, 2019 TORONTO, March 25, 2019 /CNW/ - Brookfield Real Estate Services Inc. (dba Bridgemarq Real Estate Services) ("Bridgemarq" or the "Company") (TSX: BRE), a leading provider of services to residential real estate brokers and their REALTORS1, filed its Annual Information Form, Management Information Circular and certain annual meeting materials on SEDAR today. Under Ontario securities laws, the Company provides its annual meetingrelated materials in electronic form which are available for download at www.meetingdocuments.com/astca/BRE or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Investors can also access these filings on the Company's website at www.bridgemarq.com. The annual meeting of the Company will be held on Tuesday May 7, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. at Vantage Venues, 150 King Street West, 27th Floor, Toronto, Ontario. Mr. Simon Dean, a Director of the Company since 2003, has announced that he will not seek re-election to the Board in 2019. As such, his term as a director will expire at the Company's annual meeting on May 7th, 2019. The Board would like to thank Mr. Dean for his valuable contributions and wishes him the best in his future endeavors. The Board of Directors of the Company has proposed Mr. Colum Bastable as a director nominee to be considered for election at the annual meeting. Mr. Bastable has over 40 years of experience in the real estate services industry including in his recent role as Chairman of Cushman and Wakefield Canada, a leading provider of commercial property brokerage services. Further details about Mr. Bastable can be found in the Management information circular. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains forward-looking information and other "forward-looking statements". Words such as "will", "seek" "proposed" and other expressions that are predictions of or could indicate future events and trends and that do not relate to historical matters identify forward-looking statements. Reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from anticipated future results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include: future decisions to be considered by the board of directors of the Company with respect to the Company's overall governance or any other matter affecting the Company, decisions to be taken by individual directors with respect to their intentions to continue as directors, decisions to be taken by shareholders of the Company at any meeting of shareholders of the Company, changes in government policy, laws or regulations which could affect Board governance and other risks detailed in the Company's annual information form, which is filed with securities commissions and posted on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information is based on various material factors or assumptions, which are based on information currently available to management. Material factors or assumptions that were applied in drawing conclusions or making estimates set out in the forward-looking statements are dynamic and subject to change. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes are reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. About Bridgemarq Real Estate Services Bridgemarq is a leading provider of services to residential real estate brokers and a network of over 18,000 REALTORS1. We operate in Canada under the Royal LePage, Via Capitale and Johnston & Daniel brands. Bridgemarq Real Estate Services is the registered trade name of Brookfield Real Estate Services Inc. For more information, go to www.bridgemarq.com. Bridgemarq is an affiliate of Brookfield Business Partners, a business services and industrials company focused on owning and operating high-quality businesses that benefit from barriers to entry and/or low production costs. Brookfield Business Partners is listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges. Further information is available at bbu.brookfield.com. SOURCE Brookfield Real Estate Services Inc. Reciba en su email: noticias de ultima hora, analisis tecnicos o el cierre de mercado Email no valido Nombre requerido Recibira las informaciones mas relevantes del dia en tiempo real Que informacion desea recibir? Noticias de Ultima hora Boletin Cierre de Mercado Boletin analisis tecnico Boletin Fundsnews Debe seleccionar un tipo de boletin Acepto la Politica de privacidad Debe aceptar la politica de privacidad Responsable EMPRESAS DEL GRUPO WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Finalidad La remision de informacion, novedades y promociones Establecimiento o mantenimiento de Relaciones Comerciales. Legitimacion Consentimiento del interesado. Interes legitimo en el desarrollo de la relacion comercial Destinatario Empresas del Grupo WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Derechos Acceso, rectificacion, supresion, limitacion, oposicion y portabilidad Informacion adicional Politica de Privacidad de nuestra pagina Web + INFORMACION Kathmandu, Nepal, March 26, 2019: The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case against its own immediate past commissioner, Raj Narayan Pathak, allegations of his involvement in a corruption scandal involving Rs 7.8 million on settlement of dispute relating to an engineering college at Bhaktapur. In the first time in Nepals history, the CIAA filed the corruption case on Tuesday against its own former commissioner Pathak at the Special Court alleging him of involving in corruption abusing of authority as commissioner of the CIAA, the only constitutional body of the country to check corruption. KATHMANDU, March 26: Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister, Ishwor Pokharel, left here today for the US, leading a Nepali delegation to participate in a ministerial-level conference on capacity building of peacekeeping armies and security under the UN peacekeeping mission. DPM Pokharel, who is scheduled to address the conference at the UN Headquarters on March 29, would make the international community aware about the contributions made by the Nepal Army and Nepal Police to the establishment of peace under the UN peace mission and Nepal government's views on how the peacekeeping could be made more effective and result oriented. Nepal armies are mobilized in the peacekeeping missions in various 12 countries across the globe. During his stay in the US, the DPM holds separate meetings with UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, Deputy Secretary Generals including that looking after peacekeeping department, and senior US security officials. Even the interactions with Nepalis diaspora, entrepreneurs and investors are in the DPM's schedule, according to his press coordinator Lokendra KC. The DPM is returning home on April 3. RSS The participants in the second round table on the future of Western Sahara agreed last Friday to meet again for further talks, even if the positions are very diverging. At the end of the meeting, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita reaffirmed before the media that apart from the Moroccan proposal for autonomy, under no circumstances will Morocco accept a referendum in which one of the options would be independence. The international community is now unanimous that the Moroccan autonomy initiative is the only way to settle the regional dispute, said Nasser Bourita. The second round table on the Sahara was held March 21-22 at Le Chateau Le Rosey in Bursins, near Geneva, with the participation of the delegations of Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania led by their foreign ministers, and a delegation of the Polisario Front. For his part, the personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara, Horst Kohler, acknowledged, at a press conference after the round table, that progress was slow. It is not and it will not be easy. There is still a lot of work for the delegations, said the former German President, Horst Kohler. No one should expect a quick result, because many positions still diverge fundamentally, he said. Actually, while Morocco rejects the referendum option as obsolete, the head of the Polisario delegation, Khatri Addouh, insisted on the need to hold a referendum, organized and guaranteed by the UN. After a freeze of dialogue between the protagonists for six years, a first round table was held at the invitation of Kohler, in Geneva in December 2018. The mandate of the United Nations Mission in the Sahara (MINURSO), which since 1991 has been monitoring the ceasefire in this territory, expires in April. The United States may want to extend the mandate for another six months only, contrary to the wishes of the UN boss Antonio Guterres, and other members of the Security Council, led by France, who prefer a renewal of the mandate for a year. Mueller Investigations and Lax Election Security We have been alerted to the vulnerabilities of our election systems, and more. (SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.) - It is much too early for Trump and his supporters to be gloating about the Mueller Report's conclusions as spun by Attorney Generals William Barrs summary. What is needed is the full Mueller Report with all the underlying support. Then we can all objectively decide. Regardless, Trump is unfit for office. The Mueller investigation did indict 26 Russian nationals and three Russian companies. These indictments provide additional support for the Intelligence Community Assessment report on Russia's consistent goals "to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. This was done through cyberattacks and Russias state-run propaganda. For example, attacks were made into voter databases and software systems in at least thirty-nine states. In Illinois, investigators found evidence that cyber hackers tried to delete or alter voter data. The hackers accessed software designed to be used by poll workers on Election Day, and in at least one state accessed a campaign finance database. Now that we have been alerted to the vulnerabilities of our election systems, including the relative ease of voting machine hacking, threats to voter registration systems and voter privacy, and foreign disinformation campaigns aimed at confusing voters and inciting conflict. We have a very limited time to address election security vulnerabilities before the 2020 presidential election. _________________________________________ A man with a history of resisting arrest was sentenced to three months time served on Monday after he sprayed police officers with a fire extinguisher and armed himself with an axe. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us A man with a history of resisting arrest was sentenced to three months time served on Monday after he sprayed police officers with a fire extinguisher and armed himself with an axe. Sean Todd pleaded guilty in Brandon provincial court to multiple charges, including resisting arrest and failing to comply with court-ordered conditions not to possess a weapon. The most recent incident occurred on Jan. 28, Crown attorney Kaley Tschetter said, after police were called to an apartment building by a caretaker who alleged Todd had assaulted him. After being directed by the complainant to Todds apartment, police knocked on Todds door and asked to speak with him about the incident. Todd refused to open the door, telling the officers they couldnt enter without a warrant. Police continued to try to speak with him, Tschetter said, but Todd refused, yelling he wanted to see the tapes. Im assuming he meant the video surveillance tapes, Tschetter added. Police did not know what he was talking about when referencing a tape. While police attempted to convince Todd to open the door, he discharged a fire extinguisher from underneath, Tschetter said, spraying three officers in the legs and forcing them to retreat temporarily because they couldnt breathe and their eyes began to burn. Eventually, Todd opened the door and officers saw him holding an axe that despite police orders he refused to drop. With firearms and tasers drawn, officers shouted at Todd to drop the axe, Tschetter said. One officer ultimately tased Todd multiple times twice in the torso, which didnt take due to Todds clothing, and then again in his leg. Once on the ground, Todd continued to resist arrest, positioning himself so he couldnt be handcuffed. When police were finally able to get him restrained, Todd refused to walk down the stairs and had to be carried out, Tschetter said, all while yelling that police were abusing him. Assault charges against Todd were dropped after surveillance videos did not align with what the caretaker told police had happened. It becomes quite clear when you watch the video surveillance that (the complainants) reporting of the assault does not match the video surveillance, which is why the Crown is not proceeding with the assault charge, Tschetter said. The incident follows three others from the past year or so, Tschetter said, to which Todd already pleaded guilty to at a previous court appearance. In November 2017, Todd became upset while in the back of a police cruiser while being transported to the hospital, kicking and damaging the back of the car. Todd was adamant police were taking him to the cemetery and were plotting to assassinate him, Tschetter said, and was trying to force his way out of the cruiser causing $799.52 worth of damage. In April last year, a cab driver called police after Todd became irate and threw an open beer can at him when he wouldnt let him in his taxi cab with his dog. The cab driver had advised Todd he would call another cab to accommodate him and his dog, Tschetter said, but Todd began swearing at the driver and pulled an open can of beer from his pocket and threw it at the driver, spilling beer all over the cab. Then on Nov. 18, police responded to a disturbance at the Assiniboine Centre, where Todd was refusing to leave, Tschetter said. When police advised Todd he was under arrest, Todd refused to take his hands out of his pockets or co-operate with the officers demands. After a significant struggle, multiple police officers ultimately had to take Todd to the ground, Tschetter said. Following his arrest, officers found a straight-edged machete on the ground that had been in his possession. Its quite concerning behaviour and were seeing an escalation each time police have to deal with Mr. Todd, Tschetter said. At no point and time have any of these police officers done anything toward Mr. Todd that can be seen in the files to prompt any of this behaviour. All he needed to do was speak to police and things would have been perfectly fine. The video surveillance would have revealed the disclosure of the complainant wasnt the same as the victims disclosures and things could have been settled very differently. Defence lawyer Jennifer Janssens said rehabilitation is a primary focus for Todd, adding they are hopeful programming can help address any underlying behavioural or mental health issues Todd may be experiencing. With some appropriate counselling, he might be able to change that behaviour and not get involved in situations like this in the future, Janssens said. In addition to three months of time already served in custody, Judge John Combs also handed Todd $500 in fines and one year of supervised probation. He was also ordered to pay $799.52 in restitution for the damage done to the police cruiser. Even if you have some complaint about the police, whether its legitimate or not, your behaviour is very strange and difficult, Combs said. You need to get some help and that is the primary goal here, Mr. Todd. edebooy@brandonsun.com Twitter: @erindebooy The Municipality of Grassland is speaking out against the amalgamation of school divisions, a move that may be considered as part of the provincial governments ongoing review of the education system. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us The Municipality of Grassland is speaking out against the amalgamation of school divisions, a move that may be considered as part of the provincial governments ongoing review of the education system. In a letter sent last week to elected officials, media organizations and others, the municipality said while the underlying assumption is amalgamating school divisions or eliminating them outright would result in large cost savings, studies have shown the opposite. The Municipality of Grassland was formed in 2015 through the amalgamation of the RMs of Cameron, Whitewater and the Town of Hartney. Its already happened once in our area years ago with amalgamation of school boards, but our biggest concern is the keeping of the local schools open, Grassland Reeve Blair Woods said. It seems to be a draw to go bigger all the time and were not exactly jumping up for joy on that one. The Manitoba government has set up a commission to review the provinces K-12 school system, including ways to improve literacy, graduation rates and test scores in math and science. The commission will also look at the number of school divisions, and Education and Training Minister Kelvin Goertzen has said previously that many people believe the number of elected school board members, which is approximately 290, is too high. Im not ruling out any sort of recommendations that (may) come forward, but wed need to see some evidence that its the right number. Goertzen told The Canadian Press earlier this month. I certainly hear more people talk about less than more, particularly in Winnipeg, where you have a number of different divisions. While the review is expected to finish by early 2020, Woods said the biggest thing for him will be a transparent process. The school boards take care of the local interests, and thats whats important, just like our municipality takes care of the local interests too, he said. Were the feet on the ground. Turtle Mountain School Division Supt. Tim De Ruyck said the local school board asked to meet with the RMs in the division, as well as different employee groups and parent councils, to raise awareness about the education review and to dispel some of the myths around education-related taxes. The presumption, he said, has been that those levies will be eliminated when they would actually be diverted to a larger school division or directly to the province. De Ruyck also pointed to a study from the Frontier Centre for Public Policy in Winnipeg, which found that overall spending by amalgamated school divisions in the 2000s was greater than prior to amalgamation. (Its) the whole notion of local voices and local choices, but theres a lot of merit in keeping the authority over public school divisions local and thats the overarching theme, he said. The province has also hired, as the lead consultant for the commission, Avis Glaze, who produced a report for the Nova Scotia government last year that led to the province replacing its English-language school boards with an advisory council. Glaze also recommended that school principals and vice-principals no longer be part of the teachers union. While he did not know if Glazes hiring was an indication that school boards would be eliminated in Manitoba, De Ruyck said his hope was that factors, such as geography, culture and climate, would be strongly considered as opposed to a one-size-fits-all model. Southwest Horizon School Division board chair Janice McDonald said she too was concerned about the hiring, but hoped the province would really listen to the people that are out in the schools, in the communities, and really taking advice from the ones who know the system best. McDonald added that the division is also encouraging communities, including clubs, churches and businesses, to write letters to the commission as well. The commission will be taking written submissions until the end of May and plans to set dates for presentations after that. mlee@brandonsun.com Twitter: @mtaylorlee The Manitoba government is expanding a rebate program for young farmers in the hopes it will attract more people to the agriculture industry. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler makes a funding announcement at the Dome Building during the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair on Monday. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun) The Manitoba government is expanding a rebate program for young farmers in the hopes it will attract more people to the agriculture industry. Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler announced on Monday, inside the Dome Building of the Keystone Centre grounds, that the province and Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp. would increase the maximum amount eligible for the Young Farmer Rebate program to $200,000 from $150,000 previously. With the average Manitoba producer over the age of 53, Eichler said helping young farmers is critical given the rising cost and changes in the farm economy over the past decade. "Its a lot of output right at the very beginning in order to be able to get in the farming business ... but certainly we know succession planning is a large part of that as well, but this certainly gives them one more tool in their toolbox." The program is part of MASCs Bridging Generations Initiative, which provides producers under the age of 40 with financial incentives and customized terms and repayment options. The program provides an annual rebate of up to two per cent on the principal of a loan from MASC for up to five years. The change will also mean the lifetime maximum rebate will increase to $20,000 from $15,000. A press release from the province said MASC has issued 815 direct loans through the program in the 2017-18 year and has set a target of approving 75 per cent of new loans for young farmers. "Agriculture is the backbone of Manitobas rural economy and young farmers are the future of the industrys growth," MASC president and CEO Jared Munro said in a prepared statement. Brooks White, owner of Borderland Agriculture near Pierson in southwest Manitoba, said many young farmers, like himself, have a family connection that helps them get into the industry. White began farming in 1999 after getting his agriculture diploma from the University of Manitoba and said his parents had already farmed before that. "Many dont and thats, I think, more challenging for sure for a young farmer to get involved if they dont have that connection with a family member thats already involved. Not saying it cant be done," he said. "Theres people doing really unique things and ways of getting that happening, and I guess this support that the provincial government is giving with some of these programs is helping to allow young farmers to find that entry point into ag." Today, White runs a grain farm on approximately 5,000 acres of crop land and has a herd of about 600 head of bison. He said for young people entering agriculture, the focus should be on moving away from large-scale farming and looking instead at niche markets and direct marketing options. Even with China refusing to accept Canadian canola, White said it reinforces the message that farmers should increase the diversity on their farms. The change to the Young Farmer Rebate program will take effect on April 1. mlee@brandonsun.com Twitter: @mtaylorlee OTTAWA - Canadian Joshua Boyle, his American wife Caitlan Coleman and their three young children were held captive for five years after the couple disappeared in Afghanistan. Here is a timeline of their case. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (991 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA - Canadian Joshua Boyle, his American wife Caitlan Coleman and their three young children were held captive for five years after the couple disappeared in Afghanistan. Here is a timeline of their case. 2011 Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman marry during a lengthy trip to South America. Joshua Boyle is escorted by authorities to a media availability at Toronto's Pearson International Airport on Friday, October 13, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette July 2012 Boyle and Coleman travel to Russia. They later move on to Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and finally to Afghanistan over the course of several months. Oct. 8, 2012 Caitlan Coleman's father hears from Boyle for the last time before the couple is captured. Boyle said he was in an Internet cafe in what he described as an "unsafe" part of Afghanistan. The last withdrawals from the couple's bank account were made Oct. 8 and 9 in Kabul. An Afghan official later said the couple had been abducted in Wardak Province, a rugged, mountainous Taliban haven. Late 2012 or early 2013 Coleman's first child is born. Coleman was pregnant at the time of her capture, and her due date was in December 2012. June 4, 2014 Coleman's family releases two videos of Coleman and Boyle in captivity, saying the clips were provided to the family in 2013. Boyle and Coleman are seen calling on the U.S. government to free them and their child from Taliban captors. November 2015 Coleman's family receives a letter from Coleman in which she says she has given birth to a second child in captivity. Aug. 30, 2016 A video of Coleman and Boyle is posted on YouTube. In it, Boyle says their captors will kill them and their children "if the policies of the Afghan government are not overturned, either by the Afghan government or by Canada, somehow, or the United States." A Taliban official says the video was recorded in 2015. December 2016 Another video is posted online, this time featuring Coleman, Boyle and their two young children. Coleman urges governments on all sides to secure the family's freedom. Oct. 12, 2017 U.S. officials say Pakistan secured the family's release. According to officials, Coleman had a third child while in captivity. In a press release, the Pakistani military says Boyle and Coleman will be "repatriated to the country of their origin." Oct. 13 The family arrives back in Canada. Oct 14 Boyle demands his kidnappers be brought to justice for the "murder" of his infant daughter and the rape of his wife while they were in captivity. Oct. 15 A Taliban spokesman calls Boyle's allegations "false and propaganda." Oct. 16 Boyle says he and his wife decided to have children while held captive because they always planned to have a big family and decided, "Hey, let's make the best of this and at least go home with a larger start on our dream family." Oct. 17 Coleman is rushed to the hospital in Smith Falls, Ont., but Boyle does not specify why she is taken there. Nov. 20 Caitlan Boyle tells ABC News how she and her husband did the best they could to raise young children in brutal conditions, using bottle caps and cardboard as toys and teaching their eldest son geography and astronomy. Dec. 19 Tweets show Boyle, Coleman and their children privately meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in his office on Parliament Hill. Trudeau's office says the family requested the meeting. Dec. 30 Boyle dials 911, telling a dispatcher that Coleman ran screaming from their Ottawa apartment, threatening to kill herself. The call triggers an investigation. Dec. 31 Boyle is arrested in Ottawa and charged with various offences, including assault, sexual assault, and unlawful confinement. A publication ban prevents either of the two alleged victims from being publicly identified. Jan. 9, 2018 Trudeau suggests in a radio interview that security officials raised no red flags before the prime minister met with the family. Jan. 26 Boyle's lawyer, Lawrence Greenspon, tells court a doctor found Boyle fit to stand trial, but recommends a detailed psychiatric assessment. The confidential assessment is completed in the spring. June 1 Boyle is released from jail with strict bail conditions that include an electronic tracking bracelet. March 25, 2019 Boyle's assault trial begins. A publication ban is partially lifted after Coleman agreed to be identified as the alleged victim in relation to a majority of the charges. OTTAWA - Canadian peacekeepers were called upon to evacuate several wounded French soldiers in Mali earlier this month after their patrol was ambushed while hunting for militants along the border with Niger. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A Canadian Chinook helicopter takes off as it provides logistical support during a demonstration on the United Nations base in Gao, Mali, Saturday, December 22, 2018. Canadian peacekeepers were called upon to evacuate several wounded French soldiers in Mali earlier this month after their counter-terrorism patrol was ambushed by militants. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - Canadian peacekeepers were called upon to evacuate several wounded French soldiers in Mali earlier this month after their patrol was ambushed while hunting for militants along the border with Niger. The previously unreported incident marks the first time the Canadians have been asked to help non-United Nations forces in Mali, where the French have been conducting counter-insurgency operations since 2014. Canada has eight helicopters and 250 military personnel in Mali, where they have been providing emergency medical evacuations and transporting troops and equipment across a large swath of the remote African country. The Canadians have conducted seven other medical evacuations since August, all of which involved injured UN troops and workers. In an interview with The Canadian Press, the commander of Canada's task force in Mali said the UN and France have agreed to help each other in extreme circumstances and that his peacekeepers did their jobs by helping save lives. "I wouldn't want people to presume or assume that we're supporting counter-terrorism efforts," said Col. Travis Morehen. "But it's really at this point about saving allied lives." News of the French evacuation comes as the federal government is contemplating a formal UN request to extend its peacekeeping mission in Mali, which is currently set to end at the end of July. France has about 3,000 heavily armed soldiers in Mali and the surrounding region hunting militants linked to al-Qaida, the Islamic State and other extremist groups through what is known as Operation Barkhane. While Operation Barkhane has been credited with keeping the numerous Islamic extremist groups in Mali off balance, it has also been accused in some corners of contributing to instability in the region. According to media reports, a French patrol was operating near Mali's border with Niger on March 10 when they were ambushed by a vehicle packed with explosives and a group of militants on motorcycles. Fifteen French soldiers were reportedly injured, two seriously, before the militants fled. The Canadians first learned about the attack when a French officer at the Operation Barkhane camp in Gao called while it was still happening and indicated an emergency medical evacuation might be required, said Morehen. The French counter-terror mission operates largely independently from the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, but Morehen says there is a good working relationship between the two. That includes the French providing air-traffic control services to the UN around Gao, the northern Malian city that is home to several military bases, including one belonging to Barkhane and another where the Canadians are located. The French also boast a more capable hospital than the UN, Morehen said, which is why the Canadians often end up bringing any wounded peacekeepers that they pick up in the field to the Barkhane camp. "So our pilots go over there and make sure that we have our flying procedures correct and we have a technical arrangement with them as well for medical support," Morehen said. "There's lots of sharing between us, which is all blessed by our governments." Three Canadian helicopters were quickly deployed with approval from the UN mission commander in Bamako, Morehen said, and arrived at the scene about two hours later, at which point the fighting was over. Because of the distance, the two smaller Griffon escorts were redirected to a nearby town to refuel while the larger Chinook, which is configured like a flying hospital, continued back to Gao alone with the injured French soldiers. "It does increase the risk," he said, "but we balanced it against the need to get those wounded back to medical facilities as soon as possible." While he agreed that it was "the right thing to do," Walter Dorn, an expert on peacekeeping at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto, said the evacuation nonetheless risked linking the UN and French missions in some minds. "The risk is that we are associated with Barkhane and we then become subject to more attacks and the line between peacekeepers and counter-insurgency fighters is blurred," Dorn said. Morehen pushed back against such suggestions, insisting the evacuation was an extremely rare circumstance and that anyone who wants to target the UN which has suffered dozens of casualties in Mali will do so no matter what. "The people that want to do people harm here, they've already got it formulated in their mind," he said. "I don't see how fathomable it is that we would be targeted because we gave a medevac to French forces." Follow @leeberthiaume on Twitter Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (991 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In this image made from video taken on March 2, 2017, Michael Spavor, director of Paektu Cultural Exchange, talks during a Skype interview in Yangi, China. Global Affairs Canada says detained Canadian businessman Michael Spavor received a visit from consular officials in China today. The visit comes a day after former diplomat Michael Kovrig was also paid a visit by Canadian officials. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP Photo OTTAWA - Global Affairs Canada says detained Canadian businessman Michael Spavor received a visit from consular officials in China today. The visit comes a day after former diplomat Michael Kovrig was also paid a visit by Canadian officials. Both men were detained in China on Dec. 10 but have not had access to lawyers nor been formally charged. Both have been granted five visits each with consular officials since being detained, but this week's meetings are the first to take place since an anonymous report in Chinese state media accused them of conspiring to steal Chinese state secrets. The Canadian government says their detentions are "arbitrary" and is calling for their immediate release. About a month after they were arrested, Global Affairs warned Canadians travelling to China to do so with a "high degree of caution" because of the arbitrary application of local laws. Global Affairs notes a number of countries back Canada's position on the matter, including the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Spain and Denmark, as well as NATO and the European Union. Canadian officials have complained the two men are being held in retaliation for the December arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who is facing a U.S. extradition request. Meng, who was arrested in Vancouver about 10 days before China detained Spavor and Kovrig, is free on bail pending an extradition hearing. Consular visits typically include assessing the well-being of the men, trying to get them medical attention if needed and helping them communicate with loved ones. Because of privacy laws, no specifics about the visit can be made public. OTTAWA - Former Afghanistan hostage Joshua Boyle made a frantic, late-night 911 call in December 2017 to say his wife Caitlan Coleman had run screaming from their Ottawa apartment, threatening to kill herself. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (991 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Joshua Boyle arrives to court in Ottawa on Monday, March 25, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA - Former Afghanistan hostage Joshua Boyle made a frantic, late-night 911 call in December 2017 to say his wife Caitlan Coleman had run screaming from their Ottawa apartment, threatening to kill herself. An audio recording of the call, which resulted in a prompt visit from police, was played Tuesday at Boyle's assault trial in Ontario court. The call triggered an investigation that led to Boyle's arrest hours later for allegedly assaulting Coleman. Boyle, 35, is charged with offences including assault, sexual assault, unlawful confinement and causing someone to take a noxious substance. A majority of the charges relate to Coleman, though a second alleged victim cannot be identified due to a publication ban. Boyle has pleaded not guilty to all charges. At the time of his arrest, the couple had lived in Ottawa for just over two months after five years in captivity overseas. Boyle and Coleman were seized in 2012 by a Taliban-linked group while on a backpacking trip in Afghanistan. Pakistani forces freed them in October 2017 along with their three children, who were born during the lengthy hostage ordeal. Boyle told the 911 operator he and Coleman were arguing when she became very agitated. He asked her to stay in her room because she was upsetting the children. She then ran outside, "screaming at the top of her lungs that she's going to kill herself," he said. Ottawa police Sgt. Shane Henderson told the court he and another officer arrived at the apartment shortly after midnight and tried to find Coleman. Henderson said Boyle told him his wife was upset because her mother, Lynn, was in town from Pennsylvania, and Coleman was unhappy the apartment needed cleaning. According to Henderson, Boyle said he let Coleman leave, even though he was unsure she had a jacket or shoes, because he didn't want to hit her or drag her back into the apartment. Henderson soon set off for Lynn Coleman's downtown hotel. As he arrived, Boyle called to say he believed his wife had taken her passport and those of the children, leading him to fear she might abduct them. At the hotel, Henderson found Coleman in her mother's room. Henderson expressed concern for Coleman, but she told the officer she was not suicidal. Coleman provided a detailed statement saying she was trying to get away from her husband because he had threatened to kill her and had assaulted her "numerous times," Henderson said. She said Boyle had broken one of her bones in Afghanistan, the officer added. As a result, Henderson said, the focus of the investigation shifted from a missing-person case to a criminal probe. Henderson and fellow officers returned to the apartment in the early hours of Dec. 31 to take Boyle into custody. As Henderson described the arrest, Boyle became visibly upset and tried to leave the courtroom, prompting a short break. During cross-examination, Boyle's lawyer, Lawrence Greenspon, pressed Henderson on exactly when and why he began to see the investigation as a probe of Boyle's purported actions. Greenspon suggested Henderson had come to view the case differently in as little as 15 minutes after arriving at the hotel room, given that he had stopped responding to calls from Boyle. Henderson said he indeed began to refuse to answer Boyle's calls, but said he might have simply missed some. Coleman is expected to testify in the trial Wednesday. Follow @JimBronskill on Twitter WINNIPEG - The Manitoba government is undertaking a governmentwide awareness campaign to ensure employees aren't facing sexual harassment at work. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (991 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manitoba Environment Minister Rochelle Squires responds to a question during a news conference in Friday, November 3, 2017. The Manitoba government has launched a government-wide awareness campaign to ensure employees aren't facing sexual harassment at work. The campaign includes six posters that explain to employees and supervisors what sexual harassment is and how to report it. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck WINNIPEG - The Manitoba government is undertaking a governmentwide awareness campaign to ensure employees aren't facing sexual harassment at work. The campaign includes six posters that explain to employees and supervisors what sexual harassment is and how to report it. The posters include messages discouraging people from making jokes or sending emails about sex or gender. Rochelle Squires, minister responsible for the status of women, says the government has also revised its respectful workplace policy by adding clearer definitions of what constitutes inappropriate behaviour. She says the policy also clarifies how reports of harassment are handled so employees know their concerns will be taken seriously. The Progressive Conservatives announced their commitment to foster a respectful workplace after female staff came forward in 2018 with allegations that a former NDP cabinet minister tickled and groped them. The women alleged that their complaints about Stan Struthers, who left politics in 2016, were never addressed. Backbencher Cliff Graydon was also kicked out of the Tory caucus last year after allegations he asked two female staff to sit on his lap and suggested another lick food off his face. Another woman alleged the member of the legislature groped her at a party function. "It's sad that it has to be said, but harassment has no place in the workplace and every employee has the right to a workplace that is free of harassment," Squires said on Tuesday. The minister explained the latest updates to the respectful workplace policy provide clearer procedures for reporting and addressing harassment concerns. It also clarifies potential remedies and how those solutions will be monitored. Squires said each allegation will be investigated and responded to individually. A report released last August said hundreds of civil servants had experienced sexual harassment while working but most did not report it. The most frequent harassment included leering or invading space, but many others reported inappropriate physical contact such as touching, patting or pinching. After the Struthers allegations surfaced, the government implemented a "no wrong door" approach to reporting harassment, and has made it mandatory for managers to forward any complaints to the province's civil service commission. Squires said it is important people are aware of what actions and behaviours constitute harassment. "What might have been dismissed as a colourful or off-putting joke a decade ago ... is sexual harassment," she said. The minister added she has been working with the house Speaker on a similar policy for the legislative assembly. She could not say when it might be implemented. An Ontario judge has ordered the federal government to pay $20 million for placing mentally ill inmates in solitary confinement, with the money earmarked to boost mental health supports in correctional facilities. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (991 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. An Ontario judge has ordered the federal government to pay $20 million for placing mentally ill inmates in solitary confinement, with the money earmarked to boost mental health supports in correctional facilities. In a ruling issued this week, Ontario Superior Court Justice Paul Perell said the Correctional Service of Canada violated the charter rights of thousands of inmates who filed a class-action lawsuit against the agency over its use of administrative segregation. Perell found those who were involuntarily placed in administrative segregation for more than 30 days, or voluntarily for more than 60, experienced a systemic breach of their rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. "The placement of a seriously mentally ill inmate in administrative segregation goes beyond what is necessary to achieve the genuine and legitimate aim of securing the safety of the institution," he wrote. "It does not accord with public standards of decency or propriety in the treatment of a mentally ill inmate. It is also unnecessary because there could have been alternative ways less draconian than then equivalent of solitary confinement to address a security concern, and an indeterminate time to resolve a security concern cannot be justified." Those who were in segregation for less than 30 days can still make claims later in the case. Compensation for individual members of the class has also not yet been determined and submissions will be heard at a future date. The judge says the $20 million sum will go to "additional mental health or program resources" in the penal system as well as legal fees. "For decades, academic research, commissions, inquiries, inquests, court cases, domestic and international organizations, and the correctional investigator have recommended that the Correctional Service change its policies and practices with respect to the treatment of seriously ill inmates placed in administrative segregation," Perell wrote in his ruling. "The vindication of the class members' charter rights requires that the federal government be directed to do what it ought to have done for decades," he said. "The funds are to remedy to the harm caused to society which has suffered from the Correctional Service's failure to comply with the charter and also its failure to comply with the spirit of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and its purpose of rehabilitating mentally ill inmates to return to society rather than worsening their capacity to do so by the harm caused by prolonged solitary confinement." The Correctional Service of Canada said it is reviewing the decision and declined to comment further. Administrative segregation is used to maintain security when inmates pose a risk to themselves or others and no reasonable alternative is available. The practice has faced legal challenges in Ontario and British Columbia, both of which found extended solitary confinement to be unconstitutional because of the absence of a meaningful review process. Ontario's top court has given Ottawa until April 30 to fix its solitary confinement law, while B.C.'s has extended the deadline to June 17. The government has pointed to Bill C-83, now before the Senate, which eliminates administrative segregation and replaces it with "structured intervention units" meant to emphasize "meaningful human contact" for inmates and improve their access to programs and services. However, the bill does not include hard caps on how many days or months inmates can be isolated from the general prison population, and civil liberties organizations have said it does not go far enough. OTTAWA - Leaked reports about a dispute between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould over a Supreme Court appointment drew condemnation from bar associations and MPs of all parties Tuesday as the controversy surrounding the SNC-Lavalin affair raged on. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (991 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is photographed as talks to media after meeting with students and teachers at Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT) as he announced Budget 2019's Canada Trading Benefit in Winnipeg Tuesday, March 26, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods OTTAWA - Leaked reports about a dispute between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould over a Supreme Court appointment drew condemnation from bar associations and MPs of all parties Tuesday as the controversy surrounding the SNC-Lavalin affair raged on. Opposition MPs called the leaks an act of desperation meant to smear Wilson-Raybould and to justify Trudeau's decision to move her out of the prestigious justice portfolio in January a cabinet shuffle that touched off what's become a full-blown political crisis for the governing Liberals. And even a Liberal MP called the leaks "outrageous." Canadian Bar Association president Ray Adlington said breaching the confidentiality of the judicial selection process "demeans the selection process and ultimately all those who hold the office of judge." The Canadian Press and CTV reported Monday that in 2017 Trudeau turned down Wilson-Raybould's recommendation that Glenn Joyal be elevated from chief justice of Manitobas Court of Queens Bench to chief justice of the Supreme Court. Sources, who were not authorized to comment publicly on the normally confidential judicial selection process, said Trudeau was concerned about Joyal's conservative, restrictive approach to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Shortly after Trudeau told Wilson-Raybould he did not support her choice, the sources said Joyal withdrew his name from consideration. Trudeau later appointed Sheila Martin to the high court and named sitting Justice Richard Wagner as chief justice. The dispute over Joyal suggested Trudeau may have had reasons unrelated to the SNC-Lavalin affair for moving Wilson-Raybould out of Justice. She has said she believes she was shuffled to Veterans Affairs as punishment for refusing to intervene to stop the criminal prosecution of the Montreal engineering giant on corruption charges related to contracts in Libya. On Tuesday, Trudeau refused to discuss the matter or say whether his office was involved in the leak of information to the media. Mark Toews, president of the Manitoba Bar Association, said it's "appalling" the reports implied that Joyal's conservative views on the charter could result in him giving rulings "that would undermine the rights of women and the LGBTQ2S community." "Such a suggestion is entirely improper and indeed false ... Nothing in what he has done throughout his judicial career, nor in publicized comments he has made, could suggest that he is against a woman's right to choose, same-sex marriage or LGBTQ2S rights generally." MPs on the House of Commons ethics committee also denounced the leak as a breach of the highly confidential judicial appointment process. Conservative MP Peter Kent called it a "disgusting act of desperation" that he charged could only have come from someone either currently or formerly working in the Prime Minister's Office. He suggested the leak could warrant a separate parliamentary investigation. "(It was) a leak of highly sensitive, confidential information smearing a highly respected member of the judiciary in an attempt to distract from the prime minister's attempted interference in a criminal trial and a coverup of that attempted interference," Kent said. "This breach of the confidentiality of what is supposed to be a highly confidential judicial appointment process is serious enough to require an investigation on its own." Even members of the Liberal caucus were upset by the disclosure, with Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith calling it "outrageous." "Without question, that kind of leak undermines the confidence in the judicial selection process and appointment process and I think people from all parties ought to condemn that kind of thing. Completely inappropriate," he said. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he felt the leak was an attempt by the Trudeau government to change the channel and shut down the ongoing controversy dogging the PMO in light of Wilson-Raybould's allegations of political interference in the criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. Accusations of a coverup orchestrated by the Prime Minister's Office were once again on the lips of opposition parties Tuesday after they failed to convince the Liberals to let the ethics committee probe further into the controversy. The Liberal majority on the committee voted down a motion backed by Conservatives and New Democrats that would have seen Wilson-Raybould and former Treasury Board president Jane Philpott testify about the controversy. Philpott resigned from cabinet earlier this month in solidarity with Wilson-Raybould, saying she no longer had confidence in the government's handling of the SNC-Lavalin case. "The coverup continues," Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre said. "The prime minister clearly has something to hide, his story keeps changing, Conservatives will not stop until we get to the truth." The justice committee last week shut down its investigation into the affair, with Liberal members saying they were satisfied no rules or laws were broken. In nearly four hours of testimony before the justice committee, Wilson-Raybould last month accused Trudeau, his senior advisers, the top public servant and Finance officials of inappropriately pressuring her last fall to overrule a decision by the director of public prosecutions not to negotiate a remediation agreement with SNC-Lavalin. Such an agreement would have forced the company to pay stiff restitution while avoiding the risk of a criminal conviction that could cripple it financially. Trudeau has denied anything improper occurred but has been unable to change the channel from the saga that has badly hurt his public image. During an almost two-hour-long meeting Tuesday, Conservatives and New Democrats urged their Liberal colleagues on the ethics committee to put partisan issues aside and agree to launch an investigation into the affair. Erskine-Smith, who voted in favour of an NDP motion in February to hold a public inquiry into the matter, said a new probe may only result in going over the same ground covered by the justice committee unless the two former cabinet ministers are granted a complete waiver from cabinet confidentiality to testify. Wilson-Raybould intends to provide more details of her allegations in a written submission to the justice committee. And the ethics commissioner is currently conducting a separate investigation into her allegations. Erskine-Smith said if the information that comes forward from these processes do not fully deal with the matter, that might be a more appropriate time for the ethics committee to step in. WINNIPEG - Justin Trudeau will be focusing on the training benefits in the recently released budget as he meets with labour leaders in Winnipeg today. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/3/2019 (992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers opening remarks during a Liberal donor appreciation event at Inn at the Forks in Winnipeg, Monday, March 25, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS / David Lipnowski WINNIPEG - Justin Trudeau will be focusing on the training benefits in the recently released budget as he meets with labour leaders in Winnipeg today. The prime minister arrived in the city Monday evening and gave a speech at Liberal donor event about how this fall's election is a choice about the kind of country Canadians want. "We can look at the populism around the world, the politics of carefully chosen dog whistles or in some cases megaphones, these days the politics of divisions and attacks," Trudeau said to the crowd of supporters. "Canadians might have a choice and pick that if they want to go with the Andrew Scheer and Stephen Harper approach to politics." Trudeau didn't speak about the SNC-Lavalin controversy, but alluded to it by saying the Conservatives "have nothing to say about our budget." "They have nothing to say to propose as an economic plan to go up against ours, so they try to change the channel and play politics." Earlier in the day, SNC-Lavalin posted a statement on the company's website walking back a statement by its CEO, who said last week he never cited the protection of 9,000 Canadian jobs as a reason the construction giant should be granted a remediation agreement. The company now says an agreement to avoid criminal prosecution would be the best way to protect the jobs held by its employees in Canada. Trudeau has repeatedly held up potential job losses as the main reason he and other top officials spoke with former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould. She resigned from cabinet last month and has suggested political considerations not jobs were behind the Prime Minister's Office pressuring her to make an agreement. Meanwhile, in Winnipeg this morning, Trudeau will get a tour of the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology, along with Minister of International Trade Diversification Minister Jim Carr. Then he will meet with the head of Richardson International Curt Vossen and CEO of Richardson's parent company Hartley Richardson before visiting the Manitoba Federation of Labour in the afternoon. China suspended canola imports from Richardson for what one Chinese official alleged was the detection of hazardous organisms in the company's product, although there is wide speculation it's retaliation for Canada's arrest of a top executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei. Dublin Airport has announced a new route to Aalborg in Denmark with newly formed carrier Great Dane Airlines. The service to the country's fourth-largest city will operate twice a week from June 21 to July 26 and weekly between July and October. Great Dane Airlines intends to operate the new service with an Embraer 190 aircraft which will carry 100 passengers per flight. Dublin Airport has welcomed the announcement saying the new route would offer "greater choice and flexibility to passengers travelling between Ireland and Denmark." Dublin Airport Managing Director Vincent Harrison said: Were delighted to welcome Great Dane Airlines to Ireland and to Dublin Airport. "Aalborg is a dynamic city full of cultural experiences, atmosphere and great shopping. We will work closely with Great Dane Airlines to promote the new route, which I have no doubt will be popular in both directions. The new route is just one of 23 which has been added to Dublin Airport's roster in 2019. A challenge against a decision by a District Court judge to strike out charges linked to redundancies at Clerys department store in Dublin due to delays of disclosure of evidence has opened before the High Court. The action has been brought by the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and is aimed at quashing District Court Judge John Brennans decision in March 2018 to strike out charges against businesswoman Deidre Foley, co-defendant Mark Redmond, of Belfry Dale, Saggart, Co Dublin, and the previous owners of Clerys, OCS Operations. Judge Brennans decision was on the grounds including that the prosecution had failed to comply with an order for disclosure. The defendants had been charged with offences contrary to provisions of the 1977-2014 Protection of Employment Act arising out of the closure of Clerys in June 2015 when a total of 460 people lost their jobs. 134 of those were employees of OCS Operations Ltd, the previous owners of Clerys. Judge Brennan also ruled that any further adjournment would encroach on the defendants' rights to fair procedure and an expeditious trial. Ms Foley, Mr Redmond and the company's legal teams applied to have the charges struck out on the grounds they could not get a fair trial without being provided with certain material from the Inspectors appointed by the Labour Court to look into the redundancies at the Store. In High Court action the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection seeks to have Judge Brennan's decision quashed. In proceedings against Ms Foley, Mr Redmond and OCS Operations Ltd. the Minister represented by Padraig O'Dwyer SC and Breffni Gordon Bl seek various declarations including that the District Judge failed to strike a balance between the public interest in the prosecution of the offences and any risk of an unfair trial. The Minister further seeks declarations that the striking out order was wholly disproportionate and unjust having regard to the all the circumstances of the case and that the Minister had fully discharged its duty to make disclosure to the respondents. The action is opposed by Mr Redmond, and Ms Foley represented by Remy Farrell SC and the company represented by Brendan Grehan SC. The case briefly opened before Mr Justice Charles Meenan today. Given the volume of papers in the case, the Judge agreed to read the documents in the case in chambers and adjourned the matter to Wednesday. The Judge agreed with counsel for the parties that this course would reduce the time it would take to hear the action. The judicial review proceedings are expected to take between three to five days to hear. Sterling jumped on hopes that hardline Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg would, after all, throw his weight behind Theresa Mays Brexit withdrawal deal. The leader of the European Research Group, which with the DUP has long rallied opposition to Mrs Mays border backstop deal, hinted at a new tack. Over 270 transplants were carried out last year as a result of both deceased and live organ donors. Families across the country are being urged to have a conversation about organ donation during Organ Donor Week. Grainne Wyse's brother Ruairi passed away three years ago, and agreed to donate his organs. She said he helped to save five other people's lives. "One man, the man who got his liver says he celebrates a new birthday...it was his third birthday last year. "The cards were fantastic to get, and letters. One man who got a kidney, John, is back at work, off all dialysis, he's able to see his kids grow up and he said it's just the best thing ever." Professor Jim Egan, Director of Organ Donation Transplant Ireland acknowledged the enormous generosity of the 81 families who donated the organs of loved ones in 2018. While organ donation continues to be a rare event, of 30,000 deaths each year in Ireland, there is an average of 80 multiorgan donations. Currently, there are approximately 600 people waiting for a life-saving transplant in Ireland. You are three times more likely to need a transplant than to be an organ donor. We experienced a consistent rate of organ donation and transplant in 2018, which reflects positively on the generosity of Irish society and the professionalism of the intensive care, theatre, medical and nursing staff," said Professor Egan. "We are grateful for the support of An Post who elected to support organ donation with the launch of an organ donation stamp this month. "Initiatives like this can only help to encourage the conversation in every home in Ireland and we hope it helps drive the number of donations in 2019 and beyond. "We will continue to champion organ donation and encourage all to speak to their loved ones, so they let their wishes be known in relation to organ donation because organ donation saves lives. Organ Donor Cards can be obtained by phoning the Irish Kidney Association on 01 6205306 or Free text the word DONOR to 50050. You can also visit the website, or download a free digital organ donor card APP to your phone. David Crosby from Kingscourt , Co Cavan, had his double lung transplant in 2016 Andy Kavanagh, An Post employee and longest surviving heart transplant recipient Martina Goggin, from Galway, whose son and only child donated organs following a tragic car crash Additional reporting by Newstalk Brexit poses an existential threat to the security of Ireland and the peace process, a leading Irish academic has warned. Ben Tonra, Professor of International Relations at UCD, said the immediate and the longer term security threats have not yet been provided for and said there were no signs that the Irish State was prepared to address them. In a Working Paper, entitled Brexit and Irish Security and Defence, Prof Tonra said the prospect of the UK's withdrawal from the EU posed a substantial existential challenge to the Irish state. He said that of the three goals of Irish security and defence policy, aid to the civil power was where the impact of Brexit was most stark (other policy goals being territorial defence and international security operations). He said the Defence Forces once had eight military barracks along the 499km border, stationing up to 1,500 personnel but was more recently experiencing an ongoing personnel crisis with a virtual haemorrhage of mid-career offices and NCOs. Prof Tonra said a post-Brexit border posed three threats: from organised crime and cross-border smuggling; a renewed paramilitary threat targeting new border infrastructures; and a threat to constitutional security arising from a weakening of the peace process. In relation to the peace process, he said the Good Friday Agreement was constructed within the context of Ireland and the UK's membership of the EU. He said Brexit critically weakens the right of people of Northern Ireland under the agreement to hold both British and Irish citizenship. He said Brexit also cuts across myriad forms of cross-border cooperation and the rights of citizens, regardless of passports, to access state services and to pursue employment and training. He said the British and Irish governments had identified 156 specific areas or north-south cooperation underpinned by shared EU membership. In the worst-case scenario of a no-deal Brexit, this entire superstructure is demolished overnight, potentially upending the lives of many thousands of people," Prof Tonra said. He said the Good Friday Agreement was accompanied by an entire underpinning structure of human rights protections and that EU law provided a critical framework sustaining equality provisions, most especially in employment law and non-discrimination rights as enshrined by the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. He added: Brexit means by definition that British citizens lose all of their rights under EU law while Irish citizens in Northern Ireland lose the practical expression of those rights within the territory of the UK. He said the critical danger was that Brexit not only changes the geographical scope within which Irish citizens in Northern Ireland can exercise and enjoy their EU citizenship and associated rights (such as voting in European Parliament elections) but that the divergence of rights North and South created barriers to those citizens having equal rights and protections with citizens in Northern Ireland who have elected to opt for British citizenship, creating differential treatment and inequality under the law. In such a scenario where the consequences of Brexit were visibly pulling at the threads of the basic constitutional settlement provided under the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement the scope for political mischief from minority/extremist political groups would be enormous, he said. Brexit has clear potential to aggravate the root causes of conflict in Ireland and thereby threaten peace and security on the island. In relation to a second security and defence policy goal of national territorial defence - Prof Tonra said that on the face of it, Brexit's impact was minimal. He said Ireland had the lowest defence spending of the EU 27 member states, which translated into exceptionally limited military capacity. He said: In the absence of any fighter, attack or transport aircraft, combat tanks, heavy artillery or any naval assets beyond eight offshore patrol vessels, Ireland can be said to lack the minimum conventional combat capability necessary to provide for any territorial defence based on credible deterrence. Prof Tonra said Ireland had no meaningful air defence apart from a small ground-based air defence system. Uniquely in the European Union, Ireland lacks the type of radar system necessary to track and identify aircraft in its airspace that are unwilling or unable to use their transponders, he said. Consequently, Ireland has depended on the British RAF through a 2015 Memorandum of Understanding. He said it was understood that as of 2016 there was a formal agreement to permit RAF identification, pursuit and interdiction of aircraft posing a potential security threat which had been reportedly utilised twice to intercept Russian bombers 'probing' air defences. He said a question arose as the whether the MOU provisions will prove to be politically sustainable post Brexit. In terms of international security, he said that the UKs withdrawal from Europe leaves Ireland exposed on several fronts. He said Irelands hesitancy and ambivalence towards EU policy on security and defence may no longer be sustainable and that hard choices were coming into view. Concluding, Prof Tonra said: Notwithstanding the shape of any Withdrawal Agreement and the pursuit of a new bilateral relationship between the UK and the EU, Irelands current security and defence posture is simply unsustainable. The immediate threats of a no-deal Brexit and the medium to longer term security threats posed by any kind of Brexit have yet to be provided for. The Irish state faces profound challenges in this regard and there are, as of yet, no signs that it is prepared to address them. Two Limerick brothers today appeared in court charged with the double rape of a young teenage girl in north Clare two years ago. At Ennis District Court, the two men in their twenties - who cant be named for legal reasons - are each facing one count of rape of the girl aged less than 15 years old on Saturday, April 22, 2017 at the same location in north Clare. The two were arrested at Mayorstone Garda Station in Limerick this morning and brought by gardai to Ennis Garda Station where they were charged before appearing in court. The 23-year-old brother is facing four charges - along with the rape charge of the young teenager, the man is also charged with the sexual intercourse of the girl aged under 15 contrary to Section 2 of the Criminal Law Rape (Amendment) Act at the same north Clare location on April 22, 2017. The man is also charged with sexually assaulting the girl contrary to Section 3 of the Criminal Law Rape (Amendment) Act at the north Clare location on April 22, 2017 and the sexual exploitation of the girl contrary to Section 3 of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act on dates between April 1 and April 30, 2017. The man made no reply when cautioned and charged with the four charges this morning. The mans 24-year-old brother is facing one count of rape of the young teenage girl on April 22, 2017 and in response to charge and caution, the man replied I dont know what Im being charged with. Judge Patrick Durcan granted legal aid in each case. There was no objection to bail by the State for the two on condition that they sign on three times a week at their local Garda station; notify gardai of any change of address; notify gardai of any change in their phone number and have no contact with the alleged injured party directly or via social media. Judge Durcan said that the two were to have no contact of any kind - directly or indirectly - with the alleged injured party. Insp Tom Kennedy of Ennis Garda Station sought time for an extension in the Book of Evidence as he said that the Director of the Public Prosecutions (DPP) is directing trial by indictment for both accused. Judge Durcan remanded the two brothers on conditional bail to re-appear before Ennis District Court on June 12 next. Edel Cashman received a liver transplant five months ago and the difference it has made to her life is phenomenal. It is amazing. I have so much energy and the days are much longer for me because I don't have to nap in the middle of them any more, said Edel. The 21-year-old agricultural science student from Carrigtwohill, Co Cork, was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis when she was nine years old. I feel like a new person. I have been given a new life, she said. Edel was one of a number of people at the launch in Dublin of Organ Donor Awareness Week to benefit from the selfless generosity of families of deceased donors. Edel said she can now make plans without wondering whether or not she was going to be sick. It is such a huge open world for me now whereas before I could barely look ahead of the next day Edel will return to University College Dublin in September to complete the final two years of a four-year course. I get up at 7.30am every morning and work down on the family farm and I keep going until ten at night, no problem. Edel said she would never be able to thank her donor and her family enough. I often think of her family and what they are going through and hope that they get some comfort that I am out there somewhere being able to live a full life. Mick O'Shea, a consultant engineer and fitness enthusiast from Mallow, Co Cork, underwent a heart transplant in August 2017 when he was 38 years old. I was fit and healthy and I just crashed. It was a viral infection of the heart myocarditis, said Mick, who attended the event with his wife, Jennifer and mother, Nora. I was bed-ridden for three months. I was basically a body because my heart was functioning at just 10% of what it should have been. Mick qualified as a personal trainer two weeks ago and is heading to the World Transplant Games in Newcastle, England, in August. Organ donation has given me another life. I would not be here only for my donor family. I do not know who they are but I have written to them to thank them and let them know how I am getting on and what I have achieved Grainne Wyse and her brother, Conor, from Lanesborough, Co Longford, know that five people benefited from organs donated by their brother, Ruairi, 37, who died in 2015 after suffering a brain aneurysm. One donor included a lady who had received five false calls for a heart transplant before receiving Ruairi's donor heart. It brings something positive out of the sadness of losing Ruairi, said Grainne. It was a difficult decision but we were very clear on Ruairi's wishes that he would have wanted to donate his organs. It is a really worthwhile decision to make as a family, said Conor. At the campaign's launch in the Mansion House, the chief executive of the Irish Kidney Association, Mark Murphy, said it was time that Ireland followed Britain and started accepting offers from altruistic living donors to strangers. He said about six people had gone to Northern Ireland over the last three years to donate a kidney to the system there. He did not believe it was necessary to wait for legislation to be passed by the Oireachtas because there was already a strict system for living donations. "People are losing out getting transplants. It is a waste of their time," he said. The Department of Health said the General Scheme of a Human Tissue Bill would include provisions for altruistic donation and that the planned legislation would be submitted to Government shortly. Organ Donor Awareness Week is organised by the Irish Kidney Association and supported by the Organ Donation Transplant Ireland. A TD has called for the army to be called into Kerry to deal with deer who are 'taking over'. Danny Healy Rae says the deer are roaming into towns and villages and causing accidents. The route of Dublin's MetroLink rail line will be revealed today. It is believed the southside section of the line will be scrapped. The National Transport Authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland are due to announce the revised plans this afternoon. The line will connect Dublin Airport to the city by rail. The southside section of the line from Sandyford to Charlemont looks set to be abandoned in an effort to save disruption to the Luas Green line. However, The Irish Times is reporting that plans to demolish the College Gate apartment block and Markievicz Leisure Centre have not been reversed. Last month John Dean - Chairperson of the Save Markievicz Pool & Gym campaign - told Newstalk Breakfast that Read More: They could drill down through shafts on either side to make the station underground. We dont think its necessary to knock down the building. The plans are set be revealed at 2pm. Young documentary makers from around Europe are expected to arrive in Cork next week. The annual 'Story?' international student documentary festival will take place in Cork from April 3-5. The event, organised by Public Relations and New Media students from Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) are inviting students from Ireland, the UK and the Netherlands to display their films, ranging from documentaries to animations. This will be the second year of the festival which was established to promote CIT and develop relations with other international universities, as well as showcasing the talent CIT students have to offer, said Journalism lecturer, Frank ODonovan. All submitted documentaries will be evaluated by a panel of experts and a shortlist will be created with an awards ceremony taking place on April 5. The festival was very successful in attracting quality films from a number of different international universities last year and this year we hope the event will be even bigger and better, said CIT student, Matt Finnerty, one of the organisers of the event. As well as film screenings there will also be a number of workshops throughout the week focused on documentary making given by international experts. This is Ireland's first film showcase of its kind, so it will be very exciting to see how it grows this year and hopefully into the future said Mr ODonovan. Find out more here Update 6pm: Gardai have arrested a juvenile in his late teens today in connection with a hit-and-run incident in Cork yesterday. A toddler was left with serious injuries following the incident. Zac Higgins, who is now in an induced coma in Temple Street Children's Hospital, incurred serious injuries when he ran onto the road while playing with a ball near Castle Meadows on the Skehard Road in Mahon in Cork city at about 4pm yesterday. He was hit by a blue Mazda 6 which left the scene. The teen is detained under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at The Bridewell (Cork) Garda station. Gardai wish to renew their appeal and ask that anyone who may have witnessed the incident or who have any information to contact them. Gardai believe there were a number of people in the car at the time of the incident and would appeal to the passengers to come forward. Anyone with information or who may have dash cam footage is asked to contact Anglesea Street Garda Station 021 4522000 the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station. Earlier: Father of toddler seriously injured in Cork hit-and-run speaks out; Gardai appeal for driver to come forward By Olivia Kelleher Update 9.45am: The father of a toddler who was left with serious injuries in a hit-and-run incident has expressed his thanks to paramedics and neighbours "who went above and beyond" the call of duty following the accident. Paul Higgins and his wife Aishling Sexton are currently at the bedside of their son at Temple Street Hospital in Dublin. He is in an induced coma. Zac incurred serious injuries when he ran onto the road while playing with a ball near Castle Meadows on the Skehard Road in Mahon in Cork city at about 4pm yesterday. He was hit by a blue Mazda 6 which left the scene. In a Facebook post his father, Paul, thanked all those who had rushed to their assistance over the last twenty-four hours. "I would like to thank everyone who sent well wishes today. After the longest four hours in the CUH our little warrior hit the road to Dublin by ambulance. He will love that when he wakes to hear it. He arrived at Temple Street Hospital straight for CT scan which showed good results so far. "To see your child that way is the worst feeling I ever had in my life today. Special thanks to all our friends in Castlemeadows who went above and beyond." Meanwhile, gardai investigating the hit-and-run say that have recovered a blue saloon car believed to have been involved in his incident. "The car was recovered approximately 1km from the scene of the collision," said a garda statement. They added that the injured boy is described as critical but stable at Temple Street Childrens University Hospital in Dublin. "No arrests have been made and investigating Gardai are continuing to appeal for information," said the statement. Anyone with information is asked to contact Anglesea Street Garda Station 021 4522000 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111. - Additional reporting by Kevin O'Neill Former Lord Mayor calls for people with information on 'horrific' Cork hit-and-run to come forward A former Lord Mayor of Cork has described as "horrific" a hit and run incident in which a toddler was seriously injured whilst appealing to the driver to turn himself in. The young boy incurred the injuries when he ran onto the road while playing with a ball near Castle Meadows on the Skehard Road in Mahon in Cork city at about 4pm yesterday. He was hit by a blue Mazda 6 which left the scene. Cllr Chris O'Leary has appealed to the driver or witnesses to the accident to contact gardai. "My support goes out to the family whom I know. I would ask people to come forward. I think the people involved in it should give themselves in to be honest. And I would also say to people if you have information, footage on your dashcam or on your phone please give that to the gardai. Chris O'Leary "The gardai have been trying to piece together what happened and how it happened and I would encourage the individual who was driving to come forward. There was no caution from the driver who just left him there." The youngster is currently in an induced coma. His collarbone is broken and other bones are cracked and damaged. It is understood he will survive the incident but there is a long road to recovery. The toddler was treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken by ambulance to Cork University Hospital. He was subsequently transferred to Temple Street Childrens Hospital in Dublin where he is in a serious condition. Cllr O'Leary, says the family of the young boy are hugely thankful for the quick response of the emergency services and the support of their neighbours and friends. Cllr O'Leary added that the parents of the young boy are "appalled" that somebody would knock a child down and not "man up" and hand themselves in. Gardai later found a blue car matching the description of the vehicle involved abandoned in nearby Ballinure. The vehicle will be forensically examined to see if it was linked to the accident. Door to door enquiries are being conducted in the locality and relevant CCTV footage will be checked if available. Superintendent Colm O'Sullivan said, " blue saloon car, that we believe may have involved in the incident, was located close to the scene and has been seized for technical examination. "We believe there may have been a number of people in the car at the time of the incident and would appeal for the driver and passengers to come forward. "Likewise, anyone with information or who may have dash cam footage or who may have been in the area at the time, I am asking them to contact us at Anglesea Street garda station." Anyone with information is asked to contact Anglesea Street garda station on 021-4522000 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666111. Cork gardai appeal for information after 3-year-old seriously injured in hit-and-run By Digital Desk staff Earlier: Gardai are appealing for information after a toddler was seriously injured in a hit-and-run in Cork City. The three-year-old boy was struck by a car which failed to stop at Castle Meadows off Skehard Road shortly before 4pm yesterday. The young boy was rushed by ambulance to Cork University Hospital, where his condition is understood to be serious. Gardai at Anglesea Street are anxious to speak to motorists with dash cams who were driving in the area at the time. Anyone with information is asked to contact Anglesea Street Garda Station on 021-4522000 or the Garda Confidential Line (1800) 666111. Irish aid agency GOAL is warning that the damage caused by Cyclone Idai is being hugely underestimated across Southeast Africa. The charity's staff on the ground have heard reports of whole villages being destroyed with thousands of bodies. The UN says the final casualty figure will only be known once the floods have receded. GOAL's Chris Boucher has been to Malawi where he was part of the rapid response team distributing food, water and blankets. He says the full extent of the disaster has yet to be seen. "Up to 2.5 million people are affected by this disaster so far," said Mr Boucher. A woman walks along a flooded road (Themba Hadebe/AP) "Many hundreds of thousands of people have entirely lost their homes. They've lost their crops and their ability to drive a livelihood. "800 people are confirmed dead so far. But truthfully, we don't actually know the full extent of this yet. "So there are many areas which are still inaccessible. So the true extent of this crisis is only slowly becoming apparent." The High Court judge hearing the action by terminally ill Ruth Morrissey against the HSE and two US laboratories over the alleged misreading of her CervicalCheck smear slides hopes to give his judgement in the test case in early May. Mr Justice Kevin Cross on Day 35 of the case reserved judgement in the long-running action. The case is regarded as a test case relating to the recent CervicalCheck controversy and is being closely watched by legal teams representing other women who are taking similar type actions relating to smear tests taken under the CervicalCheck screening programme. In her action, Ms Morrissey and her husband Paul Morrissey, of Monaleen, Co Limerick have sued the HSE and two US laboratories, Quest Diagnostics Ireland Ltd with offices at Sir John Rogersons Quay, Dublin along with Medlab Pathology Ltd with offices at Sandyford Business Park, Dublin 18. 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 and her cancer spread unidentified, unmonitored and untreated until she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in June 2014. It is further claimed a review of the 2009 and 2012 smears took place in 2014 and 2015 with the results sent to Ms Morrisseys treating gynaecologist in 2016, but she was not told until May 2018 of those results which showed her smears were reported incorrectly. The HSE admitted it owed a duty of care to Ms Morrissey. The laboratories deny all claims. The Morrissey side further contended when the case resumed in January this year if Ms Morrissey had been told the results of the smear test audits in late 2014 or early 2015, she would have insisted on an MRI and other scans. Ms Morrissey was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2014 and suffered a recurrence last year. The court has previously heard the recurrence in her pelvic wall has spread to her bone and she has at maximum two years to live. The case ran for 35 days in the High Court and started in July 2018. Ms Morrissey took the stand in July last year and also recently when she had to return to the witness stand to be cross-examined by counsel for the HSE. Mr Justice Cross will now receive written submissions from all parties in the action and indicated he hopes to be in a position to give judgement in early May. The case involved six senior counsel, four junior counsel and three instructing solicitor firms as well as the Morrissey solicitor, Cian OCarroll and his team. The cost of the long-awaited MetroLink project could be substantially higher than the original 3bn figure. Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the National Transport Authority said it is too early to estimate with certainty what the final cost will be. A revised plan for the line has curtailed the southside section, meaning it will run from Swords, through Dublin Airport to a final stop on Charlemont Street, and not extend out to Sandyford. 70 homes, a pool and a gym are to be demolished to make way for the project. MetroLink plans will now not affect Na Fianna and Ballymun Kickhams GAA clubs on Dublin's northside. "There are very significant benefits associated with MetroLink, particularly in terms of the integrated transport system that it will bring about for Dublin," said Anne Graham, CEO of the NTA. "For example, thanks to MetroLink, there will finally be a rail link to Dublin Airport, and with easy interchange with other modes including bus, Dart and commuter rail, MetroLink will make it easier than ever to move into and around the capital. "It is also of benefit in providing a more sustainable transport alternative and by providing a great incentive to get people out of their cars and on to public transport. "MetroLink will be a significant economic driver for the region with about 4,000 jobs to be created during construction. "The MetroLink plan we are announcing today is a key component of the Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area, 2016-2035, adopted by Government in 2016. In addition, MetroLink is one of three major public transport infrastructure projects included in the National Development Plan under Project Ireland 2040, published in 2018, along with Dart Expansion and BusConnects." The government jet will not be used to bring home ISIS bride Lisa Marie Smith but the mother-of-one will face a security assessment when she is returned to Irish soil. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar ruled out using the jet to bring back the Jihadi bride from Syria where she is understood to be currently interned in a camp with her two-year-old daughter. Cabinet briefly discussed Ms Smith's predicament today and officials from the departments of justice, defence and foreign affairs are now assessing how to help her. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, in the Dail, said a "security assessment" will be carried out to make sure the Dundalk woman is "not a threat to life and limb here in Ireland". Confirming the Cabinet discussion, he added: "I am very conscious of the fact that while nobody can condone the choice that she has made and the actions that she took in aligning herself with ISIS, a terrorist regime that is hell-bent on the destruction of the west and Christendom, she does have a two-year-old child that is an Irish citizen and that child is an innocent child. "And as is the case with all Irish citizens, they will be permitted to re-enter the State should they try to do so. "But, of course, a security assessment will have to be carried out to make sure that Lisa Marie Smith is not a threat to any of us. We are working out how best that can be done to make sure that she does not become a threat to life and limb here in Ireland. But that does not apply obviously to a two-year-old child." WATCH: @LeoVaradkar -'nobody can condone Irish woman Lisa Marie Smith's actions in aligning herself with ISIS but she has an innocent 2-year old child.' A "security assessment" will also be carried out to make sure she "not a threat to life and limb here in Ireland" pic.twitter.com/KtVlBFupbb Conor McMorrow (@ConorMcMorrow) March 26, 2019 Responding to Labour questions, Mr Varadkar dismissed reports that the Government jet would be used to repatriate Ms Smith and her daughter. This suggestion was "absolutely without foundation". Furthermore, it emerged, the plane did not have the range to reach Syria or Turkey, the Dail heard. Mr Varadkar also told TDs that he was aware of reports that Ms Smith, a former Defence Forces member, was in a camp in an area in northern Syria controlled by Kurdish forces. While consular assistance is traditionally given to Irish citizens, the state's capacity to do so in a war zone is limited. It is understood the International Red Cross will try and help Ms Smith. The government say her family have requested assistance. Meanwhile, a woman with an Irish accent in a burka was interviewed by CNN in the camp containing suspected ISIS fighters, saying she was Irish and wanted to return to Ireland. Meanwhile, the government today agreed terms to hold a referendum on May 24, coinciding with local and European elections, asking voters to reduce from four to two years the time divorcing couples must live apart. Voters will be asked to amend Article 41.3.2 in a move that will also take terms for living apart out of the Constitution and into the hands of legislators. Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan, in a statement, said: The irreconcilable breakdown of a marriage causes immense sadness and stress for all concerned. The Government wishes to ensure that the process for obtaining a divorce is fair, dignified and humane and allows both parties to move forward with their lives within a reasonable timeframe. Mr Flanagan also praised colleague Arts Minister Josepha Madigan who has campaigned for and proposed changes to the divorce rules. Elsewhere, Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty brought proposals to beef up checks for bogus self-employment. This will include upskilling 200 social welfare officials, creating a standalone unit to inspect big firms and creating a new workers rights code. The trial of a garda civil servant accused of using bogus sick certs has collapsed after a judge ruled the investigation breached her right to privacy. Lynn Margiotta (50) was arrested at her home in Navan in August 2014, a month after she made a complaint of bullying against her line manager, Garda Sergeant Sharon Burke. Ms Lynn said she was unfit for work for much of 2014 as a result of stress due to the death of her mother in January that year. During that period she provided over a dozen medical certificates made out by her brother, Dr Tony Margiotta (58). During legal argument made in the absence of a jury the investigating officer, Garda Superintendent Desmond McTiernan, told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that he believed Ms Margiotta when she said she was sick. He said he was investigating whether the certificates were used to obtain sick leave by deception and said whether she was sick or not was irrelevant. Ms Margiotta of Finglas, Dublin faced 18 counts of using a false instrument on dates at Mountjoy Street and Store Street garda stations on dates between January 22 and July 31 2014. Her brother, with an address in Hollystown, Dublin was charged with 18 related counts of making false instruments. Both accused denied the allegations. The prosecution had alleged that the certificates falsely purported to be from Dr Teresa O'Brien and Dr Barry Brown. A jury was sworn in to hear the case last week but defence applications against the admissibility of the evidence resulted in a week of legal argument in the absence of the jury. Cathal McGreal BL, defending Ms Margiotta, submitted to Judge Patricia Ryan that the seizure of the medical certificates was unlawful and breached her right to privacy. He said that his client and the investigating gardai all worked in Store Steet garda station and the certificates were taken from the station as part of the investigation into alleged fraud. The certificates were filled out by Dr Margiotta but were officially stamped in the name of Dr O'Brien or Dr Brown. Sgt Burke said she became aware Dr O'Brien was no longer resident here and reported this to a superior officer. After the criminal investigation had been initiated gardai received an expert report from Colin Bradley, professor of General Practice at UCC, which stated it was not unusual for locums to use another doctor's stamp while filling out sick certs and that the practice was unregulated. In her ruling Judge Patricia Ryan said the sick certificates included details of her ailment. She said investigators should have sought consent from Ms Margiotta to hand the records over and if this was not provided they ought to have sought a warrant to obtain the records. She said the seizure was improper and breached her privacy and the records were therefore inadmissible. She further ruled that the defendant was denied access to a solicitor during her detainment at Navan garda station following her arrest. As a result she ruled that the content of the interviews were inadmissible. Eilis Brennan SC, prosecuting, told the court that as a consequence of the two rulings of inadmissibility the DPP were entering a nolle prosequi in all charges against both defendants. This morning Judge Ryan thanked the jurors before discharging them from jury duty. Mr McGreal told the court that his client faces disciplinary proceedings and there may be further proceedings and asked for a transcript of the trial. The court heard that Ms Margiotta filed High Court proceedings against the Garda Commissioner in 2017. A young woman has given evidence of taking what she thought was her last breath, as the teenager she met online tried to "choke the life" out of her before slashing her neck with a knife and leaving her for dead. She was reading her victim impact statement at his sentence hearing for her attempted murder, saying she felt that the then 15-year-old was frustrated with himself for not having killed her. You destroyed my life, she said through tears from the witness box of the Central Criminal Court today. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had tried to murder the woman he met on social media, after suggesting they take a selfie at the waters edge in Dun Laoghaire. There, he choked her to unconsciousness and then slashed her neck with a knife. Gardai later found a book of drawings in his bedroom, containing a sketch of someone being cut up with a knife. The words, serial killer, had been written on another page. He pleaded guilty to attempting to murder the woman on December 23, 2017, at Sea Front, Queens Road, Dun Laoghaire. The 16-year-old was accompanied to court by his parents, who sat beside him in the area of the room reserved for accused people. Detective Garda Daniel Treacy told Paul Burns SC, prosecuting, that the accused had met his victim on the Whisper social media app. He was 15 years old at the time, and his victim was 25. However, he told her that he was 19. They exchanged ordinary photographs to confirm that they were real people. He asked her to participate in a threesome but she declined, and made it clear that she wasnt interested in any form of a sexual relationship. He disclosed his name and certain family details and that he was attending psychiatrists for therapy, him having depression, suicidal and intrusive thoughts. He told her that he couldnt commit to girls. Its like being a psychopath. You just dont feel it, he wrote, saying he was feeling it for the first time. He stated that he hadnt developed feelings for anyone and hadnt had a crush on anyone. They arranged to meet in Dun Laoghaire on 23rd December, with him saying he would bring her to a secret spot. She jokingly said it sounded like he was going to murder her. He replied that he didnt think he could murder her. They met at the entrance to Dun Laoghaire Shopping Centre shortly after noon that day and walked to York Road, where the accused asked her to go into a vacant house. She declined. It was boarded up anyway, so he suggested another abandoned house. She again said no. They walked to the promenade and he suggested going into the old disused baths. She declined. At his request, they went down to the waters edge to take a selfie, testified D Gda Treacy. She was facing out to sea when he grabbed her from behind in a neck lock. He then moved in front of her and started choking her with his right hand while brandishing a knife in his left hand. She raised her hand to defend herself and suffered significant lacerations as a result. He told her to stop screaming in a calm and controlled voice. She passed out due to the stranglehold. When she came around, she was lying on the ground near the waters edge, her hand was bleeding and there was blood around her head. Her clothes had been cut. She managed to get to her feet and take a few steps but collapsed. Walkers noticed her and came to her assistance. She was unable to speak, very pale, her lips had gone blue and the walkers thought she going to die. She was taken to to St Vincent's Hospital, where she was found to have a 10cm-deep midline neck laceration, which penetrated her trachea. She also had a wound to her thumb along with one to her right arm, which was consistent with a defensive stab injury. She had a fast heart rate and low blood pressure, consistent with significant blood loss. She had other symptoms that showed she probably had blood in her lungs. She had to be put into a medically-induced coma and underwent emergency surgery. Although she was unable to speak that day, she managed to speak with assistance the following day. She showed gardai the communications shed had with the accused and indicated that the person in the photos was her attacker. Through examination of her phone, found in her handbag at the scene, gardai were able to identify the attacker as the accused. They searched his home the following day. When they entered his bedroom, he stated: This is about the stabbing of that girl in Dun Laoghaire. I haven't got the knife. I threw it in the ocean. The gardai seized a Leinster rugby backpack and a coat, both with suspected blood staining on them. They also seized a book of drawings, produced to the witness in court. It contained various writings and sketches, including an entry from December 17, showing someone being cut up with a knife. There was also a written entry on a date in November 2017, where there was reference to a therapist, along with the words, serial killer might also be self deprecator might also be self praiser. He was arrested and taken to Dun Laoghaire Garda Station, where he exercised his right to silence throughout his five interviews. The Whisper app had been deleted off his phone around midnight on Christmas Eve; the blood on his backpack matched that of his victim. There was a huge amount of pooling of congealed blood, so it was reckoned she was there a while before she came round, said the detective of the victim, who lives in south Dublin with her family. Her attacker also lived with his family in South Dublin. His school attendance had been sporadic, possibly due to mental health issues, confirmed the detective. 'How do you talk to someone who has no experience of being that close to death?' The young woman then entered the witness box to deliver a highly emotional victim impact statement, much of which was directed at her attacker, who was sitting nearby. It detailed the slash wound across her neck, which went 75% of the way through her windpipe, damaged her voice box and left scarring. Tendons in her hand were also severed while she was unconscious. She began to cry when asked to read about the psychological effects the crime had on her. She said that she was now a different person, who struggled to trust others and was afraid of teenage boys. She asked: I have sought professional help but how do you talk to someone who has no experience of being that close to death? She no longer goes out much, feeling that people are looking at her neck scar. She said the events of that day had "destroyed my life". My happiness has been taken as the last time I met (him) he was strangling me, held a knife to my face. I remember him calmly whispering stop screaming, stop screaming, she said. A tear rolled down my cheek as I took what I thought was going to be my last breath as he choked the life out of me, she continued. I remember telling you Im sorry. I was apologising to you for you trying to kill me. This, she said, she could not understand. She recalled: After you repeatedly stabbed me, I woke on the seafront in Dun Laoghaire with sea crashing against the rocks and the noise of seagulls squawking in the blue sky above my head.This dream was comfortable until I realised it was reality and I was alive in a pool of my own blood. She described being wet and cold with blood, and could see the inner parts of her hand. I felt really sick from the sight of flesh, she said. You had left me for dead. She said that she had tried to cry for help but nothing came out. I knew I couldnt be seen where I was lying and knew I had to get out of there to survive, she explained. I walked up to higher ground as I was determined not to die. She said that her body had struggled to walk up the path. It was difficult maintaining my breathing after getting stabbed in the neck, she said. She had soon collapsed from blood loss and was later told that she had lost four litres. Only for him, you would have succeeded in my death, she said of the passer-by, who had found her. When I could not speak, I put my hand to my neck and I realised there was a gap in my neck, she explained. On the brink of death, she remained calm as I did not wish to die. She had tried to tell the gardai her attackers name but was powerless without her speech. She was panicked by the fact that she could cough through her neck with her mouth closed. I debated whether I was going to die because my body couldn't bear the physical trauma anymore, she recalled. Thank God I lost consciousness after this. She said that showing the gardai the picture of her attacker had led to a cry of anguish from her. I was also tormented knowing my life nearly ended in your cruel hands, she said. When they told me your age, my head spiralled in confusion, trying to understand how someone your age could have such evil intentions. She had also cried in fear of not waking up again, while in hospital. I knew you were so far away yet I could still feel your presence grabbing me from behind, frustrated at yourself for not actually killing me, she said. The scars you inflicted on my neck and hand will forever be a reminder of your demonic actions, she said. She noted the number of times that he had tried to lure her to isolated locations that day in order to fulfill your urges. Your persistence down at the waters edge showed how determined you were to have me dead, she said. She recalled crying when she saw the damage to her thumb. I struggled to understand why it was necessary to stab my hand while I was unconscious. You destroyed my life, she sobbed. She said that, although she felt lucky to be alive, she was not prepared for the flashbacks. Going to the sea triggered it all again, your rough arms around me trying to take my life, she said. Why did you cut my throat and thumb when I was out cold and unconscious? You have taken my life and happiness and everything that goes with it. She said that her injuries would remind her of her attacker for the rest of her days. However, she was looking forward to the day she would be free of the tortures of her mind and past. All I can do is trust and believe, because the thought of this lasting for the rest of my life is intolerable, she concluded. Mr Justice Michael White commended her for the tremendous courage she had shown in reading the statement herself. He then adjourned the case until April 12, when he will make formal orders in relation to psychiatric or psychological reports. Felicia Frazar is the managing editor of the Seguin Gazette. You can e-mail her at felicia.frazar@seguingazette.com James McClean doesnt pull any punches, on or off the pitch. In advance of tonights Euro 2020 qualifier against Georgia at the Aviva Stadium, McClean was asked his thoughts on Declan Rice, who made his first start for England on Monday in the 5-1 won over Montenegro. The West Ham midfielder played three senior international friendlies for Ireland before switching allegiances to England last month. In an interview with RTE, McClean was asked his thoughts on matter and gave a characteristically fortright response. He said he was a proud Irishman. Then he said he was a proud Englishman. If hes both... good luck to him but I dont buy it. I think youre either one or the other, said McClean, who played seven times for Northern Ireland U21s but turned down the opportunity to commit to their senior side. I was with Derry City when I got the call-up to play for the North and I turned it down because its not my country, its never been my country. Im an Irishman. Its not just Declan, its anyone else. If youre not proud to be here and were a stepping stone then sod off and play for someone else. Im an Irishman. I grew up on the island of Ireland, simple as that. We only want players here who want to play for Ireland, who feel Irish, and are proud to be Irish. Latest: MPs have approved the amended Government motion allowing Parliament to seize control of the Commons agenda to hold a series of indicative votes by 327 votes to 300, majority 27. The MPs dramatically seized control of the Brexit agenda from Theresa May potentially paving the way for a softer deal that keeps the UK closer to Brussels. Minutes earlier, the Commons voted by 329 to 302 a majority of 27 for a cross-party amendment to enable MPs to stage a series of indicative votes on alternatives to the Prime Ministers deal. Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliaments Brexit coordinator, said: Parliament takes control. An opportunity to build a cross-party cooperation leading to an enhanced political declaration & a closer future relationship! #Brexit Parliament takes control. An opportunity to build a cross-party cooperation leading to an enhanced political declaration & a closer future relationship! #Brexithttps://t.co/4NhRkeGQ72 Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) March 25, 2019 The vote came as pro-EU ministers Richard Harrington and Alistair Burt announced they were quitting the Government. Mr Harrington, a Business Minister, accused the Government of playing roulette with the lives and livelihoods of the people of Britain in its handling of Brexit. The result is another humiliation for Mrs May, who earlier warned MPs not to overturn the balance of our democratic institutions which means the Government normally controls business of the House. No Government could give a blank cheque to commit to an outcome without knowing what it is She made clear she would not feel bound by the result of any indicative votes which could include a softer Norway-style deal, or a second referendum. No Government could give a blank cheque to commit to an outcome without knowing what it is, she said. So I cannot commit the Government to delivering the outcome of any votes held by this House. But I do commit to engaging constructively with this process.- Press Association Update (10:35pm): MPs have narrowly rejected a backbench amendment to allow the Commons to have a vote if the UK is seven days away from leaving the EU without a deal by 314 votes to 311, majority three. Update (10:15pm): MPs have approved a cross-party Brexit amendment which allows Parliament to seize control of the Commons agenda to hold a series of indicative votes by 329 votes to 302, majority 27. A total of 30 Conservative MPs were listed as having voted in favour of Oliver Letwins amendment, according to the division list. An analysis of the division list showed Tory former minister Ed Vaizey voted both for and against the amendment, which is regarded as a formal abstention. Pro-EU business minister Richard Harrington resigned ahead of the key vote. This evening I wrote to the PM to offer her my resignation pic.twitter.com/Z0QU5lbeJ1 Richard Harrington (@Richard4Watford) March 25, 2019 Mr Harrington said he resigned because he believed the Governments approach to Brexit was playing roulette with the lives and livelihoods of the vast majority of people in this country. Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt and Health Minister Steve Brine have also resigned, UK government sources said. Earlier (6:04pm): Three Brexit amendments selected for consideration in Commons Commons Speaker John Bercow has selected three amendments for consideration as MPs debate the latest Brexit next steps motion. The amendments selected are: Amendment D, Labours proposal which calls on the Government to provide parliamentary time to debate a range of Brexit options, including Labours own plan, the Common Market 2.0 proposals, a customs union and a second referendum Amendment A, the cross-party amendment put forward by Oliver Letwin, Dominic Grieve and Hilary Benn and signed by 109 MPs from all parties, to allow Parliament to seize control of the agenda in the House of Commons on Wednesday to hold a series of indicative votes to establish whether there is a majority for any Brexit outcome Amendment F, tabled by Labour former foreign secretary Dame Margaret Beckett, to require Parliament to be given an opportunity in the week before a mooted no-deal Brexit to vote on whether the Government should go ahead and take the UK out of the EU or seek a further extension to negotiations Earlier: May seeks to build bridges with MPs doing difficult jobs over Brexit Theresa May has struck a conciliatory tone with MPs as she sought to repair the damage done by her Downing Street statement on Brexit. The British Prime Minister used a Commons appearance to acknowledge they were doing difficult jobs as they wrestled with Brexit. It was a markedly different approach to last weeks Downing Street statement, in which she blamed MPs for failing to implement the result of the 2016 EU referendum and told frustrated voters: I am on your side. Pro-EU Tory Sam Gyimah, who quit as a minister over her deal, described her remarks at Number 10 as toxic and a low blow. The Prime Minister needs to win over MPs if she is to have any chance of overturning the 149-vote defeat suffered by her Brexit deal. I expressed my frustration with our collective failure to take a decision, but I know that many members across this House are frustrated too. We all have difficult jobs to do Speaking in the Commons, she stopped short of apologising for her remarks, but admitted they were made in frustration. She said: This is the first chance I have had to address the House since my remarks last Wednesday evening. I expressed my frustration with our collective failure to take a decision, but I know that many members across this House are frustrated too. We all have difficult jobs to do. People on all sides of the debate hold passionate views and I respect those differences. I would also like to thank all of those colleagues that have supported the deal so far, and those that have taken the time to meet with me to discuss their concerns. Earlier: May: There is 'not sufficient support' for third meaningful vote Prime Minister Theresa May has told the House of Commons that there is still not sufficient support to bring her Withdrawal Agreement back for a third meaningful vote. Mrs May told the Commons that the Government will oppose Sir Oliver Letwins amendment to pave the way for indicative votes on Brexit, but if it fails ministers will provide their own mechanism for them to take place. Guy Verhofstadt, the Brexit Coordinator for the European Parliament, reacted to the news on Twitter. "Time is running out," he said. "A disastrous no-deal Brexit is more likely than ever. It is now up to the UK Parliament to deliver a cross-party majority for a positive future EU-UK relationship. The door of the [European Parliament] remains open to a closer relationship." Time is running out. A disastrous no-deal #Brexit is more likely than ever. It is now up to the UK Parliament to deliver a cross-party majority for a positive future EU-UK relationship. The door of the @Europarl_EN remains open to a closer relationship. https://t.co/C2Ruz8ZGwX Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) March 25, 2019 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, responding to Theresa Mays latest update to the Commons, said: The Governments approach to Brexit has now become a national embarrassment. After two years of failure, broken promise after broken promise, the Prime Minister finally accepted the inevitable last week and voted to extend Article 50 and went to Brussels to negotiate. Last weeks summit represented another negotiating failure for the Prime Minister her proposals were rejected and new terms were imposed on her. May and Corbyn have 'frank and comprehensive exchange of views' as Brexit talks continue Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn had a frank and comprehensive exchange of views in talks on Brexit, Labour said. The meeting was also attended by Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay and Chief Whip Julian Smith and their opposite numbers Sir Keir Starmer and Nick Brown. A Labour Party spokesman said: Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May met for over an hour in Parliament and had a frank and comprehensive exchange of views. Jeremy Corbyn made clear there was no basis for bringing back the meaningful vote on Theresa Mays deal for a third time The Labour leader did not accept the Prime Ministers suggestion that the Withdrawal Agreement could be separated from the Political Declaration. Earlier: Theresa May fails to make Brexit breakthrough with DUP A phone call between Theresa May and DUP leader Arlene Foster failed to provide the breakthrough the Prime Minister needs as she seeks to win support for her deal. The 10 DUP MPs have opposed the Withdrawal Agreement in the two previous votes on it. A DUP spokesman said the partys position remains unchanged. Mrs Mays official spokesman said that a Cabinet meeting earlier today discussed the outcome of last weeks EU summit and the content of the statement the PM was due to give to the Commons later on Monday. It is understood that the question of Mrs Mays future was not raised. The sense I took from the Prime Minister and the Cabinet this morning was of a determination to do whatever it takes to get a deal, so the UK can leave the EU as soon as possible, the spokesman told a regular Westminster media briefing. There is a real sense amongst the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of just wanting to get on with this and deliver for the British people. The PMs spokesman added Mrs May had concerns about the constitutional implications of the amendment tabled by Sir Oliver Letwin which would give Parliament control of the agenda in the Commons. The Prime Minister has previously said that tying the Governments hands in this way by seeking to commandeer the order paper would have far-reaching implications for the way in which the UK is governed and the balance of powers and responsibilities in our democratic institutions, said Mrs Mays spokesman. The spokesman was unable to give any date either for a possible third meaningful vote on Mrs Mays plan in the Commons or for the tabling of the secondary legislation required to remove the Brexit date of March 29 from the statute book. Earlier: MP who tweeted it was 'all over' for Theresa May says Tories must unite Theresa Mays former policy adviser George Freeman, who on Saturday tweeted that it was all over for the prime minister, has played down talk that there were plans for a coup against her. I dont think there was ever a coup. There are many of us in the backbench party very frustrated that the Cabinet is completely split and briefing against each other," he said. If they cant unite behind Theresa May, then they should have the guts to find somebody they can unite behind. Brexit is like the Death Star of politics. I always feared it would be like this. Its destroying and soaking up all the Prime Ministers room for manoeuvre and political goodwill. I was simply saying if thats where we are, if the price we have to pay is to change to get a solution to this, then so be it. Ive never known this country so divided, so angry and in such a dangerous state. I think were close to civil unrest. This is not politics as normal. I think one of the extraordinary things about Brexit is its made spectators of all of us. Im an elected representative of 76,000 people and I dont know whats going on. Meanwhile, cabinet ministers have begun leaving Number 10 after a meeting with the Prime Minister. - Press Association Valerie Bustamante is a staff writer for the Seguin Gazette. You can e-mail her at valerie.bustamante@seguingazette.com. Former competition watchdog chairman Graeme Samuel has lashed out at the quality of directors in corporate Australia, taking particular aim at the "impenetrable wall" around the club of women who sit on company boards. Mr Samuel, who is chairing a review into the financial regulator, said on Tuesday that current directors lacked the capacity and courage to challenge management. Graeme Samuel told the AFR banking and wealth summit that clubs of male and female directors needed to be broken down. Credit:Peter Braig He said a focus on directors' skills and diversity which were both important meant other qualities like commitment, conscientiousness and the courage to challenge were "missing ingredients". "There are two clubs of directors around us," he told the Australian Financial Review's banking and wealth summit. "Theres the club of male directors its got a wall around it, its got to be broken down. A Canberra man accused of importing more than 350 kilograms of ecstasy into the country pleaded guilty to the charge on Tuesday. Tamim Jamaal Nozhat, a former building company director, was arrested in December 2017 after months of investigations by the Australian Federal Police. Tamim Nozhat has pleaded guilty to importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug. He pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one charge of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug. The ecstasy had an estimated street value of more than $40 million. At the time of arrest, police said Nozhat was the intended recipient of a consignment of pool chlorine sent from Hamburg, Germany, destined for a Fyshwick warehouse. Adani has been fined after stormwater with double the restricted debris levels was released from the Abbot Point coal port last month and into nearby wetlands in north Queensland. The mining company was issued with a $13,000 fine by the Department of Environment and Science on Monday for "breaching its environmental obligations". Water lilies in the Caley Valley wetlands surrounding Abbot Point. Credit:Tom Jefferson/Greenpeace "The fine relates to a release of stormwater in February this year which did not meet the environmental standards prescribed in its environmental authority to operate the port," a DES spokesman said in a statement. "Our job is to ensure we protect the environment and we will hold all industry to account where environmental obligations are not met." Brisbane City Council will buy back private land to ease traffic congestion around Brisbanes new cruise ship terminal. The $158 million cruise ship terminal at Luggage Point is expected to open by the end of the year, in time for the 2020 cruising season. One of many pools on the pool deck of Royal Caribbean's 374-metre long Ovation of the Seas, which is the largest cruise ship in Australia. Credit:Chris Hyde A multi-million-dollar roadwork plan was approved late last year to allow tour buses to use the network of roads to connect passengers with hotels and destinations. Council made a 50/50 funding deal with the Port of Brisbane to deliver $11 million worth of roadworks around the terminal. In December 2014, the entire ieMR program status was reporting as red, meaning in its current form, the program cannot meet its objectives, according to the meeting minutes. But in January 2015, then-Queensland Health director general Ian Maynard told eHealth Queenslands Digital Hospital Board the program needed to prove its financial worth to the state government in just six months. In mid-2014 then-eHealth Queensland chief executive Malcolm Thatcher oversaw a switch in focus from the ieMRs incremental rollout to a big bang approach. The change fast-tracked the software at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and Cairns Hospital but delayed the project in other hospitals. The Board has agreed to the principle that some form of exemplar is required by June 2015 with measurable benefits demonstrated to form the basis of further investment on behalf of [Hospital and Health Boards], or enable Treasurys decision to invest, the meeting minutes from January 12, 2015, say. The two hospitals were chosen to be exemplar sites that showcased the softwares abilities to the state government and hospital boards, to prove it was worth further funding. However, according to the meeting minutes, in December 2014 Cerners vice-president of Asia Pacific, Trina Adams, warned the board it would be a serious risk to force the software into the Princess Alexandra Hospital and Cairns Hospital by June 2015. The ieMR program delivery director at the time, Graham Bretag, also told the board meeting that the six-month deadline was almost impossible to meet. Loading Mr Graham Bretag advised that this request was problematic given that the current project schedule was developed from a scheduled end point of 30th June 2015 working backwards, the meeting minutes state. The meeting has been advised by Ms Trina Adams that delivery full scope by end June 2015 was a desperate risk. Mr Graham Bretag has advised that the risk likelihood of not achieving full scope delivery by end June is Almost Certain. The cost Between 2011 and 2014 the government had approved expenditure of up to $412 million for the integrated electronic medical record. In August 2015 it approved a further $376 million. The 2017-2018 state budget reported the total estimated cost of the ieMR project until 2021 would be $1.2 billion. A December 2018 Auditor-General report warned the program was again at risk of financial collapse if more than $100 million of further funding was not approved by Treasury. Loading It warned the actual cost of developing the ieMR was higher than forecast in the 2016 business case, as the department planned to install the ieMR in 27 hospitals by 2021. To keep the program going, another $150 million needs to be stumped up by the Hospital and Health Services. eHealth Queensland was preparing a new business case for the states Cabinet Budget Review Committee for early this year, asking for that extra funding. Health Minister Steven Miles said that business case was currently progressing to government, meaning it was still in development, and any questions about the conversations held in the board meetings in January 2015 under the Campbell Newman-led LNP government should be put to the opposition. The state election held on January 31, 2015, brought the Labor Palaszczuk government to power. In January 2015, meeting minutes noted Mr Maynard told the board it was a big step forward for the health department to take responsibility for delivering a statewide ICT project, but said he had full faith in the projects senior responsible officer, Dr Richard Ashby. Loading At the time, Dr Ashby was chief executive of Metro South Health and Hospital Service. In February 2017 he stepped into the role of chief executive of eHealth Queensland. The Princess Alexandra Hospital is part of the Metro South Health and Hospital Service. Dr Ashby resigned from eHealth Queensland in January this year after allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a staffer working on another multimillion-dollar eHealth Queensland project were referred to the Crime and Corruption Commission. The board endorsed a decision to target the full digital release of the ieMR at the Princess Alexandra and Cairns hospitals by June 2015. Just months earlier, in March 2014, an independent consultants report warned the rollout of radiology and pathology modules of the ieMR was a serious risk. That report warned there had been no lessons learned from the 2013 payroll debacle and detailed a host of issues with the software that needed to be addressed. The payroll debacle sparked a commission of inquiry in 2013, two years after Queensland Health rolled out a new software system that overpaid and underpaid thousands of nurses and doctors, costing the state millions. A Queensland Health manager requested the independent report be modified to remove those warnings and its examples of electronic medical records failing across the world. The solution At a digital hospital board meeting in early January 2015, the board confirmed the deadline of June 2015 was not achievable for the digital release of the ieMR at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. Debating the way forward, the board floated an option of rolling out the ieMR at the Princess Alexandra and Cairns with a reduced scope in June 2015, or delaying the full rollout. According to the meeting minutes, Mr Maynard told the board if the program [had] not delivered proof of concept by June 2015 then investment so far will be lost. There is a likelihood that the HHSs would have to fund [the ieMR] with department only stepping in where there is a positive business case, the meeting minutes stated. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang's Regular Press Conference on March 26, 2019 2019/03/26 Q: Can you tell us about Chinese government's conversations with the government of Saudi Arabia about the two sisters who were in Hong Kong seeking asylum and have now left for a third country. Did the Saudi government ask the Chinese government to return them to Saudi Arabia? A: According to the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Hong Kong SAR government may apply immigration controls on entry into, stay in and departure from the Region by persons from foreign states and regions. On matters concerning foreign nationals' entry into and exit from Hong Kong, I would refer you to the Hong Kong SAR government. Q: Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea Ri Su-yong arrived in Beijing today. Will he be meeting with Chinese officials? Do you have any update on the visit to China by US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun? Are the two visits related in any way? A: On your first question, I have nothing to offer at the moment. As to the visit by US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, I already answered a question yesterday. China maintains close communication and coordination with all parties concerned regarding the Korean Peninsula issue. We will release important information in a timely manner. Q: According to a confidential report that China and Russia issued to the United Nations Security Council Sanctions Committee, China has sent home to the DPRK a number of North Korean workers who were working in China. Can you tell us how many North Korean workers are currently in China and how many China has sent back to the DPRK? A: You said it was a confidential report. How did you get to know its content? Journalist: It was leaked to reporters. A: By whom? Journalist: I don't know. A: China is committed to faithfully and strictly implementing UN Security Council resolutions on the DPRK and to fulfilling its international obligations. For instance, China's State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs released notices on work authorizations for DPRK nationals in an effort to implement UNSCR 2371 and 2375. In fact, China has been honoring its commitment faithfully and strictly. Not long ago, China submitted relevant report to the UNSC Sanctions Committee on North Korea. Q: US President Trump signed on Monday a proclamation recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Many countries have already condemned this move. What's China's position on this situation? A: It is recognized by the international community that the Golan Heights is an occupied territory. The UN Security Council adopted resolutions demanding Israel's withdrawal from the Golan Heights. China objects unilateral attempts to change facts and does not hope to see escalating tension in the region. Q: Japan's education ministry today announced its authorization of school textbooks. We noticed that the elementary school textbooks clearly said that Senkaku is Japan's inherent territory. What is your comment? A: China's position on the issue of Diaoyu Island is clear and consistent. Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands have been China's inherent territory since ancient times. The fact that Diaoyu Island belongs to China cannot be altered no matter what the Japanese side chooses to say or do. Q: The US State Department said that China systematically impedes access to Tibet, citing restrictions prohibiting diplomats, journalists and ordinary citizens from visiting. They also said that last year China rejected five out of nine US requests to visit Tibet. What's your comment on this? A: We have taken note of the report by the US State Department. The so-called US "Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act" is a serious violation of the basic norms governing international relations. It grossly interferes in China's internal affairs and sends utterly wrong signals to the separatist forces of "Tibetan Independence", severely undermining China-US exchange and cooperation. China firmly opposes that. The so-called US report based on the above-mentioned act is in total disregard of facts and full of bias. China will by no means accept it. I must emphasize that Tibetan affairs are purely China's internal affairs, where no foreign interference is allowed to meddle. China's Tibet is open to people from around the world. Considering the special geographical and climatic conditions in the region, it is necessary and indisputable that the government takes some lawful measures on the regulation and protection of foreigners regarding their entry into Tibet. We welcome more foreign citizens to visit, travel and do business in Tibet. This policy won't change. However, they must abide by Chinese laws and relevant regulations and follow necessary procedures. We urge the US to fully recognize the high sensitivity of Tibet-related issues, take concrete measures to remove the negative impact produced by the above-mentioned report, and stop using Tibet-related issues as a tool to interfere in China's internal affairs, so as to avoid damaging our bilateral relations, exchange and cooperation. Q: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday said that Japan is ready to conduct third-party cooperation with China if the Belt and Road can meet the conditions such as openness and transparency. What is your response? A: We have noted relevant reports. The Chinese and Japanese leaders have reached important consensus on conducting third-party cooperation under the Belt and Road framework. During Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit last year, the first China-Japan Third-Party Market Cooperation Forum was held by the two sides where a series of concrete cooperation documents were inked. Jointly building the Belt and Road has offered a new platform for China and Japan to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation. China stands ready to work with all countries to ensure a high-quality and high-level implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and deliver more benefits to people of all countries. Q: China's 35 billion deal to buy Airbus aircraft signed during President Xi Jinping's visit to France is about double the size that was expected. Is that a message from China to the US as your trade negotiations continue? A: As far as I know, information on the relevant deal signed by a Chinese company and Airbus to buy Airbus planes has been released by the Chinese side. It is readily available online. Over the years, China-France cooperation in aviation has been mutually beneficial and yielded fruitful outcomes. Airbus has contributed to better civil aircraft fleet and the modernization of air transport in China, while China's larger aviation industry and market have also been giving a strong boost to the growth of Airbus. Based on the development need of China's air transport industry and demand of domestic market, we will continue cooperation in aviation with relevant parties. Q: Regarding the 60th annual meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank, which was expected to take place in Chengdu this week, do you have any new remarks or new information on this issue? Is China concerned that might raise some problems in cooperation with Latin America? A: Since you asked about the 60th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), I would like to offer a thorough response. As a matter of fact, I have already responded to some media inquiries on this issue. The annual meeting was originally scheduled to be held in Chengdu from March 26 to 31. Attaching great importance to this event as the host, China had done a great deal of work preparing for it. We had hoped to work with various parties to hold a successful meeting of unity, cooperation and win-win outcomes. The overwhelming majority of the IDB membership, including China, are of the view that the IDB annual meeting, as a gathering for the financial sector, should focus on financial cooperation. As such, it is hardly an appropriate venue for discussions of sensitive political issues. However, a certain country had continuously stirred up the sensitive political topic of the Venezuelan issue. While severe divisions still persist among the member states, it rushed through the approval of the new governor and executive director appointed by Juan Guaido as the meeting drew close and insisted on their participation. China's position on the Venezuelan issue is consistent and clear. We believe that all parties should abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, follow international law and the basic norms governing the international relations and refrain from interfering in Venezuela's internal affairs. Although the governor nominated by Guaido has gone through the voting procedure of the IDB, Guaido himself is not a president elected through legal procedures and thus lacks legitimacy. China has difficulties allowing Guaido's representatives to attend the meeting in China. Changing Venezuela's representatives at the IDB won't help solve the Venezuelan issue and has damaged the atmosphere of the IDB annual meeting and disrupted preparations for the event. To ensure that the IDB annual meeting can be held smoothly, China had exercised prudence on the participation of the Venezuelan representatives and made reasonable proposals. We had been engaging in in-depth communication and coordination with relevant parties and calling on them to uphold the mechanism's founding mission of friendly cooperation and refrain from politicizing it. This serves the common interests of all parties. China's observations and proposals are responsible as they reflect our respect for the IDB and its members as well as our sincere hope for a successful meeting as the host. Nevertheless, a certain country has tried to impose its will on others, manipulate the Venezuelan issue and forcibly have Juan Guaido's representatives participate in the meeting in disregard of the meeting's purpose, China's position and concerns and our sincere efforts as the host. What it has done eventually led to the cancellation of the meeting. This is the last thing any party would like to see, and the responsibility does not lie with the Chinese side. China deeply regrets that the IDB decided to call off its annual meeting in Chengdu. To my knowledge, the vast majority of the IDB membership agree with China's view that the annual meeting should focus on financial cooperation and not be disrupted by contentious political issues. And it is only too evident which country was thwarting efforts for a successful meeting. We are confident that China's cooperation with Latin American and the Caribbean countries will not be disrupted and we have every confidence in the brighter prospects of future cooperation. Q: Yesterday, US National Security Adviser John Bolton commented on the situation in Venezuela and said that the United States will not tolerate any interference by hostile foreign powers into the Western Hemisphere's affairs. I was wondering what's China's opinion about this kind of comments? A: First of all, countries in the western hemisphere, including Latin American countries, are all independent and sovereign states. They have the right to determine their own foreign policy and their way to engage in mutually beneficial cooperation with countries of their own choosing. Second, it is China's consistent position to develop friendly and cooperative ties with all countries, including Venezuela and other Latin American countries, on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Regarding the Venezuela issue, we want to stress that it can only be resolved by the Venezuelan people, and stability is in the interests of Venezuela and the region. China would like to work with the international community to help Venezuela restore stability at an early date. Meanwhile, we will continue to advance friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation with Latin American countries. Latin American affairs are not a certain country's exclusive business, nor is Latin America a certain country's backyard. A Labor federal government would contribute $73 million towards the $210 million needed to build a long-awaited overpass over the rail line on Boundary Road at Coopers Plains. There have been four accidents each year at the rail crossing for the past seven years. Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese and federal MP for Moreton Graham Perrett announce $73 million as a share of the $210 million to replace the Coopers Plains rail crossing with an overpass. Credit:Tony Moore It was a high-priority project for Liberal federal MP Gary Hardgrave in his four terms from 1996 until 2007 but it was never funded. Traffic at the crossing is held up for several minutes 138 times a day to let trains running from the Gold Coast to Brisbane pass through. As he drove home from a night drinking at a karaoke bar with his partner Sylvia Wing Chin Ip, Wei-Hsiang Hung hit the accelerator of his black BMW less than 200 metres from their Brisbane home. His decision left her dead, their five-month-old daughter without a mother and her family shattered. The driver pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death. "The tragedy flowing from your offending is nothing short of extreme," Judge Jennifer Rosengren said. Hung, who was 3.5 times over the legal blood-alcohol limit, has been jailed for 15 months on Tuesday. A second New South Wales man is set to be extradited across the border in relation to the 12-year-old alleged cold case murder of a young north Queensland man. Jay Brogden. Credit:Facebook Jay Anthony Brogden was 21 years old when he disappeared from Cannonvale, a coastal area in the Whitsunday region, on April 21, 2007. On Tuesday, a 32-year-old Coffs Harbour man, who previously lived in the Whitsundays town of Airlie Beach, was charged by NSW police in relation to separate matters. Queensland detectives will apply for his extradition. On Tuesday, Detective Inspector Damien Hansen stressed that the case was far from completed and investigations were ongoing. A man who slaughtered his new wife, in a "sustained, purposeful and ruthlessly determined" knife attack after Australia Day drinks in Melbourne, will spend decades behind bars. Douglas Derick Eustace, 44, met Mary Freeman while on holiday and proposed to her within weeks, so he could move from his native India to live in Australia. Douglas Eustace arrives at the Supreme Court on Tuesday Credit:Joe Armao But their relationship soon soured, with Ms Freeman making plans to leave the marriage once Eustace's permanent visa came through. They'd started sleeping in separate beds. That's it from us today. Just over 13 degrees now ahead of a warmer top of 21. Keep an ear out for announcements on the Hurstbridge line. Sounds like a frustrating morning ahead. We'll be back from 6am tomorrow. Have a lovely day. The Business Councils Centre Ground public advocacy outfit is no more, despite the corporate lobby raising millions of dollars for an unprecedented push into political campaigning just one year ago. Its bogeyman, Labor senator Kristina Kenneally, will be delighted. One of the first departures, of course, was Andrew Bragg, a long-time Financial Services Council policy director turned right-hand man to BCA chief executive Jennifer Westacott. Centre Ground, the Business Council's political campaigning outfit, has been disbanded. Illustration: John Shakespeare Credit: He left in August and was preselected to the Liberal Partys Senate ticket in December. Global social media behemoth Facebook has been reprimanded by Morrison government ministers for failing to properly address concerns about its platforms in a heated meeting convened in the wake of the Christchurch terrorist attack. Several sources familiar with the discussions at the Brisbane summit said Facebook which was last week used to livestream the mass murder of Muslim worshippers in New Zealand was the focus of government criticism over its technologies and lack of willingness to make major changes. The meeting of government officials, social media companies, and internet service providers in Brisbane on Tuesday. Credit:AAP Following the meeting with social media companies and internet service providers, ministers described companies' commitments as unsatisfactory and unlikely to deter the government from pursuing a legislative crackdown. The government has announced a taskforce that will include the companies and examine immediate and longer term action. The effort will focus on prevention, transparency and response times. Latest News REIA urges first home buyers to secure place in FHLDS More than 4,000 places expected to come online before Christmas ANZ makes another rate hike New highest fixed among Big Four as 40pts added to 4 and 5 year rates According to an established mortgage broker in the investment property space, the royal commission media coverage and ensuing widespread broker support has provided the industry with a unique opening to demand a raise in compensation. Now that weve got Australians on our side, bipartisan support of the political parties, and the media behind us, this is the opportunity that we need to turn around and go to the banks and say, We deserve a pay raise. We are doing so much more for you anyway, said John Manciameli, founder of Slipstream. In the ten years since brokers saw a 30% cut in commissions following the global financial crisis, Manciameli explained that the industry has taken on additional duties more data entry, compliance work, forensic analysis on household income and expenses that call for an increase in compensation, not a further cut. Since then, the big four have recorded gigantic profits and its obvious that they do have the capacity to pay us, said Manciameli. Weve got the momentum to expand as an industry. We have to say, if you want more education into the broking industry, if you want better consumer outcomes, then invest in it. Give us 1.1% plus trail. Manciameli believes that Australians would largely support their brokers receiving a decent income and would be unbothered by the banks making less profit. He also stressed that allocating more towards compensation for brokers is investing in the health and future of the industry. If brokers are struggling with their current balance and arent bringing in enough money, theyre not going to attend events or seminars to learn how to improve, theyre going to focus on bringing in new business, Manciameli pointed out. Additionally, if mortgage broking isnt financially rewarding young professionals who dont have the data base or connections that older brokers have established are likely to gravitate towards other industries rather than start from scratch. So far, Manciameli has received overwhelming support while sharing his views on the topic, which he welcomes as he feels unification is crucial to instigating change. If we dont ask, we dont get. And if we dont ask in a unified voice, we get slammed, he said. Organising cooperation across an entire industry takes time, so Manciameli urges brokers to engage in this conversation now to be ready for the election and the ensuing regulatory developments. Yes, were all battle weary. Everyone is exhausted, he said, speaking to the last few weeks. But you quickly find energy if you are in a situation where you were facing another 30% pay cut, and now you have an opportunity to get a 30% pay raise instead. What a wonderful opportunity when the prime minister himself is talking about our little cottage industry. The time is right to reclaim what we lost 10 years ago and then some, he concluded. Are you free tomorrow? Sure, whats going on? Its a big day for Gramps! Im taking him to the doctor. I guess someone from the ward office said he ought to be checked for dementia. I could tell Ken was trying to make a joke about this big day, but as he started slowly walking past me, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, sighing, Aah, dementia! Ken, a former yakuza gang member now in his fifties, and Gramps had been living together for the last two months. Their housing was arranged by a non-profit organization, based in Tokyo, that assists with ex-offender resettlement and rehabilitation. Gramps got his nickname because at 73, he was the oldest ex-offender in the cohort receiving assistance. While most of the younger ex-offenders were trying to get jobs and build ordinary social lives, Gramps spent most of his time alone, watching television while sitting on a rented hospital bed in his house. Gramps had a stroke around the age of 60, not long after being released from his second short stint in prison. I sometimes wondered how much this damaged his cognitive functioning, but it was hard to tell because his speech had become so impaired I usually strained to make out the short bursts of words he struggled to produce. His last two arrests since the stroke were for common petty crimes. One time he left a restaurant without paying for his lunch. The month I arrived, he was caught stealing 20 yen (about $0.18) out of a donation box of a small shrine. The arrest immediately triggered a cancellation of his welfare benefits and consequently the loss of his apartment. When he was released after eight days in detention, he was not only broke, but homeless too. The non-profit helped him out again, but decided it was best for Gramps to share a house with someone else. Ken, who was released only two months prior, was chosen as the new housemate. Ken often stayed away from home because he couldnt afford the long commute to his worksite, and he would often call me up saying Gramps is lonely! as soon as I answered the phone. I would head over to check on Gramps whenever I got the call (I dont argue with gangsters). A survey of older Japanese prisoners conducted in 2017 estimated that over 14% have some form of dementia. Many of these prisoners are in prison for shoplifting and other petty crimes like those Gramps committed. The other characteristic that linked these prisoners to Gramps was that they were typically estranged from their families. Even if this wasnt the case before incarceration, the stigma associated with prison would be enough for most families to cut ties, and older people are particularly vulnerable. Without family members to offer support, a prison sentence, even for small crimes, is an almost inevitable outcome. The Japanese government has recently increased funding to hire more prison caregiver staff and to train more prison guards on how to interact with prisoners with dementia, but in current practice, its fellow prisoners who end up doing most of the daily care tasks like bathing and changing. For Gramps, this was still the case, even on the outside. After Ken invited me to join him at the clinic, I wondered if the long lonely days were finally starting to take their toll on Gramps mental health. As we got into the car to see Gramps, Kens phone rang. Gramps had tried to go to the hospital earlier that day on his own. With his bad knees, it took Gramps almost seven hours to reach the hospital. When he arrived, he hadnt brought his proof of insurance and other papers, so he was sent home again without seeing anyone. When Ken and I got back to the house, Gramps was lying in bed, dozing with the TV still on. Ken roused him and Gramps told us the story again, adding that when they refused to see him, he got in a fight with the staff and a social worker was called to take him home. Ken was exasperated. You got to be careful with that Gramps! Youre on probation, so if something were to happen youd be right back in prison! The next day at the neurology clinic, I sat in the examining room with Ken and Gramps as the doctor started asking questions: what does he eat? Is he taking medication? Does he forget to lock the door? At one point the doctor turned to Ken, asking, Are you the eldest son then? No, no, no, we just, he just lives with me right now. Hes looked after by this non-profit group So he is in a facility? (the word he uses could mean a nursing home or a prison) Um, no, not really. Sort of Later I joked with Ken, saying he and Gramps looked like they could be family. After all, who else would bring someone like Gramps to the clinic like this, wheeling him through the corridors, helping collect his urine sample? And wasnt it Ken himself who insisted on calling him by a familial nickname? Sort of. What do you think of all this? I asked Gramps as we waited for the results of the tests. He looked me straight in the eyes and grinned, Im completely senile! Thats nonsense! I said reflexively. He kept grinning but I wasnt sure if I had said the right thing. I had wanted to resist the whole atmosphere of the clinic, the brain scan images, the waiting patients slumped on benches, the nurses asking him to repeat a list of vegetables, the doctor asking him who the President of the United States was. Even if Gramps had some symptoms associated with dementia, I didnt want a dementia diagnosis to be the final say on who he was. But who was I to make that call? Maybe Gramps joke about being completely senile was a comment about what his world had become: small, dark, lonely, yes, but also punctuated, at least, by moments of care and intimacy, moments almost like family. And that might be enough for him. What did memory matter when everyday was more or less the same? Perhaps, for Gramps, dementia wasnt merely a death sentence. It could also be a means of embedding himself even more deeply within an unlikely group of carers like Ken. Maybe it held the hope of forgetting the things he lost or the regrets that wouldnt leave. Ken told me that for the younger ex-offenders, looking after Gramps was a way to stay out of prison by cultivating an attitude of service and humility. Dementia had already changed Gramps social world, whatever diagnosis the doctor would give us when we were called back into the office. The essays in this series, in different ways, dismantle the notion of dementia as pathology, a category of non-personhood, or a final and compelling form of address. They resist drawing the edges of dementia too sharply, leaving it open-ended a possibility, a question unfinished, a work in progress Aah, dementia. Strangers, spirits, memories move in and out of this life, bubbling into each other, as Pols so evocatively describes it, sharing a slippery fragility with each other. These social connections bear the weight of their own histories and the histories of places, like prisons, that were never made for old people living with dementia, but which become embodied by them. As I followed Ken and Gramps out of the clinic, the two of them joking with each other in prison slang, I found myself hanging on to this ordinary moment of care, of hope. Jason Danely is Senior Lecturer of Anthropology at Oxford Brookes University. His books include Aging and Loss: Mourning and Maturity in Contemporary Japan (2014, RUP) and Transitions and Transformations: Cultural Perspectives on Aging and the Life Course (Editor, 2013, Berghahn). His current research examines elderly ex-offender resettlement in Japan and the UK. This post is a contribution to The Stories Continue in the Somatosphere series Thinking with dementia. Share this: Share Email Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr LinkedIn [view academic citations] [hide academic citations] Even under extremely high pressure, such as those in the interior of Neptune or Uranus, there are stable crystal structures of carbon (orange) and hydrogen (gray). This discovery by HZDR researchers reveals new possibilities for the inner structure of the ice giants. Giant planets like Uranus and Neptune may contain much less free hydrogen than previously assumed. Researchers from the German Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) drove shock waves through two different types of plastic to reach the same temperatures and pressures present inside such planets, and observed the behavior using ultra-strong X-ray laser pulses. Unexpectedly, one of these plastics kept its crystalline structure even at the most extreme pressures reached. Since the icy giant interiors are made up of the same components as the plastic, planetary models may need to be partially reconsidered, as reported in the journal Scientific Reports (doi: 10.1038/s41598-019040782-5). Carbon and hydrogen are among the most abundant elements in the universe, and are a major constituent of icy giant planets such as Uranus and Neptune. In the outer atmosphere, these atoms are found in the form of methane gas, but deeper inside the high pressure can lead to more complex hydrocarbon structures. Predicting the phases and structures that material takes at these conditions is one of the big questions of planetary research. In order to better understand the structure of the ice giants, an international team led by the two HZDR researchers Dr. Nicholas Hartley and Dr. Dominik Kraus investigated two types of plastic in a laboratory experiment: polystyrene and polyethylene. These materials are similar in chemistry to the hydrocarbon inside the planets. At the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in the US, the scientists exposed the samples to conditions predicted to be present around ten thousand kilometers below the surface of Neptune and Uranus. At this depth, the pressure is almost as high as in the core of the earth and two million times higher than the atmospheric pressure on the earth's surface. Reaching extremely high pressures At such high pressures and temperatures, the only possible structure that the researchers expected was diamond, or that the samples would be melted. Instead, they observed stable hydrocarbon structures up to the highest pressures reached, but only for the polyethylene samples. "We were very surprised by this result," says Hartley. "We did not expect the different initial state to make such a big difference at such extreme conditions. It's only recently, with the development of brighter X-ray sources, that we're able to study these materials. We were the first to think that it might be possible - and it was." Since the extreme conditions inside the ice giants on Earth can only be reached for a brief moment, the researchers need lightning-fast measurement methods. There are only a handful of ultrafast X-ray laser facilities worldwide, and time for measurements is rare and highly demanded. Kraus and Hartley were awarded a total of three twelve hour shifts for their experiments, and so had to use every minute to carry out as many measurement runs as possible. The actual moment where they shock the sample and probe with the X-ray laser takes only a few billionths of a second. An unexpected structure appears Even during the experiments, the researchers were able to recognize initial results: "We were very excited because, as hoped, polystyrene formed diamond-like structures of carbon. For polyethylene, however, we saw no diamonds for the conditions reached in this experiment. Instead, there was a new structure that we could not explain at first", Hartley recalls. By comparing the data with previous results at lower pressures, they identified it as a stable structure of polyethylene, which had been seen at five times lower pressure, and only at ambient temperatures. The discovery of the research team demonstrates how important it is to better characterize the temperature and pressure conditions inside the ice giants, and the chemistry that these lead to, in order to understand their structure and physical properties. Models of Uranus and Neptune assume that the unusual magnetic fields of these planets may originate from free hydrogen, which these results could imply is less common than expected. In the future, the researchers want to use mixtures including oxygen, in order for their experiments to better match the chemistry inside the planets. The researchers from HZDR were joined by scientists from the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, the Osaka University, the TU Dresden, the TU Darmstadt, the GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the University of California in Berkeley, the University of Warwick, the European XFEL, LULI at the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris and the University Rostock. Publication: N.J. Hartley, S. Brown, T.E. Cowan, E. Cunningham, T. Doppner, R.W. Falcone, L.B. Fletcher, S. Frydrych, E. Galtier, E.J. Gamboa, A. Laso Garcia, D.O. Gericke, S.H. Glenzer, E. Granados, P.A. Heimann, H.J. Lee, M.J. MacDonald, A.J. MacKinnon, E.E. McBride, I. Nam, P. Neumayer, A. Pak, A. Pelka, I. Prencipe, A. Ravasio, M. Rodel, K. Rohatsch, A.M. Saunders, M. Scholmerich, M. Schorner, A.K. Schuster, P. Sun, T. van Driel, J. Vorberger, D. Kraus: Evidence for crystalline structure in dynamically compressed polyethylene up to 200 GPa, in Scientific Reports, 2019 (DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40782-5) Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) on Tuesday said it was raising Rs 1,750 crore through monetisation of claims and signed terms with a consortium of investors, led by BlackRock, who will seek to monetise an identified pool of arbitration awards and claims for the construction giant. Under the terms of the transaction, HCC will transfer its beneficial interest and rights in an identified portfolio of arbitration awards & claims to a special purpose vehicle (SPV) controlled by a consortium of investors, including BlackRock, the company said in a statement. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor NASA astronaut Christina Koch (center) assists spacewalkers Nick Hague (left) and Anne McClain in their U.S. spacesuits shortly before they begin the first spacewalk of their careers. Hague and McClain would work outside in the vacuum of space for six hours and 39 minutes to upgrade the International Space Station's power storage capacity. Credit: NASA. With the first in a series of three spacewalks successfully completed at the International Space Station, NASA has updated astronaut assignments for the remaining two spacewalks and will preview the third in an upcoming news conference on NASA Television and the agency's website. NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Anne McClain conducted the first spacewalk in this series on March 22. Hague and fellow NASA astronaut Christina Koch now are preparing to conduct the second spacewalk Friday, March 29, during which they will continue work started on the first spacewalk to install powerful lithium-ion batteries for one pair of the station's solar arrays. Koch had been scheduled to conduct this spacewalk with astronaut McClain, in what would have been the first all-female spacewalk. However, after consulting with McClain and Hague following the first spacewalk, mission managers decided to adjust the assignments, due in part to spacesuit availability on the station. McClain learned during her first spacewalk that a medium-size hard upper torso - essentially the shirt of the spacesuit - fits her best. Because only one medium-size torso can be made ready by Friday, March 29, Koch will wear it. Mission experts previewed the tasks for the first two spacewalks during a March 19 news conference. McClain now is tentatively scheduled to perform her next spacewalk - the third in this series - on Monday, April 8 with Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques. Assignments for this spacewalk will be finalized following completion of the second spacewalk. Experts will discuss the work to be performed on the April 8 spacewalk during a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT Tuesday, April 2, at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Live coverage of the briefing and spacewalks will air on NASA Television and the agency's website. Media wishing to attend the briefing in person must request credentials from the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 no later than 4 p.m. Monday, April 1. Media interested in participating by phone must contact the newsroom by 1:45 p.m. April 2. Participants in the briefing will be: - Kenny Todd, International Space Station manager for Operations and Integration - Rick Henfling, spacewalk flight director - John Mularski, lead spacewalk officer McClain and Saint-Jacques will lay out jumper cables between the Unity module and the S0 truss, at the midpoint of the station's backbone, during their April 8 spacewalk. This work will establish a redundant path of power to the Canadian-built robotic arm, known as Canadarm2. They also will install cables to provide for more expansive wireless communications coverage outside the orbital complex, as well as for enhanced hardwired computer network capability. Live coverage of both spacewalks will begin at 6:30 a.m., and each is expected to last about 6.5 hours. The March 29 spacewalk is scheduled to start at 8:20 a.m., while the April 8 spacewalk is set to start at 8:05 a.m. These will be the 215th and 216th spacewalks in the history of International Space Station assembly and maintenance. During the first spacewalk of the series, on March 22, McClain became the 13th woman to perform a spacewalk. Koch will become the 14th on March 29. On-Orbit Status Report Materials Science Laboratory (MSL): The crew opened the Gas Supply Drawer valve on the Material Science Research Rack (MSRR)/MSL which is used for basic materials research in the microgravity environment of the ISS. The MSL can accommodate and support diverse Experiment Modules. In this way, many material types, such as metals, alloys, polymers, semiconductors, ceramics, crystals, and glasses, can be studied to discover new applications for existing materials and new or improved materials. Two-Phase Flow: The crew altered the valve settings for the Two Phase Flow-2 experiment. The valve setting has been changed to configuration of Low-mode (pump) of the Metal Heated Tube (MHT). Several runs of TPF experiment will be performed with this configuration. The Two-Phase Flow experiment investigates the heat transfer characteristics of flow boiling in the microgravity environment. This experiment provides a fundamental understanding of the behaviors of bubble formation, liquid-vapor flow in a tube, and how heat is transferred in cooling systems. 71 Progress ISS Reboost: On Saturday, ISS completed a 5 minute 42 second reboost using 71P thrusters. The purpose of the reboost was to start phasing for 72P rendezvous and docking in April and increase the ISS velocity by 0.685 meters per second (m/s). LAB Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Failure: The LAB CDRA failed last Friday. Troubleshooting was unsuccessful so N3 CDRA and Amine Swingbed were activated to account for the additional CO2 produced during the Metal Oxide (METOX) regen. Teams agreed the failure signature was an Air Selector Valve 4 (ASV104) failure. Today the crew performed an ASV104 R&R to recover the unit. US Extravehicular Activity (EVA) #53 Preparations: In preparation for this Friday's planned EVA, today the crew performed the following: Rechargeable EVA Battery Assembly (REBA) powered hardware checkout GoPRO camera setup Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) METOX/Lithium Hydroxide (LiOH)/ battery replacement EVA suit intravehicular (IV) review Completed Task List Activities: Friday Toilet funnel ops Saturday Veggie plant check WHC KTO replace EVA tool config Toilet funnel ops Sunday EVA battery ops EVA tether inspection CDRA valve R&R gather EVA tool config Toilet funnel ops Veggie plant check Ground Activities: All activities are complete unless otherwise noted. EVA prep support CDRA valve R&R support Look Ahead: Tuesday, 03/26: Payloads: RADIN Retrieval and H/O (CSA) Myotones measurements and data xfer (ESA) Actiwatch Plus chk (NASA) Food Acceptability (NASA) GLACIER1 Rack Relocation (NASA) Cerebral Autoregulation Measurements (JAXA) CIR Manifold bottle replace (NASA) Systems: EVA prep Wednesday, 03/27: Payloads: Cerebral Autoregulation measurements and Closeout (JAXA) Actiwatch (Donned) data xfer (NASA) ISS Experience Node1 intro Recording (NASA) GLACIER1 Tray and Left vertical support install (NASA) Team Task Survey (NASA) Systems: EVA prep WHC scheduled maintenance Today's Planned Activities: All activities are complete unless otherwise noted. US EVA Truss Jumpers Procedure Review IMD Delta File Prep Preparation of Reports for Roscosmos Web Site and Social Media Toilet Funnel Evaluation, Part 5 of 5 ECON-M. Observations and Photography Photo TV Battery Charge Initiation Screws Installation and tightening on connectors of Broad Band Communication System () Cerebral Autoregulation Data Measurement Item Gathering XF305 Camcorder Setup Setup of a work station for Laptop RSE-Med Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Long Life Battery (LLB) Terminate Two-Phase Flow Experiment Equipment Valves Setting Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Resize VOZDUKH Deactivation XF305 Camcorder Setup Cerebral Autoregulation Maintenance Work Area setup. Water Recovery Management (WRM) Condensate Pumping Initiation PROFILAKTIKA-2. Experiment setup Preparing for -95 Comm Panel Replacement in DC1 (R/G review, locating and gathering equipment) Photo TV EVA Go Pro Battery Charging Cerebral Autoregulation Equipment Setup PROFILAKTIKA-2. Aisstance with -3 Test PROFILAKTIKA-2. Experiment Ops on -2 Treadmill (MO-3 Test in Passive Mode). PROFILAKTIKA-2. Closeout Ops. Tagup with specialists Columbus cleanup for Myotones Photography of [228] thermal sensor models installed on MRM2 exterior Myotones Big Picture Words reading Myotones Kit Gathering for Session 1 Photo TV Battery Charge Swap PROFILAKTIKA-2. Hygiene procedure Rechargeable EVA Battery Assembly (REBA) Installation Rechargeable EVA Battery Assembly (REBA) Powered Hardware Checkout Crew Time for ISS Adaptation and Orientation Nikon Camera Time Sync Exercise Data Downlink via OCA Food Acceptability Questionnaire Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (RGN) Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill ISS Crew Orientation Public Affairs Office (PAO) High Definition (HD) Config JEM Setup PAO Preparation Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) - JEM ISS Crew Orientation Search for and photography of 228 sensor adapter covers Selecting and Viewing Soyuz 742 Neptune-ME Descent Module [CA] Display and Control Panel () Logs. Tagup with specialists Photo TV GoPro Setup Photo TV Battery Charge Swap Material Science Laboratory Gas Supply Exchange Part 2 In-Flight Maintenance Lab CDRA Valve Remove and Replace - Part 1 Handover of Increment 59 Crew Filling (separation) of () for Elektron or - Filling (separation) of () for Elektron or - (handover) Handover of Increment 59 Crew SM ventilation systems preventive maintenance. maintenance Progress 440 [AO] stowage for disposal and IMS Ops Battery Stowage Assembly (BSA) Operation Termination Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Long Life Battery (LLB)/Metal Oxide (METOX) Installation Extravehicular Activitiy (EVA) Suit Intravehicular (IV) Review Photo TV Battery Charge Deactivation In-Flight Maintenance CDRA Valve Remove and Replace - Part 2 Charging EVA Camera D4 Battery In-Flight Maintenance CDRA Valve Stow VOZDUKH Deactivation Regenerative Environment al Control and Life Support System (RGN) Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. However, a closer inspection of the proposed scheme and current political dynamics make it eminently workable. To begin with, Congress does not intend to implement it as soon as it comes to power, that is if it does, on May 23, 2019. Experts in the party, which include Manmohan Singh and P Chidambaram, who were helped by its data ... Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Global ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc will spend $3.1 billion to acquire Middle East rival Careem, buying dominance in a competitive region ahead of a hotly anticipated initial public offering. Uber said late on Monday night it would pay $1.4 billion in cash and $1.7 billion in convertible notes in a deal that gives it full ownership of Careem. The long-expected agreement ends more than nine months of start-and-stop negotiations between the two companies and hands Uber a much-needed victory after a series of overseas divestments. The notes will be convertible into Uber ... Trot Insider has been informed that longtime Maritimes horseman John C. Davies of New Brunswick passed away on Saturday, March 23, 2019 at the age of 76. Davies raced a large stable of horses out of Exhibition Park Raceway in Saint John, New Brunswick and was the tracks leading trainer multiple times. Davies had many stars in his stable over the years, some of the honourable mentions being More Than Fair, Tobique Power, Burners Delight, Charlottes Den and Camco Kyle. Davies was a great man, a dedicated horseman, and a true star of the Maritimes scene that also gave many their first lessons in the sport. John will be missed. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of John Davies. Targeting Congress president Rahul Gandhi's Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY), Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday questioned if India's grand old party had done anything for the poor when in power at the Centre for 10 years. "Congress president Rahul Gandhi said they will give Rs 72,000 per year to the people. I ask him--you were in power at the Centre for 10 years from 2004 to 2014. Why didn't you do any work for the poor during that time," he asked, while addressing an election rally. "PM Awas Yojana, Saubhagya Yojana, PM Kisan Sammman Nidhi, Start-Up India, Ayushman Bharat, PM Mudra, and so on. Why did all these things come after Modi ji became Prime Minister? These all works had not been done because the Congress was insensitive towards the poor," he said. Rahul on Monday announced to implement NYAY, under which 20 per cent of the poorest families of the country will be entitled to up to Rs 72,000 per year. Adityanath hit also out at the parties questioning air strikes by the Indian Air Force (IAF) at terrorists' camps in Pakistan's Balakot. "Pakistan cut heads of our soldiers, they did not do anything. After Pulwama, PM Modi said that sacrifices of jawans will not go in vain. You have seen that through air strike terrorist camps were destroyed. PM Modi did what he said," said Adityanath. He also accused Congress, SP, and BSP making statements to de-motivate the jawans. "They are giving statements that are making Pakistan happy. These elections are about unmasking those people who are insulting our forces and encouraging terrorism," he said. The Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to be held from April 11 and will go on till May 19 in seven phases. The polls in Uttar Pradesh will be held in all seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on May 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Afghanistan on Tuesday recalled its ambassador from Pakistan over Prime Minister Imran Khan's "irresponsible" and "reckless" statements. Khan recently remarked that an interim government should be put in place in Afghanistan to facilitate peace talks with the Taliban as the current government creates "obstruction", according to TOLOnews. "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, summoned the Deputy Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan with respect to the recent irresponsible remarks of Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan," Sibghatullah Ahmadi, the Spokesperson of Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on twitter. "Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its grave objection on Pakistani PM's recent reckless statements about the peace process and establishment of an interim government, deemed such statements an obvious example of Pakistan's interventional policy and disrespect to the national sovereignty and determination of the people of Afghanistan," he outlined. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also recalled Afghanistan's Ambassador from Islamabad for further discussions on the matter," Ahmadi said. Khan's remarks were met with strong criticism across political lines in Afghanistan. "We call on the Pakistani government and all other countries to avoid making such statements and interfering in the internal affairs of Afghanistan under any means including the idea for the establishment of an interim administration," former President Hamid Karzai said. Slamming Khan's remarks, the former national security advisor Mohammad Haneef Atmar said: "Recent statement by Pakistani prime minister is interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs. The Afghan government derives its legitimacy from the Afghan people, but not from the leaders of regional countries who strive to meddle in our internal affairs and decide on the future of our government and our (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday lauded the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government and said that women feel safe in the state since last two years. "It's been two years, nobody has the audacity to look eye-to-eye to mothers and daughters, Uttar Pradesh has this kind of governance. Those who used to walk on streets openly are now going to police station and asking officials to arrest them so that their encounter is not done (Do saal hogaye kisi ki majal nahi hai ki maa-beti ke samne aankh utha kar dekh paye, aisa shasan hai (UP). Jo bade tees maar khan ban kar chalte the, aaj vo police station ja ke kehte hain ki daroga ji arrest kar lo, hamara encounter na ho jaye)," Shah said while addressing a rally here. His rally comes weeks before the Lok Sabha election. Seven phase elections will be held between April 11 and May 19. Results will be declared on May 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat along with other top commanders of the army on Tuesday began their two-day long visit to the Southern Command. On the day one, the Chief of Army Staff was briefed on the operational preparedness of Southern Command by Lieutenant General SK Saini, AVSM, YSM, VSM, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command. The Chief of Army Staff is also scheduled to attend the Validation Exercise and the closing ceremony of Africa-India Field Training Exercise (AFINDEX-19) as the Chief Guest at Aundh Military Station, which is culminating on March 27, the second day of his two-day visit. The closing ceremony will also be attended by the other senior Army officials from the participating nations including the Defence Attaches. Army Chief Bipin Rawat will also interact with the contingents of the participating nations from Africa and India as well as the Defence Attaches of these countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP has "escalated a war" between the people from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, said Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad here on Tuesday. "BJP has escalated a war between the people from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and tried to eliminate people's love and brotherhood just for the sake of vote politics," he said, while partaking in six-day 'Bus Yatra' of the Congress party ahead of the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. Congress 'Parivartan Yatra' began from Delhi's border passing through Gurugram's Rajiv Chowk, Badshahpur, Sohna, Nuh, Tandu, Dharoheda, Bawal, Rewari, Kund, Etali, Mirzapur, and Narnaul. "BJP has committed the biggest scam in the form of demonetisation. It promised to provide 10 crore jobs to the people of this country but in vain," he said. Addressing the gathering, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, chairman of the Congress Coordination Committee, said: "Everyone is aware of the purpose of the Congress Parivartan rally. Everyone knows that Haryana needs a change." Haryana Congress unit president Dr Ashok Tanwar said: "First of all, I want to thank Congress president Rahul Gandhi has announced minimum income for the poor people. Nearly 25 crore people will benefit from this scheme under which they will get Rs 6,000 per month in their accounts. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Border Security Force (BSF) troops have apprehended a 35-year-old Pakistani from border outpost 'Kumar' of Gandhinagar sector. Muhammad Wali was apprehended on Monday at around 4:20 pm, BSF said in a statement on T. No recoveries were made from the Sindhi-speaking man, it said. Questioning by agencies was under progress, BSF said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after the US recognised Israel's sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, several countries including China have condemned the decision. CTGN quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Lu Kang as saying "China opposes changing the status quo of Golan Heights through unilateral behaviour," calling for the avoidance of escalating regional tensions. Lu on Tuesday said: "The international community recognises Golan Heights as occupied." He further said that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has passed several resolutions urging Israel to withdraw from Golan Heights. The US got global condemnation after US President Donald Trump signed an official decree in the presence of Israel's President Benjamin Netanyahu, to recognise Israel's sovereignty on the Golan Heights on Monday in Washington DC. Israel had formally annexed the territory in 1981 after capturing the region from Syria during the six-day war in 1967. The Israeli annexation has long been decried by the community which regards Golan Heights as an occupied territory and Israeli settlements in the region are illegal as per international law. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that 'Chowkidar' of the country--Prime Minister Narendra Modi--is not a thief but is pure and cure to all woes of India, and his becoming the country's prime minister again is sure. Singh, who was addressing an election rally here, said: "Chowkidar Chor Nahi, Chowkidar Pure Hai. Chowkidar Ka Dobara PM Banana Sure Hai/Desh Ki Samasyaon Ka Woh Hi Cure Hai. (Watchman is not a thief, but he is pure. Watchman is all set to become PM again. He is the cure to the country's all problems." Singh slammed Congress president Rahul Gandhi for dubbing Prime Minister Modi as a 'thief' over the alleged irregularities in the procurement Rafale fighter jets. Singh also took a potshot at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the city-state, which he alleged, has done nothing to improve the people's life. "AAP leaders promised that they will provide free 20,000-litre water to the poor. They promised that the toilets will be constructed everywhere. They promised that 20 new colleges and 5,000 schools will be opened up in the capital, but none of these promises was fulfilled by them," he said. It is worth mentioning that the BJP had embarked upon a massive campaign to connect itself to the masses in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 to highlight Prime Minister Modi as a 'Chaiwala' or tea-seller after Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar called him 'Chaiwala.' In an identical move, Prime Minister Modi launched "Mai Bhi Chowkidar' campaign after Congress president Rahul Gandhi targeted him "Chowkidar Chor Hai" (watchman is a thief) jibe in view of alleged irregularities and favouritism in Rafale fighter jets deal. Prime Minister Modi along with other ministers and party leaders have called themselves "Chowkidars" stating that they were are protecting India from scams, and intruders. However, Congress-led opposition parties have continuously targetted Prime Minister Modi for allegedly looting the nation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress on Tuesday clarified that its minimum income guarantee initiative, NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojana), is not a "top-up scheme" but assures Rs 72,000 to 20 per cent of India's poorest families. Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala accused the BJP of being "anti-poor". "Rs 72,000 will be provided to 5 crore of the poorest families of the country. This is not a top-up scheme as all 20 per cent families will be given Rs 72,000 per year. This is a women-centric scheme as the amount will be deposited in the account of the woman of the family. The scheme will cover both urban and rural poor of the country. This is the biggest scheme in the world which will be implemented in independent India," he said. "If someone is earning Rs 6,000 then other 6,000 will be given and this is how it is topped-up but in 5 crore families, it is not possible to analyze the income of all five crore families. Hence if someone earns 7,000, we have to give him 72,000 hence we will be topping-up 6,000 per month. It is a top-up based on average but everyone will be given 72,000 per year." Attacking Prime Minister Modi, Surjewala added, "We want to ask Modi government whether they are in favour of NYAY scheme or not because their leaders are criticising this scheme. If Prime Minister Modi can waive off Rs 3,17,000 crore of a handful of rich businessmen why are they objecting to payment of Rs 72,000 to poor?" Continuing his tirade against the ruling party, Surjewala said the Prime Minister should tell his party how "bank fraudsters Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya absconded from the country under his patronage." "He has spent country's Rs 210 crore for 89 foreign tours and Rs 5,000 crore of public on advertisements, why are they opposing the payment of Rs 72,000 to the poorest?" the Congress leader asked, while assuring that when the five-year term of next Congress government gets over, the remaining poverty will cease to exist. "When poor will have more money the country's economy will grow at rapid pace," he stated. Earlier on Monday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi had announced that if his party comes to power, it will implement a "ground-breaking" Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY), under which 20 per cent of the poorest families of the country will be entitled to up to Rs 72,000 per year. Describing the scheme as unique in the entire world, he told media here that the minimum income guarantee scheme will be implemented in a phased manner as part of the "final assault on poverty". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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. Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday alleged that cadres of Communist Party of India (Marxist) are targeting the workers of BJP and RSS in Kerala. While talking to media here, Sitharaman said, "In Kerala, one issue which BJP will definitely take up is the terrible inheritance of violence. The kind of total chaotic situation which prevails here. Is this democracy? The friends of the ruling party of Kerala should stand up and ask whether this is kind of an environment for political parties to function fearlessly?" She added, "Why don't they investigate if it is BJP which is perpetrating violence? Haven't instances of dreadful horrific violence come up perpetrated against the RSS workers and the BJP workers in Kerala which goes uncontrolled? CPI(M) cadres function alongside police like they did when they were in West Bengal, and which unfortunately even Mamata Banerjee, inherited incidentally. Prove that violence is being done by us." Besides slamming the CPI(M), Sitharaman also hit out at the Congress party and said that its leaders were desperate in their attempts to come back to power. "The Congress party in its desperation releases a page of a so-called diary, releases something else, all based on fictitious, fake and manufactured documents which are each day rebutted by Arun Jaitley. The Congress party is on a methodical way going with fake documents, fake allegations, fake abuses and therefore they are carrying on with a tirade. It's a sign of desperation. They are just not going to make a difference in this election. Let them work to retain their 44 if anything," she said. Later while addressing a rally, Sitharaman said, "In spite of being out on bail, the language that is being used against the Prime Minister both inside the Parliament and outside by the people, who are still out on bail given by the court, shows how desperate they are to get back to power. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The economy will not take off if the poor people in villages cannot afford toothpaste, soap, shampoo, and new shirts, said Congress president Rahul Gandhi here while addressing an election rally. In the same vein, he said that the villagers should also have Bolero cars, an observation made in an apparent reference to the affluence of urban rich who own all types of cars. "Unless there is money in the villages, unless you see Bolero in the villages, unless toothpaste, soap, shampoo, new shirts are seen in the houses of poor people in the villages, the engine of the economy of India will not set in motion," said Rahul. Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul said that the current Central regime had ruined the economy by doing away with MGNREGA scheme that was the source of income for the poor in villages. "Prime Minister Modi never understood MGNREGA, which even a school going child understands. It was not all about digging pits. It gave employment to crores of people and money came into their pockets. With that money they used to buy several products for themselves," he said. Criticising Prime Minister Modi for his demonetization decision, Rahul told the gathering: "Your money was taken from you and deposited in the banks. It was given to Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Lalit Modi and others." "The government withdrew every penny from the system. The small shopkeepers stop buying products and thus factories were shut and unemployment crept in. Those who were employed were rendered unemployed," he said. "Today, unemployment is the highest in the last 45 years," he said, adding that Prime Minister Modi was creating two types of Hindustan--one of big cars, aeroplane and rich people, while the other of poor, farmers, and unemployed people. The 17th Lok Sabha election 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. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) European Union on Monday (local time) asked Israel and Gaza Strip to exercise "maximum restraint" and to "de-escalate" the situation in order to "protect the lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians". "The first priority for all must now be for de-escalation and maximum restraint, in order to re-establish calm and to protect the lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians. The EU reiterates its full support to the efforts of Egypt and the UN to reduce tensions and to alleviate the situation for the people in Gaza," The Times of Israel quoted European Union spokesperson as saying. EU also condemned the "rocket" attacks from Gaza and asked Hamas to "stop further violent actions or provocations." "We wish a speedy recovery to those injured. Rocket attacks from Gaza and any other violent actions or provocations by Palestinian militants in Gaza must stop immediately. The European Union reiterates its fundamental commitment to the security of Israel," the statement further read. The Israeli military on Monday confirmed that it has begun striking Hamas targets throughout Gaza. Israel struck Gaza in response to the rocket which was allegedly fired from the Gaza Strip and struck a home in central Israel on Monday. Seven people were wounded in the attack. Israel has blamed Hamas for the attack. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Conference (NC) chairman Farooq Abdullah on Monday launched an attack on the BJP-led Central government over its claims on the IAF strike in Pakistan's Balakot. "If 300 people have died [in Balakot air strike], would there not be an international cry to ascertain the matter? Today no one talks of Ram temple. Before that strike in Balakot, it was just temple, temple, and temple," he said, while addressing an election rally here with Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu. Abdullah also said that the country should maintain good relations with the neighbouring countries. "It was not fair on the part of the Central government to attack the neighbouring country keeping in view the ensuing elections," he said. On February 26, the Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out a strike at a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror training camp at Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The strike was in response to the terror attack in Pulwama in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives. Firing a fresh salvo on YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president YS Jaganmohan Reddy, he said: "Jagan met me in the past and was ready to offer Rs 1,500 crore to the Congress high command if he were made the Chief Minister of the united Andhra Pradesh. I wonder from where he got this huge amount of money. The money belongs to the people." Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu equated voting for Reddy to voting for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that there was "no protection" for Muslims during Modi regime. The TDP supremo also promised to implement minority sub-plan for the benefit of Muslims. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ties between India and Bangladesh are currently passing through a golden chapter, the Bangladesh High Commissioner Syed Muazzem Ali said during the country's National Day celebrations here on Tuesday. The incumbent Speaker of Bangladesh's Jatiya Sangsad, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, was the special guest for the celebrations, while Gitesh Sharma, the Ministry of External Affairs' Secretary (West) was invited as the chief guest. The Bangladesh National Day on March 26 commemorates the country's declaration of independence from Pakistan in 1971. On Tuesday morning, High Commissioner Ali led the flag hoisting ceremony at the mission here in New Delhi, followed by the singing of the national anthem, "Amar Sonar Bangla," which was broadcast live from Dhaka. As part of the celebrations, the Independence Day messages by Bangladesh President Md. Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam were read out at the mission here in the morning. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gujarat minister Ganpat Vasava has stirred a controversy by saying that Congress president Rahul Gandhi should be made to consume poison by his party workers to prove that he is a true devotee of Lord Shiva. "People from the Congress claimed that their leader Rahul Gandhi is an avatar of Lord Shiva. Now, since Lord Shiva used to consume poison to save people, I want Congress workers to make their leader consume 500 grams of poison," Vasava, who is the state's Tribal Development Minister, said at a rally here on Monday. "If he survives like Lord Shiva after consuming poison, we will all believe he is a true reincarnation of Lord Shiva" the Gujarat Minister added. A similar statement was made by another BJP leader, Kamal Patel, who said the Gandhi scion should consume poison to prove that he is "worth worshipping like Lord Shiva." "Congress always demands proofs. Now, we also want. If Congress thinks Rahul Gandhi is Shiva avatar then they should give him poison. If he will survive like Shiva then we will also worship him," Patel had said on March 23. The BJP leader's comments came after posters surfaced in the streets of Madhya Pradesh portraying Gandhi as the Hindu deity. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the Congress had consulted eminent economists including former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, before it came up with the minimum guaranteed income scheme , which ensures that nobody in the country remains below the benchmark of Rs 12,000 per month. He also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a fake promise of Rs 15 lakh while Congress will actually give Rs 3,60,000 to the 20 per cent of the population in the country. "Chowkidar Chor Hai but Congress will give Rs 3,60,000 to the twenty percent of the population in the Country. I can say it is a surgical strike on the poverty after which no one in the country will remain poor," said Rahul Gandhi addressing booth levels workers of his party here. Congress on Tuesday clarified that its minimum income guarantee initiative, NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojana), is not a "top-up scheme" but assures Rs 72,000 to 20 per cent of India's poorest families. "We have consulted eminent economist all over the world including the Raghuram Rajan. We are working not it since last 6 months silently without any noise," said Rahul Gandhi. He also said that Congress workers will fight with BJP and RSS workers but will not thrash them. "There is a difference between our workers and leaders and theirs. They want to finish Congress and make Congress-free India, but we love them. We will fight them but we will not thrash them, even if we are capable of thrashing them we will not thrash them," said Rahul Gandhi. He said that Congress party is not liked RSS and BJP and doesn't wear 'half-pants' and spread 'hatred'. "This is Congress party and not RSS. Here we don't wear half pant and carry lathi in our hands and spread hatred," said Rahul Gandhi. "We do our work with love and affection. If someone says something in between the speech it doesn't affect us," said Rahul. He said that BJP government was formed in 2014 by 'tukka' (by fluke). "It's ok that their government was formed by 'tukka' in 2014, that is a different thing, but in the history of this country those who spread hatred have always lost while those spread love won," he said. The Congress leader alleged that BJP gets entangled in his own net with its untruths. "Prime Minister gives very good speeches but his speeches are full of lies. He get trapped in his own lies on Rafale and others like giving 15 lakh, running bullet train etc" said Rahul Gandhi. The 17th Lok Sabha election 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. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday dismissed the application of rape convict and self-styled godman Asaram for suspension of the sentence in the case. Earlier on February 21, the Jodhpur bench of the Rajasthan High Court had rejected the interim bail application filed by Asaram, saying it did not have any sympathy for such criminals. Asaram, who has been given a life term for raping a minor girl, had filed the bail application citing poor health condition of his wife Laxmi Devi and that he had been lodged in jail for the last five years. Asaram was found guilty of raping a minor girl in Manai village near Jodhpur on August 15, 2013 and was sentenced to life imprisonment in April last year by Jodhpur Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Court. He was found guilty of various charges, including sections 370(4) (trafficking), 342 (wrongful confinement), 354A (outraging modesty), 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and some sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The court had also sentenced two other accused, Shilpi and Sharad, to 20 years jail term each in connection with the case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) To celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary, India has offered a sculpture of the father of the nation to Croatia during President Ram Nath Kovind's official visit. "This year marks the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation and a global icon of peace and non-violence. To mark this special occasion in Croatia, we have offered a bust of Mahatma Gandhi to the Government of Croatia for public display," Kovind said during a joint presser with his Croatian counterpart Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic here on Tuesday. Along with exchanging Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), Kovind was also bestowed with Croatia's highest civilian honour, the Grand Order of the King of Tomislav, during the President of India's first ever visit to the Balkan country. MoUs were exchanged between India and Croatia in the field of tourism amongst other things. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) chair for Sanskrit and Hindi language was also established with the University of Zagreb through MoUs during the President's visit. "The Indian economy presents enormous opportunities for Croatian companies particularly under our Make in India, Smart Cities and Digital India programmes. I also invite them to forge technology and investment tie-ups in India," Kovind said. He also thanked his Croatian counterpart for condemning the ghastly Pulwama terror attack. "I thank Madam President for her strong condemnation of the brutal and barbaric terror attack in Pulwama in India last month. We agreed to work together to develop a strong response to defeat and destroy this evil force in all its forms and manifestations and to see accountability and action from those responsible for such barbaric acts," Kovind stated. Both the leaders also exchanged views on global and regional issues of concerns including UN Security Council reforms, multilateral export control regimes, and combating terrorism, according to Kovind. Wishing Croatia success for its upcoming Presidency of the European Union, he said: "I conveyed to Madam President the importance we attach to our strategic partnership with the EU. I also noted how important it was for Europe to be strong to maintain global stability and anchor a multi-polar " The President is currently on a three-country trip to Croatia, Bolivia and Chile from March 25 to April 4. His visit marks the first time that an Indian President has visited Croatia and Bolivia. During his stay in Croatia from March 25 to March 28, Kovind is scheduled to meet with the Indian diaspora there along with addressing the Indian-Croatia business forum meeting with his Croatian counterpart. He is also slated to give a speech at the University of Zagreb on Wednesday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students on Tuesday continued their indefinite hunger strike for the eighth day against the introduction of expensive MBA course in the varsity. "We have been sitting on hunger strike; this is the eighth day of our strike against many issues but primarily against the management course which will be inducted from this academic session," Sarika Chaudhary, Vice president Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) said. "The course has the highest ever fee structure that is Rs 12 lakh which is higher than any private college. How many can afford this fee for the course? Chaudhary said. Speaking to ANI, JNU Vice-Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar said, "A discussion cannot happen when 500 people are standing and shouting at you. It happens in a peaceful atmosphere. Right from the beginning, they are against opening the management school in the campus. If the fee is so high then why are students applying for course from all over the country? We have just 50 seats but a large number of people who have qualified CAT exam have applied for our program." "We cannot remain frogs in the well in today's time. The university has to expand its programmes in order to become the best university in the world and contribute to the country. We are following all the rules and regulations of UGC. All these decisions are taken after a long discussion with our executive and academic councils. I don't see any point why anyone should oppose these kinds of expansion of such program which is good for University," Kumar added. Speaking on the fee structure of the course, Kumar said, "The fee structure is the same as anywhere in India whether it is IIMs or IITs. We are not charging anything abnormally. The course will be inducted from coming academic session starting from July. We have already started the engineering course and the selection process is through JEE." Another student sitting on hunger strike here, Aeijaz Ahmed said, "We have been sitting here for indefinite hunger strike but neither the vice-chancellor nor anyone from JNU administration came to meet us. Instead the VC accused us of barging into his house and threatening his wife. Nothing of that sort happened. We were doing a protest which is within the ambit of our constitutional rights." On Monday evening, hundreds of JNU students allegedly barged into the residence of the Vice Chancellor and allegedly confined his wife inside the residence for hours before she was safely rescued by security staff and others. The incident took place when about 200 students marched towards the VC's residence but were stopped by the security staff at the residence gate. However, the protesters smashed the gates and allegedly barged into the residence after quarrelling with the security guards. JNU Vice-Chancellor said he will not file a police complaint against the students who "barged " into his house on Monday, but strict disciplinary action will be taken against them as per the varsity rules. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday accused the Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of blocking the Lokpal Bill for the last four years. Responding to Home Minister Rajnath Singh's allegation that AAP government has not done anything to improve the ease of life, Kejriwal said: "For the last four years, the Central government has been blocking the Lokpal Bill." Replying to Singh's query if CCTV cameras were installed in the city, Kejriwal tweeted: "Modiji stopped the CCTV cameras for three years in Delhi. Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Kumar Jain were on a one-week long hunger strike and finally succeeded in putting up the CCTV cameras. Delhi is getting free water." His tweet further reads: "Savings done by AAP: Electricity 2500 Rs, water 1000 Rs, medicine 2500 Rs, school fees did not increase 5000 Rs (two kids) which totalled to saving of to 11000 Rs. Loss done by Modi-ji: Gas 1000 Rs, Metro 2000 Rs (two people), Petrol/Diesel 5000 Rs, Price rise 8000 Rs totalled to a loss of 16000 Rs." Union Home Minister Singh on Tuesday, while addressing an election rally here, took a potshot at Chief Minister Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the city-state, which he alleged, has done nothing to improve the people's life. "AAP leaders promised that they will provide free 20,000-litre water to the poor. They promised that the toilets will be constructed everywhere. They promised that 20 new colleges and 5,000 schools will be opened up in the capital, but none of these promises was fulfilled by them," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a renewed effort to restore peace in strife-torn Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad has embarked on a visit to seven-country, beginning March 25. Khalilzad, who is the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, will conclude his visit on April 10. Apart from Afghanistan, Khalilzad will be visiting the UK, Belgium, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Jordan, and Qatar. The visits are a part of the "overall effort" to facilitate a peace process that brings all Afghan parties together in inclusive intra-Afghan negotiations. In Kabul, the Special Representative will hold consultations with the Afghan government (among others) about the status of US talks with the Taliban, according to the US Department of State. He will also encourage efforts to form an inclusive negotiating team and discuss the next steps in intra-Afghan discussions and negotiations. The Special Representative will meet other countries regarding the status of peace talks, to coordinate sustained commitment by the international community to peace and development in Afghanistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nishad Party and Janvadi Party (Socialist) on Tuesday joined the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party led Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) in Uttar Pradesh in the presence of SP president Akhilesh Yadav. Addressing a press conference on the occasion, Akhilesh said: "Nishad Party and Janvadi Party (Socialist) are now a part of Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance in Uttar Pradesh. Whenever Samajwadi Party had felt any need during the elections, these two parties and their leaders have always helped us. With their support, our alliance will be further strengthened in the state." Dr Sanjay Nishad of Nishad Party and Dr Sanjay Chauhan of Janvadi Party (Socialist) were also present during the interaction with the media and both leaders reposed their support for the Uttar Pradesh grand alliance being led by SP-BSP. Earlier in the day, Janvadi Party (Socialist) and Nishad Party hoardings were spotted at the SP office, alongside hoardings of BSP and RLD, fueling speculations of new alliances being forged in the Uttar Pradesh for upcoming elections. In March 2018 bye-polls, Sanjay Nishad's son Pravin successfully contested on SP ticket from Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat. As per the present electoral arrangement, SP, BSP and RLD are in a seat-sharing alliance in Uttar Pradesh in which SP will contest on 37 seats, BSP on 38 and RLD on three. The alliance has decided not to contest two seats, Rae Bareli and Amethi. Earlier in February, Akhilesh had said that many small regional players were part of the SP-BSP alliance and all other parties should come together to oust BJP from power at the Centre in the coming Lok Sabha polls. "In this alliance which we have with the BSP, you know that even the Congress is also there. We have given three seats to RLD. Nishad Party has also been included because we have jointly contested the elections in the past. Peace Party has also supported us," said Yadav. "In the coming days, some parties will support us in the Lok Sabha while some parties will be with us in the Vidhan Sabha elections," Akhilesh had said. Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to be held from April 11 and will go on till May 19 in seven phases. The polls in Uttar Pradesh will be held in all seven phases, and counting of votes will take place on May 23. There are 80 Lok Sabha seats at stake in Uttar Pradesh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused the BJP of sidelining its senior leader Lal Krishna Advani and denying him Lok Saha ticket from Gandhinagar parliamentary seat in Gujarat. "It is my personal feelings. I am feeling bad. Advani was the actual mentor for the BJP. They have forgotten the old days because of the new crop of leaders. But old is gold. It is an insult to him. But this is my personal feeling. They may not agree to it," the Chief Minister said. "He is a respected leader in the party and has been there from the beginning. As a citizen of this country, I have worked under Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Advani," she said. Earlier, actor Shah Rukh Khan also met Chief Minister Banerjee at her office in Nabanna. Khan is the franchise owner of Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti, who represented adult film actress Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against US President Donald Trump, was on Monday evening (local time) released on a USD 300,000 bond, after he was arrested a few hours ago on charges of fraud. Avenatti, who appeared in a New York court, was represented by two federal defenders and was asked not to enter a plea. He was released on USD 300,000 bail on the condition that he would surrender his passport, CNN reported. Avenatti was arrested after prosecutors said that the 48-year-old attorney threatened to release "damaging information" about Nike if the firm did not pay around USD 25 million to him. "Avenatti used illegal and extortionate threats for the purpose of obtaining millions of dollars in payments from a public company," Geoffrey Berman, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York had said. In a separate case, Avenatti was accused of embezzlement and was charged with bank and wire fraud. Avenatti made headlines last year for representing Daniels against Trump and his now-former lawyer Michael Cohen for the USD 130,000 hush agreement over the alleged affair between the adult star and the US President. However, on March 12, Daniels announced that she and Avenatti were parting ways. However, the reason for the split was not disclosed. It is widely speculated that Daniels had split from Avenatti following allegations by the adult film star that the attorney had filed the lawsuit without her permission and raised money for her legal fight without consulting her. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Singapore Airlines flight carrying 263 passengers landed safely at the Changi International Airport here on Tuesday, after the pilot had raised a bomb threat alert, which later turned out to be a hoax. SQ Flight 423 had taken off at around 11:35 pm (local time) on Monday from Mumbai. Shortly after it took off, the airline received a call claiming that there was a bomb on the plane, The Straits Times reported. The flight was safely escorted back to Changi Airport by Singapore's air force and made an emergency landing at about 8 am (local time). All the passengers were disembarked safely and had to undergo a security check before they could leave. However, authorities have detained a woman and a child and are being questioned by the police. "Singapore Airlines confirms there was a bomb threat concerning SQ423 operating from Mumbai to Singapore. The aircraft arrived in Singapore on 26 March 2019 at about 0800hrs (local time). There were 263 passengers on board. We are assisting the authorities with their investigations and regret that we are unable to provide further details," said a spokesperson for the airline. Further details in the matter are awaited. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi [India], Mar 26 (ANI): Secretary Ministry of Civil Aviation, Pradeep Singh Kharola, on Tuesday has called for a meeting with Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita Goyal to discuss issues pertaining to Jet Airways. Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita had on Monday stepped down from the Jet Airways' board of directors. Apart from Kharola, Director General of Civil Aviation BS Bhullar is also attending the meeting, which is being held at the Ministry office here. According to sources, the meeting is being held to discuss operations of Jet Airways and management functioning after the promoters stepped down. Earlier, Jet's board had said there will be immediate funding support of up to Rs 1,500 crore by lenders by way of issue of appropriate debt instrument against the security of the assets of Jet Airways. According to a statement issued by Kuldeep Sharma, vice president--Global Compliance and Company Secretary, "The bidding process will be initiated by lenders for sale/issue of shares to new investor (s)," and the "process is expected to be completed in June quarter" of the current financial year. Jet has been suffering bruising competition from low-cost airlines, fluctuating crude prices and a weak rupee. The airline has over one billion dollars in debt and has to repay money to banks, lessors of planes and suppliers besides clearing pending salaries to its pilots. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It is easy for women to change dresses even at the last minute before going out if something doesn't fit right. However, for International Space Station astronauts an ill-fitted spacesuit marred what would have been a historic all-women spacewalk. The spacewalk was scheduled for this week, with only female astronauts for the first time ever. The spacewalk was supposed to include astronaut Anne McClain, but there was an issue with the fit and availability of her spacesuit. As NASA explains in its blog, McClain was supposed to conduct the spacewalk with Christina Koch on March 29. However, McClain's learned that a medium-size hard upper torso, which is the shirt of the spacesuit, fit her best and only one such torso can be made ready by Friday, Koch will wear it and conduct the spacewalk with Nick Hague. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nepal and Japan have signed a labour pact under which Nepali workers residing in Japan will receive the status of 'Specified Skilled Workers' (SSW). The signed pact will come into effect from April 1 and would not include those who went to Japan earlier. Ram Prasad Ghimire, Joint Secretary at Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security and Masamichi Saigo, Japanese Ambassador to Nepal signed the pact on Monday. As per the Memorandum of Cooperation, a separate unit will be established under the Department of Foreign Employment (DOFE) to facilitate the recruitment the process of Nepali workers with the status of residence of SSW including call for applicants, facilitating the Japanese side to conduct the language and skills tests and overseeing the deployment of successful applicants to Japan. The MoC also states that a joint committee with representatives from both sides has been established to ensure the proper implementation of the MoC and to take necessary corrective measures to improve the recruitment, employment and repatriation of Nepali workers with the status of residence of SSW. On the basis of the agreement, Japan is planning to take Nepal migrant workers to work in 14 sectors including industrial, nursing, construction and sanitation. As per the Japanese plan, a total of 345,150 workers are expected to be flown in the first five years which includes 60,000 nurses and 53,000 workers for restaurants. All those workers will flow to Japan from Nepal as per the South Korean model and they will be paid a minimum salary of Nepal rs. 200,000 per months after they match the eligibility criteria. Nepal had proposed to send workers to Japan through the government during the discussion between the technical teams of the two countries on January 16 to decide the process for sending workers. Japan will take those workers from Nepal, Vietnam, China, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Mongolia. Japan has already implemented a new visa system to take migrant workers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday (local time) thanked US President Donald Trump for recognising Golan Heights as a part of Israel. "Thanks to you, we now know that there are two peoples who stand with the Golan -- the people of Israel and the people of America. So on behalf of all the people of Israel, thank you, President Trump," Hill quoted Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump on Monday signed a decree to recognise Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights. Trump, flanked by Netanyahu, said, "Today, aggressive action by Iran and terrorist groups in southern Syria, including Hezbollah, continue to make the Golan Heights a potential launching ground for attacks against Israel - very violent attacks," Trump said. "This should have been done numerous presidents ago." Golan Heights was seized by Israel from Syria during the six days war 1967 and has occupied ever since. Trump has also signalled to postpone the release of much-anticipated Middle East Peace plan until Israel's election considering Israel upcoming elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi court on Tuesday directed a senior official of the Delhi Police to appear before it along with a detailed report of the investigation carried out by them against All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi in connection with an alleged hate speech delivered by him in 2014. Metropolitan Magistrate Priyank Nayak after directing the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) to be present in person with a detailed report on the investigation, posted the matter for hearing on June 29. During the previous hearing, Judge Nayak ordered further investigation in an FIR filed against the AIMIM chief. This order from the court came after the main complainant Ajay Gautam filed a protest petition against the Delhi police's closure report in the case. The complainant, in his petition filed last year, alleged that during the last 3 years, police never came to inquire or record the statement of the applicant, nor did they conduct any investigation against the accused because of his "high political influence." The Delhi police had last year filed a closure report in the said FIR. In its report, the police stated that nothing could be found about the source or authenticity of the derogatory video and as a result of which it was not possible to collect any evidence or proof against for filing a challan against Owaisi. After the directions of the court, the Delhi Police had registered an FIR in 2015 against Owaisi for promoting enmity among religious groups among other relevant sections of the law in connection with an alleged hate speech delivered by Owaisi in 2014. The FIR against Owaisi was registered under sections 120B (Criminal conspiracy), 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with sections 66A, 66F and 67 of Information Technology act. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Pulwama Attack and mocked his campaign to increase voter's participation in the ensuing elections. "I request everyone to cast vote for AIMIM and increase the voting percentage," he said taking a dig at the Prime Minister's campaign of "#VoteKar". "Two days ago, I said that in Pulwama a suicide bomber attacked our forces, will PM Modi take responsibility? I said was he sleeping after eating Beef Biriyani. In social media, Modi followers are saying that Modi doesn't eat non-veg. I don't know if he eats veg or non-veg. I will say now was he slept after eating Dokla, Idly or vegetable Biriyani," he added. He alleged that the Prime Minister gave away Rs 1500 crore to Former Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal to save his airlines. "You can't give 1500 crores just like that because it is public money. Now, I am saying is this your "baap ki jagir", what will you do," he said. Owaisi also hit out at UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for terming Imran Masood, a Lok Sabha candidate as a relative of Masood Azhar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Pentagon on Monday (local time) notified the US Congress that it authorised the transfer of USD 1 billion for building a barricade along the US-Mexico border, which was a long-standing demand by President Donald Trump. According to a notification, around USD 1 billion will go towards building 57 miles (around 92 km) of fencing, improving road infrastructure and other security measures at the border, CNN reported. The Defence Department authorised the Army Corp of Engineers (part of the department) to commence the planning and construction for the barricade from Monday night. Funds will be directed towards fencing with a height of 18-foot (around 5.5 metres) along the Yuma and El Paso sections of the US-Mexico border, a letter written by acting Secretary of Defence Patrick Shanahan to Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen stated. However, the move has left the Senate Democrats fuming, asserting that the Pentagon did not seek permission before notifying the Senate Appropriations Committee about the transfer of the funds. "We strongly object to both the substance of the funding transfer, and to the Department implementing the transfer without seeking the approval of the congressional defence committees and in violation of provisions in the defence appropriation itself. As a result, we have serious concerns that the Department has allowed political interference and pet projects to come ahead of many near-term, critical readiness issues facing our military," the Senate Democrats wrote in a letter. The letter was signed by Senators Patrick Leahy (Vermont), Dick Durbin (Illinois), Jack Reed (Rhode Island), Brian Schatz (Hawaii), Jon Tester (Montana) Patty Murray (Washington), Chris Murphy (Connecticut), Tammy Baldwin (Wisconsin), Dianne Feinstein (California) and Tom Udall (New Mexico). On February 15, Trump had declared a national emergency to bypass Congress and fulfill his long-pending demand of building the wall along the border with Mexico. Defending his move, the US President asserted that he had "no choice" but to use his emergency powers to stop illegal immigrants spreading crime and drugs. On March 14, the Republican-controlled Senate voted to disapprove the emergency declaration by 59 votes to 41, in what was a sharp rebuke to Trump. The resolution was already passed in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives by 245 votes to 182 last month, with 13 Republicans supporting the Democrats. Minutes after the vote, Trump tweeted in capitals, "VETO!", an indication that he would reject the resolution. Subsequently, the US President issued his first veto rejecting as "dangerous" and "reckless" congressional resolution of his emergency declaration and asserted that Americans would be "put at risk" at the southern border with Mexico if the measure became a law. Trump vetoed a resolution of disapproval of his emergency declaration, which was declared to get his wall funded and built along the US-Mexico border. It was the first time that Trump used his veto power to block a legislation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Crime Branch-CID of the Tamil Nadu police, probing the Pollachi sexual assault case, has summoned Thendral Manimaran, son of DMK's Coimbatore rural district secretary Thendral Selvaraj. Manimaran has been asked to appear on March 28. In the Pollachi sex scandal, more than 50 women were allegedly lured and sexually harassed by a gang of four and the acts were filmed. Four accused persons identified as Sabarirajan, Sathish, Thirunavukarasu and Vasan Kumar were arrested in the case under Sections 392, 354 (A), 354 (B) of the Indian Penal Code and 66A of the Information Technology Act. On March 15, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court seeking a court-monitored probe into the sex scandal. The case was transferred to the CB-CID which initiated an inquiry into the matter on March 13 after receiving requisite documents from the local police. Earlier this month, the Crime Branch had registered an FIR against DMK president MK Stalin's son-in-law, Sabareesan, for allegedly spreading rumours in connection with the case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States on Monday (local time) said that the earlier sanctions imposed on North Korea will remain in place as US President Donald Trump is not keen to slap additional penalties on the communist country for its nuclear weapons programme. "Look, the sanctions that were in place before are certainly still on. They are very tough sanctions. The President just doesn't feel it's necessary to add additional sanctions at this time. Nothing else to add," Yonhap News Agency quoted White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders as saying. On March 22, Trump removed additional "large-scale" US Treasury sanctions on North Korea. "It was announced today by the US Treasury that additional large scale Sanctions would be added to those already existing Sanctions on North Korea. I have today ordered the withdrawal of those additional Sanctions!" Trump tweeted. This move was largely being viewed as Trump's bid to keep denuclearisation talks with North Korea on track after the Hanoi summit ended abruptly last month without any agreement. The White House refused to comment on Trump's move but added that the President took the step because he "likes" North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. "President Trump likes Chairman Kim and he doesn't think these sanctions will be necessary," Sanders had said, without revealing the exact sanctions which have been removed. While it is still unclear as to which sanctions were stopped, the US Treasury Department had recently targeted two Chinese shipping companies for helping Pyongyang skirt UN-imposed sanctions. Despite the breakdown of the second US-North Korea summit, Trump had maintained that the relationship with the elusive state continues to be "good". Ties between the US and North Korea have hit a roadblock over the ease of sanctions, where Pyongyang sought relief as a recognition of the steps taken towards denuclearisation. Washington has, until now, reinforced that relief in sanctions would only be given after the communist country carries out "complete and verifiable" denuclearisation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With the Lok Sabha elections inching closer, former minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kedar Kashyap has said Congress president Rahul Gandhi should go to Pakistan, claiming that the Gandhi scion's "real supporters" are in the neighbouring country. "Instead of Amethi, Rahul should go to Pakistan, his real supporters are there," Kashyap said at a public rally here on Monday. Kashyap also said that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacks Pakistan, only Congress and Pakistan feel aggrieved. "What kind of Prime Minister do you need- one like Narendra Modi or someone like Pappu (Rahul Gandhi)," the former state education minister asked. There are 11 Lok Sabha seats at stake in Chhattisgarh, polling for which will be held in three phases - on April 11, 18 and 23. Counting of votes will take place on May 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Slamming the Congress and its president Rahul Gandhi for their proposed minimum income guarantee scheme, Union Minister Smriti Irani said that Rahul wants to siphon-off Rs 2 lakh crore from the present Rs 5 lakh crore given to the poor by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government through direct benefit transfer. "Rahul Gandhi declared that Congress party will not give Rs 5 lakh crore but will take Rs 2 lakh crore out of it. What will they do with that money? I want to ask Congress why it wants to misappropriate Rs 2 lakh crore?" Irani said. Lashing out at the Congress, she accused the party of looting the public exchequer since generations. "This is the hand that has looted the wealth of the nation for many years, but they will not succeed this time as the child of a poor is standing as a chowkidar," she said adding, "this time Rahul's dream of misappropriating Rs 2000 crore will not get fulfilled". She even accused the Congress of standing with Pakistan instead of India after the Pulwama attack. "Who thought when the blood of our soldiers will flow in Pulwama, the Congress will stand with Pakistan instead of our own country. Sam Pitroda, the guru of Rahul Gandhi, said that such incidents use to happen in Hindustan," said Irani. "Congress insults the martyrdom of our soldiers. The Congress party that calls Army chief a goon is acceptable to you? The spokesperson of the party that puts a question mark on the capability of our Air Force is acceptable to you?" asked Irani. While taking a jibe at SP-BSP alliance in the state, she said that a cycle will definitely get punctured if an elephant rides on it. "When an elephant rides on a bicycle, it gets punctured," Irani said. As per the present electoral arrangement, SP, BSP and RLD are in a seat-sharing alliance in Uttar Pradesh in which SP will contest on 37 seats, BSP on 38 and RLD on three. The alliance has decided not to contest two seats, Rae Bareli and Amethi. Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to be held from April 11 and will go on till May 19 in seven phases. The polls in Uttar Pradesh will be held in all seven phases, and counting of votes will take place on May 23.There are 80 Lok Sabha seats at stake in Uttar Pradesh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The CBI status report reveals "something very, very serious", the Supreme Court said on Tuesday perusing the document filed by the agency in connection with the questioning of former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajiv Kumar in the Saradha chit fund case. "The CBI status report against former Kolkata police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar reveals something very, very serious," a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said. The court directed Kumar to reply within 10 days on the status report, which was filed in a sealed cover. "We will later determine the charges and counter-charges after hearing both the sides," it said. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has moved an application seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against various senior officials of the West Bengal government, including the state's Director General of Police (DGP) and Kumar on the grounds of alleged non-cooperation in its probe and destruction of evidence in the case. Last month, the top court had asked the investigating agency to file an affidavit giving details about its claim that Kumar had tampered with evidence in the chit fund scam. The apex court had said that it was not satisfied with the oral submissions made by Attorney General K K Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on the allegation and sought an affidavit. The bench had pointed out that according to CBI, the evidence tampering took place in June 2018 and asked the agency why it approached the court only in February 2019 after the incident of February 3 when a CBI arrived at Kumar's residence to question him in connection with the case. The counsel for CBI had told the bench that the agency sought the documents from the service providers and these were received only in November 2018. On this, Chief Justice Gogoi had asked, "If what you are saying is correct, don't you think it is serious enough for you to take the court into confidence? If it is true, this is subversion of the rule of law and you are coming to the court only after the incident of that evening." In its last affidavit, CBI said there is a "larger conspiracy between highly placed state authorities and the companies under investigation" in the scam. The affidavit also said communication between CBI and state authorities show that there had been a "concerted effort to evade, avoid and to escape" the process of law and a conscious effort on part of the authorities to scuttle the investigation. CBI had filed the contempt plea in the apex court against the three officers for alleged wilful and deliberate violation of top court orders. The plea was filed after an unprecedented chain of event on February 3 when a CBI team was detained by Kolkata Police when they reached Kumar's residence. Later, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited his residence. The CBI officers were taken to a police station and released later. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Supreme Court has sought the presence of Chief Secretary and Home Secretary of Assam before it to decide whether a judicial decision of the Foreigners Tribunal will supersede the decision of the Register of Citizens (NRC) authorities. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi sought the presence of Secretaries on Thursday to assist it in deciding the issue. State of Assam and Government of India have already said that judicial verdict of the tribunal will supersede the NRC executive exercise. During the hearing, senior advocate Kapil Sibal appearing for the petitioner has argued that if the name of a person is there in the NRC but he has been declared a foreigner by the tribunal, he should have the right to appeal. Sibal has also argued that though the NRC statute does not have a specific remedy, the Supreme Court can carve out an appeal procedure. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi asked petitioners to show how the Supreme Court can pass orders to create a right to appeal and an appellate authority in case of contradicting orders. "What happens if the decision of Foreigners Tribunal says one thing and the NRC decides opposite?" asked CJI. The court will be hearing the matter next on March 28. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US Vice President Mike Pence on Monday (local time) said President Donald Trump is the "greatest friend of Jewish people". Trump on Monday signed a decree to recognise Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights. Speaking at an event, Pence said, "Allow me to bring greetings from a friend of mine and someone history has already proven to be the greatest friend of the Jewish people and the state of Israel ever to sit in the Oval Office... President Donald Trump." While signing the decree, Trump, flanked by Israel President Benjamin Netanyahu, said, "Today, aggressive action by Iran and terrorist groups in southern Syria, including Hezbollah, continue to make the Golan Heights a potential launching ground for attacks against Israel - very violent attacks," Trump said. "This should have been done numerous presidents ago." Holan Heights was seized by Israel from Syria during the six days war 1967 and has occupied ever since. Last year, the US President had recognised the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moved the American Embassy there from Tel Aviv. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Aligned with the national objective of AI for All, a workshop was conducted to discuss various facets of AI based technology adoption across certain sectors Manufacturing in the age of AI, a workshop organized by NITI Aayog and ABB India, brought together entrepreneurs, policymakers, state government functionaries and technology experts. It was the culmination of a partnership between the two organizations to work together and make key sectors of Indian economy ready for a digitalized future and realize the potential of AI, big data and digital connectivity. Last year, NITI Aayog and ABB signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to support the Indian government to realize its ambitious vision of Make in India through advanced manufacturing technologies that incorporate the latest developments in robotics and artificial intelligence. The workshop, held at the ABB Ability Innovation Center (AIC) in Bengaluru featured MSME entreprenuers from the selected sectors of pharmaceuticals, textiles, electrical and electronics, food processing and manufacturing. While technology was a common thread running through the entire workshop, working groups focused on issues faced by the MSMEs, sorted into three key areas: Addressing sector specific issues regulatory, financial and policy concerns relating to adoption of automation by the MSMEs. Exploring innovative business and economic models (plug and play, cluster approach, shared manufacturing approach) to accelerate technology adoption by MSMEs, while optimizing costs Addressing potential impacts of automation and AI on the workforce and steps that could be taken to educate, train and reskill the workforce. At NITI Aayog we are no longer working on one-way policy plans, we have wide and deep interactions with those for whom the policies are intended to focus on. At ABB Ability Innovation Center we have brought all stakeholders of MSME value chain to identify the roadblocks they face in growth, be it in business models, financing or skilled labor, and together find ways in which we can address the same using tools ranging from policy to technology, said Anna Roy, Senior Adviser, NITI Aayog. As India gets recognized as a global hub for AI technologies and Industry 4.0 reshapes global manufacturing in the coming decades, we look at companies like ABB with a legacy of global technology leadership to lead this revolution by enabling our vibrant MSME base, she added. India can leapfrog and show the way when it comes to innovative AI applications. Working with MSMEs and the eco-system is critical for the industrial and manufacturing adoption of such technologies. With its established history of working with them for several decades and driving the change with new digital solutions, ABB would be the perfect catalyst, said Sanjeev Sharma, Managing Director, ABB India. Just as we have embraced AI in different formats for our regular lives from maps to voice search and its integration with other applications, we believe with the right enablement and innovative business models, it could add significant value to the MSME manufacturing sector and help them navigate a continuously evolving landscape of regulatory frameworks, quality imperatives, climate change, global commodity and business uncertainties. Manufacturing industries across the world are in the process of incorporating artificial intelligence to reap productivity gains from automation in areas such as labour flexibility, better finishing, more reliable demand forecasting, agile supply chain and inventory optimization. The participating entrepreneurs for the workshop put in some practical suggestions coupled with insights on the levels of impact. The nature of AI solutions for MSMEs in manufacturing may differ by organization sizes, their stocks and inventory allocation. For example one might want to know as to who is doing the maximum winding function and wht is the right time for resource allocation inorder to achieve same goals of increased productivity and lower costs. The other dimension of effectiveness is simplicity of access and use like storing them on a cloud that we pay per use. Today Indian MSMEs face global competition and we want to use AI to make ourselves more competitive globally, said Uma Reddy, Managing Director, Hitech Magnetics & Electronics Pvt Ltd. AI solutions can also provide visibility to manufacturing irregularities in the initial stages without having to complete the process cycle to analyse the impact. AI would detect flaws immediately thus stopping value bleed and ensuring the required quality for global and local markets, said Sampath Kasirajan, Director, Hydra Micro Business Solutions Pvt Ltd. Automation is also set to create new job streams all together, as well as exponentially increase the demand for medium to high skilled labour. Indias AI for All has been feted as an inclusive program for technology deployment, which creates a niche through innovative applications. India has been ranked among the top 3 countries globally after USA and China for workforce with AI skills and companies most looking forward to deploying AI technologies in the near term. Further deepening the crisis, British MPs on Monday (local times) defied Prime Minister Theresa May's government and voted in the favour of an amendment that gives them the power to control of the country's Parliament, reports CNN. As many as 30 Conservative MPs have voted against Theresa May. Letwin Amendment has allowed the lawmakers to make a series of indicative votes on various alternative options-including Norway-style deal with the EU and no Brexit. Terming it as an "another humiliating defeat" for Theresa May, Labour MP Keir Starmer tweeted, She has lost complete control of her party, her Cabinet and of the Brexit process. Parliament has fought back - and now has the chance to decide what happens next." Last week, at least one million people protested against May's handling of the Brexit process, demanding for a second referendum to be held. In 2016, over 50 per cent of the UK electorate voted to leave the EU, following which the British government triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, beginning the country's process of its exit from the European bloc. The then-Prime Minister David Cameron, who supported continued membership to the EU, resigned, making way for May to take charge. Uncertainty looms even as UK looks at an extended period to exit from the EU. The bloc agreed to extend Article 50 till May 22, provided the British Parliament supports the Withdrawal Deal next week when May holds a meaningful vote. If the Parliament rejects the deal again, the UK will be given an extension only till April 12, according to Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lebanon has condemned the United States decision to recognise Israel's sovereignty on Golan Heights. Citing NNA, IRNA quoted Lebanon Foreign Ministry as saying, "The US presidential declaration on Israel's right to annex the Syrian Golan is condemnable and breaches all rules of international law, undermining any effort to reach a just peace." "The principle of land for peace falls...for when there is no land to be restored, no peace remains to be given," the statement reads. Syrian Foreign Ministry had also stated that US President Donald Trump's recognition of the annexed Syrian Golan to the Zionist occupation entity is flagrant aggression on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic. In the statement, Syria also stated that Washington's decision is indicative of US' hostility against the Arab world, adding that Washington proved that it is an enemy of the Arab On March 21, Trump had tweeted that after 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognise Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. The spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry Bahram Qasemi had earlier said that the impetuous personal decisions of Trump are pushing the sensitive region of the Middle East toward consecutive crises. Condemning the occupation of lands in any forms, Qasemi said, "The interventionist decision of the US President never changes the fact that the Golan Heights belong to Syria, rather it clearly shows the failure of compromising policies while proving the correctness of the path of resistance against the expansionist and aggressive conduct of the US and the Zionist regime." Sputnik on Tuesday reported that the League of Arab states has also rejected the decision to recognise Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. "This US statement does not change anything in the status of the Golan Heights. The Golan is a piece of occupied Syrian territory ... Occupation is a serious crime, but attempts to legalise this occupation is also a great mistake," Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in a statement on Monday. He further pointed out that the decision is a violation of the international law adding that it "harms the US authority not only in the Middle Eastern region but also in the " He further stated that the Arab countries would unanimously recognise Syria's right to the Golan Heights at the organisation's upcoming summit. "It will definitely be reflected in the resolutions of the Arab League summit that will be held next week," Aboul Gheit stated. Saudi Arabia and Turkey also came forward to condemn the decision. The US garnered global condemnation after Trump signed an official decree in the presence of Israel's President Benjamin Netanyahu, to recognise Israel's sovereignty on the Golan Heights on Monday. Israel had formally annexed the territory in 1981 after capturing the region from Syria during the six-day war in 1967. The Israeli annexation has long been decried by the community who regard Golan Heights as an occupied territory and Israeli settlements in the region are illegal as per international law. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday (local time) urged Russia to "cease its unconstructive behaviour" as it is "exacerbating tensions" in Venezuela. This comes hours after reports appeared in the media that two Russian military jets reportedly reached Caracas. According to Anadolu Agency, Pompeo telephoned his Moscow counterpart Sergei Lavrov and asked Russia to "cease its unconstructive behaviour", US State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said in a statement. " The continued insertion of Russian military personnel to support the illegitimate regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela risks prolonging the suffering of the Venezuelan people who overwhelmingly support interim President Juan Guaido," the statement further read. Last week, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said that Russia would send medicine "next week" to Venezuela, amid reports of strengthening ties between Caracas and Moscow. According to Al Jazeera, the Maduro regime in February had blocked a convoy carrying humanitarian aid from entering into Venezuela via the border with Colombia. He also ordered the closure of Venezuela's border with Brazil "until further notice" amid a tense standoff with the US-backed Opposition leader, Juan Guaido, over allowing in humanitarian aid. The South American nation is crippled with a political and economic crisis since January after Guaido proclaimed himself as the President of the nation in January. While most European countries have recognised Guaido as the interim President, countries like Russia, China, Turkey, amongst others, have slammed foreign interference in Venezuela and shown support for Maduro. Maduro, who is the elected President of the nation, decried the events and accused the US of plotting a coup to overthrow him by supporting Guaido. He continues to hold on to his post despite calls by the international community for fresh elections. Amongst other sanctions, the US has previously proscribed Venezuela's state-owned oil and natural gas company PDVSA in a bid to stifle funding to the Maduro regime. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP leader and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday continued his thinly-veiled attack on actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha for been critical of the party's top leadership on various occasions in the past and said that voters of Patna Saheb constituency will not remain silent. "The whole of India wants Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remain in power for the second time. One more thing I want to say is that voters of Patna Saheb constituency will not remain silent," he said while speaking to media persons. Prasad's statement came just a few days after the Patna Saheb seat held by Sinha since 2009 was given to Prasad. However, after flying to Patna from New Delhi, Prasad was greeted by chants of 'go back' from supporters of businessman and BJP leader R K Sinha at the airport. In a video that went viral on social media, Sinha's supporters can be seen shouting slogans of 'Ravi Shankar Prasad, go back' and 'R K Sinha Zindabad.' They were apparently agitated over Prasad getting the ticket for Patna Saheb seat. Protesters claimed that Sinha was their leader from Patna, and Prasad never even came to meet the people. Bihar will go for polling during all seven phases of the Lok Sabha elections. In Bihar, different constituencies will see polling on April 11, 18, 23 and 29 besides May 6, 12 and 19. The counting of votes will take place on May 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi (India), March 26 (ANI): Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Vice Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar said he will not file a police complaint against the students who "barged " into his house on Monday, but strict disciplinary action will be taken against them as per the varsity rules. Speaking to ANI, Kumar said: "It was an attack on me and my wife. It is the matter of our personal security but we have decided not to go for the police complaint and forgive the students." "However, few of the security guards were seriously injured. This is a medico-legal case and I stand by my security. Also, Chief Proctor will take action against those involved as per the university rules. The Security office will also approach the Chief Proctor office. JNU administration will definitely take strict action against them as per the rules," he added. The JNU official also took to Twitter to reaffirm that no police complaint will be filed against the students who barged into his house. "While last night's violent behaviour by students in front of my JNU residence is condemnable, neither I nor my wife will file a police complaint against the students. We have forgiven them. Wish them the best and hope they will reform and not repeat such acts in future," Kumar tweeted on Tuesday. On Monday evening, hundreds of JNU students allegedly barged into the residence of the Vice Chancellor and allegedly confined his wife inside the residence for hours before she was safely rescued by security staff and others. The incident took place when about 200 students marched towards the VC's residence but were stopped by the security staff at the residence gate. However, the protesters smashed the gates and allegedly barged into the residence after quarrelling with the security guards. It is worth mentioning that university students under the banner of JNU Students Union had been on hunger strike for nearly 8 days against the "new admission policy" and several other issues. On Monday, the students had called for a march to the VC residence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jet Airways announced after market hours yesterday, 25 March 2019, that its board approved conversion of Rs 1 of lenders' debt into equity by the issuance of 11.40 crore equity shares, in accordance with the RBI Circular of 12th February 2018. With this, the consortium of Indian lenders, led by State Bank of India (SBI), will become the majority shareholders of Jet Airways. The board also approved reconstitution of the board of directors of the company by resignation of promoter, Naresh Goyal, Anita Goyal, and Kevin Knight, nominee director of Etihad Airways from their positions on the company's board. The two nominees of the promoter and one nominee of Etihad Airways will continue on the board. Two lender nominees will be inducted to its board, subject to the receipt of requisite approvals. As part of the resolution plan, the lenders will provide an immediate interim funding support of Rs 1500 crore to Jet Airways. An interim management committee (IMC) has been constituted to oversee the overall financial and operational performance of the airline under the overall supervision of the board of directors with the support of McKinsey & Co. As part of the resolution plan, the lenders will also begin the process of sale/ issue of shares to new investors which is expected to be completed in the June quarter. Grasim Industries said it has challenged the order of Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax (DCIT) dated 14 March 2019, raising demand of sum of Rs 5872.13 crore on account of dividend distribution tax (including interest) before the Bombay High Court. The company has submitted that the order passed by the DCIT is wholly unsustainable in law and the department has sought time to file reply. The company has received order dated 22 March 2019 from the Bombay High Court. The High Court, while granting time to the Department for filing reply, has granted stay against the recovery of demand. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 March 2019. Newgen Software Technologies announced that its board approved to incorporate a wholly-owned subsidiary in Australia and to make initial investment upto 1.5 million Australian dollars in the proposed subsidiary by way of subscribing to its shares. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 March 2019. Bharti Airtel announced new ISD call charges for Bangladesh and Nepal as part of its endeavour to simplify tariffs and add to customer convenience. The new ISD call charges, which are currently available to Airtel prepaid mobile users, are the most affordable in the industry and eliminate the need for buying additional ISD packs to make calls to Bangladesh and Nepal. Airtel mobile customers can now enjoy the most competitive ISO tariffs with their regular recharge packs and bundles. Calls to Bangladesh will now be charged at only Rs 2.99/minute (versus Rs. 12 per minute earlier) representing a reduction of 75%. Calls to Nepal will now be charged at Rs 7.99 per minute (versus Rs 13 earlier) representing a reduction of approximately 40%. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 March 2019. Aurionpro Solutions announced that its board approved the buyback of upto 10.81 lakh shares, or 4.61% of equity capital, at a maximum price of Rs 185 per share, for a total amount not exceeding Rs 20 crore. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 March 2019. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kalpataru Power Transmission rose 2.39% to Rs 444.10 at 14:58 IST on BSE after the company said it acquired 85% stake in Sweden's Linjemontage i Grastorp AB for an enterprise value of $24 million. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 March 2019. Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 395.28 points, or 1.05% to 38,204.19. On the BSE, 7542 shares were traded in the counter so far compared with average daily volumes of 7159 shares in the past two weeks. The stock had hit a high of Rs 452.90 and a low of Rs 442 so far during the day. The stock hit a 52-week high of Rs 507 on 7 May 2018. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 268.50 on 29 October 2018. Kalpataru Power Transmission (KPTL), through its wholly owned subsidiary, Kalpataru Power Transmission Sweden AB signed definitive agreement to acquire 85% stake in Linjemontage i Grastorp AB for an enterprise value of $24 million. The transaction expected to close in Q1 FY2020. Founded in 1993, Linjemontage specializes in engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and operations and maintenance (O&M) in power supply solutions and services for electricity networks up to voltage range of 400 kV. The company has three main business areas, comprising of EPC of substation, transmission & distribution networks and O&M of electricity network services. Linjemontage order book as on date is $77 million spread across Sweden and Norway. Net profit of Kalpataru Power Transmission rose 22.30% to Rs 92.01 crore on 21.68% rise in net sales to Rs 1724.66 crore in Q3 December 2018 over Q3 December 2017. Kalpataru Power Transmission (KPTL) is amongst the largest players firmly entrenched in the global power transmission and infrastructure EPC space. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kalpataru Power Transmission announced that its wholly owned subsidiary in Sweden, Kalpataru Power Transmission Sweden AB has entered into definitive Agreement to acquire Linjemontage i Grastrop AB, a Swedish EPC Company (LMG) headquartered in Grastrop, Sweden along with its two Wholly Owned subsidiaries. The entities shall be acquired at an Enterprise value of approx. USD 24 million. The equity value and exact cost of acquisition will be derived on the closing date. The company through its wholly owned subsidiary will acquire 85% of share capital of LMG. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prolight + Sound (2-5 April, Messe Frankfurt, Hall 4.0, Booth B35) sees Calibre demonstrating its innovative AiO (All-in-One) LED display. The first fruits of its relationship with sister company Optoma also part of Coretronic the AiO is designed to address one of the biggest drawbacks to LED display the time it takes to deploy them. The AiO can be installed by three people in under an hour via simple, 3-step process that involves joining the two frame modules together; attaching them by tightening the screws; and installing the individual LED modules. Installation is also eased by the AiOs lightweight: 116kgs/255.7lbs for the 118in 1.8mm pixel pitch LEDFusion A118, and 125kgs/275.5lbs for the 1.5mm pixel pitch 130in QUAD130. Both units are only 38mm deep. Maintenance is similarly straightforward: a single module can be replaced in less than ten seconds. Control of the AiO is equally simple, via either a remote or an app. The Optoma QUAD130 was awarded the coveted Installation magazine Winner of Best Of Show Awards 2019 at Integrated Systems Europe at RAI Amsterdam earlier this year. LED technology is rapidly gaining traction in the proAV market especially for large screens and video walls as its image quality is beginning to surpass that of the de facto LCD standard and is becoming increasingly affordable, said Willy Tsai, Director at Calibre UK. Beyond this, the AiOs bezel-less nature means that LED-based screens can deliver far more compelling, involving large images than was previously possible. However: historically, the downside of LED-based displays has been the relative difficulty of assembling and deploying them. The AiO LED display removes that barrier, making it the ideal choice for any organisation looking to deliver outstanding quality, high brightness, high contrast ratio images in minimal time and with minimal effort, added Tsai. Ease of installation is also enhanced by the fact that the AiO benefits from Calibres inbuilt LEDView series scaler/switchers which bring Ultra HD capability to LED screens. Using Calibres proprietary HQUltra halo-free low-latency scaling and HQUltraFast input switching (inputs change in 0.5 seconds), these products provide stunning image quality in demanding environments. A range of LEDView and HQView600 scaler/switchers is available to meet the needs of any application. The AiO LED display also responds to the growing focus on minimising energy consumption: in standby mode, it consumes less than 0.5 Watts. Local stocks were trading with small gains in early trade. At 9:22 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 26.12 points or 0.07% at 37,835.03. The Nifty 50 index was up 13.20 points or 0.12% at 11,367.45. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.3%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 0.32%. Both these indices outperformed the Sensex. The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was strong. On the BSE, 721 shares rose and 365 shares fell. A total of 52 shares were unchanged. Overseas, most Asian stocks were trading higher. U.S. stocks closed mostly lower Monday after data showing weakness on the global economic front triggered heavy losses at the end of last week while investors continued to fret over the inversion of the yield curve. However, the Dow bucked the trend to rise as shares of Boeing Co. rallied after recent losses. Meanwhile, the markets showed little reaction to the end of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Back home, Bharti Airtel rose 0.29%. Bharti Airtel announced new ISD call charges for Bangladesh and Nepal as part of its endeavour to simplify tariffs and add to customer convenience. The new ISD call charges, which are currently available to Airtel prepaid mobile users, are the most affordable in the industry and eliminate the need for buying additional ISD packs to make calls to Bangladesh and Nepal. Airtel mobile customers can now enjoy the most competitive ISO tariffs with their regular recharge packs and bundles. Calls to Bangladesh will now be charged at only Rs 2.99/minute (versus Rs. 12 per minute earlier) representing a reduction of 75%. Calls to Nepal will now be charged at Rs 7.99 per minute (versus Rs 13 earlier) representing a reduction of approximately 40%. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 March 2019. Grasim Industries rose 0.59%. Grasim Industries said it has challenged the order of Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax (DCIT) dated 14 March 2019, raising demand of sum of Rs 5872.13 crore on account of dividend distribution tax (including interest) before the Bombay High Court. The company has submitted that the order passed by the DCIT is wholly unsustainable in law and the department has sought time to file reply. The company has received order dated 22 March 2019 from the Bombay High Court. The High Court, while granting time to the Department for filing reply, has granted stay against the recovery of demand. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 March 2019. Newgen Software Technologies fell 0.63%. Newgen Software Technologies announced that its board approved to incorporate a wholly-owned subsidiary in Australia and to make initial investment upto 1.5 million Australian dollars in the proposed subsidiary by way of subscribing to its shares. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 March 2019. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Key equity indices extended gains and hit fresh intraday high in mid-afternoon trade. At 14:35 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 398.40 points or 1.05% at 38,207.31. The Nifty 50 index was up 115.65 points or 1.02% at 11,469.90. The Sensex regained the 38,000 mark. Domestic stocks were trading with small gains in early trade. A bout of volatility was seen as the key indices extended gains in morning trade. Stocks hovered in positive zone in afternoon trade. Indices surged in mid-afternoon trade on strong buying support. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.98%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 0.51%. The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was positive. On the BSE, 1353 shares rose and 1228 shares fell. A total of 169 shares were unchanged. Most metal shares advanced. Vedanta (up 3.03%), Steel Authority of India (up 0.9%), Hindustan Copper (up 0.74%), Hindustan Zinc (up 0.74%), Jindal Steel & Power (up 0.74%), Hindalco Industries (up 0.73%), JSW Steel (up 0.72%) and Tata Steel (up 0.65%), edged higher. NMDC (down 0.24%) and National Aluminium Company (down 0.65%), edged higher. FMCG shares rose. Colgate Palmolive (India) (up 1.81%), Dabur India (up 1.15%), Nestle India (up 1.12%), GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (up 0.83%), Britannia Industries (up 0.79%), Hindustan Unilever (up 0.71%), Marico (up 0.69%), Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care (up 0.67%) and Godrej Consumer Products (up 0.09%), edged higher. Tata Global Beverages (down 0.13%), Jyothy Laboratories (down 0.49%) and Bajaj Corp (down 0.64%), edged lower. Overseas, European shares were mixed amid concerns about a softening global economy and uncertainty over Britain's exit from the European Union. Asian stocks ended higher. US stocks closed mostly lower Monday after data showing weakness on the global economic front triggered heavy losses at the end of last week while investors continued to fret over the inversion of the yield curve. However, the Dow bucked the trend to rise as shares of Boeing Co. rallied after recent losses. Meanwhile, the markets showed little reaction to the end of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The market was trading with small gains in afternoon trade. At 13:17 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 71.86 points or 0.19% at 37,880.77. The Nifty 50 index was up 26.35 points or 0.23% at 11,380.60. Local stocks were trading with small gains in early trade. A bout of volatility was seen as the key indices extended gains in morning trade. Stocks hovered in positive zone in afternoon trade. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.71%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 0.25%. Both these indices outperformed the Sensex. The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was positive. On the BSE, 1284 shares rose and 1189 shares fell. A total of 146 shares were unchanged. Vedanta (up 2.17%), NTPC (up 1.70%), State Bank of India (up 1.62%), Asian Paints (up 1.47%) and Reliance Industries (up 1.46%), were the major Sensex gainers. Infosys (down 1.78%), TCS (down 1.2%), ITC (down 1.08%), HDFC (down 0.63%) and IndusInd Bank (down 0.57%), were the major Sensex losers. Larsen & Toubro was down 0.46%. L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering (LTHE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro, has won a large order from Tawfiq Coke Products-Oman. The contract scope includes selection of technology licensor, FEED & EPC for a 2 x 225,000 TPA plant of calcined coke from green pet coke. Process facilities include material handling, rotary kiln and cooler, combustion chamber, gas separation and associated offsite & utilities packages. The company said the order fall under "large" category which ranges between Rs 2,500 crore and Rs 5,000 crore as per its classification of contracts. The announcement was made during trading hours today, 26 March 2019. Bharti Airtel rose 0.37%. Bharti Airtel announced new ISD call charges for Bangladesh and Nepal as part of its endeavour to simplify tariffs and add to customer convenience. The new ISD call charges, which are currently available to Airtel prepaid mobile users, are the most affordable in the industry and eliminate the need for buying additional ISD packs to make calls to Bangladesh and Nepal. Airtel mobile customers can now enjoy the most competitive ISO tariffs with their regular recharge packs and bundles. Calls to Bangladesh will now be charged at only Rs 2.99/minute (versus Rs. 12 per minute earlier) representing a reduction of 75%. Calls to Nepal will now be charged at Rs 7.99 per minute (versus Rs 13 earlier) representing a reduction of approximately 40%. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 March 2019. Grasim Industries rose 0.67%. Grasim Industries said it has challenged the order of Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax (DCIT) dated 14 March 2019, raising demand of sum of Rs 5872.13 crore on account of dividend distribution tax (including interest) before the Bombay High Court. The company has submitted that the order passed by the DCIT is wholly unsustainable in law and the department has sought time to file reply. The company has received order dated 22 March 2019 from the Bombay High Court. The High Court, while granting time to the Department for filing reply, has granted stay against the recovery of demand. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 March 2019. Jet Airways (India) rose 9.12% after the company said Naresh Goyal stepped down as chairman. As part of the proposed solution, the company's board approved the conversion of Re 1 of lenders' debt into equity by the issuance of 11.40 crore equity shares, in accordance with the RBI Circular of 12 February 2018. With this, the consortium of Indian lenders, led by State Bank of India (SBI), will become the majority shareholders of Jet Airways. As part of the resolution plan, the lenders will also begin the process of sale/ issue of shares to new investors which is expected to be completed in the June quarter. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 March 2019. The board also approved its reconstitution by resignation of promoter, Mr Naresh Goyal, Mrs. Anita Goyal, and Mr. Kevin Knight, nominee director of Etihad Airways from their positions on the company's board. The two nominees of the promoter and one nominee of Etihad Airways will continue on the board. Two lender nominees will be inducted to its board, subject to the receipt of requisite approvals. As part of the resolution plan, the lenders will provide an immediate interim funding support of Rs 1500 crore to Jet Airways. The company will also engage with payment intermediaries for release of trapped cash. The airline will leverage the funding to partly clear pending dues towards lessors, vendors, creditors and employees in a phased manner. The move will see Jet Airways re-deploy several of its grounded aircraft back into its network, helping renew many of the routes it had temporarily suspended, which will help restore normalcy of operations, aiding the airline's long term transformation to continue expansion and to regain its position as a global player. Overseas, most Asian stocks were trading higher. US stocks closed mostly lower Monday after data showing weakness on the global economic front triggered heavy losses at the end of last week while investors continued to fret over the inversion of the yield curve. However, the Dow bucked the trend to rise as shares of Boeing Co. rallied after recent losses. Meanwhile, the markets showed little reaction to the end of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Trading of Nifty 50 index futures on the Singapore stock exchange indicates that the Nifty could rise 69 points at the opening bell. Overseas, most Asian stocks were trading higher. U.S. stocks closed mostly lower Monday after data showing weakness on the global economic front triggered heavy losses at the end of last week while investors continued to fret over the inversion of the yield curve. However, the Dow bucked the trend to rise as shares of Boeing Co. rallied after recent losses. Meanwhile, the markets showed little reaction to the end of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Back home,key benchmark indices ended with sharp losses Monday amid weak global stocks. The Sensex fell 355.70 points or 0.93% to settle at 37,808.91, its lowest closing level since 14 March 2019. The Nifty 50 index fell 102.65 points or 0.90% to settle at 11,354.25, its lowest closing level since 14 March 2019. The trading activity on that day showed that the foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 150.40 crore yesterday, 25 March 2018, as per provisional data released by the stock exchanges. Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) sold shares worth a net Rs 12.52 crore yesterday, 25 March 2018, as per provisional data. Among corporate news,Bharti Airtel announced new ISD call charges for Bangladesh and Nepal as part of its endeavour to simplify tariffs and add to customer convenience. The new ISD call charges, which are currently available to Airtel prepaid mobile users, are the most affordable in the industry and eliminate the need for buying additional ISD packs to make calls to Bangladesh and Nepal. Airtel mobile customers can now enjoy the most competitive ISO tariffs with their regular recharge packs and bundles. Calls to Bangladesh will now be charged at only Rs 2.99/minute (versus Rs. 12 per minute earlier) representing a reduction of 75%. Calls to Nepal will now be charged at Rs 7.99 per minute (versus Rs 13 earlier) representing a reduction of approximately 40%. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 March 2019. Grasim Industries said it has challenged the order of Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax (DCIT) dated 14 March 2019, raising demand of sum of Rs 5872.13 crore on account of dividend distribution tax (including interest) before the Bombay High Court. The company has submitted that the order passed by the DCIT is wholly unsustainable in law and the department has sought time to file reply. The company has received order dated 22 March 2019 from the Bombay High Court. The High Court, while granting time to the Department for filing reply, has granted stay against the recovery of demand. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 March 2019. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A bout of volatility was seen as the key indices extended gains in morning trade. At 10:22 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 117.87 points or 0.31% at 37,926.78. The Nifty 50 index was up 38.25 points or 0.34% at 11,392.50. Local stocks were trading with small gains in early trade. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.61%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 0.59%. Both these indices outperformed the Sensex. The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was strong. On the BSE, 1232 shares rose and 709 shares fell. A total of 102 shares were unchanged. Back home, ICICI Bank (up 1.83%), Vedanta (up 1.81%), Reliance Industries (up 1.53%), State Bank of India (up 1.41%) and Bajaj Finance (up 1.21%) edged higher from the Sensex pack. Infosys (down 1.73%), TCS (down 1.1%), ITC (down 0.63%), Power Grid Corporation of India (down 0.62%) and Bajaj Auto (down 0.43%) edged lower from the Sensex pack. Jet Airways (India) rose 6.72% after the company said Naresh Goyal stepped down as chairman. As part of the proposed solution, the company's board approved the conversion of Re 1 of lenders' debt into equity by the issuance of 11.40 crore equity shares, in accordance with the RBI Circular of 12 February 2018. With this, the consortium of Indian lenders, led by State Bank of India (SBI), will become the majority shareholders of Jet Airways. As part of the resolution plan, the lenders will also begin the process of sale/ issue of shares to new investors which is expected to be completed in the June quarter. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 March 2019. The board also approved its reconstitution by resignation of promoter, Mr Naresh Goyal, Mrs. Anita Goyal, and Mr. Kevin Knight, nominee director of Etihad Airways from their positions on the company's board. The two nominees of the promoter and one nominee of Etihad Airways will continue on the board. Two lender nominees will be inducted to its board, subject to the receipt of requisite approvals. As part of the resolution plan, the lenders will provide an immediate interim funding support of Rs 1500 crore to Jet Airways. The company will also engage with payment intermediaries for release of trapped cash. The airline will leverage the funding to partly clear pending dues towards lessors, vendors, creditors and employees in a phased manner. The move will see Jet Airways re-deploy several of its grounded aircraft back into its network, helping renew many of the routes it had temporarily suspended, which will help restore normalcy of operations, aiding the airline's long term transformation to continue expansion and to regain its position as a global player. Overseas, most Asian stocks were trading higher. U.S. stocks closed mostly lower Monday after data showing weakness on the global economic front triggered heavy losses at the end of last week while investors continued to fret over the inversion of the yield curve. However, the Dow bucked the trend to rise as shares of Boeing Co. rallied after recent losses. Meanwhile, the markets showed little reaction to the end of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 92,600 Afghan refugees have returned from neighbouring countries Pakistan and Iran since January this year, the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Tuesday. "(A total of) 92,698 Afghans returns from Iran and Pakistan since January 1," said IOM in a statement. A total of 88,516 Afghans have reportedly returned to their homeland from Iran as the value of local currency had fallen and job opportunities were low, reports Xinhua news agency. Another 4,182 Afghans were back from Pakistan during the period. More than 849,000 Afghan refugees had returned or were deported to Afghanistan in 2018, according to figures from Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations. --IANS ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya here on Tuesday said party's former Presidents Murli Manohar Joshi and Lal Krishna Advani themselves refused contest the Lok Sabha polls this time. "Advani Ji and Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi refused to contest the Lok Sabha polls. Similarly, I also refused to contest. If someone is unwilling (to contest) will the party give them tickets?" Vijayvargiya said after inspecting the preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public meeting at the Brigade Parade Ground here on April 3. When asked whether the two party veterans wrote any letter to the leadership expressing their unwillingness to contest the coming elections, Vijayvargiya said the message was conveyed to their organisational minister. The BJP leader's remark comes amid the controversy over Joshi's claim in an open letter that the party asked him not to contest the 2019 polls. Earlier, the BJP denied a ticket to Advani and replaced him with party President Amit Shah in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat. The two veteran leaders have also been kept out of the list of 40 leaders who will be campaigning for the first two phases of the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh. --IANS mgr/rs/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi court on Tuesday allowed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to quiz businessman Sushen Mohan Gupta, an alleged middleman in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case. Gupta was presented before Special Judge Arvind Kumar who remanded him to four days in ED custody. He was arrested a day after the court allowed Dubai-based businessman and alleged middleman in the deal, Rajiv Saxena, to become an approver in the case. The ED has alleged that Saxena in his disclosure statement has revealed that Interstellar Technologies, a company which received AgustaWestland kickbacks, was controlled by lawyer Gautam Khaitan and Sushen Gupta. Saxena also presented two diaries, some loose sheets, and other documents and a pen drive which all related to Gupta. The Directorate had sought his custody on grounds that he is required to be confronted with the documents related to the case and unearth how the kickbacks were routed and laundered. The ED said that it has to identify where the tainted money was placed, layered and integrated into the system. The agency said that Gupta was not co-operating in the investigation. The agency also told the court that Gupta had to be confronted with other accused persons and evidence collected during investigations including the voluminous material received through letters of request (LRs) to unearth the entire money trail. The ED said that his custody would help them to ascertain the true nature of transaction and to confront him with the documents including those seized by the Italian Police. Gupta's counsel had opposed the ED plea and said that he was co-operating in the investigation. Sources close to Gupta's family said that the allegations that have been levelled against Gupta were baseless and in the last two years he had appeared almost 20 times before the agencies probing the case. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) security agencies had picked up Saxena from his Dubai residence on January 30 and extradited him to India. He was granted bail on medical grounds last week. The ED did not oppose his bail application. According to the ED, Saxena, in connivance with lawyer Gautam Khaitan, provided the global corporate structure that laundered money for payment to various political leaders, bureaucrats and Indian Air Force (IAF) officials to influence the contract for supplying 12 VVIP choppers in favour of AgustaWestland, the Rome-based helicopter design and manufacturing company. --IANS akk/oeb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Arab Parliament has rejected US President Donald Trump's recognition of Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights, a part of Syria that has been under Israeli military occupation since the Six-Day War of 1967. Parliament Speaker Mishaal bin Fahm Al-Salami, on Monday night categorically rejected Trump's decision to "recognise the sovereignty of the occupying power (Israel) over the Syrian Golan", the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday. Al-Salami considered the move as a flagrant violation of UN General Assembly resolutions and UN Security Council Resolution 242, on withdrawal of Israel from the territories occupied in 1967, including the Golan. Earlier on Monday, the White House released a statement confirming the move of the US as the first country to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the disputed territory, Efe news reported. The White House said it was a necessary step for "any possible future peace agreement in the region", which "must account for Israel's need to protect itself from Syria and other regional threats". Most of the 26,000 members of the Druze religious community in the Golan Heights have refused assimilation into the Israeli state and nearly all of them boycotted Israel's first-ever attempt to hold municipal elections in the territory last October. International media outlets reported that around 20,000 Israeli settlers currently live in the Golan Heights. UN peacekeepers have been stationed in the Golan for decades. --IANS ksk/in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP on Tuesday named its Karnataka Yuva Morcha General Secretary Tejaswi Surya as its Banagalore South Lok Sabha seat candidate, shattering late Ananth Kumar's supporters' hopes of seeing his widow contest from the prestigious seat. The party's central election committee decided early in the day to field the 28-year-old Karnataka High Court lawyer over the party's state unit's recommendation, Tejaswini. The late Union Minister's widow urged supporters of her husband to abide by the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) decision. "I urge all the BJP 'karyakartas' (workers), friends and well wishers who are anxious and upset and still visiting our house in large numbers -- it's time to show we are a 'party with a difference'. "We are all committed to tread the path of ideology and work for #NamoAgain2019," Tejaswini tweeted. Surya, touted to be a fiery orator is considered to be a protege of the party's right wing parent organisation -- the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak (RSS). His surprise selection had dashed hopes of Tejaswini and her supporters of contesting from the high-profile seat, which her husband had won for a record six times since 1996. Surya had earlier tweeted: "OMG OMG! I can't believe this. PM of world's largest democracy and President of largest political party have reposed faith in a 28-year-old guy to represent them in a constituency as prestigious a Bangalore South. "This can happen only in my BJP. Only in #NewIndia of @narendramodi," tweeted Surya after the party selected him. Tejaswini told her supporters: "Lets all abide by the decision of the central leadership and work towards #NamoAgain." She told the party cadres that Kumar believed in "Nation first, party next, I last." The Congress' Rajya Sabha member B.K. Hariprasad, named on Monday, will be up against Surya when the state goes to poll on April 18. The BJP also named Aswath Narain as its candidate from Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha constituency against sitting Congress member D.K. Suresh, who is re-contesting for the second time. --IANS bha/in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WVU researcher awarded NSF CAREER grant to develop new techniques to secure cyberspace MORGANTOWN, W.Va.--Yanfang (Fanny) Ye, assistant professor of computer science and electrical engineering at West Virginia University, has been awarded a prestigious CAREER award from the National Science Foundation in support of her work to enhance the security of cyberspace. The award comes with $500,000 in funding over a five-year period. As the Internet becomes increasingly ubiquitous, it offers a low-risk harbor for cybercrime and illegal activities such as hacking and online scams. Cybercrime is increasingly enabled by an online underground ecosystem that is made up of anonymous forums and so-called dark web platforms that allow cybercriminals to exchange knowledge and trade illicit products and services. "To better protect the trust of legitimate institutions and users within cyberspace, and to disrupt or mitigate the harm of illegal markets, there is an urgent need to gain deep insights into the online underground ecosystem and understand its intricate relationships," Ye said. "The goal of this project is to design and develop an integrated computational framework for in-depth investigation of the online underground ecosystem in an effort to help secure cyberspace by producing data-driven interventions of cybercrimes." To achieve this goal, Ye will first design methods and develop algorithmic and scalable techniques to automate the analysis of online underground markets. She will then develop a novel framework for cross-market user identification and profiling resulting in the design of an innovative model for structural analysis of cybercriminal social networks to gain deep insights into the organization and operation of cybercriminals in the ecosystem. The broader impacts of this project include benefits to scientific communities and society as a whole by developing interventions into online crime to secure cyberspace for its users. The establishment of a cybersecurity lab through this project will enhance education and workforce training in cybersecurity. The project integrates research with education through curriculum development, the participation of underrepresented groups and student mentoring activities for WVU's newly established cybersecurity degree program. Ye has extensive research and development experience in cybersecurity industry. Before joining WVU, she was the principal scientist in Comodo Security Solutions, Inc., a provider of computer software and SSL digital certificates in the U.S., and deputy director at Kingsoft Internet Security Corporation, the second biggest Internet security company in China. Ye proposed and developed cloud-based solutions for mining big data in the area of cybersecurity, especially for malware detection and adversarial machine learning. Her developed algorithms and systems have been incorporated into popular commercial cybersecurity products, including Comodo Internet Security and Kingsoft Antivirus that protect millions of users worldwide. She received the prestigious AICS 2019 Challenge Problem Winner, the ACM SIGKDD 2017 Best Paper and Best Student Paper awards (Applied Data Science Track), the IEEE EISIC 2017 Best Paper Award and the 2017 New Researcher of the Year Award from the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. Ye has brought in nearly $3 million in research funding from federal agencies in the past two years. "Dr. Ye's experience, energy and vision have made her an exceptional educator and researcher," said Brian Woerner, chair of the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. "Her work in artificial intelligence holds the potential to address both fundamental problems in malware detection, and more broadly, to enhance the quality of life for communities." The NSF's Faculty Early Career Development, or CAREER, program supports junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. This is the ninth straight year that a member of the Statler College faculty has been selected to receive this honor. "Dr. Ye is a rising superstar and very passionate faculty member in the Statler College who has very creative ideas," said Gene Cilento, Glen H. Hiner Dean of the Statler College. "She will be a leader in her field for years to come, and we are delighted she is working in this very important field." ### This story has been published on: 2019-03-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Former BJP President Murli Manohar Joshi has revealed that he will not contest the Lok Sabha election as he had been denied a party ticket. Joshi, 85, made the announcement in an open letter to the people of Kanpur, from where he was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2014. "Dear people of Kanpur, General Secretary of the BJP Ram Lal conveyed to me (on Monday) that I should not contest the ensuing parliamentary election from Kanpur (or anywhere)," he said. A prominent leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Joshi had vacated the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency in 2014 to enable Narendra Modi, the party's Prime Ministerial candidate to contest from there, and shifted to Kanpur. Hailing from Uttarakhand, Joshi studied in Allahabad University where one of his teachers was Rajendra Singh, who later became the RSS chief. After teaching physics at Allahabad University, Joshi took to He was the BJP President between 1991 and 1993. A former central Minister, Joshi was awarded Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award in 2017. The BJP earlier denied a ticket to veteran Lal Krishna Advani and replaced him with party President Amit Shah in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat. Advani represented Gandhinagar six time since 1991. Late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was also elected from Gandhinagar once. --IANS aks/mr/in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday warned that it could attach the entire amount of the one-time settlement (OTS) to be paid by the absconding directors of the scam-hit Sterling Biotech Group to the Committee of Banks. The ED informed the National Company Law Tribunal that it is also in the process of declaring the company's promoter Nitin Sandesara as an absconder under the stringent Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018, and the agency has already attached Rs 4,700 crore worth of the promoters' assets so far. Since the FEOA supersedes all other laws, the ED can also attach and seize the entire amount of the OTS which the banks, led by the Andhra Bank, expect to get from the Sterling Biotech Group. The agency's response came to the March 14 notice issued by the NCLT, Mumbai members V.P. Singh and R. Duraiswamy, after the Committee of Creditors sought withdrawal of the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) after the Stering Biotech Group's absconding promoters agreed to pay an OTS. In another revelation on Tuesday, the Committee of Creditors' lawyers said that the promoters have revised the settlement offer and instead of clearing the full OTS by March 31, they will now pay a token Rs 179 crore and the rest, estimated around Rs 3,100 crore, in June. The Gujarat-based pharmaceutical giant owes Rs 8,100 crore only to the banks and more to other financial creditors, amounting to a total of around Rs 14,938 crore - bigger than the Nirav Modi scam. The OTS of around Rs 3,100 crore would mean that the banks would have to forget a whopping nearly 65 percent of their total dues. The NCLT, questioning the sources of funds for the OTS offer, asked the Resolution Professional to verify the authenticity and posted the matter for further hearing on April 26. It has also directed the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) to give its opinion in the matter as most of the banks involved in the matter are public sector banks. During the last hearing, the NCLT had asked for the views of the MCA, the ED, the Securities and Exchange Board of India, the Reserve Bank of India, the Income Tax Department, and the Central Bureau of Investigation, but only the ED and SEBI have responded so far. The NCLT had slammed the Andhra Bank's proposal of an OTS especially since the firm's directors were missing and even specialized agencies like the ED and the CBI have failed to track them down so far. The Sterling Biotech matter came before the NCLT in June 2018 and during pendency of the matter, in the first week of March, the Committee of Creditors comprising banks, suddenly voted to withdraw the proceedings against it in return for a OTS from the Sandesara brothers. If accepted, the OTS plan -- under Section 12A of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 -- could entail a loss of around two-thirds to the creditors-lenders, and probably help the fugitives emerge unscathed by the scam. According to the company's last Annual Report as on March 31, 2018, it had loans, borrowings, and external commercial borrowings of Rs 7,564 crore, and financial creditors have made claims worth Rs 14,938 crore. Of this Rs 14,938 crore, the RP has admitted claims of Rs 8,967 crore till November 21, 2018. The company admitted that its premises were sealed by the ED and it is under the scrutiny of multiple agencies including the CBI and the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO). In October 2018, the CBI had registered a case against Sterling Biotech and its top officials for obtaining fraudulent loans worth a total of Rs 8,100 crore from Indian banks and their overseas branches between 2004-2012. The ED had named a web of 184 group companies in India and abroad, besides 181 accused, and charged the Sandesara brothers of hatching a criminal conspiracy to cheat the banks by manipulating the balance sheets of their companies and luring banks to sanction higher amounts in loans. Taking action on a CBI complaint, in January, the ED nabbed former Andhra Bank Director A.P. Garg in connection with the fraud, accusing him of money-laundering and other charges. On February 14, the Sandesara brothers moved a Delhi court seeking cancellation of the non-bailable arrest warrants against them. Their plea will come up for hearing on April 2. --IANS qn/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi Court has issued summons to former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Punjab National Bank Usha Ananthasubramanian and 11 other PNB officials in a case related to violations of of the Banking Regulation Act. Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Singh in his March 11 order asked Ananthasubramanian, current Managing Director and CEO Sunil Mehta, former Executive Director R.S. Sangapure and former General Managers Rakesh Kumar and Nehal Ahad, among others, to appear before him on May 24. The order was made available on Tuesday. The court was hearing a complaint filed by the Reserve Bank of India, accusing PNB officials of furnishing false and misleading statements to it. RBI on August 3, 2016, issued a "confidential circular" directing banks to strengthen the controls around the operating environment for fund transfers through SWIFT or similar interfaces. It asked PNB to file a report on the compliance of the circular. But, PNB allegedly submitted a false compliance report. In the aftermath of the PNB scam, RBI scrutinised PNB's Brady House Branch in Mumbai where it found that PNB's Core Banking System was not integrated with many critical applications and that there was no online integration of SWIFT with Core Banking System. --IANS akk/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Tuesday called demonetization the biggest scam in India's history since independence and said a thorough investigation will be done after the government changes. Sibal was speaking at a joint press conference called by opposition leaders including Sharad Yadav (LJD), Manoj Jha (RJD) and Hemant Soren (JMM) besides other Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel. "Demonetization is the biggest scam in the history of India since independence. It led many to commit suicide. The country has to decide who is the thief and who is the 'chowkidar' (watchman), who is a patriot and who is traitor," Sibal told the media. "But who will decide this? Not the chowkidar. The people will judge and decide. And when the government changes, we will investigate it," he said. Sibal also showed an 18-minute video clip of a man who exchanged demonetized currency worth Rs 5 crore at 40 per cent commission against legal tender of Rs 3 crore in Rs 2,000 notes with the help of a BJP worker in Ahmedabad. The man in the video claimed that he was among a group of journalists who wanted to unravel truth of the 2016 note ban and that he did not belong to any political party. Asked about the authenticity of the video and where it was found, Sibal said: "We found it on TNN.World website and downloaded it. We have shown it to you. But how will we check its authenticity?" Sibal said the newspapers and the magazines seen in the video revealed that the money was exchanged probably in January or February 2017. "The video showed a transaction taking place after December 31, 2016 when the exchange of demonetized currency was stopped. This reveals how money was misused during demonetization," he said. Azad said there was no any evidence of the damage done by demonetization soon after but now there was evidence -- as shown in the tape. A Google search for the video showed "no information is available for this page". --IANS rak/rtp/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two days after the CPI fielded the former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) President from the Begusarai Lok Sabha seat in Bihar, Kanhaiya Kumar appealed to people to donate at least 1 rupee for his campaign fund. "Like every drop of water fills an earthen pot, (your) donation of Re 1 to my campaign fund will help me to fight the election and take the voice of the marginalised and exploited to Parliament," he said. Kanhaiya Kumar also launched an online crowdfunding platform to collect money to contest the elections. Kanhaiya Kumar is the Left candidate and will take on Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Giriraj Singh in Begusarai. Earlier, the Grand Alliance of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress and other parties did not allocate Begusarai to the CPI. The RJD is set to field Tanweer Hasan who lost to Bhola Singh of BJP in 2014. Kanhaiya Kumar has said that his fight will be against Giriraj Singh, not RJD. "People of Begusarai will defeat Giriraj Singh and the BJP-led NDA will be defeated across Bihar as the people have made up their minds to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said. "The people of Begusarai have decided not to support any hardliner. The BJP has been spreading hatred across the country," he said. Kanhaiya Kumar, 32, was arrested in February 2016 and accused of sedition for allegedly doing nothing to prevent the raising of anti-India slogans on the JNU campus. The JNUSU President for 2015-16 was then pursuing doctorate from the School of International Studies and was affiliated to the All India Students Federation (AISF). --IANS ik/oeb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The European Union's top diplomat on Tuesday said the bloc was ready to stand a guarantor of peace efforts to end the 18-year war in Afghanistan, and added the process should be led by the Afghan government. Federica Mogherini, EU's foreign affairs and security policy chief, said at a joint press conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani she appreciated the efforts of the international community, including the US, to resolve the protracted conflict. Mogherini, whose trip to Kabul was unannounced, expressed Europe's full support for an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process, emphasising the Afghans must have the right to decide their future. She also insisted that women representatives should be made part of the process to ensure the success. "Afghans have to stay owners of the (peace) process," she said after meeting Ghani during her first visit to Afghanistan since taking over as the EU's high representative. Mogherini said the EU was ready to serve, if required, as a guarantor of the peace process for a possible deal with the Taliban that controls large swathes of the country. The remarks came after US officials and Taliban representatives held several rounds of talks in recent months in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar amid opposition from Ghani's government, which insists on a central role in the peace talks. The Taliban have refused to hold direct talks with the Afghan government. At the end of the latest meeting in Qatar on March 12, the Taliban said there had been progress on issues, like the withdrawal of foreign troops, although a concrete draft was yet to be prepared. As the Taliban refuse to engage with Kabul, the government has announced it will intensify the offensive against them. The government controls just 55 per cent of the country, while the Taliban rule over approximately 11 per cent. The remaining territory is contested between the parties, according to data published by the US Congress' Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. Mogherini said the EU had no agenda other than peace, security and prosperity for Afghanistan and would continue to help the government make the peace process more inclusive and bring in reforms, including in the security sector. The diplomat said the EU was committed to "maintaining and strengthening the political, economic and social achievements of the last 18 years, including the rights of women, children and minorities." The first step for ensuring the success of peace talks should be a ceasefire between the warring groups, she added. Appreciating the EU's support, Ghani said efforts should be made towards obtaining a lasting peace. "Stability that comes through violence, threat and force is not stability but indeed a new chapter of violence," he said. --IANS rs/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) When Anna Hazare launched his India Against Corruption (IAC) in 2011, little did he realise the convergence - some term it disruption - the movement would cause over the next five years, unleashing a "spiral of mediatisation with its ever-widening gyres" that has forever changed the manner in which the country's citizens and outlets look at what constitutes news and its delivery. "When hundreds and thousands of demonstrators converge at a particular spot in real time through Facebook posts and live television coverage; when newspapers get their leads from tweets put out by demonstrators ring-fenced by police; and when an election campaign speech at a rally in rural Madhya Pradesh reaches multiple audiences through WhatsApp, we are talking about radical transformations in the way converged media content is being transmitted, received, negotiated and acted upon in India," journalist-author Pamela Philipose says in her new book. "Digitalisation has shaped and will continue to shape this convergence," Philipose writes in "Media's Shifting Terrain - Five Years that Transformed the Way India Communicates" (Orient Blackswann/pp 302), covering the period from the launch of the IAC, through the Nirbhaya gang-rape of 2012, the arrival of the AAP and its brief stint in power in 2013, the rise of the BJP and Narendra Modi in 2014, and the AAP returning to power with an overwhelming majority in 2015. A quarter century ago, the nature of media content was "fundamentally changed" by the 24x7 TV news cycle. The difference between that "churn" and the contemporary scene today "is that the very pace of the change has exponentially accelerated as digital pathways allow global capital to access markets across the world more efficiently than ever" Philipose notes. Thus, the data gleaned from users will go to fuel the next wave of the information revolution through artificial intelligence (AI), bring about an era when large tech companies launch products "not for the revenue they bring through the content they circulate but through the data generated through such circulation of content, which can then be monetised through other products driven by AI". Philipose writes. "Non-human processes will raise the speeds at which news/information is generated and it will be tailored to the needs and proclivities of discrete audiences and delivered to them with an unimaginable efficiency," the author notes. So, if journalism underwent a "complete overhaul" with the age of satellite television, "media functioning in the digital age is undergoing multiple, shape-shifting disruptions, all of them occurring simultaneously along different axes", the book points out. At the same time, projecting the scenario of the future "would be entering unchartered territory" but "three codundrums emerge clearly at the present moment". The first is the "asymmetrical nature" of access "largely because it is easier to achieve technological inclusion than social inclusion". The second conumdrum is that being digital have-nots "does not protect people from the dangers of the internet world, like privacy violations and digital disinformation or fake news". The third conundrum "is the drive for the control of audiences by a range of actors through various technological devices and strategies". To this extent, Philipose writes, the electoral triumphs of a politician like Narendra Modi, not only in the 2014 general elction but also in a series of subsequent state elections, "were crucially hinged on the creation of hyper-partisanship through the most sophisticated use of media platforms and technologies that the country had ever seen". The impact of this "far outlived" the elections themselves, "with the consequent polarisation permiating Indian society and politics, and teams of 'influencers' set up for elections continuing to influence the political discourse through interventions like trolling and the coordinated generation of fake news", the book concludes. (Vishnu Makhijani can be reached at vishnu.makhijani@ians.in ) --IANS vm/bc/am (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) National Conference leader and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday called for good relations with neighbouring countries, saying this alone could ensure development and prosperity of both the countries. "If we are friendly with our neighbour and if the neighbour is friendly with us, both will progress and if we live in enmity, the progress of both will come to a halt," said Farooq while addressing an election rally of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) here. He slammed BJP for using Ram Temple and "attack on Pakistan" as poll stunts. "They are saying today they attacked Pakistan. They don't say any other thing. They think people are fools and will believe them. We Indians want to strengthen India and at the same time we want to see our neighbours remain strong and terrorism is eliminated," he said. He reminded BJP of the statement of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee that friends can be changed, but neighbours can never be changed. "Today I want to tell this to BJP leaders who think they are strengthening the country. Country will strengthen when Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians get strengthened, when they are able to live life of dignity and when their children have jobs," he said. Stating that unity in diversity is the beauty of India, Farooq voiced concern over the attempts being made to create hatred among various communities. "Jammu and Kashmir became part of India because of Gandhiji. Today's India is not India of Gandhiji," he said. The National Conference leader said Kashmir was never a part of Pakistan and would never be a part of Pakistan. He also claimed that YSR Congress Party President Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy had met him after the death of his father and then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and told him that if Congress makes him the chief minister, he is ready to give Rs 1,500 crore. He wondered from where Jagan got so much money. "He doesn't have any treasure. It is definitely people's money. If such a person seeks vote with a promise to brighten your future, don't believe him. Such a person will destroy your future," said Farooq and appealed to people to support the TDP to enable to continue the welfare and development programmes. Chief Minister and TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu said Muslims had no safety and security during Modi regime. He said that voting for Jaganmohan Reddy would mean voting for Narendra Modi. Simultaneous elections to 175-member Andhra Assembly and all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state are scheduled on April 11. --IANS ms/oeb/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav has expressed shock over the attack on a Muslim family here by goons and said the attackers were confident they can attack a Muslim family at will and go scot-free. Yadav, who visited the victim's family on Monday evening in Bhup Singh Nagar here, demanded that the Manohar Lal Khattar government brings the attackers to justice and makes the family feel safe. "This type of violence can only happen when perpetrators have full assurance that whatever they do, nobody will confront them," he said. Swaraj India spokesperson Anupam said the last week attack was a result of the hate politics pursued in the country today. On Holi, a mob barged into the home of Mohammad Sajid and beat him up and his family members. The mob ordered the family to go to Pakistan. Since then, the family said they have stopped sending their children to school. --IANS str/oeb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Rajesh Tailang of "Selection Day" fame says that whenever he gets time, he tries to make something of his own for creative satisfaction. The "Mukkabaaz" actor is currently basking in the success of his web series "Delhi Crime". Apart from movies, he has more digital projects, "Mirzapur 2" and "Selection Day 2", lined up. Amidst all this, he manages to find time for directing short films or shows for his YouTube channel. "Whenever I am free, I try to make something on my own. It's just for growth and creative satisfaction. I have a YouTube channel called Theatre Talkies. Me and some of of my friends make films. "In the last two years, we have made six films and also a poetry series. There is also a series which is a narration of classic stories. Actor Annup Sonii is (anchoring) that. "Today's youth mostly watches content on the web. I feel that classic stories should reach the youth as well. We have started with Premchand's stories," added Rajesh, who had also written dialogues for the film "Siddharth". He recently reunited with "Siddharth" director Richie Mehta for his latest series "Delhi Crime". Sharing the reason behind taking up the project, which is inspired by and follows the December 2012 investigation by Delhi Police into the gang rape of a young woman, Rajesh said: "He (Richie) was the biggest exciting point. I have done about three projects with him. "Also, because it is on the Nirbhaya tragedy. We are all so attached to it. You feel from the heart." --IANS nn/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Out of total sum of about Rs 913 crore available under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) with the district authorities in Tamil Nadu, Rs 801 crore has been spent, said Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. The data pertains to the 16th Lok Sabha and as on March 26. According to the figures, the total entitlement for Tamil Nadu during the 16th Lok Sabha was about Rs 982 crore while the funds released by the central government was Rs 870 crore. As per the figures, the percentage of utilization over the released sum stands at about 92 per cent for Tamil Nadu. The unspent balance available under the MPLADS in the state is about Rs 112 crore. As per MPLADS, the role of an MP is restricted to recommending a project. It is the responsibility of the district authority to sanction funds and execute the projects recommended by the MP. "We consider the amount sanctioned by the MPs as an additional parameter to measure an MP's performance in Parliament while awarding the Sansad Ratna award," K.Srinivasan, Founder, Prime Point Foundation, told IANS. The Foundation has been awarding top performing MPs since 2010. "During the interactions with the MPs over the years, we found that local come into play in sanctioning the projects if the MP belongs to a different party and the state government is run by another party," Srinivasan said. --IANS vj/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With a wide array of cultural events and activities lined up for the Qatar-India 2019 Year of Culture, Indian expats see it as an opportunity to introduce the rich and diverse tradition and culture to their children. A number of cultural events are scheduled to be held during the course of the year, The Peninsula daily reported on Monday. A number of activities were organised in February and March and many events will be held in the coming months. One event, 'Dances of North Eastern India', is slated to be held in April. These events cover a wide range of activities including dance performances, musical presentations, film festivals, painting and photography exhibitions, food festivals, fashion shows, calligraphy exhibitions, textiles exhibitions and yoga. "I have been living in Qatar for the past 11 years and it is the first time Indian culture and traditions are being showcased at this level under the events of Qatar India 2019 Year of Culture," Subramanya Hebbagelu, Joint Secretary, Indian Community Benevolent Forum (ICBF) told The Peninsula. Mohamad Sharif, an Indian living in Qatar, attended a classical dance programme with his family on March 22. "My children who were born and brought up in Qatar watched first time such programmes live. Really it is a great opportunity to introduce the children to the culture and tradition of their country," he told the daily. Indians in Qatar currently number around 850,000, according to official figures. --IANS ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian and Pakistani armies exchanged heavy fire on the Line of Control (LoC) on Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district. Defence Ministry sources said the Pakistan Army broke the 2003 ceasefire in Keri area around 11.30 p.m. on Monday, leading to exchange of firing that continued into Tuesday. "Indian positions retaliated effectively. Firing between the two sides continued till early this morning," an official said. There were no reports of casualties or damage on the Indian side. --IANS sq/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Japanese company is aiming to release a mass-market flying motorcycle by 2022, its CEO has announced. Tokyo-based venture company A.L.I. Technologies Inc., which mainly develops small drones, hopes to sell the product, called a "hover bike", in emerging economies in Africa, the Middle East and Asia with poor road infrastructure, The Japan Times reported. "We'll create a (flying) bike first, in order to get flying cars widely used in society eventually," CEO Shuhei Komatsu said. "Our hover bike is an ensemble of drone technologies," he said, expressing confidence that his company can commercialise the flying motorcycle. The envisioned vehicle will use propeller power to hover dozens of centimetres above the ground. It will stay at the desired altitude through technologies that use sensors to avoid obstacles. A.L.I. Technologies is developing a special limited version for sale around late next year. Reservations will be accepted in May at the earliest. As for the mass-market model, Komatsu said: "We want to deliver it to customers from around 2022." He said the price will roughly match those of mini-vehicles. --IANS ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jet Airways' management on Tuesday informed the Civil Aviation Ministry that it would fly 40 more aircraft by April end and also assured that it would not ground any more aircraft, Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said. "By Monday or Tuesday, Jet and the lessors should come into an agreement on getting back the grounded planes. By the end of April, Jet would be able to fly 40 more aircraft. As on today, Jet is flying 35 aircraft," Kharola said after meeting with the Jet management including representatives of the State Bank of India (SBI). The meeting took place post the management takeover by the SBI and its subsequent Rs 1,500 crore capital infusion for emergency funding on working capital needs. A total of 75 aircraft is envisaged by April end which is around 80 per cent of the Jet's total aircraft previously, he said. Elaborating on the operational part, Kharola said the financial part of the problem at the airline are being handled by the lenders led by the SBI and the Ministry is only looking at the passenger safety aspects so that they don't have to face any hardship. He also said the government is also keeping a close watch on the airfares and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has suggested to the airlines not to resort to predatory pricing. On Monday, Jet Airways promoter Naresh Goyal stepped down and the SBI-led management took over the daily operations and cash flow. With Goyal's exit and the SBI leading a consortium of banks to take charge of the interim committee, Rs 1,500 crore was infused as emergency funding by the lenders to look at immediate issues. Jet Airways has been struggling with cash flows for the past six months because of rising fuel costs and intense competition. It has even delayed payment to lessors, airport operators and oil marketing companies besides a part of its workforce to keep the company running. As many as 40 of its aircraft were grounded due to inability to pay rentals. Its pilots and certain sections of the employees have been without pay for some months, leading the pilots to issue an ultimatum on salary payment to the erstwhile management. The airline owes Rs 8,000 crore to the SBI-led lenders consortium. SBI expects Jet to find a new financial investor by the first quarter of next fiscal. --IANS rrb-ana/mag/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two journalists who were jailed after reporting a massacre carried out by Myanmar's military forces against the Rohingya minority on Tuesday filed their final appeal in the Supreme Court against their seven-year prison sentence. The defence attorneys representing Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who work for news agency Reuters, presented their arguments before the top court in the capital Naypyidaw, Efe news reported. The tribunal was set to soon decide on a date for issuing a definitive verdict, said Than Zaw Aung, one of the lawyers representing the award-winning reporters. Both journalists were arrested in December 2017 in Yangon (Myanmar's largest city and former capital) while investigating the killing of 10 Rohingyas in the village of Inn Dinn, located in the western state of Rakhine. In September 2018, the two reporters were sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of violating the Official Secrets Act, a law dating back to the British colonial period. The reporters said they were entrapped in a set-up, a claim backed by the testimony of police captain Moe Yan Naing, who testified in April that a senior officer had ordered him and other subordinates to offer secret documents to Wa Lone as bait. The Inn Dinn massacre being investigated by the journalists came during a brutal campaign by the military against the mostly-Muslim Rohingya minority in August 2017 after a series of attacks by an insurgent group of the same ethnicity against around 30 security posts. The investigation by Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo led to seven soldiers being sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2018 for the massacre, the only case of abuse acknowledged by Myanmar authorities. The government and military have rejected the conclusions of a special UN Commission, which said in a report released in September that the military campaign - which killed an undetermined number of Rohingyas and forced the exodus of more than 723,000 members of the community to Bangladesh - showed elements of genocide and ethnic cleansing. The current government, led by Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi - who obtained a landslide victory in the 2015 elections - has disillusioned many activists due to what they perceive is a lack of progress made on human rights issues. --IANS rs/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday visited Hajin town in Bandipora district to condole the family of 11-year-old Atif Mir who was killed after being held hostage by two Pakistani LeT militants. "Returning just now from Hajin where I had gone to condole the death of young Atif. Atif was an 11-year-old boy, the only son of his parents, killed after he was taken hostage by militants last week. "There can be nothing worse for a father than to lend shoulder to his young child's coffin and nothing worse for a mother than to grieve at her young child's grave. Kashmir has seen too much of this suffering heaped on parents," the National Conference leader said. Abdullah added: "His family is struggling to come to terms with their loss, especially his parents and 2 older sisters. May Allah grant young Atif Mir a place in jannat." Atif Mir was taken hostage by two Pakistani militants during a gunfight with the security forces in Hajin town on March 23. Despite repeated appeals from parents, villagers and religious heads of the area, the militants did not release the boy who was killed along with the two militants in the gunfight. --IANS sq/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There was a time when prominent leaders of the UPA in Jharkhand would visit RJD chief Lalu Yadav often but now the party is left fending for itself in the state. The RJD chief played the role of a kingmaker in Jharkhand. He was instrumental in the formation of the Madhu Koda government in 2006 and also played a key role in the formation of the JMM government led by Shibu Soren in 2009. The opposition parties' Grand Alliance cold-shouldered the RJD in its seat-sharing deal. The RJD wanted to fight the Palamau and Chatra Lok Sabha seats. But as per the initial seat-sharing deal, RJD was offered the Chatra seat and Jharkhand Vilas Morcha-Prajtantrik (JVM-P) was offered Koderma and Palamau seats. JVM-P declined to fight from Palamau as it wanted to fight from the Godda Lok Sabha seat. Considering the demand of the JVM-P, the alliance partners agreed to give Godda and Koderma seats to JVM-P and Chatra was given to the Congress. RJD was offered Palamau. The opposition Grand Alliance partners on Sunday announced the seat-sharing deal. No RJD representative was present at the joint press conference organised by the Grand Alliance partners. RJD sources said that the party had almost finalszed the name of Subhas Yadav, a leader from Bihar for the the Chatra seat. The sources further said that former RJD state president Annapurna Devi was not happy with the party stand to field Subhash Yadav as she considered him an outsider. Even though she was party president, she was not consulted in the slection process of the Chatra Lok Sabha candidate. The RJD suffered another jolt when Annapurna Devi joined the BJP in New Delhi. Annapurna Devi met BJP president on Monday in New Delhi and later joined the party in presence of Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das and party general secretary Bhupendra Yadav. This is a big shock for the RJD in Jharkhand. Annapurna Devi was the face of the RJD in the state. She had won the Assembly polls four times. Annapurna Devi is wife of late Ramesh Prasad Yadav, who was a Minister in undivided Bihar in the Lalu Yadav government. He died due to a heart attack in 1996. After his death, Annapurna Devi fought the Assembly polls from Koderma and won the seat till 2014. RJD, however, is putting up a brave front. "There will be no impact on the party after the exist of Annapurna Devi. People come and go. We reiterate our demand to fight from Chatra and Palamau seats," Gautam Sagar Rana, the new president of the Jharkhand RJD, told reporters on Tuesday. The RJD is gradually losing ground in Jharkhand. The RJD had fought from Palamau in 2014 Lok Sabha elections but lost the seat. In 2014 Assembly polls, RJD failed to open an account in the state Assembly. The RJD had won seven seats in the 2009 Assembly polls. --IANS ns/oeb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A stolen Pablo Picasso "Buste de Femme" (Female Bust) that the Spanish artist never sold has been recovered by the so-called Indiana Jones of the art world, the Dutch art detective said on Tuesday. The painting was stolen from Abdul Mohsen Abdulmalik, a Saudi Sheikh, from one of his yachts in southwestern France on March 11, 1999, Efe news reported. "I am excited," Arthur Brand said. "We are talking about one the greatest artists of the 20th century and this was one of his most important works and his favourite because he didn't sign it and never wanted to sell it," Brand said. "He stored it in his house until he died," the art detective remarked. At the time of the theft, the painting was valued at four million euros ($4.5 million). French authorities archived the case and assumed it had been destroyed. "When a canvas disappears it is usually because thieves have been unable to sell it and choose to destroy it to avoid problems," Brand continued. The owner had offered a 400,000 euros reward to whoever retrieved the artwork. However, once he lost the hope of recovering it he made a claim to his insurance company which made him a four million euros payout. The artwork is an abstract portrait of Dora Maar, a French artist who was Picasso's lover, and is a good example of Picasso's cubism, an art movement the painter was at the forefront of. The Dora Maar has never been exhibited. The pair were a couple during the 1930s and Picasso painted the canvas a year after producing his most famous the "Guernica," (1937), an epic canvass of huge proportions that depicts the bombing of the eponymous Basque town during the Spanish civil war (1936-39). Despite assuming it was long lost, Brand had been searching for the stolen Dora Maar since 2015. When such a high profile artwork gets stolen there is, Brand said, a 10 per cent chance of it surviving, with it usually being handed over to an organised criminal group, often, to settle debts. According to Brand's investigative work, the Picasso canvas probably exchanged hands around 20 times. In 2015, the detective heard the painting was doing the rounds on the Amsterdam black market and that in 2002 it had been handed over as insurance to a mafia that trafficked weapons and drugs. Brand contacted both the French and Dutch authorities but because the case had been closed in France investigations did not progress any further. "Because there are so many stolen Picassos, I wasn't sure which one it might be and this was before the internet boom and it was difficult to keep up with the details," the art sleuth said. "I dug deeper and then knew which painting it was and how important it was for its painter," Brand continued. "When he died his family sold it to a dealer who then sold it to an Arab sheikh who kept it on his boat." Several weeks ago the investigator became aware that an art dealer had purchased the painting without any knowledge of what he was handling. When the new owner realised the painting could have been the long lost Picasso he reached out to try and pinpoint the origins of the work, somewhat cautiously as he was concerned of the legal implications of owning a stolen painting, if it indeed was proven to be so. "We knew he had nothing to do with the theft," the art expert said. "Launching an investigation did not make much sense, we would never get to the thieves because the canvass changed hands many times during this time. Thus, we reached a deal: he would hand over the painting to me and there would be no investigation." The Dutch art sleuth admired the colorful cubist portrait in his home on Monday, the day he recovered it, while he waited for the insurance company to come and collect it on Tuesday. The Picasso is now in the hands of Abdulmalik's insurance company's headquarters in Amsterdam. An American expert is analysing it to confirm the painting's attribution and assess the condition of the canvas before returning it to Abdulmalik. Once returned to its rightful owner, it is thought, the artwork would be valued at around 25 million euros if it were to be sold at auction. This is not the first high profile artwork brand has retrieved. Brand estimates the total value of cases solved by the Dutch art historian amounts to over 150 million euros, a statement on his website said. --IANS rs/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Michael Madsen was reportedly arrested on suspicion of the misdemeanor - driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) - after he crashed his SUV car into a pole. The actor was arrested on Sunday night, reports pagesix.com. The LA Times reported that the "Kill Bill" star was taken into custody on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. and released Monday at around 1 a.m. on bail set at $15,000. TMZ reported that the 61-year-old star had a blood-alcohol level of 0.1, while the legal limit is 0.08. Madsen was also arrested on suspicion of DUI in 2012. His lawyer said at the time that Madsen was taking prescription medicine. He wound up sentenced to 30 days in rehab. --IANS dc/bc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Microsoft President Brad Smith has asked social media platforms to learn and act more in the wake of the March 15 Christchurch shootings that was livestreamed on Facebook. In a blog post on Monday, Smith said words alone were not enough. "Across the tech sector, we need to do more. Especially for those of us who operate social networks or digital communications tools or platforms that were used to amplify the violence, it's clear that we need to learn from and take new action based on what happened in Christchurch," he said. Australian Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old self-proclaimed white supremacist, has been charged with one murder in connection with the attacks at the two mosques that killed 50 people, and he is expected to face further charges. Smith said that across Microsoft, we have identified improvements we can make and are moving promptly to implement them. "This includes the accelerated and broadened implementation of existing technology tools to identify and classify extremist violent content and changes for the process that enables our users to flag such content," he posted. Smith emphasised on developing an industry-wide approach that will be principled, comprehensive and effective. Over two years ago, four companies -- YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft -- came together to create the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT). Among other things, the group's members have created a shared hash database of terrorist content and developed photo and video matching and text-based machine learning techniques to identify and thwart the spread of violence on their platforms. These technologies were used more than a million times in 24 hours to stop the distribution of the video from Christchurch, informed Smith. "As (New Zealand) Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern noted last week, gone are the days when tech companies can think of their platforms akin to a postal service without regard to the responsibilities embraced by other content publishers," noted Smith. According to him, tech firms must also continue to improve upon newer, AI-based technologies that can detect whether brand-new content may contain violence. "We should also pursue new steps beyond the posting of content. For example, we should explore browser-based solutions - building on ideas like safe search - to block the accessing of such content at the point when people attempt to view and download it," he added. --IANS na/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Around 6,000 mining dependents from Bellary and Chitradurga districts, as well as surrounding mining belts, protested here on Tuesday against the bad condition of the mining industry in Karnataka and appealed to the government to save their livelihoods. The mining ban in the state has resulted in large-scale job losses, said members of Karnataka Gani Avalambithara Vedike (KGAV) who gathered at the Freedom Park here. "Their livelihood became highly uncertain even after the Supreme Court permitted mining operations to start, as production cap, e-auction and lots of other restrictions lowered the mining capacity that has led to stagnation in the iron ore industry," said KGAV spokesperson Rajakumar S. "Lakhs of lives are hanging in uncertainty due to the discriminatory policies prevalent only in the Karnataka mining sector. This will not be found anywhere else across the globe," he added. According to the association, the production and dispatch from the leases are never fixed and fluctuate according to the purchasing pattern of the steel industry. While buyers of iron ore are allowed to buy freely from outside Karnataka, sellers are not allowed to sell freely resulting in huge pile-up of inventory due to lack of sale, they added. Besides, there is also loss of contribution to the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) when ore from areas outside the state is bought by Karnataka buyers. In his appeal to the government, Rajakumar S. said: "We urge the government to ensure our survival by allowing free trade, giving preference to local iron ore over imports, and ensuring regular business for truckers and lakhs of other mining dependents." After the protest rally, a delegation of 15 members met the authorities to hand over a memorandum of appeal. --IANS ravi/in/bc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Model Paris Jackson, daughter of late pop star Michael Jackson, is "on the mend" and looking forward to her 21st birthday in April after a medical scare. On March 16, an ambulance was called to her home after an incident. There were initially reports that she had attempted suicide, but Paris quickly shut down those rumours on social media. She called the rumours "lies". Paris was later seen with her boyfriend Gabriel Glenn. She was all smiles as they enjoyed KFC. According to a source, the events of last week have seemingly been left in the past because she is "doing much better". The source told eonline.com: "She is really on the mend and is listening to people who are giving her solid direction." "She's been much more positive lately, so it's great to know she is doing a lot better." She turns 21 on April 3. "Everyone is hoping this is going to be a new day for Paris," the source said. --IANS nn/rb (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of attempting to create two Hindustans in India, one for the rich and the other for the poor. Gandhi also attacked Modi on diverse issues such as Goods and Services Tax (GST), demonetization and the Rafale deal while starting his Lok Sabha election campaign in Rajasthan from Suratgarh. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last five years is wanting to make two Hindustans in India. One is meant for affluent people who have private jets and the other is for the poor made up of small traders, unemployed, poor farmers." If the country has one flag, then there should be one Hindustan which should accommodate everyone, said Gandhi. "Only the rich have the power to dream in Modi's Hindustan. Farmers, poor people need to give lakhs to send their wards to private schools and poor patients need to pay lakhs of rupees to private hospitals for medical treatment," he alleged. If a person suffers from cancer and a heart attack, they cannot be treated in Modi's India, he said. The Congress leader accused Modi of killing all development schemes meant for the poor like MNREGA. Calling Modi a "chowkidar" of a few industrialists, Gandhi said the country needed to choose from two ideologies - one of BJP-RSS which triggers hatred and the other of Congress that believes in love and harmony. --IANS arc/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MPs have voted to take control of Commons business in an unprecedented move to try to find a majority for any Brexit option. The government was defeated by 329 votes to 302 on the cross-party amendment, a majority of 27. It means MPs will get a series of votes on Wednesday to find out what kind of Brexit they will support. British Prime Minister Theresa May has said there is no guarantee she will abide by their decision, the BBC reported. But Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn, who had backed the amendment tabled by Conservative Sir Oliver Letwin, said the government "must take the process seriously". He added: "The government has failed and this House must, and I believe will, succeed." He said MPs would want to find a consensus on the way forward, including a possible "confirmatory vote" on the PM's deal by the public -- something May told MPs earlier she did not want because Remain would be on the ballot paper. May had earlier tried to head off a defeat by offering MPs a series of votes on Brexit alternatives, organised by the government. She said allowing MPs to take over the Commons agenda would have set an "unwelcome precedent". But supporters of Sir Oliver Letwin's amendment said they did not trust the government to give MPs a say on the full range of Brexit options. Thirty Tory MPs voted against the government, including three ministers -- Richard Harrington, Alistair Burt and Steve Brine -- who have now resigned from their ministerial posts. --IANS vc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from Mumbai landed safely at Changi Airport here on Tuesday after the pilot raised a bomb threat alert. Flight 423 was escorted safely back to the airport by Singapore's air force and touched down at about 8 a.m., The Straits Times quoted the police as saying. The police searched the Boeing 777-300ER that carried 263 people onboard, but did not find any suspicious item. All passengers, except for a woman and a child who were held back for questioning, disembarked safely and had to undergo security screening before they could leave. Preliminary investigation showed that the airline had received a call after the plane left the Mumbai airport on Monday at 11.35 p.m. The caller claimed that there was a bomb on the plane. An airline spokesman told The Straits Times: "Singapore Airlines confirms there was a bomb threat concerning SQ423 operating from Mumbai to Singapore... We are assisting the authorities with their investigations and regret that we are unable to provide further details." --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Centre on Tuesday declined to share details relating to the appointment of RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das citing a clause in the transparency law that bars disclosure relating to the appointment of key government functionaries. In a reply to an RTI query, it declined to share the details, including names of short-listed candidates and other such details of the appointment. Shaktikanta Das was appointed as the Reserve Bank of India Governor on December 11, 2018. He succeeded Urjit Patel after he resigned months after a tussle with the government over the autonomy of the central bank. The RTI application was filed with the Department of Financial Services (DFS) seeking details about the appointment procedure. "It is informed that the requisite information about appointment of Shaktikanta Das as Governor, Reserve Bank of India, being Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) related file notings/documents/records, is exempt from disclosure under Section 8 (1) (i) of the Right to Information Act 205," the cabinet secretariat said in its reply to the RTI application. In its reply, the DFS said the selection of Governor, RBI is done by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on the basis of a recommendation made by the Financial Sector Regulatory Appointments Search Committee (FSRASC). The committee is headed by cabinet secretary as its chairperson and has an additional principal secretary to Prime Minister and secretary of the department concerned besides three outside experts as its members, the DFS said, without giving the names of the experts. The section which the government cited to withhold information related to the appointment of Das and bars disclosure of cabinet papers, including records of deliberations of the council of ministers, secretaries and other officers. --IANS ravi/ana/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Naga People's Front (NPF) here on Tuesday issued show cause notices to its seven legislators for extending support to sitting Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) MP Tokheho Yepthomi in the Lok Sabha polls. Yepthomi, joint candidate of the ruling NDPP-led People's Democratic Alliance (PDA), which comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Janata Dal (United) and an Independent, is seeking a re-election from the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland. The seven rebel NPF MLAs -- Kejong Chang, E.E. Pangteang, Eshak Konyak, C.L. John, B.S. Nganlang, N. Thongwang Konyak and Toyang Chang -- had met Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Monday to extend their support for Yepthomi. The NPF disciplinary action committee said it has taken serious note of the revolt by the MLAs against the party by extending support to Yephtomi. Terming the action "a breach of party discipline", it said the MLAs were liable to attract action under Article XIV, para 2 Clause (b) & (c) of the NPF constitution. The legislators have been asked to submit their reply on or before April 2 as to why disciplinary action should not be initiated against them. The Congress had sought the NPF's support for K.L. Chishi who served as the Chief Minister for 28 days in 1990. The NPF, the main Opposition in the 60-member Nagaland Assembly, has not fielded anyone for the April 11 Lok Sabha election. "Supporting the Congress is against the principle of regionalism. The absence of a NPF candidate in the Lok Sabha elections has necessitated our decision to extend cooperation and support to the PDA consensus candidate and the PDA government," the rebel NPF legislators had stated on Monday. --IANS rrk/rtp/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US-headquartered enterprise cloud computing company Nutanix on Tuesday announced opening of a new customer support centre in Pune, the company's second such centre in the country, after Bengaluru. Nutanix said the support centre will be part of the company's global service and support function. "Our Pune centre of excellence is yet another example of our commitment to increase our customer satisfaction even further," Sankalp Saxena, Senior Vice-President and Managing Director, Nutanix India, said in a statement. The Pune expansion follows the recent opening of Nutanix's Asia Regional Office in Singapore. The Pune centre now increases the company's total number of customer support centres to 10, five of which are based in Asia, highlighting the rising importance Asia plays in the enterprise cloud firm's regional and global ambitions. --IANS gb/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday expressed hope that the Pakistani government will also open Kargil-Skardu and other roads between divided Kashmir. He welcomed reports that Islamabad would be opening the Sharda Peeth corridor leading to the ancient Sharda Peeth temple in the Pakistan occupied Kashmir. "After the welcome announcement to open the Sharda Peeth corridor to religious pilgrims by @ImranKhanPTI, we hope the government in Pakistan will also announce the Kargil-Skardu road, as also other routes, to facilitate greater people to people contact," the NC leader tweeted. The decision by the Pakistan government to open the Sharda Peeth corridor addresses a longstanding demand of the Kashmiri Pandits for whom the temple of the Hindu deity, Maa Sharada (Goddess of Learning), in Shardi village near Muzaffarabad is one of the holiest shrines. --IANS sq/in/bc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jet Airways CEO Vinay Dube on Tuesday said that the stakeholders of the cash-strapped airline were optimistic about the airline's future. Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting on Jet, he said: "We are optimistic." State Bank of India Chairman Rajnish Singh, DGCA chief B.S. Bhullar and Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola were also present in the meeting held to discuss the future of Jet. The meeting came a day after Jet Chairman Naresh Goyal resigned and lenders of the bank agreed to provide immediate funds of Rs 1,500 crore. --IANS rrb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 90 per cent of first-time eligible voters are expected to vote in the upcoming elections, a Twitter India survey revealed on Wednesday. According to the Election Commission, nearly 1.5 crore first-time voters will exercise their franchise in the seven-phase election starting April 11. Twitter India said that seven in 10 first-time eligible voters in India believe that they are contributing to the public debate by posting on Twitter. Nearly half (46 per cent) would actively engage with and raise concerns to the government on issues that affect them or their community, versus one-third (36 per cent) of those not on the platform. The survey was conducted as part of Twitter's youth engagement initiative #PowerOf18. Nearly 54.6 per cent of those surveyed said they will use Twitter to gather support for a cause or movement, and 54.4 per cent will use the platform to express their opinion to be heard. Over 80 per cent said they will turn to social media to find out what's happening in India and around the world. The study surveyed 1,602 youth aged 18-22 years old, comprising Twitter and non-Twitter users. --IANS na/vc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Twenty Kerala MPs utilised 91.83 per cent of the funds released under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) between 2014 and 2019, according to latest figures released on the spending by the MPs. The government released Rs 330 crore of the Rs 500 crore during this period and the expenditure of the district authorities stood at Rs 303.03 crore. Under the scheme, each MP has the choice to suggest to the District Collector for works to the tune of Rs 5 crore per annum to be taken up in his/her constituency. Speaking to IANS, N.K. Premachandran, Lok Sabha MP from Kollam, said he utilised 100 per cent of the allocated Rs 25 crore for the five year period, even as figures released by various district offices remain to be incorporated. "If one looks into the administrative sanction that has been given for the works it comes to Rs 27.65 crore as it will include the interest of the capital fund," said Premachandran, who has been a star performer on the Lok Sabha floor. He said the amount of Rs 5 crore is too low, so its best it is scrapped if the amount cannot be raised to Rs 15 crore, he said. "In 1999, constructing a class room here cost Rs 1.5 lakh and today it costs Rs 15 lakh. So with rising prices, all what I have been able to do is sanction money for high-mast street lights and for computers. "Moreover, the administrative delay is also killing this scheme as the District Collector gives it the last priority. It will be best if a separate mechanism is evolved for speedy disbursal," said Premachandran, who is currently on the campaign trail to defend his seat. --IANS sg/mag/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) National General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Ram Madhav on Tuesday said the alliance between the Congress and the National Conference (NC) is a dichotomy everyone fails to understand. Addressing a party meeting in Srinagar, Ram Madhav said, "J&K is one state. The NC and the Congress have alliance in Jammu region, while they will fight each other in the Valley. "It is a dichotomy everyone fails to understand. They are double-faced and double-tongued. They say one thing in Delhi and quite the opposite in the Valley." These are their gimmicks to fight the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, adding that they will not succeed by doing such dramas. Madhav expressed hope that the BJP would produce better results in the state during these elections. The BJP had bagged three out of the six Lok Sabha seats in 2014 elections in the state. Out of 87 members in the state Legislative Assembly, the BJP had 25 while it had the support of two other members of the Peoples Conference (PC) led by Sajad Lone. --IANS sq/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday granted bail of six weeks to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for health reasons. Sharif, 69, has been serving a seven-year sentence for corruption. "A three-member bench headed by the Chief Justice granted bail to Nawaz Sharif for six weeks," Supreme Court spokesperson Muhammed Furqan told Efe news. The spokesperson said that the former Prime Minister had to deposit two bail amounts of 5 million rupees each (total of around $70,000) and will not be allowed to leave Pakistan during the six-week period. Sharif's lawyer Khawaja Haris said in court that his client was suffering from kidney problems and angina pectoris. In February, the High Court of Islamabad refused to suspend Sharif's sentence while hearing an appeal or grant him bail on medical grounds. In December, the three-time Prime Minister was sentenced to seven years in prison and a fine of $2.5 million after a ruling that Al-Azizia Steel Mills -- a Saudi Arabian firm carrying the name of Sharif's son -- belonged to the former Prime Minister who could not demonstrate how the project was funded. In July, a judge of the National Accountability Bureau, Pakistan's top anti-corruption organization, sentenced Sharif to 10 years in prison for corrupt practices in connection with owning luxury properties in an upscale London neighbourhood. His daughter Maryam was jailed for seven years. Both were imprisoned, but in September the sentence was suspended by the High Court of Islamabad while an appeal was heard concerning that case. In July 2017, Pakistan's Supreme Court ousted Sharif as Prime Minister and barred him from public office for life after an investigation spurred by the publication of the Panama Papers found that he failed to disclose payments from a company belonging to his son. The Panama Papers revealed in April 2016 that three of Sharif's four children had set up offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands through which they owned property in London, leading the top court to order an investigation after a year of protests by the opposition.--IANS mr/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday said that the two Hindu girls, who were reportedly kidnapped in Pakistan and forced to convert, should be restored to their families immediately. In a series of tweets, Swaraj said the age of the girls is not disputed and even Pakistan Prime Minister will not believe that girls of this tender age can voluntarily decide about their conversion and marriage. "Forced conversion of Hindu girls in Pakistan: The age of the girls is not disputed. Raveena is only 13 and Reena is 15 years old. "Even the Prime Minister on Naya Pakistan will not believe that girls of this tender age can voluntarily decide about their conversion to another religion and marriage. Justice demands that both these girls should be restored to their families immediately," she said. The Minister had on on Sunday sought details from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad following reports of abduction, forced conversion and underage marriage of two Pakistani Hindu girls in Sindh province. The two sisters were reportedly abducted on the eve of Holi. India also shared its concerns through an official note to Pakistan Foreign Office sent on Saturday and said that suitable remedial action is being taken by the Pakistan government to protect and promote safety, security and welfare of its own citizens, especially from the minority communities. The incident came to light after their father and brother said in videos that went viral in social media that the two were kidnapped and forced to embrace Islam. In a separate video, however, the minor girls were heard saying that they accepted Islam of their own free will. Sushma Swaraj's tweet on Sunday had led to a spat between her and Pakistan Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry, who had responded through tweet and said it was his country's internal issue. Replying to Chaudhry's tweet, Sushma Swaraj asked him if giving data on abducted Hindu girls is making them nervous. She attributed the nervousness to a guilty conscience. --IANS ps/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and called on Moscow "to cease its unconstructive behaviour" in Venezuela, the State Department said in a statement In the phone call, Pompeo told Lavrov that "the US and regional countries will not stand idly by as Russia exacerbates tensions in Venezuela", reports Xinhua news agency. Pompeo noted that the presence of Russian military personnel in Venezuela "risks prolonging the suffering of the Venezuelan people". In response, Lavrov said: "Washington's attempts to organise a coup in Venezuela and threats against its legitimate government are in violation of the UN Charter and undisguised interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state." Monday's development comes after two Russian air force planes landed in Venezuela on March 23 carrying a defence official and nearly 100 troops, reports said. The US has been pursuing a policy of economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation against the Venezuelan government, in support of the opposition leader Juan Guaido. Moscow has condemned Washington's threats against the legitimate Venezuelan leadership, calling them "blatant interference" in the South American nation's internal affairs and a "flagrant violation" of international law. US President Donald Trump's administration recognised Guaido as the nation's "interim president" on January 23, days after incumbent Nicolas Maduro was inaugurated for a second term. In response, Maduro severed "diplomatic and political" ties with the US. --IANS ksk/bc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi will kick off the second leg of her three-day Lok Sabha election campaign in Uttar Pradesh from Amethi on Wednesday. She will reach Lucknow on Wednesday morning from where she will travel by road to visit her brother and party President Rahul Gandhi's constituency Amethi, according to party leaders. She will go to her mother Sonia Gandhi's constituency Rae Bareli on Thursday. She will visit Faizabad, near Ayodhya, on Friday. During her visits, Priyanka Gandhi will meet party workers and address public gatherings. From March 18 to 20, she undertook a 140-km-long boat ride from Prayagraj to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency Varanasi. The Congress won only two seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. --IANS aks/mag/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi will kick off the second leg of her three-day Lok Sabha election campaign in Uttar Pradesh from Amethi on Wednesday. She will reach Lucknow by air on Wednesday morning from where she will travel by road to visit her brother and party President Rahul Gandhi's constituency Amethi, according to party leaders. She will go to her mother Sonia Gandhi's constituency Rae Bareli on Thursday and visit Ayodhya on Friday before returning to New Delhi. Her earlier plan had her beginning her visit from Ayodhya on Wednesday. According to this plan, she was due reach the temple town in the morning, visit the prominent Hanumangarhi and Birla temples, and lead a road show through the town. The same evening, she was slated to go to Amethi, where her brother is locked in a tough fight against the BJP candidate, Union Minister Smriti Irani. During her visits, Priyanka Gandhi will meet party workers and address public gatherings. From March 18 to 20, she undertook a 140-km-long boat ride from Prayagraj to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency Varanasi, interacting with people along the way and visiting prominent places of worship. The Congress won only two seats out of UP's 80 in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and now faces both the BJP and the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance. --IANS aks-md/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police in Canada has launched a probe to locate a 22-year-old Chinese student after he was apparently kidnapped, the media reported. The incident took place in the city of Markham Lu Wanzhen and a female friend were exiting his car inside an underground parking lot around 6 p.m. on Saturday when four masked men rushed towards them and grabbed him, CNN quoted the police as saying on Monday. One of the men was carrying a taser, and when Lu attempted to resist, the man shocked him with it. Lu's friend was unharmed. Surveillance footage showed men wearing bulky black jackets with their faces covered grabbing Lu and bundling him into a black minivan with stolen plates, later found abandoned in nearby Toronto. "We're very concerned for the safety of (Lu)," a police spokesman said on Monday. "This incident involved a significant level of violence... He was taken against his will, he was shocked and forced into that van." The Chinese consulate in Toronto is also working with police on the case and is in communication with Lu's relatives. In 2017, at least three Chinese international students were targeted by scammers who attempted to extort money from their families back in China. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ahead of Congress President Rahul Gandhi's visit to Rajasthan on Tuesday, Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore demanded answers to seven questions, including loan waivers and the Balakot airstrike. Dressed in a traditional Rajasthani attire, Rathore posted a video on Twitter and said: "People of Rajasthan want answers on why his (Gandhi's) 'hatred for Modi' is turning into Congress's hatred for the country". "You are welcome in Rajasthan. However, the people of the state would like to know why even after promising loan waivers to the farmers before the Assembly elections, they were yet to reap the benefits. "You literally counted from 1 to 10 to ensure they get waivers in 10 days, but it is like 'Das ke baad Bus' (you happily forgot). They are looking for answers from you," Rathore said. Then raising the Kisaan Samman Nidhi scheme, Rathore said out of 65 lakh farmers, 30 lakh submitted their applications but the Congress government did not give the list to the Centre. "As farmers are being insulted in this way, they are also demanding answers," he added. He demanded to know why the former government's direct benefit scheme Bhamashah, started in 2008, was suspended. "The patients are looking for answers from you," Rathore asked Gandhi. Pointing to the deteriorating law and order situation, the Minister said there has been 10 rapes in two days in Rajathan. "However, the entire police machinery is busy making arrangements for your visit and hence the girls and women want an answer." He also questioned the delayed distribution of unemployment allowance which was promised by state government. The Congress had promised to distribute Rs 3,500 as unemployment allowance each month to the unemployed youths. "However, they are yet to get the same. Code of conduct has been implemented and youths need an answer," Rathore said. His sixth question pointed at the poor implementation of Economically Backward Class (EBC) quota in the state. "The Prime Minister announced 10 per cent reservation under the quota, however, the scheme has not been implemented in the state. The youths need an answer." His seventh question pertained to the surgical strike and air strikes across the line of Control, which he said were done to ensure the nation's safety. "However, now your leaders are speaking in Pakistan's language. The families of those killed and the soldiers are demanding answers," the Union Minister said. Rathore posed the questions mimicking Gandhi, who had raised one question each day ahead of the state assembly polls. --IANS arc/in/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Supporters of senior BJP leaders -- Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Rajya Sabha member R.K. Sinha -- clashed outside the Patna airport on Tuesday after the party decided to field Prasad from the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat. According to police officials, violence erupted soon after Prasad arrived from Delhi and his supporters were welcoming him. Sinha's supporters showed him black flags and shouted slogan against him. Police and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel dispersed the mob. Prasad refused to comment on the incident. He will contest from the seat which was held by dissident BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha. A senior BJP leader said that Sinha was keen to contest from Patna Sahib. The BJP is contesting from 17 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar as part of the NDA. --IANS ik/in/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered robot will address a session during the Arab Media Forum (AMF) in Dubai on Wednesday and Thursday. The robot will address the session called the 'future of news anchoring' and highlight the use of AI in news anchoring, the Khaleej Times reported. At another session, the world's youngest journalist, Janna Jihad from Palestine, will share her inspirational story as a young activist and how she began her journey reporting about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the age of seven using her mother's iPhone. Over 3,000 regional and international media leaders, scholars, writers and experts will come together for the 18th edition of AMF. Held under the theme 'Arab media: From now to the future', the event will feature over 75 speakers and 200 prominent media figures representing more than 20 countries from across the Arab region and the world. --IANS ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A crucial meeting on Jet Airways took place at the Civil Aviation Ministry here attended by representatives of the SBI, Jet, DGCA and the Ministry. State Bank of India Chairman Rajnish Singh, Jet Airways CEO Vinay Dubey, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) chief B.S. Bhullar and Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola attended the meeting. The meeting came a day after Jet Chairman Naresh Goyal resigned and lenders of the bank agreed to provide immediate funds of Rs 1,500 crore to the beleaguered airline. The SBI-led consortium has taken over the management of the airline after its promoter Goyal stepped down and ceded management control. The SBI is looking at having a new investor to take over the ailing airline in the first quarter of the next fiscal. The key issues to be handled will be pilots' salaries and getting the grounded planes operational by paying the lessors and vendors. --IANS rrb/ana/in/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court on Tuesday said it will hear on April 2 petitions challenging the electoral bond scheme. A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna said the matter would be heard by an appropriate bench. One of petitioners, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR)'s advocate Prashant Bhushan told the court that 95 per cent of the electoral bonds sold so far have been in favour of one ruling political party. He called it a form of kickbacks before the elections. He said most of the bonds purchased since 2018 have been in the category of Rs 10 lakh and 1 crore, indicating that it is not common citizens but corporates who have been buying these bonds while enjoying complete anonymity accorded by the electoral bond scheme. As per the said scheme, an electoral bond is an instrument issued in the nature of promissory note -- it may be purchased by a citizen of India or entities incorporated or established in India. The bonds are issued in multiples of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakhs and Rs 1 crore. "These are available at specified branches of State Bank of India and any KYC-compliant account holder can buy these bonds," the petition said. Bhushan has argued that this scheme has been introduced even as Election Commission has registered strong reservations. He said that these electoral bonds are being made available in the last three months leading to the general election scheduled in April-May. "It is expected that the enormous amount of corporate funding would be received by political parties in April and May and this would play a critical role in the elections. It is known that corporate financiers use their clout to get lucrative contracts and get laws passed for their profits, often at the cost of public interest," Bhushan said. "That is why many corporates are keen to fund political parties," he said. The petitioner NGOs have challenged various amendments to the Companies Act, Income Tax Act, Representation of the People Act, Reserve Bank of India Act and Foreign Contribution Regulations Act. --IANS akk/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Pakistan Supreme Court on Tuesday granted former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif six-week bail for medical treatment within the country. A three-judge Bench, led by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, granted bail to Sharif on medical grounds against two surety bonds of 5 million Pakistani rupees each, reports Dawn news. Khosa said Sharif will have to surrender himself to jail authorities once the bail period is over. If he fails to surrender, he will be arrested. Khawaja Haris, Sharif's legal counsel, had requested for a 8-week bail. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had on Monday submitted an appeal opposing Sharif's bail petition. Sharif was on December 24, 2018, sentenced to seven years in prison by an anti-corruption court in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case for owning a steel factory abroad without disclosing its ownership. The former leader had filed a bail plea in the Islamabad High Court on medical grounds, but it was turned down last month. The court said "none of the reports (about Sharif's condition) suggest that continued incarceration of the petitioner, in any way, would be detrimental to his life". --IANS ksk/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Tuesday that it was the Sikh community and not Prime Minister Narendra Modi who saved Kashmiri students from mob violence in Jammu and other places. Addressing a gathering of party workers and supporters in Baramulla town, the National Conference leader said: "It was the Sikh community across the country that saved Kashmiri students from mob violence after the Pulwama attack. "It was the responsibility of the Modi government to provide protection to the students who were attacked by rightwing extremists in Jammu and other states. Unfortunately, the Modi government did not exist anywhere (where the violence took place)." Abdullah also targeted former Chief Minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti saying that people had to face bullets and pellets during her government and she was now trying to fool the same people. Senior National Conference leader Ali Muhammad Sagar told the gathering said the workers of National Conference were the "real mujahideen" or holy warriors. Sagar's remark came days after Mehbooba Mufti called her party activists the "real mujahideen". --IANS sq/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Sri Lankan telecom official said on Tuesday that plans were underway to transform Polonnaruwa district into the country's first "Smart City" following several projects launched to upgrade education, health and transportation. Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) Chairman Kumarasinghe Sirisena told the media that the government was discussing the transformation of Polonnaruwa by launching the smart health, smart education, and smart transportation concept, which will accelerate economic development and social progress in the district, reports Xinhua news agency. Sirisena said that the Smart City concept was a possibility as the SLT had now covered the entire country with ultra-fast fibre-optic connectivity. This would help upgrade education, health, and transportation. Under the government's Smart City project, 2,500 schools will be connected through a wireless connection to enable smart in Sri Lanka. The initial discussions have been completed, and the government hopes to connect these schools within this year, Sirisena said. --IANS ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Michael Avenatti, who represented adult film star Stormy Daniels in her case against US President Donald Trump, was arrested after he was charged in two criminal cases over complaints that he allegedly attempted to extort over $20 million from Nike and also for committing wire and bank fraud. Avenatti was arrested on Monday in Manhattan, law enforcement officials told CNN. He was however, released on a $300,000 bond later in the night and said outside a federal court here that he was "highly confident" that he will be "fully exonerated." The criminal complaint unsealed in the New York case describes a rapid investigation that unfolded over the course of the past six days, beginning March 19. According to the complaint, Avenatti on March 19 met attorneys for Nike and threatened to release what he said were allegations of misconduct by employees on the eve of both its quarterly earnings call and the start of the NCAA tournament. Avenatti would disclose the allegations at a press conference, according to the complaint, unless Nike made millions in payments to him and an unnamed co-conspirator by hiring them to conduct an "internal investigation", for which he later requested between $15 million and $20 million. After the meeting, Nike's outside counsel, lawyers from Boies Schiller Flexner LLP contacted federal prosecutors to inform them of Avenatti's threats. In the second case, federal prosecutors in California charged Avenatti for wire and bank fraud -- charges that could bring a maximum sentence of 50 years in federal prison. The California complaint alleged he "embezzled a client's money in order to pay his own expenses and debts, as well as those of his coffee business and law firm, and also defrauded a bank by using phony tax returns to obtain millions of dollars in loans". On Monday, after the two sets of charges against Avenatti became public, Daniels said she was "saddened but not shocked" at the news, CNN reported. "I made the decision more than a month ago to terminate Michael's services after discovering that he had dealt with me extremely dishonestly and there will be more announcements to come," she said in a statement. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tinder Co-founder and former CEO Sean Rad has asked the Supreme Court of New York to dismiss a $250 million lawsuit filed against him by the Match Group and InterActiveCorp (IAC), the present owners of the dating app. Earlier in January, Match Group and IAC filed a lawsuit in Manhattan accusing Rad of secretly obtaining confidential information, files and other proprietary information before leaving the company, which violated his employment contract. "In his motion to dismiss, however, Rad says the contract gave him the right to back up internal emails and hold on to those correspondences even after his tenure at Tinder ended," The Verge reported on Monday. The motion put forward by Rad claims that he specifically negotiated this contract because he "wanted protection if Match attempted to rob him of his Tinder equity." "The contract specifically allowed Sean Rad to keep these documents, and IAC and Match are just mad that Sean retained the evidence that will expose their misconduct. We look forward to presenting that evidence to a jury," the report quoted Rad's lawyer Orin Snyder as saying. --IANS rp/bc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump's administration has said that the entire Affordable Care Act or Obamacare should be struck down, in a dramatic reversal. In a filing with a federal appeals court, the Justice Department said on Monday night that it agreed with the ruling of a federal judge in Texas that invalidated the Obama-era health care law, CNN reported. "The Department of Justice has determined that the district court's comprehensive opinion came to the correct conclusion and will support it on appeal," said Kerri Kupec, spokesperson for the Department. It's a major shift for the Justice Department from when Jeff Sessions was attorney general. At the time, the administration argued that the community rating rule and the guaranteed issue requirement -- protections for people with pre-existing conditions -- could not be defended but the rest of the law could stand. After the Justice Department took that position, federal District Judge Reed O'Connor struck down the entire law and the case is currently before a federal appeals court. Overturning the law would have far-reaching consequences -- way beyond disrupting coverage for the millions of people who get their health insurance on the exchanges or through Medicaid expansion. Obamacare saves senior citizens money on their Medicare coverage and prescription drugs. It lets many Americans obtain free birth control, mammograms and cholesterol tests. It also allows children to stay on their parents' health insurance plans until they turn 26. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the administration's stance amounted to "all-out war on the health care of the American people", CNN reported. "While the Trump administration broadens its monstrous ambitions from destroying protections for pre-existing conditions to tearing down every last benefit and protection the Affordable Care Act provides, Democrats are fiercely defending the law of the land and protecting all Americans' health care," she said. Senator Kamala Harris, a California Democrat, became the first 2020 candidate to weigh in on the filing with her criticism on Monday night. "Trump and his administration are trying to take health care away from tens of millions of Americans - again," Harris wrote in a tweet. "We must fight back again with everything we've got. And in 2020, we need to elect a president who will make health care a right." --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Election Commission to make "all endeavour to ensure" allotment of a common symbol, from among 198 free symbols, to the 59 candidates of the T.T.V. Dhinakaran-led Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) party. The 59 candidates in question are contesting 40 seats for the Lok Sabha in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and 19 for the by-elections to the Tamil Nadu Assembly. Directing a common symbol be ensured for AMMK candidates whose list was given to the apex court, the bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjiv Khanna said it was necessary to "ensure a level playing field" in the Lok Sabha elections and Assembly by-elections. "The Election Commission of India on due and proper satisfaction that the candidates named in the document ... want to contest the election under any one common symbol, will make all endeavour to ensure that in the forthcoming elections ... the aforesaid candidates be allotted any one particular free symbol," the court said in its order. The allotment of the common symbol to Dhinakaran's AMMK would on the due satisfaction of the Election Commission, it said, but however, made it clear that the candidates fielded by the AMMK would be treated, for all purposes, as Independent candidates. "We also make it clear that in the event any of the candidates ... to be elected, such candidate will be counted as an Independent candidate and not belonging to any political party for all purposes including for the purposes of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution (anti-defection law)." The court also clarified that the order could not be read to mean, in any way, recognition of the "group, or any part thereof, as a political party registered or unregistered, which decision the Election Commission of India alone would take as and when required". The court order came as senior counsel Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that the AMMK be allotted "pressure cooker" as a common symbol, citing the Constitution's Article 324 (requirement of free and fair elections). During more than an hour long hearing, the court repeatedly told Sibal and Singhvi how could the court pass an order contrary to the the provisions of Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and the guidelines issued by the Election Commission requiring the registration of a party with it for allocation of common symbol. "You knew your status. You knew Section 29A. You could have approached the Election Commission for registration. You could have done in last one day. You missed the chance. Why do you think we adjourned the case yesterday? You did not understand," CJI Gogoi said, telling Dhinakaran that "this anarchy you have brought upon yourself.." The allotment of common symbol was opposed by the Election Commission, which cited the satisfaction of procedural requirements before a group or political party is granted registration and allotted a common symbol. The AMMK's plea for common symbol was also opposed by the AIADMK which said that the rival faction had initially tried to usurp the party and its "two leaves" symbol, but after failing to do so, was trying to take the court route for getting recognition and a common symbol. Appearing for the AIADMK, senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi described the AMMK as an "amorphous group with amorphous name", contending that if the party had not been founded, "where is the question of allotting common symbol." Expelled from the AIADMK in August 2017, Dhinakaran launched the AMMK in March last year. --IANS pk/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) British MPs have inflicted a fresh humiliating defeat on Prime Minister Theresa May, after voting to temporarily seize control of the Brexit process, allowing back-benchers to hold a series of votes on alternatives to her deal. An amendment tabled by former Conservative Minister Oliver Letwin was passed by 329 votes to 302 on Monday as MPs expressed exasperation at the government's failure to set out a fresh approach for the UK to exit the European Union (EU), reports the Guardian. After the amendment, the government in a statement warned that it "upends the balance between our democratic institutions and sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent for the future". Three ministers -- Foreign Affairs Minister Alistair Burt, Health Minister Steve Brine and Business Minister Richard Harrington -- resigned to back the Letwin amendment. Thirty Conservative MPs rebelled to vote for the amendment. Harrington accused the government of "playing roulette with the lives and livelihoods of the vast majority of people in this country" in his resignation letter. In a series of so-called indicative votes, MPs will be able to vote on a number of options -- likely to include a "softer Brexit", a Customs union with the EU and another referendum -- designed to test the will of Parliament to see what, if anything, commands a majority, the BBC said. But the precise format of votes and how they will work was not set out in the amendment. Parliament is also expected to pass a law this week postponing the Brexit date from March 29. Speaking after Monday's votes, opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn congratulated Parliament for "taking control" of the Brexit process, CNN reported. "The government's approach has been an abject failure and this House must now find a solution," Corbyn said. May, still hoping of getting her twice-rejected Brexit deal passed, told the House of Commons earlier in the day there was not enough support for her deal to bring it back for a third meaningful vote. The Prime Minister also said she could not "commit the government to delivering the outcome of any votes held by this House. But I do commit to engaging constructively with this process". Britain is scheduled to crash out of the EU on April 12 if May's withdrawal deal is not passed and the UK government fails to provide new proposals for a way out of the impasse. In response to the development, the European Commission said it has prepared for an "increasingly likely" no-deal scenario. --IANS ksk/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rising unemployment and nationalism on religious lines are the two key issues bothering citizens ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, revealed a survey conducted by Lokniti-CSDS and the Azim Premji University. "Twenty per cent of those surveyed said unemployment was the biggest issue facing India, and 15 per cent said the top government priority should be a remedy to joblessness," said the survey titled "Politics and Society between Elections 2019", released on Tuesday. The second and third issues cited were 'development' (15 per cent) and 'law, governance and corruption' (13 per cent). Sixty per cent of those interviewed for the survey said no minorities and migrants but influential people blocked progress. This sentiment was stronger among the youth. 61 per cent of those below 35 years of age felt about elites blocking development. Fifty-one per cent of those above 35 years held the same view, said the report. People also said it was easier to get admission in government schools than a water connection. The report said though caste identities were prominent, these were overshadowed by religious identities when it came to religious nationalism. The survey found the Indian Army was the most trusted institution in the country with an effective trust of 88 per cent, followed by courts (60 per cent). Political parties were the least trusted as 55 per cent people expressed their mistrust in them. People in UP, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Assam sought punishment for those who don't say 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' at public functions. But residents of Nagaland, J&K, Kerala, Mizoram, Tripura, Punjab and West Bengal disagreed. The opinion was almost similar for those who don't get up during the playing of the national anthem at public places. Barring J&K, Nagaland and Mizoram, majority of those surveyed in other nine states sought punishment for beef eaters. The survey was aimed at exploring citizens' trust in political institutions, ties across social groups, ease of public service access, citizen-state interfaces and governance, gender roles and relationships, nationalism and political identity, freedom of expressions and populism. The survey covered 24,092 people in Assam, J&K, Kerala, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, UP, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Delhi. --IANS spk/rtp/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US Missile Defence Agency successfully launched two ground-based missile interceptors in rapid succession against a simulated intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launched from a test site in the Pacific. According to the Agency, Monday's test was to ensure that if multiple missiles were in the air, the sensors of the US ground-based interceptors would be able to distinguish the enemy's incoming missiles from other missiles and electronic clutter in the environment, CNN reported. While the interceptors were launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the ICBM flew from the test site on the Kwajalein Atoll. The first ground-based interceptor destroyed the re-entry vehicle on the mock adversary missile as it was designed to do. Then the second ground-based interceptor's sensors tracked the resulting debris and remaining objects. As expected, it did not sense any adversary warhead. So it struck the next "most lethal object" it could identify, as designed, the agency said. "This was the first GBI salvo intercept of a complex, threat-representative ICBM target, and it was a critical milestone," Agency Director Air Force Lt. Gen. Samuel A. Greaves said. "The system worked exactly as it was designed to do, and the results of this test provide evidence of the practicable use of the salvo doctrine within missile defence, CNN reported. "The Ground-based Midcourse Defensc system is vitally important to the defence of our homeland, and this test demonstrates that we have a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat." --IANS ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttarakhand Education Minister Arvind Pandey was on Tuesday at the centre of a controversy after he allegedly abused policemen, who had seized some vehicles of mining businessmen in Kashipur area of Kumaon region, locals said. An inquiry has been ordered into the incident, said top police officials. The seizure of vehicles took place in Kashipur town of Udham Singh Nagar district. On hearing this, Pandey along with his supporters reached Kundeshwari police post in Kashipur where he allegedly abused post incharge Arjun Giri and other policemen. Giri reportedly closed the door of his room to escape the wrath of the Minister. --IANS str/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rome, March 25 (IANS/AKI) United Nations World Food Programme chief David Beasley was on Tuesday due to visit Mozambique where Cyclone Idai devastated the port city of Beira on March 14 before moving inland through Zimbabwe and Malawi, leaving at least 750 people dead in its wake. During his visit, Beasley will meet flood victims, government officials and aid workers in Beira and will hold a press conference at the airport, according to the statement. WFP has launched a major operation to rush supplies to cyclone-hit areas and has already reached more than 115,000 people with emergency food assistance, the UN agency said. The agency is also distributing easy-to-prepare fortified food to displaced flood victims sheltering in schools and other buildings in and around Beira, while large quantities of food supplies are being sourced in the southern Africa region and trucked and shipped to Mozambique, WFP said. Satellite imagery has shown floodplains that included an "inland ocean" 125 km by 25 km, the size of Luxembourg, according to WFP. Residents in Beira and remote surrounding areas are suffering shortages of food, water and other essentials and WFP helicopters are air-dropping High Energy Biscuits and specialized foods to prevent and treat malnutrition in stranded communities cut off by the floodwaters, the statement said. Around 128,000 people whose homes were destroyed by the cyclone are living in makeshift camps. Cases of cholera and malaria have already been reported and health officials fear outbreaks of the diseases are inevitable. Beasley will meet Mozambique's President Filipe Nyusi and members of the government in Mozambique's capital Maputo on Wednesday, the UN country team and WFP staff members, WFP said. --IANS/AKI vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Canadian authorities have granted asylum to a woman and her daughter who housed Edward Snowden in Hong Kong after the former NSA contractor leaked classified documents on US surveillance programmes in 2013, the media reported on Tuesday. The Canadian decision allows Philippines national Vanessa Rodel and her seven-year-old daughter Keana to leave Hong Kong after living in the city without proper legal status for years. "I'm truly happy," Rodel told CNN. "I'm so excited. I can't sleep." Rodel and two Sri Lankan families put up Snowden shortly after he went public in 2013. At the time, Snowden's lawyer Robert Tibbo worried that his client could face possible rendition back to the US, where he was branded a traitor. So Tibbo advised Snowden to hide with Hong Kong refugees because he thought it would be the last place anyone would look. "This has been a seven year battle," said Tibbo, who also represents the refugees who hid Snowden. After Snowden left the city and was granted asylum in Russia, Rodel and the other refugees who hid him moved forward with their Hong Kong refugee status applications. Their cases were rejected in 2017. Rodel told CNN that the process has been long, arduous and depressing. She said she came to Hong Kong because she was a victim of human trafficking in the Philippines, and is too afraid to go home. However, as a refugee without legal status, she also did not feel safe in Hong Kong. --IANS ksk/bc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Women are, on an average, 30 per cent less likely to be called for a job interview than men, even if they have similar qualifications, say researchers. To understand the gender bias, a team from Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, included more than 5,600 fictitious resumes of people aged between 37 years and 39 years. The resumes were sent in response to offers in 18 different occupations whose degrees of feminisation, required qualification and responsibility varied. The study showed male candidates were called for interviews in a higher proportion (10.9 per cent) than women (7.7 per cent). Under equal terms, the likelihood of receiving a call for a job interview was 30 per cent lower for women than men. Women without children received interview calls 23.5 per cent lower than men. Mothers were on average 35.9 per cent less likely to be called for a job interview than fathers as they face a double penalty: womanhood and motherhood, revealed the study published in the La Caixa Social Observatory journal. But, the gender penalisation was found to be lesser if, in addition to what is required, the applicants have knowledge of an additional language and greater work experience, the researchers said. --IANS pb/rt/mag/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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. The response by New Zealand's Prime Minister following a brutal terror attack at two mosques has earned her praise and admiration from around the world, with some voices even calling for her to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Jacinda Ardern, who assumed office in 2017 to become the Oceanic nation's 40th PM, has been widely lauded for her solemn and dignified handling of the country's worst-ever attack in which an Australian white supremacist murdered 50 Muslim worshipers in the South Island city of Christchurch on March 15. "We were desperate to find the hero of the day and Ardern did what she felt was needed to be done at a difficult time like that and was able to reassure an entire country," Efe news agency quoted Ferran Martinez Coma, a political science professor at Australia's Griffith University, as saying. Ardern immediately described the massacre as a terrorist attack, refused to mention the name of the attacker - as a way of denying him the notoriety he was presumably looking for - and announced she would be seeking a swift reform to New Zealand's gun laws. In addition, Ardern consoled the victims and their families in person and showed respect to the religion of Islam by wearing a hijab during the official acts of mourning. She also made the minority community's pain that of the whole country with the memorable phrase: "We are one, they are us." Ardern's actions were soon commended by observers from disparate parts of the globe as a show of leadership and humanity. For instance, an online petition on the website Change.org to award her the Nobel Peace Prize had garnered almost 48,000 signatures on Tuesday, while another one on its French counterpart, Avaaz, obtained nearly 3,500 pledges of support. The prestigious American daily The New York Times said in an editorial that "America deserves a leader as good as Jacinda Ardern," while the New Yorker magazine said that the Kiwi leader had "rewritten the script for how a nation grieves after a terrorist attack". However, the 38-year-old Ardern told the New Zealand media company Stuff that she did not think she was showing leadership, but rather she was just displaying humanity. "In we can choose to model behaviour," she said. "I genuinely believe that all I am modeling the values of New Zealanders." Ardern had already sparked significant global coverage last year after she gave a speech on women's rights before the UN General Assembly, in which she made history by appearing with her baby in tow to highlight the challenge many women face when balancing their careers and maternity. With a modern and liberal image, the Labour Party leader became her country's youngest-ever PM at the age of 37 after reaching a coalition deal with the New Zealand First and Green parties. Born in 1980 in the city Hamilton (located just south of Auckland), Ardern grew up in the working class neighbourhood of Morrinsville and in Murupara town where 16 per cent of children live in jobless households and 11 per cent of those under the age of 15 suffer from food insecurity. From her years spent in Murupara, Ardern said that she remembers the impact of the widespread lack of jobs and the consequences of not investing in children's futures. After joining the Labour Party at 17, she soon stood out among the party's young cadre; she graduated in Communications Studies at the University of Waikato and later became the youngest member of New Zealand's parliament in 2008. In August 2017, Ardern took over as the leader of the Labour Party from Andrew Little, which was followed by the victory at the polls a month later which triggered the "Jacindamania" phenomenon in New Zealand that has now spread beyond the nation's borders. Martinez Coma put the world's fascination with Ardern within the context of a time that has seen the rise of leaders such as the polarizing US President Donald Trump, UK's embattled PM Theresa May or strongman figures like Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines. --IANS rs/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal BJP leader Arjun Singh, who has recently crossed over from the TMC, claimed on Tuesday that about 100 Trinamool Congress MLAs would switch over to the saffron party "very soon". The TMC declined to attach much importance to his statements and suggested him to see a doctor. "Around 100 legislators from the ruling party are set to join the BJP. They are in touch with the BJP leaders on a regular basis. Some will join before the elections, the rest after," he told reporters. Reacting to his statement, senior TMC leader Jyotipriyo Mullick said Singh had lost his mind and should go and see a doctor. Singh, the former four-time Trinamool MLA from Bhatpara, switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party earlier this month and has been nominated as a BJP candidate from the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency. He will take on two-time sitting MP and senior TMC leader Dinesh Trivedi. Meanwhile, Trinamool Youth Congress general secretary Samrat Topadar lodged a police complaint against Singh, accusing him of trying to terrorise voters and locals of the area. Apart from Singh, two TMC MPs and several other TMC, Congress and CPI(M) leaders have joined the BJP recently and have been rewarded with party tickets. The BJP is also trying to woo two senior TMC leaders Sabyasachi Dutta and Sovan Chatterjee into the party. Dutta is the MLA from Rajarhat New Town near Kolkata and Chatterjee is a legislator from Behala East assembly seat. Chatterjee was an important minister in the Mamata Banerjee cabinet and also the mayor of Kolkata till he quit last November due to "personal problems". Senior BJP leader Mukul Roy had earlier this month met Bidhannagar Mayor Sabyasachi Dutta at his residence, fuelling speculations that Dutta might switch over to the BJP ahead of the general election. However, Dutta had later said he is a loyal soldier of the TMC and would not join any other party. But, for the last few days, he has made a few statements, which has kept speculation alive that he might join the BJP. Roy said on Tuesday in Siliguri that Dutta was very much in touch with the BJP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 134 kg of ganja valued at around Rs 26.85 lakh and concealed in fly ash bricks, was seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence Tuesday from a truck in Vijayawada. Based on specific intelligence, DRI officers intercepted the truck, carrying fly ash bricks which was destined to Madurai and on suspicion broke one brick to find a packet of ganja, a release from the DRI's (Hyderabad Zonal Unit) said here. Subsequently the remaining fly ash bricks were broken and a total of 65 packets of ganja, weighing 134.27 kg was found and seized under NDPS Act, it said. Three people have been detained for further questioning, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two couples were killed when their car rammed into a roadside tree after one of its front tyres burst in neighbouring Jagtial district, police said Tuesday. The mishap occurred Monday near Dharmaram village when Konduri Manohar of Kodimal village, his wife and in-laws were proceeding for a function. Manohar (56), who was driving the car, and Veeresham (78) were killed on the spot, Peddapalli Assistant Police Commissioner Venkata Ramana Reddy said. Veeresham's 70-year old wife succumbed to injuries at a hospital Monday while Manohar's spouse died Tuesday without responding to treatment, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four terrorists, including a woman, were killed by security forces on Tuesday in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan province, officials said. Assistant Superintendent of Police Attaur Rehman said security forces raided a house in Nasirabad area of Loralai district in the province after receiving an intelligence tip-off that some terrorists were hiding out there. Rehman said a cache of weapons, suicide jackets and heavy explosives, personal belongings including service cards were also recovered. The terrorists blew themselves up inside their hideout, he said, adding that four security personnel were also injured in the exchange of fire. "A woman was also present among the four terrorists who blew themselves up, the official added. According to the Inter Services Public relations (ISPR), the media wing of the army, the terrorists killed in the intelligence based security operation in Loralai were responsible for carrying out terrorist activities in the province which included an attack on the Frontier Corps convoy on March 20 that left six soldiers dead in the Sanjawai area. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As many as 548 nominations were filed for 25 Lok Sabha seats and 3,925 for 175 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh where elections would be held in one go in the first phase on April 11, state Chief Electoral Officer Gopal Krishna Dwivedi said Tuesday. Nandyal Lok Sabha constituency received the highest of 38 nominations while Chittoor (SC) received 13 when the process of filing of papers came to a close on Monday. In 17 constituencies, less than 15 nominations each were filed, the CEO told a press conference here. Nandyal Assembly segment also saw filing of the highest number of 61 nominations while the lowest 10 nominations were filed in Palakonda and Parvatipuram. In Mangalagiri constituency, where Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidus son Nara Lokesh is contesting, 50 nominations were filed. Less than 15 nominations were filed in 118 Assembly segments, he added. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is March 28. The Election Commission also published the final electoral rolls with the number of electors in the state touching 3,93,45,717, an increase of 26,24,109 voters as compared to the 2014 election. Women voters (1,98,79,421) outnumbered men (1,94,62,339) while there were 3,957 transgenders as well. As many as 10,15,219 first-time voters in the 18-19 age group have also been included in the list. The CEO said 25,54,449 new voters were added to the rolls after January 11, when the special summary revision was completed, and 1,41,823 deleted. Guntur district has the highest number of voters at 39,74,491, followed by Visakhapatnam at 35,78,458. Vizianagaram has the lowest number of 18,18,113 voters, according to the data released by the CEO. Enforcement teams have seized Rs 57.73 crore in cash and 4.67 lakh litres of liquor worth Rs 17 crore. More than 87 kg of gold, 239 kg of silver, over 1000 kg of ganja and other items like sarees, cellular phones, dress material, all worth over Rs 22.15 crore, were also seized during search operations, the CEO said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Seven opposition Naga People's Front (NPF) MLAs have declared their support to the NDDP nominee and ruling People's Democratic Alliance (PDA) consensus candidate, Tokheho Yepthomi for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland. The seven NPF MLAs are Kejong Chang, EE Pangteang, Eshak Konyak, CL John, BS Nganlang, N Thongwang Konyak and Toyang Chang. The NPF has 26 MLAs in the 60-member Nagaland Assembly. "We extend our fullest cooperation to the PDA government and we also endorse the PDA Governments stand as a facilitator to the ongoing Naga peace process for an early, honourable and inclusive political solution," they said in a statement issued Monday night. They appreciated all the developmental and progressive initiatives that have been undertaken till date by the PDA government under the leadership of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio. Yepthomi of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDDP) is seeking reelection to the lone Lok Sabha seat in the state. He is the consensus candidate of the ruling PDA, which comprises of the NDDP, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Janata Dal (United) and an Independent member. The seven NPF MLAs said the absence of an official NPF candidate in the Lok Sabha Elections and claimed that the decision of the party to support the Congress is "against the principle of regionalism and this development necessitated their decision to extend cooperation and support to the PDA consensus candidate and the PDA government". Meanwhile, NPF spokesperson Achumbemo Kikon said that the party has constituted a Coordination Committee which will look for avenue to support a secular party and candidate in the Lok Sabha election. The decision will be taken by March 30, he said. Kikon declined to comment on the decision of its seven MLAs to support the PDA consensus candidate. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In first glance it may not seem like a regular coffee house, but this six-decade-old building with its church-like facade has been attracting scores of people who sit for hours over endless sips of steaming tea or coffee and debate over At a time when election frenzy is gradually building up, the Indian Coffee House is brimming with people discussing the SP-BSP alliance and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's foray into active Located in the upscale Civil Lines, often referred to as the heart of the city, regular patrons describe it as a safe place where one can air their views freely. The guests boast that their favourite haunt sets the tone for political discourse in the city, saying it is a place where even those with opposing views can speak freely. Opened in 1957, the Indian Coffee House has an old-world charm to it, one that stands out in the times of air-conditioned, swish cafes. Old-timers say that even former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and V P Singh came to the iconic place for coffee in an era gone by. This coffee house attracts people from all sections of society, from lawyers and journalists to businessmen. Ashok Yadav, who retired from the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation, said, "Yahan logon mein matbhed ho sakta hai, manbhed nahi (There can be difference of opinion but not a difference in mind)." "The coffee house has, over the years, come to define the political discourse of Allahabad, which is more politically evolved than other cities. Even a rickshaw puller here will have an opinion on the current political scenario," he added. Avdhesh Dwivedi has been coming to the coffee house for the last 45 years. A Congress worker till 1987, he left the party after he felt that it was not raising the issue of corruption. "Earlier, you could have discussions here without getting offended by others' views. But now people get agitated if they find that their views are being opposed," said Dwivedi, but was quick to add that it has not stopped anyone from airing their views. The visitors to the coffee house said that on most of the days, the place is quite noisy, and people sit for hours over endless cups of tea and coffee. P R Panda, the manager of the place, said, "There are impassioned discussions and arguments among people but we have never seen them getting violent. Though there were a few instances where they came close to picking up chairs while trying to make a point." Panda said he did not know much about the history of the place but he has heard that before Amitabh Bachchan attained superstardom, he used to come here on a bicycle. H S Tripathi, who retired from the Allahabad High Court, said that with the general elections around the corner, there are discussions about the SP-BSP alliance and how it could dent the BJP's vote share. "After Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made a formal political debut, many Congress supporters here were enthused, saying it would revive the party's fortunes. BJP supporters here are also vociferous in their praise for Modi who say he has ensured that the city became cleaner and developed infrastructure," he added. He said the Kumbh Mela, which was one of the cleanest the city has seen, is also highlighted as an achievement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Another visitor to the place, however, seemed less enthusiastic about the political culture of the coffee house. "This is a place for those who are aspiring to be politicians. People who are in the opposition usually come here and criticise those in power," the guest said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hitting out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday said the AAP government has "failed" to fulfil its pre-poll promises and asserted that it cannot form the government every time by fooling the people. Addressing the party's 'Vijay Sankalp Sabha' in northeast Delhi parliamentary constituency, Singh said the Narendra Modi dispensation always does what it says. Hours after Singh's comments, Kejriwal hit back at the Home Minister, saying he should not not be "lying like his boss". "Hamari kathni aur karni mein antar nahi hota hai. (There is no difference between what we say and what we do). Four-and-a-half years ago, AAP leaders had made big promises. They promised to make Delhi the most beautiful city in five years. "They had promised to give Delhiites facilities which they had been deprived of and had even promised a government that would be impeccable and corruption free. But everybody knows what is the truth of the Aam Aadmi Party," Singh said. He accused the AAP government of preparing a weak draft of Lokpal bill and trying to get it passed in the Vidhan Sabha. "You (AAP) had also made an internal Lokpal for the party for your leaders but that internal Lokpal Admiral L Ramdas was insulted and ousted from the party. "They (AAP) claim to do clean They can form a government by fooling the public once but not every time," he said. He also asked people whether they had received free water since the AAP had promised 20,000 litres of free water before coming to power. "Promises were made that 20 new colleges and 500 new schools will be opened. How many schools and colleges have been opened in northeast Delhi. "You had promised that if you were elected you would install CCTVs all around the city for women's safety. But had Manoj Tiwari not tried, there would have been no CCTVs here. I want to question how many CCTVs has the AAP installed," Singh asked. He also questioned the Chief Minister how much funds have been used from the Nirbhaya fund for women's safety and how many toilets had been constructed in slum areas. He also asked whether there are CCTV cameras in cluster buses and DTC buses. "Even a minister accused of sexual harassment had to leave his post but the party did not remove him," he added. Hours after Singh addressed the gathering, Kejriwal in a tweet said Singh should not be "lying like his boss". The Narendra Modi government ensured that Delhi did not get CCTVs for three years and Deputy Chief Minister Manish and his cabinet colleague Satyendar Jain had to go on a hunger strike to get the proposal approved. "Modji ensured that Delhi did not get CCTVs for three years. Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain went on a hunger strike and ensured that the CCTV proposal was approved. Modi government is sitting on Delhi's Lokpal for the last four years. Delhi is getting free water," Kejriwal posted on Twitter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nomination of the Aam Aadmi Party's Shweta Sharma from Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar Lok Sabha seat was rejected on Tuesday as she failed to find 10 mandatory proposers, poll officials said. Ten mandatory proposers are required for any candidate who is not from a recognised national party or a recognised regional party in a state, the officials said. "She said in her nomination papers that she is a candidate from the Aam Aadmi Party. AAP is not a recognised regional party in Uttar Pradesh. It is not recognised as a national party by the Election Commission as well. It is recognised in Delhi though. This was a flaw in her claim," District Magistrate and Returning Officer Brajesh Narain Singh told PTI. He said only one proposer is required in case of a recognised party otherwise 10 proposers are needed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As the uncertainty over an alliance with the Congress continued, the Aam Aadmi Party stepped up its campaigning with plans to rope in 1.5 lakh volunteers for the Lok Sabha election. Senior AAP leader Gopal Rai said one central war room, where all campaigning would be closely monitored, would be set up. Seven war rooms will be established in all the Lok Sabha constituency offices that would be reporting to the central office. "Seven observers would also be deployed with one observer in each constituency. There would also be an emergency feedback team with 14 people who would carry the inspection of the campaigning rallies," Rai said. He said for on-ground monitoring, 560 teams would be deployed and a total engagement of 1.5 lakh people would be seen. The AAP has been seeking an alliance with the Congress in Delhi but the grand old party has not made its stand clear on the possible tie-up, following which the AAP declared all its seven candidates for the upcoming polls an started campaigning for them. A senior leader said announcement of all the candidates was made seeing the Congress' "irresponsible and indecisive" attitude towards the alliance. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal had also said internal surveys indicated that the AAP was capable of winning all the seven seats in Delhi on its own and it did not require an alliance with the Congress in Delhi. However, the Congress and the AAP last Tuesday made fresh efforts with the help of NCP chief Sharad Pawar to forge an alliance in Delhi for the polls. Sources said last week that AAP had made a fresh bid to forge an alliance with the Congress in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, with the former demanding five seats in Delhi. However, shortly after the meeting Kejriwal said the Congress refused to form an alliance with the AAP in Delhi and the two parties were not in talks with each other. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday suggested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have joined Bollywood as acting was in the latter's "nature". "Jumlebaazi" (rhetoric), "dramabaazi" (theatrics) and acting are in Modi's nature and he should have gone to join Bollywood and he should have been an actor, Gehlot said at a rally in Bundi district. Like acting has no truth, Gehlot said in the same way Modi had "no truth" but was only acting on a bunch of lies. Her said acting cannot do any good to the country, no development and acting does not satisfy one's hunger. The chief minister was addressing the rally prior to Congress president Rahul Gandhi's speech. "The democracy is in danger, the Constitution is in danger and the country is in danger today. And if they (BJP) are not countered with full strength and capacity... they would destroy the country," Gehlot added. Speaking at the rally, Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot accused the BJP government of destroying the economy of the state and country. The 2019 Lok Sabha polls is an election to protect and defend the democracy in the country, Pilot said, alleging that the BJP had weakened institutions like the CBI. The state Congress chief reiterated the party's commitment to win all the parliamentary constituencies in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Samajwadi Party MP and actor Jaya Prada joined the BJP on Tuesday and may be fielded as the party's candidate from Rampur constituency to take on her bitter rival and SP nominee Azam Khan. A two-term Lok Sabha member from the SP, she is a close associate of Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh, who was expelled from the regional party and has since come close to Hindutva fountainhead Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she described him as a "brave" leader in whose hands the country is "safe". BJP sources said she may be fielded in the coming polls but a decision on the seat she will contest from is yet to be finalised. Speculation has gained ground that she will contest from Rampur as she has been elected from there twice. Noting that she started her political journey with the Telugu Desam Party and was its Rajya Sabha MP before joining the SP and being elected to Lok Sabha from Rampur, 56-year-old Jaya Prada told reporters that joining the BJP is a "significant" moment in her life and she would now work dedicatedly for the saffron party. Welcoming her into the BJP, its general secretary Bhupendra Yadav said she needed no introduction and added she was impressed with the Modi government. Of all the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, Rampur has the highest concentration of Muslims, and the BJP has often banked on division of their votes and consolidation of Hindus in its favour to win what is seen as a difficult seat for the saffron party. Muslims are over 50 per cent of the total voters in the constituency. Riding the Modi wave, BJP's Nepal Singh had won from there in 2014. With Jaya Prada joining the BJP, the party's "star power" will also be boosted as it already has the likes of Hema Malini and Paresh Rawal in its ranks. Celebrities help in campaign as their meetings draw good crowds, party leaders said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Samajwadi Party MP and actor Jaya Prada joined the BJP on Tuesday and was fielded as the party's candidate from Rampur constituency to take on her bitter rival and SP nominee Azam Khan. A two-term Lok Sabha member from the SP, she is a close associate of Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh, who was expelled from the regional party and has since come close to Hindutva fountainhead Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she described him as a "brave" leader in whose hands the country is "safe". Noting that she started her political journey with the Telugu Desam Party and was its Rajya Sabha MP before joining the SP and being elected to Lok Sabha from Rampur, 56-year-old Jaya Prada told reporters that joining the BJP is a "significant" moment in her life and she would now work dedicatedly for the saffron party. Welcoming her into the BJP, its general secretary Bhupendra Yadav said she needed no introduction and added she was impressed with the Modi government. Of all the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, Rampur has the highest concentration of Muslims, and the BJP has often banked on division of their votes and consolidation of Hindus in its favour to win what is seen as a difficult seat for the saffron party. Muslims constitutes over 50 per cent of the total voters in the seat. Riding the Modi wave, BJP's Nepal Singh had won from there in 2014. Due to health reasons he was not in contention for the ticket in this election. With Jaya Prada joining the BJP, the party's "star power" will also be boosted as it already has the likes of Hema Malini and Paresh Rawal in its ranks. Celebrities help in campaign as their meetings draw good crowds, party leaders said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan was facing the risk of being grey-listed by the Asia/Pacific Group too as Islamabad has a high non-compliant rate of nearly 70 per cent on 40 recommendations against money laundering and terrorist financing, a media report said on Tuesday. The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has already grey-listed Pakistan from June 2018 and any adverse findings by the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) could further complicate problems for the Pakistan government, The Express Tribune reported. A delegation of experts from the APG arrived here on Monday to review whether Pakistan has made enough progress on global standards against financial crimes to warrant its exclusion from the Sydney-based watchdog's grey list. Pakistan is already under intense pressure to rein in terror groups like the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) after the Pulwama terror attack. As the APG begins mutual evaluation to gauge Pakistan's compliance with global anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing standards, the country faces the risk of being grey-listed by the APG due to a very high ratio of nearly 70 per cent non-compliance, the report said. The APG is the FATF-style regional body for the Asia-Pacific region. It is an inter-governmental organisation founded in 1997. The mutual evaluation process by the APG is separate from the but it is based on the implementation of 40 recommendations, the report said. The APG delegation currently in Islamabad will conduct last on-site mutual evaluation of Pakistan that began in June 2018. It will be last face-to-face meeting by the mutual evaluation team, suggesting that Islamabad does not have the luxury to take a lenient approach, the report said. The APG has done Pakistan's second mutual evaluation in the past ten years. The last mutual evaluation took place in 2009. The mutual evaluation would be based on a third draft of technical compliance annexure that the APG shared with Pakistan this month. There is not much difference between the first and the latest draft technical annexure, a senior official who has seen the report told the newspaper. The APG Executive Secretary Gordon Hook is leading the delegation that is comprised of experts from the UK, the US, Turkey, China, Indonesia and the Maldives. "If we go by the third draft of technical annexure shared by the APG, there are high risks of being declared non-compliant," said a senior government official who is directly working on the mutual evaluation told the newspaper. Out of the 40 recommendations, the APG has provisionally assessed Pakistan non-compliant on nearly 28 recommendations, he added. He said Pakistan has to be fully compliant or largely compliant with at least 23 recommendations to avoid the grey list. Pakistan is already on the grey list of the and even if it successfully implemented all the 27 actions determined by the FATF, its fate will hinge on the mutual evaluation report outcome, the report said. It has also been conveyed to Finance Minister that the situation could worsen for Pakistan if it did not improve ranking on at least 8 to 10 recommendations, said another official who works for a counter-terrorism authority. Officials said all the stakeholders were not on the same page, which not only created difficulties during the October 2018 on-site inspection but might also create problems this time. Out of the 40 recommendations, Pakistan is fully compliant with hardly two, largely compliant with three and partially to largely compliant with another three. It is either partially compliant or non-compliant with the rest of the recommendations, the report said. But Pakistani authorities believe that they have addressed the APG's concerns in areas of customer due diligence, beneficial ownerships of legal persons, statistics, record keeping, money or value transfer services, new technologies, wire transfers, cooperation, nuclear non-proliferation and targeted financial sanctions related to terrorism and terrorism financing, the report said. After the current visit, the APG would finalise its draft report that is expected to be shared with Pakistan by the end of April or early May for its comments. After obtaining Pakistan's response, the Mutual Evaluation Report will be presented in the Annual General Meeting of the APG that is likely to take place in August. The APG meeting would either accept the report or suggest changes to it, the report said. In case of the worst outcome, Pakistan may have to implement yet another Action Plan from October onwards. The FATF's Action Plan implementation deadline is September this year. The review on the implementation of the FATF Action Plan held in February did not go well, which has increased pressure on Pakistan, the report said. The next FATF review would take place in June in Washington and before that Pakistan will have to show compliance on 16 points that have been agreed for May in addition to three issues that were left out in the last review, the report added. State-owned Allahabad Bank Tuesday said it would raise up to Rs 4,000 crore equity capital by various means including public issue. The decision was taken at the bank's board meeting held Tuesday. "The board of directors of the bank in its meeting held on date, inter alia, approved for raising equity capital of the bank by an amount aggregating up to Rs 4,000 crore including premium by way of issue, offer and allotment of new equity shares of the bank either by way of public issue, rights issue, qualified institutions placements (QIPs) or in combination thereof in one or more tranches," Allahabad Bank said in a regulatory filing. Shares of Allahabad Bank closed 2.66 per cent down at Rs 51.20 on the BSE. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A fresh case of an underage Hindu girl being abducted in Pakistan's Sindh province has come to the fore, even as uproar continued over the alleged kidnapping, forcible conversion and marriages of two teenage girls from the minority community. According to a handout issued by the Sindh Information Department, Minorities Affairs Minister Hari Ram Kishori Lal took note of a that went viral on social media regarding the abduction of a 16-year-old Hindu girl, who belongs to the Meghwar community, from Tando Bagho in Badin district. The victim's father has approached SSP Badin, Sardar Hassan Niazi, to register a case against suspects. It was, however, not clear when the girl was abducted. Lal has directed authorities to register an FIR of the abduction and provide protection to the girl's family. He said that the marriage of underage girls is banned in Sindh under the Sindh Child Marriages Restraint Act 2013, adding that it was a criminal act to marry a girl who was below the age of 18 years. Lal said that the Act is being strictly implemented in Sindh. The minister said that his government was doing everything to protect underage Hindu girls. He said the Sindh government is working to establish the Sindh Minorities Protection Commission and its draft has been approved by the chief minister two days ago. The fresh case of kidnapping comes amidst nationwide outrage over abduction, forced conversion and marriages of two underage Hindi girls in Ghotki district in Sindh. The two girls, Raveena (13) and Reena (15), were allegedly kidnapped by a group of "influential" men from their home on the eve of Holi. Soon after the kidnapping, a video went viral in which a cleric was purportedly shown soleminising the Nikah (marriage) of the two girls, triggering a nationwide outrage. A war of words broke out between India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistan's Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry over the reported abduction, forced conversion and underage marriages of the two Hindu teenagers. The spat started on Sunday soon after Swaraj sought details from the Indian envoy in Pakistan into the reported abduction of two Hindu teenaged girls. Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered the provincial governments of Sindh and Punjab to take action on the incident. The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday ordered official protection for the two girls due to concern about their safety as authorities widened a probe to ascertain if the teenage sisters were abducted, forcibly converted and married. Police has arrested the cleric who solemnised the wedding and six others for their alleged involvement in the girls' forceful conversion to Islam. Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan. According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. Majority of Pakistan's Hindu population is settled in Sindh province. According to media reports, approximately 25 forced marriages take place every month only in Umerkot district in Sindh province. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) British-Pakistani actor Art Malik has been roped in to play one of the lead characters in Hannah Simone's upcoming ABC comedy pilot. Malik will play Simone's father in the single-camera-comedy, reported Variety, In the project, Hannah (Simone) and her Indian-American immigrant father Sid (Malik) have always been close, but after she admits to herself that she is in a dead-end job and he reveals his marriage is over, they are starting over together and each finding a new path. This new beginning will either bring them close or make them crazy. Malik's character has been described as a newly retired and a once-adventurous man who has fallen into a routine. But he is still enthusiastic and gung-ho for all things American and fond of Western wear. The show also features Jane Leeves, Alanna Ubach, Deniz Akdeniz, Liza Treyger, and Hank Chen. Todd Holland will direct and executive produce the pilot. Along with Simone, Matt Fusfeld and Alex Cuthbertson will also write and executive produce the show. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jailed self-styled godman Asaram Tuesday withdrew a plea for bail and suspension of sentence awarded to him for raping a girl in his ashram in 2013. The application was withdrawn after a division bench comprising Justices Sandeep Mehta and Vineet Kumar Mathur told the defence counsel to proceed with arguments or "the court would pass an order accordingly". Seeing the stand of the court, his counsel decided to withdraw the application with a prayer of 'not press' and the court dismissed the petition," said Prosecution Counsel P C Solanki. We have withdrawn the application for suspension of sentence and will proceed with the arguments on an appeal against the sentence," a defence counsel said. The appeal will be heard after four weeks. Last month, Asaram had sought interim bail to attend to his ailing wife Laxmi Devi, but the court rejected the plea. A Jodhpur court had convicted Asaram and two of his associates in a 2013 rape case. He is currently serving a life term sentence in the Jodhpur central jail. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An aspiring Congress candidate Tuesday alleged that her name figured in the AICC approved list of nominees for assembly election in Arunachal Pradesh, but she failed to submit nomination as the state leadership did not provide her required documents. Marina Kenlang claimed that state party president Takam Sanjoy refused to provide her two papers - Form A and Form B - which a candidate need to prove that he or she is indeed nominated by a political party. As a result, she could not file her nomination for Changlang North assembly constituency on Monday, the last date of submitting papers, Kenlang said. Sanjoy, however, said Kenlang's name was there in the initial list released by the AICC on Saturday but it was later changed and Tingkhap Taiju replaced her in the "final list". Taiju filed his papers for the constituency Monday. Kenlang claimed, "There were two contenders for Changlang North and my name was on top. During his recent visit to Itanagar, AICC president Rahul Gandhi had asked Sanjoy to support my candidature. However, instead of finalising my name, Sanjoy issued the ticket in favour of Taiju for reasons best known to him." She said she would support the party and its candidate and all she wants is justice and a proper explanation. Sanjoy said he followed the list finalised by the AICC. "I cannot issue forms to two candidates. The initial list released by the AICC was corrected later and her name was replaced by Taiju's. Such decisions are made in Delhi, not here," he added. A senior party leader on condition of anonymity said her name was replaced following receipt of reports from block and Changlang district committees, which said her support base is not much strong. "She was not in a position to fight the sitting MLA Tesam Pongte of the BJP. However, the other candidate who had filed his nomination will give a tough fight to the BJP nominee," the leader added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Australia's prime minister on Tuesday expressed concern over a media report that an influential minor political party had asked the U.S. gun lobby for donations to help undermine Australian gun laws. An Al Jazeera documentary showed One Nation party officials Steve Dickson and James Ashby flew to the United States for meetings with the National Rifle Association and other pro-gun interests in September last year weeks before the Australian Parliament banned foreign political donations. It is unclear whether they secured any money. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his government had made laws to "criminalize taking foreign political donations so foreign lobbyists cannot seek to influence our " "Reports that senior One Nation officials courted foreign political donations from the US gun lobby to influence our elections & undermine our gun laws that keep us safe are deeply concerning," Morrison tweeted. The Al Jazeera documentary, using secret recordings made by a journalist posing as gun lobbyist Rodger Muller with a hidden camera, comes ahead of elections expected in May. One Nation, an anti-Muslim party that had four senators after 2016 election but has been left with two after defections, said in a statement that all party members "have always complied with the law." One Nation also suggested the Qatar-owned Al Jazeera had breached new laws that prohibit covert foreign interference in Australian The party said it had had complained to Australia's main domestic security agency and police "due to concerns of foreign interference into Australian in the lead up to the imminent federal election." "Al Jazeera are a state owned propaganda arm of the Qatari government that supports Islamic extremist groups and are not a legitimate media organization," the statement said. "One Nation was invited by Rodger Muller, who has now been outed as a foreign agent working for Al Jazeera to meet with the NRA, American business leaders and attend the Congressional Sportsmen's Dinner" in Washington, the statement said. The NRA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Ashby, who is party leader Pauline Hanson's chief of staff, is recorded saying that the party would "own" both the Australian Senate and House of Representatives with a $20 million donation from the U.S. gun lobby. This means the party would hold the balance of power in both chambers and influence a government's legislative agenda. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Austrian investigators have raided the apartment of a far-right group leader over possible links to the man behind deadly attacks on two mosques in New Zealand, officials said Tuesday. Martin Sellner of the Identitarian Movement Austria (IBOe) said in a video uploaded online late Monday that he had received a donation, possibly from Christchurch gunman Brenton Tarrant. But he denied having any connection to the March 15 assault, which claimed 50 lives, and instead blamed Tarrant for seeking to involve him by making the donation. "I have nothing to do with this terror attack," Sellner said in the video, adding his group's was a peaceful anti-immigration movement. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who governs Austria in a coalition with a far-right party, on Tuesday called for a "complete and unsparing" investigation of any links. Sellner said he had had no contact with Tarrant, but had found an email with a "disproportionally large" donation with the name "Tarrant" in the email address. Sellner said he had sent a "thank you" reply prior to the New Zealand attack as he did with other donation emails. The far-right leader added that authorities had seized his computer and phone during Monday's raid on his apartment in Vienna. The prosecutor's office in the southern city of Graz said authorities had noticed the suspicious email address while probing the donation of around 1,500 euros ($1,700), which exceeded the usual sums given to IBOe. Officials confirmed last week that Tarrant, who travelled extensively in Europe, also visited Austria. According to media reports, he arrived in Vienna on November 26 and visited several other places within Austria, including Salzburg and Innsbruck. The 28-year-old was arrested minutes after the attack on the mosques and has been charged with murder. The Australian white supremacist streamed his shooting rampage online. Last March, Sellner was prevented from entering the UK, with authorities saying his presence would not have been "conducive to the public good". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nirmohi Akhara, one of the original litigants in the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case, has requested the Supreme Court to consider moving the mediation panel proceedings from Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh to New Delhi or some other "neutral place" due to the sensitive nature of the issue. It has also said that an amicable resolution would be possible only through "direct dialogue" between the UP Sunni Wakf Board and the Nirmohi Akhara. Besides, it has further requested that two more retired judges of the apex court be appointed to the mediation panel which is exploring the possibility of an amicable settlement of the land dispute. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had on March 8 referred the land dispute case for mediation by a panel headed by former apex court judge F M I Kalifulla for exploring possibility of an amicable settlement. The bench had said that spiritual guru and founder of Art of Living foundation Sri Sri Ravishankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu, a renowned mediator, will be the other two members of the panel of mediators and the proceedings will be held at Faizabad. In its application dated March 25, 2019, Nirmohi Akhara has said that the original parties claiming title -- The Panch Ramanandi Nirmohi Akhara Ayodhya and The UP Sunni Central Waqf Board -- can be encouraged to have a dialogue under the aegis of the panel of mediators without requiring them to give proposals in writing. Further, the application said: "Due to the sensitive nature of the issue, and other local pressures, this court may consider moving out the mediation proceedings from Faizabad to New Delhi or some other neutral place where adequate and genuine security could be provided to the concerned parties and their representatives to enable them to participate in the proceedings without any threat, persuasion or hindrance." It said Nirmohi Akhara had participated in proceedings before the mediation panel on March 13 but "the proceedings left a lot to be desired". The application said the proceedings before the mediation panel are scheduled for March 27-29. It also said that interest of deity Lord Ram Lalla as well as Ram Janmabhoomi "was and continued to be looked after to the best of the ability" by Nirmohi Akhara and they have not denied the right to worship to any devotee there. It said Nirmohi Akhara had welcomed the apex court's suggestion for mediation. "It is, however, submitted that any amicable resolution would be possible only if there is a direct dialogue between the UP Sunni Central Wakf Board and the Panch Ramanandi Nirmohi Akhara Ayodhya, who claim title to the properties, while keeping the faith and aspirations of all devotees," the application said. The top court in March 8 order said that the mediation process would commence within a week and the panel would submit the progress report within four weeks. It said that mediation proceedings, which would be held "in-camera", be completed within eight weeks -- the interregnum period granted earlier by the apex court to the parties in the main Ayodhya case to go through translations of oral and documentary evidences related to the case. The court was earlier told by Hindu bodies, except for Nirmohi Akhara, and the Uttar Pradesh government that they oppose the court's suggestion for mediation. The Muslim bodies had however supported the proposal. The top court had also directed that the mediation proceedings should be conducted with "utmost confidentiality" for ensuring its success and the views expressed by any of the parties including the mediators should be kept confidential and not be revealed to any other person. Fourteen appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among the three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. On December 6, 1992, the Babri Masjid, constructed at the disputed site in the 16th century by Shia Muslim Mir Baqi, was demolished. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, support of whose three MLAs is crucial for the stability of BJP-led dispensation in Goa, Tuesday said a "conspiracy" was being hatched by "our rivals" that might force it to move out and align with the Congress to form a new government. The party has three MLAs in the 40-Member Goa Assembly and its senior leader and Marcaim legislator Sudin Dhavalikar is the deputy chief minister in the Pramod Sawant government. Speaking to PTI, MGP president Dipak Dhavalikar alleged one of his party's officer-bearers was "made to issue a letter" to the governor and speaker declaring authority over entire legislative affairs of the outfit. Dhavalikar said the MGP central committee would meet Wednesday to chalk out its future course of action, which, he claimed, can decide the fate of the state government. "There is a larger conspiracy under which one of our senior officer bearers, general secretary Lavoo Mamlatdar, was made to issue a letter to the governor and speaker, in which he stated that he was taking over the entire authority on legislative affairs of the party," Dhavalikar said. He said his party was the state's oldest regional outfit but some sections were opposed to its growth. Mamlatdar had last week written a letter to the governor and Assembly speaker stating he was the sole authority in the MGP to communicate party decisions to them. Following the letter, the MGP had expelled Mamlatdar. Talking about Wednesday's party meeting to discuss this issue, Dhavalikar said, "We might take certain resolutions in the central committee meeting which can have bearing on the stability of the government led by Pramod Sawant." He alleged moves were afoot by his rivals to wean away MGP MLAs Manohar Ajgaonkar and Dipak Pawaskar, and in the process isolate Deputy Chief Minister Sudin Dhavalikar. "Any attempt to disturb our MLAs will be viewed seriously and we won't mind pulling out of the government," he said. On being queried about whether the option of the aligning with the opposition Congress was open to the MGP, Dhavalikar replied in the affirmative. After the demise of Manohar Parrikar, BJP's Pramod Sawant took over as Chief Minister. He heads a coalition government comprising the MGP, the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and three Independent MLAs Sawant faced vote of confidence during which his government garnered the support of 20 MLAs: 11 from the BJP, three each from MGP and GFP, three independents. Fifteen MLAs -- 14 from congress and one from NCP -- voted against his government. The support of three MGP MLAs is crucial as without them the strength of the coalition government will reduce to 17 in the house. The magic figure in the 40-member assembly, the strength of which has been reduced to 36 following resignations of two MLAs and demise of two including Parrikar, is 18 as of now. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP Tuesday criticised National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah for praising Pakistan's decision to open the Sharda Peeth, situated in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, to pilgrims and said the region is under illegal occupation of the neighbouring country and India will take it back. It also condemned human rights violations of minorities in Pakistan and said the United Nations should take note of the forcible conversion of two minor Hindu girls and take strong action against the country. "Omar is lavishing praises on Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for his decision to open Sharda Peeth which is located in PoK. The PoK is not a part of Pakistan but an integral part of India like the entire Jammu and Kashmir. "PoK is under illegal occupation of Pakistan and we will take it back and will construct a temple and a mutt there. The leaders dancing on the tune of Pakistan should be ashamed," BJP state president Ravinder Raina told reporters here. Earlier in the day, Abdullah tweeted, "After the welcome announcement to open the Sharda Peeth corridor to religious pilgrims by @ImranKhanPTI, we hope the government in Pakistan will only announce the Kargil-Skardu road as also other routes to facilitate greater people to people contact." "It's good to see @ImranKhanPTI take decisions that have been held up for years. Allowing greater people to people contact & opening routes to religious pilgrims are always welcome developments that help to ease tensions," he added. Asserting that the BJP government will wipe out terrorism and separatism from Jammu and Kashmir, Raina accused the NC and PDP of "hiding in holes" when Kashmiris are killed by Pakistani terrorists. "Pakistan is a land of terrorists, oppressors, sinners and criminals and it will face the music if it does not behave well," he said. On reports that two Hindu Pakistani girls were kidnapped and married to Muslim men in that country on March 20, Raina said it is a fact that minorities are facing oppression there. "The UN should intervene and impose economic sanctions on the country," he demanded. On the "pro-Pakistan" statement of senior NC leader and its candidate from Baramulla Lok Sabha seat, AkbarLone, the BJP leader said his remarks are condemnable and he should be ousted from the party. "The NC is a registered political party and it should immediately take action against Lone. If it fails, people will understand that what he had said is at the behest of the party leadership," he said. "We have written to the election commission for rejecting his nomination. If NC does not expel him from the party and does not tender an apology, it should be disbanded," he said. Lone had on Saturday allegedly raised pro-Pakistan slogans at a rally in Kupwara district and called Pakistan "his Muslim nation on the other side". He also allegedly threatened to abuse anyone who abuses Pakistan. Raina alleged that leaders of Congress, NC and PDP live in India but their hearts beat for Pakistan. "Their leaders are praising Pakistan, visiting the graveyards to shed tears on the bodies of terrorists and the Congress has stitched an alliance with these parties. This shows their alliance is identical to that of terrorist organisations -- Hizbul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashker-e-Toiba," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Altogether 60 candidates have filed papers for five Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam for the second phase of Lok Sabha polls in the state, with the BJP and the Congress emerging as the major contenders in at least four of the seats. Tuesday was the last date for the filing of nomination for the second phase of election, scheduled on April 18. Among the five seats, Karimganj (SC) registered maximum number of nominees at 19, followed by Silchar with 14 candidates, an election office spokesperson said. The other three constituencies that will go to polls on April 18 are Autonomous District (ST), Mangaldai and Nowgong. In Karimganj (SC) parliamentary constituency, the major players are sitting MP of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Radheshyam Biswas, BJP's Kripanath Malla and Congress candidate Swarup Das, poll analysts said. In Silchar, BJP's Rajdeep Roy is set to pose a tough challenge to sitting Congress MP Sushmita Dev, they said. The candidates of the two national parties are prime contenders for Mangaldoi, Autonomous (ST) District and Nowgong seats too. While Congress MP Bhubaneswar Kalita will lock horns with BJP's Dilip Saikia at Mangaldoi, the grand old party's minister, Pradyut Bordoloi, will put up a tough fight against Rupak Sarma of the saffron party, the analysts added. In the Autonomous (ST) District, six candidates have filed their nominations, with the prominent ones being sitting Congress MP Biren Singh Engti and BJP nominee Horen Singh Bey. The scrutiny of papers will be held on March 27 and the last date for withdrawal of nomination is March 29. A total 6836,496 electorates, comprising 3521,244 males and 3315,071 females and 181 members of the third gender, will exercise their franchise in 8,992 polling stations of the state in the second phase. For the first phase, scheduled to held on April 11, 45 candidates have filed their nomination papers for another five parliamentary constituencies Tezpur, Kaliabor, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur. The filing of nominations for the remaining four constituencies of Dhubri, Barpeta, Kokrajhar(ST) and Gauhati will commence on March 28. Elections to 14 lok sabha constituencies in Assam will be held in three phases April 11, 18 and 23. In 2014, the BJP had won seven Lok Sabha seats in the state, followed by the Congress and the AIUDF with three seats each, and an independent candidate won one seat. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a surprise move, the on Tuesday fielded party's youth wing leader Tejaswi Surya from its bastion of Bangalore South from where the widow of union minister Ananth Kumar, a six-time MP from this prestigious Lok Sabha constituency, was denied the ticket. Ending the suspense with just hours left for the deadline for filing of nominations for the first phase of polls in Karnataka, the central leadership announced past midnight last night the name of 28-year-old Surya, a lawyer and a member of the party's national social media campaign team. Surya, also the general secretary of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP, is from the RSS stable. It was widely expected that the would field Tejaswini given her active participation in scripting her husband's victories from the seat six times, but Surya emerged as the dark horse. Surya filed his nomination papers Tuesday. The Karnataka BJP had proposed only Tejaswini's name, according to state unit BJP president B S Yeddyurappa. Tejaswini was also confident about fighting the poll on BJP ticket and had been preparing for it and had started a door-to-door campaign. She said the party decision came as a shock to her and all of her supporters but maintained that it is very important to show that the BJP was a party with a difference. "OMG OMG!!! I can't believe this. PM of world's largest democracy & President of largest political party have reposed faith in a 28 yr old guy to represent them in a constituency as prestigious as B'lore South. This can happen only in my BJP," Surya tweeted, reacting to the announcement. "Tejaswini ji has given her blessings". Surya Tuesday filed his nominations amid an undercurrent of disappointment among followers of over denial of the ticket to Tejaswini. He was accompanied only by one BJP MLA Uday Garudachar and Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar during filing of nominations, with other lawmakers from Bangalore South conspicuous by their absence. "We had sent only one name. It was changed in Delhi," said Yeddyurappa. State senior BJP leader R Ashoka said, "The only name our Karnataka core committee sent to the high command was of Tejaswini but the central leaders denied her a ticket. I don't know why they changed our decision." Ashok, however, added, "Yeddyurappa, myself and the party workers will abide by the decision and work for our victory. Bengaluru has several leaders. Bengaluru is our bastion," Ashoka said, seeking to downplay the absence of party MLAs. As the name surfaced in the eleventh hour, Surya called on Tejaswini and sought her blessings. However, he was greeted with sloganeering by the supporters of Ananth Kumar, who protested against denial of ticket to his wife. The reason behind projecting Surya, said BJP sources, was to build a second line of young and talented leaders who can lead the party. Counted for his oratorical skills, Surya was involved in strengthening the party base in the city as well as in coastal Karnataka, especially around Mangaluru and Udupi, the BJP strongholds. The party apparently plumped for Surya who is from the RSS stable. Besides being a part of the BJP social media campaign team, he heads the the party's state IT cell. A BJP veteran, Ananth Kumar, who died last year after battling cancer, represented Bangalore South for six terms and had defeated IT czar Nandan Nilekani in the 2014 polls. It's Tejaswi and not Tejaswini!" the Twitterati reacted, as the BJP central leadership sprang a surprise for the Bangalore South seat. Following the denial of ticket to Tejaswini, her loyalists made a bee-line to her house. A group of her supporters shouted slogans, saying she should have been given the ticket. Tejaswini,however, insisted that she remained loyal to party and she accepted their decision to ensure 'NaMo Again'. "I urge all the BJP karyakartas, friends and well wishers who are anxious and upset & still visiting our house in large numbers, time to show we are a party with a difference. We are all committed to tread the path of ideology. And work for #NamoAgain2019," she said in a tweet. Later talking to reporters here, she said there can be some sense of dissatisfaction because things did not happen according to one's beliefs. "It is but natural. But above all is the decision of the party...I have been telling my party workers, whatever the party has decided will remain binding on me. Nation first, party next and my interests come last," she added. Tejaswini, an aerospace engineer, runs an NGO Adamya Chetana in memory of her mother-in-law Girija Shastry, a staunch RSS loyalist, who was active in politics as the member of Bharatiya Jan Sangh, the earlier avatar of BJP. Active in public life through the NGO, Tejaswini had worked as a scientist at Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) between 1993-1997 and also on the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA - Tejas) project. During her student days, she was very active in Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), and has also served as its state Joint Secretary and the National executive member. Highly politically conscious Bangalore South has remained an anti- pocket since 1977, barring once when former late chief minister and a stalwart R Gundu Rao won the 1989 polls. Bangalore South has eight assembly segments, with BJP holding five and three after the 2018 assembly polls in Karnataka. True to its cosmopolitan nature, the constituency has considerable share of Brahmin, Vokkaliga and Muslim voters and a mix of upper and middle class voters. The constituency was under the hold of the erstwhile Janata Party after the 1977, 1980 and 1984 general elections and from 1991-2014 in successive parliamentary polls the BJP has maintained its grip, mostly with Ananth Kumar, who first got elected to the Lok Sabha in 1996. In a state where political parties have traditionally refrained from fielding bahubalis, 33-year-old BJP candidate from West Bengal's Coochbehar Lok Sabha seat, Nisith Pramanik, stands out with the dubious distinction of as many as 11 criminal cases against him. According to a mandatory affidavit filed by Pramanik along with his nomination papers, he declared he has 11 cases pending against him, his first brush with the law being in 2009. Pramanik, who joined the saffron party on February 28, was earlier with the Trinamool Congress before being expelled for alleged anti-party activities. Though West Bengal has a history of poll-related violence, political parties in the state have generally kept bahubalis (musclemen) away from public glare to go along with the Bengali 'bhadralok' image of the educated middle-class. The latest criminal case filed against the BJP candidate was on March 16 at Dinhata police station in Coochbehar district for cheating and criminal breach of trust. A resident of Dinhata town near the Bangladesh border in North Bengal, Pramanik has a murder charge pending against him in a case registered there in April 2018. He has also been accused of rioting on two occasions and attempt to murder. A day before he joined the saffron party, a criminal case was filed against Pramanik on February 27, accusing him of making preparation for dacoity and possessing illegal arms. Rabindranath Ghosh, Trinamool Congress' Coochbehar district president and a minister in the Mamata Banerjee cabinet, said, "The BJP has picked up someone who was thrown out by my party for indulging in criminal activities." Pramanik, who faced opposition from a section of BJP workers in the constituency following his nomination on the ground that he is an outsider, however, claimed that the charges were false and "the people of Coochbehar will give the answer to the accusations against me in the EVMs". In his affidavit, the BJP candidate also said he has been accused under the Explosives Act and even booked for outraging the modesty of a woman. Pramanik, who has cleared the state's secondary level examination, is a businessman by profession, and said in the affidavit that he has Rs 2.25 lakh cash in hand. He has movable and immovable assets of Rs 41.94 lakh and Rs 43 lakh, respectively. Ghosh said he has written to the Election Commission, seeking Pramanik's arrest on the basis of the several criminal charges against him, claiming he would be a threat to holding peaceful elections in the Coochbehar constituency. BJP's state-in-charge Kailash Vijayvargiya said the party is not worried about the allegations against Pramanik. "TMC goes on making such accusations, neither we are perturbed by it, nor is our candidate," he said. Meanwhile, TMC candidate for Coochbehar, Paresh Chandra Adhikary, said in his affidavit that he has no criminal case pending against him. Adhikary, a four-time MLA of the All India Forward Bloc, a constituent of the Left Front in the state, joined the Trinamool Congress in August 2018. He won the Mekhliganj assembly seat in Coochbehar in 1991, 2001, 2006 and 2011 and was the state's food minister in the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee cabinet from 2006 to 2011. Adhikary, 66, who has cleared the higher secondary examination, is a pensioner having Rs 4.21 lakh cash in hand, according to the affidavit filed by him along with the nomination papers. He has immovable assets of current market value of Rs 1.48 crore and movable assets worth Rs 1.18 crore. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP hopes to perform better in Jammu and Kashmir in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls than it did in the 2014 parliamentary elections, party's national general secretary Ram Madhav said here on Tuesday. He exuded confidence that the BJP will win all the three seats in Jammu and Ladakh. The BJP is hopeful of getting a result better than what it got in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in Jammu and Kashmir, Madhav told reporters after a meeting with senior party leaders, including party candidates from the three seats in the valley, during which election preparations were reviewed. He hit out at the National Conference-Congress alliance in the state and dubbed its seat-sharing pact as a "drama". "This drama that is going on that they are in alliance in Jammu, but fighting in Kashmir. They are trying various types of exercises against Modi and the BJP, let them do it. We will win two seats in Jammu and one in Ladakh and will try our best in Kashmir so that our candidates go forward," he said. "We want that all the valley seats should go to those who stand for unity of the country," he said, adding that those politicians who indulge in doublespeak should be kept away. "People have seen what statements are given here... The whole country knows which party has what agenda. The people of Kashmir know as well and they will understand it," the BJP leader said. On reports that Pakistan will allow a corridor for Sharda Peeth pilgrimage in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Madhav said the Centre would take a decision on that "but terrorism is the biggest challenge". "All other issues will be resolved once the issue of terrorism is tackled," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday described LK Advani as one of the pillars of the BJP and said leaving him out of its candidates list is an insult to the veteran leader. Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said political parties should not ignore their senior leaders. "(Atal Bihari) Vajpayee-ji, Advani-ji were the pillars of the BJP. Advani-ji is a senior man. And now how he has been left out. This is of course an insult to Advani-ji," she told reporters at the state secretariat. The BJP fielded party president Amit Shah from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat and dropped Advani, now 91, who had won six times from that seat in the past. "I'm feeling sad for him (Advani). This may be his last chance. Advani-ji was actually their mentor. But when there is no need, they (senior leaders) are forgotten. But old is always gold. This is my personal feeling," she said. The chief minister said she might talk to Advani to convey her feelings. Banerjee said she is also feeling sad as the widow of Union minister Ananth Kumar was left out by the BJP from contesting the prestigious Bengaluru South Lok Sabha seat. "I worked under Advani-ji and Vajpayee-ji when I was in the NDA. I worked with Anant Kumar-ji when I was a central minister. This is my personal feeling," she said. "We have to give the youth, women and (people from) all the castes and communities (chances). But senior leaders cannot be ignored," Banerjee said. She mentioned that elderly leaders such as former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) veteran HD Deve Gowda and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah are contesting the elections. About the release of the prime minister's biopic "PM Narendra Modi" just before the polls, Banerjee said she has nothing to say if someone wants to make a film "in his own favour", but if it is released before the elections, the motive is very clear. The chief minister refused to take questions on reports that Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee's wife was found carrying two kg gold by customs authorities at the city airport recently. "I think I am not concerned with it," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A BJP leader was assaulted by unidentified persons in in Arunachal Pradesh's West Siang district, police said Tuesday. The BJP mandal president of Liromoba constituency Bajom Bogo, was assaulted by a group of unidentified men in Aalo, the district headquarters town on Monday, Superintendent of Police, P Mari Riba said. A group of around 40 unidentified youths attacked Bogo at around 6 pm on Monday, the SP said, adding an FIR has been lodged at the Aalo police station. "It is an offence and has to be dealt with strictly," the SP added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Last year, tribal leader Rajendra Gavit crossed over to the BJP from the Congress and won the Palghar Lok Sabha seat in a bypoll, and Tuesday he joined its ally Shiv Sena which nominated him from the same constituency. As part of the pre-poll alliance between the BJP and the Sena, the Palghar seat adjoining Mumbai has fallen in the latter's kitty. However, apparently unable to find a strong candidate in its ranks, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party has now got the BJP MP to fight the April 29 polls at its official candidate from the seat reserved for Scheduled Tribes. The Palghar Lok Sabha seat fell vacant last year following the death of sitting BJP MP Chintaman Wanga. In the bypoll, the BJP and the Sena, though allies in Maharashtra and at the Centre, fought against each other. The BJP had fielded Gavit, while the Sena gave ticket to Chintaman Wanga's son Sriniwas Wanga, who lost. "In the seat-sharing pact, the Sena has received the Palghar seat. During the previous bypoll, I had publicly announced that I want Sriniwas Wanga to go to Parliament and I am firm on my commitment," Sena president Uddhav Thackeray told reporters after Gavit's induction in the party. Thackeray said in the past few months, Wanga has taken a stock of the Palghar constituency and is of the view that he should first work there as a member of the Legislative Assembly and later as an MP. "I have given my word to him to send him to Parliament. However, since he wants to work as an MLA first, I will send him to the state legislature," he said. Thackeray said Gavit has worked in the constituency in the past 8-9 months and therefore, instead of giving the ticket to somebody else, he found it appropriate to induct him into the Sena and field him from Palghar. He said the Sena will field Narendra Patil, a labour leader, from the Satara Lok Sabha seat in western Maharashtra. With this, the Sena has declared the names of candidates for all the 23 Lok Sabha seats that it is contesting in Maharashtra. Opposition NCP took a dig at Thackeray over the candidature of Gavit. "By snatching Sriniwas Wanga from the BJP and making him fight the Palghar bypoll (last year) and now denying him a ticket shows how Sena president Uddhav Thackeray takes care of children of other politicians," NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP's Tejaswi Surya Tuesday filed his nomination for Bengaluru south constituency, as his choice took the party state unit by surprise with the widow of union minister Ananth Kumar being denied the ticket. The party sprang a surprise by giving the ticket to 28-year-old Surya, an advocate and the Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha general secretary, belying expectations that Tejaswini Ananth Kumar would be its choice for the constituency that her husband represented six times. As Surya filed the nominations to take on senior Congress leader B K Hari Prasad, he was accompanied only by one MLA Uday Garudachar and Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar, with other lawmakers from Bangalore South conspicuous by their absence. The announcement of Surya's name in the wee hours of Tuesday surprised the state leadership itself as the Karnataka unit had recommended only the name of Tejaswini Ananth Kumar. "We had sent only one name. It was changed in Delhi," said state BJP president B S Yeddyurappa. State senior BJP leader R Ashoka said "The only name our Karnataka core committee sent to the high command was of Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, but the central leaders denied her a ticket. I don't know why they changed our decision. State president B S Yeddyurappa, myself and the party workers will abide by the decision and work for our victory," said Ashok." As the name surfaced in the eleventh hour, Surya called on Tejaswini Ananth Kumar and sought her blessings. However, he was greeted with sloganeering by supporters of Ananth Kumar, who protested against denial of ticket to his wife. Asked about the absence of MLAs from Bangalore South during the filing of nominations by Surya, Ashoka said he was in Bangalore rural constituency on a programme fixed earlier to be with the party candidate while submitting papers. "Bengaluru has several leaders. Bengaluru is our bastion," he said, seeking to downplay the absence of party MLAs. Tejaswini Ananth Kumar accepted the party decision, but did not turn up when the BJP candidate filed the nominations. Vijayapura BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal indicated his dissatisfaction over the party's decision. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said, "I will not go into it because the party has taken a decision. I don't know how the decision was arrived at. People today are voting, keeping Modi in their mind. In many places, suchcandidates have been fielded that people will not like to vote. People are voting for the BJP because there are many anti-national activities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior BJP leader and Union minister Vijay Goel will interact with youngsters near Delhi University on Wednesday, seeking their support to re-elect BJP in the coming Lok Sabha polls. Goel accompanied by his supporters will meet youths at Vishwavidyalay metro station near the varsity, said a statement from his office. "Crores of youth benefitted by initiatives taken by Modi government," he said, adding that it is fully committed to meet the aspirations of the youth power of the country. He would also meet and interact with women, senior citizens and other sections of the society in the coming weeks to inform them about "successful" initiatives of the Modi government that benefit them directly, said the statement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former BJP president and Lok Sabha MP has been asked by his party to not contest the coming general election, a development in line with its decision to not field many of its veterans, including its founding member and longest serving chief L K Advani, in the polls. Joshi's office confirmed the development. It said Joshi has issued a brief statement for voters in Kanpur, from where the 85-year-old leader had won in 2014. The statement said BJP general secretary (organisation) Ram Lal, a Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) appointee, had conveyed Joshi the party leadership's decision that he should not be contesting the elections. He had vacated Varanasi seat, which he had won in 2009, for Prime Minister in 2014. It, however, remains to be seen if the former Union minister, who along with former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Advani, was seen as BJP's face for more than two decades, will reconcile to the decision or not. Joshi heads Parliament's Estimates Committee and some of its observations, including on jobs, the GDP and non-performing assets, embarrassed the government. BJP leaders said the party has taken a "principled decision" that veterans should make the way for younger leaders. The BJP has also not given tickets to likes of B C Khanduri, Kariya Munda, Kalraj Mishra, Bijoya Chakravarty - all many term MPs and over 80 years of age - besides Advani (91). BJP candidate from Patna Sahib, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who is the BJP nominee from Patna Sahib was on Tuesday shown black flags by alleged supporters of another party leader on his first visit to the city after being announced candidate for the seat. Prasad was shown black flags by alleged supporters of R K Sinha, a Rajya Sabha member, who was hopeful of a ticket for the seat. It lead to a clash with the party workers who had gathered at the airport to welcome the union minister. The two groups shoved each other and exchanged blows and were quelled by security personnel deployed at the airport. It was not known if any of them were detained. The state unit of BJP in a statement later in the day asserted that the protesters had "no past or present relation" with the party and expressed suspicion that they were "hooligans" sent by "vested interest groups in the rival camp" to provoke the party workers who were in a "festive mood". The Patna Sahib seat is currently held by dissident MP Shatrughan Sinha, who has often openly crticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. An embarrassed Prasad before leaving the airport told the waiting newsmen, "I thank my party for considering me for this great responsibility. I will give my best shot. The BJPs commitment to nationalism and good governance will help Narendra Modi return to power". R K Sinha is the founder of SIS, which is said to be the largest private security provider in the country. He is claimed to be immensely popular among the Kayastha community to which Prasad and Shatrughan Sinha too belong. An office-bearer of the Akhil Bharatiya Kayastha Mahasabha had recently issued a statement stating that the community, which has remained steadfastly with the BJP post-Mandal Commission, would not vote for Prasad and that only R K Sinha was acceptable to it as a candidate. Shatrughan Sinha, who is completing his second consecutive Lok Sabha term, is expected to be fielded as a candidate of the opposition Mahagathbandhan comprising RJD, Congress and other smaller parties from the seat after being inducted into Congress. The Bihar BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand in a statement said We condemn this attempt to create chaos and pandemonium during the welcome of our union minister by some hooligans. These people have no past or present relationship with BJP and it seems that some groups with vested interests in rival political camp had tried to cause disruption by provoking festive party workers. Let them be sure that Ravi Shankar Prasad is going to win the election with a record margin while his rival Shatughan Sinha will be made politically khamosh(silent), he said using the Bollywood actors stock-in-trade expression. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Public sector lender Tuesday said it will develop an agri-digital platform called 'Baroda Kisan' in order to provide solutions for all major agricultural requirements. Six companies -- Skymet Weather Services, Weather Risk Management Services, BigHaat, Agrostar India, EM3 Agri Services and Poorti Agri Services -- have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the bank for this project, it said. In a statement, the bank further said the agri-digital platform will be executed by IT Centre of Excellence (ITCoE) of in partnership with IBM India. The digital platform will give an holistic approach towards solving agricultural plights by means of providing reliable and customised information, inputs for use, convenience of renting farm equipment and market linkage for sale of agri-produces, it said. "Digitization of agri services will have a huge impact on the Indian economy and this collaboration is an effort towards keeping up with the use of technology in the field of agriculture," Managing Director and CEO said. Farmers are an integral part of India, and 'Baroda Kisan' is a dedicated platform created to ease their requirements, he added. Boeing has flown test flights of its 737 MAX to evaluate a fix for the system targeted as a potential cause of two deadly plane crashes, two sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday. The aviation giant, which has been under fire and its flagship narrow-body planes grounded since March 13, tested the system upgrade on Monday, two days after pilots from American Airlines did simulation flights in Renton, Washington, the sources said. Boeing needs authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration before the MAX can return to service. But the company still has not submitted its proposed software patch to the FAA, a government source told AFP. The aircraft was grounded following two deadly accidents involving Ethiopian Airlines earlier this month and Lion Air in October which killed 346 people. Engineers have been focusing on addressing problems with the MCAS system, a stall prevention system designed to point the nose of the 737 MAX 8 downward if it is in danger of stalling, or losing lift. The system has been criticized since it can malfunction, and make it difficult for pilots to control the aircraft. Both of the recent crashes occurred moments after takeoff. The MCAS, or Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, was installed in the MAX because they are heavier than in the previous version of the 737. A Boeing spokesperson declined to comment, but said the company is in regular contact with regulators. Boeing remains under intense pressure following the two crashes, which will be the subject of a Senate hearing Wednesday. Top US transportation officials are expected to face questions from lawmakers on the FAA's certification of the 737 MAX and whether regulators have become too cozy with the company, and fast-tracked some approvals. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BSP state general secretary A S Mottan and 16 others, including retired officers, sarpanches and social activists, joined the Congress here Tuesday in the presence of Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief and former tourism minister Gulam Ahmed Mir. Mottan was accompanied by his supporters, who joined the Congress too at an event at the party's headquarters in Shahidi Chowk. Mir admitted them into the Congress fold and expressed hopes that the party will be benefitted as a result of the new joining. Mottan has contested the assembly elections twice on BSP tickets from the R S Pura assembly constituency. He is also the president of the J&K Batwal Sudhar Sabha. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Filipino woman who helped shelter former NSA contractor Edward Snowden when he fled to Hong Kong has been granted refugee status in Canada. Lawyer Robert Tibbo said that his client Vanessa Rodel and her daughter Keana would arrive in Canada on Monday. Tibbo represented Rodel as she sought asylum in Hong Kong in 2013 due to an alleged kidnap and rape by militants in her homeland. The attorney asked her to help Snowden hide out there after he leaked documents revealing extensive U.S. government surveillance. Tibbo said Hong Kong rejected Rodel's asylum request and since then officials there have grilled her over her contacts with Snowden, who now lives in exile in Russia. Tibbo and a nonprofit group called For the Refugees wants Canada to accept five others who helped Snowden. Snowden's lawyer decided to go public with the identities of the refugees after learning that movie director Oliver Stone had found out about them and would incorporate their role into his film on Snowden, which was released in 2016. The three families, who didn't realize they were harboring one of the world's most wanted figures at the time, said they feared being sent back. "Since that became public they have been targeted by the Hong Kong government who called up all of their refugee claimants and denied them all on the same day after about a half hour," For the Refugees spokesman Ethan Cox said. "They have had their support payments cut off. They've only been able to survive off donations to our non-profit." Snowden tweeted about Rodel and her daughter. "Thank you to all those in Canada and around the world who have made this possible," he wrote in French. "After so many years, the first of the families who helped me is free and has a future. But the work is not over with solidarity and compassion, Canada can save them all." Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said she could not comment on privately sponsored refugee applications. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US prosecutors dropped all charges Tuesday against television actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of fabricating a racist and homophobic hate crime, his attorneys said. "Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean," Tina Glandian and Patricia Brown Holmes said in a joint statement. The 36-year-old actor had denied 16 felony counts of allegedly masterminding a false attack on the streets of downtown Chicago to gain publicity and win a bigger paycheck. "He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgement," the attorneys said. Smollett was accused of sending himself a threatening letter and hiring two acquaintances to stage a street attack, complete with homophobic and racial slurs, while invoking Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan. The case invoked widespread sympathy for the actor and outrage over the attack. But the actor was later written out of the last two episodes of the Fox Network television program "Empire," amid uproar over the accusations against him. The producers of the program said they had no comment about the latest developments. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The on Tuesday denied in the Delhi High Court the allegation that it had illegally tapped the phones of Security Advisor (NSA) and the agency's then special director The further submitted in an affidavit that the agency never put any telephone number under surveillance illegally. The agency's affidavit was filed before a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice A J Bhambhani in response to a petition which has sought the setting up of an SIT to investigate alleged illegal phone tapping of Doval by the "It is submitted that the telephone calls of and were not intercepted at any point of time by CBI, Special Unit. It is also submitted that CBI never put any telephone number under surveillance illegally. The veiled reference of the petitioner to illegal interception of phone numbers of Law Secretary and other IAS officers is vehemently denied," it said. The court has listed the matter for hearing on July 8. The petition by Sarthak Chaturvedi, an advocate, has alleged that the illegal act of "abuse of power" was committed by some public servants working in the agency "for their ulterior motive". However, the CBI denied the allegations and said it was false and incorrect. The Ministry of Home Affairs, which was also asked by the court to file its reply, said in an affidavit that interception by law enforcement agencies is carried out in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states or public order or preventing incitement to the commission of an offence as defined under the Indian Telegraph Act. Both the MHA and the CBI sought dismissal of the petition. The probe agency said in its response that interception of phone calls and technical surveillance are undertaken by it after following the procedure established by the law. "A comprehensive act and correspondences are already in existence which is sufficient to deal with the subject of technical surveillance by concerned agencies. The responsibility and accountability of the CBI towards security and privacy of individuals are borne by apprising the competent authority regularly about the outcome of the telephonic surveillance for which authorisation from competent authority is obtained," the CBI's affidavit said. Regarding the prayer for framing of comprehensive guidelines on tracing, tapping and surveillance of phone calls, along with the preparation of stocks and accountability of officials, the agency said the central government has already framed rules and comprehensive guidelines in the form of the Indian Telegraph Rules in the light of Supreme Court's earlier directions. The petition has claimed that besides Doval, phones of several others were also tapped when the CBI was witnessing a feud between its then director Alok Verma and the then special director It claimed that a special unit of the CBI, which handles phone-tapping and technical surveillance, was aware of communications between the and Asthana during the latter's feud with Verma. The former CBI director was removed by a high-level panel headed by the prime minister on January 10. Chaturvedi's petition said the issue of tapping of phones was revealed in an application filed in the Supreme Court by CBI DIG Manish Sinha, who was investigating an FIR registered against Asthana. It added that Sinha's application, which disclosed several crucial facts of an ongoing investigation and "commission of cognisable offence of abuse of powers by public servants", was published on a news website. The petition has claimed that the existing policy on phone-tapping and surveillance was "not comprehensive and bestows uncontrolled and unaccountable powers in the hands of public servants". Customs officials in have destroyed 30,000 world maps printed in the country for not mentioning and as part of its territory, according to a media report. claims the north-eastern Indian state of as part of South Tibet. routinely objects to Indian leaders visiting to highlight its stand. India says the State of Arunachal Pradesh is its integral and inalienable part and Indian leaders visit Arunachal Pradesh from time to time, as they visit other parts of the country. The two countries have so far held 21 rounds of talks to resolve the border dispute covering 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). China also claims the estranged island of as its part. The maps were meant for export to an unspecified country, state-run Global Times reported on Tuesday. Almost 30,000 "incorrect" world maps, showing as a separate country and wrong depiction of the Sino-Indian border, were destroyed by the customs authorities in Qingdao, it said. "What China did in the map market was absolutely legitimate and necessary, because sovereignty and territorial integrity are the most important things to a country. Both Taiwan and South Tibet are parts of China's territory which is sacred and inviolable based on the international law," Liu Wenzong, professor from the department of International Law of China Foreign Affairs University said. China has destroyed 30,000 world maps printed in the country for export for not mentioning Arunachal Pradesh and Taiwan as part of Chinese territory, the officla media reported on Tuesday. China claims the north-eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet. China routinely objects to Indian leaders visiting Arunachal Pradesh to highlight its stand. India says the State of Arunachal Pradesh is its integral and inalienable part and Indian leaders visit Arunachal Pradesh from time to time, as they visit other parts of the country. The two countries have so far held 21 rounds of talks to resolve the border dispute covering 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). China also claims the estranged island of Taiwan as part of its territory that must be reunified with the mainland, even by force. The world maps were meant for export to an "unspecified country", state-run Global Times reported on Tuesday. Almost 30,000 "incorrect" world maps, showing Taiwan as a separate country and wrong depiction of the Sino-Indian border, were destroyed by the customs authorities in Qingdao in eastern Shandong province, it said. "What China did in the map market was absolutely legitimate and necessary, because sovereignty and territorial integrity are the most important things to a country. "Both Taiwan and South Tibet are parts of China's territory which is sacred and inviolable based on the international law," Liu Wenzong, professor from the department of International Law of China Foreign Affairs University was quoted as saying. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A number of BJP leaders Tuesday hit out at the ruling BJD and the Congress accusing their leaders of showing scant respect to the victims of Pulwama terror attack and questioning India's retaliatory air strike. BJP vice-president and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister R K Singh and party vice-president Baijayant Panda slammed the two parties during poll rallies in Nimapara, Jajpur and Balasore respectively. Criticising Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Chouhan claimed that a BJD MLA had manhandled a relative of a CRPF jawan of Odisha, who was killed in the Pulwama attack. The incident took place shortly before the funeral of the slain soldier Manoj Kumar Behera. "It is unfortunate that the chief minister did not take any action against the MLA. He did not even condemn the action which triggered public outcry," Chouhan said. The BJP vice-president said Sam Pitroda, the technical advisor to the Odisha Government, had also raised questions on the air strike undertaken by India in Balakot in Pakistan after the Pulwama terror strike. "Like the BJD MLA who assaulted the martyr's relative, Pitroda was also close to the chief minister," he said. Chouhan also came down heavily on Congress for raising questions about the Balakot air strike and its outcome. Alleging that crimes against women in Odisha showed an alarming rise, he said conviction rate in heinous crimes like rape is abysmally low in the state. He claimed that Odisha government has failed to provide basic amenities including electricity and water to farmers for which they are committing suicide. Chouhan further alleged that the chief minister is shielding corrupt officials during his 19 years of rule. Addressing a pubic meeting at Jajpur, Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy, Raj Kumar Singh said people have full faith on Prime Minister Narendra Modi because of significant achievements made during the last five years. The people of Odisha are also keen to bring about a change as there has been no development and they are fed up with corruption, he said. Retaliation of Pulwama terror attack is a strong message to Pakistan and China that India will take strong action if it is attacked, he said. At a rally at Remuna in Balasore, Panda said people of Odisha now want change as there has been a rise in crime against women and children in the last 19 years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Responding to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's jibe 'chowkidar chor hai' against Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajanth Singh Tuesday said the prime minister was "pure and the only cure" for all problems of the country. Addressing an election rally in northeast Delhi's Yamuna Vihar, Singh said he's sure that Modi would become prime minister again. Congress President Rahul Gandhi has often used the slogan 'chowkidar chor hai' to hit out at Modi over alleged corruption in the Rafale jet deal. "Chowkidar is not a thief, but pure. He is the only cure for all problems of country. He will become prime minister again for sure," Rajnath said. He also attacked the Congress for levelling false allegations of corruption on the prime minister regarding the Rafale deal. "For whom will our prime minister take money?" Singh asked. Targeting the previous Congress governments for stalling defence modernisation, he said the Indian Air Force did not get any new aircraft for 30 years despite repeated requests. He also asked if Prime Minister Modi committed any crime by finalising the Rafale deal with France when the armed forces were in dire need of fighter jets. "Our armed forces kept asking for fighter jets for 30 years. They should be modernised," Singh said. "Had Rafale been there, there was no need for our air force personnel to go to Pakistan. The miracle would have taken place from the Indian soil. And these people level baseless allegations against us," he said. Singh said the Congress did not take action against the perpetrators of the 26/11 attack, but the attack on a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district was avenged. "Now the Congress is asking how many (terrorists) were killed in Pakistan. The brave armed forces don't count bodies. This is for the others to do," he said. "During the UPA government's tenure, the Indian Army would hoist a white flag whenever the Pakistani forces violated the cease fire at the border. During my tenure as home minister, I gave orders that if Pakistan fires one bullet, then you fire as much as you can," he said. Over reports of Kashmiri-origin people being attacked in different parts of country following the Pulwama attack, he asked people to protect Kashmiri students. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress on Tuesday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clearly spell out whether he supports its scheme of giving Rs 72,000 annually to each of five crore poorest families in the country, and accused the BJP leadership of opposing the proposal. At a press briefing, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said women heads of five crore poor families will get the amount directly in their bank accounts under Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) scheme. According to estimate, implementation of the scheme will require Rs 3.6 lakh crore annually, and the Congress is yet to clarify how resources will be generated to implement the scheme. Surjewala said 'Nyay' is not a "top-up scheme" and modalities for its implementation would be worked out once the party assumes power, adding the party was working on finances for the scheme. Party leaders said Nyay is not a work-oriented scheme like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment programme and money will provided directly into the bank accounts of women in the beneficiary families to help them come out of poverty. "We are working on finances to implement the scheme. It will not put the economy under strain," said a party leader who wished not to be named. Surjewala said the existing schemes like MNREGA, and existing subsidies would continue and will not be subsumed into 'Nyay'. "No scheme will be closed, no subsidy will be cut. This is neither a replacement of MNREGA, nor of any other scheme, as all existing schemes will continue and this scheme will be besides the existing ones," he said. "This is an income supplementing scheme to pull the family out of poverty and that is why the money is being paid directly into the accounts of women of poor families," Surjewala added. Taking on PM Modi, he said, "His politics thrives on keeping people poor, lest they start asking questions." It was "shameful" that "pro-rich" Modi was opposing the world's biggest anti-poverty scheme, Surjewala alleged, adding "the PM and BJP must clarify whether they support 'Nyay' or not, whether they support helping the poor or not." The Congress leader also attacked Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for dubbing the scheme as a "bluff announcement", saying no other political party has "betrayed" India for more than seven decades in the name of poverty. Surjewala also attacked government think tank NITI Aayog vice chairman Rajiv Kumar dubbing the body he headed as "Rajneeti Ayog" and asked him to run the organisation from the BJP office and contest elections instead. Kumar had criticised Congress on 'Nyay'. Brushing aside critics of the scheme who claim it will strain the economy, he said, "We have looked at the economics of the scheme, we have looked at the contours of the scheme and the scheme is fully implementable," he claimed, brushing aside critics who say this will further strain the economy." On the proposed scheme, the Congress spokesperson said, "...every poor family shall be rightfully entitled to Rs 72,000 per annum. This will apply to both urban and rural poor families." "Rs 72,000 would be deposited directly in the bank accounts of the woman of the family. Modi Government's 'Economic Survey 2016-17' accepted that India under the Congress reduced poverty. Poverty which was 70 per cent during Independence has come down to just 22 per cent in 2011-12. With the path-breaking 'Nyay' scheme, Congress will now eradicate the remaining 20 per cent poverty too," he said. Targeting the prime minister, he said, "The anti-poor DNA of suited-booted PM Modi and his incompetent Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stand exposed as they bitterly oppose the world's biggest anti-poverty scheme." He alleged that the prime minister "can happily waive" Rs 3.17 lakh crore for a handful of crony friends but opposes the Rs 6,000-per month respite for the poor. "Because Modiji opposes anything & everything that is pro-poor, People will now do NYAY' (justice)," he said. He said former finance minister P Chidambaram has had wider consultation with economists and has drafted the contours of the scheme and he will spell out further details of the scheme. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hitting out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his minimum income scheme announcement, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Tuesday asked why the party didn't do anything to uplift the poor during the 10 years when it was in power. In a big-bang poll promise, Gandhi had on Monday announced that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income to poor families, benefiting around 25 crore people, if his party is voted to power in the Lok Sabha polls beginning next month. Addressing a 'Vijay Sankalp Sabha' (victory pledge meeting) here, Adityanath asked Gandhi why the Congress-led UPA government had not done anything to bring happiness into the lives of poor people during its 10-year term from 2004 to 2014. He also heaped praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre for introducing various welfare schemes to benefit the poor. He claimed that Modi, unlike the Congress, is sensitive towards the needs of the poor. Adityanath accused Congress leaders of siphoning off government funds meant for the poor. "Your father Rajiv Gandhi's helplessness was clearly visible when he had said that of Rs 100 that his government sent to the poor, only Rs 10 reached them," the chief minister said. "It was because Congress leaders were working as middlemen and their agents siphoned off the funds meant for welfare schemes," Adityanath added. He also claimed that the Modi government had introduced a number of schemes for welfare of farmers, who committed suicide in large numbers during the Congress regime due to lack of policies for them. Adityanath also compared Gandhi's minimum income scheme with the NDA's flagship health insurance scheme -- Ayushmaan Bharat. He said while Gandhi had promised to give Rs 72,000 per year to poor families, the Modi government had given Rs 5 lakh for the Ayushmaan Bharat scheme which will cover as many poor families. Gandhi, at a press conference on Monday, had said that 20 per cent or five crore families belonging to the poorest category with monthly income less than Rs 12,000 would come under the minimum income scheme. Adityanath also hit out at the Opposition for politicising the Pulwama attack and questioning the subsequent air strikes carried out by the Indian Air Force in Pakistan. He alleged that the opposition parties did it to "please" Pakistan. Adityanath said the people of Varanasi had chosen an MP and a prime minister who worked honestly and tirelessly for the country's progress. He appealed to voters to ensure that the BJP wins 74 out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh in the polls. Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven polls from April 11 to May 23. Polling will be held in Varanasi in the last phase on May 19. The BJP has fielded Modi, the sitting MP, from the seat. Results will be announced on May 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now. Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market. In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender. India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex. Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted. But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted? Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner. If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems. I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now. I want more variation in masturbation I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own. If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end. What is sex toys for Indian? Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation. It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms. They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable. Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner. The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner. It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past. In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping. Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order. In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing. Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome. Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own. But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance. More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around. Sextoy situation in India Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years. In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India. Mumbai Kolkata Bangalore Delhi Chennai Hyderabad These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India. In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well. If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too. If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it. What are Sextoys for beginner? Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms. Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy. I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion. I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy. If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma. Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it. Advantages of using sextoy for Indians There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways. Can have stimulating sex Can develop new sexual zones If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern. However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways. You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation. Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever. There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure. This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it. When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems. It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms). For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles [Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou... Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India. Sextoy for beginner men in India So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners. For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men! The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men Masturbator Cock rings Love Doll Sex Lubricants Toys for the prostate Lets check each one in detail. Masturbator The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products. It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands. Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands. They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.) Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much. Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! ! Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa SEXToys India PR (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018 Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood. If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ... [For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien... Cock Ring A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis. It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow. It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber. In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection. Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction. It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it. Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time. Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function. Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy. You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect. [Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat... Love Doll Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex. There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women. Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price. The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true. You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste. There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice. You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls. If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to... Sex lubricants Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules. It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution. Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse. There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent. Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent. If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here. What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many... Toys for the Prostate Another sextoy for men is prostate toys. The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line. Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men. Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men. What is the prostate? The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm. You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus. By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms. Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.) The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation. Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure. sextoy for beinner women in India The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy. The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy. Vibrator. Dildo Electric Masserger Lets check out what each one is in detail. If you want to check out womens toys, click here. [BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm... Vibrators A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator. Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy. It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy. Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women. For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators. Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex. Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself. This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual. Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men. When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons. Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most... Dildo A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis. It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass. A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it. They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well. It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device. A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo. Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands. For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis. This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one. To learn more about dildo, please click here. What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th... Electric Masserger A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores. It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low. Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels. Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation. It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure. For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm. It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out. If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager? To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here. What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th... How to choose a sextoy for Indian Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one. Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points: Does the size fit you (the partner)? Does the size fit you (your partner)? Is the environment able to produce sound without problems? Price range First of all, the choice of size is quite important. Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women. For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage. Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems. Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise. If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level. Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it. Finally, there is the price range. The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest. Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy. Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy? I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance. For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics. If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out. How to buy sextoys in India The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping. For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below. Sextoy is one of them. Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping. SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India. They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry. Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card. To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy. ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal. Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on. Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture. Cautions for Indians using sextoy When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind Keep sex toys clean Watch out for electrical leakage Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone. Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there. It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case. In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness. Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful. If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it. You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly. Summary What did you think? In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India. The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future. As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values. However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health. If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try? Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women. I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it. Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday termed his party's promise of minimum guaranteed income to the poorest 20 per cent households a "surgical strike on poverty" and said nobody should be poor in 21st century India. Addressing a rally in Suratgarh town of Ganganagar district, a day after declaring his party would roll out the scheme if voted to power, Gandhi alleged that Prime Minster Narendra Modi gave money to the rich and top industrialists of the country, but the Congress would serve the poor. He said the promised minimum income scheme was a "big bang". "Dhamaka hai ye...bomb fatega (It's a big bang...a bomb will set off). This is a Congress's surgical strike on poverty. They (the BJP) worked to eliminate the poor we will eliminate poverty," Gandhi said. On helping the poor, he said, "We thought how it should be done. After discussion and brainstorming, we thought that there should be a minimum income line of Rs. 12,000 per month. Soon after formation of the Congress government in 2019, the minimum income line in India will be Rs 12,000 per month." He alleged that poverty and unemployment increased under the Modi government. While the Congress-led UPA government lifted 14 crore people out of poverty, "Modi made them poor again", he claimed. On Monday, Gandhi announced in New Delhi that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income to poor families, benefiting around 25 crore people, if his party is voted to power in Lok Sabha polls. "Nobody should be poor in the country in 21st century," he told the Suratgarh rally Tuesday. He also alleged that the Modi government weakened the schemes and programmes such as MGNREGA and food security introduced by the UPA dispensation. "Whatever was done under the MGRENGA, food security and loan waiver by the UPA government, that all were finished by Narendra Modi. Poverty and unemployment increased in his rule," he said. He said that top industrialists were helped by the government in "looting" the public money and their debt of Rs. 3.5 lakh were written off, but farm loans were not. The Congress chief continued his "chowkidar" barb at the PM. "During last elections, he promised jobs to two crore youths, Rs 15 lakh in every bank account. But no jobs were given and no money was transferred. He made tall promises. He spoke whatever came to his mind. He had asked public to not make him the prime minister but a chowkidar (watchman). But he never told that he will not be your chowkidar but a chowkidar of people like Anil Ambani," he said. Gandhi said that all those who took away public money from banks were "helped" by the NDA government, PM Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and Union minister Arun Jaitley. All of them have looted public money, he charged. He also targeted the government over demonetisation and GST and asked if the note ban was announced to curb black money why nobody having such asset was seen in queue to covert the currency. Banks changed the black money through the back door, he alleged. Gandhi said that Shah's son business of Rs 50,000 progressed to crores of rupees, tainted businessman Mehul Choksi transferred money to the bank account Jaitley's daughter, and fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya met Jaitley in the parliament house before absconding. All these allegations have been refuted by the BJP and its leaders. The Congress president reiterated his allegation on the government over the Rafale deal, saying Modi helped Anil Ambani in getting the contract for manufacturing the plane despite the fact that he had no experience in making aircraft. These allegations have also been rejected by the government and Ambani. Rajasthan Chief minister Ashok Gehlot, deputy chief minister and Pradesh congress committee president Sachin Pilot and other senior leaders of the party were present at the rally. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said the minimum guaranteed income promised by the Congress to the poorest of poor is a "surgical strike on poverty" for which former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan was also consulted even as the party maintained it is not a "top-up scheme". The Congress also announced that women from poor families will get Rs 72,000 per year directly in their bank accounts as part of the party's income supplementing scheme and asked whether the BJP was opposed to the idea. The proposal is not a work-oriented scheme,it said. According to Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, the party has already worked out the finances for the 'Nyunatam Aay Yojana' (Nyay) that will entail a total expenditure of Rs 3.6 lakh crore. The scheme was unveiled by Rahul Gandhi, the Congress president, on Monday However, the BJP latched on to Surjewala's remark that the poll promise was not a "top-up scheme" to claim 'volte-face' by the Congress. "Classic Congress style volte-face within 24 hours. They are misleading the people of this country and can never be trusted," the BJP tweeted. It also tagged a video in which Gandhi is heard saying at his press conference in Delhi on Monday that his party will give a "top-up" to the 20 per cent poorest families to ensure they earn Rs 72,000 a year, while Surjewala is heard telling reporters that the scheme is not about top-up and all such families will be given Rs 72,000. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath termed the scheme as a poll "gimmick" while rebel BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha showered praise on Gandhi, calling him the "master of situation" and his proposal a "masterstroke". On Monday, Gandhi announced that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income benefiting around 25 crore people belonging to the poorest sections, if his party is voted to power in the Lok Sabha polls. Addressing a series of rallies in Rajasthan, Gandhi said the promised minimum income scheme was a "big bang" and asserted it is not a "free gift" to the poor but is justice. "Dhamaka hai ye...bomb fatega (It's a big bang...set off a bomb). This is a Congress's surgical strike on poverty. They (the BJP) worked to eliminate the poor we will eliminate poverty," Gandhi said. "Nobody should be poor in the country in 21st century," Gandhi also said the Congress has been working on a plan for the last six months on how to eradicate poverty. On helping the poor, he said, "We thought how it should be done. After discussion and brainstorming, we thought that there should be a minimum income line of Rs.12,000 per month. Soon after formation of the Congress government in 2019, the minimum income line in India will be Rs 12,000 per month." Addressing Congress workers later in Jaipur, Gandhi said the minimum income scheme was discussed with big economists including Raghuram Rajan, a former RBI governor, before coming up with the idea. "We consulted all big economists, without telling anyone without giving any speech. We were engaged in this work for six months. Take the list of all big economists of the world, we consulted them...Raghuram Rajan...one by one," he said. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Monday dismissed the Congress promise, saying the party has a history of "cheating" the poor and misleading the country in the name of removing poverty. In 1971, Rahul Gandhi's grandmother and then prime minister Indira Gandhi had given 'Garibi Hatao, Desh Bachao' (remove poverty, save the nation) slogan during the general election campaign. Years later, PM Modi, during a speech in 2018, termed the 'Garibi Hatao' slogan a "false promise". Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took a dig at the Congress, saying it is still relying on the 'Garibi Hatao' slogan coined by Indira Gandhi as they could not drive away poverty during their rule. "They are coming up with the Garibi Hatao slogan again. Is that because they could not drive way poverty all these years?" she said at a press meet in Udupi in Karnataka. At his conference in Delhi, Surjewala accused the BJP leadership of opposing the scheme and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP to clearly spell out whether they supported it. Surjewala said 'Nyay' is not a "top-up scheme" and is a women-centric scheme, the modalities of which would be worked out once the party assumes power. The scheme, party leaders say, is not a work-oriented scheme and will provide money directly into the bank accounts of women in the family to help them come out of poverty. The leaders also said the party would work out the finances after they assume power and refused to answer queries that it will strain the country's economy and add to the fiscal deficit. "This is an income supplementing scheme to pull the family out of poverty and that is why the money is being paid directly into the accounts of women of poor families," Surjewala said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday termed the promise of minimum guaranteed income to the poor a "surgical strike on poverty" and said his party consulted "big economists" including former RBI governor Rahuram Rajan before it came up with the idea. Addressing a rally in Suratgarh town of Sri Ganganagar district, a day after declaring his party would roll out the scheme if voted to power, Gandhi alleged Prime Minster Narendra Modi gave money to the rich and top industrialists, but the Congress would serve the poor. Targeting Amit Shah, Gandhi alleged that a bank owned by the president in Gujarat changed currency worth Rs 700 crore during demonetisation. The Congress president also addressed a rally in Bundi and a party workers' meeting in Jaipur where he attacked the "Ek baar tukka lag gaya 2014 mein, wo alag baat hai (By chance they won in 2014. That was a fluke)," he said in Jaipur. Back in Suratgarh, his first rally of the day, Gandhi said the promised minimum income scheme was a "big bang". "Dhamaka hai ye...bomb fatega (It's a big bang...a bomb will set off). This is a Congress's surgical strike on poverty. They (the BJP) worked to eliminate the poor we will eliminate poverty." On helping the poor, he said "We thought how it should be done. After discussion and brainstorming, we thought there should be a minimum income line of Rs 12,000 per month. Soon after formation of the Congress government in 2019, the minimum income line in India will be Rs 12,000 per month." In Jaipur, he told his party workers the Congress consulted "all big economists, without telling anyone, without giving any speeches". "We were engaged in this work for six months. Take the list of all big economists of the world, we consulted them...Raghuram Rajan...one by one," he said. Back in Suratgarh, he alleged that poverty and unemployment increased under the Modi government. While the Congress-led UPA government lifted 14 crore people out of poverty, "Modi made them poor again", he claimed. Gandhi had announced in New Delhi on Monday that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income to poor families, benefiting around 25 crore people, if his party is voted to power. "Nobody should be poor in the country in 21st century," he told the Suratgarh rally Tuesday. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has dismissed the scheme, saying the Congress has a history of "cheating" the poor. In 1971, Rahul Gandhi's grandmother and then prime minister Indira Gandhi had given 'Garibi Hatao, Desh Bachao' (remove poverty, save the nation) slogan. Years later, PM Modi, during a speech in 2018, termed the 'Garibi Hatao' slogan a "false promise". The Congress chief continued his "chowkidar" barb at the PM. "During last elections, he promised jobs to two crore youths, Rs 15 lakh in every bank account. But no jobs were given and no money was transferred. He made tall promises. He spoke whatever came to his mind. He had asked public to not make him the prime minister but a chowkidar (watchman). But he never told that he will not be your chowkidar but a chowkidar of people like Anil Ambani," he said. Gandhi said that all those who took away public money from banks were "helped" by the NDA government, PM Modi, Shah and Jaitley. All of them have looted public money, he charged. He also targeted the government over demonetisation and GST. Banks changed the black money through the back door, he alleged. Gandhi charged Shah's son business of Rs 50,000 progressed to crores of rupees, tainted businessman Mehul Choksi transferred money to the account of Jaitley's daughter, and liquor baron Vijay Mallya met Jaitley in the parliament house before absconding. All these allegations have been refuted by the and its leaders. The Congress president reiterated his allegation on the Rafale deal, saying Modi helped Anil Ambani in getting the contract for manufacturing the fighter plane despite the fact that he had no experience in making aircraft. These allegations have been rejected by the government and Ambani. At the Bundi rally, Gandhi accused the prime minister of "hiding behind the Army" whenever any question is asked of him. "When you ask why there is so much unemployment, why farm loans were not waived, why Rs 15 lakh were not transferred to bank accounts, Modi hides behind the Army. "In his speeches from the Red Fort, he says that before he came, the elephant was sleeping. That means nothing happened in the country before he came (or became the prime minister) and the Army, the Indian Air Force, farmers and public did nothing," Gandhi said. He also said that no prime minister took credit for the actions of armed forces like Modi did. "Wars happened against Pakistan but no prime minister ever said (s)he did that. They used to credit the army and the air force. But Modi says he has done it. There is nothing without me (Modi) here. Were there no Army and Air Force before 2014?" he asked. Gandhi also promised 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies and in central government jobs if Congress forms the government in 2019. Chief minister Ashok Gehlot, his deputy and Pradesh congress committee president Sachin Pilot and other senior leaders of the party were present at the Suratgarh rally. Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar Tuesday said the Congress started using "abusive language" against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP out of its desperation as it's losing the political ground. He also accused the Congress of distorting facts and making tall promises about granting loan waivers to farmers in Rajasthan, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarhand Karnataka. "Today's press conference by the Congress reflects their exasperation, their desperation...as if they know certainly that they are not winning the Lok Sabha elections and therefore they are showing this nervousness. "In that nervousness, they have decided to use abusive language about the prime minister and BJP. They also decided to falsify facts," said Javadekar while referring to Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala's press conference. In the presser held in Delhi earlier in the day, Surjewala had asked the prime minister and the BJP to clearly spell out whether they support its proposal to give Rs 72,000 annually to five crore poor families under a minimum income guarantee scheme. Surjewala also alleged that it was "shameful" that the "pro-rich" Prime Minister Modi was opposing the world's biggest anti-poverty scheme. Hitting back, Javadekar said Surjewala claims that the prime minister travels a lot abroad, "but the record shows that (the then prime minister) Manmohan Singh too travelled the equal amount of time, but the difference is that the global effect of Modiji's visits is more". Javadekar also attacked Gandhi on his minimum income guarantee scheme promise. The Union minister further said that even 45 years after the Congress nationalised banks, it failed to open adequate number of bank accounts. "It was the Modi government which opened 35 crore banks accounts in 35 months," he said. Javadekar alleged that farmers got "pittance" in the form of loan waiver in Congress-ruled Rajasthan, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Karnataka. "The Congress is distorting facts. It is doing of deception. That party is deceiving voters through false promises, but people know very well that only Modi can make the country secure and deliver on promises. Having realised this the Congress is levelling bogus charges and is using abusive language (against the PM)," he alleged. Javadekar said fugitive businessmen Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya thrived in the Congress regime and received unprecedented loan, "but we are bringing them back". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress is still relying on the 'Garibi Hatao' slogan coined by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1971 as they could not drive away poverty during their rule, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Tuesday. "They are coming up with the Garibi Hatao slogan again. Is that because they could not drive way poverty all these years?" she said at a press meet in Udupi referring to the basic minimum income (NYAY) scheme for poor families, a poll promise announced by Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday. Gandhi announced in New Delhi that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income to poor families, benefiting around 25 crore people, if his party is voted to power in Lok Sabha polls. Hitting out at the proposed 'grand alliance' of the opposition parties, Sitharaman said Narendra Modi was the only leader who has the capacity to hold the high office of Prime Minister. The leaders of 'Mahagathbandhan' should introspect whether any one of them can match the stature of Modi," she said. Sitharaman dismissed questions on the controversial Rafale deal, saying the matter was sub-judice. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An automobile dealer was Tuesday shot dead in his shop here in Chhattisgarh allegedly by a police constable following a dispute over a car deal, police said. The incident occurred this afternoon in Pachpedi Naka area when Sanjay Agrawal was in his shop, Purani Basti area City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Krishna Kumar Patel told PTI. The accused constable Manoj Sen, who is posted at the Police Line, has been arrested, he added. Agrawal, who owns Shri Sai Motors, used to deal in the business of second-hand cars. "On March 4, Sen had purchased a used car at Rs 3.70 lakh from Agrawal and paid him Rs 3 lakh. However, he left the car with Agrawal the next day for repair, after finding some fault in it," the CSP said. Patel further said that Sen has been constantly contacting Agrawal to deliver him the car, but the latter was apparently kept dilly-dallying. On Tuesday, Sen reached Agrawal's shop with an Insas rifle and confronted him, which led to a heated exchange between them, the officer said. "Following the altercation, Sen fired two rounds at Agrawal," Patel said, adding that Agrawal's employees rushed him to hospital, where he was declared brought dead. The weapon used in the crime belongs to a relaive of the accused constable who is posted with the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) battalion stationed in Mana camp area here, he said. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a major step to partly recovering outstanding dues from Vijay Mallya, a PMLA court on Tuesday rejected United Breweries Holdings' plea to stay the proposed sale of shares worth around Rs 1,000 crore of its erstwhile subsidiary United Breweries (UBL) by a court-appointed liquidator. Special judge M S Azmi rejected their plea on the ground that the court may not have the powers to grant a stay on the proposed sale. This is the first sale of Mallya's confiscated assets by the authorities since he left the country in March 2016. United Breweries shares closed over 2 per cent up on the BSE at Rs 1,347.90 Tuesday and the sale of 74,04,932 shares at this price would fetch around Rs 999 crore. Beer major Heineken is the largest shareholder of UBL with a 44 per cent stake. Earlier this month, it approached SBI to sell them, following which the bank moved the Karnataka High Court seeking rights over a 2.8 per cent stake in UBL on March 18. The shares are currently held by a court-appointed liquidator and was previously owned by UBHL, the erstwhile holding company of all firms owned by Mallya. UBHL is currently owned by the world's largest liquor company Diageo of England. Earlier this month, the Debt Recovery Tribunal transferred the shares (about 7.4 million) to a court-appointed liquidator. These shares were earlier attached by the ED, which is investigating allegations of money laundering against Mallya. UBHL last Friday moved the special PMLA court to stop the sale of 74,04,932 shares of UBL scheduled for Wednesday. These shares were pledged as collateral by the then owner Mallya through one of his companies UBL. Mallya was declared as a fugitive economic offender by domestic courts earlier this year. Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines, which ceased operations in December 2012, owes over Rs 9,000 crore to a clutch of lenders led by State Bank of India. UBHL had sought a stay on the share sale pointing out that these shares along with other properties are already attached by the ED and have multiple claimants including the ED, the banks and DRT. They also claimed DRT and banks ignored the order passed by the Karnataka High Court stating that the sale of the shares would be subject matter of the special PMLA court. The Bengaluru bench of the DRT had on March 11 issued a notice to sell these shares. The DRT had stated that shares were being sold to partly recover the secured debt of Rs 6,203.35 crore towards the loan taken by Kingfisher Airlines. Along with interest and penalties banks are demanding Rs 9,000 crore from Mallya. President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday was honoured with Croatia's highest civilian award -- the Grand Order of the King of Tomislav. Kovind is in the European country as part of his eight-day three-nation visit to Croatia, Bolivia and Chile to further strengthen bilateral ties between India and the three countries. "President of India honoured with highest civilian order in #Croatia! During his State Visit to Croatia #Presidentkovind is honoured with Grand Order of the King of Tomislav, the highest award of Croatia. #Presidentkovind dedicated it to India-Croatia friendship! @KolindaGK," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Ravish Kumar tweeted. The civilian order is awarded to heads of state for their important contribution towards the development of state relations between Croatia and their respective countries. Kovind, who is the first-ever Indian head of state to visit Croatia, was earlier accorded a ceremonial welcome here. He is in the European nation from March 25 to March 28. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Dadra and Nagar Haveli MP Mohan Delkar of Congress, who had represented the seat six times in the past, Tuesday resigned from the party and announced to contest as an Independent candidate. Delkar, who heads the Congress unit in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, said he took this decision after consulting his supporters and common people. He had lost to BJP's Natubhai Patel in the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections on the party ticket. He Monday announced to contest as an Independent candidate after seeking views of his supporters. The BJP has renominated sitting MP Natubhai Patel from the Dadra and Nagar Haveli constituency, which is reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidate. The Congress is yet to announce its nominee. "I have decided to contest as an Independent, as the region is facing various issues pertaining to its development. I am doing this after taking into consideration the sentiments of people and my supporters here," Delkar told reporters in a press conference in Silvassa. In his resignation letter addressed to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Delkar stated that he didn't harbour any ill-feeling towards the party high command. Incidentally, BJP leader from Silvassa Ankita Patel had resigned from the party to protest against renomination of Natubhai Patel. She is reportedly trying for a Congress ticket to fight the election against the BJP MP. In January this year, Delkar set many tongues wagging when he shared dais with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a public event in Silvassa. During his previous stints as an MP, he had represented the constituency as an Independent and also from the Congress and the BJP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In the Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency, Dalits and OBCs play an important role in deciding the MP, and political parties, including the BJP and the Congress, are pitching for their votes in the run-up to next month's elections. Nagpur is home to the headquarters of the BJP's ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). The central Indian city also houses Deekshabhoomi, a sacred monument of Navayana Buddhism where Dalit icon B R Ambedkar converted to Buddhism with thousands of followers in 1956. The Nagpur constituency consists of six assembly segments -- Nagpur South West, Nagpur South, Nagpur East, Nagpur Central, Nagpur West and Nagpur North. Nagpur North is reserved for the Scheduled Caste (SC) category. There are a total of 21,26,574 voters, including 10,45,934 women, in Nagpur, where polling will be held in the first phase of on April 11. Analysts believe Dalits, especially neo-Buddhists, who backed the BJP in 2014 polls, might be looking for an alternative this time. Union minister Nitin Gadkari is the sitting MP from Nagpur. He is pitted against the Congress's Nana Patole, a former BJP MP. The Dalit Buddhist vote holds sway in many pockets of the constituency. "This time, the general trend among Dalits seems to be anti-BJP. However, these votes will be divided among the Congress-NCP alliance, Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) and Mayawati's BSP," former University Grants Commission chairman Sukhdadeo Thorat told PTI. The only way these votes will not be divided is if all of them come together, he said. BJP MLA from Nagpur North, Milind Mane, however, disagreed with Thorat's assessment. He claimed that the Dalit Buddhist vote percentage in favour of Gadkari will rise up to 27 per cent from 3 to 7 per cent in the last Lok Sabha election. "The major reason behind this likely surge is not just development work, but the rapport built by the BJP leadership with Ambedkarites. Buddhists have started trusting the BJP," Mane said. The BJP MLA said Gadkari gives equal importance to Deekshabhoomi. Gadkari is approachable for Dalits, Muslims and minorities, Mane said. According to rough estimates, more than 50 per cent voters in the Nagpur constituency are Other Backward Classes (OBCs), mainly comprising Kunbi and Teli communities. Of the rest, around 15-20 per cent voters are Dalits, both Hindus and Buddhists, while Muslims account for around 12 per cent. Congress SC department chairman and MLA Nitin Raut claimed that there is a lot of resentment against the BJP among Dalits. "The BJP works on the RSS ideology, which is against the Constitution. Besides, there is a lot of resentment among Dalits against the BJP on various policy issues," he said. "Gadkari may have a good image but the Buddhist community will not see who is the candidate before them, they just don't want the BJP (to return)," Raut asserted. Nagpur has around 4.5 lakh Dalit voters. Raut said Gadkari might be projecting himself as a Dalit sympathiser, but his contribution to their cause remains questionable. On the Congress's poll strategy, Raut said the party will work to garner maximum votes in the city, which would be possible if Dalits and Muslims vote for it in large numbers. Meanwhile, Federation of Organisations for Social Justice, Secularism and Democracy, an umbrella organisation of 32 Dalit groups, hopes to consolidate the anti-BJP vote. A member of the organisation said it will try that not more than two Buddhist candidates contest from Nagpur. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which finished third in last Lok Sabha elections, and Ambedkar's VBA have not yet declared their candidates. BSP's Maharashtra unit office secretary Uttam Shevade confirmed that the party would contest from Nagpur. General secretary of Maharashtra Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh, a constituent of the VBA, Sagar Dabrase, said the party would contest the seat on the support of SC and Muslim voters. "The Congress is not even in the race to win the polls," he claimed. Meanwhile, BJP member and Dalit leader Rajesh Tambe said Gadkari, who filed his nomination papers on Monday, is the face of development. "Gadkari works for all. There may be caste equations at play, but Gadkari is a secular leader. He will get around 70 to 80 per cent of 1.5 lakh Hindu and Dalit votes," he claimed. Topaz Energy and Marine, a leading offshore support vessel and marine logistics company, has posted revenues of $349 million for 2018, as against $244 million in the previous year, marking an increase of 43 per cent. The companys EBITDA increased 61 per cent to $190 million during the year, while the net profit margin was 8 per cent, against a net loss margin of 10 per cent in 2017, reflecting a rise of 18 percentage points. Topazs Q4 2018 revenue increased to $106 million, up 54 per cent compared to Q4 2017; EBITDA increased by 100 per cent to $62 million in Q4 2018 against Q4 2017. Operational efficiencies and the impact of all Tengiz project vessels being fully operational towards the end of the period ensured an increased EBITDA margin to 58 per cent for the period, despite ramp-up costs for Tengiz, a company statement said. The company significantly enhanced profitability, with two consecutive quarters of profits (before exceptional items) and a positive PAT for the year, it added. Rene Kofod-Olsen, chief executive officer, Topaz Energy and Marine said: Topaz delivered a strong financial performance in 2018, with full year profit after tax (before exceptions) of $28 million compared to a loss of $24 million in 2017. Cash generated from operations after tax increased by $62 million in the last quarter to reach $146 million for the year. Our market-leading utilisation rates increased to86 per cent, compared to 65 per cent in the prior year, driven by higher deployment in our Solutions business through the Tengiz project, Mena and Sub-Saharan Africa fleets, as well as the addition of modern vessels. Our robust business performance was well reflected in our strong financial results for the year, with revenues and EBITDA up by 43 per cent and 61 per cent, respectively, compared to 2017, strengthening our balance sheet, while enhancing our profitability. With the stability of our home market position in the Caspian Sea, our transformational Tengiz project and the turnaround achieved in Sub-Saharan Africa, its satisfying that our strategies are progressing and delivering robust results, and that our revenue visibility has been further enhanced as our contract revenue backlog increased to $1.7 billion by the end of 2018, he added. We remain agile in the management of our asset portfolio to ensure that we are at the forefront of industry innovation to drive growth in established and new markets. Following vessel divestments earlier in the year, we added two modern AHTSVs which were deployed into the growing market in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to service a major oil company. Meanwhile, we secured contracts for the two modern subsea new buildings which we took delivery of in Q1 2019. Tengiz, our strategic marine logistics project, part of Topaz Solutions, delivered better than expected returns in 2018 thanks to operational efficiencies and strict cost control. We expect to capitalise on these and continue delivering robust returns in 2019 as all 20 vessels of the fleet will be earning full revenue for the year, Kofod-Olsen concluded. TradeArabia News Service Data mining, artificial intelligence (AI) and social media have strengthened sectarian identity, reinforced biases and sharpened societal divides rather than promoting cross-cultural understanding and dialogue, claims a new book. Kiran Karnik, a former NASSCOM president and ex-member of Prime Minister's Scientific Advisory Council and the National Innovation Council, discusses all these issues in recently-released "Evolution: Decoding India's Disruptive Tech Story". He says initially it was hoped that the exchange of content and views through social media would provide a platform to discuss differing viewpoints and perspectives. "Reality, though, has turned out differently," he remarks. Karnik argues that increasingly these new platforms and their ever-increasing versatility are used for exchanging inanities ('Look at this ice cream that I am eating!') or passing on unverified reports which resulted in the rapid propagation of rumours and falsehoods through the amplifying effect of "forwards". "Anecdotal evidence indicates that the more sensational or outrageous the post, the faster and wider it gets circulated, with the impact multiplied by the echo chamber effect. This has encouraged the planting of fake news, which is capable of not only creating fear, enmity and hate, but even triggering riots. As a result, there is growing global concern over fake news," he says. Data mining and clever algorithms verging on AI enable platforms like Google, which take into account the interests and preferences of users, are now being used to customise "Reading newstrue or fakethat interests you and matches with your world view obviously adds to the echo chamber effect. There is also concern about trolling, abuse and threats on social media," he says in the Rupa Publications' book. The author notes that rooting out fake news, rumours and abuse is not easy. These developments, and the way social media tends to be used, have done little for the promotion of cross-cultural understanding, or reflection and dialogue based on varied perspectives. "Instead, in many cases, they have strengthened sectarian identity, reinforced biases and sharpened societal divides. The hope that these technologies would democratize, empower and enlighten seems to have been thwarted. Maybe it was a false dawn, after all, he says. But not everything about the social media is gloomy, according to Karnik as he argues that technology has also provided common interest platforms, identity strengthening and the sharing of a viewpoint, which help in mobilising people and creating mass movements. "In India, this power of social media was first strongly seen after the horrific Nirbhaya incident, when tens of thousands of people assembled for protest demonstrations, mobilised primarily through social media, he says. "The fact that this force is also used for negative purposes is not necessarily the fault of social media. Yet, there are concerns regarding the dangers of polarization and majoritarianism that social media engenders, and the effect of controversial content whether true or doctoredon groups already susceptible to a certain viewpoint," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The death toll from major floods swamping much of Iran has risen to 21, emergency services said Tuesday, as authorities sent safety warnings to mobile telephones across the country. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a message of condolence urging officials to speed up relief efforts and compensation for victims of the floods, which the authorities described as unprecedented. The disaster, which the energy minister blamed on climate change, struck in the middle of Iranian New Year holidays, with many relief workers on vacation. Nineteen people were killed and 98 injured in the southern city of Shiraz, while one person died in the western province of Kermanshah and another in Lorestan, also in the west, rescue services said. At least 110 people were reported wounded, according to the health ministry. With 20 of Iran's 31 provinces experiencing floods or facing an imminent threat, the country's National Crisis Management Committee was activated at the cabinet level. Iran's meteorological service has warned of more heavy showers until Wednesday, and flood warnings have gone out for central provinces such as Isfahan and the capital Tehran. Overnight the crisis management committee sent out multiple text messages to all mobile telephones in Iran urging people to be cautious and await instructions from official sources. "Remain calm when facing possible dangers... do not honk your car horns in mountainous regions as it might cause avalanches," one of the messages read. "Do not setup tents near rivers or mountainous areas... and most importantly do not cross bridges when floods are running underneath," read another one. The floods followed extreme rainfall which at times was equivalent to half of the average annual levels within 24 hours. It follows major floods on March 19 in the northeastern provinces of Golestan and Mazandaran, for which no official casualty toll has been given. Such a widespread flood threat is unprecedented in arid Iran, which until 2018 was dealing with decades of drought. "Climate change is forcing itself on our country," said Energy Minister Reza Ardekanian, who is in charge of dams and water supply. "These unprecedented floods in our country are because of climate change worldwide," he said on Monday, quoted by the Tasnim agency. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi unit of the BJP Tuesday accused the AAP and the Congress of violating the model code of conduct and sought action against them. Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta urged the chief electoral officer (CEO) of Delhi to ensure that strict action is taken to discourage frequent violations of the code. He alleged that the Congress has released a "highly objectionable video" on its Twitter handle on March 22, in which they had used "abusive language for the prime minister". "The video is full of lies, distortions; half-truth and a tell-tale sign of the low levels Congress is ready to stoop to mislead the public. The use of abusive language is done in the video and it should have no place in the process of elections in a democratic set up," he said, adding that he lodged a complaint with the Delhi poll body. On Monday, Gupta had lodged a complaint with the office of Delhi chief electoral officer over Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's letters "aimed at winning voters highlighting the achievements of the Delhi Jal Board" addressed to consumers that were supposed to be sent along with water bills. "The letter mentions neither the date nor dispatch number. This is gross violation of government rules as no letter can be sent without these particulars. But Kejriwal has cunningly tried to bypass this rule to escape CEC scrutiny," he alleged. He claimed that more than 26 lakh copies of the letters were printed with the chief minister's letterhead. "DJB Narela Office was raided by a team from the office of CEO to seize publicity material on my complaint lodged yesterday," he said. Gupta said the if the Congress and the AAP formed an alliance, it would be "the biggest example of political opportunism". "The origin of AAP was as a biggest rival of the Congress and was intended to stop them. The coalition between AAP and the Congress is to create panic about BJP among the minorities of Delhi and divide the people of Delhi on the communal lines at the cost of harmony and peace," he alleged. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The mega poll sop of providing Rs 72,000 each annually to five crore families belonging to the poorest category by Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be played up the party's Delhi unit through "aay pe charcha (discussion on income) meetings in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls. Delhi Congress president Sheila Dikshit termed the announcement as an "extraordinary step" and said she was getting congratulatory phone calls from people who are appreciating the sop "hugely". "This is an extraordinary step which will benefit the people below the poverty line in the country. It is the first time that such a step has been taken in the world," she told reporters. In a big-bang poll promise, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday announced that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income to poor families, benefiting around 25 crore people, if his party is voted to power in Lok Sabha polls, and asserted it will be the final assault on poverty. Gandhi had said 20 per cent or five crore families belonging to the poorest category with monthly income less than Rs 12,000 would come under the scheme. Diskshit said it is strange that the BJP government which has coined "hollow" slogans such as 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' and 'Achhe Din Ayenge' is now opposing Rahul Gandhi's announcement. Dikshit said Congress will implement the scheme for five crore poor families in the country after it forms the next government in the country. "The formalities (of the scheme) will be worked out after Congress forms the government and implements it," she said. Delhi Congress working president Haroon Yusuf said the "aay pe charcha" (discussion on income) meetings will be held across the city from April 1, to apprise people about the "historic" move by party president Rahul Gandhi. "These meetings will be held with the help of party workers at the district and block level in which people will be told how they are going to benefit from the announcement, if Congress wins the Lok Sabha polls," Yusuf said. Another working president of Delhi Congress Rajesh Lilothia hit back at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which reportedly termed Gandhi's announcement as a "Jumla" questioning the ruling party on their promise of installing CCTV cameras. "What happened to their (AAP) promises like installing CCTV cameras across the city," Lilothia said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi court has summoned as accused 11 top officials of the (PNB), including former and current executive officials and the current managing director, for alleged violation of banking regulations and criminal conspiracy. Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Singh asked PNB Managing Director (MD) and CEO Sunil Mehta, Executive Director Sanjiv Sharan, former MD Usha Ananthasubramanian, former executive director R S Sangapure and seven others to appear before it on May 24 on the basis of a complaint filed by the The court has also summoned as accused serving General Manager I J Arora, Assistant General Managers T R Venkateswaran and I P Singh, Chief Manager S K Srivastava, former general managers Nehal Ahad and Rakesh Kumar and former deputy general manager Sunil Mohan. In its complaint, the RBI has alleged non-compliance of its 2016 order directing commercial banks, including the PNB, to integrate their core banking system with various critical applications to reduce online fraud. The central bank alleged that the accused willfully and deliberately gave false information in their compliance report and the PNB's core banking system was not integrated with the applications and there was no online integration of SWIFT with the RBI's Core Banking Solution (CBS). SWIFT is a messaging system that enables and financial institutions to send and receive information about financial transactions through encrypted codes. The RBI has further alleged that the accused willfully and deliberately made false statements in the compliance report despite being aware of the risks and repercussions of failing to integrate SWIFT with the CBS. The RBI, in its circular issued to all commercial banks, including the PNB, had advised the to strengthen the controls around the operating environment for fund transfers through SWIFT or similar interfaces and were advised to minimise the practice of direct creation of payment messages in the SWIFT environment with routing the same through CBS. The RBI claimed that the case came to light during systems inspection at the PNB's Brady House Branch in Mumbai, where it was found that the information provided by the officials in the last few years were completely false. "The accused have willfully made false statement in utter disregard to their statutory obligation of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. "Accused have deliberately furnished false and misleading statements to RBI and it was done with common intention and in connivance with each other," it alleged. : Demanding the lifting of ban on iron ore-mining in certain parts of Karnataka, a large number ofminers staged a demonstration here Tuesday. The protesters were from Ballari, Hospet, Chitradurga districts and surrounding areas staged the sit-in demonstration under the banner of Karnataka Gani Avalambithara Vedike. The demonstrators consisted of also workmen, truckers and allied small-scale industries who, the organisers said, were the most affected as the ban has resulted in large- scale job losses and poverty. They demanded that the government intervene to save their livelihood. "Uncertainty looms large over the lakhs of mining dependents due to the discriminatory policies which are prevalent only in Karnataka mining sector and nowhere else," spokesperson of 'Karnataka Gani Avalambithara Vedike' Rajakumara S said while addressing the gathering. He added that their livelihood became highly uncertain due to restrictions on production, e-auction and other activities, which resulted in lowering the mining capacity and causedstagnation in the iron ore industry. Rajakumara said the production and dispatch from the leaseswere never fixed and fluctuated in accordance with the purchasing pattern of the steel industry. Buyers of iron ore are allowed to buy freely from outsideKarnataka whereas sellers are not allowed to sell freelyresulting in a huge pile-up of inventory, he said. Without a consistent and steady source of income, the lives of these mining dependents have become miserable and barely sustainable, he added. "We urge the government to ensure our survival by allowingfree trade, giving preference to local iron ore over importsand ensuring regular business for truckers and lakhs of othermining dependents," the protestors said adding that a delegation handed over a memorandum to the officials of mining department. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taking a swipe at the Congress, Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman Tuesday said out of "desperation" it was coming out with fake, ficticious, manufactured documents and allegations to attack the BJP in the coming polls. Sitharaman's response was to a query on the Congress and other opposition parties releasing a video purportedly showing a "BJP leader" exchanging old notes after demonetisation on a commission of 40 per cent. They, however, did not vouch for the authenticity of the 30-minute footage. Former Union minister and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal-- accompanied by senior leaders from his party as well those from the RJD, Loktantrik Janata Dal, National Conference and TDP -- alleged the video was filmed by some journalists in Ahmedabad. Sitharaman, who was in Thiruvanathapuram to launch the poll campaign of former Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan, told a press conference here that her party had rebutted every allegation of the Congress with "substantive facts." The video released by the Opposition parties Tueseday shows a person, who Sibal claims is a BJP leader with proximity to the party's top leaders, exchanging money purportedly after December 31, 2016, the time given by the government to exchange old notes after it demonetised high-value notes on November 8 that year. The amount of money exchanged is Rs 5 crore according to the conversation between the men in the grainy video and commentary that runs through the footage. However, Sibal did not provide any other proof to support his claims. "Of late, haven't you all noticed, the Congress party in its desperation, releases a page of a diary or a so called diary, releases something else, all based on ficticious, fake, manufactured documents, which are each day rebutted by no less than Finance minister, Arun Jaitley, himself. "Literally every day. Much before light dawns on those fake allegations, rebuttals are given with substative facts," she said. The Defence minister also lashed out at Sibal and said he was "notorious" for his comments which do not just have any basis. "He (Sibal) was the same person who when he was a minister called the loss that the government faced in 2G scam, inspite of CAG report pointing out the loss, a zero loss," she said. Sitharaman also alleged that the Congress party was in a methodical way going with fake documents, fake allegations, fake abuses and "therefore they carry on with a tirade." "It's a sign of desperation. They're just not going to make any difference in this election. Let them work to retain their 44 seats," she said. Lashing out at the CPI(M)-led Left Front in Kerala, Sitharaman said a "chaotic situation" was prevailing in Kerala. "In Kerala, one of the very important issue to take up is the terrible inheritance of violence," she said, urging the friends of the Left party to question the party. "The Communists what they did elsewhere is what they are doing here. Is it democracy? The friends of Communist party in Kerala, the ruling party, should stand up and ask the same question. "Is this the kind of environment that political parties can function fearlessly?..for people to go to polling booths or attend a public function held by a party which they do not like. So these are the issues," she said. She also claimed that everything her party has said and done were true and substantiated with facts. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Realty major DLF's QIP issue has been oversubscribed by two times, enabling the company to raise around Rs 3,200 crore. On Monday, DLF, the country's largest real estate firm in market value, had launched its qualified institutional placement (QIP) offering up to 17.3 crore shares to investors. According to market sources, the DLF's QIP offer has been over-subscribed by two times at a price of around Rs 183-184 apiece. Major institutional investors who have participated in QIP offer are Oppenheimer, UBS, HSBC, Marshall & Wace, Myriad, Key Square, Goldman Sachs, Indus, Eastbridge, Tata Mutual Fund and HDFC Mutual Fund, they added. The QIP issue will close on Friday with allotment of shares to institutional investors. With an aim to become a debt-free company, DLF had last year announced plans to issue shares through QIP to raise funds and pre-pay loans. DLF launched its QIP on Monday at a floor price of Rs 193.01 per equity share but said it might offer a discount of up to 5 per cent on the floor price. This is the third major fundraising from DLF. In 2007, DLF raised about Rs 9,200 crore through an initial public offering (IPO). In 2013, the company had raised nearly Rs 1,900 crore through an institutional placement programme. The DLF's QIP comes close in the heels of successful launch of India's first Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), launched by Blackstone and Embassy Group, to raise Rs 4,750 crore. DLF's group Chief Financial Officer Ashok Tyagi recently said the QIP proceeds and further infusion of Rs 2,500 crore from promoters against the issue of warrants would help the company significantly reduce the debt that stood at around Rs 7,200 crore as on December 31, 2018. DLF promoters K P Singh and family have already infused Rs 9,000 crore in the company and would pump in Rs 2,250 crore more. The company made a preferential allotment of compulsorily convertible debentures (CCDs) and warrants to the promoters against the infusion of funds. As infusion of the fund by promoters will lead to an increase in their shareholdings beyond permissible limit of 75 per cent, the company planned QIP to maintain minimum public shareholding of 25 per cent in a listed entity. In August 2017, the promoters had sold the entire 40 per cent stake in rental arm DLF Cyber City Developers Ltd (DCCDL) for Rs 11,900 crore and infused bulk of this amount in the company to cut net debt. This deal included the sale of 33.34 per cent stake in DCCDL to Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC for Rs 8,900 crore and buyback of remaining shares worth Rs 3,000 crore by DCCDL. The deal concluded in December 2017. As a result, DLF stake in DCCDL increased to 66.66 per cent stake from 60 per cent, while GIC has a balance of 33.34 per cent stake in the joint venture firm. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Tamil Nadu CPI-M secretary K Balakrishnan Tuesday accused the Election Commission of India of being a puppet in the hands of BJP. Cases were booked against opposition parties for violating code of conduct even if a candidate garlanded a statue, Balakrishnan told reporters here. The party would soon submit a memorandum to the chief electoral officer on the need to change the election officers working for long in the same post and appoint ones for free and fair functioning, he said. On allotment of symbols to parties, he said the Election Commission was following double standards, he said adding that this proved that it was functioning like a puppet in the hands of the ruling party at the Centre. The Left leader hit out at BJP Tamil Nadu president Tamilisai Soundararajan contesting from Tuticorin for saying the police firing in the district over the Sterlite issue that left 13 dead was to save 1,000 people who had gathered there. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said his party consulted "big economists" including former RBI governor Rahuram Rajan before it came up with the idea of minimum guaranteed income to the poorest 20 per cent households in the country. Addressing a meeting of his party workers, Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to transfer Rs 15 lakh to every bank account. "We thought it was a good idea...Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts. But the promise was not fulfilled by Modi. We started our work six months back to make such a thing reality," he said. He went on to say that his party consulted "all big economists, without telling anyone, without giving any speeches". Read our full coverage on Lok Sabha elections 2019 "We were engaged in this work for six months. Take the list of all big economists of the world, we consulted them...Raghuram Rajan...one by one," he said. "First thing, we we came to know was that there should be a minimum income line. We calculated and the result was that the minimum income line should be 12,000 per month," he said. Gandhi said his party will fulfil the promise. On Monday, Gandhi had announced in New Delhi that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income to poor families, benefiting around 25 crore people, if his party is voted to power in Lok Sabha polls, and asserted it will be the final assault on poverty. Gandhi had said 20 per cent or five crore families belonging to the poorest category with monthly income less than Rs 12,000 would come under the scheme. UAE-based telco Etisalat has signed an agreement with the Abu Dhabi Smart Solutions and Services Authority (ADSSSA)to boost their collaboration in the digital transformation of government services in Abu Dhabi. Etisalat will provide the technical knowledge and expertise to facilitate the ADSSSAs drive to digitise Abu Dhabi Government services, thus providing seamless and proactive customer experience to the Abu Dhabi community through the ADSSSAs platform TAMM. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Saeed Mohamed Al Mansouri, executive director of Joint Government Services, ADSSSA and Salvador Anglada, Group chief business officer, Etisalat at Etisalats headquarters in Abu Dhabi. The agreement strengthens the existing cooperation between ADSSSA and Etisalat, and paves the way for joint innovative initiatives and strategic solutions to provide an array of innovative digital solutions, boosting the level of Abu Dhabi governments customer happiness and satisfaction. Dr Rauda Al Saadi, ADSSSA director general said: This agreement with Etisalat is a strong impetus to the digital transformation drive in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and will enhance its leading position in the field of government digital services. Through this strategic partnership, we will look at exploring new horizons and enable the latest digital technologies and smart solutions in the government sector, which is in line with the UAE leaderships vision to provide the community with the best and most innovative solutions and services, and enrich peoples lives. We look forward, through this collaboration with Etisalat, to enhance our strategic goals leveraging the best and most up-to-date technologies available today to our end-users, and to provide sustainable best-in-class government services in Abu Dhabi emirate. Saleh Abdulla Al Abdooli, Group chief executive officer of Etisalat, said: We are honoured to bring our network capabilities, teams and expertise together to serve and cater to the requirements of the different segments of UAE. The cooperation with ADSSSA will help in enhancing digital platforms, smart services and applications enriching peoples lives in line with the vision of the UAE leadership to be a pioneer in all sectors. The partnership will provide futuristic solutions and services enabling connectivity with an advanced network and digital capabilities, which is also in line with Etisalats vision of Driving the Digital Future to empower societies. The MoU comes in the context of Etisalat's commitment to support the efforts of ADSSSA to harness the latest digital technologies to provide the next generation of government services. Etisalat provides a wide range of ICT solutions to the Abu Dhabi government services platform TAMM, which is a leading and futuristic model for government services in line with the Abu Dhabi Government Vision and the Abu Dhabi economic stimulus plan Ghadan 21, which means Tomorrow 21. TradeArabia News Service The CRPF has asked the government to allow it to raise at least 16 new battalions and provide it with more static duties in case it raises the retirement age of its combat personnel from the present 57 to 60 years, officials said Tuesday. The about 3-lakh personnel paramilitary force, during a recent meeting called by the Union home ministry on the subject, informed that it will have an addition of a total 16,844 older personnel in its ranks (between 2020-2022) if a recent Delhi High Court directive to enhance the superannuation age of personnel up to the Commandant rank is implemented. The force has told the government, that it should be allowed to raise at least 16 new battalions to enable it to have young manpower to meet its operational requirements and to compensate the gain of over 16,000 older personnel. A CRPF battalion has over 1,000 personnel. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is the designated lead internal security force of the country and is the mainstay for anti-Naxal operations in 10 Left Wing Extremism affected states and anti-terrorism offensives in the Kashmir valley. The force has been the lone dissenter of the retirement age proposal even as other Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) under the home ministry have agreed. The other CAPFs include the Border Security Force (BSF), the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Assam Rifles. The Delhi High Court has recently directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to implement its order and increase the retirement age of personnel up to the rank of Commandant, in these forces from 57 to 60 years, like that in the CISF and the Assam Rifles. Personnel above the Commandant rank retire at 60 years in all these forces. "We have stated that out of our 243 battalions on ground, 180 are in the thick of action and have no peacetime deployment. The age profile of the force has to be kept young to ensure it is fighting fit. Enhancing the retirement age does not augur well for a force that is in operation mode all the times," a senior CRPF officer told PTI. If the retirement age for the personnel in combat ranks is enhanced to 60, it will directly impact the CRPF recruitment for the next three years and we will not be able to recruit young blood as over 16,000 personnel will get three more years to serve, the officer said. The officer told the agency, that force also has submitted to the MHA that it should be given more static or peacetime duties where "older personnel may be deployed." These duties could be like guarding vital infrastructure or strategic assets of the country, the officer said. The paramilitary, that is chalking out new operational strategies post the February 14 Pulwama attack, also informed the ministry that it has the highest number of personnel, amongst the CAPFS, under the low medical category at 22,120. "The LMC cases are bound to increase if the retirement age of combat duty personnel is enhanced. It is important to give some new non-hard posting tasks to the force to keep it fit and agile," the officer said. The MHA has called a meeting to chalk out a comprehensive strategy within the next fortnight and ensure timely implementation of the court's order and also allow the CAPFs to roll out the proposed measures smoothly, the officer said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday asked Pakistan to ensure immediate release of the two Hindu girls who were allegedly kidnapped and forcefully converted to Islam in Sindh province last week. "Justice demands that both these girls should be restored to their family immediately," she tweeted. Reena and Raveena, hailing from village Hafiz Salman near the town of Daharki in Sindh, were allegedly kidnapped and forced to convert from Hinduism to Islam on March 20, before being married to Muslim men. "Forced conversion of Hindu girls in Pakistan: The age of the girls is not disputed. Raveena is only 13 and Reena is 15 years old," Swaraj said. "Even the Prime Minister on Naya Pakistan will not believe that girls of this tender age can voluntarily decide about their conversion to another religion and marriage," she said. A Pakistani high court on Tuesday ordered official protection for the two girls due to concern about their safety as authorities widened a probe to ascertain if the teenage sisters were abducted, forcibly converted and married. On Sunday, Swaraj tweeted that she asked the Indian envoy in Islamabad to send a report on the incident. Hours later, India issued a note verbale to Pakistan on the issue, sharing its concerns over the incident and called for suitable remedial action to protect and promote safety, security and welfare of people from the minority communities. Subsequently, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan ordered an investigation into the incident. The Islamabad High Court issued the order Tuesday after the petition was filed by the girls and their husbands to seek protection from adverse action. On March 20, the girls' family lodged a First Information Report against their alleged forced conversion to Islam. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) European lawmakers voted Tuesday to back an end to the annual changing of clocks in spring and autumn by 2021. If the draft law is approved by the EU executive and member states, countries will decide whether to remain permanently on what is now summer or winter time. After 2021 the twice annual ritual of moving clocks back or forward by an hour will be over -- as many fed-up European voters have demanded. Following pressure from a citizens' initiative, notably in Germany, the European Commission initially proposed to end daylight savings time from this year. But concerns were raised that a confusing patchwork of timezones would be created if some states opted to remain on "summer time" and some on "winter time". "Therefore we're waiting for member states to coordinate their decisions," warned Swedish MEP Marita Ulvskog, who is guiding the reform through the legislature. These decisions will not now come into effect before 2021 after the European Parliament voted by 410 votes to 192 to push back the timetable. In the meantime, the European Council -- which represents member states -- and experts from the European Commission will discuss the text with lawmakers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A group of strategic affairs experts and academics from India and China held a high-level track-II dialogue here with a broader aim to expand overall engagement between the two Asian giants including in defence and security spheres. In the deliberations on March 25-26, the experts examined India-China relations in a changing global context, explored ways to further boost economic engagement and reviewed the search for a boundary settlement and management of borders, the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS) said in a release. The ICS and China Center for South Asian Studies, Sichuan University, coordinated the dialogue. "These candid talks were assessed to be productive and forward-looking by both sides," said ICS. It said the discussion also focused on enlargement of India-China cooperation in defence and security domains and reviewed the growing role of the two countries in the world. The Indian delegation was led by Shivshankar Menon, former National Security Adviser and Special Representative for India-China Boundary Question, while the Chinese side was headed by former State Councillor Dai Bingguo. Amassador Menon and State Concillor Dai delivered keynote addresses at the inaugural session Monday which was also addressed by Ambassador of China to India Luo Zhaohui. Former Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister's Special Envoy Shyam Saran and Qiu Yuanping, Standing Committee member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and former State Council Minister also spoke at the concluding session. Similar consultations were earlier held at Meishan, Chengdu, China in November 2017. Ambassador Ashok K. Kantha, Director, Institute of Chinese Studies and Prof. Yan Shijing, Secretary General, China Center for South Asian Studies, Sichuan University agreed that these informal high-level discussions will continue. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police in Chhattisgarh Tuesday seized explosive material, including 17 sacks of ammonium nitrate and 45 detonators, from the house of a farmer in Raigarh district, an official said. Police have arrested the accused Bhuvneshwar Sahu (38) as he failed to produce requisite documents. "Acting on a specific input, a police team raided Sahu's house in Sukhpali village in Saria area of the district bordering Odisha and recovered 17 sacks of ammonium nitrate- each weighing 50 kg, four bundles of wires used in triggering blasts and 45 detonators," said Raigarh superintendent of police Rajesh Agrawal. Sahu had allegedly purchased the material from neighbouring Odisha for the purpose of selling it to mining contractors in the area, he said. "He was arrested as he failed to produce documents in support of storing the explosives," the SP said. A case has been registered and further probe is underway. A local court remanded Sahu in judicial remand for 14 days. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi Police Special Cell Tuesday claimed to have busted an extortion racket being run from inside Mandoli prison in Delhi with the arrest of two henchmen of Khoda Gang. On the direction of the gang leader lodged in prison, the accused had planned a spate of murders to stamp supremacy in Ghaziabad's Khoda Colony, they said. The accused have been identified as Bal Kishan, a resident of Trilok Puri, and Mohammad Ateek, a resident of Khoda colony in Ghaziabad. They are the henchmen of Khoda Gang leader Chanderbhan, police said. "With the arrest of Bal Kishan and Mohammad Ateek of Khoda gang, the police busted the extortion racket being operated from Mandoli prison in the national capital," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said. The duo was arrested following a tip off about Chanderbhan passing instructions to his henchmen to kill two persons. The accused were arrested before they could execute their plan, he said. During a search of the prison barrack where Chanderbhan was lodged, police found a diary with the details of Ateek, the DCP said, adding that further investigation is underway. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Singapore Airlines flight from Mumbai to Singapore with 263 passengers on board Tuesday received a bomb threat, prompting Singapore Air Force to send two F-16s to escort the aircraft. The flight landed safely at Singapore's Changi International Airport on Tuesday around 8 am (local time), the airline added. "Singapore Airlines confirms there was a bomb threat concerning SQ423 operating from Mumbai to Singapore. The aircraft arrived in Singapore on March 26, 2019, at about 0800hrs (local time). "There were 263 passengers on board. We are assisting the authorities with their investigations and regret that we are unable to provide further details," a statement issued by the airline said. The Republic of Singapore Air Force said two F16C/Ds escorted the SIA aeroplane. The RSAF said in a Facebook post that two F-16C/Ds were scrambled to intercept the SIA flight. "Our fighters escorted the airliner till it landed safely at Changi Airport," it said. All passengers, except for a woman and a child, disembarked safely and had to undergo screening. The woman and the child were held back for questioning by the police, who are investigating the incident. Preliminary checks showed that the airline received a call after the plane left Mumbai's airport on Monday at about 11.35pm local time. The caller claimed that there was a bomb on the plane. The plane, a Boeing 777-300ER, had departed Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 11.36pm local time on Monday, according to website FlightAware. It arrived in Singapore 31 minutes behind schedule, the site added. "There was no impact to other SIA operations," an SIA spokesperson said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India needs to focus on the resolution of rather than loan waivers which kill the credit culture, former RBI governor said Tuesday. "First we need to worry about why people are so distressed and angry. There is a lot of agriculture distress. I personally believe that are not the answers. But there are other answers," he said when asked about what should be the focus for the upcoming elections. The other focus area should be creation of jobs which the people want, he said here at the launch of his book -- 'The Third Pillar - How Markets and the State leave the Community Behind'. "I would say that one is start creating those jobs people want. Take care of the distress, but whatever measures you put, put them as a pathway for people to get those jobs rather than standing in the way of getting those jobs...We can talk about the economic reforms that are needed, but jobs are task one," Rajan emphasised. Several state governments have announced loan waivers for farmers. Referring to the issue of farm distress, he said loan waivers cover only those farmers who have taken loans from the formal system. "I do worry about waiving loans because it only targeted to those farmers who have taken loans from the system, not the poorer farmers who have loans from the money lenders or an agricultural worker who never got a loan in the first place. So I would rather have a better-targeted system," he said. "That is why I have always said that are problematic and various bankers have also opined that it kills the credit culture. It's very difficult to lend to those people once again. So they also suffer in credit down the line even though they may get some short-run benefit. So those are my objections," he added. He further said targeted transfers to the very poor have become a staple of capitalism and that is a part of the safety net. "...what we see in this country is a number of political parties are saying we have become wealthy enough to be able to do it. But it still means it has to be done carefully and effectively, not layering one on top of another," Rajan said. When asked whether he would like to return to India in public service or even a political role, he said, "I am very happy where I am. But if there is an opportunity to be of use I will always be there." Rajan is currently the Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business in the US. On whether the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is a threat to India's composite culture, Rajan said: "I do not have any doubt there are good people in RSS...It is not an indictment of every person there." "But the aim of majoritarian organisations is what I am more worried about. My worry is a very diverse country like India which has so many minorities, religion, ethnic groups, we simply cannot afford to say he belongs and she doesn't". Rajan further said: "We have built a country based on tolerance and respect. And at this time we would be crazy to sacrifice that for a narrow sectarianism that will stand in our way of growth. If you are a true nationalist today you have to say that we have to be a country that respects all. Former BJP leader Ghanshyam Tiwari is likely to join the Congress in Jaipur on Tuesday, party sources said. They said Tiwari will join the Congress in the presence of its president Rahul Gandhi, who is scheduled to meet party workers in Jaipur's Ramlila Maidan on Tuesday evening. In 2017, Tiwari had opened a front against BJP leader and then chief minister Vasundhara Raje and resigned from the party in June 2018. He had openly criticised and accused Raje of corruption and made several complaints against her to the party high command. He alleged that he was not heard in the party. Tiwari had floated Bharat Vahini Party ahead of the Rajasthan Assembly elections in 2018. He contested the election from Sanganer seat from where he not only lost but also got his security forfeited. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four including two women have been arrested by the customs officials for allegedly trying to smuggle out foreign currencies worth Rs 70 lakh at Delhi airport. The accused, including a couple, were intercepted when they were proceeding to board a flight to Dubai on Sunday, a statement issued by the customs department on Tuesday said. A detailed personal and baggage search of the accused resulted in the recovery of foreign currencies -- Euro, USD and UAE Dirham-- equivalent to Rs 70.06 lakh, the statement said. Giving details of the seizure, officials said both the males had concealed foreign currencies in their rectums and the women were carrying in hand baggage. All the four accused are resident of Delhi, they added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industrys Legal Services Section settled disputes worth Dh47 million ($12.7 million) in 2018, without resorting to courts or arbitration, said Mohammed Helal Al Muhairi, director-general of the Chamber. Some disputes and complaints are still being settled or are frozen, due to the lack of following-up by relevant persons or a lack of jurisdiction, he was quoted as saying by Emirates news agency Wam. Al Muhairi explained that the chambers ability to solve disputes through friendly settlement is due to its direct relationships with its members, which are based on mutual respect and the efforts of its Legal Services Department, whose performance, mechanisms and methods of dealing with complaints were developed to align with the chambers services, which has increased the trust of the chambers members in its ability to solve disputes in a friendly manner. The department, as a neutral third party, manages a non-binding negotiations process, with the aim of helping conflicting parties to reach a friendly solution and achieve reconciliation, which will save time, effort and money and decrease the burden on the emirates courts. Al Muhairi noted that the section offers daily legal counselling to private sector companies and institutions and business leaders, with the aim of explaining the correct legal procedures as stipulated by the laws of UAE and Abu Dhabi. Its legal services are provided by specialist counsellors who can offer legal advice on all laws concerning the running of commercial businesses and common commercial contracts, such as those related to trading establishments, trading agencies, local services agent appointments and franchising. Four Naxals were gunned down in an encounter with security forces on Tuesday in the insurgency-hit Sukma district in Chhattisgarh, police said. The encounter took place around 6 AM in a forest in the Chintalnar police station area, Deputy Inspector General (anti-Naxal operations) Sundarraj P told PTI. An elite unit of the CRPF's Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) was cordoning off the forest area near Karkanguda village, around 500 km away from the state capital, when a group of Naxals started firing on them, leading to a gun-battle, he said. In the encounter, four Naxals were killed. One INSAS rifle and two .303 rifles were recovered from the spot, he said. Further details were awaited, he added. Anti-Naxal operations have been intensified in the forests of Bastar division in view of the Lok Sabha elections. Chhattisgarh will vote in three phases on April 11, April 18 and April 23. Sukma district is a part of the Bastar Lok Sabha constituency which will go to poll in the first phase in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister has declared movable and immovable assets worth Rs 25.12 crore in an affidavit filed along with his nomination papers for the Nagpur parliamentary constituency. Gadkari filed his papers for the Nagpur Lok Sabha seat on Monday. Polling in the constituency will be held on April 11. As per his tax return forms, his total income stood at Rs 2,66,390 in 2013-14 and Rs 6,40,700 in 2017-18. According to his affidavit, he has movable assets worth Rs 69,38,691, while his wife has movable assets worth Rs 91,99,160. A sum of Rs 66,07,924 is in the name of the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF). Similarly, Gadkari has immovable assets worth Rs 6,95,98,325, his wife Rs 6,48,60,325. A sum of Rs 9,40,31,224 was in the name of HUF. Gadkari declared over 29 acres of agricultural land in Dhapewada in Nagpur, of which 15 acres are registered in the name of his wife and 14.60 acres owned by HUF. Gadkari declared an ancestral house at Mahal (Nagpur) and a flat at an MLA Society in Worli (Mumbai). The Union minister, in his affidavit, has informed that he has invested Rs 3,55,510 in savings scheme, mutual funds, bonds and shares. He has Rs 8,99,111 in his banks account, according to the affidavit. Similarly, his wife's bank balance stood at Rs 11,07,909. The senior BJP leader also has liabilities of Rs 1,57,21,753 by way of bank loans. Gadkari declared six cars in his affidavit, four of which are in the name of his wife. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he was prepared for further military action in Gaza after cutting short a Washington visit and returning to Israel following a shaky ceasefire announced by Hamas. After Hamas said Egypt had brokered a truce late Monday aimed at ending a severe escalation, further exchanges of fire occurred throughout the night before calm again returned at around 6:00 am (0400 GMT). Gaza and Israeli cities near the Palestinian enclave remained quiet throughout the day. UN envoy for the Middle East Nickolay Mladenov told the United Nations Security Council that a "fragile calm" had returned but the situation remained "extremely tense." There were no deaths on either side, but seven Israelis and seven Palestinians were wounded in the flare-up at a highly sensitive time ahead of Israel's April 9 elections. Speaking via satellite link to pro-Israel lobby AIPAC's annual conference after returning from Washington, where he met US President Donald Trump, Netanyahu said "we are prepared to do a lot more." "We will do what is necessary to defend our people and to defend our state," he said after Israeli retaliatory strikes in response to a rare long-distance rocket attack that hit a house near Tel Aviv. The prime minister is widely believed to want to avoid a fourth war in Gaza since 2008 with unpredictable consequences ahead of the elections, but he is also under heavy political pressure. After arriving, he went straight to the defence ministry in Tel Aviv. In cutting short his Washington visit, Netanyahu cancelled his in-person address to AIPAC and dinner with Trump. Israel kept up air strikes on Gaza into the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday and Palestinian militants launched new rockets despite the ceasefire claim. The Israeli army reported late-night mortar fire and 30 new rocket launches from Gaza, on top of 30 rockets detected earlier Monday evening. Israel struck around 15 fresh targets, including what the army said was a Hamas military compound and an Islamic Jihad position. A security source in Gaza said there had been a total of around 80 Israeli strikes. Some of the rockets fired at Israel were intercepted by air defences while others hit uninhabited areas, the army said. A house in the southern Israeli town of Sderot was damaged by a rocket. In Gaza, Raed al-Qahtawi, whose home was damaged in an Israeli strike on Hamas leader Ismail Haniya's office, said he received a warning call from Hamas authorities beforehand. "We were sitting in the house and then they called us and told us to clear the house immediately," he said. "We went to our neighbours. My aunt is disabled so we took her using a walker and after approximately 30 minutes they bombed the area." Schools and government offices were closed in Gaza on Tuesday, while schools in parts of southern Israel were also closed. The flare-up began early Monday with a rare long-distance rocket strike from Gaza that hit a house north of Tel Aviv, wounding seven Israelis. Israel warned of a strong response, sending reinforcements to the Gaza area and announcing a limited call up of reservists. It also closed its people and goods crossing with the blockaded strip and reduced the zone in the Mediterranean it allows for Palestinian fishermen. Israel's retaliatory strikes began around the same time Netanyahu met Trump in Washington. Israel targeted dozens of Hamas sites, including Haniya's office, what it said was a secret intelligence building and a Hamas internal security building in Gaza City. The coastal enclave was rocked by explosions and fireballs rose in the sky in Gaza City. Netanyahu said it was the largest-scale attack on Hamas sites since the last war between them in 2014. Following those strikes, militants in Gaza fired a barrage of rockets in response and air raid sirens wailed in southern Israel. A joint statement from militant groups in Gaza, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, took responsibility for those rockets. Hamas then announced Egypt had brokered the ceasefire -- as it has repeatedly in the past -- but Israel did not confirm it. Israeli media quoted an unnamed official saying Israel had not accepted any ceasefire. Israel's army blamed Hamas for the rocket that hit the house Monday in the community of Mishmeret, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Tel Aviv. A Hamas official however denied the group was responsible for that rocket and indicated it may have been fired by accident or even due to "bad weather." The hospital that treated the wounded said the seven Israelis were injured lightly by burns and shrapnel, including three children. If Israel and Hamas manage to implement the ceasefire announced Monday, more tensions are likely on the horizon. Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of protests and clashes along the Gaza-Israel border, and large demonstrations are expected for it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Political parties will not be allowed to campaign in the vicinity of churches on Good Friday, which falls on April 19, the state's Chief Electoral Officer Kunal has instructed. The Christian holy day comes just days ahead of April 23, when the state will have polls for two Lok Sabha seats and bypolls for three Assembly constituencies. As per the minutes of the meeting, parties expressed fear that campaigning near churches of the occasion of Good Friday could cause law and order problems and also hurt the sentiments of Christians. Election Commission officials expressed confidence that all arrangements, including police deployment, had been made to ensure law and order was maintained for polls in the coastal state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) has withdrawn its boarding passes with photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, the airline said on Tuesday, a day after Air India's rolled back its passes with images of the two leaders. The airline had taken a "cue from the Election Code of Conduct", a spokesperson said, adding that its team in Srinagar inadvertently used unused stock of "Vibrant Gujarat" paper. GoAir's Srinagar Airport team inadvertently utilized unused stock of Vibrant Gujarat related paper which took place in January 18-20, 2019 for issuing boarding passes at the said airport. It was unintentional. Taking cue from the Election Code of Conduct we have instructed our airport teams to stop utilizing this type of paper with immediate effect, the spokesperson said in a statement. On Monday, decided to do the same after the issue ignited controversy on social media. Its boarding passes were also from the Vibrant Gujarat summit with photographs of the two leaders. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted on Monday evening that he was on a flight on Sunday and it "also had a similar boarding pass with the PM's photo on it". An spokesperson said on Monday that the boarding passes were printed during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit held in January this year and the photographs were part of the advertisement from 'third parties'. " has decided to roll back the boarding passes of Vibrant Gujarat which had photos of the prime minister and the Gujarat chief minister," said Dhananjay Kumar. Union minister has claimed that efforts of the BJP government to bring back fugitives from abroad is a "political and ethical slap" on the face of " is facing an unprecedented situation where the major opposition party - Congress- has based its campaign on lies. It is an illusion of that all these lies would turn into truth. All his allegations of Rafale, Mehul Choksi, are falling flat," he told in an interview. The Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries said fugitive diamantaire and fled the country during the BJP rule as they were aware that "neither the Gandhi family nor the ministers could save them" from the law. His comments come in the backdrop of the Congress' allegations about the Narendra Modi government's involvement in Rafale scam and helping industrialists like Choksi, and in fleeing the country after failing to repay loans taken from various state banks. Nirav Modi, the main accused in the USD 2 billion scam case, was arrested in on March 20 and a court remanded him to custody till March 29. "The arrest has exposed the web of lies spread and created by He has accused the government of not taking enough action, but the fact is it was during the regime that loans were sanctioned to Nirav Modi, and Vijay Mallya," Supriyo said. They had left the country as there was no arrest warrant and their passports were not confiscated, he said, adding it was the "political resolve of the present government to bring them back and put them to justice even in foreign countries". "Each time we bring the fugitives, who grew under the pampering of the and the Congress, it is going to be one tight political and ethical slap on the face of Rahul Gandhi," the BJP said. On the Balakot air strike, Supriyo said, "The armed forces have submitted all the documents to the government. It is for the government to decide as an when it wants to release them." Had the government wanted to politicise the air strike, it would have released the proof of the attack, he asserted. The Asansol MP said when was killed at Abbotabad in in 2011, such demands of releasing the proof were made, but the did not pay any heed to it. Exuding confidence that Narendra Modi will be the next prime minister with the BJP winning absolute majority, Supriyo declined to speculate on whether Modi will still be the PM, if the party falls short of majority. "Let us not pay any heed to any speculations. I am very sure, we are going to see Modi ji taking oath once again as the Prime Minister and a stable NDA government, with the BJP having the majority, is going to be re-elected," he said. Speaking on the proposed grand alliance of opposition parties, the Union minister said it was an alliance of corrupt leaders who are either in jail or out on bail. He said the Trinamool (TMC) should expect the unexpected in this election as it will be the "curtain raiser of the BJP" ahead of the 2021 assembly polls in the state. The election will break the backbone of the TMC, he said. "People will vote for BJP to end the tyranny and reign of fear of the TMC. Expect the unexpected in this elections," Supriyo, who is pitted against TMC's Moon Moon Sen from Asansol Lok Sabha seat, said. He denied that there was discontent in the Bengal unit over defectors from the TMC being given prominence over tried and tested leaders of the BJP. "There is no discontent in BJP. People who want to fight Mamata Banerjee's tyranny, people who want to mend their ways are welcome in our party," he said. Protest erupted in various districts of after the BJP released its list of candidates. Party workers hit the streets over discontent regarding the selection of candidates. BJP Bengal unit vice Raj Kamal Pathak recently submitted his resignation over denial of ticket. BJP national has set a target of winning 23 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Centre has refused to share details related to the appointment of Governor citing a clause in the transparency law which bars disclosure of information, including "records of deliberations of the council of ministers, secretaries and other officers". Replying to an RTI query, it declined to share the details, including names of short-listed candidates and file notings related to the appointment. Das was on December 11, 2018 named as the (RBI) Governor by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for three years. The appointment came after abruptly resigned amid a face-off with the government over issues related to governance and autonomy of the central bank. The RTI application was filed by this correspondent with the Department of Financial Services (DFS) seeking details like copy of any advertisement or vacancy circular issued by the government on appointment of Governor, names of all applicants who had applied for the post and those short-listed for the top post. The DFS was also asked to provide details on composition of search committee to short-list candidates and copy of minutes of meetings held on deciding the Governor. In its reply, the DFS said the selection of Governor, RBI is done by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on the basis of recommendation made by the Financial Sector Regulatory Appointments Search Committee (FSRASC). The committee is headed by cabinet secretary as its chairperson and has additional principal secretary to Prime Minister and secretary of the department concerned besides three outside experts as its members, the DFS said, without giving the names of the experts. It had then forwarded the application to the cabinet secretariat. "In this regard, it is informed that the requisite information about appointment of as Governor, Reserve Bank of India, being Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) related file notings/documents/records, is exempted from disclosure under Section 8 (1) (i) of the Right to Information Act 205," the cabinet secretariat said in its reply to the RTI application. The section bars disclosure of "cabinet papers, including records of deliberations of the council of ministers, secretaries and other officers". The section, however, says that the decisions of council of ministers, the reasons thereof, and the material on the basis of which the decisions were taken shall be made public after the decision has been taken, and the matter is complete, or over. Das, a 1980-batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, retired as Economic Affairs Secretary in May 2017 and was since appointed India's Sherpa to the G-20 and a member of the Finance Commission. Urjit Patel, who initially appeared to have toed the government line on issues like demonetisation, clashed with the Finance Ministry last year over issues of liquidity, reserves of the central bank and lending norms. The face-off had led to the government invoking a never-used-before provision of the RBI Act to bring the Governor to the negotiating table on these issues. After Das' appointment was announced, Indian-American economist Abhijit Banerjee flayed the government for appointing the retired bureaucrat as the He also warned that the decision leaves a lot of "frightening" questions about governance issues at key public institutions. Banerjee, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), had made a strong pitch for strengthening the credibility of all key institutions like the RBI. On Patel's sudden resignation, he had said, "We should all worry if this is a sign of institutional stress." Addressing a function a day after Das' appointment, former chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian said the central bank's autonomy was "sacred" which should not be compromised. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal Tuesday threw an open challenge to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu asking the latter to come for a debate in New Delhi on what all the Narendra Modi government did for the state in the last five years. Maintaining that Naidu accepted a special economic package in lieu of special category status for the state, the Union minister said Andhra Pradesh might lose a special grant of Rs 17,500 crore if the SCS was granted. "This is an open challenge to Chandrababu Naidu. Let him come to New Delhi. I am ready for a debate on this," Goyal said. The railway minister visited Vijayawada in Amaravati to release the state BJP's election manifesto which, among other things, promised a transparent, corruption-free and responsible administration besides empowering all sections politically. Seeking to expose the chief minister's "double standards" on the SCS issue, Goyal gave a presentation on the Centre's special assistance to the state. "After getting double benefit from the Centre in the form of a revenue deficit grant and a special (economic) assistance measure, Naidu was now misleading the people by demanding the SCS purely for political reasons," he said. He lashed out at Naidu for carrying out a "malicious propaganda and spreading falsehoods" only to "hide his own failures, corruption and unpopularity" and alleged that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has been reduced to a "private limited company". "On one hand, he is indulging in huge corruption and on the other, nominating members of his family as (electoral) candidates. He is running away from investigations (by the CBI, ED and the Income Tax Department) because all his corruption is coming uncovered," he said. Accusing the TDP chief of ditching former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government and now the Narendra Modi government, the senior BJP leader claimed that the people of Andhra Pradesh have decided to ditch Naidu now. Hitting out at the Congress and the TDP, he said the two "corrupt parties", came together in the recent Telangana Assembly elections and Naidu got a "taste of his unpopularity". "He has now ditched even the Congress by not continuing the alliance in Andhra Pradesh," Goyal said. The BJP, he asserted, never ditches friends and works with partners together. Former state chief secretary I Y R Krishna Rao, who headed the BJP manifesto committee, said political empowerment of all sections was the prime promise incorporated in the manifesto. "The BJP will provide a transparent, corruption-free and responsible administration and empower all sections politically. Since the existing districts in the state are large in size, the party will undertake a reorganisation exercise to make each Lok Sabha constituency a district," Rao said, highlighting the salient features of the manifesto. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday said she's happy that women will receive Rs 72,000 per year directly into their bank accounts under the minimum income guarantee scheme announced by party chief Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi on Monday announced that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income to poor families, benefiting around 25 crore people, if his party is voted to power in Lok Sabha polls, and asserted it will be the final assault on poverty. "So happy that under the NYAY scheme, women will be the ones who receive the annual amount of Rs. 72,000 directly into their accounts. 'Empower a woman, empower a family'," Priyanka Gandhi wrote on Twitter. She said 20 per cent or 5 crore families belonging to the poorest category with monthly income less than Rs 12,000 will benefit under the scheme. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress kicked off its six-day long 'parivartan yatra' in Haryana on Tuesday, with senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda asking voters to throw out Modi and the Khattar governments. Hooda and state Congress chief Ashok Tanwar set aside reported the factionalism in the state unit as they launched the bus yatra from the Congress headquarters in New Delhi in the morning. Besides Azad, who is the Congress general secretary in charge of Haryana; Hooda, and Tanwar, Congress legislature party leader Kiran Choudhry, Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda, Rajya Sabha MP Selja Kumari, former minister Ajay Yadav, former assembly Speaker Kuldeep Sharma were among the leaders who were on the bus. Tanwar -- who shared a seat with Hooda in the bus, on which pictures of the party's top central and state leaders were put up -- said: "The Congress will win all the 10 Lok Sabha seats. The yatra will cover all the 10 constituencies over the next few days." Senior Congress leader and Adampur MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi, who has stayed away from meetings of the coordination committee formed recently, was conspicuous by his absence. The leaders halted at various points along the route that included Badshahpur (Gurugram), Dharuhera (Rewari), Kasola Chowk (Bawal) and Mandi Ateli (Mahendragarh), addressing public gatherings and interacting with the media. Azad appealed to the people to strengthen the Congress' hands and bring the grand old party to power at the Centre and in Haryana. "People are fed up with the Modi and Khattar governments. They want 'parivartan' (change)," the leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said. "It is time to teach a lesson to the BJP which has sown seeds of discord." Azad dubbed Chief Minister M L Khattar, who is a first-time MLA, as an "inexperienced" leader. He alleged that the BJP had destroyed the lives of the farmers, duped the youth in name of jobs, adding that the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme had become an empty slogan. Hitting out at the Khattar regime, Hooda said the BJP had done nothing in the past four-and-a-half years. "All they did was event management about non-existing achievements.... People are waiting for polls to throw out both the Modi government, which has failed on all fronts, and the non-performing Khattar dispenstion," the former chief minister said. Pointing out to the loan-waivers in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh after the Congress came to power last year, Hooda said the party would implement the Swaminathan report in letter and spirit. "The Congress president (Rahul Gandhi) has now promised Rs 72,000 annually to the 'poorest of the poor' in the country. The Congress will fulfil its promise," the former chief minister said Tanwar, meanwhile, sought to brush aside reports of factionalism in the state unit, underlining that the state unit was all united under the leadership of Gandhi. When the bus was passing through Gurgaon, Tanwar raised the issue of the attack on a Muslim family in Bhondsi. "The attack was carried out by goons owing allegiance to the BJP. It is shocking that the victim family kept dialling the police control room number for 32 times, but the police failed to respond to their distress calls," Tanwar claimed. Hooda alleged that the Gurgaon incident showed the "real and scary face" of the BJP's poor governance. The former chief minister said the activities to "tamper the nature" of the ecologically-sensitive Aravalli range tells how honest the BJP was. Choudhry alleged that the Centre and the state government had misled the people with false promises. The 'parivartan' yatra will end at Palwan in Faridabad on Sunday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Park Regis Kris Kin Hotel, an upscale five-star property located opposite of Burjuman Centre in Dubai, has appointed Samy Kamal Abd El Hammed as its senior development manager. El Hammed will oversee corporate and government accounts in the region and will work closely with Ovidiu Marica, director of sales. El Hammed brings with him more than 12 years extensive experience in sales. He started his career in 2003 as a receptionist in Hilton Sharm Dream Resort Egypt and transferred to Sheraton Soma Bay Resort in 2006. Due to his dedication and hard work, he had been promoted to sales executive in 2009 at Emirates Grand Dubai and held sales manager positions in different international brands such as Holiday International Sharjah and Movenpick Hotel Al Mamzar Dubai in 2011 to 2017. Commenting on El Hammeds appointment, Jane Frazer, regional director revenue generation of the Park Regis, said: We are excited to welcome Samy to the Park Regis Middle East team. We are confident that he will play a vital role in achieving the targeted goals and drive maximum revenue for the hotel." Prior to joining Park Regis Kris Kin Hotel, El Hammed worked with the Movenpick Hotel Al Mamzar Dubai as a senior sales manager. - TradeArabia News Service UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has expressed concern over the rise of racism and intolerance in liberal democracies and authoritarian states, and said hate speech is "spreading like wildfire" through social media. I am deeply alarmed by the current rise of xenophobia, racism and intolerance, fed increasingly by nationalist and populist ideologies, Guterres said. Hate speech is entering the mainstream, spreading like wildfire through social media and radio. We are seeing it spread in liberal democracies and authoritarian states alike, he said at an event at the UN General Assembly on Monday. The event was held to commemorate International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Guterres recalled the New Zealand mosque terrorist attack in which 50 people were killed by a self-avowed white supremacist gunman as the latest tragedy rooted in such poison. The UN Chief had last Friday visited the Islamic Center in New York to show solidarity and express his outrage. Today and every day, we must stand united against racial and religious hatred and the terrorism of bigots, he said. Guterres observed the Day to renew the "promise to end racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, including social and ethnic discrimination, anti-Muslim hatred and anti-semitism. He voiced concern that no country or community is immune to the rising xenophobia and racism, emphasising that these dark forces menace democratic values, social stability and peace, and stigmatize women, minorities, migrants and refugees. When people are attacked, physically, verbally or on social media, because of their race, religion or ethnicity, all of society is diminished. It is crucial for all of us to join hands, stand up and defend the principles of equality and human dignity, Guterres said. In order to combat hate speech, and defend the principles of equality and human dignity, he asked his special adviser on the prevention of genocide, Adama Dieng, to coordinate a strategy and plan of action for the UN system. We need to engage everyone in dismantling the harmful and specious notion of racial superiority he said, emphasising that the recent surge of neo-Nazi thinking and white supremacist ideology must be buried once and for all. This step can be supported by national legislation, which promotes non-discrimination, and by politicians and religious leaders, who speak out against intolerance and hate speech, Guterres said. We are all connected by our humanity. We are all equal. We should all be looking out for each other's welfare, he said. General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa pointed to an observation of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet that populists rely on demonising the other, saying that across the world, populists are exploiting the legitimate grievances of those who feel left behind. Hate speech isn't free speech. It's racism, she said, adding that blaming problems on migrants must be pushed back and short-sighted nationalism must not be allowed to derail the search for global solutions. The challenges we face require global co-operation like never before. Multilateralism makes us stronger, not weaker. The 2030 Agenda is a framework all governments can use to respond to the needs and aspirations of their citizens, Espinosa said. Separately in his message to mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, Guterres called on the international community to raise awareness of the dangers of racism and stand up against old and new forms of slavery. Slavery and the transatlantic slave trade were among history's most appalling manifestations of human brutality, he told delegates from across the world gathered in the General Assembly Hall with a call for justice and equal opportunities for all people of African descent. In 2007, the UN designated March 25 as a day to honour and remember those who suffered during the transatlantic slave trade. We pay homage to the millions of African men, women and children who were denied their humanity and forced to endure abominable cruelty across centuries, the UN chief said. Over the course of 400 years, more than 15 million people have been killed and irrevocably harmed by an institution that should never have existed, he said. Guterres flagged that they were more than just victims, and often sacrificed their lives for the cause of freedom and dignity. The UN secretary general urged everyone to remember not only the brutality meted out against them, but also their remarkable endurance, resilience and countless contributions to humankind. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The hunger strike by JNU students entered its eighth day today even as Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar, who had on Monday alleged that some students forcibly entered his house and confined his wife, said he had "forgiven" them and would not file a complaint with the police. "While last night's violent behaviour by students in front of my JNU residence is condemnable, neither me nor my wife will file a police complaint against the students. We have forgiven them. Wish them the best and hope they will reform and not repeat such acts in future," Kumar tweeted. "JNU has marvellous people. Yesterday when students broke into my residence terrorising my wife who was alone at home, it was the wives of JNU faculty members who rescued my wife with the help of security guards and took her to hospital. Grateful to them for their kindness," he further said. The VC had on Monday alleged that a few hundred students forcibly broke into his residence and confined his wife inside home for several hours while he was away in a meeting. "Few hundred students have broken into my residence at JNU and have confined my wife inside the house. She is alone at home and terrified. Very unfortunate. Is it the way to protest? Terrorising a lonely lady at home?," he had tweeted. The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) has denied Kumar's allegation. "The JNUSU categorically rejects the falsehood being spread by the VC, Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar. The JNUSU (on Monday) after waiting (at the VC's residence) returned to the protest venue where an indefinite hunger strike is taking place," it said. A student from a Left student outfit rejected the allegation and said a group of students had gone to meet the vice chancellor, but they were allegedly manhandled by the security personnel. Eleven students are on a hunger strike on the campus in protest against the online system of entrance exam that will be implemented from this academic session. JNUSU President N Sai Balaj, who has been on hunger strike, was hospitalised on his birthday Tuesday but was discharged in the evening when his condition improved. Police said the situation on the campus remained under control. "Today more than 500 students participated in a day long solidarity hunger strike hoping that the VC would respond. Instead of talking to the students on hunger strike the JNU administration called the genuine demands of the students community as 'politically motivated'! Following this, students went to the VC's residence in hope of a constructive dialogue. The JNUSU categorically rejects the falsehood being spread by the VC," a statement by the JNU Student Union (JNUSU) said. "The JNUSU after waiting returned to the protesting venue where the indefinite hunger strike is taking place. The Delhi Police in an official statement to ANI has also corroborated that there was no threat or gherao of the VC residence and the situation remains peaceful," it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court Tuesday convicted Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary Mahesh Kumar Gupta for contempt of court and sentenced him to its custody till its rising. Gupta was taken into the court's custody at about 10.30 am and made to stay there till 3.15 pm, when the court adjourned for the day. The bench convicted Gupta on contempt of court charges for promoting some assistant review officers on the basis of a seniority list which had been struck off by the court earlier. The bench of Justice Vivek Chaudhary also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the senior IAS officer, stipulating that the sum would be recovered from him in his personal capacity and deposited with the State Legal Services Authority within a week. The plea for initiating contempt of court proceedings had been filed by Dr Kishore Tandon and others in 2018 alleging that despite the 2015 seniority list of the AROs having been set aside by the court on September 21, 2017, some AROs were promoted on its basis. The court had also ordered to prepare a fresh seniority list within six months. Acting on the plea, the bench had earlier sought explanations from erstwhile Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar and Additional Chief Secretary Gupta. Chief Secretary Kumar, however, deposed in the court that he was not concerned with the matter. The court later found that Gupta was concerned with it and held him guilty of contempt of court on July 10, 2018 and directed him to appear before it. But Gupta moved the Supreme Court, challenging the high court order. The Supreme Court, however, sent him back to the high court, after recording his undertaking that he would issue a fresh seniority list within two months. When the matter came up for hearing before the high court Monday, the bench found that Gupta was not only flouting the high court order but he was also ignoring his undertaking to the apex court. The bench was irked that despite having been convicted on July 10, 2018 for contempt of court, he had not even bothered to appear before it for a hearing on the quantum of sentence. Accordingly, the bench Monday ordered Gupta to be present before it Tuesday for a hearing on the quantum of sentence. As Gupta appeared before the court at 10.30 am, Justice Chaudhary ordered him to be taken in the court's custody. The matter subsequently was taken up at 12.30 pm, when the judge inquired about Gupta who pleaded for leniency. His counsel tried to convince the court that Gupta has already complied with the order and the matter should be closed. But the judge said Gupta willfully defied the court order and "tried every trick" to go away with it, which cannot be tolerated. He said the violation of the court's orders cannot be allowed by any officer, howsoever higher post he may be holding. Thereafter, Gupta's lawyer repeatedly pleaded for leniency in awarding him the sentence. The judge sentenced Gupta to the court's custody till its rising. After the hearing ended, Gupta went out of the court room at 1.10 pm, when the court again inquired about him. Finding that Gupta was not in the courtroom, the judge got irked, when the Gupta stepped back into the courtroom. The judge rebuked him and warned him of stricter sentence if he did not show regard to the courts majesty, prompting Gupta to profusely apologise for stepping out of the court room. Gupta was then allowed to take refreshments and go to the bathroom during the recess. He was allowed to leave the courtroom finally when the judge retired to his chamber at 3.15 pm. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bombay High Court Tuesday rapped the Election Commission of India (ECI) for its failure to come up with any orders regulating political advertisements on social media 48 hours before polling day. A bench of Chief Justice Naresh Patil and Justice N M Jamdar asked the ECI why it was hesitant to pass regulatory or prohibitory orders on such ads. "Why have so many adjournments been taken for something which is an important issue? Why are you (ECI) apprehensive to pass an order?" the bench asked. While ECI counsel Pradeep Rajagopal denied there was any apprehension on its part, the court said the ECI's conduct through the hearings made it apparent that it was "hesitant" to bring about such regulation. The bench reserved its orders on the matter and said it will pass appropriate orders. The bench is hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by lawyer Sagar Suryavanshi seeking directions to the ECI to regulate fake in the form of paid political ads on social media. The PIL also sought that just as campaigning and political ads, hoardings etc are prohibited on the ground 48 hours before polling day, a similar "black out" be enforced for social media platforms. In compliance with the high court's previous orders, the ECI submitted an affidavit Monday, informing the court of the proposed pre-verification rules for political ads. It also submitted that it had conducted a meeting with various social media intermediaries in New Delhi earlier this month, where the intermediaries had agreed to adopt a 'voluntary code of ethics' ensuring advertisements were displayed on their respective platforms only after they were verified by the ECI. However, the court noted that the issue of the 48-hour blackout was not discussed in the meeting. It said the ECI could not pass off its responsibility to social media intermediaries and expect them to impose voluntary regulations for the elections. During a previous hearing, social networking site Facebook had told the court that it had introduced a strict "verification processes" for all political ads and paid content of "national interest" on its website in India ahead of the 2019 general elections. The new system ensures that only bona fide individuals, who are citizens of India, and political organisations based in the country can place political ads, Facebook had said. Twitter and YouTube had told the bench that they already permit only such political ads that had been verified by the Election Commission. They had, however, submitted that they could not impose a 48-hour blackout unless the ECI or any other central government authority issued specific directions to the effect. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fighting for the Mathura Lok Sabha seat on a BJP ticket, the sitting MP and film actor Hema Malini is a billonaire with the value of her assets having increased by a whopping Rs 34.46 crore in the last five years, discloses an affidavit filed by her with the poll panel. The affidavit shows Hema Malini presently owns total wealth including bungalows, jewelleries, cash, jewelleries, shares and term deposits worth over Rs 101 crore, while five years ago before the 2014 general elections, her total assets had been valued at nearly Rs 66 crore. The value of her actor-husband Dharmendra Singh Deol's assets grew to Rs 12.30 crore during the corresponding period, according to Hema Malini's affidavit, detailing her assets and liabilities along with those of her spouse. The affidavit was submitted by her to the Election Commission of India while filing her nomination as Lok Sabha candidate from the Mathura parliamentary constituency. The affidavit, accompanied by her income tax returns for the last five years, reveals that the couple earned Rs 10 crore each during the last five years. In her IT returns, Hema Malini has shown an income of Rs 15.93 lakh in 2013-14 against that of over Rs 1.19 crore in 2017-18. The affidavit shows her income to be Rs 3.12 crore in 2014-15, Rs 1.19 crore in 2015-16 and Rs 4.30 crore in 2016-17. Thus, as per the affidavit, the yesteryears' 'Dream Girl' earned over Rs 9.87 crore, and her 'he-man' husband nearly Rs 9.73 crore in last five years. The affidavit disclosed that Hema Malini has two cars, including a Mercedes bought for Rs 33.62 lakh in 2011. The other car is a Toyota that, she said, she bought for Rs 4.75 lakh in 2005. The details of Dharmendra's assets in the affidavit indicate his passion for 'vintage' cars. That may be the reason why he has not disposed his Range Rover car bought just for Rs 7,000 in 1965. His other old vehicles include a Maruti 800 car and a motorcycle. Counted among the country's billionaires along with his wife, Dharmenda total asset has been valued at over Rs 123.85 crore (Rs 1.23 bn). Among their liabilities detailed in the affidavit, Hema Malini has a debt of over Rs 6.75 crore while her husband has a debt of over Rs 7.37 crore. A significant part of their debt included a loan taken to build their bungalow in Juhu Vile Parle in Mumbai. They have also been benefitted from their investment in this property. Bought and built at a sum of Rs 58 crore, the value of the Juhu land and the bungalow is now worth over Rs 100 crore. As per the details of her educational qualifications in the affidavit, Hema Malini, had to leave her formal education at an age of nine for the sake of her dance training, but she did her matriculation later besides completing her higher studies. She got a PhD degree in 2012 from Padampati Singhania University at Udaipur. Prior to this, she was awarded Padma Shri by the Union government for her contribution to the field of arts and theatre. Before being elected as Mathura MP in 2014, Hema Malini was a Rajya Sabha MP twice, first from 2003 to 2009 and then from 2011 to 2012. She had been a member of various parliamentary standing committees, including those for the External Affairs Ministry, Transport, Tourism, Culture, Women Empowerment, Information and Broadcasting. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a first, the Hubble Space Telescope has beamed back images documenting the birth of a giant storm on Neptune, a finding that may reveal insights on the inner workings of the poorly-understood ice giant planets, NASA said. Like Jupiter's Great Red Spot, Neptune's Great Dark Spots are storms that form from areas of high atmospheric pressure. In contrast, storms on Earth form around areas of low pressure. Scientists have seen a total of six dark spots on Neptune over the years. Voyager 2 identified two storms in 1989. Since Hubble launched in 1990, it has viewed four more of these storms, NASA said in a statement. Researchers analysed Hubble's photos of the ice giant taken over the past several years and chronicled the growth of a new Great Dark Spot that became visible in 2018. By studying companion clouds that showed up two years before the new Great Dark Spot, the researchers conclude dark spots originate much deeper in Neptune's atmosphere than previously thought. The Hubble images also helped the researchers pinpoint how often Neptune gets dark spots and how long they last. The findings not only give scientists insights on the inner workings of the ice giant planets but also have implications for studying exoplanets of similar size and composition. "If you study the exoplanets and you want to understand how they work, you really need to understand our planets first," said Amy Simon, a planetary scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in the US. "We have so little information on Uranus and Neptune," said Simon, lead author of the study published in journal Geophysical Research Letters. Scientists first saw a Great Dark Spot on Neptune in 1989, when NASA's Voyager 2 probe flew past the mysterious blue planet. As the spacecraft zoomed by, it snapped pictures of two giant storms brewing in Neptune's southern hemisphere. Scientists dubbed the storms "The Great Dark Spot" and "Dark Spot 2." Just five years later, the Hubble Space Telescope took sharp images of Neptune that revealed both the Earth-sized Great Dark Spot and the smaller Dark Spot 2 had vanished. A new Great Dark Spot appeared on Neptune in 2018, nearly identical in size and shape to the one Voyager saw in 1989. Researchers were analysing Hubble images of a smaller dark spot that appeared in 2015 when they discovered small, bright white clouds in the region where the 2018 Great Dark Spot would later appear. "We were so busy tracking this smaller storm from 2015, that we weren't necessarily expecting to see another big one so soon," Simon said. The high-altitude clouds are made up of methane ice crystals, which give them their characteristic bright white colour. Scientists suspect these methane clouds accompany the storms that form dark spots, hovering above them the way lenticular clouds cap tall mountains on Earth. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There is a huge export potential for leather sector in Spain and the domestic players should explore the opportunity to boost shipments, the Council for Leather Export (CLE) said Tuesday. The council is organising a two-day 'India Leather Show' in Madrid in association with the Embassy of India in Spain, starting Tuesday, to tap this potential. "India's current export of leather products to Spain is USD 281 million. We are making all efforts to boost exports to European countries, particularly to Germany, Spain, France and Italy, and a lot of marketing activities have been initiated with the support of the government," CLE Chairman P R Aqeel Ahmed said in a statement. He said 52 Indian companies manufacturing leather shoes, garments and accessories are participating in this event. "We are expecting to receive 150 buyers to visit the show and hold B2B meetings," he added. Currently, India exports leather goods worth USD 6 billion annually. The council has planned a series of buyer-seller meets in countries such as the US, Japan, Latin America, and Russia to boost exports. Europe is a key destination for domestic exporters as it accounts for about 70 per cent of leather exports from India. The sector employs about 42 lakh people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rajat Gupta, India-born former Managing Director of McKinsey, feels not testifying at his insider trading trial was a "bad call" and he regrets not taking the stand in his defence. Gupta, 70, has penned his memoir Mind Without Fear' that released Monday and tells of his dramatic rise to the top of the corporate and financial world in America and then his fall after being charged in 2012 in one of the largest insider trading cases in the US. He served a 19-month prison term and was released in 2016. "I always believed that I should testify and I kept telling this to my lawyers. Till the very last weekend (of the trial) I was going to testify," Gupta told PTI in an interview. The former director of Goldman Sachs said he had been telling his lawyers to prepare him to testify in court and he had been preparing himself for it. He, however, said that his lawyers advised him throughout the case that he should not take the stand in the courtroom. "They kept saying don't testify, don't testify. It was a bad call on my part. I always regret it (not testifying in court)," he said adding that it was a very difficult circumstance for him since he did not know anything about the legal system. "Here were my lawyers, my advisers who are supposed to be in my interest. Right? They kept saying don't testify," he said. Gupta said throughout his life as a consultant, he has given advice to his clients and they listened to him. "The situation was reversed. I was the client. So in the end I succumbed to their arguments. I felt it was a moment of weakness. I feel very badly about it that I didn't testify," he said. In 2012, Gupta was found guilty of passing confidential boardroom information to then hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam, who is currently serving 11 years in prison for insider trading. One such information the prosecutors alleged Gupta shared with Rajaratnam in September 2008 was about Berkshire Hathaway's five billion dollar investment in Goldman Sachs. The prosecutors said Gupta participated in the Goldman Sachs board meeting via telephone and then 16 seconds after the Goldman call ended, he called Rajaratnam's direct office line at the Galleon Group hedge fund. Gupta maintains that he did not pass any inside information to Rajaratnam and said that it was routine for him to make phone calls when he got out of board meetings. "They (prosecutors) made a big thing about 16 seconds. I make calls after board meetings all the time, within 16 seconds. I get out of the board meeting, I make a call generally. I make call to my secretary saying who do I have to call, what do I have to attend to," he said. Gupta pointed out that Goldman chairman and chief executive Lloyd Blankfein had admitted during the trial he too used to make phone calls after getting out of board meetings. ALSO READ: I saw the underbelly of the US justice system, says Rajat Gupta "The fact that I called him (Rajaratnam) after 16 seconds has no particular meaning. It's just the normal procedure," he said. Gupta notes that "all I can remember" about the call was that he had been trying to contact Rajaratnam for information about his account related to the Voyager investment. During the trial, Gupta's lawyers had presented evidence that Rajaratnam had cheated Gupta out of $10 million in the Voyager investment. Gupta said he had called Rajaratnam on the morning of that September day and had spoken to him for several minutes because he needed some information about the Voyager account, which Rajaratnam was not giving to him. He said he had been "exasperated" trying to get the Voyager information from Rajaratnam. Gupta's bank needed the information and Rajaratnam said during the call that he would give Gupta the information later that day. "That I remember clearly," he said. "After the board meeting, I called my secretary. If I were to pass inside information to Raj, I would have called him directly. I didn't. I called my secretary. I said 'Did Raj send the information'. She said no. I said 'Get me Raj'," Gupta said, explaining the circumstances of his call to Rajaratnam after the Goldman board meeting. ALSO READ: A weak defence He added that as his case began four years later, he didn't even remember whether he was able to connect with Rajaratnam over phone that day. "I don't know whether it was just his secretary or he was there or what. Because I don't remember any conversation," he said. Gupta said had he testified at his trial, he would have definitely shared all the details with the jury. Gupta replied "of course" when asked if he feels he was wrongly convicted. "The fact that I appealed every step of the way should tell you that I am not an insider trader," he said. He pointed out that insider trading involves three things - there has to be evidence that one passed insider information, there has to be a quid pro quo and that the person giving inside information has to have a significant benefit. The prosecutors "demonstrated nothing of the second two. They had circumstantial evidence, just connecting the timing. But there is no real evidence," he said. In January this year, Gupta had suffered a setback when the Second Circuit Court of Appeals rejected his bid to throw out his 2012 insider-trading conviction, affirming a lower court's ruling in the case. Gupta had been arguing that he served time in jail for conduct that is not criminal even though the government lacked evidence to show he "received even a penny" for passing confidential boardroom information to Rajaratnam. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was captured by Pakistan last month and returned to India two days later, has gone back to his squadron in Srinagar though he is on a four-week sick leave, official sources said Tuesday. They said Varthaman preferred to stay with his squadron in Srinagar than going to his family home in Chennai while on leave. The IAF pilot went on leave around 12 days ago after security agencies completed a nearly two-week debriefing after his return from Pakistan. Varthaman could have gone to his family home in Chennai to spend time with his parents. But he chose to go to Srinagar where his squadron is based," the sources said. After his four-week sick leave period, a medical board will review his fitness to help the IAF top brass decide whether he can return to fighter cockpit as desired by him. He was captured by the Pakistani Army on February 27 after his MiG-21 Bison jet was shot down in a dogfight with Pakistani jets during an aerial combat. He downed an F-16 fighter of Pakistan before his plane was hit. Varthaman was released on the night of March 1 by Pakistan. After he was captured, Varthaman showed courage and grace in handling the most difficult circumstances for which he was praised by politicians, strategic affairs experts, ex-servicemen, celebrities and people in general. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after Indian fighters 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 the next day. However, the IAF thwarted their plans. The Indian strike on the JeM camp came 12 days after the terror outfit claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir, killing 40 soldiers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- Indian Institutes of Management over the past decade are a regular feature in the Be it for their achievements, lush green campuses or the high packages that its students are offered during placements. The genius and rigor of IIMs is unparalleled. IIM Kozhikode has proved this once again, by winning the 'The Most Competitive B-School 2019' under the Dare2Compete Awards. XLRI stood second, followed by SIBM Pune as the third-most competitive B-School. (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/841190/Dare2Compete_Awards.jpg ) Dare2Compete is the leading and the fastest growing competitive ecosystem across domains - B-Schools, Engineering Colleges and Graduate Colleges - having conceptualised and executed campus engagements for their prime clientele like Reliance, Aditya Birla Group, PepsiCo, HUL, Hero MotoCorp, Flipkart, Amazon, Airtel, Vodafone and many more. Its initiative, Dare2Compete Awards, aims to drive and recognize all stakeholders of this ecosystem - Students, B-Schools and Companies. The Award ceremony was held at JW Marriott Sahar Mumbai on 26th March, with the who's who in town cheering the young talent. It had panel discussions on various topics, ranging from innovation to building brand equity to opportunities in big diversified groups. A star-studded panel discussion opened with Meghna Apparao, Director, Amazon; Emrana Sheikh from Johnson & Johnson who is the Enterprise HR Head-India & South Asia; Sunny Sharma, Head HR from RB; and Krishnan Vaidyanathan, General Manager HR from Asian Paints discussing about 'Creating the Culture of Innovation and Driving it'. Followed by an interesting conversation on 'Necessity of Building Brand Equity in Campuses', which had Rohit T Koshy, Director, EY, moderating Warren Patrick, Head Strategic HR-Global Wealth & Asset Management from Edelweiss, and Sunil Singh, Director Talent Acquisition from Abbott. The Most Competitive Business Leader 2019 is Priya Kumari from IIM, Ahmedabad, once again justifying all the buzz and attention that IIMs attract. She excelled in five competitions from Mahindra, EXL, RPG, Bajaj Finserv and Flipkart. The Competitive Business Leaderwas ascertained based on medals and stars earned by students, on securing meritorious positions in corporate organised competitions, over the past academic year. Priyadarshi from IMT Ghaziabad stood second followed by Shaffaf from IIFT, Akshay and Satakshi from IIM Lucknow, and Naveen from IIM Rohtak. All of them excelled in at least five competitions with Akshay and Satakshi taking the lead with seven competitions. Competitive B-Schools were ranked based on medals that their students have earned. IIM Kozhikode students won 21 medals followed by XLRI Jamshedpur with 20 medals. No surprises when it comes to the Most Prestigious B-School Competition , it's HUL LIME Season 10, the poster boy of campus engagements, from Hindustan Unilever Limited. It was followed by Amazon's ACE Challenge as second and Mahindra War Room as third. YES Bank Transformation Series stood fourth and Reliance TUP 4.0 was rewarded as the fifth-most prestigious B-School competition. These rankings were based on 6,000+ votes from students across premier B-schools. About Dare2Compete Dare2Compete is an employer branding consultant that enhances brand visibility, brand engagement and brand equity across campuses in India through enriching digital and(or) on-ground campaigns in form of competitions. A leading student community with highest reach and penetration in all the campuses across domains - B-Schools, T-Schools, Arts & Science, etc. We have 1+ million registered users from 5,000+ campuses. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On March 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov will change the status of the Russian Kant Air Base in Kyrgyzstan during the negotiations in Bishkek. This was announced today by Daniyar Sydykov, the Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidents Office of the Kyrgyz Republic, at a press conference in Bishkek. "Currently, a protocol is being prepared to change the status of the Russian military base and the conditions of its deployment in Kyrgyzstan. I cannot disclose the details, the negotiations are continuing on this issue," Daniyar Sydykov told reporters. Recall that in Kyrgyzstan, there are several Russian military facilities. The largest is the air base in Kant. In 2012, all the facilities were merged into the joint military air base. It includes an airfield in Kant, naval base in Issyk-Kul, seismological center in the town of Mailuu-Suu and communications center in the village of Chaldybar. Sydykov did not specify what exactly will be changed, whether the base will be expanded or its activity direction will be changed. However, according to him, there is no question on the agenda of the negotiations on the opening of the second CSTO military base controlled by Russia. Discussions about the Russian military base in the southern capital and the second largest city of Kyrgyzstan, Osh, have been raised at the highest level of both countries several times in previous years. But so far, there has been no concrete work in this direction. It is assumed that at the meeting, the heads of two states will discuss the military-industrial complex of Kyrgyzstan. Moscow intends to revive the military-industrial complex. With regard to the military-industrial complex, we must, of course, load your enterprises, Vladimir Putin said during the talks with Sooronbay Jeenbekov in Sochi in February. In the Soviet period, the Kyrgyz military-industrial complex produced unique weapons. Enterprises remained, but they are in poor condition. According to the Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, Abdyrakhman Mamataliev, "these enterprises have machines, equipment, and even qualified specialists, but the state of the enterprises is terrible." To restore the work of these enterprises, we dont have the financial resources. It was difficult to sell products. With all this in mind, we proposed Russia to create a joint military-industrial corporation, Mamatiliyev told reporters on the eve of the Russian leaders visit. He hopes that during the negotiations a decision will be made on the revival of the Kyrgyz military-industrial complex. "If the decision is made, it will be useful for Kyrgyzstan. First of all, it will create additional jobs, and second, it will help our Armed Forces to get back on its feet," Abdarakhman Mamatiliyev said. "Mamataliev is right because the enterprises of the military-industrial complex and labor migration from Kyrgyzstan to Russia are interrelated. The fact is that during the Soviet times, most of the enterprises of the military-industrial complex of the USSR were located in the south of the republic, where raw materials were mined for them. After the collapse of the USSR, these enterprises were closed and people lost their jobs. Therefore, the high-class specialists left Kyrgyzstan, followed by those who once worked at these enterprises. It is clear that not everyone, but only those who were still able to work. The third wave was represented by their children, the director general of the East-West Strategy Analytical Center (Bishkek), Dmitry Orlov told Vestnik Kavkaza. However, without expanding economic cooperation, it is impossible to solve the problems of the military-industrial complex. If the strategic partnership aims only to strengthen security, such a construction will not last long. We also need deep economic cooperation, which whether someone likes it or not will ensure the future growth of the Kyrgyz economy, the expert said. According to Orlov, in such a scenario, the effective economy of Kyrgyzstan ceases to be a strategic goal of this country only. It becomes Russias strategic goal as well. Therefore, it is planned to sign 30 agreements at the talks between the leaders of the two countries. According to official information, the presidents of the Russian Federation and Kyrgyzstan will discuss economic and military-technical cooperation, energy issues and infrastructure construction. This is also Russias possible participation in the construction of the Uzbekistan-China-Kyrgyzstan railway. Special attention will be paid to the agreements on the supply of vegetables, fruits and meat and dairy products from Kyrgyzstan to Russia. In addition, Moscow took a step towards Bishkek and announced a migratory amnesty for citizens of Kyrgyzstan. This decision was made in the framework of agreements between the countries. In the period up to April 22, citizens of Kyrgyzstan who have violated immigration laws and are living in Russia can freely leave the country and return without administrative liability. The Embassy of the Republic urged citizens to use the amnesty. Several minor parties unable to get themselves assimilated into the two grand alliances in Maharashtra, led by the BJP-Shiv Sena and Congress-NCP combines respectively, might not have much of an impact in the April-May Lok Sabha polls, believe analysts. Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh's 80, and will see four phase voting on April 11, 18, 23 and 29. Among these, the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, has already opted out of the Lok Sabha polls, planning to concentrate on the Assembly polls later this year to stay relevant in state The Aam Aadmi Party is also in two minds about jumping into the Lok Sabha battle with its state chief Sudhir Sawant claiming he was waiting for orders from Delhi (central leadership) on poll participation in Maharashtra. The Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party, like their Uttar Pradesh counterparts, have tied up in Maharashtra and the latter's state in charge Ashok Singh said his party would contest four seats while the BSP would field candidates in 44. Prakash Ambedkar's Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh and the AIMIM, led by Asaduddin Owaisi, have come together to form the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) and its vote-snatching impact is likely to be felt in a few seats by the Congress-NCP alliance. The VBA is contesting in all 48 seats of the state, with Ambedkar trying his luck from Solapur constituency. An upbeat Ambedkar said, "We are going to make our presence in state in a big way. About 50 per cent of the voters (comprising Dalits and Muslims) are with us. All other parties, be it the NDA or the Congress-NCP combine, are fighting for the rest 50 per cent." While the VBA wanted retired High Court judge B G Kolse Patil to be fielded from Aurangabad seat in alliance with the Congress-NCP, a lack of agreement nixed the plan. "There was no point in going with the Ambedkar-led VBA, because it is going to help the BJP-Sena alliance," said Justice (retired) Kolse Patil, also national general secretary of the Janata Dal (Secular). The Republican Party of India (Athawale) is with the NDA though the BJP-Sena refused to heed its chief Ramdas Athawale's request for a Lok Sabha seat from Mumbai. Other major RPI factions, like the People's Republican Party headed by Jogendra Kawade and the Republican Party of India (RPI Gavai) have joined the Congress-NCP grand alliance comprising 56 political outfits. The Swabhimani Shektari Sanghatana will fight two Lok Sabha seats in partnership with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party, including in Hatkanangle held by its chief Raju Shetti. The Communist Party of India (CPI), once a force to reckon with in the country's commercial thanks to its sway in unions across industrial sectors, has this time failed to forge an alliance with the Congress-NCP. The Left outfit plans to field candidates in Parbhani and Shirdi Lok Sabha seats. "Only the Congress-NCP alliance can pose a challenge to BJP and Sena. Though we failed to ally with the Congress, we would want the Congress-NCp to won. Except, of course, in the two seats we are contesting," veteran CPI leader Prakash Reddy told PTI. An outfit like the recently-launched National Women's Party (NWP) is struggling to even find candidates thoughts its chief Swetha Shetty told PTI that it will fight from 10 seats in the state. Political observer Prakash Bal Joshi said smaller parties would have minimal impact in Maharashtra and the main fight would be between the BJP-Sena and Congress-NCP alliances. "These smaller parties will not play any major role in the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra. At most, they might help their respective fronts add some votes," Joshi said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress President Rahul Gandhi's minimum income scheme, aiming to lift five crore families or 25 crore people out of poverty, reflects a commitment to social security, but financing it may be an uphill task, said several leading economists and social scientists. Gandhi on Monday, announced that under 'Nyay' -- an acronym for Nyuntam Aay Yojana, Rs 72,000 will be given to the poorest families every year if his party returns to power, while calling it a final assault on poverty. Nyay would require run up an annual bill of Rs 3.60 lakh crore, or around 1.7 per cent of GDP, which, for 2019-20, is pegged at 210 lakh crore. The Congress is yet to spell out how resources will be generated to implement the scheme amid concerns that its implementation may not be fiscally prudent. "NYAY reflects a welcome commitment to social security. The soundness of this proposal, however, depends on how it is to be financed and how the poorest 20 per cent are to be identified. Hopefully, the proposal will improve even as the commitment remains," Development Economist Jean Dreze told PTI. Under the scheme, any family having a monthly income less than Rs 12,000 would receive Rs 6,000 monthly. Syeda Hameed, former member of Planning Commission gave a thumbs up to the scheme though she admitted that it could result in a "fiscal burden" on the exchequer. "It can change the face of India. It will be a fiscal burden, but there is enough ill gotten money with billionaires which can be put to use by a leader who is honest and who cares," she said. Abhijit Sen, a retired JNU professor who was also a member of the erstwhile Planning Commission said, "It is going to cost a lot of money. And it is going to be an implementation issue." Right to food activist Harsh Mander said he welcomed the scheme because it brought the real issues of the poor at the centre of the political discourse and also recognised the inequality prevailing in the country. "India's tax to GDP ratio is among the lowest in the world. We are just not taxing the super rich. Our subsidies to the rich and middle class is at least three times as much as we give to the poor, so we need to reorganise our subsidies to include the poor. "If we have a fully functioning employment guarantee programme, both for urban and rural areas, and if we have an effective pension programme for poor and person with disabilities, then those who still fall through the cracks would be covered by this program," he said. Economist Sen suggested that while implementing the scheme, the obvious thing that the Congress can do is to link it to something such as NREGA. "You don't identify; people come to work. So, if you can increase the number of days on which the people are eligible to work, that would serve the purpose as far for those who can work. "For the old and the disabled you just transfer cash transfer. To transfer cash to the working age population, which is a large population, you will need to know their incomes and all that. That is a very difficult thing to do," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chairman Rajeev Shukla has claimed that IPL captains, including and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, had decided against 'Mankading' during a meeting held before one of the editions of the event. captain Ravichandaran Ashwin kicked up a storm on Monday after running out Rajasthan Royals' at the non-strikers' end on his delivery stride, a legally permissible but controversial form of dismissal popularly called 'Mankading', in an IPL match in Jaipur. Ashwin's action was heavily criticised by RR's brand ambassador Shane Warne, who also questioned those who found nothing wrong with it. Weighing into the matter, Shukla said a call had been taken to avoid such dismissals in a meeting of captains and match referees in which skipper Kohli and Chennai Super Kings skipper Dhoni were also present. "If I remember in one of the meetings of captains & match referee where I was also present as chairman it had been decided that if non striking batsman steps out bowler as a courtesy will not run him out @IPL @BCCI," he tweeted. "Most probably this meeting was in Kolkata on the eve of one of the editions of ipl where Dhoni & Virat both were present @BCCI @IPL," he added without specifying the exact edition before which this decision was made. Ashwin's run out of Buttler is the first case of 'Mankading' in the 12 editions of the IPL. Attacking the previous Congress-led UPA regime for 'not buying even one thing' for the armed forces during its 10 year tenure, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the personnel did not even have bullet proof vests, leave alone Rafale jet, which was never bought. "I want to ask why during the UPA period not even one thing was bought for our armed forces. Not even bullet proof vests were bought in the 10 years, leave alone buying Rafale, which they did not,"Sitharaman said speaking at an election convention of the BJP's candidate from Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency, Kummanam Rajashekahran, who resigned as Mizoram Governor to contest the polls. The defence minister did not name her predecessor A K Antony, who hails from Kerala and said she did not want to comment on him as he an elderly person and a senior leader. Sharpening her attack on the Congress, she said "Totally, the Indian armed forces were left without anything. There were guns, but no bullets. There were tanks, but no ammunition. There were aircraft, but systems were not working. So what was the big deal of having a big Army if you did not give them anything to protect your borders safetly without which protecting this country is a big task. We have two big active enemies. We have to take care of both the borders," she said. That was why Pakistan could repeatedly send terrorists who came with the full support of the Pakistan army, the defence minsiter said. There were terrorist attacks in every corner of the country. The defence minister said if the UPA government had taken steps like the Narendra Modi government did, India would have probably been able to control terror from spreading. After the deadly Pulwama strike by Pakistan terrorists, which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel, the BJP government had received intelligence inputs that more such suicide bomb attacks were likely to take place in different places of the country, she said. "Due to the intelligence information we had, like laser strike, we went and hit the centre from from where these terrorists were coming out", Sitharaman said. She alleged that the UPA government did not take enough action after the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attack, though the Army was willing to do so. There was no political will, she alleged. She said no country had criticised India's action after it went into Pakistan territory and attacked a terrorist training camp in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack. She said that in the last five years, the opposition had often criticised the Prime Minister Modi's visits abroad. But the purpose of his visits was to strengthen India's relations with various countries as a result of which he made it a point to tell the truth about Pakistan to the world, she said. "Today all these countries have understood what was India's compulsion to go to Pakistan territory and attack the terrorist camp," she said adding every country had spoken with responsiblity to support Modi and isolate Pakistan. She said international forums were repeatedly told about the money trail reaching Pakistan and training being given to terrorists there. "There is international understanding of Financial Action Against Terror Funding (FATF) and India was able to convince the global community against Pakistan," she said. Sitharaman said there was a sense of hoplessness during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Now India could be showcased as a responsible economy with a determined leadership. "Now the international community takes us seriously," the minister said. Taking a jibe at the opposition for not yet naming its Prime Ministerial candidate, Sitharaman said the BJP has only one such candidate, while there are several prospective PMs in the opposition. "Is there one or are there several in the queue?", she asked. She urged the people of Tamil Nadu to cast their votes to ensure that the Modi government gets another term and maintain the growth momentum. The UPA regime was a "waste of 10 years", she said, adding a lot of work has happened in the last five years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Tuesday accused his US counterpart Donald Trump of "colonialism" for recognising Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, a border area seized by Israel from Syria in 1967. "In a point of time when colonialism ruled, some colonialist powers did such things and bestowed parts of one country to another, but this is unprecedented in the present century," Rouhani said, according to the official government website. "Nobody could have believed that a man would come in America and unilaterally and against all international laws and regulations give away a land belonging to one country to an aggressor," Rouhani said in a meeting with advisors and ministers. Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognising Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Syria denounced as a blatant attack on its sovereignty. US recognition for Israeli control over the territory breaks with decades of international consensus and has been criticised by most Islamic nations, and other countries such as Russia. The UN Security Council and successive US administrations have always regarded the Golan as occupied territory whose return would be negotiated as part of comprehensive peace deal between Israel and Syria. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A special CBI court Tuesday allowed the CBI to file its reply on applications moved by former police officers D G Vanzara and N K Amin to drop proceedings against them in the 2004 Ishrat Jahan alleged fake encounter case. The applications were moved by the two retired police officials on Tuesday. The court of special CBI judge J K Pandya allowed CBI lawyer R C Kodekar to seek the view of the "higher authority" in the investigating agency, as requested by Pandya, and submit its reply on April 3 on the applications. Vanzara's lawyer V D Gajjar objected to the CBI lawyer's plea to obtain a reply, saying that the role of the central investigating agency ceases to exist after the competent authority in this case, the state government, denied it sanction for prosecution under section 197 of the CrPC. He said Central Bureau of Investigation should have instead made representation before the state government as there is no provision for reply on the plea to drop proceedings as per the law. Vanzara, a former deputy inspector general (DIG) of police, and Amin, who retired as superintendent of police (SP), moved their applications after the state government declined to grant CBI sanction to prosecute them in the case. The two accused sought to drop cases against them on the ground that state government had declined sanction to prosecute them under section 197 of the CrPC, according to which prior sanction is required from a competent authority to prosecute a public servant. The state government had declined sanction to prosecute saying they found no evidence against them after going through the record of the case produced by the CBI. This was conveyed to the court by the CBI lawyer during the last hearing on March 19. The court had earlier rejected discharge applications of the two former officers and had asked the CBI to clear its stand on whether it wants to get sanction to prosecute them from the state government. Accordingly, the CBI wrote to the state government requesting for the same. Jahan, a 19-year-old woman from Mumbra near Mumbai, Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an alleged fake encounter by police on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004. The city crime branch officials had gunned down Jahan and three others claiming that the four had links with terrorists and had plotted to kill then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. Meanwhile, Ishrat Jahan's mother Shamima Kauser also moved an application in the CBI court seeking copy of the government's order refusing sanction to prosecute accused Vanzara and Amin. In her plea, Kauser sought the copy of the government order "in the interest of justice," and also requested the court to hear her on the issue of refusal of sanction to prosecute. Vanzara and Amin are two of the seven accused named in the first charge sheet filed by the CBI in 2013, others being IPS officers PP Pandey, and GL Singhal. While Pandey was later discharged by the CBI court here, six others face charges for kidnapping, murder and conspiracy. In a supplementary charge sheet which still awaits the Centre's sanction, the CBI had named four Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials, including special director Rajinder Kumar and officer MS Sinha. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Conglomerate ITC Tuesday said it has sold its menswear brand John Players to Reliance Retail for an undisclosed amount. Besides, the Kolkata-based firm has also transferred the trademark as part of the deal. "In line with this ongoing restructuring, ITC has sold the brand John Players and related trademarks and intellectual property, and the goodwill related thereto, to Reliance Retail Ltd," a spokesperson of ITC said. He said a restructuring plan is underway as part of the strategic review of the lifestyle retailing business. According to media reports, the deal is estimated to be around Rs 150 crore. The deal would strengthen the presence of Reliance Retail and its online platform Ajio.com in the growing lifestyle retail space. Established in 2002, John Players was a youth fashion apparel brand from ITC. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) has informed the government that it has 35 aircraft in operation currently and it has set an "ambitious" target of flying additional 40 aircraft by the end of April, Civil Aviation Secretary P S Kharola said on Tuesday. For last few weeks, the full-budget carrier has been grounding its aircraft in tranches due to non-payment of dues to lessors, bringing down its operational fleet from 103 to just 35. Giving up chairmanship after more than 26 years, embattled Jet Airways' founder Monday quit as a board member, with the lenders taking control of the cockpit and deciding to infuse Rs 1,500 crore immediately into the ailing airline. Addressing a press conference, Kharola said, "They (Jet Airways) were hopeful that by Monday or Tuesday, they will be able to come to some settlement with the lessors. As per the plan given by Jet, they are hopeful that by the end of next month, they will be able to fly about 40 more planes." ALSO READ: Jet staff future still up in the air with no surety on career prospects "We had discussions with Jet and we asked them what is the plan now to bring the (grounded) planes back in the system. So the first thing they have assured us is that 35 planes are flying and no more additional planes will be grounded," he added. He said the airline would be approaching aviation watchdog DGCA to get next month's schedule approved for these 35 planes. "More importantly we asked them how more planes will be restored with this funding coming in now. They (Jet Airways) said the matter will have to be discussed with lessors since the planes have been grounded by lessors. So they will have to negotiate with lessors to get authorisation to use the planes," Kharola said. Struggling to stay afloat amid a debt burden of over Rs 8,000 crore, the board of the country's first private full-service carrier on Monday approved conversion of banks' debt into equity and induction of nominee directors of the lenders, who would become majority stakeholders. Kharola said lead lender State Bank of India (SBI) will infuse funds into the airline "as early as possible" and the government is keeping a close watch on the developments. When asked what the government plans to do with the flight slots that remain unused because of grounded aircraft of Jet Airways, the aviation secretary said that the Centre is mulling interim arrangements to allot such idle flight slots to other airlines. In response to a question on how fast the dues of airline's pilots and aircraft engineers would be paid, the secretary said that the airline management will take the "best possible decision". Jet Airways' domestic pilots' body, the National Aviators Guild (NAG), Tuesday sought a meeting with SBI chairman Rajnish Kumar over pending salaries. The guild had last week announced that its over 1,100 members would stop flying from April 1 if their salaries were not cleared and a clarity on the revival roadmap was not provided by March 31. Union minister Jitendra Singh will have a direct contest with Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh, the grandson of erstwhile Maharaja Hari Singh, on the Udhampur-Doda parliamentary seat. Jitendra Singh, who is banking on his development report card, has challenged the previous governments to compare their six-and-half decades long work with his government's performance as he seeks votes in the name of bringing back Prime Minister Narendra Modi to power in New Delhi. Vikramaditya Singh (54), on the other hand, is the grandson of the last Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh and son of Congress leader Karan Singh. His candidature is also supported by the National Conference (NC). Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP has also not fielded any candidate against him in a bid to ensure that the secular vote bank does not get divided, thereby, giving benefit to Singh, party sources said. Meanwhile, Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan (DSS) founder and former BJP minister Choudhary Lal Singh, who won the seat in the 2009 general elections, has also thrown his hat into the ring. He may play spoilsport and dent the Hindu vote bank in Kathua district. He had recently announced to fight from both Jammu and Udhampur parliamentary constituencies in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The Udhampur-Doda constituency will see four Rajputs - Jitendra Singh of BJP, Vikramaditya Singh of Congress, DSS founder Choudhary Lal Singh and Harsh Dev Singh of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) - fight it out, but the main battle is expected between the BJP and Congress contenders. "We clearly see a direct battle between Jitendra Singh and Vikramaditya. While Jitendra is positive about the work done during his tenure, Vikramaditya is counting on his legacy and the joint vote bank of the Congress and NC in Udhampur," political expert T K Bhat told PTI. Jitendra Singh had on Friday began his political campaigning by addressing his first jam-packed public rally on Ram Leela ground, appealing the electorate to vote for him with an aim of bringing back Narendra Modi to power. "I am seeking votes on my development report card of five years, which is in itself is a history of sorts, when it comes to development in this constituency. There is a long list of major infrastructure projects undertaken and completed in the last five years," he told reporters here. "Voting in my favour is voting for the return of Narendra Modi," the doctor-turned-politician added. The Minister of State for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region is believed to have strong support in Reasi, Bhaderwah, Kishtwar, Katra, Ramban, Kathua, Udhampur, Basholi and Billawar assembly segments, where the BJP did not fare well in the last Lok Sabha and assembly elections. But it is not going to be smooth sailing for the BJP. The saffron player is 'worried' about a split in votes after its rebel candidate and former BJP minister Choudhary Lal Singh, who floated a new outfit last year, decided to test political water in Udhampur. Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh is contesting for the first time. "I am lucky to be part of a party which has played a great role in taking the country to great heights...My family has served the people of the state for centuries and I am hopeful of getting support to serve them again," he said. The former member of the state legislative council joined the Congress in October last year after ending an over two-year stint with the PDP over the alleged failure of the BJP-PDP government to address issues of Jammu region. "It is a big responsibility and I am hopeful of getting the cooperation of the people as the Congress is the only party which can guarantee communal harmony, safety and all-round development," Vikramaditya Singh said. The UdhampurDoda seat had been the Congress bastion since 1967 barring 1996, 1998, 2009 and 1999 when BJP's Chaman Lal Gupta won followed by Jitendra Singh in 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DMK candidate Kanimozhi, contesting from the Tuticorin Lok Sabha constituency in the April 18 elections, has assets of over Rs 30 crore. Kanimozhi is a Rajya Sabha member since 2007 and is testing her fortunes to the Lower House for the first time. She has been fielded from the southern constituency, where anti-Sterlite Industries protests on May 22 and 23 turned violent and 13 protesters were killed in police firing. Kanimozhi, daughter of late DMK chief M Karunanidhi, declared in her poll affidavit that the value of her movable assets stood at Rs 21.16 crore. She had two four-wheelers, including a BMW X5, valued at around Rs 84.11 lakh. The gross market value of her immovable assets was Rs 8.92 crore. Her liabilities stood at Rs 1.92 crore. According to the affidavit, of the six cases against her, she had been acquitted in the 2G Spectrum allocation case in 2017. Her income, based on the IT returns for 2017-18, was Rs 1,40,29,910, up from Rs 1,24,11,320 in FY 2013-14. Meanwhile, her party colleague and former Telecom Minister A Raja, declared movable and immovable assets valued at around Rs 3.1 crore. Raja, who was also acquitted in the 2G Spectrum allocation case along with Kanimozhi, had total liabilities of Rs 10.33 lakh. Trying his luck from the Nilgiris reserved Lok Sabha constituency, Raja said six criminal cases were pending against him, though he was not convicted in any of them. His annual income showed an increase in the last five years, from Rs 8.04 lakh in FY 2013-14 to Rs 9.95 lakh in FY 17-18. Raja lost to AIADMK's R Gopalakrishnan from the same segment in the 2014 Parliamentary polls. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Trumps proposed reversal of decades of American policy on the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights has more to do with Israeli politics than American interests or good sense. On Thursday, he announced on Twitter that the United States should recognize Israeli sovereignty in the disputed Golan Heights, on Israels border with Syria, even though no other country has done so. The United Nations has declared that official annexation of the territory would violate international law. New York Times reports in its article Trumps Pointless Provocation on the Golan that Mr. Trump created a controversy where none needed to exist. Israel has been under no pressure to end the occupation of the Golan, which began during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War with the seizure of some 400 square miles by Israeli troops. But Israels prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is facing a tough re-election fight, and he has pleaded with Mr. Trump to make the move. The tweet bolsters his claim that he can best keep Israel safe because of his close ties to the White House. Support for Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights would also give Israels right-wing parties an opening to argue for Israels annexation of the West Bank. Such a move would crush any remaining hope of Palestinian statehood and put Israels future as a Jewish democracy at risk. Even the liberal group Americans for Peace Now, while opposing Mr. Trumps policy shift, said that Israel has legitimate reasons to maintain its hold on the Golan Heights for now, because Syria is in shambles, swarming with belligerent extremist groups, and Iran has gained a foothold there in the course of Syrias horrific civil war. For decades, the United Nations and the United States refused to officially recognize Israels seizure of the Golan Heights or the West Bank, on the ground that the boundaries of Israel and any new Palestinian state must be negotiated. In 1981, when Israel claimed to have annexed the Golan Heights, the Reagan administration retaliated by suspending a strategic cooperation agreement with Israel. The two countries reached another military cooperation agreement two years later. But since the Syrian war began in 2011, with Iranian and Russian military forces intervening in support of the Assad regime, pressure on Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights has dissipated. As has become a pattern, there was no sign that the new policy went through any formal review before the president announced it. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, visiting Jerusalem in a show of support for Mr. Netanyahu before the April 9 election, appeared surprised by the timing of Mr. Trumps tweet. Hours before, Mr. Pompeo had told journalists that Americas policy on the Golan Heights had not changed. Recognition of Israels claim to the Golan Heights was the latest in a series of decisions, like moving the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and abrogating the Iran nuclear deal, that demonstrated the administrations unwavering support for Israels conservative government. Mr. Trump fancies himself a tough negotiator, but he has given away this valuable American diplomatic leverage, built up by previous presidents across decades, in exchange for nothing of benefit to the United States. Mr. Netanyahu, his Israeli supporters and pro-Netanyahu members of Congress applauded the decision. Mr. Netanyahu will be in Washington next week, where he will meet with Mr. Trump and attend the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobbying group. Unsurprisingly, the European Union, once Americas closest ally on Middle East issues, announced that it would not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Leaders in Syria and Iran condemned Mr. Trumps decision, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey warned that it brought the region to the brink of crisis. Syria vowed to take the territory back. Effectively endorsing the forcible expropriation of Syrian land will certainly make it harder for the United States to continue credibly opposing Russias 2014 annexation of Crimea. In general, though, the response was more muted than it might have been in the past, before Arab leaders decided they were more interested in having Israel as a partner against Iran. Mr. Trump, facing his own re-election in 2020, no doubt hopes his decision will build support among his base of pro-Israel evangelicals and American Jews. Its more likely to exacerbate growing divisions among Americans over his administrations unwavering support for Mr. Netanyahu and its damaging effect on American interests. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Tuesday asserted that Kashmir would always remain an integral part of India come what may. "We are responsible for the strife in Kashmir..we couldnt take care of the jannat. Let us all make it jannat (paradise) again," Abdullah said at an election rally of the Telugu Desam Party in Kadapa town of Andhra Pradesh. In the same breath, he said progress of both India and Pakistan would stall if the two remained enemies. Recalling late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees words, Abdullah said "If we neighbours remain friends, we both can progress. If we remain enemies, progress of both will stall." "If we are Hindustani, we want to make Hindustan stronger. We also want our neighbour strong, be honest and end terrorism," he added, referring to Pakistan. The National Conference leader slammed the BJP for raking up the Ram temple issue ahead of elections. "Before an election, a lot of noise is made that the Ram temple will be built. Have you heard about it after elections? Now they say they attacked Pakistan but dont say anything else. They think we are fools and that we will fall for their words," Abdullah remarked. The veteran politician lamented that India of today was "not Gandhis Hindustan" as people were being discriminated in the name of caste, religion and other things. "When we see the face of the nation, we get scared thinking where are we heading. I want to tell the BJP leaders that if they think they can strengthen the country, it will only happen when Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Muslims, brothers and sisters are strong. The country will progress when the youth are employed and families have a decent livelihood," the former Union Minister said. Seeing a prosperous India, free of hunger, was his only wish, Abdullah said. "Before I die, I want to see an India free of hunger, where no mother is hungry and has no dearth of medicines when required. I want to see an India full of factories and lush fields..a prosperous India. Then I will ask Allah to take me away in peace," the NC leader added. Abdullah, who reached Vijayawada Monday night, accompanied TDP president and AP Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for campaigning in Kadapa and Kurnool districts, in pockets that have a sizeable Muslim electorate. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An organisation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits Tuesday welcomed the reported decision by the Pakistan government to open Shardha Peeth for Hindu pilgrims from India and said it will go by the Centre's response to it. The All Parties Migrants Coordination Committee (APMCC) has been demanding reopening of the ancient temple of Shardha Mata located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). "The organisation has decided to take a cautious stand over the reported decision by the Pakistan government to open Shardha Peeth temple for Hindus on the pattern of the Kartarpur Sahab Corridor. We will go by the decision of Government of India in order to protect national interest," APMCC national spokesman King C Bharati said. APMCC chairman Vinod Pandit chaired a meeting here which was convened to discuss the Pakistan government's decision to open the ancient temple for Hindu pilgrims from India. "While our organisation has been fighting for more than 16 years for the reopening of Shardha Peeth, we do not want to jump the gun in ecstasy and instead would go with whatever decision the Government of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi take keeping national security and interest in mind," Bharati said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- Last night, as part of the brand's three day 110th anniversary celebrations, L'Oral Professionnel united more than 2000 internationally renowned Hair Artists, partners and celebrity friends to an opening night at the Carrousel du Louvre, one of Paris's most emblematic venues. In celebration of 110 years of partnership, L'Oral Professionnel organised an evening featuring a spectacular Hair Show "La French, Art of Hair Coloring", live musical showcases and surprise happenings. To view the Multimedia Release, please click: https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8515251-loreal-professionnel-110-year-anniversary/ Hosted by Nathalie Roos, President of L'Oral's Professional Products Division and Marion Brunet, International General Manager of L'Oral Professionnel, with the presence of L'Oral Professionnel international spokesperson, Alexa Chung, the opening party gathered 1700 Hair Artists from over 40 countries to share with them the brand's French savoir-faire and latest innovations. Guests were also treated to phenomenal live musical showcases from internationally acclaimed artists Juliette Armanet, Hollysiz and DJ Sets with Kiddy Smile followed by Ofenbach. A dazzling dfil to showcase La French, Art of Hair Coloring Starring 42 international models styled by hair gurus, including Anna Cleveland, Debrah Show and Georgina Grenville, styled by hair gurus such as Adir Abergel, Anh Co Tran, Khun Gong, Godhands Joe as well as Odile Gilbert and John Nollet, , the exclusive Hair Show paid homage to L'Oral Professionnel's roots and to the quintessentially natural and chic French style, with its blend of laid-back attitude and sophistication, revered across the world. The show was broadcast live on social media to all our communities across the globe. Guests were also invited to discover 110 years of innovation through all L'Oral Professionnel iconic products but also the new product innovation MAJIREL GLOW and the Beauty Tech innovation STYLE MY HAIR PRO, L'Oral Professional's brand new app, designed to transform the in-salon hair color consultation and ensure memorable experiences for consumers, An all-in-one haircolor application with a 3D try-on technology and an exclusive digital swatch book to offer a modern, immersive and tailor-made experience. And it's live with already more than 20 000 hairdressers using the app in their salon. Amongst the star-studded attendees at last night's opening party were Catherine Deneuve, Alexa Chung, Virginie Ledoyen, Elsa Zylberstein, Ellen Von Unwerth, Stefi Celma, Alexandra Golovanoff, Camille Charrire, Alexis Mabille, Franck Provost. Three days of discovery, innovation and inspiration As part of the ongoing festivities, L'Oral Professionnel has also organised for all its partners today and tomorrow at the Palais de Tokyo, an another emblematic place in Paris, a series of workshops and masterclasses led by a range of prestigious hosts, speakers and mentors. These sessions will be exploring the brand's signature theme, La French Art of Hair coloring, sharing the brand's unique French touch, as well as new product and digital innovations, with the upcoming launch Majirel Glow and the exclusive in salon app Style My Hair Pro, to continue pioneering, sharing new skills and creating an exciting future for the hairdressing profession. To top it all off, L'Oral Professionnel will be hosting this Monday evening the international grand final and winners' celebration of the Style & Colour Trophy at the Salle Pleyel in Paris. To download photos from last night's opening party: https://we.tl/t-wfJTININWb Photo credit: Stephane Feugre About L'Oral Professionnel L'Oral Professionnel is the leading professional brand worldwide that pioneering hair artistry with innovation across three main areas of expertise: the Art of Hair Coloring, the Science of Haircare and the mastery of styling. Around 66 countries, L'Oral Professionnel represents 300 000 salons. L'Oral Professionnel has become a premium salon-exclusive brand, which co-develops products and services with Hair Artists, the best in their category, from all over the world. L'Oral Professionnel empowers its million of Hair Artists to master and make all women stand out and feel unique. L'Oral Professionnel is partner of major fashion shows in Paris, New York, London and Milan and can be found on backstages all over the world. The brand ambition is to maintain global leadership by always being connected to what women crave for everywhere in the world and building innovative services and exclusive and memorable in salon experiences via cutting edge innovations. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/840698/Defile_LOreal_Professionnel. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Steel magnate Lakshmi N Mittal has helped his cash-strapped younger brother Pramod clear dues he owed to State Trading Corporation, helping avoid legal troubles. This is the second instance in as many weeks of wealthy siblings bailing out their brothers from a crisis. Last week, richest Indian Mukesh Ambani helped younger brother Anil avoid a jail term by paying of dues he owed to Swedish telecom equipment supplier Ericsson. Pramod Kumar Mittal, 57, owner of Global Steel Holdings, thanked his elder brother's generosity in helping him clear a significant portion of Rs 2,210 crore dues. "I am very grateful to my brother Lakshmi Mittal for helping settle the liabilities to State Trading Corporation of India. This generosity ensured compliance with the order from the Supreme Court," he told PTI. Mittal brothers had split the business in 1994 with elder brother going on to head the world's largest steel manufacturing company ArcelorMittal. Pramod Mittal's firms Global Steel Holdings Ltd (GSHI) and Global Steel Philippines Inc had defaulted on payments to STC, following which the state-owned company filed various cases against them. The two firms in a statement last Wednesday said they have settled Rs 2,210 crore dues to STC. Following this, the government-owned trading firm said it would not pursue any more winding up proceedings against Global Steel Holdings Ltd. Sources said ArcelorMittal Chairman and Chief Executive Officer L N Mittal has extended Rs 1,600 crore financial help to Pramod Mittal, which rescued him from various criminal and other proceedings. "The support he (LN Mittal) has shown to the family at a time of need is a testimony to his strong values," Pramod said. However, a spokesperson for ArcelorMittal said: "There is no comment from Mr L N Mittal". Government-owned STC is a premier international trading company engaged primarily in exports, and imports operations. The Enforcement Directorate had earlier initiated various criminal proceedings against Pramod Mittal, GSHL, Global Steel Philippines Inc and Balasore Alloys, and the Central Bureau of Investigation had filed an FIR in the case. GSHL and GSPI in a statement said that they had a long-standing and successful business relationship with the State Trading Corporation of India Limited (STC) since September 2003. Due to an unprecedented meltdown in the steel industry and depression in the world economy during 2008-2010, GSPI suffered huge losses, and consequently, a substantial amount became due and payable by GSPI to STC, it has said. "Pursuant to conciliation proceedings between GSHL, GSPI and STC, a sum of Rs 1,605 crore, inclusive of principal and interest at a rate of 13.5 per cent per annum on USD benchmark rates, was awarded to STC and was to be paid by GSHL/GSPI as principal debtors and Pramod Mittal as a guarantor. "STC had filed and/or caused to be filed diverse proceedings against GSHL, GSPI, Pramod Mittal and others in order to recover such sum," the statement had said. It added that Pramod Mittal has paid and /or caused to be paid an aggregate sum of Rs 2,210 crore to STC, inclusive of the aforesaid Rs 1,605 crore as well as post-award interest, in full and final settlement of STC's claim and now no amount is due and payable to STC and all the proceedings have been settled. Last week, Anil Ambani's heavily debt-laden Reliance Communications had made a Rs 550 crore payment, including interest, to Ericsson just a day before the expiry of the deadline set by the Supreme Court to clear dues or face a three-month jail term. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi and the Congress in Telangana were engaged in a war of words Tuesday, as campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls gathered pace in the state. At an election meeting, state Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who is contesting from Nalgonda Lok Sabha constituency,alleged that the TRS did not have a right to seek votes as it has failed to do anything substantial for the state despite having 16 MPs on its side. He was referring to the TRS' campaign, seeking 16 out of the total 17 seats in Telangana (leaving Hyderabad for AIMIM) so that it can play a crucial role post elections and secure a better deal for Telangana. The TRS had won 11 seats on its own and three MPs of the outgoing Lok Sabha switched over to the party, he said. One MP each of BJP and AIMIM were also on its side, he claimed. "Though TRS and KCR had 16 MPs, KCR could not achieve anything for Telangana and he does not have the right to seek votes again," Reddy said. Meanwhile, TRS working president K T Rama Rao alleged that a vote to BJP would help Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while a vote to the Congress would only help the party president Rahul Gandhi. A victory for TRS would help Telangana, he said. Attacking Uttam Kumar Reddy, Rama Rao said the PCC president should quit as MLA first if he was confident about winning in Lok Sabha elections. Rama Rao was speaking at an event where former Congress MLA B Bikshamaiah Goud joined the TRS. The development compounded the misery for Congress as nine of its MLAs announced during this month that they would quit the party and join TRS. Goud is a key leader in the Nalgonda region. Speculation has been rife that former minister Sunita Laxma Reddy, senior leader from Medak, would also join TRS. The Congress said in a release Bikshamaiah Goud, Sunita Laxma Reddy and TPCC general secretary Palle Lakshman Kumar Goud have been suspended by the party's disciplinary action committee. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The alleged leader of an armed group that broke into Madrid's North Korean embassy in February, roughing up employees and robbing computers, offered the stolen information to the FBI, a Spanish court said Tuesday. Adrian Hong Chang, of Mexican nationality, contacted "the FBI in New York five days after the assault to faciliate information related to the incident in the embassy," Spain's National Court said in a statement, adding he said he had acted of his own accord. These are the first official details to emerge from the mysterious incident on February 22 after investigating magistrate Jose de la Mata lifted the secrecy surrounding the case. Prior to this, media reports had merely said that a group of men had burst into the diplomatic mission, roughing up employees before making off with documents and computers. The incident took place days before a high-stakes nuclear summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump that ultimately failed to reach an accord. According to de la Mata, two of the assailants took the embassy's commercial attache to an underground room and urged him to defect, which he refused. They identified themselves "as members of an association of human rights movement for the liberation of North Korea. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita vowed Monday to beef up security as he visited a village where more some 160 people were killed by suspected militiamen from a rival ethnic group. "We need security here -- this is your mission," Keita said, giving a public order to military chief General Aboulaye Coulibaly, who was abruptly appointed on Sunday after the massacre. "Justice will be done," he vowed. The deadly raid took place on Saturday in the village of Ogassogou, home to the Fulani herding community, near the town of Mopti in central Mali. A militia from the Dogon ethnic group -- a hunting and farming community with a long history of tension with the Fulani over access to land -- is suspected to have carried out the raid. State television ORTM on Sunday gave a "provisional toll" of 136 dead. Late Monday a local official and a Mali security force source said the toll had risen to 160 and could rise further. "The new count is 160 dead and it will probably be higher still," local councillor Amadou Diallo told AFP, denouncing an attack he said amounted to "ethnic cleansing." An AFP reporter on Monday said many homes in the village had been burned down and the ground was littered with corpses. "I have never seen anything like that. They came, they shot people, burned homes, killed the babies," said 75-year-old survivor Ali Diallo. The perpetrators "are not jihadists. They are traditional hunters," a health worker told AFP. Aurelien Tobie, the chief expert on the Sahel region at the Stockholm Peace Research Institute, told AFP that "it is very hard to make a true, legitimate identification of who is a militiaman, who is a jihadist, (or) who is the 'enemy' of whom." "Everyone is armed but membership of one group or another fluctuates with personal, family, community or circumstantial interests," he said. The victims, many of them woman and children, were shot or hacked to death with machetes, a security source told AFP. It was the deadliest attack in Mali since the 2013 French-led military intervention that drove back jihadist groups who had taken control of the north of the country. Jihadist raids remain a persistent threat, and in the centre of the country, an ethnic mosaic, the attacks have had a bloody impact on groups with a history of rivalry. The Fulani have been accused of supporting a jihadist preacher, Amadou Koufa, who rose to prominence in central Mali four years ago. So-called self-defence groups have emerged in the Dogon community in the declared role of providing protection against the insurgents. But these militias have also used their status to attack the Fulani. Violence between the Fulani and Dogon and between the Fulani and Bambara ethnic group claimed some 500 civilian lives last year, according to UN figures. Fatou Bensouda, prosecutor of the Criminal Court (ICC), on Monday condemned the "vicious attacks" and urged "all parties to refrain from resorting to violence". She urged "the investigation and prosecution of those who participated in or otherwise contributed to what appears to be egregious crimes which may fall under the jurisdiction" of the ICC. In January, Dogon fighters were blamed for the deaths of 37 people in another Fulani village, Koulogon, in the same region. On Sunday, Keita fired the heads of the army and air force and replaced armed forces chief of staff M'Bemba Moussa Keita with Coulibaly. The Dogon militia, called the Dan Nan Ambassagou, was ordered to be dissolved. West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee will visit Andhra Pradesh on March 31 to campaign for the ruling Telugu Desam Party in the state as a mark of opposition unity. Several other opposition leaders will also be going to Andhra Pradesh to campaign for Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and the TDP, sources said. "By the end of this month she will visit Andhra Pradesh for a day or two to campaign for N Chandrababu Naidu. It is part of of opposition unity that we all have worked for in the last few months," said a senior TMC leader. Banerjee will be campaigning for Naidu in some constituencies of Andhra Pradesh, he said. Naidu and Banerjee share a cordial relationship and the Andhra Pradesh chief minister had taken part in the January 19 mega opposition rally organized by TMC at the Brigade parade grounds. Naidu had come to Kolkata again in February to express solidarity with Banerjee when she was on a dharna to protest against CBI's attempt to question the then city police commissioner Rajeev Kumar. Apart from Andhra Pradesh, Banerjee will also travel to several other states like Assam, Jharkhand, Bihar where the TMC has put up candidates this time, sources in the party said. TMC will be fighting in three seats in Jharkhand, one in Andaman, six in Assam and two in Bihar. Banerjee had announced the names of her party's candidates for Jamshedpur, Rajmahal and Ranchi in Jharkhand, Karimgunj, Silchar, Dhubri, Kokrajhar Barpeta and Guwahati in Assam, Kisangunj and Maharajgunj in Bihar and in Andaman on March 13 while announcing the list of TMC nomiees for West Bengal. We are a national party and therefore we will field candidates in other states. However, we have decided to put up candidates in a few seats where our vote share will not harm opposition parties. We still believe that one-to-one candidate should be fielded against BJP, she had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 26-year-old man was arrested here for allegedly killing a person, who had asked him to pay back a loan of Rs 30,000, police said Tuesday. The case was solved within 24 hours of the incident, they said. Nitin Yadav was arrested for killing Bhoj Narayanan in south-west Delhi with the help of a juvenile, who has been apprehended, police said. They said Yadav, a resident of Kapashera, made a call to the police control room (PCR) on March 21 to cover up his act. He had informed the PCR that he was taking a person, who was lying injured on a road, to a hospital, police said. On his statement, an enquiry was made but there no eye witnesses came forward, they said. "The caller was contacted again and he said he was known to the injured person, and he had admitted him to a hospital in Dwarka where doctors had declared the injured person as brought dead," Yadav said in his statement. There were certain discrepancies in Yadav's statement and it also did not match information gathered from surveillance, police said. Yadav has confessed his involvement in the case and stated that he had killed the deceased with the help of a person, a juvenile, they said. He said he used an iron rod to beat the victim to death, police said Yadav had borrowed Rs 30,000 from the deceased. When Narayanan asked for his money, the accused planned to eliminate him, police said. On Yadav's information, the juvenile was apprehended, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A city court Tuesday sentenced a 22-year-old man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a girl after forcibly marrying her at a temple. Abhijit Paik was found guilty of kidnapping the girl from her home in Narkeldanga area in the eastern part of the city and raping her. Additional Sessions Judge at the Sealdah court Jimut Bahan Biswas sentenced Paik to 10 years for raping the girl and five years in prison for abducting her. Both the terms will run concurrently, the judge said in his order. The court also directed the West Bengal government to give Rs 5 lakh to the 14-year-old girl as compensation under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Paik was also asked to pay a fine of Rs 50,000 and Rs 10,000 for the two offences and 90 per cent of both will be paid to the girl. She had gone missing from her residence on December 10 last year after going out at around 11.30 pm. It was found later that Paik lured her and forced her to marry him at a temple, public prosecutor Vivek Sharma said. Based on a complaint lodged by the girl's mother at Narkeldanga police station, police launched a probe and the rescued the girl on December 23, the public prosecutor said, adding that Paik was also later arrested. During trial, the girl said in her deposition that she was in a relationship with the accused for three years and was lured by him. The accused claimed that he was not guilty and that the girl went with him out of her own will. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Last week, a resounding incident involving a group of servicemen in the Meghri military unit in southern Armenia was another reason to discuss the situation in the republics armed forces. Armenian media reported that the soldiers started a riot, thereby expressing dissatisfaction with the behavior of some officers. The military leadership's reaction was hasty: spokesman of the Ministry of Defense Artsrun Hovhannisyan has issued a statement on his Facebook page, calling the incident an attempt by several undisciplined servicemen to establish 'the 1990s rules', serve on special conditions, put on special clothes and eat separately. By the way, the incident would not receive wide publicity, if it wasn't for one serviceman's confession to his mother that a riot was arranged by soldiers against one of the officers. In any case, the blatant situation has harmed the already low reputation of the Armenian Armed Forces. The Armenian army has not been reformed since the collapse of the USSR, it has not become prestigious to serve in its ranks, because the Armenian Armed Forces have absorbed many remnants of the past, including corruption and hazing. For many years, they have been talking in Armenia about the preservation of the so-called corruption risks during the military conscription. Conscripts avoid military service due to impressive bribes, as a result of which members of the army conscription commission can commit a banal forgery of medical documents, when a healthy young man can find symptoms of intolerable allergy. Some young people dodge military service with the help of their tricky parents who resort to corrupt schemes, including buying a delay on account of studies. In such cases a notice paper may not even be handed to the recruit. However, it's too luxury for ordinary citizens. The long-term blockade and the difficult socio-economic situation have led to the fact that middle class practically doesn't exist in the country. Armenia is a country with a predominantly poor population. People are concerned that sons of high-ranking officials do not serve in the army due to their "exceptional achievements." Thus, former Prime Minister and First Deputy Chairman of the once-ruling Republican Party of Armenia Karen Karapetyan's sons, former Energy Minister Yervand Zakaryan's son Artak, former Agriculture Minister Ignatiy Arakelyan's son Eduard, former Minister for Territorial Administration David Lokyan's son Sergey didn't see duty. The sons and relatives of well-known MPs from the Tsarukyan bloc also avoided the military service: ex-mayor of Gyumri Vardan Gukasyan's son Spartak and Gagik Tsarukyan's son-in-law Karapet Guloyan. Advantaged children have more opportunities to receive higher education to avoid military service quite legally. It is noteworthy that current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent his son Ashot to the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh as a demonstrative gesture, deciding to support his image of a close to common people fighter again retrograde practices. Any escalation in the Karabakh conflict zone is fraught with the death of a few dozen servicemen in just one day, and the absolute majority often comes from poor families. The 2016 military clashes on the contact line were particularly bloody, shaking the Armenian society. At the same time, there was a sharp increase in the departure of young people of draft age abroad. None of the sons of Armenian deputies, mayors or ministers was seen in the conflict zone during the fighting. Armenia still lacks a clear system of breakout of privates by type of troops. It remains unclear on what basis the breakout is made and whether it is affected by the civic specialty of recruits. Parents of young men do not understand why some children are sent into motorized rifle units and find themselves on the front lines, while others serve in artillery branches, radio communications or air defense, and some even remain in the territory remote from the border. The question was raised more than once in Armenia of where and how the sons of former Justice Minister David Harutyunyan, former Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, as well as former Parliament Speaker Ary Babloyan did their military service. The Armenian army's problems have become indicators of the stratification of society, and the authorities' response to the Megri events, which just shifted the responsibility to ordinary soldiers, wasn't a surprise. Actor Mandy Moore was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The 34-year-old actor received the star in the presence of her "This Is Us" castmates and her "A Walk to Remember" co-star, Shane West on Monday. "This is Us" creator, Dan Fogelman, shared a few sweet words about Moore, following which West took to the podium and surprised her with a picture of the two of them when they wrapped their beloved 2002 film. Director Adam Shankman was also present. Calling the film "wonderful experience", West said the Nicholas Sparks adaptation gave him a "chance to fall for this fantastic woman". "Mandy, you are an absolute gem, your smile is absolutely ridiculous - seriously, it's ridiculous, and it lights up the room when you walk in - your energy is irresistible, and your heart is second to none. I couldn't be more proud of you, I couldn't be more happy for you. Love ya," he said in the address. Moore later shared some photographs with West from the ceremony on Twitter. "Stars have always sort of been our thing. Thankful to @shanewest for his kind words on this very special day, one which I will never forget. It was a walk (of fame) to remember," she captioned the post. From her "This Is Us" family, Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K Brown, Justin Hartley, Chrissy Metz and Susan Kelechi Watson were present. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thousands of people living downstream from an endangered mine dam carried out a practice drill Monday for a possible evacuation just two months after a mine collapse in the same Brazilian state killed 212 people and left 93 still missing. The drill for as many as 6,000 residents in Barao de Cocais, some 150 kilometers (95 miles) from the dam that collapsed in January, was aimed at ensuring people know what to do if the dam that threatens them also gives way. Mining giant Vale on Friday raised the risk level at the dam near the city to level three. According to Brazil's mining and energy secretary, level three means that "a rupture is imminent or already happening." Minas Gerais state civil defense agency said in a statement that in case of rupture, the mining waste would reach the urban area of the city in an hour and 12 minutes. Residents living in a 10-kilometre (6-mile) perimeter had already been evacuated in February. More than 440 people were relocated in temporary housing or with family members. Residents living beyond this first security perimeter were expected to take part in the drill, Vale said in a statement. On January 25, the collapse of a Vale dam in Brumadinho unleashed a torrent of thick reddish-brown mud that covered everything in its path, destroying houses, roads and trees and contaminating nearby rivers. The type of dam used to hold mining waste in Barao de Cocais is the same that was in place in Brumadinho. State authorities have since banned this type of construction but companies were given three years to replace the dams. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BSP president Mayawati Tuesday attacked the Union government for resorting to "half-baked" demonetisation in 2016 and asked if the BJP would apologise for its "economic emergency" which compelled "rural masses to work as labourers". Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8, 2016, had banned the old Rs 1000 and Rs 500 denomination notes with immediate effect. In a tweet, Mayawati said "Capitalists & super-rich may not have (been) affected much from the economic emergency of half-baked 'notebandi' but rural masses which is real India had (been) affected by it worst. People were forced to return to their villages and work as daily wagers for survival. Will the BJP apologise?" In an earlier tweet, she blamed both the Congress and BJP governments for the poverty and unemployment in the country. "The curse of poverty and unemployment prevalent all around in the country is the result of wrong policies of the Congress and BJP governments. This problem can be resolved only by giving work to each hand as per the BSP policy and firm resolve which was given shape by extending employment to lakhs among the sarv samaj by my governments in UP," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rival political camps jostled for position Tuesday, hoping to form a government after Thailand's first election since a coup -- a vote clouded by allegations of a bungled counting process and chicanery under junta-written rules. The junta is in pole position to return to power as a civilian administration after preliminary results from Sunday's poll showed its proxy party had secured an unexpected majority of the popular vote. Around 7.6 million votes went to Phalang Pracharat with 94 percent of ballots tallied, the Election Commission has said. That gives it -- and its prime ministerial candidate, junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha -- a strong claim to legitimacy from a poll held under new junta-scripted rules. It is more than 400,000 ballots ahead of Pheu Thai, the populist party toppled from power by the 2014 coup and affiliated with self-exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. But Pheu Thai still appeared set to become the largest party in the lower house, on track for 137 constituency seats compared to Phalang Pracharat's 97, according to early figures. Experts predict days, perhaps weeks, of messy negotiations, with both parties claiming the right to form a government and confused voters wondering who will come out on top. Disqualifications of candidates and disputes over poll irregularities are likely to reshape the balance of the lower house before May 9, when final results are to be published. As the horsetrading plays out, questions are also swirling over election irregularities, with millions of invalidated ballots, dodgy oversight of polling and bungling by election authorities that may have wildly skewed initial numbers. The Election Commission is also releasing the results in a staggered fashion, claiming "human error" when reporters pointed out that a handful of provinces returned more ballots than the voter turnout. Regional election monitor ANFREL announced Tuesday in a statement the initial ballot tabulation process was "deeply flawed", which did "further damage to the perceived integrity" and trust in results. More than 2.8 million ballots were invalidated -- six percent of the votes -- a statistic ANFREL secretary-general Rohana Hettiarachchie called "high" compared to a usual average of is two to three per cent. Prayut, a stern army chief who engaged in increasingly bizarre publicity stunts ahead of polls as part of an image-makeover, declined to comment on the election but was in playful form as he arrived for a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. "They say if we throw the hopes and dreams in the air, it's like releasing a kite to the sky," he said cryptically in front of a group of music students who handed him a flute to play. "If you want something, you need to do it yourself," he added, in front of the assembled reporters, before walking into Government House playing the instrument. The serious business of forming a government still lies ahead. Pheu Thai on Monday said as the majority party in the lower house it is entitled to try to put together an anti-junta coalition. That would lean on the Future Forward party, which took over five million votes, emerging from nowhere to become the third biggest party in Thai The party was given impetus by the millennial vote who support its radical agenda of economic and military reform. "We are willing to form a coalition with the party that got the most seats," its telegenic figurehead Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit told reporters late Monday as the horse-trading began. Another smaller party, Bhumjaithai, the vehicle of a cabal of savvy billionaires whose allegiance shifts with the political winds, is likely to be crucial in swinging a lower house majority towards or against the junta party. It has proposed Anutin Charnivirakul, 52, for prime minister and trailed promises of boosting rural incomes across the northeast by allowing medicinal cannabis to be grown. Seen as a rare compromise figure across a political landscape bisected by personal hatreds, he was once a senior official in a Shinawatra party. Thaksin sits at the heart of Thailand's political rupture. His parties had won all elections since 2001 with votes from poor, in the process unsettling the Bangkok-centric elite and their royalist army allies who have struck back with coups and court cases. On Monday he told AFP in Hong Kong he believed the polls were "rigged" and riddled with "irregularities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The chief of the proscribed outfit Kangleipak Communist Party (Nando) faction escaped from the state-run hospital Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Science (JNIMS) here Tuesday, where he was undergoing treatment, police said. Th Nando Singh was arrested in 2003 by the security forces in connection with the sensational murder for ransom of 8-year-old Lungila Elizabeth daughter of ex-minister Francis Ngajokpa. ' Nando Singh was lodged in the Sajiwal Central jail He was admitted to the hospital after he had complained of "back pain" in the jail some two months back, said a senior police officer. Nando Singh escaped from the hospital in the early hours of Tuesday, the officer said. The Manipur Police has announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh to any individual who will provide information that will lead to the arrest of the undertrial prisoner. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A militant of the proscribed outfit Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) escaped from the state run hospital Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Science (JNIMS) here on Tuesday, where he was undergoing treatement, police said. Th Nando was arrested in 2003 by the security forces in connection with the sensational murder for ransom of 8-year-old Lungila Elizabeth daughter of ex-minister Francis Ngajokpa. Nando was lodged in the Sajiwal Central jail as his trial was going on. He was admitted to the hospital after he had complained of "back pain" in the jail some two months back, said a senior police officer. Nando escaped from the hospital in the early hours of Tuesday, the officer said. The state police has asked the public to inform the law enforcing forces if they have any knowledge about the whereabouts of Nando. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mizoram government has submitted a memorandum to the visiting 15th Finance Commission team demanding Rs 94,647.33 crore for the state, officials said Tuesday. As part of its visit to the different states across the country before submitting its recommendation, the 15th Finance Commission team led by its chairman N K Singh arrived in Mizoram on Monday. The Finance Commission team held meetings with the Mizoram chief secretary Lalnunmawia Chuaungo and senior state government officials on Monday. The state government has asked for an award of Rs 57,737.38 crore for pre-devolution revenue status, Rs 17,357.90 crore for meeting requirements under capital expenditure and Rs 5,779 crore for maintenance of state assets, the officials said. Other financial proposals submitted included Rs 1,283.70 crore for implementation of enhanced pay of the seventh Central pay commission for the state government employee. The memorandum also demanded Rs 1,000 crore for State Disaster relief fund and state disaster mitigation fund, Rs 2,292.39 crore for local bodies including the autonomous district councils, urban and rural local bodies and Sinlung Hills council, Rs 1,450 crore for maintenance of forests and Rs 7,746.96 crore for state specific needs, they added. The 15th Finance Commission of India was constituted in November 2017. The commission is visiting different states across the country before submitting its recommendations to the government for devolution of taxes and other fiscal matters for five fiscal years, commencing April 1, 2020. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday said Narendra Modi was the "only" prime minister who had responded strongly to terror activities in Pakistan, likening the Centre's response to the US action against terrorism. "We attacked on Pakistan without any delay after the Pulwama attack, while the Opposition leaders were insisting for negotiation, Shah said at a 'Vijay Sankalp' rally in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad district. The Bharatiya Janata Party chief alleged that the Opposition was insulting the soldiers who died in the Pulwama attack by asking questions on the number of casualties in the Balakot airstrike. "When the country was celebrating after air strikes at terrorist camp, the Opposition here was grieving like Pakistan," he said in an apparent reference to the Balakot airstrike. He asserted that the BJP-led NDA would win 74 of the state's 80 Lok Sabha seats. It had won 73 in 2014. Pointing out that Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati were "enemies" earlier, Shah said they had come together now due to "fear" of Modi. He predicted that the SP-BSP-RLD alliance would fail because "our government is very much popular due to our positive works". Shah hit out at Yadav, alleging that all miscreants were there in the former chief minister's government and crime was on the rise. But during the present BJP government, he claimed, all miscreants were either in jail or fled the state. Shah said communal violence and land-grabbing incidents, which he said were normal during the previous dispensation, had become a thing of the past and there was peace. Listing out the Modi dispensation's welfare schemes, Shah claimed that for the first time since Independence, the farmers, poor, Dalits and the deprived sections had been feeling that they have their own government at the Centre. BJP media head Anil Baluni said in a statement that the party organised over 250 'Vijay Sankalp' (pledge for victory) rallies across the country on Tuesday with its tops leaders addressing them. While Shah spoke in Moradabad, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal and Uma Bharti spoke in New Delhi, Ghaziabad, Udupi, Vijaywada and Sonipat respectively, he said. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath spoke in Varanasi, Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani in Porbandar, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar in Panipat and former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Puri. Baluni said over 250 such rallies were held on Sunday as well as part of the party's campaign to highlight the Modi government's "achievements" and "insults" meted out to the armed forces by Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his allies. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three persons were killed and 54 injured after a bus overturned and fell into a deep gorge in Dulhadev Ghati in Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh, police said Tuesday. The incident happened near Harrai town in the district late Monday night, said Superintendent of Police Manoj Rai. "A family from Chui village under Amarwada police station limits, accompanied by villagers, was returning after immersing the ashes of a kin in the Narmada river near Barman when their bus driver lost control and the vehicle overturned," he said. The SP identified the dead as Tan Singh Patel (70), Bhikam (60) and Sadaram (60). "Fifty-four persons suffered injuries of which 43 are still admitted in the district hospital. The rest have been discharged," the official said. Chief Minister Kamal Nath, who hails from Chhindwara, announced ex-gratia compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the dead and ordered an inquiry into the incident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NASA's plan to conduct the first all-female spacewalk this month had to be scrapped after the crew aboard the International Space Station encountered an unexpected setback -- the lack of well-fitting spacesuits, the US space agency said. astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch were scheduled to conduct the historic spacewalk on March 29 to install powerful lithium-ion batteries for one pair of the station's solar arrays. Since the space station was assembled in 1998, 214 spacewalks have taken place, all of which had at least one male astronaut. However, after McClain conducted her first spacewalk on March 22, she realised that a medium-size hard upper torso -- essentially the shirt of the spacesuit -- fits her best. Since only one medium-size torso can be made ready by March 29, Koch will wear it, the US space agency said in a statement. McClain now is tentatively scheduled to perform her next spacewalk on Monday, April 8 with Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques. These will be the 215th and 216th spacewalks in the history of International Space Station assembly and maintenance. During the first spacewalk of the series, on March 22, McClain became the 13th woman to perform a spacewalk. Koch will become the 14th on March 29. No difference exists in a male's or female's suit, but female astronaut usually require a smaller size. The shuttle spacesuit was designed to be made of many interchangeable parts, to accommodate the large number of astronauts with widely varying body sizes. These parts (upper and lower torsos, arms, etc.) are made in different sizes. The body measurements of each shuttle astronaut are taken and recorded. Then the measurements are plotted against the size ranges available for each spacesuit component, according to The suit components are then assembled. Training suits are usually assembled nine months prior to flight, and flight suits are usually assembled four months prior to flight. We do our best to anticipate the spacesuit sizes that each astronaut will need, based on the spacesuit size they wore in training on the ground, and in some cases astronauts train in multiple sizes, said Brandi Dean, spokeswoman of the Johnson Space Center in Houston. However, individuals' sizing needs may change when they are on orbit, in response to the changes living in microgravity can bring about in a body. In addition, no one training environment can fully simulate performing a spacewalk in microgravity, and an individual may find that their sizing preferences change in space. On March 14, meeting of the Caspian expert club titled "Friendship Strengthened by Regions" was held in Astrakhan. Participants of this event, organized by the Russian North-South Political Science Center, the Caspian-Eurasia Center for International and Socio-Political Studies, the Caspian Expert Club and the Trend News Agency, discussed topical aspects of cooperation and regional integration of the Caspian states. On the sidelines of this event, editor of the Caspian Vestnik portal interviewed Azerbaijani expert, head of the Caspian Expert Club, Gulnara Mamedzade. - When it comes to Caspian region, the biggest news of recent years was signing of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea. Half a year passed since that happened. What changes have occurred in the region during this time? - If you're talking about how much progress did Caspian states make in implementation of the Convention, then changes aren't that significant so far, just like the work in five-sided format. Or maybe we don't know enough about this work. However, all states continue to work to get access to foreign markets. We may get better understanding of this topic at the economic summit in Turkmenistan later this year. By the way, over the past six months, Turkmenistan has shown increased activity in foreign policy direction in order to attract investments for construction of infrastructure, further production and transportation of Caspian hydrocarbons. Implementation of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline project became much more realistic thanks to the Convention, and the same can be said about Ashgabat's chances to succeed in negotiations with investors, primarily Western investors. This is proved by number of events held by Turkmenistan with participation of American and European partners. The topic of Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, designed to connect China and Central Asia to European countries through the Caspian Sea and the territory of Caspian states, was discussed later in Baku, which is the second key point of this corridor. In other words, negotiations in this direction are continuing. And those countries that could oppose this project now show some restraint in their statements. Due to current realities, approaches constantly change, since every transnational project creates a mass of derivatives and additional opportunities for almost all interested parties. Overall, there are a lot of topics on regional agenda. Many projects related to development of the transport and energy potential of the Caspian Sea, which were discussed at the Baku, Astrakhan and Aktau summits, are gradually implemented. Right now it's important to emphasize that Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan have ratified the Convention. The first meeting of the High Level Working Group on the Caspian Sea Issues was held in Baku in February of 2019, the next meeting is going to be held in April in Kazakhstan. So all sides continue to work on to move forward. This intergovernmental cooperation is certainly important and necessary, but so far no noticeable joint efforts have been in this direction have been achieved. USA and the EU are making progress on various projects thanks to their think tanks. Western countries' governments often depend on experts. It's also important for Caspian countries to create their own expert-informational pool for the region. During the meeting of the Caspian Expert Club held in Astrakhan, very useful proposals were presented, including those related to creation of the Caspian integration structure, possibly the Caspian Economic Cooperation Organization. Moreover, experts proposed to prepare the White Book - a concept of Caspian region's development. Large resources, projects and investments are focused in the Caspian region. Interest in the region will countinue to grow, agenda will be updated. Right now certain provisions of the Convention related to security issues may require specific additions. What's really important is that effectiveness of the Caspian integration process depends on efforts of the Russian Federation. Russia will be active in this direction, which means that this process has every chance to succeed. If Moscow will keep the Caspian Sea topic at the periphery of its interests, then regional configuration can seriously change and may even include participation of non-regional countries. - The Convention on Legal Status of the Caspian Sea raised issue of delimiting seabed to the level of two-way and three-way agreements. At the last meeting between presidents of Iran and Azerbaijan in Baku, both sides agreed to jointly develop a number of controversial fields in the Caspian region. How implementation of these important agreements will affect Caspian region? Are there positive signs in this issue in relations between Baku and Ashgabat? - It's very difficult to comment on these issues due to lack of information. Information of this nature, as well as real understanding of the current state of affairs, are within competence of corresponding state structures. What we can see is that there's an attempt to reach consensus in order to resolve Caspian problems, both at the level of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan regarding the Serdar-Kapaz gas field, and in Azerbaijans dialogue with Iran on the Sardar-Dzhangal oil field. Signing of this Convention is what helped to deal with these conflicts. Now search for compromise is easy thanks to this dialogue. It may be long and complicated, but there are no longer any dangerous incidents in the Caspian Sea, which occured in the past. All sides understand that right now isn't the time to hold on to conflicts that have no solution, it's time to get all possible benefits at the level of two to three to five-sided cooperation in the Caspian region. That's what we can actually see. So this process is pretty positive, even if many steps are taken for security reasons. In addition, parties are involved in joint projects, including for Trans-Caspian project (Ashgabat and Baku) and the North-South corridor (Baku and Tehran). - A significant event took place in Iran on March 6 - the Qazvin-Rasht railway, part of the North-South corridor, was launched. On March 9 in Tehran, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov discussed construction of the final section of the corridor - Resht-Astara route - with Iranian president. What do you think about implementation of this project? What role will it play in development of situation in the region? - This event is really significant, since the Qazvin-Rasht railway is an important section of one of the key regional projects - the North-South corridor. Implementation of this project will connect railway systems of Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan, which is of great economic and political importance, especially in the framework of Caspian regional integration. Baku, as one of the investors in this project, is interested in completion of the Qazvin-Rasht-Astara railway, a key section of the North-South international transport corridor, which will make it possible to connect railway infrastructures of the Caspian countries. North-South is increasing importance of the Caspian region as a future center of new transport infrastructure that will connect Europe and Asia, as well as strengthens geopolitical positions of Moscow, Tehran and Baku. Russia and Iran require strategic economic shields capable of minimizing the US sanctions' pressure. Azerbaijan is also increasing its importance as logistics hub and is building solid economic foundation for relations with leading regional centers of power that have influence on the Karabakh conflict settlement, among other things. - Recently Russia established the post of president's special representative on humanitarian and economic cooperation with Caspian states. How do you assess current level of Caspian cultural and humanitarian cooperation? What projects in this area could contribute to deepening of cultural relations between countries of the region? - Any attention to Caspian region from Russia is very important, since this direction should not remain on the periphery of Russia's foreign policy. Especially after the Convention was signed. As far as cultural and humanitarian cooperation is concerned, there's an extremely favorable background for it, which is facilitated by geography, historical ties and traditions. And when necessary logistics will finally exist, it will simplify mutual visits, tourism and mutual cultural enrichment. Nepal and Japan have signed a labour agreement under which migrant workers from the Himalayan kingdom will be employed in the far east nation in 14 sectors, including industrial, nursing, construction and sanitation. The pact was signed on Monday by Ram Prasad Dahal, acting Secretary in the Labour Ministry, and Masamichi Saigo, Japanese Ambassador to Nepal. The agreement will come into effect from April 1. As per the deal, a separate unit under the Department of Foreign Employment will be set up in coordination with the Japan government. The new body will work on the modality of recruitment of Nepali workers by Japanese employers. Both the governments will form a joint technical team that will finalise the number of workers to be recruited and the process of their recruitment, officials said. The new unit will also finalise the benefits to be granted to workers. However, the cost a worker needs to bear to go to Japan is still under discussion. As per ministry officials, Nepal has requested Japan to allow Nepali workers to enter its job market at zero cost. Under the agreement, the Japanese government will hire Nepali migrant workers in care-giving, building cleaning management, machine parts and tooling, industrial machinery, electric, electronic, information and construction industries, officials said. The workers will also be hired in shipbuilding and ship machinery, automobile repair and maintenance, aviation, accommodation, agriculture, fishery and aquaculture, manufacture of food and beverages and food service industries, they said. In December last year, the Japanese government had approved a law which allowed Japanese companies to employ blue-collar workers from nine countries, including Nepal. As per the Japanese plan, a total of 345,150 workers from Nepal, Vietnam, China, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Mongolia will be employed in the first five years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nepal and China may be getting closer for mutual economic and trade gains but their emerging relationship is "not at all at the cost of India", Nepalese Ambassador to India Nilambar Acharya said Tuesday. India and Nepal have been closer for ages and even common inheritor of similar and identical civilization and therefore, both the nations should make continuous efforts to further broaden the scope of their relationship for mutual gains and comforts, a PHDCCI statement said. "...the Ambassador also clarified pointing out that Nepal and China may be getting closer for mutual economic and trade gains but the emerging relationship between the two is not at all at the cost of India," the statement said. He made the remarks addressing members of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) and stakeholders from both nations under the banner of India Nepal Centre here. China has been investing heavily in Nepal in the last few years to enhance the connectivity and infrastructure. Acharya invited Indian investments in Nepal in areas such as hydro, tourism, roads and highways. The ambassador invited India Inc to take part in Nepal India Investment Summit a two-day event slated to be held at Kathmandu on 29 and 30 of this month. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned home from Washington on Tuesday, heading straight into military consultations after a night of heavy fire as Israeli aircraft bombed Gaza targets and the strip's militants fired rockets into Israel. Schools in southern Israel were cancelled following the violence that threatened to escalate into a major conflict just two weeks before the Israeli elections. The fighting subsided by the morning, though the situation remained tense. The military massed forces on the Gaza border and imposed restrictions on civilian public gatherings after dozens of rockets were fired toward communities in the area, including one that struck a house in the town of Sderot. Overnight, the Israeli air force pounded militant sites of Gaza's Hamas rulers and the smaller Islamic Jihad group. The targets included a multistory building in Gaza City that Israel said had served as a Hamas military intelligence headquarters and the office of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Gaza's Health Ministry said seven Palestinians were wounded in the airstrikes. Netanyahu, back from Washington, headed directly to military headquarters in Tel Aviv for consultations on the next steps. He faces the difficult task of delivering a tough blow to Hamas while avoiding protracted fighting that could work against him on election day. Netanyahu has come under heavy criticism from both allies and opponents for what they say has been an ineffective policy of containing Gaza militants, with calls demanding he deliver a devastating blow to Hamas. He has conducted indirect cease-fire talks through Egyptian mediators in recent months, and even allowed the delivery of millions of dollars of Qatari aid to Hamas to ease harsh conditions in Gaza. After a meeting with President Donald Trump and before leaving Washington, Netanyahu indicated the election would not deter him from acting. "We have responded very, very forcefully. Hamas needs to know that we will not hesitate to go in and take all necessary steps regardless of anything, any date, other than Israel's security needs," he said. The cross-border fighting was triggered by a surprise rocket fired early Monday from Gaza that slammed into a house in central Israel and wounded seven people. The Israeli military said it was a self-manufactured rocket with a range of 120 kilometers (75 miles), making it one of the deepest strikes ever carried out by Hamas. The military mobilized two armor and infantry brigades and drafted some reserve forces before striking back at militant sites in Gaza. Gaza's Hamas rulers announced later in the day that Egyptian mediators had brokered a cease-fire but the firing continued overnight before calm appeared to return early Tuesday. The rocket attack prompted Netanyahu to cut short a visit to Washington and return home, setting the stage for perhaps the most serious conflict since a war in 2014. But with no fatalities reported on either side yet, and the quiet holding for the moment, it still seemed possible to step back from the brink once again. Two weeks ago, rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel's densely populated commercial capital of Tel Aviv, and the Israeli military struck back. Gaza's Hamas leaders said the rocket was fired accidentally and the fighting quickly subsided. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars in the last decade. Although neither side appears to have an interest in another war, fighting could easily spin out of control. The 2014 conflict lasted 50 days and ended with over 2,000 Palestinian deaths, including hundreds of civilians, and 73 killed on the Israeli side. In Gaza, Hamas is facing perhaps its toughest domestic test since seizing control of the coastal territory from the rival Palestinian Authority 12 years ago. An Israel-Egyptian blockade, imposed to weaken Hamas, combined with sanctions by the Palestinian Authority and mismanagement by the Hamas government, have all fueled an economic crisis that has left Gaza with an unemployment rate above 50 percent. Hamas has been leading weekly protests along the Israeli border for the past year in hopes of easing the blockade, but the demonstrations, in which some 190 people have been killed by Israeli fire, have done little to improve conditions. Last week, hundreds of Gazans protested the dire conditions, a rare expression of public discontent against the authoritarian government. Hamas responded with a violent crackdown, beating and arresting dozens of demonstrators and drawing rare public criticism. By limiting its fire to border communities after Monday's long-range launch, Hamas seems to be trying to keep the conflagration on low intensity. For Israelis living along the border who have suffered from years of rocket attacks that is little comfort. "The Israeli government can't, under no circumstances, settle," said Haim Jellin, a Labor party candidate for parliament and a former head of the bordering Eshkol regional council. "Firing at Israeli communities that border with Gaza is the same as firing toward Tel Aviv, and it's impossible we will show restraint at the continuous firing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Punjab Bank (PNB) managing director and CEO has approached the NCLAT against the NCLT Mumbai-bench order, which made her a respondent in the PNB-Nirav Modi fraud case. A two-member bench headed by Chairman Justice S J Mukhopadhaya issued notice to the Ministry of the Corporate Affairs over her plea. Earlier on January 31, 2019, the Mumbai bench of the Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) had made her a party in the ongoing matter of PNB-Nirav Modi fraud case by accepting the Centre's request to implead her. ALSO READ: Nirav Modi to make second bail application in UK court on March 29 The appellate tribunal had directed to list the matter on April 29 for next hearing. In its application before the Mumbai NCLT, the MCA had said that the impleadment of the additional respondents, including Usha Ananthasubramanian, was essential because they all are necessary and proper parties. Aam Aadmi Party's Shweta Sharma was among the eight candidates whose nomination papers for Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar Lok Sabha seat were rejected during the process of scrutiny on Tuesday, officials said. Sharma's papers were rejected as she failed to find 10 mandatory proposers required for any candidate who is not from a recognised national or regional party in a state, they said. "She said in her nomination papers that she is a candidate from the Aam Aadmi Party. AAP is not a recognised regional party in Uttar Pradesh. It is not recognised as a national party by the Election Commission as well. It is recognised in Delhi though. This was a flaw in her claim," District Magistrate and Returning Officer Brajesh Narain Singh told PTI. The final position on the total number of candidates in the fray for the Gautam Buddh Nagar seat will, however, become clear on Wednesday -- the last day for withdrawal of nomination, the officials said. A total of 21 nomination papers were filed till the last day of the process on Monday, and 13 of them have been approved, Singh said. "Among the nominees whose candidatures have been approved are those from the BJP, the Congress and the SP-BSP alliance," he said, after scrutiny of the nomination papers. Two of the 13 candidates whose nominations have been approved are independents, Singh added. The BJP has fielded Union minister and sitting MP Mahesh Sharma (59) from the seat, while the Congress has fielded Arvind Kumar Singh (30), who lost from Aligarh in 2014. The Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance has fielded Satveer Nagar (37). Spread across Noida, Dadr, Jewar, Sikandrabad and Khurja assembly constituencies, Gautam Buddh Nagar goes to polls on April 11 during the first leg of the seven-phased general elections. Results will be announced on May 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : In a shocker to the ruling Telugu Desam Party, the nomination of its candidate for Kurupam assembly seat Janardhan Dhatraj was rejected during scrutiny Tuesday. Kurupam in Vizianagaram district is reserved for Scheduled Tribes. The BJP and the Congress candidates raised objection over the caste certificate submitted by the TDP nominee, saying even the Supreme Court ruled that Janardhan was not an ST. Moreover, he presented a caste certificate issued in 2013. Based on this, the returning officer conducted an enquiry and rejected the TDP candidate's nomination, sources in the Election Commission here said. Meanwhile, the TDP survived a scare in Mangalagiri Assembly segment as the returning officer approved the nomination papers of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's son Nara Lokesh. The YSR Congress complained that Lokesh's nomination papers were faulty as it was notarised by a lawyer from Krishna district whereas Mangalagiri was in neighbouring Guntur district. After legal clarifications were obtained and Lokesh's lawyers presented relevant rule position, the nomination was accepted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Profitability of state-owned refiners such as Indian Oil Corp (IOC) may come under pressure if the government asks them to temporarily freeze the prices of petrol, diesel and other fuels ahead of general elections, Moody's Investors Service said Tuesday. Before the Gujarat and Karnataka state elections, the government had asked oil to temporarily suspend the practice of adjusting the on a daily basis. "Given India's upcoming general election in April-May, we expect the refiners' profitability may come under pressure if they are asked by the government to temporarily freeze the prices of petroleum products," Moody's said in a report. The BJP-led NDA, if voted back to power, could allow oil to recover their losses post elections as it has done in previous state-level elections, it said. "A change in government may expose the oil to a new set of challenges that are harder to anticipate because the oil and gas sector policy of other parties contesting in the elections is not yet clear." State-owned IOC, Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) had temporarily stopped revising first in December 2017, ahead of assembly elections in Gujarat and then in April/May 2018 before Karnataka elections. So far, they have continued to change prices on a daily basis. India goes to polls in seven phases beginning April 11. Moody's expects India's state-owned oil companies will continue to pay high dividends in the next financial year, which will be negative for refiners but the oil producers will not be as significantly affected. In a report on the country's state-owned oil and gas companies, Moody's said: "High shareholder returns will increase the oil companies' aggregate borrowings and constrain their credit profiles." It expected Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), IOC, Ltd (OIL) and to maintain high dividends payments as well as conduct share buybacks in the financial year 2020. "High dividend payments will further stress the refiners' credit metrics at a time when refining margins have weakened and capital spending is high. We expect the regional refining margin, which has weakened significantly since June 2018, to meaningfully improve only in the second half of 2019," it said. Refiners and also need to invest in upgrading their refineries over the next 12-18 months to comply with tighter emission norms. IOC, it said, is better positioned than to maintain its credit quality given its large scale and stronger credit metrics. ALSO READ: Watch crude oil for clues on rupee course Moody's said despite the increase in dividends and share buybacks by the upstream companies and OIL, their total outflow to the government has significantly declined since 2015, because they have stopped sharing the country's fuel subsidy burden. The companies will continue to invest in exploration and development activities, which will likely be funded with retained cash flow. As a result, their borrowings are unlikely to increase meaningfully. Dividend payments will remain at a similar level in financial year 2020 but share buyback amounts will likely fall as the oil companies' reduce their cash balances so that they do not qualify for share buybacks under the capital restructuring guidelines issued by the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management in May 2016, it said. and are unlikely to conduct further share buybacks in the financial year 2020 as there needs to be at least a 12-month gap between two share buybacks. Both firms conducted buybacks in the current financial year. As per policy, all government-owned companies have to pay a minimum dividend of the higher of 30 per cent of the net income or 5 per cent of net worth. In addition, government-owned companies should look to pay maximum dividend permissible by law. These firms have to conduct share buybacks if both net worth exceeds Rs 2,000 crore and cash and bank balances exceed Rs 1,000 crore. Moody's said the oil companies' shareholder returns will provide the Government of India with the cash to meet its fiscal deficit target. "The government has been increasing its reliance on the oil and gas sector as a source of revenue over the years. As oil prices fell in early 2016, the government imposed taxes on the production of petroleum products which accounted for about 24 per cent of government revenue for the financial year 2018. "Following the recent increase in oil prices, the government had to cut these taxes to limit the impact of high prices on consumers in India. We believe the government is unlikely to raise these taxes so close to general elections in April and May 2019 because the taxes are ultimately passed on to end consumers," it said. And so, dividend payments and share buybacks by the oil companies will continue to be a source of revenue for the government. "High shareholder returns because of government policy -- will increase the oil companies' borrowings and constrain their credit profiles, and upstream companies will be better positioned than the refiners to maintain credit quality," said Vikas Halan, a Moody's Senior Vice President. Taking time out from electioneering, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah Tuesday visited the Mir family in militancy-torn Bandipore of north Kashmir whose 11-year-old son was held hostage and subsequently killed by terrorists. Omar, who is also the vice president of the National Conference, was in Baramulla when he decided to visit Hajin area of Bandipore and offer his condolences to the Mir family who are mourning the death of Atif Mir. "Returning just now from Hajin where I had gone to condole the death of young Atif. Atif was an 11 year old boy, the only son of his parents, killed after he was taken hostage by militants last week," Omar wrote on Twitter after the meeting. "There can be nothing worse for a father than to lend shoulder to his young child's coffin and nothing worse for a mother than to grieve at her young child's grave. Kashmir has seen too much of this suffering heaped on parents," he said. "It was a heart-wrenching scene. It will take them a lot of time to overcome this grief. The parents and two elder sisters could not be consoled," Omar told PTI after his meeting. The boy was killed by Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists -- Ali and Hubaib -- on March 22 after the family refused to get their daughter married to one of them. The killing evoked sharp reactions from locals who said it was not "jihad" (armed crusade) but "jahalat" (benighted). The incident took place 33 km north of Srinagar where the terrorists had taken shelter in the boy's house at gunpoint, police officials said on Friday. The terrorists wanted to sexually abuse his sister but the family helped her escape. This infuriated them and they started beating up the family members, including Atif and his old uncle Hameed Mir, they said. Hameed told police he requested the terrorists to release the boy but they were barbaric. As pressure mounted on the terrorists, they killed the helpless Atif. The security forces later mounted a heightened operation and killed both the Pakistanis. Ali had been active in the area for long and was involved many killings including the death of a man whose throat was slit in front of his son. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The online food ordering market in India is likely to grow at over 16 per cent annually to touch USD 17.02 billion by 2023, according to a study by business consultancy firm Market Research Future. The study, titled 'Digital Platforms Reign in the Food Ordering Market', said the growth in online food ordering market has been attributed to the rising number of women in working population in most of the metro cities. "The Indian online food ordering market is slated to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 16.2 per cent at USD 17.02 billion by 2023," it said. According to the study, 95 per cent of the respondents surveyed order food online, owing to promotional offers and discounts, while 84 per cent individuals said its hassle-free and time-saving. It added that 78 per cent of the individuals order food online because its convenient. And 73 per cent order food online because of a wide variety of cuisines on a single-click. "Lunch is the most preferred meal to be ordered online and card payment is the most preferred mode of payment," it added. Bengaluru gets the highest number of online orders as compared to other cities with 20 per cent of the market share acquired by the southern city, the report said. It is followed by Mumbai, Pune, Delhi and Hyderabad with a share of 18 per cent, 17 per cent, 15 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively, while other cities accounted for 18 per cent of the market share. "The rising number of logistics providers has also enabled food delivery companies to optimise their fleet, thereby reducing delivery time. Online food delivery platforms are focused towards acquisitions and are collaborating with logistics companies to manage delivery operations in the dedicated region," it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Investors in the Anaklia Deep Sea Port project anf the Georgian government are negotiating demands that should be fulfilled in order to invest in the project. The Anaklia Development Consortium said that four donor banks are negotiating with the state about the 8-point agreement regarding the Anaklia project. These investors are the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The demands include the continuation of the terms, compensation or political force majeure. One of the demands is related to the road and railway that will be connected to the port. The international financial institutions are expected to meet with the Georgian government in early April, Georgia Online reports. Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily said Tuesday opposition parties may not have come together to fight the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections in all states but would join hands post-poll to form government. The former union minister said he was not at all disappointed that the opposition alliance to take on the BJP has not materialised in some states. "...idea-wise, spirit-wise, they (opposition parties) are all united against (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi. Common agenda is: he (Modi) should go", Moily said and claimed the opposition would form government. The Congress has strong presence in many states, where the party has no option but to fight other parties which are also opposed to the BJP, according to him. He cited the political landscape in Kerala, where the Congress-led UDF and CPI-M-anchored LDF are in direct fight, as an example to drive home his point. "In Kerala, it's UDF versus LDF, there is no BJP at all. BJP's presence is totally negligible. There, we have to fight against each other. We cannot make alliance with LDF", Moily told PTI. On the issue of opposition alliance, the former Karnataka Chief Minister argued that each and every State has to be "analysed" on its own merit and one can't generalise. "There will be pre-poll alliance in some States, post-poll alliance in some other States. Such arragement is not opposed to the principle of opposition unity", he claimed. "Common objective is to defeat BJP everywhere. There cannot be hard and fast rule in every State. It differs from State to State", Moily said. Asked if the Left parties would join hands with the Congress after the elections, he said: "That will inevitably happen, when fighting against the BJP". On the minimum income guarantee scheme announced by the Congress President Rahul Gandhi yesterday, Moily said it's a "great way forward" towards lifting the poor out of poverty. Asked if this announcement would pay rich electoral dividends to the Congress in the polls, he said: "Definitely. Manifesto is always taken by the people seriously. Since it's targetted at the poorest of the poor, they look forward with lot of expectations. It's not an election stunt". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over two lakh people will attend the rally in Jammu and Kashmir's Akhnoor, from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick-start the BJP's election campaign in the state, party state president Ravinder Raina said Tuesday. The BJP will retain all three Lok Sabha seats of Jammu, Udhampur and Ladakh despite the coming together of "traitors" in the state, Raina asserted. The senior leader said the party would talk to its former minister and Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan (DSS) founder Choudhary Lal Singh, who has filed nomination papers from the Jammu parliamentary constituency, for withdrawal of his candidature in the larger interest of the Dogra unity and strengthening of nationalist forces. "The prime minister has accepted our invitation and is addressing the first election rally at Akhnoor in the outskirts of Jammu on March 28. We are confident of winning all the three seats of Jammu, Udhampur and Ladakh with bigger margins than the 2014 Lok Sabha polls," Raina told reporters here. Jammu and Baramulla parliamentary constituencies are going to polls in the first phase on April 11 and have received a record number of 39 nominations. Prominent faces include incumbent BJP MP Jugal Kishore, National Conference-supported Congress candidate Raman Bhalla, Lal Singh and National Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh. The PDP said it decided against fielding any candidate from the twin seats of Jammu and Udhampur to ensure that the secular votes are not divided. The BJP leader termed the Congress, National Conference and the PDP a "coalition of traitors". He also used a proverb for the parties to allege that thieves stick together: "Chor chor mousere bhai." "They could not see eye to eye in the state assembly, but are now "coming together for a Milawati Gathbandhan (adulterated coalition). It is a 'gadhar' (traitor) coalition," Raina said. "They have come together and are encouraging anti-national forces. They are frustrated by the strong wave in favour of the BJP but they will face drubbing and even their candidates will lose their deposits," he said. The BJP state president praised the prime minister for developmental works, sanctioning of new projects and launching various schemes for the upliftment of border residents and the poor, and said, "the BJP leadership undertook dozens of rallies across the length and breadth of the state and are satisfied with the response of the people". "The anti-national forces and Pakistan-praisers are coming together and the time has come for nationalist forces to also join hands and work unitedly," Raina said, adding, "if in Kashmir, the parties speaking for terrorists, separatists and Pakistan can come together, why not in Jammu? We have to keep Jammu united for the Dogra identity and unity. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After a series of flip flops, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Tuesday announced its decision to contest the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra, where it fielded its MLA Imtiaz Jaleel from the Aurangabad constituency. The Hyderabad-based party, led by MP Asaduddin Owaisi, has joined hands with Maharashtra's Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar to launch a new political front, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), for the Lok Sabha polls. Ambedkar had on March 16 announced that the AIMIM would contest the Lok Sabha polls from at least one seat in Maharashtra. "Imtiaz Jaleel will be AIMIM's candidate for the Aurangabad Parliamentary Constituency," Owaisi tweeted. Jaleel said he would contest from the Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency, which will vote on April 23, under the banner of VBA. "It's time for my city to change. It's not about me. From here on it's always going to be 'We'. Let's all vote for Aurangabad," tweeted Jaleel. A former journalist, Jaleel was elected from the Aurangabad Central assembly constituency in the 2014 polls. The AIMIM had also won the Byculla assembly seat in Mumbai. Owaisi had earlier announced his party will not contest the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra and only extend support to VBA candidates. "We have a strong presence in Aurangabad. Apart from having an MLA, we also have 25 corporators here. Hence, the party supporters were of the strong opinion that we should contest from the Aurangabad seat," Jaleel told reporters. "I have received partys A-B forms in Hyderabad and will file the nomination form within a couple of days, he added. Meanwhile, a day after filing nomination from the Solapur Lok Sabha seat, Ambedkar Tuesday also filed his papers from the Akola constituency in Vidarbha. However, Ambedkar is expected to reveal Wednesday if he will contest from both the seats or will withdraw from one of them. "People from the community would not take him seriously if he withdraws his nomination from Solapur, especially after the huge response he received while on his way to file nomination Monday," said a VBA functionary. "Ambedkar will declare his stand Wednesday in Mumbai (whether he will contest from both seats)," the functionary said. The BJP and the Congress have renominated their 2014 LS candidates in Akola. While the BJP has fielded its sitting MP Sanjay Dhotre, the Congress has again given ticket to Hidayat Patel. In 2014, Akola had witnessed a triangular fight between Dhotre, Patel and Ambedkar. While Dhotre polled 4.56 lakh votes, Patel got 2.53 lakh and Ambedkar 2.38 lakh. In both Solapur and Akola, Ambedkar is banking on Dalit, Muslim votes and also eyeing OBC support as many caste and community groups are part of the VBA. Dhotre is banking largely on Maratha votes, while Patel wields influence over the Muslim community in the constituency. Ambedkar has won from the Akola Lok Sabha seat twice - in 1998 and 1999. On both occasions, he had defeated BJP's Pandurang Phundkar. In the last three polls (2004, 2009 and 2014), BJP's Dhotre had won from Akola. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a relief to Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan's Supreme Court Tuesday granted bail to the jailed former prime minister for six weeks in a corruption case on medical grounds. Sharif, 69, is in jail since December last year, serving a 7-year imprisonment in the Al Azizia Steel Mills graft case. He filed appeal earlier this month against a judgment by the Islamabad High Court which on February 25 rejected his bail on medical grounds in the same case. A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa in a short order granted bail to Sharif for six weeks for his treatment. But the court ruled he cannot go out of the country during this period. Three corruption cases - Avenfield properties, Flagship investment and Al-Azizia steel mills - were registered against the Sharif family by the anti-graft body in 2017 following a judgment by the Supreme Court that disqualified Sharif in the Panama Papers case in 2017. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in the Avenfiled corruption case in July 2018 which was related to his properties in London. Later he was given bail in September. In December, the accountability court convicted him in the Al-Azizia graft case but acquitted him in the Flagship corruption case. The Al-Azizia Steel Mill case is related to setting up steel mills in Saudi Arabia allegedly with corruption money. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Pakistani court Tuesday ordered the government to remove Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Shehbaz Sharif's name from the no-fly list. Shehbaz, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, had filed a petition in the Lahore High Court last month to have his name removed from the Exit Control List, Geo TV reported. The 67-year-old leader has been indicted along with nine others in the Ashiana Iqbal Housing scam case. His name was placed on the travel blacklist on February 22 for allegedly possessing assets beyond his declared sources of income. His counsel earlier told the court that the PML-N leader had been appearing before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in every inquiry and cooperating with the anti-corruption watchdog in every way. Sharif was arrested by the NAB in the probe on October 5, 2018. He was released on bail on February 14. He had approached the Lahore High Court seeking declaration of the government's decision to place his name on the no-fly list as null and void. In his petition, he had contended that as the leader of the opposition as well as of one of the country's largest political parties, his name should not be on the ECL. Sharif served as the chief minister of the politically crucial Punjab province from 2013 to 2018. He became PML-N president after his elder brother Nawaz Sharif was barred from holding the top party position and public posts. Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaurdhy Tuesday said that the government would be challenging the Lahore High Court's decision in the Supreme Court. "There is a record of Sharif family members leaving the country and not coming back, said Chaudhry. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Lahore High Court on Tuesday ordered the government to remove Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Shahbaz Sharif's name from the no-fly list. Shehbaz, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, had filed a petition last month to have his name removed from the Exit Control List (ECL). The former Punjab chief minister's name was added to the ECL on February 22 in the Ashiana Iqbal Housing case, after the 67-year-old leader was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the probe on October 5, 2018. He was released on bail on February 14. Shehbaz's counsel earlier told the court that the PML-N leader had been appearing before the NAB in every inquiry and cooperating with the anti-corruption watchdog in every way. In his petition, Shehbaz, the younger brother of ousted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, had contended that as the leader of the opposition as well as of one of the country's largest political parties, his name should not be on the ECL. In October, last year, the NAB launched an investigation against Shehbaz Sharif to detect his "illegal" assets. The inquiry was launched when he was already in the custody of the bureau in connection with the alleged Rs14 billion Ashiyana-i-Iqbal housing project scam. He is also facing investigation in the Saaf Pani Company scandal for allegedly awarding contracts in violation of rules, Dawn newspaper reported. Reacting to the court's decision, Information Minister Fawad Chaurdhy said the government would be challenging the Lahore High Court's ruling in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. "There is a record of Sharif family members leaving the country and not coming back," Chaudhry was quoted as saying by Geo (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Pakistani national was apprehended by the BSF along the Indo-Pak International Border (IB) in Gujarat, officials said Tuesday. They said Muhammad Ali (35), who was speaking Sindhi, was apprehended by a Border Security Force (BSF) patrol from the 'Kumar' border post in the frontier district of Banaskantha on Monday evening. Nothing substantial was recovered from the man and central security agencies were interrogating him, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Pakistani high court on Tuesday ordered official protection for the two Hindu girls due to concern about their safety as authorities widened a probe to ascertain if the teenage sisters were abducted, forcibly converted and married. The two girls, Raveena (13) and Reena (15), were allegedly kidnapped by a group of "influential" men from their home in Ghotki district in Sindh on the eve of Holi. Soon after the kidnapping, a video went viral in which a cleric was purportedly shown soleminising the Nikah (marriage) of the two girls, triggering a nationwide outrage. The Islamabad High Court issued the order Tuesday after the petition was filed by the girls and their husbands to seek protection from adverse action. Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the case about controversy over conversion of the two Hindu girls from Ghotki area of Sindh province and their marriage with Muslim men. The judge after the hearing of their petition handed over their custody to Deputy Commissioner Islamabad and Director General Human Rights. He ordered that a woman Superintendent Police should be deputed with the sisters to ensure their safety. The court directed authorities that an investigation report about their case should be presented before it by April 2 when it will issue further directions. The court also noted the Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered probe to ascertain if the two girls were abducted and forcibly converted and married. On March 20, the girls' family lodged a First Information Report against their alleged forced conversion to Islam. A war of words broke out between India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistan's Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry over the reported abduction, forced conversion and underage marriages of the two Hindu teenagers. The spat started soon after Swaraj sought details from the Indian envoy in Pakistan into the reported abduction of two Hindu teenaged girls. Swaraj tweeted that she has asked the Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan to send a report on the matter. Police later arrested the cleric who solemnised the wedding and some other people, including a senior member of the Sunni Tehreek Pakistan group for their alleged involvement in their forceful conversion to Islam. Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan. According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. Majority of Pakistan's Hindu population is settled in Sindh province. According to media reports, approximately 25 forced marriages take place every month only in Umerkot district in Sindh province. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a relief to ailing Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan's Supreme Court Tuesday granted bail to the jailed former prime minister for six weeks for seeking medical treatment within the country. Sharif, 69, is lodged in the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore since December last year, serving a 7-year imprisonment in the Al Azizia Steel Mills graft case. He filed appeal earlier this month against a judgment by the Islamabad High Court which on February 25 rejected his bail on medical grounds in the same case. A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa in a short order granted bail to Sharif for six weeks for his treatment. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo has suffered four angina attacks in recent weeks, according to his daughter Maryam Nawaz. The Sharif family is complaining that the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan was not providing adequate treatment to the 3-time former premier who has serious health complications. The apex court in its order directed Sharif to submit two bail bonds amounting to Rs 1 crore. However, the bench made it clear that Sharif cannot go out of the country during the six-week period. He will be allowed to get treatment from a doctor of his own choice. After completion the time period, he has to surrender himself, the judgement says. Sharif can apply for bail in the high court if need be, the judgement added. During the hearing, Sharif's counsel Khawaja Haris asked the court to grant the former premier bail for eight weeks. "As far as the treatment is concerned, my client's life is at risk. He will surrender himself to the court after the treatment is complete," he told the court. But the additional prosecutor told the judges that "Nawaz Sharif has no life-threatening disease." Reacting to the court ruling, Prime Minister Imran Khan said his government respects court decisions, Geo reported. The premier, who was informed about the top court's decision on Sharif's petition while chairing a meeting of the Cabinet, said, "We had already directed that Nawaz be provided all medical facilities." "The courts and institutions in the country are independent," he said and added that he was praying for Sharif's health. Three corruption cases - Avenfield properties, Flagship investment and Al-Azizia steel mills - were registered against the Sharif family by the anti-graft body in 2017 following a judgment by the Supreme Court that disqualified Sharif in the Panama Papers case in 2017. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in the Avenfield corruption case in July 2018 which was related to his properties in London. Later he was given bail in September. In December, the accountability court convicted him in the Al-Azizia graft case but acquitted him in the Flagship corruption case. The Al-Azizia Steel Mill case is related to setting up steel mills in Saudi Arabia allegedly with corruption money. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Tuesday announced the complete opening of Pakistan's airspace, with the national carrier resuming its flights across the country. Pakistan closed its airspace on February 27 following escalating tensions with India. On Tuesday, two-way flights from Lahore to Islamabad and flights from Karachi to Multan departed according to the schedule, said a statement issued by the national carrier - Airlines (PIA) - on Tuesday. ALSO READ: Understanding the naysayers on Balakot Flights have also been resumed for Bahawalpur, Raheem Yar Khan and Dera Ghazi Khan. Flights from Sialkot will resume from March 28, after necessary repairs are carried out on the Sialkot airport runway, it said. Earlier in February, the CAA partially opened the country's airspace after keeping it closed for several hours following a rare aerial dogfight between Indian and Pakistani jets. The CAA had also declared an aerial emergency, saying Pakistani airspace is closed until further notice. All local and commercial flights were suspended following escalating tension between India and Pakistan. A fire has broken out at the Diglas shopping mall in Baku's Nizami district today. Azerbaijan's Emergency Situations Ministry said that employees of the Diglas trade center had been evacuated. Firefighters are trying to extinguish the blaze, two helicopters have been dispatched to the site to help tackle the fire, RFE/RL reported. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. The country's Emergency Situations Minister Kamaladdin Heydarov, Deputy Interior Minister Oruj Zalov and head of the Executive Authority of the Nizami District Arif Gasimov arrived at the site of the fire. Pakistan Tuesday fully opened its airspace, nearly a month after shutting it for commercial flights following escalating tensions with India after the Pulwama terror attack and the subsequent aerial strike by Indian jets on a training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Balakot. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced the complete opening of Pakistan's airspace, with the national carrier resuming its flights across the country. On Tuesday, two-way flights from Lahore to Islamabad and flights from Karachi to Multan departed as per schedule, said a statement issued by the national carrier - Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) - on Tuesday. Flights have also been resumed for Bahawalpur, Raheem Yar Khan and Dera Ghazi Khan. Flights from Sialkot will resume from March 28, after necessary repairs are carried out on the Sialkot airport runway, it said. Earlier in February, the CAA partially opened the country's airspace after keeping it closed for several hours following a rare aerial dogfight between Indian and Pakistani jets. The CAA had also declared an aerial emergency, saying Pakistani airspace is closed until further notice. Pakistan closed its airspace on February 27 following escalating tensions with India. The tension between the two nuclear-armed neighbours escalated after the February 14 Pulwama terror attack and a subsequent aerial strike by India on a JeM training camp in Balakot on February 26. Pakistan retaliated the strike next day by unsuccessfully attempting to target Indian military installations. The JeM claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SAD patriarch and former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal Tuesday batted for a law to hold parties accountable if they back out on promises made in their election manifesto. "A law should be framed so that parties which back out from promises in poll manifesto are held accountable," Badal told reporters here. He said there are examples when parties made tall promises to the people before the polls, but fail to fulfil these later. "People are misled by such promises," the veteran leader, a five-time chief minister, said. Hitting out at Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, the Akali leader said, "Before the (Punjab assembly) polls, Amarinder Singh promised on the holy Gutka Sahib that he will do this and that. He promised jobs to each family, waive debt of farmers, but once Congress got the votes and came to power, these promises were forgotten." Badal alleged that the ruling Congress in Punjab has betrayed each and every section of the society. "Farmer loans have not been waived. The youth were promised jobs and unemployment allowance, smartphones... which have not been given," he said. So, parties should be made accountable, otherwise "these (poll promises) will remain as mere lectures", Badal added. Recently, a farmers' body -- Bharatiya Kisan Union (Rajowal) -- had said manifesto released by parties at the time of elections should be considered a legal document by the Election Commission of India and if parties failed to fulfil promises made in them, they should be liable for legal action. On March 31, the SAD-BJP alliance in Punjab will kick-off a series of rallies in view of the April-May parliamentary elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Several parts of Kerala have been hit by soaring mercury with 36 cases of sun burns being reported, official sources said Tuesday. Kollam and Alapuzha districts accounted for the maximum sun burn cases of six each of the 36 reported till Monday, the Health department said. Among other districts, Pathanamthitta saw five people seeking treatment for sun burn cases while Ernakulam and Kannur districts reported four cases each, it said. According to the India Meteorological Department here, maximum temperature was very likely to be above normal by 3 to 4 degree Celsius inAlappuzha, Kottayam, Palakkad, and Kozhikode districts Tuesday and by 2 to 3 degree Celsius in the next two days. Vellanikkara in Thrissur district recorded a maximum of 40.4 degrees Celsius while Palakkad 39.2 C as per the readings this morning. The temperature was very likely to be above normal by 2 to 3 degree Celsius in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kannur and Kasargodedistricts during the next two days, the Met office said. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has urged people to provide water to birds and animals in small pots or coconut shells to beat the summer heat. In a Facebook post, Vijayan said forest department was also taking steps to provide water to birds and animlas in the forest by providing temporary water sources. The health department has asked people to be alert and avoid getting exposed to sun from 11 am to 3 pm and drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. Elderly and the children below four years must excercise caution, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP on Tuesday rejected Congress president Rahul Gandhi's charge that it had insulted senior leader B C Khanduri by removing him from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on defence, saying it was the BJP which made him the head of the panel. B C Khanduri was removed from the panel for health reasons, which is known to him, state BJP in-charge Shyam Jaju said at a press conference here. "It was the BJP which appointed Khanduri as chairman of the parliamentary committee on defence," Jaju said. The accusation was hurled at the BJP by Congress president Rahul Gandhi at a rally in Dehradun where B C Khanduri's son Manish Khanduri joined the Congress. Rahul Gandhi had cited Khanduri's alleged "humiliation by the party" as the reason why his son joined the Congress. Charging Gandhi with misrepresenting things, he said the allegation of BJP giving a raw deal to party leaders from Uttarakhand did not stick. To buttress his point, Jaju said the party's sitting MP from Nainital Bhagat Singh Koshiyari was also on an important parliamentary panel and its Almora MP, who represented the scheduled castes, was a Union minister. Terming Rahul Gandhi's promises like introducing an unemployment allowance and minimum income guarantee schemes in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls vague and unrealistic, the BJP leader said people know Congress's character of not doing what it says. "Rahul Gandhi should first answer what happened to the promises made by his party to the people in the three states where it won. The party should also ask itself what forces it to promise doles to people despite ruling the country for 55 years. "Indira Gandhi gave the slogan of garibi hatao way back in the 1970s. What happened to that? Rahul Gandhi should be asked," Jaju said. He said nationalism was a major issue in the elections this time and Congress leaders were questioning the valour of the armed forces on a daily basis. "Leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Randeep Surjewala are raising questions on the valour of the armed forces on a daily basis after Pulwama and the subsequent air strikes against terror targets. What they are doing demoralises our forces," he said, adding the Congress will get a befitting reply in the polls. Accusing the Congress of doing on the martyrdom of security personnel, Jaju said there is no party which respects armed forces personnel the way BJP does. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrates every Holi and Diwali on the borders with the forces," he said. Claiming that the Army action against terror targets in Pakistan after the Pulwama terror attack has further strengthened people's faith in the strong leadership of Modi, he said the BJP was all set to retain all the five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand. The state goes to polls on April 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Pentagon has notified Congress that it has authorised the transfer of USD 1 billion to begin building a new wall along the US-Mexico border, an election campaign promise of President Donald Trump, drawing immediate objections from senior Democratic lawmakers. The funds are the first under the national emergency declared by President Trump to bypass Congress and build the barrier he pledged during his 2016 election campaign. Trump had promised to build a "big beautiful wall", which he said would prevent illegal migration and drug trafficking from Mexico. Though Trump said Mexico would pay for the wall, the neighbouring country has made it clear that it would not foot the bill. A Pentagon budget reprogramming notification sent to Capitol Hill on Monday indicates that up to USD 1 billion will go toward building nearly 92km of fencing, improving roads and other measures on the southern border. The Department of Defense authorised the Army Corp of Engineers to begin planning and construction for the project Monday night. The department will direct the funds toward 18-foot-high fencing along the Yuma and El Paso sections of the border, according to a letter acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan sent to Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, CNN reported. President Trump declared the emergency on February 15 after Congress refused his requests for USD 5.7 billion to construct the wall. By declaring an emergency he sought to bypass Congress and build the wall with military funding. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed a resolution to overturn the emergency last month, and 12 Republicans later sided with Democratic Senators to get it through the Senate. However, Trump vetoed the resolution earlier this month. Congress will now need a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override him, which according to analysts is unlikely to happen. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats immediately objected to the transfer of USD 1 billion to build fencing along the southern border to block drug smuggling. Every Democratic senator on the Senate Appropriations Committee's subcommittees on Defense and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies signed on to a letter written to Shanahan objecting to moving USD 1 billion in personnel funds to counter drug funds to go toward the wall. The senators say the Pentagon did not seek permission before notifying the committee of the transfer. "We strongly object to both the substance of the funding transfer, and to the Department implementing the transfer without seeking the approval of the congressional defense committees and in violation of provisions in the defense appropriation itself," the senators wrote. "As a result, we have serious concerns that the Department has allowed political interference and pet projects to come ahead of many near-term, critical readiness issues facing our military," says the letter signed by Senators like Patrick Leahy, Tammy Baldwin, Dianne Feinstein and Tom Udall. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) State-owned Power Finance Corporation (PFC) on Thursday will make the entire payment of Rs 14,500 crore to the government for acquiring 52.63 per cent stake in REC, a source said. The deal would help the government meet its disinvestment target of Rs 80,000 crore for the current financial year ending on March 31. "The entire consideration of Rs 14,500 crore for acquiring 52.63 per cent equity of Government of India will be paid by the PFC through RTGS (real-time gross settlement) mode on March 28, 2019," the source privy to the development told PTI. The source said PFC Chairman and Managing Director Rajeev Sharma will hand over the RTGS advice to Power Minister R K Singh on Thursday to mark the conclusion of this acquisition deal and the money would be transferred to the government's account. PFC has raised money from Bank of Baroda, Life Insurance Corporation and State Bank of India, among others, to make the payment, the source added. Earlier on March 20, PFC had inked a share purchase agreement to acquire 103.94 crore equity shares of Rs 10 each of REC Ltd. This deal was in pursuance to the in-principle approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs for strategic sale of 52.63 per cent of paid-up equity shareholding of REC held by the government to PFC, along with transfer of management control. Both PFC and REC are navratna central public sector enterprises with a combined annual revenue of about Rs 50,000 crore and this acquisition is a step towards consolidation of companies operating in the same space. PFC has bought REC share at Rs 139.50 per piece with total acquisition cost of about Rs 14,500 crore. This acquisition would enable increased efficiencies in lending processes and policies across both the institutions and would create public value by offering better loan products to the power sector. The convergence between the entities as combined group entities would help the power sector reap benefits from a decentralised outreach of REC and a professional project finance expertise of PFC. Further, the ensuing diversification of assets of the group as well as portfolio risk would help in resolution of the stressed power sector assets of the group in a better and coordinated manner. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Ram Nath Kovind and his Croatian counterpart Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic on Tuesday held a wide range of discussion on issues of mutual interest and reaffirmed their commitment to expand the economic relations between the two nations. Kovind is in the European country as part of his three-nation visit to Croatia, Bolivia and Chile to further strengthen bilateral ties between India and the three countries. "President of India and his counterpart in #Croatia @KolindaGK held wide range of discussions on issues of mutual interest and reaffirmed their commitment to expand their economic relations," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Ravish Kumar tweeted. He also offered a bust of Gandhiji to the European nation to mark the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of the Mahatma. "Remembering Mahatma in Croatia! To mark the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of celebrations of Mahatma, #PresidentKovind offered a bust of Mahatma Gandhi to #Croatia! @KolindaGK," Kumar tweeted. Earlier, the President was honoured with Croatia's highest civilian award -- the Grand Order of the King of Tomislav. Kovind, who is the first-ever Indian head of state to visit Croatia, will be in the country till March 28. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday invited the diaspora in Croatia to invest in India and be a part of the country's transformational journey. Kovind, the first-ever Indian head of state to visit the country, arrived here on Tuesday along with his wife Savita Kovind on the first leg of his three-nation visit. Speaking at an event here, Kovind told the diaspora: "The Indian economy is today an important engine of global growth. It is the fastest growing major economy, with robust economic indicators...I would, therefore encourage you to visit India, and experience the transformative changes happening." Noting that initiatives like 'Make in India', 'Digital India' and 'Start-up India' provide new business prospects, he said India and Croatia are keen to deepen their relations, particularly on the economic side. "A good foundation has already been laid, with investments by both sides. There is good potential to strengthen trade, investment and technology cooperation. Your support to explore new areas of collaboration would be invaluable," the President said. Kovind said Croatia has had affinity with India for centuries and has made an outstanding contribution to the promotion of Indian languages, philosophy, history and culture. "Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore visited here in 1926, and influenced many Croatian poets and writers. The Indology Department of Zagreb University has made an outstanding contribution to the study and promotion of Indian languages, philosophy, history and culture in Croatia. I am impressed to know that it regularly organizes conferences on Vedas and Puranas," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a dig at Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Union minister Smriti Irani said Wednesday the party that refused to believe in the existence of Lord Ram has now turned into an outfit of Ram followers. "The Congress party which presented documents in the court saying there is no existence of Lord Ram... the leader of that very party Priyanka Gandhi is moving about as a 'Ram bhakt'," she said. The Union Textiles Minister was apparently referring to the UPA government in 2007 withdrawing from the apex court an affidavit filed by the ASI claiming there was no historical or scientific evidence to establish existence of Lord Ram and Rama Setu as a man-made bridge. Irani's remarks also come in the backdrop of Priyanka Gandhi's proposed visit to Faizabad and Ayodhya later this week. Addressing a public meeting here, the Union minister also tore into the Congress for reportedly coining terms like "Hindu terrorists". The BJP had accused the opposition party of using the term "saffron terror" following the acquittal of right-wing activist Aseemanand and four others in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast. Irani, who is fighting the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from Amethi, alleged that Congress leaders who once said "Hindus are terrorists" have now taken up 'janaeu' (scared Hindu thread). She also hit out at the opposition party for its stand post the IAF strikes in Pakistan's Balakot. "The people of India want development and so want to see a poor as the 'pradhan sewak' of the country... the benefits of the government schemes are today reaching the poor," she asserted. The BJP leader also took potshots at the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) alliance in Uttar Pradesh. She asked the crowd, "Can an elephant ever sit on a bicycle... what more can be said when the bicycle itself will be punctured." Elephant and cycle are the respective poll symbols of alliance partners BSP and SP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice President Venkaiah Naidu Tuesday said the private sector needs to supplement government efforts in bridging the urban-rural divide. He also suggested making it mandatory for MBBS graduates to serve in rural areas for at least three years before getting the first promotion to help overcome the shortage of doctors in these areas. Addressing the third convocation ceremony of Mahatma Gandhi University of Medical Sciences & Technology, the vice president called for medical universities to introduce teachings in human values as part of the curriculum to inculcate moral, social and ethical values in students. "India's educational ethos needs major reforms in the context of changes that are sweeping the country and the world. Educational institutions have to develop a system to impart relevant and right type of integrated with skills," Naidu said. He asserted that laid the foundation for the progress of a nation. The right kind of would inculcate citizenship values, liberate people from ignorance, empower them with knowledge, information, skills and equip them to take up new roles and responsibilities to shape not only their own destinies but also the destiny of the nation, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The fire that broke out at the Kalamkas oilfield in Kazakhstan will have no impact on the Central Asian nations oil output, Kazakh Energy Minister Kanat Bozumbayev said. Bozumbayev added that Kazakhstan's First Vice Minister of Energy Makhambet Dosmukhambetov arrived at the site of the fire in Mangistau region. A well at the field in western Kazakhstan caught fire on Monday morning and continued to burn on Tuesday, fuelled by gas escaping from under the surface, Reuters reported. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Tuesday attacked Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, saying they visit temples only during elections. Addressing a huge rally in Ghatlodiya area under the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, Adityanath also criticised the Congress over its announcement to alleviate poverty. BJP president Amit Shah is the party candidate from Gandhinagar seat, which was earlier represented by the party patriarch L K Advani. "They (Rahul and Priyanka, who is the AICC general secretary of eastern Uttar Pradesh) go to temples only during elections. They do not have time to visit holy sites if elections are not around," the Uttar Pradesh chief minister said. Adityanath was apparently referring to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's recently concluded Ganga Yatra from Prayagraj to Varanasi during which she visited several temples. Rahul Gandhi has also visited temples during campaigning in various assembly elections. "The Congress is now saying that they will fight poverty. They should first answer why poverty increased during their rule. The Congress has ruled for 55 years but poverty kept rising," he said, a day after Rahul Gandhi promised to roll out a minimum income guarantee scheme for the poorest strata, if his party is voted back to power. Adityanath praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the 2016 cross-border surgical strikes andthe Balakot air strike, which was conducted in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack. "Many terror attacks were carried out during the UPA rule but when people asked that party to respond in the same coin to Pakistan, they said that we will think about it..we might do it, butnothing happened," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Tuesday bought USD 5 billion through long-term forex swap auction in a bid to ease liquidity ahead of elections. RBI successfully concluded the forex swap auction, buying the targeted USD 5 billion as part of the long term dollar/rupee swap with a three-year tenor, it said in a statement. In turn, Rs 34,561 crore was infused into the Indian banking system. The RBI said it received USD 16.31 billion in bids for the auction for which the cut-off was set at 776 paise. The central bank accepted USD 5.02 billion of dollars tendered. This formed part of RBI's announcement earlier this month that it would buy dollars from banks for three years and offer them rupees in return. The swap will bulk up India's foreign exchange reserves while injecting liquidity into the financial system to ease a cash crunch typically seen before the beginning of a financial year. It is meant to give RBI greater flexibility in managing banking system cash while helping soak up any potential large dollar inflows, such as from the Rs 42,000 crore purchase of Essar Steel by ArcelorMittal which could make the rupee rise sharply. India's new fiscal year begins on April 1. The central bank has bought Rs 3 lakh crore of bonds this fiscal to support the market at a time when a record USD 100 billion borrowing plan of the government had cooled demand for debt. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The has slapped a penalty of Rs 2 crore on (PNB) for non-compliance of regulatory directions with regard to SWIFT operations, the state-run lender said Tuesday. SWIFT is a global messaging software used for transactions by financial entities. The massive Rs 14,000-crore fraud perpetrated by billionaire jeweller and his uncle Mehul Choksi at the PNB was a case of misuse of this messaging software. In a regulatory filing, the PNB said the Reserve Bank in a letter dated March 25 has informed the bank about the penalty. "In the matter of violations of regulatory directions by observed during an assessment of the implementation of SWIFT-related operational controls, the Reserve Bank of India, (imposes) an aggregate penalty of Rs 20 million ... on Punjab National Bank," it said. Earlier this year, the Reserve Bank had imposed penalties worth Rs 71 crore on 36 public, private and foreign for non-compliance with various directions on time-bound implementation and strengthening of SWIFT operations. However, the list did not include PNB. The major which were fined by the regulator included SBI, ICICI Bank, HSBC, Bank of Baroda, Citibank, Canara Bank and Yes Bank. India's aviation regulator DGCA allowed use of Indian airspace to Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's flight during his recent visit to Pakistan, official sources said on Tuesday, terming reports of denial of permission "false and motivated". There were media reports in Pakistan that India denied permission to the plane carrying the Malaysian prime minister to fly over it when he was on his way to Islamabad to attend Pakistan's national day celebrations on March 23. Sources said the "truth" was that Pakistan has blocked its own airspace for flights overflying India. Therefore, even though DGCA had given overflight clearance, the Malaysian PM's flight had to take a longer route due to restrictions on Pakistani airspace, they said. The reports that India denied permission to Mohamad's flight are "false and motivated", the sources said. Pakistani airspace remained partially shut after India carried out a strike on a terrorist training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26, they added. Pakistan retaliated by unsuccessfully targeting several military installations next day. "It is strange that even for their national day guest from Malaysia, Pakistan could not make an exception, thereby resulting in a longer flight carrying the Malaysian PM," said a source. The Malaysian PM visited Pakistan from March 21-23. He was the guest of honour at the Pakistan Day parade on March 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russia's anti-doping agency has sacked all the doping control officers from its former structure as part of a cleanup in response to the scandal over alleged state-sponsored doping, its chief said Tuesday. "The agency underwent a serious, deep and full transformation with the replacement of 90 percent of its staff and the sacking of all of its doping control officers," said Yury Ganus, the head of the RUSADA agency who appointed last year and tasked with restoring its credibility. "International experts who were recommended by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) made a significant contribution to the organisation of the new RUSADA's work," he added. WADA conditionally lifted its ban on RUSADA in September last year with one of the conditions being the granting of access to thousands of samples at the tainted Moscow lab by the end of 2018. But when a WADA team arrived in December, Russian authorities raised issues with the certification of their equipment under Russian law. WADA officials finally gained access in January and confirmed they had "successfully retrieved" all the data which is now being analysed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former IPS officer Pankaj Kumar Chaudhary, who was dismissed recently by the Rajasthan government, said Tuesday that he would contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Barmer parliamentary constituency. "I have analysed seven seats in the western Rajasthan and have decided to contest from the Barmer parliamentary constituency. I have been the Superintendent of Police in Jaisalmer and understand the dynamics well," Chaudhary told reporters in Barmer. The former IPS officer said he will file nomination on April 8. He said issues like women's safety and employment opportunities for the youth would be his priorities. Chaudhary (44) had moved the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) challenging the state government's order dismissing him. The CAT had issued notices to the state government and the Centre in the matter. He was dismissed on March 6 for allegedly having an extramarital relationship, which, as per his dismissal order, violated rule 3 (1) of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968. Chaudhary, who hails from Varanasi, has been the Superintendent of Police of Jaisalmer between February and July 2013 and Bundi between January and September 2014, and had courted controversies during his tenures in both the districts. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Sanjay Dutt has denied reports that he would be contesting in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2019. The actor took to Twitter to clear the air surrounding the reports that claimed he was set to follow in his father, late actor-Congress MP Sunil Dutt's foosteps and contest polls from Ghaziabad. "The rumor about me contesting for the Loksabha elections is not true (sic)" Dutt tweeted Monday. He further extended his support to his sister, Congress MP Priya Dutt ahead of the general elections. "I stand with my country and in full support for my sister @PriyaDutt_INC. I urge everyone to come out in maximum numbers and cast their vote for our nation!" Dutt wrote. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Saudi Arabia on Monday rejected US President Donald Trump's decision to proclaim the Golan Heights Israeli territory, saying it "condemned" the move as a violation of international law. "Saudi Arabia expresses its firm rejection and condemnation of the US administration's declaration that it recognises Israel's sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights," read a statement published by the Saudi state agency. The powerful kingdom is a key Arab ally of the United States, with ties steadily warming since Trump's 2017 inauguration. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court Tuesday asked the West Bengal government to furnish the report of medical board constituted by it to ascertain the cause of the death of a BJP worker Dulal Kumar last year. The body of 32-year-old Kumar was found hanging from an electric pole in Purulia district's Balarampur of West Bengal on June 2 last year after the Panchayat election in the state. A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna said that the state government should file the report within two weeks. The bench was hearing a plea filed by advocate Gaurav Bhatia, seeking CBI probe into the death of three workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who were allegedly killed in West Bengal last year. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the West Bengal government, said that in the case of Shaktipada Sarkar police has arrested three persons while seven others have been chargesheeted. He said it is not that the West Bengal government is not doing anything as police has arrested several accused in the case. "In the case of Dulal Kumar, police has filed the charge sheet and six people were named as accused," he said, adding that several Trinmool Congress workers were booked in the case. Bhatia contended that government has done nothing and even closure report was filed in one of the case. He said there was considerable delay in filing of the case into the death of Kumar and a report of medical board was not given to them. Sibal said the entire petition was filed by Bhatia based on the newspaper reports. The bench said it does not wish to go into the matter of Sarkar and 18-year-old Trilochan Mahato, also a BJP worker from Balarampur. "We would like to see the report of the medical board constituted in the case of Kumar on the next date of hearing," the bench said. On February 19, the apex court while hearing the plea, had observed that "much is happening in West Bengal". Bhatia has said that three BJP workers were killed in the state last year after the Panchayat elections and the police had filed a closure report in one of the cases, stating that it was a suicide. Referring to the "brutal killings" -- the body of one of the BJP workers was found hanging from a high-tension electric pole -- the petition said it was an example of the violence meted out by the ruling TMC in West Bengal to its political rivals. Bhatia alleged that the state police was pressured by the state government, adding that in one of the cases, there was an inordinate delay in lodging the FIR, which was registered 18 days after the incident. The petition alleged that family members of the victims were being threatened and FIRs were also lodged in this regard. It demanded a CBI probe into the killings and alleged that the family members of the three slain BJP workers -- Sarkar, Mahato and Kumar -- were being threatened. Bhatia also demanded a Rs 50-lakh compensation and security cover for the family members of the victims. Earlier, the apex court had refused to grant an urgent hearing on the plea seeking a CBI probe into the killings of BJP workers in Purulia and South 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal after last year's Panchayat polls. Sarkar, a BJP block president in the Mandirbazar-Dhanurhat area, was hacked to death when he was returning home in South 24 Parganas district on July 28 last year. On May 30 last year, the body Mahato was found hanging from a tree with a poster written in Bengali struck on his back, saying he was killed for canvassing for the saffron party during the rural polls. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court Tuesday said it will hear on April 2 the petitions which have challenged the issuance of electoral bonds by the government. The matter came up for hearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna. The bench told advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for one of the petitioners, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an NGO, that the matter would be heard by an appropriate bench on April 2. "We will not be sitting in this combination. We will list the case before another bench next week," it said. ADR recently filed an application in the apex court seeking stay on the Electoral Bond Scheme, 2018 which was notified by the Centre in January last year. It said amendments carried out in relevant Acts have "opened the floodgates to unlimited corporate donations to political parties and anonymous financing by Indian as well as foreign companies which can have serious repercussions on the Indian democracy". The application further said: "Electoral bonds are being made available for a large number of days in three months leading to general elections in the country scheduled to be held...in April-May 2019 to constitute the 17th Lok Sabha. "It is expected that enormous amount of corporate funding would be received by political parties in April and May and this would play a critical role in the elections." Referring to research and data compiled on the issue, the NGO has said that close to 97 per cent of all the bonds purchased so far were in denomination of Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore with no demand for bonds of smaller denominations. "The fear with regard to electoral bonds has been proven right in light of the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party's annual audit report for 2017-18 according to which the ruling party received the largest chunk of the funds received through electoral bonds. "BJP has earned more than Rs 1,000 crore in 2017-18 and is all set to be the maximum gainer of political funding in the last financial year, according to its annual returns submitted to the Election Commission," the application has alleged and also referred to media reports on this. On March 14, the Centre had defended in the apex court its decision to issue electoral bonds saying it aimed at ensuring "enhanced accountability" and pushing electoral reforms "to defeat the growing menace of black money". In an affidavit filed on a writ petition of CPI (M) and its general secretary Sitaram Yechury, the Centre had said the electoral bonds were introduced on January 2, 2018 to promote transparency in funding and donation received by political parties. These can be encashed by an eligible political party only through their authorised bank accounts. "Keeping in view the emergent need to ensure that there is enhanced accountability and electoral reforms to defeat the growing menace of black money, especially when the country is moving towards a cashless-digital economy, the legislature has adopted a conscious legislative policy culminating in the introduction of the electronic reforms," the Centre's affidavit said. It had added that electoral bonds do not have the name of the donor or the receiving political party and only carry a unique hidden alphanumeric serial numbers as an in-built security feature. Only a political party, registered under Section 29A of the Representation of People's Act, 1951 and which has secured not less than one per cent of the votes polled in the last general election to the Lok Sabha or the Legislative Assembly, will be eligible to receive the bond, the Centre had said. On February 2 last year, the apex court had sought the Centre's response on a plea by the CPI (M) which had termed the issuance of electoral bonds by the government as "arbitrary" and "discriminatory". The plea has claimed that government's decision entitles political parties to receive unlimited donations without recording its source. It has sought striking down of amendments made through the Finance Act, 2017 and the January 2, 2018 notification issued by the Ministry of Finance, whose cumulative effect is that political parties are entitled to receive unlimited donations from individuals and corporations, including loss-making and foreign corporations, without having to record or report the sources of such funding. The NDA government had announced electoral bonds in the earlier budget, claiming that the scheme would clean up political funding. The move was resisted by opposition parties. The Election Commission of India had also expressed its reservations initially. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russia is interested in expanding economic ties with the U.S., Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a meeting with representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia. "Russian-American cooperation does not reach its full potential today," TASS cited Lavrov as saying. He stressed that Russia would like to add some momentum to this investment and economic cooperation with the U.S. "We are ready to support an increase of business connections in any way," the Russian top diplomat noted, Lavrov stressed that the Russian government and President Vladimir Putin have repeatedly confirmed the countrys intent to improve economic cooperation and the countrys investment climate. The minister added that Russia is expecting traditional and active participation of the U.S. businessmen in different economic forums, including the St. Petersburg International Economic forum that is to take place in June. Scania Commercial Vehicles India Tuesday said it has commissioned a parts warehouse at Nagpur. The facility, which is spread across 30,000 square feet, will cater to requirements for company's off-road, on-road and engine products. "This strategic move closer to our largest distribution partner, L&T, vastly builds on synergies and improves the operational efficiency, reduces the order processing time for our customers across India, thereby resulting in better turn-around-time and better availability of spare parts," Scania India Managing Director Petr Novotny said in a statement. The centralised warehouse at Nagpur is a part of the company's expansion strategy and reiterates its commitment to the country, he added. "We are confident that such strategic initiatives will further support Scania India's growth story," Novotny said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Schools in Delhi and NCR are planning to conduct electoral literacy campaigns ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections to help students become "electoral ambassadors" and encourage people to vote. With the new academic session set to begin, the focus of the campaignwill be to enlighten students about the importance of vote, to train them in the electoral process and encourage them to ensure the adults around them exercise their franchise. The campaign will run through the month of April. "We have planned a series of activities to make students understand the value of their vote and the need to exercise their suffrage in a confident, comfortable and ethical manner so that when they pass out from school and enrol themselves as first time voters they are enlightened enough about the process," said Seema Trikha, Principal, Vasant Global School in Noida. She said the students will also be encouraged to act as electoral ambassadors in their respective neighbourhoods or nearby slums where they can impart the knowledge gained by them at school. The sessions will begin from April. A senior official of the Directorate of (DoE) said, the electoral literacy clubs which has teachers with election duty experience will help students understand the constitutional, legislative and legal provisions, technological innovation besides the role of the Election Commission, courts, media and other stakeholders in the poll process. Shiv Nadar school in Gurgaon and Noida have scheduled mock elections for the students next month and are also advancing the teaching of the chapters on legislature elections to time it with the Lok Sabha polls. "We will be planning mock elections for the students to give them an idea about how the entire set up works. There will be screening of certain videos related to the poll process to help students understand the functioning of the democratic set up and importance of exercising votes. "Usually, the chapters about legislature elections which are already part of curriculum are taught around September but we have decided to advance it this time since students will be able to understand it better as elections are around the corner," said Dr Smriti Sabbarwal, teaching faculty, Shiv Nadar School Gurugram. Similar activities are being planned across Amity International Schools in Delhi-NCR. "Mock elections is an activity which we do before every elections. Students form their own parties, file nominations, release manifestos, campaign and caste votes. "The issues related to the elections are school centric. This gives the students an idea about the entire functioning of the process," said said Amita Mohan, Principal, Amity International School, Pushp Vihar.. Mohan said her school also conduct campaigns to encourage students to ensure that every adult in their family has a voter card and they go out to vote. "Familiarising students with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) are other activities involved in teaching students about the electoral process," said Mohan. Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs) are envisioned by the Election Commission of India as extra-curricular platforms in schools that sensitize students from Class IX to XII on their electoral rights and familiarises them with the electoral process of registration and voting. "ELCs engage with the students through interesting activities, games and hands on experience. ELC Resource Guides have been developed specific to each grade for the benefit of club conveners or teachers. "These Resource Guides describe the conduct of the simple activities in a detailed, step by step manner. The self-explanatory format of these resource guides enable conveners to independently organize ELCs," a senior official of the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) said. "Additionally, a detailed handbook on FAQs related to election related information is also available in the resources. "ELC's were born out of the Election Commission's project 'Mainstreaming of Electoral Literacy through Educational Institutions, Organizations and Communities in India' which aims to impart civic to the younger generation for encouraging robust electoral participation," the official added. The Lok Sabha elections will be conducted in seven phases in April-May, beginning from April 11. The elections will be held for 543 seats on nearly 10 lakh polling booths across the country, while the counting of votes will take place on May 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Leader of the opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, on Tuesday welcomed Congress president Rahul Gandhi's announcement of the ambitious minimum income guarantee scheme, which aims to lift 25 crore people out of poverty. The 'Nyuntam Aay Yojana' will ensure that poor families receive an allowance of Rs 72,000 per year, and it will benefit around five crore families and 25 crore people in all, Saikia said in a statement. "The Narendra Modi government has hoodwinked people after making promises like depositing Rs 15 lakh in each person's bank account, reviving two sick paper mills of Assam, but Gandhi proved himself to be a man of words by waiving bank loans of farmers in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh immediately after it came to power in these states," he said. The Congress was also instrumental in foiling the passage of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Rajya Sabha, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig Tuesday offered the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu Kashmir and the JKLF legal help to contest the ban imposed on them by the Centre, saying while these outfits were ideologically opposed to his party, he would do it to uphold civil liberties. "Although both Jamaat-e-Islami and JKLF are our opponents, we are ready to provide legal help in contest the ban imposed on them. It is a matter of principles and for upholding civil liberties," Baig said. The senior leader made the offer of legal assistance to the two banned outfits while addressing a workers' meeting in Baramulla. The Union Home Ministry last week banned the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), led by Muhammad Yasin Malik, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. As per a notification issued on March 22, the central government is "of the opinion that the said organisation is involved in anti-national and subversive activities and is in close touch with militant outfits and is supporting extremism in the state". In an earlier notification issued in February, the Centre had banned the Jamaat, saying that the organisation was "in close touch with militant outfits" and that the group claimed "secession of a part of the Indian territory from the Union". Both the outfits have been banned for five years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who is all set to quit the BJP and join the opposition alliance in Bihar, Tuesday showered praise on Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, calling him the "master of situation" and his proposed minimum income guarantee scheme--'NYAY'a "masterstroke". Sinha, a two-term sitting MP from Patna Sahib, also slammed the BJP for doubting the feasibility of the proposed scheme. and drew a phrase from a yesteryear chartbuster years to make his point aap kare to raasleela baki kare to character dheela. It is a masterstroke by the master of situation @RahulGandhi declaring #MinimumIncomeGuarantee scheme. It has rattled our people so much that some of our prominent people had to rush for a press conference, calling the whole declaration/announcement chhal-kapat (skulduggery), Sinha tweeted. He said he would like to know from BJP leaders that when they announced various "jumlas" about Rs 15 lakh in the banks accounts of every individual, farm loan waiver and subsidies to farmers, and more than two crore jobs for the youth, was that fair. Aap kare toh rasleela, baki kare toh character dheela! What is right for Peter, should be right for Paul, Sir! The people have welcomed this move and are very excited. Farmers loans have been waived as promised by them recently in three different states, he added referring to the newly elected Congress governments in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. This is how things are paid in the same coin. That is why it is called master of situation Rahul Gandhi, Sinha said in his final tweet. Speculation is rife that Sinha, one of the most vitriolic critics of the cetral governent and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will join the Congress in the next few days and contest Lok Sabha poll from Patna Sahib. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Six people, including three of a family, died of asphyxiation at Sriperumbudur near here Tuesday while they were cleaning a septic tank, police said. Krishnamurthy (53) and his two sons Kannan (23) and Karthik (21) were cleaning the tank in their apartment when the incident occurred, the police said. The other three victims - Paramasivam and Suradha were living in the same apartment while Lakshmikanth was a member of the public who offered his help and also lost his life, police told PTI. The bodies have been taken to the general hospital, Sriperumbudur, for an autopsy, they said. According to a senior Fire and Rescue Services official who was involved in the rescue operation, Krishnamurthy and his two sons were cleaning the tank and shortly afterwards there was no response from them. Then, Paramasivam, Suradha and Lakshmikanth went into the tank and they too died after inhaling the poisonous gas, the official said. A case has been registered and an investigation on. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A social entrepreneur from India is among 16 persons selected by Yale University as the 2019 World Fellows, the signature global leadership development initiative at the prestigious institution. Neha Upadhyaya, based in New Delhi, founded GUNA Organics in 2014 that provides ethically-sourced organic food products grown by rural female Indian farmers. According to Upadhyaya's profile on the university's website, GUNA's vision is to empower the female farmers through vertical integration of organic farming and solar technology. Upadhyaya's work has also focussed on working with children suffering from various health issues including diabetes, autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). She has been the recipient of Future Leaders Connect (2018) and Social Impact India (2017) awarded by the British Council and has won several prototype grants and awards, including Entrepreneur Excellence award by I.I.T. Delhi (2017). Upadhyaya "envisions an inclusive, equitable, and healthy society where men and women support each other in every aspect of life and enjoy their right to realise their full potential." The 2019 class of Yale World Fellows brings the total number of World Fellows since the program's start in 2002 to 346 Fellows, representing 91 countries. This year marks the 18th cohort of World Fellows. Apart from Upadhyaya, a total of 21 Indians, including actress Nandita Das and economist and activist Chetna Sinha have been selected as Yale World Fellows since the program started in 2002. Emma Sky, director of the Maurice R Greenberg World Fellows Programme, said the courage, ingenuity and passion of the World Fellows will be an inspiration to all at Yale. The World Fellows program is Yale University's signature global leadership development initiative and a core element of Yale's ongoing commitment to internationalization. Each year, the University invites a group of exemplary practitioners from a wide range of fields and countries for an intensive four-month period of academic enrichment and leadership training. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The TDP, CPI and TJS are throwing their weight behind the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections in Telangana, giving the Rahul Gandhi-led party some extra muscle to take on the battle-ready Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS). These parties were part of the Congress-led "Prajakutami" (People's Front) in the assembly elections in December last year but, there is no formal alliance for the April 11 Lok Sabha polls among them. The Congress is now contesting all the 17 Lok Sabha seats. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, has decided not to contest in Telangana. "We are against the TRS and BJP", TDP spokesperson Nellore Durga Prasad told PTI. The TDP would extend support to any leading party fighting against the TRS and BJP in the constituencies, Prasad said, hinting that his party would back the Congress. The Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) President Prof. M Kodandaram said his party has fielded candidates in three segments -- Mahbubabad, Khammam and Hyderabad -- and would support the Congress nominees in the remaining 14 seats. The CPI and CPI-M have inked a seat-sharing agreement over four seats. Accordingly, the CPI would contest from Mahbubabad and Bhongir, and the CPI-M from Khammam and Nalgonda. "In the remaining seats, we will support the Congress party which can defeat the TRS-BJP in the constituencies. If there are any other Left candidate, we will consider about it", the CPI General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy said. Kodandaram, meanwhile, said the "form" of Prajakutami has changed but the alliance continues. "On issues, we work together, we support each other whereever there is no conflict of interest. That's the general idea. Therefore, we are able to continue the alliance", Kodandaram told PTI. In the assembly elections, the Congress had bagged 19 seats and the TDP two, while the CPI and TJS drew a blank. The TRS was swept back to power with a rich haul of 88 seats in the 119-member House. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two Bangladeshi nationals with alleged links to terror outfits have been arrested near Patna Junction railway station and documents related to deputation of central forces in Jammu and Kashmir have been found from them, officials said Tuesday. Photocopies of orders pertaining to deputation of central forces in Jammu and Kashmir post Pulwama terror attack, besides pamphlets and posters of terror group ISIS were found from them when they were arrested on Monday evening, a statement issued by the Anti-Terror Squad of the Bihar Police said. The duo -- Khairul Mandal and Abu Sultan from Jhenaidah district of Bangladesh -- are associated with the terror outfit Jamiat-Ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Islamic State Bangladesh (ISBD), it said. The ATS team acting on specific inputs had caught the two Bangladeshi men from a motorcycle stand adjacent to Madni Musafirkhana, a lodge near the railway station. They were produced before the ATS court, which sent them to jail, the statement said. Police have also seized three mobile phones, a memory card, two fake voter identity cards, a fake PAN card, railway tickets from Gaya to Patna and New Delhi to Howrah and also a bus ticket from Kolkata to Gaya from them, it said. The two had entered the country without any legal document and had procured fake voter identity cards, the statement said, adding they were tasked by the head of JMB to lure and induct Muslim youths into the outfit. They had visited Kolkata, Kerala, Delhi and Patna and Gaya in Bihar for inducting Muslim youths besides carrying out recce of Buddhist shrines to execute their terror plan, the ATS said. The two, who said they wanted to join ISIS, had even stayed in Gaya for 11 days for the purpose. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) British Prime Minister Theresa May was reeling on Tuesday from yet another Parliament defeat when MPs backed an amendment to seize control of Brexit by 329 to 302 votes. In a House of Commons vote on Monday night, many of her own party MPs, including three ministers, backed the motion which called for a series of "indicative votes" to be held to find alternatives to May's controversial European Union (EU) divorce bill, which has been rejected twice before by Parliament. May has said she remains "sceptical" about the process as it was not guaranteed to produce a majority for any one course of action and refused to commit the government to abiding by any particular result at the end of Wednesday's votes. "The votes could lead to an outcome that is un-negotiable with the EU," she told MPs. As part of the latest Commons high-drama, MPs voted in favour of Conservative backbencher Oliver Letwin's cross-party amendment to allow them to put forward motions relating to Brexit. It will give them a chance to weigh up a number of options on Wednesday likely to include a so-called softer Brexit with closer alignment with the EU, a Customs Union with the EU, a second referendum on the decision leave the economic bloc and possibly even an option to revoke Article 50 and reverse Brexit altogether designed to test which formula could command a Commons majority. Three ministers foreign affairs minister Alistair Burt, health minister Steve Brine, and business minister Richard Harrington who went against the Cabinet's collective responsibility principle to vote for the amendment, resigned from government. A total of 29 Tory MPs rebelled to vote for the motion, a scenario becoming all too familiar for May as her party members continue to defy government whips on parliamentary votes over Brexit. It has inevitably intensified calls for her to step down in the face of her diminishing authority, with talk of a snap General Election also doing the rounds. EU leaders have offered Britain a Brexit delay until May 22, if May's deal is passed this week overcoming the Irish backstop hurdle. However, without that Parliament backing, she must return to Brussels before April 12 and set out an alternative plan. The default legal option of Britain crashing out of the 28-member economic bloc without a deal in place has now effectively shifted from the initial March 29 deadline to April 12. May's backers are urging all sides of the Brexit divide to unite behind the British prime minister's withdrawal agreement as the best possible option. "The idea of having a no deal the Commons is absolutely clear it won't allow and will legislate against it if necessary. That means that the options are narrowing," said UK health secretary Matt Hancock. "So therefore those who want us to leave and who have previously been voting against the deal because they would prefer a no-deal... the best way now to deliver on Brexit is to vote for the Prime Minister's deal," he said. But the Opposition Labour Party said MPs have to take responsibility for the Brexit process because the government had failed to do its job. "If the government isn't going to do its job then Parliament is going to have to take responsibility, and that is what we are doing on Wednesday," said Labour MP Hilary Benn, chair of the Commons' Exiting the European Union Committee. Parliament is also set to formally pass a law this week postponing the Brexit date from March 29, something already changed in international law. Now all eyes will be on the series of votes planned for Wednesday even though May has refused to commit to backing any one that receives a majority backing. How MPs take the process forward after the indicative votes is expected to set another parliamentary precedent. Meanwhile, May has said that she had not given up hope of bringing back her divorce bill for a third "meaningful vote" this week, which could take place on Thursday. The main stumbling block to that remains the Irish backstop clause, which Brexiteers fear could keep the UK tied to EU laws even after Brexit. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russia is counting on the active participation of representatives of U.S. business at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), which is to be held in early June, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the meeting with a group of representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce. "We are waiting for the active participation of American businessmen at the SPIEF," TASS cited the top Russian diplomat. Lavrov also noted that Russia wants to attract foreign businesses, including from the United States, and create favorable conditions for them. The minister expressed hope there will be "favorable attitude towards Russias business circles." Three junior British ministers quit Monday over Brexit, defying Prime Minister to support a plan to give MPs a bigger say over leaving the EU. Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt and health minister Steve Brine resigned, a government source told AFP, while business minister Richard Harrington announced his decision to leave government on Twitter. They were among 30 members of May's who defied her to vote in favour of a motion giving MPs control of parliamentary business later this week to try to come up with an alternative plan. In his resignation letter, Harrington said the government's approach was "playing roulette with the lives and livelihoods of the vast majority of people in this country". He said he would do "all I can" to avoid Britain leaving the EU with no deal. "As the UK's industry minister, the clear message I have been receiving from the business community is that the failure to secure a deal and to rule out a hard is resulting in cancelled investment decisions, business being placed abroad, and a sense of ridicule for British business, across the world," he wrote. : The ruling TRS working president K T Rama Rao would undertake hectic campaigning for the Lok Sabha seats in Telangana from Wednesday till April 9, the last day of canvassing in the state. Telangana goes to polls in the first phase on April 11. Rama Rao would participate in roadshows and public meetings in various constituencies, TRS sources said. Rama Rao, son of party president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, has already addressed party's preparatory meetings for the elections. Claiming that neither NDA nor UPA is in a position to form government on its own post-Lok Sabha elections, Rama Rao has been seeking 16 seats barring the Hyderabad seat represented by ally AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi to see that the TRS plays a key role and ensure better deal for Telangana. The TRS chief is scheduled to address a series of campaign rallies for the Lok Sabha elections from March 29 to April 4. The Chief Minister had already kicked off his campaign from Karimnagar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Turkish court on Tuesday starts the trial of a US consulate staffer accused of spying and attempting to overthrow the government in one of several cases fuelling tensions between the United States and its NATO ally. Metin Topuz, a Turkish citizen and liaison with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, was arrested in 2017 and has been accused of ties to US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen who Ankara says ordered a failed 2016 coup. The trial begins as relations between the United States and Turkey have worsened with disagreements over Syria's war, Turkey's purchase of Russian missiles and the US refusal to extradite Gulen. The first hearing of Topuz's trial in Caglayan court in Istanbul is expected to last three days. He faces life in jail if found guilty of spying and plotting to overthrow the government. The US embassy has called the accusations "wholly without merit". US officials say freeing "unjustly detained" Turkish nationals on their staff is a priority, as is the case of NASA scientist Serkan Golge, a dual US-Turkish national jailed on terror charges. Another Istanbul local consulate staffer, Mete Canturk, is under house arrest and facing similar charges to Topuz. A judge in January convicted Hamza Ulucay, a former local employee of the US consulate in Adana, southern Turkey, of helping outlawed Kurdish militants. He was released for time already served. Topuz was formally charged in January. He is accused of contact with police officers and a former prosecutor suspected of links to the Gulen movement, according to Anadolu state agency. His initial arrest in 2017 triggered a diplomatic crisis with both Turkey and the US suspending visa services, until they stepped back. "This has been a big deal in the Turkish-US relations, but Americans have reversed course from an earlier decision to impose visa bans and have decided to pursue a quiet diplomacy," said Asli Aydintasbas, a fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP, in its fresh list of 10 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal, continued to restore faith on turncoats and newcomers, including a leader from the politically-significant Matua community. In the latest list released on Tuesday, the BJP nominated two turncoats from the Congress and the Trinamool Congress. Earlier in its list of 30 candidates, the saffron party had nine turncoats from the TMC, the CPI(M) and the Congress. With an eye on Matua votes, the BJP has fielded late Binapani Devi's grandson Shantanu Thakur, an emerging leader of the community, from the Bongaon Lok Sabha constituency against his aunt and sitting TMC MP Mamata Bala Thakur. While nominating Shantanu Thakur from the seat, it overlooked the candidature of K D Biswas, a Matua himself, and a regular BJP face in the area for the past one decade. The Matuas originally hail from the erstwhile East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, and began migrating to West Bengal at the beginning of the 1950s, mostly due to religious persecution. With an estimated population of 30 lakh in the state, Matuas can influence results in at least four Lok Sabha seats in Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas districts. In Murshidabad district, the BJP has nominated Humayun Kabir from the seat. Kabir, who had been an MLA of the Congress, switched over to the TMC in 2013 and became a minister in the state cabinet. In 2017, he joined the BJP. In the Diamond Harbour seat, the saffron party has fielded Nilanjan Roy, who recently switched over from the Congress, against heavyweight TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The BJP nominated former journalist Rantidev Sengupta, considered close to the RSS, in the Howrah Lok Sabha seat. In Uluberia, it has pitched national executive member Joy Banerjee, who will take on TMC's Sajda Ahmed. Protests erupted in various parts of West Bengal after the BJP, in its first list of 28 candidates, nominated veterans and several defectors from the ruling TMC to take on Mamata Banerjee's party in the state. The protesters had gathered outside BJP offices in various parts of West Bengal, and in some places, put up posters of rejected ticket seekers. BJP state vice-president Raj Kamal Pathak submitted his resignation after he was denied a party ticket. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The two Lok Sabha seats in Arunachal Pradesh are set to witness multi-cornered fights during the single-phase polling on April 11, with a total of 12 candidates crossing swords in the battle. While five candidates have filed their nominations from Arunachal East constituency, another seven are in the fray from Arunachal West seat. The eastern seat, with its 27 assembly segments, is likely to witness a tough fight between Tapir Gao of the BJP and James Lowangcha Wanglat of the Congress. Two new faces - Bandey Mili of the Janata Dal (Secular) and Mongol Yomso of the People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) - along with Independent candidate C C Singpho have also joined the fight from the constituency. Both the seats are considered Congress strongholds, with the party bagging each for seven terms since 1977, when the state polled for the general election the first time. The BJP had emerged successful from Arunachal East in 2004 and two Independent candidates won the seat for two terms - one in 1977 and the other in 1996. In the 2009 and 2014 elections, Congress nominee Ninong Ering had secured maximum votes from the constituency. Ering defeated his nearest rival Tapir Gao in 2014 by a margin of 12, 478 votes. Gao, who is also the state BJP president, had wrested the constituency from Wangcha Rajkumar of the Congress in 2004 by a margin of 44,994 votes. The Arunachal West constituency, with its 33 assembly segments, have seven candidates locking horns in the election. Sitting BJP MP Kiren Rijiju is pitted against Congress candidate and former chief minister Nabam Tuki and Janata Dal (Secular) candidate Jarjum Ete. The other candidates who are in the fray from the constituency are Khoda Apik of the National Peoples' Party (NPP), Subu Kechi of the PPA, Jomin Nyokir of the All India Forward Bloc and Independent candidate Rumak Jomoh. During 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Rijiju won the seat by defeating his nearest rival Congress nominee Takam Sanjoy by a margin of 41,738 votes. Arunachal is set to go for simultaneous polling to the Lok Sabha and the 60-member Assembly on April 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four Naxals, including two women, were gunned down in a fierce encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district Tuesday, police said. Of the deceased, two Naxals, including a woman, were members of the military wing of Maoists and were carrying cash rewards of Rs 8 lakh each on their heads, they said. The encounter took place at around 6 am in the forest of Karkanguda village under the Chintalnar police station area when a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Deputy Inspector General (Anti-Naxal Operations) Sundarraj P told PTI. The operation was launched by the 201st battalion of CoBRA, an elite unit of CRPF, and the district force on the basis of a specific input about the presence of ultras in the area, he said. When the patrolling team was advancing through Karkanguda, around 500 km from the state capital Raipur, an exchange of fire broke out between the two sides, he said. "After the guns fell silent, bodies of four ultras, including two women, clad in black uniform were recovered from the spot," the officer said. "Besides one Insas rifle, two .303 rifles, muzzle loading gun and a huge cache of explosives were also found," Sundarraj said. Two of them, a male cadre identified as Dudhi Hidma, and a woman, Aayte, were active in military battalion No 1 of Maoists, which has been instrumental in carrying out several deadly attacks in South Bastar, the DIG said. They were carrying cash rewards of Rs 8 lakh each on their heads, the officer added. The two other rebels are yet to be identified, he said. With this action, as many as 17 Naxals have been killed so far this year in separate encounters with security forces in the state, the officer said. Also, a total of 35 firearms have been seized in separate anti-Naxal operations since January 1, he added. Anti-Naxal operations have been intensified in the forests of Bastar division in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Chhattisgarh, which has 11 Lok Sabha seats, will vote in three phases - on April 11, April 18 and April 23. Sukma district is part of the Bastar Lok Sabha constituency, the only seat in the state which will vote in the first phase on April 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi court Tuesday issued Non Bailable Warrants (NBW) against accused Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal for alleged tampering of evidence in Uphaar cinema hall fire case. PTI URD Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Sherawat issued the NBWs against them. The court is hearing a case related to the tampering of evidence in the case after Krishnamoorthy, who lost two children in the fire, pressed for an early date contending it was a 10-year-old matter which has been already delayed. Krishnamoorthy has been fighting a legal battle on behalf of the victims' families for the last 20 years. A fire at the Uphaar cinema during the screening of Hindi film "Border" on June 13, 1997 had claimed 59 lives. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior bureaucrat and incumbent Maharashtra Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) UPS Madan will be the next Chief Secretary of the state. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed Madan's appointment with PTI. Madan will succeed incumbent chief secretary D K Jain, who was on extension. Jain, who was due to retire in January this year, was given an extension for period of three months. Jain, who has been appointed as a member of the Lokpal, left for Delhi this evening. Madan, an IAS officer of 1983 batch, had servedas Commissioner of the MMRDA (Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority) which is headed by the chief minister. He had also worked as the Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US has accused China of "systematically" impeding access to Tibet by imposing restrictions that have barred diplomats and foreign journalists from visiting the remote Himalayan region, drawing a strong reaction from Beijing which warned that Washington's interference in its internal affairs would harm bilateral ties. The US State Department in a report documented access problems to Tibet. The report to Congress, mandated by the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, passed with bipartisan support in December. "The Chinese government systematically impeded travel to the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) and Tibetan areas outside the TAR for US diplomats and officials, journalists and tourists in 2018," said the report. Even visits by US diplomats were "highly restricted," it said. "Chinese government-designated minders followed US diplomats and officials at all times, prevented them from meeting or speaking with local contacts, interrogated them and restricted their movement in these areas," the report said. The State Department said that China last year rejected five of the nine US requests to visit Tibet. China sent troops into remote, mountainous Tibet in 1950 in what it officially terms a peaceful liberation and has ruled there ever since. The Dalai Lama, the highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism, fled into exile in India in 1959 after a failed uprising against the Chinese rule. While Beijing views the Dalai Lama as a separatist who seeks to split Tibet from China, the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate says he only wants greater rights for Tibetans, including religious freedom and autonomy. Quoting the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China, the State Department said that only seven international journalists sought permission to visit Tibetan areas last year, compared with dozens in past years. The report said that China denied access to tourists during times seen as politically sensitive. In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that the US report "severely violates the basic norms governing international relations" and interfered in China's internal affairs. China has opposed the report as it also sends a "seriously wrong message to Tibetan independent and separatist forces. It is highly detrimental to our cooperation and exchanges," he said. "This so-called report is full bias and totally ignoring the facts. We never accept that. I want to stress that Tibetan affairs are purely China's internal affairs and allow no interference from foreign countries," he said. China's Tibet is open to people of all countries, he said, adding "considering special geographical and climate conditions, the Chinese government exercised certain protection and management measures over the entry by foreigner". "This is totally necessary. Our position will never change. We welcome foreigners to visit Tibet. But the condition is that they have to abide by Chinese laws and regulations and go through relevant procedures," he said. "We urge the US to stop such wrong doing and try to remove the negative effects. We urge the US side to stop using Tibet related issues to interfere in our internal affairs, least it should harm bilateral relations and our cooperation," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A US consulate staffer went on trial in a Turkish court on Tuesday accused of spying and attempting to overthrow the government in a case that fuelled tensions between the United States and its NATO ally. Metin Topuz, a Turkish citizen and long-time liaison with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, was arrested in 2017 accused of ties to US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says ordered a failed 2016 coup. Turkish police escorted Topuz weeping into the Caglayan courthouse in Istanbul, where he faces life in jail if found guilty, an AFP reporter said. Topuz rejected the indictment that charges he was in contact with police officers and a former prosecutor accused of involvement in the Gulen movement. "During my 25 year service at DEA, I met a lot of police personnel and public officials and exchanged business cards with them," Topuz told the court. "I have no duty other than to serve as a translator between the interlocutors. "I haven't betrayed my homeland as is claimed... The accusations are humiliating for me and my family. I am innocent." The US charge d'affaires from the Ankara embassy and the Istanbul consul general were also in court for the first set of hearings, which is expected to last three days. The trial opened as relations between the United States and Turkey have worsened with disagreements over Syria's war, Turkey's purchase of Russian missiles and the US refusal to extradite Gulen. The US embassy has called the accusations "wholly without merit". US officials say freeing "unjustly detained" Turkish nationals on their staff is a priority, as is the case of NASA scientist Serkan Golge, a dual US-Turkish national jailed on terror charges. Another Istanbul local consulate staffer, Mete Canturk, is under house arrest and facing similar charges to Topuz. A judge in January convicted Hamza Ulucay, a former local employee of the US consulate in Adana, southern Turkey, of helping outlawed Kurdish militants. He was released for time already served. In the indictment, Topuz is accused of engaging in espionage activities as well as arranging arms trafficking through exchanges on the Whatsapp messaging service. Topuz's initial arrest in 2017 triggered a diplomatic crisis with both Turkey and the US suspending visa services, until they stepped back. "This has been a big deal in the Turkish-US relations, but Americans have reversed course from an earlier decision to impose visa bans and have decided to pursue a quiet diplomacy," said Asli Aydintasbas, a fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations. Since the failed 2016 coup against Erdogan, tens of thousands of people have been detained over suspected links to Gulen and more than 100,000 people have been sacked or suspended from public sector jobs. Gulen denies the coup accusations. Ankara has been criticised by its Western allies and human rights activists over the crackdown they say has undermined democracy. But Turkish officials say the raids are needed to clear Gulen's influence from state institutions. US relations with Turkey plummeted to a low last year over detained US pastor Andrew Brunson, triggering tit-for-tat sanctions that hit the local lira currency. Brunson was released in October last year and relations improved. But Erdogan's decision to buy S-400 missile systems from Russia has provoked warnings from Washington that the deal may impact its sale of US-made F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and trigger more sanctions. Turkey's push to buy the systems has raised questions among NATO allies over alliance equipment as well as concerns over the relationship between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ties were already strained over US support of Kurdish forces in Syria, which Ankara brands as a terrorist group tied to PKK Kurdish militants fighting an insurgency against the Turkish state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that the mechanism for ensuring the country's macroeconomic stability has proven its resistance to external shocks. "The construction of macroeconomic stability created by us has proved its resistance to any external shocks," Medvedev said at a meeting of the board of the Russian Finance Ministry, TASS reported. The US special envoy for North Korea is visiting Beijing to coordinate policies with China, the US embassy said Tuesday, a month after the failure of a denuclearisation summit. Stephen Biegun, Washington's North Korea envoy, is here to "continue US-China coordination on policies related to North Korea", a US embassy spokesman told AFP, declining to share more details. Biegun's visit to the Chinese capital overlaps with the arrival of an unidentified high-ranking North Korean, who was greeted by Chinese government officials and Pyongyang's envoy to China on Tuesday, reported South Korea's Yonhap agency. It was not clear whether the visits by the US and North Korean officials were related. Biegun's trip comes after US President Donald Trump abruptly cut short the February 27-28 summit in Vietnam with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un amid fundamental differences between the two sides over dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program. The summit, their second in under a year, broke up without even a joint statement, and each sought to blame the other's intransigence for the deadlock. Both sides pledged to continue talking, but no new meetings have been scheduled. In mid-March, Biegun said Washington's goal was the complete denuclearisation of North Korea by the end of Trump's first term, and that it would not settle for incremental disarmament. "We will not lift these sanctions until NK (North Korea) completes the process of denuclearisation," he said. But on Friday Trump abruptly announced the cancellation of new sanctions on North Korea imposed by the US treasury. China has played diplomatic wingman to North Korea -- even loaning Kim an Air China jet to travel to his landmark meeting with Trump in Singapore last year -- as Beijing is intent on keeping Pyongyang within its sphere of influence. The North acts as a buffer state, keeping the 28,500 US troops in South Korea far from China's borders. In January, Beijing hosted Kim for the fourth time prior to his Hanoi summit with Trump -- something that has become somewhat of a ritual, with Kim briefing Chinese President Xi Jinping before and after his meetings with Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China "systematically" impedes access to Tibet with restrictions that have prohibited diplomats, journalists and ordinary citizens from visiting, the United States said in a report Monday. The State Department documented access problems to the Himalayan region in a report to Congress mandated by the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, passed with bipartisan support in December. The law, which notes that no US region is prohibited, requires the United States by the end of this year to deny visas to Chinese officials in charge of implementing the policy. "The Chinese government systematically impeded travel to the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) and Tibetan areas outside the TAR for US diplomats and officials, journalists and tourists in 2018," said the report to Congress. Even visits by US diplomats were "highly restricted," it said. "Chinese government-designated minders followed US diplomats and officials at all times, prevented them from meeting or speaking with local contacts, interrogated them and restricted their movement in these areas," it said. Tibet is the only region for which China requires diplomats and journalists to seek special access. The State Department said that China last year rejected five of the nine US requests to visit Tibet, including one by Ambassador Terry Branstad. Of the visits that went ahead, two were for routine consular matters, one was for the consul general in nearby Chengdu and the other was for security officials to prepare the visit by Branstad that was ultimately denied. Quoting the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China, the State Department said that only seven international journalists sought permission to visit Tibetan areas last year, compared with dozens in past years, with reporters sensing "the apparent futility of applying." The report said that China denied access to tourists during times seen as politically sensitive and that Americans of Tibetan ancestry said they were singled out for special screening. Matteo Mecacci, president of the International Campaign for Tibet, which pushed for the law, welcomed the report as a sign that the United States is "serious" about reciprocal access to Tibet. "I think it shows that reciprocity with China is a principle that is important not just for trade or economic issues, but also for access for Tibet," said Mecacci, a former Italian member of parliament. He voiced hope that China, which has protested the law, would address its policies in light of the impending restrictions on visas for officials. "Our goal is not to bar Chinese officials from coming here. It's to end the isolation of Tibet," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government's recent advisory asking states to clamp down on e-cigarettes may not be enough to root them out, say experts, advocating a "special mechanism" to ensure a blanket ban on the devices that many users mistakenly view as a safer alternative to combustible cigarettes. Terming e-cigarettes poisonous and as dangerous as regular cigarettes, the experts said the Centre and state have made efforts but clandestine online portals and dingy shops selling them in nooks and crannies across India's towns continue to function. "Even if the advisory of the government asks states to curb the sale of e-cigarettes in their jurisdiction, it is very difficult to keep a check at the ground level if the sale is happening through small vendors," Dr P C Gupta, director of HEALIS-Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health, Mumbai, told PTI. "There is need for a special mechanism by the government to keep a tab on the vendors from time to time, he added. On March 12, the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation wrote to all drug controllers in states and Union territories to not allow the manufacture, sale, import and advertisement of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), including e-cigarettes and flavoured hookahs, in their jurisdictions. The move was in concert with several other organisations. 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. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs also issued a circular recently, directing that all import consignments of e-cigarettes must be cleared first by the drug controller. There is no legislation to regulate the sale of e-cigarettes in the country, experts have said while calling for a blanket ban. "E-cigarettes are just a mechanism to deliver nicotine in an attractive format. They are marketed as a harm reduction product which is contrary to the truth. They do not fall within the scope of existing national legislation on tobacco production, distribution and use yet pose significant health risks that are frighteningly similar to those of conventional cigarettes," said Bhavna B Mukhopadhyay, chief executive, Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI). Twelve states have already banned e-cigarettes, she said, stressing on the need for a total ban. Drugs Controller General S Eswara Reddy is hopeful states will fill the existing gaps in the policy on banning e-cigarettes. "We have already given an advisory to all the states and expect the states to take strongest action against the sale of e-cigarettes," Reddy told PTI. Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan has written to Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhwan to block JUUL, a western company manufacturing sleek vaping devices like e-cigarettes, from entering India. Smoking e-cigarettes is called vaping. Sudan said the entry of JUUL products, if not prevented, could undermine the efforts taken by the government towards tobacco control. Other experts have also called for a special arrangement by the government to keep a tab on unorganised vendors and the online sale of e-cigarettes. According to Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi of Mumbai's Tata Memorial Hospital, people consuming e-cigarettes will add to the cancer burden of India. "Any nicotine product should be taken under strict medical supervision for controlling withdrawal symptoms during cessation therapy. I laud the government of India for taking a tough stand against these newer nicotine delivery devices," he said. "However, it should ensure there are no loopholes at the ground level by leaving a space for small vendors to sell it illegally," he said. E-cigarettes are also fast becoming a fashion statement for the young. The constant introduction of new products, each with its own list of ingredients, that are marketed as smart alternatives to smoking pose a huge challenge. Studies have found that the percentage of students who initiate e-cigarettes and hookah smoking before 10 years of age has increased from 26 per cent to 45 per cent in the last one and half decade. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), there were 14 lakh cancer patients in 2016. Of these, the highest number of cases was of lung and oral cancer, which is often caused by tobacco and smoking. The VHAI, which is a New Delhi-based public health organisation, has also taken up the cause. A recent study by the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in Chicago, investigated the effect that e-cigarettes have on the endothelial cells, that line the inside of the body's blood vessels. Endothelial cells produce nitric oxide, a molecule that helps keep the blood vessels healthy and controls blood pressure levels. Several countries, including Mauritius, Australia, Singapore, Korea (Democratic People's Republic, Sri Lanka and Thailand among others, have banned ENDS in their countries. M C Misra, former director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, said the government should come down hard upon the companies for advertisements that show e-cigarettes as less harmful than tobacco. It is proved that e-tobacco cannot be used as cessation method. The advertisements that say this should be banned and face actions, Misra said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Revolutionary poet Varavara Rao's wife Tuesday appealed to the Chief Justice of India to intervene in the case involving her husband, who is currently lodged in a prison at Pune, and take steps for his release. In an open letter to the Chief Justice, P Hemalata claimed Rao has been made an accused, along with others, in the Koregaon Bhima violence case which was later extended to criminal conspiracy and then to the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. "While he has nothing to do with the initial Bhima Koregaon violence (in fact the original perpetrators are not booked at all), I strongly suspect that my husband is implicated in the case just to silence his voice," she said. She was sure that he never ever involved himself in any criminal activity in his 79 years of life, Hemalata said, according to a press release issued by those supporting her cause. His "innocence or non-involvement in criminal activities was also pronounced by various law courts of the land," she claimed. Rao was allegedly implicated in as many as 25 cases in the last 45 years and police accused him of several grave charges "as is being done now," she said. Of the 25 cases, the courts set him free in 13 cases (after years of prolonged trial) and the other 12 cases were withdrawn by the state even before trial, she claimed. "The Pune police have also charged him with very serious and similar offences now but it is certain that this case also will not stand the scrutiny of law and that he will come out unscathed," she said. Varavara Rao was "also implicated" in another case in Gadchiroli (Maharashtra), only to prevent him from coming out on bail in the Pune case, she claimed. "But, the issue that is worrying us a lot and the reason why we want to appeal to you is his age and failing health," she said. She said she was not at all questioning the due process of law. "However, a person who has no criminal record and a person on whom police filed about 25 cases vindictively as he was professing unpalatable views to the powers that be cannot be subjected to incarceration at the age of 79, just because a police official fabricated some so-called evidence," Hemalata said. She requested the Chief Justice "to look into the malafide intentions and the manner in which the case is made out and also order his immediate release pending the judicial trial." Hemalatas open Letter has been endorsed by about 100 intellectuals and others in Hyderabad and Telangana. The letter was also posted on an online petitions site and more than 660 people from all over the world endorsed it, the release claimed. On January 1 last year, Dalits came under attack at an event which commemorated the 1818 Koregaon Bhima battle. In the battle, forces of the Peshwa, the ruler of Pune, were defeated by the British East India Company. While Dalits see the victory as an assertion of their identity as the British forces included Mahar (a formerly untouchable caste) soldiers, Hindu right-wing organisations oppose the celebration. Every year, the anniversary of the battle is marked by thousands of Dalits assembling in Pune and marching to Koregaon-Bhima to a war memorial. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP MP Varun Gandhi on Tuesday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah for declaring him the party's candidate from Pilibhit, which has traditionally been his mother Maneka Gandhi's Lok Sabha seat, and said that he had a "familial bond" with the place. The BJP announced candidates for 39 more seats for the Lok Sabha polls and swapped constituencies of the mother and son, putting to rest all speculation over Varun's fate. Maneka Gandhi will fight from Sultanpur which he had won in 2014. "I would like to thank the Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji and Hon'ble BJP President Shri @AmitShah Ji for reposing their faith in me. I'm honoured to be returning to Pilibhit with which I have a familial bond and hope to make it a meaningful, issue-based election," tweeted Varun hours after the list was announced. It is believed that Maneka Gandhi had asked the BJP leadership to field her son from Pilibhit, from where she has won a number of times and which is seen a relatively safe seat for her family. Varun Gandhi had won from Pilibhit once in 2009. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice President Venkaiah Naidu Tuesday hailed Mahatma Gandhi as a visionary for his call to disband the Congress. Naidu, a senior BJP leader before his elevation to the top Constitutional post in 2017, also lauded the Narendra Modi regime, mentioning a slew of flagship initiatives, including ease of doing business, which he said got recognition from the World Bank. In remarks coming just ahead of polling for the Lok Sabha elections, the Vice President said Gandhi had spoken for the need to disband the Congress after Independence. Speaking at the convocation of the RBI-promoted Indira Gandhi Institute of Developmental Research here, Naidu said this was political advice from Gandhi, adding he doesnt wish to dwell on it now as hes no more in active "Mahatma Gandhi had such a vision. After independence, he gave two advices, one is political, I dont want to dwell on that. He said disband the Congress. That was the first advice. "Congress was a platform of different shades of people coming together to fight for Independence. He (Gandhi) said independence is achieved. So disband this (Congress) and start your own parties. That is not an issue for us today and moreover Im not in and dont want to speak also," Naidu said. Another visionary advice given by the Father of the Nation was to concentrate on rural development, Naidu said. In his over 50-minute speech, Naidu mentioned a slew of flagship schemes and initiatives of the Modi government and how they have driven change on the ground. He said these include ease of doing business, Make in India, GST, demonetisation, direct benefit transfer, JAM trinity and the PM Jan Dhan Yojana, among others. JAM trinity refers to the government's initiative to link people's Jan Dhan accounts, mobile numbers and aadhar cards. He credited demonetisation and GST for widening the tax base in the country. Abhi thoda parivartan aaya hai, kaafi parivartan aana abhi bhi baki hai (a little bit of change has come now and more changes are yet to come), he said. This comment came while Naidu dwelt on work done under the ease of doing business initiative and was followed with a mention of the prime minister. "The PM said earlier it used to be red tape; now let us have red carpet. Thats the talk of town everywhere now, he said. The Vice President also made it clear that the remarks should not be seen as him giving good marks to the Modi-led government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rajeev Saxena, who turned approver in the VVIP choppers scam, has disclosed that kickbacks in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland deal were transferred to several entities and persons having direct links with alleged defence agent Sushen Mohan Gupta, the ED told a Delhi court on Tuesday. Special Judge Arvind Kumar sent Gupta to four days in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) which had sought his 14-day custodial interrogation. Gupta (44) was arrested by the agency last night under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). ED's Special Public Prosecutors D P Singh and N K Matta, told the court that Gupta's role in the case came to light on the basis of disclosures made by Saxena, who has turned approver in the case. He was deported here from the UAE and arrested by the ED. "During the course of investigation, Saxena, in his statements stated that Interstellar Technologies, a company which received the AgustaWestland kickbacks, was controlled by accused Gautam Khaitan and Gupta," the agency claimed. It said Gupta's custodial interrogation was required as he has given evasive answers and there was evidence directly linking him to the alleged transactions in the deal. "He is not cooperating with the investigation. His custodial interrogation is required to unearth how kickbacks were routed and laundered, the companies involved in facilitating the money laundering, the places where the said tainted money was placed, layered and integrated into the system. "He needs to be confronted with other accused persons and other evidence collected during investigation to unearth the money trail and offence of money laundering," ED said. Senior advocates P V Kapoor and Siddharth Aggarwal, appearing for Gupta, told the court that the ED's demand for custodial remand was deprivation of a person's liberty and denied the allegations that his answers have been evasive. The counsel opposed the plea for custodial interrogation claiming that Gupta has cooperated in the investigation and was willing to do the same in future. "There has been no past instances of tampering of evidence by him. What are they going to ask in custody that they have not yet asked," Kapoor said. Sources close to Gupta's family denied the allegations and said, "The allegations that have been levelled against him are completely baseless. He has not had any dealings with AgustaWestland in any capacity and is being unnecessarily targeted." ED alleged that in connivance with Khaitan, a lawyer, the proceeds of crime after being received in the accounts of Interstellar were further transferred by Gupta through various companies in different countries. The agency claimed that Saxena has also produced two diaries, some loose sheets and other documents and a pen drive, which as per him pertained to accused Gupta and contain information that related to laundering of kickbacks in AgustaWestland scam. "Gupta during the period when kickbacks were received in the accounts of Interstellar through IDS Tunisia had direct dealing with Interstellar and kickbacks from Agusta had been transferred to several entities/ persons having direct links with him," it claimed. The agency further said the conduct of the accused has been non-cooperative and his replies were contrary to the records. Alleged British middleman Christian Michel James was earlier arrested by the ED in the case and is currently lodged in jail under judicial custody. On January 1, 2014, India scrapped the contract with Finmeccanica's British subsidiary AgustaWestland for supplying 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers to the Indian Air Force (IAF) over alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of paying kickbacks to the tune of Rs 423 crore by it for securing the deal. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED have filed multiple charge sheets in the case and named former IAF chief S P Tyagi and his family members as accused besides others. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chennai-based food supply chain firm WayCool Foods & Products Tuesday said it has acquired a 'significant' equity stake in Benani Foods Pvt Ltd which sells ready-to-cook products under Freshey's brand. "The company has acquired stake of angel investors including that of TVS Electronics. TVS Electronics had invested in Freshey's at an early stage and has built a strong product development and operational capabilities since inception," WayCool said in a statement. The company, however, did not disclose the quantum of the equity stake acquired by it and the deal value. Benani Foods manufactures and markets ready-to-cook products including idli and dosa batter, paneer, idiyappam and papad. The company retails its products under the brand Freshey's and caters to 1,250 retail outlets and around 50 enterprise clients. "Freshey's will continue to operate under the same brand name after the acquisition. WayCool's strong and robust supply chain mechanism and distribution network will enable entry of Freshey's across other markets of south India, as well as part of WayCool's product portfolio," the company added. WayCool serves a network of around 5,000 clients with 200 tonne of food products every day from a base of 35,000 farmers. Benani Foods Founder Venkatesh Deivanayagam said the company will "use the current equity to further cement our position in Chennai, and subsequently expand our presence into the rest of southern India. We will also use the investment to accelerate the launch of new products". Earlier this month, WayCool had acquired the physical distribution business of Aalgro Foods, a Bengaluru-based B2B company in fruit retail packing and distribution space. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan Tuesday sought to come clean in the face of the controversy over Union minister Giriraj Singh's Nawada seat being alloted to his party asserting that the LJP had never laid any claim on its own on a sitting seat of its allies, the BJP and the JD(U). At no point of time did we insist on laying claim on any of the sitting seats of our allies the BJP and the JD(U). But when JD(U) expressed the desire to contest Munger, which was our (LJP's) sitting seat, we had simply requested that since our MP from that seat was a Bhumihar we should be compensated with some other constituency where the caste had a sizeable presence," Paswan told reporters here. JD(U) is fielding its chief Nitish Kumar's close aide Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan from Munger which is at present held by LJPs Veena Devi, the wife of mafia don-turned-politician Suraj Bhan Singh. The two seats that we could have considered were Begusarai and Nawada. Chirag (Paswans son and LJP heir apparent) had asked Giriraj Singh a number of times if he had any problems if we took Nawada and the BJP leader was deeply touched by his humility," Paswan claimed. Singh, a firebrand BJP leader, had gone into a sulk on being asked by his party to contest from Begusarai, where CPI has fielded former JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar. He had blamed the state leadership for being made to give up Nawada and had even said that no other union minister from Bihar has been made to give up his sitting seat. The CPI has strong influence in Begusarai, which is known as the 'Moscow of Bihar'. The RJD is likely to field Tanveer Hassan, who had lost to the late BJP MP Bhola Singh by a margin of under 60,000 votes in the 2014 elections in the seat. As per the NDA list of candidates for 39 out of 40 Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar announced on Saturday last, Suraj Bhan Singhs brother Chandan Kumar will contest from Nawada. He will be pitted against RJDs Vibha Devi the spouse of jailed former MLA Raj Vallabh Yadav who was disqualified recently following conviction in a rape case. In the outgoing Lok Sabha, LJP has six MPs. Paswan himself represents Hajipur which will be contested by his younger brother Pashupati Kumar Paras this time. Paswan had said he would enter the Parliament through the Rajya Sabha. Asked about the proposed NYAY scheme of the Congress which would guarantee a minimum income of Rs 72,000 per year to every poor household, Paswan wondered why the party failed to do so when it ruled the country for decades and was making such a promise before the election this time. Paswan also announced that his party has decided to field Khagaria MP Mahboob Ali Kaisar from his sitting seat the only constituency for which candidate was not announced by the NDA. Kaiser, a former state president of the Congress, had joined the LJP ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. He is the second Muslim candidate fielded by the BJP-led coalition in Bihar, the other being JD(U)s Mahmood Ashraf from Kishanganj. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath Tuesday criticised the previous UPA government over its way to tackle terrorism and asked Congress president Rahul Gandhi what was his "relation with Ishrat Jahan", who was killed in an alleged fake encounter by the Gujarat Police in 2004. Addressing a huge rally in Ghatlodiya area under the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, he also alleged that Gandhi had told the US ambassador that people of India are a "bigger threat" to the country than Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group. "What is your relation with Ishrat Jahan, a terrorist? When Rahul Gandhi met the US ambassador, he told him that the people of India, and not Jaish-e-Mohammad, are a bigger threat to our country," alleged Adityanath. Attacking Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, he said, "They (Rahul and Priyanka) go to temples only during elections. They do not have time to visit holy sites if elections are not around." "When they learned that over 24 crore people took part in Kumbh mela (held in Prayagraj recently), the new generation (of the Congress) also dropped by," he said. Adityanath was apparently referring to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's recently concluded Ganga Yatra from Prayagraj to Varanasi during which she visited several temples. He said Gujarat had first exposed Rahul Gandhi when he had visited the Somnath temple in 2017. "During that visit, a temple priest asked Rahul to sit properly, as his sitting posture resembled someone offering Namaz," the UP chief minister said. Referring to Priyanka Gandhi upcoming visit to Ayodhya, the BJP leader alleged that Congress leaders who do not believe in the existence of Lord Ram are now talking about visiting his birth place. "Some new Congress leaders (Priyanka) are planning to visit Ayodhya. When the supreme court was hearing the case of Ram Setu, the past Congress government had told the court that Lord Ram never existed. Now, people who do not even believe in the existence of Lord Ram are talking about visiting Ayodhya," he said. He also attacked the Congress over its promise to roll out the minimum income guarantee scheme for the poor, if voted back to power. "Rahul Gandhi now says that his party will eradicate poverty from the country. The Congress should first answer that why they could not do so while being in power for 55 years. The Congress can only increase poverty by making false promises," he said. Adityanath said unlike Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Opposition leaders lacked compassion for the poor. "When your (Rahul Gandhi's) 'abba jaan' was PM, he used to say that out of Rs 100 sent by the Centre, only Rs 10 reaches the poor. That was Rajiv Gandhi's pain. But, nothing was done to correct that situation. We brought in technology to tackle that issue. Now the entire sum of Rs 100 reaches the poor," he said. Adityanath praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the 2016 cross-border surgical strikes and the Balakot air strike, which was conducted in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack. "Terrorism and anarchy was widespread before 2014. Many terror attacks took place during the UPA rule. China used to transgress into Indian territory. Pakistan was beheading our soldiers. But when people asked that party to respond, they used to say that we will think about it, we might do it. But nothing happened," he said. Adityanath said armed forced had actually carried out two surgical strikes---"one on separatists in the North East region and another in PoK after Uri attack". He alleged that Congress leaders use abusive language for PM Modi while at the same time they show their respect for terrorists by suffixing "jee" to their names. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) OPEC and its allies aim to hold their next ministerial monitoring committee meeting, known as the JMMC, in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on May 19, two sources said. The JMMC meeting this month reached a conclusion that there was no need for a meeting in April to take place as OPEC+ members will only make a decision on further production cuts mid-way through the year. Hence, the next JMMC meeting will be scheduled for May while the OPEC+ meeting thereafter to finalise the decision will take place in June. Saudi Arabia and Russia are members of the JMMC, which includes other major oil producers who took part in a global supply cut agreement last year, including Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Nigeria and Kazakhstan, Reuters recalls. A day after alleging that some students forcibly entered his house and confined his wife, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) vice chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar said on Tuesday that he had "forgiven" them and would not file a complaint with the police. "While last night's violent behaviour by students in front my JNU residence is condemnable, neither me nor my wife will file a police complaint against the students. We have forgiven them. Wish them the best and hope they will reform and not repeat such acts in future," Kumar said. The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) has denied Kumar's allegation. "The JNUSU categorically rejects the falsehood being spread by the VC, Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar. The JNUSU (on Monday) after waiting (at the VC's residence) returned to the protest venue where an indefinite hunger strike is taking place," it said. A student from a Left student outfit rejected the allegation and said a group of students had gone to meet the vice chancellor, but they were allegedly manhandled by the security personnel. Seven students are on a hunger strike on the campus in protest against the online system of entrance exam that will be implemented from this academic session. Police said the situation on the campus remained under control. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday said there would have been no need for the IAF to enter the Pakistani airspace to hit the Balakot terror camp if it had Rafale aircraft. Addressing a rally in northeast Delhi's Yamuna Vihar, he said the "miracle" would have been possible from Indian territory. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the results would have been different if India had Rafale fighter jets, as he attacked the Congress for its tirade against his government over the aircraft deal. "During the UPA government's tenure, the Indian Army would hoist a white flag whenever the Pakistani forces violated the ceasefire at the border. During my tenure as home minister, I gave orders that if Pakistan fires one bullet, then you fire as much as you can," Singh said. Responding to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's jibe 'chowkidar chor hai' against Modi, the senior BJP leader said the prime minister was "pure and the only cure" for all problems of the country. Gandhi has often used the slogan 'chowkidar chor hai' to hit out at Modi over alleged corruption in the Rafale jet deal. "Chowkidar is not a thief, but pure. He is the only cure for all problems of country. He will become prime minister again for sure," Singh said and asked "for whom will our prime minister take money?" Referring to the Balakot air strikes, he said, "Had Rafale been there, there was no need for our air force personnel to go to Pakistan. And that miracle would have taken place from Indian territory. And these people (the Congress) level baseless allegations against us." Targeting the previous Congress governments for stalling defence modernisation, he said the Indian Air Force did not get any new aircraft for 30 years despite repeated requests. He also asked if Prime Minister Modi committed any crime by finalising the Rafale deal with France when the armed forces were in dire need of fighter jets. "Our armed forces kept asking for fighter jets for 30 years. They should be modernised," Singh said. Singh said the Congress did not take action against the perpetrators of the 26/11 attack, but the attack on a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district was avenged. "Now the Congress is asking how many (terrorists) were killed in Pakistan. The brave armed forces don't count bodies. This is for the others to do," he said. Over reports of Kashmiri-origin people being attacked in different parts of country following the Pulwama attack, he asked people to protect Kashmiri students. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China and Europe were "advancing together" but that the two trading blocs needed to overcome "suspicions". "Of course there are differences and competition, but it's positive competition," Xi told a press conference in Paris with the leaders of France, Germany and the European Commission. "We are advancing together. We shouldn't let suspicions lead us to be constantly looking backwards." Xi was speaking on the third day of a France visit dominated by concerns over China's massive investments on the continent, which are being built up through a series of bilateral deals. French President Emmanuel Macron urged his Chinese counterpart to "respect the unity of the European Union" and called for an "exemplary relationship" between Europe and China during the joint press conference. "No one is naive but we respect China," Macron said, while adding that EU leaders "naturally expect our major partners to respect the unity of the European Union and the values that it has and carries in the world." Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker all labelled China a "rival", and Merkel and Juncker urged the Asian giant to give the EU the same market access as it afforded Chinese companies. Referring to China's vast "New Silk Road" infrastructure project connecting the country with Europe, which has sparked unease in the EU, Merkel said: "We Europeans want to play a role." But, she added, "there has to be a bit of reciprocity on either side and we have a bit of difficulty in finding it." Juncker said that labelling China a rival was meant as a "compliment" to the country. Speaking ahead of a EU-China summit on April 12, he also called for a more balanced relationship. "European businesses must see the openness in China" that Chinese companies enjoyed on the continent, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Almost 25 years after he founded Jet airways, finally stepped down as the chairman of the debt laden company and relinquished his seat on the board as well. His wife has also resigned from the post of director and their shareholding is now diluted to 25.5%. The consortium of lenders, led by the State Bank of India, now own a 50 per cent stake and are hoping to find an investor by the end of May. To know whether can make a comeback and who could be the possible investors in Jet, do listen to this podcast. The Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA) has welcomed the increase of user fees by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP). The last increase of the user fees of the Philippine government was 25 years ago and AsBAA believes it is time that user fees are adjusted to reflect the tasks CAAP must perform to uphold international standards of aviation safety. ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write(' ') } // --> ') } else if (width >= 425) { console.log ('largescreen'); document.write('') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> With the increase of user fees, CAAP can now hire additional qualified and trained flight operations and airworthiness inspectors and train them to develop and improve systems in keeping with ever-evolving international safety standards. CAAP can then implement the new user fees on a staggered basis as the new improved services and qualified and trained personnel (QTP) come online and are made available for improved safety standards in the Philippines. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) released its manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls in Mumbai yesterday under the tagline 'Aao Milkar Desh Banaye'. The Sharad Pawar-led party is contesting on 20 seats in Maharashtra, one each in Laskhadweep, Bihar, Odisha, Meghalaya and Manipur. Among the major promises packed in the manifesto are "a complete loan waiver to all farmers", resuming talks with Pakistan, introducing tax reforms as well as incentives for educating girls, scrapping the Triple Talaq Bill, increasing the minimum carpet area requirement for housing, and ensuring "33 per cent reservation to women in parliament". "According to figures from various organisations working in rural areas, over 90,000 people have committed suicide in the hinterland, of which majority are farmers. We will provide a complete loan waiver to the small and medium income farmers," NCP general secretary and chief spokesperson DP Tripathi said while releasing the manifesto at the party office in Mumbai. He added that the party's endeavour will be to bring radicalised youth of Kashmir Valley into the mainstream and take stern action against those involved in "brainwashing" them. On the issue of foreign policy talks the party maintained that talks with Pakistan are important and relevant in the current circumstances. "We will open talks with Pakistan during which we will insist on discussing terrorism," read the manifesto. "We will continue to be responsive to the newly elected Sheikh Hasina Government. We will work to move Russia away from getting too close to China and Pakistan by frequent high level exchange," the manifesto read, adding, "The reason for the crisis in foreign policy is due to the current Government moving away from the principles set up by our founding Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. We will follow the Panchsheel philosophy which has worked for us well." In terms of tax reforms the party promised to do away with retroactive taxation as well as the practice of double taxation, which is currently applicable on certain industries, like construction. "We will implement a single rate GST, or maximum of two rates, as modest rates are expected to improve better compliance. We will attempt the 28 per cent slab only for demerit goods which are generally considered as luxury goods," it added. Another key focus area for the NCP is human resources development. To that end it promised to reinforce the Right to Education Act by increasing the age limit to 18 years. Currently, free and compulsory education of all children in the age group of six to fourteen years is a Fundamental Right. Other promises in the manifesto include implementing "100-day guaranteed jobs for graduate youths in urban areas" and "free education for girls from kindergarten to post-graduation". The NCP also promises to make rapid modernisation and upgradation of armed forces the first priority, including modernising Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and other ordnance factories. "Sacrifices of CRPF and other para military forces will be considered at par with regular military forces," the manifesto said, possibly referring to the big debate over the martyr status, and added that an Ex-Servicemen Commission will be set up. In the housing space, the manifesto stated that "The criteria of minimum 30 metres for housing is inadequate for Indian families and will be increased to 50 metres to allow the entire family to stay together and prevent migration". Last but not the least, the party intends to relook at the practice of triple talaq, which the Supreme Court has already made illegal. "Triple Talaq Bill, in its current form without taking the Community into confidence, will be scrapped," read the manifesto. Given that the NCP is contesting for very few seats in the 545-member Lok Sabha, one could well question how the party intends to implement its manifesto. However, Tripathi is confident that the party will be a part of the next non-BJP government and will influence policy-making. All eyes are now on the manifestos of the Congress Party and the BJP Party, expected to be released soon. With PTI inputs Next time you lay your hands on that bottle of spirit, beer or wine, you will see a statutory warning similar to the one on tobacco or cigarette packets. Following a directive from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued in 2018, all liquor bottles will carry cautionary messages of "Drinking is injurious to health" and "Don't Drink and Drive" on their labels from April 1. The decision to carry the warnings comes amid an attempt to make people aware of the harmful effects of drinking on their health. Also Read: Delhi liquor shops warned to follow rules ahead of Lok Sabha elections All manufacturers of alcoholic beverages will have to follow the FSSAI directive and ensure the bottles come etched with the warning prominently. As per the food regulator's specifications, alcoholic beverage bottles of up to 200 ml should carry the labeled warning message with capital letters no less than 1.5 mm high while the bottles larger than 200 ml will have letters 3mm tall. "Alcoholic beverages are also regulated under the food safety Act. However, there were no labelling regulations created under the Act so far because of which the manufacturers used to follow the excise laws and standards set by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Now that we have created regulations, these will have to be adhered to," Pawan Aggarwal, chief executive officer, FSSAI told Hindustan Times. Also Read: Bootleg liquor kills at least 84 in Assam, 200 hospitalised The food regulator had in 2018 notified a separate regulation for alcoholic drinks. The new regulation called the Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages Standards) Regulation, 2018 will apply on all distilled alcoholic beverages (brandy, country liquor, gin, rum, vodka and whisky, liqueur or alcoholic cordial), wines and beer. Apart from the cautionary message, the liquor bottles containing more than 0.5% alcohol by volume will also carry a label declaration about the alcohol content, no nutritional data, no health claim, allergen warning, and restriction on words such as "non-intoxicating" or words implying similar meaning. Also Read: Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Taxmen told to step up vigilance to curb illegal flow of currency, liquor Also Read: 16,495 litres of illicit alcohol, 82 unlicensed arms seized: Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer The multiple claims, and counter-claims on job creation numbers make for a fascinating read. In July 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Parliament that nearly a crore or 10 million jobs were generated in a year if both formal and informal sectors were taken into account. Citing a study from an "independent institute", he stitched the new enrolment numbers from the Employee Provident Fund and the National Pension Scheme while also factoring in the number of new professionals such as chartered accountants and doctors joining the system to calculate formal jobs. Professionals, when they start their own practice, create jobs. For informal job creation, commercial and passenger vehicles sold were cited as a proxy - vehicles need drivers and helpers. The counter claim to this estimation: the 10 million number, considering it is accurate, don't say whether they are net new jobs. Higher Provident Fund and Pension Scheme numbers could be reflective of higher formalisation of the economy. Instead of new jobs, those working in the informal sector may have simply switched over. Government databases have overlaps too. Also, those driving new commercial vehicles may have either changed jobs or switched over from driving older vehicles. Also Read: 'Rs 72,000 for 20% poorest': Rahul Gandhi creates confusion with top-up formula; Surjewala clarifies day later Meanwhile, over the last three years, in the absence of timely publicly released, survey-based employment-unemployment numbers from the government, a private effort gained currency. The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), which maintains business and economic databases, conducts an unemployment survey with a sample size of over 178,000 households. The company's survey indicates that in calendar year 2018, the number of people employed had shrunk by nearly 10 million. In December 2017, about 406 million were employed; that number was 396 million by December 2018. The unemployment rate, in February 2019, is estimated at 7.23 per cent, higher than the 5.87 per cent in the year-ago month. Unemployment, in February 2018, was the highest in Tripura (26.1 per cent), followed by Haryana (21.3 per cent) and Jammu and Kashmir (17.3 per cent). Unemployment was the lowest in Puducherry (0.9 per cent), Tamil Nadu (1.4 per cent), and Karnataka (2.1 per cent). The numbers point to an economy under stress. And it is not going to get any easier, going ahead. The difficulty of the Modi Government to generate enough jobs is partly because of few things beyond its control. It took over at a very difficult time - the demographic pressure, of more than a million people joining the workforce every month, has coincided with two mega trends sweeping the world. The pressure to create jobs with decent wages have also been crippled by historical neglects, by all governments of the past, in primary, vocational, and higher education as well as healthcare. Here are the demographic numbers: The World Bank's South Asia Economic Focus Spring 2018 report stated that between 2015 and 2025, India's working age population or those above the age of 15, is expanding by 1.3 million a month. India, therefore, needs to create millions of jobs a year. How many millions depends on the estimates of the employment rate. Not everyone in the working age population works. The World Bank calculates the share of the working-age population that is at work at 50 per cent. India, the report stated, would need to create more than eight million jobs a year to maintain the same level of employment rate, going ahead. That's a difficult number to sustain every year for any government even when the country's economy expands fast. Growth creates fewer jobs than it used to. Azim Premji University's State of Working India report states that a 10 per cent rise in GDP now results in less than one per cent increase in employment. In the 1970s and 80s, when GDP growth was around three-four per cent, employment grew at two per cent an annum. One of the reasons for this divergence is the mega trend of automation driven by newer technologies. This is the reason why all future governments would struggle to show good jobs numbers in either manufacturing or services. Companies are building smart factories that require one-fourth or less of the manpower needed even five years ago. By the time Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, the world had started adopting Industry 4.0, the new industrial revolution enabled by smart sensors, automation devices, new generation of robots, Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, location detection technologies, human-machine interfaces, augmented realty, 3D printing, artificial intelligence (AI), big data analytics, and mobile devices among others. Indian manufacturers are adopting smarter manufacturing to close the productivity gap with other countries - India's labour productivity, compared to world standards, is low with one manufacturer of automobile stating that India was 10-15 per cent lower compared to countries such as Japan, Korea, and the US. Meanwhile, the cost of hardware is falling too. New generation of robots, such as cobots, are cheaper than traditional robots, have higher reliability and thereby need less people to maintain. Manufacturing, in short, would simply struggle to absorb the migration of workers from the less remunerative farm sector. Also Read: Arun Jaitley terms Rahul Gandhi's minimum income plan 'biggest bluff', says Congress betrayed India for more than 7 decades In services, Artificial Intelligence-driven bots are reducing the number of employees needed for information technology and call centre jobs. Home automation is the next frontier where a range of today's blue collar jobs could potentially be wiped away. The McKinsey Global Institute, in December 2017, came out with a report titled 'Jobs lost, Jobs gained: Workforce transitions in a time of automation'. The report plotted different scenarios - slowest, midpoint or fastest - on the impact of countries adopting automation. The Institute stated that nine per cent of India's current work activity hours can be automated by 2030 in the midpoint scenario, and up to 19 per cent in the rapid scenario. By 2030, India's workforce will total 612 million and in the rapid automation scenario, about 120 million workers will be displaced. Lower labour productivity traces back to poor vocational education, and also healthcare. Work in older generation factories was robotic and standing for eight hours, baring two breaks, required physical endurance. Smarter factories require more cognitive skills but very few of India's blue-collar workforce may be able to up-skill. According to the National Family Health Survey, in India, about 38 per cent of children under age five years are stunted (too short for their age), about 21 per cent of children are wasted (too thin for their height) while 36 per cent are underweight. Among other reasons, stunting can happen when an undernourished woman delivers a child. It leads to poor development of the frontal lobe in the neocortex, which impairs learning, judgement, planning, decision-making and being able to see the big picture. One of the micro trends in manufacturing, at least in the organised sector, will be the shrinking of the blue collar segment since Industry 4.0 jobs comes with a higher skills bias. When loading and unloading work in a factory is done by robots, for instance, the worker may be expected to programme the robot or maintain it. This work borders on the white-collar. Workers who are unable to up-skill will be rendered useless. The second mega trend is anti-globalisation. The book, Jobonomics, states that between 2004 and 2011, global trade was growing almost double the rate of global GDP growth of about 3.5 per cent. In other words, economies were far more open. Trade growth tanked in 2009, after the recession, but recovered for a couple years. However, since 2012, global trade slipped and is growing slower than global GDP growth. The book also quotes Sunil Kumar Sinha, Director of Public Finance and Principal Economist at India Ratings and Research: "Global GDP is back to over three per cent growth rates after the recession, but trade has fallen below three per cent (in most of the years). The fiscal and monetary policies that different countries pursued, by and large, have been able to put their economies back on track. But this has not been accompanied by a similar growth in trade as was witnessed during 2004-2011. Countries are not willing to trade." Sinha further adds that no country in the world has been able to sustain a growth of eight per cent or higher simply on the basis of domestic demand. "For India to believe they would maintain a growth of eight per cent for over a decade, no matter what happened to global trade, would be very difficult." If the last five years were difficult, the next 10 would be equally challenging for jobs generation. This would be a period of adjustment, and pain. And one that would determine whether India made use of its demographic dividend, or created a nightmare. Indian tax officials will auction 68 modern Indian art paintings, including works by Raja Ravi Varma and VS Gaitonde, that were once part of fugitive jeweller Nirav Modi's collection and have been seized by the government, Reuters reported. This would be the first of its kind of auction in a country where tax authorities have usually auctioned property, gold and luxury items, but not art, the report quoted auctioneers as saying. Also Read: Nirav Modi's firm sends legal notice to revenue department to stop auction of 68 paintings The book value of 68 paintings is Rs 57.72 crore and the three-day auction of rare oil paintings is slated to start from today in Mumbai. The tax authorities are expected to raise between Rs 30 crores to Rs 50 crores ($4.4 million-$7.3 million). Last week, the special court in Mumbai allowed the Income Tax (I-T) department to auction the artworks which were attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as part of its probe to recover dues of Rs 95.91 crore from Nirav Modi, the prime accused in the Rs 13,000-crore PNB scam. The agency, which has seized 173 paintings owned by Nirav Modi and his shell firm Camelot Enterprises, has appointed professional auction house Saffronart for this auction. "Until a few years ago, the tax authorities really didn't know the value of art," the news agency quoted Farah Siddiqui as saying, an art adviser who is advising clients eyeing Modi's collection. On Monday, the fugitive diamantaire's firm moved the Bombay High Court challenging the decision of a special court to allow the auction of the artworks belonging to the jeweller. They have also sent a legal notice to the revenue department against the three-day auction calling it unlawful. According to the ED, Modi and Camelot are the beneficial owners of these paintings. On March 19, Nirav Modi, who has been on the run since February 2018, was arrested in London on behalf of the Indian authorities where a court remanded him in custody till March 29. The 48-year-old billionaire had been found to be doing diamond business in one of the best and high-end markets of London despite India's efforts to bring him back. Read More: Nirav Modi's new Avatar! Fugitive businessman lives in Rs 72-crore flat in London; runs new diamond business Nirav Modi possessed 3 passports, residency cards of UAE, Singapore, Hong Kong, UK court told Indian Navy's frontline corvette INS Kadmatt reached Malaysian archipelago Langkawi on Monday to participate in the 15th edition of Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition, LIMA-19, the Navy said. Vice Admiral Karambir Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, and the Chief of Naval Staff designate, would lead the Indian delegation and attend various engagements as part of LIMA 19, the Navy said in a statement. Malaysia: Indian Navys front-line anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette, INS Kadmatt reached Langkawi yesterday, on a 7-day official visit. The ship is scheduled to participate in the 15th edition of Langkawi International Maritime&Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA-19) during the visit pic.twitter.com/sr3q6mKstG ANI (@ANI) March 26, 2019 The ship would participate in numerous activities planned as part of LIMA 19 for seven days at Langkawi, including the International Fleet Review (IFR) by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, maritime and air demonstration, and sea exercises with 29 other participating navies. INS Kadmatt is an indigenous stealth anti-submarine warfare corvette and was commissioned into the Indian Navy in January 2016. The ship is fitted with state-of-the-art weapons, sensors and machinery and is also designed to embark the Seaking anti-submarine helicopter. An Armenian government delegation, led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will be visiting Vienna on March 28-29, according to a statement, published on the official website of the government. A diplomatic source in the Austrian capital reported yesterday that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will meet in Vienna on March 29. A day after the government announcement of Public Sector Banks (PSUs) bailout plan for Jet Airways, businessman Vijay Mallya slammed the PSUs for "double standards" under the Modi regime as the same lenders made his Kingfisher Airlines "fail ruthlessly". Mallya also blamed the government for not doing anything for him. The embattled liquor baron in a series of tweets reacted sharply to State Bank of India-led consortium taking management control of the cash-strapped Jet Airways saying that he wished the same was done for Kingfisher as well. "Happy to see that PSU Banks have bailed out Jet Airways saving jobs, connectivity and enterprise," he said. Happy to see that PSU Banks have bailed out Jet Airways saving jobs, connectivity and enterprise. Only wish the same was done for Kingfisher. - Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 25, 2019 Also Read: Delhi court orders attachment of Vijay Mallya's properties in Bengaluru He further said, "The same PSU Banks let India's finest airline with the best employees and connectivity fail ruthlessly. Double standards under NDA." Mallya, who is facing extradition to India from the UK, rued that his efforts to save Kingfisher Airlines were "not recognised and instead slammed in every possible way". "I invested over Rs 4,000 crores into Kingfisher Airlines to save the company and its employees," he claimed. I invested over 4000 crores into Kingfisher Airlines to save the Company and its employees. Not recognised and instead slammed in every possible way. The same PSU Banks let India's finest airline with the best employees and connectivity fail ruthlessly. Double standards under NDA - Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 25, 2019 Also Read: SEBI seeks amendment in Companies Act after Vijay Mallya case He also came down heavily at the BJP for meting out differential treatment to Kingfisher and Jet Airways. "BJP spokesman eloquently read out my letters to PM Manmohan Singh and alleged that PSU Banks under the UPA Government had wrongly supported Kingfisher Airlines," Mallya rued. BJP spokesman eloquently read out my letters to PM Manmohan Singh and alleged that PSU Banks under the UPA Government had wrongly supported Kingfisher Airlines. Media decimated me for writing to the current PM. I wonder what has changed now under the NDA Government. - Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 25, 2019 He further said, "Media decimated me for writing to the current PM. I wonder what has changed now under the NDA Government." Also Read: 'Looking back, don't want to change a thing,' writes Naresh Goyal in letter to Jet Airways staff Mallya offered the PSU banks to pay off dues of the Jet Aiways from his assets. "And I repeat once again that I have placed liquid assets before the Hon'ble Karnataka High Court to pay off the PSU Banks and all other creditors. Why do the Banks not take my money. It will help them to save Jet Airways if nothing else," he said. And I repeat once again that I have placed liquid assets before the Hon'ble Karnataka High Court to pay off the PSU Banks and all other creditors. Why do the Banks not take my money. It will help them to save Jet Airways if nothing else. - Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 26, 2019 Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines had face similar crisis as Jet back in 2012 causing the airline to go bankrupt and resultant losses running into millions, lessors, job losses and massive writedowns by banks. Also Read: Government empowers PSU banks to request LOCs against fraudsters, wilful defaulters Also Read: Banks take control of Jet Airways board as Naresh Goyal exits, lenders to infuse Rs 1,500 crore Khadi sales is expected to touch an estimated all-time high of Rs 3,200 crore this fiscal, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) said. According to MSME ministry data, sales were Rs 2,510 crore in 2017-18 and Rs 1,081 crore in the year 2013-14. The sales grew at an average of over 30% in the first four years of the Modi-led BJP government, against 6.7% in the last 10 years. The biggest drivers of sales have been aggressive marketing, growing interest for Khadi products amongst the Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs) and KVICs supply tie-ups with firms like Arvind Mills, Raymond and Aditya Birla Fashion in the financial year 2017-18, said Vinai Kumar Saxena, Chairman of KVIC. Raymond bought as much as 7.26 lakh metres of gray Khadi last year. Similarly, Arvind Mills has purchased around one million square metre of Khadi denim, reported Financial Express. These companies after purchasing the fabric, manufacture their own garments and sell it under their brand name. Khadi Gram Udyog Bhawan, having a whole range of products from ethnic clothing, edible items, cosmetics and handicrafts, stands tall in the Regal Building of Delhi' s Connaught Place. The 20,000 sq ft outlet had made sales worth Rs 1 crore or more a day at least 3 times during the October-November period in 2018. This happened when the company ran a discount scheme obliterating the most high-profile stores in the locale. In the fiscal year 2017-18, the outlet alone has recorded sales of Rs 103 crore, the daily reported. The Bhawan' s success reflects the growing craze for Khadi amongst people in the recent years. The movement for Khadi, started by Mahatma Gandhi as a means to protest against foreign products was meant to be a relief programme for the poor people. The upcoming elections will boost the sales of Khadi fabric. As many as 83,000 postmen across states will be dressed in Khadi attires very soon as a MoU with the department of post is being finalised, said Saxena. (Edited by: Nehal Solanki) Also read: KVIC bags fresh orders worth Rs 2.90 crore from railways Also read: Popular Modi jackets see significant decline in sales in Maharashtra The Delhi unit of Congress party is vertically divided over any alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party, with the leadership leaving the decision to party president Rahul Gandhi. According to sources, Gandhi held a meeting with all top leaders of the Delhi Congress and discussed the issue with them once again, after having earlier decided to go it alone in Delhi. Sources said four former Delhi Congress presidents -- Ajay Maken, Subhash Chopra, Tajdar Babar and Arvinder Singh Lovely -- favoured an alliance with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party. Delhi Congress president Sheila Dikshit and three working presidents, Devender Yadav, Rajesh Lilothia, and Haroon Yusuf, maintained their stand against the alliance, they said. After airing their views to the Congress president, the party leadership in Delhi left the final decision on Rahul Gandhi. When asked in this regard, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said whether or not there will be any alliance in Delhi, "We will know soon". "As on today, no such call has been taken. What will happen in three hours or two days, I cannot today predict. "That is a leadership call that has to be taken by the Party and they will take so. Qua Haryana and Punjab, it seems unlikely. I can only say that much," he told reporters. Surjewala claimed that the BJP has lost 14 allies since 2014 and the Congress has already finalised its alliances in several states. The rethink on the Congress alliance with AAP in Delhi has come after intervention of opposition leaders like Sharad Pawar, who is asking both the parties to come together to unitedly defeat the BJP. The section led by Dikshit is vehemently opposing the alliance, while that led by AICC general secretary P C Chacko is in favour of a tie-up. The party has already decided to go alone in Delhi, but a rethink is on keeping political considerations in mind. Nitin Gadkari, the Union minister for road, transport and highways, who filed his nomination from the Nagpur Lok Sabha seat yesterday amid a massive show of strength, has seen his income increase by over 137% over the past five years. He declared an income of Rs 6.4 lakh for 2017-18 in his election affidavit against Rs 2.7 lakh in his previous affidavit in 2013-14, when he contested his debut Lok Sabha polls, The Times of India reported. The biggest uptick came in FY15 when his income increased to Rs 6 lakh, but has remained mostly stable ever since. In the same time frame, his wife Kanchan Gadkari grew more than six times richer than the union minister. The income declared by her reportedly shows a nearly 10-fold increase from Rs 4.6 lakh in 2013-14 to nearly Rs 40 lakh in 2017-18. Given that ministers' salaries were doubled last April to Rs 1 lakh a month, Gadkari's income in his ITR for FY19 will show at least Rs 12 lakh. Incidentally, this is the first time that such detailed financial records of nominees and their family members are being made available in the public domain. Last month, the law ministry had amended the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, in line with the Election Commission's recommendations. Under the new rules it is now mandatory for candidates contesting in the polls to disclose the total income shown in their respective Income Tax Returns (ITR) for the last five financial years, as well as that of their spouses, dependents and the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF). In addition, they have to declare their foreign assets and liabilities. A comparison of the couple's two affidavits also shows that Gadkari's bank deposits shrunk 57% to Rs 9 lakh while his wife's deposits have grown six fold from Rs 1.8 lakh five years ago to Rs 11 lakh in FY18. The minister has opened a separate account for electoral purposes with a balance of Rs 1 lakh, down from Rs 7 lakh in the earlier affidavit. According to the daily, a similar trend can be seen in the Gadkaris' other investments. While the value of his investments in market instruments has declined 78% to Rs 3.55 lakh - primarily due to sale of shares - Kanchan's investments have gone up by around four times. Besides, her assets are now worth Rs 7.3 crore, an increase of 127% from 2014. Kanchan's key assets include three properties with an aggregate value of Rs 4.4 crore, including a plot of agricultural land valued at Rs 88 lakh. The holdings remain the same as in 2014, but their market value has increased. On the other hand, Gadkari's total assets (including inherited property of Rs 1.96 crore) reportedly stands at Rs 6.9 crore, a 10% rise from his 2014 affidavit. The minister's flat at Worli, Mumbai, is the sole property declared by him. Its market value has increased by a modest 12.5% from Rs 3.78 crore in the 2014 affidavit to Rs 4.25 crore in the last fiscal. In addition, he has invested Rs 14.8 lakh in business in the last financial year, a nearly 25% jump over the declared figure in FY14. Gadkari's personal loans add up to Rs 1.57 crore (against Rs 1.3 crore in 2014), including Rs 1 crore from Housing Development and Infrastructure Limited, which has remained constant. While he owns two cars - an Ambassador and a Honda - worth Rs 20.10 lakh, his wife owns four cars valued at Rs 26.6 lakh. Gadkari's latest affidavit shows HUF income of Rs 8.75 lakh in 2017-18 - he is the karta - and a liability of Rs 2.45 crore. The daily added that ancestral land held by the HUF has been valued at Rs 7.85 crore. Also read: 'Rs 72,000 for 20% poorest': Rahul Gandhi creates confusion with top-up formula; Surjewala clarifies day later Also read: Vijay Mallya lashes out at Modi govt, PSU banks for 'double standards' after Jet Airways bailout India does not have the fiscal leeway to handle Rs 7 lakh crore of subsidy burden next fiscal, former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan told India Today TV. The former RBI Governor is in Delhi to launch his new book 'The Third Pillar'. Congress President Rahul Gandhi's surprise announcement of the 'NYAY' scheme providing Rs 72,000 as direct benefit transfer to each of India's poorest 5 crore households will amount to an additional annual expenditure of Rs 3.6 lakh crore, provided the Congress comes to power and implements the promise. A day after Gandhi's announcement, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala clarified that NYAY does not intend to subsume any of the existing schemes. Instead, it will be a benefit Congress Party will provide over and above the existing schemes in operation today. This has come as a huge surprise as most economists expected the NYAY scheme to absorb some of the existing subsidies to make it viable. Given that Budget 2019-20 had already planned a subsidy outlay of Rs 3.34 lakh crore for existing schemes, NYAY's potential outlay of Rs 3.6 lakh crore will balloon subsidy burden to Rs 6.94 lakh crore. ALSO READ: 'Rs 72,000 for 20% poorest': Rahul Gandhi creates confusion with top-up formula; Surjewala clarifies day later "At this point if you ask me, given the way we are, can we add Rs 7 lakh crore, the answer is no. That is really what any sensible government, post election, will have to think about. How do I... make whatever (parties) promised, happen, but within the context of what space is available, and how do I actually improve delivery," Rajan told Rajdeep Sardesai and Rajeev Dubey of India Today TV. Rajan said India's Budget for 2019-20 cannot support a subsidy burden of approximately Rs 7 lakh crore. The NYAY scheme, for instance, alone would amount to nearly 13 per cent of India's Budget expenditure of Rs 27.84 lakh crore. It would also be 1.92 per cent of India's GDP. Rajan, however, recommended subsuming existing schemes to make the NYAY fiscally affordable - an idea Congress has already discounted. "What will have to be looked at by whichever government comes into power is what the fiscal space looks like and, of course, as of now, the fiscal space is tight. So, in some sense, you cannot add scheme or each side's schemes on top of each other's and then, of course, there is overlap. Because some of the poor farmers who are helped by the NDA schemes are those very who are being targeted by UPA scheme," Rajan said. ALSO READ: Priyanka Gandhi lauds Rahul Gandhi for keeping women at the heart of minimum income scheme Meanwhile, the NYAY scheme has also drawn criticism from Niti Aayog vice chairman Rajiv Kumar, who described the proposal as "irresponsible" for fiscal discipline, saying "I hope its time never comes". While making the announcement Gandhi had claimed the Congress Party had consulted some of the world's leading economists before making the announcement. Former finance minister P Chidambaram also tweeted: "We have consulted economists, this is doable, and we will adhere to fiscal discipline. Under NYAY, the poorest 20 per cent of families will get a uniform amount of Rs 72,000 a year." Congress Party, however, has neither announced the full outlay of the scheme nor clarified where it will find the resources to fund such a huge scheme. Congress Spokesperson Salman Soz, however, told India Today TV that NYAY scheme will cost 1.5 per cent of the GDP. Interestingly, even India's current subsidy outlay for 2019-20 of Rs 3.34 lakh crore is higher at 1.57 per cent of GDP. NYAY is already nearly Rs 26,000 crore bigger in outlay. ALSO READ: Rahul Gandhi's Rs 72,000 per annum promise to the poor is doable; here's how Rajan quotes former New York Governor Mario Cuomo's famous quote that reflects on the ideal model of governance in a pluralistic society, "You campaign in poetry, you govern in prose. Post-election whatever government comes in will have to figure out what it actually does, given the space...". The 'poetry' referring to lofty promises; 'prose' implying compromises in implementing the promises. Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday promised an annual income of Rs 72,000 to some five crore families living below the poverty line. The scheme named NYAY, which the Congress will detail in their Lok Sabha election manifesto, will be the 'final assault on poverty', covering 20 per cent of the poor population, said Gandhi. "All modalities have been worked out and this is possible within our budget. We have studied the fiscal implications of the scheme," he said in the press conference. Most of the economists termed it as a game changer, but it comes with a heavy financial burden on the country's balance sheet. Some people said that it would cost the country Rs 3.6 lakh annually, while others said that the cap would be the said amount and the real expense would be half of that. Finance minister Arun Jaitley called the scheme a "bluff" and an attempt to cheat the poor again. Some asked about the people behind the idea. The manifesto committee of Congress headed by former finance minister P Chidambaram has been working on the list of poll promises for the past several months. Online media ThePrint earlier reported that Angus Deaton, the British economist who won the Nobel Prize in 2015, and French economist Thomas Piketty are advising the Congress on its ambitious minimum income guarantee scheme. The other people rumoured to be consulted to cut corners of NYAY scheme are economist Abhijit Banerjee and former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan. Also Read: Rahul Gandhi's Rs 72,000 per annum promise to the poor is doable; here's how After the announcement of NYAY, BBC contacted Piketty, who is noted for his work on income inequality, and he told the British media that he is not been directly involved in the design of this proposal. "But I certainly support all efforts to reduce income inequality in India, and especially to move away from the political debate of caste-based political to class-based redistribution of income and wealth," he said. Piketty was called "the modern Marx" by The Economist magazine. Indian-American economist Abhijit Banerjee is the professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He was recently in the Indian media because he attacked the Modi government for appointing retired bureaucrat Shaktikanta Das as the RBI Governor. He said that the decision leaves a lot of "frightening" questions about governance issues at major public institutions. On Gandhi's basic minimum income promise, Raghuram Rajan told NDTV, "What matters is the details. Is it going to be an add-on or substitute a bunch of things? How do we get to the poor? We have seen over time that giving money directly to the people is often a way of empowering them. They can use that money for the services they need. What we need to understand is what are the things or schemes (subsidies) that will be substituted in the process." Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that Rajan was among top economists that the party consulted to draft its minimum income guarantee scheme Nyuntam Aay Yojana or NYAY. "...we will turn this thought into reality. We have consulted economists, including Raghuram Rajan," he said in Jaipur. Also Read: The many promises of Rahul Gandhi to uproot Modi's BJP Arvind Subramanian, former Chief Economic Adviser, had floated the idea of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) of Rs 1,500 a month for every poor rural household in the Economic Survey for 2016-17. In June 2017, Jaitley had said while he was fully supportive of the UBI plan, but it won't be feasible at the time due to "political limitations". He added that the people will demand the continuation of the subsidies over and above UBI and the Budget will not be able to afford it. NYAY kind of schemes have been trialled in small-scale all over the world, including in Finland, Kenya and the Netherlands. Congress is also preparing a report on national security and the team for it is headed by Army Commander DS Hooda, who led the 2016 surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan. Markets regulator Sebi Monday announced changes in norms related to payment of commissions and disclosures for the mutual fund industry. Changes have been made to various circulars issued earlier, including the circular issued in October 2018 wherein Asset Management Companies (AMCs) were asked to adopt full trail model of commission in all schemes. Besides, upfronting of trail commission was allowed only in cases of inflows through Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs). "The upfronting of trail commission may be for SIP of up to Rs 3,000 per month, per scheme, for an investor who is investing for the first time in mutual fund schemes," Sebi said in a circular on Monday. The commission will be paid from an AMC's books and only the first SIP purchased by the new investor will be eligible for upfronting. In case multiple SIPs are purchased on different dates, those for which the instalment starts at the earliest date would be considered for upfronting. The commission will account for computing the Total Expense Ratio (TER) differential between regular and direct plans in each scheme, the Sebi said. TER is a percentage of a scheme's corpus that a mutual fund house charges towards expenses, including administrative and management charges. For the purpose of charging additional TER on inflows from retail investors from B-30 (Beyond top 30) cities, Sebi said inflows of up to Rs 2 lakh per transaction by individual investors would be considered as inflows from retail investor. On a daily basis, AMCs are required to disclose the TER of all mutual fund schemes except infrastructure debt fund schemes on their respective websites. Also, issuance of prior notice to the investors would not be required in case of any increase or decrease in TER due to change in asset under management or other regulatory requirements. Besides, Sebi said that schemes in the category of overnight fund, liquid fund, ultra short duration fund, low duration fund and money market fund will be exempted from making performance disclosure provided that the schemes are in existence for less than one year. Also read: Sebi seeks greater powers to thwart financial frauds Also read: Sebi issues norms for valuation of below investment grade debt securities : Mutual funds Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday hailed the Congress party president Rahul Gandhi's minimum income guarantee scheme which proposes to provide Rs 72,000 per annum to 20 per cent of India's poorest. Delhi Congress chief reportedly said "it is one of the biggest decisions ever taken to benefit the poor". Rahul Gandhi on Monday announced that nearly 5 crore poor people in the country will get financial assistance of Rs 72,000 per annum if the party was voted to power in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. "As far as I remember, this is one of the biggest decisions ever taken to benefit the poor anywhere in the world. People are praising this announcement (minimum income). We are receiving countless phone calls saying that it is a big step towards the welfare of poor people in the country," The Indian Express quoted Dikshit as saying. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday termed Rahul Gandhi's promise of minimum income support to the 20 per cent of the poorest in the country the "biggest bluff". He said no political party has betrayed India for more than seven decades other than the Congress Party. Speaking about the party's promised scheme at a media briefing in Delhi, Dikshit displayed pamphlets with slogan 'Aay pe charcha'. The Congress party is set to launch a country-wide campaign called 'Aay pe charcha' this elections season which will focus on providing employment opportunities in the country. When asked about possibility of an alliance with the Aam Admi Party, the senior Congress leader said that decision will be taken by party president. "When a decision will be taken then we will inform the media. Ultimately the decision is to be taken by Rahul Gandhi as he is the party president, all will abide by what he decides," Dikshit was quoted as saying by ANI. The Congress leadership seems divided over forging an alliance with the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi. While one faction wants an alliance to defeat the BJP in Delhi, the other is strongly against it. Edited by Chitranjan Kumar Larsen & Toubro shares rose almost 12 points on Tuesday after the company informed the exchanges about L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering Limited (LTHE)--a wholly owned subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro--winning a large order contract for coke calciner project in Sohar industrial estate located in Oman. L&T shares opened at Rs.1,378.50 on BSE and rallied to a high of Rs.1,389, a 0.9 per cent jump against the previous close of Rs.1,377.20. The share scored 12 points rise on NSE platform as well, after reaching Rs. 1,388.80 from previous day's close of Rs.1,376.75. At 10:20 am, the shares of Larsen & Toubro quoted 0.38 per cent or 5.30 points up at Rs 1,382.50 on BSE and Rs 1,382.35, 0.41 per cent or 5.6 points up on NSE. The release read, "The contract scope includes the selection of technology licensor, FEED & EPC for a 2 x 225,000 TPA plant of calcined coke from green pet coke. Process facilities include material handling, rotary kiln and cooler, combustion chamber, gas separation and associated offsite & utilities packages." It added, "This award will further reinforce L&T's operations in Oman and provide an opportunity to contribute to the expansion of industrial facilities in Sohar." As per the project classification mentioned in the release, Larsen & Toubro got awarded a Large* contract that values in the range of Rs 2,500 to 5,000 crore. The share price of L&T has gained momentum of around 6.5 per cent in one year, 4.75 per cent half-yearly, and at the rate of 8.20 per cent in one month's term on both the trading platforms. Today's high of Rs 1,389 lies 4.80 per cent below the 52-week high of the company quoting at Rs 1,459.10, achieved on December 21, 2018. L&T shares price band of the day lies in the range of Rs.1,514.90 and Rs.1,239.50, with a volume-weighted average price (VWAP) of Rs. 1,381.58. The stock also trades above 5, 20, 50, 100 and 200-day moving average. The deliverable quantity to traded quantity lies at 54.24 per cent on BSE and at 59.64 per cent on NSE. The volume traded is 21,000 and 2.5 lakh shares on BSE and NSE respectively. (Edited by Rupa Burman Roy) Also Read: Market Live: Sensex rises 125 points, Nifty at 11,392; DLF share price rises over 6% on QIP offer Also Read: Sebi modifies norms on commissions, disclosures for mutual funds The Sensex and Nifty shrugged off recession fears in the world economy during the last two hours of trade today and extended morning session gains to close 424 points higher at 38,233 and 129 points higher at 11,483, respectively. The indices logged gains in afternoon trade led by surge in banking and oil and gas stocks. Infosys (1.23%), Bajaj Auto (0.85%) and ITC (0.68%) were the top Sensex losers in trade today. NTPC (3.28%), SBI (3.23%) and Vedanta (3.18%) were the top Sensex gainers. Of 30 Sensex stocks, 23 closed in the red. Banking stocks led the gains with BSE bankex and Bank Nifty surging 716 points and 600 points, respectively.SBI (3.81%), Bank of Baroda (3.55%), YES Bank (3.12%), Kotak Bank (2.84%) and ICICI Bank (2.76%) led the gains on BSE. Jet Airways was among the top gainers on BSE rising 6.48% or 20 points to 271 a day after the company's chairman Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita Goyal resigned from the board of directors of the airline. DLF share price rose 3.80% to 196 on BSE a day after the realty major launched its QIP offer to raise over Rs 3,000 crore by selling 17.3 crore equity shares to qualified institutional investors. Jet Airways extends its winning streak to the third consecutive session Meanwhile, Asian markets rebounded today after global markets slid on worries over US and European economic growth. In the US, investors wrestled to make sense of newly pessimistic outlooks for the global economy. Here's a look at live updates for the Indian share market today. 3:30: Sensex closes 424 points higher at 38,233, Nifty ends 129 points higher at 11,483, respectively. 3:18 pm: Bank Nifty soars 610 points to 29,895 level. BSE bankex is the top gainer among 19 sectoral indices rising 748 points to 33,473. 3:16 pm: Jet Airways share price clocked highest turnover of Rs 137.9 crore on BSE followed by share price of conglomerate Reliance Industries (Rs 107.52 crore) and Sun Pharma (Rs 65.24 crore). 3:09 pm: However, market breadth was marginally positive with 1373 stocks rising compared to 1272 falling on the BSE. 3:06 pm: Sensex gains 425 points to 38,234 and Nifty rose 121 points to 11,476. 3:00 pm: SBI Life Insurance Company declares interim dividend of Rs 2 per equity share for financial year 2018-19. 2:48 pm: Sensex rises 389 points to 38,198 and Nifty rose 116 points to 11,470. 2:30: Infosys, ITC and TCS were the top Sensex losers in trade today. 2:15 pm: Vedanta, Reliance Industries and Bajaj Finance were the top Sensex gainers. 1:45 pm: While all Market Cap categories have gained, Small-Caps has led the market with Nifty Small 100 change of 0.84%. 1:30 pm: Nifty traded higher than 20 day, 50 day, 100 day, 200 day but lower than 5 day moving averages. 1:15 pm: Top Gainers (BSE 200): GMR Infrastructure (10.53%), Reliance Capital (9.52%), Reliance Infra (5.61%) ; Top Losers (BSE 200): Jubilant LifeScience (-4.48%), Tech Mahindra (-2.10%), Ashok Leyland (-1.72%) . 1:00 pm: Vedanta (2.26%), NTPC (1.4%) and Bajaj Finance (1.76%) were the top Sensex gainers. 12:45 pm: Infosys (1.83%), TCS (1.19%) and ITC (1.08%) are top Sensex losers. 12:30 pm: Reliance Communications (4.94%), Jubilant Life Sciences (4.86%) and SpiceJet (3.80%) were the top BSE losers. 12:25 pm: Jet Airways (9.10%), GMR Infra (9.06%), Take Solutions (8.89%) were the top gainers on BSE. 12:20 pm: While 27 stocks hit 52 week highs on BSE, 91 shares fell to their 52 week lows. 12:15 pm: Asian Paints is trading at Rs 1,481 and is 0.51 per cent away from 52 week high of Rs 1,488.60 on the expectation of higher volume traction in decorative paints segment across categories. 12:00 pm: Newgen Software Technologies fell 5 points to Rs.314.90 after the company informed to incorporate a wholly owned subsidiary in Australia and to make initial investment up to 1.5 Million Australian Dollars in the proposed subsidiary by way of subscribing to its shares. 11:40 am: Shares MEP Infrastructure Developers opened with a gain of 4.68 per cent and touched an intraday high of Rs 45.30 (6.09%) as the company arm-MEP Longjian Loha Waranga Road Private Limited entered into concession agreements with National Highways Authority of India for three highway projects in Maharashtra. 11:30 am: Shares of Indiabulls Real Estate rose 4.79 per cent to the intraday high of Rs 90 after the company proposed to issue secured, redeemable, non-convertible debentures of face value Rs 10 lakh each aggregating up to Rs 600 crore, on a private placement basis 11:00 am: Shares of Larsen and Tourbo rose after the company informed the exchanges about L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering Limited (LTHE)--a wholly owned subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro--winning a large order contract for coke calciner project in Sohar industrial estate located in Oman. 10:58 am: Sensex, Nifty off the highs in trade today. Sensex still trading 65 points higher at 37,877, Nifty rises 20 points to 11,373. 10:53 am: Kalpataru Power Transmission share price was trading 4.41% higher at 452.90 on BSE after the engineering firm said its arm Kalpataru Power Transmission Sweden AB has signed an agreement to acquire 85 per cent equity stake in Linjemontage i Grastorp AB for $24 million. The acquisition of Linjemontage is in-line with the KPTL's stated objective of growth and greater geographical presence in stable and growing markets with focus on core power transmission segment, Kalpataru Power Transmission said. 10:28 am: ICICI Prudential Life Insurance share price falls 2% to 316.20 in trade today on Prudential Corporation Holdings plan to sell up to 3.71 per cent stake in ICICI Prudential Life Insurance to raise nearly Rs 1,600 crore. The offer for sale of shares by the promoter begins today. The floor price for the sale has been fixed at Rs 300 apiece. The sale offer will be open for non-retail investors on March 26 and close on the same day. For retail investors, the date has been fixed as March 27. 10:22 am: Suzlon Energy share price gains 1.24% to 6.52 level after the firm completed sale of its two arms - SE Solar and Gale Solarfarms - to CLP Wind Farms for a total consideration of Rs 99.09 crore. 10:19 am: Future Retail share price trading 3.25% higher to 453 level on BSE after the firm reappointed Kishore Biyani as its managing director and Rakesh Biyani as its joint managing director for three years. The company's board in a meeting on Monday "considered and approved the re-appointment" for three years effective May 2. 10:16 am: Tata Steel BSL share price trading 1.78% lower to 27.55 level on BSE a day after its committee of directors approved allotment of shares worth Rs 2,300 crore to Tata Steel on private placement basis. 10:13 am: Banking and oil and gas stocks led the gains with their BSE indices rising 267 points and 182 points, respectively. 10:11 am:On a net basis, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth a net of Rs 150.4 crore on Monday, and domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net sellers to the tune of Rs 12.52 crore, provisional data available with BSE showed. 10:07 am: BSE mid cap and small cap indices were trading 59 points and 82 points higher at 14,976 and 14,670 levels, respectively. 10:04 am: On Monday, the Sensex fell 355 points to 37,809 with 24 components in the red and the Nifty ended 102 points lower to 11,354. 9:59 am: Sensex gains 125 points to 37,935, Nifty rises 37 points to 11,392. 9:58 am: DLF share price rises 6.39% to 201.50 on BSE a day after the realty major launched its QIP offer to raise over Rs 3,000 crore by selling 17.3 crore equity shares to qualified institutional investors. With an aim to become a debt-free company, DLF had last year announced plans to issue up to 17.3 crore shares through qualified institutional placement (QIP) to raise funds and pre-pay loans. 9:55 am: Market breadth was positive with 1115 stocks rising compared to 522 falling on BSE. 9:40 am: Volume topppers on the BSE were YES Bank, Reliance Industries, Maruti Suzuki, TCS and Infosys. 9:35 am: Of 30 Sensex stocks, 24 were trading in the green. 9:33 am: Shares of cash-strapped Jet Airways rise over 8% or 20 points in early trade to 275.40 a day after the company's Chairman Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita Goyal resigned from the board of directors of the airline. On Monday, the stock rose as much as 18 per cent in intra-day trade and settled at Rs 254.50, up 12.69 per cent, against previous closing price of Rs 225.85 9:24 am: ONGC, Coal India, NTPC top Sensex gainers. 9:20 am: Infosys, TCS, HDFC Bank top Sensex losers. 9:15 am: Sensex opens 78 points higher to 37,887, Nifty rises 22 points to 11,375. 9:00 am: Rupee opens at 68.89 per dollar from its last close of 68.94. The Russian Energy Ministry has suggested freeing imports of ships that build the Turkish Stream and Nord Stream-2 pipelines from import duties and taxes, according to a draft ruling published today on the website for disclosure of legal regulations. The draft reads that taxes and duties will not be introduced on the goods that the ships transport if their import and use are temporary. 26 Mar 2019, 12:04 PM Arun Jaitley terms Rahul Gandhi's minimum income plan 'biggest bluff', says Congress betrayed India for more than 7 decades Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday termed Rahul Gandhi's promise of minimum income support to the 20 per cent of the poorest in the country as the "biggest bluff". He said no political party has betrayed India for more than seven decades other than the Congress Party.Earlier today, Congress president Rahul Gandhi promised to give Rs 72,000 per annum to 20 per cent of India's poorest families if his party came to power at the Centre. The scheme seems to be a direct challenge to the Modi government's direct benefit transfer of Rs 6,000 per annum to farmers. Delhi Metro daily ridership sees a drop amid hike in ticket prices In the past two years, despite the introduction of eight new sections on the Delhi Metro, the average daily ridership has dropped by over 3 lakh. And you can blame that on spiralling fares. Data obtained by The Indian Express through a Right to Information (RTI) application reveal that the five operational corridors of the Delhi Metro in 2017 - namely Blue, Yellow, Green, Red and Violet, with a total network length of around 213 km - were carrying 26.50 lakh passengers daily in May that year, when fares were first hiked after eight years. In comparison, the first two months of 2019 registered a daily average ridership of a little over 23 lakh on these lines. Traders association slams Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his 'unrealistic' Rs 72,000 per annum promise According to Gandhi, the scheme would directly benefit 5 crore families and 25 crore individuals. However, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) believes that the one section of people this scheme will be detrimental to are the taxpayers. The association released a strongly-worded statement slamming the Congress president for his "unrealistic declaration". Apple TV app announced, curates content from over 150 streaming apps Expanding its service portfolio, Cupertino giant Apple has announced a video streaming application. Available across iPhone, iPad and Apple TV 4K in over 100 countries, this new Apple TV app is claimed to be one place to easily discover shows from over 150 streaming apps. The Apple TV app will be available on Samsung smart TVs beginning this spring and on Amazon Fire TV, LG, Roku, Sony and VIZIO platforms in the future. Apple launches Apple Card, a credit card for iPhones Expanding its digital payment services, Apple has announced the launch of Apple Card in the US market. It will be available in summer this year. Designed as a credit card for iPhone, customers will be able to sign up for Apple Card in the Wallet app on their smartphones within minutes and start using it with Apple Pay right away in stores, in apps or online worldwide. Designed with simplicity, transparency and privacy in mind, this new Apple Card claims to help consumers lead a healthier financial life. The pilot in a Mumbai to Singapore-bound Singapore Airlines flight, carrying 263 passengers onboard raised a bomb threat alert mid-air. However, it later turned out to be a hoax. The flight has landed safely at the Changi International Airport in Singapore. The SQ flight 423 had taken off at 11.35pm (local time) from Mumbai on Monday. The airlines had received a call claiming that there was a bomb in the flight, shortly after the take off, as reported by The Straits Times. The flight had an emergency landing at 8am (local time) after it was escorted safely by Singapore' s Air force at Changi Airport, reported ANI. The passengers were safe and had to go through a security check up before they could leave the airport. The authorities have detained a woman and a child who are being questioned by the police, the report mentions. (Edited by: Nehal Solanki) Also read: Vijay Mallya lashes out at Modi govt, PSU banks for 'double standards' after Jet Airways bailout Also read: Naresh Goyal's resignation a wake-up call for policymakers, says SpiceJet chief Ajay Singh The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has fined Punjab National Bank (PNB) Rs 2 crore after finding it in violation of compliance with regulatory directions regarding SWIFT operations, the bank said Tuesday. The state-run lender in a regulatory filing said the RBI informed the bank about the penalty in a letter dated March 25. "In the matter of violations of regulatory directions by Punjab National Bank observed during assessment of implementation of SWIFT- related operational controls, the Reserve Bank of India, (imposes) an aggregate penalty of Rs 20 million... on Punjab National Bank," PNB said. Swift is a global messaging software used for transactions by financial entities. The fine comes in the backdrop of the massive Rs 14,000 crore fraud at the Punjab National Bank (PNB) owing to the misuse of this messaging software. ALSO READ: Karnataka Bank reports Rs 13.26 crore fraud to RBI Post the PNB fraud last year, the RBI has been tough on banks to tighten all kinds of transactions. Earlier this month, the central bank had slapped a total monetary fine of Rs 8 crore on three banks- Karnataka Bank, United Bank of India and Karur Vysya Bank for not complying with the directions on Swift messaging software. Four banks - SBI, Union Bank of India, Dena Bank and IDBI - had also informed exchanges about monetary penalty slapped on them by the RBI for non-compliance with various directions. Fine of Rs 3 crore was imposed on Union Bank, Rs 2 crore on Dena Bank, and Rs 1 crore each on IDBI and the SBI. ALSO READ: Raghuram Rajan endorses NYAY but sceptical of funding, says no space for Rs 7 lakh crore subsidy Edited by Manali Reliance Jio is reportedly testing a Triple Play plan for its Jio GigaFiber FTTH service which will offer data, calling, and IPTV benefits under a single plan. According to TelecomTalk, Jio is testing this plan on GigaFiber connections of its employees, which might mean a public rollout in near future. The report said that Reliance Jio is offering internet, voice calling, Jio TV subscription and access to the Jio apps bouquet under this Triple Play plan. While the exact cost of the Triple Play plan is still unknown, some other details have surfaced. According to available details, the plan will offer 100GB high-speed data at a speed of 100Mbps, unlimited voice calling, Jio Home TV subscription and access to all Jio apps. The mention of a Jio Home TV subscription could mean that it will be the name of Jio's IPTV service. The validity of the plan is 28 days. The Triple Play plan will consolidate the subscriptions for data, voice, and IPTV services under one bill, along with access to applications. But as of now, it reportedly is available only to Reliance Jio employees. Normal users can see the plan with 100GB data at 1000Mbps for 30 days in addition to 1000GB bonus data divided into sachets of 40GB. The interesting part of the Triple Play plan is the IPTV service in the form of Jio Home TV, which Jio was rumoured to be testing with its employees. ALSO READ: Reliance Jio eyes global investors for monetising its fibre assets The registrations for the Jio GigaFiber connection began last year on August 15. The subscribers were required to pay a security deposit of Rs 4,500 for the Jio GigaFiber router and Jio's IPTV router. Under the preview offer, Jio had offered 100GB data per month with 100Mbps speed free of cost for three months. While exact plans for Jio GigaFiber have not been officially declared yet, reports suggest that they might come in Rs 500, Rs 750, Rs 999, Rs 1,299 and Rs 1,500. The exact rollout date hasn't been revealed yet but the commercial launch could take place anytime in the coming months. Initially, select users in Mumbai and Delhi circles will have access but Jio plans to extend its Jio GigaFiber services to 50 million homes in India. Jio GigaFiber has now entered the Area Ready for Sale (RFS) stage, under which Reliance Jio is reaching out to resident welfare associations in societies and private households to seek permission for deployment. Under the RFS process, Reliance Jio is reaching out to both Multiple Dwelling Units, like apartments, as well as Single Dwelling Units like individual homes. ALSO READ: Telecom companies revenue to decline for 3rd consecutive year: Report In the run up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, political parties have started making promises to win the favour of their electorate. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has promised to provide Rs 72,000 per annum to the poorest families in India under a minimum basic income guarantee scheme, if his party comes to power. This will be the final attack on poverty, the Congress has claimed. This is not the first noteworthy promise Rahul Gandhi has made ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Here's a look at Rahul Gandhi's promises that could attract voters' attention in the upcoming elections: Education budget to be raised to 6% of GDP Addressing an election rally in Telangana, Rahul Gandhi said that the education budget would be raised to 6 per cent of the GDP if UPA is voted to power in the 2019 elections. The increased expenditure in education is substantially more than the present level. As per the current Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, education spending (under the NDA rule) has gone up from 3.8 per cent of the GDP in 2014 to 4.6 per cent. Filling 22 lakh vacant government jobs Rahul Gandhi targeted the weak spot of the BJP government in power i.e. jobs. To generate employment Rahul Gandhi announced that Congress would fill 22 lakh vacant positions in the government by March 31, 2020. To achieve this mammoth task, Rahul Gandhi further clarified, "Devolution of funds from the Centre to each State Govt for healthcare, education etc. will be linked to these vacant positions being filled." As per information compiled from parliamentary questions and answers, there are over 29 lakh posts lying vacant with the central and state governments. There are 13 lakh vacancies in the education sector, 2.53 lakh permanent posts in Indian Railways and 4.43 lakh posts in the police forces. Today, there are 22 Lakh job vacancies in Government. We will have these vacancies filled by 31st March, 2020. Devolution of funds from the Center to each State Govt for healthcare, education etc. will be linked to these vacant positions being filled. Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 31, 2019 Planning commission to replace NITI Aayog Rahul Gandhi also said that if he is voted to power in the 2019 elections then he will scrap NITI Aayog and replace it with a lean Planning Commission. The leaner Planning Commission will have a staff of less than 100 and would consist of renowned economists and experts, Rahul Gandhi tweeted. Modi government after coming to power scrapped the Planning Commission and formed NITI Aayog via a resolution of the union cabinet on January 1, 2015. NITI aayog is the premier policy think tank of the Government of India, providing both directional and policy inputs. If voted to power, we will scrap the NITI Aayog. It has served no purpose other than making marketing presentations for the PM & fudging data. We will replace it with a lean Planning Commission whose members will be renowned economists & experts with less than 100 staff. Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 29, 2019 Revamping start-up rules Rahul Gandhi has announced that if his party comes to power in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections then no new business will need any permissions for the first 3 years. He has also said Congress will scrap angel tax and offer "solid incentives and tax credits" based on the number of jobs a start-up creates. He also added that the businesses would get easy bank credit. Youngsters, Want to start a new business? Want to create jobs for India? Heres our plan for you: 1. ZERO permissions for the first 3 years of any new business. 2. Goodbye Angel Tax 3. Solid incentives & tax credits based on how many jobs you create. 4. Easy Bank Credit Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 28, 2019 Angel tax is levied from a privately-held company when it raises funds at a rate higher than its actual valuation. In India, Angel Tax applies if a company raises funds at a 30 per cent premium on actual value. As per the current norms, angel tax is charged at a maximum rate of 30 per cent. Also, in an interview to PTI, Rahul Gandhi said: "We've said that we will remove the draconian and ill-conceived angel tax. I've made that commitment and it's going to be done...For the first three years of setting up a new business, we are going to free you up from red tape. You will not need to ask for permission for anything," Minimum income guarantee Rahul Gandhi has announced that Rs 72,000 will be deposited every year in the accounts of 20% of the poorest Indian families under the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) scheme if Congress is elected to power in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. While the exact nature of the scheme and how it would work caused some confusion, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala came with a clarification later. Surjewala also added that the minimum income guarantee scheme is women-centric and the money will be directly credited to the bank accounts of the women of the households. Today is a historic day.. It is on this day that the Congress party launched its final assault on poverty. 5 Crore of the poorest families in India, will receive Rs. 72,000 Per Year#NyayForIndia is our dream & our pledge. The time for change has come. Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 25, 2019 Women reservation bill Rahul Gandhi has also promised to get the women reservation bill approved in the Parliament. If passed, the bill will reserve 33 per cent seats in national and state assemblies for women. "Frankly, I don't see enough women in leadership positions. I don't see them leading enough companies, I don't see them leading enough states, I don't see enough of them in the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabhas," Rahul Gandhi had said At present, in the 16th Lok Sabha, only 12 per cent of members of parliament are women. "We need more women candidates. The first thing we will do when we win the 2019 election is to pass the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament. We want to see women in positions of leadership," Rahul Gandhi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. 33% reservation for women in government jobs As per the Election Commission of India, the nation's voter list comprises 43.17 crore women voters who constitute nearly half of all the eligible voting population of India. To woo this significant electorate, Congress has promised reservation of one-third, or 33 per cent, government jobs at the Centre for women. Rahul Gandhi announced this on March 13 while addressing female students at a college in Chennai. "Not just in Parliament and state legislatures, Congress will reserve 33 per cent of all posts and vacancies for women in central government, central government organisations and CPSUs. We also want to increase the expenditure on education (in the budget) and are discussing with the manifesto committee to make it 6 per cent," Rahul Gandhi had said while interacting with students of Stella Maris College for Women. In its 2014 election manifesto also, Congress had promised reservation for women in police forces. This time, the party has increased the ambit of reservation to all the government jobs at national level. Not just Womens Reservation Bill, Shri @RahulGandhi ji promises to reserve 33% Govt. jobs at national level for women #VanakkamRahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/pAXjwz99zb Ripun Bora (@ripunbora) March 13, 2019 Next generation GST Goods and Services Tax (GST) came into effect from July 1, 2017 under the incumbent NDA government with the aim to unify indirect tax across India. The reform saw widespread opposition and criticism from Congress. "The BJP's GST has put the Indian economy in a sticky situation, with GDP growth sliding down to its lowest in three years at only 5.7% in the first (June) quarter of 2017 as a direct result of GST from an already sluggish 6.1%, thanks to the demonetisation disaster," Congress has put up on its official website. During political meetings and rallies over the past few weeks, Congress president Rahul Gandhi has strongly criticised the tax regime for its multiple tax slabs and alleged complexity, mockingly calling it 'Gabbar Singh Tax'. Moreover, he has promised to reform and simplify GST if his party wins the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Basic idea behind GST is one tax, simple tax, minimum tax. Mr. Modi has sold the country something which isn't GST- it is #GabbarSinghTax: Congress President @RahulGandhi #RahulDemocracyDialogue pic.twitter.com/MOdACE9dH9 Congress (@INCIndia) March 20, 2019 Right to Healthcare Congress president Rahul Gandhi has said that he will introduce Right to Healthcare for all Indians if he comes to power in 2019. This move is meant to counter PM Modi's flagship healthcare scheme Ayushman Bharat which provides health insurance cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per family every year. Rahul had criticised Ayushman Bharat on the grounds that "it gives insurance without a proper support structure from hospitals and medical professionals". So to replace it, Congress will introduce Right to Healthcare Act, through which Congress will guarantee minimum healthcare to all Indians, by increasing the expenditure on healthcare to 3 per cent of GDP and hiring more healthcare professionals. In our manifesto, we are considering a Right to Healthcare Act, where we guarantee certain minimum healthcare to all Indians, increasing our expenditure to about 3% of GDP and increasing the number of healthcare professionals: Congress President @RahulGandhi #HealthcareForAll pic.twitter.com/v80MpIWUGd Congress (@INCIndia) March 15, 2019 Special status to North-Eastern states If elected to power in 2019 elections, Congress has promised to restore the special category status to Arunachal Pradesh and other north-eastern states. At a recent election rally, Gandhi had said that there are certain states in the country which require special status because of their "unique problems and difficulties" such as connectivity, terrain, infrastructure. The Central Bank Governor, Philip Lane, is to appear in front of the Oireachtas Finance Committee later today to talk about the Sinn Fein private members bill No Consent, No Sale Bill 2019. The Irish Independent reports the Governor is set to say he has grave concerns about the bill which passed the second stage of the parliamentary process a few weeks ago. If passed, the bill would severely restrict the ability of banks to undertake loan sales. The bill would require banks to get the specific consent of a borrower before the sale of a mortgage to third party. The Central Bank has already provided feedback to the Department of Finance that the bill would pose financial stability risks. According to Goodbody Stockbrokers, "In todays hearing, the Governor is set to indicate the bill will not give any additional protection to consumers. Indeed, it would damage the banks ability to undertake securitisation, driving up funding costs and mortgage rates for consumers. Mr Lane is set to also say that it would be especially destabilising in a crisis environment since the ability to restructure balance sheets and tap liquidity with the ECB would be impaired. Mr Lanes comments follow recent government comments that the bill could impose significant economic and financial costs for the Irish economy." Source: www.businessworld.ie Ireland has become the fifth most attractive country in the world for foreign investors, according to new figures released by BDO. Ireland has jumped two places year on year in the latest BDO International Compass, which measures the attractiveness of a country as a multi-dimensional concept in three dimensions: economic, politico-legal and socio-cultural. Some of the factors that contributed to Irelands improved ranking is the country's high level of education, strong infrastructure network, strong digital framework, and stable regulatory environment. These findings have been released alongside a new BDO report titled Business in Ireland A Route Map. This report has been published to help anyone looking for information about the business landscape in Ireland and will act as a helpful guide to those looking to set up or expand their presence here. The report provides an overview of all the important business areas companies need to consider when operating here, such as how to set up a legal entity in Ireland, an overview of the key tax principles, Irish acquisition procedures, and employment regulations. In the foreword for the report, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovations, Heather Humphries noted, "Attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) into Ireland has been a cornerstone of our national industrial policy since the 1960s and it has paved the way for the growth and development of Ireland into the competitive, European marketplace that it is today. Our success in building relationships, attracting new business and continuing to provide a competitive business landscape will be put to the test over the coming years as the United Kingdom leaves the European Union." She added, "While we regret the UKs decision to leave, we are working hard to ensure that the future trading relationship between our two countries continues as seamlessly as possible while securing future opportunities with businesses seeking to locate their European presence in Ireland." Source: www.businessword.ie National Transport Authority (NTA) and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) have today announced details of the Preferred Route for MetroLink, the metro service that will run from Estuary north of Swords to Dublins south city, serving Dublin Airport and the city centre. This follows on from the publication last year of the Emerging Preferred Route which went out for public consultation. During the consultation process, issues came to light and the route announced today aims to address the concerns raised. Among the most significant changes is the proposal that the construction in the Mobhi Road area will no longer require the acquisition of the pitch belonging to Na Fianna CLG. Originally it was proposed that pitches at Na Fianna and the adjacent Home Farm FC would be temporarily acquired for the seven-year duration of construction. In consultation with Home Farm FC, NTA and TII now propose to construct a more compact station under their pitch. The pitch will be unavailable during the estimated three-year construction process but will be fully restored afterwards. They say there will be no impact on CLG Na Fianna pitches. A second significant change is the arrangement around Charlemont. The route published last year included a proposal to upgrade the Luas Green line to Metro standard, in line with the Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area. It is projected that the number of people seeking to travel on the Green Line in future years will exceed the carrying capacity of the Luas system, requiring an upgrade. However, NTA and TII say that upgrade is not expected to be needed for some time perhaps twenty years or so. During consultation a concern arose about the need to close the Green Line for a prolonged period during an upgrade. Acknowledging these concerns, an alternative approach has been developed that allows the new section of metro line to be built now, with the Green Line conversion to metro, to occur at an appropriate point in the future. The plan NTA and TII are publishing today is to develop the section from Swords to Charlemont with an interchange from Metro to Luas at Charlemont for passengers. The required tunnel boring works to allow the future connection to the existing Luas line will be completed as part of this current phase. In the city centre, changes have been made to the plan that will reduce disruption and make it easier for other public transport services to continue to operate during construction. In OConnell St, an opportunity has arisen to create an integrated station, under what was the old Carlton cinema and that surrounding area. The location and construction of this station in the original proposal would have presented a significant challenge to Luas services, bus services, and vehicular traffic on OConnell Street. NTA and TII are working with the owners of this property with a view to the site into the proposed development. Disruption in St Stephens Green area will also be reduced under the new plans. This station will be located as previously proposed at St Stephens Green East, but NTA and TII are now moving it slightly south so that Hume Street can remain open during construction, and slightly west so as to avoid closing the road during construction. This also means a major sewer can be avoided that would otherwise require diversion. St Stephens Green park itself will be impacted to a small extent as a result. NTA and TII are consulting closely with Dublin City Council and the Office of Public Works (OPW) on this proposal. Speaking today, CEO of the National Transport Authority, Anne Graham said, "There are very significant benefits associated with MetroLink, particularly in terms of the integrated transport system that it will bring about for Dublin. For example, thanks to MetroLink, there will finally be a rail link to Dublin Airport, and with easy interchange with other modes including bus, Dart and commuter rail, MetroLink will make it easier than ever to move into and around the capital. It is also of benefit in providing a more sustainable transport alternative and by providing a great incentive to get people out of their cars and on to public transport. MetroLink will be a significant economic driver for the region with about 4,000 jobs to be created during construction." Source: www.businessworld.ie U.S. President Donald Trump signed a decree saying the United States recognizes Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, territory that Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war. The signing ceremony was held at the start of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Reuters reported. "This was a long time in the making. Should have taken place many decades ago," the U.S. president said as he signed the document. On March 21, Trump has announced on Twitter that the U.S. will recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. A former Hong Kong official has been sentenced to three years in prison and fined $400,000 for bribing African officials on behalf of a major Chinese energy conglomerate, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday. Patrick Ho, the former head of the Hong Kong Home Affairs Bureau, on Monday was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for paying millions of dollars in bribes to top officials in Chad and Uganda, the statement said. Ho made the bribes in exchange for business favors for CEFC China Energy Co. Ltd. while using a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) to hide his criminal intentions. Ho, a 69-year-old born in Hong Kong, was convicted in December of violating of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, as well as on charges of money laundering and conspiracy. The former ophthalmologist was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in November 2017. Hos crimes are another blow to the embattled CEFC, which has had a turbulent time since its founder and former chairman Ye Jianming was placed under investigation and then stepped down last year. Since then, CEFC has missed payments on nearly 2.1 billion yuan ($329 million) in bonds, and has seen its deal to take a $9.1 billion stake in Russian oil major Rosneft fall apart, forcing the Chinese company to pay $257 million in compensation to the would-be sellers. Ho was found guilty on seven of eight counts after a one-week jury trial in New York that ended in December. Five of the charges against Ho were violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits paying foreign government officials to assist in obtaining or retaining business. Since 1998, the law has also been applied to foreign firms and individuals who further the act of bribery within the U.S. or through the U.S. financial system. Ho said in court that he felt great remorse that his actions have put a burden on his family, and he was sorry that he couldnt be with his wife when his mother-in-law passed away several months ago, according to a report by HK01, a news outlet based in Hong Kong. Ho also said that he was thankful that the Metropolitan Correction Center, where he had been detained, had given him a violin to play at the centers Christmas celebration. U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska, who sentenced Ho, said that she took into account his charitable history, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Preska said that Ho helped tutor inmates and brought music to the correction center actions that were indeed extraordinary, the AP quoted Preska as saying. According to the Justice Department statement, Ho in 2014 used his contacts at the United Nations to meet Ugandan officials and former Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Gadio, who was close to the president of Chad. At the time, Ho was heading up the China Energy Fund Committee, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) fully funded by CEFC. Through Gadio, Ho later offered Chadian President Idriss Deby a $2 million bribe hidden in gift boxes in exchange for helping CEFC secure oil exploration rights in Chad, the statement said, citing evidence presented at the trial. In May 2016, Ho used the CEFC-funded NGO to wire $500,000 to the Ugandan foreign minister through banks in New York. According to the Justice Department statement, Ho also schemed to bribe Ugandas president and offered to provide two Ugandan officials with additional corrupt benefits by partnering with them in future joint ventures in Uganda. Ho has been detained for 16 months since his arrest in 2017. He is expected to be released from prison in 2020. Contact reporter Timmy Shen (hongmingshen@caixin.com) Who Knew? University of Cambridge Has Accepted Chinas Gaokao for Years By Zhao Runhua and Chen Zhiwen / Mar 26, 2019 01:05 PM / Society & Culture The University of Cambridge formally acknowledged the gaokao, Chinas annual college entrance examination, as suitable preparation for its undergraduate courses, alongside the UKs standardized A-Level tests, on its Weibo page Monday. The prestigious British university says that it has actually accepted the gaokao for years though a written notice was only recently included in the schools 2019 entry requirements, which say that applicants submitting gaokao scores would preferably be among the top 0.1% of their provinces candidates that year. Apart from the gaokao, candidates can also submit scores from other tests and send in supplemental materials, like awards, when applying to Cambridge. Within China, it is often the exam alone that will determine which universities a student can go to. Chen Zhiwen, editor in chief at Chinas education information portal Education Online, believes Cambridge's acceptance of the gaokao lends credibility to the tests ability to demonstrate a candidates aptitude. This also does not make it any easier for Chinese students to get into Cambridge, Chen adds as the scores are merely one reference point among many for applicants. The gaokao has faced widespread criticism within China, which often blames the gaokao system for lacking flexibility, and only promoting one specific type of student. Related: Opinion: One Test Labels 30 Million Students as Failures. That Should Change The Iranian authorities decided to evacuate people from the two cites - Gomishan and Siminshahr, the deputy governor of the Golestan province said. The population of Gomishan is 19191 people, the population of Siminshahr - 17205 people, ILNA reported. According to officials, flash floods in southern Iran have killed at least 19 people and injured at least 100 more. Flood warnings have been issued in almost all provinces, including the capital Tehran, due to torrential rain in a country more accustomed to drought. news, latest-news Back in the day, I remember food offerings at the Australian National University meaning a chiko roll at the union in between lectures, a stop at Dollys on the way home from the city late at night and a Sunday roast of indiscriminate meat in the Bruce Hall dining room. Sure, its been 30 odd years since I was an undergraduate student, but on a recent visit to campus I was amazed to find out just how much has changed. Lets start at the ANU Union, on Rimmer Street, close to Barry Drive. The multi-million dollar redevelopment of Union Court will open its doors on March 28. The iconic Union Bar is now a stylish venue, with steel, brick and timber features, two light-filled courtyards, and a food courtish area where several food vendors will sell everything from fried chicken to bao, baked treats and sandwiches and even healthy breakfast options. But it wont be standard fare as Damian Brabender, 2017s Australian Hospitality Association Chef of the Year, executive chef of the award-winning Otis Dining Hall, a man who's fed the Royal family in London, has come on board as the culinary consultant for the Union. One of my staff members at Otis mentioned this project he was working on, the Union is a not for profit organisation and I liked that idea, Brabender says. I said Id have a look to see if I could help them find a consultant to work with and I liked it here so ended up doing it myself. ANU students are living in the capital city of one of the best countries in the world, going to one of the best unis in the world, they should be able to have decent food in a relaxing environment and not have to pay $15 for a beer. Suranga Abeygunasekara is general manager of the ANU Union and is confident it can once again become a popular campus hub. He recognises it is competing, in a way, with the retail offerings of the $260 million dollar Kambri redevelopment, but says the fact they are a not for profit driven business, means students will be getting great food at affordable prices. Over in the Kambri precinct there are options galore, from coffee places, to Asian takeaways, restaurants and a pub Badger and Co. complete with television screens and a range of pub classics. Abeygunasekara said the Union will heavily engage with the 2500 students living nearby in Uni Lodge, as well as the public who will be able to use the venue for functions. Brabender said hes happy to change up the menu based on feedback from customers, looking to provide the best possible experience. I think variety, as corny as it sounds, is the spice of life, Brabender says. If you listed every possible university course that you could do in Canberra and then you listed every possible type of food offering, if we can keep them even that would be a good challenge. Acknowledging all the controversy surrounding the loss of live music from the site, Abeygunasekara says they hope to find unamplified acts to bring to the space. While Nirvana might not quite fit the bill anymore, the new Uni Bar would be a great place for an acoustic Sunday session. Especially if the beers are at 1985 prices. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/7a52a889-c277-4452-97ba-2e5156381587/r0_222_4256_2627_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news For a long time scientists thought they knew what these 558-million year old sea creatures looked like, but new research has painted a different picture. Australian National University Research School of Earth Sciences researcher Ilya Bobrovskiy said he and his colleagues discovered what was once thought to be the entire Dickinsonia fossil, was more likely their "skeleton" - an impression of their more resilient tissue. "It helps us know what they didn't look like and it will change the way we look at them," Mr Bobrovskiy said. Dickinsonia is a genus of the Ediacara biota, strange sea creatures which lived on the seafloor 541 to 571 million years ago. Mr Bobrovskiy said the so-called skeleton could just be a fraction of what the creature was, and some could be much more complex, with tentacles or mouths. Dickinsonia didn't have a skeleton. Instead, they had a more resilient type of tissue. Because Dickinsonia had so many different types of tissue - including its "skeleton" - they showed how much more complex they were than simple organisms. This could tell scientists more about the stages of animal evolution that eventually led towards the first humans, Mr Bobrovskiy said. Mr Bobrovskiy released his paper, co-authored with university colleague Associate Professor Jochen Brocks and Russian scientists, on Tuesday. "It is most rewarding to get an answer for myself," Mr Bobrovskiy said. The research took over five years and saw him abseiling down cliffs off the White Sea in north-west Russia to collect rock samples. Originally, scientists had thought when the sea creatures died they were covered in sand that was cemented over the creature. They believed this created a "death mask" and preserved the creature before it decayed. But by testing the minerals in the rock samples he took in Russia, Mr Bobrovskiy and his colleagues found no trace of the minerals that would create the "death mask". Instead he found soft sediments allowed the creatures to be preserved thanks to the low-oxygen environments on Earth at the time making the Dickinsonia rot more slowly. As the soft sediment slowly pushed up between the decomposing creature and the layer of sand above, it created an impression of the creature's skeleton. He said it was hard for humans to know what Dickinsonia looked like because they were so different from any other animal. "They look completely alien to our eyes," he said. He said humans could reconstruct dinosaurs based off what their bones looked like because we saw birds and reptiles. But aliens from outer space couldn't guess because they wouldn't have any reference points. "Imagine you've never seen a human being, you've never seen a dinosaur or a bird," Mr Bobrovskiy said. "The same way we have never seen other organisms that look like the Ediacaran creatures [means we] have as much difficulty as aliens would have had with reconstructing dinosaurs." /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/806e49e9-f0cb-4281-837c-8afd6a1604f3/r0_255_5000_3080_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news While there is little doubt that it is the ACT Governments role to advocate for the national capital, its primary role is to govern the territory for all Canberrans. The Chief Minister on his regular talkback slot on Friday, March 8 correctly made the point that the primary responsibility for regulating remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), or drones, lies with the Commonwealth, and in particular the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. But this is only part of the story. The public expects that all levels of government work together to identify where regulatory gaps exist and move to fill them accordingly regardless of jurisdiction. Commercial drones are an emerging and disruptive technology that is here to stay, with the potential to significantly enhance the lives of many in our community. However, much like other examples of disruptive technologies over the years, it needs to have the correct policy and regulatory settings to operate in. I have met with many people in the community on this issue, and I sympathise with the concerns they raised with me including noise, privacy and who is responsible for the operation of drones. The current regulatory vacuum in the drones space was highlighted by Project Wings chief executive James Burgess. I understand Project Wings frustration, as a company trying to lead in this space, with having to operate without knowing what the rules will be. If we applied the same level of oversight to the automotive world, it would surely be far simpler to import left hand drive vehicles into Australia and drive them on whatever side of the road the motorist feels comfortable. This is obviously an absurd example, but it is not too far removed from the regulatory environment that Project Wing (or indeed any other potential commercial drone operator) currently find themselves in. The ongoing public debate sparked by the Project Wing trial has not focused on these issues. Instead, it has conflated issues relating to the operation of the technology itself, such as noise and amenity, with issues surrounding the ongoing commercial viability of the service, such as what items should be delivered and when. This has had the effect of pitting people in our community against each other - those who feel the noise and disruption of the current trial are not appropriate, against those who feel the service is a useful amenity to their lives leaving out some critical, innovative uses of the technology. For example, the surveillance of power lines and the monitoring of ongoing environmental damage. One only has to look at the recent shooting down of the Evo Energy drone as reported in The Canberra Times on February 17, to see exactly what results when the Government acts as a cheerleader and not as a thought leader.Much like its piecemeal approach to the adoption of electric vehicles, the Commonwealth Government has again not shown any leadership in the RPAS space, despite the identification of these issues by the Parliament on many occasions. For example, surveillance and privacy, were first raised by the Parliament as far back as 2014. Then in October 2016, the Senate referred a number of RPAS issues to the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee (RRAT). The committee had quite a wide-ranging brief, however most relevant to the current debate they were asked to investigate: The committee produced a comprehensive report at the end of July 2018 covering most aspects of the operation of commercial and recreational drones, however the Government is yet to respond or establish the framework. The committee is mindful that the concerns raised in the 2014 House of Representatives report regarding surveillance laws pertaining to RPAS use remain largely unaddressed. This neglect, across all levels of government, of the regulatory issues surrounding drones has led to technology outpacing the regulatory environment and the outcome we are experiencing here in the ACT. The Chief Minister and the ACT Government have a seat at the COAG table. If the Chief Minister, as he stated on radio, wants the ACT to provide valuable feedback on the operation of RPAS in a city-state environment he would be well advised to start by combining the lessons from the Legislative Assembly committee with the RRAT report and put forward for public consultation a comprehensive package that covers the required Commonwealth, State and local regulatory and legislative changes. It is imperative we have effective regulation, especially on issues such as registration, insurance, noise, privacy and the use of the radio spectrum for at least all commercial RPAS operators as well as developing consumer regulation for recreational RPAS operators. Given the ability of drones to fly across jurisdictional borders, and of drones sold in one jurisdiction to be used in another, regulation needs to be developed consistently Australia-wide. Consideration also should be given to the role of the National Capital Authority in regulating the parliamentary triangle within the ACT. It is only by having consistent, Australia-wide, and internationally harmonised regulations and an effective enforcement regime that we can give certainty to both commercial companies looking to develop technologies and our residents concerned about the amenity of where they live. Following the current trial, the ACTs representatives at both a local and national level should be able to assist in developing this regime. In a jurisdiction with the depth of policy and regulatory understanding such as the ACT, this should be a straightforward task and one well worthy of public debate. David Smith is a Senator for the ACT. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/5e2a4905-627c-4ec9-b172-b41a7522a917/r0_220_4256_2625_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg Vietnam looks to expand cooperation with Germany Updated: 11:25 - 26/03/2019 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (fifth from right) at the reception for German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier___Photo: VNA , , , Vietnam wants to enhance cooperation with Germany, hoping the European nation will provide support in developing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), digital technology, and boosting startup development and innovation, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told visiting German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier.During a reception for Altmaier in Hanoi on March 25, PM Phuc suggested that the German side strengthen investment cooperation with Vietnam, especially in infrastructure and energy development projects, as well as university-level education.The two sides need to focus on measures to promote the two-way trade turnover on the basis of their potential, he said, adding that Vietnam hopes Germany will officially sign and adopt the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).He thanked the German governments willingness to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam, while appreciating the cooperation between German states and Vietnamese localities alongside the European countrys loosening of legal conditions for receiving Vietnamese labourers to work in Germany.Altmaier, for his part, highlighted the potential for the two countries to expand their cooperation, adding that Germany wishes to enhance its friendship with Vietnam.He hoped the two sides will continue to work closely in order to speed up the progress of the Metro No.2 project in Ho Chi Minh City.Germany wants to develop artificial intelligence, digitalisation, and startups in Vietnam, he said, affirming that his country is willing to invite Vietnamese firms to join Germanys SME renovation programme.Altmaier stressed that his country is ready to cooperate with Vietnam in renewable energy development and education and training.In his response, PM Phuc said the Vietnamese government is making every effort to accelerate the construction of Metro No.2, adding that the country is also promoting technology development amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution.He said that Germanys ODA-funded projects have made important contributions to Vietnams socio-economic development, expressing his hope that the German government will continue to provide ODA capital for Vietnam in the process.The Vietnamese leader said Altmaiers visit to Vietnam is an important event towards enhancing the relations between the two countries.Germany is now the largest trade partner of Vietnam in the European Union (EU) in particular and Europe in general, with their two-way trade recording impressive growth in recent years. Many German firms are now successfully operating in Vietnam.- news, latest-news Ministers' advisers should come under greater scrutiny and public service leaders should be re-empowered to give frank advice as the nation pursues a new reform agenda, ex-Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Terry Moran has said. The former top public servant, who led the Prime Minister's Department between 2008 and 2011 and now chairs the Centre for Policy Development, also called for an end to the "obsession with the contracted state". Mr Moran, in an oration honouring businessman, politician and humanitarian Jim Carlton at the University of Melbourne on Monday, said the public service would need rebuilding for a third wave of reform following the post-World War II nation-building era, and the economic and social reform agenda starting in the 1980s. He hoped the major review of the federal bureaucracy led by businessman David Thodey would end the "obsession" with outsourcing government work and called for several sweeping reforms to the public service growing transparency and public trust. Calling for "big, bold ideas" driving policies and programs, Mr Moran said the federal bureaucracy would need to change if it was to pursue the next economic and social agenda replacing a previous wave of reform now losing support. "Community sentiment has swung away from the primacy of light touch regulation of markets, the unexamined benefits of outsourcing, a general preference for smaller government, and a willing ignorance of public sector values and culture as a means of underwriting commitment to the public interest and the needs of communities," he said. "Instead, there is increasing acceptance of a larger role for government, including involvement in service delivery, more effective regulation and bolder policy initiatives. Australians want government to be active and collaborative players, not just investors or market fixers. We know they support reinvestment in the delivery of essential services." Mr Moran called for a return of security for the most senior public servants letting them safely offer tough, independent professional advice "in the face of stakeholder blandishments, whims and aggravation at the ministerial level". "We must return to a public service able to provide frank advice to ministers while securing continuity in our system of government," Mr Moran said. "This must involve respect for the culture and values of the public service, a significant investment in its capability and acknowledgement that the untested and supposed superiority of the private sector is actually an illusion cultivated by rent seekers monetising service delivery opportunities, constraining advice in the public interest or pretending that efficiency and nothing else matters." Ministerial advisers must have their roles formalised and come under the scrutiny of parliamentary committees and integrity bodies. Since growing in influence under Gough Whitlam, their roles had morphed into something "quite different and dangerous". "It needs far more formality and accountability to avoid a descent into assaults on the national interest," Mr Moran said. The public service also needed an integrity watchdog with a broad brief to investigate maladministration, deficient policy advice and incompetence in program management. This reform would likely work better if freedom of information laws were reformed to reduce opportunities for departments to reject requests for documents. Freedom of information regimes today encouraged obfuscation, Mr Moran said. "Other comparable democracies have disclosure regimes that look like the speed of light compared to our glacial progress. It breeds distrust and needs to stop." A stronger public service commission should bring together functions scattered to PM&C;, the Department of Finance and departmental secretaries when the Public Service Board was abolished. Mr Moran also called for an overhaul of laws governing political donations. "Unless we renovate our institutions and the approach taken by the federal government to the delivery of services we are at risk of heightened populism in the next decade and all the disharmony and simple nastiness which will flow from it." The ex-Prime Minister's Department secretary spoke a week after the public service review panel, led by Mr Thodey, released interim findings and recommendations for reform. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/b6dd9104-4677-49a2-be6a-2ddd3db7cab0/r0_101_2000_1231_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact. Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here. Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2. One amongst the AIIMS institutes established by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur (Rajasthan), has released a recruitment notification for Group B and C Non-Faculty posts on a direct recruitment basis. The notification was released for a total of 110 vacancies. AIIMS Jodhpur invites online applications for the various non-faculty post of the Institute on direct recruitment basis. Candidates have to meet all the eligibility criteria set by the AIIMS Jodhpur. Interested candidates can visit the official website to apply online until April 23, 2019. Candidates can earn up to Rs 1,42,400 per month. AIIMS Jodhpur Vacancy Details Post Group Number of Vacancies Yoga Instructor B 1 Assistant Engineer (Air Conditioning & Refrigeration) B 1 Assistant Engineer (Civil) B 2 Assistant Engineer (Electrical) B 1 Junior Engineer (Air Conditioning & Refrigeration) B 4 Junior Engineer (Civil) B 6 Junior Engineer (Electrical) B 2 PACS Administrator (Technical Officer Photography) B 1 Maternity and Child Welfare Officer B 1 Electrocardiograph Technical Assistant B 1 Health Educator (Social Psychologist) B 1 Medical Record Officer B 4 Office Assistant (NS) B 18 Private Secretary B 5 Personal Assistant B 7 Assistant Store Officer B 1 Medical Record Technician C 20 Stenographer C 34 Total 110 CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts oga Instructor, Assistant Engineer, Junior Engineer, Maternity and Child Welfare Officer, Health Educator, Office Assistant, Private Secretary, Personal Assistant, Assistant Store Officer, Medical Record Technician and Stenographer. Organisation AIIMS Jodhpur Educational Qualification Varies from one position to another Job Location Jodhpur, Rajasthan Salary Scale Rs 25,500 to Rs 1,42,400 per month. Industry Health Application Start Date March 25, 2019 Application End Date April 23, 2019 ITBP Recruitment 2019: Applications Invited For 496 Medical Officers Age Limit 18 to 27 years - Stenographer 18 to 30 years - Private Secretary, Personal Assistant and Medical Record Technician 21 to 30 years - Electrocardiograph Technical Assistant and Office Assistant (NS). 21 to 35 years - Yoga Instructor, PACS Administrator (Technical Officer Photography), Maternity and Child Welfare Officer, Health Educator (Social Psychologist) and Medical Record Officer 18 to 35 years - Assistant Store Officer Upto 30 years - Junior Engineer (Air Conditioning & Refrigeration), Junior Engineer (Civil) and Junior Engineer (Electrical). Upto 35 years - Assistant Engineer (Air Conditioning & Refrigeration), Assistant Engineer (Civil) and Assistant Engineer (Electrical). Application Fee The candidates belonging to the General/OBC/EWS categories have to pay Rs 1000 as application fee. However, it is Rs 200 for SC/ST/PWD and women candidates. Click here for the official notification Click here to apply online How To Apply Candidates have to visit the official website of AIIMS Jodhpur - www.aiimsjodhpur.edu.in to apply online. New AIIMS Institutes To Be Established In Tamil Nadu And Telangana Colorado isnt like other states. At 2.7 percent, its unemployment rate is lower than the national average. Its the seventh-fastest-growing state in the U.S., adding some 80,000 residents in 2018. And it remains one of the most popular travel destinations in the country, attracting 86 million visitors last year to ski its slopes, sample its craft beers and hike its peaks. But for insurers the state is not so inviting. In fact, it can be a very challenging place for insurance companies to do business, in part because laws in the state are evolving rapidly in light of a shifting political climate. For a variety of reasons, including recent elections that saw a massive shift to the left, Colorado is not particularly industry-friendly. This goes double for the insurance industry. The Colorado legislature has enacted statutes that radically change the bar for civil penalties against insurance companies. In other states, a policyholder suing an insurer for benefits other than those owed under a particular policy would have to prove the insurance carrier deliberately, knowingly took action adverse to the insured. In Colorado, though, insurers can be held liable for twice any benefit owed, plus attorney fees and costs, if they act unreasonably. For carriers unfamiliar with this risky and potentially expensive environment, it can be a minefield. But, of course, it remains possibleand profitablefor insurance companies to do business in Colorado, provided they enter the state with eyes open and understand the unique challenges presented by the Centennial State. Specifically, pay attention to these three things: Stick to the facts. Know that everything that a carrier writes in its claim file can end up as an exhibit at trial in Colorado, and it should be treated as such from the very start. Claims files should be clear, concise and factual. Characterizations and impressions should be kept to a minimum, if not avoided altogether. The file should be well documented, with phone calls noted even when only voice messages are left. And if the carrier reviews information and considers it material to the claim, that information should be copied to the file and the significance of the information noted. Dont panic. In statutory delay, denial or bad faith cases in Colorado, plaintiffs counsel often try to set up carriers by overwhelming them with a constant barrage of letters, sending the same information repeatedly and demanding that the carrier pay what is owed. This influx of typically cumulative data is meant to ensure that plaintiffs counsels unilaterally imposed deadlines will be missed. But carriers are not defenseless. Be mindful of the insureds duties section of the policy. Most policies generally require that plaintiffs cooperate with the carrier and the carrier should exercise its right to request information as often as is necessary. Colorado regulations allow carriers to gather all the information needed to investigate a claimto have a complete filebefore making a determination as to what might be owed. Communication with the insured and insureds counsel can certainly identify what information is missing and why the carrier needs that information. If plaintiff or counsel fail to cooperate with the insurers efforts to investigate the claim, that can be a bar to recovery. This article does not create an attorney-client relationship, is not intended as a solicitation or legal advice, and is not a substitute for obtaining legal advice from a qualified attorney. You should not act without first seeking qualified professional counsel as to your specific legal needs. For insurers, Colorado is a very complicated place. Many carriers are nervous about doing business here, and that anxiety trickles down to their adjusters handling claims. But those that come in prepared and understand just what the differences are and what the legal implications might be for them can thrive here. After all, there are more than 5.6 million potential customers in Colorado, and that number is growing every year. Senator Marsha Blackburn returned on Sunday from visiting soldiers in the Tennessee Army National Guard serving in Poland and Ukraine. She said, "This weekend, I had the distinct honor of visiting our men and women of the Tennessee Army National Guard serving overseas in Poland and Ukraine before they return home from a nine-month deployment. Too often, non-combat deployments can be overlooked and I wanted to let these brave Americans know their missions are critical to the national security of the United States. The 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR) headquartered in Knoxville is one of just two heavy ACRs still in existence. The motto of the 278th is "I Volunteer, Sir" - a spirit that I saw embodied in each soldier I met with throughout the weekend. "I was also impressed with the improvement the soldiers made to their facilities. One of the unique strengths of the Guard is the soldiers' wide variety of civilian professions. In Ukraine, carpentry skills were put to use to construct an outdoor activity area and to enhance the dining facilities. The 101st Airborne will take over this mission later this year, and I know that they will be grateful for these improvements. "In both sites, I sat down in the chow hall for lunch with our soldiers. There we discussed issues affecting their everyday lives - including retirement age, benefits and pay, and the increasingly high tempo of National Guard operational deployment. I will bring back the knowledge I gained from these conversations to my work on the Senate Armed Services Committee, to ensure that we address these issues head on. "I want to thank all of the men and women who welcomed me to Poland and Ukraine this weekend. I hope that I brought a small taste of Tennessee to our soldiers, and look forward to welcoming them back home later this year." Read more about the Senators trip here. The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has arrived in Tennessee. The Shelby County Health Department reported two cases of the variant were identified in Shelby County on Saturday. Dr. Michelle Taylor, Shelby County Health Director said, We did expect the Omicron variant to appear in Tennessee, as it has in 19 other states. Shelby County has excellent COVID-19 testing capacity, with ... (click for more) (Jen Jeffrey Billington, Chattanoogan.com correspondent, lives a short distance from Mayfield, Ky., that suffered massive tornado damage. Power is out at her home, but she was able to post this on Facebook) Not sure if this will post, Internet is down and I can only do certain things on Facebook, but not everything. It gets hung up when I try to answer your comments. My family ... (click for more) Three band students from Ooltewah High School have been chosen to attend prestigious summer programs. All three students underwent a thorough application process as well as a competitive audition process to be chosen for these programs. Logan Henson and Ian Tran, both juniors at Ooltewah High, were chosen for Tennessee Governors School for the Arts, a summer program for juniors and seniors that gives students the opportunity to learn from some of the best professionals from around the world. The six-week program helps each student explore and develop his or her talents in music, ballet, theatre, filmmaking, and visual art. Mr. Henson plays the horn and will receive a full scholarship. Mr. Tran plays the flute and will receive a partial scholarship. Mr. Henson possesses a 4.0-grade point average, is a member of the National Beta Club, and has recently been elected to the National Honor Society. He has participated in All-County Band, ETSBOA Senior Clinic, Lee University Honor Band, and All-State Band. Mr. Henson is a member of the Chattanooga Symphony Youth Orchestra, and he marched in the Tournament of Roses Parade in 2016. Mr. Tran is enrolled in AP courses, treasurer of the Hoo Club at OHS, treasurer of the Science Olympiad, member of the Chattanooga Symphony Youth Orchestra and marched in the Tournament of Roses Parade in 2016. He has participated in ETSBOA Junior and Senior Clinic, and Lee University Honor Band. Sam White, a junior trumpet player at Ooltewah High, was chosen for the very competitive Interlochen Summer Arts Camp and High School Trumpet Institute at Interlochen. Located in northeast Michigan, this summer program is for students grades 3-12. Students from all around the world attend this program to study music, theatre, visual arts, creative writing, motion picture arts, and dance, as well as learn from amazing artists and educators and create with other students who share their passion for the arts. Mr. White is enrolled in AP and International Baccalaureate courses at Ooltewah High. He has participated in All-County Band, ETSBOA Junior, and Senior Clinic, Lee University Honor Band, and All-State Band. White is also a member of the Chattanooga Symphony Youth Orchestra and marched in the 2016 Tournament of Roses Parade. Each of these three students has excelled not only in band but in all aspects of school as well, said Dr. Timothy Ellison, band director at Ooltewah High. We are very proud of the work they have done and will continue to do throughout their time in Hamilton County Schools and at Ooltewah High. Saturday, March 30 is National Doctors Day, and the Tennessee Medical Association wants to acknowledge the physicians across the state for their contributions to their patients and their communities. Much has changed since the first Doctors Day observance in 1933 and even since it became official in 1990. We have had major medical breakthroughs and technological advances. The U.S. healthcare system now represents more than 18% of our nations gross domestic product, and all stakeholders from government agencies to insurance companies to technology innovators are continually trying to figure out how to achieve the best possible care at the lowest possible cost. What hasnt changed is that physicians are still on the front lines every day, leading the healthcare delivery teams that treat patients and their families when they are sick or injured and counseling patients on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I became a surgeon because I wanted to give patients immediate relief from abdominal pain, and the sense of purpose that first inspired me to enroll in medical school still drives me in practice 20 years after I completed my residency training. Most of the other doctors I know in TMA and through my professional network similarly consider our profession less of a job and more of a calling. The hours are long, the work is stressful and doctors often overextend ourselves trying to balance our professional and personal lives. Fortunately, there is an increasing awareness of how this overextension leads to alarming rates of physician burnout, and the medical community is doing more to help our colleagues avoid or manage substance abuse, disruptive behaviors and even suicide. We recognize our privilege in serving others, and our unique responsibility to affect policies, rules and regulations through advocacy organizations like TMA. Our collective voice helps improve healthcare in Tennessee, and is often the only thing keeping government entities and insurance companies from implementing policies that adversely affect us and our patients. We also know that good healthcare directly affects a communitys economic status; Tennessees physicians create more than 175,000 jobs and generate $29.1 billion in economic activity, according to a 2018 report released by TMA and the American Medical Association. So, please take a few minutes to say thank you to the physicians in your community. Visit an office. Make a phone call. Send a card or an email. It just might make your doctors day. Matthew L. Mancini, MD, FACS is a general surgeon in Knoxville and 2018-2019 President of the Tennessee Medical Association.tnmed.org Sheriff Jim Hammond told members of the Pachyderm Club on Monday that a problem he is now having involves staffing the sheriffs department. He said that there is rigorous vetting for those who carry guns, and those standards are making it difficult to hire and train people. There is also continuing education and on-going training that is required. But, pay is the biggest problem, he said. The sheriffs correctional department is now 25 officers short and they must work overtime and just get worn out, he said. The patrol officers are six short. He is hoping to increase pay to be able to compete with other agencies. A corrections officer starting salary is $35,000 plus benefits, which causes most to work a second part time job. It costs $99,000 today, and costs of everything continue to rise, he said. "We cant spend our way out of the problem. Looking at individuals and trying to get them out of the system would be a way to control expenses of the Sheriffs Department." Sheriff Hammond, who is now in his third term, said his responsibilities fall into three categories: keeper of the jail, server of the process and law enforcement. As keeper of the jail, he is responsible for the safety and security of Hamilton County inmates as well as citizens. There are currently around 1,400 people incarcerated including 300 females. It costs the taxpayer $99,000 every 24 hours to keep these inmates, he said, so it is important to look for ways to get and keep people out of that system by making them useful citizens again. Using Chicago as a role model he said that people arrested there are seen by councilors the next day who assist in customizing ways to rehabilitate them through physical, emotional and spiritual programs. The Sheriffs Office has 400 employees whose main responsibility is to unincorporated areas in the county, however the officers are also is in and out of the seven municipalities that are in Hamilton County because the smaller towns may not have needed equipment. The Sheriffs office also works closely with the city of Chattanooga and the two entities have joint ventures. One is the firing range at Moccasin Bend. He said that location is wanted for further business development and tourism, but it will not be moved until new land is procured for building a new facility. He said he is not opposed, but it will take $5 to $8 million to move and build a basic new firing range which will need to be confined to indoors. He said that negotiations are now taking place with TVA for property that is not near water, that they are reluctant to give up. The city and county would also like to build a Southeastern regional law enforcement training academy together which could be used also by ATF, DEA, FBI, local military and other local police departments. He said he is also looking to train SWAT teams in cooperation with Chattanooga. As server of the process the Sheriffs Department delivers paperwork from many type of legal experts, he said. The law enforcement element includes patrol officers, detectives, swat teams, a drone unit, the only dive team in Hamilton County and the SRO division. Currently there are 34 School Resource Officers in 79 Hamilton County schools. Federal grants funded eight SROs last year and a second federal grant this year has provided six more. The county has given money for some and the department of education has funded seven others. The SROs do more than stand at the door, they get to the schools before they are open, and they mentor students and gather intelligence by just listening to kids talk. These officers are now in all high schools, most middle schools but at no elementary schools, which is needed because Sheriff Hammond said fifth and sixth graders are at the age targeted by drug dealers. The county now has two jails, the one in downtown Chattanooga and a second that was formerly Silverdale Workhouse. There are negotiations going on for replacing the one downtown since architects have determined that it cannot be rehabilitated. The estimate to do this is from $50 to $100 million, said the sheriff. The county has pledged $20 million toward the new jail. Most courts will remain where they are downtown, but a few sessions courts may be moved to the Silverdale facility. The jails have become the largest mental health hospitals, said Sheriff Hammond, with 40 percent of the inmates having mental health problems. He said that the officers are kept from doing their jobs because they are tied up by transporting those with mental health issues back and forth to the hospitals. We spend hundreds of hours now, taking patrol officers off of their regular jobs, to be ambulance drivers, he said. That might be changing with a new state bill that will make insurance pay for transportation for those who have it. He said that officers will always continue to transport criminals who have committed crimes such as shootings and murder. He said that in the last several years, $1 million has been spent in Hamilton County on 50 individuals with mental health issues. At one time medication was thought to be the answer, however when these inmates are released into society, many quit taking the medications and they cycle back through the system again from homelessness, vandalism and panhandling .He advocates building medical jails to help with the costs. Drugs are seen as a major cause of problems. People are inundated with advertisements and prescription drugs are too easy to get, said Sheriff Hammond. But more controls that have been put in place are helping by closing pain management clinics and establishing regulations and limits on the way drugs are prescribed. And, it is also too easy to find instructions on ways to make illegal drugs. There is a correlation with drugs used by young people and school drop-out rates which lead to people not being able to get jobs. A lot of that blame falls on bad parenting skills, he said. Its important to hug your son every day and tell him you love him, everyday, said the sheriff. Recidivism is being helped, he said by rehabilitation programs that are now being employed such as church and fathering classes that help them learn a better lifestyle said the sheriff. The biggest solution to help reduce costs is to get people out of the system, he said. Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander today said, Having electronic health records that talk to one another we call that interoperability is one way to reduce what we spend on administrative tasks and unnecessary care.In 1991, the National Academy of Medicine released a report urging the prompt development and implementation of what were then called computer-based patient records. Electronic health records got a boost in 2009 when the federal government began the Meaningful Use program, spending over $36 billion in grants to incentivize doctors and hospitals to use these systems.The hope was electronic records would improve patient care and reduce unnecessary health care spending. But in 2015 six years after the Meaningful Use program started and as the 1991 report predicted we realized that, in many cases, electronic health records added to administrative burden and increased unnecessary health care spending. So, in 2015, this committee held six bipartisan hearings and formed a working group to find ways to fix the interoperability of electronic health records.Chairman Alexander made his remarks today at a Senate health committee hearing on implementation of the electronic health information provisions in the 21st Century Cures Act. In the Cures Act, Congress took steps to help improve the exchange of electronic health information. Last month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released two rules to define information blockingso it is clear when one system is purposefully not sharing information with anotherand to give patients more control over their records and providers more information so they can better treat their patients.According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, these two new rules should give more than 125 million patients easier access to their own records in an electronic format, Senator Alexander continued. This will be a huge relief to any of us who have spent hours tracking down paper copies of our records and carting them back and forth to different doctors offices. The rules will reduce administrative burden on doctors so they can spend more time with patients. A recent study from Kaiser found that emergency room doctors, in order to use electronic health records systems, make up to 4,000 mouse clicks per shift. According to HHS, spending less time on these administrative tasks will improve efficiency and therefore could save $3.3 billion a year.Senator Alexander told the story of Reid Blackwelder, a family physician with three clinics in the Tri-Cities area of East Tennessee: A few years ago, Dr. Blackwelder talked to the New York Times about the electronic health records that were supposed to make his life easier, saying, We have electronic records at our clinic, but the hospital, which I can see from my window, has a separate system from a different vendor. The two dont communicate. When I admit patients to the hospital, I have to print out my notes and send a copy to the hospital so they can be incorporated into the hospitals electronic records. Dr. Blackwelder could pay for his patients hospital records to be electronically sent from his system to the hospitals system but it would cost him $26,400 every month or $316,800 a year. For Dr. Blackwelder, and so many other doctors, record keeping is now more expensive and burdensome.The Senate health committee had six hearings in 2015 to explore ways to get our nations system of health information technology out of a ditch and make it useful for doctors and patients. The committee then authored the 21st Century Cures Act which directed HHS to make proposals to improve electronic health records.You can read Alexanders full prepared remarks here Brad Pitt is, perhaps, one of the most well-known actors of his generation. Born December 18, 1963, in Shawnee, Oklahoma, Pitt has 80 acting credits and 52 production credits to his name, according to IMDB. The Golden Globe winner is best known for his roles in Fight Club (1999), Oceans Eleven (2001), and Moneyball (2011). But everyone has to start somewhere, and Brad Pitt put in quite a lot of work in show business before getting his big break. So which movie role truly made Brad Pitt famous, and which early roles came before that? Heres what we know. Which movie role truly made Brad Pitt famous? Brad Pitt truly reached stardom with the unlikely film of Thelma and Louise in 1991. The film stars Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis in the starring roles of best friends who set out on an adventure that, at first fun and games, takes a terrifying turn. After committing a series of crimes, the two best friends find themselves being hunted down by the cops and they decide to flee to Mexico to escape. Where does Brad Pitt fit into this? He plays the role of J.D. a sweet-talking but decidedly two-faced cowboy and hustler who hitches a ride from Thelma and Louise. Although he only appeared in roughly seven minutes of the movie, Brad Pitt provided both eye-candy and comic relief in a female dominated film that mostly invoked the darker side of human emotions. People have pointed out that the way Brad Pitt is objectified in the film turns the tables on the usual male/female roles. He assumes the role of the attractive female, while the ladys become the typical male action heroes. At one point, Brad Pitt is featured in a sex scene with Thelma (Geena Davis) that is decidedly PG-13. No matter how the movie portrayed him, he truly stole the show. Brad Pitt became one of the most remembered supporting characters in Thelma and Louise, and the film opened a lot of doors in his acting career. What was his first acting job? Brad Pitt began acting in 1987, and during that year he appeared in three uncredited movie parts. One was as a boy at the beach in Hunk, while another was as a waiter in No Mans Land. He also appeared as a preppy kid at the fight in Less Than Zero. He did receive one credited acting part that year, as well, when he appeared in two episodes of the television series Another World as Chris. What roles did Brad Pitt play in the late 1980s? Brad Pitt | Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Before Thelma and Louise debuted in 1991, and after his small acting gigs in 1987, Brad Pitt stayed very busy. In 1988 alone he appeared in four episodes of the television series, Dallas, and made a guest appearance in an episode of 21 Jump Street. He founded out the year by portraying Teddy Johnson in the television movie, A Stoning in Fulham County. The late 1980s and the opening year of the 1990s ended on a fairly strong note for Brad Pitt, which probably led to his receiving his role as J.D. in Thelma and Louise. During those last few years, Pitt appeared in two television series Thirtysomething and Glory Days. He also appeared in two made-for-television movies, The Image and Too Young to Die? Before his big break, Brad Pitt also made appearances in three movies. He played Joe Maloney in Across the Tracks (1990), Dwight Ingalls in Cutting Class (1989), and Brian in Happy Together (1989). It was directly after his extended guest appearances in six episodes of Glory Days that Pitt finally got his big break although he almost certainly didnt realize that it was at the time. Its hard to believe weve been following the Duggars since the oldest of the 19 kids were just teens. It all began with Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, a fundamentalist Christian couple who shared how they raised their gigantic family on TLCs 19 Kids and Counting. Through the drama, courtships, weddings, and new Duggar grandchildren weve been introduced to over the years, theres no doubt the family is here to stay on our televisions thanks to programs like Counting On. Jinger Duggar and her husband, Jeremy Vuolo, have become fan favorites over the years, and it turns out the two are breaking away from the family. Heres where theyre going, why theyre moving, and why Counting On fans have expected this for ages. Jinger and Jeremy announced theyre moving to Los Angeles The Duggar family visits Extra | D Dipasupil/Getty Images for Extra From her modern ways of dressing to her earrings, Jinger has always been one of the Duggars we assumed was most likely to break the mold. While the familys based out of Arkansas. Jinger and Jeremy decided to move to Laredo, Texas, at first but its clear that they had further destinations in mind. People reports the couple happily announced they made the decision to move to Los Angeles. As Jinger and Jeremy told People, In recent days, God has made it overwhelmingly clear to us that he is leading us out of Laredo. Through much prayer and counsel, the next step for our family is to relocate to Los Angeles to attend Grace Community Church as Jeremy pursues graduate studies at The Masters Seminary. The two did mention that leaving their home of Laredo is bittersweet, however, as theyve made plenty of friends in the area they dont wish to say goodbye to. But since Jeremys ministry work has always taken precedence in their lives, their move to the big city makes even more sense for the family. Jingers discussed her desire to move to a big city before The move may come as a shock to some, as the Duggars are a tight-knit bunch who dont stray far from each other. But it seems Jinger has always had aspirations to move to the big city. And since her desires line up perfectly with what Jeremys after, it makes sense that shed finally pull the plug and chase her dreams of living in Los Angeles. Radar Online reports way back in 2013, there were discussions taking place that involved Jinger wanting to move to New York City. Michelle Duggar reassured her rebellious daughter that what she really wanted was just easier access to retail stores, like Walmart, and instead suggested she go visit infamous brother Josh in Washington, D.C. And in May 2018, Radar Online reported again that there were rumors Jinger and Jeremy were thinking about a Los Angeles move then, too. While Michelle attempted to downplay her daughters desires, it seems Jingers first move to Texas was only the beginning. Do her parents and siblings support her? As Michelle Duggar once told Radar of Jinger, New York City is way above what we would ever consider a city where she should move! While she never seemed too supportive of her kids moving far away from Arkansas in the past, shes probably putting on a happy face for Jinger now, however. The Duggars are all about letting the men rule the household and make the major decisions, and it seems above all else, the move is benefitting Jeremy and his standing with the church. As for the other Duggar siblings, we bet theres nothing but love for Jinger and Jeremy as they make their way out west. In Touch Weekly reminds us Jana and Jessa Duggar have visited Jinger when she was living in Texas, so theres no doubt the more adventurous members of the family will fly out to Los Angeles when Jinger and Jeremy are settled in their new home. Perhaps the happy couple can even convince a few of the other Duggars to move all the way out there with them. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! Princess Diana was possibly the most beloved member of the royal family ever to grace a magazine cover. The beautiful royal was known for her grace, style, and habit of engaging on a real level with everyone that crossed her path. While the publics love and admiration for Princess Diana never wavered, her contentious relationship with many other members of the royal family was legendary. This difficult relationship was strained even more following her divorce from Prince Charles. Princess Diana often butted heads with other royals Princess Diana was a revolutionary force in the British monarchy. For more on the iconic princess: https://t.co/VbYQj9f9dn pic.twitter.com/Y8JO5WrasM ELLE Decor (@ELLEDECOR) March 22, 2019 From the very beginning, Princess Diana didnt fit in with the rest of the royal family. Although she was from the distinguished Spencer family, she still felt as though the glamorous, rigid palace life was quite foreign to her. Although theres little doubt that she loved Prince Charles, some reports indicate that she didnt want to marry him, especially after she found out about his longtime relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles. Still, as a young woman of 19, Diana Spencer went through with the much-publicized wedding and became forever known as Princess Diana. While Prince Charles and Princess Diana went on to have two adorable boys that they both clearly loved, they continued to experience problems within their marriage. Prince Charles refused to end his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, which caused Princess Diana great emotional distress. It wasnt just the marriage that was suffering the entire royal family wasnt pleased with the way that Princess Diana communicated with the public and the press. Reportedly, her more casual attitude when it came to public engagements didnt sit well with the queen, as did her habit of often hugging people. The royal family traditionally kept their distance from the public and didnt make it a practice to touch commoners. Over the years, tensions escalated. Prince Charles and Princess Diana eventually decided to legally separate, but to still stay married in name only for the sake of their children. However, when Princess Diana gave a television interview where she openly spoke about Prince Charles affair with Bowles, the pot boiled over, and Queen Elizabeth demanded that they divorce. Did Prince Charles want her title stripped away? Princess Diana and Prince William at Guards Polo Club at Smiths Lawn Windsor pic.twitter.com/umra2t4vpN Princess Diana_The Royal Family (@the_Cambridges1) March 21, 2019 Divorce was not common in the royal family at all, and the news made headlines around the world. While the tabloids raged and published a steady stream of stories detailing Prince Charles affair, and the strength of the royal familys feelings against Princess Diana, the palace was also in an uproar. The divorce proceedings between Prince Charles and Princess Diana turned bitter when he insisted that she lose all rights to use her title. This was big news for several reasons apparently, Queen Elizabeth didnt mind Prince Charles former wife keeping the title of Her Royal Highness, The Princess of Wales. However, Prince Charles was dead set against Princess Diana keeping the title. Stripping away her title meant that Princess Diana would have to curtsy to any member of the royal family that she encountered in public, including her sons, as well as giving up any future claim to the throne. Reportedly, Princess Diana was humiliated by this but didnt seem to have much choice in the matter. Following their divorce, she would officially become known as Diana, Princess of Wales. Sadly, Princess Diana passed away less than a year following the finalization of their divorce. While she didnt get the chance to watch her sons grow up and start their own families, both of her sons keep her memory alive in the way that they interact with the public and their fans, and the dedication that they share for making the world a better place. Prince George and Princess Charlotte spend a lot of time in the spotlight, but their parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton, have even more royal responsibility. Although they adore their kids, Will and Kate cant do it all by themselves. George and Charlotte have a nanny who has been working with the family for some time and helps care for the kids. But how do the children like the woman they spend so much time with? Prince George and Princess Charlotte with their nanny, Maria Borrallo | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images The kids nanny is Maria Borrallo, who joined the family in 2014 Maria Borrallo, who is from Spain, joined the family in 2014, when George was only eight months old. She is the sole caretaker for George, Charlotte, and Louis, and shes practically a part of the family at this point. Borrallo actually went to school to learn the ins and outs of nannying. She is a graduate of Norland College, which teaches nannies everything from defensive driving to cooking to taking care of royal family members, according to Town & Country Magazine. The royal family has a history of hiring nannies from the school. Borrallo has accompanied the children on almost every important outing Borrallo is the nanny, but at this point, she might as well be a family member. Will and Kate trust her to go anywhere with them. She accompanied Princess Charlotte to Meghan Markles wedding, and she rode in the backseat to Queen Elizabeths annual Christmas lunch last year to help look after Charlotte and George during the holiday. All three of the royal kids havent even known their lives without her, and shell likely be around for at least another decade, until Louis is old enough to take care of himself. The kids appear to be used to Borrallo and enjoy spending time in her care Since the kids spend so much time with Borrallo, they appear to be comfortable with her. If things werent working out, Will and Kate likely would have replaced her with someone else. She has been seen playing outside with the kids and appears to care for them on more than just a professional level; she seems to truly have a relationship with them. George and Charlotte also seem to have a good relationship with each other, which definitely makes Borrallos life a bit easier. Will and Kate are so satisfied with Borrallo that they havent added anyone else to their staff Will and Kate have three kids now, but they havent added any new nannies to their staff since they hired Borrallo. While three children may warrant more than one nanny in some families, Borrallo seems to have such a great repertoire with the children that Will and Kate didnt feel the need to bring on anyone new when they had Louis last year. It looks like Borrallo will be around to care for the kids for a long time, but it doesnt seem like Charlotte or George mind spending time with her. Its unclear if shell look after any other royal children once these kids are grown, but either way, Will and Kate will probably give her a great review. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! It seems Wendy Williams has been talked more about in the media lately due to her health issues than her insightful talk show shes been hosting for 11 years. Some people may not realize shes been on TV this long, which is surprising considering her winning personality and entertaining interviews. Despite recent reports about Williams suffering from Graves Disease and having to live in a sober house, we forget what made her famous in the first place. Lets go back in time to see how she landed her talk show and what she did before moving to TV. Some of you new to Williams history will be surprised at what she did on radio in the beginning. Williams career start on the radio dial Wendy Williams and I were hanging out in her studio at WBLS in New York in 2003. Wendy had just made a comeback to radio airwaves and I had just published her first-ever column in Honey magazine. I applaud @WendyWilliams for her courage in revealing her her current struggle. #tbt pic.twitter.com/BgoPQddhCb Amy DuBois Barnett (@amydbarnett) March 21, 2019 Radio was already in Williams blood when she began her career there 30 years ago. Shed had experience working as a radio DJ for Northeastern Universitys radio station in Boston when attending there. Her biggest radio break, though, came from being hired to work at two stations in D.C. and NYC. After a few years, shed become a very popular local DJ. Once offered a DJ job at an urban radio station in Philadelphia, she was beginning to reinvent how transparent a radio host could be on air. This was during the late 1990s when shock jock hosts were already becoming a thing. No one had heard this from a woman host, however. Her openness about discussing her past personal problems on-air made her very popular with local listeners. Her confessional style then switched over to a syndicated radio show she did out of New York during the early 2000s. A notorious interview with Whitney Houston is still talked about today Just before Wendy Williams landed a TV deal, she was being deemed a shock jock, based considerably on an interview she did with Whitney Houston in 2003. Many people still talk about how wild this interview was, including open profanity and blatant questions about Houstons drug use. Not that other talk shows hadnt already gone this route, even if Williams brought a slightly different style in talking about her own problems. In 2008, she was offered a syndicated talk show to initially air in only four cities. At the time, even The New York Times found the format refreshing. No wonder the show went wide into syndication just a year later. Its strange, though, some hadnt really heard a lot about Williams until she started having odd things happen on her show recently. Ten years later, Williams started displaying personal problems All these years later, Williams is suddenly making major headlines for her health issues. The first sign of this was when she fainted live on air during her Halloween 2017 show (ironically while dressed as the Statue of Liberty). Then her Graves Disease diagnosis placed her on a brief leave-of-absence from her program. Now with news shes fighting for sobriety from her past drug abuse opens new doors to studying her path to fame. Those early days of radio truly were both revolutionary and shocking in how much candor made it past the FCC. Of course, concerns are also there about the relationship with her husband and whether this has something to do with her living in a sober house. Lets hope Williams doesnt become famous for tragedy above great interviews Wendy Williams |y Santiago Felipe/Getty Images Many fans are still concerned about Williams welfare. All we can hope for is she and her show dont keep trending for all the wrong reasons. No one wants her to turn into Whitney Houston with a similar outcome. Even if being honest is still an insightful approach to interviewing, lets hope Williams keeps her legacy as a great interviewer rather than someone consumed by fame. American actor Samuel L. Jackson has been captivating movie audiences since the 20th century. In the early days of his film career, Jacksons full name did not always appear in the credits. But anyone who saw the 62 actor in Together For Days, Do The Right Thing, Mo Better Blues , or any other flick he appeared in, was likely impressed by his presence. How many of his movies have you seen so far? If you havent yet seen the following films, youre definitely missing out. Before he made movies Samuel Leroy Jackson made his planetary debut in Washington, D.C., three days after Christmas in 1948. Born to a single mom, Jackson spent most of his childhood in the care of his grandparents in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He attended Morehouse College in the late 1960s where he appeared in several dramatic productions, including A Soldiers Story and The Threepenny Opera. After leaving the predominantly Black college, Jackson joined the Negro Ensemble Company along with such future notables as Morgan Freeman. Jacksons film debut was the independently produced blaxploitation movie, Together For Days. Also starring Clifton Davis and Gilbert Lewis, the movie presented the story of a radical civil rights activist and a caucasian women with whom he was romantically involved during the racially charged 1970s. Although perhaps not one of Jacksons most notable film efforts, the movie did garner attention that would serve him well into the future. Do The Right Thing Jacksons 1989 collaboration with auteur Spike Jones did not give the actor as much face time as some of his notable roles, but filmgoers certainly got a good taste of his unmistakable voice. As Mister Senor Love Daddy, Jackson commanded the role of the all-knowing DJ at a Bedford-Stuyvesant radio station on the hottest day of the year. Every character in the movie listens to Love Daddy, although no one but Mookie, played by director Lee, interacts with the radio personality personally. Do The Right Thing also starred Ossie Davis, Danny Aiello, Ruby Dee, Bill Nunn, and John Turturro. Snakes on a Plane Enough is enough! Ive had it with these mother****ing snakes on this mother****ing plane! Such are the immortal and profane lines typical of FBI agent, Neville Flynn. Snakes on a Plane may not be Jacksons most demanding film role, but it certainly did leave audiences talking about it for years afterward. According to Business Insider magazine, Jackson asked to be in this 2006 movie before ever laying eyes on a script. Originally slated to be directed by Hong Kong action movie director, Ronny Yu, Snakes on a Plane was ultimately directed by David R. Ellis. Pulp Fiction Movie buffs at Ranker tout director Quentin Tarantinos 1994 opus, Pulp Fiction as Jacksons most memorable film performance to date. In addition to Jacksons star turn as the foul mouthed , scripture-quoting hitman, Jules Winnfield, the non-linear homage to crime and redemption starred John Travolta, Tim Roth, Bruce Willis, and Uma Thurman. Jackson earned an Oscar nod for this one, but narrowly missed getting the Best Supporting Actor award which went instead to Gary Sinise for his role as a crippled Vietnam war vet Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump. Fans will be delighted to know that a new Samuel L. Jackson movie will be in theaters this summer. The 2019 version of Shaft tells the tale of the son of super smooth private eye, John Shaft. In addition to Jessie T. Usher in the role of Shaft the younger, Jackson will reprise the role that was originally portrayed by Richard Roundtree in 1971. If you thought the Jussie Smollett case was as good as closed then, you were very wrong. In a strange turn of events, all 16 of the charges against the Empire actor were dropped by the prosecutors of Cook County, Illinois. After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smolletts volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case, a statement sent to USA Today from the office of the Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx read. The $10,000 that Smollett paid in bail will now be given to the city. Smollett maintained his innocence throughout the case and never accepted a plea deal. His legal team sent a statement to the outlet, outlining todays proceedings. Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him, the statement from lawyers Tina Glandian and Patricia Brown Holmes read. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgement . Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions, the statement went on. This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect. Dismissal of charges against the victim, in this case, was the only just result. Naturally, Smollett is ready to get back to his normal life. Jussie is relieved to have this situation behind him and is very much looking forward to getting back to focusing on his family, friends and career. What happened in the Jussie Smollett case? On Jan. 29 the actor reported that he was attacked around 2 a.m in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago. He said that he was assaulted by two men who shouted racial and homophobic slurs at him. He alleged that the men poured an unknown liquid on him and tied a rope around his neck. Before finishing their assault, the men also screamed, This is MAGA country. Initially, fans and celebrities, alike, came forward in support of Smollett, shocked and appalled that something so outrageous could happen in 2019. But as the story started to unfold, the details surrounding the events werent adding up. When brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo were taken into custody as people of interest, the investigation took a turn. The brothers claimed that Smollett hired them to help him stage the attack. The men were even seen on camera purchasing the items used in the attack at a nearby store. Smollett was then charged with 16 counts of disorderly conduct to which he plead ed not guilty on Mar. 14. He was scheduled to appear again in court on Apr.17. Read more: Jussie Smolletts Career and How He Got Famous Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! From Albert to Philip to James, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have a long list of options for potential royal baby boy names. But, some fans think the parents-to-be might go with something completely different something that pays tribute to Prince Harrys mother (and Baby Sussexs grandmother), the late Princess Diana. Find out the super sweet meaning behind Prince Harry and Meghan Markles potential baby boys name, ahead. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle baby boy names Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Charlotte Graham WPA Pool/Getty Images Traditionally, royal family members wait until a babys arrival to find out the gender of their baby. And, although Meghan Markle admitted their firstborns gender is a surprise, some sources report that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex actually know whether they are having a baby boy or girl. If those reports are accurate, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will welcome a son this spring. Ahead of their due date, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have likely spent some time considering potential names. And, its possible that Prince Harry wants to pay homage to his mother, Princess Diana. But, if they are having a boy, Diana might not be on their list of potential names which is why some fans believe the couple could choose to name their son Spencer, after Dianas maiden name. If Prince Harry and Meghan Markle name their firstborn after Princess Diana, it doesnt technically break royal rules (which recommends naming a baby after royal family members). However, naming their baby Spencer could raise an issue. Since Spencer isnt technically a royal family name, which means the queen could disagree with their plan. However, the decision is ultimately up to them and Prince Harry is Spencer. The Spencer family is also one of the oldest aristocratic families in the United Kingdom and has several ties to the royal family, which makes it possible for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to consider breaking protocol for their babys name. In addition to Spencer, some also believe Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could name their son Albert, James, Philip, and Arthur, after King Arthur. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle baby girl names If the rumors arent true and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are having a baby girl, the parents-to-be have some adorable name options for their firstborn. Elizabeth and Diana are obvious top contenders since they would pay homage to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Harrys late mother. However, some also think that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex might draw inspiration from their feminist ideals to decide on a name. In honor of strong, powerful women leaders, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could choose to name their daughter Victoria after Queen Victoria. The legendary monarch ruled from 1837 to 1876. Additionally, they might go with Alexandra, which means helper of mankind, and falls in line with their passions for philanthropy. Another potential winner? Margaret after Queen Elizabeths sister and infamous royal family rule-breaker, Princess Margaret. Mary and Alice are also top picks. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! Elisabeth Hasselbeck has a new book coming out and shes making the circuits promoting it, talking about her previous endeavors and skating around the bombshell revelation regarding former co-host Rosie ODonnells crush on her. In Hasselbecks new book, she reveals the grace she has gained and the lessons she has learned throughout her life. As the former talk show host embarks on a new chapter, she is visiting many former friends to promote her book. Lets take a look at what made this Rhode Island girl famous and what she has to say about it now. Before there was Meghan McCain, there was Elisabeth Hasselbeck ABCs The View is famous for stirring up controversy. The morning roundtable talk show discusses the news in front of a live studio audience every weekday. The topics range from celebrity gossip to current political affairs. It is usually the political topics that prompt online feuds and heated discussions between the shows hosts. The high drama can likely be contributed to the unbalanced political views of the hosts. Todays panel features Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Meghan McCain, and Abby Huntsman, with McCain as the lone Republican co-host. During Hasselbecks run, the vocal conservative was joined by Behar, Goldberg, Barbara Walter, and Sherri Shepherd. Hasselbeck was often at the center of political feuds as the only conservative on the show. Hasselbeck joined The View in 2003. But in 2013, the host was told that her contract would not be renewed. Hasselbeck says that she literally could not breathe when she received the news, I was bent over shock, asthma and betrayal all stealing my wind. According to Hasselbeck, producers reached out to her recently to return to the show as a regular co-host, but she declined. She says God gave her the freedom to let go of that opportunity. Hasselbeck joined Fox News after The View After her unexpected exit from ABC, Hasselbeck needed to find a new home. Hasselbeck found that home on Fox and Friends. The talk show host revealed her former co-host Barbara Walters was instrumental in landing her job at Fox. Walters wrote a letter to former Fox CEO and Chairman Roger Ailes, a gesture that Hasselbeck said meant the world to her. Hasselbeck stayed with Fox and Friends from 2013 to 2015. Recently, she visited her former home to discuss her new book with the hosts and discussed how at the time she decided to leave the show. She explained that she was simply running out of gas. She praised the hosts for their hard work and early hours and just realized that she couldnt do it anymore. Hasselbeck was a beloved member of the show and she was welcomed back to promote her book with open arms. Hasselbeck noted that the studio felt like home and she was sad to leave. She first rose to fame on reality TV Before Hasselbeck became known for her strong political views and Christian values, Hasselbeck was a young girl from Rhode Island appearing on a relatively new reality show, Survivor. Known as Elisabeth Filarski at the time, the 24-year-old was a shoe designer and recent college graduate. On Survivor she was known as a cute and spunky player with a lot of heart and drive. Hasselbeck finished 4th in the shows second season, outlasting all of the other members of the Kucha tribe. She was asked to return for Survivor: All-Stars but declined the invitation. What about that crush? Elisabeth Hasselbeck | Noam Galai/Getty Images Hasselbeck says that she feels she has been objectified by ODonnells remarks that she had a crush on her. She said that if a man were to make the same comments that ODonnell did, that everyone else would easily view it the same way. She told the cast of The View the feelings were not mutual and that she was offended by the talk show hosts comments. But at the same time she says, she forgives ODonnell and has reached out to her to try to talk. Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo recently told fans that theyre uprooting their lives in Laredo, Texas to move to Los Angeles even farther away from Jingers family. The two posted their big announcement on Instagram and on their blog. But why are the two moving even farther from the Duggars? Does it have anything to do with Jingers family? Jinger Duggar with her husband, Jeremy Vuolo and daughter, Felicity Vuolo. | Jinger Vuolo via Instagram Jinger and Jeremy moved to Laredo when they got married Jeremy Vuolo was already living in Texas when he and Jinger first met. The couple didnt begin courting right away because they were living so far apart, but when they finally met, they both knew they wanted to be together. The two only courted for a month before getting engaged. They planned a wedding pretty quickly, then Jinger shipped out of her Arkansas home to join Jeremy in Texas. For nearly three years, the couple has been living in the Lone Star State. And last year, they added to their family when they welcomed their daughter, Felicity. Jinger said living away from her family took some getting used to Jinger may have seemed strong when she picked up and left her hometown of Arkansas, but things werent always easy. On the most recent episode of Counting On, Jinger revealed that there was a lot of emotion in leaving her family, and it definitely took some getting used to. She did say that she missed her family a lot when she first moved somewhere new, but with most things, the adjustment comes in time. Now, shell be moving even farther away from her family. And although it will be another big change, its nothing she hasnt done before. Now, the couple is moving to Los Angeles so Jeremy can take classes Jinger and Jeremy announced in a blog post recently that theyre leaving Texas to pursue a new life in California. Jeremy is taking graduate classes at The Masters Seminary, and the family will be heading to California in July. However, a move to California also means that Jinger will be even farther from her family. She visits when she can, but it will be even harder for her to get back to Arkansas now that shes on the West Coast. However, it doesnt appear that her family had anything to do with the relocation. The couple noted that God is sending them out west, and leaving Laredo will be one of the hardest things theyve ever done. They recently hinted they wont be having more kids yet When Counting On producers asked Jinger and Jeremy what they were looking forward to most about 2019, the couple said theyre excited to watch Felicity grow. While a few other Duggars mentioned having another baby, Jinger and Jeremy seemed content with their only daughter, especially in the wake of making such a big change. Although the couple will probably have more kids down the road, it doesnt look like there will be a pregnancy announcement from them at any point this year. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! Meghan Markle is currently on maternity leave awaiting the arrival of her first child Baby Sussex. However, since she and Prince Harry announced they were expecting in Oct. 2018 the world has watched Markle slay the fashion game, showing off her signature glam style and her growing baby bump. From her numerous royal events to a series of royal tours overseas including places like Morocco and Fiji Markle has been perfectly styled everywhere she has gone. Still, the price tag on the Duchess of Sussexs maternity fashions have certainly tallied up to a massive sum. This is why Meghan Markle spent so much money on her maternity wardrobe. How much did Meghan Markles maternity wardrobe cost? With pieces from Stella McCartney, Victoria Beckham, Dior, and Givenchy Markle chose not to stick with maternity fashion brands. Instead, she picked pieces that had a bit of stretch to accommodate her bump, or she may have just sized up. According to Love the Sales research, Markle has spent more than $500,000 on her maternity outfits alone which for just six months of clothing is a pretty astounding sum. Love the Sales fashion editor Liam Solomon told MarieClaire.com, Meghan has a well established background before [marrying] Harry as a woman who enjoyed designer clothing. From walking red carpets to living a glamorous LA lifestyle, the former actress was already wearing brands like Dior and Givenchy. You could argue that her new found fame in the Royal family has only enhanced her style choices, which would obviously mean bigger budgets. Why did Meghan Markle spend so much money on her maternity wardrobe? The Duchess of Sussex did wear some affordable pieces here and there including a blush shift dress from H&M. However, building an expensive and stylish wardrobe also means that Markle can re-wear the pieces again. Markles sister-in-law Kate Middleton is known to restyle her clothing both maternity and otherwise, and the Suits alum could merely be following in her footsteps. Markle and Prince Harry have hinted that they want more than one child which means that in a couple of years Markle might be pregnant again with Baby Sussexs sibling. If thats the case she simply has to reach in her closet to pull out some of her past maternity looks. Who pays for Meghan Markles wardrobe? Before she married Prince Harry Meghan Markle was independently wealthy. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the former actress is worth $5 million. Since she was attending some royal events with Prince Harry throughout her engagement the duchess purchased all of her clothing for herself. However, once she and the prince tied the know in May 2018 the Duchess of Sussexs wardrobe has been funded by her father-in-law, Prince Charles. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge along with their three children get a clothing budget for their royal engagements as well as salaries related to their public lives. Prince Charles income is about $28 million/ yearly, and in 2018 the royals spent $4.8 million of it. We wonder what the total will be for 2019. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! The final season of Showtimes Homeland is coming later this year. It wont arrive in June, as originally expected, but in fall 2019 instead, due to some production issues overseas. Nonetheless, it will wrap up late in the year. That leaves a full (12-episode) eighth season for fans to enjoy before theres no more Carrie Mathison and Saul Berenson to kick around. All things considered, you cant ask for much more as a classic show fades to black. (By contrast, Veep will only run seven episodes in its final season.) Naturally, we should expect fireworks (or firefights, or fire-bombing) before Homeland departs. However, producers have been mostly tight-lipped about the subject of the final installment. Yet we do know the show is filming in Morocco to double as an overseas location. Meanwhile, with word that the show will jump ahead in time a few years opens up several possibilities including a Homeland take on the Trump administration. Settings of Afghanistan and Israel have been mentioned. Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison in Homeland | Stephan Rabold/SHOWTIME We have some clues about the direction Homelands final season will take. For one, we know the main setting is overseas because of the production troubles. Speculation has been that Morocco will serve as a fictional Afghanistan. However, showrunner and executive producer Alex Gansa has mentioned that the Homeland team would all love to take this show back to Israel sometime in its final installment. With all the turmoil in both countries circa 2019, the obvious answer would be, Why not both? Weve seen Saul visit (and defect to) Israel in past seasons, and the country continues to play an outsize role in U.S. foreign policy. That decision would also leave plenty of room to bring in Trump, who seems to accommodate Israeli demands as often as he does those of Saudi Arabia or Russia. Both settings also allow opportunities to bring in characters based on Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, and other Trump associates convicted in the past two years. Trumps indicted campaign chair, National Security Advisor, and personal lawyer offer rich material. Claire Danes acts in a scene of Homeland on the newsroom floor of the Charlotte Observer. | Robert Lahser/Charlotte Observer/MCT via Getty Images In Season Seven of Homeland, the shows writers did a fine job incorporating the latest news in international and domestic warfare. Viewers saw how weaponized Twitter accounts, fake-news podcasts, and Russian cyberwarfare could (and did) wreak havoc on democracy. Now that we have Trumps National Security Advisor with a guilty plea on file and his campaign chairman sentenced to a long prison term you can only imagine what the shows writers cooked up for the final season. Of course, the genius of Homelandis the writers ability to always go in a direction viewers dont expect. Theres hardly a partisan bone in the shows body, and thats always been to its credit. Instead, you find characters like President Keane, who start out as liberal but turn quasi-fascist when the occasion calls for it. In previous seasons, we watched as Carrie backed off a treason charge on CIA Director Lockhart to score a better job fighting terror overseas. With those plot twists in mind, you can think of Trump as a blank canvas for the show to work with in its final season. In this situation, everyone who loves Homeland wins. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! LAHORE, Pakistan, March 26, 2019 (Morning Star News) Returning home from a night shift at a call center on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan on Feb. 25, Naveed Iqbal learned from his sons that a local criminal and three other men had taken his wife away, he said. He filed a report at the Khana police station. Iqbal said officers took no action except to alert the suspect, Muhammad Khalid Satti, that he had filed a report against him for abducting his wife, Saima. On March 5, police informed me that Saima had been found but that she had converted to Islam and married Satti, Iqbal told Morning Star News. Officers told him to forget about his wife and stop pursuing the case, he said. Married for 15 years, Saima Iqbal had lived with her husband and their three sons, ages 4 to 14, in the Iqbal area outside Islamabad since 2004, he said. Satti is a hardened criminal, and this is not the first time he has targeted Christians, the 40-year-old Catholic man said. Some 300-400 Christian families live in the area, and almost everyone has been bullied or tortured by Satti and his accomplices over the years. Only after threatening to set himself on fire to senior officers did police register a First Information Report (FIR) against Satti on March 1, four days after the abduction, he said. Informing him on March 5 that his 35-year-old wife had married a Muslim, police said she had converted to Islam on Feb. 26, and that a local Muslim cleric had solemnized her marriage to Satti, Iqbal said. I refused to believe their story and pleaded with Superintendent of Police Umer Khan to recover my wife, he said. On Khans order, Investigation Officer [IO] Syed Asif raided Sattis Dera (outhouse) and recovered Saima from his custody the same day. Satti was arrested and taken into custody. Police took her to a womens shelter in Rawalpindi, where she stayed the night. The next morning, the IO went to take her to the deputy commissioners office to record her statement, but to her horror, Satti was also present in the vehicle, Iqbal said. During the journey, the accused and the IO both threatened Saima to say that she had converted to Islam and married Satti of her free will, otherwise her family would suffer severe consequences. Fearing for our lives, Saima said what she had been forced to say, resulting in grant of bail to Satti. After her release from the shelter the next day, Iqbal said, his wife told him how she had been abducted, raped, tortured and forced to sign the marriage certificate by Satti and his accomplices. She also showed me the torture marks on her body, and how she had been coerced into submitting to the demands of her tormentor, he told Morning Star News. After hearing of her ordeal, Iqbal decided to do everything possible to obtain justice. Following his wifes release, he uploaded a video on Facebook in which the shaken, tearful Saima Iqbal described the crime and appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan for justice, Iqbal said. The video was a desperate attempt to get the attention of senior government officials, because the police were openly siding with the accused, he said. After the video went viral on social media, Iqbal started getting calls of support from various organizations and individuals, he said. On March 18, State Minister for Interior Shehryar Afridi assigned the Islamabad deputy commissioner and the assistant commissioner to investigate. Two days later, they concluded that Satti had forced her to convert, and that her earlier statement was given under duress. Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat told Morning Star News that they investigated the incident thoroughly and ordered police to re-arrest Satti on the basis of her second statement. Satti has been sent to jail, while the IO and Khana police station house officer have been suspended for criminal negligence, Shafqaat told Morning Star News. He assured Iqbal that Satti would be punished in accordance with the law as an example to others who believe they can attack minorities with impunity in the 96-percent Muslim country. But Iqbal said it is unlikely that the accused will be charged with rape as the police intentionally delayed a medical exam for his wife for days. There was little chance of acquiring DNA samples from her person, he said. Fortunately, the conversion and marriage certificates are fake, as they do not contain a clerics signature, he said, noting that he has challenged the documents in court. Iqbal said his wife is suffering from post-traumatic stress from what she suffered. She is not the same person now, but I have faith that the Lord will heal her spirit with time, he said. Pakistan ranked fifth on Christian support organization Open Doors 2019 World Watch list of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved. If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? Article originally published by Morning Star News. Used with permission. Photo courtesy: Pixabay The Israeli military reported that they bombed sites throughout the Gaza Strip in retaliation to rocket attacks by Hamas. This came just days after Egyptian authorities believed they had brokered a cease-fire between the two parties. ABC News reports that the Israeli Defense Force struck what they believed to be the office of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. They said the building had served as an office for many military meetings. There were no reports of casualties, Israel fired warning shots intended to evacuate the buildings before the air strikes. The Gaza health ministry said seven people were injured. The Israeli Air Force routinely uses what they call a knock on the roof technique when bombing structures in the Gaza Strip. They drop a non-explosive round on a building so that they scare people out of it. Only then do they drop a live explosive on the building. According to the Times of Israel, the IDF believes they also hit another high-value target during the campaign. They said in a statement that, Fighter jets just now attacked a three-story building in the area of Sabra in the Gaza Strip. This is a secret headquarters of the Hamas terror group, which is used by the internal security, central intelligence and military intelligence branches of the group. The strikes came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a tough re-election vote on April 9th. He was in Washington to celebrate the Trump Administrations recognition of Israels claims on the Golan Heights. He cut his trip short after the Hamas rocket attacks and spent most of the day on conference calls with Israeli security officials. Hamas fired rockets towards Tel Aviv two weeks ago. Israel retaliated, but the fighting quickly faded after Hamas leaders said the rocket was fired accidentally. Israels Iron Dome defense system did not stop the rockets since they did not anticipate attacks on central Israel. Israel has rolled out a host of precautionary measures, fearing violence which could be spawned by a Hamas-sponsored protest which they hope will draw more than one hundred thousand people. Israel set up additional Iron Dome batteries around the country, sent two additional brigades to Gaza, and called up 1,000 reserves. They have also warned against any public gatherings of more than 300 people. Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Ilia Yefimovich/Stringer Contemporary worship music, as a distinct genre, has come into its own over the last 50 years. Monique M. Ingalls, assistant professor of music at Baylor University, studies this phenomenon as an ethnomusicologist, looking at the intersection of different social and musical trends. In Singing the Congregation: How Contemporary Worship Music Forms Evangelical Community, Ingalls identifies five distinct types of congregations that worship together in song. Constance Cherry, professor of worship and pastoral ministry at Indiana Wesleyan University, spoke with Ingalls about how contemporary worship music has reshaped our understanding of worship itself. Can you describe the different singing congregations you studied? Contemporary worship music has a global profile, but its performed in a variety of local contexts, which means that it permeates many different spheres of evangelical life. In the book, I mention five distinct modes of congregating: local congregations, concerts, conferences, praise marches, and worship on screen. I try to emphasize how these forms of worship are interconnected and influence each other. Contemporary worship music bridges public and private devotional practices. It connects online and offline communities. And it brings a variety of personal, institutional, and commercial interests into the same domain. For many believers, this music and the experience of participating in it have come to define what worship is. This is the music they sing during a Sunday church service. Its what they belt out in a crowd of thousands at traveling worship concerts. Its whats on their lips as they progress down the street in a Christian praise march. ... 1 You have reached the end of this Article Preview You have reached the end of this Article Preview To continue reading, subscribe now. Subscribers have full digital access. Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here. In the mid-2000s, I spent several years as a youth pastor. One of the most rewarding aspects of working with teens was seeing their eagerness to bring about positive change in the world. On almost a weekly basis, they would share with me about some new global crisis they had discovered and their wide-ranging ideas for how we could do something about it. Wanting to empower our students, we often took their ideas and ran with them. One of these events was a march through the downtown area of our city to raise awareness about the atrocities being done to children in northern Uganda. To help our teens promote the event to our church, I leveraged the story of Jesus and his family fleeing to Egypt in Matthew 2:1315. With as much oratory and poetic skill as I could muster, I emphasized that if Jesus family had to walk all those miles from his home to Egyptian territory because of the impending threat of genocide, surely we could walk a few miles together to stand against the evils of our day and age. Our students organized and executed the event spectacularly. Teenagers from all over the city showed up to walk through downtown, holding signs and banners, singing and chanting in solidarity. I was proud of them and thrilled for them. But afterward I couldnt shake the sense that something was off about my approach to promoting the event. Sobered up from the intoxicating energy of pulling off a successful event, I was faced with the embarrassing reality that Id ripped the Jesus-flees-to-Egypt story out of its appropriate context. Id co-opted it to further my own agenda, and in doing so, Id coerced a call-to-action out of the narrative that doesnt appear in that biblical story. I quickly realized that although Jesus had been a focal point in motivating people to participate, he had been glaringly missing from the event itself. Id convinced students to show up because of Jesus, but Id failed to lead them effectively to Jesus. Over the years, Ive learned and grown from experiences like thesemy own as well as others. But I am still often tempted to co-opt Jesus as a means to achieve my own ends. I have a strong sense that Im not alone. For those leading in the local church, even when our intentions are pure, its all too easy to fall into the trap of seeing Jesus as a means to an end rather than the end itself. This extends beyond social justice and compassion efforts like the event my students put on. In counseling situations, it can be easy to leverage Jesus in inappropriate ways. We can tell a hurting person that Jesus commands them to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Of course, thats true, but if an abusive spouse or friend has victimized the person youre counseling, those words may encourage them to not only tolerate but also accept abuse as Gods will for their lives. In trying to motivate financial giving, it can be easy to use Jesus to reach certain metrics to fund our ministries. We may retell the story of the widows last mite to urge people to give sacrificially. Yet in doing so, we may be heaping guilt and shame on lower income congregants. In preaching and teaching, the same thing can happen. For example, far too often, Jesus words in Matthew 18:20, Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them, are irresponsibly leveraged to coerce listeners into more frequent Sunday attendance or joining a small group. Let me be clear. Prayerfully and thoughtfully setting goals, creating metrics, and outlining desired outcomes are all necessary elements of church leadership. But this ultimate truth is undeniable: If Jesus is not always the destination, then the journey were taking is headed in the wrong direction. The way we read, study, and teach the Bible must point first and foremost to Christ. In light of this, here are three key questions Ive found helpful as centering points in my decision-making process, my approach to serving our church community, and stewarding Gods call to leadership. Do I see Jesus as the scalpel or the surgeon? Imagine being ushered into an operating room for surgery. As you lay there, nerves buzzing, anxiety rising, the surgeon walks in. Now, imagine the surgeon saying to you, Listen, this is my first surgery. Ever. Ive never done this before. But dont you worry. This scalpel right here? Its top of the line. Its got great reviews online. How would you feel? Clearly, the importance of the tool pales in comparison to the skill of the surgeon. Too often I see Jesus as the scalpel when it comes to church initiatives. I use him as a tool to cut out perceived weaknesses in my community and in the world, to be replaced with whatever I deem best. If Im not careful, I make myself the surgeon. But I am not nearly skilled enough to bring widespread healing and wholeness. I must begin to see Jesus as the surgeon, placing my complete trust in his able hands and asking him to do not only the work I long for, but the complete work only he knows must be done in the church and in the world. Am I misrepresenting Jesus to advance a particular issue, initiative, or decision? This is one of the primary symptoms of trying to use Jesus as the scalpel rather than inviting him to be the surgeon. For example, when it comes to the immigration issue, one of the prominent social justice complexities of our day, many of us have heard or read some form of the idea that Jesus was himself an illegal immigrant. Ive heard this refrain on national television, like when Reverend Ryan Eller stated these words on a CNN interview a few years ago. Ive also heard it in my own social circles, from passionate friends who are heartbroken, as I am, at the tragic immigration stories bombarding our news feeds. Almost always, the goal is to remind Christians that the king they worship was part of an at-risk people group. As an immigrant myself, I am overwhelmed with empathy when considering the crisis at hand and deeply convicted when reading through the Bibles constant call to welcome the stranger and care for the foreigner. But Ive also come to believe that to draw a simple parallel between Jesus circumstances in the first-century Roman world and the immigration issues of our day can actually counteract the good we long to do. Like many refugees fleeing to the US today, Jesus was escaping imminent threat of death and seeking asylum in a place far from home. But unlike our contemporary situation, Egypt and Judea were both Roman provinces. In the Expositors Commentary on Matthew, D. A. Carson writes, Egypt was a natural place to which to flee. It was nearby, a well-ordered Roman province outside Herods jurisdiction. It seems there is both continuity and discontinuity between Jesus flight to Egypt and immigrants fleeing to the US. Why does this matter? If our entire case for loving refugees and immigrants rests on the idea that Jesus experienced the same plight that immigrants experience today, we may limit the strength of our engagement in other areas. Jesus was never sexually abused, yet we still know from a host of other biblical teaching that sexual abuse is evil. Jesus was never a divorcee, but we must still address the divorce epidemic in our culture. Ultimately, the reason we love immigrants isnt only because we see Jesus as an immigrant. Its primarily because we see Jesus as king. Anything less limits our view of all that he came to accomplish. King Jesus cares about immigrants; he cares about the abused; he cares about the divorced, the orphans, the widows, the fatherless, the oppressed, and the marginalized. And because he is king, when his kingdom is fully realized he will make all of these wrong things right. Am I focused more on deconstruction or declaration? Through his death and resurrection, Jesus inaugurated a new age. He ushered in the beginning of Gods good new world. Now, two millennia later, we live in the paradox of what many call the already and not yet reality of Gods rule and reign. This perspective is crucial to understanding our role in the present, as we follow Jesus into our personal and communal futures. In leading and serving the local church, we must remember that what we do now matters insomuch as it shows glimpses in the present of what lies ahead in the future, the coming day when Jesus will reveal in full what we can now only see in part. This has tremendous implications for how we counsel; how we disciple; how we steward the time, resources, and finances of our communities; how we preach and teach; and more. Recently this has shifted the way I think about serving my church. It is a shift from deconstruction to declaration. In years past, when I found myself using Jesus as the scalpel rather than inviting him to be the surgeon, my interest was mostly in the deconstruction of all that I thought was wrong with the world, the church, and the people in my community. I quickly critiqued whatever I thought was wrong and pressured myself to instigate change. But embracing the already and not yet reality of Gods kingdom has dissipated that pressure and given way to the much more dynamic and fulfilling call to declare what Christ has already done, what he is continuing to do, and ultimately, what he will do in the end. Pointing people toward that future reality is the fundamental responsibility of all who lead and serve in the local church. In doing so, we will begin to see people and communities transformed by the compelling and undeniable vision of Christ, the great surgeon who has healed us, is healing us, and will heal us in the end. Jay Kim oversees teaching and leadership at Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, California. He also serves on the leadership team of The ReGeneration Project, where he co-hosts the ReGeneration Podcast. When your child is struggling with suicidal thoughts, simply 'more faith' isn't the answer Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Kelly Rosati has four adopted children. Three of them have a serious mental illness. And one thing she doesnt like to hear is that her problems would be solved if her faith was stronger. This idea that as Christians, if we were just spiritual enough, that somehow Christianity teaches we wouldnt experience these things Ive seen so many people suffer and have their faith crumble because of those lies, Rosati said in an interview with Saddleback Church co-founder Kay Warren this week. After Rosati and her husband, John, were unable to have their own children, the couple began the adoption journey through the foster care system. Several of her children were born addicted to drugs or exposed to alcohol in utero, she said. Among her four children, three have dealt with suicidality. One has bipolar disorder and another has schizophrenia. Her children have been in and out of emergency rooms and residential psychiatric care facilities. One, the youngest, is currently at a residential facility. Its not exactly what she and her husband pictured when they first decided to grow their family through adoption. We wanted to create this family for these kids who didnt have one. We were going to watch 'VeggieTales' and do all the Christian things, said Rosati, who is vice president of community outreach at Focus on the Family. Instead, our lives have been full of hospitals, psychiatric wards, and the police and a lot of bad cuss words. Theres a grieving that comes from losing what you imagine. The first time signs of mental illness emerged was when one of her children was in middle school. The child was violent, had extreme mood swings and almost complete debilitation. We were completely undone. We had no idea what was happening, what to do, Rosati recalled. We were going day to day in complete survival mode. That child had very serious bipolar disorder and sometimes expressed the desire to commit suicide. When our child would weep in my arms and express thoughts of not wanting to be alive, what I felt was pure terror. On my inside, it was a terror like I had never known and a despairing and a franticness, the mother described. Rosati described life as hell. And Kay Warren, wife of Pastor Rick Warren, agreed, having had one of her own children struggle with mental illness and eventually take his own life. How hellish it is to have a child that you love with your entire heart and that you have done everything that you know to do, have sought all the mental health help, all the medication help, all the therapy help, all the prayers that youve prayed, all the Bible verse believing youve done, all the on the face crying in the night for your child, and still know they are facing an illness that will eat them alive if something doesnt happen, Warren said. I call that living on the edge of hell. Warrens son, Matthew, was around 12 when she realized that he was having suicidal thoughts. He had already been diagnosed with depression at age 7. I tucked him into bed and in the quiet as Im getting ready to walk out he asked me if I would kill him and put him out of his misery, Warren recalled, completely heartbroken to hear those words coming out of her childs mouth. Matthew ended up dying by suicide at age 27 in 2013. Warren said she had lived in denial for a long time, thinking her son would eventually outgrow his depression and become normal. But it never happened. Both Warren and Rosati recognized that many Christians are suspicious of or hesitant to seek help through therapy or a psychiatric clinic. Theyre also afraid of being judged as a bad parent if they try to get mental health help for their children. I want to say: none of that matters, Rosati stressed as she encouraged parents to get the help they need. The first time she and her husband decided to get residential treatment for one of their children some six years ago, Rosati felt like the world was coming to an end and she was scared about making the wrong decision. But after four straight years of daily violence from their child, including holes in the wall and blood drawn, they decided they could not continue that way. They had other children they needed to take care of as well. The day she dropped her child off at the residential treatment, she sobbed and even had to drive to the mountains of Colorado to be alone in a hotel room because of how undone she felt by everything. I felt almost incapable of functioning, Rosati said. But she wants parents to know that resources such as residential treatment are incredible blessings that exist int he community to help the kids who are really sick and who need more help than we can get them at home. Sometimes your kids are so sick they need an army to guard them. They need a staff to keep them safe, she said. Its wrong to think that you failed as a parent if you choose those treatment options, she stressed. Have a little compassion for ourselves in the midst of this, she advised parents. I believe my kids are still here today in part [due to] access to residential services. The journey is lonely. Though Rosati would like to have a group of people supporting her through all of this, there is a lot of misunderstanding. Some friends or relatives would tell her that her children just needed a spanking or more discipline or that she needed to pray more. People would regularly ask if her children were doing better. She got tired of saying no, he has schizophrenia. She commended Warren for her work in making more people aware of mental illness, debunking myths and saying its not a sin to be sick and that its OK to seek help. I shudder to think if you werent doing what youre doing so faithfully in the midst of your tragedy, how alone so many people like us would feel because there was no one that people would listen to saying no, dont tell people its not because they dont have enough faith, Rosati said. The Colorado mom was able to let go of her dream of a perfect family. I cant attach my well-being to the outcome. Thats tough when youre a mom, she noted. Shes confident that the Lord cares and now has more peace in the midst of what has been chaos. Rosati offered the following advice for parents whose children are struggling with mental illness or suicidal thoughts: Do not minimize your childs problems. Validate their feelings and be empathetic (as opposed to comparing their small problems to your own) If your child expresses suicidal intentions, do not diminish it and take it very seriously. Do not let the child out of your sight. "Uber nurture" or go full throttle nurture When your kids express any kind of emotional anguish, when they have taken the risk to share with you that they are suffering, do not shame, blame, judge or lecture them. Let every ounce of the love of Christ that is in you flow through you to them. Go to an emergency room and have the medical staff assess whether your child poses an immediate threat to him/herself or others Be open to and cooperate with the staff/therapists. Sometimes, an involuntary hold may be placed on your child and your child may be sent to a safe, locked-down psychiatric hospital (for a few days). Though it may feel like the end of the world, that feeling will pass. During this time, go home and sleep and thank God your child is safe. Always frame things with your child in terms of were going to get the help that you need so you can feel better and be home and be healthy and happy. Make sure your home is safe lock up the meds and weapons Consider residential treatment Get a lot of therapy (both Rosati and Warren can attest to that) Have open communication within your family (especially if you have other children who are not struggling). Encourage one another to be honest. Resources available Mental health support groups for caregivers: Nami.org Grace Alliance Phone numbers: 211 (if youre searching for mental health care as well as physical care) 1-800-273-8255 (Suicide Prevention Lifeline) 310-855-HOPE (Teen line) Conservative United Methodists gearing up for church court battle over Traditional Plan Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Theologically conservative members of the United Methodist Church are preparing to argue in front of the denominations highest court in defense of a plan approved last month to strengthen its stance against homosexuality and same-sex marriage. The United Methodist Judicial Council is scheduled to meet April 23-26 in Evanston, Illinois, to hear challenges to The Traditional Plan, a measure approved at the UMCs special session of General Conference last month. The official April docket includes two items: the first being from Pastor Timothy Bruster of the Central Texas Annual Conference requesting that the Judicial Council review the constitutionality, meaning, application, and effect of the adopted legislation referred to as the Traditional Plan. The second item came from the UMC Council of Bishops, who submitted a request on March 6 for the Judicial Council to determine the constitutionality of Petition 90066, which changes the denominations policy on congregation disaffiliation. According to a statement released March 6, the Council of Bishops opposed the petition, which allows for an easier dismissal process for congregations, including allowing them to keep their property and financial assets. The Rev. Thomas Lambrecht, vice president and general manager of Good News Magazine, told The Christian Post in an interview on Thursday that the Judicial Council will be considering the constitutionality of all parts of the Traditional Plan, with some parts having greater focus. They will determine which parts of the plan are consistent with the UM Church Constitution and can therefore be implemented as passed, explained Lambrecht. They will also be ruling on the disaffiliation petition that set a process for local churches to use in leaving the denomination while keeping their property and assets. They will determine whether that disaffiliation process is consistent with the UMC Constitution and therefore be able to take effect. Lambrecht added that his organization was assisting some General Conference delegates with arguments and legal briefs, explaining that only General Conference delegates have standing to present legal arguments on the Traditional Plan. Some opponents of the Traditional Plan have filed briefs arguing that the entire plan should be struck down. While noting that it was possible that the Judicial Council will agree, Lambrecht considered the likelihood of the Judicial Council doing so fairly low. Their operating principle is to try to save as much of any legislative package as possible. So it is more likely that the Judicial Council will only strike down those parts of the plan that do not pass constitutional muster, said Lamrecht to CP. Keith Boyette, president of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, told CP that he's serving as an advocate for one of the General Conference delegates who has been designated as an interested party in the proceedings. If the Judicial Council rules that a portion of the Traditional Plan is unconstitutional, such a ruling would not change the fact that the 2019 General Conference defeated the One Church Plan and reaffirmed the churchs teachings on marriage, ordination, and human sexuality, said Boyette. On Feb. 26, the UMC special session voted 438-384 in favor of adopting the Traditional Plan for resolving the denomination's internal debate over sexual ethics, which has threatened to bring schism to the denomination. The Traditional Plan succeeded largely because delegates representing Africa and other overseas regional bodies within the UMC voted overwhelmingly in favor of it. Conservatives within the denomination celebrated the vote result as an affirmation of sound Christian teaching while liberals within the denomination saw it as harmful to LGBT individuals. Normally, the Judicial Council releases a decision within days of the conclusion of a meeting. If the church court upholds the Traditional Plan, it will take effect on new years day 2020 for congregations based in the United States and then 12 months after the 2020 General Conference for congregations based outside of the U.S. Gang member tried to commit suicide before he was transformed by God in an instant Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Emeal E.Z. Zwayne was once a troubled teen and gang member who attempted suicide in front of his own family but his life radically transformed after a chance encounter when the Bible instantaneously changed his heart. Years later, hes a dynamic speaker who has executive produced Christian films and reached millions of people with the gospel. Zwayne, president of California-based Christian ministry Living Waters, has a fascinating life story. He was born in Lebanon in 1975, but his life nearly ended well before his birth. READ ALSO: Want to Know How to Answer Atheists? Check This Out Abortion is illegal in Lebanon, but Zwaynes mother had received two abortions prior to his conception with a doctors permission. She planned to seek a third abortion when she became pregnant with Zwayne, but then her doctor suddenly refused. As she sat in the doctors office that day literally waiting to end my life, the doctor just looked over at her and just simply said to her, Im not going to let you do this one, Zwayne recently told PureFlix.coms Pure Talk. I almost didnt make it. Now, Zwayne is a well-known Christian leader who has gone on to make influential films, including the popular 180 movie streaming at PureFlix.com, which combats abortion. Watch him describe his stunning personal story below: Zwayne is slated to be a central fixture in the PureFlix.com sponsored Answering Atheist conference (April 17-21) this Easter at the Ark Encounter attraction in Williamstown, Kentucky. Its a conference that promises four days of solid biblical teaching to equip you to stand confidently on Gods word. Its perhaps most fascinating to juxtapose Zwaynes stature as a respected Christian leader with his past life as a young and troubled gang member. Zwayne hit some major snags in his teen years after immigrating to the U.S. with his family in 1980. READ ALSO: Inside the Incredible Story Behind Lifesize Replica of Noahs Ark Before I turned 16, I had already been kicked out of two high schools, I had become a gang member with the Crips and I had attempted to commit suicide in front of my own family, Zwayne said. But on a divine August evening in 1991, God reached down his hand into time and space, grabbed a hold of the heart of this wretched sinner, opened my eyes to the truth of the gospel and radically transformed my life. He said the life-altering moment came after a friend invited him to a Christian outreach and he truly heard the gospel for the first time. God just opened my eyes, he said, calling it an instantaneous radical transformation. I was a brand new creation. Within just five years, Zwayne went to a Christian university, got ordained, got married and started a family all by the age of 21. In addition to sharing his story, Zwayne told Pure Talk of his excitement over the upcoming Answering Atheist conference, noting that hes hoping to reach non-believers. Many atheists will be in the area where the conference is being held for a secular conference of their own. READ ALSO: Apologist Breaks Down Why 'Atheism is So Attractive' to Some Atheists, I think sometimes, get a misconception about where biblical Christians stand in relation to them, he said. We love atheists, we care about atheists. Zwayne will be speaking at the Good Friday service as well as during a dedicated session at the Answering Atheist conference, as he plans to share the heart of the gospel message. We were touched and healed by the savior we want others to know that love, he said, noting that the conference will help equip Christians. Value impacts behavior. When we value eternity, when we value the souls of men and women, when we understand that eternity is real, we value our God and his glory and what hes called us to do as his people and really get it, well begin to invest in those areas. This article was originally published on Pure Flix Insider. Visit Pure Flix for access to thousands of faith and family-friendly movies and TV shows. You can get a free, one-month trial here. Billy Hallowell, author of "The Armageddon Code," has contributed to TheBlaze, the Washington Post, Human Events, the Daily Caller, Mediaite, and the Huffington Post, among other news sites. Through journalism, media, public speaking appearances, and the blogosphere, Hallowell has worked as a journalist and commentator for more than a decade. Slain missionary John Chau to be honored at All Nations fundraising event Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Slain American missionary John Chau will be honored at an annual fundraising event in April hosted by the mission agency from which he received training. All Nations North America will host a fundraising event called Further Together at Shoal Creek Community Church on April 5 in the outskirts of Kansas City, Missouri, in which attendees will sing a song in Chaus honor and pray for the people on North Sentinel Island. While 250 people normally attend the All Nations annual fundraiser, the executive director, Joshua Johnson, told The Christian Post that they are expecting as many as 400 people to attend this years event. This is an annual event we have done for many years but this year we are calling it Further Together, Johnson explained. We are working to be able to know that the entire body of Christ needs to be activated with the gifts that God has given them to be able to make disciples of all nations and to make this Great Commission completed within our lifetime. Chau, a 26-year-old missionary from Washington state and a graduate of Oral Roberts University, was killed in November 2018 while trying to evangelize to the highly isolated tribe on North Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal. Chaus death garnered media attention worldwide with many questioning the methods in which Chau went about his mission to the island. Some questioned whether it's appropriate for a missionary like Chau to engage one of the last remaining people groups that are almost entirely isolated from the outside world, while others praised Chaus desire to risk death to bring the Gospel to the unreached people group. During the upcoming All Nations fundraising event, about five minutes will be reserved for those in attendance to sing a song written by an All Nations staff member honoring Chau. Following the song, there will be a devoted time of prayer for the salvation of the North Sentinelese people. The staff member wrote a beautiful song about John and the North Sentinelese people worshiping around the throne of God in Heaven, which we know will happen one day, Johnson explained. Revelation does say that every tribe, tongue, and nation are all worshiping around the throne. That is the hope. We will have a prayer time for the North Sentinelese that God will show up in the midst of them. The keynote speaker at the fundraiser will be Jaime Saint, the grandson of Nate Saint, a missionary killed alongside Jim Elliott and three others while trying to evangelize to an unreached tribe in Ecuador in 1956. Johnson explained that Saint has a powerful story of redemption to tell that centers around the man who killed his father. After Nate Saint and the others were killed, Saints sister and Jim Elliotts wife went back to Ecuador and led that very same tribe to Christ. In fact, the man who killed Nate Saint a man named Mintaye became the very man who baptized Nate Saints son years later. Saints legacy as a missionary family is very inspiring and hopeful to us as a group that lost John Chau recently, Johnson explained. [I]t is a beautiful story of redemption and something that we hope we see with the North Sentinelese. That is our prayer to see redemption and hope in the midst of this tragedy that we have faced. Jaime Saint runs an organization called ITEC, an indigenous training and equipment center that helps to train indigenous followers of Christ to share the love of Christ with their own people groups worldwide. As for All Nations, its mission is to see Jesus worshiped by all the people of the Earth. All Nations North America is based in Kansas City and has about 90 missionaries in 23 countries. Through international affiliates, All Nations has as many as 300 missionaries in 30 countries. Although it's based in Kansas, the organization has three international training centers spread throughout the world. According to the Joshua Project, there are over 7,000 unreached people groups. Unreached groups are defined as communities where there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize this people group without outside assistance. All Nations seeks to bring the Gospel to neglected people groups. According to Johnson, neglected people groups are communities where there isnt a church actively seeking out unreached people. Some of those neglected groups, he said, might be considered a reached place but one that has no Gospel work happening in those areas. We have seen that the percentage of Jesus followers has actually decreased with population growth, Johnson detailed. But the only places where disciple-making efforts increase greater than population growth are where church-planting movements or disciple-making movements have been united and catalyzed in that region. Although All Nations will honor Chau at its fundraising event, the organization maintains that it is not using Johns death as a means to raise money. The [event] isnt a memorial for John but it is a point to say that John did love and obey Jesus. We are all called to do the same, Johnson explained. He is an example for all of us that we can follow. As there was much contention within Chaus family over his choice to become a missionary, All Nations could not disclose if Chaus family will or wont be in attendance for the fundraiser. Chau reached out to All Nations about two years ago to share his desire to bring the Gospel to the North Sentinelese people. According to Pam Arlund, a member of All Nations international leadership team, Chau received training from All Nations while he prepared for the mission on the Island. While many criticized Chaus mission on grounds that the Indian government barred people from going to North Sentinel and other inhabited Andaman islands, Arlund defended Chaus mission by stating that the Indian government had lifted its Restricted Area Permit on North Sentinel and a number of other inhabited islands. However, the Indian governments Andaman Island tourism webpage states that visiting to tribal reserved areas in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is prohibited. 'Day of Mourning' to be held in Virginia's capital to protest Gov. Northam's infanticide remarks Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A grassroots movement of repentance inspired by pro-life advocates as a response to the push to liberalize abortion laws in states across the country will be holding a gathering in Richmond, Virginia, on Saturday to fast and pray. What is being called the Day of Mourning will be held at the Greater Richmond Convention Center largely because of proposed legislation by Democrat Delegate Kathy Tran that mirrored New York's new law legalizing abortion up to birth, and Gov. Ralph Northam's words defending it. Northam, a Democrat elected in 2017, said in a radio interview amid the controversy over Tran's proposal that a "discussion" would take place about the child's fate should the child be born alive during an abortion procedure, which shocked and horrified many. A massive outcry ensued as a result, and pro-life advocates and Republican politicians who blasted him for supporting infanticide. "Have we already forgotten that Virginia Governor Northam advocated for executing already born full-term babies?" asked Elizabeth Johnston (also known as The Activist Mommy), one of the event's organizers, in comments emailed to The Christian Post on Monday. "Have we already forgotten that New York Governor [Andrew] Cuomo and his friends at Planned Parenthood celebrated child murder by lighting up the World Trade Center pink? Is our commitment to our unborn neighbors so fickle that we have already allowed our righteous anger to subside?" "The Day of Mourning movement will not stop at mourning. We are prepared to mobilize the thousands of Day of Mourning attendees to move off the sidelines and onto the front lines of the abortion battle," Johnston said. "As David, the shepherd boy, challenged the naysayers, 'Is there not a cause?'" she added, referencing 1 Samuel 17 prior to the slaying of Goliath. The first Day of Mourning event took place in Albany, New York, on Feb. 23 and the Richmond gathering is patterned after it. Approximately 4,000 people were in attendance and tens of thousands joined via livestream. For the Richmond event organizers are asking Americans to wear black on April 6, and to fast, pray, and repent for the sin of abortion, according to a press release sent to CP. Among the speakers featured will be E.W. Jackson, a bishop who once ran against Northam for the lieutenant governor seat. When weve reached a point in our culture where killing babies is a reason for people to celebrate, it's time to mourn and cry out to God like never before, Jackson said in a statement. Best-selling authors, longtime pro-life advocates and twin brothers, David and Jason Benham, will also be speaking in Richmond, and noted that after what they saw God do in Albany they have high expectations for Virginia. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime window of opportunity to right a great national wrong and restore the foundations of righteousness and liberty in our nation, the Benham brothers said in a statement shared with CP. Johnston added, History has proven that societies which kill their children will not last long. Therefore, we are ripe for a catastrophic judgment, the kind of fall that destroyed the seemingly undefeatable Roman Empire. Virginia pastors will be honored at the event and invited to join speakers onstage at the convention center to repent for the churchs 46 years of silence and apathy, she said. Democrat Sen. Manchin opposes LGBT non-discrimination bill over transgender issues Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin broke with his party and spoke out against the Equality Act, saying the pro-LGBT legislation does not give enough guidance on how public schools should implement protections for trans-identified students. As Democrats in both the House and Senate have put their support behind legislation that would amend civil rights law to make sexual orientation and gender identity protected civil classes, Manchin last week became the lone Democrat in the Senate to warn about the implications the bill could have. In a statement, the 71-year-old Manchin, who is considered the most conservative Democrat in Congress, wrote that he supports equality for all people and that no one should be afraid to lose their job or housing because of sexual orientation. But after speaking with local education officials in his home state, he is not convinced that the Equality Act as written provides sufficient guidance to the local officials who will be responsible for implementing it, particularly with respect to students transitioning between genders in public schools. I will continue working with the sponsors of the bill to build broad bipartisan support and find a viable path forward for these critical protections so that I can vote in support of this bill, Manchin explained. While Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has vowed to get the Equality Act passed in the House, a Democrat senator voting against it will make the bill even tougher to pass in the Republican-controlled Senate. According to Politico, Republicans arent even expected to bring the measure to a vote, as it only has one Republican co-sponsor: Susan Collins of Maine. Machins statement drew the ire of the Democrat Party in West Virginia and LGBT rights advocates. If this past Legislative Session didn't prove that we need to fight against discrimination and hate even harder in West Virginia then I don't know what does, the West Virginia Democratic Party said in a statement, according to WAJR. The LGBTQ community endured countless remarks of hate and ignorance while bills that were crafted to protect them never made it up for a vote. Senators Joe Manchin and [Republican West Virginia Sen.] Shelley Moore Capito need to lead by example and vote in support of The Equality Act. Manchin joins Democrat Rep. Dan Lipinski of Illinois, the only Democrat member of the House who has spoken out against the Equality Act. Lipinski stated that he is not co-sponsoring the bill because it conflicts with his stance on religious freedom and would prevent the application of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, according to Roll Call. Conservatives have spoken out against the Equality Acts lack of religious protections for institutions to act in accordance with religious convictions on sexuality. Andrew Walker, senior fellow in Christian ethics at the Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, argued in an op-ed earlier this month that the Equality Act represents the most invasive threat to religious liberty ever proposed in America. He also voiced concern about how the Equality Act would impact areas of education, public accommodation, employment, and federal funding were it to pass. He warned that it could have sweeping effects on religious liberty, free speech, and freedom of conscience. Its passage would sound the death knell for hopes of detente in the culture wars that pit conservative Christians against their LGBT neighbors. For progressives, it would be winner-takes-all, Walker explained. Virtually no area of American life would emerge unscathed from the Equality Acts reach. No less significant would be the long-term effects of how the law would shape the moral imagination of future generations. There is a push among some in evangelicalism to pass a set of legislative ideals called Fairness for All. Fairness for All pushes for the passage of gender identity and sexual orientation protections into federal law in exchange for exemptions for religious institutions that hold deep religious convictions on sexuality and marriage. The Fairness for All approach is supported by groups like the National Association of Evangelicals and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. The debate is not about the importance about the traditional view of marriage, Shirley Mullen, president of Houghton College in Western New York and vice chair of CCCUs board of directors, said in February. The debate is about the best strategy for preserving this. Manchin has been known to break with his Democrat colleagues on certain issues. In February, Manchin broke with Democrats by voting in favor of the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, a measure that would have made it illegal for doctors not to try and save infants who survive abortion. The bill was defeated. Last October, Manchin was the only Senate Democrat who voted to confirm President Donald Trumps nomination for the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The following is a recent press release from Docs Friends announcing the initial air show tour schedule for their restored Boeing B-29 Superfortress known as Doc. Docs Friends has announced a partial 2019 tour schedule for B-29 Doc. The 2019 tour season will include a return trip to EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, WI. Additional tour stops will be announced in the coming weeks as negotiations for air shows and ride flight stops are finalized. This list is only one-third of our 2019 air show tour schedule, said Josh Wells, Docs Friends general manager and executive director. Weve already specifically come to agreements with two more air shows in the midwest that we are working to announce in the coming weeks. Additionally, our team is working to plan a tour that would take the warbird west to California to visit where Doc was rescued from the Mojave Desert. In addition to the air show tour, we will add ride experience stops that will include Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and beyond. Meanwhile, this past weekend at the B-29 Doc Hangar, Education and Visitors Center in Wichita, the B-29 Doc team hosted pilot and flight crew training. During the weekend training session, the crew logged more than five hours of flight time. The first B-29 Doc Experience ride flight weekend of 2019 will be April 13 and 14 in Wichita, where all seats are currently sold out. A few tickets remain for the Doc Experience flight weekend of April 27 and 28. Details can be found at www.b29doc.com/rides. Hero dog Zero dies protecting family after 16-y-o boy shoots up party Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Houston family says their beloved dog prevented what could have been a bloodbath in their home when it bravely fought with a teenage gunman who wounded several members of their household and eventually took their dogs life during a birthday party. "I honestly believe if Zero had not kept jumping on him, he wouldve been able to get shots higher than our legs," Laura Martinez, owner of the killed dog, Zero, said in an interview with Click 2 Houston. This is not something we would ever think was going to happen." Local police say on Sunday, March 10, shooting suspect Javian Castenada, 16, attacked Martinez and her family with a gun during the party. If [Castenada] had been able to just aim where he wanted to shoot, we would have all been seriously hurt, or killed, Martinez told Oxygen.com. Martinez told the publication that she was shot in her right leg while her son, Tyler Hollier, 19, was struck in the ankle and her daughter, Valori Pace, 27, was shot twice. One of the bullets she says is currently lodged an inch from her daughters spine and cant be removed. In a GoFundMe campaign seeking to raise $40,000 to help pay for her familys medical bills, Martinez explained that a day before the shooting, Castenada, a family friend, had broken into her home and stolen cash and other valuables. Martinez said she went to Castenadas home to report the theft to his parents but they were not there so she left them a note. While at the residence the kid a 16 year old boy showed up and threatened us. His neighbor watched this happen, the kid said [he] was going to get his gun and we needed to leave. We went home, I figured the parents would call me. But instead the kid Javion [sic] showed up to our house, walked into our garage where we were cooking for my daughters birthday party that was happening at our home and started yelling, Martinez wrote. A fight ensued between the family and the teenager during which he pulled a gun and Zero the hero dog jumped to their defense. My dog Zero, jumped up and bit Javion, he shot Zero, my dog fell and Javion then fired 3 more shots, 2 hit my daughter Valori, 1 in the back 1/4 inches from her spine and 1 in the back of her thigh, the other hit the bbq pit. Zero then jumped again and knocked Javion down, he shot Zero 2 more times before he fell again, Javion then shot 5 more times 1 bullet hitting me in the leg, Martinez wrote. She explained that while her family was able to survive the shooting, Zero had to be put down because he was too badly injured. Martinez told Oxygen.com that Zero bit Castenada several times before he could no longer fight for the family. [Zero] took a shot to the chest first and he went down, she recalled. Then Zero took a shot to the head, actually his ear, and went down again, she explained. Zero got back upand I dont know how, but he got shot again. Every time he got hit, he got back up again. Martinez explained that it was only after he was shot a third time that Zero couldnt help the family anymore. He was paralyzed by that bullet. Castenada fled the scene of the shooting and turned himself in to police on March 18. He was charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His lawyer, Sam Cammack III, is arguing that the teenager was acting in self-defense and the gun used in the shooting was taken to the home by him. Theres an entirely different side to that story, Cammack told Oxygen.com. They turned that dog loose on him is what they did. He added: I saw the GoFundMe page for the dog, and all that crap. All that is just a bunch of nonsense. They put that dog on that boy. These people have sensationalized like the dog was protecting the family. Castenada is currently in custody awaiting trial on three $30,000 bonds. His next court appearance is set for April 2. Strangers flock to church to honor 9-y-o girl found dead in duffel bag Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Scores of strangers were among hundreds who flocked to the St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Hacienda Heights, California, on Monday to honor the life of Trinity Love Jones, a 9-year-old girl whose lifeless body was found stuffed inside a duffel bag earlier this month. "The darkness will not prevail," the Rev. Egren Gomez, an associate pastor at the Catholic church said at the memorial for Trinity, according to Fox 6 Now. "Trinity, we welcome your light, we ask you bless all the darkness in our midst and let your iconic light shine." The girls body was found by a Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department worker at about 10 a.m. on March 5 along a popular equestrian trail at the bottom of an embankment, near the His Lai Buddhist Temple, authorities said. Her head and upper body were protruding from the partially zipped bag showing her clad in a pink long-sleeve shirt that said Future Princess Hero. For nearly a week the Los Angeles Police Department could not identify who she was as a makeshift memorial grew at the spot along the trail where her body was found. Jones mother, Taquesta Graham, 28, was later arrested in connection with her daughters death. Grahams boyfriend, Emiel Hunt, 38 who allegedly has a 2005 conviction for child abuse in San Diego has since been charged with Jones murder, CBS Los Angeles said. A criminal complaint alleges that they killed Trinity on March 1. They are both currently in custody. Many who have followed the tragic story of Trinitys passing said they felt compelled to honor her life at the memorial on Monday even though they did not know her. "I don't even know them but I just had to come. I have grandchildren her age," Camille Boswell of the nearby city of Placentia said of Trinity and her family, The Associated Press reported. "Any time a ... child dies, it hurts." Hacienda Heights resident Kara Clark told the AP that people felt they had to do something to show their respects to her family and to make it clear they are fed up with a society troubled by such violence. "When we first heard what happened to this child my first thought was that it could have been my granddaughter," she said. "Enough is enough with all of this stuff that happens in our world it's awful." Jones life was celebrated with songs and eulogies from several religious leaders, including Gomez, Pastor Darnell Hammock of the New Life Community Church of Oakland, and Venerable Miao Hsi, a nun from the Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple. "In Buddhism, we believe that when someone passes away ... they're reborn," the nun said, according to Fox 6. "They will not be with us but they will be seeing us in the future. We are here to celebrate Trinity's rebirth." Pastor Hammock in his remarks said even though Jones murder had brought a religious and racially diverse community together he remained concerned about why Trinity died. "Why God? Why so soon? Why our baby? Why our niece. Why my student... "I got to be honest, church, I, too, wrestled with these questions as I prepared today," he said, explaining that her death reminded him of many other children who had died too soon. "I'm here to ask myself, 'When do we change the channel of this alarming episode of young black girls dying?'" he shouted. "I want the community here today to embrace this outlook that we are in this together." Trump admin. to expand Mexico City Policy, crack down on funding abortions abroad Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Trump administration is closing a loophole in a policy that prohibits the federal government from funding groups that perform abortions as a form of family planning. In 2017, President Donald Trump reinstated the Reagan Era Mexico City Policy, which bans the government from providing foreign aid to organizations that perform or promote abortions overseas. At a press conference held Tuesday morning, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the administration was going to crack down on loopholes within the Mexico City Policy. Were also making clear we will refuse to provide assistance to foreign NGOs that give financial support to other foreign groups in the global abortion industry, said Pompeo. We will enforce a strict prohibition on backdoor funding schemes American taxpayer dollars will not be used to underwrite abortions. Pompeo also announced that they will fully enforce a federal prohibition on using funds to lobby for or against abortion, commonly known as the Siljander Amendment. In light of recent evidence of abortion-related advocacy by an organ of the Organization of American States, I directed my team to include a provision in foreign assistance agreements with the OAS that explicitly prohibits the use of funds to lobby for or against abortion, continued Pompeo. The institutions of the OAS should be focused on addressing crises in Cuba, in Nicaragua, and in Venezuela, not advancing the pro-abortion cause. As part of this decision, Pompeo noted that they were reducing their contributions to the OAS to reflect the estimated cost of American money in the reported abortion advocacy. Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America who attended the State Departments announcement, celebrated the news. The Trump administration has been the most pro-life administration in history, and Secretary Pompeo and President Trump should be thanked for closing the loopholes that allowed NGOs to take our taxpayer dollars and give them to sub-contractors that commit or promote abortions, said Hawkins in a statement released Tuesday morning. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins emailed a statement out to supporters on Tuesday morning, commending the Trump administrations overall efforts. From day one, the Trump administration has set to work to build a wall between taxpayers and international abortion-on-demand, said Perkins. This president has gone beyond stopping the pro-abortion policies of Barack Obama. He is restoring and even expanding the pro-life policies of Ronald Reagan. 'Truly a work of God': 150-y-o Bible survives 2 fires at Wisconsin church Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Bible that is approximately 150 years old has survived two church fires in Wisconsin, including one from earlier this month, with the pastor declaring it truly a work of God. Springs United Methodist Church of Plover recently endured a devastating fire, destroying the building and yet leaving the old Bible unscathed, according to a local news story from WSAW earlier this week. The Good Book had previously survived a church fire in the 1950s, when located at St. Paul's Methodist Church in downtown Stevens Point. Tim OBrien, pastor to both churches, said in a statement reported by WSAW that the Bibles survival of both infernos was a great testament to our faith that still stands strong. I think this is really something special, truly a work of God, added OBrien. Yes this is a building, yes things can be replaced. But these places have lots and lots of memories. Unable to be opened due to its advanced age, the Bible was the only object members of the church asked the Plover Fire Department to recover from the ruins of their former building. The church held a prayer vigil on Tuesday, with the congregation asking attendees to join the United Methodist Church community together in prayer and to begin this walk in process of healing and understanding. For the time being, members of Springs UMC will be attending St. Pauls Church for their worship services and other activities. Last December, an Oklahoma man had his truck catch fire and yet a copy of the Bible he had had since he was a teenager survived the conflagration without damage. My truck was parked 2 feet away from the house, if it wasn't for the horn blowing the house would've gone too, explained Steven Gaut on a Facebook fundraiser page. The Vinita Fire Department had to pry the bible that was in a cloth cover. My bible was in great shape and the cover was in bad shape. In an interview with a Fox News affiliate in January, Gaut explained that not only did the Bible survive the truck fire, but it doesnt even smell like smoke either. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment If you think of American Christianity as a pendulum, were currently at the opposite extreme from the First Great Awakening. When Jonathan Edwards preached his famous sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, he compared human beings with spiders, dangling by a thread over the fires of Gods just judgment, upheld only by His mercy. Accounts from the time tell of listeners who clung to the pillars of their churches, lest they fall through the floor into the Lake of Fire. Like I said, were no longer in this territory these days. In fact, according to Professor Michael McClymond, a very different idea is gaining popularity, even in evangelical churches. Its called universalism, the belief that in the end, God will redeem every human being, and maybe even Satan and the demons. McClymond has written a book on the history and beliefs of universalism, as well as its recent resurgence in American Christianity. In The Devils Redemption, he documents how authors like Rob Bell revived and popularized an old but fringe idea: that God will never finally judge anyone, but will continue wooing the wicked into eternity, until even the worst come to repentance and faith. In an interview with Christianity Today, McClymond calls this doctrine not just a theological mistake, but a symptom of deeper problems. Its easy to see what he means. We live in a time when many Christians eagerly downplay Gods condemnation against sinespecially sexual sinin favor of a more therapeutic, feelings-centric approach. In these theological waters, universalism thrives. McClymond calls it the opiate of the theologians, since it allows them to tell a live-and-let-live culture exactly what it wants to hear: that God is a cosmic grandpa who will never finally hold anyone to account for their rebellion against Him. Now look, I get the appeal of universal salvation. So did C. S. Lewis. In The Problem of Pain, he wrote: There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this[B]ut, he added, eternal punishment for sin has the full support of Scripture and, specially, of our Lords own words; it has always been held by Christendom; and it has the support of reason. Jesus, in fact, spoke more often and vividly about Hell than anyone else in the New Testament. Thats part of why Lewis concluded that real, eternal judgment, as horrible as it might seem, is the only way Christians can affirm the holiness of God and the moral freedom of human beings. The kind of love universalism demands from God wouldnt really be love at all. Imagine a God who never put an end to evil, and who never quarantined those determined to continue committing evila God who never told school shooters, genocidal dictators, rapists, gossips, or cheats who refuse to accept His help or authority that enough is enough. There could be no ultimate restoration of creation, and no ultimate peace for the redeemed. Lewis insight, which he developed in both The Problem of Pain and The Great Divorce, was describing Hell not so much as a place, but as a process. Many alive on this earth, he wrote, have already embarked on the early stages of Hell by trying to live life without God. In the end, he suggested, God would give them what they want. And they wouldnt like it. To those who object that this isnt fair, Lewis replied with a piercing question: What are you asking God to do? To wipe out your past sins, and at all costs, to give you a fresh start, offering every miraculous help? He has done so, on Calvary. Do you want Him to forgive you? He has offered forgiveness in Christ. Do you want Him to leave you alone? Alas, wrote Lewis, I am afraid that is what he does. The one thing God will not doand cannot dois allow those who refuse His love to blackmail the universe. Hell will not be allowed to eternally veto Heaven. The promise of coming judgmentsomething we confess every time we say the Apostles Creedis essential to the Christian hope of a restored world. Not only is it motivation to take the Great Commission seriously, it makes the Good News of forgiveness in Christ so good. So, Im with Michael McClymond. For Christians who take their faith seriously, eternal consequences, as taught in Scripture, still must have a place. Universalism isnt an option. Resources How Universalism, the Opiate of the Theologians, Went Mainstream, Michael McClymond, Interview by Paul Copan | Christianity Today | March 11, 2019 To Reach Unsaved Christians, First Help Them Get Lost, Dean Inserra | Christianity Today | March 5, 2019 Are You More Loving Than God? Derek Rishmawy| Christianity Today | December 28, 2018 The Devil's Redemption, 2 Volumes, Michael J. McClymond, Baker Books, 2018 Originally posted at Breakpoint. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment In March we celebrate International Womens Day. Their theme for this year stated, A balanced world is a better world. How can you help forge a more gender-balanced world? Celebrate women's achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality. We celebrate the value of all life. But we are also aware of a major bias in our culture that claims that abortion is more empowering to women than life-affirming options. Planned Parenthood stated in their 2018 year-end report that their fight (is) to build a world of equality and opportunity for all. Do they? There are an estimated 200 million fewer women in the world today due to gender selective abortions. Baby girls are targeted for termination simply because certain cultures deem them less desirable than baby boys. So, as we think of the respect and value of women, we need to discuss the very real injustice of abortion. We need to recognize the heartache and pain of the estimated half billion women who had abortions in the last 10 years worldwide. Abortion was dubbed the leading cause of death in 2018 according to Worldometers' count on December 31, 2018. Breitbart analyzed the stats and explained, There were more deaths from abortion in 2018 than all deaths from cancer, malaria, HIV/AIDS, smoking, alcohol, and traffic accidents combined. Reproductive rights activists claim to promote freedom for women. They ultimately assume that a pregnancy will hinder future success. The insinuation is that if a woman wishes to excel in life, she should not become a mother. Planned Parenthood is making billions off these assumptions. In fact, they create their own demand by sponsoring events like sex week on college campuses. As soon as a student realizes shes pregnant, she immediately knows where to go to take care of her problem. When a woman has an abortion, she rarely, if ever, receives additional support or care from Planned Parenthood. Most often abortions take place during the first trimester. The abortion pill (RU486) is available through Planned Parenthoods telemedicine in 13 states and at most Planned Parenthood clinics. After acquiring the abortion pill, a woman is told to go somewhere comfortable and get ready for a lot of bleeding. Shes often left to suffer the pain alone and encouraged not to call 911 but call a special number provided by the abortion facility if she starts to worry. A depiction of what an RU486 induced abortion is like can be witnessed in the movie UNPLANNED, scheduled for release in 1,000 theaters on March 29, 2019. This is the true story of Abby Johnson who had two abortions, one chemical and the other surgical. She later became an executive director of a Planned Parenthood in Texas where she believed she was helping women every day. After witnessing an ultrasound guided abortion, however, she walked away from her job, never to return. What she saw changed everything. The UNPLANNED movie exposes what happens within the walls of abortion clinics across the country. With a front of womens empowerment and equality, Planned Parenthood is one of the largest contributors to womens oppression by making abortion seem like the best and most logical option. The abortion industry in America is a multibillion-dollar business prioritizing increase in cash flow rather than what truly is best for the women they counsel. In contrast to abortion clinics, pregnancy care centers across the nation offer completely free services to any woman who needs them. Nurses and social workers listen to the womans concerns and work to connect the client to local resources that will meet their needs. From housing, transportation, job opportunities, parenting classes and more, pregnancy centers will walk alongside a woman through her pregnancy and up to two years after the birth of her child to ensure she knows shes not alone. We are honored to be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. Join us on March 29th at theaters across the country to learn more about how the abortion industry is completely going against what we celebrated on International Womens Day. Stand with us to fight the injustice of abortion and love the women who feel like its their only option. Natasha Smith works at Save the Storks collecting and sharing stories of women who have been empowered to choose life through mobile medical units across the nation. Natasha a photographer, writer, and creative projects manager who delights in sharing stories about life as well as enjoying life in the rugged mountains of Colorado where she resides. World Help facilitating aid to help Zimbabwe recover in aftermath of devastating Cyclone Idai Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Virginia-based Christian aid group is facilitating relief to Zimbabwe following a devastating cyclone earlier this week. Cyclone Idai, which besieged southern Africa last Sunday, tore across Mozambique with over 100 miles per hour winds and struck Zimbabwe with brutal force, causing floods and landslides. The nation has declared a state of emergency. In an interview with Mark Hogsed, vice president of global programs for World Help, said their ministry partner on the ground has explained to them that the storm hit an area where people were already struggling, compounding the problem. The heavy rains and winds accompanied by floods carried many away in their sleep, while homes also collapsed. Hundreds have lost their lives and many more remain missing, he explained. "Zimbabwe has constantly struggled with food insecurity even in some of their [better] times, so this is further complicating the food shortages" as the cyclone has wreaked havoc on their crops. "We're trying to meet their most urgent needs with food and personal care kits," he said. Sources have informed World Help that the lack of clean water is a major issue as wells and water pipes have been damaged as have roads and sources of power. World Help's efforts are focused on assisting the Chipinge and Chimanimani in Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe, largely rural communities. Limited communication remains an issue and some areas are still inaccessible and have yet to be reached. "An estimated 1,000 homes were washed away and damaged. About 15,000 people were affected directly are now homeless," Hogsed said. In cooperation with their ministry partners World Help is aiming to reach 1,000 households, approximately 5,000 people, over the next few months. But beyond sending physical resources, the humanitarian organization is calling on people to also provide spiritual hope for victims and pray for the disaster-stricken nation. Hogsed stressed that it's essential Christians not allow the dire situation in Zimbabwe to become "just another news story that is out-of-sight and out-of-mind." "We have to be diligent in praying for each and every person affected by this disaster. It's also important to understand the challenges in a nation like Zimbabwe in mobilizing aid from one portion of the country to another portion to the country. There are challenges there and it's not easy, it doesn't go quickly, communication can be difficult," he said. "While this disaster will be out of our news cycle in a couple of days, it's going to take months, even years, for Zimbabwe, for Mozambique and Malawi and those affected areas to recover. Life is not going to get back to normal for them for quite some time." World Help is asking for donations of $50 which will provide food, water, hygiene supplies, and infant care kits for those affected, he said. People are terrified. Theyre wondering if their lives will ever be the same. Please stop whatever youre doing and pray on behalf of families impacted by this cyclone, said Vernon Brewer, founder of World Help in a statement to The Christian Post. Yes, we must provide help so they may survive this disaster, but we also must send them hope through our prayers so they know they are not forgotten and they still have a future, Brewer said. World Help was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Forest, Virginia. Cambridge University withdrew Jordan Peterson visiting fellowship over 'proud Islamophobe' T-shirt The offer of a visiting fellowship to Dr Jordan Peterson was rescinded because of a photograph of the academic with a man wearing a 'proud Islamophobe' T-shirt, Cambridge University has confirmed. In a statement, Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen J Toope said the university had last week become aware of the photograph in which Peterson is seen standing with his arm around a man wearing a T-shirt with the slogan "I'm a proud Islamophobe". "The casual endorsement by association of this message was thought to be antithetical to the work of a Faculty that prides itself in the advancement of inter-faith understanding," said Prof Toope. "As a consequence of this, the Faculty's Research Committee reviewed its original decision to award a visiting fellowship and concluded that the offer should be rescinded. "As is normal, neither the decision to invite Professor Peterson, nor to rescind the invitation, were brought to the attention of the senior leadership team until after they had been made." Dr Peterson is a University of Toronto professor and the author of the bestselling book '12 Rules for Life'. He has courted controversy in the past for his views on gender, particularly his refusal to refer to transgender people by their chosen pronoun. He said in a statement last week that he had planned to use the visiting fellowship at Cambridge to research a series of lectures on Exodus. In a scathing response to the rescindment of his visiting fellowship, he condemned the university's decision as a "serious error of judgment" and said that the Faculty of Divinity's behaviour had been "narcissistic, self-congratulatory and devious". "Finally, I thought that making myself more knowledgeable about relevant Biblical matters by working with the experts there would be of substantive benefit to the public audience who would eventually receive the resultant lectures," he said. "Now the Divinity school has decided that signaling their solidarity with the diversity-inclusivity-equity mob trumps that opportunity." Christian pro-lifer disinvited from Cornell University debate because of biblical marriage views A Christian speaker was disinvited from defending the pro-life position in a debate at Cornell University after it was discovered that she holds the historic Christian view on sexuality and marriage. Organizers of the debate at the Ivy League school in Ithaca, New York, likened her views to support of slavery and the Holocaust. Jannique Stewart, who is African American and a pro-life speaker with Life Training Institute was invited earlier this year to participate in a debate next month at Cornell University's Political Union "regarding the fact that abortion is a moral wrong", she said in a Saturday Facebook post. The group withdrew the invitation upon finding out that she was an outspoken defender of marriage as between one man and one woman and biblical sexuality. Her presence and participation had been officially approved and was on track to proceed until she was asked to submit a bio and those who invited her started researching her background. "It was explained to me that having someone on campus who believed the way I did was tantamount to allowing a racist to speak who held pro-slavery and pro-holocaust views!" Stewart explained, outraged. "I was also told that their concern was that many of the students would be offended by my beliefs and would not be able to focus or listen to my speech." She elaborated that when they were asked to reconsider because they were overtly discriminating and disinviting her over her conservative perspective, they reconsidered and decided that they would not rescind their invitation. They, however, suggested that it would be better for another speaker to come in her stead who did not share her views about marriage. But then the CPU did disinvite her a second time, after she told them she would plan on showing up and speaking after they said they would not disinvite her. This time, however, their decision to disinvite her was final, she was informed. "They made it again clear that because of my outspoken beliefs, and how it would be perceived by the students. More and more Universities are censoring Conservative Christian voices in an effort to silence dissent and spare any possible offense. Unbelievable! The First Amendment supports Freedom of Speech not Freedom From Speech," Stewart wrote on Facebook. Stewart explained in a statement to PJ Media Saturday that her ministry, Love Protects, focuses on a range of issues related to sexuality, including sexual abstinence until marriage and opposition to adult content, and a pro-life stance, among other things. Robert P. George, professor of jurisprudence at Princeton University, has risen to Stewart's defense. "So here we are. Evidently, no Catholic, Evangelical Protestant, Eastern Orthodox Christian, Orthodox Jew, or Muslim, who believes what his or her tradition of faith teaches about sex and marriage is permitted to engage in debate at the Cornell Political Union," George wrote on his Facebook page Saturday. "Even someone who, following thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, Musonius Rufus, Xenophanes, and Plutarch, holds to traditional morality on philosophical grounds without the benefit of scriptural revelation, is ineligible to be a debater. If Plato or Aristotle were around today, they would be barred. Think about that for a second." He added: "Among the most appalling practices of the contemporary left is its attempt to secure its position on sex and marriage by stigmatizing anyone who dissents from it as a 'bigot' or 'hater' the equivalent of a racist and thus excluding them and shutting down all debate. We're seeing this all over the country. It is a sin against the House of Intellect. The bullies who commit it need to be stood up to. Their victims need to refuse to be intimidated. And all men and women of goodwill need to stand with them. "Where oh where are the old fashioned, honorable liberals?" Faith communities need to listen to victims of domestic abuse, says Church Moderator Domestic abuse will only be eradicated if people, including members of faith communities, are able to speak about the issue openly, the Moderator of the Church of Scotland General Assembly has said. Writing in the Press and Journal, the Rt Rev Susan Brown said that although there were male victims of abuse whose stories needed to be heard, women "carry the brunt of that abuse by far". "There are children who go to sleep to the sound of their mother being called names, or slapped, or worse," she said. "There are children growing up who think it is acceptable to treat a woman like a servant because that is what they see, day in and day out." In addition to overt abuse, she said there could be less obvious forms, such as the "constant undermining of a woman's confidence" and the manipulation and control of her time, how she spent the household money, who she hung out with and the clothes she wore. A person's individual faith, Mrs Brown continued, could be "twisted to keep a woman subservient". She said lll faith communities, Christian included, could "collude with the actions of the perpetrator by refusing to listen to the woman". This was a particular risk if the man was in a position of leadership within the faith community, she warned. "It could be because the man is seen to be a stalwart of the church or mosque and people find it hard to believe he could be otherwise at home, so they take sides," she said. In a bid to bring domestic abuse out into the open, the Church of Scotland is asking congregations to speak about the issue more in church and display a poster encouraging victims to speak up "with the assurance that they will be listened to, taken seriously and believed". Church ministers are also being encouraged to familiarise themselves with their local women's aid or refuges in order to signpost women who come to them for help. "Everyone is asked simply to listen, without judging," she said. "Within or beyond the faith communities, if we want people's homes to be places of love and acceptance where adults and children can feel safe, where everyone is treated respectfully and no one feels threatened or anxious, then we have to talk about domestic abuse and stop pretending it doesn't happen in our town, or village, or street. "We need to educate ourselves to look for the possible signs and we need to be open to starting conversations which might allow others to find the help they need to deal with their aggression if they are the perpetrator. "Or to escape that aggression if they are the victim so that both are enabled to become happier and healthier human beings." If you or someone you know are affected by domestic abuse, call the Women's Aid and Refuge 24-hour national helpline on 0808 2000 247. By The Associated Press Mar. 26, 2019 | 06:22 AM | WASHINGTON House Democrats pressed the Justice Department to provide the full report from special counsel Robert Mueller even as Republicans gleefully called for them to "move on" from the Russia investigation . President Donald Trump accused those responsible for launching Mueller's probe of "treasonous things against our country" and said they "certainly will be looked into." Trump said the release of Mueller's full report "wouldn't bother me at all," and Democrats quickly put that statement to the test, demanding that his administration hand over the entire document and not just Sunday's four-page summary from Attorney General William Barr. Six House Democratic committee chairmen wrote to Barr that his summary is "not sufficient" and asked to be given Mueller's full report by April 2. They also want to begin receiving the underlying evidence the same day. The information is "urgently needed by our committees to perform their duties under the Constitution," they wrote, implying that the information would be subpoenaed if it is not turned over by the deadline. Barr said in his letter to Congress that Mueller did not find that Trump's campaign "conspired or coordinated" with the Russian government to influence the 2016 presidential election knocking down arguments from Democrats who have long claimed there was evidence of such collusion. But he also said Mueller reached no conclusion on whether Trump obstructed the federal investigation, instead setting out "evidence on both sides" of the question and stating that "while this report does not conclude the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." Absent a recommendation from Mueller, Barr stepped in and decided there wasn't sufficient evidence to establish that the president obstructed justice. Democrats said Barr's judgment is not the final word. "All I'm interested in is them releasing the full report, the full Mueller report," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Despite Mueller's refusal to exonerate Trump, his spokesmen and leading congressional Republicans all claimed total vindication for the president anyway. Questioned by reporters, Trump said he welcomed Mueller's results but complained he had been abused by the investigation occurring at all and taking too long. "We can never let this happen to another president again," he said. "There are a lot of people out there that have done some very evil things, very bad things, I would say treasonous things against our country." "Those people will certainly be looked at. I've been looking at them for a long time. And I'm saying, why haven't they been looked at? They lied to Congress. Many of them you know who they are." He didn't name names, but Trump has spent months railing against former Justice Department officials, including former FBI Director James Comey, accusing them of an illegal witch hunt for the purpose of delegitimizing his presidency. He has also falsely claimed that the investigation was based on memos compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele, and even blamed former Sen. John McCain, who died last year, for passing the memos to the FBI. The investigation began months before the FBI saw the dossier and the FBI already had a copy by the time McCain turned it in. On Monday, after a series of evening strategy meetings, Democrats vowed to continue their multiple investigations into Trump, perhaps with shifted focus. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who has become a focus of Republicans' post-Mueller ire, said he is "circumspect about how much more we will be able to find on issues that he thoroughly investigated," but said Mueller's conclusion would not affect his own committee's counterintelligence probes. "There may be other corrupt meetings between the Trump campaign and the Russians, there may be other profound financial conflicts of interest that are not mentioned in the Mueller report, and there may be unanswered questions even within what he did examine," Schiff said. Democrats also signaled that they will curtail some public focus, at least, from their investigations of Trump and try to keep attention on their policy goals. Schiff postponed an open hearing with Felix Sater, a Russian-born former business adviser to Trump who helped him negotiate an ultimately unsuccessful deal for a Trump Tower in Moscow, while the intelligence committee tries to get a look at Mueller's report. Pelosi, meanwhile, was scheduled to hold a press conference Tuesday on health care legislation, Democrats' top campaign issue. Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline, a member of Democratic leadership, said he has been encouraging colleagues to talk about those policy issues like health care and infrastructure. "We need to talk about the work we are doing on these really important economic issues that matter in people's lives," Cicilline said. "We're doing the work, but we need to be more effective about sharing that" and not just responding to questions about corruption and Mueller's investigation. Democrats seem more likely to focus on those issues, and their ongoing investigations, than engaging in the talk of impeachment that has been amplified on Pelosi's left flank. As the release of Mueller's report loomed, she recently tried to scuttle that talk by saying she's not for impeachment, for now. But Mueller's report hasn't dissuaded some of Trump's fiercest critics among the new Democratic lawmakers who helped flip the House from Republican control. By the end of the month, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., is still planning to introduce her resolution calling for the Judiciary Committee to investigate grounds for Trump's impeachment. Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers called for Congress to move on. "This is done with," said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. "It is time for the country to move forward." Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the No. 2 House Republican, said Democrats don't want facts, "They just want to change the outcome of the 2016 election." At the same time, however, Republicans followed Trump's lead in looking into how the investigation began. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham promised to "unpack the other side of the story" of the Russia investigation. Graham, who spent the weekend with Trump in Florida, said his committee will probe the actions of the Justice Department. Still, he said the investigation was legitimate and had to happen in order to answer questions about Russian interference in the 2016 election. The South Carolina Republican also had a warning for Trump using his pardon power to help those who were ensnared by Mueller's investigation. "If President Trump pardoned anybody in his orbit, it would not play well," Graham said. Among those whom Mueller charged during the course of his investigation were the president's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Five Trump aides pleaded guilty and a sixth, longtime confidant Roger Stone, is awaiting trial on charges that he lied to Congress and engaged in witness tampering. Greece angry after Turkish president says Hagia Sophia could be turned into a mosque Turning the former Byzantine cathedral Hagia Sophia into a mosque would be an "insult" to Christians, the Greek government has said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a TV interview on Sunday that the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Istanbul could revert back to being a mosque. Hagia Sophia was a Greek Orthodox cathedral at the time of the Ottomon conquest of Constantinople, as Istanbul was called then, in 1453, after which it was turned into a mosque. In 1935, Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk turned the landmark building into a secular museum. In an interview with interview with the Turkish broadcaster TGRT on Sunday, Mr Erdogan said it was "not a strange proposal" to suggest turning Hagia Sophia back into a mosque. "As you know, the mosque was converted to a museum in 1935, as a reflection of the (Republican People's Party) CHP mentality. We may as well take a step and change that," he was quoted as saying by the Daily Sabah newspaper. Greek Foreign Minister George Katrougalos expressed anger at the Turkish president's comments. "It is not only a great temple of Christendom the largest for many centuries it also belongs to humanity. It has been recognized by UNESCO as part of our global cultural heritage," he said. "So any questioning of this status is not just an insult to the sentiments of Christians, it is an insult to the international community and international law." How churches are being used to save the lives of mothers and babies in Togo In Togo, West Africa, one in 20 babies do not live to see their first birthday but churches are playing a vital role in turning around that devastating statistic. Compassion UK is working with churches in Togo, one of the least developed countries in the world, to provide many of the maternity services that mothers in the UK take for granted. Access to maternity care can literally mean the difference between life or death for mothers and their babies in developing countries. By contrast in the UK, where mothers can utilise the NHS for free, only one in 250 babies die in their first year. The high mortality rate among newborns in Togo is down to a combination of factors, including complications in pregnancy and childbirth, infections, disease and malnutrition. But underpinning all of these is poverty, because with more than half of the people in Togo living on less than 1.50 a day, many families cannot afford nutritional food or the necessary medical support to see them safely through their pregnancies. Through its Child Survival projects, Compassion is working with churches to change that by improving pregnant women's access to antenatal check-ups and trained birth attendants. They can also receive other life-saving assistance like basic healthcare, hygiene, nutritious food and safe water. Trained community workers at the churches are also on hand to provide mentoring, support and spiritual guidance for families getting ready to welcome a new addition into their midst. This includes teaching parents how to prepare nutritious food, monitor their children's health and development, build a stable home life and learn the skills that can help them generate an income. To bring the Child Survival projects to more communities, Compassion has launched the Different Path Appeal. Each donation made to the appeal before 24 June 2019 will be matched by the Department for International Development, enabling more families to be helped. Justin Dowds, CEO of Compassion UK said: "Poverty can have a devastating impact on both a child's chances of survival and their long-term development. "To prevent women and babies dying needlessly, we have to reach them early before babies have even been born and support women with essential antenatal checkups and support at birth. "The generous funding from the UK government will allow us to transform the lives of even more families in Togo, ensuring their health and wellbeing." International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said: "Our brilliant NHS means UK parents get access to some of the best maternity healthcare in the world, but in Togo the reality for expectant mothers is very different one in every 20 babies don't make it to their first birthday. "The Different Path UK Aid Match appeal will work to change this, providing the basic maternal healthcare that will see more children across the country reach adulthood and realise their potential. "UK Aid Match will double every pound which the British public donates to this campaign, meaning their generosity will go twice as far." Ama, 35, is one of the mothers to have benefited from registering with the Child Survival project. She says that in the past, she was not able to access regular hospital check-ups. After joining the Child Survival project, she was able to go to the hospital when she needed to. "The biggest benefit was medicines, medical fees and prenatal checks. After I delivered, we received soap and many other stuffs for the child," she said. "Now I have peace of mind," she added. Koffi Ahonon, from Compassion Togo, said that working with local staff in churches was key to understanding the specific challenges faced by communities. "Through this approach, we address the root causes of poverty to positively impact the lives of children, families and communities," he said. "We also connect vulnerable women with a broader network of support where they can develop their self-esteem, learn to build stable relationships and make good choices for themselves and their children." To donate 10, text TOGO to 70660 (view terms & conditions) or by visiting www.compassionuk.org/differentpath. Salvation Army urges public to be on their guard against scammers The Salvation Army is working with Sussex Police to prevent more vulnerable people falling victim to financial scams. The Church is concerned that older people who are less familiar with the internet are at particular risk of being targeted by scammers. It has been supporting Sussex Police in its countywide Operation Signature, which aims to identify victims of fraud and provide support to them. The Salvation Army has been moved to do more to raise awareness of the problem after over half of the adults surveyed as part of Operation Signature revealed they had been targeted. According to Sussex Police, one in five people are targeted by scammers each year - figures The Salvation Army said were "shocking". In response to the threat posed by scammers, The Salvation Army is launching new resources to help its churches and community centres across the UK provide support and advice to the people who use their services. The Salvation Army hopes that the resources will equip vulnerable members of the community coming to its lunch clubs, debt advice services and other groups in spotting financial scams. Gail Millar, The Salvation Army's Regional Specialist who works with older people, said raising awareness was key to tackling fraud. "We have spoken to many victims of fraud who were enticed by a special offer that turned out to be too good to be true," she said. "A scam can take many forms and victims can be targeted through a number of avenues, through the post, over the phone, on your doorstep and increasingly online. "It's important that the public is aware of the many different methods fraudsters will use to pull off a scam. By being vigilant there are ways you can protect yourself from fraud criminals and we hope our resources will help people do this." The awareness raising campaign is being spearheaded by The Salvation Army's Older People's Ministries team, led by Andrew Wileman. He warned that although older people were more susceptible to scams, anyone could be targeted. "Most of us will know somebody who has been the victim of a scam but we find that people are often ashamed to admit this and only five per cent of victims actually report the crime," he said. "Our team has seen on a number of occasions the stress and anxiety this has caused at our front-line services. We believe that this is a very real issue that allows us to minister with both spiritual and practical concern to the many people who are victims to scams and fraud. "Whilst older people may be more susceptible to this crime we recognise that anyone can be targeted by fraudsters and we hope we can give people the information they need to take action and help stop more people falling victim." If you are concerned about fraud, visit www.actionfraud.org.uk or call them on 0300 123 2040 for more information. If you are worried you may have fallen victim to a scam, call your local police on 101. University hosting global Anglican bishops' meeting says event is 'contrary to its values' The university scheduled to host the next Lambeth Conference of worldwide Anglican bishops has said the event does not fully comply with its values. Academics at the University of Kent say the fact that the same-sex spouses of gay and lesbian bishops are not being invited "raises serious issues" and "significant ethical concerns" as it is "contrary to the values" of the institution. Now Sir David Warren, the chair of the University Council its governing body and Professor Karen Cox, its Vice-Chancellor and President, are seeking to meet with the Lambeth Conference organisers and the Archbishop of Canterbury to voice their concerns directly and to discuss the issues further. Their move follows a recent announcement by the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Dr Josiah Idowu-Fearon, who said same-sex spouses wouldn't be invited to the event, held roughly once a decade, as the official Anglican position is still that marriage is between a man and a woman. The Kent University statement says: "Welcome and inclusion are key to who we are. We also place great value on diversity of opinion, open, respectful debate, recognition of difference, and the central role of constructive engagement and dialogue. These, we believe, are all essential to progress in a democratic society. The University has become aware that proposals relating to the Lambeth Conference 2020, which is due to be held at the University, raises serious issues at the heart of these values." Referring to Dr Idowu-Fearon's statement, the university adds that it is "concerned by this... as it does not accord with our values". It says it has "received a large number of concerns raised by staff, students, and members of the public, about hosting the conference. "While we currently understand that the Lambeth Conference may be permitted by law to rely on exemption under the Equality Act 2010 for religious organisations, we also believe there are significant ethical concerns raised," it says. The university council says it is "clear that exclusion of same sex spouses, on grounds of orientation, would be contrary to the values of the University. Council determined that the University shall ensure that accommodation will be available on campus for those spouses affected by this decision who wish to be in Canterbury with their partners during the conference period. The University welcomes them and affirms its belief in, and commitment to, diversity and inclusivity". While the Lambeth Conference has come under fire for being too restrictive from Kent University, it has also been criticised for being too liberal by more conservative Anglicans. As reported by Christian Today, the traditionalist Anglican grouping Gafcon has argued that not only should same-sex spouses not be invited, but the bishops in those relationships also. Bishops from the Anglican Churches of Nigeria and Uganda have already said they plan to boycott Lambeth 2020. In 2008 the previous Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, declined to invite American Bishop Gene Robinson to the last Lambeth Conference, held that year. Robinson had become the first openly gay and partnered bishop in the Anglican Communion a few years earlier. In 1998, the Lambeth Conference passed a resolution stating that "in view of the teaching of Scripture, [Anglicanism] upholds faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman in lifelong union, and believes that abstinence is right for those who are not called to marriage". The conference rejected active homosexual relationships as "incompatible with Scripture" but called on "all our people to minister pastorally and sensitively to all irrespective of sexual orientation and to condemn irrational fear of homosexuals, violence within marriage and any trivialisation and commercialisation of sex". Purdue Pharma LP and the Sackler family will pay $270 million to settle Oklahoma's claims that illegal marketing of the Oxycontin painkiller devastated local communities, an accord that could influence the results of thousands of lawsuits faced by the company and others. The settlement comes two months before the scheduled start of a trial against Purdue, Johnson & Johnson and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. in Norman, Oklahoma. The settlement resolves a tiny sliver of the massive legal liability that has led Purdue to threaten bankruptcy as a way of managing its legal costs. The drugmaker is owned by the Sackler family, and states and local governments have recently explored pursuing the family's wealth. Purdue confirmed the settlement in a statement. Other drugmakers facing litigation, including J&J and Teva, would have to make their own deals. Representatives for Teva and J&J didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. "I see this as a one-off tied to Purdue's limited financial resources," said Richard Ausness, a University of Kentucky professor who teaches about mass-tort law. "I think these other companies will wait to see the outcome of some of these test trials before they get serious about settling." A spokesman for Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter declined to comment. Oklahoma claims the three drugmakers understated the risks of prescription painkillers and overstated their benefits, fueling an epidemic that's costing its communities tens of millions of dollars for treatment and policing. Oklahoma has also sued 10 other companies over opioid issues, though the presiding judge broke the trials into groups. Purdue, J&J and Teva were slated to be the first to come to trial. The companies and others are battling claims by three dozen states and 1,600 U.S. cities and counties, but those suits are pending in another court and the first trial isn't until the fall. Purdue's settlement could help set the terms for other jurisdictions and companies looking to resolve the cases. Shares of J&J rose 2.4 percent at 11:15 a.m. in New York. Drugmaker Endo International Plc, which is being sued elsewhere, rose 8.1 percent. Endo's bonds rose as well; the company's senior unsecured notes due 2025 rose almost 4 cents on the dollar to 73.75 on Monday morning in New York, according to Trace bond trading data. In its suit, Oklahoma sought $25 billion in damages and penalties over Purdue's push to lure doctors into prescribing Oxycontin for unauthorized uses to generate billions in profits for the company. While doctors have wide discretion to prescribe medicines beyond what they've been approved to treat, drugmakers are limited to marketing their products for just ailments approved by regulators. The Sackler family is accused of making billions over the abuse of Oxycontin that the company's marketing allegedly fueled. The family made more than $4 billion between 2008 and 2016, according to a recently unsealed opioid suit filed by the Massachusetts Attorney General. The settlement will allow Stamford, Connecticut-based Purdue to avoid filing for bankruptcy at least for now, according to people familiar with the matter, who declined to speak publicly about the deal because they weren't authorized to do so. Craig Landau, Purdue's chief executive officer, confirmed in a March 8 interview with the Washington Post that "bankruptcy is an option" to deal with the wave of opioid suits that threaten the pharmaceutical company's financial strength. A Chapter 11 filing would shield Purdue from litigation by imposing a stay on all U.S. suits and allow the privately held drugmaker to consolidate its legal costs and expenses. Experts say taking the cases out of the regular court system and putting them before a single bankruptcy judge likely will allow Purdue to pay less in settlements. Lawyers for Oklahoma and Purdue have been in talks for months, according to the people. The settlement negotiations were overseen by a court-appointed mediator. Judge Thad Balkman refused requests by Purdue, J&J and Teva to delay the May 28 trial. On Monday, the state's Supreme Court upheld Balkman's decision to push ahead with the trial, making Oklahoma the first state in the nation to try claims against opioid makers. In 2016, there were 444 opioid-related overdose deaths in Oklahoma, which left it ranked 28th in the U.S. for such deaths, according to data analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The year before, the number of opioid prescriptions Oklahoma doctors wrote exceeded the state's population of four million, according to government statistics. The state's suit sought millions in damages for the current costs of dealing with the opioid epidemic and billions in future costs tied to counseling, health-care and social services for children orphaned by overdoses, according to court filings in Oklahoma's case. Under the settlement, Purdue will pay $103 million to establish the National Center for Addiction Studies and Treatment at Oklahoma State University, donate $20 million worth of medicine to the center, and contribute $72 million for counties and cities and the cost of the litigation. The Sacklers have pledged $75 million to the center over five years. The case is State of Oklahoma v Purdue Pharma LP, No. ZCJ-2017-816, Oklahoma District Court for Cleveland County (Norman). -- Bloomberg's Laurel Calkins, Margaret Cronin Fisk and Cynthia Koons contributed to this report. Bailey Wright/For Hearst Connecticut Media Jersey Mike's Subs will donate 100 percent of the revenue from its 18 shops in the Houston area Wednesday to The Cure Starts Now, a grassroots effort dedicated to eliminating cancer. The Day of Giving initiative is part of the chain's 9th annual Month of Giving fundraising campaign to support local charities. Jersey Mike's will donate the sales on every item purchased Wednesday, including sandwiches, chips and catered meals. Oklahoma-based Magellan Midstream Partners is scraping plans for its proposed Permian Gulf Coast Pipeline amid ongoing discussions to combine the project with another crude oil pipeline. The 600-mile Permian Basin to Gulf Coast pipeline project is unlikely to proceed as originally announced, Magellan Vice President Suzanne Costin reported in a Monday afternoon filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Magellan announced the pipeline project in September as a joint venture with Energy Transfer LP, Delek US and MPLX LP. The proposed 30-inch pipeline would have moved 1 million barrels of crude oil per day from the West Texas shale play to Magellan's terminal in Houston and Energy Transfer's terminal in Nederland. "There were conditions that needed to be met in order to proceed with the project that weren't satisfied," Magellan Vice President Bruce Heine said in a statement. Midstream Moves: Magellan extends open season on Cushing-to-Houston pipeline In her SEC filing, Costin reported that Magellan is decreasing its 2019 capital expenditure budget accordingly. The company now estimates that it will spend $1.1 billion on active expansion projects in 2019 and another $150 million in 2020. "The partnership continues to actively develop a crude oil pipeline project in the Permian Basin, but the probability of success is unknown at this time," Costin said in her filing. However, the company remains in discussions to combine the project with another proposed Permian Basin to Gulf Coast crude oil pipeline, recent filings and earnings calls show. Fuel Fix: Get daily energy news headlines in your inbox During a Jan. 31 investors call, Magellan CEO Mike Mears said the company was in the process of acquiring right of way for the Permian Gulf Coast Pipeline but was also interesting in combining the project with another crude oil pipeline proposed by Exxon Mobil, Plains All American Pipeline and Lotus Midstream. The three companies formed a joint venture named Wink to Webster Pipeline LLC in January to move 1 million barrels of crude oil per day from along a 650-mile pipeline to the Houston area. During a Feb. 21 investors call, Energy Transfer Chief Financial Officer Tom Long reported that his company was also in talks to join the Wink to Webster Pipeline project. "We will continue to go down parallel paths in order to evaluate and achieve the most efficient and accretive project for our partnership," Long said. A March 4 presentation by Magellan Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Aaron Milford at the Raymond James investors conference in Orlando shows that those discussions remain alive. "There's other pipes that basically had similar capabilities and followed a similar route," Milford said at the conference. "If we can find a way to put them together, we think that that's really a very efficient solution for everybody. But those conversations are occurring, as we speak. So, I really don't want to say much further." Sunnova States with aggressive renewable energy goals such as California and Arizona are among the nation's leaders in installing residential solar energy. But not Texas, which has been slow to adopt residential solar panels, according to a study by the Federal Reserve of Dallas. Solar power provides just a half-percent of electricity generation in Texas, with residential solar supplying just one-tenth percent of total generation, according to the Dallas Fed, which used Department of Energy and Census Bureau data to make its calculations. Struggling oilfield service company Weatherford International has closed on the last of four deals to sell its drilling rigs in the Middle East and North Africa. Weatherford closed a $32 million deal on Monday afternoon to sell four of the company's drilling rigs in the North African nation of Algeria and the Middle Eastern nation of Iraq. Headquartered in Switzerland but with a large presence in Houston, Weatherford has been selling its Middle Eastern drilling rig subsidiary Precision Drilling Services Saudi Arabia, or PDSSA, to Dubai-based ADES International Holding Ltd. in four phases. ADES agreed to buy PDSSA in a $287.5 million deal that was announced July 2018. Structured into a series of four closings, the first deal closed in November, the second one closed in December and the third in February. Combined, the four deals included the sale of 31 land-based drilling rigs, contracts and 2,300 employees and contract personnel. Financial Woes: As Weatherford slides deeper in red, CEO rules out bankruptcy The asset sale is the latest divestiture for the struggling oilfield service company, which posted a $2.8 billion loss on roughly $5.6 billion of revenue in 2018. Enduring some 17 consecutive quarters of losses, Weatherford has not made a profit since the third quarter of 2014 when a crude oil price downturn dragged down the entire U.S. oil and natural gas industry. Fuel Fix: Get daily energy news headlines in your inbox Weatherford employs 26,500 people in 80 nations. The figure marks a nine percent drop from the 29,200 employees in 2017. The year 1979 is one most San Antonians never forget. It was the year the city made national headlines for multiple tragedies. On April 27, Ira Attebury opened fire from inside his mobile home on a festive crowd gathered to watch Fiesta's Battle of Flowers Parade at the intersection of Broadway and East Grayson Street. Two people were killed and 51 injured. Galveston County Criminal District Attorney A Galveston woman was sentenced to 35 years in prison after she pled guilty Monday to attacking her ex-boyfriend with a firebomb. Nancy Ruth Allen, 51, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. According to a release from the Galveston County Criminal District Attorney, Allen threatened to shoot her ex-boyfriend of six years and another female at his apartment in 2017. Houston's Noble Energy will take the lead on exploring the offshore oil and gas potential of Colombia with Royal Dutch Shell. Colombia's energy agency announced Tuesday that Noble is buying a 40 percent stake in Shell's contracts to potentially develop the South American nation's offshore fields. Colombia is the neighbor of oil-rich but politically unstable Venezuela. Major energy companies have begun to turn to other nations in the region to look for offshore oil and gas. Likewise, Exxon Mobil and Hess Corp. are investing billions of dollars to develop the offshore fields of Venezuela's other coastal neighbor, Guyana, despite disputed territorial issues with Venezuela. Earlier this month, Colombia said Shell would lead the exploration efforts, but now Shell is ceding that authority to Noble, even though Shell will maintain majority ownership of the contracts. "It is a serious bet of two large companies on the Colombian offshore potential," said Luis Miguel Morelli, president of Colombia's National Hydrocarbons Agency, "which will surely bring progress and well-being for the Caribbean region as a whole." RELATED: In Guyana, Exxon oil project stirs international tensions While it may raise eyebrows why one of the world's largest energy companies, Shell, would give up control to an independent Houston oil and gas firm, Noble does have a lot of experience in offshore exploration in emerging parts of the world. Noble has two major focuses - onshore shale in the U.S. and offshore development in emerging regions, especially the Eastern Mediterranean off of Israel and Cyprus, as well as West Africa. Now Noble is taking a hard look at South America as well. "We hope to drill our first well after carefully analyzing the prospects and obtaining the corresponding approvals by the government," said Ian Gordon, Noble's general manager in Colombia. The contracts include two offshore blocks totaling more than 2 million acres to explore. The companies have committed to spend more than $100 million in exploration and development in this first phase, the government said. Ana Maria Duque, president of Shell in Colombia, said she welcomes Noble to this partnership. "We have received all the approvals from the government, and this is a very important step to continue exploring the Colombian Caribbean and building win-win relationships with communities and authorities," she said. When chef Don Bowie moved back to Houston to take work with the now closed Sweetie Pie's a job that led him to the role of executive chef at Houston's first Flower Child restaurant it was with the intention of one day opening his own restaurant. That day has come. Bowie, along with Houston partner/entrepreneur Kevin Kelley, will launch Taste Bar + Kitchen, a new Midtown restaurant serving a comfort food menu grounded in uptown takes on chicken and waffles. Housed in the former Sterling House at 3015 Bagby, Taste will begin serving customers a taste of the sweet/savory combinations of chicken and waffles beginning March 29. KILLEN IT: Ronnie Killen to open his first restaurant inside Loop in former Hickory Hollow space on Heights The stylish restaurant boasting a generous patio, a downstairs bar and an upstairs dining room with a stage for live music, will open for dinner and brunch initially but Bowie plans to eventually open breakfast in lunch. He calls the menu "happy food." So if your idea of champagne cocktails paired with sweet and savory waffles and Southern-infused fare, you're in luck. "Brunch foods are always people's favorite meal," he said. "A lot of people live to eat breakfast for dinner." Those particular diners will be well served by the menu that begins with "elevated" chicken and waffles: Crispy Cajun chicken and waffles; General Tso's-glazed chicken and waffles; chicken smothered in a rich brown gravy and waffles, roasted chicken and waffles, Jamaican jerk chicken and waffles and vegan chicken (chicken-fried cauliflower) with vegan waffles. Other savory waffles include the cheeseburger waffle, ham and hash browns waffle and bacon and egg waffles. The menu segues to sweet waffles such as red velvet, chocolate chip, lemonade, chocolate, spiced butter pecan, strawberry cheesecake, tres leches, and banana nut waffles. There's also chicken fried lobster and waffles and two non-waffle options: jerk lamb lollipops and an order of fried chicken and champagne. Macaroni and cheese dishes (smoked gouda, lobster and gouda, bacon and cheese, for example) and side dishes of collard greens, sweet potato souffle and glazed Brussels sprouts round out the menu. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Alison Cook reviews Blood Bros. BBQ in Bellaire The restaurant's bar will specialize in cocktails ranging from classic to creative. Variations on the French 75, Caipirinha and Paloma will share space with dessert-minded cocktails such as Apple Pie (apple brandy and spiced apple syrup served in a glass with a pie crust-dusted rim), Bourbon Pecan Flip (bourbon, orgeat, lemon, whole egg and black walnut bitters), Cinnamon Toast White Russian, and Cotton Candy (rose, fresh strawberry, lime and pink cotton candy). Taste's partners have spruced up the joint with a cool blue color scheme, mid-century modern light fixtures, plush velvet-padded chairs, and smart tile work. They also enlarged the stage upstairs for live music that will include jazz, soul and funk (Bowie used to manage downtown's Red Cat Cafe so expect his talent lineup to be choice). Music also will be offered on the outdoor patio, Bowie said. The 4,000-square-foot restaurant can hold 172. FLAVOR: Hungry for restaurant reviews and recipes? Get the free, weekly newsletter delivered to your email. Bowie said he wants the neighborhood restaurant to feel a part of the lives of Houston diners. "I want this to be an everyday neighborhood bar," he said. "Anyone can come here and feel welcome. It's a neighborhood bar for Midtown and even everyone who doesn't live in Midtown." The cocktails will flow and the waffles will sizzle starting Friday. Taste Bar + Kitchen, 3015 Bagby, 832-487-9958; tastebarkitchen.com. Open Monday through Thursday 5 p.m. to midnight, Friday 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to midnight. 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. A 43-year-old Katy man is among more than four dozen people identified by federal authorities as allegedly being involved in an international drug-trafficking network. Victor Hugo Gomez is one of 56 defendants charged with drug-trafficking related crimes, including possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and more than one kilogram of heroin, according to a 43-count indictment filed by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Texas. Gomez remains at large, but is also being charged with three other crimes, including conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute more than 10 kilograms of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute more than 20 kilograms of cocaine, the indictment said. Last week, federal authorities arrested about 43 people allegedly involved in the drug-trafficking ring that spanned a handful of states and Mexico, the Houston Chronicle reported. Four individuals were already in custody. Nine are at large. 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. During three-year investigation, dubbed Operation Wrecking Ball, authorities identified a trafficking network led by Carlos Alberto Guajardo, 48, in Mexico, who allegedly supplied drugs to local distribution cells, four of which are run by Dominicans, the Chronicle reported. Guajardo remains a fugitive. The charges allege the crimes occurred between Feb. 1, 2016, and April 19, 2018. According to the indictment, the drugs were smuggled into the United States from Colombia and Mexico. The investigation revealed that cocaine and heroin were being sold in the Houston area, as well as transported to Atlanta, Miami and New York. The case will be prosecuted in Galveston. michelle.iracheta@chron.com To preserve live oaks that date to the early 1900s as well as large and old pecan and cedar trees, Robert Fontenot is asking the North Fort Bend Water Authority to consider another method of installing a 60-inch diameter water pipeline across the front of his five acres at 24515 Roesner Road in south Katy. The authority has yet to announce a decision. In the fall of 2014, Robert and Beth Fontenot purchased the Roesner Homestead which was founded in 1908. About a year after they moved in, Robert Fontenot said they received a letter from the water authority regarding the pipeline project. Over the years he has received subsequent letters and he appeared before authority officials at a March meeting to present his proposal. Fontenot proposes that the water authority bore underground starting from the north side of his driveway for a distance of 240 feet to save the live oaks as well as other trees. These are not normal trees, he said referring to the oaks and pecans while acknowledging that some trees will be lost. He said he also would forgo a portion of the easement fee paid by the authority because boring is a more costly method of installing pipeline than digging a trench. Using trenchless methods to complete construction would increase project costs on Fontenots property alone by about $200,000, according to Matthew L. Froehlich, senior project manager for BGE, which is the authoritys engineer. Given the significant cost implications of the requested construction method and the prolonged several-year negotiation period, while the NFBWAs Board of Directors has not imposed a deadline for its determination, the board is currently collecting the necessary data to make a final decision regarding the Roesner Road easement as soon as possible, wrote Froehlich in an email. While the board is sympathetic to each individual landowners requests, the board must consider the overall cost implications and the resulting impact on rate payers. If the NFBWA were to accommodate every landowners request, certain projects may not be constructible or would be cost-prohibitive. Thus, at times the NFBWAs Board must make the difficult decision to move forward with a project in order to meet the regulatory requirements imposed by the subsidence district. Plans produced in 2015 by Brown & Gay Engineers Inc. show a 20-foot wide permanent easement for the pipeline along the east side of Roesner Road, which is part of the authoritys Segment 18 and its 2025 water line project. To complete the water line project, the authority anticipates obtaining approximately 182 easements, wrote Froehlich and so far has obtained 56. The water line project is part of a larger effort. The water authority, created in 2005 by the Texas Legislature, is building infrastructure as part of a multi-agency billion-dollar project to have people switch from using groundwater which causes subsidence to using surface water as required by the Fort Bend Subsidence District. It met the 2014 deadline of 30 percent conversion and now is working toward the 2025 deadline of 60 percent conversion. The authority entered a long-term surface water contract with the city of Houston. To get the surface water from the Trinity River through the Luce Bayou interbasin transfer project to Lake Houston, NFBWA is partnering with the West Harris County Regional Water Authority, the city of Houston, North Harris County Regional Water Authority and Central Harris County Regional Water Authority. After the water is treated at the city of Houston northeast water purification plant, it will travel via an 8-foot diameter pipeline and two large pumping stations to west Harris County and North Fort Bend County. WHCRWA and NFBWA are sharing the costs for the 39-mile long pipeline from the plant to west Harris County and north Fort Bend County. They also are building internal distribution lines like the one along Roesner to bring the water to municipal utility districts within the authority. Froehlich said that authority determined an initial routing for Segment 18 in 2013. That decision was based on construction costs, avoidance of existing obstacles, minimizing public disturbance and constructibility, he added. A number of routes were analyzed, he continued, and engineers determined that all routes would cause disturbances to landowners but Segment 18 minimized cost and disturbances and better fit other criteria. A 2018 re-evaluation by engineers determined that Segment 18 was still the best choice with the second most viable route adding $1.6 million in construction and engineering costs, Froehlich said. Fontenot points out, however, that there is a cost associated with the loss of the trees. He cites a 2016 tree appraisal he had done that calculates depreciated replacement cost for the trees in excess of $400,000. Froehlich said the authority has worked closely with an arborist over the past two years to determine the health of the various trees on the property, their long-term viability following construction and whether certain construction techniques may increase the trees long-term survival rates. While the authority has acquired more than one-third of the necessary easements for Segment 18, Froehlich said, the remaining easements (other than the Roesner Road easement) are in the final stages of negotiation and anticipated to be completed soon. The initial offer for the Roesner Road easement was made in 2016 and the NFBWA has been working in good faith since that point in time to negotiate easement acquisition with the property owner. Froehlich said the authority would like to have Segment 18 completed prior to 2022 which is when it anticipates the large-scale water delivery projects will be completed and the authority will have an additional supply of water to meet its 2025 deadline. karen.zurawski@chron.com Cleanup crews at the charred Intercontinental Terminals Co. Deer Park plant will resume scooping up pockets of oil in the Houston Ship Channel, Tucker Bayou and Buffalo Bayou before reopening the commercial waterway to traffic, U.S. Coast Guard officials said Tuesday. About 60,000 feet of boom has been deployed to contain the oil, which spilled into a nearby drainage ditch and the channel after a containment wall breached at the site of the fire at the chemical storage facility. It's unclear how much of the firefighting foam and other contaminants infiltrated the channel. Only on HoustonChronicle.com: Houston Ship Channel closure could cost energy industry $1 billion Most of the oil remains in Tucker Bayou, said Lt. Commander Caren Damon of the Coast Guard. Cargo operations have resumed in the area. "Obviously it is a very dynamic port," she said. "The last thing we want is to take product from an effected area to a non-effected area." A portion of the chemical storage facility exploded and caught fire on March 17, releasing an ominous plume of smoke that drifted over Harris County for days. The blaze was extinguished early Wednesday morning, but at least two flare-ups have erupted since then. Premium analysis: Deer Park fire underscores why good companies plan for disasters The Coast Guard has sent several test vessels through the ship channel to determine whether any oily product appears on the hull of ships in a clean area, which is a method to see whether the oil is transferring from location to location through vessel movements. Six ships and 66 towing vessels made it through the affected area on Monday, Damon said. Air and water quality monitoring is also continuing, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has 17 water testing sites, from Battleground Park south to Crystal Beach, representative Jeff Kunze said. The organization will soon begin reviewing ITC's waste management plan. Weather patterns are expected to change Tuesday night, and winds are expected to move from the northeast, EPA on-site coordinator Adam Adams said. The EPA is prepared to conduct air monitoring in affected locations, before and after wind shifts, he said. Wind did get in the way of some removal of chemicals at the ITC tank farm on Monday, incident commander Brent Weber said. NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. The Montgomery Independent School Board will take a vote in April that could change the rules for moving a student from one high school to another. Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education Duane McFadden presented the first reading of the updated intradistrict transfer policy, which he said has been reviewed by the Texas Association of School Boards, during the school board meeting last Tuesday. McFadden said when he arrived to Montgomery ISD in 1996, when the school district housed Kindergarten through 12th grade in one school building, the policy stated a student shall be assigned in the attendance area where he or she resides. There was no choice which junior high you went to because we had one, he said. There was no choice which high school you went to we had one. We had one elementary...but that was our whole policy. Thats still our whole policy. As the designee for intradistrict transfers, he shared there has been some confusion since the school district opened its second high school, Lake Creek High School, last August, which prompted the proposed policy update. During the process of opening LCHS, the district was able to offer juniors the chance to choose between Lake Creek High School and Montgomery High School, he said. But somewhere between last Spring and this Spring, McFadden said that has morphed into everybody gets to choose what school they go to which has prompted the effort to delineate acceptable reasons for transfer based on the policy. You dont get to choose which chose you go to and most schools in the state of Texas do that, you are zoned to the school you go to and that is the school you attend, McFadden said. Now there are some legislative reasons for why you could get an intradistrict transfer Some of those reasons, McFadden mentioned include bullying or harassment. As another example, he said would be if a senior attended six semesters but their parents moved to another city the student could apply to stay and finish the senior year at Montgomery ISD. If residents, who already live in the Montgomery High School zone, buy a house in Lake Creek High School zone in the middle of the semester and want to start at LCHS the following year, it would be acceptable as well, he said. However, if a student disliked a teacher and wanted to choose another high school with the school district because of that reason, it would not be acceptable under the intradistrict policy and would instead fall under a grievance policy, which the school administration could then examine. He cited UIL as the reason why most Texas High Schools do not allow intradistrict transfers, noting cases where athletes were deemed ineligible to play for school district after it was deemed the parents bought an apartment to play for the student to participate at a school district and even entire One Act Plays being disqualified because an actor was ineligible. Im dealing with a lot of phone calls right now with people saying I want to go to this one or that one, and our policy currently is kind of open-ended but it does explicitly say you go to the school youre zoned to, he said noting 95 percent of callers understand the pre-existing policy and exceptional circumstances and that the school district also looked at Conroe ISDs policy during the process. It got confusing when we opened. Under UIL last year, we had a one shot until Lake Creek was established and we decided it was established Aug. 1. We had leeway to move you without any kind of UIL violation or anything like that so we allowed our juniors to do that so that is where the confusion came in, he added. But it was a good confusion because it allowed us to adjust our policy now that we do have multiple tracts of schools. mellsworth@hcnonline.com So Putin confronts the MIC in Venezuela not Ukraine.Perfect Russia did not fall for it in Ukraine and surprised the USA when they slaughtered the US terrorists in Syria. Now Russia has moved the playing field in the US backyard Russia has just made a serious chess move America now has the option to have that war they desire on their side of the world. Not in Europe as the US is trying to start it. Not in the Middle East as it is trying to start it But in South America I knew this was happening when Trump like a ignoramus says, As I told President Bolsonaro, I also intend to designate Brazil as a major non-NATO ally or, maybe a NATO ally. Ill have to talk to a lot of people but maybe a NATO ally which will greatly advance security and cooperation between our countries. So Russia and China have picked Venezuela as the starting point, if America is that desperate, for a war. America has already made it clear that they want to destroy Venezuela at all costs and thus, Venezuela has nothing to lose So Russia confronts the Western Empire Military Industrial Complex in Venezuela not Ukraine not Syria I am telling you people wake up, Russia and China is getting real tired of the crap being spewed constantly from the west WtR Harris County has sued Intercontinental Terminals Co. for failing to prevent a massive chemical fire that burned for more than 60 hours last week and spewed an unknown volume of hazardous chemicals into the air and nearby waterways. The county is seeking a temporary injunction and restraining order against the company, alleging that it violated the Texas Clean Air Act and the Texas Solid Waste Disposal Act, among other rules. Police have arrested a man with a history of mental illness after an hours-long standoff at a south Houston home Tuesday morning, according to Houston police. The 32-year-old, armed man barricaded himself along with five hostages in the home in the 4100 block of Grassmere, near Sunnyside, for roughly six hours. The hostages included a physically disabled man and a 1-year-old child. Just before noon, Houston police tweeted that the hostages were released and unharmed, and the man was taken into custody. Houston police received a call around 5:30 a.m. from a woman claiming she was choked by a man and that he was holding a gun to her head. Upon arriving to the home, police heard the woman inside screaming the man was going to kill them. "We've dealt with him many times before but nothing like this, to my knowledge," said Sgt. Larry Satterwhite. "He has a little bit of criminal history but not a lot, more on the side of mental illness." The man allegedly placed his firearm down briefly. The hostages then jumped on him and grabbed the firearm, and officers entered the home to rescue the hostages and arrest him. He was taken to Harris County Jail and will be examined by doctors. Satterwhite said he anticipates the man will at least face charges of aggravated kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon. 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. Longtime Pasadena ISD Position 7 incumbent Vickie Morgan is vying against district teacher Yen Rabe in the May 4 election. Morgan, who has served 33 years on the school board, said she wants to be part of finding solutions to current challenges related to school financing. She points to district accomplishments such as a graduation rate that tops the state average and strong student participation in an Early College High School program in which youths can earn associates degrees concurrent with high school diplomas. Rabe, a French teacher who has worked at Pasadena High School for 14 years, said she wants to put a spotlight on teaching and administrative needs with an emphasis on innovation and diversity. She would like to see more transparency from the district and supports later school start times and introducing environmental initiatives on campuses. Vickie Morgan First elected in 1986, Morgan said, Our goal is not for individual recognition, but for the preparation of our students for the real world. I believe the biggest challenge we face today is school finance, she said. We must find a way to provide more money for the quality of programs we provide so we can continue to prepare students for their future. I believe it is incumbent upon each of us to work with our legislators, helping them understand the challenges faced from lack of adequate funding. I plan to be active and available in these efforts. A homemaker who had three children graduate from Pasadena schools, Morgan sees the boards most important accomplishments as including an 89.9 percent graduation rate and enrollment of 1,464 Pasadena ISD students in the Early College High School, with 625 of those youths set to graduate with an associates degree along with a high school diploma by 2021. She also highlighted that last years senior class garnered $36.4 million in scholarships and that the districts Visual Arts Program drew widespread recognition after two student artists recently took top prizes in the 2019 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's School Art Program, with their works selling at auction for $420,000. We have provided a strong (prekindergarten) program, with 1,520 students enrolled in full-day PK and 745 in half day, she said. I have been involved with children and advocating for children all of my adult life and will continue to do so, Morgan said. I believe that the success of our community (future) is dependent on providing a quality education for our future leaders. Yen Rabe Rabe, a 15-year Pasadena resident, said she is running to bring a fresh outlook to the office. I have a niece in a PISD middle school, and I would like to help make policies that will enable her, as well as all students in PISD, realize their fullest potential. I will bring a diverse perspective as an educator and as an Asian-American woman, Rabe said. Pasadena ISD is a good district, but it can be better. So, it's important to get out and vote for candidates who will bring innovation to the board through diversity and their experience as educators instead of keeping the status quo. She said her platform includes a call for later daily start times for adolescents to improve health, academics and safety as numerous health and education groups have recommended. Rabe also wants to ensure students are able to choose classes they are interested in and not be put in classes they do not need. She wants to introduce more green initiatives in schools. In this legislation session, it looks promising that Texas legislators are working to fund public schools more adequately, she said. While Rabe said that the board has handled budgetary issues well, there are some changes she feels need to be made. I would like to see PISD be more open to collaborations with corporations and organizations, she said, to develop internships for students after high school to assist students with work experience and earn money to attend universities, to educate students about health, finance, relationships and to take part in research. She also sees room for more transparency. On a communication level, I would like to see the school board display on their webpage more prominently when upcoming meetings will take place, follow up with speakers to initiate a dialogue after public comments at school board meetings and provide e-mail addresses of board members on the school board web page, she said. She sees other important issues as including students mental health, school safety and high health insurance costs for district employees. We have to look at the root causes of these issues and address them rather than just fixing the symptoms, she said. The Woodlands Township will be continuing the ongoing incorporation studies indefinitely after the townships Board of Directors approved on Thursday, March 21, extending the term of the three-person subcommittee until the final incorporation report is delivered to the public. We dont know if this could take years, said township Director John Anthony Brown during discussion of the agenda item. The approval of extending the term of the three-person task force was a unanimous 6-0 vote; Director Brian Boniface was not present at the meeting. Township Board Chairman Gordy Bunch made the original motion to extend the task force indefinitely, citing the need to continue to work on gathering as much data and analysis as possible. Earlier this year, Bunch and other board members quashed rumors that the incorporation decision may be put before voters in 2019, saying that no vote would occur before November of 2020. (The motion) Extends the task force until completion and deliver to the public of our plan, Bunch said. The task force is composed of Bunch as well as directors Ann Snyder and Bruce Rieser. The original task force included Director John McMullan, but he asked to be replaced on the committee in early December and was replaced by Rieser on Dec. 5, 2018. The task force members are the first people to see incorporation planning reports when they are submitted by consultants or others gathering the information. In other action, the township board also approved the cancellation of the Wednesday, March 27, incorporation planning meeting that was originally scheduled for 6 p.m. The board will still host its regular meeting, although the time of that meeting has been changed from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. since there will be no incorporation planning meeting. The next incorporation planning session is scheduled for mid-April, but only after Bunch and others have a chance to meet with Montgomery County Commissioners to discuss how to possibly proceed with a contract for law enforcement services if the township does incorporate. The main reason for the cancellation of this weeks meeting, Bunch said, was because of the death of County Attorney J.D. Lambright, whose services and funeral led to the cancellation of a commissioners court meeting to revisit the law enforcement issue. Were trying to do this (incorporation) as careful as possible, Bunch told those in attendance on March 21. Bunch did not go into details, however, of the status of the last remaining consultant for the incorporation study. The lone consulting group contributing to the process is the Novak Consulting Group of Cincinnati, Ohio. That firm saw their contract temporarily extended for the first three months of 2019 at the Dec. 5 township board meeting, however no agreement has been reached yet on extending their work contract beyond the March. As the meeting drew to a close, Bunch and Snyder chided two residents Francis Frank Dargavage and former township board member Mike Bass both of whom made comments critical of the incorporation process during the meetings public comment portion. Bass, who has been a frequent critic of the process, had lamented the fact the incorporation agenda topics were at the end of the meeting, not the beginning when more people are present. Dargavage recycled many of his prior accusations he has made during other meetings, accusing the board of acting in a nefarious and misleading manner in regard to the studies by falsely claiming the township could be annexed in the near future by Houston or Conroe. Snyder said she disagreed with Bass about the placement or timing of the agenda items, stressing that many other people and issues were up for discussion aside from the incorporation issues and those topics were equally, if not more, important. Bunch said he thought it was ironic neither Bass nor Dargavage were present at the end of the meeting to hear about the issues they were complaining about. Mr. Dargavage made assertions that are factually inaccurate, Bunch added. We have never claimed annexation as a reason for incorporation. Bunch then listed several reasons for the incorporation studies beginning in late 2017, including the effort to extend The Woodlands Parkway at the county level, as well as flooding from the 2016 Tax Day and Memorial Day floods, as well as the damage wrought by Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. jeff.forward@chron.com NYSP CANAAN Four maintenance workers were injured after a tractor trailer struck two state Thruway Authority vehicles near the Massachusetts state line on Tuesday. The crash happened at about 10:40 a.m. on the Berkshire Spur of Interstate-90 between Exit B3 and the state line in Columbia County. loading......... Melbourne, Mar 26, 2019 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Bluechiip Ltd ( ASX:BCT ) provides the Company's broker presentation.Summary- World first, highly differentiated technology, with protected IP- >$200M growing target market, very large adjacent markets- Dramatically increasing partner pipeline, 32 developer kits sold- Rapidly scaling production- Partner opportunity conversion with three executed licence and supply agreements and Bluechiip Enabled products in manufacture- Growing partner supply, over 300k chips delivered in CY18.- Initial repeat revenues with sales up 136% Y.O.Y- Orders in hand with a three year supply agreement over $US11.6 million ($A15.9 million) with Labcon- $7.5m Capital Raised in September 2018To view the full presentation, please visit:About Bluechiip Limited Bluechiip Ltd (ASX:BCT) understands that every sample - stem cells, blood, eggs, sperm and other biospecimens - is critical, so our objective is to manage each one with optimal quality in the most efficient way. Bluechiip's advanced management solution is the only one that provides sample temperature with ID in cryogenic environments to. Most importantly, this delivers confidence in every sample. Bluechiip's unique patented technology is a MEMS-based wireless tracking solution that contains no electronics. It represents a generational change from current tracking methods such as labels (hand-written and pre-printed), barcodes (linear and 2D), and Radio Frequency Identification. Bluechiip tags are either embedded or manufactured into storage products such as vials or bags. Each product can be easily identified, and critical information such as sample temperature, is detected by readers and stored in the Bluechiip software. In addition to functioning in extreme temperatures, the Bluechiip(R) Advanced Sample management solution can survive autoclaving, gamma irradiation sterilization, humidification, centrifuging, cryogenic storage and frosting. Bluechiip's technology has applications in healthcare, including in cryogenic storage facilities (biobanks and biorepositories), pathology, clinical trials and forensics. Other key markets include cold-chain logistics/supply chain, security/defence, industrial/manufacturing and aerospace/aviation. Bluechiip: Delivering confidence in every sample. The checklist includes: Motor insurance - Currently, motorists insured in any EU member state can drive their vehicle in any other EU member state. However, as no agreement has been reached to continue this in the case of a no-deal Brexit, both UK and EU motorists should check with their insurance provider to see whether they need a Green Card. Health insurance - Currently, EU residents travelling within the EU can request a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) that provides access to healthcare in other EU countries. However, in the case of a no-deal Brexit, EHIC cards will not be officially recognised by the UK for EU travellers or vice-versa. Therefore, travellers must ensure they have adequate travel or health insurance to cover any health services needed while travelling. Travel insurance - If there is a no-deal Brexit, while travellers from the UK to the EU should still be covered by EU or EEA region policies (with the possible exception of medical expenses covered by the EHIC), both they and EU travellers to the UK should check that their policies cover their destination before they travel. Full Check List for No Deal Brexit Further information and advice can be found online for the EU27 and for the UK. The world is mourning sadly, once again. This time because of a man who calls himself a patriot a far right white extremist. What he did in New Zealand just a few days ago was an act of terrorism, plain and simple; but it was much more than that, too. The attack was designed to shock and reach as many people as he could, accomplishing that through social media and a lengthy manifesto he published, all of which was calculated to spread the message of hate that underpinned his attacks and all of which was done in an effort to have other right-wing extremists across the globe follow his lead. It appears to have worked. Another terrorist attack immediately followed yesterday on a tram in the Netherlands that has left at least three people dead and five wounded. When will this all end? Far-right extremists are a force of evil to be reckoned with, and they must be seriously considered as one of the new major terrorist organizations to threaten our peace, globally.High profile attacks like this are not only meant to cause shock and fear throughout the globe, theyre meant to spread a message of hate and recruit others to do the very same. This is why so many extra patrols have been active around mosques since the attack. All this strikes an ugly resemblance to ISIS, doesnt it? Right-wing terrorism is terrorism motivated by a variety of far-right ideologies and beliefs, including anti-communism, neo-fascism, neo-Nazism, racism, xenophobia and opposition to immigration. Im not going to get into what that all means, except to say that it comes down to a select group of white folks who think theyre better and more worthy than any other race. They consider themselves privileged and above everyone else whos color of skin is not white, and that somehow white people are the chosen race. It saddens me beyond words when I think of all the violence across the globe in the name of hatred and prejudice, whether it be terrorism, religiously motivated attacks, sexually motivated attacks such as ICEL, and so on. Hatred is hatred and violence is violence. The scale of the horror committed in New Zealand by this anti-Muslim/anti-Immigrant far-right extremist and all other such attacks across the world must end, but sadly, we know it wont any time soon, if ever, and so we must each do our part to try to make the world a safer, better place. The war on terrorism - and now on right-wing terrorism - will not be won with bullets or bombs. It will be won by how many of us stand up against these acts of hatred; by how many of us petition our law-makers to hand down even stiffer penalties when hate crimes are committed; it will be won by remaining true to the virtues that live within each and every one of us: those virtues of love, compassion, dignity, respect, accountability and brotherhood. What can we do? Speak out whenever we hear someone treat another disrespectfully through hate motivated verbal bashings. Step in and help the person under attack when we witness those acts motivated by hatred or alert authorities immediately. No, you dont need to put yourself in danger maybe just start talking with the victim to distract the offender. Treat each other the way wed like to be treated despite race, religious beliefs or customs. Remember, we are, after all, all part of the same race: the human race. And we were all born out of Africa. Its time we began to behave like family. Yi-Chin Lee, Staff / Staff Photographer The Houston Housing Authority is considering to appeal a jury verdict that awarded $1.87 million to its former general counsel who claimed retaliation, the agency said Tuesday. Karen Miniex, the former general counsel for the agency, alleged her boss retaliated against her after she investigated fraud in the agency's voucher program targeted at veterans. Mayor Sylvester Turners signature neighborhood initiative got a $10 million boost Monday with the establishment of a new fund to help revitalize targeted local communities. Turner announced the Complete Communities Improvement Fund with initial funding from Wells Fargo and Cadence banks and the countries of United Arab Emirates and Qatar, among others. The goal is to reach $25 million, he said. Complete Communities is a public-private collaboration leveraging private investment, philanthropic gifts and public funding to develop neighborhoods that have been under-resourced for far too long, Turner said Monday. People want to see improvements yesterday so for them, we cant move fast enough. The program launched in 2017 with five pilot neighborhoods Third Ward, Near Northside, Second Ward, Acres Homes and Gulfton. Four additional neighborhoods are expected to be added in coming weeks. A new director, Shannon Buggs, has also been tapped to head the program. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: More than 475,000 Harris County residents live in units at risk of flooding Turner, speaking at a press conference at City Hall with two Complete Communities sheet cakes, cited several successes of the program: a microlending program in Gulfton, restoration of a library flooded by Hurricane Harvey, home buyer education and a homebuilder training program. Critics of the program, however, say theyve seen few tangible results. The spirit of it is nice, said Jeff Trevino of the Near Northside super neighborhood council. It would be nice if some of this stuff would get done. But, its nothing new that they shouldnt be doing already. It has to be ambitious The initiative has brought some other tangibles to neighborhoods, including Workforce Solutions Centers to Acres Homes and Third Ward and a poetry project to each neighborhood by Houstons Poet Laureate Deborah DEEP Mouton. Third Ward put on a neighborhood health summit. Second Ward put on clean-up nights. And the City Health Department partnered with private organizations to create a training program for 18- to 30-year-olds. Some of the things that are the least measurable are the most impactful, said Susan Rogers, director of the Community Design Resource Center at the University of Houston. That includes things like civic engagement, active civic clubs, the leaders knowledge of and accessibility to people who are decision makers. The implementation of the program officially kicked off in August 2018 with the release of five action plans and 371 proposed projects. Councilwoman Amanda Edwards, who was on the initial advisory committee for Complete Communities, said part of the programs strength is that the goals came from the communities rather than top-down. When you think about investment in communities, my experience has shown time and time again that when the community feels like its being imposed upon, itll reject the change, she said. STUDY: Federal government underestimated post-Harvey need by nearly $2 billion, according to HoustonChronicle.com report Rogers said some of the action plans goals were ambitious: An Acres Homes metric for success, for example, requires a 50 percent reduction in the unemployment rate by 2023 from its 2015 rate of 13 percent. It has to be ambitious, because if its not ambitious, were not going to change anything, Rogers said. The newly appointed advisory board for the Complete Communities Improvement Fund has five members: One from Wells Fargo, which pledged $525,000 Monday to the fund; one from Cadence Bank, whose president brought a $500,000 check to the press conference; and one each from Regions Bank, Microsoft and the Urban Land Institute. Work ahead Buggs said shes still distilling information from various city departments but said her first order of business is fundraising. The city doesnt have the money to do that, we really dont, Buggs said of the 371 goals outlined in the action plans. Thats why its important for my job to leverage philanthropic gifts and corporate investments. Turner said the program must rely mostly on private financial contributions. We have to approach financial institutions, Turner said Monday. In the absence of their support, you cant have the necessary funds in the Complete Communities Improvement Fund to make these projects happen. Houston has not traditionally been a planning city: Unlike other large urban areas, Houston has no zoning. But the city does have a general plan, aptly titled Plan Houston, adopted in 2015 that has 32 broad-brush goals. Jeff Lowe, a Kinder Fellow at Rice University who was also on the initial advisory committee, said the city cant just rely on private partnerships. I applaud the mayor in terms of Complete Communities in the respect that its bringing attention to neighborhoods that need it, he said. Theres still much work through policy thats needed to institutionalize and provide the structure necessary for Complete Communities to have the desired impact. We are getting things done Critics, however, say the city is trying to take credit for work already being done in the neighborhoods. Several programs cited as early successes a $750,000 grant for Near Northside and a private grant for Third Wards art nonprofit Project Row Houses, for example were approved before the Complete Communities program began. Some of the overarching goals, like cleaning up weeds and vacant lots and repairing sidewalks, are already city ordinances and work the city shouldve been doing anyway, said Trevino, who is on the Near Northside super neighborhood council. Were trying to get things done, Trevino said. We are getting things done. Buggs said the mayor is trying to support the work being done. Hes trying to do something that makes sure he shines a spotlight on whats been happening, she said. sarah.smith@chron.com A man and woman were shot during a suspected robbery attempt at a Greenspoint apartment complex early Tuesday, Houston police said. The shooting broke out around 4:15 a.m. near Imperial Valley and Aldine Bender. Two suspects in a white passenger car followed the victims in a grey SUV into the apartment complex, police said. Police said they tried to rob the victims when they opened fire. After the incident, the suspects fled the scene by ramming through the exit gate. Police could not immediately offer a more detailed description of the vehicle overnight. The man is in critical condition, while the woman is expected to survive. 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. A civilian Bexar County Sheriff's Office employee was fired Saturday after he was allegedly caught in a stolen vehicle. Michael Bryant Thompson, 36, now faces a charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. He was arrested and jailed by the Sutton County Sheriff's Office on Friday. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox Thompson was a probationary employee assigned to the Justice Intake Center. He was hired in October 2018. "There is no way this person did not know the consequences of his actions. His short career with the BCSO is now over," said Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar. 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 Nearly 300,000 Texans in the 2018 midterms were hindered by problems at the polls in 2018, according to a statistical analysis released Tuesday by an advocacy group. Because of voting machine malfunctions, lack of easy access to polling locations at Texas universities, and the states application of some voter registration laws among other problems at least 277,000 voters faced avoidable setbacks and problems, according to the study conducted by the Texas Civil Rights Project. The number of voters affected by those issues is greater than the margin of votes in the 2018 U.S. Senate race between U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic challenger Beto ORourke, the report says. The advocacy group doesnt suggest that enough votes were lost to change the results in the Senate race, but it cites the contest as an example of the potential impact of 277,000 votes. Cruz beat ORourke by 214,901 votes the closest U.S. Senate race in Texas since the 1970s. Voters encountered hurdles to democracy at every stop of the voting process, from registration to submitting the ballot, the 24-page report concludes. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox The group is warning that even more voters will be hindered in 2020 unless state and local governments take steps to reform the states antiquated election infrastructure. Real change must come to Texas in order to ensure that all eligible Texans are able to cast a vote that counts, said Mimi Marziani, president of the group. The Texas Civil Rights project, founded in 1990, is a nonprofit group based in Austin that is focused on voting rights, racial and economic justice, and criminal justice reform. In addition to contributions, it is funded with grants and litigation fees. The report relies on statistical analysis to come up with an estimate of the number of voters impacted: One of the most pronounced issues was a lack of access to convenient polling places, particularly for college students, the report states. It estimates that if all 22 Texas colleges with at least 10,000 students had a polling place on or near campus during early voting and on election day, 262,000 more students would have cast ballots in 2018. To get that number, the group used the enrollment at the 15 biggest universities without a polling place on campus, then subtracted the percentage of international students about 5.6 percent of students who cannot vote. Based on those enrollment figures, the civil rights project estimated that 262,000 college students who are eligible to vote would have benefited from having an on-site polling location. Voter machine glitches were a concern in the election. There were numerous reports of voters who said they tried to submit straight-ticket ballots but upon review found that the machine had selected the wrong candidate in the U.S. Senate race. The issue was reported with Hart eSlate voting machines, which are used by 82 Texas counties. The civil rights project focused on seven counties including Fort Bend, Harris and Montgomery where it said as many as 1.9 million straight-ticket voters may have been affected by the glitch. Even if the error went undetected by a tiny fraction of those voters, as many as 1,885 of them could have had the wrong choice in the Senate race submitted, the study concluded. Other issues identified by the civil rights group included polling sites opening late, long lines at some locations, early voter registration deadlines that kept some voters from participating and the states interpretation of so-called Motor Voter laws that prevent some people from changing their voter registration addresses online when they change the address on their driver licenses. In Harris County alone, the group said 106 people had provisional ballots rejected because they mistakenly thought they had registered with DPS online. The Texas Civil Rights Project said if the rest of the state had a similar failure rate, it would mean a total of 753 people statewide had the same problem. Not included in the report were another 2,000 potential voters in Texas who had their registration applications called into question late last year after they tried to register to vote through Vote.org, which uses digital photographs of signatures on its forms. The Texas Secretary of State said at the time that those signatures were not valid because Texas requires a handwritten signature that is not a copy or a photograph of a signature. Voters who submitted applications through Vote.org were given 10 days to correct the signatures, but it is unclear how many did so before Election Day. Last month I tried something new: Instead of flying through tried-and-true San Francisco International (SFO) on my way to Hawaii, I flew through Mineta San Jose (SJC) instead. And it was a breeze. As the date for my Monday morning Alaska Airlines 8:50 a.m. departure from SJC to Lihue, Kauai approached, I worried about how long it was going to take to get from my house in San Francisco to the airport during the morning rush hour. How early should I leave to get there on time? Should I drive my car and park at a long term lot? Take Uber or Lyft? Have my partner drop me off? In the end, I decided Uber would be the best option. On the day before my trip, I pre-ordered a 6:10 a.m. pick up from my home near Dolores Park to SJC. I was surprised to see that my fare would be only $58-- much less that I expected. Typically I pay about $35 to $45 to get to SFO from the city, so $58 did not seem all that bad. I was expecting it to be closer to $100. So at the crack of dawn, I donned my Reyn Spooner Aloha shirt and sunglasses, and loaded my bag in the Uber for the trip down the peninsula to SJC. There was not a lick of traffic, I had a friendly driver in a relatively new car and we both enjoyed a nice tangerine sunrise over the Bay as we drove south. Believe it or not, we made to to SJC in just 50 minutes! We arrived at about 7:05 a.m. and the airport was just cranking up. While the security lines were not too bad, I used CLEAR to speed through in about three minutes. Once inside Terminal B where Alaska's flights depart, I realized I had plenty of time on my hands, so turned right and took the long walk down to Terminal A and the Club at SJC for which I have access due to my Priority Pass membership. During my walk I was thinking about how easy all this was-- and not that much different timewise than departing from SFO. The lounge was not very busy, and I was able to grab a nice hot breakfast of bacon, eggs and potatoes and a cappuccino, fire off a few emails and tweets, and then walk back to my Alaska Airlines flight to Lihue which began boarding at about 8:20 a.m. at gate 28. Next door, an Alaska Air flight to Maui was boarding so everyone was feeling the aloha spirit early on Monday morning. Over on the other side, an Alaska Air flight to Newark was also boarding... they did not seem as happy. ;) Peering out the gate window, I saw the Boeing 737-800 that would whisk us to Lihue in Alaska's older livery with Chester (the face you see on the tail) wearing a lei. Alaska Airlines added the leis to the jets it uses to fly to Hawaii when it launched service in 2007. Regrettably (to me at least), the lei is not part of Alaska's newest livery and will eventually disappear. (You can see what I'm talking about in the slideshow at the top of this post.) Once onboard, I was pleased to be sitting on the left side of the plane-- why? Because it offers stunning views of Kauai as the plane makes its approach to Lihue. And in my case, I knew the plane would be flying right over the top of the resort I'd be staying at- check out the slideshow at the top and you'll see what it looks like from the air...and what the approaching planes look like from the resort. Chris McGinnis And speaking of looking out the window, I also caught a rare sight: As we taxied and took off from San Jose's runways, I peered out at snow capped peaks. Early on, the pilot announced that our flight would take a whopping six hours and five minutes due to headwinds blowing up from the islands. He also warned that because of this, the flight would be very bumpy. The opposite happened on the trip back from Kauai-- it only took four and a half hours due to Pineapple Express tailwinds. I try to go to Hawaii once or twice a year, and try to do so when fares are cheapest-- typically that's during spring and fall months, but with Southwest Airlines poised to dive in the market, there was a fare war all winter long. From the Bay Area, fares to Hawaii from Oakland and San Jose have been cheaper than from SFO because of the "Southwest effect"-- it only has plans to fly to the islands from Oakland and San Jose. Having monitored fares all winter long, I knew that many passengers on my flight paid about $300 roundtrip in economy class, and around $900 in first class. Even so, this Monday morning flight was only about three quarters full. But when I returned to SJC five days later, the flight was sold out. Alaska offers non-stops from San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose to four of Hawaii's major islands, Oahu, the Big Island, Maui and Kauai. But it does not offer a nonstop from SFO to Kauai, which prompted my decision to give a departure from SJC a try. Since I'd never flown Alaska Airlines to Hawaii, they offered to cover the cost of my airfare-- and put me in first class, which you can see in the slideshow at the top of this post. Hawaiian and United Airlines fly nonstop from SFO to Kauai. Southwest will soon fly there from San Jose and Oakland, but has not yet posted schedules or fares for those flights. This trip to Hawaii was to be a mix of business and fun (as any trip to Hawaii should be!). I flew down to learn more about Alaska's service to the islands, and to check on the situation in Kauai, my favorite Hawaiian island, which has been hit by a series of bad storms in the last two years. I was also there to meet with local tourism officials and see Timbers Kauai, a flashy new resort perched on cliffs overlooking the ocean near the airport in Lihue. I was also there to see my family- it was at Timbers where I shared a condo with my brother and his wife on vacation there. Are you a Kauai north shore fan like me? Here's an important update: Sue Kanoho, executive director of the Kauai Visitors Bureau told me that Hanalei Town (my happy place!) was initially impacted by recent floods, but has since stabilized. Nonetheless, when I was there, the beach was closed to swimming, and the water rough. The closure of the Ha'ena State Park, which includes the popular Kalalau Trail and Ke'e Beach is ongoing. Currently the road from Hanalei to the state park is not expected to open until the end of May at the earliest. (Updates here.) Despite issues up north, Kanoho said that the rest of the island has done well and is not suffering from the closure. Take a spin through the slideshow at the top of this post to learn more about this trip and to see: >What it is like to fly Alaska Airlines in first class to Hawaii-- think POG mimosas, kukui nut necklaces, HD tablets for movies, a new onboard menu and plenty of purple orchids. >A peek at Timbers Kauai, the island's newest resort community with big plans for expansion on a dramatic slip of land perched on cliffs high above the Pacific near Lihue Airport. Rates start at about $650 per night for a large two bedroom residence. Check out its spectacular views in the slideshow at the top of this post. >Like California, Hawaii has been pummeled by wet and windy weather all winter. See photos from our storm-dodging tour of Kauai, Hanalei beach and town, a warm sunny place on the southwest side of the island, a remarkable rainbow and my favorite post-flight meal at Hamura Saimin five minutes from the airport. Have you been to Hawaii this year? What's your favorite Hawaiian Island and why? Tell us in the comments! Disclosure: Alaska Airlines covered the cost of Chris' flight to Kauai. Chris paid for all other aspects of this trip including hotels, meals and transfers. Read all recent TravelSkills posts here Get twice-per-week updates from TravelSkills via email! Sign up here Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis. For todays IT organizations, data analytics, artificial intelligence and high performance computing no longer live in separate worlds. These complementary technologies are rapidly converging as private and public enterprises work to gain greater value from the data they capture and store. In this new data-driven world, performance is king, because many applications now need to generate insights and automated responses in real time within milliseconds in some cases. This need for speed is forcing organizations to take a fresh look at IT architectures with an eye toward removing bottlenecks and reducing latency in system responses. The need for better IT architectures is particularly important when it comes to storage and networking. While data-processing power and disk speeds have surged ahead in recent years, storage I/O and network bandwidth limitations have often created bottlenecks that slow system responsiveness and time to insight. This is a big problem for AI applications including machine and deep learning workloads that interact continuously with data storage systems. To remove these bottlenecks, and to accelerate system performance, organizations are getting creative in their architectural approaches. This is the case at the University of Cambridge and the University of Pisa, two Dell EMC customers that are perennial leaders in the use of HPC systems. Cumulus system The University of Cambridges latest supercomputer, called Cumulus, is designed to serve as a single cluster that supports data analytics, machine learning and large-scale data processing. A key objective in the design of the system was to make the infrastructure perform well for diverse, data-intensive research workloads. With these thoughts in mind, the Cumulus infrastructure was based on Dell EMC PowerEdge servers and Intel Xeon Scalable processors, all connected via the Intel Omni-Path Architecture (Intel OPA). While it has all the right stuff, this robust architectural foundation alone doesnt necessarily solve todays persistent I/O cluster bottlenecks. The Cumulus system removes these bottlenecks with a unique solution called the Data Accelerator (aka DAC), which is designed into the network topology. DAC incorporates technologies from Dell EMC, Intel and Cambridge University. In this architecture, the DAC nodes work in conjunction with the Distributed Name Space (DNE) feature in the Lustre file system and Intel Omni-Path switches to accelerate system I/O. The results of this accelerated architecture have been rather amazing. With DAC under the hood, Cumulus provides more than 500 GB/s of I/O read performance, which makes it the UKs fastest HPC I/O platform, according to the universitys Research Computing Service, which operates the Cumulus cluster.1 In benchmark testing, the Cumulus system achieved an IO-500 score of 158.7, which ranked the system third on the November 2018 IO-500 list. For system users, these numbers equate to big improvements in I/O performance for data-intensive and AI workloads and faster time to insight. Storage Spaces Direct The IT team at the University of Pisa is leveraging a unique network architecture to improve the performance of its Storage Spaces Direct environment, which incorporates lightning-fast NVMe drives. The challenge is to make the network move data as fast as the NVMe drives. The network has become again the bottleneck of a system, mostly because of NVMe drives, Antonio Cisternino, the universitys chief information officer, notes in a Dell EMC case study. Four NVMe drives, aggregated, are capable of generating around 11 gigabits per second of bandwidth, which tops a 100-gigabit connection. They may saturate and block I/O with just four drives.2 To get around this bottleneck, the IT pros at the University of Pisa used Dell EMC S5048-ON switches to build what amounts to a bigger highway in their Storage Spaces Direct environment. A spine-leaf network design gives every server access to two lanes of 25Gb RoCE RDMA over Converged Ethernet to move data in and out of the NVMe drives. This design results in an aggregate bandwidth of 50Gb/sec, which helps ensure that the network wont be much of a bottleneck in the system. Key takeaways The rise of artificial intelligence and real-time data analytics creates unprecedented opportunities for todays enterprises. To fully capitalize on these opportunities, IT organizations need a scalable architecture that incorporates the latest processor and fabric technologies, accommodates massive amounts of data, and removes storage I/O and network bottlenecks. These are among the keys to capitalizing more fully on new data analytics and AI applications. To learn more For a broader look at the capabilities of the University of Cambridges Cumulus cluster, read the Dell EMC case study UK Science Cloud and visit the Data Accelerator site. For a closer look at the University of Pisas Storage Spaces Direct environment, read the Dell EMC case study Storage Success. _____________________________ 1 Dell EMC case study, UK Science Cloud, November 2018. 2 Dell EMC case study, Storage Success, June 2018. OHCHR Moldova: Apel deschis pentru aplicatii din partea OSC-urilor pentru a beneficia de suport in desfasurarea activitatilor de advocacy la nivel international in contextul celui de-al treilea ciclu de EPU a R. Moldova On March 15, 2019, a gunman opened fire on worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 50 and wounding dozens of others. In the wake of the worst terrorist attack in the countrys modern history, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared of the shooter, He is a terrorist; he is a criminal; he is an extremist. But he will, when I speak, be nameless. Explaining her decision not to name the shooter, Ardern said, He sought many things from his act of terror, but one was notoriety. And that is why you will never hear me mention his name. Prime Minister Arderns position is consistent with the advice of No Notoriety, a media advocacy organization founded by Tom and Caren Teves, whose 24-year-old son, Alex, was killed during a mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado. Their campaign urges the media to report on mass shootings without amplifying the ideology of the attacker. Research on mass violence shows that mass shooters often cite previous gunmen as inspiration for their acts of violence. The New Zealand shooter mentioned mass murderers who killed worshipers in a Charleston, South Carolina church, and a Norwegian murderer who killed 69 political activists and children at a summer camp. ICYMI: After New Zealand massacre, Islamophobia spreads on Chinese social media Our team used Media Cloud, an open-source media collection and analysis tool developed at MITs Center for Civic Media and Harvards Berkman Klein Center, to analyze 6,337 stories in 508 national-level English-language news sources in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We found a mix of good and bad news for campaigns such as No Notoriety. We examined the stories we retrieved for compliance with seven guidelines, compiled from No Notoriety and other campaigns that seek to limit the amplification of terrorist acts through media. While media justice campaigns often seek out journalists as conduits of change, we also expanded our analysis to assess whether internet culture reflects journalistic choices about whether to list the name or ideology of the attacker. We coded for compliance with the following best practices: Dont publish the shooters name. Dont link to or publish the name of the forum that the shooter posted on to promote the attacks. Dont link to or publish the name of the shooters manifesto. Dont describe or detail the shooters ideology. Dont publish or name specific memes linked to the shooters ideology. Dont refer to the shooter as a troll or his actions as trolling. Follow the AP guidelines for using the term alt-right (contain it within quotation marks or modify it with language such as so-called or self-described). In addition, we coded for stories that focused specifically on the victims or mentioned Islamophobia as a cause in the killings. The graph below shows what guidelines publications in different countries violated. Sign up for CJR 's daily email A week after the attack, none of the sources we analyzed linked directly to the shooters white supremacist manifesto or to the online fora where he published his ideas. British paper The Daily Mail had allowed readers to download the manifesto from their site; following criticism, it removed the link. Prominent US and UK media outlets named the forum the shooter frequented, and many discussed ideas expressed in the manifesto, linking in their explanations to problematic online content. None of the outlets we examined interviewed prominent white supremacists to contextualize the shooters ideology. Only 14 percent of US publications reported the shooters name, while 30 percent of UK publications ignored this guideline. Despite high compliance with these guidelines, 45 percent of the stories most shared on Facebook included the shooters name, and a quarter of the most-shared stories gave information that could leader readers to online discussion of the shooters ideology. The most common violation of these guidelines was mentioning the shooters name, followed by mentions of keywords that could lead readers to exploring ideology the shooter had hoped to promoteeither through ideas in his manifesto or in phrases written on the firearms he used to commit the murders. Sharing such keywords may be especially dangerous; white supremacists have learned that coining otherwise obscure phrases to promote their ideas gives them high visibility in search engines. These uncommon phrases exploit so-called data voidsbecause there is little content that contains these phrases, extremist content featuring these words will rank highly in search engines. In other words, searching for phrases that feature in the shooters manifesto quickly lead to rabbit holes of extremist content and may serve to recruit readers. By publishing a manifesto and live-streaming his murders, the shooter was clearly aware that he was creating content to recruit future extremists. Understanding that a mass murderer is consciously seeking to use the media to amplify his extremist views creates a profound challenge for newsrooms. The guidelines suggested to limit the spread of extremist ideologies create apparent conflicts with what most journalists have spent their lives learning to do. Interviewing Tom Teves of No Notoriety, journalism critic Bob Garfield noted, Our job is pretty much defined by five questions: who, what, when, where, why. And right at the top of the list, is who. Tevess explanation that a name has no utility unless theres an active search for the shooter underway may be satisfying, but the need to withhold details regarding motivation may be more challenging. It feels important to report that the New Zealand shooter was motivated by Islamophobia and by white supremacy rather than mental illness, though the journalistic impetus to show, rather than tell, leads to the trap of amplifying his most viral and sinister ideas. The Daily Mail, which briefly linked directly to the shooters manifesto, violated all seven of the proposed guidelines in their stories. Ninety-eight stories published in the week after the shooting were shared at least 50,000 times each on Facebook and the Mail published 12 of those stories. The Mail also featured the shooters name in headlines, published excerpts from the forum post where he announced the shooting, and showed photographs of the weapons he would use, emblazoned with names and phrases designed to promote his cause. The Sun offered similar coverage, including unblurred photos of the gunman and his weapons, and a long article examining the ideas in his manifesto. UK papers willingness to amplify the shooters ideas was not limited to tabloids. The Guardians US edition also violated all seven guidelines, and five Guardian stories were shared more than 50,000 times each. The BBC violated six of seven guidelines, and their most popular storywhich included the shooters name and the name of his manifestowas shared almost 700,000 times on Facebook. The New Zealand Herald, which ran 11 stories shared more than 50,000 times, violated four of the guidelines, more than almost all other New Zealand outlets. Some outlets may look at their social media metrics and conclude that they need to publish sensitive details of the massacre to retain readers. Forty-seven percent of stories shared more than 50,000 times on Facebook included the shooters name. (Recall that less than 20 percent of the total stories about the massacre named the shooter.) Stories that were widely shared on Facebook were also more likely to name the shooters manifesto (9 percent), the forum he posted on (10 percent), and murderers he cited as an inspiration (9 percent). While UK media appears especially willing to share the shooters name, US and Canadian media were especially likely to discuss the shooters ideology and motivations. We found that 106 US stories on the massacre (representing 5.3 percent of the stories we retrieved) mention the forum where the killer shared his ideas, and 231 US stories (11.6 percent) discuss specific ideas and conspiracy theories shared in his manifesto. Five percent of Canadian stories mention the forum, and 11.7 percent mention specific phrases in the manifesto. Several US publications sought to explain references to internet culture in the gunmans writings. Many of these pieces were insightfulThe New York Timess Kevin Roose, for example, wrote a thoughtful analysis of the ways in which the killings seemed a particularly online phenomenon, in a piece that identifies the shooter as well as the forum he posted on, and provides several phrases that lead to conspiracy theories. Theres a small difference in adherence to these guidelines between media without a print or broadcast presence, and those that are non-digitally native (see the graph below). However, its less significant a difference than the apparent difference in national standards between countries like the US and NZ, which were largely compliant, and those like the UK and Australia, which were less so. Moreover, giving media attention to the attackers ideas displaces other, more pressing public conversations related to Islamophobia internationally. We saw significant differences in use of the term Islamophobia across media of different nations.Canadian media included the words Islamophobia, Islamophobic, or Islamophobe in 22 percent of stories, which is twice as high as the usage by media in the next country, the US. New Zealand media only included these terms in 5 percent of stories. On the other hand, New Zealand media published a number of stories that focused on outpourings of support for the countrys Muslim population, from motorcycle gangs serving as mosque defenders to politicians and broadcasters donning hijabs in solidarity with Muslim neighbors. The most popular story of the week following the shooting was a set of biographies of all the victims of the shooting, focusing on their lives and their faith, published by the New Zealand Herald, which was shared almost 1.4 million times on Facebook. It seems, from our findings, that more journalists are stepping back from the who, what, where, how, and why to questions of how to prevent tragedy. With platforms as a distribution system, this problem is much more complicated. Digitization has made local news globally accessible, and its a very short distance from It cant happen here to Its happening everywhere. ICYMI: New Zealand massacre: Journalists divided on how to cover hate Correction: A previous version misspelled Prime Minister Jacinda Arderns name. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Jason Baumgartner, Fernando Bermejo, Emily Ndulue, Ethan Zuckerman and Joan Donovan are the authors of the article. Jason Baumgartner is founder of pushshift.io. Bermejo, Ndulue and Zuckerman are part of the Media Cloud team at MITs Center for Civic Media. Joan Donovan directs the Technology and Social Change Research Project at the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard. All are members of the International Hate Observatory project hosted at the MIT Media Lab. WASHINGTON The Federal Emergency Management Agency wrongly released to a contractor the personal information of 2.3 million survivors of devastating 2017 hurricanes and wildfires, potentially exposing the victims to identity fraud and theft, a government watchdog reported Friday. The Homeland Security Departments Office of Inspector General found the breach occurred when FEMA was working with a contractor that helps provide temporary housing to those affected by disasters. FEMA is one of Homeland Securitys many agencies; the sprawling 240,000-person department also includes immigration enforcement, and the U.S. Secret Service. FEMA officials said that since the discovery of the issue, the agency was no longer sharing unnecessary data with the contractor and has conducted a detailed review of the contractors information system and has found no indication to suggest data has been compromised. The agency said in a statement it is working with the contractor to remove the data from its system and has instructed staff to complete additional privacy training. FEMAs goal remains protecting and strengthening the integrity, effectiveness, and security of our disaster programs that help people before, during, and after disasters, FEMA Press Secretary Lizzy Litzow said in a statement. Some information, like names, last four digits of a Social Security number and how many people live in a household are required to confirm eligibility and locate housing for victims. But FEMA also provided the contractor with bank names, electronic funds transfer numbers and bank transit numbers that were not required by the contractor. The 2.3 million people lived through California wildfires and Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. The watchdog said that FEMA violated both federal privacy laws and also Homeland Security policy by giving the extra data to the contractor, whose name was redacted in the report made public Friday. The contractor also knew that FEMA was providing too much personal data but didnt inform the disaster relief agency. The 2017 hurricane season was particularly brutal. Harvey slammed ashore in Texas on Aug. 25, 2017, as a powerful Category 4 storm. It killed 68 people and deluged much of the Houston metropolitan area _ home to more than 6 million people _ with 3 to 4 feet of water. Flooding damaged more than 300,000 structures and caused an estimated $125 billion in damage, according to a report from the National Hurricane Center . Irma struck Florida Sept. 10 and battered Georgia and North Carolina, killing 129 and devastating the Florida Keys. Maria made landfall Sept. 20, devastating Puerto Rico and plunging much of the island into darkness for months after, leaving some 3,000 people dead. Wildfires in California in 2017 burned some 1.2 million acres of land, destroyed more than 10,800 structures and killed at least 46, and insurance claims topped $3.3 billion. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. AKRON, Ohio The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley and the Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio are teaming up for the Week of Giving starting April 1. The Week of Giving is part of the organizations Harvest for Hunger campaign and features several activities designed to raise funds and help community members get involved and learn more about the organizations hunger-relief efforts. Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank Week of Giving activities include: Make a Donation Monday On Monday, April 1, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. will match all donations up to $10,000. To donate, visit akroncantonfoodbank.org/wog. Take a Tour Tuesday On April 2, community members are invited to tour the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbanks 83,000 square-foot facility located at 350 Opportunity Parkway in Akron. Tours will depart at noon, 1 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Volunteer Wednesday On April 3, community members interested in supporting the food banks mission are encouraged to register to volunteer at akroncantonfoodbank.org/volunteer. Thankful Thursday On April 4, the food bank is encouraging community members to show their support for the Harvest for Hunger campaign by printing a Harvest for Hunger support sign, taking a photo with the sign and posting the picture on social media using the hashtag #HarvestForHunger. Food Truck Friday On April 5 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Swensons food truck will be at the Canal Place parking lot, 520 S. Main St. A portion of proceeds from the event will benefit the Harvest for Hunger campaign. Supermarket Saturday On April 6, local celebrities will bag groceries at select Giant Eagle and Buehlers Fresh Foods locations when customers make a $10, $5 or $1 donation at the cash register from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Local celebrities include Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro, WKYC Channel 3s Betsy Kling and Amani Abraham, Rock 106.9s Dan Stansbury and Matt Fantone and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. Participating locations are: Giant Eagle Market District at Portage Crossing in Cuyahoga Falls, Giant Eagle on the Strip in North Canton, Buehlers Fresh Foods in Orville and Buehlers Fresh Foods in Jackson Township. Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.coms Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. STRONGSVILLE, Ohio -- Olmsted Township will receive emergency dispatch service from Southwest Emergency Dispatch Center in Strongsville starting May 30, under an agreement both the township and city have approved. Southwest Emergency Dispatch, established in 2014 on Pearl Road just north of Ohio 82, will serve six communities once Olmsted Township joins. The others are Berea, Brook Park, North Royalton, Olmsted Falls and Strongsville. Municipalities all over Cuyahoga County and Ohio are merging dispatch centers. The state has mandated that counties significantly reduce the number of dispatch centers or face cuts in their 911 funding, which pays for upgrades to dispatch systems. According to information provided last week by Cuyahoga County, the county held 48 separate dispatch centers in 2012. By this summer, that number is expected to be down to 24. The latest new regional dispatch center is Cuyahoga Valley Emergency Dispatch Center in Brecksville, which opened earlier this month. It will serve nine communities: Brecksville, Broadview Heights, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Cuyahoga Heights, Independence, Newburgh Heights, Seven Hills and Valley View. Olmsted Township has been receiving dispatch service from the Cuyahoga Emergency Communications System, or CECOMS, in Bedford, paying a little more than $15,000 a month, or about $185,000 a year. The township has been the only community to contract with CECOMS for emergency dispatch service. East Cleveland is expected to join CECOMS in June. When Olmsted Township joins Southwest Emergency Dispatch, it will pay Strongsville $20,250 a month, or $243,000 a year. The amount is based on the number of calls the center expects to receive from the township. Rebecca Corrigan, Olmsted Townships administrator, said the higher price for dispatch service is worth it. She said CECOMS provides only a basic level of service, with no regional approach, that sometimes hasnt met the townships needs. Olmsted Township is one of the fastest-growing communities in Northeast Ohio, which means our population is growing and so is our call volume, Corrigan told cleveland.com in an email. We ... wanted to ensure, since mutual aid (among neighboring communities) is heavily relied upon, that we were in the same regional dispatch group with our neighbors for streamlined services, including booking of offenders, Corrigan said. Corrigan said Olmsted Townships mutual-aid partners are already members of Southwest Emergency Dispatch. That will make coordination and dispatching of mutual aid easier. Township Trustee Larry Abbott, in a press release, said the townships population has increased by 46 percent since 2000. Charles Goss, Strongsvilles director of public safety, said that in 2018, the city appropriated $1.6 million toward Southwest Emergency Dispatch operations. North Royalton paid $534,435, Berea paid $351,600 and Olmsted Falls paid $243,804. Brook Park, which joined Southwest Emergency Dispatch toward the end of last year, paid $86,667 for two months of service. Goss said the operations budget for the dispatch center in 2018 was $2.8 million. The projected 2019 budget is $3.3 million. This figure includes the increased operating expenses to cover both Brook Park and Olmsted Township, Goss said in an email to cleveland.com. The center also buys equipment every year, spending $151,471 in 2015, $47,203 in 2016, $26,163 in 2017 and $99,763 in 2018, according to Goss. The addition of Olmsted Township to our operation should not require expansion of the facility or staff, and will not require any significant equipment acquisition, Goss said. Goss said Southwest Emergency Dispatch, in anticipation of adding Brook Park and Olmsted Township to the center, hired an additional seven full-time dispatchers in 2018. Goss said the center handled 98,855 calls in 2018. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Gov. Mike DeWine has appointed Hamilton County Republican Dennis Deters to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. Deters will serve the remainder of the unexpired term of Asim Haque, who left the PUCO a month ago for a job in private industry. DeWine chose Deters over three contenders also recommended by the PUCO Nominating Council earlier this month. Two of those rival applicants came with consumer-orientated resumes. DeWines choice of Deters, comes just weeks after the governors February appointment of Columbus attorney Samuel Randazzo, a veteran regulatory expert whose clients have primarily been businesses and industries in cases before the PUCO. And that has prompted a recommendation from Ohio Consumers Counsel Bruce Weston that state lawmakers reform a 1982 law that sets out how PUCO members are chosen. That law was itself claimed to be reform, though it was enacted in part to defeat a ballot issue proposing public elections of commissioners, said Westons spokeswoman Merrilee Embs in a prepared statement. Next month, nearly four decades after passage of the so-called reform law, three of the five PUCO commissioners will have spent at least some career time as representatives of utilities that the PUCO regulates, she said. Real reform is needed for a balanced PUCO that includes bona fide representatives of Ohio consumers. Legislative change to improve the 1982 law should be a starting point for reform, she added. Weston is also calling for a change in the law to require that at least one of the five commissioners have experience as a bona fide residential consumer representative, to be appointed by the governor from a list recommended by the Ohio Consumers Counsel. Thats the procedure already in place for gubernatorial appointments to the Ohio Power Siting Board, which is chaired by the chair of the PUCO. Other recommendations from the office of the consumers counsel include: More sunshine in the process the PUCO Nominating Council uses to makes its commissioner appointment recommendations to the governor. Creation of a Nominating Council website, including an online message system to allow the public to make comments to the Nominating Council while it actively selects nominees seeking to become commissioners. A requirement that PUCO applicants must "publicly disclose all work and investments with industries that the PUCO regulates, and the information should be posted to [a Nominating Council] website. Allow only one of the seats on the 12-member Nominating Council to be filled by someone who currently or previously represented utilities. Despite the reform agenda, Weston looks forward to working with Mr. Deters ... as a Commissioner and wishes him well in his public service at the PUCO, said Embs. CLEVELAND, Ohio A manufacturing company that has been located in the city for more than 60 years soon will move to the suburbs. Voss Industries, based at a manufacturing facility at 2168 W. 25th St., in Ohio City, announced Tuesday it will relocate to an upgraded and modern facility in Berea as it prepares to expand. The privately owned company said it had hoped to remain in Cleveland, but cited a lack of vacant, modern manufacturing facilities to meet our needs in a news release announcing the move. The city of Berea welcomed us and provided assistance to help make the project work for both our company and the local community, unnamed company executives said in the release. Rather than stay at its current site or relocate within the city, Voss opted to purchase a manufacturing facility at 1000 W. Bagley Road, in Berea, about 15 miles from its current site on the West Side. Operations will begin moving to the western suburb in the third quarter of this year, with plans for the move to be complete next year, the company said. The Bagley Road site features a 98,000-square-foot facility on 14 acres, according to Berea city officials. The site previously served as an Eaton Corp. production facility that employed a little over 100 people, but has been vacant for a few years. We think its a great company with a great product line that is going to be sustainable here in Berea for years and years and years, said Matthew Madzy, Bereas economic development director. This is one of the largest buildings in our industrial corridor. ... We just think theres going to be a spillover into everything else in Berea. Berea has signed off on two incentives for Voss. One is a 10-year utility grant, with an initial outlay of $100,000 for facility upgrades. Each of the following years, Voss can receive an additional $47,000 per year, all coming from the citys general fund. The city has also agreed to a 10-year job creation tax credit that rebates back to the company 60 percent of the 2 percent payroll tax Voss employees will pay. Voss must maintain a certain minimum payroll each year, Madzy said. He said the company is initially bringing 267 jobs, with plans to hire an additional 58 employees. A transaction between two limited liability companies for the sale of the Bagley Road property closed earlier this month, according to Cuyahoga County property records. The sale price was not disclosed in publicly available documents. The county puts the total market value of the property at more than $3.3 million, according to property records. Voss, founded in 1957, manufactures products for aerospace, defense and industrial markets. The company has experienced strong demand for its products in recent years, according to previous Plain Dealer reporting. A 2014 story reported that the company supplies parts for nearly every commercial and military plane and was experiencing a booming export business and relationships with major companies in the aerospace and defense industries. The search for a new facility was prompted by the company wanting a facility that was more suitable for long-term exponential growth, according to Tuesdays announcement. Voss did not immediately respond to a request for further comment. Voss has received two grants from JobsOhio, the states economic-development agency, according to the news release. The company plans to add positions over the next several years as part of an expansion, which will generate several million [dollars] in additional annual payroll, meeting the needs of a growing customer list." That plan has received approval from JobsOhio and Berea, according to the news release. Voss Industries has a longstanding heritage of manufacturing precision aerospace products in Northeast Ohio, and we and our partners at Team NEO are excited they chose to expand here, said Glenn Richardson, JobsOhio managing director for aerospace and aviation, in a statement. The refurbished, expansive facility in Berea will allow Voss to retain their existing skilled workforce and add nearly 60 new jobs to support their ongoing innovation for their customers worldwide. It is unclear at this time what will happen to the Voss facility on West 25th, an area that is highly sought-after by developers. The property is not owned by the company, but by an entity tied to former Voss executives. That entity, Apocalypse Development, Ltd., purchased the site from Voss in 2000 for $1.1 million, according to property records. Terry Coyne, a real-estate broker at Newmark Knight Frank, who represented Voss in their search for a facility, declined to comment. CLEVELAND, Ohio City Council on Monday gave its final approval to Mayor Frank Jacksons spending plan for the year that would allow Cleveland to maintain services even if there is a downturn in the economy. Council had voted its support for the budget March 11. The citys charter required the budget left unchanged for 15 days before the final vote and it had to be taken before April 1. Councilman Mike Polensek was the lone no vote. Polensek has been critical of the level of funding for city services to residents. The budget projects about $689.4 million in city revenues for the year, starting with $43 million carried into 2019 from the 2018 budget. The spending plan anticipates keeping that $43 million cushion intact in case there is an economic downturn. Total spending would amount to about $645.8 million. Including self-supporting enterprise funds such as airport operations, the water department and Cleveland Public Power, the overall budget is about $1.8 billion. City Council began reviewing the mayors proposal, going nearly line by line through the plan, at budget hearings several weeks ago. Ultimately, the council made a handful of additions to the mayors plan. They included: $75,000 for each of the citys 17 wards (a total of $1.275 million) to pay for emergency home repairs for senior citizens. $75,000 per ward for small capital-improvement projects such as minor park improvements or street projects done at the discretion of members of council. About $400,000 to bolster the budget for summer grass cutting on abandoned property. The total should allow for an additional cutting (a fourth) citywide. The budget includes about $11.5 million for street paving work. Additional money is expected to be included for side streets in the citys capital improvement budget, lifting the total street budget to more than $14 million. Last year the city spent about $12 million total on side streets. FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio -- To help their peers deal with teenage stressors, Fairview High School students are planning a day of special activities. Find Your Balance: How to Cope Workshops will take place April 1, targeting district students in grades 6 through 12. The initiative is the brainchild of nine Fairview High School students chosen to take part in the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio's First Ring Student Leadership Academy. One of the First Ring Student Leaders is junior Eva Malasi, who said the purpose of the group is to look for ways to improve awareness about mental health among students in the district. Earlier this year, the nine-member team -- all juniors -- surveyed high school and middle school students, with the data revealing that 60 percent deal with some type of mental illness, including stress. It started with thinking of the different ways we as a group deal with our stresses and that (led) to the idea of workshops, Eva said. From there, we came up with a campaign that would go along with the workshops to just spread the word and to get more people to normalize talking about mental health. A lot of the students also wanted to improve their relationships with their parents, so by doing the workshops and seeing the campaign, we would like for the students to be able to talk to their parents more openly and to be able to improve that relationship. She added that the goal behind the workshops is for students to explore and see which topics help them to cope with daily stressors related to school, activities, sports, family, friends and relationships. The different methods can also be different tools that they can tell to someone else that might be dealing with some form of mental illness, Eva said. Students on April 1 will have the opportunity to participate in four 25-minute workshop sessions led by teachers, with topics including mindfulness and meditation, outdoor walking, art and drawing to relax, journaling, therapy dogs, board games, healthy eating, yoga and journaling. During the day, there will also be a special presentation from nationally recognized motivational speaker Jessie Funk. In addition, the author and musical artist headlines a parents-only affair, speaking about student stress and anxiety, at 6:30 p.m. April 1 at Gilles-Sweet Elementary School. First Ring Student Leadership Academy adviser Janice Frygier, who is also a Lewis F. Mayer Middle School ELA teacher, said the students began last fall working on the project, which culminates in May with a presentation to inner-ring school district superintendents. Im impressed with the fact they were really taking on this huge leadership role, Frygier said. Theyre working really well together, growing and showing their strengths and learning from mistakes. While it remains to be seen whether the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio will continue the program, Frygier said the district will continue to have an ongoing mental health conversation with parents and students. As far as the Find Your Balance: How to Cope Workshops, Frygier said the program will be gauged a success if students can feel confident to help themselves and figure out what they can do to kind of de-escalate a situation if theyre feeling anxiety. Teaching them skills to help themselves before it becomes a major problem would be the biggest takeaway, as well as knowing any of us are here to help them, Frygier said. Thats important, too. PARMA, Ohio -- American Legion Post 572 hosts its annual Vietnam Veterans Day Tribute at 7 p.m. Friday (March 29) at the State Road venue. What we try to do is celebrate the soldiers who came home and memorialize those who didnt, Post Commander Tony Kessler said. The first year, we had maybe 50 to 60 people, and then the second year we were at capacity, which is about 125 people. The annual Vietnam Veterans Day Tribute includes a tribute video, the reading of Jerry Buchionnis Reflections and the names of Parma area fallen and MIA soldiers, as well as a pinning ceremony and dinner. Theres definitely an interest in recognizing the Vietnam vets, said Navy veteran Kessler, who served during the Vietnam War era. Its very special. The more recognition to the Vietnam vets we can get, the better it is. Regarding the national Vietnam Veterans Day, theres a major significance involving March 29. Thats the date in 1973 when the last 2,500 combat troops were withdrawn from South Vietnam, as well as when the last of the Vietnam War prisoners arrived on U.S. soil. Also, thats the date Vietnam Veterans Day was declared in 2012. American Legion Post 572s Sergeant of the Guard Bob Piatak, a Navy veteran who served during the Vietnam War era, said the notion of being honored for his military service was a long time coming. He eventually received an unexpected welcome more than 15 years after returning stateside. The Vietnam War era veterans were treated in such a horrible manner, said Parma resident Piatak. When I got on as the American Legion Honor Guard, I did my first Veterans Day program at State Road School. There was a young student who saw me in my uniform and threw his arms around me, thanking me for being a veteran. From November 1965 until that moment in the early 80s, that was my welcome home. A lot of these guys have never gotten a welcome home. We werent made to feel proud of our military service. Ward 9 Councilman Roy Jech, a Vietnam War era Army veteran, said the American Legion Post 572 event is a special affair. Service members did not receive the recognition that they deserved, said Jech, who sponsored legislation years ago to rename State Road Park to Veterans Memorial Park. Its very sad that many of these veterans are not here to receive this honor. PARMA, Ohio -- The floodgates of discussion and information opened up in 2018, when Parma residents were invited to attend the inaugural Water Summit, which addressed storm water management issues in the community. Last years event was a huge success, Ward 4 Councilwoman Kristin Saban said. We understand the storm water management requires a regional approach with all stakeholders. Its important as elected officials to inform the people of what is being done to address flooding issues. We as a city council are encouraging residents in all nine wards to attend this event. Were hoping that once again this year, the Water Summit will be a forum for residents to feel comfortable engaging in a proactive way. The second annual Water Summit is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday (March 28) at the Watershed Stewardship Center in Parma. In addition to city officials, representatives from Cuyahoga County Public Works, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, Cleveland Public Water, West Creek Conservancy and the Cleveland Metroparks will be in attendance. This open forum was designed last year by myself and at the time Councilman (Jeff) Crossman to educate residents, answer their questions and address their concerns about storm water management after the June 2017 storm that affected so many residents, Saban said. Mayor Tim DeGeeter added, This is an excellent event to learn about how differing partners of the city are working together to address flooding and improving our infrastructure. Every day, the city with its partners are making improvements on flooding and storm water management. I look forward to attending and appreciate the work of council members. SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- It was in the summer of 2017 that City Council first met with voters at a series of public meetings to talk about the citys need for more cash. Since that time, voters have turned down a .5 percent income tax increase (in November 2018) that would have brought the city an additional $3 million annually. Months more of financial talks took place -- including discussions about possibly having residents pay for curbside garbage collection as a way for the city to increase revenue -- and more meetings with residents. On Monday (March 25), council finally voted on a step to increase revenue by approving legislation to fully eliminate the .75 percent income tax credit that had been granted to residents who work outside the city. The rollback of the income tax credit to 0 percent, retroactive to March 1, is projected to bring the city about $1.3 million in additional money this year and, by 2020, approximately $2.2 million. The ordinance, passed by a 7-0 vote, will help alleviate a situation in which the city is projected to spend more than it takes in this year. As of late February, it was projected that the city would spend about $3.3 million more than it receives. However, the city has not spent as much as it has projected for many years. In 2018, the actual spending was $18,168,000, or 93.1 percent of the total that had been projected as expenditures for 2018 of $19,507. For 2019, it is projected that $20,459,000 will be spent. If that were the case, it would be a 12.6 percent increase in spending. This years budget includes $634,000 to make repairs, such as a needed roof, at City Hall. It also includes money for hiring two more police officers and a school resource officer. In November, voters will be asked to renew the city's safety levy. Because the city is expected to spend more than the revenues it receives in 2019, projections show that the general fund balance could fall from the $4.4 million it stood at last month to just under $1.2 million. "We don't want the general fund balance to fall below $2 million," said Council President Dennis Fiorelli. "That's why the tax credit was reduced. It will (eventually) bring in $2.2 million a year." Ward 3 Councilwoman Sara Continenza spoke of her hope to see the tax credit restored when the city is financially able to do so. Fiorelli said the tax credit would be at least partially restored if voters pass an income tax increase that raises an amount grater than the tax credit brings in. City Council also approved on Monday a resolution to set aside 7.5 percent of income taxes derived and put it toward future capital improvements. If we take in $10 million in income taxes, 7.5 percent, or $750,000, would go directly towards capital improvements, Fiorelli said of the resolution, sponsored by Councilman-at-Large Jason Russell. The city receives about $10 million in income taxes a year, Fiorelli said. "It's been a long process," Fiorelli said of the budget talks. "This year, we had the double task of coming up with our budget and working on the tax credit." Mayor Georgine Welo said working to pass a budget in difficult financial times takes political will. I believe City Council has done good work, she said. Welo added that new Gov. Mike DeWines executive budget shows that Local Government Funds for 2020-21 will not be restored to the levels they were before DeWines predecessor, former governor John Kasich, took office. Kasich reduced the amount of Local Government Funds cities received, sparking criticism from Welo and other Ohio mayors. Ward 2 Councilman Joe Frank stated last summer that South Euclid is getting about $2.5 million less from the state in Local Government Funds than it received in 2013. DeWines 2020-21 budget includes increasing funding to the Local Government Fund to pay for local crisis services related to substance use disorder, with money from the General Revenue Fund instead of diverting funds from the Local Government Fund. CLEVELAND, Ohio The decision by one of the U.S.s largest painkiller manufacturers to pay the state of Oklahoma $270 million to settle an opioid lawsuit has no legal bearing on lawsuits filed by the state of Ohio or those from across the country being heard in federal court in Cleveland. However, it does signal that Purdue Pharma, which has been mired in bad press as the number of deaths attributed to opioid dependency skyrocketed in recent years, is willing to negotiate. It also sets a benchmark as negotiation and litigation continues for thousands of cases that seek to hold drug distributors and manufacturers responsible for the nations opioid epidemic. Attorneys and experts involved and observing the litigation, one of the largest in the nations history, spent Tuesday deliberating about what the settlement means for the future of the lawsuits, especially as Purdue Pharma continues to deliberate on whether it should file for bankruptcy. The settlement signals theres blood in the water now, University of Georgia law professor Elizabeth Chamblee Burch said. She said Tuesdays news may lead to a feeding frenzy as cities, counties and states try to ensure they can still get money from Purdue Pharma. Now the concern is, if somebody is threatening bankruptcy, if you are the last one to settle, there may be nothing left, Burch said. The settlement The settlement between Purdue Pharma and Oklahoma was announced Tuesday. The company will pay close to $200 million in startup costs and continued support for an entity that will study addiction and treatment at Oklahoma State University. It will also pay $12.5 million toward combatting addiction in cities and counties throughout the state, and $60 million to go toward the states litigation fees. Of the settlement, $75 million will come from the Sacklers, the family that owns Purdue Pharma. The companys decision to settle came after the Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected requests to delay a trial set for May. The states trial against other drug makers, including Johnson & Johnson and Teva Pharmaceuticals, is still on the schedule. It is the first settlement to come from a wave of lawsuits filed over the epidemic, which has ravaged communities rich and poor, big and small, across the country. Cuyahoga County, as well as the entire state of Ohio, is no exception. The county saw at least 560 drug overdose deaths in 2018, according to Medical Examiner Thomas Gilsons office. U.S. District Judge Dan Polster - who oversees more than 1,600 lawsuits filed against drug companies by cities, counties, states and governments from his Cleveland courtroom - has pushed for a settlement to resolve all the cases both before him and in state courts. Polster has been unable to broker such an agreement. The first trial for the federal courts will involve claims made by Cuyahoga and Summit counties and is scheduled to begin in October. All eyes on Oklahoma Lawyers and politicians involved in the federal litigation and in other cases in state courts closely watched the developments that led to Tuesdays announcement. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, whose office is pursuing a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma and other drug makers in state court, said the settlement has no direct impact on Ohio, but it is encouraging to see a drug maker accept some degree of responsibility for the mess that theyve made. Attorneys and experts also pointed out that the settlement only affects the state of Oklahoma. From our standpoint, it has no bearing on our cases, said Hunter Shkolnik, an attorney representing several Oklahoma counties. Potential bankruptcy Still, attorneys and academics gave differing viewpoints on what Tuesdays settlement meant and how it comported with reports that Purdue Pharma was considering filing for bankruptcy protection ahead of a potential onslaught of potential judgments it faces from litigation nationwide. Burch, who studies large sets of lawsuits known as multidistrict litigation and has closely followed the opioid cases, said the question now becomes whether the states will be able to settle on the cheap now as opposed to little or nothing later. Yost, who said his office was not close to reaching a settlement with Purdue Pharma, wondered whether Purdue Pharma truly intended to file for bankruptcy in the near future if it just agreed to pay more than a quarter of a billion dollars. However, the potential decision has colored all aspects of the cases and Oklahomas settlement. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said at a news conference that his office undertook extensive efforts" to ensure the settlement was not affected by any bankruptcy filing. Yost also said talks of bankruptcy also affected Ohios litigation strategy. He said he is considering filing an amended lawsuit that includes would include theories under state law to recover money from members of the Sackler family. Any bankruptcy filing from Purdue Pharma would not protect the Sackler family in the same way, Yost said. Other parties suing Purdue Pharma, most notably the state of Massachusetts, have detailed what they said was a leading role Sackler family members played in the marketing of OxyContin and downplaying risks associated with the powerful painkiller. The Washington Post reported that three museums in Britain and the U.S. recently turned down donations from the Sacklers. The attorney general declined to say whether his office uncovered new information about the Sacklers involvement. He said the family has taken billions of dollars out of Ohio and out of Purdue Pharma over the years. An optimistic sign Tuesdays settlement was met with optimism from attorneys representing plaintiffs in the federal litigation, which includes the lions share of the lawsuits against drug companies. The group of attorneys leading the litigation issued a laudatory statement that said the settlement is another reflection of the extraordinary importance and strength of the claims against Purdue Pharma. Paul Hanly, one of those lead attorneys, said in an interview that $270 million was a good number for their state. Hanly that settlement such as the one Oklahoma and Purdue Pharma announced Tuesday are often omens of more settlements to come. If history is a guide, theres a possibility that Purdue and other defendants will settle additional cases, he said. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Mueller Time report brew turned even more skunky when obstructed by Barr beer. The 2-years in the making Robert Mueller report did not exonerate President Trump of obstruction, the 48 hours in the making 4 page William Barr report did. Attorney General Barr, along with Rod Rosenstein, exonerated Trump after Mueller punted his duty to make the prosecutorial decision as an independent special counsel. Barr quotes the special counsels report as stating that while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. Without ever mentioning the length of the Mueller report, Barr quotes it as making a thorough factual investigation of obstruction matters, many of which took place in public view," Barr notes. Which means the Mueller report also includes evidence of obstruction that did not occur in public. Congress and the American people should see that evidence. Barr wrote that Mueller ultimately determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgement, so he and Rosenstein did, exonerating Trump saying there wasnt sufficient evidence. Are you willing to take Barrs word for that, if he never turns over the complete report to Congress and the American people? Both Barr and Rosenstein should have been recused from making the obstruction judgment. Rosenstein was a party to the evidence of Trump obstruction that took place in public view - the firing of James Comey. Trump, in an infamous interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt, admitted he fired Comey over the Russia investigation. Rosenstein wrote the memo justifying Comeys firing to give Trump cover for firing the FBI Director over Russia and the Michael Flynn. William Barr was appointed Attorney General after writing an unsolicited memo to the White House in which he extolled on his dubious legal theory that a president is incapable of being guilty of obstruction. Barr essentially made the argument the a president is all powerful and above the law. Barr exonerating Trump in his four page summary of the Mueller report, echoed what he had written in his earlier memo/application. The White House had been expecting the worst from the Mueller report. Monday night in an interview with CNNs Chris Cuomo, Rudy Giuliani said The White House had prepared a 90+ page rebuttal to the report, 30 of the pages were on the obstruction issue alone, said Giuliani. Mueller just didnt just decide not to make a traditional prosecutor judgement by punting on obstruction, he decided not to make a traditional special counsel or independent prosecutor judgement. The entire reason Mueller was appointed as Special Counsel was to take the investigation and decisions on the results of that investigation, out of the hands of the likes of A.G.'s Jeff Sessions, Barr and in the case of obstruction, Rod Rosenstein. Several times, Trump reportedly came close to firing Rosenstein, yet Rosenstein has ended up bailing out Trump twice, first in the Comey firing memo, and now joining Barr in exonerating Trump on obstruction. Prosecutors who worked with Mueller in the past, and legal experts are bewildered by his decision not to decide on obstruction. They speculate that Mueller either didnt make the determination because of the DOJ policy that a president cant be indicted, and/or he felt it was the role/duty of Congress to make that determination in proceedings to determine if impeachment is warranted. In the precedent of Richard Nixon, a Mueller-type report was turned over to Congress. Thats what must happen now. Barr cannot be trusted to continue to simply give Congress his summary of whats in the Mueller report. Not only did Barr not even tell Congress basic information, like the length of the report, he didnt even quote the Mueller report in full sentences or in context, the too few times he did quote Mueller. Congress must subpoena both Barr and Mueller to answer questions imperative to proper checks and balances. It was a horrible year for kicking in the NFL, Mueller has now matched it with his obstruction punt that hit the justice goal post. CLEVELAND, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine doesnt just face problems in the legislature over his gas tax proposal; he lacks support from the public as well. Most Ohioans (55 percent) oppose DeWines idea to increase Ohios gas tax by 18 cents a gallon, even when told the money would be used to repair roads and highways, a new poll found. But there are a lot of undecided people still out there, according to a Baldwin Wallace University poll of 1,361 Ohio adults conducted March 1-15. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. Overall: Support 29.6 percent, including 6.5 percent who said they strongly supported DeWines proposal. Opposed 55.4 percent, including 23.4 percent who said they strongly opposed the proposal. Unsure 15 percent. Without the increase, the Ohio Department of Transportation has said, Ohio will be short of the money necessary for regular maintenance of the roads, highways and bridges, and wont be able to take on any projects for new or widened roads or safety improvements. Legislation in the Ohio House and Senate would increase the gas tax, but by far lower amounts than what ODOT and DeWine have said are needed. The legislature must pass a two-year transportation budget by Sunday. Ohios gas tax was last increased to 28 cents a gallon in 2005. This is one of a series of questions asked in a poll designed by Baldwin Wallace political science students. It was conducted in conjunction with BWs Community Research Institute, which has extensive experience in scientific public opinion polling. Read about other findings published so far at this link. Next: What Ohioans say about banning abortions without exception six to eight weeks into pregnancy Rich Exner, data analysis editor for cleveland.com, writes about numbers on a variety of topics. Follow on Twitter @RichExner. Find data-related stories at cleveland.com/datacentral. CLEVELAND, Ohio New polling suggests Ohioans are deeply divided on whether to ban abortions as early as six weeks as proposed in fetal heartbeat bill the Ohio Senate recently passed again after it was twice vetoed by former Gov. John Kasich. Forty-three percent of Ohioans oppose the bill, with 41 percent supporting it, a new statewide poll from Baldwin Wallace University found. The Baldwin Wallace University poll of 1,361 Ohio adults was conducted March 1-15. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. The question on abortion was worded this way: There is a bill before the state legislature that would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detectable, usually six to eight weeks into pregnancy. The bill does not include exceptions for cases of rape or incest, but it does allow abortions if a mothers life is in jeopardy. To what extent would you support or oppose this bill? Overall: Opposed 43 percent, including 24.4 percent who said they strongly opposed the proposal. Support 41 percent, including 25.4 percent who said they strongly supported the proposal. Unsure 16 percent. Polling on an early abortion ban in Ohio, from Baldwin Wallace University. (Rich Exner, cleveland.com) On March 13, near the end of polling, the proposal cleared the Ohio Senate, 19-13, largely along party lines with support from Republicans and opposition from Democrats. It is now in the hands of the Ohio House. Gov. Kasich twice vetoed heartbeat bills, saying he didnt think they would be upheld in court. But new Gov. Mike DeWine promised during his campaign that he would sign a heartbeat bill. Ohio Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, opposed or was neutral on past Ohio heartbeat legislation, saying that it would be struck down in the courts. But with new members on the U.S. Supreme Court, it now supports the bill. This is one of a series of questions asked in a poll designed by Baldwin Wallace political science students. It was conducted in conjunction with BWs Community Research Institute, which has extensive experience in scientific public opinion polling. Read about other findings published so far at this link. Next: How Ohioans feel about banning assault weapons Rich Exner, data analysis editor for cleveland.com, writes about numbers on a variety of topics. Follow on Twitter @RichExner. Find data-related stories at cleveland.com/datacentral. CLEVELAND, Ohio When visiting most Mexican restaurants the first thing you get is a basket of chips and salsa. This is a teaser of the great food to come. We are asking you, the readers, to tell us which Northeast Ohio Mexican restaurant is the best for a new contest. Please nominate your favorite in the form below, which is easy and fast to submit. Even though salsa and chips are delicious, we are looking for the whole experience of the menu. When craving good Mexican food, where do you go? Is it the margaritas, chimichangas, fajitas or something else that draws you in? We are looking for independent restaurants, or Ohio-based chains with at least one location within our seven-county coverage area of Cuyahoga, Lorain, Medina, Summit, Portage, Geauga and Lake counties. Nominations will be accepted through Sunday, March 31 at 6 p.m. COMING NEXT: ONLINE POLL AND VISITS TO FINALISTS Once we have a list of nominees, readers will vote in an online poll to determine the finalists. Voting in the poll begins April 2. You may vote once each hour until the poll closes on Tuesday, April 9 at 9 a.m. Once readers have determined the finalists, Clevelands Best reporting team of Brenda Cain and Yadi Rodriguez will hit the road to visit your finalists April 16-May 13. They will take in the whole experience, everything from the atmosphere to the chips and salsa to the fajitas and flan. We will publish our opinions on the foods, along with lots of photos and video from each restaurant. We also will publish our schedule of visits in mid--April and youre invited to meet up with us at the restaurants to sample the food as well. In the end, we will name an ultimate winner and the Top 10. We will also have lots of delicious superlative winners such as Best Guacamoles, Best Margaritas, Best Chimichangas. WHERE SHOULD WE ALL CELEBRATE CINCO DE MAYO? Yes, well be doing the heavy lifting of tasting all the incredible foods our finalists create, but our readers still will have work to do as well. Once the list of finalists is published around April 12, youll be voting in an another online poll to tell us where we should hold a Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 5. Youll vote, and, hopefully, will also join us at the party, either at the restaurant or by watching the fiesta on cleveland.coms Facebook page! But for now, please get to nominating your favorite Mexican restaurant -- one or the ones that need to be in this contest. SOLON, Ohio Police say a man escaped with an unspecified amount of cash after robbing a branch of Key Bank on Monday afternoon. The male suspect, who police say did not have a weapon, entered the bank at 28200 Miles Road at about 4 p.m. and gave a teller a note. He then left and was last seen walking toward Miles Farmers Market. No one was injured in the incident. The suspect is in his late 20s to early 30s and about 5-foot-6 and 180-190 pounds. He was wearing a burgundy, striped, gray-hooded sweat shirt, blue jeans and black gloves. Anyone with information can contact the Cleveland division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 216-522-1400 or the Solon Police Department at 440-248-1234. To comment on this story, please visit Mondays crime and courts comments page. OXFORD, Ohio Members of a fraternity at Miami University beat pledges with a spiked paddle, forced them to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana, and kept the pledges blindfolded in a room while loud music played, all while refusing to allow them to leave, according to a report released Monday. Delta Tau Delta was suspended on Friday in response to the accusations, which reportedly occurred on March 16, the Dayton Daily News reports. A student who was one of the pledges told university officials about the reported abuse in a report to the school that was released on Monday, according to WCPO Channel 9. In the report, the student says he and 24 other pledges were told they could not leave the mandatory meeting at the fraternity house. The student claims he suffered cuts and bruises after he was hit 15 times on the buttocks with a spiked paddle. He also says he was kicked and that fraternity members spit in his face. He says that for about 90 minutes, the pledges were put in a room blindfolded and forced to listen to scary music. He says when he asked to leave, he was not allowed. The report says the student eventually said, Call 911, I feel like Im going to die, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance and was treated for cuts and bruises, and he had a blood-alcohol level of .231, the Enquirer reports. He was in the hospital for about seven hours, the Daily News reports. Oxford police are investigating the incident. According to the Enquirer, Miami President Gregory Crawford wrote in a letter to the community that the hazing accusations are brutal and deplorable." He also said he was disheartened and outraged by the allegations. The Daily News reports the fraternitys national leader suspended the Miami chapter on Friday. Hazing has no place within Delta Tau Delta, Jack Kreman, the chief executive of Delta Tau Delta, said in a news release, according to WCPO. The fraternity has no tolerance for such behavior and those involved will be held accountable." To comment on this story, please visit the crime and courts comments page. AKRON, Ohio A suspect trying to escape from police refused to stop even after the tires were flattened, driving the vehicle on its rims until it became stuck on a concrete island, police say. Joseph Ramsey, 37, of North Olmsted, has been charged with failure to comply with police orders and obstructing official business after the incident last weekend, according to Akron police. Ramsey, who was driving a van, is accused of first leading police in Fairlawn on a chase. Officers used a stop stick to flatten the tires of the van but say Ramsey kept driving. Fairlawn police eventually called off the chase. Officers in Akron later spotted the van near the intersection of Arlington Street and East Market Street in the Arlington neighborhood. The van did not have its lights on and was on its wheel rims, police say. Despite this, police say Ramsey tried to escape from Akron officers but the van became stuck on a concrete island at Interstate 76 West and East Market Street. He reportedly jumped from the van and tried to run but was caught by officers. Police say Ramsey refused to give his name or any other information to officers but they were late able to identify him. To comment on this story, please visit Mondays crime and courts comments page. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ohio State University updated its student code last month to allow concealed-carry license holders to store weapons in their cars on campus, the result of a five-year legal battle between the university and guns-rights activists. Business entities, property owners, or public or private employers in Ohio are not permitted to stop employees from keeping concealed carry firearms in vehicles they own, according to state law. OSU does not permit concealed-carry weapons on campus, and its student code of conduct did not reflect the states requirements on storing concealed carry weapons, the lawsuit claimed. The groups sued the university in 2014. After trying and failing to get the lawsuit dismissed, trustees updated the student code of conduct in February and parties settled in March. Spokesman Ben Johnson wrote in an email that OSU already followed the law. Ohio State was willing to amend the student code, given that the change in language would not amount to any change in Ohio States enforcement practice, he said. Mike Newbern is the lead plaintiff for the case. He serves as director of Ohio Students for Concealed Carry and attended and taught at OSUs Marion campus when the lawsuit was filed. Though the group is pleased about the outcome of the long-standing case, the change just solidified OSU will do the minimum the law requires, Newbern said. He said the board of trustees doesnt take into account the will of the people because theyre not elected figures. The governor appoints public university trustees for nine-year terms. This lawsuit demonstrates the need to return the authority to regulate firearms on college campuses back to the general assembly, he said. The university didnt lose anything. Cleveland.com requested a copy of the settlement. CLEVELAND, Ohio If you were around when Johnny came marching home from Vietnam, you might remember that his reception was hardly a rousing welcome back. There were no parades, no civic salutes. In fact, the vehemence of anti-war sentiment at one time forced many veterans to swap their uniforms for civilian clothes as soon as they set foot in the U.S. to avoid being the target of scorn. The March 29 National Vietnam War Veterans Day is partly intended as a way to make up for that slight. Its stated primary objective is to thank and honor Vietnam veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice on behalf of the Nation, with distinct recognition of former prisoners of war and families of those still listed as missing in action. The commemoration honors all U.S. veterans who served on active duty from November 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975, regardless of location. The day was signed into law as an annual event by President Donald Trump in 2017. At that time the Department of Veterans Affairs estimated there were 6.4 million living Vietnam veterans and 9 million family members of those who served. March 29 was chosen because that was the day in 1973 when the last 2,500 U.S. troops were withdrawn from South Vietnam, and the last of American POWs held in North Vietnam arrived back home. This year a special Vietnam War Veterans Day program will be held March 29 at the Garfield Heights Civic Center, 5407 Turney Road, sponsored by Greater Cleveland Chapter No. 15 of Vietnam Veterans of America. The free event, starting at 6 p.m., will feature an evening of honors and recognition of Vietnam veterans. VVA Chapter 15 member David Kovach said the commemoration day is a way of overcoming what these guys went through when they came back. It was just a bad time. So anything you can do to get these guys to smile, its worth it. Ron Schwachenwald, who served two years in Vietnam, noted that local Vietnamese who fought alongside U.S. troops also will be attending the commemoration. Its an important occasion, he added. The guys you see most encouraged by that date, and wanted it to happen, are those who lived through an experience that affected them for the rest of their lives, Schwachenwald said. Vietnam veteran David Pristash regarded the day as an honor that is better late than never. There arent a whole hell of a lot of us left. He said he encountered some bias against Vietnam vets in job interviews after the war, but not as bad as a lot of them [veterans] who were put aside and forgotten. The commemoration wont help those vets who needed some recognition the most the guys living under bridges or who committed suicide, he added. But, it wont hurt. The program in Garfield Heights could also benefit members of the general public who attend, according to John Tidyman, editor and publisher of the local DD214 Chronicle publication for veterans. I think itll be a history lesson for those who want to learn, said Tidyman, a Vietnam vet. Those who dont know much about the war or the folks who fought it will leave, knowing a great deal more in a brief period of time, he added. Michael Jackson, Vietnam veteran and former Cuyahoga County Commons Pleas Court judge, will be the keynote speaker at the National Vietnam War Veterans Day program. Jackson said he will talk about the impact that one particular battle had on his life, and mix his remarks with both the lighter and more poignant moments of his experience in Vietnam. To Jackson, this day of commemoration provides an opportunity for Vietnam veterans to gather, and renew their commitment to welcoming current combatants home. Because when it comes to the reception that Vietnam service members received, we do not want that to happen ever again to any other veteran, he said. He, too, cited the possible educational value of the program for non-veterans, and noted that family members [of veterans] also may hear things theyre not aware of. Vietnam veteran Ray Saikus will be honored during the program for his efforts to get this day of commemoration established. For years Saikus had lobbied Congress and state officials to have March 29 designated as a day to salute Vietnam vets. It was a battle, Saikus said, and credited his commitment to lessons he learned in the military with its fine-tuned discipline for staying on the mission, no matter what. He also noted that he was influenced by the death of his best friend in high school, a Marine who was killed in Vietnam. His March 29 campaign was dedicated in memory of him and his family, and all the ones who died since and their families, Saikus said. There was a void, of not being appreciated for the sacrifice of both a loved one and their family. His campaign material included the request that March 29 serve as a reminder and a promise that, Never again will a generation of citizens and veterans abandon those who served or are serving their country nor their respective families. So there is a sense of satisfaction that I got to deliver something to them, and future generations, so this will not be forgotten, he added. A National Vietnam War Veterans Day is also an occasion when vets can gather in a camaraderie of purpose and resolve, and shed that sense of abandonment, Saikus said. As he noted, its never too late to heal, and this [commemoration] is the perfect opportunity to initiate that healing process. COLUMBUS, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said last week the 6-cents-a-gallon gas tax increase proposed by the Ohio Senate is so low that there wont be money to fix the states most dangerous intersections. To underscore his point during a press conference on Friday, he held up a list with the intersections. Cleveland.com has obtained the list, as well as explanations about problems with eight Cuyahoga County intersections that are on it. The list is maintained by the Ohio Department of Transportation. The intersections are broken down by urban, suburban and rural areas. All of Cuyahoga County is considered urban. ODOT knows of about 500 dangerous intersections but prioritizes the 150 most dangerous intersections based on the number of traffic crashes including those with fatalities and injuries that sent people to the hospital. None of the Cuyahoga County intersections on the list had fatalities between 2015 and 2017, a three-year span ODOT used to compile the list. After the 150 on the current list get fixed, ODOT will move on to another 150, said Matt Bruning, ODOT spokesman. While DeWine, who wants an 18-cents-a-gallon increase, said the Senates fuel-tax plan is not sufficient to pay for safety improvements, a spokesman for the Republican majority in the Senate disagrees. Keep in mind the Senates plan would provide $267 million for safety and that would be a record for safety spending, said the spokesman, John Fortney. Thats more than the $102 million annually that ODOT says it spends on safety, Fortney said. Im sure that if ODOT is serious about wanting extra dollars for a project, it can be found within the record funding, he said. Comments to Senate offices from constituents have been overwhelmingly opposed to the nearly 20-cent-per-gallon request. Below is the entire statewide list of crashes. Some readers may need to visit this link to see them. ODOT also explained the dangers of the following Cuyahoga County intersections, based on ODOT data from 2015-2017: State Route 10 (Lorain Avenue) at County Road 252 (W 117th St.) 77 crashes in three years, including 28 resulting in people visiting hospitals for injuries. Accidents were related to vehicles passing each other are above the statewide average for urban signalized intersections. The highest contributing factor to crashes was following too closely. SR-175 (Richmond Road) at CR-23 (Cedar Road) 99 crashes in three years, including 28 with injuries. 22 percent of the crashes occurred under dark conditions with street lights, which is higher than the statewide average. 25 percent of the crashes occurred on wet pavement, which is above the statewide average. Crashes were related to vehicles passing each other, and angle crashes are above the statewide average for urban signalized intersections. The highest contributing factor to crashes was following too closely. SR-43R (Miles Road) at CR-8 (Lee Road) 110 crashes in three years, including 35 injury crashes, occurred at the intersection. 24 percent of the crashes occurred under dark conditions with street lights, which is higher than the statewide average. 82 percent of the crashes occurred on dry pavement, which is above the statewide average. Crashes were related to vehicles passing each other, and angle crashes are above the statewide average for urban signalized intersections. The highest contributing factor to crashes was following too closely. US-20 at US-322 94 crashes in three years including 32 with injuries. 23 percent of the crashes occurred under dark conditions with street lights which is higher than the statewide average. 14 percent of the crashes occurred on icy pavement which is above the statewide average. Crashes were related to vehicles passing each other, and angle crashes are above the statewide average for urban signalized intersections. The highest contributing factor to crashes was failure to control. US-322 (Mayfield Road) at SR-175 (Richmond Road) 76 crashes in three years, including 31 with injuries. 30 percent of the crashes occurred on wet pavement, which is above the statewide average. 12 percent of the crashes occurred on snow covered pavement, which is 3 times the statewide average. Crashes were related to vehicles passing each other, and rear end crashes are above the statewide average for urban signalized intersections. The highest contributing factor to crashes was following too closely. US-422 (Kinsman Road) at SR-8, also known as Kinsman Road at East 93rd Street 119 crashes in three years, including 41 with injuries. 30 percent of the crashes occurred under dark conditions with street lights, which is almost double than the statewide average. Crashes were related to vehicles passing each other and angle crashes are above the statewide average for urban signalized intersections. The highest contributing factor to crashes was failure to control. US-422 at SR-8, aka Woodland Avenue and East 55th Street 178 crashes in three years, including 51 with injuries. 80 percent of the crashes occurred on dry pavement, which is above the statewide average. Crashes were related to vehicles passing each other, and angle crashes are above the statewide average for urban signalized intersections. The highest contributing factor to crashes was following too closely. US-422R (Kinsman Road) at CR-406 (E 116th St.) 106 crashes in 3 years, including 49 with injuries. 22 percent of the crashes occurred under dark conditions with street lights, which is higher than the statewide average. 8 percent of the crashes occurred on snow covered pavement, which is double the statewide average. Crashes were related to vehicles passing each other. Angle crashes and left turn crashes are above the statewide average for urban signalized intersections. The highest contributing factor to crashes was failure to yield. Intersection improvements could range from trimming trees to a complete intersection redesign and rebuild, depending on the problems, said Bruning, the ODOT spokesman. Engineers evaluate each intersection to determine how they can be improved, he said. . COLUMBUS, Ohio Ohioans will no longer have to worry about springing forward or falling back, if a group of Republican state senators has its way. Sens. Kristina Roegner, of Hudson, and Bob Peterson, of Fayette County, on Tuesday introduced a bill that would declare that Ohio has opted out of changing its clocks. In other words, the states clocks would remain on Daylight Saving Time year-round, according to a memo they circulated among state lawmakers seeking co-sponsors. (Click here for a PDF of the memo.) It also would forbid any public agency or local government from observing the time-change event, which shifts clocks one hour forward in the spring and then back again in the fall. Two other state senators, Sens. Lou Terhar and Joe Uecker, both of the Cincinnati area, have signed on as co-sponsors. It would require approval from the entire House and Senate and a signature by the governor as well as federal approval for it to go into effect. Roegner and Peterson are calling Senate Bill 119 the Ohio Sunshine Protection Act. In a Wednesday interview, Roegner said she got the idea earlier this month after someone complained on Facebook about the time change. She then asked her friends if they would support ending the time change, and she got a big response, almost universally positive. I was really, really shocked at the level of interest in this topic, she said. Quick poll for my FB friends: Should Ohio join the new trend and stop the Daylight Savings Time Hour change... Posted by Kristina Daley Roegner on Monday, March 11, 2019 So what are they thinking? The practice was originally adopted sporadically during World War I to save energy, and adopted nationwide under the Uniform Time Act of 1966. But with the proliferation of air conditioners and computers in our lives today, the savings generated through a reduction in the usage of artificial lighting no longer justify the biannual disruption in our lives caused by DST, Roegner and Peterson wrote in their co-sponsor memo. The memo cites Indianas 2006 decision to finally adopt Daylight Saving Time, and a National Bureau of Economic Research study that found the switch actually increased energy use. The co-sponsor memo also cites research that suggests a link between time changes and on-the-job accidents, due to sleep disruption caused by the time change. It cites a 2009 study by Michigan State University researchers that concluded that schedule changes, such as those involved in switches to and from Daylight Saving time, place employees in clear and present danger. For these reasons, this legislation proposes to remove the biannual disruption in the lives of Ohioans caused by changing clocks twice a year, the memo reads. Do any other states not observe Daylight Savings Time? Only two states, Arizona and Hawaii, have never observed Daylight Saving Time, and remain on Standard Time throughout the year. As previously mentioned, Indiana waited until 2006 until adopting DST under a push championed by then-Gov. Mitch Daniels. Daniels, a Republican, believed being out of sync with the rest of the Eastern Time Zone was confusing to outsiders and hurt the states economy, according to the Indianapolis Star. Florida recently approved adopting Daylight Saving Time year-round, but the measure has languished in the U.S. Congress, whose approval is needed, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Roegner acknowledged it may be confusing or inconvenient if Ohio changes their time but neighboring states dont. At the end of the day, well have to weigh out the pros and cons, she said. Of note, ending the time change has one prominent Republican backer. Making Daylight Saving Time permanent is O.K. with me! President Donald Trump tweeted earlier this month, the first Monday after most Americans set their clocks back an hour. COLUMBUS, Ohio Ohios state treasurer, normally responsible for overseeing the states investments and financial accounts, wants to play a role in helping fight drug addiction, infant mortality and other social problems. Treasurer Robert Sprague on Tuesday said his ResultsOhio fund would support so-called Pay for Success programs, which are set up up to try to attract private investment for social programs designed with a focus on delivering measurable results. We want to start paying for programs that produce results, instead of what we normally do in government, which is just spend money on slices of care and pushing more money down the same pipe, while expecting something different to happen, Sprague said. The idea behind Pay for Success is that investors get the chance to make their money back, plus a profit, if the program they fund succeeds at its goal say, if an addiction-treatment program results in a measurable reduction in relapse rates. In theory, the government pays the investor back in part through savings realized from the successful program, like reduced money spent on future drug treatment. And if the idea doesnt work, the investors dont get their money back. While running for treasurer last year, Sprague, a former Republican state representative from Findlay, campaigned on setting up Pay for Success programs in Ohio. He was elected in November, and took office in January. A pair of Republican state lawmakers State Sen. Steve Wilson from the Cincinnati area and Rep. Don Manning from the Youngstown area are sponsoring a ResultsOhio bill backed by Spragues office. The legislation is expected to be introduced soon. The bill would would make the state treasurers office responsible for administering the ResultsOhio fund, including picking an intermediary to help evaluate whether a program is successful or not. The legislation builds on a previous law change Sprague pushed for last year as a member of the state legislature. State legislators or the governors office would decide how to use the fund including designing a program, finding private investors and deciding how much state money to put into it. Sprague said he envisions the Pay for Success model could be used to tackle problems including drug addiction, long-term health care or water quality. Gov. Mike DeWine recently proposed using the social-impact bond model to try to address infant mortality and early-childhood development. We view this as kind of a complementary financial product to help the governor achieve the results that he wants to achieve, Sprague said. Possible investors for Ohios Pay for Success programs could be non-profit foundations or for-profit companies, Sprague said. Congress recently set aside $100 million to fund Pay for Success programs, and the U.S. treasury department has put out a call looking for possible recipients. The model for Pay for Success, also referred to as social-impact bonds, originated in the United Kingdom. But its also been tried in the United States, including in Ohio Cuyahoga County in 2013 was among the first governments in the U.S. to try it out. That five-year program, designed to try to reduce the number of children in foster care, is close to wrapping up, according to Rob Fischer, a professor at Case Western Reserve University who is helping evaluate the programs effectiveness. Fischer, co-director of Cases Center on Urban Poverty and Community Development, said hes not allowed to speak in detail about the program until its done sometime next year. Well be excited to release the report. We think theres some powerful stuff in it, when the time comes, he said. Overall, Fischer said Pay for Success nationwide is still a work in progress, since many programs are still being evaluated. But he said interest and optimism in the idea behind it remain high. Theyre still being launched all the time, he said. People believe in the framework, and whether the individual program is proven to be effective is part of the learning process Its testing models and showing what works and what doesnt, so we can direct more funding into those successful areas. WASHINGTON, D.C. - In arguments that could overturn the legality of congressional districts drawn to favor one political party, U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday questioned how they could decide which maps are too partisan without triggering lawsuits whenever district lines are redrawn. Conservatives and liberal justices seemed to agree its problematic for state legislators to draw congressional districts like those in North Carolina, where Republicans gave their party a 10-to-3 advantage in a state where nearly half the congressional vote goes to Democrats. Or those in Maryland, where Democrats targeted one of the states two Republican Congress members for defeat. Just as Ohio Republicans did when they drew the states maps for the 2012 election, Maryland and North Carolina mappers used techniques called packing and cracking to retain their partisan advantage. That means they packed the maximum number of their opponents voters into the fewest possible districts, and put the rest into places they wouldnt be concentrated enough to affect the general election outcome. Earlier this month, a federal court in Cincinnati heard arguments that Ohios current congressional map is unconstitutional. A Supreme Court rejection of the districts in Maryland and North Carolina could affect that cases outcome. Organizations and individuals challenging the rigged maps argue they violate the Constitution by taking away voters ability to select candidates in a general election. They say the maps violate the U.S. Constitutions First Amendment, its Equal Protection Clause and its Elections Clause. Gerrymanderers dont set out to fiddle at the margins; they set out to fix electoral outcomes, said the attorney challenging Marylands map, Michael Kimberly. Many of the justices questions focused on how to decide when districts were drawn unfairly. Noting that computers can draw thousands of potential congressional maps that factor in issues like compactness, geography and incumbent protection, Justice Samuel Alito asked attorneys who challenged North Carolinas congressional maps how to select a fair one from all the options. Would anything other than random choice be sufficient?" he inquired. Common Cause Attorney Emmett J. Bondurant II said congressional maps shouldnt dictate electoral outcomes or favor certain candidates. He said its wrong to have congressional districts that are so safe for one party that the general election is irrelevant and officeholders are picked during primary elections, when few people vote. As with the one-person/one-vote rule, if the Court says ... that the legislature cant put its thumb on the scale and pick winners and losers, dictate electoral outcomes, favor or disfavor a class of candidates -- that is a standard that can be understood," Bondurant said. That is a standard that legislators will obey. And that is a standard that will reduce, not increase, litigation. Justice Brett Kavanaugh said he wouldnt dispute the assertion that its a real problem for democracy to have congressional maps that disproportionately favor one political party. After Justice Neil Gorsuch noted that states like Colorado and Ohio passed ballot initiatives that created new bipartisan procedures for drawing district lines, Kavanaugh asked whether citizens around the country could address gerrymandering problems without the court. Have we really reached a moment, even though it would be a big lift for this Court to get involved, where other parties cant do it?" Kavanaugh asked. League of Women Voters attorney Allison J. Riggs said that many states dont permit ballot initiatives. If the Supreme Court doesnt crack down on gerrymandering, she said it would give a green light for this kind of discriminatory rhetoric and manipulation from here on out. The techniques are so sophisticated now that theres no room for self-correction, Riggs argued. Attorneys who defended the state maps said the Constitutions framers consciously chose to give political actors like state legislatures the responsibility to draw congressional districts. North Carolina attorney Paul D. Clement argued its acceptable to draw congressional maps with partisan advantage in mind, and that Congress can act if it feels the maps are unfair. The framing generation understood partisan gerrymandering firsthand, said Clement. James Madison was the intended target of a partisan gerrymander by Patrick Henry. He complained about it bitterly. So did George Washington. Neither one of them contemplated suit. When Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg asked Clement whether the voting rights of people in gerrymandered districts are undermined because of their party affiliation, Clement said his opponents were complaining the congressional maps grouped voters from one party with either too many people who agree with them or too few people who agree with them, and, therefore, their vote is sort of diluted in some way. I dont think thats a justiciable injury, said Clement. Lots and lots of voters live in district where, either because of geography or because of state action theyre not going to have their preferred candidate elected. Outside the court, former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called for termination of gerrymandering at a press conference where he argued ending the practice is a First Amendment issue because peoples voices arent being heard. He said unfairly drawn congressional districts have contributed to dysfunction in Washington, resulting in stalemates on issues like immigration and infrastructure. We have to take this out of the hands of the politicians, said Schwarzenegger. The Mueller report is in -- at least, its now in the hands of U.S. Attorney General William Barr. According to Barr, the report found no collusion between the Trump presidential campaign and Russian officials to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, but left open whether criminal obstruction of justice occurred. Barr announced Sunday a determination made by himself and Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, after reviewing the report, that there was no obstruction. Barr also told Congress in a letter Sunday that he will be releasing the report -- minus prohibited grand jury testimony and materials that might relate to other investigations, including those relative to Special Counsel Robert Muellers referral, as Barr put it, of several matters to other offices for further action. This raises the possibility there could be broad redactions to the report Barr releases. Barr added that my goal and intent is to release as much of the Special Counsels report as I can consistent with applicable law, regulations, and Departmental policies. On Monday, President Donald Trump -- who repeatedly called the Mueller probe a witch hunt" -- said release of the report wouldnt bother me at all. But Trump also railed against unnamed persons tied to the investigation as having done treasonous things against our country and told reporters they will be looked at. Rules governing the special counsel were adopted in 1999 by the U.S. Department of Justice and do not require release of a special counsels report, leaving it up to the attorney general. DOJ adopted those regulations after provisions of a 1978 law allowing a three-judge panel to name a special prosecutor, later renamed independent counsel, werent renewed. At the time, many in Congress felt prosecutors in the Iran-contra and Whitewater investigations had overstepped what Congress intended. So what does our editorial board roundtable think about the Mueller report? Whats our expectation about the degree to which it will be made public? (Our roundtable previously addressed whether the report should be released publicly.) Should Congress enact a new special prosecutor law to provide more of a guarantee that such investigations will see the light of day? Ted Diadiun, editorial board member: Every American of any political stripe should be relieved that the investigation revealed no evidence that any member of the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to undermine the election. Instead, we have Exhibit A on how far down the partisan rabbit hole we have fallen: Many Democrats and their media apologists dont even try to conceal their disappointment that the U.S. president was not found to be a Russian operative. Thomas Suddes, editorial writer: Until everyone is allowed to read the entire Mueller report, no one can make an informed judgment on it. Meanwhile, rather than hyperventilate, people should focus on Nov. 3, 2020. Lisa Garvin, editorial board member: William Barrs summary of Muellers report just confirms inherent biases across the political spectrum. While Trump supporters are crowing about no findings of collusion, others are titillated by Muellers finding, as quoted by Barr, that it also does not exonerate Trump from obstruction-of-justice charges. Releasing the entire report may not change any minds, but we deserve the facts, unsullied by political spin or administrative meddling. Eric Foster, editorial board member: The Mueller report should be made public. All of it. The special counsel regulations explicitly allow the attorney general to release the entire report if release would be in the public interest. Any interest in maintaining confidentiality must be outweighed by the need to restore the public trust. Yes, if the report is released, people will criticize Mueller. But at least theyll have the facts. Thats important, right? Mary Cay Doherty, editorial board member: No collusion. No obstruction. But, for the liberal intelligentsia, the Mueller report (even fully disclosed) will be inconsequential, so convinced are they that President Trump is evil. In a political twist of fate, however, the Mueller report may shine a disinfectant light on the Obama DOJs misuse of FISA warrants and investigative powers in its attempts to manipulate, and then upend, the 2016 election. Collusion? Obstruction? Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, cleveland.com: This case illustrates why Congress needs to resuscitate the special prosecutor law to keep this and any administration from cherry-picking details on a report that, in this case, bears on national security and electoral integrity. An attorney general chosen by the president should not have the sole power to censor a report that may reflect directly on the integrity of that president and those surrounding him. Have something to say about this topic? * Use the comments to share your thoughts. Then, stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the "Follow" option at the top of the comments, and look for updates via the small blue bell in the lower right as you look at more stories on cleveland.com. * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email general questions about our editorial board or comments on this editorial board roundtable to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com. CLEVELAND, Ohio It seems Republicans in Ohio, including many who shared a stage with President Donald Trump during the 2018 elections, would rather not talk about the administrations decision that the Affordable Care Act should be declared unconstitutional and overturned. Tuesday announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice that it agrees with a judges ruling in Texas that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional puts the law in jeopardy. That creates some discomfort for Republicans both in Ohio and nationwide who ran in 2018 on a platform of saving parts of the law to placate a public that increasingly views Obamacare positively. The popular elements include protections for people with pre-existing conditions, allowing children to remain on their parents health insurance until age 26 and the Medicaid expansion. But when approached about the subject by cleveland.com Tuesday, most Ohio Republicans offered vague statements or didnt respond to questions. U.S. Reps. Dave Joyce of Geauga County and Mike Turner of Dayton were originally ACA hardliners, voting to repeal the law numerous times when Barack Obama was president, including the part protecting people with pre-existing conditions. But both voted against their party during the Republican repeal attempts in 2017, citing protections for pre-existing conditions as the main reason. Joyce even ran ads in 2018 specifically mentioning his vote. "When Republican leaders in Congress tried to take away protections for pre-existing conditions, I said no," Joyce says in the ad. Asked a number of questions Tuesday about the lawsuit, Joyce provided a statement. While we need to replace the failing, government-controlled Obamacare system with one that makes health care more accessible and affordable for all Ohio families, I remain concerned with the unfair challenges facing those with preexisting conditions, Joyce said in a statement. Joyce added that he introduced legislation that would codify protections for people with pre-existing conditions, despite voting in the past to strip those same protections. Turner didnt respond to most of cleveland.coms questions, offering only a brief statement on pre-existing conditions. Protecting people with pre-existing conditions from insurance companies discrimination is imperative, Turner said. We must protect the millions of Americans who could lose their health care coverage. People living with pre-existing conditions deserve the peace of mind of knowing that they can get and keep health care. Freshman U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Rocky River told the cleveland.com/Plain Dealer editorial board before the election he was a hard no on Republican repeal attempts. He did not comment on the lawsuit or the Trump administrations decision in a Tuesday statement. Ohioans deserve a health care system that puts patients in the drivers seat to make it more affordable, more accessible and higher quality, said Gonzalez, a co-sponsor of Joyces bill. Congress has thus far failed to find a solution that will provide that, and we need to come together on a bipartisan solution as soon as possible to provide certainty to the American people. U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot of Cincinnati called his 2018 opponent, Democratic Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval, a liar after Pureval pointed out Chabot voted to overturn the health care law multiple times, including the more popular provisions. Chabot was the lone Republican cleveland.com reached out to who addressed whether he supported the Trump administrations choice. While I have not discussed the decision not to defend Obamacare with anyone at the White House, I support the decision, Chabot said in a statement. Ive always thought that requiring the American people to buy insurance that they do not want or need goes beyond the constitutional powers of Congress. That said, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Obamacare, and I expect they will again have the final word on this particular challenge. Chabot didnt provide specifics on what should be done if the law is found unconstitutional, but said he favored market-based reforms and that any legislation had to include protections for people with pre-existing conditions and allowing children to stay on their parents insurance. The issue wasnt confined to congressional elections in 2018, though, and became a focal point of the statewide elections. In the attorney generals race, Republican Dave Yost referenced the Texas lawsuit during a City Club debate against Democrat Steve Dettelbach. I think the Affordable Care Act litigation has been resolved in King v. Burwell, Yost said. That's the law of the land. I do not support the Republican attorney general's current lawsuit (in Texas) and would not join it." Since the election, Democrats have unsuccessfully tried to pressure Yost into filing an amicus brief opposing the Texas lawsuit. Dave ONeil, a spokesman for Yost, declined to comment on any aspect of the Trump administrations decision. We dont have anything to comment on today, but should we in the future, we will surely let you know, he said in an email. During his gubernatorial campaign, Democrats often criticized Republican then-Attorney General Mike DeWine for joining lawsuits to overturn Obamacare, including the Medicaid expansion, and not filing an amicus brief in the Texas case. After DeWine won the GOP primary, then-Gov. John Kasich, also a Republican, withheld his endorsement until DeWine committed to keeping the expansion. DeWine was the lone exception to the Republicans contacted by cleveland.com on Tuesday, speaking about it briefly during a press gaggle in Columbus. He guaranteed Ohioans with pre-existing conditions would not lose coverage, though didnt give specifics. He did not address the decision by the Trump administration itself. Ive expressed to my team, if something does happen, we need to be ready to move immediately to protect people who have pre-existing illnesses, DeWine said. Someone has a pre-existing illness, they have to be assured and I can assure them that when they live in the state of Ohio and theyre an Ohio citizen, were not going to let them be in a position where they can no longer buy insurance. Cathy Bessant, chief operations and technology officer for Bank of America Corp., speaks during a Bloomberg Television interview in New York, U.S., on Wednesday, April 20, 2016. Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images For half a decade, Bank of America has quietly been preparing for a future in which the world of finance migrates to the blockchain. Under tech and operations chief Cathy Bessant, the giant bank has accumulated the most patents for the technology of any financial services company, for inventions ranging from blockchain-powered ATMs to storage for cryptocurrency keys. But Bessant now says she's grown doubtful that blockchain the distributed ledger software behind cryptocurrencies like bitcoin will amount to anything in the near term. Or possibly ever. "What I am is open-minded," Bessant said recently in an interview at the bank's New York tower. "In my private scoreboard, in the closet, I am bearish." Bessant is wading into the debate about the blockchain, whose proponents have claimed will be as significant as the internet. A blockchain is an encrypted database that runs on multiple computers, potentially cutting out the need for centralized authorities like banks or governments to settle transactions between parties. Economist Nouriel Roubini has called it "the most overhyped" technology in history. Others have said that blockchain merely needs time to evolve and could eventually upend entire industries from finance to cloud computing and health care. As the mania over cryptocurrencies died down in the past year amid a bear market, attention and dollars have funneled into blockchain start-ups. Venture capital firms poured $5.4 billion into blockchain start-ups last year, compared with $1.5 billion in 2017, according to Autonomous Research. 'Show me the use case' The technology got a boost from rival J.P. Morgan Chase, which revealed last month that it created the first cryptocurrency backed by a major U.S. bank to facilitate blockchain-related payments. But Bessant, who oversees 95,000 technology workers and was named the most powerful woman in banking last year, is a pragmatist. She started out at Bank of America in 1982 as a commercial banker, eventually rising to a series of top roles, including head of corporate banking and chief marketing officer. She has run the bank's global technology and operations division since 2010. Most of what she sees doesn't make sense for finance or significantly improve upon existing methods. She said it's a technology in search of a use case, rather than something designed specifically to solve existing problems. "I haven't seen one [use case] that even scales beyond an individual or a small set of transactions," Bessant said. "All of the big tech companies will come and say 'blockchain, blockchain, blockchain.' I say, 'Show me the use case. You bring me the use case and I'll try it'." "I want it to work," she added. "Spiritually, I want it to make us better, faster, cheaper, more transparent, more, you know, all of those things." Patent stockpile The bank has applied for or received 82 blockchain-related patents, more than any other financial firm, including payment companies Mastercard and PayPal, according to intellectual property law firm EnvisionIP. By comparison, J.P. Morgan has six patent applications. Bessant said most of the patents allow Bank of America's systems to plug into blockchain should the need arrive. Think of it as future-proofing the second biggest U.S. bank against the threat of being relegated to the sideline. "Basically, we want to be ready," she said. "We want to reserve our place in the IP chain for, or if, blockchain fulfills what some people believe its potential is." She is most skeptical of the prospects for public blockchains (bitcoin runs on one), where anyone can set up an account and participate. Private blockchains, which require intermediaries to give permission to users, could help financial institutions serve clients better and at lower cost "at some point," Bessant said. JPM Coin Prime Minister Theresa May returns to Downing Street on March 18, 2019 in London, England. Leon Neal | Getty Images Lawmakers in the U.K. have voted to effectively rip control of the Brexit process away from Theresa May's ailing government. Working late into Monday night, MPs (Members of Parliament) voted to pass an amendment proposed by a cross-party group of lawmakers in the hope of finding a Brexit solution. The measure passed with 329 votes in favor of the proposal and 302 voting against. The passing of the "Letwin amendment" looks to change the rules of Parliament, allowing lawmakers to set a timetable for debate and subsequent votes on alternative outcomes for Brexit. On Wednesday this week, MPs are now expected to control business in the House of Commons in order to hold the series of votes on different Brexit outcomes. This takes the power away from the government and allows MPs to put forward business motions relating to the U.K.'s departure from the EU. These non-binding "indicative votes" will be held in a bid to find out what EU exit deal Parliament can vote through. Ballots could now be cast on May's deal, the U.K.'s membership of the EU's single market, a customs union, a no-deal Brexit, a Canada-style free trade agreement, a second referendum or even rescinding Brexit altogether. Oliver Letwin, the amendment's main proponent, is a member of May's Conservative Party, underlining the current division within U.K. politics. In fact, three government ministers resigned on Monday evening as they approved the amendment and rebelled against their leadership. As these votes would be non-binding, it's still possible that the government could ignore any results. May has also said there is no guarantee she will abide by their wish for these indicative votes. Labour MP Hilary Benn, who co-sponsored the Letwin amendment, explained to BBC radio Tuesday how the indicative vote process could work. Benn said MPs would invited to put forward a series of propositions and the speaker of the House (of Commons) would choose the options to be listed on a piece of paper. He added lawmakers could then vote on as many Brexit alternatives as they might support, before the options could then be narrowed down and a similar process repeated. Sterling provided a muted reaction to the vote on Monday night, rising only slightly against the dollar at the beginning of both Asian and European trade. Some currency analysts noted that increased talk of a general election or a change of U.K. leader had weighed on the British pound on Tuesday morning. Earlier Monday, May had confirmed that her government would oppose Monday night's motion and could not commit to supporting any consensus that emerged from subsequent indicative votes. "The votes could lead to an outcome that is un-negotiable with the EU," she told MPs. "No government could give a blank check to commit to an outcome without knowing what it is." The only current deal agreed between the European Union and the U.K. government is May's "Withdrawal Agreement." This has been heavily defeated by U.K. parliamentarians twice already but on Monday, May hinted that she still hoped to bring it back for a third vote. "I continue to believe that the right path forward is for the United Kingdom to leave the EU as soon as possible with a deal, now on May 22," she said. Government in chaos McDonald's announced plans to acquire a tech company its largest deal in 20 years as it continues to push its U.S. locations into the digital age. The fast food giant said Monday it has agreed to buy Dynamic Yield, which specializes in personalization and decision logic technology. Dynamic Yield's technology will allow McDonald's digital drive-thru menus to change based on different factors, such as the weather and current restaurant traffic. The deal is valued at more than $300 million, making it the largest McDonald's deal in two decades, people familiar with the matter said. The acquisition is McDonald's latest move to incorporate more technology in its brick-and-mortar locations. In 2019 alone, the company is planning to spend nearly $1 billion to upgrade about 2,000 U.S. locations.Those renovations, like the addition of self-serve kiosks and digital menu boards, are meant to boost sales by increasing convenience for customers, although some franchisees have complained that the expensive project is hitting short-term sales without any payoff. Other investments, like in McDonald's mobile app, have helped the company gain access to more consumer data to fine tune its business. The company said that it already tested the drive thru technology in several of its U.S. restaurants last year. It plans to roll it out to other U.S. locations this year, with international expansion on the horizon. "With this acquisition, we're expanding both our ability to increase the role technology and data will play in our future and the speed with which we'll be able to implement our vision of creating more personalized experiences for our customers," CEO Steve Easterbrook said in a statement. When the deal closes, Dynamic Yield will remain a stand-alone company and continue to work with clients other than its sole owner. Michael Avenatti, attorney and founding partner of Eagan Avenatti LP, speaks to members of the media outside the federal court in New York, U.S., on Monday, March 25, 2019. A Chicago lawyer who once worked with celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti on a lawsuit says that Avenatti did not reveal a multimillion-dollar settlement of that case to him in 2013 and then shorted him on more than $250,000 of attorneys' fees that he was owed from the settlement. The lawyer, Joseph Power, told CNBC about his own run-in with Avenatti after federal prosecutors accused Avenatti on Monday of embezzling from a client, defrauding a bank and trying to extort sneaker giant Nike for up to $25 million. Those prosecutors allege that Avenatti defrauded a client in 2017 by claiming that a $1.6 million payment to settle the case he was handling for that client was never paid, when in fact Avenatti had taken the money and used it for his own purposes. Avenatti, a California-based litigator who in the past year has become famous for lawsuits he filed against President Donald Trump on behalf of porn star Stormy Daniels, predicted Monday night after being released on $300,000 bond, "I will be fully exonerated and justice will be done." Power said it took him months to learn that Avenatti had without his knowledge settled a case for another client they were jointly representing in 2013. "Then I had to sue him," Power told CNBC, to get his full share, or close to his full share, of the fee from the settlement. "I'm probably one of the few people he has actually paid," quipped Power, who is one of several lawyers who have tangled with Avenatti over money they claim he has kept from them in violation of agreements. Power said he "wasn't surprised" by the criminal charges against Avenatti. "Michael is a bright guy," Power said, but "he's ruthless." "He's much like Trump, only much smarter," Power said. Reached for comment, Avenatti told CNBC in a written message, "Mr. Power was paid everything he was due and both parties moved on." "It was no big secret that the Grant Thornton case was settled it was public knowledge," Avenatti said, referring to the case in which his and Power's firm represented headphone manufacturer Koss Corp. against its accountants, Grant Thornton. "Documents were filed with the court (by Power's own office I believe) and Koss noted it in their SEC filings," Avenatti wrote. "And we worked together on other matters after that fee dispute. Fee disputes among lawyers are not unusual." But Power said Avenatti's conduct was unusual for a co-counsel. Court records show that Avenatti's firm retained Power's firm in 2010 to act as local counsel in a lawsuit filed in Cook County, Illinois. In the suit, Koss accused Grant Thornton of negligence for failing to detect embezzlement of millions of dollars by a Koss senior executive from 2004 through 2008. Avenatti had to obtain a local counsel because he was not admitted to practice law in Illinois. Lawyers for Koss were to be paid between 28 percent and 33.3 percent of any settlement or judgment of the case, depending on when the case was resolved, court papers say. And Avenatti's firm was to get 80 percent of that contingency fee, while Power's firm was due to receive 20 percent. A contract between the firms said Power's team would get another 5 percent if his firm had to "perform significant legal work, arguments, or become lead counsel." "We had agreed that if I did more work that he would pay more," Power said. Power said he ended up doing more work than was originally contemplated, justifying that enhancement, when he had to argue an appeal of a judge's decision to transfer the case to Wisconsin. Koss won a reversal of a decision to transfer the case in July 2012. Avenatti was scheduled to be in Europe for a month with his wife when that appeal hearing was scheduled to take place, Power told CNBC. Power said in court papers that his work on the appeal added 5 percent to his firm's original 20 percent cut of any contingency fee due Koss' lawyers in the company's suit. A year after Koss had its case sent back to Chicago, Avenatti's firm settled the lawsuit for Koss for $8.5 million entitling Koss' lawyers to at least 28 percent of that settlement, or $2.38 million. But Power said that Avenatti "did not say anything for months" about the case being settled. "He just didn't inform me that the case was settled, as you would always do with a co-counsel," Power said. The lawyer said that he would be expected to be told within a day of a case being settled by a co-counsel. Instead, Power said he learned of the settlement from another lawyer in his own firm, who himself had heard about the case being settled from another source. Power said that when he called Avenatti to ask about the settlement, "He said, 'I'm shocked. I thought you knew about it.' He said, 'We'll correct it.'" But, Power added, "He didn't correct it." "He shorted us," the lawyer said. According to court papers, Avenatti's firm on Oct. 14, 2013 more than three months after the case settled sent Power's firm a check for $338,750. That amount is 14.2 percent of the contingency fees for all the lawyers in the case, or almost 6 percent less than what Power's firm would have been owed if he did not do the work for the appeal. And it was more than 10 percent less than what Power claimed he was owed as a result of that extra work. Power believes he was owed $595,000 for his work. Power said he called Avenatti to ask about the shortfall. "He said he'd get back to me, and that sort of thing," he said. "Time passed, so I called again." And again. "At one point, he acted as if it's chump change, what am I bugging him about," Power recalled. "And I said to him, 'If it's chump change, write the check.'" Eventually, Power stopped waiting for that check and sued Avenatti in state court in Illinois in April 2014 for the $256,250 that he said his firm had been shortchanged by Avenatti's firm. Avenatti soon afterward had the case transferred to federal court in Illinois. However, there was no significant action in that case thereafter, records show. But Avenatti ended up paying "the whole amount, or close to it," Power said. Power believes Avenatti may have coughed up the money after speaking to a mutual friend about the dispute. Power disputed Avenatti's claim to have worked with Power after the lawsuit. Power said that although Avenatti has "called me up about things" since the lawsuit, "I haven't worked with him on a case since then." French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) applaud as President of Airbus's commercial aircraft business Guillaume Faury (2ndR) and Chairman of China Aviation Supplies Co. (CASC) Jia Baojun shake hands during an agreement signing ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on March 25, 2019, as part of a state visit. Airbus signed a deal worth tens of billions of dollars on Monday to sell 300 aircraft to China, coinciding with a visit to Europe by Chinese President Xi Jinping and matching a China record held by U.S. rival Boeing. The deal between Airbus and China's state buying agency, China Aviation Supplies Holding Company, which regularly coordinates headline-grabbing deals during diplomatic visits, will include 290 A320-family jets and 10 A350 wide-body jets. French officials said the deal was worth some 30 billion euros at catalog prices. Planemakers usually grant significant discounts. The larger-than-expected order, which matches an order for 300 Boeing planes when U.S. Donald Trump visited Beijing in 2017, follows a year-long vacuum of purchases in which China failed to place significant orders amid global trade tensions. It also comes as the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max has left uncertainty over Boeing's immediate hopes for a major jet order as the result of any warming of U.S.-China trade ties. There was no evidence of any direct connection between the Airbus deal and Sino-U.S. tensions or Boeing fleet problems, but China watchers say Beijing has a history of sending diplomatic signals or playing off suppliers through state aircraft deals. "The conclusion of a big (aviation) contract ... is an important step forward and an excellent signal in the current context," French President Emmanuel Macron said in a joint address with his Chinese counterpart. The United States and China are edging towards a possible deal to ease a months-long tariff row and a deal involving as many as 200 to 300 Boeing jets had until recently been expected as part of the possible rapprochement. Democrats have pushed for drastic action to combat climate change as the planet warms and severe weather events such as recent Midwestern flooding have devastated U.S. communities. They say the U.S. has only a limited window to combat climate change and address an existential threat. By voting "present," Democrats hoped not to go on the record on a bill that had no realistic chance of passing, even if they support the concept of a Green New Deal. The six Democratic senators running for president next year who co-sponsored the original resolution introduced by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. did not take a position on the measure Tuesday. The nonbinding resolution, which calls on the United States to make an ambitious effort to slash its use of fossil fuels to fight climate change, fell short in a procedural vote. The Senate did not proceed to debating the measure, as 57 senators voted against it and 43 Democrats and independents who caucus with them nearly all of the Democratic caucus voted "present." Four senators who vote with Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Doug Jones of Alabama and independent Angus King of Maine voted against the resolution. A Green New Deal proposal backed by numerous Democrats failed to advance in the Senate on Tuesday as Democrats protested what they called a political show vote orchestrated by majority Republicans. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, center, speaks to members of the media while departing a House Democratic Caucus meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, March 26, 2019. Republicans have gleefully criticized the Green New Deal, warning about Democratic efforts to take away anything from cars to hamburgers. They accuse Democrats of a drift toward socialism spurred in part by freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a champion of the measure in the House. Ahead of the vote Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of using political theater to hide his lack of a plan to address a warming planet. "Republicans want to force this political stunt to distract from the fact that they neither have a plan nor a sense of urgency to deal with the threat of climate change. With this exercise, the Republican majority has made a mockery of the legislative process," the New York Democrat said Tuesday. McConnell aimed to put Democrats on the record about whether they support the plan. He sees it as something that will fail to resonate with centrist or independent voters, who some senators will need to keep their seats or win swing states in a presidential election next year. The Kentucky Republican said Tuesday that he believes in climate change and wants to address it through unspecified "technology and innovation." "This is nonsense," McConnell said of the Green New Deal. "And if you're going to sign on to nonsense, you ought to have to vote for nonsense." President Donald Trump, meanwhile, plans to use the proposal against Democrats as he runs for re-election next year. Six Democratic senators Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Kamala Harris of California, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts are running to challenge the president next year. During a Senate Republican policy lunch Tuesday, Trump signaled he wants to use the Green New Deal as a cudgel in 2020, according to Sen. Lindsey Graham. "He said make sure you don't kill it too much, because I want to run against it," the South Carolina Republican said, according to NBC News. Frank Thorp tweet Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. Stocks in Japan bounced back partially on Tuesday after the previous day's heavy losses as concerns over the global economy weighed on investor sentiment. Following its Monday tumble, the Nikkei 225 rose 2.15 percent to close at 21,428.39, with shares of robot maker and index heavyweight Fanuc gaining 1.70 percent. The Topix index also added 2.57 percent to end its trading day at 1,617.94.. Nintendo saw its stock surge 4.76 percent on the day following a Monday report by the Wall Street Journal that it is set to launch new models of its Switch video game console later this year. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was fractionally higher at 522.41 as of 3:17 p.m. HK/SIN. Mainland Chinese shares closed lower, with the Shanghai composite slipping 1.51 percent to 2,997.10 and the Shenzhen component declining 1.94 percent to 9,513.00. The Shenzhen composite declined 2.176 percent to 1,639.94. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index slipped 0.19 percent in its final hour of trading. Over in South Korea, the Kospi closed 0.18 percent higher at 2,148.80. Shares of Samsung Electronics slipped 0.55 percent after the company issued a warning on its first-quarter earnings. Meanwhile, shares in Australia rose as the rose fractionally to close at 6,130.60. Stocks of Australian conglomerate Wesfarmers dropped 3.51 percent after the company announced a bid for embattled rare earths miner Lynas, whose own stock was earlier placed on a trading halt. For its part, Lynas shares skyrocketed 35.05 percent on the day following its return to trade. The developments came as Lynas' shares have dragged along near 18-month lows as it faces hurdles over environmental license in Malaysia where its chemicals plant is located, according to Reuters. "Share markets are due a correction or pullback after rallying strongly since their December lows and worries about inverted yields curves and the growth outlook could provide the trigger," Shane Oliver, head of investment strategy and chief economist at AMP Capital, said in a note. Oliver did add, however, that "US and global recession still looks to be a fair way off and we continue to see this being a reasonably good year for shares." Signage is displayed outside of a Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. store in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on Monday, Sept. 19, 2016. Bed Bath & Beyond shares rocketed more than 22 percent Tuesday as three different activist investors prepare to replace its entire 12-person board. Legion Partners Asset Management, Macellum Advisors and Ancora Advisors will try to leverage their collective 5 percent stake to launch a proxy fight at the big-box retailer, according to a person familiar with the situation. The coalition believes the company has fallen behind as more customers pivot to online shopping and allowed its costs to drift higher in recent years, the person added. It also hopes to oust Chief Executive Steven Temares, who has led Bed Bath & Beyond since 2003. "Members of our Board of Directors and senior management team have met with and held several discussions with Legion and Macellum over the past few weeks. Ancora has not previously reached out to or engaged," Bed Bath & Beyond said in a press release. "We asked on several occasions for their suggestions and ideas for improving the Company's business but they did not provide any. We also invited them to participate in the Board refreshment program we have been undertaking in recent years and are in the process of accelerating with investor input," the company added. "Instead they chose to publicly attack the Company and provide their intent to nominate directors to take over the full Board. Unfortunately, while our directors and management were seeking to engage in good faith, it appears that the Legion and Macellum representatives were merely seeking information to support their attack." The activist trio isn't pushing for a sale of the entire company, another person familiar with the situation told CNBC. Instead, they'd like to see Bed Bath & Beyond consider sales of underperforming assets such as Buy Buy Baby and decor retail chain Cost Plus World Market. Raymond James upgraded the stock in light of the news, with analyst Bobby Griffin writing that "within the foreseeable future, Bed Bath & Beyond may either no longer be a public company or [go] on a journey to go private." "The arguments that have caused investor antipathy to Bed Bath & Beyond are real and center on the tired nature of its nearly 1,000 North American Bed Bath & Beyond stores," Griffin added. "Irrespective of the elevated capital investment of the past several years, management has been slow to invest in its stores." "Meanwhile, too many of the stores we have visited in a wide variety of states over the last few months are cluttered and dirty. This will likely add credibility to any activist style campaign," Griffin told clients. LOS ANGELES Several California Democratic lawmakers are proposing legislation that would require President Donald Trump and other presidential candidates to release their tax returns as a precondition for getting on the statewide ballot. A hearing is scheduled April 2 in the state Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss and vote on the measure. State Senate Bill 27, dubbed the Presidential Tax Transparency and Accountability Act, represents the second time in three years that California has sought to pass such a law. "President Trump's refusal to release his income tax returns has broken a time-honored, bipartisan tradition which has weakened our democracy and his jaw dropping business conflicts have now put the security of our nation at risk" said state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Eureka, a cosponsor of the bill. A similar measure, Senate Bill 149, passed the state legislature in 2017 but was vetoed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat who raised concerns it might be unconstitutional. Also, Brown at the time warned the legislation "sets a 'slippery slope' precedent." Gov. Gavin Newsom, also a Democrat, hasn't indicated whether he will support the new bill if it passes the state Legislature. The Democrats currently have a two-thirds supermajority in both houses of the California Legislature, so they have the power to potentially overrule a governor's veto. "As is the case with all proposed legislation, should this bill reach the governor's desk it would be evaluated on its own merits," said Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for Newsom. California's proposed bill would require presidential candidates to release the last five years of their tax returns to appear on the ballot in the nation's most populous state. The Golden State's presidential primary was moved up to March 3, 2020, or Super Tuesday, following a state law passed in 2017. SB 27 contains an urgency clause that allows the legislation to take effect immediately prior to the December 2019 filing deadline for the 2020 presidential candidates. The measure cleared its first hurdle March 19 in a state Senate elections committee, receiving a 3-to-1 vote. Most major party presidential candidates since the 1970s have released their individual tax records, although Gerald Ford did not agree to do so when running in 1976 and instead the Republican provided a tax summary. Meantime, legislators in several other states also have proposed legislation along the same lines that would require future presidential candidates to release their tax returns as a condition for being placed on the ballot, according to the National Conference of State Legislature. The list includes Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Arizona. Trump has previously claimed that the American people "don't care at all" about his tax returns and also suggested he can't release them because they are under audit. A Quinnipiac University poll last year found about two-thirds of voters want Trump to release his tax returns. The business of government surveillance in China might spawn the rise of a new growth area, a Credit Suisse analyst said on Tuesday. "I think China has one pretty big advantage that they have a lot of data part of it (is) because the government collects a lot of data," said Vincent Chan, head of China equity strategy at the investment bank. Currently, almost half of the so-called "unicorn" startups in China those valued at $1 billion or more are consumer goods companies making use of existing technology. In the U.S., most unicorns are driven by new innovation through research and development. However, new Chinese tech companies focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics are surfacing and changing the complexion of the industry. "For example, quite a lot of AI companies in China, their biggest business is (the) public surveillance type (of business); that could be another area you could see rising," Chan told CNBC at the Credit Suisse Asian investment Conference in Hong Kong. European equities closed higher on Tuesday as fears over a possible recession faded and investors concentrated on corporate news. The pan-European Euro Stoxx 600 Index was higher by almost 0.8 percent at the closing bell, with major bourses and sectors mostly in positive territory. Media stocks jumped 1 percent after the European Parliament approved an overhaul to EU copyright law that could mean big tech will have to pay media producers for their content. Wirecard shares surged to the top of the index during afternoon deals, with shares gaining more than 26 percent after a legal probe cleared the firm of criminal wrongdoing. The Munich-based firm had faced allegations that accounting staff in its Singapore office carried out sham transactions to bulk up its profits. Elsewhere, Ocado shares jumped almost 3.8 percent after it signed an e-commerce partnership with Australia's Coles. Medical devices maker Convatec also climbed towards the top of the index after it announced Genus boss Karim Bitar would take charge as CEO in September, and amid reported interest from a Swedish private equity firm. Shares of the London-listed stock gained 5 percent. Airbus shares were up by 2 percent after China agreed to buy 300 of its planes in a deal worth tens of billions of dollars. More generally, traders have been taking cues from debt markets in recent days for an indication of economic sentiment. Part of the U.S. bond yield curve which plots yields from shortest maturity to highest inverted on Friday, with the 10-year yield dipping below the yield on the 3-month paper for the first time since mid-2007. A yield curve inversion is generally seen as a sign that a recession is coming. On Monday, the yield on the 10-year note fell to its lowest level since December 2017 but it was a different story on Tuesday, with the 10-year yield rising to about 2.439 percent. Stocks on Wall Street were trading higher on Tuesday as Treasury yields stabilized. Elsewhere, investors monitored the latest Brexit developments. U.K. lawmakers voted to seize control of the Brexit process on Monday evening, taking it away from Prime Minister Theresa May's government. A trader monitors financial data at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in Germany. Alex Kraus | Bloomberg | Getty Images The shares of European firms outside of Britain would suffer more in the event of a poorly executed Brexit, a strategist told CNBC Tuesday. Speaking to CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe," Ralph Jainz, a fund manager at Centricus Asset Management, said a negative Brexit outcome had "for sure" been underpriced by investors. "European markets are back to where they were in September and October," he said. "We've seen a dramatic deterioration of the macro data since, and Europe as the (U.K.'s) largest trading partner will undoubtedly be negatively impacted (by a bad Brexit) and after what has been a sensational start to the year for equity markets everywhere, for sure that risk is underpriced." "If there was a no-deal scenario, European equities would probably suffer more than the U.K. indices," Jainz added. A no-deal Brexit is where the U.K. leaves the EU without a trade deal, or even a transition phase, in place and has to rely on WTO trading rules. It's widely expected to cause massive disruption for businesses, citizens and investors. Investment opportunities Jainz told CNBC the U.K. was one of the most underweighted countries in the world, meaning there was "really interesting value to be had" from shares of domestically-operating firms. "Anything that is exposed to domestic demand in the U.K. has really been suffering," he said. "Now it really signals stock opportunities areas like support services, where there's some real bombed out value, (are) a really good hunting ground. The U.K. today probably offers more stock-picking opportunities than any other country." Meanwhile, Francesco Curto, co-head of research at DWS, told CNBC's "Capital Connection" Tuesday that he also saw value in the U.K. market. San Juan, Puerto Rico. CNBC WASHINGTON A former top broker in Puerto Rico for the Swiss banking giant UBS was sentenced to a year and a day in prison Tuesday, months after he pleaded guilty to criminal bank fraud for pocketing $1 million in commissions in a scheme that saw many investors lose their life savings. Jose Ramirez will be the first person to serve jail time for a role in the scheme, which centered on sales of UBS proprietary closed-end bond funds. In a near-empty courtroom in DC federal court, Ramirez asked Judge Thomas F. Hogan for leniency. "I'm not here to blame anyone else," Ramirez, a 60-year-old father of three, told the judge. "I ruined my record, my life and the lives of those who looked up to me." The sentence was shorter than the 33-month maximum recommended by the government. Judge Hogan also ordered two years of supervised release, a $500 fine and granted Ramirez's request to voluntarily report to prison. "I'm faced with a human being who has admitted his wrongdoings, and I think is remorseful for his actions," Judge Hogan said. Ramirez, who is known to many in Puerto Rico as "The Whopper" pleaded guilty in November 2018 for his role in a scheme to fraudulently obtain and misuse credit lines to purchase securities. "UBS terminated the employment of Mr. Ramirez in January 2014, following an internal investigation that determined (1) he had permitted or encouraged clients to engage in improper conduct, and (2) had provided misleading responses to firm management when questioned about it," Peter Stack, a spokesman for UBS, said in an emailed statement According to the government, from January 2011 through September 2013, Ramirez advised his clients to improperly borrow money in order to invest in UBS Puerto Rico bond funds. The sales generated approximately $1.2 million in commissions. The use of the credit lines to purchase securities was not allowed by UBS Puerto Rico. However, Ramirez contends that he was not the only broker whose clients used the loans to purchase securities. He alleges in his sentencing memorandum that UBS "was fully aware of the transactions" and "issued letters to at least seven financial advisors for knowing, allowing, or encouraging" the scheme. Ramirez has been the only person prosecuted for the involvement in the scheme to date. The sales generated commissions when the credit lines were drawn down at UBS's Utah subsidiary and then again when the clients used the money to invest in the closed end funds managed by Ramirez. These highly levered funds were chock full of Puerto Rico bonds. By the end of June 2013, two separate bonds accounted for more than 90 percent of the net assets in 10 of UBS funds. At its peak, UBS had the largest wealth management business in Puerto Rico, representing an estimated 20,000 households. A CNBC investigation in December 2017 found that UBS was not forthcoming with its clients and brokers about the extent of the risks associated with its proprietary bond funds sold to residents on the island, even as the values of the funds plummeted. By 2012, UBS investors on the island had about $10 billion invested in the funds, or roughly 10 percent of the island's gross domestic product. In 2013, the bottom fell out of the Puerto Rico bond market, which caused a steep drop in the value of the bond funds. Many customers were forced to sell their bonds funds because they had no other available assets to meet account maintenance calls. That created significant losses. According to the government, the market collapse ultimately exposed Ramirez's scheme. Later that year, in August, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority permanently barred him from acting as a broker or associating with a broker-dealer firm after he failed to cooperate with regulators during his on-the-record testimony. According to court documents, Ramirez didn't answer the regulator's questions because he had invoked his Fifth Amendment right under the U.S. Constitution. He also asserted his constitutional right to remain silent in the legal proceedings for the SEC's civil case. Breaking silence Former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos arrives at a closed-door hearing before the House Judiciary and Oversight Committee October 25, 2018 at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. George Papadopoulos, the former Trump campaign advisor who served 12 days in jail after pleading guilty to charges lodged by special counsel Robert Mueller, said Tuesday that his lawyers have "formally" asked President Donald Trump for a pardon. "My understanding is that my lawyers have formally submitted an application," Papadopoulos told CNBC in a text message. The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on the claim from the former foreign policy aide to Trump's campaign. Papadopoulos' lawyer, Caroline Polisi, did not respond to CNBC's inquiries. She told The Washington Post in an interview published Monday that she had indeed submitted an application for a pardon, saying, "It would be malpractice not to." Some of the figures who were convicted or have pleaded guilty in Mueller's Russia probe which came to an end Friday after nearly two years of investigation have been suspected of seeking pardons from Trump. Trump himself has flirted with the possibility of pardoning some of his former associates caught up in the probe, which he had often decried as a "witch hunt." The president has denied any wrongdoing in the probe of Russian interference, possible Trump-campaign collusion and possible obstruction of justice related to the 2016 election. Attorney General William Barr's four-page summary of Mueller's final report said that the probe found no evidence of collusion, and that Mueller made no determination about whether Trump obstructed justice. Papadopoulos, 31, pleaded guilty in October 2017 to lying to the FBI about his contacts with London-based professor Joseph Mifsud, who told Papadopoulos in late April 2016 that Russians had "dirt" on Trump's campaign rival, Hillary Clinton. He was sentenced to 14 days in jail, but only served a dozen days in an Oxford, Wis., federal prison. He was also sentenced to one year of supervised release, and slapped with a $9,500 fine. Papadopoulos also said in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday that he was considering withdrawing his guilty plea a move he has floated before, but one with extra weight in light of his claim in an upcoming book that reportedly contradicts what he told a federal judge under oath. "I realize that I misspoke to the FBI," Papadopoulos wrote in "Deep State Target," according to The Wall Street Journal. At his sentencing in Washington, D.C., district court in September, however, Papadopoulos said that he "made a terrible mistake" by lying. Apple's latest offering of a credit card could become available internationally, the chief executive officer for Goldman Sachs International told CNBC Tuesday. The U.S. investment bank is making new efforts to expand its client base: It opened an online retail bank called Marcus in 2016, which it rolled out to the U.K. last year, and announced Monday that it's partnering with Apple for a credit card. "With that product (Apple Card) we are going to start in the U.S. but over time, absolutely, we will be thinking of international opportunities for it," Richard Gnodde, CEO Goldman Sachs International, told CNBC's Elizabeth Schulze Tuesday. The Goldman-linked credit card offers cash back, including a 3 percent reward on direct purchases of Apple products. Ultimately, it aims to expand Apple's sources of revenue while also supporting Goldman's push into different retail offerings. Apple iPhone users based in the U.S. will be able to get the card this summer. "We will launch it through the summer and we do think it will catch on quickly," Gnodde added. The investment bank has usually offered its services to governments, corporations and institutional investors. But, more recently, it's tried to increase its client base and is set to continue down this path. It has plans to take its online retail bank, Marcus, to Germany. "The next move would be in Europe, it will be to Germany," Gnodde told CNBC. "But we really want to get this business here in the U.K. up and running and certainly we have got some time to spend here before we move there." Marcus has seen strong interest in the U.K. In about six months, it has gained over 200,000 clients and $10 billion in deposits, Gnodde said. Enrique Pena Nieto, Mexico's president, from front left, U.S. president Donald Trump, and Justin Trudeau, Canada's prime minister, sit for photographs as Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal, Mexico's secretary of economy, from back left, Robert Lighthizer, U.S. trade representative, and Chrystia Freeland, Canada's minister of foreign affairs, stand after signing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) at the G-20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Friday Nov. 30, 2018. President Donald Trump's trade deal with Canada and Mexico faces a treacherous path to approval in a split Congress, so the administration is planning to lean heavily on grassroots lobbying to sell the plan to skeptical voters and lawmakers. The campaign, called Trade Works for America, is in the early stages of a multimillion dollar marketing blitz including television ads, congressional outreach and messaging to employees in industries that could be affected. The effort was assembled by veteran Republican operative Phil Cox. "Our job is really to go out and educate the public about the benefits of USMCA," Cox told CNBC, referring to the trade deal. "We have a great opportunity to sort of define what this agreement is and to really talk about the benefits." It's been nearly four months since the U.S., Canada and Mexico signed the deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump must sell House Democrats on his signature trade deal and persuade Senate Republicans to stomach labor-friendly provisions to win the left over. Cox sees the opportunity as a blank slate. Most voters now have a negative association with NAFTA, thanks to Trump's frequent attacks on the deal, which went into effect during the early years of President Bill Clinton's administration. But polling shows Americans don't know much about the new agreement. Source: Trade Works for America That conclusion was drawn from surveys in four crucial states California, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia specifically in swing districts that favored Trump in 2016 but elected a Democrat in the November 2018 midterms. After Trade Works for America tested its messaging about the benefits of the deal on those voters, support rose to 72 percent from 47 percent with the biggest increase among Democrats, women and voters younger than 54. Lawmakers representing those districts were noncommittal. Spokespersons for Reps. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., and Xochitl Torres Small, D-N.M., said they were waiting to see the legislation. Reps. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Josh Harder, D-Calif., were among the signatories to a March 12 letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, asking for input into the legislative process, concluding "we expect continuous and meaningful consultations with you and the Administration to shape President Trump's trade agenda this Congress." Source: Trade Works for America The text of the trade agreement is expected to be sent to Capitol Hill in April, starting a 90-day legislative clock and kicking the sales pitch on both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue into high gear. Around that time, a much-anticipated opinion on the economic impact will be released by the the International Trade Commission, which lawmakers say is a precursor for hearings. Democrats expect Mexico to pass new labor laws that are viewed as prerequisites for their party's support here in the U.S. "We need that first of all," said Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., a member of the House Ways and Means panel's subcommittee on trade. "If they don't act, there's definitely no chance of getting the votes." White House officials have been increasing their outreach on both sides of the aisle. Trump was slated to meet with a group of House Republicans at the White House on Tuesday to discuss their concerns with the deal. Lighthizer has met individually with the congressional whips or vote counters, the House Ways and Means Committee, the Hispanic Caucus and the Blue Dog Democrats. White House officials said he had a "good rapport" with House Democrats when he met with the whole group on March 13. "None of us are saying no at this point," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. "But we have to do a better job at crafting these trade agreements, they cannot be giveaways to the biggest companies." Jayapal's district which encompasses the headquarters of pro-trade Amazon is one that could be in Republican operative Cox's sights as Trade Works for America expands its outreach to 50 districts in the coming months. In its first two weeks, the campaign has generated 50,000 calls and emails to lawmakers in more than two dozen districts. "This process will be 'always on' until the vote is taken," Cox said. Participants hold signs in New York, NY while protesting efforts to repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act on July 29, 2017. Health insurers came under pressure Tuesday after the Trump administration asked the courts to completely overturn the Affordable Care Act, going beyond its prior position in a Texas lawsuit pending in the court of appeals fifth circuit. The biggest decliners were Molina Health, which fell nearly 10 percent during Tuesday's session, and Centene which fell nearly 5 percent. The two insurers are among the most highly exposed to the Obamacare Medicaid and individual exchange markets. In December, a federal judge in Texas ruled that the ACA was no longer valid, after Republicans in Congress overturned the individual mandate tax penalty for not having insurance. Previously, the Trump administration had argued that only the law's pre-existing conditions and coverage requirement were invalidated. But the Department of Justice changed course in a filing Monday, saying the whole law should be thrown out. "We said before that the district court's decision was misguided and wrong. So, too, is the government's reversal to now support it," said Matt Eyles, the president and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans said in a statement, criticizing the administration's position. The government's move won't have an immediate impact on market regulations, because the case will likely make its way to the Supreme Court. However, the renewed questions about the fate of Obamacare comes as insurers are preparing to file rates for 2020. "Increased uncertainty around the outcome of pending court cases may impact rates," said Dave Dillon, a fellow of the Society of Actuaries, adding " If the markets are perceived as being more volatile carriers could increase rates to help address these uncertainties." Repealing and replacing Obamacare was a key campaign promise by President Donald Trump, but the administration's efforts to pass legislation came up short in 2017. Analysts say it would be difficult to undo all the pieces of the law in one fell swoop if the courts overturned it, but the administration's new legal position comes in the midst of aggressive regulatory reforms on drug prices which is already creating uncertainty. The Affordable Care Act gives the Health and Human Services secretary tremendous discretion over health care market matters. The Trump administration has used Medicaid waivers built in the legislation, to allow Republican states to add work requirements for Medicaid recipients. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation is one of the law's key creations, which allows the administration to experiment with new payments models, like President Trump's proposal to base Medicare Part B drug prices on international prices for pharmaceuticals. "CMMI is the most powerful tool that an executive has right now to reform health care If you repeal the ACA, that would go away," said professor Craig Garthwaite, of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. Without the measure, the Trump administration might lose the executive authority to carry out one of its proposals to bring down drug prices, basing Medicare Part B pharmaceutical reimbursement rates on lower international drug prices. "That's a pretty big administration initiative to reform how we pay for all Medicare Part B drugs," explained Garthwaite. "Technically, it's a pilot. Half the country would have it, and half wouldn't to start with. CMMI is supposed to be a vehicle for testing these things They would lose the statutory ability to do that," he said. While legislation repealing the ACA would likely build in a transition period for moving to a new system, if the law were overturned, that time frame might not happen in the same way. "Could you reset the clock and go back to the status of federal payment pre-ACA?" asked Katherine Hempstead, senior policy advisor at eh Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "The ACA is very interwoven into many aspects of the health care financing and delivery system now, in ways that I think are pretty hard to unravel." She notes that the law changed payment models to hospitals and Medicaid funding for states that expanded the safety net program to the working poor. President Trump, meeting with Republicans on Capitol Hill, defended his administration's decision, declaring "The Republican party will be known as the party of health care." The party's failed efforts to repeal the ACA in 2017 in many ways helped make health care a top concern for voters last year, leading to the Democrats winning a majority in the House of representatives. "Be careful what you wish for, because I think people are really holding their federal and state policy makers accountable to improve the situation," when it comes to health prices, said Hempstead. A pedestrian about to enter a JC Penney store in New York. JCPenney on Tuesday named Bill Wafford as the company's new executive vice president and chief financial officer, starting April 8. The announcement came as The Vitamin Shoppe announced Wafford's resignation, effective April 5. Wafford also previously worked for KPMG and Walgreens Boots Alliance. Prior to Walgreens, Wafford held finance roles are Bank of America and Target. "Bill brings extraordinary depth and breadth of experience to our executive team. His first-hand knowledge and understanding of financial turnarounds will help JCPenney deliver improved results and drive profitable growth," said Jill Soltau, CEO of JCPenney. Wafford is succeeding Michael Fung, who will remain at the company as interim CFO through the end of April. U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) speaks during a town hall meeting at Canyon Springs High School on March 1, 2019 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. Presidential hopeful Sen. Kamala Harris proposed a huge pay raise for American teachers on Tuesday, her latest bid to set herself apart from the crowded Democratic field vying to take on President Donald Trump in 2020. Her plan comes as teacher protests for higher pay and better benefits continue to break out across the country, including in Harris' home state of California. The lawmaker is proposing: An average $13,500 pay raise for every teacher in the United States Additional salary funding for teachers in high-need American schools to prevent teacher turnover Department of Education and state education agencies working to set a base salary for teachers: the federal government would invest 10 percent of funding needed to close the teacher pay gap in every state Incentivizing states to pay the rest: For every $1 states invest in increasing teachers' salaries, the federal government would provide $3 until the pay gap is closed A multibillion-dollar investment into programs that recruit, train and develop teachers, with half of that funding designated to programs at historically black colleges and universities and other institutions that serve minorities The investment in education would be paid for by strengthening the estate tax on wealthy Americans, but Harris' campaign did not specify how much it intends to increase the estate tax The senator is widely considered one of the top contenders for the Democratic nomination in 2020. The first contests of the primary season are just under a year away, but candidates are already trying to stake claims to positions as they woo voters in key states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has set much of the pace on the policy front. Harris' campaign calls the teacher pay and education funding plan as "the largest investment in teachers in American history" and estimates it would cost about $315 billion over 10 years. The campaign says teachers earn 11 percent less than people in similar professions, citing an Economic Policy Institute figure. It also claims that eliminating the teacher pay gap and investing in the education system could add up to $2.3 trillion to the economy, citing a figure from management consulting company McKinsey & Company. But not everyone is on board with increasing teachers' salaries so dramatically. Some critics claim increasing pay for teachers will reduce the number of available jobs for applicants, as fewer teachers leave their positions. They say that though the applicant pool for teaching positions will grow if salaries are raised, the quality of the candidates will decline as potential teachers become discouraged by their inability to find a job. Critics also claim that increasing salaries can be burdensome on taxpayers, as states seek a source to pay for the raises. Harris' office did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. An 18 year old voter casts his vote for the first time in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 6, 2018. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump's two appointees to the Supreme Court suggested on Tuesday that partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts is already being solved by state action, a possible sign that the nation's top court, dominated by a 5-4 conservative majority, will not step into the matter. The Supreme Court has never blocked a congressional map for being too politically partisan, although cases have frequently come before the panel on the issue. Justice Anthony Kennedy, whom Justice Brett Kavanaugh replaced on the court last year, had suggested that there may be room for a "workable standard," though so far one has eluded the court. Kavanaugh's own views remain largely unknown. But questions from Kavanaugh and fellow Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch, during a case involving a congressional map drawn by North Carolina Republicans, suggested that no legal fix may be forthcoming at least at the national level. "What about, to pick up on something Justice Gorsuch said earlier, that there is a fair amount of activity going on in the states on redistricting and attention in Congress and in state supreme courts?" Kavanaugh asked Allison Riggs, a voting rights attorney who was representing the state's League of Women Voters in their case against North Carolina. "In other words...have we really reached the moment, even though it would be a big lift for this court to get involved, where the other actors can't do it?" he asked. Gorsuch, for his part, noted that there was "a lot of movement in this area," including in his home state of Colorado, where voters reined in the practice last year. Voters in Missouri, Ohio, Utah and Michigan also acted on the issue. To be sure, questions that justices ask at oral argument are not a perfect gauge for how they will vote. And complicating matters, during another portion of Tuesday's argument, Kavanaugh appeared to question whether extreme gerrymandering could violate the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection. "What will Kavanaugh do? It is a more interesting question than I thought before," wrote Rick Hasen, an election law expert and professor at the University of California, Irvine. The case involved a North Carolina map drawn in 2016 that was explicitly designed to maintain a 10-3 advantage for Republicans. David Lewis, a member of the state's general assembly, has said that he proposed a 10-3 Republican advantage "because I do not believe it's possible to draw a map with 11 Republicans and two Democrats." North Carolina defended the gerrymandering on the basis that redistricting is an inherently political activity that courts should not get mired in. The suit against North Carolina was brought by the good government group Common Cause as well as the League of Women Voters. Attorneys for both groups argued separately Tuesday. The issue is particularly significant at the moment because districts are generally redrawn once every ten years along with the national census. The next census will be conducted in 2020. Republicans primarily benefited from gerrymandering after the nation's last census. During the November 2018 midterms, in which the Democrats took over the House of Representatives, the GOP advantage stemmed Republican losses, a recent analysis by the Associated Press found. The justices heard a similar gerrymandering case in 2017, but ultimately dodged the central question. In a concurrence authored by Justice Elena Kagan and joined by other members of the court's liberal wing, Kagan suggested that courts would ultimately come up with a fix. One central point of contention is whether any new standard would result in an onslaught of new litigation before the top court. Paul Clement, an attorney representing North Carolina, warned that "these cases will come. They will come in large numbers," he said. "And once you get into the political thicket, you will not get out, and you will tarnish the image of this court for the other cases where it needs that reputation for independence so people can understand the fundamental difference between judging and all other politics," Clement said. But some of the court's liberals took issue with that argument. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told Clement that he was making the same argument that had been used to argue against the one-person-one-vote rule that the court ultimately endorsed, and that no such wave of litigation resulted. Justice Stephen Breyer, known as a pragmatist on the bench, put forward his own standard. What if, he said, gerrymandering were barred in extreme cases defined as those where the party that wins a majority of the vote only gets a third, or less, representation? Clement retorted that "there is no standard deviation from proportional representation clause in the Constitution." Later on Tuesday, the court heard a dispute brought by Republican voters in Maryland who live in a district that was gerrymandered by Democrats. Decisions are expected by late June. Michael Avenatti, attorney for Stephanie Clifford, also known as adult film actress Stormy Daniels, speaks to reporters as he leaves the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on September 24, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Avenatti claims to have information pertaining to allegations concerning Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Mario Tama | Getty Images Procrastinating on your tax returns is bad enough. Skipping out on them and the taxes owed could put you in a lot of hot water. Michael Avenatti, formerly a lawyer for adult film actress Stormy Daniels, was charged with bank fraud and wire fraud on Monday. Federal authorities allege the attorney gave a Mississippi bank phony tax returns for 2011, 2012 and 2013 in order to obtain $4.1 million in loans. In reality, Avenatti didn't file personal income tax returns for those three years, authorities said. He also didn't make any estimated tax payments in 2012 and 2013, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. Avenatti also allegedly still owed the IRS $850,438 in unpaid personal income taxes, plus interest and penalties for 2009 and 2010, according to the federal complaint. Separately, the lawyer was arrested on Monday on charges that he was trying to extort more than $20 million from apparel maker Nike. Avenatti was released from Manhattan federal court after signing a $300,000 personal recognizance bond. As much as you hate to filing your taxes this spring, the IRS has ways of tracking down your income and making sure you pay what you owe. "If you don't file a return, even if you've been doing nothing no tax shelters and no fraud the IRS gets an unlimited amount of time to review your tax affairs," said Joshua Blank, professor of law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law. Penalties await Getty Images Generally, those who fail to file their return by April 15 are subject to a penalty of 5 percent of the unpaid tax, applied each month that the tax return is late. This penalty tops out at 25 percent of the amount due. Failure to pay your taxes comes with a 0.5 percent penalty if you haven't paid by April 15, up to a maximum of 25 percent. The IRS will continue to assess this charge on the remaining unpaid balance each month. Once you've turned in your Form 1040, the IRS typically has up to three years from the due date of the return to audit you. More from Personal Finance: Got an IRA? Forget taking this tax break on your 2018 return The American dream exists, but millennials can't afford it Apple credit card perks are nothing new, experts say If you've omitted more than 25 percent of your gross income on your return, the IRS has up to six years to examine your 1040 and slap you with taxes owed. Failing to submit a return altogether won't keep the taxman from cracking down on unreported income. "If you don't file at all, the IRS isn't subject to any statute of limitations," said Blank. "It can review your individual tax situation forever." Sniffing out income Jeffrey Coolidge | Photodisc | Getty Images The IRS has a number of ways to detect income you've received and failed to report. For instance, your employer will let the IRS know that you've earned wages and withheld taxes. The same goes for interest your bank pays to one of your accounts or dividends received in a brokerage account, said Blank. This is known as "third-party reporting," and it's a way for the IRS to find out whether you've received any money. If you don't file at all, the IRS isn't subject to any statute of limitations. It can review your individual tax situation forever. Joshua Blank professor of law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law Concerned parties could also let the taxman know about your shady sources of income through whistleblowing and the IRS tip hotline. Finally, the IRS can detect suspicious returns and tag them for audit by using a computer program known as the Discriminant Inventory Function System. "The IRS is comparing your return to those filed by other people similar to you," said Blank. "If your return deviates significantly, you get a high DIF score, and that causes the IRS to audit you and find out you have unreported income." Who must file The Internal Revenue Services offices in Washington, D.C. Adam Jeffery | CNBC There are two things we know for certain about millionaires: They know exactly where their money is going, and they know exactly what not to do with it. If you want to reach millionaire status, the single most important thing you can do is to learn from the likes of the super wealthy, from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates to Google's ex-CEO Eric Schmidt to Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett. Here are seven things you'll never find the world's richest people doing, and how you can adopt their healthy financial habits into your own life: 1. They don't waste money on fees Rich people know that fees are a waste of time (and money, of course), so the right course of action is to pay their bills on time. They take advantage of features like autopay to avoid late charges for everything from utilities to mortgage to credit card bills. They're also mindful of bank fees. Many banks will charge you extra money for their services, and you might not even be aware of it.Some of the bigger banks, for example, will charge you anywhere from $12 to $15 unless you meet a specific set of requirements, like maintaining a certain average balance in your account. Make it a habit to check your monthly statements for these hidden charges. 2. They don't ignore their credit score Your credit score plays a leading role in determining your interest rates. A high credit score can earn you a low interest rate and save you thousands of dollars in interest over the life of a loan. A low score may prevent you from getting a loan if you ever need one. Wealthy people know this and they never, ever ignore their credit score. They are constantly checking their score and do their best to keep it pristine. There are a number of apps that allow you to check your score for free and even try to help you boost it. Monitor your score reports on a monthly basis, keep your debt levels low and pay your bills on time. 3. They don't spend impulsively 4. They don't fall for marketing ploys Marketing plots are everywhere, and rich people avoid falling for them by comparison shopping. They appreciate value, but they also look at the big picture and always weigh the benefits of quality versus cost. To adopt the same habit, do your research and consider your bottom line before making a purchase, big or small. By purchasing a more expensive yet well-made item that you'll use for years, you can save yourself the time and money of having to repair or replace a poorly made item. 5. They don't try to beat the market Billionaire and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt says that short-term trading (a.k.a. buying or selling stocks based on daily market movements) won't make you rich. He always thinks long-term and never tries to beat the market. Warren Buffett also insists on using the long-term strategy. A few days after he released Berkshire Hathaway's annual letter to shareholders earlier this year, the billionaire appeared on television at CNBC and explained why longer-term investment strategies like index funds still stands the test of time. 6. They don't have just one source of income Having multiple streams of income will help you to generate more money, and rich people never rely on just one source of income. Consider turning your spare car into a ride-sharing business, taking on freelance work, becoming a tutor or writing about areas of expertise. "When I got 'The Tonight Show,' I always made sure I did 150 [comedy show] gigs a year so I never had to touch the principal," comedian and television host Jay Leno told CNBC. "I've never touched a dime of my 'Tonight Show' money. Ever. I always had two incomes. I'd bank one and I'd spend one." 7. They don't keep up with the Joneses NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch were set to make history on March 29th as the first all-female crew to perform a spacewalk at the International Space Station. But NASA has announced that the spacewalk has been delayed, "due in part to spacesuit availability on the station." On March 22, McClain and astronaut Nick Hague conducted the first of three spacewalks for Expedition 59. It was during this spacewalk that NASA says McClain learned "that a medium-size hard upper torso essentially, the shirt of the spacesuit fits her best." But since only one medium-size torso suit will be ready by March 29, the women will not be able to perform the second spacewalk together. Instead, Koch will wear that spacesuit and conduct the spacewalk with Hague. Twitter "McClain now is tentatively scheduled to perform her next spacewalk the third in this series on Monday, April 8 with Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint Jacques," NASA said in a statement. "Assignments for this spacewalk will be finalized following completion of the second spacewalk." Spacewalks are relatively rare, and are usually conducted for the purpose of doing experiments, test new equipment or repair satellites or spacecraft already in space. Since December 1998, there have been only 214 spacewalks at the International Space Station, according to NASA. McClain and Koch's spacewalks will mark 35 years since Svetlana Savitskaya became the first woman to walk in space in 1984. NASA reports that 59 women have flown to space as of 2017, "including cosmonauts, astronauts, payload specialists and foreign nationals." Although McClain and Koch will now be traveling separately, they will still make history by being the 13th and 14th women to perform a spacewalk. It will be McClain's first time in space and Koch's first spaceflight. Both McClain and Koch are graduates of NASA's 2013 class, which had the second largest number of applications NASA has ever received, over 6,100. That class was also 50 percent women, as was NASA's most recent class of flight directors. Like this story? Subscribe to CNBC Make It on YouTube! Don't miss: Two NASA astronauts will conduct the first all-female spacewalk in history NASA requested $363 million for fiscal year 2020 for the Advanced Cislunar and Surface Capabilities (ACSC) program, more than double what the space agency sought last year. More importantly, NASA estimates the budget for the program would grow to $2.4 billion by fiscal year 2024, as the agency begins to award companies with development contracts. In a potential boon for private space companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, NASA is asking Congress for billions of dollars over the next five years to speed the development spacecraft capable of flying humans to and from the moon. The huge increase in this year's budget request for ACSC is the result of an internal battle at NASA, a person familiar with the situation told CNBC on Monday. This year's introduction of a competitive bidding process means that companies would build their own spacecraft, with help from competitive NASA funding awards, rather than build a NASA-specific spacecraft. NASA didn't respond to CNBC requests for comment. After the establishment of the National Space Council, President Donald Trump's administration looked to work with the growing private space sector on multiple NASA programs. A main directive was to create a sustained U.S. presence on the moon. NASA would first send robots to the surface without crews, later following up with astronauts. Recently appointed NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine supported a White House plan last year to make ACSC a competitive process between companies, two people familiar with the matter told CNBC. But some NASA leaders rejected the idea, wanting to stick with the development of an in-house lunar lander project, one of the people said. Known as the "Flexible Lunar Explorer" (or FLEx) lander concept, some at NASA wanted a system built for the agency, rather than according to the companies building the spacecraft. This is NASA's traditional method of awarding contracts, exemplified by the Boeing-built Space Launch System (SLS) rocket which is now years behind and racking up billions of dollars in cost overruns. With delays in the SLS program, privately-built rockets are being increasingly considered to launch NASA missions. And now, despite internal hesitancy, NASA is considering commercial alternatives for getting astronauts to the moon's surface. The agency has spoken to companies about enabling "regular access to the lunar surface," NASA said in its budget request earlier this month. The increased funding for ACSC also matches with statements Vice President Mike Pence made on Tuesday at a National Space Council meeting. Pence said it is the White House policy "to return American astronauts to the moon within the next five years." Although he said the SLS rocket must be accelerated to do so, he urged NASA to reach the moon "by any means necessary." "We're not committed to any one contractor. If our current contractors can't meet this objective, then we'll find ones that will," Pence said. "If American industry can provide critical commercial services without government development then we'll buy them." Musk welcomed Pence's comments, saying in a tweet that "it would be so inspiring for humanity to see humanity return to the moon!" Carlos Ghosn, former chairman of Nissan Motor Co., center, sits in a taxi as he leaves his lawyer's office in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, March 6, 2018. Nissan paid to send all four of former chairman Carlos Ghosn's children to Stanford University, according to a Bloomberg report. His children attended Stanford between 2004 and 2015, when the total tuition would have been worth at least $601,000, according to Bloomberg. The perk was part of Ghosn's original employment contract when he signed on as chief executive officer in 1999, Bloomberg said, citing anonymous people familiar with the matter. A spokesman for Nissan did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC. Nissan and Ghosn's lawyer, Jean-Yves Le Borgne, declined to comment to Bloomberg. Ghosn was charged last fall in Japan for allegedly underreporting his compensation by millions of dollars and misusing company funds. His recent request for bond was approved after he spent 108 days in jail. Ghosn has maintained his innocence throughout the process and denied any wrongdoing. "I am not guilty of the charges against me and I look forward to defending my reputation in the courtroom; nothing is more important to me or to my family," Ghosn said at his Jan. 20 bond hearing. Read Bloomberg's report here. President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference with China's President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 9, 2017. The Trump administration's trade policies and tariffs reduced U.S. income at a rate of $1.4 billion per month by the end of November, according to new research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Princeton and Columbia universities. The study found that U.S. businesses and consumers saw "substantial increases" in the price of goods throughout last year, including a "complete passthrough" of U.S.-imposed tariffs onto imported items. The economists the New York Fed's Mary Amiti, Princeton professor Stephen Redding and Columbia professor David Weinstein also said Americans suffered by a lack of import variety and disruptions to supply chains. Preliminary results on the study were released earlier this year. "Economists have long argued that there are real income losses from import protection. Using the evidence to date from the 2018 trade war, we find empirical support for these arguments," the researchers wrote. "Losses mounted steadily over the year, as each wave of tariffs affected additional countries and products, and increased substantially after the imposition of the wave 6 tariffs on $200 billion dollars of Chinese exports." The authors found that while losses were accumulating at a rate of $1.4 billion per month by November, total losses from January through November ballooned to a conservative estimate of $6.9 billion. That number may be too low, the economists said, because their model assumes that the U.S. government uses tariff tax revenues to offset the welfare burden. If the U.S. government did not offset the cost of the tariffs to the American consumer with the new tax revenues, the full value of the tariff payments would be $12.3 billion. The White House imposed a variety tariffs on goods imported from economic partners of the U.S. in 2018. The tit-for-tat tariffs between the U.S. and China has come as the White House tries to protect American intellectual property and curb a steep trade deficit. Trump has had varying success with the tariff tactic, winning both a revised version of the North American Free Trade Agreement as well as alienating key allies including Canada and the European Union. The White House announced a round of tariffs on $200 billion of products imported from China at a 10 percent rate last year. Also last year, it announced a 20 percent tariff on the first 1.2 million imported large residential washing machines from South Korea and a 50 percent tariff on machines above that number. LG Electronics told retailers less than one week after that decision that it would hike prices thanks to Trump's protective policy. Fabiana Rosales, wife of Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido participates in a rally with Venezuelans living in Peru during her visit to Lima, Peru, March 23, 2019. Fabiana Rosales, a Venezuelan activist who is the wife of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, is slated to visit the White House on Wednesday where she will meet with Vice President Mike Pence, a White House official said on Tuesday. Pence is expected to reiterate U.S. backing for Guaido, the head of Venezuela's national assembly, who in January invoked the constitution to assume the interim presidency, arguing President Nicolas Maduro's 2018 re-election was illegitimate. Most Latin American and Western countries have recognized Guaido as Venezuela's rightful leader. Maduro, who retains control of state functions and the country's military, says Guaido is a puppet of the United States. Rosales, a 26-year-old journalist and opposition activist who is considered Venezuela's first lady by supporters, told Reuters before her trip that her family and friends have been stalked and threatened. She is also expected to visit New York City and Miami during her U.S. trip. Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and 2020 presidential candidate, pauses during the South By Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas, U.S., on Saturday, March 9, 2019. Mayor and 2020 hopeful Pete Buttigieg is making inroads into the New York donor circuit as he prepares to attend a campaign fundraiser hosted by Broadway executive Jordan Roth. Roth, and his husband, Richie Jackson, who is a movie producer, will be holding a reception for the South Bend, Indiana mayor with suggested contributions from $250 to $2,800, according to an invite first obtained by CNBC. Roth is the president and majority owner of Jujacmyn Theaters, which has presented a litany of award-winning Broadway shows including "The Book of Mormon" and "Springsteen on Broadway." He's also the son of billionaire and real estate titan Steven Roth, who, according Forbes, has a net-worth of $1.1 billion. The elder Roth, however, is a staunch supporter of Republican causes. He recently invested $100,000 into President Donald Trump's joint fundraising committee, Trump Victory and the same amount toward former House Speaker Paul Ryan's organization, Team Ryan. For Buttigieg, an openly gay candidate for president and Afghanistan War veteran, the fundraiser represents a sign that he is making traction with donors and voters alike. In a recent Emerson poll, the South Bend mayor picked up 11 percent of the vote in the early caucus state of Iowa. Nationally, Buttigieg has totaled 2 percent of the vote from Democratic primary voters, according to data compiled by Morning Consult. Notably, Buttigieg tied in that same poll with Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar. A spokeswoman for Buttigieg did not return a request for comment. Roth did not return an email seeking comment. OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, have agreed to pay $270 million to the state of Oklahoma to settle a lawsuit accusing the drugmaker of ruthlessly marketing and misleading the public about the dangers of its highly addictive narcotic. The case against Purdue and other manufacturers was scheduled to go to trial in May. Accusations against the Stamford, Connecticut-based company included downplaying the addiction risk of opioids while overstating the benefits. The company previously denied any wrongdoing, saying labels for its painkiller carried warnings about the risk of abuse and misuse associated with the drugs. At a news conference Tuesday confirming the settlement, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said he intends to "hold accountable other defendants ... for their role in creating the worst public health crisis in our state and nation we've ever seen." The settlement is just "the first step," he added. As a part of the agreement, unveiled Tuesday, Purdue will contribute $102.5 million to fund the creation of a National Center for Addiction Studies at Oklahoma State University. The company will also donate $20 million worth of medicines to support the center's treatment mission. The agreement, which resolves all of the state's claims against Purdue, also includes an additional payment of $72.5 million, of which $12.5 million will be available to counties and cities in the state to abate the effects of the opioid crisis, the company said. The Sacklers, who were not named as defendants in the lawsuit, will contribute $75 million toward the university center as well, Purdue added. "Purdue is very pleased to have reached an agreement with Oklahoma that will help those who are battling addiction now and in the future," Purdue Pharma CEO Craig Landau said in a statement. "We applaud Attorney General Mike Hunter for his leadership in making such an agreement possible." OxyContin is a prescription drug used to treat moderate to severe pain in adults. From 1999 to 2017, nearly 218,000 people have died in the United States from overdoses related to prescription opioids, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. OxyContin first came on the market in 1996. The settlement Tuesday may take some pressure off Purdue, which has been considering bankruptcy protection. Earlier this month, Landau said the company was considering bankruptcy to protect its assets against thousands of lawsuits for its alleged role in the opioid epidemic. Purdue was founded in the 1950s by brothers Arthur, Mortimer and Raymond Sackler. --AP contributed to this report. OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma has reached an agreement with the Oklahoma attorney general's office to settle a lawsuit that accused it of helping ignite the nationwide opioid crisis, a person familiar with the situation told CNBC. The details of the settlement are expected to be released Tuesday afternoon. The Wall Street Journal reported the agreement totaled $270 million. Purdue and other manufacturers faced a trial in May in a case brought by Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter. Accusations against the Stamford, Connecticut-based company include downplaying the addiction risk of opioids while overstating the benefits. The company has denied wrongdoing. It says labels for its painkiller carried warnings about the risk of abuse and misuse associated with the drugs. A spokesperson for Hunter's office declined to comment. Purdue Pharma did not immediately respond to a request for comment. OxyContin is a prescription drug used to treat moderate to severe pain in adults. From 1999 to 2017, nearly 218,000 people have died in the United States from overdoses related to prescription opioids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. OxyContin came on the market in 1996. Purdue was founded in the 1950s by brothers Arthur, Mortimer and Raymond Sackler. Earlier this month, Purdue's CEO Craig Landau said the company was considering bankruptcy to protect its assets against thousands of lawsuits for its alleged role in the opioid epidemic. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Silicon Valley has long held the crown as the global epicenter of all things tech. But that status could be starting to shift as more young workers and women in particular are betting on fast-growing IT hubs in Asia. In a new study of 12,000 women developers across 100 countries, tech hiring site HackerRank found that Gen Z workers were up less likely than their older counterparts to view San Francisco as the guiding light for future tech careers. Gen Z refers to the post-millennial generation, or those born after 1997. Globally, Gen Z-ers saw Chinese financial city, Shanghai, as one of the world's leading tech hubs within the next five years. Meanwhile, respondents from Asia Pacific specifically were 14 percent more likely to pinpoint India's tech hub, Bangalore, than Silicon Valley, as the IT center of the future. To be sure, based on responses from millennials and Gen Z across all regions, Silicon Valley remained the number one choice as the global tech center through to 2024. However, the study points to a longer-term shift in the global tech industry as high expenses cause the Valley to lose its charm. "The cost of living in Silicon Valley is skyrocketing at a rapid pace, causing talent and entrepreneurs to explore other cities and opportunities across the United States," HackerRank's vice president of people, Maria Chung told CNBC Make It via email. Town halls in several German cities were evacuated on Tuesday after threats, in some cases bomb threats, were received by email overnight, a number of police forces said. "A threat against the city of Augsburg has been received, the town hall has been cleared, we are investigating," tweeted police in the southern city of Augsburg. Speaking to NBC News, a police spokesman in Augsburg said the email is "analogue to those received" in other cities, as the "content of the mail is identical." Police posted similar tweets from western Neunkirchen and Kaiserslautern, eastern Chemnitz and central Goettingen. Police in the southwestern city of Kaiserslautern told NBC News that an employee of the city hall found an email in the "general email box" this morning at 8:00 a.m. local time, in which an unidentified sender had claimed that "an explosive device had been deposited in the building." Police immediately decided to evacuate the 21-story high-rise building and are presently searching the premises. Police officials in the city of Goettingen also told NBC News that they had received an email claiming that an explosive device had been planted at the town hall. The building has been evacuated and the surrounding streets have been cordoned off. "We are now trying to identify, who sent these emails and are coordinating our investigation with officials in other German cities, which also received these threats," a spokesperson told NBC News. In Chemnitz, a police spokeswoman said that the search of the multi-story town hall building is ongoing. A police spokesman in the northern German city of Rendsburg also confirmed to NBC News that the local town hall was evacuated this morning, a building search with experts is ongoing. A similar statement was made by a police spokesman in Neunkirchen in the state of Saarland. Affordable Care Act supporters hold up signs outside the Supreme Court as they wait for the court's decision on Obamacare on Thursday, June 25, 2015. The Trump Justice Department, going further than it had before, said it supports a federal judge's ruling that President Barack Obama's signature health-care law, the Affordable Care Act, is unconstitutional, according to a court filing. Amid mounting Democratic criticism of the administration's stance, President Donald Trump asserted in a tweet Tuesday afternoon that, "The Republican Party will become 'The Party of Healthcare!'" Trump TWEET The department filed its determination on Monday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans, where an appeal of U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor's December opinion on the law is pending. "The Department of Justice has determined that the district court's judgment should be affirmed," three DOJ lawyers wrote in the one-page filing in the 5th Circuit court. Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec told CNBC: "The Department of Justice has determined that the district court's comprehensive opinion came to the correct conclusion and will support it on appeal." If courts dismantle the ACA, it would likely cause millions of consumers to lose health care or face higher costs, in no small part due to the end of Medicaid expansion. Ending Obamacare is a long held goal of Trump and fellow Republicans. They failed to accomplish doing so in 2017 when the Senate fell short of passing a repeal bill. Scrapping the law without a replacement would lead to 32 million more uninsured people by 2026, the Congressional Budget Office estimated in 2017. O'Connor had ruled that the entirety of the Affordable Care Act became unconstitutional following Republicans' move in 2017 to eliminate the individual mandate penalty. Consumers who chose to opt out of buying insurance under Obamacare had been subject to a tax penalty. O'Connor ruled that without an individual mandate, the health-care law could not stand on its own. The move Monday comes as the Democratic-held House has pledged to strengthen the Affordable Care Act following the GOP's efforts to repeal it and the Trump administration's regulatory changes that weakened the law. On Wednesday, House Democrats plan to introduce legislation that aims to decrease costs for consumers and shore up Obamacare. On Monday night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted that the Trump administration "declared all out war on affordable, dependable health care" by backing the lawsuit. Pelosi TWEET Democrats made the Texas lawsuit, and some GOP lawmakers' support for it, a central issue in last year's midterm elections. The Trump administration's full support for the legal challenges to Obamacare opens a political vulnerability ahead of Trump's 2020 re-election bid. Republicans lost 40 House seats, and a majority in the chamber, in November's elections. Democratic presidential contenders, many of whom have made health care a central focus as the 2020 presidential primary season approaches, were quick to weigh in on the Trump administration's position. "Trump and his administration are trying to take health care away from tens of millions of Americans again," Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., said in a tweet. "We must fight back again with everything we've got." Harris TWEET Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who announced her White House bid in February, vowed to fight the administration's stance. Klobuchar TWEET WASHINGTON President Donald Trump has nominated U.S. Air Force General John "Jay" Raymond to lead the U.S. Space Command, a new combatant command that will oversee the military's missions and war fighting in space. As the Air Force's top space officer, Raymond was long-considered a favorite for the job. He is currently the commander of Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado. If confirmed by the Senate for this newly established role, Raymond will run both U.S. Space Command and Air Force Space Command. The latest revelation comes as the Pentagon works to lay the groundwork for Trump's proposed Space Force, a new sister service branch that would stand alongside the Navy, Marine Corps, Army and Air Force. However, the creation of a sixth military branch, the first in 72 years, is dependent upon congressional approval. Unlike the creation of a Space Force, the Pentagon can establish a U.S. Space Command without input from lawmakers. Meanwhile, the Defense Department is asking for $14.1 billion in its fiscal 2020 budget request to fund space operations. The $14.1 billion would allocate funding to several national security programs, from satellites to missile warning systems. Of the total, about $1.6 billion will fund improvements to space-based missile warning capabilities, a missing link in America's layered missile defense system. The Air Force is also seeking $72.4 million to establish a headquarters for Space Force. Salvadorans take part in a new caravan of migrants, set to head to the United States, as they leave San Salvador, El Salvador January 16, 2019. LOS ANGELES Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is scheduled to be in Honduras on Wednesday to sign "a first-of-its-kind regional accord" with leaders from the Northern Triangle of Central America. Ahead of the trip, she on Tuesday met with Mexican officials in Miami to discuss border issues. According to DHS, the regional pact between the U.S. and government officials of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador is aimed at addressing "the migration crisis" that the Trump administration has highlighted. Some of the migrants have reportedly been fleeing violence from organized crime and drug trafficking. DHS said Nielsen will participate in a multilateral meeting Wednesday with Central American officials, marking the continuation of the administration's diplomatic efforts to halt "the flood of irregular migration at the source, and ultimately help confront the ongoing humanitarian and security emergency" along the U.S.-Mexico border. The accord includes a focus on "preventing the formation of new migrant caravans that set out to reach the United States," according to DHS. In addition, DHS said the final "regional compact" also will cover what it called "four distinct areas of collaboration," including combating human trafficking and migrant smuggle, countering gangs and organized crime activities, expanding intelligence sharing, and strengthening border security. Caravan of Central American migrants became an issue in last year's midterm elections after President Donald Trump deployed more than 5,000 troops to the southern border with Mexico. In the past year, thousands of Central American migrants have journeyed north to border cities such as Tijuana and sought asylum in the U.S. On Tuesday, there were reports of a new caravan of 2,500 migrants making their way to the U.S. border after stopping in Huixtla, a city in Mexico's southern state of Chiapas. On Tuesday, Nielsen met with Mexico's Interior Secretary Olga Sanchez Cordero and other senior government officials in Miami to discuss a variety of border and immigration issues, including smuggling and security cooperation. DHS said the two governments also discussed ways to "work together to address irregular migration and record levels of illegal entries at the U.S. Southern Border." The agency said the U.S. apprehended more than 75,000 individuals last month, which it called "a 12-year high." The U.S. and Russia are locked in a battle for influence over crisis-stricken Venezuela, with Washington and Moscow trading barbs over perceived meddling in the South American country. On Monday, the U.S. accused Russia of aggravating political tensions in Venezuela. That prompted the Kremlin to repeat its claim that the White House has been trying to orchestrate a "coup." It comes less than 48 hours after two Russian military planes touched down in Caracas, fueling speculation that Moscow is seeking to bolster its presence in the oil-rich, but cash-poor, country. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the escalating crisis in Venezuela with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov via telephone on Monday. "(The U.S.) will not stand idly by as Russia exacerbates tensions in Venezuela," Pompeo said, according to a statement released by the State Department on Monday. "The continued insertion of Russian military personnel to support the illegitimate regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela risks prolonging the suffering of the Venezuelan people," Pompeo said, criticizing Moscow's "unconstructive behavior." In response, Russia's Lavrov said: "Washington's attempts to stage a coup in Venezuela and threats against its legitimate government were a violation of the UN Charter and blatant interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state," according to a statement by the foreign ministry on Monday. A pharmacist empties a prescription bottle of opioid painkillers that she filled for a patient at the pharmacy inside the facility in Boston. The White House is touting progress in the battle against the country's opioid epidemic, but health policy researchers warn the Trump administration against claiming credit, and say planned cuts to Medicaid funding could exacerbate the crisis. Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway said last week that progress has been made since the president unveiled his plan last year to combat the epidemic. President Donald Trump's plan included stricter punishments for drug dealers and a pledge to cut opioid prescriptions by a third by 2021. Conway, who leads anti-drug efforts on Capitol Hill, pointed to the decline in prescriptions for opioid painkillers, a slower growth rate for overdose deaths and government efforts to combat illicit use of drugs like fentanyl. Prescriptions for painkillers have dropped 25 percent over the past year, and 1.4 billion people have seen ads teaching young people about the dangers of opioids, according to the White House. "In President Trump's first year in office, overdose deaths grew by 10 percent, having grown by 22 percent the year before," Conway said during a media call. "So the rate of death increased at a rate less than half of what had increased just the year before." But health experts say there's little evidence to show that recent progress is a result of the White House's efforts. They noted that prescriptions have been declining since 2012, before Trump became president, and argued that a slower growth rate for overdose deaths cannot be clearly connected to White House efforts. They also said the president's proposed cuts to Medicaid would be harmful for patients seeking addiction treatment, and anti-drug funding over a two year period is inadequate. "There are some positive signs, but I don't believe the Trump Administration deserves credit for them," said Dr. Andrew Kolodny, co-director of opioid policy research at Brandeis University. "In fact, there is a lot more the Trump administration and the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] could be doing to promote more cautious prescribing and properly regulating opioid makers." Health policy researchers pointed out that the administration's National Drug Control Strategy report was not released until January 2019. Findings from the Government Accountability Office this month said the administration's plan failed to include a budget projection or "annual objectives that are quantifiable and measurable." At a hearing this month, House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., condemned the administration's plan as a "23-page pamphlet" that "fails to meet even the most basic requirements in the law." Keith Humphreys, a Stanford professor and former senior policy adviser at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said the Trump administration's report had "no central direction" and that there is no proper spokesperson for the epidemic. While the declining trend in prescriptions is encouraging, over-prescribing is still a problem, he added. "No matter who is president, this is a problem," he said. Amie Goodin, a researcher at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, said she was discouraged by the lack of clearly articulated budget priorities within the administration's strategy. For example, the report encourages states to apply for Medicaid waivers to expand treatment but doesn't specify how waivers could be funded in the face of proposed Medicaid cuts, she said. "The vagueness of the strategy on all fronts from the absence of measurable objectives to the omission of specific administrative authority, oversight, and funding plans for these missing objectives is frustrating to all who desire improvements," she said. Humphreys added that the president's budget proposal, which includes cuts to Medicaid, would also be a "disaster for the crisis," especially for people who rely on Medicaid for addiction treatment. The number of opioid prescriptions has been falling since 2012. Prescriptions dipped substantially from 214.8 million in 2016 to 191.2 million in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were a record 70,237 drug overdose deaths in 2017, which was 9.6 percent higher than the 2016 rate. While there's no 2018 data yet, experts expect that provisional counts will show that 2018 death rate will be similar to 2017, and might even decline for the first time since 1996. The Support for Patients and Communities Act, signed in October, was the most recent bipartisan push against the drug epidemic. The legislation includes provisions to boost access to addiction treatment, ramp up law enforcement efforts against illicit drugs and expand addiction treatment access. Critics of the bill have argued it lacks federal money for addiction treatment. Peter Hoffman, the National Drug Control Policy's press secretary, told CNBC that administration's strategic plan demonstrates "an in-depth understanding of the steps needed to fight the addiction crisis" and "deploys a whole-of-government approach." "At the end of the day, our number one goal is to save American lives and we now have a president, with an entire government behind him, committed to achieving that goal," he said. The president has secured $6 billion in new funding over two years to fight opioid abuse, according to a press release, and has funneled $1.5 billion for state opioid grants. The 2020 national drug control budget request seeks $34.6 billion for counter-drug efforts, an increase of more than $1 billion from the previous year, according to Hoffman. But experts argue that the funding timeline is inadequate. "It has to be a commitment to at least 10 years of funding. A two-year period doesn't work because states cannot build out new systems unless there's a commitment to long term funding," said Kolodny, who has worked as a paid consultant for platiffs against Purdue and the Sacklers. "This problem won't get better overnight." Clarification: An earlier version of this article should have disclosed that Dr. Andrew Kolodny is a paid consultant for plaintiffs against Purdue and the Sacklers. Bazaar Corporate Radar | Feb 22, 2021, 12:00 AM IST Bazaar Corporate Radar Bazaar Corporate Radar is your window into the minds of top CEOs, Boardrooms, global economists, fund managers and sector analysts. If it?s making news, you?ll find it on Bazaar Corporate Radar. The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form (ANSA) - Bologna, March 25 - A face on a frame from an amateur Super 8 film shot by a German tourist on the morning of August 2, 1980, the day of the Bologna train bombing, shows a "marked resemblance" to that of Paolo Bellini, former member of rightist militant group Avanguardia Nazionale, ANSA learned Monday. On the basis of this document, which ANSA has seen, Bologna prosecutors have requested the revocation of Bellini's 1992 acquittal so as to reopen investigations and make an anthropometric recognition test. Former rightist militant New Order chief Carlo Maria Maggi, who died in December after being convicted of the Brescia bomb massacre, said that "the aviator brought the bomb" to Bologna, a comment which prosecutors think refers to Bellini who was a flying fan. Bologna prosecutors on Friday asked to investigate former rightist militant Bellini in connection with the Bologna train station bombing that killed 85 people on August 2, 1980. Bellini testified as an informant on the alleged talks between the State and the Mafia to stop a bombing campaign in 1992. Other former rightist militants were convicted in the bombing but investigations have continued. Members of the NAR neo-fascist terrorist group including Giusva Fioravanti and Francesca Mambro were convicted over what was one of the worst atrocities of Italy's so-called years of lead of political violence in the 1970s and 1980s. President Sergio Mattarella said recently that it was necessary to uncover the whole truth about the bombing and shed light on the "shadowy areas" that remain in relation to the attack. Last April a Palermo court found guilty former heads of the ROS security police Mario Mori, Giuseppe De Donno and Antonio Subranni, former Forza Italia Senator and Berlusconi aide Marcello Dell'Utri, and Mafia bosses Leoluca Bagarella and Nino Cina' for holding talks between the Italian State and the Sicilian Mafia aimed at stopping a wave of bombings in the early 1990s. Also found guilty was go-between Massimo Ciancimino, son of late Mafia-convicted Palermo mayor Vito Ciancimino. The guilty parties were sentenced to prison terms ranging from eight to 28 years. Former interior minister Nicola Mancino was cleared of perjury. Jet Airways chairman resigns amid airline's financial woes India's private Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal has stepped down from his position, said the airline on Tuesday, March 26. The company's board has also accepted the resignations of Goyal, his wife, and a nominee of Gulf carrier Etihad Airways from the board. The move came amid mounting financial woes which have forced Jet Airways to suspend 14 international routes and ground more than 80 planes. Photo courtesy: Jet Airways An AP report said Goyal had been trying to obtain new funding from Etihad Airways, which holds a 24 percent stake in the airline. Jet Airways will be receiving 15 billion rupees (SGD293 million) in immediate funding under a recovery plan formulated by its creditors, led by government-owned State Bank of India. The airline's board has also approved the setting up of an interim management committee to oversee daily operations and cash flow of the company. Jet Airways has recently grounded its five Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft after the Ethiopian Airlines crash which killed all 157 people on board. The airline added that it was "in contact with the manufacturer." One can do anything if he or she has the right attitude and mindset: Viveik Patel After his true act of patriotism, NRI Viveik Patel doesnt need much introduction. This million-dollar man raised over USD1 million for the families of the jawans who were killed in the Pulwama attack. It wasnt an easy road to walk for Patel but he didnt give up and did something really phenomenal. Facebook Fundraiser Team also played an important role in supporting the real Patriot. The team worked with Viveik to help ensure the money goes to the right place as quickly as possible. The 26-year old, who hails from Vadodara in Gujarat, started his own fundraiser on Facebook with a target of raising US$500,000. Photo courtesy: Facebook/Viveik Patel In an exclusive conversation with Connected to India (C to I), Viveik talks about his philanthrophic endeavour. Read on and get inspired! C to I: Please tell us about your fundraising effort in your words. Viveik Patel: I've heard about a lot of fundraising campaigns in the past for different causes and on various platforms but never trusted one because I was not able to verify who all are involved in that and what is the ultimate goal. So when I got the news about the Pulwama attack and the plight of their kin, I started searching for the best and most reliable source to donate, which was Bharat ke Veer but it had some limitations to it ie they required a PAN number and all. That was not a 'handy' thing for most NRIs. So I found the best and easiest way to reach maximum people, provide them with a convenient and fast way to donate through Facebook. I provided all the details on the fundraiser page to gain the trust of donors and answered all possible questions and tried to clear their doubts. I was able to provide all the transparency with a constant update of every communication with government official of India, Facebook and Bharat ke Veer. C to I: When you set up the fundraiser, how much did you expect to raise? Viveik Patel: I started a fundraiser on February 14 (February 15 in India), a day after the attack, with an initial goal of USD25,000 within the 14 days (end date February 28). C to I: At the end of the day, you will be satisfied when the cash reaches the families. At what stage is the transfer of funds at currently? It wasnt an easy road to walk for Patel but he didnt give up and did something really phenomenal. Facebook/Viveik Patel Viveik Patel: My initial goal was to transfer funds to the families of the martyrs and that is still the goal. Fund transfer process has been started and with the help of Indian Consulate general - NYC we are working with American Indian Foundation (AIF) to transfer the funds as soon as possible. Right now, AIF is working with FB to meet legal terms of US and Indian laws. C to I: What kind of attention are you getting? Viveik Patel: I'm getting attention from all over the world now. People are calling me a youth leader, role model and some are using fake, scammer words too. People are trying to get in touch with me with positive and supportive words, some are sending messages with threats but I know what I'm doing and with all positive support from our donors, I and my team are heading towards the right direction. C to I: How is the Indian American community responding to you? Viveik Patel: NRI community is always ready to stand with our nation and people, which they just proved. We are away from home due to various reasons but we are always thinking about our home back in India. C to I: How are you dealing with the attention? Viveik Patel: Now my goal is to complete this fundraiser successfully, I'm getting attention from many local groups and non-profits and I would like to go ahead in this direction and do something for our society and nation. I want to utilise this attention to work for a good cause. C to I: Which part of India do you come from? For how long have you been in the US and what do you do? Viveik Patel: I'm from Vadodara, Gujarat and I moved to the USA in 2014 for Graduate studies. I'm working as a Senior Analyst in Richmond, Virginia. C to I: Last but not least, how has this experience changed you? Viveik Patel: I recall that my dad always used to tell me that "Be bold for what you stand for"; I saw and realised how one can utilise all the resources (internet, Social Media) available to them, how to maintain 26,000+ people's trust and provide leadership without giving up. I never thought that I can manage something like this or that I had it in me, but now I know one can do anything if he or she has the right attitude and mindset of not giving up. Another thing is that my friends from India used to tell me that "You forget us and your people while in the USA"; now no one asks me this question. So that was Viveik for you! Hope his story made you smile and gave you some much-needed inspiration. Feel free to share your views in the comment section below. MPs upend the Governments authority by backing the Letwin amendment Parliament seized control of Brexit last night as three government ministers quit to give MPs the power to tear up Theresa Mays deal. The business minister Richard Harrington joined Alistair Burt and Steve Brine in effectively resigning as they joined 29 Tory MPs defying a three-line whip to defeat the government. The move means that MPs will take control of the Commons agenda tomorrow to begin a process that could result in parliament backing a softer Brexit. In a resignation letter Mr Harrington accused Mrs May of playing roulette with the lives and livelihoods of the vast majority of people in this country by failing to rule out a no-deal exit. MPs backed by 329 to 302 the process of indicative votes set out in an amendment led by Sir Oliver Letwin, the former cabinet minister. The Times >Today: May discusses resigning in return for Eurosceptics passing her deal Mrs May has indicated for the first time that she would consider resigning in exchange for MPs passing her Brexit deal. The major admission came in a private conversation with senior Tory Eurosceptics at her Chequers country retreat on Sunday evening. But Mrs May also made it clear she would first need to know if the numbers were there for any resignation pact before she agrees to ponder it any further. One of the Brexiteers that Mrs May had the key conversation with was ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan-Smith, a long-standing close ally of hers. He is now leading delicate behind the scenes efforts to try to talk round diehard Brexiteers to agree to the deal that could end the four month Brexit logjam that has paralysed Westminster. It also emerged that IDS, Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg have all privately told friends they are ready to vote for the divorce deal if the PM sets a date to quit. The Sun >Today: The Moggcast. Deal-or-No-Brexit becomes the choice eventuallyMays deal is better than not leaving at all Wallace: Mays failure shows why the next Tory leader must be chosen by a contested ballot Its all too common to hear the assertion that Tory members simply cannot be trusted with a choice of who should lead their Party: that they are idiots, or extremists, or both. But consider the recent record. In 2005, presented with David Davis and David Cameron, everyone assumed they would opt for the candidate they knew better, whose views were more in tune with their own, and who offered some comfortable continuity. Instead, they listened, weighed up both offers, and decided they preferred to be challenged in order to get back to winning elections. And, by and large, it worked. By contrast, the 2016 contest to choose Camerons successor was decided in Westminster without a sniff of a serious contest. And we are all paying the price three years on. Imagine if Conservative MPs had compelled May to actually campaign for the top job against a viable alternative candidate How many of her flaws which were so brutally exposed in 2017 would have come to light earlier, when the stakes were lower for all involved and there was a chance to either resolve them or reject her? Mark Wallace, the i paper Bercow issues non-apology after insulting Hands from the chair Divisive Speaker John Bercow sparked uproar in the Commons after tonights votes after clashing with a former Tory whip. MPs demanded an apology after accusing Mr Bercow of insulting Greg Hands after appearing to insult him over his skills in the disciplinary roll. Tory Mr Hands, who was deputy chief whip under David Cameron between 2013 and 2015, had attempted to interrupt Mr Bercow, prompting the Speaker to react badly. Mr Bercow said: I dont require any help from the right honourable gentleman for Chelsea and Fulham. I wouldnt have the foggiest idea where to start. He was once a whip, he wasnt a very good whip. There was uproar in the chamber as MPs clamoured for an apology, with former Tory chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin making a point of order accusing the Speaker of a lack of respect. Daily Mail New internet restrictions are a gift for scammers, the ASI warns New technology replaces worse jobs with better ones The Times Leader Companies cannot ignore older workers FT Faced with labour shortages, businesses relocate to areas of higher unemployment FT VED stealth tax on the way Daily Mail Bereaved parents gain the right to an inquest following stillbirth Campaigners today launched a bid to scrap tough new laws which will force Brits to hand over personal info to access online porn. The new rules come into effect next week and are intended to stop children stumbling across explicit pics and video. But a think-tank warned that the heavy-handed law will end up destroying web users privacy and making them vulnerable to cyber criminals The ASI called the law a gift to scammers, adding: Requiring those who visit pornography websites to upload credit card details or identity documents in order to access explicit material will significantly increase credit card fraud and identity theft. And they warned that teenagers will easily be able to get round the filters by using VPNs which make it look like youre browsing from outside the UK. The Sun Fewer than a dozen inquests a year are held to discover why and how babies die at full-term even though research suggests as many as eight in 10 are linked to inadequate care before or during the birth. The plan will mean all the estimated 900 full-term stillbirths will be investigated by a coroner under the proposals to be put out for consultation by the Ministry of Justice today, enabling any mistakes to be identified to help prevent future deaths. Justice Minister Edward Argar said: These proposals would ensure that bereaved parents have their voices heard in the investigation, and allow lessons to be learnt which would help to prevent future stillbirths. Daily Telegraph Man with Downs Syndrome was starved by hospital Daily Mail 94-year-old patient was moved 13 times in his final ten weeks of life Daily Mail SNP MSP calls for crackdown on online health and beauty adverts The Scotsman Too much sitting down is deadly The Guardian >Today: Matt Hancock on Comment: 75 years on, lets celebrate how we Conservatives were the original Party of the NHS. And are still serving it today. Walden: The knife crime crisis can be answered with ID cards Tougher policing and prisons The Sun Says Neo-Nazis on trial for alleged involvement in banned group Daily Mail Man accused of false Grenfell claim Daily Mail Proposal to target British aid at poorer parts of the developing world As someone who was born in France and has lived abroad, Ive always felt that the anonymity in Britain must be at once enticing and liberating for young criminals: its a virtual hoodie they can wear as they go about their vicious business. And although the identity cards Ive long supported wouldnt be a stand-alone solution to that or any of our major societal problems today, Im convinced that sense of anonymity is whats allowing these youngsters to commit acts of violence with such impunity on our streets and in broad daylight. Besides which, surely any personal privacy mewlings and invoking of Gestapo methods (Papiere, bitte!) are now redundant, what with people putting every last intimate detail of their lives online, and CCTV cameras following us from one end of the street to the other. Celia Walden, Daily Telegraph The worlds poorest people are missing out on a 1.8 billion injection into the British aid budget because it is going to wealthier parts of the developing world, an official watchdog says. Most new investments by the CDC, formerly the Commonwealth Development Corporation, are made in places such as Pakistan, Kenya and Nigeria. Penny Mordaunt, the international development secretary, has been urged to halt proposals to hand billions more to the state-owned institution until it can prove that it helps the most needy. The CDC was told in 2010 to be more pro-poor than its other western counterparts, doing the hardest things in the hardest places. The Times MPs demand curbs on FTSE bosses pay Daily Mail The bulk of Scotlands best schools are in the richest areas Universities teach the suppression of ideas Melanie Phillips, The Times Cambridge dropped Peterson over casual endorsement by association of Islamophobe t-shirt The Times Wales is banning parents from smacking their children WalesOnline McDonnell insists Treasury officials must be re-educated in the lefts economic theories More than half of Scotlands best state schools are sited in the wealthiest communities, according to a report warning the concentration is more pronounced than in England or Wales. The Sutton Trust found that 54 per cent of Scotlands top-performing schools are in the richest 20 per cent of areas, compared to 45 per cent south of the Border. This means the majority of the 70 best Scottish schools are concentrated at the top of the socio-economic spectrum, its report said, amid low levels of social mobility for those from deprived families. Sir Peter Lampl, the educational charitys chairman, said the bottom line was that Scottish childrens life chances depend on whether their parents can afford a home in the catchment area of a good school. Daily Telegraph John McDonnell will order Treasury officials to be retrained in Left-wing economic theories and approaches if Labour wins power, it emerged last night. Under the Shadow Chancellors plans, officials would also have to consult the public and trade unions in listening exercises around the country. His words suggest Labour would take greater control immediately if it won the next election The Conservatives said the plans exposed the impact a potential Labour government would have on the economy. Party chairman Brandon Lewis said: This adds to the mounting evidence of the damage Jeremy Corbyns Labour would do if they ever got near the countrys finances. Daily Mail These Marxists would lay waste to Britain Giles Udy, Daily Mail Yob jailed for smashing egg into Corbyns face The Sun Galloway breached broadcasting rules in discussion on anti-semitism scandal Daily Mail Trump demands inquiry into treasonous critics News in Brief Free up the gig economy 1828 How veganism went from fringe cult to fashionable craze New Statesman In defence of Sarah Vine The Spectator Winners dont march CountrySquire President Trump is pushing for an investigation into the treasonous behaviour of those behind the two-year-long special counsel witch-hunt after being cleared of liaising with Russia. Mr Trump, 72, may have had senior former security officials in mind yesterday, accusing them of so many evil things, but he also expressed his anger at the medias role in fuelling the false narrative. He spoke out as the Democrats clamoured for the full report by Robert Mueller to be released and launched an attack on William Barr, the attorney-general, for deciding that the president should face no charges for obstructing justice. The Times What do and dont we know about Muellers investigation, the Trump campaign, and Russian interference? One of the many inevitable effects of set-piece investigations like Robert Muellers Special Counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election is that it becomes a point of not just anticipation but obsession. Both sides become invested in hoping desperately that their pre-existing beliefs will be confirmed, and work tirelessly to prepare the ground for the most effective spin operation to prove exactly that. Now that Muellers report has been submitted, the whole process is obscured by exactly this maelstrom. Vindication, denunciation, further allegations, conspiracy theories, threats of retribution and so on fly about and make it all the more difficult to get at what we do and dont know. For British observers, understandably perhaps somewhat distracted by events closer to home, it can be particularly difficult to dip into and get any insight. So, for the benefit of our readers, here is ConservativeHomes Crash Guide To What We Know And What We Dont Know About The Mueller Report (CGTWWKAWWDKATMR for short). We dont know what is in the full report yet. The whole report has not been published the decision on whether to do so lies with William Barr, the Attorney General. Thus far he has provided a summary of the findings to Congress, and there is of course no way of knowing how accurate or complete that summary is. If there are no differences, and no hidden nasties, the Democrats argue, why not release the whole thing? The whole thing might yet come out. Barr is under a great deal of pressure to publish it, and presumably a lot of pressure not to do so, too. Congress can try to compel him to release the full report, if it so desires. The Attorney General says he must for legal reasons review which of the contents of the report can legally be released before deciding on any further publication. Of course, it might leak demand for knowledge has a great way of creating a supply. Barrs letter does tell us some things, however. Even taken with a pinch of salt, or viewed as not necessarily complete, his public interest summary of the report does provide a series of facts arising from the investigation which are worth studying. Mueller found evidence of Russian efforts to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Ranging from organised campaigns of disinformation to targeted hacking of political institutions and individuals linked to the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party. The probe also confirmed that the products of these efforts were distributed via Wikileaks, as well as elsewhere. Russian-affiliated individuals offered the Trump campaign assistance on multiple occasions, apparently. But the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or co-ordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities. This quote, given in Barrs letter, is from the report itself. Mueller also investigated whether the President obstructed his investigation. Like the details of the Russian interference investigation, the detailed findings are still sealed, beyond the Attorney Generals summary. While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. Muellers own words, describing a decision which he took to present his evidence in the report but leave the decision to charge or not to charge to Barr and his deputy. Barr has decided the findings are not sufficient to sustain charges against the President. In the course of the Mueller investigation, a range of other people have been charged and in some cases already convicted for various alleged offences including team Trump members, as well as several Russians. A handy summary of those involved can be found here. The big question, of course, is what next? A partial picture of the report is in some ways the worst of both worlds, allowing as it does for the Presidents supporters to claim total exoneration and his critics to speculate about what might lurk in the detail. The row about publishing it in full will continue, rightly, but dont expect any great conclusion from it. In the meantime, lacking the slam-dunk they hoped might knock Trump right out of the White House, his opponents must surely start to reconsider their strategy. Do they double down, and pursue the topics explored by Mueller further, or do they chalk it up as a bust and move onto the Presidents administration, policies and performance? Dear Prime Minister, I am writing to inform you, after very careful; consideration, that I am resigning from the government with immediate effect. This has not been an easy decision for me, as I have been, and continue to be, very supportive of the governments policy of securing an agreement with the European Union in order to ensure an orderly exit for the United Kingdom. As the MP for Watford, my duty and my priority is to my constituency, I have a responsibility to think and act in the local and national interest, and I am tasked with exercising my judgement in that respect. At this critical moment in our countrys history, I regret that the governments approach to Brexit is playing roulette with the lives and livelihoods of the vast majority of people in this country who are employed by or otherwise depend on business for their livelihood. Further, as the UKs Industry Minister, the clear message I have been receiving from the business community is that the failure to secure a deal and to rule out a hard Brexit is resulting in cancelled investment decisions, business being placed abroad, and a sense of ridicule for British business, across the world. In the event of a no deal Brexit actually happening, there would be widespread and long-standing implications for everyone. The economy may take five to ten years to adjust to the new reality, during which time jobs would be lost and livelihoods ruined. I fear that no deal would be part of a giant economic experiment that is championed by a small minority of the economics profession, a small minority of the Conservative Party, and a small minority of the country. I have therefore decided that I resign from the government to do all I can to prevent this from happening and will work with other concerned colleagues in these efforts. I hope you will now act in the national interest and enable parliament this week to find a consensus which we can use as our negotiating position moving forward. I believe this is the only way to ensure true democracy. The Conservative Party has a deep and honourable tradition of putting the national interest before itself. It also has had a long history of being the Party for business, entrepreneurs and supporting people to prosper and succeed. This is the moment to ensure this Conservative Government continues this proud tradition and necessary endeavour. It has been an honour serving this government, and I will be proud and vocal in my support to you and your government on all matters aside from Brexit. With best wishes, Richard Hartington MP. Matt Hancock: 75 years on, lets celebrate how we Conservatives were the original Party of the NHS. And are still serving it today. Matt Hancock is the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and is MP for West Suffolk. Last year we celebrated 70 years since the foundation of the NHS, and put its finances on a secure long term footing. It was 75 years ago this week that Conservatives in Government launched the White Paper on the NHS. While his colleagues focussed on the vital work of war, Henry Willink published plans that shaped the peace. It was Willink, supported by Churchill, who declared the NHS should be free at the point of delivery, according to need not ability to pay. He argued this principle is essentially patriotic and I agree. We come together as a nation to make sure each of us, friend and stranger alike, can get the best possible care in their hour of need. Willink set out that the new service should not only be a full service but a human and personal service. His influence and impact on all of us lasts to this day. And since it opened its doors four years later, the NHS has been under Conservative stewardship for the majority of its life. And as Conservatives we know it is our duty to nurture and support the NHS so it can deliver for the people of today and the generations to come. Ultimately, peoples relationship with the NHS is not transactional: it is deeply emotional. The NHS is there for us at some of the most important moments of our lives from the joy of the birth of children, and the pain of the death of a loved one. Nigel Lawson called the NHS the closest thing Britain has to a national religion, and thats still true today. Since its inception 75 years ago, the NHS has changed beyond measure. Life expectancy is decades longer, and more of that longer life lived in good health. World-leading innovations like radiological imaging, organ transplants, IVF, and genome therapy have made life saving treatments available to all. The NHS has been at its best when it has adopted new innovations. And so it must do today. So as we support the NHS with the largest ever increase of taxpayers funding, 34 billion over the next five years, and as we support the 1.3 million people who make it what it is, we must ensure the NHS keeps advancing, embracing new technology, to get the best possible quality of care in return for taxpayers hard earned cash. Prevention is better than cure As we reach Willinks milestone, we have set out in our Long Term Plan how the NHS will be there for us all over the next decade. To cope with the pressures of an ageing population and rising expectations, we must make sure it focusses as much on helping people stay healthy as curing people when they are ill. We must move to a new model of care that is focused on prevention; because we all know that prevention is better than cure. Each year, we spend 97 billion of public money on treating disease and only 8 billion on preventing it across the UK. That imbalance is in urgent need of correction. We must get smarter about where we focus our efforts and spend our money, not least because preventative measures cost less than treatments further down the line. Of the new money secured for our NHS, the highest rise in spending is in preventative areas: primary, community and mental health services. And weve got to ensure that patients get the right care in the right setting and we get the maximum value from every taxpayer pound. For too long, theres been a drive for expensive reorganisations that take services further away from people when we should be using technology to move services closer and closer to patients. The drive over generations endlessly to close local services, like community hospitals, needs to stop. Of course the most complex and cutting edge treatments need to happen in world-beating specialist hospitals. But most treatments can be done closer to home, where its better for patients and for the local community. This must deliver better value for each pound too, with less waste and bureaucracy and a total focus on the quality of care. New technology can help deliver better services much as its made so many other parts of our lives easier and more convenient. NHS staff are crying out for better technology too. We must deliver on this agenda. But new technology is only partly about the kit. We need to change how we think about our relationship with the NHS, too. For too long, the debate has been focussed on what the NHS can do for us. I think we need to think more about our obligations to the NHS to use services wisely and the responsibility we all have towards our own health. Of course this means taking care of our own health. It means more and better screening. And it means taking action to tackle preventable illnesses when we know were at risk but before they strike. I recently discovered I have a higher than average risk of prostate cancer, and Ill be keeping an eye on that more now I know thats in my genes. But taking responsibility means more than that. Technology allows us to take more responsibility for our healthcare, too. I want an NHS where we can all, easily, see our own records, and where we co-create, with doctors, plans to stay healthy, and to get back to health when were ill. When we can use genetic and clinical information to support living longer, healthier lives. Instead of old-school blanket approaches to preventing ill health, we need more targeted interventions that can help people make informed choices and equip people to take greater responsibility and ownership over their health and wellbeing. We are, though, only in the early stages of what is possible and I am determined that the NHS will be at the forefront of adoption of these new technologies. In supporting Willinks White Paper, Winston Churchill, the countrys greatest Prime Minister, said the NHS would ensure that everybody in the country, irrespective of means, age, sex or occupation, shall have equal opportunities to benefit from the best and most up-to-date medical and allied services available. Seventy-five years on we should celebrate Willink, Churchill and the national treasure they created. At its inception, Conservatives were the Party of the NHS. As the Party of the NHS today we must recommit to champion our partys proud role in securing the NHS for the future. Shanker Singham is CEO of Competere. He is a former trade advisor to Liam Fox, Mitt Romneys Presidential Campaigns and former cleared advisor to US government on trade policy. As we face the prospect of indicative votes in Parliament this week, the quote by Sherlock Holmes comes to mind: Once you have eliminated everything that is impossible, whatever you have left, however implausible, must be the truth. There are (at least) seven options which might be tabled for indicative votes in Parliament this week. I will not deal with revocation of Article 50 or a second referendum, as these are political decisions. The Prime Ministers Withdrawal Agreement has been analysed to death. But in summary the threat of the backstop would guarantee us a bad deal and push us toward a permanent customs union and strong alignment with the EUs rules. This would rule out having an independent trade policy, exposes the UK to potentially damaging action by the EU and puts the Union at risk. The Stormont lock being discussed would make this worse, not better. Leaving on WTO terms is often inaccurately described as No Deal, despite long-standing and widely used trade rules being in place, as well as a series of deals. There are already mini-deals on everything from citizens right to road haulage, Eurotunnel and aviation in place. We have also rolled over trade agreements with many countries (now about half the value of our trade with these countries and rising) and published our tariffs schedule for No Deal. While leaving this way will undoubtably cause some disruption in the short-term, it will be nothing like the catastrophe prophesied and does have some advantages; we would immediately be able to put in place our trade strategy as outlined in Plan A Plus. The next option to consider is joining the EU Customs Union or a customs union with the EU (like Turkey). Supporters of this approach presumably want free circulation of goods. It may surprise them to hear that free circulation comes not only from Customs Union membership but also from the rules of the Single Market. Even if the UK were to be a full member of the EU Customs Union, this would only lessen checks on rules of origin. Checks would still be required on goods containing plant and animal products, like sausage rolls, and to ensure product standards. If the UK was in a CU, movement certificates would also be needed for all relevant goods. Being in a customs union solves very little on its own, least of all the Irish Border. It would also, controversially, mean continued membership of the Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy. If we are in a customs union with the EU, the EU will negotiate access to our market as part of future trade agreements on our behalf. Like Turkey, we would then have to follow up with our negotiations with those countries for access to their markets, but without any leverage (i.e. the Turkey Trap). In trade negotiations, both sides have a list of asks, not all of which are agreed. With the UK a silent member of the customs union, the EU will agree first to anything which disproportionately disadvantages us and place anything we want at the bottom of their list of demands. In addition, we would be unable to defend our industries from unfair trade practices, unless EU industries were also being damaged. Full Customs Union membership eliminates our ability to negotiate our own trade deals. The deals we want, primarily with countries in the fastest growing areas of the world, North America and Asia, would not be possible. There are also foreign policy implications. In a/the customs union, the UK can no longer be a champion for trade with developing nations because we will not have a say in the EUs trade agreements or be allowed to have our own. Our influence in areas like security, counter-terrorism and post-conflict peace operations will diminish as we are no longer able to support fair trade practices with the developing world. The disadvantages far outweigh the advantages of the/a customs union which is why it should not be the destination or a stop-over on our way out of the EU. All the Norway variants, or Common Market 2.0 options, rely on the UK joining the European Economic Area (EEA). As members of the EEA, it will not be possible for the UK to veto or change the direction of travel of EU regulations. We will be rule takers. Norway is less concerned about this as its small economy is primarily based around fish and energy where the regulatory risks are much lower. Is it desirable for the worlds fifth largest economy to be beholden to EU regulations without a say, especially in areas like financial services? Being members of the EEA and/or a customs union would prevent us from being able to embrace a pro-competitive regulatory system which will lower prices and increase output benefiting the poorest among us the most. Many proponents of the Norway approach hark back to the original Common Market (hence the name Common Market 2.0) but the structure of the EEA has changed radically since its inception 25 years ago. It is, as Martin Selmayr notes, much more about integration into the EU than it was at the beginning. Nor do we merely drop into the EEA as some have suggested because we have not officially filed out notice to leave it. Under Article 126 of the EEA agreement, only EU and EFTA members are members of the EEA. There are two distinct pillars which are delicately balanced. Any EEA option requires us to negotiate our way into the EEA. We will not be able to rely on EEA rights unless we do. Lastly, lets look at what a long-term extension does to our options. It would certainly give time for revocation or a second referendum, if wanted. It could give us more time to prepare for an exit without a deal. While its possible that more time would ultimately result in MPs deciding to back the current Withdrawal Agreement, that strategy has not worked to date. A long delay could allow for a softer Brexit based around the EEA or the Customs Union to emerge. It would, however, make a Free Trade Agreement approach very difficult as our leverage with other countries will fade. The US primaries start in a year, giving us a window to make enough progress before campaign season impacts on serious policymaking. The 11 countries which make up the CPTPP most notably Japan will move on without us. Our value to Japan is early accession to the CPTPP which would have a profound impact on the arrangement. We lose leverage with the EU by not being able to negotiate deals in parallel but also because our trading partners are not able to put pressure on the EU to give us a good deal. As we lose leverage, the deal we get from the EU gets progressively worse. The only plausible option is a Free Trade Agreement approach, starting now. A comprehensive UK-EU Free Trade Agreement has already been drafted. We should put the text on the table immediately. If we put such a text on the table, business and interest groups will engage with the substance and get behind it. The EU understands it and it builds on what they have offered to us. Regardless of how people voted in the referendum or how they feel about where weve ended up, we must be brave enough to see the truth and act. Steven Edginton is the Chief Digital Strategist at Leave Means Leave. Parliament has lost the faith of the people. After yesterdays Commons votes, it is no wonder new polling shows the public are increasingly frustrated with MPs. New Leave Means Leave polling undertaken by ComRes shows that 55 per cent of the public agree that Parliament is trying to stop Brexit, with just 19 per cent disagreeing. Pro-Remain MPs claim what they are doing is in the national interest suggesting that they are somehow superior to the electorate who put them where they are. This is having devastating consequences. One in five voters say they will never vote again if Parliament attempts to stop Brexit, including a massive 38 per cent of leave voters. The way in which these MPs have behaved is a disgrace, and the public know it. Over half (53 per cent) of those polled agree that if MPs revoke Article 50 it could damage the democratic process beyond repair. Pro-Remain Ministers, backbenchers and opposition politicians have failed to uphold the basic democratic principle of accepting a free and fair election result. Their excuses are pitiful. They didnt know what they were voting for no one voted to be poorer. This is the stuff of autocratic dictators who hold show elections, but continue to pursue their preconceived notion no matter what the result. The worst of it is that these MPs would probably quite like around four in ten former Leave voters never to vote again. They view these voters as stupid, not worth attempting to bring over to their side, and simply a formality to overcome. Democracy in Britain has become a farce. That so many people are now willing to give up on our political institutions shows that never in the history of British politics has the Establishment gone so far to overturn what the people demanded. Never have those in power gone to the extent of ignoring the will of the people. They can use as many excuses as they like pretences about bringing the country back together and compromising in the national interest. They have one goal: to stop Brexit. But the public have had enough of the squabbling in Parliament they just want to leave with No Deal this Friday. The ComRes poll shows that 41 per agree with the statement that instead of delaying Brexit, Britain should just leave to trade on WTO rules on March 29, compared to just 28 per cent who disagree. Now is the time for the Prime Minister to listen to British public, and deliver on her solemn promise to bring Britain out of the EU on 29th March. Trust in her premiership is collapsing too, with just 14 per cent of Brits believing her deal honours what Leave voters wanted in 2016. If she breaks the two major promises she was elected on that No Deal was better than a bad deal and that we would Brexit on 29th March public faith in democracy will continue to collapse even further. This could lead to huge apathy among voters, or people turning to extreme alternatives. If your vote is ignored, why should you ever vote again? Three-in-ten (30 per cent) support a new party who are tougher on Brexit taking over the negotiations with the EU if Theresa Mays deal is voted down again, including 44 per cent of leave voters. There is appetite out there for a new kind of politics, one in which the people decide how their country should be run, not elites in Westminster. The traditional parties could be on the brink of collapse if they fail to deliver what they promised the electorate in 2017. Both main parties were elected on manifestos saying they would take us out of the Single Market and Customs Union. Now some MPs are using petitions and marches to justify their anti-democratic ideas. Again, the public are at odds with remainer MPs, with 52 per cent agreeing that petitions calling for Brexit to be scrapped are irrelevant compared to the 2016 result. That includes 28 per cent of former Remain voters! The way in which Parliament has tackled this Brexit process will represent a permanent mark of shame on this period of British democracy. History tells us that when those in power actively and willingly ignore the people, tensions build up. It is now up to all MPs to remember their democratic duty to the electorate to deliver Brexit. We must leave on 29th March with No Deal: it is the only way public trust will begin to heal in our political system. May has one last chance to deliver on her promise. If not, the consequences could be fatal for her Government and party. Andy Street is Mayor of the West Midlands, and is a former Managing Director of John Lewis. The horrific scenes in New Zealand earlier this month, when 50 Muslim worshippers were murdered in a cowardly act of terrorism, shocked the world. It was one of those moments that throws the reality of extremism into sharp relief, shining a light on the depths to which humankind can sink. And yet the way that people across the globe reacted to this atrocity provided vital perspective uniting people in both grief and outrage, and closing the divides that extremists are determined to open up. It has been a reminder to us all about how important community cohesion, tolerance and respect is. In the West Midlands, we boast the most diverse population in the country. The brand of Urban Conservatism that we are building here embraces the huge variety of ethnicities, languages, heritages and faiths that we share, recognising that diversity as a strength and a resource. When I became Mayor of the West Midlands, I committed to representing all of those communities, and I have been greatly encouraged and moved by the way local people have reacted to the events of the past few weeks. Vigils have been held, prayers shared and voices raised in joint condemnation. Just hours after the Christchurch attacks, Christians from the Riverside Church in Moseley, Birmingham appeared outside the citys Central Mosque handing out flowers to Muslim worshipers as they left Friday prayers. This is the true reflection of diversity and tolerance in the West Midlands, but it requires collaboration, hard work and leadership to nurture. The unity that swells in the wake of extremism helps to heal our wounds, but we must constantly take proactive steps to sustain a tolerant society. Here, we have always recognized that faith plays a vital role in bonding our many communities together. In 2017, one of my first acts as Mayor was to bring 400 faith leaders for the Mayor and Faith Conference. This conference was more than just an opportunity to find shared values: it created an action plan that identified four priority areas of concern; leadership, homelessness, how faith interacts with the economy and hate crime. In such a diverse region, we work hard to ensure that the effects of hate crime are understood, and that where it rears its ugly head it is reported, investigated and dealt with. In the last 12 months, the number of hate incidents in the West Midlands has increased by 25 per cent, a 76 per cent increase in the past five years. Sadly, the West Midlands has made national headlines twice this week, each time highlighting why it is vital that we work harder to foster tolerance within our diverse region. Quite simply, these incidents do not reflect the West Midlands I know. Last week, windows were smashed overnight at a number of mosques in Birmingham. When I visited the Islamic Centre in Witton the following morning I was shocked by the vandalism, but deeply impressed by the calm and dignified reaction of the Muslim community, which drew encouragement from the solidarity of leaders from churches, temples and gurdwaras across the city. After such incidents, and in the wake of the New Zealand attacks, we should welcome moves by the Home Secretary to double funding for security at places of worship next year to 1.6 million. This money will safeguard mosques, churches, synagogues and other places of worship. In addition, a new 5 million fund will provide security training to Imams and others responsible for places of worship. This is important in terms of the practicalities of keeping faith centres safe, but also terms of the message that we as a Party and Government send to people who are intolerant of our diverse society. The second story which illustrated the challenges we face involved education. It is inevitable in a diverse region that disagreements will arise, as differing cultures and belief systems live cheek by jowl. This makes it all the more important that policy and leadership provide the structures to resolve disputes, by enshrining tolerance as our shared goal. In Birmingham, parents of some children at Parkfield Community School have drawn national attention by protesting against the teaching of the No Outsiders equalities education scheme, which they say conflicts with Islamic beliefs. The programme is designed to encourage children to be happy and excited about living in a community full of difference and diversity. The language used by protestors outside the Parkfield Community School towards the LGBT+ community in recent days has been unacceptable. I have spoken out against the protests, and am fully in support of the school but am pleased that it and the community is in dialogue over this issue, trying to come to a resolution. The education of our children is a vital part of ensuring that each generation is more tolerant than the last, and we must make sure that our children understand diversity in all its forms. Freedom of speech is a deeply ingrained part of British culture. Yet, in upholding this right, we must remember that the one thing we should never tolerate is intolerance. This message is being driven home at the regional level. This month saw the launch of a major anti-hate crime campaign, led by the Mayors office, the Police and Crime Commissioner, West Midlands Police, British Transport Police and National Express, in partnership with websites like True Vision and Tell MAMA. More than 500 posters, featuring groups most often targeted by bigotry and intolerance, have been put on buses, bus stops and stations. A social media campaign and resources for schools back up the 12-month project, which aims to help commuters recognize hate crimes on the transport network, enabling us to identify hotspots where it is reported and prosecute the perpetrators. We are also working hard to improve inclusivity. I launched the West Midlands Leadership Commission in June 2018. Since then the West Midlands Combined Authority, our seven constituent councils and the business community have been changing practices in response to the Commissions findings, which confirmed what we already know: the leadership of our region is not reflective of the diverse communities we serve. Rooting out systemic problems is not only the right thing to do but makes perfect business sense. To get the best talent into top positions we need to recruit, retain and promote in a way that makes sure we do get the best women, BAME, disabled, LGBT and working class talent into our top jobs. Projects like this aim to create a more balanced, integrated, representative and ultimately tolerant society. Finally, as politicians we must all step up to our responsibility to promote tolerance. At time of tensions in our society it is all the more important that we show equal respect to every individual and community, and speak out when that is at risk. There can be no apologists. For the Executive to cede some control of the Commons timetable to the Legislature is not Government policy and this is the essence of what Oliver Letwin and company are proposing. So Richard Harrington has reportedly quit as a Minister in order to vote with Letwin and friends. This resignation has been coming for some time to the point where some doubted whether it would ever come. This passionate Remainer has been more than semi-detached for some time, frequently threatening to go, and saying that in his view European Research Group members are not Conservatives. All credit to him if he has actually resigned of his own volition, rather than, in the manner of the pro-Soft Brexit Cabinet gang of three, simply defying the whip and staying on, confident that they would not be sacked. Sarah Newton behaved in a similarly honourable way. Alistair Burt and Steve Brine have also voted against the Government and resigned. Burt is a popular veteran and former Foreign Office Minister, while Brine, a Health Minister, had by no means reached the end of his career in government. (ANSA) - Rome, March 26 - Pope Francis said Rome needs special attention to prevent it slipping into a state of degradation as he visited city hall on the Capitoline Hill on Tuesday. "Rome is a delicate organism, which needs humble, constant care and creative courage to keep it tidy and liveable, so that all this splendor does not decline, and instead the accumulation of past glories can been added to the contribution of new generations with their specific ingenuity, their initiatives and their good projects," the pope said after being welcomed by Mayor Virginia Raggi. Raggi's 5-Star Movement (M5S) administration is trying to get to grips with many major problems for the city, including issues with its transport system and trash management. The pontiff said that the administration needed "appropriate legislative instruments and adequate resources" to tackle the "complex" task of governing the capital. He also called on city councillors to seek to bring about the "moral and spiritual rebirth of the city". Last week, Labour opponents of Mays deal were threatened with No Deal. This morning, Conservative ones are being menaced with a general election if the new shiny gleaming Oliver Letwin-guided Commons settles on a Brexit policy contrary to the Conservative Manifesto. These warnings would have more bite were Downing Street consistent. Mays-deal-or-no-deal threat last week was hinted at by her in a Commons statement and privately in meetings. Yesterday, she about-turned, and said that Unless this House agrees to it, No Deal will not happen. This is incorrect. The EU has the option of simply imposing No Deal on April 12, if Parliament does not consent to the deal by then, whether the UK agrees with the move or not. The Prime Minister made that clear in her statement after last weeks summit and also yesterday, when she also said that on April 12 in that circumstance we would either leave with No Deal or we would indicate a way forward before this date for consideration by the European Council thus contradicting herself within the same statement. It is also far from clear that an election would not turn, at least as far as the Party is concerned, into a kind of latter-day coupon election, with Tory candidates standing on different manifestos. Second referendum supporters would presumably not back a manifesto based on the deal. Nor, we must assume, would the Spartans. May could seek to deselect them all, of course, but that would be to ride roughshod over local Associations and might not work electorally in any event. Or she could let a thousand Brexit flowers bloom among Conservative candidatesand thus risk returning to the Commons no better placed than before in the event of a Tory victory. If a Marxist Labour Party did not win outright altogether. This election speculation assumes that the Fixed Terms Parliament would not prove an insuperable obstacle to a snap poll. Conservative MPs hate the very idea of a snap poll, let alone of the Prime Minister leading them into it. There is also the potential for Jeremy Corbyn somehow to form a government in the present Parliament. And one must never forget the fragility of Mays grip on office and the possibility of a leadership election. The landscape is so misty that it is hard to see where the journey will end. What is clear enough, however, is that May is making a desperate push to bring her deal back for a third time Speaker permitting, of course. And she, the European Research Group and the DUP are acting out a sort of grandmothers-footsteps-in-reverse. ERG members are reluctant to move before the DUP does (and vice-versa). The DUP is also enraged by the Prime Minister suddenly, as they see it, magicking up a new obstacle to No Deal, namely the lack of a devolved government in Northern Ireland. Furthermore, May herself could be willing to go, according to the Sun but only, presumably, if she can be sure of her deal passing. If at all. We have a Mexican standoff. Meanwhile, our Prime Minister in name only waits for our Prime Minister in all but name namely, Oliver Letwin. Today, he sits triumphantly astride the Commons tiger. Tomorrow, for all he or anyone else knows, it could shrug him off and devour him. It all began in a simple office pavilion and a container as a spare parts warehouse in Padborg in 1989. Today, a little more than 30 years later, Schmitz Cargobull is firmly established as the market leader in Denmark. Product innovations such as the galvanised and bolted chassis, the companys own axle unit and most recently, its own cooling unit, have always been very well received by our Danish customers, reports Gregor Rein, Director, Northwest Europe. The Danish transport industry often plays a pioneering role in telematics as well. The openness for new technology and services is an essential part of our success story in the Danish market, explains Tim Warmeling, Managing Director of Schmitz Cargobull Denmark. On the occasion of the Transport 2019 trade show in Herning, Schmitz Cargobull is now celebrating the 30th anniversary of its own national sales company in Denmark. Today we are the clear market leader with more than 2,500 trailers sold per year and a market share of 40 percent, says Rein, summing up the companys achievements. The Denmark sales team began operations at Lejrvejen in Padborg in 1989. The S.KO reefer semi-trailer with self-supporting FERROPLAST body and short chassis (1992) and the S.CS curtainsider semi-trailer with variable height (1993) were the first milestones, until more than 100 trailers were sold annually for the first time in 1994. Just three years later, the sales team increased the annual turnover to more than 500 trailers for the first time. The growth prompted the relocation to the new, larger site at Europavej in Padborg. Further calling points along the road to success were the introduction of the ROTOS running gear (1998) and the galvanised and bolted MODULOS chassis (1999), as well as the development of the Service Partner network and the introduction of Full Service contracts (2001). In 2003, the site in Denmark was extended to include a 35,000 m2 used vehicle yard and the annual turnover exceeded 1,000 new trailers for the first time. From 2004, Denmark was also one of the pilot countries for the TrailerConnect telematics system, as well as for the financing subsidiary company, Cargobull Finance. The Scandinavians were also involved right from the start in the introduction of the next SPEED CURTAIN innovations (2011), the Schmitz Cargobull S.CU transport cooling unit (2012) and the S.CS curtainsider with GENIOS chassis (2015) and POWER CURTAIN (2017). We have now also established our own workshop and a warehouse for original spare parts at our site. Here we offer the Danish transport customers the successful Schmitz Cargobull one-stop-shopping concept with all our Value Added Services, from financing through to the used vehicle yard, reports Warmeling. At Europavej, we now employ a super team of 40 people who provide our business partners with the best possible support every day. The centrepieces of the presentation at the trade show in Herning are the S.KO COOL SMART reefer semi-trailer with the TrailerConnect telematics system fitted ex works as standard that was introduced in 2018, and a curtainsider chassis with a fifth wheel load of 18 tonnes and a total towing weight of 50 tonnes that was developed specially for the Scandinavian market. The ascent to market leadership in Denmark is a clear demonstration of the companys formula for success, says Rein. Customers are able to concentrate fully on their core business because they can rely on Schmitz Cargobulls efficient transport solutions and comprehensive services. Rein adds: In close collaboration with customers we also develop tailored, country-specific solutions, entirely in response to their requirements. We love us some alternate history, but it always comes down to the same tired old ideas. What if the South had won the Civil War? What if the Nazis had won World War II? What if the Nazis had won World War II and then somehow the Civil War? But history almost went in some much weirder directions. We demand to see the following scenarios inspire some fresh movies and video games. And we would also like some somber reflection on the fragility of human progress, if there's time. But mostly new Bioshock , please. 5 The USSR Was In Serious Talks To Join The Axis At the start of World War II, the Soviet Union signed a neutrality pact with the Nazis, and then both carved up Poland. Then in June of 1941, the Germans went back on their word, because Hitler was definitely the kid on the playground who calls takebacksies. The two superpowers hated each other, so it was going to end in blood sooner or later, right? Maybe not! Nazi-Soviet relations were complicated. They were never going to take a summer vacation together, but each knew that war would be devastating, and saw the world as big enough for the both of them. As late as May 1941, the Soviets were in serious talks to join the Tripartite Pact, Hitler's dictator fantasy league that already included Italy and Japan. Stalin was so serious about staying on Hitler's good side that the Soviet Union helped Germany survive Britain's economic blockade by providing millions of tons of food, oil, metal, and other essentials. Those supplies gave the Germans the confidence to invade France, and then the Soviets saw their own resources used against them. So they didn't really swoop in to save the day so much as fix what they helped break, after which any mention of cooperation with the Nazis was quietly scrubbed from official Soviet history. Our first glimpse of Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood was a poster, which was promptly mocked on Twitter. Probably because it looked like an awkwardly photoshopped GQ spread from 1997. Sony Pictures Looking at this photo is supposed to make you want to see such classics as The Man In The Iron Mask and Meet Joe Black. Next came the trailer, which started to shade in some of the plot details. The movie follows actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) as they ... wear cool jackets and lean against stuff. OK, we don't know a whole lot. But we do know that both Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and Charles Manson (Dewey from Justified) show up. And since the movie is partially set in 1969, we know Tate will be murdered in her home by the Manson Family. Or will she? Italian archeaologist sheds light on nomads in Upper Egypt Pan-grave culture re-emerges through Bologna-Yale collaboration (by Rodolfo Calo) (ANSAmed) - CAIRO, MARCH 26 - Ancient Egypt does not consist solely in pyramids and hieratic pharaohs, but also of semi-mysterious nomadic populations. The populations, like modern-day migrants, exerted pressure on the southern gates of the kingdom and were later 'swallowed' by history, leaving traces however that make it possible to reconstruct part of their culture and even individual tragedies. This emerged in Cairo in a conference held by the well-known Italian archaeologist Maria Carmela Gatto on the most recent discoveries in cemeteries and settlements of nomads that transited through the Aswan area between 1,800 BC and 1,500 BC. The populations were from a Pan-Grave culture, a name given to them in the late 19th century by archaeologist Flinders Petrie, in reference to low, circular mounds of stones that were over their graves. Gatto, coordinator alongside Antonio Curci of the Aswan-Kom Ombo Archaeological Project (AKAP) of the University of Bologna and the Yale University - underway since 2005 - said at the Archaeological Center of the Italian Institute of Culture in Cairo on Sunday evening that the Second Intermediate Period was a phase in Egyptian history that was ''very complicated and chaotic''. ''Egypt was divided'' into ''small political units'' and invaded by the Hyksos from the north, while the Kush Kingdom was pushing towards its southern borders. An absence of control over the territory would probably have enabled nomads to infiltrate from Nubia, the Eastern Desert and the ''fourth cataract'' of the Nile. The specialist in Nubian archaeology, well known for the discovery of the oldest representation of a pharaoh in 2008 in rock graffiti dating back to 3,000-3,100 BC north of Aswan in Upper Egypt (the southern part of the country), illustrated finds discovered in three cemeteries, three settlements and two enemy and herd observation points on the western bank of the Nile that had been at risk of disappearing due to an expansion in construction. Through this ''rescue excavation'', the mission sponsored by the German Gerda Henkel Foundation and the Italian foreign ministry is preventing the traces of the nomads from being erased further, she said. In illustrating circular tombs that evolved into rectangular ones, semi-buried amphorae, bracelets, handmade leather items and painted cow horns, the archaeologist - who has also worked for the British Museum - underscored that these are ''more ancient proof'' of the Pan-Grave culture, which offer a 'different perspective'' on the history of Ancient Egypt. Thus, not only the story of kings and elites, but also that of ''poor people'', ''nomads that were coming from the desert'' - very arid in that period - and that were thus ''pushing and wanted to enter'', ending up as mercenaries under the Thebian dynasty that later united the country in the New Kingdom, Gatto said. In the presence of Italian Ambassador to Cairo Giampaolo Cantini - as well as high-ranking officials from the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and Cairo's Egyptian Museum, the latter attracted by a resumption of conferences by the Italian Archaeological Center after a few months' break - the visiting professor from the American University of Cairo also showed that archaeology can bring back to life a remote and otherwise obscure history in detail: the tomb of a young female nomad made it possible to reconstruct that the 20-year-old was pregnant with a 38-month-old fetus that likely died after the woman's pelvis was broken and prevented her from having a successful delivery. For her last 'journey', a vase was placed beside her that was presumably inherited from one of her ancestors. (ANSAmed). Alaska will see a record-breaking cruise season this summer as the region is poised to finally break its most recent passenger record (set in 2018) according to the 2019 Cruise Industry News Annual Report. More vessels and bigger ships are driving the expansion, while two key homeports in Seattle and Vancouver provide airlift to a stable, natural destination. The Norwegian Bliss was positioned in Alaska for her debut season in 2018, generating record yields according to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. The company will up capacity again this summer, adding the Joy to the market, only to be met by Royal Caribbean Internationals Ovation of the Seas. Other new or notable operators in Alaska include Cunard, Azamara, Viking and Hurtigruten. By capacity alone, the market is dominated by two Carnival Corporation brands, Princess and Holland America Line, which account for nearly 50 percent of the Alaska cruise market, while Norwegian is the third largest operator by capacity. Princess, of note, is celebrating its 50th year in the Alaska market, with seven ships highlighted by the Royal Princess. The 2012-built ship is making its debut in Alaska and will become the first Princess MedallionClass ship in the market. Princess also owns and operates five wilderness lodges near national parks offering more than 20 cruisetour options for guests, who can combine a seven-day cruise with a multi-night land tour and exclusive rail service. Overall Alaska cruise capacity is set to be up by just over 15 percent in 2019, with another rise expected in 2020. Over 1.2 million cruise guests are expected in Alaska, well exceeding the 2018 number, which broke a previous record set in 2008 before a head tax sent traffic numbers spiraling downward between 2009 and 2011. Since then, the Alaska market has been on the rebound, posting modest capacity increases year-over-year. About the Annual Report: The Cruise Industry News Annual Report is the only book of its kind, presenting the worldwide cruise industry through 2027 in 400 pages. Statistics are independently researched. See a preview by clicking here. The report covers everything from new ships on order to supply-and-demand scenarios from 1987 through 2027+. Plus there is a future outlook, complete growth projections for each cruise line, regional market reports, and detailed ship deployment by region and market, covering all the cruise lines. Order the 2019 edition today. Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) has announced U.S. GAAP net income of $336 million, or $0.48 diluted EPS, for the first quarter of 2019, compared to U.S. GAAP net income for the first quarter of 2018 of $391 million, or $0.54 diluted EPS. First quarter 2019 adjusted net income of $338 million, or $0.49 adjusted EPS, compared to adjusted net income of $375 million, or $0.52 adjusted EPS, for the first quarter of 2018. Adjusted net income excludes net charges of $2 million for the first quarter of 2019 and net gains of $16 million for the first quarter of 2018 relating to unrealized gains on fuel derivatives net of other charges. Revenues for the first quarter of 2019 were $4.7 billion, higher than the $4.2 billion in the prior year. Carnival Corporation President and CEO Arnold Donald stated, First quarter earnings included revenue growth from higher capacity and improved onboard spending, offset by the timing of cost increases and a drag from fuel price and currency compared to the prior year. First quarter adjusted earnings were better than the mid-point of December guidance by $0.07 per share. Donald added, For the full year, our earnings guidance now reflects $155 million, or $0.22 per share, from fuel price and currency moving against us. Operationally, we continue to expect revenues and adjusted earnings per share improvementsi n line with our December guidance. We expect adjusted earnings per share to be higher than the prior year, despite a $45 million, or $0.06 per share, year over year drag from currency and the price of fuel. Key information for the first quarter of 2019 compared to the first quarter of 2018: Gross cruise revenues of $4.6 billion compared to $4.2 billion for the prior year. In constant currency, net cruise revenues of $3.6 billion compared to $3.4 billion, an increase of 4.7 percent. Gross revenue yields (revenue per available lower berth day or ALBD) increased 5.8 percent. In constant currency, net revenue yields increased 0.5 percent, better than December guidance of approximately flat. Gross cruise costs including fuel per ALBD increased 8.6 percent. In constant currency, net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD increased 0.9 percent, better than December guidance of up approximately 2.0 percent, mainly due to the timing of expenses between quarters. Changes in fuel prices and currency exchange rates decreased earnings by $0.03 per share. Highlights from the first quarter included the delivery of AIDAnova, the first cruise ship in the industry powered at sea by LNG and the delivery of Costa Venezia, the first Costa ship designed for the Chinese market. Princess Cruises expanded its MedallionClass experience onboard Regal Princess, with three additional ships to follow in 2019. At this time, Carnival stated, cumulative advanced bookings for the remainder of 2019 are ahead of the prior year at prices that are in line with the prior year on a comparable basis. Pricing on bookings taken since January have been running in line on a comparable basis to the prior year while booking volumes are ahead compared to the prior year. As a result, even with higher capacity, there is less inventory remaining for sale than at the same time last year. Donald added, Booking trends achieved during wave season rivaled last years historical highs and were consistent with the demand trends we experienced going into the year, building further confidence in our full year guidance. For our North America and Australia brands, our booked position is ahead of the prior year at higher prices while our Europe and Asia brands are well ahead of the prior year at lower prices. Our brands are strong and growing, including Continental Europe, where we continue to expect revenue growth driven by double-digit capacity increases. Based on current booking trends, the company continues to expect full year 2019 constant currency net cruise revenues to be up approximately 5.5 percent, with capacity growth of 4.6 percent, and net revenue yields in constant currency expected to be up approximately 1.0 percent compared to the prior year driven by our NAA brands. The company continues to expect full year net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD in constant currency to be up approximately 0.5 percent compared to the prior year. Taking the above factors into consideration, the company expects full year 2019 adjusted earnings per share to be in the range of $4.35 to $4.55, compared to December guidance of $4.50 to $4.80, due to changes in fuel price and currency exchange rates and 2018 adjusted earnings per share of $4.26. Donald commented, We believe we are on a path that includes delivering, over time, double-digit earnings growth and improving return on invested capital through a consistent strategy of creating demand in excess of measured capacity growth while leveraging our industry leading scale. The company invested more than $250 million in share repurchases during the quarter, bringing the cumulative total to nearly $5 billion since late 2015. Second quarter constant currency net revenue yields are expected to be in line with the prior year. Net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD in constant currency for the second quarter are expected to be up approximately 1.0 percent compared to the prior year. Changes in fuel prices and currency exchange rates are expected to decrease earnings by $0.08 per share compared to the prior year. Based on the above factors, the company expects adjusted earnings per share for the second quarter 2019 to be in the range of $0.56 to $0.60 versus 2018 adjusted earnings per share of $0.68. The new Costa Venezia is on its way to China to join the year-round Costa operation in Asia, and the overall Chinese market is on the comeback, according to Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation, speaking on the companys first-quarter earnings call. Overall, things are strengthening there. There's less capacity expansion than it's been in previous years, Donald said. And we've expanded our distribution approach and weve had success with that. And so, things are strengthening. Our philosophy there remains the same, that we see it as accretive overall as long as its accretive, a ship will be there, he continued. If it's not accretive, we would move it and so, generally speaking, China in particular is definitely strengthening from yield standpoint, et cetera, all that. But we think this could be choppy for a while and so we always prepare to do whatever we need to do right now. We think Venezia in particular is going to strengthen the industry in China, period, and definitely be an enhancement to our fleet. And right now, things are going well. The Venezia will launch year-round service from Shanghai in May, and has been built by Fincantieri just for the Chinese market. A second ship follows in 2020 and is also set to move to China. With the arrival of the new ship, Costa will have four ships homeporting in China, including the Serena and Atlantica, plus a seasonal deployment from the neoRomantica. Key homeports this year will be Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Wenzhou, Dalian and Xiamen, with almost all cruises heading to Japan. A new Carnival Corporation deal with Sasebo will be beneficial, as the company will invest in a new terminal and thus receive preferential pier space. The Costa Serena will have a heavy focus on the North China market, homeporting in Tianjin. The Costa Atlantica and seasonal neoRomantica will source from the South China market, with most turnarounds being done in Shenzhen and Xiamen. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a broad set of regulations that dictate how a company handles the personal data of citizens within the European Union. Articles 33 and 34 of the GDPR outlines the requirements to notify both a supervisory authority and affected data subjects in the event of a data breach. While the details of what an organization needs to report in the event of a breach is defined within the legislation, when to report a data breach and which authority you should report the incident to are not as clear. Do you know when your organization should report a data breach, what you need to report, and where to report it to stay GDPR compliant? When to report a data breach under GDPR According to the GDPR legislation, an organization must report a data breach to a data protection authority (DPA), also known as a supervisory authority (SA), if there an incident leading to the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to, personal data that leads to a potential risk to peoples rights and freedoms. The European Data Protection Supervisor (EUDPS) advice notes that while not every information security incident is a personal data breach, every personal data breach is an information security incident. If the breach could result in loss of control over their personal data or limitation of rights, discrimination, identity theft or fraud, financial loss, unauthorised reversal of pseudonymisation, damage to reputation, loss of confidentiality of personal data protected by professional secrecy or any other significant economic or social disadvantage to the natural person concerned, as listed in Recital 85 of GDPR, a company is required to report the incident. Events listed by the EDPS that could count include: A customer database that has been lost or stolen (including lost on removable storage such as USB sticks) The only copy of a set of personal data has been encrypted by ransomware or has been encrypted by the controller using a key that is no longer in its possession Data is deleted either accidentally or by an unauthorized person A distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack renders personal data temporarily unavailable if access to that data is critical for example, in a hospital. Failure to notify a data protection authority of a breach can result of a fine of 10 million ($11.3 million) or 2 percent of a companys global turnover. An example where a company would not be required to inform a DPA listed by the EDPS would be a brief power outage lasting several minutes at a controllers call centre, meaning customers are unable to call the controller and access their records. If a company decides that a breach does not fall under the requirements to notify a DPA of the breach, it is still required to inform its data protection officer (DPO) and formally document the breach. The UK ICO provides a self-assessment service to gauge whether a company needs to report an incident. Where to report a breach under GDPR Once an organization has decided that it is required to report a breach, it should contact the relevant DPA. Which DPA an organization should report a breach to depends on the organization: if a company only operates in one country or all data collection, processing and decision-making around that data is done locally, then the local DPA is the only one you need to inform. If data is traveling across borders, the DPA of the country in which decisions around processing that data are made should be informed (known as a leading supervisory authority, or LSA). For example, if an organizations European headquarters is in London but an incident occurs in Germany where the data is processed, the breach should be reported to the UK ICO, as thats where decisions around the data are made. However, if decision-making about data is split among different locations say London for employee data and France for customer data then the UK ICO would be the LSA for incidents around employee data and the French CNIL would be the LSA for those involving employee information. If a company has no official established presence within in the EU but still suffers an incident involving EU citizen data, it must, according to EU advice, deal with local supervisory authorities in every Member State they are active in. The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) provides a list of all the EU DPAs and includes links to relevant forms or contact details for each. Organizations that have suffered an incident are required to notify a DPA within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach. There is the caveat of where feasible in the wording, but companies will be required to provide reasoning for the delay. If an organization isnt able to provide all the required details immediately, they can inform the DPA in stages and provide more details to the authority as they become known. What to report under the GDPR Organizations reporting an incident will need to answer a series of questions about the breach including: When the breach happened When and how it was discovered Categories of personal data included in the breach Size of the breach both in terms of records lost and people affected Possible impact on data subjects as a result of the breach Impact on the organizations ability to provide services to users Recovery time Whether affected citizens have been informed Actions the company is taking or will take to remediate and prevent such an incident in the future. Most DPAs have breach notification forms on their sites that provide a template on how to report an incident. Companies must also inform those affected by the breach. If there is a high risk of affecting individuals rights and freedoms, the EDPS notes organizations must inform those individuals without undue delay. When informing people affected by an incident, organizations are required to describe the nature of the personal data breach as well as recommendations for the natural person concerned to mitigate potential adverse effects, according to the EDPS. Depending on your industry, reporting an incident under the GDPR may well mean you are required to report the incident under other data protection regulations such as HIPAA, PIPEDA or eIDAS. The US National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) provides a state-by-state list of breach notification legislation. Breach notifications are challenging A Freedom of Information Act request by Redscan found that prior to GDPR, companies took an average of 21 days to report a breach to the UK ICO, with one company taking 142 days. Ninety-three percent did not specify the impact of the breach or did not know the impact at the time it was reported. A report released by the EDPS in February 2019 showed it had received a total of 64,600 breach notifications since GDPR came into effect in May 2018. An average of 250 self-reported data breaches between June and October 2017 were submitted to the ICO, according to numbers shown to CSO. The equivalent months of 2018 after the GDPR came into effect saw an average of 1,400 per month. However, it seems that GDPRs breach notifications are still daunting for companies. an Experian and Ponemon report into data breach resolution found that just over half of organizations believe the effectiveness of their data breach response plans is very high, yet less than 30 percent of companies surveyed said they had a high ability to comply with the GDPRs data breach notification rules. One of the easiest things is notifying the DPA within 72 hours, says Michael Bruemmer, vice president of Experians Data Breach Resolution group. I think [the lack of confidence in GDPR-compliant notification] is more lack of awareness than lack of understanding. It doesn't say you have to have all your forensics done. It doesn't say you have to notify consumers at that point in time. It doesn't say that you have to have absolutely everything, 'T's crossed and 'I's dotted. It just means you need to make sure that you are announcing 'We think we've had a breach; we're at this stage in our process; we're going to conclude it by we think this time; and if it is a breach we will notify.' In the face of unsurety, many companies are taking a report everything approach to complying with the notification requirements. Speaking at the CBI Cyber Security: Business Insight conference in September 2018, the UK's deputy information commissioner James Dipple-Johnstone highlighted how the ICO is facing an issue of over-reporting by companies: We have been receiving around 500 calls a week to our breach reporting line since May 25, he said, and roughly a third of these are from organizations who, after a discussion with our officers, decide that their breach doesnt meet our reporting threshold. Prepare for those 72 hours The best way to ensure compliance with data breach notification requirements, whether under GDPR or any other regulation, is to plan ahead. Understand what you need to report to whom, work those requirements into any incident response plans you have, and test them regularly. It's not good enough just to have a plan and check the boxes, says Experians Bruemmer. You need to understand what data you have, how it's protected. You need to have a plan in place and practice that plan, rehearse it, update it on a quarterly basis, and have tabletop exercises and make it as realistic of an exercise as possible. It's no different than if you put it in in the same category of as a firedrill. The business continuity and disaster recovery folks understand that, but that hasn't necessarily made its way all the way into cyber security, planning and responding to a breach. Life back to 'normal' in Gaza post-ceasefire 25 injured in airstrikes, Netanyahu vows to enter if necessary (ANSAmed) - GAZA, MARCH 26 - Following a night of tension with several Israeli airstrikes, life had returned to 'normal' in Gaza by Tuesday morning. Rocket-launching from the Gaza Strip had ceased and local sources say that a ceasefire with Israel seems to be holding. On orders from Hamas authorities, all schools have been opened as have public offices, and the state of alert has been lowered in hospitals. Medical sources say that 25 Palestinians were injured in Monday's airstrikes, almost all of whom not seriously. Israeli prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu said that Hamas should keep in mind that his country would not hesitate to enter the Gaza Strip and take any action needed for the security of Israel. Netanyahu was speaking after leaving Washington D.C. on his way back hime. He later added that the country had responded strongly to Hamas and that once he arrives in Israel he will be going immediately to the defense ministry in Tel Aviv. (ANSAmed). John Minchillo / Associated Press General Electric settled for $49 million a lawsuit that had accused its Norwalk-based GE Capital division of failing to flag a Minnesota financiers fraud that resulted in investors losing more than $3.6 billion. Thomas Petters received a 50-year sentence in 2009, according to Reuters, after prosecutors convinced a jury that he oversaw a scam under which his company concocted fake financial documents to raise money from investors for a purported business reselling large-screen TVs and other electronics to warehouse clubs like Costco. BRIDGEPORT No sooner did the city school board replace a vacancy on the nine-member panel than another one occurred. Without explanation, Board Member Ben Walker submitted a letter of resignation Monday afternoon to the City Clerks Office. The one sentence resignation said he unequivocally resigned from the often contentious board. Walker did not comment on the resignation. I accept it on its face, Board Chairman John Weldon said. He didnt provide a reason. The resignation starts another 30-day window for the school board to fill the seat before the honor goes to the mayor. Weldon said his first step will be to consult with board attorneys since Walker changed his party affiliation from Democrat to Libertarian in 2017. That is something he did not share when the board replaced a seat left vacant by State. Sen. Dennis Bradley earlier this month. The board voted to give the seat to Joseph Lombard, an unaffiliated voter, because they thought they had to go with someone other than a Democrat to keep the required three-member minority representation balance on the board. Joseph Sokolovic became a Democrat last fall and with Bradleys departure it was believed the imbalance could be corrected. Walker, a retired Greenwich music teacher, won a seat as a Democrat on a slate that included Maria Pereira and Bradley in 2015. He has often sided with Pereira on issues and against the board majority. When Weldon called a special meeting to completely rewrite school board bylaws, Walker called it a coup. The single reason that I ran for the Board of Education was to help the children in the public schools in Bridgeport, Walker said at the time. The Super Majority is so afraid of Ms. Pereiras words that they willingly gave up their personal right to vote in exchange for new bylaws that essentially declare Mr. Weldon Emperor of the BOE, he said. Weldon, meanwhile, said Walker could have stepped forward to say he had changed parties when the first vacancy occurred. Not to not do so is a little weaselly in by book, Weldon said. Walker was chair of the boards Teaching and Learning Committee that was responsible for pushing through several initiatives, including the requirement that students take a course in African American Studies, Latino Studies or Race Relations. The state legislature is considering a similar requirement this session. lclambeck@ctpost.com; twitter/lclambeck BRIDGEPORT The University of Bridgeports decision to close out a number of majors including its two-decade-old naturopathic medicine program was greeted Tuesday with sadness and shock. This is a tremendous loss for Connecticut and for the naturopathic community at large, said Dr. Rick Liva, legislative chair of the Connecticut Naturopathic Physicians Assocation. We are saddened and disappointed by this decision. UB announced Monday that the major, one of a handful of accredited naturopathic medicine programs in the Northeast, was being phased out, along with majors in Martial Arts, Design Management, Religion and Politics and East Asian and Pacific Rim Studies. The degree in martial arts has been at UB since 2004 and was the first of its kind in the country. The naturopathic medicine program got its start at UB in 1997, with its first graduating class in 2001. In a letter to the university community on the first day back from spring break on Monday, Provost Stephen Healey said UB will stop accepting applications for those programs for fall 2019. Also being discontinued are a number of concentrations in masters programs in Technology Management and Business Administration that have limited or no enrollment. Students currently enrolled ... will be able to complete their degree at the University of Bridgeport, said Healey. He said he has begun consulting with faculty and students in affected programs. On Monday, some students and former students said there were tears. It was a sad day, said Derek Reilly, who graduated in May 2018 with a degree in naturopathic medicine. He now practices in New Hampshire. Reilly said his main question is why? Healey said the decision was difficult and based on a number of factors, primarily enrollment, revenue and student outcomes. All educational institutions constantly consider their academic inventory, Healey said. This fall, UB reorganized, merging 14 schools and programs into three colleges: Arts and Sciences, Health Sciences and a College of Engineering, Business and Education, under its new president, Laura Skandera Trombley. She came to the university in July 2018. Combined, there are about 100 students total enrolled in the cut programs, including 74 in the four-year naturopathic medicine program. There are about 15 faculty members affected. Some may be shifted to other programs. In its place, UB plans to launch several new programs including an online bachelors degree in Criminal Justice and a bachelors degree in Performing Arts which it has had before. The College of Engineering, Business and Education will launch a bachelors degree in Computer Engineering Technology. In addition, UB will increase its investment in the Criminal Justice, Psychology, Design and Nursing programs, according to the provost. The cuts, Healey added, will free up resources for other programs. Healey said there are no plans at this time to shut down UBs chiropractic medicine, acupuncture or nutrition programs, which many thought meshed nicely with naturopathy. Reilly said there was some crossover with students in one discipline taking courses in the other. His class had about 30 students. Fewer in classes that came behind him. It still seemed like a good size class, he said. Connecticut has allowed the practice of naturopathic medicine since 1920. At one point, UB had as many as 115 students in the program but in recent years, the program has been on the decline, Healey said. It could bounce back, but at 74 it seemed now is the time to phase the program out, Healey said. It will take three years to close out the program unless students transfer to other schools. The decline at UB does not seem to reflect the national trend, according to Dr. JoAnn Yanez, executive director of the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges. She said the field is seeing unprecedented gains. This programs closure is unfortunate, but the decision was clearly made as part of a larger University of Bridgeport plan, which includes both the elimination of several programs and introduction of new programs outside of the healthcare field. Yanez said. Dr. Kendra Becker, a UB grad who practices naturopathic medicine in Waterford, called the news sad but maintains the university never did anything to promote or showcase the program. The saddest part is the naturopathic clinic served an underserved population and those patients have nowhere to seek care once the clinic closes, she said. In Connecticut, naturopaths have a limited practice scope and as a result, Becker said, many students select other schools or leave the state after graduation to practice. For years, naturopaths have been fighting to get the right to write prescriptions in Connecticut. State Rep Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, said the Bridgeport delegation has been pushing legislation to make the naturopathic program more competitive. I was surprised to read of this news, Stafstrom said. The program was pitched to us a source of pride for the university and an economic driver for the city. lclambeck@ctpost.com; twitter/lclambeck I have known about sickle cell disease for years but sometimes you dont realize how deadly a disease is until the shock of death drives it home. The Sunday prior to Thanksgiving last year, I wrote a column, Family? On Thanksgiving, we mourn and cheer, that it would be a day of mixed blessings for my family. It would be our first holiday together after the recent passing of my older brother Charles and while we were still mourning him, my nephew Isaiah was fighting for his life as sickle cell disease wreaked havoc on his body and shut down his organs . We had lost Charles but we still were hopeful for Isaiah, whom we affectionately called Zeke. But the day before Thanksgiving, that hope collapsed when Zeke lost his battle with sickle cell disease. He had fought valiantly for two weeks as his organs shut down and he went into and out of a coma. He had appeared to rally, buoying our spirits, before his heart simply lost the strength to fight anymore. His wide smile was lost to us forever. He was only 23. Needless to say, his death devastated my sister and her husband, Natasha and Robert Smith, and their other children, and it was a emotional time for our entire family group. We knew Zeke had the disease but his death happened so fast that we, as a family unit, were unprepared. I probably know more about the disease than the average person by virtue of being an editor but as Zeke fought to stay alive, I realized that I really knew next to nothing. I was not prepared for the destruction it brought to his body or the swiftness in which it took his life. Dying is part of life and no one escapes it. But it was the lack of information about the disease that took Zekes life that prompted this column. There is a house in New Haven that is poised to open its doors in the coming months that has become very important to me and should be important to blacks and people of color throughout Connecticut. It will be home to the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Southern Connecticuts educational and counseling services. It will be the first sickle cell community house in the Northeast. And it is sorely needed. James Rawlings, chairman of the sickle cell organization, has led the charge for years to inform the public about the deadly disease. Over the last five years the trait has increased 17 percent because of newborns, Rawlings previously told Hearst Connecticut Media. The thing that makes it a major issue [in] social justice is that most of the people with sickle cell are poor, are on Medicaid. And too little is known due to a quasi-effort by health officials to inform the public. Sickle cell is a genetic blood disorder that causes excruciating pain and has life-threatening complications. It is one of the most painful diseases a person has to endure and, yet, it also is one of the most ignored and medically shortchanged illnesses in America. According to the Mayo Clinic, the pain develops when sickle-shaped red blood cells block blood flow through tiny blood vessels to the chest, abdomen and joints. Patients say the pain is like glass going through your veins. The disease, discovered more than 100 years ago, affects approximately 100,000 Americans, about one in 365 African Americans and one out of 16,300 Hispanics. It also strikes in lesser numbers people with Middle Eastern, Indian, Caribbean and Mediterranean ancestries. Nationally, 2.5 million people carry the trait for the disease. The total is 40,000 in Connecticut, with almost 1,000 having the disease. While many diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and ALS (commonly known as Lou Gehrigs disease), affect fewer people but raise millions for research, sickle cell still receives nanoscopic research, meager funding and little to no attention from health professionals, drug manufacturers or the public. That must change and the black community must be part of that change. Zeke lived a painful life and died a very painful death. But the last time I saw him at a family reunion, he still had that wide, beautiful smile. I cant say if we had more information about sickle cell disease that Zeke would have lived longer. But maybe we could have and would have done more if we had known how quickly it could wipe out life. At the very least, we would have known and found peace in his passing that we donated to research and campaigned for his cause. I will be making a donation to the Sickle Cell Association of Southern Connecticut in his name and will be offering the organization my support in getting the word out to the black community and Nutmeggers everywhere. And I urge every black citizen and person of color to join me and do the same. This is a disease that primarily affects people of color. We own it and it is our responsibility to pull together to help raise awareness and fund research. I will do it for Zeke. Trait? Sickle cell disease needs more support from blacks. Editors note: Readers who want to support the home to the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Southern Connecticuts educational and counseling services, can do so by donating to: SCDAA Southern Connecticut, 545 Whalley Avenue, New Haven, CT. 06511 James Walker is the New Haven Registers senior editor and a statewide columnist for Hearst Connecticut newspapers. He can be reached at 203-680-9389 or james.walker@hearstmediact.com. Follow him on Twitter @thelieonroars. Authorities say two young sisters died when the minibike they were riding crashed into a pickup truck in Florida. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd tells news outlets the truck driver didnt see 12-year-old Charisma Vega and her 9-year-old sister Kiara as they crossed a road near Lakeland on Sunday afternoon. Judd says the girls were taken to a hospital, where they later died. The sheriff says the girls were just out on a Sunday afternoon, having fun, but the bike was not certified for the road. He says there is no evidence of wrongdoing by the truck driver. It was a horrible event, Judd said, according to WFTV. They just came down Wellington and into the path of the truck." Investigators say the girls werent wearing helmets. Our deputies have been with the families and they are absolutely devastated, Judd said. The neighborhood is devastated, the EMS workers are devastated, law enforcement is devastated. We lost two beautiful babies. Fox 13 reported that while authorities were questioning the girls' father, he will not be prosecuted. The family just got a life sentence last night, he said. Historically speaking, that life sentence has precluded the state in having any interest in filing any additional minor criminal charges." Judd also said the driver of the pickup will not be charged. Airports are home to goodbyes and reunions. So, it was only fitting something lost was found Tuesday afternoon at Kansas City International Airport. Dina Morley, who works as a valet at the airport, said a customer approached her explaining that she found a doll on the floor. The doll was a green and brown camouflage Huggs To Go Daddy military doll that featured a little girl and a man in a picture on the dolls head. I kept it at valet services for a few days, hoping somebody would call about it or come back for it, but nobody did, Morley said. I just love her little smile. Its cute. Its very cute. The doll was still there Monday, so Morley and her friend, Heather Parsons, took to Facebook for help. They reached out to Hearst TV's KMBC-TV. The station's Facebook post Monday evening about the lost doll received more than 5,000 shares in an hour. It kind of big time exploded, Morley said. A family friend saw the post and sent Morley a message saying she might know who the doll belonged to. By Tuesday afternoon, a special reunion was taking place at the airport. Look at that big ol' smile, Morley said. Are you Katherine? The doll belongs to 6-year-old Katherine Whipple, and she was worried she had said goodbye to the doll forever. The doll means the world to her, especially since her father an Army major stationed at Fort Leavenworth is away on deployment and wont return until this summer after being gone for a year. Hi, how are you? Morley asked. I think this belongs to you. Whipple couldnt hide her excitement. My daddy doll, Whipple said. Whipple dropped the doll racing with her mom Army Capt. Eileen Whipple trying to catch a flight Friday morning. She sleeps with it pretty much every night, Eileen Whipple said. No one who hit share couldve known how much that doll and photo meant to Katherine. We were at a daddy daughter date at Chuck E Cheese, Katherine Whipple said about the picture proudly displayed on the dolls face. Now, Katherines holding it again. I wouldve had a very sad little girl. Eileen Whipple said. Pine Grill Classic title could springboard Somerset's season The Pine Grill Roundball Classic is in its 10th edition after a year hiatus because of COVID. A great local tournament opens the HS basketball season. His name was Clarence Earl Gideon. He was an impoverished, uneducated drifter in a Florida prison who was tried, convicted, and sentenced to five years for a crime he maintained he did not commit. Gideon had asked for a lawyer, but had been denied. From his cell, he penned a letter to the U.S. Supreme Court contending that his constitutional rights had been violated. On March 18, 1963, the Court agreed. In a landmark opinion, Justice Hugo L. Black wrote that in our adversarial system, any accused person who cannot afford lawyer cannot be assured a fair trial unless counsel is provided for him. And so began the public defender system that is fundamental to criminal justice today and I emphasize the word justice. Its been 56 years since the Court ruled that public defenders are essential to our due process rights. Every day, public defenders serve our Constitution and our communities. Theres no justice without us. Here in the Montgomery County Public Defender Office, we serve the accused who are poor and they are also disproportionately people of color. We also serve the public at large because no one is safe or secure when the court system cannot reliably deliver just verdicts. Our 68 lawyers, investigators, social workers, and administrative support staff are at the very center of trying to improve our community. We ensure that our clients receive zealous representation and we try to address systemic issues that trap portions of our community in systematic poverty they cannot escape. We advocate for people when the system seems to just mechanically process cases. Every client is much more than what they have been accused of and at every stage of the criminal justice process it is our duty to humanize our clients and change the narrative. Our office has a tremendous caseload, but if we are to achieve the promise of Gideon we must bring to bear all the resources necessary for each and every client. Without adequate funding we cannot assure fair trials, and without fair trials, there is no justice. We cannot focus on all the issues that need to be fixed. But over the past few years we have brought to light issues around trauma-informed representation and hosted forums with youth and law enforcement around issues of disproportionate minority contact. We have worked with the Racial Justice Improvement Task Force on establishing Youth Aid Panels, brought Youth Courts to several local school districts and highlighted the crushing burden of fines and costs both our juvenile and adult clients cannot pay. We run a weekly Expungement Clinic and are working to incorporate a re-entry component to our practice. These issues are not only important to our clients, they are important to everyone in the community who cares about fairness and justice. The public defender system is evolving, and we celebrate worthy successes. But the system is far from perfect. We have much more to do. The anniversary of the Gideon decision should not merely be a day on the calendars of public defenders or court staff. Its an important day for all of us. Given the alarming numbers of people arrested, detained, and incarcerated both locally and nationally the criminal courts system affects everyone. Public defenders represent over 60% of all the criminal defendants in our local courts. We encourage you to think about how being low-income increases your risk of contact with the criminal court system, and how contact with the criminal court system increases your risk of being (and staying) low- income. We encourage you to think about the role of public defenders in the pursuit of a just system, and we encourage you to come observe some proceedings at the courthouse and see how the criminal court works. Public defenders are an essential part of the court system, but theres no justice without the larger us. We believe our community cares about justice, that we should reduce the desperation that drives people to crime, and we should reserve jail only for the legitimately dangerous, not the mentally ill, homeless, addicted or disabled. This Gideon anniversary, we hope to inspire a more invested community, so that six decades later your public defender office can be an even more effective advocate and part of a fair and just criminal court system. As for Gideon himself, he was appointed a lawyer and was re-tried. After one hour of deliberation, the jury acquitted him, and an innocent man received justice. For much of this year the world has been fixated by fears of nuclear Armageddon erupting over North Korea. But over the past 48 hours, alarming developments in the Middle East remind us of the even greater likelihood of conventional warfare on a cataclysmic scale in the region. Now that its heavyweights Israel and Iran have traded blows for the very first time, we ignore that threat at our peril. After 20 Iranian rockets were fired from Syria at military positions held by the Jewish state on the Golan Heights, Israel responded by launching dozens of missiles at Iranian forces in Syria early yesterday. They hit a radar station, air defences and an ammunition dump killing at least 23 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which is based in the UK. This is not all-out war, but it certainly takes us to the brink. This weeks events seem about to drag them together into a gigantic and highly unstable flash point Irans rockets fired by the Quds Force, a wing of the Revolutionary Guards either fell short of their targets or were knocked out by Israels Iron Dome defence system. This is not all-out war, but it certainly takes us to the brink. In the Middle East, two major conflicts have been simmering side by side for years the Arabs versus the Israelis, and the Shiite Muslims against the Sunni Muslims. This weeks events seem about to drag them together into a gigantic and highly unstable flash point. Iran, which is not an Arab nation, is the chief Shiite power. Since the revolution of 1979 which over threw the pro-Western, modernising Shah and imposed the harsh religious rule of the Ayatollahs, it has been spreading radicalism. The regime detests the West: it refers to America as the Great Satan, and Britain as the Little Satan. Tanks are deployed near cows close to the Syrian border in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights on May 10.Israel's army said today it had carried out widespread raids against Iranian targets in Syria overnight after rocket fire towards its forces it blamed on Iran, marking a sharp escalation between the two enemies. Israel carried out the raids after it said around 20 rockets, either Fajr or Grad type, were fired from Syria at its forces in the occupied Golan Heights at around midnight Iraq is dominated by Shiites, as indeed is Lebanon after Hezbollah, the para-military party allied to Iran and which loathes Israel, won this months general election. The Ayatollahs in Iran back the Syrian government of Bashar al- Assad. Surrounded by hostile pro-Western nations, Iran needs all the allies it can find to help protect its regional interests. Support for Syria also allows it to station forces far to the West of its own borders closer to the Mediterranean, in fact, than it has been since the days of the Persian empire 1,400 years ago. A UN soldier from the United Nations Disengagement Forces loads his machine gun as he stands watch near the Israeli-Syrian border in the Golan Heights, on May 10 An Israeli flag is seen placed on Mount Bental in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on May 10. Israel's army said today it had carried out widespread raids against Iranian targets in Syria overnight A mock road sign for Damascus, the capital of Syria, and a cutout of a soldier, are displayed in an old outpost in the Israeli controlled Golan Heights near the border with Syria An Israeli soldier climbs on a multiple rocket launcher vehicle, near the Syrian border in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights on May 10. Israel carried out the raids after it said around 20 rockets, either Fajr or Grad type, were fired from Syria at its forces in the occupied Golan Heights at around midnight Lebanese soldiers inspect remains of a surface to air missile that landed in the southern Lebanese village of Hebarieh, early on May 10. Dozens of rockets were fired from Syria on the Israeli-occupied Golan overnight, a war monitor said, without confirming Israeli reports they were fired by Iranian forces Those forces, as we are seeing, are within easy striking distance of Israel. But thats only half the story. Tensions are also at breaking point between Shiite Iran and Saudi Arabia, the leading Sunni country. The two nations have been fighting a proxy war in Yemen, with the Iranian-backed forces enjoying most of the success. However, it is Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states which control a majority of the regions colossal oil resources. Now, many hardliners in Tehran are saying that, with Irans superior military power, it could seize those oilfields if they wanted. And the ultra-hardliners in Tehran, who are even more numerous, welcome that plan because it would inevitably bring America and its allies (including Britain) into a war they know we wouldnt have the stomach to fight. With such immense conventional forces arrayed on both sides, Iranian military planners believe the result would, in all probability, be a stalemate. While Iran would be prepared to take hundreds of thousands of casualties, they are betting that the Western allies would not. An image released by the government-affiliated 'Central War Media' in Syria purportedly shows Syrian air defence systems intercepting Israeli missiles over Damascus' airspace That, bizarrely, would be seen in the Middle East as a win for Iran. If the Great Satan cannot overcome its enemy, its enemy is victorious. No matter how much Europe would want to stay out of another Gulf War, its naive to imagine for one moment that it could do so. For one thing, the Americans would expect the support of Britain and Nato. For another, we rely on the Middle Easts oil. And Britain is already deeply involved, for economic reasons as far as Saudi is concerned, and for moral reasons when it comes to its long-time ally, Israel. Small wonder, then, that Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson argued so vehemently against President Donald Trumps decision this week to tear up the 2015 agreement which reduced economic sanctions on Iran in return for a freeze on nuclear development. The idea of provoking more conflict, and giving Tehran an excuse to restart its experiments with enriched uranium, seems wilfully reckless. But Trump has a rationale for his action. He argues that his aggressive tactics over North Korea have forced dictator Kim Jong-un to the negotiating table, and kickstarted a process which might even bring about the reunification of the two Koreas. Absurd as it may seem, suggestions that he is a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize as Mr Johnson did at the weekend should not be dismissed lightly. When President Obama began talks with Iran to persuade them to abandon their nuclear programme, much was made of an Axis of Evil a loose alliance of Iran, North Korea and other rogue states, intent on global mayhem. But what Trump has proved in his face-off with Little Rocket Man Kim is that Obamas evil axis is an illusion. North Korea isnt interested in Iran. Dictators dont do solidarity. Trump hopes that by reimposing sanctions, he will force the Ayatollahs back to the table and this time they will agree not only to cancel their nuclear weapons programme but also to cut back their conventional military forces and to withdraw from Syria. Thats the goal, but the difficulties with the plan are twofold. Firstly, with America ending the trade deal, in economic terms Iran has nothing left to lose. In theory, it can still deal with Europe (which continues to support the 2015 deal): in practice, it cant buy any items that rely on U.S. digital technology, such as the Airbus planes it dearly desires, and it cant borrow from international banks that have dealings with America (which means all international banks). Secondly, Iran is not a one-man dictatorship. Power is shared between religious, political and military leaders, all of whom are competing to prove they are more hardline than the next, all of them convinced America isnt prepared for a ground war fought to the last man. Its true that the U.S. does not want to commit ground troops. Israel, too, is anxious to avoid fighting with tanks and assault rifles against an enemy with long experience of guerrilla warfare. Netanyahu tells Tehran it crossed a red line by shelling Golan Heights Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran had 'crossed a red line' by firing 20 rockets across the border early on Thursday Netanyahu said Israel's strikes on Iranian targets in war-torn Syria were an 'appropriate' response after the Islamic Republic 'crossed a red line' by striking military positions 'We are in the midst of a protracted battle and our policy is clear: We will not allow Iran to entrench itself militarily in Syria,' Netanyahu said Later, in a statement issued as Israel's security cabinet was meeting, Netanyahu said the strike on Iran's military installations inside Syria sent a 'clear message' to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad not to attack Israel Netanyahu warned 'whoever attacks us - we will attack them sevenfold and whoever prepares to attack us - we will act against them first' He said that 'we are in a continuous campaign' and that 'Israel's military had carried out very extensive strike against Iranian targets' in Syria. Netanyahu said Syrian batteries fired at Israeli forces 'and therefore we struck them.' Advertisement Thats why the Israeli response to Irans failed missile attack was so swift and emphatic: If it rains on us, it will storm on them, warned Israels defence minister Avigdor Lieberman. Iran is promising to respond, though this does not necessarily mean an all-out missile attack. Reprisals could take the form of terrorist attacks, either in the Middle East or further afield. Whatever happens, we are closer to open war between Iran and Israel, with the Saudis and U.S. potentially being drawn in virtually from the start, than we have ever been. Is there any chink of hope? Curiously, there is and it comes from an improbable source. Russia, which has been so belligerent over Ukraine and Syria, does not want to see Iran dominate the Middle East where it now has significant interests. So President Vladimir Putin may hold the balance of power here. Its worth remembering that the monstrous Russian dictator Josef Stalin was the Wests vital ally in World War II. Significantly, the Israeli PM was in Moscow to mark the Russian victory over the Nazis on Wednesday. Strange as it may seem, because he can talk to all sides, Putin could be the leader who can avert a Third World War. Mark Almond is the director of the Crisis Research Institute in Oxford. As the turmoil at Westminster intensifies, the chances of a Labour Government led by Jeremy Corbyn continue to mount. It is a grim prospect. For the first time in history, our country would be ruled by Left-wing revolutionaries who believe in the wholesale socialist transformation of our society and the triumph of a Soviet-style ideology. If Corbyns radical plans were implemented, Britain would become a land of ruthless state control, permanent class conflict and political oppression. Shadow Chancellor John McDonell plans to preside over a programme of political re-education at the Treasury if Labour takes power A glimpse into this dark possibility was provided this week by news that John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor and Corbyns closest ally, plans to preside over a programme of political re-education at the Treasury if a Labour Government takes power. Officials would not only be retrained in new economic theories and approaches, but would also have to conduct listening exercises with the trade unions, Labours paymasters. McDonnell likes to present himself as a sober-suited pragmatist who merely wants to engage with the Civil Service and the City. But we should not be fooled. Incendiary His pose of moderation is a cynical act of deceit, straight from the playbook of Bolshevik leader Leon Trotsky, who advocated deception a double game, he called it as a tool of political advantage. McDonnell now sometimes denies in public that he is Marxist but he cannot hide his record. This is a politician who in 2013 told a rally against the Coalitions austerity policies: I will be honest with you, I am a Marxist. This is a classic crisis for the economy, a classic capitalist crisis. I have been waiting for this for generations. Mr McDonnell has said in the past that the works of Karl Marx are the biggest influence on Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Among his other incendiary remarks are his claims that Parliamentary democracy doesnt work for us and that the Tory-led Government should be brought down by whatever mechanism we have. He said the violence during a 2010 student riot in Central London represented the best of our movement. McDonnells proposed indoctrination of the Treasury is just one element of his drive to overthrow the existing order and create a new socialist culture. Indeed, it is telling that on occasion, when he is attempting to conceal his doctrinaire Marxism, McDonnell asserts that he is a socialist in the mould of G. D. H. Cole (1889-1959), the Left-wing Oxford University professor of history. Far from absolving McDonnell, this only incriminates him further, for Cole was an unrestrained admirer of Stalins dictatorship. In a chilling passage written in 1942, Cole argued it would be much better for Britain and Europe to be ruled by Stalin than by the monopolistic cliques which dominate western capitalism. Such language gives an insight into the mindset of the zealots, headed by Corbyn and McDonnell, who took over the Labour Party after the leadership contest in 2015. They are not social democrats in the modern European tradition, but believers in communism. When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, it seemed this creed was finally dead. Sadly the dogma now lives in Corbyns Labour Party. The Communist Party of Britain may be tiny, with just 734 members in 2017, and of little appeal to the public, having gained just 1,229 votes in the 2015 General Election, fewer than the Monster Raving Loony Party. But, disturbingly, in both ideas and personnel, British communism has a stranglehold on Corbyns inner circle. His Special Political Adviser is Andrew Murray who joined the Communist Party as long ago as 1976, sitting on its executive from 2000 to 2004. Labours Director of Strategy and Communications Seamus Milne was a member of Straight Left, a pro-Soviet communist faction He only left in 2016 to join Corbyns Labour, though there is no evidence his opinions have changed. Seumas Milne, Labours Director of Strategy and Communications, was a member of Straight Left, a pro-Soviet communist faction. Perhaps even more important is the influence of communist thinking on the policy stance. Just as McDonnell now tries to conceal his Marxism, so Labour aims to camouflage its doctrinaire radicalism behind anodyne documents like the 2017 General Election manifesto, which tried to reassure the public by concentrating on popular issues like the NHS and education. Domination But the ambitions of Corbyn and McDonnell are far darker, nothing less than the replacement of free-market democracy with socialist domination. The terrifying blueprint for a future Corbyn Government can be found in the document produced by the Communist Party, entitled Britains Road To Socialism. Many of Mr Corbyn's policies mirror those of the Communist Party of Great Britain Updated in 2011 and containing 16,000 words, this is modern Labours real manifesto. That truth was spelled out in May last year by Robert Griffiths, the British Communists General Secretary, who told his members there are no major differences between the two parties on immediate issues. What makes the document so worrying is where the road ultimately leads. The communist text envisages three stages on the journey to the proletarian victory. The first is signified by a substantial and sustained shift to the Left in the Labour movement, culminating in a general election victory. The second stage involves the struggle to enforce the socialist revolution, through measures such as the mass nationalisation of industry, commerce, transport and utilities, all financed by heavy taxation. Even the advertising industry, landed estates and second homes would be brought under public ownership. A Corbyn-McDonnell Labour government would lead to similar policies as the Soviet Union, according to Giles Udy Just as the Soviet system had its own political commissars, so Britains Road To Socialism proposes ideological purges of the organs of the state, including the security services, Whitehall and the Armed Forces. McDonnell has already warned the Treasury of the need for re-education, but this kind of instruction in socialist propaganda will go much wider. Conflict State employees would have to be made fully and openly answerable to elected representatives of the people, while civic education programmes would also help to break down oppressive and reactionary ideas and practices. The third stage extols smashing resistance to the revolution. A government of the Left, declares the communist text, would use all the official and popular forces at its disposal to crush each and every attempt at military subversion, rebellion or subversion. That is strong rhetoric for someone such as Corbyn, who likes to pose as a quasi-pacifist. But his cherished Communists have often gloried in conflict. In history, nothing is achieved without violence and implacable ruthlessness, wrote Friedrich Engels in 1849. If successful, the new socialist regime would abandon Britains traditional alliances with America and Nato, preferring to build relations with communist, Left-wing, progressive, anti-imperialists and non-aligned governments. The final sentence of Britains Road says that for the sake of humanity, the future is communism. That is the future that Corbyn and McDonnell want for Britain. They see it as a revolutionary dream. But for most of us, it is a nightmare. Within a few short days, the House of Commons majority will exert itself. It is likely it will once again vote to reject leaving the EU without a deal and place before the House a choice of options, that it will inevitably move to make binding, each of which will require a long extension of the Article 50 time limit for our departure. In that time, the opponents of Brexit will deploy all their energies to bring about another referendum, or at least, our continued membership of a customs union and the single market. I supported leaving the EU. I campaigned to leave because I believe the decision to join 45 years ago was an historic mistake engendered by a catastrophic loss of confidence in our ability to govern ourselves on the part of the politicians of the time. Attorney General Geoffrey Cox has defended Theresa May's deal as the only chance to ensure Brexit I do not believe we need fear self-government. As we approach the edge of departure, it is natural that some should shrink apprehensively from taking the last step into a future where we shall again be solely responsible for our own destiny. But we shall soon find our feet and regain the habits of independence and the benefits that will flow from it. No. I do not fear independence. My biggest fear is that we shall never get there. Those who oppose our departure are determined to play on the anxieties and fear of change that our exit naturally awakens. They want to create the impression that it is impossible and that the difficulties and complexities of it are too great. Theresa May was humiliated on Monday night as MPs took control of Brexit, after 29 Tory MPs voted for a Labour motion Whats worse is that many honourable supporters of Brexit, for the best of motives, are at risk of unintentionally aiding them. Victory in the referendum was just a first step. Did we really think that the powerful and unreconciled forces that opposed us leaving the EU would just go away and let it happen? Of course not. Those forces dug in and waited, looking for weaknesses, all the time vigilant for the chance to exploit divisions and disagreements among the winning side. Alas, they found them in abundance and having found them, they applied themselves with vigour to enlarging and encouraging those differences, dividing us into factions and playing on our distrust of the EU, knowing that their best friend was the paralysis that would follow. The motion to hand control of the Brexit process over to parliament was tabled by Conservative MP Oliver Letwin (pictured) Those forces are still very powerful, and they are now about to make their final move. In the House of Commons, they will have the majority. There has only ever been one reason I have consistently backed the deal. Its disadvantages have been exaggerated and demonised by those who still oppose our exit, as well as by Brexit supporters upset at its flaws and imperfections. But it is neither more nor less than an improvised life raft. Metaphorically speaking, constructed of a couple of oil drums and rigged together with bamboo and a plastic sail, it is the contraption that will get us out, beyond the reef and into the open sea, out of the EU where we can begin to chart our own course. Once we are out, legally we are out. We retake a vast array of powers, and we cannot re-enter save by an accession process that would take years, and almost certainly only by accepting the euro and without our rebate, which the British people would never accept. In other words, it ensures we leave. That is why Tony Blair and Alastair Campbell and all the most ardent proponents of reversing the referendum result are so desperate that we should reject the deal, which they know, is now the only practicable means of leaving the EU immediately that could pass the House of Commons. We must grasp our freedom now, and heed the beckoning call of the future, for if we do not, history will marvel that we spurned this fleeting moment of opportunity. With Mothers Day just around the corner, it is the perfect time to reflect on everything your Mum has done for you - and to do something special to say thank you. From tying shoelaces and helping with homework, to wiping tears and giving hugs, mothers do all they can to love and support their little ones - no matter how big they get. They are also full of pearls of wisdom that are just too good not to share. So to celebrate Mothers Day, men and women from across the UK have revealed the very best advice theyve ever received from their own Mums. And to help you make your Mum feel extra special on the big day, we have rounded up our favourite tips for spoiling her rotten, including the best brunch recipes and ideas for homemade gifts. We've also selected our favourite vibrant bouquets from Aldi's range, which will be available in store from Thursday 28 March. Mother's Day is the perfect time to reflect on everything your Mum has done for you - and to do something special to say thank you, whether it is buy her flowers or make afternoon tea Mother really DOES know best! The best advice Mum gave me Keiligh, 29, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire: My Mum has always given me solid gold advice about friends. She has always been able to instinctively suss out the good eggs from the bad and has always been 100 per cent right (occasionally to my chagrin). Now Im older I just use her method - instincts really are so important! Andrew, 62, Dorking, Surrey: My Mum told me good manners and polished shoes will take you a long way in life. Steph, 31, Southampton: My Mum always used to tell me to stick to my commitments, no matter how small. I've always followed her advice.' Cristobel, 58, Aldershot, Hampshire: When I asked my mother to write down the recipes for her Goan curries and rissoles she would say I had to watch and learn from her because thats how one becomes a good cook. She was right! I now make the same dishes from memory. Kyle, 33, Inverness, Scotland: For my 21st birthday my Mum bought me a bracelet with an engraving that read, Always always follow your dreams, live the life youve imagined. I might not wear that bracelet as often as I would like but Ive never forgotten what it says. Bryony, 24, Torquay, Devon: My Mamas best advice has to be: always make sure you have a lipstick on you. Tired? Grumpy? Not feeling fantastic? Throw on some lipstick and you instantly feel better. Well, at least look fancy enough to play the part. Brighten up her day with flowers Pretty in pinks: The 10 Mother's Day bouquet, pictured, available in Aldi stores from Thursday 28 March, is full of blooms in shades of whites and pink Bright and beautiful: The 20 Premium Tropical Bouquet, left, and the 25 Lilac Haze Bouquet, right, which will be available in Aldi stores from Friday 29 March Delicate blooms: The 4.99 Bloom Chrysanthemum Gift, pictured, is available at Aldi from Thursday 28 March There is nothing like flowers to show Mum how much you love her - and with Aldi's amazing range, available in store from Thursday 28 March, you don't need to break the bank to buy them. Why not snap up gorgeous house plants like the 4.99 Bloom Chrysanthemum Gift or bouquets bursting with blooms like the 10 Mothers Day Bouquet and 12 Bouquet of Blooms. For something with even more wow factor there is the 16 Gift Bag Bouquet, the 20 Premium Tropical Bouquet, or the showstopping 25 Lilac Haze Bouquet. Impress with a homemade gift Homemade treats: This delicious Nutoka Fudge is surprisingly straightforward to make They say it is the thought that counts, and nothing shows more thought than a homemade gift. Design your own card, get crafty with paints or put together a photo album of your favourite snaps. If your Mum has a sweet tooth, why not whip up a batch of delicious Nutoka Fudge? All you need to make the tasty treats are Nutoka Hazelnut Spread, Salted Butter, Brown Sugar, Vanilla Essence, Whole Milk and Icing Sugar - all of which can be picked up from your nearest Aldi store. And they take less than 15 minutes to make! Read the recipe in full on the Aldi website here. Start her day with a brunch she'll remember Classic choice: Avocado on toast with smoked salmon is perfect for breakfast in bed Breakfast or brunch in bed is the perfect way to treat your Mum, whether you try your hand at something adventurous or plump for a classic such as avocado on toast with smoked salmon (Aldi has a fantastic recipe online). Serve alongside a fresh cup of tea and glass of orange juice and voila! You have a breakfast worthy of your fabulous Mum. If serving breakfast on a tray is a little too fussy - or messy - a delicious brunch is just as delicious. Aldi's Shakshuka with Chorizo and Eggs is the perfect sharing dish for a hungry family. We've included the recipe below to help get you started. To make the meal even more special, why not pick up the 12.99 Flower Filled Vase Bouquet, available at Aldi stores from Thursday 28 March. For more delicious brunch inspiration, here's a handy video that shows three more amazing recipes. Breakfast ideas to make Mum smile Family Shakshuka with Chorizo and Eggs Perfect for sharing: Shakshuka with Chorizo and Eggs is an ideal family meal Spice up your breakfast with this amazing North African inspired Shakshuka recipe. Serves: 4 people Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes Ingredients 1 large Brown Onion 1 Red Pointed Pepper 1 x 200g Spanish Chorizo Ring 3 Garlic Cloves 1 Green Chilli, approx. 10g 1 heaped tsp Paprika 1 tsp Ground Cumin 35ml Olive Oil 2 x 400g tins Chopped Tomatoes 5g Fresh Parsley 5g Fresh Coriander 4 Organic Eggs Method Pre-heat the oven to 200C/ 400F/Gas Mark 6. Peel and halve the onion and thinly slice. Cut the red pepper in half lengthways, remove any seeds and thinly slice. Peel the garlic and mince. Finely chop the chilli along with the seeds. In a large frying pan or wok, saute the onion and peppers on a low heat for 3 minutes in the olive oil. Slice the chorizo and add to the pan, then saute for another 3 minutes. Add the paprika, cumin, garlic and chilli and saute for another minute, then pour in the tins of tomato. Season with some salt and black pepper and bring to the boil. Chop the parsley and coriander and add to the dish, then simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer the Shakshuka to an ovenproof dish. Crack the eggs on the top. Oven bake for about 10 minutes until the eggs are just set. Serve alongside some baked brown baguettes, Greek yogurt and grated cheddar cheese. Read the recipe on the Aldi website here. Vegan Chocolate Pancakes with Blueberry Compote Feeling fruity! These Vegan Chocolate Pancakes taste extra delicious with blueberries Plant-based and packed with flavour! Prepare to impress with your pancakes. Serves: 10 people Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Ingredients 130g Plain Flour 25g Cacao 2 tsp Baking Powder 250ml Almond Drink 35ml Coconut Oil, melted 35ml Maple Syrup 1 tsp Vanilla Essence Pinch of Salt 225g fresh Blueberries 1 tbsp Soft Brown Sugar 40ml fresh Orange Juice Pinch Ground Cinnamon Extra Coconut Oil, for frying Method Put the blueberries, orange juice, brown sugar and ground cinnamon into a small saucepan. Gently bring to the boil and cook for a couple of minutes, then allow to cool. Put the plain flour, cacao and salt into a mixing bowl and whisk together. Put the almond drink, coconut oil, vanilla essence and maple syrup in a bowl together and whisk. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the almond drink mixture and, with a wooden spoon, draw in the flour and mix until you have a smooth batter, then allow to rest for a few minutes. Heat some oil in a frying pan. Add 4 tablespoons of the batter in the pan, spoon into a circle and fry each side for a few minutes. Transfer to an oven to keep the pancakes warm while you cook the rest. Serve the pancakes stacked alongside the blueberry compote. Read the recipe on the Aldi website here. Whip up a luxury afternoon tea Scones with a twist: These Apple Scones are seriously tasty - and take just 30 minutes to make Afternoon tea is a real luxury but it can be pricey to do if you want to eat out. So instead go the extra mile and prepare your Mum her own personalised platter at home. No afternoon tea is complete without scones and Aldis home made Apple Scones, which take just 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to bake, offer the perfect fresh take on the teatime classic. Read the recipe online and then head to Aldi to pick up your ingredients. And as it's Mothers Day, why not add something extra special to the spread with a slice of tangy yet sweet Rhubarb and Yogurt Cake. The bake is packed with flavour and the vibrant colour of the rhubarb is sure to brighten up any table. You can read the mouth-watering recipe in full online but weve also included it below to make things even easier. Bursting with colour: The vibrant Rhubarb and Yogurt Cake, pictured, will brighten up a spread Rhubarb and Yogurt Cake Serves: 6 people Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes Ingredients 150g Rhubarb, trimmed 70g Greek Yogurt 60g Ground Almonds 190g Self Raising Flour 2 Medium Eggs 130g Baking Spread 130g Caster Sugar 10g Soft Brown Sugar 10g Flaked Almonds 1 x 20cm loose base cake tin Method Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Line the base and sides of the tin with some baking parchment. Put the flour, eggs, ground almonds, caster sugar, yogurt and spread into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Pour into the prepared tin, chop the rhubarb into large chunks and scatter over the top. Sprinkle over the brown sugar and the almonds. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and firm to the touch. Serve warm or cold. Give her the gift of time It sounds simple but quality time with their children is something all mothers crave, particularly once they've left home. Whether it's going for a walk in the park, trying out a new recipe, or simply popping round for a cup of tea, make sure you make time for quality time with your Mum this Mothers Day so you can remind her how much you love her. A mother-of-two has revealed how she planned her funeral and her wedding at the same time as she battles terminal ovarian cancer. Tina Potts, 40, from Wicklow Town in Ireland, who has two children Philip, 19 - who has autism, ADHD and dyspraxia - and Elliott, 11, was left devastated when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in October 2017. The heartbroken mother, who was told in January that there's a 30 per cent chance of her surviving until Christmas 2019, has broken the heartbreaking news to her eldest son - but is yet to inform her youngest. 'All I ever dreamed of was being a mammy,' said Tina, who recently wed her partner of 13 years, Johnny. 'It's all I've ever been. That was my goal in life, to rear my children and to have two well behaved, well mannered children. It's like someone's knocked me down and took it all and then ran away with it.' Tina Potts with husband Johnny and son Elliot (left), 11, on her wedding day on Friday. The family managed to raise 10,000 on GoFundMe for the big day While her local community sprang into action to organise the wedding of her dreams, Tina has been tasked with making plans for her funeral, and organising memory boxes for her two sons to remember her by. 'I had promised Johnny I'd marry him next year, next year, next year. And now next year's not coming,' she said. With the wedding on Daffodil day, both of Tina's children had special roles - with one acting as ring bearer and another as best man. The couple raised over 10,000 to have the wedding of their dreams, and praised the astounding support they received from their local community. Tina and her family are now trying to make as many memories as they can, as she continues to battle the ovarian cancer. Above, with her Elliott, 11 and her husband Johnny 'Were trying to do as much as we can now while Im physically able to rather than miss out,' she said. 'I have organised my funeral - it's hard enough for them, without having to deal with it.' Before her devastating diagnosis, the mother-of-two spent months going to the doctors with questions about her health. With no history of cancer in her family, she said the doctors put her symptoms down to constipation. 'I have hypothyroidism so I put tiredness down to that, I put the fact that It was impossible for me to lose weight,' she explained. 'I had back pain but I assumed it was osteoarthritis. But the whole time I had a massive tumour.' It was only when Tina was rushed to A&E with severe pain that the 8cm tumour on her ovary was discovered. Tragically, by then it was too late as she was already in the advanced stages of the disease. The mother-of-two explained that she was particularly close to 11-year-old son Elliot, and is now trying to distance herself from him, so that he gets used to coping without her Tina with her eldest son Philip, 19 - who has autism, ADHD and dyspraxia - and Elliott, 11 and her husband Johnny (far right) 'The bedside manner was somewhat questionable,' she said. 'They told me I had ovarian cancer and said it so casually, as if they were giving me a sandwich.' She continued: 'It was a huge shock it's bad enough that you're told you have cancer, but to not have anyone there to explain properly the ins and outs of it is doubly scary.' Symptoms for ovarian cancer The most common symptoms of ovarian cancer are: feeling constantly bloated a swollen tummy discomfort in your tummy or pelvic area feeling full quickly when eating, or loss of appetite needing to pee more often or more urgently than normal Other symptoms of ovarian cancer can include: persistent indigestion or nausea pain during sex a change in your bowel habits back pain vaginal bleeding particularly bleeding after the menopause feeling tired all the time unintentional weight loss Advertisement Tina was given three rounds of chemotherapy, before surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible in March 2018. But when she woke up, Tina was stunned to discover it hadn't gone to plan. 'Doctors told me it was like a washing machine in there - and that the cancer was everywhere,' she said. 'When I woke up, they told me that they couldnt take out the womb, couldnt take out the spleen, they couldnt do a retraction on the bowel. And I thought, well...where do I go from here?' Determined to beat the disease, Tina went through more exhaustive rounds of chemotherapy. And after months of treatment, she was put into remission, with her 'tumour marks' at 42, close to normal 35, indicating her cancer was subsiding. But it wasn't to last, as by Christmas she was shocked to find that the marks had boomed to over 1,800, suggesting that the cancer was back and spreading quickly. Doctors found that Tina was platinum resistant to normal chemotherapy and that it would no longer work. Keen for her to have a 'normal' Christmas with her family, and knowing it may be her last, doctors told her she would be put on a new chemotherapy drug in February. 'It was then that they said it was end game,' explained Tina. 'He said "I'm sorry but we're hoping to keep you as comfortable as we can over the summer and then see how long." I was dumbfounded.' Heartbreakingly, Tina has not revealed the full extent of her disease to her children. Making memories: Tina said that her family are keen to make as many memories together as possible, and that she is devastated to miss out on seeing her sons grow up. Pictured, with Johnny Tina had promised her partner of 13 years (pictured) that they would get married 'next year' but was devastated when she discovered in January that she may not have a 'next year' - so was eager to tie the know 'The littlest fella is only 11 so weve told him that they cant fix me,' she said. 'But we havent told him that Im dying. Hell be spending his days thinking is it tomorrow, is it next week.' While she has told her oldest son that she may die, she isn't sure he understands due to his complex special needs - and she admits to sometimes waking up and crying because she realises 'this is it' and she is dying. 'Some mornings you wake up and the fear of god is in you,' she explained. 'You're not afraid to die, you're not afraid of the pain, you're afraid to leave your family behind.' The heartbroken mother-of-two has also planned birthday cards and memory boxes for her children filled with advice, so if they're having a sad day they have something to look back on. She has even bought a constellation of stars called mammy loves you with coordinates so that when her children are older they can look up at the stars and know that she's thinking of them. Now, Tina is distancing herself from her 11-year-old, who she is very close with, to allow him to cope after she passes away. 'He's a real sensitive sally,' she said. 'So he'll come to me and cuddle with me and I have to now start training him...I make his daddy bring him off.' Jinger Duggar and her husband Jeremy Vuolo announced today that they are moving across the country from Laredo, Texas to Los Angeles, California so Jeremy can earn his Master's degree from a university and seminary that is currently on probation with the local accrediting body. The couple, who star on the TLC show Counting On, shared their big news on their blog on Monday afternoon. Jinger, 26, and Jeremy, 31, said that they were ready to begin a 'new chapter' on the west coast as Jeremy pursues higher learning. Big news! Jinger Duggar and her husband Jeremy Vuolo announced today that they are moving across the country from Laredo, Texas to Los Angeles, California Beginnings: Jinger, 26, and Jeremy, 31, said that they were ready to begin a 'new chapter' there 'In recent days, God has made it overwhelmingly clear to us that he is leading us out of Laredo,' they wrote in a joint post. 'Through much prayer and counsel, the next step for our family is to relocate to Los Angeles to attend Grace Community Church as Jeremy pursues graduate studies at The Master's Seminary. 'As excited as we are to begin this new adventure, leaving Laredo this July will be one of the hardest things weve ever done; our friends here have become like family. Please pray for us as we open this new chapter of our lives.' Jinger and Jeremy, who have been married since November 2016, have been living in Laredo, Texas since their nuptials. Jinger moved into Jeremy's apartment immediately after the wedding, and later they bought a house. Together, they have an eight-month-old daughter named Felicity. The move certainly a big one for Jinger, who has expressed on Counting On that she already found it difficult being so far away from her family in Springdale, Arkansas. But it seems that the couple has been preparing for the move for some time. Earlier this month, they visited LA and shared several pictures around town, stopping at both The Huntington Library and The Getty Center. Jetset: The couple just got back from a visit to LA earlier this month, which they met have spent ironing out details of the move West coast baby: The couple has an eight-month old daughter, Felicity (pictured with her mother in LA) Lots to do: Jinger has enjoyed checking out the art scene in town Follow him: Jinger moved to Laredo after she married Jeremy, and is now following him as he pursues graduate studies (pictured with Jeremy's mom in LA) Back home in Laredo, Jeremy has been sharing lots of pictures around the Texas city, apparently savoring it before leaving. Jeremy was actually accepted to the school a year ago, but he seems to have either delayed his enrollment while he and Jinger adjusted to having a new baby, or else has been attending remotely for the first year. 'I am so grateful to the Lord, as well as to Pastor John MacArthur and @revaustintduncan, for giving me the incredible opportunity to begin theological and pastoral studies at @mastersseminary,' he wrote at the time, proudly sharing his acceptance letter on Instagram. But a few things have changed at the Master's Seminary since Jeremy was accepted nearly a year ago. According to Patheos, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges' Senior College and University Commission placed the school on probation in August of last year. The accreditor cited a 'lack of leadership ethics and accountability' which 'was unmatched for members of this review team,' as well as 'a pervasive climate of fear, intimidation, bullying, and uncertainty.' The commission also pointed to conflicts of interest for board members. Back to school: Jeremy will be attending the Master's Seminary at Grace Community Church, which is currently on probation with the local accrediting commission Planning: He shared his acceptance letter in May of last year, though he either put off his enrollment or has been attending remotely Big fan: Jeremy is pictured with evangelist John MacArthur, the head pastor of the church who recently announced he was stepping down as president of the school 'With many board members being so integrally tied to the president, the ability to independently evaluate the chief executive officer/presidents performance is hindered,' the report read. Then, in October, evangelist John MacArthur who serves as the head pastor of the church announced that he would be stepping down as president of the University and Seminary. Saying goodbye: Jeremy has been posting lots of pictures around Laredo as they prepare to leave 'However, with the growth of the University and Seminary, demanding more leadership now and in the future, the time has come for me to transition to the position of Chancellor of the University and President of the Seminary,' he said in a statement, noting that the transition would happen over 18 months. Finally, this month, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education, the commission chose to keep the school on probation, indicating that there are still problems that need to be addressed. Where or not Jeremy is aware that the school is on probation is unknown. The reality star has, however, been showing public support for the non-denominational, evangelical megachurch quite a bit in recent months. He and Jinger have made several visits there, while Jeremy has gotten to know some of the pastors. In fact, he has even met John MacArthur on multiple occasions and shared pictures of him on Instagram. A McDonald's employee who has worked at the fast food outlet for five months has lifted the lid on what it's like to stand at the front counter serving customers. The anonymous Australian man, who claims to be a casual worker, decided to conduct a Q&A on an OzBargain forum page for interested users. 'I did an AMA [Ask Me Anything] five months ago when I was still quite fresh and inexperienced with Maccas worth ethics,' the employee wrote. A McDonald's employee who has worked at the fast food outlet for five months has lifted the lid on what it's like to stand at the front counter serving customers (stock image) 'Time to give it a go again! A casual employee at Maccas front counter serving the customers all day long. Open to all questions.' A number of interested individuals posted questions ranging from what kind of abuse they get from customers to whether they get to take home food at the end of the day. In relation to the former query about abuse, the worker said they had been criticised 'many, many times'. 'I've been flamed at for either giving out a toy that their son or daughter disliked or giving out burgers that were supposed to have no pickles but had pickles in them,' he said. A number of interested individuals posted questions ranging from what kind of abuse they get from customers to whether they get to take home food at the end of the day (stock image) Another person asked whether there is a 'five second rule' in place for food that accidentally touches the floor. 'The one where they pick stuff right back up when it's dropped and used? Oh, that doesn't apply to where I work at,' he said. 'Anything dropped by either customers or employees will be thrown away... We would have to make it again.' He also said unfounded rumours of pink 'slime' being used as patties and re-using old fries were completely untrue. When another person asked whether they could have more chocolate sauce on their sundae or individual sachets of Big Mac sauce for free, the anonymous poster had a reasonable response. 'I've been trained to pump four shots of hot fudge toppings into a large sundae, two on the bottom and two on top,' he said. 'This is however dependent on the staff member doing your sundae as they could get a little lazy. He said while he doesn't have plans to become a manager at his local store, the opportunity to work at McDonald's when you're young is undeniably helpful in the long term (stock image) 'You can't add Big Mac sauce for free, it'll cost an extra 50c. The Big Mac sauce is quite popular and I see them run through boxes of them in a single shift.' A woman who said her toddler takes too long to eat his soft serve cone, but wouldn't eat a decadent sundae, was told there was another option for her to stop her son creating an ice cream mess. 'You can get it served on a lid if you'd prefer. It is theoretically possible to get two soft serve cones and ask for them to both be served in one McFlurry cup,' he told her. He said while he doesn't have plans to become a manager at his local store, the opportunity to work at McDonald's when you're young is undeniably helpful in the long term. 'I do enjoy the job. Colleagues and our managers are nice and welcoming,' he said. And when there is a little extra food leftover after a shift employees can ask to take it home if they want. 'My store is 24/7 so at the end of my shifts, I could ask the manager for any leftover burgers that either haven't been picked up or are extra.' A heated debate broke out on ITV's Good Morning Britain this morning over whether a man can identify as a mother. Journalist Amy Nickell, 28, from London, argued that men and women can both identify as mothers, while another journalist Sonia Poulton said that motherhood is part of female identity, and shouldnt be taken away from women. Piers Morgan, meanwhile, described the idea that men can be mothers too as an 'insult to everyone woman in the country'. The debate came after London-based theatre company theatre503 put a call out for 'female identifying mothers' to write a play about motherhood. During the debate Amy argued 'to mother and to father is not gender specific', while Twitter disagreed with her and said that the topic had gone too far. Journalists Amy Nickell and Sonia Poulton argued whether both men and women could identify as a mother During the debate Amy argued that 'To mother and to father is not gender specific' while Twitter diagreed with her and said that the topic had gone too far The original tweet which started the debate said: 'Were specifically looking for female identifying mothers. But, we have several other call outs that are live as well as this one, (for) which we are welcoming male playwright submissions. ' Amy said the tweet was acceptable and, 'Anyone, including men, can mother and play the role of a mother.' She went on ask Piers: 'Would you look into the face of man who has just lost his wife and say that you are not the mother to your children?' But Piers strongly disagreed with her saying: 'Yes, hes the father - I wouldnt suddenly morph into a mother if I was in this situation.' While Sonia agreed with Piers and said: 'Sadly we have to define the roles of mother and father by their gender. Now weve experienced the whole messing around with words.' Journalist Amy Nickell, 28, from London, debated that a men and women can both identify as mother Amy, far right said that anyone, including men, can mother and play the role of a mother Journalist Sonia Poulton appeared on GMB this morning and said that says motherhood is part of female identity, and shouldnt be taken away from women Twitter disagreed with Amy too, with one saying: 'Mothers are women. That is it. To say that its a skill set is putting Fathers down. Dad is not a dirty word. Piers is right. the world has gone nuts.' While others were bored with how far the subject had gone, with one saying: 'Re the mother/father issue: I'm with Piers, stop the world - I want to get off!' One other GMB fan tweeted saying: 'Wow. What have I just watched on #GMB? The most ridiculous debate in the world. Females are mothers. 'Males are fathers. Thats it. Why complicate an already complicated world! Love @piermorgan but wish he just told her (yes, her, because she is a female) to leave!' The debate came after a theatre company put a call out for 'female identifying mothers' to write a play about motherhood for them Twitter fans were bored with how far the subject had gone but one also called out Piers for what he said Amy, went on to say that 'to mother or to father is not gender specific.' While Piers disagreed saying, 'yes they are,' and then questioned her, 'are you a woman?' Looking slightly baffled by the question she said, 'I am a woman I am also capable of the skills it takes to father a child - the skill "to mother" is also something a man can do.' 'But a man cant breastfeed', Piers argued, 'there are limitations to motherhood for men.' Amy quickly responded saying: 'Is having a womb part of it? Would you say to a woman who cant breast feed that shes not a mother?' Piers (far left) questioned wethere journalist Amy Nickell was a 'woman' on this morning GMB Amy questioned Piers on whether he would tell a woman who cant breast feed that shes not a mother Sonia continued with her argument around the original tweet saying: 'We have to look at the origin of why that tweet came to be. 'It was a very sexist tweet as later on they were specifically looking for a male writer. So you can suddenly put on a dress and become a woman, but you cant do the same with a man?' 'We need to remember that babies comes from womens wombs and fathers can be nurturing, but they have different skill sets this play is about motherhood so it should absolutely be written by mothers.' Sonia disagreed with Amy saying that men and father and women play the mother role Piers Morgan argued over the matter with journalist Amy (right) and said it's an insult to women than men are trying to call themselves 'mummy' While Piers closed the argument by saying that: 'It's an insult to every women in the country that these men are coming along and saying "I'm mummy".' Some did side with Amy though, with one person tweeting that Piers was wrong: 'For instance, Piers says only women can breastfeed. 'So can trans men. So essentially Piers (even unintentionally) is being transphobic.' Prince Harry 'banished' his childhood friend Tom 'Skippy' Inskip from his inner circle because he advised the royal against marrying Meghan, according to Tatler. The Duke of Sussex, 34, is said to have 'frozen out' members of his 'old posse', including Mr Inskip, but it was previously thought this was because he wanted to remove 'temptation' by distancing himself from a party-loving friendship group. However, an article published in the May issue of Tatler suggests the source of the rift is a warning to Harry from Mr Inksip against marrying Meghan, 37. Prince Harry 'banished' his childhood friend Tom 'Skippy' Inskip from his inner circle because he advised the royal against marrying Meghan, according to Tatler. Pictured, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey this month The Duke of Sussex, 34, is reported to have 'frozen out' members of his 'old posse' including Mr Inskip. Pictured, Harry and Mr Inskip attend the wedding of James Meade and Lady Laura Marsham in September 2013 Addressing the public criticism the Duchess has received, the article notes: 'Hang out with the Clooney/Beckham/Soho House set and be assailed for being too Hollywood, for forcing your hen-pecked husband to abandon his old, country-set muckers including Tom "Skippy" Inskip, the ultra-loyal, tight-lipped Harry pal, who, its said, advised Harry not to marry Meghan and has paid the price: banishment.' The article also reiterates previous reports suggesting Prince William, 36, 'advised [his brother] against rushing into marriage'. Meanwhile the piece alleges the Duchess of Sussex has been dubbed 'Me-Gain' by some members of her own staff. The Duchess is understood to have rubbed some courtiers up the wrong way, with insiders previously revealing she had been dubbed 'Duchess Difficult'. Prince Harry met Mr Inskip, a banker, at Eton and the pair were inseparable for years. Pictured, Mr Inskip and his wife Lara Hughes-Young arrive at the royal wedding in May last year The Duchess of Sussex has earned the nickname Me-Gain thanks to her ambitious attitude, according to Tatler. Pictured, Meghan during a visit to Canada House in London this month It comes after several reports linking the Duchess of Sussex to the resignations of several key members of palace staff, including her personal assistant The palace has strenuously denied similar claims and said the Tatler piece is 'patently untrue' in a comment to the Sun. MailOnline has contacted the palace for comment. Prince Harry met Mr Inskip, a banker, at Eton and the pair were inseparable for years. Mr Inksip was with Harry during his infamous trip to Las Vegas in 2012, when the prince was photographed naked during a game of 'strip billiards'. Who is Harry's former wingman Tom Inskip? Tom Inskip's father is Owen Inskip, a field-master of Prince Charless favourite hunt, The Beaufort, who has made a fortune over the years from a number of businesses, including managing thousands of council homes for local authorities and upmarket estates. The familys nine-bedroom country pile, Alderley Farm, near Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, was sold for more than 7 million in 2007. Skippy and sister Victoria Tor to her friends have known Princes William and Harry since childhood. The Inskips were regulars at Club H, the nightclub William and Harry set up in the basement of Highgrove. Victoria has been a fundraiser for Sentebale, the African charity set up by Prince Harry. Her brother attended Eton with Harry and co-owns a race horse with him called Usain Colt. He is credited with organising Prince Williams stag party before his wedding to Kate Middleton. Mr Inskip was with Harry on his ill-fated trip to Croatia in August 2011, when they got drunk on vodka, whisky, beer and tequila, and were photographed jumping into a pool fully-clothed at a nightclub on the party island of Hvar. He was also with him on a skiing trip to Verbier in November 2012 when they amused themselves by childishly hurling snowballs at unsuspecting passers-by from a balcony. He was with him at a party in 2010 when Harry was seen inhaling hippy crack otherwise known as nitrous oxide or laughing gas a recreational drug which, although perfectly legal, has been associated with a number of fatalities. And he was with Harry during his infamous trip to Las Vegas in 2012, when the prince was photographed naked during a game of 'strip billiards'. But he's been leading a more settled life since marrying flame-haired literary agent the Hon Lara Hughes-Young in Jamaica in 2017. The groom and his bride, the daughter of Lord St Helens, hired out the super exclusive Round Hill Hotel and Villas, a private 110-acre plantation style resort first built as a colony of cottages for the rich, famous and glamorous of the 1950s. Advertisement Wingman Tom also partied with Harry during a trip to Croatia the previous year, when they were photographed jumping into a pool fully-clothed at a nightclub. Harry had a key role at Tom's wedding in Jamaica in 2017, which marked one of Meghan's first appearances with the royal in public. Meanwhile Mr Inskip attended the royal wedding with his wife last year. However months later reports emerged suggesting Mr Inskip had been 'frozen out' of the royal's inner circle. He and another one of Harry's friends, PR guru Astrid Harbord, were said to have been 'airbrushed out'. Astrid, a friend of the Duchess of Cambridge, was also known to be a member of Harry's former posse, and has previously been romantically linked to the prince. She was spotted in 2009 going back to Clarence House with royal at 3am after a night on the town. Read the full article in the May issue of Tatler, available on Thursday 28th March Speaking to the Daily Express in October last year, a friend said: 'Like several others who were considered a questionable influence on Harry during his bad old bachelor days, Tom has been dropped, even though he himself now has a lovely wife, Lara.' The source added: 'It's all part of Meghan's quiet airbrushing out of Harry's old posse. She doesn't want temptation - of any sort - being put in his way while they concentrate on starting a family.' MailOnline's Piers Morgan has also previously reported on members of Harry's old social set being frozen out. In February this year, he wrote of a 'sad story' involving some of Harry's former closest pals. 'It came from someone who knows the couple well and involved the lavish party they threw after the televised nuptials, for just 250 handpicked guests at Frogmore House near Windsor Castle,' he said. 'Three of Harrys closest male friends werent invited. These guys arent just casual mates, they go back a very long way with him. 'The lack of invitation was apparently wounding enough to them. 'But their dismay at the snub was somewhat exacerbated when they saw who HAD got the Willy Wonka lucky tickets instead a load of celebrities like the Beckhams, Elton John, James Corden, Idris Elba, Serena Williams, Priyanka Chopra, and George and Amal Clooney.' They reportedly said at the time: Weve been ditched for people more famous than us.' However, there's no suggestion that Mr Inskip was one of those left off the guest list for the evening do. Read the full feature in the May issue of Tatler, available on digital download and newsstands on Thursday 28th March. A mother has admitted her postnatal depression became so bad she felt the urge to drive into a wall with her daughter in the backseat to 'take a break' from motherhood. Seanee Bennett, 21 from Crieff in Scotland found herself feeling resentful of being a mother within two days of her daughter Ariana being born. She would often snap at her two-year-old son, Milo, out of the blue, as she felt overwhelmed with having to take care of two children. Seanee found herself frustrated whenever Ariana cried and used to think she was doing it deliberately. She constantly felt like a 'bad mother' and would cry herself to sleep every night. Seanee Bennett, 21 from Scotland, is spreading awareness for postnatal depression, after she contemplated her own life and her daughter Ariana (centre) during a car journey last year The mother-of-two battled noticed her mood had changed after she gave birth to her second child, and would often cry herself to sleep because she feared she was a 'bad mum' Seanee has admitted she used to snap at her son Milo pictures out of the blue, and would be left feeling frustrated and overwhelmed when her children cried But Seanee hit breaking point when she was on the way to pick up her boyfriend, Brendan, from work and Ariana was sitting in the back of the car while Milo was with her parents. She saw a brick wall in front of her and had the urge to drive directly into it until she saw her daughter through her rear-view window. This was a wake-up call for her and she realised she had to speak to someone about her feelings. Seanee was officially diagnosed with postnatal depression (PND) in August 2018 and was prescribed anti-depressants, which she has to take until April 2019. Saenee noticed she did not feel the same way she felt when she gave birth to her second child Ariana last year as she did with her first born Her experiences with her mental health as a new mum motivated her to share her journey on social media as a way to cope with her struggles, and she now wants to spread the message that is normal to not feel OK sometimes. 'Shortly after having Ariana I realised that I didn't feel the same way I felt after having Milo,' she explained. Initially I put it down to the fact that she was my second child and so the situation wasn't as new and exciting as it was with Milo,' Seanee said. Seanee has admitted motherhood made her snap at her children, but she would be left feeling guilty when she didn't want to hold her kids 'However, I realised that I was snapping often at Milo; even when he would ask me for a cuddle, I shouted at him because I felt so overwhelmed with having two kids. 'I didn't even want to hug him and then I would realise what I was doing and cry because I felt guilty. With Ariana I couldn't stand to hear her cry. 'Even now I still find myself getting frustrated at her, although not as bad as it was before. I used to think that Ariana was crying deliberately, and that she was doing it to make me angry and to torment me. I really thought she didn't like me and that it must be because I was a bad mother. 'Then at night when I was cuddling both Milo and Ariana I would start crying because I realised how great they were and I felt guilty that I was their mum, because I thought someone else could look after them better. 'Every single night I would cry, and most nights I would be crying myself to sleep - but I was the only person that knew this. Seanee didn't want to die but she had an urge to crash her car with her baby Ariana in the backseat because she needed a break from motherhood Before Ariana was born, Seanee began showing signs of pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy complication characterised by high blood pressure and signs of damage to another organ, usually the liver and kidneys. She gave birth to her daughter a fortnight later at 37 weeks. 'I would constantly be thinking about the few weeks before Ariana was born and her actual birth which made me so sad and helpless to think about it,' she recalled. 'I had a horrible time during labour and delivery with Ariana and I couldn't get it out of my head at all. I rarely went out the house - especially by myself. 'I would sit inside all day because I didn't want to bump into anyone I knew as I didn't want them to ask how I was getting on. My anxiety was constantly through the roof. WHAT IS POSTNATAL DEPRESSION? Postnatal depression is a form of the mental-health condition that affects more than one in 10 women in the UK and US within a year of giving birth. As many men can be affected as women, research suggests. Many parents feel down, teary and anxious within the first two weeks of having a child, which is often called the 'baby blues'. But if symptoms start later or last longer, they may be suffering from postnatal depression. Postnatal depression is just as serious as others form of the mental-health disorder. Symptoms include: Persistent sadness Lack of enjoyment or interest in the wider world Fatigue Insomnia Struggling to bond with your baby Withdrawing from others Difficulty concentrating and making decisions Frightening thoughts, such as hurting your baby Sufferers should not wait for their symptoms to just go away. Instead they should recognise that it is not their fault they are depressed and it does not make them a bad parent. If you or your partner may be suffering, talk to your GP or health visitor. Treatments can include self-help, such as talking to loved ones, resting when you can and making time to do things you enjoy. Therapy may also be prescribed. In severe cases where other options have not helped, antidepressants may be recommended. Doctors will prescribe ones that are safe to take while breastfeeding. Postnatal depression's cause is unclear, however, it is more common in those with a history of mental-health problems. Lack of support from loved ones, a poor relationship with the partner and a life-changing event, such as bereavement, can also raise the risk. Source: NHS Advertisement 'One night I was going to pick my partner up from work. I had Ariana in the back of the car and Milo was at home with my parents. 'I was tired, I had been crying in the car and I saw a brick wall in front of me; I remember wanting to drive into the wall, and having the urge to do it, but then I caught a glimpse of Ariana in my mirror and I couldn't let her get hurt. 'I didn't want to die, I just wanted to have a break. After that incident I realised I needed to speak to someone about the way I was feeling and so I turned to my health visitor. 'She explained postnatal depression to me and talked about medication. On top of all these feelings I also realised that I wasn't taking care of myself.' PND is a problem which impacts over one in every 10 women within a year of giving birth. After the accident Seanee sought medical advice and spoke to her health visitor about her feelings, and now she is on anti depressants she feels '100 per cent better If the condition is recognised early, women can make a full recovery and Seanee says due to her PND, she felt that she missed out on bonding with her youngest. 'I felt like a bad mum because I felt defeated. I hated being a parent for a while and wished that I wasn't,' she said. 'I was so overwhelmed with everything that I just felt like I had made such a mistake having children and that I was failing miserably at it. 'I just didn't want anyone to know or think that I was struggling. I've always felt that because I'm a young mum all my parenting decisions are second-guessed by others. 'I thought that if people knew I was struggling that I would hear, "That's why you don't have kids young", "That's what happens when kids have kids."' 'I feel much better than before. I know that I am and always have been a good mum. However, I know that I'm not 100 per cent better yet and I have been advised that I will probably be on anti-depressants until next spring. 'I also feel that because of the PND I missed out on bonding time with Ariana. I liked the idea of being able to share parts of my life with other people. 'While there can be a lot of negativity with social media, I believe there is also so many positives too. The response I received from my Instagram post about PND was amazing, and I genuinely felt that people cared. Seanee has embraced motherhood as she breastfeeds daughter Ariana (right) and Milo (left), and has thanked social media for giving her a platform to open up about the 'real' moments 'It's such a great platform to meet and interact with other people, especially parents. I've had other women tell me about their experience with PND. Everyone has been sympathetic and given positive comments. 'My Instagram pictures are a little glimpse of the chaos and craziness of mummy life. Like most accounts we share all the positive moments of our life, but I like to share more of the 'real' moments too. 'You'll see the adorable photo of Milo smiling but you don't see me having to promise him a pack of sweets to stand there and smile for me. 'I think people appreciate the honesty and vulnerability of sharing those true moments. If you've had a hard day it can be quite reassuring to see that other people aren't perfect too and can make you feel a bit more 'normal'. Seanee has admitted she feels much more positive since being diagnosed with PND, and she plans to help other parents in a similar situation by encouraging them to embrace the ups and downs of motherhood 'PND is definitely still a taboo subject and I think so is every subject that involved struggle as there is such a pressure to be the 'perfect mum' that women don't want to admit that sometimes. 'Promoting the "it's OK not be OK" message is how I'd like to help change this. Letting people understand that life isn't always a filtered picture on Instagram; it is tears, tantrums and everything in between. 'Nothing in life is permanent, everything is a phase. Even if you feel as though you are at rock bottom, that means the only way is up. 'Don't ever be afraid to ask for help. Do what makes you happy. Being a mum is the hardest job you could ever do, so be proud of yourself every single day.' Wrapping their arms around each other to pose for a photo, Argentina's First Lady Juliana Awada and Queen Letizia of Spain looked delighted to be reunited in Buenos Aries yesterday. The Spanish royal, 46, and Ms Awada, 44, beamed and chatted happily as they spent time together away from their husbands. Such a warm display is unusual at this type of formal outing, but not for Ms Awada, who has established herself as one of the warmest figures on the global stage, seemingly using her warmth to befriend everyone she encounters. From Melania Trump to Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Ms Awada has been snapped sharing similarly affectionate moments with a string of other high-profile women. Speaking to FEMAIL, body language expert Judi James explained her 'visual charisma' and 'tactile rituals of affection' are used as a way to 'instantly defrost' even the 'iciest-looking royals and first ladies'. QUEEN LETIZIA OF SPAIN Wrapping their arms around each other to pose for a photo, Argentina's First Lady Juliana Awada and Queen Letizia of Spain looked delighted to be reunited in Buenos Aries yesterday. Juliana has established herself as a friend of many high-profile women on the global stage Buenos Aries, yesterday: Body language expert Judi James notes how the First Lady invites Queen Letizia of Spain in for a hug by leaning back. 'This announcement gesture will make the touch and embrace that follows feel natural and synchronized,' she explained Queen Letizia and First Lady Juliana Awada during a meeting with in Buenos Aires today Letizia (right) opted for a regal all red ensemble as she met First Lady Awada, who paired a suede brown shoe with a silk outfit (centre). Left: Social Affairs Minister Carolina Stanley The trio met at a meeting for the Iberoamerican Rare Diseases Alliance at the Four Seasons Hotel during day two of the official visit of the Spanish Royals Spain's King Felipe VI waves next to Queen Letizia after delivering a speech during a meeting with members of the Spanish community living in Argentina Queen Letizia waves as she arrives to discuss a meeting with the Spanish community This was on full display when Ms Awada and her husband Mauricio Macri, President of Argentina, welcomed King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain to Buenos Aries on their first state visit to Argentina. The couples last spent significant time together when the Prime Minister and First Lady visited Madrid two years ago. At the time much was said about how well the queen and Ms Awada appeared to get on - and time clearly hadn't lessened their fondness for each other. Commenting on their meeting, Judi said: 'Ms Awada stands back here, offering Queen Letizia an invitation for a hug rather than leaning in to enforce one. This announcement gesture will make the touch and embrace that follows feel natural and synchronized. 'The pair end in a mirrored pose with their arms around one anothers waists that signals genuine, like-minded friendship.' MELANIA TRUMP Buenos Aries, December 2018: In December last year it was the American First Lady, Melania Trump, who benefited from Ms Awada's hospitality. Judi explained how Ms Awada broke down Melania's barriers with her 'no-nonsense' friendship signals and pulled her in for a hug In December last year it was the American First Lady, Melania Trump, who benefited from Ms Awada's hospitality. The start of the G20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aries kicked off with a photocall for the spouses and Ms Awada was seen giving Mrs Trump a hug and a kiss before they posed for photos. Judi explained how Ms Awada broke down Melania's barriers, saying: 'With her light cream outfit and her coat slung perilously around her shoulders, Melania didnt turn up looking like the most embraceable target for Juliana but Julianas no-nonsense friendship signals invite an instantly tactile response from the First Lady. 'Juliana stands back here with her arms bent at the elbow and splayed out, palms up, which suggests the pair have had many meetings before and finished as close friends. Theres an air of fun about her pose too, which earns an unusually wide grin from Melania.' BRIGITTE MACRON Hamburg, Germany, July 2017: Ms Awada steps into a 'gallant' and 'protective' mode as she helps Mrs Macron off a boat, Judi notes, but still remains 'casually affectionate' in her actions It was a similar story in July that year when Ms Awada spent time with French First Lady Brigitte Macron at the G20 Summit in Hamburg. While climbing off a boat at a 'spouse' event, Ms Awada offered Mrs Macron some help and the pair strode onto the jetty hand-in-hand. Judi added: 'Juliana slips into a more gallant and protective mode with Brigitte, holding her hand with meshed fingers but raising it up to steady her as she embarks from a boat in very high heels. 'Juliana looks casually affectionate here, using a very spontaneous-looking ritual of support that makes Brigitte grin as though the pair are sharing the joke.' QUEEN MAXIMA OF THE NETHERLANDS The Hague, Netherlands, March 2017: Ms Awada put on a similarly enthusiastic display when she was welcomed to the Netherlands by Queen Maxima in March 2017. Judi said the pair look 'almost as though theyre embarking on a hen night' as they step out of the car Ms Awada put on a similarly enthusiastic display when she was welcomed to the Netherlands by Queen Maxima in March 2017. The exuberant Dutch royal, 47, was born in Buenos Aires, and it seemed the women had plenty to discuss as they carried out engagements together in the Hague. One particularly sweet photo shows the women walking with their arms around each other as they made their way from their car. Judi said: 'In this pose the women look almost as though theyre embarking on a hen night and its Julias signals of confidence and fun that appears to allow Queen Maxima to adopt a very youthful, almost giggly smile. 'The embrace looks like a give here with both women very naturally placing an arm around one anothers waists in a sign of what looks like long-term friendship.' They fell out of fashion in the 1950s when the invention of the disposable nappy saved new mothers from a laborious and smelly task, but cloth nappies are now undergoing a surprising surge in popularity - thanks to the Instagram generation. Young mothers are spending hundreds of pounds on cloth nappies in a bid to cut down on plastic waste and post pictures of sought-after designs on social media. The craze for designer nappies - costing up to 160 each - has been dubbbed cloth bumming, with some fans reportedly collecting nappies like others collect handbags. Mother-of-four Cecilia Leslie, 32, from Edinburgh has built up a stash of about 500 nappies and is now known as a cloth nappy influencer with more than 22,000 Instagram followers. Cecilia Leslie (pictured), 32, from Edinburgh, has a collection of around 500 cloth nappies and has even become an influencer of Instagram because of it Cecilia's collection of brightly coloured cloth nappies totals more than 500. She admits that she's addicted to collecting and loves tracking down limited edition designs Cecilia originally set out on her cloth journey to reduce plastic waste and save money but, over the years, collection has became a hobby. She said: Ive got a lot of limited editions, which sell out quickly. It became a bit of a game trying to track them down - I used to source them from Canada, Australia and the USA. I paid 60 for a limited edition print that TotsBots brought out when Prince George was born. And I once paid 160 for a pair of limited edition Bumgenius nappies - there were only 100 made. The midwife, who has four children, started to post her 'cloth nappy' journey on Instagram and has amassed 22,000 followers Its not producing landfill - once Isaac grows out of them Ill sell them on and give other mums a chance to have a really good nappy in excellent condition. So overall its a positive thing - its not just a frivolous hobby. Last year Environment Secretary Michael Gove announced that ministers are planning a crackdown on disposable nappies to reduce the amount of plastic in the oceans. He said the government would encourage people to move away from disposable nappies towards sustainable alternatives such as cloth ones. Almost three billion disposable nappies are thrown away in the UK each year, and are said to have a far greater impact on the environment than single-use coffee cups. Just some of the designs that the cloth nappy influencer has collected and that she uses on her children Admitting that she started using cloth nappies, which you can clean and reuse, for environmental reasons Cecilia quickly became addicted to collecting the different pretty patterns Fiona Smyth, director of cloth nappy manufacturer TotsBots, says she was stunned by the reaction to limited edition print Royal Flush, released to celebrate the birth of Prince George. She told the BBC: We made 500 royal baby nappies and they sold out within an hour and a half. The website crashed. The retailers sites crashed. We charged the normal price (18) for them but they started appearing on eBay for 150 within a week. Parents can be quite fanatical when a new range is about to be released, and start stalking your website. They want to be the first person to buy and get them OTB, or on the bum, and get their pictures on social media. It adds a little bit of joy to something thats not usually that much fun. Cecilia says that she constantly has to justify the amount she spends on nappies to her husband Cecilia has paid anything from 60 and up to 160 for pair of limited edition reusable patterns The hastag #clothnappies is also popular on Instagram, with 100,000 posts talking about the reusable nappies Cecilia admits that she constantly has to justify the amount she spends on nappies to her husband. 'He agrees the money could be better spent, but he said there are a lot worse things I could be addicted to.' The mother-of-four readily admits that she's addicted to her collection, but also says its a popular topic of conversation between her and other mothers. The hastag #clothnappies is also popular on Instagram, with 100,000 posts talking about the reusable nappies. The trend of reusable nappies means that over 5,000 disposable nappies per baby won't end up in landfill. Sandwiched between celebrity haunt Chiltern Firehouse and trendy farm shop Daylesford in London's Marylebone is an exclusive vintage store that's fast becoming Meghan Markle's go-to for public engagements. William Vintage is a high-end boutique frequented by celebrities and royals alike, whose founder boasts a past almost as colourful as the haute couture designs snapped up by its A-list clientele. Run by interior designer turned vintage dealer William Banks-Blaney - who says clients are free to 'dance around in their bra and pants' - the store is fast becoming synonymous with the Duchess of Sussex after she stepped out in a number of its designs in recent weeks. Just last weekend, Meghan wore a 1960s Dior by Marc Bohan Haute couture coat from the boutique for the christening of Zara Tindall's daughter Lena in Gloucestershire. Scroll down for video Famous fan! Meghan wore a Courreges Haute Couture black trapeze coat from William Vintage during her much-publicised baby shower in New York in February (left); she also wore a 1960s cashmere coat from the boutique in Bristol (right) Meghan wore a 1960s Dior by Marc Bohan Haute couture coat from William Vintage for the christening of Zara Tindall's daughter Lena in Gloucestershire (pictured) Fashion boutique William Vintage (pictured) is sandwiched between celebrity haunt Chiltern Firehouse and trendy farm shop Daylesford in London's Marylebone She also opted for a Courreges Haute Couture black trapeze coat for her New York baby shower in February, just weeks after donning a 1960s cashmere coat - also from William Vintage - in Bristol. Dubbed the 'vintage king' by fashion bible Vogue, William Banks-Blaney also counts Meghan's friends Amal Clooney and Millie Mackintosh, as well as pop star Rihanna, among his loyal fans. He been closely linked to the royal family for years through his previous post as a salesman at the furniture shop owned by Viscount Linley - now Lord Snowdon - the son of Princess Margaret. William Banks-Blaney also counts Meghan friends Amal Clooney among his loyal fans (the pair are pictured together at a fashion party in Los Angeles in October 2017) Amal Clooney, a close friend of Meghan, wears a vintage Jean-Louis Scherrer by Stephane Rolland dress from William Vintage at a gala dinner at Buckingham Palace earlier this month Banks-Blaney, an only child, was born in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire and graduated from the University of Buckingham in 2000 with a history of arts degree. But it was in 2006 that he shot to fame as the lover of married Tory frontbencher Greg Barker after they met at a private members' gym in Chelsea. The scandal that engulfed the politician, one of David Camerons most trusted confidants, when news of his affair emerged, rocked the Conservative Party and stunned Westminster. Banks-Blaney was forced to flee the country when their romance hit headlines after Barker left his wife and three children, but it came to an acrimonious end less than three years later. 'King of vintage' Banks-Blaney (pictured at the British Fashion Awards in London, November 2015) graduated from the University of Buckingham in 2000 with a history of arts degree William Banks-Blaney (pictured in London in May 2016) shot to fame as the lover of married Tory frontbencher Greg Barker after they met at a private members' gym in Chelsea But there was a happy ending two years later when he had a civil partnership with commercial barrister Alexander Hall Taylor in 2011. While William Vintage's couture gowns sell for upwards of 8,000 on FarFetch, and his clients include the likes of Emma Thompson and Rihanna, he insists the boutique has an 'unpretentious' vibe. In an interview with Vogue he said of his appointments: 'I keep it very simple, very unpretentious and very friendly. 'Private appointments sound scary to people but really, you rock up, you can dance around in your bra and pants - I don't care.' Lee Rigby's mother has revealed she still sleeps with her son's T-shirt and a throw made from his old clothes at night - six years after his devastating murder. At the time, Lyn Rigby, 50, from Manchester, said she wanted to end her own life after her son was murdered by Islamic extremists in Woolwich, London on 22 May 2013. But in a new interview with Bella magazine, she has told how opening a retreat in Staffordshire for grieving military veterans and their families in her son's name has helped changed everything for her and her family - and is saving veterans' lives. 'Working for the foundation has helped me more than I can put into words, but I can't pretend it's not still hard,' she said. 'When I go to bed, I sleep with Lee's T-shirt under my pillow and with a throw made from his old clothes.' Father-of-one Lee Rigby was murdered outside his barracks in Woolwich, London, in 2013 Lyn Rigby, the mother of murdered soldier Lee, has revealed she still sleeps with her son's T-shirt and a throw made from his old clothes at night - six years after his devastating murder. Pictured, standing in front of a bronze drum in memory of Fusilier Lee Rigby, which was unveiled in Manchester on 29 Mar 2015 In October 2017, after renovating a large house with a kitchen, dining room, two living rooms, two double bedrooms and two single bedrooms, Lyn officially opened the Lee Rigby house in her son's honour. 'Our first visitor was a man called Michael,' she told the magazine. 'He was 52, and had fallen on difficult times after leaving the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment. He became a roofer but suffered with money problems and turned to drink. When he came to us, he was unemployed, homeless and an alcoholic.' After hearing about Michael through the Foundation's contact, Lyn then offered him a room until he got better. 'He gave up booze and stayed with us at the lodge,' she continued. 'He told me if we hadn't taken him in he would be dead, and that we had changed his life. It was so nice to hear and really gave me purpose.' The retreat is actually part of his country estate and Lyn said she was thankful for the support While Lyn has spoken about there not being something similar available for her when she was grieving, the Lee Rigby foundation has gone on to help hundreds of families just like hers. 'It gave me a focus for my grief, knowing I could help others,' she added. 'Everything has changed for me and my family, thanks to Peter and the foundation. It feels good that something so positive has come out of something so tragic.' The idea for the Lee Rigby house initially came after a heartbroken Lyn was introduced to Peter Thornley - an ex-wrestler who had heard about Lee and the tragedy the family had been through. She was invited to his country estate in Staffordshire where the Buddhist ran therapy sessions. Lee Rigby House has been jointly funded by the Lee Rigby Foundation and former wrestling star Kendo Nagasaki, who was moved by the Fusilier's story At this stage, Lyn thought she was beyond helping, but due to the peaceful nature of the area, it was the first time since her son's death she felt calm. 'When Peter suggested we could renovate a building on his land, I knew I wanted to start the Lee Rigby Foundation to create a retreat for grieving military veterans and their families,' she said. The Lee Rigby House has been jointly funded by the Lee Rigby Foundation and former wrestling star Kendo Nagasaki, who was moved by the Fusilier's story. The retreat is actually part of his country estate and Lyn said she was thankful for the support. Speaking of her past struggles, she told The Sun on Sunday: 'When I hit rock bottom I wanted to end it all. There was no lifeline or place to run to, so I found myself sitting at my son's grave at midnight on one of the bleakest winter nights possible. 'I lay on the ground next to his headstone in the pitch black as the wind and rain lashed into me. I just wanted to be with Lee again and this was the only way I could think of trying to get closer to him. Private Lee Rigby, a drummer in the the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, taking part in a march through Hounslow, London on November 26, 2009 'I sobbed my heart out all alone in the graveyard, so I know how grim things can get when you are grieving a loved one. Adebolajo and his accomplice Michael Adebowale, 24, murdered 25-year-old Fusilier Rigby near the Royal Artillery Barrack 'I wish there had been a retreat or a place I could have gone to at my darkest hour, because this kind of grief is the loneliest and scariest thing in the world.' 'It's real torture and I hope I can offer some small comfort to others when they are feeling the same way.' Adebolajo and his accomplice Michael Adebowale, 24, murdered 25-year-old Fusilier Rigby near the Royal Artillery Barracks. They knocked Rigby down in a car and then hacked him to death with knives and a cleaver. Both of the attackers were found guilty of Rigbys murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Adebolajo was given a whole life order and Adebowale was ordered to serve at least 45 years. Adebolajo has since complained about being segregated from other Muslim prisoners. Victoria Beckham is known for her glowing skin and youthful glow, but it is perhaps of no surprise to learn her age-defying appearance doesn't come cheap. Indeed the fashion designer, 44, can spend up to 1,100 ($1,450) on a single facial designed to boost her complexion, her Beverly Hills-based dermatologist has revealed. Dr Harold Lancer, who also counts Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and Margot Robbie among his A-list clients, told Closer magazine how Mrs Beckham relies on his Legacy Facial to keep her skin looking flawless. Victoria Beckham, pictured in London this month, is known for her glowing skin and youthful glow, but it is perhaps of no surprise to learn her age-defying appearance doesn't come cheap Victoria Beckham still retains the same youthful glow she did back in 2005 (pictured). Above, at the rock and republic spring summer show at Los Angeles fashion week Victoria Beckham can spend up to 1,100 on a single facial designed to boost her complexion, her Beverly Hills-based dermatologist Dr Harold Lancer, pictured left, has revealed. Pictured right, Dr Lancer with Kim Kardashian, another of his A-list clients The treatment - dubbed the 'foetus' facial for how young you look afterwards - starts with a caviar sheet mask and the Legacy Eye Treatment Duo, 450, which is made from crushed pearls. Stem cells are then injected into the skin and the programme is finished off with LED and oxygen therapy. The effects of the Legacy Facial, of which Brie Larson is also a fan, last around two weeks. What does the Legacy Facial involve? Caviar sheet mask Eye cream made of crushed pearls Stem cells injected into skin LED therapy Oxygen therapy Advertisement Dr Lancer explained the extensive - and expensive - treatment is designed with a 'specific' type of client in mind and for a 'very specific purpose'. 'People in the public eye demand a high lever of product and materials, which this facial offers,' he said. 'After the pressure of make-up, stress and dehydration, this facial adds an antioxidant protein shield that the skin needs to look its best.' However Victoria is also careful to adhere to the at-home treatment plan to maximise the effects of any salon-based pampering. Her commitment to this programme is key to her keeping her skin looking as good as it does. It has previously been reported Victoria spends 1,246 on her skincare, make-up, body and hair routine. The treatment - dubbed the 'foetus' facial for how young you look afterwards - starts with a caviar sheet mask and the Legacy Eye Treatment Duo , 450, which is made from crushed pearls. Stem cells are then injected into the skin and the programme is finished off with LED and oxygen therapy Victoria is also careful to adhere to the at-home treatment plan to maximise the effects of any salon-based pampering. It has previously been reported Victoria, pictured in an Instagram bathroom selfie, spends 1,246 on her skincare, make-up, body and hair routine Victoria Beckham previously revealed how she used the 118 Lancer Radiance Awakening Mask, pictured, saying: 'After a full on week, my skin needs an intense mask 'Victoria doesn't just sporadically do something,' Dr Lancer continued. 'She follows a programme with the same determination as an Olympic athlete and that's why it looks the way it does.' Victoria has shared several Instagram snaps of Dr Lancer's products so followers can snap up her favourites. Last year she showed how she used the 118 Lancer Radiance Awakening Mask, saying: 'After a full on week, my skin needs an intense mask.' The product, which you leave on overnight, is designed to revitalise dry and dull skin, and give it a natural glow. She also previously posted about the Lancer Skincares Method Polish, 55. Dr Lancer has also bottled up his 'Legacy' treatment in a take home tub. However even that will set you back 750 ($1,000). The skin expert's clients also include Brie Larson, Renee Zellweger, Jessica Simpson and Charlie Sheens ex-wife, Denise Richards. Bristol Palin has opened up about the horror of being stalked by the same man for the past five years, revealing that he has sent her thousands of messages on social media and has even gone as far as claiming her three children are his. The 28-year-old mom took to Instagram Stories on Monday to share her story while posting pictures of her convicted stalker Peter Paul William Ferrero, 30, who was charged this week with allegedly assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. 'You guys . . . I feel like I have been silently living in a total nightmare,' she wrote of Ferrero, who has also harassed her younger sisters and ex-husband Dakota Meyer. 'I have no clue who this guy is, never met him, zero association with him EVER.' Story: Bristol Palin, 28, has opened up about being stalked by Peter Paul William Ferrero, 30. He was charged this week with allegedly assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest Hard to handle: In her Instagram Stories posts, Bristol said she fees like she has been living in a 'total nightmare.' She stressed that she never had any association with Ferrero A source close the family told DailyMail.com that Bristol and her mother Sarah sent an urgent plea to their friends and family asking them to stay vigilant regarding Ferrero, revealing that he was served with a protective order by the FBI. 'Friends: One of our main (and most dangerous) stalkers who moved up here from Florida falsely claiming we hired him and lying about having affairs with us, who broke into Bristols house, was jailed - then released - jailed again at least one other time for his continual years-on death threats, graphic sexual harassment, violating probation, his tens of THOUSANDS of messages, texts, phone calls, posts, etc, - and is now emboldened after recently being hired in Alaskas Legislature by the Alaska Democrat Party, has really ramped up his threats, harassment and delusions,' the message read. 'Were informed today the FBI served Peter Paul Ferraro the Protective Order. Please let us know if Ferraro tries to contact any of you with ANY communications. Hes recently communicating under the name Panchovilla, so heads up about that fake name. Hes now posting with threats to come after the children ...to save Atlee Bay Ferraro, Sailor Grace Ferraro, Tripp Easton Mitchell Ferraro. Thank you loved ones! Stay safe.' In the detailed posts shared on her Instagram Stories, Bristol posted an Anchorage Daily News story from September 2014 that detailed Ferrero's arrest after he showed up at her home in Wasilla, Alaska. Torment: Bristol said Ferrero has sexually harassed, stalked, and sent death threats to her family. She is pictured her mom Sarah (far left) and her sisters Willow (center) and Piper (right) History: Bristol posted an Anchorage Daily News story from September 2014. The article detailed Ferrero's arrest after he showed up at her home in Wasilla, Alaska, that year Terrifying: An affidavit stated that Ferrero climbed the third-story balcony of her home and tried unsuccessfully to open the locked door. He was picked up again in 2017 She recounted how Ferrero flew from his home state of Florida to Alaska and showed up on her doorstep. The new story explained that Bristol called the police after she arrived home and found Ferrero in her driver. He took off his sunglasses and said his name was 'Peter Paul.' The mom recognized his name right away because he had sent her 'approximately 1,000 Facebook messages' at that time, according to a sworn affidavit accompanying the charges from Wasilla police officer Brandon Gray. The affidavit also stated that Ferrero climbed the third-story balcony of Bristol's home and tried unsuccessfully to open the locked door. He said he knew it was Bristol's house because he looked through the window and saw photos of her son Tripp. Ferrero also communicated with Bristol's younger sisters Willow and Piper, reportedly sending them thousands of messages, many of them sexual in nature. After being sentenced for stalking the Palin family in 2014, he was sentenced to spend 30 days in jail three years later for violating his probation and continuing to harass the family. Harassment: Ferrero has reportedly sent thousands of messages to Bristol and her family. She was outraged her stalker was hired as an aide at the Alaska State Capitol earlier this year Outrage: Democratic Senator Tom Begich confirmed in February that Ferrero was working for him as an aide. Bristol shared the politician's photo, claiming he bailed out her stalker in 2017 'In 2017 he got picked up outside my sister's house,' Bristol captioned screenshots from an article featured on Pop Culture. Court documents obtained by The Blast from his 2017 arrest revealed police were called to a location near a Palin home, where Ferrero was 'exposing himself and urinating at oncoming traffic.' Ferrero reportedly admitted to smoking crack cocaine during the arrest. 'While cops began to take Ferrero into custody, he became combative and allegedly assaulted two police officers. Cops say he also attempted to steal an officers handgun twice and was also tased while being locked up,' the Blast reported. Bristol went on to share her outrage over Ferrero being hired to work in the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau after he was convicted of stalking her. Democratic Senator Tom Begich confirmed in February that Ferrero was working for him as an aide. The politician said he met him when he was working as a volunteer for his 2016 campaign. Nightmare: Bristol said Ferrero has also harassed and threatened her ex-husband, Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer Family: Bristol has three children, Trip, 10, Sailor Grace, three, and Atlee Bay, two 'He was on probation and working on putting his past behind him and moving forward with his life,' Begich said. 'Ive always believed in second chances and encouraged him to go back to school, and to develop his skills. In the end he made the Deans list, found employment and, despite some setbacks, never gave up. 'Hes completed his probation, earned a law clerk certification, and, when he found himself out of work here, I gave him a small contract to research crime statistics and to help me better understand how gangs get into Alaska, drawing on his own experience in the system and his research,' he continued. 'His research and writing has been good and Ive been satisfied with his work. If we truly believe in giving people a chance to be productive in society after theyve served their sentence, then Peter is a good example of those who deserve a chance to be successful.' Bristol's mother Sarah was furious by the hiring, which she claimed encouraged Ferrero to 'continue his evil.' 'It has been years of DEADLY THREATS and SEXUAL HARASSMENT,' she wrote in a Facebook rant. 'Delusional Peter Paul Ferrero... none of us had ever met him but hes always insisted to officials I hired him in Florida to work for me, insisting Bristol, Willow & I all had affairs with him.' Never-ending: Bristol said Ferrero started sending her direct messages on Instagram in January. When she went on his alleged Facebook page, she saw photos of her kids Scary: Ferrero's Facebook page also featured messages that mentioned her children. Bristol posted a picture of the Instagram account he is allegedly using to contact her She added that Ferrero repeatedly sexually harassed, stalked and sent death threats to her family. 'Hes communicated over 17,000 messages plus harassed and threatened my parents and siblings with calls and communications for years,' she wrote. 'The criminal moved to Alaska from Florida, broke onto Bristols property and vandalized - arrested, etc. etc. etc; lifes hell and scary for my daughters with this criminal.' In her Instagram Stories, Bristol shared a photo of Begich, writing: 'This is who bailed him out in 2017 #winner.' Bristol went on to reveal that Ferrero began contacting her on social media again earlier this year. 'This guy starts blowing up my direct messages again in January . . . it has been eight YEARS NOW, wtf,' she wrote, sharing a shirtless photo of her stalker that was posted on his alleged 'Panchovilla' Instagram account. 'Looked up his FB for the first time, my kids on the background of his phone. WHAT THE F**K,' she continued, posting a screenshot of Ferrero's Facebook post featuring images of her son Tripp, 10, and Sailor Grace, three. Bristol also has a one-year-old daughter Atlee Bay, who is mentioned in Ferrero's other posts that name her children. Out of control: Bristol shared some of the threatening messages that Ferrero allegedly sent her on Instagram using the account. In one message, he claimed her children were his Awful: The messages from 'Panchoviiia' threatened to take her children away from her. He called her a 'b***h' numerous times Enraged: The messages also mock Brisol's ex-husband Dakota, with Ferrero calling him a 'b***h' numerous times 'Okay we have Atlee nice aw fking nice man okay and your pregnant name her Paige if a girl and Blaze boy I'm okay with that [sic],' he allegedly wrote in one post. Another read: 'Take all precaution about Atlee Bay Ferrero and Sailor Grace Ferrero sling with my son Tripp Mitchell Easton Ferrero be on guard for weapons left for them [sic].' Bristol then shared some of the threatening messages that Ferrero allegedly sent her. In the messages, he called her a 'f**king worthless piece of trash' and threatened to 'tear up' everything in her life that she holds dear. He also said he was going to take a paternity test, claiming Palin's children are his. 'I will paternity test myself for those kids and I will strip them from you once and for all for the neglect for what you've done.' he allegedly wrote. The messages also mock Brisol's ex-husband Dakota, with Ferrero calling him a 'b***h' numerous times. 'You happy now your ex is a b**h for the world to see,' he asked. Bristol then posted a screengrab of another article about Ferrero's most recent arrest. Trouble: Ferrero was charged on March 23 in Anchorage with three misdemeanor charges. Bristol was understandably upset that Ferrero was released on bail the following day Looking for prayers: Bristol said she appreciates everyone's support and concern, but she stressed that she doesn't want apologies Warning: Bristol then posted a photo collage of herself posing with guns and practicing her shooting, writing: 'We don't play' Ferrero was charged on March 23 in Anchorage with three misdemeanor charges after allegedly assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest, according to court records. 'I've been working on getting a lifetime protective order to protect my kids and family . . . this guy was served the other day . . . when someone sent me this, I felt a sense of relief,' Bristol wrote. She was understandably upset that Ferrero was released on bail the following day. 'When will this be over? How do you assault a police officer and get out the next day?' she asked. 'Anyone who knows me, knows me - knows how much this has completely altered Tripp's life, my life, my family's life, etc. I just want this to be over, send some prayers.' Bristol said she appreciates everyone's support and concern, but she stressed that she doesn't want apologies. 'I'm not victim, other people have things a lot worst,' she wrote. 'I just need prayers for protection over my kids and that this ends soon! I won't let this POS win - life is good and God is still blessing my little fam.' Bristol then shared a photo collage featuring four pictures of herself posing with guns and practicing her shooting, writing: 'We don't play.' Looking to God: At the end of her Instagram Stories, she posted a verse from Psalm 37.3 Terrifying: Bristol opened up about another stalker on an episode of Teen Mom OG that aired in November. She said Shawn Christy (left in mugshot) has been stalking her for ten years Crime: Christy was arrested in September after breaking into Dakota's home the day after he was hospitalized for an anxiety attack (pictured) At the end of her Instagram Stories, she posted a verse from Psalm 37.3, which says: 'Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely and prosper.' Ferrero is just one of many stalkers the Palin family has dealt with over the course of the past decade. In an episode of Teen Mom OG that aired in November, Brisol revealed chilling details of another man who allegedly burgled her ex-husband's home in August. She claimed that Shawn Christy had been terrorizing her family for a decade. Christy was arrested in September, after months on the run, for ransacking Bristol's former husband Dakota's home in Kentucky and stealing his SUV. The burglary came just a day after Dakota was hospitalized for an anxiety attack that came as a result of Bristol announcing their divorce was final. He also reportedly threatened to kill Dakota and to shoot President Trump. On the reality show, Bristol described how she'd been affected by her stalker. While showing off her new Texas home on FaceTime with her little sister Piper, she revealed: 'So last night was my first night in the house, and I got a text message pretty late from Dakota saying that his house had got broken into. His Kentucky house... I swear to God, it was the stalker.' A woman has captured the adorable moment her daughter joined a character from Disney's Mary Poppins to dance at Disney World. Two-year-old Marceline Raider, from Aston, Pennsylvania, joined in with a character from the movie - Bert - when he was performing the famous 'penguin dance' from the 1964 movie. Marceline's mother, Amanda Raider, captured the moment on camera on Wednesday, March 6, and later shared the video to a Disney group on Facebook. Cute! Two-year-old Marceline Raider wowed the crowd when she danced alongside Mary Poppins character Bert at Disney World Adorable! The toddler, from Aston, Pennsylvania, was taken to Disney World by her parents to celebrate her upcoming birthday on Wednesday, March 6 Sweet: When the toddler, who is a major Disney fan, spotted Bert, her mother Amanda Raider said she ran over to him and joined in as he danced for a small crowd Fun: The adorable two-year-old even attempted the movie's 'penguin dance', which was made famous by Dick Van Dyke in the original 1964 movie Iconic! She imitated Bert by placing her hands by her side and waddling on her legs as she attempted the 'penguin dance' Idol: The toddler even got to meet the movie's main character Mary Poppins herself when she was at Disney World earlier this month Fan: Marceline is a major Disney fan, and was even named by her parents after Walt Disney's hometown of Marceline, Misouri Since the cute clip was shared in the group, it has garnered over 50,000 likes, according to Amanda. The video begins with the two-year-old Disney fan standing beside Bert. While kicking his legs up and down and holding a cane, he can be heard telling Marceline that 'it's just like jumping and flailing'. As the toddler attempts the dance, a surrounding crowd cheers her on and claps. The toddler, who is clearly enjoying the attention, smiles at the crowd as she kicks her legs up and down. As she gets more and more confident doing the dance moves, Marceline eventually falls to the ground. The crowd can be heard cheering her on as she looks up at Bert, who is dressed in the character's iconic red and orange striped suit and straw top hat. She then gets up from the ground and, determined to keep up with the Mary Poppins character, she continues dancing. Next, Marceline joins Bert in another dance move from the Disney classic. As Bert begins dancing the 'penguin dance', which was made famous by 93-year-old Dick Van Dyke in the original movie, Marceline joins in on the fun. She places her hands by her side and begins kicking her legs from side to side. Happy: Marceline's mother, Amanda, said her daughter is 'very happy when she's at Disney' Memories: Amanda added that two-year-old Marceline is 'very outgoing' and that she loves learning how to sing and dance Adorable: Amanda (right) said one of the toddler's favorite movies in Mary Poppins, and that she loves singing Spoonful of Sugar - a well known song from the original movie Favorite: Pictured when she was younger, the now two-year-old watches Mary Poppins 'nonstop' according to Amanda Meanwhile, Amanda, who filmed the hilarious dancing, can be heard laughing at her daughter in the background of the video. An avid Disney lover, Marceline was even named after Walt Disney's home town of Marceline, Missouri. Speaking to Good Morning America, Amanda said Marceline is 'happy' when she is at Disney World. And it certainly wasn't the first time Marceline met one of her Disney icons. She previously got to meet a number of different characters, including Donald Duck and Peter Pan. However, Amanda said one of the toddler's favorite movies in Mary Poppins, and that she loves singing Spoonful of Sugar - a well known song from the movie. 'She watches ["Mary Poppins"] nonstop. She's very outgoing. She loves learning how to dance and how to sing. 'She's very happy when she's at Disney,' Amanda added. Explaining the purpose of their outing to Disney World, Amanda said she took the family to the theme park to celebrate the toddler's upcoming birthday. Original: Mary Poppins was released in 1964. The Disney film follows the story of a magical nanny - played by Julie Andrews - who comes to take care of the Banks children in London New! Mary Poppins Returns stars Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins. The movie, which was released in 2018, sees the nanny returning to the Banks siblings The family were strolling around the park on March 6 when Marceline spotted Bert greeting visitors. Amanda said Marceline ran up to the character, hoping to have the chance to meet him. Mary Poppins was released back in 1964. The Disney film follows the story of a magical nanny - played by Julie Andrews - who comes to take care of the Banks children in London. After children Jane and Michael Banks meet their new nanny, they embark on a series of fantastical adventures with Mary and her Cockney performer friend, Bert, who was played by Dick Van Dyke. Mary Poppins Returns was released in 2018. The latest movie stars Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins. The film sees the magical nanny returning to the Banks family to help the Banks siblings, and Michael's children. He's known for his love of animals and is believed to own at least five dogs - and James Middleton wasn't without his pooch as he cycled through London on Tuesday. The brother of the Duchess of Cambridge, 31, looked at ease as he pedalled through the capital with his golden retriever Mabel in tow - and he even stopped in his tracks to send a text. Wearing a casual ensemble of blue chinos and a matching shirt, the businessman kept warm by adding a navy gilet to his outfit - and completed his look with a pair of brown leather boots. James Middleton looked at ease as he cycled through London with his pet golden retriever Mabel. Kate's younger brother, 31, is thought to have at least five dogs Clearly not camera-shy, Mabel seemed to be enjoying the ride as she poked her head out of the basket and looked at passersby. James is often spotted with his animals and has previously thanked his beloved pooches - Ella, Inca, Luna, Zulu and Mabel - for helping him recover from depression. Writing for the Daily Mail earlier this year, he revealed his Spaniel Ella has been a 'constant companion for ten years' and that's she's been to all his therapy sessions. As a result, Ella and James both volunteer with the Pets As Therapy charity and Ella is a fully-fledged therapy dog for PAT. Clearly not camera shy, Mabel, who often features in James's Instagram posts, looked straight at the camera as James pushed her through the city James was without his French financial expert girlfriend, Alizee Thevenet as he cycled his way through the busy streets of the metropolitan. Alizee, 29, was first pictured with James during the Middleton's family holiday to St Barts at Christmas. According to her father, Jean-Gabriel Thevenet, she was won over by James' British charm and is 'deliriously happy' with the businessman - and the pair are said to be 'serious' about each other. Alizee, who met James in a bar, speaks three languages and has been living and working in London for around six years, her father added. Mabel turned to have a look at the south bank as James cycled past the Sea Containers hotel and Oxo tower. The businessman has previously thanked Mabel and his other dogs Ella, Inca, Luna, Zulu for helping him recover from depression It emerged last year that, as well as running his company Boomf, James had taken a job as a guide at a Scottish hotel owned by his sister Pippa's father-in law 'My daughter Alizee is very happy with James, they are very much in love,' Mr Thevenet previously told MailOnline. Alizee holds a masters degree in investment and finance from Queen Mary, University of London, and did her undergraduate degree in accounting and finance in Brussels. It emerged last year that, as well as running his company Boomf, James had taken a job as a guide at a Scottish hotel owned by his sister Pippa's father-in law. The youngest Middleton took a job as a host at Glen Affric Lodge near Loch Ness which is owned by David Matthews, father of Pippa's hedge fund manager husband. Only a third of patients visiting England's worst-performing A&E are being treated within four hours. And just six hospital trusts in the entire country hit the target in February, dubbed the 'toughest month ever for the NHS'. On average, English hospitals only managed to see 84.2 per cent of A&E patients within the four-hour time limit the lowest figure ever. Health leaders have today slammed the figures, analysed by MailOnline, as being 'dire' and 'a catastrophe'. They come amid controversial plans announced by the NHS which could see the four-hour target scrapped completely because hospitals keep failing to meet it. The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust in Harlow, Essex, had the worst performing A&E in February, managing to treat, admit or discharge just 64 per cent of its patients in four hours The Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust in Harlow, Essex, cared for just 64 per cent of its A&E patients within the NHS time target last month. And all but six of the 135 hospital trusts in England fell short of the health service target of treating or discharging 95 per cent of patient in four hours. The British Medical Association this month said 'its difficult to imagine the NHS in a much worse state'. NHS Providers, a trade association for hospital trusts, recently posted a comment on its website saying February was the 'toughest month to date' for the health service. In the final week of January overloaded hospital beds were the busiest they had been all winter, with 95 per cent of overnight beds filled. 'These A&E figures show the problem isn't bad management or lazy doctors,' the vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Chris Moulton, told MailOnline. 'It's an endemic problem. It's a catastrophe. 'Four hours is a reasonable time for patients to be seen. It's certainly reasonable for those who are very ill and, if you're not very ill, you don't want to be in A&E. 'The population keeps getting bigger and there are something like 200 more people over the age of 85 every day. This is absolutely going to get worse.' Recently announced plans could see the four-hour target scrapped in favour of new ways of measuring how long it takes for people to be seen. These will be trialled in the next few months and potentially rolled out later in the year, according to NHS England. Mr Moulton added: 'If you're in the Olympics and you can't do the high jump you don't ask to lower the bar. Hospitals need more capacity to meet the target. NHS A&E departments try to see 95 per cent of their patients within four hours but the health service as a whole hasn't hit the benchmark for an entire year since 2014 'Changing the target isn't going to make waits any shorter and it won't improve anything for patients or staff. 'It will camouflage the very long waits and take the heat off the NHS for a while by making it harder to compare with previous years.' NHS UNVEILS PLANS WHICH COULD REPLACE FOUR-HOUR A&E WAIT LIMIT NHS England this week began the process of scrapping the four-hour maximum A&E wait target to replace it with new ones. In place of its infamous four-hour target, the NHS is now trialling seeing the most seriously ill patients strokes and heart attacks, for example within one hour. Those with less serious conditions, meanwhile, will have to wait longer, and new targets will be drawn up after pilots at around a dozen hospitals later this year. Having failed to hit the four-hour benchmark for nearly four years in a row it was last met in July 2015 the NHS is now rewriting its own goals. 'Now is the right time to look again at the old targets,' the NHS's medical director said. This is despite past warnings from emergency medicine experts that scrapping the target could put patient safety at risk. In January, Dr Taj Hassan, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) said: 'Scrapping the four-hour target will have a near-catastrophic impact on patient safety in many emergency departments that are already struggling to deliver safe patient care in a wider system that is failing badly.' Removing the target could wipe the NHS's slate clean in one respect, making A&E data for the past 15 years difficult to compare with how hospitals perform in future. And one branch of the health service, NHS Providers, has already admitted it may look like bosses are 'moving the goalposts'. Advertisement A&E departments in February managed to process six per cent fewer patients than they did last year, which was considered the height of the NHS's 'worst ever winter'. Ten of them fell to below the 75 per cent mark, meaning a quarter of their patients were waiting more than four hours to be seen. Labour's Shadow Health Secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, said: 'It really is dire that so many hospitals are failing the four hour A&E target and patients are left to endure longer waits in pain and distress. 'The simple truth is year after year of Tory underfunding and cutbacks have pushed A&E departments to the brink.' The Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust was comfortably the worst, followed by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, which treated 68.3 per cent in time. Hospital trusts in Shrewsbury and Telford, Stockport, Salford, West Hertfordshire, Worcestershire, Bradford, Lincolnshire and Plymouth all left more than a quarter of their patients waiting for more than four hours. The Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust serves a population of around 350,000 people in Harlow and the surrounding area. It was rated Requires Improvement the second lowest out of four possible scores by the Care Quality Commission in its latest report in March last year. The report warned the hospital, built in the 1960s, is showing 'very significant signs of age' and needs 50million worth of work doing to it. In 2016 it paid a 1.8million fine for making patients wait more than a year for treatment the NHS says no patients should have to wait more than 52 weeks. Other February statistics slammed as 'shameful' by the Shadow Health Secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, showed waits for cancer treatment are longer than ever, with record numbers of people waiting more than a month to start therapy. And the NHS missed its target to treat people within two months of a doctor's referral for the 37th month in a row. The waiting list for all types of treatment rose to 4.16million people second only to 4.18m in October last year. More than 220,000 of those people had been waiting for six months or more, and 36,000 of them for at least nine months. An NHS England spokesperson said: 'NHS staff across the country have been working incredibly hard throughout winter to provide the best care for patients and despite significant increases in demand, almost a quarter of a million more people were seen and treated within four hours in A&E this winter compared to last year.' Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, told MailOnline: 'These figures are a huge concern, particularly when you consider the relatively mild winter we have experienced this year. 'Its a sad indictment of the state that our health service has been allowed to fall into that thousands of patients needing urgent medical help face the awful prospect of being left stranded in cramped corridors or on hospital trollies, waiting for a hospital bed to become available. 'These figures are also important considering the NHSs plans to revise targets for A&E patients to be treated within four hours.' Dr Simon Walsh, the British Medical Association's emergency medicine lead, said: 'These figures show the worrying scale of pressures on emergency departments across the country as inability to meet the four-hour target has now become the norm and not the exception. 'Despite a relatively mild winter and lower cases of influenza, many trusts are regularly reporting performance figures significantly below the 95 per cent target. 'A major factor behind this relentless decline in performance is the excessive occupancy that many hospitals are running at; often exceeding levels of capacity at which it is accepted that performance will inevitably decline and even reaching levels where safe patient care is put at risk. 'This is both concerning for patients who are stuck in overcrowded emergency departments waiting for beds to be available on the wards and concerning for the staff who are working around the clock in incredibly challenging circumstances.' John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, told MailOnline: 'It's deeply concerning that taxpayers and patients are experiencing such long waiting times at many hospitals and GP centres across the country. 'Too often taxpayers' money is thrown at the NHS without any thought given to the long-term solutions.' Stephanie Lawton, chief operating officer at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust said: 'Along with many other hospitals across the country we have seen a significant increase in the number of patients coming to our A&E department every day. 'Since November we have seen an 8 per cent rise that increased to 12 per cent in February (2019) and this has an impact on our ability to see patients as quickly as we would like. 'Our clinicians work hard to ensure that we provide safe and compassionate care. 'We remain focused on improving our capacity to meet the four-hour standard and apologise to our patients for any inconvenience we have caused.' Every toddler should be weighed from the age of two to help tackle the obesity crisis, experts say. Children are currently weighed when they start primary school at the age of four and when they leave aged 11. But figures suggest that may be too late with more than a fifth of children already overweight at their first measurement. Less than a fifth of children in the UK, United States and Australia since 2000 have gone on to become obese if they were of a normal or low weight between the ages of three and five, the researchers found Experts from the universities of Oxford and Manchester say children should be weighed at two when there is still time to intervene. And they should then be weighed every year to make sure they dont slip through the net. Nearly half a million under-11s in the UK are obese, a problem which experts fear will create a boom in heart disease, diabetes and cancer in the future. Many parents do not accept their child has a problem and those who do think they will grow out of it. The academics today publish a study which reveals adult obesity can be predicted in children who are just a few years old. Study leader Dr Heather Robinson, of the University of Manchester, said: The evidence suggests that children should be weighed and measured every year from at least the age of two. We can tell different patterns of child growth apart from as early as two to five years, but only if we measure children regularly. So its important to start measuring children as early in life as possible, and to continue to do so throughout childhood. This way, we can give parents and health professionals the information they need to support children and families. The study, published in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports, used data from 750,000 children worldwide to establish typical patterns of growth. They found that a childs weight before they started school was highly predictive of their weight later in life with fat toddlers likely to become fat adults. Less than a fifth of children in the UK, United States and Australia since 2000 have gone on to become obese if they were of a normal or low weight between the ages of three and five, the researchers found. And these late increasing children the 19 per cent who slip through the net because they are not overweight at age four could be spotted later if checks were made more regularly, they said. Nearly half a million under-11s in the UK are obese, a problem which experts fear will create a boom in heart disease, diabetes and cancer in the future. Many parents do not accept their child has a problem and those who do think they will grow out of it Dr Robinson said: Adult BMI [body mass index] starts to be predictable from child growth patterns from as early as age two in some children, so we should be measuring them from that age. However, as most measurement programmes are linked to schools as a way of accessing large groups of children, we can still achieve much by making the most of these observations between four and 11. Our work reiterates that not only are a minority of children identified as obese when they are following healthy growth pathways, but a group of children who become obese later have BMIs in the normal range at four to five years, so are missed. Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said millions of children have suffered from inaction because the UK did not measure children regularly. He added: The National Child Measurement Programme should be extended to cover every year of a childs growing years to identify the first signs of excess weight developing, and programmes to ensure they are not left to get fatter put in place. We measure animals annually in our zoos to monitor their health and well-being but we fail to do the same for our children. A woman has hit out at the NHS because she isn't old enough for a smear test even though her mother had cervical cancer as a teenager. Demi-Lee Stewart is 22, meaning she is still three years away from the Government's smear testing threshold of 25. Miss Stewart is concerned because she has been suffering bleeding between periods and lower back pain for two years two major signs of cervical cancer. But doctors have allegedly said she can't have the simple procedure despite these symptoms, even though her mother Lynn, 53, was diagnosed with the killer disease aged 19. A smear test detects abnormal cells on the cervix, which is the entrance to the uterus from the vagina, but is not a diagnostic test for cancer. Experts said a smear test isn't a method of diagnosing the disease and women with symptoms should be examined by a doctor as soon as possible. Demi-Lee Stewart is 22, meaning she is still three years away from the Government's smear testing threshold of 25 She also has a family history of cervical cancer. Her mother, Lynn, 53, was diagnosed with the killer disease aged 19 (pictured with her mother) Now Miss Stewart, from Glasgow, fears she may too have the disease - but says no-one will help her because of her age Lynn's cancer was spotted after she gave birth to Miss Stewart's sister Melissa, who is now 34. Now Miss Stewart fears she, too, may have the disease. The mother-of-one wants to have the test done privately but says women with a family history of cervical cancer are not being listened to by the NHS. She said: 'I told them about the history of my mum having it. 'My doctor said "You're only 21" and I said "I'm 22 in two weeks' time". She said "It doesn't matter, you're not 25, we cannot do a smear". 'What am I supposed to do? I'm worried sick about it.' She added: 'On every TV screen the thing they're flagging up now is that if you've got worrying symptoms please see your doctor straight away and get a routine smear. 'There are posters and there are leaflets, but when you go to your doctor, they refuse you. Its ridiculous.' Although smear tests are used to pick up on early signs of problems which may develop into cancer, they do not diagnose cervical cancer. If a woman is worried they already have the disease they should speak to a GP, who can refer them for a full gynaecological exam which can detect it. Around one in 20 women show abnormal changes to the cells of their cervix and should be referred for a more detailed colposcopy to determine whether any cells on the cervix need removing. About four out of ten women who have a colposcopy have a normal result. Miss Stewart started suffering symptoms of bleeding between periods and lower back pain a year after the birth of her first baby Braxton, now three Miss Stewart, pictured with her partner Ronald Shaw, 23, and Braxton, thought her symptoms were due to her contraception. But switching methods didn't stop the symptoms Miss Stewart's mother's cancer was spotted after she gave birth to Miss Stewart's older sister, Melissa, who is now 34. Now, Miss Stewart fears she has the disease WHAT IS CERVICAL CANCER? Cervical cancer affects the lining of the lower part of womb. The most common symptom is unusual bleeding, such as between periods, during sex or after the menopause, but other signs can include: Pain during sex Vaginal discharge that smells Pain in the pelvis Causes can include: Age - more than half of sufferers are under 45 HPV infection - which affects most people at some point in their lives Smoking - responsible for 21 per cent of cases Contraceptive pill - linked to 10 per cent of cases Having children Family history of cervical or other types of cancer, like vagina Source: Cancer Research UK Advertisement Miss Stewart started suffering the bleeding and back pain symptoms a year after the birth of her first baby, Braxton, now three. At first her GP said it may be hormones from her contraception. She swapped from the contraceptive implant to the Pill and, when that didn't work, she changed to another pill. When that also failed to help, she tried the contraceptive injection and the coil but nothing stopped the bleeding. Eleven months ago she quit contraception completely but has now been bleeding non-stop for three weeks. Miss Stewart, who is a service adviser for Mercedes Benz, said her partner of six years, Ronald Shaw, 23, was also worried sick. Her GP at Westmuir Medical Centre in Park Head, Glasgow, has recommended an internal scan. Miss Stewart added: 'Girls refuse to go for smears, yet I am doing the right thing and feel neglected by my doctor. They need to take it more seriously. 'The last five weeks things have just got worse and worse. I'm bleeding every day. I feel so tired. 'I've started a new job and been off sick. I'm anaemic. People do get it young and my mum is proof.' Frustrated, Miss Stewart said her mother is proof people get cervical cancer at a young age Miss Stewart has hit back at doctors considering there are campaigns everywhere to see your GP if you are having symptoms Miss Stewart said: : 'Girls refuse to go for smears, yet I am doing the right thing and feel neglected by my doctor. They need to take it more seriously' The age for smear tests in Scotland has been brought in line with the UK and is 25. It was raised from 20 in 2016 but campaigners say that it should be lowered back to 20 as women that young do develop it. But it is common for cervical cells to change regularly at a young age, one charity explains, and women with concerns need to see a doctor, not have a screening test. Robert Music, chief executive of Jos Cervical Cancer Trust said: 'In the UK, cervical screening starts at 25. 'This is because under the age of 25, it is more common to have cell changes in your cervix and these usually go away by themselves without the need for treatment, and so the expert advice is that screening those under 25 can do more harm than good. 'However, we encourage women of all ages to know the symptoms of cervical cancer and to be aware of the steps that they should take if they are worried and there is a clear NHS pathway in place for women under 25 with symptoms. 'For those who are presenting symptoms, such as abnormal vaginal bleeding, then it is crucial to see a GP straight away and ask for a gynaecological exam, rather than cervical screening. 'Cervical screening, or a smear test, is a preventative test that detects cell changes on your cervix. It is not a test for cancer.' A spokeswoman for Miss Stewart's GP surgery said: 'We would firstly like to say that we are saddened and concerned to learn that one of our patients was less than happy with the level of service that they received. 'Unfortunately due to patient confidentiality we cannot comment on individual cases.' NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde declined to comment. Around 3,200 British women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year and 1,000 die with the disease annually. But these rates are projected to rise by nearly 40 per cent in the next 20 years. The latest figures from NHS Digital show that only 71 per cent of women are up to date on screening, with approximately five million overdue. Social media giants must do more to crack down on 'damaging' anti-vaccination myths, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said. He said social networking sites, of which the biggest include Facebook and Twitter, must police the spread of anti-vaxxers' propaganda. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, the cabinet minister even suggested new laws could be needed to try and stop the spread of lies about vaccines online. His comments come just days after Instagram announced it would block anti-vaxxer hashtags like #vaccinesarepoison. And Facebook said earlier this month it would ban adverts with anti-vaccination content. Anti-vaxx ideas have snowballed from a now-debunked scientific paper in the '90s which claimed MMR could be linked to autism into claims they just don't work or are harmful, despite evidence proving the claims are untrue. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said people are using social media to spread 'pernicious' lies about immunisations and are targeting people simply for being parents 'This is exactly the sort of thing we should be spending our time on and talking about and, if necessary, legislating for,' Mr Hancock said. 'As a country we can make decisions on these sorts of things. 'I want to see social media companies doing far, far more to take down this material which is so damaging.' Anti-vaxxers are a growing problem in the Western world because they try to convince people that vaccinating children is bad for their health. The World Health Organization said they are one of the top 10 threats to human health in 2019, alongside air pollution, a flu pandemic and Ebola. One of the most common myths is that the MMR jab increases the risk of autism, but this has been proved to be a lie. Anti-vaxxers also claim vaccines don't work and that they may infect children with the illness they try to prevent both of which are also untrue. If fewer people get vaccinated and the MMR jab uptake is at a seven-year low in the UK deadly diseases like mumps, measles and polio could return. 'Vaccines only work if almost everybody takes them,' Mr Hancock added. 'That is the whole point. They are clearly the right thing to do, scientifically. Theres clear guidance from experts and doctors on that. SOCIAL MEDIA A 'BREEDING GROUND' FOR ANTI-VAXXERS, BUT COMPANIES VOW TO CRACK DOWN The Royal Society for Public Health warned in January that children's lives are being put at risk by anti-vaccination myths spreading on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Half of parents with children under-two reported seeing negative messages about immunisations on social media, a report found. RSPH chief executive, Shirley Cramer said: 'With the rise of social media, we must guard against the spread of "fake news" about vaccinations. 'We have found worrying levels of exposure to negative messages about vaccinations on social media, and the spread of misinformation if it impacts uptake of vaccines could severely damage the public's health.' Instagram revealed this month it would block anti-vaxx hashtags in an attempt to stop medical misinformation being shared. Short-term measures will include blocking hashtags including #vaccinescauseautism, #vaccinesarepoison and #vaccinescauseharm, it said. And Facebook which also owns Instagram said it would ban adverts with anti-vaccination content on its own website. Facebook also said it will try to limit the reach of groups and pages spreading the misinformation by lowering their ranking in search results and preventing the website from suggesting them in the search bar, The Guardian reported. Advertisement 'But online there are these pernicious messages being sent to people whether they search for terms about vaccines or not. 'Sometimes just because they have got the right characteristics maybe they have small children. We need to make sure this misinformation or disinformation is stopped because it can be damaging to the public health. Vaccines are proven to work and in 1967, the year before the MMR vaccine was introduced in England, there were 460,407 diagnosed cases of measles. In 2017 that figure was 1,693. But the World Health Organization has warned people are becoming complacent about getting the jab. Cases of measles, which usually only causes a fever but can cause pneumonia or the brain infection encephalitis, surged last year. Globally, there was a 50 per cent rise in measles cases last year and more than 900 people died in an outbreak on the African island of Madagascar. 'This is a wake-up call,' said Henrietta Fore, executive director of UNICEF. 'We have a safe, effective and inexpensive vaccine against a highly contagious disease a vaccine that saved almost a million lives every year over the last two decades.' The number of children being given the MMR vaccine in England has fallen for the fourth year in a row, with immunity now at its lowest since 2011. Children are expected to have their first dose before their second birthday but only 91.2 per cent of toddlers in England are meeting this target. The number is down from 92.7 per cent in 2014 the highest level of the past decade and from 91.6 per cent in 2017, NHS Digital data revealed in September. England is failing to hit the 95 per cent immunisation rate the World Health Organization recommends to protect the country from contagious infections. Professor Dame Sally Davies, England's Chief Medical Officer, said last year: 'Over [the past] 30 years, we have vaccinated millions of children. 'It is a safe vaccination, we know that, and we've saved millions of lives across the world. 'People who spread these myths, when children die they will not be there to pick up the pieces or the blame.' A woman battling 'suicide disease' says the excruitiating pain she suffers every day feels like she is being stabbed by a hundred shards of burning glass. Amy Pohl, a former primary school teacher of Rugby, Warwickshire, was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in January last year. Doctors are unsure what caused the condition, though Miss Pohl's family claim she developed the condition in her left arm following an infection in her hand. The 25-year-old can no longer walk, is bedridden and has to be fed via a tube after eating became so painful that she lost 56lbs (25kg). CRPS is dubbed suicide disease because of how many sufferers take their lives. Miss Pohl even tried to take her own life last year due to the pain, which is described as being as intense as childbirth, but for 24 hours a day. Speaking of her condition, Miss Pohl said: 'The only way to describe the pain in my arm is like I'm being stabbed by a hundred shards of burning glass. Amy Pohl (left) developed 'suicide disease' after an alleged failed cannula insertion left her in excruciating pain. She faces a two-year stint in hospital after the condition left her unable to use her legs or swallow. She is pictured right with her mother Jo, father Dave and dog Bessler Miss Pohl's infected hand is pictured left after the supposed failed cannula insertion. She believes it may have hit a bone or nerve, which caused her hand to swell. Right image shows Miss Pohl's hand after an abscess was drained. She was hospitalised for her pain weeks later 'I can't even hug my mum and dad anymore. I struggle when people even breath on my skin because of it.' The intense, constant pain has also robbed Miss Pohl of her independence. 'I can't do anything for myself,' she said. The infection supposedly came about following a failed cannulation the insertion of an IV tube into the veins - when she was at University Hospital Coventry in November 2017. She has now been an inpatient there since October. With Miss Pohl facing the next two years in hospital, her family hope to raise 100,000 for her to have specialist rehabilitation treatment and physiotherapy. 'Before I was so independent but now I can't get dressed on my own, or wash myself. I can't even turn myself over in bed.' Miss Pohl claims the pain spread from her arm to her abdomen and eventually made swallowing too agonising to bear. 'When I eat it feels like being stabbed in the abdomen by a burning knife,' she said. 'I'm currently managing about 200 calories a day by mouth and by tube.' As if her ordeal was not bad enough, Miss Pohl is terrified it will only get worse. 'I live in constant fear the CRPS will spread to another limb,' she said. 'The thing that keeps me going is thinking about going back to work. I loved my job so much. It was my life so I just want to get back to doing what I love.' Pictured left before the ordeal when her dog was a puppy, Miss Pohl was 'so independent' and loved being a primary school teacher. Now bedridden (right), Miss Pohl cannot wash or dress herself and is even unable to turn herself over in her bed. She lives in fear it will get worse Visits from Bessler have kept Miss Pohl going. The 25-year-old suffers PTSD after a failed suicide attempt last May left her in a psychological unit. Unable to see a way out from the pain, she took an overdose. Bessler 'licks her face' when she has flashbacks Miss Pohl began to feel run down in November 2017 and was diagnosed with adult croup - an infection that affects the windpipe, airways and voice box. After antibiotics failed to clear the infection up, she was admitted to hospital in December for more tests. She later suffered a near-fatal reaction to her medication and was rushed to intensive care. Around a week later, Miss Pohl developed an infection after a failed cannula insertion, which caused her hand and wrist to swell up. 'I remember the cannula really hurting when it went in,' she said. 'I'm not sure if it hit a bone or nerve.' Miss Pohl then needed surgery under general anesthetic to drain the abscess. By January last year, Miss Pohl's daily pain meant she was back in hospital and on an IV drip. She was diagnosed with CRPS - persistent severe and debilitating pain triggered by an injury - a few weeks later. CRPS' exact prevalence is unclear, however, a study claimed up to one in 3,800 people in the UK develop the condition each year. And in the US, between 5.5 and 26.2 people suffer from CRPS per 100,000 every year. 'When doctors told me I had CRPS, I was so glad to have a diagnosis because it felt like someone believed me but I was also devastated because I know there's no cure for it,' Miss Pohl said. 'Nobody really knows about the condition - including medical experts.' Although relieved to have a diagnosis, Miss Pohl's mental health spiraled. 'I got more and more depressed after the diagnosis,' she said. 'I just wanted my old life back. I couldn't do anything for myself. I couldn't go outside because even a slight breeze touching my arm caused excruciating pain. 'I couldn't sleep, I was managing about three hours a night. I'd also developed post-traumatic stress syndrome and experienced flashbacks.' Desperate, Miss Pohl even asked for her arm to be amputated but was warned this carries a risk of the pain spreading to other limbs. 'During this time my mum was having chemo and radiotherapy after being diagnosed with stage four lymphoma so I was very low,' she added. Pictured left on her Graduation Day, Miss Pohl 'wants her old life back' and suffered an intense depression following her diagnosis. Her infected hand following the cannula fail is shown right Miss Pohl is pictured before the ordeal with her parents, and grandparents Sandra and John Collins. The family believes her problems may have started from the failed cannula attempt and are speaking to a specialist lawyer about the possibility of taking legal action Things took a dramatic turn for the worse in May 2018 when Miss Pohl planned to take her own life. After a stint in a psychological unit, Miss Pohl was allowed to go home. Despite taking around 40 tablets a day, and being given oral morphine 12 times a day, nothing seemed to ease the pain. In October 2018, Miss Pohl was rushed to University Hospital Coventry and has not been home since. The previously-active Miss Pohl (left) now relies on a cocktail of painkillers to get through the day. Pictured right before her dramatic health decline with her parents and dog, Miss Pohl has not been home from University Hospital Coventry since October last year Miss Pohl enjoyed outdoor pursuits but now faces spending the next two years in hospital Miss Pohl's family believes her problems may have started from the failed cannula attempt and are speaking to a specialist lawyer about the possibility of taking legal action. The family claims around this time, following an MRI scan on Miss Pohl's hand, she endured a four-and-a-half hour operation under general anesthetic to remove a piece of the original cannula. This operation proved to be unnecessary because nothing was found. It was around the same time she was diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND) - a common and disabling set of neurological symptoms, such as tremor and cognitive problems. 'I was falling over and had brain fog, but I was putting it down to the pain in my arm and didn't want to worry anyone,' Miss Pohl said. 'I fell down the stairs. I was telling my legs to move but it was like they weren't listening. 'Now I can't feel my legs or use them at all. You can develop FND as a result of chronic pain. 'Your brain fails to send the correct messages to other parts of your body.' Miss Pohl (pictured before with her father) is keen to raise awareness of chronic pain disorders Miss Pohl's family is desperately trying to raise 100,000 to have her treated at a specialist STEPS rehabilitation unit in Sheffield, as well as the funds going towards further physiotherapy. 'Unfortunately they do not have the resources at this hospital and there are no beds for me to receive treatment elsewhere on the NHS so this is the only option,' she said. 'It's sad you have to pay so much for treatment because if you think about it I'm costing the NHS a lot more if I'm going to lie in this bed for the next year or two.' Despite everything she has endured, the one thing that keeps Miss Pohl going is her Hungarian Vizsla dog Bessler, which is allowed to visit her in hospital. 'Bessler has helped me so much,' she said. 'I've had him since he was a puppy and he's a big part of our family. 'When I have bad flashbacks because of the PTSD he will lick my face and help calm me. I don't know what I'd do without him.' A University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust spokesman added: 'Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is an extremely complicated condition with wide ranging individual needs. 'In these circumstances, we do not consider it to be in the patient's best interests to comment on their treatment, past or present. 'The Trust will always explore all options for patients to ensure they receive the highest levels of care. Donate towards Miss Pohl's treatment here. Anyone seeking help can call Samaritans 24/7 for free on 116 123 or visit Samaritans.org A woman who suffers from a condition that could kill her at any minute has written a bucket list. Jade Davis, 23, was diagnosed with type 1 chiari malformation in March 2017, which causes her brain tissue to extend into her spinal cord. As a result, Miss Davis, from Saltash, Cornwall, claims she loses her vision up to 100 times a day, suffers tremors in both arms and endures seizures. Miss Davis, who also mysteriously stops breathing for a few minutes every night, claims she has been told she could 'die in her sleep' any day. Her family have set up a fundraising page to help her achieve as much as she can in the limited time she has left. The horse-riding fanatic wants to jump out of a plane, go to Disneyland Paris and meet X-Factor star James Arthur. Jade Davis (left) suffers from chiari malformation, which causes her brain tissue to extend into her spinal cord. The horse-riding fanatic (pictured right) has been told her condition could kill her at any minute, which prompted her to write a heartbreaking bucket list Miss Davis loses her vision up to 100 times a day, suffers tremors in both arms and endures seizures. She is pictured in hospital sharing a tender moment with her brother Tyler Speaking of her condition, Miss Davis said: 'Since this diagnosis my whole life has changed, there is so much I can't do because of it. 'I can't do what I love the most and ride horses, I can't be left on my own, I can't be trusted in the kitchen. 'I cant really do things that a normal 23-year-old should be able to do. Every day is a struggle, and I have to put on that brave face and get on with my day.' Miss Davis is unable to work, cook or even bathe herself and relies on her family to look after her. 'I lose feeling in my arms and legs, lose my vision at least 50-to-60 times a day, sometimes up to 100 times a day,' she said. 'I get tremors in both my arms, I collapse regularly and have seizures. Every single day my head feels like someone is squeezing it, every day, all day.' Pictured left before her March 2017 diagnosis, the once-outgoing Miss Davis now relies on her family to look after her. Miss Davis (pictured right in hospital with her brother) stops breathing for a few minutes every night, with doctors warning she may die in her sleep Pictured before her diagnosis with her mother Emma, Miss Davis refuses to accept her condition and that 'her life is limited'. Desperate to make the most of the time she has left, Miss Davis hopes to visit Thailand, meet Love Island's Chris Hughes and go to the races Miss Davis claims she was forced to sell her horse, which she described as her 'whole world' and 'best friend', due to her condition. At the time of her diagnosis, Miss Davis was working at a riding school teaching disabled children how to ride and look after horses, which she then had to give up. 'I still don't think I've accepted I have this condition,' she said. 'I think that's because I don't want to accept it. 'I don't want to accept my life is limited and eventually I will die. I've been told I could die in my sleep so to me I don't want to accept that.' Pictured left before she became ill, Miss Davis claims 'every day is a struggle'. Seen right in hospital, Miss Davis collapses 'regularly', suffers tremors in her arms and endures seizures Miss Davis' family have set up fundraising page to help her accomplish her bucket list. 'After realising Jade's life is so precious and that at any minute her life could end, we want to work on her bucket list,' it says. 'Those who know Jade know she never asks for anything so we decided to instead. 'We would be grateful of any donations to help us to start ticking things off her list. Finally a massive thank you from all of us.' Top of Miss Davis' list is to visit Thailand, but she also hopes to watch an Olympia horse show, meet the equestrian William Fox-Pitt and go to Winter Wonderland. The horse-riding fanatic also wants to attend the races in Newbury, meet Love Island star Chris Hughes and spend a weekend in London. Donate to Miss Davis' fundraising page here. The booklet's first graphic sows seeds of distrust, suggesting readers 'decide for themselves' rather than taking a doctor's word that PEACH's claims are false Orthodox Jewish nurses in New York are banding together to combat the anti-vaccination misinformation being spread by a 40-page 'handbook' being passed around parents in a religious neighborhood in Brooklyn. The nurses call The Vaccine Safety Handbook: A Handbook for Parents a piece of propaganda and blame it, in part, for fueling the outbreak of measles in their community, which has sickened over 180 people in New York City. Published by a group known as Parents Educating and Advocating for Childrens Health, the booklet is locally known as the PEACH magazine. Its contents look convincingly science-based, but are strewn with citations to known a pseudoscientist, who also claims that his daughter is in communication with aliens. But in insular communities like Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Williamsburg, religious parents are trusted sources to one another, and have been passing around PEACH magazine. The Orthodox Jewish Nurses Association are now producing their own magazine - nicknamed PIE - to try to bat back the spread of misinformation in their community. Not so long ago, measles was considered eradicated in the US, but that has changed in recent years. Amid a surge of conservatism and distrust in authority, the US is now in the grips of the largest measles outbreak in 30 years. The national outbreak is made up of a number of hot spots scattered across the US, and typically centered around tight-knit religious and ethnic communities. Many of these groups are wary of medicine due to their beliefs or cultural morays. PEACH's booklet espouses 'informed consent,' and debunked claims that vaccines cause autism in its graphics Currently, the largest outbreak in the nation belongs to the New York and New Jersey area - and cases are most concentrated around Williamsburg, in Brooklyn. ORTHODOX JEWS' CONCERNS OVER VACCINES Orthodox Jews operate by their own set of laws based on the Torah. Some of these laws come into conflict with those of other forms of government, creating a sense of distrust of other forms of authorities. Some rabbis have told their communities that vaccines are a money-making scheme for doctors trying to dupe them. Two Jewish laws come into conflict when it comes to vaccination. Among the most fundamental edicts of the Torah says that people must protect themselves from danger - including disease - because life is sacred. It not only directs them to try to save themselves if disaster or disease arises, but to take precautions for themselves and their children. Many rabbis have ruled that the risk of dying from disease far outweighs the 'risks' of vaccinations. But others think that because many diseases that vaccines protect against are now extremely rare, the danger calculus has changed. However, this ignores the idea of herd immunity. If less than 90 percent of a population is unvaccinated, the risk of disease becomes considerable once more - as we've seen in current outbreaks. Advertisement There is some debate among Orthodox Jews about whether or not the Torah permits vaccination as a medical intervention. And the notoriously insular group is hesitant, at best, to look outside its own community for information. Instead, the parents there have been consulting with one another for how best to care for their children. Many pass along the PEACH magazine. PEACH's handbook blames the impression that vaccines are necessary on 'media induced fear-mongering,' despite fact that the near disappearance of measles, mumps and rubella immediately followed the development of the MMR vaccine. The document refers to diseases like Hepatitis B, HPV and tetanus as 'irrelevant.' It also espouses unfounded conspiracy theories, such as the notion that polio cases actually doubled following the advent of vaccines, but that doctors rebranded it transverse myelitis and acute flaccid paralysis to make the disease hard to diagnose and convince the public that the polio vaccine was not 'the main source of polio.' One graphic in the booklet depicts a syringe of the DTaP vaccine, labeling parts of it with fetal tissue, various kinds of virus and toxins like antifreeze, formaldehyde and acetone. PEACH's magazine also specifically targets Orthodox Jews, discussing Jewish leaders 'rulings' that parents have the right to choose whether or not their children get vaccinated, made by rabbis in towns with ongoing outbreaks. But most scholars consider the Jewish law commanding Jews to preserve life, above all or most other laws of the religion. A graphic from PEACH's pamphlet shows everything from an aborted fetus to antifreeze in a syringe of the DTaP vaccination. Though fetal tissue was involved in the development of the shot, it does not contain aborted fetuses - a common misunderstanding Orthodox Jews and other insular communities, however, are quite accustomed living outside of the norms of social behavior of the surrounding communities, and may be less averse to holding on to unpopular or uncommon beliefs. The Orthodox Jewish Nurses Association hopes to use the tendency for information to be disseminated through word of mouth and relationships - rather than through authorities - to their advantage to change thinking about shots. After discovering the PEACH booklet, a subcommittee of the nurses has come together to make their own guidance on vaccination, Blima Marcus told WNYC and the Gothamist. In a similar style to the PEACH pamphlet, theirs will present research on the safety and importance of immunization, responding to the assertions in PEACH's publication. The group is calling their pamphlet 'Parents Informed and Educated,' or PIE, a 'tongue and cheek' response to PEACH, Marcus told the Gothamist. Its motto is 'making PIE out of PEACH.' She and her team have compiled the research, but have not yet finished the booklet, which will feature a picture of a rotting peach on its cover. The booklet is due to be printed in the coming weeks. Footage has captured the gruesome moment a live leech is pulled out of a seven-year-old boy's nose. The unnamed boy had been playing in a muddy canal in Xaignabouli, northwest Laos, when he felt something get stuck in his left nostril. After complaining to his mother of being in pain, the boy went to bed in the hope it would be better the next day. Footage has captured the gruesome moment a live leech is pulled out of an unnamed seven-year-old boy's nose (seen left). The 4cm-long leech was removed with tweezers, which it then proceeded to wrap around (seen right). It grew in size after feeding on the boy's blood But when he endured breathing difficulties and discomfort throughout the night, his mother took him to their local hospital. Footage shows him sitting calmly while a nurse called Laya Keomany pulled the 4cm worm-like creature out with tweezers. Doctors warned the leech swelled after sucking on the boy's blood while he slept. They discovered the leech in the boy's nose shortly after he arrived at hospital on February 27. He sat - not speaking or moving - with his head over a bowl, while excited spectators awaited the leech's arrival. The worm-like creature was pulled out without any hesitation and then proceeded to wrap around the tweezers. Spectators can be heard squealing in the background in a combination of excitement and disgust. The leech is believed to have been smaller when it entered the boy's nose and then grew as it fed on his blood. His mother - who has also not been named - told Newsflare: 'I remembered the canal was brownish because of the mud. 'From now on, I will tell my boy and every kid around there not to play in the water.' Mr Keomany added: 'When we shone a torch in the nostril it was clear something was blocking the airway.' The boy is said to be doing well following the incident. Syntethic alcohol that makes you feel drunk but without the nasty side effects could be available within five years. The product is one step closer to being sold in bars and clubs after several years of research, led by Professor David Nutt. The former government adviser famously lost his job when he began controversially claiming that alcohol - and even horse riding - were more dangerous than drugs. Now in its final stages of development, the synthetic alcohol, branded as Alcarelle, still needs to be regulated. This normally takes three years, but the team said they expect it to take a little longer due to the uniqueness of the product. Synthetic alcohol, which makes you feel drunk without the side effects or hangover, is one step closer to being sold in bars and clubs after years of research led by Professor David Nutt Alcosynth - the name given to the molecule - will give people the same fuzzy feeling of drinking booze, but has been designed so that it is impossible to end up out of control or hungover. The creators said the alternative won't be toxic to the liver like alcohol is after years of increasing alcohol-related liver disease deaths. Professor Nutt told The Guardian: 'There will obviously be testing to check the molecule is safe. 'And we need to show that its different from alcohol. We will demonstrate that it doesnt produce toxicity like alcohol does.' Professor Nutt studied the effect of alcohol on the brain, and first discovered an antidote to reverse drunkenness as a PhD student in 1983. But because it could cause seizures when taken sober, it was too dangerous for clinical use. Since then, Professor Nutt has been figuring out how to stimulate the Gaba receptor in the brain in the same way alcohol does. Alcohol binds to all 15 different Gaba receptor subtypes, Professor Nutt said. But he has discovered which of those can be targeted to induce tipsiness without the side effects. He said: 'We know where in the brain alcohol has its "good" effects and "bad" effects, and what particular receptors mediate that Gaba, glutamate and other ones, such as serotonin and dopamine. 'The effects of alcohol are complicated but you can target the parts of the brain you want to target.' Professor David Nutt is a former government drugs advisor Alcarelle, which Professor Nutt and his team have tried themselves, will have a cap so that it will be physically impossible to get out of control when drinking. After 45 minutes, the feelings wear off but you can continue your day without the dry mouth, headache or nausea. Jonny Forsyth, a global drinks analyst at Mintel, believes the groundbreaking product will entice young consumers with a health conscience. He said for them, 'its much cooler to be healthy, but its also about control'. Mr Forsyth added: 'They dont want to end up on Instagram looking drunk; their manager might see that. 'Something that would automatically control their drinking would be very appealing.' The number of young people drinking in Britain has plummeted in recent years, figures show. The plan is to sell Alcarelle to the alcohol industry so that they can put the active ingredient into their own drinks - that way consumers won't need to swap from their favourite tipple. Professor Nutt and his business partner, David Orren, have been attempting to raise 20million from investors to bring Alcarelle to market. 'The industry knows alcohol is a toxic substance,' Professor Nutt said. 'If it were discovered today, it would be illegal as a foodstuff. 'The safe limit of alcohol, if you apply food standards criteria, would be one glass of wine a year.' Professor Nutt, who owns a wine bar in Ealing with his daughter, said horse riding was more dangerous than ecstasy before his sacking in 2009. And a year later, he published research in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet showing that booze is more harmful to society than heroin or crack. He believes alcohol won't exist in its current form by 2050. Alcohol-related liver disease has been increasing in the UK, and is now one of the most common causes of death along with smoking and high blood pressure. More than one in ten deaths of people in their 40s are from liver disease, most of them from alcohol-related liver disease. Per year, alcohol-related deaths account for around 7,700 deaths in the UK and 88,000 in the US. Premature black babies are more likely than white infants to end up in lower-quality neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), a new study reveals. Researchers from the University of Vermont found the lowest-ranking NICUs held more than 30 percent of all black preemies. Only 20 percent of the babies in the highest-ranking units were African American. The team says that the quality of care at these hospitals is directly related to the deaths of newborns and even for complications such as asthma and developmental delays that, in some cases, can last for the rest of their lives. A new study from the University of Vermont found that the lowest-ranking NICUs in the US held more than 30 percent of all black preemies (file image) Almost one out of every 10 infants born in the US is premature, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Premature birth occurs when a baby arrives at least three weeks early, or at 37 weeks' gestation. Babies born prematurely suffer a greater risk of breathing problems, feeding problems and are more susceptible to contracting infections. It is the largest cause of infant mortality in the US. In 2015, preterm birth and low-birth weights accounted for approximately 17 percent of infant deaths. Additionally, a report last year found that black women have the highest risk of giving birth to a preemie at a rate of 13.4 percent, while the lowest rate is among white women at 8.9 percent. For the new study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, the team analyzed data from the Vermont Oxford Network, which gathers information from NICUs around the world. Researchers studied nearly 118,000 black, Asian, Hispanic and white babies born between January 2014 and December 2016. The infants were born from 22 to 29 weeks of pregnancy and weighed anywhere from 14 ounces to around three pounds. Quality of the NICUs was based on nine factors, including infant mortality during birth hospitalization, health-care associated bacterial or fungal infection, a timely eye exam and chronic lung disease. The researchers found that minorities tended to end up at different hospitals than whites and that black babies were more likely to be treated at a lower-quality NICUs. In fact, black preemies represented more than one-third of all babies in the lowest-ranked NICUs, but just one-fifth of the infants in the highest-ranking units. The team also found that both Asian and Hispanic premature infants were more likely to be in higher-quality NICUs than white babies. Co-author Dr Erika Edwards, a research assistant in the department of mathematics and engineering at the University of Vermont, said US Census data may explain some of the findings. For example, higher-quality NICUs were often found in the Pacific region, where a large proportion of Hispanic families live. '[It did not explain] for Asian infants and did not explain the lower quality scores for black infants,' she told DailyMail.com. She said the team is not sure why black infants are more likely to end up at a lower-quality NICU, but they have several theories. 'Many unmeasured factors, including structural racism, neighborhood of residence, maternal insurance coverage, immigration status, hospital location and financing, and public policies, among others, could explain our findings,' Dr Edwards said. For future research, she says she wants to look at how socioeconomic and demographic factors may play a role. 'Black people don't always end up at the closest hospital to them and we don't necessarily know why,' she said. 'Certainly there are a number of theories. It could be related to insurance and which hospitals accept which insurance. Where deliveries occur could depend on whether a physician [is authorized] to deliver at a particular hospital.' In an accompanying editorial, Dr Elizabeth Howell, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, says this is the first study to look at the racial segregation of infants on a national level. 'We've been looking at these kinds of questions in medicine across the board, not just in neonatal care,' Dr Howell said. 'Residential segregation, I think, is one of the biggest factors. However, there are other factors. We need to understand the underlying causes if we are going to target interventions to reduce disparities and improve care.' Dr Rahul Gupta, the chief medical and health officer with March of Dimes - who was not affiliated with the study - said the findings shine a lot on the social context of health. 'Nobody would choose for baby to end up a low-quality hospital, but it happens,' he told DailyMail.com. 'The most fragile among us are born and the care is not equal. The fact is that racial segregation and unequal access in care is high, all across and we need to do better than that.' Rockland County, New York, has declared a state of emergency over the measles outbreak that has sickened 151 in the county. Health officials are banning unvaccinated people under 18 from public places for the next 30 days. That will include a requirement that children without proof of vaccination be kept home from school. The county-wide protective ban will take effect at midnight Wednesday March 27. Rockland County, New York, officials have banned unvaccinated minors from public places, effective midnight tonight, for the next 30 days or until they get vaccinated amid 150-person measles outbreak, the local government announced Tuesday Nowhere in the US has more cases of measles than Rockland County. Rockland's population is just under 329,000, and 151 people there have the preventable illness. Five days ago, county officials warned that its measles outbreak was not over. In fact, it added several more locations where residents may have been expose to measles. The outbreak is spreading like wildfire in several areas of the county, but primarily among Orthodox Jewish communities. Distrust in doctors, concerns over the dangers of vaccines and confusion about the attitude of Jewish law toward vaccination have helped to fuel low vaccination rates there. Public health officials are warning that pregnant, immunocompromised, unvaccinated and young people avoid six different locations in the area. They are urging anyone who has not gotten an MMR shot to contact the health department to arrange to get vaccinated against the highly contagious disease for free as soon as possible. Already in December, the county health commissioner Dr Patricia Schnabel Ruppert barred unvaccinated students from attending schools in two zip codes where vaccination rates were below 95 percent - beneath the herd immunity threshold. Now, that ban has extended to the entire county. Students will not be allowed to attend school for 30 days or until they get vacinated, the health department announced. Dr Dan Salmon, a Johns Hopkins University vaccine safety specialist and member of the university's Vaccine Initiative, said he supports the month-long ban. 'I think its a reasonable measure in the midst of an outbreak,' he said. 'The health department has the authority and an obligation to protect the community and those [members who] are vulnerable,' like children with compromised immune systems. CBS This Morning host Norah O'Donnell is recovering after undergoing an emergency appendectomy. The 45-year-old shared a photo on Instagram from her hospital room at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston giving a thumbs up and thanking fans for their well-wishes. 'I am feeling much better and hope to return to NYC later this week if I feel well enough to fly,' the mother-of-three wrote in the caption. 'Thank you for all the kind texts and emails. I'm down an organ, but learned some valuable lessons this week.' CBS This Morning host Norah O'Donnell, 45, shared photo to Instagram (pictured) on Monday as she recovers from an emergency appendectomy at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston O'Donnell was vacationing with her husband, chef Geoff Tracy, when she was rushed to the hospital on Friday and diagnosed with appendicitis. Pictured: O'Donnell in the hosptial Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix, a finger-like pouch located where the small and large intestines join on the lower right side of the abdomen. Pictured: O'Donnell in the hospital In the post, which has more than 9,000 likes, O'Donnell urged her followers to listen to their bodies. 'If you are in pain, see a doctor. Don't wait [five] days like I did ignoring pain,' she wrote. O'Donnell was vacationing with her husband, chef Geoff Tracy, in South Carolina when she was rushed to the hospital on Friday. She shared a photo to her Instagram story where she revealed she had appendicitis. This is an inflammation of the appendix, a finger-like pouch located where the small and large intestines join on the lower right side of the abdomen. In the photo, O'Donnell is seen wearing a hospital gown in a bed with the caption: 'Not what we planned for spring break'. She then shared a video from the point-of-view of her gurney with the caption: 'Heading to surgery'. A hospital spokeswoman confirmed to DailyMail.com that the TV host had surgery on Friday and that she was discharged later in the day. Signs of appendicitis usually include pain the lower right side of the abdomen, pain around the belly button, nausea, vomiting, fever and diarrhea. According to Dr Jonathan Kohler, an assistant professor of surgery and pediatrics at UW-Madison, around seven percent of people will develop the condition at some point in their lives. He told DailyMail.com that even though it's one of the most common diseases seen in hospital, it's not understood very well. O'Donnell had a laparoscopic appendectomy, which is minimally-invasive surgery, and was discharged the same day. Pictured, from left to right: Gayle King, Reba McEntire and O'Donnell on CBS This Morning in February 2019 In an Instagram post, O'Donnell (left and right) said she is feeling better and hoping to return to New York later this week. She also urged her fans not to wait to get their pain checked out like the five days she did 'We can't predict who will get it, we don't know enough about the microorganisms involved,' he said. Dr Kohler said that there is a misconception that once the appendix is inflamed it's like a balloon that gets bigger and bigger until it pops. 'It's more accurate to say that it rots like banana,' he said. 'It doesn't explode, but the wall of the appendix gets so infected that it gets necrotic and it spills out into the abdomen.' However, he warns that there are risks of not having surgery if you have a severe case of appendicitis. 'It can perforate, which means you can get a hole in the wall of appendix and the infection that had been contained can get out and cause sepsis.' There are two types of surgery for removing the appendix. The first is an open appendectomy, which involves making a two-to-four inch incision in the lower right abdomen to remove the appendix. The second is a laparoscopic appendectomy, which is the type that O'Donnell had performed on her. It involves making one to three tiny incisions. A laparoscope, a thin tube with a video camera and surgical tools, is inserted in one of the incisions and the surgeon uses a TV monitor to guide the tube and remove the appendix. Most patients go home the same day as the surgery. Experts say waiting to be checked for appendicitis can lead to a hole forming in the wall of appendix and the infection can spread into the abdomen Some studies have suggested using antibiotics as a first course of treatment for appendicitis rather than surgery, but there is a 40 percent chance of recurrence in five years. Pictured: O'Donnell in October 2018 Some studies have suggested using antibiotics as a first course of treatment for appendicitis rather than surgery. However, Dr Joaquin Havens, a surgeon with the Trauma, Burn and Surgical Care group at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, says patients have a 40 percent chance of recurrence in five years. 'With those chances, the recommendation is to surgically remove the appendix,' he told DailyMail.com. Both doctors urged that any patient who is experiencing persistent stomach pain should seek immediate medical attention. 'If you have unremitting abdominal pain, meaning it's not getting better, typically if it's accompanied by fever, nausea or diarrhea, get it checked out,' Dr Kohler said. 'There are few benign causes of abdominal pain that go on for more than an hour or two. The longer it persists, the less likely it will go away on its own.' Ocado shares are an appetising shade of green in early trading on Tuesday after the food retail technology firm penned its fifth major overseas deal in less than 18 months. Ocado, which currently works with Morrisons in the UK, said today it has secured a contract to supply its state-of-the-art food delivery technology to Australian retail giant Coles. Under the deal, Ocado will run two automated warehouses complete with robots - one in Sydney and another in Melbourne, which are expected to launch within four years. Ocado has signed a deal to supply Coles with its technology platform and robot warehouses The news triggered a 6 per cent spike in the firm's shares to 13.32. Coles, chaired by M&S's Archie Norman, is one of Australia's largest retailers, boasting annual sales of 22billion, 818 supermarkets and more than 1,600 smaller stores. Coles said the partnership - costing it an initial 81million - would roughly double its home delivery capacity. The contracts are coming in thick and fast for Ocado, which - founded in 2000 - has transformed its fortunes in the last 18 months. In that time, it has signed deals with US retailer Kroger, Swedish supermarket group ICA, France's Groupe Casino and Sobeys in Canada. Meanwhile in Britain, Ocado has entered into a joint venture with Marks & Spencer, which will see the chain spend 750million to buy half of Ocado's UK retail business. Ocado will terminate a long-running supply contract with Waitrose as a result. Retailers are eager to use Ocado's warehouse robots and software to help them meet the growing demand for food online. But investors in the still loss-making firm will have to be patient a while longer for the profits to pour in. 'As with other deals of this sort, it's going to be jam tomorrow - cash flow negative to begin with while Ocado sets up its CFCs, with revenues to flow later,' said Markets.com's Neil Wilson. Ocado's shares have soared four-fold since it signed up its first international client in 2017 Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, added: 'There is still very little clarity on what kind of returns the company will eventually derive from these tie-ups, which are likely to involve significant start-up costs, and how many more it can secure, but some investors are sufficiently excited about the potential to put to one side the fact the company is currently loss-making.' Since Ocado signed up its first international client in June 2017 its shares have soared more than four-fold and taken a place in the FTSE 100. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has demanded an apology from Spain and the Vatican for wrongs committed against indigenous people during the Spanish conquest 500 years ago. Lopez Obrador said he had written to Spain's King Felipe VI and Pope Francis about the matter. 'I already sent a letter to the king of Spain and another letter to the Pope so that they ask forgiveness of indigenous peoples for violations of what are now known as human rights,' he said. He shared the news in a video posted on his social media accounts on Monday, in which he was seen alongside First Lady Beatriz Gutierrez in front of the ancient Mayan site in Comalcalco, Mexico. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (pictured with First Lady Beatriz Gutierrez ) is demanding an apology the King of Spain and the Pope for the wrongs that were committed against indigenous people during the Spanish conquest 500 The Spanish government seemed blindsided by apology request issued by the Mexican president in a letter he wrote to King Felipe VI (pictured) and the Pope. Spain 'firmly' rejected the Mexican leader's request The Vatican has yet to offer a response Lopez Obrador requests for a public apology Blindsided by the fact the Mexican leader publicly shared the contents of the letter sent March 1, the Spanish government 'firmly' dismissed Lopez Obrador's petition, instead calling for an open dialogue between both nations. 'The arrival, five hundred years ago, of the Spaniards to the present Mexican lands can't be judged in the light of contemporary considerations,' the statement read. 'Our brotherly nations have always known how to read our shared past without anger and with a constructive perspective, as free peoples with a common heritage and an extraordinary projection.' As of Tuesday, the Vatican had yet to offer a response to Lopez Obrador requests. The Mexican leftist leader said the letter cited massacres that took place during the Spanish conquest at the beginning of the 16th century. 'There were massacres and oppression,' said Lopez Obrador from the archaeological zone in the southeastern state of Tabasco. 'The so-called conquest was carried out with the sword and the cross. They built their churches on top of the temples.' While looking for a reconciliation with Spain, Lopez Obrador said his government would be publicly apologizing for the abuses the indigenous people. 'I will also do it because after the colony there was a lot of repression of the indigenous peoples,' he said. 'Lopez Obrador's letter is an intolerable offence to the Spanish people,' said Alberto Rivera, head of the center-right Ciudadanos party, in a tweet. Pablo Casado, the head of Spain's main center-right opposition party, said Lopez Obrador's statement was an 'affront to Spain and its history'. During a January meeting with Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Lopez Obrador was gifted a copy of his grandfather's Spaniard birth certificate. Jose Obrador was born in Ampuero, Spain. He hid inside a keg and crossed the Atlantic in 1917 aboard a ship with forged documents at the request of his parents, who wanted to shield him from military service. The Mexican president's grandfather settled in Cuba before he finally arrived in Mexico. According to the 2015 census, 26million Mexicans identify themselves as indigenous. About 37.3million identify themselves as 'mestizos', known as a person of Spanish and indigenous descent. Spain is one of Mexico's biggest sources of foreign direct investment. The Mexican government has yet to ratify a new free trade deal reached with the European Union in April 2018. During a January meeting with Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (left), Lopez Obrador (right) was gifted a copy of his grandfather's Spaniard birth certificate. The Mexican president (right) was joined by his wife (left) during a video statement in which he said the government will be issuing a formal apology to the indigenous people Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Tehran to protest at the US decision to back out of the nuclear deal. Hordes of enraged demonstrators could be seen pouring petrol on US flags and burning them as the protests became increasingly vitriolic in the Iranian capital. The mass protests began as Iran denied firing rockets at Israel on Thursday - claiming the allegations were invented by Israeli politicians to justify attacks on Syria. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi described claims the Revolutionary Guard fired around 20 missiles at Israeli targets in the Golan heights as 'freely invented and baseless' as discord spreads through the Middle East following the landmark decision on Iran's nuclear capabilities. In return, Israel struck dozens of Iranian targets inside Syria with high-powered missiles early on Thursday as part of 'Operation House of Cards'. Scroll down for video Iranian protesters burn a US flag at a demonstration in the capital of Tehran on Friday morning The protestors could be seen pouring petrol on the flag before burning it and waving it around Thousands of people took to the streets of Tehran to protest against Trump's refusal to sign the nuclear deal Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was pictured reading a Persian version of Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury book about President Trump, at Iran's 31st International Book fair in Tehran today Following the Israeli strikes, Qasemi struck out at western nations for not condemning the ferocious Israeli retaliation against the Iranian military. 'Their silence only gives the Zionist regime (Israel) the green light for further aggressions that serve only to make the region more insecure and unstable,' he said. 'They are a violation of Syria's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and contrary to international law.' The defense committee of Iran's parliament also said Iranian forces had nothing to do with the attacks on Israeli positions. 'This is another lie from the Zionist regime for propaganda purposes, ' said committee spokesman Mohammad Nabandegani. He also denied that Iran had any military forces in Syria at all. Israel announced early on Thursday that its forces had hit 'almost all' Iranian infrastructure sites in Syria during airstrikes carried out in retaliation for Iran's firing of 20 rockets into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Netanyahu said that Iran had 'crossed a red line' with the rocket attacks. The attacks were some of the worst direct violence between arch rivals Israel and Iran in years and have raised fears of a wider conflict in the region. Israel has long expressed concern that Iran could establish a military presence in Syria amid the instability caused by Syria's long-running civil war. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres echoed fears of further escalation in a tweet in which he called for an end to 'all hostile acts and any provocative actions.' Syrian air defence systems intercepting Damascus-bound Israeli missiles fired in retaliation to the Iranian strike Women and children also vocally demonstrated against the US decision to back down from the accord Crowds chanted and held banners ridiculing President Trump for the decision on Friday Iran's foreign minister simultaneously announced he will embark on a diplomatic tour to try to salvage the nuclear deal. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will leave late Saturday for visits to Beijing, Moscow and Brussels, a spokesman said Friday, holding meetings with all five of the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear deal. Iran appeared determined not to be drawn into a wider regional conflict with Israel during the sensitive negotiations. Israeli Defence Minister Minister Avigdor Lieberman urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to 'throw the Iranians out' from his country. Zarif will hold high-pressure talks with the other parties to the deal, first in Beijing and Moscow, and then with his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany in Brussels on Tuesday. All five have condemned Trump's move to walk out of the deal and reimpose crippling sanctions, but European companies in particular will be highly vulnerable to economic pressure from Washington. France still hopes for a wider settlement that will cover Iran's activities across the Middle East, and warned Tehran on Thursday 'against any temptation for regional dominance'. The protests came as the Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced he would be embarking on a tour of several nations in a bid to try and salvage the deal An Israeli soldier runs down a road in the Golan heights where the Iranian strike was said to have hit Israel frantically rushed to reinforce the Golan Heights on Thursday after the Iranian strike was reported Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited the settlement of Katzrin in the Golan Heights on Friday amid the strikes Theresa May told the Israeli PM today she is determined to stick with the Iran nuclear deal despite the dramatic withdrawal of the US. The Prime Minister vowed to fight for the pact as she met Binyamin Netanyahu at Downing Street. Israel has been ramping up the pressure for the agreement - which eased sanctions in return for Iran dropping its bid to develop nuclear weapons - to be ditched altogether after Donald Trump pulled out. But as she sat down with Mr Netanyahu in No10 this afternoon, Mrs May said: 'Along with France and Germany the UK continues to believe that is the best route to preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. 'We will remain committed to it as long as Iran meets its obligations. Protesters gathered outside Downing Street to show their disapproval of Mr Netanyahu this afternoon, after widespread criticism of Israel's brutal response to recent unrest in Gaza. Mrs May said the UK 'absolutely recognises' Israel's right to defend itself against 'extremists and terrorists' but was 'concerned' that more than 100 people had been killed. The Prime Minister vowed to fight for the Iran nuclear pact as she met Binyamin Netanyahu at Downing Street this afternoon Mrs May warmly greeted Mr Netanyahu warmyl on the steps of Downing Street today Protesters gathered outside Downing Street to show their disapproval for Mr Netanyahu As they posed for photographs at the start of their meeting, Mr Netanyahu replied that he was focused on making sure Iran did not get a nuclear weapon and 'how to roll back Iran's aggression in the region'. 'I think we can find ways to work together to achieve both goals,' he said. Mr Netanyahu also insisted Gaza protesters were being 'paid for and pushed by Hamas' to try to break through the border and kill Israelis. 'This is not a non-violent protest, quite the contrary,' he said. 'We are doing everything we can to both minimise casualties and at the same time protect Israeli lives.' UK, France, Germany and EU urge the US to exempt business from Iran sanctions Britain, France, Germany and the EU sent a joint request to the US urging Donald Trump to exempt them from Iran sanctions. French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said the three countries and the EU were asking the US 'to exempt European businesses doing legitimate trade in Iran from all extraterritorial American sanctions'. He said: 'Those businesses must be able to pursue their activities.' Advertisement Earlier this week it emerged that Israel has shared evidence with the UK and other allies that Tehran had been trying to acquire the bomb. The material - part of a haul of 100,000 files snatched by the Israeli security service Mossad in January - was said to include a memo handing responsibility for enriching weapons-grade uranium to the Iranian defence ministry. Mr Netanyahu has been using the fruits of the audacious raid to press the case the nuclear deal struck in 2015, which eased sanctions in return for a halt to weapons development. He visited France and Germany this week as part of a European tour, before heading to the UK today. Mr Trump has already declared that the US will withdraw from the pact and threatened sanctions on businesses that continue to trade with the regime. However, the EU has vowed to save the agreement, saying it still represents the best chance of preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Mrs May reiterated her 'commitment' to the Iran deal earlier this week in a phone call with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Mr Netanyahu is expected to argue during the discussions that the terms of the accord were breached because Iran did not disclose the scope of its previous efforts to become a nuclear power. Mr Netanyahu and Mrs May posed for cameras as they started their discussions today As demonstrations took place outside No10, Mrs May said the UK 'absolutely recognises' Israel's right to defend itself against 'extremists and terrorists' but was 'concerned' that more than 100 people had been killed A senior Israeli intelligence officer told the Times earlier this week: 'What Iran told the International Atomic Energy Agency about its capacities was almost comical compared to what we have here. 'Iran said there had only been feasibility and scientific studies but what we see is that Iran ran a fully fledged nuclear weapons programme and that it followed directions from the political levels.' Meanwhile, Britain, France, Germany and the EU have sent a joint request to the US urging Mr Trump to exempt them from Iran sanctions. French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said the three countries and the EU were asking the US 'to exempt European businesses doing legitimate trade in Iran from all extraterritorial American sanctions'. He said: 'Those businesses must be able to pursue their activities.' Donald Trump has already declared that the US will withdraw from the pact and threatened sanctions on businesses that continue to trade with the regime Mr Netanyahu visited France and Germany this week as part of a European tour, before heading to the UK today Aviation experts have questioned the safety of Malaysia Airlines following a disastrous emergency landing in Brisbane. The plane left Brisbane at 11.20pm on July 18, and was bound for Kuala Lumpur when it was found that the aircraft still had covers on its air speed indicators, which meant the pilots had no idea how fast they were going during the flight. The flight, which was carrying 226 passengers, turned back to Brisbane after dumping a load of fuel over Moreton Bay, and made a hard and difficult landing at the airport, which left the aircraft's nose wheel damaged. The flight which was carrying 226 passengers turned back to Brisbane after dumping a load of fuel over Moreton Bay, and made a hard and difficult landing at the airport (pictured route) Aviation experts are questioning the safety of Malasyia Airlines following a disastrous emergency landing in Brisbane (stock image) What is a pitot tube? Pitot tubes were invented by Henri Pitot in 1732. A pitot tube is a wind tunnel which measures how fast the plane is going. It is an L-shaped device with two holes on it located on the exterior of the aircraft. The front hole is placed in the airstream. The side hole measures the static pressure. Advertisement The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has launched an investigation into flight MH134, following its emergency landing last week, stating no flights can take-off until all safety precaution checks are completed, The Australian reported. It is believed the problem was due to the failure of removing the covers from the pitot tubes, which measure airspeed and altitude, allowing the pilots to know what speed they're travelling at. Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association secretary Steve Purvinas told the publication that not double checking the small things leads to 'critical failures'. 'If those checks arent happening, they shouldnt be flying a plane,' Mr Purvinas told the publication. Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association secretary Steve Purvinas said checks need to be performed before the plane takes-off (stock image) This is not the first time that the airline has made headlines. In March 2014, Malaysia airlines flight MH370 disappeared while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. An extensive search for the missing flight carrying 239 passengers was called off on May 29, the the US-based firm Ocean Infinity. Malaysia is expected to release a report into the disappearance of MH370 on July 30, according to ABC News. A Chinese relative (right) of a missing passenger on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 reacts as she weeps outside the main gate of the Lama Temple on March 8, 2015 in Beijing, China Another Malaysia airlines flight made headlines in July 2014. Flight MH17, which was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, disappeared in July 2014. It was reportedly hit by a Russian-made Buk missile over Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers, including 38 Australians on-board. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has requested negotiations with Russia regarding the incident. Ms Bishop will also meet with the Malaysian foreign minister in August to discuss MH17, SBS reported. US Defense Secretary General James Mattis has dismissed as 'fiction' an Australian media report claiming American forces were prepared to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities as early as next month. A bewildered Mattis was quizzed by US reporters in Washington DC on Friday about the ABC report. The 'exclusive' report quoted unnamed senior Australian government figures and claimed Australian defence facilities would likely play a role in identifying targets in Iran. US Defense Secretary General James Mattis (pictured) has dismissed as 'fiction' an Australian media report claiming American forces were prepared to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities as early as next month 'I have no idea where the Australian news people got that information,' Mattis told reporters. 'I'm confident it is not something that's being considered right now, and I think it's a complete - frankly, it's - it's fiction. 'It's the best I can give you.' Mattis' Friday press conference opened with a question about the Australian news report. The report came after Mattis and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop earlier in the week in California for annual AUSMIN talks 'Can you assure the American people that the US is not preparing military strikes against Iran?' the reporter asked. The report came after Mattis and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop earlier in the week in California for annual AUSMIN talks. It also followed heated words exchanged on Twitter and in Iranian news reports between US President Donald Trump and Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also said he had 'no reason' to believe the ABC report was true. Global ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc will spend $3.1 billion to acquire Middle East rival Careem, buying dominance in a competitive region ahead of a hotly anticipated initial public offering. Uber said late on Monday night it would pay $1.4 billion in cash and $1.7 billion in convertible notes in a deal that gives it full ownership of Careem. The long-expected agreement ends more than nine months of start-and-stop negotiations between the two companies and hands Uber a much-needed victory after a series of overseas divestments. The notes will be convertible into Uber shares at a price equal to $55 apiece, Uber said, marking a nearly 13 percent increase over Uber's share price in its last financing round, led by SoftBank Group Corp more than a year ago. Uber will spend $3.1 billion to acquire Middle East rival Careem, buying dominance in a competitive region ahead of a hotly anticipated initial public offering The acquisition makes Careem a wholly owned subsidiary of Uber and will keep the Careem brand and app intact, at least initially. Careem co-founders Mudassir Sheikha, Magnus Olsson and Abdulla Elyas are staying on with Careem following the acquisition, the companies said. However, Careem's board will be overhauled, with three seats going to Uber representatives and two belonging to Careem. Sheikha, who is Careem's CEO, and Olsson will have board seats. An Uber spokesman declined to say whom Uber would appoint to the board. The $3.1 billion cash-and-stock purchase buys out all external Careem investors, the companies said, and Careem stock will be converted into Uber equity. Careem had raised less than $800 million from investors and as of October had a $2 billion valuation. Its backers include German car maker Daimler AG, Chinese ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing, Japanese internet company Rakuten Inc and Saudi investor Kingdom Holding Company. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020, the companies said, meaning it will not be reflected in Uber's first couple of quarterly earnings releases as a public company, although it will likely be disclosed in a public IPO filing. Uber will kick off its IPO next month and is expected to receive a valuation of at least $100 billion. The agreement is subject to regulatory approval, including by antitrust officials in the countries where Careem operates, which could prevent the deal from moving forward or compel the companies to modify the terms. The deal is particularly important for Uber, whose ability to be a competitive global ride-hailing player had come into question after it sold its operations in China, Russia and Southeast Asia to local rivals after sustaining heavy losses. Uber Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi in a statement called the deal with Careem 'an important moment for Uber.' Uber has been eager to reach an agreement before the company begins its 'roadshow,' when it will meet with public market investors prior to listing shares on the New York Stock Exchange. The deal enables Uber to claim dominance in a growing region for ride-hailing outside of the United States. Uber operates in more than 70 countries, but faces strong rivals in Latin America and India and tough regulations in Europe. Talks between the companies had dragged on since at least last summer, sources told Reuters, although they did not get serious until the end of the year. The companies had for years battled in a competition for drivers and riders that had required discounts and subsidies and pushed prices artificially low. Careem over the course of last year grew its business rapidly, including adding a delivery service, and went on to nearly double its valuation, pressuring Uber to increase its bidding price. Ammal Farahat, a driver for Careem, opens the app on her mobile phone before she starts driving, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Toward the end of last year, Careem was entertaining interest from investors for another financing round when Uber moved aggressively to buy the company outright, sources said. The merger follows the $580 million acquisition of Dubai-based ecommerce company Souq Group Ltd by Amazon.com Inc in 2017, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing, spotlighting the Middle East's budding technology scene. Careem, founded in 2012, has a larger presence than Uber in the Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan, and Turkey, operating in 98 cities there compared with Uber's roughly 23 locations. 'An Uber-Careem merger underscores the huge potential of car-hailing in the Middle East,' said Sam Blatteis, CEO at the MENA Catalysts, a Middle East public policy advisory and research firm. David Chao, co-founder and general partner at venture firm DCM and a Careem investor, said it was the 'first unicorn exit' in the Middle East, referring to start-ups valued at $1 billion or more, and representative of things to come. Careem's Middle East investors, including Saudi Arabia's Al Tayyar Travel Group, Saudi Prince Alwaleed's Kingdom, Saudi Telecom and Saudi venture fund STV, all welcomed the deal. Al Tayyar said it was divesting its investment for 1.78 billion Saudi riyal ($474.64 million) and expected a total profit of 1.34 billion riyals in 2019 as a result. Kingdom Holding said it was selling its stake for 1.25 billion riyals - 565 million riyals in cash and a convertible bond in Uber valued at 685 million riyals - while Saudi Telecom, which invested indirectly through its venture funds, said it will receive $274 million in cash and convertible notes. Uber said its revenue last year was $11.3 billion, while its gross bookings from rides were $50 billion. But the company lost a staggering $3.3 billion, excluding gains from the sale of its overseas business units in Russia and Southeast Asia. The second Parkland shooting survivor to take his own life has been identified as 16-year-old Calvin Desir. The sophomore at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who died in 'an apparent suicide' on Saturday night was named by family members who set up GoFundMe campaign to cover his funeral costs. Loved ones described Calvin as a loving and selfless teen who aspired to become an engineer. His death came less than a week after his classmate, 19-year-old Sydney Aiello, took her own life last Sunday. Both students reportedly died of a gunshot to the head. Calvin and Sydney were both on the MSD campus on February 14, 2018, when gunman Nikolas Cruz shot dead 14 of their classmates and three faculty members. They are now being counted among the victims of one of America's deadliest school shootings. Calvin Desir, a sophomore at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, has been identified as the second Parkland shooting survivor to take his own life in less than a week Loved ones described Calvin as a loving, selfless 16-year-old who aspired to be an engineer Calvin's suicide came less than one week after 19-year-old classmate Sydney Aiello (above) took her own life on March 17. Sydney's family said she suffered from 'survivor's guilt' The two suicides have brought the death toll from the Valentines Day 2018 shooting to 19 Calvin's sister, Brittany Wright, wrote in the description of the GoFundMe page: 'My family is grieving over the loss of a wonderful and amazing son, brother, nephew, and friend. 'As his older sister, I had the pleasure of watching Calvin grow from a child to a respectable young man. He was a fellow student at Stoneman Douglas with strong aspirations of one day becoming an engineer, which inspired him to always find new projects around the house to challenge his skills. 'Calvin was so loving and well loved by all his peers and family. He enjoyed riding his bike with his friends, shopping, cooking and trying new recipes with his mom, performing yard work and various chores with his dad and spending quality time with our baby sister and I. 'I can tell you firsthand that he was one of a kind, very soft spoken, and never once hurt a fly. If you ever asked him to do the simplest task, he was right on it. His selflessness and quick action to help others is something that we all deeply admired. 'Calvin Desir was truly special to us all and will forever live on in our hearts.' In the wake of his death, hundreds of people have left tribute comments on the photo above, which Calvin posted to Instagram last summer Without naming Calvin, Broward County Superintendent Robert Runcie tweeted Sunday: 'After visiting with the his wonderful family today, I got a sense of what a great young man he was. Please hold up this family in your prayers.' MSD graduate and gun control activist David Hogg wrote on Twitter: 'How many more kids have to be taken from us as a result of suicide for the government / school district to do anything? Rip 17 + 2.' Ryan Petty, the father of 14-year-old Parkland victim Alaina Petty who founded a suicide prevention foundation called the Walk Up Foundation after his daughters death, told the Herald: 'The issue of suicide needs to be talked about. This is another tragic example. 'When you look at Columbine as an example, almost just as many students killed themselves after the fact than in the actual shooting. That needs to change. We need to get them the help they need,' he said. Petty and other parents joined teachers, mental health specialists and more than 60 school, county, city, child services and law enforcement officials at an emergency meeting on Sunday afternoon. He said the Broward County School Superintendent's Office was working to reach every parent in the district via text, email, social media and robo calls. 'They will be asking parents to take this issue seriously,' he said. 'Parents cannot be afraid to ask their kids the tough questions.' The district reportedly plans to provide parents with the 'Columbia Protocol', a set of six questions to assess their child's suicide risk. Based on the answers, parents will receive a tailored list of emergency resource options. Superintendent Runcie told parents: 'I encourage you to take time to speak with your children every day. Dinners are a great time for family conversation. 'We need to remove the stigma from talking about suicide.' MSD graduate and gun control activist David Hogg responded to the news on Twitter The Broward County School District has urged parents to talk to their children and is providing them with the Columbia Protocol, a set of six questions used to assess someone's suicide risk PARKLAND THERAPISTS OFFER FREE SERVICES Trauma-trained therapists have banded together to provide free counseling services to anyone struggling in the community. At the locations below, children and their parents can walk in for unlimited sessions or participate in planned activities: Coral Springs Museum of Art - 2855 Coral Springs Drive, 954-340-5000 The Broward County Resiliency Center (BCRC) at Pines Trail Park Amphitheater - 10561 Trails End in Parkland, 954-684-4265 Eagles Haven - 5655 Coral Ridge Drive in Coral Springs, 954-203-4249. The information above was provided by The Miami Herald. Additional details can be found here. Advertisement Sydney's family has been open about their daughter's struggle with 'survivor's guilt' and post-traumatic stress disorder after she lost her best friend Meadow Pollack in the Parkland shooting. She graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 and went on to study at Florida Atlantic University, but struggled to attend college classes because she was afraid of being in a classroom. Sydney's mother Cara Aiello said after the shooting her daughter was often sad but didn't ask for help before she killed herself. In June 2018 on Facebook she shared a post about Robin Williams, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain - all of whom have committed suicide in the past few years. The post said 'Sometimes you need to check on those who seem the strongest'. Sydney died on Sunday at her home in Coconut Creek, Florida, after suffering a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Broward County medical examiner's office. Her funeral took place Friday. 'Its terrible what happened. Meadow and Sydney were friends for a long, long time. Killing yourself is not the answer,' Meadow's father Andrew Pollock said on Sydney's death. Meadow pictured left smiling with Sydney Sydney is survived by her parents Cara and Joe, and her brother Nick. She loved yoga and according to her mother, wanted to dedicate her life to helping others. A GoFundMe page raising money for her funeral expenses had surpassed $75,000 by Monday as loved ones filled the comments section, remembering Sydney as a beloved cheerleader who loved 'brightening up the days of others'. 'Sydney spent 19 years writing her story as a beloved daughter, sister and friend to many. She lit up every room she entered. Sydney aspired to work in the medical field helping others in need.' Meadow's grief-stricken family shared their heartbreak on having to bury yet another Parkland teenager. 'It was devastating to bury another beautiful young person in Parkland today. Our community is going through tragedy again. Please keep the Aiello Family in your prayers,' Hunter Pollack, Meadow's brother, wrote on Twitter on Friday. 'Rest in peace, Sydney. Please take care of my sister,' he added. Meadow's father Andrew Pollack, who has turned into a gun reform activist following the attack, told the Miami Herald his 'heart goes out to those poor, poor parents'. 'Its terrible what happened. Meadow and Sydney were friends for a long, long time,' he said. 'Killing yourself is not the answer,' he added. Tragedy struck again on Monday morning when the father of a six-year-old girl killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, Jeremy Richman, was found dead from an apparent suicide at his Connecticut office building. If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741. For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local branch. See www.samaritans.org for details. For confidential support in Australia LIFELINE: 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au or Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 Hunter Pollock pictured above with his sister Meadow who was killed in the deadly Parkland High School shooting that killed 17 staff and students Sydney lost her best friend Meadow Pollock in the attack. Meadow's brother took to Twitter to pay tribute to Sydney saying: 'Rest in peace, Sydney. Please take care of my sister' He paid tribute to Sydney who was best friends with Meadow while they attended Parkland High together Ohio minister Anthony Haynes' sex trafficking trial began on Monday. He's accused of grooming a 14-year-old girl in his care for sex An Ohio minister who promised to take care of a 14-year-old girl began to have sex with her daily and later encouraged two other pastors to have sex with her as well, prosecutors revealed Monday. Anthony Haynes, 40, faces life in prison if hes convicted on charges including child sex trafficking and sex exploitation of a minor. Haynes' trial opened on Monday where prosecutors said they have a trove of evidence against him including text messages, photos, voice mails and DNA evidence from his church proving he often had sex with the girl. Haynes' attorney told jurors that the allegations are shocking, but there's not enough evidence to prove the trafficking and conspiracy charges he faces. The two other Toledo-area pastors charged in the investigation have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Haynes is accused of grooming the young girl for sex and encouraged her to sleep with other ministers Pastor Cordell Jenkins (left) and Kenneth Butler (right). Those two pastors have pleaded guilty to sleeping with the minor and are awaiting sentencing Haynes made a pledge in front of his Greater Life Christian Center congregation that he would protect the victim and be her father figure after she was neglected by her biological mother when she was 14. Prosecutors say the girl had a difficult childhood and was sexually abused by a relative. He let her live with his family in 2014 but he weeks later began to groom her for sex, according to U.S. attorney Michael Freeman. He made her watch as sex acts were performed in front of her then had her have sex with him. They would go on to have sex at his church and at a motel until she was 17, prosecutors say. 'At the place of worship, when shes 14 years old, he had sex with her,' the federal prosecutor said. After about a year, Haynes then the minor to pastor Kenneth Butler and he began to have sex with her. Then she was introduced to minister Cordell Jenkins, who founded his own church in Toledo, that was closed following his arrest. In addition to the charges against the men, Haynes' wife Alisa Haynes and stepdaughter Alexis Fortune, have also been accused of trying to get the victim to not testify against the pastor. They allegedly abducted her at gunpoint in January and warned her not to testify at trial Court documents say that Jenkins had sex with two girls at his home, church office and a motel and often recorded the acts with his phone. Haynes allegedly encouraged the relationship with Jenkins. The victim is expected to testify in court. Her school counselor Callie Haas noted that the victim changed in personality at school, going from an outgoing student ambassador who used to give school tours to someone who seemed 'numb', according to the Toledo Blade. The girl later disclosed to Haas that she had been performing sex acts with pastors for years and 'felt like she was ruining church families as well as the pastors family,' the counselor testified. Haas reported the incident to the school resource officer who reported it to Toledo Police and the FBI. A search warrant was executed on April 7, 2017 and Haynes home was investigated and Haynes himself was found hiding in a crawl space under the stairs. Investigators revealed Monday they found evidence of semen linked to each pastor found in their homes and churches. In addition to the charges against the men, Haynes' wife Alisa Haynes and stepdaughter Alexis Fortune, have also been accused of abducting the victim at gunpoint in January, threatening her not to testify at trial. They nabbed her from her apartment, choked her with a cord and told her to take back statements she had made to investigators. In the wake of the Mueller report's finding that President Trump did not collude with Russia ahead of the 2016 presidential election, many are now taking aim at the outlets that suggested the commander-in-chief may have committed treasonous offenses. Sean Hannity was one of the first to lash out, tweeting: 'MSNBC CONSPIRACY NETWORK LIARS FAKE NEWS CNN LIARS NY TIMES WAPO LIARS.' The fired-up Fox News host that added: 'Starting Monday we will hold every deep state official who abused power accountable. We will hold every fake news media liar member accountable. We will hold every liar in Congress accountable.' Kellyanne Conway commented by responding to a Charlie Kirk tweet claiming that 13 stories a day were being written about the investigation, stating: 'Wasted ink. Imagine if a fraction of these stories were committed to providing Americans with "news they can use."" She went on to state: '@POTUS has helped veterans, military, taxpayers, jobseekers, job creators, the unemployed, the uninsured, those languishing in prison, those ravaged by addiction.' And First Son Donald Trump Jr called out CNN, MSNBC and Buzfeed before saying: 'Sadly, instead of apologizing for needlessly destabilizing the country in a transparent attempt to delegitimize the 2016 election, its clear that the Collusion Truthers in the media and the Democrat Party are only going to double down on their sick and twisted conspiracy theories moving forward.' Scroll down for video The Mueller report' found that President Trump did not collude with Russia ahead of the 2016 presidential election The Mueller investigation lasted for 22 months, which is brief in comparison to the four-year investigation into then-president Bill Clinton by Kenneth Starr. It dominated the news cycle however in a way that was very much unlike Starr's investigation, which resulted in articles of impeachment being brought against Clinton. There were certainly a number of media stories that led the American public to believe this would just as catastrophic for Trump, but in the end his repeated statements that there was not Russian collusion appear to check out. These are a few of the stories however that supporters of President Trump are singling out as the most egregious. Busy bees: Trump supporters have long been critical of Buzzfeed, where the Steele Dossier (left) was first published in full; the reporting on a Cohen story (right) was very publicly rebuffed by the special counsel Buzzfeed Two of the most commonly cited stories that have been under attack were both published by Buzzfeed. The first was the Steele dossier, which went online in full back in January 2017 - just days before President Trump's inauguration. It was the work of former British spy Christopher Steele, who complied claims suggesting that President Trump had formed close ties with the Russian government over the years. It was also that dossier from which the infamous 'golden shower tape' allegation emerged, which was never once verified by any news outlet. 'The dossier, which is a collection of memos written over a period of months, includes specific, unverified, and potentially unverifiable allegations of contact between Trump aides and Russian operatives, and graphic claims of sexual acts documented by the Russians,' wrote Buzzfeed. The second piece cited by trump supporters was published far more recently, and was the long piece over the course of the past 22 months to prompt a direct response from Mueller's office. Buzzfeed, citing anonymous sources, stated that Mueller had evidence that President Trump told Michael Cohen to lie while being questioned by Congress. The lie was tied to a potential business deal with Moscow in 2016, but once the story rain Mueller's office released an immediate response. 'BuzzFeeds description of specific statements to the Special Counsels Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohens Congressional testimony are not accurate,' said spokesman Peter Carr. Despite that statement, Buzzfeed stood by its reporting and the anonymous sources who gave them the story. That claim could of course still be true, though it seems far less likely given the memo released on Sunday by Attorney General William Barr. Broken: CNN falsely claimed that Comey told Trump he was under investigation, and would testify to this (above) Nope: A retraction had to be printed after a story ran claiming Anthony Scaramucci met with a wealthy Russian investor (above) CNN The cable news network is frequently the target of President Trump's attacks, and some of that outrage seems as though it may have been warranted in the wake of Mueller's findings. CNN had already been forced to edit a story published in December 2017 that claimed Donald Trump Jr had been informed of a Wikileaks dump of damning emails 10 days before they appeared online. That was completely false, and the email that CNN pointed to as proof of the cover-up actually showed the exact opposite. Don Jr had learned about the emails the day after they went online, forcing CNN to edit its copy while still going with the headline: 'Email pointed Trump campaign to WikiLeaks documents.' Just six months prior, three staff members handed in their resignation over another story that made bombshell allegations about a member of Trump's cabinet. That piece cited an anonymous source who claimed that Anthony Scaramucci had met with the head of a Russian investment firm with over $10 billion in assets. Scaramucci threatened a lawsuit, and shortly after the story was retracted for not meeting the network's standards. That news prompted a suddenly affable Scaramucci to tweet: 'CNN did the right thing. Classy move. Apology accepted. Everyone makes mistakes. Moving on.' That same month, CNN reported that James Comey would be contradicting a claim that was being made by President Trump at the time. The president had repeatedly stated that Comey told him he was not under investigation when the two men met shortly after the inauguration. CNN, citing an anonymous source, reported that Comey would testify to Congress that he did inform President Trump that he was under investigation. 'Trump has made a blanket claim that Comey told him multiple times that he was not under investigation,' declared CNN in a story that was reported on by four staffers. 'But one source said Comey is expected to explain to senators that those were much more nuanced conversations from which Trump concluded that he was not under investigation.' One day later, Comey's prepared testimony was released ahead of his appearance. 'Prior to the January 6 meeting, I discussed with the FBIs leadership team whether I should be prepared to assure President-Elect Trump that we were not investigating him personally. That was true; we did not have an open counter-intelligence case on him,' wrote Comey. 'We agreed I should do so if circumstances warranted. During our one-on-one meeting at Trump Tower, based on President Elect Trumps reaction to the briefing and without him directly asking the question, I offered that assurance.' The headline of the CNN piece was then changed from 'Comey expected to refute Trump' to 'Comey unlikely to judge on obstruction.' Plummet: Sticks took a freefall after ABC News falsely reported Michael Flynn reached out to Russians during the election at the behest of Trump ABC The network's news team cut into programming back in December 2017 to announce that former national security adviser Michael Flynn would be testifying that Trump ordered him to make contact with the Russians during the election. The impact of the story was immediate, with markets going into a freefall at what was a clear example of collusion between the president and Russia, as carried out by a member of his team. Other news organizations were having difficulty verifying that scoop however, and in the end it proved to be false. Flynn had in fact been prepared to testify that Trump asked him to make contact with Russian officials, but during the transition period. That is not so much a bombshell as it is standard practice, and ABC responded by suspending reporter Brian Ross. NBC In August 2017, an NBC News report was released with the headline 'Manafort Notes From Russian Meet Contain Cryptic Reference to "Donations."' That story claimed that Manafort had written the word 'donations' near a reference to the Republican National Committee in notes taken during the infamous Trumop Tower sit down that he, Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner had with Russian lawyer lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. 'Manafort's notes, typed on a smart phone and described by one briefed source as cryptic, were turned over to the House and Senate intelligence committees and to Special Counsel Robert Mueller. They contained the words "donations," and "RNC" in close proximity,' reported the network, citing two anonymous sources. Soon after, it was reported that the word 'donor; was written, and not 'donation.' In the end, the report was nothing more than innuendo that revealed no concrete evidence of any damning - let alone impeachable - behavior. The following May there was another story that underwent some edits after NBC published a piece with the headline 'Feds tapped Trump lawyer Michael Cohens phones.' Two anonymous sources said that federals agents were listening in on Cohen and already intercepted at least once call from the lawyer to the White House. This report fell apart soon after due to the fact that federal agents only obtained a warrant allowing them to see who Cohen was contacting, not listen in one his conversations. NBC forges on with their reporting even know, and today claimed that it had been known for weeks that there would be no charges brought against President Trump. 'NBC News is reporting that during a briefing on the Special Counsel investigation three weeks ago at the Justice Department, Special Counsel Robert Mueller told Attorney General William Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that he would not be making a decision on obstruction, per a source familiar with the meeting,' read the report. That information came from an anonymous source. Hacks: Officials also said there was no clear evidence pointing to the claim that Russia was behind the hack reported by The Washington Post (above) Washington Post The Post has made a point of policing media stories, and its reporters are often the first to call out dubious claims ad unfounded allegations in the paper's Fact Checker feature. It was the Post however that had its facts wrong back in December 2016 when it ran a story under the headline 'Russian hackers penetrated the U.S. electricity grid through a utility in Vermont.' That story was soon amended however and later retracted with a niote from the paper stating that 'the computer at Burlington Electric that was hacked was not attached to the grid.' Officials also said there was no clear evidence pointing to the claim that Russia was behind the hack. Front and center: Over 1,000 pieces ran during the 22-month investigation, but on Monday the headline was clear: 'Mueller finds no Trump-Russia conspiracy' New York Times A prime target for Trump supporters, the Times wrote frequently about the Mueller report. Over 1,000 pieces ran during the 22-month investigation, but on Monday the headline was clear: 'Mueller finds no Trump-Russia conspiracy.' A swarm of militant vegans have stormed a Queensland cattle farm as part of their fight for 'animal liberation'. The shocking footage showed a distressed farmer look on as about 150 activists entered the property at Millmerran, 75 kilometres west of Toowoomba, at midday on Saturday. The protesters, wearing white overalls covered in black shirts that read: 'Meat the Victims', cut across Lemontree Feedlot as the farmer chased after them. Lot feeder David McNamee later told Daily Mail Australia the vegans' actions were distressing for his family and had put his livestock at risk. A swarm of militant vegans have stormed a Queensland cattle farm as part of their on-going fight for 'animal liberation' Feedlots attract a lot of attention from activists across the globe as they are used to increase the amount of meat each animal produces The footage showed the farmer shouting at the mob to 'get off my f***ing country.' 'Don't go f***ing through,' he adds. One protester can then be hear yelling back: 'You're hurting animals here, we're here to show the truth of what you're hiding. 'The only reason you're upset is because you've got something to hide.' Protesters then spread through the feedlot, where they captured images of three dead cows lying in muddy pens. The farmer, overwhelmed by the number of activists on his his property, said to the camera that the animals were shot humanely. 'How do you humanely shoot a cow?' a protester asks. Feedlots attract a lot of attention from activists across the globe as they are used to increase the amount of meat each animal produces. The Queensland farmer appeared overwhelmed as about 150 animal rights activists swarmed his feedlot on Saturday One activist, Yaz Ustani (pictured), posted footage of Saturday's protest to Facebook The message from the group was: 'The animals do not need better welfare standards or conditions, they need to be liberated, they need people to live vegan' When police arrived a short time later, the protesters left the property. A police spokeswoman confirmed to Daily Mail Australia no arrests were made. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Lemontree Feedlot for comment. Footage from the protest was posted to the Facebook page of Animal Activist Collective. The post included a comment from Leah Doellinger, which read: 'The message we are sharing is simple; animals are here with us, not for us. 'Animals lives are their right and what is happening to them is unjust, needless violence. There is no humane way to exploit and kill someone. 'The animals do not need better welfare standards or conditions, they need to be liberated, they need people to live vegan.' Wearing white coveralls covered in black shirts that read: 'Meat the Victims', the protesters cut across the Lemontree Feedlot land as the farmer chases after them Protesters then spread through the feedlot, where they captured images of three dead cows lying in muddy pens Mr McNamee said the protesters had put his family, staff and livestock at risk. 'It remains unclear why our family business has been targeted by this group of activists.' The lot feeder said he was committed to industry best practice but even the best efforts could not prevent occasional deaths. It was the second time in a month that a feedlot in the area had been targeted by animal rights activists. The Wonga Plains feedlot at Bowenville near Toowoomba was targeted by a group last month who claimed cattle were being mistreated. A Labor victory could spark a mini-boom in property prices as speculative investors scrambled to buy real estate before negative gearing was scrapped. Your Property Your Wealth, a buyers' agent for investors, predicted Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's controversial policy of scrapping tax breaks for investment home buyers would actually increase prices in the short-term, rather than make homes more affordable. 'This may drive a short mini property boom, helping to kick along the recovery phase for markets like Sydney and Melbourne where prices have fallen but, in some cases, appear to be beginning to plateau,' the group's founder Daniel Walsh told Daily Mail Australia. A Labor victory could spark a mini-boom in property prices as investors scramble to buy real estate before negative gearing is scrapped (Sydney houses pictured) Australia's biggest property markets have dived since peaking in 2017. During the past year alone, Sydney's median house and apartment prices have fallen by 10.4 per cent while Melbourne's equivalent values have plummeted by 9.1 per cent, CoreLogic data showed. Mr Walsh said Labor's plan to scrap negative gearing for future purchases of existing property would encourage investors to buy real estate before the new law was passed and enacted, possibly in 2020. 'There will be a rush of investors keen to take advantage of the grandfathering clause in the negative gearing changes,' he said. Your Property Your Wealth, a buyers' agent for investors, predicted Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's tax breaks policy for landlords would have the opposite effect to what Labor intends 'They will buy while they can, to lock in the tax break for established properties not that negative gearing is their motivation, but it does help in the first few years of owning an investment property.' Daniel Walsh said investors would rush to buy homes before negative gearing change Since 2016, Labor has proposed to restrict negative gearing tax breaks so they only apply to brand new properties, in a bid to stimulate residential construction activity, and stop investors from out-bidding young buyers for existing dwellings. A previous Labor government in 1985, led by Bob Hawke, scrapped negative gearing only to re-introduce it in 1987 after rents surged by 33 per cent in Perth and by 31.4 per cent in Sydney. Mr Walsh said scrapping negative gearing made it less lucrative to be an investor, which meant there was less rental stock to meet demand. 'In 1985, the newly minted Hawke Labor government abolished negative gearing on rental properties,' he said. During the past year alone, Sydney's (pictured) median house and apartment prices have fallen by 10.4 per cent as Melbourne's equivalent values have plummeted by 9.1 per cent, CoreLogic data showed 'They, too, believed it would aide housing affordability by evening the playing field, so owner-occupiers could get into the market at the expense of landlords. 'You know what happened? Rents went up. With less rental stock in the market, supply dwindled while demand remained high and prices increased.' Mr Walsh said Labor's policy would 'see rents increase and your competition for good investment opportunities dry up'. SQM Research last week predicted that if Labor won the May federal election, house and apartment prices in Sydney could plunge by up to 14 per cent in Sydney and by 16 per cent in Melbourne, between 2020 and 2022. Regardless of whether property prices rose or fell, Mr Walsh said negative gearing was a bad investment strategy. 'It sounds like a short-sighted gamble where you're banking on a hope that what you've bought will increase enough in value to make up for the money you've had to pour into it,' he said. 'It means you're buying speculatively.' A Sydney father (pictured) has been sentenced to four months in a notorious Balinese prison for stealing a $1,250 cream designer handbag A Sydney father has been sentenced to four months in Bali's notorious Kerobokan prison for stealing a $1,250 cream designer handbag. Bilal Kalache, from Merrylands in Western Sydney, was convicted on Monday of taking the Gucci handbag from a duty-free store in the popular tourist destination of Kuta without paying, according to The Daily Telegraph. The father-of-four was holidaying with his wife and children at the time of the theft on January 10. The 43-year-old had been shopping with a friend and his son when he stole the cream handbag after the shop assistant left the store front to retrieve an item from the back. He claimed he simply forgot to pay for the expensive designer bag after purchasing another black Gucci purse and a pair of sunglasses. The bag was found in Kalaches' son's suitcase as they tried to board a plane home to Australia. The $1250 cream coloured Gucci bag Kalache was convicted of stealing (stock) The prison (pictured) has also hosted the Bali Bombers, the Bali Nine and Australia's infamous drug-smuggler, Schapelle Corby Kalache (pictured) stole the cream handbag when the shop assistant left the store front During his court appearance, Kalache told the Denpasar District Court, 'at the end of the day it was my fault,' according to the publication. 'It was my mistake, you know what I mean and I apologise for it, you know what I mean.' Kalache has been held in Kerobokan prison, known as 'Hotel K', since his arrest. The prison has also hosted the Bali Bombers, the Bali Nine and Australia's infamous drug-smuggler, Schapelle Corby. Kalache will be released from prison in May, given his time already served. A young boy miraculously survived being crushed by a tree which was uprooted in a storm, before it suddenly sprung back into place - trapping him underneath. Connor Creagh, 12, had gone to his grandparents' property near Kingaroy, about three hours north west of Brisbane, to help clean up after the wild weather last year. He was playing in front of the fallen tree, which his mother deemed safe, when the unbelievable incident unfolded. 'I said to Connor, we'll go up to Nana and Grandad's and we can help clean up their property after the storm,' his mother Danielle Miles said. 'It was horrendous out there.' Connor Creagh had gone to grandparent's property near Kingaroy, about three hours north west of Brisbane, to help clean up after a storm. He was playing in front of the fallen tree (pictured) when the unbelievable incident unfolded The young boy was reunited with the paramedics who saved his life after a tree that had fallen over in a storm suddenly sprung back up Ms Mills remembers hearing a chilling scream and when she looked over she could see her other two children, but not Connor. 'We just started running as fast as we could. The tree was standing back up and Connor was trapped from the chest down. There's no words to describe what it's like to see your child like that. It was the worst feeling I think I've ever had in my life,' she told the ABC. The family managed to free Conner using a tractor and chains to lift the roots and pull the unconscious boy out. He suffered eight broken ribs, two collapsed lungs, a broken femur, and damage to his heart, but thanks to the quick actions of Lifeflight paramedics he amazingly made a full recovery. 'It was just a huge sigh of relief when we heard the helicopter arrive,' Ms Mills said. 'Without these guys, Connor wouldn't be here right now, without a doubt. There's no way we could have got him to hospital in time.' Dr Oskar Larsson, who was on board the LifeFlight rescue helicopter, said he feared the worst when Connor remained unconscious and was having trouble breathing. The family managed to free the boy in minutes using a tractor and chains to lift the roots and pull the unconscious boy out Conner suffered eight broken ribs, two collapsed lungs, a broken femur, and a squashed heart but thanks to the quick actions of Lifeflight paramedics he amazingly made a full recovery Dr Oskar Larsson (middle), was the doctor on board the LifeFlight rescue helicopter that was called 'I remember opening the ambulance door, and seeing this little boy in all kinds of trouble. He was unconscious and struggling with breathing... he looked really bad,' Dr Larsson said. 'We had to move really really quickly to make him survive.' Once he arrived at the Queensland Children's Hospital doctors told Ms Mills to expect significant brain injury, but Connor has now made an almost full recovery. He had the opportunity to thank the LifeFlight staff in person recently, saying once the rod in his leg comes out and his lungs improve he wants to get back to running. Connor's amazing tale of survival Queensland arborist Kurt Brown said it was not unheard of for trees to fall down and then spring back up after storms. He said with 'compression and tension' wood could have a 'bendy quality'. Wood was used in boats and diving boards because of its flexibility, Mr Brown said. He said trees could arise again after falling over if the log is cut off - jumping back into the hole they came from. The base of the tree then becomes heavier than the top, and with roots still attached it can flip back upwards. Trees that fall on each other could also flip back into place as the timber flexes, Mr Brown said. Advertisement Kurt Brown, a Queensland arborist, said that while extremely rare, trees popping back up once they have fallen can happen. 'If you can imagine there's a lot of compression and tension and, wood being wood, it has that bendy quality,' he said. He explained this is why timber is still used in things like diving boards and boats because it is flexible. He said that in certain situations where you cut the tree, for example, the root ball will spring back into the hole it came from - though he added he had never heard of anyone being injured like this before. A LifeFlight spokeswoman said the tree was uprooted in the storm, leaving a hole. Connor was playing in the hole with his brother and sister before the tree suddenly jumped back upright - leaving the boy's parents baffled. 'They have no idea how it happened. It is, however, quite common,' the LifeFlight spokeswoman said. Connor's mother said she still can't believe her son survived the ordeal. 'It is a miracle that he's standing here,' she said. Connor, who turned 12 in December, said he doesn't remember much of the day but was grateful to those who rescued him. 'I just had to say thank you,' he said. 'When I got here today I just said a huge thank you.' Alice Cutter, 22, leaving Birmingham Crown Court last week, where she is on trial accused of being a member of the banned Neo-Nazi group National Action A young woman accused of being a Neo-Nazi poses for the camera in a National Action face mask as part of a 'Miss Hitler' beauty pageant. Alice Cutter, 22, allegedly entered the contest under the name Buchenwald Princess - a reference to the Nazi death camp where thousands of Jews were slaughtered during the Second World War. A court heard she took part in the competition in a bid to recruit more members to the extremist group and 'raise the profile' of National Action. Jurors were today shown images which prosecutors allege to be Cutter wearing a National Action face mask with the Miss Hitler 2016 logo. Her fiance Mark Jones, 24, was also allegedly pictured doing a Nazi salute in an execution room at the camp just a month earlier. He is also accused of belonging to the same group and has gone trial with co-defendants Garry Jack, 23, and 18-year-old Connor Scothern. All four deny a charge of belonging to the proscribed organisation, which was banned in December 2016 following the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox. Prosecutor Barnaby Jameson QC said it was 'no coincidence' Cutter chose the name Buchenwald Princess for the beauty pageant after her partner's visit to the concentration camp. Cutter posed with a gun in a social media post. A court heard she took part in the competition in a bid to recruit more members to the extremist group and 'raise the profile' of National Action A picture alleged to show Alice Cutter which were posted during a 'Miss Hitler' competition in June 2016 which prosecutors claim was an effort to recruit new members to far right National Action A picture shown to a jury at Birmingham Crown Court which is alleged to show Mark Jones, 24, and another man posing for a photograph while giving a Nazi salute in the execution room at the site of the Buchenwald Nazi death camp in Germany A picture alleged to show Alice Cutter wearing swastika-related clothing, which was shown to the jury at Birmingham Crown Court today The jury were told Jones (pictured) was featured in the image as 'Mr Angry' due to his 'intense interest in guns and knives' He told the court previously how the contest was 'anything but funny' as it was held just days after a right wing fanatic murdered Jo Cox. Mr Jameson said: 'On June 24, 2016 National Action staged, if you can believe this, a beauty contest titled Miss Hitler 2016. 'This was, no doubt a publicity stunt to raise the group's profile and attract more members. 'Amusing to a teenage schoolboy, perhaps, until you look at the detail. 'Alice Cutter entered and I think won the competition as 'Buchenwald Princess' and set out her mission statement in a detailed interview. 'It is anything but funny. A picture alleged to show Alice Cutter which were posted during a "Miss Hitler" competition in June 2016 which prosecutors claim was an effort to recruit new members to far right group National Action A picture alleged to show Mark Jones wearing swastika-related clothing, which was shown to the jury at Birmingham Crown Court today 'The name 'Buchenwald Princess' was perhaps no co-incidence given that Jones had visited the execution room at Buchenwald the previous month and Jones and Cutter became an item.' Jurors sitting at at Birmingham Crown Court were also shown images of the couple wearing his-and-hers Swastika knitwear at their home in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Other images show a meme shared between the group showing members with their faces superimposed onto characters from Quentin Tarantino's 'Reservoir Dogs'. The jury were told Jones was featured in the image as 'Mr Angry' due to his 'intense interest in guns and knives'. Mr Jameson added: 'This is the same Jones who gave the Nazi salute in the execution room in Buchenwald and who had an intense interest in guns and knives. 'You will have to decide whether the epithet 'Mr Angry' was apt.' Jones is alleged to have travelled with a fellow member of the group to the Buchenwald concentration camp where he posed for a photo doing a Nazi salute. The image later appeared on the National Action website with the caption 'Oy vey. Such horrors. Dem bois were recently on tour in Germania'. Professor Matthew Feldman, Director of the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right, said: 'Buchenwald was opened in July 1937. Eventually 280,000 inmates were imprisoned there until the end of the Second World War. 'A total of 56,000 were killed or transferred out of Buchenwald. A total of 1,000 were hung slowly and 8,000 were shot at the back of the neck. 'The photo which apparently shows Mark Jones and Alex Davies making a Nazi salute is in execution room where political prisoners were killed. 'Buchenwald now is a museum to remember the one in four people at Buchenwald who were killed there.' Giving evidence, Prof Feldman described National Action as 'the most extreme end of the right wing spectrum.' The court heard the defendants were seeking to spread terror from a 'warped' ideology, adding that despite the ban on National Action coming into force in December 2016 'it continued underground'. Jones and Cutter deny the charges along with Jack, from Birmingham, and Scothern, of Nottingham. The trial will resume tomorrow. A Wisconsin assistant state attorney has been fatally shot, allegedly by her ex-husband, in what colleagues are calling 'the worst possible outcome of domestic violence'. Stacia Hollinshead, 30, was shot dead in a home in Beaver Dam on Saturday. Her ex-husband Ulisses W. Medina Espinosa, who she filed a protective order against in 2016, was arrested and is being held at the Dodge County Detention Facility pending charges. Hollinshead worked as a prosecutor and Army intelligence officer in the small town and was the mother to a five-year-old daughter, who was at the scene of the horrific shooting, authorities say. Hollinshead and Espinosa divorced in 2016 and that same year she had a protective order filed against him in Dekalb County but it was waived, according to Heavy. Her ex-husband Ulisses W. Medina Espinosa, who she had a protective order against since 2016, was arrested and is being held pending charges Her ex-husband Ulisses W. Medina Espinosa, who she filed a protective order against in 2016, was arrested and is being held pending charges. Espinosa pictured above being cuffed He is being held at the Dodge County Detention Facility and charges are expected to be filed Tuesday Bob Barrington, managing attorney of the Dodge County District Attorney's office, which is handling the case, said domestic violence charges are being considered. He expects 'charges will be filed Tuesday', according to ABC. Hollinshead's murder was the first homicide in the town since 1986. 'Its a really quiet neighborhood. Neighbors know each other and take care of each other. You dont expect to see anything like this on a quiet street like this,' Brian Hartl said to the outlet. The murder took place at this Beaver Dam, Wisconsin home, marking the first the first homicide in the town since 1986 She was a prosecutor, Army intelligence officer, and a mother to a five-year-old daughter who authorities say was at the scene of Hollinshead's murder Assistant state attorney Stacia Hollinshead, 30, was fatally shot in Saturday in a Beaver Dam, Wisconsin home 'This was an isolated isolated incidentThis does not happen on this block of Third Street,' Allie Hartl said. 'We havent had this kind of suspicious investigation in over 28 years that Ive been with the Beaver Dam Police Department,' Police Chief John Kreuziger echoed. Rick Amato of the Dekalb County State's Attorney - where Hollinshead worked since November - posted on Facebook to mourn her death, calling it the 'worst possible outcome of domestic violence'. 'Although Stacia had been with our office only a few months, we quickly came to know her as a dedicated mother and prosecutor with a bright future in the practice of law,' he posted Sunday evening. 'News of Stacias death has left us stunned, deeply saddened, struggling to understand how someone we cared for so much could be the victim of such an unimaginably violent act, and wondering how we could have helped her to prevent it. Rick Amato of the Dekalb County State's Attorney - where Hollinshead worked since November - posted on Facebook to mourn her death, calling it the 'worst possible outcome of domestic violence' 'Stacias tragic death drives home many points that we make constantly: Domestic violence is about power and control, it is learned behavior, it is present in all communities, it crosses all social and economic barriers, and it is preventable. 'Stacias tragic death drives home many points that we make constantly: Domestic violence is about power and control,' Amato said in a post mourning her death He went on to say that the office will continue to work to 'stop abusers who terrorize their partners and rip apart their families.' 'Stacia is yet another face and heart to fight for, and a reason to believe in the work that we do daily to free the victims in our community from the power and control of their abusers,' he added. Amato said that Hollinshead had served as a U.S. Army Intelligence analyst for 11 years and was a graduate of Northern Illinois University College of Law. According to the Associated Press, analysis of domestic violence murders from 2006 to 2014 show that current wives and girlfriends account for nearly 75 percent of all fatal domestic violence shootings. House Democrats are demanding the full report from Special Counsel Robert Mueller by April 2, writing to Attorney General William Barr on Monday that his summary was 'not sufficient for Congress.' Six powerful House committee chairs signed on to the letter, which was released by House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, who received Barr's letter laying out Mueller's findings. 'Your four-page summary of the Special Counsel's review is not sufficient for Congress, as a coequal branch of government' to do its work, the chairs wrote. The signees to the letter included House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (left) and House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (right) Also signing were ouse Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (left) and House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (right) And it was signed by Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (left) and House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel (right) Each of the committees involved in the request - House Judiciary, Oversight, Intelligence, Financial Services, Ways and Means, and Foreign Affairs - is engaged in some type of oversight of President Donald Trump's administration. Their move comes after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell earlier Monday blocked a resolution calling for Mueller's report to be released publicly. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer moved for unanimous consent on a nonbinding resolution, which passed the House 420-0 last week, to be passed by the Senate. But McConnell objected, arguing Barr is in the process of determining what in Mueller's report can be released publicly and what needs to be redacted. 'The special counsel and the Justice Department ought to be allowed to finish their work in a professional manner,' McConnell said. 'To date, the attorney general has followed through on his commitments to Congress. One of those commitments is that he intends to release as much information as possible.' Under Senate rules, any senator can try to set up a vote but any other senator can block their move. pass or set up a vote on a bill, resolution or nomination. But in turn, any one senator can block their request. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (left) blocked a move by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (right) to bring up a vote on a nonbinding resolution calling for Mueller's report to be made public Meanwhile, House Democratic lawmakers also want the 'the underlying evidence and materials to the relevant committees at that time.' 'We look forward to receiving the report in full no later than, and to begin receiving the underlying evidence and documents that same day,' the committee chairs wrote to Barr. In addition to Nadler, Reps. Adam Schiff, Elijah Cummings, Maxine Waters, Richard Neal, and Eliot Engel signed their names to the request. They argue their request for information is consistent with what the Justice Department has provided in past investigations. 'The provision of the report - in complete and unredacted form - and the underlying evidence and materials would be fully consistent with the Justice Department's practice and precedent with Congress, which the Department reinforced in recent years,' they wrote. House Democrats are turning their focus onto their own investigations of Trump in addition to demanding more information about Mueller came to his findings and how Barr came to the decision not to charge the president with obstruction of justice. 'This administration was not going to indict the president,' Cummings told reporters on Monday evening. Additionally, Schiff's Intelligence committee postponed Thursday's hearing with Felix Sater, the chief negotiator for the Trump Tower Moscow project, to focus on questions lingering from Mueller's probe. The committee chairs wrote to Attorney General William Barr to ask for the full Mueller report by April 2nd Robert Mueller attended church near the White House on Sunday Democrats are turning their focus on questions lingering from the Mueller findings, including postponing Thursday's hearing with Felix Sater, seen here with Trump in 2005; Sater was chief negotiator on the Trump Tower Moscow project Earlier Monday a trio of powerful House Democratic committee chairmen blasted Barr for reaching his conclusion not to charge President Trump with obstruction just 48 hours after receiving the Mueller report. The lawmakers are calling the Barr letter 'far from the ''total exoneration'' claimed by Trump and point to 'shortcomings' in the letter to demand both that Barr come and testify and that he release the report and its evidence to Congress for review. 'These shortcomings in today's letter are the very reason our nation has a system of separation of powers. We cannot simply rely on what may be a partisan interpretation of facts uncovered during the course of a 22-month review of possible wrongdoing by the President,' said the letter. The chairmen, each of whom is conducting his own probe of Trump-related inquiries, request that Barr testify before the Judiciary Committee which would give lawmakers the chance to question him about the decisions undergirding his letter, which shocked Washington by revealing that Mueller did not find that anyone associated with the Trump campaign 'conspired or coordinated with the Russian government.' House Judiciary Chairman Jerold Nadler, House Intelligence chair Adam Schiff, and House Oversight chair Elijah Cummings issued the letter. Legal observers have been parsing the letter, noting that Barr's use of the term 'Russian government' would not necessarily apply to WikiLeaks, who Barr notes received emails hacked by Russia. It also wouldn't apply to Natalia Veselnetskaya, the Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower in 2016 after the promise of 'dirt' on Hillary Clinton. The letter questions's Barr's 'objectivity' in the matter. 'America is the greatest place on earth,' President Trump said Sunday upon his return to the White House Attorney General William Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein made the joint decision not to charge the president with obstruction of justice 'Far from the 'total exoneration' claimed by the President, the Mueller report expressly does not exonerate the President. Instead, it 'sets out evidence on both sides of the question' of obstruction-including the evidence that President Trump attempted to obstruct justice,' the chairmen write. Barr's letter, which notably did not reach a conclusion on whether or not Trump should be prosecuted for potential obstruction, raised new questions for how a series of Demoratic probes would proceed. Major committees have already been gearing up probes of Trump's business, foreign contacts, and role in hush payments to women, amid increasing pressure from rank-and-file members for impeachment. Now, they must contend with a summary of a report that at least states Trump's camp did not engage in a conspiracy with Russia to hack the elections. The letter indicates that at least one area of the Judiciary panel's inquiry will be how Barr who was nominated after penning a letter bashing Mueller's obstruction theory handled his own role. 'It is unacceptable that, after Special Counsel Mueller spent 22 months meticulously uncovering this evidence, Attorney General Barr made a decision not to charge the President in under 48 hours,' they write. 'The Attorney General did so without even interviewing the President. His unsolicited, open memorandum to the Department of Justice, suggesting that the obstruction investigation was 'fatally misconceived,' calls into question his objectivity on this point in particular,' they added. On Russian interference, they wrote: 'Although we have confidence that Special Counsel Mueller made the right prosecutorial judgement ... notwithstanding the very public evidence of Trump campaign contact with and willingness to receive support from Russian agents it will be vital for the country and the Congress to evaluate the full body of evidence collected by the Special Counsel, including all information gathered of a counterintelligence nature.' They noted that Barr's four-page summary revealed only a fraction of what Mueller produced. It includes quotations that are merely sentence fragments not sentences. 'The only information the Congress and the American people have received regarding this investigation is the Attorney General's own work product. The Special Counsel's Report should be allowed to speak for itself, and Congress must have the opportunity to evaluate the underlying evidence,' they added. They pointed to a 420-0 House vote calling for the release of the full report. Mueller investigation by the numbers Employed 19 lawyers Worked with team of 40 FBI agents, intelligence analysts, forensic accountants, and other professional staff Issued more than 2,800 subpoenas Executed nearly 500 search warrants Obtained more than 230 orders for communication records Issued almost 50 orders authorizing use of pen registers Made 13 requests to foreign governments for evidence Interviewed approximately 500 witnesses Advertisement 'The Attorney General must release the report and the underlying evidence in full, and appear before the House Judiciary Committee to answer our questions without delay.' In his letter to lawmakers on Mueller's findings, Barr notes that Mueller sets out evidence 'on both sides' without drawing a conclusion of whether the conduct constitutes obstruction. 'The Special Counsel's decision to describe the facts of his obstruction investigation without reaching any legal conclusions leaves it to the Attorney General to determine whether the conduct described in the report constitutes a crime,' wrote Barr without stating whether Mueller affirmatively said the attorney general should make the decision. Mueller, by failing to reach a conclusion, also could in effect have let it up to Congress to decide. Barr, in his letter, wrote that he was 'mindful' of public interest in the matter. He said his 'goal and intent is to release as much of the Special Counsel's report as I can consistent with applicable law, regulations, and Department policies.' Nadler announced on Twitter Sunday that his committee would be calling Barr before them to explain how he reached the conclusion Trump should not be charged. 'Special Counsel Mueller worked for 22 months to determine the extent to which President Trump obstructed justice. Attorney General Barr took 2 days to tell the American people that while the President is not exonerated, there will be no action by DOJ,' Nadler wrote. 'In light of the very concerning discrepancies and final decision making at the Justice Department following the Special Counsel report, where Mueller did not exonerate the President, we will be calling Attorney General Barr in to testify before @HouseJudiciary in the near future,' he added. Officers from the New York Police Department have arrested a man for allegedly walking around Brooklyn with a loaded AR-15-style rifle. Anthony Morgan, 26, who claims he was carrying the weapon because he had been jumped and mugged, was reported to authorities after a witness saw the gun sticking out of his luggage. Police said they responded to Marcy Avenue near Halsey Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant around 10.30pm on March 1. Anthony Morgan, 26, told authorities that he had been 'jumped and mugged' on March 1 and was on his way to settle the score with the AR-15 rifle (pictured) when he was arrested by police. A witness reported Morgan to the police when they spotted it sticking out of the bag Authorities said the gun's stock was protruding from the top of the black luggage case, according to the New York Post. When police approached Morgan, he reportedly tried to pull the gun from the bag and flee the scene. However, the gun became stuck and Morgan, who has a prior attempted robbery conviction, fled without it, prosecutors said. Police chased after him on foot and took him into custody. Authorities also seized the illegal gun, ammunition and several high-capacity magazines. The weapon was a loaded Sharps AR15 semi-auto with an attached bump stock, authorities said. Morgan reportedly told police that he had been mugged earlier in the day on March 1. Following the incident, Morgan claims he then went to get the weapon and to settle the score. Morgan was arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court on charges of criminal possession of a machine gun, loaded firearm, ammo clip and a stolen iPhone, records show. He was held on a $200,000 bail. A right-wing activist group operating out of New Zealand has gone underground in the wake of the Christchurch Mosque terror attack. Dominion Movement, which is based in Wellington, announced its online presence would be limited after the March 15 massacre of 50 Muslims. Shortly after the horrific attack their website was changed to private and their social media pages were shut down. The anti-immigration group had previously adopted slogans such as 'bound by blood' and 'family, community, nation' and had described immigrants as 'unworthy imports'. A right-wing activist group, Dominion Movement (pictured), operating out of New Zealand have gone underground in the wake of the Christchurch Mosque terror attack The Dominion Movement denounced the Christchurch Mosque terror attack but has previously espoused 'white supremacist' ideas, Stuff reported. Chair of global Islamic politics at Australia's Deakin University Greg Barton told the publication the Dominion Movement's ideals are strikingly similar to European identitarian ideology. 'They don't want to project themselves as being white supremacists but, of course, when you dig deeper that's what you get ... they profess to be standing up for victims, they see themselves as victims of a grand conspiracy,' he said. Identitarian ideology is described as a European and North American far-right nationalist movement which originated in France. Previously the Dominion Movement's now private website had been open about campaigning against 'immigrant masses'. 'We say: not here. This is our home. We refuse to surrender it to immigrant masses, foreign political saboteurs, Chinese oligarchs, and the forces of international finance,' the website read. The group released statement denouncing the Christchurch terror attack but has been known to espouse white supremacist ideas Independent Research Solutions researcher Ben Elley said groups like Dominion Movement tended to attract young white males 'who feel disenfranchised by millennial quandaries'. The Dominion Movement is only a year old and describes itself as 'fraternity of young New Zealand nationalists' united by the belief that 'Europeans are the defining people of this nation and that they were essential in its creation'. People are being spied on in their homes and businesses by their own security cameras, from a website which live streams their cameras online for the world to see. The site called Insecam is broadcasting Australians' homes and businesses, by hacking into popular brands of baby monitors and security cameras like Panasonic, xis, Linksys, Sony and more. The site features more than 16,000 camera feeds from around the world, with 126 of those coming from Australia. The live-stream feeds shows everything from traffic and parks all the way into people's homes, backyards, driveways and businesses, and anyone with the Internet can access it. A woman can be seen standing in an office, which can be tracked to Sydney's CBD using the coordinates the website provides One live cam shows a woman sitting at her desk in an office - which clearly shows her computer screen and what she's looking at - with the coordinates showing the location as Sydney's CBD Insecam describes itself as 'the world (sic) biggest directory of online surveillance security cameras.' A simple search on the Insecam website brings up more than 40 live feeds of various security cameras from homes and businesses in Melbourne and Sydney. The website even provides the latitude and longitude coordinates for the addresses. One live cam shows a woman sitting at her desk in an office - which clearly shows her computer screen and what she's looking at - with the coordinates showing the location as Sydney's CBD. A backyard tracked to an address in Sydney is available to view on the website Insecam - which live streams thousands of security cameras from around the world, including over 100 homes and businesses from Australia Another surveillance camera shows the inside of a Melbourne pub, and clearly identifies the faces of the staff and patrons in the bar. Insecam is a reminder of how easily private data can fall into the wrong hands, Monash University cyberspace and cybercrime expert Dr Lennon Chang told the Herald Sun. 'Because people can look into such a private arena they can view anything from people in their homes walking around naked to a couple making love its the same concept as Big Brother.' The site features more than 126 live feeds from Australia, including someone's backyard in Melbourne (pictured) Dr Chang also said the sites manufacturers should notify its customers about the surveillance camera feeds. 'If people dont care then that is their choice, but they should at least be told,' he said. But despite the obvious invasion of privacy, Insecam claims only people who haven't changed the password to their security camera will have their footage streamed on their site. 'Only filtered cameras are available now. This way none of the cameras on Insecam invade anybody's private life', the website says. Cyber experts are warning Australians to change the default password for their devices to avoid being streamed on the website. A former bikie enforcer who sold illicit drugs before turning his life around and dedicating his life to charity has been spared jail. Brent Allchorn-Simpson, a former Sargent-at-arms for the Bandidos bikie club on the Gold Coast, was caught dealing cocaine in 2014. But despite being convicted of the charges at Southport Court on Monday, sentencing Judge Julie Dick acknowledged his 'dramatic' change of lifestyle since his drug-dealing days and let him walk free from court. In sentencing Allchorn-Simpson to a three-year suspended sentence, Judge Dick said the former bikie had made a 'remarkable recovery,' according to a report by 7 News. A former bikie enforcer, Brent Allchorn-Simpson, (pictured) has been met with sympathy by a judge 'He was a full blown drug addict, acquiring drugs from wherever he could,' his lawyer, Michael McMillan, told the court. Outside of court on Monday, Allchorn-Simpson said: 'I'm really happy to move forward in a big kind of way.' However, the 43-year-old father-of-four also acknowledged his past troubled life. 'I was a bit of a wild and ruthless man that really didn't have much to live for, I guess, back then,' he said. Reformed Brent Simpson is pictured with his wife His said his biggest concern over the drugs charges was the prospect of leaving his four children behind. 'I walked out of there and broke down I've carried such a weight on my shoulders...' he said. 'I've got three little children that I dropped off at school this morning saying 'we'll see you this afternoon dad' and in my heart I wasn't sure whether I'd actually get there to pick them up,' he said, choking back tears. In 2016, Simpson cycled his push-bike from the Gold Coast to Perth to raise awareness and money for his not-for-profit charity, Heavy Hiterz The court heard Allchorn-Simpson's troubled life was sparked from childhood trauma. He was raised in a broken home and grew up in housing commission in Sydney's west, according to the ABC. He was removed from his father's care at the age of 12 and was placed in foster care, before running away and living on the streets. Simpson said he plans to resume his charity work and help raise mental health awareness across the nation Allchorn-Simpson also revealed in a candid interview with The Weekend Addition that he was physically and sexually abused as a child and suffers from Bipolar Type 2 Disorder. His broken childhood led him to crime, drugs, and bikie gangs, which saw him eventually imprisoned for six-years for drug importation. During his stint in prison, Allchorn-Simpson admitted he regularly thought of committing suicide and suffered from severe depression. In 2016, Simpson cycled his push-bike from the Gold Coast to Perth to raise awareness and money for his not-for-profit charity, Heavy Hiterz. Now, the family man wants to continue his charity work and make a difference to those also suffering from mental illnesses. Former CIA director John Brennan, a leading critic of President Donald Trump, admitted Monday he suspected there was more that would come out of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. 'I don't know if I received bad information but I suspected there was more than there actually was. I am relieved that it's been determined there was not a criminal conspiracy with the Russian government over our election,' Brennan said on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe.' 'I think that is good news for the country.' Mueller concluded that Trump and his campaign did not collude with Russians in order to improve his chances of beating Democrat Hilary Clinton. Former CIA director John Brennan admitted he suspected there was more that would come out of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation Brennan has been one of President Donald Trump's leading critics The special counsel did not draw a conclusion 'one way or the other' as to whether the president obstructed justice, according to the findings, but left that decision to Attorney General William Barr, who decided along with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein not to pursue that charge. Brennan has been a fierce critic of the president. He wrote in an August op-ed for The New York Times: 'Mr. Trump's claims of no collusion are, in a word, hogwash.' Brennan said Monday there are still questions to be answered and pointed to an ongoing investigation into the president's business dealings by the Southern District of New York. 'I still believe there are a lot of questions that need to be answered, questions about why he's lied so much and so often. I do think he, Donald Trump is concerned that opening up an investigation on criminal conspiracy about working with the Russians would open up a Pandora's box of other type of things that come ply indicate him and I think the referrals by Bob Mueller to the Southern District of New York and other places demonstrate there's a lot of investigative threads that could implicate Mr. Trump,' he said on MSNBC. Brennan cast off his normally tight-lipped persona to become one of President Trump's harshest critics after he ended his tenure at America's top spy agency. In one example, he retweeted Trump in January, writing: 'Your cabal of unprincipled, unethical, dishonest, and sycophantic cronies is being methodically brought to justice. We all know where this trail leads. If your utter incompetence is not enough to run you out of office, your increasingly obvious political corruption surely will.' He predicted the Mueller probe could ensnare Trump family members. He predicted, incorrectly, that Mueller would bring additional indictments dealing with criminal conspiracy. Bosses who receive exorbitant pay packets need to face a hostile environment of regulation and staff scrutiny, MPs demand today. The eye-watering pay packets handed out to chief executives of the UKs biggest companies have risen four times as fast as average earnings in the last ten years. Chief executives are now paid an average of 4million 140 times more than their workforce, a report from MPs reveals today. The eye-watering pay packets handed out to chief executives of the UKs biggest companies have risen four times as fast as average earnings in the last ten years (file image) Roll call of the fat cats Persimmon: CEO Jeff Fairburn was paid 100million after the firm profited from the taxpayer-funded Help to Buy scheme. He agreed to hand back 25million after half of investors voted it down. He quit in November last year but kept his 75million. Royal Mail: It paid a 5.8million golden hello in 2018 to incoming CEO Rico Back and paid the outgoing boss 900,000. Seven in ten investors voted against the deal. BT: Boss Gavin Patterson was handed a 2.3million package weeks before sacking 13,000 staff. His deal included a bonus of 1.3million. Foxtons: The boss of the London-based estate agents, Nic Budden, was given a 218,000 bonus in 2017 despite profits falling two-thirds and share dividends in the company collapsing. Advertisement It points to a roll-call of dishonourable executive pay decisions, including BT, Royal Mail and housebuilder Persimmon, saying the all-too familiar tale of corporate greed undermines trust in business. Persimmon boss Jeff Fairburn was paid 75million after his companys profits grew as a result of the taxpayer-funded Help to Buy scheme. Over-generous salaries and executive greed has been baked into the system, the report says, adding that Britains bosses are now the second-best paid in Europe behind Switzerland. In the report, published by the Commons business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) committee, the MPs lay out radical measures for companies that choose to pay unjustifiable wages. They call for a new regulator to be brought in with the powers to cap pay and order bosses to hand back money awarded without justification. Ordinary workers should be placed on remuneration committees, the report adds, and bosses pay should not be boosted by unpredictable and excessive bonuses. BEIS committee chairman Rachel Reeves warns: Eye-watering and unjustified CEO pay packages are corrosive of trust in business and threaten to undermine the publics support for the way our economy operates. The roll-call of dishonourable executive pay decisions at firms including Persimmon, Unilever, Royal Mail, BT, Melrose and Foxtons, tell the all-too-familiar tale of corporate greed. Persimmon boss Jeff Fairburn was paid 75million after his companys profits grew as a result of the taxpayer-funded Help to Buy scheme Companies should be assured that the BEIS committee will continue to shine a light on executive pay. The report calls for businesses to move executive pay structures away from bonuses and towards simpler formulas based on fixed salaries and deferred share schemes. MPs recommend businesses use profit-sharing schemes so workers benefit from success, as well as appointing at least one employee representative to the committee that signs off executive pay. Companies should also be forced to publish an absolute cap on pay packets for executives. The report says the Financial Reporting Council, which regulates auditors and oversees executive pay, is underpowered and passive. Campaigners and business groups backed the report. Luke Hildyard, of the High Pay Centre, a think-tank, said: Excessive executive pay is a key driver of the painful economic divides that exist in the UK. Charles Cotton, of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, the professional body for the human resources industry, said: The growing gulf between pay for top earners and the rest of the workforce calls into question both the fairness and overall performance of our workplaces. Dr Roger Barker, of the Institute of Directors, said: There is no doubt that the executive pay policies of some large listed companies have eroded public trust in corporate governance. Pearl Bamford was found beside a Cornwall river bank on March 15. She was pronounced dead in hospital shortly after A father is appealing for help in finding his daughters mobile phone in the hope it can provide answers about her sudden death. Pearl Bamford, 19, who was described by her family as beautiful, unique and creative, was found on a riverbank on March 15 after a widespread search. She was pronounced dead in hospital a short while later. Police say her death is being treated as unexplained, but not suspicious, and they are waiting for results of a post-mortem examination. But her family say they are desperate to track down her white iPhone 5 which is believed to have been taken from her backpack at the scene. Her wallet was also taken, but was later returned to police. Her loved ones say the mobile phone could hold vital clues to what happened to her. Her father, Johnny Bamford, said yesterday: I want to square the circle. Did she contact someone on WhatsApp or did she talk to someone? There are also some poignant photographs that shed taken with her boyfriend, whos incredibly devastated. Mr Bamford, from Crackington Haven, near Bude, Cornwall, added: My plea is that, if someone did take it from her rucksack outside Tesco, its got no real value and Im happy to give them a new one just to have it back so that we can process our grief, no questions asked. It may give me some answers, it may give me nothing. Peal (right) at a festival with a group of her friends. The 19-year-old's phone remains missing Its really just a plea from a dad whos lost his daughter and needs to know what happened in the last hours. It would help me. Emergency services were called to the riverbank near a Tesco store in Truro, Cornwall, at about 10am on March 15. Flowers left at a memorial for Pearl in Cornwall. Her family described the 19-year-old as 'a beautiful, unique and creative young woman' Devon and Cornwall Police said: We are aware that some items belonging to Pearl have yet to have been located and we continue to review CCTV. Pearls family said: Pearl was a beautiful, unique creative young woman with a great future ahead of her. She shone brightly and her light will be sorely missed. They added: Her family and friends are mourning the tragic and untimely loss of their wonderful cherished daughter and friend. The Liberal Party vice president has been criticised for her 'train wreck' appearance on Q&A. Teena McQueen dismissed New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's swift gun law reforms in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings during the show on Monday night. 'We did that years ago. The Liberal Party did that years ago with John Howard,' she told the audience - who responded with loud groans. Teena McQueen (pictured) dismissed New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's swift gun law reforms in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings 'You think that's funny? John Howard did do that. Jacinda Ardern (pictured) is copying exactly...' Ms McQueen said before trailing off Q&A viewers took to social media to criticise Ms McQueen after her appearance on the show Ms McQueen appeared on the panel alongside American author Roxane Gay. Ms Gay praised Ms Ardern's measured response to the massacre, and said 'of course you did' when Ms McQueen claimed the Liberals had already cracked down on guns. The crowd laughed at Ms Gay's response. 'You think that's funny? John Howard did do that. Jacinda Ardern is copying exactly...' Ms McQueen said before trailing off. 'Can I also remind you, Jacinda Ardern is only there because she formed an alliance with Winston Peters? I think everyone forgets that little fact.' Q&A host Tony Jones asked about the 'general point' that Ms Ardern's handling of the tragedy differed to that of Australian politicians. 'I think it happened in Jacinda's country. I mean, naturally she's going to be closer to it and more connected to it,' Ms McQueen said. Ms McQueen also defended US President Donald Trump, saying Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation had 'exonerated' him. 'There's nothing there. I mean, it's two years of wasted presidency, two years of the Democrats going crazy and, you know, he did nothing to interfere with the report,' Ms McQueen said. She said she was 'probably the only person on the panel that's spent time with Donald Trump' after they met when he was running the Miss Universe beauty pageant in 2006. Lisa Wilkinson said Ms McQueen was 'testing the patience of every single panellist' 'I thought the Libs were already a train wreck Teena McQueen just sent them off the tracks,' former Senator Jacqui Lambie said 'I had a great time [talking] to him about politics... he was none of those things - he was not racist, not sexist, none of those things,' she said. Ms McQueen said she was not aware of white supremacy in Australia, and claimed the worst hate speech she had heard in the country had come from Greens leader Richard Di Natale. 'The vile language used against conservatives is disgraceful,' she said. Q&A viewers took to social media to criticise Ms McQueen after her appearance on the show. Lisa Wilkinson said Ms McQueen was 'testing the patience of every single panellist'. 'Surely Teena McQueen is actually highly intelligent satire paid for by Labor?' one viewer said 'She's simply incapable of representing the Liberal Party well,' she said. 'I thought the Libs were already a train wreck Teena McQueen just sent them off the tracks,' former Senator Jacqui Lambie said. 'Surely Teena McQueen is actually highly intelligent satire paid for by Labor?' one viewer said. 'It says something about the Liberal Party if this woman is considered to be a suitable vice president,' another person said. 'She was so out of her depth, she was drowning.' Senior Liberal Party members have since distanced themselves from Ms McQueen, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. The president of the New South Wales Liberal Women's Council contacted party members on Monday night to complain about Ms McQueen's appearance on Q&A. Cabinet minister Simon Birmingham had earlier told Ms McQueen to choose between being a media commentator or party official after her appearances on Sky News. Ms McQueen reportedly refused, telling colleagues that she had 'a contract with Sky'. An Islamic group is suing Facebook and YouTube for hosting footage of the New Zealand terror attack. The French Council of the Muslim Faith is using laws that prohibit broadcasting a message with violent content abetting terrorism. Both sites say they acted as rapidly as possible to delete clips of the attack on mosques in Christchurch. Footage spread across the web after the gunman live-streamed his spree on Facebook. The French Council of the Muslim Faith is using laws that prohibit broadcasting a message with violent content abetting terrorism. President of the French Council of the Muslim Faith Mohamed Moussaoui (pictured) The Mail revealed the site took more than 20 million a year from fundraisers Just Giving will no longer charge controversial fees on donations following a Daily Mail investigation and outrage from politicians. The crowdfunding website had levied a 5 per cent platform fee on contributions even for appeals to help the families of Westminster terror attack hero PC Keith Palmer and the Manchester bomb victims. But from today donors will instead be asked if they want to make a voluntary contribution to support the operation of the website. Two years ago, the site was attacked after taking at least 32,000 in fees of the 638,000 raised for PC Palmers widow Michelle, and their young daughter, Amy, within two days of his murder The policy comes in after the Mail revealed JustGiving was taking more than 20 million a year from fundraisers. The website has enabled more than 3.8 billion to be raised for charities since its launch in 2001. But its 5 per cent charge equates to 190 million being kept back over that time. In October last year the site removed platform fees for all terrorist and major disasters, as well as campaigns where members of the public seek to raise funds for personal, non-charity causes. The latest changes which cover all fundraising campaigns followed an extensive consultation with JustGiving users and charities, the website said. JustGivings platform fee was far higher than those of competitors, such as Virgin Money Giving, which levies 2 per cent, and BTs MyDonate website, which charges fees only to cover the cost of card transactions. Its website is pictured above But JustGiving said payments will still be subject to standard card processing fees of 1.9 per cent plus 20p, in line with other major online giving platforms. Keith Williams, JustGivings UK general manager, said: We believe that people who donate through JustGiving will be happy that more money will be going to their chosen charity. Two years ago, the site was attacked after taking at least 32,000 in fees of the 638,000 raised for PC Palmers widow Michelle, and their young daughter, Amy, within two days of his murder. The unarmed officer, 48, was stabbed to death by fanatic Khalid Masood when he stood in the terrorists way as he tried to enter Parliament, having already killed four on Westminster Bridge on March 22, 2017. Masood was shot dead by police moments later. JustGiving refused to waive its fee, saying it had ploughed 10,000 back in its own donation to PC Palmers fund. Liberal Democrat peer Lord Paddick, who was a Metropolitan Police officer for 21 years, said at the time: Bearing in mind the bravery of the officer an unarmed man tackling a violent knifeman leaving a distraught family behind surely JustGiving can in these exceptional circumstances waive their fee? Speaking last night, Lord Paddick said of the new policy: If it means more money for charities and less money for people who are looking to make a profit from peoples generosity, its got to be a step in the right direction. Elsewhere, JustGiving took its controversial fee from 5.5 million raised for Manchester Arena bombing victims families and survivors, 4 million donated in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster, and 334,908 for those affected by the London Bridge attack. Labour MP Neil Coyle last year called for the law to be changed to prevent firms such as JustGiving profiting from terrorism. Mr Coyle, who represents Southwark in London, said: JustGiving helps raise millions for good causes. That work is respected and supported across the country. But most people are unaware JustGiving charges charities, takes admin fees and also profits from the funds the public donate. This means they profit from terrorism and tragedies. Labour MP Neil Coyle last year called for the law to be changed to prevent firms such as JustGiving profiting from terrorism. JustGiving said payments will still be subject to standard card processing fees of 1.9 per cent plus 20p, in line with other major online giving platforms [File photo] In 2017, the Mail Investigations Unit revealed how JustGiving made more than 20 million a year from crowdfunding campaigns. While some of the cash was used to keep the site working and find new ways of raising money, more than 10 million was spent on staff in 2016, who earn an average of more than 60,000, while their boss earned 198,000. The news led to fierce criticism, with JustGiving accused of greed and dubbed JustTaking. JustGiving was launched in 2001 by former lawyer Zarine Kharas and charity director Anne-Marie Huby. Accounts showed the highest-paid director earned a salary of 152,000 in 2015 and pension contributions of 46,600. JustGivings platform fee was far higher than those of competitors, such as Virgin Money Giving, which levies 2 per cent, and BTs MyDonate website, which charges fees only to cover the cost of card transactions. JustGiving is now owned by US software company Blackbaud, which bought the website from its founders for 95 million in October 2017. A 65-year-old woman who claims a colonic irrigation nearly killed her after she suffered a ruptured bowel has sued a detox clinic for $1.7 million. Pamela Kilah, from Springwood, south of the Brisbane, is suing Belinda Hogan, the owner of Angel of Detox, and her treating therapist, Anna Obodin, for negligence. Ms Kilah claims her bowel was perforated during a painful procedure on May 6, 2016, which meant she needed to be hospitalised, The Courier Mail reported. Pamela Kilah (pictured), has sued a detox clinic after she allegedly suffered a ruptured bowel and developed heart failure following 'unsafe' colonic irrigation Ms Kilah alleged Belinda Hogan, the owner of Angel of Detox, and her treating therapist, Anna Obodin breached their duty of care because they didn't warn her about bowel perforation risks She alleged the pair breached their duty of care because they failed to warn her of the potential risks of bowel perforation while having colonic irrigation. The 65-year-old told the Supreme Court she was rushed to hospital after allegedly developing extreme pain within 15 minutes of the procedure starting. She claimed she suffered loss of part of her bowel as a result of the procedure, as well as abdominal scarring, subsequent problems walking, and aggravation of a preexisting heart condition. The 65-year-old alleged she also had a relapse of an underlying depression, panic disorder and bulimia as a result of the ordeal. The court heard how she also had a colostomy - a surgical opening between the colon and the stomach - and suffered complications due to infection and fluid overload. Both Ms Hogan and Ms Obodin have denied negligence and alleged Ms Kilah reported discomfort after 35 minutes - not 15 minutes as she claims. They argued no medical evidence had been identified which shows the procedure had a 'direct cause' of the 65-year-old's perforation. Ms Kilah claimed she suffered loss of part of her colon and rectum, abdominal scarring (pictured), subsequent problems walking, and aggravation of a preexisting heart condition The pair also claimed Ms Kilah was warned of the risks in a form, and that she willingly chose to have the procedure, and on the recommendation of her daughter. 'The procedure was not unsafe,' Ms Hogan and Ms Obodin told the court. The treatment, which has been long endorsed by many Hollywood stars, involves flushing out the contents of the intestines via tubes pumped with water. But the procedure was far from glamorous for the 65-year-old. 'I was in a lot of pain,' Ms Kilah previously told Today Tonight Adelaide. She claimed the pain was so severe, she was unable to dress herself at the clinic as her desperate pleas for an ambulance were dismissed. '[The] fourth time, I yelled, I raised my voice and yelled [for an ambulance],' she said. After being rushed to hospital, she learned she had suffered peritonitis - a life-threatening infectious inflammation caused by leakage or a hole in the intestines. Ms Kilah claimed she underwent three surgeries to repair the damage after she was left with a ruptured bowel, collapsed lungs and congestive heart failure. She said she decided to do the procedure after her daughter was happy with her colonic irrigation treatment. The mother has since downsized her home after she was no longer able to maintain it on her own. Pamela Kilah (pictured) has opened up about her terrifying near-death ordeal after undergoing a cleansing detox treatment that has left her struggling to walk The 65-year-old has been struggling to walk since she was hospitalised about a year ago She previously said she wanted to tell her story to warn people of the dangers of the treatment, which has been popping up at beauty spas across the globe. 'Don't do it. Don't go there,' she urged. 'I nearly died two or three times.' Ms Kilah has reportedly asked for $116,000 for pain and suffering, $131,099 for care given by family, $513,242 for future care, and $356,481 for past medical expenses. A court date is yet to be confirmed. The military ready to return to power as a civil administration. With 7.6 million votes in favor, their party claims victory. In terms of seats it can count on 250 senators, all appointed before the elections. The official results will be announced before May 9 and only after the coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Bangkok (AsiaNews) - The Thai political scene faces confusing days ahead. The country has been split by the first general elections since 2011 and each of the rival political camps hopes to form a government. The March 24 election marks the nation's return to democracy - almost five years after the junta's takeover - but candidates and voters are crying fraud and there has been harsh criticism of the electoral law written by the military. The junta is in the front line to return to power as a civil administration, as the preliminary results published by the Electoral Commission (CE) show that its party has secured an unexpected majority. With 95% of votes cast, the government agency said last night that the pro-military party Palang Pracharat had won around 7.6 million votes. This gives its candidate prime minister, the head of the junta Prayut Chan-o-cha, the legitimacy to claim victory. His party has obtained over 400 thousand more preferences than Pheu Thai, a populist party deposed since the coup d'etat in 2014 and affiliated with former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. But if the Pheu Thai lost on the popular vote, it won out in 137 polling stations. The rivals of the Palang Pracharat stopped at 97, followed by the Bhumjaithai with 39, the Democrats with 33 and the revelation Phak Anakhot Mai (Party of the new future) with 30. There are still 150 seats left in the Lower House. The data suggests that Prayuth is not far from reaching the crucial threshold of 126 seats in the lower house. It is composed of the 350 winners in the electoral colleges and 150 politicians appointed in the party lists. At the National Assembly (bicameral), however, Prayuth can also count on the support of 250 senators, all appointed by the junta before the elections and ready to legitimize its attempt to form a government. On the eve of the election, the EC postponed the announcement of the preliminary results without explanation, following complaints of counting errors and possible irregularities in the vote. When the ballot was still 93%, the Commission announced that it had invalidated almost 1.9 million votes. Experts predict days, perhaps weeks, of disorderly negotiations between parties. Even the disqualification of candidates and disputes over probing irregularities could reshape the balance of the lower house. The official results will be announced before May 9 and only after the coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, which will take place between the 4th and 6th of the same month. The Prayuth government will remain in office until then. He was the Beatle whose reverence for Indian music and spirituality was legendary. But that has not, alas, insulated one of George Harrisons most prized possessions from suffering a shattering fate while in the care of one of Britains greatest museums. For I can disclose that Harrisons sitar was inadvertently dropped and smashed when entrusted to Londons Victoria & Albert Museum. One of George Harrisons most prized possessions suffered a shattering fate while it was in the care of one of Britains greatest museums The accident, Im told, was so severe that the gourd the sitars bulbous resonance chamber came completely away from the rest of the instrument. It was dropped by a member of staff, Im told. It hit the ground and the gourd bounced away. Harrison, whose Beatle works included While My Guitar Gently Weeps, became transfixed by the sitar after hearing the work of Indian maestro Ravi Shankar in 1965. He mastered the sitar sufficiently well to play it on the Beatles song, Norwegian Wood, which was widely regarded as the first pop song to feature one. It led to what Shankar called the Great Sitar Explosion of 1966-7, with the Rolling Stones among those including the instrument in their music. The Norwegian Wood sitar sold at auction in Los Angeles in 2017 for 47,000. Harrisons sitar (being played in Bombay, India in 1968) was dropped and smashed when given to Londons Victoria & Albert Museum The museum (pictured) in South Kensington made an 'awkward telephone call' to harrison's widow Olivia The sitar loaned to the V&A was the one Harrison played when recording Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967. I understand that the V&A was obliged to make an awkward telephone call to George Harrisons widow, Olivia, who has lived an almost reclusive life since Harrison succumbed to lung cancer aged only 58 in 2001. She just had to accept it was broken, Im told. The museum says only that the sitar has been returned to its private lender, adding that it has been restored to the highest possible standard and remains recognisably the sitar it was. Topshop heiress gets in the swing of things Sir Philip Green has been keeping a low profile amid a slew of allegations over sexist, racist and bullying behaviour towards former staff at his Arcadia retail empire. But daughter Chloe has no qualms about parading her jetset lifestyle on social media. Following rumours that her relationship with hot felon Jeremy Meeks is on the rocks, and just two weeks after she was spotted not wearing her engagement ring, the 28-year-old has put on a public display of affection in an bid to dispel rumours that theres trouble in paradise. Chloe Green, daughter of Topshop's Sir Philip Green, and Jeremy Meeks were on holiday in Thailand Chloe (with Meeks) has no qualms about parading her jetset lifestyle on social media In Thailand with her 35-year-old beau, with whom she has a ten-month-old son, Jayden, Chloe appears very happy as she wraps her arms around him and swings from a rope in a 260 Eres blue bikini. 14bn Sheikh to build more Highland bling Blessed with at least six wives and 23 children, it is perhaps little wonder that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, regularly reconfigures his domestic arrangements. Only months after securing approval to add 28 bedrooms bringing the total to 58 at Inverinate, his 63,000-acre estate in Wester Ross in the Scottish Highlands, hes intent on adding more. After withdrawing a previous application for a nine-bedroom lodge following local protests, Al Maktoum whose fortune is estimated at 14 billion has now resubmitted his plans for the same lodge in a different part of the estate. Since the 69-year-old bought it more than 20 years ago for a reported 2 million, the estate has seen the addition of a triple helipad, a 14-bed holiday home and the embellishment of its 16-bedroom hunting lodge with a pool and gym. Locals wonder if the development will ever stop. Is this traditional Highland estate set to become yet another playground resort for the rich with little or no benefit to the local community? asks one. Mick's lover practises her moves like Jagger Sir Mick Jagger's girlfriend Melanie Hamrick ballet dancing Sir Mick Jagger might be keeping tight-lipped about his ballet, on which he is collaborating with his American ballerina girlfriend, Melanie Hamrick, but she proves far more forthcoming. Less than a month before its Russian premiere, the 32-year-old mother of his two-year-old son, Deveraux, has given a sneak peek into the performance, sharing a picture online of her rehearsing at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg with a fellow dancer. I just let Melanie do her thing, admits Mick, 75, who is curating the show set to the Rolling Stones music. She picked all the songs and did all of the choreography. Comic pleads for saucier fans Some celebs moan about fans pursuing them, but Welsh comic and actor Rob Brydon complains theyre not effusive enough. My fan letters tend to say, I like your work and It makes me happy, the twice-married father-of-five says. Theres the occasional saucy one but, I have to say, its disappointingly occasional. No one wants to apply the word rare, but it would be the most appropriate. Arlene's joy at tiny dancer Ex-Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips reveals that her 12-week-old granddaughter is already following in her footsteps. Alana, my daughter, who was a dancer, plays music to her all the time and shes already kicking her feet perfectly in time, in rhythm, the 75-year-old tells me. She plays her every musical that Ive choreographed and then puts her in a little outfit and sends me the pictures. Ive bought her some little ballet shoes. Refreshing candour from Hollywood star Colin Farrell. The father-of-two admits it wasnt for the sake of his children that he starred in Tim Burtons remake of the Dumbo film. No, no, I didnt do it for my kids at all. Im not that generous, he tells me at the films premiere at the Curzon Mayfair. The 42-year-old, who has two sons Henry, nine, and James, 15 by two women, adds: I did it for me. But its a nice kick-back that they can see it. Royal favourite Alice Temperley would not be seen dead in a pair of jeans. My designs defy all expectations of sensible country wear, the 43-year-old fashionista gushes. There are no corduroys or jeans in sight. I never wear jeans and tracksuit bottoms are a definite no-no. If Im stomping around a field, a Forties tea dress and boots are much more my style. The tributes to Baroness Warnock, who has just died aged 94, associated her chiefly with her committee on human fertility and ethics, which she dealt with in the resulting Warnock Report. Marys own fertility, as the mother of five children, was never in any doubt. She once told an interviewer that she had been planning to have six children but after five, she knew that her husband, Sir Geoffrey, would not care for the disruption of another baby. When an Oxford don friend of the Warnocks was told this, he responded: Oh no, thats not the reason at all. The fact is, Geoffrey has read that every sixth child in the world is Chinese. Boom boom! Britons hiring cars in Europe will no longer suffer nasty surprises on their final bills after rental firms were ordered to ditch misleading pricing. The five biggest companies will now have to be more transparent about the real cost of hiring a car. The move is a major victory for Money Mail which has campaigned for regulators to stop drivers being ripped off. The five biggest companies will now have to be more transparent about the real cost of hiring a car (file image) An investigation by the UK competition watchdog and European consumer authorities found the leading firms had fallen short of commitments made in 2015 to be honest about rental costs. Now headline prices advertised by Avis, Europcar, Enterprise, Hertz and Sixt must match the final price which customers pay. Previously, companies typically stripped down the daily cost of hiring a car but then added hidden fees when consumers came to pay. Now the total booking price has to include all charges, such as paying for petrol at the start, airport fees, young driver premiums and one-way fees for dropping off cars at a different location. Cancellation costs, deposit requirements and what is included in insurance must also be clearer. Now headline prices advertised by Avis, Europcar, Enterprise, Hertz and Sixt must match the final price which customers pay (file image) Vera Jourova, EU commissioner for consumers, said: I want European consumers to enjoy their holidays to the maximum without having to worry about nasty surprises with final bills. George Lusty, senior director for consumer protection at the Competition and Markets Authority, said: We will keep the firms under close review. Last year Money Mail revealed how Goldcar was routinely flogging customers insurance they did not need or want. Since the review by watchdogs began in 2018, Enterprise and Sixt have changed the details on their websites. Avis and Europcar, which includes Goldcar, will make final changes by the summer. Hertz will update its prices early in 2020. A plaque explaining the past of 17th-century philanthropist and slave trader Edward Colston ha been scrapped after Bristol city mayor Marvin Rees branded it 'unacceptable and naive' A plaque commissioned to explain the slave-trading past of a 17th- century philanthropist has been scrapped after the citys mayor branded it unacceptable and naive. Bristols Marvin Rees a descendant of enslaved Africans said he was not consulted on the wording of the sign set to feature on Edward Colstons statue. Colstons donations to the citys schools, hospitals and alms houses saw two streets, three schools and buildings including a music venue named after him. But his ships took about 80,000 enslaved men, women and children from Africa to the Americas between 1672 and 1689. The 19th-century plaque on his statue, pictured, does not mention the slave trade, calling him one of the citys most virtuous sons. Bristol City Council agreed last year to replace it, with the wording to be decided by the Merchant Venturers a Bristol-based society to which Colston belonged. Their proposed plaque included the words: A significant proportion of Colstons wealth came from slave trading. He was also involved in the transportation of 84,000 enslaved African men, women and young children. Of these, 19,000 died on voyages from West Africa to the Caribbean and Americas. But Mr Rees vetoed the plaque, calling it extremely naive as it watered down Colstons links to slavery. Bristols Marvin Rees (pictured in 2016 with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn) a descendant of enslaved Africans said he was not consulted on the wording of the sign set to feature on Edward Colstons statue His office said: It makes no reference to the descendants of Africans enslaved by merchants like Colston. Its an oversight to not have had a conversation with Marvin Rees, Europes first mayor of African heritage. He is the descendant of enslaved Africans. Merchant Venturers historian Francis Greenacre said: The plaque was intended to put the two sides to the question which ultimately it did do. The wording for a new plaque will now form part of a wider project looking at how Bristol acknowledges its slave trade and abolitionist history. Advertisement Rebel MPs voted to seize control of Brexit from the embattled Prime Minister last night, despite warnings from the Government that continued chaos will force it to call another general election. Three pro-EU ministers quit the Government to back a Commons amendment enabling MPs to take control of Commons business to stage a series of 'indicative votes' on alternatives to the Prime Minister's deal tomorrow. They were among 30 Conservative MPs to defy the whips and support the cross-party amendment which was passed by 329 to 302 - a majority of 27 - in another humiliating reverse for Theresa May. However, Mrs May has warned the government is not bound to honour the result of the indicative votes as they 'could lead to an outcome that is unnegotiable with the EU'. As the Government's Brexit strategy went into meltdown, senior ministers 'war-gamed' scenarios that could see a national poll called three years ahead of schedule because a soft Brexit would shred the Tory manifesto. But the most recent poll on the issue was carried out by Opinium two months ago found that only 12 per cent of Britons would welcome another general election. The campaign would also likely tear apart the already split Tory and Labour parties because their MPs are already bitterly divided over whether to leave the EU or to reverse the 2016 referendum and remain. Scroll down for video The defeated Prime Minister photographed leaving the Palace of Westminster last night after enduring yet another torrid day over Brexit Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom has been upset with remainers in the cabinet including Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Amber Rudd who is pushing for a softer Brexit International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt (pictured today) warned last night that there would be 'gilet jaune' protests if the Governmnet failed to deliver Brexit WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO BREXIT IN THE NEXT WEEK? TUESDAY: REBEL MPs WORK OUT HOW THEIR INDICATIVE VOTES WILL WORK AS MAY CONTINUES HER BATTLE FOR SUPPORT FOR HER BREXIT DEAL Remainer rebels are now trying work out how they will hold the indicative votes on Wednesday while Theresa May scrambles for support for her deal. After last night's big win MPs will stage a series of so-called 'indicative votes' on what should happen next with Brexit. The Speaker will select the motions to be debated, which are likely to include a second referendum, Labour's Brexit plan, a Customs Union Brexit, a so-called 'Norway plus' plan. Unusually MPs will vote on paper pink slips which list the options. The votes will not be binding on the Government, but will send a strong signal about what kind of Brexit a majority of MPs are prepared to back and would heap pressure on Mrs May. Today had been touted as a possible day for the third coming of the meaningful vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal, following heavy defeats in January and just a fortnight ago. But the DUP, whose support is key if she has any chance of getting it through the Commons, kiboshed that idea earlier and she announced it would not happen. With no sign that the Prime Minister is prepared to abandon the plan it means she is likely to spend the day trying to hammer out a deal with anyone receptive - if they exist. WEDNESDAY: MPs HOLD INDICATIVE VOTES The Commons voted to let MPs take control of Brexit. They are likely to hold a series of indicative votes on Brexit alternatives this week, most likely on Wednesday. The alternatives include a softer Brexit, a second referendum or leaving with No Deal. If one commands a majority, MPs will try to pressure Theresa May into adopting that option. But there is no binding way of making her do so. COULD STILL HAPPEN THURSDAY: MAY HOLDS A THIRD MEANINGFUL VOTE ON HER BREXIT DEAL May is likely to try and pass her Brexit deal a third time, after the EU offered a Brexit date of 22 May if she does so this week. The Prime Minister will use threats that MPs will take control and force a softer Brexit in an attempt to force Brexiteer rebels to finally back her. She may also offer them a date when she will quit in return for their support. Thursday is the most likely day for her vote, but there is a chance she won't hold it if she still does not believe she'll win. FRIDAY: MPs TAKE CONTROL? If the PM loses a third vote on her deal, MPs and Remainer Cabinet ministers will try and force her towards a softer Brexit. Brexiteer MPs and Cabinet minister will conversely try and push her towards a No Deal exit from the EU. Minister have also claimed that they could call an election if MPs try to force them into a soft Brexit. MONDAY APRIL 1: ROUND TWO: MPs are expected to rank their preferences. When one option is knocked out, MPs second preferences will be counted. For example if a second referendum is knocked out, its supporters can switch to backing a soft Brexit. Parliament would agree to support the final option. WEDNESDAY APRIL 3: MPs COULD FORCE MAY'S HAND: If Theresa May refuses to accept MPs preferred Brexit option, they could try to pass new legislation compelling her to do so Advertisement Business minister Richard Harrington, who resigned along with Middle East minister Alistair Burt and health minister Steve Brine, said the Government was 'playing roulette' with peoples' lives and livelihoods in its handling of Brexit. Mr Brine told the BBC: 'I will still, as I said in my letter to the Prime Minister. I will still support her deal. I still think it is the best of the options. Maybe what last night will do is focus some minds... those on my side who don't like the deal, maybe they will realise that the House of Commons is prepared to act. 'And, anything from here, as far as they are concerned, gets softer in terms of Brexit.' Mr Brine said: 'If the House of Commons just simply cannot come up with anything to move us out of this then everything is on the table. 'You have to accept that a second referendum or revoking Article 50 are on the table because they will probably be some options.' Mr Brine told the BBC: 'You also have to remember that the manifesto of 2017 did not win a majority in the House of Commons. 'And this is the crux of the whole matter, that the House of Commons and executive-led Government works when you have got a majority in the House of Commons. 'We don't have a majority in the House. And, possibly, that would be one of my criticisms of my Government is that we haven't reached across the aisle enough.' The result means MPs can potentially dictate business of the Commons - normally controlled by the Government - for days to come, potentially paving the way for a 'softer' deal that keeps Britain closer to the EU. Ministers will consider their response at the weekly meeting of the Cabinet in Downing Street today. Health Secretary Matt Hancock called on MPs to back Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'If anything, yesterday in the House of Commons demonstrated that the option of no deal simply won't be allowed by the Commons. 'And the best way through this impasse is the one deal that has been negotiated with the EU that can be delivered quickly now.' Mr Hancock said: 'Clearly, it's incumbent on the Government to listen to what the Commons says. But we can't pre-commit to following whatever they vote for, because they might vote for something that is completely impractical.' In other developments: Jacob Rees-Mogg gave Mrs May a glimmer of hope by telling a private meeting of Eurosceptic MPs that he would vote for her plan provided the DUP came on board Penny Mordaunt warned fellow Cabinet ministers that the Government could face an outbreak of French-style 'gilet jaune' protests if it failed to deliver Brexit; Former Cabinet minister John Whittingdale became the most senior Tory to warn publicly that he would back Mrs May only if she agreed to set out a timetable for her own departure; Mrs May sparked a backlash from Eurosceptic Tories by warning of a 'slow Brexit' if her plan is rejected again and appearing to rule out No Deal; The Prime Minister voiced regret for her attack last week on 'game-playing' MPs; Downing Street said that the Commons would be asked to vote tomorrow on whether to change the law to extend the UK's exit date until at least April 12. These are the seven options for Brexit MPs could vote on this week if Mrs May is forced towards a softer Brexit The Tories who rebelled against Theresa May and pushed Britain towards a softer Brexit Twenty nine Tories including three ministers rebelled against the whip to hand Theresa May a devastating defeat. They were: They were: Guto Bebb Richard Benyon Nick Boles Steve Brine (minister) Alistair Burt (minister) Kenneth Clarke Damian Collins Alberto Costa Jonathan Djanogly George Freeman Damian Green Justine Greening Dominic Grieve Sam Gyimah Richard Harrington (minister) Joseph Johnson Phillip Lee Jeremy Lefroy Oliver Letwin Paul Masterton Andrew Mitchell Nicky Morgan Robert Neill Sarah Newton Mark Pawsey Antoinette Sandbach Nicholas Soames Caroline Spelman John Stevenson Edward Vaizey (voted twice to abstain) Advertisement Justice Secretary David Gauke and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson arrived in Downing Street shortly before Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Home Secretary Sajid Javid Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay arrives in Downing Street after a humbling defeat for the Government in the Commons last night Chief Whip Julian Smith entered No 10 followed by Secretary of State for Housing James Brokenshire and Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling Brexiteer Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss arrives for the crunch cabinet meeting where Theresa May will need to set out what she needs to do to get her deal through The cabinet is split over Brexit with Business Secretary Greg Clark Minister of State for Immigration Caroline Nokes pushing for the remain side Attorney General Geoffrey Cox told a meeting of the Cabinet that failure to pass Mrs May's plan in the coming weeks would almost inevitably lead to an election. Seven options for Brexit The seven Brexit options MPs may get to choose from: :: Theresa May's Brexit deal - The Withdrawal Agreement negotiated with Brussels that has already been rejected by MPs twice. :: Revoke Article 50 - The cancellation of the UK's notice to Brussels that it would leave the EU, which was given almost two years ago. :: Second referendum - Another national poll of voters to check whether they still want to leave the EU. :: The PM's deal plus customs union - Labour's Brexit plan, which would prevent Britain being able to strike its own trade deals. :: The PM's deal plus customs union plus single market - An even 'softer' Brexit plan, also known as 'Common Market 2.0' or 'Norway Plus', that would include keeping freedom of movement of people. :: Free Trade Agreement - A trade deal between Great Britain and the EU, but excluding Northern Ireland, which would create a customs border in the Irish Sea. :: No Deal - The country would leave the EU without striking an agreement with Brussels. Advertisement Writing in the Daily Mail, he today makes a last-ditch appeal to hardline Leavers to get behind Mrs May or face losing Brexit altogether. Two weeks ago his legal advice led many Tory MPs to reject the withdrawal agreement because of fears the UK could remain in the Irish border backstop. But today he argues the plan's disadvantages have been 'exaggerated and demonised' by opponents of Brexit. If MPs do not vote for the agreement in the coming days, he says the Commons will 'exert itself' and try to force either a second referendum, or a plan that keeps the UK inside the customs union and single market. He warns 'powerful and unreconciled forces' who opposed Brexit were still trying to stop it and says his biggest fear is the UK will never regain its 'independence'. He says: 'We must grasp our freedom now and heed the beckoning call of the future, for if we do not, history will marvel that we spurned this fleeting moment of opportunity.' At yesterday's Cabinet meeting, Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay repeated his weekend warning that an election would be the logical conclusion of the Government losing control over the Brexit process. Fellow ministers Liam Fox, Andrea Leadsom and Alan Cairns also warned that they believed an election was increasingly likely. One source said: 'If we lose control of the process then we are heading for an election. 'We'll either lose a confidence vote in which case you could even get Corbyn without an election or we will be forced to go for an election ourselves.' Another source said: 'It's not just scaremongering, it's the only way out of this.' A Downing Street spokesman said that Mrs May was opposed to a general election. But a senior Tory source acknowledged it was a growing possibility, adding: 'The reason the Cabinet is so determined to get this deal through is that there is a full understanding that the alternatives are pretty grim.' Richard Harrington, left, was one of three MPs to stand down on Monday night over the crucial vote. Steve Brine, centre was another minister to stand down and then Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt, right, joined the rebellion Theresa May indicated in the Commons earlier today that she would allocate Government time for indicative votes if the Letwin Amendment was defeated The historic moment the Government lost the Letwin amendment by 329 votes to 302, a whopping majority of 27 for the rebels. The last time a similar vote was held a fortnight ago it lost by two votes No one wants another election! Only 12 PER CENT of the public say they want to go to the polls - but ministers say they WILL call one if MPs try to force a soft Brexit Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay leaving Downing Street with Theresa May today after cabinet, at which he is said to have again floated the idea of holding a General Election The Government is prepared to pull the plug and force a General Election if MPs try to seize control of Brexit and make it softer than Theresa May's deal. Ministers including Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay are said to have raised the prospect if Parliament votes this evening to wrestle control of the withdrawal process. The talk of forcing a General Election come despite an Opinium poll from two months ago finding that only 12 per cent of Britons would welcome another one, just two years after the last resulted in a hung Parliament. Mr Barclay reportedly repeated at Cabinet today warnings he gave on television yesterday. Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show he said that if the Commons took control of the order paper and votes for a different outcome, it would 'potentially collide with fundamental commitments the Government has given in their manifesto', though he said the vote itself would 'not be binding'. Explaining the scenario, he said: 'What Parliament has done is vote for a number of contradictory things so we would need to untangle that but ultimately, at its logical conclusion, the risk of a general election increases because you potentially have a situation where Parliament is instructing the executive to do something that is counter to what it was elected to do.' International Trade Secretary Liam Fox this morning gave a stark warning to MPs, telling BBC Radio 4's Today: 'I was elected, as 80 per cent of members were, to respect the referendum and leave the European Union. 'I was also elected on a manifesto that specifically said no single market and no customs union. 'That, for Conservative MPs who are honouring the manifesto, limits their room for manoeuvre. The former hardline Brexiteer turned May loyalist added that the prospect of a longer Brexit delay meaning participation in May's European Elections would 'unleash a torrent of pent-up frustration from voters'. 'I'm not sure that there are many people in the House of Commons who would fancy that particular meeting with voters,' he said. 'It would unleash a torrent of pent-up frustration from voters and I think that the major parties will do what they can to avoid having to fight those European elections. 'There is nothing in politics like a little bit of self-interest to concentrate the minds, and I think, as we get towards that date, increasingly my colleagues will have to decide which of the limited options they want to follow.' He urged MPs to back Mrs May's deal, warning: 'For a lot of my colleagues, I think they still believe there is a route to no deal. I have come to the conclusion some time ago that was unlikely given the House of Commons that we have. 'I think we will see today that there is a mood in the House of Commons to stop us leaving without a deal, even if that means no Brexit. I think that is a constitutionally disastrous position.' Advertisement Mrs May told yesterday's emergency Cabinet meeting that she hoped to put her agreement to the vote for a third time today. But the move was vetoed by the DUP, whose support is seen as critical in persuading Eurosceptic Tories to fall in line. The Prime Minister told MPs: 'With great regret I have had to conclude that as things stand, there is still not sufficient support in the House to bring back a third meaningful vote.' Mrs May's deputy David Lidington last night said the Government still hoped to hold a vote this week. But the DUP appeared to be digging in. Deputy leader Nigel Dodds rounded angrily on Mrs May in the Commons yesterday after she said more time was needed to prepare Northern Ireland for the possibility of No Deal. Mr Dodds said the Government was 'entirely responsible' for what he described as a 'fundamental lack of preparation'. Plans for the Government to put forward its own proposals for indicative votes were dropped ahead of yesterday's meeting. Many ministers, including Dr Fox, Chris Grayling, Gavin Williamson and Mrs Leadsom, are opposed to the process. But Mr Lidington tried to head off a defeat last night by pledging that the Government would provide Commons time for MPs to try to reach an agreement on an alternative Brexit. Sir Oliver told MPs his plan, which has been rejected by MPs twice since the start of the year, would allow Parliament to vote tomorrow on a string of Brexit options. These might include a customs union, a single market, a second referendum and even revocation of Article 50. Mrs May said she was sceptical that the process would find a solution, adding: 'No government could give a blank cheque to commit to an outcome without knowing what it is.' Asked whether she would be prepared for a customs union if Parliament backed it, she replied: 'No one would want to support an option which contradicted the manifesto on which they stood.' Labour backed Sir Oliver's plan. But its Brexit spokesman, Sir Keir Starmer, also refused to guarantee to back any resulting proposal. Sir Oliver's move to give MPs control over the path to Brexit attracted cross-party support and won by a convincing margin in the Commons to heap fresh pressure on Theresa May Brexit Q&A - How a motley bunch of MPs plan to take control What amendments did MPs vote on? The Speaker selected three for debate and vote yesterday. One, from Jeremy Corbyn, was a fudge designed to avoid splitting his own MPs and called for votes on a series of options including a second referendum. Another, from former Labour foreign secretary Margaret Beckett, would have forced MPs to be given a vote on whether to push ahead with No Deal or to delay Brexit. But the most significant was proposed by former Tory Cabinet minister Oliver Letwin and backed by some Remainer Tories, Labour and other opposition parties. It was designed to take control of Brexit out of ministers' hands. What does the Letwin amendment do? It changes the rules of the House of Commons, the standing orders, to pass control of the agenda from the Government and hand it to backbench MPs. Why is he doing it? Mr Letwin says he wants to stop No Deal because the Government hasn't properly prepared for leaving without an agreement. He argues Parliament should take over the process to find a Brexit which can secure the support of the Commons. He is a supporter of the super-soft 'Norway plus' option, which is likely to mean the UK accepting single market rules without a say in them and paying vast contributions to the EU Budget. It could also mean a permanent customs union, making trade deals impossible. What do critics say? They say Mr Letwin's plan amounts to a coup and is 'constitutionally dangerous'. A leaked Whitehall analysis of the plans to let MPs take charge say they pose a 'clear and present danger' to ministers' 'ability to govern'. Yesterday Mr Letwin denied his proposal is a 'massive constitutional revolution'. Is a general election more likely? Several senior ministers argued in Cabinet that if Parliament tried to instruct the executive to do something the Government deeply opposed, such as remaining in the customs union or the single market, an election could follow. Mrs May indicated as much in the Commons when she argued 'no-one would want to support an option which contradicted the manifesto on which they stood'. How could an election happen? Under the Fixed Term Parliament Act, the Prime Minister cannot simply call an election. There are two ways one could result. The first is that two thirds of MPs vote for an election when Mrs May proposes one. The second is that the PM loses a confidence vote and nobody can win one ie command a majority within a two-week period. Advertisement Rebel MPs seize control of Brexit: Three ministers quit on night of drama in the Commons as 30 Tories defy May MPs wrestled control of Brexit from the hands of Theresa May last night, voting to hold a series of votes that could determine how - if at all - the UK leaves the European Union. The Commons voted by 329 votes to 302 - a majority of 27 - to approve an amendment brought by Tory ex-minister Sir Oliver Letwin allowing it to take control of business on Wednesday from the Government. This will allow MPs to select their favorite Brexit option in so-called 'indicative votes', which are likely to include soft Brexit options and the possibility of remaining in the European Union. Three ministers were among 29 Tory rebels who defied the Prime Minister and backed the amendment. Minutes before the vote Watford's Richard Harrington quit as an energy minister in order to support the Letwin plan, accusing the Government of 'playing roulette' with people's lives. He was followed by Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt and health minister Steve Brine. Other high profile Tories to rebel included former ministers Ken Clarke, Nicky Morgan, Justine Greening, Andrew Mitchell, Sam Gyimah, Damian Green, Alberto Costa and Dominic Grieve, plus Damian Collins, chairman of the Culture Committee. The Government later lost the main motion by 327 votes to 300, the same margin. It came after MPs had narrowly rejected a backbench amendment brought by Dame Margaret Beckett to allow the Commons to have a vote if the UK is seven days away from leaving the EU without a deal, by 314 votes to 311, a majority of three. Pro-Europe Tory MP Nick Boles, who backed the indicative votes amendment, told the BBC: 'It is a much better victory than any of us had dared hope.' Mr Boles added: 'We will be relying on the Government to reflect Parliament's wishes. 'If, ultimately, the Government refuses to listen to what Parliament has voted for then we will look to bring forward a Bill, pass an Act of Parliament that will require the Government to reflect Parliament's wishes in its new negotiating mandate.' Fellow Tory rebel Guto Bebb said: 'The scale of the Government's defeat and the principled resignations of ministers Richard Harrington, Alistair Burt and Steve Brine are more nails in the coffin of a Brexit deal that very few in the country or Parliament have ever wanted. 'The Prime Minister has now lost control of this process. 'What is needed now in this national emergency is not more posturing or playing roulette with people's lives but to give Parliament the time and space needed to work out what Brexit means, as well as begin preparing for important democratic elections to the European Parliament.' Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also welcomed the result, hailing the fact the House had now 'taken control'. He said: 'This Government has been an abject failure and this House must now find a solution... 'This House must also consider whether any deal should be put to the people for a confirmatory vote. 'Where this Government has failed, this House must, and I believe will, succeed.' Tory former minister Ed Vaizey voted both for and against Sir Oliver's amendment, which is regarded as a formal abstention. Brexiteer Tory backbencher Andrew Bridgen said it was time for Theresa May to quit. A horrifying prison video has revealed the bloody aftermath of a jihadist's savage assault on his cellmate. Bourhan Hraichie, 21, used a razor to carve 'E4E' - which stands for the ISIS slogan 'eye for an eye' - into his cellmate Michael O'Keefe's head in 2016. He also whipped him with an electrical cord and tried to waterboard him during a barbaric attack at a prison in mid New South Wales. Disturbing video obtained by 9News shows the cell stained with blood (pictured is the cell bed) Disturbing video obtained by 9News shows the cell stained with blood and O'Keefe lying on the prison floor moaning in pain while Hraichie is restrained by guards. After the attack, the ISIS fanatic was moved to Goulburn's Supermax jail where he wrote a letter threatening to kill NSW Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Severin if he didn't stop his staff 'oppressing' him. Wounded: The carving E 4 E on O'Keefe's head 'I will personally execute you in public,' the letter said. Hraichie also referenced his attack on former solider O'Keefe, writing: 'I turned your Army soldier into an Islamic State sketch pad.' O'Keefe was in 2017 awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars after he sued the government for failing to protect him in jail. Hraichie, who became an ISIS supporter as a teenager, planned to attack correctional services officers, according to a statement of agreed facts tendered in the NSW Supreme Court on Monday. He also planned a terrorist attack to drive a truck through the streets during Sydney's gay and lesbian Mardi Gras parade in 2017 if he were released on parole. The jihadist has pleaded guilty to four charges and is being sentenced today. His charges include doing an act in preparation for a terrorist act, causing grievous bodily harm/wounding to a person with intent to murder and sending a document threatening death or grievous bodily harm. Bourhan Hraichie (pictured) , 21, used a razor to carve 'E4E' - which stands for the Islamic State slogan 'eye for an eye' - into his cellmate Michael O'Keefe's head in 2016 The facts say that before Hraichie entered custody on non-terror-related offences in 2015, he spoke about a plan to have police officers killed in Bankstown - either on the steps of the police station or after calling officers to the false report of a stolen car. In prison, he wrote a document titled The Book of Jihad to provide inspiration for the plan, before it was abandoned and he started preparing to attack corrective services officers. When Hraichie learned his cellmate was a former Army soldier, he attacked him by punching him, binding him with ropes he'd made out of bed sheets, whipping him with a cable and carving his forehead with a razor. It was after his transfer in 2016 that he wrote his threatening letter to Mr Severin, referring in it to his 'loyalty and affiliation with Islamic State', the agreed facts say. In the image O'Keefe can be seen showing off the cuts he suffered on both his chest and neck The 'e4e' carving on Michael O'Keefe's (forehead pictured) head stands for the Islamic State slogan 'an eye for an eye' It's believed the 21-year old (pictured) was radicalised as an impressionable teenager He told police he wrote it because he was unhappy with his conditions in custody and he intended to carry out his threats. In a police interview, Hraichie also praised the killer of Sydney police accountant Curtis Cheng as a 'little lion' for the 'fear he put in the hearts of Australia', and said that if he were out in the community, he would not hesitate in carrying out an attack. Justice Peter Johnsonon Monday issued non-publication orders over some of the evidence, including the recording and transcript of Hraichie's police interview, out of concern that it could be misused by Islamic State supporters and anti-Muslim extremists to urge and encourage action. In a reference to the New Zealand terror attack, he said it was clear from 'recent acts' that people with an anti-Muslim stance could use the material for their own purposes, and the use of propaganda in the name of Islamic State was also a real prospect. British travellers will no longer be allowed to use EU lanes at ports and airports if there is a No Deal Brexit, Brussels said yesterday. Warning that no deal was now increasingly likely, the European Commission issued an update saying that UK nationals would get their passports stamped when arriving and leaving the continent and would be subject to additional checks. Border guards may ask you to provide information, for instance on the duration and purpose of your stay, as well as on your means of subsistence during your stay, it said. British travellers will no longer be allowed to use EU lanes at ports and airports if there is a No Deal Brexit, Brussels said yesterday. Pictured, stock image showing an EU passport lane in Paris Officials confirmed that British citizens would be able to travel in the EU for up to 90 days without needing visas if the UK granted the same arrangement to Europeans. Your passport will be stamped both when you enter the EU and when you leave it, so that this period of 90 days, which is visa-free, can be calculated, the Commission added. As the UK will no longer be a member of the EU, British travellers will be entitled to a refund of VAT paid on goods purchased during stays on the continent provided that the goods are presented to customs with the VAT refund documents when you leave. Brussels yesterday warned that a No Deal Brexit is becoming increasingly likely. The European Commission said it had completed its preparations for the possibility of the country leaving the EU without a deal on April 12. But it warned that it would nonetheless cause significant disruption for citizens and businesses. If the UK leaves without a deal there will be no transition period, meaning that goods being exported to the EU are immediately subject to checks and tariffs. The Commission said significant delays would be expected at the borders. It said member states have made considerable preparations at ports and airports to ensure the extra checks for passengers are done as efficiently as possible, but they may nevertheless cause delays. Advertisement Most had never met her, didn't even know her name until they saw it on the news. But moved by the tragic death of a 9-year-old girl whose body was found stuffed into a duffel bag and discarded on a hillside trail - like so much trash, as one mourner put it - people turned out by the hundreds Monday for an at-times joyous, at other times angry and frustrated interfaith service celebrating the life of Trinity Love Jones. They all but filled the pews of spacious St. John Vianney Catholic Church in the Los Angeles suburb of Hacienda Heights, just a couple of miles from where a park worker had found Trinity's body on March 5. She was dressed in pants with a panda pattern and a pink shirt - her favorite color - that proclaimed, 'Future Princess Hero.' Her mother and her mother's boyfriend have been charged with murder. Diana Wilson, grandmother of the late Trinity Love Jones, mourns for her granddaughter during the funeral service for the 9-year-old Mourners gather for the funeral service of Trinity Love Jones, the 9-year-old whose body was found this month stuffed in a duffel bag along an equestrian trail Trinity's body was found inside a duffel bag. The little girl was wearing what appeared to be pajamas, with her top adorned with the message 'future princess hero' Family members and community members gathered for the funeral service on Monday 'I don't even know them but I just had to come. I have grandchildren her age,' Camille Boswell of the nearby city of Placentia said of Trinity and her family. 'Any time a ... child dies, it hurts.' Following the wishes of Trinity's father, Antonio, she had arrived in a bright blue and white suit and bright blue hat because Trinity liked bright colors. Other mourners wore buttons with her name and photo on them. Asunoya Sanni walks away in tears after touching the casket of Trinity Love Jones during the community 'Memorial of Light' service for her at St. John Vianney Parish in Hacienda Heights A pair of shoes decorate the bouquet of flowers for the casket of Trinity Love Jones A woman looks a display of mementos at the funeral service for Trinity Love Jones The funeral was held at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Hacienda Heights, California Footage courtesy of KTLA. Hacienda Heights, 20 miles east of Los Angeles, is in many ways an insular community of 54,000 people, made up of large numbers of white, Latino and Asian residents. It's walled off on two sides by hillsides dotted with large homes that offer stunning views. In the center are rows and rows of neatly kept 1960s-era tract homes. As word of Trinity's death spread across the city through social media, local resident Kara Clark said people felt they had to do something to show their respects to her family and to also make it clear they are fed up with a society gripped by such wanton violence. 'When we first heard what happened to this child my first thought was that it could have been my granddaughter,' she said. 'Enough is enough with all of this stuff that happens in our world - it's awful.' 'The darkness will not prevail,' said the Rev. Egren Gomez, an associate pastor at the Catholic church. 'Trinity, we welcome your light, we ask you bless all the darkness in our midst and let your iconic light shine.' Pallbearers for the memorial service of Trinity Love Jones listen to a sermon Lavender was Trinity's favorite color and many of the mourners came to the service wearing clothes of that color The ceremony included music, a bell-tolling ceremony outside St. John Vianney Church and a 75-candle procession escorting the small flower-adorned casket into the church Trinity's body was found March 5 at the bottom of an embankment. County workers clearing some brush came upon the body, which was partially inside a black rollaway-type duffel, with her head and upper body protruding from the partially zipped bag Soon after the service began at noon on a warm, sun-splashed day on the church's outdoor plaza, six pallbearers, including Trinity's father, emerged dressed in matching white suits with pink vests to usher her tiny coffin inside. At the altar was a pink teddy bear and balloon. Behind it was a 9-foot-tall (2.7-meter) photo of Trinity smiling shyly and dressed in a leopard-print outfit. 'It is so fitting that we are underneath this bright sun, because what we celebrate today is the light that Trinity has within, the eternal light that has not been extinguished,' Father Egren Gomez told mourners before leading them into the sanctuary. 'The darkness will not prevail,' he said. 'Trinity, we welcome your light, we ask you bless all the darkness in our midst and let your iconic light shine.' Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said the death of Trinity was tragic but has brought people together. Speaking to Trinity's family, Hahn said, 'I wanted you to know that we believe Trinity's life mattered. ... In a county of 10 million people, one life does matter.' Before going inside, mourners saw 90 candles lighted in honor of Trinity's life - 10 for each of her nine years - and heard the church's bells toll for 90 seconds. Inside, her life was celebrated with songs and eulogies from a cross-section of religious leaders, including Catholic priest Gomez, Pastor Darnell Hammock of the New Life Community Church of Oakland and Venerable Miao Hsi, a nun from the nearby Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple, near where Trinity's body was found. The fieriest eulogy came from Hammock, who acknowledged that although Trinity's murder had brought people of all faiths together, he realized many would leave wondering why it had happened. Taquesta Graham, left, and Emiel Hunt (pictured), 38, have been charged with murder in connection to the death of nine-year-old Trinity Love Jones 'Why God? Why so soon? Why our baby? Why our niece. Why my student ... 'I got to be honest, church, I too wrestled with these questions as I prepared today,' he said, adding her death reminded him of those of numerous other young people snuffed out before their time. 'I'm here to ask myself, 'When do we change the channel of this alarming episode of young black girls dying?'' he shouted, an exhortation that brought the largely white audience to its feet. A huge memorial sprang up at the site as community members heard about the case Dozens of tributes are seen at a large memorial to the slain youngster Cherie Kiyomura and her son Bishop, of Whittier, California, add to the growing memorial along a suburban Los Angeles equestrian trail, in Hacienda Heights, California But he went on to tell mourners not to pass the chance to work together going forward. 'I want the community here today to embrace this outlook that we are in this together,' he said. Miao Hsi added that Buddhist faith accepts that although Trinity is gone, her spirit lives on in every person she leaves behind. 'We are here to celebrate Miss Trinity's rebirth,' she said. 'May she feel love, joy and peace.' Dozens of tributes are seen at a large memorial to Trinity Love Jones along a suburban Los Angeles equestrian trail Dozens of tributes, stuffed animals and flowers are seen at a large memorial to Trinity Earlier this month, after the little girl's body was found, relatives gathered at the site where her body was found for a candlelit vigil Trinity's mother Taquesta Graham, 28, and Graham's boyfriend, Emiel Hunt, are charged with her murder. Graham was charged last Wednesday in the death of Trinity. Also charged with murder in the case is Graham's boyfriend, Emiel Hunt. His arraignment is set for April 16. Graham was detained crossing the border in Texas. Hunt was arrested the following the day. He was found sleeping in his vehicle near San Diego International Airport. On March 5, a park worker found Trinity at the bottom of an embankment in the suburb of Hacienda Heights. There were no obvious signs of trauma on her body. Authorities have not revealed a cause of death or motive. Graham was extradited from Texas to California and was initially held on an unrelated warrant. According to online records, Graham was convicted in 2009 of enticing a minor female for prostitution. She was released in 2016. She received a suspended prison term, time served in jail and probation. The charges against her involved a minor under the age of 16. Hunt, 38, has a previous child abuse conviction from 2005 in San Diego County, according to prosecutors. If convicted, Hunt faces a sentence of up to 50 years to life in state prison, prosecutors said. Authorities in South Carolina say a man ended up sprayed Axe body spray in his mouth to cover the smell of alcohol as deputies approached during a traffic stop. The State newspaper reports that Spartanburg County sheriff's deputies stopped 49-year-old Efren Mencia-Ramirez on Saturday night after they say he sped past a deputy on Interstate 85 and swerved into another lane. The incident report says there was a 12-pack of beer on the floor and 10 of the beers were nearly empty. Efren Mencia-Ramirez sped past a police car in South Carolina before swerving into another lane. He was pulled over and charged with DUI, but not before trying to hide his condition Mencia-Ramirez was caught spraying Axe body spray into his mouth to mask the odor of alcohol The report says Mencia-Ramirez had an open bottle between his legs, exhibited signs of intoxication and failed field sobriety tests. 'Mencia-Ramirez was spraying Axe body spray in his mouth when (the deputy) approached to cover the smell of alcohol on his breath,' the report goes onto say. In the end, spraying the deodorant had no effect whatsoever. At sheriff's office headquarters, Mencia-Ramirez provided a breath sample that yielded a .15 blood-alcohol content, nearly twice the legal limit for operating a vehicle in South Carolina. He faces charges including driving under the influence, no proof of insurance and no valid S.C. driver's license. Online records showed Mencia-Ramirez was in custody. It wasn't immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could comment on the charges. A 50-year-old man has been arrested over the death of a 17-year-old girl in a drive-by shooting in London nearly a year ago. Tanesha Melbourne-Blake was killed in Tottenham, north London, on April 2 last year. And a suspect was arrested by Metropolitan Police on Monday in connection with her death. Tanesha Melbourne-Blake was killed in Tottenham, north London, on April 2 last year Tanesha, who mentored younger teenagers to keep them off the streets, was gunned down in a drive-by shooting. Two men, aged 31 and 18, were arrested on suspicion of murder and were subsequently released under investigation pending further inquiries. A 22-year-old, also arrested on suspicion of murder, was released on bail. Tanesha, who had seven siblings, died during a spate of bloodshed in London in 2018. The teenager, who was killed 13 weeks before her 18th birthday, had planned to travel to Jamaica to visit her father and was due to start a youth work course. The teenager, who was killed 13 weeks before her 18th birthday, had planned to travel to Jamaica to visit her father and was due to start a youth work course In an appeal for information following her death, her mother said in a statement: 'Myself and Tanesha were best friends as well as mother and daughter. 'The impact of her death is long lasting and still doesn't feel real. It feels as if I'm living in a dream and she'll be coming back. 'The impact on her dad and siblings has been indescribable too. There is a huge hole in our family that will never be filled.' French President Emmanuel Macron rolled out the red carpet for Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a state visit that included the signing of a multi-billion euro deal between European aircraft maker Airbus to China. The French presidency said the China Aviation Supplies Holding Company has ordered 290 Airbus A320 and 10 Airbus A350 planes. The amount of the deal was not specified. The global amount of the sale is estimated to 30 billion euros ($34 billion) at list prices, although buyers often secure discounts. 'We are honored to support the growth of China's civil aviation with our leading aircraft families,' said Guillaume Faury, president of Airbus Commercial Aircraft. French President Emmanuel Macron accompanies Chinese President Xi Jinping after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris today French President Emmanuel Macron, his wife Brigitte Macron, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan arrive to attend a state dinner for the Chinese president at the Elysee Palace in Paris French president's wife Brigitte Macron and Chinese president's wife Peng Liyuan walk down the steps after visiting the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris 'Our expanding footprint in China demonstrates our lasting confidence in the Chinese market and our long-term commitment to China and our partners.' Other major business deals on renewable energy and the food industry were signed Monday in the presence of Xi at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris, in addition to bilateral agreements. Both countries agreed on a protocol allowing the French exports of chicken meat to China. The country last year opened its market to French beef products following French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit in the country in January 2018. French energy company EDF and the China Energy Investment Corporation signed a deal worth 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) to develop an offshore wind farm in Chinese waters. Earlier in the day, Macron welcomed Xi and his wife, Peng Liuan, at the Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris. The French National Guard played the country's anthems. Both leaders laid a wreath at the Unknown Soldier from World War I whose tomb is under the monument. Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks flanked by his wife Peng Liyuan (pictured right), French President Emmanuel Macron (pictured second right) and his wife Brigitte Macron (pictured left), during a state dinner at the Elysee Palace in Paris epa07462899 French president's wife Brigitte Macron (R) speaks with Chinese president's wife Peng Liyuan pose as they visit the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris They then headed to the Elysee presidential palace for a meeting and a ceremony for the signing of agreements. Later, the Chinese president was to be honored with a state dinner at the Elysee, with guests including French actor Alain Delon, Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse and French-Chinese painter Yan Pei-Ming and Chinese actress Gong Li. Xi and Macron also confirmed the opening of a branch for the Paris modern art museum, the Pompidou Center, in Shanghai this fall. France also seeks China's cooperation on climate diplomacy in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's skepticism about climate change. The Chinese leader, who previously visited Italy and Monaco to sign deals, arrived in France on Sunday evening where he had a private dinner with Macron in the resort town of Beaulieu-sur-Mer on the French Riviera. Xi will also meet in Paris on Tuesday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Europe wants to increase its trade with China but on European terms, especially amid U.S.-China trade tensions. by Lucia Cheung Pope Francis proclaimed the extraordinary missionary month for October 2019. In the first public talk, Fr. Gianni Criveller looks at the history of PIME missionaries. Other talks will be held from March to December. Hong Kong (AsiaNews) Three Catholic institutes in Hong Kong are working together to preserve the 20th century history of the local Church, and make it better known through a series of public talks and conferences. The Centre for Catholic Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Chinese diocesan weekly Kung Kao Po and the Diocesan Archives Office held their first public talk last Saturday on the History of the Catholic mission in Hong Kong. Church historian Fr Gianni Criveller spoke about the origins of the missionaries of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) in Hong Kong, noting that they are not more important than others. As a member of the institute, he knows the subject well. This said, most of the history of the local Church in the 20th century reflects the service provided by PIME missionaries. That history begins however in 1858 with Fr Paolo Reina who was the first PIME missionary to set foot in Hong Kong. In 1868 the Hong Kong mission was established by the Foreign Missionaries of Milan (later called PIME). In 1969 Mgr Francis Hsu, became the first Chinese bishop of the city. According to Fr Criveller, 212 PIME missionaries have served in the city up to now. In his talk, in addition to presenting the pictures of certain important missionaries and maps of their missionary routes, the clergyman divided PIME evangelization into three parts: the creation of Christian communities and parishes, education and training, and social services and charitable works. Fr Criveller picked three significant episodes to highlight the history of the local mission: Mgr Enrico Valtorta, first bishop of Hong Kong and Defensor Civitatis during the war years (1939-1945); the release of Bishop Lorenzo Bianchi in Communist China on 17 October 1952; and the change of leadership (1967-1969), when Mgr Bianchi believed the local Church was mature enough to be run by the local clergy. Several oral history interviews were presented during the public talk. These interviews are a contribution to the next book on the oral history of the Catholic clergy, nuns and the faithful. The text is designed to encourage readers to reflect on the social situation, the Church of Hong Kong, its services and the way to preserve Church history. The monthly public talk will run from March to August, whilst next December the three institutes have scheduled a conference on the same theme The History of the Church in Hong Kong in the 20th Century at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. A member of the Centre for Catholic Studies explained that talks on the history of the mission are inspired by Pope Francis, who proclaimed October 2019 as the Extraordinary Missionary Month and the local diocese paid importance and has activities for it. This special month will mark the centennial of Maximum Illud, the 1919 apostolic letter issued by Pope Benedict XV, which highlighted the importance and priorities of Catholic missions. Picture 1: Fr Gianni Criveller explains that the missionaries who worked in China had to shave their heads under the rules of the Qing dynasty. Picture 2: Fr Criveller shows the map of the Catholic mission in the early 20th century. From the moment she became Prime Minister in July 2016, Theresa May has fought with astounding commitment to honour the result of the EU referendum which took place the previous month. Well never know what would have happened if the Brexiteer duo of Boris Johnson and Michael Gove hadnt come to blows, and found themselves in the driving seat that has been occupied by Mrs May. Conceivably they would have secured a better deal. From the moment she became Prime Minister in July 2016, Theresa May has fought with astounding commitment to honour the result of the EU referendum which took place the previous month But its certain they would have had to grapple with the same ineluctable difficulties, foremost among which have been the single-minded determination of the EU to drive a hard bargain, and its remarkable success in defiance of the predictions of some Brexiteers in staying united during negotiations with the Government. Johnson and Gove would have had to deal with the same disputatious Parliament, overwhelmingly pro-Remain but fractured into numerous factions, each with its own inflexible notion of the best way of delivering or not delivering Brexit. Of course the Prime Minister has made mistakes. We can all recite them with the benefit of hindsight. The fact remains she was dealt a much more difficult hand than she or anyone else realised. Leaving the EU on satisfactory terms was bound to be a monumental challenge. What can scarcely be denied is that she has shown awe-inspiring resilience. Despite being a diabetic who injects herself with insulin five times a day, she has discharged her duty tirelessly. Well never know what would have happened if Brexiteer duo Boris Johnson and Michael Gove hadnt come to blows, and found themselves in the driving seat. They would have had to deal with the same disputatious Parliament, pro-Remain but fractured into numerous factions, each with its own inflexible notion of the best way of delivering Brexit (or not) She has recovered from set-backs that would have floored most human beings. It is therefore hard, because she has these heroic qualities, to say that the best chance she has of rescuing her deal, and delivering what she has battled for so magnificently, is for her to sacrifice her prime ministership. If she accepts this bitter truth, she will go down in history as the woman who, despite enormous problems, delivered Brexit. But if she cant bring herself to offer up her own political life, she will probably be led from the stage ignominiously, without Brexit having been accomplished. Lets examine the options cool-headedly. Other than Mrs Mays deal to which she made clear yesterday in the Commons she remains committed while accepting theres still not sufficient support for it there are two options on the table. One is accepting membership of the customs union, as Labour and Remainer Tories have long argued we should. The other is again extending Article 50, so that we dont leave the EU for many months, if at all. The best chance Theresa May has of rescuing her deal, and delivering what she has battled for so magnificently, is for her to sacrifice her prime ministership Note I dont suggest No Deal is properly on the table, despite the EUs contention yesterday that it is becoming increasingly likely. Naturally one cant entirely rule it out. But with a majority in the Commons and the Cabinet against such an outcome, and Mrs May herself opposed, its difficult to see how it could transpire. So we should consider the two plausible options Ive mentioned. If the Commons with Labour support now endorses membership of the customs union, the Prime Minister couldnt embrace such a policy without losing all credibility. She has fought against it at every turn, and insisted that the 2017 Tory Party manifesto reject it. Alternatively, the Commons may not vote in sufficient numbers in favour of continued membership of the customs union, or the Government might ignore it if it did, as Mrs May suggested yesterday it could choose to do. In that event, the only sane alternative would be to seek a further extension from the EU, in which case the UK would be required to hold elections for the European Parliament in late May. There are two options other than Mrs Mays deal, which she made clear yesterday in the Commons she remains committed to, while accepting theres still not sufficient support for it. One is accepting membership of the customs union and the other is extending Article 50 The Prime Minister could not survive such a humiliating debacle, any more than she could embrace membership of the customs union while retaining any vestige of political authority. One way or another she would be finished. Of course she might take the nuclear option of calling a general election, in which case her political career would be over since she could hardly with honour remain as Conservative leader. Moreover, in such circumstances, with the Tories bitterly divided, I certainly wouldnt bet against a Labour victory and a Marxist Corbyn government. Mrs May surely does not want to bequeath such a legacy to the British people. So we return to her deal a compromise, as she herself conceded yesterday but the best, and probably the only, practicable way of extricating this country from the EU. The idea has been growing over recent days that intransigent Brexiteers in the Tory European Research Group and the Democratic Unionist Party would reluctantly support the Prime Ministers deal if they could be sure she would stand down once it had passed the Commons. Former Cabinet minister and veteran Eurosceptic John Whittingdale indicated he might back Mrs May in such circumstances, and even rebel-in-chief Boris Johnson hinted he might be persuaded to fall into line if Mrs May made clear she was ready to resign. Other Tory MPs have said similar things. The idea has been growing over recent days that intransigent Brexiteers in the Tory European Research Group and the Democratic Unionist Party would reluctantly support the Prime Ministers deal if they could be sure she would stand down once it had passed the Commons The reasoning of such people is that she has forfeited the confidence of many in her party. They have little faith that, in the crucial trade negotiations with the EU which lie ahead remember, the Withdrawal Agreement is only a beginning she will be sufficiently robust and forensic. And lets be honest there are some in her party who have had enough of her sometimes abrasive and unbending style. There is a hunger for change, for a new pair of hands, for a more imaginative approach. Needless to say, it makes no sense to think of getting rid of her at the moment, and any plan for an immediate coup, such as was reported over the weekend, is idiotic. Her instant removal would only plunge us into a state of even greater chaos than the one we are in. Former Cabinet minister and veteran Eurosceptic John Whittingdale indicated he might back Mrs May's deal if she agreed to stand down once it had passed the Commons But if Theresa May were to suggest that, in the event of her deal being passed by the Commons, she would step aside though stay on as Prime Minister while preparations for a Tory leadership contest were put in place well, that would be a kind of deliverance for the country, her party and perhaps for her. She couldnt know, and we cant know, whether such an undertaking would be sufficient to let her deal pass, and it might be argued there would be no point in her sacrificing herself unless she had such an assurance. On the other hand, if every other outcome seems certain to lead to her undignified exit, wouldnt it be better if she arranged her departure on her own terms and in a way that commanded widespread respect? I can see how difficult it would be for her to resign after achieving all that she has fought for. Of course May might take the nuclear option of calling a general election. In such circumstances, I certainly wouldnt bet against a Labour victory and a Marxist Corbyn government led by Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell (right) But if that is the only way of securing her deal, her sense of duty should argue in her heart for this final act of self-sacrifice. How else can we escape from the impasse were in? How else can the outcome of the 2016 referendum be honoured? This is the best one can truthfully say, almost certainly the only way of achieving that. I believe history will be kind to her if she displays such courage. The Prime Minister who delivered the Brexit she promised. Out of this appalling crisis she alone can fashion something positive for herself, something good for our unhappy country. A super yacht crew member was bitten by a 1.5 metre shark near Airlie Beach on Monday after jumping into the water to make sure the reef conditions were safe for a group of waiting tourists. Ryan Bowring was bitten twice on his right buttock and left hip near Hardy Reef, about 50km northeast of Queensland's Hamilton Island, at about 12.30pm after jumping off the 42-metre vessel. Critical care paramedics airlifted him from the popular reef in the Great Barrier Reef to Mackay Base Hospital at 1.45pm. He underwent surgery and remains in a stable condition. The 25-year-old, who works for Southern Cross Sailing Adventures, told rescue crews how the suspected bronze whaler shark had a 'couple of goes at him'. Ryan Bowring (pictured), 25, was bitten twice on his right buttock and left hip in waters at Hardy Reef The 25-year-old (pictured), who works for Southern Cross Sailing Adventures, recalled how the suspected bronze whaler shark had a 'couple of goes at him' Mr Bowring jumped off the 42-metre vessel near Hardy Reef, about 50km northeast of Queensland's Hamilton Island (pictured) 'They were penetrating teeth-like, multiple teeth-like marks, to the body,' Queensland Ambulance Service operations supervisor Shane Tucker told The Courier Mail. 'He actually swam back to the boat he came off, where the crew of the boat rendered first aid.' The Whitsundays region has been the site of a number of shark attacks in the last six months. Victorian man Daniel Christidis, 33, died in November after being attacked at Cid Harbour during a trip with friends and colleagues. That incident followed separate attacks - also at Cid Harbour - on Tasmanian woman Justine Barwick and Victorian 12-year-old Hannah Papps within just 24 hours in September. Paramedics transported Mr Bowring to hospital following the attack (pictured) The 25-year-old told rescue crews the shark had a 'couple of goes' at him The Whitsundays region has been the site of a number of shark attacks in the last six months There were 26 shark deaths in Australia between 2007-2018, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Hardy Reef is a popular tourist destination with ideal conditions for diving and snorkelling, but takes hours to reach via boat. The Queensland opposition is calling for more shark control equipment to be placed in the Whitsundays. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said people simply need to be 'shark-wise'. A minister quit the Government last night accusing it of playing roulette with Britons lives and livelihoods. Business minister Richard Harrington resigned along with Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt, and health minister Steve Brine to join a plot to take control of Brexit from the Prime Minister and prevent a No Deal Brexit. In total, 29 Tory MPs broke a three-line whip including Theresa Mays former deputy Damian Green demanding they oppose a plan to hold indicative votes on alternatives to her deal, which will take place tomorrow. Scroll down for video MP for Winchester Steve Brine resigned on Monday night as insiders warned more ministers could follow suit The defeated Prime Minister photographed leaving the Palace of Westminster tonight after enduring yet another torrid day over Brexit One minister said last night that another tranche of ministers were poised to go if the Government failed to allow free votes on the options tomorrow, which are likely to include remaining in a customs union and a second referendum. Mr Burt and Mr Green joined the rebellion just a day after they were part of a delegation of ministers and former ministers invited by the Prime Minister to Chequers to help persuade Brexiteers including Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg to vote for her plan. In his letter of resignation to the Prime Minister, Mr Harrington warned that leaving the EU without an agreement would be a giant economic experiment that would lead to the loss of jobs and livelihoods. Richard Harrington said the government was 'playing roulette' with people's lives in his resignation letter He had previously been derided by some colleagues as a serial non-resigner who repeatedly threatened to quit over Brexit but never did. Mr Harrington said: This has not been an easy decision for me, as I have been, and continue to be, very supportive of the Governments policy of securing an agreement with the European Union to ensure an orderly exit for the United Kingdom. My duty is to my constituency. I have a responsibility to think and act in the local and national interest. At this critical moment in our countrys history, I regret that the Governments approach to Brexit is playing roulette with the lives and livelihoods of the vast majority of people in this country who are employed by or otherwise depend on businesses for their livelihood. Further, as the industry minister, the clear message I have been receiving from the business community is that the failure to secure a deal and to rule out a hard Brexit is resulting in cancelled investment decisions, business being placed abroad, and a sense of ridicule for British business across the world. In the event of No Deal actually happening, there would be widespread and long-standing implications for everyone. The economy may take ten years to adjust, during which jobs would be lost and livelihoods ruined. I fear No Deal would be part of a giant economic experiment championed by a minority of the economics profession, a minority of the Conservative Party and a minority of the country. I have therefore decided that I resign from the Government to do all I can to prevent this from happening. A man accused of scamming 47,000 by claiming to be a survivor of the Grenfell fire could not tell police which flat he had lived in because of the sensitive nature of his work with governments on renewable energy, a court heard. Moses Ettiene denies one count of fraud between July 2017 and June 2018 by claiming he was living in the tower block at the time of the fire in order to claim food and accommodation. Prosecutors suggest Ettiene was not living in the building in June 2017 and had since defrauded around 47,000 in food and board support, including the cost of a room at the Park Plaza Hotel. Moses Ettiene denies one count of fraud between July 2017 and June 2018 by claiming he was living in the tower block at the time of the fire in order to claim food and accommodation But the 49-year-old told the court he had been subletting a Grenfell flat at the time of the blaze, in which 72 people died. The jury heard he moved into a flat in the tower block with his partner in 2009, but then moved into another home in the building when they experienced relationship troubles. When asked why he would not give a flat number to officers, Ettiene said his work was 'sensitive' and he was 'bound by secrecy'. Giving evidence at Isleworth Crown Court on Monday, Ettiene said he had worked on and off with the US government among others, but told the court he could not say how many. He said because he did not know if all of his files were destroyed in the Grenfell disaster he could not tell the court which flat he had been living in. He added: 'I am bound by secrecy, so I am not able to disclose the address at this time. 'The technologies I work with, they have sensitive applications for government use. 'Some of the files I stored were in the flat and because I can't confirm whether they have been destroyed or not I am not able to disclose the flat, the location of that flat, the people I lived with, or anything about that. 'The technology such as hydrogen and battery technology can be very sensitive and my research of those technologies has taken me into, let's say, sensitive areas which need to be regulated by government.' The jury heard a number of files had been found on his laptop, which Ettiene said were 'government-sensitive presentations' concerning lithium energy, solar panels, and hydrogen fuel cells. Ettiene, of Southall, in west London, told the court he would pay 150 a week when he could afford it to stay at the flat in Grenfell, but when he could not afford this he would sometimes sleep in the stairwell. The jury heard he would also stay at his elderly mother's home because he was her carer, as well as with his partner. Ettiene added: 'At that time, although I still worked with government, when I moved into the new address I kept under the radar. 'I wasn't actually a tenant to say, I was never a tenant. I was subletting at first, then I was sofa surfing because I became technically homeless.' But prosecutor Benjamin Temple accused Ettiene of lying about living in the tower. Mr Temple said Ettiene had been living in emergency accommodation at the hotel for months after the Grenfell blaze, but had not told his long-term girlfriend. He added: 'You keep her in dark. You're a victim of Grenfell, displaced by the fire, you have lost your accommodation, all the property in the house, and your girlfriend, who is your soul mate, you just don't tell her that?' But Ettiene insisted he had been living at the tower block and did not tell his partner everything. The trial continues. An Australian couple have spoken out about their terrifying experience on board a cruise liner which almost ran around in fierce storms. Susan, 68, and Malcom Smith, 71, were on board the Viking Sky when the ship's engine failed on rough seas on Saturday. The couple, from Dayboro in Moreton Bay near Brisbane, had to spend 20 hours sitting on the ground in life jackets as the vessel swayed perilously. Susan, 68, and Malcom Smith, 71, were on board the doomed Viking Sky when the ship's engine failed on rough seas on Saturday The couple, from Dayboro in Moreton Bay near Brisbane, had to spend 20 hours sitting on the ground in life jackets as the vessel was tossed around before they were rescued The liner was hit by 26ft waves and began swaying violently close to rocks off the coast of Norway amid 50mph winds Ms Smith told 9news they were unaware how dire the situation was until they were altered to the emergency by a horrific sound followed by an alarm. The liner had been hit by 26ft waves and began swaying violently close to rocks off the coast of Norway amid 50mph winds. Passengers had described conditions as comparable to being on the Titanic. The Smith's were among the 1,373 passengers and crew on board when the ship ran into trouble on day eight of the 12-day 'In Search of the Northern Lights' cruise. A picture from inside the rocking cruise ship shows it tipping over to one side Roof panels are seen falling and striking passengers' heads in a video from below deck The Smith's had been on their way to lunch when they realised the conditions were far more serious than they had thought. 'Things were going all over the state room and then the alarm sounded. That was scary,' Mrs Smith said. The pair sat in the muster room with other passengers wearing their lifejackets as they waited for conditions to improve. While 480 passengers and crew were winched to safety by helicopter others, including the Smiths, had to wait to be rescued. One passenger said: 'We could see that we were getting blown in towards some rocks' Furniture was thrown around and glass shattered when he engines died and the craft shuddered 'Twenty hours were had our life vests on for. The toilets were filling up. We didn't have a seat, we had to sit on the floor,' said Mrs Smith. The ship was towed to the Norwegian city of Molde, 390km northwest of Oslo, on Sunday. The Viking Sky crew sent a distress signal at 2pm local time on Saturday, as the ship developed engine trouble in bad weather along the Norwegian coast. After a decision to evacuate, five coast guard helicopter crews winched hundreds of people to safety. Police in More og Romsdal said the ship's crew had managed to anchor in Hustadvika Bay, amid fears the vessel would run aground. Passengers could be seen on deck waving at the shore as the ship arrived into port The death of a second man who was found inside the Los Angeles apartment of prominent Democrat donor, Ed Buck, has been ruled a methamphetamine overdose. Timothy Dean, 55, was found dead on January 7 inside Buck's apartment. He became the second man to die within a span of 18 months inside Buck's home. 'Toxicology results are back and the cause of death is an overdose,' Detective Quilmes Rodriguez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, said in an email to The Daily Beast. 'We've conducted several additional interviews with other witnesses and are pending the final two interviews,' the officer added. Meth is the same drug that killed Gemmel Moore at Buck's home in 2017. Last month, Buck was hit with a wrongful death lawsuit following Dean's death. LaTisha Nixon filed legal papers in a Los Angeles court, alleging the 65-year-old West Hollywood political donor is responsible for the death of her son, Moore. Buck has made more than $500,000 in political donations to both local politicians and national campaigns including Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential bid. Scroll down for video The death of Timothy Dean (pictured), 55, who was the second man to die inside the home of Democratic donor, Ed Buck, has been ruled a meth overdose Dean became the second man to die within a span of 18 months inside Buck's (pictured) home. Meth is the same drug that killed Gemmel Moore at the donor's home in 2017 Moore died of a crystal meth overdose in the donor's apartment in July 2017. The LA Sheriff's Department opened a homicide investigation, but a year later the District Attorney, Jackie Lacey, declined to file charges against Buck, citing insufficient evidence. Dean's death prompted an outcry from local activists for the wealthy Democrat's arrest. Nixon's suit names Lacey and Assistant Head Deputy District Attorney Craig Hum as co-defendants, accusing them of wrongfully failing to investigate and prosecute Buck for murder. The coroner ruled the death an accidental overdose and Buck has always maintained his innocence and denied any wrongdoing. The lawsuit is seeking damages against Ed Buck for 'wrongful death, sexual battery, drug dealer liability, premises liability, negligence per se, intentional infliction of emotional distress and hate violence'. In her legal complaint, Nixon cites evidence from several men who told police that they were 'forcibly injected with crystal methamphetamine by Mr. Buck'. Buck's attorney, Seymour Amster, has previously denied any wrongdoing by his client, said Buck did not inject anyone, and called the allegations against Buck 'spurious'. The lawsuit claims that Buck bought Moore a plane ticket from Houston to visit him at his apartment in July 2017, and that just hours after he landed, Moore was dead. Police found the apartment 'littered with multiple syringes with brown residue, a scale, several lighters and torches, a straw with white residue, glass pipes with white residue and burn marks, plastic bags with white powdery residue and a clear plastic bag containing a crystal-like substance,' the legal papers say. Last month, Buck was hit with a wrongful death lawsuit following Dean's death. LaTisha Nixon (pictured) filed legal papers in a Los Angeles court, alleging the 65-year-old West Hollywood political donor is responsible for the death of her son, Moore Gemmel Moore (pictured) died of a crystal meth overdose in the donor's apartment in July 2017 Buck has made more than $500,000 in political donations to both local politicians and national campaigns including Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential bid The documents claim Buck had 'previously solicited sex' from Moore 'would insist upon injecting Mr. Moore with crystal methamphetamine' then forcing him to watch hardcore gay pornography. Buck also 'required Mr. Moore to masturbate and engage in other autoerotic sex acts for Mr. Buck's sexual gratification and pleasure,' according to the lawsuit. 'Until now, Ed Buck has avoided prosecution by the very same elected officials and law enforcement agents whose pockets he's been lining with hundreds of thousands of dollars in election campaign and legal defense fund contributions since 2007,' said Hussain Turk, one of Nixon's attorneys. 'Their refusal to criminally prosecute Ed Buck because he is white is an unjust and unequal application of the law. 'If the dead body of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed white man was found in the home of an older Black man, he'd be lucky to even make it to the police station alive,' Turk added. 'But on DA Lacey's and DDA Hum's watch, Ed Buck hasn't even been formally questioned for his involvement in the deaths of not one, but two Black men.' Part of the evidence backing up the bereaved mother's lawsuit is Moore's journal, where he claims Buck injected him with crystal meth. In one entry, Moore wrote: 'I honestly don't know what to do. I've become addicted to drugs and the worst one at that. Ed Buck is the one to thank. He gave me my first injection of crystal meth it was very painful, but after all the troubles, I became addicted to the pain and fetish/fantasy. 'My life is at an alltime high right now & I mean that from all ways. I ended up back at Buck house again and got munipulated into slamming again. I even went to the point where I was forced to doing 4 within a 2day period. This man is crazy and its sad. Will I ever get help?' LaTisha Nixon, pictured with her son Moore. Her lawsuit is seeking damages against Buck Jermaine Gagnon, 28, (pictured) told DailyMailTV that he narrowly escaped death when Buck injected him with crystal meth at his sex-toy filled apartment 'Slamming' is a slang term for gay men injecting drugs such as mephedrone, GHB, or crystal meth. In Moore's final entry on December 3 2016, he wrote: 'If it didn't hurt so bad, I'd kill myself, but I'll let Ed Buck do it for now.' DailyMail.com has exclusively revealed accounts from two other men who claim Buck paid them to come to his apartment, strip and wear special underpants as well as other bizarre 'fetish' requests, and be injected by the wealthy donor with syringes of meth. One man, Jermaine Gagnon, 28, said that during one such session in September last year, Buck gave him Gatorade secretly spiked with an unknown drug and then injected him with crystal meth as he lay incapacitated. 'My body was numb, I could barely move. All I felt was warm all over my body. It was a matter of seconds. My speech started slurring, I was in and out,' Gagnon told DailyMail.com. Dean, 55, was found dead on January 7 inside Buck's apartment 'I saw him preparing the drugs at the table. He said 'you've got to watch'. I couldn't really stand up. I lay on the bed in the middle of the floor and was just laid out. 'He came over, he was like "I don't think you're high enough for me, I want you to do another point." That's when he pointed me. Immediately it felt like death took over my body. I don't know what it was. I felt like everything was going to end right there. 'I really thought I was the next person that was gonna be dead at Ed Buck's house.' Gagnon said Buck paid twice to fly him to LA for a drug-fueled session, pushing more drugs on the young black man each time. Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey (pictured) is named as a co-defendant, with Nixon's suit accusing her of wrongfully failing to investigate and prosecute Buck for murder Another man wrote his family a detailed account of the many 'chemsex' sessions he had with Buck. The man has since died from an unrelated illness. Buck called the black 30-year-old, who DailyMail.com is identifying only as 'Blake' at the request of his family, his 'crack baby', 'my n****r buddy', 'my straight n****r buddy', 'and 'black boy', according to Blake's account. Blake claimed the Hillary donor paid to watch him defecate, strip-searched him before he left the apartment, and once even choked Blake when he refused to leave. The former porn star told told his family Buck would trawl LA's Skid Row for young black men, and had an area he called 'the gates of hell' near the doorway to his apartment where he would photograph the men he paid for sex. 'Our hope is that this lawsuit will bring some modicum of justice for Gemmel and all of Ed Buck's victims,' said Nana Gymafi, human rights and criminal defense attorney and co-counsel for Nixon. 'If Ed Buck had any decency at all, he would have already come forward and apologized and offered to compensate Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean's families for the terrible harm and trauma he has caused through his actions. 'But, Buck is not a decent human being, and so we are forced to bring this lawsuit to get some accountability and justice.' Xinjiang needs to further develop stability maintenance measures and continue its crackdown on religious extremism, a top Chinese political adviser said. During a visit to the troubled far west region where China is running a controversial de-radicalisation programme, the ruling Communist Party's fourth-ranked leader Wang Yang said the situation in Xinjiang was 'continuing to develop well'. Critics say China is operating internment camps for Uighurs and other Muslim peoples who live in Xinjiang, though the government calls them vocational training centres and says it has a genuine need to prevent extremist thinking and violence. Chinese paramilitary soldiers are seen patrolling the streets in Urumqi, Xinjiang in 2009 when the riots broke out. The troubled region needs to further develop stability maintenance measures and continue its crackdown on religious extremism, a top political adviser said A gate of what is officially known as a vocational skills education centre in Dabancheng, Xinjiang. Critics say China is operating internment camps for Uighurs, though the government calls them vocational training centres and says it has a need to prevent extremist thinking Authorities 'must perfect stability-maintenance measures, and maintain high pressure on the "three forces",' Wang was quoted as saying in the official Xinjiang Daily on Tuesday, referring to terror, extremism and separatism. The Chinese official was on a March 20-25 visit to Xinjiang, including Kashgar and Tumxuk in the strongly Uighur southern part of the region. 'Correctly implement the party's policy on ethnic minorities, resolutely oppose and crack down on ethnic separatist forces,' added Wang, who heads the high profile but largely ceremonial advisory body to China's parliament. 'Resolutely oppose and crack down on religious extremist thought, and at the same time ensure the normal religious needs of believers in accordance with the law.' The government has shown happy, well-dressed people in the vocational education centres on chaperoned trips. Rights groups say there is mistreatment and even torture in the centres China has been stepping up a push to counter growing criticism in the West and among rights groups about the programme in heavily Muslim Xinjiang The report made no mention of the de-radicalisation centres. China has been stepping up a push to counter growing criticism in the West and among rights groups about the programme in heavily Muslim Xinjiang, which borders Central Asia. That has included inviting foreign diplomats and reporters to visit on well chaperoned tours, including a Reuters reporter in January. The government has shown happy, well-dressed people in the centres on these trips, and said they are treated respectfully and have their rights protected. Rights groups though say there is mistreatment and even torture, charges China denies. The government has not said how many people are in these centres. Adrian Zenz, a leading independent researcher on China's ethnic policies, said this month an estimated 1.5 million Uighurs and other Muslims could be held in the centres in Xinjiang, up from his earlier figure of 1 million. Wang Yang talks to Xi Jinping at this years 'Two Sessions' political gathering in Beijing However, European Union ambassadors in Beijing will not be visiting Xinjiang this week after receiving a government invitation, as such a trip needs 'careful preparation', a spokesperson for the bloc said on Monday. A U.S. official told Reuters that 'highly choreographed' tours to Xinjiang organised by the Chinese government were misleading and propagated false narratives about the region. Dilxat Raxit, a spokesman for the main exiled group, the World Uyghur Congress, said the invite to EU officials to Xinjiang was a 'political trick' meant to deflect pressure from the international community. 'We hope the EU officials could use this opportunity to ask for an unobstructed deep understanding of the situation on the ground, and refuse China's specially orchestrated political show,' he said in a statement. Acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan said Monday he had authorized $1billion to build part of the wall sought by President Trump along the U.S.-Mexico border - prompting Donald Trump Jr to exclaim that 'Christmas has come early'. The Department of Homeland Security asked the Pentagon to build 57 miles of 18ft fencing, build and improve roads, and install lighting to support Trump's emergency declaration as concerns the border. Shanahan 'authorized the commander of the US Army Corps of Engineers to begin planning and executing up to $1billion in support to the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Patrol,' a Pentagon statement read. The Trump administration, basking in the glow of the end of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation that cleared the president's campaign of colluding with Russia, appears to be enjoying significant momentum. President Trump (above) is seeking billions of dollars in funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border Central American immigrants walk along the U.S.-Mexico border fence after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico on February 1 in El Paso, Texas Donald Trump Jr tweeted in response to the Pentagon's announcement: 'Christmas came early this week' The acting defense secretary defended the move by citing a federal law that he said 'gives the Department of Defense the authority to construct roads and fences and to install lighting to block drug-smuggling corridors across international boundaries of the United States in support of counter-narcotic activities of federal law enforcement agencies.' The statement was released just hours before Shanahan was due to testify in Congress to present and defend the Pentagon's draft budget. Frustrated by Congress's refusal to provide the budget he sought to build a border wall, Trump declared a national emergency last month in order to bypass lawmakers to unlock $8billion in funding. The move drew condemnation from both the president's rival Democrats and fellow Republicans, who warned it was an abuse of presidential powers and created a dangerous precedent. The map above shows the U.S.-Mexico border and sections where there is an existing fence Earlier this month, Trump issued the first veto of his presidency to block a measure passed by Democrats and Republicans in Congress that would terminate his emergency declaration. The veto, made necessary after a strong and unusual rebuke from members of Trumps Republican party, capped a week that left Trump politically wounded, at least temporarily, as immigration and his signature promise of a wall become a flashpoint again in the 2020 presidential campaign. Congress is unlikely to muster the votes to override Trumps veto, a fact that left White House officials confident despite disappointment that it passed the Republican-controlled Senate at all. The bipartisan vote on March 14 was a slap at Trump for his decision to circumvent Congress and take money already designated for other programs to pay for a barrier on the southern border. Twelve Republicans joined Democrats in the Senate to pass the measure, concerned that the president had overstepped his authority. Trump repeated his view that a crisis existed at the border, called the resolution reckless and said he was proud to veto it. 'As president the protection of the nation is my highest duty. 'Yesterday, Congress passed a dangerous resolution that if signed into law would put countless Americans in danger, very grave danger,' he said, sitting behind his desk in the Oval Office. 'Congress has the freedom to pass this resolution, and I have the duty to veto it.' The White House had lobbied heavily for Republicans to back Trump, despite concerns among some about executive overreach and precedent-setting action that a future Democratic president could copy on policies that Republicans oppose. The president, without acknowledging that lobbying, said he had sympathy for those who defied him, adding they did what they had to do. Attorney General William Barr said the presidents emergency declaration was legal. It is being challenged in court as an unconstitutional usurpation of Congress power of the purse. Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said her chamber would vote on Tuesday to override the veto. The Trump administration, basking in the glow of the end of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation that cleared the president's campaign of colluding with Russia, appears to be enjoying significant momentum. Mueller is seen right in Washington, D.C. on Sunday 'The House and Senate resoundingly rejected the presidents lawless power grab, yet the president has chosen to continue to defy the Constitution, the Congress and the will of the American people,' she said in a statement. The Senate would have to vote to override the veto as well, requiring more Republicans than the original 12 to sign on, which is unlikely to happen. Trump has argued that a border wall would prevent criminals from entering the country. Researchers have said that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes, despite Trump repeatedly linking immigration and crime. The president has said he wants a wall to prevent immigrants from crossing into the United States illegally. Democrats deny there is an emergency at the border, saying border crossings are at a four-decade low. Trump thanked Republican senators who voted for his declaration in a Twitter post earlier on Friday. 'Watch, when you get back to your State, they will LOVE you more than ever before!' he said. Trump made a border wall a central promise of his 2016 campaign for the White House. He initially insisted that Mexico would pay for the wall but it has declined to do so. Last year, Trump forced a government shutdown over an impasse with Congress over funding for the barrier. When a deal to prevent another shutdown did not give him the funding he requested, Trump declared a national emergency, redirecting funds that were allocated for other projects to build the barrier instead. Rex Court, a 32-year-old father-of-three, (pictured) was bashed to death in 2017 by two brothers, who were sentenced to prison on Tuesday Two brothers who brutally bashed a defenseless young father to death in just 39 seconds could walk free from prison in five years. Dominic and Jordon Von Stanke pleaded guilty to manslaughter last year over the 'savage' death of 32-year-old Rex Court in 2017. The brothers asked for leniency and home detention in the Adelaide District Court on Tuesday, but the judge rejected their request. Judge Geraldine Davison said the crime was too serious - describing the attack as 'impulsive' and 'senseless' - and sentenced them to time in prison. 'His death is the consequence of your impulsive and senseless violence against a man who was not even fighting back and had done nothing to you,' the judge said, The Advertiser reported. 'You kept going when he was unconscious, when you knew what you had done was so wrong.' 'You left him there to die,' she continued. Jordan Von Stanke, now 25, was sentenced to six years and three weeks in jail, with a non-parole period of four years and 10 months. His younger brother Dominic, 21, was handed a sentence of five years and four months, with a non-parole period of four years and three months. Rex Court's sister Sarah Danielson (pictured) said her brother's life was needlessly cut short Mr Court (pictured) was an organ donor and several lives were saved through transplants following his death The brothers became involved in a street brawl in Mount Gambier after friends of theirs claimed they were getting 'attacked by crackheads'. Upon their arrival, Jordan Von Stanke got out of the car and struck Mr Court in the face, despite him posing no threat to the group, the court heard. The father-of-three fell to the ground before being picked up and put in a headlock and thrown back to the ground head first. Dominic Von Stanke then grabbed the 32-year-old and threw him back onto the road, before he and his brother fled the scene. Later, the pair burned their clothes and hide their car. Mr Court died in hospital. Dominic Von Stanke, 21, was handed a sentence of five years and four months, with a non-parole period of four years and three months for the fatal attack in 2017 Despite Judge Davison acknowledging that both brothers were genuinely remorseful, she noted Jordan's psychological makeup meant he in particular needed further rehabilitation. Outside court, Rex Court's father said the sentence wasn't good enough.= 'Far too light. Can't change it,' he said. The victim's sister, Sarah Danielson, described Rex as 'a good man who didn't deserve to die.' 'Rex's life was taken too soon by two people that didn't even know him,' she told reporters. 'We knew nothing could bring him back but truly hope the people that did this could at least be held accountable.' Rex Court was an organ donor and several lives were saved through transplants following his death. Borce Ristevski bought his wife Karen a double grave with space for him to buried next to her after he killed her. The double headstone at Williamstown Cemetery in Victoria is half blank, ready for his name to be inscribed when he dies. Ristevski, 54, carried his wife's coffin at her funeral two years ago. He finally confessed to her manslaughter earlier this month after almost three years of lying to police and the couple's only child, Sarah. The killer listed his wife's date of death on the headstone as February 20, 2017, the day her decomposed body was found by hikers eight months after police believe he killed her. Borce Ristevski bought his wife Karen a double grave (pictured) with space for him to buried next to her after he killed her The inscription reads: 'You touched our lives with your love, laughter, warmth and grace. Your memory will be eternal. Dearly loved, never forgotten and forever in our hearts.' Ristevski (pictured with his wife and their daughter Sarah) bought the gravestone and carried his wife's coffin at her funeral two years ago - before finally confessing to her manslaughter earlier this month The inscription reads: 'You touched our lives with your love, laughter, warmth and grace. Your memory will be eternal. Dearly loved, never forgotten and forever in our hearts.' Ms Ristevki's family and friends are furious and want the gravestone changed, according to news.com. One family friend wrote on Facebook: 'It should be [her maiden name] KAREN ANN WILLIAMS.' 'He doesn't deserve the right to be placed beside her.' A spokesman for the cemetery said: 'We are working with the family regarding what their rights are and trying to assist them in a way that adheres to the Cemeteries and Crematoria Act of 2003 (Victoria) that all cemeteries are bound by. 'It's just an unfortunate situation that the confession came right before the trial, and by that stage, the headstone had well and truly been laid.' Social media users speculated that the double headstone was part of Ristevski's plot to get away with the killing by portraying himself as an innocent, loving husband. A spokesman for The Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust confirmed Borce Ristevski was the right of internment holder, meaning he chose the plot where his wife was laid to rest. The spokesman said: 'The plot was purchased on 28 February 2017, in the week prior to Karen's interment service on 6 March 2017. 'It is a two-person burial plot but of course no intent is clear in that regard.' Earlier this month Daily Mail Australia reported how Ristevski's daughter Sarah was 'blindsided' by his sudden guilty plea to the manslaughter of her mother. Borce Ristevski (right) has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter death of his wife Karen (centre) with their daughter Sarah Ristevski was a pallbearer at the funeral of his wife - who he has now confessed to killing Sarah Ristevski led the procession at the funeral, holding a framed picture of her shop owner and fashion designer mum The couple's only daughter was surprised by the sudden guilty plea and hadn't expected it. Miss Ristevski was not present at the court during the pre-trial hearing in mid-March. She wasn't allowed to be, as she had been listed as a prosecution witness in her father's trial. Since her mother's disappearance in June 2016, Sarah has had to endure the loss of one parent, the callous betrayal of her father, and the public's macabre fascination with the case. Sources with knowledge of the situation said '(Miss Ristevski) did not' anticipate the plea. Ristevski's sudden confession came after a Victorian Supreme Court judge ruled that crucial prosecution evidence of Ristevski's 'murderous intent' was inadmissible. Crown prosecutors hinged their murder charge on evidence about Ristevski's behaviour after Karen's disappearance in mid-2016. Karen's body, found wedged between two logs in a national park months after she vanished, was too badly decomposed for there to be a conclusive cause of death. Ristevski's manslaughter plea means he will avoid a life sentence, the maximum penalty for a murder charge. His trial was supposed to start on March 14. Television reporter Cameron Baud (right) boldly asked Borce Ristevski if he had killed Karen, bringing a media conference to a tearful end The plea is the beginning of the end of the circus surrounding the Ristevski family, from which Sarah has suffered the most. In a haze after her mother's disappearance, Sarah had to stand by her father during a public appeal for information in mid-2016. It was then that the first questions were bluntly raised about Ristevski. 'Did you kill Karen, Borce?' a TV reporter asked the family patriarch. Ristevski did not answer. The media conference came to a swift, teary end. In private, Mr Ristevski blamed police for trying to 'pin' the crime on him, a court heard. After nine agonising months of mystery, Sarah's mother's body was found at the Mount Macedon Regional Park in February 2017. She mourned her mother at a funeral service attended by her father, listening as the crowd were regaled with tributes about the 'close' family unit. Ristevski acted as pallbearer and buried Karen at a cemetery in Williamstown, near one of the couple's favourite spots. The heat on Mr Ristevski began to escalate as time went by. He was hounded by the press. His own lawyer described him as the 'prime suspect' in Karen's killing. He was convicted in the most brutal court - that of public opinion. Ristevski was charged by police in December 2017. Karen Ristevski's body was found by horticulturalists at this site in early 2017 Borce Ristevski seen in March 2019 arriving at the Supreme Court complex in Melbourne Through it all confided only in a small circle of family and friends. Last year, the young lady appeared in court at Ristevski's committal as a witness called by the prosecution. She made her first detailed public remarks about the case. Miss Ristevski told the court her mother tended to raise her voice in arguments and her dad was a 'calming influence'. 'Dad was always the calm one,' she said. The couple would often argue over their fashion boutique Bella Bleu, she said. The chain was struggling. Reports claimed Miss Ristevski did not make eye contact with her father, who was visibly emotional, during the hearing. The Crown prosecutor Matt Fisher was adamant Mrs Ristevski's death had been no accident. 'Something happened in the house,' he told the court. Miss Ristevski after appearing at court in 2018 'The accused man engages in behaviour soon after he has either killed her or caused her serious injury.' Miss Ristevski admitted in court that her father's behaviour 'didn't make sense' in the days after her mother vanished. She questioned him about why his phone was switched off, the committal hearing was told. As read by Mr Fisher in court, Miss Ristevski said to her farther: 'You were out of the house for two hours. 'Your phone is off for two hours... They pinged you on the Calder (Freeway).' Mr Ristevski responded: 'That's what they are trying to plant out there, Sarah.' 'That doesn't make sense,' Miss Ristevski said. 'Nothing makes sense because they're making it up as they go,' he replied. Miss Ristevski has resented the public fascination with her family's case. At the court hearing, Miss Ristevski said she had been 'basically stalked' by the media over the course of the hearing. She looked over at the assembled news reporters and said: 'Thanks for that'. The terrible spectacle surrounding her family will soon be over. Borce Ristevski will face a sentence of up to 20 years' imprisonment. by Mathias Hariyadi A seminar was held in East Jakarta on implementing standard operational practices (SOP) in reception centres. The event saw the participation of 35 nuns from different religious communities, as well as some priests and experienced educators. For Sister Kristina Fransiska, "Goodwill is not enough to carry out this humanitarian mission." Jakarta (AsiaNews) For years, the Commission for Justice, Peace and Pastoral Care of Migrants (KKP-PMP) of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Indonesia (KWI) has coordinated humanitarian agencies and Church organisations to deal with problems such as migration and human trafficking. The KKP-PMP has also undertaken various initiatives to raise awareness among religious institutions. The latest took place last week in East Jakarta, organised together with the Commission against trafficking in women (CWTC) and the Union of Nuns of All Indonesia (IBSI). Fr Eko Aldianto, executive secretary of the Commission, told AsiaNews that the KKP-PMPs priority is "to get the Catholic Church to implement a national campaign to end modern slavery." "We need to educate migrants before they leave to pursue their luck in other countries," said the Carmelite clergyman; for example, through programmes to promote "friendly gestures" towards immigrants like those in Ruteng and Ende, on Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara province. Some 35 nuns from different religious communities attended the East Jakarta seminar, as did some priests and experienced educators. The workshops main topic was the implementation of standard operational practices (SOP) in reception centres in which the IBSI has long performed its service for the victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. "During the three days of work, we were briefed by our partners such as the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on the minimum requirements to make the centres a 'safe place' for those who suffered from these practices, said Sister Kristina Fransiska, a Passionist nun originally from Malang (East Java). For her, "Goodwill is not enough to carry out this humanitarian mission. A man who renewed his boat licence online was left shocked after the replacement arrived in the mail with a woman's face on it. Warren Davies, 50, renewed his licence through the VicRoads website last week. The co-owner of Grosvenor dry cleaning in Kew, in Melbourne's East, received his new licence in the mail and saw it had a picture of a woman he didn't recognise. However, the licence had his correct name, address and licence number. A man who renewed his boat licence online was left shocked after he was sent one with a woman's face in the mail Warren Davies (pictured), 50, renewed his licence through the VicRoads website last week Mr Davies reported the matter to police, who checked the system only to discover that his car driver's licence also had the woman's face. 'The mistake is quite serious if you think about it. I haven't got any other proof of ID not even a passport,' he told Daily Mail Australia. VicRoads, who handles car and boat licences in the state, reissued him with a new licence with the correct photo on Tuesday morning. The 50-year-old was told by VicRoads the mystery woman applied to renew her licence on the same day he had. VicRoads said the woman's licence number only had one different digit from Mr Davies' licence number. The woman had accidentally logged in Mr Davies' number during her renewal process, resulting in a photo mix up on his boat licence. The co-owner of Grosvenor dry cleaning in Kew, in Melbourne's East, received his new licence in the mail and saw it had a picture of a woman he didn't recognise Police and VicRoads told police his photo had not turned up on anyone else's licence. 'I've got no idea what's happened to the woman,' he said. 'But VicRoads has corrected the issue and has mailed through another licence.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted VicRoads for comment. Five inmates escaped from a North Carolina jail on Monday afternoon after breaking through a fence surrounding an exercise yard. David Viverette, 28, David Ruffin Jr., 30, Keonte Murphy, 23, Raheem Horne, 26, and Laquaris Battle, 23, sparked a huge manhunt after fleeing the Nash County jail. By Tuesday morning four of the five men had been recaptured, with only Battle - who was jailed for possession of a stolen vehicle - still at large. Laquaris Battle, 23, in jail for possession of a stolen vehicle, was one of five inmates to escape from a jail in North Carolina overnight, and the only one still at large David Viverette, 28 (left), and Raheem Horne, 26 (right), were recaptured at a motel 15 miles from the jail after police received a tip-off Viverette and Horne made it to Hal Orr's Inn in Rocky Mount, 15 miles away from the Nashville jail. A tip led authorities to the motel, Sheriff Keith Stone said. A motel employee told WRAL that the men were hiding in a room that had been booked by a woman for two nights. Viverette was in jail on charges on robbery and possession of a stolen vehicle. Ruffin has a long criminal history, including charges of child molestation. It was not immediately known how Ruffin and Murphy were apprehended. Stone said the inmates escaped by pulling loose a fence around an exercise yard and slipping away around 3.30pm on Monday. David Ruffin Jr, 30 (left), who has a long criminal history including child molestation, and Keonte Murphy, 23 (right), were also recaptured overnight Monday The fence had been weakened after being worked on months before, CNN reports. Stone said the exercise yard was being watched by a camera, but it was facing away from this section of fence. He believes the inmates knew they were in the camera's blind spot. Once through the fence, the five had to navigate their way around two more doors before getting into a wooded area. From there they may have been picked up by an accomplice and taken away. Stone said the FBI and other area law enforcement departments have assisted in the search. He urged residents to lock their homes and cars while the hunt continues. Attorney General William Barr will release a pared-down version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's final report to the public in 'weeks, not months,' according to a Justice Department official who said Tuesday that Barr told Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham about his timetable. Barr gave a quartet of House and Senate Judiciary Committee leaders a summary of the report on Sunday but has not yet given Americans a look at the most anticipated government document of the Trump presidency. Democrats on Capitol Hill have demanded the release of the report, and a poll from Quinnipiac University released Tuesday found that 84 per cent of Americans want to see it made available. Before letting the report leave his office, Barr must review Mueller's findings in his Trump-Russia investigation and prepare a public version that masks classified information and signs of law enforcement sources and methods. It's not clear how much of what is made public will be in Mueller's own words and taken from his underlying report and how much might reflect Barr's summary or synthesis of the special counsel's findings. And there has been no sign from the Justice Department that lawmakers will see anything more than the public will be able to read nor that they will get it ahead of time. Attorney General Barr told at least one sentaor that he will be able to review the Mueller report in a matter of weeks, not months Mueller turned over his reportedly voluminous findings to the Justice Department on Friday but they likely include some things that can't be made public President Trump found vindication in Mueller's findings after complaining for two years that he was the victim of a 'witch hunt' and insisted that no future president should have to endure it But Trump radiated a sense of vindication on Tuesday, striding into the Senate Republicans' lunch flanked by party leaders. GOP senators applauded. 'It could not have been better,' Trump said of the four-page summary Barr sent to lawmakers, which did not find the president colluded with Russia to affect the outcome of his election. He told senators he was given a 'clean bill of health,' according to those in the room. But Trump cut short the celebration by quickly turning senators focus on the challenges ahead, claiming, 'The Republican Party will soon be known as the party of health care. You watch!' Inside the meeting, he urged Republicans to figure out a way to repeal President Barack Obama's signature health care law and replace it with a GOP version, a major Trump goal that has eluded the party during the first years of his presidency. 'I was a little surprised he came out of the chute in health care,' said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., after the meeting 'He wants us to try again.' 'He's in a very good mood. He's in a good form,' said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. 'He's always high energy. He had a little extra today.' Trump's trip to Capitol Hill came right after his administration said late Monday it would not defend the Affordable Care Act in a court challenge - and as the House Democrats, led by Pelosi, were unveiling a sweeping measure to rescue the program, also known as 'Obamacare.' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called for the release of the full Mueller report At her own closed-door caucus meeting Tuesday, Pelosi urged rank-and-file Democrats to 'be calm' and focus on policy promises that helped propel them to the House majority last fall. That means advocating for a robust policy agenda to improve health care and pay while conducting the oversight of the Trump administration many voters want. 'Let's just get the goods,' Pelosi said, according to an aide in the room granted anonymity to discuss the private caucus meeting. The advice was reinforced by Obama, who counseled freshman Democrats at a reception Monday night. Obama advised the newly elected lawmakers to listen to constituents - and also identify issues they feel so strongly about that they'd be willing to lose their House seats in fights over them, according to multiple people at the private party. The former president recalled that as a state legislator he gave priority to his constituents, which helped keep his popularity high enough in Illinois that he could advocate for bold policy ideas. The challenges for Democrats come as Trump has made clear he's fired up to go on offense against those who propelled the narrative that he colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election. Even before he arrived in the Senate, Trump tweeted his message about health care. When he walked into a cloistered parlor to lunch with Republicans, they applauded him. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff insists Mueller's conclusion won't have any bearing on his own committee's counterintelligence probes Ahead of the Senate meeting, Trump was in a combative mood. He tweeted against the 'mainstream media' as 'corrupt and FAKE' for pushing the 'Russian Collusion Delusion,' previewing attacks on other opponents to come. He has promised to go after those who did 'evil' things, perpetuating the collusion narrative. Attorney General Barr's summary said the special counsel's probe didn't find collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government to tilt the 2016 presidential election. Mueller did not determine whether Trump obstructed justice in the investigation, but Barr and his team said no prosecution was warranted. Trump allies, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., have encouraged him to use the political capital he's now gained to accomplish policy goals. 'Let's go on about governing the country,' said Graham, who spent the weekend with the president in Florida. The chairman of the intelligence committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., stood up at the closed-door meeting and told his colleagues the most important thing now is the work on the ACA, according to those in the room. Other leaders backed up the focus on policy. 'I believe that the Mueller report has been done. That's a chapter that's closed,' House Democratic Whip James Clyburn said on CNN. Health care, he said, 'is the number one thing on people's minds.' On the Trump-Russia track, Democrats pressed the Justice Department to provide the full report from Mueller, saying Barr's four-page synopsis was insufficient. 'I haven't seen the Mueller report. I've seen the Barr report. And I'm not going to base anything on the Barr report,' said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md. 'The president is saying he's been completely and totally exonerated by the report. The one sentence we've seen from the report says this is not an exoneration of the president.' Many Democrats say Barr is conflicted because of his views - expressed in a memo to the administration before becoming attorney general - that the president cannot be charged with obstruction since he oversees the Justice Department. 'You can't move forward on a four-page memo,' said Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif. 'It's hard for me to accept that as an objective opinion.' Trump said the release of Mueller's full report 'wouldn't bother me at all,' and Democrats quickly put that statement to the test. Six House Democratic committee chairmen wrote to Barr and asked to have Mueller's full report by April 2. If not, they have suggested subpoenas could be issued. President Donald Trump claimed victory on Tuesday after House Democrats failed to override his veto, putting another feather in his hat on this week of good news. The president thanked Republicans for sticking with him and not crossing the aisle to support the Democratic effort to stop his national emergency declaration. He also got in a shot at Democrats, echoing an attack line he has used repeatedly on Twitter and on the campaign trail. 'Thank you to the House Republicans for sticking together and the BIG WIN today on the Border. Todays vote simply reaffirms Congressional Democrats are the party of Open Borders, Drugs and Crime!,' he wrote on Twitter. House Democrats failed in their attempt to override President Trump's first veto earlier in the day when they failed to muster the two-thirds vote needed to prevail. The final vote was 248 yeas to 181 nays with 14 Republicans crossing the aisle to vote to override the president. But the Democrats were about 40 votes shy of victory. President Donald Trump touted his victory on Tuesday and thanked Republicans for their support House Democrats failed in their attempt to override President Trump's first veto President Trump was across the Capitol having lunch with Senate Republicans when the House vote occurred The final vote was 248 yeas to 181 nays. Democrats needed to reach two-thirds of the House chamber to prevail The vote came as Trump was across the Capitol, having lunch with Senate Republicans. It added to the good news the president received this week after the special counsel cleared him and his campaign of colluding with Russia during the 2016 election and his longtime nemesis, attorney Michael Avenatti, was arrested on charges of extortion. The vote also came on the same day as Speaker Nancy Pelosi's 79th birthday. The California Democrat led her party in the fight against the president in her first big battle as speaker. She kept her Democrats in line and stood firm against the president during the month-long government shutdown over the fight to fund Trump's wall. And she vowed Democrats would continue to work to try and stop the president. 'The Presidents lawless emergency declaration clearly violates the Congresss exclusive power of the purse, and Congress will work through the appropriations and defense authorization processes to terminate this dangerous action and restore our constitutional system of balance of powers,' she said in a statement after the vote. White House deputy communications director Hogan Gidley doubled down on the president's criticism of Democrats. 'Congress has repeatedly refused to address this dangerous situation, but President Donald J. Trump has acted. He is building the Wall and strengthening security at the border because the American people deserve protection from threats coming into our Country. Walls work - just ask grieving Angel Parents, brave law enforcement professionals and Border Patrol agents. Todays vote reaffirms Democrats are the party of open borders, drugs and crime,' he said in a statement. The failed vote was the accumulation of a long battle over the president's border wall. Lawmakers in both parties saw Trump's declaration an overreach of presidential power into Congress's authority over government spending. Earlier this month, both chambers - with lawmakers from both parties supporting - passed legislation voiding the president's emergency declaration. Trump vetoed it almost immediately. The president plans to use his declaration to shift $3.6 billion from military construction projects to erecting barriers along the border to keep his signature campaign promise. And the battle over the president's emergency declaration is not over. Sixteen states, led by California, have sued the president to stop his move. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra vowed to continue the fight. 'President Trump cant take taxpayer dollars to build his wall without Congresss permission. The 20 states standing with us in court are ready to fight long and hard to stop his fabricated emergency in its tracks,' he tweeted after the House vote failed. Congress voted weeks ago to provide less than $1.4 billion for border barriers. President Donald Trump signed the first veto of his presidency on March 15 The House approved the resolution blocking Trump's national emergency declaration by 245-182 in February. This month, the GOP-led Senate rebuked Trump with a 59-41 vote blocking his declaration. But since the House vote failed, the Senate won't attempt its own override and the veto will stand. The notorious Salt Creek kidnapper is currently suing South Australia Police and his own son. Roman Heinze was sentenced to 22 years in 2017 after he kidnapped a Brazilian backpacker, with an intent to rape her, and attacked her German companion. He hit the second victim with a hammer and repeatedly struck her with his 4WD, which was later found to be covered in her blood. Now the depraved sex attacker has submitted a civil claim against police, who he says owe him $12,000 for the sale of the vehicle. Heinze submitted a civil claim to the Adelaide Magistrates Court stating that police can't sell the 4WD (pictured), that the vehicle really belongs to his dead brother and the SA police owe him $12,000 In a handwritten note submitted to Adelaide Magistrates Court Heinze also explains why he is suing his son Jason, who he claims took his prized possession, a fibreglass boat. 'It pains me that Jason, of all my kids, has turned out to be a money-hungry turd,' he writes. In the bizarre court documents Heinze states that the 4WD was his brothers and therefore 'an innocent person's property'. Heinze is pursing a total of three lawsuits from his prison cell, Adelaide Now reported. Heinze (pictured) was sentenced to 22 years after kidnapping two women and attacking them Heinze also filed a lawsuit against his daughter's ex-boyfriend, who he claims won't reveal the location of a Western Australia storage shed. He claims that the shed has $26,089 worth of his possessions, including an imported German cupboard and a West End custom frame mirror. He filed a lawsuit against his son, Jason because Heinze claims that he took his fibreglass boat, an air conditioner and a list of items valued at $15,018. A boy has allegedly been shot in the arm following an incident in a park in Brisbane. Emergency Services were called to an address in Underwood, southeast of Brisbane, just after midnight on Monday, where a boy received treatment for an arm wound. A police investigation later revealed an incident involving a firearm occurred at Svoboda Park in Kuraby, which is located near Beenleigh Rd and Stiller Ave. A boy has allegedly been shot in the arm following an incident in a park in Brisbane Officers are appealing for anyone who may have noticed anything suspicious in the vicinity of Svoboda Park or in the area to get in contact with police. Authorities hope a member of the public may also have CCTV footage of the area captured around the time of the incident. Police have urged anyone who may have information about the incident to come forward, or contact with CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000. The maker of OxyContin has agreed to pay $270 million in a deal announced Tuesday with the state of Oklahoma to settle allegations they helped set off the nation's deadly opioid crisis with their aggressive marketing of the powerful painkiller. It is the first settlement to come out of the recent coast-to-coast wave of lawsuits against Stamford, Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma that threaten to push the company into bankruptcy and have stained the name of the Sackler family, whose members are among the world's foremost philanthropists. 'The addiction crisis facing our state and nation is a clear and present danger, but we're doing something about it today,' Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said. Nearly $200 million will go toward establishing the National Center for Addiction Studies and Treatment at Oklahoma State University in Tulsa, while local governments will get $12.5 million. The Sackler family is responsible for $75 million of the settlement. Purdue Pharma has agreed to settle a lawsuit by the state of Oklahoma accusing the OxyContin painkiller maker of helping fuel an opioid abuse epidemic, a source says The deal comes two months before Oklahoma's lawsuit against Purdue Pharma and other drug companies was set to become the first one in the barrage of litigation to go to trial. Plaintiffs' attorney Paul Hanly, who is not involved in the Oklahoma case but is representing scores of other governments, welcomed the deal, saying: 'That suggests that Purdue is serious about trying to deal with the problem. Hopefully, this is the first of many.' But some activists were furious, saying they were denied the chance to hold Purdue Pharma fully accountable in public, in front of a jury. 'This decision is a kick in the gut to our community,' said Ryan Hampton, who is recovering from opioid addiction. 'We deserve to have our day in court with Purdue. The parents, the families, the survivors deserve at least that. And Oklahoma stripped that from us today.' He added: 'We cannot allow Purdue to cut backroom deals with state attorneys general.' Opioids, including heroin and prescription drugs like OxyContin, were a factor in a record 48,000 deaths across the U.S. in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Oklahoma recorded about 400 opioid deaths that year. State officials have said that since 2009, more Oklahomans have died from opioids than in vehicle crashes. It was Arthur Sackler, the oldest of the brothers, who boosted their pharmaceutical business with his knack for marketing and instincts about consumers in the 1960s. He died in 1987, before OxyContin had been made and his descendants say he would not have approved of how his brothers carried on the business Raymond (left) and Mortimer (right) Sackler were at the helm of the business when the drug was created. They died in 2017 and 2010 respectively Purdue Pharma introduced OxyContin in the 1990s and marketed it aggressively to doctors, making tens of billions of dollars from the drug. But has been hit with close to 2,000 lawsuits from state and local governments trying to hold the company responsible for the scourge of addiction. The lawsuits accuse the company of downplaying the addiction risks and pushing doctors to increase dosages even as the dangers became known. According to a court filing, Richard Sackler, then senior vice president responsible for sales, proudly told the audience at a launch party for OxyContin in 1996 that it would create a 'blizzard of prescriptions that will bury the competition.' Purdue Pharma has settled other lawsuits over the years, and three executives pleaded guilty to criminal charges in 2007. But this is the first settlement to come out of the surge of litigation that focuses largely on the company's more recent conduct. The agreement was announced after the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Monday denied a request from drugmakers to postpone the start of the state's trial in late May. The remaining defendants in Oklahoma's 2017 lawsuit still face trial. Family and friends who have lost loved ones to OxyContin and opioid overdoses protest outside Purdue Pharma headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut in this file photo Lance Lang, a 36-year-old recovering user from Oklahoma City, said he is glad some of the settlement will go toward helping those still suffering from addiction. 'My heart breaks for those that we've already lost. I've buried several myself,' said Lang, who now helps recovering users find housing. 'But I also know we have waiting lists of dozens and dozens for our facilities, and the state has waiting lists of hundreds and hundreds of people who need help right now.' But Cheryl Juaire, whose 23-year-old son Corey died of an overdose in 2011, said she was devastated to hear about the settlement. She had been organizing a group of hundreds of mothers to go to the first day of the trial and stand outside with photos of their dead children. Jauire, who lives in Marlborough, Massachusetts, said a complete airing of the facts is the only way to fully hold Purdue to account. 'They can't settle,' she said. 'That would be a huge disservice to the tens of thousands of families here in the United States who buried a child. That's blood money from our children.' As the accusations have mounted, the Sacklers have faced personal lawsuits and growing public pressure. A Massachusetts court filing made public earlier this year found that family members were paid at least $4 billion from 2007 until last year. The Sackler family's $1.3 million donation to the National Portrait Gallery in London (pictured) was cancelled earlier this month after outcry over the family's business The Sacklers are major donors to cultural institutions, and the family name is emblazoned on the walls at many of the world's great museums and universities. But in the past few weeks, the Tate museums in London and the Guggenheim Museum in New York have cut ties with the family, and other institutions have come under pressure to turn down donations or remove the Sackler name. Earlier this week, the Sackler Trust suspended all new philanthropic giving. Earlier this month, a 1 million ($1.3 million) donation to the National Portrait Gallery in London was cancelled after an outcry, and shortly afterwards the Tate also announced it would reject donations. The trust has now said all philanthropic giving will temporarily cease so the issue 'will not be a distraction for institutions that are applying for grants'. Commitments that have already been made will be honored. This month, Purdue Pharma officials acknowledged that are considering filing for bankruptcy because of the crush of lawsuits. More than 1,400 federal lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies have been consolidated in front of a single judge in Cleveland who is pushing the drugmakers and distributors to reach a nationwide settlement with state and local governments.. Rudy Giuliani has blasted CNN in a heated interview where he squared off with host Chris Cuomo saying 'this network should apologize'. Donald Trump's lawyer slammed the network on Monday evening for their 'torturous' coverage of the Mueller investigation, despite its anti-climactic results that failed to prove the president colluded with Russia in the 2016 presidential campaign. 'You guys on this network have tortured this man for two years with collusion and nobodys apologizing. Before we talk about obstruction, apologize,' Giuliani demanded pointing fingers to the camera and hitting the desk with fervor. Rudy Giuliani demanded an apology from CNN during a sit down interview with host Chris Cuomo on Monday evening for their treatment of President Trump 'You guys on this network have tortured this man for two years with collusion and nobodys apologizing. Before we talk about obstruction, apologize,' Giuliani said "There was absolutely not a scintilla of evidence that the President was involved [in Russian efforts to influence the election,]" Pres. Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani tells @chriscuomo. "Do you know how absurd that charge was to me? Being on that campaign? It was ridiculous." pic.twitter.com/9rqamFgwqF Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) March 26, 2019 Cuomo refused to apologize for CNN's coverage of the Special Counsel's two-year investigation saying 'not a chance'. Giuliani retorted: 'Of course youre not because youre not being fair.' Still Giuliani huffed that the New York Times, the Washington Post and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff should all apologize for their coverage and treatment of the president in the investigation. Giuliani went on to slam the report for failing to exonerate the president, even though he wasn't found guilty of collusion. 'This is a cheap shot. This is unprofessional,' the 74-year-old lawyer said. 'They dont have to exonerate him, you gotta prove hes guilty. Even for impeachment...[Trump] is exonerated in the next two paragraphs,' Giuliani argued pointing to the report. 'The next two paragraphs say 'not sufficient evidence' and 'no obstructive conduct...That's exoneration by Rod Rosenstein, the attorney general and the Office of Legal Counsel,' he added. Giuliani went on to slam the report for failing to exonerate President Trump, even though he wasn't found guilty of collusion, calling it a 'cheap shot' Following the Mueller report, Giuliani has been demanding apologies from media networks and politicians alike for dragging Trump's name. 'In light of the Mueller conclusion of no collusion between Trump campaign and Russians are @Adam Schiff, Brennan, Nadler and other Dems going to apologize for their now false claims of collusion. If they care about our country, they should be relieved they were wrong. Are they?' he tweeted Saturday. 'TURNING POINT for our country. If Democrats who went too far in their partisan and false claims of collusion can step back and admit their mistakes, we can heal. If CNN, NBC, MSNBC et al can realize their overreactions, then we have hope for fairer treatment in the future,' he added. As a result of the investigation that found no conclusion about whether Trump obstructed justice, Attorney General William Barr told Congress on Sunday that there was insufficient evidence to pursue the matter any further. '(T)he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities,' Barr said, quoting the report. There will be no further indictments in the probe. Queensland police will seek to extradite a man from New South Wales to face a murder charge over the disappearance of Jay Brogden more than a decade ago. The 32-year-old Coffs Harbour man was charged by NSW Police on Tuesday in relation to other matters, but is expected to be charged with Mr Brogden's murder when he arrives in Queensland later this week. The arrest comes about three weeks after police reopened the Jay Brogden cold case. A billboard was erected in early March on the highway at Cannonvale, the sleepy holiday town where 21-year-old Mr Brogden was last seen, to encourage anyone with information to come forward. A 32-year-old Coffs Harbour man is expected to be charged with 21-year-old Jay Vrodgen's murder in 2007 Mr Brogden was reported missing in April 2007 after he disappeared in Cannonvale in the coastal region of the Whitsunday Region. His body has never been found. Mr Brogden's heartbroken mother Gina Merritt said her son had previously preempted his own disappearance in a chilling conversation they had before he went missing. Queensland police will seek to extradite the man from New South Wales to face the murder charge Police erected a billboard this month (pictured) on the motorway at Cannonvale asking anyone with additional information to come forward 'Mum, you don't understand, these people mean business - people go missing up there and are never found,' Mr Brogden is believed to have said to his mother before he vanished, reported The Courier Mail. In 2015, a coroner ruled Mr Brogden died as a result of foul play and referred his case to homicide detectives. Mr Brogden's family had previously spoken of their 'frustration' at being let down by police who failed to solve his suspected murder. On the day Mr Brogden went missing, he had fought violently with his partner and had been receiving death threats because of his treatment of her. Mr Brogden's (pictured) heartbroken mother Gina Merritt said her son had previously preempted his own disappearance Mr Brogden's aunt, Kate Merritt, previously told The Daily Mercury the family's interaction with police had been 'extremely frustrating', but they just wanted closure. 'As far as the case of Jay, they're still not interested in doing any investigation. It's just totally puzzling us as to why,' Ms Merritt said in January. Mr Brogden's other aunt, Caroline, also said at the time the family hadn't heard from police since they posted a $250,000 reward for information in 2015. 'We really had to push for that reward too,' she said. The Representative Council is the governing body of Caritas Internationalis, which now includes new members from the Philippines, South Korea, Mongolia and Nepal, who will work with its new president Benedict Alo D'Rozario. Manila (AsiaNews) The National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA)/Caritas Philippines, the main humanitarian agency of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) since 1966, has joined the Representative Council (RepCo) of Caritas Internationalis. For the next four years, the Filipino agency will represent Asia in the RepCo along with Caritas Korea. The decision was taken at the regional conference of Caritas Asia, which includes 24 countries, held in Bangkok (Thailand) on 21-22 March. On that occasion, Benedict Alo DRozario from Bangladesh was elected as the organisations president, the first time a lay person will fill the role. The national branches of Caritas from the Philippines, South Korea, Mongolia and Nepal are new members of the Regional Commission and will support DRozario in his work of coordination. Card Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, archbishop of Manila, chairs the RepCo, which is the governing body of Caritas Internationalis and picks one of the seven members of its Board of Directors. The president of Caritas Internationalis and his two deputies elected every four years by the General Assembly together with the general secretary and treasurer are members ex officio, while the Holy See appoints three other members. Together with Fr Paul Choo from South Korea, RepCo includes Fr Edwin A. Gariguez (pictured), executive secretary of NASSA/Caritas Philippines. At home, the 56-year-old priest is known for his commitment to environmental protection. The clergyman hails from Quezon (Luzon Island). In 2012 he received the Goldman Environmental Prize for speaking out on behalf of indigenous communities against large-scale mining projects. Saudi Arabian sisters who fled from their abusive family have finally found asylum after being stranded in Hong Kong following a failed bid to reach Australia. The sisters, aged, 18 and 20, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, have secured asylum on 'humanitarian visas' in a country which cannot be named. The sisters were escaping alleged repeated beatings and abuse by their father and brothers, according to the rights group Amnesty International. The young women have told media they escaped while on a family trip to Sri Lanka and had intended to seek asylum in Australia. Saudi Arabian sisters, who fled from their abusive family finally find asylum after being stranded in Hong Kong The sisters, aged 18 and 20, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, lived in 15 different homes, stayed with a nun, families and a shelter for abused women They had planned their escape for several years to take place on the younger sister's 18th birthday and hoarded a total of $7,032AUD. The 18-year-old sister said she felt like a 'jailer' to her father and brother, who she referred to as her prison officers. The 20-year-old, an aspiring writer, said she and her sister were treated like slaves. The pair feared they could face the death penalty for renouncing Islam if they were intercepted by Saudi officials. They were weary they could be forced to return home under Saudi Arabia's male guardianship system, which requires women to have a male relative's permission to work, travel, marry and get medical treatment, Their Lawyer Michael Vidler confirmed the pair had secured asylum on 'humanitarian visas' in a country, which cannot be named after a failed attempt to reach Australia 'To ensure their future security we will not be disclosing the third country where the sisters are now living, nor will be providing any further details,' a statement from their lawyer Michael Vidler read. 'The sisters will not be giving any further media interviews.' The case comes after 18-year-old Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun, who sparked international headlines, was granted asylum in Canada after fleeing her family back home. Thomas Goodman, 45, was sentenced to 260 years in prison on Friday. The Rhode Island man had been charged with molesting a newborn girl and producing child pornography A Rhode Island man has been sentenced to 260 years in prison for molesting a newborn girl and producing child pornography involving multiple prepubescent children. Federal prosecutors announced 45-year-old Thomas Goodman's sentence on Friday. The Warwick man was sentenced by a judge who said 'the level of depravity is beyond comprehension'. US District Court Judge John McConnell said Goodman spent six years sexually abusing two young girls starting when they were six years old. Prosecutors say Goodman also filmed himself inappropriately touching a three-week-old infant. According to the Providence Journal, Goodman fell forward onto a table inside the courtroom as the judge read his sentence. A few minutes later, Goodman came to his senses as McConnell slapped him with 30 years for eight counts of sexually exploiting children and 20 years for one count of possessing sadistic and masochistic child pornography. His sentences must be served consecutively. Goodman fell forward onto a table inside the courtroom as the judge read his sentence. He also read a letter to the court (pictured) that said: 'I have no excuse for this' Goodman's attorney had asked for a more lenient sentence, saying his client had been molested by his teacher as a child. He also read a letter to the court that said: 'I have no excuse for this.' Goodman was caught last May when his employer, submarine maker Electric Boat, confiscated his cellphone for violating policy by using it on company property. The pornography was found on the phone. He pleaded guilty in October 2018. David Koch has admitted he overreacted to Pauline Hanson in a heated Sunrise interview after the Christchurch massacre. The Seven Network star accused the One Nation founder of 'empowering' white supremacists, days after an Australian gunman Brenton Tarrant allegedly shot dead 50 Muslims at mosques in New Zealand. In a heated live morning TV interview last week, he claimed One Nation's policy platform calling for a ban on Muslim immigration read like the accused terrorist's 74-page manifesto. Scroll down for video David Koch (pictured in Sydney 2GB radio studio) has admitted he overreacted to Pauline Hanson in a heated Sunrise interview after the Christchurch massacre With a change.org petition calling for his sacking now amassing more than 128,000 signatures, Koch admitted he went a bit too far with Senator Hanson. 'We had a robust discussion last week,' he told Sydney radio 2GB broadcaster Chris Smith on Tuesday. 'I probably got a bit too passionate after she, sort of, challenged me that I didn't talk to people in the western suburbs or talk to anyone who's Muslim.' The television personality, who runs the Koch Centre for Youth and Learning at Macquarie Fields, in Sydney's south-west, with Catholic priest Chris Riley, said he was in close contact with Muslim youth. He added Senator Hanson's rhetoric fuelled tensions in the suburbs. The Seven Network star accused the One Nation founder of 'empowering' white supremacists, days after an Australian gunman Brenton Tarrant allegedly shot dead 50 Muslims at mosques in New Zealand 'Don't stop expressing them, but don't be as aggressive because words fuel this sort of conflict in our community,' he said. 'We support a number of Muslim youth workers and teams who are dealing at the coalface of this issue in Bankstown and Punchbowl and all of those areas out there trying to connect with disenfranchised Muslim youth.' Koch last week reacted badly to Senator Hanson's suggestion he didn't 'actually know what's happening' and on Tuesday admitted to Smith he wasn't on the One Nation leader's Christmas card list. A high-end designer has been forced to rename one of its jackets after the pricey outfit was slammed over its controversial name. The 'Lynch Mob Coat' sparked outrage online over its poor choice of words, after the coat was modelled on an African woman. 'Yup offensiveness on offensiveness on offensiveness,' one person tweeted. The coat first came to attention after a disgruntled customer found the $750 outfit on the change rack at department store Smith and Caughey's in Auckland, New Zealand. The 'Lynch Mob Coat' sparked outrage online over its poor choice of words, after the coat was modelled on an African woman The upset customer said she was appalled at the controversial name and felt sorry for the model The upset customer said she was appalled at the controversial name and felt sorry for the model. Her outrage has since spread online with other angry customers slamming the choice of words. 'Hey Smith and Caughey genuine question - wtf were you thinking?' The term lynch mob refers to a group of people who set out to hang someone. Lynchings are closely tied to American history, when African Americans were targeted in race-hate crimes. Smith and Caughey quickly changed the name of the outfit to 'Check Wool Coat' before it removed the item completely from its site. The department store defended itself and said it didn't choose the original title. That responsibility fell on the designer Salasai - a high-end fashion designer based in Perth, Western Australia. A designer spokesperson said the outfit drew its name from film afficcionado David Lynch. '[The coat] was created due to David Lynch's cult-like mob following at the height of his popularity who were often referred to as The Lynch Mob.' Lynch is better know for his classics on mind-bending thriller Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive and collected a following over the 70s and 2000s. The spokesperson noted the coat had been on the rack for at least a month before the first complaint rolled in. While Salasai said it never intended to offend anyone, the spokesperson has admitted that the name could be interpreted differently and said it will rename the coat. 'Sensitivity around the name of the coat came to our attention through a small number of customers several weeks ago, and we immediately moved to change the name of the garment to Lynch Coat 'We understand that there has been an oversight on our behalf which is why once brought to our attention, we changed the name of the coat on our online store to better reflect the intention behind its naming. We apologise for this oversight.' The spokesperson noted that Salasai is accepting of all cultures and religious denominations and past collections had illustrated this stance. The One Nation officials who were secretly recorded asking the NRA for $20million in political donations have claimed they had been drinking scotch for 'four hours' and got 'carried away.' Senator Pauline Hanson's chief-of-staff James Ashby and the party's Queensland leader Steve Dickson were filmed consorting with the controversial American gun group during a meeting in the US last year. On Tuesday, the two leaders responded to the shocking footage which was revealed to have been part of an undercover investigation conducted by Al-Jazeera journalist Rodger Muller. The two said the meeting was not intended to be a secret fundraising mission but claimed the topic of money had been broached during conversation. On Tuesday, James Ashby and the party's Queensland leader Steve Dickson responded to the shocking footage which was revealed to have been part of an undercover investigation conducted by Al-Jazeera journalist Rodger Muller In a chat with the One Nation team in their hotel lobby, Mr Ashby (pictured) is thought to be heard saying that US$20 million in donations to One Nation from US pro-gun lobbyists would give them parliamentary influence in Australia In the meeting in their hotel, Mr Dickson (pictured) described gun control as a 'poison' and said his party could 'change Australia' if it were given money 'I'll be the first to admit, we had arrived in America, we got on the sauce, we had a few drinks and that's where those discussions took place. Not with any potential donors, no one but Rodger Muller, Steve Dickson and myself,' Mr Ashby said during a press conference in Brisbane. At the time the video was taken, Mr Dickson and Mr Ashby had plans to meet with the NRA and representatives of Koch Industries, an American company whose founders have donated millions to conservative causes. Mr Dickson was filmed describing gun control as a 'poison' and saying his party could 'change Australia' if it were given money. Mr Ashby was heard saying that $US20 million in donations to One Nation from US pro-gun lobbyists would give them parliamentary influence in Australia. During the press conference, Mr Dickson chimed in to highlight the fact that the trip had been organised by Mr Muller and accused him of being a 'spy.' 'This trip has been organised by Rodger Muller, who again, I want to make this point very clearly, who is employed by a Middle Eastern country, Al-Jazeera, to come to Australia as a spy, to infiltrate into Australian politics,' he said. Responding to questions about his comment about gun control being 'poison,' Mr Dickson said his words had been taken out of context. 'I'm going to apologise to the people of Australia for some of the things that Rodger Muller has taped me saying when we were having a few drinks at the bar at our hotel. I don't talk like that publicly, we were three men talking together and we were having scotches for three or four hours. That is the truth of the matter,' he said. Mr Ashby (left), Mr Dickson (centre) and undercover reporter Mr Muller (right) on one of their trips to the US Mr Ashby added that there was 'never any prospect of money coming back' and said the whole purpose was to seek 'advice and technology.' 'Maybe we call got a bit carried away. We went there with good intentions with people who could teach us a few things,' he said. ONE NATION'S BID FOR FUNDING: TRANSCRIPT In a chat in their hotel lobby, Mr Dickson, Mr Ashby and undercover reporter Mr Muller discussed how much money they would need to influence Australian politics. Dickson: 'If we could get that sort of money, imagine, we could change Australia.' Muller: 'If One Nation could get $10 million...' Ashby: '...You would pick up eight Senate seats.' Dickson: 'I mean, that guarantees you the balance of power, you'd have the whole Government by the balls.' Source: Al-Jazeera Advertisement He claimed Mr Muller had approached the party asking for an interview with Senator Hanson and claimed to have been part of a fictitious organisation called Gun Rights Australia. 'He was constantly saying to us we need to get semi-automatics back in the country. I cant tell you how many times Steve told him its not going to happen, it's not our policy and the public don't want it,' Mr Ashby said. In the video, the One Nation leaders wanted their overseas mission to be kept secret and Mr Ashby said if people found out 'it'll f*****g rock the boat.' The secret recordings suggested Senator Hanson was aware of the visit but decided not to go herself, saying she was focused on campaigning in Australia. Over the course of three years, Mr Muller posed as the founder of a fake lobby group called Gun Rights Australia. He became friendly with NRA and One Nation officials, arranged meetings between them and secretly filmed them. A documentary about Mr Muller's investigation which aired on Monday shows a meeting with the NRA in Washington, DC in September 2018. Mr Dickson told NRA officials that gun control is a 'poison' spreading throughout the world. One Nation's Queensland leader Steve Dickson (left) and Chief of Staff James Ashby (right) in Washington, DC, with undercover reporter Rodger Muller (centre) in September 2018 This image from one of the trips to the US shows Mr Dickson pointing a gun at a gun show He said Australian gun law is important in the context of a global battle for gun rights. 'If we don't change things, people are going to be looking at Australia and go 'Well, it's OK for them to go down the path of not having guns, it's OK for them to go down that politically-correct path',' he said. 'And it's like a poison - it will poison us all unless we stop it.' He said that with donations One Nation could win more seats in the upper and lower houses and hold the balance of power. 'We get the balance of power, very simply that means that we have the testicles of the Government in our hand at every given stage,' Mr Dickson said. 'And guns, in the scheme of things, are still going to be the be-all and end-all.' In a chat in their hotel lobby, Mr Dickson, Mr Muller and Mr Ashby discussed how much money they would need to influence Australian politics. Mr Ashby is heard saying that $US20 million in donations to One Nation from US pro-gun lobbyists would give them parliamentary influence in Australia. 'If you had 20 [$US20 million], you would own the Lower House and the Upper House,' the recording states. 'If we can get that sort of money, imagine, we can change Australia,' Mr Dickson said. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson (centre) and her two party Senate candidates for the next federal election Malcolm Roberts (right) and Steve Dickson (left) speak to the media in 2018 One Nation leader Pauline Hanson is seen with chief of staff James Ashby (left) in Rockhampton in 2017 On the way to the meeting with Koch Industries, Mr Muller asked how much the pair wanted in donations. He said: 'If we get to a point where we can talk about figures, what sort of number are you guys thinking?' Mr Dickson replied: 'I'm thinking 10 [million]' before Mr Ashby said: 'No, I was thinking 20.' During the meeting, Mr Dickson said One Nation could 'change the voting system' if his party secured donations. 'It's going to get down to money at the end of the day,' he said. 'We can change the voting system in our country, the way people operate, if we've got the money to do it. 'The ingredients are there, we just don't have the petrol to put in the engine. 'So whatever you can do would be fantastic.' Mr Morrison described the contents of the video as 'abhorrent', adding the activity alleged was illegal. 'We have reports that One Nation officials basically sought to sell Australia's gun laws to the highest bidders to a foreign buyer,' he told reporters on Tuesday. 'If you're ever wondering why you shouldn't be voting One Nation, there's a pretty good reason.' The Prime Minister hinted the government didn't want to do a preference deal with One Nation, but stopped short of vowing to put the party last on how-to-vote cards. 'I'm not interested in getting One Nation's preferences. I'm interested in getting their primary vote. And I separate One Nation voters from the One Nation party,' he said. Both One Nation and the NRA declined to respond to Al Jazeera about its investigation and documentary. One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson and media advisor James Ashby in August 2018 Prime Minister Scott Morrison Tweeted on Tuesday: 'Australia's gun laws are world's best thanks to (former Prime Minister) John Howard & we will not be changing them.' One Nation responded on Tuesday with a statement calling for Al Jazeera's reporting to be investigated. 'Al Jazeera are a state owned propaganda arm of the Qatari government that supports Islamic extremist groups and are not a legitimate media organisation,' the statement read. 'One Nation was invited by Rodger Muller, who has now been outed as a foreign agent working for Al Jazeera to meet with the NRA, American business leaders and attend the Congressional Sportsman's Dinner. 'One Nation has asked Al Jazeera to show complete transparency and release the full context of conversations. 'The matter has been referred to ASIO and the Australian Federal Police due to concerns of foreign interference into Australian politics in the lead up to the imminent federal election.' Trade Minister Simon Birmingham called Senator Hanson to front the cameras on Tuesday to explain the 'sickening' reports. 'She should explain whether or not she was truly seeking an amazing $20million in foreign donations to One Nation,' he told ABC's Radio National. He said the idea of rolling back Australia's gun laws seemed remarkable in the aftermath of the Christchurch massacre two weeks ago, in which a lone shooter allegedly motivated by right-wing extremism killed 50 people at two mosques. The meetings came not long before legislation cleared federal parliament in November banning foreign donations. There is no evidence any money was given to One Nation from foreign donors. Al Jazeera's two-part documentary will be shown on the ABC on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Australia has had strict gun laws banning almost all automatic and semi-automatic rifles and shotguns since the Port Arthur massacre which killed 35 in 1996. Prime Minister Scott Morrison Tweeted on Tuesday: 'Australia's gun laws are world's best thanks to (former Prime Minister) John Howard & we will not be changing them.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted Steve Dickson and James Ashby for comment. A Dutch art detective dubbed the 'Indiana Jones of the Art World' has struck again, finding a Picasso painting worth 25 million euros (21.4m) stolen from a Saudi sheikh's yacht on the French Riviera in 1999. Arthur Brand said he had handed back the 1938 masterpiece entitled 'Portrait of Dora Maar', also known as 'Buste de Femme (Dora Maar)' to an insurance company earlier this month. The discovery of the rare portrait of Maar, one of Pablo Picasso's most influential mistresses, is the culmination of a four-year investigation into the burglary on the luxury yacht Coral Island, as she lay anchored in Antibes. Dutch art detective Arthur Brand (pictured) - dubbed the 'Indiana Jones of the Art World' 0 has struck again, finding a Picasso painting worth 25 million euros (21.4m) stolen from a Saudi sheikh's yacht on the French Riviera in 1999 Two decades after its theft and with no clues to its whereabouts, the French police were stumped - and the portrait, which once hung in the Spanish master's home until his death in 1973, was feared lost forever. But after a four-year trail which led through the Dutch criminal underworld, two intermediaries turned up on Brand's Amsterdam doorstep 10 days ago with the missing picture. 'They had the Picasso, now valued at 25 million euros (21.4m) wrapped in a sheet and black rubbish bags with them,' Brand told AFP. It was yet another success for Brand, who hit the headlines last year for returning a stolen 1,600-year-old mosaic to Cyprus. He won world fame in 2015 after finding 'Hitler's Horses', two bronze statues made by Nazi sculptor Joseph Thorak - a discovery about which he had a book out earlier this month. Arthur Brand said he had handed back the 1938 masterpiece entitled 'Portrait of Dora Maar' (pictured) to an insurance company earlier this month The theft of the Picasso, valued at around seven million dollars (5.3m) at the time, baffled French police, sent the super-rich scurrying to update boat security and prompted the offer of a big reward. In 2015, Brand first got wind that a 'Picasso stolen from a ship' was doing the rounds in the Netherlands, although 'at that stage I didn't know which one exactly.' It turned out that the painting had entered the criminal circuit, where it circled for many years 'often being used as collateral, popping up in a drug deal here, four years later in an arms deal there,' said. It took several years and a few dead ends before pinning down that it was actually the Picasso stolen from Saudi Arabian billionaire Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Abdulmalik Al-Sheikh's yacht as the mega-cruiser was being refurbished, Brand said. Brand put out word on the street that he was looking for 'Buste de Femme (Dora Maar)' and in early March he struck gold. 'Two representatives of a Dutch businessman contacted me, saying their client had the painting. He was at his wits' end,' said Brand. 'He thought the Picasso was part of a legitimate deal. It turns out the deal was legitimate - the method of payment was not,' Brand laughed. Brand called the Dutch and French police - who had since closed the case - and who said they would not prosecute the current owner. 'Since the original theft, the painting must have changed hands at least 10 times,' said Brand. Brand said he had to act quickly, otherwise the painting may have disappeared back into the underworld. The Picasso was stolen from Saudi Arabian billionaire Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Abdulmalik Al-Sheikh's yacht, Coral Island (pictured), as the mega-cruiser was being refurbished 'I told the intermediaries, it's now or never, because the painting is probably in a very bad state... We have to act as soon as we can.' Then, just over a week ago, Brand's doorbell rang at his modest apartment in Amsterdam, and the intermediaries were there with the painting. After unwrapping it, 'I hung the Picasso on my wall for a night, thereby making my apartment one of the most expensive in Amsterdam for a day,' Brand laughed. The following day, a Picasso expert from New York's Pace Gallery flew in to verify its authenticity at a high-security warehouse in Amsterdam. Also present was retired British detective Dick Ellis, founder of Scotland Yard's art and antiquities squad, representing an unnamed insurance company. 'There is no doubt that this is the stolen Picasso,' Ellis, who now runs a London-based art risk consultancy business, told AFP. Ellis is famous for recovering many stolen artworks including Edvard Munch's 'The Scream', lifted from the National Gallery of Norway in 1994. 'It's not only the public interest to recover stolen works of art,' he said. 'You are also reducing the amount of collateral that is circling the black market and funds criminality.' 'Buste de Femme' is back in possession of the insurance company, which now had to decide the next steps, Brand and Ellis said. A mother in South Africa had the fright of her life when she lifted her young daughter off the toilet to find a spitting cobra in the bowl. The deadly snake, which can grow to be more than six feet long, was curled around the U-bend and the five-year-old girl had used the toilet without seeing it. Her mother, Juliette Roos, shouted for help and her husband Johan rushed into the cubicle to battle the surprise reptile with a curtain rail. But the Mozambique spitting cobra slid off the rail and back down the U-bend, in footage filmed at a campsite in North West Province, South Africa. Ms Roos, from Pretoria, said: 'It was very scary and something that only ever happens in movies. My unaware daughter had just used the toilet. 'It was only when she had finished I saw the snake's head protruding from the bowl. I went ice cold and didn't want my daughter to panic so told her not to turn round.' The couple and their young son and daughter were camping in North West Province and came across the snake in the communal toilet block. Husband Johan said: 'I thought I would encounter a spider in the bathroom but I definitely did not to expect to find a snake in the toilet. It sent shivers down my spine'. Surprise: The Mozambique spitting cobra curled around the U-bend of the toilet, in the communal toilet block of a campsite in South Africa He tried to hook the snake out with a curtain rail but watched as it slithered away down the U-bend. He said: 'We decided to leave it in peace'. Durban-based snake expert Byron Zimmerman confirmed the toilet snake was a Mozambique spitting cobra. He told News24:'How it got into the toilet is anyone's guess. I suspect it went in from the top rather than coming in round the pipe. 'These snakes are highly venomous and their venom is cytotoxic, causing massive swelling and loss of tissue and is the most common venomous species in eastern South Africa. Deadly: A Mozambique spitting cobra, seen here in a file photo, can grow to more than six feet 'They spit their venom as well, so eye protection is advised if dealing with them' he said. The snakes grow to more than six feet, spit venom up to 10 feet and their bite can cause death if medical treatment is not quickly given. The campsite management were alerted to the slithery intruder but it is not known if they found it. Relieved Ms Roos added:'I will never go to the toilet ever again without looking twice!' A woman has suffered traumatic injuries after being tortured for several days by her husband in black magic rituals, Brazilian police claimed. The 31-year-old victim, whose identity is protected, was kept imprisoned in the family's house by Washington Ribeiro, 30, and subjected to horrifying levels of violence. She was threatened with being offered as a 'human sacrifice' during the evil practices if she raised the alarm. However, the mother-of-one managed to flee the property in Anapolis, central west Brazil, and alerted police to her plight after her tormentor went to buy household supplies. She was left alone with their one-year-old daughter who was also allegedly assaulted during the satanic acts. The 30-year-old woman's thighs became blackened with rotting flesh after her husband allegedly subjected her to repeated beatings across the same area with wooden tools Washington Ribeiro, 30, has been charged with attempted femicide after his alleged countless beatings on his wife at their home in Anapolis (pictured in police custody) A stomach-churning image released on Monday by police shows large blackened areas of dead flesh on the woman's thighs where skin and tissue have rotted away. The wounds were allegedly caused after she was thrashed repeatedly in the same spot with wooden implements during so-called ceremonial acts to 'appease evil spirits'. According to investigators the victim's back was weeping from open lesions with evidence of burns possibly caused from hot wax and scalding water being poured over her. The suspect is alleged to have used an array of wooden weapons to carry out his satanic assaults Large areas of her body were discoloured from severe bruising following multiple beatings. She was nursing a broken right arm but was unaware of the severity of the injury because she was in a state of shock. Marisleide Santos, chief of the women's police station, said: 'She was allegedly hit on the legs again and again in the same place with pieces of wood which caused boils to erupt. 'The assault continued even when the wounds blistered and burst. The attack destroyed the tissue in her legs and caused necrosis to set in. 'She arrived at the police station in a very fragile state with wounds and bruises all over her body. She was in agony and psychologically and physically traumatised by her ordeal.' The victim claimed she was subjected to 'relentless and brutal domestic violence' which took on a sinister twist when black magic practices were apparently used to intensify her suffering and 'satisfy' the perpetrator. The suspect, who allegedly belongs to a devil worshipping cult, is believed to have threatened to offer the lives of the victim and their child to dark spirits during the occult practices. Such was the victim's shock, with injuries across her body, she was unaware she had sustained a broken arm in the attacks The police chief said: 'We found the house stacked with black magic objects, artefacts and weapons. We suspect that some of these tools and items were used to torture the victim.' The toddler was found to be malnourished and suffering from deep scratches to her face. 'From what the mother told us, the baby was forced to swallow a concoction during ritualistic acts,' Chief Santos revealed. The tools of the torturer, including bottles of wine, a knife and a long wooden stick 'We believe the child received the scratches when her face was forcibly held to make sure she consumed what she was given.' The investigator revealed officers and medical staff were shocked by the extent of the victim's injuries. On the day she escaped, the terrified woman claimed her husband 'recited curses and incantations' and warned that if she contacted anyone or left the house he would 'kill her'. Edinilson Faria, clinical director of Anapolis Municipal Hospital said: 'The patient was admitted almost immediately after arriving at the police station because of the severity of her injuries. 'Surgical procedures were carried out on her legs and on her fractured arm. She is in a frail state but stable and conscious. She will take a long time to heal from this traumatic incident and from her physical wounds.' The child has also been treated for her injuries and taken into care while her mother recovers. The suspect was arrested after he arrived at the police station claiming to be a concerned relative searching for the missing woman. The incident was recorded on March 11. Chief Santos said: 'Ribeiro came to the reception at the women's police station and claimed to be the victim's brother by giving a false name and feigning concern for her whereabouts. Ribeiro was taken into custody after the woman fled the home while he was out and raised the alarm Skull trinkets and jewellery thought to belong to Ribeiro were retrieved from the home in Anapolis 'We noticed that he was agitated and irritated that she had gone missing and this led us to suspect that he wasn't who he was pretending to be.' The assailant is being held in custody awaiting trial for charges of attempted femicide. Brazilian legislation criminalises gender-based aggression and murders and sets tougher penalties and greater protection against those responsible for assaulting or killing a woman for being a woman. A birth video has been played in the trial of a former Adelaide midwife charged over the deaths of two babies during home births. Lisa Jane Barrett, 52, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of manslaughter over the deaths of Tully Kavanagh in 2011 and another baby in 2012. A video of Tully's birth was played in the South Australian Supreme Court on Tuesday as his mother, Sarah Kerr, continued her evidence. Former midwife Lisa Jane Barrett, 52, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of manslaughter over the deaths of Tully Kavanagh in 2011 and another baby in 2012 Ms Kerr said there were points when she was in 'extensive pain' during the birth of Tully - the second of twins. 'I was getting confused about what was going on,' she said. 'I had already birthed a baby 35 minutes prior. I had a lot going on.' At one point in the video, Ms Kerr can be heard asking Barrett whether they need to go to hospital. 'It seemed like things weren't right but I didn't know how,' she said. 'I would have gone (to hospital). That's why I was asking her.' Prosecutor Sandi McDonald SC told the court last week Barrett eventually went outside the house and smoked a cigarette while she called the hospital, but an ambulance was not called even when the situation became an emergency. Tully was born in the car and, by the time he reached the hospital, he was not breathing and had no heartbeat. Ms Kerr said there were points when she was in 'extensive pain' during the birth of Tully He was put on a ventilator and moved to the neo-natal intensive care unit, but died two days later. The court heard the second baby subject to the charges against Barrett was born to a woman who had several health issues which made the birth high risk and that the baby was in the breech position. The child was not breathing when paramedics arrived at the house, was later diagnosed with a brain injury and 'a very poor long-term prognosis', and died shortly after birth. The prosecution argues Barrett downplayed the risks involved with homebirth and failed to take action when things went wrong. The trial continues before Justice Ann Vanstone in the absence of a jury. Pope Francis's pick to replace Chile's top cardinal - dismissed over allegations of covering up cases of clerical sexual abuse - has already been forced to deny that he himself had covered up the crimes of predatory priests. The Pope appointed Spanish bishop Celestino Aos on Saturday to replace Chile's top prelate Ricardo Ezzati, but just two days later Aos was forced to deny allegations from two sex abuse victims that he covered up for their abuser. The case now appears to cast doubt on the 82-year-old Pope's judgement. Spanish bishop Celestino Aos (right), new apostolic administrator of the archbishopric of Santiago, has been forced to deny he covered up sexual abuse, the same allegations for which his predecessor Ricardo Ezzati (left) was dismissed One of the victims, former seminarian Mauricio Pulgar, publicly slammed Aos' appointment on Monday, saying he had dismissed his complaints in 2012. 'Naming a person who helped cover up sexual assault, I think this is the worst mistake that the pope could make this year,' said Pulgar. Aos, in an interview on Chile's Radio Cooperativa, denied 'absolutely' any cover-up in the case. The allegations against Aos date from when he was bishop in Valparaiso, where he acted as the Church's promoter of justice, a role akin to a prosecutor, investigating abuse cases. He was accused by the abuse victims of denigrating their claims against a local priest, Jaime Da Fonseca, whom he cleared. Da Fonseca was found guilty in a subsequent investigation by the Vatican and expelled from the priesthood last year. Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati (left) with Pope Francis. Ezzati insists he is innocent and has promised to co-operate with the investigation - but only if he is cleared by authorities first 'The promoter of justice at that time had a well-defined delimitation of responsibilities. I fulfilled them as I thought best, and the promoter of justice does not decide the sentence,' said Aos, who until his sudden elevation by Francis, had been bishop of Copiapo in northern Chile. Pulgar said that Aos had never given any credence to his allegations of abuse. 'During the investigation, he did not consider them likely, and he didn't inform me of his conclusions. He never gave me the opportunity to present evidence, or witnesses,' Pulgar told Radio Cooperativo. To date, 77-year-old Ezzati, who was the Catholic Church's highest official in Chile, has insisted he is innocent. He has promised to cooperate with the investigation into his activities - if the authorities first clear him. Celestino Aos (right) took office as apostolic administrator of Santiago archbishopric in replacement of Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati (left) on Sunday with a mass in which he promised to attend to victims of sexual abuse, but the next day he faced claims from two victims that he covered up for their abuser in the past He presented his resignation to the pope in May 2018 along with all of Chile's 34 bishops - including Aos. So far, the pontiff has accepted seven of the resignations. The decision over Ezzati was made after Chile's court of appeal on Friday confirmed he would face trial for not calling out sexual abuse by three priests, one of whom was his close aide. Chile is one of the countries most caught up in the widening scandal of sexual wrongdoing by priests. The pope, who is Argentine, was accused of not taking appropriate steps after a controversial visit he made in January 2018. Afterwards, Francis listened more attentively to Chilean victims and made an apology before summoning all of Chile's bishops to the Vatican in May 2018 for discussions that led to their resignation letters. Rome (AsiaNews) - "Do not fear the goodness and charity!" Linked to the reception of migrants. It is the invitation that Pope Francis addressed today to the city of Rome during his visit this morning to Campidoglio, the seat of the Municipality of the Italian capital. All Popes have crossed the Tiber on such a visit from Paul VI onwards, as they are also according to the Catholic Church the Bishop of Rome. Welcomed and accompanied by Virginia Raggi, mayor of Rome, Francis,, met with the administrators and councilors for over two and a half hours. He then appeared on a balcony above Michelangelo's Piazza del Campidoglio greeted the Romans present and finally greeted the employees of the Municipality. In his speech at the municipal council headquarters, the Pope recalled the role that the city played in its 2,800-year history in spreading culture and art throughout the world. Rome also "has become the center of Catholicism over the centuries". "This city has welcomed students and pilgrims, tourists, refugees and migrants from every region of Italy and from many countries of the world. It has become a pole of attraction, a hinge between the continental north and the Mediterranean world, between the Latin and the Germanic civilizations, between the prerogatives and the powers reserved to the civil authorities and those proper to spiritual power. Indeed, it can be affirmed that, thanks to the strength of the Gospel words, that provident distinction was inaugurated here, in mutual and collaborative respect for the good of all, between civil and religious authority, which better conforms to the dignity of the human person and offers them spaces of freedom and participation . Rome, therefore, in a certain sense obliges the temporal and the spiritual power to constantly dialogue, to collaborate on a stable basis in mutual respect; and it also requires us to be creative, both in the daily weaving of good relationships, as in facing the numerous problems, which the management of such an immense heritage necessarily carries with it . "Rome, a hospitable city, is called to face this epochal challenge in the wake of its noble history; to use its energies to welcome and integrate, to transform tensions and problems into opportunities for encounter and growth. Rome, fertilized by the blood of the Martyrs, knows how to draw from its culture, shaped by faith in Christ, the resources of creativity and charity necessary to overcome those fears that risk blocking the initiatives and possible paths. These could make the city flourish, unite and create opportunities for development, both civic and cultural, as well as economic and social. Do not fear goodness and charity! They are creative and generate a peaceful society, capable of multiplying forces, to tackle problems with seriousness and with anxiety, with greater dignity and respect for each and to open up new opportunities for development". A state of emergency has been declared in parts of New Zealand as torrential rain and gale force winds continue to batter the country's South Island. Severe weather has lashed the west coast of the island since Sunday, causing rivers to swell and nearby residents to evacuate their homes. The Waiho Bridge, which spans the same named river near Franz Josef, gave way to rough flood waters on Tuesday afternoon. Scroll down for video A state of emergency has been declared in parts of New Zealand as torrential rain and gale force winds continue to batter the country's South Island (pictured, Waiho Bridge) The Waiho Bridge, which spans the same named river near Franz Josef, gave way to rough flood waters on Tuesday afternoon Dramatic footage captured the moment the structure collapsed, as the raging floodwaters tore down the overpass as levels rose to a staggering 7.6 metres. Westland District Council chief executive Simon Bastion warned the river was at its highest level this side of March 2016, when it broke its banks and caused $30 million worth of damage, Stuff reported. The district's mayor Bruce Smith has labelled the freak weather a '100-year-event' and moved to declare a state emergency in the area. 'There is a huge amount of rain I haven't seen all of the rivers impacted in Westland at exactly the same time,' he said. While he said the safety of residents was the top priority, other residents in the area have directed their anger at authorities over the collapse of the Waiho Bridge. Franz Josef resident Logan Skinner said he had told authorities as little as three days ago parts of the bridge would be too weak to withstand wild weather. 'On Sunday, I sent them an email and warned them about it. We said the north abutment of the bridge will go because there's rocks missing from it and it's at risk. They came back and said nothing was wrong.' As some residents lament the loss of the bridge, emergency services remain on standby as they prepare to evacuate people in the case the rain doesn't let up. Already farmers on the south side of the Waiho River have begun to self-evacuate. The Wetland District Council said in a statement the Emergency Coordination Centre would toss up the necessity to evacuate the area. Moving further south, Milford Sound has recorded more than 400mm of rain, since the end of the weekend, NZ Herald reported. In the space of five hours overnight, 124mm fell in the area, averaging 30mm an hour. Dramatic footage captured the moment the structure collapsed, as the raging floodwaters tore down the overpass as levels rose to a staggering 7.6 metres A welfare centre at the local hall in Haast has been set up for residents after 'minor breeches' at the Haast River flooded thier properties - already 50 people, mainly tourists are staying at the hall. Roads closed inlcude State Highway 73 and State Highway 56 - between Hokitika and Makarora. Civil Defence West Coast says the rainfall is expected to ease come midnight from South Westland. 'As the front moves north heavy rain is expected to impact on river levels and roading networks,' Civil Defence said in a statement. 'River levels are currently being monitored throughout the region, with the Waiho and Hokitika Rivers currently elevated.' A cold front from the Tasman Sea is expected to move north over the South Island over the next few days. The front will sit over Westland by midnight and rain is expected to relent to showers in Fiordland. Heavy rain is a potential for Buller late Tuesday night. Westland District Council chief executive Simon Bastion warned the river was at its highest level this side of March 2016, when it broke its banks and caused $30 million worth of damage Dr Vishwajeet Kumar, 44, leaves his Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing in Manchester yesterday An NHS orthopaedic surgeon hugged a patient and told her 'you've made my day' while examining her feet, a tribunal has heard. Dr Vishwajeet Kumar, 44, allegedly left the woman feeling embarrassed and confused after telling her that she had a 'lovely smile' - adding: 'Can I just say what a lovely lady you are'. The married father-of-one, who worked at Wrightington Hospital in Wigan, Greater Manchester, also allegedly placed the woman's foot on his thigh during the 15-minute appointment and suggested the pair go out for lunch or coffee together. He subsequently sent her WhatsApp messages saying: 'Can I come and see you. It's nice to see you today, I hope that you have a good rest of your day.' Kumar claimed he made the comments as he felt he had a 'connection' with the woman as both had gone through recent family bereavements. But he was reported to the General Medical Council which said his comments were 'inappropriate' and accused of him of pursuing an affair with the patient. Kumar, from Standish, Wigan, denies sexually motivated misconduct. The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service was told the consultation at the hospital took place in February 2017 after the woman known as Patient A had gone to Kumar for physiotherapy on her feet following surgery she had to undergo due to a fall. Kumar claimed he made the comments as he felt he had a 'connection' with the woman Peter Atherton, lawyer for the GMC, told the hearing in Manchester: 'Dr Kumar behaved inappropriately with Patient A. 'During this meeting he said: 'can I just say what a lovely lady you are', 'you've got a lovely smile', 'you've made my day' and 'you're my last patient'. 'He then hugged Patient A. What is alleged is that he also invited her out for lunch and a coffee and said 'can I come and see you'. 'It is also alleged that he placed her foot on his thigh for longer than needed. At the end of the consultation Dr Kumar then sent her a message saying 'it's nice to see you today, I hope that you have a good rest of your day.' 'The messages then continued. We say these were inappropriate approaches in an attempt to establish an improper relationship. The course of conduct was sexually motivated.' Giving evidence, the woman, aged in her 50s, said: 'My foot was in his lap and I thought that wasn't right. He then made a comment that I didn't think was right and I started to feel uncomfortable that my foot was still in his lap. 'I found his comments confusing to start with, but I suppose when compliments are made, you look at that person in a different way. I was a bit embarrassed actually. 'He did say to me that I was the last patient of the morning and that I made his day, and he said do you want to get a coffee. 'The way I felt and the things he was saying wasn't what I went to the consultation for. I felt very uneasy, very awkward and quite unhappy about it really - I actually wanted to get out.' 'I came out feeling very confused and although I did think he was quite nice, it was not a consultation that I expected. When somebody makes a compliment, you look at that person in a slightly different way. 'My feelings in that room where of being uncomfortable and I was trying to distract him away from the compliments. I was there about my foot and nothing else.' The hearing was told the patient agreed to give the doctor her mobile phone number and she replied to one of his text messages saying: 'Yes, I had a good day, you? I just went to see a friend.' But it was claimed the friendship soured when the patient noticed Kumar's profile picture on his WhatAspp messages included pictures of his family and she realised he was married with a son aged ten. The doctor suggested the pair could be friends, but she was said to have responded: 'I have enough male friends, I would want it to be more than that.. If you have a wife, that is against my principles.' Kumar himself told the hearing: 'This is clearly just a one-off incident which I am regretful of. It's something that I never should have done and I am regretful of that. 'I have learned more and I am starting to take it more seriously since the incident. I am respecting professional barriers and I have always had a good professional relationship with my patients. 'I am more pro-active in what the new guidelines say. I have made a mistake and it is a one-off mistake. I will never let it happen again in my professional career.' When asked why he hugged the patient Kumar added: ' It was just an instinct without giving it any thought. 'It was in good faith because the patient was friendly and talkative. We were talking about family, and she had nice mannerisms. I still feel like she had a good consultation. 'I felt like I connected with her. I was recovering from going through bereavement myself - both my father and my mother had died recently. 'My intention was to help this patient, she had three falls in December. I understand that I was not professional, but I wanted to help her. 'Yes, I made a mistake - I am a human. I am a doctor, and I consider myself to be a nice and caring doctor and my patients are always at the centre of what I do. 'I would not say that I thought she was attractive, I just found her engaging and nice. I would refrain from saying she is an attractive woman. 'I felt connected to her emotions and feelings. I would never go out for lunch or coffee with a patient. I remember recommending that she got a coffee, but I didn't invite her for one. I wanted a friendship, I wanted to talk about bereavements. 'I understand my wife is there for me, but she is not able to give as much support as I hope. My best friends are not here either. I understand I should have discussed this with my colleagues, and patients are not friends. 'My relationship with my wife is very good, we have been married for 15 years, we share the same values and culture. She is fully supportive, but what I am saying is that there is less support from her because she is suffering from loss as well.' The hearing continues. An video tape of the confession given to detectives by a man accused of raping and murdering a jogger in Queens has been played to a second jury. Chanel Lewis allegedly raped and strangled Karina Vetrano before dumping her body near a jogging path in Spring Creek Park. The 22-year-old's first trial ended in a hung jury when jurors failed to reach a verdict. The case caused fear among women who run alone in the area as for months investigators were unable to find anyone who matched DNA that was found under the victim's fingernails as she fought back. Lewis was eventually tested and linked to DNA found at the scene and on the victim, according to police. Chanel Lewis appears in Queens Supreme Court on the 5th day of of his re-trial for the murder of Karina Vetrano Karina Vetrano was found dead on a jogging path near her home in Queens, dumped in bushes in Spring Creek Park in August 2016 Phil (left) and Cathie (right) Vetrano enter Queens Supreme Court for the re-trial of Chanel Lewis who is accused of killing their daughter Despite the DNA evidence and a taped confession, the first trial ended in a hung jury in last November. The defense claims the confession was coerced by detectives who wore Lewis down until he finally gave them what they wanted, 'a story', and that the DNA evidence was suspect. It was also claimed the confession was from evidence he had seen on the news. As the video confession was played to the court again on Monday, Lewis was seen shaking, the New York Daily News reports. In the video played to the Queens Supreme Court, Lewis said: 'I got angry. It went red, and then one thing led to another. I got scared and threw her in the bushes.' Lewis said he hit Vetrano in the face around five times before dumping her in the bushes, but denies sexually assaulting her. Chanel Lewis, 22, allegedly raped and strangled Karina Vetrano before dumping her body near a jogging path in Spring Creek Park. His first trial ended in a hung jury Lawyers for the defendant claim his confession to killing Karina Vetrano was coerced and he was repeating what he had seen on the news The 30-year-old woman went missing on August 2, 2016, after she was last seen jogging near her home in Howard Beach. Her mother, Cathie Vetrano, tried calling her daughter on her cell phone, but there was no answer. Her father, Phil Vetrano, found her body face down in weeds off a path while helping police search for his daughter. When she was told that Karina had been killed, Cathie Vetrano testified at an earlier hearing: 'I was screaming in the street. [My husband and I] grabbed each other, and we were just crying.' Lawyers for Lewis argued that DNA evidence linking him to the crime scene, including some found under his fingernails, is not reliable. Attorney Robert Moeller said the crime scene had been corrupted by various people, including Vetrano's father, and therefore couldn't be trusted. When Lewis appeared to be confessing the crime to police along with details of the grisly murder, he was actually just repeating information he learned from the news, Moeller added. Vetrano was punched in the face, thrown to the ground, violently sexually assaulted and then strangled in a marsh, about a block away from her house. The Trump administration wants the Affordable Care Act to be stuck down in its entirety, after previously saying only part of the law needed to go. The Justice Department revealed its new stance on Monday when it threw its weight behind a Texas judge who ruled the entirety of Obamacare was unconstitutional late last year. Officials said they will not fight the ruling as it makes its way through the appeals process, leaving the task to Democrats who are bitterly opposed to the change. Donald Trump's administration has thrown its weight behind a Texas judge who ruled the entirety of Obamacare was unconstitutional, saying they will not fight his opinion in court The case stems back to December, when federal District Judge Reed O'Connor found Obamacare was unconstitutional after Republicans used budget powers to strip away the financial penalty for being uninsured. At the time the Justice Department, under Jeff Sessions, disagreed - saying only the parts of Obamacare relating to preexisting conditions needed to go. The case was appealed to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, and in a legal filing on Monday night, the Justice Department withdrew its opposition. Lawyers wrote: 'The Department of Justice has determined that the district court's judgment should be affirmed. 'The United States is not urging that any portion of the district court's judgment be reversed.' That leaves the task of defending the law to Democrats, who have previously described Trump's attempts to scrap the law as 'monstrous'. Government lawyers had previously argued that only parts of the law relating to preexisting conditions needed to go, but now agrees that the entire act should be scrapped (file image) The case will almost certainly be appealed to the Supreme Court, teeing up a protracted legal fight that will last well into election season. California is leading an alliance of 21 Democrat states in trying to defend the law. The state's Attorney General Xavier Becerra said: 'This lawsuit is as dangerous as it is reckless. 'It threatens the healthcare of tens of millions of Americans across the country - from California to Kentucky and all the way to Maine. 'The ACA is an integral part of our healthcare system, because no American should fear losing healthcare, we will defend the ACA every step of the way.' The lawsuit is Republican's latest attempt to dismantle Obama's centerpiece law after attempts to repeal and replace the law via the legislative process failed. More than 20 million Americans are covered through the ACA's Medicaid expansion and its insurance exchanges. Some of the Trump's administration's own drug price reforms rely on Obamacare existing, and policy-makers have not detailed how these would be affected if the law is struck down. Advertisement Remainers are cock-a-hoop today after MPs wrestled control of Brexit from Theresa May last night with buoyant rebels hailing a 'momentous' victory and pledging to change the law if she tries to ignore them. Theresa May warned the Commons yesterday they would be betraying those who voted to leave the EU before they voted to hold a series of votes that could determine how - if at all - the UK leaves the European Union. Last night Tory Nick Boles called the result 'very exciting' and said: 'Do you know what? I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning with a broad grin on my face. I'm going to think I finally live in a parliamentary democracy, where parliament is sovereign.' Earlier in a statement to MPs, the Prime Minister warned she would not feel bound by the results of any indicative votes - which could include a softer, Norway-style deal, a second referendum or revoking the Article 50 withdrawal process altogether. But Mr Boles warned that MPs would force Mrs May's hand with new legislation if she refused to do their bidding. He told the BBC's Newsnight show: 'If the government refuses to listen to what Parliament has voted for we will bring forward a bill that will require it to reflect Parliament's wishes.' Pro-Europe Tory MP Mr Boles, who backed the indicative votes amendment, added: 'It is a much better victory than any of us had dared hope.' Remainer Nick Boles has hailed a 'momentous' victory over his Prime Minister and said he would 'wake up smiling' today The Tories who rebelled against Theresa May Twenty nine Tories including three ministers rebelled against the whip to hand Theresa May a devastating defeat. They were: They were: Guto Bebb Richard Benyon Nick Boles Steve Brine (minister) Alistair Burt (minister) Kenneth Clarke Damian Collins Alberto Costa Jonathan Djanogly George Freeman Damian Green Justine Greening Dominic Grieve Sam Gyimah Richard Harrington (minister) Joseph Johnson Phillip Lee Jeremy Lefroy Oliver Letwin Paul Masterton Andrew Mitchell Nicky Morgan Robert Neill Sarah Newton Mark Pawsey Antoinette Sandbach Nicholas Soames Caroline Spelman John Stevenson Edward Vaizey (voted twice to abstain) Advertisement The Commons voted by 329 votes to 302 - a majority of 27 - to approve an amendment brought by Tory ex-minister Sir Oliver Letwin allowing it to take control of business tomorrow from the Government. This will allow MPs to select their favorite Brexit option in so-called 'indicative votes', which are likely to include soft Brexit options and the possibility of remaining in the European Union. Three ministers were among 29 Tory rebels who defied the Prime Minister and backed the amendment. Minutes before the vote Watford's Richard Harrington quit as an energy minister in order to support the Letwin plan, accusing the Government of 'playing roulette' with people's lives. He was followed by Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt and health minister Steve Brine. Other high profile Tories to rebel included former ministers Ken Clarke, Nicky Morgan, Justine Greening, Andrew Mitchell, Sam Gyimah, Damian Green, Alberto Costa and Dominic Grieve, plus Damian Collins, chairman of the Culture Committee. Fellow Tory rebel Guto Bebb said: 'The scale of the Government's defeat and the principled resignations of ministers Richard Harrington, Alistair Burt and Steve Brine are more nails in the coffin of a Brexit deal that very few in the country or Parliament have ever wanted. 'The Prime Minister has now lost control of this process. What is needed now in this national emergency is not more posturing or playing roulette with people's lives but to give Parliament the time and space needed to work out what Brexit means, as well as begin preparing for important democratic elections to the European Parliament.' Theresa May indicated in the Commons earlier today that she would allocate Government time for indicative votes if the Letwin Amendment was defeated The defeated Prime Minister photographed leaving the Palace of Westminster last night after enduring yet another torrid day over Brexit The historic moment the Government lost the Letwin amendment by 329 votes to 302, a whopping majority of 27 for the rebels. The last time a similar vote was held a fortnight ago it lost by two votes Sir Oliver's move to give MPs control over the path to Brexit attracted cross-party support and won by a convincing margin in the Commons to heap fresh pressure on Theresa May The Government later lost the main motion by 327 votes to 300, the same margin. It came after MPs had narrowly rejected a backbench amendment brought by Dame Margaret Beckett to allow the Commons to have a vote if the UK is seven days away from leaving the EU without a deal, by 314 votes to 311, a majority of three. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also welcomed the result, hailing the fact the House had now 'taken control'. Energy minister Richard Harrington quit to vote for the rebel amendment, sending a letter to the Prime Minister accusing her Government of 'playing roulette' with people's lives He said: 'This Government has been an abject failure and this House must now find a solution... 'This House must also consider whether any deal should be put to the people for a confirmatory vote. 'Where this Government has failed, this House must, and I believe will, succeed.' Tory former minister Ed Vaizey voted both for and against Sir Oliver's amendment, which is regarded as a formal abstention. Brexiteer Tory backbencher Andrew Bridgen said it was time for Theresa May to quit. The North West Leicestershire MP told Sky News: 'I think we were expecting the Government to be defeated on the Letwin amendment. 'But I think the size of the defeat and the fact that three Government ministers resigned will have been a great disappointment to the Government this evening. 'I think we are going to end up with a general election before the end of this year, probably in the summer. 'What I want to see now is the Prime Minister to stand down, let us have a new leader of the Conservative Party, and then I think we need to go to the country and get a majority so we can actually deliver Brexit.' Eight Brexiteer Labour MPs rebelled to vote against Sir Oliver's amendment, according to the division list. They were: Kevin Barron, Ronnie Campbell, Rosie Cooper, Caroline Flint , Stephen Hepburn, Kate Hoey, John Mann and Graham Stringer. The Prime Minister had earlier told the Commons she would set aside Government time for votes if the amendment was defeated, in a bid to head off the rebellion. She addressed the Commons this afternoon and admitted 'as things stand there is not sufficient support' to hold a fresh vote on her deal, quashing speculation that it would happen tomorrow. The seven options for Brexit Theresa May will present to MPs The seven Brexit options MPs may get to choose from: :: Theresa May's Brexit deal - The Withdrawal Agreement negotiated with Brussels that has already been rejected by MPs twice. :: Revoke Article 50 - The cancellation of the UK's notice to Brussels that it would leave the EU, which was given almost two years ago. :: Second referendum - Another national poll of voters to check whether they still want to leave the EU. :: The PM's deal plus customs union - Labour's Brexit plan, which would prevent Britain being able to strike its own trade deals. :: The PM's deal plus customs union plus single market - An even 'softer' Brexit plan, also known as 'Common Market 2.0' or 'Norway Plus', that would include keeping freedom of movement of people. :: Free Trade Agreement - A trade deal between Great Britain and the EU, but excluding Northern Ireland, which would create a customs border in the Irish Sea. :: No Deal - The country would leave the EU without striking an agreement with Brussels. Advertisement She faces a move by rebel MPs who want to pass a motion in just a few minutes time to seize control of Brexit - giving them the power to hold a vote on Wednesday letting the Commons select its favorite Brexit option in so-called 'indicative votes'. The PM vowed to whip against the motion proposed by Remainer rebel MP Oliver Letwin and also said she could ignore MPs' preferences if they try to force her to adopt a softer Brexit. But she offered to hold indicative votes on government time in an effort to head-off the rebellion meaning the votes would do ahead but rebel MPs would not be in control of the process. After ruling out a third vote on her deal tomorrow, Theresa May told MPs this afternoon she could not guarantee that she would commit to implementing anything they voted for in an indicative process because they could involve an 'outcome that is un-negotiable with the EU'. She added: 'No government could give a blank cheque to commit to an outcome without knowing what it is. So I cannot commit the Government to delivering the outcome of any votes held by this House, but I do commit to engaging constructively with this process'. The Prime Minister said the 'default outcome' remained leaving without a deal and said: 'The alternative is to pursue a different form of Brexit or a second referendum. 'But the bottom line remains: if the House does not approve the Withdrawal Agreement this week and is not prepared to countenance leaving without a deal, we would have to seek a longer extension.' That would mean holding European elections and would mean 'we will not have been able to guarantee Brexit'. These are the seven options for Brexit MPs could vote on this week if Mrs May is forced towards a softer Brexit WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO BREXIT THIS WEEK? LIKELY TO HAPPEN WEDNESDAY: MPs HOLD INDICATIVE VOTES The Commons is set to hold a series of indicative votes on Brexit alternatives this week, most likely on Wednesday. The alternatives include a softer Brexit, a second referendum or leaving with No Deal. If one commands a majority, MPs will try to pressure Theresa May into adopting that option. But there is no binding way of making her do so. LIKELY TO HAPPEN BY THURSDAY: MAY HOLDS A THIRD MEANINGFUL VOTE ON HER BREXIT DEAL May is likely to try and pass her Brexit deal a third time, after the EU offered a Brexit date of 22 May if she does so this week. The Prime Minister will use threats that MPs will take control and force a softer Brexit in an attempt to force Brexiteer rebels to finally back her. She may also offer them a date when she will quit in return for their support. Thursday is the most likely day for her vote, but there is a chance she won't hold it if she does not believe she'll win. FRIDAY: MPs TAKE CONTROL? If the PM loses a third vote on her deal, MPs and Remainer Cabinet ministers will try and force her towards a softer Brexit. Brexiteer MPs and Cabinet minister will conversely try and push her towards a No Deal exit from the EU. The most likely outcomes are: NO DEAL Theresa May is under no obligation to accept MPs favoured option for Brexit, and could take Britain out the EU without a deal on 12 April. She could remain as Prime Minister under this option. SOFTER BREXIT MPs could try and force May to negotiate a softer Brexit, but this will provoke outrage from Brexiteers. It does not necessarily mean a delay beyond a few months because Britain could still leave the EU under the withdrawal arrangement. SECOND REFERENDUM IF MPs vote for a second referendum either on May's deal or a range of options, it is likely to mean a lengthy delay to Brexit. May has indicated she will step down if Brexit is delayed beyond June 30. Advertisement Setting out the choices facing MPs, Theresa May said: 'Unless this House agrees to it, no-deal will not happen. 'No Brexit must not happen. And a slow Brexit, which extends Article 50 beyond May 22, forces the British people to take part in European elections and gives up control of any of our borders, laws, money or trade is not a Brexit that will bring the British people together.' She said her deal was a compromise which respected both sides of the argument and 'if this House can back it we can be out of the European Union in less than two months'. Confirming that the Government would oppose the Letwin amendment, Mrs May she said it would set an 'unwelcome precedent which would overturn the balance of our democratic institutions'. However she said the Government would provide time to allow MPs to debate and vote on the alternatives to her deal. No one wants another election! Only 12 PER CENT of the public say they want to go to the polls - but ministers say they WILL call one if MPs try to force a soft Brexit Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay leaving Downing Street with Theresa May today after cabinet, at which he is said to have again floated the idea of holding a General Election The Government is prepared to pull the plug and force a General Election if MPs try to seize control of Brexit and make it softer than Theresa May's deal. Ministers including Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay are said to have raised the prospect if Parliament voted to wrestle control of the withdrawal process. The talk of forcing a General Election come despite an Opinium poll from two months ago finding that only 12 per cent of Britons would welcome another one, just two years after the last resulted in a hung Parliament. Mr Barclay reportedly repeated at Cabinet today warnings he gave on television yesterday. Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show he said that if the Commons took control of the order paper and votes for a different outcome, it would 'potentially collide with fundamental commitments the Government has given in their manifesto', though he said the vote itself would 'not be binding'. Explaining the scenario, he said: 'What Parliament has done is vote for a number of contradictory things so we would need to untangle that but ultimately, at its logical conclusion, the risk of a general election increases because you potentially have a situation where Parliament is instructing the executive to do something that is counter to what it was elected to do.' International Trade Secretary Liam Fox this morning gave a stark warning to MPs, telling BBC Radio 4's Today: 'I was elected, as 80 per cent of members were, to respect the referendum and leave the European Union. 'I was also elected on a manifesto that specifically said no single market and no customs union. 'That, for Conservative MPs who are honouring the manifesto, limits their room for manoeuvre. The former hardline Brexiteer turned May loyalist added that the prospect of a longer Brexit delay meaning participation in May's European Elections would 'unleash a torrent of pent-up frustration from voters'. 'I'm not sure that there are many people in the House of Commons who would fancy that particular meeting with voters,' he said. 'It would unleash a torrent of pent-up frustration from voters and I think that the major parties will do what they can to avoid having to fight those European elections. 'There is nothing in politics like a little bit of self-interest to concentrate the minds, and I think, as we get towards that date, increasingly my colleagues will have to decide which of the limited options they want to follow.' He urged MPs to back Mrs May's deal, warning: 'For a lot of my colleagues, I think they still believe there is a route to no deal. I have come to the conclusion some time ago that was unlikely given the House of Commons that we have. 'I think we will see today that there is a mood in the House of Commons to stop us leaving without a deal, even if that means no Brexit. I think that is a constitutionally disastrous position.' Advertisement 'It will be for this House to put forward options for consideration and to determine the procedure by which they do so,' she said. 'However I must confess that I am sceptical about such a process of indicative votes.' To jeers from the opposition, she added: 'I think it's important that nobody would want to support an option which contradicted the manifesto on which they stood for election to this House. 'MPs elected to this House at this time have a duty to respect the result of the referendum that took place in 2016 and attempts to stop that result being put into place or attempts to change the result of that referendum are not respecting the voters and not respecting our democracy.' Mrs May's spokesman later denied No Deal was off the table. He said: 'The point the PM was making is that the House has voted against No Deal and will take every opportunity to seek to stop it.' He said Mrs May continued to want her deal to pass and that No Deal was still the default option in law. Mrs May caused fury among the DUP for claiming No Deal preparations had been made in Northern Ireland because it has no devolved executive. A No 10 spokesman insisted it was 'not a tactic' but a 'statement of facts'. The Prime Minister is keen to offer a final vote to stop MPs taking charge of the UK's departure from the EU with Parliament ready to push Britain towards a softer Brexit or a second referendum. But a phone call between Mrs May and DUP leader Arlene Foster at lunchtime failed to provide the breakthrough the Prime Minister needs as she seeks to win support for her deal. The 10 DUP MPs have opposed the Withdrawal Agreement in the two previous votes on it and a party spokesman said the party's 'position remains unchanged'. And in a sign of strained relationship the DUP's Westminster leader Nigel Dodds appeared to be shaking with rage as he accused Theresa May of a 'fundamental lack of preparation' for No Deal. He said the Government had known for 'considerable time' the UK was due to leave the EU on March 29 - but still wanted an extension for a fortnight. He said: 'What will change in 2 weeks?' before savaging her for agreeing to the Irish backstop 'when it is the thing that bedevils her agreement' and Ireland and the EU say the Northern Irish border will remain open in the event of a No Deal. DUP MP Sammy Wilson then told Mrs May: 'When are you going to stop using Northern Ireland as an excuse? We will not be used in any scare tactics to boost this through.' This afternoon Mrs May met Jeremy Corbyn for a 'frank and comprehensive exchange of views' on Brexit - but the Labour leader rejected the idea that she would be willing to split her Brexit deal into two parts in bid to win their support. Responding to Theresa May's latest update to the Commons, Mr Corbyn told the Commons: 'The Government's approach to Brexit has now become a national embarrassment. 'After two years of failure, broken promise after broken promise, the Prime Minister finally accepted the inevitable last week and voted to extend Article 50 and went to Brussels to negotiate. 'Last week's summit represented another negotiating failure for the Prime Minister - her proposals were rejected and new terms were imposed on her.' Mr Corbyn criticised last week's 'wholly inappropriate' Downing Street speech by the Prime Minister, arguing she should not have tried to 'pit the people against MPs'. He added: 'In a climate of heightened emotions where MPs on all sides have received threats and intimidation, I hope the Prime Minister will further reflect and think again about making what I believe to be such dangerous and irresponsible statements. 'Every step of the way along this process the Government has refused to reach out, refused to listen and refused to find a consensus that can represent the views of the whole country, not just the Conservative Party.' Brexiteer MPs including Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg could still back Mrs May's deal but have indicated she would have to promise to quit afterwards to secure their backing. Today the Prime Minister faced her fractured Cabinet days after they tried to oust her in a failed coup that was sunk within 24 hours this weekend. She told ministers she wanted to hold another vote on her deal - but despite rumours about her future no ministers mentioned the prospect of her resignation. Describing the two-hour meeting her official spokesman said: 'There was a determination at Cabinet to do whatever it takes to get a deal so the UK can leave as soon as possible. There is a sense from the PM and Cabinet to get on with this.' The father of speedboat crash victim Charlotte Brown called on Jack Shepherd to show 'accept responsibility' after the fugitive's extradition was approved in Georgia today. Shepherd finally agreed to be flown back to Britain today - but made a bizarre list of demands about how he wanted to be treated upon his return. The 31-year-old was sentenced in his absence last year for the manslaughter of Charlotte, 24, on a champagne-fuelled first date when his speedboat overturned in the River Thames. He went on the run in Georgia while facing trial over Miss Brown's 2015 death, but handed himself in to authorities in the former Soviet state earlier this year. Shepherd, who has since spent nearly two months in a high-security prison in Tbilisi, was brought to court today and agreed to his extradition, which was then approved by a judge. His legal team then laid out a set of demands for Shepherd's return to the UK, including a cell to himself, which is monitored by CCTV and microphones, and 'access to the media'. The judge in Georgia could not make any such promises. Speaking after the court's decision, Miss Brown's father Graham said his family hoped they would finally get justice for Charlotte's death. Jack Shepherd speaks to his legal team at the end of a court hearing in Georgia. He is set to be flown back to Britain after a judge rubber stamped his extradition today Shepherd - who is demanding a cell to himself when he returns to the UK - spoke to his lawyer, Mariam Kublashvili, from the dock at the end of the hearing Shepherd was supported in court by Maiko Tchanturidze, a Georgian TV journalist with whom became romantically entangled during his time on the run Shepherd's glamorous lawyer Mariam Kublashvili (pictured centre) in a courtroom selfie today Mr Brown told ITV News: 'When Shepherd does come back, hopefully he will start showing some remorse and accept responsibility for his part. 'We're hoping that he won't follow through with his appeal, which causes the family more anguish but I guess that could be a forlorn hope." He reiterated that the case was actually about the tragic death of his daughter, which he described as 'the most devastating experience'. Shepherd's demands for surveillance in his prison cell come after he made claims that his victim's father had 'power within the prison system'. Mr Brown has said he no longer works for the prison service and branded claims he had influence over the case 'ridiculous'. Shepherd, who has a child with a former partner in Britain, was supported in court today by Maiko Tchanturidze, a Georgian TV journalist who he started dating while on the run. He will be given up to a week to appeal the decision in Georgia but, assuming he does not appeal, he will be flown back to Britain in the coming days. It is believed he will then be taken to prison to start the sentence he was given in his absence last summer. Jack Shepherd appears in court in the former Soviet state of Georgia today as a judge approved British authorities' plans to extradite him to the UK He dropped his fight against extradition but made bizarre demands about returning to the UK Charlotte Brown, 24, died after a speedboat crash on the Thames during a date with Shepherd On top of the six years for manslaughter, he may also face charges for absconding, punishable with a further year's jail. He could also face court for GBH after he allegedly glassed a barman during the time between Miss Brown's death and his disappearance to Georgia. Shepherd has however been given permission to challenge his manslaughter conviction and he will bring a case to the Court Appeal later this year. The appeal sparked a furious row after he was controversially awarded legal aid to bring the case - despite being on the run abroad. A former Solicitor General was among those who called for the legal aid rules to be torn up after the killer was awarded nearly 100,000 to bring his case, following his instruction of his British lawyers from his overseas hiding place. Shepherd's glamorous lawyer Mariam Kublashvili took selfies in the courtroom today The lawyer, who has appeared on TV while representing the fugitive, posted this photo online Timeline of the case December 8 2015: Jack Shepherd and Charlotte Brown meet for a date. After dinner at the Shard, they took champagne on board his speedboat for a ride past parliament which ends in a crash in which Miss Brown died. March 2018: Shepherd was charged with GBH following an incident in which he allegedly knocked a barman unconscious with a vodka bottle. He then failed to appear at a hearing for that case at the Old Bailey regarding Miss Brown's manslaughter. July 2018: An international arrest warrant is issued for Shepherd July 26, 2018: Shepherd, despite being absent from court, was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence July 27, 2018: Shepherd is sentenced to six years' imprisonment. January 23, 2019: Shepherd hands himself in to police in Georgia March 26, 2019: He agrees to be extradited. Advertisement The new father abandoned his wife and young child to abscond before his trial last year and tried to start a new life in the former Soviet republic. Following a Mail campaign, Shepherd eventually handed himself in to Georgian police on January 23 after ten months on the run. Shepherd has spent recent weeks locked up in the maximum-security Gldani prison after blocking earlier attempts to extradite him in January. Pictures of his cell, which emerged today, show his bed consists of a mattress and thin blanket, and there is a sheet hung up to block out light from the cell's curtainless window. While the surroundings may not immediately look inviting, sources say it is one of the more recently-refurbished rooms in the jail in the capital Tbilisi and a big improvement on older, grimmer cells which hold up to eight inmates. His lawyer Mariam Kublashvili said: 'He has no complaints. He has access to an English menu and literature. He loves books.' No date has been set yet for Shepherd's appeal hearing. Shepherd has spent 62 days in this three-man cell in a high security Georgian jail Sources say that the newly refurbished cell is one of the best in the notorious Gldani prison The founder and the all-female editorial board of the Vatican's women's magazine have quit over what they claim was a campaign to put them 'under the direct control of men'. Women Church World announced they were 'throwing in the towel' following their denunciation of sexual abuse of nuns. The editorial committee of the monthly glossy published alongside the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, made the claims in a planned April 1 editorial and in an open letter to Pope Francis. The news comes after explosive calls by the editor Lucetta Scaraffia for a commission to investigate allegations of rape and sexual assault of nuns by priests. Lucetta Scaraffia, editor of Women Church World, said in an editorial and an open letter to the Pope that her board were 'throwing in the towel because we feel surrounded by a climate of distrust' Pope Francis looks on during a visit to the Marian Shrine of Loreto, near Ancona in the Marche region, on Monday This followed the Pope's public admission that priests have used nuns as 'sexual slaves' - and may still be doing so, as the Church is plagued by a wider sexual abuse scandal. In the editorial, which went to the printer last week but has not been published, magazine founder Scaraffia wrote: 'We are throwing in the towel because we feel surrounded by a climate of distrust and progressive de-legitimisation.' Scaraffia said the decision was taken after the new editor of L'Osservatore, Andrea Monda, told her earlier this year he would take over as editor. She said he reconsidered after the editorial board threatened to resign and the Catholic weeklies that distribute translations of Women Church World in France, Spain and Latin America, told her they would stop distributing. 'After the attempts to put us under control, came the indirect attempts to delegitimze us,' she said, citing other women brought in to write for L'Osservatore 'with an editorial line opposed to ours.' The effect, she said, was to 'obscure our words, delegitimizing us as a part of the Holy See's communications.' There was no immediate comment on Tuesday from the Vatican. Scaraffia launched the monthly insert in 2012 and oversaw its growth into a stand-alone Vatican magazine as a voice for women, by women and about issues of interest to the entire Catholic Church. 'Women Church World' had enjoyed editorial independence from L'Osservatore, even while being published under its auspices. In the final editorial, the editorial board said the 'conditions no longer exist' to continue working with L'Osservatore, citing its initiatives with other women contributors. 'They are returning to the practice of selecting women who ensure obedience,' the editorial read. Pope Francis addresses St Peter's Square in Vatican City on Sunday - the Church faces a widespread sexual abuse scandal across continents Pope Francis meeting with the mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi on Tuesday at the City Hall 'They are returning to clerical self-reference and are giving up that "parresia" (freedom to speak freely) that Pope Francis so often seeks.' Scaraffia, a history professor and journalist, was perhaps the most high-profile woman at the Vatican, an avowed feminist who nevertheless toed the line on official doctrine. But she stoked uproar in February when she denounced the sexual abuse of nuns by clergy and the resulting scandal of religious sisters having abortions or giving birth to children who are not recognized by their fathers. The article prompted Francis to subsequently acknowledge, for the first time, that it was a problem and that he was committed to doing something about it. The nuns scandal broke as the Catholic church contends with a wave of cases involving paedophile priests in countries worldwide from Ireland and the United States to Australia. The congregation of nuns dissolved under Benedict was the Sisters Mariales d'Israel, a spokesman for the parent order said. Francis said Benedict had attempted to look into the order before he become pope. As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he had headed the Vatican department that investigates sexual abuse, but his efforts had been 'blocked'. Francis did not say by whom. Pope Francis is welcomed by mayor Virginia Raggi as he visits the City Hall at Campidoglio in Rome on Tuesday The Argentine pontiff also alluded to an ongoing investigation into another community, without naming it, but believed to be the Community of St. Jean in France. That community admitted in 2013 that the priest who founded it had behaved 'in ways that went against chastity' with several women in the order, according to French Catholic newspaper La Croix. Francis's admission of the problem was 'the umpteenth blow to the church's image, but also an occasion to show that change really is underway,' Scaraffia said last month. She added that the key is 'to strip priests of their air of power, which is what allows them to behave this way'. She admitted there was 'great resistance' to investigating abuse claims within the church and uncovering predator priests, but added that there had initially been reluctance to address the clerical paedophilia crisis, 'but that was overcome'. Police rushed to the scene of a suspected active shooter inside a hotel on Tuesday morning after a guest was shot at in the lobby. Officers said a single gunshot was fired by one of several suspects in the entryway of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Massachusetts around 3am. Deputies evacuated 75 guests from their rooms who were told to hide in their cars or a nearby hotel while armed units swept through the hotel. Police rushed to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Massachusetts around 3am Tuesday after a guest was shot at in the lobby But investigators say none of the suspects have been found hiding in the hotel building, and it is now believed they fled in a vehicle. One person sustained a minor injury during the attack but not from a gunshot, the Boston Globe reported. Police are now interviewing the guest who was targeted along with CCTV footage to try to determine who was responsible. Former Stormy Daniels attorney Michael Avenatti has allegedly suggested a Los Angeles fraud case against him is politically motivated as the lawyers suing him are close to President Trump. The lawyer, who has been released on $300,000 bail in New York after he was charged with attempting to extort $25million from Nike, faces a second case, of bank and wire fraud, in the Central District of California. But Avenatti claims the Californian lawyers suing him for allegedly stealing from a former client's settlement fund have political motivations and are close to the Trump administration, reported Fox News. Former Stormy Daniels attorney Michael Avenatti (pictured leaving the federal court house in Manhattan on March 25, 2019 in New York City) has allegedly suggested a Los Angeles fraud case against him is connected to President Donald Trump The 48-year-old is facing 50 years in prison in the Los Angeles case, while also looking at up to 47 years for the New York charges if convicted. In the California case - which took more than a year to build - Avenatti allegedly misused a former client Gregory Barelas money to pay his debts and those of his coffee business and law firm. Federal prosecutors said he also defrauded a Mississippi bank by using fake tax returns to obtain millions of dollars in loans. Avenatti has strenuously denied any wrongdoing, and in a tweet on Tuesday following his arrest on Monday, he thanked his supporters for their kinds words. We did nothing wrong and were entitled to every dollar received, Avenatti reportedly told the publication. And of course, [Barela] is represented by a person close to Trump. Avenatti reportedly claims the Californian lawyers suing him for allegedly stealing from a former client's settlement fund have political motivations and are close to the Trump administration (Trump pictured on March 25, 2019) Avenatti gained international notoriety for representing Daniels, the porn star whom Trump is accused of paying off shortly before the 2016 election to keep quiet about an alleged affair A partner at law firm Larson O'Brien LLP, who is representing Barela in his civil complaint against Avenatti, said: Falsification of legal documents and theft of client funds is not a political matter. Barela's complaint is currently in arbitration, but could soon be moved to state court if Avenatti fails to pay the required fees. Federal prosecutors in California said the clients settlement called for $1.6 million in settlement money to be paid on January 10, 2018 but instead Avenatti gave a bogus settlement agreement with a fake payment date of March 10. Prosecutors said: When the fake March 2018 deadline passed and the client asked where the money was, Avenatti continued to conceal that the payment had already been received. The allegations paint an ugly picture of lawless conduct and greed, said Nick Hanna, the US attorney in Los Angeles. Avenatti was charged with extortion earlier on Monday by the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. He's seen in court sketch on Monday Meanwhile, the bank fraud case involved $4 million in loans he got from The Peoples Bank in Biloxi, which prosecutors said he obtained by filing fraudulent tax returns claiming $14 million in income over three years. However, he never filed tax returns those years, nor paid the $2.8 million he reported on the forms. In fact, he still owed more than $850,000 to the IRS at the time for previous income. Mark Pearson, the assistant agent in charge of IRS criminal investigations in Los Angeles, said Avenatti's crimes supported a $200,000-a-month lifestyle, a car racing venture and pricey homes in the wealthy Orange County communities of Newport Beach and Laguna Beach. These bi-coastal complaints come in the wake of the Mueller probe concluding that neither President Donald Trump or his son Donald Trump Jr had colluded with Russia during the election. Avenatti, who represented President Trump's former alleged paramour Daniels in her lawsuit against the real estate scion, had previously tweeted that he knew Don Jr would be indicted as a result of a federal investigation. Karma: Avenatti had previously tweeted that he knew Don Jr would be indicted as a result of a federal investigation. Don Jr retweeted this with a comment (pictured) Ghosted: Stormy Daniels revealed that she had quietly dropped Avenatti as her lawyer (pair above in January) 'Donald Trump Jr. will be indicted before his birthday on 12-31-18. If you doubt my prediction, please check my record over the last 7 months. #Winning,' wrote Avenatti last year. Don Jr wasted no time in responding to the news of Avenatti's legal woes on Monday by retweeting the lawyer's post from last year and stating: 'How'd that work out for you buddy? #basta.' He also tossed out a few other tweets, including: '#MAGA - Michael Avenatti Getting Arrested!!!'; 'Good news for my friend @MichaelAvenatti, if you plead fast enough, you might just get to share a cell with Michael Cohen!'; 'Karmas a b***h huh. #basta.' His former client also showed little love for the lawyer on Monday. 'I made the decision more than a month ago to terminate Michael's services after discovering that he had dealt with me extremely dishonestly and there will be more announcements to come,' said Daniels. 'I ask that the media respect my decision to withhold further public comment regarding Mr. Avenatti at this time.' A five-year-old girl was killed after being snatched by a leopard while harvesting maize with her grandmother in India on Sunday evening. Shrutika Thit and her grandmother Kusum Kaduskar went into the fields in Sakori village in the west-central state of Maharashtra at around 5pm on Sunday. The leopard had been lying in wait nearby and seized the young girl, who was from another part of the state and had been visiting her grandmother's village with her mother Swati. Village spokesperson Vinod Modhave said the girl's cries alerted her grandmother, who in turn raised the alarm with local residents. A leopard was caught on Monday morning after villagers installed a cage and set up night patrols following the death of five-year-old Shrutika Thit on Sunday 'The leopard had caught hold of her neck and was dragging her away,' he said. 'The villagers in nearby fields hurled stones at the leopard. It abandoned the child and fled.' According to Modhave, there are three or four leopards roaming the sugar cane fields in the area. Shrutika was taken to hospital in Manchar, but declared dead on arrival. Forest ranger Prajot Palve told the Times of India that a leopard was caught early on Monday morning in a cage installed after the attack. Forest department officers are carrying out patrols in and around the village during the night as a precautionary measure, Palve said. Three or four more leopards are thought to be in and around the village of Sakori and sightings of them are not uncommon (file image) Shrutika was the second child to have been killed by a leopard in the area surrounding the city of Pune so far this year. In January, five-month-old Kalyani Zete, suffered a similar attack in Yedgaon of Junnar taluka, around 66 miles from Sakori. Shrimant Gaikwad, assistant conservator of forest, Junnar division, told the Times of India that, as is customary, the victim's family will be provided with Rs 15 lakh (16,000) as compensation. Yesterday, the US president signed a proclamation recognising Israels annexation of the Golan Heights. Iran and Saudi Arabia (along with Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar) have slammed the decision. For Irans Rouhani, this is an "unprecedented" action. For Riyadh, this will have "negative effects on the peace process in the Middle East. Jerusalem (AsiaNews/Agencies) Despite their regional and sectarian rivalry and historic enmity, Iran and Saudi Arabia agree on the controversial decision taken yesterday by the US president Donald Trump to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967. Syria and Russia also reacted angrily to the US pronouncement, which took place during a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington. The Israeli leader had to cut his visit short to go home to follow Israels military response to a rocket attack launched from Gaza that hit an area near Tel Aviv, wounding seven people. Today Trumps move has led to a similar reaction from Iran and Saudi Arabia as well as three other Gulf States, brought together by this regional crisis. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani harshly criticised his US counterpart, describing his decision as contrary to international law. No one could imagine that a person in America comes and gives land of a nation to another occupying country, against international laws and conventions... Such action is unprecedented in the current century, Rouhani was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA. This was echoed in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, one of Washingtons closest regional allies. "Saudi Arabia expresses its firm rejection and condemnation of the US administration's declaration that it recognises Israel's sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights," said a statement carried by the official SPA news agency. The Golan remains "occupied Syrian Arab land" and its recognition as Israeli is a "violation of the UN Charter and international resolutions," the statement also read. "This will have negative effects on the Middle East peace process and security and stability in the region." Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait share the same view, concerned that the recognition will have negative effects on the regions stability. Kuwait and Bahrain said they regretted the decision whilst Qatar called on Israel to end its occupation of the Golan Heights and comply with international resolutions. Christopher Steele, an ex-British spy wrote the 'dodgy dossier' which claimed Donald Trump colluded with Russia to fix the election The former British spy who wrote the 'dodgy dossier' which claimed Donald Trump colluded with Russia to fix the election went on the run today after being tracked down by Mail Online. Christopher Steele bolted from his local railway station when asked to comment on the now discredited dossier that helped spark a two-year investigation into the US President. This weekend Trump was exonerated of conspiring with the Russians to rig the election in the race for the White House following a probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. But when asked if he had any comment, Steele - who published the notorious dossier to discredit Trump by claiming among other outlandish things that Trump paid prostitutes to urinate on him in a Moscow hotel room - looked stunned today and said: 'I have nothing to say to you.' The ex-MI6 agent was standing in a queue with other commuters at a Surrey railway station when he was approached by MailOnline. Steele (pictured today) bolted from his local railway station when asked to comment on the now discredited dossier that helped spark a two-year investigation into the US President He ran towards a car driven by his wife Katherine (pictured) who, two minutes earlier, dropped him off at the station and she drove him the short distance home after being confronted Looking shocked that his cover was blown he suddenly clasped a small briefcase to his chest, pushed through a line of other commuters queuing to buy a ticket and dashed out of the entrance. He ran towards a car driven by his wife that just two minutes earlier had dropped him off at the station for his commute to his London office. Steele waved frantically to attract his wife's attention as he ran towards the car and jumped into the passenger seat. He stared rigidly ahead as his wife Katherine drove him the short distance back to his home. It is the first time Steele has been seen since Trump was cleared of any collusion with the Russians over his 2016 election victory. Special Counsel Robert Mueller exonerated Trump of conspiring with the Russians to win the Presidency - a claim long held by many of his opponents. Steele, who runs a private intelligence firm, had supplied a dossier to an outside company used by Hillary Clinton's election committee. This weekend Trump was exonerated of conspiring with the Russians to rig the election in the race for the White House following a probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller It contained unverified information that Trump was vulnerable to blackmail from Russia and had engaged with 'golden showers' with prostitutes during a 2013 trip to Moscow for the Miss Universe pageant. Leaked details of the dossier were seized upon by Trump's detractors as evidence that Russia's President Vladamir Putin had interfered in the election. As well as supplying the dossier to the Clinton campaign Steele also handed it over to American and British intelligence agencies as he was worried about the national security implications. With Trump in the clear Republicans are now turning their attention on those who put Trump in the firing line and triggered the investigation. Senator Lindsey Graham has vowed to get answers on the origins of the Steele dossier and hinted the ex-spy could be summoned to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee. As Chairman of the Committee, Graham has outlined a list of investigations he plans to start in the wake of the findings from special counsel Robert Mueller's report. He said he wanted to find out how Steele was hired to do the research job and how much money he received from Democrats to do it. He said he would also like to bring Steele before his committee to testify. 'I'd like for him to come if he would,' Graham said. Since being named as the author of the dossier Steele has kept a low profile and has shunned all media requests for interview. After a career with MI6 that included working at the British Embassy in Moscow Steele left in 2009 to set up his own company Orbis Business Inteligence with another former spy. It was this company that was hired to write the dossier into alleged Trump-Russia activities. A gang member admitted he was the 'head guy' of the Trinitarios before identifying five suspects accused of butchering Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman-Feliz, 15, outside a Bronx bodega, police said. The self-proclaimed leader, dubbed Witness C, shared the information with detectives investigating the teenager's brutal machete murder by suspected members of the Trinitarios gang on June 20, 2018, in New York. During a pre-trial testimony on Monday at Bronx Supreme Court, homicide detective Oscar Rosa explained that Witness C had been interviewed shortly after the killing and revealed defendant Jose Muniz, was 'carrying a machete which he used against the victim'. Harrowing video: Surveillance video shows a group of suspects dragging Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, 15, out of a bodega in The Bronx on June 20, 2018 Cry for help: After a few seconds, Lesandro was seen standing on the street corner with blood pouring from a wound in his neck before running across the street to nearby St Barnabas Hospital The witness identified all five defendants who were in court charged with first degree murder and said they had all been to his Boston Road apartment in the Bronx, before and after the teenager was killed, authorities said, according to New York Daily News. Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman-Feliz (pictured) was murdered outside a Bronx bodega He also said the nine other defendants charged with second degree murder were at the meeting as well. Detective Rosa explained how Witness C - who has not been identified - informed him that defendant Elvin Garcia allegedly asked for advice following the murder as he had suffered a hand injury during the attack. Jonaiki Martinez Estrella, Antonio Rodriguez Hernandez Santiago, Jose Muniz, Manuel Rivera, and Elvin Garcia have been charged with first degree murder and intentional murder which included torture, according to the Bronx District Attorneys office. They face up to life in prison and a trial date has been set for April 15. The other accused are Kevin Alvarez, Jose Tavarez, Danel Fernandez, Danilo Payamps Pacheco, Diego Suero, Gabriel Ramirez Concepcion, Ronald Urena, and Luis Cabrera Santos and Frederick Then. They all appeared in court on October 26 last year charged with murder, manslaughter and gang-related crimes, with the exception of Then whose attorney was unavailable. The 15-year-old (pictured) attended high school and dreamed of becoming a police detective one day Shocking surveillance video of the teenager being viciously beaten and slashed in the neck with a machete by suspected members of the Trinitarios gang sparked terror within the small community and across the nation last year. The footage showed the pack of men forcibly dragging Lesandro by the hood of his jacket out of the bodega and frantically stabbing him before fleeing on foot. After a few seconds, Lesandro was seen standing on the street corner with blood pouring from a wound in his neck before running across the street to nearby St Barnabas Hospital. According to police, the teenager never reached the hospital and collapsed a block away. Police believe Lesandro was stabbed in a case of mistaken identity after an unknown person made a sex tape with a relative of one of the attackers. Donald Trump will 'go full animal' on his political opponents after Robert Mueller's investigation found his campaign did not collude with Russia, Steve Bannon says. Trump's former policy adviser says the President will 'come off the chains' and use the findings to 'bludgeon' his adversaries in the lead-up to the 2020 election. Bannon also believes Trump will use Mueller's report to neuter all ongoing investigations in Congress, and says they should be considered dead in the water. Steve Bannon says Trump will 'come off the chains' and use Mueller's findings to 'bludgeon' his political opponents in the run up to the election 'When I saw no new indictments I thought, Oh my God!' Bannon told Yahoo News. 'They didn't indict anybody regarding the Flynn investigation, they didn't indict Don Jr! 'Maybe [Mueller] could have details about obstruction of justice that are not indictable, but are meaningful. But right now, it looks like they have nothing.' He continued: 'If the Mueller report doesn't have details about obstruction of justice, Trump will say: "We're not dealing with [House Judiciary Chairman] Jerry Nadler." While Democrats can request documents, Attorney General Bill Barr will simply refer them back to Mueller, Bannon says. Bannon added that he believed all along that Mueller would find nothing. He even advised Trump not to discredit Mueller, believing that the probe would exonerate the President, he said. Bannon also reveled in Democrats being 'reduced to tears' by the report, while lambasting news networks for their coverage of it. 'On 'Rachel Maddow,' she went 10 minutes into her show before the words no indictment crossed her lips,' he said. 'On CNN, they're in the mumble tank,' he added. 'They're crestfallen. They thought this would be it.' Bannon also says all investigations into Trump in Congress should be considered dead in the water because he will simply refer them back to Mueller Bannon spoke in Rome during a tour of Europe aimed at uniting nationalist and populist parties across the continent. Republicans have now gone on the offensive after a summary of Mueller's findings were published by the Attorney General, asking for a counter-investigation. Tump's his spokespersons, lawyers and partisan advocates blanketed the media with demands for Obama administration officials and Justice Department insiders to face their own scrutiny. 'If we're all serious about getting to the truth and not just scoring political points,' a senior White House official told DailyMail.com on Monday, 'you really have to be willing to investigate the investigators after something this far-reaching falls apart.' Senior Trump aides Kellyanne Conway and Sarah Sanders blanketed the airwaves Monday morning with similar recommendations. Conway called for Democratic House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff to resign. James Comey, James Clapper, John Brennan, Loretta Lynch, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page were all identified as targets of a possible investigation by Lindsay Graham. 'The FISA warrant issued against Carter Page based on a dossier prepared by Christopher Steele is at a minimum disturbing,' said Graham, a staunch Trump ally. 'Whether or not it's illegal, I don't yet know, so I'm going to get answers to this.' 'If no one else cares, it seems to me Republicans do, and thats sad If the shoe were on the other foot it would be front page news all over the world.' A married tourist from Hong Kong is behind bars after allegedly hiding a camera inside a deodorant stick in the bathroom of a Sydney hostel. The man's roommate - a young woman on holiday from France - had just finished showering when she allegedly spotted the camera and a toiletry bag on the sink of their shared ensuite on Monday night. The 27-year-old took photos of the device before contacting police. Officers arrested and searched Charles Chung, 36, who allegedly had numerous hard drives and storage devices with videos of other women in private acts. A 27-year-old French woman found a hidden camera in a deodorant stick while using a shared bathroom at Village Hostel Bondi Beach (pictured) A staff member at the Village Hostel, Javier Arabalo, told Nine News the woman ran over and asked him for help. 'She had a mobile phone, she recorded the toilet and in the deodorant was a hole and she was like, 'what is this? This is not normal,' Mr Arabalo said. 'She was crying a lot, we just tried to calm her down. [Chung] was sleeping, so as soon as she told me, we called the police and they came like 10 minutes after and they tried to find the camera but they couldn't,' he said. Charles Chung from Hong Kong allegedly installed the hidden camera in the bathroom to film women (stock image) Police allege they found the remains of a smashed camera when they searched the room. Chung had travelled to Australia for the first time to attend an IT conference, while leaving his wife of three years in Hong Kong. He was refused bail at Waverley Local Court and was charged with installing a device to observe or film another, and possessing surveillance devices with the intention of unlawful use. Peter Mullin, 78 (pictured) has been battling with West Oxfordshire District Council to get plans approved for his futuristic car museum, race track and 28 holiday lodges in the Cotswolds A US billionaire has finally been given planning permission to build a 150million car museum in the middle of the Cotswolds - to the fury of celebrities who live nearby. Insurance tycoon Peter Mullin, 78, has been battling with West Oxfordshire District Council to get plans approved for his futuristic car museum, race track and 28 holiday lodges. Enraged locals have claimed the new facilities will only be accessible to the 'super-rich' and ruin the peaceful countryside. Sir Patrick Stewart, 78, lives in a house nearby and branded the plans 'elitist', but his neighbour and former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson is fully behind them. Yesterday council officials approved the planning application subject to a number of conditions, which is bound to cause controversy among its rich and famous neighbours. The luxury Oxfordshire village is a hot spot for celebrities and their holiday homes, including David and Victoria Beckham and Kate Moss. It is also the location of Soho Farmhouse, a rural extension of London's Soho House, where Meghan Markle had her hen party. Old Etonian Nicholas Johnston owns the 3,500-care estate that dominates the area, which has seen Soho Farmhouse and the Cornbury Music Festival referred to as 'Poshstock' introduced to the area. Pictured: An artist's impression of what Mr Mullin's development of the Enstone Airfield site would look like Enraged locals have claimed the new facilities (artist's impression pictured) will only be accessible to the 'super-rich' and ruin the peaceful countryside David Cameron, whose former constiuency Witney is nearby, was a regular at the festival. Mr Johnston had promised to invest 11million to restore the crumbling Great Tew manor house, but this is yet to happen. The planning application received 180 objections and 220 endorsements from locals. Sir Patrick wrote: 'I want to emphasise the disruption, annoyance and inappropriateness of the traffic movements involved. 'There is also too much of a commercial and elitist aspect to all this. Fabulously expensive historic cars, Bentley cars showroom and houses costing 5-6 million. 'This is a greenfield site and there is no mention of affordable housing. This area is of notable beauty, tranquility and is accessible to all, resident and non-residents alike.' Objections, which include three neighbouring parish councils, include fears about the 'Soho Farmhouse effect' and noise pollution Sir Patrick Stewart, 78 (left), lives in a house nearby and branded the plans 'elitist', but his neighbour and former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson (right) is fully behind them They read: 'Exclusivity of the site which can only be accessed by the super-rich will lead to segregation between the guests and the community. 'These houses will only be accessible to those who are within the circle of the super-rich. 'This will alter the social dynamic of an area whose history goes back for centuries.' It continues: 'Local housing prices will go up even further due to more overprices properties and demographic of super-rich moving in - 'Soho Farmhouse effect'' It also raises concerns over the museum being open seven days a week, giving locals no break from the noise and traffic. Finally, it adds: 'There are already motor museums nearby at Gaydon and Bicester which have much better links to dual carriageways and motorways.' But Mr Mullin, who is president of the American Bugatti Club, told planners yesterday his brainchild will 'bring significant inward investment at a time when there is uncertainty over Brexit'. Peter Mullin wants to develop a classic car museum at an airfield in West Oxfordshire as part of a 150million redevelopment which includes 28 luxury holiday homes Supporters of the redevelopment claim it will help provide 100 permanent jobs Sir Patrick Stewart has criticised the plan for its 'elitist' nature and lack of affordable housing Those who wrote in favour of the proposals said: 'The museum is not all about speed and noise from the exercise track and the super-rich. 'It is a museum celebrating motoring heritage and accomplishments from within Britain and the UK. Britain has strong ties to this industry and so this should be celebrated. 'The design will be of a world-class standard and could incorporate very well into the surrounding countryside.' Mr Mullin has already masterminded the Mullin Automative Museum in Oxnard California, which was completed in 2010. David and Victoria Beckham (pictured at the National Portrait Gallery in London earlier this month) are also residents of the Cotswold village He says he will give 1.7million of the 150million to pay for an unspecified number of affordable homes, as well as a car park for a local school, traffic calming measures and a community bus service around the Enstone Airfield site he plans to redevelop. The committee concluded yesterday: 'The application has been through thorough and detailed analysis and due regard has been had to the views of the many respondents and consultees. 'On balance your officers have concluded that this is essentially a tourism redevelopment of a brownfield site where there are no technical objections from consultees and where the harms have been mitigated such that approval should be recommended.' It is also the location of Soho Farmhouse (pictured) a rural extension of London's Soho House, where Meghan Markle had her hen party A Russian teenager was killed on a railway line as she tried to take a selfie in front of an oncoming freight train. Karina Baymukhambetova, 15, was 'cut into pieces' when the locomotive slammed into her in Orsk, Russia. An unnamed boy who was with her, believed to be a relative, managed to jump free from the track just in time. The train driver had applied his emergency brake when he saw the people on the line but the engine could not stop in time. Karina Baymukhambetova (pictured left and right), 15, was killed on a railway line as she tried to take a selfie in front of an oncoming freight train Nikiel railway station in Russia close to where the accident took place. The driver applied the emergency brake but the locomotive could not stop in time Reports in Russia said the boy had warned Karina of the danger but she had replied: 'Be afraid of nothing in life'. 'The train driver spotted people on the railway line and sounded his horn,' said a local media report. 'He applied the train's emergency brakes but failed to stop the train in time to avoid a tragedy. 'The boy managed to jump away. But the girl was not so lucky and was hit by the train which cut her body into pieces.' Her death in Orsk, a city at the southern tip of the Ural Mountains, provoked an outpouring of grief on social media. Karina's friend Anastasia Meshkova wrote: 'We remember, we love, we grieve.' Karina Baymukhambetova, pictured left, and right with her mother Natalia, was described as a 'little angel' by devastated friends A train near the scene of the railway accident in Russia which has prompted child safety warnings, with parents urged to remind their children of the dangers Family friend Lena Dzyuba wrote: 'Such grief. How her mother cried, my heart almost broke into pieces, so awful.' Friend Anna Kalamaeva told the dead girl's 39-year-old mother Natalia: 'Eternal memory to your little angel.' A decision is to be made soon on opening a criminal case into Karina's death. The horrific accident has led to a warning to young people in Russia on the need for selfie safety. Denis Khnykin, transport police senior youth liaison inspector, told parents: 'I ask you to pay your attention once again and to warn your relatives. 'Please remind them of the fact that railways are dangerous both for your health and life.' Karina Baymukhambetova is pictured left, and right with her mother Natalia and her younger brother People at the accident scene in Russia with freight cars seen parked on the railway line where the girl was hit while trying to take a selfie Children and teenagers are ignoring warning signs on railway tracks, he said. In recent months two 14-year-olds suffered electric shocks in separate incidents after trespassing on rail tracks. Elena Zaporozhskaya, Orsk social policy chief, said: 'Children need to be able to say 'no' when something is risky for their life and health. It is a hard thing to learn but necessary. 'Secondly, I want parents to know where their children are and with whom they are spending time. 'People must protect the lives and health of their children.' A New Jersey bus almost became a getaway vehicle during a practical joke which made it seem as though a man was trying to board with a stolen ATM. Comedian Darius Kinney, who has almost 3,000 followers on his 'funny skits' Twitter account, asked his friend to record him as he pretended to steal an ATM and try and board a bus with it. The video, which has already had 1.8million views, shows Mr Kinney standing by a bus stop in Newark with a disconnected ATM desperately trying to move it towards a bus that had just pulled up. He struggles with the heavy machine and ends up having to perform spinning jumps to move it along the street. Once he gets to the bus door he can be heard saying: 'Come on I'll split it with you!' to the bus driver. Cries of 'No no no no!' can be heard coming from inside the bus as passengers encourage the driver not to let him on. Throughout the video, the man filming can be heard saying: 'Are you serious? You're really serious?' As the bus doors close in front of Mr Kinney he shouts: 'You gonna do this? For real? 'We could have made money together!' Comedian Darius Kinney filmed a practical joke where he pretended he wanted to board a New Jersey bus with a 'stolen' ATM. As he seems to be desperately bargaining with the driver of the bus he shouts: 'I'll split it with you!' He then appears to make a final attempt to get on to the bus as it drives off by tapping it on the side and saying: 'Hold up'. Mr Kinney posted the video to his Twitter account with the caption: 'Everybody want to be rich but dont nobody want to help you get it lol'. In an interview with Newsweek, Mr Kinney said: 'Im a comedian, I do videos, so I pulled up at the barber shop and I noticed the ATM right next to it'. He then asked his friend to film him while he pulled the prank on the New Jersey Transit bus driver in Irvine Turner Boulevard. The bus company saw the funny side of the joke at first as they tweeted a link to the video with the words 'caption this' and a crying laughing emoji. They have since taken the tweet down and told Newsweek: 'We asked our customers to caption the already posted video. We did not stage, post or film this video so we have no context around it.' Borce Ristevski's troubled son has sensationally claimed his father choked his step-mother Karen to death after she threatened to 'destroy him'. Anthony Rickard, Ristevski's son from a previous relationship, said his father 'obviously choked her' at the family home in Avondale Heights, in Melbourne, on the morning of June 29, 2016. 'I think he acted out of um, not on purpose, but he did obviously choke her. She's a tiny woman. Just a little squeeze would've been enough,' he told 7 News. He said while his father likely didn't plan on killing her, he did it on purpose and was driven by money. Karen was planning to leave her husband, Mr Rickard claimed. Television reporter Cameron Baud (right) boldly asked Borce Ristevski if he had killed Karen, bringing a media conference to a tearful end Borce Ristevski's troubled son Anthony Rickard (pictured) has sensationally claimed his father choked his step-mother, Karen, to death after she threatened to 'destroy him' '(Karen) said to him: 'I'm going to destroy you, Borce. I'm going to leave you with nothing'. 'It was wrong of him to do it for money. Kill her for money. She was going to take off. She left him in a big hole financially.' 'That house (the Ristevski family home) is in her name.' Ristevski will face a maximum jail sentence of 20 years after prosecutors withdrew a murder charge and he pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the eve of a five-week trial in Victoria's Supreme Court on March 13. He is due back in court on Wednesday for a plea hearing. Mr Rickard said he hoped Ristevski would be locked up for 20 years without parole, saying: 'Why should he get out in 10 years?' 'He's taken a life 50 years short of what she could've lived to.' Anthony Rickard, Ristevski's son from a previous relationship, said his father (centre) 'obviously choked Karen' (left) at the family home on the morning of June 29, 2016 Ristevski's son from a previous relationship, Anthony Rickard (pictured), claims his father's sudden confession didn't have anything to do with a guilty conscience Mr Rickard previously said he knew his father was guilty from the moment he made a public plea for information on his wife's whereabouts alongside his daughter. He said Ristevski's eyes gave him away. Mr Rickard also believes he is responsible for his father's sudden decision to admit to killing Karen. He claimed the sudden confession came after he threatened to expose a dark family secret. 'I am responsible for this, I gave him an ultimatum,' Mr Rickard told news.com.au. 'I told him; 'If you don't get up and be a man I'll go into the (witness) box and tell them exactly what went on behind closed doors'.' Mr Rickard claimed his father decided not to go to trial in a bid to protect his only daughter Sarah from hearing the details of the supposed 'affair' . Mr Rickard, who has a long history of drug abuse and addiction, claimed he had been having an affair with his stepmother Karen before she was killed. Borce Ristevski (right) has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter death of his wife Karen (centre), bringing the depth of his betrayal of his wife and daughter Sarah (left) into stark relief Ristevski was a pallbearer at the funeral of his wife - who he has now confessed to killing 'He knew what was going on between me and Karen but he did nothing, he didn't protect me, he was a coward,' Mr Rickard claimed to news.com.au. It isn't the first time Mr Rickard has voiced the unsubstantiated claims. In Facebook posts from 2016, he accused Ristevski of allowing him to do drugs and claimed that Karen's 'fantasy' was to run away with him. 'Ur a low price of sh** that watched me do drugs as u allowed Karen to continue her fantasy of leaving u to run away with me [sic],' he claimed. Later that year he reportedly demanded $200,000 from a television network for a tell-all about the supposed affair. Sarah Ristevski led the procession at the funeral, holding a framed picture of her shop owner and fashion designer mum Sarah Ristevski, after appearing at court The allegations from Mr Rickard come shortly after it was revealed Miss Ristevski was 'blindsided' by her father's sudden guilty plea. Daily Mail Australia understands the couple's only daughter, Miss Ristevski, was surprised by the sudden guilty plea and hadn't expected it. Miss Ristevski was not present at the court during the pre-trial hearing. She wasn't allowed to be, as she had been listed as a prosecution witness in her father's trial. Since her mum's disappearance, Miss Ristevski has had to endure the loss of one parent, the callous betrayal of her father, and the public's macabre fascination with the case. Sources with knowledge of the situation said '(Miss Ristevski) did not' anticipate the plea. Ristevski's sudden confession came after a Victorian Supreme Court judge ruled that crucial prosecution evidence of Ristevski's 'murderous intent' was inadmissible. Crown prosecutors hinged their murder charge on evidence about Ristevski's behaviour after Karen's disappearance in mid-2016. Karen's body, found wedged between two logs in the Mount Macedon Regional Park in February 2017 months after she vanished, was too badly decomposed for there to be a conclusive cause of death. Ristevski's manslaughter plea means he will avoid a life sentence, the maximum penalty for a murder charge. He faces a sentence of up to 20 years' imprisonment for Karen's death. Karen Ristevski's body was found by horticulturalists at this site in early 2017 Borce Ristevski seen arriving at the Supreme Court complex in Melbourne Advertisement Britain's heritage is celebrated in a new photobook which captures how much the country's industry has changed over the last century. Patrick Potter's Made in Britain: A Photographic History of Britain at Work provides an insight into the country's manufacturing legacy. Pictures from across the last century include wartime workers next to Hawker Typhoon fighter planes in 1944, stacks of music records at the height of Beatlemania and the unmistakable shape of a Concorde taking flight in 1970. Other images show a large ship looming over children playing in the street in the north east and steel workers going about their business under a shower of sparks. The captivating photobook looks at all aspects of Britain's industrial heritage over the last hundred years - exploring the steelworks, car factories, mines, shipyards and workshops which kept the country among the most influential nations on Earth. 'This is a book about work, in Britain in the 20th Century,' Mr Potter said. 'Work was pretty simple at the beginning of the 20th Century - you make useful stuff or you provide a useful service and then you sell it at a profit. Going hungry: This picture, taken in Sunderland, 1908, shows children of the unemployed waiting for free dinners during a depression in the ship-building trade. The industry suffered three great depressions - the second taking place from 1908 to 1910 after a nationwide fall in ship production War: Female bomb-makers are pictured here at a munitions factory in 1916, making shells to be used in the Great War. January 1916 saw conscription introduced in Britain, and Field Marshal Lord Kitchener, the British Secretary of State for War, requested US military participation in Europe These young women, pictured in 1918, are making ammunition for troops as the Great War neared its conclusion. November 11 that year would see the end of the First World War - one of the bloodiest conflicts in history Strike! Workers in the north east of England are pictured in 1926 demonstrating during the General Strike, which was called by the TUC on May 3 that year after roughly one million miners were locked out of their mines due to a row with the owners, who wanted to pay them less money for longer hours. Workers from other industries did not attend work out of solidarity Taking the biscuit: Cartons of Coronation Assorted biscuits are packed away at this facility in Reading, 1937, two years before the outbreak of the Second World War Going underground: After a hard day in the mines, these workers at Cannock Wood, Staffordshire are pictured with their Davy Lamps and lanterns in 1939. Coal output had been falling since WWI and mine owners tried to normalise profits through wage reductions and longer working hours, leading to instability in the industry Tanks a lot: This picture of an assembly of war machines at Longbridge plant in Birmingham is thought to be from 1941 1942: Steel workers in south Wales inside a factory which burns 10,000 tons of coal a week to keep Britain's war production moving day and night September 1942: As their husbands, brothers, sons and fathers go out to fight, the nation's women learned to weld. Women were called up for war work in 1941 as mechanics, engineers, munitions workers and others. Initially only single women between 20 and 30 were called up but nearly 90 per cent of single women and 80 per cent of married women were working by mid-1943 Workers stand alongside their Hawker Typhoon fighters in production at an aircraft factory in the west country, 1944. The Typhoon was essential for maintaining British air superiority towards the end of the Second World War War's over: The eyes of 900 dolls were painted every day at this Cascelloid Ltd factory in Leicester, pictured in 1948 Children are pictured playing outside in Sunderland, 1954 as the country begins to recover from its wartime woes. Sunderland had been a key target of the Luftwaffe, who claimed hundreds of lives and damaged local industry Beatlemania: The production line at the EMI factory in Hayes, Middlesex 1965. The Beatles, who formed in Liverpool in 1960, are regarded as one of the most influential music acts in history Port Talbot steel works in Wales, pictured on April 30, 1965. The site was constructed between 1901 and 1905 and named after Welsh Liberal politician Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot The HMS Renown submarine carried ballistic missiles throughout the heightened tensions of the Cold War, pictured here sliding into the River Mersey with Cammell Laird workers riding high on her back, 1967 1967: Queen Elizabeth II launches the Cunard cruise liner named after her, the QE2, in the Clydebank, September 20. Tens of thousands of people gathered to watch the Queen appear, alongside Prince Philip and Princess Margaret, to launch the vessel, which would go on to sail 5.6million miles 1970: Concorde flying over RAF Fairfield after breaking the sound barrier. It could fly to the US in under three-and-a-half hours. The turbojet was first flown in 1969 and is one of two supersonic transports to have been used commercially Children pictured skipping in the shadow of the impressive World Unicorn Ship, which was launched in 1973, being built at Swan Hunter ship builders in Wallsend in the north east Patrick Potters Made in Britain: A Photographic History of Britain at Work, published by Carpet Bombing Culture, is available from March 28. BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner has reportedly been seen with a mystery woman 'snogging like teenagers' in a London pub. The 57-year-old journalist and author was reportedly spotted with the woman in Putney, south west London. Mr Gardner was gunned down by a group of Al Qaeda sympathisers as he finished a television report in Saudi Arabia in 2004, leaving him with a severed spine and partly paralysed in the legs. The father-of-two last year separated from his wife Amanda, after 21 years of marriage. Frank Gardner (pictured leaving the BBC after filming for The Andrew Marr Show in February 2017). Mr Gardner was allegedly seen with a 'mystery woman' in a south-west London pub Mr Gardner with his wife Amanda at the London Film Festival in October 2007. The pair have two daughters aged 19 and 20. They split last year after 21 years of marriage Mr Gardner met his wife Amanda Jane Pearson when she gatecrashed a party he was throwing in Bahrain and the couple went on to have two daughters, Sasha, now 20, and Melissa, 19. The pair got married in 1997 and Mr Gardner praised his wife in previous interviews for supporting him when he was receiving treatment in hospital and later, confined to a wheelchair. While his website states he is still married, his agent told MailOnline the couple split last year. One onlooker at the pub told The Sun Mr Gardner and his companion were 'literally all over each other.' The witness added: 'They were like two teens snogging away. They couldn't keep their hands off each other.' Mr Gardner worked in the oil business and as a banker specialising in Saudi Arabia before he joined the BBC in the Nineties. He became security correspondent in 2002 and went on to become a bestselling author with four books to his name. In 2004, Gardner and his cameraman Simon Cumbers were working in Saudi Arabia. They were gunned down by a group of Al Qaeda sympathisers In 2004, Gardner and his cameraman Simon Cumbers were working in Saudi Arabia, finishing a piece for television. They were shot six times at close range by a group of Al Qaeda sympathisers and Cumbers was killed while Gardner was left for dead. His legs have minimal sensation from the knees down, while above the knee he can feel them but can 'barely move them'. Despite his injuries, Mr Gardner returned to work and was awarded an OBE for services to journalism in 2005. He continued to cover stories in danger zones around the world, including Afghanistan and Colombia. Adel Al-Dhubaiti, the man who murdered his colleague, was later caught and sentenced to death, and executed in Saudi Arabia in January 2016. The BBC declined to comment. Mr Gardner's agent declined to comment but confirmed he and his wife separated in 2018. Bhashan Char, an island that emerged in 2006, is the area chosen by Dhaka to ease the pressure on Coxs Bazar refugee camps. Housing and embankments are being built. Critics note the area is exposed to monsoons. The United Nations will ensure that relocation is voluntary. Dhaka (AsiaNews/Agencies) The United Nations is prepared to financially help Bangladesh in relocating Rohingya refugees, the UN resident coordinator's office in Bangladesh said on Monday after Bangladesh said it could no longer bear the refugee burden on its own. The Bangladeshi government plans to move refugees to the island of Bhashan Char in April so as to ease the pressure on Coxs Bazar refugee camps, in particular that of Kutupalong, on the border with Myanmar. More than 740,000 Muslim refugees have moved into the area, after fleeing the outbreak of fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). The UN agency wants to "engage constructively" with the government to ensure that refugees live "in safe and sustainable living conditions". The relocation to the island will take place on a voluntary basis. Repatriation to Myanmar will also been on a voluntary basis but negotiations to that effect have stalled. The process was supposed to start on 15 November 2018, but no one refugee has expressed a willingness to go back, at least until Myanmar guarantees them security and citizenship. UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner (Protection) Volker Turk said on 21 March that repatriation is going to be a long process. The area Bangladesh authorities chose for relocation presents several problems. The remote island is an hour away by boat from the mainland Refugees and experts have raised concerns about its capacity to withstand the monsoon that tears along Bangladesh's coastline every year. The island only emerged from the water in 2006 and lies in a coastal area prone to strong winds, flooding, cyclones and other extreme weather. For Bangladeshi authorities, it is crucial to proceed with the relocation to the muddy island and expects at least 100,000 refugees to move to the new settlement. A three-metre embankment was built around the island at a cost of US$ 280 million and should keep out tidal surges in the event of a cyclone. A pregnant Australian nurse who was kidnapped outside her parents' home in India has been found dead in a canal. Ravneet Kaur, who lives on the Gold Coast, went missing from the village of Bagge Ke Pipal on the Pakistan-India border on 14 March. Her body was found on Monday night in a canal 200km away in Lehragaga. Police believe Ms Kaur, 29, was sedated, driven away and killed before her body was dumped. When she was abducted at 11.30am, Ms Kaur was on a video call with her husband Jaspreet Singh who was back in Australia, police said. Officers have arrested a woman in connection with the crime. Tragic: A pregnant Australian nurse (pictured) who was kidnapped outside her parents' home in India has been found dead in a canal Ravneet Kaur (pictured with her husband and their daughter), who lives on the Gold Coast, went missing from the village of Bagge Ke Pipal on the Pakistan-India border on 14 March Ms Kaur arrived in India on February 27 to visit her friends and family with her four-year-old daughter. The Indian-born woman was meant to return on March 22. Ms Kaur's devastated father Harvinder Singh told the Hindustan Times that his daughter was strangled - but this has not been confirmed. Indian Inspector Mohit Dhawan told the Gold Coast Bulletin: 'She was murdered on the day she was kidnapped and her body was disposed of in a canal.' Indian authorities are now working with the Australian High Commission in New Dehli, police said. Ravneet Kaur went missing from the village of Bagge Ke Pipal on the Pakistan-India border on 14 March. Her body was found on Monday night in a canal 200km away in Lehragaga Ms Kaur (pictured with her husband) arrived in India, where she was born, on February 27 to visit her friends and family with her four-year-old daughter Jaspreet Singh last week held back tears outside his Gold Coast home as he told 9News: 'I just want my wife back.' He said he did not trust Indian authorities to solve the case. Ms Kaur, a mother-of-one, had been employed at Tricare in the Gold Coast and was described as a devoted worker and mother and was reportedly expecting a son. Ms Kaur's colleague of six years, Kerrie Hawker, said she was devastated to hear the news. 'She had a heart of gold, she wouldn't hurt anyone. She was so loving and her smile would light up a room. It was the most beautiful smile,' she said. A spokesman for the Australian Federal Police told Daily Mail Australia that it is aware of the death of an Australian citizen in India. Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Australian High Commission in New Dehli for comment. Advertisement British Prime Minister Theresa May was left out of an EU-China summit in Paris today, which saw the big players including Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel and Jean-Claude Juncker warmly greeting Xi Jinping. French President Macron, German Chancellor Merkel and European Commission President Juncker beamed from ear-to-ear on the steps of the Elysee Palace as they embraced, kissed and laughed alongside President Xi. While May is deadlocked in negotiations with her European counterparts, they are looking further afield to boost lucrative relations with China. Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China and Europe were 'advancing together' but that the two trading blocs needed to overcome 'suspicions'. 'Of course there are differences and competition, but it's positive competition,' Xi told the joint press conference in Paris. 'We are advancing together. We shouldn't let suspicions lead us to be constantly looking backwards.' French President Emmanuel Macron (second right) and his wife Brigitte (right) meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (second left) and his wife Peng Liyuan (left) at the end of the Chinese three-day state visit to France, at the Elysee Palace in Paris French President Emmanuel Macron (second from right), Chinese President Xi Jinping (left), German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker gather round the table at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Tuesday European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting for talks on building a new global governance in Paris French president Emmanuel Macron's wife Brigitte Macron shaking hands with the Chinese President Xi Jinping today Macron and his wife Brigitte greeting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan at the end of the Chinese three-day state visit at the Elysee Palace Prime Minister Theresa May addressing the House of Commons on Monday, she has journeyed to Europe more times than she would have wished in recent months as she cuts a lonely figure amid Brexit negotiations Xi exchanges a fond embrace with the notoriously tactile Juncker on the steps of the Elysee Palace on Tuesday as Macron and Merkel watch on with wide smiles Macron and Junker clutch together after Juncker stepped out of his chauffeur driven car outside the palace this morning ahead of the EU-China summit During his visit to France Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China and Europe were 'advancing together' but that the two trading blocs needed to overcome 'suspicions' All smiles: Macron and Juncker seemed in good spirits as they met this morning in Paris, in stark contrast to their body language when meeting with the British Prime Minister Flanked by the house guards of the Elysee Palace Macron greets the Chinese President on the flagstones, followed by Merkel and Juncker Emmanuel Macron accompanies Chinese President Xi Jinping as they leave the Elysee Palace China's record 25bn Airbus deal with Europe: Airbus shares were boosted on Tuesday after European planemaker Airbus signed a deal French officials claimed was worth some 30 billion euros (25bn) to sell 300 aircraft to China. The Chinese order was announced late on Monday, coinciding with President Xi Jinping's visit to Europe and matching a China record held by U.S. rival Boeing. Airbus was up 2.7 percent by 1208 GMT, with the stock having risen nearly 40 percent so far in 2019. The colossal order includes 290 planes from the A320 series and ten from the A350 line. President of Airbus's commercial aircraft business, Guillaume Faury (right) and Chairman of China Aviation Supplies Co. (CASC) Jia Baojun shake hands during an agreement signing ceremony at the Elysee Palace on Monday 'The conclusion of a big (aviation) contract ... is an important step forward and an excellent signal in the current context,' Macron said in a joint address with Xi. The larger-than-expected order, which matches an order for 300 Boeing planes when Trump visited Beijing in 2017, follows a year-long vacuum of purchases in which China failed to place significant orders amid global trade tensions. It also comes as the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX has left uncertainty over the American company's immediate hopes for a major jet order as the result of any warming of U.S.-China trade ties. Advertisement Xi was speaking on the third day of a France visit dominated by concerns over China's massive investments on the continent, which are being built up through a series of bilateral deals. French President Emmanuel Macron urged his Chinese counterpart to 'respect the unity of the European Union' and called for an 'exemplary relationship' between Europe and China during the joint press conference. 'No one is naive but we respect China,' Macron said, while adding that EU leaders 'naturally expect our major partners to respect the unity of the European Union and the values that it has and carries in the world.' Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker all labelled China a 'rival', and Merkel and Juncker urged the Asian giant to give the EU the same market access as it afforded Chinese companies. Referring to China's vast 'New Silk Road' infrastructure project connecting the country with Europe, which has sparked unease in the EU, Merkel said: 'We Europeans want to play a role.' But, she added, 'there has to be a bit of reciprocity on either side and we have a bit of difficulty in finding it.' Juncker said that labelling China a rival was meant as a 'compliment' to the country. Macron and Merkel shared a fond embrace as she stepped from her chauffeur driven vehicle, the pair looked at gentle ease in each other's company Macron and Merkel laugh together outside the palace on Tuesday morning as they prepare for their meeting to boost trading relationships with the Chinese President Xi with his European counterparts European Commission President Juncker (left), French President Macron (second from right) and German Chancellor Merkel Speaking ahead of an EU-China summit in Brussels on April 9, he also called for a more balanced relationship. 'European businesses must see the openness in China' that Chinese companies enjoyed on the continent, he said. While China is battling increased tensions with the States and President Donald Trump, Xi is trying to draw closer to the EU and backed the Paris climate accord today, which Trump famously exited. Xi and Macron stressed 'the importance of reorienting public and private investment toward fighting climate change and protecting biodiversity,' notably in developing countries where China is a major investor. They vowed support for the 2015 Paris agreement to reduce the emissions that cause global warming, including in the energy and refrigeration sectors. The summit is also slated as an opportunity to put pressure on the Chinese over their trading practices, but it is not anticipated that would replicate the pressures they have been heaping on Britain. Last week Juncker urged British MPs to back May's deal, telling them: 'Don't go to hell.' And earlier this month Emmanuel Macron called Brexit an 'irresponsible lie,' which had been peddled by 'anger mongers and fake news.' May will be watching on from the sidelines in yet another blow to her fragile authority which has been questioned in recent days, with a cabinet coup widely reported as being underway over the weekend. President Xi applauds while Macron and Merkel smile at a press conference after their meeting at the palace Macron kisses the hand of the Chinese President's wife Peng Liyuan as they arrive at the Elysee Palace last night to receive a state welcome and dinner with the French President's wife Brigitte Her negotiations with the European bloc have produced a withdrawal agreement which has twice been roundly rejected by Westminster. The European Council last week set a deadline of Friday for her to secure parliamentary approval for her withdrawal agreement if the UK is to leave the EU with a deal on May 22. Tuesday's meeting is the centre-piece of Xi's European tour, which has involved huge business contracts, including one of the biggest deals ever for European plane maker Airbus. Airbus shares rose today after the European planemaker won a deal worth tens of billions of dollars to sell 300 aircraft to China. Airbus was up 2.7 percent by 1208 GMT, with the stock having risen nearly 40 percent so far in 2019. French officials said the deal was worth some 30 billion euros (25 billion) at catalogue prices. Planemakers usually grant significant discounts. Xi also received the full honours of a formal reception in the French presidential palace on Monday night, alongside his wife Peng Liyuan and Macron's wife Brigitte. The EU is China's biggest trade partner and wants to solidify that relationship. Advertisement He had a huge impact on Britain during World War Two without the public even knowing his name or face. Now the iconic war posters graphic artist Abram Games produced for Winston Churchill's government have been collated into a new book by his daughter Naomi. Mr Games was conscripted into the British Army at the outset of World War Two but his artistic talents led to him being employed by the War Office to produce recruitment posters, including the famous and controversial 'blonde bombshell' Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) design. Their success led him to produce a range of other propaganda, including warnings to avoid spreading war secrets, beware discarded ammunition and even guard against spreading sexual diseases. Mr Games began creating posters for the military in 1941 and was given the official role of war poster artist a year later, producing 100 eye-catching designs throughout the conflict. One of his most recognisable posters was the ATS recruitment poster featuring a glamorous woman wearing red lipstick that became known as the 'blonde bombshell'. It was released in 1941 and immediately caused controversy, with then Conservative MP Thelma Cazalet claiming it 'misrepresented the rigours of Army life'. Parliament eventually decided to withdraw the poster from circulation over the row and most of the copies were pulped, although some still survive today. Outside of the war, he also earned considerable success as a freelance designer, creating graphics for clients including Shell, Guinness, The Royal Shakespeare Company, London Zoo and The Metropolitan Police. Games died aged 82 in 1996 and in 2013 the National Army Museum in London acquired a collection of his posters. They will be on display during an exhibition at the museum which begins on April 6. His wartime work, which inspired and shocked in equal measure, is commemorated in Naomi Games book Abram Games: His Wartime Work. A new book on the wartime works of graphic artist Abram Games, pictured right, has been released by his daughter Naomi showing 100 of his eye-catching designs. They include the controversial 'Blonde Bombshell' recruitment poster for the Auxiliary Territorial Service, where women provided a number of support roles to the Army including working as military police, manning radar stations and anti-aircraft guns, inspecting ammunition and driving troops around. Released in 1941, it was quickly withdrawn after Parliament decided it was too glamorous and sent the 'wrong message' to women looking to join the service, with most of the copies pulped Mr Games produced recruitment posters for several regiments and units, including a 1940 advert for the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, pictured left, and the Royal Armoured Corps, right. The WAAF had 180,000 members at its peak in 1943, with 2,000 joining per week. Its members would never fly combat operations but could work as civilian pilots, while also performing duties including catering, packing parachutes, code-breaking and working in radar stations. The Royal Armoured Corp was created in 1939 after bringing tank and cavalry regiments together and recruits were used to drive tanks and reconnaissance vehicles in battle Pictured is a woman, left, at an ATS recruitment office in Streatham, London, with posters created by Mr Games shown behind her. Despite the initial controversy over his Blonde Bombshell poster, he was actually given a lot of creative freedom as his superiors liked his eye-catching style that combined several striking images to stand out. He started producing posters for the Government in 1941 and by 1942 had been made the official war poster artist Among the 100 posters highlighted by the book on Mr Games is one from 1944 for the Royal Army Medical Corps parachute unit, pictured left, who jumped into battle across all campaigns of war to set up field hospitals to support advancing troops. The artist, who studied at St Martin's School of Art in London for just two terms in 1930 before continuing his education with night classes in drawing, also produced a range of posters for public appeals, including asking civilians to knit socks for soldiers fighting in jungle campaigns such as in Burma and Malaya in 1942, pictured right Pictured left and right are posters by Mr Games warning troops to avoid discussing battle plans or risk getting their friends killed. As the war raged on and plans were drawn up for the invasion of France and subsequent advances into Germany, the Government became concerned about intelligence leaks and commissioned these posters to remind soldiers what was at stake if vital information got into the wrong hands. The concerns continued for years, with the poster on the left produced in 1942 and the one on the right released in 1944. Mr Games used striking images such as dying soldiers and red markings on the poster on the right to hammer home the message. The artist himself served in the Hertfordshire Regiment for two years after being conscripted in 1939 but was then recruited by the Government for his artistic skills Mr Games also produced posters to warn civilians and soldiers alike of the day-to-day dangers of war. The poster on the left, from 1943, shows a child in a coffin after playing with a 'blind' - live ammunition that has been left behind by mistake on a training exercise in Britain. The image is designed to shock civilians into never going near any ammunition they find and to report it to the military immediately. Likewise, the poster on the right was commissioned to remind soldiers not to play around with their weapons or risk being responsible for their friends' deaths or injury Through his work in the Government Mr Games also produced posters for the health services, again for purposes of appeals and warnings. The poster on the left, from 1943, is part of a blood drive to aid medics on the front lines treating wounded soldiers while the poster on the right, from 1941, shows how the Government was keen to avoid soldiers becoming promiscuous during the war. Using the slogan 'Keep straight, keep sober' and the image of a soldier standing to attention, Mr Games tried to convince both the military and the public at home to avoid fraternising and spreading sexual diseases One of the most striking posters produced by Mr Games was an appeal for clothing for victims of the Holocaust in 1946, pictured left. The artist came from a Jewish background himself and did not shy away from using the image of an emaciated prisoner which reflected the horrific conditions many Jews endured in concentration camps. He also designed the 1942 poster on the right that encouraged Brits to grow their own food during the war to cope with rationing and lessen the reliance on imports, with merchant shipping badly disrupted by German attacks. After he left Government service in 1946, his Whitehall superiors' paid tribute to him, saying: 'His work had to be subtly persuasive, or directly "propagandist" - but it was always effective, compelling, and of outstanding quality.' While some of Mr Games' posters used fairly simplistic images, others had to be incredibly detailed, such as the poster on the left, from 1943, which included specific drawings of bombs and explosives in a warning to the public to never touch them and report any found to the police. It appears to have also been aimed at children because the text warns them not to throw stones at bombs and risk setting the off. Meanwhile, the poster on the right, from 1942, discourages people from stealing war equipment and resembles something from a horror film using a shadowy hand and red font to emphasise the warning Abram Games: His Wartime Work, by Naomi Games, is published by Amberley and costs 16.99. A family from Ireland were forced to abandon their dream move to New Zealand when their youngest daughter was denied a visa because she had Down's Syndrome. Bumikka Suhinthan, 15, was told she couldn't enter the country because her 'health was not of an acceptable standard' and would impose excessive costs. Mother Nilani Suhinthan, 52, had planned to start a new life in Auckland, New Zealand, after she was headhunted for a 74,000-a-year IT consultant job. She, her husband Nagarajah, 54, and other daughters Tanya, 19, and Saumia, 14, all received visas but Bumikka's rejection has shattered their dream. The family, who now live in Dublin, previously lived in Buckinghamshire for 25 years until 2015. The Suhinthan family, from left: Saumina, 14, Nilani, 52, Bumikka, 15, Tanya, 18, and Nagarajah, 53. They have had to abandon their dream move to New Zealand Bumikka (left) ,15, is pictured with her sisters, Tanya (centre), 19, and Saumina (right), 14. The middle daughter was denied a visa by New Zealand immigration authorities Despite the family offering to pay for the extra support their daughter would need in school, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) ruled Bumikka would be too great a burden. Mrs Suhinthan, who had already moved to New Zealand to prepare for the family's emigration, said she was told Bumikka would be eligible for a temporary visitor visa, so the family could spend Christmas Day in New Zealand. But despite booking flights, they were stopped from boarding their connecting flight in Malaysia, because Bumikka wasn't considered a genuine visitor. The mother and her husband Nagarajah, an engineer, have spent three months appealing the rejection, but a final hearing last week ruled the decision was final. Nilani, who lives in Dublin, said: 'It's complete discrimination. I've always told her she isn't any different but this tears it up. 'She doesn't completely understand why we're not going to New Zealand. Bumikka, pictured left receiving a hug from her mother and right posing for a photo at a beach, has Down's Syndrome Bumikka, 15, and father Nagarajah, 53. The teenager's mother said she felt 'let down' after the visa was denied by New Zealand immigration officials 'They kept telling me she would cost them money to send her to a special school. My tax bill in one month would cover the school fees for the entire year. 'It just doesn't make any sense other than it being discriminatory. Bumikka has a moderate disability, but she can talk, walk and dress herself. She only needs supervision and extra help in the classroom. 'So I don't understand why they would reject her temporary visa other than being discriminatory. 'We were planning a new life over there. Instead we were just thrown in limbo. 'We had to spend Christmas Day in an apartment and had to have terrible Malaysian food instead of a Christmas dinner. 'The car I bought over there is just sitting in my sister's driveway. I couldn't just leave her in Ireland and move my other children to the other side of the world. The two younger sisters, Saumina (left) and Bumikka (right), who had her visa denied because her 'health was not of an acceptable standard' Sisters Bumikka, left, Tanya, centre, and Saumina, right. The Suhinthan family have had their dream of emigrating to New Zealand shattered 'I love my daughter too much to move the other side of the world but we were all looking forward to our new life.' She and her husband had emigrated from Sri Lanka in 1990, initially living in Buckinghamshire and then moving to Dublin in 2015. Mrs Suhinthan was scouted for a job as a data mining specialist for a large US tech company in June last year, and moved over to get settled and await her family's arrival. In November last year, a month before the move, they were told Bumikka's visa had been declined. Her mother wrote to the Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi begging him to reconsider Bumikka's student visa application. Bumikka would need to take part in the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) - a national resource which provides support for students in need of special education to join in and learn alongside other students at school. The family pictured together, from left: Tanya, Saumina, mother Nilani, Bumikka, and father Nagarajah. Nilani had planned a new life in New Zealand after being recruited for a job there Pictured left: Tanya, mother Nilani, and middle daughter Bumikka; pictured right: the three sisters, Tanya, Bumikka and Saumia But despite her mother's offer to pay the $7,800 (5,923) needed every year, the country told her the scheme is a 'finite resource' and can't be spared for an international citizen. Mrs Suhinthan, who had to leave her New Zealand job and move back to Dublin, said she had been 'completely let down'. A spokesman for New Zealand Immigration confirmed the visa had been denied on health grounds. They said: 'While we sympathise with the family's situation, all non-New Zealanders coming to New Zealand must have an acceptable standard of health so as not to impose undue costs or demands on New Zealand's public health system. 'In Bumikka's case, the medical assessor determined that the granting of a visa would likely impose significant costs and/or demands on New Zealand's health and special education services. Saumina (left) and her sister Bumikka (right). The family could not even spend Christmas Day in New Zealand as they had hoped because Bumikka was not considered a genuine visitor 'The Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) is a limited resource available for all students in New Zealand and any teacher aide provided by the school would be part of the ORS. 'While INZ notes the family's intention to pay for the use of the teacher aide, the ability of a person or organisation to pay for education services has no bearing on whether an applicant is likely to impose significant costs on New Zealand's special education services. 'Furthermore, regardless of how it is funded, the teacher aide would still come from the ORS and would result in another New Zealand child being unable to access the skills of that teacher aide. 'INZ determined that due to Bumikka's circumstances, she couldn't be classified as a bona fide temporary visitor. 'With her entire family either working in New Zealand or intending to move to New Zealand, Immigration officials were not satisfied Bumikka could be considered a bona fide visitor.' A team of Chinese archaeologists have unearthed a large jar of eggs believed to have been buried in a tomb for about 2,500 years. Around 20 eggs were found and their shells appeared greenish blue, according to experts. They were kept in a clay jar with a closed lid when experts found them in an excavation site in eastern China's Shangxing Town on Sunday, reported Yangzi Evening News. Around 20 eggs (pictured) believed to be buried about 2,500 years ago have been found They were kept in a clay jar with a closed lid when experts found them in eastern China Like a real-life echo to China's controversial delicacy, the century eggs, these ancient eggs are said to date back more than two millennia to the country's Spring and Autumn period (770-476BC). Experts say the eggs are similar to modern-day free-range eggs in size. They also suspect that the content inside the eggs is likely to have degraded over time, leaving only the shells which are formed largely by calcium. In addition to the eggs, experts found a number of porcelain cups, pots, plates and other cookware in the same tomb near the city of Nanjing, one of China's ancient capitals. '(The containers) were covered by mud, and the jar (with the eggs) were found above the mud. We opened the lid, and saw there were eggs,' one of the archaeologists, named Zhou Hengming, told Nanjing-based Modern Express. Century eggs are regarded a delicacy in China, and now experts have found 'millennium eggs' The extraordinary findings were excavated from a multi-level ancient tomb complex, which is thought to belong to a clan and contains 38 tomb chambers. There are a total of six layers in the tomb complex and the eggs were discovered in a chamber on the second to the lowest level. The owner of the tomb chamber was thought to be an important figure in the family as a full set of cookware and dinnerware were found in the chamber, experts told Modern Express. Experts believe that the family members of the tomb's owner wouldn't want him or her to starve in the afterlife, therefore they buried a large number of containers and plenty of food. The eggs were discovered by archaeologists from the Nanjing Archaeological Institute and the Liyang Museum. They are expected to undergo further lab tests. Chinese archaeologists discovered 3.5 litres of liquid (left) in an ancient vessel (right) typically used to contain wine last September. Experts say the liquid dates back to West Han Dynasty Last September, archaeologists in central China's Luoyang claimed to have found a pot of wine from more than 2,000 years ago in an ancient tomb. The tipple was unearthed inside a tomb thought to belong to a local official in the ancient capital of Luoyang in central China. A total of 3.5 litres of liquid was discovered in a bronze vessel and it was thought to date back to China's West Han Dynasty (202BC-8AD). A hunter who accidentally shot a jogger out for a morning run because he thought he was a deer has been charged with attempted murder in Sweden. The 48-year-old man, whose name has not been released, told police he shot Olle Rosdahl, 75, by accident in the town of Klippan in southern Sweden's Skane County. But the authorities, who have just released the video recorded by the gun's electronic sights, say it was obvious his target was a human being when he shot the jogger from a distance of 558ft in November 2018. This was the view through the infrared sights of the gun of a hunter as he accidentally shoots a 75-year-old jogger out for an early morning run Mr Rosdahl, who had been enjoying a morning run around 4.30am near his home, said: 'I heard a blast and fell to the ground. I was shrieking: "What the hell kind of shooting is that?" 'The shot went straight through me and if it had been two centimetres higher I would not have survived.' Mr Rosdahl was severely injured but managed to reach a neighbour a few hundred metres away, where he received help. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance. The bullet had gone straight through his side without any vital organs being damaged. The video shared by the Swedish cops shows the hunter who aims at the black figure who buckles as the shot hits The Norwegian gunman, who was reportedly visiting Sweden to hunt deer, wild boar and fox, was arrested later that day. He insists the shooting was an unfortunate accident. But, after viewing the video footage - which shows the hunter aiming at a figure who buckles over as the shot hits its target - police refused to believe his story and charged him with attempted murder. Olle Rosdahl, a 75-year-old jogger who was shot while enjoying his morning run around 4:30am near his home in Klippan, Sweden Prosecutor Ola Lavie told local media: 'The evidence to a large extent consists of the film which shows what he was shooting at. 'If you look at the film, for me, it is obvious he is shooting a human being. I believe from the film it's clear this is an intentional shooting.' However police have reportedly acknowledged that they have been unable to come up with a possible motive for him shooting the jogger intentionally. Ms Lavie added: 'Rosdahl has no issues with anyone. He lives in the area and has no idea why anyone would want to shoot him.' J. Andres Concha, the hunter's lawyer, told local media: 'He denies everything. It was a pure hunting accident and there was no intention of killing.' Prosecutors also say the Norwegian hunted deer and fox at night several times during the autumn, which is forbidden in Sweden. He also allegedly used illegal ammunition and infrared sights which also require special permission. It is unclear if the suspect regularly recorded his hunting exploits. Advertisement Boris Johnson has signalled he could be willing to back Theresa May's Brexit deal, but only if there is a path to then negotiate his preferred 'Super Canada' future trading relationship with the EU. Speaking at an event hosted by the Telegraph, the former Foreign Secretary said he 'was not there yet' on backing May's deal but admitted that there was a risk Britain 'won't leave the EU at all' if MPs voted it down for a third time. 'If we vote it down again there is an appreciable and growing sense that we will not leave at all. That is the risk,' journalists at the event quoted him as saying. He was reportedly shouted down by members of the crowd who said 'no Boris' as the Prime Minister fights to secure backing for her Brexit deal before the end of the week. His fellow Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg signalled he was ready to do a U-turn and back May's deal. 'Unless I hear clearly that there will be a Canada style deal, that there will not be regulatory alignment,' he added. It comes as Tory backbench leader Sir Graham Brady has been spotted going into 10 Downing Street amid rumours that Theresa May could announce a departure date tomorrow in exchange for rebel MPs' backing for her Brexit deal. Downing Street declined to comment after Sir Graham, the chairman of the powerful 1922 Committee, was seen heading in at lunchtime following a climbdown from hardline Eurosceptics including Jacob Rees-Mogg. Theresa May, pictured tonight leaving the Houses of Parliament this evening, is currently fighting to secure the backing of Brexiteers ahead of a third meaningful vote on her deal Boris Johnson indicated at a Telegraph event that he could be willing to back Theresa May's Brexit deal if she threw her weight behind a 'Super Canada' relationship with the EU Sir Graham Brady and Theresa May met at Downing Street this lunchtime amid rumours that Tory rebel MPs will only back her deal if she publicly agrees to quit afterwards. Sir Graham, left, is pictured on his way to No 10 this afternoon, and the PM is pictured leaving this afternoon The Prime Minister is now expected to address her MPs on Wednesday night, and speculation is high that she could offer to step down to get her deal over the line in a vote on Thursday or Friday. Sir Graham speaks for the party's rank-and-file MPs and would be heavily involved in any coordinated departure of Mrs May following a summit with top Brexiteers at Chequers on Sunday. Boris Johnson has already indicated that he could back the deal if she agrees to go, and today at least four MPs who previously voted against the Prime Minister today said they would now back her. They include Jacob Rees-Mogg who said: 'The choice seems to be Mrs May's deal or no Brexit. The Prime Minister will not deliver a No Deal Brexit. 'I have always thought that No Deal is better than Mrs May's deal, but Mrs May's deal is better than not leaving at all'. The Prime Minister must pass her deal by the end of the week for Britain to leave the EU on May 22. If it doesn't the country will leave on 12 April, but rebel MPs are trying to force through a longer delay and softer Brexit in votes that begin tomorrow. Signs that MPs will seize control of Brexit appear to be adding momentum to the rebel Brexiteer climbdown - despite confusion this afternoon when the DUP's Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson wrote an op-ed in the Telegraph saying the party would rather accept a one year delay to leaving the EU than ever vote for the PM's deal. His fiery words seemingly torpedoed the PM's chances of passing her deal by Friday. Yet an hour later the party distanced itself from their own Brexit spokesman saying their position on Brexit remained unchanged. They are still opposed to the deal but Mrs May is fighting to win them over. Prime Minister Theresa May is losing her grip on Brexit and is unable to rally enough support to force through her deal as she called another emergency meeting of her cabinet today, which is split with Brexiteers such as Andrea Leadsom and remainers including Amber Rudd (both pictured today) The U-turns from Tories Mr Rees-Mogg, Michael Fabricant and James Gray may prove too late, with some of their hardcore Brexiteer colleagues including Mark Francois and the DUP still refusing to vote for the deal before Friday. That could mean Brexit will slowly slip away, with MPs set to hold a series of indicative votes on Wednesday to choose their preferred option for Brexit and then try to force the result on May next week. As things stand, Britain will leave the EU on May 22 if the Prime Minister's deal passes before Friday and April 12 if it does not. A KEY WEEK FOR BREXIT TUESDAY MARCH 26: REBEL MPs FINALIZE PLAN FOR INDICATIVE VOTES - WHILE MAY CONTINUES FIGHT TO WIN SUPPORT FOR HER BREXIT DEAL: Remainer rebels are now trying work out how they will hold the indicative votes on Wednesday while Theresa May scrambles for support for her deal. It is most likely to involve two 'rounds' of votes, with a favoured option eventually selected on Monday. WEDNESDAY MARCH 27: MPs HOLD INDICATIVE VOTES ROUND ONE: MPs are set to hold the 'first round' vote choosing their preferred Brexit from options including Norway, a Customs Union, May's Deal and No Deal. They will most likely be able to choose more than one option at this stage, and will write their preferences on pink slips of paper rather than walking through lobbies in the traditional Commons voting method. The top options would then be put forward to another 'round two' vote. COULD STILL HAPPEN THURSDAY MARCH 28: MAY HOLDS A THIRD MEANINGFUL VOTE ON HER BREXIT DEAL: May is likely to try and pass her Brexit deal a third time, after the EU offered a Brexit date of 22 May if she does so this week. The Prime Minister will use threats that MPs will take control and force a softer Brexit in an attempt to force Brexiteer rebels and the DUP to finally back her. She may also offer them a date when she will quit in return for their support. Thursday is the most likely day for her vote, but there is a chance she won't hold it if she still does not believe she'll win. FRIDAY MARCH 29: MPs TAKE CONTROL? If the PM loses a third vote on her deal, or does not hold one, by Friday the Brexit date is reset until April. MPs and Remainer Cabinet ministers will try and force her towards a softer Brexit. Brexiteer MPs and Cabinet minister will conversely try and push her towards a No Deal exit from the EU. Minister have also claimed that they could call an election if MPs try to force them into a soft Brexit. MONDAY APRIL 1: INDICATIVE VOTES ROUND TWO: MPs are expected to rank their preferences for Brexit. When one option is knocked out, MPs second preferences will be counted. For example if a second referendum is knocked out, its supporters can switch to backing a soft Brexit. Parliament would agree to support the final option. WEDNESDAY APRIL 3: MPs COULD FORCE MAY'S HAND: If Theresa May refuses to accept MPs preferred Brexit option, they could try to pass new legislation compelling her to do so. Advertisement The alternatives for May look bleak as rebel MPs next week plan to force her to adopt a softer Brexit - such as the so-called Norway option - by taking control of the Commons in a historic power grab. As the Government's Brexit strategy went into meltdown yesterday, senior ministers 'war-gamed' scenarios that could see a general election called three years ahead of schedule because a soft Brexit would shred the Tory manifesto. An election would cause fresh public uproar, with only 12 per cent of the public wanting one, according to the most recent polling. The campaign would also likely tear apart the already split Tory and Labour parties because their MPs are bitterly divided over whether to leave the EU, compromise on a soft Brexit or to try to reverse the 2016 referendum and remain. Arch-Eurosceptic Jacob Rees-Mogg today revealed he is ready to swing behind the Prime Minister's EU divorce and said: 'The choice seems to be Mrs May's deal or no Brexit. The Prime Minister will not deliver a No Deal Brexit. 'I have always thought that No Deal is better than Mrs May's deal, but Mrs May's deal is better than not leaving at all'. Asked if that meant the options were now 'deal or potentially no Brexit', he told ConHome: 'That, I think, becomes the choice eventually. Is this deal worse than not leaving? No, definitely not. 'If we take this deal we are legally out of the EU. Being legally out is of great importance. It restores our independence'. The ERG chairman's U-turn will give the PM a glimmer of hope that she could get her EU divorce over the line but she also needs to announce her own exit date if Boris Johnson and other Brexiteers will be convinced. Mr Rees-Mogg's change of heart has already convinced others to change their minds with Michael Fabricant saying today: 'This is the dreadful conclusion I came to too' while James Gray, who has twice voted against Mrs May's deal saying: 'It's a horrible deal but I'll hold my nose and support it'. Rebel Ben Bradley, who only a week ago said he would never back the deal, said today: 'I'll back the deal because I honestly don't see another way forward now that's not a nightmare'. There are now around 70 Tory MPs Mrs May still needs to convince before she can get her deal through - but yesterday she was forced to admit to the Commons she does not have 'the support' to try again and could even call a general election in a bid to break the deadlock. Tory MP John Baron said today a snap election was 'becoming more likely'. He said: 'It may be that an election is necessary to redress the balance in favour of MPs willing to implement the referendum result, for history suggests it is unwise for any Parliament to distance itself from the people. 'The events of the next few weeks will be critical.' What does Theresa May need to win? As Theresa May decides whether to risk a third vote on her deal, what she needs to win has not changed. Just as on January 15 and March 12 the Prime Minister needs to win over a coalition of Brexiteer rebels, the DUP and enough Labour MPs to cover the most hardline Tories who will never vote for it. She lost the first vote by 230 and the second by 149 - meaning she needs to find 75 votes to win this week. Her mission looks very difficult: there are probably 25 to 35 Tory Brexiteers who will never vote for the deal, plus another half a dozen pro-EU Tories who want a second referendum. If the 10 DUP refuse to come on board, she probably fails to win even that many Tory Brexiteers. The chance of 40-plus Labour MPs rebelling is small: so far the most who have done so is three. Advertisement With Theresa May desperately trying to gather support for her deal, it emerged today: Tomorrow night Theresa May will address the Tory party's 1922 committee of backbenchers - raising expectations she will announce her departure; Brexiteers are finally swinging behind the PM's EU divorce - but she still needs to convince at least 70 more Tories on both sides of the Brexit debate to change their minds; The DUP is refusing to budge and say the PM can have their support if the Irish backstop is 'changed or deleted'; MPs will vote on the other Brexit options tomorrow night and have pledged to change the law to force the Government's hand if she tries to ignore their conclusions; The PM also needs the DUP on side today but MP Jim Shannon said that while some ERG members are 'melting away' - 'nothing has changed' for his party. He said: 'Some of them see Brexit as a greater priority than the union. We see the union as more important'. Mrs May will only hold another meaningful vote on her Brexit deal if she believes she can win it, and the decision by MPs to take control of Wednesday's Commons business meant it was 'extremely unlikely' the deal would return tomorrow. Boris Johnson waves to protesters as he drives into Parliament today as rumours grew that Mrs May could be willing to announce her departure in return for his support International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt (left today) warned last night that there would be 'gilet jaune' protests if the Governmnet failed to deliver Brexit while Liz Truss (right today) has previously insisted that No Deal should be remain an option Michael Gove was called back to Downing Street after a cabinet meeting with Theresa May this morning. It is not known why he returned After a lengthy Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Theresa May's official spokesman added: 'They had a long discussion both in relation to the votes which took place last night and on the work which is ongoing to build support for the Government's deal to allow us to leave the EU in an orderly way as soon as possible.' Theresa May is 'devoid of basic human skills', senior MEP claims An MEP claimed that during her appearance in Brussels on Thursday, Mrs May even managed to upset the Luxembourg prime minister Xavier Bettel, who he described as 'Mr Nice Guy by definition'. May and Bettel are pictured at the summit Theresa May lacks the 'basic human skills' needed to be an effective political leader today, a senior Eurocrat jibed today. Belgian MEP Philippe Lamberts, a member of the European Parliament's Brexit steering committee, said the Prime Minister had been unable to establish 'bonds of trust' with other European leaders. Mrs May spoke to EU leaders for 90 minutes at last week's crunch summit as she made her request for a delay to Brexit. Mr Lamberts said during her appearance Mrs May even managed to upset the Luxembourg prime minister Xavier Bettel, who he described as 'Mr Nice Guy by definition'. He said: 'If even Xavier Bettel is upset by Theresa May, she must be devoid of the basic human skills to be a political leader and that is scary.' Speaking at a briefing in Brussels, he warned that she could adopt a 'scorched earth policy' if Parliament voted for an alternative to her Brexit plan which she did not support. 'It is for the British Government to make up its mind what the alternative strategy is knowing full well that the strategy of running down the clock and scaring people into voting for the Withdrawal Agreement has failed,' he said. 'Theresa May might be tempted to play (a) scorched earth policy and say, 'Well, whatever the Parliament does... I won't do it. 'There is a danger there because if there is one lesson we have learned from Theresa May's attitude is her inability to factor in what others think, her inability to forge bonds of trust within her Cabinet, between her Cabinet and the House of Commons, but also in the European Council.' Advertisement The spokesman added: 'If we are able to hold and win a vote this week we would then be able to leave the EU in less than two months' time with a deal, which the Prime Minister firmly believes is what the public wants.' The decision by the leader of the hardline European Research Group (ERG) would be a huge boost for the Prime Minister if the DUP come onside. But that remains highly uncertain after the party's leader Arlene Foster yesterday effectively vetoed plans for another meaningful vote on the deal and the DUP rounded on Mrs May in the Commons. Mr Rees-Mogg last night confirmed he had made the conditional pledge on backing the PM's deal at an ERG meeting in Westminster. Asked after the meeting whether he believed the DUP would come onboard, Mr Rees-Mogg said: 'The DUP want guarantees. It doesn't look like they've got them at the moment. Asked again whether they might get them this week, he replied: 'Who knows.' Should Mr Rees-Mogg come onboard, he is likely to take a number of other MPs with him. Brexiteer Bob Seely tweeted: 'Am hearing from colleagues that this is - potentially - significant, that's how it's being portrayed. 'Maybe start of something - I hope so - but DUP still need to move. 'If they do, the Deal is back in business. Hope not a red herring.' But the positive tone was not echoed by many of the others in the room, some of whom said the group was split 50-50. A group of Leave-backing Conservative MPs has written to Prime Minister Theresa May questioning her right to delay the UK's withdrawal from the EU beyond March 29. The MPs said there were 'serious legal objections' to Mrs May's agreement at last week's EU summit in Brussels to extend the UK's membership until April 12 - or May 22 if she succeeds in passing her Withdrawal Agreement through Parliament. In their letter, they said the Government's attempt to win Parliament's approval of the extension after the event has 'called into question the lawfulness of its actions and has (at minimum) created serious legal doubts about the legal situation surrounding the extension'. A statutory instrument designed to remove the March 29 date from Brexit legislation is due to be debated by the House of Commons on Wednesday. Signatories to the MPs' letter are Sir Bill Cash, Michael Tomlinson, Suella Braverman and David Jones. How the election that no one wants COULD happen: Government's threat of new poll could lead to anarchy by tearing Tories and Labour apart in bitter campaign Cabinet ministers have warned there may have to another snap election to end the Brexit impasse - despite the Tories being split by Europe and Labour riven by internal division. The warning from Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay came despite a poll in January which found just 12 per cent of voters want a general election to sort out the mess. Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn are plumbing record-breaking new depths in their personal polling - while polls show the Brexit crisis is causing rising alarm among voters who think Britain's political 'system is broken'. Both main parties have lost members to the biggest split in politics in more than 30 years as 11 MPs defected to the new Independent Group. And the Prime Minister herself has admitted she will not lead her party into the next scheduled election - and yet is still facing demands to call an immediate poll. Whatever happens, a fresh election is sure to unleash more anarchy after two years of Brexit chaos. Why is the government threatening to call an election? The question of whether to call an election finally reached the Cabinet this week. Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay warned the rejection of Mrs May's deal would set in train a series of events that will lead to a softer Brexit - meaning an election because so many MPs will have to break manifesto promises. Last night's Commons vote to seize control of Brexit from ministers will only fuel the demands. Labour has been calling for a new vote for months, insisting the Government has failed to deliver Brexit. Mr Corbyn called a vote of no confidence in the Government in January insisting the failure of the first meaningful vote showed Mrs May's administration was doomed. He lost but the calls did not go away. Brexiteers have joined the demands in recent days as Parliament wrestles with Brexit and amid fears among hardliners promises made by both main parties at the last election will be broken - specifically on leaving the Customs Union and Single Market. Tory MP Andrew Bridgen wants Mrs May replaced with a Brexiteer. He believes it would push Remain Tories out of the party and then allow a snap election with more Eurosceptic candidates wearing blue rosettes. What might happen? Both main parties will have to write a manifesto - including a position on Brexit. Both parties are deeply split - in many cases between individual MPs and their local activists. Under Mrs May, the Tories presumably try to start with the deal. But it is loathed by dozens of current Tory MPs who want a harder Brexit and hated even more by grassroots Tory members. Shifting Tory policy on Brexit to the right would alienate the majority of current MPs who voted to Remain. Labour has similar splits. Many of Labour's MPs and activists want Mr Corbyn to commit to putting Brexit to a second referendum - most with a view to cancelling it. Mr Corbyn is a veteran Eurosceptic and millions of people who voted Leave in 2016 backed Labour in 2017. The splits set the stage for a bitter and chaotic election. The outcome is highly unpredictable - the Tories start in front but are probably more divided on the main question facing the country. Labour is behind but knows it made dramatic gains in the polls in the last election with its promises of vastly higher public spending. Neither side can forecast what impact new political forces might wield over the election or how any public anger over the Brexit stalemate could play out. It could swing the result in favour of one of the main parties or a new force. Or an election campaign that takes months, costs millions of pounds could still end up in a hung Parliament and continued stalemate. How is an election called? When would it be? Because of the Fixed Term Parliaments Act passed by the coalition, the Prime Minister can no longer simply ask the Queen to dissolve the Commons and call an election. There are two procedures instead. First - and this is what happened in 2017 - the Government can table a motion in the Commons calling for an early election. Crucially, this can only pass with a two-thirds majority of MPs - meaning either of the main parties can block it. Second an election is called if the Government loses a vote of no confidence and no new administration can be built within 14 days. In practice, this is can only happen if Tory rebels vote with Mr Corbyn - a move that would end the career of any Conservative MP who took the step. An election takes a bare minimum of five weeks from start to finish and it would take a week or two to get to the shut down of Parliament, known as dissolution - putting the earliest possible polling day around mid to late May. If the Tories hold a leadership election first it probably pushes any election out to late June at the earliest. What about a Brexit Party? There is a new Brexit Party set up by former Ukip officials and endorsed by Nigel Farage. It is administratively more advanced than TIG - it already registered with the Electoral Commission. But its first leader has already resigned over racist tweets and it has no serving MPs to start with. It faces all the same problems as TIG on top of having fewer experienced politicians in charge. Could the Independent Group get involved? Not right now because they are not yet a political party - so it depends exactly when an election is called. If they register with the Electoral Commission, the TIG could in theory stand candidates across the country and try to gain a foothold. Polls in the aftermath of the group's sensational launch suggested support of around 14 per cent - more than the Liberal Democrats. The challenge will come in how the vote is spread around the country. TIG can only win seats if it piles up votes in constituencies - meaning it could win millions of votes but few seats. Frustrated Remain supporters could flock to a new party if there was a national offer - but cutting through TV broadcast rules past the main parties has historically been very difficult in British elections. The Tories start in front - with recent polling putting the Tories on 35 per cent ahead of Labour on 31 per cent - but both Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn are plumbing new depths of unpopularity Advertisement Speaking at the Bruges Group today an organisation for the most hardline Brexiteers ex-Brexit Minister Mrs Braverman said she could never countenance voting for deal even if crushing it meant staying in the EU. She said: 'Perhaps we may have failed to deliver Brexit this time. If we have to keep fighting, so we must do.' She said the 'real choice' should be for the UK to leave the EU on April 12 on World Trade Organisation terms. 'I am still of the opinion that we are being given a false choice of a deal which is not Brexit - it is Remain in all but name - or an extension,' she told the meeting. 'I am not buying into that choice.' Mr Wilson also set out in 'clear terms' last night to the ERG why he would yet not support the PM's deal, according to one of those present. It came as a row broke out after the group of Brexiteers who visited Chequers yesterday were said to have nicknamed themselves the 'Grand Wizards'. The reference quickly turned into a row as it is the name of some of the high-ranking members of the racist group the Ku Klux Klan. However the group quickly denied that they had given themselves the nickname. Mr Rees-Mogg said: 'We are not in the habit of giving ourselves names.' The ERG met last night to discuss what approach to take on the deal, but there was little consensus as they left. One said: 'Some of us were trying to make the rest see sense that if they don't vote for [the deal] now we will lose Brexit.' But another said he was 'appalled and disgusted' by the process, adding: 'The British people won't forgive us [if they vote for the deal]. 'If we give in we'll never know whether we could have achieved it. It's not worth capitulating now I don't think the mood of country would be good. 'Sammy Wilson just spoke. He explained in really clear terms why he won't support it. 'He said it was unacceptable.' Commons leader Andrea Leadsom suggested today the Easter recess for MPs could be cancelled to give more time to find a solution. It is scheduled to take place from when the Commons rises on April 4 until April 23. She said: 'I have announced the dates for Easter recess but as is always the case recess dates are announced subject to the progress of business. 'We will need time in the House either to find a way forward or to pass the Withdrawal Agreement Bill and I think the country will rightly expect Parliament to be working flat out in either scenario, so further announcements on future recess dates will be announced in due course in the usual way.' Some MPs on the opposition benches could be heard saying 'recess is cancelled'. Commons Speaker John Bercow said Tory former minister Sir Oliver Letwin will table a motion linked to the indicative votes procedure at approximately 4pm on Tuesday. He told the Commons: 'I understand that (Sir Oliver) will be tabling a business of the House motion at approximately 4pm. 'Members have until the rise of the House this evening to table motions to be considered tomorrow under the indicative votes procedure. 'The indicative votes procedure itself, I must advise the House, will be set out in the amendable motion which the House will debate tomorrow.' Veteran Conservative Eurosceptic Sir Christopher Chope accused Mrs May of 'chicanery' over her Brexit deal and said some Tory MPs could be prepared to vote for a Labour motion of no confidence in her. Sir Christopher said while Conservative MPs were unlikely to support a Labour no-confidence motion in the Government - which could trigger a general election under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act - they may do so if it was aimed at the Prime Minister personally. 'That might be a way in which the leader of the opposition could try and entice some members of the Conservative Party to come across and express a parliamentary lack of confidence in the Prime Minister without it being a lack of confidence in the Government,' he said. 'If that was to happen it would be for the leader of the opposition to initiate it. A motion of no confidence just in the Prime Minister would not have an impact under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act.' There had been hope yesterday that the Brexiteers would be won over to back Mrs May's deal following their visit to Chequers on Sunday. Iain Duncan Smith, Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Steve Baker, Dominic Raab and other key Brexiteers met yesterday morning to discuss their next moves, but did not reach a consensus. Yesterday, Mrs May faced attacks from the DUP's deputy leader Nigel Dodds yesterday in the Commons after she said more time was needed to prepare Northern Ireland for the possibility of a no-deal Brexit. Mr Dodds said the Government was 'entirely responsible' for what he described as a 'fundamental lack of preparation.' Rebel MPs voted to seize control of Brexit from the embattled Prime Minister last night, despite warnings from the Government that continued chaos will force it to call another general election. Three pro-EU ministers quit the Government to back a Commons amendment enabling MPs to take control of Commons business to stage a series of 'indicative votes' on alternatives to the Prime Minister's deal tomorrow. However, Mrs May has warned the government is not bound to honour the result of the indicative votes as they 'could lead to an outcome that is unnegotiable with the EU'. Asked if the indicative vote should be a free vote for MPs, Minister for Children Nadhim Zahawi told the BBC today: 'I suspect it must be because if the will of Parliament is to have free votes, indicative votes, then that will be it. 'But, I wait to see what the details are and how we vote on the different options.' He added: 'I want to vote for the Prime Minister's deal because I think all other options are recipes for chaos.' As the Government's Brexit strategy went into meltdown, senior ministers 'war-gamed' scenarios that could see a national poll called three years ahead of schedule because a soft Brexit would shred the Tory manifesto. But the most recent poll on the issue was carried out by Opinium two months ago found that only 12 per cent of Britons would welcome another general election. The campaign would also likely tear apart the already split Tory and Labour parties because their MPs are already bitterly divided over whether to leave the EU or to reverse the 2016 referendum and remain. Business minister Richard Harrington, who resigned along with Middle East minister Alistair Burt and health minister Steve Brine, said the Government was 'playing roulette' with peoples' lives and livelihoods in its handling of Brexit. Mr Brine told the BBC: 'I will still, as I said in my letter to the Prime Minister. I will still support her deal. Arch-Eurosceptic Jacob Rees-Mogg today revealed he is ready to swing behind the Prime Minister's EU divorce and said: 'The choice seems to be Mrs May's deal or no Brexit'. Brexiteer Michael Fabricant also admitted today that he has come to the 'dreadful conclusion' that he must also back the PM's deal These are the seven options for Brexit MPs could vote on this week if Mrs May is forced towards a softer Brexit Richard Harrington, left, was one of three MPs to stand down on Monday night over the crucial vote. Steve Brine, centre was another minister to stand down and then Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt, right, joined the rebellion 'I still think it is the best of the options. Maybe what last night will do is focus some minds... those on my side who don't like the deal, maybe they will realise that the House of Commons is prepared to act. 'And, anything from here, as far as they are concerned, gets softer in terms of Brexit.' Mr Brine said: 'If the House of Commons just simply cannot come up with anything to move us out of this then everything is on the table. 'You have to accept that a second referendum or revoking Article 50 are on the table because they will probably be some options.' Justice Secretary David Gauke and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson arrived in Downing Street shortly before Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Home Secretary Sajid Javid Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay arrives in Downing Street after a humbling defeat for the Government in the Commons last night Chief Whip Julian Smith entered No 10 followed by Secretary of State for Housing James Brokenshire and Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling Brexiteer Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss arrives for the crunch cabinet meeting where Theresa May will need to set out what she needs to do to get her deal through The cabinet is split over Brexit with Business Secretary Greg Clark Minister of State for Immigration Caroline Nokes pushing for the remain side Mr Brine told the BBC: 'You also have to remember that the manifesto of 2017 did not win a majority in the House of Commons. 'I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning with a broad grin on my face': Gloating Remainer rebel MP Nick Boles celebrates taking control of Brexit Remainer Nick Boles has hailed a 'momentous' victory over his Prime Minister and said he would 'wake up smiling' today Remainers are cock-a-hoop today after MPs wrestled control of Brexit from Theresa May last night with buoyant rebels hailing a 'momentous' victory and pledging to change the law if she tries to ignore them. Theresa May warned the Commons yesterday they would be betraying those who voted to leave the EU before they voted to hold a series of votes that could determine how - if at all - the UK leaves the European Union. Last night Tory Nick Boles called the result 'very exciting' and said: 'Do you know what? I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning with a broad grin on my face. I'm going to think I finally live in a parliamentary democracy, where parliament is sovereign.' Earlier in a statement to MPs, the Prime Minister warned she would not feel bound by the results of any indicative votes - which could include a softer, Norway-style deal, a second referendum or revoking the Article 50 withdrawal process altogether. But Mr Boles warned that MPs would force Mrs May's hand with new legislation if she refused to do their bidding. He told the BBC's Newsnight show: 'If the government refuses to listen to what Parliament has voted for we will bring forward a bill that will require it to reflect Parliament's wishes.' Pro-Europe Tory MP Mr Boles, who backed the indicative votes amendment, added: 'It is a much better victory than any of us had dared hope.' The Commons voted by 329 votes to 302 - a majority of 27 - to approve an amendment brought by Tory ex-minister Sir Oliver Letwin allowing it to take control of business tomorrow from the Government. This will allow MPs to select their favorite Brexit option in so-called 'indicative votes', which are likely to include soft Brexit options and the possibility of remaining in the European Union. Three ministers were among 30 Tory rebels who defied the Prime Minister and backed the amendment or abstained. Advertisement 'And this is the crux of the whole matter, that the House of Commons and executive-led Government works when you have got a majority in the House of Commons. 'We don't have a majority in the House. And, possibly, that would be one of my criticisms of my Government is that we haven't reached across the aisle enough.' Richard Harrington, the former business minister who resigned last night after voting against the Government on a motion to hold indicative votes on Brexit in Parliament on Wednesday, said: 'All we can do is what's in our power, and what's in our power is to get a clear direction from Parliament as to what is acceptable rather than what's not acceptable. 'I don't regard it as undemocratic for Parliament to decide in the absence of Government, be able to provide a clear direction from this policy of 'my deal or no deal'.' He said he expected the Prime Minister to follow the will of Parliament if a majority is formed for one pathway for Brexit on Wednesday, unless the choice of Parliament was 'so off the wall and so outrageous she couldn't do it'. 'A responsible Prime Minister, which I believe she is, will say, 'I would rather have my deal, Parliament's wish is clearly Norway or customs union or whatever it is. 'I therefore will go to Brussels with that, but I'm perfectly prepared to put my deal to Parliament against that'.' Asked why he had not resigned sooner, he said: 'I can't answer that question... I'd hoped with the undertakings that David Lidington and others had given, that we wouldn't have reached this position. It was really a timing issue.' The result means MPs can potentially dictate business of the Commons - normally controlled by the Government - for days to come, potentially paving the way for a 'softer' deal that keeps Britain closer to the EU. Ministers will consider their response at the weekly meeting of the Cabinet in Downing Street today. Health Secretary Matt Hancock called on MPs to back Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'If anything, yesterday in the House of Commons demonstrated that the option of no deal simply won't be allowed by the Commons. 'And the best way through this impasse is the one deal that has been negotiated with the EU that can be delivered quickly now.' Mr Hancock said: 'Clearly, it's incumbent on the Government to listen to what the Commons says. 'But we can't pre-commit to following whatever they vote for, because they might vote for something that is completely impractical.' 80% of Britons say the PM bungled Brexit talks - but there is no appetite for a second referendum on EU membership, new poll says Over four in five voters believe that the UK government is handling Britain's exit from the EU badly More than 80% of the country think the Government has handled the Brexit negotiations badly - but they do not want a second referendum that asks if the UK should remain in the EU, a new poll suggests. A survey by NatCen Social Research found that just 7% of Britons thought ministers had done a good job in the talks, while 81% said they were handling them badly. The researchers asked more than 2,600 adults last month about their views on Brexit - and compared them with data from 2017. It suggested that public faith in the negotiations has dramatically fallen. In 2017, 41% said the talks were being handled badly by the Government, and 29% thought ministers were doing well. The research also found both Leavers and Remainers were as likely to think the Prime Minister's deal is bad - 66% and 64% respectively - up from 20% and 56% in 2017. And the figures suggested a rise in the number of people who think Brexit will negatively impact the economy - up from 46% in 2017 to 58% in 2019. John Curtice, senior research fellow at NatCen Social Research, said: 'Given the polarisation of attitudes, there was always a risk that the Brexit negotiations would result in an outcome that would fail to satisfy most voters. 'But what perhaps is particularly remarkable is that Leave voters have become just as critical as Remain supporters of both the process and the outcome. 'That is not an outcome that would necessarily have been anticipated, and certainly does not help the Prime Minister in her efforts to secure parliamentary approval of the deal.' Advertisement Attorney General Geoffrey Cox told a meeting of the Cabinet that failure to pass Mrs May's plan in the coming weeks would almost inevitably lead to an election. Writing in the Daily Mail, he today makes a last-ditch appeal to hardline Leavers to get behind Mrs May or face losing Brexit altogether. Two weeks ago his legal advice led many Tory MPs to reject the withdrawal agreement because of fears the UK could remain in the Irish border backstop. But today he argues the plan's disadvantages have been 'exaggerated and demonised' by opponents of Brexit. If MPs do not vote for the agreement in the coming days, he says the Commons will 'exert itself' and try to force either a second referendum, or a plan that keeps the UK inside the customs union and single market. He warns 'powerful and unreconciled forces' who opposed Brexit were still trying to stop it and says his biggest fear is the UK will never regain its 'independence'. He says: 'We must grasp our freedom now and heed the beckoning call of the future, for if we do not, history will marvel that we spurned this fleeting moment of opportunity.' The DUP appeared to be digging in. Deputy leader Nigel Dodds rounded angrily on Mrs May in the Commons yesterday after she said more time was needed to prepare Northern Ireland for the possibility of No Deal. Mr Dodds said the Government was 'entirely responsible' for what he described as a 'fundamental lack of preparation'. Plans for the Government to put forward its own proposals for indicative votes were dropped ahead of yesterday's meeting. Many ministers, including Dr Fox, Chris Grayling, Gavin Williamson and Mrs Leadsom, are opposed to the process. But Mr Lidington tried to head off a defeat last night by pledging that the Government would provide Commons time for MPs to try to reach an agreement on an alternative Brexit. Sir Oliver told MPs his plan, which has been rejected by MPs twice since the start of the year, would allow Parliament to vote tomorrow on a string of Brexit options. These might include a customs union, a single market, a second referendum and even revocation of Article 50. Mrs May said she was sceptical that the process would find a solution, adding: 'No government could give a blank cheque to commit to an outcome without knowing what it is.' Asked whether she would be prepared for a customs union if Parliament backed it, she replied: 'No one would want to support an option which contradicted the manifesto on which they stood.' Labour backed Sir Oliver's plan. But its Brexit spokesman, Sir Keir Starmer, also refused to guarantee to back any resulting proposal. MPs take back control: Now Rebels have seized control of the Commons what happens now and will they be able to force through a soft Brexit? Rebel MPs seized control of the Commons from ministers last night, adding a new element of chaos to the Brexit endgame. A cross party group coordinated by Tory Oliver Letwin and Labour's Yvette Cooper won a vote that will mean MPs dictate what the Commons debates and votes on tomorrow. The exact rules of the process will be hammered out today but it appears there will be a first round tomorrow to set out the options and then actual votes on Monday night to find MPs' favourite. MPs are set to use 'pink slips' to vote via ballot box on the various options. It will streamline the process - meaning MPs will not have to repeatedly march through the lobbies - and allow all options to be voted on at once. It is a dramatic change for how MPs normally vote, which is to say yes or no to a question, not to compare options. The move is constitutionally unprecedented. MPs will set out their own options after resisting Government plans to set up its votes on seven options - the existing deal, cancelling Brexit altogether, a new referendum, a Norway-style soft Brexit, a Canada-style hard Brexit, a UK-EU customs union or No Deal. The moves leave wide open the kind of Brexit Britain might try to navigate. But Mrs May has already warned she may not be able to deliver on what MPs want. She said the plan should be compatible with party manifestos at the last election and must be negotiable with the EU. It all comes against a backdrop of furious rumours Mrs May is on the brink of being ousted by her Cabinet. The risks appear to have receded this morning after weekend claims ministers were poised - but despite there being no procedural way to remove her a public withdrawal of political support would finish her. This is your guide to what happens next: What happened last night? MPs have finally done what they have threatened to do for months: Seized control of the Commons agenda so they can stage their own debates and votes on Brexit. It is constitutionally unprecedented. What does it mean? This will only become clear in the coming hours but in the first instance it means rebel-controlled debates on Wednesday about indicative votes on a possible Brexit solution. It will mean the Commons directly voting on a range of options more expansive than Mrs May's deal or No Deal for the first time. The conclusions will not be legally binding but be politically significant. The exact rules of the process will be hammered out today but it appears likely there will be a first round tomorrow to set out the options and then actual votes on Monday night to find MPs' favourite. MPs are set to use 'pink slips' to vote via ballot box on the various options. It will streamline the process - meaning MPs will not have to repeatedly march through the lobbies - and allow all options to be voted on at once. Has it ever been done before? No. A similar process was attempted in 2003 to assess options for Lords reform. MPs used their normal voting procedure to say yes or no to seven options and rejected all seven. What kind of Brexit will MPs vote for? Nobody knows for sure. The assumption of most people in Westminster is Parliament would vote for a much softer Brexit than that on offer by Mrs May. This would likely mean staying in the EU Customs Union and Single Market. Brussels has said it would accept this in the right circumstances but it would break most of Mrs May's red lines - the ability to strike trade deals, to escape the European Court and almost certainly free movement of people. Will May be forced out by her Cabinet? The immediate risk appears to have receded since rumours of a Cabinet coup spread like wildfire over the weekend. There is no procedural way to remove her - but a public withdrawal of political support would finish the PM. What was agreed at the EU summit last week? EU leaders have approved a two-part delay to Brexit following late night talks. Brexit is set to be delayed until April 12 whatever happens next week, giving the UK an extra two weeks. If MPs pass the Brexit deal before then, the extension will run until May 22. What does it mean? The immediate risk of the UK leaving without a deal on Friday, March 29, is effectively over - subject to a change in UK law but this should be a formality. Brexiteers will still believe they can secure a No Deal exit on April 12 while Remainers will see it as an opportunity to lock in a much longer delay. Will there be a third vote on the deal and when will it be? Mrs May says she will only have one if she can win this time - but is still working on it. Most currently expect it to be held tomorrow night but this is not fixed. Thursday is also under consideration. Can she win? It looks unlikely. The prospect of No Deal on April 12 will encourage Brexiteers they should vote down the deal a third time. There is currently little sign the DUP are being won over by a political offensive behind the scenes. Mrs May also alienated Labour MPs with her angry speech on Wednesday night. It seems possible she could end up losing the third vote by a bigger margin than the 149 votes she lost the second one. What if she does win? If the PM manages a great escape, then Britain will be on track to leave on May 22. The Government will move quickly to get the necessary laws in place. What if she loses? The EU has made clear that if the deal goes down a third time, Britain must come back with a plan in time for the new deadline of April 12. Most urgently, a decision will have to be made on whether the UK takes part in European Parliament elections on May 23. If it does not, there will be No Deal - and Mrs May says electing MEPs would be the wrong thing to do. However, there is still a majority of MPs in Parliament against No Deal so the choice could be taken away from the PM. If elections are agreed in the UK there will probably be a new EU summit around April 10 to approve a much longer extension - perhaps to the end of 2019 or even longer. The UK will have to have a new plan for what to do with the time as Brussels has made clear it cannot keep going over the same deal. Will MPs vote on other options? Probably. Tonight's vote could setup a full-blown 'indicative vote' that would set all the options against each other. A defeated Government could stage the same procedure. There are claims the Government would put up seven options: Mrs May's Deal, No Deal, Revoking Article 50, a Second Referendum, a Customs Union soft Brexit deal, an even softer Customs Union and Single Market deal, and a Canada-style Free Trade Agreement deal. The idea would be to find what kind of Brexit might be supported by Parliament or if there is none, see if there is support for a new public vote. Will May resign? Nobody knows. No Prime Minister has ever soaked up so much humiliation and carried on and yet Mrs May is still in Downing Street. She suggested last week she would not accept a long delay beyond June 30, seen by many as a hint she would resign if it had to happen. A third defeat for the deal this week would also provoke huge calls for her to resign. A move to No Deal could also see some Tory MPs join with Labour to force the Government out with a vote of no confidence. What happens to Brexit if May goes or the Government collapses? It is hard to know. Even with a tweak to the law to change the date, Brexit will still happen with No Deal on April 12 if other choices keep being rejected. But we also know there is a majority of MPs against a No Deal Brexit. It is possible there are enough Tory MPs prepared to remove the Government to stop No Deal by installing a Corbyn government ahead of a snap election. Only the Government can bring forward the necessary change in the law to change the Brexit date. What is Labour's position? Labour says no deal must be stopped - but also says it will not vote for Mrs May's deal. It wanted a three month delay to renegotiate the political declaration on the final UK-EU relationship but this would require it form a Government more or less immediately. Were it to do so, it would try pass the divorce deal attached to a new political declaration that said the final relationship would be based on a permanent customs union. It has passed no comment on the actual proposed delay. Will there have to be a new election or a referendum? This falls into the anything is possible category. Parliament is deadlocked and has been for months - which suggests an election is necessary. And yet the governing Tory party clearly has little idea what it would put to the country or who would lead it into an election. An election can be forced without the consent of the Tories but it is very difficult. Similarly, it is far from clear there are the votes for a referendum in the Commons. The idea was crushed last week because Labour did not vote for it. Will Brexit ever happen? Almost three years after the referendum, this depends entirely on your view of events. The law says it will but there are enough MPs to at least change the date if given the chance to do so. It could now happen on April 12 or May 22. Or it could be delayed much further. An asylum seeker who helped Edward Snowden hide in her Hong Kong apartment after his leaks exposed US global surveillance programs has been granted refuge in Canada. Vanessa Rodel was among a group of asylum seekers who sheltered Snowden, a former CIA employee and US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, putting him up in her apartment while he was on the run from US authorities in Hong Kong. The 42-year-old and two Sri Lankan families put up Snowden shortly after he went public in 2013. His leaks of highly classified documents revealed the existence of global surveillance programs run by the NSA in cooperation with allies Australia, Britain and Canada. Snowden, who now lives in Russia, was charged in June 2013 in the United States with espionage and stealing state secrets. He feared he could face rendition back to the US, where he had been branded a traitor by the authorities. Vanessa Rodel and her seven-year-old daughter Keana talk to media after arriving at Lester B. Pearson Airport in Toronto, on Monday Edward Snowden went on the the run in 2013 and was granted asylum by Russia. Here he is speaking via video link during a news conference in New York in September 2016 Keana (right) hugs her mother Vanessa Rodel's arm as the pair are scrummed at the Toronto airport after landing in Canada on a flight from Hong Kong, in Toronto Lawyer Robert Tibbo advised his client to hide with Hong Kong refugees as it would be the last place anyone would look for Snowden. Rodel said she did not know who Snowden was when he come knocking on her door one night in May 2013 Canada granted Rodel, a Philippines national, and her daughter asylum in January but it was kept secret for security reasons, according to For the Refugees. She reporters at Toronto airport at her arrival on Monday, accompanied by her seven-year-old daughter Keana: 'Now me and Keana are permanent residents in Canada. Now we are safe and free. I'm so grateful.' 'I feel so great and I feel like I'm free,' she added. After Snowden left Hong Kong and was granted asylum in Russia, Rodel and the other refugees who hid him continued with their applications in the city, but their cases were rejected in 2017. Tibbo said Hong Kong rejected Rodel's asylum request and since then officials there have grilled her over her contacts with Snowden. Vanessa Rodel hugs lawyer Robert Tibbo (right) as Rodel and her daughter Keana arrive in Canada after being granted asylum Snowden was disguised in a black outfit and smuggled into the slums of Hong Kong to hide out for two weeks before being going to Russia Here at last: Rodel pushing her daughter Keana on their bags after finally being granted asylum in Canada On Tuesday, they are set to travel to Montreal, where they will settle as refugees sponsored by the non-governmental group For the Refugees. 'They opened their doors to me,' Snowden told Radio-Canada about the people who sheltered him. 'They knew what it was like to be hunted, to be chased, to be retaliated against.' In a tweet in French about Rodel and her daughter, he gave 'thanks to all who, in Canada and across the world, made this possible. After so many years, the first of the families who helped me is free, and has a future.' 'But the work is not over. With solidarity and compassion, Canada can save all of them,' he added. Five other people who helped Snowden have also requested asylum but remain in Hong Kong awaiting a response, according to the daily National Post. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declined to comment, saying it would be inappropriate to do so in 'a situation regarding a specific case.' Unwitting host: Vanessa Rodel says she did not know who Edward Snowden was when he come knocking on her door one night in May 2013, seeking shelter But Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland implicitly confirmed the report, telling reporters she had not personally intervened in the process. Asked during a Washington visit whether the granting of asylum might harm US-Canadian relations, Freeland told reporters that Ottawa based its decision on case-by-case considerations, not 'geopolitical relations.' A spokesperson for Canada's immigration ministry also declined to comment except to say that in 'exceptional circumstances' requests for asylum can be accelerated. Radio Canada said Rodel was under pressure from Hong Kong authorities and faced a risk of deportation to the Philippines. For the Refugees spokesman Ethan Cox said: 'Since that became public they have been targeted by the Hong Kong government who called up all of their refugee claimants and denied them all on the same day after about a half hour. 'They have had their support payments cut off. They've only been able to survive off donations to our non-profit.' Earlier this month the U.S. government announced it may shut down the controversial PRISM phone surveillance program used to hack cell devices that was exposed by Snowden. A fraudster who faked his own death in a staged North Sea canoe accident has been pictured returning to the water. John Darwin, 68, donned a life jacket as he went for a dip with his 45-year-old wife Mercy May in the Philippines. The former prison officer joked with photographers who captured him bobbing up and down at the Hinatuan Enchanted River in Mindanao, The Sun reports. Darwin (pictured with his wife Mercy May) has been spotted taking to the water once more as he donned a life jacket for a dip in the Philippines The conman - who faked his death in North Sea - was spotted with his 45-year-old wife taking to the water in a river One month ago they marked their fourth wedding anniversary, with Mercy writing online: 'Happy 4th wedding anniversary my blue eyes your my everything I love you sweetheart.' But another post outraged the British public two years ago when she declared the UK was the land of 'free benefits, housing, school and doctors'. The Filipina bride brandished a fake UK passport in the picture on her Google Plus account back in 2016, she wrote: 'Yes! Got it! Who said I was banned! UK, land of the free, free benefits, housing, school and doctors, can't wait to move with all the family lol.' Darwin (pictured with Mercy May, left, and, right, on their wedding day) 14 years after Darwin had pretended to die in a canoe accident so that his then-wife Anne could claim more than 500,000 in life insurance while her husband hid in a room at their home. Both their sons believed he was dead after a 62-square mile search of the sea turned up only his battered vessel. He and Anne used the half a million to travel the world and set up a new life together in Panama City. Mercy May sparked outrage with this post as she joked that she was going to move to Britain while she clutched a fake passport Darwin returned to the UK to hand himself into police in December 2007 after lasting just a few months in Central America. After a change in the country's visa laws, he decided to return to the UK in 2007 and tried to fake amnesia. Convicted of fraud, he served half of a six-year prison sentence before marrying Mercy, who is from Manila. He met Mercy, a devout Catholic, and first travelled to the Philippines on January 1, 2015. Darwin (pictured) and his wife orchestrated a scam in which they took 500,000 in life insurance Just one day later they were engaged and they married on February 25 in a civil ceremony. Shortly after the wedding she announced to her friends on Facebook that she was 'in love' with the conman as she posted a gushing message. Mercy, who has three children from another relationship, wrote: 'I love you so much sweetheart, your always my baby. 'Falling in love is easy, but staying in love is very special.' She also posted a picture of Darwin on her account in November, with the caption: 'He my baby handsome'. An investigation in 2016 found Darwin was selling underwear and t-shirts at his new wife's stall in the capital of Philippines. A wildlife lover has been fined 50 for 'littering' after a warden spotted him throwing 'tiny pieces' of a McDonald's McMuffin to seagulls from his car. Ian Chapman, 62, furiously accused Nottingham City Council of 'extortion' for hitting him with Fixed Penalty Notice for feeding the birds with bits of his 2.09 egg and cheese breakfast. Mr Chapman denies littering and says that the pieces of muffin were eaten instantly by the birds. Vegetarian wildlife lover and father of three Mr Chapman said: 'It's absolute pettiness and that's how they create an income' Ian and a hungry feathered friend. He said: 'I opened the window and threw two tiny bits of bread from my bun to about 20 seagulls, and that was it. You can imagine two pieces of bread between about 20 seagulls. It was gone in seconds' The Environmental Protection Act 1990: What the Act says about littering Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act of 1990 says 'a person is guilty of an offence if he throws down, drops or otherwise deposits any litter in any place to which this section applies and leaves it.' The law 'applies to any place in the area of a principal litter authority which is open to the air' The law does not apply to a place which is 'open to the air' if the public does not have access to it, with or without payment. It applies whether the litter is deposited on land or in water. It does not apply if the depositing of the litter is (a) authorised by law; or (b) done by or with the consent of the owner, occupier or other person having control of the place where it is deposited. The law states a person who is guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale. Source: legislation.gov.uk Advertisement He was issued with sign after a community protection officer spotted him feeding the seagulls from his car which he had driven to a Morrisons car park. Mr Chapman, from Hucknall, Notts., said: 'I can't understand. They're criminalising hard-working people, for what reason I don't know. 'It just seems like extortion to some degree. It's absolute pettiness and that's how they create an income.' According to the Environmental Protection Act 1990, a person is guilty of littering 'if he throws down, drops or otherwise deposits any litter in any place'. The father of three grown-up children, who lives with 66-year-old wife Sue Chapman, said: 'I opened the window and threw two tiny bits of bread from my bun to about 20 seagulls, and that was it. 'You can imagine two pieces of bread between about 20 seagulls. It was gone in seconds.' But two days after leaving the supermarket car park in Bulwell, Notts., on December 18, he received the Fixed Penalty Notice from Nottingham City Council. It accused him of 'leaving litter and moving away' and said that he 'threw food waste out [of the] driver's side window'. He said: 'I tried to explain to the powers that be that if I was intending on littering, I would have thrown more than two bits of bread out of the window. 'I would've thrown the rest of it, and the packaging. 'It wasn't food waste. It was at my expense, these two little bits of bread. It's not in itself a crime.' Mr Chapman, who describes himself as a 'wildlife enthusiast', said he was a member of the RSPB and the Bat Conservation Trust. The contracts manager for a company that supplies heating and air-conditioning for large buildings who also says he is a vegetarian, added: 'I would never dream of littering. It seems crazy that they do this to ordinary people.' He still denies having done anything wrong but said he paid the fine because he 'didn't trust the council not to escalate it to something bigger'. The council said it classified the feeding of birds as a littering offence because 'low flying birds can cause an accident by distracting drivers' When he contacted them to dispute the fine, a member of the Fixed Penalty Notice Team said the authority 'classifies feeding birds as littering due to the various problems it can cause'. They added: 'These problems can include the bread attracting pests and vermin, low flying birds causing an accident by distracting drivers and pedestrians, as well as the mess left by both the bread and birds. 'There is no guarantee that the birds will eat everything you dispose of therefore Community Protection Officers (CPOs) will issue Fixed Penalty Notices as it is an offence.' Cllr Toby Neal, portfolio holder for community protection at Nottingham Council Cllr Toby Neal, portfolio holder for community protection at Nottingham City Council, said: 'This involved an incident when one of our officers observed someone throwing a significant amount of food waste from the window of a car. 'It was clearly an act of littering, which wasn't disputed at the time since the fine was paid. 'We take pride in the cleanliness of Nottingham and expect others to do the same. 'We're not in the business of stopping people feeding birds, but if that becomes dumping a lot of food waste on the ground as in this case, then we will act to keep our city the cleanest in the UK and dissuade others from thinking that littering is okay.' Josie Appleton, director of the Manifesto Club who has been working with Mr Chapman to help raise awareness, said: 'Defra guidance clearly states that people shouldn't be fined for small or trivial offences, such as feeding the birds. 'Yet councils up and down the country are still hitting people with fines, either to make money or to meet the targets of officious departments. 'The two small pieces of bread didn't even touch the ground - it beggars belief that Nottingham council and police officials could defend this absurd penalty. 'They should concentrate on genuine crime and social problems rather than inventing them.' Puerto Rico has passed its own Green New Deal that will aim to see the island have only renewable energy in 30 years. The US territory's Senate passed a bill that will ban coal mines from 2028, see 100 per cent renewable energy by 2050 and aims to speed up residents' ability to connect to solar power grids. Authorities on the Caribbean island want to secure the territory's energy security after the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in September 2017. Category 5 storm, Maria ravaged Puerto Rico and plunged much of the island into darkness for months, causing major damage and leaving nearly 3,000 people dead and thousands more without power. Households went around 84 days without electricity and the bill is designed to push the island to become a leader in clean energy technology and making the energy grid more resilient to future natural disasters. Ricardo Rossello, governor of Puerto Rico, has supported the new bill passed in the island's Senate to transform the territory's energy grid US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has championed the US's own Green New Deal as a way to tackle climate change Governor Ricardo Rossello, who has been supportive of the move, will need to sign off on the bill in the new few weeks. He tweeted yesterday after the bill was passed: 'SB1121 [the bill] establishes Puerto Rico's Public Policy on Energy, as an integral part in our grid's transformation. This will help build a more resilient, reliable and cleaner energy grid. '#PR [Puerto Rico] is becoming a leader in clean energy tech that can improve quality of life for over 3M Americans.' The US has seen calls for its own Green New Deal in a bid to combat climate change from politicians such as Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She attracted millions of Twitter followers, announced a Green New Deal in February, and called for taxes of as high as 70 per cent on multi-millionaire earners since her election to Congress last November. But the idea has caused uproar among Republicans with one congressman claiming the Green New Deal is 'tantamount to genocide'. Many homes in the Cano Martin Pena communities in San Juan, Puerto Rico, were still lacking permanent roofs over a year on from the Hurricane season Ocasio-Cortez and US Senator Ed Markey (right), speak during a press conference to announce Green New Deal legislation to promote clean energy programs last month Utah Rep. Rob Bishop, the ranking Republican on the House Natural Resources Committee, insisted last week it would kill Westerners if it's fully implemented. President Trump added complaints about the Green New Deal and linked it to the evils of socialism and the Democrat's alleged desire to remodel America after Venezuela. Puerto Rico has some of the highest energy costs in the US with residents playing more than double those in Florida. These increased costs on an already poverty-stricken island are often down to the high cost of shipping in fossil fuels. Islanders also run polluting diesel generators on a centralized grid that is vulnerable to hurricanes and extreme weather. Senator Eduardo Bhatia said the new bill should enable the country to build a stronger economy. He told Forbes: 'This bill is a huge step in building a sustainable future for Puerto Rico. Now we can move forward in developing an economy built on strong foundations that will provide more opportunities for future generations. 'By embracing renewable energy, our islands can reduce the reliance on fossil fuels, benefiting both the natural environment and our economy.' Houses damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Maria stand at the squatter community of Villa Hugo in Canovanas, Puerto Rico, December 11, 2017 The region has been struggling to rebuild more than a year after hurricanes Irma and Maria caused billions of dollars in damage in Puerto Rico, Dominica, Antigua, the US Virgin Islands and other areas. It was the deadliest season since 2005 and the most costly for the developing nations of the region, with some experts estimating that the storms caused over $280billion worth of damage. Eighteen months after Maria destroyed Puerto Rico's electrical grid, customers on the island of Culebra off the coast of the US territory finally had their power restored last week. Puerto Rico is also been dealing with a food-stamp crisis after Congress missed a deadline to reauthorize aid for that program, affecting about 43 per cent of the island's residents. A woman has revealed how her mother ironed her breasts aged 13 after discovering she was gay, amid calls for awareness of the practice to be taught in UK schools. The victim, named only as 'Simone', is among up to 1,000 women and girls in Britain feared to have undergone the painful and dangerous procedure. The practice involves their chests being pressed down with a hot stone to delay breast formation amid a belief it will protect them from male attention. The practice of breast ironing involves a girl's chest being pressed down with a hot stone to delay breast formation. A girl who suffered the procedure is pictured in Cameroon in May 2007 Simone told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme that her mother hoped a flat chest would make her daughter 'ugly and no one will admire me'. She said: 'It's really an abuse. It dehumanises you - you are not a human being. They hold your hands and then they press on your breast. It really hurts. 'Imagine a hot object on your bare body and when you're going out you have this stripe that they can tie on your breast. At times you find difficulty in breathing.' Simone was left with long-term damage, meaning milk did not flow normally when breastfeeding a child she had with a husband she was forced to marry. This stone pictured in Cameroon in May 2007 has been used to iron the breasts of four girls after being heated in the oven. The practice of breast ironing in the country is common The ritual is thought to be mainly carried out by mothers and grandmothers from African countries, with concerns mounting over it taking place in the UK. What is breast ironing? Female relatives of a pre-pubescent girl will use hot stones to massage her breast tissue in an attempt to stunt its growth, and then repeat the practice as often as once a week. The perpetrators consider it a traditional practice that protects girls from unwanted male attention, sexual harassment and rape. But experts regard it as a form of abuse that could lead to psychological damage as well as physical injuries including infections, the inability to breastfeed, deformities and even breast cancer. Advertisement Another victim, Kinaya, said she suffered breast ironing aged ten after her mother told her that, otherwise, 'men will start coming to you, to have sex with you'. She told the programme: 'You're not even allowed to cry out. If you do, you (are said to) have brought shame to your family, you are not a 'strong girl'.' The National Education Union is now urging that breast ironing awareness is included in the compulsory school curriculum to protect girls from abuse. Its joint president Kiri Tunks also said that school staff and especially PE teachers should to be taught how to notice the signs of the procedure. Conservative MP Nicky Morgan has backed the proposals, saying teachers must be able to advise any girls affected on what action they need to take. Community workers in London, Yorkshire, Essex and the Midlands previously told the Guardian that pre-teen girls from the migrant communities of several African countries had undergone breast ironing. Conservative MP Nicky Morgan (pictured on March 13) has backed proposals for breast ironing awareness to be included in the compulsory school curriculum to protect girls from abuse One activist claimed to knew of up to 20 recent cases in Croydon alone, and said: 'It's usually done in the UK, not abroad like FGM (female genital mutilation).' Anti-FGM campaigner Leyla Hussein said she had spoken to five women in her North London clinic who were all British citizens and had suffered the procedure. And nurse Jennifer Miraj said she had seen more than 20 confirmed cases, including a ten-year-old girl who had developed an infection from the practice. Pilots had less than 40 seconds to correct a fault with Boeing's automated system that investigators suspect caused the two disastrous plane crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, according to tests. The pilots underwent a crisis simulation test to recreate the final moments of Lion Air Flight 610, which nosedived into the Java Sea shortly after take-off in October 2018. The automated system, known as MCAS, is also the focal point of the probe into the Ethiopian Airlines crash involving the same Boeing 737 Max model earlier this month. The aviation giant has come under intense scrutiny over the two crashes, in which a total of 346 lives were lost. Simulation tests have shown that Boeing pilots only had around 40 seconds to over-ride the automated system suspected of causing the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes in which 346 people died (file image) When a sensor failed during the simulation test, the automatic stall prevention kicked in - giving pilots a matter of seconds to manually override the system to avoid a steep and irreversible downward dive, the New York Times reports. Citing two people familiar with the testing, the newspaper reports that those involved had not entirely understood how powerful the software was until they used the simulator. The means of disengaging the system as described by the New York Times are complex; pilots can reverse the anti-stall system by flicking a switch, but this would only delay a potential crash by several minutes. In order to fully avoid disaster, pilots would need to activate two further switches, cutting off electricity to the motor pushing the plane's nose downwards, and also crank a wheel to correct the resulting problems. This must all be done extremely quickly otherwise attempts to resolve the problem might be too late. The MCAS system is a central focus of the investigation into why the two planes crashed shortly after take-off Aviation safety consultant and a former 737 pilot, John Cox, told the New York Times that although pilots would likely trigger the first switch to extend the 40-second window, this would only buy several more minutes. There would still be scarcely enough time to diagnose and solve the problem. In fact, the Times reports, the pilots and crew of the Lion Air flight were not even aware of the system; the captain reportedly consulted a technical manual in the jet's final airborne moments. Following that first disaster American pilots met with Boeing executives in Texas, demanding to know why the manufacturer had not told them about the new software. They also questioned whether a 56-minute iPad course on the MAX had been sufficient. Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 crashed near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on March 11, five months after Lion Air Flight 610 to nosedived into the Java Sea Boeing has been working on a software upgrade for an anti-stall system and more pilot controls on its fastest-selling jetliner. The software fix will prevent repeated operation of the anti-stall system at the centre of safety concerns, and deactivate it if one sensor appears to have failed, two people familiar with pilot briefings told Reuters on Monday. Upgrading an individual 737 MAX with Boeing's new software only takes about an hour per plane, though the overall process could stretch on far longer as it is rolled out across the global fleet due to stringent testing and documentation requirements by engineers and regulators, according to a senior Federal Aviation Administration official with knowledge of the process. American Pilots will also have to complete FAA-approved computer-based training on the changes, followed by a mandatory test, but some pilots have said more may be needed. Investigations are ongoing, but a preliminary report on an Ethiopian Airlines crash will very likely be released this week, the country's transport ministry said on Tuesday. The Boeing 737 Max aircraft have been grounded worldwide in the wake of the two disasters This week Boeing is also briefing airlines on software and training updates for the MAX, with more than 200 global airline pilots, technical experts and regulators due in Renton, Washington, where the plane is built. Any fixes to the MAX software must still get approval from governments around the world. The 737 MAX is Boeing's best-selling plane, with orders worth more than $500 billion at list prices. Within less than a week after the Ethiopian crash, the jets were grounded globally. Ethiopian and French investigators have pointed to 'clear similarities' between the two crashes, putting pressure on Boeing and U.S. regulators to come up with an adequate fix. A man who has been penalised by China's social credit system said it's worse than going to jail. The man, identified as David Kong, told South China Morning Post that he was banned from taking the high-speed train because he was officially declared a 'deadbeat' by authorities. This group of 3.6 million 'discredited individuals', who earned poor ratings mostly for refusing to pay their debts, are disqualified from spending on 'luxuries' including renting a flat, travelling on a plane or on a fast train in China. A man who has been penalised by China's social credit system said it's worse than going to jail. The man told South China Morning Post that he was banned from taking the high-speed train because he was officially declared a 'deadbeat' by authorities (file photo) 'It's even worse than doing time because at least there's a limit to a prison sentence,' Kong told South China Morning Post in a phone interview. 'Being on the list means that as long as you can't clear your debts in full, your name will always be there,' he told the Hong Kong newspaper. Kong was declared a 'discredited individual' in 2015 after his book publishing business failed. He said he had borrowed 1.6 million yuan (180,000) and could not pay it back. This group of 3.6 million 'discredited individuals', who earned poor ratings mostly for refusing to pay their debts, are disqualified from spending on 'luxuries' including renting a flat, travelling on a plane or on a fast train in China (file photo) In the last year alone, nearly 3.6 million individuals were deemed 'untrustworthy' by the nation's social credit watchdog. These discredited individuals have been barred from taking a total of 17.5 million flights and 5.5 million high-speed train trips as of the end of 2018, according to a report by the National Public Credit Information Centre. More than 12,900 individuals and companies have been banned from carrying out various forms of financial trading and 128 people who owe taxes have been prohibited from leaving the country. China plans to complete the national social credit system by 2020 after the State Council unveiled the plan in 2014. The discredited individuals in China have been barred from taking a total of 17.5 million flights and 5.5 million high-speed train trips as of the end of 2018 (file photo) The social credit system rates citizens based on their daily behaviour, and this could range from their bank credit to their social media activities. With a tagline of 'once discredited, everywhere restricted', it vows to punish 'untrustworthy' citizens in as many ways as possible. Train passengers could face travel bans if they endanger railway safety, smoke on high-speed trains, sell on tickets, produce fake tickets, dodge tickets and occupy unassigned seats, according to People's Daily. Air passengers could be banned from future flights for behaviours including spreading rumours about terror attacks, breaking into runways, assaulting the crew and causing disruption on flights. A missing British tourist feared dead after falling off a ferry in Spain has been pictured for the first time, as his sister said the family have not given up hope of finding him. Rem Kingston, 31, was last seen around 5am on Friday after boarding Balearia ferry Hypatia de Alejandria in Valencia with his mother. He was reported missing when the vessel arrived in Majorca on Friday and a major air and sea search by the Spanish Coastguard has failed to find any trace of him. However, his sister believes it is possible he could have hidden on the ferry, which travelled via Ibiza, and vanished on purpose. Rem Kingston, pictured left, has not been seen since Friday morning but his sister Megan, right, has said he may still be alive Rescue official Miguel Chicon has said the chances of finding Mr Kingston alive if he had gone overboard were practically 'nil' given the water temperatures and the fact no life jackets were unaccounted for. Mr Kingston, pictured, has not been found despite an extensive Coastguard search But his sister Megan has flown to Spain as police in Majorca, Ibiza and Valencia continue to search for him on land. She told local paper Majorca Daily Bulletin: 'Rem has mental health issues. He suffers from paranoia and sometimes gets scared of people. 'There is a possibility that he hid himself somewhere on the ferry and returned to Valencia, stopped and disembarked at the port of Ibiza or that he did come ashore here in Palma. 'It's just that my mother had lost sight of him. 'All the security forces and the British Consulate staff have been really helpful and are doing all they can. Should anyone spot Rem, please call the police straight away. 'If approaching, please do so calmly as he is fearful and not trusting of people in his current mental state.' Mr Kingston and his mother had flown to Malaga to pick up a car they were taking to a holiday home in Majorca. Mr Kingston was last seen around 5am on Friday after boarding Balearia ferry Hypatia de Alejandria (file photo) in Valencia with his mother The missing man, director of an Essex-based HR firm, has spent several summer seasons DJing in Ibiza and also says on an Internet biography he has been involved with online radio, pirate FM radio in Essex and London. He has also performed at clubs in Cairns on Australia's North Eastern coast and in recent years has publicised himself as a photographer. In May 2014 he was the subject of a missing persons' appeal by police in the Scottish Highlands. Officers said at the time the car enthusiast was believed to be travelling in a blue Ford Mondeo, but later confirmed he had been found safe and well. Donald Trump went back to sparring with the reporters who cover him on Tuesday, calling them 'the enemy of the people' and 'the real opposition party.' Journalists began to face a reckoning on Monday in the wake of a letter from Attorney General William Barr that confirmed Special Counsel Robert Mueller had found no evidence of any election-year conspiracy between the president's campaign organization and Russia. 'The Mainstream Media is under fire and being scorned all over the World as being corrupt and FAKE,' Trump tweeted Tuesday morning. 'For two years they pushed the Russian Collusion Delusion when they always knew there was No Collusion. They truly are the Enemy of the People and the Real Opposition Party!' A White House official said Tuesday that Trump was feeling vindicated and plans to 'play it to the hilt. Why not?' That will include a public rally Thursday night in Michigan, his first in the post-Mueller glow of what the White House has called a complete 'exoneration.' President Donald Trump is back to lambasting the political press as public enemy #1 as he blasts the reporters who cover him for over-reaching on Russia 'collusion' 'They truly are the Enemy of the People and the Real Opposition Party!' Trump tweeted Tuesday, referring to the journalists who shape public opinion about his presidency As the pendulum swung in the president's favor, the cloud that had hung over 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue dispersed into dozens of smaller ones that hovered over news bureaus in Washington, New York and beyond. The president's revenge against the media has already begun. Trump's campaign has challenged TV networks to stop booking interviews with a half-dozen of his opponents who claimed during the past two years that there was ironclad evidence of collusion between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russians. His communications aide Mercedes Schlapp said in a Fox News Channel interview Monday night that 'there needs to be accountability. I mean, this has been irresponsible reporting. Its journalism at a point that ... theyve lost their way.' Eric Trump, the president's normally reserved second son, tweeted a blunt demand about the mainstream media: 'How about a simple apology from the #MSM for the hell everyone has been put through for the past two + years? @CNN @MSNBC @NBCNews @ABC @CBS @nytimes @washingtonpost.' Donald Trump Jr. erupted at CNN media reporter Brian Stelter on Tuesday His elder brother, Donald Trump Jr., was characteristically more pointed after CNN president Jeff Zucker told The New York Times that he was 'entirely comfortable' with the network's coverage of the Mueller saga. 'We are not investigators. We are journalists, and our role is to report the facts as we know them, which is exactly what we did,' said Zucker. 'A sitting presidents own Justice Department investigated his campaign for collusion with a hostile nation. Thats not enormous because the media says so. Thats enormous because its unprecedented.' CNN media reporter Brian Stelter tweeted his boss's comments, enraging Trump Jr.. 'I knew @CNN had low standards after watching multiple #RussiaHoax stories blow up in their face, but now journalists dont have an obligation to investigate news before they report?' he tweeted in response. 'Hate to break it to Zucker's propaganda czar @brianstelter, but CNN is a national embarrassment.' White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders reinforced the belief Tuesday morning that the editors and correspondents she deals with every day are hopelessly aligned against the administration. 'How many times do the Democrats and their liberal media allies have to be proven embarrassingly wrong about @realDonaldTrump before they finally accept hes been a great President?' she wrote on Twitter. Sanders on Monday night tweeted an image of a New York Post graphic portraying 32 political figures and pundits as participants in a March Madness-style tournament bracket that pit them against one another for the title of the biggest Russia-collusion loser. Her chief deputy, Hogan Gidley, said the Times, The Washington Post, CNN and MSNBC had collectively published 8,500 stories about the Mueller Russia probe. According to Axios, the 22 months since Mueller began his probe have seen more than 533,000 online articles published about the scandal. They generated more than 245 million interactions on Twitter and Facebook. 'Its so painfully obvious they wanted it to be true so badly, and the last two years of their lives and two years of their news coverage has been an entire waste,' Gidley told the Times. Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani blasted CNN Monday night on the network's own air, saying: 'This network should apologize.' 'You guys on this network have tortured this man for two years with collusion and nobodys apologizing,' Giuliani demanded. At least one Republican Monday night smashed the mold of the angry Trump defender looking for retribution. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who is considering whether to challenge the president in a 2020 primary campaign, told a crowd of journalists at an awards banquet in Washington that they embody a 'noble profession.' 'You may not always get it right, but you are not fake news,' he said. to applause. A millionaire property heiress has spoken of the horrific attack she suffered at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, after he was jailed for 21 months. Chloe Pidgley, 26, described 'screaming and crying' during the 'horrendous' attack by convicted thug and drug dealer Antonio Henry, 29, who burst into her Earl's Court home and punched and kicked her in the face. He hurled a chair and an oil radiator at a terrified Ms Pidgley, and slammed a door on her hand as she tried to flee, leaving her with two broken fingers after the attack last June. Antonio Henry, 29, punched and kicked Chloe Pidgley, 26, in the face during the sickening attack in Earl's Court, west London , on 18 June last year Chloe Pidgley, 26, was beaten around the head with a radiator at her London flat. Her attacker threatened to return with acid during the incident in Kensington Chloe Pidgley, 26, described 'screaming and crying' during the 'horrendous' attack (pictured, her injuries) by convicted thug and drug dealer Antonio Henry, 29, who burst into her Earl's Court home and punched and kicked her in the face Today Ms Pidgley, granddaughter of Berkeley Homes founder Tony Pidgley, told the Evening Standard that Henry 'wouldn't leave her alone' when she broke off their four-month relationship. Five days before the assault she confronted Henry over messages he sent to her, her sister and mother, but he followed her and 'smashed up my house', she said. She heard a smash at her home in Earl's Court and found Henry standing in her bedroom when she went to investigate. She said: 'I was screaming and tried to get out of the room and that is when he slammed my fingers in the door,' she said. 'The attack was horrendous. I was screaming and crying and he was punching and kicking me, hitting my head. 'I couldn't move or breath. Even with blood everywhere he still wouldn't stop. At one point I stopped screaming and tried to plead with him.' Henry then threatened to come back and carry out an acid attack. Ms Pidgley, who was taken to hospital after the attack, said: 'I couldn't even fight back because it seemed there was no point, so I stayed lying in the foetal position.' She was in court to see him jailed yesterday, and said she was 'over the moon' that her ex-boyfriend is now behind bars. 'I feel so much safer now,' she said. 'I'm so happy. I just feel like it's a fresh start. I don't think I realised how much it affected me.' She added: 'It is not fair anyone has had to go through this situation. At one point I cared about this person. 'It has really opened my eyes to how many women go through this and have abuse in their lives.' She told the paper she had not been able to return to her job as a receptionist since the attack on June 18, and has taken part in marches to raise awareness of violence against women. 'I could have been killed. Women are dying every day in abusive relationships,' she said. 'It wasn't about the sentence. It was about teaching him a lesson and showing other men that it will not be tolerated. That behaviour will be punished.' Tony Pidgley is the founder of the famous property developer Berkeley Homes and thought to be worth a staggering 310million Her mother, Denize Hewitt, had revealed that her receptionist daughter called for help mid-attack, telling The Sun: 'She screamed down the phone' Yesterday Judge Hannah Duncan jailed Henry for 21 months after he admitted assault and criminal damage at Isleworth Crown Court. Ms Pidgley, who was in court to see Henry sentenced, broke down in tears as the judge passed the sentence. Henry has a long history of convictions dating back to 2003 mainly for offences of violence including assault causing actual bodily harm. His record also includes offences of battery, harassment, threatening words and behaviour and conspiracy to supply class A drugs. Henry, of Ealing, admitted assault occasioning actual body harm and criminal damage. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison. A restraining order preventing him from contacting Ms Pidgley was also issued. Henry, of Gunnersbury Avenue, Ealing, admitted assault occasioning actual body harm and criminal damage Both Chloe and her model sister, Chantelle, reportedly received a 'coming of age' sum of 1million each Her mother, Denize Hewitt, had revealed that her receptionist daughter called for help mid-attack, telling The Sun: 'She screamed down the phone. 'I dialled 999. I thought she would be dead.' A Met spokesman had said at the time: 'Police were called at 20:05hrs on Monday, 18 June to a residential address in Warwick Road, Kensington and Chelsea, following reports of a female resident having been assaulted. 'Officers attended with LAS [London Ambulance Service] colleagues. 'The victim had been at home at the time; after hearing a smash, she went to her bedroom and discovered a 29-year-old male, who was known to her, had broken into the premises. 'The male then attacked the victim before fleeing the scene. 'The victim was conveyed to a central London hospital where her injuries were deemed not life-threatening or life-changing. Tony Pidgley is the founder of the famous property developer Berkeley Homes and thought to be worth a staggering 310million. Both Chloe and her model sister, Chantelle, reportedly received a 'coming of age' sum of 1million each. Footage has emerged of Pope Francis repeatedly pulling his hand away as the faithful attempt to perform a traditional sign of respect. The Pope was greeting worshippers at the Italian pilgrimage site dedicated to the Virgin Mary at Loreto on Monday. But he appeared reluctant to allow the laity to pay him the respect of kissing his ring - simple silver with a cross - the sacred symbol of the Pope's union to the Church. A Vatican aide said he had been 'amused' by all the reaction, adding of the ring kissing: 'Sometimes he likes it, sometimes he does not. It's really as simple as that.' Pope Francis quickly slips his hand away from this woman as she bends to kiss his hand at the cathedral in Loreto, Italy Another man gets close to paying his respects by kissing the ring before the Pope pulls his hand away He has divided opinion in the Church, with some believing the Pope should allow them the privilege, while others say it is a dated practice harking back to when Pope's were crowned like monarchs. Video shows him beaming politely as devotees kneel before him but as each of them attempts to kiss the ring he quickly slips his hand away. The pontiff can be seen smiling afterwards to offer reassurance as some appear deflated at his recoiling from the kiss. Papal biographer Austen Ivereigh, a supporter of Francis, tweeted: 'He's making sure that they engage with him, not treat him like a sacred relic. He's the Vicar of Christ, not a Roman emperor.' 'It's high time kissing bishops' rings disappears altogether. It's just ridiculous and has nothing to do with tradition. It's an import from monarchies. Much of the pomp around bishops should be ditched,' Tweeted Jesuit priest Russell Pollitt. Some Vatican watchers noted that even former Pope Benedict, a hero to nostalgic conservatives, and his predecessor John Paul, did not like having their hands kissed - at least not by long lines of people, for the sake of expediency. One Twitter user recalled that when he visited Pope John Paul with a group of 50 people they were told specifically not to kneel or kiss the papal hand. Rome correspondent for the National Catholic Register Edward Pentin tweeted: 'This is something he has done quite regularly during his pontificate though not quite so insistently as today.' Pope Francis was in Loreto to sign a document on Monday during his pastoral visit at Santuario della Santa Casa Pope Francis' address was broadcast on screens in the packed square outside the Church in Loreto David Gibson, director of Fordham's Center on Religion and Culture, wrote: 'This tradition is simply a throwback to an imperial/monarchical era that the papacy mimicked. If it served a purpose at one time it may not (and I think does not) serve any longer. Pope's are no longer crowned.' But Catholic priest Kevin Cusick tweeted: 'It's a grace for the faithful to be able to show respect for the office of the pope by kissing the papal ring. It's not about the pope, it's about the faithful.' Francis celebrated Mass in Loreto's cathedral and then signed a document dedicated to today's youth. The papers which will be officially released on April 2 are titled 'Christ Lives.' The document provide Francis' commentary on a youth summit held last October with the world's bishops on ways to better minister to today's young people. Francis welcomed more than 250 priests, bishops and cardinals, as well as 34 young Catholics, to a month-long meeting on ministering to future generations, urging young and old to listen to one another without prejudice. Pope Francis reacts during a visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Loreto on the feast of the Annunciation on Monday The Pope greets the faithful inside the cathedral at Loreto in Italy as he signed a document dedicated to today's youth He prayed for God's help to ensure the church 'does not allow itself, from one generation to the next, to be extinguished or crushed by the prophets of doom and misfortune, by our own shortcomings, mistakes and sins.' The meeting was dominated by discussion about how to better welcome gay people into the church, give women a greater say in decision-making, and manage the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal. The pope said yesterday that he chose Loreto, which according to tradition is the site of Mary's home, to sign his document because it is the 'house of the youth.' 'The House of Mary is also the home of the family,' Francis said. 'In the delicate situation of today's world, the family, founded on marriage between a man and a woman, takes on an essential importance and mission. 'It is necessary to rediscover the plan traced out by God for the family, to reaffirm its greatness and irreplaceability at the service of life and society.' China's former head of internet censorship, who once held high-profile meetings with industry leaders such as Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on corruption charges today. Lu Wei, who was charged with accepting bribes from 2002 to 2017, was also fined three million yuan (338,000), said the Ningbo Intermediate People's Court in eastern Zhejiang province in a statement. Lu was one of numerous senior officials caught up in President Xi Jinping's sweeping anti-graft campaign and had already been expelled from the ruling Communist Party, which tightly controls the courts. Lu Wei, who was charged with accepting bribes from 2002 to 2017, was also fined three million yuan (338,000), said the Ningbo Intermediate People's Court in eastern Zhejiang province Chinese President Xi Jinping, centre, talks with Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg as Lu Wei looks on during a gathering of CEOs and other executives at Microsoft's main campus in Redmond, Washington on Sept 23, 2015. Lu was sentenced to 14 years in jail on Tuesday He accepted the verdict and will not appeal, the court added in a post on its official Twitter-like Weibo account. Lu had confessed to accepting 32 million yuan (3.6 million) in bribes. Lu, who oversaw a tightening of online censorship during his tenure at the Cyberspace Administration of China, was a fierce defender of China's policy of internet control. In 2015, he explained that censorship was necessary to protect online freedoms, and that 'freedom without order doesn't exist'. A year later, Lu stepped down from his post, and officials announced he was being investigated for suspected disciplinary violations in 2017. Lu had confessed to accepting 32 million yuan (3.6 million) in bribes during a trial in October Prosecutors said that Lu used his influence and position at various government organisations, including the Cyberspace Administration of China and Xinhua News Agency, to help others in exchange for benefits. Social media users were blocked from commenting on certain posts on Lu's sentencing, while some media outlets had scrubbed out select responses. The former China internet tsar was once named among the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine. He also met with several Silicon Valley executives, including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who personally welcomed him to the company's Silicon Valley headquarters in 2014. Zuckerberg has made several attempts to woo China's top brass, including Xi, as the US social networking site, along with Twitter and Google, remains blocked by the country's 'Great Firewall' of online censorship. Ex-Internet czar Lu Wei poses for a photo with Apple CEO Tim Cook next to him during a gathering of executives at Microsoft's main campus in Redmond, Washington in 2015 President Xi has carried out a wide-ranging crackdown on corruption, including targeting former president of Interpol, Meng Hongwei (pictured), whose whereabouts remain unknown Lu is part of a growing group of Communist Party cadres caught in Xi's anti-graft campaign, which critics say has served as a way to remove the president's political enemies. More than one million officials have been punished so far during Xi's six-year tenure. In October, Meng Hongwei, former Interpol president and vice minister of China's public security bureau, was accused of accepting bribes, after he disappeared on a visit to China from France, where his wife and children live. Last week, Meng's wife urged French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss her husband's case with Xi during his official visit to Paris. In her written appeal, Grace Meng demanded that her husband be allowed to receive visits from his lawyers. Former security head Zhou Yongkang - who appointed Meng vice security minister in 2004 - was also accused of bribery, as well as abuse of power and leaking state secrets. In 2015, he was sentenced to life in prison. An Texas man was arrested after sheriff's deputies said he was keeping his mother's body wrapped in a tarpaulin in their front yard. Jeremy David Cassin, 42, is in the Rusk County Jail charged with corpse abuse. If Cassin is convicted, he could be sentenced to up to two years in state jail. Rusk County Sheriff Jeff Price told CBS19 that Tyler that Cassin's grandmother called police from Houston after he told her that her daughter, 63-year-old Karen Cassin, had died. Jeremy David Cassin, (pictured), was charged with corpse abuse after he wrapped his mother's body in tarpaulin and buried her in their front yard under a group of pine trees Price said that they then responded to the welfare check on March 20. Price explained: 'It was actually the deceaseds mother, who lives in the Houston-area. 'She had called up here, because she hadnt heard from her daughter, so she was checking on them, and when she called, she talked to the grandson. He'd explained to her that she had passed away.' Initially Price claimed that Cassin told his grandmother that he had cremated his mother's remains. 'She called several funeral homes, but the funeral homes had no idea what she was talking about. She called the grandson back, confronts the grandson again.' Authorities went back to the house a second time and Cassin informed them that his mother was 'on the ground behind him' wrapped up in a tarpaulin. According to the arrest affidavit, Jeremy claimed that he found his mother dead on March 18. He then removed her from her bed, wrapped her in a tarpaulin and placed her in the front yard under a group of pine trees. Cassin appeared in court in Rusk County, Texas on Monday after admitting to rolling his mother up in tarpaulin and placing her body underneath pine trees outside the home Officials were called to Cassin's home, located at 1811 County Road 308 in Henderson, (pictured), on March 20 in reference to a welfare check 'He had actually rolled her up in a blanket and had taken her out and laid her underneath a set of pine trees. 'His explanation to it was that it scared him. He didnt know what to do. He wasnt sure what to do, and that was the only thing he could think of.' Sheriff Price claimed that his office had encountered Jeremy in the pass and he had received minor, nonviolent charges. He claimed that he was uncertain if Jeremy has been medically diagnosed with any mental disability. 'Its difficult to say what people would do when confronted with certain situations," Sheriff Price said. 'But this would not be your normal reaction. Most people would think, Oh dear! and they would call 911.' Karen Cassin's body was sent for an autopsy to determine a cause of death. Jeremy remains in the Rusk County Jail on $25,000 bond. Online jail records list no attorney for Cassin, who lives in Henderson. Mark Adams, 56, has been jailed for rape for a second time this year A former aide to Tony Blair and John Major has been jailed for rape for the second time this year, after he was convicted of attacking a 19-year-old in his camper van at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Mark Adams, 56, from Fareham, Hampshire, forced himself on his teenage victim after finding her walking alone and drunk on the streets of Edinburgh in August 2017. The father-of-four carried the girl to his camper van and put her down on his bed, where she quickly fell asleep - before waking up to him raping her. Shamed civil servant Adams, who served as private secretary to both John Major and Tony Blair during the 1990s, is already behind bars after being convicted of raping another woman following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court in London, in January. He was sentenced to seven years for the Edinburgh rape, and it will run consecutively to the seven-year sentence he was given on January 16. Adams, who has been married twice and was awarded an OBE in 1997, was also convicted of a separate sexual assault in a Welsh court last year and was sentenced to six months in prison. He denied a charge of rape during a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh last month, claiming sex with the teenager was consensual. However, he was found guilty by a jury. The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told Adams' trial that he preyed on her as she returned home from a night out at the Edinburgh Fringe and abused her in his camper van. She had been out drinking with a friend and walked home from a nightclub around 5.15am, before stopping to rest on Regent Road, where Adams approached her. She fell asleep in his camper van but awoke to find the father-of-four raping her. Adams now accepts his actions 'amounted to rape,' his defence brief told the High Court in Glasgow. Defending, Gary Allan QC said Adams had acknowledged his crimes and felt 'remorseful'. Adams was sentenced to seven years for the Edinburgh rape, and it will run consecutively to the seven-year sentence he was given on January 16 Mr Allan said: 'Mr Adams, in the period since the trial, now accepts that what he did amounted to rape. 'Mr Adams has expressed to me and your lordship his remorse. 'He's remorseful and very ashamed of his own behaviour.' Sentencing, judge Lord Armstrong said: 'You have been convicted of the rape of a young woman who was vulnerable and made the mistake of taking your assistance. 'You took advantage of her in a calculated and manipulative manner while she was alone in the streets of Edinburgh. 'You are 56 years of age and I note you now know the impact of your actions in the criminal justice social work report.' 'The recognition is more than justified by a victim impact statement and that makes it very clear that your actions directed against her have had a devastating and detrimental effect on her life. 'Your criminal history involves a previous assault and rape. 'The crime of which you have been convicted is a grave crime which all women should be protected.' Taxi driver James Campbell, 50, saw the victim running after the rape. He said the teenager was very upset, was crying and looked as if she needed help. He drove towards her and asked what had happened. Mr Campbell told prosecution lawyer Dorothy Bain QC: 'I have never seen anybody run as fast as that. She was distraught. She was totally broken. 'It was a horrible thing to see - I can't see anything more than that. 'She told me ''he was inside me''. It was at that point I said ''I think you should phone the police''. 'Her hair was very dishevelled. I've got a daughter the same age as that. I know how much time they spend doing their hair and make up to look glamourous. 'But she looked as though she had been dragged through a hedge backwards.' The seven-year sentence will run consecutively to the sentence Adams is already serving, and he will be put on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely. Last October, he was also convicted at Swansea Crown Court of sexually assaulting a barmaid in Tenby, Wales. The Welsh court was told that Adams was on holiday with his elderly mother when he asked a barmaid for a selfie. As he took the photo he put his hand on her bottom and offered her 300 to spend the night with him, saying: 'That's a lot of money to you isn't it?' The barmaid told Adams that she had a boyfriend and he increased his offer to 400. Adams was made an OBE in 1997 and is a graduate of Cambridge University. After leaving the Civil Service, Adams set up a public affairs agency called Foresight Consulting in 2001. His company acted for clients including the Police Federation. In recent years, Adams acted as a lobbyist and held high profile roles including chairman of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry and of the Professional Lobbying Company. He also advised the Apprentice winner Michelle Dewberry as she attempted to become an MP. A married Harvard-trained cardiologist has been accused of having his mistress' baby killed after she became pregnant by another man. Dr Vignendra Ariyarajah has been charged with criminally negligent homicide, manslaughter, and assault. He allegedly hired two people, whose names have not been released, to trap his mistress Paul Marie Raymond, 30, in a Brooklyn home and torture her for days. Married Harvard-trained cardiologist Dr Vignendra Ariyarajah has been accused of having his mistress' baby killed after she became pregnant by another man. He is pictured here in Brooklyn court on Tuesday The co-conspirators, a man and a woman, allegedly starved Raymond and gave her water only through a syringe on Ariyarajah's instructions. Ariyarajah allegedly hired two people to trap his mistress Paul Marie Raymond, 30, and torture her for days. Ariyarajah and Raymond, who met at work, are pictured here in an undated photo Sources said they induced Raymond, who was seven-and-a-half months pregnant, with fentanyl and PCP in their efforts to kill the baby boy. Meanwhile, Ariyarajah and his wife were on a ski vacation in Montana, according to the New York Post. Raymond suffered through a prolonged labor for four days before the baby was born alive on December 24, 2016. The boy died hours later of an infection and lack of medical intervention, according to the autopsy report. The child tested positive for both fentanyl and PCP. Authorities believe that Ariyarajah was in contact with his co-conspirators throughout the horrific ordeal and instructed them to administer the drugs. He also allegedly told the pair not to give Raymond 'any food and to only administer juice or water through a syringe'. On the night before her child died, Raymond briefly managed to flee the apartment. Ariyarajah and his wife were on a ski vacation in Montana while his mistress was attacked, according to law enforcement sources Ariyarajah has been charged with criminally negligent homicide, manslaughter, and assault But one of the co-conspirators followed her and forced her to return. Paramedics found Raymond with chemical burns to her face. Some of her fingernails had been torn off and she had been bound The next day they called 911 after realizing her condition was rapidly deteriorating. Ariyarajah allegedly forced them to cancel it, but the paramedics still showed up. By that point Raymond had already given birth and the newborn baby boy was lying on the bed. His umbilical cord was still attached. Raymond had chemical burns to her face and torn-off fingernails. There were also marks to her arms and legs suggesting she had been bound by a kind of rope or cord. Ariyarajah was charged last month after one of his co-conspirators began cooperating with authorities. Authorities said that Ariyarajah, who was born in Malayasia and completed a fellowship at Harvard, first met Raymond when she began working for him at a MedCare Consultant Multi-Specialty Clinic. Authorities said Ariyarajah, who was born in Malayasia and completed a fellowship at Harvard, first met Raymond when she began working for him at a MedCare Consultant Multi-Specialty Clinic in New York The cardiologist, who supported Raymond financially, was allegedly very controlling. When she left and became pregnant by another man, Ariyarajah pressured her to leave him, a law enforcement source told the Post. Ariyarajah has since been released on $750,000 bond and is set to appear in court on Tuesday. His lawyer claims that the surgeon never had a romantic relationship with Raymond. The cardiologist, who supported Raymond financially, was allegedly very controlling. He is pictured here with former Vice President Joe Biden in an undated photo Wanzhen Lu, 22, was kidnapped by armed men Saturday near Toronto. He's pictured on the day of his disappearance Canadian police are searching for a Chinese student who was kidnapped by an armed gang in the parking lot of his secure access condo building. The ambush of Wanzhen Lu took place around 6pm Saturday and law enforcement said the 22-year-old was tasered by a masked man several times after exiting his black Land Rover Range Rover at 15 Water Walk Dr, Markham with a woman who escaped unharmed. Security footage obtained by investigators showed the man appeared to be taken against his will by three men who used excessive violence before stuffing him into a black 2008 to 2010 Dodge Caravan with a 'CEAR350' plate stolen from the Peel Region earlier this month. The woman Lu was accompanied by was said to be 'traumatized' by the attack. She was not physically harmed during the 'very violent attack' and notified security in the building, accessed using a fob key, leading to them calling 911. 'The attack was very brazen, violent and hands on. They took him, threw him into the vehicle and then left,' Constable Andy Pattenden from York Regional Police told reporters Monday. 'It was a violent altercation and we need to find him right now.' Neighbors said Lu had driven expensive vehicles including a Rolls Royce and a Lamborghini. One image shared with City News showed Lu sitting on the hood of the latter motor holding a bouquet of balloons. Surveillance footage from the underground parking garage led them to believe Lu was '100 percent taken against his will'. The foreign student was stunned with a Taser (left) multiple times around 6pm by a masked man The Chinese national was subjected to violence after exiting his car in a Markham parking garage. Pictured is a suspect with 'dark skin, 6'1', wearing black Canada Goose jacket' While there was speculation he may have been taken in exchange for ransom money, authorities said the kidnappers had not yet made contact. The building Lu lives in near Highway 7 and Birchmount Road sells one-bedroom apartments for $479,900. Cops also wanted to know more about the motive after the woman with Lu, who also goes by the name Peter, was left physically unscathed. Police would not say how Lu knew the woman or what school he is enrolled at. 'Shes obviously traumatized by what took place, but has been very helpful with us,' Pattenden said. 'This entire case is odd. Abductions like this, especially with this level of violence used are very rare in this country. The 15 Water Walk Dr, Markham condo building is accessed using a fob key and cops investigated this weekend while Lu's family traveled to Toronto from Hainan, China Law enforcement officers said Lu had driven expensive vehicles including a Rolls Royce and a Lamborghini. This image from a neighbor showed the cars lined up One image showed Lu sitting on the hood of the latter motor holding a bouquet of balloons 'Why him? Why not the friend he was with? If there's anyone who knows Mr. Lu that has not come forward yet with any information on why he may be a target, we'd definitively love to speak to you.' After cops appealed to the public on the same evening, the wheelchair accessible vehicle used to kidnap the foreign student was located in Toronto, approximately 30km away from the city in Ontario, on Monday. They also arrested a 35-year-old male suspect Tuesday morning. 'Traumatized' woman Lu was with was unharmed and notified building security immediately. He is pictured on the day he disappeared, kissing a woman holding flowers Police did not release his name because he has not been charged. They still haven't located the victim. Now Lu's family flew to Toronto from his native Hainan, China. Law enforcement did not share what Lu's family did for a living. The local police department was also working with the Chinese Consulate in Toronto. The Associated Press said the embassy 'have been in close contact and communication with the police, urging them to rescue the kidnapped student as soon as possible'. City News shared an image of what is allegedly Lu's passport. 'We continue to fear for the well-being of Mr. Lu. The Homicide and Missing Person Unit is leading the investigation, with additional investigators being brought in from other specialty units, including Organized Crime and Intelligence Services,' law enforcement said in a Tuesday statement. 'The investigation is also supported by the Special Services, Emergency Response, Canine, Air Support and the Forensic Identification Units, whose members have been working around the clock since Mr. Lu was kidnapped.' Lu was pictured in the outfit he was wearing the day he was abducted. He wore glasses, a black Gucci hoodie which retails for $2,000, black jeans and white running shoes. The first suspect was wearing a mask, blue pants and a black jacket. A second was described as having 'dark skin, 6'1', wearing black Canada Goose jacket'. Police said suspect number 3 was '6'2', had dark skin, heavier build, wearing dark blue jeans with a black jacket. A fourth suspect, the driver, did not get out of the vehicle. They were said to be male and wearing a green/yellow jacket with a hood. Police told the kidnappers to turn themselves in before they are caught. 'The suspects are once again urged to release Mr. Lu unharmed,' York Regional Police said Tuesday. 'We strongly recommend they seek legal counsel and turn themselves in.' The investigation is ongoing. Call 866-876-5423 x7865 with any tips on Lu's whereabouts. Pictured is an image of what is allegedly Lu's passport. The Chinese Consulate in Toronto 'have been in close contact and communication with the police, urging them to rescue the kidnapped student as soon as possible' Lu was stuffed into a black 2008 to 2010 Dodge Caravan with stolen plate 'CEAR350' and no front plate A California family is seeking action after their five-month-old puppy died during a KLM flight from Amsterdam to Los Angeles. Bear, a purebred Central Asian Shepherd, was found dead in the cargo hold of a KLM Dutch Royal Airlines jet on March 19. The pooch was a gift from Athens and was en route to the Avetisian family in Pasedena. Scroll down for videos Bear, a purebred Central Asian Shepherd, was found dead in the cargo hold of a KLM jet on March 19 The Avetisian children, Alex and Ani, had been getting routine videos and pictures from their family friends who were sending Bear. 'We were waiting for months to get that puppy, and give him some love, my kids were waiting,' father, Andranik Avetisian, explained to ABC 7. 'I don't know. It is very difficult. It is very hard for me.' But the family's fury comes from the lack of response they've received from the airline. They also expressed frustration at not being able to see the dog's body, almost a week after the incident. 'We were waiting for months to get that puppy, and give him some love, my kids were waiting,' father Andranik Avetisian said. 'I don't know. It is very difficult. It is very hard for me' Their lawyer, Evan Oshan, is now potentially seeking answers from the Airport Police and the district attorney. 'We want a criminal investigation of the circumstances surrounding the death of Bear,' Oshan asserted. KLM explained that they had examined the dog's body to ensure that there was no public health threat. The Avetisian children, Alex and Ani, had been getting routine videos and pictures from their family friends in Athens who were sending Bear 'We take matters of animal welfare very seriously. KLM's Cargo Department is in contact with the owner of the dog, and for reasons of customer confidentiality, we cannot release further details around the current investigation,' the airline said in a statement. Oshan has notably represented other airline dog death cases, including Kokito the French bulldog who was placed in an overhead bin. The lawyer stated: 'You don't take someone's property, someone's family member, somebody's pet and just keep it without any kind of explanation.' A doting father was shocked to hear that his child's first word was Google - prompting the tech giants to take notice. The moment was caught on a Los Angeles couple's baby monitor and has since gone viral with some people less impressed than others. The clip shows Joe Pitt, a character designer who has worked for Disney, dancing and singing while holding the toddler and then attempting to use a voice-activated Google device. He says: 'Hey Google, play the baddy song', when his young child chimes in, saying 'Hey Google'. This picture shows the moment of shock when the baby revealed her first word to her father Mr Pitt, visibly shocked, then darts towards the mother saying: 'Clio! She just said Google'. Clio Chang, a story artist originally from Vancouver, posted the clip on her Twitter account earlier this month. 'Welps, my baby's first word is Google,' she said, tagging the company in her tweet. Clio Chiang tweeted the clip, tagging Google in her message, a representative then responded Clio Chiang tweeted the video of her husband Joe Pitt with their young daughter The clip has amassed over 187,000 views and over 12,000 likes on Mrs Chang's account. One Twitter user, reacting to the clip, said: 'Google needs to pay for this kid's college fund.' A representative of Google did reach out. Marvin Chow, VP of Product Marketing at the company, tweeted Mrs Chang offering to send a gift to the family. Marvin Chow, a VP of Product Marketing for Google tweeted this in response to the video He said: 'Love this story -- thanks for sharing. DM me if you can. would love to send you over a little something.' Another user quipped that the clip would be used in adverts for the company while others reacted in apparent dismay. 'That is going in a commercial right now,' said Roque Ballesteros. 'This is a horror story,' said another person, 'humanity is doomed', added another. Another added: 'The responses to this and their excitement over the ubiquity of branding - from perhaps the most dystopian company we interact with regularly - makes me want to shoot myself.' A senior British doctor is feared dead after he went missing during a hike in the French Alps. Dr Robert Bailey did not return to his hotel in Chamonix, France, last Thursday after setting out on a hike up the Col de Forclaz mountain pass. The French gendarmerie has urged visitors to look out for a 63-year-old Briton wearing a blue jacket and carrying a green bag. Dr Bailey is a senior partner at a Cambridgeshire medical practice and clinical lead at a local health body. British doctor Robert Bailey, pictured left, and right on the slopes, is feared dead after he did not return to his hotel in Chamonix, France, on Thursday His colleague Dr Gary Howsam said: 'Sadly we can confirm that Dr Bailey, senior partner at Minster Practice, part of the Octagon group, who was on holiday with his family, has been reported by the French police as missing, presumed dead. 'Everyone who knows Rob Bailey will be incredibly worried and saddened by this news. 'This is an extremely distressing time for everyone who knows and works with Rob Bailey as well as his patients and the local community. The French gendarmerie has urged skiers to look out for the 63-year-old Briton who was wearing a blue jacket and carrying a green bag (pictured) 'Minster surgery will be open as normal, and the practice are providing emotional support to his colleagues. 'Our thoughts are with his family. We would ask that people respect the privacy of family and staff at this time.' Dr Bailey is the clinical lead for end of life care at the Peterborough & Cambridgeshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). He is also on the board of the Local Commissioning Group. Planet Chamonix, which describes itself as 'the guide to all things Chamonix', posted an appeal on their website on Saturday. The appeal said: 'Robert Bailey, 63 years old, has been missing since Thursday. 'Robert did not come back to his hotel after setting out on a hike up the Col de Forclaz, Les Houches. 'The British national was wearing a blue jacket, dark pants plus a green backpack, see photo. 'If you have seen anything or have any info whatsoever, please get in contact with the rescue services on (+33) 04 50 53 16 89, he is also diabetic. A map showing the location of the Col de Forclaz mountain pass where the British medic vanished after setting out on a hike 'Lets pray he's found soon.' Mountain rescue service PGHM Chamonix Mont-Blanc had posted an urgent Facebook message on Friday alerting visitors to the missing Briton. The recorded message for callers to Minster Medical Practice states: 'We are extremely saddened to advise that last Thursday Dr Bailey, who was on holiday in Chamonix, was involved in an accident. 'At present we have no further information. 'We know that this will be a difficult time for patients and staff and we would ask for your patience whilst trying get through or trying to make an appointment with the practice.' The surgery are currently only taking emergency appointments. Dr Bailey joined the practice in April 1990 and became Senior Partner in October 2009 and specialises in palliative care, diabetes, cancer and minor surgery. Advertisement A Canadian mountaineer has revealed why he made the dangerous climb down the worlds second largest ice sheet to collect data on the impact of global warming. Will Gadd, 52, from Canmore, Alberta, assisted American Professor Jason Gulley in exploring the Greenland ice sheet after noticing the radical changes in glaciers. The record-breaking ice climber said: In our lifetime were seeing radical changes and its not something I can ignore. The way we approach the mountains now has to be different. The glaciers are changing so quickly, he told Canadian TV network CityNews. And while the explorer admitted the climb was dangerous he insisted it was worth it. These moulins (vertical shafts) are not safe. There are a lot of things that can go wrong. But for research, its worth it, he said. The Greenland Ice Cap covers around 80 per cent of the country's surface and is the second largest ice body in the world, with temperatures sometimes plummeting to -58F (minus 50 degrees). Breathtaking photographs captured the explorer as he hauled himself up the continental glacier and descended into a treacherous tunnel made entirely from ice. Canadian explorer WIll Gadd climbs an iceberg (pictured left) near Ilulissat, Greenland, before descending into a moulin glacier (pictured right) on the Greenland ice cap The 52-year-old climbs down a glacier mill (a roughly circular, vertical shaft within a glacier) as substantial chunks of ice dangerously break away from the surface Having reached the bottom of the moulin, Mr Gadd is all smiles as he poses for a portrait, taken by Professor Jason Gulley. The professor joined the Canadian on the trip in the hope of collecting global warming data Wielding an ice axe and with his boots equipped with crampons, Mr Gadd makes his way down the sheer, treacherous walls of a moulin ice cave formed in the Greenland ice cap Mr Gadd is photographed as he heart-stoppingly lets go of his climbing rope, allowing it to take his entire weight and drop him further down the vertical tunnel Mr Gadd (pictured right) begins his way down the moulin, using the weight of his body to force his ropes further down as he reaches out with his pickaxe to grab hold of the ice. Afterwards, the explorer walks along the icy surface lining the bottom of the tunnel (pictured left) The author of Eat, Pray, Love has revealed she is now in a relationship with her late girlfriend's close male friend. Elizabeth Gilbert, whose partner Rayya Elias died of pancreatic cancer in January 2018, shared the news of her new relationship on Instagram. The 49-year-old divorced her second husband of nine years in 2016 so she could be in a relationship with her best friend Elias. In a lengthy Instagram post on Sunday, Gilbert revealed she was in love, writing: 'Please meet my sweetheart, Mr Simon MacArthur.' Elizabeth Gilbert, whose partner Rayya Elias died of pancreatic cancer in January 2018, revealed on Instagram on Sunday that she's now in a relationship with her late-girlfriend's friend Simon MacArthur She described her new boyfriend, who is an English photographer, as a 'beautiful man' who has been a friend of hers for years. 'Even more touchingly, Simon was a beloved friend of Rayya's for decades. They lived together in London over 30 years ago, and they adored each other forever like siblings. This, as you can imagine, means the world to me,' Gilbert said. 'Of late, Simon and I have found our way to each other's arms. And now here we are, and his heart has been such a warm place for me to land.' Gilbert said she was sharing the news publicly to avoid public speculation about her relationship and to help others feel normal about their lives. 'If you have lost a loved one to death, and you thought you'd never love again, but you are feeling a pull of attraction toward someone new, and you're not sure if that's Ok? Let me normalize it for you. Let me say: It's Ok,' she wrote. 'Your heart is a giant cathedral. Let it open. Let it love. Do not let your gorgeous loyalty to the deceased stop you from experiencing the marvels and terrors of your short, mortal, precious life. It's Ok to live, and to love. The 49-year-old author divorced her second husband of nine years in 2016 so she could be in a relationship with her best friend Elias following her cancer diagnosis. They are pictured in 2014 Gilbert and Elias held a non-legally binding commitment ceremony in New York prior to her death. Gilbert and Elias had been best friends for years but their relationship turned romantic after the cancer diagnosis 'Or...if you once loved a man, and then you loved a woman, and then you loved a man, and you're wondering if that's ok? Well, darling. Let me normalize THAT for you. It's OK. Love who you love. It's all OK, and it's all impossible to control, and it's all an adventure that I would not miss.' The revelation of her new relationship comes just over a year after her partner Elias lost her battle with pancreatic cancer. Gilbert and Elias had been best friends for years but their relationship turned romantic after the cancer diagnosis. It caused the break-up of Gilbert's second marriage to Jose Nunes who she married in 2007 - a year after publishing her bestselling memoir. She and Nunes met in Indonesia on the final leg of her round-the-world soul searching trip that inspired the book and was made into a film starring Julia Roberts in 2010. Gilbert divorced her first husband before setting off on her sojourn. Gilbert and Elias held a non-legally binding commitment ceremony in New York prior to her death. Advertisement Henry Wilson, a cowboy who was incarcerated in Leavenworth in 1899 for larceny A criminal cowboy, a would-be female killer and a 12-year-old murderer who grew up in the wild were among some of the earliest inmates at Leavenworth jail - reserved for America's deadliest and most prolific criminals. Their images have been preserved thanks to these rare mugshots, all taken between 1899 and 1919, along with details of their crimes. The pictures show inmates like Al Jennings - the outlaw and leader of the 'Jennings Gang' - thieving cowboy Henry Wilson, 15-year-old Lizzie Cardish who received a life sentence for arson in 1905 - and 19-year-old Mary Grayson who was arrested for theft. Leavenworth Penitentiary in eastern Kansas was the first of three federal prison authorized during the 1890s to avoid housing federal prisoners in state prisons known for scandal and mistreatment of inmates. For over a century, Leavenworth was the largest maximum-security federal prison in the United States - until it was downgraded to a medium-security facility in 2005. Planners initially planned 1,200 cells, housing one inmate in each, but crowding led officials to abandon that idea. As early as 1915, the prison population reached 1,800. By 1925, the population had climbed to 3,262. In its time the prison would play host to the likes of serial killer Carl Panzram, gangster Machine Gun Kelly, Martin Luther King's assassin James Earl Ray and mob boss Whitey Bulger. Al Jennings, leader of the notorious 'Jennings Gang.' The gang conducted heists across the Old West - the most successful of which was the Berwyn train robbery. Jennings was sentenced to life in Leavenworth Prison in 1899 for assault with intent to murder, but following legal efforts by his brother, he was released five years later and went on to become a silent film star A 12-year-old Native-American boy who was simply known as 'Nature Boy' having apparently grown up in the wild without learning any known language. He ended up at Leavenworth after being convicted of murder Mary Snowdon, 21, who was convicted of assault with intent to kill before being sent to Leavenworth jail, which was the largest maximum-strength penitentiary in America at the time LeRoy Pinkett, 23, who was convicted of murder, mutiny and assault with intent to murder during the Houston race riot of 1917 and sent to Leavenworth the same year William Tilgham, Jr, who was convicted of forgery and sent to Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, Kansas, in 1919. He was the son of a US Marshal, and later an executive of a minor motion picture company William Haywood, was an International Workers of the World (WW) labor leader from Illinois; convicted of obstruction of military service and sedition in 1918 Mary Grayson, 19, was convicted of larceny before being sent to Leavenworth in 1900. Her mugshot was preserved in prison archives along with this brief description of her crime In its time the prison would play host to the likes of serial killer Carl Panzram and gangster Machine Gun Kelly (pictured) Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib is circulating a letter to her colleagues asking them to support an investigation into whether President Trump committed high crimes and misdemeanors. Tlaib infamously pledged to 'impeach the motherf**ker' her first week in office, and now, she's taking steps to do it, asking Democratic lawmakers to attach their names to a resolution that would formally begin the process. Among the possible crimes that Tlaib wants investigated: indirect and direct payments to the president or his businesses or regulatory approval that would benefit foreign governments. The freshman congresswoman also wants the House of Representatives to look into former Trump attorney Michael Cohen's claims that the president directed him to pay off women prior to the 2016 election. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib is circulating a letter to her colleagues asking them to support an investigation into whether President Trump committed high crimes and misdemeanors Tlaib says a review of the special counsel's evidence on obstruction of justice is also necessary. Congressional committees are already probing Donald Trump's businesses, and lawmakers leading panels with jurisdiction over the Justice Department and intelligence community have pledged to pick through Mueller's findings looking for links to crimes that the president or his associates may have committed that were outside the scope of the Russian meddling investigation. They are asking Attorney General William Barr to come before Congress to explain his conclusion that Trump did not obstruct justice when he fired former FBI Director James Comey and met with Russian officials the very next day in the Oval Office. Tlaib infamously pledged to 'impeach the motherf**ker' her first week in office, and now, she's taking steps to do it Some lawmakers have said they want to Mueller to testify on the report he turned into the Justice Department. It has not been released to the public or Congress. Barr told legislators in a letter that Mueller did not reach a determination on obstruction, leaving the task to himself and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Tlaib's office was unavailable for comment on Tuesday morning on the resolution she put forward a day after Barr provided lawmakers with principle takeaways from the special counsel's report. The declaration that was published online by several news outlets specifically called on the Judiciary Committee to determine whether the Congress should initiate a process to remove Trump from office. 'Resolved, That the Committee on the Judiciary shall inquire whether the House should impeach Donald John Trump, President of the United States of America,' it begins. 'SEC. 2. The Committee on the Judiciary or any subcommittee or task force designated by the Committee may, in connection with the inquiry under this resolution, take affidavits and depositions by a member, counsel, or consultant of the Committee, pursuant to notice or subpoena. 'SEC. 3. There shall be paid out of the applicable accounts of the House such sums as may be necessary to assist the Committee on the Judiciary in conducting the inquiry under this resolution, any of which may be used for the procurement of staff or consultant services.' Tlaib said the investigation is necessary because Mueller and the Southern District of New York are investigating actions Trump may have taken before he was sworn in. 'However, the most dangerous threat to our democracy is President Trumps actions since taking the oath of office,' she stated in her letter. 'Much of the allegations have yet to be fully investigated by this body who also took an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution. It is critical that we protect the American people and our country from any conflicts of interests that directly erodes our democracy.' She said it is up to the House Judiciary Committee to 'inquire whether President Trump committed impeachable offenses' and to the Congress at large to provide an 'open and transparent process with the sole goal of ensuring we know the truth and make sure it does not continue, nor happen again.' 'I, firmly, believe that the House Committee on Judiciary should seek out whether President Trump has committed High crimes and Misdemeanors as designated by the U.S. Constitution and if the facts support those findings, that Congress begin impeachment proceedings,' she states. Earlier in March, she said at a news conference that she would pursue impeachment. 'This is an emergency for many of us,' she said of the resolution she planned to introduce. 'We cannot allow the pay-to-play to continue. We cannot allow the direct violation of the Emoluments Clause. Anybody else would already be in impeachment proceedings.' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has asked her colleagues seeking impeachment to tone down the rhetoric, and President Trump has said his enemies in Congress will be unsuccessful. 'You can't impeach somebody that's doing a great job. That's how I view it,' he said at a January news conference in response to a question about Tlaib's impeachment proclamation. Warrant Officer Robert 'Rab' McAvoy (pictured) was found dead in woodland near Dorchester A British soldier is thought to have taken his own life after serving in 'every hotspot' the Army has engaged since the Iraq War's start in 2003. Warrant Officer Robert 'Rab' McAvoy's body was found in woodland after more than 20 years in the military. The Royal Engineer, who lived in Bovington, Dorset, went missing from his home last night, prompting a major police search. The 39-year-old's remains were found in the early hours of this morning eight miles away in a secluded area at Crossways, near Dorchester. He served with the British Army corps providing engineering and other technical solutions in combat zones. Known as The Sappers, the Royal Engineering Corps includes bomb disposal/search units, armoured engineers, parachute engineers, commando engineers and divers. WO McAvoy's death is not being treated as suspicious and the Dorset coroner has been informed. Originally from Netherthird in East Ayrshire, visited every military 'hot spot' that flared up during his career. His uncle, Richard Barrie, said the soldier, affectionately known as 'Rab', was 'loved by everyone'. 'It's with a heavy heart that that we have found out that another serving solider, my nephew Robert McAvoy, has taken his own life,' he said. 'Robert served many years in the army and had been to every hotspot the army has served in over the last 20 years multiple times. The soldier (pictured with his wife, Emma) is believed to have taken his own life and a fellow serviceman hinted that he may have been suffering with mental health issues Mr McAvoy was found at Crossways (pictured), which is near Dorchester, after he was reported missing yesterday 'Loved by everyone, Robert was always there to help people. This boy will be sadly missed by us all.' In a post on social media, fellow serviceman Alastair Lindsay, suggested the married father has been suffering from mental health problems. He said: 'RIP Rab if these gremlins were in your head you should have talked about it doing this most of the time they go away. Take note others who are suffering - talk about it. Life is to valuable.' WO McAvoy, a keen ultra runner and hill walker, was reported missing by his family at around 6.20pm last night. A running friend today said the soldier turned to sport to escape his military life. David Miller, who used to to run with the warrant officer, said he was 'a lovely man with time for everybody'. Robert 'Rab' McAvoy (pictured) is thought to have taken his own life after police found his body in remote woodland 'Rob always put other everyone else first,' he said. 'We'd go out running and he would always say hello to everyone we passed - he was that kind of guy. 'He loved running and I think it was almost like escaping his military life for him. I never heard anything about any mental health issues but it is obviously something military personnel have suffered with in the past. 'He ran to a pretty good standard and used to enjoy the Jurassic Coast in particular. I know he wanted to complete one run that was 82 miles long. He will be missed by everyone.' WO McAvoy was last seen leaving his home in his Land Rover 4x4 an hour earlier. He was wearing a pink T-shirt with pineapples, dark jeans, a red jacket and trainers. Dorset Police carried out a thorough search of his local area, which lasted 'into the night'. His body was eventually located shortly after midnight and his family have been made aware. A spokesman for Dorset Police said: 'Officers searching for missing Robert McAvoy from Bovington have sadly found the body of a man. Robert was reported missing yesterday at 6.21pm. 'A search of the area was carried out into the night. Very sadly, the body of a man was discovered in a remote area near Crossways. His death is not being treated as suspicious.' For confidential support, visit samaritans.org or call them on 116123. Meghan Markle's ex-husband Trevor Engelson has celebrated his bachelor party with a group of friends in Miami Beach, DailyMailTV can reveal. And while the Hollywood producer has moved on from his royal ex, it seems he can't escape his history with the Duchess of Sussex. In social media footage obtained by DailyMailTV, Engelson can be seen being toasted - and possibly roasted - by a friend who appears to be referring to his ex-wife. As the group of men lift up their glasses, one of them looks across to Engelson and says: 'This right here... this right here is to royalty, you know what I'm saying?' To chuckles from the group and the clinking of glasses, he continues: 'Royalty won, royalty lost... But regardless baby, we got to keep going!' As the rest of the group cheers in agreement, they all look in the direction of Engelson, 42, who can be seen smiling and nodding his head as the video turns to him. Meghan Markle's ex-husband Trevor Engelson celebrated his bachelor party with a group of friends in Miami Beach on March 17. During a toast, a friend poked fun at his royal ex-wife Meghan Markle, saying: 'Royalty won, royalty lost... But regardless baby, we got to keep going!' According to staff at the restaurant, Prime 112, the group had a long boozy lunch. 'They were very lively,' a source said. 'They were here for a long time, had quite a bit to drink and were having a great time' In social media footage obtained by DailyMailTV, Engelson can be seen laughing along with his friend's toast that referred to his ex-wife Meghan Markle (pictured together in 2010) The cellphone camera is then turned onto the person shooting the video, Engelson's close friend Ray Smith, who says 'L'Chaim!' - a Hebrew term meaning 'to life', traditionally used in Jewish toasts and often at engagements and weddings. According to staff at the restaurant, celebrity favorite Prime 112, the group, which also included US rapper Noreaga, had a long boozy lunch on Sunday March 17. 'They were very lively,' the source said. 'They were here for a long time, had quite a bit to drink and were having a great time.' The video was posted on the Instagram account of British actor Damson Idris, who stars in the US television show Snowfall, which Meghan's ex produces. In another video taken at the restaurant, Engelson's friend Noreaga also gives an impromptu speech in which he looks at Engelson and says there's no place he'd rather be than 'with you celebrating brother'. He adds: 'You're a great guy and you deserve it man, I love you...sorry to be emotional.' Engelson responds: 'It's an emotional day.' Engelson is set to marry nutritionist Tracey Kurland on May 11, almost exactly a year after Meghan and Prince Harry tied the knot The toast video was posted on the Instagram account of British actor Damson Idris, who stars in the US television show Snowfall, which Meghan's ex produces. Damson posted this photo alongside Engelson on the water, both smiling widely in the Florida sunshine The friend who had given the earlier speech then chimes in and jokes: 'If it wasn't for Trev I wouldn't believe that I could marry a future princess, so now I gotta...what princess is available right now, I'm coming for you girl.' The group cheers and someone shouts out 'Wakanda', which is the home of the royal family in the Black Panther movie. Engelson himself posted a group photo from the weekend, shot outside the same restaurant, with the message, 'No caption necessary'. And Engelson's wife-to-be Tracey Kurland, who went on her own bachelorette party to Hawaii just four weeks ago, contributed with a joke. In the post's comment section she wrote:'...guess it's time to get married now!' Producer friend Dan Farah posted the same snap on his Instagram page, alongside #sundaysunday and #miami, and the post was liked by veteran Hollywood actor Tony Danza. As part of the trip, which appears to have spanned a weekend, the group also went on a yacht on the blue waters around Miami Beach. Damson posted a photo alongside Engelson on the water, both smiling widely in the Florida sunshine. Trevor proposed to multi-millionaire banker's daughter Kurland, a 32-year-old nutritionist, last June while on a tour of California's wine country after dating for a year Among the other men on the trip were fellow producer Dan Farah and close friend Douglas Banker. Engelson will walk his bride down the aisle on May 11 - almost exactly a year after Meghan and Prince Harry tied the knot. He proposed to multi-millionaire banker's daughter Kurland, a 32-year-old nutritionist, last June while on a tour of California's wine country after dating for a year. The couple celebrated their engagement with a bash in October. Last month DailyMailTV revealed how Engelson and his bride-to-be, will be living in luxury if family and friends chip in to buy the regal array of items he and Kurland have placed on their wedding registry. Engelson will have something to remind him of Meghan every day: the $275 eight-inch Waterford crystal 'Meg' rose bowl, from Gearys of Beverly Hills. The happy couple have asked for a 24-carat gold-decorated Hermes designer service that almost costs a king's ransom. Last month DailyMailTV revealed how Engelson and his bride-to-be, will be living in luxury if family and friends chip in to buy the regal array of items he and Kurland have placed on their wedding registry. They're hoping to receive 16 Hermes dinner plates at $374 each (left) and 16 dessert plates at $180 (right) Engelson's wedding registry also includes a tagine dish, paella pan, $400 Philips airfryer, popcorn maker, $799.95 pizza oven (pictured) and waffle maker The happy couple have asked for a 24-carat gold-decorated Hermes designer service that almost costs a king's ransom. The Hermes bread-and-butter plates cost $135 per platter (left), as they also requested one Blue Room Seder Plate for $120 (right) They're also hoping to receive 16 dinner plates at $374 each, 16 dessert plates at $180, and bread-and-butter plates for a mere $135 per platter. That adds up to $11,024 for dinner before a morsel is even served. If Engelson still pines for his ex, he can drown his sorrows in the set of six Baccarat crystal tumblers, on the wedding registry at $470. Offering him a taste of Meghan's British lifestyle are an English Spode cup, plate and candlesticks for $302.25 and a Ralph Lauren Greenwich decanter at $195. Engelson, from Great Neck, New York, began dating Meghan in 2004, marrying in Jamaica in September 2011. But within weeks of their wedding Meghan won her break-out role on TV legal drama 'Suits,' and spent months each year filming in Toronto, Canada. The marital strain contributed to their divorce in 2013. Engelson has produced films including Robert Pattinson's 'Remember Me' and the Bradley Cooper-Sandra Bullock comedy 'All About Steve.' A heartbroken bereaved father has opened up about the pain of losing his two-year-old son and 'Sunday afternoon partner in crime'. Mark Dent, 35, and his wife Kirsty, 31, lost two-year-old Jack to sepsis in 2014. Now Mr Dent has told how he broke down crying and could barely walk into his little son's hospital room after doctors told him the worst was inevitable. Jack died in his arms. He told the Mirror: 'For two years, life was perfect. 'We had a healthy, happy son - he loved his food, he wanted to kiss and hug everybody and loved a bit of attention. Mark Dent with his son and 'Sunday afternoon partner in crime' Jack, who died of sepsis aged just two years old in 2014 'In the October of 2014 Jack seemed under the weather . He was quiet, didn't want to play and kept saying he was cold.' The couple took their boy to see the GP, and then to hospital, where Jack was diagnosed with tonsillitis and prescribed antibiotics. But a few days later with no sign of improvement they went back to the hospital, only to be told to persevere with the medicine. But, Mark said: 'I came home from work one day and I tried to get him downstairs to play - but he seemed so lifeless. 'Our little boy, who absolutely loved eating, had barely managed a full meal in two weeks - we knew this wasn't our son, so we took him back to hospital. 'We had no idea we wouldn't be bringing him home.' Doctors found low sodium levels, and gave Jack chicken and chips to eat to help, still thinking he had tonsilitis. Overnight his condition deteriorated and they performed an x-ray - now suspecting pneumonia - but he still wasn't getting any better. 'And that's when we first heard it,' said Mark. 'Sepsis.' He went on: 'We knew the dangers, we knew it could be serious, but we didn't know Jack was slipping away. We were told he was on all the right antibiotics - which he was.' Mark, his wife Kirsty, and their Jack. 'For two years life was perfect', Mark said Jack was sedated in expectation of a trip for specialist treatment in Leicester, while Mark waited and 'drifted into the strangest dream' on the cold waiting room floor. He said: 'I couldn't see anything in the dream, but my heart felt so numb. As soon as I woke, I knew something was seriously wrong.' When the doctor told him to come into Jack's room, he said: 'I battled to my son's bedside. And it was a battle - I broke down crying, I couldn't walk, I had no energy and was struggling to control my limbs. 'The doctors were holding me up, basically dragging me. 'Kirsty looked at me as I arrived at Jack's room - and I knew. In that second, I was completely destroyed.' The couple told the doctors to unhook him from the machines. 'Get him off, I want him now', Kirsty said. Mark went on: 'The room fell silent, except for our sobs - which we tried to suppress as we told him how much we loved him.' When a doctor confirm Jack had died, Mark said: 'No, no, no. He's not gone because he is here, sitting on my lap. How can he be gone? He's right here in my arms.' He remembers 'crawling' alongside his son's body, which was wrapped in his favourite Pepper Pig blanket, and wearing just one sock - Mark had taken the other as a keepsake. Until the sudden onset of his illness, Jack 'loved his food, he wanted to kiss and hug everybody and loved a bit of attention' What are the key symptoms of sepsis? The 'silent killer' that can cause death in minutes Sepsis, known as the silent killer, strikes when an infection such as blood poisoning sparks a violent immune response in which the body attacks its own organs. It is a potentially life-threatening condition, triggered by an infection or injury. Around 245,000 people develop sepsis in the UK each year and 52,000 die, according to the UK Sepsis Trust. Instead of attacking the invading bug, the body turns on itself, shutting down vital organs. If caught early enough, it's easily treated with intravenous antibiotics and fluids, but these must be given as soon as sepsis is suspected - it strikes with frightening speed and, for every hour of delay, a patient's chance of dying increases 8 per cent. Sepsis is a leading cause of avoidable death killing 44,000 people each year The early symptoms of sepsis can be easily confused with more mild conditions, meaning it can be difficult to diagnose. A high temperature (fever), chills and shivering, a fast heartbeat and rapid breathing are also indicators. A patient can rapidly deteriorate if sepsis is missed early on, so quick diagnosis and treatment is vital yet this rarely happens. In the early stages, sepsis can be mistaken for a chest infection, flu or upset stomach. It is most common and dangerous in older adults, pregnant women, children younger than one, people with chronic conditions or those who have weakened immune systems. The six signs of something potentially deadly can be identified by the acronym 'SEPSIS': Slurred speech or confusion Extreme shivering or muscle pain Passing no urine in a day Severe breathlessness Skin that's mottled or discoloured Anyone who develops any of these symptoms should seek medical help urgently and ask doctors: 'Could this be sepsis?' Advertisement The family survived the numb and surreal days afterwards, living on energy drinks and trying to parent their six-month-old daughter Bree. Mark said he started feeling suicidal shortly after Jack's death. He said: 'The dark thoughts came two days after Jack died. ' "I don't want to be here" I told myself.' The family Children Are Butterflies helped look after the couple, who visited their son every day for the two weeks between his death and his funeral. Mark said: 'We sat with him, read him stories and sang to him - we even took him the Christmas presents we'd already bought him. 'He looked amazing, just like he was fast asleep in his pyjamas while cuddling his teddy.' He said the last day he saw his son's face was 'devastating', but those 'amazing two weeks' had 'definitely helped'. Jack's funeral was held on bonfire night, packed with people who loved him and accompanied by a big firework display. Six months later Mark started receiving group texts from Sands United FC, who represented the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death charity and was made up of dads who had all lost a child. Sands United FC is made up of bereaved fathers and represents the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death charity He said: 'I decided to get involved so replied to one of the messages. 'Minutes later, I got a call from this guy asking me how I was doing - I couldn't believe it was my good friend Spencer. Spencer was one of the first people to knock my door after Jack died.' Mark joined the team. He said: 'The team has been a huge support and it's comforting to know you're not the only one going through something so hard. The team is like a family and we're there for one another if someone is having a bad day. 'It's not the done thing for men to ask for help and I'm still taking medicine for anxiety and depression and have counselling. 'But talking about my grief and hearing stories of other dad's experiences stops you feeling so alone. For more information on Sands charity, visit www.sands.org.uk . For more information on Northampton based charity Children are Butterflies, visit www.childrenarebutterflies.org.uk For confidential support in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see samaritans.org for details. This is the terrifying moment an off-duty police officer shot and killed a suspected robber who tried to attack her on a Brazilian street. The Military Police agent, whose name has not been released, was walking by herself Sunday shortly before midnight in Butanta, a district in the city of Sao Paulo, when she encountered a heavy-set suspect. A surveillance camera captured the moment Francisco Gonsalves dos Santos Junior, 40, parked his car on the dimly-lit street and rushed out of his vehicle as the officer crosses the street. The footage above shows the moment Francisco Gonsalves dos Santos Junior suddenly parks his car on a street in Sao Paulo, Brazil, before he tried to attack a female police officer The female Military Police agent (pictured top center) was crossing a street in the Sao Paulo neighborhood of Butanta before Francisco Gonsalves dos Santos (pictured inside the car) attempted to assault her A male suspect cuts off the path of an off-duty police officer in Brazil moments before she defended herself and shot him dead Dos Santos Junior subsequently blocked her path and tried to grab her but the cop quickly dodged him. She then took a couple of steps back as she tried to defend herself from the menacing man who appeared to be twice her size. The dodging police officer then withdrew her weapon from her waist and fired a single shot that floored the alleged assailant after he tried to wrest away her firearm. Dos Santos Junior was declared dead at the scene. Law enforcement officials registered the incident an attempted robbery but are still investigating the event, according to Brazilian news outlet Amazonas 1. A man armed with a meat cleaver went on a menacing rampage in Dublin after two cars and an apartment block were set on fire nearby. Footage shared online showed a man fleeing for safety while the hooded attacker chases him with the huge blade and a fire rages in the background. Police said a man in his 40s had been arrested in connection with 'criminal damage' caused by two fires in the area. In one video, a hooded man is seen apparently chasing another man around the back of a red van, on an estate in the Clarehall area of Dublin. As the other man tries to run for safety he is pursued by the hooded attacker with what looks like a meat cleaver. The other man, wearing a blue T-shirt, again takes refuge behind a vehicle as the blade-wielding man tries to reach him. However the attacker then appears to lose interest in the chase, walking away past a parked car. Footage taken at a housing estate in Dublin shows a man fleeing for safety while the hooded attacker chases him with the huge blade (right) and a fire rages in the background (left) The person filming the scene is heard shouting out in terror as he watches from the car, saying: 'Holy f***... meat cleaver, someones going to die. Holy s***.' While the chase is happening smoke can be seen pouring out from in front of a building on the housing estate. Ireland's gardai police have arrested a man in his 40s following 'several incidents of criminal damage by fire'. Police said they were also investigating another fire which was started in the Coolock area less than an hour earlier on Monday. The hooded man gives chase to the other man (left) who is trying to take cover behind a car and protect himself from what appears to be a meat cleaver (circled, right) A spokesperson said: 'Gardai have arrested a man in his 40s following several incidents of criminal damage by fire that occurred in the Coolock and Clarehall areas of Dublin. 'At approximately 12.30pm Gardai received reports that a man had set fire to the outside of an apartment complex in the Newtown Court area of Coolock Dublin 17. 'Shortly after at approximately 12:55pm the Gardai arrested a man after two cars were set alight in the Templeview Green area of Clarehall Dublin 13. 'The man is currently detained in Coolock Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. Investigations are continuing.' Advertisement Police have arrested six teenagers after vandals tore up Korans, smashed windows and sprayed swastikas and other hate-filled graffiti on the walls on an Islamic school. The incident happened at the Bahr Academy on Benwell Lane, Newcastle - formerly the set of the children's TV show Byker Grove - at 9pm on Monday. There was significant damage in the attack, which comes just days after Muslim worshippers were massacred at a mosque in New Zealand, and police have classed it as a hate crime. Northumbria Police said an 18-year-old woman, two 16-year-old boys, two 14-year-old boys and a 14-year-old girl have been arrested and remained in police custody. Sickening graffiti was daubed on the walls when the Bahr Academy, in Newcastle's West End, was broken into on Monday night It is the second time the building, which was once the set of the Byker Grove TV series, has been targeted in two months. Pictured is a swastika on one of the walls Police were called to the school, on Benwell Lane, at around 9pm by a neighbour who noticed suspicious activity in its grounds Neighbourhood Inspector Alan Davison said: 'This is a very distressing incident for members of the Bahr Academy, particularly as it is the second break-in this year. 'Although there is not the same racist graffiti as we saw in the first incident, we are treating this as a hate crime. 'We are aware of the impact incidents of this nature can have on the community and I want to be clear that this type of behaviour is completely unacceptable.' Officers will work with the academy to put measures in place to protect the centre and police will carry out high-visibility patrols. The school's principal, Muhammad Abdulmuheet, said: 'We had just got tidied up after the last time. We feel angry, afraid and scared now. Anything could happen.' Police were called to the school, on Benwell Lane, at around 9pm by a neighbour who noticed suspicious activity in its grounds. Mr Abdulmuheet arrived at the building at the same time as officers and says he saw the intruders and heard them shout 'Muslims' and 'terrorists'. He then discovered that windows had been broken in the chapel and copies of the Quran had been ripped up and were scattered across the floor. Flammable liquid had also been poured on the floor. Mr Abdulmuheet said: 'I had a call from the neighbours saying the windows had been broken into and there were people inside the building. 'I called the police and we attended as well, we went into the building and they were still there in the chapel. 'The windows were broken and there were torn pieces of the Quran all around. There was paraffin and spirits on the floor. 'I think they were definitely going to set the building on fire, but luckily they were stopped before they did. 'I saw them in the chapel and heard them talking about 'Muslims' and 'terrorists'.' Attendees of the Bahr Academy discovered that windows had been broken in the chapel and copies of the Quran had been ripped up and were scattered across the floor The school's principal, Muhammad Abdulmuheet, said after the second attack on his school: 'We had just got tidied up after the last time. We feel angry, afraid and scared now. Anything could happen' Northumbria Police's Neighbourhood Inspector for the area, Alan Davison, said: 'At about 9pm on Monday we were called with a report that intruders had broken in to the Bahr Academy building on Benwell Lane.' Pictured are damaged parts of the staircase The attack comes less than two weeks after 50 people were killed and dozens more injured when a gunman went on the rampage at two mosques in Christchurch Ripped up Korans and a sign saying 'unity does not mean sameness it means openness' lying of the floor after the vile attack Mr Abdulmuheet believes those responsible were teenagers. He added: 'I just think it's pathetic, but it is disappointing to hear young people saying things like that. But what can you do?' Northumbria Police's Neighbourhood Inspector for the area, Alan Davison, said: 'At about 9pm on Monday we were called with a report that intruders had broken in to the Bahr Academy building on Benwell Lane. 'Our officers attended and found significant damage had been caused to the building. However, we believe we have already identified those involved and enquiries into the incident will continue today. 'We are aware of the impact incidents of this nature can have on the community and I want to be clear that this type of behaviour is completely unacceptable. 'Our officers will be visiting the Bahr Academy again today and working with them to put further measures in place to try and prevent anything like this happening again. 'High visibility patrols will be taking place around the academy following this incident and anyone with any concerns is encouraged to speak to those officers.' The attack comes less than two weeks after 50 people were killed and dozens more injured when a gunman went on the rampage at two mosques in Christchurch. Northumbria Police said high visibility patrols will be taking place around the academy following this incident The Bahr Academy was still recovering from a vandalism attack in January, during which the words 'Moslem terrorists' and a swastika was scrawled on the wall while debris was scattered across the floor. Pictured is graffiti from the latest attack Broken windows at the front of the school. Coun Habib Rahman, who represents the Elswick ward on Newcastle City Council, believes the attack was racially motivated The building which now houses the school featured in the popular TV series Byker Grove The Bahr Academy was still recovering from a vandalism attack in January, during which the words 'Moslem terrorists' and a swastika was scrawled on the wall while debris was scattered across the floor. Coun Habib Rahman, who represents the Elswick ward on Newcastle City Council, believes the attack was racially motivated. 'The severity of the damage compared to last time, which just seems like yesterday is much more severe,' he said. 'I think the nature of the incident and the fact that this is the second time clearly does suggest that this building is being targeted. 'It's a religious school, there's clear elements of racial motivation here.' And the Coun Rahman says the local Muslim community is now living in fear. He added: 'Everyone has been feeling vulnerable since the New Zealand attack. The feeling here is one of shock, there is fear among all generations young and old. 'Incidents like this don't help calm the situation or alleviate the fear for the Muslim community. ' Austrian authorities have searched the home of a prominent far-right activist as part of a probe into his ties to the alleged Christchurch mosque gunman, officials said Tuesday. Head of white nationalist group Identitarian Movement of Austria Martin Sellner said on social media that police had searched his apartment on Monday. They seized electronic devices after he received a 'disproportionately high donation' from a person named Tarrant - the same surname as the suspected Christchurch shooter. Austrian Interior Ministry spokesman Christoph Poelzl confirmed Tuesday that the country's domestic intelligence agency searched the premises in Vienna at the request of prosecutors in the city of Graz. Head of white nationalist group Identitarian Movement of Austria Martin Sellner (left, with his wife) said on social media that police had searched his apartment on Monday Austrian Interior Ministry spokesman Christoph Poelzl confirmed Tuesday that the country's domestic intelligence agency searched the premises in Vienna at the request of prosecutors in the city of Graz Graz prosecutors spokesman Hansjoerg Bacher said prosecutors had stumbled across the donation as part of an existing probe against Sellner into possible financial offences. 'The purpose of the investigation is to examine links between Mr. Sellner and the Christchurch attacker,' Bacher said. He declined to confirm when the donation took place, but said it was much higher than other contributions made to Sellner or his Identitarian Movement. 'Most donations were in the area of two-to-three figures, whereas this donation was in the low four-figure area,' Bacher said. 'This made it stand out, and the events in New Zealand put a face to this donation.' Mr Bacher said the investigation against Sellner is based on Austrian anti-terror laws. 'We need to determine whether there is a connection and if so, whether it's criminally significant,' Bacher said. Sellner denied having anything to do with the March 15 massacre, in which 50 Muslims were killed at the Al Noor and Linwood Masjid mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. Australian Brenton Tarrant was arrested within an hour of the mosque shootings and has been charged with murder. 'I had nothing to do with the attack,' Sellner said in a video statement posted on YouTube, adding that he would donate the money to a charitable organization. He suggested the reason for the donation might have been to provoke repressive measures against 'patriots'. Some of Tarrant's anti-Muslim views are echoed by the Identitarian Movement. The group is close to sections of the nationalist Freedom Party, which is part of the country's coalition government. Four Indiana men on spring break in Florida turned the tables on an armed gunman who tried to rob them at a gas station. The attempted robbery just before 4am on Sunday at a Mobil station in Oakland Park, about four miles north of Fort Lauderdale, was captured on surveillance footage obtained by Local10. The gunman can be seen approaching the vacationers as they filled their car with gas and demanding that they give him money. The men refuse to cooperate and a struggle ensues as one of them wrestles the gun out of the would-be robber's hand and the others tackle him to the ground. Surveillance footage shows the moment four Indiana men on spring break in Florida thwarted an armed gunman who tried to rob them at a gas station in Oakland Park early Sunday morning One of the men wrestles the gun away from the would-be robber after he demanded money Two of the other men, none of whom have been named, then tackle the gunman to the ground When the gunman gets pinned to the pavement, a shirtless man identified as 33-year-old Kevin Campbell runs up and tries to pull the friends off of him. The gunman and his accomplice can then be seen getting into a car as one of the friends appears to shout at them and the others watch from a distance. Campbell, the shirtless getaway driver, was arrested by police shortly after the incident, Broward County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Gina Carter told Local10. He is facing multiple charges including armed robbery and resisting another officer. It is unclear if police have identified the suspected gunman, who had not been arrested as of Monday. The spring breakers in the video have not been named. Authorities are offering a $3,000 reward for information about the incident, which should be reported to Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. A shirtless accomplice, identified by police as 33-year-old Kevin Campbell, runs up to help the gunman after he was stripped of his weapon and pinned to the pavement. Campbell was arrested shortly after the incident and is seen right in his mugshot A defiant Donald Trump predicted Tuesday that Republicans would soon own the politically divisive healthcare issue as he took incoming fire for walking away from his predecessor's signature medical insurance law. 'The Republican Party will soon be known as the party of healthcare. You watch,' he told reporters at the U.S. Capitol. Trump was entering a lunch meeting with Senate Republicans who were sure to ask him about a Justice Department decision to stop defending the Obamacare law in court and surrender to a judge who had declared it unconstitutional. Anticipating the explosive development might smother even the stormy coverage of Robert Mueller's Russia-probe endgame, the president announced his rebranding of the GOP on Twitter before he took the short ride up Pennsylvania Avenue. 'The Republican Party will become "The Party of Healthcare!"' he tweeted. As Democrats clobbered his Justice Department for asking a federal court to invalidate the Obamacare law, President Trump seized the moment to declare that Republicans would soon be known as 'the party of healthcare' The president mad ethis the theme of the day, seeming to snuff out the good news of his exoneration in the Mueller probe House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats seized on the GOP's lack of an obvious plan to cover insurance-seeking Americans with pre-existing medical conditions Democrats spent Monday recovering from Attorney General William Barr's summary of the Mueller report's findings and plotting a way forward after Trump's exoneration from allegations of election-year collusion with Russia. By Tuesday morning, however, the Trump White House had turned the page for them. 'I believe that the Mueller report has been done,' said Democratic House Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina. 'It's a chapter that's closed.' But 'this administration opened a new chapter when it moved to invalidate the Affordable Care Act,' he said on CNN. 'That's the number one thing on people's minds. People are worried, especially my part of the country about children being born with diabetes and how they are going to get health care. People are worried about themselves.' Trump was on Capitol Hill for a working lunch with Senate Republicans South Carolina Democratic Rep. James Clyburn said healthcare is a 'new chapter' for Democrats Pelosi recalled Trump's 2018 claims of caring about Americans with pre-existing medical conditions 'lies' He rattled off a list of deadly diseases that count as 'preexisting conditions' when Americans apply for new medical insurance policies, saying that a guarantee of covering them is one of the most popular elements of the Obamacare law. 'Prostate cancer is prevalent in the low country of South Carolina. And breast cancer. How are they going to get medical treatment they need? For this administration to open the chapter, I think we have to reconnect our conversations with the American people,' said Clyburn. He said prescription drug pricing is 'absolutely' an area where Democrats could work with the Trump administration. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi talked up the Democrats' healthcare agenda Tuesday even as she tried to deflect talk of forcing the president out of office. 'Impeachment is not on the table until it is on the table. So its not a question of that. This is not about that. This is about us doing our work,' she said. 'Today we're introducing our healthcare bill, tomorrow we'll be doing climate. We're on our agenda.' On her political Twitter account, Pelosi cited an October 2018 tweet in which the president claimed the GOP favored protecting coverage for pre-existing conditions. 'All Republicans support people with pre-existing conditions, and if they dont, they will after I speak to them,' the president had written. 'I am in total support. Also, Democrats will destroy your Medicare, and I will keep it healthy and well!' 'Lies,' Pelosi wrote. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called the move to abandon Obamacare a 'slap in the face to American families.' It's 'a devastating blow to Republicans who promised to protect people with pre-existing conditions,' he said Tuesday on the Senate floor Tuesday. And moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins said the DOJ's decision to let Obamacare wither on the vine 'to even go more broadly in failing to defend the law' is 'very disappointing.' O'Connor ruled on a lawsuit brought by a coalition of 20 Republican-led states including Texas, Alabama and Florida, that said a Trump-backed change to the U.S. tax code made the law unconstitutional. Democrats credit the fight over health care with helping them recapture the house. A couple dozen members of the New Jersey Citizen Action group protest outside the Capitol as the Senate holds a second day of voting on health care legislation on Tuesday, July 25, 2017 Protesters hold a small peaceful demonstration in support of health care on September 23, 2017 in Livingston, Montana. The state of Montana expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Ac The 2010 law, seen as the signature domestic achievement of Trump's Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, has been a flash point of American politics since it passed, with Republicans including Trump repeatedly attempting to overturn it. Democrats made defending the law a powerful messaging tool in the run-up to the November elections, when polls showed that eight in 10 Americans wanted to defend the law's most popular benefits including protections for insurance coverage for people with preexisting conditions. The strategy paid off and Democrats won a broad 38-seat majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. 'The Department of Justice has determined that the district court's judgment should be affirmed,' Assistant U.S. Attorney General Joseph Hunt and other federal officials wrote in the Monday letter. They said they would file a more extensive legal briefing later. Obamacare survived a 2012 legal challenge at the Supreme Court when a majority of justices ruled the individual mandate aspect of the program was a tax that Congress had the authority to impose. In December, O'Connor ruled that after Trump signed a $1.5 trillion tax bill passed by Congress last year that eliminated the penalties, the individual mandate could no longer be considered constitutional. A group of 17 mostly Democratic-led states including California and New York on Monday argued that the law was constitutional. 'The individual plaintiffs do not have standing to challenge the resulting law because they suffer no legal harm from the existence of a provision that offers them a lawful choice between buying insurance or doing nothing,' they wrote in court papers. About 11.8 million consumers nationwide enrolled in 2018 Obamacare exchange plans, according to the U.S. government's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. About 11.8 million consumers nationwide enrolled in 2018 Obamacare exchange plans, according to the U.S. governments Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. A University of Michigan sorority whose members popped balloons as part of a team-building event has apologized for triggering 'active shooter' alert on campus. The balloon popping occurred March 16, at the same time a vigil was being held nearby for victims of the New Zealand mosque attacks a day earlier. The alpha Kappa Delta Phi chapter issued an apology in a letter published Sunday in The Michigan Daily. A University of Michigan sorority whose members popped balloons as part of a team-building event has apologized for triggering 'active shooter' alert on campus. Pictured: Cops respond to reports of an active shooter at the University of Michigan The incident occurred when UM police said they received as many as 20 reports at 4.35 pm on March 16 of shots fired in Mason Hall. An alert was issued minutes later Members said they're 'truly sorry' and should've been more 'more cognizant' of their actions. Alerts issued by the Ann Arbor school minutes later told students near Mason Hall to 'run, hide, fight.' Dozens of people called 911 to report shots being fired and university chiefs locked down the main part of campus while police from nearly every agency in Washtenaw County went room-to-room, searching a large classroom complex. Authorities later said there had been 'balloon popping activity' in the area and there was no 'malicious intent' behind the activity. The letter said sorority members stand 'in solidarity with our fellow Muslim students and marginalized communities.' It went on: 'We have used this past week to not only process our feelings of guilt and disbelief, but to also reflect on our mistakes and take responsibility for our actions by reaching out to members of our immediate communities. 'We take this event as a stark realization that we need to further educate ourselves about Islamophobia, white supremacy and what it means to use our position as A/PIA students to participate in more meaningful coalition building on campus.' The balloons popped in the late afternoon of March 16, just as a vigil was going on for those killed in shootings at two New Zealand mosques. Social media users tweeted pictures and video of the police response to the incident at the University of Michigan after reports of an active shooter on March People claimed they heard shots being fired at Mason Hall, (pictured), an academic building on the Diag, which is a large open space at the University of Michigan At least 42 people died at the Al Noor mosque and at least seven others at the nearby Linwood mosque after a white supremacist gunned them down. The letter from the sorority continued: 'It is unacceptable to merely pass off our actions as a poorly timed coincidence. 'To do so would be to ignore the politically charged atmosphere that day and the many serious events on campus that preceded the false alarm. University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel, (pictured), cited 'deficiencies' in how authorities responded to the March 16 incident 'We have used this past week to not only process our feelings of guilt and disbelief, but to also reflect on our mistakes and take responsibility for our actions by reaching out to members of our immediate communities.' Officers directed students on the Diag to leave the area, and they searched Mason Hall, which is attached to three other buildings. The Diag is a large, open space in the middle of the university's central campus. They confirmed a report of balloon popping in the area where the sounds of shots fired were reported to have been heard. University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel cited 'deficiencies' in how authorities responded to the March 16 incident. Since then, Schlissel said students and campus officials have spent a lot of time discussing their coordinated response. The alpha Kappa Delta Phi chapter issued an apology in a letter published Sunday in The Michigan Daily, (pictured) The sorority event sparked mass concern at the university and prompted 911 reports of an active shooter in the area The university later issued an update stating that there was no active shooter threat in the area In a statement Schlissel said: 'While many aspects of our response went according to plan, we uncovered deficiencies in the activation of our emergency alert system and the distribution of accurate information and instructions that will need to be corrected immediately. 'We must always strive to be better, safer and more supportive in every way possible, and the feedback we have heard from many of you is a critical component of what we have learned from the incident. 'There is no doubt we must do more to keep our campus safe, and I assure you we are working on changes that we can implement now and going forward.' A family who had $1000 stolen from their holiday cabin couldn't believe it when they received a message from a restaurant owner offering to feed them for the rest of their trip. Mathew Ferguson, Yasmin Blogg and their two children Logon, 10, and Archie, 18 months, were holidaying at a caravan park in Hervey Bay, Queensland, when their money was stolen. The family were sleeping when a thief broke into the cabin and stole Mr Ferguson's wallet and Ms Blogg's purse, containing a total of $1000. Mathew Ferguson, Yasmin Blogg and their two children (pictured) were on holidays in Hervey Bay, Queensland, when their money was stolen 'We woke up in the morning to the doors wide open, and after about 30 minutes we realised my wallet and my partner's purse had been stolen,' Mr Ferguson told Yahoo 7. He then took to social media to warn the community of the thief and ask for help to try and recover his stolen belongings. Italian and seafood restaurant owner Jay Hodmain, saw the post and sent the father a message offering to feed his family for the remainder of their holiday. A thief broke into the family's cabin while they were sleeping and stole a wallet and purse containing $1000 in total 'We are happy, we could make a difference and turn their weekend around,' Mr Hodmain said. 'We just wanted to make sure they had a decent weekend away and with us located next to the Water Park, it offered a perfect setting for them.' Mr Ferguson said: 'We were a little down about what happened, but thanks to Jay we will be returning to have another holiday.' Bryant Gregory Eaves Jr, 18, was taken into custody at his Indian Land, South Carolina, home and charged with a count of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury with intent to kill A teenager was detained on Monday after he allegedly shot a fellow moviegoer in a row over a seat at a screening of 'Us' at a North Carolina theater, according to local authorities. Bryant Gregory Eaves Jr, 18, was taken into custody at his Indian Land, South Carolina, home on the 3000 block of Keswick Terrace. He was charged with a count of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury with intent to kill. On Sunday, at approximately 6pm, Concord Police responded to calls of a shooting at the AMC Theaters at Concord Mills Mall. Authorities learned that 24-year-old William Weldon, of Charlotte, was shot during a dispute over seating. Eaves is said to have fled the scene with a woman, a police report obtained by the DailyMail.com states. Scroll down for videos Police learned on Sunday that 24-year-old William Weldon, of Charlotte, was shot during a dispute over seating with Eaves at the AMC Theaters at Concord Mills Mall Eaves is said to have fled the scene with a woman, a police report obtained by the DailyMail.com states During a Facebook Live video, from the hospital, Weldon explained that Eaves had been in seats that he purchased for him and his mother. Weldon claimed that he didn't approach Eaves aggressively when trying to handle the situation, adding that he even tried to show the man his receipt. 'I was calm about it but I guess in his mind he was like "I got this pistol on me so he is not about to punk me in front of his girl",' Weldon added. He continued: 'I never came at him wrong so I don't know what would make him think "Oh, I can just shoot this dude.'"' The veteran shared photos from when he was first brought to the hospital in a post that said 'Just got shot' The veteran shared photos from when he was first brought to the hospital in a post that said 'Just got shot.' He had seen the movie on Saturday and was going to the Sunday show with his mother. 'I appreciate all the love and support from the community and people around Charlotte people who dont even know me,' Weldon said on Facebook. 'I am overwhelmed with gratitude for everyone understanding me and the story and those of you who stopped and helped me when I was bleeding on the floor of the mall and to the paramedics who acted swiftly on my behalf and to my military family who always support me, I say thank you.' During a Facebook Live video, from the hospital, Weldon explained that Eaves had been in seats that he purchased for him and his mother 'I appreciate all the love and support from the community and people around Charlotte people who dont even know me,' Weldon said on Facebook Weldon has since been released to his home and is in stable condition. 'Us,' an exhilarating thriller about a family's plight to outlast their homicidal doppelgangers, dominated in theaters this weekend with $70.3million secured in North America. The film is now the title holder for the biggest opening weekend for an original horror movie and has also become the third best horror opening of all time. Asad Malik, 38, allegedly used websites in broken English to dupe holidaymakers into paying for car parking services A businessman used dummy testimonials and cut-and-pasted terms of service to promote his 1million airport parking scam, a court heard. Asad Malik, 38, used a photo of a hospital 400 miles away to trick travellers at Gatwick Airport into thinking their cars would be safe before dumping them in muddy fields, petrol stations, and even a mosque, it is alleged. Pakistani businessman Malik is accused of making misleading claims on websites for valet parking firms Easy Meet and Greet and London Gatwick Parking. Malik told the jury at Lewes Crown Court other parking companies outsourced work to his firms. He claimed terms and conditions were copied and used on his websites. 'Those are approved by trading standards, I took from there,' he said. He said he used testimonials supplied by another airport valet parking service on one of his booking websites. Malik said the customer reviews were genuine although some were dummy ones used as examples by his web developers in Pakistan. He admitted some other testimonials were fake, saying: 'Those are dummy testimonials. Pictured: One of the muddy fields close to the Gatwick runway where Malik allegedly kept cars One of the websites used a photograph of the Borders General Hospital in Melrose, Lewes Crown Court in Brighton heard 'These are not my customers. 'These are example ones.' Keir Monteith QC, defending, asked him if other testimonials were correct, and Malik said 'yes'. 'All came on Easy Meet and Greet website or we collected their cars at the terminal and they left a comments to us.' Mr Monteith asked Malik about poor grammar and spelling on the sites. The barrister said: 'Under the Our Services heading, it says "You can see few services blow". Did you ever check this?' Malik was alleged to have left customers' vehicles in muddy fields as part of a car parking scam 'Not word by word, no,' Malik said, later adding: 'English is not my first language.' Malik said he instructed his web developers to remove references to CCTV as 'the cars we were parking had no CCTV'. Mr Monteith asked the businessman where testimonials on the sites had come from. 'Compare Parking Deals Ltd,' he said. 'We were providing parking to this company customers.' Earlier, the jury heard Mr Malik had used a photograph of a hospital 400 miles away to trick travellers into believing their cars were safe when they were dumped in muddy fields. This is said to be one of the fields close to Gatwick Airport used by Malik which had been touted as a secure location, with CCTV and valets working on site Some of the cars came back damaged, while others did not come back at all, prosecutors say The jury were told one of the sites tried to pass off a picture of a car park at the Borders General Hospital in Melrose as one of their secure locations. Malik set up his first Gatwick valet parking firm in October 2014, and his companies traded for 20 months, he told the court. One holidaymaker saw his Mini on a TV news bulletin while he was in Spain, the court heard. Asad Malik denies six counts of variously making fraudulent claims, engaging in misleading commercial practise and unfair commercial practice between 2014 and 2016. The trial continues. A woman in China has reportedly given birth to a pair of twin boys found to have different fathers. The result of a DNA test led the new mother to admit that she had cheated on her husband in a one-night stand, according to a report from a Chinese newspaper. It is said that the husband had felt strange as he thought one of the boys didn't look like him, and after they received the result, he had to question his wife over and over for her to tell the truth. A mother in China has given birth to a pair of twin boys from different fathers (file photo) The story came to light when the couple, from south-eastern China's Xiamen city, had to register the birth of their twin sons at the local police station early last year, according to Xiamen-based newspaper Strait Herald. In order to complete the registration, the couple had to produce the results of a paternity test to prove that the babies were theirs. The husband, known by a pseudonym Xiaolong, had wondered why one of his sons didn't look like him at all. But he was still shocked upon receiving the DNA results, which claimed that one of the boys did not have any biological relationship with him, according to a director at the Fujian Zhengtai Forensic Identification Centre. The centre arranged the paternity test for the couple. The director, Mr Zhang, said Xiaolong was furious after reading the DNA report and confronted his wife. The couple reportedly live in the city of Xiamen (pictured) in south-eastern China's Fujian It is said that his wife initially denied having an affair, and accused her husband of falsifying the results. Xiaolong further interrogated his wife, who then admitted that she had slept with another guy and that it was a one-night stand. The father said he was happy to raise his own child, but not the one from someone else, the report said. Twins being born with different fathers is an extremely rare occurrence known as heteropaternal superfecundation. Women usually have to have sex with two different men within a day before or after ovulation for both eggs to be fertilised. The story came to light after the young couple were told to have a DNA test to register the birth of their sons, according to Fujian Zhengtai Forensic Identification Centre (file photo) Experts say it is hard to calculate the exact odds of the phenomenon, but previous studies suggested the chance could be between one in 400 pairs and one in 13,000 pairs, according to The Guardian. Similar stories have been reported in China before. In 2014, a rich businessman from eastern Yiwu city was devastated after discovering one of his twin sons was not his. According to Sanxiang Urban Newspaper, the father, named Zhou Gang, decided to take his children for a DNA test after realising his elder son had double eyelids. He said both he and the children's mother had single eyelid, therefore he found it strange that one of the babies had double eyelids. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo put new pressure Tuesday on overseas abortion providers by announcing an expansion of the U.S. policy that stops taxpayer dollars from funding foreign family-planning clinics that terminate pregnancies. Despite the Trump administration's 2017 readoption of what's known as the Mexico City Policy, officials found that some nongovernmental organizations that don't perform abortions were using State Department grants to make pass-through payments to those that do. Pompeo called those arrangements 'back-door funding schemes and end-runs around our policy.' Tuesday's clampdown, he told reporters in a brief press conference, is a bid to 'continue to meet our critical global health goals, including providing health care for women, while refusing to subsidize the killing of unborn babies.' Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced an during a news conference on Tuesday that the State Department is expanding a policy meant to prevent the use of U.S. tax dollars for abortions overseas Abortion has beena hot-button issue in the U.S. for more than four decades; the State Department's crackdown means an end of funding for groups that pass American government grant money through to abortion providers 'As before, we'll continue to refuse to provide assistance to foreign NGOs who perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning,' he said, adding that the State Department also 'will refuse to provide assistance to foreign NGOs that give financial support to other foreign groups in the global abortion industry.' Opponents of the Mexico City Policy call it a 'global gag rule,' arguing that it prevents U.S.-funded groups from even discussing the availability of abortion as a viable option for pregnant women in the Third World. 'That's silly,' Pompeo said Tuesday, referring to the nickname. 'This is this is a policy that is designed fundamentally to protect human beings.' The policy was first enacted in 1984 and later became a partican punching bag, with Democratic presidents hamstringing it and Republicans enforcing it. A group of Irish pro-life protesters objected in February as their side lost a dramatic referendum establishing abortion rights Barack Obama formally rescinded it when he became president, only to see Donald Trump reinstate it on his first day in office. A group of 150 Democratic House and Senate women proposed a bill in February that would permanently repeal the policy that has slashed access to abortion at U.S. taxpayers' expense. They claimed it has unintended consequences, including forcing the closure of health clinics and refugee programs that have refused to go along with restrictions from Washington. 'Permanent repeal of this anti-woman policy is more important now than ever before,' New York Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey said when she introduced her bill. Pompeo dismissed those concerns on Tuesday, responding to complaints about financial difficulties felt by clinics that help fight HIV and tuberculosis infections. 'These two don't run at cross purposes,' he said. 'One need not perform abortions in order to protect people from HIV. They're fundamentally disconnected.' 'The theory that somehow not protecting every human life is destroying human life is perverse on its face,' he argued. The pro-life movement cheered Pompeo on Tuesday. Susan B. Anthony List List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement that Americans 'have clearly and consistently voiced their opposition to taxpayer funding of the abortion industry, both at home and abroad.' 'Money is fungible,' she observed, praising Pompeo for ensuring that tax dollars 'are actually used for health assistance, not funneled to groups that push abortion.' Family Research Council President Tony Perkins claimed that '[t]he abortion industry is well known for relentlessly pursuing taxpayer dollars and will exploit any opportunity to grab U.S. taxpayer funds.' 'Thankfully, President Trump and Secretary Pompeo are just as relentless in working to ensure taxpayers aren't forced into a partnership with the abortion industry overseas,' he said. Pro-life demonstrators wore red tape over their mouths outside the U.S. Supreme Court during the 46th annual March for Life on Jan. 18 Planned Parenthood Federation of America president Leana Wen said Tuesday that the State Department's move is 'unethical, dangerous, and unacceptable.' Wen said 'there are countless examples around the world of patients losing access to health care,' as a consequence of the Mexico City Policy, 'especially in places where maternal deaths, HIV rates, and unmet need for contraception are unacceptably high.' A Planned Parenthood spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for some of those examples. Pompeo also said Tuesday that the State Department has reduced its financial support for the Organization of American States to compensate for the organization's use of U.S. Aid for International Development money to support pro-abortion lobby groups. Nine Republican senators wrote to Pompeo in February to complain that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Commission on Women were getting OAS money to 'aggressively lobby pro-life sovereign nations to legalize abortion.' The OAS is a diplomatic association of 35 nations from North, South and Central America. The United States government is its biggest single funder. The Siljander Amendment to the 1981 Foreign Assistance Act prohibits spending funds 'to lobby for or against abortion.' An airline has apologised after it sparked outrage with a sleazy advertising slogan urging tourists to 'get off in Thailand'. AirAsia used the tongue-in-cheek message - alluding to the country's vast sex industry - on buses and at the airport in Brisbane, Australia. But the message, which was displayed over a night-time scene of tuk tuks and taxis, angered campaigners who said it promoted the sexual exploitation of women. AirAsia was forced to apologise for this advertising campaign which was plastered across billboards and the airport in Brisbane, Australia, referencing Thailand's sex industry AirAsia - which has a Thai subsidiary and is owned by Malaysian Tony Fernandes - later removed the ads and apologised for causing offence. The advert was created to promote AirAsia's direct route from Brisbane to Bangkok. Thailand has become one of the sex tourism capitals of the world since prostitution was effectively legalised there in the 1960s. Today, the country has almost 125,000 sex workers, according to the UN. Melinda Liszewski, from the Campaign group Collective Shout which is against the objectification of women, said the airline was a 'dog whistle promoting sex tourism'. She said: 'Bangkok is a hub of sexual exploitation of women and children and 250,000 western male sex tourists visit Thailand every year. Now it's just so convenient. Campaigners accused the airline of promoting the sexual exploitation of women and demanded that the posters be taken down (file image) 'And of course this dog whistle to sex tourists is plastered on a Brisbane City Counsil bus. This is the public bus service that advertises sexpo to little children. Why would they allow this?' Brisbane City councillor Kara Cook branded the campaign an 'absolute disgrace' and said 'it should never have appeared on our city's streets.' She said: 'Council should be responsible and accountable for the ads on their buses. 'I wrote to the LNP this morning demanding these buses be taken out of circulation. This shouldn't have happened.' AirAsia removed the ads from buses and also from Brisbane Airport. A spokesman said: 'AirAsia takes community feedback extremely seriously and the airline sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused from recent concerns raised. 'AirAsia can confirm the advertising campaign has ended and we instructed our media partners to have the advertising removed as soon as possible today from all locations.' The capture of Dubai's 'runaway princess' Latifa Maktoum from a boat off India's coast was illegal, says a US lawyer Top human rights lawyer Lisa Bloom today claimed the capture of 'runaway princess' Latifa Maktoum was illegal and her case should be heard in a US court. The daughter of Dubai's billionaire ruler was allegedly detained after fleeing from the country last year and seized by armed forces off the coast of India. Ms Bloom, a leading US lawyer, believes her apprehention from a US registered yacht in international waters was a criminal act and those responsible should be tried in America. Speaking to MailOnline, the lawyer said she is determined to find out what has happened to the princess. 'This is a huge civil rights case and involves a woman who is being held against her will by a powerful man. 'What makes this more troublesome is that her human rights are being trampled in plain sight. I want to do all I can to help secure the release of Princess Latifa so she has the right to live her life as she wants.' Princess Latifa, daughter of Dubai's billionaire ruler (pictured with a friend) was allegedly detained after fleeing from the country last year and seized by armed forces off India's coast Latifa (pictured with friends in photos taken in 2017) fled the country last year claiming to have been tortured, held in solitary confinement, threatened with death over previous escapes She went on: 'The Princess was on a US registered yacht, flying a US flag and operated by a dual US citizen. Those on the yacht heard Latifa cry out that she was seeking political asylum before she was captured. That is a clear crime as this happened in international waters. 'One of the legal actions we have is to bring this to a US court and see if they have jurisdiction.' Lisa Bloom, a leading US lawyer, believes Latifa's arrest on a US registered yacht in international waters was a criminal act and those responsible should be tried in the US Ms Bloom's involvement raises the stakes in the fight by Latifa's friends and human rights groups to discover if she is being held against her will in the Arab kingdom. It comes as new photos showing Latifa from 2017, have been released by her friends to mark the first anniversary of her failed escape bid. The Princess was seized by commandos allegedly acting on the orders of her father as she attempted to flee the United Arab Emirates to start a new life. She was forcibly removed from a yacht and taken back to Dubai where she has only been seen once in a stage managed meeting with Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Human rights groups insist Latifa is being held against her will and fear she has been drugged to stop her from speaking out or attempting to leave. The Princess recorded a video explaining why she was fleeing from under the iron grip of her father Sheikh Rashid Maktoum in the event that she did not escape. Ms Bloom's involvement raises the stakes in the fight by Latifa's friends and human rights groups to discover if she is being held against her will in the Arab kingdom The Princess (pictured a year before her bid for freedom) was seized by commandos allegedly acting on the orders of her father as she attempted to flee the UAE to start a new life abroad After successfully leaving Dubai on a US registered yacht Nostromo, Princess Latifa, a popular skydiver) she was captured off the coast of India and taken back to Dubai During the 40-minute video she claimed she had been tortured, held in solitary confinement, threatened with death and drugged during previous escape attempts. After successfully leaving Dubai on a US registered yacht Nostromo she was captured off the coast of India and taken back to Dubai. Latifa enlisted the help of former French spy Herve Jaubert to help in the escape, but he is no longer working with the campaign to free her. Despite pressure from the United Nations and Human Rights Groups the ruler of Dubai refused to talk about her escape. After nine months of silence, in December a photo of Latifa with Mrs Robinson was released with the former Irish Prime Minister saying the Princess was a troubled young woman. The photo opportunity was attacked by Latifa's friends and the NGO Detained International who have been campaigning to secure her release. They said it was staged managed with the Princess not allowed to speak. Los Angeles based lawyer Bloom has joined the Detained International in seeking answers to Latifa's abduction from the US yacht. Bloom, a familiar figure on US TV as a commentator on civil and human rights issues, said she was appalled that so many people still visit Dubai and has called for tourists to boycott the country. 'They have serious human rights issues and I would like to see a boycott, she said. Los Angeles based lawyer Bloom has joined the Detained International in seeking answers to Latifa's abduction from the US yacht 'Sheikh Maktoum should be shunned by other world leaders until we find out what has happened to his daughter. '| want to do whatever I can to help the Princess. She was hoping to come to America where it is certain she would have been given asylum.' David Haigh, from the Detained International, said he was pleased such a high profile lawyer had joined the fight to secure Latifa's release. He said: ' We are delighted that Lisa and The Bloom Firm has agreed to take on the fight for Latifa. She was our first choice lawyer almost a year ago when we focused on the US.' San Francisco Giants president and CEO Larry Baer has been suspended without Pay after video emerged on March 1 showing him in a physical confrontation with his wife. Baer will be able to return on July 2, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced Tuesday. No charges were ever filed against Baer. The Harvard-educated Baer has been on leave since video of a public altercation with his wife surfaced. The footage captured by TMZ showed Baer aggressively pulling what appeared to be a cellphone from the hand of his wife, Pam, at a public park in San Francisco. Pam Baer was heard screaming before going to the ground. Baer was ordered to have 'no involvement in the operations of the Giants' and is required to undergo an evaluation by an expert to determine 'an appropriate treatment and counseling plan,' Manfred announced. San Francisco Giants president and CEO Larry Baer has been suspended without Pay after video emerged last month showing him in a physical confrontation with his wife The Harvard-educated Baer has been on leave since video of a public altercation with his wife surfaced. The footage captured by TMZ showed Baer aggressively pulling what appeared to be a cellphone from the hand of his wife, Pam, at a public park in San Francisco. Pam Baer was heard screaming before going to the ground The video showed Baer's wife seated in a chair when he reached over her to grab for a cellphone in her right hand. She toppled sideways to the ground in the chair screaming 'Oh my God!' Baer, holding the phone, says 'stop, Pam, stop', then walks away alone 'At my direction, the Department of Investigations conducted an investigation into the March 1, 2019 video-recorded incident involving Larry Baer,' the statement read. 'I also personally met with Mr. Baer. Based on my review of the results of the investigation, I have concluded that Mr. Baer's conduct was unacceptable under MLB policies and warrants discipline. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred ordered Larry Baer to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine an appropriate treatment and counseling plan 'In determining the appropriate level of discipline, I find that Mr. Baer should be held to a higher standard because as a leader he is expected to be a role model for others in his organization and community. Based on my conversation with Mr. Baer, it is clear that he regrets what transpired and takes responsibility for his conduct.' MLB said the Giants will appoint an interim control person in consultation with the commissioner. Baer's leave of absence, which commenced on March 4, 2019, will be converted to an unpaid suspension. The video, which was originally posted by TMZ, showed Baer's wife seated in a chair when he reached over her to grab for a cellphone in her right hand. She toppled sideways to the ground in the chair screaming 'Oh my God!' Baer, holding the phone, says 'stop, Pam, stop', then walks away alone. Baer will be able to return on July 2, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced Tuesday Hours after the video's release, Pam Baer said through her attorney that she has forgiven her multimillionaire husband of nearly 30 years for the incident. 'My husband and I had an argument in public about which we are quite embarrassed,' Mrs Baer said in a statement Friday. 'I took his cellphone. He wanted it back and I did not want to give it back,' she continued. 'I started to get up and the chair I was sitting on began to tip.' 'Due to an injury I sustained in my foot three days ago, I lost my balance. I did not sustain any injury based on what happened today. Larry and I always have been and still are happily married,' she said. Baer previously released his own statement after the incident: 'I am truly sorry for the pain that I have brought to my wife, children and the organization. It is not reflective of the kind of a person that I aspire to be, but it happened and I will do whatever it takes to make sure that I never behave in such an inappropriate manner again.' A traffic officer in east China has won praise after he was seen escorting a lost stray dog along a busy road. The officer, identified as Guan Wenzhou, said he spotted the cream coloured pooch walking amongst vehicles waiting for a red light in Hefei, Anhui province on Monday and decided to guide it back to safety. Heart-warming footage shows the officer walking next to the dog for about 200 metres (656 feet) before the pooch reached the sidewalk safely. Heart-warming footage on Monday shows the officer walking next to the dog for about 200 metres (656 feet) before the pooch reached the sidewalk safely in Hefei, Anhui province Video footage shows the dog wandering along the road barricades as the on-duty officer approached it, with vehicles whizzing past them Officer Guan told video news site Pear he was worried that the dog might get run over during the rush hour. 'The dog appeared out of nowhere during rush hour in the morning,' he said. The video shows the dog wandering along the road barricades as the on-duty officer approached it, with vehicles whizzing past them. It appeared to be trapped in traffic by the barricades, unable to get to the sidewalk. 'The dog seemed to have just recovered from an injury as it had a limp,' officer Guan said. The dog appeared to be trapped in traffic by the barricades, unable to get to the sidewalk The dog eventually reached the pedestrian pavement safely thanks to the kind officer's help 'There were a lot of cars and drivers probably could't see the dog,' he said. 'So I decided to guide it to safety by protecting it from the cars.' 'The most important thing is to protect the safety of the dog,' the officer said. 'On the other hand, if the dog was run over, it would also cause a disruption to traffic.' The dog eventually reached the pedestrian pavement safely thanks to the officer's help. 'Thumbs up for this kind-hearted man,' one comment read on Chinese microblogging site Weibo. 'Let's hope someone would adopt the poor dog,' another said. 'So much love from this officer!' another person said. A 16-year-old Chinese schoolgirl has been rescued after being chained up by her neck in a dark home-made dungeon for nearly a month by a middle-aged man, who repeatedly raped her, according to authority. The suspect, known by his surname Long, used a five-metre-long (16-foot-long) iron chain as well as five extra padlocks to bind the girl to the wall of the damp basement. The dungeon, equipped with just a wooden board on the floor and a plastic toilet, is built directly underneath Long's room through a trapdoor, according to the Fenghuang People's Procuratorate in Fenghuang County, southern China's Hunan Province. A picture released by the Fenghuang People's Procuratorate shows the status of the victim when she was found by police earlier this month in China. She had been chained up for 24 days The girl was locked up in a home-made dungeon dug by the suspect under his room. It was built three years ago by the man and is linked to his room through a trapdoor (pictured) Long, in his 50s, has stayed single for a long time and makes a living by providing rideshare service with his van, the Fenghuang People's Procuratorate said in a statement. The authority said he dug the dungeon about three years ago when he built the house and had bought iron rings, iron chains, leather masks and female wigs to carry out kidnapping. Police have arrested the suspect and freed the unnamed victim 24 days after she was abducted, locked up and repeatedly sexually assaulted by Long. The suspect, known by his surname Long, used a five-metre-long (16-foot-long) iron chain as well as five extra padlocks to lock up the girl in the dark, damp basement in Fenghuang Police have arrested the suspect and freed the unnamed victim from the dungeon 24 days after she was abducted, locked up and repeatedly sexually assaulted by Long The Fenghuang People's Procuratorate, who also released grim images of the case yesterday, described Long as having 'twisted motives', 'despicable methods', and 'long-harboured thoughts about kidnapping women'. According to the statement, Long picked up the victim posed as a taxi driver as she was hailing for a taxi by the side of the road on February 13. During the ride, Long asked to use the girl's phone, arousing her suspicion and causing her to attempt an escape by jumping from his van. However, Long captured and beat the girl, binding her hands with shoelaces, taping her mouth shut, putting a nylon sack over her head and driving her back to his home where she was imprisoned in his basement, the statement said. The girl's family went to the police for help after she had gone missing and officers found her three weeks after. According to the authority, Long picked up the victim posed as a taxi driver as she was hailing for a taxi by the side of the road on February 13. He captured and beat the girl afterwards It is said that the suspect bound the victim's hands with shoelaces, taped her mouth shut, put a nylon sack over her head and drove her back to his home before putting her into the basement The young victim was discovered in the damp and dark basement with a chain wrapped around her neck - which had been secured by five padlocks. The prosecutor's office said the schoolgirl had been repeatedly raped in the basement. The findings claimed Long, a long-time bachelor, had been 'perverted by pornography' and premeditated his crime by purchasing online items such as the metal loops, chains, stun truncheon, masks and women's wigs. The prosecutor's office said they were waiting for their evidence to be reviewed before formally charging Long. The police did not reveal how the victim was found, only that 'she is recovering well physically and psychologically' after having been assigned two counsellors. A rare original royal charter dating back 819 years and dubbed the first ever 'Who's Who' of Britain has been discovered by a stunned historian. The document carries the seal of King John, who reigned from 1199 until 1216, and was issued in York on March 26, 1200. It was thought to have been lost or destroyed centuries ago but was found in the archives of Ushaw College Library which is managed by Durham University. Dr Benjamin Pohl, a senior lecturer in Medieval History at Bristol University, discovered a rare original royal charter dating back 819 years and dubbed it the first ever 'Who's Who' of Britain Fewer than a dozen original charters have survived from the first year of King John's reign. Dr Benjamin Pohl, a senior lecturer in Medieval History at Bristol University, uncovered the charter by chance while examining medieval manuscripts at Ushaw College. The document carries the seal of King John, who reigned from 1199 until 1216, and was issued in York on March 26, 1200 The list names rich and powerful barons from the north of England eager to do business with King John - in what Dr Pohl describes as a 'Who's who' of those in charge at the time. Dr Pohl said: 'Discovering the original charter at Ushaw is extremely exciting, not least because it allows us to develop a fuller picture of the people who were present at York on March 26, 1200, and eager to do business with the new king. 'Medieval charters are important not just because of the legal acts they contain, but also for what they can tell us about the society and political culture at the time. 'Indeed, their issuing authorities, beneficiaries and witnesses provide a cross-section of medieval England's ruling elites. 'Our charter might best be described, therefore, as a kind of 'who's who' of Northern England (and beyond) at the turn of the thirteenth century.' Fewer than a dozen original charters have survived from the first year of King John's reign Dr Pohl said: 'Medieval charters are important not just because of the legal acts they contain, but also for what they can tell us about the society and political culture at the time' The document confirmed the granting of possessions in County Durham, namely the two hamlets of Cornsay and Hedley Hill, to Walter of Caen and Robert FitzRoger, Lord of Warkworth and Sherriff of Norfolk and Suffolk. Walter and Robert were nephews of Simon, a chamberlain of Durham who had originally received the grants from his bishop, Hugh de Puiset, sometime before 1183, but who later decided to part with the bequests in order to provide for his two younger relatives. Professor David Cowling, pro-vice-chancellor for arts and humanities at Durham University, said: 'For one of our visiting fellows to identify an item from the collection as a previously uncatalogued medieval royal charter is a wonderful example of the benefits and advances that can be made by working and exploring our archives together.' Bethenny Frankel called her ex-husband white trash and once threw water on him while he was sleeping, it was revealed during her custody battle on Monday. Hoppy and Frankel, who arrived with her boyfriend Paul Bernon, were back at Manhattan's Supreme Court over what has become an ugly battle over their eight-year-old daughter Bryn. And, after hours of grueling and emotional testimony in which she detailed Hoppy's alleged emotional abuse, it was time for Frankel to be cross-examined. Robert Wallack, Hoppy's attorney, asked Frankel about an incident in which she called her ex-husband 'white trash'. Bethenny Frankel and her ex-husband Jason Hoppy were back in court for their ongoing - and ugly - custody hearing in Manhattan on Tuesday morning. Frankel was accompanied by her boyfrield Paul Bernon (pictured together) Frankel walked out with Bernon after a long day following her custody hearing with Hoppy 'You called him white trash, correct?' Wallack asked Frankel. 'I think I called his family that,' she replied. Wallack then had Frankel read from a transcript of the couple's 2014 divorce hearing. Frankel had said during the hearing that she called Hoppy 'white trash' after he told her he found an 'investor' to fund his divorce battle. 'You called him white trash,' Wallack asked again. 'Yes,' Frankel replied. Wallack had Frankel read from the same transcript as he questioned her about the time she threw water on her ex-husband while he was in bed. 'There was a time where he was sleeping and you threw water at him, correct?' Wallack asked, according to Radar. 'I don't know if he was sleeping, but I threw water on him,' she said. Wallack then had Frankel look at a specific page of the 2014 testimony, in which she said 'I splashed water at him when he was sleeping, I cracked'. Hoppy came to court on Tuesday dressed in a black suit, which he paired with a black tie Frankel wore a long-sleeved black knit dress with white sleeves, which she matched with a white belt for her court outfit 'Okay, then yes,' she told Wallack. Frankel had begun crying just minutes into her testimony earlier on Monday as she revealed how Hoppy would taunt her with FaceTime calls. Frankel's attorney Ronnie Schindel played a 2015 FaceTime call in which she said Hoppy refused to let her speak to Bryn, despite the fact that it was Mother Day's weekend and their daughter's birthday weekend. 'The circumstances were I was trying to FaceTime Bryn, and as I have experienced every day, Jason was using it as a tool to harass me and assault me,' Frankel told the court, according to Radar. In the FaceTime call, Frankel can be heard asking Hoppy if she can 'talk to Bryn for a sec'. 'No, keep recording me, keep recording me, you lost your privilege when you began recording me,' Hoppy responds. Frankel said Hoppy would use the FaceTime calls to 'taunt' and 'abuse' her. 'Just basic torture and taunting every day,' she continued, revealing he would often appear 'shirtless' or 'without clothes' on the video calls, which made her feel uncomfortable. Frankel said Hoppy's behavior had a 'dramatic affect' on her relationship with Bryn as she dealt with his endless and daily emotional abuse. It was only when Hoppy was arrested for harassing her in January 2017 that Frankel said she realized just how much his behavior was affecting her emotional state. Frankel was seen chatting to her lawyer as she walked into the courtroom on Tuesday morning The hearing comes a day after Frankel cried on the stand as she claimed that Hoppy had sent her abusive and taunting FaceTime calls 'Until something stops, you don't realize how traumatic and damaging it is,' she said while crying on the stand. 'When that person is arrested, you're sleeping better, you're not stressed. You're physically more psychologically healthy. You're not a wreck all the time.' 'It's like you can have a slightly normal life and you're more connected with Bryn because you're not in a panic about what will happen with the emails.' The Real Housewives of New York Star is fighting for sole custody and sole decision making of their daughter. Hoppy wants the couple to continue sharing joint custody. Frankel told the court that she wanted 'more physical time' with her daughter and said she was asking for 'ultimate-decision making' so that she wouldn't have to email with Hoppy about every single thing related to Bryn's care. 'Decision making has been impossible and tedious and not a collaborative or rational or reasonable process,' she said. 'And the decisions, the minor decisions, go on with email and bogged down in anger, and we can't get anything minor done.' 'And now Bryn is getting to the age, that as she gets older there is the physical, and medical. We have to be rational and reasonable and have good judgement. Jason will make decisions about how he would hurt me. If I say black, he will say white.' Frankel wrapped up in a white coat that matched her black and white shoes as she walked into court on Tuesday Bernon has been by Frankel's side throughout the grueling custody trial. They are seen here walking into court on Tuesday Emotions were similarly high during Frankel's hearing earlier this month as she sobbed on the witness stand and described how Hoppy turned her life into a 'torture chamber' and tormented her for six-and-a-half years after she asked for a divorce. Frankel described in detail the 'thousands' of 'abusive' text messages, emails, and phone calls Hoppy has bombarded her with since they split in 2012. The reality star said that she was once so scared of Hoppy that she put a padlock on her bedroom door when he refused to leave their apartment after she asked for a divorce. 'I was helpless, I had no way out. I knew what he was doing was illegal. I knew I was being abused,' the tearful Real Housewives of New York City star said at the start of her testimony. 'I pleaded, begged, emailed, to please stop harassing and abusing me.' Frankel said that Hoppy warned her after she asked for a divorce that 'this is war'. 'If you leave me you are dead to me,' Frankel said Hoppy told her. 'I want nothing to do with you. I'm going to destroy you. I'm going to ruin your life.' Frankel said she had told Hoppy that she wanted to co-parent harmoniously, and even one day be friends who could share holiday dinners or vacations together. But she claims he only reiterated that he wanted revenge. 'I'm going to destroy your life,' Frankel said he told her. 'I'm going to have you and your publicist on the floor crying.' During her hearing on Monday, Frankel claimed that Hoppy had dramatically affected her relationship with their daughter In testimony earlier this month, Frankel said Hoppy turned her life into a 'torture chamber' after she asked for a divorce in 2012 Frankel said life soon became a 'torture chamber' and 'outright mayhem' at the Tribeca apartment that she had bought for them. She claimed that Hoppy would lay in their marital bed and just stare at her face until she had to call friends and beg them to help her get him out of the bed. Describing the state he left the home in, Frankel described 'rotting food in the refrigerator and 'dishes piled to the top' of the sink. 'He would go to the bathroom in the toilets and wouldn't flush them. He would whistle and sing and slam doors,' she continued. 'He did everything he completely and possibly could to torture me.' Frankel also recalled how her ex-husband and his father would walk around the house in their underwear and that he would often invite friends to stay for days on end. Frankel is fighting Hoppy not only for sole custody of the couple's eight-year-old daughter Bryn, but also for sole decision making Hoppy wants the couple to continue sharing joint custody of their eight-year-old daughter 'I begged, pleaded, asked Jason to please leave. He refused,' she said. Frankel said Hoppy would lock her dog Cookie into the storage room for hours and leave negative press clippings about her around the house where she could find them. When she tried to throw them away, Frankel said Hoppy would dig them out of the trash and put them back. Among the more disturbing anecdotes Frankel gave was one in which she described Hoppy drawing a picture of her beloved dog Cookie and leaving it in Bryn's lunchbox for her to find just a day after the pup died. It was signed 'Dad'. Eventually, Frankel moved out. The abuse, she said, then became worse 'but different' via a steady stream of emails and text messages. Frankel said she would 'shudder' every time she saw an email from Hoppy, and that the 'vast majority' of the messages were 'abusive'. 'It was like a visceral reaction every time I looked at my phone and saw his name,' she said. 'I'm trying to be a mom, run a business, keep myself together. It scared me, made me feel helpless, hopeless, and alone.' In 2014, two years after she asked for a divorce, Frankel agreed to a custody agreement with Hoppy that allowed him to have two phone calls per day with Bryn. Hoppy, she said, used the mandated phone calls as a new opportunity to harass her and try to turn their daughter against her. 'Phone calls were Jason's new tool in his arsenal to abuse me,' Frankel said. 'The majority of phone calls and FaceTimes were Jason staring into the phone, sometimes in his underwear. He'd say "You lost.''' 'It was way worse than the emails and texts,' Frankel continued. 'Having a child in the car with me, or him, while Jason is abusing me, is bad for Bryn.' Frankel and Hopper married in March 2010, two months before their child was born. They are pictured here in 2012 just months before they split Hoppy's defense team tried to stop recordings of the phone calls from being played in the courtroom, but their request was denied by the judge. Although Bryn now has a phone of her own, Frankel said she has a hard time getting hold of her daughter when Bryn is with Hoppy. But Frankel said she will sometimes receive up to 10 emails over the span of a weekend from Hoppy's assistant demanding that she facilitate a call between him and Bryn when their daughter is staying with her. 'It's a new pocket, it's a new way for Jason to poke at me, send excessive emails at me,' she said. 'It makes me feel like this is endless, helpless, sad, nervous, stressed.' Frankel said Hoppy told her he would 'stop at nothing' to ruin her life and was threatening and verbally assaulting as well, whether they were at one of Bryn's doctor appointments or even at the school yard. 'If I would be giving her a big hug, he'd say I was desperate and pathetic. He's say I looked ugly and old. He'd laugh and whistle,' she said. Frankel also described the incident in which Hoppy was arrested for harassment at her daughter's school in 2017. The couple were often filmed enjoying vacations and parenting Bryn during their two seasons of Bethenny Ever After (pictured in 2012) The reality star was attending Bryn's recital with her late ex-boyfriend Dennis Shields when Hoppy appeared unannounced. 'I see how you want to do this. You can get 10 lawyers and you can't stop me. You've been warned. There's nothing you can do to stop me,' Frankel recalled him saying. Frankel said Hoppy then turned to Shields and called her 'pure evil'. 'We had settled custody, finances. It was supposed to be time to co-parent,' she said. 'He ramped it up and took it to another level.' Frankel couldn't hold back tears as she said it reached a 'fever pitch'. 'I was afraid for my safety. My daughter was steps away and he was threatening me in front of people at the school. I didn't know what he was capable of,' she continued. Frankel went to the police and Hoppy was arrested. An order of protection was issued that had since expired, and Frankel said she now makes minimal face to face contact with her ex-husband. 'I'm not comfortable in Jason's presence,' she said. 'It's very contentious. We're not in a good place, even in the courtroom.' Hoppy and Frankel met while she was filming the second series of the show. They married in 2010 while she was pregnant with Bryn. In 2012, Frankel told Hoppy that their marriage was over. Luke Gillman, 35, outside City of London Magistrates' Court A former Big Brother contestant was beaten by his friend at a beer festival following a heated row over his newborn baby. New father Luke Gillman, 35, repeatedly hit recording artist Darnell Swallow during an all-day drinking session at Kensington Olympia's Great British Beer Festival on August 11, last year. Gillman accused Mr Swallow, who finished fifth in 2008's Series 9 of Big Brother, of failing to come and visit his two-month-old baby son before launching his alcohol-fuelled attack. The pair had holidayed together and were described as 'close friends,' but the relationship had soured, the court heard. Gillman claimed he had been acting in self defence but was found guilty of assaulting Mr Swallow, his friend of 12 years, at City of London Magistrates' Court. When questioned by police Gillman said he had been 'drinking all day' and had little recollection of the incident. Prosecutor Charles Shelton told the court: 'Gillman landed a tirade, a flurry of blows against Mr Swallow. It was an attack from behind with several blows rained down on the head.' Darnell Swallow, who finished fifth in 2008's Series 9 of Big Brother Mr Swallow, 37, who is partially-sighted, told the trial: 'Luke was irritated and the point of escalation was when he came behind me and punched me in the head. 'I was discussing with him some personal problems in my life and how I admired where he had got in his life. 'I can remember multiple blows, mainly to the back and side of my head and afterwards he poured his beer on me. 'Instinctively I covered up. I was unsure what was happening and my next memory is of a glass being thrown at me and breaking. 'I was shocked and confused about what was happening and why it was happening. I had a cut on the back of my head and felt bruising.' The Ipswich-born musician, who grew up in St Louis, Missouri, denied he was 'aggressive.' Darnell also denied saying: 'F*** you and f*** your baby,' and throwing the first punch. Darnell Swallow, pictured outside court, denied he was being aggressive and provoked his friend Gillman claimed Swallow was agitated by his requests to see the new baby and told him: 'Stop asking or I will stop you.' Mr Shelton said: 'There was an altercation and the defendant erupted in anger. Gillman was offended that Mr Swallow had not been around to see his newborn baby. 'There was no threat made by Mr Swallow and the defendant had been drinking beer and cider all day. 'He said he was blind drunk.' Gillman told the officers he expected to see Darnell down the pub to patch things up a couple of days later. The magistrates rejected Gillman's claim he acted in self-defence and found him guilty of assaulting Mr Swallow. He was fined 540, with 775 costs and ordered to pay a 54 victim surcharge. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed the Republican senator who mocked her Green New Deal in a speech that used props and photos - including one of a Aquaman riding seahorse - to make his point. 'If this guy can be Senator, you can do anything,' she said via Twitter, retweeting a tweet with photos and comments from Sen. Mike Lee's floor speech making fun of her signature program. 'GOP Senators are using their Congressional allowances to print Aquaman posters for themselves to argue that a #GreenNewDeal saving our nation from climate change is a 'waste of money,'' she also tweeted, adding an emoji of laughing face. She got in one last defense of her signature policy initiative after it failed in the Senate. She retweeted a video of Public Citizen mocking Lee's speech with: 'W/ the #GreenNewDeal, legislators, experts, & advocates have spent countless hours poring over details of industrial policy+impact of global temp/sea lvl projections. Thats what you do when you take your job seriously + respect the chamber. This is what happens when you dont.' Lee, in a colorful speech, used a variety of photos to make his point, including Aquaman on a sea horse, Ronald Reagan and a dinosaur, a still from the 'Star Wars' franchise of Luke Skywalker riding a tauntaun, and cows. The Senate roundly rejected her Green New Deal as expected Tuesday afternoon with 57 nays and 43 present. Three Democrats voted no but most voted 'present' in protest. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed the Republican senator who mocked her Green New Deal on the Senate floor Republican Sen. Mike Lee mocked The Green New Deal on the Senate floor Tuesday Sen. Lee brought a variety of props and photos to make his point The final Senate vote was 57 nays and 43 present Before the vote, Lee made fun of the Green New Deal while speaking on the Senate floor. 'After reading the Green New Deal I'm afraid of not being able to get through this speech with a straight face,' he said as he began his remarks. He claimed the Green New Deal wants to eliminate airplanes - a likely reference to its goal to end reliance on fossil fuels - and suggested states like Hawaii would have to use a fleet of sea horses to travel instead. Standing next to a large photo of Aquaman riding a sea horse, Lee noted: 'Under the Green New Deal, this is probably Hawaii's best bet.' He conceded that 'a massive fleet of giant, highly trained sea horses would be cool, it would be really awesome. But we have no idea about scalability or domestic capacity.' Lee claimed his floor speech which propelled him into a Twitter trending topic, was meant to illustrate how silly he believes the non-binding resolution to be. The Republican senator from Utah even claimed that 'problems of human imagination are not solved by more laws, theyre solved by more humans, more people. 'The solution to climate change is not this unserious resolution were considering this week in the Senate but rather the serious solution to human flourishing. The solution to so many of our problems at all times and in all places is to fall in love, get married, and have some kids,' he added. Sen. Mike Lee claimed his speech was to show how silly he thinks the resolution is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will stage a show vote on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed the majority leader for holding a 'bluff vote' McConnell put the vote on the calendar to force Democrats, including a slew of 2020 presidential contenders, to go on the record about the progressive plan in a vote that he knew would fail. But Democrats' countered his maneuver with one of their own: voting 'present' - which does not count towards or against passage but does contribute to the quorum, meaning the lawmaker does not have a missing vote on their record. Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, the principle sponsor of the legislation in the Senate, called McConnell's move a 'sham.' He said Tuesday before the vote that the GOP leader 'wants to sabotage calls for climate action.' And Ocasio-Cortez slammed the majority leader for holding a 'bluff vote.' 'The GOP's whole game of wasting votes in Congress to target others 'on the record', for leg they have no intent to pass, is a disgrace. Stop wasting the American peoples' time + learn to govern. Our jobs aren't for campaigning, & that's exactly what these bluff-votes are for,' she wrote on Twitter on Friday. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called the vote a 'political stunt.' 'With this exercise, the Republican Majority has made a mockery of the legislative process. It is a political act, a political stunt. Everyone here knows it's a stunt, including the Majority Leader himself. He put something on the floor and then votes no. What's the point of that other than showing how hypocritical this act is?,' Schumer said Tuesday on the Senate floor. 'But with this exercise, they have also elevated the issue in a way I am sure they never intended. And for that, I want to thank them because now we're finally talking about climate change,' he added. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a presidential contender who is a co-sponsor of the Green New Deal legislation, also called it a 'sham' vote on Tuesday and said the 'GOP is treating this like a political stunt, they are treating climate change like a game.' She voted present. All the presidential contenders in the Senate have signed on as co-sponsors of Ocasio-Cortez's signature legislation: Sens. Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar and Gillibrand. McConnell plotted his crafty move as a way to force Senate Democrats to vote their view - a potential on-the-record move Republicans could exploit in the coming election. The move would also pit the moderate wing of the party against its left flank, a battle Democrats will be fighting in the upcoming presidential primary. McConnell slammed Democrats for moving to the left on a host of issues. 'This whole Democrat effort to re-brand all the failed ideas of 20th century socialism with a little green paint - every member of this body will have the opportunity to cast a clear vote,' McConnell said Monday on the Senate floor. He continued his barrage on Tuesday. 'The Senate is going to vote on the far-left wish list that many of our Democratic colleagues have rushed to embrace the so-called Green New Deal. For a relatively sparse resolution, this proposal has already traveled quite a fascinating path here in Congress. It originated with the most radical, farthest-left members of the new House Democrat majority,' he said on the Senate floor. Lee said people will have to ride sea horses because the Green New Deal will ban airplanes Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is asking his party to vote 'present' And the National Republican Senatorial Committee is using Ocasio-Cortez in attacks ads similar to how the GOP has used Speaker Nancy Pelosi in these type of ads for years. In a tweet attacking Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas, who is considering a run against Republican Sen. John Cornyn, the NRSC said Castro 'votes with AOC 94% of the time.' The Green New Deal is a statement of goals and doesn't make specific policy proposals, nor does it specify how it would pay for its ambitious plans. The plan aims to slow climate change by ending the reliance on fossil fuels within 10 years; to upgrade power grids and existing buildings for maximum energy efficiency; to overhaul transportation systems; and to provide every American with a job and health care. The conservative American Action Forum estimated the Green New Deal will cost $93 trillion. Other organizations have found the deal too vague to get a full cost although Forbes estimated just six of the goals would roughly cost $2.5 trillion a year. A student at Miami University in Ohio says he was beaten with a spiked paddle, kicked and forced to drink large amounts of alcohol while he was hazed by members of a now-suspended fraternity. The student said the hazing incident occurred at the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house in Oxford on March 16. Miami University suspended the fraternity pending an investigation into what school President Gregory Crawford called allegations of 'brutal and deplorable' hazing. The student said the hazing incident occurred at Miami University's Delta Tau Delta fraternity house (above) in Oxford, Ohio on March 16 The student told university officials that he was blindfolded and abused during the March 16 'hazing ritual', according to a report into the incident that was released on Monday. He claimed he was hit 15 times on the buttocks with a paddle covered in 'spikes and grooves', which caused multiple cuts and bruises. The student was also kicked and beaten during the five-hour ordeal. He told authorities he was forced to continuously drink alcohol and smoke weed while he was being beaten. The student said he was taken to the hospital via ambulance after telling his fraternity brothers: 'Call 911, I feel like I'm going to die'. Miami University suspended the fraternity pending an investigation into what school President Gregory Crawford called allegations of 'brutal and deplorable' hazing He said he recorded a .231 blood alcohol level. The university turned over its findings to the Oxford Police Department. The head of the national Delta Tau Delta Fraternity said the organization had suspended the chapter following hazing reports. 'Hazing has no place within Delta Tau Delta,' fraternity CEO Jack Kreman said. 'Despite intentional effort to educate members through national resources and local volunteer guidance, chapter members chose to treat new members inappropriately. The fraternity has no tolerance for such behavior and those involved will be held accountable. Two girls at a Manhattan high school allegedly gave an African-American student a tampon with the words 'n*****s don't have rights' scrawled across it. The students at Eleanor Roosevelt High School were suspended after the incident, which happened on March 15, was reported to teachers. One white co-ed and the other student, who was from the Middle East, handed the victim a tampon with the phrase 'n*****s dont have rights' written on it at the Upper East Side school, New York Daily News reported. Two students at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, (pictured), gave an African-American student a tampon with the words 'n*****s don't have rights' scrawled across it The horrified girl later handed the item to back the students, sources said, but she didnt immediately report it to administrators. Instead, the shaken student told friends who reported it to Eleanor Roosevelt staffers. This led to the suspension of both girls, according to sources. The incident triggered Eleanor Roosevelt Principal Dimitri Saliani to end classes early on Monday to meet with parents, students and staff for a discussion of the incident and what might have led to it. Saliani scheduled a larger meeting Tuesday to address the incident and issues of bias and racism at Eleanor Roosevelt, where only three per cent of students are black and 64 per cent of students are white. The figures are in stark contrast to the overall New York public school system, where black students account for 26 per cent of enrollment and white account for 15 per cent. Hispanic students comprise 12 per cent of enrollment at Eleanor Roosevelt, despite accounting for more than 40 per cent of the citywide student body. Principal Dimitri Saliani, (pictured), ended classes early to meet with parents, students and staff for a discussion about the incident City Education Department spokeswoman Miranda Barbot said Eleanor Roosevelt officials investigated the incident and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken for the students involved. She told New York Daily News: 'Principal Saliani sent a school-wide letter and met with families to reaffirm the importance of a safe and supportive school environment. 'We are continuing to provide support to the school community.' The news of the shocking incident came as protests were held at elite private schools including Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn and Ethical Culture Fieldston School in the Bronx over racist incidents involving students. City Education Department officials are also struggling to address mounting criticism of the citys complex admissions processes. The incident comes amid renewed debate about Bill De Blasio's plan to overhaul admissions at eight elite high schools, which currently admit students based on a single exam. A protest was recently held at Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn over a racist incident involving students A protest was recently held at Ethical Culture Fieldston School in the Bronx over a racist incident involving students Data showed that just over 10 per cent of offers to the elite schools this year went to black or Hispanic students, even though they represent roughly 70 per cent of the citys enrollment. Under the mayor's plan, the top seven per cent of students citywide would gain admission to a specialized school, scrapping the test entirely. 'Thats why were doing something bold here, and were saying were not going to live by this old system that has perpetuated massive segregation not just segregation, massive segregation,' De Blasio told WNYC radio on Friday. The mayors comment came as just seven black students were accepted to the new freshman class at Stuyvesant HS, which is considered the leader of the specialized schools. De Blasio added: 'We are having a really good and honest conversation in New York City about structural racism, about the history that has led to segregation in so many aspects of our society.' A police officer reportedly shot a colleague then turned the gun on himself after an argument at a Turkish airport. Turkish media reports that the police officer fired a pistol at a fellow cop at Kayseri Airport in central Turkey today and then turned the weapon himself. Two officers were wounded in the shootings on Tuesday at the airport's domestic departures terminal, the privately-owned DHA news agency said. The news agency states both were taken to hospital with gun shot wounds. Local media says the officers had got into a dispute at a security check point at the entrance of the airport's domestic departures terminal. Two police officers received gun shot injuries at Kayseri Airport in Turkey this afternoon (file photo) One of them shot the other and then tried to take his own life, but failed to discharge a lethal shot, Anadolu Agency reported. Gun shots were first reported at the airport in Central Anatolia at around 4.20pm local time this afternoon, according to Turkish newspaper Hurriyet. Video footage from Kayseri showed a small crowd of people, some with luggage, forming outside the terminal building. Reports in local media state there was a huge panic among passengers when the shots were first heard inside the terminal. Police have taken additional security measures at the domestic flights terminal of the airport where the incident took place, broadcaster NTV said. An officer at the Domestic Flights section, named in local media as Eyup B., argued for an unknown reason with his colleague, Ali A. Turkish media reported that one of the officers shot his colleague during an argument, then turned the weapon on himself at Kayseri Airport (file photo) The disagreement turned into a fight and Eyup B. took out his pistol and fired three shots at his colleague. Eyup B. then shot himself with the same gun, according to Hurriyet. Emergency services rushed to the scene and cordoned off the entrance to the airport. The reason for the heated argument that reportedly spiralled out of control in not yet known. Kayseri Airport operates civilian flights and hosts a Turkish Air Force base. Since the international terminal opened in 2007, around a million passengers every year have passed through the airport. In 2016, suspected Islamic State militants armed with automatic weapons and explosive belts carried out an attack at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, killing 45 people. Advertisement The number of immigrants trying to enter the U.S. legally and illegally at the Southern border is still rising dramatically despite efforts by the Trump administration to stem the flow, according to Department of Homeland Security data. Officials track the number of immigrants arrested between border points, as well as how many are legally seeking asylum at official ports of entry. Those combined numbers swelled to 76,103 in February a 30 percent increase compared to the 58,295 seeking to cross just a month prior, data shows. The flow of immigrants also represents a 50 percent increase compared to the 50,437 who crossed the border during the same month last year. Numbers have continued to rise in March, with 23,103 coming in just one week ending March 17, according to Axios. This graph shows the increase in immigrants coming across the Southern U.S. border, including those who cross illegally and those who present themselves at legal checkpoints. Each line represents the first six months of a different fiscal year, with 2019 already seeing a sharp uptick The high influx of people is putting the government in a 'difficult position,' said Leon Fresco, an immigration attorney who worked in the Obama administration and is now a member of a Homeland Security advisory committee formed by DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. 'Ordinarily you'd be detained, you'd be held at a border patrol facility until a bed opens up at an ICE facility but there are no beds at ICE facilities,' Fresco told DailyMail.com. 'There's so many people, they're literally just being apprehended, checked for terrorism and the watch list and released into the interior,' he added. 'Then there's about a 5-6 year backlog in the immigration courts.' Trump has pledged to end such a 'catch-and-release' policy, but has so far been stymied by the sheer volume of migrants flowing across the border. Leon said that migration patterns will likely self-perpetuate, with news that U.S. facilities and officials are overwhelmed only expected to attract more Central American migrants to cross the border. ICE released roughly 107,000 family members into the U.S. from December 21, 2018 March 20. After they are released, adult immigrants are typically required to wear ankle monitors to track their location a policy that doesn't apply to children. Salvadoran migrants wait for a transport to arrive after turning themselves into US Border Patrol by border fence under construction in El Paso, Texas on March 19, 2019 Most recently, the Trump administration released hundreds of immigrants last week into the U.S. as a result of overcrowding at U.S Customs and Border Protection facilities in Texas. Immigrant families in that region have been released on their own recognizance with a Notice to Appear in immigration court for deportation or asylum proceedings. 'The current volume of family units crossing the border combined with limited transportation resources, time restrictions on families in government custody, and finite space at family residential centers have all contributed to the current state of events,' ICE officials said in a statement. 'ICE is releasing families to (non-governmental organizations) that provide assistance with immediate basic needs such as temporary shelter, food, water, clothing and transportation services; however, many of these organizations are overwhelmed due to the ongoing influx of families at the border,' officials added. The increase has been driven largely by people fleeing gang violence, poverty and corruption in the Northern Triangle region of Central America Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Most have sought asylum in the U.S., saying they would face threats of violence and death if they returned to their home countries. Department of Homeland Security officers patrol along the border fence separating US and Mexico in the town of El Paso, Texas in this February 2016 file photo The process for seeking asylum often last years and many are ultimately unsuccessful. Some immigrants are allowed to live in the U.S. while awaiting their fate in court while others spend the time in detention centers. Last year Trump sought to stem the tide of families coming across the border by implementing a controversial zero-tolerance policy that led to thousands of immigrant children being separated from their parents while both were detained for the misdemeanor of crossing the border illegally. The actions sparked massive public outrage and multiple federal lawsuits, leading to Trump ending the policy through an executive order on June 20, 2018. A federal judge also ordered the administration to reunite families a slow process that is ongoing and hampered by many parents having been deported without their children. More recently, the administration has begun to return some Central American migrants back to Mexico until a judge decides their case. Horrific video filmed inside a high school classroom shows a pupil with autism being attacked by her fellow classmates. The footage, which was shared on Snapchat and Instagram, shows 14-year-old Amy McAloon being held down by one of her classmates at Alsop High School, in Walton, Liverpool, while another girl hits her. Another pupil can be heard shouting 'punch her' as her classmates stand by and watch or film the incident, which took place on Monday. The clip continues with the girl in the foreground pushing Amy down hard by her shoulder as the autistic pupil struggles to fend off a flurry of kicks and punches. Amy's mother, Helen McAloon, shared the video in the hope of highlighting the abuse she says her daughter has been subjected to during her time at the school. In the sickening clip, shared on Snapchat and Instagram, Amy McAloon (centre), 14, is held by one of her classmates at Alsop High School, in Walton, Liverpool, while another girl hits her Another pupil shouts 'punch her' while her classmates stand by and watch or film the incident, which took place on Monday. Amy's mother, Helen McAloon, 52, shared the video to highlight the abuse she says her daughter has been subjected to during her time at the school Mrs McAloon, a mother-of-six, from Walton, said: 'My daughter is 14 and she goes to Alsop. Amy is autistic and she keeps getting picked on in school. She got beaten up a few times in the playground and this has been going on for three years. 'Yesterday I got a phone call saying she had been in a fight in school and they were investigating - and then when she got home last night, she burst into tears and said, "Mum, there's a video of me getting beaten up on Snapchat". It was on Instagram as well.' Mrs McAloon, 52, says her daughter is 'vulnerable' because of her autism, and fears other pupils have targeted her for bullying because of this. She said Amy 'attracts attention' and that 'it's noticeable to other kids that she's not streetwise', making her a focus for attacks from other pupils. Mrs McAloon sent three of her older children to Alsop High School and chose to send Amy to the school because her siblings had done well there. She said: 'She has been in mainstream school all her life. She's really good at music and art but not so much academically. It's about the eighth time I've had to deal with the school over this and I can't understand what homes these kids come from. Mrs McAloon, a mother-of-six, said: 'All my kids went [to Alsop] but Amy is autistic and she keeps getting picked on in school. She got beaten up a few times in the playground and this has been going on for three years.' (Pictured, Alsop High School) 'My husband and I work really hard to make sure our kids aren't a nuisance because we're a big family and there's a stereotype where people expect six kids to be wild or brought up on chicken nuggets.' Speaking through tears, Mrs McAloon said she was 'mortified' when she saw the video. She said: 'The kids in school can pick her autism out a mile off. They are feral. There's one girl holding her down and a boy shouting 'punch her, punch her'. I can't imagine how hard it is for her to go into school every day.' After seeing the state her daughter came home in and viewing the sickening video footage, Mrs McAloon made the choice to keep Amy off school on Tuesday. She said: 'My daughter is vulnerable - she's not the kind of person to say boo to anyone. She's such an easy target. I just want someone to highlight this.' Mrs McAloon also claims this is not the first time her daughter has had issues with bullies and said one of Amy's older brothers even had to meet her to walk her home safely after she had things thrown at her in the street. She claims the school told her they were unable to act on her concerns, as the alleged behaviour was taking place outside school. A school spokesman said: 'Alsop High School takes any allegations of bullying extremely seriously and the wellbeing of our pupils is of the highest priority. 'This very regrettable incident was dealt with immediately by staff as part of the school's internal disciplinary process.' A mother was found dead on the hospital floor with her days-old baby underneath her, despite doctors being satisfied by her condition just one hour earlier. Staff checked in on the woman, who was in a single room at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) in Ireland, at around 7am on Monday morning. They reported no sign of illness but the mother, in her 30s, was discovered lying on the floor by doctors doing their rounds an hour later. Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) in Ireland (pictured) has launched an investigation after a new mother was found dead on the floor with her baby underneath her on Monday The hospital has opened an investigation, but the cause of death is currently unknown. The incident is being treated as a tragic accident. The baby, who was born over the weekend, suffered severe injuries and is receiving emergency treatment in the hospital. The days-old girl was discovered at the breast of her mother, who may have suffered a medical episode and fallen out of bed while feeding her, the Irish Times reports. The baby girl, who is believed to have been born last weekend, suffered severe injuries in the incident and is receiving emergency treatment in the hospital (file image) The South South-West Hospital Group confirmed that an investigation has begun following a 'tragic occurrence' in the hospital on Monday. They group, which includes CUMH, said it was supporting the patient's family and declined to comment on the individual case. The purpose-built maternity hospital in Cork opened in March 2007 and offers one-, two- and four-bed rooms. A 14-year-old schoolboy took his own life after being bullied by two female teachers who began picking on him after his father's death. Zhanibek Zhuzdai claimed that teachers Aisulu and Zhanar Baratova, who are sisters, harassed him for three years, calling him 'slumdog', 'basketcase' and 'scum' because he had no father to protect him. The bullying intensified after Zhanibek's eight-year-old brother died from disease two months ago, leaving him unable to cope. Zhanibek did not tell his mother about the bullying because he did not want to worry her, and the full extent of the abuse was only laid bare in his suicide note. Zhanibek Zhuzdai, 14 (left), hanged himself at his home in Kazakhstan after suffering three years of bullying by his teachers, which was only exposed in a suicide note to his mother (right) Zhanibek said sisters Aisulu and Zhanar Baratova targeted him at this school in the Turkistan region, calling him 'slumdog' and 'scum' because he didn't have a father to protect him The teenager was found hanged near his family home in the village of Shardara, in southern Kazakhstan's Turkistan region, by mother Kalamkas Zhuzdai. Witnesses said she cried so hard that she struggled to breathe after discovering her son's lifeless body. In the message, the boy named his offenders and released the shocking details of his suffering before he took his own life. It is understood from Zhanibek's message that Baratova sisters considered him a target because he had no father to protect him. The women made fun of the fact that Zhanibek was a half orphan, it is reported. They insulted him and his mother and started bullying him even harder after the death of his younger brother. A part of Zhanibek's note was cited by local media. It says: 'Baratova Aisulu and Baratova Zhanar are constantly humiliating me. 'They call me 'slumdog', 'basketcase', 'scum'. 'They are also insulting my mum. 'Mum, it has been going on for three years now. 'I am tired. I want to die.' Police have opened a criminal case against the two sisters for incitement to suicide, prompting the teachers' relatives to beg for forgiveness in order to get the charges can be dropped. Bakyt Kaldybekov, who is Zhanibek's uncle, said the teachers' relatives have begged him for forgiveness so charges against them will be dropped, but he has refused Relatives of the two teachers climb Based on the note, the police initiated a criminal case on incitement to suicide The victim's uncle Bakyt Kaldybekov said: 'Their [Baratova sisters'] relatives are coming to us and asking for forgiveness. 'But we cannot forgive them. They should be punished according to the law. They deserve it.' Aisulu and Zhanar have been working at the school for 20 years, reports say. The former is a history teacher and the latter is a primary school teacher. The sisters have not been suspended from the school despite the investigation. The Alimbetov School deputy principal Baktygul Utegenova said: 'We are in shock and we do not even know what to think. 'The boy did not look depressed. He was active and took part in different school events. He was an aspiring athlete.' Reports say neither Zhanibek's relatives or friends nor the school psychologist knew about his problem. The suspects face up to three years in prison if found guilty. President Donald Trump claimed Tuesday that Democrats are no longer talking 'impeachment' now that a summary of the Mueller report is out. He also suggested that investigation into his campaign was a conspiracy ordered by Barack Obama's administration. 'I think it went very high up. I think what happened is a disgrace. I don't believe our country should allow this ever to happen again. This will never happen again. We can never let it ever happen again,' he told reporters. 'It went very high up, and it started fairly low, but with instructions from the high up. ' Asked if it went all the way up to the West Wing of the Obama White House in his opinion, Trump said, 'I dont want to say that, but I think you know the answer.' President Donald Trump claimed Tuesday that Democrats are no longer talking 'impeachment' now that a summary of the Mueller report is out He also suggested that investigation into his campaign was a conspiracy ordered by Barack Obama's administration Trump claimed Monday that his critics were guilty of 'treasonous' actions, prompting questions on Capitol Hill about his enemy list and whether it includes ex-Obama staffers and the former president. The president was on Capitol Hill to take a victory lap as he attended a GOP luncheon in advance of a vote in the Senate on the Green New Deal and a House vote on his national emergency. Earlier on Tuesday the Mueller said the investigation was a 'disgrace' and it 'should never have been started' as he ribbed Democrats for 'walking back' their claims that he almost certainly colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, a freshman Democrat from Michigan, was meanwhile circulating a resolution formally calling for an investigation into potential crimes he may have committed before and after he took office. Trump wrote her request off as an anomaly as he briefly talked to reporters on his way into the luncheon. 'I dont think theyre talking about impeachment. We have the greatest economy weve ever had. Our country is in incredible shape,' he said. 'They and others created a fraud on our country with this ridiculous witch hunt, where it proven very strongly, no collusion, no obstruction, no nothing.' The Department of Justice has not released the special counsel's report yet, but a four-page letter from Trump's attorney general indicated that the special counsel found no evidence to support allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Mueller also declined to bring charges against or recommend criminal prosecution of the president. Trump said Tuesday, before he spoke to senators, 'The Mueller report was great. It could not have been better. It said, "no obstruction, no collusion," it could not have been better.' His White House likewise claimed that Trump has 'nothing to hide' and continues to support the release of the confidential report. His White House meanwhile claimed that Trump has 'nothing to hide,' and continues to support the release of the special counsel's final report His White House meanwhile claimed that Trump has 'nothing to hide' and continues to support the release of Robert Mueller's report Trump did not take questions again from reporters after his meeting, opting to deliver a statement from across the hall, instead. 'We had a very good meeting. A lot of very important subjects discussed. And you'll be reading about them, probably tomorrow. Thank you very much,' he said. A White House official told DailyMail.com before the meeting that he would be 'providing an update on Administration's priorities to the Republican conference.' He specifically wanted to discuss drug pricing and infrastructure with senators, senior adviser Kellyanne Conway told reporters later, calling them areas with the potential for bipartisan support. Senator Lindsey Graham confirmed after the meeting that prescription drugs came up. 'He mentioned that. I think that's going to be a top priority for the president. Let's try to reform the prescription drug business so that costs will be lower,' the senator said. Conway said Tuesday morning that the White House is looking forward to a policy discussion, now that Mueller has closed up shop, and Democrats must decide if they want to continue investigating the president or get on board. It's the president's top advisers who continued to suggest that current and former DOJ officials should be hauled before Congress to testify about their flawed belief that Trump and his associates may have meddled in the election and orchestrated a presidential-level cover-up, however. 'Let's see how this all started. Did we have people in fact at the top levels of the DOJ and the FBI trying to sit on the scales of justice to try and prevent Donald Trump from being elected president and after he was elected president trying to prevent him from taking office?' Conway said Tuesday. 'Getting that insurance policy, making fun of his voters, sprinkling their venom all over town, unmasking Mike Flynn.' Conway said on Fox News: 'Let's see what led to the FISA warrant application being approved, let's get to the bottom of that phony dossier that got this party started, the DNC and Hillary Clinton funding it because I'll tell you those people at the DOJ and the FBI at the time they have besmirched the good reputations and integrity of the 25 to 35,000 men and women who work in that department and do their jobs honorably.' Trump included former FBI Director James Comey and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper in his list of enemies on Monday, saying they should be forced to testify about the special counsel probe. 'There are a lot of people out there that have done some very, very evil things, very bad things, I would say treasonous things against our country,' Trump said, claiming that 'they lied to Congress, and many of them you know who they are. They've done so many evil things.' As the dust settled on the lengthy Russia probe's final curtain-closing, other Republicans in Washington swung from defense to offense too, calling for new deep-dives into a cast of characters who started and fueled the lengthy Russia-conspiracy chase. Graham vowed in a press conference on Monday that he would use his chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee to peel apart the layers of the 22-month Mueller probe and what preceded it. That, he said, includes the uncorroborated, Democrat-funded dossier of anti-Trump research that led the Justice Department to dig into alleged Trump-Russia ties, and the DOJ's use of its contents to get a surveillance warrant on Trump a campaign adviser. 'The FISA warrant issued against Carter Page based on a dossier prepared by Christopher Steele is at a minimum disturbing,' said Graham, a staunch Trump ally. 'Whether or not it's illegal, I don't yet know, so I'm going to get answers to this.' 'If no one else cares, it seems to me Republicans do, and that's sad 'If the shoe were on the other foot it would be front page news all over the world,' he said. Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani demanded to know exactly who was responsible for promoting the 'cockamamie' theory that the president conspired with Russians to steal the 2016 election and then tried to obstruct a federal investigation into his actions. 'If there was no evidence of collusion three investigations, no evidence of collusion who made it up? It had to come from somewhere. It just didn't come out of thin air,' Giuliani fumed. 'I want to know who did it, who paid for it, who fueled it. Because the person who did it, and the group that did it, knows it's untrue because they invented it,' he said. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Monday that Congress should start with Comey, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and ex-CIA head John Brennan. South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters that he will use her position as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee to probe who was responsible for advancing the Trump-Russia narrative Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch (left), former FBI Director James Comey (center) and former CIA Director John Brennan (right) are all under new scrutiny after the collapse of the Democrat-favored narrative that President Donald Trump colluded with Russians to swing the 2016 election She said Congress should look at 'any of the people that were involved in the process of trying to take down the president' and officials who sought to 'delegitimize the president's victory in 2016.' 'If Congress is so gung-ho to call people up to the Hill, the list I would start with are Comey, Clapper, Brennan and other people in the FBI who perpetuated this absurd lie and this absurd idea that the President of the United States was somehow a foreign agent and colluding with another government,' she said. 'Let's not forget that all of this interference in the election took place under the Obama administration. They knew about it, and they did nothing to stop it.' A vegan activist has accused Domino's of 'deliberately sabotaging' her takeaway pizza after she found chicken and sausage 'hidden' under the toppings. JayJay Palmer, 26, who lives in Ferryhill, Durham, said her partner Med Allam made it 'very clear' she did not eat meat when he placed their order for delivery from the local Spennymoor branch. But after tucking into her sweetcorn and mushroom pizza, the full-time mother said she was shocked to find 'bits of chicken sliced and hidden under the dough with sauce on top to try to hide it'. JayJay, who has been vegan for more than a year, said on further inspection she discovered 'they had hidden little bits of sausage that they had chopped into to smaller bits and tucked under the mushroom'. She said she was left feeling 'angry, upset and guilty' and feeling sick, after her partner had been reassured by the branch staff their order would be made separately to the meat produce. JayJay Palmer, 26, who lives in Ferryhill, Durham, has been left outraged after she claimed she found bits of chicken inside the dough of her Domino's vegan pizza After tucking into her sweetcorn and mushroom pizza, the full-time mother said she was shocked to find 'bits of chicken sliced (pictured, right hand side) and hidden under the dough with sauce on top to try to hide it'. She also claims she found bits of sausage (also right) JayJay said: 'I'm angry that I'm an activist and after all my efforts, conversations and volunteering at animal sanctuaries and choosing to live alongside my morals that someone would go out of their way to sabotage my meal.' JayJay, who has two children, added that she had also ordered nachos, as the Dominos staff had advised that these were vegan, but when she went to eat these, they had been smashed into tiny pieces 'looking like a ball of crumbs'. Med rang the Domino's store to complain after receiving their order on February 6, and spoke to the branch manager 'who didn't believe what we said'. He arranged for the order to be picked up. JayJay added: 'Ten minutes later, the manager rang and was very, very apologetic and asked us not to take it any further as my partner had explained to him that I was fuming. 'The manager offered a free order of the same price which we refused and explained all trust had gone to that company. JayJay (pictured), is a full-time mother-of-two and claims she has been discriminated against 'He said he understood and we left it at that. I contacted head office and they told me it was being investigated. I was then offered a refund but I refused it. 'I felt as though they were discriminating against us and that my complaint wasn't being taken seriously. I am angry, upset and genuinely hurt.' JayJay took to the Domino's Facebook page to vent her frustration. She wrote: 'A warning out there against Domino's Pizza Domino's Pizza Spennymoor 'Me and my partner made an order and made it very clear I'm vegan. 'When the pizza was delivered It had bits of chicken sliced and hidden UNDER THE DOUGH with sauce on the top to try and hide. and they had hidden little bits of sausage that they had chopped into to smaller bits and tucked under the mushroom! Not just this thou. 'I also had my nachos (altered to be vegan friendly) smashed into the tiniest bits of crisps that you'd find in the bottom of the bag! JayJay (pictured) took to the Domino's Facebook page to vent her frustration 'Thankfully I spotted the meat and rung the shop back now unwilling to eat and the staff not believing me I had them pick it up and inspect it 'The manager then rung me back to apologise and offer a refund and a free order I don't know about you guys but that's not good enough! 'We rarely ever get to eat at our convenience and I don't trust takeaways a lot especially ones that cater to meat eaters but I just wanted an easy meal, where I didn't have to wash up! Just once god forbid ! 'To then be sabotaged and discriminated against. I've taken it to head office and yet again because they clearly don't see it as a serious complaint 'I thought I'd warn you all to not order from them as they hid the meat IN the dough as well as on top to try and sabotage my meal. Absolutely disgusted.' A spokesman for Domino's said: 'When Ms. Palmer's made her complaint we immediately apologised for this genuine mistake and offered Ms. Palmer a full refund which she refused. It's absolute nonsense to suggest this was 'deliberate sabotage'. 'While we don't currently have a vegan pizza on our menu the appetite for vegan pizza continues to grow. We've recently trialled a Vegan Supreme and can't say too much just yet but urge pizza lovers to stay tuned.' McCann family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said he continues to hope Madeleine will be found alive Kate and Gerry McCann's spokesman has said he is convinced their missing daughter Madeleine was abducted by a stranger. Former journalist Clarence Mitchell, 57, who has acted for the family since the time of Madeleine's disappearance in 2007, said: 'A child was taken to order from that room.' With the case once again making headlines following the launch of a new Netflix documentary earlier this month, Mr Mitchell told the Daily Telegraph he and the McCanns remain hopeful that one day despite the odds, Madeleine will be found alive. He he hopes the mystery 'could all end on one phone call tomorrow', adding 'so far, it hasnt.' He said: 'I asked the British authorities what they think happened and if there was any family involvement, and they assured me it was just a rare case of stranger abduction. 'Its very rare, but it can happen.' Mr Mitchell said that a 'sexual motive' is an 'obvious' possibility. He said Madeleine's parents remain hopeful that as in 'other cases, where a missing child has been found alive after many years' all hope is not lost for their little girl. That, and 'the complete absence of any evidence that Madeleine has been physically harmed,' feeds their hopes that their eldest daughter may still be alive. Three-year-old Maddie vanished from a holiday apartment in Portugal's Praia da Luz in May 2007 while her parents were dining with pals in a nearby tapas restaurant Gerry and Kate McCann continue to hope their missing daughter will be found alive and well Mr Mitchell was sent to Portugal in 2007 as the case was breaking, to work with his colleagues in British government media relations, but quickly switched to handling Kate and Gerry's media dealings. And he said the couple's stoicism in front of the cameras - which was interpreted as heartlessness by some - followed police advice that in paedophilic kidnappings sometimes the abductor derives pleasure from seeing the parents upset; so the pair were told to control their emotions. He said he understood the misinterpretation, saying: 'For someone who does not know that, they might think it looks a bit suspicious. It is almost like the public were expecting the parents to react in a certain way.' Three-year-old Maddie vanished from a holiday apartment in Portugal's Praia da Luz in May 2007 while her parents were dining with pals in a nearby tapas restaurant. She had been left sleeping alone with her younger twin siblings Sean and Amelie with regular half hourly checks being made on the children. Her parents cling onto a glimmer of hope their eldest child could still be found alive. She would now be aged 15, nearly 16. It comes as the controversial new Netflix documentary - an eight-part series called 'The Disappearance Of Madeleine McCann' - claims Madeleine McCann might still be alive and could be being held by people traffickers - 12 years after she disappeared. Police kicked a woman out of a Native American powwow after she put on a sacred piece of dancers' regalia and started dancing while wearing it. The non-native was seen on video in the stands at the event in Denver on Sunday wearing a Native American's bustle of feathers. Another Native American who was in attendance at the Denver Coliseum then approaches her, tells her she is being disrespectful and demands that she remove it from her body. A member of the Sicangu Lakota nation told NBC 9 News that a powwow should be treated like any other religious or sacred ceremony, and while visitors are welcome, non-natives should 'let modesty and respect be your guide.' A non-native woman in attendance at a powwow in Denver was removed by police after she was caught on camera dancing around with a Native American's sacred bustle regalia without permission (pictured) The video of the unidentified woman's dancing was posted online and has been shared thousands of time. The bustle is a sacred item made with feathers that is a traditional part of regalia worn by Native American dancers. A pharmaceutical chemistry and political science student with the username '@Ms_Yellowhorse' was at the event and shared the video. She wrote: 'Im at Denver March Powwow and a nonnative woman took a piece of a dancers regalia, put it on, and started dancing around in it. She was rightfully kicked out, but I want to be clear that being respectful of our spaces is necessary.' In a second tweet, the user included a video of the woman dancing with the regalia, writing, 'Just a PSA: dont do what this lady did.' A bustle of feathers is a traditional part of Native American dancers' regalia and it is sacred. A file photo of a Native American bustle made of eagle feathers is shown A pharmaceutical chemistry and political science student with the username '@Ms_Yellowhorse' tweeted the video writing, 'Im at Denver March Powwow and a nonnative woman took a piece of a dancers regalia, put it on, and started dancing around in it. She was rightfully kicked out, but I want to be clear that being respectful of our spaces is necessary.' In a second tweet, the user included the video of the woman dancing with the regalia, writing, 'Just a PSA: dont do what this lady did' The video shows the woman wearing the regalia on her back and hopping around, bending at the waist at times The video shows the woman wearing the regalia on her back and hopping around, bending at the waist at times. As a man named Chad Browneagle eventually comes toward her, she takes off the regalia and extends it toward him. 'I noticed she untied somebodys bustle and had it around her neck, and I was like, "What? Whoa."' Browneagle said. 'As soon as she [saw] me, she took off the bustle really quickly,' he said. 'I said, "Hey, dont be like touching people's stuff. Its not yours."' The woman was quickly stopped by another Native American, Chad Browneagle (pictured), who told her not to touch things that didn't belong to her As Browneagle tells the woman to leave things that aren't hers alone, he then takes the bustle and ties it on the railing nearby. The woman watches for a moment, then awkwardly dances a bit more before returning to standing idly by As Browneagle tells the woman to leave things that aren't hers alone, he then takes the bustle and ties it on the railing nearby. The woman watches for a moment, then awkwardly dances a bit more before returning to standing idly by. Like many others who were outraged at the seemingly thoughtless behavior of the woman, David Heska Wanbli Weiden, an associate professor of Native American Studies and Political Science at Metropolitan State University of Denver, saw video of the display on Twitter. 'My initial reactions were anger and horror,' Weiden told said. 'Common sense should dictate when youre in a sacred place, you dont just walk up and grab someones sacred regalia and start dancing around with it and making a mockery of it.' 'This is an adult. She should know better,' a Twitter user identified as Allen Turner said, in response to user @Ms_Yellohorse's tweet of the video. 'Does she go to church and start playing with stuff on the altar? To a restaurant and play with other people's food? To concert and start playing with the instruments on stage? C'mon now! GTF outta here with that nonsense!' Responses to the video of the woman's behavior were swift and decisive. A Twitter user identified as Allen Turner said. 'Does she go to church and start playing with stuff on the altar? To a restaurant and play with other people's food? To concert and start playing with the instruments on stage? C'mon now! GTF outta here with that nonsense!' 'So disrespectful, this is infuriating,' wrote Twitter user '@WildWinyanlys' 'So disrespectful, this is infuriating,' wrote Twitter user '@WildWinyanlys.' In contract, the Browneagle's reaction was praised, although he was incorrectly assumed to be the dancer to which the bustle belonged. A Twitter use identified as Apryl Allen wrote, 'This is shocking! Impressed with the dancer... he handled the situation by respecting & honoring what was important!' Some users called out the apparent white privilege at play, as the woman in the video appears to be Caucasian. 'Sometimes I really wonder what it must be like to be white and think every space is yours to act and be any way you choose. [flushed face emoji],' wrote Twitter user '@DarkSkyLady.' In contract, the Browneagle's reaction was praised, although he was incorrectly assumed to be the dancer to which the bustle belonged. A Twitter use identified as Apryl Allen wrote, 'This is shocking! Impressed with the dancer... he handled the situation by respecting & honoring what was important!' It's not clear why the woman was in attendance at the powwow, but non-native people are apparently welcome at this so long as they respect the space. Weiden, who is an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota nation, explained appropriate guidelines for those wishing to attend a powwow, which is a sacred event. 'You never take a photograph unless you ask first,' Weiden said. 'You do not enter powwow grounds until youre allowed to do so on dance floor. There is something called an "inter-tribal," where non-natives may be welcomed onto the dance floor to dance. But you do not do so until youve been invited. And you certainly never, never, never, never go and touch someones regalia and put it on. That is absolutely the worst thing ever.' Weiden said a powwow should be treated like any other religious or sacred ceremony. 'We are happy to share our culture with others,' he said. 'Let modesty and respect be your guide.' Emergency services were called out to extinguish a burning sex toy that was on fire at the side of a road in Austria. Firefighters thought they were putting out a burning tyre, but were stunned to discover the flaming object was actually a vibrator. A motorist reported a 'burning tyre on top of a manhole cover' in the town of Mieming in the mountainous Austrian state of Tyrol. When the fire crews arrived at the scene they immediately started to put out the small blaze. This sex is on fire: The charred remains of the vibrator which was found on fire by the side of a road in Austria Play with fire: The flaming sex toy can be seen at the side of a road as members of the fire service work to put it out But after it was extinguished, firefighters realised the burning object was not a tyre but a Womanizer vibrator. Fire brigade chief Alexander Sagmeister said: 'At first, it was not obvious. We just extinguished the fire.' When firefighters scoured through the charred remains, they found a piece of paper saying: 'Thank you for choosing Womanizer.' The note promised women 'a world full of sensual experiences that will enrich you and your life time and again'. Firefighters at the scene of the burning sex toy in the town of Mieming in the Austrian mountains Burning love: A piece of paper with scorched ends found at the scene with product details of the Womanizer vibrator It read: 'By choosing the Womanizer, you are not only guaranteed orgasms that are beyond comparison, but also an entirely new lust for pleasure.' The exact model of vibrator is not known. A fire brigade spokesperson said: 'We were surprised to find this item and handed it over to the police.' According to the police, a statement of facts was sent to the relevant local authorities as no one was actually endangered by the fire. It is unclear whether the sex toy caught fire after malfunctioning or if someone intentionally set it alight. A Georgia family claims that an airline crew removed their teenage sons from a flight from South Korea to the Philippines because of one of the boys suffers from a severe peanut allergy. The two boys, ages 15 and 16, had been traveling to Manila after visiting their sick grandfather in the Atlanta area. Their father is temporarily based in the Philippine city. According to the boys's family, Delta was notified of the their son's allergy and took the necessary precautions for the first leg of their flight - which went from Atlanta to Seoul. Scroll down for video The two boys, ages 15 and 16, had been traveling to Manila after visiting their sick grandfather in the Atlanta area But after making it onto their second flight with partner Korean Air, the boys were told that peanuts would be served on board. The family asserts that the airline told the boys that they weren't going to deprive their other guests of peanuts so the brothers had two options - to deal with it or get off the plane. Both boys were forced off the flight and sent back on a return flight to Atlanta. 'The gate agent reaches over and tries to tug on my son's shirt to encourage him to get off the plane,' father, Rakesh Patel, explained to WSB-TV. 'It's not easy being in that position when you are that far from your kids.' Delta was notified of the their son's allergy and took the necessary precautions for the first leg of their flight - which went from Atlanta to Seoul, South Korea On their second flight with partner Korean Air, the boys were told that their flight would have peanuts on them The Patel family has since demanded a refund and filed a complaint. 'You guys really need to make sure your partner airlines have the same policies. We just need to come up with some fair policies that allow passengers with severe allergies to be treated respectfully, fairly and allow them to travel,' Patel added. 'It was not my fault. It was not my children's fault. It was one of your partner airlines.' Both Delta and Korean Air have apologized for the incident and said that their airlines are looking into the matter. 'We're sorry for this family's ordeal, particularly during what is already a difficult time for them,' said Delta in a statement. 'Delta and our partner Korean Air are communicating with the family and examining the processes surrounding this incident; we will use our findings in our work to create a consistent experience for customers flying Delta and our partner airlines.' 'The gate agent reaches over and tries to tug on my son's shirt to encourage him to get off the plane,' father, Rakesh Patel, said. 'It's not easy being in that position when you are that far from your kids.' 'You guys really need to make sure your partner airlines have the same policies. We just need to come up with some fair policies that allow passengers with severe allergies to be treated respectfully, fairly and allow them to travel,' Patel added. 'It was not my fault. It was not my children's fault. It was one of your partner airlines' Korean Air said: 'Korean Air is aware that peanut and food allergies are an industry issue and no airline can guarantee a food allergy-free environment. But we are reviewing ways to deal with this issue in a safe and feasible way. We totally understand the risks faced by passengers with nut and food allergies and will certainly try to accommodate them better in the future. 'Korean Air has apologized to Mr. and Mrs. Patel and their sons. Customer service is a mainstay of the Delta and Korean Air partnership and we regret that the Patel's experience did not reflect our common values. That is not our style and we can and will do better.' A pregnant woman was horrified when she gave birth to a decapitated baby whose body remained inside. Kagiso Kgatla, 19, who was six months pregnant and expecting her first child, watched in terror as the baby's severed head came out. She then reportedly had to wait another 24 hours before the rest of the baby's body was delivered. The teenager is now set to sue the Tambo Memorial Hospital in Boksburg, South Africa, where she suffered the gruesome ordeal. Kagiso Kgatla, pictured, watched in horror as her first child's head came out but the rest of the body did not, at a hospital in South Africa Speaking to South African broadcaster eNCA, she said: 'I am not okay. I am not coping at all. 'A doctor came and said I should push. I pushed and pushed, nothing. He inserted his hands and said I should try again but still there was nothing. 'He also said he could see the baby's head. Then he asked for those big spoons. 'That's when my baby's head came out, but only the head. The body remained inside. 'They must tell me the truth about what happened to my child. If they must be jailed, they should, for what they've put me through.' Ms Kgatla said medics had warned her that her baby was likely to suffer from some abnormalities. But she had said she was willing to care for the child despite the predicted 'difficulties'. Hospital officials have reportedly insisted they told the mother that her baby had only a 'very small chance' of living. The teenager, pictured, described how her baby was born decapitated. She reportedly then had to wait another 24 hours before the rest of the baby's body was delivered The teenager is now set to sue the Tambo Memorial Hospital (pictured) in Boksburg, South Africa, where she suffered the gruesome ordeal The hospital's head of obstetrics, Dr Gilbert Anyetei, said: 'Normally, when the head is not crowning we assist. We call it assisted delivery. 'In this particular instance the head popped out on its own and we tried to see if the rest of the body would follow, but the rest of the body didn't follow.' A similar case occurred in the UK in 2014 when Laura Gallazzi lost her baby son at 25 weeks pregnant. Ms Gallazzi's babys head became trapped during the birth at a Dundee hospital and then became 'detached from his body'. In that case Dr Vaishnavy Laxman, 43, was found to have made an 'error of judgment' after a tribunal revealed she should have given the 30-year old patient an emergency Caesarean section. She instead attempted to carry out the delivery naturally and urged the patient to push whilst herself applying traction to the baby's legs. However a tribunal cleared Dr Laxman of misconduct and said her fitness to practise was not impaired. A 19-year-old American woman was reportedly gang-raped in a car park after being lured from a bar in Italy by three men who all filmed the attack. Roberto Mirabella, 20, Salvatore Castrogiovanni, 19, and Agatino Spampinato, 19, allegedly approached the victim when she was alone at a bar in Via Teatro Massimo, Catania, Sicily, on March 15. They offered her drinks before convincing the victim to go with them to their car, which they forced her to get in, police said on Tuesday. Roberto Mirabella, 20, Salvatore Castrogiovanni, 19, and Agatino Spampinato, 19, were arrested by police on March 21 and taken to the Catania Piazza Lanza prison (pictured) All three of the men allegedly sexually abused and raped the woman while filming the sickening attack. The victim tried to secretly call the emergency services but the group stopped her, the Italian Insider reported. All three of the men allegedly sexually abused and raped the woman while filming the sickening attack (pictured: Policeman on a motorbike in Catania) Police identified and arrested the three suspects after one of the men sent the victim a video via social media and invited her out again the following evening. The American woman - who was an au pair in the city for three months - also showed officers footage of the suspects that she filmed while in the club. Mirabella, Castrogiovanni, and Spampinato, were arrested by police on March 21 and taken to the Catania Piazza Lanza prison. A Manhattan hair salon owner is suing a yoga instructor who she says repeatedly groped her during a class. Melyssa Hurley, 35, filed a lawsuit on Monday claiming Isaac Pena inappropriately touched her at Pure Yoga on West 77th Street, which is operated by the high-end fitness company Equinox, on March 27, 2018. The lawsuit states that before the start of the Vinyasa yoga class, Hurley was laying on her mat with her knees pressed against her chest when Pena, 40, came over and 'put his hands on her feet,' asking her what she wanted to work on that day. Accused: A lawsuit has been filed accusing Manhattan yoga instructor Isaac Pena (left and right) of repeatedly groping a customer's buttocks during a class Plaintiff Melyssa Hurley, 35, says she was taking a class at Pure Yoga studio on West 77th St Street in March 2018 when Pena on three occasions made 'inappropriate adjustments' to her poses During the class, Pena 'repeatedly came over to Ms Hurley to inappropriately adjust her,' the complaint continues. 'Specifically, Defendant Pena made at least three inappropriate adjustments to Ms Hurley during class' before the woman stormed out of the studio. According to her complaint, Pena first groped Hurley's buttocks and 'pressed his penis and torso' into her lower buttocks and leg while she was doing a standing compass pose. Later, as Hurley was in a split and leaning forward with her chest on the ground, the instructor allegedly leaned over the woman's body and again groped her buttocks with both of his hands. The 40-year-old yoga teacher is accused of touching the woman's buttocks and pressing his penis against her Finally, while the woman was in a king pigeon pose, Pena 'came from behind her and pressed his penis into her hands.' The third 'inappropriate adjustment' proved the last straw for Hurley, who grew angry and walked out of the class before its conclusion, the lawsuit states. Hurley immediately went to the receptionist at the yoga studio and complained about Pena's 'sexual abuse and touching.' The following day, Hurley filed a police report accusing Pena of forcible touching without her consent. A few days later, an area manager with Equinox contacted Hurley to tell her that she will be investigating her complaint. During the call, according to the court papers, the manager admitted that Pena had been involved in a similar incident in the past and that he had been 'spoken to' about it. In the course of the internal investigation, another customer at Pure Yoga allegedly came forward claiming that Pena also groped her 'on numerous occasions,' and that the details of Hurley's complaint against the yoga instructor rang true to her. Ten days after her first phone call to Hurley, the fitness center manager informed the woman that her investigation has uncovered no wrongdoing and that the case was closed. 'Feeling violated and disgusted by the Company's inaction, Ms Hurley then terminated her membership with Pure Yoga after many years of membership,' the lawsuit reads. Despites the manager's assertion that she has found no wrongdoing, Pena was later fired. An internal probe into Pena's actions carried out last April found no wrongdoing, but the instructor was later fired The complaint alleges that the studio and its parent company 'had known of Pena's propensity for sexual misconduct' prior to the March 2018 incident involving Hurley. The complaint details two separate incidents in 2015 and 2017 when different students complained of the instructors 'sexually charged touching.' Hurley, who owns a hair salon with two locations in Manhattan, is seeking unspecified punitive and compensatory damages from the defendants, accusing them of assault, battery, negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress, as well as negligent hiring, retention and supervision. DailyMail.com on Tuesday reached out to both Hurley and Pena seeking their comments on the lawsuit and was awaiting their replies. A Catholic diocese in Pennsylvania has agreed to pay $2 million to a man who was sexually abused as a child by a priest who made him say confession after the assaults. The settlement with the Diocese of Erie was announced Tuesday by the victim's attorney, Mitchell Garabedian. The defrocked priest, David Poulson, was sentenced to 2-and-a-half to 14 years in prison in January after pleading guilty to the sexual assault of one boy and attempted sexual assault of another. Formre priest David Poulson, pictured), was sentenced to up to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to the sexual assault of one boy and attempted sexual assault of another Poulson, a former pastor in the Catholic Dicocese of Erie, is one of a handful of priests criminally charged as a result of a Pennsylvania grand jury investigation that detailed decades of abuse by 300 priests. He pleaded guilty in October to one count each of corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children, both third-degree felonies, for molesting two boys in 2002 and 2010, Erie News Now reported. He was accused of abusing an altar boy more than 20 times in various rectories. He would then require the boy to make confession to him and confess the sexual assault to receive absolution. The Vatican removed Poulson, 65, from the priesthood in March after he was sentenced for molesting two boys, Erie Catholic Bishop Lawrence Persico announced. Poulson, 65, had applied to be defrocked, or laicized, as a condition of his guilty plea and sentence, which was imposed in Jefferson County. He is currently serving his sentence at the state prison at Camp Hill, near Harrisburg. Prosecutors said the Erie Diocese had received complaints about Poulson's 'sexual predator tendencies' as far back as 2010, but did not report him to law enforcement until the grand jury issued a subpoena in September 2016 Jefferson County President Judge John H. Foradora gave him the maximum sentence under the law on January 11. The Attorney Generals Office charged Poulson in May as part of the offices sweeping grand jury investigation of clergy sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in Pennsylvania. Poulson would require his victim to confess to him after he sexually assaulted him The probe led to the August release of the grand jury report, which named Poulson as one of 301 'predator priests' who abused more than 1,000 victims dating to the 1940s. The report named 41 priests, including Poulson, in the Erie diocese. The report covered six of the eight Catholic dioceses in the state: Erie, Allentown, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Scranton. The dioceses of Altoona-Johnstown and Philadelphia were subjects of previous grand jury reports. The one other priest charged as a result of the grand jury report is the Rev. John T. Sweeney, 76, of the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg. He pleaded guilty in July to a misdemeanor charge of indecent assault of a minor for an incident that happened in the early 1990s. Sweeney received 11-and-a-half months to five years in prison at his sentencing in December. He is also at the state prison at Camp Hill, according to prison records. The Greensburg diocese has said it is in the process of defrocking Sweeney. Poulson was charged with molesting one of the two victims at St. Michael Church in Fryburg, Clarion County, where Poulson was assigned as pastor before he was pastor at St. Anthony The allegations against most of the other priests named in the grand jury report are beyond the criminal statute of limitations. A number of the accused priests have died. In October U.S. Attorney William McSwain of Philadelphia said he wanted to know if any priests took children across state lines for sex; viewed child pornography; reassigned predators; or used church funds or assets to cover up sexual misconduct. He has demanded the church turn over files from any 'Secret Archives,' along with financial, personnel and treatment records. And he expects to take testimony from church leaders. McSwain also demanded that bishops turn over any evidence that anyone in their ranks instructed anyone not to contact police. The subpoenas seek documents related to the dioceses' organizational charts, finances, insurance and clergy assignments. Advertisement Theresa May has been warned that up to 20 of her remainer ministers are willing to quit if they are not allowed a free vote on alternatives to her Brexit deal tomorrow night, it was revealed today. Commons Speaker John Bercow will decide which motions will be voted on this Wednesday including on No Deal, a second referendum, Mrs May's deal and revoking Article 50 to stop Brexit completely. Tory rebels are already cock-a-hoop after MPs wrestled control of Brexit from Mrs May last night and will vote on alternatives to her Brexit deal in 24 hours time. In more bad news for the Prime Minister, Tory MP Steve Brine - who quit as health minister - said he believed more than a dozen ministers could also resign today if she tries to whip indicative votes. It comes after Skills Minister Anne Milton reportedly told her that up to 20 ministers are ready to resign if she stops a free vote. It is not known if the so-called 'gang of four' remainer rebel ministers in her cabinet, David Gauke, Amber Rudd, Greg Clark and David Mundell, are considering resigning but more than a dozen from the junior ranks are willing to quit if they can't have a free vote, it has emerged. Tomorrow's votes have caused another major rift in the cabinet because Brexiteers Jeremy Hunt, Liz Truss, Chris Grayling and Liam Fox have told the Prime Minister the vote should be whipped - meaning rebels would have to be sacked or resign if they defy her. Minister for Children Nadhim Zahawi said he believes that Mrs May is likely to offer a free vote, which would avert mass resignations but further weaken her grip on Brexit. He said: 'I suspect it must be [a free vote] because if the will of Parliament is to have free votes'. Commons Speaker John Bercow will decide which motions will be voted on tomorrow including on No Deal, a second referendum, Mrs May's deal and revoking Article 50 to stop Brexit completely as Theresa May loses control of Brexit and faces mass resignations if she tries to whip tomorrow's votes Steve Brine added on BBC's Newsnight: 'What we've got to do is come up with a plan b. We can't just keep going round and round this same circle, expecting to limp over the line with the same deal.' 'You've got to reach across the aisle and I was prepared to leave a job that I loved last night in order to force that issue. 'They should be free votes tomorrow because they are only indicative votes. MPs should be free to vote as they see fit for the future of this country.' He added: 'I don't think she has to lose control of Brexit at all tomorrow. 'How she responds to what the house comes up with could help her. We could come up with a solution tomorrow that allows her to go to Brussels.' Under the plan put forward by Sir Oliver Letwin and Labour's Hilary Benn, MPs will be able to table motions in support of their favoured Brexit option for debate tomorrow. What will happen in the Commons tomorrow? 2pm: Debate on how to organise the indicative votes begins. It will be the first time ever MPs have control of the agenda. 3pm: Votes to finalise the rules of indicative votes. This is set to say MPs will use a ballot paper to vote yes or no on a series of Brexit plans all at once. This can be amended to the rules could change. 3.15pm: Debate on the plans will start proper. Ideas are thought likely to include a soft Brexit, hard Brexit and a No Deal on April 12. It is unclear whether the Government will put its own deal into the mix. 7pm: The Commons will be suspended for 30 minutes so MPs can fill in and file their ballot papers. 7.30pm: Voting closes. MPs are due to spend up to 90 minutes debating the change to the law on Brexit Day. It is a technical change as EU law has already postponed it from March 29. 9pm: Speaker John Bercow will announce how MPs have voted on each Brexit plan. Anything which gets more than about 315 votes will have a rough majority in the Commons. It is possible the House could vote strongly in favour of nothing - or multiple contradictory plans. Advertisement Commons Speaker John Bercow will then decide which motions will be voted on. At 7pm on Wednesday, MPs will vote on the various options, with the Commons sitting suspended for half an hour for the process to take place. Mr Bercow will then announce the results later in the evening. Further votes could take place on Monday, April 1 under the plan. Mrs May warned the Commons yesterday they would be betraying those who voted to leave the EU before they voted to hold a series of votes that could determine how - if at all - the UK leaves the European Union . Last night Tory Nick Boles called the result 'very exciting' and said: 'Do you know what? I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning with a broad grin on my face. 'I'm going to think I finally live in a parliamentary democracy, where parliament is sovereign.' Earlier in a statement to MPs, the Prime Minister warned she would not feel bound by the results of any indicative votes - which could include a softer, Norway-style deal, a second referendum or revoking the Article 50 withdrawal process altogether. But Mr Boles warned that MPs would force Mrs May's hand with new legislation if she refused to do their bidding. He told the BBC's Newsnight show: 'If the government refuses to listen to what Parliament has voted for we will bring forward a bill that will require it to reflect Parliament's wishes.' The seven options for Brexit The seven Brexit options MPs may get to choose from: :: Theresa May's Brexit deal - The Withdrawal Agreement negotiated with Brussels that has already been rejected by MPs twice. :: Revoke Article 50 - The cancellation of the UK's notice to Brussels that it would leave the EU, which was given almost two years ago. :: Second referendum - Another national poll of voters to check whether they still want to leave the EU. :: The PM's deal plus customs union - Labour's Brexit plan, which would prevent Britain being able to strike its own trade deals. :: The PM's deal plus customs union plus single market - An even 'softer' Brexit plan, also known as 'Common Market 2.0' or 'Norway Plus', that would include keeping freedom of movement of people. :: Free Trade Agreement - A trade deal between Great Britain and the EU, but excluding Northern Ireland, which would create a customs border in the Irish Sea. :: No Deal - The country would leave the EU without striking an agreement with Brussels. Advertisement Pro-Europe Tory MP Mr Boles, who backed the indicative votes amendment, added: 'It is a much better victory than any of us had dared hope.' The Commons voted by 329 votes to 302 - a majority of 27 - to approve an amendment brought by Tory ex-minister Sir Oliver Letwin allowing it to take control of business tomorrow from the Government. This will allow MPs to select their favorite Brexit option in so-called 'indicative votes', which are likely to include soft Brexit options and the possibility of remaining in the European Union. Three ministers were among 29 Tory rebels who defied the Prime Minister and backed the amendment. Minutes before the vote Watford's Richard Harrington quit as an energy minister in order to support the Letwin plan, accusing the Government of 'playing roulette' with people's lives. He was followed by Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt and health minister Steve Brine. Other high profile Tories to rebel included former ministers Ken Clarke, Nicky Morgan, Justine Greening, Andrew Mitchell, Sam Gyimah, Damian Green, Alberto Costa and Dominic Grieve, plus Damian Collins, chairman of the Culture Committee. Fellow Tory rebel Guto Bebb said: 'The scale of the Government's defeat and the principled resignations of ministers Richard Harrington, Alistair Burt and Steve Brine are more nails in the coffin of a Brexit deal that very few in the country or Parliament have ever wanted. 'The Prime Minister has now lost control of this process. What is needed now in this national emergency is not more posturing or playing roulette with people's lives but to give Parliament the time and space needed to work out what Brexit means, as well as begin preparing for important democratic elections to the European Parliament.' The Tories who rebelled against Theresa May Twenty nine Tories including three ministers rebelled against the whip to hand Theresa May a devastating defeat. They were: They were: Guto Bebb Richard Benyon Nick Boles Steve Brine (minister) Alistair Burt (minister) Kenneth Clarke Damian Collins Alberto Costa Jonathan Djanogly George Freeman Damian Green Justine Greening Dominic Grieve Sam Gyimah Richard Harrington (minister) Joseph Johnson Phillip Lee Jeremy Lefroy Oliver Letwin Paul Masterton Andrew Mitchell Nicky Morgan Robert Neill Sarah Newton Mark Pawsey Antoinette Sandbach Nicholas Soames Caroline Spelman John Stevenson Edward Vaizey (voted twice to abstain) Advertisement Remainer Nick Boles has hailed a 'momentous' victory over his Prime Minister and said he would 'wake up smiling' today Theresa May indicated in the Commons earlier today that she would allocate Government time for indicative votes if the Letwin Amendment was defeated The defeated Prime Minister photographed leaving the Palace of Westminster last night after enduring yet another torrid day over Brexit The historic moment the Government lost the Letwin amendment by 329 votes to 302, a whopping majority of 27 for the rebels. The last time a similar vote was held a fortnight ago it lost by two votes Sir Oliver's move to give MPs control over the path to Brexit attracted cross-party support and won by a convincing margin in the Commons to heap fresh pressure on Theresa May The Government later lost the main motion by 327 votes to 300, the same margin. It came after MPs had narrowly rejected a backbench amendment brought by Dame Margaret Beckett to allow the Commons to have a vote if the UK is seven days away from leaving the EU without a deal, by 314 votes to 311, a majority of three. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also welcomed the result, hailing the fact the House had now 'taken control'. Energy minister Richard Harrington quit to vote for the rebel amendment, sending a letter to the Prime Minister accusing her Government of 'playing roulette' with people's lives He said: 'This Government has been an abject failure and this House must now find a solution... 'This House must also consider whether any deal should be put to the people for a confirmatory vote. 'Where this Government has failed, this House must, and I believe will, succeed.' Tory former minister Ed Vaizey voted both for and against Sir Oliver's amendment, which is regarded as a formal abstention. Brexiteer Tory backbencher Andrew Bridgen said it was time for Theresa May to quit. The North West Leicestershire MP told Sky News: 'I think we were expecting the Government to be defeated on the Letwin amendment. 'But I think the size of the defeat and the fact that three Government ministers resigned will have been a great disappointment to the Government this evening. 'I think we are going to end up with a general election before the end of this year, probably in the summer. 'What I want to see now is the Prime Minister to stand down, let us have a new leader of the Conservative Party, and then I think we need to go to the country and get a majority so we can actually deliver Brexit.' Eight Brexiteer Labour MPs rebelled to vote against Sir Oliver's amendment, according to the division list. They were: Kevin Barron, Ronnie Campbell, Rosie Cooper, Caroline Flint , Stephen Hepburn, Kate Hoey, John Mann and Graham Stringer. The Prime Minister had earlier told the Commons she would set aside Government time for votes if the amendment was defeated, in a bid to head off the rebellion. She addressed the Commons this afternoon and admitted 'as things stand there is not sufficient support' to hold a fresh vote on her deal, quashing speculation that it would happen tomorrow. She faces a move by rebel MPs who want to pass a motion in just a few minutes time to seize control of Brexit - giving them the power to hold a vote on Wednesday letting the Commons select its favorite Brexit option in so-called 'indicative votes'. The PM vowed to whip against the motion proposed by Remainer rebel MP Oliver Letwin and also said she could ignore MPs' preferences if they try to force her to adopt a softer Brexit. But she offered to hold indicative votes on government time in an effort to head-off the rebellion meaning the votes would do ahead but rebel MPs would not be in control of the process. After ruling out a third vote on her deal tomorrow, Theresa May told MPs this afternoon she could not guarantee that she would commit to implementing anything they voted for in an indicative process because they could involve an 'outcome that is un-negotiable with the EU'. She added: 'No government could give a blank cheque to commit to an outcome without knowing what it is. So I cannot commit the Government to delivering the outcome of any votes held by this House, but I do commit to engaging constructively with this process'. The Prime Minister said the 'default outcome' remained leaving without a deal and said: 'The alternative is to pursue a different form of Brexit or a second referendum. 'But the bottom line remains: if the House does not approve the Withdrawal Agreement this week and is not prepared to countenance leaving without a deal, we would have to seek a longer extension.' That would mean holding European elections and would mean 'we will not have been able to guarantee Brexit'. These are the seven options for Brexit MPs could vote on this week if Mrs May is forced towards a softer Brexit WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO BREXIT THIS WEEK? LIKELY TO HAPPEN WEDNESDAY: MPs HOLD INDICATIVE VOTES The Commons is set to hold a series of indicative votes on Brexit alternatives this week, most likely on Wednesday. The alternatives include a softer Brexit, a second referendum or leaving with No Deal. If one commands a majority, MPs will try to pressure Theresa May into adopting that option. But there is no binding way of making her do so. LIKELY TO HAPPEN BY THURSDAY: MAY HOLDS A THIRD MEANINGFUL VOTE ON HER BREXIT DEAL May is likely to try and pass her Brexit deal a third time, after the EU offered a Brexit date of 22 May if she does so this week. The Prime Minister will use threats that MPs will take control and force a softer Brexit in an attempt to force Brexiteer rebels to finally back her. She may also offer them a date when she will quit in return for their support. Thursday is the most likely day for her vote, but there is a chance she won't hold it if she does not believe she'll win. FRIDAY: MPs TAKE CONTROL? If the PM loses a third vote on her deal, MPs and Remainer Cabinet ministers will try and force her towards a softer Brexit. Brexiteer MPs and Cabinet minister will conversely try and push her towards a No Deal exit from the EU. The most likely outcomes are: NO DEAL Theresa May is under no obligation to accept MPs favoured option for Brexit, and could take Britain out the EU without a deal on 12 April. She could remain as Prime Minister under this option. SOFTER BREXIT MPs could try and force May to negotiate a softer Brexit, but this will provoke outrage from Brexiteers. It does not necessarily mean a delay beyond a few months because Britain could still leave the EU under the withdrawal arrangement. SECOND REFERENDUM IF MPs vote for a second referendum either on May's deal or a range of options, it is likely to mean a lengthy delay to Brexit. May has indicated she will step down if Brexit is delayed beyond June 30. Advertisement Setting out the choices facing MPs, Theresa May said: 'Unless this House agrees to it, no-deal will not happen. 'No Brexit must not happen. And a slow Brexit, which extends Article 50 beyond May 22, forces the British people to take part in European elections and gives up control of any of our borders, laws, money or trade is not a Brexit that will bring the British people together.' She said her deal was a compromise which respected both sides of the argument and 'if this House can back it we can be out of the European Union in less than two months'. Confirming that the Government would oppose the Letwin amendment, Mrs May she said it would set an 'unwelcome precedent which would overturn the balance of our democratic institutions'. However she said the Government would provide time to allow MPs to debate and vote on the alternatives to her deal. No one wants another election! Only 12 PER CENT of the public say they want to go to the polls - but ministers say they WILL call one if MPs try to force a soft Brexit Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay leaving Downing Street with Theresa May today after cabinet, at which he is said to have again floated the idea of holding a General Election The Government is prepared to pull the plug and force a General Election if MPs try to seize control of Brexit and make it softer than Theresa May's deal. Ministers including Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay are said to have raised the prospect if Parliament voted to wrestle control of the withdrawal process. The talk of forcing a General Election come despite an Opinium poll from two months ago finding that only 12 per cent of Britons would welcome another one, just two years after the last resulted in a hung Parliament. Mr Barclay reportedly repeated at Cabinet today warnings he gave on television yesterday. Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show he said that if the Commons took control of the order paper and votes for a different outcome, it would 'potentially collide with fundamental commitments the Government has given in their manifesto', though he said the vote itself would 'not be binding'. Explaining the scenario, he said: 'What Parliament has done is vote for a number of contradictory things so we would need to untangle that but ultimately, at its logical conclusion, the risk of a general election increases because you potentially have a situation where Parliament is instructing the executive to do something that is counter to what it was elected to do.' International Trade Secretary Liam Fox this morning gave a stark warning to MPs, telling BBC Radio 4's Today: 'I was elected, as 80 per cent of members were, to respect the referendum and leave the European Union. 'I was also elected on a manifesto that specifically said no single market and no customs union. 'That, for Conservative MPs who are honouring the manifesto, limits their room for manoeuvre. The former hardline Brexiteer turned May loyalist added that the prospect of a longer Brexit delay meaning participation in May's European Elections would 'unleash a torrent of pent-up frustration from voters'. 'I'm not sure that there are many people in the House of Commons who would fancy that particular meeting with voters,' he said. 'It would unleash a torrent of pent-up frustration from voters and I think that the major parties will do what they can to avoid having to fight those European elections. 'There is nothing in politics like a little bit of self-interest to concentrate the minds, and I think, as we get towards that date, increasingly my colleagues will have to decide which of the limited options they want to follow.' He urged MPs to back Mrs May's deal, warning: 'For a lot of my colleagues, I think they still believe there is a route to no deal. I have come to the conclusion some time ago that was unlikely given the House of Commons that we have. 'I think we will see today that there is a mood in the House of Commons to stop us leaving without a deal, even if that means no Brexit. I think that is a constitutionally disastrous position.' Advertisement 'It will be for this House to put forward options for consideration and to determine the procedure by which they do so,' she said. 'However I must confess that I am sceptical about such a process of indicative votes.' To jeers from the opposition, she added: 'I think it's important that nobody would want to support an option which contradicted the manifesto on which they stood for election to this House. 'MPs elected to this House at this time have a duty to respect the result of the referendum that took place in 2016 and attempts to stop that result being put into place or attempts to change the result of that referendum are not respecting the voters and not respecting our democracy.' Mrs May's spokesman later denied No Deal was off the table. He said: 'The point the PM was making is that the House has voted against No Deal and will take every opportunity to seek to stop it.' He said Mrs May continued to want her deal to pass and that No Deal was still the default option in law. Mrs May caused fury among the DUP for claiming No Deal preparations had been made in Northern Ireland because it has no devolved executive. A No 10 spokesman insisted it was 'not a tactic' but a 'statement of facts'. The Prime Minister is keen to offer a final vote to stop MPs taking charge of the UK's departure from the EU with Parliament ready to push Britain towards a softer Brexit or a second referendum. But a phone call between Mrs May and DUP leader Arlene Foster at lunchtime failed to provide the breakthrough the Prime Minister needs as she seeks to win support for her deal. The 10 DUP MPs have opposed the Withdrawal Agreement in the two previous votes on it and a party spokesman said the party's 'position remains unchanged'. And in a sign of strained relationship the DUP's Westminster leader Nigel Dodds appeared to be shaking with rage as he accused Theresa May of a 'fundamental lack of preparation' for No Deal. He said the Government had known for 'considerable time' the UK was due to leave the EU on March 29 - but still wanted an extension for a fortnight. He said: 'What will change in 2 weeks?' before savaging her for agreeing to the Irish backstop 'when it is the thing that bedevils her agreement' and Ireland and the EU say the Northern Irish border will remain open in the event of a No Deal. DUP MP Sammy Wilson then told Mrs May: 'When are you going to stop using Northern Ireland as an excuse? We will not be used in any scare tactics to boost this through.' This afternoon Mrs May met Jeremy Corbyn for a 'frank and comprehensive exchange of views' on Brexit - but the Labour leader rejected the idea that she would be willing to split her Brexit deal into two parts in bid to win their support. Responding to Theresa May's latest update to the Commons, Mr Corbyn told the Commons: 'The Government's approach to Brexit has now become a national embarrassment. 'After two years of failure, broken promise after broken promise, the Prime Minister finally accepted the inevitable last week and voted to extend Article 50 and went to Brussels to negotiate. 'Last week's summit represented another negotiating failure for the Prime Minister - her proposals were rejected and new terms were imposed on her.' Mr Corbyn criticised last week's 'wholly inappropriate' Downing Street speech by the Prime Minister, arguing she should not have tried to 'pit the people against MPs'. He added: 'In a climate of heightened emotions where MPs on all sides have received threats and intimidation, I hope the Prime Minister will further reflect and think again about making what I believe to be such dangerous and irresponsible statements. 'Every step of the way along this process the Government has refused to reach out, refused to listen and refused to find a consensus that can represent the views of the whole country, not just the Conservative Party.' Brexiteer MPs including Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg could still back Mrs May's deal but have indicated she would have to promise to quit afterwards to secure their backing. Today the Prime Minister faced her fractured Cabinet days after they tried to oust her in a failed coup that was sunk within 24 hours this weekend. She told ministers she wanted to hold another vote on her deal - but despite rumours about her future no ministers mentioned the prospect of her resignation. Describing the two-hour meeting her official spokesman said: 'There was a determination at Cabinet to do whatever it takes to get a deal so the UK can leave as soon as possible. There is a sense from the PM and Cabinet to get on with this.' Nebraska police are hunting for a man who they say shot his ex-girlfriend's parents dead after they put her in a safe house when they learned he was beating her. Brindar H Jangir, 36, is wanted in the deaths of Randal, 56, and Annette Grimes, 51. Authorities say he is still at large as of Tuesday afternoon. According to an arrest warrant affidavit, an Otoe County Sheriff's deputy discovered the Grimes' bodies at a home in the small town of Douglas, Nebraska, on Saturday when checking on an aborted 911 call. The affidavit claims that the couple were the parents of a woman Jangir lived with in Sioux City, Iowa, up until two weeks ago, when she moved out on March 12. The woman, who has not been named, allegedly told police Jangir had threatened to kill her and her parents if she ever left him. Scroll down for video The suspect is reportedly still at large as of Tuesday afternoon and is considered extremely dangerous Randal and Annette Grimes, 56 and 51, were found shot dead at their home in Douglas, Nebraska, on Saturday. Their daughter, who has not been named, reportedly lived with Jangir in Sioux City, Iowa, up until two weeks ago, when she moved out on March 12 A tipster told DailyMail.com the Grimes put their daughter in a safe house after learning that Jangir was beating her. The source said he then drove 180 miles to their home and killed them with a stolen shotgun. There are two warrants out for Jangir's arrest, one in Otoe County for first-degree murder and a second in Lancaster County for possession of a stolen firearm. Authorities have asked anyone with information about Jangir's whereabouts to call Nebraska State Police at 402-479-4921. They warned anyone who sees him to call 911 immediately as he is considered extremely dangerous and may be armed. Investigators believe the suspect likely fled the Douglas area. He was last seen driving a Red Honda Accord four-door with license plate number GHW-345. The country's top police chief has said youth knife violence is at the worst level she has ever seen it. Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, who joined the police more than 35 years ago, said it was 'deeply worrying' how many teenagers were carrying and using knives. Violent crime rose by nearly a fifth in the year to September 2018, according to police figures, and the increase in knife killings has been particularly pronounced. Speaking at Parliament's Home Affairs Committee today, Ms Dick said: 'I'd have to say that the last couple of years undoubtedly have been the highest and most worrying levels I think in my service.' Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick told Parliament's Home Affairs Committee today that knife crime among teenagers is at a worrying high level The scene of the latest police probe into a youth stabbing after a 15-year-old was knifed yesterday afternoon in Lewisham Ms Dick added: 'There's definitely more younger people involved and more knives involved in the serious violence on the streets. Just yesterday afternoon we had a 15-year-old stabbed, not long after school.' She said that, year-on-year, the number of under-25s reporting knife injuries had dropped by 15 per cent and she felt police in London were beginning to get a grip on the problem. But, she continued: 'If you look at stabbings of young people I do think that this is a new and tragic and worrying phenomenon. It's been my number one priority and remains so.' Ms Dick said county lines gangs - who use children to traffic drugs to rural areas and smaller towns - meant the problem was spreading out from big cities. She said some youths caught up in recent knife violence had no history of being in trouble with the police before. Ms Dick said she hoped the police would be able to concentrate on and tackle the issue of knife crime in the same way that they had acid attacks and moped crime. It comes after a weekend of bloodshed in the capital with six more people stabbed overnight from Saturday to Sunday Graphs show how homicides have risen as police numbers and stop and searches have fallen Dave Thompson, Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, who also spoke to the committee, said he feared the problem would get worse over the summer months, because people spend more time outside. He told the committee: 'Our violence rates will go up in the summer. We look at three murders we had in Birmingham they happened in a very hot 10 days, where street population grew hugely, so I brace myself for summer because I think summer is very demanding on violence.' MP urges children to get fitter to run away Children should get 'fitter' so they are more able to repel the growing threat of knife attacks, an outspoken Tory MP told senior police officers today. Sir Christopher Chope says more youngsters should be encouraged to try judo and taekwondo to avoid them feeling the need to carry a blade themselves. The Brexiteer, who represents Christchurch in Dorset, suggested martial arts would help youngsters be 'physically able to deal with the situation' by either disarming a rival or fighting back. Dave Thompson, Chief Constable of the West Midlands Police, told MPs today that the 'best knife prevention technique is to run away, as fast as you can'. Sir Christopher replied: 'You do need to be fit to do that'. Advertisement Earlier this month, Chancellor Philip Hammond pledged an immediate 100million boost for police forces. Police numbers have fallen by 20,000 in England and Wales since 2010. The number of knife-related deaths rose from 186 in 2015-16 to 285 in 2017-18. In the last year alone, 27 under-19s have been stabbed to death, and there have been 285 knife killings in all - the highest level since the Second World War. A schoolboy was critically injured yesterday evening after being stabbed with an 'eight-inch carving knife' in south-east London. Police have launched a manhunt for the attackers - said to be two much older men - who stabbed the 15-year-old at around 4.10pm in Lewisham. Witnesses said the boy was attacked in his school uniform while with his friends. He is critically injured in hospital. Saturday and Sunday saw six people stabbed in another weekend of bloodshed for London. Shopkeeper Ravi Katharkamar, 54, was stabbed in the chest as he opened Marsh Food and Wine in Pinner, north-west London, on Sunday morning. Theresa May lacks the 'basic human skills' needed to be an effective political leader today, a senior Eurocrat jibed today. Belgian MEP Philippe Lamberts, a member of the European Parliament's Brexit steering committee, said the Prime Minister had been unable to establish 'bonds of trust' with other European leaders. Mrs May spoke to EU leaders for 90 minutes at last week's crunch summit as she made her request for a delay to Brexit. Mr Lamberts said during her appearance Mrs May even managed to upset the Luxembourg prime minister Xavier Bettel, who he described as 'Mr Nice Guy by definition'. He said: 'If even Xavier Bettel is upset by Theresa May, she must be devoid of the basic human skills to be a political leader and that is scary.' An MEP claimed that during her appearance in Brussels on Thursday, Mrs May even managed to upset the Luxembourg prime minister Xavier Bettel, who he described as 'Mr Nice Guy by definition'. May and Bettel are pictured at the summit Belgian MEP Philippe Lamberts (file), a member of the European Parliament's Brexit steering committee, said the Prime Minister had been unable to establish 'bonds of trust' with other European leaders Mrs May (pictured leaving No 10 today) spoke to EU leaders for 90 minutes at last week's crunch summit as she made her request for a delay to Brexit Speaking at a briefing in Brussels, he warned that she could adopt a 'scorched earth policy' if Parliament voted for an alternative to her Brexit plan which she did not support. 'It is for the British Government to make up its mind what the alternative strategy is knowing full well that the strategy of running down the clock and scaring people into voting for the Withdrawal Agreement has failed,' he said. 'Theresa May might be tempted to play (a) scorched earth policy and say, 'Well, whatever the Parliament does... I won't do it. 'There is a danger there because if there is one lesson we have learned from Theresa May's attitude is her inability to factor in what others think, her inability to forge bonds of trust within her Cabinet, between her Cabinet and the House of Commons, but also in the European Council.' The new attack on Mrs May came as Tory backbench leader Sir Graham Brady was been spotted going into 10 Downing Street. The visit comes amid rumours that Mrs May could quit to pass a Brexit deal. Downing Street declined to comment after Sir Graham, the chairman of the powerful 1922 Committee, was seen heading in at lunchtime following a climbdown from hardline Eurosceptics including Jacob Rees-Mogg. Mr Lamberts said during her appearance Mrs May even managed to upset the Luxembourg prime minister Xavier Bettel (pictured at last week's summit), who he described as 'Mr Nice Guy by definition'. The Prime Minister is now expected to address her MPs on Wednesday night, and speculation is high that she could offer to step down to get her deal over the line in a vote on Thursday. Boris Johnson has already indicated that he could back the deal if she agrees to go. There was more confusion as the Democratic Unionist Party distanced itself from its own Brexit spokesman after he signalled it would rather accept a one year Brexit delay than ever vote for it. Sammy Wilson said the Prime Minister's deal was a 'prison' for the UK locked by a key held by EU negotiator Michel Barnier. Downing Street had a glimmer of hope this morning when Brexiteer ringleader Mr Rees-Mogg and other Eurosceptics signalled they are ready to U-turn and support the PM. But if the DUP refuse to endorse the deal at the 11th hour Mrs May's chances of winning 75 more votes at the third attempt than she managed on March 12 appear to be shrinking fast. Chicago police are furious about Tuesday's decision to drop Smollett's charges and are demanding that Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx (above) be investigated over her handling of the investigation The Chicago police union has renewed its calls for federal probe into the 'highly, highly suspicious' conduct of the prosecutor who intervened in the Jussie Smollett case on behalf of Michelle Obama's ex-aide and texted the Empire star's family. Cops in the city are furious about Tuesday's decision to drop Smollett's charges and are demanding that Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx be investigated over her handling of the probe. Foxx recused herself from the case last month for exchanging text messages with one of Smollett's relatives in the days after the actor told police he was attacked on January 29. Police have now renewed calls for Foxx to face an Attorney General investigation for trying to wrestle the case out of the Chicago Police Department's hands and have it led by the FBI instead. The union, Fraternal Order of Police, slammed Foxx's conduct as 'highly suspicious' and accused her of political 'interference' on behalf of the Smollett family. Authorities are concerned about whose interests Foxx was working in when she - after being contacted by former Michelle Obama aide Tina Tchen - tried to steer the investigation in the direction the Smollett family wanted. Foxx's connections to Tchen and the Smollett family came under renewed scrutiny on Tuesday following the shock decision to drop all charges against the Empire actor. Prosecutors revealed on Tuesday that all charges against Jussie Smollett were being dropped. He had been facing up to 48 years behind bars on 16 felony counts of lying to police by claiming he was attacked on January 29 by two men in a race hate attack The Smollett family enlisted the help of former Obama adviser Tina Tchen to try to get the investigation taken over by the FBI. Tchen got in touch with Foxx and then facilitated a relationship between her and one of Smollett's relatives 'The conduct of her office from the very beginning of this cases was highly, highly suspicious,' Martin Preib, the FOP's vice president, told the Chicago Sun-Times. 'The entire country is outraged by it. The evidence is overwhelming that he was legitimately charged in this case. This decision appears to be utterly arbitrary, capricious and suspicious. 'The entire country is getting a window into the absurdity of the Chicago political and legal system.' Preib said he his own dark suspicions' as to why the charges were dropped but added: 'Its not appropriate to give voice to them just yet'. It remains unclear what prompted the decision but the Cook County's State's Attorney's office said it was due in part to Smollett's 'volunteer service in the community'. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson spoke of their shock and dismay at the State's Attorney's decision to drop all the charges against Smollett. They said they were stunned to learn about it at the same time as the media and suggested that Smollett - who they insist is guilty - was treated differently because he is a star. Joe Magats, the Assistant State's Attorney who took over the case when Foxx stepped aside, told the New York Times that they prioritized 'violent crime' and that Smollett's alleged wrongdoing did not fall into that category. He warned that the decision to drop the charges did not exonerate him. The decision to drop the charges comes after texts emerged earlier this month that Foxx exchanged with Tchen and a relative of Smollett just hours after the attack. Foxx was contacted by Michelle Obama's former chief of staff on February 1 on behalf of the Smollett family. Tchen, who has deep ties to Chicago politics and is friends with Mayor Rahm Emanuel's wife, wanted her to convince Chicago PD to hand the investigation over to the FBI and Foxx agreed to try. They were 'concerned' about details of the incident and Smollett's reports to investigators being leaked and said that they wanted the FBI to handle the case. 'I wanted to give you a call on behalf of Jussie Smollett and family who I know. They have concerns about the investigation,' she said in her first text which was obtained by The Chicago Sun Tribune. Foxx was contacted by former Michelle Obama aide Tina Tchen who wanted to try and steer the investigation in the direction the Smollett family wanted. Smollett is pictured above with the Obamas in the White House Hours later, Foxx received a text from one of Smollett's relatives. Over the course of the next two weeks, Foxx tried to have the case handed over to the FBI. 'Spoke to the superintendent earlier. He is going to make the ask. Trying to figure out logistics. I'll keep you posted,' Foxx said in a February 13 text. By then, there had been questions surrounding Smollett's cooperation with the investigation but the actor was, officially, still being treated as a victim. The relative responded: 'OMG this would be a huge victory.' Foxx replied: 'I make no guarantees but I'm trying.' Later that day, she emailed Tchen saying: 'Spoke to the Superintendent Johnson. I convinced him to reach out to FBI to ask that they take over the investigation. He is reaching out now and will get to me shortly.' The police department claims that Smollett only became a suspect after Nigerian brothers Abel and Ola Osudairo were pinned down at the airport on February 20. However, Foxx recused herself from the probe a week earlier, after her text conversation with his relative and with Tchen. In an email to top staff, her chief ethics officer informed them of her recusal but it was not announced until February 19. On February 20, Foxx's office told DailyMail.com that she had stepped down because of her interaction with Smollett's relatives, but they would not give further information. Smollett was arrested on February 21. The investigation was then turned over to First Assistant Joe Magats and his staff after Foxx stepped aside. The union which represents the police in Chicago sent a letter to the Attorney General last week demanding Foxx's handling of the case be looked into. In its letter, union president Kevin Graham questioned who Foxx was working for and why it would have been a 'victory' in relation to the text exchange. 'Victory of what? For whom? Why?' the letter read. 'In order for Ms Foxx to properly charge and try this case, her entire office should have recused itself and a special prosecutor been appointed.' In a letter dated March 15 he added: 'Such conduct merits a review by your office. Private attorneys are not allowed to interfere with ongoing police investigations, particularly at the request of private individuals associated with subjects being investigated by the police, in this case, a subject later determined to be the offender, not the victim. 'According to the media reports on public documents, one of Smolletts relatives was communicating with Ms. Foxx about her request to transfer the case to the FBI. 'As you probably also know, Ms. Foxx ultimately recused herself from this case as a prosecutor based on those communications with relatives of Jussie Smollett. That recusal is wholly insufficient. 'In order for Ms. Foxx to properly charge and try this case, her entire office should have recused itself and a special prosecutor been appointed.' Mayor Rahm Emanuel (right) and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson (right) spoke of their shock and dismay on Tuesday at the State's Attorney's decision to drop all the charges against Smollett Mayor Rahm Emanuel insisted repeatedly at a Tuesday press conference that Smollett was guilty of staging a hoax attack on January 29 and that he did it for a raise on Empire, the Fox TV show in which he appears. He slammed the Assistant State's Attorney's decision to drop the 16 felony charges Smollett was hit with by a grand jury - a move he said he took because Smollett is not a 'violent threat' to the community. 'Without a doubt this is a whitewash of justice and sends a clear message that if you are in a position of influence and power, you'll be treated one way. 'It is wrong.' He went on to condemn Smollett for speaking out after the court hearing and protesting his innocence. 'Mr Smollett is still saying that he is innocent, still running down the Chicago Police Department... how dare him. How dare him after everybody saw. Is there no decency in this man?' Johnson, who publicly condemned Smollett last month and said his lies were 'despicable', also slammed the star for asking that the evidence be sealed. 'I would want my day in court to clear my name. They wanted their day in court with TV cameras,' he said, referring to Smollett's team's eagerness to allow cameras in the courtroom. '(Now) they chose to hide behind secrecy.' In a brief statement on Tuesday, Smollett gave no other explanation for the attack - which his personal trainers carried out on him - but said he had been truthful all along in his claims that he did not recognize them when they jumped him. 'I want to thank my family, my friends, the incredible people of Chicago and all over the country and world who have prayed for me, supported me and shown me love. 'No one will ever know how much that has meant to me. Not for a moment was it in vain,' he said. Labour peer Admiral Lord West of Spithead admitted to prior knowledge of the invasion A former head of the Royal Navy has revealed he was told Britain would be invading Iraq alongside the US months before the decision was announced, MPs have heard. In March 2003, as part of a US-led coalition, British forces invaded Iraq under a cloud of political controversy about the legality of military action and amid intense public opposition to the conflict. Labour peer Admiral Lord West of Spithead made the revelation as he gave evidence before the public administration and constitutional affairs committee on Tuesday, as it examined the role of parliament in the authorisation of the use of military force. He told MPs: 'I was told as commander-in-chief (fleet) in June, after Camp David meeting, that we would be invading Iraq with America in the beginning of the following year.' Lord West said he issued a message to the fleet and the Royal Marines to be 'ready for war in the Northern Gulf by December 31', and sent a mine counter measures force fleet to the region. Promoted to First Sea Lord at the end of August 2002, he said at the Ministry of Defence he was 'amazed to find' people were 'walking back' and saying they were not sure if it was going to happen. He was giving evidence before the public administration and constitutional affairs committee on Tuesday 'It was quite clear the Government were thinking we have to get Parliament and others on side,' he added. 'But what was interesting was that as it developed, there was all this stuff on weapons of mass destruction and everything, and it did seem to me that people were looking for a casus belli that they could discuss in Parliament.' Lord West highlighted how 'from then on' it has been assumed Parliament would be consulted before the use of military force, adding how that before the Iraq War that 'hadn't been the case'. In a now infamous claim, then prime minister Tony Blair told MPs Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction, and later said intelligence showed the Iraqi tyrant could deploy chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes. At the time, parliament backed Mr Blair's call for war, giving the go-ahead for military action for a conflict that was waged for six years and cost 179 British lives. In light of the apparent convention set in 2003 to consult Parliament on decisions to authorise military force and asked what role the house should have in this, Lord West said he is 'not at all sure' it is the best thing - before a decision is made to deploy a military force - that it is debated by MPs. Lord West said he issued a message to the fleet and the Royal Marines (pictured during the invasion) to be 'ready for war in the Northern Gulf by December 31' 'I think there are lots of circumstances where that is a real problem if that happens,' he said. 'I think the debate itself can bring uncertainty in the minds in some of the military. 'We have now got this hybrid warfare, it is clearly not appropriate, I don't believe, for nuclear response... The whole issue of cyber where speed is very much of the essence and yet a really major impact can be caused.' He added that there are a 'whole raft of issues that make it not necessarily the best thing to happen'. Former head of the RAF, Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, who also appeared before the committee, said by 'having an open and transparent debate', it hands 'a degree of initiative to your potential adversary'. He said it also exposes the thinking as well as weaknesses, adding that most adversaries are not constrained by normal behaviour or the boundaries of a transparent and free press, like Western democracies. 'We do need to be very careful about that debate leading to us being at a greater disadvantage than we would already be at,' he added. This is the incredible moment a worker in Vietnam rides his bike lying down, manoeuvring it around corners while carrying 15ft roofing sheets on top of it. Motoring around the streets with no safety gear the man seems totally unafraid that his vision is obstructed by the large objects on top of the cargo motorbike. Taking corners at speed the man transports the large cargo, that would most likely require a lorry in the UK, with ease on his motorbike. With only one or two sheets visible on the bike it's likely the worker would have had to make several trips on the bike to get the job done. With more relaxed road safety laws it is more common to see large objects transported in such a way in Vietnam. Nevertheless the green of the surroundings blending with the low-visibility green roofing sheets zooming around the corner makes for nervous viewing. Securing himself with his hands on the footrests of the bike he appears comfortable despite the unusual position The man does not seem to be concerned that his vision is very limited due to the large obstructing roof sheets. Would you spot this zooming around the corner towards you as a potential hazard? This is not the first time bizarre bike loads have been captured in Vietnam. Photographer Ton Koene has previously captured delivery drivers transporting everything from trees and bags filled with live fish to cases of bottled beer and massive boxes. Getting around on two wheels is a way of life in Vietnam where there are more than 37 million motorbikes (and only a few million cars). Andrut Mihai Duma (pictured), 29, from Salford, Greater Manchester, was jailed for six years at Guildford Crown Court today A Romanian truck driver who smuggled 21 Vietnamese adults and children into Britain inside 'the modern equivalent of a slave ship' has been jailed. Andrut Mihai Duma, 29, brought children as young as 12 hidden in two 49cm-tall 'coffin hides' inside the trailer of a refrigerated lorry. Border Force officers at the Port of Newhaven in East Sussex found 10 people in one cramped hide and 11 in another, including 'six to eight' children. Duma, from Salford, Greater Manchester, was jailed for six years at Guildford Crown Court today, the day his trial was due to start, after he pleaded guilty to assisting unlawful immigration. Jailing Duma, Judge Rufus Taylor said: 'It was a refrigerated trailer with no fresh air. These people were literally in the modern equivalent of a slave ship.' He told Duma the makeshift hides were 'quite obviously extremely dangerous' and said he would recommend his deportation. Prosecuting, Nicholas Corsellis QC said the hides were built into a trailer carrying bottled water supposedly destined for a business in north London. Each was 'highly dangerous in its construction and exposed them (the migrants) to significant danger of collapse'. Duma brought children as young as 12 hidden in two 49cm-tall 'coffin hides' inside the trailer of a refrigerated lorry Border Force officers at the Port of Newhaven in East Sussex found 10 people in one cramped hide (one of which is pictured) and 11 in another, including 'six to eight' children A Judge told Duma today that the makeshift hides (one of which is pictured) were 'quite obviously extremely dangerous' and said he would recommend his deportation Mr Corsellis said: 'It's for that reason that such a method of construction is known as a 'coffin hide'.' He described the operation as 'no amateur effort at people trafficking' and the work of an organised crime gang. 'There must have been significant sums of money either paid or due to the smugglers' by the migrants, he said. Officials stopped Duma at the border on November 1, 2018 and he said he had collected the trailer near Dieppe, France. They initially noticed nothing suspicious until an officer shone a torch between the water pallets. Mr Corsellis said: 'She looked more closely and when she saw some clothing in the pallet she raised the alarm with other officers, one of whom observed a fur-lined hood of a parka jacket.' Prosecuting, Nicholas Corsellis QC said the hides (one of which is pictured) were built into a trailer carrying bottled water supposedly destined for a business in north London Each hide (one of which is pictured) was built from 'poor quality' wooden pallets held together by nails and screws and had 36 crates of water on top They found the migrants crammed 'top to toe' in boxes which were four metres long, one metre wide and 49cm high. One Vietnamese person who spoke some English told officers they had spent seven hours inside. Each hide was built from 'poor quality' wooden pallets held together by nails and screws and had 36 crates of water on top. Mr Corsellis said: 'There would have been no ability to escape from the hide if it had been damaged in transit and further no escape from the trailer because of the way the load was stacked and the doors secured.' The gang behind the operation 'had gone to considerable lengths to avoid detection and to distance themselves from the truck should things go wrong'. Officials stopped Duma at the border on November 1, 2018 and he said he had collected the trailer near Dieppe, France. They initially noticed nothing suspicious until an officer shone a torch between the water pallets (pictured) The lorry was fitted with a counterfeit registration plate, its tachograph had been tampered with and other identification numbers on the vehicle were also altered. Ahmed Hossain, representing, said Duma had no part in the 'precarious construction' of the hides and was 'a cog in this operation'. 'His role is limited, he had limited financial reward,' he said. Duma claimed he was offered 1,000 to bring the migrants but prosecutors did not accept that as true. He listened to the hearing with help from a Romanian interpreter and stared down as details of the smuggling were read out. Judge Taylor told him: 'Your continued presence in the UK is no longer conducive to the public good and therefore I recommend you are deported.' A housewife who is owed almost 453million from her Russian billionaire ex-husband is fighting to get his 300million yacht transferred into her name. Tatiana Akhmedova, who is in her 40s, was awarded a 41.5 per cent share of businessman Farkhad Akhmedov's 1billion-plus fortune by a judge in late 2016. She says Mr Akhmedov, who is in his 60s, has yet to hand over the vast majority of the fortune Mr Justice Haddon-Cave said she should get during the trial at the High Court in London. Last year, Mr Justice Haddon-Cave ruled that Mr Akhmedov's 346 million yacht - the MV Luna which is currently in Dubai - should be transferred into Ms Akhmedova's name. Ms Akhmedova's lawyers on Tuesday took legal action in a bid to ensure that the Luna stays where it is. Tatiana Akhmedova, pictured outside court last February, is fighting to get her ex-husband's 300million superyacht transferred into her name Farkhad Akhmedov made his 1billion-plus fortune when he sold shares in Russian firm ZAO Northgas in 2012 The superyacht, pictured, is currently in Dubai. Judge Mrs Justice Gwynneth Knowles made an order to prevent the MV Luna being sailed away They persuaded another judge, Mrs Justice Gwynneth Knowles, to make an order aimed at preventing the yacht being sailed away. Lawyers said they were worried that the Luna might be moved from Dubai to a part of the world where it would be harder for them to enforce orders made by judges in England. Mrs Justice Knowles made the order after analysing evidence at a further hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London. She heard that the yacht had been owned by a company based in Lichtenstein and indicated that directors could be penalised if the Luna was moved. Neither Ms Akhmedova, nor Mr Akhmedov, were at Tuesday's hearing. Mr Justice Haddon-Cave had concluded that the company was Mr Akhmedov's 'alter ego'. The 453million he awarded Ms Akhmedova is thought to be the biggest award made by a divorce court judge in England. The Luna which boasts the largest swimming pool on any of the world's super yachts is considered one of the prize assets of billionaire Akhmedov's fortune He previously said he made his wife a generous settlement by allowing her to keep the contents of their Surrey hom, pictured, worth 2.5million He said Ms Akhmedova came from eastern Europe, but had been a British citizen since 2000. She had been a housewife and mother to the couple's now grown-up sons. Mr Akhmedov argued he had made a 'special contribution' to the generation of wealth. But Mr Justice Haddon-Cave concluded that both had made 'equal contributions to the welfare of the family'. Mr Akhmedov, who was born in Azerbaijan, previously said the British court ruling has no jurisdiction over the two Russians - despite his wife taking British citizenship and having lived here since 1993, the year they married. The billionaire made his fortune when he sold shares in Russian firm ZAO Northgas for almost 1billion in 2012. The U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee on Tuesday denied the Pentagon's plan to shift $1 billion to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico, intensifying the conflict over President Donald Trump's signature campaign pledge. Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan announced on Monday that the Department of Defense had shifted $1 billion from other military construction projects to build part of the barrier along the southern border. Democratic Representative Adam Smith, the committee's chairman, said the panel did not approve the proposed use of Pentagon funds. His action could end up being symbolic, as the Pentagon insists it has the authority to shift the money. Current status: A group of 30 Brazilian migrants are taken into Border Patrol custody near Sunland Park, New Mexico last week. Trump claims a wall will cut the number of people attempting to cross illegally into the U.S. Battle stations: Adam Smith (left), the Democratic chair of the House Armed Services Committee, says it will deny the Pentagon's moving $1 billion to fund Trump's border wall, putting it and acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan (right) on a collision course However, it could prompt Congress to change the law to prevent presidents from taking similar action in the future. A court battle over the issue is also likely. 'The committee denies this request. The committee does not approve the proposed use of Department of Defense funds to construct additional physical barriers and roads or install lighting in the vicinity of the United States border,' Smith said in a letter to the Department of Defense. U.S. lawmakers - mostly Democrats, but also some of Trump's fellow Republicans - have been furious at Trump's declaring a national emergency along the Mexico border in an attempt to pay for the wall after Congress did not approve funding. The House was due to vote later on Tuesday on a long-shot effort to override Trump's veto of a resolution disapproving of his emergency declaration, which he used to justify transferring Pentagon funds. Smith announced the denial of the $1 billion transfer in a statement as his committee held a hearing on the Pentagon budget. Smith told the hearing that Trump's proposed $750 billion defense budget would not pass as it was proposed. That budget included $100 billion in a 'slush fund' meant to fund ongoing wars but which the Pentagon intends to use to boost the amount of money it has available to avoid budget caps passed by Congress, worrying lawmakers. Shanahan's decision to shift military dollars to pay for the wall without consulting Congress could lead lawmakers to cut off the Pentagon's authority to reprogram funds. 'DoD is attempting to circumvent Congress and the American people's opposition to using taxpayer money for the construction of an unnecessary wall, and the military is paying the cost,' Smith said in a statement accompanying the letter. A former member of the Irish air force who fled to Syria to become an ISIS bride will undergo a 'security assessment' to ensure she poses no threat. Speaking in the Dail - Irish parliament - Ireland's Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the Dundalk woman will be vetted to ensure she's 'not a threat to life and limb here in Ireland'. In stark contrast to Britain's handling of ISIS bride Shamima Begum's case, the Taoiseach also confirmed that Smith's case was spoken about again today and the matter of her child's citizenship could see the pair return home. Former life: Lisa Smith (circled) as an Irish soldier, accompanying then-Irish premier Bertie Ahern (left), in a picture taken at an aerodrome near Dublin in 2008 He said: 'I am very conscious of the fact that while nobody can condone the choice that she has made and the actions that she took in aligning herself with ISIS, a terrorist regime that is hell-bent on the destruction of the west and Christendom, she does have a two-year-old child that is an Irish citizen and that child is an innocent child. 'And as is the case with all Irish citizens, they will be permitted to re-enter the State should they try to do so.' He also said that the vetting 'obviously' doesn't apply to the two-year-old child. The Taoiseach also confirmed that Smith's case was spoken about again today at the Dail Mr Varadkar also dismissed the suggestion that Ireland's government jet would be used to repatriate Smith, he said it was 'absolutely without foundation'. He added that the jet doesn't even fly as far as Turkey or Syria, where the 37-year-old is holed up in a Kurdish-controlled camp. Mr Varadkar told the Dail that efforts are being made to verify the details and make direct contact with her. He also told delegates that whilst Ireland will always provide consular assistance to its citizens, the country's ability to do so is limited in war zones. He highlighted the safety of Smith and her child and said this is of the utmost concern for the government. Lisa Smith 'was a party girl who enjoyed a good time' before she went through a bad breakup, converted to Islam and became radicalised, friends say. Lisa Smith, pictured left at the al-Hol refugee camp in Syria with her two-year-old daughter in recent days, and right before she fled Ireland to join ISIS, is pleading to return home and says prison in Ireland could be no worse than life at the camp By 2013 she had converted to Islam in Dundalk where she apparently began attending the local mosque and bringing much younger relatives along for the worship. Her Facebook page is also said to have undergone a transformation, from 'cute animal' photos to pictures of her wearing a veil and posts appearing to praise jihadists. Speaking to Extra.ie, Carol or 'Karimah' Duffy said she had tried to keep Smith from turning to radicalism. The Muslim community in Ireland had 'strongly rejected' her extremism, she said, adding that she would have reported her if she had known the extent of her radicalisation. Another friend told The Sun: 'She was a party girl in the sense that she enjoyed going out, drinking and having a good time. 'She was really sound, a really nice girl and someone who was always there for her friends. At the height of its power the Islamic State's 'caliphate' stretched from Baghdad in Iraq all the way across north eastern Syria in the west 'She started suffering from depression after a bad break-up and she was introduced to Islam by a close associate. She really got into it and became really radicalised.' Later she reportedly described Western culture as 'dirty' saying that her friends had been 'brainwashed' into standing by it. Smith is believed to have left Ireland in 2013 or 2014, apparently travelling to Bizerte in Tunisia where she met her husband. By 2016 photos from Syria had appeared on her Facebook page and rumours that she had travelled there via Turkey had reached her friends in Dundalk. But now Smith has lost her husband and is living in the al-Hol refugee camp in Syria with her two-year-old daughter. She fled the terror group's last holdout in Baghouz and is one of hundreds of women and children at the camp. Speaking to CNN, she said not everyone at al-Hol was a 'terrorist' and said prison in Ireland would be no worse than her life in Syria - as the Irish government confirmed it was trying to bring her home. She said: 'I think that people should just realise that all the people here are not terrorists. I want to go home. Smith is one of hundreds of ISIS refugees at the camp (pictured) who have fled the terror group as the last jihadi fighters were cleared out of Baghouz 'I know they'd strip me of my passport stuff, and I wouldn't travel and I'd be watched, but prisons? I don't know. I'm already in prison.' Smith was one of hundreds to flee Baghouz as ISIS lost its grip on its final patch of territory in eastern Syria. Irish authorities have been drawing up plans to rescue the former soldier, originally from Dundalk, the Sunday Mirror reported. Speaking today, Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney told RTE that Irish officials were meeting this afternoon to co-ordinate a response. He said: 'We want to look after Irish people and bring them home if they want to come home. 'Of course, there's heightened concern because there's a two-year-old girl involved in this as well. 'This is an unusual case because of her background in the last number of years, but the Taoiseach and I have made it very clear - she's an Irish citizen. Smith is one of hundreds of women and children to have fled Baghouz, the terror group's last holdout in Syria. The wreckage of Baghouz is pictured yesterday 'She's the responsibility of Ireland, and we have a responsibility towards her and in particular her daughter, and we will try to follow through on our responsibility and find a way to bring her home.' The Irish government had not yet been able to establish direct contact but had been speaking to her family, he said. A source told the newspaper about the possible rescue, saying: 'The bottom line is she is an Irish citizen with a child in a very volatile, war-torn area. 'She's in a very vulnerable position and a decision has been made to bring her home.' As a member of the Irish military Smith had flown around the world, and in 2008 was pictured on a trip with then-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. This month a former friend of Smith in Dundalk said Irish police had been guarding the town's Muslim community in the wake of the Christchurch shootings. Ms Duffy said Islamophobic thugs had recently made the link between Smith and Dundalk after the New Zealand terror attack, saying she had 'packets of rashers thrown at my house'. Current Irish PM Leo Varadkar has previously said stripping Smith of her citizenship was not the 'right or compassionate thing to do'. Lisa Smith's plea to return home comes in the wake of the UK row over teenage ISIS bride Shamima Begum (pictured) who had her British citizenship removed The Irish government's language comes in contrast to British ministers' refusal to allow teenage ISIS bride Shamima Begum to return home. Home Secretary Sajid Javid revoked Begum's passport after she said she wished to return to the UK with her newborn son, having already lost two children. The weeks-old boy later died in a camp in northern Syria, with reports suggesting he had suffered from breathing difficulties. Ms Begum, from Bethnal Green in east London, was 15 when she and two other schoolgirls went to join the terror group in February 2015. Aged 19 and heavily pregnant, she resurfaced in a refugee camp last month and said she wanted to return to Britain as the self-styled caliphate collapsed. International law forbids nations from making people stateless by revoking their only citizenship. But British officials appear to believe that Ms Begum, who is of Bangladeshi heritage, holds dual citizenship and can therefore have her British nationality removed. Under the 1981 British Nationality Act, any Briton can be deprived of their citizenship if it is 'conducive to the public good' - and they do not become stateless as a result. Two Nigerian bodybuilder brothers who confessed to hoaxing a hate crime attack on actor Jussie Smollett face legal questions now that the case against Smollett has been dropped. Abimbola 'Abel' and Olabinjo 'Ola' Osundairo did not seek an immunity deal for their testimony that Smollett hired them to stage an assault on him outside of his Chicago apartment on January 29. A grand jury indicted Smollett on 16 felony counts of filing a false report, but those charges were dropped on Tuesday with little explanation by Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, who initially recused herself from the investigation due to personal ties with parties involved. Because Foxx's office did not exonerate Smollett in dropping the charges, however, it seems unlikely that the Osundairo brothers will face charges for assaulting the actor, legal experts say. Abimbola 'Abel' (left) and Olabinjo 'Ola' Osundairo (right) did not seek an immunity deal for testimony that Smollett hired them to stage an assault, but they are unlikely to face charges Police said that this surveillance image from the scene shows the Osundairo brothers Smollett maintained his innocence at a press conference on Tuesday, although the prosecutor did not say he was exonerated of the charges in dropping the state's case The Cook County State's Attorney Office and an attorney for the Osundairo brothers did not immediately return requests for comment from DailyMail.com about possible charges against the brothers. In announcing that the charges had dropped, Foxx's office said merely that prosecutors felt that Smollett's 'community service' and willingness to forfeit his $10,000 bond was a 'just disposition' for the case. 'We didn't exonerate him,' said first assistant state's attorney Joe Magats, who made the final call not to pursue the charges. Chicago criminal defense attorney Michael J. Petro, who is not connected to the case, told DailyMail.com that he did not expect the Osundairo brothers to face charges, based on statements from Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson. On Tuesday afternoon, Johnson and Emanuel gave a press conference in which they lashed out at prosecutors for dropping the charges, and stood by the evidence gathered by investigators showing that Smollett had staged the attack. 'This is a whitewash of justice,' Emanuel said, visibly angry. 'From top to bottom this is not on the level.' Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (center) and Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson (left) issued strident comments saying they stand by the evidence of Smollett's guilt Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx said in a statement from her office that that she felt that his 'community service' and willingness to forfeit his $10,000 bond was a 'just disposition' Smollett, who is black and gay, on Tuesday maintained that he was telling the truth about being attacked by two strangers yelling racist and anti-gay slurs, who he said punched him, poured bleach on him, and looped a noose around his neck. A meticulous review of surveillance cameras and car hailing data led police investigators to the Osundairo brothers, who worked with Smollett on the television show Empire. The brothers, who are American citizens of Nigerian descent, flew to Nigeria just hours after Smollett reported the attack, and were detained immediately upon their return two weeks later. The pair were questioned and confessed that Smollett had paid them to stage the attack, police said. Police also recovered a wealth of corroborating evidence, including footage of the brothers casing the scene of the alleged attack with Smollet, and of them purchasing masks and rope like that used in the incident. Policve recovered this surveillance footage of the Osundairo brothers purchasing items used in the attack that Smollett claimed was a hate crime against him Police logs show the items that cops seized from the Nigerian brothers' Chicago home 'They fully cooperated with the police. They're still cooperating with the police. They have not sought out any kind of immunity or any kind of plea deals,' said Gloria Schmidt, the Osundairo brothers' attorney, after they testified before a grand jury last month. 'That is not on the table. They are not interested in that. They just wanted to come out and cooperate and tell the truth,' she said. The brothers said that Smollett had paid them $3,500 to stage the attack, and a cancelled check was provided as evidence. Police released them without charges and treated them as cooperating witnesses in the case against Smollett. Foxx, the state's attorney, had recused herself from the case during the investigation stage 'to address potential questions of impartiality based upon familiarity with potential witnesses in the case', according to a statement from her office. Chicago police have also alleged that Smollett sent a fake threatening letter to himself with white powder inside, which turned out to be crushed Tylenol. No federal charges have been filed in the mail threat case. The mother of a teenage girl in Pennsylvania believes her home was sprayed with gunshots Sunday evening in connection with a gang of girls she claims are bullying her daughter. Marie Samba says her child's eighth grade classmates could be behind their Pottstown property being targeted with approximately 15 bullets, and her family having to flee with their lives. The concerned parent said the incident took place after several children entered the home where her 13-year-old daughter had just finished dinner. Scroll down for video Marie Samba, mother of a Pennsylvania teenager believes her home was sprayed with approximately 15 gunshots in connection with girls allegedly bullying her daughter Holes are seen in the ceiling of the Montgomery County home that was targeted on Sunday Mother said girls at Pottstown Middle School had been bullying her child since they moved 'As soon as my niece and kids came in here, bullets started flying,' she told NBC 10. Nobody was injured in the gunfire but video footage showed holes in the ceiling, window and walls of the Montgomery County home that's adorned with bright children's decorations. 'My 13-year-old has a hit on her, from a bully? What possesses a grown person to take a 13-year-old's word to shoot up a house full of people?' Samba said. Nobody was injured in the gunfire but video footage showed holes in the ceiling, window and walls of the home that's adorned with bright children's decorations 'My 13-year-old has a hit on her, from a bully?' Samba said to NBC 10 about the incident Since the incident Police have been on the Pottstown Middle School grounds. A letter was sent to parents. A spokesman for the Pottstown School District, John Armato, said posted on Twitter: 'District officials continue to work with police investigation and have taken additional precautions to safeguard students and staff.' Pottstown police chief Mick Markovich said witnesses are cooperating in their investigation. The mother claims her girl has been bullied since they moved from Pennsylvania. She said the Pottstown School District advised her to move her children to another district due to the issues the girl was experiencing. 'My son's teacher told him the same thing,' Samba said. The mother said: 'What possesses a grown person to take a 13-year-old's word to shoot up a house full of people?' Now the mother has pulled the children from classes in the area. Armato said the altercations between Samba's daughter and girls at school had been ongoing for months. After their own investigation and one from law enforcement they established there's a possibility they could have been targeted due to the bullying. He said while they have hosted classes on the topic of bullying, parents have to do their part. 'They are not issues that can be singularly addressed by the schools, they are community-wide issues,' Armato said. Now the mother has pulled the children from classes. Pictured is Pottstown Middle School Since the incident police have been on the Pottstown Middle School grounds. A letter was sent to parents Susan Waring is thought to have been murdered after she went missing from her home in Darwen, Lancashire, two months ago A 45-year-old who nearly died in a fire after she was allegedly 'barricaded' in the burning building in Scotland two years ago has not been seen since January. Susan Waring is thought to have been murdered after she went missing from her home in Darwen, Lancashire, two months ago. The woman nearly died in a house fire in Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire, in July 2017, and investigators believe it was attempted murder. She is now thought to have been murdered but no body has been found. Ms Waring has not been active on Facebook since the end of January despite usually being in regular contact with her sister. The last confirmed sighting of her was on January 16, when she left a GP surgery. Last week a 46-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder but has now been released under investigation by Lancashire Police. Susan is described as being around 5ft 5ins tall, of small build, with brown eyes and collar-length, curly, brown hair. She speaks with a North West accent and has tattoos on both arms and legs, including smiley faces on her legs. A woman with dark hair was captured on CCTV on January 29 at an ASDA store, and detectives are trying to establish whether it was Susan. Susan is described as being around 5ft 5ins tall, of small build, with brown eyes and collar-length, curly, brown hair It was initially thought that Susan was last seen on January 30 at around 10pm, leaving an address on Blackburn Road, Darwen. Sightings of her in Dumbarton have been reported, but police do not believe them to be Susan. Detective Chief Inspector Geoff Hurst said: 'I have a team of detectives working hard to find out what has happened to Susan and where she may be. 'No one has seen or heard from Susan for weeks which is very unusual. 'She is often in touch with her sister, and is an active Facebook user but has not logged on since towards the end of January. 'Thank you to those who came forward in relation to our last appeal. We are now satisfied we have identified one of the women from the photographs. 'We have released a second image of the woman we believe could be Susan. 'I would ask that people study both photographs and cast their minds back to that day. 'If you saw this woman, or have any other information that could be helpful to our investigation, please come forward.' Police and cadaver dogs descended on a California landfill site to resume the search for the body of an infant whose parents have been charged in his death. Officers converged on Tuesday on the El Sobrante waste disposal site in Corona and proceeded to comb through the area to try and find the remains of six-month-old Jacsun Manson. Police previously scoured the landfill in late February, around the time arrest warrants were issued for Jacson's parents. Police returned to the El Sobrante landfill in Corona, California, on Tuesday, to resume the search for the body of a baby boy Police believe baby Jacsun Manson died while his parents were getting high on meth on New Year's Eve Parents: Adam Manson (left), 34, and Kianna Williams (right), 32, have been charged with one count of child abuse resulting in death Adam Manson, 34, and Kianna Williams, 32, have been charged with one count of child abuse resulting in death. Authorities believe the parents were doing drugs in a motel room on December 31, 2018, and later found their son dead. According to police, Manson and Williams then put baby Jacsun's body in a suitcase and tossed it into a dumpster. Investigators suspect the contents of the trash receptacle ended up at the 1,300-acre landfill in Corona. A witness reported seeing baby Jacsun inside a blue 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser in South Los Angeles's Hyde Park neighborhood on New Year's Eve around the same time his parents were allegedly spotted breaking into cars on the street, according to KTLA. Williams and Manson spent the rest of the day getting high at King Motel where they were staying with their son after leaving a shelter for homeless families. According to newly released court documents obtained by ABC 7 News, sometime later Manson woke up to find his son dead in his sobbing girlfriend's arms. Police and cadaver dogs searched the waste disposal site for two days in late February The couple have admitted to being habitual methamphetamine users. Both Manson and Williams are being held without bail During an interview with police, Manson was quoted as saying that Jacsun was 'hot to the touch and his limbs were limp.' The child was unresponsive and not breathing. Williams told police that she attempted to perform CPR on her son, but he could not be revived. Jacsun's body was stuffed into a trash bag, a pillow case, a duffel bag and a rolling suitcase, which was then tossed into a dumpster The couple, who admitted to being habitual methamphetamine users, reportedly said that after their's son's death they stayed in the room for a second night and continued doing drugs. The child's mother described for the investigators how eventually she clothed Jacsun's corpse in blue pajamas, wrapped him in a gray blanket, stuffed the body in a back trash bag, a pillow case, a duffel bag, and finally placed the whole bundle into a rolling suitcase, according to the court papers. The couple told police they considered several potential sites to dispose of their infant's body, but ultimately settled on a dumpster at Baldwin Hills Plaza. Both Manson and Williams are being held without bail. Their arraignment is scheduled for Thursday. A 13-year-old girl is fighting for her life with almost 90 percent of her body burned after her ex-boyfriend set her on fire because she ended their relationship. Wilson Javier Melendez Bonilla, 19, entered the girl's home in the southwestern Puerto Rican town of Cabo Rojo, on Saturday night, and covered her body with gasoline before setting her on fire. The victim's mother, Nanette Martinez Camacho, 34, suffered minor burns to her face and arms when she tried to save her daughter. The girl's nine-year-old brother also was burned during the attack - his injuries are not life threatening. Wilson Javier Melendez Bonilla told police in Puerto Rico he set a 13-year-old girl on fire Saturday night after she ended their relationship a month ago Nanette Martinez Camacho said she had no idea if Melendez Bonilla and her daughter were involved in a relationship Wilson Javier Melendez Bonilla entered the living room of the home in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, on Saturday night (seen above) The young girl was first taken to Hospital De La Concepcion in San German before doctors stabilized her and transferred her to the University Pediatric Hospital in San Juan. Melendez Bonilla, who was still at the home when cops arrived to arrest him, has been charged with seven counts, including three attempted murder charges. He was transferred to a jail in Ponce after he failed to meet a $3.5million bail bond imposed by a judge in Mayaguez. According to Puerto Rican news outlet Isla Oeste, Martinez Camacho said her daughter and Melendez Bonilla were friends and she was unaware if they were involved in a relationship. Sergeant Joel Ayala Del Valle said that Melendez Bonilla dumped gasoline over the victim while she was sleeping on a couch and set her on fire. Keilla Bonilla (pictured) claims she told her son to end the relationship because the girl was a minor Melendez Bonilla has been charged with seven counts, including three attempted murder charges El Vocero reported that Melendez Bonilla told investigators he met the girl six months ago when she was just 12 and started attending a middle school in her neighborhood. The young girl called their relationship off a month ago and Melendez Bonilla said he had gone a month without seeing her. While holding back tears, the suspect's mother, Keilla Bonilla, told WOLE 12 that the girl's parents should also be held liable for the disturbing attack. 'They knew that he slept with her in the house,' Bonilla said. 'The situation was addressed to them many times... He left my house two months to be with her.' The distraught mother added that she pleaded with her son to stop seeing the victim because she was underage. 'I am very sorry about what is happening,' Bonilla said. 'I am a mother and I know that the girl is suffering. I ask God for the girl to get better.' The first assistant state's attorney for Chicago has said of the decision to drop all charges against Empire star Jussie Smollet, 'We didn't exonerate him.' Joe Magats, who made the final call not to pursue the charges, said the decision was made because Smollett agreed to perform community service and to forfeit his $10,000 bond to the city of Chicago. Magats said said the police investigation did not appear problematic, and he saw no problem with the evidence against Smollett, the New York Times reported. 'Here's the thing, we work to prioritize violent crime and the drivers of violent crime,' Magats said. 'Public safety is our number one priority. I don't see Jussie Smollett as a threat to public safety.' Smollett has said he was truthful throughout the process of being accused of faking a hate crime and sending himself a fraudulent threat through the mail, and continued to deny any wrongdoing. The judge in the case sealed the record of the proceedings so the evidence presented to the grand jury which indicted Smollett on 16 felony counts associated with allegedly filing a false police report will not be made public through the courts. Joe Magats (left), the first assistant state's attorney for Chicago who made the decision to drop all charges against Jussie Smollet (right), said, 'We didn't exonerate him' In his statement on Tuesday, Smollett gave no other explanation for the alleged attack he endured on January 29 - which by all accounts his personal trainers, brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo, carried out on him - but said he had been truthful all along in his claims that he did not recognize them when they jumped him. 'I want to thank my family, my friends, the incredible people of Chicago and all over the country and world who have prayed for me, supported me and shown me love. 'No one will ever know how much that has meant to me. Not for a moment was it in vain,' he said. Smollett did not discuss whether he planned to fight against Chicago Police Department or the prosecutor's office for accusing him of staging the attack, but said he would continue to 'fight for justice' and for the 'marginalized' people of the world. In contrast to Smollett's continued denials of wrongdoing, Magats said: 'We stand behind the investigation, we stand behind the decision to charge him and we stand behind the charges in the case. 'The mere fact that it was disposed of in an alternative manner does not mean that there were any problems or infirmities in the case or the evidence.' Magats said said the police investigation did not appear problematic, and he saw no problem with the evidence against Smollett, the New York Times reported Chicago Police Department's chief communications officer Anthony Guglielmi said on Tuesday, on Twitter: 'Chicago police detectives did an excellent investigation and their work was reaffirmed by an independent grand jury who brought 16 criminal counts. 'In our experience, innocent individuals don't forget bond & perform community service in exchange for dropped charges.' Also on Tuesday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the sudden decision to drop the charges proved there is 'one set of rules for the powerful and influential'. Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson were blindsided by the announcement of dropped charges, which they learned of while attending a police academy graduation ceremony. 'Without a doubt this is a whitewash of justice and sends a clear message that if you are in a position of influence and power, you'll be treated one way,' Emanuel said, adding, 'It is wrong.' Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson (left) on Tuesday at a press conference to condemn the outcome of the Jussie Smollett case JUSSIE'S STATEMENT 'Hey everybody, 'I just made a couple of notes. First of all I want to thank my family, my friends, the incredible people of Chicago and all over the country and world who have prayed for me, who have supported me and who have shown me so much love. No one will ever know how much that has meant to me. I want you to know that not for a moment was it in vain. 'I have been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one. I would not be my mother's son if I was capable of even one drop of what I have been accused of. 'This has been an incredibly difficult time, honestly one of the worst of my entire life. But I am a man of faith and I am a man that has knowledge of my history. 'I would not bring my family, our lives or the movement through a fire like this. I just wouldn't. 'I want to thank my legal counsel from the bottom of my heart, and I would also like to thank the state of Illinois for attempting to do what's right. I would like nothing more than to just get back to work and move on with my life but make no mistakes, I will always continue to fight for the justice, equality and betterment of marginalized people everywhere. 'So again, thank you for all the support. Thank you to faith and thank you to God. 'Bless y'all. Thank you very much.' Advertisement Emanuel went on to condemn Smollett for speaking out after the court hearing and protesting his innocence. 'Mr. Smollett is still saying that he is innocent, still running down the Chicago Police Department,' he said. 'How dare him. How dare him after everybody saw. Is there no decency in this man?' Johnson, who publicly condemned Smollett last month and said his lies were 'despicable', also slammed the star for asking that the evidence be sealed. 'I would want my day in court to clear my name. They wanted their day in court with TV cameras,' he said, referring to Smollett's team's eagerness to allow cameras in the courtroom. '[Now] they chose to hide behind secrecy. You all know what the bond proffer said. 'We all know what it said if they want to dispute those facts the place to do that is in court not in secrecy,' he said. Smollett faced 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct before the case was dropped by prosecutors on Tuesday. Emanuel said the grand jury's indictment on the charges proved that it was not just the police department which thought Smollett was guilty. 'This is not the superintendent's word against his,' Emanuel said. 'The grand jury saw a sliver of the evidence and they came to a conclusion,' he said, adding that the judge's decision to grant Smollett's attorneys' request to have all the evidence sealed meant that the truth would never come out. 'This is a person now who has been left off scot-free with no sense of accountability of the moral and ethical wrong of his actions, from top to bottom,' Emanuel said. Six people were stabbed in London Lawless yesterday during another night of carnage - with two-17-year-old boys and four men aged 18 to 24 knifed in separate attacks. Eyewitnesses described two men 'armed with huge knives' at the first stabbing of the night, at around 3.15pm in Kidbrooke, south east London. With claims the shock scenes took place in front of children. Onlookers described a 'planned attack' on an 18-year-old, with desperate attempts made by locals to treat the man who was 'totally covered in blood' with injuries to his side and head. He was left fighting for his life but is now stable. One hour later, at 4.30pm, a 26-year-old man was stabbed multiple times in Hounslow, west London before just half an hour later another man was 'slashed' just yards away from the scene of the brutal stabbing. Later yesterday evening, at around 6.05pm, a boy, believed to be aged 17, received a slash wound to his face in Tottenham, north London - and at 7pm and 9pm respectively another 17-year-old man was stabbed in Barking, east London and an 18-year-old man was knifed in Tooting, south London. It comes on the same day as the country's top police chief, Cressida Dick, has said youth knife violence is at the worst level she has ever seen it. There have been 29 murders in London so far this year, and violent crime rose by nearly a fifth in the year to September 2018. An 18-year-old was stabbed multiple times in Kidbrooke (pictured at the scene yesterday evening), near Blackheath, south-east London yesterday afternoon - with eyewitnesses claiming it happened in front of children A 17-year-old male was taken to hospital after being stabbed at around 7pm in Barking, east London yesterday evening Then at 9pm, police and ambulance staff were sent to assist a man who were stabbed in Tooting, south London yesterday evening The Metropolitan Police said a boy, believed to be aged 17, received a slash wound to his face at about 6.05pm on High Road, Tottenham, north London A map shows how a night of violence spread across London, with stabbings in Tottenham, Hounslow, Tooting, Kidbrooke and Barking Saturday and Sunday saw six people stabbed. Shopkeeper Ravi Katharkamar, 54, was murdered with a knife wound to his chest as he opened Marsh Food and Wine in Pinner, north-west London, on Sunday morning. Addressing the crisis yesterday, Miss Dick said: 'There's definitely more younger people involved and more knives involved in the serious violence on the streets. Just yesterday afternoon we had a 15-year-old stabbed, not long after school.' She said that, year-on-year, the number of under-25s reporting knife injuries had dropped by 15 per cent and she felt police in London were beginning to get a grip on the problem. Police numbers have fallen by 20,000 in England and Wales since 2010. The number of knife-related deaths rose from 186 in 2015-16 to 285 in 2017-18. Another night of bloodshed in London 3.15pm, Kidbrooke: 18-year-old stabbed and left critical but is now stable 4.30pm, Hounslow: 26-year-old man is stabbed multiple times 5.00pm, Hounslow: Man 'slashed in the face' just yards away from first attack 6.05pm, Tottenham: A boy, believed to be aged 17, slashed in the face 7pm, Barking: 17-year-old man stabbed after 'a fight with another male' 9pm, Tooting: Man, 18, knifed and taken to hospital from the scene. Advertisement The number of stop and searches has also fallen, which some people believe has helped fuel the violence. Local and local authorities have also turned to knife amnesties to reduce the number of weapons on the streets. Yesterday's night of violence began when police were called to a road in Kidbrooke, near Blackheath, south east London at 3.24pm following reports that a male was being threatened with a knife. Paramedics and officers attended the scene in Thyme Close and found a man, aged around 18, suffering from multiple stab wounds. Stunned residents have told how they saw blood 'gushing' from a wound to his side after he was chased by a car. Two men are reported to have jumped out armed with knives and attacked the man, thought to be aged just 18. Children on their way home from school are understood to have seen the sickening attack. One witness, who said she was too scared to be named, described how the drama unfolded. She said: 'I was coming home from work when I saw a black car come speeding past me. It was going really fast. The car smashed into two others and made a loud noise. 'Two men got out of the car armed with huge knives. 'They were very large and fearsome. The blades were massive. I was absolutely terrified and just called the police straight away. I was so scared.' Police were called to Thyme Close (pictured) in Kidbrooke, near Blackheath, south east London at 3.24pm following reports that a male was being threatened with a knife Six police cars were parked up outside a block of flats near the Kidbrooke stabbing which was cordoned off by officers on the new build estate off Nelson Mandela Road (pictured) which is the site of an old RAF depot An 18-year-old man was stabbed in Tooting, south London at around 9pm and has been taken to hospital Describing the moments after the attack, she said: 'The car then reversed and fled. I went to see what had happened and saw this man standing up. He had an injury to his head. 'He then just collapsed to the floor. He was totally covered in blood. It was everywhere. It was obvious he had been stabbed in his side. 'It only happened a few seconds before. I tried talking to him just to get his name and get him talking.' Six police cars were parked up outside a block of flats which was cordoned off by officers on the new build estate off Nelson Mandela Road which is the site of an old RAF depot. More than a dozen uniformed officers could be seen as forensics officers carried out a detailed search of the area where the teen was stabbed. The witness continued: 'He was in a very bad way. He kept coming in and out of consciousness. He was black and looked like he was in his early 20s. 'People got blankets and we tried to stem the flow of blood. Another man helped me as well and we just tried to stop it. It was everywhere. 'It all happened so quickly. There were school children very close as well. They witnessed it all and saw the man. They were very upset. It was a terrible situation. 'They were only aged about 12. It was so traumatic but we had to act to help the poor man who had been stabbed.' The victim has been taken hospital in a life threatening condition. An air ambulance landed in a play park (pictured) close to the scene of the stabbing in Kidbrooke, near Blackheath, south east London The witness said 'blood was gushing' from his side. She added: 'It was horrific. To begin with I'm not sure he realised he had been stabbed. 'It must have been a planned attack because the people in the cars were travelling as if they knew exactly who they were after. 'It's left me terrified. This is a nice area. 'We've heard about all the stabbings and now this has happened on our doorstep. I just hope the poor man is OK.' While another witness, who also asked not to be named, said: 'I saw two guys stab him. They had got out of a black Hyundai car. 'He looked like he had been stabbed in the abdomen and was bleeding heavily from the head so he could've been stabbed there too but I can't be certain of that.' He said a woman ran out of a nearby house to help the victim as he lay on the ground. And added: 'A lady was helping him. His coat, T-shirt and face was covered in blood and he was just lying there. 'It was horrible seeing so much blood. I was shocked when it happened. 'The lady helping him did most the work, getting things to soak up the blood. I hope he is all right.' It comes after a weekend of bloodshed in the capital with six more people stabbed overnight from Saturday to Sunday Police were called to Thyme Close (pictured), Kidbrooke at around 3.24pm following reports of a male being threatened with a knife Neighbour Kay Hornsay, 50, a cleaner, said: 'I came home and saw the officers here. I was worried sick when I saw the cordon. 'It's really sad what's happened. 'There's too much of it going on in London at the moment, it's heart breaking. 'I just hope they find the people who did it quickly.' While train driver Amber Heard, 31, was woken after a night shift by shouting shortly before police arrived. She said: 'I heard a guy shouting not long before police turned up. I couldn't make out what he was saying but it was like 'oi'. 'I didn't really think anything of it but then police arrived. 'It's really sad that someone so young has been stabbed here - there's been a lot of crimes in this area. It makes me want to leave.' A cordon is in place however there is limited disruption to access to the road. Officers were in the surrounding area for a number of hours while initial investigative work took place. The victim was taken hospital in a life threatening condition, after an air ambulance landed in a nearby play park. Blood splatters were being cleaned from the pavement outside a taxi office opposite Tottenham Police Station, around 160 yards down the road, on Tuesday evening Later that evening, police revealed they were investigating two stabbings in Hounslow. Police were called by the London Ambulance Service at 4.23pm to reports of a man suffering from stab injuries in Beaversford Park off Martindale Road. A 26-year-old man was taken to a central London hospital; with police now awaiting update on his condition. One person was arrested nearby on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm. He was taken to a west London police station where he remains in custody. Officers then attended a second call from London Ambulance Service at 5pm to reports of a man suffering from a slash injury on Rosemary Avenue at the junction with Bath Road, also in Hounslow - just yards away from the earlier knife attack. The 20-year-old man was treated at the scene. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police: 'At this early stage, enquiries continue to establish whether the assaults are connected. 'A section 60 has been authorised across Hounslow Borough from 5.15pm on Tuesday until 4am on Wednesday. Police have the power to stop and search individuals for offensive weapons.' Also yesterday evening, a teenager was slashed in the face in north London just yards from a police station. The Metropolitan Police said a boy, believed to be aged 17, received a slash wound to his face at about 6.05pm on High Road, Tottenham. The alleged attack is said by police to have taken place by a Betfred shop. Blood splatters were being cleaned from the pavement outside a taxi office opposite Tottenham Police Station, around 160 yards down the road, on Tuesday evening. Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick told Parliament's Home Affairs Committee today that knife crime among teenagers is at a worrying high level Graphs show how homicides have risen as police numbers and stop and searches have fallen Cordons have been set up at both locations. An officer at the scene said a man had received facial injuries after 'an altercation between two young groups,' and that the two cordons were linked. The boy was treated at the scene by the London Ambulance Service staff, who assessed the injury to be non-life threatening, and taken to an east London hospital. No arrests have been made. Then at 7pm, the Metropolitan Police was called to the scene of a stabbing in Barking. A spokesman said: 'A 17-year-old male victim has been taken to hospital and is in a not life-threatening condition. No arrests yet.' Before at 9pm being called to a stabbing in Tooting, with police revealing an 18-year-old man had been stabbed. A spokesman said: 'Hes been taken to hospital. The condition of the 18-year-old stabbed in Tooting at around 9pm is not life-threatening. Detectives from South West command unit investigating. No arrest yet.' Five men have been jailed for a total of 120 years after trying to import cocaine with a street value of over 100 million into the UK hidden in a yacht. The 1.4 tonnes of the Class A drug worth 112 million was concealed in the SY Nomad, which was intercepted by the authorities off the Cornish coast in August last year. UK nationals Nigel Clark, 64, and Dean Waters, 59, Estonian Richard Must, 49, Dutchman Raymond Dijkstra, 27, and Latvian Voldermars Gailis, 21, were all jailed at Bristol Crown Court for their roles in the conspiracy. Clark and Waters were each jailed for 28 years, Must was locked up for 30 years, Dijkstra was given an 18-year prison sentence and Gailis sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment. Dean Waters (left) and Nigel Clark, two of five men who have been jailed for a total of 120 years Passing sentence, Judge Martin Picton said the conspiracy was 'an exercise in international drug smuggling of the highest order'. 'Whilst this is not the biggest-ever seizure of Class A drugs to have been made by the UK authorities, it is certainly one of the biggest,' he said. 'The planning of this crime was over a year in gestation. It involved an investment of more than 800,000 euros to bring it to fruition. 'The only reason that the principal offenders in this case - Nigel Clark, Dean Waters and Richard Must - expended so much time, energy and money in seeking to bring about this audacious plan was in the hope of securing simply enormous profits. They were arrested after their 60ft catamaran was intercepted in August 2018 and taken to Newlyn, Cornwall, with 1.4 tonnes of cocaine on board 'But for the intervention of the National Crime Agency and the Border Force, it would have flooded the drug market in this country, contributing by so doing to the appalling social harm that the prevalence of cheap Class A drugs represents. 'This is criminality of truly staggering proportions.' The judge ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the cocaine while a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing will take place later. Clark, of no fixed address; Waters, of Estepona, Spain; and Dijkstra, of Holland, were convicted by a jury of conspiring to import cocaine and conspiring to conceal cocaine within a ship following a five-week trial. Must, of Estonia, and Gailis, of Latvia, had earlier pleaded guilty to the same charges. The court heard the 60ft yacht had left Suriname, just south of Venezuela, at the beginning of August heading for the UK when it was intercepted. From left to right Richard Must, Raymond Dijkstra and 21-year-old Voldemars Gailis Passing sentence, Judge Martin Picton said the conspiracy was 'an exercise in international drug smuggling of the highest order'. The boat used is pictured here The vessel was escorted into Newlyn Harbour in Cornwall and the three men on board - skipper Must and crew Gailis and Dijkstra - were arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking offences. The authorities then searched the boat and within an hour they discovered more than 1,400 kilo blocks of cocaine hidden inside locked storage containers on the vessel. The estimated wholesale of this amount of cocaine was 44,896,000, with an approximate street value of 112 million. Clark and Waters were arrested later that day by National Crime Agency officers who had been observing their activity over a period of two days. The authorities believe that Waters, who had purchased a rigid inflatable boat, and Clark planned to meet the yacht at sea and transfer the drugs. Rose-Marie Franton, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'Our prosecution was able to show that each of these men took an active and willing role in this highly-organised conspiracy to import large amounts of cocaine into this country.' Marco Aurelio Villareal, a 37-year-old morning host for WFLA in Tampa, Florida was handcuffed at his home in Cory Lake Isles on Sunday, after neighbors called police over a domestic disturbance A leading television news anchor in Florida was arrested for assaulting a six-month pregnant mother-of-two at his home over the weekend, police said. Marco Aurelio Villareal, a 37-year-old morning host for WFLA in Tampa, Florida was handcuffed at his home in Cory Lake Isles on Sunday, after neighbors called police over a domestic disturbance. According to an arrest report, Villareal tried to kiss the woman while she was trying to make dinner and refused his advances. Villareal became angry and when the woman walked away, he allegedly slammed her against a wall. When police arrived at the residence they found the alleged victim 'very upset' and emotional, the NY Post reports. She showed no signs of injuries and was not treated for any injuries at the scene. Villareal, who was not home when police arrived returned once investigators contacted him on his cellphone He has been released from custody on a charge of aggravated battery on a pregnant woman after posting $7,500 bond, prison records show. Villareal, who was not home when police arrived returned once investigators contacted him on his cellphone He has been released from custody on a charge of aggravated battery on a pregnant woman after posting $7,500 bond, prison records show (pictured at work for WFLA) Villarrea previously worked at WRCB in Tennessee, WTXL in Florida and KTNV in Las Vegas, according to his biography on the station's website The popular morning anchor has also been suspending pending the outcome of the investigation. Station bosses said in a statement: 'WFLA morning anchor Marco Villarreal has been arrested and charged with aggravated battery. 'Villarreal will not be returning to our newscast until an investigation of the charges has concluded. Station bosses said in a statement: 'WFLA morning anchor Marco Villarreal has been arrested and charged with aggravated battery. 'Villarreal will not be returning to our newscast until an investigation of the charges has concluded' 'WFLA will have no additional comment at this time.' Villarrea previously worked at WRCB in Tennessee, WTXL in Florida and KTNV in Las Vegas, according to his biography on the station's website. His Facebook page was no longer active as of Tuesday afternoon. Advertisement A majority of Americans in every state are in favor of policies that protect LGBTQ people from discrimination, according to a new survey. Vermont was the most pro-LGBTQ state, with 77 percent of residents supportive of such protections, while Arkansas was in last place with 56 percent in favor of preventing discrimination. Overall, 69 percent of Americans support 'broad nondiscrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people,' according to the 2018 survey of more than 2,000 Americans by the Public Religion Research Institute. This map illustrates the percent of Americans in every state who support protections from discrimination for LGBTQ people. The darker the shades of blue indicate wider acceptance, while the lighter shades of green indicate opposition to such protections The majority support extends to all major religions and nearly every demographic group. Unitarians were the most supportive (90 percent), while Jehovah's Witnesses were the least (53 percent). 'I still think that certainly in today's polarized climate, it's quite remarkable on any issue to be able to say there's bipartisan, cross-religious support on an issue, and much less one like an issue like LGBT rights, one that's historically controversial,' PRRI CEO Robert Jones told NBC News. 'And to be able to say there's majority support in all 50 states for that policy as well' is significant, he added. However, overall support declined slightly in 2018 compared to 2015, when 71 percent of all Americans were supportive of LGBTQ issues. The sharpest declines was among Republicans, whose support fell 5 percentage points to 56 percent in 2018, compared to 61 percent in 2015. Support for protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination have staid relatively steady, with slight declines overall and among Republicans and Independents, according to new survey data 'Notably, among Republicans, this drop in support has been concentrated among those who showed the highest support for LGBT protections just a few years ago,' the report said. Older Republicans were the among the most likely to harbor anti-LGBTQ sentiment, with just 48 percent of those age 65 and older in favor of protections for that population and 42 percent opposed. 'There are fewer liberal Republicans today than there were in 2015 and fewer younger Republicans today than in 2015,' Jones told NBC. '(Young Republicans) have moved into the independent category.' 'If you're a liberal Republican or a Republican under 30, you may feel out of step,' he added. Age was a factor across religions and political parties. For example, 63 percent of white evangelical Protestants age 18-29 said they support protection from discrimination for LGBTQ people, while just 45 percent of those age 65 and older felt the same way. Researchers also asked Americans how they feel about small businesses refusing to serve LGBTQ people based on their religious beliefs. Overall, 57 percent of Americans oppose such discrimination, though 55 percent of white evangelical Protestants and 54 percent of Mormons were in favor of allowing it. A former soldier heard shouts of 'stop or I will shoot' during searches for a missing trainee whose dead body was later found on a military base, an inquest has heard. Sergeant Fay Mulraine was on guard duty at Deepcut Barracks in Surrey with Geoff Gray on the night the 17-year-old suffered two gunshot wounds to his head in 2001. Giving evidence at a fresh inquest into the death of Private Gray, she described hearing gunshots shortly after the teen went on a 'quick patrol' alone in the early hours of September 17. Private Geoff Gray, 17, from Hackney, east London, died after he suffered two gunshot wounds to the head in September 17, 2001 Sgt Mulraine told Woking Coroner's Court on Tuesday she then radioed for help after he failed to return. She told the inquest there were 'several searches' of the base for the missing Pte Gray without anyone seeing anything. Describing an incident during the searches, she said: 'Guys come running and the fence was going and the guard commander was shouting "don't shoot", "don't shoot" and the guys they were running. 'I don't know if it's my mind playing or the state I was in but it was like the fence was rattling, it sounded like it was shaking ... you could hear it. 'One of them was shouting "stop or I will shoot" and the guard commander was saying "don't shoot". Jonathan Cooper QC, for the family of Pte Gray, questioning Sgt Mulraine about the fence, asked: 'Whatever it was it was heavy enough for the soldiers there to be worried?' Geoff's parents - Geoff and Diane Gray (pictured) - won the right to a new inquest into his death She replied 'yes'. The family of Pte Gray believe another recruit or recruits may have shot the teenager from Hackney, east London, while he was on guard duty at the Surrey base. Describing the initial searches, Sgt Mulraine said: 'They did a sweep in the direction which he went and during that sweep they still didn't find anything. 'They called the guard room to get more privates to come out and search. There were several searches ... they sweep the way they sweep before with more guards and still didn't find anything.' Four young soldiers died at the Deepcut army barracks in Surrey between 1995 and 2002 Pte Gray's father, also called Geoff, previously told the inquest he was approached at his son's funeral by soldiers who said 'they had passed the spot where he was eventually found and he was not there'. Mr Gray also said other soldiers had warned him at the funeral 'don't let this lie, it could be one of us next', in a previous statement to Surrey Police in 2002, the inquest previously heard. In 2002, a coroner recorded an open verdict in the first inquest into the death of Pte Gray. The new inquest is happening because Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC said he was satisfied fresh evidence had come to light. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday Carlos Slim had told him the billionaire planned to retire during his administration, in a step at odds with the tycoon's usually discreet approach to public life. Slim, who for a time was listed by Forbes as the world's richest man, did not confirm the president's unexpected announcement, but said through a spokesman that hard work lay ahead for the two of them over the next six years. Long a dominant figure in the Mexican economy, the 79-year-old Slim typically keeps a low profile, doing only occasional interviews and giving away little about his plans. Slim was the first question of the day during Lopez Obrador's regular morning news conference, as a reporter asked if he had met the tycoon and what he thought about his plans. Carlos Slim owns telecoms giant America Movil and bank Grupo Financiero Inbursa. He has a net worth of $64billion and owns a mansion in New York City worth $80million 'He wants to end his business life helping economic growth and public welfare during this government,' Lopez Obrador said, without specifying when he met Slim. 'That's what he offered me. He wants to retire and he wants to do it in this government.' Arturo Elias, a spokesman and son-in-law of Slim, posted a brief statement on Twitter after being asked whether the president's remarks were accurate. 'Slim remarked to the president that the two have almost six years of intense work (ahead) for the country, the president due to his electoral mandate, and (Slim) due to his age,' Elias said. Vowing to tackle chronic poverty and inequality in Mexico, Lopez Obrador has put government welfare spending at the heart of his plans to redistribute wealth. Lopez Obrador worked with Slim to redevelop parts of Mexico City when he was mayor of the capital between 2000 and 2005 While some economists have questioned how effective handouts will be, business leaders have publicly backed the promotion of 'bienestar' or 'welfare' as an instrument of policy, and pledged to support the president economically. Day-to-day management of Slim's business empire, which ranges from telecommunications and construction to retail and banking, is in the hands of his sons and sons-in-law, though he is widely believed to hold a powerful influence over decisions. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador revealed in his daily press briefing Tuesday that billionaire Carlos Slim is expecting to retire before his presidential term is up in 2024 The Slim family's wealth is currently estimated by Forbes at $64 billion. The billionaire has previously suggested he would never retire, saying he would work until he is 'put in a coffin' or until 'my body gives in.' Slim's companies include telecoms giant America Movil and bank Grupo Financiero Inbursa. Shares in America Movil were up 0.22 percent in afternoon trading, slightly ahead of the main S&P/BMV IPC stock index, which was up 0.15 percent. Inbursa shares were up 0.43 percent. Slim has made few public statements since Lopez Obrador took office in December, beyond offering some perfunctory words of support for the new government. Relations between the administration and Slim got off to an inauspicious start. Before he was even in office, Lopez Obrador said he was canceling a partly built $13 billion new Mexico City airport, in which Slim and his family had major interests. Lopez Obrador, who worked with Slim to redevelop parts of Mexico City when he was mayor of the capital between 2000 and 2005, argued that the airport was tainted by corruption and being built in an area that was geologically unsuitable. The cancellation angered business leaders and the government spent its first few weeks compensating investors in the project. Lopez Obrador has used his presidency to rail constantly at the 'neo-liberal' economic policies of the last six governments which he blames for fomenting corruption and violence in Mexico. Those 3 1/2 decades cover most of the period during which Slim vaulted from a position of relative obscurity to becoming Mexico's pre-eminent business magnate with the acquisition of former state telephone monopoly Telmex in 1990-91. The president said he planned to meet Slim soon to discuss plans for investment in Mexico. He did not go into detail. By law, Mexican presidents can serve only a single six-year term. Lopez Obrador's term is due to end in 2024. A new migrant caravan of about 2,500 people is making its way through southern Mexico, headed for the U.S. border, facing greater heat - and a much cooler welcome - than last year's caravans. The caravan walked past the city of Huixtla in the southern state of Chiapas on Monday, but police were lined up to keep them moving along a highway outside of the town and did not let them enter. It's a stark contrast to last year when caravans were allowed to stay in the city center. The city said in a statement that it offered water and medical help to the caravan of 2,466 people, mainly from Nicaragua, Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. A new migrant caravan of about 2,500 people is making its way through southern Mexico, headed for the U.S. border It said the caravan included many children and some were suffering in the area's near-100-degree heat. Such caravans aren't getting as a warm a welcome as they did last fall, when local governments and church groups handed out food, water and clothing and police sometimes helped the migrants get rides. Activists said that the Mexican government was trying to wear the caravans out, or stop them from trying to reach the United States. 'It is a strategy to break them up... to stop the caravans,' said Irineo Mujica of the aid group Pueblo Sin Fronteras, which accompanied last year's caravans and the ones this year. This year, the Mexican government abruptly stopped issuing 'humanitarian' visas at the border with Guatemala. The visas had given migrants legal status while they made their way to the U.S. border. The caravan included many children and some were suffering in the area's near-100-degree heat on Monday The caravan walked past the city of Huixtla in the southern state of Chiapas on Monday, but police were lined up to keep them moving along a highway Migrants from Central America and Cuba rest on a highway as others help a fellow migrant with health problems during their journey towards the United States That decision led a group of migrants, including many Cubans, to rush immigration offices near the border last week. The immigration agency closed those offices in response to the scuffle. And, following the recent disappearance of 19 migrants in the northern border state of Tamaulipas, police and immigration agents have been increasingly detaining and deporting migrants there. Migrants in Tamaulipas generally use smugglers and are not part of caravans. In February, a caravan of about 1,600 Central American migrants was confined to an improvised shelter at an old factory building in the northern state of Coahuila. Migrants were allowed to move freely through Mexico last fall. But Mujica said Mexico had changed its policy to comply with the expectations of President Donald Trump. Rahm Emanuel was brutally mocked for saying that Jussie Smollett having his charges dropped showed a 'whitewash of justice,' as many social media users accused the mayor of covering up the killing of a black teen so he could win reelection. During a Tuesday press conference, Emanuel insisted that Empire cast member was guilty of staging a hoax attack on January 29 and that he did it for a raise. He added that the sudden decision to drop the charges proved there is 'one set of rules for the powerful and influential'. Scroll down for videos Rahm Emanuel was eviscerated for 'hypocritical' 'grandstanding' after he used a Tuesday press conference to blast Jussie Smollett and the charges dropped against him 'Without a doubt this is a whitewash of justice and sends a clear message that if you are in a position of influence and power, you'll be treated one way. It is wrong,' Mayor Emanuel said. He would later added: 'Mr. Smollett is still saying that he is innocent, still running down the Chicago Police Department... how dare him. How dare him after everybody saw. Is there no decency in this man?' 'He did this all in the name of self promotion. And he used the laws of the hate crime legislation.' But many took offense with Emanuel's comments, pointing to the controversial death of of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald - a black teen who was gunned down by Officer Jason Van Dyke while he walked away from authorities in October 2014. 'Without a doubt this is a whitewash of justice and sends a clear message that if you are in a position of influence and power, you'll be treated one way. It is wrong,' Mayor Emanuel said about the case against the actor But many took offense with Emanuel's comments, pointing to the controversial death of of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald - a black teen who was gunned down by Officer Jason Van Dyke while he walked away from authorities in October 2014 Following the teen's death, Emanuel was eviscerated by the Chicago public for waiting up to 13 months to release the dash-cam video of the shooting, the Chicago Tribune reported. The sentiment was that Emanuel potentially delayed the release of the video so that he could secure a second reelection. He had failed to secure a majority and barely one the city's first ever runoff election with just 56% of the votes. Local reports posited that a city cover-up had taken place in the killing as Emanuel fired Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy soon after the video was made public and protest took over the streets. Emanuel announced in September that he wasn't seeking a third election, with naysayers pointing to the tense energy between the city peoples and the police - along with a plethora of other grievances - as to why he wasn't going to seek another term. 'Just a note: Mayor Rahm Emanuel has literally never said this much abt a single documented case of police brutality during his reign of terror,' said author and activist, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. 'Chicago has paid hundreds of millions of dollars to settle cases of police abuse & murder while this coward hides behind his desk.' Erick Fernandez added: 'Hearing Rahm Emanuel grandstanding about Jussie Smollett, speaking on the miscarriage of justice is wild.' 'Rahm Emanuel has no business calling anything a "white wash of justice", he literally covered up the police murder of Laquan McDonald to secure his reelection, Rahm Emanuel knows nothing about justice,' another user added. Black Lives Matter Chicago took their Twitter and said: 'Rahm Emanuel who hid the video of the murder of Laquan McDonald so he could win re-election, closed HALF our mental health clinics, conducted the largest public school closing in US history., has the nerve to be angry that a Black man beat framed up charges by CPD. #ByeRahm.' 'Rahm Emanuel withheld footage of the murder of Laquan McDonald so that he could secure re-election and has since been on a massive PR campaign to make people forget,' asserted Marcia Belsky. Activist Charles Preston explained: 'The fact that the most oppressive forces in Chicago are using Jussie Smollett as a PR stunt explicitly shows how pathetic they are. Rahm and CPD are banking on the country's hatred and assuming we don't know their history in order to look as if they are heroes' 'Dear Chicago PD, there was more to the murder of LaQuan McDonald, but you tried to cover it up along with @ChicagosMayor Rahm Emmanuel. Sit this one out,' another user commented. Smollett had been facing up to 48 years behind bars on 16 felony counts of lying to police by claiming he was attacked on January 29 by two men he said he could not identify and who he said called him racial and homophobic slurs. President Donald Trump warned Senators ahead of their vote on Tuesday not to kill the Green New Deal 'too much' because he wants to run against it in his 2020 reelection bid. Trump joined Republican senators for lunch and gave a hint to his campaign plans. 'He said make sure you don't kill it too much because I want to run against it,' Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said of the Green New Deal. President Donald Trump warned Senators not to kill the Green New Deal 'too much' because he wants to run against it in his 2020 reelection bid Trump has already attacked Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's signature legislation, which has become a rallying cry for the left The president has already gone after Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's signature legislation, which has become a rallying cry for the left. 'I really don't like their policy of taking away your car, of taking away your airplane rights, of 'let's hop a train to California,' of you're not allowed to own cows anymore!' Trump told supporters in February at a rally in El Paso, Texas. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will stage a show vote on Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal Tuesday in what Democrats call a 'sham' move and they plan to vote 'present' to thwart his plans. McConnell put the vote on the calendar to force Democrats, including a slew of 2020 presidential contenders, to go on the record about the progressive plan in a vote that he knew would fail. But Democrats' plan to counter his maneuver with one of their own: they will vote 'present' - which does not count towards or against passage but does contribute to the quorum, meaning the lawmaker does not have a missing vote on their record. The deal has no chances of passing the Senate, where Republicans hold a majority of 53 seats, meaning the legislation will not get the 60 votes it needs to proceed in the legislative process. Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, the principle sponsor of the legislation in the Senate, called McConnell's move a 'sham.' He said Tuesday that the GOP leader 'wants to sabotage calls for climate action.' And Ocasio-Cortez slammed the Republican senator who mocked her Green New Deal on the Senate floor Tuesday, using props and photos - including one of a Aquaman riding seahorse - to make his point. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed the Republican senator who mocked her Green New Deal on the Senate floor Republican Sen. Mike Lee mocked The Green New Deal on the Senate floor Tuesday Sen. Lee brought a variety of props and photos to make his point 'If this guy can be Senator, you can do anything,' she said via Twitter, retweeting a tweet with photos and comments from Sen. Mike Lee's floor speech making fun of her signature program. 'GOP Senators are using their Congressional allowances to print Aquaman posters for themselves to argue that a #GreenNewDeal saving our nation from climate change is a 'waste of money,'' she also tweeted, adding an emoji of laughing face. Lee, in a colorful speech, used a variety of photos to make his point, including Aquaman on a sea horse, Ronald Reagan and a dinosaur, a still from the 'Star Wars' franchise of Luke Skywalker riding a tauntaun, and cows. 'After reading the Green New Deal I'm afraid of not being able to get through this speech with a straight face,' he said as he began his remarks. He claimed the Green New Deal wants to eliminate airplanes - a likely reference to its goal to end reliance on fossil fuels - and suggested states like Hawaii would have to use a fleet of sea horses to travel instead. Standing next to a large photo of Aquaman riding a sea horse, Lee noted: 'Under the Green New Deal, this is probably Hawaii's best bet.' He conceded that 'a massive fleet of giant, highly trained sea horses would be cool, it would be really awesome. But we have no idea about scalability or domestic capacity.' Lee claimed his floor speech which propelled him into a Twitter trending topic, was meant to illustrate how silly he believes the non-binding resolution to be. The Republican senator from Utah even claimed that 'problems of human imagination are not solved by more laws, they're solved by more humans, more people.' 'The solution to climate change is not this unserious resolution we're considering this week in the Senate but rather the serious solution to human flourishing. The solution to so many of our problems at all times and in all places is to fall in love, get married, and have some kids,' he added. Sen. Mike Lee claimed his speech was to show how silly he thinks the resolution is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will stage a show vote on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed the majority leader for holding a 'bluff vote' Earlier, Ocasio-Cortez slammed the majority leader for holding a 'bluff vote.' 'The GOP's whole game of wasting votes in Congress to target others 'on the record', for leg they have no intent to pass, is a disgrace. Stop wasting the American peoples' time + learn to govern. Our jobs aren't for campaigning, & that's exactly what these bluff-votes are for,' she wrote on Twitter on Friday. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer made the move to counter McConnell by having his Democratic senators vote 'present' on the plan. He called the move a 'political stunt.' 'With this exercise, the Republican Majority has made a mockery of the legislative process. It is a political act, a political stunt. Everyone here knows it's a stunt, including the Majority Leader himself. He put something on the floor and then votes no. What's the point of that other than showing how hypocritical this act is?,' Schumer said Tuesday on the Senate floor. 'But with this exercise, they have also elevated the issue in a way I am sure they never intended. And for that, I want to thank them because now we're finally talking about climate change,' he added. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a presidential contender who is a co-sponsor of the Green New Deal legislation, also called it a 'sham' vote on Tuesday and said the 'GOP is treating this like a political stunt, they are treating climate change like a game.' She said she will vote 'present.' All the presidential contenders in the Senate have signed on as co-sponsors of Ocasio-Cortez's signature legislation: Sens. Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar and Gillibrand. The only question mark among Democrats is Sen. Joe Manchin, who has said he is a 'no' vote on the legislation. Manchin represents the swing state of Wes Virginia and was one of the few senators who won his reelection campaign in 2018 while running in a state President Donald Trump carried in the presidential contest. McConnell plotted his crafty move as a way to force Senate Democrats to vote their view - a potential on-the-record move Republicans could exploit in the coming election. The move would also pit the moderate wing of the party against its left flank, a battle Democrats will be fighting in the upcoming presidential primary. McConnell slammed Democrats for moving to the left on a host of issues. 'This whole Democrat effort to re-brand all the failed ideas of 20th century socialism with a little green paint - every member of this body will have the opportunity to cast a clear vote,' McConnell said Monday on the Senate floor. He continued his barrage on Tuesday. 'The Senate is going to vote on the far-left wish list that many of our Democratic colleagues have rushed to embrace the so-called Green New Deal. For a relatively sparse resolution, this proposal has already traveled quite a fascinating path here in Congress. It originated with the most radical, farthest-left members of the new House Democrat majority,' he said on the Senate floor. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said 'every senator' should be 'on the record' about the Green New Deal. And when asked about the Democratic accusation that Republicans are playing a political game with the vote, she responded: 'Well the Green New Deal is a political game, so, if they dont like it, they can vote against it. But the voters of each and every one of their states has a right to know whether their U.S. senator thinks the Green New Deal is the way to go.' Lee said people will have to ride sea horses because the Green New Deal will ban airplanes Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is asking his party to vote 'present' And the National Republican Senatorial Committee is using Ocasio-Cortez in attacks ads similar to how the GOP has used Speaker Nancy Pelosi in these type of ads for years. In a tweet attacking Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas, who is considering a run against Republican Sen. John Cornyn, the NRSC said Castro 'votes with AOC 94% of the time.' The Green New Deal is a statement of goals and doesn't make specific policy proposals, nor does it specify how it would pay for its ambitious plans. The plan aims to slow climate change by ending the reliance on fossil fuels within 10 years; to upgrade power grids and existing buildings for maximum energy efficiency; to overhaul transportation systems; and to provide every American with a job and health care. The conservative American Action Forum estimated the Green New Deal will cost $93 trillion. Other organizations have found the deal too vague to get a full cost although Forbes estimated just six of the goals would roughly cost $2.5 trillion a year. When President Donald Trump stormed into a Capitol Hill lunch with Republican senators on Tuesday, one topic was on his mind and it wasn't Special Counsel Robert Mueller's final invetigative chapter. 'Healthcare was the first thing out of his mouth,' South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters after the meeting. 'It was that, you know, we've got to be the party of healthcare, we've got to get pre-existing conditions, we're going to approve everybody that gets sick, they're not going to lose their coverage.' A defiant Trump had told reporters minutes before entering the closed-door session that 'the Republican Party will soon be known as the party of healthcare. You watch.' Elsewhere on the Senate side of the Capitol, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said in a brief press conference that 'if that is true, God help middle class Americans, because Donald Trump wants to raise the cost of prescription drugs, get rid of protections for pre-existing conditions [and] throw tens of millions of people off healthcare.' The White House surprised much of Washington by pivoting to healthcare, an issue that could become a political liability in 2020, instead of lengthening the president's victory lap following what was effectively an exoneration by Mueller's team. The president made healthcare his theme of the day, seeming to snuff out the good news of his exoneration in the Mueller probe or perhaps to ride the resulting goodwill to a domestic policy victory South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said Trump stormed into a GOP Senate lunch meeting brimming with energy to pivot from bashing Democrats over the Mueller probe to reforming healthcare Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters on Tuesday that if Republicans are the new party of healthcare, 'God help middle class Americans' His Justice Department asked a federal judge on Monday to declare the Obamacare law null and void, acting on an earlier ruling that found the law would be unconstitutional but for a legal mandate for taxpayers to have medical insurance. That requirement is no longer in place. Graham said Tuesday that the president was consumed with policy objectives to replace Obamacare, including specific outcomes and how to squeeze enough money from America's medical landscape to pay for them. 'We need better outcomes for the American people,' said Graham. 'We need lower costs prescription drugs, he mentioned that.' 'I think that's going to be a top priority for the president: Let's try to reform the prescription drug business so that costs will be lower.' Graham said the president spoke about replacing the 2010-vintage Affordable Care Act with a 'modified block grant' system, suggesting a return to a divisive 2017 debate that doomed a proposal Graham authored with Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy. The proposal was an amendment to an Obamacare replacement bill that would later fail in the Senate. It would have given the states new control over the Medicaid program and change the formula that dictates how much federal money each state gets, in a way that tended to favor Republican-led states. Graham said the president asked Republican senators to 'challenge the Democrats to work with us. We're not going to give up on healthcare. It is an important issue and we think our ideas are going to work better for the public than Obamacare.' 'Music to my ears,' he said. 'He said pre-existing conditions has to be the first thing we address,' Graham told DailyMail.com moments later in a private moment. 'We've got to let everybody in the country know you are not going to lose your healthcare.' He said Trump entered Tuesday's lunch 'like a guy who just won an election... "I've got this behind me. It's a fresh start. Let's see what we can do. Starting with health care".' Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt told DailyMail.com and other news outlets after Trump returned to the White House that Trump recognized the path forward will depend on the federal court's response to the DOJ's request to strike Obamacare down. As Democrats clobbered his Justice Department for asking a federal court to invalidate the Obamacare law, President Trump seized the moment to declare that Republicans would soon be known as 'the party of healthcare' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats seized on the GOP's lack of an obvious plan to cover insurance-seeking Americans with pre-existing medical conditions Pelosi recalled Trump's 2018 claims of caring about Americans with pre-existing medical conditions 'lies' 'It is really too early for us to know for sure what the court is going to say, and that is going to make a big difference on how you move forward,' said Blunt. 'The president said to us exactly what he said to you that he thought this was a great time for our party to step forward on healthcare.' Anticipating the explosive development might smother the positive coverage of Robert Mueller's Russia-probe endgame, the president announced his rebranding of the GOP on Twitter before he took the short ride up Pennsylvania Avenue. 'The Republican Party will become "The Party of Healthcare!"' he tweeted. Democrats spent Monday recovering from Attorney General William Barr's summary of the Mueller report's findings and plotting a way forward after Trump's exoneration from allegations of election-year collusion with Russia. By Tuesday morning, however, the Trump White House had turned the page for them. 'I believe that the Mueller report has been done,' said Democratic House Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina. 'It's a chapter that's closed.' Trump was on Capitol Hill for a working lunch with Senate Republicans South Carolina Democratic Rep. James Clyburn said healthcare is a 'new chapter' for Democrats But 'this administration opened a new chapter when it moved to invalidate the Affordable Care Act,' he said on CNN. 'That's the number one thing on people's minds. People are worried, especially my part of the country about children being born with diabetes and how they are going to get health care. People are worried about themselves.' He rattled off a list of deadly diseases that count as 'preexisting conditions' when Americans apply for new medical insurance policies, saying that a guarantee of covering them is one of the most popular elements of the Obamacare law. 'Prostate cancer is prevalent in the low country of South Carolina. And breast cancer. How are they going to get medical treatment they need? For this administration to open the chapter, I think we have to reconnect our conversations with the American people,' said Clyburn. He said prescription drug pricing is 'absolutely' an area where Democrats could work with the Trump administration. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi talked up the Democrats' healthcare agenda Tuesday even as she tried to deflect talk of forcing the president out of office. 'Impeachment is not on the table until it is on the table. So its not a question of that. This is not about that. This is about us doing our work,' she said. 'Today we're introducing our healthcare bill, tomorrow we'll be doing climate. We're on our agenda.' On her political Twitter account, Pelosi cited an October 2018 tweet in which the president claimed the GOP favored protecting coverage for pre-existing conditions. 'All Republicans support people with pre-existing conditions, and if they dont, they will after I speak to them,' the president had written. 'I am in total support. Also, Democrats will destroy your Medicare, and I will keep it healthy and well!' 'Lies,' Pelosi wrote. Moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins said the DOJ's decision to let Obamacare wither on the vine 'to even go more broadly in failing to defend the law' is 'very disappointing.' Democrats made defending the law a powerful messaging tool in the run-up to the 2018 elections, when polls showed eight in 10 Americans wanted to defend its most popular benefits including protections for insurance coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. The strategy paid off: Democrats won a broad 38-seat majority in the House of Representatives. Jose Nino, 28, was arrested on felony bestiality charges A man has been arrested for having sex with a cow near the Mexican border in Texas. Mexican national Jose Nino, 28, is in federal custody charged with bestiality. Starr County deputies received a call from U.S. Border Patrol agents around 7.50pm on March 15 after they witnessed a man believed to Nino who they said appeared to be 'having sex with a cow'. The agents gave the responding deputy a description and location of the suspect. After investigating, a deputy booked and processed Nino at the Starr County jail before turning him over to the Border Patrol, according to an emailed statement. Bestiality is considered a state jail felony in Texas punishable by up to two years in prison, according to the state's penal code. Nino is being held on $1,500 bond. A computer outage at a global technology company gave US airlines passengers a bit of a hassle on Tuesday. The outage occurred at Sabre, a corporation that provides technology services for airlines including American, Alaska and Jet Blue. Air travelers along the West Coast found themselves unable to check in through apps and at airport kiosks, while boarding of some flights was delayed due to a 'system outage.' An American Airlines spokesperson told USA Today the issues continued for about 30 minutes, and no flights were canceled as a result. 'We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience,' American Airlines said in a statement. DailyMail.com is awaiting a reply from Sabre regarding what caused the outage and how many flights were affected. A computer 'system outage' a global technology company Sabre gave US airlines passengers with flights on Jet Blue, American and Alaska Airlines a bit of a hassle on Tuesday. Customers are shown waiting in line at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Tuesday Customers on the West Coast tweeted about issues they were experiencing at airports and while attempting to check in with mobile apps. At 9.29am Pacific (11.28am Eastern), Twitter user '@emikerob' tweeted: '@JetBlue is there an issue with the app? Cant check in at kiosk either. Been waiting in line with many others and not getting any updates. 'Check-in isnt moving and gate agents are asking if "ANYONE" has a paper boarding pas. (sic)' Jet Blue was quick to respond two minutes later, writing, 'Hang tight, we'll assist as soon as we can.' That exchange didn't identify where the issue was occurring, but others were more explicit. At 9.29am Pacific (11.28am Eastern), Twitter user '@emikerob' tweeted: '@JetBlue is there an issue with the app? Cant check in at kiosk either. Been waiting in line with many others and not getting any updates' The user added: 'Check-in isnt moving and gate agents are asking if "ANYONE" has a paper boarding pas. (sic)' Jet Blue was quick to respond two minutes later, writing, 'Hang tight, we'll assist as soon as we can.' That exchange didn't identify where the issue was occurring, but others were more explicit Twitter user '@benajminemartin' tweeted from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, to Alaska Airlines, writing: '@AlaskaAir this Network Outage at SeaTac, is this airport wide or only an issue with Alaska Airlines?' Before 'Julie' from the airline could reply to say, 'I'm not sure. We are looking into this now,' other travelers responded confirming similar issues at Los Angeles International Airport and in Portland. Twitter user '@benajminemartin' tweeted from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, to Alaska Airlines, writing: '@AlaskaAir this Network Outage at SeaTac, is this airport wide or only an issue with Alaska Airlines?' 'Julie' from the airline replied to say, 'I'm not sure. We are looking into this now' Other travelers responded confirming similar issues at Los Angeles International Airport and in Portland Although the inconvenience was real, the issue apparently didn't last long. A file photo of an Alaska Airlines plane is shown Although the inconvenience was real, the issue apparently didn't last long. Sabre tweeted acknowledging the failure at 9.56am Pacific (11.56am Eastern). 'We are aware of the issues facing some of our customers,' the company shared over Twitter. 'Recovery is in progress. We apologize for the inconvenience.' Sabre tweeted acknowledging the failure at 9.56am Pacific (11.56am Eastern). 'We are aware of the issues facing some of our customers,' the company shared over Twitter. 'Recovery is in progress. We apologize for the inconvenience' Less than one hour later, at 9.54am Pacific (12.54pm Eastern), Sabre tweeted: 'Earlier today, Sabre experienced a system issue that impacted some customers. Technical teams were immediately engaged' The company added: 'Systems have recovered and customers are reporting normal operations. We apologize for the inconvenience to those affected' Less than one hour later, at 9.54am Pacific (12.54pm Eastern), Sabre tweeted: 'Earlier today, Sabre experienced a system issue that impacted some customers. Technical teams were immediately engaged. 'Systems have recovered and customers are reporting normal operations. We apologize for the inconvenience to those affected.' RTHK: US jails Patrick Ho for three years in graft case Hong Kong's former Home Affairs Secretary Patrick Ho has been jailed for three years and fined US$400,000 by a court in New York for bribing African leaders to win oil rights for one of China's biggest energy firms. But the 69-year-old was given credit for the 16 months he's already served, so at most will spend only an additional 20 months behind bars. Ho was found guilty in December on seven out of eight counts of bribery and money laundering in a United Nations-linked case, concerning oil rights for CEFC China Energy in Chad and Uganda. He had been part of a think-tank in the US, financed by the private mainland energy giant to promote Beijing's Belt and Road trade initiative. The court heard that Ho used his position running CEFC's think tank to line the pockets of government officials as the oil and gas giant sought to expand its business around the world. His lawyers insisted at the trial that the payments including two million US dollars in cash delivered in gift boxes to Chad's president in 2014 had been charitable donations. Two former UN General Assembly presidents were also suspected of receiving bribes in the caseone of whom testified at Ho's trial. He remained defiant in the face of the charges .and after being found guilty, described himself as the first of the sacrificial lambs of such hostility" against China. But before sentencing, a tearful Ho told the New York court that he accepted full responsibility for what he'd done and was deeply sorry. Earlier, pleading for leniency, Hos attorneys handed in 149 mitigation letters from his family, friends, patients and former colleagues to US District Judge Loretta Preska. "The actions that have caused this suffering and brought me to this courtroom today were mine and mine alone," he told Preska as he choked up several times. "I accept full responsibility for them and I am deeply sorry," Ho said. He said he was grateful to guards and inmates at the MCC for keeping him safe. When he finished his remarks, Ho took a full bow before the judge to show his "gratitude and appreciation." Preska said acts of charity were common for those who had achieved Ho's wealth, but he went "above and beyond" by restoring sight for strangers, bringing music to the Metropolitan Correction Center and tutoring inmates who then finished high school. "It is indeed extraordinary," Preska said. His wife, Hu Hui-chong, described the former opthamologist who served as Home Affairs Secretary from 2002 to 2009, as a kind and generous person who was always willing to treat poor patients for free. Ho's mother, who's over 90, expressed her wish to see him again before she dies. The prosecution had asked for a five-year prison term, but the judge opted for leniency, sentencing Ho to 36 months, less time already served. His defence team said they had not decided whether to appeal. (Additional reporting by AP) ______________________________ Last updated: 2019-03-26 HKT 10:53 This story has been published on: 2019-03-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Police are hunting for a gunman who was caught on surveillance cameras firing an assault rifle at an Atlanta apartment block two days in a row. The man was filmed opening fire on the building on Fulton Street last week before fleeing as a passenger in a black jeep. Surveillance video showed him pulling up to the apartment block parking lot on Sunday, March 17 just after 6pm. The man was filmed opening fire on the apartment building on Fulton Street in Atlanta last week before fleeing as a passenger in a black jeep He jumped out of the passenger side armed with his high-powered gun. The gunman was shown calmly walking towards the building before he suddenly started blasting it with bullets. He fired for several seconds before running back to the jeep and fleeing. Police said the gunman came back on Monday morning at 8.30am and fired bullets at the building again. The gunman was shown calmly walking towards the building before he suddenly started blasting it with bullets The gunman was shown calmly walking towards the building before he suddenly started blasting it with bullets He fired for several seconds before running back to the jeep and fleeing Investigators found the building and nearby cars covered in bullet holes. They found 22 shell casings in the parking lot. No one was injured but police said residents narrowly avoided being struck by gunfire. Police are still investigating whether the man was targeting a specific person. Anyone with information is asked to call Atlanta Police. A Boeing employee who allegedly left a noose in one of the company's buildings near Charleston, South Carolina, has been fired, according to reports. Shocked workers at the sprawling campus where Boeing makes its 787 Dreamliner found the foot-long noose last month, causing widespread consternation among employees. The racially-charged find prompted an immediate investigation by the company, who say they found the culprit and fired them. A Boeing employee who allegedly left a noose in one of the company's buildings near Charleston, South Carolina, has been fired, according to reports. Shocked workers at the sprawling campus where Boeing makes its 787 Dreamliner found the noose in February causing widespread consternation among employees Boeing officials encouraged employees who may have had information about the incident to come forward. Brad Zaback, vice president and general manager of the 787 program, said this week to employees: 'We have completed a thorough review of the matter and identified the responsible person. 'This individual's actions are a violation of our company's values and behaviors, and as a result this individual is no longer with the company,' the Charlotte Observer reported. In February, after the noose was found, Zaback said: 'I am saddened and angered that a racially-charged symbol was discovered on site. 'There is absolutely no place for racism and these cowardly acts. The racially-charged find prompted an immediate investigation by the company, who say they found the culprit and fired them. Boeing officials encouraged employees who may have had information about the incident to come forward 'A foot-long noose made out of nylon material was found hanging in the plant's aft-body building on Thursday. There was no note or any other material with the noose,' the publication reported at the time. Boeing's campus in North Charleston is one of several sites the company has around the South Carolina city, according to Boeing. The company assembles the aft and midsections for the 787 Dreamliner at the site. Zaback said Boeing treats employees with respect and dignity, something he said he witnessed across the Boeing South Carolina campus every day. 'We all have a responsibility to uphold our values and model the Boeing Behaviors in all that we do,' he said. The name of that person has not been released. Two children have survived a horror head-on crash that killed their mother. Emergency services were called to the intersection of Sturt and Old Sturt Highways in South Australia's Riverland region shortly before 7.30pm on Tuesday night after a B-Double truck and car collided. The driver of the car, a 45-year-old woman from the region, died at the scene despite desperate attempts by paramedics to revive her. Two children survived a horror crash between their mother's car and a B-Double in South Australia's Riverland region. Sadly their mother was unable to be revived Her two children, a 12-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl, suffered minor injuries and were taken to Berri Hospital for treatment. The truck driver was not injured. The intersection near Barmera was closed for most of the night while Major Crash Investigators attended the scene before the roads reopened early on Wednesday morning. The fatality occurred at the intersection of the Sturt and Old Sturt Highways (pictured) The tragedy occurred on a dangerous stretch of road, according to a local who commented on the South Australia Police Facebook page. 'I know exactly where it is and have seen a few near misses myself,' the woman commented. The woman's death brings South Australia's road toll to 28 this year, compared to 17 at the same time in 2018. The tragedy ended a horror day on the Sturt Highway in the region after an earlier two car crash near the South Australian/Victorian border closed the road for three hours. Both drivers were seriously injured in the crash near Yamba on Tuesday morning, 53 kilometres from Tuesday night's fatality. It was one of two serious crashes to close the Sturt Highway within hours on Tuesday The driver of a white Hilux ute, a 37-year-old man from Northfield and the driver of a black Subaru, a 48-year-old woman from Mildura, were taken to the local hospital before airlifted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Both are believed to be in serious but stable conditions. Adding to the emergencies, SA Ambulance Service's internet network was down for most of the day, which affected non-critical electronic communications. 'I think it's really important to state that our triple zero core handling and dispatch of ambulances wasn't affected at all, so there's been no public safety issues today,' chief executive David Place told the ABC. President Trump's personal lawyer Jay Sekulow is denying Congress has a 'legitimate' interest in seeking the president's tax return throwing down the gauntlet in yet another potential legal standoff over documents. Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow made the comments as Democrats take stock of their portfolio of investigations after Attorney General William Barr's stunning summary of the Mueller probe which indicated no finding of conspiracy with the Russian government. Among the number of Democratic-led investigations is the push by Ways and Means Committee Democrats to finally gain hold of Trump's tax returns. 'What is the investigative purpose for them to have his tax return?' Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow said of requests for Trump's tax returns Congress lacks 'a legitimate legislative purpose in asking for the tax return,' Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow told ABC News 'What is the investigative purpose for them to have his tax return?' he asked, rhetorically. 'They're not investigators.' He predicted Democrats wouldn't succeed in prying them from the Treasury Department. 'What is their legislative purpose in asking for the tax return and how he spent his money?' he added. 'Are they going to pass the Donald Trump Tax Reform Act?' The House Ways and Means Chairman has the authority to request any Americans' tax return, and has already submitted a request to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. President Trump was the first presidential nominee in decades not to release tax returns during his campaign The only Trump return that came out was his 2015 return, which leaked to the New York Times Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York, listens while U.S. President Donald Trump, not pictured, hosts the 2018 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Champions, the Washington Capitals, at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, March 25, 2019. At right is Jay Sekulow 'I'm committed to this. This is not just about one individual. This is a policy issue. And we think that there's a test here of the law,' Neal told reporters Tuesday. 'The most important issue here is that every president since Gerald Ford has submitted their taxes,' Neal added. His push comes even after Democrats suffered a setback when Attorney General William Barr released a letter summarizing the Mueller report and stating there was not evidence of conspiracy or cooperation between Trump officials and the Russian government. He also declined to make a ruling on whether the president should be prosecuted for obstruction of justice, Barr wrote. In yet another push for documents, White House lawyers have rejected a series of requests for information by the House Oversight Committee. 'This shifts it to the other investigations. Mueller was dealing with a very narrow area. But now we move to a much broader platform and a lot of the things that [former Trump lawyer Michael] Cohen talked about in his testimony we now have to take a look at,' panel chairman Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland told reporters Tuesday, Reuters reported. Congressional investigators are keeping up their push for documents after Special Counsel Robert Mueller turned in his report Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., ranking member Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, and Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., talk before a House Ways and Means Committee hearing. Neal has the ability to view taxpayer returns and has requested Trump returns from the Treasury Another Trump lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, told CNN he wasn't worried that state and federal prosecutors in New York would find anything on the Trump Organization through their probes. 'No, because I think the Trump Organization is clean. It's a clean organization. Heres what I really worry about as a citizen. This is like saying i'm going to go back in this man's life, and I'm going to go back and find something he did wrong, so we can hurt him. So I don't know how long is that going go on? We dont do that to other presidents.' 'It's a clean organization,' Giuliani said. A group of six Democratic committee chairs demanded the release of the full Mueller report and supporting documents, saying they expect to have it by April 2. 'Your four-page summary of the Special Counsels review is not sufficient for Congress, as a coequal branch of government, to perform this critical work. The release of the full report and the underlying evidence and documents is urgently needed by our committees to perform their duties under the Constitution,' the committee chairs wrote. Sekulow defended Trump against the Mueller probe, and is questioning the 'legitimate' interest in Congress seeking Trump's tax returns On Tax Day in 2017, one year after the first Tax March, communities across the country are taking action and speaking out against the Trump Tax 'Those duties include evaluating the underlying facts and determining whether legislative or other reforms are requiredboth to ensure that the Justice Department is able to carry out investigations without interference or obstruction by the President and to protect our future elections from foreign interference.' They wrote they expect it 'no later' than April 2. The lawmakers said they had 'no reason to question that Special Counsel Mueller made a well-considered prosecutorial judgment' in 'two specific and narrow areaswhether the Trump campaign conspired to join Russias election-related online disinformation and hacking and dissemination efforts.' 'But it is vital for national security purposes that Congress be able to evaluate the full body of facts and evidence collected and evaluated by the Special Counsel, including all information gathered of a counterintelligence nature,' they wrote. Signing on were Judiciary Chairman Jerold Nadler, Cummings, Neal, and three other chairs. The Senate roundly rejected Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal as expected on Tuesday with not a single senator voting 'yes' for the progressive star's signature policy initiative. Ocasio-Cortez defended herself after the defeat and argued she encouraged the Democratic senators to vote 'present' instead of in the affirmative. 'I encouraged them to vote present, along w/ others. McConnell tried to rush the #GreenNewDeal straight to the floor without a hearing. The real question we should be asking: Why does the Senate GOP refuse to hold any major hearings on climate change?,' the self-described socialist explained in a tweet responding to the lack of Democratic votes. 'The GOPs climate delaying is costing us lives + destroying communities. Iowa, Nebraska & many in the Midwest are catastrophically flooded right now, in one of the 1st major climate change disasters of 2019. A #GreenNewDeal urges us to pursue a plan on the scale of the problem,' she added. Democrats slammed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for holding a 'sham' vote on the matter - it was a non-binding resolution, meaning it had no force of law, and needed 60 votes to advance in the legislative process, which was an impossible task given Democrats only have 47 votes in their corner. Most of the Democrats voted 'present' in protest while Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin, who represents the red state of West Virginia; Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona; and Doug Jones of Alabama voted no, as did Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats. The final vote was 57 nays and 43 present. The final Senate vote was 57 nays and 43 present The Senate roundly rejected Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal as expected on Tuesday with not a single senator voting 'yes' Ocasio-Cortez defended herself after the failed Senate vote Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (left), who represents the red state of West Virginia; Kyrsten Sinema (right) of Arizona were among the 'no' votes Republican Sen. Mike Lee mocked The Green New Deal on the Senate floor Tuesday Sen. Lee brought a variety of props and photos to make his point Ahead of the vote, Democrats and Republicans exchanged bitter words on the Senate floor while Ocasio-Cortez slammed the Republican senator who mocked her Green New Deal in a speech that used props and photos - including one of a Aquaman riding seahorse - to make his point. 'If this guy can be Senator, you can do anything,' she said via Twitter, retweeting a tweet with photos and comments from Sen. Mike Lee's floor speech making fun of her signature program. 'GOP Senators are using their Congressional allowances to print Aquaman posters for themselves to argue that a #GreenNewDeal saving our nation from climate change is a 'waste of money,'' she also tweeted, adding an emoji of laughing face. Lee, in a colorful speech, used a variety of photos to make his point, including Aquaman on a sea horse, Ronald Reagan and a dinosaur, a still from the 'Star Wars' franchise of Luke Skywalker riding a tauntaun, and cows. 'After reading the Green New Deal I'm afraid of not being able to get through this speech with a straight face,' he said as he began his remarks. He claimed the Green New Deal wants to eliminate airplanes - a likely reference to its goal to end reliance on fossil fuels - and suggested states like Hawaii would have to use a fleet of sea horses to travel instead. Standing next to a large photo of Aquaman riding a sea horse, Lee noted: 'Under the Green New Deal, this is probably Hawaii's best bet.' He conceded that 'a massive fleet of giant, highly trained sea horses would be cool, it would be really awesome. But we have no idea about scalability or domestic capacity.' Lee claimed his floor speech which propelled him into a Twitter trending topic, was meant to illustrate how silly he believes the non-binding resolution to be. The Republican senator from Utah even claimed that 'problems of human imagination are not solved by more laws, theyre solved by more humans, more people. 'The solution to climate change is not this unserious resolution were considering this week in the Senate but rather the serious solution to human flourishing. The solution to so many of our problems at all times and in all places is to fall in love, get married, and have some kids,' he added. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez argued she encouraged the senators to vote 'present' Sen. Mike Lee claimed his speech was to show how silly he thinks the resolution is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will stage a show vote on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed the majority leader for holding a 'bluff vote' McConnell put the vote on the calendar to force Democrats, including a slew of 2020 presidential contenders, to go on the record about the progressive plan in a vote that he knew would fail. But Democrats' countered his maneuver with one of their own: voting 'present' - which does not count towards or against passage but does contribute to the quorum, meaning the lawmaker does not have a missing vote on their record. Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, the principle sponsor of the legislation in the Senate, called McConnell's move a 'sham.' He said Tuesday before the vote that the GOP leader 'wants to sabotage calls for climate action.' And Ocasio-Cortez slammed the majority leader for holding a 'bluff vote.' 'The GOP's whole game of wasting votes in Congress to target others 'on the record', for leg they have no intent to pass, is a disgrace. Stop wasting the American peoples' time + learn to govern. Our jobs aren't for campaigning, & that's exactly what these bluff-votes are for,' she wrote on Twitter on Friday. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called the vote a 'political stunt.' 'With this exercise, the Republican Majority has made a mockery of the legislative process. It is a political act, a political stunt. Everyone here knows it's a stunt, including the Majority Leader himself. He put something on the floor and then votes no. What's the point of that other than showing how hypocritical this act is?,' Schumer said Tuesday on the Senate floor. 'But with this exercise, they have also elevated the issue in a way I am sure they never intended. And for that, I want to thank them because now we're finally talking about climate change,' he added. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a presidential contender who is a co-sponsor of the Green New Deal legislation, also called it a 'sham' vote on Tuesday and said the 'GOP is treating this like a political stunt, they are treating climate change like a game.' She voted present. All the presidential contenders in the Senate have signed on as co-sponsors of Ocasio-Cortez's signature legislation: Sens. Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar and Gillibrand. McConnell plotted his crafty move as a way to force Senate Democrats to vote their view - a potential on-the-record move Republicans could exploit in the coming election. The move would also pit the moderate wing of the party against its left flank, a battle Democrats will be fighting in the upcoming presidential primary. McConnell slammed Democrats for moving to the left on a host of issues. 'This whole Democrat effort to re-brand all the failed ideas of 20th century socialism with a little green paint - every member of this body will have the opportunity to cast a clear vote,' McConnell said Monday on the Senate floor. He continued his barrage on Tuesday. 'The Senate is going to vote on the far-left wish list that many of our Democratic colleagues have rushed to embrace the so-called Green New Deal. For a relatively sparse resolution, this proposal has already traveled quite a fascinating path here in Congress. It originated with the most radical, farthest-left members of the new House Democrat majority,' he said on the Senate floor. Lee said people will have to ride sea horses because the Green New Deal will ban airplanes Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is asking his party to vote 'present' And the National Republican Senatorial Committee is using Ocasio-Cortez in attacks ads similar to how the GOP has used Speaker Nancy Pelosi in these type of ads for years. In a tweet attacking Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas, who is considering a run against Republican Sen. John Cornyn, the NRSC said Castro 'votes with AOC 94% of the time.' The Green New Deal is a statement of goals and doesn't make specific policy proposals, nor does it specify how it would pay for its ambitious plans. The plan aims to slow climate change by ending the reliance on fossil fuels within 10 years; to upgrade power grids and existing buildings for maximum energy efficiency; to overhaul transportation systems; and to provide every American with a job and health care. The conservative American Action Forum estimated the Green New Deal will cost $93 trillion. Other organizations have found the deal too vague to get a full cost although Forbes estimated just six of the goals would roughly cost $2.5 trillion a year. One horse was stabbed to death and two others were stolen in an overnight burglary of a barn in South Florida early Tuesday morning. Destiny, a 13-year-old brown Paso Fino horse, was found dead with stab wounds at the San Blas Ranch in Miami-Dade. Animal Recovery Mission, a nonprofit which investigates cases of animal cruelty, said that burglars broke into barn before dawn on Tuesday, according to WPLG-TV. The horses owner, Georgina Milhet, said she was notified early Tuesday morning that Destiny was dead after someone came out to feed her and found her in a pool of blood. Scroll down for video Destiny, a 13-year-old brown Paso Fino horse, was found dead with stab wounds at the San Blas Ranch in Miami-Dade Destiny is seen on the right. The horses owner, Georgina Milhet (seen left on another horse), said she was notified early Tuesday morning that Destiny was dead after someone came out to feed her and found her in a pool of blood Investigators believe that robbers broke into the barn overnight Tuesday and tried to steal Destiny ARM investigators believe that the burglars who stole the other two horses tried to also steal Destiny, who resisted. So in an attempt to subdue her, they stabbed her. She had her own personality, Milhet said of Destiny. (If) she didn't know you, she wouldn't let you touch her. So what they ended up doing was stabbing her, trying to get her down. Investigators believe that the thieves stabbed Destiny to subdue her, but that she resisted. She eventually bled out in the barn before anyone could treat her wounds. Blood stains are seen above the barn Milhet is seen in the above photo. The other two horses that were stolen were likely slaughtered so that their meat could be sold on the black market She got away from them and went through the field and ended up back in her farm. She actually died on our property, where she bled out. ARM officials say that the horses were likely stolen to be slaughtered so that their meat could be sold on the black market. Miami-Dade is known as a killing field where a large number of animals have been targeted. Aside from ARM, the Miami-Dade Police Department's Agricultural Patrol Unit is also investigating. The Federal Aviation Administration says a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max jet made a safe emergency landing Tuesday in Orlando, Florida, after experiencing an apparent engine problem. The crew declared an emergency after taking off from Orlando International Airport around 2:50pm, and landed the plane safely. No passengers were on board. The aircraft was being ferried to Victorville, California, where Southwest is storing the airplanes. The 737 Max was grounded in the U.S. on March 13 after a deadly crash involving a Max on March 10. It was the second fatal crash involving the airplane. U.S. airlines are allowed to shuttle the planes but cannot carry passengers. The FAA says it's investigating but it appears the emergency was not related to anti-stall software suspected in the two fatal crashes. A Boeing 737 Max plane (like the one seen above in Seattle on Friday) was forced to make an emergency landing at Orlando International Airport on Tuesday The crew declared an emergency after taking off from Orlando International Airport (seen in the above stock image) around 2:50pm, and landed the plane safely. No passengers were on board The image above shows a radar screen shot of the path the plane took before its emergency landing in Orlando on Tuesday The latest malfunction comes as new details are emerging about the two fatal crashes that have landed Boeing in hot water. Pilots had less than 40 seconds to correct a fault with Boeing's automated system that investigators suspect caused the two disastrous plane crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, according to tests. The pilots underwent a crisis simulation test to recreate the final moments of Lion Air Flight 610, which nosedived into the Java Sea shortly after take-off in October 2018. The automated system, known as MCAS, is also the focal point of the probe into the Ethiopian Airlines crash involving the same Boeing 737 Max model earlier this month. Simulation tests have shown that Boeing pilots only had around 40 seconds to over-ride the automated system suspected of causing the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes in which 346 people died (file image) Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 crashed near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on March 11, five months after Lion Air Flight 610 to nosedived into the Java Sea The aviation giant has come under intense scrutiny over the two crashes, in which a total of 346 lives were lost. When a sensor failed during the simulation test, the automatic stall prevention kicked in - giving pilots a matter of seconds to manually override the system to avoid a steep and irreversible downward dive, the New York Times reports. Citing two people familiar with the testing, the newspaper reports that those involved had not entirely understood how powerful the software was until they used the simulator. The means of disengaging the system as described by the New York Times are complex; pilots can reverse the anti-stall system by flicking a switch, but this would only delay a potential crash by several minutes. In order to fully avoid disaster, pilots would need to activate two further switches, cutting off electricity to the motor pushing the plane's nose downwards, and also crank a wheel to correct the resulting problems. This must all be done extremely quickly otherwise attempts to resolve the problem might be too late. The MCAS system is a central focus of the investigation into why the two planes crashed shortly after take-off Aviation safety consultant and a former 737 pilot, John Cox, told the Times that although pilots would likely trigger the first switch to extend the 40-second window, this would only buy several more minutes. There would still be scarcely enough time to diagnose and solve the problem. In fact, the Times reports, the pilots and crew of the Lion Air flight were not even aware of the system; the captain reportedly consulted a technical manual in the jet's final airborne moments. Following that first disaster American pilots met with Boeing executives in Texas, demanding to know why the manufacturer had not told them about the new software. They also questioned whether a 56-minute iPad course on the MAX had been sufficient. Boeing has been working on a software upgrade for an anti-stall system and more pilot controls on its fastest-selling jetliner. The software fix will prevent repeated operation of the anti-stall system at the centre of safety concerns, and deactivate it if one sensor appears to have failed, two people familiar with pilot briefings told Reuters on Monday. The Boeing 737 Max aircraft have been grounded worldwide in the wake of the two disasters Upgrading an individual 737 MAX with Boeing's new software only takes about an hour per plane, though the overall process could stretch on far longer as it is rolled out across the global fleet due to stringent testing and documentation requirements by engineers and regulators, according to a senior Federal Aviation Administration official with knowledge of the process. American Pilots will also have to complete FAA-approved computer-based training on the changes, followed by a mandatory test, but some pilots have said more may be needed. Investigations are ongoing, but a preliminary report on an Ethiopian Airlines crash will very likely be released this week, the country's transport ministry said on Tuesday. This week Boeing is also briefing airlines on software and training updates for the MAX, with more than 200 global airline pilots, technical experts and regulators due in Renton, Washington, where the plane is built. Any fixes to the MAX software must still get approval from governments around the world. The 737 MAX is Boeing's best-selling plane, with orders worth more than $500 billion at list prices. Within less than a week after the Ethiopian crash, the jets were grounded globally. Ethiopian and French investigators have pointed to 'clear similarities' between the two crashes, putting pressure on Boeing and U.S. regulators to come up with an adequate fix. Hospitality heavyweight Justin Hemmes has gained entry to Australia's billionaire's club for the first time thanks to his thriving property empire. The 45-year-old has seen his fortune jump to a spectacular $1.05billion via his 89 properties, including popular Sydney venues The Ivy, Coogee Pavilion and The Newport Arms. Hemmes has the knack of taking faded venues and turning them into Sydney hotspots. The city's ultimate playboy has been riding Australia's property boom all the way to the bank, with the help of his sister Bettina, who is the part owner of the Merivale Empire. Sydney pub baron Justin Hemmes (pictured with former partner Kate Fowler) has gained entry to Australia's billionaires this year Australia's most eligible Bachelor? Millionaire pub baron Justin Hemmes, 45, (pictured) has seen his fortune grow in the past year The 45-year-old has seen his fortune jump to a spectacular $1.05billion via his 89 properties, including popular Sydney venues The Ivy (pictured) and the Coogee Pavilion The pub baron will no doubt be featured high on The Australian's list of the 250 wealthiest people in the country, which will be published on Saturday. Mr Hemmes came close to making the billionaire's list last year but his fortune fell short at an estimated $951million in May. His net worth four years ago was estimated at $200million. But the road to billionaire status hasn't been straightforward for Mr Hemmes. In 2008, rumours swirled that his first multi-million dollar project, The Ivy, was struggling to break even. The now thriving venue opened in the height of the Global Financial Crisis. Hemmes, who denied his financial problems at the time, rode out the GFC and has since has become the undisputed Sydney king of pub restoration. The successful businessman purchased the Collaroy Hotel (pictured) for a reported $21million His swanky bars scattered across Sydney include The Establishment (pictured) on George St Moving on: 'Kate and I have the utmost love and respect for each other': The couple split at the beginning of last year. Kate (right) here with sister, Victoria's Secret model Georgia Fowler (left) It's over: Justin announced his split from the mother of his two children, Kate Fowler (pictured left) in July, after nearly five years together as a couple As well as his new status on the rich list, Mr Hemmes has been dubbed one of Australia's most eligible bachelors. The businessman split from the mother of his two children, Kate Fowler, last year. Earlier this month, he denied reports he was seeing model Montana Cox. Mr Hemmes has been in charge of the group since 1997 The business was built from scratch by his father John and was named after John's wife, Merivale. Just days after his father's death in 2015, Justin purchased the Newport Arms on the northern beaches for a reported $50million. That purchase came amid the $6million securement of the Paddington Arms and his famous purchase of the Beach Palace, which he renamed Coogee Pavilion. Hemmes' 10th pub procurement in the space of three years came when he snapped up Bondi's Royal Hotel for $25million last November. In 2018, he also purchased the Alexandria Hotel for a reported $10million,the Mascot's Tennyson Hotel for $37.5million and the Collaroy Hotel for $21million. Advertisement Jacob Rees-Mogg today urges hardline Eurosceptics to back Theresa May or face losing Brexit altogether as up to 20 hardcore Brexiteers could swing behind her deal if she agrees to quit tonight. Writing in the Daily Mail, he says fellow Leavers have to face the 'awkward reality' that Remainers will thwart the 2016 referendum result unless the EU withdrawal agreement is passed. Mr Rees-Mogg admits that his change of heart will prompt accusations of treachery from some of his followers but told them: 'Half a loaf is better than no bread'. But he says the Prime Minister's plan is now the only way to ensure Britain leaves the EU and wrote: 'I apologise for changing my mind. By doing so I will be accused of infirmity of purpose by some and treachery by others. I have come to this view because the numbers in Parliament make it clear that all the other potential outcomes are worse and an awkward reality needs to be faced.' Theresa May has been told directly that for Brexiteers including Boris Johnson to support her deal she will need to promise Tory MPs she will quit before the second stage of EU talks later this year. Mrs May will address Tory MPs at a meeting of the backbench 1922 Committee tonight. Her chief whip Julian Smith reportedly believes that 20 or more rebels could be ready to switch sides while former minister Iain Duncan Smith is said to be hoping to broker the resignation deal and said last night: 'There is a pretty good chance the deal is going to get through'. Senior Brexiteer Andrea Leadsom was lukewarm today when asked if she thinks Theresa May should stay on as Prime Minister and said she is 'not going to express a view' on whether she should resign for votes. She said: 'I'm fully supporting the prime minister to get us out of the European Union. What happens after that is a matter for the prime minister'. Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured today) but urged hardline Eurosceptics to back Theresa May or face losing Brexit altogether Last night Boris Johnson gave the strongest hint yet that he could also fall into line, saying: 'If we vote it down again there is an appreciable and growing sense we will not leave at all. That is the risk' Andrea Leadsom today refused to be drawn on whether the Prime Minister should commit to standing down once the Withdrawal Agreement is passed in order to win over wavering MPs as ministers including Michael Gove (right today) continue to fight for her deal What PM needs to edge to victory... by just 2 votes. There are 235 Tory loyalists, 10 switchers, 30 who with back the deal if May quits, 10 DUP supporters and 24 Labour Mr Rees-Mogg's intervention came as the number of Eurosceptics reluctantly backing Mrs May threatened to turn from a trickle into a flood. What will happen in the Commons today? 2pm: Debate on how to organise the indicative votes begins. It will be the first time ever MPs have control of the agenda. 3pm: Votes to finalise the rules of indicative votes. This is set to say MPs will use a ballot paper to vote yes or no on a series of Brexit plans all at once. This can be amended to the rules could change. 3.15pm: Debate on the plans will start proper. Ideas are thought likely to include a soft Brexit, hard Brexit and a No Deal on April 12. It is unclear whether the Government will put its own deal into the mix. 7pm: The Commons will be suspended for 30 minutes so MPs can fill in and file their ballot papers. 7.30pm: Voting closes. MPs are due to spend up to 90 minutes debating the change to the law on Brexit Day. It is a technical change as EU law has already postponed it from March 29. 9pm: Speaker John Bercow will announce how MPs have voted on each Brexit plan. Anything which gets more than about 315 votes will have a rough majority in the Commons. It is possible the House could vote strongly in favour of nothing - or multiple contradictory plans. Advertisement Seven Conservative MPs who voted against her plan earlier this month yesterday said they were changing their minds. And last night Boris Johnson gave the strongest hint yet that he could also fall into line, saying: 'If we vote it down again there is an appreciable and growing sense we will not leave at all. That is the risk.' Former Tory leader and Eurosceptic Iain Duncan Smith said last night there was now a good chance of Mrs May winning the 'meaningful' vote. Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom said the Government hopes to be able to bring Theresa May's Brexit deal back to the Commons this week. Mrs Leadsom told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think that there is a real possibility that it does. We are completely determined to make sure that we can get enough support to bring it back.' She added: 'The Prime Minister said she is working hard, as many colleagues are, to persuade colleagues to support it.' Mrs Leadsom refused to be drawn on whether the Prime Minister should commit to standing down once the Withdrawal Agreement is passed in order to win over wavering MPs. 'I am fully supporting the Prime Minister to get us out of the European Union,' she said. Asked if Mrs May should stand down after that, she said: 'I think that is a matter for her. I am not expressing a view.' The shift in momentum came as Remainers led by Tories Sir Oliver Letwin and Nick Boles and Labour's Yvette Cooper prepared to seize control of the Brexit process today in a bid to push through a soft departure. MPs tabled a blizzard of amendments for consideration in today's 'indicative votes' in the Commons. Options include revoking Article 50, which would effectively cancel Brexit, holding a second referendum and locking the UK into a single market and customs union. The latter would require Britain to accept free movement, EU laws and payments to Brussels. Sir Oliver Letwin, the architect of the plan for the Commons to stage a series of indicative votes on the way forward on Brexit, tioday warned that if Theresa May tried to ignore the outcome, MPs could seek to force her to act. 'If on Monday one or more propositions get a majority backing in the House of Commons, then we will have to work with the Government to implement them,' he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. 'The way I would hope it would happen under those circumstances is that we would have sensible, workmanlike discussions across the House of Commons and the Government would move forward in an orderly fashion. 'If the Government didn't agree to that, then those who I am working with across the parties will move to legislate to mandate the Government - if we can obtain majorities in the House of Commons and House of Lords for that - to carry that forward.' Theresa May faces a series of votes on alternatives to the PM's Brexit deal - and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox and Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay were called for No 10 talks this morning These are the seven options for Brexit MPs could vote on this week if Mrs May is forced towards a softer Brexit Attorney General Geoffrey Cox is said to have told the PM that if Parliament does mandate her to pursue a new Brexit route next week if her deal falls then she will break the law if she ignores it. A KEY WEEK FOR BREXIT WEDNESDAY MARCH 27: MPs HOLD INDICATIVE VOTES ROUND ONE: MPs are set to hold the 'first round' vote choosing their preferred Brexit from options including Norway, a Customs Union, May's Deal and No Deal. They will most likely be able to choose more than one option at this stage, and will write their preferences on pink slips of paper rather than walking through lobbies in the traditional Commons voting method. The top options would then be put forward to another 'round two' vote. COULD STILL HAPPEN THURSDAY MARCH 28: MAY HOLDS A THIRD MEANINGFUL VOTE ON HER BREXIT DEAL: May is likely to try and pass her Brexit deal a third time, after the EU offered a Brexit date of 22 May if she does so this week. The Prime Minister will use threats that MPs will take control and force a softer Brexit in an attempt to force Brexiteer rebels and the DUP to finally back her. She may also offer them a date when she will quit in return for their support. Thursday is the most likely day for her vote, but there is a chance she won't hold it if she still does not believe she'll win. FRIDAY MARCH 29: MPs TAKE CONTROL? If the PM loses a third vote on her deal, or does not hold one, by Friday the Brexit date is reset until April. MPs and Remainer Cabinet ministers will try and force her towards a softer Brexit. Brexiteer MPs and Cabinet minister will conversely try and push her towards a No Deal exit from the EU. Minister have also claimed that they could call an election if MPs try to force them into a soft Brexit. MONDAY APRIL 1: INDICATIVE VOTES ROUND TWO: MPs are expected to rank their preferences for Brexit. When one option is knocked out, MPs second preferences will be counted. For example if a second referendum is knocked out, its supporters can switch to backing a soft Brexit. Parliament would agree to support the final option. WEDNESDAY APRIL 3: MPs COULD FORCE MAY'S HAND: If Theresa May refuses to accept MPs preferred Brexit option, they could try to pass new legislation compelling her to do so. Advertisement As No 10 weighed up whether to put the withdrawal agreement to a vote for a third and final time tomorrow: Ministers claimed Mrs May could set out a timetable for her departure when she addresses Tory MPs tonight in a bid to persuade them to back her plans; Attempts to win over the DUP were rocked when the party's Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson warned he would rather delay for a year than accept the withdrawal agreement; Mrs May was warned that a string of pro-Remain ministers could quit today unless they are given a free vote on soft Brexit options; Nick Boles said Remainers would force the Prime Minister to pursue a soft Brexit if she refused to downgrade her red lines; Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom told MPs that Parliament might have to sit through the Easter break; The Prime Minister was facing the threat of a rebellion by her own whips over the vote to formally delay Brexit beyond March 29. As chairman of the 80-strong ERG group of Tory MPs, Mr Rees-Mogg has led opposition to the Prime Minister's strategy. He was also a leading figure in the bid to topple her last year, which resulted in a confidence vote that she won. Shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner has warned that Labour could have difficulty supporting a plan for a confirmatory referendum on any Brexit deal. MPs will consider the motion, tabled in the name of former foreign secretary Dame Margaret Beckett, requiring a public vote before ratification of any deal, in a series of indicative votes on Wednesday. However Mr Gardiner said that if Labour voted for it, it could suggest that they were a 'Remain party' - which was not the case. He said that under the terms of the motion, any referendum could be a choice between Theresa May's deal or staying in the EU. 'It would be saying we could accept what we have always said is a very bad deal. Therefore it looks as if the attempt to have a public vote on it is simply a way of trying to remain because nobody likes this deal,' he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. 'To put that up as the only alternative in a public vote and say we will let it go through looks as though you believe that at the end of it Remain would be the result. 'It is not where our policy has been. Our policy is clearly that we would support a public vote to stop no-deal or to stop a bad deal, but not that we would allow a bad deal as long as the public had the opportunity to reject Brexit altogether. 'That implies that you are a Remain party. The Labour Party is not a Remain party now. We have accepted the result of the referendum.' His intervention came as the number of Eurosceptics reluctantly backing Mrs May threatened to turn from a trickle into a flood Explained: How today's key votes will work and the Brexit options that MPs could decide on How tonight's key votes will work... Theresa May has said she will not necessarily be bound by the results - particularly if they are 'undeliverable' by the EU MPs have seized control on the parliamentary timetable so they can hold a series of votes this evening in a bid to work out what kind of Brexit has a chance of winning the support of the House of Commons. At 2pm, normal proceedings in the House will stop and MPs will debate for an hour whether to go ahead with Tory former minister Sir Oliver Letwin's plan to stage indicative votes. If they do, Commons Speaker John Bercow will at 3pm announce which Brexit options will go on the ballot paper. MPs had until last night to submit their suggestions. Whilst the debate is taking place, Theresa May is due to address a meeting of the 1922 committee, which is the group made up of all Tory MPs. At 7pm, MPs will be given paper slips listing the various Brexit options. They will get half an hour to mark Aye or Now next to each one. Whilst the votes are being counted, MPs will debate legislation changing the Brexit date from 29 March to 12 April, after Mrs may agreed an extension with EU leaders at a Brussels summit last week. The Speaker will announce the results of the indicative votes at around 9pm in the Commons chamber, revealing whether any of them commanded a majority of support. Mrs May has said she will not necessarily be bound by the results - particularly if they are 'undeliverable' by the EU. However, MPs are planning to seize control of the parliamentary timetable again next Monday so they can repeat the process to refine the options or attempt to pass legislation to enforce them. ...And the Brexit options that MPs could decide on Revoke Article 50 Put forward by SNP's Joanna Cherry Demands that if no deal has been agreed on the day before Brexit that MPs will get the chance to cancel the UK's notice to Brussels it would leave the EU. Second referendum Labour ex-foreign secretary Margaret Beckett States that MPs will not sanction leaving the EU unless it has been put to the electorate for a 'confirmatory vote'. Customs union Labour's Gareth Snell Demands that ministers negotiate a new customs union with Brssels, which would prevent the country being able to strike its own trade deals. Labour's plan Jeremy Corbyn Also includes a comprehensive customs union but with a UK say on future trade deals and close alignment with the single market. No deal Eurosceptic Tory John Baron Tabled a motion demanding 'the UK will leave the EU on 12 April 2019' without a deal. However, a No Deal Brexit has already been rejected twice by MPs. Common Market 2.0 Cross-party group including Tory former minister Nick Boles and Labour's Stephen Kinnock A soft Brexit that would keep the country in the single market and involve a new customs arrangement, meaning continued freedom of movement and ongoing contributions to the EU budget. Similar to Norway's arrangement with the EU. Malthouse Compromise Nicky Morgan, Jacob Rees-Mogg and DUP's Nigel Dodds Demands the Brexit deal is changed so the Irish backstop is replaced with 'alternative arrangments'. Single Market Tory former minister George Eustice Would keep the UK in the European Economic Area (EEA), but unlike the Common Market 2.0 plan would not involve a customs arrangement. Again, similar to Norway's deal. Advertisement Today he cautions colleagues against believing that removing Mrs May would solve the Brexit crisis. 'A number of Tory MPs think a new leader could swiftly renegotiate but that is almost certainly not true now that Parliament has taken control of the House of Commons timetable,' he writes. 'It would be even harder for a Eurosceptic to manage the current Commons than it is for Mrs May.' Mr Rees-Mogg, whose backing is subject to support from the DUP, says the agreement negotiated by the Prime Minister 'is a bad one' and he would rather leave under No Deal, but this was effectively ruled out. Six other Eurosceptic Tories who have voted against Mrs May's plan said yesterday they would now back it. They were former Tory vice-chairmen Rehman Chishti and Ben Bradley and MPs Michael Fabricant, Gordon Henderson, Eddie Hughes and Henry Smith. They join a trickle of Brexiteers who have changed their minds in recent days, including former Cabinet minister Esther McVey, James Gray and Daniel Kawczynski. Privately, ERG sources acknowledge the group is likely to split, with a hard core of 'refuseniks' unwilling to back any deal. This group includes former Cabinet ministers John Redwood and Owen Paterson, Mr Rees-Mogg's deputy Steve Baker, and Tory grandee Sir Bill Cash. A senior government source last night confirmed that the PM wants to try another vote this week possibly tomorrow or even Friday but said she would do so only if she was confident of winning. 'Realistically if we don't get the deal through this week then we are looking at a long delay and participation in the European Parliament elections,' the source said. 'Things are moving, but the numbers are not there yet.' Hardline Brexiteers including Sir Bill yesterday accused Theresa May of exceeding her lawful powers by delaying Brexit beyond this Friday. They said there were 'serious legal objections' to the agreement made at last week's EU summit to extend the UK's membership. Theresa May could be prepared to make clear that she will quit No10 within weeks if Tory MPs agree to back her Brexit deal, ministers believe. Senior Eurosceptic Conservatives are demanding that she names a date for her departure when she appears before the 1922 Committee of backbenchers at 5pm today. Last night one close ally of the PM told the Mail that they believed she could now agree to leave Downing Street 'if it were in the national interest and she finally got this thing through'. However, the ally warned it would be her 'last move' and she would only agree to go if it was clear the deal would pass. Ten Brexiteers, including European Research Group chairman Jacob Rees-Mogg, have now said they could back the deal if it comes back to the Commons regardless of Mrs May's intentions. They fear that moves by former Tory minister Sir Oliver Letwin and Labour's Hilary Benn who have organised a series of indicative votes in the Commons today will result in a much softer Brexit, a long delay to leaving the EU or no Brexit at all. But a larger group are holding out until an announcement from the PM of a firm date when she will go. Behind the scenes, former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith was yesterday said to be 'actively encouraging' Brexiteer MPs to back the deal on the basis of a discreet promise by Mrs May to go if it passes. He is thought to have proposed the idea at last weekend's Chequers summit and told the PM he could deliver 90 per cent of the ERG's hardline Leavers if she agreed to quit. Mrs May did not rule out the idea but responded sceptically: 'I'm not sure you can get me the numbers.' Other senior Eurosceptics want the PM to go public with her promise tonight. It comes amid signs Mrs May could call a third Brexit vote as early as tomorrow if she believes she can get enough support for the Withdrawal Agreement. Tory Nigel Evans, executive secretary of the 1922 Committee, told the BBC last night: 'The Prime Minister will be addressing the 1922 tomorrow at 5pm. I am encouraging her in that speech to give the timetable for her departure. 'A number of Brexiteers are reluctant to support her deal because they think if it gets over the line, she will then say 'Look what I've achieved I'm staying'. A number of them want to make absolutely certain she's nowhere near the negotiating table when we start talking about the future trade relationship with the EU. 'If the Prime Minister announces a timetable of departure, I think that's going to swing a lot of people behind her deal we could get it over the line.' Prime Minister Theresa May and Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Stephen Barclay leave Downing Street yesterday Dover Tory MP Charlie Elphicke told Kent Online: 'If the deal does get endorsed, it should be on condition Theresa May agrees to stand down. What I am clear on is that if we are going to support it, there needs to be a change of negotiating team. I think we need to have a change of leadership and a new face and a new team to take us forward to the future relationship.' Former education minister Tim Loughton said it was 'inevitable' Mrs May would go but she could leave with her 'head held high' if she got her deal through. Cabinet ministers were in talks with the Democratic Unionist Party in Whitehall last night in a last-ditch attempt to win its support which is seen as necessary before Eurosceptics will fall in line. A total of 75 Tories including half a dozen arch-Remainers voted against the deal when it was defeated two weeks ago by a majority of 149. At yesterday's Cabinet meeting ministers, including Commons leader Andrea Leadsom and Treasury chief secretary Liz Truss, pledged their determination and 'resolve to get this done'. Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom leaves 10 Downing street, London after a cabinet meeting yesterday. Liz Truss, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Politicians walks through Westminster A source said: 'They are pulling out all the stops to try and get colleagues over the line.' But one Cabinet minister estimated the odds of Mrs May getting the deal through at just 30 per cent. Her allies downplayed expectations, saying 'everything has to fall in place at once' and it wouldn't be clear until lunchtime today what would happen. Even if she wins over the DUP and most of her backbenchers, Mrs May will still need Labour MPs to back the deal. A group of up to 25 hardline ERG members are seen as 'irreconcilable' including Sir Bill Cash, Sir John Redwood and former Cabinet minister Owen Paterson. Some of these argue that they can still secure a No Deal Brexit regardless of a bid by Sir Oliver to try to find a softer deal the Commons can agree to. Other Eurosceptic MPs said they were determined to oppose the deal. Dr Julian Lewis, chairman of the Defence Committee, told the Mail: 'The choice revealing itself is one between a clean Brexit or tearing up the result of the referendum. 'It is vital that those of us who believe in Brexit neither 'flag nor fail' in Churchill's immortal phrase, at this decisive stage.' The Easter recess of parliament may be cancelled as MPs try to get a grip of Brexit, Mrs Leadsom said yesterday. She stressed Britons would expect MPs to be 'working flat-out'. She told the Commons: 'I have announced the dates for Easter recess. But, as is always the case, recess dates are announced subject to the progress of business. 'We will need time in the House either to find a way forward or to pass the Withdrawal Agreement bill, and I think the country will rightly expect Parliament to be working flat-out in either scenario.' The recess is due to run from April 4 to 23. JACOB REES-MOGG: I apologise for changing my mind. But this is why I'm ready to back Mrs May I apologise for changing my mind. Theresa May's deal is a bad one, it does not deliver on the promises made in the Tory Party manifesto and its negotiation was a failure of statesmanship. A 39 billion bill for nothing, a minimum of 21 months of vassalage, the continued involvement of the European Court and, worst of all, a backstop with no end date. Yet, I am now willing to support it if the Democratic Unionist Party does, and by doing so will be accused of infirmity of purpose by some and treachery by others. I have come to this view because the numbers in Parliament make it clear that all the other potential outcomes are worse and an awkward reality needs to be faced. Mrs May ought to have concluded a better agreement but behind the backs of two secretaries of state, David Davis and Dominic Raab, she did not. The agreement on the table is as it is, and the proposal to replace the backstop with something else, particularly the Malthouse Compromise (a managed No Deal exit if a deal cannot be agreed) has floundered. Jacob Rees-Mogg has said he is ready to back Theresa May's deal 'because the numbers in Parliament make it clear that all the other potential outcomes are worse' Delay The EU, in the knowledge that it was dealing with a weak counterparty, has refused to reopen the text and the Government has not been willing to threaten No Deal in any effective way. The late start to No Deal planning and the reluctance to use it in negotiations has been a significant reason for the poor outcome. Until last week, nonetheless, No Deal remained the default legal option but the Government and the Prime Minister have now ruled this out and with the support of Parliament can now do so. No Deal is an outcome I would prefer to Mrs May's deal. It would be a fully-leaded Brexit and mere motions in the Commons could not have stopped it. Indeed, despite a clear majority of MPs opposing such a departure, it would have happened on Friday had Mrs May not used her executive authority as Prime Minister to postpone the day of Brexit. Once No Deal had been ruled out, it was necessary to examine what would happen in the event of the current agreement not passing. This would lead to a long delay as there is no opportunity of renegotiating anything before the European elections at the end of May. Two years or more is proposed but considering the opposition to Brexit it could be revoked or put to a skewed second referendum. A long delay would make remaining in the EU the most likely outcome. If the moral authority of 17.4 million voters and a General Election in 2017 when both main parties committed to respecting the result could not deliver our departure in three years, how strong a mandate would it be after five? Even if the fear of remaining were exaggerated, it would inevitably lead to an even softer Brexit. It is a sad fact that there is a gulf between Parliament and the people. Fifty-two per cent voted Leave but two-thirds of MPs want to remain. The Lords is even worse with a tiny minority of pro-Leave peers. After giving people the right to decide, too many politicians felt that the voters gave the wrong answer and must be saved from themselves. Two years further from the referendum would allow for the demands to be watered down again, leaving the UK shackled by a Customs Union or as a Norway-style rule-taker. If this were all, it could be sensible to take the risk and see if something better turned up. A number of Tory MPs think a new leader could swiftly renegotiate but that is almost certainly not true now that Parliament has taken control of the Brexit timetable. No Deal is an outcome I would prefer to Mrs May's deal. It would be a fully-leaded Brexit and mere motions in the Commons could not have stopped it. It would be even harder for a Eurosceptic to manage the current Commons than it is for Mrs May. Even if this could happen, politicians must look at the current constitutional clash and fear for our polity. The constitution is under attack in three ways. The first is between the Government and the Commons. This has been encouraged by the Speaker whose noble efforts to allow the Commons to hold the Government to account have gone too far and now seek to take the role of the Government to the legislature. Recklessness This is dangerous because the Commons' job is to provide confidence in a Prime Minister who can take decisions for which she or he is accountable. These decisions ought to be in accordance with manifesto commitments and if there is no confidence in the duly elected Prime Minister, then control ought to return to voters, not to a cabal of MPs who will have random majorities on various issues but no clear leader or mandate. Separation of powers between Downing Street and the Commons is a crucial part of how we are ruled and a protection against arbitrary government. Upsetting this balance is unwise to the point of recklessness and the Sir Oliver Letwin takeover proves the point. Unfortunately, the second breakdown is just as serious. The Government only functions if ministers support a single position or resign, and this has been the reality since the 1830s. There can only be one Government position, otherwise how can it be held to account? How can electors know how power is being exercised if different ministers say the first thing that pops into their heads? Recently, three Cabinet Ministers failed to back Government policy on the vote to leave the EU without a deal and in a rather jejune fashion ostentatiously abstained. As they did not resign, this undermines one of the cornerstones of the constitution, making it harder for the Government to function. Faltering Any government must be able to get its business done. If it cannot, it is unable to govern. The principle of the separation of powers and of collective responsibility lie at the heart of this. A number of Tory MPs think a new leader could swiftly renegotiate but that is almost certainly not true now that Parliament has taken control of the Brexit timetable The great Duke of Wellington was famous for insisting that the Queen's Government must go on and that all responsible politicians have a duty towards such an end, even if it countermands their own piety. The worst breakdown, though, is between the elected and the electors. The condescension of politicians who feel that Leave voters were all stupid and ought never to have been allowed to decide something so complicated is tragic. Ultimately, voters know best and must be trusted. Imperfect as it is, Mrs May's deal gets closer to that than anything else available. The Withdrawal Agreement has one great virtue. Legally, we would have left and to re-join would mean agreeing to adopt the Euro single currency, Schengen (the abolition of national borders) and no rebate. Such a course would be expensive and hugely unpopular. The backstop, too, could tie us into rules that we did not like. But outside the EU, it would be a political not a legal matter. International law is not as clear-cut as EU or domestic law and there is no court to rule between states and international bodies. Ultimately, Brexit could be delivered upon but it would take longer. It would need a Commons that wants to use our freedoms and that is willing to insist that the word 'temporary', as applied to the backstop, is genuine. It needs political leadership and a desire to stop the weak-minded managing of decline and a belief in the UK. Theresa May's deal is a more faltering step than I want, or feel, could be taken but at least it is a step forward. An Australian woman has found a kookaburra caged up and on sale for $1,200 in a US pet shop. Wendy Davidson - who has been living in the US state of Virginia since 2015 - said she heard about the bird and decided to visit the local pet store to see for herself. 'I was deeply saddened to see one of our native protected species in a small cage alone and so far from home,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'I couldn't stop thinking about him being a prisoner in solitary confinement.' Ms Davidson said the pet shop told her the bird had held been at the store for more than four years. Ms Davidson said she went back to check if Thunder was still in the pet shop on Monday - 10 days after spotting him - to find him still caged up and on sale The next day, Ms Davidson contacted several different US authorities to find out what she could do to rescue the bird, which the shop had named Thunder. She reached out to zoos both back in Australia and in Virginia, as well as the wildlife trafficking alliance, the Australian Consulate General in New York, and the US Department of Agriculture and Animal Care. 'Those that did reply basically fobbed me off or claimed that they didn't have jurisdiction of the issue,' Ms Davidson said. Ms Davidson went on a Kookaburra crusade, contacting several different US authorities to find out what she could do to rescue him the bird the shop had named Thunder Feeling frustrated about the lack of care and concern, she contacted Australian authorities and zoos, who shared her shock and sadness over the captivity of the iconic Australian bird - who usually live for around 15 years. The Australian Wildlife and Protection Council were worried if they bought the kookaburra it would start a supply and demand for the native animal, and said Ms Davidson should simply leave the bird in the store. Live native birds cannot be exported from Australia for primarily commercial purposes, under Australian environmental law. According to the NSW Native Animal Keepers' Species List, a permit is required and they aren't allowed to be kept as a companion pet. Only Australian native birds that are bred in captivity can be exported, not wild birds. Australian woman Wendy Davidson - who lives in the US state of Virginia - found the kookaburra for sale in a local pet shop for US$1,200 However in Virginia, there aren't laws or regulations stopping people from owning exotic birds, such as kookaburras. WHY DO AUSTRALIANS LOVE KOOKABURRAS? Kookaburras are a bird native to Australia, and are as a result subject to strict laws. In many states, they are a protected species, meaning it is illegal to remove them from the country. The birds are referred to the 'king of the bush', and a song praising their unique laugh and cheerful nature is taught to children across the country. Advertisement Social media images and video of the animal show it playing with a ball in its cage, making kookaburra noises, and in one case, wearing a collar and tie. Outraged Australians have called for a GoFundMe to be launched to cover purchase and quarantine costs, and help the bird get home. 'Absolutely hope someone will start a Go Fund me page so this woman (or someone) can give this bird a loving home or get it to freedom,' one person wrote. 'Can you imagine being caged your whole life alone? It's so cruel.' Another said the bird should be moved to a sanctuary in Australia, as it would never thrive in the wild. The kookaburra is seen inside its cage in the store, wearing a collar and tie 'If we can support egg boy via a GoFundMe page why not do one for the kookaburra via a sanctuary for its safe return to Australia,' they wrote. 'Obviously if its been caged its whole life it would be difficult for it to be released.' Symbio Wildlife Park, from south of Sydney, told her the bird may simply be a 10th-generation captive-bred bird, whose ancestors were exported to the US years ago before the laws were tightened. Melbourne-born Ms Davidson received an online response from Sydney's Taronga Zoo, advising her to download the Wildlife Witness app, which allows people to report suspicious trade or trafficking of wildlife. Ms Davidson said she went back to check if Thunder was still in the pet shop on Monday - 10 days after spotting him - to find him still caged up and on sale. 'No one is going to pay $1,200 for him,' she said. 'He's been living there for four years in captivity.' Daily Mail Australia contacted the store, but a staff member in the bird department declined to comment as it was feeding time. Brandishing a gun and pouting for the camera, this woman stands accused of being a member of banned neo-Nazi group National Action. Alice Cutter, 22, also posed in photographs for a Miss Hitler beauty competition which she won with a bandana across her mouth. The pictures were among a number of images shown to jurors at Birmingham Crown Court. In others she wore swastika earrings and clothing. Alice Cutter, 22, who is accused of being a member of banned neo-Nazi group National Action, is pictured brandishing a gun and pouting for the camera A picture alleged to show Cutter, which was posted during a 'Miss Hitler' competition in June 2016, which prosecutors claim was an effort to recruit new members to far right group National Action The pictures (alleged to show Cutter) were among a number of images shown to jurors at Birmingham Crown Court. In others she wore swastika earrings and clothing Cutter, from Halifax, is on trial with her fiance Mark Jones, 24. They are both accused of being members of National Action which was banned in December 2016 following the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox. It was the first extreme Right-wing group to be proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the Government. Also on trial is Garry Jack, 23, of Birmingham, and Connor Scothern, 18, of Nottingham. All four deny the same charge. Yesterday jurors were told that Cutter had written online that mixed-race children made her feel 'sick'. Responding in February to a news article claiming there are now more mixed-race children than ever, she allegedly wrote: 'I'm going to be sick. Didn't need to know that statistic. Everything hurts and now my brain hurts too.' The court previously heard Cutter won the 2016 Miss Hitler contest. It was organised to raise the profile of National Action. She allegedly used the nickname Buchenwald Princess, a reference to the Nazi death camp where thousands of Jews were killed. The court previously heard Cutter (in an image alleged to show Miss Hitler competition) won the 2016 Miss Hitler contest. It was organised to raise the profile of National Action A picture alleged to show Mark Jones wearing swastika-related clothing, which was shown to the jury at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday Police found Nazi-themed items including a flag and the earrings at Cutter's house. She refused to answer questions. Yesterday the jury heard other members of the group discussed which MP should be killed or 'Tommy Maired' next after Mrs Cox was murdered by far-Right extremist Thomas Mair. One member, Darren Fletcher, suggested MP Shabana Mahmood should be next after she said Donald Trump would not be welcome in Birmingham. Jones and Jack also declined to answer police questions. The two men admitted being 'committed and unapologetic' members of National Action but said they quit when it was outlawed. Cutter, from Halifax, is on trial with her fiance Mark Jones, 24. Also on trial is Garry Jack, 23, of Birmingham, and Connor Scothern, 18, of Nottingham. All four deny the same charge However, prosecutor Barnaby Jameson said Jones continued to hatch plans with other members after it was banned. Jones, who was pictured making a Nazi salute at a German concentration camp, carried on plotting 'banner drops, graffiti throw-ups and video promo shooting', the court heard. Cutter maintains she has never been a member of National Action, while Scothern claims to have quit a day before it was banned. In posts allegedly made in an online chat group, Cutter described herself as being 'extremely clever' and liberal-minded at school, and was only later drawn towards Right-wing ideology. The trial continues. Paul Smart, executive chef at the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi The head chef at a hotel which hosted Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump's Vietnam summit has revealed the North Korean leader's lavish food preferences. Paul Smart, executive chef at the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi, saw his kitchen invaded by an army of chefs from both the Korean and US delegations during the summit last month. Smart, who has previously cooked for the Queen and was once employed at the Ritz in London, said Kim especially favours expensive cuisine like caviar, lobster and foie gras. He also revealed the two leaders had very different preferences when ordering steak. 'President Trump wanted his steak well done, but Kim preferred his steak medium-rare to rare, very rare,' he told AFP. 'He really likes to dine and experience cuisine for what it is,' Smart said of Kim. Mr Smart said the Koreans were meticulous in their preparation and even brought their own ingredients, like Wagyu beef, kimchi, ginseng and persimmon punch. Trump and Kim's summit ended early after a disagreement, before Australian Smart was allowed to showcase his cooking They also brought their own staff to work alongside the Australian and his team, who Smart described as 'mysterious but very professional'. 'I tried to keep the taste neutral and make delicious, simple foods that suited both tastes,' he added. The summit failed on its second day before Mr Smart was able to showcase his full range of talents with a carefully prepared lunch of foie gras, snowfish and candied ginseng. The talks ended abruptly as the president said he was forced to walk away after the North Korean dictator demanded that all sanctions be lifted in return for giving up only some of his nukes. Armies of chefs from both delegations were said to have descended on the Metropole Hotel (pictured) for the summit Trump said the final snag that caused the sudden breakdown was over sanctions and Kim's push to have all of them lifted in exchange for a concession Trump and his secretary of state could not live with. 'Sometimes you have to walk away,' Trump told reporters at a press conference in Hanoi that was abruptly moved up after a breakdown in talks. The president expressed his hope that the two leaders would meet again, but acknowledged: 'It might be soon, it might not be for a long time. I cant tell you.' Trump said that he remains on good terms with Kim and continued to tout the 'enormous potential' of North Korea, not notably said there were no plans for a next summit meeting. Trump candidly revealed that Kim wanted the sanctions off, but was not willing to give up his array of nukes, missiles, and additional sites he only alluded to vaguely. Police in Florida say a man made a 911 call to report a crime on Friday, but accidentally incriminated himself in the process. Jon Omer Sengul, 50, was arrested by West Palm Beach Police on March 22, after he told an officer that he'd paid four people to engage in sexual relations in his Days Inn hotel room. Sengul reportedly shelled out $500 to the group of prospective lovers, but all of them failed to turn up and had seemingly run-off with the cash. Jon Omer Sengul, 50, was arrested by West Palm Beach Police on March 22, after he reportedly called 911 to tell police he'd been scammed $500 by four prostitutes Police arrived at Sengul's hotel room to reports of theft, where the victim-come-defendant is said to have made a number of 'incriminating statements', according to a police affidavit. 'I clarified with Sengul that he was telling me he solicited another person for sex and he confirmed that he did,' the arresting officer's report reads. 'Sengul said that he called the police because after giving the individuals the money they did not come to his room to engage in the aforementioned sexual relations.' The illegal romp was set to take place at Sengul's Days Inn hotel room, in West Palm Beach, Florida, but the four alleged sex workers failed to show Sengul was then arrested by the officer and charged with purchasing the services of a prostitute. He has no previous criminal record and he was released from custody on Sunday, having met his bail bond of $500. A hearing for the case is scheduled for April 29, in Palm Beach. West Palm Beach Police aren't thought to have yet made contact with the four individuals accused of stealing the $500 issued to them by Sengul. A lecturer has been caught teaching students at a prestigious Perth university that Australian soldiers who fought at Gallipoli were 'killers'. Dr Dean Aszkielowicz, from Murdoch University, also told students that Anzac Day commemorations were a 'cliche' and that many of the young people who attended Anzac Day services in Gallipoli were 'drunk,' according to The Australian. An audio recording of one of Dr Aszkielowicz's lectures obtained by the publication contained the statements, leaving some students questioning whether they are being taught a biased version of history. Dr Dean Aszkielowicz, from Murdoch University, also told students that Anzac Day celebrations were a 'cliche' 'It's the job of an academic to be rational and reasoned, and to give students both sides of the argument,' said RSL chief executive When asked by one student if Anzacs who fought during the First World War should be viewed as murderers, Dr Aszkielowicz said that he didn't see why 'that isn't a viewpoint that shouldn't sit alongside this other version of how we look at the Anzacs'. 'If you go and you kill people, whether it's in a foreign campaign or not, then you've killed people and you're a killer,' he said. More than 8,000 Australian soldiers died during the disastrous Gallipoli campaign, which ran from February 1915 to January 1916. Many Australians and New Zealanders view the campaign as the moment the young nations lost their innocence and became proudly independent. The comments on the Gallipoli campaign come as students at the same university were told that both the federal government and 'right-wing media' were misinforming the public about refugees on Manus Island and Nauru. Anne Surma, an English and Creative Arts lecturer, urged her students to read a book by Manus Island asylum seeker Behrouz Boochani, who she described as 'prisoners'. The University issued a statement that said it was important for all viewpoints to be taught to students as well as the tools to allow them to form their own opinions. British Army soldiers resting in the shore area at Suvla Bay, Turkey in 1915 with various types of ships pictured anchored in the bay in the background. Australians belonging to the Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train constructed piers and harbours in the bay Anne Surma, an English and Creative Arts lecturer, urged her students to read a book by asylum seeker Behrouz Boochani, who she claimed is a 'prisoner' along with other refugees on the islands, a 'prisoner' The University issued a statement that said it was important for all viewpoints to be taught to students as well as the tools to allow them to form their own opinions The interim pro-vice-chancellor of the College of Arts, Business, Law and Social Sciences, Professor Rikki Kersten, said that they actively encourage students to draw from arguments that range across the political spectrum. 'They might not agree with all the viewpoints they hear or read, but it is important they understand them and have the tools to form their own views. 'In the context of these lectures, our academics provided informed but challenging comment respectfully this is academic freedom in action.' Britain's top police officer admitted yesterday that knife crime is at the worst level she has seen in her 35-year career. Cressida Dick blamed drugs for youth knife violence rocketing to the highest and most worrying level she had ever encountered. The Scotland Yard Commissioner spoke out as police released shocking images of deadly blades seized from children under the age of 16 in the past two months. Scotland Yard Commissioner Cressida Dick blamed drugs for youth knife violence rocketing to the highest and most worrying level she had seen The country's top police officer spoke out as police released shocking images of deadly blades seized from children under the 16 in the past two months Miss Dick told MPs: Stabbings of young people specifically have been the number one priority for me since I was commissioner. Id have to say that the last couple of years undoubtedly have been the highest and most worrying levels I think in my service. Its deeply worrying, its a horrible set of offences, definitely more younger people involved. More knives involved in the serious violence on the streets. It was a new and tragic phenomenon for young people using weapons like rambo knives to stab other teenagers multiple times with extraordinary violence, she told the Home Affairs committee. She told MPs: Id have to say that the last couple of years undoubtedly have been the highest and most worrying levels I think in my service.' Three knives, a hammer, an axe and a mallet were found in the bedroom of a child in Stoke-on-Trent Miss Dick added: 'I think people have slightly taken their eye off the balls in the last few years and I regret that' The Met Police chief urged the Government to step up efforts and put in more money to combat knife crime which she blamed on drugs. We have to really stress just how much of this serious violence facing our young people is connected to drugs one way or another, she said. Its actually in my view at the root of it all. She warned that county lines gangs were teaching each other how to groom children as drug runners. On the war on drugs, Miss Dick said: I think people have slightly taken their eye off the balls in the last few years and I regret that. Sorting out the knife problem has led to a backlog of 2,100 calls about other crimes - which officers have not yet responded to In a bid to stop children being lured into gangs, the number of neighbourhood police officers in London schools is set to rise from 270 to 500 this year. Miss Dick also told the committee that police were starting to turn the tide and in the past year the number of under-25s reporting knife injuries has dropped by 15 per cent. Her comments on the problem were echoed by Chief Constable Dave Thompson. He said youth stabbings in his West Midlands region were at the worst level he had seen, particularly within deprived communities. Dealing with the problem has led to a backlog of 2,100 calls about other crimes to which officers have not yet responded, added Mr Thompson. He said enforcement or stop and search alone would not solve the problem. We need to make our young people feel safer, in many of our inner city areas they do not feel safe enough, added the chief constable. To try to stop children being lured into gangs, the number of neighbourhood police officers in London schools will rise from 270 to 500 this year In the last year nationally, 27 teenagers have been stabbed to death. Miss Dick referred to an attack just yesterday on a 15-year-old boy with an 8in kitchen knife in Forest Hill, south-east London. A boy of the same age has been arrested. Yesterday an 18-year-old was fighting for his life after suffering multiple stab wounds in an attack four miles away in Kidbrooke. The haul seized by police included a banned zombie knife with a 12in blade found in a search of a property in Worcester Park, south-west London. A 15-year-old boy was arrested. Separately, three knives, a hammer, an axe and a mallet were found in the bedroom of a child in Stoke-on-Trent. Tory MP Sir Christopher Chope asked Mr Thompson if people could protect themselves from knife crime by learning martial arts such as judo. But the police chief told the committee the best prevention technique is to run away as fast as you can. Residents living on a quiet street in Christchurch have woken to the sound of explosions and armed police swarming the area before a dead man was pulled from a car. Poulton Avenue in Richmond, in the city's north-east, was in lockdown for hours on Wednesday morning after police told residents to stay inside their homes. Police officers pulled a dead man out of a silver Mitsubishi Pajero SUV on the street and the vehicle's driver's-side window, rear driver's side window and rear window had been smashed. Police Commissioner Mike Bush said police are investigating if the incident has any link to the shootings at two mosques in the city on March 15 that killed 50 Muslim worshippers. Poulton Avenue in Richmond, in the city's north-east, was in lockdown for four hours on Wednesday morning as police have told residents to stay inside their homes (stock image) Police officers found firearms at a home in nearby St Martins during a search on Tuesday, and later found a 54-year-old man inside the car about 12.30am on Wednesday. 'The police negotiation team spoke with the man over a number of hours. The police helicopter and Armed Offenders Squad were in support during the negotiations,' Mr Bush said. 'At around 3.40am police approached the vehicle and discovered the man critically injured with what appeared to be a stab wound. A knife was located in the vehicle. 'Immediate first aid was provided however the man was pronounced dead at the scene.' The man's car was checked by the bomb squad as a precaution but it was deemed to be safe. No guns were found in the car, Mr Bush said. 'Members of the public who heard what they thought were explosions were hearing police deploying gas at the scene,' he said. 'A high priority investigation is underway to determine whether or not the deceased man posed a threat to the community. This will include further searches of Christchurch properties and interviews with family and associates. 'At this time there is no evidence to suggest this person had any involvement in the attacks of 15 March, however this forms an important part of the investigation.' Poulton Avenue resident Joanna Qereqeretabua said she woke up at 3.30am and heard someone shouting 'get out of the car' and 'police, police'. She said there were armed police and dogs on the street, and a robot approached the vehicle about 4am and shattered the windows. 'It was very scary after what happened here,' she said, referring to the massacre of 50 people inside two mosques in Christchurch on March 15. Ms Qereqeretabua said she heard loud noises early on Wednesday morning but she did not think they were gun shots. She said she could hear a man begging for help. Police officers pulled a man out of a silver Mitsubishi Pajero SUV on the street (pictured) and the vehicle's driver's-side window, rear driver's side window and rear window had been smashed Jeffrey Chisholm, who also lives on Poulton Avenue, said he heard two shots being fired - one at 3.30am, and the other about 4.45am. 'They were quite loud, I am not sure where they were though as I was in bed,' he said. Mr Chisholm said he could hear a helicopter outside, and ventured out before being told by members of the armed offenders squad to stay inside his house. He said police called him about 4.30am and told him to stay inside. Another neighbour said Christchurch residents were on high alert after the shootings earlier this month. 'You don't expect anything like this, especially after what happened the other day,' he said. Theresa May could be prepared to make clear that she will quit No10 within weeks if Tory MPs agree to back her Brexit deal, ministers believe. Senior Eurosceptic Conservatives are demanding that she names a date for her departure when she appears before the 1922 Committee of backbenchers at 5pm today. Last night one close ally of the PM told the Mail that they believed she could now agree to leave Downing Street if it were in the national interest and she finally got this thing through. However, the ally warned it would be her last move and she would only agree to go if it was clear the deal would pass. Ten Brexiteers, including European Research Group chairman Jacob Rees-Mogg, have now said they could back the deal if it comes back to the Commons regardless of Mrs Mays intentions. They fear that moves by former Tory minister Sir Oliver Letwin and Labours Hilary Benn who have organised a series of indicative votes in the Commons today will result in a much softer Brexit, a long delay to leaving the EU or no Brexit at all. But a larger group are holding out until an announcement from the PM of a firm date when she will go. Behind the scenes, former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith was yesterday said to be actively encouraging Brexiteer MPs to back the deal on the basis of a discreet promise by Mrs May to go if it passes. Prime Minister Theresa May and Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Stephen Barclay leave Downing Street yesterday He is thought to have proposed the idea at last weekends Chequers summit and told the PM he could deliver 90 per cent of the ERGs hardline Leavers if she agreed to quit. Mrs May did not rule out the idea but responded sceptically: Im not sure you can get me the numbers. Other senior Eurosceptics want the PM to go public with her promise tonight. It comes amid signs Mrs May could call a third Brexit vote as early as tomorrow if she believes she can get enough support for the Withdrawal Agreement. Tory Nigel Evans, executive secretary of the 1922 Committee, told the BBC last night: The Prime Minister will be addressing the 1922 tomorrow at 5pm. I am encouraging her in that speech to give the timetable for her departure. A number of Brexiteers are reluctant to support her deal because they think if it gets over the line, she will then say Look what Ive achieved Im staying. A number of them want to make absolutely certain shes nowhere near the negotiating table when we start talking about the future trade relationship with the EU. If the Prime Minister announces a timetable of departure, I think thats going to swing a lot of people behind her deal we could get it over the line. Dover Tory MP Charlie Elphicke told Kent Online: If the deal does get endorsed, it should be on condition Theresa May agrees to stand down. What I am clear on is that if we are going to support it, there needs to be a change of negotiating team. I think we need to have a change of leadership and a new face and a new team to take us forward to the future relationship. Former education minister Tim Loughton said it was inevitable Mrs May would go but she could leave with her head held high if she got her deal through. Cabinet ministers were in talks with the Democratic Unionist Party in Whitehall last night in a last-ditch attempt to win its support which is seen as necessary before Eurosceptics will fall in line. A total of 75 Tories including half a dozen arch-Remainers voted against the deal when it was defeated two weeks ago by a majority of 149. At yesterdays Cabinet meeting ministers, including Commons leader Andrea Leadsom and Treasury chief secretary Liz Truss, pledged their determination and resolve to get this done. Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom leaves 10 Downing street, London after a cabinet meeting yesterday. Liz Truss, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Politicians walks through Westminster A source said: They are pulling out all the stops to try and get colleagues over the line. But one Cabinet minister estimated the odds of Mrs May getting the deal through at just 30 per cent. Her allies downplayed expectations, saying everything has to fall in place at once and it wouldnt be clear until lunchtime today what would happen. Even if she wins over the DUP and most of her backbenchers, Mrs May will still need Labour MPs to back the deal. A group of up to 25 hardline ERG members are seen as irreconcilable including Sir Bill Cash, Sir John Redwood and former Cabinet minister Owen Paterson. Some of these argue that they can still secure a No Deal Brexit regardless of a bid by Sir Oliver to try to find a softer deal the Commons can agree to. Other Eurosceptic MPs said they were determined to oppose the deal. Dr Julian Lewis, chairman of the Defence Committee, told the Mail: The choice revealing itself is one between a clean Brexit or tearing up the result of the referendum. It is vital that those of us who believe in Brexit neither flag nor fail in Churchills immortal phrase, at this decisive stage. The Easter recess of parliament may be cancelled as MPs try to get a grip of Brexit, Mrs Leadsom said yesterday. She stressed Britons would expect MPs to be working flat-out. She told the Commons: I have announced the dates for Easter recess. But, as is always the case, recess dates are announced subject to the progress of business. We will need time in the House either to find a way forward or to pass the Withdrawal Agreement bill, and I think the country will rightly expect Parliament to be working flat-out in either scenario. The recess is due to run from April 4 to 23. Advertisement MPs are in control of Brexit today after seizing the Commons order paper for the first time in modern history - and have within a matter of hours devised a new system to vote on the nation's future. There will be 'indicative votes' on up to 16 different plans for Brexit from 7pm tonight - just two days before Britain was originally due to leave the EU. MPs will vote on eight different plans - ranging from cancelling Brexit altogether to leaving with No Deal on April 12 - in a desperate scramble to find a consensus. The results are due around 9pm and will almost certainly be contradictory - and it is very possible MPs support no plans at all. The details of the process have been drawn up in a matter of hours after rebels finally won control of the Commons late on Monday night. Yesterday there was still no decision even on what colour the ballots will be - the normal pink for ballot box Commons votes or something different. It was ruled today the papers will be green. Once handed their papers MPs will be asked to vote yes or no to each plan. They can support as many as they like. The votes are public like any other division so it is impossible to rig the choice. After 7.30pm, Commons clerks will scramble to count the votes all at once - a process expected to take at least an hour and potentially longer. The landmark moment amid the Brexit chaos began soon after PMQs - and must start by 2pm. The first phase will be an arcane debate on the exact rules for tonight's votes, including almost certainly a last ditch effort to call the whole thing off. At around 3pm, Speaker John Bercow will select from the 16 draft proposals which ones will actually be voted on. He is expected to choose six to 10 ideas for a debate that will run until 7pm. Unlike a normal Commons vote, the House will then be suspended for the brand new procedure. MPs will have 30 minutes to fill in a ballot paper before voting in a box in the No lobby. During the count, MPs will also debate and vote changing British law to reflect exit on Friday has been cancelled. Mrs May has said she will not necessarily be bound by the results - particularly if they are 'undeliverable' by the EU. Theresa May has said she will not necessarily be bound by the results of tonight's indicative vote - particularly if they are 'undeliverable' by the EU The Brexit options that MPs are poised to vote on tonight: Revoke Article 50 Put forward by SNP's Joanna Cherry and backed by 33 MPs including Conservative former attorney general Dominic Grieve, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable, Labour's Ben Bradshaw and all 11 members of The Independent Group. It demands that if no deal has been agreed on the day before Brexit that MPs will get the chance to cancel the UK's notice to Brussels it would leave the EU. Britain is allowed to unilaterally cancel Article 50 and stay a member on its current terms, according to a ruling of the European Court. It would bring an end to the existing negotiations - but would not legally rule them being restarted. Second referendum Tabled by Labour ex-foreign secretary Margaret Beckett to build on proposals from Labour MPs Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson. It states that MPs will not sanction leaving the EU unless it has been put to the electorate for a 'confirmatory vote'. A significant evolution of the plan is it would put any deal agreed by the Government to a public vote and not just Mrs May's plan. Customs union Tabled by veteran Conservative Europhile Ken Clarke, backed by Labour's Yvette Cooper, Helen Goodman and chair of the Commons Exiting the EU Committee Hilary Benn and Tory former ministers Sir Oliver Letwin and Sarah Newton. There is a further customs union amendment tabled by Labour's Gareth Snell and other Labour leavers. It demands that ministers negotiate a new 'permanent and comprehensive UK-wide customs union with the EU" which would prevent the country being able to strike its own trade deals but make it easier for goods to move between the UK and Europe. Labour's plan Proposed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn It includes a comprehensive customs union but with a UK say on future trade deals and close alignment with the single market. The plan also demands matching new EU rights and protections; participation in EU agencies and funding programmes; and agreement on future security arrangements, including access to the European Arrest Warrant. No deal Proposed by Eurosceptic Tory MP John Baron. Tabled a motion demanding 'the UK will leave the EU on 12 April 2019' without a deal. However, a No Deal Brexit has already been rejected twice by MPs. It would instruct the Government to abandon efforts to secure its deal and inform the EU it did not want a long extension to Article 50 either, in line with last week's EU Council. Both sides would then have a fortnight to make final preparations. Common Market 2.0 Tabled by Conservatives Nick Boles, Robert Halfon and Andrew Percy and Labour's Stephen Kinnock, Lucy Powell and Diana Johnson. The motion proposes UK membership of the European Free Trade Association and European Economic Area. It allows continued participation in the single market and a 'comprehensive customs arrangement' with the EU after Brexit. It would be very similar to current membership. The idea is this would remain in place until the agreement of a wider trade deal which guarantees frictionless movement of goods and an open border in Ireland. Malthouse Compromise This is a cross-party proposal calls for Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement to be implemented with the controversial 'backstop' for the Irish border replaced by alternative arrangements. Backed by Conservatives from both the Leave and Remain wings of the party, including Nicky Morgan, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Damian Green, Steve Baker and Sir Graham Brady, as well as the DUP's Nigel Dodds and Labour Brexiteer Kate Hoey. The proposals have already been rejected by the EU. Single Market Tory former minister George Eustice - who quit as agriculture minister this month to fight for Brexit - proposes remaining within the EEA and rejoining EFTA, but remaining outside a customs union with the EU. The motion was also signed by Conservative MPs including former minister Nicky Morgan and head of the Brexit Delivery Group Simon Hart. The idea would keep the UK in the European Economic Area (EEA), but unlike the Common Market 2.0 plan would not involve a customs arrangement. It is similar to Norway's deal. A salvo of missiles has successfully brought down a simulated nuclear missile over the Pacific for the first time. Two missiles fired from southern California intercepted a target launched from 4,000 miles (6,400km) away, Pentagon officials announced. One interceptor missile blew the rocket apart while a second hit the simulated warhead itself, as had been planned. The exercise tested out a new method for dealing with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), long-range weapons used to deliver warheads to distant targets. Missiles of this kind have been tested before, but this is the first time that multiple defence weapons have been fired at the same time. Experts hope that the new method will help to boost the success rate of intercepting incoming missiles, which have had a less than 50 per cent success rate in the past. The lead ground-based Interceptor (pictured) is launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, in the first ever US test run of an unarmed missile intercept by multiple interceptors (Missile Defense Agency via AP) Two interceptors were fired from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California while the target missile was launched from the Reagan Test Site in the Marshall Islands. 'The system worked exactly as it was designed to do,' said Air Force Lt Gen Samuel A Greaves, director of the Missile Defense Agency. He said the test result 'demonstrates that we have a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat.' Even though the missile defence system has been operating for more than a decade, this was the first time it had attempted to fire multiple interceptor missiles at a single target. WHAT IS AN ICBM? An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a long-range weapon used to deliver warheads to distant targets. It is a type of ballistic missile, which are powered and guided toward a target but fall onto to it under gravity. This means the trajectory of the missiles is a high, arching path. To be classed as an ICBM, a missile must carry a warhead more than 3,400 miles (5,400km) either through the air, or through space. Those that travel through space - which includes almost all nuclear missiles - are painstakingly designed to survive the heat and pressure of re-entry. ICBMs typically deliver nuclear weapons but can also carry conventional warheads. Advertisement The approach is meant to improve the chances of hitting an incoming missile, which in actual combat could contain decoys and other measures designed to make it difficult for an interceptor to find and hit the target. Dr Laura Grego, a senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said that a successful intercept did not mean the missile defense system is ready to defend the US in a real situation. She noted that the test was carried out under an unusually thick veil of secrecy. 'Success is better than failure, but because of the secrecy I have no idea how high the bar was set,' she said. 'How realistic was the test? The Pentagon had a very long way to go to demonstrate the system works in a real-world situation.' The Pentagon is putting billions of dollars into expanding its arsenal of missile interceptors, which are based mainly at Fort Greely in Alaska. In the 2020 defense budget request sent to Congress earlier this month, the Pentagon asked for $9.4 billion (7.13bn) for missile defense, including the system based in Alaska. Telegram is giving users more tools to control their message history. The encrypted chat app on Monday launched 'delete everywhere,' a feature that lets users delete messages from not just their end of the conversation, but for all recipients. And there's no time limit, either, as users can delete any message no matter how old it is. Scroll down for video The encrypted chat app on Monday launched 'delete everywhere,' a feature that lets users delete messages from not just their end of the conversation, but for all recipients WHAT IS THE TELEGRAM APP? The free application lets people exchange messages, photos and videos in groups of up to 5,000 people. Telegram is especially popular among political activists of all stripes, and is used by the Kremlin to communicate with journalists, but has also been used by jihadists. The app has proved to be incredibly popular. Last March, it announced within the last 30 days, Telegram was used by 200 million people. 'This is an insane number by any standards,' the firm said. 'If Telegram were a country, it would have been the sixth largest country in the world.' Advertisement 'We are giving hundreds of millions of users complete control of any private conversation they have ever had,' Telegram explained in a blog post. 'You can now choose to delete any message you have sent or received from both sides in any private chat. 'The messages will disappear for both you and the other person without leaving a trace,' the firm added. In response to the 'delete everywhere' tool, many users believed it was too drastic a measure and would enable others to delete messages without getting the recipient's consent first. However, Telegram founder Pavel Durov wrote on his personal channel in the app that it's a necessary feature to combat the risk of a message being taken out of context after it's sent. 'An old message you already forgot about can be taken out of context and used against you decades later,' Durov said. 'A hasty text you sent to a girlfriend in school can come haunt you in 2030 when you decide to run for mayor. 'We have to admit: Despite all of our progress in encryption and privacy, we have very little actual control of our data. We can't go back in time and erase things for other people,' he added. Pictured is the new 'delete everywhere' tool. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov defended it, saying it's a necessary feature to combat the risk of a message being taken out of context after it's sent Durov said Telegram created the feature with concerns of misuse in mind, but ultimately believed it was 'paramount' for users to have greater control over their 'digital footprint.' The app also added other privacy features, like the ability to prevent others from viewing your profile photo. Another new tool, called 'Anonymous Forwarding,' restricts who can forward users' messages. When this feature is turned on, it means your forwarded messages can't be traced back to your account. Instead, the forwarded message will have an unclickable 'from' field after it's sent to another user. 'This way people you chat with will have no verifiable proof you ever sent them anything,' Telegram said. Telegram is often regarded as one of the earliest privacy-focused chat services. The firm was one of the first apps to introduce an 'unsend' feature that lets users delete a message after it's been sent in a chat thread. Since then, many other services have added a similar feature, such as Facebook Messenger and Instagram, but they often give users a time limit in order to do so. Europe's largest collection of ancient oak trees can be found in the ground of Blenheim Palace. The British stately home has been found to house more important oak trees than anywhere else on the continent, following a survey by the Woodland Trust. It says it hopes to protect the country's valuable natural heritage against damage and destruction as the wizened trees continue to age. Surveying of trees over several years at Winston Churchill's birthplace in Oxfordshire has recorded 291 living oak trees with a girth of at least 16 feet (five metres) on the estate. Scroll down for video A project to map important trees across the country has helped reveal Europe's largest collection of ancient oaks in the grounds of a British stately home. Ancient oaks, like this one found at Blenheim Palace, tend to be the largest gnarliest specimens The majority (220) of these trees reside in High park, which is designated as an area with special scientific interest (SSSI) and is currently off limits to the public. Blenheim's remaining 71 can be seen dotted around the rest of the palatial grounds. The survey includes both ancient and veteran trees which are either in their final or penultimate stage of life. Differences between the two groups are purely down to age, with veteran trees resembling the gnarled ancient trees but have yet to enter the final life stage. Trees at the site are believed to date back up to 1,000 years ago, with the biggest measuring more than 34 feet in girth (10 metres 37 cm). The research was primarily conducted by Kew's oak researcher Aljos Farjon, who said High Park was the most amazing site with ancient oaks he had seen, and was 'like stepping back into the distant wild past of our country'. The data from Blenheim was compared to other records from the Woodland Trust's ancient tree inventory. Analysis confirmed the Blenheim collection ranks as number one across Europe. The ancient tree inventory already has 160,000 trees listed, but the nature charity believes there are thousands more to be added. Surveying of trees over several years at Winston Churchill's birthplace in Oxfordshire has recorded 291 living oak trees with a girth of at least five metres (16ft) on the estate. Blenheims 'king oak' (pictured) is one of the ancient trees recorded WHAT MAKES A TREE ANCIENT? The Woodland Trust has several categories for different trees based on their importance and age. The most esteemed is 'ancient trees' which, according to the organisation, relies on three thing. This includes: In the third or final stage of its life (this stage can go on for decades or centuries) Old relative to others of the same species Interesting biologically, aesthetically or culturally because of its great age Other signs of an ancient tree include: Crown that is reduced in size and height Large girth in comparison to other trees of the same species Hollow trunk Stag-headed appearance Cavities on trunk and branches, running sap or pools of water forming in hollows Rougher or more creviced bark What is the difference between an ancient tree and a veteran tree? Ancient trees are veteran trees, but not all veteran trees are old enough to be ancient. Veteran trees have developed some of the features found on ancient trees. However, veteran trees are usually only in their second or mature stage of life. Although veteran trees arent as old or complex as ancient trees, they still provide holes, cavities and crevices which are especially important for wildlife. Source: Wildlife Trust Advertisement Members of the public can search for and record these old and gnarly characters of the UK countryside. Ancient trees were recently given the same protection as built heritage under planning rules. But the trust warns that in order to protect them, they must first be identified. Kylie Harrison-Mellor, citizen science officer for the Woodland Trust, said: 'Ancient and veteran trees are the fattest, knobbliest and most fascinating specimens of trees. 'They have countless stories to tell and support huge networks of native flora and fauna. 'They were recently given better protection under the National Planning Policy Framework, but unless we know where they are, we can't campaign against their damage and destruction. 'By recording with the ancient tree inventory, members of the public can take an active part in defending some of our most valuable habitats. 'We know there are thousands out there we haven't found yet who knows, there could still be a bigger collection of ancients waiting to be discovered.' A hoard of scientists and academics are lobbying for a global treaty to stop the use of autonomous killer robots. Concerns are also growing that once the military has established the technology it may fall into the hands of criminals, terrorists and law enforcement and trigger the 'third revolution' in warfare, after gunpowder and nuclear weapons. Nobel prize winning academics and doctors have penned an open letter urging the United Nations to implement a ban designed to restrict the use of AI-powered weapons able to kill people without oversight from a human. Representatives of many United Nations nations are meeting with experts this week to discuss the potential dangers and broach the topic of a worldwide ban. Critics fear that autonomous drones, missile defence systems and tanks powered by artificial intelligence could go rogue in a cyber-attack or as a result of programming errors. The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War is an organisation which was awarded the 1985 Nobel peace prize and has backed the protests. Its leader signed the letter, stating AI has brought the world to the 'brink of a new arms race in lethal autonomous weapons'. Scroll down for video Nobel prize winning academics and medics have penned an open letter urging the United Nations to implement a ban, restricting the use of AI-powered weapons able to kill people without oversight from a human The open letter read: 'Fully autonomous weapons select and engage targets without human intervention, representing complete automation of lethal harm. 'This ability to selectively and anonymously target groups of people without human oversight would carry dire humanitarian consequences and be highly destabilising. 'By nature of being cheap and easy to mass produce, lethal autonomous weapons can fall into the hands of terrorists and despots, lower the barriers to armed conflict, and become weapons of mass destruction enabling very few to kill very many.' The UN meeting is the latest in a string of gatherings, which started in 2016, to debate the pros and cons of killer robots. Concerns centre around their potential to be hacked and the possibility they could go rogue due to poor programming and accidentally kill innocent people. Another Nobel peace prize winner, Jody Williams, also raised concerns and pledged herself to the cause while calling for research into the destructive technology to be abandoned. She won the prestigious accolade in 1997 after leading efforts to ban landmines and she told reporters that Germany should take bold steps to ensure that humans remain in control of lethal weapons. 'You cannot lead from the rear,' she said. While calling on Germany to take proactive steps in order to mitigate damage from these future weapons, the meeting this week in Geneva will face opposition from at least a dozen nations which have previously been reluctant to shelve autonomous killer robot blueprints. These include global superpowers such as Britain, Russia and the US. An agreement suitable for all parties around the world is essential, experts claim, in order to maintain order in the arena of war. They say this would best be implemented by following the same route to a restricted future for biological and chemical weapons. Another Nobel peace prize winner, Jody Williams, also raised concerns and pledged herself to the cause while calling for research into the destructive technology to be abandoned Dr Emilia Javorsky of the campaign group Scientists Against Inhumane Weapons told The Times: 'The global community must agree that such weapons are fundamentally wrong, the same as was done with biological and chemical weapons. 'Certainly there have been instances of cheating in bio and chemical weapons, but there hasn't been large-scale use. 'A key reason for that is stigma. Creating a global norm that certain weapons are unacceptable drastically increases the cost to any individual country of breaking that norm.' 'Each nation must take a stand that autonomous weapons must never come into existence. And we have to do it now, before it's too late.' Dr Noel Sharkey, a Professor of AI and Robotics as well as a Professor of Public Engagement at the University of Sheffield and co-founder of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, told MailOnline ahead of a similar meeting last year that an international treaty banning the use of fully autonomous killer robots is 'vitally important'. Concerns are also growing that once the military has established the technology it may fall into the hands of criminals, terrorists and law enforcement. The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War is an organisation which was awarded the 1985 Nobel peace prize WHY ARE PEOPLE SO WORRIED ABOUT AI? It is an issue troubling some of the greatest minds in the world at the moment, from Bill Gates to Elon Musk. SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk described AI as our 'biggest existential threat' and likened its development as 'summoning the demon'. He believes super intelligent machines could use humans as pets. Professor Stephen Hawking said it is a 'near certainty' that a major technological disaster will threaten humanity in the next 1,000 to 10,000 years. They could steal jobs More than 60 percent of people fear that robots will lead to there being fewer jobs in the next ten years, according to a 2016 YouGov survey. And 27 percent predict that it will decrease the number of jobs 'a lot' with previous research suggesting admin and service sector workers will be the hardest hit. As well as posing a threat to our jobs, other experts believe AI could 'go rogue' and become too complex for scientists to understand. A quarter of the respondents predicted robots will become part of everyday life in just 11 to 20 years, with 18 percent predicting this will happen within the next decade. They could 'go rogue' Computer scientist Professor Michael Wooldridge said AI machines could become so intricate that engineers don't fully understand how they work. If experts don't understand how AI algorithms function, they won't be able to predict when they fail. This means driverless cars or intelligent robots could make unpredictable 'out of character' decisions during critical moments, which could put people in danger. For instance, the AI behind a driverless car could choose to swerve into pedestrians or crash into barriers instead of deciding to drive sensibly. They could wipe out humanity Some people believe AI will wipe out humans completely. 'Eventually, I think human extinction will probably occur, and technology will likely play a part in this,' DeepMind's Shane Legg said in a recent interview. He singled out artificial intelligence, or AI, as the 'number one risk for this century'. Musk warned that AI poses more of a threat to humanity than North Korea. 'If you're not concerned about AI safety, you should be. Vastly more risk than North Korea,' the 46-year-old wrote on Twitter. 'Nobody likes being regulated, but everything (cars, planes, food, drugs, etc) that's a danger to the public is regulated. AI should be too.' Musk has consistently advocated for governments and private institutions to apply regulations on AI technology. He has argued that controls are necessary in order protect machines from advancing out of human control Advertisement Activists from over 100 non-governmental groups gathered in Berlin this week (pictured) to pressure governments in to taking more decisive action. They rallied at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, with a life-sized robot telling onlookers: 'Not all robots will be friendly. Stop killer robots now' Back in 2018, he said: 'Most [countries] have said that meaningful human control of weapons is vitally important. 'I believe that we will get a treaty but the worry is what sort of treaty? 'Without a treaty, killer robots could be rolled out within a year.' The window where control and damage limitation from these non-discriminatory killing machines hitting battlefields is shrinking rapidly. The United Nations and European Union have called for a global ban, but discussions so far have not yielded a clear commitment to conclude a treaty. Activists from over 100 non-governmental groups gathered in Berlin this week to pressure Maas and the German government to take more decisive action after twice endorsing a ban on fully autonomous weapons in their 2013 and 2018 coalition accords. They rallied at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, with a life-sized robot telling onlookers: 'Not all robots will be friendly. Stop killer robots now.' 'If Germany showed leadership and got behind it, we'd soon have the rest of Europe behind it,' said Noel Sharkey. He said it was only a matter of years before fully autonomous weapons could be deployed in battle given rapid advances in artificial intelligence and other technologies. The campaign is rapidly gathering momentum and has published an article in the British Medical Journal reiterating previous concerns that it could usher in 'a third revolution in warfare'. Dr Noel Sharkey, a Professor of AI and Robotics and co-founder of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, told MailOnline ahead of a similar meeting last year that an international treaty banning the use of fully autonomous killer robots is 'vitally important' It read: 'It is not too late to prevent autonomous weapons. Decades of advocacy efforts have shown, however, that once created and in military use, entire classes of weapons are extremely difficult to eliminate: the threat of nuclear war is growing despite the non-proliferation treaty. 'After they are developed for military use, autonomous weapons could easily spread beyond the battlefield to law enforcement agencies or criminals.' A South Korea university received global condemnation last year after partnering with weapons manufacturer Hanwha Systems, worried it would open a 'Pandora's box' of AI-powered killer robots. Academics boycotted the institution in protest and were only appeased when the president of Kaist, Shin Sung-chul, offered reassurances that it is not in the process of developing Skynet-inspired droids. He stated, quite explicitly, that the institution has no intention to develop 'lethal autonomous weapons systems or killer robots.' 'As an academic institution, we value human rights and ethical standards to a very high degree. Kaist has strived to conduct research for better serving the world. 'I reaffirm once again that Kaist will not conduct any research activities counter to human dignity including autonomous weapons lacking meaningful human control.' WILL ROBOTS ONE DAY GET AWAY WITH WAR CRIMES? If a robot unlawfully kills someone in the heat of battle, who is liable for the death? In a report by the Human Rights Watch in 2017, they highlighted the rather disturbing answer: no one. The organisation says that something must be done about this lack of accountability - and it is calling for a ban on the development and use of 'killer robots'. Called 'Mind the Gap: The Lack of Accountability for Killer Robots,' their report details the hurdles of allowing robots to kill without being controlled by humans. 'No accountability means no deterrence of future crimes, no retribution for victims, no social condemnation of the responsible party,' said Bonnie Docherty, senior Arms Division researcher at the HRW and the report's lead author. Advertisement For it's part, Japan's ambassador to the United Nations-backed Conference on Disarmament says his country has not developed fully autonomous weapons systems and has no plans to do so. Nobushige Takamizawa spoke at Monday's opening of the latest weeklong meeting of government experts in Geneva on the future of 'Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems,' also known as 'Killer Robots.' Takamizawa's comments have been widely anticipated in Japan, a country with highly sophisticated technological know-how and concerns about regional security threats - notably North Korea, which in recent years has tested missiles by firing them over Japanese territory. He mentioned 'positive effects' of autonomous weapons systems under human oversight, such as saving labor and reducing collateral damage. Opponents of fully automated systems fear that machines could one day conduct wars without human control. Estonia is building an artificial intelligence powered robo-judge that will rule over a backlog of small court cases. It will be fed legal documents and analyse them before coming to a decision based on its pre-programmed algorithms and training. The 'robot judge' would preside over disputes of less than 7,000 (6,000/$8,000) and free up more time for humans to work on bigger cases. Any ruling would be legally binding but could be appealed to a human judge. The project and technology is still in its infancy and no set date has been announced for its roll-out, but the larger AI project it is part of will announce its results in May. Scroll down for video The 'robot judge' would preside over disputes of less than 7,000 (6,000/$8,000) and free up more time for humans to work on bigger cases. The ruling would be legally binding but could be appealed to a human judge (stock) Estonia is leading the way in embracing technology and digitising despite having only 1.4 million citizens. Details and protocols are still being thrashed out by its developers and revisions would likely be made following advice from legal professionals. Ott Velsberg, the country's chief data officer, told Wired: 'We want the government to be as lean as possible.' Mr Velsberg is currently completing his PhD at Sweden's Umea University on the use of AI in government services. He said: 'Some people worry that if we lower the number of civil employees, the quality of service will suffer. But the AI agent will help us.' Estonia is well placed for embracing robotics as it already employs a national ID card system, e-voting and digital tax filing. The country's economic ministry is also considering granting AI and robots a legal status that would make them 'robot agents'. It would sit somewhere between having a 'separate legal personality', like a corporation, and being an object that is someone else's 'personal property'. The legislation could help determine who is responsible when AI-controlled vehicles or machinery are involved in an accident. Siim Sikkut, the official in charge of the government's IT strategy, said the move would come with several advantages. Ott Velsberg (pictured), the country's chief data officer, said: 'We want the government to be as lean as possible'. He is is currently completing his PhD at Sweden's Umea University on the use of AI in government services 'If we seize this opportunity as a government, we could be one of the trail blazers,' Mr Sikkut said in an interview in in Tallinn on Friday, according to Bloomberg. Mr Sikkut said he isn't aware of any other government preparing a robotics law outside Estonia. He said the new rules will hopefully be brought in 'within a couple of years.' 'We need to get plenty of myths and stereotypes out of the way early on,' Mr Sikkut said. 'Like that robots are taking over everything or that we're going too far with computerisation. 'Of course, these questions need to be addressed with all new technologies.' McDonald's is looking to supercharge sales by using A.I. backed software capable of tailoring products to customers in real-time. America's most iconic fast food chain announced that it has acquired an Israeli company, Dynamic Yield, whose software will use machine-learning to adapt digital menus to feature products based on time, location, preference, demand and more. The Wall Street Journal reported that McDonald's deal to purchase Dynamic Yield was closed at $300 million but neither company has confirmed. McDonald's has revamped its image across the world by deploying a mobile app, renovating stores, and now buying a tech company to help personalize menu items. WHAT IS DYNAMIC YIELD? McDonald's purchase Israeli company, Dynamic Yield which employs data and analytics to increase sales. The tech company will help McDonald's develop dynamic menus capable of tailoring products based on time, location, and even the weather. McDonald's purchasing of the company is likely in response to increased competition in U.S. markets. Advertisement A representative did not respond to a request for comment before publication. According to Dynamic Yield, the software will be deployed both at McDonald's outdoor drive-thru menus, the restaurant's mobile app, as well as digital ordering kiosks within stores. On Dynamic Yield's website, the company describes a mix of services that employ data and analytics to measure and respond to consumer behavior and preference. Its testimonials boast substantial uptick in sales and engagement for brands in online retail and more. McDonald's says it plans to begin rolling out Dynamic Yield's technology at its stores this year. 'With this acquisition, were expanding both our ability to increase the role technology and data will play in our future and the speed with which well be able to implement our vision of creating more personalized experiences for our customers,' said Steve Easterbrook, President and CEO of McDonalds in a statement. While McDonald's reported sales growth in 2018, which the company attributes to delivery and mobile app ordering, in the U.S. -- the restaurant's key market -- store traffic receded. Breakfast, in particular, has been an area of concern according to a report from ABC News. With added competition from direct rivals like Taco Bell, McDonald's has been losing its share of morning-time customers. Time, location, weather, and preference are among factors used by Dynamic Yield to personalize menus. To help boost its brand 'stickiness' the company has launched a sprawling, and costly redesign of its stores across the world to the tune of $1.4 billion in 2018 for its U.S. stores alone. The company expects to spend another $1 billion this year, says ABC. In a statement regarding the acquisition of Dynamic Yield, McDonald's said the newly purchased tech company would continue be kept in tact and continue to serve its many client which include Urban Outfitters, PacSun, and meal delivery service, Hello Fresh. Where do failed and defunct tech products go when they die? In most cases, the answer to that question is that there really isn't one answer, but for historians of Google's many felled initiatives, remembrance is now only a click away. At killedbygoogle.com, the brainchild of coder, Cody Ogden, all of the search giant's killed or soon-to-be killed products, including, apps, services, and hardware, are compiled in a list that reads less like a ledger and more like an actual graveyard. The extensive burial ground contains 149 different apps, services, and types of hardware that run the gamut of Google products, ranging from the company's ill-fated social platform, Google+, to lesser known -- or almost entirely unknown -- offerings like BebaPay GOOGLE KILLS OFF 'ALLO' AFTER 3 YEARS In 2016, Google launched a free app with a built-in personal virtual assistant that aimed to keep chats flowing by suggesting words and emoji to add to your messages. Its skills included: Personal Assistant: When chats involve making plans, Google Assistant could retrieve information on nearby restaurants, movie times and even the weather Smart Replies: The 'Smart Reply' feature let people keep their conversation moving with a single tap by suggesting text and emoji responses based on their personality Expressions: Allo featured a slider that can make your messages and emojis larger or smaller In December 2018, Google revealed it would be killing off Allo. The app will be defunct after March 2019. Advertisement 'We grow accustomed to the apps, services, and devices we use as a part of our routine,' said Ogden in a recent blog post. 'We come to know their characteristics, their quirks, and like a relationship, it deeply affects us, even for years after they are no longer with us.' The extensive burial ground contains 149 different apps, services, and types of hardware that run the gamut of Google products, ranging from the company's ill-fated social platform, Google+, to lesser known -- or almost entirely unknown -- offerings like BebaPay, an electronic ticketing platform in Nairobi, Kenya. Since the website's creation, fans and critics of Google's deceased products have taken to Reddit to opine about which products they remember fondly and which they might be better off without. 'Google Reader was the biggest loss. It was a really handy RSS/Atom feed aggregator. Still miss it these days and nothing comes close. Even Feedly (which is paid),' said one user. 'I'm pissed about Inbox. I love it. And even though Google says they've incorporated Inbox's features into Gmail... They haven't. The bulk sweep of emails isn't there, and that's what made Inbox great,' griped another. The website's creation comes on the heels of several announcements from Google this month that spell the end of three relatively well-known services. Among them are Allo, Google's messaging service launched in 2016, a Google's URL shortener, and Google Inbox, an email service with a loyal following that is set to be discontinued on April 2. At killedbygoogle.com , the brainchild of coder, Cody Ogden, all of the search giant's killed or soon-to-be killed products, including, apps, services, and hardware, are compiled in a list that reads less like a ledger and more like an actual graveyard In fact, according to a report from Fast Company, Google's decision to eliminate Inbox and fold features into its surviving Gmail app was what ignited Ogden's decision to create the website in the first place. 'This project was born as an act of criticism toward a culture of software product churn. It was ignited by the announcement that Google would be killing Inbox by Gmail,' Ogden told Fast Company. 'Ive come to call it "a place of reverence." Like a graveyard, Killed by Google is a place to show respect for what used to exist, and to provide an opportunity for introspection about what ones digital future holds.' Firm AUTEC say it can make 2,400 nigiri rice balls and 200 sushi rolls per hour. Rice is moulded inside a rotating container and poured out flat in sheets Ingredients can be added to create different recipes, such as sashimori and nori The designers of the products say they are intended to be used alongside human chefs in cafeterias and chain restaurants A range of robots capable of instantly making sushi at the touch of a button has been created by engineers. The machines do not require the years of training and hard-work needed for a human to become an accomplished sushi chef but can churn out the fishy delicacies relentlessly. ADVERTISEMENT Sushi-making firm AUTEC say the device can create 2,400 nigiri rice balls and 200 sushi rolls per hour. They are capable of making a wide-range of Japanese food, including rice balls and sushi rolls. Rice is moulded inside a rotating container and poured out flat in the form of various sheets They are capable of making a wide-range of Japanese food, including rice balls and sushi rolls. Rice is moulded inside a rotating container and poured out flat in the form of various sheets. Click here to resize this module A plethora of ingredients can be added to the process to create different recipes, such as sashimori, nori and vegetables. It can then also wrap, package and cut them ready for serving. The designers of the products say they are intended to be used alongside human chefs in cafeterias and chain restaurants. They are available to buy in the UK but may be imported from Japan for delivery in two to eight weeks. The designers of the products say they are intended to be used alongside human chefs in cafeterias and chain restaurants. Sushi-making firm AUTEC say their device can create 2,400 nigiri rice balls and 200 sushi rolls per hour Flippy the burger-flipping robot was developed by Miso Robotics and uses artificial intelligence to flip burgers on a grill. It then places the patties on a rack when they're done Automation is making its way into the food industry as restaurateurs and companies try to minimise costs and maximise efficiency. 'Flippy' the one-armed robot chef hit headlines when it was 'fired' for being unable to work with humans. The one-armed robot chef has been re-tooled and is now flipping 300 burgers a day, seven days a week at Caliburger in Pasadena, California, its developers say. It ran into problems after being unable to work in sync with its human colleagues and continuously placing cooked burgers on the wrong trays. ADVERTISEMENT The robot also attracted so much national interest that the CaliBurger was struggling to keep up with the crowds. NASA could have humans back on the moon within the next five years under the latest orders from the Trump administration. Vice President Mike Pence revealed the new deadline during a speech at the fifth meeting of the National Space Council in Huntsville, Alabama today, where he told an audience that the president wants astronauts to touch down on the lunar south pole by 2024. The VP called on NASA to reignite the spark of urgency for space exploration and make it a priority to set bold goals and stay on schedule. This accelerated timeline, however will undoubtedly be met with many challenges; just weeks ago NASA said it was on schedule to have humans on the moon by 2028 a full four years later than the new target. Scroll down for video Vice President Mike Pence revealed the new deadline during a speech at the fifth meeting of the National Space Council in Huntsville, Alabama today, where he told an audience that the president wants astronauts at the lunar South Pole by 2024 NASAs plans to send humans to the moon rely on its upcoming Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion crew capsule. But, SLS has faced numerous delays over the years, and the agency just recently revealed it will not be ready for the uncrewed Exploration Mission-1, which will serve as crucial proving ground for subsequent missions with crew on board. Despite the mounting obstacles, the Trump administration says it's eyeing a much sooner deadline than NASA had previously planned for. 'Since the end of Apollo 11, weve forged incredible breakthroughs in our technology that have allowed us to go further, more safely in space than ever before,' the Vice President said on Tuesday. 'We have the technology to go the moon and renew American leadership in human space exploration.' 'Just as the United States was the first nation to reach the moon in the 20th century, so too will we be the first nation to return astronauts to the moon in the 21st century,' Pence said. The administration is recommending a 'major course correction' for NASA to prioritize human presence on the moon. Speaking 'on behalf of the president,' Pence said it is the administration's stated policy to put American astronauts on the moon within the next five years. The administration is now calling on NASA to 'embrace a new mindset,' Pence said. The file photo above, taken on July 20, 1969, shows astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., lunar module pilot of the first lunar landing mission 'That begins with setting bold goals and staying on schedule. To reach the moon in the next five years we must select our destinations now. 'NASA already knows that the lunar south pole holds great economic and strategic value. Now its time to commit and go there.' Going there won't be easy, though, and NASA has already been struggling to meet its deadlines. Instead of using its own SLS rocket for the initial uncrewed tests, for example, NASA said this month that it may instead have to use a commercially developed rocket in order to stay on schedule. SLS and Orion were expected to be ready for their first uncrewed test flight in 2020. Though it has not yet named a company that could provide a substitute for SLS, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy and United Launch Alliance's Delta IV are essentially the only contenders. Even with this solution, though, the plan will require extensive workarounds. While NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) would be able to boost Orion and the European Service Module to orbit on its own, theres no rocket currently in existence capable of doing that. The massive rocket that plays a fundamental role in NASAs plans to send humans to the moon and Mars will not be ready on time for the critical first integrated test of the Orion capsule. A concept image of the Space Launch System (SLS rocket) is shown SLS and Orion were expected to be ready for their first uncrewed test flight in 2020. Delays in the schedule now indicate SLS won't be ready, and a workaround may be required. An artist's impression of Orion is shown HOW WOULD NASA LAUNCH EM-1 WITHOUT SLS? NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has said the agency may rely on a commercial rocket to stay on schedule for its June 2020 launch. Though NASA has since decided against this plan, it previously revealed details on how that might have worked. As there's currently no rocket powerful enough to launch the craft to the moon's orbit, the agency would have to devise a workaround. 'Heres what we can do potentially,' Bridenstine said. 'We can use two heavy lift rockets to put the European Service Module into orbit and Orion around Earth. 'Launch a second heavy-lift rocket to put an upper stage in orbit around the Earth, and then dock those two together to throw around the moon the Orion crew capsule with the European Service Module.' But, Bridenstine noted, we don't yet have the ability to dock Orion with anything in orbit. 'So between now and 2020 we would have to make that a reality,' he says. Advertisement To get the two components into orbit around the moon as planned, NASA will need two heavy-lift rockets one to launch Orion and ESM, and a second to launch an upper stage that will dock with Orion in Earths orbit and give it a boost to the moon. Pence's statement today comes as a baffling departure from the agency's previously discussed plans. Construction on the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway an orbiting lunar outpost that will facilitate human exploration isn't expected to begin until 2022 at the earliest. And in a statement at the beginning of this month on the $21 billion 2020 budget, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said NASA is currently on track to have humans back on the moon by 2028. Beginning with a series of small commercial delivery missions to the Moon as early as this year, we will use new landers, robots and eventually humans by 2028 to conduct science across the entire lunar surface, Bridenstine said at the time. Now, NASA will be working under a much tighter deadline, giving it less time to come up with the technology necessary to get humans, safely, to the surface of the moon. But so far, NASA doesn't appear to be shying away from the challenge. 'This agency is up to the task,' Bridenstine said in response to the vice president's new recommendation. 'Were going to do everything we can to meet it.' Assumptions about the migration of bacteria, traditionally thought to happen via human and animal carriers, may be incomplete, according the new research. A new study has found that microbes can also travel thousands of miles through the air. The scientists' hypothesis, referred to as the 'air bridge,' is based on the fact that DNA sequences found in bacteria of disparate hot springs across the world turned out to be identical. Researchers ruled out the spread of bacteria via birds by studying microbes in super-heated water across the world. 'Our research suggests that there must be a planet-wide mechanism that ensures the exchange of bacteria between faraway places,' said senior author Konstantin Severinov, a principal investigator at the Waksman Institute of Microbiology. The researchers studied a type of bio-signature known as bacterial 'memory' that shows how bacteria interacts with viruses. According to the scientists, 'memories' are passed down from bacteria infected by a virus through regions of bacterial DNA called CRISPR Arrays. By studying the order of the 'memories,' researchers can track exactly how bacteria interacts with nearby viruses, giving it a type of recognizable signature. While researchers expected the geographically disparate bacteria studied in the test to contain vastly different memories, what they found instead was that many shared the same history. Birds and other animals were ruled out of the equation due to the fact that the bacteria studied come only from extremely hot water. 'Because the bacteria we study live in very hot waterabout 160 degrees Fahrenheitin remote places, it is not feasible to imagine that animals, birds or humans transport them,' Severinov said in a statement. 'They must be transported by air and this movement must be very extensive so bacteria in isolated places share common characteristics.' By studying the 'memory' of bacteria, researchers are able to determine a type of bio-signature. Samples were collected from bacteria found in gravel at Mount Vesuvius; hot springs on Mount Etna in Italy; hot springs in the El Tatio region in northern Chile and southern Chile's Termas del Flaco region; and hot springs in the Uzon caldera in Kamchatka, Russia. According to the scientists, the findings of the research may change the way we understand how diseases and bacteria are spread, affecting important epidemiological studies like those relating to antibiotic resistant bacteria. Authors of the study are also calling for additional resources to test the air bridge theory by sampling bacteria in different parts of the atmosphere using drones or research balloons. Advertisement An airport lounge in Ecuador with panoramic views and a fine wine cellar has been named as the best in the world in a global awards. The Sala VIP Internacional lounge at Quito International Airport claimed the top prize in the Global Airport Lounge of the Year Awards, which rates business facilities, comfort, service from lounge staff and food and drink. Now in its 14th year, the awards are based on the ratings of 52,000 Priority Pass members, who reviewed the 1,200 airport lounges available to them. Scroll down to learn more about just why the Sala VIP lounge is such a hit and to discover the winners in Europe, North America, Africa and the Middle East and Asia. Global winner - Sala VIP Internacional, Quito International Airport, Ecuador The Sala VIP Internacional lounge inside Quito International Airport in Ecuador, pictured, has been named as the best in the world in the Global Airport Lounge of the Year Awards The recently expanded lounge has panoramic views that look out across the city of Quito The winning lounge has an outdoor terrace, where passengers can sit and soak up the sun before their flight The Sala VIP Internacional lounge is operated by Corporacion Quiport, and has recently been expanded. One of the main highlights, passengers say, is the lounge's outdoor terrace, with panoramic views of the vibrant city of Quito. It's a space said to reflect the light and colour of Ecuador's vibrant capital. The lounge, which has been designed by Adriana Hoyos Design Studio, is fitted out with distinguished locally sourced furnishings, providing a luxurious and cultural feel, say passengers. Its menu is designed by renowned local chef Andres Mino and includes international and Ecuadorian cuisine, and guests can enjoy a variety of wines from the lounge's private cellar. The lounge is fitted out with ample seating and distinguished locally sourced furnishings that provide a luxurious feel The food offering in the Quito lounge menu is designed by renowned local chef Andres Mino and includes international and Ecuadorian cuisine There is also a fully stocked bar and guests can drink wine that comes from the lounge's very own private wine cellar There are also private working spaces, dedicated sleeping areas, a massage room and showers for guests to refresh themselves in before a long flight or during a layover. Andrew O'Brian, President and CEO at Quiport, operator of Sala VIP Internacional, said: 'It's an honour to be named as the global winner of this year's Global Airport Lounge of the Year Awards. 'We're proud to offer a universal space where passengers can relax and unwind whilst still capturing the special Quito spirit. 'Taking in our famous sunsets while surrounded by the jacaranda and jasmine that adorn our terrace is the perfect way to relax before a flight and we're thrilled that this unique experience, coupled with our excellent customer service, has left a lasting impression on our guests.' European winner - Primeclass Business Lounge at Riga International Airport, Latvia The best lounge in Europe has been named as the Primeclass Business Lounge at Riga International Airport, pictured Coming highly commended in Europe is the Northern Lights Executive Lounge in Aberdeen International Airport, pictured, which has a dedicated whisky wall Located in the largest airport in the Baltic states, this spacious lounge has large glass windows that provide views of the runway. To keep local tradition and culture, the lounge offers signature Latvian dishes and drinks including Balsam, and has recently collaborated with local artists, such as Arvils Linde, to exhibit different artworks throughout. Other stand-out features include a conference room, a children's play area and showers. Runner-up in this category is the Northern Lights Executive Lounge in Aberdeen International Airport. This lounge is known for its 'excellent locally-inspired food and drinks offering', endorsed by Craig Wilson, Aberdeenshire's 'Kilted Chef', which includes Aberdeen Angus beef burgers and a dedicated whisky wall. North America winner - Lounge 19, Terminal 1, Mexico City Benito Juarez International Airport Lounge 19, pictured, at Mexico City International Airport, is named as the best airport lounge in North America Lounge 19 in Mexico City International Airport has been open since 2011, but had a face-lift recently courtesy of renowned design firm Materia, well known for working with luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Burberry. Travellers can experience 'fine dishes' created by executive chef Antonio Barreiro, who is skilled in creating a range of international flavours, as well as popular Mexican food his specialty being cochinita pibil, a slow-roasted pork dish, and paella. The lounge also has a sommelier, Dafne Traconis, who selects the fine wines served throughout the lounge, chosen by region, type and varieties. Many passengers say the wine list is the most unique you can experience at any airport lounge. Coming highly commended in North America is The Club MCO at Orlando International Airport in Florida, pictured Celebrating the rich history of Mexico, Lounge 19 also has a permanent art gallery, which has been devoted to the famous Mexican artist, Karla de Lara. Coming highly commended in North America is The Club MCO at Orlando International Airport in Florida. Africa and Middle East winner - Ahlan Lounge at B, Terminal 3, Concourse B, Dubai International Airport The best lounge in Africa and the Middle East is the Ahlan Lounge at B in Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport, pictured Highly commended in Africa and the Middle East is the Marhaba Lounge, pictured, which is also inside Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport Ahlan Lounge at B has been in Dubai Internationals Terminal 3 since 2013, with subtle Arabic displays designed by VisionTech Company and BW Interiors, who worked on the Shangri-La Hotel in Dubai. Chefs Satish Raju and Rey Obordo Caboverde work on the menu, which includes a dash of Arabic food, alongside international plates. Other highlights include massage chairs, personal table service and free WiFi. Coming highly commended in this category is the Marhaba Lounge, which is also inside Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport. Asia Pacific winner - Miracle First Class Lounge, International Concourse D, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport In the Asia Pacific category the top lounge is named as the Miracle First Class Lounge on the international concourse at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport Within the Bangkok lounge, food is prepared and served fresh for 24 hours. All the food is created using local produce and ingredients selected by the head chef Operating in Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport since February 2017, the Miracle First Class Lounge (International Concourse D) was carefully designed by one of Thailands leading interior design companies, Imade. Imade modelled the lounge around modern, contemporary concepts, with a hint of Thai patterns and drawings. Within the lounge, food is prepared and served fresh for 24 hours, meaning travellers can experience the creative dishes put together by head chef Miss Pongphan Thipphomueang at any time of day. Hot meals are served for lunch and dinner, with promotional menus created for special holidays. All the food is created with local produce and ingredients selected by the head chef, which are suitable for all ages and nationalities. Coming highly commended in Asia is the Sats Premier Lounge at Terminal 3 in Changi International Airport in Singapore The kitchen is an open station, meaning visitors are treated to a live showcase of the chefs skills while they prepare the food. And when you need to freshen up, there are shower rooms available, all equipped with fresh towels, luxury toiletries and hairdryers. Highly commended in this category is the Sats Premier Lounge at Terminal 3, Changi International Airport in Singapore, which is equipped with dedicated private business workstations. Andy Besant, director of travel experiences at Collinson, operator of Priority Pass, said: 'Some less explored destinations have performed particularly well in this year's rankings. 'As intrepid travel continues to rise, we're noticing increased traffic in lounges at airports that are off the traditional tourist trail and veer from expected flight paths, highlighting the outstanding experiences that are offered in lounges the world over. 'Priority Pass is committed to offering its members access to the best airport lounges across the world, and our global network of lounge partners ensures travellers can relax before their flight, improving their journey before it's even started.' A prominent new role in long-running zombie drama The Walking Dead has offered a surprising change of direction and with it a legion of fans less familiar with her extensive, if not always mainstream list of film credits. And Samantha Morton admits she didnt think twice about embracing the challenge when given the opportunity to play Alpha, the remorseless, cold-hearted nihilist and feared leader of The Whisperers in the ninth series of AMCs flagship show. It was definitely something Id never really acted before, the British actress, 41, told the latest issue of Radio Times of her latest role, which required her to film on location both in and around Atlanta. Delighted: Samantha Morton admits she didnt think twice about playing Alpha, the remorseless, cold-hearted nihilist and feared leader of The Whisperers in the ninth series of AMC show The Walking Dead So, when the possibility of me talking to the producers [about featuring] on the show came up, I was over the moon then, when I arrived on set in Georgia, everybody was unbelievably kind and welcomed me to the family. The brutal character, originally featured in the graphic novel series upon which the show is based, is famed for her closely shaved head - a pre-requisite that Morton readily accepted. But while she temporarily lost her hair, the actress gained her first television in seven years after being prompted to buy one in order to binge-watch the show before filming her first scenes. New direction: The role has offered a surprising change of direction and with it a new legion of fans less familiar with her extensive, if not always mainstream list of film credits 'Well, when I got the part in The Walking Dead, I said to my partner, Listen, I think we need to sort out a telly so I can watch it,"' she explained. 'So we got a television like a normal family. But it has a big blanket over it. At a certain time, the television goes to sleep: Oh, the TVs tired!' The star had previously opted to boycott television from the home she shares with partner Harry Holm, the son of celebrated actor Ian Holm, and her three children in remote Peak District village Monyash. Striking: The brutal character, originally featured in the graphic novel series upon which the show is based, is famed for her closely shaved head - a pre-requisite that Morton readily accepted An unconventional decision given her vocation, Morton admits her attitude towards mainstream media changed when she became a mother. 'You dont want them to turn the telly on and just be constantly bombarded with stuff,' she said. 'Im not a huge fan of that when youre raising children.' However the move has not deterred oldest child Esme, her 19-year old daughter with former partner Charlie Creed-Miles, into following her mother's career path. Read all about it: The full interview is available in the latest issue of Radio Times , out now The young actress made her screen debut as American child star Shirley Temple in 2007 film Mister Lonely, director Harmony Korine's independent release featuring an ensemble cast including Diego Luna, James Fox and Morton as an aging Marilyn Monroe. But she will be away from her mother's watchful eye in Hanna, a new Amazon show based on the 2011 film of the the same name in which she plays the titular character, a young girl on the run from the CIA. Reflecting on the role, Morton admits she can't help but feel nervous about what may well be a career defining opportunity for her daughter. 'Well, like any mum, you just worry and hope that shes being looked after,' she said. 'You hear stories of some young people getting into the business and its great, but some find it tough at times. 'I was very young when I was acting in Boon and Soldier, Soldier. But I had lots of very, very small bit parts to give me a taster. I did a lot of extras work. Acting is actually a lot of waiting around.' The full interview is available in the latest issue of Radio Times, out now. She plays aerialist Colette Marchant in Tim Burton's new adaptation of Dumbo. But Eva Green, 38, has now revealed she surprised herself by taking on the daring role - as she is 'so scared of heights'. Speaking to Radio Times, the French actress confessed she 'didn't know' if she would be able to play Colette until she was taught the ropes by 'wonderful circus people.' Fear: Eva Green, 38, has revealed she surprised herself by taking on the daring role as she is 'so scared of heights' She said: 'I surprised myself by playing the trapeze lady. I'm so scared of heights, I didn't know if I could do it. 'But wonderful circus people taught me. It's very physical: you need strong arms and abs.' The actress trained for two months to get ready for the role, and she previously revealed she was 'petrified' when she first saw the stunts demonstrated. Learn the ropes: The French actress confessed she 'didn't know' if she would be able to play Colette until she was taught the ropes by 'wonderful circus people' Speaking at the Los Angeles conference, she shared to Fresh Fiction TV: 'The circus people were very patient, very kind with me, I was absolutely petrified. I thought I would never be able to do that. 'For two months, every day, I trained, you need a very strong core as well. Very strong abs. Very strong arms. 'Little by little, I'd go higher and higher and higher and that was amazing.' Dedication: The actress trained for three months to get ready for the role, and she previously revealed she was 'petrified' when she first saw the stunts demonstrated Magic: Dumbo follows the tale of a circus elephant ridiculed for his big ears who discovers he can use his ears as wings and can fly (Pictured L-R: Katterli Frauenfelder, Colin Farrell, Nico Parker, Tim Burton, Finley Hobbins, Eva Green, Danny DeVito, Derek Frey and Justin Springer) Dumbo follows the tale of a circus elephant ridiculed for his big ears who discovers he can use his ears as wings and fly. Alongside Eva, the film stars Colin Farrell as former circus star Holt Farrier. The actor, 42, said he believes Tim Burton's latest offering doesn't change the core message of Disney's 1941 original. He said: 'Dumbo provides an opportunity for all the human characters in the film to have their own inner awakenings. It literally brings magic into everyone's life.' Star: Danny DeVito, who plays struggling circus owner Max Medici in Dumbo, told the publication the film has a 'lotta heart' He also revealed it wasn't a problem that the cast were unable to see their floppy-eared co-star on set, as the titular character will be added post-production. 'How could you be resistant to the charms of a flying elephant?,' the actor said. And Danny DeVito, who plays struggling circus owner Max Medici in Dumbo, told the publication the film has a 'lotta heart.' He said: 'This elephant has so much soul and purity and innocence, and that speaks to everybody.' Following on from re-makes of Cinderella, Maleficent, Jungle Book, and Beauty and the Beast, Disney's latest live-action offering is set to be released in March. Burton is in the director's chair for the film, while his frequent collaborator Danny Elfman is on board to do the soundtrack. It is based upon a storyline written by Helen Aberson and is a full-length adaptation of Walt Disney's 1941 animated film of the same name written by Otto Englander, Joe Grant, and Dick Huemer. A prominent relationship guru has slammed the Married At First Sight 'experts' for allowing Jessika Power and Dan Webb to leave their spouses and stay on the show as a couple following their illicit 'affair'. After weeks of concealing their trysts, the 'cheating' pair finally came clean and requested to continue the experiment together during Sunday night's shock commitment ceremony. Counselling psychotherapist Dr Karen Phillip claims the show's 'experts' are condoning 'immoral and unethical' behaviour by letting them stay. 'They are condoning and justifying it!' A prominent relationship guru has slammed the Married At First Sight 'experts' for allowing Jessika Power and Dan Webb to leave their spouses and stay on the show as a couple following their illicit 'affair' The Sydney-based therapist told Herald Sun on Tuesday: 'They are condoning it, they are justifying it, and they are telling the public that the conflict and arguing is OK, the cheating is OK; its not OK!' Dr Phillip added: 'This affair of Jess and Dan and now the fact that they are staying in, is ethically and morally inappropriate, because it tends to condone that it doesnt matter what you do or who you hurt, lets do that if we think we can find love and thats completely immoral and unethical.' Jessika, 27, and Dan, 35, angered and upset their respective partners, Mick Gould, 31, and Tamara Joy, 30, when the cheating scandal was revealed. A spokesman for Married At First Sight's producer Endemol Shine Australia told the Herald Sun: 'The experts role is to observe what happens within the experiment, not to change its course. For this reason the experts decided to allow Jess and Dan to explore their relationship further within the experiment.' 'The experts role is to observe, not to change its course': A spokesman for Endemol Shine Australia told the publication the experts chose to keep the couple to see how their relationship would flourish 'It tends to condone that it doesnt matter what you do or who you hurt, lets do that if we think we can find love': Counselling psychotherapist Dr Karen Phillip claims the decision to allow the cheaters to start afresh provided a bad example for viewers to follow 'They've been through enough!' On Sunday night, relationship expert John Aitken, 48, said Jessika and Dan had ' destroyed moral code' by cheating on their partners (Left: Jessika with Mick Gould, Right: Dan with Tamara Joy) On Sunday night, MAFS relationship expert John Aitken, 48, urged the pair to say their goodbyes to the rest of the group as their TV spouses had 'been through enough'. 'While you're doing that, we have to discuss and face a situation which we've never experienced on Married At First Sight before,' he told the remaining participants. Later in the episode, John and fellow love experts Trisha Stratford and Mel Schilling were seen discussing how to move forward following Jessika and Dan's bombshell revelation. Tough decision: The show's three experts decided to let Jessika and Dan remain in the experiment, much to the dismay of the other couples Mel said there was no way the show's other couples would be accepting of the pair as a couple. 'It's a breach of rules, there's a moral code that they've destroyed,' John said. Trisha added: 'We've never had this before.' Ultimately though, the experts decided to let Jessika and Dan remain in the experiment, much to the dismay of the other couples. Married At First Sight continues Tuesday 7.30pm on Channel Nine Shannen Doherty sued her insurance company for $1.4 million for not providing adequate assistance when her house was damaged by the Woolsey Fire in Malibu last November. Now, in documents obtained by The Blast, State Farm General maintains it did nothing wrong in denying the claim, in part, because the policy Doherty has does not cover the damages she is seeking. The company also accused the Beverly Hills, 90210 star of not taking the proper steps to mitigate the damages claimed, to the extent that the 'plaintiff's damages have been increased' by her failure to take timely action. The case: State Farm General maintains it did nothing wrong in denying Doherty's full claim of damages due to the Woolsey Fire in Nov; the actress is pictured with firefighters at her home To make its case, State Farm argued that Doherty failed to 'satisfy all condition precedent to her rights, if any, to benefits under the insurance policy issued by State Farm.' The policy includes provisions that require the reporting of damage to the insurance company within a timeframe and to protect the property from further damage. As a result, State Farm is demanding Dohertys lawsuit be thrown out. Court battle: State Farm General is demanding Doherty's $1.4 million lawsuit be thrown out, according to court documents obtained by The Blast In her suit, Doherty claimed the company 'took advantage' of her situation and refused to arrange proper coverage after her house and surrounding property in Malibu suffered severe smoke damage. 'When something doesn't go right, State Farm will fight its insureds tooth and nail to avoid having to pay out under the policy,' the actress said as reported by ET Canada. 'Instead, State Farm will take advantage of the vulnerability and distress of its policy holders when they find themselves in the very situations they paid thousands of dollars in premiums to insure against.' Personal battle: The 47-year old star maintains her breast cancer treatments forbid her to be exposed to smoke and smoke damaged property The 47-year old, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, said State Farm only offered two weeks of coverage for a temporary housing while her property was being cleaned up. In the documents, the Charmed star explained how her health condition, which includes chemotherapy and radiation treatments, forbid that she be exposed to smoke and smoke damaged property. Doherty's lawsuit includes all losses covered under her State farm policy plus damages for what she claims is a wrongful denial of benefits. Married At First Sight's Ines Basic has been sentenced to 70 hours of community service and disqualified from driving for three months after pleading guilty to drink driving at Cleveland Magistrates Court in Brisbane on Tuesday. On Christmas Day last year, the 29-year-old legal assistant got drunk on vodka and rammed her vehicle into her sister Ena's car as it was parked in the driveway of her Redland Bay home, 9News reported. Ines's lawyer Ivan Sayad explained that his client's illegal behaviour was the result of being 'ridiculed' by her sister for appearing on reality TV, before Ines herself defiantly told the court: 'I would never drink and drive, but the b***h pissed me off!' Guilty! Married At First Sight's Ines Basic has been sentenced to 70 hours of community service and disqualified from driving for three months after pleading guilty to drink driving at Cleveland Magistrates Court in Brisbane on Tuesday. Pictured arriving at court Crime: On Christmas Day last year, Ines got drunk on vodka and rammed her vehicle into her sister Ena's car as it was parked in the driveway of her Redland Bay home. Pictured: Ena Basic According to the prosecutor, Ines had been 'carrying on like an idiot' and screaming obscenities during the incident, which took place at around 7pm on December 25. She had been drinking vodka since 10am and, following her argument with her sister about appearing on MAFS, yelled: 'I'm gonna f**king burn your f**king house down!' After police arrived at the scene, Ines called them 'c**ts' and told a female officer, 'F**king arrest me then, b**ch!' In sentencing, Magistrate Deborah Vasta told Ines to 'get some perspective on life' and branded her an 'absolute brat'. Vasta hoped the community service would help Ines understand the 'real fabric of society' and escape from the 'bubble of artificiality' she has been living in. Stylish: Earlier in the day, she was pictured arriving at court in a limousine wearing a black pantsuit, blazer and stiletto heels while flanked by her own personal bodyguard Earlier in the day, Ines was pictured arriving at court in a limousine wearing a black pantsuit, blazer and stiletto heels while flanked by her own personal bodyguard. Looking every inch the reality star, Ines concealed her gaze behind a pair of designer sunglasses and appeared to sport a fresh spray tan. She styled her brunette hair in a tight ponytail and looked stony faced as she was escorted from the parking lot into the courthouse. In total, Ines pleaded guilty to a mid-range drink driving offence, driving without due care, being a public nuisance and contravening the direction or requirement of police officer. The latter charge was the result of Ines giving police the false name, 'Vanessa Dorothy Ines'. Protection: The legal assistant had a bodyguard with her as she arrived at the courthouse Excuse me! The security guard kept photographers away from Ines as she arrived at court Feeling glum? Ines styled her brunette hair in a tight ponytail and looked rather stony faced Dressed to impressed! Looking every inch the reality star, Ines concealed her gaze behind a pair of designer sunglasses and appeared to sport a fresh spray tan Charged: Ines pleaded guilty to a mid-range drink driving offence, driving without due care, being a public nuisance and contravening the direction or requirement of police officer Legal woes: The charges stemmed from an incident that took place on Christmas Day last year To be charged with a mid-range drink driving offense, someone must register a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of over 0.10 per cent but under 0.15 per cent. Mid-range drink driving is the second most serious drink driving offence under Queensland law and carries a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and/or a 20 penalty unit fine for a first offence. A Channel Nine spokesperson previously told Daily Mail Australia: 'This is a private matter of Ines's which we understand is currently before the courts and we will not be commenting further.' Following her court appearance on Tuesday, Ines followed her bodyguard and met her lawyer at Elysium Restaurant and Bar. Making her exit: Ines looked downcast as she left the courthouse after pleading guilty Safe and sound: She was protected by her personal bodyguard as she exited the building Media circus: The reality TV star was surrounded by members of the media Out the way! Ines needed the help of her bodyguard to make it through all the reporters A minor adjustment: The Brisbane-based reality star adjusted her dark sunglasses Graceful exit: The brunette gingerly stepped out of the car in her high heels Off she goes! The legal assistant followed her bodyguard after leaving the vehicle Stressed? The Bosnian bride had a tense facial expression after pleading guilty Where to next? Ines followed her bodyguard and met her lawyer at Elysium Restaurant and Bar after court A tough conversation? At one stage, she looked strained during a tense phone call Who's there? Ines appeared somewhat stressed as she stood hunched over a balcony at the eatery They've been together for over 20 years, after first meeting at school aged just 14. And Danny Dyer and wife Joanne Mas proved their love was still just as strong as ever as they were pictured leaving a yoga date on Monday. The couple, aged 41 and 42 respectively, didn't appear to have a care in the world as they made their way to their car following their workout session. Yoga date: Danny Dyer, 41, and wife Joanne Mas, 42, proved their love was still just as strong as ever as they were pictured leaving a yoga date on Monday EastEnders star Danny rocked a casual ensemble in a white t-shirt and black jogging bottoms, topped off with a black flat cap. He teamed this with a pair of white trainers as he clutched bottles of Fiji water, a yoga mat and what appears to be an official Love Island water bottle. Meanwhile, Joanne, whose daughter Dani Dyer, 22, coincidentally won the last series of Love Island, looked equally cosy in her relaxed ensemble. The mother-of-three donned a dark blue sweater, black jogging bottoms and blue and white sliders paired with socks. Keeping it casual: EastEnders star Danny rocked a casual ensemble in a white t-shirt and black jogging bottoms, topped off with a black flat cap Wedded bliss: The couple didn't appear to have a care in the world as they made their way to their car following their workout session Time to go: He teamed this with a pair of white trainers as he clutched bottles of Fiji water, a yoga mat and what appears to be an official Love Island water bottle Packing up: The Mick Carter actor loaded their things into the car after leaving a yoga session with wife Joanne She was seen rummaging in her designer handbag as she walked alongside her husband of two years, Their outing comes a day after they attended the Wonder Park screening with their son Arty, five, and a family friend at Leicester Square's Vue Cinema in London on Sunday afternoon. The actor looked effortlessly cool as he sported a sophisticated grey longline jacket and indigo jeans for the fun-filled outing. Out and about: The mother-of-three donned a dark blue sweater, black jogging bottoms and blue and white sliders paired with socks Having fun: Danny enjoyed some downtime as he attended the Wonder Park screening with his wife Joanne, their son Arty (bottom left), five, in London on Sunday Protecting his eyes from the sun, the Outlaw star complemented his ensemble with a pair of stylish square-framed shades. Joanne, 42, opted for an equally chic appearance as she teamed a comfy black cardigan with black skinny jeans and box-fresh trainers. With her tresses styled in a straight fashion, the blonde went for a neutral-toned make-up look, and accessorised with oversized pink-tinted sunglasses. The couple also serve as doting parents to 2018's Love Island winner Dani and Sunnie, 11. Exciting: The actor looked effortlessly cool as he sported a sophisticated grey longline jacket and indigo jeans for the fun-filled outing Dapper display: Protecting his eyes from the sun, the Outlaw star complemented his ensemble with a pair of stylish square-framed shades Wonder Park follows the story of June (Brianna Denski), who creates a magical theme park ran by a group of animals. Danny's appearance comes after it was reported he greets himself as ''hello King'' every morning in the mirror, after he was revealed to be a descendant of King Edward III. The revelation is said to come from his wife Joanne and daughter Dani, 22, in an upcoming appearance on All Round To Mrs Browns, according to The Daily Star. Screen star Danny famously discovered his royal ancestry on Who Do You Think You Are? in 2016, and went on to present the two-part programme Danny Dyer's Right Royal Family at the start of the year. Looking good: Joanne opted for an equally chic appearance as she teamed a comfy black cardigan with black skinny jeans and box-fresh trainers The publication reports that host Brendan O'Carroll told the audience: 'We have Love Island's Dani Dyer and her mum on. 'They reveal how Dani's dad, Danny, gets up in the morning, looks in the mirror and says: 'Hello King!'' Danny is the great-grandfather 22 times removed of King Edward III, and is also related to William the Conqueror and Henry VIII's advisor Thomas Cromwell. Family first: The couple also serve as doting parents to 2018's Love Island winner Dani (pictured), 22, and Sunnie, 11 Sweet: Danny has a close relationship with all three of his children and often shares snaps of their family life on social media (pictured with daughter Sunnie) Earlier this month, the hardman broke the news of his royal ancestry to His Majesty Prince Charles during a hilarious encounter at the Prince's Trust Awards. In his true comedic fashion, Danny greeted the royal: 'I'm in EastEnders... I just want to let you know I'm related to you.' He went on to tell a laughing Charles, who called him 'Daniel', how he had discovered he is a direct descendant of King Edward III. 'I think I freaked him out a little bit,' he said afterwards. 'He had a good laugh though.' Helen Mirren cut a casual figure as she arrived at LAX airport in Los Angeles on Monday. The British actress, 73, looked in high spirits as she strolled with her suitcase through the airport. She donned a black cardigan with a crisp white shirt and black trousers with matching shoes. Travel: Helen Mirren cut a casual figure as she arrived at LAX airport in Los Angeles on Monday The star went make-up free for her travels, instead letting her natural beauty shine through. Despite being off duty, the actress found time to sign an autograph for a fan. Helen will star as Catherine The Great in a new TV series based on the Russian Emperor's life. She was confirmed in January to be playing the role of the Russian Queen with an extremely colourful love life, focusing on her affair with Grigory Potemkin, who will be played by Terminator star Jason Clarke, 49. Casual: The British actress, 73, looked in high spirits as she strolled with her suitcase through the airport So cool: Helen rocked the monochrome look as she made her way out of the airport Hello: Helen beamed to the camera as she pushed her suitcase through the terminal Despite her illustrious career in the film industry, Helen previously admitted she struggled with insecurities in the early stages of her career. She told The Daily Telegraph: 'I have experienced insecurity all my life, and I still do on a daily basis. I remember having these panic attacks but not at the obvious moments.' The Woman in Gold star confessed were 'so many things' she didn't like about her body when she was propelled into the limelight as an actress in the late 1960's. Long flight: The star went make-up free for her travels, instead letting her natural beauty shine through Style: She donned a black cardigan with a crisp white shirt and black trousers with matching shoes So lovely: Despite being off duty, the actress found time to sign an autograph for a fan She explained: 'Because I have never felt beautiful. There are people who are beautiful and I'm objective enough to know that I don't fit into that category. 'For me, still now, it's to do with wit and intelligence rather than the way I look. I don't feel clever or funny enough.' Speaking about her career in an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Helen told how she would love to portray a James Bond villain one day. She said: 'Women get to play much cooler villains these days But Ive always had a secret ambition to play a villain in a James Bond movie.' Apple unveiled the first wave of programming that will be available on their Apple TV+ streaming service, including the new show See starring Jason Momoa. The 39 year old Aquaman star was on hand at the Cupertino, California event along with his co-star Alfre Woodard. The first footage was unveiled as part of a sizzle reel with other Apple TV+ shows including The Morning Show, Amazing Stories and more. New role: The 39 year old Aquaman star was on hand at the Cupertino, California event along with his co-star Alfre Woodard On stage: The survivors, who give birth to a new generation who are born blind, set forth to build a new world, 'designed and built to be experienced without sight' Momoa plays Baba Voss in this series, described as a warrior, leader and guardian, set in a world where every human is blind. 'Try to think about the world this way: heard, touched, smelled, sensed,' Momoa teased at the Cupertino, California event. 'Imagine every human experience available to you love, joy, discovery, despair, and home imagine it was all experienced this way without seeing,' he added. Baba Voss: Momoa plays Baba Voss in this series, described as a warrior, leader and guardian, set in a world where every human is blind Woodard: Woodard plays Paris, a preistess and advisoer to Baba Voss, with the actress revealing at the event that the show is set after an apocalyptic event Woodard plays Paris, a preistess and advisoer to Baba Voss, with the actress revealing at the event that the show is set after an apocalyptic event. A mysterious virus spread and wiped out nearly all of humanity, but the survivors who were left were blinded. The survivors, who give birth to a new generation who are born blind, set forth to build a new world, 'designed and built to be experienced without sight.' Virus: A mysterious virus spread and wiped out nearly all of humanity, but the survivors who were left were blinded 'In this world, we have our evil queens, brave heroes, and thrilling adventure, but beyond the adventure, See will ask questions you may have already started asking yourselves,' Woodard said. 'How much of my experience of the world is visual? Without sight, will it change who I am? Woodard added. The trailer offered a few bits and pieces of footage from see, which ends with Momoa's Baba Voss telling Hera Hilmar's Maghra, 'This is where we build our new home.' Instagram: The trailer offered a few bits and pieces of footage from see, which ends with Momoa's Baba Voss telling Hera Hilmar's Maghra, 'This is where we build our new home' New photos: Momoa also took to his Instagram to reveal new photos from the show and share how excited he is about the show Momoa also took to his Instagram to reveal new photos from the show and share how excited he is about the show. 'Its been an amazing time filming See really exciting to see all the shows and images today,' he added. 'All my aloha to our amazing crew and cast. Its winding up for BABA VOSS. next character DUNCAN IDAHO Cant wait to for @apple to launch it. Stay tuned. He also gave a shout-out to director Francis Lawrence, who directed the pilot, stating, 'your the man love u. Da best Aloha j.' Amazing: 'Its been an amazing time filming See really exciting to see all the shows and images today,' he added He will play Sir Elton John in the highly anticipated biopic Rocketman to be released later this year. And Taron Egerton, 29, has wished the iconic musician, 72, a happy birthday by dressing up as him for a photo he shared on Instagram. The Welsh actor posed in a gold jacket and matching hot pants for the snap, where he completed his look with a pair of shades and large gold, blue and red boots. Taron Egerton, 29, has wished Sir Elton John, 72, a happy birthday by dressing up as him for a photo he shared on Instagram He wrote: 'Happy Birthday, @eltonjohn. You are just about the most extraordinary person Ive ever met. 'In honour of your birthday, heres a photo of me (as you) in some hot pants.' Taron recently revealed that he 'loved every second' of filming a sex scene with his Rocketman co-star Richard Madden, 32. Speaking to MTV, the actor said: 'I really threw myself into it, I filmed my first sex scene for this film and it's with quite a well-known man. He wrote: 'Happy Birthday, @eltonjohn. You are just about the most extraordinary person Ive ever met (Elton pictured in 1975) Role: Taron Elton John in the highly anticipated biopic Rocketman to be released later this year The film sees Taron play Elton during his rise to fame in the 1970s, during which time he was managed by John Reid (Richard), who was also his lover. Revealing his hopes for the movie, Taron added: 'I do feel the movie we shot is absolutely a celebration of everything that Elton John is and part of that is his sexuality. 'I actually think the gay community will be quite surprised by quite how gay it feels. I've loved every second of it.' Story: The film sees Taron play Elton during his rise to fame in the 1970s (pictured in February 2019) Labelled a 'true fantasy', the film is co-produced by Sir Elton, alongside his husband David Furnish, 55. The film also stars Jamie Bell as Bernie Taupin, who wrote a catalogue of hits with John, while Bryce Dallas Howard and Steven Mackintosh play his parents. Although the movie, written by Lee Hall, is based on fact, some of Eltons story has been fictionalised, while Welsh-born Taron does his own singing. The film is slated for release in the UK on May 31 2019, and in the USA on May 17. He won the nation's hearts as the charming Smithy in Gavin & Stacey before landing a spot on America's The Late Late Show. But now James Corden, 40, will reportedly be taking time out as a regular host of Sky One's A League of Their Own after nine years on the popular panel show. The actor, who has been a regular presenter on the talk show alongside team captains Andrew Flintoff and Jamie Redknapp, has had to pull out of his hosting duties due to work commitments and his busy work schedule. Funny man: Actor and TV personality James Corden, 40, will be stepping down as a regular host of Sky One's A League of Their Own However. arrangements are being made so that James can still make an appearance for some of the shows. The claims come as the panel show prepares for its new series later this year. James, who has been a prominent face on the panel show since it first aired on our screens on March 2010, will be absent from episodes of the upcoming series as he focuses on other commitments. A source told The Sun: 'James loves A League Of Their Own and has always ensured hes been able to appear while his career booms in the States. 'But this summer, work commitments mean he cannot make all of the shows. Let's talk: James has been a regular host on Sky One's A League of Their Own for nine years Taking a selfie: The TV host will not be present for all episodes of the upcoming series due to his busy work schedule 'Hopefully next year hell return to normal as he misses everybody involved.' After jetting off to the sunny Los Angeles to take his role as presenter of the CBS show James has become a household name in the States. He recently recreated iconic scenes from the blockbuster movie Titanic with Celine Dion for his late-night talk show. Smile: James has become a household name in the States after his job on The Late Late Show However despite his global success, A League Of Their Own still remains a show with a special place in his heart and he is eager to return. Through the years the panel show has seen regular panellists John Bishop, comedian Jack Whitehall and presenter Georgie Thompson make the nation laugh with their on-screen antics on the popular game show. MailOnline has contacted a representative of James Corden for comment. TOWIE's Sam Mucklow has insisted he and Shelby Tribble have been 'sleeping with each other for months'. The hunk told MailOnline he is 'furious' with the brunette for 'manipulating' the situation to appear as if they only just got together, calling her a 'one-trick pony'. The pair had an explosive row on the first episode of the new series while they were in Thailand, which saw him call her a 'sl*g' just one day after they slept together. Interview: TOWIE's Sam Mucklow has insisted he and Shelby Tribble have been 'sleeping with each other for months' and is 'furious' with her for 'manipulating' the situation to appear as if they only just got together Shelby was livid when she learned Sam had made the moves on TOWIE newbie Demi Sims, but Sam has exclusively told MailOnline in reality, the Thailand incident was not the first time they slept together. He said: 'Im flirty with every girl I meet. I definitely didnt lead Shelby on, me and Shelby have been sleeping with each other for months, for months. 'The reason Im so furious with Shelby in this whole situation is because she seems to have manipulated this whole story as if Ive made her my friend, earned her trust, slept with her the first night and then given her the elbow for somebody else, which is not the facts at all.' Speaking at the TOWIE press night at Sheesh restaurant in Chigwell, Essex, Sam revealed he and Shelby have been close with each other for a year but he believes their relationship is now ruined, insisting he will 'never forgive her'. He said: 'Me and Shelby have been close for a year, weve slept with each other many times. That was just another time. It started at Christmas, we slept with each other a few times. Fight: The pair had an explosive row on the show while they were in Thailand in which viewers saw him call her a 'sl*g' just one day after they slept together (pictured in March 2019) Angry: Shelby was furious when she learned Sam had made the moves on TOWIE newbie Demi Sims Claims: Sam has exclusively told MailOnline in reality, the Thailand incident was not the first time they slept together 'This was why I was angry with the whole situation, I dont deserve a drink in my face. I am so angry with her, Im not talking to her now, I dont want to talk to her. I will never forgive her for this situation. 'I have been abused because of that whole scenario. People genuinely think I have built this trust from Shelby and then used it to manipulate her to get her into bed and then give her the elbow. 'We were friends with benefits, I slept with her and then she would sleep with other geezers and then wed talk about it, she knows about girls I was sleeping with. We have that relationship.' Sam went on to say he believes Shelby has used the situation for her 'benefit' and he feels he has been 'played'. He said: 'Im flirty with every girl I meet. I definitely didnt lead Shelby on, me and Shelby have been sleeping with each other for months' (pictured with Demi Sims on Monday night) Not mincing his words, the reality star described Shelby as a 'one-trick pony' and said she does not bring anything to TOWIE if she is not in a relationship. He said: 'Shes my close pal, it was never ever going to be more than that, she knows that. Obviously I took her for dinner and treated her really nice, same with Cleo [Theodorou], shes dating my best friend. 'Its just the way that I am so I would do anything for any of them at any time. Anyone who knows me, knows the way I am with people. I just feel that shes used it to her benefit. He said: 'I am so angry with her, Im not talking to her now, I dont want to talk to her. I will never forgive her for this situation' (pictured in September 2018) 'Im so furious because Im quite intelligent and I was very naive and played. But listen, Shelby is a one-trick pony, without a relationship or a man in her life what else is she bringing to the show? Nothing. Shes either the back end of Pete [Wicks] or rowing with Clelia.' Sam admitted he is now refusing to film anymore with Shelby and has told producers he will remove his microphone and 'run off' if they make them film together. He said: 'Thats why I refuse to film with her now because Im not carrying her through this show anymore. I said to producers I will take my mic off if they make me run into her. Sam added: 'Shelby is a one-trick pony, without a relationship or a man in her life what else is she bringing to the show? Nothing' (pictured in August 2018) 'Im not having it, Im still furious about the whole situation and I dont want to exploit myself on camera again for their benefit. Im not going to do that and get trolled and abused for a week, Im not having that.' Sam also opened up to MailOnline about his fling with Demi, saying it's nothing too serious. He said: 'Its not serious, its very friendly. Im known for steaming in and f*****g up. Demis family Ive known them for a long time. 'Theyre wary of me and so they should be. Ive always been in relationships my whole life this is the first time Ive been single. 'Im loving the drama, Im enjoying myself. Im flying with work and Ive got all my pals around me.' MailOnline has contacted representatives for TOWIE and Shelby for further comment. She formed close relationships with fellow members of the Primrose Hill set, featuring Kate Moss, Patsy Kensit and Pearl Lowe. And Sadie Frost appeared in great spirits as she reunited with close pal Meg Mathews for her starry 53rd birthday bash at The Dorchester's China Tang restaurant in London on Monday evening. The Bram Stoker's Dracula actress, 53, was in good company as she held hands with her long-term boyfriend Darren Strowger during their fun-filled outing. Starry: Sadie Frost appeared in great spirits as she reunited with close pal Meg Mathews for her 53rd birthday bash at The Dorchester's China Tang restaurant in London on Monday Putting on a typically sophisticated display, the screen star sported a black tweed coat, teamed with a crisp green blouse and wide-leg trousers. The raven-haired beauty boosted her height in a pair of suede black ankle boots and maintained her stylish appearance with a chain-strap handbag. Sadie swept her tresses into a slick updo and complemented her youthful-looking visage with shades of pink. Date night: The Bram Stoker's Dracula actress, 53, was in good company as she held hands with her long-term boyfriend Darren Strowger during their fun-filled outing Sadie's outing comes after the mother admitted she was 'ready' for her children to move out of the family home last month. The actress revealed with each of her four children - Finlay, 28, Rafferty, 22, Iris, 18, and Rudy, 16 - slowly emptying the nest, she feels relieved at having her own space after 'worrying about domestic stuff for over 30 years'. Speaking in an interview with The Times, she said: 'You know what? I'm ready for it. I love being a mum, but by the time Rudy leaves I'll have been worrying about domestic stuff for over 30 years and it will be my time.' Sadie went on to divulge her plans for the next chapter in her life, which involve backpacking around India when she heads to Mumbai to film her production company's latest movie. Birthday girl: Meg appeared in great spirits as she was joined by her nearest and dearest on her special day Back in the day: Sadie formed close relationships with fellow members of the Primrose Hill set, featuring Patsy Kensit, Pearl Lowe and Kate Moss (pictured with Sadie in 2000) She said: 'I've waited for a long time for this, I'm very excited. I haven't done anything like this since I was 16, when I modelled in Japan for two months and then went trekking round Thailand for two months with a couple of hundred quid.' The former model added that son Finlay's upcoming wedding have forced her plans to happen sooner rather than later because she wants to be here to see her grandchildren when they eventually arrive. Sadie was previously married to Spandau Ballet guitarist Gary Kemp, 59. The couple married in 1988, welcomed son Finlay in 1990 and divorced in 1995. She met actor Jude Law, 46, on set of the film Shopping in 1994, and the pair married in September 1997, and had three children together. Finlay is a DJ and a member of the band Rivrs, while Rafferty and Iris are models. Adventure awaits: The fashion designer recently admitted she was 'ready' for her children to move out of the family home last month (pictured with daughter Iris Law in 2018) It was supposed to be a romantic retreat to celebrate one of the most important moments of their life with the opening of new bar TomTom. But Tom Schwartz, 36, and wife Katie Maloney-Schwartz, 31, were shown on Monday's episode of Vanderpump Rules getting into a furious fight that recalled some of their most bitter outbursts from the show's past. Katie, 31, failed to hide her resentment at how much time her husband needed to spend on preparing the hip bar for its opening night. Bitter argument: Tom Schwartz and wife Katie got into a furious fight on Monday's episode of Vanderpump Rules during a group trip to Mexico after the opening of his TomTom Bar She excitedly awaited their group vacation to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, saying she hoped he would 'have some more time for me' and Tom promising: 'I want to do some romantic s*** in Mexico.' But those feelings disappeared before they even took off with Katie walking on the plane and seeing her husband in first-class seating, happily accepting an upgrade even though it meant sitting away from her. Tom said his wife started 'rage texting me' as soon as wifi was connected on the flight, calling him selfish and insisting it highlighted 'bigger problems.' 'That bubble, it just never stopped,' he insisted of the texts. 'She hasn't rage texted me in like a year. Not like this.' Rage texting: Katie was accused of 'rage texting' by Tom who also called her 'a wet blanket' at the start of their trip Bigger problems: Katie while fuming about Tom accepting a first-class seating upgrade texted that it highlighted 'bigger problems' It spilled over when they got to their gorgeous room, with Tom calling her 'a wet blanket' and asking: 'Are you gonna be cranky the whole time?' She started angrily accusing him of not paying attention to her, saying: 'I've been begging for you to pay attention to me.' 'This is like vintage Katie and I'm just not having it,' Tom insisted in a confessional. 'I'm zero patience for it.' Zero patience: Tom said his wife was acting like 'vintage Katie' and declared he wasn't having it They continued fighting loudly on the balcony, with most of their friends able to hear as Tom accused his wife of 'putting a dampener on like 70 percent of the vacations we've been on together.' Katie finally snapped, telling her husband: 'Shut up. Stop talking and listen. All I need you to do is f***ing listen to me sometimes.' 'Problem is I don't like the sound of your voice,' Tom shot back spitefully. Loud argument: Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix could hear Schwartz and Katie arguing Stop talking: Katie snapped and told her husband to shut up and listen to her Saying she sounded 'like a cacophony,' he told Katie: 'Now your tone and just everything about you is just very eurgh. I don't like it. 'So much for vacation sex,' he complained, recalling his earlier pledge for romantic times. 'You don't sound cute by the way,' Katie warned. 'You sound like a f***ing douchebag.' One problem: Tom said that he had a problem with the sound of Katie's voice After James accused his wife of having 'the EQ of a 14-year-old' and being 'selfish' for fighting so soon, she insisted: 'You have don't have the wherewithal to say, "I've been a s***ty husband." 'Well, try being with a s***ty f***ing wife for seven years,' he replied. As they listened from their own balcony, Tom Sandoval, 35, put down his best friend and business partner by telling girlfriend Ariana Madix: 'I pay attention more than he does, that's for damn sure.' Good one: Sandoval while listening to the argument quipped that he pays more attention to his girlfriend 'Which you don't pay attention very much,' Ariana replied, suggestion potential tensions to come for them, too. A teaser suggested even worse news for another couple, with Stassi Schroeder and Beau Clark shown in tears on their bed while fighting. Beau had admitted being nervous about the trip, saying: 'I know everyone loves to party and argue.' Trip time: Stassi Schroeder and boyfriend Beau Clark talked about the upcoming trip as he admitted his nervousness 'Nothing could happen that could possibly shake our relationship,' Stassi, 30, had insisted, teasing her boyfriend that they 'had an understanding that if I start having a freakout you'll be like, ''I'll go down on you."' But the teaser saw Beau sobbing as he pleaded: 'How can we have a future if you don't f***ing trust me?' The trip was supposed to be a time for the friends to relax after the hectic schedule of opening TomTom and before the bar became too heavy a commitment for vacations together. Reptilian brain: Beau wore a dinosaur costume around just to make Stassi laugh The opening night seemed good for one relationship, at least with the two Toms growing even closer, with Sandoval telling his partner: 'I couldn't imagine doing this with anybody else.' He also pulled off a major surprise pulling up in a vintage motorbike and sidecar with their bar's logo on it as he pulled up to the opening. 'I think it's roughly cost me $18,000,' admitted Sandoval, whose girlfriend Ariana said he looked like 'James Bond in a Wes Anderson movie' as he wore a white suit and helmet with vintage goggles. White suit: Sandoval wore a white suit with helmet and goggles to the TomTom opening Custom ride: He pulled up in custom motorcycle with sidecar and the bar's logo 'I love Tom's enthusiasm about stuff, but it's really hard for me to understand the excitement about buying a motorcycle sidecar that's nicer than our apartment,' Ariana admitted. The surprise worked, with Schwartz saying as he saw the ride: 'This is sick! Are you f***ing serious? This is f***ing awesome!' 'Sandoval loves his grand gestures,' Schwartz said later to camera. 'This is a moment that I will remember forever. I love you Sandoval.' Grand opening: The TomTom logo was emblazoned on Sandoval's motorbike Loving it: Schwartz loved the motorcycle and sidecar idea The bike soon broke down, however, with Sandoval admitting: 'I thought of every detail, down to the gloves, the helmets, the goggles, the suits. 'I just forgot to put gas in it.' Once they made it to the opening, it had the desired effect with Lisa Vanderpump, 58, being persuaded to take a ride at the end of the night. Sweet bike: Schwartz rode in the sidecar as Sandoval drove to the opening 'This is actually why I wanted them involved in this bar,' Lisa said of the bike and sidecar stunt. 'It looks like the most ridiculous, most preposterous choice. And yet it's perfect.' 'I think that's the best entrance I'll ever make in my life,' Sandoval insisted. Lisa was thrilled with the formal opening of her bar that had its first trial run with the DailyMailTV summer party. British restaurateur: Lisa Vanderpump also took a ride in the sidecar to celebrate the opening of the bar with her partners Schwartz and Sandoval 'When we did the DailyMailTV party we had party appetizers but there was no money changing hands,' she said. 'Tonight, it's business.' Katie's resentment was on full display, however, with her pulling faces at not getting attention from her husband. 'I know Tom has to work the room and schmooze and be one of the Toms. But I would really like to hang out with him too and be sharing in all of this with him,' she complained. Business time: Lisa said there was no money changing hands at the DailyMailTV party that took place at TomTom before it officially opened Working it: Schwartz worked the room during the grand opening Left out: Katie could not hide her resentment over feeling neglected by Schwartz 'I'm not upset that Tom has been spending a lot of time opening TomTom. I am mad that Tom hasn't been making any extra effort with me and our relationship. 'Just because you have a bar now does not mean you should neglect your wife.' Lala Kent who last week admitted to being an alcoholic was already shown loudly insisting on no alcohol at the party. Not drinking: Lala Kent insisted on not drinking alcohol at the party The 28-year-old hostess also downplayed her freakout captured on last week's episode, telling Lisa: 'I was not aggressive. I said my piece and I left it at that.' She said later: 'I respect Lisa enough not to throw down in her restaurant. What I should have done is drag their asses out into the parking lot.' Lisa later had a sit-down with James Kennedy, praising him for how calm he was with the fight with Lala but then got exasperated when he admitted having a drink during the period he was insisting he was sober. Not aggressive: Lisa was told by Lala that she was 'not aggressive' during her freakout at SUR that was shown last week on the Bravo show After initially insisting he had '110 percent' 'definitely not' drunk, he then admitted to having 'one beer with my dad.' 'He knows I've been doing really good,' James insisted of Andros Georgiou. 'He's been very proud of me, he thought I deserved a beer.' Catching up: James Kennedy was hanging out with Lisa's son Max Todd 'You don't reward an alcoholic with a drink!' Lisa exclaimed. She added later to camera: 'Celebrating sobriety with drinking is like celebrating virginity with f***ing.' Jax Taylor, 39, was also angry that fiance Brittany Cartwright, 29, was drinking despite doctor's orders not to stay away from alcohol. Bad beer: Lisa got exasperated with James after he admitted to having a beer with his father to celebrate his sobriety 'I understand everyone else is drinking so you want to drink,' he said later. 'But we're getting married, we're gonna have children very soon, and I just wanna make sure she's healthy.' Vanderpump Rules returns on Bravo next Monday. He's long played a part in her most memorable looks. Kylie Jenner, 21, was spotted looking fresh-faced while out in Los Angeles on Monday with her longtime makeup artist Ariel Tejada. The two stopped off at the popular sushi restaurant Sugar Fish. Clean look: Kylie Jenner, 21, was spotted looking fresh-faced while out in Los Angeles on Monday with her longtime makeup artist Ariel Tejada The 5ft6in reality star rocked a vibrant orange velour tracksuit for the casual outing. The outfit's crop top hoodie partially exposed her toned tummy. She added a matching orange and olive Dior handbag and had on a comfortable-looking pair of white Nikes with a golden swoosh. Unmissable: The 5ft6in reality star rocked a vibrant orange velour tracksuit for the casual outing Temporary look: Despite being in the presence of a makeup artist, Kylie seemed to go makeup free for the meal Done up: It was only temporary though, and she posted videos to her Insta Stories of Ariel working his magic Despite being in the presence of a makeup artist, Kylie seemed to go makeup free for the meal. It was only temporary though, and she posted videos to her Insta Stories of Ariel working his magic. The makeup artist even branched out from her usual area of expertise to style her hair up into a tight bun. 'I'm coming for you,' he joked after Kylie warned hairstylists to be on alert. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star previously collaborated with Tejada for her cover shoot for the German version of Interview Magazine. The world's youngest 'self-made' billionaire showed off her trim post-baby body in a red latex bodysuit for the publication, co-founded by the iconic artist Andy Warhol. On blast: The makeup artist even branched out from her usual area of expertise to style her hair up into a tight bun. 'I'm coming for you,' he joked after Kylie warned hairstylists to be on alert Red hot: The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star previously collaborated with Tejada for her cover shoot for the German version of Interview Magazine Sultry looks: The world's youngest 'self-made' billionaire showed off her trim post-baby body in a red latex bodysuit for the publication, co-founded by the iconic artist Andy Warhol Absent from her lunch trip was her boyfriend, rapper Travis Scott, 27, and their one-year-old daughter Stormi. The couple were recently inundated with rumors that Travis had been unfaithful to the mother of his child. Kylie and the Sicko Mode rapper are reportedly planning a tropical vacation to spend time with each other and the baby as soon as he has a break from his Astroworld tour next week, according to TMZ. Feuding: While Kylie was back in Los Angeles, her former best friend Jordyn Woods, 21, jetted off to London to launch her line of false eyelashes While Kylie was back in Los Angeles, her former best friend Jordyn Woods, 21, jetted off to London to launch her line of false eyelashes. Jordyn was embroiled in Kardashian clan drama after she was accused of making out with Khloe Kardashian's boyfriend Tristan Thompson at a party, leading Khloe to throw him out. Since then, Kylie's relationship with Jordyn has been rocky at best, with TMZ reporting that she's 'so over their friendship' and 'determined to move on.' However, she's also reportedly open to being amicable in the future, but nothing like their former relationship, which saw the two living together in Kylie's house. Karl Stefanovic has reportedly cancelled a tell-all interview with his own network. As reported by The Australian on Monday, the 44-year-old Channel Nine star 'rejected' a proposed video interview with the website 9Honey. He had apparently been sent a list of questions in advance, but 'baulked' at the idea of discussing his wedding to Jasmine Yarbrough in Mexico. More drama! Karl Stefanovic has reportedly cancelled a tell-all interview with his own network Karl also reportedly objected to being asked questions about his departure from the Today show in December last year. He is said to have 'originally agreed' to do the comeback interview, but negotiations fell apart when he was told some of the suggested topics. Karl apparently 'threatened' to pull out of the interview unless certain questions were omitted, but 9Honey's editorial team stood their ground. As a result, the interview was cancelled completely. Demand: Karl 'rejected' a proposed interview with the 9Honey website because he didn't want to discuss his wedding to Jasmine Yarbrough. Pictured: Karl and Jasmine on their wedding day Deadlock: Karl apparently 'threatened' to pull out of the interview unless certain questions were omitted, but 9Honey's editorial team stood their ground. Pictured with Georgie Gardner The interview was going to be livestreamed via the 9Honey website, and would have been Karl's first official 'sit down' following his sacking from Today last year. Karl and Jasmine's wedding was one of the biggest news stories of 2018 in Australia, making the journalist's reluctance to discuss it rather bizarre. The couple had exchanged vows at the five-star One&Only Palmilla resort in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico on December 8. Nuptials: Karl and Jasmine exchanged vows at the One&Only Palmilla resort in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico on December 8. The couple are pictured with the bridesmaids and groomsmen But the honeymoon didn't last long, as Karl was axed from the Today show while holidaying with Jasmine, 35, in Aspen, Colorado on December 19. He said in a statement at the time: 'For the last 14 years I've co-hosted the best show on television. I cant thank Nine enough for the opportunity. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be good enough to host this grand show for so long. 'Thanks to our viewers mostly, you are what matters most. It's been a tough time. Thanks for hanging in there. I look forward to seeing you in another capacity at this great network soon.' Despite being dumped from the Today show, Karl still has two years remaining on his Channel Nine contract, and reportedly earns $2million a year. Karl's schedule is relatively free at the moment, with his only work commitment being the prime time series This Time Next Year. Channel Nine declined to comment. She stars as Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham in the hugely successful PBS Masterpiece series Downton Abbey. But on Monday night in New York, Elizabeth McGovern was all about promoting another PBS period drama, her new film The Chaperone. The actress, 57, reunited with co-star Haley Lu Richardson, 24, at the premiere for the movie set in the Big Apple in the early 1920s. Co-stars: Elizabeth McGovern joined Haley Lu Richardson on the red carpet for the New York premiere of their new movie, the period drama The Chaperone McGovern looked gorgeous in a one-shoulder plush red dress that fell to just below the knee. She added shiny silver heels with ankle straps and carried a silver box clutch purse. Richardson opted for a pretty patterned frock that mixed various shades of purple. The short-sleeved number was gathered at the waist creating a plunging neckline and she added silver sandal heels. Classy: McGovern, 57, looked gorgeous in a one-shoulder plush red dress that fell to just below the knee and shiny silver heels with ankle straps Beloved role: The actress is famous for playing Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham, in the hugely successful PBS Masterpiece series Downton Abbey Period drama: The Chaperone was adapted for the screen by Downton Abbey creator/writer Julian Fellowes and directed by Michael Engler who helmed the new Downton Abbey movie The short-sleeved number was gathered at the waist creating a plunging neckline Star: Richardson plays a teen dancer who moves from Kansas to seek fame and fortune in New York City accompanied by a respectable society lady, played by McGovern, as her chaperone Pals: Blythe posed for a shot alongside co-star Geza Rohrig The Chaperone is based on Laura Moriarty's best-selling novel of the same name. It was adapted for the screen by Downton Abbey creator and writer Julian Fellowes and directed by Michael Engler who also helmed the new Downton Abbey movie. The film tells the story of a teen dancer, played by Richardson, who moves from Kansas to seek fame and fortune in New York City. She is accompanied by a respectable society lady from her rural hometown, played by McGovern, who finds her life transformed by the experience. Other castmembers who attended the special screening included Victoria Hill and Blythe danner. Leggy look: Australian actress Victoria Hill, 45, is also in the movie and arrived for the premiere wearing a sparkly black long-sleeved dress and matching sandal heels Stylish: Veteran actress Blythe Danner, 76, also has a supporting role. The mother of Gwyneth Paltrow paired a black coat with a white blouse, black skirt and black ankle boots Ensemble: The actresses posed together ahead of the screening which was held at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan In good company: Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes joined Elizabeth McGovern at the event on Monday evening Say cheese: The two friends posed for snap as they made their way into an after-party thrown on behalf of the new film Side by side: Actresses Blythe and Victoria commanded attention during their public appearance on behalf of the new film Night out: Fellowes was joined by wife Emma Joy Kitchener at the New York premiere All together now: The cast gathered for a group shot on the red carpet at the New York event She has made waves as an actress on the stage and screen for six decades. And on Monday Blythe Danner was back in the spotlight to promote one of her new films, the PBS period drama -- The Chaperone -- in New York City. The mother of Gwyneth Paltrow hit the red carpet both solo and with co-stars Haley Lu Richardson, Victoria Hill, Elizabeth McGovern and Geza Rohrig. Blythe Danner attended the premiere of The Chaperone in New York City on Monday Danner, 76, rocked a black velvet ensemble that consisted of a knee-length skirt and matching jacket. She paired it with a gold/tan ruffled shirt, black boots and a dark brown purse. On this night, the Pennsylvania native wore her tresses long and flowing past her shoulders with some soft waves. Shining star: The actress stunned in a black velvet ensemble and black boots Camaraderie: Danner snuggled up to co-stars Elizabeth McGovern and Haley Lu Richardson After strutting her stuff in front of the sea of cameras by herself, Danner was joined by co-stars Elizabeth McGovern and Haley Lu Richardson. McGovern stunned in a one-shoulder plush red dress and silver heels, while Richardson went with a plunging patterned frock that was adorned with varying shades of purple. Jumping in on the fun, Victoria Hill joined her co-stars in a sparkly black sequin dress and matching heels; likewise for Geza Rohrig, who looked handsome in dark suit matched with a light blue dress shirt. Ladies night: Victoria Hill joined in on the fun alongside McGovern, Richardson and Danner Period drama: The Chaperone is based on Laura Moriarty's best-selling 1920s era novel The Chaperone is based on Laura Moriarty's best-selling novel of the same name. It was adapted for the screen by Downton Abbey creator and writer Julian Fellowes and directed by Michael Engler who also helmed the new Downton Abbey movie. Set in 1920s New York City, the film centers on teenager Louise Brooks (Richardson), who ventures from Kansas to study dance at the Denishawn school. Norma (McGovern) is given the task to be her Chaperone shortly before the budding star's breakthrough in silent pictures. The Chaperone premiere across the US March 29. Former Today show host Karl Stefanovic has not appeared on Channel Nine since he was axed from the breakfast show in December. But the network has confirmed This Time Next Year, fronted by the media personality, will mark the return of Karl to devoted viewers. 'This Time Next Year has been filmed and will screen later this year on Nine,' a spokesman told Daily Mail Australia this week. Full steam ahead: Channel Nine's broadcast of This Time Next Year fronted by ex-Today Show host Karl Stefanovic (pictured) will go ahead later this year, the network has confirmed Karl finished filming the second season of This Time Next Year at Sydney's Fox Studios in February, but no air-date had been promoted for its return. Meanwhile, the embattled host has reportedly become almost 'friendless' at the network after 'liking' an Instagram post criticising the network's decision to sack him from the breakfast show after 13 years as its host. One of the comments he 'liked' read: 'I can't wait until they realise it wasn't you that was the problem after all.' Karl had claimed the Instagram 'like' had occurred as a result of his account being hacked while he was on a fishing trip. Struggles: The show's second season was announced last October amid rumours Karl (pictured presenting the show) and was filmed in February The show's second season was announced last October amid rumours Karl was set to be replaced as co-host of the struggling Today program. Following his axing in December, reports emerged that Karl had been hard at work on his fitness as he attempts to relaunch his TV career. Two years remain on his contract, but with filming having wrapped for This Time Next Year it is reported he will retain his $2million pay packet having done just 'one week's work'. Hard times: The embattled host (pictured while presenting Today) has reportedly become almost 'friendless' at the network after he 'liked' an Instagram post criticising the decision to sack him from the breakfast show 'Nine are yet to announce what else they'll do with Karl this year, so as of now, he's getting an eye-watering $2 million for one week's work,' an insider has said. There have also been rumours the journalist would anchor a late-night news show in competition with Channel Seven. However, those claims were 'shot down by network bosses', The Sydney Morning Herald reported. Karl's head was one of the first to roll during Nine's Today show bloodbath late last year, with multiple departures of staff and restructuring of stars to other shows and roles. The former Today host dropped from the breakfast program during his honeymoon with new wife Jasmine Yarbrough in December. Turning a new leaf: Following his axing in December, reports emerged earlier this month Karl (pictured with wife Jasmine Yarbrough at their wedding in Mexico) had been hard at work on his fitness as he attempts to relaunch his TV career Married At First Sight's Ines Basic, 29, has shared her first social media update since being sentenced to 70 hours of community service and disqualified from driving for three months over drink driving charges on Tuesday. Taking to her Instagram Stories following a rough day at court, Ines uploaded a Boomerang video of herself clinking wine glasses with her lawyer Ivan Sayad, at Brisbane eatery Elysium Lakeside. Ines' hand was immediately recognisable thanks to her striking black manicure. Cheers to justice! Married At First Sight's Ines Basic, 29, has shared her first social media update since being sentenced to 70 hours of community service and disqualified from driving for three months over drink driving charges on Tuesday The short clip, also featured the hand of an unidentified third person, who also joined in on the toast with a glass of wine. Meanwhile, photos of Ines taken at the restaurant show her looking weary and downcast as she pulled up a wicker chair next to a table on the balcony. The brunette looked sophisticated in a black pantsuit, blazer and stiletto heels, while appearing to sport a fresh spray tan. A toast! Taking to her Instagram Stories following a rough day at court, Ines shared a Boomerang video of herself clinking wine glasses with her lawyer Ivan Sayad, at Brisbane eatery Elysium Lakeside On Christmas Day last year, legal assistant Ines got drunk on vodka and rammed her vehicle into her sister Ena's car as it was parked in the driveway of her Redland Bay home, 9News reported. Attending Cleveland Magistrates Court in Brisbane on Tuesday, Ines's lawyer Ivan Sayad explained that his client's illegal behaviour was the result of being 'ridiculed' by her sister for appearing on reality TV. Ines herself defiantly told the court: 'I would never drink and drive but the b***h pi**ed me off!' Rough day? Meanwhile, photos of Ines taken at the restaurant show her looking weary and downcast as she pulled up a wicker chair next to a table on the balcony Black on black: The brunette looked sophisticated in a black pantsuit, blazer and stiletto heels, while appearing to sport a fresh spray tan According to the prosecutor, Ines had been 'carrying on like an absolute idiot' and screaming obscenities during the incident on December 25. In sentencing her to community service, Magistrate Deborah Vasta reportedly told Ines to 'get some perspective on life'. In total, Ines pleaded guilty to a mid-range drink driving offence, driving without due care, being a public nuisance and contravening the direction or requirement of police officer. Protection: The legal assistant had a bodyguard with her as she arrived at the courthouse earlier on Tuesday According to AAP, the latter charge was the result of Ines giving police the false name, 'Vanessa Ines'. To be charged with a mid-range drink driving offense, someone must register a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of over 0.10 per cent but under 0.15 per cent. Mid-range drink driving is the second most serious drink driving offence under Queensland law and carries a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and/or a 20 penalty unit fine for a first offence. She's an attention magnet. And Blanca Blanco looked absolutely ravishing while putting on a head-turning display at the Venice Family Clinic's 37th Annual Silver Circle Gala, held at the Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles on Monday night. Joined by her long-term boyfriend John Savage, Blanca, 38, was a vision in a slinky red dress with plunging neckline. Sending temperatures soaring! Blanca Blanco looked absolutely ravishing as she put on a head-turning display at the Venice Family Clinic Hosts 37th Annual Silver Circle Gala held at the Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles on Monday night The actress put her killer curves on show as she worked her magic on the red carpet. Blanca's stunning dress hugged her incredible physique while flashing a hint of her long legs. Fur shawl draped elegantly at her elbows, the actress commanded attention as she posed expertly upon the red carpet. She styled her brunette locks back into a sleek ponytail while touching up her complexion with a smoky coat of eye shadow and bronze blush. That's her man: Proud boyfriend John Savage smartened up in a sharp grey suit If you've got it: The 36-year-old shared snippets of her glamorous night out on Instagram John, meanwhile, kept it sharp in a crisp grey suit and striped tie. Blanca shared a few snippets of her glamorous night out on the town onto Instagram while applauding the gala's cause. 'Arriving @venicefamilyclinic fundraiser An honor to help raise funds for this incredible cause. #givingback,' she captioned the images. Strike a pose: The star was a sight to behold in her elegant ensemble Blanca and John have been going strong for several years. The couple are thought to have first begun their relationship back in 2014, after they were first spotted together on Malibu Beach. Blanca, meanwhile, has remained busy soaking up the spotlight. Over the weekend, the actress walked the Sarmy runway as part of the show's presentation for Los Angeles Fashion Week. Stevie Wonder is the fifth and final headliner to be announced for this year's British Summer Time festival. The legendary musician, 68, will bring his Song Party show - a Celebration of Life, Love and Music - to London's Hyde Park on July 6 with special guest Lionel Richie. This will be the first time Stevie has performed the show in the UK, and it promises to include all the greatest hits from his illustrious career. Headline: Stevie Wonder is the fifth and final headliner to be announced for this year's British Summer Time festival Speaking during a show in the US, the artist said: 'We're living in a time where there's so much is going on in the world. 'But the one thing that we know for sure that we can celebrate is life, love and music. 'I'm very thankful that you all have been so wonderful to me, giving me your life and allowing me to share my music with you since I was 11 years old, which was just a little ago. 'So, we're just going to play and have fun.' First: This will be the first time Stevie has performed his Song Party show in the UK, and it promises to include all the greatest hits from his career (pictured in September 2018) Barclaycard's British Summer Time Hyde Park takes place in London over two weeks in July. Stevie will follow on from Celine Dion, who is set to perform an open-air concert on Friday, July 5 with unannounced special guests. A performance by Broadway legend Barbra Streisand will complete the weekend on Sunday, July 7. The festival will continue on Saturday, July 13 with headliner Florence and the Machine. The band will be joined by The National, Lykke Li, Khruangbin, Blood Orange and more. Special guest: The legendary musician, 68, will bring his Song Party show - a Celebration of Life, Love and Music - to Hyde Park in London on July 6 with special guest Lionel Richie Festival: Barclaycard's British Summer Time Hyde Park takes place in London over two weeks in July (Stevie Wonder and Lionel Richie pictured with Lenny Kravitz in February 2016) And on Sunday, July 14 Robbie Williams will close the festival in his only open-air performance of the year. He will share the Great Oak stage with the Black Eyed Peas, Keane, Texas and Feeder. Stevie Wonder is one of the most celebrated figures in popular music who, at the age of 12, became the youngest recording artist to have achieved a Number One single with 'Fingertips, Part 2'. To date he has amassed 49 Top Forty singles, 32 Number One singles and worldwide sales of over 100 million albums. The musician has also won an impressive 25 Grammy Awards, the prestigious Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a Golden Globe and an Academy Award throughout his career. Tickets for the festival go on sale at 9am on Friday, March 29. They're Australia's most talked-about couple on Married At First Sight. But controversial 'cheaters' Jessika Power and Dan Webb appeared not to have a care in the world on Tuesday. Smooching up a storm, the smitten couple couldn't keep their hands off each other during a romantic lunch date in Sydney's Chatswood. They're inseparable! Married at First Sight 'cheaters' Jessika Power and Dan Webb can't keep their hands off each other as they smooch up a storm during a lunch date in Sydney on Tuesday Strutting down the street, Jessika, 27, and Dan, 35, held hands during the affectionate display. The busty blonde looked comfortable in a casual ensemble for the occasion. Opting for a racy black crop top, Jessika flashed a glimpse of her cleavage with an opening at the bust. Smitten: Despite being Australia's most talked-about couple on Married At First Sight, Jessika (L) and Dan (R) appeared not to have a care in the world on Tuesday Happy: The smitten couple appeared to be having a blast during this romantic lunch date in Sydney's Chatswood Packing on the PDA: Strutting down the street, Jessika, 27, and Dan, 35, held hands during the affectionate display Say cheese! The pair flashed a smile for a photograph taken by this fan Chic: The busty blonde looked comfortable in a casual ensemble for the occasion Flaunting her washboard abs, she teamed the statement midriff with an olive-coloured mini denim skirt. Jessika accessorised with black aviator sunglasses, a black handbag and wore tan coloured slides to complete the look. Flashing her pearly whites, she opted for a makeup free look whilst styling her flaxen-coloured tresses in a half-up-half-down 'do. If you've got it! Opting for a racy black crop top, Jessika flashed a glimpse of her cleavage with this opening at the bust Stylish: Jessika accessorised with black aviator sunglasses, a black handbag and wore tan coloured slides to complete the look Meanwhile, tattooed hunk Dan showed off his bulging biceps in a striped muscle tee. He teamed up the ensemble with casual black shorts, sunglasses and a pair of multicoloured slides. At one point, the inseparable couple stopped and allowed a fan to take a photograph of them. All eyes on her: Flaunting her washboard abs, she teamed the statement midriff with an olive-coloured mini denim skirt Natural: Jessika opted for a makeup-free look while styling her flaxen-coloured tresses in this half-up-half-down 'do Looking picture-perfect, the genetically-blessed stars cuddled up for the snap. Later, the reality TV duo headed to a restaurant where they smooched up a storm over a cool beverage. Leaning over to Jessika, Dan stared lovingly into her eyes before planting a kiss on her lips. Handsome: Tattooed hunk Dan showed off his bulging biceps in a striped muscle tee Chill: Later, the reality TV duo headed to this restaurant where they enjoyed a beverage Scandalous: And the date comes after Sunday's final commitment ceremony saw Jessika and Dan reveal that they had been secretly hooking up behind their partners' backs And the date comes after Sunday's final commitment ceremony saw Jessika and Dan reveal that they had been secretly hooking up behind their partners' backs. Jessika's husband Mick Gould and Dan's wife Tamara Joy were left humiliated by the betrayal, and the other contestants were shocked. Despite this, the MAFS relationship experts - John Aiken, Dr Trisha Stratford and Mel Schilling - allowed Jessika and Dan to re-enter the experiment as a new couple. The move caused considerable backlash, with many viewers threatening to boycott the show Married At First Sight continues Wednesday at 7:30pm on Channel Nine. Eek! Jessika's husband Mick Gould and Dan's wife Tamara Joy were left humiliated by the betrayal, and the other contestants were shocked She touched down in London on Monday after a Thailand beach getaway with her Love Island beau Jack Fincham. And a change in climate wasn't enough to stop Dani Dyer from continuing her sensational swimwear display as she took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a racy snap of herself. The reality star, 22, showed off her gym-honed posterior as she slipped her toned figure into a red two-piece. Red hot: A change in climate wasn't enough to stop Dani Dyer from continuing her sensational swimwear display as she took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a racy snap of herself She left her coloured locks loose as she posed with her hands above her head in the idyllic blue sea. Dani captioned the snap with: 'Instead of looking out in the sea. I'm looking at what food I need to buy for the weekly food shop. But it's ok I'm cool with that.' Earlier the beauty shared a picture of herself in a textured white bikini top posing from her room at Koh Samui's Ritz Carlton Hotel. View: Earlier the beauty, 22, shared a picture of herself in a textured white bikini top posing from her room at Koh Samui's Ritz Carlton She scrunched her hair up into a bun while cladding her eyes in a pair of cat-eye sunglasses. The holiday comes after Dani revealed she and Jack, 27, live separately following a brief split in December 2018, just months after they were crowned winners on ITV2 series Love Island. Dani admitted she and her beau moved out of their East London home and now live separately in a bid to rebuild their relationship. Decisions: The holiday comes after Dani revealed she and Jack, 27, live separately following a brief split in December 2018 Keeping things going: Dani admitted she and her beau moved out of their East London home and now live separately in a bid to rebuild their relationship In an interview with Fabulous Magazine, the reality star admitted she can appreciate her 'own company' in her new pad, and insisted she and her boyfriend are taking the time apart 'to grow' individually. The TV personality now resides closer to her parents Danny and Joanne in Essex, while the hunk has returned to South London. It was first reported that Dani moved out of their flat in February after Jack confessed to abusing a Class A drug during a night out. Candid; The reality star admitted she can appreciate her 'own company' in her new pad, and insisted she and her boyfriend are taking the time apart 'to grow' individually Couple: She said: 'Jack didn't want to live in Essex and I didn't want to live in south London so we thought we'd both get our own places and live between them' Sharing the reason behind their separate living conditions, she told the publication: 'Jack didn't want to live in Essex and I didn't want to live in south London so we thought we'd both get our own places and live between them.' The pair stunned Love Island fans when they briefly split late last year, but has since admitted the break-up was 'a silly mistake' and they're 'stronger now'. Dani elaborated: 'We're building [the relationship] back up slowly. We'd both moved out of our areas and to Wapping together, where we had none of our home comforts. 'It's nice to have my own company sometimes. I can watch what I want when Jack's there, he puts all these bird programmes on. When we buy a house, then we can decide where to live, but for the time being we've got to grow.' Coronation Street's Carla Connor will finally be arrested for the factory roof collapse next week, as residents continue to blame her for Rana Habeeb's death. In dramatic scenes the Underworld owner is taking in on charges of gross negligence manslaughter, after she is reported by her half-sister Kate Connor. It comes as anger surrounding the recent factory disaster continues to grow in the coming days, and despite Carla being blamed, viewers know that there is another mystery culprit. Shocking: Coronation Street's Carla Connor will finally be arrested for the factory roof collapse next week, as residents continue to blame her for Rana Habeeb's death After being left distraught by news of the factory collapse, things go from bad to worse for Carla next week, after she admits knowing that the roof was unsafe for weeks before the tragedy. Struggling to cope with the guilt of Rana's death, Carla admits to Peter Barlow next week that she's going to come clean to Kate, who was devastated by her fiance Rana's death. Despite denying her involvement to Rana's brother Imran, after the Connors attend an emotional funeral service, the truth comes spilling out. Disastrous: Anger around last week's collapse has continued to grow among residents, as Carla finally confesses he knew the roof was unsafe Emotional: The disaster was actually sparked by a mystery culprit, who viewers saw tampering with the roof As Kate gives an emotional speech, with her sister at her side, Robert Preston stands in front of the crown and demands Carla tell the truth. And after days of avoiding the inevitable, this leads Carla to finally admit her knowledge about the roof, but insisted she had no idea it would collapse. Sadly it proves too little too late, as Kate reports Carla to the police, and she is swiftly arrested. It's a double blow for the embattled character, as close friend Roy Cropper also demands she move out of their flat. Raging: After Carla finally comes clean about her guilt, close friend Roy Cropper demands she move out of their flat Heartbreaking: The storyline is set to run across the spring, with Carla eventually suffering a mental breakdown due to the pressure It remains to be seen whether Carla will be found guilty for the crime - although viewers know she is wholly innocent, as a mystery villain tampered with the roof to spark the collapse. Sadly it seems the storyline is no closer to a conclusion, as Carla's mental state will continue to crumble in the coming weeks, eventually sparking a mental breakdown. Carla's breakdown episode will also finally reveal the culprit behind the collapse, who will emerge as the soap's new villain. Viewers were left in tears last week as Rana was crushed by the fallen roof on her wedding day to Kate, with the pair emotionally exchanging vows before she passed away under the rubble. Coronation Street continues on Wednesday 27th March at 7:30pm and 8:30pm on ITV. She'd spent the day in court, so it's no surprise Ines Basic felt like kicking back with a glass of wine. The Married At First Sight star was sentenced to 70 hours of community service and disqualified from driving for three months over drink driving charges on Tuesday. Afterwards, the 29-year-old appeared to be letting off steam as she enjoyed lunch with her lawyer Ivan Sayad, at Brisbane eatery Elysium Lakeside. A laughing matter? MAFS' Ines Basic giggled over a wine after being sentenced to 70 hours of community service for drink driving in Brisbane on Tuesday At one point, Ines was in a fit of giggles, raising her hands to her face as she guffawed. She even appeared to be wiping away tears of laughter after a hearty chortle left her doubled over. Showing off her black manicure and tasteful makeup, including a nude lip, the reality star appeared very amused as she chatted with her lawyer. Chill: She'd spent the day in court, so it's no surprise Ines felt like kicking back with a wine Serious: The Married At First Sight star was sentenced to 70 hours of community service and disqualified from driving for three months over drink driving charges on Tuesday Relaxed: Afterwards, the 29-year-old appeared to be letting off steam as she enjoyed wine during lunch with her lawyer Ivan Sayad, at Brisbane eatery Elysium Lakeside So funny! At one point, Ines was in a fit of giggles, raising her hands to her face as she guffawed. She even appeared to be wiping away tears of laughter The brunette looked sophisticated in a black pantsuit, blazer and stiletto heels, while appearing to sport a fresh spray tan. On Christmas Day last year, legal assistant Ines consumed vodka and rammed her vehicle into her sister Ena's car as it was parked in the driveway of her Redland Bay home, 9News reported. Attending Cleveland Magistrates Court in Brisbane on Tuesday, Ines's lawyer Ivan Sayad explained that his client's illegal behaviour was the result of being 'ridiculed' by her sister for appearing on reality TV. Neat: Showing off her black manicure and tasteful makeup, including a nude lip, the reality star appeared very amused as she chatted with her lawyer Back in black: The brunette looked sophisticated in a black pantsuit, blazer and stiletto heels, while appearing to sport a fresh spray tan Ines herself defiantly told the court: 'I would never drink and drive but the b***h pi**ed me off!' According to the prosecutor, Ines had been 'carrying on like an absolute idiot' and screaming obscenities during the incident on December 25. In sentencing her to community service, Magistrate Deborah Vasta reportedly told Ines to 'get some perspective on life'. In total, Ines pleaded guilty to a mid-range drink driving offence, driving without due care, being a public nuisance and contravening the direction or requirement of police officer. Love Island's Zara Holland branded the steamiest summer show a 'posh prison' where the reality stars have no clocks, no music and controlled meal times. In a vicious critique, the contestant, 23, lifted the lid on living in the villa where everything was 'scripted' by TV bosses and the stars were told how to act. She wrote in a column for Grazia magazine: 'I call it "posh prison". You don't know the time, you don't get music, you're told when you're getting your meals... It's just a very controlled environment.' 'Love Island is a posh prison': Zara Holland likened the stars to inmates as she lamented not being able to 'escape' in scathing critique Zara offered an insight into how the show was 'set up' as she went onto explain the cast were told 'where to sit and what to talk about'. The Love Island bombshell claimed she was forced to 'act' in the reality television show which she likened to being in a soap. She said: 'You are set up in that show to make things happen, they tell you where to sit and what to talk about. But that is reality TV, it's like a soap. In a way, you are acting.' Comfy cells: In a vicious critique, the contestant, 23, lifted the lid on living in the villa where everything was 'scripted' by TV bosses and the stars were told how to act The TV personality bemoaned how Love Island didn't prepare her for fame with the whole eyes of the British nation judging her. She said: 'Sometimes I feel I can't escape that.' Viewers will remember Zara had her Miss Great Britain title taken away after she had sex on Love Island with Olivia Buckland's now-husband Alex Bowen. The model quit the show when her mother Cheryl was taken ill which came days after she was stripped of her beauty pageant status. Is it a fix? The Love Island bombshell claimed she was forced to 'act' in the reality television show which she likened to being in a soap Not only did Zara compare the villa to a luxurious jail, she claimed the eight days she spent in lockdown prior to the show were like a 'psychological experiment'. She added: 'Beforehand, I spent eight days in lockdown in the middle of nowhere and I didn't have a phone or anything to watch...It is like a psychological experiment.' MailOnline has approached Love Island representatives for further comment. Spotlight: Not only did Zara compare the villa to a luxurious jail, she claimed the eight days she spent in lockdown prior to the show were like a 'psychological experiment' (London, Jan 2017) Zara has boosted her social media profile since appearing on Love Island series two as she has the attention of 301,000 Instagram followers. Cara De La Hoyde and Nathan Massey, who now raise their son Freddie together, were crowned the winners of the second series. Olivia Buckland and Alex Bowen, who were the first Love Island couple to get married, were runners-up on the show. She often speaks out about her passion for horses and recently announced she was training to become a jockey. And Vogue Williams looked sensational as she posed with her favourite animals for a series of pictures to celebrate her role as 2019's Investec Derby Festival ambassador. The model, 33, slipped her famously slender physique into a chic cream dress with a full skirt and halterneck detailing for the pictures centered around the theme The Supreme Test Of The Racehorse And The Wardrobe. Style: Vogue Williams looked sensational as she posed with a host of her favourite animals for a series of pictures to celebrate her role as 2019's Investec Derby Festival ambassador While holding on tightly to her horse's reins Vogue made sure she exuded glamour in black stilettos and a quirky net fascinator. She paired her number with show-stopping coral lips with her blonde hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. The affordable fashion shoot drew inspiration from vintage and charity shops as well as the high street to show how racegoers can put together a fabulous outfit at minimal cost. Stunning: The model, 33, slipped her famously slender physique into a chic cream dress with a full skirt and halterneck detailing styled by Sarah Kate Byrne Glamorous: While holding on tightly to her horse's reins Vogue made sure she exuded glamour in black stilettos and a quirky net fascinator Vogue said 'I've absolutely loved the shoot styling this year and it's inspired me to try to incorporate a bit of vintage into my Investec Ladies Day look, combined with high street fashion to keep it affordable. I'm new to vintage shopping and am definitely ready to start hunting!' In another picture from the shoot ahead of the Epsom Derby in May, the Spencer, Vogue And Baby Too star donned an elegant off-the-shoulder number. The printed dress came complete with a black belt to cinch in the mother-of-one's waist which she paired with a wide-brimmed black hat. Picture perfect: In another picture from the shoot ahead of the Epsom Derby in May, the Spencer, Vogue And Baby Too star donned an elegant off-the-shoulder number Radiant: Vogue proved to be a lucky mascot as she took her photoshoot indoors alongside a pair of large horseshoes She styled her blonde locks into sleek waves while adding a pop of colour with mint green nails. Vogue proved to be a lucky mascot as she took her photoshoot indoors alongside a pair of large horseshoes. She posed in a navy dress and continued her display of unusual hair pieces with a textured gold fascinator. Sensational: Vogue will be putting her fashion knowledge to the test on Ladies Day as she judges the 2019 Style Awards Fashionista: She said she'll be looking at full outfits from headwear right down to the shoes so winners should be perfectly primped up Vogue will be putting her fashion knowledge to the test on Ladies Day as she judges the 2019 Style Awards. She offered advice for arrivals: 'I'm really excited to see everyone's looks. I'll be searching for the most well put together outfit, from the headwear right down to the shoes. I'm incredibly excited about the day; it's so much fun from the moment you arrive.' The DJ revealed she'd be training for five intense months to be a jockey to compete in a charity horse race with Epsom trainer Jim Boyle. Vogue said: 'I love horse racing and grew up riding in Ireland. The chance to become a jockey is a big undertaking and for a lifelong race fan, a dream come true. I'm really grateful to Jim Boyle for his support. 'I'm looking forward to helping to raise funds for the charity associated with the race, but on top of that I am also really determined to win.' Filming continued in earnest on Monday afternoon as co-stars Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet shot their latest scenes on the set of forthcoming factual drama Ammonite. Saoirse was dressed in character as Scottish amateur geologist Charlotte Murchison while shooting on location in quaint west Dorset coastal town Lyme Regis. The 24-year old actress was seen exiting a purpose designed shop, its weathered wooden fascia bearing the name Annings Fossils and Curios, while dressed in period costume typical of the films mid-18th century setting. Quiet on set: Filming continued in earnest on Monday afternoon as Saoirse Ronan shot her latest scenes on the set of forthcoming factual drama Ammonite With cameras rolling Saoirse exchanged dialogue with co-star Winslet - who takes the lead as pioneering fossil collector, dealer and paleontologist Mary Anning - and a male co-star, thought to be playing a local tradesman. Winslet was later seen engaging in a furious argument with the tradesman as he propped a ladder outside the shop, a recreation of the family fossil-hunting business managed by Anning in Lyme Regis during the 1800s. Still in the early stages of development, Ammonite has already faced criticism for a central storyline focusing on a lesbian affair involving Anning and Murchison. Here she comes: Saoirse was dressed in character as Scottish amateur geologist Charlotte Murchison while shooting on location in quaint west Dorset coastal town Lyme Regis Making an exit: The 24-year old actress was seen exiting a purpose designed shop, its weathered wooden fascia bearing the name Annings Fossils and Curios, while dressed in period costume Read between the lines: Saoirse exchanged dialogue with co-star Winslet - who takes the lead as paleontologist Mary Anning - and a male co-star, thought to be playing a local tradesman Barbara Anning, a distant niece who still lives near the Jurassic Coast where the fossil hunter made many discoveries, insisted there was no proof she was ever in a same-sex relationship. She said: 'The lesbian storyline is pure Hollywood as far as I know and there was no suggestion that she was a lesbian at all. That's just what they do I suppose.' Anning's niece had previously written on an online forum: 'I do not believe there is any evidence to back up portraying her as a gay woman... I believe Mary Anning was abused because she was poor, uneducated and a woman. Is that not enough?' Not happy: Winslet looked tense during what appeared to be a strained confrontation with the tradesman Angry: At one point she seemed to raise her voice at the tradesman as Ronan looked on Controversy: Winslet and Ronan play lovers in the new film, although little is known about Anning's personal life Experts and fans of her work are also upset, claiming the paleontologist, who never married or had children, was 'interesting enough' without needing her life spiced up for the sake of a film. A fan society dedicated to the fossil finder called Mary Anning Rocks also objected to the plotline, including Harvard University geologist Bretton Carter, who said: 'I have mixed feelings about this movie. 'Being gay, I'm all about the inclusion of LGBTQ characters, but I feel like Mary Anning is an interesting enough person as she is, they didn't have to throw in same-sex affair with her (as it has no known historical basis).' Legendary: Anning is known for making major discoveries in Jurassic marine fossil beds in the cliffs at Lyme Regis and Charmouth Not happy: Experts and fans claim the the paleontologist, who never married or had children, was 'interesting enough' without needing her life glamourised on film A pioneer who was undervalued in her own time: Who was Mary Anning? Mary Anning was a pioneering English fossil collector, dealer, and palaeontologist who became known around the world for important finds she made cliffs along the English Channel at Lyme Regis in Dorset on the Jurassic Coast. Born in 1799, she made her first discovery aged 12 alongside her brother Joseph when they found a 4ft-long fossilised skull of ichthyosaur, a marine reptile that lived 250 million years ago and resembles an early dolphin. Her passion for fossils came from digs with her father Richard, who would sell the rocks to provide extra funds for the family due to the increase in food prices caused by shortages during the Napoleonic Wars. During her adult life she continued her passion for fossils, going out to the coastline on an almost daily basis and often putting her life at risk below the cliffs. This sketch shows Mary Anning at work on the Jurassic Coast near Lyme Regis. Miss Anning would put her safety at risk digging for fossils, with rocks commonly falling from cliffs above. One landslide in 1933 even claimed the life of her dog One one occasion she survived a landslide which buried her dog in 1833, which she wrote 'quite upset her'. Among her notable finds included the the first complete Plesiosaurus, another marine dinosaur, in 1823, and the first British find of the pterosaur in 1828, called a flying dragon when it was displayed at the British Museum. By 1826 she had made enough money to fund her own shop, called Anning's Fossil Depot, and the business eventually became famous enough to attract royalty, such as King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony, who bought an ichthyosaur skeleton in 1844. But she remained an outsider in the scientific community due to her gender and was not even allowed to attend meetings of the Geological Society of London as a guest, let alone become a member. Women of her time were not allowed to attend university, and the only extract of her writings ever published in a scientific journal was a letter to the Magazine of Natural History questioning one of its findings. By the late 1830s demand and interest in fossils had reduced and Miss Anning is said to have lost her 300 life savings to a conman, although she was subsequently given a pension by the government of 25 per year due to the significance of her findings. Her work tailed off in the 1840s after she developed breast cancer, but the reaction to her illness proved attitudes had begun to change after the Geological Society raised money from members to help pay her medical expenses. Miss Anning's discoveries were used long after her death as evidence for extinction, challenging the theory of creation prevalent in the 1800s. It has also been claimed she was the inspiration for the 1908 Terry Sullivan song 'She sells sea shells on the sea shore', although it is difficult to prove. Her legacy continues to be supported by campaign group Mary Anning Rocks, who have been trying to have a statue of her erected in Lyme Regis. Advertisement Pioneering: Her work contributed to important changes in scientific thinking about prehistoric life Anning is known for making major discoveries in Jurassic marine fossil beds in the cliffs at Lyme Regis and Charmouth. Her work contributed to important changes in scientific thinking about prehistoric life. However, due to being a woman, she was prevented form joining the Geological Society of London and did not receive full credit for her findings. It is also thought she was the inspiration for the 1908 tongue-twister 'She sells seashells on the seashore' by Terry Sullivan. The plot centers around the famous paleontologist, who becomes involved with Saoirse's Murchison after she is sent to convalesce by the sea. Directed by Francis Lee, Ammonite is expected to go on general release in 2020. Difficulty: However, due to being a woman, she was prevented form joining the Geological Society of London and did not receive full credit for her findings Outrage: Winslet's version of the character looked less than pleased during her latest heated scene on Monday She's been in Canada filming for upcoming thriller Dreamland. And Lily-Rose Depp took a well-earned break as she enjoyed lunch with her mother Vanessa Paradis and her husband Samuel Benchetrit in Paris on Monday. The actress, 19, cut a casual figure as she headed out in a stylish teal dress with flared sleeves. Relaxed: Lily-Rose Depp, 19, took a well-earned break as she enjoyed lunch in Paris on Monday She paired the number with sky-high beige boots before later covering up in a black leather jacket and fashion forward Chanel sunglasses. The Vogue covergirl swept her hair out of her face with a brown hairband while showing off plenty of fresh faced beauty. While her mother Vanessa, 46, looked relaxed as she slipped her trim frame into a grey coat and jeans. Family outing: Her her mother Vanessa Paradis, 46, and her husband Samuel Benchetrit, 45, were also present for the meal in the French capital The good life: The actress cut a casual figure as she headed out in a stylish teal dress with flared sleeves She paired the ensemble with suede boots while toting her belongings in a large black shoulder bag. The Chanel model swept her hair back into a loose bun and hid her eyes behind a pair of round-frame sunglasses. The Joe le taxi hitmaker was joined by her writer husband Samuel, 45, who she married in June 2018 two years after the pair met on the set of Dog. Model material: She paired the number with sky-high beige boots before later covering up in a black leather jacket and fashion forward Chanel sunglasses City of love: While Vanessa looked relaxed as she slipped her trim frame into a grey coat and jeans Lily-Rose is Vanessa's eldest child with ex-husband Johnny Depp and since her parent's separation she divides her time between Los Angeles and Paris. The Franco-American model and actress is rumoured to be dating Oscar-nominated actor Timothee Chalamet, who went to the same Manhattan performing arts high school as Ansel Elgort. Timothee was asked about the rumoured romance at the Golden Globes, which he attended on the arm of his mother Nicole Flender. 'I'm here with Mom,' the Call Me By Your Name and Lady Bird said to Access Hollywood when they brought up the subject. He and Lily-Rose have more than their acting careers in common - each of them has one parent who was born in the United States and one from France. Justin Bieber had enough of trolls criticizing his wife Hailey Baldwin. The pop star, who is currently battling depression, wrote a lengthy response to an Instagram user who accused him of marrying the model just to get back at ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez. A user with a dedicated hate account targeted at Hailey had commented under Bieber's latest sexy Instagram photo of his wife: 'You are NOT in love with Hailey! You only married her to get back at SG plus Hailey sleeps with men like @shawnmendes for fame and she's racist' Hitting back: Justin Bieber has attacked a social media follower who accused him of only marrying Hailey Baldwin to get back at ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez After leaving his reply Bieber, 25, also screenshot it and posted it to his Instagram stories telling his fans to repost. 'Stop sending hailey and I these messeges [sic] if you love me screenshot this and repost everywhere.' Bieber directly addressed the hating fan, calling them 'immature' and 'sick' as well as calling Hailey 'the best thing that's ever happened to him'. He began: '@jaileyisajoke ur immature the fact that you have an account dedicated to dissing my wife and I is absolutely absurd why would I dedicated my whole life to someone in marriage to get back and my ex, anyone who believes this is mean spirited or 10 years old or younger because a logical person doesn't talk or think this way u should be ashamed of yourself really. 'Hurtful': Bieber wrote a lengthy response to a hater on Monday night, calling them sick and immature, and asked his fans to repost it His love: A user with a dedicated hate account targeted at Hailey had commented under Bieber's latest sexy Instagram photo seen here 'I absolutely loved and love Selena she will always hold a place in my heart, but I am head over heals [sic] In love with my wife and she is the absolutely the BEST THING that has ever happened to me period.' The Canadian star continued saying that he's planning on ignoring all the hateful messages moving forward. 'The fact that you want to spend your day dedicating yourself to hate says a lot about you, and if this was some sick ploy to get my attention U to get are wrong on so many levels I've seen multiple people say things like this and will never respond again to a message like this because I don't like to even give it my energy but this is a reply to all immature sick people who send Hailey hurtful messages like "he always goes back to Selena" or "Selena is better for him" YOU HAVE NO IDEA MY LIFE AND WHAts good for me!! 'She is the absolutely the BEST THING that has ever happened to me period.' Justin gushed of Hailey, 22, who he married in September at a NYC courthouse. They are pictured in July 'She will always hold a place in my heart': Bieber gave his relationship with Selena one last shot at the end of 2017 before they finally split in March 2018. They are pictured January 2018 Bieber concluded his message writing: 'Hailey is my Bride period if you don't like that or support that that means you don't support me and if you don't support me your not a fan nor a good person, if you were raised right your parents would have said if you don't have something nice to say don't say anything,' Bieber dated Gomez on and off from 2009 to 2018. They gave the relationship one last go at the end of 2017 but the duo called it quits for good in March 2018. A couple of months later the Sorry hitmaker reunited with Hailey, proposed in July and married the model at a New York City courthouse in September 2018. Bieber's angry post came as Hailey recently opened up about how she no longer reads comments on Instagram. Bed head: Bieber posted an early morning mirror selfie on Tuesday Speaking to Cosmopolitan, the Tommy Hilfiger beauty said: 'I've found that I got to a place where I don't read the comments. 'You still care to a certain extent. You really have to train your brain to be like, "Okay, why do I even care? I dont know these people, they dont know me, theyre not a part of my life or my relationship or whatever it is." 'People can just be mean, and I feel like if you don't want it to get to you, then dont read it and allow it to affect your soul.' Jimmy Fallon works hard as the host of The Tonight Show. But this week the 44-year-old star got some much-deserved time off as he took his family to the Bahamas. The funnyman was smiling as he posed with his pretty wife of 12 years, Nancy Juvonen,and their two children Winnie and Francis in an Instagram image shared on Tuesday. Family man: Jimmy Fallon works hard as the host of The Tonight Show. But sometimes he gets time off, as he did this week. And he treated his fans to a rare family photo during his vacation The caption read, 'I always thought bowling shoes were a little gross - then I met the wet suit rental program. #swimmingwithdolphins #bahamas,' said Fallon. Jimmy was in a black and blue wetsuit with sunglasses on. And his photogenic wife had on a matching suit as her blonde hair fell over her shoulders. The two were standing with their kids in the shallow end of a bay. Jimmy met Nancy - who is from Marin County, California near San Francisco - through her friend and producing partner Drew Barrymore. Good match: Jimmy met Nancy, who is from Marin County, California, through her friend and producing partner Drew Barrymore. Seen in 2013 His dream girl: Drew had worked with Jimmy on the film Fever Pitch in 2005 and thought the two would hit it off, and she was right: they wed in 2007. In 2009 Drew did another film with Fallon: Whip It. In 2018 he told People he cried when he proposed to Nancy. Seen in 2017 Drew had worked with Jimmy on the film Fever Pitch in 2005 and thought the two would hit it off, and she was right: they wed in 2007. In 2009 Drew did another film with Fallon: Whip It. In 2018 he told People he cried when he proposed to Nancy. 'I wanted it to be romantic and perfect,' Fallon said. When Nancy visited him in New York, he was ready to propose that night. But then she surprised him with a reservation at restaurant Per Se. They like the snow tooL Here the family is seen in Deer Valley for the slopes 'I didn't want to propose in Per Se because what if one year it moves locations,' Fallon explained, 'And years later I'm going to have kids and go, "Your mom and I got [engaged here]. I know it's a laser tag place but at one point it was a very fancy restaurant."' He added, 'Cut to 14 courses later. I was bombed out of my mind. Wine came with every course So I waited another three months.' Work pals: Juvonen (L) and actress Drew Barrymore arrive at the premiere of Warner Bros. Going The Distance in 2010 in Los Angeles He popped the question at Nancys parents summer home on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. 'I went out to the dock and said [to myself], "Dont cry. Let her cry first,"' he said. 'Im a pretty mushy guy and I just wanted it to be perfect. I got down on one knee and I immediately [started weeping]. 'Shes like, "Are you having a stroke" My face was like I was smelling burnt toast.' But she said yes and he said it was all 'fun.' She's spent the last few days in a state of romantic bliss in Barcelona with her Hollyoaks co-star Owen Warner. And Stephanie Davis posted a loved-up snap of the pair lounging in the pool on Monday as it was announced her on-screen character Sinead Shelby is to face a harrowing experience when she is raped by her husband in upcoming scenes of the soap. The actress, 26, glowed as she placed a loving arm on 19-year-old Owen's chest while the pair posed in the picture-perfect pool. Loved-up: Stephanie Davis, 26, posted a loved-up snap with her beau Owen Warner, 19, lounging in the pool on Monday Never one to forgo on the glamour, she showed off her toned arms and ample cleavage in her black one-piece. The mother-of-one scraped her long locks up into a casual bun while cladding her eyes with a pair of oversized sunglasses. She looked every-inch a picture of love as she beamed at the camera while in the arms of her beau. Tragic: It was announced her on-screen character Sinead Shelby is to face a harrowing experience when she is raped by her husband in upcoming scenes of the soap Blissful: Never one to forgo on the glamour, she showed off her toned arms and ample cleavage in her black one-piece Meanwhile Owen, who moved in with Stephanie after just four weeks of dating, showed off his muscular frame in a pair of swim shorts. The pair's loved-up outing comes as her on-screen character is set to go through a a traumatic time on the soap at the hands of her husband Laurie Shelby (Kyle Pryor) next week. Hollyoaks High's Deputy Head Laurie has been showing off his darker side since he appeared in the soap last November, most notably when he physically restrained his wife over a confrontation about his inappropriate behavior towards village's women. Back to reality: Owen, who moved in with Stephanie after just four weeks of dating, was in high spirits as the pair's trip came to an end Going strong: The pair have recently exchanged 'promise rings' and Stephanie gushed she can't wait to spend her life with Owen. According to reports from Digital Spy the act will occur when Sinead seek comfort from Sami Maalik (Rishi Nair) after voicing concerns that her husband is up to no good. When Laurie heads off to oversee a school camping trip with Sienna Blake, who he's been harassing, he concentrates on engineering a situation to spend time alone with the classroom assistant. Laurie deliberately ignores Sinead's phone calls during the trip, and leaving her upset when she finds out that Brody Hudson has managed to get through to Sienna (Anna Passey) without any trouble. Harrowing: Her on-screen character is set to go through a a traumatic time on the soap at the hands of her husband Laurie Shelby (Kyle Pryor) next week Horrific: When Laurie returns to the village the following day and finds out what happened between his wife and Sami, he commits a despicable act by raping Sinead Feeling rejected, Sinead kisses Sami, wanting to rekindle their connection from when they first met in the storm last year. When Laurie returns to the village the following day and finds out what happened, he commits a despicable act by raping Sinead. The emotional fallout will see Laurie continue his attempts to manipulate Sinead as he tries to make her question what happened between them. The Channel 4 soap has been working with local charity RASA Merseyside on the storyline, which begins on screen next week. She was eliminated from Dancing With The Stars on Monday, leaving fans at home baffled. But on Tuesday, Michelle Bridges was glad to be home despite the disappointing defeat. The 48-year-old fitness trainer took to Instagram to share a photo in which she is cuddling up to her son, Axel, three. 'It's all about you little boy': Dancing With The Stars' Michelle Bridges took comfort in her son on Tuesday after her shock elimination. Michelle is pictured with dance partner Aric Yegudkin In the sweet snap, mum and sun are laying down together, bathed in warm light, the tot beaming, clearly glad to have his mother at home. Michelle captioned the photo: 'So good to be home... Can't wait to post about my incredible experience and the beautiful people I've met. 'But right now... It's all about you little boy. To be in each other's arms with no care for time... My world'. The 48-year-old fitness trainer took to Instagram to share a photo in which she is cuddling up to her son, Axel, three (rihgt). Michelle captioned the photo: 'So good to be home...' It comes after the fitness fanatic was sent home after Monday episode's dance-off, having landed in the final two with Curtly Ambrose. Michelle's performance in the dance-off saw her landing in the bottom two, alongside co-star Curtly Ambrose. And it wasn't her night, with Michelle being eliminated from the competition, keeping Curtly safe for another week. Eliminated: Dancing With The Stars viewers were left baffled on Monday, as Michelle (pictured with dance partner Aric) was voted out of the competition Fans flocked to Twitter to express their shock, with one writing: 'Those who are shocking keep staying.' 'So sad to see Michelle Bridges leaving!! You and (dance partner) Aric were fantastic tonight,' one devastated viewer wrote. 'Michelle was definitely most improved and she was actually getting good to watch,' another shared. Advertisement She was left feeling mortified when she was fat-shamed by a beach vendor during her getaway. Yet Olivia Buckland didn't let the incident deter her from slipping into her latest bikini while she holidayed with her husband Alex Bowen, in Barbados on Tuesday. While she was spotted out on her own, the Love Island bombshell, 25, oozed confidence as she accentuated her astonishing curves in a nude barely-there bikini. She's confident: Olivia Buckland slipped her enviable curves into a nude barely-there bikini in Barbados on Tuesday after being FAT-SHAMED during her getaway with Alex Bowen Every angle was sensational as Olivia exhibited her peachy posterior in briefs with a scanty design and little bows tied at each hip to court attention. Armed with a bottle of sun lotion, the TV personality lathered her inked body in the cream as she protected her skin from burning in the red hot sunshine. Soaked in highs of sizzling 29 degrees, the blonde reality star kept cool in the roasting conditions by tying her golden locks into a half updo hairstyle while she was making the most of the tropical sun. Feeling hot, hot, hot: With highs of sizzling 29 degrees, the blonde reality star kept cool in the red hot temperatures by tying her golden locks into a half updo hairstyle while she was making the most of the tropical sun Revealed: Olivia's daily trip out in her bikini during her holiday comes days after she was fat shamed by a beach vendor and took to Twitter to share her outrage over the incident Olivia's daily trip out in her bikini during her holiday comes days after she was fat shamed by a beach vendor and took to Twitter to share her outrage over the incident. She wrote angrily: 'Wowwww so one of the guys who runs the jet skis out here just thought it fine to tell me I had put on weight & that I needed to watch myself.' The Instagram sensation said she tried to laugh off the cruel remarks as she made a joke at her own expense about 'married life' but the beach vendor made another dig. Saucy: The Islander, who cut a solitary figure without her husband, sexily readjusted her string bikini which showed off all of her arty tattoos thanks to the skimpy design Furious: Olivia's daily trip out in her bikini during her holiday comes days after she was fat shamed by a beach vendor and took to Twitter to share her outrage over the incident She wrote: 'I tried to laugh it off saying "married life" and he continued to say I needed to just be careful & go back to what I was. CHEERS 4 THAT.' Olivia admitted she was left mortified by his cutting comments as she spiraled into a furious social media tirade. The reality star told how she was 'so shocked' she walked away from the beach vendor when she updated her fans with a follow-up tweet. 'Wish I had gave him a good earful but I was so shocked I walked away. Protect it: Armed with a bottle of sun lotion, the TV personality lathered her inked body in the cream as she protected her skin from burning in the red hot sunshine 'oh well. Sometimes life will show you these kind of people & you just gotta take a breath & turn the other cheek, my apparent bigger a** cheek at that.' Before she jetted off on holiday, Olivia had a cosy chat with MailOnline about how her husband Alex has motivated her to be healthier as they work out together. She told us: 'Everyone thinks when you're married you let yourself go, but me and Alex have gotten quite into the gym and being healthy.' The television personality chatted about how marriage has brought her even closer to Alex as she praised her love for being 'really caring' and 'noticing things'. Moving on: The confident blonde didn't let the fat-shaming incident deter her from slipping into her latest bikini while she holidayed with her husband Alex Bowen Talking more about her marriage, Olivia also said: 'I don't feel any different now that we're married. If anything, we feel closer.' Olivia revealed her thoughtful husband Alex always makes her feel better because he senses when she is upset. She added: 'Alex is really caring, and he really notices things. He has an awareness of when I'm feeling down, or when I don't feel right. 'We know how to make each other feel better, and feel good. It's a trust thing. If you don't have trust you have nothing.' Christine McGuinness has always been candid about life as a parent to autistic children and how she and funnyman husband Paddy cope with the tasks ahead. Yet the Real Housewives Of Cheshire star, 31, admits things were not always so straightforward as she spoke exclusively to MailOnline about her five-year-old twins Penelope and Leo's diagnosis and how she struggled to accept the news. After welcoming the twins, Christine, who also shares Penelope, two, with her husband, revealed she 'lost herself' and gave up on her appearance yet time and her guest Housewife slot on the ITVBe show has helped her change her life. Happy days: Christine McGuinness has always been candid about life as a parent to autistic children and how she and funnyman husband Paddy cope with the tasks ahead Christine and Paddy's twins were diagnosed with autism in 2017 and the model has previously claimed that her youngest daughter Felicity is also showing signs of autism, but can't be diagnosed until she is at least three or four. While she is a model example of living with the condition, she confesses things weren't always so straightforward, as she could not accept what doctors told her about the condition when they first diagnosed her beloved tots. She explained: 'It took a while to sink in, at first I thought the doctors were wrong because I didn't understand autism at all when they said your children have got this lifelong condition and they can't fix it... 'I just thought: "How can she say that? These children are so perfect and amazing" and when I looked into it, actually all the things I loved about my children, all their little quirks and all their little individual ways, that was part of their autism.' Her loves: Yet the Real Housewives Of Cheshire star, 31, admits things were not always so straight forward as she spoke exclusively to MailOnline about her five-year-old twins Penelope and Leo's diagnosis and how she struggled to accept the news Release: After welcoming the twins, Christine, who also shares Penelope, two, with her husband, revealed she 'lost herself' and gave up on her appearance yet time and her guest Housewife slot on the ITVBe show has helped her change her life It was revealed in October that Paddy and Christine are shooting a documentary about autism, which she is keen to put out and help educate the public. She said: 'They're doing so amazing and now, because I know so much about autism I could see it in Felicity when she was six months and she's not diagnosed and we're not even starting the process because shes only two... 'We're doing this documentary because we want to educate people because we didn't know anything about it before.' As such an inspiration to parents, Christine admits that she tries her best to exude positivity in everything she does - particularly with the kids. The happy couple: Christine insisted she is happier than ever with her husband Work on it: She said: 'I go to the gym three times a week and that keeps my sanity, that's my therapy and it gives me head space' She said: 'I don't always put the bad times out there or talk about them because I like to be positive but sometimes if we come out of the routine then the kids can have a bad day... 'But I try to think we're having a bad day, we don't have a bad life. We have three gorgeous children, they are healthy, yes they have their moments but so do all children.' While she is incredibly glamorous, Christine admits this was not always the case, as she 'lost herself' when she first had the kids. She said: 'When the twins were younger, for years I would stay in, not wear make-up, I lost myself. I just thought I'm just a mum, no one's looking at me, doesn't matter if my underwear doesn't match... Finding me: While she is incredibly glamorous, Christine admits this was not always the case, as she 'lost herself' when she first had the kids 'Then I thought I need to find myself as a person other than just being a mum. It's nice putting that effort into myself and making the most of my free time.' As such inspiring parents, Christine and Paddy seem like the perfect couple however last February when they were hit by rumours of woes when he was spotted arm-in-arm with Nicole Appleton during a night out in London. Although she never commented on the news, Christine remains defiant that she and Paddy's relationship is better than ever. She went on: 'Me and Paddy are absolutely fine and our marriage is good and we make the most of our time together. We're fine, I never spoke about it at the time and I'm not speaking about it now... Happy days: As such inspiring parents, Christine and Paddy seem like the perfect couple however last February when they were hit by rumours of woes when he was spotted arm-in-arm with Nicole Appleton during a night out in London 'My marriage is really good, I'm happy! I'd like him home more but I love him and we're so happy. I don't focus on anything but the good at the time I don't think of what other people are thinking of. My focus is me, my husband, my children. I'm married for life and I'm pleased we're together and we're happy.' With trying times, Christine's best advice is that parents must find time for themselves to help 'keep their sanity'. She said: 'I go to the gym three times a week and that keeps my sanity, that's my therapy and it gives me head space... 'You've got to make the most of your three time, when you've got children - especially when they've got special or additional needs or even just a child - it's difficult to get me time so when they're at school i make sure i make the most of free time because you can lose yourself' New release: It was revealed in October that Paddy and Christine are shooting a documentary about Autism, which she is keen to put out and help educate the public Christine's chat came after the launch of The Real Housewives Of Cheshire's ninth season on Monday night and while she did not appear in the first episode the star will be coming into the show in a guest capacity. On the first show, she said: 'I watched because I do little bits so I know roughly whats going on but I don't know everything going on so even I'm shocked when I watch!... 'It was really good, I enjoyed it. because I'm so busy I struggle with childcare so I cant do full time.' The Real Housewives of Cheshire, Mondays at 10pm on ITVBe She's had enviable success as both a model and an actress. And Uma Thurman, 48, looked glamorous as ever as she arrived at the 2nd Series Mania Festival in Lille, France, on Tuesday. The Kill Bill actress was effortlessly chic in a pleated white shirt and a leather bomber jacket as she made a stylish entrance at the event which celebrates films from around the world. Stunning: Uma Thurman cut a chic figure in a leather bomber jacket as she made a stylish entrance at the Series Mania Festival in Lille on Tuesday Uma completed her ensemble with wide-leg black trousers and white trainers, which helped to accentuate her statuesque figure. And, never one to forgo the glamour, Uma finished off her look with dewy makeup and left her golden locks loose around her shoulders. Earlier that day, the screen star was seen in Paris where she added a pop of colour to her outfit with a bright red compact handbag and wore a chunky gold chain around her neck. Gorgeous: Never one to forgo the glamour, Uma finished off her look with dewy makeup and left her golden locks loose around her shoulders Casual: Uma completed her ensemble with wide-leg black trousers and white trainers, which helped to accentuate her statuesque figure Finishing touches: Uma gave her look a touch of glitter by wearing dazzling hooped earrings Chatty: The actress could be seen talking with her assistant as she made her way into the event Uma has been on the showbiz scene since arriving in the bustling city as she made an appearance at the Place Vendome reopening of the Boucheron original house. She took to social media to share a snap and wrote: 'Beautiful night in Place Vendome reopening of Boucheron original house with the ever graceful Francois-Henri and Salma.' The following night, Uma enjoyed a glittering fashion show where she was joined by two close friends. Popular: Uma was surrounded by photographers and fans as she got into her car afterwards Looking around: Uma seemed to be in good spirits as she walked around the event Chic: Earlier on, Uma was seen strolling out of the Ritz Hotel in Paris Travels: The actress looked effortlessly chic as she headed to the train station to travel to Lille She wrote: 'Here with Roberta and Maya in Paris. Thank you Mr. Armani for a wonderful show. You are truly spectacular.' Uma is starring in new Netflix horror series Chambers which will air on the streaming service from April 26. Chambers tells the story of a woman who survives a heart transplant and begins to develop different personality traits. Entourage: Uma was joined by an array of people who helped her out at the station Cosy: Keeping off a chill, the actress wore a navy blue longline coat over her jacket Wave: The actress greeted waiting fans as she left the station in Lille Spine-tingling fear arises when she begins to uncover the truth about her donor's sudden death in tense scenes. Uma was previously married to French financier Arpad Busson, and the pair welcomed daughter Luna in 2012 before their split in April 2014. The Kill Bill star was also married to Gary Oldman for two years back in 1990, and actor Ethan Hawke in 1998. She and Ethan share two children - daughter Maya, 19, and son Levon, 15. Uma was one of many actresses who spoke out against film producer Harvey Winestein in the wake of numerous sexual assault allegations. Upcoming: Uma is starring in new Netflix horror series Chambers which will be airing on the streaming service from April 26 During an appearance on The Late Show With Seth Meyers, show host Seth congratulated Uma on her essay in The New York Times in which she detailed her claims against the disgraced film producer. She said: 'Well, you've got to be a citizen and you can't leave people alone holding the bag of truth by themselves. There's no one I wish to get due process more than him.' She alleged in her article that the producer first made sexual advances towards her in a Parisian hotel room, before later attacking her again in London. She wrote: 'It was such a bat to the head. He pushed me down. He tried to shove himself on me. He tried to expose himself. He did all kinds of unpleasant things. 'But he didn't actually put his back into it and force me. You're like an animal wriggling away, like a lizard. 'I was doing anything I could to get the train back on the track. My track. Not his track.' Amber Turner and Dan Edgar, 28, called it quits over the Christmas period after a one-year tumultuous relationship. And the 25-year-old TOWIE star's best pals Chloe Meadows and Courtney Green said she's 'just as confused as anyone else' by his new relationship with Chloe Sims, 36. Courtney, 23, revealed exclusively to MailOnline: 'She's not even fuming, she's just so confused. She doesn't believe it's true, like "what is going on?' listen I feel for her. She has spoken to Dan.' TOWIE EXCLUSIVE: It was revealed on Tuesday, Amber Turner feels 'confused' and 'betrayed' by ex Dan Edgar's new relationship with Chloe Sims as she 'didn't see it coming' They also explained that it was difficult for the reality star, who has been axed from the show, to sit out filming of new series in Thailand, where Dan and Chloe were said to have begun their relationship. Chloe M went on: 'That's the thing is that we didn't have any answers for her, we were speaking to her a lot and we were saying we couldn't work it out. It was completely out of the blue.' Speaking about Chloe, Dan and Diags' friendship, Courtney added that they 'have always been these three best friends who are always flirty with each other, so if Chloe sat in Dan's lap I wouldn't even blink an eye and think "she fancies him".' Amber is also said to be feeling 'confused' and 'betrayed' by Dan and Chloe's new relationship, as she told her friends that she 'didn't see this coming'. Unsure: The 25-year-old TOWIE star's best pals Chloe Meadows and Courtney Green said she's 'just as confused as anyone else' by the couple Pals: Courtney (R) revealed exclusively to MailOnline: 'She's not even fuming, she's just so confused. She doesn't believe it's true, like "what is going on?' listen I feel for her' Explaining in more detail, Courtney told MailOnline: 'She's thinking now about Chloe "Have you fancied my boyfriend the whole time we've been friends?"' According to Chloe M, the 36-year-old deserves to be with 'someone a bit older' who 'has got their s**t together' and can help her with her child, which she doesn't believe Dan can do. She elaborated: 'Dan's not husband material. He's a nice boy, he doesn't know what he wants. He cannot be shacked up with being step-dad, like come on.' While Courtney agreed: 'He doesn't want a relationship. If it does work then I will applaud them because we're doubting it.' Confused by the whole thing: Amber is also said to be feeling 'betrayed' by Dan and Chloe's new relationship, as she told her friends that she 'didn't see this coming' Their comments come after Chloe told The Sun that she and Dan were dating after four years of friendship, and had already confessed that he 'could be the one.' The reality star confessed on Tuesday: 'Me and Dan are just seeing how it goes. We have grown close over four years of friendship. He could be the one.' Chloe continued to detail their shiny new romance by revealing that their foundation was built on trust. 'The idea that it was a holiday fling in Thailand made it sound cheap! I am not a fling type of girl and I wouldnt cry my eyes out about a fling. There's a lot of mutual respect there. Looking back: Courtney told MailOnline that Amber is 'thinking now about Chloe "Have you fancied my boyfriend the whole time we've been friends?"' Candid: According to Chloe M, the 36-year-old should be with 'someone a bit older' who 'has got their s**t together' and can help her with her child, which she doesn't believe Dan can do 'It is really important for me to stay friends with him and not damage our friendship,' she concluded. This comes after Chloe revealed her true feelings for Dan as they discussed their budding romance during Sunday's edition of The Only Way Is Essex. The reality star laid her cards on the table as she admitted she'd 'marry him right now' during their candid talk, while Dan was weary over the 'pressure' of their relationship - leaving fans doubtful about his emotions towards her. The Only Way Is Essex continues on Sunday 31st March at 9pm on ITVBe. Jennifer Lawrence and Cooke Maroney enjoyed a fun day out on the town on Monday. The engaged couple were seen leaving lunch spot Barrio Chino, a hip Mexican restaurant that has Asian-accented decor, in New York City. And then they headed to a matinee of the 1995 Larry Clark movie Kids which stars Chloe Sevigny. Date time: Jennifer Lawrence and Cooke Maroney enjoyed a fun day out on the town on Monday in NYC; here she is seen with her ChapStick in hand The 28-year-old Red Sparrow actress wore a black trench coat, white blouse, and black trousers with black shoes and a small purse. The Hunger Games vet wore her blonde locks down with soft waves. She added flattering neutral-toned makeup and was seen holding a tube of ChapStick. Her future husband wore a black jacket over a white T-shirt with a gold chain. He added blue slacks and blue sneakers. Hola: The engaged couple were seen leaving lunch spot Barrio Chino, a hip Mexican restaurant that has Asian-accented decor, in New York City After the film, Jennifer put her hand on Cookie's arm. She confirmed her engagement at the beginning of February after sporting a 'massive' diamond ring from jeweler Alison Lou, according to People magazine. The couple had dated for eight months when Maroney dropped to one knee to ask for her hand in marriage. Cooke works at New York's Gladstone Gallery, which represents artists including Lena Dunham's dad, Carroll Dunham, as well as Richard Prince, Anish Kapoor, and Bjork's ex, Matthew Barney. Cinema scene: And then they headed to a matinee of the 1995 Larry Clark movie Kids which starred Chloe Sevigny While he is now very much part of the New York social scene, Cooke, reportedly grew up in the countryside, spending his childhood on his parent's farm in Vermont. The couple have not spoken publicly about their relationship, but insiders gushed about their chemistry, with a source telling People in August: 'She is smiling like I have never seen her do with any of her previous boyfriends.' This most recent sighting comes after J-Law went out for a raucous night with pal Adele. Activism: Lawrence most recently starred in a documentary about the American political system in the 12-minute film, Unbreaking America: A NEW Short Film about Solving the Corruption Crisis Grammy-winning British artist Adele, 30, and J-Law, 28, hit Pieces Gay Bar in New York City in the West Village. Footage from inside the venue shows them playing wild drinking games to the sound of Kylie Minogue before rolling around on the floor laughing. Lawrence most recently starred in a documentary about the American political system in the 12-minute film, Unbreaking America: A NEW Short Film about Solving the Corruption Crisis. The movie was created by Represent.US, an anti-corruption group which seeks to bridge the political divide, creating anti-corruption laws that 'stop political bribery' and 'fix broken elections.' Geordie Shore fans are set to welcome a fresh cohort of revellers for the upcoming 19th season next month. And Chloe Ferry arrived at London's Kings Cross station with boyfriend Sam Gowland for work duties ahead of their return to the series on Tuesday afternoon. The TV personality, 23, nailed sporty chic as she donned a grey off-shoulder crop top and clingy leggings, which accentuated her curvaceous physique. Busy bee: Chloe Ferry arrived at London's Kings Cross station with boyfriend Sam Gowland for work duties ahead of their return to the series on Tuesday afternoon Opting for comfort with her choice of footwear, the reality star rocked a pair of pale pink trainers. The blonde beauty injected a hint of glamour into her dressed-down look as she wore oversized black sunglasses and carried a designer handbag by Louis Vuitton across her shoulder. Chloe complemented her tanned complexion with neutral-toned make-up, and styled her blonde locks into a straight fashion. Looking good: The TV personality, 23, nailed sporty chic as she donned a grey off-shoulder crop top and clingy leggings, which accentuated her curvaceous physique Casual: Opting for comfort with her choice of footwear, the reality star rocked a pair of pale pink trainers Chloe and Sam, 23, will join newbies Bethan Kershaw, Beau Brennan, Natalie Phillips and Tahlia Chung, when the series returns to screens next month. Taking a slight step back from the scene, Sophie Kasaei, who is currently the longest-serving member on the show, will take on a supporting role after featuring on Geordie Shore as part of the main cast since 2011. Last year, reality worlds collided when Love Island series 3 star Sam was smitten with Geordie Shore's Chloe after they met on a night out following his rise to fame in the villa. The former oil rig worker went on to join Geordie Shore as Chloe's new boyfriend and the couple have gone from strength to strength ever since. Three months into their relationship, the couple admitted they already spoke about tying the knot. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline in January last year, Chloe said: 'We've both talked about it, I've said I never want to be with another man in my life, Sam is definitely the one.' She recently revealed she's cut ties with her former pal and CBB housemate Dan Osborne. But Gabby Allen appeared to put the breakdown of her friendship behind her as she attended the London premiere of comedy film Eaten by Lions with her boyfriend Myles Stephenson on Tuesday evening. The Love Island star, 27, displayed her trendsetting ways as she slipped into a thigh-skimming jumper dress, featuring a turtle-style neckline. Beaming: Gabby Allen attended the London premiere of comedy film Eaten by Lions with her boyfriend Myles Stephenson on Tuesday evening Highlighting her slender frame, the TV personality teamed her ensemble with a a bedazzled black belt. The dancer ensured all eyes were on her as she boosted her frame in a pair of black sandal heels, embellished with trendy tasseled straps. Adding a touch of pazzazz into her look, the former fitness instructor accessorised with statement door knocker earrings and a selection of silver bangles. Gabby wore her blonde bob in a straight style and enhanced her beauty with matte foundation, orange-tinted eyeshadow and a slick of nude lipgloss for a voluminous pout. Legs for days: The Love Island star, 27, displayed her trendsetting ways as she slipped into a thigh-skimming jumper dress, featuring a turtle-style neckline Breakdown of a friendship: The TV personality recently revealed she's cut ties with her former pal Dan Osborne (pictured together in Celebrity Big Brother last year) Looking good: Highlighting her slender frame, the reality star teamed her ensemble with a a bedazzled black belt Rak-Su musician Myles, 27, who has been dating the blonde beauty for six months, nailed the sporty look as he rocked a black bomber jacket, a faint pink hooded jumper and comfy joggers. The premiere boasted a star-studded line-up as EastEnders star Nitin Ganatra and comedian Johnny Vegas were also in attendance. Eaten By Lions follows the story of siblings Omar (Antonio Aakeel) and Pete (Jack Carroll) as they embark on a journey to find Omar's estranged father. Details: Adding a touch of pazzazz into her look, the former fitness instructor accessorised with statement door knocker earrings and a selection of silver bangles Smitten: Rak-Su musician Myles, 27, who has been dating the blonde beauty for six months, nailed the sporty look as he rocked a black bomber jacket, a faint pink hooded jumper and comfy joggers Gabby's outing comes after she revealed she has cut ties with former TOWIE star Dan, 27, following reports he had kissed Alexandra Cane at a nightclub. Describing the situation as a 'mess', the blonde said she hoped for the sake of both Dan and his partner, former EastEnders actress Jacqueline Jossa, that the allegations were false. The accusations come a year after Gabby was accused of cheating with the hunk during a holiday in Marbella - which both stars strenuously denied. Revealing they hadn't spoken since then, she told The Sun: 'Jacq and her family are much more important than me and Dan being mates.' High spirits: The premiere boasted a star-studded line-up as EastEnders star Nitin Ganatra and comedian Johnny Vegas (pictured with a walking stick) were also in attendance Suave: Actor Nitin cut a dapper figure as he rocked a burgundy three-piece suit with patent brogues Stepping out in style: Tyger Drew-Honey (left) and Shila Iqbal (right) put on stylish displays on the red carpet Describing Dan as a 'nice guy', Gabby said she hoped for the sake of Dan and Jacqueline's relationship that the allegations were false. She elaborated: 'I just think - I really hope it didn't happen because it's so s**t to have that hanging over your head and people thinking that you're a homewrecker when you didn't do anything. hope for both their sake's it didn't happen. And for Jossa's sake.' Gabby added that her former housemate had a knack for getting himself into difficult situations before adding if the allegations were true that was no excuse. She added: 'It is hard for everyone because if he didn't do it - he's being told he did and that's s**t for him.' L-R: Tom Binns, Shila, Natalie Davies, Darshan Jariwala, Hayley Tamaddon, Antonia Aakeel, Jack Carroll, Jason Wingard and Sarah Hoare appeared in great spirits at the event Uh oh: Gabby's outing comes after she revealed she has cut ties with former TOWIE star Dan, 27, following reports the hunk, who is married to Jacqueline Jossa (pictured) had kissed Alexandra Cane at a nightclub It's the show that reinvigorated her career, making Claire Danes a household name once more. And now her real-life husband, Hugh Dancy will join her on screen for the final season of Homeland, it has been revealed, According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 43-year-old English actor will play John Zabel, a Washington consultant who joins the White House as the President's new foreign-policy adviser. New role: Claire Danes's husband Hugh Dancy will join her onscreen in Homeland's eight and final season; the couple are seen together last year Featuring in multiple-episodes, the Emmy-nominated Hannibal actor's character will clash with long-running character Saul Berenson, played by Mandy Patinkin. Claire, who shares two children with Hugh, has starred in Homeland since it's inception. The eighth season will see her character Carrie Mathison slowly recovering after escaping following months of neglect and torture in a Russian gulag. Suffering from memory problems, she remains indispensable to Saul, and agrees to help him in peace negotiations with the Taliban in Afghanistan, despite her doctor's advise. Homeland is set to return to screens later this year. Married At First Sight fans are divided over Ines Basic's sensational court appearance in Brisbane on Tuesday, with some branding her 'delusional' while others claim it was a successful PR stunt. The 29-year-old legal assistant had pleaded guilty to mid-range drink driving at Cleveland Magistrates Court and was sentenced to 70 hours of community service and disqualified from driving for three months. But it was her 'Hollywood-style' arrival at court - complete with bodyguard, Mercedes-Benz limousine and all-black designer ensemble - that sparked fierce debate on social media. 'Does she think this is Hollywood?' Married At First Sight fans are divided over Ines Basic's sensational court appearance in Brisbane on Tuesday, with some branding her 'delusional' while others claim it was a successful PR stunt. Pictured at Cleveland Magistrates Court 'She thinks she's a star!' Ines's 'Hollywood-style' arrival at court - complete with bodyguard, Mercedes-Benz limousine and all-black designer ensemble - sparked fierce debate online Many people expressed disbelief that Ines's guilty plea attracted widespread media attention, and also criticised her snooty attitude towards reporters outside court. One person wrote on Instagram: 'They are treating her like a celebrity. Come on, seriously she's some halfwit who was on TV for like a minute!' Similar comments included: 'What's with the bodyguard? This bird thinks she's a star', 'Reminds me of a Chris Lilley character', 'She thinks she's a huge star... this is not LA', and '[She's] walking around like she's actually important'. However, Ines had plenty of supporters who said her sharply-dressed appearance and defiant attitude made them 'love her even more'. Praise for Ines included: '[She's a] hot mess', 'Love her so much', 'I f**king love her! So funny', and 'This is so iconic'. Iconic? However, Ines had plenty of supporters who said her sharply-dressed appearance and defiant attitude at court made them 'love her even more' Misguided support? Praise for Ines included: '[She's a] hot mess', 'Love her so much', 'I f**king love her! So funny', and 'This is so iconic' Footage from outside Cleveland Magistrates Court showed Ines being confronted by reporters who asked if she 'had a drinking problem' or was 'sorry' for her actions. Ines did not respond to the journalists and instead walked straight from the courthouse to a waiting vehicle with her entourage. Just moments earlier, she had been sentenced to 70 hours of community service and disqualified from driving for three months after pleading guilty to drink driving. Out the way! The footage fans were reacting to showed Ines walking out of court, before being confronted by reporters who asked if she 'had a drinking problem' or was 'sorry' for her actions Guilty! Just moments earlier, she had been sentenced to 70 hours of community service and disqualified from driving for three months after pleading guilty to drink driving Crime: On Christmas Day last year, Ines got drunk on vodka and rammed her vehicle into her sister Ena's car as it was parked in the driveway of her Redland Bay home. Pictured: Ena Basic On Christmas Day last year, Ines got drunk on vodka and rammed her vehicle into her sister Ena Basic's car as it was parked in the driveway of her Redland Bay home, 9News reported. Ines's lawyer Ivan Sayad explained that his client's behaviour was the result of being 'ridiculed' by her sister for appearing on reality television. Ines herself defiantly told the court: 'I would never drink and drive, but the b***h pissed me off!' She knows how to make an entrance! Ines was pictured arriving at court in a limousine wearing a black pantsuit, blazer and stiletto heels while flanked by her own personal bodyguard Protection: Ines had a bodyguard with her as she arrived at the courthouse in a Mercedes-Benz limousine van According to the prosecutor, Ines had been 'carrying on like an idiot' and screaming obscenities during the incident, which took place at around 7pm on December 25. She had been drinking vodka since 10am and, following the argument with her sister about appearing on MAFS, yelled: 'I'm gonna f**king burn your f**king house down!' After police arrived at the scene, Ines called them 'c**ts' and told a female officer, 'F**king arrest me then, b**ch!' In sentencing, Magistrate Deborah Vasta told Ines to 'get some perspective on life' and branded her an 'absolute brat'. Vasta hoped the community service would help Ines understand the 'real fabric of society' and escape from the 'bubble of artificiality' she has been living in. Excuse me! The security guard kept photographers away from Ines as she arrived at court Feeling glum? She styled her brunette hair in a tight ponytail and looked rather stony faced Dressed to impressed! Looking like a Hollywood celebrity, Ines concealed her gaze behind a pair of designer sunglasses and appeared to sport a fresh spray tan She had previously been pictured arriving at court in a limousine van wearing a black pantsuit, blazer and stiletto heels while flanked by her own personal bodyguard. Looking every inch the Hollywood star, Ines concealed her gaze behind a pair of designer sunglasses and appeared to sport a fresh spray tan. She styled her brunette hair in a tight ponytail and looked stony faced as she was escorted from the parking lot into the courthouse. In total, Ines pleaded guilty to a mid-range drink driving offence, driving without due care, being a public nuisance and contravening the direction or requirement of police officer. The latter charge was the result of Ines giving police the false name, 'Vanessa Dorothy Ines'. Charged: Ines pleaded guilty to a mid-range drink driving offence, driving without due care, being a public nuisance and contravening the direction or requirement of police officer Bad girl: To be charged with a mid-range drink driving offense, someone must register a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of over 0.10 per cent but under 0.15 per cent To be charged with a mid-range drink driving offense, someone must register a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of over 0.10 per cent but under 0.15 per cent. Mid-range drink driving is the second most serious drink driving offence under Queensland law and carries a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and/or a 20 penalty unit fine for a first offence. Following her court appearance on Tuesday, Ines met her lawyer at the nearby Elysium Restaurant and Bar for a glass of wine. She later revealed on Instagram that her bodyguard was actually hired by Channel Nine on her behalf. Rough day? Following her court appearance on Tuesday, Ines met her lawyer at the nearby Elysium Restaurant and Bar for a glass of wine She's reportedly found love again with police constable Scott Dobinson after a year of heartbreak. And Scarlett Moffatt appeared in great spirits as she joined Samira Mighty for Jordyn Woods' Eylure launch party, held at the Dorsett City Hotel in London, England, on Tuesday evening. The presenter, 29, underwent a dramatic hair transformation as she debuted her newly-dyed grey tresses while hitting the star-studded event. Star-studded: Scarlett Moffatt (L) appeared in great spirits as she joined Samira Mighty (R) for Jordyn Woods' Eylure launch party, held at the Dorsett City Hotel in London, England, on Tuesday I'm A Celeb star Scarlett looked sensational as she teamed a bright patterned silk shirt with black skinny jeans. Injecting her vibrant appearance with even more colour, the TV personality boosted her height in a pair of red strappy heels. The reality star commanded attention with her statement accessories as she sported a dazzling silver watch with a selection of gold rings. With her glossy locks styled into glamorous waves, Scarlett enhanced her striking features with fluttery false lashes, pink-tinted blush applied to the ample of her cheeks, and matte red lipstick. New look: The presenter, 29, underwent a dramatic hair transformation as she debuted her newly-dyed grey tresses while hitting the star-studded event Looking good: I'm A Celeb star Scarlett looked sensational as she teamed a bright patterned silk shirt with black skinny jeans Standing tall: Injecting her vibrant appearance with even more colour, the TV personality boosted her height in a pair of red strappy heels Radiant: The reality star enhanced her striking features with fluttery false lashes, pink-tinted blush applied to the ample of her cheeks, and matte red lipstick Difference: Scarlett, a natural brunette, recently rocked the blonde ombre look (right) Love Island's Samira, 22, turned up the heat as she slipped into a black and white shirt dress combo, embellished with fire emoji printing across her nipples. Complementing her lean legs, the TV personality added to her height in a pair of suede pointed ankle boots, and accessorised with a thick black choker. The theatre performer swept her hair into a slick ponytail and intensified her out-of-this-world beauty with shimmery gold eyeshadow and nude lipstick. Scarlett's outing comes after it was reported that she has found the man of her dreams in police constable Scott. Ooh-la-la: Love Island's Samira, 22, turned up the heat as she slipped into a black and white shirt dress combo, embellished with fire emoji printing across her nipples Edgy chic: Complementing her lean legs, the TV personality added to her height in a pair of suede pointed ankle boots, and accessorised with a thick black choker Radiant: The theatre performer swept her hair into a slick ponytail and intensified her out-of-this-world beauty with shimmery gold eyeshadow and nude lipstick Keeping warm: She wrapped up against the chilly climes of the English capital in a grey denim jacket The former Queen of the Jungle is said to be dating Scott after the pair met through a mutual friend four months ago. A source told the Sun: 'Scott seems like a really stand-up guy. He could be good for her. The pair met through a mutual friend and hit it off straight away. He's got a decent job being a police officer in Durham near where she lives.' Meanwhile, Samira has also been lucky in love as she recently went public with her new romance with Ibiza Weekender's Alex Dean, months after her split from her cheating ex Frankie Foster. The brunette beauty and Alex, 24, who have been dating for a few weeks, looked smitten as they embarked on a glitzy night out over the weekend. Star of the night: Socialite Jordyn, 21, sizzled in a skimpy aquamarine mini dress for her launch party Excited: The former Queen Of The Jungle flashed a beaming smile as she arrived at the hotel ahead of the event with a personalised suitcase Smitten: Scarlett has reportedly found love again with police constable Scott Dobinson after a year of heartbreak Samira recently revealed she 'thought she was going to die' after finding a lump on her breast and fearing she had cancer. Her co-star Dr Alex George, 28, encouraged her to get checked out after a three-centimetre growth reappeared last year. The former West End performer - whose mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 - first discovered the lump when she was 19, but was shocked to feel it again when she was in the shower in 2018. Budding relationship: Meanwhile, Samira has also been lucky in love as she recently went public with her new romance with Ibiza Weekender's Alex Dean, 24 After visiting the doctor, Samira was relieved to find out it was a benign growth called fibroadenoma. Sharing the experience with Metro, the dancer said: 'It was really dramatic, I immediately thought I had breast cancer. You Google, Wikipedia, and think youre going to die. 'It did play on my mind, because youd be drying off after the shower and feel this lump and think, something is not right. Or Id be ill and in my head Id connect it to the lump.' Married At First Sight's Ines Basic has claimed that Channel Nine hired her a bodyguard for her court appearance in Brisbane on Tuesday. The 29-year-old arrived at Cleveland Magistrates Court on drink driving charges in a Mercedes-Benz limousine van while flanked by a security specialist. When an Instagram follower later asked her if she was 'overestimating her fame' by hiring protection, she replied: 'It was booked [by] Channel Nine, maybe ask them'. Scroll down for video Paid protection? Married At First Sight's Ines Basic has claimed that Channel Nine hired her a bodyguard for her court appearance in Brisbane on Tuesday Daily Mail Australia has contacted Nine for comment. Ines pleaded guilty to mid-range drink driving and was sentenced to 70 hours of community service and disqualified from driving for three months. Her 'Hollywood-style' arrival at court - complete with bodyguard, limousine and all-black designer ensemble - later sparked fierce debate on social media. Many expressed disbelief that her guilty plea attracted widespread media attention, and also criticised her snooty attitude towards reporters outside the courthouse. One person wrote: 'They are treating her like a celebrity. Come on, seriously she's some halfwit who was on TV for like a minute!' Clarification: When an Instagram follower asked Ines if she was 'overestimating her fame' by hiring protection, she replied: 'It was booked [by] Channel Nine, maybe ask them' Celebrity coming through! The 29-year-old arrived at Cleveland Magistrates Court on Tuesday in a Mercedes-Benz limousine van while flanked by a security specialist Similar comments included: 'What's with the bodyguard? This bird thinks she's a star', 'Reminds me of a Chris Lilley character', 'She thinks she's a huge star... this is not LA', and '[She's] walking around like she's actually important'. However, Ines had plenty of supporters who said her sharply-dressed appearance and defiant attitude made them 'love her even more'. Praise for Ines included: '[She's a] hot mess', 'Love her so much', 'I f**king love her! So funny', and 'This is so iconic'. Guilty! Ines pleaded guilty to mid-range drink driving and was sentenced to 70 hours of community service and disqualified from driving for three months On Christmas Day last year, Ines got drunk on vodka and rammed her vehicle into her sister Ena Basic's car as it was parked in the driveway of her Redland Bay home, 9News reported. Ines's lawyer Ivan Sayad explained that his client's behaviour was the result of being 'ridiculed' by her sister for appearing on reality television. Ines herself defiantly told the court: 'I would never drink and drive, but the b***h pissed me off!' Loose unit: On Christmas Day last year, Ines got drunk on vodka and rammed her vehicle into her sister Ena Basic's car as it was parked in the driveway of her Redland Bay home According to the prosecutor, Ines had been 'carrying on like an idiot' and screaming obscenities during the incident, which took place at around 7pm on December 25. She had been drinking vodka since 10am and, following the argument with her sister about appearing on MAFS, yelled: 'I'm gonna f**king burn your f**king house down!' After police arrived at the scene, Ines called them 'c**ts' and told a female officer, 'F**king arrest me then, b**ch!' In sentencing, Magistrate Deborah Vasta told Ines to 'get some perspective on life' and branded her an 'absolute brat'. Vasta hoped the community service would help Ines understand the 'real fabric of society' and escape from the 'bubble of artificiality' she has been living in. A rigging grip called Louis DiVincenti is reportedly suing Netflix and producers Motley Crue for negligence after nearly dying from electrocution on the Louisiana set of The Dirt a year ago. DiVincenti is seeking $1.8M in damages for his medical bills after filing the lawsuit on March 1 at Orleans Parish Civil District Court, according to The New Orleans Advocate. Louis claimed he was at The Munch Factory handling metal pipes which made contact with a power line and the accident left him with second- and third-degree burns over 50 percent of his body. Legal woes: A rigging grip called Louis DiVincenti is reportedly suing Netflix and producers Motley Crue (pictured March 18) for negligence after nearly dying from electrocution on the Louisiana set of The Dirt a year ago On set snap: DiVincenti is seeking $1.8M in damages for his medical bills after filing the lawsuit on March 1 at Orleans Parish Civil District Court (pictured in 2018) University Medical Center doctors gave DiVincenti 'a 2 percent chance of survival' when he arrived and he spent seven weeks in the burn unit undergoing surgeries, skin grafts, and the amputation of his right foot. Louis said filmmaker Jeff Tremaine's crew 'failed to take safety precautions like making sure the power lines were de-energized' and producers 'should be held liable for his injuries.' The Dirt is a semi-sanitized film adaptation of the glam metal rockers' 2001 debaucherous collaborative autobiography featuring gratuitous sex, drugs, and violence. 'The album is number #1.The fans are going crazy over #TheDirt,' bassist Nikki Sixx triumphantly tweeted on Friday. Louis claimed he was at The Munch Factory (pictured in 2018) handling metal pipes which made contact with a power line and the accident left him with second- and third-degree burns over 50 percent of his body Ouch! University Medical Center doctors gave DiVincenti 'a 2 percent chance of survival' when he arrived and he spent seven weeks in the burn unit undergoing surgeries, skin grafts, and the amputation of his right foot Headed to court? Louis said filmmaker Jeff Tremaine's (pictured in 2018) crew 'failed to take safety precautions like making sure the power lines were de-energized' and producers 'should be held liable for his injuries' 'The critics hate it. @MotleyCrue @netflix WORLD F***ING WIDE!' Indeed, on Rotten Tomatoes, the biopic has a dismal 43 percent critic approval rating yet an 85 percent audience approval score. The three-time Grammy-nominated band - who sold 100M records - had previously retired in 2015 following their $86.1M-grossing Final Tour. Cast: The Dirt is a semi-sanitized film adaptation of the glam metal rockers' 2001 debaucherous collaborative autobiography featuring gratuitous sex, drugs, and violence Bassist Nikki Sixx triumphantly tweeted on Friday: 'The album is number #1.The fans are going crazy over #TheDirt. The critics hate it. @MotleyCrue @netflix WORLD F***ING WIDE!' After a busy day hanging with Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon on Monday, Jennifer Garner was ready for a relaxing day of running errands. The 46-year-old Alias actress looked chic in casual wear as she cruised the streets in Los Angeles. The Houston native went makeup free while sporting a light gray turtleneck sweater and black shades. Garner gorgeous: Jennifer Garner was spotted looking chic and comfortable as she cruised the streets in Los Angeles on Tuesday Garner went with a classic cool appearance with distressed light blue jeans and silver Roman sandals. The National Theater Institute graduate pulled her brown locks back away from her face while carrying both a cellphone and a cup of coffee. The ex-wife of actor Ben Affleck hung out with actress Reese and television mogul Oprah on Monday at the Apple Event at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park, in Cupertino California. Classic comfort: Garner went for a classic comfort look with distressed light blue jeans and silver Roman sandals Running errands: Garner wore her brown locks pulled back away from her makeup free face and finished the look with black shades The event was to announce the launch of Apple TV+ which will showcase a program called The Morning Show featuring Witherspoon and actress Jennifer Aniston. In an Instagram video on Winfrey's page Garner and Witherspoon along with Parks and Recreation performer Rashida Jones call themselves 'Apple Girls.' After Affleck and Garner's divorce in October 2018, the two have remained friends and continue to co-parent their three kids. Apple time: Reese and Oprah spent time together in Cupertino for an Apple event She was there too: Garner also made the event where the ladies sipped wine Mr Star Wars was there too: JJ Abrahms said that Oprah had the best stories ever Both have joint legal and physical custody of their children and spend equal time raising them. Since the dissolution of her marriage, Garner has recently moved on in her love life. The brunette beauty has been dating Los Angeles businessman John Miller. Garner has also been keeping her time occupied with roles on television and in movies. The Alias actress plays an Instagram celebrity Kathryn McSorley-Jodell on the HBO series Camping. She also played Riley North in the action thriller Peppermint which was released in September of last year. As New Zealand students prepare to take to the streets to protest climate change, they're doing so with the cautious backing of their prime minister. Thousands of young New Zealanders across the country are expected to join counterparts in Australia and around the world on Friday in skipping classes to rally against government inaction on climate change. While New Zealand's Labour-led administration banned future oil exploration last year and is currently working on emissions reform, organisers of the protest say it''s not enough. "We've seen (our prime minister) is taking this seriously and has met with us, and we can see we've already started making an impact," organiser Raven Maeder told Radio NZ. "(But) we don't believe any political party is currently doing enough to safeguard our future." Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern answered questions about the environment from students at a town-hall style meeting in Wellington ahead of the protest this week, saying they needed to be heard. "I think too often we make this assessment that in order to have an impact, you have to be of voting age. That is just not the case," she said. "Don't underestimate the power of your voice." Ardern said she understood and even expected young people to be confronting the issue, she stopped short of telling pupils to skip class to protest. "That's a matter for them and their parents ... If (my daughter) Neve asked me, we'd have that discussion," she told reporters. The New Zealand strike, which includes a march on parliament, has received the backing of hundreds of academics, teachers, unions and members of the government. Like in Australia and Britain, some conservative politicians and commentators have been less than keen on students missing a day of school for the event. The global strikes have been inspired by 15-year-old Greta Thunberg's protest in Sweden last year. The Greens NSW have denied infighting cost them votes in the weekend's election while vowing to try and isolate incoming upper house MP Mark Latham and his "racist" One Nation party. Greens Legislative Council MP David Shoebridge on Sunday said the "rest of politics" needed to stay away from the former federal Labor leader. "We will make sure Mark Latham is a sole and marginal voice in that place," he told reporters in Sydney. "We will work with politicians from across the political spectrum to make sure One Nation's racist and divisive politics does not take root in NSW." Mr Shoebridge and new recruit Abigail Boyd seem certain to retain the Greens' two vacant upper house seats while lower house MPs Jenny Leong, Jaime Parker and Tamara Smith all increased their margins in their seats. Lismore candidate Sue Higginson conceded defeat about 10am on Sunday but celebrated Labor's Janelle Saffin becoming the seat's first female MP. Statewide the Greens' primary vote in both houses appears to have dropped to its lowest level since 2007. The Greens are down 0.6 percentage points in the Legislative Assembly to 9.7 per cent and 0.8 percentage points down in the Legislative Council to 9.1 per cent. The Greens rejected suggestions their vote was harmed by infighting that led to upper house MP Jeremy Buckingham resigning in 2018 and deep division between the far-left and centrist factions. Instead, the minor party pointed the finger at fellow progressive party Keep Sydney Open. "The issues KSO were running on - opposing the lockouts, standing up for Sydney's nightlife - are issues the Greens have been running strongly on," Mr Shoebridge said. "It is unfortunate that the KSO vote, I think, largely took votes from the Greens and largely took votes from the progressive side of politics." Newtown MP Ms Leong said the Greens had been returned in her seat, Balmain and Ballina by focusing on key voter issues such as climate change action. "While the media commentary was suggesting there were infighting and division to the point of crisis, (the lower house MPs) were out on the streets chatting to people," she said. "These things did not impact our result. "Any of the narratives that suggest there is some division between the inner city and the north (of the state) just does not hold true." New Zealand will rise up unafraid, the head boy of a New Zealand school that lost two students in the mosque terror attacks has told a vigil for the victims. "When you see hatred you say love, when you see anger you say peace," Cashmere High School's Okirano Tilaia told a crowd of thousands in Christchurch. "We do not let these horrific events define who we are." Fifty people were killed in attacks at Masjid al Noor and Linwood Masjid, and another 50 were injured. Among them were Okirano's schoolmates, 14-year-old Sayyad Milne and Hamza Mustafa, 15. Performances, speeches, hugs and applause brought together the community. There was thanks for constant hands of help, from police making the community feel safe and the anonymous businesses who helped to rebuild the mosques. Thousands gave a standing ovation for the emergency services who responded and for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, lauded as an example of what a leader should be. Organiser Scott Esdaile said it didn't matter what a person's beliefs were or the colour of their skin. "We are all human and we should continue to show each other the love we have showed this week," he said. The event was opened with a prayer from Alabi Lateef Zirullah, an imam at Linwood Masjid. It was followed by the reading of the names of those who died and a minute silence. Smiles, cards and flowers had given the Muslim community strength in a time of sadness, University of Canterbury Muslim Association president Bariz Shah said. "In te Reo there's a phrase that really stands out to me in these times - he waka eke noa - which represents that we're all in the same waka," he said, using the Maori word for a canoe or boat. "After this tragedy I really see that. I see that in our New Zealand people." But he asked the question so many have since the attack on March 15 - where do we go from here. Standing strong and fighting fear is what happens next, he said. New Zealand's opposition party says a Royal Commission is the only way to independently know if the New Zealand mosque attack could have been prevented. National Party leader Simon Bridges on Sunday called for an investigation into security and intelligence agencies and security legislation. "We need to understand whether this could have been prevented," he said. "It will need to ask hard questions about whether our security and intelligence agencies had their focus in the right places." Fifty people died when a lone gunman opened fire in Christchurch's Masjid al Noor and Linwood Masjid, and another 50 were injured. Mr Bridges said a project to scan internet traffic, abandoned in 2013 by the then National government, would have "given an extra degree of protection to all New Zealanders". He was a cabinet minister at the time under prime minister John Key. The line between privacy and security must now be reconsidered, he said. The proposal has the support of ACT leader David Seymour, who said terms of reference should include why the alleged gunman was not detected by authorities and whether intelligence services are adequately resourced. "These terrorist attacks are a clear reflection that our intelligence services did not work to protect New Zealand in the way they should have," he said. Mr Seymour, who is his party's sole MP, has accused the government of rushing the response, and could thwart Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's hopes for a unanimous support for gun law changes. "By forcing gun law reform through in three weeks the government will ensure there is no real opportunity for New Zealanders to have their voices heard," he said on Friday. "It is deeply disappointing that the government is responding to the Christchurch terrorist attack by abandoning proper democratic process." From Thursday afternoon weapons like those allegedly used by 28-year-old Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant in the attack became illegal under interim measures. Legislation is expected to be introduced by April 11. A new national cancer treatment centre is to be based in Melbourne, providing access to treatments previously only offered overseas. Prime Minister Scott Morrison will be in Melbourne on Monday to announce $496 million funding for treatment, hospital infrastructure, mental health services and medical research. An injection of $80 million will help create a national cancer treatment centre at Peter Mac. "This investment will be life-changing for so many of our sickest Australians, including many children battling cancer," Mr Morrison said. It would also ensure the Victorian capital's position as a global leader in health and medical research. Peter Mac will invest $25 million to create the Centre of Excellence in Cellular Immunotherapy. The centre will provide CAR T-cell therapy, helping the body's own immune system to fight cancer and has the potential to cure certain types of cancer. The therapy involves removing immune system cells, re-engineering them in a lab and reinserting them back into the body to attack and kill the cancer cells. Health Minister Greg Hunt said it would put Melbourne at the global forefront of cancer research. The government also plans to put $30 million into St Vincent Hospital's Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery - Australia's first hospital-based biomedical engineering research and training hub. Three Victoria hospitals - in Rosebud, Casey and Bendigo - will partner with the Australian Clinical Trials Network's TrialHub, to provide cancer and rare disease services in regional areas. As well, the federal budget will include funding for drug discovery, paediatric emergency departments, community health and MRI licences in Victoria. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will hand down the budget on April 2. The results of the NSW election have reassured Scott Morrison's government that it can woo voters through strong economic management, eight days out from the next federal budget. NSW Labor Leader Michael Daley was defeated by Liberal Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Saturday, with the state coalition winning 46 seats out of 93 available on the day. Attorney-General Christian Porter says the Morrison government has always felt it could win the next federal poll, expected in May, despite opinion polls pointing towards a Labor victory. But the NSW result has beefed up this belief. He said that's because the federal government - like the Berejiklian government - is focused on delivering a strong economy and budget position and reinvesting the benefits into services and infrastructure. "That is precisely the model that we have been working on for six years," Mr Porter told reporters in Perth on Sunday. "This proves, if you like, the underlying confidence we've had. We believe this shows that the next election is absolutely winnable." The Nationals did lose ground in the NSW vote, losing at least one seat to the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party. But Mr Porter said it is important to look to the bigger picture. "They've certainly had a difficult election, but that is a process of seeing the hole and not the donut. This is a historic win." Nationals MP Darren Chester is also taking heart from the result. "The message out of NSW was, for the federal government in particular...don't write us off," he told ABC TV. Federal Labor Leader Bill Shorten says he does not believe the NSW election has many implications for his campaign to become prime minister. But it has reaffirmed to him the importance of taking nothing for granted and delivering people vision. "People are hungry for vision. Politics as usual doesn't cut it," Mr Shorten told reporters in Melbourne. Tech giants such as Facebook and Google are being urged to keep Australians who use their platforms safe, by properly protecting their personal information and managing hate speech. The federal government on Sunday revealed plans to force online titans to cough up far more cash if they breach privacy laws, under sweeping changes to the Privacy Act aimed at protecting Australians' data. The announcement came ahead of both Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten meeting with executives from social media companies on Tuesday. They are due to discuss violent offences being broadcast by perpetrators on sites such as Facebook and YouTube, in the aftermath of the Christchurch massacre in which 50 people were killed. A video of the attack, in which a lone gunman opened fire at two mosques during Friday prayers was live-streamed on social media. "It's no good for the people who run the swamp...to then not take responsibility for what crawls out," Mr Shorten told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday. Under the government's proposed changes to the Privacy Act, online platforms that seriously or repeatedly breach privacy laws would be fined $10 million, compared to the current penalty of $2.1 million. Alternatively, they could be charged three times the value of any benefit obtained by misusing information or 10 per cent of their annual domestic turnover, depending on which figure is greatest. Attorney-General Christian Porter says the act needs updating after the boom in recent years of online companies trading in personal information. "We need better protections and stronger penalties and stronger incentives to ensure that the social media platforms do the right thing with our private information," he told reporters in Perth. The current $2.1 million maximum penalty for misusing people's data was "almost irrelevant" to the companies with huge profits, he said. Legislation to make the changes will be drafted ahead of community consultation in the second half of the year. The NSW coroner will examine William Tyrrell's family situation and the initial response to his disappearance when the inquest begins sitting almost five years after the toddler vanished. William vanished from his foster grandmother's home on the NSW mid north coast on September 12 2014 while wearing a now infamous Spiderman costume. The state's top detectives have worked tirelessly to track down the missing boy since his foster mother's frantic call to police that morning - but his fate remains a mystery. A massive brief of evidence, containing at least 15,000 items, will go before Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame at the launch of the inquest on Monday morning. The first of two weeks of hearings will explore William's foster and biological families, the period of time around the disappearance and early parts of the investigation. Throughout the investigation, William was referred to "a little boy lost" but police soon came to suspect something more sinister happened and zeroed in on known pedophiles and criminals from nearby holiday towns. But no one has been charged for the suspected abduction. AAP understands investigators hope the first week of hearings will show William did not wander into nearby bushland but was, instead, snatched by a predator. In mid-2018 they conducted a large-scale search of bushland near the Kendall home to rule out misadventure and firm up their theory. The closely-guarded persons of interest list, which ballooned to include hundreds of names over the years, has been whittled down for the inquest's second sitting in August. Some names on that list have been previously released by police but sources say one so-far unidentified person will be watched closely when they are called in front of the inquest. Counsel assisting Gerard Craddock SC will deliver his opening address at 10am on Monday. New Zealand politicians are calling for an inquiry to determine if the mosque terror attack could have been prevented, as a national memorial is planned for the victims. Fifty people were killed in the March 15 attack on Christchurch's Masjid al Noor and Linwood Masjid when a lone gunman opened fire during Friday prayers. National Party leader Simon Bridges on Sunday called for a Royal Commission to determine if the attacks could have been prevented. "It will need to ask hard questions about whether our security and intelligence agencies had their focus in the right places," he said. ACT leader David Seymour agrees and believes an inquiry should look at why authorities hadn't detected the alleged gunman before the attack and the adequacy of intelligence resourcing. He has accused the Labour government of rushing the response and could thwart Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's hope for unanimous support for gun law changes. The prime minister has announced a national memorial service will be held on Friday, with thousands expected to turn out again in solidarity for the local Muslim community. They were able to return to the scene of the tragedy on Saturday, a week and a day after the attacks that also injured 50 people. "The service will be a chance to once again show that New Zealanders are compassionate, inclusive and diverse, and that we will protect those values," she said. The service will be broadcast live to events in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin. Foreign delegations are expected, including a representative of the British royal family. It's rumoured to be Prince William who has visited Christchurch several times. A vigil was held on Sunday night for the victims, where the call was for continued love and unity as many asked what will come next. Interim measures have banned semi-automatic firearms like those used in the attack until legislation is introduced, likely around April 11. The alleged gunman, 28-year-old Australian Brenton Tarrant, has been transferred from Christchurch and is now believed to be held in a maximum security prison in Auckland. He has no access to television, radio or newspapers and no approved visitors. Tarrant is charged with one count of murder but is expected to face more charges. He's due to return to court on April 5. ONE NATION'S GUN LOBBY MEETINGS * Australian Rodger Muller posed as an advocate to relax gun laws while working undercover for Al Jazeera. * He set up meetings for Pauline Hanson's chief-of-staff James Ashby and Queensland leader Steve Dickson with US lobby groups including the powerful National Rifle Association. * The three men travelled to Washington where they met with lobbyists to investigate the possibility of getting donations for One Nation. WHAT STEVE DICKSON SAYS IN HIDDEN CAMERA FOOTAGE * "I feel so passionate about America sometimes I want to be American. They believe in their country. I want to be that patriotic about Australia." * "I want to be in bed with the United States. I say that unashamedly and I don't think Pauline's too much different to me." * "If we can get a million dollars f***ing US towards social media, I don't even need the money. I just need the grunt. If we get the grunt of that social media supporting us, I don't need to touch the money. They are a third party punching this s*** in. And we're giving them the stuff they are punching in. I don't need any more than that. That's the trick." * "I've been a minister in a government. I'm really fortunate because I was on a committee within parliament called the Parliamentary Crime and Misconduct Committee. It's bad s***. I'm never going to jail - it won't happen because I walk the knife." * "I was changing s*** all the time." - Dickson talks about discovering the "genie's lamp" of regulation while a minister in the Newman government. * "We've been importing all these Muslims into Australia." * "You'd have the whole government by the balls." - Dickson on the prospect of winning the balance of power with eight Senate seats which Ashby estimates will cost $10 million." * "The weather conditions are a whole lot better here than f***ing England and England has been taken over by Muslims so I reckon we're going to rate number one." - Dickson on the US-Australia alliance. JAMES ASHBY * "If they throw $10 million at is we could f***ing win a heaps of seats plus s***loads of seats in the Senate." * "We've got a political party called the Greens. They are f***tards. Honestly they are the worst people." * "If it gets out it'll f***ing rock the boat" - Ashby on the meetings. * "That's really good. That's very strong." - Ashby on lobbyists' advice to "shame" people who point to massacres to argue against relaxing gun laws. (Source: Al Jazeera's How To Sell A Massacre part one) There's a fresh measles alert in Melbourne after a young man jetted into the city after contracting the the infectious disease interstate. He remains isolated and is being treated in hospital. Victorian health authorities on Tuesday warned the man could have been infectious while attending public areas across Melbourne last week. He boarded a plane at Brisbane Airport on Thursday, before catching a connecting flight to Canberra which set him en route to the Victorian capital. After arriving in Melbourne, the man caught a shuttle bus from the airport to Nomads All National Hostel on Spencer Street, where he stayed until Sunday. He also attended a 7-Eleven on Spencer Street last Friday and the Chemist Warehouse on Bourke Street the following day. Victoria's chief health officer Brett Sutton said the case is a timely reminder for people to ensure they are vaccinated "Anyone who is unvaccinated is at highest risk of contracting measles," he said, adding that people need two doses of vaccine to be fully protected. This case is unrelated to a case which emerged recently of a woman who attended the Melbourne Formula 1 GP while infectious. Measles is highly infectious and symptoms include fever, a severe cough, conjunctivitis and coryza, followed by a rash starting on the face. Measles patients can be infectious roughly five days before and four days after the rash appears. Beto O'Rourke, an ex-punk musician who sometimes went skateboarding to blow off steam on the Texas campaign trail, has been tipped to quickly achieve rockstar status with a run for president Beto O'Rourke, a skateboarding former punk rocker feted as one of the Democratic Party's rising stars, announced Thursday he is running for president -- joining a crowded field of candidates vying to challenge US President Donald Trump in 2020. "The only way for us to live up to the promise of America is to give it our all and to give it for all of us," O'Rourke, 46, said in a video, filmed alongside his wife in their El Paso, Texas home. O'Rourke has been discussed as a potential frontrunner since dazzling the grassroots during an unexpectedly tight race last year to unseat Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz. Early Thursday, he was already taking questions from voters in Keokuk, Iowa -- following in the footsteps of other Democrats keen to raise their profiles in the state that will vote before any other in the 2020 primary process. The president's first reaction to the latest pretender to the Oval Office was typically Trumpian -- a playful but dismissive takedown of his new rival's delivery style. "I think he's got a lot of hand movement ... I said, 'Is he crazy or is that just the way he acts?'" grinned Trump, whose own oratory quirks -- including effusive hand gestures -- have been fodder for political impressionists. O'Rourke, on the other hand, has vowed to run a positive campaign that would seek to "bring out the very best from every single one of us" and unite a country riven by political, social and cultural fissures. "Man, I'm just born to be in it, and want to do everything I humanly can for this country at this moment," he told Vanity Fair in this month's cover story. Published online hours before his official announcement, it features a spread by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz with images of O'Rourke at home with family relaxing, making pancakes, playing music and posing against the desolate Texan landscape. - Large field - O'Rourke has entered a large field of other Democrats seeking to oust Trump. They include several US senators -- Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar and liberal powerhouse Bernie Sanders. Former vice president Joe Biden has said he will reveal his political plans soon. To one Iowan's question on running alongside so many other Democrats, O'Rourke said it was "critically important that we not denigrate, demean any other candidate." During his Senate run, O'Rourke could be seen skateboarding and jamming onstage with country music legend Willie Nelson "Any single Democrat running today... would be far better than the current occupant of the White House," he said to applause. O'Rourke, once a bassist in the moderately successful El Paso band Foss, has been tipped to quickly achieve rockstar status. But with that will come with intensifying scrutiny. As a three-term congressman, O'Rourke was politically cautious, joining the House's centrist, pro-business New Democrat Coalition. But in his Senate run, he ran an unconventional campaign, espousing progressive positions on topics such as immigration. His native El Paso, which borders Mexico's Ciudad Juarez, was recently visited by Trump for a rally filled with dire warnings about Mexican criminals and calls for bigger and longer border walls. "All of us, wherever you live, can acknowledge that if immigration is a problem it's the best possible problem for this country to have," O'Rourke insisted in Thursday's announcement video. - 'Nothing to lose' - O'Rourke factfile In Iowa, he touched upon several progressive hot topics -- from universal health care and a $15 minimum wage to cannabis legalization and women's reproductive rights. Some of his strongest statements came on climate change and the Green New Deal touted by the left of the Democratic party. "I haven't seen anything better that addresses this singular crisis we face, a crisis that could at its worst lead to extinction," he said of the proposal to de-carbonize the US economy while offering universal healthcare and guaranteed employment. "Not to be dramatic, but the future of the world depends on us right now here where we are," he said. O'Rourke's 2018 campaign was time-consuming and he signaled that he felt disconnected from family -- casting doubt on a possible presidential run. O'Rourke (R) walks with his wife, Amy Hoover Sanders, and his three children, Ulysses (3rd L), Henry (L) and Molly on election day on November 6, 2018 in El Paso, Texas But it also showed a candidate appearing to enjoy himself. He could be seen skateboarding between events. He jammed onstage with country music legend Willie Nelson, and pledged to "listen to everyone, regardless of the differences." In a new documentary on his improbable Senate campaign, "Running with Beto," O'Rourke offered sage advice for candidates like himself: "Run like there's nothing to lose." burs/oh/ska Cyclone Idai heads for Mozambique Mozambique has cancelled flights to several domestic destinations as a tropical cyclone, potentially the strongest to hit the country in nearly two decades, approached threatening to bring chaos to southern Africa. The wave of cancellations came as the UN warned that "tropical cyclone Idai has regained intensity and is expected to make landfall near Beira city in central Mozambique" later Thursday. At least 126 people have been killed in Mozambique, Malawi and South Africa as heavy rains hit southeastern Africa over the past week, affecting more than one million people, officials said. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that the incoming storm could bring winds of up to 190 kilometres per hour (118 miles per hour). That would make it the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall in Mozambique since Tropical Cyclone Eline which struck the country in February 2000, claiming at least 800 lives. Another storm in 2015 left more than 100 people dead. Mozambique is prone to extreme weather events and as the storm approached, the coastal city of Beira was hit by winds of more than 170 kph, the National Meteorological Institute said, with Radio Mocambique reporting several homes had been destroyed and roads cut off. Late on Wednesday, Mozambique's national carrier LAM said it was cancelling all flights to Beira and Quelimane, which is also on the coast, as well as to Chomoio, which is inland. But many passengers were unaware of the cancellations, leaving hundreds stranded at Maputo International Airport. The UN warned that cyclone Idai would bring strong winds, heavy rains and storm surges which would likely last through the weekend. "Substantial devastation with massive flooding both from river and sea is expected" when Idai makes landfall, South African charity Gift of the Givers said, indicating it was ready to deploy 70 rescue staff, along with 4x4 vehicles, boats, and jetskis to help with rescue efforts. Ambulances arrive at the site of an explosion on August 20, 2016 in Gaziantep following a late night militant attack on a wedding party in southeastern Turkey A Turkish court on Thursday jailed eight people for multiple life sentences for ties to a 2016 Islamic State-linked suicide bombing on a Kurdish wedding that killed 57 people, state media reported. The attack in the southern town of Gaziantep near the border with Syria was one of a series of deadly assaults in 2016 that prompted Ankara to target militants across the border in Syria. At least 34 children were among those killed on August 20, 2016 when the bomb tore through the weekend wedding as the party was breaking up. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed IS militants. Eight suspects were given multiple aggravated life sentences by a court in the Anatolian city of Kayseri, state news agency Anadolu reported. The case was heard in that city because of "public safety reasons", the agency said. Charges included violating the constitution and murder. One suspect was also sentenced for the deaths of three police officers killed in October 2016 during a raid as part of the investigation into the August attack, the agency said. The Gaziantep bombing was the deadliest in 2016 in Turkey by IS or by Kurdish militants, including a multiple suicide bomb attack on Istanbul's Ataturk airport. The attack and shelling from IS controlled areas in Syria prompted Ankara to push for a military operation to clear the Syrian border area of IS militants. Islamic State's self-declared "caliphate" has collapsed since then when it controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq. A last pocket of militants is battling in a small area they control in eastern Syria. At the start of the Syrian conflict, Turkey was the main route for foreign fighters to cross into Syria to join the jihadists. Turkey later cracked down on the border and stepped up arrests of suspected foreign jihadists. The European Union led the pledges with two billion euros, but the conference failed to drum up the $9 billion the United Nations said was needed to help the millions of Syrians forced to flee the country International donors pledged nearly $7 billion in aid for 2019 for civilians caught up in Syria's bloody civil war, the EU said Thursday, but the total fell short of what the UN says is needed. EU Humanitarian Commissioner Christos Stylianides announced the total at the end of a three-day conference in Brussels, on the eve of the eighth anniversary of the start of the conflict. The European Union led the pledges with two billion euros, but the conference failed to drum up the $9 billion the United Nations said was needed to help the millions of Syrians forced to flee the country as well as those facing a humanitarian crisis at home. Despite the shortfall, UN aid chief Mark Lowcock said he was "very pleased with the outcome" but stressed that only a political solution could end the misery endured by Syrians as a result of the war. Before the conference the UN estimated that $5.5 billion (4.4 billion euros) are needed to help the approximately 5.6 million Syrians forced to flee their country, most to Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan. A further $3.3 billion is needed for populations inside Syria facing a humanitarian situation described by the Medecins du Monde aid agency as "unsustainable". Germany pledged 1.44 billion euros, Washington almost $400 million and Britain some 400 million (464 million euros). Suspected members of the Islamic State (IS) group exit with children from the village of Baghouz in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor Trudging up an ochre cliff-face in eastern Syria, veiled women, wounded men and dusty children make a final journey out of the Islamic State group's crumbling redoubt. Under the drizzle of a dark brewing sky, their exodus Thursday from the last dregs of the extremist group's "caliphate" in eastern Syria has tones of an apocalypse. They are hundreds to plod up the steep winding dust path, in silence only broken by the odd crackling of machine-guns and the cries of young children. Fleeing their smoldering encampment in the riverside village of Baghouz, they walk into territory held by the US-backed Syrian forces who have been fighting them for months. Women dressed from head to toe in black stumble under the weight of bags bulging with belongings -- one with a toothbrush poking out. A woman clutches to her chest a baby swaddled in a coloured blanket. Another carries two toddlers, one on each hip. Another still loses her balance, but her companions catch her as she falls, then push and pull to bring her back onto her feet. A little girl trips and falls in the dirt, losing a tiny pink sandal. She puts the shoe back on, and carries on. By her side, her brother moves forward on his hands and knees. Their mother has her hands full with their belongings, and appears unable to help. - Blood stains - As she catches a glimpse of journalists, a dust-covered little girl bursts into tears. A woman wearing a wide brown-coloured velvet robe, limps forward. She stubs her toe, wailing briefly in pain. The hundreds leaving are mainly IS fighters and their families, forces fighting them say. The men are of all ages, many are wounded. They are hunched over on crutches. One has an eye patch, the other an arm in a sling. Dried blood stains streak grubby beige trousers. People said to be members of the Islamic State (IS) group exit with children from the village of Baghouz in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor Some men are wrapped in thick woollen kaftans, but nearly all sport thick black or greying beards. "The situation is dramatic -- you know that," one of the men says. His face wrapped in a red-and-white scarf so only his eyes are visible, one man makes his way on crutches improvised out of tree branches. An old man hobbles up, his calf smothered in bandages, his arm around a US-backed fighter helping him along. "I come from the country of Imam Bukhari -- Uzbekistan," he says, referring to the Uzbekistan-born ninth century Islamic scholar. "The camp. Many wounded," he says in Arabic with a faint accent. - Pushchairs abandoned - Among those leaving the last patch of the "caliphate" declared in 2014 when it stretched across a swathe of Syria and Iraq, many are foreigners. Some men say they are Iraqis. Some children appear to hail from Asia, while another is blond. A black man tries to hide his face from the cameras. A man carries a child as he walks with others said to be members of the Islamic State (IS) group exiting from the village of Baghouz in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor At the top of the hill, they will be searched and men suspected of being IS fighters detained. Women and children will be trucked north to already overcrowded camps for the displaced. The edge of the path is littered with baggage abandoned along the way: pushchairs, clothes, blankets, suitcases left gaping open. An official from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces says the cliff-side path is the only one protected from jihadist fire. "When there are heavy clashes, people use this passage," SDF spokesman Adnan Afrin says. Among the latest wave, a man concealing his face under a black scarf carries the arched, motionless body of a young boy across his arms. The barefoot boy's T-shirt is pulled up, revealing skin stretched over a skinny belly, ribs jutting out. "Wounded," the man tells journalists, his eyes remaining fixed in front on him. Floods have also hit southern Malawi, affecting almost a million people Tropical cyclone Idai battered Mozambican coastal city Beira Friday, leaving half a million people virtually cut off after power lines crashed, airport shut and roads were swamped by flooding that killed 66 people nationwide. "There is no communication with Beira. Houses and trees were destroyed and pylons downed," an official at the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) told AFP. Authorities had to close Beira international airport after the air traffic control tower, the navigation systems and the runways were damaged by the storm. "Unfortunately there is extreme havoc," said the official. "Some runway lights were damaged, the navigation system is damaged, the control tower antennas and the control tower itself are all damaged. "The runway is full of obstacles and parked aircrafts are damaged." Late on Wednesday, the national carrier LAM cancelled all flights to Beira and Quelimane, which is also on the coast, as well as to Chomoio, which is inland. Power utility Electricidade de Mocambique said in a statement that the provinces of Manica, Sofala and parts of Inhambane have been without power since Thursday. Officials did not report any confirmed deaths, but local Beira station STV reported a child had died in Manica province west of the city, apparently the victim of a falling roof. "There was no tsunami-type storm but Beira and Chinde (400 kilometres, 250 miles northeast of Beira on the coast) were badly hit," added the NIDM official. Another official, Pedro Armando Alberto Virgula, in Chinde, said a hospital, police station and seven schools there lost their roofs and four houses were destroyed. Virgula added that efforts were under way to assess the damage caused after Idai made landfall late on Thursday. Local officials said that this week's heavy rains claimed 66 lives, injured 111 people and displaced 17,000 people. The World Food Programme (WFP) said it would move 20 tonnes of emergency food aid to the affected areas. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) had warned that the storm could pack winds of up to 190 kilometres per hour (118 miles per hour). - 'Devastation' - At least 126 people were killed by the downpour that has struck parts of Mozambique, Malawi and South Africa over the past week, officials said. Heavy rains in neighbouring Malawi have affected almost a million people and claimed 56 lives, according to the latest government toll. Authorities there have opened emergency relief camps where malaria and shortages of supplies have led to dire conditions, according to AFP correspondents. Malawian President Peter Mutharika this week declared a natural disaster. Mozambique's weather service has warned that heavy rain will continue to batter Beira and surrounding areas until Sunday. The UN warned of damage to crops, "including about 168,000 hectares (415,000 acres) of crops already impacted by flooding in early March, which will undermine food security and nutrition". Mozambique and Malawi, two of the poorest countries in the world, are prone to deadly flooding during the rainy season and chronic drought during the dry season. In neighbouring Zimbabwe, weather services have warned that violent thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds will be experienced in the eastern regions of the country. The decision to fine Google is the latest anti-trust salvo against Silicon Valley firm, which has already received nearly seven billion euros in European Union fines The EU's anti-trust regulator is to slap tech giant Google with a new fine over unfair competition practices, sources told AFP on Friday. Brussels has targeted the Silicon Valley firm's AdSense advertising service, saying it restricts some client websites from displaying ads from third parties. The decision in the long-running case, first reported by the Financial Times, is the latest anti-trust salvo against Google, which has already received nearly seven billion euros in EU fines. Two sources close to the matter said the verdict would land next week, most likely on Wednesday. "We are in the process of finalising the AdSense case," EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said earlier this week. In July 2018, the US giant was ordered to pay a record 4.34 billion euros for abusing the dominant position of Android, its smartphone operating system, to help assure the supremacy of its search engine. A year earlier it slapped Google with a fine of 2.42 billion euros for abusing its dominant position by favouring its "Google Shopping" price comparison service in search results. Google has appealed both decisions to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington was prepared to take further steps, including economic sanctions, if the ICC goes ahead with probes of US or allied personnel The United States announced on Friday it would deny visas to members of the International Criminal Court involved in investigating the actions of US troops in Afghanistan or other countries. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington was prepared to take further steps, including economic sanctions, if the war crimes court goes ahead with any probes of US or allied personnel. "The ICC is attacking America's rule of law," Pompeo told reporters. "It's not too late for the court to change course and we urge that it do so immediately." The United States has never joined the ICC, where a prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, asked judges in November 2017 for authorization to open an investigation into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. Pompeo's announcement of visa restrictions was the first concrete action taken by the US against the ICC since the White House threatened reprisals against the Hague-based body in September of last year. "I'm announcing a policy of US visa restrictions on those individuals directly responsible for any ICC investigation of US personnel," the secretary of state said. This would include anyone who takes, or has taken, action to request or further an investigation, he told reporters. "If you're responsible for the proposed ICC investigation of US personnel in connection with the situation in Afghanistan you should not assume that you still have, or will get, a visa or that you will permitted to enter the United States," Pompeo added. The secretary of state said visas could also be withheld from ICC personnel involved in conducting probes of US allies, specifically Israel. "These visa restrictions may also be used to deter ICC efforts to pursue allied personnel, including Israelis, without allies' consent," he said. Pompeo said "implementation" of the policy has already begun but he did not provide any details, citing confidentiality surrounding visa applications. "These visa restrictions will not be the end of our efforts," Pompeo said. "We're prepared to take additional steps, including economic sanctions, if the ICC does not change its course." - 'Politically motivated prosecutions' - The secretary of state said the US had declined to join the ICC "because of its broad unaccountable prosecutorial powers" and the threat it proposes to American national sovereignty. National Security Advisor John Bolton has been an outspoken critic of the ICC "We are determined to protect American and allied civilian personnel from living in fear of unjust prosecution for actions taken to defend our great nation," he said. "We feared that the court could eventually pursue politically motivated prosecutions of Americans," he said, "and our fears were warranted." Pompeo said the US government was obliged to protect its citizens and procedures were already in place to deal with members of the US armed forces who engage in misconduct. "When US service members fail to adhere to our strict code of military conduct they are reprimanded, courtmartialed and sentenced, if that's what's deserved," he said. "The US government, where possible, takes legal action against those responsible for international crimes," he added, noting that it has supported prosecution of war crimes in Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia and elsewhere. The ICC and human rights groups reacted swiftly to Pompeo's remarks. "The ICC, as a court of law, will continue to do its independent work, undeterred, in accordance with its mandate and the overarching principle of the rule of law," the ICC said. Richard Dicker, international justice director at Human Rights Watch, said the US move "is a naked attempt to bully judges and impede justice for victims in Afghanistan" and "blatant contempt for the rule of law." James Goldston, executive director of the Open Society Justice Initiative, said Pompeo's remarks reflected the administration's view that international law matters "only when it is aligned with US national interests." "Attacking international judicial actors for doing their jobs undermines global efforts to hold to account those most responsible for atrocity crimes such as torture and mass murder," Goldston said. The ICC was established in 2002 under the Rome Statute and joined by 123 countries. But ICC membership was never ratified by the US Senate and the "America First" administration of President Donald Trump has been a particularly virulent opponent. John Bolton harshly condemned the ICC in one of his first speeches after becoming Trump's national security advisor in September. "We will not cooperate with the ICC," Bolton said. "And we certainly will not join the ICC. We will let the ICC die on its own." Sailors with the Spanish emergency services (L) and the Moroccan Navy rescue would-be immigrants in the Straits of Gibraltar in December 2012 Moroccan authorities said Friday the navy had rescued 21 people after a boat carrying migrants sunk in the Mediterranean, with a rights group saying 45 others had drowned in the incident. Tangiers-based association Caminando Fronteras said survivors and relatives reported "45 people lost their lives" Thursday after the vessel hit trouble as it headed towards Spain. The group's director Helena Maleno wrote on Twitter that there were a total of 67 people onboard the boat and that seven women were among the survivors. "Only one body has been recovered," she said. A senior Moroccan official refused to confirm the death toll given by Caminando Fronteras, but said the navy had rescued 21 people. A second human rights organisation, AMDH-Nador, confirmed to AFP that one body had been taken to a local hospital after the navy rescue operation. In the wake of the incident the Spanish coastguard said they had offered to help Morocco and sent a helicopter to assist. The issue of migrants making illegal crossings to Europe is highly sensitive in Morocco and the authorities are often cagey about giving details. In January Caminando Fronteras reported that 50 migrants from Mauritania drowned off the Moroccan coast, but the authorities never confirmed the deaths. The NGO alerts naval authorities to migrant boats in distress at sea as they attempt the crossing to Europe. Activist Maleno said this month that a Moroccan court has dropped human trafficking charges against her, saying it sets a precedent for her struggle to save lives at sea. Last year saw a "substantial increase" in arrivals to Europe along the western route from Morocco, with over 65,000 people making it across the Mediterranean there, the European Union has said. The International Organization for Migration says over 2,200 people died trying to make the perilous sea journey to Europe in 2018. Moroccan authorities say they stopped 89,000 people from sub-Saharan Africa and Morocco from making the journey during the year and rescued 29,715. Former Israeli military chief of staff Benny Gantz is leading a centrist alliance challenging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at April polls The main challenger to Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel's April elections said Friday that his phone had been hacked, but insisted there was nothing on it that could be used by Iran to blackmail him. A report by Channel 12 on Thursday said that the phone of former military chief of staff Benny Gantz had recently been hacked by Iranian intelligence. In a briefing on the Gaza border following the latest escalation with the Palestinian enclave, Gantz acknowledged the hacking, but denied his phone's contents could prove a liability. "There's nothing security related that could happen, there's no threat to me, no extortion -- it's just unethical nosiness," Gantz said. According to the Thursday report, Gantz was informed by the Shin Bet internal security agency about the hack some five weeks ago, with officials warning him that any sensitive materials on the phone could be used against him. Gantz dismissed the reporting and speculation that his hacked phone could have contained intimate correspondences or images as "a gossipy, delusional political story". His party implied that election rival Netanyahu was behind the timing of the Thursday broadcast. Gantz's Blue and White alliance said the breach took place "a few months ago" and stressed the phone contained "no embarrassing videos". "Briefings of sources close to Netanyahu and massive spreading of lies prove beyond any doubt who's behind the publication, and why," a statement from the party read. Yair Lapid, the former finance minister who joined forces with Gantz to form Blue and White, said in a Friday tweet that Netanyahu's "use of sensitive security materials to try and besmirch Benny Gantz proves he's afraid of him". Netanyahu's office said in a statement that the premier was not updated by the head of the Shin Bet on the affair. Gantz's alliance, formed in January, is posing a major challenge to Netanyahu's lengthy rule, with opinion polls saying it would win more seats at the April 9 vote than the premier's Likud party. But the same polls show it would be Netanyahu, not Gantz, who would be able to form a coalition government with right-wing and religious parties. A Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet belonging to Norwegian Air Shuttle made an emergency landing in Shiraz in December 2018 - and stayed there for more than two months awaiting spare parts, Iranian officials said Iran's civil aviation authority said Friday it had banned Boeing 737 Max jets from its airspace, the latest in a series of countries to do so after a deadly crash. The decision was announced by civil aviation spokesman Reza Jafarzadeh, in a bulletin published by the transport ministry. "Following the banning of the 737 MAX from the airspace of many countries, including America, which is the country that builds it, this type of plane is now banned from Iranian airspace," Jafarzadeh said. The aircraft has been grounded worldwide in the wake of an Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday which killed all 157 people on board. The fatal accident near Addis Ababa came after a Lion Air 737 MAX 8 crashed last October, killing 189 people. French authorities are currently examining the Ethiopian aircraft to determine why the new plane crashed just minutes after takeoff. Iran cannot purchase or operate Boeing 737 MAX planes due to US sanctions. The transport ministry however said in December one such aircraft made an emergency landing in the southern city of Shiraz due to engine troubles. Passengers of the Norwegian Air Shuttle plane were unhurt in the incident and flew out the next day, but the aircraft was stuck in Shiraz for more than two months before the United States allowed necessary spare parts to be flown into Iran. Tens of thousands of excited Jakartans boarded the subway for the first time Indonesia's capital inaugurated its first mass rapid transit system on Sunday, a $1.1 billion project seen as crucial to tackling some of the world's worst traffic congestion. President Joko Widodo and other officials joined a ceremony in Jakarta to give a green light for the 16-kilometre (10 mile) line, almost six years after construction began on the Japanese-backed project. Tens of thousands of excited Jakartans were in attendance and eager to try riding on the subway for the first time, mobbing the president for selfies while music blared and traditional performers danced on a nearby stage. "Honestly I am so happy," office worker Mutia Fitrianti told AFP. "Now we don't have to go abroad just to ride an MRT." The train system runs above and below ground and stretches from the central Hotel Indonesia to the southern reaches of the Southeast Asian megalopolis of some 30 million people. President Joko Widodo was among those on hand to unveil the new metro line It aims to cut travel times between the two points to just 30 minutes from around two hours, offering some relief to frustrated commuters long used to spending much of their day stuck in traffic. The new line is set to open to the public on Monday, with tickets free during the first week. Construction on a second line linking downtown to Jakarta's northern port is also kicking off Sunday with completion slated for 2024, and more lines are envisioned in the future. A separate elevated rail network is also being built to link satellite cities with Jakarta, nicknamed the Big Durian after the pungent fruit that bitterly divides fans and its detractors. The public transit projects are part of a sweeping infrastructure push that Widodo hopes will boost the fortunes of Southeast Asia's biggest economy -- and get him re-elected in national polls next month. "If we have and integrated transportation system, it will be easier for people to go places and they will leave their cars or motorcycles at home," Widodo told journalists on Sunday. - Clogged streets - Over the past decade, rising incomes in the country of 260 million have created a ballooning middle class and sent vehicle ownership soaring. Authorities hope that the line linking central and southern Jakarta will cut carbon emissions and provide commuters some respite from the city's notorious traffic jams But that's also brought hazardous air pollution and annual economic losses that run into the billions as cars crawl along the capital's roadways in the steamy tropical heat -- alongside an underused bus system. Environmentalists hope that the new line will cut traffic-linked carbon emissions by about half. It could also make a dent in annual economic losses of some 65 trillion Rupiah ($4.6 billion) linked to road congestion, according to government figures. The multi-billion dollar project is funded through a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Transport analysts have cautioned that the new line and cheap prices won't cure Jakarta's traffic woes "We think MRT Jakarta is the project of the century for us," JICA senior vice president Tanaka Yasushi told reporters. But transport analysts have cautioned that the new line and cheap prices will not cure the traffic woes of a city infatuated with private vehicles and with few decent sidewalks. "The MRT won't immediately ease the traffic because changing the culture and attitudes isn't easy," Hendi Bowoputro, a public transit expert at the University of Brawijaya, told AFP before the inauguration. And the line's expected 130,000 daily passengers represent only about 10 percent of those who already cram into a decades-old commuter rail network. More than a year after declaring victory over the Islamic State group Iraq is now pushing for a role as a key diplomatic player in the region Five years after the Islamic State group swept across Iraq, Baghdad is bidding to reclaim its role as a regional player while walking a tightrope between rival backers the US and Iran. The country is seeking to position itself as a "bridge" between rival powers in a region beset by deep divisions, says Iraqi political scientist Ihssan al-Shemmari. Following more than a decade of international sanctions and 15 years of conflict -- including the push to roll back IS, which ended over a year ago -- violence in Iraq has dropped sharply. As calm steadily returns, international leaders are increasingly looking to Baghdad as an important actor. Top officials from both the United States and Iran, along with King Abdullah II of Jordan and senior figures from various western powers, have all visited the oil-rich country since January. An invitation has been extended to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to a government source. French President Emmanuel Macron has said he will visit Iraq in the coming months after France announced in January that it would pump in one billion euros ($1.1 billion) to help the war-ravaged country rebuild. - 'Political, diplomatic battleground' - An Iraqi official, requesting anonymity, said Baghdad has taken on the role of "messenger" in a fractured region. The country has tried to mediate between Qatar, a key backer of Syrian rebels, and President Bashar al-Assad's regime as Damascus presses to return to the Arab League. Iraq faces a mammoth task to rebuild after years of violence including the devastating fight to oust the Islamic State group Baghdad's national security adviser Faleh Fayyadh has also visited the Saudi capital Riyadh "to deliver a message from Turkey, Syria and Iran about new arrangements in the region", the official told AFP. Baghdad has managed to juggle ties with Washington, head of an international anti-IS coalition, and Tehran, which backed Iraqi paramilitary groups that played a key role in expelling the jihadists. As a result, Iraq has been "heavily courted", says Karim Bitar of the Paris-based French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs. But he adds that the country has become "a political, economic and diplomatic battleground" at the expense of post-war reconstruction and the authority of the state. - 'Zero-problems foreign policy' - Despite the hopes of some officials, Iraqi analyst Shemmari cautions that Baghdad may find that major obstacles at home hinder any international ambitions. Domestic rifts and US-Iran tensions have grown "far too deep for Iraq to take the initiative" on regional affairs, he says. Iraqi demonstrators waving Iranian and pro-Iranian party flags step on a US flag during a protest on September 15, 2018 The government is deeply divided and an anti-US bloc controls most seats in parliament. Iraq lawmakers have tabled a bill calling on US troops to withdraw from the country, prompting an urgent visit by acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan. Shanahan "asked the Iraqi prime minister about his stance on a possible coalition against Iran", the government official in Baghdad said. Such a stand would shatter Baghdad's hopes of pursuing a "zero-problems foreign policy", warned Fanar Haddad, an Iraq expert at the National University of Singapore. Tehran's "proxies, assets and allies within Iraq" will defend their foothold in Baghdad at all costs, he said. - 'Diplomatic gains' at risk - Any missteps in this delicate balancing act could prove costly, potentially putting Iraq's "recent diplomatic gains" at risk, said Haddad. A shift in either direction could "provoke resentment from Iran or the US", said Paris-based Bitar, meaning that Baghdad "is forced to maintain friendly relations with both". But these concerns have not stopped Iraq from pressing for better ties with its neighbours. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) meets with Iraq's President Barham Salih (C) and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (L) in the capital Tehran in November 2018 After declaring victory against IS jihadists in December 2017, Iraq has resumed overland trade with Jordan and is set to re-open its border with Saudi Arabia, 30 years after the crossing closed. In Syria, Baghdad is in contact with all major players -- from Assad's regime and Russia to the opposition, the Kurds, and the US-led coalition. And its dynamic channels of dialogue have not gone unnoticed, according to a Western military source. "If the coalition has invested $2.5 billion to train nearly 200,000 members of the Iraqi security forces, it's because it imagines this country can be a major regional influence," the source said. US President Jimmy Carter is between Egypt's President Anwar Sadat (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin (R) at the signature of the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty on March 26, 1979 Forty years ago Egypt and Israel signed the first ever peace treaty between the Jewish state and an Arab nation, upturning Middle East diplomatic and military relations. The March 26, 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty sealed accords which had been settled the previous year at a groundbreaking summit at Camp David, near Washington, between Egypt's President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Signed in a landmark Washington ceremony overseen by US President Jimmy Carter, it ended three decades of war-mongering between the neighbours and remains in place today. Here is some background: - 'Pax Americana' - In October 1973 Egypt and Syria attacked Israel with the aim of forcing it to return territories it seized in 1967, including Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. Although Cairo managed to make significant advances, its army was eventually pushed back. But its initial success enhanced Sadat's standing in the region and internationally. The United States -- with whom Sadat had been seeking closer ties -- stepped in to force Israel into a partial withdrawal from the Sinai. In November 1977 the Egyptian leader travelled to Jerusalem for peace talks, becoming the first Arab head of state to visit the Jewish nation. It culminated a year later in the US-brokered Camp David Accords, signed in September 1978 by Sadat and Begin, that envisaged a proper peace treaty between the two nations within three months. - 'Miracle' treaty - When no formal peace accord had been signed three months later, Begin decided to end Israel's freeze on the colonisation of occupied Palestinian territories as evoked in the Camp David Accords. To save the peace process, Carter headed to both countries. His efforts paid off and on March 26, 1979 Sadat and Begin signed the treaty at a 10-minute White House ceremony attended by some 2,000 dignitaries. Egypt's President Anwar Sadat, pictured in 1981, signed the ground-breaking 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin "We have won at last the first step of peace, a first step on a long and difficult road," said Carter, who signed on as a witness, adding though: "We must not minimise the obstacles which still lie ahead." Sadat praised Carter as "the man who performed the miracle". The only controversial note came from Begin who expressed his hope for the "reunification" of Jerusalem, the eastern part of which had been seized by Israel in the 1967 war, a dispute that remains highly sensitive. - Ending 30 years of war - Egypt became the first Arab state to sign a peace deal with Israel, with which it and other Arab nations had been at war since the creation of the Jewish nation in 1948. It led to Egypt regaining the Sinai Peninsula in 1982 and secured the dismantling of Israeli colonies there. In turn Egypt offered to end hostilities and normalise diplomatic, economic and cultural relations. The treaty established that Israeli ships would have free passage through the Suez Canal, and the Strait of Tiran and the Gulf of Aqaba would be international waterways. - Arab world fury - The treaty infuriated Arab countries who claimed it neutralised Egypt, the largest Arab state, and undercut their unity. The Suez Canal, pictured in 1982, is a main revenue earner for Egypt and a 20th century symbol of its independence They slammed it as a "separate peace" and a betrayal, particularly for Palestinian rights. Egypt was promptly suspended from the Arab League, which moved its headquarters from Cairo to Tunis; most Arab countries recalled their ambassadors and cut diplomatic relations. Three years later Sadat, also much-criticised at home, was assassinated by Egyptian extremists. - A 'cold peace' - Israel and Egypt today maintain a "cold peace" -- official diplomatic relations and security cooperation amid Egyptian public hostility towards Israel. Their treaty has withstood conflicts that drew in regional players, including Lebanon (1982 and 2006), Palestinian uprisings (1987 and 2000) and failed peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. The "Pax Americana" of March 1979 has also made it possible for Egypt to benefit from significant US economic and military aid. Four years of war in Yemen have pitted Huthi rebels against a Saudi-led coalition Four years after Saudi Arabia led a military intervention in Yemen to back the government against rebels, the only hope for peace in a country threatened by famine hangs on a fragile truce. Despite the Saudis entering the conflict on March 26, 2015 with a coalition composed of nine countries from the Middle East and Africa, Yemen's internationally-recognised government has failed to defeat the Huthi. The Iran-aligned rebels continue to control much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. Yemen emergency And the conflict -- which the United Nations says has unleashed the world's worst humanitarian crisis and pushed the country to the brink of famine -- shows no sign of abating in the impoverished nation. In December, the rival sides agreed to a ceasefire in the key lifeline Red Sea port of Hodeida -- just weeks after forces loyal to the government were able to enter the rebel-held city. But even if major fighting has stopped, other elements of the accord -- including a prisoner swap -- have failed to materialise. "There was a real breakthrough in Sweden. Substantive, on the one hand, but even more so in the psychological sense," Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group think tank, told AFP. "There have been delays, obstacles, and backtracking, but what is unchanged is that the parties still view the agreement as their best option." - Peace elusive - Yemenis were hopeful the hard-won agreement reached in Sweden would be followed by a long-lasting peace deal, particularly as Riyadh came under intense international scrutiny following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the kingdom's Istanbul consulate. Yemeni Shiite Huthi rebel fighters still hold the lifeline port of Hodeida Fighting in Hodeida, whose port serves as the country's lifeline, has largely stopped since the ceasefire went into effect on December 18, but there have been intermittent clashes. And both the government and the Huthis have been accused of violating the truce deal, while an agreed redeployment of forces has also not yet been implemented. The Saudi-led coalition, which has won US logistical support and includes the United Arab Emirates, warned in late January it was still prepared to use "force" against the Huthis to make the rebels abide by the UN-backed truce deal. The four-year war has left millions on the brink of famine According to security analyst Aleksandar Mitreski the warring sides in Yemen are "showing no major weaknesses". He insisted to AFP, however, that an "alleviation of the humanitarian crisis is possible". "Current mounting pressure on the Saudi-led coalition may open up more channels for humanitarian aid to flow. This pressure can grow if the spotlight shifts from Syria over to Yemen." International outcry over Khashoggi's murder and images of emaciated Yemeni children has strained Saudi Arabia's relations with its western allies, including Washington. In March, the US Senate voted to end Washington's military support for Riyadh-led efforts in the Yemen war. - 'Enormous obstacles' - Yemen's conflict has left around 24 million people -- more than three quarters of the country's population -- now dependent on some form of aid for survival. More than three-quarters of Yemen's population, or around 24 million people, is now dependent on food aid The Yemeni government has been battling the Iran-aligned Huthi rebels since 2014, before the intervention the following year by the Saudis. An estimated 10,000 people have been killed since March 2015, when Saudi Arabia and its allies -- with the logistical and political backing of the United States -- unleashed air power against the Huthi rebels. But rights groups say the death toll is likely far higher. Save the Children has estimated that 85,000 Yemenis under five years old may have died of starvation. Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, warned that children in Yemen continued to be killed and maimed at an alarming rate, despite the three-month-old truce in Hodeida. "Since the Stockholm agreement on December 13, it is estimated that eight children have been killed or injured in Yemen every day," Bachelet told the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday. However, while fighting across the country continues, the shaky truce deal seems the only hope for peace. "The agreement is alive so long as both sides see it as preferable to a military confrontation for Hodeida," Dickinson said. But she warned "there are enormous obstacles and challenges along the way." A Royal Australian Air Force C-130J Hercules aircraft evacuates residents of McArthur River, a remote town in the Northern Territory, before Tropical Cyclone Trevor struck A severe category 3 cyclone blew into the key mining region of Pilbara in Western Australia Sunday, forcing evacuations and a halt to port operations, as the north of the country dealt with the effects of an even more powerful storm that hit the previous day. Cyclone Veronica weakened from a category 4 storm before its core winds hit the coast near the mining centre of Port Hedland, but officials warned the system was slow moving and would continue pounding the region with gale force winds and heavy rain for 24 to 48 hours. The Bureau of Meteorology said Veronica's forward movement had stalled around midday Sunday before its eye made landfall, and was forecast to weaken to a category 1 storm overnight and then veer west along the coastline. It said the "severe" storm was producing wind gusts of up to 200 kilometres per hour (120 mph), pushing a storm surge of up to two metres (seven feet) onto the coast. Rainfall was expected to hit 20-40 centimetres, it said. "Tides are likely to rise significantly above the normal high tide mark with damaging waves and very dangerous coastal inundation," the bureau said. Major mining and energy companies took precautionary steps across the region, a hub of liquefied natural gas and iron-ore exports, with ports cleared of ships and non-essential staff evacuated, according to australianminining.com.au website. Australia's western coast usually sees three or four cyclones per year and emergency services said residents were well prepared for this storm. Meanwhile, Cyclone Trevor, which hit northern Australia on Saturday as a powerful category 4, weakened to a tropical storm overnight as it moved inland in the sparsely populated region. Officials said no deaths, injuries or significant damage had been reported from the storm, but that heavy rains were continuing and flooding was still a danger. The army and police had evacuated more than 2,000 residents from outposts in Trevor's path, many of them indigenous communities, and people began returning to their homes on Sunday, police said. Friday's demonstrations in Gaza sparked clashes with Israeli forces that saw two Palestinians killed Israeli aircraft targeted Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip early Sunday after Palestinians there threw explosive devices at the border fence during "riots", the army said. Also Sunday, the health ministry in Gaza announced the death of a Palestinian wounded previously in clashes with Israeli forces. Palestinians in Gaza had thrown a number of explosive devices toward the border fence with Israel, one of which set off air raid sirens in the south of the country late Saturday, the army said. "In response to multiple explosive devices that were hurled and exploded during Gaza riots near Israel's border fence this evening, an IDF aircraft targeted two Hamas observation posts in the southern Gaza Strip," a statement from the military read. There were no immediate reports of casualties in Gaza. The Gaza health ministry however announced the death of 24-year-old Habib al-Masri, who was wounded in clashes with the Israeli army. It gave no details on when he was wounded. On Friday, two Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in separate border clashes. And on Saturday, the Israeli army launched two separate airstrikes against groups of Palestinians in Gaza who had allegedly flown balloons rigged with explosives into Israel. The Gaza health ministry said two Palestinians had been wounded. At least 258 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since weekly border protests began nearly a year ago. Hamas leader Ismail Haniya is calling for a mass turnout for border protests scheduled for the first anniversary of the demonstrations, on March 30. Israel holds Hamas responsible for all attacks from Gaza, controlled by the Islamist group since 2007. Royal Thai soldiers cast their ballots at a polling station in Bangkok Violent demonstrations, multiple coups and a cryptic election eve message from the king. Thailand's unpredictable political history has few rivals. The country's election Sunday is the first since a 2014 coup. Here is a brief look at two turbulent decades in Thai politics. - 'Lost decade' - 2001 - Policeman-turned-billionaire telecoms magnate Thaksin Shinawatra wins at the polls promising social welfare schemes. 2003 - A brutal war on drugs kills upwards of 2,500 people. A year later a crackdown in the Muslim-majority Deep South sparks a renewed insurgency. 2005 - Thaksin repeats electoral triumph, heading up the first civilian administration to complete a four-year term in a history rattled by army takeovers. 2006 - While at the UN in New York, Thaksin is toppled in bloodless coup. A period of protests and violent clashes ensues and historians dub the prolonged instability the "Lost Decade". - Yellow and Red - 2008 - Thaksin is convicted in absentia on corruption charges he says are politically motivated and flees into self-exile. Anti-Thaksin protesters known as "Yellow Shirts" storm Bangkok's airports, shutting them down for over a week to protest a Thaksin ally as premier -- who is soon removed. Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva becomes prime minister after a parliamentary vote. 2009 - Pro-Thaksin "Red Shirts" storm a regional summit hosted by Thailand demanding elections and forcing participants to flee by helicopter and boat. 2010 - More than 90 people are killed as the army -- led by current junta leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha -- opens fire on Red Shirts protesting in downtown Bangkok. 2011 - Fresh elections in 2011 see Thaksin's younger sister Yingluck emerge as Thailand's first female prime minister. 2014 - Anti-Yingluck demonstrators hold months-long protests that turn violent. A snap 2014 election is annulled and military seizes power. - Junta delays, holds vote - 2016 - Junta leader Prayut oversees a crackdown on dissent and wins a referendum to change the constitution. Thailand mourns the death of revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who was seen as a figure of unity over a seven-decade reign. 2017 - Yingluck flees the country to avoid negligence charges and joins brother in self-exile. 2018 - Junta announces elections for next year after repeated delays, lifting hopes as new parties emerge. 2019 - Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn shuts down shock prime ministerial candidacy of older sister Princess Ubolratana, who stood for the Thaksin-linked Thai Raksa Chart party. March 23, 2019 - On eve of vote, the king sends another message to Thai citizens, urging them to support "good people" and not those who create "chaos". The Syrian Democratic Forces have detained at least 74,000 people including suspected jihadists at Al-Hol camp in northeastern Syriaa Syria's Kurds warned Sunday that the thousands of foreign jihadists they have detained in their fight against the Islamic State group are a time-bomb the international community urgently needs to defuse. Speaking a day after Kurdish-led forces announced the final demise of the jihadists' physical "caliphate", the Kurdish administration's top foreign affairs official Abdel Karim Omar warned that its foreign captives still pose a threat. "There are thousands of fighters, children and women and from 54 countries, not including Iraqis and Syrians, who are a serious burden and danger for us and for the international community," Omar told AFP. "Numbers increased massively during the last 20 days of the Baghouz operation," he said, referring to the village by the Euphrates where diehard jihadists made a bloody last stand. The fate of foreign IS fighers has become a major issue as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces closed in on the once-sprawling proto-state the jihadists declared in 2014. After a months-long assault by the US-backed SDF to flush out the last IS strongholds in the Euphrates Valley, jihadists and their families gradually gathered in Baghouz as the last rump of the "caliphate" shrank around them. While some managed to escape, many of the foreigners stayed behind, either surrendering to the SDF or fighting to the death. According to the SDF, 66,000 people left the last IS pocket since January, including 5,000 jihadists and 24,000 of their relatives. The assault was paused multiple times as the SDF opened humanitarian corridors for people evacuating the besieged enclave. The droves of people scrambling out of Baghouz in recent weeks were screened by the SDF and dispatched to camps further north, where most are still held. The de facto autonomous Kurdish administration is northeastern Syria has warned it does not have capacity to detain so many people, let alone put them on trial. But many of the suspected jihadists' countries of origin are reluctant to take them back due to potential security risks and a likely public backlash. Some have even withdrawn citizenship from their nationals detained in Syria. "There has to be coordination between us and the international community to address this danger," Abdel Karim Omar said. "There are thousands of children who have been raised according to IS ideology," he added. "If these children are not reeducated and reintegrated in their societies of origin, they are potential future terrorists." Moroccan teachers protesting in the capital called for permanent work contracts Thousands of teachers flooded the streets of the Moroccan capital on Sunday to demand better conditions after a nighttime protest dispersed by riot police left dozens wounded. Teachers on temporary contracts have been on strike since March 3 demanding permanent employment arrangements that would improve their rights and benefits, especially over retirement. On Saturday night baton-wielding riot police used water cannons to disperse a protest by several thousand young teachers who marched peacefully in central Rabat chanting "freedom, dignity, social justice". As night fell, demonstrators held aloft candles and used their mobile phones as torches, before setting up a makeshift camp in front of parliament. Police moved in to break up the gathering after the protestors refused to leave following more than two hours of negotiations, according to an AFP journalist. Moroccan police broke up the protest by teachers after more than two hours of negotiation failed Around 60 people were lightly wounded and taken to hospital, according to Othman Zeriouch, one of the organisers of the protest movement. On Sunday morning several thousand teachers were back on the streets of Rabat, chanting slogans such as "we must safeguard free education" and "teaching is not a commodity". They also demanded changes to current temporary contracts -- saying "the people want (their) abolition" -- in the protest which lasted several hours and followed a march to parliament. Zeriouch said a meeting would be held later Sunday to discuss future action. Teachers on temporary contracts enjoy the same salaries as their permanent colleagues -- 5,000 dirhams ($520) a month -- but unlike them do not have access to a pension fund and other benefits. Both Malaysia and Indonesia have been at loggerheads with EU lawmakers over the crop's cultivation, which has caused rampant deforestation and destruction of wildlife Malaysia may retaliate against an EU plan to curb palm oil use by purchasing new fighter jets from China instead of European arms companies, its leader said Sunday. The Southeast Asian country is the world's second largest palm oil producer after neighbouring Indonesia, and recently threatened to challenge the bloc's plan to phase out its use in biofuels at the World Trade Organization. Both Malaysia and Indonesia have been at loggerheads with EU lawmakers over the crop's cultivation, which has caused rampant deforestation and destruction of wildlife. In his strongest statement yet on the proposed curbs, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said his country could look elsewhere to upgrade its ageing air force fleet of Russian Mig-29 fighters -- in effect abandoning plans to purchase France's Rafale jet or the Eurofighter Typhoon. "If they keep on taking action against us, we will think of buying airplanes from China or any other country," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency. But the premier said he was not "declaring war" on the EU as his country needed goods from the bloc, many members of which are among Malaysia's top trading partners. Mahathir's remarks come ahead of a five-day international defence exhibition starting Monday on the resort island of Langkawi, where representatives of global weapons manufacturers have gathered. Any EU palm oil curbs could seriously hurt farmers who represent an important voter base in both Malaysia and Indonesia. Both countries are struggling to spur demand in palm oil, which is used in everything from soap to chocolate. French lawmakers recently voted to remove palm oil from the country's biofuel scheme starting from next year. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said Hambantota, a district in Sri Lanka's south which lies on one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, would become a global investment hub Sri Lanka began construction Sunday of a nearly $4 billion oil refinery it hopes will revive foreign interest in its shipping facilities after Beijing's takeover of a nearby port spooked international investors. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said Hambantota, a district in Sri Lanka's south which lies on one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, would become a global investment hub with the addition of the oil refinery and storage complex. The $3.85 billion project is the single largest foreign investment in Sri Lanka's history. It is jointly funded by Oman and Singapore-registered Silver Park International, a company owned by an Indian business family. The oil facility is near the port of Hambantota, which was controversially leased to a Chinese state-owned firm in 2017 for 99 years after Sri Lanka failed to service a loan from Beijing. The circumstances surrounding China's acquisition of the port generated concern in neighbouring India and beyond over Beijing's expanding presence in the Indian Ocean. But the government pointed to this new line of cash pouring into the region as proof foreign investors were not deterred by that experience. "The interest shown by the Oman government, the interest shown by many other investors from other parts of the world shows that Hambantota will become a truly international investment zone," Wickremesinghe said Sunday. Wickremesinghe also said he hoped to strike a deal within three months with Indian airport authorities to revive a $210 million airport in Hambantota dubbed the "world's emptiest" international terminal for its lack of flights. The oil storage tanks are expected to be completed within two years while the refinery is due to be up and running by 2023. Once fully operational the refinery -- the second in Sri Lanka -- is to export nine million tonnes of petroleum products annually. The Indian Ocean island nation does not have oil of its own. It refines imported crude, but the existing refinery is unable to meet demand. The Hambantota port was built by former president Mahinda Rajapakse, but like many of his ambitious infrastructure projects it ended up a white elephant. Unable to service the loan, the Wickremesinghe government in 2017 leased the Chinese-built port to a Beijing company for $1.12 billion. This stoked controversy, with Beijing rejecting suggestions it ensnared Sri Lanka in a "debt trap" to acquire the port. Several major foreign-backed projects were put on hold last year amid a constitutional crisis after President Maithripala Sirisena's aborted bid to remove Wickremesinghe. The Syrian Democratic Forces on Saturday celebrated seizing the Islamic State group's last territorial bastion -- but Kurdish officials have warned that IS fighters still pose a danger Syria's Kurds warned Sunday that despite the demise of the Islamic State's "caliphate", the thousands of foreign jihadists they hold are a time-bomb the world urgently needs to defuse. World leaders were quick to hail Saturday's announcement by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces that the last shred of land controlled by IS had been conquered. But as the SDF swept the devastated the riverside village of Baghouz where jihadists made their dramatic last stand, the top Syrian Kurdish foreign affairs official warned that IS members captured during the assault still posed a threat. "There are thousands of fighters, children and women and from 54 countries, not including Iraqis and Syrians, who are a serious burden and danger for us and for the international community," Abdel Karim Omar told AFP. "Numbers increased massively during the last 20 days of the Baghouz operation," he said. As the SDF's months-long, US-backed assault against the last IS strongholds in the Euphrates Valley closed in, jihadists and their families gradually gathered in the final refuge of Baghouz. While some managed to escape, many foreigners stayed behind, either surrendering or fighting to the death. According to the SDF, 66,000 people left the last IS pocket since January, including 5,000 jihadists and 24,000 of their relatives. Thousands of SDF fighters have died in the battle against the Islamic State group The assault was paused multiple times as the force opened humanitarian corridors for people to evacuate. It screened droves of people scrambling out of Baghouz in recent weeks then dispatched them to camps further north, where most are still held. Most of the jihadists' relatives who fled have been crammed into the Al-Hol camp, a facility built for 20,000 people but which now shelters 72,000. - 'Future terrorists' - The de facto autonomous Kurdish administration is northeastern Syria has warned it does not have capacity to detain so many people, let alone put them on trial. But many of the suspected jihadists' countries of origin are reluctant to take them back due to potential security risks and the likely public backlash. Some have even withdrawn citizenship from their nationals detained in Syria. "There has to be coordination between us and the international community to address this danger," Abdel Karim Omar said. "There are thousands of children who have been raised according to IS ideology," he added. IS jihadists' last bastion of Baghouz was reduced to ruins during the US-backed SDF assault "If these children are not re-educated and re-integrated in their societies of origin, they are potential future terrorists." The SDF's main support has been the international military coalition launched by the United States in mid-2014 to counter the expansion of IS. The coalition has provided weapons and carried out 34,000 air strikes in support of local forces in Iraq and Syria, most of the recent ones to back ground advances by the SDF Kurdish-Arab alliance. The aerial campaigns against IS hubs across a "caliphate" which once spanned territory the size of the United Kingdom have levelled major cities and contributed to the biggest wave of displacement since World War II. According to the Airwars monitoring NGO, at least 7,500 civilians have died as a result of coalition actions in four and half years. The conflict in Syria has killed more than 370,000 people since it erupted eight years ago, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor says. - 'New phase' - US President Donald Trump has vowed to drastically scale down US military presence in Syria once IS is defeated, leaving the Kurds exposed to threats by Damascus and Turkey. Ankara sees the SDF as a terrorist organisation and Abdel Karim Omar warned that any cross-border offensive risked leading to mass breakouts from the jails where jihadists are currently held. "Any new threat or new war would give an opportunity to these criminals to slip out," he said. The offensive against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq The International Rescue Committee has warned of an acute humanitarian emergency, saying the Al-Hol camp has reached "breaking point". While the conclusion of the Baghouz battle capped draining years of battle, the SDF's top commander said Saturday that anti-IS operations were entering a new phase. IS, faced with multiple offensives in Syria and Iraq since 2014, has morphed from a territorial force back into a clandestine insurgency group carrying out hit and run attacks in both countries. Mazloum Kobane said during the victory ceremony in Al-Omar base on Saturday that the new focus would be IS sleeper cells that "are great threat to our region and the whole world." Islamic State jihadists once ruled an area the size of the United Kingdom For the millions forced to endure the Islamic State group's brutal rule, life in the "caliphate" was a living hell where girls were enslaved, music was banned and homosexuality was punishable by death. The jihadists applied an ultra-conservative interpretation of Islamic law across the swathes of Syria and Iraq that they captured in 2014, torturing or executing anyone who disobeyed. The fall of the last sliver of IS territory in eastern Syria marks the end of their proto-state, once the size of the United Kingdom and home to more than seven million people. The fate of prisoners used by the jihadists as human shields remains unknown, but more than 3,000 Yazidis are still missing. The jihadists singled out the minority, followers of an ancient religion, for particularly harsh treatment which the UN has said may amount to genocide. They slaughtered thousands of Yazidi men and boys, abducting women and girls then selling them at slave markets. Many suffered years of sexual abuse. "We did everything they demanded," said Bessa Hamad, an Iraqi Yazidi sold six times by jihadists before escaping their last redoubt in Syria. "We couldn't say no." Yazidi boys who were not killed were forced to fight and indoctrinated to hate their community, leaving families struggling to reconnect with those who were rescued. Children who went to IS-run schools learnt to count with maths books featuring guns and grenades, but pictures of people were banned. As well as frontline fighters, IS ran its own police force, whose officers could impose fines or lashes on men whose breath smelt of cigarettes or alcohol. Books were burned, while dancing and music were banned. Instead the jihadists broadcast propaganda via their own radio station. The jihadists used sledgehammers to destroy priceless ancient artefacts they deemed idolatrous. A strict dress code forced even young girls to wear a full black Islamic veil. Beards and traditional robes were compulsory for men. - Thrown from rooftops - The extremists ran their own courts, sentencing people to death by beheading and hanging. Men and women accused of adultery were stoned to death. Men were shot or thrown from rooftops for the "crime" of being gay. The jihadists even introduced their own currency, minting coins that veterans of the battle against IS now keep as trophies. Jail terms were imposed on those unable to pay IS taxes. Iraq's major northern city of Mosul and Raqa in Syria were transformed into the twin de facto capitals of the "caliphate". Raqa become a byword for atrocities carried out by the jihadists, and it was from there that IS organised devastating overseas attacks. Human heads were displayed on spikes in the city along with crucified bodies, to sow terror. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces declared territorial victory over the Islamic State group on Saturday after years of fighting IS initially won support from some residents who felt abandoned and abused by corrupt state authorities. But today, those who survived its rule accuse the jihadists themselves of graft -- as well as extreme acts of violence. IS left more than 200 mass graves in Iraq and thousands of bodies are expected to be uncovered in Syria. Numerous women interviewed by AFP said they received IS-stamped death certificates for their executed husbands, but the jihadists would not return their bodies. It could take years to discover what happened to some of their victims. Some IS members leaving the group's last redoubt of Baghouz in eastern Syria have cricitised the group's leadership. "God's law was applied," said Abdel Moneim Najia, a jihadist who stayed in what was left of the "caliphate" until its final days. But he voiced the same grievances as Iraqis and Syrians expressed about their governments ahead of the IS takeover. "There were injustices," he said. "Officials stole money and abandoned the people." Syria was a founding member of the Arab League The Arab League said Sunday it was not planning to discuss reinstating Syria's membership at a summit later this month, more than eight years after suspending it as the country descended into war. The pan-Arab bloc, which is set to hold its annual summit in Tunisia on March 31, froze Syria's membership in November 2011 over a bloody government crackdown on protestors. But several of the bloc's other 21 members have recently renewed ties with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, and some have called for Syria to be re-admitted to the league. "The issue of Syria's return to the Arab League has yet to be listed on the agenda and has not been formally proposed," said the League's spokesman Mahmoud Afifi. He noted that the "Syrian crisis" however still tops the agenda, along with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the situation in Yemen and Libya. Syria's conflict flared in 2011 with anti-government demonstrations that sparked a brutal regime crackdown. It has since drawn in regional powers, killing 370,000 people and displacing millions. But the regime, backed by allies Russia and Iran, has since re-conquered much of the territory it had lost to rebels and jihadists, and now controls some two-thirds of the country. Syria's Kurds, which declared victory over the Islamic State group on Saturday, control much of the oil-rich northeast, which the regime has hinted it may seize back in a military operation. Earlier this month, Syrian officials attended a meeting of Arab states in neighbouring Jordan for the first time since the country's Arab League membership was suspended. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in December made the first visit of any Arab leader to the Syrian capital since 2011. The same month, Egypt hosted Syria's national security chief and top Assad aide Ali Mamluk. The UAE also reopened its Damascus embassy in a major sign of a diplomatic thaw. Arab states have also slammed US President Donald Trump's call for recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a strategic territory the Jewish state seized from Syria in 1967. Iraqi women throw flowers into the Tigris River as they mourn 100 people killed in a ferry capsize Iraq's parliament on Sunday sacked the governor of a northern province where 100 people died in a ferry disaster that sparked a wave of grief and anger. Most of those killed when the boat sank Thursday in the Tigris River in Mosul were women and children headed for a Mother's Day picnic on the Kurds' Nowruz New Year holiday. Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mehdi wrote to parliament on Saturday calling on legislators to fire Nineveh provincial governor Nawfel Akoub, citing "negligence and concrete failings" meriting his dismissal. His two deputies were also fired during a vote in the national assembly. Parliament declared those killed in the tragedy "martyrs", allowing their families to receive financial compensation and paving the way for court proceedings. Sixteen people have been arrested as part of an investigation into the ferry capsize, a security official said. Authorities say 63 people are still listed as missing. Dozens of students held a silent protest Sunday on the campus of the university of Mosul, dressed in black to mourn the victims. One of them, Abdullah al-Jubburi, told AFP they were demonstrating to demand that "corrupt" politicians and civil servants be replaced. "The governor and all corrupt officials must be put on trial... We are fed up of being mistreated and marginalised," said fellow protester Isra Mohammed. Akoub has already been subjected to the anger of victims' relatives and their supporters over alleged corruption and cronyism. When he visited the scene of the tragedy on Friday stones were thrown at his convoy by protesters demonstrating against perceived corruption and neglect. The self-proclaimed Wa State enjoys an unusual degree of autonomy within Myanmar and boasts the country's largest non-state army of around 30,000 soldiers A gas explosion in a secretive enclave run by the ethnic Wa in Myanmar's eastern borderlands has killed 16 people and injured dozens, the United Wa State Army (UWSA) said Sunday. Emergency workers could be seen trawling through debris at the explosion site in Mongmaw town in a video posted on Facebook by UWSA spokesman Nyi Rang. "Sixteen people were killed and 48 others injured in a gas explosion accident," he wrote, confirming that the blast occurred early Saturday evening. Permission to access the remote zone is rarely granted, making it difficult to independently verify information. The self-proclaimed Wa State on the border between China and Myanmar only has an estimated population of some 600,000 people. But it enjoys an unusual degree of autonomy within Myanmar and boasts the country's largest non-state army of around 30,000 soldiers. This year the Wa are celebrating a 30-year ceasefire with the nation's military, and in a rare move are due to open their doors for three days in April to outsiders, including foreigners. In 1989, Wa troops mutinied against the leaders of the Communist Party of Burma who were driven into exile in China. The subsequent truce signed between the UWSA and the military junta has proven relatively stable in a country where the Myanmar army is still fighting wars against various ethnic armed groups. The Wa have very close links to neighbouring China. Mandarin is far more widely spoken than Myanmar (Burmese) and the self-administered zone's economy depends on cross-border trade. The blast on Saturday came just two days after China experienced one of its worst industrial accidents in recent years, where an explosion at a chemical plant in Yancheng in the country's east left scores dead. Survivors seek safety on the roof of a house submerged by floods in Mozambique's Buzi town "It was very scary, we were running in all direction, the water was full of snakes," recalls 39-year-old Otelea Jose after arriving from one of the areas worst hit by southern Africa's deadly cyclone. Jose had been in Buzi, home to nearly 120,000 people, and moved to higher ground fleeing the raging flood waters unleashed by powerful cyclone Idai 10 days ago. But soon it was not high enough. She survived by scaling onto the roof of a local administrator's office, but 446 other of her compatriots were not so lucky. Authorities fear the toll will be more than 1,000 in one of the worst storms to hit southern Africa. Jose lives in Beira, which was also smashed by Idai, but had gone to Buzi to visit her mother. Now she has to check if her husband, left behind in Beira, is safe. Around 2,000 people have been rescued from Buzi, a town which aid agencies feared had been wipped out by the floods in Mozambique She spoke at Beira port just after disembarking from a boat from Buzi where many people had by the weekend started picking up pieces of their lives as the waters receded and the sun came out. Survivors are not only dealing with immediate needs of food, shelter and healthcare. Joaquin Joao Chidja, 16, managed to salvage prized possessions: family photos. He dries them on the roof of a commercial building where he climbed when flood waters rapidly rose. - 'Water covered everything' - Joao Zakaria, 42, is still haunted by the viciousness of the cyclone which also left a trail of destruction in neighbouring Zimbabwe where more than 250 people were killed, and bridges and roads ripped apart. There are "lots of dead (people), we can't even count", he says. Zakaria vividly remembers the velocity of the water as it swept past his neighbourhood and mourns on behalf of his neighbour. Survivors of the cyclone gather to wait for relief aid at Buzi in Mozambique "There was a man, he had 40 cows and he lost all of them. Forty! Imagine. Everybody lost everything,"he says. The father of four, who survived by climbing up a tree, remembers the floods back in the year 2000 that claimed 800 lives, saying that was nothing compared to Idai. "I have never seen anything like that, even the elders have never experienced something like that, its new. " In 2000 there was flooding but (the water) was up to the shoulder-level only. "But this time ...the water covered everything," he says. But as a rainbow appears in the sky, more people start to venture outside into the wet and muddy streets of Buzi -- 30 kilometres southwest of Beira -- to try pick up pieces of their lives. Some mop thick layers of mud off the floors of their homes while others dry wet laundry on sagging electricity power lines that were blown down by the force of the cyclone which produced wind gusts of close to 200 kilometres per hour (120 mph). Around 2,000 people have been rescued from Buzi, a town which aid agencies feared had been wipped out by the floods. strs-sn/bp US President Donald Trump (L) is awaiting to hear from Attorney General Bob Barr (C) on the conclusions of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's (R) investigation into Russia's attempt to sway the 2016 presidential election Republican and Democratic lawmakers clashed sharply on Sunday over the meaning of the newly completed report on Russian meddling, even as they waited to be briefed on its scope and contents. President Donald Trump has yet to receive or be briefed on the findings of the Robert Mueller probe into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia, a spokesman said from the Florida resort where Trump was spending the weekend. The president was continuing a rare silence on Twitter about the matter. Sunday marked his third day with no public comment on the investigation that he has blasted dozens of times as a "witch hunt." Attorney General William Barr, who received the secret report on Friday, is expected to brief key members of Congress sometime Sunday, though no announcement has been made. Trump aides and supporters have seized on word from the Justice Department that the report will recommend no indictments -- news that brought relief to some in Trump's closest circle. Republicans suggested on Sunday that it was time for Democratic lawmakers to drop their own investigations and move on. Doug Collins, the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, repeated Trump's frequent insistence that "there was no collusion." He told "Fox News Sunday" that once the report comes out, "We can hopefully begin to move on." - 'Hardly vindication' - But Adam Schiff, the Democrat who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, said on ABC that even if Mueller is recommending no new indictments, "that hardly looks like vindication to me." "We know there was collusion," said another key Democrat, Jerry Nadler, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, speaking on CNN. "Why there's been no indictments, we don't know." The two were part of a chorus of Democratic voices demanding the release of the full Mueller report, not just a summary from Barr, a Trump appointee. Schiff said Congress would first simply request the full release, but was prepared to use its subpoena powers or "prosecute in court, as necessary, to get the information." He added, "We'll win that litigation." Separately, Nadler agreed, saying "it won't be months." Many Democrats hoped the report would provide evidence to support a presidential impeachment and have pressed hard for its full public release. But Schiff and Nadler insisted on Sunday that they needed to see the full report before considering impeachment. Nadler noted that Mueller's inquiry was "limited in scope and limited to crimes. What Congress has to do is look at a broader picture." - A vow of transparency - While the department has said that a sitting president cannot be indicted, the Mueller report could outline criminal behavior by Trump that might be the basis for an impeachment effort. As Washington and the rest of the country nervously awaited word of exactly what Mueller's team had turned up, Barr vowed to congressional leaders that he was "committed to as much transparency as possible." Neal Katyal, the former Justice Department official who drafted the rules for special counsels, said Barr had no excuse for keeping Mueller's report secret. "Absolutely nothing in the law or the regulations prevents the report from becoming public," he said in a Washington Post opinion piece. While pursuing no new indictments, Mueller indicted 34 individuals during the probe, among them six Trump associates, including his former national security advisor Mike Flynn, his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, and campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Five of the six have pleaded guilty to the charges against them. Court filings in those cases painted a broad picture of a cohesive Russian effort via hacking and social media manipulation to swing the election in Trump's favor against Democrat Hillary Clinton. Mueller, a 74-year-old veteran criminal prosecutor and former FBI chief, investigated not only possible collusion but also whether actions by Trump, including the May 2017 firing of FBI director James Comey, amounted to criminal obstruction of justice. The investigation has revealed scores of contacts between the campaign and Russians, with members of the team readily talking to the Russians about obtaining dirt on Clinton. Trump's son Donald Jr. and his son-in-law Jared Kushner had appeared to be possibly vulnerable, particularly because of a Trump Tower meeting with a Russian lawyer. US-backed fighters have announced the fall of the last pocket of territory held by the Islamic State group in Syria Islamic State group jihadists emerged from tunnels to surrender to US-backed forces in eastern Syria on Sunday, a Kurdish spokesman said, a day after their "caliphate" was declared defeated. An AFP reporter saw dozens of people -- mostly men -- file out of the battered jihadist encampment in the remote village of Baghouz to board pickup trucks. "They are IS fighters who came out of tunnels and surrendered today," said Jiaker Amed, a spokesman for the Kurdish units spearheading the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. Plodding out of their defeated bastion on the banks of the Euphrates near the Iraqi border, some sported thick beards. Some wore long woollen kaftan tunics over their dark-coloured robes, others a chequered scarf wrapped around their heads. "Some others could still be hiding inside," added Amed. A months-long offensive by the SDF was declared victorious Saturday, after multiple pauses to allow out civilians and surrendering fighters from the crumbling IS pocket. More than 66,000 people, mostly civilians, have quit the last IS redoubt since January 9, according to the SDF. They include 5,000 jihadist fighters and 24,000 of their relatives as well as 37,000 other civilians. Surrendering or suspected jihadists are detained, while their relatives are trucked up north to camps for the displaced. IS declared a cross-border "caliphate" in Syria and Iraq in 2014, imposing its brutal rule on millions. US President Donald Trump is set to recognise the Golan Heights as Israeli territory, in a move seen as boosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in April 9 elections US President Donald Trump will sign an order recognising Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights when he meets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Monday, Israel's foreign minister said. "President Trump will sign tomorrow in the presence of PM Netanyahu an order recognising Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights," Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on Twitter on Sunday. Again breaking with longstanding international consensus, Trump said on Thursday that the United States should acknowledge Israeli sovereignty over the strategic plateau it seized from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War. He however left unanswered if or when he would follow through with an order to do so. Netanyahu has long pushed for such recognition, and many analysts saw Trump's statement, which came in a tweet, as a campaign gift ahead of Israel's April 9 polls. The prime minister is locked in tough election campaign with a centrist political alliance headed by former military chief Benny Gantz and ex-finance minister Yair Lapid. Syria and other states in the region condemned Trump's pledge, saying it violates international law. France said the same. Israel annexed the Golan in 1981 in a move never recognised by the international community. The decision is the latest major move in favour of Israel by Trump, who in 2017 recognised the disputed city of Jerusalem as the country's capital. Former Interpol president Meng Hongwei's wife Grace, seen talking to reporters in France in October after he went missing, has urged President Macron to bring up her husband's case with visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping The wife of the former Chinese head of Interpol, who has had no news of him for nearly six months since his arrest in China, has asked French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the matter with counterpart Xi Jinping during an official visit to France. In a letter to the Elysee Palace dated March 21, a copy of which has been seen by AFP, Grace Meng "asks to know where (her husband) is and how he is." She has remained in the French city of Lyon, where Interpol is based, since her husband Meng Hongwei disappeared last September during a visit to China. He resigned from the international police agency by letter on October 7 and it was later revealed he had been arrested. He is believed to be facing corruption charges. "I demand Mr Meng be allowed to receive visits from his lawyers and that they be allowed to assist him," his wife added in her letter to Macron. "For my family, as for others going through similar tests, I urge France, which is respected and listened to the world over for its values and attachment to human rights, to bear this message to the meeting with President Xi Jinping." Xi arrived in Nice earlier Sunday ahead of his state visit to Paris on Monday. Meng Hongwei, a former vice-minister for public security in China who rose through the ranks of the country's feared security apparatus, was the first Chinese head of Interpol. He was last heard from on September 25 as he left Lyon for China, when he sent his wife a social media message telling her to "wait for my call," and then a knife emoji signifying danger. Grace Meng later reported he was missing, and after several days without news Interpol said it had received a short message from Meng saying he was resigning. South Korean Kim Jong-yang took over from Meng at Interpol in November for a two-year term. Meng's wife says he is the victim of a "forced disappearance," adding she and her family have received no information or legal advice as to his fate. In January she said she had been threatened and would apply for political asylum in France, telling French media her Chinese phone and internet accounts had been blocked. Chinese authorities can hold suspects in secret for six months without either informing their family or allowing access to a lawyer. Israeli candidate Benny Gantz tells the US pro-Israel lobby AIPAC that he would not hesitate to use force on Iran Benny Gantz, who is posing a stiff challenge to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in upcoming elections, said Monday he would not hesitate to use force on Iran to contain the regional rival. In a speech to the US pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, Gantz also spelled out further his views on peace prospects with the Palestinians, insisting that Israel's military will always control security in the West Bank. The centrist former military chief showed no daylight with Netanyahu on peace and security matters -- but won standing ovations from the American Jewish audience by raising domestic issues, including promising more inclusiveness at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Judaism's holiest site. Citing his mother's experience as a Holocaust survivor and his son's service in the military, Gantz said that "strength and moral power come together." "That is why I say from this stage to the Iranian regime -- never again. We will not allow you to establish yourself in Syria, we will not allow you to develop nuclear weapons," he said. "On my watch, you will not become a regional power and I will not hesitate to use force if and when needed," he said. Gantz said that Jerusalem -- also claimed by the Palestinians -- would always remain Israel's "united and eternal capital" and said, without ruling out a Palestinian state in the West Bank, that the Jordan Valley will "always" be Israel's eastern security border. "Responsibility for the security of the land of Israel will remain in the hands of the IDF and the IDF alone," he said, referring to the Israel Defense Forces. He said, however, that he was open to negotiations with the Arab world, amid Netanyahu's efforts to make peace with Gulf Arabs that oppose Iran. "To those who would like to turn a new page, we will extend our hand in peace and we will strive for peace with any honest Arab leader," he said. US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun is back in Beijing for talks with Chinese officials The US special envoy for North Korea is visiting Beijing to coordinate policies with China, officials said Tuesday, a month after the failure of a denuclearisation summit. Stephen Biegun, Washington's North Korea envoy, is here to "continue US-China coordination on policies related to North Korea", a US embassy spokesman told AFP, declining to share more details. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular briefing that Beijing "has always maintained close communication and coordination with the relevant parties on the general affairs of the Korean Peninsula." Biegun's visit to the Chinese capital overlaps with the arrival of a high-ranking North Korean, who was greeted by Chinese government officials and Pyongyang's envoy to Beijing on Tuesday, reported South Korea's Yonhap news agency. Yonhap, citing diplomatic sources, said the visiting official is believed to be Ri Su Yong, vice chairman of the North's ruling Workers' Party, who was making a stopover in Beijing en route to Laos. Geng said he had no information about Ri's reported stopover. It was not clear whether the visits by the US and North Korean officials were related. Biegun's trip comes after US President Donald Trump abruptly cut short the February 27-28 summit in Vietnam with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un amid fundamental differences between the two sides over dismantling Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme. The summit, the leaders' second in under a year, broke up without even a joint statement, and each sought to blame the other's intransigence for the deadlock. Both sides pledged to continue talking, but no new meetings have been scheduled. In mid-March, Biegun said Washington's goal was the complete denuclearisation of North Korea by the end of Trump's first term, and that it would not settle for incremental disarmament. "We will not lift these sanctions until NK (North Korea) completes the process of denuclearisation," he said. But on Friday Trump abruptly announced the cancellation of new sanctions on North Korea imposed by the US treasury. China has played diplomatic wingman to North Korea -- even loaning Kim an Air China jet to travel to his landmark first meeting with Trump in Singapore last year -- as Beijing is intent on keeping Pyongyang within its sphere of influence. The North acts as a buffer state, keeping the 28,500 US troops in South Korea far from China's borders. In January, Beijing hosted Kim for the fourth time prior to his Hanoi summit with Trump -- visits that have become something of a ritual, with Kim briefing Chinese President Xi Jinping before and after his meetings with Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi called the acquisition an "important moment" for the ride-hailing service Global ride-hailing service Uber will acquire its Middle East rival Careem for $3.1 billion, the two companies announced on Tuesday. "Careem and Uber are joining forces. We have reached an agreement in which Uber will acquire Careem for $3.1 billion," a joint statement said. Under the deal, Careem will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Uber but will continue operating independently. Careem will retain its branding, services and separate app. Uber will pay $1.4 billion in cash and the remaining $1.7 billion in convertible notes, the statement said. "Uber will acquire all of Careem's mobility, delivery, and payments businesses across the greater Middle East region, ranging from Morocco to Pakistan, with major markets including Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates," the statement said. "This is an important moment for Uber as we continue to expand the strength of our platform around the world," Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi said. Careem chief executive and co-founder Mudassir Sheikha welcomed the acquisition, saying it will be good for customers. "Joining forces with Uber will help us accelerate Careem's purpose of simplifying and improving the lives of people, and building an awesome organisation that inspires," Sheikha said. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and the transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020. Iran's meteorological service has warned of more heavy rain The death toll from major floods swamping much of Iran has risen to 21, emergency services said Tuesday, as authorities sent safety warnings to mobile telephones across the country. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a message of condolence urging officials to speed up relief efforts and compensation for victims of the floods, which the authorities described as unprecedented. The disaster, which the energy minister blamed on climate change, struck in the middle of Iranian New Year holidays, with many relief workers on vacation. Nineteen people were killed and 98 injured in the southern city of Shiraz, while one person died in the western province of Kermanshah and another in Lorestan, also in the west, rescue services said. At least 110 people were reported wounded, according to the health ministry. With 20 of Iran's 31 provinces experiencing floods or facing an imminent threat, the country's National Crisis Management Committee was activated at the cabinet level. Iran's meteorological service has warned of more heavy showers until Wednesday, and flood warnings have gone out for central provinces such as Isfahan and the capital Tehran. Overnight the crisis management committee sent out multiple text messages to all mobile telephones in Iran urging people to be cautious and await instructions from official sources. The floods blocked roads and destroyed cars "Remain calm when facing possible dangers... do not honk your car horns in mountainous regions as it might cause avalanches," one of the messages read. "Do not setup tents near rivers or mountainous areas... and most importantly do not cross bridges when floods are running underneath," read another one. The floods followed extreme rainfall which at times was equivalent to half of the average annual levels within 24 hours. It follows major floods on March 19 in the northeastern provinces of Golestan and Mazandaran, for which no official casualty toll has been given. Such a widespread flood threat is unprecedented in arid Iran, which until 2018 was dealing with decades of drought. "Climate change is forcing itself on our country," said Energy Minister Reza Ardekanian, who is in charge of dams and water supply. "These unprecedented floods in our country are because of climate change worldwide," he said on Monday, quoted by the Tasnim news agency. Until the 1980s, doctors estimated the earliest gestational age a baby could be considered viable outside the womb was 28 weeks Survival rates of extremely preterm infants have improved by leaps and bounds since the 1980s, with US and Swedish studies published this week providing new data on the trend. Doctors previously estimated the earliest gestational age a baby could be considered viable outside the womb was 28 weeks, when they weigh around 2.2 pounds (one kilogram) -- about 12 weeks short of the 40-week length of a normal pregnancy. Babies are considered premature under the 37-week mark. But over the last nearly 40 years, that 28-week limit has steadily dropped, and now some babies delivered at 24, 23 or even 22 weeks (measured from their mothers' last menstruation) are able to survive, even as they weigh 1.1 pounds or less. A Japanese baby who weighed only 9.44 ounces (268 grams) when he was born at 24 weeks made headlines in February: he was headed home in good health after five months in the hospital. "I've been in this business for 40 years, and I've seen the threshold of viability move back about one week every 10 years or so in my practice," Edward Bell, a neonatologist at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital, told AFP. Sweden holds the world record for earliest neonatal viability: 77 percent of babies born between 22 and 26 weeks in 2014 to 2016 survived one year, up from a 70 percent about 10 years before, according to a study published Tuesday in the the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). In those 10 years, Sweden standardized its procedures for neonatal advanced life support: immediate intubation at birth, administration of drugs and a quick transfer to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Nearly 90 percent of deliveries in Sweden now occur in one of six hospitals in the country that have top-level NICUs. "Before, for a baby born at 22 or 23 weeks, an individual doctor could say that it is not worthwhile to do anything," said Mikael Norman, coauthor of the Swedish study and a neonatologist at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm. For infants younger than 22 weeks, the survival rate has improved from 3.6 percent to 20 percent over the last decade, and for those born at 26 weeks, eight in 10 survive. - US lags behind - Since the 1990s, there have been three major medical advances in the effort to improve premature infant survival. Artificial surfactants help keep babies' poorly developed lungs inflated when they exhale, while maternal steroid injections right before birth can speed up fetal lung development (growing as much in one day as what might usually take a week) and improved mechanical ventilation techniques also help premature babies. These techniques are widely available in developed countries, but significant disparities remain -- from country to country and even between various hospitals. In Britain, France and the United States, about half of extremely preterm infants (less than 26 or 27 weeks) survive, according to studies conducted in the last few years. And the US system is not equivalent to its Swedish counterpart. American health care is rife with inequalities that can play out in the level of antenatal care pregnant women in different demographics receive. A study in JAMA shows that geographic racial segregation in the US manifests itself in health care, as premature black infants have a greater likelihood of being born in lower-quality hospitals. But the survival rate is still improving, even in the very rare instance of babies who are born weighing under 14 ounces, the subject of a third JAMA study -- focused on US data -- published Monday. Of infants born between 22 and 26 weeks and weighing less than 14 ounces in 21 US hospitals between 2008 and 2016, 13 percent survived -- one of them weighed only 11.6 ounces. At such a low gestational age, the risk of complications is much higher, as three fourths of children born that early show developmental delays at age two. All told, "it tells you that survival is possible," said Bell, a coauthor of one of the US studies. "One can't say clearly that these babies should be always resuscitated," Bell said, "but parents deserve to have this information and probably should have a say in whether they're resuscitated." PHOENIX (AP) - Two years after New Mexico's largest county barred local law enforcement from cooperating with immigration authorities, its leaders learned that the policy was being subverted from within. Staff members at the Bernalillo County jail in Albuquerque were still granting immigration authorities access to its database and, in some cases, tipping them off when a person of interest was being released. "I was surprised and horrified," said Maggie Hart Stebbins, chairwoman of the Bernalillo County Commission. "Individual employees do not have the freedom to pick and choose what they want to observe." The disclosure last month cast a spotlight on an often-overlooked way in which immigration officials around the U.S. may be getting around local "sanctuary" policies - through informal relationships with police and others willing to cooperate when they're not supposed to. Immigration activists say they have seen it places like Philadelphia, Chicago and several communities in California, which has a statewide sanctuary law. On Wednesday, for example, the American Civil Liberties Union reported that emails show that a detective in Orange County, California, regularly looked up license plate information for an immigration officer. "Often people underestimate the informal relationship between ICE and local law enforcement," said Sara Cullinane, director of the immigrant-rights organization Make the Road New Jersey. She said a major way to make sure immigrant-friendly ordinances are being obeyed is training officers about what they can and cannot do. This March 12, 2019, photo shows the Metropolitan Detention Center of Bernalillo County outside of Albuquerque, N.M. The has come under criticism after it was revealed late last month that its records department was allowing federal immigration authorities to access its inmate database. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras) Over 100 local governments around the country have adopted a variety of sanctuary rules barring police and jails from cooperating with immigration authorities, often by refusing to hold people arrested on local charges past their release date at the request of immigration officers who intend to pick them up. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says these types of policies have made the streets less safe. The restrictions have also led the agency in the past couple of years to find other ways to make arrests, such as by staking out courthouses for immigrants, a practice ICE had generally avoided. In 2017, the governing commission in Bernalillo County, population 680,000, barred the use of county money, resources or personnel to enforce civil immigration laws. County employees are not allowed to investigate, question or apprehend people based on their immigration status. Last month, Bernalillo County passed another resolution further restricting county workers from sharing any sort of information regarding immigration status. A day later, on Feb. 27, the jail administration notified county leaders that it learned, while discussing the latest resolution with jail staff, that some had still been working with ICE in an informal way. Staff members let immigration officers walk beyond the public areas of the jail and use the county computers, where they had logins to access inmate information such as names, places of birth and addresses. On occasion, staff would call immigration officers to let them know when an inmate was being released. The county now bars ICE from going anywhere past the public areas. Nobody has been disciplined so far, said jail spokeswoman Candace Hopkins. Hopkins said jail workers tipped off ICE regarding about one person out of around 3,000 released each month. "Our records department was complying with those requests with rare occasion. Extremely rare is something that we want to emphasize," she said. ICE said that accessing the jail database made the public safer by ensuring that criminals facing deportation weren't released back onto the streets in the U.S. "When sanctuary-city policies inhibit ICE officers' ability to identify and take custody of criminal aliens in a controlled environment such as local jails, ICE is forced to dedicate its limited resources to track down fugitives and dangerous criminals upon release," said Corey Price, an official with the ICE field office in El Paso, Texas, which covers New Mexico. He said sanctuary policies are "misguided efforts" by "those who ultimately want to shield dangerous criminals from being deported." In Chicago, police are barred from cooperating with immigration authorities in a number of ways, but ICE still had access to its gang database, advocates say. In 2017, the city settled with a man who sued after he was mistakenly placed on a gang database that ICE accessed and used to arrest him. Immigration officers seriously injured the man while arresting him at his home. In Philadelphia, which since 2014 has prohibited its jails from holding detainees for ICE or notifying the agency of release dates, authorities even in high-level administrative posts were still informally working with the federal agency, according to advocates and an investigative report by The Philadelphia Inquirer . The newspaper documented about 10 occasions in which police notified ICE about immigrants they arrested. Blanca Pacheco, co-director of the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia, said that until last year, the city's probation officers, who shared an office building with ICE, were walking clients over directly to the federal agency to turn them in, in violation of the city's directive. Pacheco said the practice stopped when it came to light. She said it went on largely because some people weren't trained on the policies. Training "is really key because one thing is to win the policy, and another is to train people. There are people that, because of racism, do it, but also there are officers who just don't know," Pacheco said. In another case of behind-the-scenes cooperation, the ACLU reported that ICE uses a license-plate recognition database containing information submitted by some 80 police departments, some of them in sanctuary cities that are not supposed to be cooperating with ICE. Jorge L. Baron, executive director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, an advocacy and legal services group in the Seattle area, said immigration agents have always found ways to get information on deportable criminals when it's not easily accessible. "We have to continue working on ways that we can prevent information-sharing," Baron said. BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) - A suspect has been charged in Slovakia with ordering the slaying last year of an investigative reporter and his fiancee, a case that brought down the Slovak government, police and prosecutors announced Thursday. Two special prosecutors identified the suspect at a news conference as Marian K., omitting his full surname as is standard practice in Slovakia. Slovakian media reported the suspect was Marian Kocner, a businessman long suspected of involvement in the crime. Prosecutors, who deal with the most serious crimes, are never identified in Slovakia for their own protection. Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova were shot to death in their home on Feb. 21, 2018. Kuciak had filed a complaint with police in 2017 saying Kocner had threatened him. An international press freedom group welcomed the move. FILE- In this Friday, March 16, 2018 file photo candles are placed in memory of slain journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova during a rally in Bratislava, Slovakia. On Thursday, March 14, 2019, Slovakia's police said they have charged a suspect with ordering the slaying of an investigative reporter and his fiancee, a case that brought down the Slovak government. Police didn't immediately name the suspect. Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova were shot dead in their home on Feb. 21 2018. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File) "This development constitutes clear and significant progress toward achieving justice for Jan and Martina", said Scott Griffen, deputy director of the Vienna-based International Press Institute. "Holding masterminds of journalist killings accountable is very rare globally." Slovak authorities believe it was a contract killing linked to Kuciak's work. He was investigating possible government corruption and ties between politicians and Italian mobsters. The prosecutors, who formed a common investigative team with officials from Italy, said no Italian national was involved in the slayings. Four other suspects have been charged, including the person who allegedly financed the killing as well as the one whom prosecutors believed committed the crime. Kocner is currently in detention in a separate case involving alleged forgery and securities crime. The killings of Kuciak and Kusnirova triggered major street protests and a political crisis that led to the dismissal of the national police chief and the government's collapse. The prosecutors previously said a total sum of 70,000 euros ($79,500) was paid for the alleged contract slayings. WASHINGTON (AP) - Patrick Shanahan, in his first congressional testimony since taking over as the interim Pentagon chief, fielded combative questions from senators Thursday about a Defense Department budget maneuver that Democrats said amounts to a political gimmick. The target of the their criticism was the Trump administration's decision to put $98 billion into a war account outside of the Pentagon's base budget, in order to stay within congressional caps on defense spending. Calling it a "slush fund" and a shell game, members of the Senate Armed Services Committee also slammed the department's request for more than $7 billion in emergency funds to help pay for the wall that President Donald Trump wants to build along the U.S.-Mexico border. "You're asking at least for $98 billion for things that have nothing to do with contingency operations," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. "What we're really talking about here is the establishment of a slush fund to hide what is happening with defense spending." Shanahan acknowledge that a large chunk of the money included in the war account should be in the regular budget, but he said the Pentagon was trying to be transparent with Congress. "There is no slush fund," he said. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan goes before the Senate Armed Services Committee to discuss the Department of Defense budget, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 14, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) The senators also complained that the department has not answered their repeated requests for details on what military projects could be cut or delayed in order to pay for the border wall. They said shifting that money to the wall would essentially put an indefinite spigot on the department's military construction account. After persistent questioning, Shanahan and David Norquist, the department's budget chief, said no projects contracted for this year will be touched, but those without contracts could be vulnerable. Shanahan eventually promised that he would deliver the list of at-risk projects to Congress later Thursday. They said that in any case, money for family housing projects would not be touched. "I feel completely sandbagged," said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., noting that the list of potentially at-risk projects would be delivered after the expected Senate vote on a resolution to block Trump from using emergency powers to pay for the wall. Kaine said senators have asked for that list for weeks, but military service leaders told them they needed Shanahan's permission. "So, were they only available in the last half hour?" "There has not been a deliberate attempt to withhold information to this committee," said Shanahan. On another topic, Shanahan said the Pentagon has no plans to force allies to pay a financial premium for hosting American forces in their countries and that reports of a plan to seek a steep increase are wrong. Shanahan said allies need to pay their fair share, but compensation comes in many forms, including providing support for war in places such as Afghanistan. U.S. officials said earlier this month that the administration was eyeing a plan to make allies pay significantly more. Some reports suggested it could be the full cost of the troops' presence plus an additional 50 percent. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, asked Shanahan about the reports, adding, "Are we driving our allies away from us?" "Senator, we won't do cost plus 50 percent," Shanahan replied. "We're not going to run a business. We're not going to run a charity." He added that "not everyone can contribute. But it is not about cost plus 50 percent." Defense officials have acknowledged that the Pentagon has been asked to gather data on the costs of keeping troops in other countries and how much those nations contribute to the expenses. Shanahan also said the U.S. and its partners in Syria have liberated virtually all the territory the Islamic State group once held. But he did not declare victory. No one on the committee asked about Syria during the nearly three-hour hearing. Shanahan is a former Boeing executive who's been the interim Pentagon chief since Jan. 1, when Defense Secretary Jim Mattis left. Trump hasn't said whether he'll nominate Shanahan for the Cabinet post. Shanahan's former employer came up during the hearing. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., noted that a Washington, D.C., watchdog group has filed an ethics complaint with the Pentagon's inspector general alleging that Shanahan has used his official position to promote Boeing's interests. He asked if Shanahan supported such an investigation; Shanahan said he did. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed the complaint Wednesday, but it's not known whether the inspector general will investigate. Shanahan was also asked if he had spoken to anyone in the administration about the Federal Aviation Administration order to ground 737 Max aircraft as a result of two recent crashes. "I've not spoken to anyone regarding the 737 Max," he said, or been briefed on it. Asked whether he favored an investigation into the matter, Shanahan said it was for regulators to investigate, and he added his condolences to the families affected by the two 737 Max crashes. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan goes before the Senate Armed Services Committee to discuss the Department of Defense budget, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 14, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., left, welcomes Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan to testify on the Department of Defense budget, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 14, 2019. Shanahan told the committee that allies need to pay their fair share, but compensation comes in many forms, including providing support for war in places like Afghanistan. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) SANAA, Yemen (AP) - Yemeni military officials say the Saudi-led coalition launched a series of airstrikes along the Yemen-Saudi border that mistakenly killed and wounded forces allied with the government. The officials say eight border guards were killed and 33 others wounded when the coalition staged a bombing operation in the al-Araba mountains in Jawf governorate on Thursday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to the media. Yemeni forces are fighting with the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels, whom Saudis accuse of acting as an Iranian proxy. Over the course of the four-year war, coalition bombs have at times struck allied forces and civilians. Rebels seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting the internationally recognized government to flee the country and seek help from neighboring Saudi Arabia. GENEVA (AP) - The head of Saudi Arabia's Human Rights Commission said Thursday that judicial authorities in the oil-rich kingdom have held three court sessions over the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, describing it as an "unfortunate accident" and a "heinous crime." Bandar bin Mohammed Al-Aiban replied simply that the case was "in the courts" in Saudi Arabia when asked by a reporter to respond to calls that the kingdom accept international support in investigating the killing. Al-Aiban spoke as the 47-member Human Rights Council conducted a regular review of Saudi Arabia's human rights record, a periodic process faced by all U.N. member states. "We are indeed horrified by what has happened pursuant to this unfortunate accident and we have taken those measures required for us to resolve this heinous crime," Al-Aiban said of the Khashoggi killing in Arabic, a translation of which was provided by the United Nations. "Peace be with his soul." Al-Aiban said his country "refutes completely" calls for parts of the legal process to be "internationalized," saying such demands cast doubt on the integrity of the Saudi judicial system. Under the Universal Periodic Review process, the "concerned" country receives recommendations from fellow states in the Human Rights Council about how to improve their human rights situations - and can decide whether or not to accept them. Matthew Forman, a political counsellor for the British mission in Geneva, said his country was "disappointed" that Saudi Arabia did not fully accept its recommendation on the use of a "specialized criminal court." WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump is set to travel to Ohio next week to highlight his investments in defense spending and to raise money for his re-election bid. The White House says Trump will tour and deliver remarks at the Lima Army Tank Plant, the nation's last remaining tank manufacturing facility. Earlier this year the Pentagon announced a $714 million order to upgrade M1 Abrams tanks at the plant, which the White House says is leading to the hiring of hundreds of new workers. Trump's re-election fundraiser, which will also benefit the Republican National Committee, will be held in Canton, Ohio on Wednesday. Trump is stepping up his re-election efforts as his campaign hire staff and builds infrastructure in anticipation of a bitter 2020 fight. SCHERTZ, Texas (AP) - Four Texas sheriff's deputies won't face charges for opening fire on a suspected car thief, killing her and a 6-year-old who they didn't know was nearby, a grand jury decided this week. A Bexar County grand jury declined to indict the deputies more than a year after they shot at Amanda Jones, 30, on the porch of a mobile home in the San Antonio suburb of Schertz. The deputies were pursuing Jones for car theft and other offenses on Dec. 21, 2017, when she forced her way onto the trailer and threatened to shoot them, said Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar. The deputies didn't know that the 1st-grader, Kameron Prescott, was inside the trailer after starting his winter break just hours before the shooting, Salazar said. The boy was struck in the torso by a stray bullet that pierced one of the trailer's walls. Salazar called it "a tragic accident." Jones had no apparent connection to Kameron or his family, according to officials. The grand jury's finding cleared deputies John Aguillon, George Herrera, Jesse Arias, and Reserve Deputy Johnny Longoria of having to face charges. But the decision was met by mixed reactions, the San Antonio Express-News reported. In this Dec. 28, 2017, photo pallbearers carry the firefighter-themed casket of six-year-old Kameron Prescott after a church service in Schertz, Texas. Four Texas sheriff's deputies won't face charges for opening fire on a suspected car thief, killing her and Prescott who they didn't know was nearby, according to a grand jury's decision this week. (Kin Man Hui/The San Antonio Express-News via AP) Stephen Prescott, who is Kameron's grandfather and a San Antonio police officer, said he was upset, but he declined to comment further. Kameron's mother, Rubi Marie Prescott, declined to comment. Kameron's family had been outspoken after the shooting. His great-aunt, Debra Jimenez, criticized the deputies for opening fire when so many people were nearby and called for new training. Less than a month later, Salazar announced he would increase deputies' required in-service training hours from 24 to 40 hours annually. Some neighbors in the Pecan Grove mobile home park expressed uncertainty over whether the deputies should have opened fire. Russell White, who lives across the street from Kameron's home, watched the shooting from his window. "I feel like you're not supposed to shoot in that scenario," White said. "I don't know." Shawna Keller, a neighbor, said the deputies were trying to protect the neighborhood, but that her heart breaks for Kameron. "He was in the wrong place at the wrong time," she said. "My heart also goes out to police. They're just trying to do their job. You know they didn't want to shoot a 6-year-old boy." In this Dec. 21, 2017, photo Ron Lawrence, left, comforts his daughter Kallie Lawrence, 11, who knew the 6-year-old boy that was killed when sheriff's deputies who opened fire on a suspected car thief in Schertz, Texas. Four Texas sheriff's deputies won't face charges for opening fire on a suspected car thief, killing her and the 6-year-old who they didn't know was nearby, according to a grand jury's decision this week. (Bob Owen/The San Antonio Express-News via AP) In this Dec. 22, 2017, photo District Attorney Nico LaHood listens as the incident is described as law enforcement officials investigate the scene of an officer involved shooting in Schertz, Texas. Four Texas sheriff's deputies won't face charges for opening fire on a suspected car thief, killing her and a 6-year-old who they didn't know was nearby, according to a grand jury's decision this week. (Tom Reel/The San Antonio Express-News via AP) In this Dec. 22, 2017, photo Law enforcement officials investigate the scene of an officer-involved shooting in Schertz, Texas. Four Texas sheriff's deputies won't face charges for opening fire on a suspected car thief, killing her and a 6-year-old who they didn't know was nearby, according to a grand jury's decision this week. (Tom Reel/The San Antonio Express-News via AP) In this Dec. 22, 2017, photo law enforcement officials walk the area and investigate the scene of an officer involved shooting in Schertz, Texas. Four Texas sheriff's deputies won't face charges for opening fire on a suspected car thief, killing her and a 6-year-old who they didn't know was nearby, according to a grand jury's decision this week. (Tom Reel/The San Antonio Express-News via AP) ATLANTA (AP) - Legislation calling for Georgia to purchase new electronic touchscreen voting machines that print a paper ballot is headed to the governor's desk. The state House gave final passage to the wide-ranging election bill Thursday, a day after Senate approval. The bill would replace the state's current system, which offers no auditable paper trail. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has previously supported the type of machines the bill authorizes. In a statement Thursday, Kemp said the bill "modernizes Georgia's voting system and ensures our elections remain secure, accessible and fair." Republican lawmakers and many county election officials say the electronic ballot marking devices will be the easiest to administer and can accommodate all Georgians, including those with disabilities. But Democrats and cybersecurity experts say the machines are hackable and that hand-marked paper ballots would be cheaper and more secure. FILE- This May 22, 2018 file photo, shows a voter access card inserted in a voting reader during voting in the Georgia primary in Kennesaw, Ga. Just months after a highly contentious race for Georgia governor, the state Senate has approved a House plan to purchase new electronic touchscreen voting machines that print a paper ballot statewide. It's a big step toward replacing Georgia's current outdated voting system, which offers no auditable paper trail. But some say it's a big step in the wrong direction. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File) Georgia Tech computing professor Richard DeMillo, along with 23 other cybersecurity experts around the country, sent a letter to lawmakers urging for hand-marked paper ballots in January. Systems using electronic ballot markers include touchscreen computers, where voters make their selections and then print a paper ballot. Under the legislation, voters will have a chance to review a summary of selections on their ballot printout before putting it through a scanner, where votes are tallied. Setups from different vendors vary, but many offer ballot printouts that include text summaries as well as barcodes where voter selections are encoded for tabulation. The proposal comes months after Kemp, then the secretary of state, defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams in the governor's race, and amid several lawsuits challenging the state's handling of elections. One of the biggest points of contention is the lack of financial information offered in support of the bill. Bond funding, or borrowing, totaling $150 million has been included in the 2020 budget proposal. But House and Senate Democrats criticized the fact that the bill does not include a fiscal note - a report on the bill's estimated financial impact. The legislation would also tweak Georgia's strict standard for verifying voter registrations and clarify when polling places can be closed or moved, measures proposed earlier by Democrats. SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) - A public prosecutor's office in North Macedonia says six people have been detained following a preliminary investigation into a bus crash that killed 15 people and seriously injured 39 others. The office said Thursday that the suspects include the bus driver and the owner of the private transportation company. They were detained on suspicion of gross negligence, endangering public safety and other offenses. The charges carry a combined penalty of up to 10 years in prison. In the Feb. 13 accident, the bus carrying mostly students and office workers from Skopje to the western town of Gostivar fell off the highway embankment and overturned. A prosecutor's office spokesman said that the preliminary investigation had found evidence that the bus had exceeded the speed limit and had a defective brake system. SALISBURY, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina thrift store has earned $1,000 off a hand-carved bedroom suite that may just be haunted. News outlets reports Habitat for Humanity Rowan County's ReStore warned would-be customers that the previous owner reported he and his wife had "continuous nightmares" while the furniture was in their bedroom. Their dogs were also suspicious of the 1950s highboy chest of drawers and canopy bed, as they "would not stop barking at it." The store's director of operations, Elizabeth Brady, says two regular customers were intrigued and paid full price, but didn't believe the furniture was actually haunted. As a Christian housing ministry, officials wanted to make a full disclosure to buyers that the furniture was said to be haunted. LAUREL, Md. (AP) - The last of a flock of 75 whooping cranes has left a U.S. Geological Survey site in Maryland, marking the end of a 52-year-old breeding program. The Baltimore Sun reports that the federal agency says the last bird has been transferred from the Patuxent Research Refuge. There were fewer than 50 whooping cranes alive when the breeding program began with a one-winged bird named Canus in the 1960s. While still vulnerable, the population is now around 700, thanks to efforts including artificial insemination and biologists dressing in crane costumes. USGS officials say its breeding research is no longer needed. The whooping cranes have gone to research institutions and zoos in Virginia, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Louisiana and Canada. ___ FILE- In this June 21, 2018 file photo, an adult whooping crane lets out a defensive call at the Audubon Nature Institute's Species Survival Center in New Orleans. The center's population of endangered whooping cranes includes birds sent from the Patuxent Research Refuge, a U.S. Geological Survey site in Maryland. The refuge has now sent off its last 75 whooping cranes, marking the end of a 52-year-old breeding program that transferred the birds to research institutions and zoos in Virginia, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Louisiana and Canada. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) Information from: The Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.com In this Oct. 9, 2018 photo, Hannah Hamilton wears a Whooping crane costume at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center near Laurel, Md. The last of a flock of 75 whooping cranes has left a U.S. Geological Survey site in Maryland, Wednesday, March 13, 2019, marking the end of a 52-year-old breeding program. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun via AP) ATHENS, Greece (AP) - An Athens hospital statement says "Zorba the Greek" composer Mikis Theodorakis has been discharged after undergoing surgery to have a pacemaker installed. The 94-year-old Theodorakis was admitted to a private hospital Feb. 26 and had the pacemaker implanted last week. He left hospital Thursday. The composer won international acclaim with his prolific output and inspired millions at home for standing up to Greece's 1967-74 military dictatorship. Despite his frail health in recent years, he has continued to engage in public affairs. In January, he addressed an Athens rally against Greece's agreement to normalize relations with neighboring Macedonia - since renamed North Macedonia. PORT RICHEY, Fla. (AP) - The Florida Department of Law Enforcement says a former Florida mayor conspired with the city's acting mayor to intimidate a police officer who was involved in arresting him on attempted murder charges last month. The agency found that ex-Port Richey mayor Dale Massad discussed the police officer with acting Mayor Terrance Rowe on March 3, using a recorded jail phone. The Tampa Bay Times reports Massad told Rowe the officer "is in on everything," to which Rowe responded, "I'm on it." When Massad said that anything Rowe could do would be "good" Rowe replied, "this doesn't go down without somebody answering for it." Rowe was arrested Wednesday on charges of obstructing justice. Massad was charged in February for practicing medicine without a license and shooting at deputies trying to arrest him. The city council is consulting with lawyers about what to do next. CANTERBURY, England (AP) - It bills itself as the U.K.'s European university because of its study centers in France, Italy, Belgium and Greece. But now the uncertainty over Brexit is creating anxiety for students at the University of Kent. There is disappointment and anger at lawmakers as they wrangle over Brexit details as the deadline approaches for Britain's withdrawal from the European Union. For students, just about everything is uncertain: funding levels for international students, freedom to study at their campuses in Europe and the right to live and work in the 27 other EU countries that generations of students have taken for granted. Omolade Adedapo, a politics student who is a vice president of the Kent Union, says the lack of clarity about the Brexit plan has meant "a lot of anxiety for students on campus" because of the unknowns. "There is an uncertainty about what is going to happen when we leave, what's going to happen to students studying here, what's going to happen to European students if they want to come here to the U.K.," said Adedapo, 21. "And it's just very, very confusing at the moment." The lack of information also is clouding matters for British students planning to study in Europe. An anti-Brexit remain in the European Union supporter, left, plays a guitar as she's surrounded by UKIP pro-Brexit supporters outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Thursday, March 14, 2019. British lawmakers faced another tumultuous day Thursday, as Parliament prepared to vote on whether to request a delay to the country's scheduled departure from the European Union and Prime Minister Theresa May struggled to shore up her shattered authority. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) James Osei-Anane, a student adviser at the union, said Brexit will likely cost him a chance to study abroad. He's still hoping the plan can be stopped, which remains a possibility if Parliament cannot agree on a withdrawal deal. "If we do leave the EU, I will not be able to just go and study there, go and work there," he said. "I think it is very much a wasted opportunity if we do leave, and I very much don't want to leave." The university is unable to offer any information to students concerned about options and fees. Professor Jeremy Carrette, the university's dean for Europe, said the implications for tuition, visas and health service are not yet known. "The system is unclear, and until we have a clear position from our government and from the EU, that will remain unclear," he said. ___ Katz reported from London. ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - The CEO of a prominent western North Carolina charity has returned an honorary degree amid renewed attention to a 1988 child sex offense plea. Eblen Charities CEO William Murdock tells The Asheville Citizen-Times that he voluntarily returned the University of North Carolina Asheville degree last week. It's the first time a UNC Asheville honorary degree has been returned or rescinded. Murdock blamed a former Eblen employee with whom he often clashed for the renewed attention. Murdock pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of taking indecent liberties with a 15-year-old girl who had been his student. He maintains they never had a sexual relationship, saying he took the plea agreement to avoid an expensive legal battle and possible felony conviction. The newspaper couldn't reach the former student or her family. ___ Information from: The Asheville Citizen-Times, http://www.citizen-times.com FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) - The Latest on the resignation of the Grand Canyon National Park superintendent (all times local): 10:35 a.m. The departing superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park says she'll work to promote social justice and empower women after she leaves the job this month. Christine Lehnertz announced Thursday that she's retiring from the job she's held since August 2016. She was tasked with changing what federal investigators said was a pervasive culture of sexual harassment at the park. Lehnertz says in a statement that she's proud of the progress employees have made to create a more respectful and inclusive workplace. In the past few months, she was reassigned, cleared in a federal investigation and decided against returning to the Grand Canyon. FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2013 file photo, the Grand Canyon National Park is covered in the morning sunlight as seen from a helicopter near Tusayan, Ariz. An attorney for Grand Canyon superintendent Christine Lehnertz says her future at the national park is up in the air. Kevin Evans said Tuesday, March 5, 2019, that he advised Lehnertz not to return immediately to the Grand Canyon after she was cleared of accusations and fully exonerated in a federal investigation. Evans says he's negotiating her employment status with the National Park Service but would not go into detail. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File) She says she's reassessed her priorities. She says she'll now work to empower women, promote social justice and support families challenged by Alzheimer's. Her mother had the disease. ___ 8:50 a.m. The first female superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park is resigning after less than three years at the helm of one of the country's most popular tourist destinations. Christine Lehnertz is the park's first openly gay, female superintendent and the second consecutive Grand Canyon chief to leave under pressure. She started the job in August 2016, tasked with changing what investigators said was a pervasive culture of sexual harassment in the now-defunct river district. Christine Lehnertz notified the National Park Service on Thursday of her resignation. It comes after she was cleared of allegations she created a hostile work environment and wasted park resources. Attorney Kevin Evans says he was concerned about Lehnertz's safety over what he called "baseless and defamatory accusations." For more than six decades, the Federal Aviation Administration has relied on employees of airplane manufacturers to do government-required safety inspections as planes are being designed or assembled. But critics say the system, dubbed the "designee program," is too cozy as company employees do work for an agency charged with keeping the skies safe while being paid by an industry that the FAA is regulating. "There is a potential conflict of interest," said Todd Curtis, a former Boeing Co. safety engineer and creator of airsafe.com, a website that focuses on airline safety. "They (the FAA) don't have the money to do all of the oversight. It's a question of being practical." The FAA's oversight duties are coming under greater scrutiny after deadly crashes involving Boeing 737 Max jets operated by airlines in Ethiopia and Indonesia, killing a total of 346 people. The U.S. was nearly alone in allowing the planes to keep flying until it relented on Wednesday after getting satellite evidence showing the crashes may be linked. The FAA concedes that it doesn't have resources to keep up with a growing aviation industry, and experts say it lacks the personnel to inspect every component, especially those made in other countries. But the agency says the designee program's results speak for themselves. The U.S. has the safest skies in the world. Until April of last year, U.S. passenger airlines had not had a fatality since 2009, while carrying several billion passengers. But safety experts say it's time to look into the agency's relationship with Boeing, based in Chicago. The FAA's ties to the company were revealed when Boeing and the agency released similar messages shortly after the Indonesian airliner crashed in October and again this week, when the FAA announced that Boeing would upgrade the Max's flight-control software, said Mary Schiavo, a former Transportation Department inspector general. FILE - This Friday, June 19, 2015 file photo shows the Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration building, in Washington. For more than six decades, the Federal Aviation Administration has relied on employees of airplane manufacturers to do government-required safety inspections as planes are being designed or assembled. But critics say the system, dubbed the "Designee Program," is too cozy as company employees do work for an agency charged with keeping the skies safe while being paid by an industry that the FAA is regulating. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) With the messages, the FAA "revealed that they were just parroting what Boeing told them," she said. The agency needs more people with technical skills to adequately monitor a company that makes machines as sophisticated as today's jets, she said, contending that it didn't understand the Max's flight-control computer program. "The FAA readily states they don't understand the 4 million lines of code and the 150 computers," Schiavo said. "What they do is see that Boeing followed the process, they checked the FAA boxes. The public thinks the FAA has more involvement." Indeed, the agency's own website says that employees of manufacturers can approve design changes and aircraft repairs. "Using designees for routine certification tasks allows the FAA to focus its limited resources on safety critical certification issues," it says. A Boeing spokesman said company employees get regular training and oversight from the FAA. "The long-standing collaborative engagement between the Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing, its customers and industry partners has created the safest transportation system in the world," Boeing spokesman Daniel Curran said in an email. The FAA requirements in the designee program "ensure that Boeing employees serving in this capacity act independently on behalf of the FAA," he said. Congress will examine the relationship between Boeing and the FAA. Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said he would hold hearings on the FAA's process for approving the planes. The agency's practice of delegating certification processes has come under scrutiny before. In a 1993 report, the Government Accountability Office warned that the FAA was falling behind the industry in technical competence because of lack of training and delegation of tasks to the manufacturers. The report said 95 percent of certification work for the Boeing 747-400 jetliner was delegated to the manufacturer in 1989. By comparison, 70 to 75 percent of that work was done by the FAA in the early 1980s, the report said. In a separate report in 2005, the GAO said the FAA had no requirements for evaluating its designated certification workers within the industry. It also had incomplete records about safety violations that occurred during the inspection process. FAA designees have also run afoul of the law. Last February, Edward Carl Fernandez, an FAA-designated representative in Florida, pleaded guilty to falsely certifying the airworthiness of aviation parts. Between 2010 and 2013, prosecutors said, Fernandez would sign off on parts from an aviation repair company in exchange for bribes. Checks by the employees, who are paid by the airplane makers, are reviewed by government inspectors. In a 2017 video, FAA Assistant Administrator Peggy Gilligan said the agency had 6,000 engineers and aircraft inspectors overseeing 7,500 designees in aircraft certification and flight standards. Another 4,000 designees are working at FAA-approved companies, like parts suppliers. Curtis, who worked for Boeing from 1991 to 2000, said the system is designed so that company employees defer to the FAA if they find something wrong. Peter Goelz, a former NTSB managing director who now is an aviation safety consultant, said the system has worked well for years. "But at times like this, people start to question it," he said. He's not one of them, though, saying that the proof is in the outcome. "We have had the safest aviation system in the world for a long time," Goelz said. "The size of the bureaucracy you would need to move to a completely 'gotcha environment' simply would be unsustainable." James Hall, a former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said he thinks the agency may have gotten complacent. "We have a good system," said Hall, the former NTSB chairman, "and sometimes people go to sleep when things are going well. It's time to wake up." ____ Koenig reported from Dallas. Krisher and Durbin reported from Detroit. FILE - This Dec. 20, 2001 file photo shows an airplane flying past the Boeing logo on the company's headquarters in Chicago. The FAA's oversight duties are coming under greater scrutiny after deadly crashes involving Boeing 737 Max jets owned by airlines in Ethiopia and Indonesia, killing a total of 346 people. The U.S. was nearly alone in allowing the planes to keep flying until it relented on Wednesday, March 13, 2019, after getting satellite evidence showing the crashes may be linked. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File) GREENBELT, Md. (AP) - A federal judge who blocked a Maryland resident's deportation while he was on a flight to his native China is weighing whether to allow the man to stay in the U.S. with his family while he seeks to legalize his immigration status. U.S. District Judge George Hazel said he will issue a written ruling "relatively soon" after hearing arguments Friday on Wanrong Lin's request for a preliminary injunction. One of Lin's attorneys said a ruling in his favor could set a helpful precedent for other immigrants fighting deportation orders. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Lin in August after he showed up for an interview as part of his application for a "stateside waiver," which allows noncitizens facing deportation to remain in the U.S. while seeking legal status. On Nov. 19, they put him on a commercial flight leaving New Jersey for Shanghai. The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland sued on Lin's behalf only minutes before the plane took off. Before the flight arrived in China, Hazel ordered Lin to be returned to the U.S. The judge said in his ruling last year that ICE agents can't use the waiver program "as a honeypot to trap undocumented immigrants who seek to take advantage of its protections." When Lin returned in December, he was taken into ICE custody after he got off the plane but released several hours later. Lin, whose wife and three children are U.S. citizens, is asking for more time to stay in the country while he seeks permanent residence. Removing him now will keep him separated from his family for years, his lawyers said. In this undated photo released by Amber Taylor, Wanrong Lin, left, and his wife, Hui Fang Dong, pose for a photo. Wanrong Lin, a Maryland resident whose deportation was blocked by a federal judge while he was on a flight in November to his native China is seeking a court order allowing him to remain in the U.S. with his family. U.S. District Judge George Hazel is scheduled to hear arguments Friday, March 15, 2019, from attorneys for Wanrong Lin and the federal government. (Amber Taylor via AP) U.S. Justice Department lawyers argue the judge doesn't have the jurisdiction to halt Lin's deportation. They also claim Lin and his wife failed to seek an immigrant visa "diligently" and in a timely manner. Lin's wife, Hui Fang Dong, became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2004, the same year they married. Lin did not, but sought asylum in 2008, a request that was denied and resulted in an order for his deportation. He did not actually leave the country, however, until he was deported in November. In 2016, Lin and Dong began applying for the stateside waiver. As part of the process they went for an interview at a federal immigration office in Baltimore in August to confirm the "bona fides" of their marriage, the ACLU lawyers said. The interviewer told Dong that the validity of their marriage would be confirmed but escorted Lin to a separate room for more questioning. That's when ICE agents arrested him. ACLU attorneys claim federal authorities are misusing the waiver process to "lure and entrap" people seeking the program's legal benefits. Hazel ruled in November that Lin's lawyers made a "strong showing" that Department of Homeland Security has had a policy of "generally allowing" applicants for provisional waivers to remain in the U.S. "To allow ICE - a federal agency under the jurisdiction of DHS - to arrest and deport those who seek this legal protection would be to allow DHS to nullify its own rule without explanation," the judge wrote. ACLU of Maryland attorney Nick Steiner told Hazel on Friday that ICE has arrested other applicants at these interviews. The judge asked if ICE agents have a duty to carry out deportation orders. "There are times when the government will forgo removing people," Steiner said. "It's not this blanket duty that applies in all circumstances." Justice Department attorney Julian Kurz said ICE agents have the discretion to make arrests and enforce deportation orders "in a resource-efficient way." He said Lin's attorneys are asking the court to block an "indisputably valid removal order." "Removing Lin would not be inconsistent with any statute, regulation or the Constitution," Kurz said. Steiner said the ACLU has heard from others who fear getting arrested if they go to their interviews for the waiver program. "If we are able to get a good ruling here, I think it will help other people," Steiner said before the hearing. Lin and his family live in California, Maryland, and own and operate a restaurant in the St. Mary's County town. He doesn't have a criminal history, according to his lawyers. Lin and his wife grew up in the same village in China's Fujian province, but they didn't become a couple until after his uncle arranged for them to meet in 2002, when he was living in Maryland and she was in North Carolina. Lin, 38, was 14 years old when he came to the U.S. alone in 1994. Lin's lawyers say his U.S.-born children - 9, 12 and 14 years old - have been traumatized by their father's sudden absence and ongoing legal troubles. "The couple had no opportunity to plan for childcare or financial support, nor to prepare their children for a prolonged separation or say goodbye," they wrote in a court filing. Steiner said Lin didn't attend Friday's hearing because he needed to tend to the family's restaurant, but his wife and children were in the courtroom. LOS ANGELES (AP) - Did people domesticate dogs or was it the other way around? And why do these two species seem to think so much alike, act so much alike and get along so well? The California Science Center has spent the past five years sniffing out the answers to those and hundreds of other vexing canine questions. It will begin revealing the conclusions Saturday with an ambitious, if somewhat lighthearted, new exhibition called "Dogs! A Science Tail." And, yes, real dogs will be there. (Just try hiding contraband from that drug-sniffing dog and see what happens.) "It's really not about just dogs and science. It's really about how dogs and humans are both social animals. About how dogs and humans have evolved together over thousands of years. And the fact that because we are both social animals, we've learned to work together," said Jeffrey Rudolph, the center's president and a devoted dog lover who worked for years to pull this show together. As he spoke during a recent pre-opening walkthrough of the exhibit, he paused briefly at what he imagines might be its most popular stop for the pre-teen crowd - a replica of a fire hydrant next to a button that you can push to smell what a dog smells. "But we just smell pee," Rudolph explained with a laugh. "A dog can tell what dog was there, what time they were there and actually which direction they were going." In this Tuesday, March 12, 2019 photo Puppy raiser for Guide Dogs of America Lexie Dreyfuss and her 6 month old Labrador Retriever Hathi prepare for a demonstration at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. A new exhibit at a Los Angeles museum examines the relationship between dogs and humans and explores why the two species seem to think so much alike and get along so well. "Dogs! A Science Tail" opens Saturday, March 16, 2019, at the California Science Center. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) It's one of the ways dogs can evaluate how safe the surroundings are. It's also how they manage to mark time without wristwatches or smartphones. "They have an amazing ability to learn information," continues Rudolph, noting the 300 million sensory receptor sites they carry in their noses far outnumber our 6 million. Nine similar stations allow people to see like a dog does (their color vision is limited, but they pick up motion better than us), determine what a person has just eaten by licking their hand and hear sounds so subtle we're oblivious to them. "In a bedroom they can hear a termite scratching on the wall," Rudolph says. Such skills allow an avalanche rescue dog to sniff out a person buried in snow in a minute's time while its handlers stand there without a clue. They can sniff out bombs people would never find until they exploded. But those are the highly trained working dogs, like those shown in the center's Imax Theatre, where the Cosmic Picture film "Superpower Dogs" will play throughout the exhibition's run. As Captain America actor Chris Evans narrates, viewers watch dogs from around the world help save people from drowning off the coast of Italy, rescue people trapped in collapsed buildings, even track down Kenyan poachers preying on endangered elephants and rhinos. In the museum itself, people could watch Garmin, a 2-year-old golden Labrador retriever who is about to graduate from guide-dog school, take blindfolded folks through a maze of obstacles during a demonstration earlier this week. When one person hesitated, Garmin pulled gently on his leash as if to say, "Come on, let's go. I've got this." Depending on the day, there will be therapy dogs, rescue dogs, drug-sniffing dogs and others demonstrating their abilities. For those more interested in mutts like the one sleeping at the foot of their bed, there is also plenty to see, including a small gallery of original dog paintings by legendary American artist Norman Rockwell. They are on loan from "Star Wars" filmmaker George Lucas. Although "Dogs! A Science Tail" will travel to museums across the country after it closes in Los Angeles early next year, the California Science Center is the only place to see the paintings until Lucas opens his own Museum of Narrative Art down the street in 2021. But do those dogs that Rockwell immortalized playing with kids, comforting owners, even comically tying up traffic in a crowded Los Angeles alley in 1949, really love us? Or are they just trying to wheedle another treat when they open those big black eyes of theirs and give us that look? "If you look a dog in the eye, a dog will look back at you and you will produce oxytocin," Diane Perlov, the center's senior vice president for exhibitions, says of the chemical known as the love hormone because of the feelings it evokes in people. "And," she adds, "the dog will produce oxytocin in his own body from looking back at you. It's a mutual affection." A chimp, on the other hand, will just look away. So who launched this enduring love affair that has resulted in dogs and people sharing living quarters in more than 60 million American households? Scientists can't quite figure that out. They know dogs descended from wolves and that wolves and people crossed paths more than 10,000 years ago, says Perlov, an anthropologist. Both wolves and people could see the other was pretty good at hunting for food. But did the wolves walk up and offer their help in that endeavor? Or did people make the first move? Whoever did, they created an enduring bond. "It's that social bond and our ability to communicate with them, and our ability to understand each other that forms the basis of our relationship," Perlov says. In this Tuesday, March 12, 2019 photo, a visitor takes part in an immersive experience showing visitors how dogs see from inside the head of a dog at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. A new exhibit at a Los Angeles museum examines the relationship between dogs and humans and explores why the two species seem to think so much alike and get along so well. "Dogs! A Science Tail" opens Saturday, March 16, 2019, at the California Science Center. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) In this Tuesday, March 12, 2019 photo Jeffrey Rudolph President of the California Science Center announces a new exhibition called "Dogs! A Science Tail," that is part science, part history, part Norman Rockwell Americana and of course all canine. The exhibit opens to the public on Saturday March 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) This Tuesday, March 12, 2019 photo shows what a dog's vision is inside an immersive experience showing how dogs see at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. A new exhibit at a Los Angeles museum examines the relationship between dogs and humans and explores why the two species seem to think so much alike and get along so well. "Dogs! A Science Tail" opens Saturday, March 16, 2019, at the California Science Center. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) In this Tuesday, March 12, 2019 photo students from the Theodore T. Alexander Science Center School practice brushing dog's teeth at an interactive display during a preview of an exhibition called "Dogs! A Science Tail" at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. The new exhibit that opens Saturday examines the relationship between dogs and humans and explores why the two species seem to think so much alike and get along so well. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) In this Tuesday, March 12, 2019 photo students from the Theodore Alexander Science Center School check an interactive display of the internal organs of different dogs at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. A new exhibit at the Los Angeles museum examines the relationship between dogs and humans and explores why the two species seem to think so much alike and get along so well. "Dogs! A Science Tail" opens Saturday at the California Science Center. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) In this Tuesday, March 12, 2019 photo students listen in on how a dog hears the world at an interactive display during a preview of a new exhibition called "Dogs! A Science Tail", at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. The show opening Saturday is part science, part history, part Norman Rockwell Americana and all canine. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) BRUSSELS (AP) - World leaders expressed condolences and condemnation Friday following the deadly attacks on mosques in New Zealand, while Muslim leaders said the mass shooting was evidence of a rising tide of violent Islamophobia. In a tweet, U.S. President Donald Trump sent "warmest sympathy and best wishes" to the people of New Zealand. He wrote that "49 innocent people have so senselessly died, with so many more seriously injured. The U.S. stands by New Zealand for anything we can do. God bless all!" Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the attacks the "latest example of rising racism and Islamophobia." New Zealand police said at least 49 people were killed Friday at two mosques in the picturesque South Island city of Christchurch. More than 20 were seriously wounded in what Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called a "terrorist attack." One man was arrested and charged with murder in what appeared to be a carefully planned racist attack. Police also defused explosive devices in a car. Two other people were being held in custody and police were trying to determine how they might be involved. People take part in a vigil at the New Zealand War Memorial on Hyde Park Corner in London, Friday, March 15, 2019. Other members of Britain's royal family have followed Queen Elizabeth II in expressing their sadness over the shootings in Christchurch New Zealand. In a joint statement, Princes William and Harry, together with their spouses, the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex, said that their hearts go out to those who lost their lives in the mosque shootings. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP) Speaking at the funeral of a former minister, Erdogan said the Islamophobia that motivated the attacks "has rapidly started to take over Western communities like a cancer." Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan echoed those sentiments. "I blame these increasing terror attacks on the current Islamophobia post-9/11 where Islam & 1.3 bn Muslims have collectively been blamed for any act of terror by a Muslim," he tweeted. The secretary-general of the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Youssef al-Othaimeen, said in a statement that the attack "served as a further warning on the obvious dangers of hate, intolerance, and Islamophobia." Queen Elizabeth II, who is New Zealand's head of state, said in a message to the country she was "deeply saddened by the appalling events in Christchurch" and sent condolences to families and friends of victims. The queen also paid tribute to emergency services and volunteers supporting the injured. "At this tragic time, my thoughts and prayers are with all New Zealanders," she said in her message. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker tweeted that he learned of the attack "with horror and profound sadness." "The European Union will always stand with #NewZealand and against those who heinously want to destroy our societies and our way of life," he wrote. In France, home to western Europe's largest Muslim community, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner ordered regional authorities to bolster security at mosques as a precaution. London's mayor, Sadiq Khan, said the city's Metropolitan Police force would be visible outside mosques. "London stands with the people of Christchurch in the face of this horrific terror attack," he said. "London will always celebrate the diversity that some seek to destroy." Mayor Bill de Blasio said New York City is providing extra security for Muslim community centers and mosques. He said he wants the city's Muslims to know that New Yorkers "truly embrace" them and "have their backs." Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadians are appalled by the attack and said they remember all too well the sorrow after a Canadian man shot dead six Muslim men in a Quebec mosque in 2017. "Far too often, Muslims suffer unimaginable loss and pain in the places where they should feel safest," Trudeau said in a statement. "To move forward as a world, we need to recognize diversity as a source of strength, and not a threat." Indonesia's President Joko Widodo condemned the attacks, in which an Indonesian father and son were among those wounded. Indonesian Muslim leaders expressed anger at the shooting rampage while urging Muslims to show restraint. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said bigotry in Western countries contributed to the attacks on Muslims in New Zealand. In a Friday tweet, he also criticized the West for "defending demonization of Muslims as 'freedom of expression.'" Afghanistan's Taliban movement - Islamic militants who carry out near-daily attacks on Afghan security forces - also condemned the shooting rampage, calling it an "unforgivable crime." Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yusuf called on the New Zealand government to investigate "the root cause of such terrorism and hand a hefty punishment to the attackers." Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, which is considered a terrorist organization by Western countries, condemned the "policy of hatred that the United States is feeding around the world instead of prevailing religious values that call for forgiveness." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the attacks a "brazen act of terror." His office said on Twitter that Israel mourns the murder of innocent worshippers, condemns the assault and sends its condolences to bereaved families. Jordan's King Abdullah II tweeted that "the heinous massacre against Muslims praying in peace in New Zealand is an appalling terrorist crime. It unites us against extremism, hatred and terrorism, which knows no religion." Jordan's Foreign Ministry confirmed that one Jordanian was killed and five wounded in the attack. A telegram of condolences sent by the Vatican on behalf of Pope Francis said he was "deeply saddened to learn of the injury and loss of life" caused by the "senseless acts of violence" in Christchurch. He assured all New Zealanders, and in particular the Muslim community, of his "heartfelt solidarity." A woman leaves the Islamic Cultural Center of New York under increased police security following the shooting in New Zealand, Friday, March 15, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) Turkish police patrol the plaza in front of he Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia, one of Istanbul's main tourist attractions Hagia Sophia, next to an election poster of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul, Friday, March 15, 2019. The poster reads in Turkish: 'Istanbul for us is a love story'. Erdogan says at least three Turkish citizens were injured in the attack that targeted Muslim worshippers in New Zealand and that he has spoken to one of them. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) A Union flag flies at half mast in Westminster in London, Friday, March 15, 2019. Multiple people were killed in mass shootings at two mosques full of worshippers attending Friday prayers on what the prime minister called "one of New Zealand's darkest days," as authorities detained four people and defused explosive devices in what appeared to be a carefully planned attack. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Demonstrators march after the mosque attacks in New Zealand, during a protest in Istanbul, Friday, March 15, 2019. World leaders expressed condolences and condemnation Friday following the deadly attacks on mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch, while Muslim leaders said the mass shooting was evidence of a rising tide of violent anti-Islam sentiment. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) A demonstrator holding a picture from the scene of the mosque attacks in New Zealand, chant slogans during a protest against the attacks, in Istanbul, Friday, March 15, 2019. At least 49 people were killed in mass shootings at two mosques full of worshippers attending Friday prayers on what the prime minister called "one of New Zealand's darkest days." (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Indian Muslims hold placards during a condolence meeting and protest against Fridays mass shootings in New Zealand in Mumbai, India, Friday, March. 15, 2019. Dozens of people were killed in mass shootings at two mosques full of worshippers attending Friday prayers on what the prime minister called "one of New Zealand's darkest days." (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade) Demonstrators march against the mosque attacks in New Zealand, during a protest in Istanbul, Friday, March 15, 2019. The banner reads in Turkish: 'Say Stop to Global Terror'. At least 49 people were killed in mass shootings at two mosques full of worshippers attending Friday prayers on what the prime minister called "one of New Zealand's darkest days." (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Pakistani traders protest to condemn the New Zealand mosque shooting, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Friday, March 15, 2019. Pakistan's prime minister Imran Khan has condemned attacks on two mosques in New Zealand, saying he blames rising "Islamophobia." Khan wrote Friday on Twitter that "terrorism does not have a religion." Placard at bottom right reads "We strongly condemn attack on innocent and unarmed Muslim worshippers." (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash) Worshippers pray for victims and families of the Christchurch shootings during an evening vigil a the Lakemba Mosque, Friday, March 125, 2029, in Wakemba, New South Wales, Australia. At least 49 people have been killed in mass shootings as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers in two New Zealand mosques. (Mark Goudkamp via AP) A demonstrator hangs banners from multi-faith group 'Turn to Love' during a vigil at New Zealand House in London, Friday, March 15, 2019. Multiple people were killed in mass shootings at two mosques full of worshippers attending Friday prayers on what the prime minister called "one of New Zealand's darkest days," as authorities detained four people and defused explosive devices in what appeared to be a carefully planned attack. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the funeral of former minister and his advisor Beril Dedeoglu, in Istanbul, Friday, March 15, 2019. Erdogan called on Western nations to rapidly take measures to curb rising racism against Islam and Muslims, saying new attacks such as the mass shootings in New Zealand would otherwise be "inevitable." (Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool) A police officer stands outside Finsbury Park Mosque following the Christchurch mosque attacks in New Zealand, as worshipers begin to arrive for the Friday prayer service, in London, Friday March 15, 2019. World leaders expressed condolences and condemnation Friday following the deadly attacks on mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch, while Muslim leaders said the mass shooting was evidence of a rising tide of violent anti-Islam sentiment. (Yui Mok/PA via AP) Britain's leader of the opposition Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn speaks to the media alongside demonstrators from multi-faith group 'Turn to Love' holding a vigil at New Zealand House in London, Friday, March 15, 2019. Multiple people were killed in mass shootings at two mosques full of worshippers attending Friday prayers on what the prime minister called "one of New Zealand's darkest days," as authorities detained four people and defused explosive devices in what appeared to be a carefully planned attack. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Bangladeshi activists shout slogans during a protest in front of Baitul Mukkaram National Mosque against Friday's mass shootings in New Zealand, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, March 15, 2019. Dozens of people were killed in mass shootings at two mosques full of worshippers attending Friday prayers on what the prime minister called "one of New Zealand's darkest days." (AP Photo/Sony Ramany) Pakistanis protest to condemn the New Zealand mosque shooting, in Karachi, Pakistan, Friday, March 15, 2019. Pakistan's prime minister Imran Khan has condemned attacks on two mosques in New Zealand, saying he blames rising "Islamophobia." Khan wrote Friday on Twitter that "terrorism does not have a religion." (AP Photo/Fareed Khan) A young demonstrator holds a banner from multi-faith group 'Turn to Love' during a vigil at New Zealand House in London, Friday, March 15, 2019. Multiple people were killed in mass shootings at two mosques full of worshippers attending Friday prayers on what the prime minister called "one of New Zealand's darkest days," as authorities detained four people and defused explosive devices in what appeared to be a carefully planned attack. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) A police car drives past the Grand Mosque in Paris, Friday, March 15, 2019. France is increasing security measures at mosques and other religious sites after the deadly attack against two mosques in New Zealand. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) A demonstrator holds a banner from multi-faith group 'Turn to Love' during a vigil at New Zealand House in London, Friday, March 15, 2019. Multiple people were killed in mass shootings at two mosques full of worshippers attending Friday prayers on what the prime minister called "one of New Zealand's darkest days," as authorities detained four people and defused explosive devices in what appeared to be a carefully planned attack. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Banners from multi-faith group 'Turn to Love' are stuck to the windows during a vigil at New Zealand House in London, Friday, March 15, 2019. Multiple people were killed in mass shootings at two mosques full of worshippers attending Friday prayers on what the prime minister called "one of New Zealand's darkest days," as authorities detained four people and defused explosive devices in what appeared to be a carefully planned attack. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday that the U.S. expects North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to honor his promise to keep his missile launches and nuclear tests on hold, speaking after a top North Korean official suggested the moratorium was under review and could be lifted. Pompeo said Kim told President Donald Trump several times at last month's summit in Vietnam that he would not restart the tests. "So that's Chairman Kim's word," Pompeo said. "We have every expectation he will live up to that commitment." Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said earlier Friday in Pyongyang that Kim would soon decide if he wanted to continue talks with the U.S. about his nuclear program and whether he plans to maintain his moratorium on tests. She also claimed that Pompeo and Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, created an atmosphere of hostility and mistrust at last month's nuclear summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. She suggested that while Trump was more willing to talk, Pompeo and Bolton made uncompromising demands of the North Koreans. Choe said that on the return trip from the summit, Kim asked: "For what reason do we have to make this train trip again?" Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news conference at the State Department, Friday, March 15, 2019 in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) She added: "I want to make it clear that the gangster-like stand of the U.S. will eventually put the situation in danger." At the White House, Bolton disputed the allegation that he and Pompeo created a hostile environment at the summit. "I think that's inaccurate," he said. "The president is our decision-maker." Bolton said he's discussed the allegations with his South Korean counterpart. At a State Department briefing, Pompeo also denied it. "They're wrong about that, and I was there," Pompeo said, adding that he has detailed conversations with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Yong Chol. He said their relationship is "professional" and that he has every expectation they will continue their talks. He said it's not the first time that a North Korean has likened him to a gangster. "I have a vague recollection of being called 'gangster-like' from a visit that I took one time previously," Pompeo said. The vice foreign minister said Pyongyang has no intention of compromising or continuing talks unless the United States takes measures that are commensurate to the changes it has taken - such as the 15-month moratorium on launches and tests - and changes its "political calculation." Even so, she said, personal relations between the two leaders are still good "and the chemistry is mysteriously wonderful." Choe said it was up to Kim whether to continue the launch and test moratorium, and she expects him to "clarify his position" within a short period of time. ___ Associated Press writer Eric Talmadge in Pyongyang contributed to this report. BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) - Slovakia could get its first woman president as voters elect a new head of state on Saturday. The leading contenders are Zuzana Caputova, an environmental activist who is in favor of gay rights and opposes a ban on abortion in this conservative Roman Catholic country, and Maros Sefcovic, an establishment figure who is the European Commission Vice-President. In all, 13 candidates are vying to become the country's fifth head of state since Slovakia gained independence in 1993 after Czechoslovakia split in two. Andrej Kiska, a successful businessman-turned-philanthropist, is not standing for a second five-year term in the largely ceremonial post. His term in office was marked by clashes with former prime minister Robert Fico, considered a populist leader. Kiska supported the huge street protests that led to the fall of Fico's coalition government amid a political crisis triggered by the slayings last year of an investigative reporter and his fiancee. The reporter, Jan Kuciak, was investigating possible widespread government corruption and Italian mob influence. A man walks past a campaign poster for Zuzana Caputova in Bratislava, Slovakia, Friday, March 15, 2019. Caputova is one of the favorite candidates to succeed Slovakia's President Andrej Kiska in the upcoming election. Slovakia holds the presidential election on Saturday, March 16, 2019. The poster reads: "Let's stand against evil, together we can make it." (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) If no single candidate wins a majority on Saturday, a runoff will be held on March 30 in this central European nation of 5.4 million people. ____ WHAT'S AT STAKE The president has the power to pick the prime minister, appoint Constitutional Court judges and veto laws. Parliament can override the veto with a simple majority, however. The government, led by the prime minister, possesses most executive powers. ____ THE FAVORITES Zuzana Caputova Caputova, a 45-year-old lawyer, is a rising star of Slovak politics. She became known for leading a successful fight against a toxic waste dump in her home town of Pezinok near the capital of Bratislava, for which she received an international environmental prize in 2016. She was also part of a campaign in 2017 that led to the annulment of pardons granted by former authoritarian prime minister Vladimir Meciar. She is deputy chairman of "Progressive Slovakia," a non-parliamentary party that supported the massive street protests after Kuciak's death. Maros Sefcovic A career diplomat, 52-year-old Sefcovic was a member of the Communist Party before the anti-Communist 1989 Velvet Revolution. Sefcovic accepted an offer to stand from Fico's left-wing Smer-Social Democracy party, a dominant political group in Slovakia in recent years whose reputation has been tarnished by corruption scandals. ___ OTHER NOTABLE CANDIDATES Stefan Harabin A former justice minister and chief judge of the Supreme Court, 61-year-old Harabin was a close ally of Meciar, whose rule in the 1990s was marred by repeated flouting of the law. A populist, Harabin exploits the fear of migration and presents himself as a guardian of traditional conservative values. As a vocal opponent of the sanctions against Russia for its actions against Ukraine, Harabin is a favorite candidate of pro-Russian media. Marian Kotleba, 42 The 42-year-old heads the neo-Nazi People's Party Our Slovakia, which has 14 lawmakers in the 150-seat Slovak Parliament. Kotleba and his party speak admiringly of Slovakia's time as a Nazi puppet state during World War II. Party members use Nazi salutes and consider NATO a terror group. They want Slovakia to leave the military alliance and the European Union. ___ WHAT'S AHEAD Caputova and Sefcovic are predicted by polls to be the two candidates to advance to a runoff. But the last polls allowed were published two weeks before Saturday's ballot. Analysts say there's a room for a surprise result, particularly for Harabin who was running third in the polls. A woman walks past a campaign poster for Zuzana Caputova in Bratislava, Slovakia, Friday, March 15, 2019. Caputova is one of the favorite candidates to succeed Slovakia's President Andrej Kiska in the upcoming election. Slovakia holds the presidential election on Saturday, March 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) In this file photo taken on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015, European Commissioner for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic speaks during a media conference at EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Sefcovic is one of the favorite candidate to succeed Slovakia's President Andrej Kiska in the upcoming elections. Slovakia holds the presidential elections on Saturday, March 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo/File) WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States will revoke or deny visas to International Criminal Court personnel seeking to investigate alleged war crimes and other abuses committed by U.S. forces in Afghanistan or elsewhere, and may do the same with those who seek action against Israel, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday. Pompeo, acting on a threat delivered in September by U.S. national security adviser John Bolton, framed the action as necessary to prevent the international body from infringing on U.S. sovereignty by prosecuting American forces or allies for torture or other war crimes. "We are determined to protect the American and allied military and civilian personnel from living in fear of unjust prosecution for actions taken to defend our great nation," Pompeo said. U.S. officials have long regarded the Netherlands-based ICC with hostility, arguing that American courts are capable of handling any allegations against U.S. forces and questioning the motives of an international court. The ICC and its supporters, including human rights groups that denounced Pompeo's announcement, argue that it is needed to prosecute cases when a country fails to do so or does an insufficient job of it. The visa restrictions would apply to any ICC employee who takes or has taken action "to request or further such an investigation" into allegations against U.S. forces and their allies in Afghanistan that include forced disappearances and torture. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news conference at the State Department, Friday, March 15, 2019 in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Pompeo said the restrictions "may also be used to deter ICC efforts to pursue allied personnel, including Israelis, without the allies' consent," he said. The Hague-based court, the first global tribunal for war crimes, said it would continue to operate "undeterred" by the U.S. action. The ICC prosecutor has a pending request to look into possible war crimes in Afghanistan that may involve Americans. The Palestinians have also asked the court to bring cases against Israel. Speaking directly to ICC employees, Pompeo said: "If you are responsible for the proposed ICC investigation of U.S. personnel in connection with the situation in Afghanistan, you should not assume that you still have or will get a visa or will be permitted to enter the United States." That comment suggested that action may have already been taken against the ICC prosecutor who asked last year to formally open an investigation into allegations of war crimes committed by Afghan national security forces, Taliban and Haqqani network militants, as well as U.S. forces and intelligence officials in Afghanistan since May 2003. The prosecution's request says there is information that members of the U.S. military and intelligence agencies "committed acts of torture, cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity, rape and sexual violence against conflict-related detainees in Afghanistan and other locations, principally in the 2003-2004 period." The United States has never been a member of the ICC. The Clinton administration in 2000 signed the Rome Statute that created the ICC but had reservations about the scope of the court's jurisdiction and never submitted it for ratification to the Senate, where there was broad bipartisan opposition to what lawmakers saw as a threat to U.S. sovereignty. When President George W. Bush took office in 2001, his administration promoted and passed the American Service Members Protection Act, which sought to immunize U.S. troops from potential prosecution by the ICC. In 2002, Bolton, then a State Department official, traveled to New York to ceremonially "unsign" the Rome Statute at the United Nations. This past September, Bolton said the ICC was a direct threat to U.S. national security interests and he threatened its personnel with both visa revocations and financial sanctions should it try to move against Americans. Pompeo said Friday that more measures may come. The ICC said in a statement it was established by a treaty supported by 123 countries and that it prosecutes cases only when those countries failed to do so or did not do so "genuinely." Afghanistan is a signatory. "The court is an independent and impartial judicial institution crucial for ensuring accountability for the gravest crimes under international law," the statement said. "The ICC, as a court of law, will continue to do its independent work, undeterred, in accordance with its mandate and the overarching principle of the rule of law." Supporters of the court slammed Pompeo's announcement. Human Rights Watch called it "a thuggish attempt to penalize investigators" at the ICC. "The Trump administration is trying an end run around accountability," it said. "Taking action against those who work for the ICC sends a clear message to torturers and murderers alike: Their crimes may continue unchecked." Amnesty International described the move as "the latest attack on international justice and international institutions by an administration hellbent on rolling back human rights protections." The American Civil Liberties Union, which represents three people before the ICC who say they were tortured in Afghanistan, called the decision "misguided and dangerous" and "an unprecedented attempt to skirt international accountability for well-documented war crimes that haunt our clients to this day." "It reeks of the very totalitarian practices that are characteristic of the worst human rights abusers, and is a blatant effort to intimidate and retaliate against judges, prosecutors, and advocates seeking justice for victims of serious human rights abuses," it said. ___ Associated Press writer Mike Corder in Brussels contributed to this report. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives for a news conference at the State Department, in Washington, Friday, March 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) WASHINGTON (AP) - Rick Gates, a former Trump campaign aide and key cooperator in the special counsel's Russia probe, is not ready to be sentenced because he continues to help with "several ongoing investigations," prosecutors said in a court filing Friday. Gates is a central figure in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian election interference and possible coordination with the Trump campaign. But he is also helping federal authorities in New York who are looking into Trump's inaugural committee as well as lobbying on behalf of foreign interests by prominent Washington insiders. The joint filing by Mueller's office and Gates' attorneys comes amid signs the Russia investigation is winding down. But it's unclear if Friday's delay is an indication that Mueller may submit his confidential report soon or if it's related to the status of the other investigations. The filing asked for another 60 days to update U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson on whether Gates can proceed to sentencing. The judge granted the request later Friday. Gates pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy and false statement charges related to Ukrainian lobbying and political consulting he carried out with former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison. Gates helped the government in obtaining a trial conviction of Manafort last year. Prosecutors have noted that he continues to provide information about Manafort's time on the Trump campaign, though neither man has been charged with any crimes related to Russian election interference. FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2017 file photo, then Deputy Trump campaign aide Rick Gates, departs federal court in Washington. Gates, the former Trump campaign aide and a key cooperator in the special counsel's Russia probe, is not ready to be sentenced because he continues to help with "several ongoing investigations," prosecutors said in a court filing Friday. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Still, Mueller prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, who led the Manafort case, told a federal judge earlier this year that a meeting Gates attended with Manafort in August 2016 went to the "heart" of the Russia investigation. The meeting at the Grand Havana Room cigar club in New York was with Konstantin Kilimnik, a longtime Manafort associate who the FBI says has ties to Russian intelligence. Prosecutors have not revealed exactly what piqued their interest in the meeting, though court papers show it involved a discussion of a possible Russia-Ukraine peace plan. Separately, federal prosecutors in New York are investigating the Presidential Inaugural Committee, where Gates served in a senior role. Investigators are looking into whether foreigners illegally contributed to the committee, which raised $107 million for Trump's inaugural events, and how that money was spent. The same office is also investigating lobbying for Ukraine in which Gates was involved. ___ Read AP's coverage of the Russia probe: https://apnews.com/TrumpInvestigations ___ Follow Chad Day on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChadSDay NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) - Cyprus' finance minister said Friday he'll leave the post he's held since 2013 by the end of the year, insisting that the findings of an inquiry that partly blamed him for the demise of one of the country's banks had no bearing on his decision. Georgiades said it was time for him to move on after nearly seven years at the post and defended himself against the inquiry's findings which he called both "mistaken and unfair." He said he still has the full backing of Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades amid opposition party calls for his dismissal and that under his stewardship, the Cypriot economy has rebounded strongly. Anastasiades said the inquiry had no real grounds to apportion blame to Georgiades for billions in bad loans that accumulated at the Co-operative Bank over the decades before his government came to power. Georgiades, 46, was appointed to steer the Cypriot economy in the immediate aftermath of a multibillion-euro rescue deal that Cyprus was forced to accept after a banking crisis nearly bankrupted the country. The inquiry faulted senior executives for bad judgment, inaction and ineptitude in dealing with the Co-op's bad loan portfolio and pointed to Georgiades' "heavy burden of responsibility" for not firing executives and for the bank's "mistaken course" in efforts to have it return to private hands. FILE - In this Saturday May 17, 2014 file photo, Cyprus' Financial minister Harris Georgiades speaks to the media during a press conference at the financial Ministry in the capital Nicosia, Cyprus. Georgiades says he'll leave the post he's held since 2013 by the end of the year. Georgiades said Friday, March 15, 2019, his decision had nothing to do with the findings of an inquiry that partly blamed him for the demise of the country's bad loan-laden Co-operative Bank. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias, File) The government became the Co-operative bank's majority stakeholder with a 1.5 billion-euro ($1.7 billion) bailout as part of the 2013 rescue deal. Georgiades said selling off a bank that was once venerated for helping generations of Cypriots build homes and set up businesses ultimately became "obligatory" because of its bad loan burden. SALAMANCA, N.Y. (AP) - A long-missing peace pipe tomahawk President George Washington gave to a Seneca leader in the late 18th century has been returned to the tribe in western New York. Washington gave the combination tobacco-smoking pipe and weapon to Cornplanter as the United States negotiated a peace treaty with the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. The artifact eventually wound up at the State Museum in Albany, where it remained until being stolen in the late 1940s. Last year, an anonymous collector returned the artifact to the museum. Officials there decided to loan it to the Senecas. Cornplanter's pipe tomahawk was presented Thursday to the Seneca Nation of Indians, who have put the artifact on display in the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum in Salamanca, near the Pennsylvania border 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Buffalo. ___ This photo March 15, 2019, photo provided by Seneca-Iroquois National Museum in New York shows a long-missing peace pipe tomahawk President George Washington gave to Seneca Indian leader Cornplanter in the late 18th century that has been returned to the tribe in western New York. An anonymous collector returned the artifact to the museum and officials there decided to give it back to the Senecas. (Philip J. Pantano/Seneca-Iroquois National Museum via AP) This story has been corrected to show that the tool has been loaned, not given, to the tribe. FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - American Airlines is stopping flights to Venezuela because of safety concerns after the pilots' union told its members to refuse to work the flights. American was the last major U.S. carrier to fly to the troubled country. It flew daily to Caracas and Maracaibo from Miami. The airline said Friday that it temporarily stopped the flights as it evaluated conditions in Venezuela, where civil unrest has increased amid opposition to President Nicolas Maduro. "American will not operate to countries we don't consider safe," said spokesman Ross Feinstein. The airline's decision followed a union president's order Thursday night that American Airlines pilots refuse Venezuela assignments. Daniel Carey of the Allied Pilots Association noted that the State Department issued a warning about crime and detention of American citizens in Venezuela. The U.S. pulled its last diplomats out of the country Thursday. FILE- In this Nov. 21, 2018, file photo a traveler waves for assistance as he checks in at an American Airlines kiosk at Washington Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va. American Airlines said Friday, March 15, 2019, that it is stopping flights to Venezuela because of safety concerns after the pilots' union told its members to refuse to work the flights. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) Carey closed his memo by writing, "To reiterate: Do not accept any trips to Venezuela." United Airlines and Delta Air Lines stopped flying to Venezuela in 2017, and several foreign carriers have also pulled their flights in recent years. Airlines started leaving because of disputes over billions the airlines said they were owed by Venezuela's government, and more recently they have responded to concern over the country's deteriorating economic and political situation. The safety of employees became a greater concern after an Air Europa crew was attacked at gunpoint last weekend in Caracas. Spanish pilots' union Sepla said two pilots and eight other crew members were going from the airport to their hotel when their van was surrounded by men on three motorbikes who fled after an exchange of gunfire with someone that the airline employees thought was a plainclothes police officer. None of the airline people were injured. The union asked Air Europa to stop flying to Venezuela after the incident. It said Air Europa responded by telling crews not to stay in the country overnight. American had for some time already arranged its schedule to avoid crews staying overnight in Venezuela, Feinstein said. BOSTON (AP) - Native American leaders are teaming up with groups in the U.S., Britain and the Netherlands to ensure next year's commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrim landing showcases the harsh legacy of colonization. Events are planned in all three countries in 2020 to reflect on the Pilgrims' arrival in 1620 in what is now Massachusetts. Organizers gathered Thursday at the New England Historical Genealogical Society to firm up plans for yearlong remembrances of the Mayflower's voyage - and the disease, racism and oppression native people suffered after the European settlers arrived. Wampanoag activist Paula Peters, who has been insisting on an unvarnished look back, said Friday the tribal perspective is getting "a lot of support." Past commemorations have glossed over the suffering. "We've been marginalized and sanitized," Peters said. "This isn't about restorative justice. We're not going to get that. But I feel like we're being given an ample platform to tell our story." FILE - In this June 6, 2016 file photo, people on a wharf watch as the Mayflower II, the 1957 replica of the famed ship that carried the Pilgrims to Massachusetts in 1620, arrives in Plymouth Harbor in Plymouth, Mass. Organizers gathered Thursday, March 14, 2019, at the New England Historical Genealogical Society to sketch out plans for a yearlong remembrance in 2020 of the ship's voyage. Events also are planned in Britain and in the Netherlands, where the Pilgrims spent more than a decade before sailing to the New World. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File) Commemorations also are planned in Britain and the Netherlands, where the Pilgrims spent more than a decade before sailing to the New World. "This project explores centuries of shared history between Britain, Holland and America," said Charles Hackett, CEO of Mayflower 400, which is organizing events in Britain. British organizers hope to draw visitors there and "increase awareness of this pivotal event," Hackett said. Michele Pecoraro, executive director of Plymouth 400 Inc., a nonprofit group organizing yearlong events, said the 2020 commemoration will differ markedly from the 350th anniversary in 1970, when the Native American voice was largely a footnote. "The way the story is being told is different than past commemorations because each of the four nations involved are at the table together for the first time," she said. JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leading challenger in his heated race for re-election is trying to play down an embarrassing phone hacking scandal that has erupted just as the ex-general is sliding in opinion polls. Benny Gantz's campaign confirmed late Thursday that the former military chief, who has been campaigning on his security credentials in a bid to end Netanyahu's decade-long rule, was the target of an Iranian hacking attack several months ago. It was not clear what information Israel's archenemy had obtained from Gantz's smartphone. His campaign said the security lapse occurred months before he entered politics and suggested the leak was a politically-motivated attempt to embarrass him ahead of April 9 elections. The revelation splashed across the internet, sending his new Blue and White party reeling. Gantz convened a surprise press conference Friday from Israel's southern border, where he tried to divert attention to recent violence involving Gaza militants. Gantz has pointed to his leading role in the 2014 Gaza war as proof of his toughness. "We're fighting for our home and our struggle for democracy and ethics here," Gantz said, chiding reporters who asked about the hacking. "The phone is not the story..I ask you all to be serious enough to deal with what's important." Gantz provided few details about how he was hacked or what type of information might have fallen into the hands of Iranian intelligence. He attempted to play down the scandal as "merely unethical prying." FILE - In this Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019, file photo, former Israeli Chief of Staff Benny Gantz speaks at the official launch of his election campaign in Tel Aviv, Israel. enny Gantz's campaign late Thursday confirmed that the tough former military chief, who has been campaigning on his impeccable security credentials, was the target of an Iranian hacking attack several months ago. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File) But the scandal is unlikely to disappear. In a front-page analysis Friday, Amos Harel, a commentator for the Haaretz daily, argued that news of the breach could have far-reaching consequences, sending Gantz's party to "unforeseen lows." After Gantz's maiden political speech and merger with another centrist party, his campaign surged in popularity. Opinion polls showed his alliance gaining against Netanyahu's Likud party, especially after Israel's attorney general recommended that the prime minister be indicted on corruption charges. But more recent polling indicates waning enthusiasm for Blue and White, with Likud holding steady. MADRID (AP) - Spain is joining Europe-wide efforts to fight disinformation and online sabotage with new resources ahead of elections. Spanish deputy prime minister, Carmen Calvo, announced Friday that the government has readied protocols to shield the April 28 general election from cyberattacks. That will take place one month before the May 26 European election. Calvo also said the government would fight intentionally misleading or wrongful information before, during or after voting. To that effect, the Interior Ministry announced a team of 100 officers who will scour social networks and the so-called deep-web from early April. Spain is also joining other EU members from Monday in the launch a rapid alert system against disinformation. WASHINGTON (AP) - Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska filed a lawsuit Friday against the U.S. Treasury Department, saying the sanctions against him have caused a "wholesale devastation" of his wealth and reputation. The billionaire argues he was unfairly and illegally targeted by the U.S. government when he was slapped with sanctions last April targeting tycoons with close ties to the Kremlin. Deripaska's net worth has dropped by $7.5 billion and he has watched his businesses "edge to the brink of collapse," according to the lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Washington. The suit says it's an 81 percent decrease in his net worth. He wants the sanctions lifted and for a federal judge to order the Treasury Department to remove him from a list of oligarchs. A Treasury Department spokesman referred questions about the lawsuit to the Justice Department, which declined to comment. Deripaska made his billions in the aluminum industry in the rags-to-riches privatization era that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. He has close ties to President Vladimir Putin and once employed Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, as a consultant. Manafort offered to provide Deripaska with private briefings during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, but there is no evidence such briefings ever occurred. In January, the Treasury Department lifted sanctions on three companies connected to Deripaska, but he remained personally blacklisted. Treasury's decision to ease the sanctions narrowly survived a Senate vote in January after lawmakers raised concerned that the Trump administration is not being tough enough on Putin and his allies. MANASSAS, Va. (AP) - The Virginia Republican who embraced Confederate monuments and associated with white supremacists during failed statewide office bids will head a conservative super PAC. The Washington Post reports Corey Stewart is joining the Keeping America Great PAC, which will raise money for the 2020 campaigns of President Donald Trump and like-minded state and federal candidates. The PAC was previously tied to Dave Brat, the Virginia congressman who lost his 2018 re-election bid. Stewart briefly chaired Trump's 2016 campaign in Virginia before being fired. Before losing to Sen. Tim Kaine last November, Stewart ran unsuccessfully for Republican nominations for governor and lieutenant governor. He's spent 15 years on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, but said in January he'd leave politics "until and unless the Commonwealth is ready" for his views. ___ Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP) - A Maryland man seen tackling a federally protected pelican on video has been arrested on animal cruelty charges out of Florida. Maryland State Police said in a Friday release that 31-year-old William Hunter Hardesty was arrested at a hotel in Ocean City, Maryland. News outlets report the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigated the video of Hardesty trying to capture a brown pelican at Florida's Key West Historic Seaport. The video was taken March 5 and posted on his Facebook page March 8. Monroe County State Attorney Dennis Ward told The Miami Herald the charges amount to five misdemeanors. Hardesty is being held as a fugitive in the Worcester County Detention Center, awaiting extradition to Florida. Reports didn't include comment from Hardesty, who's originally from Anne Arundel County. ___ A previous version of this report incorrectly reported Hardesty's age as 21, not 31. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana lawmakers are moving closer to allowing nurses, physician assistants and pharmacists to object on religious or other grounds to having any role in an abortion. The Indiana House voted 69-25 on Thursday in favor of the legislation, which would expand the statute for medical professionals who don't want to perform an abortion or participate in any procedure that results in an abortion. That includes prescribing, administering or dispensing an abortion-inducing drug, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported . State law already authorizes physicians, hospital employees and health clinic staffers to opt out of abortion-related health care based on an ethical, moral or religious objection to abortion. The new measure would extend that option to nurses, physician assistants and pharmacists. Forty-six states currently allow some health care providers to refuse to provide abortion services, according to a March analysis by the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. The Indiana bill's sponsor, state Rep. Ron Bacon, R-Chandler, said that nurses, physician assistants and pharmacists who aren't directly employed by a hospital or health clinic deserve the same right as other medical professional not to provide medical assistance for terminating a pregnancy if that conflicts with their personal beliefs. Opponents argued that the proposal potentially puts women at risk of death if they are denied care in an emergency situation, or if a pharmacist refuses to provide medication required to complete a miscarriage because it also can be used to induce an abortion. "Religious freedom does not include the right to harm others," said state Rep. Robin Shackleford, D-Indianapolis. State Rep. Chris Chyung, D-Dyer, suggested that the legislation could also lead to pharmacists denying emergency contraception to rape victims seeking to prevent pregnancy. But Bacon responded that his legislation "does not address contraception at all. This is abortion-inducing drugs." The legislation now returns to the Senate to determine if that chamber consents to a technical change made by the House. If the measure is re-approved, it will go to Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, who is expected to sign it into law. ___ Information from: The Times, http://www.nwitimes.com PITTSBURGH (AP) - A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty Friday to aggravated assault and firearms violations for a drive-by shooting that preceded the killing of a fellow passenger by a police officer, who is now awaiting trial himself. Zaijuan Hester, 18, of Swissvale, pleaded guilty in the June shooting in North Braddock that prompted then-East Pittsburgh Police Officer Michael Rosfeld to pull over the unlicensed cab a short time later. Prosecutors said a man was wounded in the abdomen in the drive-by shooting. Rosfeld's trial for criminal homicide in the subsequent death of 17-year-old Antwon Rose II starts Tuesday in Pittsburgh. His defense lawyer has argued that Rosfeld was justified in shooting Rose in the back as he ran from the cab. The shooting by the police officer, who is white, of Rose, an unarmed black teenager, was captured on video by bystanders, and prompted protests in the Pittsburgh area. Investigators said the cab driver identified Hester from a photo array. They said Hester was the only person seen in surveillance video firing from the cab during the drive-by shooting. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said Hester told a judge Friday that he was the shooter and not Rose. The .40-caliber handgun Hester used, prosecutors said, had been stolen in 2016. Hester defense attorney Anne Marie Mancuso said he will not be a witness at Rosfeld's trial, the newspaper reported. Mancuso told the newspaper that Hester made a tough decision to plead guilty. Hester's sentencing was scheduled for June. MILAN (AP) - The Prada fashion group says its revenues grew by 6 percent last year as the company honed its social media strategy to draw in customers. Prada on Friday reported 2018 revenues of 3.1 billion euros ($3.5 billion), compared with 3 billion euros the previous year. Underlining the success of Miuccia Prada's latest collections, ready-to-wear sales grew by 10 percent, while a new sneaker offering gave footwear a more modest boost. Revenues grew across all geographies, led by Asia Pacific, and across brands, with Prada's 10-percent increase outpacing little-sister brand Miu Miu. CEO Patrizio Bertelli said digital communication had made consumers "ever more aware of their purchasing choices" and would take on "an even more crucial importance." BROWNVILLE, Neb. (AP) - A nuclear power plant along the swollen Missouri River in southeast Nebraska will likely be shut down early Saturday as the river continues to rise following heavy rain earlier this week, a plant spokesman said Friday. The Cooper Nuclear Station uses water from the river to generate power, but workers will shut it down if the river reaches a gauge level of 45.5 feet (13.9 meters) in nearby Brownville. That river level means water is nearing the top of the levee that protects the plant. The National Weather Service predicts the river will reach that level around 1 a.m. Saturday. If that happens, the fuel rods will be pulled so no heat is generated to make steam that drives the turbines, halting power generation at the plant, according to Nebraska Public Power District spokesman Mark Becker. Becker said such flood levels don't pose a danger because the plant maintains federally approved procedures and design features to keep radioactive fuel cool, including two main lines of outside power, on-site generators and a battery system that can power pumps. The district also has been adding sandbags atop its protective river levee in Nebraska, and Becker noted that a different levee on the Missouri side of the river is lower, meaning any overflow or breach would spill into flood plains there and reduce pressure on the Nebraska side. So even if the Nebraska levee were topped or breached by the river, the water would flow into about 3 miles (5 kilometers) of flood plain south of Brownville, Becker said. The plant is south of Brownville, which is about 59 miles (95.5 kilometers) south of Omaha. Becker said he knows of no instance in which floodwater has entered the plant, and he said the plant has never been shut down because of flooding. He noted that during major flooding along the river in 2011, the plant remained "high and dry." Water surrounded a different Nebraska nuclear plant, Fort Calhoun, during the 2011 floods, but the plant had been previously shut down for maintenance and floodwaters never entered the generating plant. The river's rapid rise this week has been fueled by snowmelt and storm runoff from a late-winter weather system that brought powerful winds and heavy rainfall to eastern Nebraska and other Midwestern states. Howling winds and heavy snow struck the western and central parts of the state. CINCINNATI (AP) - The Bengals signed guard John Miller to a three-year deal Friday, their first free-agent move to bolster the offensive line. Miller spent the last four seasons with Buffalo, which made him a third-round pick in 2015 out of Louisville. He started 47 games for the Bills. Miller's signing gives the Bengals two linemen acquired from the Bills. They traded with the Bills for left tackle Cordy Glenn last year. The offensive line is one of Cincinnati's biggest areas for improvement in the offseason. They gave right tackle Bobby Hart a three-year deal to stay in Cincinnati earlier in the week. ___ More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Hundreds of Palestinians have gathered in Gaza for a second day to protest against tax hikes by Hamas authorities that have made life even harder in the blockaded territory. In the central town of Deir al-Balah, demonstrators burned tires and blocked roads on Friday. Witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, say Hamas forces beat and arrested dozens, including local journalists and activists. There was no immediate comment from Hamas. Hamas violently dispersed larger protests held Thursday in several parts of Gaza. An Israeli and Egyptian blockade imposed after Hamas seized power in 2007, along with three wars with Israel, has devastated the local economy. Mismanagement, corruption and tax hikes by Hamas authorities have added to the widespread misery. CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) - A U.S. immigration court granted bond Friday to two brothers from Ecuador wanted in the South American country on charges that they stole millions of dollars from a now-defunct bank. William and Roberto Isaias had been detained pending deportation since Feb. 13, after their arrests in Miami by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Their attorney, Michael Tein, said they would be released later Friday. It was not clear what had prompted their arrests. The U.S. government has rejected multiple requests by Ecuador's government since 2001 to extradite the brothers. ICE spokesman Nestor Yglesias said in an email that the agency could not comment on the case and referred questions to the Executive Office for Immigration Review. That office's spokeswoman, Kathryn Mattingly, declined comment in an email. In a 2013 diplomatic note denying extradition, the State Department said Ecuador had not provided evidence that the brothers had embezzled funds from Filanbanco. The Human Rights Commission of the United Nations determined in 2016 that Ecuador had violated the brothers' right to due process, and it ordered the South American country to make reparations to them. Filanbanco had been the largest in Ecuador, and its failure in the late 1990s contributed to an economic collapse. The brothers were charged with embezzlement but they fled the country before they could be arrested. Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security argued in Miami federal court last week that the brothers were subject to mandatory detention because they had been found guilty in absentia in an Ecuadoran court and sentenced to eight years in prison in 2012, according to court transcripts. U.S. Judge Kathleen Williams ruled the brothers had been detained unlawfully and ordered that they be granted a bond hearing in immigration court, according to the transcripts. The brothers deny the embezzlement allegations, blaming the bank's failure on mismanagement after the Ecuadoran government took it over in 1998, and they have been fighting for the return of businesses and assets seized in 2008 under then-President Rafael Correa. Tein called the 2012 case a "sham conviction." "They got picked up like common criminals under an administrative process," the brothers' spokesman, Freddy Balsera, told The Associated Press. "It has nothing to do with the extradition." Roberto Isaias, 74, and William, 75, each have heart conditions, and they could face threats to their lives if they were returned to Ecuador, he said. The extradition requests had been denied under both Republican and Democratic administrations. Balsera said he did not believe the arrests had anything to do with donations the brothers made to U.S. political campaigns, which the Ecuadoran government claimed influenced the decision to deny extradition. But their arrests were inconsistent with both the U.S. government's previous treatment of their case as well as its policies regarding South America, he said. "An illegal application of the statute draws into question if they were truly targeted," Balsera said. DENVER (AP) - A judge has dismissed an indecent exposure charge against a United Airlines pilot. Carolyn Tyler, a spokeswoman for the Denver district attorney, said Friday that prosecutors decided to drop the case against Andrew Collins because there wasn't a reasonable likelihood of conviction at trial. Collins was arrested in September after being accused of standing naked in front of his 10th-floor hotel window overlooking the Denver International Airport terminal. He pleaded not guilty. His attorney, Craig Silverman, said previously that it's not a crime to be naked in a hotel room in Denver and that Collins didn't know that people could see him when he partially opened the curtains. The Denver Post reports the incident led to a six-month suspension for the 22-year pilot from Leesburg, Virginia. ___ Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court says it will try to resolve all the legal issues about a citizenship question on the 2020 census. The justices on Friday are expanding their April 23 arguments to include whether asking about citizenship would violate the Constitution's call for a once-a-decade count of all people, not just citizens. The court already was considering whether Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross' decision to add a citizenship question is arbitrary and capricious under federal law. The court is hearing the Trump administration's appeal of a federal judge's ruling in New York that the decision violated federal law. Since then, a judge in California said a citizenship question also would violate the Constitution. A final answer about a citizenship question is needed soon to allow printing of the census questionnaire. NASHUA, N.H. (AP) - The top strategist for Sen. Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign is working for a likely Republican challenger to President Donald Trump. Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld told The Associated Press on Friday that Stuart Stevens is his general consultant as he explores a primary bid against Trump. Stevens joins former New Hampshire GOP chairwoman Jennifer Horn, who is working as an adviser to Weld's possible campaign. Weld formed a presidential exploratory committee in February. He said Friday that he'd make a final decision on challenging Trump in late April or early May. Weld was the Libertarian Party's 2016 nominee for vice president. He faces an uphill challenge in defeating Trump, who remains popular among Republicans. New Hampshire Republican leaders have criticized Weld's potential campaign. A Romney representative declined to comment. PARIS (AP) - The Latest on yellow vest protests in France (all times local): 5:20 p.m. France's prime minister has announced a ban on yellow vest protests on Paris' Champs-Elysees avenue and in two other French cities following riots on Saturday that left luxury stores ransacked and charred from arson fires. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said the ban would apply for an unspecified period in the neighborhoods that have been "the most impacted" in the cities of Paris, Bordeaux and Toulouse where repeated destruction has occurred since the yellow vest protest movement began in November. Philippe announced new security measures Monday following a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and top security officials aimed at avoiding a repeat of Saturday's violence, in which rioters set life-threatening fires, ransacked luxury stores and attacked police around the Champs-Elysees. He also said Paris police chief Michel Delpuech will be replaced this week by prefect Didier Lallement. French President Emmanuel Macron flanked by Elysee general secretary Alexis Kohler, left, holds a meeting at the Elysee presidential Palace, in Paris, Monday, March 18, 2019. Macron summoned top security officials Monday after police failed to contain resurgent rioting during yellow vest protests that transformed a luxurious Paris avenue into a battle scene. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP) ___ 8:40 p.m. French President Emmanuel Macron summoned top security officials Monday after police failed to contain resurgent rioting during yellow vest protests that transformed a luxurious Paris avenue into a battle scene. The prime minister promised to announce new measures later Monday to avoid a repeat of Saturday's violence, in which rioters set life-threatening fires, ransacked luxury stores and attacked police around the Champs-Elysees. The new surge in violence came as the 4-month-old yellow vest movement demanding economic justice has been dwindling. Images of the destruction - including from a bank fire that engulfed a residential building and threatened the lives of a mother and child - could further erode public support. High-end boutiques along the Champs-Elysees remained closed and boarded up Monday, some of them ransacked and charred from arson fires set by rioters. French President Emmanuel Macron, center, flanked by his cabinet director Patrick Strzoda, right, and Elysee general secretary Alexis Kohler holds a meeting with France's Premier Edouard Philippe, right back to camera, and Interior minister Christophe Castaner, left back to camera, at the Elysee presidential Palace in Paris, Monday, March 18, 2019. Macron summoned top security officials Monday after police failed to contain resurgent rioting during yellow vest protests that transformed a luxurious Paris avenue into a battle scene. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP) French President Emmanuel Macron, 3rd right, flanked by his cabinet director Patrick Strzoda, 2nd right, and Elysee general secretary Alexis Kohler holds a meeting with Prance's Premier Edouard Philippe, 3rd left, at the Elysee presidential Palace in Paris, Monday, March 18, 2019. Macron summoned top security officials Monday after police failed to contain resurgent rioting during yellow vest protests that transformed a luxurious Paris avenue into a battle scene. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP) Outside view of a store vandalized and set on fire the day after riots erupted on the Champs Elysees during the 18th straight weekend of demonstrations by the yellow vests in Paris, France, Sunday, March 17, 2019. Paris cleaned up one of the world's most glamorous avenues Saturday after resurgent rioting by yellow vest protesters angry at President Emmanuel Macron stunned the nation. (AP Photo/Rafael Yaghobzadeh) Bystanders walks past charred motorcycles on the Champs Elysees, the day after they were set on fire during the 18th straight weekend of demonstrations by the yellow vests, in Paris, France, Sunday, March 17, 2019. Paris cleaned up one of the world's most glamorous avenues Saturday after resurgent rioting by yellow vest protesters angry at President Emmanuel Macron stunned the nation. (AP Photo/Rafael Yaghobzadeh) A worker repairs the shop windows of a clothing store on the Champs Elysees the day after it was vandalized during the 18th straight weekend of demonstrations by the yellow vests, in Paris, France, Sunday, March 17, 2019. Paris cleaned up one of the world's most glamorous avenues Saturday after resurgent rioting by yellow vest protesters angry at President Emmanuel Macron stunned the nation. (AP Photo/Rafael Yaghobzadeh) Inside view of the burned out remains of terrasse of the famed restaurant Le Fouquet's on the Champs Elysees the day after it was vandalized and set on fire during the 18th straight weekend of demonstrations by the yellow vests, in Paris, France, Sunday, March 17, 2019. Paris cleaned up one of the world's most glamorous avenues Saturday after resurgent rioting by yellow vest protesters angry at President Emmanuel Macron stunned the nation. (AP Photo/Rafael Yaghobzadeh) Inside view of the burned out remains of terrasse of the famed restaurant Le Fouquet's on the Champs Elysees the day after it was vandalized and set on fire during the 18th straight weekend of demonstrations by the yellow vests, in Paris, France, Sunday, March 17, 2019. Paris cleaned up one of the world's most glamorous avenues Saturday after resurgent rioting by yellow vest protesters angry at President Emmanuel Macron stunned the nation. (AP Photo/Rafael Yaghobzadeh) Bystanders take snapshots of the burned out terrasse of the famed restaurant Le Fouquet's on the Champs Elysees the day after it was vandalized and set on fire during the 18th straight weekend of demonstrations by the yellow vests, in Paris, France, Sunday, March 17, 2019. Paris cleaned up one of the world's most glamorous avenues Saturday after resurgent rioting by yellow vest protesters angry at President Emmanuel Macron stunned the nation. (AP Photo/Rafael Yaghobzadeh) WASHINGTON (AP) - Special counsel Robert Mueller has wrapped up his investigation, but whether the public will get answers to consequential questions about President Donald Trump and Russia remains to be seen. Attorney General William Barr is combing through Mueller's report and will release at least some of his findings publicly. A look at what is still unknown: DID THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN COLLUDE WITH RUSSIA DURING THE 2016 ELECTION? Mueller's team has assembled perhaps the most detailed account of Russia's election interference and the actions of Trump campaign officials and associates in 2016, interviewing scores of witnesses and amassing millions of documents and other pieces of evidence. Even before Mueller finished his report, court filings show he concluded that Russia launched a large-scale, multi-part influence operation that sought to help Trump's campaign and hurt Hillary Clinton's. Filings have also shown the Trump campaign sought to politically benefit from Russia's efforts. The White House is seen through a security fence, before sunrise, in Washington, Saturday, March 23, 2019. Special counsel Robert Mueller closed his long and contentious Russia investigation with no new charges, ending the probe that has cast a dark shadow over Donald Trump's presidency. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) But the special counsel's probe ended Friday with no Americans being charged with crimes related to the Kremlin's attempts to sway the election. A Justice Department official also confirmed that Mueller is done bringing indictments. What remains to be seen is what Mueller uncovered that may have fallen short of a crime and whether Barr will publicly address the collusion question head on. DID TRUMP OBSTRUCT JUSTICE? The special counsel has scrutinized several episodes, several of which involve the president and former FBI Director James Comey. Prosecutors have interviewed White House officials about Trump's May 2017 firing of Comey and his explanation in a television interview that he was thinking of "this Russia thing" at the time. According to Comey, Trump also encouraged him to drop an investigation into his former national security adviser Michael Flynn; harangued his hand-picked attorney general over his decision to step aside from the Russia investigation and tried to get him to reverse his recusal decision; and publicly attacked at least one cooperating witness, his former attorney Michael Cohen, as a "rat," raising questions about whether he was attempting to intimidate associates to prevent them from testifying against him. Also of interest to Mueller: The president dictated a misleading statement for the news media about a Trump Tower meeting at which his oldest son expected to receive damaging information about Clinton. The statement said the meeting was about adoptions but omitted the real reason why Donald Trump Jr. took the meeting in the first place. Mueller has adhered to Justice Department legal opinions saying a sitting president cannot be indicted. But Mueller could have laid out his findings on the question of obstruction in his report, given that it was one of the original parts of his appointment order. Whether the public will ever know is up to Barr. WHAT ABOUT THE JUNE 2016 TRUMP TOWER MEETING? It appears Mueller found no prosecutable crimes related to it. The Russia probe concluded Friday without anyone involved in the gathering being charged because of it. That includes Trump Jr. and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner. The June 9, 2016, meeting with a Russian attorney, Natalia Veselnitskaya, has been a source of endless public intrigue and a longstanding subject of the investigation. Trump Jr., who invited Kushner and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort to the meeting, was promised dirt on Clinton as part of an ongoing Russian government effort to help his father. Trump Jr. responded enthusiastically to the overture, but after the meeting was disclosed, asserted that he had received nothing of note from Veselnitskaya and dismissed it as a veritable waste of time. Prosecutors took grand jury testimony from multiple participants at the meeting, including a British music promoter who helped arrange it. But they never directly referenced it in court filings. It's unclear whether Mueller will lay out what he learned about the meeting and how it factored into his larger probe. Veselnitskaya faces unrelated charges in New York. WHY HAVE SO MANY TRUMP ASSOCIATES LIED ABOUT RUSSIA? George Papadopoulos. Michael Flynn. Paul Manafort. Roger Stone. Michael Cohen. According to Mueller, all of these men lied in one way or another about something to do with Russia and Trump. Papadopoulos lied about contacts he had with a Maltese professor who told him the Russians had dirt on Clinton in the form of emails. Flynn lied about his conversations during the presidential transition with Russia's ambassador. Manafort lied about his interactions during the campaign with an associate the FBI says has ties to Russian intelligence. Stone is accused in an indictment of lying to Congress about his efforts to alert the Trump campaign to WikiLeaks' plans to release damaging information on Clinton during the election. (Stone has pleaded not guilty.) Cohen told Congress a false story about a business deal Trump was pursuing in Russia during the election. He says he lied out of loyalty to Trump and to be consistent with the president's public denials about Russia. For the rest, the motivation remains a mystery. DID MUELLER ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS IN HIS REPORT? He could have but it's not required. Justice Department regulations say only that Mueller must explain his "prosecution and declination decisions" in his report to Barr. A Justice Department official said Friday that the special counsel's report was "comprehensive" and Barr's letter to Congress is expected to summarize its "principle conclusions." ___ JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Indonesia's long-awaited first subway opened Sunday in the country's capital with the aim of relieving crippling traffic gridlock in Southeast Asia's biggest economy. Minutes after inaugurating the 16-kilometer (10-mile) transit line running south from Jakarta's downtown, President Joko Widodo presided over a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of the second phase: an 8-kilometer (5-mile) northward line planned for completion by 2024. The two projects are being built at a cost of $2.6 billion. "Today we will begin a new civilization by operating the first phase of mass rapid transit in Jakarta," Widodo told several thousand guests and residents at the inauguration. The line that opened Sunday includes seven elevated and six underground stations built by two consortiums of local and Japanese companies. Passengers can ride for free until the end of the month, after which operator PT MRT Jakarta has said tickets will cost the equivalent of between 70 cents and $1. Widodo, who is campaigning for re-election, told the crowd that he has instructed Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan to begin the next phase of construction of an east-west line covering a distance of 87 kilometers this year. Jakarta's first subway line, the latest of many infrastructure improvements across the world's fourth most populous nation, is aimed at helping it catch up with other Southeast Asian capitals such as Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bangkok in public transport. Jakarta is officially home to about 10 million people, but the population of the greater metropolitan area swells to 30 million. Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, center, stands on a stage with the background of a Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit train during the inauguration ceremony of the subway line in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The 16-kilometer (10-mile) line system running south from Jakarta's downtown is the first phase of a development that if fully realized will plant a cross-shaped network of stations on the teeming city of 30 million people. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, Pool) The project, funded through a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, has been planned since the 1980s, but its construction was hampered by political crises, red tape and funding disagreements. Widodo was the Jakarta governor when construction finally kicked off in October 2013. JICA has predicted that without a major investment in transportation, Jakarta would be overwhelmed by traffic jams by 2020. Annual losses from congestion are forecast to reach $6.5 billion by next year. Congestion has relentlessly worsened in the past decade as car ownership rose, squeezing more and more vehicles onto Jakarta's unchanging road network. The average peak hour speed has "significantly decreased" to 10 kilometers an hour (6.2 miles per hour), according to the transport ministry. It often can take two or more hours to move 5 kilometers (3 miles) in some pockets of the city. The line opened Sunday runs from the southern neighborhood of Lebak Bulus to Jakarta's downtown and is expected to take less than 30 minutes. In addition to the subway project, a $2.4 billion elevated rail network linking Jakarta and its satellite cities is also taking shape, with the first stage expected to begin operating in April. But it likely will take several years for new transit systems to make a dent in the congestion. About 1.4 million people commute into central Jakarta on work days. The initial subway line aims to carry only about 130,000 people a day by the end of this year. Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, right, shakes hands with Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan with the background of a Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit train during the inauguration ceremony of the subway line system in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The 16-kilometer (10-mile) system running south from Jakarta's downtown is the first phase of a development that if fully realized will plant a cross-shaped network of stations on the teeming city of 30 million people. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, Pool) Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, right, stands on a stage with Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan with the background of a Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit train during the inauguration ceremony of the subway line system in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The 16-kilometer (10-mile) system running south from Jakarta's downtown is the first phase of a development that if fully realized will plant a cross-shaped network of stations on the teeming city of 30 million people. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, Pool) Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, second left, have a selfie taken by Indonesian actor Reza Rahadian, left, as they ride on a Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit train during the inauguration ceremony of the subway line in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The 16-kilometer (10-mile) line system running south from Jakarta's downtown is the first phase of a development that if fully realized will plant a cross-shaped network of stations on the teeming city of 30 million people. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, Pool) Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, center, inspects a model of Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit network during the inauguration ceremony of the subway line in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The 16-kilometer (10-mile) line system running south from Jakarta's downtown is the first phase of a development that if fully realized will plant a cross-shaped network of stations on the teeming city of 30 million people. (Mast Irham/Pool Photo via AP) Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, center right, walks with Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, third left, and Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, left, in a Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit tunnel during the inauguration ceremony of the subway line in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The 16-kilometer (10-mile) line system running south from Jakarta's downtown is the first phase of a development that if fully realized will plant a cross-shaped network of stations on the teeming city of 30 million people. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, Pool) BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - When Lorena Delgado approached the Venezuelan consulate in Colombia's capital on a recent afternoon hoping to extend the life of her expiring passport, she found the metal gates to the languishing building shuttered. Days earlier, Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro had severed ties with the neighboring Andean nation where over a million of his compatriots have fled in recent years, recalling all his diplomats and leaving the consulate and embassy buildings closed. The man challenging Maduro's claim to the presidency had appointed a new ambassador, but he was at a loss about how to help her. Despite Colombia recognizing Juan Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate president, the ambassador he sent does not have access to the consulate or the ability to issue passport extensions. "You feel trapped," said Delgado, 32, who needs to travel abroad to apply for a work visa. "We're in limbo." As Venezuela's power struggle stretches on, a parallel dispute for control of embassy buildings in the countries recognizing Guaido as Venezuela's true president has taken root. While new opposition-appointed diplomats are being recognized around the world, the United States is the only nation where they control a consulate building. In no country do Guaido's envoys have the ability to carry out basic tasks like issuing a passport, as Venezuela's civil registration agency remains under the control of Maduro. The diplomatic duel has left the estimated 3.4 million Venezuelans who now live abroad stuck between two administrations. In most countries holdover consular employees continue to carry out tasks like registering births abroad while new, Guaido-appointed ambassadors remain outside embassy walls, symbols of their movement's lagging advance. In this March 19, 2019 photo, Venezuelan citizens stand outside their consulate after finding it closed in Bogota, Colombia. Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has severed ties with the neighboring Andean nation where over a million of his compatriots have fled in recent years, recalling all his diplomats and leaving the consulate and embassy buildings closed. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) "At this moment, we don't have a solution from either side," said Paola Soto, 25, who is trying to reunite with her 5-year-old son in Chile. The battle for diplomatic recognition is largely taking place behind closed doors, but it has occasionally spilled out into public. In February, the Guaido-appointed ambassador to Costa Rica, Maria Faria, announced she had taken control of the embassy in San Jose, proudly posting on Twitter a photograph of herself standing in front of a Venezuelan flag inside the building. A shouting match erupted outside when the Maduro-appointed diplomats tried to get in. Costa Rica's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, despite recognizing Faria as Venezuela's ambassador, issued a statement deploring her actions, saying she'd broken an established protocol allowing Maduro appointees 60 days to leave. In March, a similarly confusing incident took place in Lima, Peru when workers were spotted at night removing chairs and even a stately bust of South American independence hero Simon Bolivar from the Venezuelan embassy. The furniture was put back inside after anti-government protesters decried them. "You've robbed enough in Venezuela!" one angry woman shouted. More recently, on Monday, Guaido's U.S. ambassador announced he was taking control of the New York consulate and two military-owned buildings in Washington where images of Maduro have now been replaced with portraits of Guaido. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza accused the United States of violating articles of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations that require host countries to protect foreign embassy buildings even when ties are severed. He warned that if the U.S. doesn't fulfill its international obligations, the Venezuelan government could pursue legal action and retaliate with reciprocal action - a not so veiled threat that they might occupy the recently vacated U.S. Embassy in Caracas. The U.S. withdrew all embassy personnel from Caracas due to safety concerns after Maduro severed ties with the U.S. over its support for Guaido. Gustavo Marcano, an exiled Venezuelan mayor who now works for the Guaido-backed Venezuelan embassy in the U.S., said the building acquisition is one of several attempts to ensure Venezuela's assets abroad are protected. The U.S. is also working to transfer other prized belongings, like Houston-based CITGO, a subsidiary of Venezuela's state oil company, to Guaido. "This is the first step toward ending usurpation," he said from inside the Manhattan consulate, where photos of the late socialist leader Hugo Chavez still hung on the walls. He added that while they cannot issue documents like passports, the Guaido-led consulate does plan to look for other remedies to help the increasingly large number of Venezuelans who possess no valid form of identification. One idea being floated is the creation of a consular-issued identification card that would be recognized by the host nation. In other countries, the Guaido-named ambassadors are taking a gentler approach, choosing to slowly work toward eventually taking control of consulates in conjunction with the host nation's foreign relations ministry - or avoiding the topic altogether. Humberto Calderon, the appointed ambassador to Colombia, said he's focused more on tending to Venezuelan migrants, viewing occupying the buildings as a potential agitator that could harm Colombians living in Venezuela. "It's our decision," he said. "We haven't wanted to do it." Calderon once served as Venezuela's energy minister and is working from a hotel. He said that when Maduro severed diplomatic relations with Colombia, nearly all the consular staff left, boarding a government-sent plane and flying home. He's had no access to anything they left behind in the buildings. In other countries, some Maduro employees have stayed on, gingerly sidestepping the higher-voltage political fight. In Peru, five Maduro-appointed envoys will remain in place to carry out consular functions, according to a high-ranking Venezuelan official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the situation. He said that after talks with Peru's foreign ministry, an agreement was reached allowing them to remain in the country and continue working in the embassy, even though the nation recognizes Guaido's ambassador. "The objective is to maintain consular relations," he said. "Not diplomatic ones." That's a scenario that's likely to play out in most countries: Even as more than 50 heads of state declare their allegiance to Guaido, necessity will inevitably compel them to maintain a range of ties to the Maduro government. "Ultimately it's not in any country's real interest to maintain an embassy that's run by staff that have no ability to advance commercial or consular interests," said Geoff Ramsey, a Venezuela researcher at the Washington Office on Latin America. He pointed to the case of the Netherlands, which despite backing Guaido, has pledged to keep the Maduro consular staff intact in the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao, which stands about 40 miles from Venezuela's coast. The Netherlands has joint ventures with Venezuela's giant state-run oil company at stake. "It's very much a dual diplomacy situation for many of these countries," Ramsey said. Soto said she doesn't know how to explain the standoff to her son, who left by plane from Venezuela with his father over a year ago. Ever since she's been trying to meet up with him in Chile but has gotten stuck in Colombia. "There's no solution," she said. "Not here, not in Venezuela, nowhere." _ Associated Press writer Claudia Torrens contributed to this report. _ Follow Christine Armario on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cearmario FILE - In this Feb. 20, 2019 file photo, Maria Faria, who was named Venezuela's new ambassador to Costa Rica by self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido, leaves the Foreign Ministry in San Jose, Costa Rica. Faria announced she had taken control of the embassy in San Jose, proudly posting on Twitter a photograph of herself standing in front of a Venezuelan flag inside the building. Costa Rica's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, despite recognizing Faria as Venezuela's ambassador, issued a statement deploring her actions, saying she'd broken an established protocol allowing Maduro appointees 60 days to leave. (AP Photo/Carlos Gonzalez, File) FILE - In this Feb. 26, 2019 file photo, Venezuela Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza shows pictures he said represent opposition members initiating violence, during a meeting on Venezuela in the U.N. Security Council at U.N. headquarters. Arreaza has accused the United States of violating articles of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations that require host countries to protect foreign embassy buildings even when ties are severed. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File) In March 10, 2019 photo, Carlos Scull, Venezuelan ambassador to Peru appointed by by opposition leader Juan Guaido, talks with compatriots during an aid campaign, in Lima, Peru. In no country do Guaido's envoys have the ability to carry out basic tasks like issuing a passport, as Venezuela's civil registration agency remains under the control of Nicolas Maduro. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) FILE - In this Feb. 21, 2019 file photo, Venezuelan diplomats designated by opposition leader Juan Guaido including Gustavo Marcano, second left, confer while supporters of President Nicolas Maduro interrupt a press conference in Washington. Marcano, an exiled Venezuelan mayor, now works for the Guaido-backed Venezuelan embassy in the U.S. (AP Photo/Luis Alonso Lugo, File) In this March 21, 2019 photo, opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has declared himself interim president of the country, attends an event at a school where he delivered humanitarian aid, in Caracas, Venezuela. Despite the fact that Colombia recognizes Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate president, the ambassador he sent to Bogota does not have access to the consulate or the ability to issue passport extensions. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) In this March 19, 2019 photo, Venezuelan citizens sit parked on their bikes outside their consulate after learning it was closed, in Bogota, Colombia. Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has severed ties with the neighboring Andean nation where over a million of his compatriots have fled in recent years, recalling all his diplomats and leaving the consulate and embassy buildings closed. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) Riviera Nayarit Blooming with Spring Festivals & Events Riviera Nayarit, Mexico - Riviera Nayarit invites North American travelers to experience spring on Mexico's Pacific coast, with a vibrant array of seasonal events made for a wide range of travel tastes and palates. Travelers are welcome to join festivities that showcase the destination's unique culture, participate in any of the region's world-class sporting competitions and indulge in exquisite Mexican gastronomy. Riviera Nayarit's spring lineup includes: 2nd Riviera Nayarit Rock Festival: April 19 Rock enthusiasts should head to Explanada Mezcales for twelve hours of uninterrupted beats dropped by Spanish rock sensations Maldita Vecindad, Inspector, Genitallica, among nine other national bands. Over 15,000 attendees from around Mexico and the world are expected to join the musical celebration, in addition to several local food and souvenir stands that will be present at the festival. Tickets are set at USD$25 per person. Cuisine of the Sun: April 2326 For the third consecutive year, Food Network celebrity chef and USFOODS culinary specialist, Penny Davidi will bring together some of the biggest names in the food and wine industry for an event filled with talent, recipes and flair for gourmet cuisine. Taking place at the AAA Four-Diamond Villa La Estancia Flamingos, the four-day event will feature elegant dinners, beachside BBQs, poolside tastings, cooking classes, contests and much more. Confirmed names include celebrity chef and revered cocktail mixologist Nick Liberato, star of Top Chef Boston and Top Chef Mexico Katsuji Tanabe and the region's gastronomy ambassador, Betty Vasquez. 2019 Jaguar Polo Cup: April 2528 A perfect farewell to polo season in Riviera Nayarit, the Jaguar Polo Cup will unite polo fanatics from around the globe at La Patrona Polo & Equestrian Club in San Pancho. In addition to the tournament, the four-day event will feature a movie night, culinary tastings, live music and polo clinics and classes for novices looking to play the "sport of kings." RHA Festival: April 26-27 Techno music aficionados will dance to the beat of some of the best global house legends including Guy Gerber, Viceroy, Bones, Jonas Rathsman, Tom & Collins, and more. Meaning water flowing in Wixarika, the language of the region's indigenous people, RHA embraces the native Huichol culture in a paradisiacal beach setting, providing amazing views and picture-perfect moments throughout the duration of the festival. General admission tickets begin at USD$95 per person. Riviera Nayarit Wind Festival: May 17 - 19 Celebrated in the family-friendly resort town of Nuevo Vallarta, participants from all over will gather for a weekend filled with water activities in what is known as one of the destination's marquee festivals. From downwind to freestyle and regatta slalom, the event promotes the sport of windsurfing, taking advantage of Riviera Nayarit's idyllic beaches which provide the perfect setting for this exciting event. Ticket prices vary based on category and date of purchase. Riviera Nayarit offers easy connections to most major U.S. and Canadian cities through Puerto Vallarta's International Airport, making it the ideal destination for unforgettable spring getaways full of beautiful views and fun-filled events. For more information and for a complete lineup of events, visit RivieraNayarit.com. BEIRUT (AP) - U.S.-backed Syrian fighters cleared explosives in the last area retaken from the Islamic State group on Sunday and arrested a number of militants hiding in tunnels, a day after declaring military victory and the end of the extremists' self-styled caliphate. The U.S.-led coalition said the clearing operations will continue until the area is secure. A spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, who goes by the nom de guerre Mervan The Brave, said Baghouz village where the militants made their final stand is "full of all kinds of explosives." He said SDF forces have detonated land mines and suicide belts left behind by the militants. The Kurdish Hawar News Agency reported that during the combing SDF forces arrested a number of militants found hiding in combat tunnels. Mervan The Brave confirmed the reports but had no further details. Other activist groups monitoring the area reported limited clashes between remaining militants and SDF fighters. In a series of tweets, the U.S.-led coalition said the SDF continued "back-clearance operations" to rid Baghouz of any militants or weapon caches. A column of smoke from operations by backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) head out on an operation in Baghouz, the Islamic State group's last pocket of territory in Syria, Wednesday, March 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) "The Syrian Democratic Forces will continue to deny Daesh a physical space and influence in the area and work to deny them the resources they need to return," it said using the Arabic acronym for IS. "This back-clearance operation will be deliberate and thorough and help ensure the long-term security for the area." A day earlier, a Syrian driver working with NBC News reporters was killed by an explosive device that went off in a house used by the SDF as a command post and a media center for journalists covering the fighting in Baghouz. Noah Oppenheim, the president of NBC News, said in a statement that network employees escaped unharmed and that the reason for the explosion was being investigated. He expressed "deepest sympathies" to the driver's family and said the network is in touch with them to "support them however we can." The victory announced in Baghouz on Saturday marks the end of a devastating five-year campaign by an array of forces to retake territories held by IS in Syria and Iraq. At its height, IS controlled a sprawling self-declared caliphate between the two countries that was home to some 8 million people. The campaign against the group came at a staggering cost, with entire neighborhoods and towns destroyed in both countries. Thousands of civilians are believed to have been killed by IS during its brutal reign as well as the air and ground operations by the coalition and allied troops. Watchdog groups continue to document the casualties. Meanwhile, the SDF said 11,000 of its fighters were killed in the fight against IS. The militants were holding hostages and had detained civilians, the fate of many also remains unknown. Despite the territorial defeat, the militants have reverted to insurgent tactics and continue to carry out attacks in areas liberated months or even years ago. An unknown number of fighters and supporters slipped into Syrian and Iraqi towns and villages, forming the backbone of the new insurgency. The fate of the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, remains unknown. There is a $25 million bounty on his head. In recent weeks, thousands of people, including IS fighters and their family members, left Baghouz and were taken to detention centers and crowded camps for the displaced elsewhere in eastern Syria. "This is an historic moment, but we cannot be complacent," tweeted Maj. Gen. Christopher Ghika, the deputy commander of the U.S.-led coalition against IS. "Even without territory, Daesh will continue to pose a threat to the people of Iraq and Syria, as well as to the wider world. The coalition must remain firm in its determination to counter Daesh," he said. Separately, Syrian state media reported that nearly two dozen people have suffered from asphyxiation after shells were lobbed from rebel-held areas into government-administered villages in the country's west. The state news agency quoted director of a local hospital in Hama province as saying that 21 people were hospitalized after inhaling gases in the attack on al-Rasif and al-Aziziyeh villages. The pro-state Al-Ikhbariya TV interviewed survivors at the hospital who said a foul smell followed the launching of mortars into their villages. The months-old truce, sponsored by Russia and Turkey, in Syria's west has been tested, as fighting between government forces and al-Qaida-linked militants resumed. The government wants to regain control of a key highway that flanks the opposition-held area. Al-Qaida-linked militants have expanded their dominance in northwestern Syria, rooting out other armed opposition groups and undermining the truce. U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters fly their flag from a rooftop overlooking Baghouz, Syria, after the SDF declared the area free of Islamic State militants after months of fighting on Saturday, March 23, 2019. The elimination of the last Islamic State stronghold in Baghouz brings to a close a grueling final battle that stretched across several weeks and saw thousands of people flee the territory and surrender in desperation, and hundreds killed. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) An Islamic State militant flag, foreground ,lies in a tent encampment after U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters took control of Baghouz, Syriaon Saturday, March 23, 2019. The elimination of the last Islamic State stronghold in Baghouz brings to a close a grueling final battle that stretched across several weeks and saw thousands of people flee the territory and surrender in desperation, and hundreds killed. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) ISTANBUL (AP) - Millions of Kurdish votes will be crucial in determining the fate of Turkey's March 31 local elections, as a pro-Kurdish party has made the strategic decision to send votes to an opposition rival to challenge the ruling party in key races in Istanbul and Ankara. The Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, is running in municipal races amid a polarized political landscape and a heavy government crackdown on its members for alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militants. Party mayors and lawmakers, including former chairman Selahattin Demirtas, have been jailed. The HDP - the second biggest opposition group in Turkey's parliament - draws most of its support from Kurds living in the southeast and in large Turkish cities, as well as other groups for its emphasis on minority rights. Kurds make up about a fifth of Turkey's 80 million people. The HDP is leading a "Kurdish election alliance" with seven smaller political groups to run in the municipal elections. It has fielded candidates for the March 31 vote in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast but is sitting out critical races in Turkey's major cities, including Istanbul and Ankara, the capital. The strategy aims to deliver HDP votes to Turkey's main secular opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), and its alliance with a small nationalist party so the opposition can better challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP. Opinion polls suggest Ankara could be won by opposition candidate Mansur Yavas, after being held by AKP and its Islam-oriented predecessor for a quarter of a century. Supporters of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, gather to celebrate the Kurdish New Year and to attend a campaign rally for local elections that will test the Turkish president's popularity, in Istanbul, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The HDP held the event amid the municipal office races that have become polarizing and a government crackdown on its members for alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militants. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) The race for mayor of Istanbul - Turkey's largest city - may also be tight between former Prime Minister Binali Yildirim from Erdogan's party and opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu. Pervin Buldan, co-leader of the Kurdish party, told supporters in Istanbul on Sunday that the HDP had become a key party in Turkey. "We are a party that will determine the fate of the elections in Istanbul," she said. The Kurdish HDP party got nearly six million votes in last year's general election and Demirtas has twice run against Erdogan for president - the last time from prison. Tens of thousands of Kurdish supporters attended Sunday's rally, waving flags and chanting slogans for Demirtas and the imprisoned leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. Ridvan Tekin, a 35-year-old HDP member, said he'll vote for the secular rival party. "It's not because I love the CHP, but because this regime (of Erdogan's) needs to change now," he said. The campaign for municipal seats has been lopsided in favor of Erdogan's party, with the president's daily rallies broadcast live on Turkish television. In every speech, Erdogan has called the elections a fight for "national survival" and branded Kurdish HDP politicians as terrorists and traitors. HDP's campaign has found no place in mainstream media and the party accuses Erdogan of hostile rhetoric to shore up nationalist sentiments. In the southeast, the HDP aims to win back control of municipalities that were seized by the government during a state of emergency declared after the 2016 failed coup. Government-appointed trustees replaced elected officials in nearly a 100 municipalities, including in Diyarbakir, the symbolic capital of Kurds in southeastern Turkey. "My vote is for the HDP because HDP is honor, peace, fraternity. Long live HDP, long live freedom," said Diyarbakir voter Mehmet Birgul, 30. In October, Erdogan threatened not to accept such an outcome in the southeast. "If people involved with terror are chosen in the ballot boxes in these elections, we'll immediately do what's necessary and continue on our path by appointing trustees," he said. The government accuses HDP politicians of links to PKK, and Erdogan regularly brands them terrorists and traitors. The HDP does not deny such links but says it only advocates for Kurdish rights and democracy through legal, political means. The PKK, considered a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies, has waged an insurgency since 1984 and the conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives. A fragile cease-fire held for more than two years as the Turkish government, HDP politicians and the PKK's jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, negotiated a peace process. But the resumption of hostilities in the summer of 2015 brought clashes to southeastern cities where round-the-clock curfews were declared. Since then, at least 4,280 people have been killed, including civilians, according to the International Crisis Group. A string of bomb attacks claimed by the PKK and its offshoots hit Turkish cities in 2016 and 2017 and the country's jets regularly strike PKK camps in the mountains of northern Iraq. According to the Kurdish party, 10 lawmakers, 40 mayors and nearly 5,000 activists remain jailed. It says thousands in prisons are on a hunger strike to demand an end to Ocalan's isolation on a prison island in western Turkey. The rally in Istanbul also marked Newroz, or the Kurdish New Year, where fires symbolizing purification and the arrival of spring burned, following days of celebrations in southeastern Turkey. People jumped over the fires and danced in celebration, despite a heavy police presence. "Today is Newroz, which for us means peace, freedom, the fellowship of people. We accept everything and that's why we choose the HDP," first-time voter Ozlem Kaya said. ___ Mehmet Guzel contributed. Thousands of supporters of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, gather to celebrate the Kurdish New Year and to attend a campaign rally for local elections that will test the Turkish president's popularity, in Istanbul, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The HDP held the event amid the municipal office races that have become polarizing and a government crackdown on its members for alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militants. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the supporters of his ruling Justice and Development Party, AKP, during a rally in Ankara, Turkey, Saturday, March 23, 2019, ahead of local elections scheduled for March 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sings a political song before his address to the supporters of his ruling Justice and Development Party, AKP, during a rally in Ankara, Turkey, Saturday, March 23, 2019, ahead of local elections scheduled for March 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) A man jumps over a fire as thousands of supporters of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, gather to celebrate the Kurdish New Year and to attend a campaign rally for local elections that will test the Turkish president's popularity, in Istanbul, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The HDP held the event amid the municipal office races that have become polarizing and a government crackdown on its members for alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militants. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Women dance as thousands of supporters of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, gather to celebrate the Kurdish New Year and to attend a campaign rally for local elections that will test the Turkish president's popularity, in Istanbul, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The HDP held the event amid the municipal office races that have become polarizing and a government crackdown on its members for alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militants. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Thousands of supporters of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, gather to celebrate the Kurdish New Year and to attend a campaign rally for local elections that will test the Turkish president's popularity, in Istanbul, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The HDP held the event amid the municipal office races that have become polarizing and a government crackdown on its members for alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militants. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Thousands of supporters of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, gather to celebrate the Kurdish New Year and to attend a campaign rally for local elections that will test the Turkish president's popularity, in Istanbul, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The HDP held the event amid the municipal office races that have become polarizing and a government crackdown on its members for alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militants. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Two men join thousands of supporters of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, gather to celebrate the Kurdish New Year and to attend a campaign rally for local elections that will test the Turkish president's popularity, in Istanbul, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The HDP held the event amid the municipal office races that have become polarizing and a government crackdown on its members for alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militants. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) A woman shouts as thousands of supporters of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, gather to celebrate the Kurdish New Year and to attend a campaign rally for local elections that will test the Turkish president's popularity, in Istanbul, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The HDP held the event amid the municipal office races that have become polarizing and a government crackdown on its members for alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militants. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Thousands of supporters of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, gather to celebrate the Kurdish New Year and to attend a campaign rally for local elections that will test the Turkish president's popularity, in Istanbul, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The HDP held the event amid the municipal office races that have become polarizing and a government crackdown on its members for alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militants.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Women dance as thousands of supporters of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, gather to celebrate the Kurdish New Year and to attend a campaign rally for local elections that will test the Turkish president's popularity, in Istanbul, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The HDP held the event amid the municipal office races that have become polarizing and a government crackdown on its members for alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militants.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Thousands of supporters of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, gather to celebrate the Kurdish New Year and to attend a campaign rally for local elections that will test the Turkish president's popularity, in Istanbul, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The HDP held the event amid the municipal office races that have become polarizing and a government crackdown on its members for alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militants. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) A man jumps over a fire as thousands of supporters of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, gather to celebrate the Kurdish New Year and to attend a campaign rally for local elections that will test the Turkish president's popularity, in Istanbul, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The HDP held the event amid the municipal office races that have become polarizing and a government crackdown on its members for alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militants. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) A man jumps over a fire as thousands of supporters of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, gather to celebrate the Kurdish New Year and to attend a campaign rally for local elections that will test the Turkish president's popularity, in Istanbul, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The HDP held the event amid the municipal office races that have become polarizing and a government crackdown on its members for alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militants. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Police officers stand by as thousands of supporters of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, gather to celebrate the Kurdish New Year and to attend a campaign rally for local elections that will test the Turkish president's popularity, in Istanbul, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The HDP held the event amid the municipal office races that have become polarizing and a government crackdown on its members for alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militants. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - Work began Sunday on a $3.9 billion oil refinery to be funded by a Singapore-Oman joint venture next to a Chinese-run port in what will be Sri Lanka's largest foreign investment ever. The refinery and a tank farm will be built on 237 hectares (585 acres) of land lying about 235 kilometers (146 miles) south of Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital, near the Hambantota port that is controlled by a Chinese firm. The refinery is expected to be up and running in 2023. The refinery will produce 200,000 barrels per day, mainly for export, though Sri Lankan companies could place orders for refined products and sell them to local consumers. Nalin Bandara, Sri Lanka's deputy minister of international trade, said last week that the refinery will be a joint venture between Singapore-based Silver Park International Private Ltd. and the Sultanate of Oman's Ministry of Oil and Gas. He said Silver Park has a 70 percent stake in the joint venture, while Oman controls 30 percent. Oman's oil and gas minister, Mohammed bin Hamad Al Rumhi, together with the top officials from Silver Park attended Sunday's launching ceremony, which was broadcast live on state television. "We feel obliged and honored to be invited to take part in the development of Sri Lanka," Rumhi said. Sri Lankan officials say the project is the biggest foreign investment in the country's history. The investment comes as Sri Lanka struggles to repay $5.9 billion in foreign loans this year, of which 40 percent must be serviced by the end of this month. The country used its reserves to repay a $1 billion sovereign bond loan in January. Much of Sri Lanka's foreign debt is from China, with loans obtained to build highways and other infrastructure projects, including some that have become white elephants, deepening the country's debt burden. Sri Lanka leased the $1.4 billion Chinese-built Hambantota port, located near the world's busiest east-west shipping route, to a Chinese firm in 2017 for 99 years in a bid to recover from the heavy burden of repaying a loan received to build the facility. The port is part of Beijing's so-called string-of-pearls plan for a line of ports stretching from Chinese waters to the Persian Gulf. China's influence in Sri Lanka makes neighboring India anxious because it considers the Indian Ocean region to be its strategic backyard. Sri Lanka's government has been trying to balance both Asian giants. Sri Lankan officials have reiterated that the port's security will be handled by the government in an attempt to allay fears that the port could be used by China as a military hub. Sri Lanka expects a $7 billion rise in in its foreign earnings once the refinery begins production. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been hailed on social media by Muslims around the world for her response to two mosque shootings by a white nationalist who killed 50 worshippers. She wore a headscarf at the funerals in line with Islamic custom and swiftly reformed gun laws. An image of the prime minister embracing a grieving woman was projected onto the world's tallest tower in Dubai over the weekend with the Arabic word for "peace." Yet for many Muslims, Ardern's most consequential move was immediately labeling the attack an act of terrorism. That stands in contrast to numerous ideologically-motivated mass shootings in North America by white non-Muslim gunmen that were not labeled acts of terrorism, say Muslim leaders and terrorism experts. For too long, terror attacks have been depicted as a uniquely Muslim problem, with acts of violence described as "terrorist only when it applies to Muslims," said Abbas Barzegar of the Council on American Islamic Relations. He works on documenting and combating anti-Muslim bigotry and Islamophobia. "We've got an issue in this country where anytime a violent act is committed by a Muslim, the media starts at terrorism and then works backward from there," added Colin Clarke, a senior research fellow at The Soufan Center, a New York-based think tank. FILE - In this Sunday, March 17, 2019 image made from video, New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, center, hugs and consoles a woman as she visited Kilbirnie Mosque, in Wellington. Ardern was hailed around the world for her decisive response to the two mosque shootings by a white nationalist who killed 50 worshippers. For many Muslims, her most consequential move was immediately labeling the attack an act of terrorism. Community leaders and researchers say that for too long, terrorism was considered a "Muslim problem" and that a double standard persists when attacker is white and non-Muslim. (TVNZ via AP, File) It's the opposite when the shooter is non-Muslim and white, said Clarke, who's spent his career studying terrorism, particularly Muslim extremism. The March 15 attacks on the New Zealand mosques raised questions about whether Islamophobia and the threat of violent right-wing extremism was being taken seriously by politicians and law enforcement. The gunman in the New Zealand massacre called himself a white nationalist and referred to President Donald Trump as "a symbol of renewed white identity." Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, has been charged with murder in the attacks. Trump expressed sympathy for the victims, but played down the rise of white nationalism around the world, saying he didn't consider it a major threat despite data showing it is growing. The Anti-Defamation League found that right-wing extremism was linked to every extremist killing in the United States last year, with at least 50 people killed. The group said that since the 1970s, nearly three in four extremist-related killings in the United States have been linked to domestic right-wing extremists and nearly all the rest to Muslim extremists. "It's really important that this attack not be dismissed as some crazy lone wolf, isolated incident," said Dalia Mogahed, who leads research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, an organization that focuses on research of American Muslims. "I think it needs to be seen as ... a symptom of a wider problem, a transnational rising threat of white supremist violence where anti-Muslim rhetoric is the oxygen for this movement," she said. A study by the ISPU found that foiled plots involving Muslims perceived to be acting in the name of Islam received 770% more media coverage than those involving perpetrators acting in the name of white supremacy. Another study by Georgia State University found that out of 136 terror attacks in the U.S. over a span of 10 years, Muslims committed on average 12.5 percent of the attacks, yet received more than half of the news coverage. Mehdi Hasan, a commentator, TV host, columnist and adjunct professor at Georgetown University, said the public has been conditioned since the 9/11 attacks to see terrorists "as people with big beards, brown skin, loud voices shouting in Arabic." "I don't think anyone can deny that the entire War on Terror has fed into this idea (of) Muslims as a threat, as 'the other', as inherently violent," Hasan said. Additionally, when non-Muslim white gunmen are the perpetrators of violence, there are often attempts at examining their mental health or childhood in ways not consistently afforded to others, Hasan said. Some of the most notorious recent attacks by white assailants with racist or extremist views- the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that killed 11 people in October and the church shooting that killed nine black worshippers in Charleston in 2015 - were not labeled terrorism and the assailants were not tried as terrorists. Neither was the shooting by a white assailant at a mosque in Quebec, Canada in 2017 that killed six Muslims. Clarke, the terrorism expert, said he's been called to testify on Capitol Hill three times in the past two years about jihadi terrorism. "Where are the hearings about right-wing violence?" he asked. Meanwhile, sectarian, cultural and ideological differences among the world's Muslims complicate efforts to uniformly push back against negative stereotypes - including the perception by some that Islam condones or encourages violence. Such biases have been exacerbated by multiple attacks by Islamic extremists in European capitals and by years of conflicts that seem to pit Sunni and Shiite Muslims against each other. In the Middle East, the victims of extremist violence have often been fellow Muslims, targeted by groups like Islamic State or al-Qaida because they don't share their hard-line ideology. The Islamic State group, which promoted an extremist version of Sunni Islam, terrorized millions of people during a five-year reign in parts of Syria and Iraq that only ended Saturday, with the loss of the last speck of land of its self-proclaimed caliphate. Some leaders of majority-Muslim countries have been accused of exploiting the debate. Las week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stirred controversy when he was seen as politicizing the New Zealand attacks to galvanize Islamist supporters during a campaign ahead of municipal elections. The attacker had livestreamed the shootings on social media, and Erdogan screened clips of the attack- despite New Zealand's efforts to prevent the video's spread. Mogahed, who co-authored a book called "Who Speaks for Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think" based on interviews with tens of thousands of Muslims around the world, said it's important to ask whether someone needs to be speaking for Islam, particularly when other groups of people are afforded the presumption of innocence when horrific acts are carried out in their name. Some Muslim community leaders, like Dawud Walid, an imam in Detroit, said they are troubled by demands that Muslims condemn extremism carried out in the name of Islam. This suggests that Muslims share some sort of collective responsibility for the actions of extremists. Hasan says this "subliminally reinforces the idea that terrorism is a Muslim problem." ___ Follow Aya Batrawy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ayaelb FILE - In this Tuesday, March 19, 2019, file photo, a mourner prays near the Linwood mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was hailed around the world for her decisive response to the two mosque shootings by a white nationalist who killed 50 worshippers. For many Muslims, her most consequential move was immediately labeling the attack an act of terrorism. Community leaders and researchers say that for too long, terrorism was considered a "Muslim problem" and that a double standard persists when attacker is white and non-Muslim. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File) FILE - In this Friday, March 22, 2019 file photo, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, center, waves as she leaves Friday prayers at Hagley Park in Christchurch, New Zealand. Ardern was hailed around the world for her decisive response to the two mosque shootings by a white nationalist who killed 50 worshippers. For many Muslims, her most consequential move was immediately labeling the attack an act of terrorism. Community leaders and researchers say that for too long, terrorism was considered a "Muslim problem" and that a double standard persists when attacker is white and non-Muslim. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File) FILE - In this June 19, 2015, file photo, the men of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. lead a crowd of people in prayer outside the Emanuel AME Church, after a memorial service for the nine people killed by Dylann Roof in Charleston, S.C. New Zealand's prime minister was hailed for her decisive response to the two mosque shootings by a white nationalist who killed 50 worshippers. For many Muslims, her most consequential move was immediately labeling the attack an act of terrorism. Community leaders and researchers say that for too long, terrorism was considered a "Muslim problem" and that a double standard persists when attacker is white and non-Muslim. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, File) FILE - In this Oct. 30, 2018 file photo, students from the Yeshiva School in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh pay their respects as the funeral procession for Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz, one of 11 people killed in a mass shooting while worshipping at the Tree of Life synagogue, passes their school. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was hailed around the world for her decisive response to the two mosque shootings by a white nationalist who killed 50 worshippers. For many Muslims, her most consequential move was immediately labeling the attack an act of terrorism. Community leaders and researchers say that for too long, terrorism was considered a "Muslim problem" and that a double standard persists when attacker is white and non-Muslim. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Gaza's Health Ministry says a Palestinian has died of wounds sustained from Israeli gunfire at protests along the perimeter fence. The ministry says Sunday that 24-year-old Habib al-Masri was shot in the chest at protests near Beit Hanoun the previous night, and that two others were wounded. Hundreds had gathered for protests in various locations, hurling stones and firebombs toward Israel. The Israeli military says that in response to the explosives its aircraft targeted two Hamas observation posts in the southern Gaza Strip. The protests are aimed at breaking a blockade that Israel and Egypt imposed when Hamas seized power in 2007. Over the past year, about 190 Palestinians and an Israeli soldier have been killed in weekly rallies. Two more Palestinians were killed on Friday. Relatives mourn while waiting for the body of Jihad Hararah, in front of his family house during his funeral in Shijaiyah neighborhood in Gaza City, Saturday, March 23, 2019. Gaza's Health Ministry said Hararah, died shortly after he shot at his face yesterday by Israeli troops during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) Relatives react while mourners carry the body of Jihad Hararah, in front of his family house during his funeral in Shijaiyah neighborhood in Gaza City, Saturday, March 23, 2019. Gaza's Health Ministry said Hararah, died shortly after he shot at his face yesterday by Israeli troops during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) BEIRA, Mozambique (AP) - Cyclone Idai's death toll has risen above 750 in the three southern African countries hit 10 days ago by the storm, as workers restore electricity, water and try to prevent outbreak of cholera, authorities said Sunday. In Mozambique the number of dead has risen to 446 while there are 259 dead in Zimbabwe and at least 56 dead in Malawi for a three-nation total of 761. All numbers for deaths are still preliminary, warned Mozambique's Environment Minister Celso Correia. As flood waters recede and more bodies are discovered, the final death toll in Mozambique alone could be above the early estimate of 1,000 made by the country's president a few days after the cyclone hit, said aid workers. Nearly 110,000 people are now in camps more than a week after Cyclone Idai hit, said Correia, the government's emergency coordinator. As efforts to rescue people trapped by the floods wind down, aid workers across the vast region are bracing for the spread of disease. "We'll have cholera for sure," Correia said at a press briefing, saying a center to respond to cholera has been set up in Beira though no cases have yet been confirmed. Beira is working to return basic services, he said. Electricity has been restored to water pumping and treatment stations by the government water agency, so Beira and the nearby city of Dondo are getting clean water, he said. Electricity has been restored to part of Beira and the port and railway line have re-opened, he said. Displaced families set up their bedding on top of the roof in Buzi district, 200 kilometers (120 miles) outside Beira, Mozambique, on Saturday, March 23, 2019. A second week has begun with efforts to find and help some tens of thousands of people in devastated parts of southern Africa, with some hundreds dead and an unknown number of people still missing. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) Repairs and bypasses are being built to the main road, EN6, which links Beira to the rest of Mozambique and the road should open Monday, said Correia. The restored road connection will allow larger deliveries of food, medicines and other essential supplies to be to be brought to Beira and to flooded areas like Nhamatanda, west of the city. "People are already going," the environment minister said of the newly accessible road. Malaria is another looming health problem that the minister said was "unavoidable" because large expanses of standing water encourage the spread of malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Asked about his country's current corruption scandal and whether the diversion of money has hurt the rescue efforts, Correia bristled, saying the government's focus now is on saving lives. "We are doing everything to fight corruption," he said. "It's systematic, up to the top," he said of the anti-graft drive. Two large field hospitals and water purification systems were on the way, joining a wide-ranging effort that includes drones to scout out areas in need across the landscape of central Mozambique, said Sebastian Rhodes Stampa, deputy director of the U.N. Humanitarian operation. The scale of the devastation is "extraordinary" not only because of the cyclone and flooding but because the land had already had been saturated by earlier rains, he said. A huge number of aid assets are now in Mozambique, Stampa said: "No government in the world can respond alone in these circumstances." An elderly woman is assisted disembark from a boat after being rescued from a flooded area of Buzi district, 200km outside Beira, Mozambique, Saturday, March 23, 2019. A second week has begun with efforts to find and help some tens of thousands of people in devastated parts of southern Africa, with some hundreds dead and an unknown number of people still missing. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) An aerial photo shows local residents walk on a damaged road following the devastating Tropical Cyclone Idai in Beira, Mozambique, Saturday, March 23, 2019. A second week has begun with efforts to find and help some tens of thousands of people in devastated parts of southern Africa, with some hundreds dead and an unknown number of people still missing. (AP Photo) An aerial photo shows a truck as it manoeuvres on a damaged road following the devastating Tropical Cyclone Idai in Beira, Mozambique, Saturday, March 23, 2019. A second week has begun with efforts to find and help some tens of thousands of people in devastated parts of southern Africa, with some hundreds dead and an unknown number of people still missing. (AP Photo) An aerial photo shows a damaged factory following the devastating Tropical Cyclone Idai in Beira, Mozambique, Saturday, March 23, 2019. A second week has begun with efforts to find and help some tens of thousands of people in devastated parts of southern Africa, with some hundreds dead and an unknown number of people still missing. (AP Photo) Jessica Mhonderi stands in front of what used to be her son's home in Chimanimani. Zimbabwe, Saturday, March 23, 2019. Mhonderi lost her daughter-in-law and three grandchildren to the Cyclone Idai induced rains last week that swept through Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. (AP Photo/KB Mpofu) Satellite image provided by DigitalGlobe, photo showing aerial view of Beira city, Mozambique, on the shores of the Indian Ocean, dated March 13, 2019, before the impact of cyclone Idai on the area. A second week has begun of efforts to find and help some tens of thousands of people after Cyclone Idai devastated parts of southern Africa, with some hundreds dead and an unknown number of people still missing. (DigitalGlobe, a Maxar company via AP) Kids scrape for remaining rice inside a pot at a displacement center in Beira, Mozambique, Friday, March 22, 2019. A week after Cyclone Idai hit coastal Mozambique and swept across the country to Zimbabwe, its death, destruction and flooding continues to grow in southern Africa, making it one of the most destructive natural disasters in the region's recent history(AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) A woman and her child send against the wall at a displacement centre in Beira, Mozambique, Friday, March 22, 2019. A week after Cyclone Idai hit coastal Mozambique and swept across the country to Zimbabwe, its death, destruction and flooding continues to grow in southern Africa, making it one of the most destructive natural disasters in the region's recent history(AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) Two man lay on a floor at a displacement centre in Beira, Mozambique, Friday, March 22, 2019. A week after Cyclone Idai hit coastal Mozambique and swept across the country to Zimbabwe, its death, destruction and flooding continues to grow in southern Africa, making it one of the most destructive natural disasters in the region's recent history(AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) Images provided by satellite image provided by DigitalGlobe, combo photo showing aerial view of the city airport in Beira, Mozambique, showing the impact of cyclone Idai on the area, with top photo before the cyclone dated March 13, 2019, and photo below dated March 22, 2019. A second week has begun of efforts to find and help some tens of thousands of people after Cyclone Idai devastated parts of southern Africa, with some hundreds dead and an unknown number of people still missing. (DigitalGlobe, a Maxar company via AP) MIAMI (AP) - Choeun Nuon traveled from her home in California to a Miami-area cosmetic surgery clinic to have a so-called Brazilian butt lift in February 2017. Instead of recovering after the procedure, the 32-year-old mother of two began slipping in and out of consciousness. She eventually passed out because of a severe drop in blood pressure. When Nuon awoke and slowly found her bearings, she was in an emergency operating room at a nearby hospital, surrounded by medical staff. Medics learned that her surgeon had punctured her lumbar artery, causing her profuse internal bleeding. "I was fighting for my life," Nuon said. "They told me that I was lucky to be alive." South Florida has become a hub for the freewheeling industry in trendy cosmetic surgeries, drawing a boom in medical tourism. Costs for such procedures have come down - even as more routine surgeries covered by insurance and Medicaid have skyrocketed - in what observers such as Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva call a success of the free market. However, complications and even deaths of several out-of-state women in recent years have spiked concerns over safety of the cosmetic procedures, prompting a bill before the Florida Legislature this year to impose stricter regulations. In this Friday, March 22, 2019 photo, a window display advertises low-cost cosmetic procedures outside a surgery clinic in Miami. South Florida has become a hub for the freewheeling industry in trendy cosmetic surgeries, drawing a boom in medical tourism. However, complications and even deaths of several out-of-state women in recent years have spiked concerns over safety of the cosmetic procedures, prompting a bill before the Florida Legislature this year to impose stricter regulations. (AP Photo/Ellis Rua) Brazilian butt lifts, a fat transfer procedure in which doctors perform liposuction of the torso and then inject that fat into the buttocks, have been singled out as especially perilous. A task force led by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons found they have a mortality rate of 1 in 3,000, compared with a rate of about 50,000 for office-based cosmetic procedures in general. The bill, which was approved by a House committee earlier this month and has support in both chambers, would require facilities and doctors to demonstrate financial responsibility to pay out claims when deemed at fault for serious injury. Current Florida law does not require cosmetic surgery clinics to have medical liability insurance. The legislation, proposed by Miami-area Republicans Sen. Anitere Flores and Rep. Anthony Rodriguez, also would give the state Health Department authorization to suspend or place five-year bans on facility owners and physicians who fail to comply with the rule changes, preventing new clinics from being opened under another name. "That's particularly important," Flores said. "What we found is that many of these clinics, someone will die at one of their clinics, and the next day they'll open back up and take new patients as if nothing happened." The law change would also require surgery centers to be at least partly owned a medical doctor. "We can give the Department of Health the tools to shut down the butcher shops," she said. Often found in Miami-area shopping plazas, these businesses market their services via social media to women across the country with limited financial means who are seeking weight loss surgeries, breast augmentations, and Brazilian butt lifts. The doctors often are not certified by a plastic surgery board and provide such procedures at a fraction of the cost when compared with established, board-certified clinics. Florida law permits any licensed medical doctor to perform cosmetic surgery without being a board-certified plastic surgeon. The bill would, however, require the state Board of Medicine to adopt new rules governing the standard of care for physicians practicing within the clinics, though it remains unclear how the board would enhance the protections. Nuon had other cosmetic work done in the past and was aware of the risks. But she said she chose a doctor who claimed to be a board-certified plastic surgeon online, according to court documents. The surgeon, Dr. Anthony Hasan at Palmetto Lakes Surgical Center, it turned out, was not certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, nor did he have medical liability insurance. Ryan M. Sanders, Hasan's attorney, declined comment on behalf of his client. Still, Nuon has filed a lawsuit seeking damages for the punctured artery, as well as for emotional distress and loss of earnings. "I feel violated, manipulated and betrayed," Nuon said. Nuon's attorney, Andres Beregovich, who represents several clients across the U.S. who are suing Florida doctors and clinics, said Florida so far has been lax in policing plastic surgeons and the clinics they operate out of. "Florida promotes and supports medical tourism," Beregovich said. "They need to have laws in place that will protect the consumer when something, God forbid, happens." Rosemary Diaz of Orlando said she felt similarly angry after a botched implant replacement procedure left her breasts disfigured. She alleges that the doctor resized both of her areola even though she only asked for one to be resized. She suffered vomiting and bleeding after the surgery. In a follow-up procedure, Diaz said the doctor performed an unauthorized breast lift. She also is seeking damages from a clinic and surgeon who had no medical liability insurance. "I felt 100 percent violated," the 37-year-old said. "It's like waking up to a part of your body that is not the same." Nuon said her surgery left her disfigured and scarred and advises women to see beyond flashy social media campaigns and conduct deep investigations into a physician's background. Although she is dissatisfied with her appearance, she said she's unwilling to go under the knife again. "My life is so much more important than trying to fix it," she said. WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. health officials are taking another look at the safety of breast implants, the latest review in a decades-long debate. At a two-day meeting that starts Monday, a panel of experts for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will hear from researchers, plastic surgeons and implant makers, as well as from women who believe their ailments were caused by the implants. The panel will consider next steps, but for now, the FDA isn't proposing any new restrictions or warnings. The agency's longstanding position is that implants are essentially safe as long as women understand they can have complications, including scarring, pain, swelling and implant rupture. But the FDA and other regulators around the world have been grappling with how to manage a recently confirmed link to a rare cancer and the thousands of unconfirmed complaints of other health problems. In documents released before the meeting, FDA regulators said it is "impossible" for them to determine how frequently the cancer - a form of lymphoma - occurs because the U.S. does not track the total number of implants on the market. Estimates of the frequency of the disease range from 1 in 3,000 women to 1 in 30,000. Most confirmed cases of the disease, known as breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma, have involved a particular style of implants with a textured surface, designed to reduce scar tissue and slippage. But the FDA said it has also received reports of the disease in smooth implants - which account for most of the U.S. market - raising questions about whether the cancer is a risk with both implant types. FILE - This Dec. 11, 2006 file photo shows a silicone gel breast implant in Irving, Texas. U.S. health officials are taking another look at the safety of breast implants, the latest review in a decades-long debate. At a two-day meeting that starts Monday, March 25, 2019, a panel of experts for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will hear from researchers, plastic surgeons and implant makers, as well as from women who believe their ailments were caused by the implants. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam, File) The disease is not breast cancer, but a form of cancer that attacks the immune system and usually forms in the scar tissue surrounding implants. It grows slowly and can usually be successfully treated by surgically removing the implants. Thousands of women have also blamed their implants for a host of ailments, including rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue and muscle pain. In the documents, the FDA reiterated its position that "there is not sufficient evidence" linking them to breast implants. The agency also sidestepped requests from patients to add a boxed warning - the agency's most serious type - to breast implants and to require manufacturers to give women a checklist of potential harms and complications before surgery. "I'm a little discouraged," said Jamee Cook, one of more than 20 patients set to speak at the meeting, after reviewing the FDA materials. "But I guess I'm hoping that what we have to say will prompt discussion on those action points." A former paramedic, Cook said she had an array of health problems after getting implants in 1998, including exhaustion, migraines and an immune system disorder. She said her symptoms either resolved or improved after the implants were removed in 2015. Breast augmentation is the most popular form of cosmetic surgery in the U.S., with roughly 300,000 women undergoing the procedure each year. Another 100,000 women receive implants for breast reconstruction after cancer surgery. Most women choose silicone gel-filled implants, which are considered more natural looking than saline implants. Implants first went on sale in the mid-1960s. But they attracted little attention until the late 1980s, when a wave of lawsuits alleged serious harms and diseases linked to the devices. The FDA banned the silicone gel type in 1992 because of fears they might cause breast cancer, lupus and other disorders. But when studies seemed to rule out most of the disease concern, regulators returned the implants to the market in 2006 with the requirement that manufacturers track recipients to see how they fare long term. Implant makers Allergan and Mentor - which is now part of Johnson & Johnson - enrolled nearly 100,000 women in a 10-year study. But more than half of the women dropped out within three years, leaving insufficient data to draw firm safety conclusions. Last September, researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center analyzed the company reports and found that women with silicone implants seemed to have greater rates of an immune system disorder called Sjogren syndrome, a connective tissue disorder called scleroderma and the skin cancer melanoma. But the authors acknowledged the limitations of the data, which often relied on incomplete, undiagnosed patient reports. FDA regulators said they "respectfully disagree" with the conclusions. Last week, the FDA sent warning letters to Mentor and a smaller implant maker, Sientra, for failing to enroll or retain enough patients in their long-term studies. Allergan and the other U.S. manufacturer of breast implants - Ideal Implant - did not receive warnings. ___ Follow Matthew Perrone at @AP_FDAwriter ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Francis prayed on Sunday for the victims of attacks in Nigeria and Mali, and for the success of talks underway in Nicaragua aimed at solving a yearlong political crisis in the country. "Let's pray for the numerous victims of the recent inhuman attacks in Nigeria and Mali. May the Lord welcome these victims, heal the wounded, console loved ones and convert cruel hearts," Francis said. At least 134 people were killed on Saturday in a massacre in Mali, according to the United Nations. In Nigeria, dozens have been killed in Boko Haram attacks this week. Francis also addressed the crisis in Nicaragua after leading a prayer Sunday to a crowd at St. Peter's Square. Francis, who is from Argentina, described the talks between Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's administration and opposition delegations as "important." "I accompany the initiative with prayer and encourage the parties to find a peaceful solution for the good of all as soon as possible," the pope said. The Nicaraguan crisis was triggered last April when cuts to social security benefits led to protests that evolved into calls for Ortega's resignation. Security forces responded with violent repression. Human rights groups say at least 325 people died and hundreds were imprisoned. Pope Francis delivers a blessing from his studio's window overlooking St. Peter's Square during the Angelus noon prayer at the Vatican, Sunday, March 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) The unrest also devastated Nicaragua's economy. Pope Francis delivers a blessing from his studio's window overlooking St. Peter's Square during the Angelus noon prayer at the Vatican, Sunday, March 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) The Apostolic palace is reflected on the sunglasses of a man as faithful gather in St. Peter's Square during Pope Francis' Angelus noon prayer at the Vatican, Sunday, March 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq's parliament voted on Sunday to sack a provincial official following the tragic sinking of a ferry in the Tigris River that killed nearly 100 people, the house's deputy speaker said. Hassan al-Kaabi told The Associated Press that the majority of the house's 329 members voted to sack the governor of Nineveh province and his two deputies. Over 270 lawmakers attended Sunday's session. Angry residents of Mosul have protested against Nofal al-Akoub, demanding his firing. The ferry loaded with holidaymakers celebrating the Kurdish and Persian new year, sank on Thursday. Police official Mazen Abdullah said 97 were killed and 67 remain missing. Abdullah said 55 were rescued. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi ordered an investigation into the incident, which residents blamed on corruption and lack of rescue means. He also called for the governor's sacking. Shiite Muslim worshippers light candles as they pray for the victims of a sunken ferry, outside the golden-domed Shiite shrine of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim, in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, March 22, 2019. A ferry overloaded with people celebrating the Kurdish new year sank in the Tigris River near the Iraqi city of Mosul on Thursday, killing dozens of people, mostly women and children, officials said. (AP Photo/Farid Abdulwahed) Abdul-Mahdi also appointed a new crisis council, headed by a university professor, to administer the province until a new governor is named. A special investigation team, which includes judges and prosecutors, was set up to determine why the ferry sank. Xem them ... Tin bai cuoi cung Khong con du lieu e load TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Lawmakers are poised to vote on making New Jersey the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana. The Democrat-led Assembly and Senate have scheduled votes for Monday. The vote, whose outcome remains unclear, comes after more than a year of mostly back-room wrangling since Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy came into office. Murphy campaigned on legalization, in contrast with his predecessor, Republican Chris Christie. New Jersey would join the District of Columbia and 10 other states with legalized recreational use of the drug for adults if the vote succeeds. Murphy supports the legislation and has been calling lawmakers seeking their support, according to his office. Despite Democratic control of state government, the issue has divided legislators, with even some Democrats who supported the measure in committee saying they weren't committed to a yes vote on the floor. In this Friday, March 22, 2019 photo, marijuana buds are seen in prescription bottles after being sorted at Compassionate Care Foundation's medical marijuana dispensary in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. Lawmakers are poised to vote on making New Jersey the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. The Democrat-led Assembly and Senate have scheduled votes on a measure legalizing cannabis for Monday, March 25 though the outcome remains unclear. The votes come after more than a year of mostly back-room wrangling since Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy came into office. Murphy campaigned on legalization, striking a contrast with his predecessor Republican Chris Christie. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) A closer look at the New Jersey measure: WHAT'S IN THE BILL? The measure would allow for the sale and personal use of up to an ounce of marijuana for people 21 and over. The drug would be taxed at $42 an ounce, with the ability for towns that host growers, processors, wholesalers or retailers to charge an additional tax of up to 3 percent in some cases. The measure calls for setting up a five-person cannabis regulatory commission, which would set the ground rules and oversee marijuana regulation in New Jersey. The governor would name three of the five full-time members, who would serve for five-year terms. The Assembly speaker and Senate president would name the other two members. The proposal also calls for expungement of pending charges and prior marijuana-related convictions. Under the proposal, New Jersey would allow for the expungement of marijuana crimes for possession up to 5 pounds. Lawmakers acknowledge it sounds like a lot but say it's necessary in order to allow for an expedited expungement process, since the statute covering possession for small amounts of cannabis goes up to 5 pounds. The measure also aims to incentivize women and minorities to participate in the legal marijuana market by requiring 30 percent of licenses go to these groups. The bill also calls for an investigation on the influence of cannabis on driving and calls for funding drug-recognition experts for law enforcement. ___ WHEN COULD YOU START USING RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA? The bill says that it would be legal to possess up to an ounce as soon as the bill is enacted, but it would be longer until the legal marketplace is set up. Medical marijuana facilities would be cleared to begin offering recreational cannabis soon after the bill passes but are required to keep enough product to serve patients first. It could be about six months retail locations open since the commission would have to set guidelines. ___ HOW DOES NEW JERSEY'S TAX COMPARE TO OTHER STATES'? Lawmakers are proposing the $42 per-ounce tax, with towns permitted to tax more, up to 3 percent in the case of retailers. Most states with recreational marijuana levy an excise tax as a percentage, though Alaska also levies a per-ounce tax, which is set at $50, according to a survey of tax rates by the conservative-leaning Tax Foundation. New Jersey's lawmakers have said they're pursuing the flat rate as a way to guard against revenue fluctuations if the market price changes. Medical marijuana in New Jersey is currently subjected to the state's 6.625 percent sales tax, but that's being phased out by 2024 under the pending legislation. In this Friday, March 22, 2019 photo, marijuana buds are locked on display at Compassionate Care Foundation's medical marijuana dispensary in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. Lawmakers are poised to vote on making New Jersey the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. The Democrat-led Assembly and Senate have scheduled votes on a measure legalizing cannabis for Monday, March 25 though the outcome remains unclear. The votes come after more than a year of mostly back-room wrangling since Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy came into office. Murphy campaigned on legalization, striking a contrast with his predecessor Republican Chris Christie. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) In this Friday, March 22, 2019 photo, a bud is seen on a marijuana plant at Compassionate Care Foundation's medical marijuana dispensary in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. Lawmakers are poised to vote on making New Jersey the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. The Democrat-led Assembly and Senate have scheduled votes on a measure legalizing cannabis for Monday, March 25 though the outcome remains unclear. The votes come after more than a year of mostly back-room wrangling since Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy came into office. Murphy campaigned on legalization, striking a contrast with his predecessor Republican Chris Christie. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) In this Friday, March 22, 2019 photo, a marijuana plant is visible at Compassionate Care Foundation's medical marijuana dispensary in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. Lawmakers are poised to vote on making New Jersey the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. The Democrat-led Assembly and Senate have scheduled votes on a measure legalizing cannabis for Monday, March 25 though the outcome remains unclear. The votes come after more than a year of mostly back-room wrangling since Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy came into office. Murphy campaigned on legalization, striking a contrast with his predecessor Republican Chris Christie. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) In this Friday, March 22, 2019 photo, Heather Randazzo, a grow employee at Compassionate Care Foundation's medical marijuana dispensary, trims leaves off marijuana plants in the company's grow house in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. Lawmakers are poised to vote on making New Jersey the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. The Democrat-led Assembly and Senate have scheduled votes on a measure legalizing cannabis for Monday, March 25 though the outcome remains unclear. The votes come after more than a year of mostly back-room wrangling since Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy came into office. Murphy campaigned on legalization, striking a contrast with his predecessor Republican Chris Christie. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) In this Friday, March 22, 2019 photo, David Lawrence, a grow employee at Compassionate Care Foundation's medical marijuana dispensary in Egg Harbor Township, N.J., sorts buds into a prescription bottle. Lawmakers are poised to vote on making New Jersey the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. The Democrat-led Assembly and Senate have scheduled votes on a measure legalizing cannabis for Monday, March 25 though the outcome remains unclear. The votes come after more than a year of mostly back-room wrangling since Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy came into office. Murphy campaigned on legalization, striking a contrast with his predecessor Republican Chris Christie. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) In this Friday, March 22, 2019 photo, Cady Riley, a manager at Compassionate Care Foundation's medical marijuana dispensary in Egg Harbor Township, N.J., holds a prescription bottle with marijuana buds. Lawmakers are poised to vote on making New Jersey the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. The Democrat-led Assembly and Senate have scheduled votes on a measure legalizing cannabis for Monday, March 25 though the outcome remains unclear. The votes come after more than a year of mostly back-room wrangling since Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy came into office. Murphy campaigned on legalization, striking a contrast with his predecessor Republican Chris Christie. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) In this Friday, March 22, 2019 photo, Paige Dellafave-DeRosa, a processing supervisor at Compassionate Care Foundation's medical marijuana dispensary in Egg Harbor Township, N.J., clips leaves off marijuana buds. Lawmakers are poised to vote on making New Jersey the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. The Democrat-led Assembly and Senate have scheduled votes on a measure legalizing cannabis for Monday, March 25 though the outcome remains unclear. The votes come after more than a year of mostly back-room wrangling since Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy came into office. Murphy campaigned on legalization, striking a contrast with his predecessor Republican Chris Christie. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) In this Friday, March 22, 2019 photo, buds are seen on a marijuana plant at Compassionate Care Foundation's medical marijuana dispensary in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. Lawmakers are poised to vote on making New Jersey the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. The Democrat-led Assembly and Senate have scheduled votes on a measure legalizing cannabis for Monday, March 25 though the outcome remains unclear. The votes come after more than a year of mostly back-room wrangling since Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy came into office. Murphy campaigned on legalization, striking a contrast with his predecessor Republican Chris Christie. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) In this Friday, March 22, 2019 photo, David Lawrence, a grow employee at Compassionate Care Foundation's medical marijuana dispensary in Egg Harbor Township, N.J., sorts buds into prescription bottles. Lawmakers are poised to vote on making New Jersey the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. The Democrat-led Assembly and Senate have scheduled votes on a measure legalizing cannabis for Monday, March 25 though the outcome remains unclear. The votes come after more than a year of mostly back-room wrangling since Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy came into office. Murphy campaigned on legalization, striking a contrast with his predecessor Republican Chris Christie. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) In this Friday, March 22, 2019 photo, marijuana buds are seen atop a scale in a prescription bottle at Compassionate Care Foundation's medical marijuana dispensary in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. Lawmakers are poised to vote on making New Jersey the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. The Democrat-led Assembly and Senate have scheduled votes on a measure legalizing cannabis for Monday, March 25 though the outcome remains unclear. The votes come after more than a year of mostly back-room wrangling since Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy came into office. Murphy campaigned on legalization, striking a contrast with his predecessor Republican Chris Christie. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) NEW YORK (AP) - The way Felix Sater tells it, his life is a screenplay just waiting to be written, with tales of drunken brawling, Wall Street rip-offs, international spying and a behind-the-scenes role in Donald Trump's effort to build a skyscraper in Russia. Sater, a Soviet emigre who befriended Trump in the 2000s and helped push the Trump Tower Moscow project during the 2016 presidential campaign, hasn't shied away from his past on both the right and wrong sides of the law, even as he has become a key figure in the House Democrats' investigations into Trump's ties to Russia. Sater, 53, is due to testify in public Wednesday before the House Intelligence Committee about his dealings with the Trump Organization and the Moscow discussions. That will be followed the next day by questioning behind closed doors before the House Judiciary Committee. So just who is Felix Sater? When he was in his late 20s, Sater served 15 months in jail and permanently lost his stockbroker's license for stabbing a man in the face with the stem of a broken margarita glass at a Manhattan bar. They were arguing over a woman neither of them knew, Sater said. A few years later, in 1998, Sater turned state's evidence against New York's Genovese and Bonanno crime families after getting caught in a $40 million pump-and-dump stock fraud, in which shady brokers drove up the price of stocks they secretly owned and then sold them, causing prices to crater and wiping out unsuspecting investors. FILE - In this Sept. 14, 2005, file photo, businessman Donald Trump, left, talks on his cellphone with Felix Sater, right, outside after speaking at the Bixpo 2005 business convention at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colo. Sater, a Soviet emigre who befriended Trump over a series of development deals in the 2000s and pushed the Trump Tower Moscow project before and during the 2016 presidential campaign, has emerged as a key figure in House Democrats' investigations into Trump's Russia connections. (Cyrus McCrimmon/The Denver Post via AP) He has also boasted of his exploits in the spy game, joking privately that he is "the Jewish James Bond." (He said in a recent interview that he is in frequent contact with a Hollywood screenwriter in hopes of getting a movie made about himself.) Testifying before Congress in 2017, he claimed to have helped the government track Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida and assembled a mercenary team of ex-Russian special forces and Afghan fighters in an attempt to kill bin Laden. He also said he helped foil plots to assassinate President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell, provided the government with intelligence on North Korea's development of nuclear weapons and assisted in upending Russian cyberattacks on the U.S. financial system. How much of that is true is unclear, since U.S. intelligence agencies don't typically talk about such things. But former Attorney General Loretta Lynch acknowledged some of Sater's cooperation when asked about him at her 2015 confirmation hearing. Lynch, the former chief federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, said Sater had provided "information crucial to national security and the conviction of over 20 individuals, including those responsible for committing massive financial fraud and members of La Cosa Nostra." Sater's guilty plea in the stock case and his cooperation with the government were kept under wraps for more than a decade. The case file wasn't made public until 2012, three years after he was sentenced to probation and a $25,000 fine. Some documents are still under seal. Given the secrecy, Sater was able to reboot his life in 2003 as an executive at Bayrock Group LLC, a real estate development company formed by a Kazakh-born former Soviet official. Sater's work there led to lawsuits from people who said they wouldn't have done business with Sater if they had known about his past. One lawsuit, brought by two former employees, alleged that Bayrock was started with backing from "oligarchs and money they stole from the Russian people" and that the company was "substantially and covertly mob-owned and operated." The company has denied the allegations. It was through Bayrock that Sater got to know Trump. The company moved into Trump Tower and presented Trump with a plan to build a Manhattan hotel, a $450 million, 46-story project that was completed in 2008 and originally called Trump SoHo. Trump named Sater a senior business adviser in 2010, using him to scout out high-end real estate deals. The Trump Organization's chief legal officer, Alan Garten, told The Associated Press in 2015 that Sater held that position for only six months. Still, Sater lingered and was a driving force in trying to kickstart the Moscow project into the summer of 2016. Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen said Sater talked with him about having Trump visit Russia during the campaign and pitched the idea of offering Russian President Vladimir Putin a free penthouse in the planned tower as a marketing stunt to drive up the price of condos. Sater was also involved in trying to get the White House to look at a Ukrainian peace proposal that favored Russia. Early in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, Trump critics seized on Sater's Nov. 3, 2015, email to Cohen: "Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it. I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this, I will manage this process." Sater later said he was referring to exploiting Trump's popularity and Putin's interest in the Moscow development to boost the project, not any attempts to influence the outcome of the election. Sater - who stood to make upwards of $100 million on the deal, which never went through - contended it was strictly business. Sater declined an interview request for this story, saying he was busy preparing for his testimony. But on MSNBC last March, he denied trying to harm U.S. interests. "I have risked my life to try to protect our country for over 20 years in situations and places that would make your hair stand on end," he said. "The insinuation that I would get together with anyone, especially Russia of all places or any other country in the world, for the detriment of our country is not only insulting but laughable." Garten, the Trump Organization executive, said in the 2015 interview that Trump didn't know details of Sater's crimes. But "if Mr. Sater was good enough for the government to work with, I see no reason why he wasn't good enough for Mr. Trump," Garten said. ___ Follow Sisak at twitter.com/mikesisak DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - A Kenyan teacher from a remote village who gave away most of his earnings to the poor won a $1 million prize on Sunday for his work teaching in a government-run school that has just one computer and shoddy Internet access. The annual Global Teacher Prize was awarded to Peter Tabichi in the opulent Atlantis Hotel in Dubai in a ceremony hosted by actor Hugh Jackman. Tabichi said the farthest he'd traveled before this was to Uganda. Coming to Dubai marked his first time on an airplane. "I feel great. I can't believe it. I feel so happy to be among the best teachers in the world, being the best in the world," he told The Associated Press after his win. Tabichi teaches science to high schoolers in the semi-arid village of Pwani where almost a third of children are orphans or have only one parent. Drought and famine are common. He said the school has no library and no laboratory. He plans to use the million dollars from his win to improve the school and feed the poor. Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi, center, reacts after winning the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Tabichi is a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Despite the obstacles Tabichi's students face, he's credited with helping many stay in school, qualify for international competitions in science and engineering and go on to college. "At times, whenever I reflect on the challenges they face, I shed tears," he said of his students, adding that his win will help give them confidence. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said in a statement that Tabichi's story "is the story of Africa" and of hope for future generations. As a member of the Roman Catholic brotherhood, Tabichi wore a plain floor-length brown robe to receive the award presented by Dubai's Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The prize is awarded by the Varkey Foundation, whose founder, Sunny Varkey, established the for-profit GEMS Education company that runs 55 schools in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Qatar. In his acceptance speech, Tabichi said his mother died when he was just 11 years old, leaving his father, a primary school teacher, with the job of raising him and his siblings alone. Tabichi thanked his father for instilling Christian values in him, then pointed to his father in the audience, invited him up on stage and handed him the award to hold as the room erupted in applause and cheers. "I found tonight to be incredibly emotional, very moving," Jackman told the AP after hosting the ceremony and performing musical numbers from his film The Greatest Showman. "It was a great honor, a thrill to be here and I just thought the whole evening was just filled with a really pure spirit," he added. Now in its fifth year, the prize is the largest of its kind. It's quickly become one of the most coveted and prestigious for teachers. Tabichi selected out of out 10,000 applicants. The winner is selected by committees comprised of teachers, journalists, officials, entrepreneurs, business leaders and scientists. Last year, a British art teacher was awarded for her work in one of the most ethnically diverse places in the country. Her work was credited with helping students feel welcome and safe in a borough with high murder rates. Other winners include a Canadian teacher for her work with indigenous students in an isolated Arctic village where suicide rates are high, and a Palestinian teacher for her work in helping West Bank refugee children traumatized by violence. The 2015 inaugural winner was a teacher from Maine who founded a nonprofit demonstration school created for the purpose of developing and disseminating teaching methods. ___ Associated Press writer Malak Harb contributed to this report. Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi, center left, receives a statue from Dubai crown prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, center right, after winning the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Tabichi is a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi, center, actor Hugh Jackman, left, and Dubai crown prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, right, react after Tabichi won the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Tabichi is a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi walks on stage before winning the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Tabichi is a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Actor Hugh Jackman hugs Bronx teacher Melissa Salguero during the US dollars 1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Kenyan educator Peter Tabichi, a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani, won this year's prize. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Actor Hugh Jackman speaks during the US dollars 1 million Global Teacher Prize presentation in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Kenyan educator Peter Tabichi, a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani, won this year's prize. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Actor Hugh Jackman takes a mobile phone photograph with a fan after the US dollars 1 million Global Teacher Prize presentation in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Kenyan educator Peter Tabichi, a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani, won this year's prize. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Actor Hugh Jackman performs a song-and-dance number at the US dollars 1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Kenyan educator Peter Tabichi, a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani, won this year's prize. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Actor Hugh Jackman performs a song-and-dance number at the US dollars 1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Kenyan educator Peter Tabichi, a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani, won this year's prize. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Actor Hugh Jackman performs a song-and-dance number at the US dollars 1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Kenyan educator Peter Tabichi, a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani, won this year's prize. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi, center, reacts after winning the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Tabichi is a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi, right, hugs actor Hugh Jackman after winning the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Tabichi is a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi, right, speaks as his father Lawrence Tabichi, center left, listens on stage after the teacher won the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Tabichi is a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi, left, poses for a photograph with Kenyan Education Secretary Amina Mohammed, after Tabichi won the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Tabichi is a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi, right, reacts near actor Hugh Jackman, after winning the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Tabichi is a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi smiles while speaking to The Associated Press after winning the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Tabichi is a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi holds a trophy after winning the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Tabichi is a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi, right, reacts as actor Hugh Jackman, watches after the teacher won the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Tabichi is a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi, right, listens to actor Hugh Jackman, after winning the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Tabichi is a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi, center left, receives a statue from Dubai crown prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, center right, after winning the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Tabichi is a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi, center, reacts after winning the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Tabichi is a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) Kenyan teacher Peter Tabichi walks on stage before winning the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 24, 2019. Tabichi is a science teacher who gives away 80 percent of his income to the poor in the remote Kenyan village of Pwani. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - Supporters of Chelsea Manning have called for her release from prolonged solitary confinement at a Virginia jail, but an official disputes that she's being held in those conditions. Former Army intelligence analyst Manning was sent to jail March 8 for refusing to testify before a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks. She served years in prison for leaking troves of classified U.S. documents. The Chelsea Resists group says in a Saturday news release that Manning "has been kept in her cell for 22 hours a day. This treatment qualifies as Solitary Confinement." Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne says in a statement that the group's accusations "are not accurate or fair." The sheriff says the facility does not have solitary confinement but uses "administrative segregation" and inmates have access to visits, books and recreation. KIEV, Ukraine (AP) - About 2,000 opponents of Belarus' authoritarian government have rallied in the country's capital of Minsk. The Sunday rally marked the 101st anniversary of the formation of the short-lived Belarusian People's Republic, an attempt to form an independent state amid the chaos of World War I. It ceased to exist the next year when all the territory was taken by Soviet or Polish forces. The anniversary has become a traditional rally day for opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has cracked down on opposition and independent news media during his quarter-century in power. Demonstrations also took place in the cities of Brest and Grodno. The human rights group said Minsk rally organizer Zmitser Dashkevich was detained by police. Holding flags of opposition parties people attend celebration in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, March 24, 2019, on the eve of March 25, a traditional day of demonstration for the opposition. Many people gather to mark what they call Freedom Day, on the 101st anniversary of the 1918 declaration of the first, short-lived independent Belarus state, the Belarusian People's Republic lasted until 1919. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) A man with an old Belarus republic flag attached in his cap attends celebrations in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, March 24, 2019, on the eve of March 25, a traditional day of demonstration for the opposition. Many people gather to mark what they call Freedom Day, on the 101st anniversary of the 1918 declaration of the first, short-lived independent Belarus state, the Belarusian People's Republic lasted until 1919. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) People attend celebrations in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, March 24, 2019, on the eve of March 25, a traditional day of demonstration for the opposition. Many people gather to mark what they call Freedom Day, on the 101st anniversary of the 1918 declaration of the first, short-lived independent Belarus state, the Belarusian People's Republic lasted until 1919. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) Covered by Ukrainian state flag a man takes part in celebration in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, March 24, 2019, on the eve of March 25, a traditional day of demonstration for the opposition. Many people gather to mark what they call Freedom Day, on the 101st anniversary of the 1918 declaration of the first, short-lived independent Belarus state, the Belarusian People's Republic lasted until 1919. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) PARIS (AP) - Catherine Norris Trent, a British citizen who has lived in Paris since 2007, rushed to become French before her native country left the European Union. She worried Brexit might force her to leave her French partner and their two young children. While the EU has promised to allow Britons living in France and other member countries to stay after the U.K. pulls out, Norris Trent said she saw French citizenship as the one certain way to protect her right to remain. "Brexit was definitely a factor that gave my request urgency," Norris Trent, 38, a television journalist who is among France's estimated 150,000 British residents, said. "I don't want my family to be split apart. It's a terrifying prospect." As France conferred her second nationality during a spectacular one-hour ceremony last week, Norris Trent left her politics-induced fears at the door of Paris' monumental Pantheon, where French literary luminaries such as Victor Hugo, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Emile Zola are buried. She, along with a throng of others who sought to become citizens, were welcomed by a school choir that sang French national anthem "La Marseillaise" beside a floodlit bust of Marianne, the national symbol. They watched a film called "Become French" that explained French national values such as secularism, respect for cultural diversity and gender equality. The new citizens proudly clutched French birth certificates, excerpts from the French Constitution and a signed letter from French President Emmanuel Macron saying, "France is proud and happy to welcome you." Britain's Catherine Norris Trent poses next to a bust of Marianne, left, symbol of the French Republic, and the French, right, and European flags after a naturalization ceremony in Paris' Pantheon monument, Thursday, March 21, 2019. With the looming Brexit deadline, the 38-year-old mother of two who's lived in the French capital for over a decade was one of dozens of newly-minted French nationals attending the cermony. (AP Photo/Thomas Admason) Hundreds of kilometers away in Brussels, British Prime Minister Theresa May waited to find out if the leaders of the 27 remaining EU countries would agree to delay Brexit day. For almost two years, Britain's departure was set to take effect this month, on March 29. But U.K. lawmakers have refused to approve the agreement on withdrawal terms and future relations May's government negotiated with the EU, creating fears of a disruptive "no-deal Brexit" that could lead to shortages of food and medicine, tie up traffic on roads, airports and ports where border controls area reintroduced, and upend the lives of ex-pats throughout Europe. The European leaders refused to extend the Brexit deadline until June 30 as May requested. Instead, they said Britain's pull-out could wait until May 22 if the prime minister could persuade Parliament to pass the twice-rejected agreement. If lawmakers still refuse the deal, the leaders gave Britain until April 12 to choose between leaving the EU without a divorce deal and setting a radically different path such as revoking the decision to leave. "I don't recognize the rhetoric in the U.K. anymore. I don't want to close the door on the European project," Norris Trent said. "This is about protecting my family against populism and closing borders," she said. France's Interior Ministry recorded 3,173 British citizens who became French ones in 2017, an eightfold increase compared to the year before, when U.K. voters decided to leave the EU. Numbers for 2018 are not yet available. France has its own problems, of course, including persistent discrimination against residents with immigrant backgrounds despite a national motto proclaiming equality for all. On the day Norris Trent became a citizen, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe spoke during another naturalization ceremony at the Pantheon about the country's alarming rise in anti-Semitism. But Macron is a fierce champion of the European Union, both its practical elements such as open borders and the idea it represents of European unity built from the ashes of World War II. "Generations of men and women... contributed to give (France) the identity it has today: a welcoming nation that protects human values," Macron said in the letter addressed to each new French citizen. The Pantheon has only been used for French citizenship ceremonies since 2017. The monument, a former church built in the 18th century that has become a famous mausoleum, has symbolism of its own. Several of the well-known figures buried there were born in other countries and became naturalized French citizens, including French-Polish scientist Marie Curie. Norris Trent suggested French authorities chose the location to impress new citizens with the splendor and inclusive history of their adopted country. "What a stunning place to become French. It's better than a pokey town hall," Norris Trent said. "You really feel privileged, and so it's quite a clever strategy." ___ Thomas Adamson can be followed at Twitter.com/ThomasAdamson_K A document signed by French President Emmanuel Macron and given to Britain's Catherine Norris Trent holds is pictured during a naturalization ceremony in Paris' Pantheon monument, Thursday, March 21, 2019. With the looming Brexit deadline, the 38-year-old mother of two who's lived in the French capital for over a decade was one of dozens of newly-minted French nationals attending the ceremony. (AP Photo/Thomas Admason) JERUSALEM (AP) - The leaders of Romania and Honduras on Sunday announced that they will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, following the lead of President Donald Trump. Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila and Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez delivered their announcements at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual conference in Washington. The announcements were welcomed by Israeli politicians. However, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, a government rival who's in charge of the East European nation's foreign policy, said the prime minister hadn't consulted with him over the decision. He accused her of "total ignorance" of foreign policy. The move is considered controversial as it goes against the rest of the European Union. Romania currently holds the bloc's rotating presidency. Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moved the U.S. Embassy to the city, a move that was applauded by Israel. Guatemala followed suit. The move angered the Palestinians, who seek east Jerusalem as capital of a future state. Most countries have embassies in Tel Aviv out of sensitivity over the contested city. The Palestinians, and most of the international community, say the city's final status should be resolved in negotiations. IRVING, Texas (AP) - Police say a Dallas-area woman was mauled to death by her two pit bull terriers as she tried to feed them at a veterinary clinic where the dogs were in quarantine for a prior attack. Irving police say 33-year-old Johana Villafane of Irving was pronounced dead Saturday at a Dallas hospital. A police statement says Villafane was at the clinic Saturday morning to feed the dogs and was in an exercise area when they attacked her. The aggressive dogs prevented medical personnel from quickly reaching Villafane. A police officer shot and killed both animals and the woman was taken to a hospital where she died. The statement didn't describe the initial biting incident that led to the pit bulls being quarantined. HOUSTON (AP) - The Latest on fire damage at a petrochemical storage facility that led to a partial closure of the Houston Ship Channel (all times local): 12:30 p.m. Officials say an emergency dike has been repaired and a damaged petrochemical tank stabilized during cleanup of leaking oil products that closed part of the Houston Ship Channel. Authorities are still trying to determine what caused a March 17 fire at Intercontinental Terminals Company's Deer Park facility that damaged or destroyed several petrochemical tanks. ITC spokesman Brent Weber says some tanks leaked oil products and a containment area was breached Friday, but was fixed by Sunday. Weber says the company is no longer pumping flammable pyrolysis gasoline out of a damaged tank because that tank is now secured. He says it did not leak any pygas but that there was a risk of toxic fumes. The petrochemical fire at Intercontinental Terminals Company reignited as crews tried to clean out the chemicals that remained in the tanks, Friday, March 22, 2019, in Deer Park, Texas. The efforts to clean up a Texas industrial plant that burned for several days this week were hamstrung Friday by a briefly reignited fire and a breach that led to chemicals spilling into the nearby Houston Ship Channel. (Godofredo A. Vasquez/Houston Chronicle via AP) The Coast Guard says a stretch of nearby Houston Ship Channel that closed Friday remains shut down with more than 50 vessels delayed. ___ 11:45 a.m. Officials say efforts continue to drain a damaged tank that contains flammable gas following a massive fire at a Houston-area petrochemical complex, after other tanks leaked product prompting a partial closure of the Houston Ship Channel. Intercontinental Terminals Company says pumping began Saturday afternoon to extract about 20,000 barrels of pyrolysis gasoline, known as pygas, from the tank at the Deer Park facility. Vacuum trucks are removing other liquid from a ditch. A section of the Houston Ship Channel remains closed Sunday after products from other tanks at the facility leaked. Coast Guard Petty Officer Kelly Parker says the Guard hopes to reopen the waterway Monday morning. Parker says 52 vessels are waiting to move, but the channel won't reopen until air and water quality has improved. ___ This story has been corrected to show the damaged tank is not leaking pygas and was not the reason for the closure of the Houston Ship Channel. RABAT, Morocco (AP) - Several thousand Moroccan teachers have staged a protest in the capital Rabat, in the latest outbreak of anger at low-wage, temporary teaching contracts that do not cover health care or provide for pensions. Sunday's march came the day after police used water cannon to disperse teachers trying to sleep outside in protest. The police violence heightened the teachers' anger after weeks of demonstrations. Protesters marched Sunday across the streets of Rabat carrying posters demanding respect for their profession and higher wages. It was part of a wave of protests by teachers from around the country, using Rabat as a gathering point to call out excessive use of temporary contracts without job protections. Government spokesman Mustapha El Khalfi said protesters are pursuing "political goals unrelated to the interest of the professors." Several thousand Moroccan teachers carrying posters marched across the streets of Rabat, Morocco, Sunday March 24, 2019. The protesters demand respect for their profession and higher wages. The banner in arabic reads "They were forced to contract" . ( AP Photo/Amira El Masaiti) Several thousand Moroccan teachers carrying posters march across the streets of Rabat, Morocco, Sunday March 24, 2019. The protesters demand respect for their profession and higher wages.( AP Photo/Amira El Masaiti) Thousands of Moroccan teachers shout in front of the Moroccan Parliament during a protest and the latest outbreak of anger at low-wage, temporary teaching contracts in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday March 24, 2019. The protesters demand respect for their profession and higher wages.( AP Photo/Amira El Masaiti) ROME (AP) - Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte says that he does not plan to serve in any future governments. Conte oversees a coalition government of two populist parties, the 5-Star Movement and the right-wing League. He has been premier since June 2018. He's not a member of 5 Star Movement, but sympathizes with the party and was its pick for the top job. In recent months, the party has done poorly in local elections as the anti-immigrant League gains in popularity. Conte, who is a law professor, said Sunday during a visit to the southern city of Lecce that he doesn't plan another term in government after this. He said, "my experience in government ends with this one." The next general election in Italy must be held no later than May 2023. NEW YORK (AP) - The man facing an assault charge in connection to an attack on a homeless woman on a New York City subway train claims she threatened him with a knife. The New York Post reports the court-appointed attorney for Marc Gomez made the claims at the 36-year-old's arraignment early Sunday in Bronx Criminal Court. Gomez, of Yonkers, New York, had been arrested Saturday in connection to the March 10 encounter, which was caught on video. The clip showed the 78-year-old woman being punched and kicked on a Bronx train around 3 a.m. She was treated for cuts, bleeding and swelling. Attorney Steven Mechanic says his client insists she threatened to stab him, and displayed some kind of sharp instrument. Gomez was ordered to be held. ___ Information from: New York Post, http://www.nypost.com DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Two Saudi sisters fleeing their family in Saudi Arabia have secured emergency visas and departed Hong Kong to a new country of residence, their lawyer said Monday. It's the latest public incident of Saudi women fleeing the kingdom for safety and refuge abroad. In January, Saudi teenager Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun's plight to escape her family in Saudi Arabia captured global attention when she called for help via Twitter from an airport hotel room in Bangkok. She was quickly resettled in Canada by the U.N. refugee agency. Lawyer Michael Vidler said in a statement that the sisters, ages 18 and 20, were granted emergency humanitarian visas after six months in Hong Kong. Vidler said the two are now "beginning their lives as free young women." Their identities and new country of residence were not disclosed. The sisters were escaping alleged repeated beatings and abuse by their male relatives, according to the rights group Amnesty International. The young women have told media they escaped while on a family trip to Sri Lanka and had intended to seek asylum in Australia. Their story echoes that of Alqunun, except that they have not disclosed their identities nor shown their faces. The sisters said in a statement that they want their story to give hope to others facing similar situations. "We are thrilled... that we have found our way to safety to restart our lives free of violence and oppression," they said. Saudi female runaways who flee the kingdom are typically trying to escape domestic abuse and male guardianship laws that bar women, regardless of their age, from obtaining a passport, traveling abroad, marrying or undergoing certain medical procedures without a male relative's consent. That often means a husband or father, but sometimes even a woman's own son has sole power to grant permission. Women who are caught fleeing in Saudi Arabia have few good options. They can be pressured to return home, arrested for disobedience or can be placed in restrictive shelters. Amnesty International said the sisters arrived in transit in Hong Kong in September but were blocked from continuing their journey. The sisters then entered Hong Kong, but were unable to extend their visas because they'd learned their passports had been revoked. The Saudi government and its embassies around the world do not typically comment on individual runaway cases, deeming them a "family affair." The spending plans announced by Chancellor Philip Hammond highlight the chaos at the heart of the UK Government, Nicola Sturgeon has said. Speaking at First Ministers Questions on Thursday, Ms Sturgeon suggested that the announcement made by Mr Hammond on Wednesday only served to outline the economic mismanagement at Westminster in the face of Brexit. The UK is expected to depart the European Union on March 29, however Prime Minister Theresa May has failed to get her deal through the House of Commons. Ms Sturgeon said: The Spring Statement underlines, again, the chaos at the heart of the UK Government. It showed that the Chancellor has billions of pounds available that he could be investing in public services, but has instead had to set aside to pay for the self-inflicted mess that is Brexit. The UK Governments chaotic approach to Brexit is already undermining the economy. Nicola Sturgeon said the Spring Statement highlights the "chaos" in the UK Government (Stefan Rousseau/PA) The OBR forecast the UK growth will slow and that in both 2018 and 2019, business investment will contract. That would represent the weakest period of business investment since the 2008 financial crisis. That, quite bluntly, is the cost of the UK Governments economic mismanagement and sadly theres no sign that they are about to change course, or at least no sign that they are voluntarily about to change course. Its customary to thank UK Government ministers for advance sight of their statements... pic.twitter.com/UnTsUBtoAx Kirsty Blackman (@KirstySNP) March 13, 2019 Ms Sturgeon also criticised Mr Hammond over a lack of clarity about whether EU funding to Scotland would be fully guaranteed after Brexit. It is deeply disappointing that the UK Government has yet to provide any clarity on future arrangements for EU funding, said the First Minister. Proposals on agriculture, fisheries and structural funding are vague and they provide no certainty for the future. The position on the proposed shared prosperity fund is particularly concerning, with no sign of the consultation that was promised in Autumn of last year, nor any meaningful engagement with the devolved administrations on this matter. It is crucial that the UK Government urgently commits to replacing all funding streams in full and that we receive our fair share of this to ensure that decisions can be taken in the best interests of Scotland. Funding decisions currently being made by Scottish ministers should continue to be made by Scottish ministers. In his speech, Mr Hammond said: The economy, itself, is remarkably robust. It has grown for nine consecutive years with the longest unbroken quarterly growth run of any G7 economy and is forecast to continue growing in each of the next five years. An economy that has created over 3.5 million net new jobs, that has seen female participation in the workforce increase to record levels and that is now delivering the fastest rate of wage growth in over a decade. In the last eight years, Northern Irelands Public Prosecution Service has taken prosecutorial decisions in 26 cases related to the Troubles, and three of these involve soldiers. The three cases which are currently live include that of Dennis Hutchings, 77, who has denied a charge of attempted murder over the death of John Pat Cunningham in 1974. The 27-year-old, who had learning difficulties, was shot in the back as he ran away from an Army patrol near Benburb, Co Tyrone. Mr Hutchings has contended it was never his intention to kill or injure Mr Cunningham, but that he was firing warning shots to get him to stop. Aidan McAnespie, 23, was shot dead in Aughnacloy, Northern Ireland, in February 1988 (PA) In a separate case, two former paratroopers are to stand trial charged with murdering an Official IRA man in Belfast. The former soldiers, who cannot be identified, allegedly killed Joe McCann in Belfast in April 1972. The defendants, now aged in their 60s, are known only as Soldier A and Soldier C. They were granted temporary anonymity at an early stage amid fears that identification could put their lives at risk. McCann was shot in disputed circumstances near his home in the Market area. In the third case currently before Northern Irelands courts, a former soldier has been charged over the death of Aidan McAnespie, 23, in Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone, in February 1988. Former Grenadier Guardsman David Jonathan Holden, 48, has been accused of gross negligence manslaughter. Mr McAnespie was on his way to a local GAA club when he was shot by the soldier. Mr Holden has claimed his hands were wet and his finger slipped on the trigger of his heavy machine gun. The PPS is still considering whether to prosecute one further case which involves members of the military. Classmates, friends and families of the victims of a mass shooting at a Brazil school have begun saying their goodbyes. Thousands attended a wake in the devastated Sao Paulo suburb as authorities worked to understand what drove two former students to attack with a gun, crossbows and axes. Before 17-year-old Guilherme Taucci Monteiro and 25-year-old Henrique de Castro launched an assault at the public school on Wednesday morning, police said they shot and killed a man who owned a used car dealership nearby. What came next, partially caught on surveillance camera footage shot at the schools entrance and widely distributed in Brazil, was horrifying. Upon entering, Monteiro is seen shooting several people as they try to run away. Moments later, de Castro enters, first striking wounded people on the ground with a small axe and then swinging it wildly while scores of students run past him. Relatives and friends of the victims of a school shooting in Brazil attend a large wake (Andre Penner/AP) De Castro then arms his bow and walks further into the school. I couldnt sleep. I have two children in school and they are about the age of the victims, said Wanda Augusta, a 46-year-old woman attending the wake. In total, seven were killed at the school, including five students, a teacher and a school administrator. Nine others were wounded in the attack. Of those, seven are still in hospital, three in intensive care. The large wake in a volleyball arena was for four of the students and the two school employees. Services for the other victims were held in other places. If only we could have identified the difficulties of these boys, said Rossieli Soares, the state education secretary, while attending the wake. This is a problem in our society. Joao Camilo Pires de Campos, the states public security secretary, summed up what was on the minds of many Brazilians. The big question is: What was the motivation of these former students? he said. Monteiros mother, Tatiana Taucci, offered a possible partial answer, saying that her son had been bullied at the school. Bullying, they call it He stopped going to school because of this, she said. She said she was surprised by his involvement and found out about the attack from the television. Minutes before the attack, Monteiro posted 26 photos on his Facebook page, including several with a gun. In some of the photos, he wore a black scarf with a white imprint of a skull and cross bones. No text accompanied the posts. The assailants were trying to force their way inside a room at the back of the school where many students were hiding when police arrived. Instead of facing officers, Monteiro shot de Castro and then shot himself, authorities said. British veterans have said the ex-paratrooper being prosecuted over the Bloody Sunday shootings is one soldier too many. Known as Soldier F, he will face charges for the murders of James Wray and William McKinney and the attempted murders of Joseph Friel, Michael Quinn, Joe Mahon and Patrick ODonnell in Londonderry in 1972. Sixteen other veterans and two ex-members of the Official IRA, all of whom were investigated, will not face prosecution. But former Grenadier Guard Alan Barry, who founded the Justice for Northern Ireland Veterans group, said Soldier F was being thrown under a bus. The 54-year-old, who served in Northern Ireland in the 1980s, said: Its very one-sided. No soldier should be charged. It happened 47 years ago, a line in the sand needs to be drawn and people need to move on. Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, veterans are being left open to prosecution while terrorists have been cleansed of their past crimes. Campaigners have criticised the decision to prosecute veterans including Dennis Hutchings (Kirsty OConnor/PA) Its all about appeasement: appeasing the IRA, appeasing Sinn Fein, and if that means throwing one or two veterans under a bus then thats what theyll do. He was speaking outside the Supreme Court in London on Thursday, where around 40 supporters of 77-year-old former soldier Dennis Hutchings had gathered. Mr Hutchings is facing prosecution over the fatal shooting of John Pat Cunningham during Northern Irelands Troubles. Conservative MP and former British Army officer Johnny Mercer tweeted it was ironic that Dennis is back in court today, adding it was a genuine disgrace and stain on this Nation that this process continues. Ironic that Dennis is back in court today. This is some of our veterans's every day, not just today. It is a genuine disgrace and stain on this Nation that this process continues https://t.co/D9bp7V6vu5 Johnny Mercer (@JohnnyMercerUK) March 14, 2019 Mr Mercer also tweeted that the Bloody Sunday charges brought against Soldier F were the result of an abject failure to govern and legislate, on our watch as a Conservative administration. When I speak of a chasm between those who serve and their political masters in this country, I mean this, he added. One banner outside the Supreme Court read: Our veterans fought for you, our veterans died for you, now its your chance to fight for us while another urged stop the witch-hunt now an expression used by several supporters. Former Coldstream Guardsman Vern Tilbury, 58, accused the country of spitting on its veterans and said the Government looked upon former soldiers as collateral damage. Ex-Artillery Sergeant Maurice Durward, 78, who spent 22 years in the Army, said he would not encourage his grandson to sign up because of the betrayal of politicians. Mr Mercer also criticised as utterly meaningless an announcement by Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson. Mr Williamson said the Ministry of Defence (MoD) was working to drive through a new package of safeguards to ensure our armed forces are not unfairly treated. He added: And the Government will urgently reform the system for dealing with legacy issues. Our serving and former personnel cannot live in constant fear of prosecution. The MoD will support soldier F and pay his legal costs, Mr Williamson added. The issue of a future amnesty for veterans remains an issue of intense controversy in Northern Ireland. Last year, the Government angered some of its own backbenchers and Mr Williamson when it did not include a statute of limitations on prosecutions of ex-service personnel among proposals for dealing with Northern Irelands toxic past. Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley said such a measure would be unacceptable, because it would also have to cover terror suspects accused of historic crimes. The prospect of a statute of limitations met with vocal opposition in Northern Ireland. Both Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionists voiced concern, as did the Irish Government and representatives of the victims sector. The DUP and some military veterans in Northern Ireland made the point that any such statute would, by law, have to be extended to also cover former paramilitaries something they branded unacceptable. Thirteen civil rights demonstrators were shot dead on January 30 1972 on one of the most notorious days of the Northern Ireland Troubles. A man is in hospital after being stabbed in the back and leg during an attempted murder in Glasgow. The 24-year-old was walking along Sword Street in Shettleston, in the citys east end, at 1.25am on Thursday when he was attacked by two men. He was taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary with stab wounds and is in a serious but stable condition. A 24-year-old man sustained serious stab wounds after being attacked by two men armed with large knives in Sword Street around 1.25am this morning. He was taken to hospital for treatment. If you have any information which can assist the enquiry please get in touch via 101. Greater Glasgow Police (@GreaterGlasgPol) March 14, 2019 Detective Constable Eilidh Marshall said: Im appealing for anyone who was in the area at the time and witnessed the assault to get in touch. If you have any information about the identity of the two men responsible I would urge you to contact me at Shettleston police office. Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident 0152 of March 14, or to anonymously call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Interserve faces a crunch shareholder vote over its future on Friday as the outsourcing giant fights for survival and looks to avert administration. Investors in the firm which holds crucial Government contracts for a range of services in prisons, schools and hospitals must decide whether to approve a restructuring proposal tabled by Interserve. Under the plan, aimed at slashing a near-650 million debt mountain, the group is proposing a debt-for-equity swap with its lenders. If approved, existing investors would see their holdings slashed to 5% and lenders such as RBS, HSBC and BNP Paribas together with Emerald Asset Management and Davidson Kempner Capital would seize control of the remaining equity. However, New York hedge fund Coltrane, Interserves largest shareholder with more than 27%, has reacted angrily and could yet scupper the plan as it seeks better terms. Coltrane favours a restructure that would see existing shareholders end up with a much bigger portion of equity, but the outsourcer has rejected its terms. Interserve has major debt problems (Steve Parsons/PA) The hedge fund plans to vote against Interserves proposal, which will be put to the ballot on Friday at 11am. It requires the support of over 50% of shareholders to gain approval and if it is rejected, Interserves 45,000 UK workers face an uncertain future. In the event the plan is voted down, Interserve has lined up EY to carry out a pre-pack administration, where the firm falls into the hands of its lenders. This would avoid a Carillion-style collapse and allow Interserve to continue trading and contracts to be honoured. Scotland is leading the way and can win a European space race, an MSP has said. Speaking at Holyrood on Thursday, Scottish Conservative Edward Mountain said all MSPs should get behind proposals to increase the countrys space capabilities. He made the comments during a Scottish Government debate on Scotlands strengths in technology and engineering in becoming a leading space nation. Mr Mountain said Scotland is not just capable of building rockets, but also launching them. He said: Scotland builds more spacecraft than anywhere else outside California and thats something to be proud of. Its a remarkable success story for Scottish manufacturing. Scotland, I believe, is leading the European space race because not only can we design, build and operate, but we will now be able to launch spacecraft. MSPs believe Scotland is well placed to develop its space capabilities (PA) I believe that the UK has the right business environment, the right industrial capability and is also blessed to have the right geography to succeed. Scotland is well placed in this space race and I believe its a race that we can win. Scotlands space sector could be worth 4 billion by 2030, Innovation Minister @Ivan_McKee said in today's @ScotParl space debate. "We have excellence in data science and application. And we are already punching above our weight in the space sector." https://t.co/OyxVI2xP3P pic.twitter.com/N2XJonNbCk Scottish Government Finance and Economy (@scotgoveconomy) March 14, 2019 Leading the debate, Innovation Minister Ivan McKee suggested Scotlands space sector could be worth 4 billion by 2030. Mr McKee also outlined the Scottish Governments plans to introduce at least one spaceport by the early 2020s. He said: Scotland already has an innovative and diverse engineering base, with world-class companies competing in international markets. As a country already punching above its weight in the space sector, we are in a great place to consolidate these existing strengths. Our ambitious plans for the space sector need strong leadership to succeed, and we are working with the Scottish Space Leadership Council, which has representatives from all parts of the sector including potential launch sites, satellite manufacturers and data analysis businesses. Together Im confident we will deliver the aspiration for Scotland to become a 4 billion industry by 2030 and be Europes leading space nation. More small satellites are built in Glasgow than any other place in Europe, with nearly a fifth of all UK space jobs based in Scotland. Findings from the Size and Health of the UK Space Industry 2018 report indicate a 27% increase in the number of space organisations in Scotland. There are now more than 130 space organisations in Scotland including the headquarters of 83 UK space industry firms generating an estimated combined income of 140 million. Scottish Labour MSP David Stewart said: Scotland has a fantastic space industry but it must be invested in for it to continue to grow. We can either grasp this opportunity to be at the forefront of space technology or we can choose to be left behind. Scotland in general, and Highlands and Islands in particular, have a comparative advantage in terms of location. Brexit cannot be allowed to become a barrier to this industrys future prosperity. Three days ago, Pyongyang pulled its staff without explanations. Four or five North Korean officials came back to Kaesong this morning. For Fr Hammond, Maryknoll superior in Korea, "As in any relationship, trust is needed". Next month, he will lead a humanitarian mission to the North together with five other priests to help 2,000 TB patients. Seoul (AsiaNews) North Korea today sent some officials back to the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong (picture 1), after pulling them three days ago. The office, which opened last year, serves as a permanent channel for communication between the two Koreas. Citing sources in South Koreas Unification Ministry, South Korean media reported that four or five North Korean officials returned to the office this morning to take part in a meeting with their Southern counterparts. Despite the goodwill gesture, the Ministry remains cautious because it is not yet clear if the office is back to normal. The number of North Korean officials sent to Kaesong is only half of the ordinary level. Three days ago, Pyongyang pulled out its personnel without explanations, merely saying that the decision was based on orders from the top. For experts and analysts, by pulling its officials North Korea sent a signal to South Korea to do more to persuade the United States to lower its demands in the negotiations currently stalled on denuclearisation. The return of North Korean liaison staff follows the announcement two days ago by US President Donald Trump that the US would not impose new sanctions on Pyongyang. According to observers, the move shows that Washington still intends to pursue dialogue with Pyongyang. The return of North Korean officials to Kaesong "is a sign of hope for Fr Gerard Hammond (picture 2), regional superior of the Maryknoll Missionaries (MM) in Korea. The 85-year-old priest is a member of the Eugene Bell Foundation (EBF), a Christian NGO that has been providing care and support for tuberculosis patients in North Korea for years. "The city is the place chosen to hold permanent talks and plan humanitarian activities for the North, the clergyman told AsiaNews. I've been there several times. It's an ideal place to work for peace on the peninsula. Fr Hammond said he was "deeply disappointed" by the failure of the Kim-Trump summit. "I was hoping the meeting would bring something new to the negotiations, even a small step forward. Talks are necessary, even if they are not perfect. For him, Peace in the peninsula and the reconciliation of the two Koreas are issues on which all can all agree: North, South and important supporters of the process, including the Holy See. At this particular moment, I urge everyone to pray," the missionary said. A few days ago, Fr Hammond received news he had been waiting for months. "On 29 March, I will go to the US embassy in Seoul, which will issue me a second US passport. This will allow me to take part in the next humanitarian expedition to North Korea, which will begin on 22 April and last three weeks. In addition to me and a young confrere, four other priests will take part: a French missionary of the Society for Foreign Missions of Paris (MEP), an Italian Oblate priest (OMI) and two Mexican Missionaries of Guadalupe (MG). We will help about 2,000 people suffering from multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), in 12 centres in four northern provinces: North Hamgyong, South Hamgyong, North Hwanghae and South Hwanghae. Travel will be difficult due to a lack of infrastructure. Neither Washington nor Seoul are involved in this initiative." "Denuclearisation and sanctions are the last obstacles to overcome for the three states; we must proceed step by step, explained the missionary. "Personally, I doubt Pyongyang is willing to give up all its weapons, but I am not a political expert. Trust is needed in every relationship. In this sense, our visit to North Korea can help. As the Holy Father says, we are called to go where there are those who suffer and need help." The family of a British Army captain who plunged to her death from a viaduct 46 seconds after her handcuffs were removed say they are suing police. Relatives of Janice Clark claim Durham Police failed to protect her when officers were called to Hownsgill Viaduct, near Consett, where she was standing on the wrong side of anti-suicide barriers. Members of the public had hung on to her until police arrived, and officers locked an arm onto the barrier using handcuffs. Picture Miss Clark, 50, pleaded to be released and said she no longer intended to jump, but seconds later she fell to her death. Her family said the officers should have waited for the fire brigade to arrive and attach her to a harness before releasing her. An inquest into her death in August 2017 was held at the end of last year and an open verdict was recorded as it was not clear whether Miss Clark, who had a history of mental illness, fell or jumped. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigated and found no action should be taken against the officers involved. A family spokesman said: The police were warned by the public not to remove the handcuffs. Forty six seconds after they removed them Janice was gone off the bridge. Why did they not just wait until the fire brigade arrived to harness her off? DFDF They were told by the members of the public to leave her. The spokesman said the family did not wish for the two officers involved to be punished, saying: They have been through enough. It is not for money either. It was a massive, tragic error and we dont want it to happen again. A Durham Constabulary spokeswoman said: This was an extremely tragic incident for everyone involved and our thoughts remain with Janices family and friends. We welcome the findings of the IOPC investigation, but given the pending legal action, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further. The IOPC said: After a thorough examination of all the evidence, we did not consider there to be an indication that any police officer involved in this incident may have behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings or committed a criminal offence. The RAF Tornado has completed its final flight in a flypast over the disbandment parade for the jets last two squadrons. The Tornado will retire at the end of this month after almost four decades in service. Members of the last two squadrons to operate the aircraft attended the parade in a hangar at the jets home base of RAF Marham in Norfolk on Thursday. A final flypast of the Tornado aircraft over RAF Marham (Joe Giddens/PA) Guests then moved outside to see the single jet roar overhead in a low flypast. Squadron leader Ian Dornan, the pilot for the Tornados final flight, described it as an absolute honour and a privilege. Its really when I think about all the aircrew that have gone before me and all the engineers that have made it possible to put the jet in the air, he said. Its sometimes sad as well as Ive a few friends who didnt make it back, but very humbling and very honoured to fly the last mission. RAF personnel look to the skies as the Tornado flies overhead (Joe Giddens/PA) Squadron leader Stephen Beardmore, who was in the back seat as navigator, said: Its been a long career for me flying Tornado and its kind of like a pair of old slippers. I think I just got used to it and its been very fulfilling. Its a sad day to move on but I think its time to move on. The aircraft has now come to the end of its service life and there are newer things to do and newer capabilities to service with newer aircraft. Squadron leaders Stephen Beardmore, left, and Ian Dornan (Joe Giddens/PA) The head of the RAF, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, Chief of the Air Staff, watched the jet taxi in for the last time and said it was a hugely significant moment in the RAFs history. He added: Its hugely emotional. The Tornado has been the greatest part of my RAF career and so if my eyes are just a little bit glassy its not just down to the wind thats blowing today here at Marham. Station Commander Group Captain Ian Cab Townsend said: I think the wave of emotion when those two engines shut down from the last sortie tells you everything you need to know. The Tornado aircraft over RAF Marham (Joe Giddens/PA) The two squadrons at the disbandment parade were 9 Squadron and 31 Squadron. The worlds first operational Tornado squadron, 9 Squadron, had operated the aircraft since 1982. It will be stood up again as a Typhoon squadron at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland. 31 Squadron, known as the Goldstars, operated the Tornado since 1984. It is set to be stood up again to operate Protector drones. The duties of the Tornado, which was originally used in combat during the first Gulf War, will be taken over by Typhoon jets with newly-fitted weapons systems. Prime Minister Theresa May has led the UK condemnation of the despicable Christchurch mosque shootings that killed 49 people. In a statement, the Prime Minister said she had spoken to her New Zealand counterpart, Jacinda Ardern, and that the UK stands ready to support New Zealand however we can. She said: To target Muslims as they were attending their place of worship is despicable. And our thoughts and prayers are with the people of New Zealand, with the families and friends of those who have died in these attacks and with all those who have been injured. The UK stands ready to support New Zealand however we can. Through terror attacks that have taken place on UK soil we know only too well the pain that such horrifying attacks can cause. As New Zealand has stood by us, so we stand shoulder to shoulder with them, and with Muslims in New Zealand, here in the UK and around the world. There can be no place in our societies for the vile ideology that drives and incites hatred and fear. Together we will defeat those who seek to destroy our values, our way of life and seek to divide us. In an earlier tweet she sent deepest condolences to the people of New Zealand, adding: My thoughts are with all of those affected by this sickening act of violence. "On behalf of the UK, my deepest condolences to the people of New Zealand after the horrifying terrorist attack in Christchurch. My thoughts are with all of those affected by this sickening act of violence." - PM @theresa_may UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) March 15, 2019 Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: Our hearts go out to the people of New Zealand following the news of this terrible act in Christchurch. NZ is one of the most peaceful, peace-loving and generous nations in the world. Your friends in the UK stand with you today in deepest sympathy. Home Secretary Sajid Javid tweeted he was absolutely heartbroken to hear about this attack on peaceful worshippers. Mr Javid added: We stand with New Zealand and Muslims across the world against all forms of racism and anti-Muslim hatred. We will not let extremists divide us #ChristchurchAttack. A horrific terror attack. We will never let the terrorists win and divide our communities. My thoughts and prayers with the victims and families of all those affected. A horrific terror attack. We will never let the terrorists win and divide our communities. My thoughts and prayers with the victims and families of all those affected. Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) March 15, 2019 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Twitter: My heart goes out to the victims of the horrific terror attack in New Zealand. We stand in solidarity with the Muslim community in Christchurch and around the world. We must defeat the bigotry which fuels such hatred and violence. My heart goes out to the victims of the horrific terror attack in New Zealand. We stand in solidarity with the Muslim community in Christchurch and around the world. We must defeat the bigotry which fuels such hatred and violence. Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) March 15, 2019 Baroness Warsi, a former Minister of State for Faith and Communities, said violence started with the demonisation and vilification of communities. She tweeted: I urge a moment of self reflection by politicians on how THEY impact public discourse around Muslims. I welcome colleagues condemning the murderous attack on Muslims in mosques in #NewZealand Violence is the end bt it starts with the demonisation & vilification of communities I urge a moment of self reflection by politicians on how THEY impact public discourse around Muslims pic.twitter.com/J7b5UVi1bu Sayeeda Warsi (@SayeedaWarsi) March 15, 2019 UK-based Anti-Islamaphobia group Tell MAMA said the attack showed how Anti-Muslim hatred is fast becoming a global issue and a binding factor for extremist far right groups. Iman Atta from the group said: We are appalled to hear about the mass casualties in New Zealand. The killer appears to have put out a manifesto based on white supremacist rhetoric which includes references to anti-Islamic comments. Police escort people away from outside the mosque (Mark Baker/AP/PA) He mentions mass immigration and an assault on our civilisation and makes repeated references to his white identity. The killer also seems to have filmed the murders adding a further cold ruthlessness to his actions. We have said time and time again that far right extremism is a growing problem and we have been citing this for over six years now. That rhetoric is wrapped within anti-migrant and anti-Muslim sentiment. Anti-Muslim hatred is fast becoming a global issue and a binding factor for extremist far right groups and individuals. It is a threat that needs to be taken seriously Mohammed Shafiq of the Ramadhan Foundation said the attacks were by far right extremists inspired by their hatred of Muslims and Islam. He said: An attack on a place of worship is an attack against all faiths, Im confident that in the days ahead you will see all communities come together. This sadly is not an isolated incident, for many years commentators, the media, politicians and far right extremists have dehumanised Islam and Muslims, have perpetuated the narrative that Muslims are responsible for the ills of the world and that our lives are not worthy of defence. He added: We call on Governments around the world to step up security for Mosques and Islamic Centres, the days ahead will be full of mourning and sadness but together as one human family we will prevail. A number of places of worship around the world, a place of reflection and peace, have been targeted by extremists. Here are some of the deadliest attacks over the last decade: October 31 2010 Al Qaida in Iraq militants attack Our Lady of Salvation Catholic Church in Baghdad during Sunday night mass, killing 58 people in the deadliest attack targeting Christians since the 2003 US-led invasion there. Al Qaida in Iraq later became the Islamic State (IS) group. December 15 2010 Two suicide bombers from the Sunni extremist group Jundallah blow themselves up near a mosque in south-eastern Iran, including six Revolutionary Guard commanders. August 5 2012 Six members of the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, in Oak Creek, are gunned down by a white supremacist, Wade Michael Page. Page is shot by a responding officer and later kills himself. November 18 2014 Two Palestinians using axes, knives and a gun kill four Jewish worshippers and an Israeli police officer in an attack on a Jerusalem synagogue. January 30 2015 A suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in the Pakistani town of Shikarpur kills 71 people. Jundullah claims responsibility. Police escort witnesses away from a mosque in central Christchurch, New Zealand (Matt Baker/AP) March 20 2015 Islamic State suicide bombers attack a pair of mosques in Yemens capital, Sanaa, unleashing monstrous blasts which rip through worshippers and kill 137 people. June 17 2015 Nine black worshippers including a pastor are killed by Dylann Roof, a 21-year-old white supremacist, after he prayed with them in Charleston, South Carolina. Roof is convicted of federal hate-crime and obstruction-of-religion charges, and sentenced to death. September 24 2015 A suicide bomber strikes a mosque in Sanaa, Yemens rebel-held capital, killing 25 worshippers during prayers for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. November 12 2016 A suicide bomber from Islamic State kills more than 50 people at the shrine of Shah Noorani, in Pakistans Baluchistan province. December 11 2016 A suicide bomber strikes inside a Cairo chapel adjacent to St Marks Cathedral, seat of Egypts ancient Coptic Orthodox Church. IS claims the attack, which kills at least 25 people. January 29 2017 A gunman killed six men during evening prayers at the Islamic Cultural Centre in Quebec City. Alexandre Bissonnette pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and attempted murder charges and was sentenced to serve 40 years in prison before being eligible for parole. February 16 2017 A suicide bomber detonates his explosives vest among devotees at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Pakistans Sindh province, killing 98. April 9 2017 Twin suicide bombings rock churches in the Egyptian coastal city of Alexandria and Tanta, killing at least 45 people. The attack is claimed by IS. June 15 2017 A suicide bomber kills four people at a Shiite mosque in Afghanistans capital city of Kabul. Among the dead is a leader of Afghanistans ethnic Hazaras, who are mostly Shiite Muslims. August 1 2017 A suicide bomber storms into the largest Shiite mosque in Afghanistans western Herat province, opening fire on worshippers before blowing himself up, killing at least 90 people. Hundreds more are wounded in the attack during evening prayers. August 3 2017 Suicide bombers disguised in burka robes attack a Shiite mosque in eastern Afghanistan, killing 27 people. August 25 2017 Militants storm a packed Shiite mosque in Kabul during Friday prayers. The attack ends with at least 28 worshippers killed and 50 wounded, many of them children. Two of the assailants blow themselves up and another two are shot dead by security forces. September 29 2017 A suicide bomber blows himself up outside a Shiite mosque in Kabul, killing five, as worshippers leave after Friday prayers. October 20 2017 IS claims a suicide bomb attack that kills 31 and wounds 29 at a Shiite mosque in Kabul. November 5 2017 Dressed in black tactical-style gear and armed with an assault weapon, 26-year-old Devin Kelley opens fire at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, killing 26 people and wounding around 20 others. November 24 2017 Militants kill 311 worshippers in a mosque attack in north Sinai, the deadliest such terrorist attack in Egypts modern history. December 17 2017 An Islamic State attack on a church in the Pakistani city of Quetta kills 16 people. October 27 2018 A gunman believed to have posted anti-Semitic slurs and rhetoric on social media enters the Tree of Life Congregation synagogue in Pittsburgh and opens fire, killing 11 people and wounding six others, including four police officers. January 27 2019 Two suicide attackers detonate two bombs during a mass in a Roman Catholic cathedral on the largely Muslim island of Jolo in the southern Philippines, killing 23 and wounding about 100 others. Three days later, an attacker hurls a grenade in a mosque in nearby Zamboanga city, killing two religious teachers. March 15 2019 At least 49 people are killed in an attack at mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch. Students have joined school strikes around the world demanding that politicians take urgent action on climate change. Students take part in a global school strike for climate change outside the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh, as protests are planned in 100 towns and cities in the UK. In the UK, walkouts have taken place in more than 100 towns and cities, driven by what students say is an alarming lack of government leadership on climate action. Students take part in a global school strike for climate change in Canterbury, Kent, as protests are planned in 100 towns and cities in the UK. The global day of action has been inspired by teenager Greta Thunberg, who protests every Friday outside Swedens parliament to urge leaders to tackle climate change. Parliament Square in London was packed (Kirsty OConnor/PA) A poll ahead of the walkouts suggests a majority of the British public support UK students who first ditched lessons and lectures for demonstrations on February 15 to call for greater climate action. Students take part in a global school strike for climate change in Parliament Square, London, as protests are planned in 100 towns and cities in the UK. Students take part in a global school strike for climate change in Parliament Square, London, as protests are planned in 100 towns and cities in the UK. The climate change protests were taking place across the globe. A woman takes part in a march during a demonstration to call for strengthened measures against global warming in Tokyo Friday, March 15, 2019. Students worldwide are skipping class Friday to take to the streets to protest their governments failure to take sufficient action against global warming. (Jun Hirata/Kyodo News via AP) Students take part in a protest against climate change, in Aarhus, Denmark, Friday, March 15, 2019. Students in cities worldwide skipped classes Friday in protest over their governments failure to act against global warming. (Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix via AP) Students and activists hold slogans as they join a demonstration to call for strengthened measures against global warming in metropolitan Manila, Philippines on Friday, March 15, 2019. The group joins others worldwide as they protest their governments failure to take sufficient action against global warming. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Students gather in protest to demand action on climate change, in Rome, Friday, March 15, 2019. Students worldwide are skipping class Friday to take to the streets to protest their governments failure to take sufficient action against global warming.(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Students participate in a climate protest, at Stortorget in Lund, Sweden, Friday, March 15, 2019. Students worldwide skipped classes Friday to take to the streets to protest their governments failure to take sufficient action against global warming. (Johan Nilsson /TT News Agency via AP) Students in Cape Town, South Africa take part in a protest, Friday, March 15, 2019 as part of a global student strike against government inaction on climate change. Students in cities worldwide skipped classes to protest their governments failure to act against global warming. (AP Photo/Nasief Manie) Police have stepped up patrols at mosques in Scotland after the New Zealand shootings that left 49 dead. There is no specific threat but officers will be working to reassure and engage with communities of all faiths, Police Scotland said. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon expressed solidarity with the Muslim community after attackers opened fire at two mosques in Christchurch during Friday prayers. Later today, I will visit @GlasgowMosque. New Zealand may be on the other side of the world but I know that for Muslims here, what has happened will feel very personal and close to home. As we send our love to #christchurch, we must stand united here. Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) March 15, 2019 The Muslim Council of Scotland said it was time for us all to stand together against this hatred and said a vigil would take place at the top of Buchanan Street in Glasgow at 5pm. On a visit to Glasgow Central Mosque with Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf, Ms Sturgeon said: This terrorist attack on Muslims in their place of worship was horrific and cowardly and first and foremost my thoughts are with the victims and their families, with New Zealands Muslim community and indeed with all of the people of New Zealand. New Zealand is on the other side of the world from Scotland but I know that what happened there feels very personal and close to home to our own Muslim communities which is why I wanted to come here to Glasgow Central Mosque today to show my solidarity and offer some reassurance. Flowers at Finsbury Park Mosque in London following the attacks in New Zealand (Yui Mok/PA) The awful events in New Zealand are a very stark reminder of the duty that all of us have to stand firmly against the hatred and the far right ideology that motivates attacks like this one. There is no place in of our societies for Islamophobia, anti-semitism or racism of any kind and it is important that we send that message strongly and in a very united way. The police were here as I visited the mosque today. I know they are anxious to reassure the Muslim community at mosques, not just here in Glasgow, but across Scotland. Glasgow Central Mosque is in my constituency, there are several mosques in my constituency. I know the relationship between the community and the police is already a very strong one, but the police are right to talk about stepping up their patrols in the wake of what happened. It is absolutely fundamental that anybody of any religion or faith feels safe at their place of worship and thats something we must make sure is the case here in Scotland. Go Friday prayers every week, today feels different, already talking to worshippers who feel shaken, who know this attack wasn't in a vacuum but hatred has gone unchecked, even encouraged by those who should know better. Time for all of us to stand against hatred #LoveYourMosque pic.twitter.com/TEzM9bIdvw Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) March 15, 2019 Politicians across Scotland expressed their horror at the attacks and Holyrood Presiding Officer, Ken Macintosh, said the Parliament would be flying flags at half-mast. Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf tweeted a picture of Glasgow Central Mosque and said: Go (to) Friday prayers every week, today feels different, already talking to worshippers who feel shaken, who know this attack wasnt in a vacuum but hatred has gone unchecked, even encouraged by those who should know better. Scottish Labour MSP Anas Sarwar said: This terrorist attack is designed to divide our communities, but an attack on one is an attack on all. In the aftermath of this distressing tragedy, we must unite and work together to confront hatred. This is not a fight for one individual community, its a fight for all of us. Scottish Green Party co-convener Patrick Harvie wrote: The world must unite against such vicious far right hate; tolerating its presence in our society and in our politics has become normalised, and must end. Appalling news from Christchurch. I was there last summer marking the deep links with Scotland. My heart goes out to the families of those caught up in this outrage and the people of New Zealand David Mundell MP (@DavidMundellDCT) March 15, 2019 Scottish Secretary David Mundell wrote: My heart goes out to the families of those caught up in this outrage and the people of New Zealand. Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie described the attack as sickening. Deputy Chief Constable Will Kerr said: We are monitoring events in New Zealand closely and send our condolences to all those affected. We stand together with all our communities and partners here and overseas, and will continue to work with them to counter the threat no matter where it comes from. Today we will be stepping up reassurance patrols around mosques and increasing engagement with communities of all faiths, giving advice on how people and places can protect themselves. Anyone wishing to report anything suspicious is asked to call the confidential anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321, or in an emergency call 999. The UK is to be battered by strong winds, rain and snow as an area of developing low pressure sweeps across the country. The Met Office has issued five weather warnings covering large swathes of the UK ahead of an unsettled weekend. A developing area of low pressure will move north east across the country, bringing gusts of up to 65mph and quite persistent rain which could lead to flooding. It follows a gusty Friday, with a weather warning for wind in place for the north east of England and the East Midlands. A number of #Rain warnings are in force - parts of North Wales could see up to 100mm, with localised flooding in places - stay #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/WP2xcdNjEm Met Office (@metoffice) March 15, 2019 Forecaster Matthew Box said: We have a developing low pressure thats going to pass across the northern half of the UK and its going to bring some disruptive weather as it does so. That weather will be a mixture essentially of rain, sleet and hill snow for a time, and also some strong winds. Waves crashed on to cars on the harbour arm at the Port of Dover in Kent as Storms Gareth swept across the country (Gareth Fuller/PA) From midnight on Friday through the whole of Saturday, two warnings are in place for heavy persistent rain forecast in parts of Wales, and northern England. The Met Office is warning that some homes and businesses may flood, with more than 100mm predicted to fall on higher ground in north Wales and 40-70mm elsewhere. Mr Box said: Given that some of that ground is already saturated, and has had quite a lot rainfall recently, this spell of further persistent rain is cause for a little bit of concern and we could see some localised flooding. It will be a #Windy day for all areas on Saturday, but particularly across Wales and southern England - gusts could reach 65 mph in places. Stay #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/HKbm5aL1pE Met Office (@metoffice) March 15, 2019 In Northern Ireland, a weather warning for snow and rain will be in place until 1pm on Saturday. Up to 2-4cm of snow could fall over northern hills, clearing by midday, while 20-30mm of rain elsewhere may bring flooding. In Scotland and northern England, from 4am to 9pm on Saturday a warning is in place for potentially disruptive snow. Up to 10cm could fall on the highest land in Scotland, with 2-6cm in areas above 200-300mm and a complex mix of rain and snow at lower levels. In addition, a warning for wind is in place for Wales, southern England, the West Midlands and north west England. From 4am to 9pm on Saturday, gusts of 45-55mph are expected widely, with gusts up to 60-65mph possible in exposed coastal areas. Coastal routes could be affected by large waves, while difficult driving conditions are possible and delays to public transport likely. Mr Box said: Obviously weve got a lot of travel for some of the big rugby games tomorrow so people should take extra care and plan ahead. The pressure will build into next week, with conditions turning drier, brighter and calmer. The DUP has branded Brexit talks with the Government as constructive. The move comes as Theresa May battles to build support for her EU withdrawal deal. The Prime Minister knows that winning support from the DUP could lead to her deal being approved by the Commons next week, after it was rejected for the second time on Tuesday. Following the top level discussions, DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said: We have had a long series of discussions with a series of Cabinet ministers today. We have had a constructive dialogue. Those discussions will continue over the coming period of time. Asked if extra cash for Northern Ireland had been discussed with Chancellor Philip Hammond, Mr Dodds said: The Chancellor of the Exchequer is obviously a key member of the Government, but he is also responsible for HMRC and the whole issue of their involvement in customs and other regulatory issues is a key concern for us. Other ministers involved in the talks included David Lidington, Michael Gove and Julian Smith, he said. Mr Dodds said: We are not discussing cash in these discussions. When the DUP agreed to prop up Mrs Mays Government in a confidence and supply agreement in 2017, the party secured an extra 1 billion in funding for Northern Ireland. Mr Dodds said the Government was now very focused on addressing the issue of the Northern Ireland backstop. He said: From day one, our focus has been on the red line of how Northern Ireland is treated separately from the rest of the UK. That is the issue that has been the priority concern for us. The talks come as European leaders consider whether to agree to UK calls for Britains departure to be delayed. MPs backed a bid to push back Brexit beyond the scheduled date of March 29 in dramatic parliamentary scenes which saw a majority of the Conservative party in the opposite lobby from the Prime Minister. Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay, who voted against the Government motion requesting an Article 50 extension, told the BBC: There were two parts of the motion, a short technical extension which we need with the deal, and we are pushing that. Thats separate from whether you just have a long extension, rather than no deal. Mr Barclay added: We need a deal. We need to get that over the line. But, if we dont have a deal, then we should leave with no deal. Thats always been my position, and I voted as the constituency would expect me to do last night. If we get the deal through as I hope we still will, we will now need a short, technical extension. But, if not, we shouldnt be afraid to leave with no deal. Countdown to leaving the EU (PA Graphics) Former Cabinet minister Esther McVey suggested Brexiteers could back Mrs Mays deal next week in order to make sure the UK leaves the EU. She told BBC Radio 4s Political Thinking with Nick Robinson podcast: The element now is that people will have to take a bad deal rather than no deal. She added: Theyll know its a rubbish a deal. They didnt believe and neither would I have believed having got warm words from people in authority we will do this, and remember the 100-plus times we will be out on March 29 absolutely not. Remember those words we will not be part of the customs union, the single market, all of those red lines. Would you have believed they would have been broken, not adhered to and then run the clock down and not go back with a negotiating hand to change it? She added that people would have to think a different way next week. Any Brexit delay will require the agreement of the other 27 European Union members, with talks about any conditions for an extension set to begin before leaders gather at a summit next week. European Council president Donald Tusk met Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in The Hague on Friday, before talks with the blocs key power brokers Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron on Monday. Following the talks, Mr Rutte said the current Withdrawal Agreement is the only deal on the table. DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds (Victoria Jones/PA) Mr Tusk said: I will appeal to the EU27 to be open to a long extension if the UK finds it necessary to rethink its Brexit strategy and build consensus around it. But European Parliament Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt questioned why the leaders of the 27 should grant an extension if Mrs May was not ready for a cross-party approach to break the current deadlock in the Commons. The Prime Minister is set to bring her Brexit deal back to the Commons for a third meaningful vote next week, and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox has sought to provide further legal assurances about the Irish backstop. But Mrs Mays hopes of persuading Eurosceptics and the DUP to back the deal were dealt a blow after the Star Chamber of Brexiteer lawyers rejected Mr Coxs latest assessment. Donald Trump has sent condolences to the victims of the New Zealand mosque massacre, and the White House issued a statement denouncing the vicious act of hate. The gunman accused of being behind at least one of the mosque shootings left a rambling manifesto that mentioned the US president, calling him a symbol of renewed white identity, a connection the White House denounced as outrageous. The reference nonetheless cast an uncomfortable spotlight on the way the president has been embraced by some on the far right. The president tweeted that his warmest sympathy and best wishes goes out to the people of New Zealand after the horrible massacre in the Mosques. 49 innocent people have so senselessly died, with so many more seriously injured. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders went further in denouncing the gunmans actions, with a statement that said: The United States strongly condemns the attack in Christchurch. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with the people of New Zealand and their government against this vicious act of hate. The man accused of the shootings left behind a 74-page document that outlined his motivations. He is a 28-year-old Australian white nationalist who hates immigrants and who was set off by attacks in Europe that were perpetrated by Muslims. He embraced Nazi imagery, voiced support for fascism and, at one point, cheered on Mr Trump. Were/are you a supporter of Donald Trump? was one of the questions the manifestos author posed to himself. His answer: As a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose? Sure. As a policy maker and leader? Dear god no. (PA Graphics) Mr Trump, who as a candidate proposed a ban on all Muslims entering the US, has drawn criticism as being slow to condemn white supremacy and related violence. After a 2017 clash between white nationalists and anti-racist protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, that left one demonstrator dead, he said there were very fine people on both sides of the confrontation. He did not immediately reject the support of David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard, during his presidential campaign. His hardline immigration rhetoric and calls to return America to its traditional past have been embraced by many on the conservative fringes, including those who troll online with racist imagery, as well as white supremacists who have looked to engage in violence. The number of hate groups nationwide has risen significantly since he took office, according to the Southern Poverty Law Centre. The White House quickly rejected any link between the shooting and Mr Trump. Its outrageous to even make that connection between this deranged individual that committed this evil crime to the president who has repeatedly condemned bigotry, racism and made it very clear that this is a terrorist attack, said Mercedes Schlapp, the White Houses director of strategic communication. We are there to support and stand with the people of New Zealand. Thousands of students have walked out of lessons and lectures across the UK as part of a global school strike for action on climate change. Young people from the South Pacific to Europe and the US have taken to the streets, calling on political leaders to take swift action to curb rising global temperatures. Organisers claimed 50,000 people took part in events in 150 British towns and cities including London, Brighton, Leeds, Manchester, Cambridge and Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Students take part in a global school strike for climate change in Cambridge city centre (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Students walked out of lessons to protest in Ireland, including big crowds in central Dublin, and thousands joined marches in Sydney, Paris, Warsaw, Berlin and Brussels, before strikes got under way in the US. In the UK, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said it was up to school and college leaders to safeguard young people and missing school to protest over climate change should not be condoned. Mr Barton labelled the protests taking place in the UK as fruitless and said children should be learning in school about why climate change matters and how political processes work. Speaking at ASCLs annual conference in Birmingham, he said it would be reasonable to expect students to make up any missed work during lunchtime detentions. Students have walked out of classes across the country, including in Cambridge (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Education Secretary Damian Hinds said that while it was great that pupils were taking an interest in an issue that was so important in the UK, and around the world, they should be at school. But politicians including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Environment Secretary Michael Gove have spoken of their support for the young climate strikers who are also backed by scientists, academics and campaigners. Young people gathered in Parliament Square, London, with placards that read by the time were in charge it will be too late, we want you to panic and the greatest threat to the planet is the belief someone else will save it. They chanted this is what democracy looks like while primary school children, who were at the protest with their parents and holding handmade placards, shouted climate change, boo! Two young girls draw on a pavement as students take part in a global school strike for climate change in Oxford city centre (Steve Parsons/PA) Joe Crabtree, 15, from south-west London, who is missing GCSE mocks for the protest, said: Im here today to send a clear message to Government that Im fed up with inaction on climate change. I think theyre not doing enough to curb the problem that is climate change, leaving it to the side like us with homework, hoping it will get done, but its not being dealt with. Anna Taylor, 17, from north London co-founder of the UK Student Climate Network, said the Government was failing to recognise the severity of the crisis. Theyre failing to make environmental reform and environmental policy a priority, they focusing on economic policy and Brexit and failing to address the climate crisis facing us. She said young people felt passionate about tackling climate change and were striking in solidarity with each other around the world. Thousands of Dublin Students take to the capitals streets this lunchtime to take part in #schoolstrike4climate . #FridaysForFuture #SchoolStrike @pa pic.twitter.com/AhbgvwB6fX Niall Carson (@niallcarsonpa) March 15, 2019 Scarlet Possnett, 15, described climate change as the existential threat of my generation and I know I have to do everything I can to address it. And she said: Id much rather be in school today. I wish I didnt have to be here in London, but policy change is needed and its needed now. In Glasgow, Marianne Mylchreest, 20, a Glasgow University student who joined the protest in George Square, said: Were out here saying that theres not enough being done so were trying to get people to actually make a difference. Its incredible schools are coming out, unis are coming out, people that have kids are coming out, theres dogs here, its just great. Police warned people taking part in the protests not to climb statues (Kirsty OConnor/PA) Six-year-old Anna Arbuckle said she joined the George Square demonstrators to stop the ice from melting. Her older sister Lucy, aged 10, said: The people in power arent taking control of the situation and we need to stop it from happening, otherwise our world will heat up and all the ice will melt and therell be no place for the polar bears and penguins. The global day of action has been inspired by teenager Greta Thunberg, who protests every Friday outside Swedens parliament to urge leaders to tackle climate change. Today, hundreds of thousands of young people around the world are making their voices heard. Their message is clear: climate change is real, its happening now, and we must act. #FridaysForFuture #Cities4Climate #ClimateStrike pic.twitter.com/6V6PO2iVZs C40 Cities (@c40cities) March 15, 2019 The strikes come in the wake of a UN report last year which warned limiting global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, beyond which climate impacts become increasingly severe, requires unprecedented action. That includes cutting global carbon dioxide emissions by almost half within 12 years, and to zero by mid-century. Students in the UK are demanding the Government declare a climate emergency and take urgent steps to tackle the problem. Two Christians have been giving out flowers at a Birmingham mosque in a show of support for the victims of shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. James Lynch and Marcus Kapers of Riverside Church gave out flowers to worshippers as they left Birmingham Central Mosque after the terror attack that killed 49 people and injured at least 20 others. Mr Lynch said: We were just really devastated this morning to hear the news, like a lot of people were, and we just thought theres got to be a way of making a gesture to our friends here at the mosque, so we just wanted to let people to know that we love them, and were sorry for what happened. (Ben Birchall/PA Images) Right-wing extremist Brenton Tarrant, 28, has been charged with murder after opening fire on worshippers attending Friday prayers. World leaders have sent messages of condolence to the victims and their families. The Queen stated that she had been saddened by the appalling events. The countrys prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, described the killings as one of New Zealands darkest days, adding: What has happened here is an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence. (Ben Birchall/PA Images) In a separate show of support, a fundraiser for the victims of the shooting at two mosques in Christchurch raised more than 380,000 New Zealand dollars (197,000) within hours of the tragedy. Created by New Zealand charity Victim Support, the appeal had over 6,000 donors at 2am local time, after a press release was issued at around 9.40pm the previous night. Mr Lynch said: Its just a gesture of friendship and acceptance Its just a flower really but hopefully it means a bit more than that. Hungary would respect the result of any vote that could reverse the UKs decision to leave the European Union, according to its Minister of State for EU Policies. Szabolcs Takacs visited Britain this week to provide Hungarians with clarity over their status in Britain post-Brexit. The UK was due to depart the EU on March 29 but MPs on Thursday voted to delay the date of exit. Just had a candid meeting w/ Ben Macpherson, Minister for Europe and Migration of the Scottish Gov't on #Brexit, the rights of Hungarians in Scotland and #migration. HU appreciates the SCOGOVs support to the HU expat community. Full respect to Scottish identity and traditions. pic.twitter.com/21eN8SWwXB Szabolcs Takacs (@_SzabolcsTakacs) March 15, 2019 A number of MPs and campaigners have called for another vote on EU membership, with the option to remain on the ballot paper. Mr Takacs told the Press Association on Friday: As we speak today, I dont see a high probability of a new referendum but what is not a probability today might be a possibility tomorrow. If this is the majority opinion, then we will accept it and we will respect it. Szabolcs Takacs,the Minister of State for EU Policies (PA/Lewis McKenzie) We were not very happy with the result because we enjoyed our partnership with the UK inside the European Union as a full member of the European Union. British politics in general very much respects constitutional identities, traditions, parliamentarianism, the role of national parliaments in decision-making also at the European level and this has been very dear to our hearts. Thats why for us a country is leaving which is close to us in European policy issues, so in case there is a reverse procedure Hungary will look at it in a constructive manner. Mr Takacs was speaking at the Hungarian Consulate in Edinburgh, which opened in December. He said it was important to give clarity to Hungarians living in the UK and suggested that even in the event of a disorderly Brexit their rights would still be protected. I think we can say that the acquired rights of the European Union citizens, including Hungarians, were guaranteed at a very early stage of the Brexit negotiations and its rightly so, he said. We have to make sure that their life will not suffer any negative consequences just because there was a democratic decision on the referendum on Brexit. Even if there is a disorderly withdrawal, a scenario we wouldnt like to see in Hungary, there are unilateral political statements by high level representatives of the UK Government, including the Prime Minister, that they will anyway guarantee the acquired rights of those who are already here and who come and stay in the UK before the check-out date. Mr Takacs added he believes Hungary and Scotland would continue to have close ties when the UK departs the EU. He said: We see a lot of potential economically in the Hungarian-Scottish cooperation in future. Culturally, we very much respect and value your traditions, your culture I believe that Scotland and the Scottish people, the vast majority of them voted for remain, certainly have a high ambition to stay close to the European Union and the member states, including Hungary. A man who tried to extort nearly 100,000 from his landlord and deliberately set fire to a house he had been renting has been jailed for 12 years. Joshua Rosenberg, 43, was found guilty of attempted extortion, attempted fraud, wilful fire-raising and attempting to pervert the course of justice. A judge at the High Court in Glasgow told Rosenberg, who has significant previous convictions, that a very substantial prison sentence was required to punish him and to protect the public. His luxury car was damaged in the blaze (Crown Office/PA) According to prosecutors, Rosenberg and his wife moved into a property in Dollar, Clackmannanshire, in December 2014. He began sending numerous emails to the landlord and their solicitor throughout January 2015, making threats and demands for increasing amounts of money for legal costs and damages, the Crown Office said. The threats included having the landlord struck off the register, investigated for tax evasion and criminal offences, and having them declared bankrupt. According to a sentencing statement issued following the case, judge Lord Becket told him: Your threats were manipulative, deeply cynical and downright cruel, and have had profound effects. Prosecutors said that in February 2015, fire destroyed part of the house and damaged his luxury car. Investigators found the vehicle had a sheet soaked with petrol hanging from the door. Glasgow High Court: Joshua Rosenberg sentenced to 12 years imprisonment, having been found guilty of attempted extortion, attempted fraud, wilful fire-raising and attempting to pervert the course of justice. https://t.co/qTVJwGwKJR Judges Scotland (@JudgesScotland) March 15, 2019 Rosenberg attempted to obtain 53,780 from his insurers by falsely claiming the property had been broken into and set on fire. He cited a report from a property maintenance company that he had actually produced himself, officials said. Rosenberg also attempted to bribe and threaten a man into admitting to authorities that he had set the fire. When it did not succeed, he sent letters to public officials purporting to be from that man. Referring to Rosenbergs campaign to divert attention from himself, the judge told him: You sought to besmirch the reputation of the police officer who interviewed you, making extremely serious but baseless criminal allegations against him. When none of this worked you sent serious and alarming threats to a member of the Scottish Parliament. You sought to mislead the Deputy Chief Constable by making serious but baseless allegations about corruption within the police. You wrote to the First Minister of Scotland pretending that you were someone else, falsely confessing to numerous other crimes, and you made threats to blow up the Scottish Parliament. I recognise that there is no basis to conclude that you actually intended to follow through these threats but the recipients of them, and the authorities, were not to know that. Speaking at the end of the case, Nicky Patrick, procurator fiscal for homicide and major crime, said Rosenberg had been behind a persistent catalogue of criminal behaviour. She said: This was a complex case which required close cooperation and careful investigation by police and prosecutors to piece together the full extent of his attempts to not only fraudulently make money but to then cover his tracks. A couple has described the frightening experience of being airlifted off a cruise ship which got into difficulties off the coast of Norway amid stormy seas. Two hundred Britons were on board the Viking Sky ship which sent a mayday call after losing engine power, prompting the start of an evacuation of 1,300 passengers and crew in high winds. Police in Moere og Romsdal said the ships crew had managed to anchor in Hustadvika Bay, amid fears the vessel would run aground. Some 230 people were registered at a reception centre after being airlifted off the vessel, with 16 taken to hospital, three with series injuries. The boat will be towed to the city of Molde, on Norways west coast, on Sunday morning, authorities said. Footage online appeared to show the ship rocking dramatically, with debris falling from the ceiling and furniture including chairs sliding across the floor as passengers sat waiting to be rescued. Derek and Esther Browne, from Hampshire, said the whole boat was swaying, it was very rough before they were airlifted to safety. Mr Browne told BBC Radio 5 Lives Stephen Nolan: We had a few people on stretchers, several with cuts, two with broken limbs, but fortunately we were alright. We were airlifted onto the helicopter which was quite a frightening experience. He added: Id never been in a helicopter before, there were a lot of high winds, hovering overhead and the winchman came down and we were then collected up and so I shut my eyes as we arrived into the helicopter and there were 15 of us for about a 20-minute ride. Passengers are helped from a helicopter in Hustadvika after reaching shore (Odd Roar Lange/NTB Scanpix via AP) Norwegian media said the majority of the cruise ship passengers were British and American tourists. By 6pm local time in Norway around 100 people had been rescued from the ship. The ship was due to arrive in Tilbury in Essex on Tuesday. A spokeswoman for Viking Cruises said: The ship is proceeding on its own power and a tugboat is on site. The evacuation is proceeding with all necessary caution. The cruise ship Viking Sky after it sent out a mayday signal (Odd Roar Lange / NTB scanpix via AP) A small number of non-life threatening injuries have been reported. Guests are being accommodated in local hotels when they arrive back on shore, and Viking will arrange for return flights for all guests. The operator advised anyone with concerns about guests who were onboard to visit www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/my-trip/current-sailings/index.html. The 745ft Viking Sky was built in 2017 and is described on the official website as a comfortable, award-winning ship, intimate and thoughtfully created by experienced nautical architects and designers to enrich your interaction with your destination in every way. A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: We are in touch with Norwegian authorities and stand ready to help any British people who require our assistance. After Theresa May managed to get agreement on her proposal to delay Brexit, Britains EU withdrawal is taking place to a new timetable. So what is happening next week? And what could happen after that? Monday March 25 Parliament debates an amendable Government motion on the Brexit deal, which gives MPs a chance to put their favoured outcomes to a vote. Mrs May could table secondary legislation which must go through the Commons and Lords by Friday to remove the date of March 29 from Brexit legislation. Mrs Mays effective deputy David Lidington has promised to introduce a process for MPs to debate potential Brexit outcomes over the following two weeks. #BrexitSIs, debates on #Article50 extension and more - catch up with what's being going on in the House of Commons this week with our round-up #ICYMI UK House of Commons (@HouseofCommons) March 22, 2019 Tuesday March 26 Possible date for the third meaningful vote known in Westminster as MV3 on Mrs Mays Withdrawal Agreement. Downing Street says that no date has yet been fixed for the vote, which must come by the end of the week. Wednesday March 27 MPs led by Sir Oliver Letwin hope to seize control of parliamentary time to force votes on Brexit options. Could Oliver Letwins proposals come in to play? Friday March 29 No longer Brexit day. Leave-backing walkers who have taken part in the Brexit Betrayal march from Sunderland are due to arrive in London. April 11 Final date for the UK to take steps to enable European Parliament elections to take place. April 12 If Mrs May has failed to secure Commons support for her Withdrawal Agreement, this is the final day on which the UK can set out its next steps to the European Council, if it wishes to be granted a longer extension. If it does not do so, the UK would leave the EU without a deal. Will Theresa May be bidding farewell to Jean-Claude Juncker on April 12? May 22 If the Commons has approved Mrs Mays deal, the UK formally leaves the European Union on this date with a Withdrawal Agreement, entering a transition period during which it will continue to observe EU laws but have no representation in EU institutions. May 23-26 European Parliament elections take place across the EU, with or without the UK. July 1 The first session of the new European Parliament, whose first task is to confirm a new commission and president. December 31 2020 If the UK has left with a deal, this will be the end of the transition period. London and Brussels have both said they hope to have an agreement on future trade and security relations completed by this point. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall fly to Cuba for an historic visit which will see them celebrate cultural ties between the UK and the Communist state. Charles and Camillas official trip is a first by members of the monarchy and comes after the couples tour of five Commonwealth Caribbean countries where the Queen is head of state. The prince and duchess will be joined by Commonwealth minister Lord Ahmad, showing the importance the government places in developing ties with Cuba. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall during their tour of Grenada (Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA) There are no plans for the royal couple to meet Raul Castro, the brother of Cubas former Communist leader Fidel Castro who died in 2016, but they will be guests of honour at an official dinner hosted by the countrys president Miguel Diaz-Canel. Charles met Cubas president in November last year at his London home, Clarence House, when the foreign leader visited the UK with a delegation of senior ministers. At a Havana recording studio, the prince and his wife will meet members of the Buena Vista Social Club. The group became worldwide celebrities when their 1997 album became a surprise global hit and Grammy award winner. Other highlights of the Cuban trip will see the couple meet Havana owners of the famous vintage cars still running in the capital, although these will be British classics. Charles and Camilla will end their stay in Barbados by attending a traditional Sunday church service at St Michaels Cathedral before flying to Havana. After being welcomed at the airport, the prince and his wife will start their visit by laying a wreath at the memorial for Cubas national hero, the essayist and poet Jose Marti. A cruise ship which got into difficulties off the coast of Norway amid stormy seas has safely reached a port after around half of its passengers were evacuated. Some 200 Britons were on board the Viking Sky ship which sent a mayday call after losing engine power, prompting the start of an operation to airlift 1,300 passengers and crew from the vessel in high winds. Police in Moere og Romsdal said the ships crew had managed to anchor in Hustadvika Bay on Saturday, amid fears the vessel would run aground. Some 479 passengers were airlifted from the vessel. There were still 436 guests and 458 crew members on board following the end of the evacuation, the operator said. A spokeswoman for Viking Cruises said the ship had docked in the port in the city of Molde, on Norways west coast, at 4.30pm local time on Sunday, having travelled there under its own power. All passengers and crew are safe, she added, and passengers were due to begin flying home later on Sunday. Viking Cruises said 20 people suffered injuries and were receiving treatment in Norway, with some already discharged. A statement from the operator thanked the local emergency services for their support and skill displayed in managing the situation in very challenging weather conditions. It added: We would also like to thank the local residents who throughout the whole process have been extremely supportive and hospitable. Passengers rescued from the Viking Sky cruise ship are helped by emergency services in Hustadvika (Odd Roar Lange/Scanpix via NTB/AP) The operators chairman, Torstein Hagen, told Norways VG newspaper the events were some of the worst I have been involved in, but now it looks like its going well in the end and that weve been lucky. The shipping tycoon, who is one of Norways richest men, added: I am very proud of our crew. Footage online appeared to show the ship rocking dramatically, with debris falling from the ceiling and furniture including chairs sliding across the floor as passengers sat waiting to be rescued. Derek and Esther Browne, from Hampshire, said the whole boat was swaying, it was very rough before they were airlifted to safety. (PA Graphics) Mr Browne told BBC Radio 5 Lives Stephen Nolan: We had a few people on stretchers, several with cuts, two with broken limbs, but fortunately we were alright. We were airlifted onto the helicopter which was quite a frightening experience. He added: Id never been in a helicopter before, there were a lot of high winds, hovering overhead and the winchman came down and we were then collected up and so I shut my eyes as we arrived into the helicopter and there were 15 of us for about a 20-minute ride. Passengers are helped from a helicopter in Hustadvika after reaching shore (Odd Roar Lange/NTB Scanpix via AP) Norwegian media said the majority of the cruise ship passengers were British and American tourists. The ship was due to arrive in Tilbury in Essex on Tuesday. The cruise ship Viking Sky after it sent out a mayday signal (Odd Roar Lange/NTB scanpix via AP) Viking Cruises advised anyone with concerns about guests who were onboard to visit www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/my-trip/current-sailings/index.html. The 745ft Viking Sky was built in 2017 and is described on the official website as a comfortable, award-winning ship, intimate and thoughtfully created by experienced nautical architects and designers to enrich your interaction with your destination in every way. A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: We are in touch with Norwegian authorities and stand ready to help any British people who require our assistance. Tony Blair is confident Britain will get back on its feet and be a serious country again after Brexit. The former Labour prime minister said he was determined to be part of the debate as he passionately believes Brexit is mistake. Speaking at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai, Mr Blair added now was not the time for him to comment on whether Theresa May should resign. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair saying today, don't give up on the UK, we are in a bit of a mess, but we will get through it. #GESF2019 pic.twitter.com/CVnalDKGSI Susie Rodgers MBE (@Susie_Rodgers) March 24, 2019 He was asked by Varkey Foundation chairman, Vikas Pota, whether he agreed with Tory peer Lord Gadhia that Mrs May will not last to the end of the week as leader of the country. Mr Blair replied: I have done the job of being prime minister, and I know how difficult it is. Frankly, she doesnt need me making it anymore difficult in this particular moment in time. He added: The one thing I do say to everyone though is that my country is going through a really difficult period, thats for sure, but dont write us off. Tony Blair is sure the UK will return to its normal footing (Victoria Jones/PA) It has been a big mess, we are in a lot of trouble, it has evoked a national crisis. But I absolutely promise you one way or another I obviously have very strong views about Brexit but whatever happens on Brexit, one way or another Britain will get back on its feet again, will be a serious country again. We will sort ourselves out. Mr Blair said Britain is in a moment of real crisis and if a leader is struggling to get the support of those around, it becomes very challenging, very difficult, if not impossible. He was questioned on whether he was grateful to have a degree of separation from UK politics in the current climate. Mr Blair said it is when things are really bad that you want to be involved. He continued: Its an odd thing about politics I would say the journey of politics is you start at your least capable and most popular, and you end at your least popular and most capable. And partly what happens over time is you do learn a lot from the process of being in Government. Asked by the Press Association whether he thought Mrs May was now at her least popular and most capable, the former prime minister replied: I am not sure about that one. Mr Blair further explained that while he was no longer on the front line, sometimes even after you leave, it important to use what youve learned in government and inform the debate. He said: This is why on the Brexit thing, even though I am not on the front line any more, I believe so passionately it is a mistake for my country, that I feel absolutely determined to be part of it. The Duchess of Sussex now has just over a month until her expected due date. Parents-to-be Meghan and the Duke of Sussex will be excitedly gearing up for the big day. The American former actress revealed that her baby is set to arrive in late April or early May. Harry and Meghan receive baby gifts at Canada House (Chris Jackson/PA) The duchess told a well-wisher on a trip to Birkenhead: End of April, early May. One of my friends was saying she was five weeks early, so you can never really gauge when its ready. Were ready. Were so excited. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales. Dominic Lipinski/PA Images - see more at https://t.co/RmLwKbHcNO#MeghanAndHarry #MeghanMarkle #PrinceHarry pic.twitter.com/9kcLlB8Gky Alamy Editorial (@Alamy_Editorial) March 5, 2019 Meghan, like the Duchess of Cambridge, will thankfully be spared the humiliating age-old royal custom of having a government minister present when she gives birth. In 1688, James II and Mary of Modena produced a son and heir James Francis Edward after 15 years of marriage. Mary of Modena was forced to deliver in front of an audience of dozens of witnesses including the Archbishop of Canterbury, ministers of state, ambassadors and key family members. But it was still rumoured that the baby was actually a changeling who had been smuggled in a warming pan to ensure the restoration of Roman Catholicism. Today's royal bed: Mary of Modena's, site of The Warming Pan Incident. Was a fake babe smuggled in via a pan? (NO) pic.twitter.com/wpAAUQc0GL Lucy Worsley (@Lucy_Worsley) May 28, 2013 According to tradition, several Privy Counsellors and Ladies in Waiting used to be in attendance in an adjoining room. In 1894, Queen Victoria declared that for the birth of her great grandchild, the future Edward VIII, only one Cabinet minister would be needed, with only the Home Secretary attending from then on. When Princess Elizabeth, now the Queen, was born in 1926, the Home Secretary Sir William Joynson-Hicks was summoned. The birth of the Queens cousin, Princess Alexandra, in 1936 was the last occasion on which the Home Secretary was present. King George VI declared that a minister was needed only for those in the direct line of succession, but by the time Prince Charles, now the Prince of Wales, was born in 1948, the practice had been abandoned. The Queen had all four of her children at home at Buckingham Palace or Clarence House, and her midwife Helen Maude Rowe was invited to Charless christening. Prince Charles in the arms of Princess Elizabeths midwife Helen Maude Rowe (PA) Princess Elizabeth was also born at home by Caesarean section in her maternal grandparents London house, 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair. According to royal author Sarah Bradford, it was a difficult birth and Elizabeth was a breech baby, her mother tiny and small boned. Meghan could choose to return the royal tradition of home births, with top royal doctors on hand supported by a medical team in case of emergencies, and the latest birthing equipment. Will Meghan opt for a home birth (Yui Mok/PA) It would offer the duchess the privacy and comfort of her own home with Harry and Meghan due to move to the refurbished Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Estate ahead of the birth. The Duchess of Cambridge had three successful deliveries at the exclusive Lindo Wing at St Marys Hospital in London so Meghan may opt to give birth there. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their newborn son Prince Louis outside the Lindo Wing (Dominic Lipinski/PA) The Lindo has the added benefit of being based in an NHS hospital with a premature baby ward the Winnicott Baby Unit if complications arise. A 24-hour normal delivery room package costs 6,275 for a deluxe room not including consultants fees and a suite costs more. Kate had a team of 23 medical experts on standby during her delivery in case of an emergency, including replacement anaesthetists and paediatricians from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs St Marys Hospital. Harry was born at the Lindo in 1984, as was Prince William in 1982, and the Princess Royals children, Peter and Zara Phillips. Other private options include the Portland Hospital where both Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were born. The Duke and Duchess of York with Princess Beatrice at the Portland (PA) It is the only private hospital in the UK dedicated to the healthcare of women and children. A consultant-led normal delivery, including a 24-hour stay following the birth, costs 6,100, but does not include the consultants fees. Extra nights in the beautiful premier suite cost 2,250. Meghan and Harry might even decide to give a thumbs up to the NHS. Options closest to Windsor include the Mulberry Birth Centre at Frimley Park Hospital in Camberley, Surrey, which is 15 miles from Frogmore Cottage, or the Juniper Birth Centre at Wexham Park Hospital which both offer a home-from-home environment for lower-risk births. Frimley Park Hospital in Frimley, Surrey (Steve Parsons/PA) But this could raise security issues and would also mean that Meghan would be subject to a first-come, first-served basis so could miss out on using the birthing centres if they are already full when she goes into labour. The Mulberry Birth Centre at Frimley Park has five birth rooms, with en-suite facilities and one which includes a birthing pool with mood lighting. Frimley Park was the hospital that helped save the life of the Countess of Wessex following complications during the premature birth of her daughter, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor. Louise was the Queens first grandchild to be born in an NHS hospital. Sophies son, Viscount Severn, was also born there in 2007. Wherever Meghan choses, she is likely to be attended to by Guy Thorpe-Beeston, surgeon-gynaecologist to the royal household, and Alan Farthing, the Queens surgeon-gynaecologist, who cared for Kate during her deliveries. Theresa May is effectively out of power and would have departed Downing Street a long time ago under normal political circumstances, Nicola Sturgeon has said. Speaking on the BBCs Andrew Marr programme, Scotlands First Minister also suggested that the UK Government has no credible way forward and urged Mrs May to allow another EU referendum to take place. I think if we were in any normal period in British politics, she would be long gone, but the conventional rules are not applying, said Ms Sturgeon. I suppose the one caveat to that is I think she is effectively out of power now and perhaps debating her position is becoming more and more incidental by the day. The Government has absolutely failed to deliver on the result of the 2016 referendum. They have no credible way forward now and when Parliament and Government fails, then it seems to me the only sensible thing to do is put the people back in charge. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon addressed anti-Brexit campaigners in London on Saturday (Yui Mok/PA) Massive crowds at #PutIttothePeople rally in London today. Good to be there. pic.twitter.com/hgY2kZaW0c Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) March 23, 2019 Ms Sturgeon joined politicians and campaigners in London on Saturday in calling for a public vote on EU membership. Around one million people are believed to have participated in a march at the event, which finished with a rally at Parliament Square. The First Minister said that the SNPs first choice would be to remain within the EU, rather than having a soft Brexit, indicating that such an option would still be possible. Our first preference is to remain and the best way of achieving that is to have another referendum or to revoke Article 50, she said. At the moment, I think its fair to say that the option of remaining is not off the table and its not beyond the realms of possibility by any stretch of imagination. So as long as our first preference remains an option, that is what the SNP will back. The First Minister has previously indicated that she would set out a timetable for holding a second referendum on Scottish independence when there is greater clarity on Brexit, and told Andrew Marr that the case for independence had been bolstered by events of the past three years. I think another Scottish independence referendum is going to happen, said Ms Sturgeon. Nothing in this life is absolutely inevitable, but I think its as inevitable as its possible to be. Before I set a path forward for Scotland, I think its reasonable for me to know what the starting point of that journey is going to be and the context in which we are going to be embarking on it. We need to know and hopefully we will know this over the next few days and the next three weeks is the UK leaving the EU? Is it leaving with a deal? Is it leaving with no deal or is it not leaving at all? Perhaps looking at another referendum. But the experience of the last almost three years now Scotlands vote ignored, the voice of the Scottish Parliament ignored, all of the consequences that flow from Brexit completely outwith our control that really does make the case for independence very, very powerfully. Ms Sturgeon added that she was in favour of Scotland entering the EU in the event of independence and said the country should not have to choose between access to the UK and European markets. I would want to see an independent Scotland rejoin the EU, said Ms Sturgeon. One of the big ironies is that in the independence referendum, those who were against Scottish independence said: You cant have independence because youll get thrown out of the EU. What an irony that not too much further on, were facing being taken out against our will. The Scottish Conservatives constitution spokesman Adam Tomkins said: Nicola Sturgeons visit to London was a scam. She wasnt there because she cares about the UK leaving the EU or to try and influence proceedings in the coming days. She was there to agitate for a second independence referendum, and to set Scotland up for even more years of division. Independence is the only thing on her radar. Her obsession is stopping Scotland from getting on and doing the things that really matter to people. Pamela Nash, chief executive of Scotland in Union, said: The only thing inevitable in politics is that Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP want to create further division in society. Regardless of what she says about Brexit, the First Ministers priority will always be to break up the United Kingdom. A third male has been charged with the murder of a 16-year-old boy who was stabbed to death in Birmingham. The 17-year-old boy, from the city, was arrested at an address in Rugby on Friday night over the death of Abdullah Muhammad. The victim died at the scene in Herbert Road, Small Heath, after being injured at around 8pm on February 20. Police activity in Sara Park, off Herbert Road, in Small Heath, after the stabbing (Aaron Chown/PA) He was the second of three teenagers to die after separate stabbings in Birmingham during a two-week period. The 17-year-old, who cannot be named, will appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Monday charged with Abdullahs murder and two counts of robbery. Amari Robinson, also known as Amari Tullock, 20, from Birmingham, is also due to appear before the same court charged with the same offences. Demille Innis, 19, from Walsall, appeared before magistrates on Thursday charged with murder, two counts of robbery and possession of an offensive weapon. He will appear at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday. David Lidington has dismissed speculation that he could be installed as a caretaker prime minister under a reported Cabinet plot to oust Theresa May. The PMs de facto deputy said he had no desire to take over the reins, as speculation of a coup amongst ministers reached fever pitch after a turbulent week for the premier. Chancellor Philip Hammond accused those allegedly trying to topple Mrs May of being self-indulgent, while former party leader Iain Duncan Smith told ministers who briefed against the Prime Minister to apologise and shut up. Meanwhile, Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay warned that the risk of a general election would increase if MPs took control of parliamentary proceedings this week and brought about a constitutional collision. Mrs May is understood to be meeting prominent Brexiteers at her country residence, Chequers, on Sunday afternoon, before convening a meeting of the Cabinet on Monday morning. Among those reportedly attending talks in Buckinghamshire are ministers Mr Lidington, Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Mr Barclay, along with chief whip Julian Smith, and Eurosceptics Mr Duncan Smith, Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Dominic Raab. The Sunday Times claimed 11 Cabinet ministers wanted Mrs May to make way for someone else and that Mr Lidington was in line to take over the helm. But the Mail on Sunday reported ministers were plotting to install the Environment Secretary as a caretaker leader. David Lidington, who has been named as a potential caretaker replacement for the PM, says he has no wish to takeover from Theresa May Read more about the reported coup against the PM here: https://t.co/otgCB3QAae pic.twitter.com/flk5onMFl4 Sky News Politics (@SkyNewsPolitics) March 24, 2019 Speaking to reporters in his Aylesbury constituency, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said: I dont think that Ive any wish to take over from the PM (who) I think is doing a fantastic job. I tell you this: one thing that working closely with the Prime Minister does is cure you completely of any lingering shred of ambition to want to do that task. I have absolute admiration for the way she is going about it. Despite heavy criticism of Mrs Mays handling of the Brexit process and calls from members of her party to stand aside, the Chancellor insisted ousting her would not solve the problem. To be talking about changing the players on the board frankly is self-indulgent at this time, Mr Hammond told Sky Newss Sophy Ridge On Sunday. This is not about the Prime Minister or any other individual, this is about the future of our country. Changing Prime Minister wouldnt help us, changing the party in Government wouldnt help us: weve got to address the question of what type of Brexit is acceptable to Parliament. Mr Hammond also announced that Parliament would be given the chance to hold indicative votes on alternatives to the PMs Brexit deal this week, but said a decision had not yet been made on whether Tories would be granted free votes. And, after hundreds of thousands of people marched through central London demanding a so-called Peoples Vote, he said a second referendum was a perfectly coherent position which deserves to be considered along with the other proposals. An aerial view of marchers supporting a Peoples Vote in London (Screengrab/BBC/PA) MPs will be given the chance to seek to take control of the Brexit process from the Government if they back plans for a series of indicative votes when they vote on their favoured Brexit outcomes on Monday night. Mr Barclay warned that if the amendment, tabled by Tory Sir Oliver Letwin, passes and MPs bring about a constitutional collision then the risk of a general election would increase. He told BBC Ones Andrew Marr Show: What Parliament has done is vote for a number of contradictory things so we would need to untangle that but ultimately, at its logical conclusion, the risk of a general election increases because you potentially have a situation where Parliament is instructing the executive to do something that is counter to what it was elected to do. Brexiteer Mr Duncan Smith told the same programme the last week in politics had been as close to a national humiliation as I think Ive seen. Lashing out a dissenting ministers, he said: I think thats appalling, I think they should be censured and some of them should be sacked. And the idea of a cabal, a cabal that never wanted to leave the European Union, turning out to decide what should happen over our future would be unacceptable to my colleagues. The Irish premiere says he will work with Britain on Brexit, regardless of who is British prime minister. Leo Varadkar was speaking on RTES Week In Politics on Sunday when he was pressed on rumours that Theresa Mays position has become untenable in her Cabinet, and that ministers are allegedly plotting to oust the Prime Minister. Mr Varadkar said he believed Mrs May could deliver Brexit, but added that his cabinet has ensured the British-Irish working relationship was not dependent on Mrs May alone. I think she can, but one thing I know, is that I should not interfere in internal politics in the UK, he said. Whoever the prime minister is, we will work with that prime minister, weve made sure over the last two years we have very good links not just at prime minister-level and taoiseach-level, but also between Phillip Hammond and Pascal Donohoe and so on. Whoever is prime minister we will work with them. It didnt have to be this bad, I think whats happened is the UK is now consumed with Brexit. Even after they leave, assuming they leave with a Withdrawal Agreement, they will spend two or three years consumed about what the future relationship is going to be like. We have to make sure were not consumed and defined by it, and my job as Taoiseach is to sure we limit any damage so we can get on with our ambitious plan for the future. Leo Varadkar and Theresa May during a bilateral meeting in Brussels (Taoiseach/PA) The Taoiseach also responded to reports that German leader Angela Merkel had pushed for a task force to deal with the border issue, which had put Ireland under pressure. Im not under any pressure from Chancellor Merkel or anyone else on this issue, he said. What Chancellor Merkel or President Macron would do is ask reasonable questions. Im not sure what people think happens at European Council meetings. We dont go to have dinner, we have robust engagements, hard questions are asked and answered and we come to a consensus position and stand by that position. Mr Varadkar also took aim at Mrs Mays political opponent Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, and his Brexit plan. Our Plan A is getting the Withdrawal Agreement ratified and that is still possible. Plan B could involve UK changing position in the next couple of weeks, on the customs union for example. Corbyns customs union is cake and eat it as well. Its a customs union but still with the ability to have state aids and so on. The Taoiseach was also asked for his opinion on Ireland rejoining the Commonwealth after the idea was floated by a DUP MP at the Fine Gael part conference. Its not something thats on the agenda at the moment anyway. The Scottish Government has been urged to ban fracking after the publication of a legal opinion indicating that it is within the power of MSPs to do so. Ministers announced an effective ban on fracking in 2017, however a legal challenge was mounted by Petrochemical firm Ineos. Following the challenge, a Court of Session ruling in June last year found that as a matter of law, there is no prohibition against fracking in Scotland. A legal opinion published by Aidan ONeill QC now suggests that the Scottish Parliament has the legislative competence to pass a fracking ban. It also indicates that doing so would be less likely to result in successful legal challenges from companies with an interest in the industry. Friends of the Earth Scotland, who commissioned Mr ONeill, say that the Scottish Government must now act to definitively ban fracking. Campaigners have called for fracking to be banned (Danny Lawson/PA) Communities on the frontline of this dirty industry have been waiting for over four years for the Scottish Government to bring its long drawn out process on unconventional oil and gas to an end, Friends of the Earth Scotland head of campaigns, Mary Church, said. It is time for ministers to live up to their rhetoric and legislate to ban fracking for good. Eighteen months ago, the First Minister promised a ban on the industry, but last year the Governments position was exposed by Ineoss court case as having no legal force. When it is clearly within Holyroods power to legislate to protect peoples health, environment and the climate from the fracking industry, continuing only to use policy levers would be a betrayal of the tens of thousands of people across the country who called on the Scottish Government to act to stop this industry. Holyrood has a clear mandate from the people of Scotland to do so. If the present Scottish Government cares an ounce about its legacy, then we urge it to work together with the other anti-fracking parties to pass a law banning fracking and finally put this issue to bed once and for all. A Scottish Government spokesman said that further assessments would be required before the finalisation of policy on the issue. He said: The Scottish Governments preferred policy position is it does not support onshore unconventional oil and gas development in Scotland. Scottish Ministers are entering the final stages of the policy making process on this important issue. The preferred policy position is subject to a statutory Strategic Environmental Assessment and other assessments before a policy can be finalised. These assessments, which involve public consultation, are the latest steps in a cautious, evidence-led approach the Scottish Government has adopted in its policy-making process on this issue. The Scottish Government does not consider new legislation is necessary to control unconventional oil and gas development in Scotland and the adoption of a strong policy would provide appropriate and proportionate means to regulate such development. The practical effect of the current moratorium, and the policy-making process currently under way, is that no fracking or other unconventional oil and gas activity can take place in Scotland at this time. Claudia Beamish MSP, Scottish Labours spokeswoman for Climate Change and Environment, said: This is a significant development that adds some much-needed clarity to the fracking debate in Scotland. The SNP told the Scottish Parliament in clear terms that it would ban fracking in Scotland, before they awkwardly backtracked on that commitment before Parliament and the court. This legal opinion shows Holyrood not only has the powers, but crucially that a ban in primary legislation is the surer way to defeat future legal challenges. It is time for the SNP to finally recognise the strength of the Parliaments will on this issue, and to take a concluding position to ban fracking in Scotland no ifs, no buts. A murder investigation is under way after a shop worker was stabbed to death during a robbery at a newsagents in north-west London, police said. The 54-year-old man is believed to have been attacked as he opened Marsh Food and Wine in Pinner on Sunday morning. Scotland Yard said the shops till was stolen and may have been discarded by the suspect, while detectives are appealing for witnesses who saw a black Vauxhall Astra driven away at speed immediately after the stabbing. A police cordon surrounded the area in north-west London (David Mirzoeff/PA) Officers were called to the scene in Marsh Road at around 6am but the victim was pronounced dead about 45 minutes later. The Metropolitan Police said his family have been informed. Detective Chief Inspector Simon Stancombe said: I am appealing to anyone who was in the area around Marsh Lane this morning and saw anything of interest to contact police. This was a violent robbery that has escalated, resulting in the murder of a man. Detectives investigating the murder of a man in #Pinner #Harrow appeal for information about a black Vauxhall Astra seen in the vicinity of the attack - call 101 and quote CAD1653/24Mar with info. https://t.co/32Kx25ucc6 pic.twitter.com/HAICcsKfcG Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 24, 2019 It appears the till was stolen from the shop during this robbery and this may have been discarded by the suspect. If you have come across this, we want to hear from you. I am particularly keen to hear from anyone who saw a black Vauxhall Astra that was driven away at speed south down Cecil Park immediately after the attack. We think that car was parked in Cecil Park prior to the murder if you saw this, or have any other information that could help us progress this investigation, I would urge you to get in contact. Police were called to Marsh Road (David Mirzoeff/PA) A large section of Marsh Road has been cordoned off and a police forensics tent erected outside Marsh Food and Wine and a Costa Coffee outlet. Local business owner Peter Brook, 55, who lives nearby, said: When someone actually violates your community, people will be shocked. I know the other traders Ive spoken to are thinking there but for the grace of God go the rest of us. He said there were a few employees from the newsagents who delivered the morning papers to local businesses, all of whom he said are kind, polite and so committed to working in the local community. Mr Brook, who has lived in Pinner for nearly two decades, added: People sometimes dont appreciate the people who come out at 5am to deliver a service to the local community. When people like that are murdered going about their job its such a tragedy. Police are appealing for information on a black car which could be connected to the incident (David Mirzoeff/PA) Local councillor Norman Stevenson, who is also chairman of Pinner Business Club, described the area as a typical nice leafy suburb. He said he had spoken to employees of other newsagents since the attack and said their reaction is shock, of course, and its disbelief that this could happen in Pinner. Mr Stevenson added: Theyre always there at 5 or 6 o clock in the morning when very few people are around so I suppose, with hindsight thinking about that, there is a certain vulnerability about that but I dont think people live in fear, they get on with their lives. One resident described Pinner as lovely, but said she was not shocked by the news as such incidents are happening in all areas. Mary MacNamara, who has lived in the area for four years, said: We all see whats going on generally and it (such crime) seems to be happening in all areas. Its happening every day. Nobody does anything about it. She said the Government is too focused on Brexit and should be looking more closely at the causes of violent crime. She said: The Government are doing nothing about it. All they do is fight about Brexit. They should be looking at the causes. They continue to spend all their time on it (Brexit). Its very infuriating to the people in this country. Deeply saddened to hear of a fatal stabbing in Marsh Road #Pinner earlier this morning . Area cordoned off ; police conducting house to house enquiries and reassurance patrols . Nick Hurd (@NickHurdUK) March 24, 2019 Local MP Nick Hurd said police are making house-to-house inquiries. He tweeted: Deeply saddened to hear of a fatal stabbing in Marsh Road #Pinner earlier this morning . Area cordoned off; police conducting house to house enquiries and reassurance patrols. Police are asking anyone with information to call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. Two Cabinet ministers who are said to be in line to take over from Theresa May have dismissed reports of a Cabinet coup to oust her. Michael Gove and David Lidington both restated their backing for the Prime Minister after speculation of a plot to force her to resign reached fever pitch. The Environment Secretary said it was not the time to change the captain of the ship, while the PMs de facto deputy said he had no desire to take over the reins. Chancellor Philip Hammond accused those allegedly trying to topple Mrs May of being self-indulgent, while former party leader Iain Duncan Smith told ministers who briefed against the Prime Minister to apologise and shut up. Meanwhile, Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay warned the risk of a general election would increase if MPs took control of parliamentary proceedings this week and brought about a constitutional collision. Mrs May is understood to be meeting prominent Brexiteers at her country residence, Chequers, on Sunday afternoon, before convening a meeting of the Cabinet on Monday morning. Among those reportedly attending talks in Buckinghamshire are ministers Mr Lidington, Mr Gove and Mr Barclay, along with chief whip Julian Smith and Eurosceptics Mr Duncan Smith, Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Dominic Raab. The Sunday Times claimed 11 Cabinet ministers wanted Mrs May to make way for someone else and Mr Lidington was in line to take over the helm. Theresa May is understood to be meeting prominent Brexiteers at her country residence, Chequers, on Sunday afternoon (Andrew Matthews/PA) But the Mail on Sunday reported ministers were plotting to install the Environment Secretary as a caretaker leader. Mr Gove told the BBC: I think this is a time for cool heads. But we absolutely do need to focus on the task at hand and thats making sure that we get the maximum possible support for the Prime Minister and her deal. He added: Its not the time to change the captain of the ship, I think what we need to do is to chart the right course. David Lidington, who has been named as a potential caretaker replacement for the PM, says he has no wish to takeover from Theresa May Read more about the reported coup against the PM here: https://t.co/otgCB3QAae pic.twitter.com/flk5onMFl4 Sky News Politics (@SkyNewsPolitics) March 24, 2019 Speaking to reporters in his Aylesbury constituency, Mr Lidington, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: I dont think that Ive any wish to take over from the PM (who) I think is doing a fantastic job. I tell you this one thing that working closely with the Prime Minister does is cure you completely of any lingering shred of ambition to want to do that task. I have absolute admiration for the way she is going about it. Despite heavy criticism of Mrs Mays handling of the Brexit process and calls from members of her party to stand aside, the Chancellor insisted ousting her would not solve the problem. To be talking about changing the players on the board frankly is self-indulgent at this time, Mr Hammond told Sky Newss Sophy Ridge On Sunday. This is not about the Prime Minister or any other individual, this is about the future of our country. Changing Prime Minister wouldnt help us, changing the party in Government wouldnt help us weve got to address the question of what type of Brexit is acceptable to Parliament. Mr Hammond also announced Parliament would be given the chance to hold indicative votes on alternatives to the PMs Brexit deal this week but said a decision had not yet been made on whether Tories would be granted free votes. After hundreds of thousands of people marched through central London demanding a so-called Peoples Vote, he said a second referendum was a perfectly coherent position that deserves to be considered along with the other proposals. Article 50 extension: key dates (PA Graphics) Meanwhile, an online petition calling on the Government to cancel Brexit reached five million signatures. MPs will be given the chance to seek to take control of the Brexit process from the Government if they back plans for a series of indicative votes when they vote on their favoured Brexit outcomes on Monday night. Mr Barclay warned if the amendment, tabled by Tory Sir Oliver Letwin, passes and MPs bring about a constitutional collision then the risk of a general election would increase. He told BBC Ones Andrew Marr Show: What Parliament has done is vote for a number of contradictory things so we would need to untangle that but ultimately, at its logical conclusion, the risk of a general election increases because you potentially have a situation where Parliament is instructing the executive to do something that is counter to what it was elected to do. Brexiteer Mr Duncan Smith told the same programme the last week in politics had been as close to a national humiliation as I think Ive seen. Lashing out at dissenting ministers, he said: I think thats appalling, I think they should be censured and some of them should be sacked. And the idea of a cabal, a cabal that never wanted to leave the European Union, turning out to decide what should happen over our future would be unacceptable to my colleagues. Speculation that Theresa May will be moving out of Downing Street sooner than expected has reached fever pitch after another turbulent week in Westminster. The Prime Minister told colleagues at the end of last year that she would step down before the next scheduled general election in 2022 but the pace of politics means she could be gone before then. Heres a look at key names currently being floated to take the helm if Mrs May steps down. Michael Gove The Environment Secretary said it was "not the time to change the captain of the ship (Victoria Jones/PA) The Environment Secretary had a bruising experience in the last Tory leadership race but he is now seen as the favourite at 3-1 according to Ladbrokes to replace Mrs May, largely due to his Brexiteer credentials. In June 2016, Mr Gove, who was campaign manager for Boris Johnsons drive to succeed David Cameron, withdrew his support on the morning Mr Johnson was due to declare and threw his own hat in the ring instead. He came third in the first round of voting, trailing behind ultimate winner Theresa May and Andrea Leadsom. Mr Gove, 51, was born in Edinburgh, studied English at Oxford and was a journalist before becoming an MP. He is married to Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine. Despite speculation he could take the job, he told reporters on Sunday it was not the time to change the captain of the ship. David Lidington David Lidington said `I dont think that Ive any wish to take over from the PM (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Mrs Mays de facto deputy is seen by some as the natural caretaker prime minister but he has been clear he does not want the job. One thing that working closely with the Prime Minister does is cure you completely of any lingering shred of ambition to want to do that task, he said on Sunday. Ladbrokes are offering odds of 4-1 for him to become Number 10s next occupant. The 62-year-old has been the MP for Aylesbury since 1992 and was Minister of State for Europe from 2010 to 2016. He is married with four children. Boris Johnson Boris Johnson was a key player in the 2017 Leave campaign (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Prominent Brexiteer and former foreign secretary Mr Johnson has been a leading voice of opposition to Mrs Mays Brexit plan. The colourful Old Etonian was one of the key players in the 2017 Leave campaign and resigned from the Cabinet following the Chequers summit in July. He was heavily tipped as a successor to David Cameron but ruled himself out of the 2016 leadership contest after Michael Gove made a last-minute bid for the top job. Odds of him taking the helm have slipped in recent months to 8-1, according to Ladbrokes, but he is likely to have the backing of many pro-Leave members of the party. Jeremy Hunt Jeremy Hunt chose not to run in the 2016 leadership contest (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt (odds of 8-1 with Ladbrokes) was a prominent Remainer in the 2016 referendum. As Health Secretary, Mr Hunt fought a long battle with doctors over a new contract. The 52-year-old, who was first elected as MP for South West Surrey in 2005, was appointed Foreign Secretary in July following the resignation of Boris Johnson. He chose not to run in the 2016 leadership contest and instead gave his full support to Mrs May, saying it was not the right time to put his hat in the ring. Mr Hunt made a public shift towards Euroscepticism after the referendum, which could win him allies in the Leave camp if he ran for the top job. Dominic Raab Dominic Raab is thought to have ambitions of taking on the top job (Steve Parsons/PA) With odds at 12-1, Mr Raab is an outlier to take over from the Prime Minister but is thought to harbour ambitions for the role. Mr Raab, a prominent Brexiteer in the referendum campaign, was appointed as Brexit Secretary in July but resigned from the role in November, saying he could not support Mrs Mays eventual deal. In his resignation letter on November 15, he wrote: Ultimately, you deserve a Brexit Secretary who can make the case for the deal you are pursuing with conviction. I am only sorry, in good conscience, that I cannot. Mr Raab, 44, has been the MP for Esher and Walton since he was elected in 2010. An online petition urging the Government to cancel Brexit has passed five million signatures. The Revoke Article 50 petition is the most popular ever submitted to the Parliament website, having leapt ahead of the 4.1 million signatures amassed by a 2016 petition calling for a second EU referendum. The milestone comes the day after around a million people attended a march on Westminster calling for a Peoples Vote. MP Anna Soubry of the Independent Group shared a photo of the petition passing the mark, tweeting: This is serious! The petition has had the highest rate of sign-ups on record, according to Parliaments official Petitions Committee, adding over two million signatures in 24 hours. By contrast, a pro-Brexit petition on the Parliament website which urges the Government to leave the EU without a deal has received 455,000 signatures. The Prime Minister ruled out halting the Brexit process when in Brussels on Thursday, telling reporters: I do not believe that we should be revoking Article 50. On Sunday, Chancellor Philip Hammond told Sky Newss Sophy Ridge a second referendum was a perfectly coherent position which deserves to be considered along with the other proposals. (Philip Hammond/PA) The petition, started in late February, leapt in popularity following the Prime Ministers appeal to the public on Wednesday where she told frustrated voters: I am on your side. It quickly passed the 100,000-signature threshold needed for it to be debated in Parliament, with the official committee revealing nearly 2,000 signatures were being completed every minute over Thursday lunchtime. The petition rose in popularity following Theresa Mays Downing Street speech (Jonathan Brady/PA) Data provided by the committee on the location of signatories was paused on Friday to aid website operations after the official website crashed numerous times. In a tweet, the House of Commons committee said approximately 96% of signatories were from the UK. The website requires signatories to tick a box confirming they are a British citizen or UK resident and provide a name, email address, country and postcode. People have been asking about who can sign petitions. Anyone who is a UK resident or a British citizen can sign a petition. This includes British citizens living overseas. Petitions Committee (@HoCpetitions) March 22, 2019 Many celebrities and MPs have tweeted their support for Parliament to revoke the Treaty of Lisbon clause that deals with leaving the EU. European Parliament Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt described the latest signature figure as impressive. Five million people signed the petition to revoke article 50. Impressive! #petitiontorevokearticle50 https://t.co/T5eT7fdz3Y Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) March 24, 2019 Lets make the biggest petition in UK history even bigger. We can do a million today surely... https://t.co/xqF2I91Irv Deborah Meaden (@DeborahMeaden) March 24, 2019 Petition: Revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU. https://t.co/7SMmEI0YS6 Luke Evans (@TheRealLukevans) March 24, 2019 In reference to the number of votes made in the 2016 referendum, Labour MP Owen Smith tweeted: If it gets to 17.42 million, can we just stop Brexit? Asking for a friend (16,141,241 of them). On Saturday former Ukip leader Nigel Farage described the Prime Ministers Brexit policy as one of the saddest chapters in the history of our nation as he rejoined Leave-supporting marchers heading for London. Mr Farage was speaking as he arrived at the start of the latest stage of the March to Leave, which began a week ago in Sunderland and is aiming to end up in London on the original Brexit day of March 29. Mr Farage was greeted on Saturday morning with cheers by around 200 marchers, who had gathered in a car park of the Horse And Groom pub in the village of Linby, in Nottinghamshire. A maths and physics teacher from Kenya has been awarded the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize. The award ceremony in Dubai was hosted by Hollywood star Hugh Jackman, who performed songs from his film The Greatest Showman. Jackman announced Peter Tabichi, a teacher at Keriko Secondary School, as winner of the one million dollar (756,000) prize. The nine other finalists, including Britains Andrew Moffat, from Parkfield Community School in Birmingham, rushed on to the stage to embrace and congratulate their colleague. Mr Tabichi said: Every day in Africa, we turn a new page and a new chapter. Today is another day. This prize does not recognise me but recognises this great continents young people. Peter Tabichi after he was awarded the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize at a ceremony in Dubai hosted by Hollywood star Hugh Jackman (Varkey Foundation/PA) I am only here because of what my students have achieved. This prize gives them a chance. It tells the world that they can do anything. Part of the ceremony, which was also attended by the Earl of Wessex, included a video message from Andrew Lloyd Webber, who paid tribute to teachers all over the world and emphasised the importance of music education. Lord Lloyd-Webber said: Teachers deserve far more praise than they often receive. Today, as I fear we all know, education is under threat all over the world from funding shortages, lack of resources, and importantly, too few teachers. This is particularly true in the case of music education, where many young people lack access to instruments, tuition and opportunities to perform. The award marked the end of the annual Global Education and Skills Forum. Police are searching for a 14-year-old schoolgirl who was last seen at a college in Fife. Georgia Bonnett was last seen at the Adam Smith College at 1pm on Friday. Officers suspect that the Kirkcaldy teenager may have travelled to Glenrothes or Leven. She is 5ft 6in and was wearing a black bomber jacket, black leggings and black and white trainers. Anyone with information, or who may have spotted Georgia, is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 2161 of 22/03/2019. Two Cabinet ministers who are said to be in line to take over from Theresa May have dismissed reports of a Cabinet coup to oust her. Michael Gove and David Lidington both restated their backing for the Prime Minister after speculation of a plot to force her to resign reached fever pitch. The Environment Secretary said it was not the time to change the captain of the ship, while the PMs de facto deputy said he had no desire to take over the reins. Chancellor Philip Hammond accused those allegedly trying to topple Mrs May of being self-indulgent, while former party leader Iain Duncan Smith told ministers who briefed against the Prime Minister to apologise and shut up. Meanwhile, Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay warned the risk of a general election would increase if MPs took control of parliamentary proceedings this week and brought about a constitutional collision. Mrs May held discussions with prominent Brexiteers including Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg at her country residence, Chequers, on Sunday afternoon, and will convene a meeting of the Cabinet on Monday morning. A Downing Street spokesman said: The PM and a number of Government ministers met today at Chequers for lengthy talks with senior colleagues about delivering Brexit. The meeting discussed a range of issues, including whether there is sufficient support in the Commons to bring back a Meaningful Vote this week. Theresa May is understood to be meeting prominent Brexiteers at her country residence, Chequers, on Sunday afternoon (Andrew Matthews/PA) Among those reportedly attending talks in Buckinghamshire are ministers Mr Lidington, Mr Gove and Mr Barclay, along with chief whip Julian Smith and Eurosceptics Mr Duncan Smith, Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Dominic Raab. The Sunday Times claimed 11 Cabinet ministers wanted Mrs May to make way for someone else and Mr Lidington was in line to take over the helm. But the Mail on Sunday reported ministers were plotting to install the Environment Secretary as a caretaker leader. Mr Gove told the BBC: I think this is a time for cool heads. But we absolutely do need to focus on the task at hand and thats making sure that we get the maximum possible support for the Prime Minister and her deal. He added: Its not the time to change the captain of the ship, I think what we need to do is to chart the right course. David Lidington, who has been named as a potential caretaker replacement for the PM, says he has no wish to takeover from Theresa May Read more about the reported coup against the PM here: https://t.co/otgCB3QAae pic.twitter.com/flk5onMFl4 Sky News Politics (@SkyNewsPolitics) March 24, 2019 Speaking to reporters in his Aylesbury constituency, Mr Lidington, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: I dont think that Ive any wish to take over from the PM (who) I think is doing a fantastic job. I tell you this one thing that working closely with the Prime Minister does is cure you completely of any lingering shred of ambition to want to do that task. I have absolute admiration for the way she is going about it. Despite heavy criticism of Mrs Mays handling of the Brexit process and calls from members of her party to stand aside, the Chancellor insisted ousting her would not solve the problem. To be talking about changing the players on the board frankly is self-indulgent at this time, Mr Hammond told Sky Newss Sophy Ridge On Sunday. This is not about the Prime Minister or any other individual, this is about the future of our country. Changing Prime Minister wouldnt help us, changing the party in Government wouldnt help us weve got to address the question of what type of Brexit is acceptable to Parliament. Mr Hammond also announced Parliament would be given the chance to hold indicative votes on alternatives to the PMs Brexit deal this week but said a decision had not yet been made on whether Tories would be granted free votes. After hundreds of thousands of people marched through central London demanding a so-called Peoples Vote, he said a second referendum was a perfectly coherent position that deserves to be considered along with the other proposals. Article 50 extension: key dates (PA Graphics) Meanwhile, an online petition calling on the Government to cancel Brexit reached five million signatures. MPs will be given the chance to seek to take control of the Brexit process from the Government if they back plans for a series of indicative votes when they vote on their favoured Brexit outcomes on Monday night. Mr Barclay warned if the amendment, tabled by Tory Sir Oliver Letwin, passes and MPs bring about a constitutional collision then the risk of a general election would increase. He told BBC Ones Andrew Marr Show: What Parliament has done is vote for a number of contradictory things so we would need to untangle that but ultimately, at its logical conclusion, the risk of a general election increases because you potentially have a situation where Parliament is instructing the executive to do something that is counter to what it was elected to do. Brexiteer Mr Duncan Smith told the same programme the last week in politics had been as close to a national humiliation as I think Ive seen. Lashing out at dissenting ministers, he said: I think thats appalling, I think they should be censured and some of them should be sacked. And the idea of a cabal, a cabal that never wanted to leave the European Union, turning out to decide what should happen over our future would be unacceptable to my colleagues. LISBON, March 26 (Reuters) - Hundreds of firefighters were battling two major blazes in northern Portugal on Tuesday, forcing authorities to shut schools and close roads. With no rain in sight and temperatures above usual for this time of year, reaching 28 degrees Celsius in some regions on Monday, Portugal has been on high alert for wildfires since the beginning of the week. The weather conditions resemble those that caused a devastating wildfire in the central town of Pedrogao Grande in June 2017, killing 64 people and injuring more than 250. The fire was the worst disaster in modern Portuguese history. Usually, crews are on alert for wildfires from May. The fire this week has flared earlier as temperatures have risen. The temperature in the northern river city of Porto, near the coast, but not far from the fires, was around 20C on Tuesday, compared with a March average of 12C. "This meteorological scenario means an increase in the fire risk index from Monday until Wednesday with favourable conditions for the rapid spread of fires throughout the mainland, with high to very high levels," the Civil Protection said on its website. In the district of Esposende, in northern Portugal, a wildfire on Tuesday forced authorities to evacuate two schools due to high levels of smoke. Two main roads in the district were also shut. "Schools are closed today and will resume normal activity tomorrow if conditions allow it," the schools said, quoted by Portuguese news agency Lusa. A total of 75 firefighters are currently battling the wildfire in Esposense, which started on Tuesday morning. Another fire was raging in the municipality of Oliveira de Azemeis, with 300 firefighters present. (Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Axel Bugge and Alison Williams) The following companies are subsidiares of Accenture: (Accenture Endustriyel Yazlm Cozumleri Limited Sirketi), 2nd Road, ?What If!, ?What If! China Holdings Limited, ?What If! Holdings Limited, ?What If! Limited, ACN Consulting Co Ltd, AD.Dialeto (Digital Agency acquired by Accenture), AGS Business and Technology Services Limited, AIG Shared Services Business Processing Inc, ASM Research Inc., ASM Research LLC, ATAN, Accenture (Botswana) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (China) Co. Ltd., Accenture (Shenzhen) Technology Co. Ltd., Accenture (South Africa) Pty Ltd, Accenture (UK) Limited, Accenture 2 Business Process Services S.A., Accenture 2 LLC, Accenture A/S, Accenture AB, Accenture AG, Accenture AS, Accenture Africa Pty Ltd, Accenture Agencia Interativa Ltda, Accenture Australia Holding B.V., Accenture Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture B.V., Accenture BPM Operations Support Services S.A., Accenture BPM S.C.R.L., Accenture BPS Services S.p. z o.o., Accenture Branch Holdings B.V., Accenture Bulgaria EOOD, Accenture Business Services for Utilities Inc, Accenture Business Services of British Columbia Limited Partnership, Accenture Business and Technology Services LLC, Accenture C.A., Accenture Canada Holdings Inc, Accenture Capital Designated Activity Company, Accenture Capital Inc, Accenture Central Europe B.V., Accenture Chile Asesorias y Servicios Ltda, Accenture Cloud Services GmbH, Accenture Cloud Software Solutions Limited, Accenture Cloud Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions LLC, Accenture Cloud Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd, Accenture Co. Ltd, Accenture Communications Infrastructure Solutions Ltd, Accenture Company Ltd, Accenture Consulting Pty Ltd, Accenture Consulting Services Ltd Tanzania, Accenture Consultores de Gestao S.A., Accenture Consultoria de Industria e Consumo Ltda, Accenture Consultoria de Recursos Naturais Ltda, Accenture Credit Services LLC, Accenture Customer Services Distribution SASU, Accenture Customer Services Ltd, Accenture Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, Accenture Defined Benefit Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Accenture Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Accenture Delivery Poland S.p. z o.o., Accenture Dienstleistungen GmbH, Accenture Digital Holdings GmbH, Accenture East Africa Limited, Accenture Ecuador S.A., Accenture Egypt LLC, Accenture Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Accenture Federal Services LLC, Accenture Finance II Limited, Accenture Finance Limited, Accenture Finance and Accounting BPO Services S.p.A., Accenture Finance and Accounting Services S.r.l., Accenture Financial Advanced Solution & Technology S.r.l., Accenture Flex LLC, Accenture GP LLC, Accenture Global Capital Designated Activity Company, Accenture Global Engagements Limited, Accenture Global Holdings Limited, Accenture Global Services Limited, Accenture Global Solutions Limited, Accenture GmbH, Accenture HR Services S.p.A., Accenture Healthcare Processing Inc, Accenture Holding Brasil Ltda, Accenture Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Accenture Holdings (Iberia) S.L., Accenture Holdings B.V., Accenture Holdings France SASU, Accenture Hungary Holdings Kft, Accenture Inc, Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions Kft, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions SA, Accenture Insurance Services B.V., Accenture Insurance Services LLC, Accenture International B.V., Accenture International LLC, Accenture International Limited, Accenture Japan Ltd, Accenture Korea B.V., Accenture LLC, Accenture LLP, Accenture Lanka (Private) Ltd, Accenture Limited, Accenture Lithuania UAB, Accenture Ltd, Accenture Ltda, Accenture Maghreb S.a.r.l., Accenture Managed Services SRL, Accenture Management GmbH, Accenture Marketing Services LLC, Accenture Marketing Services Limited, Accenture Middle East B.V., Accenture Minority I B.V., Accenture Mozambique Limitada, Accenture Mzansi Pty Ltd, Accenture NV/SA, Accenture NZ Limited, Accenture Nova Scotia Unlimited Liability Co., Accenture OOO, Accenture Operations GmbH, Accenture Operations S.p. z o.o., Accenture Operations Services Private Limited, Accenture Operations Services Sdn Bhd, Accenture Outsourcing S.r.l., Accenture Outsourcing Services S.A., Accenture Oy, Accenture Panama Inc, Accenture Participations B.V., Accenture Participations II Limited, Accenture Peru SRL, Accenture Post Trade Processing SASU, Accenture Post-Trade Processing Limited, Accenture Process (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Pte Ltd, Accenture Puerto Rico LLC, Accenture Qiyun Technology (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd, Accenture S.C., Accenture S.L., Accenture S.R.L., Accenture S.p. z o.o., Accenture S.p.A., Accenture SASU, Accenture SG Services Pte Ltd, Accenture SRL, Accenture Saudi Arabia Limited, Accenture Sdn Bhd, Accenture Service Center SRL, Accenture Services (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Services AB, Accenture Services AG, Accenture Services AS, Accenture Services GmbH, Accenture Services Morocco SA, Accenture Services Oy, Accenture Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Services S.p. z o.o., Accenture Services SRL, Accenture Services and Technology S.r.l., Accenture Services s.r.o., Accenture Single Member S.A. Organization Information Technology & Business Development, Accenture Solutions Co. Ltd, Accenture Solutions Private Limited, Accenture Solutions Pte Ltd, Accenture Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Solutions S.p. z o.o, Accenture Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture State Healthcare Services LLC, Accenture Sub II Inc, Accenture Sub III Inc, Accenture Sub LLC, Accenture Systems Integration Limited, Accenture Sarl, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Accenture Technology Solutions (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (HK) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas S.A., Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH, Accenture Technology Solutions Oy, Accenture Technology Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions S.A. de C.V., Accenture Technology Solutions S.r.l., Accenture Technology Solutions SASU, Accenture Technology Solutions SRL, Accenture Technology Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture Technology Solutions Slovakia s.r.o., Accenture Technology Ventures B.V., Accenture Technology Ventures SPRL, Accenture Tecnologia Consultoria y Outsourcing S.A., Accenture Uruguay SRL, Accenture Vietnam Co. Limited, Accenture Zambia Limited, Accenture do Brasil Ltda, Accenture plc, Accenture s.r.o., Acceria, Acquity Group, Adaptly LLC, Adaptly UK Limited, AddVal Technology, Adqptly, Advantium Inc., Advoco, Agilex Technologies Inc., Allen International, AlphaBeta Advisors, Altevie Technologies S.r.l., Altima, Altima (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Altima Asia Ltd, Altitude, Altitude LLC, Altius Consulting Limited, Altius Data Solutions Private Limited, Analytics 8 LP, Analytics 8 Pty Ltd, Analytics8, Aorui Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Apis, Apis Group Pty Ltd, Appaloosa Technology SASU, AppsPro, Arca, Arca Ingenieros y Consultoria S.L., Arca Telecom S.L., Ariba - BPO, Arismore, Artio People (Payroll) Pty Ltd, Artio People Pty Ltd, Aspiro Solutions (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Automation Partners Pty Ltd, Avanade (Guangzhou) Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd., Avanade Asia Pte Ltd, Avanade Australia Pty Ltd, Avanade Belgium SPRL, Avanade Canada Inc, Avanade Consulting Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Denmark A/S, Avanade Deutschland GmbH, Avanade Europe Holdings Limited, Avanade Europe Services Limited, Avanade Finland Oy, Avanade France SASU, Avanade Holdings LLC, Avanade Hong Kong Ltd, Avanade Inc, Avanade International Corporation, Avanade Ireland Limited, Avanade Italy S.r.l., Avanade Japan KK, Avanade Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avanade Middle East Limited, Avanade Netherlands B.V., Avanade Norway AS, Avanade Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Schweiz GmbH, Avanade South Africa Pty Ltd, Avanade Spain S.L., Avanade Sweden AB, Avanade UK Limited, Avanade do Brasil Ltda, Avanade Osterreich GmbH, Avenai, Axia Ltd., BABCN LLC, BCS Consulting, BCT Solutions, BCT Solutions Pty Ltd, BENEXT, BPO Servicos Administrativos Ltda, BRIDGE Energy Group, Beacon Consulting Group Inc., Beijing Genesis Interactive Technology Co. Ltd., Beijing Zhidao Future Consulting Co. Ltd, Benext, Berico Technologies LLC, Bionic, Bionic Solution LLC, Blue Horseshoe, Boomerang Pharmaceutical Communications, Bow & Arrow, Bow & Arrow Limited, Brand Learning, Brand Learning Group Limited, Brightstep AB, Byte Prophecy, Byte Prophecy Private Limited, CAS, CRMWaypoint, CS Technology (Australia) Pty Ltd, CS Technology (UK) Limited, CS Technology Group LLC, CS Technology LLC, CadenceQuest Inc., Callisto Integration Europe B.V., Callisto Integration Europe Limited, Callisto Integration LLC, Callisto Integration Ltd, Capgemini - North American health practice, Capital Consultancy Services Inc, Certus Solutions Consulting Services Limited, Certus Solutions Ltd, ChangeTrack Research Pty Ltd., Chaotic Moon Studios, Chengdu Mensa Advertising Co. Ltd., Cimation, Cirrus Connect Australia Pty Ltd, Cirrus Connect Limited, Cirruseo, Clarity Insights, Clearhead, Clearhead Group LLC, ClientHouse GmbH, Cloud Sherpas, Cloud Sherpas (GA) LLC, Cloud Sherpas Japan G.K., Cloud Sherpas New Zealand Limited, Cloudeasier SAS, Cloudpoint Limited, Cloudsherpas Inc, Cloudworks, Cloudworks Consulting Services Inc, Cloudworks Technology LLC, Computer Research and Telecommunications LLC, Concrete Desenvolvimento de Sistemas Ltda, Concrete Solutions, Concrete Solutions Ltda, Context Information Security, Context Information Security LLC, Context Information Security Limited, CoreCompete LLC, CoreCompete Limited, CoreCompete Private Limited, Corliant Inc., Creative Drive LLC, Creative Drive US LLC, CreativeDrive, CreativeDrive Digital Content Services (Shenzhen) Co Ltd., CreativeDrive EMEA Limited, CreativeDrive Singapore Pte Ltd, CreativeDrive UK Group Limited, Cutting Edge Solutions Limited, Cygni AB, Cygni Norrsken AB, Cygni Stockholm AB, Cygni Syd AB, Cygni Vast AB, Cygni Ost AB, Cygni Ostersund AB, DAZ Systems Inc, DAZ Systems LLC, DAZSI Systems (India) Pvt. Limited, DI Futures Corporation, Data Essential SARL, Davies Consulting, DayNine Consulting, DayNine Consulting (New Zealand) Limited, DayNine Consulting LLC, Declarative Holdings LLC, Decora Marketplace LLC, Decorado Marketplace Ltda-EPP, Defense Point Security, Deja vu Security, Design Strategy and Research de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Designaffairs LLC, Digiplug S.A.S., Digital Results Group LLC, Double Digit Limitada, Double Digit Pty SA, Droga5, Droga5 LLC, Droga5 Studios LLC, Droga5 UK Limited, Duck Creek Technologies, ESR Labs, ESR Labs AG, EdenOne Solutions Limited, Edenhouse ERP Holdings Limited, Edenhouse Solutions Limited, Enaxis Consulting, Enaxis Consulting LP, End to End Analytics LLC, End-to-End Analytics, Endorphin Medici (M) Sdn Bhd, Energuia Web S.A., Energy Management Brokers Limited, EnergyQuote JHA, Enimbos, Enimbos Global Services S.L., Enkitec, Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions LLC, Enterprise System Partners, Enterprise System Partners B.V., Enterprise System Partners Bilisim Danismanlik Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Enterprise System Partners Global Corporation, Enterprise System Partners Limited, Enthusian Pty Ltd, Entropia, Entropia (M) Sdn Bhd, Entropia Holdings Pte Ltd, Entropia Intercraft Sdn Bhd, Epylon, Espedia S.r.l., Ethica Consulting Group, Ethica Consulting S.p.A., Evopro Group, Exactside Limited, Experity, Exton Consulting, Exton Consulting Spain Strategy&Management S.L., Exton Germany GmbH, Exton International SAS, Exton Italia S.r.l., Exton SAS, FGM LLC, Fairway Technologies Inc, Farah BidCo Limited, Farah MidCo Limited, Farah Topco Limited, Filmproduction ApS, First Annapolis Consulting Inc., First Annapolis Consulting LLC, Fjord, Focus Group Europe, Formicary, Fruendo S.r.l., FusionX, Future State Consulting LLC, FutureMove (Beijing) Automotive Technology Co. Ltd., FutureMove Automotive, FutureMove Automotive Co. Ltd., GRA Supply Chain Pty Ltd, Gagel Group S de R.L. de C.V., Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda, Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda., Genfour, George Group Consulting L.P., Gestalt LLC, Gevity, Gren utvikling AS, H.B. Maynard and Co. Inc., HRC Retail Advisory, Hagberg Consulting Group, Hahntel Ltda, Halo Partners LLC, Hamilton Holding Company S.A, Hangzhou Aiyunzhe Technology Co. Ltd., Happen, Happen GP Limited, Happen Limited, Hjaltelin Stahl, Hjaltelin Stahl A/S, Hjaltelin Stahl K/S, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting Malaysia Sdn Bhd, IBB Consulting, ICM.S S.r.l., IMJ Corp, IMJ Corporation, INSITUM, IQSP Consulting LLC, IT One Company Limited, ITBS Servicios Bancarios de Tecnologia de la Informacion SL, Icon Integration, Icon Integration (NZ) Limited, Icon Integration Pty Ltd, Imagine Broadband (USA) Limited, Imagine Broadband USA LLC, Imaginea Inc, Imaginea Technologies LLC, Industrie IT (Hong Kong) Ltd, Industrie IT (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Industrie IT Group Pty Ltd, Industrie IT Pty Ltd, Industrie&Co, Infinity Works Consulting Limited, Infinity Works Holdings Limited, Infinity Works Management Limited, Infinity Works Midco Limited, Informatica de Euskadi S.L., Innotec International EAD, Innotec International S.p. z.o.o., Innotec Marketing GmbH, Innotec Marketing International Ireland Limited, Innotec- Marketing Spain S.L, Insitum Consultoria Argentina SRL, Insitum Consultoria S.A. de C.V., International Biometric Group LLC, International Biometric Group UK Limited, Intrepid, Intrepid Futureworks Sdn Bhd, Intrigo Systems Inc, Intrigo Systems India Pvt. Limited, Intrigo Systems LLC, Inventor Technology Ltd, InvestTech, Investtech Systems Consulting LLC, ItSafer Continuity Services S.L., JKD Consulting LLC, Javelin Group, K Comms Group Limited, KSC Studio LLC, Kaper Communications Limited, Karma Communications Debtco Limited, Karma Communications Group Limited, Karma Communications Holdings Limited, Karmarama, Karmarama Comms Limited, Karmarama Limited, Knowledge Rules Inc., Knowledgent, Knowledgent Group LLC, Kogentix, Kogentix LLC, Kogentix Limited, Kogentix Singapore Pte Ltd, Kogentix Technologies Private Limited, Kolle Rebbe, Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Kream Comms Limited, Kunstmaan, Kurt Salmon, Kurt Salmon Canada LTD, Kurt Salmon US LLC, LEXTA, LINKBYNET, LINKBYNET Indian Ocean (L.I.O) Ltd, LabAnswer, Lexta GmbH, Lexta UK Limited, Lien par le reseau Inc, Lien par le reseau infrastructures Inc, Lin Bo (Shanghai) Network Technology Co. Ltd., Link By Net SAS, Link By Net SRL, Link By Net Vietnam Company Limited, Linkbynet East Asia Ltd, Linkbynet Singapore Pte Ltd., Loud & Clear Creative Pty Ltd, Lumenup S.A., MAXIM Systems Inc., MCG US Holdings LLC, Mackevision CG Technology and Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Mackevision Japan Co. Ltd., Mackevision Korea Ltd, Mackevision Medien Design, Mackevision Medien Design GmbH, Mackevision Singapore Pte Ltd, Mackevision UK Limited, Maglan, Maglan Information Defense Technologies Research Ltd, Maihiro, Matter, Maud Corp Pty Ltd, Maxamine International, Measuretek LLC, Media Audits Ltd., Media Hive, Mediasenz Pty Ltd., Meredith Specialty LLC, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing LLC, Meridian Informed Purchasing Ltd., Mindtribe, Mistral Wind Operations Servicos Empresariais Unipessoal Lda., MobGen, Mortgage Cadence LLC, Mortgage Cadence an Accenture Company, Most Champion Ltd, Mudano, Mudano Limited, Myrtle Consulting Group LLC, N3 (Dalian) Business Consulting Co. Ltd., N3 Brazil Consultoria em Marketing Ltda, N3 Germany GmbH, N3 LLC, N3 North America LLC, N3 Results Australia Pty Ltd, N3 Results Ireland Limited, N3 Results Japan G.K., N3 Results Limited, N3 Results Malaysia Sdn Bhd, N3 Results Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., N3 Results S.A.S., N3 Results Singapore Pte Ltd, N3 Results Unipessoal Lda, NYTEC, Nanjing Demeng Advertising Co. Ltd., Nashco Consulting, NaviSys Inc., Nell'Armonia Israel Ltd, Nell'Armonia SAS, Nell'Participation SAS, NellArmonia, Neo Metrics Analytics S.L., Neo Metrics Chile S.A., New Content, New Content Editora e Produtora Ltda, New Energy Group, News Imaging LLC, NewsPage, NewsPage (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, NewsPage Pte Ltd, Northstream, Novetta Holdings LLC, Novetta LLC, Novetta Solutions LLC, Novetta Topco LLC, OCTO Technology, OPS Rules Management Consultants, Octagon Research Solutions Inc., Octo Technology Pty Ltd, Octo Technology SA, Odgaard ApS, Olikka, Olikka Pty Ltd, Openmind, Openmind S.r..l., Openminded, Openminded SAS, Operaciones Accenture S.A. de C.V., OpusLine, Orbium, Orbium AG, Orbium Consulting Limited, Orbium Inc., Orbium Ltd, Orbium Pte Ltd, Orbium Pty Ltd, Origin Digital, PCO Innovation, PLM Systems S.r.l, PRION GmbH, PT Accenture, PT Asta Catur Indra, PT Kogentix Teknologi Indonesia, PacificLink Group, Paja Finanssipalvelut Oy, Parker Fitzgerald Inc, Parker Fitzgerald International Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Limited, Parker Fitzgerald PTY Ltd, Parker Fitzgerald Services Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Solutions Limited, Pecaso Ltd., Pegasus Production A/S, Pegasus Production K/S, Phase One Consulting Group, Pillar Technology, Pollux, Pollux Automation Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pollux Canada Inc, Pollux S.A.S., Pollux USA LLC, Pragsis Bidoop, Pragsis Bidoop UK Limited, Pramati Technologies Europe Limited, Pramati Technologies Private Limited, Presence of IT Workforce Management North America LLC, PrimeQ, PrimeQ Australia Pty Ltd, PrimeQ Ltd, PrimeQ NZ Pty Limited, Procurian Inc., Prof. Homburg GmbH, Proquire LLC, PureApps Ltd., Qi Jie Beijing Information Technologies Co. Ltd., RBCP Fund 1-A Vapor Blocker LLC, RBCP Platform Vapor Blocker I LLC, REPL Consulting LLC, REPL Consulting Limited, REPL Digital Limited, REPL Group K.K., REPL Group Pty Ltd, REPL Group Worldwide Limited, REPL Pte Ltd, REPL Software Limited, REPL Technology Limited, Radiant Services LLC, Random Walk Computing Inc., Reactive Media Pty Ltd., Real Protect, Realworld OO Systems Ltd., Redcore, Redcore (New Zealand) Limited, Redcore Group Holdings Pty Ltd, Redcore Pty Ltd, Revolutionary Security, RiskControl, Root LLC, Rothco, Rothco Limited, S3 TV Technology Ltd., SALT Solutions GmbH, SEC Servizi, SOPIA Corp., Sagacious Consultants, Salt Solutions, Sandbox Studio LLC, Sapling Bidco Limited, Sapling Midco Limited, Sapling Topco Limited, Schlumberger Business Consulting, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace (UK) Limited, Seabury Consulting, Seabury Corporate Advisors LLC, Seabury Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Search Technologies BPO Inc, Search Technologies International LLC, Search Technologies LLC, Search Technologies Limited, Securiview SAS, Sentelis, Sentor Managed Secuirty Services AB, Servicios Tecnicos de Programacion Accenture S.C., Seven Seas Business Ventures LLC, Shackleton, Shackleton Chile S.A., Shackleton S.L.U., Shanghai Baiyue Advertising Co. Ltd., Shun Zhe Technology Development Co. Ltd., SigInt Technologies LLC, Silveo, Silveo Consulting India Private Limited, Simian Pty Ltd, SinnerSchrader, SinnerSchrader AG, SinnerSchrader Content GmbH, SinnerSchrader Deutschland GmbH, Sirvart S.A., Sistemes Consulting S.L., Skylink SAS, Soltians Limited, Solutions IQ LLC, SolutionsIQ, SolutionsIQ India Consulting Services Private Limited, Somers Ventures Ireland Limited, Somers Ventures LLC, Spacelink SAS, Storm Digital, Structure Consulting Group LLC, Sutter Mills, Synership LLC, Systor AG, TXF LLC, TargetST8, Tech - Avanade Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Tecnilogica Ecosistemas S.A., Tecnilogica, The Brand Learning Partners Limited, The Callisto Integration Corporation, The Monkeys, The Monkeys Pty Ltd, The Myrtle Group, Total Logistics, Tquila, Trivadis, Trivadis Austria GmbH, Trivadis Denmark AS, Trivadis Germany GmbH, Trivadis Holding AG, Trivadis Partner AG, Trivadis Services AG, Trivadis Services SRL, Troop Studios Pty Ltd, VanBerlo, Vector Acquisition Company LLC, Vector Topco LLC, Verax Solutions, Vertical Retail Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd, Vertical Retail Consulting Ltd, Vivere Brasil Servicos e Solucoes SA, Vivere Brasil Solucoes De Credito Ltda., Wabion GmbH, WaveStrike LLC, White Cliffs Consulting LLC, Wire Stone, Wire Stone LLC, Wise Partners SAS, Wolox, Wolox Colombia S.A.S, Wolox LLC, Wolox Mexico S.R.L de C.V., Wolox S.A., Wolox SpA, Workforce Insight, Workforce Insight LLC, Yesler, Yesler LLC, Yesler Limited, Yesler Singapore Pte Ltd, Zag, Zag Australia Pty Ltd, Zag Limited, Zag USA LLC, Zebra Worldwide Australia Pty Ltd, Zebra Worldwide Group Limited, Zebra Worldwide Media Pty Ltd, Zenta, Zenta Global Philippines Inc, Zenta Mortgage Services LLC, Zenta Recoveries Inc, Zenta US Holdings Inc, Zielpuls, Zielpuls (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zielpuls GmbH, avVenta, designaffairs, designaffairs Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., designaffairs GmbH, designaffairs group China Co. Ltd., dgroup, i4C Analytics, iDefense, solid-serVision.com GmbH, and umlaut. Ashanti Gold Corp. engages in the exploration and development of gold and other mineral properties in Western Africa. Its flagship project is the Kossanto East project covering an area of 66.41 km2 in western Mali. The company was formerly known as Gulf Shores Resources Ltd. and changed its name to Ashanti Gold Corp. in August 2016. Ashanti Gold Corp. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. Read More China Mobile Limited provides mobile telecommunications and related services in Mainland China and Hong Kong. The company offers local calls; domestic and international long distance calls and roaming services; and value-added services, such as caller identity display, call waiting, conference calls, and others. It also provides wireless Internet service, as well as digital applications comprising music, video, reading, gaming, and animation; wireline broadband services; and wireline voice services. In addition, it offers dedicated line and IDC services to corporate customers in a range of industry sectors; and basic corporate communication products comprising corporate VPMN and SMS, and tailor made solutions. Further, the company provides international telecommunications services, which includes IDD, roaming, Internet, MNC, and value added business services. Additionally, it offers telecommunications network planning, design, and consulting services; roaming clearance, IT system operation, and technology support services; value-added platform development and maintenance services; mobile data, and system integration and development services; network construction and maintenance, network planning and optimizing, and training services; electronic communication products design and sale of related products; and non-banking financial services. It also provides mobile cloud research and development services; call center services; e-payment, e-commerce, and Internet finance services; and mobile Internet digital content services, as well as operates a network and business coordination center. The company serves 950 million mobile customers and 187 million wireline broadband customers. The company was formerly known as China Mobile (Hong Kong) Limited and changed its name to China Mobile Limited in May 2006. The company was incorporated in 1997 and is based in Central, Hong Kong. China Mobile Limited is a subsidiary of China Mobile Hong Kong (BVI) Limited. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise: 3Com International Inc., 3PAR Inc., Apogee, Aruba Networks Inc., Aruba Networks International Cayman, Aruba Networks International Limited, BlueData Software, Cloud Cruiser, Cloud Technology Partners, Cloud Technology Partners Inc., Compaq Computer (Mauritius), Compaq Trademark B.V., Cray, Cray Inc., EDS World Corporation (Far East) LLC, EYP Mission Critical Facilities Inc., H3C Holdings Limited, HP Enterprise Services Australia Pty Ltd, HP Financial Services (Australia) Pty Limited, HP Financial Services (Chile) Limitada, HP Financial Services (Japan) K.K., HP Financial Services Arrendamento Mercantil S.A., HP Financial Services Company (Korea), HP Financial Services International Holdings Company, HPE Government LLC, HPFS Global Holdings I LLC, HPFS Global Holdings II LLC, HPFS Rental S.R.L., Hangzhou H3C Technologies Co. Ltd, Hewlett Packard Caribe BV LLC, Hewlett Packard Colombia Ltda., Hewlett Packard Enterprise (China) Co. Ltd., Hewlett Packard Enterprise B.V., Hewlett Packard Enterprise B.V. Amstelveen Meyrin Branch, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Co., Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Co. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Cie, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Costa Rica Limitada, Hewlett Packard Enterprise GlobalSoft Private Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise India Private Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Ireland Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Luxembourg SCA, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Polska sp. z o.o., Hewlett Packard Pathfinder LLC, Hewlett Packard Taiwan Ltd., Hewlett-Packard (Israel) Ltd., Hewlett-Packard (M) Sdn. Bhd., Hewlett-Packard (Nigeria) Limited, Hewlett-Packard (Schweiz) GmbH, Hewlett-Packard (Tanzania) Limited, Hewlett-Packard (Thailand) Limited, Hewlett-Packard ApS, Hewlett-Packard Argentina S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Australia Pty Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Belgium SPRL/BVBA, Hewlett-Packard Bermuda Enterprises LLC, Hewlett-Packard Brasil Ltda., Hewlett-Packard Bulgaria EOOD, Hewlett-Packard Caribe B.V., Hewlett-Packard Caribe Y Andina B.V. LLC, Hewlett-Packard Chile Comercial Limitada, Hewlett-Packard Cyprus Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Hewlett-Packard Egypt Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Financial Services (India) Private Limited, Hewlett-Packard Financial Services Canada Company, Hewlett-Packard Financial Services Company, Hewlett-Packard France SAS, Hewlett-Packard G1 SPV (Cayman) Company, Hewlett-Packard Gesellschaft mbH, Hewlett-Packard Ghana Limited, Hewlett-Packard GmbH, Hewlett-Packard Guatemala Limitada, Hewlett-Packard HK SAR Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Hellas EPE, Hewlett-Packard Holdings Ltd., Hewlett-Packard International Bank Designated Activity Company, Hewlett-Packard International Bank Public Limited Company, Hewlett-Packard International Sarl, Hewlett-Packard Italiana S.r.l., Hewlett-Packard Japan Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Korea Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Leasing Limited, Hewlett-Packard Limited, Hewlett-Packard Luxembourg Enterprises LLC, Hewlett-Packard Macau Limited, Hewlett-Packard Manufacturing Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Marigalante Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Hewlett-Packard Middle East FZ-LLC, Hewlett-Packard Mocambique Limitada - Sociedada em Liquidacao, Hewlett-Packard Nederland B.V., Hewlett-Packard New Zealand, Hewlett-Packard Norge AS, Hewlett-Packard OY, Hewlett-Packard Operations Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Hewlett-Packard Peru S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Philippines Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Portugal Lda., Hewlett-Packard SARL, Hewlett-Packard SIA, Hewlett-Packard Servicios Espana S.L., Hewlett-Packard Singapore (Sales) Pte. Ltd., Hewlett-Packard South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Hewlett-Packard Sverige AB, Hewlett-Packard Technology Center Inc., Hewlett-Packard Teknoloji Cozumleri Limited Sirketi, Hewlett-Packard The Hague B.V., Hewlett-Packard Venezuela S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Vision Limited, Hewlett-Packard d.o.o., Hewlett-Packard s.r.o., Limited Liability Company Hewlett Packard Enterprise, MapR Technologies, New H3C Technologies Co. Ltd., Niara Inc., Nimble Storage, Nimble Storage Inc., Nimble Storage Israel Ltd, Nimble Storage Japan GK, Nimble Storage UK Limited, Plexxi, RedPixie, SGI (Silicon Graphics), Sapphire Holding Co, Scytale, Shanghai Hewlett-Packard Co. Ltd., Silver Peak, SimpliVity, Sinope Holding B.V., Trilead, UAB ES Hague Lietuva, and Unis Huashan Technologies Co. Limited. Ad RJO Futures 1,584 Recent Views Tailor an Options Trading Strategy to Fit Your Needs This guide will help you identify and execute an options trading strategy that fits your specific needs and risk profile. Take your trading to the next level with the Options Strategy Guide. The following companies are subsidiares of Stryker: ActiViews, Aimago SA, Alcott Indemnity Company, Arrinex Inc, Arrinex Inc., Ascent Healthcare Solutions, Berchtold, Berchtold + Fritz GmbH, Berchtold Consulting GmbH, Berchtold Corporation, Berchtold GmbH & Co. KG, Berchtold Holding Switzerland GmbH, CHG Hospital Beds, Cactus LLC, Cardan Robotics, Changzhou Orthomed Medical Instrument Company Limited, Concentric Medical, Concentric Medical Inc., Entellus Medical, Entellus Medical Europe Ltd, Entellus Medical Inc., GYS Tech LLC, Gaymar Industries, Gongping (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd., Groupe Bertec, HeartSine Technologies LLC, HeartSine Technologies Limited, Howmedica International S. de R.L., Howmedica Osteonics Corp., Hygia Health Services, Hygia Healthcare Services Inc., HyperBranch, HyperBranch Technology Inc., ITAPCo Limited, Image Guided Technologies, Imorphics Limited, Infinity MSD Corp., Infinity MSE Corp., Infinity MSF Corp., Infomedix Communications, Instratek, InstruMedics L.L.C, Invuity Inc., Ivy Sports Medicine, Ivy Sports Medicine LLC, Jiangsu Chuangyi Medical Instrument Company Limited, Jolife AB, K2M Germany GmbH, K2M Group, K2M Group Holdings Inc., K2M Holdings Inc., K2M Iberia Medcomtech S.L.U., K2M Inc., K2M Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, K2M Spine Solutions (Schweiz) GmbH, K2M UK Limited, Loon Intermediateco LLC, MAKO Surgical, MAKO Surgical Corp, Memometal Technologies, Mobius Imaging, Mobius Imaging LLC, Muka Metal, Muka Metal Ticaret ve Sanayi Anaonim Sirketi, NV Stryker SA, Nettrick Limited, Novadaq Corp, Novadaq Hong Kong Ltd, Novadaq Technologies, Novadaq Technologies ULC, OOO "Stryker", Orneo Ozel Saglk Hizmetleri Medikal Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, OrthoSpace, OrthoSpace Ltd., OrthoSpace US Inc., Orthomed (Hong Kong) Medical Instrument Company Limited, Orthovita, Orthovita Inc., OtisMed, P.C. Sweden Holding AB, Patient Safety Technologies, Patton Surgical, Pficonprod Pty. Ltd., Physio-Control, Physio-Control (Shanghai) Sales Co. Ltd., Physio-Control Brazil Vendas Ltda., Physio-Control Czech Sales s.r.o., Physio-Control Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Physio-Control Holdings Inc, Physio-Control Hungary Sales Kft, Physio-Control Inc., Physio-Control India Sales Pvt. Ltd, Physio-Control Investments LLC, Physio-Control Lebanon Sales Offshore s.a.l., Physio-Control Manufacturing Inc., Physio-Control Operations Netherlands B.V., Physio-Control Sales Limited Liability Company, Physio-Control Singapore Pte. Ltd., Physio-Control South Africa Sales Pty. Ltd., Physio-Control UK Sales Ltd., Pivot Medical, PlasmaSol, Porex Technologies, SSI Divestiture Inc., SYK Costa Rica Services Sociedad De Responsabilidad Limitada, SafeAir AG, SafeWire, Sage Products, Sage Products Coperatief U.A., Sage Products Holdings II LLC, Sage Products Holdings III LLC, Sage Products LLC, Scopis GmbH, Sightline Technologies, Small Bone Innovations, SpineCore, Spirox Inc., Stanmore Implants Worldwide, Stanmore Implants Worldwide Limited, Stanmore Inc., Stryker (Barbados) Foreign Sales Corporation, Stryker (Beijing) Healthcare Products Co. Ltd., Stryker (Shanghai) Healthcare Products Co. Ltd., Stryker (Suzhou) Medical Technology Co Ltd, Stryker (Thailand) Limited, Stryker AB, Stryker Acquisitions BV, Stryker Asia Holdings CV, Stryker Australia LLC, Stryker Australia Pty. Ltd., Stryker Austria GmbH, Stryker B.V., Stryker Berchtold BV, Stryker Beteiligungs GmbH, Stryker Canada GP ULC, Stryker Canada Holding Company, Stryker Canada Manufacturing ULC, Stryker Canada ULC, Stryker Canadian Management ULC, Stryker Canadian Sales Holding Company ULC, Stryker Capital BV, Stryker China Limited, Stryker Colombia SAS, Stryker Communications Inc., Stryker Corporation (Chile) y Compania Limitada, Stryker Corporation (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Stryker Customs Brokers LLC, Stryker Czech Republic s.r.o., Stryker Delaware Inc., Stryker EMEA Supply Chain Services BV, Stryker Employment Company LLC, Stryker European Coordination Center BV, Stryker European Holdings Cooperatief U.A, Stryker European Holdings I LLC, Stryker European Holdings II LLC, Stryker European Holdings LLC, Stryker European Holdings V LLC, Stryker European Operations B.V., Stryker European Operations Holdings I BV, Stryker European Operations Holdings II BV, Stryker European Operations Holdings III BV, Stryker European Operations Holdings LLC, Stryker European Operations Limited, Stryker European Technologies C.V., Stryker Far East Inc., Stryker Foreign Acquisitions Inc., Stryker France Holding SNC, Stryker France MM Holdings SAS, Stryker France SAS, Stryker Funding B.V., Stryker GI Services CV, Stryker Global Technology Center Private Limited, Stryker GmbH, Stryker GmbH & Co. KG, Stryker Grundstucks GmbH & Co KG, Stryker Grundstucks Verwaltungs GmbH, Stryker Holdings BV, Stryker IFSC Designated Activity Company, Stryker Iberia SL Unipersonal, Stryker India Private Limited, Stryker International Acquisitions BV, Stryker International Holdings BV, Stryker Investment Holdings B.V., Stryker Ireland Holding Unlimited Company, Stryker Ireland Limited, Stryker Italia S.r.l. S.U., Stryker Japan Holdings BV, Stryker Japan K.K., Stryker Korea Ltd., Stryker Lebanon (Offshore) S.A.L., Stryker Leibinger GmbH & Co. KG, Stryker Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., Stryker Luxembourg Sarl, Stryker Manufacturing S. de R.L. de C.V., Stryker Mauritius Holding Ltd., Stryker Medical London LP, Stryker Medtech K.K., Stryker Medtech Limited, Stryker Mexico Holdings B.V., Stryker Mexico SA de CV, Stryker NV Operations Limited, Stryker Nederland BV, Stryker New Zealand Limited, Stryker Osteonics AG, Stryker Pacific Limited, Stryker Performance Solutions LLC, Stryker Polska Sp.z.o.o., Stryker Portugal - Produtos Medicos Unipessoal Lda., Stryker Professional Latin America S. de R.L. de C.V., Stryker Puerto Rico Limited, Stryker Romania SRL, Stryker Sage Inc., Stryker Sales Corporation, Stryker Servicios Administrativos S.de R.L. de C.V., Stryker Singapore Private Limited, Stryker South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Stryker Spine SAS, Stryker Spine Sarl, Stryker Sustainability Solutions Inc., Stryker Tibbi Cihazlan Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Stryker Trauma GmbH, Stryker Turkish Holdings BV, Stryker UK Ltd, Stryker Verwaltungs GmbH, Stryker Vietnam Company Limited, Stryker do Brasil Ltda, Surpass Medical, Synergetics, TG SP Holdings Corp, TSO3 Corp, TSO3 Inc, Trauson, Trauson (China) Medical Instrument Company Limited, Trauson (Hong Kong) Company Limited, Trauson Holdings (BVI) Company Limited, Trauson Holdings (Hong Kong) Company Limited, Trauson Holdings Company Limited, VEXIM SA, Vexim, Waterloo Bedding Co., Wright Medical Group, ZipLine Medical Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ZipLine Medical Hong Kong Limited, ZipLine Medical Inc., and eTrauma.com. Harris Corporation provides technology-based solutions that solve government and commercial customers' mission-critical challenges in the United States and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Communication Systems, Electronic Systems, and Space and Intelligence Systems. It designs, develops, and manufactures radio communications products and systems, including single channel ground and airborne radio systems, multiband manpack and handheld radios, multi-channel manpack and airborne radios, and single-channel airborne radios, as well as wideband rifleman team, ground, and high frequency manpack radios. The company also offers vision-enhancing products; wireless communications systems; and Internet protocol based voice and data communications systems, as well as single-band land mobile radio terminals and multiband radios comprising a handheld radio and a full-spectrum mobile radio for vehicles. In addition, it provides electronic warfare, avionics, command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance solutions for defense and classified customers; and mission-critical communication systems for civil and military aviation and other customers. Further, the company offers intelligence, space protection, geospatial, earth observation, exploration, positioning, navigation and timing, and environmental solutions using advanced sensors, antennas, and payloads, as well as ground processing and information analytics for national security, defense, civil and commercial customers. Harris Corporation was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Melbourne, Florida. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Arrow Electronics: A.E. Petsche Belgium BVBA, A.E. Petsche Canada Inc., A.E. Petsche Company, A.E. Petsche Company Inc., A.E. Petsche Company S De RL, A.E. Petsche SAS, A.E. Petsche UK Limited, ACI Technology, AKS Group Nordic AB, ARROWECS Portugal Sociedade Unipessoal, ARROWECS Sociedade Unipessoal LDA, ARW Electronics Ltd., ARW Enterprise Computing Solutions S.A., ARW Portugal Unipessoal LDA, ASI Dedicated Services LLC, ASI Electrical Services LLC, ASI Managed Services LLC, ATM Electronic, ATM Electronic Corp., ATM Electronic Corporation (HK) Limited, ATM Electronics Hong Kong Limited, ATM Electronics Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd, Addex Distribution AS, Adilam Pty. Ltd, Aiqi Xinxing (Beijing) Information Technology Co. Ltd., Altimate Belgium BVBA, Altimate Group, Altimate ND Belgium BVBA, Altimate Netherlands B.V., Annuity Systems Pty Ltd, Arrow (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Arrow Altech Distribution (Pty) Ltd., Arrow Altech Holdings (Pty) Ltd., Arrow Argentina S.A., Arrow Asia Distribution Limited, Arrow Asia Pac Ltd., Arrow Brasil S.A., Arrow Capital Solution BVBA, Arrow Capital Solutions Inc., Arrow Capital Solutions Nederlands BV, Arrow Capital Solutions SAS, Arrow Capital Solutions UK Ltd, Arrow Central Europe GmbH, Arrow Central Europe Holding Munich GmbH, Arrow Chip One Stop Holdings GK, Arrow Componentes ACCR S.R.L., Arrow Components (M) Sdn Bhd, Arrow Components (NZ), Arrow Components Mexico S.A. de C.V., Arrow Components Sweden AB, Arrow Denmark ApS, Arrow Denmark ApS, Arrow ECS (Ireland) Limited, Arrow ECS (NI) Limited, Arrow ECS AG, Arrow ECS ANZ Limited, Arrow ECS ANZ Pty Ltd, Arrow ECS Asia PTE. Ltd, Arrow ECS Australia, Arrow ECS B.V., Arrow ECS Baltic OU, Arrow ECS Brasil Distribuidora Ltda., Arrow ECS Canada Ltd., Arrow ECS Central GmbH, Arrow ECS Denmark A/S, Arrow ECS FZCO, Arrow ECS Finland OY, Arrow ECS GmbH, Arrow ECS Internet Security AG, Arrow ECS Internet Security S.L., Arrow ECS Kft., Arrow ECS Ltd., Arrow ECS New Zealand Limited, Arrow ECS Nordic A/S, Arrow ECS Norway AS, Arrow ECS Pty Ltd., Arrow ECS SA/NV, Arrow ECS SAS, Arrow ECS SPA, Arrow ECS Sarl, Arrow ECS Services Sp.z.o.o., Arrow ECS Singapore Pte. Limited, Arrow ECS Sp.z.o.o., Arrow ECS Support Center Ltd., Arrow ECS Support Center Morocco S.A.R.L.A.U, Arrow ECS Sweden AB, Arrow ECS a.s., Arrow ECS d.o.o., Arrow Eastern Europe GmbH, Arrow Electronice S.R.L., Arrow Electronics (CI) Ltd., Arrow Electronics (China) Trading Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics (Jersey) Limited, Arrow Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics (Sweden) KB, Arrow Electronics (Thailand) Limited, Arrow Electronics (U.K.) Inc., Arrow Electronics (UK) Ltd., Arrow Electronics ANZ Holdings Pty Ltd., Arrow Electronics Asia (S) Pte Ltd., Arrow Electronics Asia Limited, Arrow Electronics Australia Pty Ltd., Arrow Electronics B.V., Arrow Electronics Canada Ltd., Arrow Electronics China Ltd., Arrow Electronics Components (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics Czech Republic s.r.o., Arrow Electronics D.O.O., Arrow Electronics Danish Holdings ApS, Arrow Electronics EMEA Group GmbH, Arrow Electronics EMEASA S.r.l., Arrow Electronics Estonia OU, Arrow Electronics FC B.V., Arrow Electronics Funding Corporation, Arrow Electronics GmbH & Co. KG, Arrow Electronics Hellas S.A., Arrow Electronics Holdings Vagyonkezelo Kft, Arrow Electronics Hungary Kereskedelmi Bt, Arrow Electronics India Ltd., Arrow Electronics India Private Limited, Arrow Electronics International Holdings LLC, Arrow Electronics International Inc., Arrow Electronics Italia S.r.l, Arrow Electronics Japan GK, Arrow Electronics Korea Limited, Arrow Electronics Labuan Pte Ltd., Arrow Electronics Ltd., Arrow Electronics Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Arrow Electronics Norwegian Holdings AS, Arrow Electronics Poland Sp.z.o.o., Arrow Electronics Russ OOO, Arrow Electronics Services S.r.l., Arrow Electronics Slovakia s.r.o., Arrow Electronics South Africa LLP, Arrow Electronics Taiwan Ltd., Arrow Electronics UK Holding Ltd., Arrow Electronics Ukraine LLC, Arrow Elektronik Ticaret A.S., Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions Inc., Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions India Private Limited, Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions Ltd., Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions S.A., Arrow Finland OY, Arrow France S.A., Arrow Global Asset Disposition Inc., Arrow Global Supply Chain Services Inc., Arrow Holdings (Delaware) LLC, Arrow Iberia Electronica Lda., Arrow Iberia Electronica S.L.U., Arrow International Holdings L.P., Arrow International Holdings Limited, Arrow Nordic Components AB, Arrow Norway A/S, Arrow S-Tech Norway AS, Arrow SEED (Hong Kong) Limited, Arrow Systems Integration Inc., Arrow UEC Japan KK, Arrow United Holdings LLC, Arrow United International Holdings LP, Arrow Value Recovery ApS (fka Greentech Denmark ApS), Arrow Value Recovery Belgium BVBA, Arrow Value Recovery Czech Republic sro, Arrow Value Recovery Denmark ApS, Arrow Value Recovery EMEA BV, Arrow Value Recovery Finland Oy (fka Greentech Finland OY), Arrow Value Recovery France SAS, Arrow Value Recovery Germany GmbH, Arrow Value Recovery Netherlands BV, Arrow Value Recovery Norway AS (fka Greentech AS), Arrow Value Recovery Sweden AB (fka Greentech Sweden AB), Arrow Value Recovery UK LTD, Arrow eCommerce B.V., Arrow/Artlink Technology (Hong Kong) Limited, Arrow/Components (Agent) Ltd., Arrow/Rapac Ltd., Artlink Technology Co. Ltd., Aspen Labs LLC, Aspencore China Investment LLC, Aspencore LLC, Aspencore Media GmbH, Aspencore/IDG China Investment LLC, Asplenium SA, Asset Recovery Corporation, B.V. Arrow Electronics DLC, Beijing AIQI Technology, Beijing Arrow SEED Technology Co. Ltd, Beijing Canon Advertising Co. Ltd., Broomco (4184) Limited, COMPUTERLINKS, COMPUTERLINKS (UK) Ltd., COMPUTERLINKS Belgium BVBA, COMPUTERLINKS Denmark A/S, COMPUTERLINKS Nederland B.V., COMPUTERLINKS S.A., CSS Computer Security Solutions Erwerbs GmbH, CSS Computer Security Solutions Holding GmbH, CSS Computer Security Solutions Ltd., CT3 Europe Limited, Centia Group Ltd, Centia Ltd., Channel Support Pty Ltd, ChiWan Electronics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Chip One Stop, Chip One Stop (Hong Kong) Ltd., Chip One Stop (Shenzhen) Ltd., Chip One Stop Inc., Commtech Solutions (UK) Limited, Components Agent (Cayman) Limited, Components Agent Asia Holdings Ltd., Components Distribution Business - Achieva, Conrac Asia Display Products Pte. Ltd., Conrac MENA FZE, Converge, Converge (Shanghai) International Trading Co. Ltd., Converge Asia Pte Ltd., Converge Electronics Trading (India) Private Ltd., Converge France SAS, Converge Netherlands BV, Converge Scandinavia AB, Cross Telecom, Data Modul, Data Modul AG, Data Modul Electronics Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Data Modul FZE, Data Modul France S.a r.l, Data Modul Hong Kong Ltd., Data Modul Iberia S.L., Data Modul Inc., Data Modul Italia S.r.l., Data Modul Ltd., Data Modul Shanghai Ltd., Data Modul Suisse GmbH, Data Modul Weikersheim GmbH, Diasa Informatica, Dicopel Inc., Distribution Business - Seed International, Distribution Central (MY) Sdn. Bhd., Distribution Central HK Pty Limited, Distribution Central Limited (NZ), Distribution Central Pte Limited (SG), Distribution Central Pty Limited, E-InfoChips KK, EC America, EDN Asia Advertising Pte Ltd., ETEQ Components Pte Ltd., Electronics Products Technology Co. Ltd., Embedded Developer LLC, Erf 211 Hughes (Pty) Limited, Eshel Technology Group Inc., Eurocomponentes S.A., Excel Tech, Excel Tech Inc., Firewall Systems Pty Limited, Fusion Distribution FZCO, Gates - Arrow Distributing, Gates - FA Distributing, Global Link Technology, Greentech Holding AS, Gross Telecom, ICC Global Media GmbH, IP Vista A/S, IPVista A/S, ITM USA Enterprises Inc., Intechra Holdings, Intex-semi Ltd., KeyLink Systems Group, LED Franchise LLC, LED Source Holdco LLC, LED Source LLC, LOGIX S.A., License Central Pty Ltd, Lite-On Korea Ltd., Marubun Arrow (HK) Limited, Marubun Arrow (S) Pte Ltd., Marubun Arrow (Thailand) Co Limited, Marubun Arrow Asia Ltd., Marubun Arrow Europe Kft., Marubun Corporation, Marubun USA Corporation, Marubun-Arrow Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Marubun/Arrow (HK) Limited, Marubun/Arrow (M) Sdn. Bhd (Malaysia), Marubun/Arrow (Philippines) Inc., Marubun/Arrow (S) Pte Ltd., Marubun/Arrow (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Marubun/Arrow (Shenzhen) Electronic Product Consulting Company Limited, Marubun/Arrow (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Marubun/Arrow Asia Ltd., Marubun/Arrow USA II LLC, Marubun/Arrow USA LLC, NIC Components Asia PTE Ltd., NIC Components Corp., NIC Components Europe Limited, NIC Eurotech Limited, NUH Electronics India Private Limted, Networld Systems Pty Ltd, Nextworth Solutions Inc., Nu Horizons Electronics, Nu Horizons Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Nu Horizons Electronics Asia PTE Ltd., Nu Horizons Electronics Hong Kong Ltd., Nu Horizons Electronics Malaysia SDN BHD, NuHo Singapore Holdings LLC, Observatory Crest, Openway Group SA, Openway SAS, PCG Parent Corp., PCG Trading LLC, PT Marubun Arrow Indonesia, Pansystem S.r.l., Pax8 Inc., Power and Signal Group GmbH, R.D. Trading Limited, RDC, RF Wireless & Power - Richardson Electronics, Rack Systems Pty Ltd, Red Education Pty Ltd, Redemtech, Renewal Systems Pty Ltd, Richardson RFPD (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Richardson RFPD (Thailand) Limited, Richardson RFPD Australia Pty. Ltd., Richardson RFPD Canada Inc., Richardson RFPD Electronics Trading (China) Co. Ltd., Richardson RFPD France SAS, Richardson RFPD Germany GmbH, Richardson RFPD Hong Kong, Richardson RFPD Inc., Richardson RFPD Israel Ltd., Richardson RFPD Italy Srl, Richardson RFPD Japan KK, Richardson RFPD Korea Ltd., Richardson RFPD Netherlands BV, Richardson RFPD Singapore, Richardson RFPD Spain SL, Richardson RFPD Sweden AB, Richardson RFPD Taiwan, Richardson RFPD UK Ltd., Richey Electronics, San Systems Pty Ltd, Schuylkill Metals of Plant City Inc., Seneca Data, Seneca Data Distributors Inc., Shared Technologies, Silicon Frameworks LLC, SiliconEgypt Technologies LLC, SiliconExpert Holdings LLC, SiliconExpert Technologies, SiliconExpert Technologies Inc., Sphinx CST Limited, Sphinx CST Networks Limited, Sphinx Group, Sphinx Group Limited, Sphinx Professional Services Limited, Spoerle Hungary Kereskedelmi Kft, Sun Chain Technology Corp., TLW Electronics Ltd., TechTurn, Titan Supply Chain Services Limited, Titan Supply Chain Services Pte Ltd., Trafomo AB, Trafomo ApS, Transim Technology, Transim Technology Corporation, U.S. Micro Operating Company LLC, UBM Tech Electronics Network, Ultra Source Electronics (SZ) Co LTD, Ultra Source Technology Corp., Ultra Source Trading Hong Kong Limited, United Technical Publishing Division - Hearst Business Media, Universe Electron Corporation, Verical, Verwaltungsgesellschaft Arrow Electronics GmbH, Wireless and Infrastructure Business Unit - Waching Company, Yongming Xincheng (Beijing) Technology Co., e-InfoChips, e-Infochips Private Limited, eInfochips, eMedia Asia Limited, immixGovernment Inc., immixGroup, immixGroup Inc., immixSolutions Inc., and immixTechnology. First BanCorp (Puerto Rico) is a holding company, which engages in the provision of personal, commercial, and corporate banking services through its subsidiaries. It operates through the following segments: Commercial and Corporate Banking, Consumer (Retail) Banking, Mortgage Banking, Treasury and Investments, United States Operations, and Virgin Islands Operations. The Commercial and Corporate Banking segment consists of the company's lending and other services for large customers represented by specialized and middle-market clients and the public sector. The Consumer (Retail) Banking segment includes consumer lending and deposit-taking activities conducted mainly through FirstBank's branch network in Puerto Rico. The Mortgage Banking segment focuses on the origination, sale, and servicing of a variety of residential mortgage loan products and related hedging activities. The Treasury and Investments segment deals with treasury and investment management functions. The United States Operations segment represents all banking activities conducted by FirstBank on the United States mainland. The Virgin Islands Operations segment includes all banking activities conducted by FirstBank in Read More Repro Med Systems, Inc., doing business as RMS Medical Products, designs, manufactures, and markets portable medical devices primarily for the ambulatory infusion market in the United States and internationally. The company offers mechanical infusion product comprising the FREEDOM infusion systems that include the FREEDOM60 syringe driver, the FreedomEdge syringe driver, HIgH-Flo subcutaneous safety needle sets, and RMS precision flow rate tubing. It also provides education and training materials to clinicians, patients, and patient advocates. The company sells its products through direct sales and medical device distributors, as well as online. Repro Med Systems, Inc. was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Chester, New York. Read More There is not enough analysis data for Black Iron. 4.4 Community Rank Outperform Votes Black Iron has received 66 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Black Iron has received 34 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Black Iron has received 66.00% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Black Iron and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe BKI will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe BKI will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next Concord Medical Services Holding Ltd. engages in the operation of radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging centers. It provides radiotherapy and diagnostic equipment leasing services to hospitals; and sale of medical equipment and the provision of radiotherapy and diagnostic equipment leasing and management services to hospitals, It operates through Network Business and Hospital Business segments. The company was founded on November 27, 2007 and is headquartered in Beijing, China. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Carnival Co. &: 1972 Productions Inc., 6348 Equipment LLC, A.C.N. 098 290 834 Pty. Ltd., A.J. Juneau Dock LLC, AIDA Kundencenter GmbH, Adventure Island Ltd., Air-Sea Holiday GmbH, Alaska Hotel Properties LLC, Barcelona Cruise Terminal SLU, Bay Island Cruise Port S.A., Belize Cruise Terminal Limited, CC U.S. Ventures Inc., CCL Gifts LLC, CSSC Carnival Italy Cruise Investment S.r.L, Carnival (UK) Limited, Carnival Bahamas FC Limited, Carnival Bahamas Holdings Limited, Carnival Corporation & plc Asia Pte. Ltd., Carnival Corporation Hong Kong Limited, Carnival Corporation Korea Ltd., Carnival Corporation Ports Group Japan KK, Carnival Finance LLC, Carnival Grand Bahama Investment Limited, Carnival Investments Limited, Carnival Japan Inc., Carnival License Holdings Limited, Carnival Maritime GmbH, Carnival North America LLC, Carnival Port Holdings Limited, Carnival Ports Inc., Carnival Support Services India Private Limited, Carnival Technical Services (UK) Limited, Carnival Technical Services Finland Limited, Carnival Technical Services GmbH, Carnival Technical Services Inc., Carnival Vanuatu Limited, Costa Crociere PTE Ltd., Costa Crociere S.p.A., Costa Cruceros S.A., Costa Cruise Lines Inc., Costa Cruise Lines UK Limited, Costa Cruises Shipping Services (Shanghai) Company Limited, Costa Cruises Travel Agency (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Costa Cruzeiros Agencia Maritima e Turismo Ltda., Costa Group Digital & Strategic Services GmbH, Costa International B.V., Costa Kreuzfahrten GmbH, Cozumel Cruise Terminal S.A. de C.V., Creative Travel Lab Ltd., Cruise Ships Catering & Services International N.V., Cruise Terminal Services S.A. de C.V., Cruiseport Curacao C.V., D.R. Cruise Port Ltd., Ecospray Technologies S.r.L., F.P.M. SAS, F.P.P. SAS, Fleet Maritime Services (Bermuda) Limited, Fleet Maritime Services Holdings (Bermuda) Limited, Fleet Maritime Services International Limited, GXI LLC, Gibs Inc., Global Experience Innovators Inc., Global Fine Arts Inc., Global Shipping Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Grand Cruise Shipping Unipessoal LdA, Grand Turk Cruise Center Ltd., HAL Antillen N.V., HAL Beheer B.V., HAL Cruises Limited, HAL Maritime Ltd., HAL Nederland N.V., HAL Properties Limited, HAL Services B.V., HSE Hamburg School of Entertainment GmbH, Holding Division Iberocruceros SLU, Holland America Line Inc., Holland America Line N.V., Holland America Line Paymaster of Washington LLC, Holland America Line U.S.A. Inc., Ibero Cruzeiros Ltda., Iberocruceros SLU, Information Assistance Corporation, International Cruise Services S.A. de C.V., International Leisure Travel Inc., International Maritime Recruitment Agency S.A. de C.V., Milestone N.V., Navitrans S.R.L., Ocean Bahamas Innovation Ltd., Ocean Medallion Fulfillment Ltd., Operadora Catalina S.r.L., P&O Princess American Holdings, P&O Princess Cruises International Limited, P&O Princess Cruises Pension Trustee Limited, P&O Properties (California) Inc., P&O Travel Limited, Prestige Cruises Management S.A.M., Prestige Cruises N.V., Princess Bermuda Holdings Ltd., Princess Cays Ltd., Princess Cruise Corporation Inc., Princess Cruise Lines Ltd., Princess Cruises and Tours Inc., Princess U.S. Holdings Inc., RCT Maintenance & Related Services S.A., RCT Pilots & Related Services S.A., RCT Security & Related Services S.A., Roatan Cruise Terminal S.A. de C.V., Royal Hyway Tours Inc., Santa Cruz Terminal S.L., SeaVacations Limited, SeaVacations UK Limited, Seabourn Cruise Line Limited, Shanghai Coast Cruise Consulting Co. Lda, Ship Care (Bahamas) Limited, Sitmar Cruises Inc., Spanish Cruise Services N.V., Sunshine Shipping Corporation Ltd., T&T International Inc., Tour Alaska LLC, Transnational Services Corporation, Trident Insurance Company Ltd., Westmark Hotels Inc., Westmark Hotels of Canada Ltd., Westours Motor Coaches LLC, Wind Surf Limited, and World Leading Cruise Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.. The following companies are subsidiares of Quanta Services: (De) Lazy Q Ranch LLC, 1 Diamond LLC, 1Diamond AS, 618232 Alberta Ltd., 8246408 Canada Inc., Advanced Electric Systems, Advanced Electric Systems LLC, Advanced Utility Testing & Maintenance LLC, Alexander Publications LLC, Allteck GP Ltd., Allteck Limited Partnership, Apprenticeship Programs Inc., Arby Construction, Arcanum Chemicals LLC, Arnett & Burgess Oil Field Construction Limited, Arnett & Burgess Pipeliners (Rockies) LLC, Arnett & Burgess Pipeliners Ltd., B&N Clearing and Environmental LLC, Banister Pipelines Constructors Corp., Banister Pipelines Constructors GP Ltd., Banister Pipelines Limited Partnership, Brent Woodward Inc., Brink Constructors Inc., Brink Constructors Inc. A Corporation Of South Dakota, Brown Engineering and Testing, CAT SPEC Ltd., CAT-SPEC Limited Partnership, CAT-SPEC Limited Partnership (Regd Name) CAT SPEC Ltd., CAT-Spec Limited Partnership, Canadian Utility Construction Corp., Cat Spec Limited LP, Cat Spec Ltd, Cat Spec Ltd. L.P., Cat Spec Ltd. LP, Cat Spec. Ltd. LP, Cat-Spec Ltd (A Domestic limited Partnership), Cat-Spec Ltd LP, Cat-Spec Ltd., Cat-Spec Ltd. L.P., Cat-Spec Ltd. LP, Cat-Spec Ltd. Limited Partnership, Catalyst Changers Inc., Chatham Electric, Citadel Industrial Services L.P., Citadel Industrial Services Ltd., Citadel Industrial Services Ltd. L.P., Citadel Industrial Services Ltd. Limited Partnership, Coe Drilling Pty Ltd., Computapole, Conam Construction Co., Consolidated Power Projects Australia Pty Ltd, Conti Communications Inc., Crux Subsurface Canada Ltd., Crux Subsurface Inc., Cutting Technology - 1 Diamond LLC, DB Utilities Inc., DE Lazy Q Ranch LLC, DNR Pressure Welding Ltd., Dacon Corporation, Dashiell (DE) Corporation (Dashiell Corporation), Dashiell Corporation, Dashiell Corporation DBA Dashiell (DE) Corporation, De Mears Group, De Mears Group Inc., Delaware Quanta Technology LLC, Delaware Underground Construction Co., Didado Utility Company Inc., Digco Utility Construction L.P. Digco Utility Construction Limited Partnership, Dorado Specialty Services L.P., Dorado Specialty Services Ltd., Dorado Specialty Services Ltd. L.P., Dorado Specialty Services Ltd. Limited Partnership, Dorado Specialty Services. Ltd. L.P., Driftwood Electrical Contractors, EHV Power ULC, ELITE PIPING & CIVIL L.P., ELITE TURNAROUND SPECIALISTS LTD, Elite Fabrication Ltd. Elite Fabrication LP, Elite Piping & Civil Limited Partnership, Elite Piping & Civil Limited Partnership, Elite Piping & Civil Lp, Elite Piping & Civil Ltd L.P., Elite Piping & Civil Ltd., Elite Piping & Civil Ltd. L.P., Elite Piping & Civil Ltd. Limited Partnership, Elite Piping and Civil L.P., Elite Turnaround Specialists L.p., Elite Turnaround Specialists Limited Lp, Elite Turnaround Specialists Limited Partnership, Elite Turnaround Specialists Limited Partnership, Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd Lp, Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd., Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd. L.P., Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd. LP, Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd. Limited Partnership, Energy Consulting Group LLC, Enscope, Enscope Pty Ltd, FIC GP LLC, Field Personnel Services LLC, First Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC, First Infrastructure Capital GP L.P., Five Points Construction Co., G-Tek, G-Vac, GEM Engineering Co., Grand Electric Inc., Great Lakes Line Builders, Grid Creative Inc., Grid Manufacturing Corporation, Grid Training Corporation, H.L. Chapman Pipeline Construction Inc., Haverfield Aviation, Haverfield Aviation Inc., Haverfield International Incorporated, Heritage Midstream LLC, IM Electric Inc., IUC ILLINOIS LLC, IUC Nebraska LLC, InfraSource Construction LLC, InfraSource Field Services LLC, InfraSource Services LLC, InfraSources Construction LLC, Infraestructura ETP de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V, Infrasource Engineering Company PC, Infrasource Iowa Underground LLC, Infrasource Of Pa LLC, Integracion Tecnologica del Peru SAC, Intermountain Electric Inc., Intermountain Electric Inc. A Corporation of Colorado, IonEarth LLC, Irby Construction Company, Irby Construction Company Inc., Iron Mountain M.J. Electric LLC, Island Mechanical Corporation, J.C.R. Construction Co. Inc., J.C.R. Utility Construction Co., J.W. Didado Electric Inc., J.W. Didado Electric LLC, J.w. Didado Electric, JBT Electric LLC, Kingston Contracting Inc., Lazy Q Ranch LLC, Lazy Q Training Center LLC The Lazy Q Lineman School, Legend Foundation Services, Lex Engineering Ltd., Lindsey Electric L.P., Logical Link, Longfellow Drilling, M. G. Dyess Inc., M. J. ELECTRIC LLC IRON MOUNTAIN, M. J. Electric LLC, M. J. Electric LLC - Iron Mountain, M. J. Electric LLC DBA M. J. Electric Iron Mountain LLC, M.J. Electric LLC DBA M.J. Electric Iron Mountain, M.J. Electric LLC Iron Mountain, MTS Field Services, MTS Field Services (Richmond Co), MTS Quanta LLC, Manuel Bros. Inc., Marathon Construction Services, Mears Canada Corp., Mears Equipment Services LLC, Mears Group Inc., Mears Group Pty Ltd, Mears Installation LLC, Mearsmex S. de R.L. de C.V., Mejia Personnel Services LLC, Mercer Technical Services, Microline Technology Corporation, Mid America Energy Services Inc., NACAP Niugini Ltd., NC Northstar Energy Services Inc, NGI Construction, NGI Construction Inc., NGI Construction Inc. (FN), NLC CA. Inc., NLC FL. Inc. Northwest Lineman Center, NLC ID. Inc. Northwest Lineman College, NLC TX. Inc., NPC Energy Services LLC, Nacap Australia, Nacap PNG Limited, Network Communication Services, North Houston Pole Line L.P., North Houston Pole Line Limited Partnership, North Sky Communications, NorthStar Energy Services Inc., Northern Powerline Constructors Inc., Northstar Energy Solutions LLC, Northwest Lineman Center, Northwest Lineman College, Northwest Lineman Training Center, Northwest Lineman Training Center Inc., Nova Constructors LLC, Nova Constructors LTD, Nova Equipment Leasing LLC, Nova Group Inc, Nova Group Inc (CA), Nova Group Inc., Nova Group Inc. DBA NGI Construction, Nova NextGen Solutions LLC, O. J. Pipelines Canada Corporation, O. J. Pipelines Canada Limited Partnership, O.J. Industrial Maintenance, O.J. Pipelines Canada, One Call Locators Canada Ltd., P.D.G. Electric, PAR Electrical Contractors Inc., PDG Electric Co., Par Internacional S. de R.L. de C.V., Performance Energy Services Guyana Ltd., Performance Energy Services L.L.C., Phasor Engineering Inc., Phoenix North Constructors Inc., Phoenix Power Group Inc., Potelco Inc., Potelco Incorporated, Power Delivery Program Inc., Price Gregory International Inc., Price Gregory Services LLC, Probst Construction Inc., Probst Electric Inc., QEPC, QEPC Power Solutions LLC, QES GP LLC, QP Energy Services LLC, QPS Engineering LLC, QPS Engineering LTD., QPS Engineering PLLC, QPS Environmental, QPS Flint Construction, QPS Flint Tank Services, QPS Global, QPS Global Services, QPS Global Services (Richmond Ci), QPS Professional Services, QPSE, QS Mats, QSI Engineering Inc., QSI Finance (Australia) Pty Ltd., QSI Finance (Cayman) Pvt. Ltd., QSI Finance Canada ULC, QSI Finance GP (US) LLC, QSI Finance I (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., QSI Finance I (US) LP, QSI Finance II (Australia) Pty Ltd., QSI Finance II (Lux) S.a r.l, QSI Finance II (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., QSI Finance III (Canada) ULC, QSI Finance III (Lux) SARL, QSI Finance IV (Canada) ULC, QSI Finance IX (Canada) Limited Partnership, QSI Finance V (US) L.P., QSI Finance VI (Canada) ULC, QSI Finance VII (Canada) Limited Partnership, QSI Finance VIII (Canada) ULC, QSI Finance X (Canada) ULC, QSI Inc., QSN Lux Holdings I SCSp, QSN Lux Holdings II SCSp, QSN Lux Holdings III SCSp, QSN Lux Holdings IV SCSp, QTSL LLC, QUANTA FOUNDATION SERVICES, Quanta APL GP II Ltd., Quanta Asset Management LLC, Quanta Associates L.P., Quanta Aviation Services LLC, Quanta Canada GP ULC, Quanta Canada Holdings III Limited Partnership, Quanta Canada Holdings LP, Quanta Canada III GP Ltd., Quanta Capital GP LLC, Quanta Capital LP L.P., Quanta Capital Solutions Inc., Quanta Cares, Quanta EPC Services, Quanta Electric Power Construction LLC, Quanta Electric Power Construction Management Inc., Quanta Electric Power Services LLC, Quanta Electric Power Services West LLC, Quanta Energized Innovations Ltd., Quanta Energized Services U.S. LLC, Quanta Energized Services of Canada Ltd., Quanta Energy Services LLC, Quanta Environmental Solutions, Quanta Equipment Company LLC, Quanta Government Solutions Inc., Quanta Holdings I (Netherlands) B.V., Quanta Holdings II (Netherlands) B.V., Quanta Infraestructura de Chile SpA, Quanta Infrastructure Services LLC, Quanta Infrastructure Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Quanta Inline Devices LLC, Quanta Inspection Services, Quanta Insurance Company Inc., Quanta International Holdings (US) LLC, Quanta International Holdings II Ltd., Quanta International Holdings Ltd., Quanta International Limited, Quanta Kingsvale LP Ltd., Quanta Lines Pty Ltd., Quanta Maine Services LLC, Quanta Middle East LLC, Quanta Pipeline Services Inc., Quanta Power Australia Pty Ltd, Quanta Power Generation Inc., Quanta Power Inc., Quanta Power Solutions India Private Limited, Quanta Resource Development, Quanta Services Africa (PTY) Ltd., Quanta Services Australia Pty Ltd., Quanta Services Chile SpA, Quanta Services Colombia S.A.S., Quanta Services Costa Rica Ltda., Quanta Services Guatemala Ltda., Quanta Services International Holdings II LP, Quanta Services International Holdings LP, Quanta Services Management Partnership L.P., Quanta Services Netherlands B.V., Quanta Services Panama S. de R.L., Quanta Services Peru S.A.C., Quanta Services Puerto Rico LLC, Quanta Services of Canada Ltd., Quanta Subsurface Canada Ltd., Quanta Subsurface LLC, Quanta Tank Services, Quanta Technology Canada ULC, Quanta Technology LLC, Quanta Technology UK Ltd., Quanta Tecnologia do Brasil Ltda., Quanta Telecom, Quanta Telecom Services, Quanta Telecommunication Services, Quanta Telecommunication Services LLC, Quanta Telecommunications Services LLC, Quanta Underground Services, Quanta Underground Services (Culpeper Co), Quanta Underground Services (Spotsylvania Co), Quanta Underground Services Inc., Quanta Utility Engineering Services Inc., Quanta Utility Installation Company Inc., Quanta Utility Operation LLC, Quanta West LLC, Quantecua Cia. Ltda., R. R. Cassidy Inc., RMS Holdings LLC, RMS Holdings LLC (Delaware), RMS Welding Systems, RMS Welding Systems LLC, Ranger Directional, Realtime Engineers Inc., Realtime Utility Engineers Inc., Redes Andinas de Comunicaciones S.R.L., Riggin & Diggin Line Construction, Rms Welding LLC, Rms Welding Systems LLC, Road Bore Corporation, Ryan Company Inc. The, Ryan Company Inc. of Massachusetts, Ryan Company Inc.(The), Seaward, Seaward Corp, Seaward Corporation, Service EC (DE) Inc., Service Electric Company (DE), Service Electric Company Inc., Service Electric Company of Delaware, Servicios Par Electric S. de R.L. de C.V., Servicios de Infraestructura del Peru S.A.C., Southwest Trenching Company Inc., Specialty Tank Services L.P., Specialty Tank Services LP, Specialty Tank Services Limited Partnership, Specialty Tank Services Limited Partnership, Specialty Tank Services Ltd., Specialty Tank Services Ltd. (LP), Specialty Tank Services Ltd. L.P., Specialty Tank Services Ltd. LP, Specialty Tank Services Ltd. LP, Specialty Tank Services Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold General LLC, Stronghold Holdings (BVI) Limited, Stronghold Inspection L.P., Stronghold Inspection Limited Partnership, Stronghold Inspection Limited Partnership, Stronghold Inspection Lp, Stronghold Inspection Ltd L.P., Stronghold Inspection Ltd., Stronghold Inspection Ltd. L.P., Stronghold Inspection Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold Limited Partnership, Stronghold Ltd., Stronghold Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold Management Holdings LP, Stronghold Specialty General LLC, Stronghold Specialty Ltd., Stronghold Specialty Ltd., Stronghold Specialty Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold Tower Group LP, Stronghold Tower Group Ltd LP, Stronghold Tower Group Ltd., Stronghold Tower Group Ltd. LP, Stronghold VI LLC, Subterra Damage Prevention Specialists Ltd., Summit Line Construction, Sumter Utilities Inc., T. G. Mercer Consulting Services Inc., TA Construction, TC Infrastructure Services Ltd., Taylor Built, Texas Specialty Tank Services Ltd. LP, The Aspen Utility Company LLC, The ComTran Group Inc., The Hallen Construction Co. Inc., The Massachusetts Ryan Company Inc., The Ryan Company Inc Of Massachusetts, The Ryan Company Inc., The Ryan Company Inc. (Massachusetts), The Ryan Company Inc. of Massachusetts, The Ryan Company Incorporated of Massachusetts, The Ryan Company Of Massachusetts Inc., The Ryan Company of Massachusetts, The Ryan Company of Massachusetts (FN), Tom Allen Construction Company Inc., Tom Allen Construction Company of Delaware, Trans Tech Electric, TurnKey Automation Limited Partnership, TurnKey Automation Limited Partnership, TurnKey Automation Ltd., TurnKey Automation Ltd. Limited Partnership, TurnKey Automation Ltd. Limited Partnership, TurnKey I&E Ltd., Turnkey Automation Ltd. L.P., Turnkey Automation Ltd. LP., UCC Underground Construction Co. Inc., Ucc - Underground Construction Co., Underground Construction Co. Inc., Underground Construction Co. Inc. (Delaware), Underground Electric Construction Company LLC, Utilco Inc., Utility Fleet Services, Utility Line Management Services Inc., Utility Testing & Maintenance LLC, Utility Training Services Corporation, VALARD Polska sp. Z o.o., Valard, Valard, Valard Construction (Ontario) Ltd., Valard Construction (Quebec) Inc., Valard Construction 2008 Ltd., Valard Construction Australia Pty Ltd, Valard Construction LLC, Valard Equipment (AB) Ltd., Valard Equipment GP Ltd., Valard Equipment Limited Partnership, Valard Geomatics (Ontario) Ltd., Valard Geomatics BC Ltd., Valard Geomatics Ltd., Valard Mechanical Ltd., Valard Norway AS, Valard Sweden AB, Valard Zagreb d. o. o., Wade D. Taylor Inc., West Coast Communications, Winco Helicopters, Winco Inc., Winco Inc. an Oregon Based Corporation, Winco Powerline Services, Winco Powerline Services Inc., Winco Powerline Services Inc., Winco Services Inc., World Fiber Inc., and mmit Line Construction Inc.. The following companies are subsidiares of General Motors: 2140879 Ontario Inc., ACAR Leasing, ACAR Leasing Ltd., ACF Investment, ACF Investment Corp., AFS SenSub, APGO Trust, Adam Opel, Adam Opel GmbH, Aftermarket (UK), AmeriCredit, AmeriCredit Consumer Loan, AmeriCredit Consumer Loan Company Inc., AmeriCredit Financial Services, AmeriCredit Financial Services Inc., AmeriCredit Funding, AmeriCredit Syndicated Warehouse Trust, Annunciata Corporation, Argonaut Holdings, Argonaut Holdings LLC, BOCO (Proprietary), BOCO (Proprietary) Limited, Banco GMAC, Banco GMAC S.A., Baylis (Gloucester), Boco Trust, Boden Brussels, CHEVYPLAN, CHEVYPLAN S.A. Sociedad Administradora de Planes de Autofinanciamiento Comercial, Cadillac, Cadillac Europe, Cadillac Europe GmbH, Carve-Out Ownership, Carve-Out Ownership Cooperative LLC, Chevrolet Deutschland GmbH, Chevrolet Sales (Thailand), Chevrolet Sales (Thailand) Limited, Chevrolet Sales India, Chevrolet Sales India Private Ltd., Chevrolet Sociedad Anonima de Ahorro para Fines Determinados, Controladora General Motors, Controladora General Motors S.A. de C.V., Cruise, DCJ1, DCJ1 LLC, DMAX, DMAX Ltd., Dealership Liquidations, Dealership Liquidations Inc., Delphi Energy and Engine Management Systems UK, Delphi Energy and Engine Management Systems UK Overseas Corporation, EDS (Electronic Data Systems), FAW-GM, Fundacion Chevrolet, G.M.A.C., GCAR Titling Ltd., GM (UK) Pension, GM (UK) Pension Trustees Limited, GM APO Holdings, GM Administradora de Bens, GM Administradora de Bens Ltda., GM Asia Pacific Regional Headquarters Ltd., GM Auslandsprojekte, GM Automotive, GM Automotive Services Belgium, GM CME, GM Canada Holdings, GM Canada Limited, GM Components Holdings, GM Components Holdings LLC, GM Cruise, GM Cruise Holdings LLC, GM Cruise LLC, GM Defense, GM Eurometals, GM Eurometals Inc., GM Europe Treasury, GM Finance, GM Finance Co. Holdings LLC, GM Financial, GM Financial AB, GM Financial Canada, GM Financial Canada Leasing, GM Financial Canada Leasing Ltd., GM Financial Colombia Holdings LLC, GM Financial Colombia S.A. Compania de Financiamiento, GM Financial Consumer, GM Financial Consumer Discount, GM Financial Consumer Discount Company, GM Financial Del Peru, GM Financial GmbH, GM Financial Holdings LLC, GM Financial Insurance Services, GM Financial Mexico Holdings, GM Financial Mexico Holdings LLC, GM Financial Real Estate, GM Financial de Mexico, GM Financial de Mexico S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.R., GM Financial del Peru S.A.C, GM Global Business Services, GM Global Propulsion Systems -Torino S.r.l., GM Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, GM Global Technology Operations, GM Global Technology Operations LLC, GM Global Tooling, GM Global Tooling Company LLC, GM Global Treasury Centre Limited, GM Holden, GM Holden Pty Ltd., GM Holdings U.K. No.1 Limited, GM Inversiones Santiago Limitada, GM Investment Trustees Limited, GM Korea, GM Korea Company, GM LAAM Holdings, GM LAAM Holdings LLC, GM Mexico Holdings, GM Mobility Europe GmbH, GM PSA Purchasing Services, GM Personnel Services, GM Personnel Services Inc., GM Philippines Inc., GM Plats (Proprietary), GM Regional Holdings, GM Regional Holdings LLC, GM Retirees Pension Trustees, GM Retirees Pension Trustees Limited, GM Subsystems Manufacturing, GM Subsystems Manufacturing LLC, GM Technical Center Korea Ltd., GM Viet Nam Motor Company, GM-DI Leasing, GM-DI Leasing LLC, GMAC - Instituicao Financeira de Credito, GMAC Administradora de Consorcios, GMAC Administradora de Consorcios Ltda., GMAC Banque, GMAC Continental, GMAC Espana de Financiacion, GMAC Holdings (U.K.), GMAC Lease B.V. (aka Masterlease Europe), GMAC Nederland N.V., GMAC Prestadora de Servicios de Mao de Obra Ltda., GMAC Servicios, GMAC UK, GMAC de Venezuela, GMAC-Prestadora de Servios de Mo-de-Obra, GMACI Corretora de Seguros, GMACI Corretora de Seguros Ltda, GMAM Real Estate I, GMCH&SP Private Equity II, GMCH&SP Private Equity II L.P., GMF Australia Pty Ltd, GMF Europe, GMF Europe Holdco, GMF Europe LLP, GMF Floorplan Owner Revolving Trust, GMF Funding, GMF Germany Holdings, GMF Global Assignment, GMF Global Assignment LLC, GMF International, GMF International LLC, GMF Leasing LLC, GMF Leasing Warehousing Trust, GMF Wholesale Receivables, GMGP Holdings, General Motors (China) Investment Company, General Motors (China) Investment Company Limited, General Motors (Thailand), General Motors (Thailand) Limited, General Motors - Colmotores, General Motors - Colmotores S.A., General Motors Advisory Services LLC, General Motors Africa and Middle East, General Motors Africa and Middle East FZE, General Motors Asia, General Motors Asia LLC, General Motors Asia Pacific Holdings, General Motors Asia Pacific Holdings LLC, General Motors Asset Management, General Motors Asset Management Corporation, General Motors Australia, General Motors Australia Pty Ltd., General Motors Austria, General Motors Austria, General Motors Auto, General Motors Auto LLC, General Motors Automobiles Philippines, General Motors Automobiles Philippines Inc., General Motors Automotive Holdings, General Motors Automotive Holdings S.L., General Motors Belgique Automobile NV, General Motors Belgium, General Motors Chile, General Motors Chile Industria Automotriz Limitada, General Motors China LLC, General Motors Daewoo Auto and Technology, General Motors Daewoo Auto and Technology CIS LLC, General Motors East Africa, General Motors Egypt, General Motors Egypt S.A.E., General Motors Espana, General Motors Europe Holdings, General Motors Europe Limited, General Motors Financial Chile, General Motors Financial Chile Limitada, General Motors Financial Chile S.A., General Motors Financial Company, General Motors Financial Company Inc., General Motors Financial International, General Motors Financial Italia, General Motors Financial Suisse, General Motors Financial UK, General Motors Financial of Canada, General Motors Financial of Canada Ltd., General Motors Finland, General Motors France, General Motors GBS Hungary, General Motors Global Service Operations, General Motors Global Service Operations Inc., General Motors Hellas, General Motors Holden Australia, General Motors Holden Australia NSC, General Motors Holden Australia NSC Pty Ltd., General Motors Holden Australia Pty Ltd., General Motors Holdings LLC, General Motors IT Services (Ireland) Limited, General Motors India Private, General Motors India Private Limited, General Motors International Holdings, General Motors International Holdings LLC, General Motors International Operations, General Motors International Operations Pte. Ltd., General Motors International Services Company, General Motors International Services Company SAS, General Motors International Services LLC, General Motors Investment Limited, General Motors Investment Management, General Motors Investment Management Corporation, General Motors Investment Participacoes, General Motors Investment Participacoes Ltda., General Motors Investments, General Motors Investments Pty. Ltd., General Motors Ireland, General Motors Israel, General Motors Israel Ltd., General Motors Italia, General Motors Japan, General Motors Japan Limited, General Motors LLC, General Motors Limited, General Motors Manufacturing Poland, General Motors Nederland, General Motors New Zealand Pensions, General Motors New Zealand Pensions Limited, General Motors Overseas, General Motors Overseas Commercial Vehicle, General Motors Overseas Commercial Vehicle Corporation, General Motors Overseas Corporation, General Motors Overseas Distribution, General Motors Overseas Distribution LLC, General Motors Peru, General Motors Peru S.A., General Motors Poland Spolka, General Motors Portugal, General Motors Powertrain (Thailand), General Motors Powertrain (Thailand) Limited, General Motors Research Corporation, General Motors South Africa, General Motors South Africa (Pty) Limited, General Motors Suisse, General Motors Taiwan, General Motors Taiwan Ltd., General Motors Technical Centre India, General Motors Technical Centre India Private Limited, General Motors Treasury Center, General Motors Treasury Center LLC, General Motors Turkiye, General Motors UK, General Motors Uruguay, General Motors Uruguay S.A., General Motors Venezolana, General Motors Ventures, General Motors Ventures LLC, General Motors Warehousing and Trading (Shanghai), General Motors Warehousing and Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., General Motors de Argentina, General Motors de Argentina S.r.l., General Motors de Mexico, General Motors de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., General Motors del Ecuador, General Motors del Ecuador S.A., General Motors do Brasil, General Motors do Brasil Ltda., General Motors of Canada, General Motors of Canada Company, General Motors-Holden's Sales, General Motors-Holden's Sales Pty. Limited, GigaPower LLC, Global Services Detroit, Global Services Detroit LLC, Global Tooling Service Company Europe, Global Tooling Service Company Europe Limited, Go Motor Retailing, Go Trade Parts, Grand Pointe Holdings, Grand Pointe Holdings Inc., Grand Pointe Park Condominium, Grand Pointe Park Condominium Association, H.S.H., Haines & Strange, Holden New Zealand, Holden New Zealand Limited, IBC Pension Trustees, IBC Pension Trustees Limited, IBC Vehicles, Lease Ownership Cooperative, Lease Ownership Cooperative LLC, Lidlington Engineering Company, Lidlington Engineering Company Ltd., Limited Liability Company "General Motors CIS", Master Lease Germany, Maven Drive, Maven Drive LLC, Millbrook Pension Management, Millbrook Pension Management Limited, Monetization of Carve-Out, Monetization of Carve-Out LLC, Motor Repris Automocio, Motors Holding, Motors Holding LLC, Motors Properties, Motors Properties (Trading), Multi-Use Lease Entity Trust, North American New Cars, North American New Cars LLC, Omnibus BB Transportes, Omnibus BB Transportes S. A., OnStar Connected Services Srl, OnStar Egypt Limited LLC, OnStar Europe, OnStar Europe Ltd., OnStar Global Services, OnStar Global Services Corporation, OnStar LLC, OnStar de Mexico, OnStar de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Opel Bank, Opel Danmark, Opel Group, Opel Group Warehousing, Opel Leasing, Opel Norge, Opel Sonderdienste, Opel Southeast Europe, Opel Sverige, Opel Szentgotthard Automotive Manufacturing, Opel Wien, P.T. G M AutoWorld Indonesia, P.T. General Motors Indonesia, PIMS, PIMS Co., PT. General Motors Indonesia Manufacturing, Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center, Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center Company Ltd., Prestadora de Servicios GMF Colombia S.A.S., Rapid Motor Vehicle Company, Reliance Motor Car Company, Riverfront Holdings III Inc., Riverfront Holdings Inc., Riverfront Holdings Phase II Inc., SAIC GM (Shenyang) Norsom Motors Co. Ltd., SAIC GM Dong Yue Motors Company Limited, SAIC GM Dong Yue Powertrain Company Limited, SAIC GM Wuling Automobile Company Limited, SAIC General Motors Corporation Limited, SAIC General Motors Investment Limited, SAIC General Motors Sales Company Limited, SAIC-GMAC Automotive Finance Company Limited, SAIC-GMF Leasing Co. Ltd., Servicios GMAC S.A. de C.V., Shanghai Chengxin Used Car Operation and Management Company Limited, Shanghai OnStar Telematics Co. Ltd., Sherwoods (Darlington) Limited, Sidecar Technologies, Skurrays Limited, Stam-Terberg Autobedrijven B. V., Strobe Inc., VHC Sub-Holdings (UK), Vauxhall Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Vehicle Asset Universal Leasing Trust, Vickers (Lakeside) Limited, Vision Motors Limited, WRE, WRE Inc., and Zona Franca Industrial Colmotores SAS. The following companies are subsidiares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft: 87 Leonard Development LLC, ABFS I Incorporated, ABS MB Ltd., Acacia (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., Accounting Solutions Holding Company Inc, Alex. Brown Financial Services Incorporated, Alex. Brown Investments Incorporated, Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft mbH, Amber Investments S.a r.l., Ambidexter GmbH, Ambidexter GmbH i.L., Argent Incorporated, BHW - Gesellschaft fur Wohnungswirtschaft mbH, BHW Bausparkasse Aktiengesellschaft, BHW Holding GmbH, BHW Kreditservice GmbH, BNA Nominees Pty Limited, BT Globenet Nominees Limited, BTAS Cayman GP, BTD Nominees Pty Limited, Baincor Nominees Pty Limited, Bainpro Nominees Pty Ltd, Baldur Mortgages Limited, Bankers Trust Investments Limited, Barkly Investments Ltd., Bayan Delinquent Loan Recovery 1 (SPV-AMC) Inc, Bayan Delinquent Loan Recovery 1 (SPV-AMC) Inc., Berkshire Mortgage Finance, Betriebs-Center fur Banken AG, Biomass Holdings S.a r.l., Birch (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., Blue Cork Inc, Blue Cork Inc., Borfield Sociedad Anonima, Breaking Wave DB Limited, Cape Acquisition Corp., CapeSuccess Inc., CapeSuccess LLC, Cardales UK Limited, Cardea Real Estate S.r.l., Career Blazers LLC, Career Blazers Management Company Inc, Career Blazers Management Company Inc., Career Blazers Personnel Services Inc, Career Blazers Personnel Services Inc., Career Blazers Personnel Services of Washington D.C. Inc. Washington D.C., Caribbean Resort Holdings Inc, Caribbean Resort Holdings Inc., Carpathian Investments Designated Activity Company, Cathay Advisory (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Cathay Advisory (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Cathay Asset Management Company Limited, Cathay Capital Company (No 2) Limited, Cedar (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., Centennial River 2 Inc., Centennial River Corporation, Chapel Funding, Charlton (Delaware) Inc, China Recovery Fund LLC, China Recovery Fund LLC, Cinda - DB NPL Securitization Trust 2003-1, City Leasing (Thameside) Limited, City Leasing Limited, Consumo S.p.A., Consumo Srl in Liquidazione, Cyrus J. Lawrence Capital Holdings Inc., Cyrus J. Lawrence Capital Holdings Inc., D B Investments (GB) Limited, D&M Turnaround Partners Godo Kaisha, D.B. International Delaware Inc., D.B. International Delaware Inc., DAHOC (UK) Limited (in members' voluntary liquidation), DAHOC Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, DB (Barbados) SRL, DB (Malaysia) Nominee (Asing) Sdn. Bhd., DB (Malaysia) Nominee (Tempatan) Sendirian Berhad, DB (Pacific) Limited, DB (Pacific) Limited New York, DB (Pacific) Limited New York, DB Abalone LLC, DB Alex. Brown Holdings Incorporated, DB Alps Corporation, DB Aotearoa Investments Limited, DB Asia Pacific Holdings Limited (in voluntary liquidation), DB Asset Finance I S.a r.l., DB Asset Finance II S.a r.l., DB Aster II LLC, DB Aster III LLC, DB Aster Inc., DB Aster LLC, DB Beteiligungs-Holding GmbH, DB Boracay LLC, DB Capital Investments Sarl, DB Capital Markets (Deutschland) GmbH, DB Capital Partners Inc., DB Capital Partners Inc., DB Cartera de Inmuebles 1 S.A.U., DB Cartera de Inmuebles 1 S.A.U., DB Chestnut Holdings Limited, DB Commodity Services LLC, DB Consorzio S. Cons. a r. l., DB Corporate Advisory (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., DB Covered Bond S.r.l., DB Credit Investments S.a r.l., DB Delaware Holdings (Europe) Limited, DB Direkt GmbH, DB Elara LLC, DB Energy Commodities Limited (in members' voluntary liquidation), DB Energy Trading LLC, DB Enfield Infrastructure Holdings Limited, DB Equipment Leasing Inc., DB Equipment Leasing Inc., DB Equity Limited, DB Finance (Delaware) LLC, DB Finance (Delaware) LLC, DB Finance International GmbH, DB Ganymede 2006 L.P., DB Global Markets Multi-Strategy Fund I Ltd., DB Global Technology Inc., DB Global Technology Inc., DB Global Technology SRL, DB Group Services (UK) Limited, DB HR Solutions GmbH, DB Holding Fundo de Investimento Multimercado Investimento no Exterior Credito Privado, DB Holdings (New York) Inc., DB Holdings (New York) Inc., DB Holdings (South America) Limited, DB IROC Leasing Corp., DB Immobilienfonds 1 Wieland KG, DB Immobilienfonds 2 KG i.L., DB Immobilienfonds 4 KG i.L., DB Immobilienfonds 5 Wieland KG, DB Impact Investment (GP) Limited, DB Impact Investment Fund I L.P., DB Impact Investment Fund I L.P., DB Industrial Holdings Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG, DB Industrial Holdings GmbH, DB Intermezzo LLC, DB International (Asia) Limited, DB International Investments Limited, DB International Trust (Singapore) Limited, DB Investment Managers Inc., DB Investment Managers Inc., DB Investment Partners Inc., DB Investment Partners Inc., DB Investment Resources (US) Corporation, DB Investment Resources Holdings Corp., DB Investment Services GmbH, DB Io LP, DB Litigation Fee LLC, DB London (Investor Services) Nominees Limited, DB Management Support GmbH, DB Managers LLC, DB Municipal Holdings LLC, DB Nexus American Investments (UK) Limited (in members'voluntary liquidation), DB Nexus Investments (UK) Limited (in members' voluntary liquidation), DB Nominees (Hong Kong) Limited, DB Nominees (Singapore) Pte Ltd, DB Omega BTV S.C.S., DB Omega Holdings LLC, DB Omega Ltd., DB Omega S.C.S., DB Operaciones y Servicios Interactivos Agrupacion de Interes Economico, DB Overseas Finance Delaware Inc., DB Overseas Finance Delaware Inc., DB Overseas Holdings Limited, DB PWM, DB Portfolio Southwest Inc., DB Print GmbH, DB Privat- und Firmenkundenbank AG, DB Private Clients Corp., DB Private Wealth Mortgage Ltd., DB RC Holdings LLC, DB Re S.A., DB Service Centre Limited, DB Service Uruguay S.A., DB Services Americas Inc., DB Services Americas Inc., DB Servizi Amministrativi S.r.l., DB Strategic Advisors Inc., DB Strategic Advisors Inc., DB Structured Derivative Products LLC, DB Structured Derivative Products LLC, DB Structured Finance 1 Designated Activity Company, DB Structured Finance 2 Designated Activity Company, DB Structured Holdings Luxembourg S.a r.l., DB Structured Products Inc., DB Structured Products Inc., DB Trustee Services Limited, DB Trustees (Hong Kong) Limited, DB U.S. Financial Markets Holding Corporation, DB UK Bank Limited, DB UK Holdings Limited, DB UK PCAM Holdings Limited, DB USA Core Corporation, DB USA Corporation, DB Valoren S.a r.l., DB Value S.a r.l., DB VersicherungsManager GmbH, DB Vita S.A., DBAB Wall Street LLC, DBAH Capital LLC, DBAH Capital LLC, DBCIBZ1, DBCIBZ2, DBFIC Inc., DBFIC Inc., DBNZ Overseas Investments (No.1) Limited, DBOI Global Services (UK) Limited, DBOI Global Services Private Limited, DBR Investments Co. Limited, DBRE Global Real Estate Management IA Ltd., DBRE Global Real Estate Management IB Ltd., DBRE Global Real Estate Management IB Ltd., DBRE Global Real Estate Management US IB L.L.C., DBRMS4, DBRMSGP1, DBUK PCAM Limited, DBUKH No. 2 Limited, DBUSBZ1 LLC, DBUSBZ1 LLC, DBUSBZ2 S.a r.l., DBUSBZ2 S.a r.l., DBX Advisors LLC, DBX ETF Trust, DBX Strategic Advisors LLC, DBO Vermogensverwertung GmbH, DEBEKO Immobilien GmbH & Co Grundbesitz OHG, DEE Deutsche Erneuerbare Energien GmbH, DEUFRAN Beteiligungs GmbH, DEUKONA Versicherungs-Vermittlungs-GmbH, DEUTSCHE BANK A.S., DG China Clean Tech Partners, DI Deutsche Immobilien Treuhandgesellschaft mbH, DIB-Consult Deutsche Immobilien- und BeteiligungsBeratungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., DISCA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, DNU Nominees Pty Limited, DSL Portfolio GmbH & Co. KG, DSL Portfolio Verwaltungs GmbH, DTS Nominees Pty Limited, DWS Alternatives France, DWS Alternatives Global Limited, DWS Alternatives GmbH, DWS Asset Management (Korea) Company Limited, DWS Beteiligungs GmbH, DWS CH AG, DWS Distributors Inc., DWS Distributors Inc., DWS Far Eastern Investments Limited, DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA, DWS Group Services UK Limited, DWS Grundbesitz GmbH, DWS International GmbH, DWS Investment GmbH, DWS Investment Management Americas Inc., DWS Investment Management Americas Inc., DWS Investment S.A., DWS Investments Australia Limited, DWS Investments Hong Kong Limited, DWS Investments Japan Limited, DWS Investments Shanghai Limited, DWS Investments Singapore Limited, DWS Investments UK Limited, DWS Management GmbH, DWS Real Estate GmbH, DWS Service Company, DWS Trust Company, DWS USA Corporation, De Heng Asset Management Company Limited, De Meng Innovative (Beijing) Consulting Company Limited, DeAM Infrastructure Limited, Deloraine Spain S.L., Delowrezham de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Deposit Solutions, Deutsche (Aotearoa) Capital Holdings New Zealand, Deutsche (Aotearoa) Foreign Investments New Zealand, Deutsche (Mauritius) Limited Port, Deutsche (New Munster) Holdings New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Access Investments Limited, Deutsche Aeolia Power Production Societe Anonyme, Deutsche Alt-A Securities Inc., Deutsche Alt-A Securities Inc., Deutsche Alternative Asset Management (France) SAS, Deutsche Alternative Asset Management (UK) Limited, Deutsche Asia Pacific Holdings Pte Ltd, Deutsche Asset Management (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Asset Management (Japan) Limited, Deutsche Asset Management (Korea) Company Limited, Deutsche Asset Management S.A., Deutsche Asset Management S.G.I.I.C. S.A., Deutsche Australia Limited, Deutsche Bank (Cayman) Limited, Deutsche Bank (Chile), Deutsche Bank (China) Co. Ltd., Deutsche Bank (China) Co. Ltd., Deutsche Bank (Malaysia) Berhad, Deutsche Bank (Suisse) SA, Deutsche Bank (Uruguay) Sociedad Anonima Institucion Financiera Externa, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, Deutsche Bank Americas Holding Corp., Deutsche Bank Bauspar-Aktiengesellschaft, Deutsche Bank Capital Finance LLC I, Deutsche Bank Capital Finance Trust I, Deutsche Bank Europe GmbH, Deutsche Bank Financial Company, Deutsche Bank Holdings Inc., Deutsche Bank Holdings Inc., Deutsche Bank Insurance Agency Incorporated, Deutsche Bank Insurance Agency of Delaware, Deutsche Bank International Limited, Deutsche Bank Investments (Guernsey) Limited, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A., Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A. - Fiduciary Deposits, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A. - Fiduciary Note Programme, Deutsche Bank Mutui S.p.A., Deutsche Bank Mexico S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple, Deutsche Bank Mexico S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple, Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, Deutsche Bank National Trust Company Los, Deutsche Bank Nominees (Guernsey) Limited, Deutsche Bank Nominees (Jersey) Limited, Deutsche Bank Polska Spolka Akcyjna, Deutsche Bank Representative Office Nigeria Limited, Deutsche Bank S.A. - Banco Alemao, Deutsche Bank S.A. - Banco Alemao Sao, Deutsche Bank SPEARs/LIFERs Series DBE-8011 Trust, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities Limited, Deutsche Bank Services (Jersey) Limited, Deutsche Bank Sociedad Anonima Espanola, Deutsche Bank Sociedad Anonima Espanola, Deutsche Bank Societa per Azioni, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Delaware, Deutsche Bank Trust Company National Association, Deutsche Bank Trust Company National Association, Deutsche Bank Trust Corporation, Deutsche CIB Centre Private Limited, Deutsche Capital Finance (2000) Limited, Deutsche Capital Hong Kong Limited, Deutsche Capital Management Limited, Deutsche Capital Markets Australia Limited, Deutsche Capital Partners China Limited, Deutsche Cayman Ltd., Deutsche Colombia S.A.S., Deutsche Custody N.V., Deutsche Domus New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Equities India Private Limited, Deutsche Finance Co 1 Pty Limited, Deutsche Finance Co 2 Pty Limited, Deutsche Finance Co 3 Pty Limited, Deutsche Finance Co 4 Pty Limited, Deutsche Finance No. 2 Limited, Deutsche Foras New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Immobilien-Leasing mit beschrankter Haftung, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Immobilien-Leasing mit beschrankterHaftung, Deutsche Global Markets Limited, Deutsche Group Holdings (SA) Proprietary Limited, Deutsche Group Services Pty Limited, Deutsche Grundbesitz Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Deutsche Grundbesitz Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., Deutsche Grundbesitz-Anlagegesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Deutsche Holdings (BTI) Limited, Deutsche Holdings (Grand Duchy), Deutsche Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., Deutsche Holdings (Malta) Ltd., Deutsche Holdings Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 2 Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 3 Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 4 Limited, Deutsche Immobilien Leasing GmbH, Deutsche India Holdings Private Limited, Deutsche International Corporate Services (Ireland) Limited, Deutsche International Corporate Services Limited, Deutsche International Custodial Services Limited, Deutsche Inversiones Dos S.A., Deutsche Inversiones Limitada, Deutsche Investments (Netherlands) N.V., Deutsche Investments India Private Limited, Deutsche Investor Services Private Limited, Deutsche Knowledge Services Pte. Ltd., Deutsche Leasing New York Corp., Deutsche Mandatos S.A., Deutsche Master Funding Corporation, Deutsche Mexico Holdings S.a r.l., Deutsche Morgan Grenfell Group Limited, Deutsche Morgan Grenfell Group Public Limited Company, Deutsche Mortgage & Asset Receiving Corporation, Deutsche Mortgage Securities Inc., Deutsche Mortgage Securities Inc., Deutsche Nederland N.V., Deutsche New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Nominees Limited, Deutsche Oppenheim Family Office AG, Deutsche Overseas Issuance New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Postbank, Deutsche Postbank Finance Center Objekt GmbH, Deutsche Postbank Funding LLC I, Deutsche Postbank Funding LLC II, Deutsche Postbank Funding LLC III, Deutsche Private Asset Management Limited, Deutsche Securities (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Securities (Proprietary) Limited, Deutsche Securities (SA) (Proprietary) Limited, Deutsche Securities Asia Limited, Deutsche Securities Australia Limited, Deutsche Securities Inc., Deutsche Securities Israel Ltd., Deutsche Securities Korea Co., Deutsche Securities Mauritius Limited, Deutsche Securities Menkul Degerler A.S., Deutsche Securities S.A., Deutsche Securities S.A. de C.V. Casa de Bolsa, Deutsche Securities S.A. de C.V. Casa de Bolsa, Deutsche Securities Saudi Arabia, Deutsche Securities SpA, Deutsche Securities Venezuela S.A., Deutsche Securitisation Australia Pty Limited, Deutsche Services Polska Sp. z o.o., Deutsche StiftungsTrust GmbH, Deutsche Strategic Investment Holdings Yugen Kaisha, Deutsche Trust Company Limited Japan, Deutsche Trustee Company Limited, Deutsche Trustee Services (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Trustees Malaysia Berhad, Deutsche Wealth Management S.G.I.I.C. S.A., Deutsches Institut fur Altersvorsorge GmbH, Durian (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., EC EUROPA IMMOBILIEN FONDS NR. 3 GmbH & CO. KG i.I., Elba Finance GmbH, Elizabethan Holdings Limited, Elizabethan Management Limited, Emerald Asset Repackaging Designated Activity Company, Erste Frankfurter Hoist GmbH, European Value Added I (Alternate G.P.) LLP, Exinor SA, FARAMIR Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungs GmbH, FRANKFURT CONSULT GmbH, Fiduciaria Sant' Andrea S.r.L., Finanzberatungsgesellschaft mbH der Deutschen Bank, Franz Urbig- und Oscar Schlitter-Stiftung Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-037, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-039, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-040, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-041, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-043, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-044, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-047, Funfte SAB Treuhand und Verwaltung GmbH & Co. Suhl "Rimbachzentrum" KG, G Finance Holding Corp., G.O. IB-US Management L.L.C., G918 Corp., GAC-HEL Inc., GWC-GAC Corp., Galene S.a r.l., Gemini Technology Services Inc., German American Capital, German American Capital Corporation, Gladyr Spain S.L., Global Markets Fundo de Investimento Multimercado, Global Markets III Fundo de Investimento Multimercado - Credito, Greenwood Properties Corp., Grundstucksgesellschaft Frankfurt Bockenheimer Landstrae GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Kerpen-Sindorf Vogelrutherfeld GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Leipzig Petersstrae GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Wiesbaden Luisenstrae/Kirchgasse GbR, HTB Spezial GmbH & Co. KG, Hollandsche Bank-Unie, IOS Finance EFC S.A., ISTRON Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungs-GmbH, IVAF I Manager S.a r.l., IVAF I Manager S.a r.l., Immobilienfonds Buro-Center Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben I GbR, Immobilienfonds Buro-Center Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben II GbR, Immobilienfonds Mietwohnhauser Quadrath-Ichendorf GbR, Immobilienfonds Wohn- und Geschaftshaus Koln-Blumenberg V GbR, J R Nominees (Pty) Ltd, Joint Stock Company Deutsche Bank DBU, Jyogashima Godo Kaisha, KEBA Gesellschaft fur interne Services mbH, Kidson Pte Ltd, Konsul Inkasso GmbH, Kradavimd UK Lease Holdings Limited, LA Water Holdings Limited, LAWL Pte. Ltd., Latitude Australia Secured Personal Loans Trust, Leasing Verwaltungsgesellschaft Waltersdorf mbH, Leonardo III Initial GP Limited, Lindsell Finance Limited, London Industrial Leasing Limited, MEF I Manager S. a r.l., MEF I Manager S. a r.l., MHL Reinsurance Ltd., MIT Holdings Inc., MIT Holdings Inc., MPP Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Maher Terminals Holdings (Toronto) Limited, Morgan Grenfell & Company, MortgageIT, MortgageIT Inc., MortgageIT Inc., MortgageIT Securities Corp., Motion Picture Productions One GmbH & Co. KG, NCW Holding Inc., Navegator - SGFTC S.A., Navegator - SGFTC S.A., New 87 Leonard LLC, Nordwestdeutscher Wohnungsbautrager Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, OOO "Deutsche Bank TechCentre", OOO "Deutsche Bank", OPB Verwaltungs- und Beteiligungs-GmbH, OPB Verwaltungs- und Treuhand GmbH, OPB-Holding GmbH, OPB-Nona GmbH, OPB-Oktava GmbH, OPB-Quarta GmbH, OPB-Quinta GmbH, OPB-Septima GmbH, OPPENHEIM Capital Advisory GmbH, OPPENHEIM Flottenfonds V GmbH & Co. KG, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Manager GmbH, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, OPS Nominees Pty Limited, OVT Trust 1 GmbH, OVV Beteiligungs GmbH, Opal Funds (Ireland) Public Limited Company, PADUS Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, PARTS Funding LLC., PB Factoring GmbH, PB Firmenkunden AG, PB International S.A., PB Spezial-Investmentaktiengesellschaft mit Teilgesellschaftsvermogen, PBC Banking Services GmbH, PCC Services GmbH der Deutschen Bank, PT Deutsche Sekuritas Indonesia, PT. Deutsche Verdhana Sekuritas Indonesia, Pan Australian Nominees Pty Ltd, Peruda Leasing Limited, Plantation Bay Inc., Plantation Bay Inc., Postbank Akademie und Service GmbH, Postbank Beteiligungen GmbH, Postbank Direkt GmbH, Postbank Filialvertrieb AG, Postbank Finanzberatung AG, Postbank Immobilien GmbH, Postbank Immobilien und Baumanagement GmbH, Postbank Immobilien und Baumanagement GmbH & Co. Objekt Leipzig KG, Postbank Leasing GmbH, Postbank Service GmbH, Postbank Systems AG, QR Tower 2 LLC, Quantiguous, R.B.M. Nominees Pty Ltd, REO Properties Corporation, RREEF, RREEF America L.L.C., RREEF China REIT Management Limited, RREEF European Value Added I (G.P.) Limited, RREEF Fund Holding Co., RREEF India Advisors Private Limited, RREEF Management L.L.C., RTS Nominees Pty Limited, Reference Capital Investments Limited, RoPro U.S. Holding Inc., RoPro U.S. Holding Inc., Route 28 Receivables LLC, Route 28 Receivables LLC, SAB Real Estate Verwaltungs GmbH, SAGITA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SAPIO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SCUDO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., SEDO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., SENA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. Objekt Kamenz KG, SIFA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SOLIDO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SP Mortgage Trust, SPINO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., SPV I Sociedad Anonima Cerrada, SPV II Sociedad Anonima Cerrada, STATOR Heizkraftwerk Frankfurt (Oder) Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Sal. Oppenheim, Sal. Oppenheim Alternative Investments GmbH, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. AG & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. Beteiligungs GmbH, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. Komplementar AG, Sechste Salomon Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Sechste Salomon Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., Service Company Four Limited, Sharps SP I LLC, Singer Island Tower Suite LLC, Somkid Immobiliare S.r.l., Stelvio Immobiliare S.r.l., Structured Finance Americas LLC, Structured Finance Americas LLC, Swabia 1. Vermogensbesitz-GmbH, Suddeutsche Vermogensverwaltung Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, TAKIR Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, TELO Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, TEMATIS Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., TERRUS Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., TESATUR Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. Objekt Halle I KG i.L., TESATUR Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. Objekt Nordhausen I KG i.L., TOSSA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, TRIPLA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, TRS Aria LLC, TRS Leda LLC, TRS Maple II LTD, TRS Oak II LTD, TRS SVCO LLC, TRS Scorpio LLC, TRS Tupelo II LTD, TRS Venor LLC, TRS Walnut II LTD, Tagus - Sociedade de Titularizacao de Creditos S.A., Tasfiye Halinde Deutsche Securities Menkul Degerler A.S., Tempurrite Leasing Limited, Thai Asset Enforcement and Recovery Asset Management Company Limited, Tianjin Deutsche AM Fund Management Co. Ltd., Treuinvest Service GmbH, Triplereason Limited, UKE Beteiligungs-GmbH, UKE Grundstucksgesellschaft mbH, UKE s.r.o., Ullmann - Esch Grundstucksgesellschaft Kirchnerstrae GbR, Ullmann - Esch Grundstucksverwaltungsgesellschaft Disternich GbR, Ullmann Ullmann Krockow Krockow Esch GbR, VCJ Lease S.a r.l., Vesta Real Estate S.r.l., VOB-ZVD Processing GmbH, WEPLA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, WEPLABeteiligungsgesellschaftmbH, Wealthspur Investment Ltd., Whale Holdings S.a r.l., World Trading (Delaware) Inc., World Trading(Delaware)Inc., Zumirez Drive LLC, db PBC, and norisbank GmbH. The following companies are subsidiares of Fluor: 202 Maintenance Services LLC, 3Angle B.V., 3Angle EPCM V.O.F., 684033 N.B. Ltd., AAR 2007 Limited, ADP Marshall Contractors Inc., ADP/FD of Nevada Inc., AG&P Fluor Joint Venture Company Inc., AJS V.O.F., AMECO COLOMBIA S.A.S., AMECO Caribbean Inc., AMECO Holdings Inc., AMECO PANAMA S.A., AMECO Peru S.R. L., AMECO Project Services Inc., AMECO Services Inc., ATCO Fluor Support Solutions Ltd., Acqyre B.V., Agensi Pekerjaan TRS Malaysia SDN. BHD., Ameco Chile S.A., Ameco Equipment Services Inc., Ameco Inc., Ameco Mexico Administracion y Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Ameco Pty. Ltd., Ameco Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Ameco Services S. de R.L. de C.V., American Bridge/Fluor Enterprises Inc. A Joint Venture, American Construction Equipment Company Inc., American Equipment Company Inc., Arbeitsgemeinschaft BAB A S Ausbau Augsburg - Munchen, Asset Management Solutions S.A.S., B.C. Mining Joint Venture, Bellefonte Construction Services LLC, Bouwcombinatie Sluizen 4-5-6 V.O.F., Brady-Fluor LLC, CEJV Ingenieria y Construccion Limitada, CGF Projects Ghana Limited, COOEC-Fluor Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., CSP EG S.L., Canadian National Energy Alliance Ltd., Cascadia Monorail Company LLC, Cavendish Fluor Partnership Limited, Cibolo Creek Infrastructure Joint Venture, Colorado River Constructors JV, Compania Minera San Jose Del Peru S.A., ConOps Construction Ltd., Connect 202 Partners LLC, Consorcio Generation P135 MASA-VEPICA, Consorcio Grupo Stork, Consorcio KGM JV, Consorcio MASARTEC POWER JV, Consorcio Stork Y Masa JV, Consorcio Turnaround Alliance JV, Consorsio MSC JV, Consorsio Stork-TMI, Contingent Mission Sustainment Inc., Cooperheat Franchising B.V., Cooperheat GmbH, Cooperheat Saudi Arabia Company Limited, Corrosion Inspection & Integrity Services Sdn. Bhd., Crown Energy Company, D/FD Operating Services LLC, DAX Industries Inc., DSC Maintenance V.O.F., Daniel International Corporation, Dean / Fluor LLC, Del-Jen Inc., Denver Transit Constructors LLC, Denver Transit Holdings LLC, Denver Transit Operators LLC, Denver Transit Partners LLC, Denver Transit Systems LLC, Desarrolladora De Etileno S. de R.L. de C.V., Dominican Republic Combined Cycle LLC, Duke Fluor Daniel, Duke/Fluor Daniel, Duke/Fluor Daniel Caribbean S.E., Duke/Fluor Daniel International, Duke/Fluor Daniel International Services, Duke/Fluor Daniel International Services (Trinidad) Limited, Duke/Fluor Daniel LLC, EQIN B.V., EQIN Industrial B.V., EQIN N.V., ESSI LLC, Efdee Connecticut Architects Inc., Efdee Engineering Professional Corporation, Efdee Mississippi Architects A Professional Corporation, Efdee New York Engineers & Architects P.C., Elgin RBG (Pty) Limited, Empresa Constructora Fluor Salfa SGO Limitada, Encee Architecture Services P.C., Energy Resourcing Limited, Etileno XXI Contractors SAPI, Etileno XXI Services B.V., Europea de Ingenieria y Asesoramiento, Evergreen Equipment and Personnel Leasing Inc., FBT Services Inc., FCI/Fluor/Parsons a Joint Venture, FD Architects & Engineers Corporation, FDEE Consulting Inc., FDH JV, FDH JV KNPC AZRP/ZOR, FDHM Inc., FHdB LLC, FIID LLC, FLAG Joint Venture, FLUOR M Ltd., FM Operating Services LLC, FMC Holding Company LLC, FPMM XXK (FPMM LLC), FWPJV Limited, Federal Maintenance Logistics Solutions LLC, Fluor (China) Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd., Fluor (Nigeria) Limited, Fluor A&E Services Inc., Fluor A27/A1 B.V., Fluor AMEC II LLC, Fluor Aker Solutions Indonesia JV, Fluor Alaska Inc., Fluor Americas Inc., Fluor Arabia Limited, Fluor Argentina Inc., Fluor Argentina Inc. Sucursal Argentina, Fluor Australia Pty Ltd., Fluor B.V., Fluor BC Ltd., Fluor BNA GP Inc., Fluor BNA Holdco Inc., Fluor BNA O&M GP Inc., Fluor BNA O&M USA LLC, Fluor Boke Inc., Fluor Brasil Ltda., Fluor Brasil Servicos de Engenharia Ltda, Fluor Canada Ltd., Fluor Caspian Services Limited, Fluor Cebu Inc., Fluor Central Asia LLP, Fluor Chile Inc., Fluor Chile Ingenieria y Construccion S.A., Fluor Colombia Limited, Fluor ConOps Limited, Fluor Construction Services Pty Ltd., Fluor Constructors Canada Ltd., Fluor Constructors International. Inc., Fluor Consultants B.V., Fluor Craft Services Inc., Fluor Daniel (Japan) Inc., Fluor Daniel (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Fluor Daniel Asia Inc., Fluor Daniel Brasil Ltda., Fluor Daniel Caribbean Inc., Fluor Daniel China Inc., Fluor Daniel China Services Inc., Fluor Daniel Coal Services International Inc., Fluor Daniel Construction Company, Fluor Daniel Development Corporation, Fluor Daniel E&C LLC, Fluor Daniel Eastern Inc., Fluor Daniel Engineering Inc., Fluor Daniel Engineers & Constructors Inc., Fluor Daniel Engineers & Constructors Ltd., Fluor Daniel Engineers & Consultants Ltd., Fluor Daniel Engineers SA (PTY) Limited, Fluor Daniel Espana S.A., Fluor Daniel Eurasia Inc., Fluor Daniel Global Limited, Fluor Daniel Global Services Limited, Fluor Daniel Holdings Canada Inc., Fluor Daniel Holdings Inc., Fluor Daniel Illinois Inc., Fluor Daniel Inc. Philippines, Fluor Daniel India Inc., Fluor Daniel India Private Limited, Fluor Daniel International (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Fluor Daniel International Services Inc., Fluor Daniel Latin America Inc., Fluor Daniel Maintenance Services Inc., Fluor Daniel Mexico S.A., Fluor Daniel Mining & Metals Ltd., Fluor Daniel Modesto Inc., Fluor Daniel Nigeria Limited, Fluor Daniel Overseas Inc., Fluor Daniel P.R.C. Ltd., Fluor Daniel Pacific Inc., Fluor Daniel Pulp & Paper Inc., Fluor Daniel Services Corporation, Fluor Daniel South America Limited, Fluor Daniel Technical Services Inc., Fluor Daniel Venture Group Inc., Fluor Daniel a Professional Architectural Corporation, Fluor Daniel-AMEC Philippines Inc., Fluor Daniels Holdings (Botswana) (Pty) Limited, Fluor Driver Inc., Fluor Energy Technology Services LLC, Fluor Engenharia e Projetos S.A., Fluor Engineering Corporation, Fluor Engineering N.V., Fluor Engineering Solutions Ltd., Fluor Enterprises Group Inc., Fluor Enterprises Inc., Fluor Europe B.V.IIIIIX, Fluor Facility & Plant Services Inc., Fluor Federal Global Projects Inc., Fluor Federal Inc., Fluor Federal Petroleum Operations LLC, Fluor Federal Services Inc., Fluor Federal Services LLC, Fluor Federal Services NWS Inc., Fluor Fernald Inc., Fluor Finance International B.V./S.a.r.l., Fluor Finance U.S. Inc., Fluor Flatiron Balfour Beatty Dragados DBJV, Fluor Global Plant Services (Proprietary) Ltd., Fluor Global Services Australia Pty Ltd., Fluor GmbH, Fluor Government Group International Inc., Fluor Government Group Canada Inc., Fluor Guinea Inc., Fluor HDR Global Design Consultants LLC, Fluor Hanford Inc., Fluor Heavy Civil LLC, Fluor Holding Company LLC, Fluor Idaho LLC, Fluor Industrial Construction Corp., Fluor Industrial Services Canada Inc., Fluor Industrial Services Inc., Fluor Industrial Services Limited, Fluor Infrastructure B.V., Fluor Intercontinental Arabian Peninsula LLC, Fluor Intercontinental Germany GmbH, Fluor Intercontinental Inc., Fluor Intercontinental Solutions LLC, Fluor International C.V., Fluor International Holdings B.V., Fluor International Inc., Fluor International Limited, Fluor International Nigeria Limited, Fluor Investments LLC, Fluor Ireland Limited, Fluor Island ehf., Fluor Kazakhstan Inc., Fluor Kazakhstan LLC, Fluor Kuwait KSC, Fluor Limited, Fluor Maintenance Services Inc., Fluor Management Company L.P., Fluor Management and Technical Services Inc., Fluor Marine Propulsion LLC, Fluor Mediterranean Inc., Fluor Middle East LLC, Fluor Mideast Limited, Fluor Mining and Metals France Inc., Fluor Mocambique Limitada, Fluor NE Inc., Fluor Ocean Services Limited, Fluor Pension Trustee Limited, Fluor Plant Engineering S.A., Fluor Power Services Pty Ltd., Fluor Project Services B.V., Fluor Projects Limited, Fluor Rail Services Pty Ltd., Fluor S.A., Fluor S.A. (Pty) Limited, Fluor SPN Inc., Fluor Services B.V., Fluor Services LLC, Fluor South Africa (Pty) Limited, Fluor Spain Holding S.L., Fluor Supply Chain Solutions B.V., Fluor Supply Chain Solutions LLC, Fluor Supply Chain Solutions Singapore Pte. Ltd., Fluor Techint SRL Construccion y Servicios Limitada, Fluor Technologies Corporation, Fluor Texas Inc., Fluor Transworld Services Inc., Fluor US Services Inc., Fluor Uganda Engineering and Construction Limited, Fluor Virginia Inc., Fluor WEP Holdings Inc., Fluor WorleyParsons Arctic Solutions, Fluor environmental Resources Management Services Inc., Fluor-B&W Oak Ridge LLC, Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth LLC, Fluor-Brady LLC, Fluor-CDM Space Services LLC, Fluor-Habboush International Limited, Fluor-Igoda Projects (Proprietary) Limited, Fluor-Lane 95 LLC, Fluor-Lane LLC, Fluor-Lane South Carolina LLC, Fluor-SKM Iron Ore Joint Venture, Fluor/Technip Integrated JV, Fluor/Westinghouse Liquid Waste Services LLC, FluorAMEC LLC, Fru-Con/Fluor Daniel Joint Venture, GLT-Plus V.O.F., GLX Constructors an unincorporated joint venture, Genesys Telecommunications Holdings Limited, Genesys Telecommunications Limited, Giovenco Industrial Services Pty Ltd., Giovenco Industries (AUST) Pty Limited, Giovenco Industries (AUST) Trust, Giovenco/Insulations International JV Pty Ltd., Giovenco/Insulations International JV Unit Trust, Gladstone Pressure Welders Pty Ltd., Global Project Execution Inc., Goar Allison & Associates, Goar Allison & Associates LLCndo-Mauritian Affiliates Limitednfrastructure Civil Equipment LLC, Greenville Technical Services Inc., Grupo Alvica SCS, Grupo Empresarial Alvica S.A., ICA Fluor Daniel S. de R.L. de C.V., ICA Fluor Operaciones S.A. de C.V., ICA Fluor Operaciones S.A. de C.V., ICA Fluor Petroquimica S.A. de C.V., ICA Fluor Servicios Gerenciales S.A. de C.V., ICA Fluor Servicios Gerenciales S.A. de C.V., ICA Fluor Servicios Operativos S.A. de C.V., ICA Stork S. de C.V., ICA Stork S. de R.L. de C.V., IF Proyectos S.A., IFD Servicios de Ingenieria S.A. de C.V., IT Development Centre B.V., IXAS Gaasperdammerweg B.V., IXAS Zuid-Oost B.V., Industrial Del Hierro S.A. de C.V., Industrial Services France SAS, Industrial Services SF Peru S.A.C., Industrial Services SR Peru S.A.C., Infra Combinatie Zuid-West, Infraspeed Holdings B.V., Ingenieria y Construccion Fluor Daniel Chile Limitada, Iraq Construction Ltd., Iraq Water General Contracting Company L.L.C., Istimewa Electrotechniek B.V., J Crowder Corporation, J. Crowder Corp., J.A. Jones International, JGC Fluor BC Joint Venture, JGC Fluor Kitimat LNG Project JV, JGC Fluor Mocambique Lda, JGC/FEI Joint Venture, JGC/Fluor JV, KDPC Limited, KMK-DJI JV, KPJV Limited, Karratha Engineering Services Pty Ltd., Kazakh Projects Joint Venture Limited, KazakhNefteGasServis LLP, Koninklijke Machinefabriek Stork B.V., Lone Star Infrastructure Joint Venture, Lone Star Infrastructure LLC, Louisiana Operations and Maintenance Services LLC, M&W/Marshall a Joint Venture, MGJV Pty Ltd., Maquinaria Ameco Guatemala Limitada, Mecanicos Asociados S.A.S., Mid-America Conversion Services LLC, Middle East Fluor, Mineral Resource Development Corporation, Mongolian National Facility Services (MNFS) LLC, Mourik Istimewa Combinatie V.O.F., NWKC LLC, Najmat Al-Sabah for General Services Limited Liability Company, NuScale Holdings Corp., NuScale Power LLC, Oregon Bridge Delivery Partners Joint Venture, P.T. Fluor Daniel Indonesia, P.T. MITRA BERSAMA ENGINEERING, P.T. Nusantara Power Services, PFD (UK) Limited, PFD International LLC, PRI/DJI A Reconstruction JV, PT Signet Indonesia, PT Singgar Mulia, PT. MITRA BERSAMA ENGINEERING, Pacific Defense Constructors LLC, Palmetto Seed Capital Ltd. Partnership, Parkway Infrastructure Constructors, Pegasus Link Constructors, Pegasus Link Constructors LLC, Phoenix Constructors Joint Venture, Pipeline Maintenance Alliance JV, Plant Engineering Services LLC, Plant Performance Services, Plant Performance Services Caribbean Limited, Plant Performance Services International LLC, Plant Performance Services International Ltd., Poort van Den Bosch B.V., Poort van Den Bosch V.O.F., Prairie Link Constructors JV, Prairie Link Constructors LLC, Pro-V/ConOps JV, Provo River Constructors, Purple Line Transit Constructors LLC, Purple Line Transit Operations LLC, Purple Line Transit Partners LLC, Qatar National Facility Services, RBG Kazakhstan LLP, Rash Inversiones 2007 S.L., Rock Island Integrated Services, S-M V.O.F., SDT Maintenance Management Group Limited, SFS 007.298.633 Pty Limited, SSLP/FCCL JV, Sacyr Fluor Bolivia S.R.L., Sacyr Fluor Colombia S.A.S., Sacyr Fluor Participaciones S.L., Sacyr Fluor S.A., Saddleback Constructors, Sakhalin Neftegas Technology, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions LLC, Servicios Cuyuni E.T.T. C.A., Servicios Mineria Inc., Servicios de Construccion del Pacifico Inc., Servitrade Servicos Investimento y Trading Limitada, Servitrade Servicos Investimentos y Trading Limitada, Signet Engineering Pty Ltd., Signet Holdings Pty Ltd., Soli-Flo Inc., Soli-Flo LLC, Soli-Flo Material Transfer L.P., Soli-Flo Partners L.P., Soli0Flo Partners L.P., Springfield Resource Recovery Inc., Springfield Resource Recovery Limited Partnership, St. Joe Participacoes, St. Joe Participacoes Ltda, Stork Asset Management Consultancy B.V., Stork B.V., Stork Caspian LLC, Stork Colombia S.A.S., Stork Elecon Ltd, Stork Gear & Services Asia Pte. Ltd., Stork Gear & Services B.V., Stork German Holding GmbH, Stork Getriebe & Services GmbH, Stork H&E Turbo Blading Inc., Stork Holding, Stork Holding B.V., Stork Integrated Solutions B.V., Stork Intellectual Property B.V., Stork International B.V., Stork International Limited, Stork Mechanical Works and Maintenance Co. K.S.C.C., Stork Nederland B.V., Stork Oryx Turbo Machinery Services LLC, Stork Peru S.A.C., Stork Peru S.A.S., Stork Plastic Machinery B.V., Stork Power Services & Technology Beijing Limited, Stork Power Services B.V., Stork Power Services OOO, Stork Power Services USA Holding Inc., Stork TS Holdings Limited, Stork TS UK Limited, Stork Technical Services (Holdings) Limited, Stork Technical Services (RBG) Limited, Stork Technical Services (STS) Ltd., Stork Technical Services Australia Pty Ltd., Stork Technical Services Beheer B.V., Stork Technical Services Belgium N.V., Stork Technical Services GmbH, Stork Technical Services Group B.V., Stork Technical Services HOLDCO B.V., Stork Technical Services Holding Australia Pty Ltd., Stork Technical Services Holding B.V., Stork Technical Services International Limited, Stork Technical Services International South Africa, Stork Technical Services Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Stork Technical Services New Zealand Limited, Stork Technical Services Norway AS, Stork Technical Services Sadaf LLC, Stork Technical Services Saudi Arabia Co., Stork Technical Services Trinidad and Tobago Ltd, Stork Technical Services UK Limited, Stork Technical Services USA Inc., Stork Thermeq B.V., Stork Turbo Blading B.V., Stork Turbo Service B.V., Strategic Organizational Systems Enterprises Inc., Strategic Organizational Systems Environmental Engineering Division Inc., Support Services International LLC, Supreme Modular Fabrication Inc., TDF Inc., TRS Consultants JLT, TRS Craft Services Inc., TRS Far East Sdn. Bhd., TRS International Group S. de R.L. de C.V., TRS International Payroll Co., TRS Labour Hire Solutions Pty. Ltd., TRS SA Holdings Company (Pty) Ltd., TRS Search and Selection (Pty) Ltd., TRS Staffing Solutions (Australia) Pty Ltd., TRS Staffing Solutions (Canada) Inc., TRS Staffing Solutions (Pty) Ltd., TRS Staffing Solutions B.V., TRS Staffing Solutions Inc., TRS Staffing Solutions India Private Limited, TRS Staffing Solutions Limited, TRS Staffing Solutions Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., TRS Staffing Solutions Mozambique Limitada, TRS Staffing Solutions S. de R.L. de C.V., TRS Staffing Solutions SA (Pty) Ltd., Tappan Zee Constructors LLC, Technical Resource Solutions S.L., Technip-Fluor JV, Thermoprozess Cooperheat GmbH, Trans Florida Express LLCenezco Inc., Trans-Africa Projects (Pty) Ltd., Trans-Africa Projects Ltd., UNEC Engineering, United Rentals Industrial Services LLC, WODECO Nigeria Limited, Walsh-Fluor Design-Build Team, Wescon (B) Sdn. Bhd., Wescon International B.V., Williams Brothers Engineering Company, Williams Brothers Engineering Limited, Williams Brothers Process Services Inc., Wilmore/Fluor Modesto LLC, Windsor Essex Mobility Group GP, WorleyParsons Arabia Limited Fluor Arabia Limited Joint Venture, Wright Engineers (Chile) Limitada, Wright Engineers Limitada Peru, and ZuidPlus V.O.F.. Grizzly Discoveries Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in Canada. It primarily explores for gold, copper, silver, and cobalt deposits. It holds interests in Greenwood Project covering approximately 180,000 contiguous acres; and 100% interests in Robocop property comprising of five mineral claims that covers an area of 5,863 acres located in southeastern British Columbia. The company was formerly known as Grizzly Diamonds Ltd. and changed its name to Grizzly Discoveries Inc. in January 2010. Grizzly Discoveries Inc. was incorporated in 2002 and is headquartered in Edmonton, Canada. Read More 11 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for John Wood Group in the last year. There are currently 1 sell rating, 6 hold ratings and 4 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "hold" John Wood Group stock. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in WDGJF, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares. View analyst ratings for John Wood Group or view top-rated stocks. The following companies are subsidiares of NOV: AG Holding UK, APL France SAS, APL Management Pte Ltd, APL Norway AS, APL do Brasil Ltda., ASEP Group Holding B.V., ASEP Otomotiv Sanayi Ticaret Ltd., Ackerman Holdings C.V., Ackerman Holdings GP LLC, Ackerman International Holland B.V., Advanced Production and Loading, Advanced Wirecloth, Aggregate Plant Products Co., American Pipe and Construction International, Ameron B.V., Ameron Holdings Pte. Ltd., Ameron International, Ameron International Corporation, Ameron Pole Products LLC, Ameron Polyplaster Industria E Comercio de Tubos Ltda., Ameron Singapore Holding, Ameron Singapore Poly Holdings Pte. Ltd., Ameron Trading Holdings Pte. Ltd., Andergauge Limited, Andergauge Redback, Andergauge USA, Arabian Rig Manufacturing Company, Axiom Process Limited, Belco Manufacturing Company, Big Red Tubulars Limited, Bondstrand Ltd., Bowen Downhole Inc., Bowen Downhole LLC, Brandt Interests, Brandt Oilfield Services (M) Sdn. Bhd., C.M.A. Canavera S.R.L., CJSC Fidmash, CJSC Novmash, CSI Inspection, Camco Drilling Group Limited, Chemineer, Coil Services Middle East LLC, Containment Solutions, Containment Solutions Services, Couoperatie Intelliserv Holding U.A., Couoperatie NOV NL U.A., Danco AS, Denali Incorporated, Denali Management, Devin International, Dreco Canada L.P., Dreco DHT, Dreco Eastern Europe ULC, Dreco Energy Services ULC, Dreco International Holdings ULC, Dreco LLC, E.C. Motors, Elmar Far East Pty Ltd, Enerflow Industries, Enerpro de Mexico, Environmental Procedures LLC, Ershigs, Fabricated Plastics Acquisitions Limited, Fabricated Plastics Limited, Fiber Glass Systems, Fiber Glass Systems (Qingdao) Composite Piping Co., Fiber Glass Systems Holdings, Fiber Glass Systems Oman L.L.C., Fiber Glass Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Fiberspar, Fiberspar Australia Pty. Ltd., Fiberspar Corporation, Fiberspar Linepipe Canada Ltd., Fibra Ingenieria y Construccion S.A., FidService, Fjords Processing (Shanghai) Co., Fjords Processing 1 AS, Fjords Processing AS, Fjords Processing Australia Pty Ltd, Fjords Processing France SAS, Fjords Processing Korea Co. Ltd., Fjords Processing Limited, Fjords Processing UK Ltd., Fryma S.a.r.l., GOT German Oil Tools GmbH, GP USA Holding LLC, GPEX, German Oil Tools (Middle East) FZE, Grant Prideco (Jiangsu) Drilling Products Co., Grant Prideco (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Grant Prideco AB TCA Holding LLC, Grant Prideco European Holding, Grant Prideco Holding, Grant Prideco III C. V., Grant Prideco Inc., Grant Prideco Jersey Limited, Grant Prideco L.P., Grant Prideco Mauritius Limited, Grant Prideco Netherlands B.V., Grant Prideco PC Composites Holdings, Grant Prideco S. de R.L. de C.V., Grant Prideco USA, Grant Prideco de Venezuela, Greystone Technologies Pty. Ltd., GustoMSC B.V., GustoMSC U.S., Hebei Huayouyiji Tuboscope Coating Co., Hitec AS, Hydralift AmClyde, Hydralift France SAS, Hydralift Holdings UK Limited, Inspecciones y Pruebas No Destructivas, IntelliServ Norway AS, Intelliserv, Intelliserv GP Holdings LLC, Intelliserv International Holding, Intelliserv LLC, Interval LLC, JiangYin Tuboscope Tubular Development Co., Merpro Group Limited, Merpro Products Limited, Merpro Tortek Limited, Midsund Bruk AS, Mono Group Pension Trustees Limited, Mono Pumps New Zealand Company, Monoflo NOV S.A.I.C., Moyno Inc., Moyno de Mexico S.A. de C.V., NKT Flexibles I/S, NOV (Asia), NOV (Barbados) Holding SRL, NOV (Barbados) SRL, NOV (Caymans), NOV (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., NOV - Oil Services Angola LDA., NOV APL Limited, NOV ASEP Elmar Mexico, NOV Africa Pty Ltd, NOV Australia Pty Ltd, NOV Azerbaijan LLC, NOV Brandt Europe France, NOV Brandt Oilfield Services Middle East LLC, NOV CV1 GP LLC, NOV CV2 GP LLC, NOV Completion Tools AS, NOV Completion Tools LLC, NOV Completion and Production Solutions Korea Ltd., NOV DH de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., NOV DHT Canada Holding ULC, NOV Denmark Cooperatief U.A., NOV Downhole Argentina, NOV Downhole Bolivia S.R.L., NOV Downhole Colombia, NOV Downhole Comercializacao de Equipamentos para Petroleo Ltda., NOV Downhole Congo, NOV Downhole Eurasia Limited, NOV Downhole Europe B.V., NOV Downhole Germany GmbH, NOV Downhole Italia S.R.L., NOV Downhole Kazakhstan, NOV Downhole Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., NOV Downhole Pty Ltd, NOV Downhole Thailand, NOV Dreco GP LLC, NOV EU Acquisition SNC, NOV Elmar (Middle East) Limited, NOV Elmar NL B.V., NOV Elmar Pte. Ltd., NOV Enerflow ULC, NOV Eurasia Holding LLC, NOV European Holding LLC, NOV Expatriate Services, NOV FGS Malaysia Sdn Bhd, NOV FGS Singapore (Pte.) Ltd, NOV Fiber Glass Systems Fabricacao De Tubos E Conexoes Ltda, NOV Flexibles Equipamentos E Servicos Ltda., NOV Flexibles Holding ApS, NOV Floating Production AS, NOV Fluid Control B.V., NOV GEO GP LLC, NOV GEO LP1 C.V., NOV GEO LP2 C.V., NOV GP Holding L.P., NOV GP1 Holding LLC, NOV Gabon SARL, NOV Germany Holding GmbH, NOV Ghana Limited, NOV Grant Prideco Drilling Equipment Manufacturing LLC, NOV Grant Prideco Drilling Products Middle East FZE, NOV Grant Prideco L.L.C., NOV Holding Danmark ApS, NOV Holding Germany GmbH & Co KG, NOV Holding Germany Management GmbH, NOV Holdings B.V., NOV Hydra Rig Pte. Ltd, NOV India Private Limited, NOV Intelliserv UK Limited, NOV International Holdings C.V., NOV International Holdings GP LLC, NOV Intervention & Stimulation Equipment US LLC, NOV Intervention and Stimulation Equipment Aftermarket Comercio de Equipamentos e Servicos Ltda., NOV Kenya Limited, NOV Kostroma LLC, NOV Kuwait Light & Heavy Equipment Repairing & Maintenance Co., NOV LP (Trading), NOV MSI Pipe Protection Technologies Inc., NOV MSI Pipe Protection Technologies Mexico, NOV Mexico Holding LLC, NOV Middle East FZCO, NOV Mission Products UK Limited, NOV Mozambique Limitada, NOV NL Mexico Holding B.V., NOV Netherlands Finance Holding C.V., NOV Netherlands Finance Holding LLC, NOV North America I/P, NOV Oil & Gas Services Egypt (S.A.E), NOV Oil & Gas Services Uganda Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services Ghana Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services Namibia (Proprietary) Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services Nigeria Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services South Africa (Pty) Limited, NOV Oilfield Services Tanzania Limited, NOV Oilfield Services Vostok LLC, NOV Oilfield Solutions Ltd., NOV Park II B.V., NOV Process & Flow Technologies AS, NOV Process & Flow Technologies Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., NOV Process & Flow Technologies Pte. Ltd., NOV Process & Flow Technologies UK Limited, NOV Process & Flow Technologies US, NOV Rig Solutions Pte. Ltd., NOV Romania, NOV Saudi Arabia Co. Ltd., NOV Saudi Arabia Trading Co., NOV Services Ltd., NOV Servicios de Personal Mexico, NOV Subsea Products AS, NOV TV2 LLC, NOV TVI LLC, NOV Tanajib Kuwait for Services and Maintenance of Oil Rigs Refineries and Petrochemicals, NOV Tuboscope Italia S.R.L., NOV Tuboscope Middle East LLC, NOV Tuboscope NL B.V., NOV Tubulars and Connectors Ltd., NOV UK (Angola Acquisitions) Limited, NOV UK Finance Limited, NOV UK Holdings Limited, NOV UK Korea LP, NOV Wellbore Technologies Norway LLC, NOV Wellbore Technologies do Brasil Equipamentos E Servicos Ltda., NOV Wellsite Services Germany GmbH, NOV Worldwide C.V., NOV-BLM SAS, NOVM Holding LLC, NOW Downhole Tools, NOW International LLC, NOW Nova Scotia Holdings LLC, NOW Oilfield Services, NQL Holland B.V., National Oilwell (U.K.) Limited, National Oilwell Algerie, National Oilwell DHT, National Oilwell Middle East Company, National Oilwell Services de Mexico, National Oilwell Varco (Beijing) Investment Management Co. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco (Thailand) Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Algeria, National Oilwell Varco Almansoori Services, National Oilwell Varco Bahrain WLL, National Oilwell Varco Belgium SA, National Oilwell Varco Denmark I/S, National Oilwell Varco Egypt LLC, National Oilwell Varco Eurasia, National Oilwell Varco Guatemala, National Oilwell Varco Guyana Inc., National Oilwell Varco Hungary Limited Liability Company, National Oilwell Varco Korea Co., National Oilwell Varco MSW S.A., National Oilwell Varco Mexico, National Oilwell Varco Muscat L.L.C., National Oilwell Varco Norway AS, National Oilwell Varco Peru S.R.L., National Oilwell Varco Petroleum Equipment (Shanghai) Co., National Oilwell Varco Poland Sp.z.o.o., National Oilwell Varco Pte. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Rig Equipment Trading (Shanghai) Co., National Oilwell Varco Romania S.R.L., National Oilwell Varco Solutions, National Oilwell Varco UK Limited, National Oilwell Varco Ukraine LLC, National Oilwell Varco de Bolivia S.R.L., National Oilwell Varco de Chile - Servicios Limitada, National Oilwell Varco do Brasil Ltda., National Oilwell de Venezuela, National-Oilwell Pte. Ltd., National-Oilwell Pty. Ltd., PT Fjords Processing Indonesia, PT H-Tech Oilfield Equipment, PT NOV Oilfield Services, PT National Oilwell Varco, PT PROFAB INDONESIA, Pesaka Inspection Services SDN.BHD., Pipex Limited, Pipex PX Limited, Pipex Structural Composites Limited, Pridecomex Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Pridecomex TA Industries, Procon Engineering Ltd., Profab Engineering Pte. Ltd., Profab Services Pte Ltd, Quality Tubing FSC, R&M C.V., R&M Canada Cooperatief U.A., R&M Energy Systems Australia Pty Ltd., R&M Energy Systems de Argentina S.A., R&M Energy Systems de Venezuela, R&M Environmental Strategies, R&M Singapore Holding LLC, R&M UK Holding LLC, RE.MAC.UT. S.r.l., RHI Holding LLC, ReedHycalog, ReedHycalog International Holding, ReedHycalog LLC, ReedHycalog UK Limited, Robannic Overseas Finance A.V.V., Robbins & Myers, Robbins & Myers (Suzhou) Process Equipment Company Limited, Robbins & Myers B.V., Robbins & Myers Foundation, Robbins & Myers GP LLC, Robbins & Myers Holdings, Robbins & Myers Holdings UK Limited, Robbins & Myers Inc, Robbins & Myers Italia S.R.L., Robbins & Myers N.V., Rodic S.A. de C.V., Romaco S.a.r.l., STAR Sudamtex Tubulares S.A., STBH2O TUNISIE, STSA, Screen Manufacturing Company Unlimited, Seabox AS, Slip Clutch Systems Limited, Smart Drilling GmbH, Soil Recovery A/S, South Seas Inspection, Subseaflex Holding ApS, T-3 Energy Preferred Industries Mexico, T-3 Energy Services, T-3 Energy Services Cayman, T-3 Energy Services Cayman Holdings, T-3 Energy Services India Private Limited, T-3 Energy Services Mexico, T-3 Investment Corporation IV, T-3 Mexican Holdings, TVI Holdings, Telluride Insurance Limited, Tianjin Grant TPCO Drilling Tools Company Limited, Tube-Kote, Tubo-FGS, Tuboscope & Co. LLC, Tuboscope (Holding U.S.) LLC, Tuboscope Brandt de Venezuela, Tuboscope Machining Services AS, Tuboscope Norge AS, Tuboscope Pipeline Services Inc., Tuboscope Services, Tuboscope Vetco (Deutschland) GmbH, Tuboscope Vetco (France) SAS, Tuboscope Vetco (Oesterreich) GmbH, Tuboscope Vetco Canada ULC, Tuboscope Vetco Capital Limited, Tuboscope Vetco Moscow CJSC, Tuboscope Vetco de Argentina S.A., Tubular Coatings Solutions Ltd., Tucom Composites Polyester Sanayi Ticaret Ltd., Varco BJ B.V., Varco CIS, Varco Canada ULC, Varco I/P, Varco International de Venezuela, Varco L.P., Varco US Holdings LLC, Vetco Coating GmbH, Vetco Enterprise GmbH, Vetco Saudi Arabia Ltd., Visible Assets, Wilson International, Woolley, XL Systems, XL Systems Antilles, XL Systems Europe B.V., XL Systems International, voestalpine Middle East Free Zone Establishment, voestalpine Tubulars Corporation, voestalpine Tubulars GmbH, and voestalpine Tubulars GmbH & Co KG. The following companies are subsidiares of Roper Technologies: 3089554 Nova Scotia ULC, AC Analytical Controls B.V., AC Analytical Controls Holding B.V., AC Analytical Controls Services B.V., Acumen PM LLC, Aderant Canada Company, Aderant Company, Aderant Holdings Inc., Aderant International Holdings Inc., Aderant Legal (UK) Limited, Aderant Legal Holdings (AUS) Pty Ltd, Aderant Legal Holdings (NZ) ULC, Aderant Legal Holdings Inc., Aderant North America Inc., Aderant Parent Holdings Inc., Advanced Sensors Limited, Alpha Holdings of Delaware I LLC, Alpha Holdings of Delaware II LLC, Alpha Technologies B.V., Alpha Technologies GmbH, Alpha Technologies Japan LLC, Alpha Technologies Services LLC, Alpha Technologies U.K., Alpha Technologies s.r.o., Alpha Trust Corporation, Alpha UK Holdings LLC, Amot Controls Corporation, Amot Controls GmbH, Amot/Metrix Investment Company Inc., Amphire Solutions Inc., Amtech Systems (Hong Kong) Limited, Amtech Systems LLC, Amtech World Corporation, Aplifi Inc., Ascension Technology Corporation, Assureweb Limited, Atlantic Health Partners Inc., Avitru LLC, Axium Holdco Inc., C/S Solutions Inc., CBORD Holdings Corp., CIVCO Medical Solutions B.V., Centurion Research Solutions LLC, Civco Holding Inc., Civco Medical Instruments Co. Inc., CliniSys Group, CliniSys Group Limited, Clinisys Scotland Limited, Clinisys Solutions Limited, Cointec Ingenieros y Consultores S.L., Compressor Controls (Beijing) Corporation Ltd., Compressor Controls Corporation B.V., Compressor Controls Corporation Middle East, Compressor Controls Corporation S.r.l., Compressor Controls LLC, Compressor Controls Mauritius Ltd., Compressor Controls Pty Ltd., Compressor Controls Saudi Arabia LLC, ConstructConnect, ConstructConnect Canada Inc., ConstructConnect Inc., Cornell Pump Company, DAT Solutions LLC, DATSolutions Private Limited, DCMH Group Holdings Inc., DCMH Group Holdings LLC, DCMH Holdings Inc., DI Acquisition Subsidiary Inc., DI Dutch Holdings LLC, DI Hong Kong Limited, Dash I Inc., Data Innovations, Data Innovations Canada Ltd., Data Innovations Cooperatief U.A., Data Innovations Europe S.A., Data Innovations LLC, Data Innovations Latin America Ltda, Dawning Technologies LLC, Deltek, Deltek Ajera Inc., Deltek Asia Pacific (HK) Limited, Deltek Australia Pty Ltd., Deltek Danmark A/S, Deltek France SAS, Deltek GB Limited, Deltek GmbH, Deltek Inc., Deltek Nederland B.V., Deltek Netherlands B.V., Deltek Norge AS, Deltek Sverige AB, Deltek Systems (Canada) Inc., Deltek Systems (Colorado) Inc., Deltek Systems (Philippines) Ltd., Deltek WST LLC, Dominion I Inc., Dynamic Instruments Inc., Dynisco Enterprises GmbH, Dynisco Enterprises LLC, Dynisco Europe GmbH, Dynisco Holding GmbH, Dynisco Hong Kong Holdings Limited, Dynisco Instruments LLC, Dynisco Instruments S.a.r.l., Dynisco LLC, Dynisco Parent Inc., Dynisco S.r.l., Dynisco Viatran LLC, Dynisco Viatran (M) Sdn Bhd, Dynisco-Viatran Instrument Sdn Bhd, FMS Purchasing & Services Inc., FSI Holdings Inc., FTI Flow Technology Inc., Fluid Metering Inc., Foodlink Holdings Inc., Foodlink IT India Private Limited, Foundry, Foundry Visionmongers (Ireland) Limited, GeneInsight Inc., Getloaded Corporation, HRsmart Canada Inc., HRsmart Czech Republic, HRsmart France SAS, HRsmart Germany GmbH, HRsmart Inc., HRsmart International, HRsmart International Holdings LLC, HRsmart Mexico, HRsmart SA (Pty) Ltd., HRsmart Talent Management Solutions Europe Limited, HRsmart Ventures LLC, Handshake Software Inc., Hansco Automatisering B.V., Hansen Technologies Corporation, Harbour Holding Corp., Hardy Process Solutions, Horizon Software International LLC, INPUT Inc., IPA Acquisition Subsidiary Inc., ISL Finance SAS, ISL Holding SAS, ISL Scientifique de Laboratorie - ISL S.A.S., IT Canada Holdings LLC, Innovative Product Achievements LLC, Inovonics Corporation, Instill Corporation, IntelliTrans Limited, Intellitrans Canada Ltd., Intellitrans LLC, Intellitrans Sweden AB, Job Access LTDA, K/S Roper Holding, K/S Roper Investments, Laser App Inc., Link Logistics Holding LLC, Loadlink Technologies Corporation, Logitech Limited, MED Professional Services LLC, MEDTEC Inc., MHA Long Term Care Network Inc., MHA Long Term Care Services Inc., MIPS Austria GesmbH, MIPS CZ s.r.o, MIPS Deutschland GmbH, MIPS France Sarl, MIPS Nederland B.V., MIPS Schweiz AG, MIPS Software Iberica SL, MPR Readers Inc., Managed Health Care Associates Inc., Marumoto Struers K.K., Medical Information Professional Systems NV, Medina Acquisition LLC, Metrix Instrument Co. L.P., NDI Europe GmbH, Navigator Group Purchasing Inc., Neptune Technology Group (Canada) Co., Neptune Technology Group Inc., Neptune Technology Group Mexico S.de R.L. de C.V., Neptune Technology Group Mexico Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Neptune Technology Group Services Inc., Nippon Roper K.K., Northern Digital Inc., Off-Campus Advantage LLC, Omega Legal Systems Inc., PAC (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PAC Denmark ApS, PAC GmbH, PAC Instruments (Thailand) Company Limited, PAC Instruments Asia PTE. Ltd., PB Bidco Limited, PB Holdco Limited, PB Midco Limited, PB Topco Limited, PGP UK Limited, Petroleum Analyzer Company L.P., Phase Analyzer Company Ltd., PowerPlan, PowerPlan Canada ULC, PowerPlan Holdings Inc., PowerPlan Inc., PowerPlan Intermediate Holdings Inc., PowerPlan Operations ANZ Pty Ltd, PowerPlan Operations Ltd., Project Diamond Intermediate Holdings Corporation, Project Torque Intermediate Holdings Inc., Project Viking Holdings Inc., Project Viking Intermediate LLC, QSC 1208 Limited, QSC 1209 Limited, RF IDeas, RF IDeas Inc., RI Marketing India Private Limited, RIL Holding Limited, RMT Inc., RT Merger Sub Inc., Rebate Tracking Group LLC, Resonant Software Inc., Roda Deaco Valve Inc., Roper Acquisitions Holdings Inc., Roper Brasil Comercio E Promocao De Productos E Servicos LTDA, Roper Canada Holdings LP, Roper Canada UK Limited, Roper Denmark UK Limited, Roper EUR Pte. Ltd., Roper Engineering s.r.o., Roper Europe GmbH, Roper GM Denmark Holdings ApS, Roper Germany GmbH, Roper Germany GmbH & Co. KG, Roper Holdings LLC, Roper Holdings Limited, Roper IH LLC, Roper Industrial Products Investment Company, Roper Industries Denmark ApS, Roper Industries Deutschland GmbH, Roper Industries Inc., Roper Industries Limited, Roper Industries Manufacturing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Roper Industries Mauritius Ltd., Roper Industries UK Limited, Roper International Holding Inc., Roper International Holding Limited, Roper International Holding SCS, Roper LLC, Roper Luxembourg Finance S.a.r.l., Roper Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., Roper Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Roper Middle East Ltd., Roper NL1 UK Limited, Roper NL2 UK Limited, Roper Pte. Ltd., Roper Pump Company, Roper Scientific B.V., Roper Scientific SAS, Roper Scot LP, Roper Southeast Asia LLC, Roper Swiss Finance GmbH, Roper UK Investments Limited, Roper UK Ltd., Roper US Finance I LLC, Roper US Finance II LLC, Roper-Mex L.P., Ropintassco 1 LLC, Ropintassco 2 LLC, Ropintassco 3 LLC, Ropintassco 4 LLC, Ropintassco 5 LLC, Ropintassco 6 LLC, Ropintassco 7 LLC, Ropintassco Holdings L.P., SHP Group Holdings Inc., SIRA LLC, Shanghai Roper Industries Trading Co. Ltd., Sinmed Holding International B.V., Societe de Distribution de Logiciels Medicaux, SoftWriters Inc., Softwriters Holdings, Softwriters Holdings Inc., Sohnar Pty Ltd, Star Purchasing Services LLC, Strata Acquisition Subsidiary Inc., Strata Decision Technology LLC, Strata Parallel II Inc., Strategic Healthcare Programs Blocker 2 Inc., Strategic Healthcare Programs Blocker LLC, Strategic Healthcare Programs Holdings LLC, Strategic Healthcare Programs L.L.C., Struers (Shanghai) International Trading Ltd., Struers A/S, Struers GmbH, Struers Inc., Struers Limited, Struers SAS, Student Advantage LLC, Sunquest Europe Limited, Sunquest Holdings Inc., Sunquest Information Systems (Europe) Limited, Sunquest Information Systems (India) Private Limited, Sunquest Information Systems (International) Limited, Sunquest Information Systems Inc., Sunquest Information Systems Pty Ltd, TLP Holdings LLC, Technolog Group Limited, Technolog Holdings Ltd., Technolog Limited, Technolog SARL, The CBORD Group Inc., The Foundry Bidco Limited, The Foundry Bidco No.2 Limited, The Foundry Holdco Limited, The Foundry Holdings Limited, The Foundry Intermediate Holdings Limited, The Foundry Midco 3 Limited, The Foundry Midco No 1 Limited, The Foundry Midco No 2 Limited, The Foundry Topco Limited, The Foundry Topco No.2 Limited, The Foundry USCo Inc., The Foundry Visionmongers Ltd., The Tidewater Healthcare Shared Services Group Inc., The Washington Management Group Inc., Torque Acquisition Holdco Inc., Transcore Atlantic Inc., Transcore CNUS Inc., Transcore Holdings Inc., Transcore ITS LLC, Transcore LP, Transcore Nova Scotia Corporation, Transcore Partners LLC, Trinity Integrated Systems Limited, UHF Purchasing Services LLC, Union Square Software (International) Limited, Union Square Software Inc., Union Square Software Limited, Union Square Software Pty, Uson L.P., Uson Limited, Utilitec Limited, Utilitec Services Limited, Utility Data Services Limited, Verathon Holdings (Delaware) Inc., Verathon Inc., Verathon Medical (Australia) Pty Limited, Verathon Medical (Canada) ULC, Verathon Medical (Europe) B.V., Verathon Medical (France) SARL, Verathon Medical (Hong Kong) Limited, Verathon Medical (Japan) K.K., Verathon Medical (UK) Ltd., Vertafore, Vertafore Canada Inc., Vertafore Inc., Vertafore India Private Limited, Viastar Services LP, Viatran Corporation, Walter Herzog GmbH, WorkBook APAC Ltd., Workbook Software A/S, Zetec (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zetec France, Zetec Inc., Zetec Korea Inc., Zetec Rental LLC, Zetec Services Inc., iPipeline, iPipeline (TCP) Limited, iPipeline Canada Inc, iPipeline Co. Ltd., iPipeline Holdings Inc, iPipeline Inc, iPipeline Limited, iSqFt Holdings Inc., iSqFt Parent Corporation, iSqFt Sub Inc., iTradeNetwork Inc., and mySBX Corporation. by Kristina Knight Valassis polled more than 1,000 US consumers; they found that nearly all (92%) of consumers using coupons and discounts and nearly half using them "always/very often". Younger consumers are also using coupons with nearly one-third (30%) of Millennials noting the nearly always use coupons. Paper coupons are still used more (91% use paper coupons) compared to digital (75%). "Coupons - print and paperless - remain an essential factor in the relationship between brands and consumers," said Curtis Tingle, Chief Marketing Officer, Valassis. "Our latest Coupon Intelligence Report highlights that even as commerce evolves, both online and in-store, shoppers look for ways to save both time and money. With shifting expectations and life-stage needs, flexible and frictionless saving options are needed - no matter the channel - to accommodate consumers' evolving demands. To activate consumers, marketers must take individual preferences and behaviors into consideration when shaping their strategies." More data from the Valassis report can be found here. Meanwhile, new data out from Episerver finds that comparison pricing is on the rise among shoppers. Their poll of 4,500 global shoppers found that most (87%) are now comparing retailer pricing with Amazon pricing prior to making a purchase. Just over three-quarters (80%) of frequent online shoppers say they "often or always" use Amazon to compare pricing. "Knowing only a small fraction of customers do not use Amazon to compare products can certainly be a cloud over a retail operation seeking engagement and conversions on their digital properties," said Ed Kennedy, Senior Director of Commerce at Episerver. "However, knowing consumers' mindsets that casual swiping can turn into committed shopping, retailers can drive interest and, ultimately, sales by lessening the burden of choice and doubling down on experience-driven commerce. Product education, personalized content and site search, purchasing ease, promotions on multiple channels, peer reviews and performance of the site itself can all make a difference." Researchers further found that more than half (60%) of shoppers say they prefer sites like Amazon because of their pricing options, slightly more than those that prefer sites like Amazon because of their selection (58%). More data from the Episerver report can be found here. Tags: advertising, customer experience, customer service, ecommerce, Episerver, mobile marketing, Valassis Tate & Lyle PLC, together with its subsidiaries, provides ingredients and solutions to the food, beverage, and other industries in the United States, the United Kingdom, other European countries, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Food & Beverage Solutions, Sucralose, and Primary Products. The company offers texturants; nutritive sweeteners, such as high fructose corn syrup and dextrose; health and wellness ingredients; and stabilizers. It also provides industrial starches for paper, packaging, and industrial adhesives; acidulants, such as citric acid; and commodities comprising corn gluten feed and meal for animal nutrition, as well as corn oil and ethanol. In addition, the company engages in the treasury and insurance businesses; and provision of research and development services. Tate & Lyle PLC was incorporated in 1903 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Read More TC Energy Corporation operates as an energy infrastructure company in North America. It operates through Canadian Natural Gas Pipelines, U.S. Natural Gas Pipelines, Mexico Natural Gas Pipelines, Liquids Pipelines, and Power and Storage segments. The company builds and operates 93,400 km network of natural gas pipelines, which transports natural gas from supply basins to local distribution companies, power generation plants, industrial facilities, interconnecting pipelines, LNG export terminals, and other businesses. It also has regulated natural gas storage facilities with a total working gas capacity of 535 billion cubic feet. In addition, it has approximately 4,900 km liquids pipeline system that connects Alberta crude oil supplies to refining markets in Illinois, Oklahoma, Texas, and the U.S. Gulf Coast. Further, the company owns or has interests in seven power generation facilities with a combined capacity of approximately 4,200 megawatts that are powered by natural gas and nuclear fuel sources located in Alberta, Ontario, QuAbec, and New Brunswick; and owns and operates approximately 118 billion cubic feet of non-regulated natural gas storage capacity in Alberta. The company was formerly known as TransCanada Corporation and changed its name to TC Energy Corporation in May 2019. TC Energy Corporation was incorporated in 1951 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Read More American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved. 326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at contact@marketbeat.com | (844) 978-6257 MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security. Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On March 25, Chinese automaker BYD signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Huawei, a Chinese multinational provider of ICT infrastructure and smart devices, to co-boost the innovation of automobile and rail transit, and digital transformation of automotive industry. Under the agreement, both parties are ready to carry out in-depth exchange and cooperation in such areas as automobile intelligent connectivity, autonomous driving, smart monorail and smart industrial park. Huawei will exercise its technology advantages in AI, 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and big data to intelligentize and upgrade the mobility service industry and promote companies digital transformation by teaming up with BYD, who boasts rich technical resources of NEV and rail transit. Huawei revealed that the eLTE-based autonomous driving system co-developed by Huawei and BYD has been applied in the monorail system running in Yinchuan, the capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The latest cooperation upgrade will allow BYD to integrate Huawei's eLTE Huawei's ground-to-train wireless private network communications solution into its SkyRail. Traditional automakers forming partnership with Internet giants and communications companies has gradually become an industrial trend. For instance, SAIC Motor and Alibaba Group joined hands as early as 2014 to build China's first Internet car. In last April, Changan Automobile and Tencent agreed a cooperation deal in Internet of Vehicles (IoV), big data and cloud computing fields. Ford Motor (China) Ltd. and Baidu inked a strategic letter of intent on June 27, 2018 to extend in-depth cooperation in such areas as IoV, digital solutions, AI technologies and digital marketing. According to the statement this transaction is expected to be completed by March 31, 2019. New Delhi: Tata Power on Monday said its arm Coastal Gujarat Power inked a share sale pact to sell its 100 per cent stake in Energy Eastern to Trust Energy Resources for USD 10.19 million. "Coastal Gujarat Power Limited (CGPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company has signed a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) on March 25, 2019 with Trust Energy Resources Pte Ltd (TERPL), another wholly owned subsidiary of the Company to sell its 100 per cent equity stake in Energy Eastern Pte Ltd (EEPL) a wholly owned subsidiary of the CGPL," a Tata Power statement said. According to the statement this transaction is expected to be completed by March 31, 2019. Trust Energy Resources is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company. The transaction will fall within related party transactions and is done at arms length basis. Both the telecom firms have asked the government to allot them spectrum for 4G services in lieu of equity. New Delhi: Telecom regulator Trai will hold consultation on spectrum allocation with state-owned firms BSNL and MTNL soon, a top official said on Tuesday. "We have received reference from the DoT couple of days back on allocation of spectrum for 4G services to BSNL and MTNL. We will issue a consultation paper and hold open house discussion on it," Trai Chairman R S Sharma told reporters on sidelines of an ICEA event. Both the telecom firms have asked the government to allot them spectrum for 4G services in lieu of equity. BSNL, which has the lowest debt of Rs 14,000 crore among all telecom operators, has sought 4G spectrum across India through equity infusion of Rs 7,000 crore to help it compete in the market. The Digital Communication Commission, apex decision making body at the Department of Telecom, has sought view of Trai on demand of spectrum from both the PSUs. A workshop on manufacturing in the age of Artificial Intelligence was held in Bengaluru where industry and policymakers discussed various aspects of AI and automation adoption. Bengaluru: Niti Aayog and ABB India on Tuesday organised a workshop to discuss regulatory and financial concerns relating to adoption of Artificial Intelligence and automation technology by MSMEs. The workshop on manufacturing in the age of Artificial Intelligence was held in Bengaluru where industry and policymakers discussed various aspects of AI and automation adoption. "At ABB Ability Innovation Center we have brought all stakeholders of MSME value chain to identify the roadblocks they face in growth, be it in business models, financing or skilled labour, and together find ways in which we can address the same using tools ranging from policy to technology," said Anna Roy, Senior Adviser, Niti Aayog. "As India gets recognized as a global hub for AI technologies and Industry 4.0 reshapes global manufacturing in the coming decades, we look at companies like ABB with a legacy of global technology leadership to lead this revolution by enabling our vibrant MSME base," said Anna Roy. The workshop deliberated upon exploring innovative business and economic models to accelerate technology adoption by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), while optimizing costs. Last year, Niti Aayog and ABB had signed a statement of intent to support the government to realise its 'Make in India' vision through advanced manufacturing technologies that incorporate the latest developments in robotics and AI. Corporate Affairs Secretary Injeti Srinivas said that personal insolvency should be approached carefully and in a planned manner. New Delhi: As many as 12,000 cases have been filed since the implementation of the insolvency law and setting of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), a senior government official said Monday. Asserting that the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) should be the last resort, Corporate Affairs Secretary Injeti Srinivas said the NCLT has been very expeditious in disposing cases related to insolvency. "In some of the NCLTs, the number of cases filed and the number of cases disposed off are almost the same. That means you are almost current," he noted. Cases under the code can be taken up only after approval from the tribunal, which has benches in different parts of the country. Srinivas said that personal insolvency should be approached carefully and in a planned manner. "The issue of personal insolvency is an important dimension, which we have to address at the earliest. "Today, we have approximately Rs 77 lakh crore as outstanding non-food credit. Out of this, industry accounts for about Rs 26 lakh crore and the services sector accounts for about Rs 21 lakh crore. These two put together accounts for Rs 48 lakh crore. It is 70 per cent of non-food credit outstanding. We are left with 30 per cent which we need to address now," Srinivas said. According to him, there are two routes for personal insolvency -- one is insolvency process followed by bankruptcy process and the second one is a fresh start. A fresh start or a waiver or a waiver of a loan should be considered for debtors based on certain criteria such as income levels and assets, he said. Speaking at a conference organised by industry body CII and British High Commission, Srinivas said that since the commencement of the Code and setting up of the NCLT, 12,000 cases have been filed. "(Around) 4,500 cases have been settled before resolution to a settlement amount of almost Rs 2 lakh crore. 1,500 cases have been admitted... 6,000 cases are waiting in queue," he added. The IBC provides for time-bound resolution of stressed assets. To a query on long time taken in resolving certain cases under the IBC, Srinivas observed that it would not be fair to say that cases have been lingering on. "Maybe these large cases have taken more than 270 days and some may be double of that but if you look at the size of that loan and the quantum of recovery, it is still an extraordinary sort of result. "In (the case of) Essar, more than Rs 42,000 crore would be (recovered). That is a very big sum and involves some many creditors... I think for such very large cases, there would be some amount of litigation and one year or little over one year for such a large case to be settled is not too long," he said on the sidelines of the event. Further, he said the time taken for resolution of large cases is not too long, especially when it is compared with the average of four-and-a-half years which has been taking prior to the IBC. "The repayment behaviour of poor persons is much better than the repayment behaviour of richer people because they know their livelihood would come to an end if they default...," Srinivas said. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) Chairman M S Sahoo said the challenge before the Committee of Creditors (CoC) is the ability to recognise and distinguish between a company, which is potentially viable and unviable, then design a feasible resolution plan, while ensuring the firm's value does not get further eroded in the process. The CoC should be willing to restructure its liability and delay liquidation if the company has the potential to be restored to health. However, the rescue plan should be confined only to viable companies, he said at the conference, according to a release issued by the CII. Noting that cross-border insolvency is still work in progress, Srinivas said that UNCITRAL provides for enough flexibility to have carve-outs. "It is under the consideration of the government and very soon Parliament might also approve it," he added. Established in 1966, UNCITRAL is a subsidiary body of the General Assembly of the UN with the general mandate to further the progressive harmonisation and unification of the law of international trade, as per its website. The UNCITRAL Model Law has been adopted in more than 40 countries. The model law deals with four major principles of cross-border insolvency, including direct access to foreign insolvency professionals and foreign creditors to participate in or commence domestic insolvency proceedings against a defaulting debtor. On the sidelines of the conference, Srinivas said that having insolvency counsellor is a very good idea. "We should look at it seriously. You should have an option for the counsellor to sort it out. Some mediation process should be there," he added. New Delhi: The Centre has refused to share details related to the appointment of RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das citing a clause in the transparency law which bars disclosure of information, including "records of deliberations of the council of ministers, secretaries and other officers". Replying to an RTI query, it declined to share the details, including names of short-listed candidates and file notings related to the appointment. Das was on December 11, 2018 named as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for three years. The appointment came after Urjit Patel abruptly resigned amid a face-off with the government over issues related to governance and autonomy of the central bank. The RTI application was filed by this correspondent with the Department of Financial Services (DFS) seeking details like copy of any advertisement or vacancy circular issued by the government on appointment of RBI Governor, names of all applicants who had applied for the post and those short-listed for the top post. The DFS was also asked to provide details on composition of search committee to short-list candidates and copy of minutes of meetings held on deciding the RBI Governor. In its reply, the DFS said the selection of Governor, RBI is done by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on the basis of recommendation made by the Financial Sector Regulatory Appointments Search Committee (FSRASC). The committee is headed by cabinet secretary as its chairperson and has additional principal secretary to Prime Minister and secretary of the department concerned besides three outside experts as its members, the DFS said, without giving the names of the experts. It had then forwarded the application to the cabinet secretariat. "In this regard, it is informed that the requisite information about appointment of Shaktikanta Das as Governor, Reserve Bank of India, being Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) related file notings/documents/records, is exempted from disclosure under Section 8 (1) (i) of the Right to Information Act 205," the cabinet secretariat said in its reply to the RTI application. The section bars disclosure of "cabinet papers, including records of deliberations of the council of ministers, secretaries and other officers". The section, however, says that the decisions of council of ministers, the reasons thereof, and the material on the basis of which the decisions were taken shall be made public after the decision has been taken, and the matter is complete, or over. Das, a 1980-batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, retired as Economic Affairs Secretary in May 2017 and was since appointed India's Sherpa to the G-20 and a member of the Finance Commission. Urjit Patel, who initially appeared to have toed the government line on issues like demonetisation, clashed with the Finance Ministry last year over issues of liquidity, reserves of the central bank and lending norms. The face-off had led to the government invoking a never-used-before provision of the RBI Act to bring the Governor to the negotiating table on these issues. After Das' appointment was announced, Indian-American economist Abhijit Banerjee flayed the government for appointing the retired bureaucrat as the RBI Governor. He also warned that the decision leaves a lot of "frightening" questions about governance issues at key public institutions. Banerjee, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), had made a strong pitch for strengthening the credibility of all key institutions like the RBI. On Patel's sudden resignation, he had said, "We should all worry if this is a sign of institutional stress." Addressing a function a day after Das' appointment, former chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian said the central bank's autonomy was "sacred" which should not be compromised. Mumbai: As Zaheer Iqbal along with director Nitin Kakkar lived their film Notebook through its shoot, the team was emotionally staggered to witness the demolition of the film's set. Marking the debut of Zaheer Iqbal and Pranutan, Nitin Kakkar directorial 'Notebook' is not only based but also shot in Kashmir. For the development of the film, the crew built a set amidst the lake of Kashmir, which in turn turned into their home. Post the wrap of the film, the set required to be destroyed and an emotional Zaheer wished to persuade the government to retain it as a tourist spot. Zaheer Iqbal sharing the experience said, "The day the set got demolished, Nitin Sir and I went to the set to see it and we were so heartbroken because that was our home for one month. We have eaten there, worked there, slept there, we used to literally go to the rooms that were there for Kabir and Firdaus and take naps between shots because it really felt like our home. To see that the entire structure being demolished, we burst out. We also asked the producers, that can we speak to the government and ask them to let this set be here as a tourist spot because it's not harming anyone, but they said it's not possible. So yeah, it was heartbreaking to see, it was literally our home and was being broken in front of us. Being dismental, I think in my life again I want a set like this in the middle of the water as it was so peaceful and so calming to work in." Interestingly, it took 30 days and 80 crew members working round-the-clock to create it. The extraordinary set has been designed by the two young girls Urvi Ashar and Shipra Rawal who worked as art designers on the sets of Notebook. Shot in the beautiful locales of Kashmir, Notebook is directed by National Award winner Nitin Kakkar and it is presented by Salman Khan. The film marks the debut of Zaheer Iqbal and Pranutan. Notebook takes the audience on a romantic journey back in time against the backdrop of Kashmir, raising the question - can you fall in love with someone you never met? Notebook has been shot in the exquisite valleys of Kashmir bringing to life the interesting and exciting love story of Kabir and Firdaus. Based in the year 2007 to 2009 the movie marks the acting debut of Zaheer Iqbal and Pranutan. Helmed by Nitin Kakkar, Notebook is presented by Salman Khan Films and is a Cine1 Studios Production. It is produced by Salma Khan, Murad Khetani and Ashwin Varde and is all set to hit the screens on 29th March 2019. Mumbai: Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut recently took off for an intense eight-day yoga camp in Coimbatore, which included eight days of silence and long hours of meditation. Few days after the camp, Kangana opens about the program Samyama, an intensive residential program, and how it has changed her. Speaking on how she ended up attending the program, Kangana said, When I first met Sadhguru after my initiation in US, he looked at me and said that I should do Samyama, and then I realized that it was like the Phd of Isha universe. But I was very happy with Shambhavi, the 21 minute Kriya which was a part of inner engineering program. It gave me back my exuberance and energy levels. And I told him I should take it slow, but he insisted that I should. So, I started taking advanced levels, and when I started Samyama, I was very scared. People attend this program after 5-6 years of Kadi Sadhana, but for me, it was just one year. And then suddenly, on 5th of 6th day, it just opened up. I am so grateful I did this. Its difficult to explain the experience in words, but before this, Shiva for me was a dimension, and something I could mentally understand. But after Samayama, he has unleashed Shiva in me, he has become my breath. When I felt him for the first time, it took me back to my time as a kid I lost him, I could tell this was what was missing from me. I told my mother that I am home, I have found what I lost, and everything makes sense. Something so profound has happened to me, that no amount of success, money, awards, relationships have ever touched me like that. On the professional front, Kangana recently announced that she will be working on Jayalalithaa biopic after she winds up work on Mental Hai Kya and Panga. Since the original theft, the painting must have changed hands at least 10 times. (Photo: AFP) US: A Dutch art detective dubbed the "Indiana Jones of the Art World" has struck again, finding a Picasso painting worth 25 million euros stolen from a Saudi sheikh's yacht on the French Riviera in 1999. Arthur Brand said he had handed back the 1938 masterpiece entitled "Portrait of Dora Maar", also known as "Buste de Femme (Dora Maar)" to an insurance company earlier this month. The discovery of the rare portrait of Maar, one of Pablo Picasso's most influential mistresses, is the culmination of a four-year investigation into the burglary on the luxury yacht Coral Island, as she lay anchored in Antibes. Two decades after its theft and with no clues to its whereabouts, the French police were stumped and the portrait, which once hung in the Spanish master's home until his death in 1973, was feared lost forever. But after a four-year trail which led through the Dutch criminal underworld, two intermediaries turned up on Brand's Amsterdam doorstep 10 days ago with the missing picture. "They had the Picasso, now valued at 25 million euros wrapped in a sheet and black rubbish bags with them," Brand told AFP. It was yet another success for Brand, who hit the headlines last year for returning a stolen 1,600-year-old mosaic to Cyprus. He won world fame in 2015 after finding "Hitler's Horses", two bronze statues made by Nazi sculptor Joseph Thorak, a discovery about which he had a book out earlier this month. The theft of the Picasso, valued at around seven million dollars at the time, baffled French police, sent the super-rich scurrying to update boat security and prompted the offer of a big reward. In 2015, Brand first got wind that a "Picasso stolen from a ship" was doing the rounds in the Netherlands, although "at that stage I didn't know which one exactly." It turned out that the painting had entered the criminal circuit, where it circled for many years "often being used as collateral, popping up in a drug deal here, four years later in an arms deal there," said. It took several years and a few dead ends before pinning down that it was actually the Picasso stolen from Saudi Arabian billionaire Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Abdulmalik Al-Sheikh's yacht as the mega-cruiser was being refurbished, Brand said. Brand put out word on the street that he was looking for "Buste de Femme (Dora Maar)" and in early March he struck gold. "Two representatives of a Dutch businessman contacted me, saying their client had the painting. He was at his wits' end," said Brand. "He thought the Picasso was part of a legitimate deal. It turns out the deal was legitimate the method of payment was not," Brand laughed. Brand called the Dutch and French police who had since closed the case and who said they would not prosecute the current owner. "Since the original theft, the painting must have changed hands at least 10 times," said Brand. He said he had to act quickly; otherwise the painting may have disappeared back into the underworld. "I told the intermediaries, it's now or never, because the painting is probably in a very bad state...We have to act as soon as we can." Then, just over a week ago, Brand's doorbell rang at his modest apartment in Amsterdam, and the intermediaries were there with the painting. New Delhi: Stalagmites can help scientists predict droughts and floods in India, a recent study suggests. To unlock some secrets about climate change, a team of researchers went to an unusual cave in India. By studying the last 50 years of growth of a stalagmite from Mawmluh Cave in the north-eastern Indian state of Meghalaya, an area that experiences so much summer monsoon rainfall that it is called the rainiest place on Earth, they found an unexpected connection between winter (dry season) rainfall amounts in northeast India and climatic conditions in the Pacific Ocean. Winter rainfall following weak monsoon years in India can alleviate water stress for farmers. This distant link between land and ocean records could aid in predicting dry season rainfall amounts in northeast India. Each year, monsoon rains between June and September provide water for roughly 1.5 billion people in India. Changes in monsoon strength and the timing of its onset or withdrawal can trigger either drought or flooding, with devastating consequences, highlighting the need for effective ways to predict and prepare for rainfall variations. Stalagmites from Mawmluh Cave and the surrounding region indicate the recurrence of intense, multiyear droughts in India over the last several thousand years. In fact, stalagmite records from monsoon regions, including India, are vital to understanding past variability in the global climate system and the underlying reasons for this variability. Scientists typically look to those records to reflect changes in the amount of monsoon rainfall and changes in monsoonal circulation in the atmosphere. The potential influence of rainfall during winter is often overlooked. "Counter intuitively, air and water circulation in caves can cause, and even favour, stalagmite growth in the dry season, leading to unexpected effects in pale climate records," said Elli Ronay, one of the lead researchers. In a recent paper published in the journal Scientific Reports, Ronay, Jessica Oster, lead author of the study, detail their sub-seasonally resolved reconstruction of trace element compositions from the Mawmluh Cave stalagmite, providing information about local changes in hydrology. Comparisons of cave records and nearby rainfall data show that variations in dry season rainfall rather than the monsoon rains govern variations in trace element concentrations in the stalagmite and how the amount of variation changes from year to year. These new results advocate for caution when interpreting stalagmite records from regions characterized by strong seasonality like the monsoon. They also suggest that potentially powerful information about annual rainfall variability in northeast India has gone unnoticed in stalagmite records thus far. The royal couple visited a boxing gym as well as a dance center run by Carlos Acosta -- recently named director of the Royal Ballet in England's second city, Birmingham. (Photo: AP) Havana: Britain's Prince Charles unveiled a statue of William Shakespeare in Havana when he took to the streets of old as part of the first visit by the British royal family to communist-run Cuba. Surrounded by a curious throng of Cubans and foreign tourists, Charles and his wife Camilla were given a guided tour of Havana landmarks by Cuban historian Eusebio Leal. The royal trip comes as US President Donald Trump threatens to tighten sanctions against Cuba, branding Havana part of a "troika of tyranny" along with leftist Latin American allies Venezuela and Nicaragua. British governments have long used royal visits as soft diplomacy and Charles' visit comes as British Prime Minister Teresa May is seeking new overseas markets amid Brexit. Trade between the two countries has fallen off sharply in recent years, despite Cuba's growth as a destination for British tourists, shrinking to $63.6 million in 2017 from $168.6 million in 2013. Britain sees opportunities in Cuba's booming tourism sector as well as energy. Around 200,000 British holidaymakers come to the island each year. He was brought to Jaipur on Monday for interrogation, following which the state police arrested him. (Representational Image) Jaipur: The Rajasthan Police arrested a 42-year-old man from Delhi on Monday for allegedly spying for Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI, officials said. Mohammed Parvez was already arrested by the National Investigation Agency or NIA for anti-national activities and was in judicial custody since 2017. He was brought to Jaipur on Monday for interrogation, following which the state police arrested him, Additional Director General (Intelligence) Umesh Mishra said. Mohammed Parvez allegedly honey-trapped Indian Army soldiers through fake identity to collect confidential and strategic information and passed those to the ISI, which gave him financial support, the officer said. During questioning Pervez revealed that he was in contact with ISI handlers and had travelled to Pakistan "17 times in the last 18 years", he said. ISI gave all necessary support for passing confidential information, Mr Mishra added. Pervez got mobile SIM cards on photo and identity card copy of people on the assurance of quick visa formalities done at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. Conniving with SIM card retailers, he got the numbers activated to share information with his handlers, the officer said. Parvez was presented before a Jaipur court, which sent him to four-day police custody, Mr Mishra said. Bengaluru: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Bengaluru zonal unit has arrested four men three from Kodagu and one from Kerala at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) and seized contraband narcotic drugs worth over Rs 6 crore in the international grey market, which was being smuggled out of the country. They were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Last week, the NCB had arrested Nousheer Mohammed (29), a resident of Kodagu, and Naushad Mannakamvalli (24) from Mallapuram in Kerala and seized 965 gm of amphetamine, 30 gm of cocaine and 4.525 gm of hashish, which was concealed in quilts and tiffin boxes. The duo was intercepted when they were about to board the flight to Doha by Oman Airways. In pursuance of the same case, the NCB on Monday arrested two more men Pallulabid A.A. (39) and Majeed Y.M. (31) from Kodagu. The two had arrived in Bengaluru on March 8 and 14 to facilitate the smuggling of the contraband drugs," said an NCB officer. This is said to be the biggest drug haul by NCB, Bengaluru in recent times. In yet another major seizure, the NCB on information received from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) seized 4.65 kg of hashish from Anuj Kumar alias Arun and Bandita Suna, who were posing as a couple. The two had arrived from Delhi and were intercepted when the contraband drug was seized from their hand baggage during security a check at KIA. They were also heading to Doha by Oman Airways. We need to find out if all the six arrested in two different NDPS cases in the last three days belong to the same module," the officer said. New Delhi: Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj on Twitter blatantly stepped up pressure on Pakistan, demanding the release of two Hindu girls who were forcefully kidnapped and converted to Islam. She wrote: "Justice demands that both these girls should be restored to their family immediately." Also Read: Pak Hindu minor girls move court; man assisted in wedding arrested She said even the Prime Minister of 'Naya Pakistan', Imran Khan, wont believe that girls of such young and innocent age could voluntarily decide about religion and marriage. She stressed that Raveena was only 13 and Reena 15 years old. Forced conversion of Hindu girls in Pakistan : The age of the girls is not disputed. Raveena is only 13 and Reena is 15 years old. /1 Chowkidar Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 26, 2019 The incident took place on Sunday when two teenaged girls were kidnapped in Ghotki district in Pakistans Sindh province by influential men. A couple of hours after the incident, a video went viral in which a man possibly the father or a relative -- was shown crying which triggered nationwide resentment and fury. The video was shot after the girls were taken. Even the Prime Minister on Naya Pakistan will not believe that girls of this tender age can voluntarily decide about their conversion to another religion and marriage. /2 Chowkidar Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 26, 2019 Later on Sunday, the local media reported that police arrested a man who was suspected of assisting the Nikah of the two girls after they approached a court in Sindh for protection. Prime Minister Imran Khan soon intervened and demanded a probe into the incident. Also Read: Imran Khan orders probe into forced conversion, marriages of 2 Hindu girls Justice demands that both these girls should be restored to their family immediately. /3 Chowkidar Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 26, 2019 Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Fawad Chaudhry engaged in a Twitter war of words after Swaraj asked for detailed information about the two girls from the Indian envoy in Pakistan. Swaraj tweeted that she asked the Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan to send a report on the issue. To this, Fawad Chaudhry responded saying it was his country's 'internal issue'. He also went on to say that instead she should 'go and stand up for minorities in India as well. Protests mounted in Pakistan, led by the Hindu community, calling for strict action against those responsible. Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan and most of them live in Sindh. It was also a reminder for Imran Khan of his pledge to the minorities of the country when he was elected to power. As many as 25 forced marriages take place every month in Sindh province. MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi meets residents of Goshamahal constituency as part of his Lok Sabha election campaign on Tuesday. (Photo: Gandhi) Hyderabad: MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi wanted to know why Rs 1,500 crore of public money was being given to bailout a loss-making airline like Jet Airways by the BJP-led government and why the Congress was silent on the matter. Mr Owaisi, addressing a public meeting, said, Naresh Goyal is not an Indian citizen. Why is the government extending Indian money to him? Had this money been given to 10,000 factories in the Make in India programme, thousands of people would have benefited... This is not a Delhi Sultanate that the Modi government is running. Why is the Congress quiet on this? The evening meetings that Mr Owaisi holds in Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency usually see packed crowds. Addressing a meeting with the TRS in the Rajendranagar Assembly segment, Mr Owaisi said national parties were harmful for Dalits, minorities and underprivileged sections of society. Only regional parties care for their interests, Mr Owaisi said, speaking in support of TRS Chevella candidate Dr G. Ranjit. He said the people of Telangana state should not vote in favour of national parties. The TRS government established more than 250 residential schools where more than 50,000 students are being provided education free of cost, he said. Mr Owaisi said, If we send all TRS and MIM candidates to Parliament, it will help form a government at the Centre which is non-BJP and non-Congress. Like-minded parties are attempting to prevent the BJP from forming the next government. He said, Our intention is that our next Prime Minister would be a person who maintains and upholds the unity and secularism of India. An opportunity should be given to a person who has the guts to unite all sections of society. Mr Owaisi said leaders were leaving the Congress because they had realised that the future of the party was bleak. He assured that the MIM would support the TRS in all 16 constituencies where it was contesting. Underground Railroad Monument - Windsor Ontario 9 The Lord said to Joshua, Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt. And so that place is called Gilgal to this day. 10 While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal they kept the passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. 11 On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. 12 The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year. ****************** On the day the people of Israel left Egypt for the freedom that would come when they reached the Promised Land, they observed Passover ( On the day the people of Israel left Egypt for the freedom that would come when they reached the Promised Land, they observed Passover ( Exodus 12 ). It is revealed to Moses, that you shall observe the festival of unleavened bread, for on this very day I brought your companies out of the land of Egypt: you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a day of perpetual ordinance (Ex. 12:17). After the many years of wandering in the wilderness, and a passing of the baton of leadership from Moses to Joshua, Israel finally arrives in the Promised Land. Moses led them through the sea, across Sinai, and on to the river. That is where Moses season of leadership ended. Moses wouldnt cross the river, for he represented the old. In his place, Joshua led the people across the Jordan and into a new future. The promise YHWH made to Joshua was: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go (Josh. 1: 9 ). With that command preparations began for the move into the Promised Land. The book of Joshua presents us with many problems, with the idea of conquest standing at the very center. Israel might be a wandering people, just like their ancestor Abraham, looking for a place to put down roots, but the land which they were about to enter was already inhabited. It should not surprise us that the inhabitants of the land wouldnt be thrilled about welcoming this new people into their land. Such has been the feeling down the ages as people migrate from one place to another, often pushing the original inhabitants off their land, even as they a place to settle in and make a home. Migration often means displacement for those who dwell in the land. It has happened before and continues to happen. Such is the narrative here. The people of Israel fled slavery only to invade the lands inhabited by others. Their invasion seems to be blessed by God, but you can understand that not everyone viewed this invasion in the same way. The book of Joshua presents us with many problems, with the idea of conquest standing at the very center. Israel might be a wandering people, just like their ancestor Abraham, looking for a place to put down roots, but the land which they were about to enter was already inhabited. It should not surprise us that the inhabitants of the land wouldnt be thrilled about welcoming this new people into their land. Such has been the feeling down the ages as people migrate from one place to another, often pushing the original inhabitants off their land, even as they a place to settle in and make a home.Migration often means displacement for those who dwell in the land. It has happened before and continues to happen. Such is the narrative here. The people of Israel fled slavery only to invade the lands inhabited by others. Their invasion seems to be blessed by God, but you can understand that not everyone viewed this invasion in the same way. Again, we are reminded that Scripture, though Sacred and normative for our faith journey, requires careful discernment so that we might a word from God from its pages. Joshua rarely makes an appearance in the Revised Common Lectionary, this reading from Joshua 5, as brief as it is, is one of those appearances. The problematic nature of the Conquest makes Joshua a book easily omitted, and yet here in this passage we see the culmination of the exodus from Egypt. At the same time, we must not forget that this invasion led to displacement and death for those who resided in the land God is said to give to the people of Israel.Again, we are reminded that Scripture, though Sacred and normative for our faith journey, requires careful discernment so that we might a word from God from its pages. Keeping in mind the challenges posed by the Book of Joshua, we can attend to this brief excerpt from the story concerning the arrival of the people in a land where they could finally stop wandering and put down roots. I think we can understand why this might be desirable. Consider the refugees of our age. The Palestinian people for one, but they are not alone. Those who have been migrating north from the violence of Central America also come hoping to find a place to put down their roots. In the verses we read just prior to this passage, were reminded that a new generation has arisen, the people who left Egypt forty years earlier having now passed on, along with Moses and Aaron and Miriam. Those who left Egypt had been circumcised before their departure, but according to the text, no circumcisions occurred during the journey. Joshua rectified that situation, marking the people (men) as members of the covenant people through circumcision. With this act, were told, the disgrace of Egypt was removed. As a result, Joshua named this place where the men of Israel were circumcised was called was Gilgal ( Josh 5:2-9 ). While the reference to the disgrace of Egypt, which has been rolled away by God, is somewhat ambiguous. It is possible that with the crossing of the river into the Promised Land and the act of circumcision, the last vestiges of slavery were removed. Now, having arrived in the Land, they could finally breathe easily. The time of wandering was over. They could settle in and plant themselves. Egypt was removed, sets the stage for the next act in the story of Gods covenant relationship with Israel. Even as the journey out of Egypt began with the celebration of Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, so the celebration of arrival in the Promised Land involves the celebration of Passover, which was to be kept in perpetuity. So, while encamped at Gilgal, before the conquest of Jericho, the people celebrated Passover (on the fourteenth day of the month). It is said that the day after Passover, they ate the produce of the land. Now it doesnt say that they planted crops and then harvested them. They hadnt been in the Land long enough to plant crops and grow them, so they must have taken them from their new neighbors. The meal apparently involved unleavened bread and parched grain. Nothing is said of lambs or any other meat. When we think of Passover, we should probably not think in terms of the modern form that some of us have experienced. That form came much later, though it is rooted in ancient practices. With the celebration of Passover, however, the story comes full circle. The people have experienced deliverance and liberation and are free to make a new life in a new land. Egypt was removed, sets the stage for the next act in the story of Gods covenant relationship with Israel. Even as the journey out of Egypt began with the celebration of Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, so the celebration of arrival in the Promised Land involves the celebration of Passover, which was to be kept in perpetuity. So, while encamped at Gilgal, before the conquest of Jericho, the people celebrated Passover (on the fourteenth day of the month). It is said that the day after Passover, they ate the produce of the land. Now it doesnt say that they planted crops and then harvested them. They hadnt been in the Land long enough to plant crops and grow them, so they must have taken them from their new neighbors. The meal apparently involved unleavened bread and parched grain. Nothing is said of lambs or any other meat. When we think of Passover, we should probably not think in terms of the modern form that some of us have experienced. That form came much later, though it is rooted in ancient practices. With the celebration of Passover, however, the story comes full circle. The people have experienced deliverance and liberation and are free to make a new life in a new land. There is another important element in this story, which reminds us that the time of wandering has ended. Now that they have crossed the river, they can now begin to provide for themselves. So, God brings an end to the provision of manna, the bread of heaven. As John Wesley puts it: The manna ceased - Which God now withheld, to shew that Manna was not an ordinary production of nature, but an extraordinary and special gift of God to supply their necessity. And because God would not be prodigal of his favours, by working miracles where ordinary means were sufficient. The morrow - That is, on the seventeenth day. [Wesleys Notes]. Such is the way in which we live, with the ordinary being sufficient. With this provision of the ordinary as well as the extraordinary, we can give thanks to God. Now that they were in the Land, a reality marked by the celebration of Passover, the extraordinary gave way to the ordinary.Such is the way in which we live, with the ordinary being sufficient. With this provision of the ordinary as well as the extraordinary, we can give thanks to God. With Fred Pratt Green, we can sing With Fred Pratt Green, we can sing In the just reward of labor, Gods will is done; in the help we give our neighbor, Gods will is done; in our worldwide task of caring for the hungry and despairing, in the harvests we are sharing, Gods will is done. Chalice Hymnal, 714]. [For the Fruit of All Creation,714]. New Delhi: However, the Margda-rshak Mandal is perhaps the only group within the BJP that never held a single meeting since its inception. Mr Advani had contested from Gujarats Gandhinagar in 2014, a seat that has gone to party president Amit Shah. Interestingly, Dr Joshis name is also missing from the list of BJPs campaigners for UP polls. Mr Advanis name also did not appear in the partys campaigners list in 2014, and now. Though the party leadership had claimed that the age bar is only for holding a post either in the organisation or the government, it has been implemented for ticket selection. Mr Advani at 91 and Dr Joshi at 85 have crossed the BJPs age bar of 75 and join the list of other leaders who have been benched - B.C. Khandu-ri, B.S. Koshiyari, Kar-iya Munda, Kalraj Mish-ra, Bijoya Chakravarty and Shanta Kumar. Taking a dig at the BJP leadership over the issue, AAP chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, The way Modiji has insulted Advaniji and Murli Manohar Joshiji - is completely against Hindu traditions... Hind-uism teaches us to respe-ct our elders. The elders who built the home were thrown out. One who cant be loyal to his elders, who will he be loyal to? Dindigul: Stepping up on his campaign decibels, DMK president MK Stalin on Tuesday claimed there would be change of governments both at the Centre and in Tamil Nadu after the votes are counted in the April 18 elections. And when that happens, his party would carry out all its promises made in the poll manifesto he had released at the DMK headquarters in Chennai on March 19 before launching on the campaign trips, Stalin declared at a huge DMK-led UPA rally here. Listing out the poll promises, particularly those relevant to this region, Stalin said top on his agenda on assuming charge at the Fort St.George would be to order comprehensive probe into the death of Jayalalithaa and "send all those found responsible to jail", which all the genuine AIADMK cadres would wholeheartedly approve. The DMK chief referred to the Pollachi sex scam and accused the government and the police of complicity and insensitivity though it was now suspected that over 200 young women were victims of brutal exploitation and some of them had even died or committed suicide. "This government, with Centre's backing, is now blaming the DMK in this sex scam only to divert the probe", Stalin alleged. Referring to media reports of pregnant women dying in government hospitals in Dharmapuri, Hosur and Krishnagiri due to transfusion of HIV-infected blook, he said, "I openly charge this government with murdering these poor women". Lashing out at the state cabinet accusing it of high corruption and even buffoonery, Stalin said Forest Minister Dindigul Srinivasan has been notorious for his guffaws. The minister had first said he saw his Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in her Apollo Hospital ward and she was having juice and idlis, only to retract that claim later and admitting he had not been allowed to see her. He even apologised for lying to the people. Minister Srinivasan had also stated that the state's water crisis would be solved only by cyclone, "not even heavy rains", said Stalin, adding some more of the minister's howlers. "But then, he also speaks truth sometimes, such as when the Edappadi government was facing the confidence vote in the Assembly. "When the media asked him if the government would survive the confidence vote, he replied without hesitation that money could manage anything (Panam pathalam varikkum paayum)", Stalin recalled Srinivasan saying. Turning his attention to Narendra Modi and the BJP, Stalin said the Prime Minister has failed miserably on the fulfillment of his poll promises. While the people got no promised cash remittances, the PM failed to keep even his promise to bring back the black money from abroad. The farm sector has been throttled in multiple ways and through various levies and failed promises on procurement prices. "Farmers constitute 60 per cent of India's population, yet they are not helped, their loans are not waived; whereas the PM's corporate friends get crores of rupees waived from their bank loans. The Modi government belongs to the corporates, not to the ordinary people of this country", said the DMK chief, reiterating the Opposition charge that the Rafale deal was tinkered to benefit Reliance Defence, a "company that was started just 12 days before being awarded the contract" after jettisoning the government-owned HAL. The third person was 33-three-year-old Gajula Sunita of Bhujarangpet in Koudipally mandal in Medak district. Hyderabad/ Nizamabad: Three persons including two children died and 300 have been hospitalised in Nizamsagar mandal of Kamareddy district, after drinking water suspected of being contaminated. They suffered severe diarrhoea and vomiting after attending a function in Mugdumpur village on Tuesday. Health officials in Kamareddy are verifying whether the water was ground water or water supplied through Mission Bhagiratha. The two children who died are four-year-old Salitadigari Ruchita of Komalancha village in Nizamsagar mandal, and seven-year-old Dadge Satyanarayana of Annaram village in Pitlam mandal. The third person was 33-three-year-old Gajula Sunita of Bhujarangpet in Koudipally mandal in Medak district. Enquiries by the district health official elicited the information that there was a large gathering of people at a function in Mugdumpur village and that the water supplied for the function is suspected of being contaminated and the reason for the outbreak of diarrhoea. A senior health official in the state department, where the initial report was submitted, explained, There are six bore wells from where the water is drawn and there is also drinking water supplied by the government. Both these water sources have to be checked. Immediately after the function the victims complained of loose motions and vomiting. It was also found that after the function many people had consumed ice-cream supplied by a local ice-cream vendor. This too is being checked out. Those most severely affected were taken to a government area hospital in Banswada and the Government General Hospital in Nizamabad. Medical and health department officials rushed to Komalancha, Mugdumpur and Galipur villages and set up medical camps. Senior officials from the director of healths office in Hyderabad have also gone to check on the patients and the treatment being given. Kamareddy district collector N. Satyanarayana reviewed the situation and directed a team of officials to visit the affected villages. Kamareddy district medical and health officer G Chandrasekhar, Mission Bhagiratha superintending engineer Rajendra Kumar, and Banswada RDO Rajeshwar checked the water supply pipelines and drainage in the villages. Kamareddy district collector N. Satyanarayana told this newspaper that water supply has been stopped to the three affected villages from the water grid. There is no water contamination from the grid and internal pipe line leakages are suspected in the incident, he said. We have been supplying water through tankers to the victims, he said. The report on the water samples will come on Wednesday and the exact reason for the outbreak will then be established, he said. The purpose of the terrorist organisation is to create fear psychosis among the political parties so that they do not participate in the electoral process and connect with the masses. (Photo: Representational/PTI) New Delhi: In their bid to derail the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), terrorist organisations like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) and Al-Badr are planning to target workers of the political parties in the Valley, according to intelligence agencies input. Intelligence agencies are expecting the terror organisations to increase violence in run-up to the polls. The purpose of the terrorist organisation is to create fear psychosis among the political parties so that they do not participate in the electoral process and connect with the masses. "The terrorist organisations don't want normalisation in the Kashmir Valley and they will use any tactic to prevent people from taking part in Lok Sabha elections," said sources in the intelligence agencies. As per latest inputs terrorist organisations may target workers of the political parties especially in Sopore, Bandipore and Ganderbal among other areas of the Kashmir Valley. Due to threat perception, Election Commission in an unprecedented move will be holding election in single Parliamentary constituency of Anantnag in southern Kashmir in three phases. The polling in Anantnag will be held on April 23, under the third phase, Kulgam during the 4th phase on April 29. The elections in Pulwama and Shopian will be held under 5th phase, on May 6. In two other Parliamentary seats in Valley, Baramulla will go for polls on 11th April and on Srinagar on 18th April. The political party workers have always been on the target of the militants in the Kashmir Valley as they are seen a threat by the terrorist organisations. Earlier panchayat members in Kashmir Valley were targeted by the terror organisations. During peak of militancy in Kashmir in early 90's terrorist were specifically killing cadre of National Conference and Congress. Even cadre of these parties at block levels and in villages were targeted by the terrorists. To save themselves, many workers were forced to give advertisements in local Urdu newspapers disassociating themselves from their parties. Many former MLAs and MPs in 90s migrated from the Valley to Jammu and were accommodated in the MLA hostel under high security. New Delhi: Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, a Bharatiya Janata Party veteran and a former party president, has been told by the party leadership that he will not be contesting the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. Dr Joshi is a sitting MP from Kanpur. The BJP on Tuesday released its tenth list of candidates for Lok Sabha elections, declaring 29 nominees for Uttar Pradesh and 10 for West Bengal, and it nominated Satyadev Pachauri to contest from Kanpur. Sources said that though Dr Joshi was keen to contest elections, poll managers of the saffron party were not in favour as the chances of the Congress candidate, former Union minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, winning from Kanpur this time look stronger. Dr Joshi, who had vacated the Varanasi parliamentary seat for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and contested from Kanpur instead in 2014, had defeated Mr Jaiswal by more than two lakh votes. Miffed with the decision to not field him, and unhappy with the manner in which the partys central leadership conveyed the decision to him, Dr Joshi wrote an open letter to Kanpur voters informing them he has been told by party general secretary (organisation) Ramlal that he should not contest the ensuing parliamentary election from Kanpur and elsewhere. Dr Joshi is the second party veteran and member of the partys Margdarshak Mandal, after Mr L.K. Advani, who has been denied a ticket this time. The Margdarshak Mandal was formed after the BJP came to power at the Centre and the party leadership placed an unofficial age bar of 75 years for organisational posts to promote second-generation leaders. New Delhi: Dismissing false Pakistani media reports, Indian government sources on Tuesday said Pakistan strangely did not make an exception for visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and had banned the aircraft carrying him from entering Pakistani airspace through the direct air-route that passes through India. Since the military tensions with India last month, Pakistan has prevented commercial aircraft from entering its airspace from India and this surprisingly applied to the aircraft carrying the Malaysian Prime Minister as well who was on his way to Pakistan, sources said. Sources added that even though Indian aviation regulator DGCA had given overflight clearance to the Malaysian PMs flight, it had to take a longer route to reach Pakistan because Islamabad denied permission. The Malaysian PM was the chief guest at the Pakistan National Day celebrations on March 23. All flights, including international flights, flying westward from/over Pakistan are not being allowed to fly over India by Pakistan even though India hasnt put any restriction, sources pointed out. Indian Government sources on Tuesday said, Reports regarding denial of overflight by India to Malaysian Prime Minister on his recent trip to Pakistan are false and motivated. The truth is that Pakistan has blocked its own airspace from flights which are overflying India. Therefore, even though DGCA had given overflight clearance to Malaysian PM flight, it had to take a longer route because Pakistan denied permission. Sources added, It is strange that even for their national day guest from Malaysia, Pakistan could not make an exception thereby resulting in a longer flight by Malaysia Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. It may also be noted that all flights, including international flights, flying westward from/over Pakistan are not being allowed to fly over India by Pakistan even though India hasnt put any restriction. National Conference president Farooq Abdullah (left) with Telugu Desam president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu (left) during an election campaign roadshow in Kadapa on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI) Kadapa: National Conference chief and Jammu & Kashmir former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah alleged that YSR Congress chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had offered him Rs 1,500 crore to recommend his name as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh during Congress rule. I was embarrassed with his proposal. How did he earn such a huge amount, he said, while addressing an election gathering at Kadapa with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday afternoon at Kadapa. He did not provide more details including whom he was asked to recommend Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy name to. He appealed to the people to vote for the Telugu Desam which was working for their welfare. He alleged that Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy had joined hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and if anybody voted for the YSRC the vote would directly go to the BJP. Appealing to Muslims who have a significant presence in Kurnool district, Dr Abdullah said, Kashmir is an integral part of india and no force on earth can sever the paradise on earth from India. He said the country must be built anew in which people of all religions and castes could co-exist and live in peace. Expressing displeasure at hate-mogering that has become a bane, Dr Abdullah said a new wave was needed to blow up the animosity perpetrated by narrow-minded politicians. This must change, he said. Dr Abdullah was visiting Nandyal, Allagadda and Kurnool for the first time as he canvassed with Mr Naidu. He received a wide applause when he sang Jeena Yahan Marna Yahan from the film Mera Naam Joker before the Nandyal meeting. Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dr Abdullah said none of the promises made by the BJP in 2014 had been fulfilled. The injured 12-year-old male tiger, which was captured by the forest officials in Wayanad, reached Thiruvananthapuram Zoo in the wee hours of Tuesday. One of its eyes is blind, paws are maggot-infected and has injuries all over the body. Forest minister K. Raju visited the tiger in the evening (Photo: A.V. MUZAFAR) KALPETTA: Wildlife experts and Greens have called for setting up green enclosures for big cats which are trapped when they pose a threat to human life. This is in the context of the increasing human-animal conflict in the region forcing the forest department to trap more tigers. In the last six months, the department had trapped ten tigers from various parts of the district. The number of problem animals and animals in conflict with the jungle has increased as per reports. The wildlife enthusiasts say that a wildlife caring enclosure should be set up in Wayanad where the animals can be detained in their own habitat instead of shifting them to zoos or other alien spots. Wildlife expert Dr George Chandy told DC that such a facility was needed for the treatment and rehabilitation of animals. "Now the trend is to take a tiger or leopard to the traditional zoos," he added. "But as the conflict is intensifying it is better to develop wildlife enclosures in each ecologically important district," he said. The shifting of Kallur Komban, a truant elephant from Wayanad to Parambikulam, had triggered a row recently with wildlife enthusiasts protesting against its transport after it was administered heavy dosage of tranquilisers. Farmers in Parambikulam also had staged widespread protests. Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithy president N. Badusha told DC that the department should retain the aged, unhealthy and problem animals in Wayanad itself and save them. "Many animals shifted to other geographical regions were killed in a short period of time," he added. "The animals could be treated in an animal- friendly space," Mr Badusha added. In Wayanad, semi-wild areas with low bio-density are available where such enclosures could be developed. Bennarghetta National Park model in Bengaluru could be replicated for which some 100 acres of land would be enough. However, the forest department is sceptical about the project citing that it would increase the possibility of spreading diseases and also the clashes between the animals. Moradabad: BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday lauded the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government and said that women feel safe in the state since last two years. "It's been two years, nobody has the audacity to look eye-to-eye to mothers and daughters, Uttar Pradesh has this kind of governance. Those who used to walk on streets openly are now going to police station and asking officials to arrest them so that their encounter is not done (Do saal hogaye kisi ki majal nahi hai ki maa-beti ke samne aankh utha kar dekh paye, aisa shasan hai (UP). Jo bade tees maar khan ban kar chalte the, aaj vo police station ja ke kehte hain ki daroga ji arrest kar lo, hamara encounter na ho jaye)," Shah said while addressing a rally here. BJP president Amit Shah also claimed that Narendra Modi was the "only" Prime Minister who had responded to terror activities in Pakistan like the United States. "We attacked on Pakistan without any delay after the Pulwama attack, while the Opposition leaders were insisting for negotiation," Shah said at a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad district. The Bharatiya Janata Party chief alleged that the Opposition was insulting the soldiers who died in the Pulwama attack by asking questions on the number of casualties in the Balakot airstrike. Pointing out that Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati were "enemies" earlier, Shah said they had come together now due to "fear" of Modi. He predicted that the SP-BSP-RLD alliance would fail because "our government is very much popular by our positive works". Shah hit out at Yadav, alleging that all miscreants were in the former chief minister's government and crime was on the rise. But during the present BJP government, he claimed, all miscreants were either in jail or far from the state. Shah said communal violence and land-grabbing incidents, which he said were normal during the previous dispensation, had become a thing of the past and there was peace. His rally comes weeks before the Lok Sabha election. Seven phase elections will be held between April 11 and May 19. Results will be declared on May 23. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. Like Advani, MM Joshi is also deeply resentful of the manner in which he was pink-slipped by his party. (Photo: PTI | File) New Delhi: BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi in a message to voters has declared that he has been told by his party not to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, reported NDTV. Joshi is the latest to be benched after LK Advani. Like Advani, MM Joshi is also deeply resentful of the manner in which he was pink-slipped by his party. The message was delivered by BJP general secretary Ramlal and some sources said Joshi felt that of such a decision had been taken, the least that party chief could have done was to convey it to him. Joshi's message on Monday, addressed to his constituency, read: "Dear voters of Kanpur, Shri Ramlal General Secretary (Org), Bharatiya Janata Party conveyed to me today that I should not contest the ensuing parliamentary election from Kanpur and elsewhere." Joshi, who has been a union minister and BJP president, has also not been included in the campaigners list of Uttar Pradesh. In the previous general election, Joshi had given up his Varanasi seat for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and moved to Kanpur, where he won by a huge margin, BJPs Ramlal has been the bearer of grim tidings for all old-timers. Advani, Kalraj Mishra, Shanta Kumar and Kariya Munda were informed by Ramlal that they would not contest this time. They were reportedly informed on phone and told to announce that they wouldnt contest elections. However, Advani refused but all others did. Read: LK Advani, MM Joshi find no place in BJP's list of UP campaigners According to source, Advani is also hurt that Amit Shah did not come and inform about the decision. Amit Shah will contest his Gandhinagar seat this time. LK Advani and MM Joshi, both founder members of the BJP were denied any post after the party came to power in 2014. For the first time in decades, the two leaders will not be seen in the Lok Sabha elections. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. The Most Extensive and Reliable Source of Information Related to the Mexican Drugs Cartels. You will not find this level of coverage anywhere else, join us! Send information, pictures or videos, you remain 100% anonymous. Envia fotos, videos, notas, enlaces o informacion todo 100% Anonimo. Borderland Beat? We love to have you in our team, send Sol Prendido or HEARST an email! Want to be a contributor or citizen reporter forBorderland Beat?We love to have you in our team, sendoran email! WARNING: Posts may contain strong violent material, discretion is advised. COMMENTS: We do not publish all comments, and we do not publish comments immediately. Amid the wave of displeasure, Singh might not contest the 2019 general elections. (Photo: File) New Delhi: Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Monday expressed dissatisfaction over BJP's decision to change his parliamentarian seat for upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Singh wanted to contest national elections from his constituency Nawada but was given Begusarai without any consultation, ANI reported. "My self-respect is hurt that no other MP's seat was changed in Bihar. It was decided without talking to me. State BJP leadership should tell me why was it done. I've nothing against Begusarai but I can't compromise with my self-respect," Singh said. The BJP has given the seat to Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) as sealed under the seat-sharing agreement. In 2014 polls, Singh delivered a major defeat to RJD's Raj Ballabh Prasad. However, this time if Singh agrees to contest the polls, he will face the popular student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who will contest as the CPI's candidate from Begusarai. Amid the wave of displeasure, Singh might not contest the 2019 general elections. Last week, LJP leader Chirag Paswan said that it was too late to make any changes in the seat-sharing agreement now. "I do not wish to cause Giriraj ji any grief, but I think we have gone too far now to revisit the decision," Chirag Paswan said. The NDA had announced 39 candidates for the polls in Bihar. Bihar will go on the elections from 11 April. The UPA government had launched schemes over 10 years but Modi ended them all, the Congress chief said. (Image: ANI) Sriganganaga: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said his party consulted "big economists" including former RBI governor Rahuram Rajan before it came up with the idea of minimum guaranteed income to the poorest 20 per cent households in the country. Addressing a meeting of his party workers here, Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to transfer Rs 15 lakh to every bank account. "We thought it was a good idea...Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts. But the promise was not fulfilled by Modi. We started our work six months back to make such a thing reality," he said. He went on to say that his party consulted "all big economists, without telling anyone, without giving any speeches". "We were engaged in this work for six months. Take the list of all big economists of the world, we consulted them...Raghuram Rajan...one by one," he said. "First thing, we we came to know was that there should be a minimum income line. We calculated and the result was that the minimum income line should be 12,000 per month," he said. Gandhi said his party will fulfil the promise. Rahul Gandhi also attacked the ruling party stating that "surgical strike" against poverty will be carried out through minimum income guarantee "nyuntam aay yojana (NYAY)" promised by him if his party is voted to power at the Centre. "In the 21st century, India will define a 'minimum income line' and no one should live below this line. With this intention, we came up with NYAY. It will be a 'surgical strike' against poverty in the country. If the Narendra Modi government can give money to the rich, we can do it for the poor. 20 per cent of the poorest families of the country will be entitled to up to Rs 72,000 per year," he said at a rally here. Accusing BJP of adopting an anti-poor approach, Gandhi said that the ruling party at the Centre wanted to "destroy the poor", while Congress wants to "destroy poverty". Earlier, taking a jibe at the BJP's 'Mein Bhi Chowkidar' campaign, Rahul Gandhi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not inform the people that he would be the 'chowkidar' (watchman) not for the entire country, but for businessmen like Anil Ambani and Nirav Modi. "He (the Prime Minister) says, 'Main Chowkidaar Hoon' (I am a watchman). He did not say whose chowkidar he is? Have you seen a chowkidar at a farmer's home? Have you seen a chowkidar at home of the unemployed youth?" he said at a public rally here. Gandhi said that the ensuing Lok Sabha elections will be a fight between two ideologies. "In the last five years, Narendra Modi has created two Indias. One belongs to the rich and the other is for the poor, farmers and unemployed youth. In Narendra Modi's India, only the rich can see the dreams but not the poor." "This will be a fight between two ideologies. One is the BJP-RSS ideology that promotes hatred and division and the other is Congress, which stands for brotherhood and love," added. Rahul Gandhi also alleged that the Modi government weakened the schemes and programmes such as MGNREGA and food security introduced by the UPA dispensation. "Whatever was done under the MGRENGA, food security and loan waiver by the UPA government, that all were finished by Narendra Modi. Poverty and unemployment increased in his rule," he said. Gandhi said that all those who took away public money from banks were "helped" by the NDA government, PM Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and Union minister Arun Jaitley. All of them have looted public money, he charged. He also targeted the government over demonetisation and GST and asked if the note ban was announced to curb black money why nobody having such asset was seen in the queue to covert the currency. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, deputy chief minister and Pradesh Congress Committee president Sachin Pilot and other senior leaders of the party were present at the rally. The AAP has been seeking an alliance with Congress in Delhi as the division of votes will help the BJP on all seven constituencies in the city. (Photo: File | ANI) New Delhi: Delhis Congress in-charge PC Chacko said that a decision on alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party for the Lok Sabha election will be taken on Tuesday. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will take a final decision. According to ANI, Chacko said Congress and AAP will come together in Delhi for the general elections. Party president to take final decision today. Weve had no word with AAP, as we had to take preliminary decision on our partys political stand whether we wanted an alliance or not. Both parties may have problems that apart weve to defeat Modi and BJP. So, well come together, ANI quoted Chacko as saying. The Congresss Delhi unit has been divided over the alliance with AAP. On Monday, Delhi Congress president Sheila Dikshit held another round of meeting of party leaders. Four former Delhi Congress leaders Ajay Maken, Subhash Chopra, Tajdar Babar and Arvinder Singh Lovely are said to be in favour of alliance with the AAP. Dikshit, and three working presidents of Delhi Congress Devender Yadav, Rajesh Lilothia and Haroon Yusuf are against the idea of aligning with the AAP. However, 12 district Congress presidents and majority of party councillors in the three municipal corporations have favoured alliance with the AAP. Chacko has handed over a signed letter to this effect to Gandhi. As the Congress remains indecisive, the AAP has been focusing on campaign for the national elections. The AAP has been seeking an alliance with Congress in Delhi as the division of votes will help the BJP on all seven constituencies in the city. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. PM Modi will been addressing an electoral event in Uttarakhands Rudrapur on Thursday. (Photo: File) New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah will be addressing around 125 and 150 rallies between last week of March and mid-May when campaigning for the upcoming national elections. PM Modi will begin campaigning for elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Western Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. The highlight of the day will be a massive rally in Meerut on Thursday. It will be aiming for public support for the ruling party in eight seats across western UP. Uttar Pradesh will go to the polls in the first phase of elections on April 11. Despite of ruling the state, BJP is expected to face a tough fight from the BSP-SP alliance this time. However, BJP chief Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have been making rounds to stir up supporters. On Monday, Adityanath visited a temple in Mathura along with local lawmaker Hema Malini after which she filed her nomination papers. PM Modi will been addressing an electoral event in Uttarakhands Rudrapur on Thursday. In 2014 elections, the BJP had swept all the five seats in Uttarakhand. Prime Minister will visit Jammu and Kashmir for a rally in Akhnoor the same day. Security has been tightened in the town in view of his visit. He is scheduled to visit Jammu region again in the second week of April for a rally in Kathua. On Friday, PM will have a packed scheduled with three rallies in Odishas Koraput, Telangana's Mahboob Nagar and Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool. PM will be in Odisha on March 29 and April 1. He will also hold two rallies each in Assam and West Bengal on March 30 and April 3. Modi will be having a public meeting at Itanagar on March 31, and will hold a video interaction on the same day with those who extended support to his Main Bhi Chowkidar (I, too, am a watchman) campaign. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. Referring to the DMK manifesto, Udhayanidhi claimed it has covered all the issues faced by the people,including NEET. (Image: File) Coimbatore: DMK President M K Stalin's son Udhayanidhi Tuesday hit out at the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the Centre failed to implement people-friendly policies in its five year rule. Seeking votes for the alliance party candidate CPI(M) P R Natarajan here, the actor-producer said people were very "angry with (Narendra) Modi due to demonetisation". "They (people) will teach him (Modi) a good lesson on April 18 (election date). Five years ago, BJP announced slew of initiatives for the people. Did he (Modi) implement them", he said. Claiming there was an anti-Modi wave wherever he went for campaigning, Udhayanidhi criticised Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam for supporting the BJP. "He (Palaniswami) has been saying that he has done many things for the welfare of people. But what he has done is that he has been holding the chief minister's post for the last two years", he said. Referring to the DMK manifesto, Udhayanidhi claimed it has covered all the issues faced by the people,including NEET. The DMK has promised to strive for doing away with the National Entrance cum Eligibility Test in its election mainfesto. The DMK, which is leading the opposition Secular Progressive Alliance, is contesting 20 seats in the state, allotting the remaining 19 to its allies, including Congress. The state goes to the polls in a single phase on April 18. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday said she's happy that women will receive Rs 72,000 per year directly into their bank accounts under the minimum income guarantee scheme announced by party chief Rahul Gandhi. (Photo: File) New Delhi: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday said she's happy that women will receive Rs 72,000 per year directly into their bank accounts under the minimum income guarantee scheme announced by party chief Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi on Monday announced that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income to poor families, benefiting around 25 crore people, if his party is voted to power in Lok Sabha polls, and asserted it will be the final assault on poverty. "So happy that under the NYAY scheme, women will be the ones who receive the annual amount of Rs. 72,000 directly into their accounts. 'Empower a woman, empower a family'," Priyanka Gandhi wrote on Twitter. So happy that under the NYAY scheme, women will be the ones who receive the annual amount of Rs. 72,000 directly into their accounts. Empower a woman, empower a family. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) March 26, 2019 She said 20 per cent or 5 crore families belonging to the poorest category with monthly income less than Rs 12,000 will benefit under the scheme. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. Telangana goes to polls in the first phase on April 11 Rama Rao would participate in roadshows and public meetings in various constituencies, TRS sources said. (Image: File) Hyderabad: The ruling TRS working president K T Rama Rao would undertake hectic campaigning for the Lok Sabha seats in Telangana from Wednesday till April 9, the last day of canvassing in the state. Telangana goes to polls in the first phase on April 11 Rama Rao would participate in roadshows and public meetings in various constituencies, TRS sources said. Rama Rao, son of party president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, has already addressed party's preparatory meetings for the elections. Claiming that neither NDA nor UPA is in a position to form government on its own post-Lok Sabha elections, Rama Rao has been seeking 16 seats barring the Hyderabad seat represented by ally AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi to see that the TRS plays a key role and ensure better deal for Telangana. The TRS chief is scheduled to address a series of campaign rallies for the Lok Sabha elections from March 29 to April 4. The Chief Minister had already kicked off his campaign from Karimnagar. Hyderabad: TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao challenged Telangana Congress president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy to quit his Assembly seat if he was confident that he would win the April 11 election from the Nalgonda Lok Sabha constituency. Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy, who won from the Huzurnagar Assembly seat in the elections in December last year, is contesting for the Nalgonda Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket. Mr Rama Rao said that Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy was claiming every day that he would win the Nalgonda seat. If he is so confident of winning the seat, I challenge him to resign as MLA, Mr Rama Rao said. He was speaking at an event to admit Congress leader Bhikshamayya Goud from Nalgonda and others into the TRS on Tuesday at Telangana Bhavan. Mr Rama Rao said the Congress had given Lok Sabha tickets to leaders who were defeated in the Assembly elections. How will Congress leaders who were not able to win the Assembly elections win the Lok Sabha elections? Just three months ago the people have voted for the TRS. In the Lok Sabha elections also they will vote for the TRS. Mr Rama Rao said the people of the county did not want a chowkidar; they wanted a dildar (generous) and zimmedar (responsible) leader like KCR. He said if the TRS won 16 Lok Sabha seats, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao would become a key person in national politics. BJP leaders feel that they are the founders of Hinduism and for the last 30 years they have been speaking about constructing the Ram Mandir. KCR without speaking a word is developing the Yadadri temple with `2,000 crore, Mr Rama Rao said. Mr Rama Rao said the TRS was the party of the Telangana people, and told them not to vote for others. KTR to begin road shows from Sircilla TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao will intensify the election campaign for the party from Wednesday. According to the tour schedule of Mr Rama Rao released on Tuesday, he will conduct road shows and public meetings in several constituencies. TRS president and the Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will start election campaign from March 29 from Nalgonda Lok Sabha constituency. Mr Rama Rao will campaign for 13 days during which he will lead 23 road shows and address 11 public meetings. He will campaign in nine Lok Sabha constituencies Karim-nagar, Warangal, Mahbu-babad, Khammam, Mahb-ubnagar, Nalgonda, Che-vella, Secunderabad and Malkajgiri. He will start the campaign from Sircilla his own constituency and end the campaign at Nalgonda with a road show. Hyderabad: The state election commission has rejected as many as 130 nominations excluding those filed in Bhongir constituency after scrutinising a total of 646 applications in 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana. Over 500 candidates will contest in the Lok Sabha polls on April 11. The highest numbers of nomination were rejected in Malkajgiri LS constituency. The Election Commission rejected 27 nominations out of the total 40 filed in Malkajgiri, while it accepted all 18 nominations filed in Zaheerabad LS constituency. Over 500 candidates will contest in ensuing LS polls on April 11. The EC has rejected four out of 17 nominations in Adilabad, 10 out of 27 in Peddapalli, eight out of 24 in Karimnagar, 12 out of 203 in Nizamabad, two out of 20 in Medak, 21 out of 50 in Secunderabad, five out of 24 in Hyderabad, four out of 28 in Chevella, 11 out of 23 in Mahbubnagar, three from 15 in Nagarkurnool, eight out of 39 in Nalgonda, eight out 29 in Warangal, two of 20 Mahbubabad and five out of 34 in Khammam. The EC was yet to update the number of nominations rejected in Bhongir LS constituency till late on Tuesday night. The Election Commission will conduct ballot voting in Nizamabad constituency because of the larg number of nominations filed. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rajat Kumar has said earlier that that the EC will conduct ballot voting if there are more than 64 candidates in one Lok Sabha constituency. He said EC is ready with 194 election symbols and would provide more. Mr Kumar said there were 10 registered parties and 94 unregistered parties in Telangana state. Mr Kumar said the EC has identified 6,440 critical polling stations in the state while number was 10,480 during the recently-concluded Assembly polls. He said 25,000 security personnel would be deployed from the armed forces and police from other states. Mr Kumar said the state EC has requested the Election Commission of India to deploying ex-servicemen for poll duties and it has respondent positively. Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday issued notice to Telangana state Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, directing to him respond to a petition which alleged that he had concealed information regarding the number of criminal cases pending against him. The notice was issued by Justice Shameem Akhter who was adjudicating on an election petition filed by one Thammala Sri-nivas, an agriculturist and resident of Mamidyala village, Mulugu mandal, Siddipet seeking a direction to set aside Mr Raos election. Justice Akhter also issued notices to the electoral registration officer and the returning officer for the Gajwel Assembly constituency. Mr Damodhar Reddy, counsel for the petitioner submitted that while filing his nomination papers in Form No. 26, Mr Chandrasekhar Rao had concealed certain information regarding the number of criminal cases pending against him. Though the total number of cases pending against him were 64, only two cases were mentioned in Form No. 26. After filing the first affidavit stating that only two cases are pending against him, Mr Chandrasekhar Rao filed another affidavit stating that 64 cases were pending against him, which was concealment of important information from the public. This went against the provisions of the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951, counsel contended. The petitioner urged the court to set aside the election result announced for Gajwel on the grounds of that a candidate who had given false information deliberately, intentionally, whereas it was required to be given through a sworn affidavit along with nomination paper was not eligible to contest in the election. Pointing out towards the election registration officer, the petitioner alleged that the officer allowed Mr Chandrasekhar Rao to contest the election with a malafide intention by improper acceptance of the nomination. The court adjourned the case to four weeks for replies by the respondents. Custodians of the national image Brand Botswana have implored the nation to move out of its comfort zone and aggressively market the country to the global village. Thuso Palai, Manager of Brand Botswana International said Botswana is unknown to the world over, making it hard for the country to attract the desired foreign direct investment (FDI). Its not a single entitys responsibility but a national responsibility, said Palai citing that global perceptions indexes lowly rate Botswana. Therefore more needs to be done to promote and position Botswana favourably around the world. A nations identity is driven by how Batswana behave with each other and engage with the rest of the world, Palai added. The brand specialist said citizens should remember that they are an extension of the brand called Botswana hence the need to communicate with one voice on issues of national interest. Sometimes our responses are not coherent, we need to speak with one voice, said Palai citing the currents debates on the countrys wildlife, especially elephants and the recent blacklisting by the European Union (EU) on anti-money laundering (AML) related issues. The most vocal should be citizens to defend on some of the things that the international community talks about, said Palai, highlighting that sometimes government responses can be regarded as propaganda. Palai said though Botswana brand has been doing well in the past other countries have caught up and a new niche has to be found for the country. What do we do to differentiate ourselves from other countries, quizzed Palai. He bemoaned that the countrys perception indexes are going down, despite the country being largely unknown on the global market. According to Palai some of the factors that influence global perceptions about a nations brand include sport, arts and culture, tourism or hospitality sector, politics or international relations, immigration, ICT, innovation, technological advancements, people and media. He emphasized that innovation aids the countrys identity and awareness through its different fields such as technology software and app development, indigenous knowledge protecting and packaging coupled with research and development in mining and biotechnology. Meanwhile, Brand Botswana has pinned its hope on Nation Branding Hexagon strategy to prop up the countrys image. The blueprint focus on tourism, people, exports, trade, investment and immigration, governance, culture and heritage. . In all, USD 23 million from Google in 2013 and USD 98 million from Facebook in 2015 were siphoned off. (Photo: ANI) A 50-year-old from Lithuania pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, in which he scammed tech giants Facebook and Google into paying more than USD 100 million for work that never happened. Evaldas Rimasauskas and some unnamed conspirators posed as Quanta Computer, a Taiwan-based laptop manufacturer and ran a phishing scam by sending fraudulent emails to agents from Google and Facebook regularly in directing business with Quanta, Cnet reports. Rimasauskas allegedly asked money for services rendered by the real Quanta Computer be sent to a different bank account in Latvia and Cyprus, all controlled by himself. In all, USD 23 million from Google in 2013 and USD 98 million from Facebook in 2015 were syphoned off. The prosecutors dont allege that Rimasauskas was directly responsible for convincing Facebook and Google in sending the money, but believe he created the infrastructure for the money transfer. He was extradited to the US in August 2017 and now he has pleaded guilty. Rimasauskas is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24, 2019. He could face up to 30 years in prison for the wire fraud. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Facebook said it raced to remove hundreds of thousands of copies. (Photo: AP) One of the main groups representing Muslims in France said on Monday it was suing Facebook and YouTube, accusing them of inciting violence by allowing the streaming of footage of the Christchurch massacre on their platforms. The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) said the companies had disseminated material that encouraged terrorism and harmed the dignity of human beings. There was no immediate comment from either company. The shooting at two mosques in New Zealand on March 15, which killed 50 people, was livestreamed on Facebook for 17 minutes and then copied and shared on social media sites across the internet. Facebook said it raced to remove hundreds of thousands of copies. However, footage could still be found on Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet Incs YouTube a few hours after the attack, as well as Facebook-owned Instagram and Whatsapp. Abdallah Zekri, president of the CFCMs Islamophobia monitoring unit, said the organization had launched a formal legal complaint against Facebook and YouTube in France. Both companies have faced widespread criticism over the footage. The chair of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security wrote a letter to top executives of four major technology companies last week urging them to do a better job of removing violent political content. A spokesman for the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ) welcomed the French groups action. He said his organization had been planning to contact Facebook to register their complaint but had been busy dealing with the aftermath of the attacks. They have failed big time, this was a person who was looking for an audience and ... you were the platform he chose to advertise himself and his heinous crime, said FIANZ spokesman Anwar Ghani, referring to Facebook. We havent been in touch with the (French) group ... but certainly something which can deter the social media space in terms of these types of crimes, we would be supportive of that, he said. A man has been charged with one count of murder over the Christchurch shootings and will next appear in court on April 5. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Turkey-Israel relations are strained, especially after a recent war of words between the two presidents. (Photo:AP) Ankara: Turkey on Monday denounced US President Donald Trump's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights as an "election gift" to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump's decision to proclaim that the Golan Heights -- captured from Syria during the Six-Day War of 1967 -- belongs to Israel hands a significant diplomatic victory to Netanyahu before April 9 elections. The Israeli premier is facing an unexpectedly tough challenge from centrist Benny Gantz. "Trump's signing is virtually an election gift to Netanyahu who is in difficulty ahead of elections," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a speech in the southern province of Antalya. Also Read: Donald Trump accepts Israel Golan rule "Whatever you do for (Netanyahu) -- who even divides his own people, who bombs in Gaza today as you can see -- for this tyrant, there will be no advantages. America's efforts are in vain," Cavusoglu said in televised remarks. Israel launched strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza on Monday hours after a rocket from the Palestinian enclave hit a house near Tel Aviv and wounded seven people. It is not the first time Turkey has lambasted Trump over his policy towards Israel. In 2017, Ankara repeatedly criticised the US president over his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. About 20,000 Israeli settlers live in the Golan, which overlooks Syrian territory. The annexing of the area has never been recognised by the international community. Cavusoglu said Turkey would "do whatever is necessary until the end" and work with the global community against "one-sided decisions" which disregard international law. Turkey-Israel relations are strained, especially after a recent war of words between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause, and Netanyahu. The Islamabad High Court issued the order on Tuesday after the petition was filed by the girls. (Representational Image) Islamabad: A Pakistani high court on Tuesday ordered official protection for the two Hindu girls due to concern about their safety as authorities widened a probe to ascertain if the teenage sisters were abducted, forcibly converted and married. The two girls, Raveena (13) and Reena (15), were allegedly kidnapped by a group of "influential" men from their home in Ghotki district in Sindh on the eve of Holi. Soon after the kidnapping, a video went viral in which a cleric was purportedly shown soleminising the Nikah (marriage) of the two girls, triggering a nationwide outrage. The Islamabad High Court issued the order on Tuesday after the petition was filed by the girls and their husbands to seek protection from adverse action. Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the case about controversy over conversion of the two Hindu girls from Ghotki area of Sindh province and their marriage with Muslim men. Also Read: Swaraj seeks justice for Hindu minors, asks Pakistan to return girls to family The judge after the hearing of their petition handed over their custody to Deputy Commissioner Islamabad and Director General Human Rights. He ordered that a woman Superintendent Police should be deputed with the sisters to ensure their safety. The court directed authorities that an investigation report about their case should be presented before it by April 2 when it will issue further directions. The court also noted the Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered probe to ascertain if the two girls were abducted and forcibly converted and married. On March 20, the girls' family lodged a First Information Report against their alleged forced conversion to Islam. A war of words broke out between India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistan's Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry over the reported abduction, forced conversion and underage marriages of the two Hindu teenagers. The spat started soon after Swaraj sought details from the Indian envoy in Pakistan into the reported abduction of two Hindu teenaged girls. Swaraj tweeted that she has asked the Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan to send a report on the matter. Police later arrested the cleric who solemnised the wedding and some other people, including a senior member of the Sunni Tehreek Pakistan group for their alleged involvement in their forceful conversion to Islam. Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan. According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. Majority of Pakistan's Hindu population is settled in Sindh province. According to media reports, approximately 25 forced marriages take place every month only in Umerkot district in Sindh province. India on Tuesday rejected claims by Pakistan that it had denied overflight rights to an aircraft carrying Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad who was invited to Islamabad to attend the Pakistan National Day function. Government officials said that Mahathir had to take a longer route to reach Islamabad as Pakistan has closed its airspace to any aircraft overflying India after the Balakot air strikes. Therefore, even though DGCA had given overflight clearance to the Malaysian Prime Ministers flight, it had to take a longer route because Pakistan denied permission, they said. The officials termed reports in a section of Pakistan media as false and motivated that India had denied overflight rights to the aircraft ferrying Mahathir to Islamabad. It is strange that even for their national day guest from Malaysia, Pakistan could not make an exception, thereby resulting in a longer flight carrying the Malaysian PM, they said. Pakistani airspace remains closed to all flights, including international flights, which would usually fly over Pakistan, forcing them to take a longer route. India has not put any such restrictions. Mahathir's aircraft had to take a longer route via Oman and a detour over the Arabian Sea to reach Islamabad on March 23. Suspended Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) member, Tshepang Mabaila says he was not under any pressure to withdraw his candidacy as an Independent Candidate for Mogoditshane Constituency. Mabaila was last year slapped with a five (5) year suspension for bringing the name of the party into disrepute. He appealed the decision of the Disciplinary Committee to party President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, an appeal which was dismissed. Mabaila then announced that he would be contesting this years general election as an independent candidate and registered with Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). Last week Mabaila a close associate of former President Dr. Ian Khama who is currently involved in a standoff with the current president, revealed that he is withdrawing his candidacy. In response to enquiries about his withdrawal, Mabaila said he was not under any pressure to chicken out. There has been claims that Mabaila decided to change his mind because of allegations of a forgery case where he is being investigated for allegedly having forged his academic qualifications. He was also said to be on the list of the taxman for tax evasion.I am not under any pressure to withdraw. I am doing this for the BDP because I am a BDP member and I want what is best for the BDP. Regarding the issue of forgery, I can tell you that there is nothing like that. I never forged any document. It is an issue of accreditation. There is a university called Belford in the United Kingdom and that is where I was doing my degree. I do not know why people are making noise about the issue of a fake certificate. There was nothing I could do and that same qualification I enrolled for my Masters in Degree with and there was nothing wrong, but since it emerged that there is an issue of accreditation, I stopped my studies and enrolled at Boitekanelo. I did my four-year degree in Bachelor of Arts in Counselling, so I cannot be under pressure over something I know is not an issue, he revealed. He told a press conference in Gaborone that the tax issue is for anyone who is not paying tax. He posited that anyone who is not complying would obviously have BURS knocking at his or her door. According to Mabaila he would not say he is being targeted and therefore has to make a coverup by pleasing the current administration by withdrawing his candidacy. The decision by Mabaila to contest as an independent candidate was seen as a move that is highly likely to dent the BDP performance in Mogoditshane Constituency. The constituency is currently held by opposition- Alliance for Progressives (AP). Mabaila last year stirred controversy when he was alleged to have been part of the team that orchestrated a motion of no confidence against President Dr Masisi. He also offered to broker peace between Dr Masisi and former President something which is said to have earned him the dismissal of suspension appeal. Finally, the Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) has released a statement confirming that its CEO Dr. Stefan Schwarzfischer resigned from his role at the corporation and will depart in March, a matter that the management team vehemently denied for some time. Botswana Guardian, having reliable information wrote in its February 22nd edition that Schwarzfischer has resigned, but the revelation attracted a series of denials that included paid advertisement denying that the German national had called it quits. However, the BPC board chairman, Bonny Thebenyane has ended the arguments through an official press release, confirming Schwarzfischer's departure and that the Chief Financial Officer, Cross Kgosietsile will hold the fort in acting capacity. The board wishes to announce that Schwartzfischer will part ways with the corporation at the end of its 2018/19 financial year to pursue other opportunities. Further, that Dr. Schwartzfischer has partnered the Corporation with local communities across Botswana on various initiatives that gave mileage to the BPC brand, including a number of corporate social responsibility projects that he took to heart. Schwarzfischer becomes the second member of the executive management to leave the company following the alleged forced resignation of General Manager for Human Resources, Kamogelo Chiusiwa. Schwarzfischers management will be remembered for the roadmap it set for itself to transform BPC into a profitable and leading power utility in the region by 2020 under the strategy known as Masa 2020. To achieve this the management started with an internal restructuring exercise in 2015 to improve efficiency and productivity. Last year Schwarzfischer announced that BPC made its first profit in ten years, highlighting that they have performed above expectation. BPCs financial report indicated that the corporations operating income grew by 34 percent which stood at P138 604 million in the 2018 financial year against P103 544 million recorded in 2017. Schwarzfischer leaves at a time when BPC is still to resolve the issue of Jonathan Raheem Hosseini, the Chief Operations Officer (COO) who was tipped to be the next chief executive, but was dismissed controversially on 28th August 2018. It appeared there was more than meets the eye in the way Hosseini was fired as he was originally cleared from all the six charges he faced. The procedure was conducted by an independent Disciplinary Panel composed of professionals and constituted by the BPC Board. The matter between the two has been dragging since early 2018. At some stage BPC suspended Hosseini pending investigation and hired Deloitte to do a forensic audit. Deloitte completed its assignment and handed over its findings to the Board. SALT LAKE CITY A Utah House member went off on the U.S. Attorney's Office, federal agencies and the media in a new court filing opposing government efforts to quintuple his restitution payments for an illegal ATV protest ride in a prosecution he calls "jiggery-pokery." "It is troubling to me that certain people in the U.S. Attorney's Office feel compelled to continually harass me and pillory my name and reputation," Rep. Phil Lyman, R-Blanding, wrote. "Judging from the tweets (and bad math) of Ms. Moon, I'm inclined to believe that her malice is politically motivated." Lyman doesn't cite any specific tweets by assistant U.S. attorney Allison J.P. Moon in the filing. But in what appears to be her last tweet on Feb. 6, 2017, she expresses support for Bears Ears National Monument. Lyman is a vocal critic of the monument designation. Moon argued in court documents filed earlier this month that Lyman has a "heightened moral obligation" to pay now that he is a member of the Utah Legislature. A jury convicted Lyman in 2016 of misdemeanor trespassing after he led an ATV protest ride in a southeastern Utah canyon that the Bureau of Land Management had closed to off-road vehicles. Lyman spent 10 days in jail. A federal judge hit him with a $95,955 bill for assessing and repairing riparian areas and archeological sites in Recapture Canyon. The court allowed him pay $100 per month. Federal prosecutors argue that Lyman's financial circumstances have improved since his election to the House last year and he is now capable of paying $500 a month. Lyman, who is representing himself, contends that he actually makes less money now, having gone from $45,000 a year as a San Juan County commissioner to $20,000 as a state legislator. A certified public accountant, Lyman does not go into any more detail about his income in the court filing, saying he believes it would be used against him. In the 12-page letter addressed to U.S. District Judge David Nuffer, Lyman questions the ethics and motives of Moon and U.S. Attorney John Huber. "Could it be that this has come about because I am a newly elected state representative on the opposite of Ms. Moon politically? This is not a social media defamation, (which is also out of control), but an attack from the so-called highest court in Utah, the U.S. Department of Justice," Lyman wrote. Lyman alleges "backroom collusion" among the U.S. Attorney's Office, BLM, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Judge Robert Shelby and the media to create a "manufactured criminal." "I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars simply to bring this decay to light, not only for my own acquittal but for the exoneration of others in my community whose lives have been destroyed by this same jiggery-pokery," he wrote. The dictionary defines jiggery-pokery as underhanded manipulation or dealings. Lyman writes that Huber's office and the Department of Justice should work harder to keep their politics out of the workplace rather than as a "platform for launching a false fury of lies to ruin the lives of innocent people who happen to hold a different political view." After writing that he doesn't intend to get into the details of his court case, Lyman goes on at length about his belief that he was wrongfully prosecuted and convicted. "What a travesty this has been," he wrote. "I recognize that there are criminals in the world, but I also know that I am not one of them and that I did everything possible to ensure that the protest was carried out legally and peacefully and, foremost, to ensure that members of my community were above reproach in the way they carried out the protest." The U.S. Attorney's Office had no comment Monday. Spokeswoman Melodie Rydalch said the office would file its response in court. Court documents show Lyman has a $90,105 balance on his restitution, with the judgment against him expiring in April 2036. His probation ended last December. At the current rate, he would pay only another $20,500 before that date, according to court documents. If he were to pay $500 a month, he will have paid in full by 2034. SALT LAKE CITY Aunt Becky wont be waking up in San Francisco for much longer. Multiple reports suggest that Lori Loughlin, who played the role of Aunt Becky in Full House and the spinoff Fuller House, wont return to the show following the college bribery scheme. Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulliwere accused of paying $500,000 in bribes so that their two daughters would be crew recruits for the University of Southern California despite never practicing the sport, according to the Deseret News. The Hallmark Channel dropped Loughlin from her starring role on When Calls the Heart in the wake of the scandal too. So how will Loughlin exit Fuller House ahead of the shows final season? TVLine worked to answer that question by coming up with six scenarios about the future of the character. Here are the highlights from TVLine: Loughlins character could be indicted in a bribery scheme for her twin sons on the show, Nicky and Alex. Loughlin could be brought on The View so she could leave San Francisco and head to New York. Loughlins character heads to New York to visit Michelle Tanner, who has been absent from the show despite appearing in Full House. Aunt Becky leaves to take care of her sick aunt, who appeared in Full House. Aunt Becky falls in love with Uncle Jesses (John Stamos) twin cousin. Aunt Becky dies. Seriously. Read about these scenarios for Aunt Becky at TVLine. Date: "Fuller House" will have its fifth and final season this fall. SALT LAKE CITY As Utah and the nation debate the decades-old immigration issue, local advocates along with supporters from the University of Utah are planning to shed light on the plight of undocumented workers during an event on Salt Lake City's near-west side. The forum dubbed "Hidden Economy: Contributions & Exploitation of Utah's Invisible Workforce" is organized to highlight the predicament of the state's undocumented immigrant workforce, explained Cetrola Sanchez, assistant professor in the U.'s College of Social Work. He said while the faces of undocumented individuals are seldom acknowledged in everyday interactions by many in the community, the time has come for society to recognize the participation of those working in the shadows to help bolster the state's booming economy. "They should be visible in their humanity and in their contribution to us as a society," Sanchez said. "(It's) not just an economic contribution, but there's a cultural contribution, a contribution of being neighbors that help each other, of humanness and connection." There is real "visibility," not just the problematic visibility that is so often the focus of contentious political debate, he said. Because critics frequently describe undocumented immigrants as criminal or as "taking our jobs," society sometimes fails to see them as an integral part of the communities in which they live, making them targets for detractors, he said. In reality, undocumented people are extremely visible and play an important role in the state and national economies, he noted. "They are visible in the guy who comes to shovel the snow out of my driveway when it snows or people who are part of agencies that provide services to others as volunteers," he said. "We don't talk about any of those things (enough)." "(They are) hidden in that we are not looking at the contributions of undocumented immigrants to our way of life," Sanchez explained. "For example, who are our fruit pickers or our vegetable pickers? And what kind of money are they making?" He said civic leaders have to take the initiative to consider how to resolve the ongoing immigration issue. But he also wondered what it will take to get those policymakers to act sooner rather than later. "Politics are involved and the economy is involved in most decisions that we make," he added. "Is that tied to us not legalizing people or not, I don't know." Sanchez said 5 percent of the state's workforce is undocumented mostly in service industries such as hotels and lodging, construction, the food industry and agriculture. Among agricultural workers, 1 out of 5 is undocumented, he said, with 1 in 7 in the construction sector, along with 1 out of 9 in the service industry. "They play a huge role in Utah's economy," he said. Strategies on the federal level like E-Verify a voluntary online system that lets registered employers authenticate the eligibility of their employees to work in the U.S. were attempts to address the undocumented worker issue, but did not provide a functional long-term solution, he said. However, he hopes leaders will continue to work on developing a permanent solution that will bring the "invisible" workforce into plain sight. David Derezotes, professor in the College of Social Work at the U., said immigration today is a worldwide concern that has gained notoriety in sometimes less than positive ways. "We're all aware globally that (immigration) is an issue," he said. "A lot of folks are arguably gaining power in their countries by inciting fear about the 'other.'" "One of our intents is to show that fear is not grounded in reality," he said. "One way to deal with that is to talk about the truth." He noted that making a greater effort to highlight the positive attributes of immigration could help alleviate some of the fear and get more people to support the idea of acknowledging the humanity of all people, whether they are undocumented or not. "If we don't figure out how to (get along with people who are different), we're not going to survive as a species," Derezotes said. "Hidden Economy" is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, March 26, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Sorenson Unity Center Black Box Theater located on 1383 S. 900 West in the Glendale neighborhood. The presentation will include dialogue between local experts as well as various artistic elements music, spoken word performances and film. Admission is free and open to the public. Correction: In an earlier version, professor Cetrola Sanchez was referred to using feminine pronouns. The Deseret News was later notified that Sanchez prefers masculine pronouns. MIDVALE The first three months of 2019 have been one of the most violent in Utah in at least two decades. As of Monday, there were 24 homicides in the state during January, February and so far in March, according to statistics kept by the Deseret News. It's the highest number of homicides Utah has seen during the first three months of any year dating back to at least when the state Bureau of Criminal Identification began posting comprehensive crime statistics online. And that number could rise to at least 25 homicides so far this year. Police on Monday said they now believe a March 17 shooting death in Midvale that was initially believed to be a suicide is now considered to be "suspicious." Prior to this year, the highest number of homicides for the first three months of a year in Utah was in 1998 when the bureau recorded 15. There were 11 homicides in Utah during the first three months of 2018 and a total of 78 for the year. Several homicides in Utah this year have involved teenagers, young adults and drugs. Some examples: Mason Hunt, 26, of Salt Lake City, was shot and killed Jan. 12 after confronting three men and a 16-year-old boy who had broken into his home to steal drugs and other items from his roommate, according to court records. Marquez Grajeda, 15, of West Valley City, was shot and killed inside a home on Feb. 5 while on a lunch break from school. A 14-year-old boy who was allegedly playing with a gun when it went off is charged with manslaughter in his death. Kameron Johnson, 18, of Ogden, was shot and killed on Feb. 11 and his brother, Eric Johnson Jr., 20, was shot and critically injured when two men allegedly invaded their home to steal drugs. Theron Farmer, 23, and Daniel Ross Viegas-Gonzalez, 28, are both charged with aggravated murder. Jerrad Jacobsen, 16, of Kearns, was shot and killed inside a bedroom in his house on March 18. The shooting was initially believed to be accidental, but three days after the incident, police arrested Jerrad's 15-year-old stepbrother in the death. South Jordan real estate agent David Stokoe, 40, was shot and killed in Salt Lake City on Jan. 18 during an altercation over rent with tenants suspected of using drugs, according to police. Officers found his body hidden in a crawl space. Manuel Velasquez, 31, of South Salt Lake, is charged with murdering him. The numbers could have been even higher due to a confrontation between rival gang members outside Fashion Place Mall in January that resulted in two people being shot and critically injured. Likewise, two people were shot and injured March 16 at the Chelsea Park Apartments, 7351 S. Catalpa St. (440 West), during an alleged drug robbery of a marijuana dealer. Unified police detectives announced Monday that they are taking a closer look at the death of a 20-year-old man whose body was found in the parking lot of a recreational center in Midvale. Police responded to a report of a shooting at the Copperview Recreational Center, 8446 S. Harrison Street, near a skate park, on March 17. A man was found dead inside a pickup truck. Originally, the death was believed to be a suicide. But now, Unified police detective Ken Hansen said the death has been classified as "suspicious" as investigators give it another look. Detectives want to question the driver and any possible occupants of a black Nissan Altima spotted in surveillance video that was in the area of the skate park at the time of the shooting, he said. Detectives weren't calling the man's death a homicide on Monday, Hansen said. They just want to talk to potential witnesses "to make sure they didn't miss anything." Anyone with information about the car or the shooting is asked to call police at 801-743-7000. As has been the case in previous years, many of this year's homicides so far have been the result of domestic violence. Some examples: Ashley Vigil, 26, of Salt Lake City, was found dead of stab wounds on Jan. 15 in South Salt Lake. Her boyfriend, Angelo Terry Kirstine, 24, is charged with murdering her. A 4-month-old boy was found dead on Jan. 25 in a Midvale motel room. His parents, Jose Ramirez, 21, and Jessica Lujan, 20, are charged with child abuse homicide. Two days later, on Jan. 27, Travis Geddes, 30, and Sarah Hawley, 27, of Salt Lake City, were found dead in their Sugar House home. Investigators believe Geddes killed Hawley and then took his own life. A 7-year-old boy died Feb. 27, two days after allegedly being found unresponsive in the shower at his Sandy house. His mother, Reyna Elizabeth Flores-Rosales, 30, is charged with aggravated murder. There have also been at least two fatal shootings involving confrontations between former boyfriends and current boyfriends, according to police. In some of this year's killings, police are still searching for motives. On March 12, Maureen Fiore, 36, was shot and killed inside her Sandy home and her husband was critically injured. As of Monday, police were still looking for a suspect. On March 21, Ray Paul Willie Vasquez, 40, who was recently paroled from prison, was shot and killed while sitting in his car in the parking lot of Maverik, 7720 S. Main. Jose Luis Garcia, 24, the alleged gunman with no known criminal history, died after leading police on a chase that ended when he shot himself and his car rolled onto the fields at Peruvian Park Elementary School. SALT LAKE CITY Elizabeth Kronk Warner, who is considered a national expert in the intersection of environmental and tribal law, has been named the next dean of the S.J. Quinney College of Law. Kronk Warner is associate dean of academic affairs, professor and director of the Tribal Law and Government Center at the University of Kansas School of Law. Dan Reed, the U.'s senior vice president for academic affairs, announced Monday that Kronk Warner had accepted the U.'s offer to lead the law college. She is the first woman to serve in the role. Kronk Warner is highly regarded as a natural leader and consensus builder who engages deeply, prioritizes both faculty scholarship and student success, and is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, Reed said. Kronk Warner, a citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, serves as an appellate judge for the tribe and as a district judge for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribe. She is expected to begin her new position on July 1. Kronk Warner said she was impressed with the U. college of law's "strong reputation for scholarly excellence, commitment to students and record of community engagement. She earned her juris doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School; she received her undergraduate degree in communications from Cornell University and studied at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Kronk Warner joined the University of Kansas as director of its Tribal Law and Government Center in 2012.. She was appointed associate dean in 2015, overseeing operational issues and coordinating on admissions, career services and administration of 12 joint degree and eight certificate programs. Kronk Warner currently is responsible for academic compliance and student affair. She served as acting dean for a four-month period in 2016. She also chairs the schools faculty and staff diversity and inclusion committee, is an ex officio member of the student Deans Diversity Leadership Council and is president of the universitys Native Faculty and Staff Council. Kronk Warner previously was an active member of the Federal Bar Association, serving on its national board of directors. She is currently active in the American Bar Association, where she co-chairs the Native American Resources Committee. She has taught courses in property, tribal, environmental and natural resources law and supervises the schools Tribal Judicial Support Clinic. Kronk Warner has received several teaching excellence awards, co-authored several books on environmental issues and Native Americans, and has 40 articles and book chapters to her credit. Kronk Warner worked in private practice for several years before entering academia. Prior to joining the University of Kansas, Kronk Warner was a law professor at the University of Montana and Texas Tech. SALT LAKE CITY Utah women are cornered into fewer jobs than women nationally, which contributes to the state's wide gender wage gap, according to a panel gathered to discuss pay disparity in the Beehive State. According to American Association of University Women, Utah ranks 50th in the nation for its gender wage gap, where women earn 70 cents to every dollar a man makes in the state, whereas nationally women earn 80 cents. The study also included Washington, D.C., and Utah is ahead of Louisiana, which ranked 51st in the nation. A group of women discussed the complex issue Monday at the U's Hinckley Institute of Politics panel discussion. "Utah women tend to be more crowded into fewer occupations than nationally," said Gunseli Berik, an economics professor at the University of Utah. "And those are clerical, sales and teaching. The wage gaps in these occupations are greater than they are nationally." The combination contributes to Utah's wider wage gap, she explained. For example, full-time, year-round female teachers in Utah earn on average 71 percent of what male teachers earn, whereas nationally it is 81 percent. Those numbers, as well as the state and nation's gender wage gap statistics, only include year-round and full-time workers, Berik pointed out. Another factor in the state's disparity is the gender gap in education, she said. Utah women are less likely to obtain a bachelor's degree, according to Berik. More than 70 people attended the event, which was part of the institute's "Pizza and Politics" series and co-sponsored by the Women's Resource Center and the Women's Enrollment Initiative. This is obviously an issue of justice, but it's also an economic issue, said panelist Nilufer Cagatay, co-director of the University of Utah's Economics Department. Gender wage gaps contribute to poverty, she said, and effect the growth rates an economy can achieve. Childcare contributes to the issue as well, she explained. "Somebody has to have children," she quipped. Instead of forcing mothers to bear the cost alone, society should help bear the economic burden of children, she said. Mothers in the workforce are punished for having children whereas fathers are rewarded, she noted. It's not all about white women either, panelist Claudia Geist, U. gender studies and sociology associate professor, pointed out. Latina women make 53 percent of what white men make, African-American make 61 percent and Asian women make 85 percent, although Geist noted some subgroups of Asian women, like Pacific Islander's, make less. The statistic about Latina women hit home for panelist Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, who said she's experienced it firsthand. "I think I can say I've faced that gap and it's real," she said. "There's nothing worse than you learning that your co-worker (who does less than you do) is making more than you do." The reality is many women feel discouraged when they've accomplished great things but still face the disparity, Escamilla said. "I want to have that conversation because it's uncomfortable for some people, and I've learned there's a lot of allies in the male side," she said. Jack Markman, sophomore studying economics, was one such ally in the audience. "Because we're all human, right," he explained when asked why he thought this issue was important. "I think it's a topic that isn't discussed particularly in this state nearly enough considering the imbalance in gender representation we have in legislature, in markets, in business and politics, those sort of things," he said. Escamilla also said there isn't one thing that will solve this problem, but rather it will be "one step at a time." "We're going to keep on fighting this," she said. "It's not about blame anymore, it's more about focusing on moving forward." Both Cagatay and Escamilla said they are working on separate studies about the state's gender wage gap. Cagatay's study focuses on answering why the gap in Utah is so large, and Escamilla's study examines the public sector's wage gap. Geist said she wants women to fight for equality in all areas of their lives as well. "I just want people to feel empowered to demand equality not just in the workplace but also at home," she said. Utah's low wage gap ranking is what sparked the decision to hold the panel, according to Katie Roghaar. "I think bringing this conversation to light is really important," said Roghaar, a master's of social work student who helped organize the event. Roghaar said she wants policymakers to know this is an issue. "We want to be able to stay in Utah, so pay us the same," she said. Aubrie Strasters, a junior studying political science, said she wasn't surprised to find out the gender wage gap was more extreme in Utah than overall in the U.S. "The culture here is very male dominated and has been for a very long time, which is unfortunate, but it can be improved," she said. "It's a fixable problem, it's just we got to pay women for the work they're actually doing." Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled Hinckley Institute of Politics as Hinkley. SALT LAKE CITY Young activists delivered a letter with over 1,500 signatures to the governor's office Monday asking him to take action on climate change by opposing the Bureau of Land Managements oil and gas lease of 217,576 acres of public lands in Utah. The letter states, "We need you to defend our future. Utah has the youngest population in the nation, we young people will inherit a fundamentally altered, destabilized world. Our health and well-being are at stake. Please, help give us a voice." Close to 50 people, mostly youth, came to the Capitol to deliver the letter. They sang, chanted and gave testimony for almost an hour before speaking to Michael Mower, Gov. Gary Herbert's deputy chief of staff. "Well review it, I dont see our position changing. Thats probably not something that we would support, but Ill certainly take your letters and well discuss it," Mower told the group. He said the governor would be more likely to support requests regarding specific parcels. The governor stepped in when there were concerns about parcels near Dinosaur National Monument. Eliza Van Dyk, a student at Westminster College who helped organize the event, said the sale of any parcels is selling their future. She asked for a specific response to the letter, which they did not receive. "Weve taken the steps through the legislative process, weve done that. We passed a climate resolution and now were here invoking that resolution," Van Dyk said to Mower. Three students met with Mower last week, then organized the larger demonstration when they were disappointed with his response. The land lease sale to oil and gas industries is taking place Monday and Tuesday of this week and includes land parcels near Bears Ears and the Great Salt Lake. "We are disappointed that our governor and staff are not listening to our request as young people and were going to continue showing up and rallying until theres no more oil and gas leasing in the state of Utah," Van Dyk said after the event. Mower talked about the environmental bills and funding from the 2019 Legislative session, and encouraged the youth and others protesting to let the governor know about bills they support or oppose. He said the governor supports what is in the best interest of the state and has pushed for a diverse portfolio in regard to climate change. "Youre going to have a great future here in Utah, its a wonderful place to live," Mower said to jeers from the group. "We agree that theres nothing more important than clean air, and thats why Gov. Herbert has worked so hard to support legislation that is helping to clear the air in Utah." Mishka Banuri, a senior at West High School, said the next step is to continue to place pressure on elected officials and let them know they are paying attention to what is happening. This is just the beginning of a robust, strong youth movement thats being built here in Utah, Banuri said. This demonstration comes 10 days after hundreds of youth participated in a strike on the Capitol steps to call for action on climate change. Banuri said they tried to work with the BLM to end leasing to oil and gas companies and have held protests and press conferences at their offices. When the bureau was not responsive they decided to take the request to the governor. "Not only are (the land parcels) being used for oil and gas extraction, which would be contributing to climate change, they are going be endangering sage grouse and they are going to be right next to sacred sites to indigenous people here in Utah," Banuri said. Botswanas innovation ecosystem has gradually taken shape under the stewardship of Botswana Innovation Hubs (BIH) chief executive, Allen Boswaen. Boswaen is the former chief executive of the defunct International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), which was merged with Botswana Enterprises Development Agency (BEDIA) to form todays Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC). He recently sat down to an interview with Botswana Guardian at his offices at the Botswana Innovation Park in Block 8, Gaborone. Boswaen speaks passionately about the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and how it has thrust concepts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things into the fore of our everyday life. More importantly, the chief executive explains the central role played by his organisation in locating innovation within the countrys Excellence Strategy, which envisions Botswana as a knowledge economy. The world is increasingly becoming automated with the onset of AI, which basicaly is about looking for various processes that can be automated to minimise human interventions, for example, driver-less vehicles. It is the algorithm designers who will benefit in this brave new world, hence the imperative to ensure that our school carricular does not remain behind in terms of where the world is going. The challenge for us in Botswana, says Boswaen, is not to be left behind. And this is where his organisation comes in to link the knowledge creation and the idea into product and services. We are trying to build the innovation system, which is a series of interventions that creates that system. BIH was founded to help innovators to move from idea to product and services. It starts with the innovator interacting with BIH staff members who will vet his or her idea in terms of their systems. The first thing is to convene a registration through which the innovator expresses what his or her end product/service will be; what it will serve or problem it will solve. Registraton also entitles the innovator to become a member of BIH. The innovator is then taken through the technology enterpreneurship programmes and funding which helps the innovator through a series of specialised services such as registering with Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA) to protect the innovators intellectual property (IP) so that it is not stolen. Boswaen says this could be by way of simple product marking (trade mark) or in some instances, registering a patent. Secondly the innovator is taken through incubation during which the extent of his or her idea is gauged. Once the idea has been formed into a prototype (tangible prodcut) BIH helps to get it into the market through scaling up or acceleration. Among the support programmes is funding. Banks and financial instutions such as CEDA or NDB want to see a prototype, not an idea if they are to provide any financing, hence the primary objective of the Innovation Fund is to ensure that the IP is registered and the prototype developed at BIH and then handed over to the financier. Once this stage is reached the innovator can leave the Innovation Hub to commericalise his product or service. Boswaen stresses that the journey of the knowledge economy is about outputs in terms of revenue and commercialisation. Its a business, not an idea. That is why we have to provide all the relevant services and interventions that will enable the innovator to plug the gap to ensure that in the end the innovator goes into the market this is what creates the knowledge economy. University systems like BIUST and UB are critical role players in this eocsystem hence BIH has a system to refer claims to research institutions to be certified and scientifically tested. The sources of innovations that come to BIH are threefoold; either from an independent individual or an individual in a company; for example a mining process can be registered with BIH and taken through IP and certification. Innovations can also come from academic and research institutions like BIUST and BITRI. As they research these institutions must also come up with ideas that can benefit the economy, says Boswaen. This is what BIH must do to ensure that we dont end up with some products registered and patented outside the country such as happened with Hoodia Cactus and Sengaparile. Boswaen says the Innovation Fund is specific, to ensure that the innovation is not just protected domestically but also regionally (through ARIPO) and internationally (WTO) as well as to move innovations into prototype to make them fundable and investable. We would like to encourage those who have cash to inject capital into these types of ventures to build the 4th Industrial Revolutoon. The Innovaton Fund is funded entirely by Government through NDP 11 but Boswaen would like to tap into multiple funding channels such as Southern African Network on Biosciences and Southern African Innovation Support (SAIS) the latter being an agreement with the Finnish Government. Five local companies are among consortia awarded Euro 1, 2 million in the second call of Southern African Innovation Support. BIH has also supported over 100 innovation start-ups. We funded young women that worked with Morula extracts and jam with part of the money coming from SAIS; also financed a project to extract Morula kernels in Makaleng. Going forward and in line with President Dr. Mokgweetsi Masisis Roadmap, BIH is desirous of deploying the Fund to register more innovations. They had their first call last year in which seven innovators were funded at P5, 6 million and given a chance to develop prototypes. In January this year the calls were extended to non-members as well. Turning to the BIH property and the Park Boswaen explains that the BIH is a meeting point for netwroking of minds. We are making the space available for three types of people - Start-Up ventures not charged rent- we just want them to be members and provide them with subsidised internet and office space; as well as training and mentoring in time intend to add specialised design softwares; IT, 3D painting and partner these innovators with big companies like Microsoft. A good example of such partnerships is when BIH collaborated with Botswana Insurance to register Infiny Tech a fintech (financial technology) company, which has developed many digital solutions for private and public sector, among these solutions, a game to teach financial literacy. We are hoping government can adopt this model as well, Boswaen says, lamenting the lack of market penetration by some of the innovators that have gone through their system simply because of the procurement system (tendering). Boswaen calls for an accomodative procurement framework system that is able to absorb innovators that have gone through BIH without necessarily compromising the core values of procurement such as competition and transparent pricing. There is also the Innovation Park: In addition to start-ups there are mature technological or innovative companies that are gathered at the Innovation Park to link and build the innovation system. Companies like Alpha Direct; Dimension Data; Orange and others are found here at the Park. However, Boswaen insists this is a work in progress that needs awareness to continue the journey because when they started there was absolutely nothing. For example some people think BIH is exclusively for ICT, but its not so, he says they are also open for example to indigenous knowledge holders. Government has spent P5 million going around the country to find out what people have in terms of IKS, but the real issue is how to harness this information and turn into products and services. BIH has also assisted Mr. Fidzari who came up with a claim that his donkey milk soap is a herbal remedy. They have assisted Kalahari Donkey Milk with certification through joint collaboration with a local lab and a CapeTown based lab. We have achieved more than 200 registered members; bringing innovation network events (once a week here) on different subjects to encourage netwroking and product development; we have secured additional funding through international partnerships. Over 3000 individuals have so far participated. BIH already has seven innovations funded at a total cost of P5, 6million from the first Botswana Innovation Fund call; of innovations, Boswaen says the Sytem is still maturing. However he highlights Classmate, an e-learning innovation that supports learners by connecting them to resources ranging from tutors to course materials. In a relatively short space of time Classmate has registered 5000 users and is now considering developing a single portal to be used by learners and teachers. Boswaens pick of celebrated companies that are growing and entering the regional market (scale up) includes Lucient Engineering, which has developed an innovative mining technology through BIHs collaboration with De Beers and Stanford University. BIH has also partnered with a company called Hydrocon Green to develop a new solar powered water treatment plant to extract nitrates from ground water. Nitrates cause teeth colouring in areas like Rakops and Sojwe. Hydrocon approached BIH and proposed their system. The project is financed 50/50 and therefore the IP is jointly owned. This innovation will be launched soon. BIH also partnered with Dimension Data Botswana to develop a data centre. This will provide us with ability to store our data in a secure environment so that we can manipulate it in a safe environemt not in the Cloud for digital transformation. The Data Centre is envisioned to ensure integrity of data and will be launched next month (April). Despite challenges our innovation systems, taking shape we want help, especially uptake from government; testing so that our innovators can build a base, we are a small country. SALT LAKE CITY Gov. Gary Herbert on Monday signed into law a bill to ban abortions in Utah after 18 weeks. Utah previously allowed abortions up to 22 weeks gestation, but many Utah doctors drew the line at 21 weeks to avoid risk of violating the law. HB136, sponsored by Rep. Cheryl Acton, R-Salt Lake City, originally set the limit for legal abortions at 15 weeks gestation, but the bill was revised in the House. Support for the bill came despite the likelihood it will be challenged in court. Across the U.S., new efforts are brewing to challenge Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that established abortion as a constitutional right. Mississippi last year passed a 15-week abortion law, with exceptions for medical emergency or severe fetal abnormality, but a federal judge blocked it. Acton's bill passed out of Utah's House and Senate mostly along party lines, despite Democrats' attempts to argue for a woman's right to decide whether to have an abortion. Herbert, who has called himself a "pro-life guy," said last month he would review the bill before determining whether to sign it but noted that scientific advancements may warrant another look at abortion laws. The ACLU of Utah and Planned Parenthood announced in a joint statement Monday they will challenge the ban in court, calling it unconstitutional. "This ban adds to the long list of restrictive abortion policies that legislators have already enacted in this state. For example, Utah already forces people seeking abortion to complete a state-mandated online education module and a face-to-face informed consent session designed to discourage people from seeking abortion services, and then wait 72 hours before receiving abortion care," according to the statement. "These medically unnecessary restrictions can cause delays that force abortion later into pregnancy and disproportionately impact women who live in rural areas of our state and families who are economically disadvantaged." Including the abortion law, Herbert signed 119 bills into law on Monday and vetoed one. Herbert nixed SB123, which would have amended the state's election code and allowed a political party to replace a candidate for Congressional office if "the candidate resigns to accept an appointment to a federal office." "Compared to how candidates are selected in our regular Congressional elections, this bill significantly limits participation and choice in elections to fill vacancies in the United States House of Representatives and therefore limits the ability of Utah voters to choose their Congressional representatives," Herbert said in a statement Monday. Among other laws signed into law, HB324 will increase the legal age to buy tobacco in the state incrementally, with the age increasing to 20 in July of 2020 and to 21 the next year. Three bills signed Monday will alter the state's initiative processes. HB133 will modify the effective date of laws enacted by statewide initiative to match that of bills passed by the Legislature. HB119 sets new requirements for local voter referendums and initiatives. HB195 changes signature thresholds for statewide initiatives and referenda. It also bases thresholds on a percentage of active voters rather than the number of voters in a previous presidential election. SALT LAKE CITY Nearly 70 percent of U.S. adults favor LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections, but that doesn't mean they'll embrace current congressional efforts to add them to federal law, according to new research on LGBTQ rights. High levels of overall support for gay, lesbian and transgender Americans mask some tension over how to treat those who, for religious reasons, object to serving members of the LGBTQ community, Public Religion Research Institute found. "Some people who say they support these (nondiscrimination) protections would (also) want to see religious exemptions allowed," said Maxine Najle, a senior research associate at the research institute. Around one-quarter (23 percent) of U.S. adults simultaneously support both laws banning sexual orientation or gender identity-based discrimination in housing, hiring and public accommodations and laws allowing business owners to turn away members of the LGBTQ community for religious reasons. Forty percent of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 29 percent of white evangelical Protestants and around one-quarter of Hindus and white Catholics support both types of laws, according to the survey. This position puts them at odds with the Equality Act, which was introduced in the House and Senate earlier this month. The legislation, co-sponsored by nearly 300 members of Congress, would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of characteristics protected by civil rights law. But it would also prevent religious objectors to same-sex marriage from using the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act to defend against discrimination claims, as the Deseret News reported. "The Equality Act will clarify that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act cannot be misused to allow entities to discriminate and violate civil rights laws," said the Rev. Jennifer Butler, CEO of Faith in Public Life, during a March 13 press call. Just over 4-in-10 U.S. adults (42 percent) appear to be open to the Equality Act's approach, since they support LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections while opposing religiously based service refusals. Jews, religiously unaffiliated Americans and people who identify with New Age religions are particularly likely to hold these positions, Public Religion Research Institute reported. The survey is based on more than 40,000 bilingual phone interviews conducted throughout 2018. The margin of error is 0.5 percentage points. One of the key takeaways of the report is that support for LGBTQ rights is high among many types of Americans and has been relatively stable since 2015, Najle said. Majorities of Democrats (79 percent) and Republicans (56 percent), young adults (76 percent) and seniors (59 percent) support LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections. More than half of all major religious groups including 70 percent of Latter-day Saints, 71 percent of white mainline Protestants and 54 percent of white evangelical Protestants also favor these laws, the survey showed. These similar levels of support among "demographics that normally have very divided opinions, especially on hot-button issues, is pretty remarkable," Najle said, adding that the survey question outlined broad nondiscrimination protections that would help gays, lesbians and transgender Americans in multiple areas of life. This broad wording is important to keep in mind when comparing support for LGBTQ nondiscrimination laws with support for allowing business owners to turn away same-sex couples, she noted. "The service refusal question was much more targeted and limited," Najle said. And yet protections for business owners were much less popular overall. Around one-third of U.S. adults (36 percent) favor allowing religiously based service refusals, while 57 percent oppose it, the survey reported. Despite the stronger support for LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections, lawmakers should pay attention to Americans who care about both LGBTQ rights and religious freedom protections, said Tim Schultz, president of 1st Amendment Partnership, to the Deseret News earlier this month. "It's really unlikely to imagine a bill that is one-sided will ever achieve broad, bipartisan buy-in," he said. The 23 percent of Americans who simultaneously favor LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections and religious exemptions for small business owners include Democrats, Republicans and members of all major faith groups, the survey showed. Public Religion Research Institute's findings are unlikely to slow down the Equality Act's supporters, who want to take advantage of the Democratic majority in the house and nationwide support for LGBTQ rights. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, has said passing the bill is one of her top priorities this year. However, modest support for religious objectors to same-sex marriage is not the only obstacle awaiting these LGBTQ rights advocates. A recent FiveThirtyEight analysis showed that many Americans don't think passing new LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections is a particularly urgent issue. "Perceptions of discrimination against gay and lesbian people have plummeted over the past few years, particularly among young people," the article noted. "Only 55 percent of Americans believe that gay and lesbian people face a lot of discrimination in the U.S., down from 68 percent in 2013." SALT LAKE CITY Police released few details Tuesday about a sexual assault that forced a campuswide alert at the University of Utah, saying they want to allow the victim to rest before they interview her again. "At this point in time, we're following all information and all leads we have," U. Police Lt. Brian Wahlin said. Officers responded to University of Utah Hospital just after midnight, he said, where they learned that a man carried out the assault west of the Marriott Library about 10:30 p.m. Monday. No arrest has been made and no description or any other information about the attacker was provided. "In order to allow our victim in this case time to work through that trauma and get through the event that she's been through, we require at least two sleep cycles for her in order to have a follow-up interview with her," Wahlin said. "She would not be able to present accurately the type of information that we would be requiring at this time." The wait period is effective, said Justin Boardman, a former sex crimes investigator with West Valley City who left the department to train officers and others in trauma-informed response. After establishing a "thumbnail sketch" of what happened by asking some initial questions, "waiting is actually best practice," he said. "Oftentimes our victims will have gaps in their memory. And over these sleep cycles, some of those gaps will fill in a little bit, and then you can get more detail in the interview process," Boardman said. Early Tuesday, police had cordoned off a car in a parking lot west of the library. Wahlin said officers were using technology to track down whomever is responsible, but did not give specifics. Wahlin declined to give details on the assault. He also would not confirm whether the victim is a student or say if she is an adult. The university sent out an alert at 5 a.m. notifying students and employees of the reported assault. It directed students to pay attention to their surroundings and report anything suspicious but did not specify whether there was a larger threat. In an email to students and staff, U. President Ruth Watkins said the warning "is part of our commitment to communicate when potential incidents occur that may have far-reaching impacts." University police typically try to confirm a crime and gather evidence before sending an alert, but can't always do so in a short time frame, she said. "A lot of it is making sure we have accurate information and as much information as possible," U. spokesman Chris Nelson added. Watkins said the school will work diligently to protect the victim's privacy and make sure she can get support and resources. The university has hired a new victim advocate as part of its response to the October death of student Lauren McCluskey, who was killed on campus by a man she had asked U. police to investigate. Monday's report of sexual assault on campus is one of five this year that are now under investigation, according to the university. U. police were providing security escorts for students and have also stepped up their patrols on campus. Anyone with information about Monday night's incident is asked to call 801-585-2677. Contributing: Felicia Martinez SALT LAKE CITY In her first State of the County address on Tuesday, newly elected Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson highlighted a financial and culturally strong county, while also pledging to balance rapid growth with quality of life. "Southwest valley residents I have heard you," Wilson said, referring to residents in communities including Herriman, Riverton and South Jordan who have been frustrated with high-density development plans they fear will negatively impact their neighborhoods. Her comments come after some elected officials in those communities pushed a bill in this year's legislative session to allow a split from Salt Lake County, frustrated with how the county has treated west-side communities and whether funding for transportation or other projects has been distributed fairly. The bill ultimately failed. In an interview after her speech, Wilson said she doesn't believe there are areas of the county that have been "neglected," but she promised to be an "engaged partner." "We're not the end all be all for the southwest section valley, nor should we be," she said. "We are one partner. And I promise to be a strong partner to that area as well as the other areas of the county." The real issue, Wilson said, "is the fast growth rate." "We have to build density. I've said it for years," the mayor said. "Density continues to be a four-letter word when it's not ... And we can do it right." Wilson's first State of the County speech comes nearly two months after she was sworn in to replace the former mayor and now Rep. Ben McAdams after he was elected to Congress. Wilson was elected county mayor by the Democratic Party after she previously served on the Salt Lake County Council as the body's first elected woman. Wilson intends to run for election to a full four-year term as county mayor in 2020. After previously running for U.S. Senate a bid she lost to Mitt Romney Wilson said she spent the last two years on the campaign trail knocking on doors and listening to residents, and now she's taking that on-the-ground approach to bringing new focus to issues like rapid growth, air quality and housing. "We need to assure growth is our friend, not our enemy," Wilson said in her speech at the Salt Lake County Government Center. "As explosive growth threatens quality of life, it is our duty as a regional government to drive regional solutions through planning, resource management and transportation solutions." While outlining her plans including creating a new Office of Environmental Services to focus on air quality Wilson also credited McAdams for leaving the county in a laudable position, enjoying a AAA bond rating and a bill of "excellent" financial health. Wilson also listed off several "amazing milestones" the county has celebrated recently, including construction of the new Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center in Taylorsville, a new aquatic facility coming to Draper in 2020, and the groundbreaking for the new Salt Lake Convention Center Hotel slated for later this year. But Wilson said she's come to realize the county needs to do a better job educating residents on the role of the county and how the government works. "It's funny, as I travel to our various county communities, townships and cities, I've heard this: 'Hello, Mayor Wilson. I thought my mayor was (South Jordan Mayor) Dawn Ramsey," Wilson said. "(Or), 'What does the county do anyway?' And in my own Salt Lake City neighborhood, 'When will you take care of my broken sidewalk?'" With 18 cities and five townships in Salt Lake County, "no wonder the confusion," she said. So, Wilson says she plans to hold town halls over the next few months in five locations throughout the valley. "Listening and engagement are core principles of my time in office," she said. Wilson said she's encouraging the county's Office of Regional Development to focus on economic growth and incentives that "don't just reward corporations for placing headquarters here, but help economic growth within our various communities and give more opportunities to our residents from the bottom up, rather than the top down." She pointed to recent controversial projects including Salt Lake City's inland port and a high-density development in Herriman, Olympia Hills, that after being vetoed by McAdams is back in the planning process. "Every ZIP code in our county deserves prosperity," she said. "And we need to guarantee that new projects like the prison site development, Olympia Hills and the inland port provide a net benefit to our community and address potential negative impacts. That means good planning and addressing environmental, resource and transportation concerns." Wilson also pledged under her leadership that there will be an "invigorated focus" on housing. "The next generation is being priced out of our community," she said. "We need to make sure that housing options exist that are affordable to make sure everyone has the housing they need and the neighborhoods they want." Salt Lake County Council Chairman Richard Snelgrove, a Republican, applauded Wilson for expressing "bold goals" and for focusing on growth issues. He said Wilson has had a "positive" administration, and he so far doesn't have any concerns with her proposals but the council will delve into the details during the budget cycle. Snelgrove said Wilson already has a strong relationship with the council, as a familiar face. "She's sat in our chairs before, so she can appreciate the lens of which we view things," he said. "I thought it was a good speech and builds upon the progress she's made in the few months she's been in office so far." SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City's mayor, superintendent of schools, a state lawmaker and a police sergeant signed an agreement Tuesday that clarifies the roles of school resource officers in the city's schools. Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski said the agreement was reached after a year of discussion about improved training, cooperation and compliance with HB460, sponsored by Rep. Sandra Hollins, D-Salt Lake City. The 2016 legislation calls for best practices and training to clarify the roles of police and schools when interacting with students for disciplinary or other reasons. "There is a difference between a student with a cellphone in the classroom and a student with a weapon in the classroom," Biskupski said. The mayor said it is important that school resources serve all Salt Lake schools and that the numbers of positive interactions between police and student continue to increase. "What we know about our kids is this: Those who experience disciplinary problems at school that result in suspensions and negative interactions with police are at risk. Research and statistics show these kids are three times more likely to drop out of high school. They're also three times more likely to be incarcerated as adults. We want to help prevent students from heading down this path," Biskupski said. Biskupski said Hollins' legislation "makes Utah one of only 12 states to set in law best practices and training standards for both law enforcement and schools." Hollins thanked the city and school district "for leading the way in protecting what is in the best interest of our youth and our community. This is an important step to avoid criminalizing students and to help all our students to succeed." Salt Lake City Schools Superintendent Lexi Cunningham expressed her gratitude to city officials and the police department for "their hard work in working with us to making sure we have an agreement that is supportive of students, teachers, communities and Salt Lake City as a whole." Salt Lake Police Sgt. Phil Eslinger, who oversees 11 school resource officers and one civilian employee who work in Salt Lake schools, said the police department is dedicated to improving relationships with students, faculties and school communities. In the past, police contacts with students at school involved making arrests or dealing with something that had happened at the school, he said. Over time, that has evolved into "positive contacts," Eslinger said. "Now when we show up in a school, the students aren't asking us 'Who's in trouble or who's being arrested?' They're now asking us if we'll be there for recess, if we're there for lunch, that we're going to have that positive contact with them," he said. The contract calls for cost sharing between the school district and city for law enforcement services. The contract will enable officers to be available to the school district and to serve students through summer. It also calls for equal placement of school resource officers at all middle and high schools. Training is a key component of the contract using curriculum provided by the Utah State Board of Education, the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice and the Utah Board of Juvenile Justice. The contract also sets standards for police access to students, student records and videos, including "clear articulation of what are exigent circumstances" and a protocol if there is a disagreement between a school administrator and law enforcement regarding access to a student." The contract calls for creation of an oversight committee that will publish a yearly report that includes a review of school-based diversions, arrests and interventions. It also creates a mechanism for community members to raise concerns and a means to review them. SALT LAKE CITY The controversial Green New Deal resolution, authored by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., was shot down on the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon. No senator voted to take up the resolution, which was not binding legislation but rather a set of loose policy goals. A total of 57 senators voted against the resolution on Tuesday, and 43 out of 47 Democrats (including two independents) voted present as part of a strategy spearheaded by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Three Democratic senators broke with Schumer to vote against the resolution, including Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, and Doug Jones of Alabama, along with independent Sen. Angus King of Maine. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., brought the resolution to a vote in what has been described as an attempt to pit moderate Democrats against the partys more progressive members. McConnell has also characterized the Green New Deal as a destructive socialist daydream. According to NPR, this is part of a strategy to depict the Democratic Party itself as socialist heading into the 2020 elections. However, Democrats, who have called the vote a "sham," argue the vote will actually backfire against Republicans, because it will make evident the fact that they haven't proposed alternative legislation addressing climate change and don't consider it a priority. As the Deseret News previously reported, the Green New Deal is an ambitious 10-year plan to eliminate all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, update the nations infrastructure, and implement progressive policies such as Medicare for all, free higher education, and a federal jobs guarantee. Because of the resolutions controversial progressive policies and its wide scope, it was unlikely to pass the Senate or be signed into law by President Trump, but it has been endorsed by leading Democratic presidential candidates including Sens. Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Kirstin Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, and Cory Booker. Lets take a closer look at what the vote represents and what this will mean for the Green New Deal and other legislation addressing climate change moving forward. What does the Democratic 'present' vote represent? [According to](https://www.conginst.org/2013/04/02/voting-present-as-a-legislative-tactic/) the Congressional Institute, legislators have the option to vote aye, no, or present, with the latter representing a refusal to take sides. Voting present doesnt contribute to or against the bills passage. Although some senators were willing to vote aye on the Green New Deal resolution, the present vote in this case is a response to what some Democratic lawmakers see as a forced vote intended to make a political statement rather than debate the merits and drawbacks of climate change policy. Ocasio-Cortez told Vox she supported Schumer's strategy for all Democrats to vote "present." "I think it's fine because this is a procedural question," she said. "I'm totally fine either way, because it's been rushed through." Markey pointed out that no hearings, expert testimonies, or debates were held on the resolution before it was put to vote. McConnell and his colleagues want to make a mockery of the national debate we have started with the Green New Deal because they have no plan to fight climate change and no intention of passing legislation to combat change, Markey told CBS News. Gillibrand called the vote a stunt and said that Democrats wouldnt fall for it, adding, Climate change shouldnt be treated like a game. At the same time, Schumers push to have all Democrats vote present could also be interpreted as a strategy to depict the party as having a united front on climate change, which is not necessarily the case. Several senior members of the party, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, both California Democrats, havent been openly supportive of the Green New Deal. In a March interview with The New York Times, Schumer said that in regard to passing climate change legislation, its going to take a little while to come up with a consensus that works. Where do Republicans stand on climate change legislation? By bringing the Green New Deal to a vote, McConnell hoped to demonstrate how far Senate Democrats including the presidential candidates are willing to go to accede to the partys newly empowered liberal wing, at the risk of leaving moderate voters behind, wrote Matthew Daly of The Associated Press. But in so doing, McConnell also risks opening the Republican Party up to critique for not taking adequate action on climate change. I think its a real stupid political move for (Republicans) to show how cavalier they are about climate change by playing games with the Green New Deal, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told NPR. If they dont like the Green New Deal, fine, put up your own idea. It smells so disingenuous, especially to young voters. I think its a really dumb move for them to mess around with this. I believe climate change is real. I believe that human emissions of greenhouse gases are a major cause of climate change. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. However, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., is putting together a Republican counterproposal to the Green New Deal, called the New Manhattan Project for Clean Energy, according to NPR. The five-year project consists of 10 Grand Challenges to reduce carbon emissions and use clean energy. Alexander also wants to double federal energy research funding to look into building new types of nuclear power plants. I believe climate change is real. I believe that human emissions of greenhouse gases are a major cause of climate change. And I believe the Democrat cure for climate change, their Green New Deal, is so far out in left field that no one is going to take it seriously, Alexander said in a Monday Senate floor speech. Its unclear how far Alexanders plan will move forward, as he is not seeking reelection in 2020. Its also unclear how many Republicans would support what hes outlined so far. What does the Green New Deal vote represent for future climate change proposals? Even though the Senate voted against taking up the Green New Deal resolution, it has nonetheless elevated climate change to one of the key issues voters expect presidential candidates to address in the 2020 elections. According to a December 2018 NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 66 percent of Americans believe action should be taken to combat climate change, representing a 15 percent increase from 1999. However, this belief is largely held by Democrats (71 percent) and independents (48 percent) only 15 percent of Republicans see climate change as necessitating immediate action, the same amount that felt that way in 1999. In his March interview with The New York Times, Schumer said Senate Democrats will make combating climate change a priority in their 2020 campaigns. This is part of a strategy to reach young voters a large constituency of the Democratic party who are especially in favor of legislation that pairs environmental and social justice. Before the Tuesday vote on the Green New Deal, Schumer called for the creation of a bipartisan Select Senate Committee on Climate Change, which would partner with the corresponding House committee to actually get something done. We cant run into our ideological corners anymore. The time for partisanship on this issue is over. We need to act quickly and boldly to address this challenge before its too late, Schumer said. Axiata groups tower unit Edotco has formed site-sharing agreements with three of Pakistans major operators. Edotco has around 950 towers in Pakistan, and the deals with Jazz, Telenor Pakistan and Zong reportedly worth around $80 million - will see the operators sharing towers, which Edotco stated will provide the country with better connectivity and energy management as well as increasing operational efficiencies. The tower firms CEO Suresh Sidhu said: Being asset-light frees-up substantial capital investment and resources from mobile operators, which they can channel towards their core business, extending their network coverage and improving service offerings for customers. Edotco also reaffirmed its intention to invest $250 million into Pakistan leading up to 2024, and noted that these new agreements form part of this strategy. Under its agreement with Jazz, the company will acquire several existing towers as well as constructing new towers in key sites, allowing the operator to boost its coverage and capacity. Jazz CEO Aamir Ibrahim said: Pakistans telecommunication landscape is maturing as the country accelerates its push for digitalisation. This transformation will result in Jazz streamlining its network operations and meeting the demands for fast, reliable data, which is essential for a rapidly evolving digital landscape. In a simple proof-of-concept test, Microsoft says that its team successfully encoded the word hello in snippets of manufactured DNA. Highlights: Microsoft demonstrates how data is stored in manufactured DNA. The company encoded the word hello in snippets of fabricated DNA and converted it back to digital data. In a first, researchers from Microsoft and the University of Washington have demonstrated a fully automated system that can store and retrieve data in a manufactured DNA. This development can provide a solution to the companies to store the ever-increasing data in a much smaller magnitude than todays data centers globally. In a proof-of-concept test, the team successfully encoded the word hello in snippets of fabricated DNA and converted it back to digital data using a fully automated end-to-end system. In a paper published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, Microsoft describes how it is developing algorithms and molecular computing technologies to encode and retrieve data in fabricated DNA, which could fit all the information currently stored in a warehouse-sized datacenter into a space roughly the size of a few board game dice. But if the technology has to be implemented commercially, costs need to decrease for both synthesizing DNA essentially custom building strands with meaningful sequences and the sequencing process that extracts the stored information. Researchers have claimed that the trends are moving rapidly in that direction. Automation is considered a key piece of that puzzle, as it would enable storage at a commercial scale and make it more affordable. The researchers also claim that under the right conditions, DNA can last much longer than current archival storage technologies that degrade in a matter of decades. Some DNA has managed to persist in less than ideal storage conditions for tens of thousands of years in mammoth tusks and bones of early humans, and it should have relevancy as long as people are alive, the researchers noted. How is the data stored and retrieved? The automated DNA data storage system uses software developed by the Microsoft and UW team that converts the ones and zeros of digital data into the As, Ts, Cs and Gs that make up the building blocks of DNA. Then it uses inexpensive, largely off-the-shelf lab equipment to flow the necessary liquids and chemicals into a synthesizer that builds manufactured snippets of DNA and to push them into a storage vessel. When the system needs to retrieve the information, it adds other chemicals to properly prepare the DNA and uses microfluidic pumps to push the liquids into other parts of the system that read the DNA sequences and convert it back to the digital information that a computer can understand easily. The whole process is automated, and an immediate benefit of having an automated DNA storage system is that it frees researchers to further simplify the process. Having an automated system to do the repetitive work allows those of us working in the lab to take a higher view and begin to assemble new strategies to essentially innovate much faster, said Microsoft researcher Bichlien Nguyen. Previously, a team from the Molecular Information Systems Lab has already demonstrated that the fabricated DNA can store cat photographs, great literary works, pop videos and archival recordings, as well as that data can be retrieved without errors in a research setting. Related Read: Microsoft announces end of support for Windows 7 SP1 The USP of the Lenovo Z6 Pro is said to be the cameras Hyper Vision sensor which is capable of recording Hyper Videos. Highlights: Lenovo Z6 Pro to launch on March 27: Top official. The USP of device is its camera and its video shooting capabilities. The phone could have 5G support. Lenovo may not be among the top five brands when it comes to smartphones, but it is certainly one of the companies that leading innovation in the industry. Lenovo was the first company to launch a phone with 12GB of RAM in the form of the Lenovo Z5 Pro GT. Now, the company looks to be planning new features in the form of a Hyper Vision camera sensor to record Hyper Videos in the Lenovo Z6 Pro. Chang Cheng, Vice President of Lenovo Group, has shared a poster on Weibo announcing the launch of the Z6 Pro. Previously, it was reported that the phone would launch sometime in June. Currently, nothing much is known about the phones technology and were hoping that the company will provide the details on it during the launch. The hyper vision camera and hyper videos are seen as the marketing terms for high-quality shooting capabilities but we don't yet know what exactly the features will do. The phone was supposed to make an appearance at MWC 2019 in Barcelona, but we didn't get to see it on the showfloor. However, at MWC, Lenovo's representative said that in the next decade, video will dominate the industry and cameras will become more powerful with 100MP sensors. Recently, Qualcomms Senior Director of Product Management, Judd Heape, told Digit.in that camera sensor vendors are already working on higher megapixel sensors due to launch later this year. He also said that the chipmaker is expecting devices implementing the large-format sensors in 2020. Now coming back to the phone, it is also speculated that the Lenovo Z6 Pro could also come with Qualcomms Snapdragon 855 processor and include the X50 modem to provide 5G capabilities to the phone. The non-5G variant could also come in tow. Last years Lenovo Z5 Pro featured the Snapdragon 710, while the Z5 Pro GT was the first phone with 12GB RAM. In February, Chinese software benchmarking platform AnTuTu released a list of top 10 best performing phones for the month and the Lenovo Z5 Pro GT got the second spot scoring 353,469 points on benchmarking tests. Related Read: Xiaomi's 100W Super Charge Turbo wired charging tech fully charges a 4000mAh battery in 17 minutes Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) has rolled its sleeves in an effort to launch a vigorous multimillion Pula campaign against the ruling Botswana Democratic Party ahead of this years general elections, Botswana Guardian has learnt. In its multi-million-pula campaign, the political movement has enlisted the expertise of a renowned political campaign specialist firm from South Africa. UDC has appointed the consultants- Status, an internationally recognised political campaigning specialists to assist them with the October elections. Status Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Madelain Roscher has revealed that their organisation has had significant campaigning successes across Africa, through integrated political war room solutions that incorporate a host of strategies including traditional Public Relations, new and social media, marketing, and direct campaigning methods. He explained that Status is expected to assist the UDC leadership in communicating its vision for change, true empowerment, inclusion and development, and through its unified front and diversified leaders, the party will continue to represent the voices and the views of Batswana. UDC has chosen the theme Bokopano jwa Bokamoso (Unity for the Future) as its campaign theme. In an exclusive interview following the crafting of the campaign theme, UDC President Advocate Duma Boko said, the theme is aimed at every Motswana who wants to see change happen now. The BDP has been in power since 1966, which if you look at our countrys slow economic growth, absence of innovative leadership, lack of fiscal opportunity and unacceptable unemployment rates, is 53 years too long, he explained and further elaborated: If we want to propel Botswana into the future as the economic Gem of Africa, we need to vote for unity; we need to vote for change. We require the people of our country to speak up about wanting more but more so, to demand change. We cannot continue to allow defunct leaders to run Botswana into the ground for personal gain. To achieve Unity for the Future, we need to be honest about the failures of our present government to ensure that our future leaders do not repeat the same mistakes. The UDC leader stated that Bokopano jwa Bokamoso speaks to transition; by way of a comprehensive change in government, policy and a shift in mindset from the president to the people on the street. This message according to Advocate Boko addresses the future aspirations of Botswana, transitioning from a traditional mindset to a growth mindset. The Botswana of the future must get our adults working, our young people schooling, international stakeholders investing, and ultimately, everybody innovating. The UDC, our leadership and I are committed to always remain inspired by the peoples needs and to lead Botswana into a bright, prosperous and inclusive unity for the future, he posited. He stated that as the UDC they believe in a united opposition, adding that the future of politics is aggregation, to bring different ideologies together. RELATIONSHIP WITH STATUS Advocate Boko said the Firm will be involved almost in everything that the UDC does. He however pointed out that Status did not craft the message. We crafted the message and their job is to help us reach our targeted voter. In a campaign like this you have to get the gurus to do the job for you. Status is full on campaign and we know they would deliver an efficient world class campaign. They have been here to do few assessments and they would continue to deploy their people here to work with us on this campaign, he said. Status recent engagement was in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where they assisted in the campaign of Felix Tshisekedi of the DRCs Union for Democracy and Social Progress opposition party which won the long-delayed presidential election in January 2019. Advocate Boko expressed confidence that if Status could manage the difficult terrains of the DRC, then it should not be a difficult assignment for Botswana. He said Status would do all the test on the ground in the country adding that politics is about marketing and one has to get experts to take out the message. CAMPAIGN COST/EXPENSES He would not be drawn into discussing how much the consultancy costs. As for the campaign, he admits that it will be costly and running into millions. He said as the UDC they will come up with a mechanism of raising funds to run the campaign. He explains that he has been engaging with the partys foot soldiers and is convinced that they would be able to capture the message and deliver it to Batswana. Advocate Boko pointed out that UDC members would own the campaign and not the leadership. He said they would also ask their friends to assist with funding for the campaign. You can do your estimates for the campaign, it would need a lot of money. I mean if BDP could need close to a billion Pula while they have resources at their disposal what of us who do not have resource backing. We will ask around and I would also on my official social media pages would be asking for donations, he said. He revealed that from April 22, he would be engaging in a fierce 10 days campaign where he will visit at least 20 constituencies. As the party preparing to take over power you must have network across the country so that you could gauge your strength, he said. ADVOCATE BOKO THE FACE OF THE CAMPAIGN On being followed by controversy especially on the issues of tax, Advocate Boko said in terms of transparency and good governance, false allegations and mudslinging are often common practice during campaign periods. He indicated that he is adamant that as a public figure, his life is always open to public scrutiny. I chose a life as a public servant so if anyone has any doubt about my professional or personal conduct, I welcome them to look into my affairs and to investigate any concerns. I have nothing to hide. He added that dishonest accusations about tax evasion, child support, physical threats, intimidation tactics and influenced pressure will not keep him from advocating for change in Botswana. According to Advocate Boko there is no issue of tax evasion. He explained the issue is tax compliance and the taxman did not have to necessarily act the way he did when dealing with his (Boko) tax issue. They could have simply called me to their office if they had an issue. They were not supposed to have driven all the way to my house and called journalist to witness as they tried to turn my house upside-down. This tax compliance issue is not something new, it dates as far back as 2012. So, the people that I left with the business when I focused on my political career could not comply for reason known to them. So, people should not make it look like it is a new thing. There are people who owe more than the P500 000 but BURS is made to run around chasing Advocate Boko. Do you think senior government officials and members of the BDP leadership and their cronies do not owe tax and even more than what I owe, you will be shocked. They are after me because their weak leader Dr. Mokgweetsi Masisi is freaked out, said Advocate Boko. He said what the government of the day is doing is far from obeying the rule of law. He said he would not be detracted by the mudsling because his followers in the UDC understand and trust him so much. Subscriber content preview By JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark Norwegian officials have opened an investigation into why a cruise ship carrying more than 1,370 people set sail along the country's often wild western coast despite storm warnings, forcing a major evacuation by helicopter. One person is in critical but stable condition in an intensive care ward, hospital officials said, adding that eight others were still hospitalized after the weekend ordeal. . . . Subscriber content preview SEATTLE The Department of Construction and Inspections is seeking volunteers to join its Construction Code Advisory Board. The 13-member board reviews new editions of construction codes, code changes and Director's Rules, and provides recommendations to the department and Seattle City Council about whether to adopt them. . . . The first boat safari cruise in the southern part of the country is offering the public an experience worth sharing. Officially opened for business in February, the Crocodile Pools River Safaris is selling and offering its clientele the opportunity to experience a boat cruise right on their doorstep without taking the drive to either Kasane or Maun. Located in the exclusive Notwane suburbs, a two-hour drive offers thrill seekers with a chance to learn and appreciate the beauty of the Notwane river as well as experience the rich bird life in the area, and wildlife. Guests have an opportunity to take either the morning or afternoon cruises. The Notwane areas and Crocodile pools are home to a wide variety of bird species. In total, there are close to 229 bird species out of a total of 593 bird species in Botswana. The diverse Notwane area offers low woodland, rocky kopjes, river side woodland, river islands as well as reed swamps, which are perfect for the hundreds of birds that call this place home at different times of the year. Besides the birds, depending on the time of, guests can spot animals such as Kudu, Bush buck, Impala, waterbuck, brown hyena, black backed jackals, grey duicker, vervet monkeys, chacma baboons, lesser bush baby, leopards, warthogs and more. Most interestingly, one might spot the Nile Crocodiles, water monitor lizards, and the Southern African python. For city dwellers, time at the river is the best therapy. The minute that the guide, Melawana Nature Kenosi starts the engine, you start to breath a new, fresh air. The atmosphere this side is different. Residents of this side of the neighbourhood really enjoy and love tranquil peace. You are instantly taken on a short-lived adventure, and your thoughts just take over. Also, the excitement and anticipation of seeing animals such as the Nile Crocodiles just adds to the fun. Along the 4 kilometre stretch of the river, we excitedly spot the crocodile even just for a brief second as it dips its head back into the water. Mike Brook, tells this publication that they wanted to open up the Crocodile pools to the general public. The idea, he says, came to life following one of the books that he published. The book is none other than the Crocodile Pools Botswana History and Biodiversity. The book tells the story of the flora and fauna of the area as well as the rich history of the area. Besides this book, he has other books under his belt including the Botswanas Diamonds Prospecting to Jewellery, The Journey of Botswanas Diamonds, Wild about Botswana. He also says that since the official opening, all of the weekends have been fully booked, and that they have hosted close to 25 nationalities from countries that include Russia, India, and South Africa. Brook is an avid bird watcher, and his knowledge on the bird species is very handy for those who wish to know more about the birds in the area. His wife, Dudu Brook explains that the Crocodile Pools River Safaris is a family owned business. She also says that they wanted to share with the public a bit of Notwane as most of the public do not have access to the area which is privately owned. Our target audience is everyone, including students, and the general public, she says. She also notes that beyond experiencing a river cruise, they wished to educate the public about the environment of Notwane and its history. For some people, Kasane and Maun are far, so they can experience a boat cruise twenty minutes from Gaborone, she explains. Prices are P250 for adults, and P200 for children between 5 and 12 years. To assure the public about their safety, she notes that they provide life jackets and that they also have an emergency boat in case there is an emergency. Besides the cruise, the public can nibble on finger foods and snacks on sale. They also have a shop that sells a few items including Dudus famous quilts, and various merchandise, as well her husbands books. Following up on suggestions from the public, she says that they are looking into having chalets to offer accommodation, as well as have a small coffee shop. For those who wish to do photo shoots, and have birthday parties, and showers with a difference, they are taking bookings. Jet Airways founder-chairman Naresh Goyal steps aside Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal has stepped aside as chairman of Jet Airways and also exited the board of the beleaguered carrier along with his wife Anita Goyal allowing lenders to infuse Rs1,500 crore interim funding to keep the airline operating. Twenty-five years after founding his private airline Jet Airways, Naresh Goyal will cease to be chairman of the airline as part of the resolution plan put in place by a consortium of domestic lenders led by State Bank of India. The resolution plan, under the guidelines of Reserve Bank of Indias Revised Framework for Resolution of Stressed Assets, would require Naresh and Anita to step down from the board. Lenders will now provide funding support to the tune of Rs1,500 crore by way of an appropriate debt instrument against security of its assets. This will restore normalcy to company's day-to-day operations, the company said in a filing with the exchanges. The board also approved issue of 114 million equity shares of the company to the consortium of lenders upon conversion of Rs1 of the outstanding debt. The lenders will also constitute an interim management committee, which will manage and monitor the daily operations and cashflow of the company. Lenders plan to sell the airline to new investors through a bidding process, which is expected to be completed in the June quarter. Jet Airways, which was founded by Naresh and Anita back in 1993, ran into debt amounting to over $1 billion. The airline was forces to delay payments to vendors, banks, pilots and lessors. Under the weight of ballooning debt, the airline had to ground nearly 40 of its aircraft. Je Airways partner Gulf-based Etihad Airways, which infused $600 into the airline and pick up a 24 per cent stake, three London Heathrow slots and a major share in Jet's frequent flyer programme, refused to oblige with cash injections. Jet Airways pilots too, issued a statement threatening to stop flying from 1 April if there is no clarity on the resolution process and salary payment by 31 March. Indian Air Force formally inducts heavy-lift Chinook helicopters The Indian Air Force (IAF) today formally inducted the CH 47 F (I)- Chinook heavy lift helicopters into its inventory, at a function at Air Force Station Chandigarh, where Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa was the chief guest. IAF had signed a contract with US defence major Boeing in September 2015 for 15 Chinook helicopters. The first batch of four helicopters has been delivered on schedule and the last batch is to be delivered by March next year. These helicopters will be deployed in the Northern and Eastern regions of India, according to a defence ministry release. The addition of heavy-lift CH 47 F (I) helicopter is a significant step towards modernisation of Indian Air Forces helicopter fleet. The helicopter has been customised to suit IAFs future requirements and capability roadmap. The helicopter has a fully integrated digital cockpit management system, advanced cargo handling capabilities and electronic warfare suite that complement the aircrafts performance. The helicopter is capable of airlifting diverse military and non-military loads into remote locations. The Chinooks, manufactured by US aerospace major Boeing, will form part of the Chandigarh-based 126 Helicopter Unit, also known as the Featherweights, that has in its inventory the Soviet-origin Mi-26 heavy lift helicopters. The IAF has received four out of the 15 helicopters. The machines, which had arrived in India by sea, were off-loaded at Mundra port in Gujarat in February and after being reassembled, flight tested and flown to Chandigarh by American crews, were formally handed over to the IAF. Part of the fleet will also be based at Dinjan in the north-east. It is after a gap of 40 years that a US-built helicopter has donned the IAF colours. From 1957 to 1979, fifteen American Bell 47G-2 light choppers, somewhat similar to the French-origin Cheetah that are still flown, were used. Speaking on the occasion, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, said: Our country faces a multitude of security challenges and we require a vertical-airlift capability for a very diversified terrain. The Chinook will give the IAF a quantum leap to transport cargo to precarious high-altitude locations, he said. We have procured the Chinook with certain India specific enhancements to increase the flexibility of the platform across the entire spectrum of heli-lift operations, including search and rescue operations and air ambulance, Dhanoa said. The aircraft is all-weather capable and state-of-the-art night vision goggles will permit all operations even at night, he added. Although we have been operating the medium lift Mi-17 and heavy lift Mi-26 helicopters, the Chinook, with its operating ceiling of 20,000 feet will redefine heli-lift not only in operations like inter-valley transport of troops, airlifting artillery guns and heavy under slung loads for the Border Roads Organisation, but also for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to far flung crisis hit areas, he said. Terming the Chinook to be a national asset, Dhanoa said the IAFs expertise will enable it to exploit the machines potential in a manner that will make it a game changer in heli-lift operations. The company had earlier supplied the C-17 heavy lift aircraft. India had signed a deal with the US in September 2015 for 15 Chinook helicopters at a total cost of Rs 8,845 crore, with an option for another four copters. The IAF had sent 15 pilots and 15 engineers to the US in 2018 for training on the Chinooks. With a payload capacity of 11 tonnes or 45 troops, the Chinooks will provide a much-needed fillip to the IAF heavy-lift capability, a role earlier being fulfilled by Soviet origin Mi-26s. The three Mi-26s with the IAF, which have double the payload capability of the Chinooks, are grounded for want of overhaul. Indian diaspora join Indian Navy's humanitarian efforts in Mozambique The humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) efforts by the Indian Navy in Mozambique have galvanised the local Indian diaspora to work in tandem with the ships of the First Training Squadron of the Indian Navy (Sujata, Sarathi and Shardul) currently deployed there. The local community along with Indian community enthusiastically joined the HADR efforts being undertaken by the ships. The rescue teams have voluntarily been provided vehicles by the Indian community for travel to affected areas and for coordination with the local authorities. The Indian diaspora have also organised local SIM cards for the teams so that effective communication is maintained while undertaking rescue work. During the ongoing operations at Port Beira since 18 Mar, the ships have rescued more than 192 survivors from Buzi area near Port Beira, which is cut off from the mainland. Three medical camps have been set up at Port Beira, Gaura-Gaurathe Island and Matadoura School, Imnhamizua and medical assistance has been provided to over 1,500 affected people from the local population. The Chetak helicopter of Indian Navy has undertaken a number of sorties in difficult conditions for evacuation of local personnel in coordination with local authorities and the UN Mission. In addition, it has also dropped relief material (food and water), including that provided by World Food Programme. Community services are being undertaken by the ships crew at affected locations like schools, churches, hospitals, orphanages in coordination with the local government officials. The ships have set up a community kitchen kept open 24x7 for local populace, including the workers at the port and 22 tonnes of fresh water has been provided to local authorities. The HADR operations by the ships of the First Training Squadron are likely to continue at Port Beira till 30 Mar. INS Shardul is enroute to Maputo to embark relief material and will return to Beira by 28 Mar to disembark relief material and also supply provisions to IN Ships. Meanwhile INS Magar, with relief stores being embarked at Mumbai and is likely to depart for Beira 27/28 Mar to alleviate the suffering of the cyclone affected population of Mozambique. Germany plans fund to thwart unwanted foreign takeovers: report Germany is planning to create a sovereign fund that would effectively ward off foreign takeovers of key German enterprises, in a marked shift from its hands-off policy on business dealings. Presenting the national industry strategy for 2030 at a news conference in Berlin in February, German economy minister Peter Altmaier said the government plans to pass legislation by the end of 2019 to create a state-owned fund that can protect key companies from takeovers by Chinese and other foreign firms. Altmaier proposed the fund in February as part of a more defensive industrial strategy. According to a Reuters report that cited German government officials, the government is now working on draft laws so as that the fund would be running next year. The proposed fund, when created, would work with the private sector when buying company stakes to foil unwelcome takeovers, the report quoted unnamed senior government officials as saying. According to the Reuters report, the state-owned investment fund will work with private sector by initially buying a stake and then selling it to private investors within the country or by working with private investors from the start. In the past, Germany was too reluctant to define its national interests. This is changing now, the first government official said. We see that we cannot lean back anymore and let everything be decided by the free play of market forces, he said. And this means more protection from the state. Germanys transformation from a market-driven economy to a policy-led one cones in response to Chinas emergence from a customer to a competitor and US President Donald Trumps threats of unilateral trade sanctions and higher tariffs, says the report. The European Commission has urged member countries f the European Union to back its ideas to curb raids by Chinese companies. Within the EU also the bloc is reconsidering its industrial strategy and relations to suit individual countries and ward off attacks by increased investment in critical sectors, especially by Chinese state-owned enterprises. Under the present conditions where individual states direct the course of businesses, Germany finds it difficult to continue free-market policy it has been following from the time of post-war economy minister Ludwig Erhard. Cyclone Idai claims over 700, displaces millions in Southern Africa Cyclone Idai that brought death and destruction to the Southern African states of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, killing an estimated 732 people and displacing millions, is threatening more destruction as the United Nations humanitarian office warning of fresh wave of rains and floods. A week after the cyclone made a landfall in the port city of Beira with winds of up to 170 km per hour and then moved inland to Zimbabwe and Malawi, swamping populations and devastating homes, the UN humanitarian office warned that more flooding may come as heavy rains inland poured into the low-lying Beira area and nearby dams filled up threatening to burst the Buzi and Pungwe rivers again. Mozambique expects the death roll to go up after reporting 732 deaths on Saturday. Several thousands are in desperate need for food and shelter. After lashing the port city of Beira with winds of up to 170 km per hour last week, the cyclone moved inland to Zimbabwe and Malawi, swamping populations and devastating homes. Beira, the port city home to more than 500,000 people that bore the brunt of the cyclone, has been cut off by road, causing shortages of food and water. The Mozambican government has officially asked for international assistance. Mozambique's death toll rose to 417 from 242, Land and Environment Minister Celso Correia said. "The situation is getting better, still critical, but it's getting better," he told reporters at the airport in Beira that has become a centre for aid operations. The storm has also killed 259 in Zimbabwe, while in Malawi 56 people died in heavy rains ahead of the cyclone. In all three countries, survivors have been digging through rubble to search for victims, and scrambling for shelter, food and water, while governments and aid agencies rush in help. Those affected have lost everything food, clothes and their homes and have nowhere to go with the children. At the refuge, families cooked with wood from trees ripped up by the storm, as toddlers played around battered school desks. Manuel wore a necklace with the word "Hope." Mozambican officials said some 1,500 people were in need of immediate rescue from rooftops and trees. The United Nations World Food Programme raised the crisis classification for Mozambiques flooding to its highest level, which it said put the disaster on par with Syria and Yemen. The designation will accelerate the massive operational scale-up now underway to assist victims, the WFP said in an online statement. To date, more than 20,000 people have received WFP food assistance. From March 14, Idai caused floodwaters to submerge hundreds of square miles of central Mozambique as rescuers used helicopters and boats to save people stranded in trees and on rooftops. Satellite imagery shows numerous floodplains, including an inland ocean that is the size of Luxembourg, the WFP said. While almost 110,000 people have been saved, according to the National Institute of Disaster Management, at least 600,000 people have been displaced, the WFP said. The situation will get worse before it gets better, Henrietta Fore, an executive director of the United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund, said in an emailed statement on Saturday. Aid agencies are barely beginning to see the scale of the damage. While the search and rescue operations continue, it is critical that we take all necessary measures to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases which can turn this disaster into a major catastrophe. Flooding, combined with overcrowded conditions in shelters, poor hygiene, stagnant water and infected water sources, is putting survivors at risk of diseases like cholera, malaria and diarrhea, according to UNICEF. In Beira city, food prices have reportedly risen by about 300 per cent, with long queues observed for staples such as bread and fuel, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement Friday. The city remains without electricity, while telephone and internet communication is intermittent. CBI findings in Sardha Chit Fund case 'very, very serious': SC The Supreme Court today said the fresh status report presented by the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) in the Sardha Chit Fund scam has made some very, very serious revelations relating to the recent interrogation of the then Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said it cannot close its eyes if some very, very serious facts are disclosed to it and directed the CBI to file an application seeking appropriate relief against Kumar, who had earlier headed the state SIT on the chit fund case. The bench, which also comprised Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, granted 10 days to the probe agency for filing the application. Kumar and others can respond to the plea seven days thence. Supreme Court said that as the CBIs status report was filed in a sealed cover and that it cannot pass any order without hearing the other side. The apex court was hearing the CBIs contempt petition against various senior officials of the West Bengal government, including states DGP and then Kolkata police chief on the ground of non-cooperation in its probe and alleged destruction of evidence. The Kolkata police stopped a team of CBI officers from entering the residence of Kumar, the then Kolkata Police Commissioner, on 3 February when they had gone to question him in connection with chit fund scam cases. The move had prompted chief minister Mamata Banerjee to launch a sit-in-protest in the heart of the city to protest against "the attack on constitutional norms". On 5 February, the apex court had directed Kumar to appear before the central investigative agency in connection with the matter. It had also said that no coercive step should be taken against Kumar. Acting on the apex court's order, the CBI had questioned Kumar for five days in Shillong. On 19 February, Kumar was appointed additional director general of police and inspector general of police in the CID. And, on 2 March, the West Bengal government gave additional charge of the state directorate of economic offences and the special task force (STF) of Kolkata Police to Kumar Kumar, who took over as the state CID chief after completing his tenure as the city police commissioner, would hold additional charge of the two departments until further orders, a home department official said Saturday. The order was issued by the state home department late evening on 1 March. Kumar, a 1989-batch IPS officer, had been embroiled in a controversy for being at loggerheads with the CBI over its investigations into the Saradha chit fund and Rose Valley scams. Letterkenny woman Bernie Moran is to run for Fine Gael in the local elections. The businesswoman and healthcare professional will join sitting councillor Jimmy Kavanagh on the Fine Gael ticket after a party meeting in Letterkenny last night. The 43-year-old says she will be a strong voice on Donegal County Council committed to delivering positive changes that will help the lives of individuals, families and communities in the Letterkenny electoral area. "I believe my background in healthcare and in education provision gives me a real understanding of the challenges facing families in Donegal on a daily basis. This is why I have decided to stand in the local elections on May 24 as a Fine Gael candidate. Women are hugely under-represented on Donegal County Council, comprising just 10% of sitting councillors. Women and men bring a different perspective to the table and a fairer gender balance will better reflect the views and needs of our community. If elected I will serve the whole community and represent the interests of the entire electoral area, urban and rural, individuals and families, business and the farming community. My experience as a nurse, as a mother in the home, as an employer and provider of preschool educational services, gives me a real understanding of the challenges facing families in Donegal on a daily basis. Work-life balance, access to affordable childcare, healthcare services, education and disability supports and are issues I am passionate about. This is why I have decided to run in the local elections. Ms Moran says working with Minister Joe McHugh at a national level and sitting on Donegal County Council at a local level will help deliver a better quality of life and better services for everyone in the area. She says Fine Gael represents traditional Irish values while incorporating diversity, equality and inclusion, giving a voice to all. My aims will be achieved through liaising with the public, in-depth research of issues and hard work. I am a very determined person who believes it is not enough for local politicians to just identify problems. I am not afraid to role my sleeves up and work hard and I believe in tackling issues head-on with solution focused politics, she said. Bernie says Letterkenny will continue to grow in the years ahead and being in Fine Gael will help deliver the infrastructure needed for a growing population. Fine Gael has been good for Donegal. I was heartened to hear the Taoiseach re-emphasising his commitment to the North West in his speech on Saturday night. Ireland 2040 designates Letterkenny with official city status and the Letterkenny area needs strong voices at Council level to roll out the delivery of the Governments commitment. The Bonagee by-pass, the Letterkenny-Lifford 4-lane road connecting to the A5 will transform this area. We have a strong voice in Joe McHugh at cabinet and that needs to be matched on Donegal County Council with active, vocal councillors. I look forward to the challenge ahead and to meeting with as many of those living in the areas as possible in the coming weeks to ask for their support and No 1 vote on May 24. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider subscribing to our ePaper and/or free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Attending The MoTown Afro Night concert featuring Americas all time finest Rhythm and Blues outfits, the Temptations and Manhattans last Friday, awoke my childhood moments, reminiscing the secondary school days of Record Nights. That is when the afro hair and curls were cool as we mimicked the lyrics and in most instances dismally failing to get them correct except for the beat and rhythm that blended very well with natural footwork found mostly in black communities. Everything went near perfect this past Friday, had it not been for the poor sound quality and starting the show late, a matter which led to supporting acts like Refilwe Boloseng, Joe Nina and Cheek to Cheek subjected to a raw deal. Other than that I can say I was really enthralled. Most impressive was when Tshepi, the local artist cum show organiser, performed with the Temptations, a song they recorded together. The black Americans were back at the ancestral Africa, as they doled out the lyrics in the Setswana language. The Temptation opened their second appearance on stage with, standing on top. The audience could not hold any longer when the Temptations followed with another greatest hit of all times Treat her like a lady, a song composed by Ali- Ollie Woodson and Otis Williams. The crowd was lost in excitement durng the delivery of a medley featuring songs from their 2006 Reflection album, which was nominated for the Grammy awards for best Traditional R&B performance- with the track, how sweet it is to be loved by you and Ill be around, from the 1972 Spinners album. Peculiar with The Temptations is, they stick with their style of dancing, call it old fashioned or whatever, but to them it is an art, drilled whole heartedly and with impressive discipline. Having fully introduced themselves it was now time to jam, starting with the song Glad you can be here, then followed with a track originally done by OJays Youre my favourite person before doing yet another peoples favourite, Soul to soul from their Special album released in 1989. The last track was a song written by Norman Whitfield and Eddie Holland in the same album named Aint too proud to beg, a very painful son of a man begging a girl not to dump him, also written by Whitfield and E Holland and recorded by the Temptations with David Ruffin on lead vocal, Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, and Otis Williams on background vocals and instrumental accompaniment by the Funk Brothers. They closed the show with a 1965 track, My girl, which still remains a hit today and as I was seating next to my girl, Mmapula, I could not love the moment more. The Manhattans also did not disappoint. If it was a competition between the two, I guess the judges would have found it difficult to judge. The Manhattans performed 15 plus one songs and completed in grand style with Let us kiss and say goodbye, in a slow tempo. They took off to the stage with the up tempo song Never too much, then from their 1973 album singing the day Robin sang to me. Bows love song, followed by It feels good to be loved so bad as well as Theres No good in goodbye from their 1978 album, all done in slow tempo . The next list of songs were; I kinda miss you, Never find another find, here comes the hurt again, girl of my dreams, and wish you were mine. The dancing on the Shining star track was impressive, stepping forward with left, then backwards across before doing 360 degrees turn around. Having won the hearts of the audience, the Manhattans completed with an encore of Kiss and say goodbye in a slow tempo. Female only co-working space One Roof has secured investment from female investors to secure their next premise in Melbourne. Sheree Rubinstein, CEO of One Roof, set up the company with the inspiration to help women succeed in business and address the gender gap in entrepreneurship. After major success as a simple pop-up using an Airbnb mansion in St Kilda, Sheree saw the clear demand for female focused working spaces and its now One Roofs mission to expand across Australia. Eventually they look to incorporate features such as onsite childcare, cafes, wellness spaces, photography and podcasting studios and business lounges. The vast majority of raised capital ($1 million) comes from female investors as well as financial support from Central Equity, Optus and MYOB. The potential of One Roof has been recognised by Carol Schwartz, Chair at Trawalla Foundation; Suzi Carp, Director, Co-Founder and Executive Director at River Capital;Leah Rettenmaier, Cofounder of Future Dreamers Girls Club supporting teenage girls based in Byron Bay; Sophie and Anthony Duggan of Rainspark Capitaland Elina and Andrew Wilson of Salt Catalyst. Sheree left her legal career in 2014 with a passion to help women; finding the right investors was critical to ensure that the same passion and values were shared by those funding One Roof. She said raising capital by yourself is a challenging process, especially as this is the first time Ive done it. However, I knew who I wanted to invest in One Roof, and I was strategic with choosing the right kind of investors to help me take my dream forward, the ones who care about One Roofs mission and values as much as I do. And I did find them. Its been an absolute pleasure to work with all the investors. I also really love that the majority of our investors are women its hard to find female investors out there. Its amazing that we have so many women willing to back our business and movement. Carol Schwarz, Chair at Trawalla Foundation and One Roof investor, shared her enthusiasm for the expansion of the female entrepreneur space; Trawalla Foundation is really excited about our investment in One Roof. Not only has Sheree Rubinstein proven the concept by having run One Roof successfully over a period of time, the organisations mission of supporting women as entrepreneurs and investors is perfectly aligned with the values and objectives of the Trawalla Foundation. I would say it a perfect fit. Suzi Carp, Director, Co-founder and Executive Director at River Capital, is also extremely happy to be investing in One Roofs expansion. She said one of the things that I am so grateful for in my life is meeting inspiring and extraordinary individuals. When I was first introduced to Sheree, I was impressed on so many levels. I loved her vision, her bold ambitions and dreams and everything One Roof stands for. One Roof began as a pop-up where 400 people came through the doors in just seven days and it now has 85 female-founded businesses working under its roof. This includes Finch, the financial app for your social life; Healthkit, a global so software platform for patients and practitioners that combines management software for practitioners and finding the right practitioner in your country for patients and Circle In which provides support, advice and tips for pregnant women and returning-to-work parents. Ecommerce platforms that move fast with their investment into next-generation customer service technology heighten their chances for increased sales in a competitive economic environment. Koh, one of last years winners of the Australia Post ORIAS Peoples Choice Award, credited the updating of its customer service software ahead of many of its competitors with helping double revenue over the past 12 months. Founder of Koh, Adam Lindsay, who recently launched the eco-friendly cleaning products company into the UK, said the focus was on giving both existing and new customers what they want. If you dont service existing customers properly, youll have to deal with a leaky bucket and therefore spend more time and money on acquiring new customers, Mr Lindsay said. Kogan.com, which took out the 2018 Award for best large online retailer, reiterated its commitment to embracing data-driven insights to improve its customer service capability. Daniel Beahan, Director of Customer Care, said Kogan.com looked at their company almost like a statistical business rather than an eCommerce company, highlighting the importance of adapting to new customer insights. Data is key to unlocking our customer expectations and it is our mission to understand the wants and needs of our customers better than any other online retailer, Mr Beahan said. Company growth relies on us delighting our active customer base time and time again, and our mission remains to make the most in-demand products and services more affordable for all Australians. Last years winners emphasised on the key learnings that had led to their success; this included their customer-first focus, an ability to change and be nimble, the importance of personalisation to create a tailored customer service experience, the continued embrace of social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to drive awareness and advocacy, and the collection of data and analytics. Andrew Chamberlain, Australia Post General Manager of Enterprise, said Koh and Kogan.com exemplified eCommerce-savvy businesses that embraced innovation to enhance online experience, ultimately driving customer loyalty and sales.One of the key things consumers look at is a personalised experience that supports ease of purchase an area in which both Koh and Kogan.com are excelling, Mr Chamberlain said. Now that Trump feels hes been COMPLETELY EXONERATED!!!, his campaign has lost no time in trying to discredit his detractors by trying to get them blackballed from television. In a memorandum to Television Producers, his director of Communications, Tim Murtaugh, suggests that Robert Mueller has decided that Trump was not guilty of obstruction of justice and that he has exonerated the president. This is despite the fact that (a) none of us has actually seen the Mueller report and (b) Mueller explicitly did NOT weigh in on whether or not Trump obstructed justice, and (c) according to Trumps own Attorney General, Muellers report explicitly says that his investigation does not exonerate him. But the memo goes much further than that. It lists six specific individuals who they want to see blackballed: Sen. Richard Bluementhal, Representatives Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler, Eric Swalwell, DNC Chair Tom Perez, and former CIA Director John Brennan. He describes these men as having make outlandish and false claims about Trumps criminality. He then goes on to give the Television Producers some advice: Moving forward, we ask that you employ basic journalistic standards when booking such guests to appear anywhere in your universe of productions. You should begin by asking the basic question: Does this guest warrant further appearances in our programming, given the outrageous and unsupported claims made in the past? At a minimum, if these guests do reappear, you should replay the prior statements and challenge them to provide evidence which prompted them to make the wild claims in the first place. You can read the entire memo HERE. I feel certain that the Television Producers wont dignify this memo with a response or by taking their direction from Trumps communications shill. More to the point, however, attempting to tell them what to do in order to shut down any opposition from the president smacks of tin pot dictator tactics at best and fascist dictator media crack downs at worst. The truth is that Trump has NOT been exonerated of obstruction of justice, many of the major players in his 2016 campaign are now in prison, and Trump himself has been obstructing justice in this matter publicly for two long years. It isnt necessary for these six men to provide evidence of any kind because all of the evidence is public. Attempting to silence his critics in this heavy-handed fashion is itself appalling and outrageous. Though it comes from Trumps campaign and not the White House, its all but impossible to extricate the two from each other. This memo looks very much like a threat from the president himself. Its now up to our media companies to gird their loins for the epic battle ahead. Trump has been threatening them since he began his candidacy and, now that hes in the ultimate power seat and emboldened by Barrs letter, its only going to get worse. Its not hard to predict that someone in the media or one of their guests is going to get hurt or killed by an overzealous Trumpeter who thinks hes doing the presidents bidding. Perhaps the only surprising thing is that it hasnt happened already. On this weeks podcast, we talked to David Pepper, the Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, about the fact that Donald Trump is the most anti-worker president weve ever had. The truth is, America in 2019 is corporate utopia. We have almost everyone working and wages remain low. How is this possible, you might ask? How is it that wages arent going up since there is competition for jobs? Doesnt the magical free market demand that wages increase as employers compete for workers? In a world where corporations felt even a slight moral imperative to do right for our citizens, that would probably be the case. But that is, of course, NOT the world we live in. In fact, if corporate leaders dont do everything they can to maximize shareholder wealth, they will be replaced or, in some instances, sued for failing to attend to their fiduciary responsibility to maximize profits. So, in this world, corporations are incentivized indeed the people running these corporations are handsomely rewarded to keep wages low. But its not just a matter of corporations agreeing to a silent wink-wink compact to depress wages. In order to maintain the structure, they need two other things: a low minimum wage and weak or non-existent unions. This is why you see so much time and money and effort being spent by the DeVoses and Kochs of the world. They need to keep workers from rising, both economically and organizationally. The minimum wage is the baseline from which all other wages are measured so keeping it low is essential to their model. And without the ability to effectively bargain collectively for better wages, benefits, and working conditions, workers have no power to change anything. Its easy to get fixated on the criminality of Donald Trump and his administration but as we move into the the 2020 election season, Democrats should make sure they are stepping up to support minimum wage increases across the country and to make it as easy as possible for workers to form and join unions. As bad as things are for workers now in this time of a good economy, they will only get worse when times are tough. And those times are right around the corner. Fighting for these things along with universal access to affordable healthcare and an end to racism and bigotry in all their malevolent manifestations should be Democrats top priorities. The candidates who make these their top priorities and talk about them every chance they get will rise to the top. Lets all make sure they do. By Julia Conley In propping up the coal industry, the Trump administration is not only contributing to dangerous pollution, fossil fuel emissions and the climate crisis, it is also now clinging to a far more expensive energy production model than renewable energy offers. That's according to a new report from renewable energy analysis firm Energy Innovation, showing that about three-quarters of power produced by the nation's remaining coal plants is more expensive for American households than renewables including wind, solar and hydro power. Energy Innovation based its study on companies' financial filings data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). It found that coal has become more expensive as maintenance and anti-pollution compliance costs have risen, while technological advances have made solar and wind power cheaper. Those trends are expected to continue, and the group predicts that by 2025, 86 percent of coal plants will be producing electricity that is more expensive than renewable energy. "America has officially entered the 'coal cost crossover' where existing coal is increasingly more expensive than cleaner alternatives," reads the report. Climate action advocates applauded the report's findings on social media. Energy Innovation reported in January that half of all U.S. coal plants have shut down in the last decade, while renewable sources now account for 17 percent of energy production twice the amount of electricity they provided in 2008. Monday's study provides the latest evidence that coal production is becoming an increasingly unrealistic method for creating the energy that powers American homes. "We've seen we are at the 'coal crossover' point in many parts of the country but this is actually more widespread than previously thought," Mike O'Boyle, co-author of the report and electricity policy director for Energy Innovation, told The Guardian. "There is a huge potential for wind and solar to replace coal, while saving people money." The study calls for a complete drawdown of the use of coal plants in the U.S. But with President Donald Trump intent on putting his environmental policy in the hands of EPA administrator and former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler; deregulating the coal industry to allow plants to pollute nearby waterways and soil; and imposing tariffs on solar panels to stop the renewable sector from replacing the dying industry, states have been the ones leading the way in transitioning from fossil fuels. California and Hawaii announced plans in recent years to shift to 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill Monday to move the state's utilities to sustainably-sourced energy by 2045, while Puerto Rican legislators are planning to vote on the issue this week and a number of cities and towns throughout the country have voted to end their dependence on fossil fuels. "It would be better if we had a federal cohesive policy because not all states will take the initiative," O'Boyle told The Guardian. "In order to get an affordable, clean energy system we need both federal and state actors involved." Energy Innovation asserted in its report that replacing failing coal plants with renewable energy projects could be an immediate boon for local economies. "Any coal plant failing the cost crossover test should be a wake-up call for policymakers and local stakeholders that an opportunity for productive change exists in the immediate vicinity of that plant," reads the report. Reposted with permission from our media associate Common Dreams. At least 19 people have died and more than 100 have been injured in flash flooding in the south of Iran, the country's semi-official Tasnim News Agency said. The city of Shiraz in Fars province was the worst hit by the flooding, which occurred after a month's worth of rain fell in a few hours, CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward said. Fars Governor Enayatollah Rahimi said the water flooded a major highway between Shiraz and Esfahan, which trapped drivers as they were trying to leave the city. The extreme weather event came too quickly for city officials to warn residents. "There were only two sets of 15-minute heavy rainfalls that caused the flood to spread through the city," a Shiraz resident told Al Jazeera. "The number of casualties would have been less, had people avoided staying there or leaving as soon as they saw the flood coming." The storm that caused the flooding in Shiraz was expected to put much of the country at risk for more flooding Monday night and Tuesday morning, especially in the Southwest and Center, CNN reported. "With the arrival of new precipitation into the country, more than 13 provinces of the country are involved in severe rainfall, snow and blizzard in a way that 22 communications routes of the country have been completely blocked," Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency reported, according to CNN. There are flood warnings in 26 out of 31 provinces, and authorities warned that the capital of Tehran could be impacted, Reuters reported. Bad weather canceled flights to and from Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport, and the Interior Ministry advised Iranians on Monday to cancel trips, Al Jazeera reported. The rain comes during Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, when many Iranians travel. The current storm also comes after flooding in the country's northern provinces of Golestan and Mazandaran has impacted more than 56,000 people in 270 villages and towns since March 19, Reuters reported. Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions hit a record high in 2018, the latest report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) found. Emissions rose 1.7 percent to reach a historic 33.1 gigatons (Gt) of carbon dioxide. It was the highest rate of emissions growth since 2013 and 70 percent higher than the average increase since 2010. The record emissions were caused by increasing energy demand due partly to a growing economy. Ironically, climate change also played a role in sending more global warming gasses into the atmosphere. That is because nearly a fifth of the increased energy demand was driven by extreme cold and hot temperatures around the world that led people to rely more on heating and cooling systems. "It seems like a vicious cycle," IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol told The Financial Times. "Heating and cooling are one of the biggest drivers of energy demand growth." Overall, energy consumption increased by 2.3 percent, almost two times the average growth rate since 2010. While renewable energy grew, it did not grow fast enough to meet the increased demand. Nearly 70 percent of the growth was met by fossil fuels. "[D]espite major growth in renewables, global emissions are still rising, demonstrating once again that more urgent action is needed on all fronts," Birol said, according to Reuters. One of the most alarming findings was the persistent use of coal, the report found: In fact, coal-fired power plants were the single largest contributor to the growth in emissions observed in 2018, with an increase of 2.9%, or 280 Mt, compared with 2017 levels, exceeding 10 Gt for the first time. Further, the IEA calculated the contribution of fossil fuels to global temperature increases for the first time and found that coal had been responsible for more than 0.3 degrees Celsius of the one degree Celsius rise in global temperatures since pre-industrial times, making it the fuel that has most contributed to global warming. Despite the economys record-breaking streak of job growth for the last eight years, wary analysts and politicians already are bracing for what to do in the event the economy turns the other way. One prediction from Moodys, the financial services company, is that the next recession could come as soon as 2020. And Marguerite Roza, a school finance professor at Georgetown University, warns that if and when the next recession happens, it could have a more far-reaching impact on school districts than the Great Recession, between 2007 and 2009. That downturn had devastating effects on school districts, and it took a surge of money from the federal government in the form of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to stave off even deeper cuts than the ones they were forced to make. Now, however, the majority of states are flush with cash, and many school officials are advocating that state officials pour millions of dollars from those surpluses into school districts coffers for teacher raises, pre-K programs, new facilities., and other priorities. But are districts really ready for the next recession? In the years before the last recession, most school districts had mixed funding models and were equally dependent on state and local funds. But Roza says that today there are lots more districtsespecially in low-income areasthat are disproportionately dependent on state sales and income tax revenue. In a recession, state sales and income tax revenues are often the first to be effected. That means many more of the nations districts (especially those with large enrollments of poor students) could lose out big, with little recourse to replace those funds. Following are some things Roza suggests district administrators consider in crafting their budgets for next school year and lessons learned from the last recession. Something to keep in mind: Roza is fiscally cautious, and her suggestions deal strictly with the bottom linenot the political and policy lift it might take to put them into effect. With the wall-to-wall media coverage of this years teacher strikes in California, Colorado, and West Virginia, school officials and parents across the nation are starting to think that all the nations districts are broke. That may not actually be true. Since the end of the Great Recession, many states have increased K-12 spending. Last year, for example, states provided more than $294.8 billion in K-12 dollars, a 4 percent increase from the previous year. And local property tax revenue is finally starting to climb after getting off to a slow start after the end of the recession. With the news focused on states with teacher strikes, its made everyone feel that education is underfunded. It may not be in their state, Roza said. Youre so used to kind of saying, We dont have enough money. Its a [political] strategy. But you dont notice when you have more money than you normally do. In the year before the last recession began, there were similar news stories about how broke districts were but, in hindsight, those were actually glory days, Roza said. When the bottom fell out of the national economy and districts really did fall on hard times, it was hard to convince the public that districts were worse off than they already were. Roza suggests that for districts where spending is up this year, administrators convey that to school board members, the local press, and parents. Save, Save, Save During the last recession, districts emptied their rainy day funds in order to spare mass layoffs, but many districts failed to replenish those funds, Roza says. Los Angeleswhich has a $1.8 billion rainy day fundwas criticized during a recent teachers strike for hoarding those funds instead of giving teachers a raise. But Roza says that while stashing away a percentage of your budget may look illogical, it could determine how long a district could survive a recession without having to make dramatic cuts that could ultimately cripple it. In other words, think long term. I do think that if a district is looking ahead, and it has money that [it] could roll over or spend, its not the worst time to roll it over, Roza said. Hire Sparingly Many districts may be eager to continue reducing class sizes by using new money to hire more teachers and support staff. But hiring new employees can significantly increase districts overall health care and pension costs, two of the biggest drivers of districts budget woes. Its very hard to shrink your workforce in a recession, Roza said. She said its logistically difficult to lay off and close schools fast enough to make up for large budget deficits. And figuring out who to lay off can be politically thorny and academically devastating, since a schools success is in large part dependent on people and culture. Roza suggests that districts consider strategies such as contracting out certain servicesschool nursing, for examplewith a local agency, rather than hiring new permanent employees. (Its easier to end a contract with an outside vendor than it is to figure out which employee you need to lay off.) Or districts could consider allowing existing staff to pick up extra duties, such as tutoring or after-school programs for extra compensation. Consider Alternative Ways to Give Teachers a Raise With the wave of strikes across the nation, many teachers are demanding that district administrators provide them with significant pay increases to make up for the years many went without raises. Roza points out that giving teachers a pay raise can have a compounding impact on districts costs since most teachers pay climbs with the more years theyre in the classroom. A pay raise also means retirement benefits will also be higher. So while a district might be able to afford an across-the-board pay raise this year, it might not be able to afford it next year. Roza suggests alternatives to teacher pay such as providing teachers with a onetime stipend or allowing teachers to pick up after-school and before-school duties to make extra money. Be Honest and Transparent With Constituents Roza, who for several years has advocated for more transparency in school spending habits, said one of the biggest hurdles for district leaders in deciding how to spend their money is that parents, teachers, and school board members dont understand how districts receive and spend money. She suggests that before a recession hits, district administrators should spend time explaining why they spend taxpayers money the way they do. When it comes time to cuta politically fraught and emotionally draining processthe public will have a better understanding as to why youre doing what youre doing. San Salvador, Mar 26 (epa-efe).- The Salvadoran judiciary will set a precedent if it decides to bring charges against the people accused of ordering the 1989 massacre of six Jesuit priests and two other people at the Central American University (UCA) in this capital, attorney Arnau Baulenas said in an interview with EFE. Baulenas, a plaintiff in the criminal proceedings against the alleged masterminds, said that the reopening of the criminal case following the March 11 decision upholding a ruling from April 2018 "is a good sign for achieving justice and the truth." This month's court finding "is an historic decision because it confirms that we are dealing with a crime against humanity and a war crime," the legal counsel for the UCA Human Rights Institute (Idhuca) said. Baulenas noted that the Attorney General's Office "also has an opportunity to vindicate itself and issue an injunction based on the facts." "Because not doing so could (implicate them in) a crime of omission and the image of the attorney general (Raul Melara) would look bad," he said. "We are hoping this case moves to the pre-trial stage so that the investigation can be continued to get to the bottom of the matter," Baulenas said. He said he is hoping the initial hearing will be held in mid-April and that those involved in the case "will not delay a trial that is so important for justice." These types of cases, according to Baulenas, "are the ones that have to help us lay the foundations for building justice and show the victims that perseverance and struggle are the key (elements) in reaching the truth." "I am convinced that those who don't want to face justice are afraid and they know they are to blame," he said. The army men accused of the crime are retired Gens. Humberto Larios, Juan Rafael Bustillo, Francisco Elena Fuentes and Rafael Zepeda and Col. Inocente Montano, along with the late Gen. Rene Emilio Ponce. All were in the 1966 Salvadoran Army Academy graduating class, which led the armed forces through much of the 1980-1992 civil war against leftist rebels and implemented a "scorched earth" strategy against them In April 2018, a court declared null and void an earlier decision blocking prosecution of the six military men and former President Alfredo Cristiani. That judicial ruling came in response to Idhuca's request in 2017 to reopen the case after the Supreme Court overturned an amnesty law in July 2016. On the night of Nov. 16, 1989, a unit of the Salvadoran army's elite Atlacatl Battalion slaughtered Spanish priests Ignacio Ellacuria, Segundo Montes, Ignacio Martin-Baro, Amando Lopez and Juan Ramon Moreno, and Salvadoran Jesuit Joaquin Lopez. Also slain were their cook, Elba Ramos, and her 16-year-old daughter. The only person still behind bars for the massacre is Col. Guillermo Alfredo Benvides, one of the two people sentenced to 30 years in prison in a 1992 trial. By Sara Acosta. Israel starts deploying fresh troops on Gazas outskirts Israeli Defense Forces deployed additional hardware to the border with Gaza. Israeli warplanes on Monday carried out a fresh wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip. ISRAELI CONTINUES ITS ATTACKS DESPITE THE CEASEFIRE In a statement, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said the air raids had targeted Hamas positions across the blockaded coastal enclave. Warplanes had also struck a Hamas site in the northern Gaza Strip, along with agricultural land near the cities of Khan Yunis and Rafah. Occupant Israeli forces have started deploying fresh troops and tanks to the Gaza border. The images released on Tuesday shows that the Israeli army is amassing troops and tanks along the Gaza-Israel buffer zone on Tuesday. Merkel calls for a European FBI Christian Democratic bloc proposes stronger measures in the fight against terrorism. Chancellor Angela Merkels Christian Democratic bloc has called for an EU version of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for a more effective fight against organized crime and terrorism in Europe. "WHAT WE NEED IN EUROPE IS A SECURITY UNION" "What we need in Europe is a security union. More security in and through Europe would also mean more security for Germany," Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its sister party Christian Social Union (CSU) said in an election manifesto presented on Monday, ahead of European Parliament elections in May. "We would like to expand exchange and partnership programs between the security agencies. The European police authority Europol must transform into a European FBI," Christian Democrats said. The CDU/CSU bloc also proposed an EU-wide database on potential terrorists. This egg has united people, says teen who egged Australian Senator Egg Boy Will Connolly who smashed an egg on the head of an Australian lawmaker in protest of his Islamophobia spoke out in his first interview. Will Connolly, the Australian teenager who became a global sensation and internet hero overnight, has spoken publicly to the media for the first time since slapping on egg on Australian Senator Fraser Annings head one day after the massacre of 50 Muslims in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. "I HAVE NO REGRETS An Australian teen known around the world as "Egg Boy" has conceded that egging a far-right senator was not the right thing to do, but said the gesture united a world reeling from a White supremacist's massacre of 50 Muslims in mosque shootings in New Zealand. "I didn't think this was going to blow up. In fact, it's blown up completely out of proportion, to the point where it's kind of embarrassing because too much of the attention is brought away from the real victims' suffering we should be focusing on them," Connolly told Network 10. "I understand what I did was not the right thing to do," Connolly told The Project, a television program on Australias Network 10. "However, this egg has united people and, you know, money had been raised, tens of thousands of dollars have been raised for those victims," he added. "I understand what I did was not the right thing to do. However, this egg has united people," he said, noting that his mother did not approve of his actions. "I just wanted to stay calm," Connolly said. "I knew not to resist; I knew police were not far," he added. He was later questioned by Victoria police but was released without charge. Trump recognizes Golan Heights as Israeli Trump recognized Israels 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights in an election boost for visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. With Netanyahu looking over his shoulder at the White House, Trump signed a proclamation officially granting US recognition of the Golan as Israeli territory. The move, which Trump announced in a tweet last Thursday, appeared to be the most overt gesture by the Republican president to help Netanyahu, who had been pressing Trump for the move since February 2017. "TERRITORY OCCUPIED BY ISRAEL" The international community has condemned the unilateral and illegal action by the US administration on Monday to formally recognize Israels sovereignty over occupied Golan Heights. Trump recognizes Golan Heights as Israeli WATCH EU, UN, others slam unilateral action taken by US to formally recognize Israels sovereignty over Golan Heights. "The status of Golan has not changed. The UNs policy on Golan is reflected in the relevant resolutions of the Security Council." the UN said. EU reiterated its stance against recognizing Israeli sovereignty over territories including Golan Heights, occupied since 1967. The UK also reiterated its recognition of Golan Heights as "territory occupied by Israel". "We did not recognize Israels annexation in 1981 and have no plans to change our position, the Foreign Office said. Israel has long lobbied the US to recognize its claim over the Golan Heights, but all past administration refused to heed the calls. Israel occupies roughly two-thirds of the wider Golan Heights as a de facto result of the conflict. It moved to formally annex the territory in 1981 -- an action unanimously rejected at the time by the UN Security Council. Turkey aids to flood-hit Iran At least 17 people were killed by flooding in Shiraz. The Turkish Embassy in Tehran on Monday expressed its condolences after at least 17 Iranians were killed and scores more injured by torrential flooding in Irans south-central city of Shiraz. "TURKEY IS READY TO PROVIDE ANY KIND OF SUPPORT" We share our sympathies with our Iranian brothers and sisters after devastating floods claimed many lives in Shiraz today, the embassy tweeted. We pray for the speedy recovery of the injured and stress our readiness to provide any kind of support, it added. The embassy also expressed its readiness to provide assistance in northern Iran, which has also reportedly been hit with a wave of torrential flooding. We wholeheartedly share the pain of our brothers hit by the flood disaster in Golestan and Mazandaran provinces in northern Iran, the embassy said in a separate tweet. It added: Turkey is ready to provide any kind of support. March 26, 2019 - San Francisco - Parents may often feel like they are not "on the same wavelength" as their kids. But it turns out that, at least for babies, their brainwaves literally sync with their moms when they are learning from them about their social environment. In a new study being presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society's (CNS) annual meeting in San Francisco this week, researchers found that how well babies' neural activity syncs with their moms' predicts how well they learn social cues about new toys. "Despite the fact that this is such a powerful learning mechanism, surprisingly little is known about how the human brain performs social learning," says Victoria Leong, of the University of Cambridge. "When we connect neurally with others, we are opening ourselves to receiving information and influence from others." In a body of new work being presented at the CNS meeting, cognitive neuroscientists are starting to shed light on the social brain and new ways to study it. "We're this massively social species and yet the field of neuroscience has focused on the brain in isolation," says Thalia Wheatley of Dartmouth College, who is chairing a symposium on the topic at CNS. "There's this huge gap in knowledge about how our brains work in concert with other minds." Dissatisfied by the classical neuroimaging studies that put people in dark, loud, and isolated brain scanning machines to understand the human mind, Wheatley is working to come up with new methods to understand how brains behave in a social context. Social brains interact like a dance, Wheatley and Leong say, where partners take their own steps but move in concert, continuously adjusting and adapting. At the CNS meeting, scientists presented work on the mother-infant and other social connections, as well as how even fruit flies have vivid social lives that require a new neural understanding. The mother-baby connection "There is no substitute for being physically present and in the moment to connect with an infant." That's the key message to come out of the new work by Leong and colleagues. In the study, her team looked at how mothers' emotional responses toward novel toys affected their infants' decisions to interact with the toys. Infants wearing wireless EEG technology would watch their mothers, who were also wearing wireless EEG, show either a positive emotion -- e.g. smiling and saying "I like this" -- or a negative emotion toward an object -- e.g. frowning and saying "I don't like this." The babies would then choose which object to play with. The researchers analyzed whether the level of "neural synchrony" between the mother and infant predicted how the infant would respond to a toy. "We found that stronger neural synchrony predicted a higher likelihood of social learning by the infant," Leong says. Neural synchrony is when brainwaves from two people follow predictable patterns with respect to each other. The researchers found that social signals like eye contact were associated with increased synchrony and improved social learning, though Leong says that there is still much work to be done in teasing apart exactly what leads to the neural synchrony. Conducting EEG work with infants is challenging, Leong says, but rewarding. If they are ready and interested in the task, that resulting data is "like pure nectar. You feel like you've been granted exclusive backstage access to one of the most exciting reality shows on the planet," Leong says. "But on the other hand, if they are having a tummy ache, or are teething, or would just rather be left alone, this sentiment is expressed loudly, firmly, and with escalating urgency until the nice lady who is trying to put on a funny hat with wires retreats into a corner." For Leong, the work has wide significance for classroom learning, social bonding, and developmental disorders. "I am interested in understanding what happens when parents or children fail to synchronize with each other, which may occur in certain mental health difficulties and developmental disorders, and the impact that this might have on learning and development in the longer term," she explains. Common bonds "The overarching goal of the symposium is to show that we and other species are social and there's something really important about looking at a brain in its social context," says Thalia Wheatley of Dartmouth. "We can't fully understand the human mind or any other social mind without understanding what happens in interaction." While humans are an undisputedly social species, a growing amount of research is also showing sociality in unexpected species. "Most people don't think of fruit flies, for example, as being social at all," Wheatley says. But, as Giovanni Bosco, also of Dartmouth College, will present at CNS, fruit flies communicate with each other with their wing patterns, and understanding their communication is key to understanding them. "Many fruit fly behavioral paradigms need to be revisited given our new appreciation of how social these animals are," Bosco says, because fruit flies used in research are raised in isolation and then do not behave as they would in nature. Simple strategies like co-housing them quickly changes their communication and behavior. New methods are needed to better understand the social mind across species, Wheatley says. Indeed, says Leong, understanding interpersonal neural signals is "a new frontier that is ripe for exploration." Wheatley is currently working on a new method that allows people in fMRI scanners to talk to each other at the same time across different sites. "We are excited about creating new tools that will open up new ways to study the brain in interaction." ### The symposium "An Emerging Neuroscience of Social Connectedness" is taking place at the CNS annual meeting in San Francisco. More than 1,500 scientists are attending the meeting from March 23-26, 2019. CNS is committed to the development of mind and brain research aimed at investigating the psychological, computational, and neuroscientific bases of cognition. Since its founding in 1994, the Society has been dedicated to bringing its 2,000 members worldwide the latest research to facilitate public, professional, and scientific discourse. TUCSON, Ariz., March 26, 2019 -- Critical Path Institute (C-Path) announced today that a formal consultation between its Predictive Safety Testing Consortium (PSTC) and Japan's Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) has resulted in an agreement on a first-of-its-kind approach to compare the levels of eight novel urinary kidney safety biomarkers in healthy Japanese volunteers to data collected on these same biomarkers in healthy Western volunteers in a bridging study. Results from the project are expected to provide clinical evidence for PMDA evaluation to support utilization of these biomarkers to help guide decisions in early-stage clinical trials to ensure the safety of trial participants. The new study, to be conducted in Japan by PSTC member companies beginning in late 2019, will compare healthy Japanese volunteers with subjects enrolled in a similar U.S.-based study conducted by PSTC from 2011-2012 completed to support U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) submissions on these novel kidney safety biomarkers. Results from the Japanese study will inform subsequent work in Japan to be defined during future consultations between PSTC and PMDA. Biomarkers to be measured in Japanese subjects in this study include clusterin (CLU), cystatin C (CysC), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), osteopontin (OPN), albumin (ALB) and total protein. More information on the bridging study is available here. "Drug-induced kidney injury is a serious issue that can occur during drug development," said John-Michael Sauer, Ph.D., C-Path Biomarkers Program Officer and Executive Director of PSTC. "Results from this and other PSTC clinical safety biomarker projects are designed to generate critical data to support safety decisions about whether to pause or discontinue early phase clinical trials at the tested dose and duration." PSTC has a successful track record of qualifying kidney safety biomarkers to support clinical drug development. In August 2010 PSTC qualified seven novel biomarkers, with PMDA for use in rat studies for the detection of drug-induced acute kidney injury. In August 2018, the FDA issued its first-ever qualification of a clinical safety biomarker, a single composite measure of six urine biomarkers to be used in conjunction with traditional measures of kidney function, to PSTC and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Biomarkers Consortium. "The recent FDA qualification of a clinical kidney safety biomarker and our latest interactions with PMDA exemplify C-Path's expanding global reach and our role as a catalyst in the development of new approaches to advance medical innovation and regulatory science," said C-Path President and CEO Martha Brumfield, Ph.D. "All of this is critical for our mission to speed development of safe drugs and facilitate development and qualification of tools that shape clinical trials, advance research and help create a healthier world." PSTC's global reach will be showcased at its 2019 Japan Safety Biomarker Workshop to be held April 17-18 at the RIKEN Institute's Yokohama Campus. Presentations, panel discussions and a poster session will address emerging and important topics in this rapidly-evolving field, including the role of miRNA, and small-circulating RNA as safety biomarkers; safety testing, drug efficacy and disease diagnosis; genomics and epigenetics; and evidentiary considerations across regulatory agencies in Japan, the European Union, and the U.S. ### About Critical Path Institute C-Path (Critical Path Institute) is an independent, nonprofit organization established in 2005 as a public and private partnership. C-Path's mission is to catalyze the development of new approaches that advance medical innovation and regulatory science, accelerating the path to a healthier world. An international leader in forming collaborations, C-Path has established numerous global consortia that currently include over 1,500 scientists from government and regulatory agencies, academia, patient organizations, disease foundations, and dozens of major pharmaceutical and biotech companies. C-Path is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, with additional staff in multiple remote locations. For more information, visit, http://www.c-path.org. For a version of this release in Japanese, click here. Large Japanese study of sex-based disparities in treating out-of-hospital cardiac arrest found that women under 65 were less likely to receive bystander CPR in public locations than men, report scientists in Mayo Clinic Proceedings Rochester, MN, March 25, 2019 - Japanese women under 65 are less likely to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by bystanders when they suffer a sudden cardiac arrest in a public location compared to in a residential location, report investigators in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, published by Elsevier. They speculate that cultural attitudes may influence bystanders and propose that correct knowledge of CPR and better understanding of sex-based disparities are needed to facilitate public health intervention. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a major public health problem in industrialized countries, affecting more than 350,000 individuals in the United States and 123,000 individuals in Japan each year. Around 1,000 adults suffer from sudden cardiac arrest in prehospital settings each day in the US alone, and only one in nine OHCA victims survives to hospital discharge. Bystander CPR is associated with improved outcomes in prehospital settings, and international guidelines on resuscitation emphasize its importance as one of the essential components of the "chain of survival." However, recent studies have highlighted sex-based disparities, pointing out that women suffering cardiac arrest in a public location were less likely to receive bystander CPR. "The reasons for this sex-based disparity should be better understood to facilitate public health intervention," explained Tasuku Matsuyama, MD, PhD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan who led the investigation. Dr. Matsuyama and colleagues report on a large nationally-representative group of almost 85,000 patients from the All-Japan Utstein Registry from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2015. They examined the rates and outcomes associated with bystander CPR as a function of a patient's sex. The analysis included adult patients aged 18 years and older with OHCA of medical origin in public or residential locations, witnessed by bystanders. As in earlier studies, women had lower rates of shockable arrest rhythms and were less likely to receive advanced life support interventions. During the study period, 373,359 OHCAs were registered and 84,734 cases were eligible for analysis. Overall, around 54 percent of women and 57 percent of men received bystander CPR in a public location and 46.5 percent of women and 44 percent of men received bystander CPR in residential locations. Women had a higher likelihood of receiving bystander CPR in a residential location. In public locations, women aged 18-64 years were less likely to receive bystander CPR. When witnessed by a non-family member, women were less likely to receive bystander CPR regardless of age. Reasons for lower rates of bystander CPR among certain subgroups of women in this study remain uncertain, but the investigators speculate that in Japan, bystander CPR including use of an automated external defibrillator on a woman has the potential to result in being accused of sexual assault. "Cultural factors, specific to Japan, may influence bystander attitude toward patients of a different sex. Therefore, it may be difficult to increase the rates of CPR on non-family, young victims unless laypersons have confidence in legal protections in Japan," commented Dr. Matsuyama. "While we acknowledge that our findings may not be generalizable to other patient populations or countries, similar findings were reported in a recent North American study." Their data show that younger women may miss the opportunity to receive one of the most important treatments for cardiac arrest because of some obstacles unique to young women. Correct knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation may improve the chances for more young women, therefore it is important to disseminate the importance of bystander CPR particularly for young women. In an accompanying editorial, Jacob C. Jentzer, MD, FACC, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA, and colleagues point out that similar findings were reported in the International Cardiac Arrest Registry. They agree these may relate to inherent biases and differences in social norms. In addition, they note lower utilization of other potentially-beneficial therapies in women after OHCA in several studies, with worse survival in women compared to men. "This study highlights the importance of bystander CPR as a key component of the 'chain of survival' for OHCA victims, emphasizing the need for public heath interventions to ensure adequate CPR training among laypeople," commented Dr Jentzer. "Additional studies are needed to determine why these sex-based differences occur, to ensure that all patients with a witnessed OHCA can receive this crucial therapy, which can increase the likelihood of neurologically-intact survival." ### Family planning for women might one day be as simple as putting on an earring. A report published recently in the Journal of Controlled Release describes a technique for administering contraceptive hormones through special backings on jewelry such as earrings, wristwatches, rings or necklaces. The contraceptive hormones are contained in patches applied to portions of the jewelry in contact with the skin, allowing the drugs to be absorbed into the body. Initial testing suggests the contraceptive jewelry may deliver sufficient amounts of hormone to provide contraception, though no human testing has been done yet. A goal for the new technique is to improve user compliance with drug regimens that require regular dosages. Beyond contraceptives, the jewelry-based technique might also be used for delivering other drugs through the skin. "The more contraceptive options that are available, the more likely it is that the needs of individual women can be met," said Mark Prausnitz, a Regents Professor and the J. Erskine Love Jr. chair in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "Because putting on jewelry may already be part of a woman's daily routine, this technique may facilitate compliance with the drug regimen. This technique could more effectively empower some women to prevent unintended pregnancies." This proof-of-concept research was supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under a subcontract funded by FHI 360. Contraceptive jewelry adapts transdermal patch technology that is already used to administer drugs that prevent motion sickness, support smoking cessation, and control the symptoms of menopause, but have never been incorporated into jewelry before. Contraceptive patches are also already available, but Prausnitz believes pairing them with jewelry may prove attractive to some women - and allow more discreet use of the drug delivery technology. "There is a lot of experience with making and using conventional transdermal patches," he said. "We are taking this established technology, making the patch smaller and using jewelry to help apply it. We think that earring patches can expand the scope of transdermal patches to provide additional impact." Postdoctoral Fellow Mohammad Mofidfar, Senior Research Scientist Laura O'Farrell and Prausnitz tested the concept on animal models, first on ears from pigs. Test patches mounted on earring backs and containing the hormone levonorgestrel were also applied to the skin of hairless rats. To simulate removal of the earrings during sleep, the researchers applied the patches for 16 hours, then removed them for eight hours. Testing suggested that even though levels dropped while the earrings were removed, the patch could produce necessary amounts of the hormone in the bloodstream. The earring patch tested by the researchers consisted of three layers. One layer is impermeable and includes an adhesive to hold it onto an earring back, the underside of a wristwatch or the inside surface of a necklace or ring. A middle layer of the patch contains the contraceptive drug in solid form. The outer layer is a skin adhesive to help stick to skin so the hormone can be transferred. Once in the skin, the drug can move into the bloodstream and circulate through the body. If the technique ultimately is used for contraception in humans, the earring back would need to be changed periodically, likely on a weekly basis. The contraceptive jewelry was originally designed for use in developing countries where access to health care services may limit access to long-acting contraceptives such as injectables, implants and IUDs. However, Prausnitz says the technology may be attractive beyond that initial audience. "We think contraceptive jewelry could be appealing and helpful to women all around the world," said Prausnitz. The researchers tested patches adhered to earring backs, about one square centimeter in area, and placed them tightly on the skin of the test animals. Earring backs and watches may be most useful for administering drugs because they remain in close contact with the skin to allow drug transfer. The dose delivered by a patch is generally proportional to the area of skin contact. "The advantage of incorporating contraceptive hormone into a universal earring back is that it can be paired with many different earrings," Prausnitz noted. "A woman could acquire these drug-loaded earring backs and then use them with various earrings she might want to wear." Though transdermal drug-delivery patches have been available since 1979, testing would be required to determine whether the earring patch is safe and effective. In addition, research would be required to determine whether the concept would be attractive to women in different cultures. "We need to understand not only the effectiveness and economics of contraceptive jewelry, but also the social and personal factors that come into play for women all around the world," Prausnitz said. "We would have to make sure that this contraceptive jewelry concept is something that women would actually want and use." The technique could potentially be used to deliver other pharmaceuticals, though it would only be suitable for skin-permeable drugs that require administration of quantities small enough to fit into the patches. "We think there are uses beyond contraceptive hormones, but there will always be a limitation that the drug has to be effective with a low enough dose to fit into the limited space in the patch," Prausnitz said. "It also should be a drug that would benefit from continuous delivery from a patch and that is administered to a patient population interested in using pharmaceutical jewelry." The earring patch is designed to add another contraceptive option for women. "Pharmaceutical jewelry introduces a novel delivery method that may make taking contraceptives more appealing," he added. "Making it more appealing should make it easier to remember to use it." ### This work was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of FHI 360, USAID or the United States Government. This research was supported by USAID cooperative agreement AID-OAA-15-00045 under a subcontract funded by FHI 360 as a proof-of-concept study (https://www.fhi360.org/projects/envision-fp). CITATION: Mohammad Mofidfar, Laura O'Farrell and Mark R. Prausnitz, "Pharmaceutical jewelry: Earring patch for transdermal delivery of contraceptive hormone," (Journal of Controlled Release, 2019) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2019.03.011 Just like oxygen, nitrogen is of fundamental importance for life on Earth. Depending on the forms and compounds in which it occurs, it can promote life, but also limit it. In addition, some nitrogen compounds, such as nitrous oxide, are extremely effective greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It is therefore important to understand the formation processes of various nitrogen compounds in nature and the factors that influence these processes. Researchers at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel have now succeeded for the first time in directly detecting an oceanic process that is fundamental to the nitrogen cycle, the so-called nitrification, by measuring the short-lived compound hydroxylamine. "This detection is otherwise only possible with very complex analyses in special onshore laboratories. With the new method, we were able to carry out the measurements on board," explains marine chemist Dr. Frederike Korth from GEOMAR. She is the lead author of the study, which has now been published in the international journal Geophysical Research Letters. Hydroxylamine (NH2OH) is a compound of nitrogen with hydrogen and oxygen that decomposes very quickly if oxygen is present. "This is why there have been no measurements of hydroxylamine from the oceans so far," explains Prof. Dr. Hermann Bange from GEOMAR, head of the working group and co-author of the new study. However, the chemists from Kiel, who are specialized in measurements in the ocean, were able to determine dissolved hydroxylamine in water samples from numerous stations during several expeditions of the German research vessels MARIA S. MERIAN and METEOR to the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. "The compound can be a precursor of nitrous oxide in the nitrogen cycle, but only in the transformation process of nitrification," explains Korth. A comparison of nitrous oxide and hydroxylamine concentrations in ocean water therefore provides a relatively quick and simple indication of the occurrence of this process. The method used was already known in theory, but there were still problems with chemical interferences. "For our study, we have now -for the first time- found a reliable way to determine hydroxylamine concentrations in seawater on board," says Professor Bange. With this new method, there is now a comparatively simple and quick way to determine where nitrification takes place in the ocean - and ultimately where nitrous oxide can form in the ocean as a result of this process. "Of course, many more measurements are necessary in order to make global statements. But the simpler the analyses are, the more likely it is that we will receive the large amounts of data we need to assemble further pieces in the puzzle of the nitrogen cycle," emphasises Professor Bange. ### The central element will be the Helmholtz Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Unit (HAICU), which will receive 11.4 million euros in annual research funding and will be based at the Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen. This Germany-wide research platform will be headed by Prof. Fabian Theis, Director of the Institute of Computational Biology (ICB), Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen and Professor of Mathematical Modeling of Biological Systems, Technical University of Munich (TUM), who specializes in handling complex and heterogeneous data and, above all, large data sets. "The proverbial buzzword on everyone's lips is big data, although 'bigger' per se doesn't necessarily mean better," the 42-year-old mathematician explains. "Bigger only leads to success when AI gets smarter with every new data point because then you can sift through and combine the data with increasing efficiency. And that's precisely what we're working on." When Theis says 'we' he means the team at the HAICU unit based in Munich. In future, a further five departments will be set up here to conduct top-level research on applied AI. In addition, a group of experts will be recruited as AI consultants to help design and drive forward complex research projects based on AI methods. Ultimately, their task is to tailor applications to a wide range of issues emerging from the various Helmholtz centers and to implement them in situ. "AI is often shrouded in mystery and mystique, and is reserved exclusively for experts. Our aim is to democratize access to AI and promote its use within the Helmholtz Association," Theis explains. HAICU will operate as an independent unit. Over the past 18 months the structure for the prototype has been developed by specialists at the 'Helmholtz Incubator for Information & Data Science' - a think tank for AI solutions and machine learning within the Helmholtz Association. Five local units for specific areas of research at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, the Julich Research Center, the Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht, the Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf and the German Aerospace Center will be networked with the Munich scientists under the direction of Fabian Theis at the HAICU base. Satellites, supercomputers or stem cells - data is ready and waiting everywhere The Helmholtz Association is in an excellent starting position to develop applied AI. For example, it already operates large research infrastructures for nuclear and particle physics, supercomputers and satellite missions, and handles complex stem cell simulations. The idea is that HAICU will use all this data and become the key catalyst for becoming a leading global expert in the field of applied AI and, conversely, contribute to research once again. "The Helmholtz Association already has access to a wealth of big data that is growing exponentially," says Helmholtz President Prof. Otmar D. Wiestler. "At all its locations, and in all the individual disciplines it boasts world-leading approaches and outstanding methodological expertise. But it is only through their interaction that unforeseen possibilities arise. Helmholtz provides the know-how and the manpower to exploit these synergies. As a result, Helmholtz centers will now become a sought-after cooperation partner for industry, also in the field of Artificial intelligence, and the resulting spin-offs will strengthen the German economy as a whole." HAICU and above all its base here at the Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen will further reinforce Munichs position as the location for future-oriented top-level research, and will also consolidate and intensify our collaborative partnerships with industry as well as with the two universities here in Munich" TUM and LMU notes Prof. Matthias H. Tschoep, CEO of Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen. And, of course, wide-reaching synergies exist in the fields of informatics, robotics and machine learning, especially with Munich Technical University. We are delighted, and we see the funding as recognition of the activities we have already initiated in the field of Artificial intelligence, which is a key technology, and its application in biomedicine. Both Helmholtz President Otmar Wiestler and the Minister President of Bavaria, Markus Soeder, regard artificial intelligence as central to future-oriented research. Thanks to this funding and the outstanding scientific expertise available at the centers, the Helmholtz Association will underline Germanys research at world class level'. ### Further Informationen https://www.haicu.de/ Related Articles: Using artificial intelligence for error correction in single cell analyses https://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/en/aktuelles/latest-news/press-information-news/article/45805/index.html Tackling Big Data, new graduate school for Data Science in Munich https://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/en/aktuelles/latest-news/press-information-news/article/45283/index.html The Scanpy software processes huge amounts of single-cell data https://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/en/aktuelles/latest-news/press-information-news/article/44101/index.html Erwin Schroedinger Prize 2017 for Algorithms providing insights into cell development https://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/en/aktuelles/latest-news/press-information-news/article/41502/index.html As German Research Center for Environmental Health, Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen pursues the goal of developing personalized medical approaches for the prevention and therapy of major common diseases such as diabetes mellitus and lung diseases. To achieve this, it investigates the interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle. The Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen has about 2,300 staff members and is headquartered in Neuherberg in the north of Munich. Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen is a member of the Helmholtz Association, a community of 18 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with a total of about 37,000 staff members. http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is one of Europe's leading research universities, with around 550 professors, 41,000 students, and 10,000 academic and non-academic staff. Its focus areas are the engineering sciences, natural sciences, life sciences and medicine, combined with economic and social sciences. TUM acts as an entrepreneurial university that promotes talents and creates value for society. In that it profits from having strong partners in science and industry. It is represented worldwide with the TUM Asia campus in Singapore as well as offices in Beijing, Brussels, Cairo, Mumbai, San Francisco, and Sao Paulo. Nobel Prize winners and inventors such as Rudolf Diesel, Carl von Linde, and Rudolf Moessbauer have done research at TUM. In 2006 and 2012 it won recognition as a German "Excellence University." In international rankings, TUM regularly places among the best universities in Germany. http://www.tum.de/en/homepage Contact for the media: Communication Department, Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Ingolstaedter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg - Tel. +49 89 3187 2238 - E-Mail: presse@helmholtz-muenchen.de Scientific contact: Prof. Dr. Dr. Fabian Theis, Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Computational Biology, Ingolstaedter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany, Tel. +49 89 3187-4030 - E-Mail: fabian.theis@helmholtz-muenchen.de A new study by Daria Siekhaus and her group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), including first authors Katarina Valoskova and Julia Biebl, identified a new gene in the fruit fly Drosophila that is required for regulating the addition of T-antigen onto a subset of proteins in immune cells. As the gene mutation causes immune cells to get stuck in the fly's head, the team called the new gene "Minerva", after the Roman goddess of wisdom who burst from her father Jupiter's head. The study, published today in eLife, is a first step towards understanding new ways in which sugar modifications may be involved in metastasis. The fruit fly as an engine for discovery Cancer cells metastasize by leaving their initial tumor site and squeezing between other cells to enter blood vessels, which they use as highways to zoom through the body. The metastasizing cells again squeeze between other cells to leave the blood vessels and enter tissues to form metastases. T-antigen, a combination of specific sugars, is detected on proteins on metastasizing human cancer cells, but is not normally found in most adult tissues. As immune cells in the fly, called macrophages, also carry T-antigens and squeeze through other cells to enter tissues, Daria Siekhaus and her group decided to use the fly and its immune cells as a model to study how the appearance of T-antigen on proteins is regulated and which proteins are affected by this. "The fruit fly is the best place to identify new pathways, as it is fast to do complex genetic experiments in the fly. Here again, we used the fly as an initial discovery engine for a problem that is also pertinent to us humans", Daria Siekhaus explains. Initially, the team cast a wide net to identify potential genes. "We looked through the gene database for flies to find a gene that is active at the right time and in the right place: a gene that is active in macrophages when T-antigen is added, and that works in the Golgi apparatus, where sugars like the T-antigen are added to proteins before they get transported to the cell surface." Once the group had found such a candidate gene, known then only by the placeholder "CG8602", they tested its role in the appearance of the T-antigen. When CG8602 is mutated, the researchers found that the level of T-antigen on the macrophages is reduced. The macrophages also do not, as they usually do, exit the head region of the fly embryo and enter other tissues. In keeping with the traditions of the Drosophila field in which genes are named in some evocative way that refers to the changes seen when the gene is mutated, the group called the gene "Minerva", after the Roman goddess of wisdom. According to Ancient Roman myths, Minerva's pregnant mother turned into a fly and was swallowed by her father Jupiter. After her birth, Minerva was initially trapped in Jupiter's head until she burst out in full battle armor. Vertebrate orthologs relevant for cancer The researchers investigated which proteins Minerva affects T-antigen on. By collaborating with Sergey Vakhrushev and Henrik Clausen at the University of Copenhagen, the group had access to a mass-spectrometry technique that let them find which proteins carry the T-antigen sugars when Minerva is present but show reduced levels when Minerva is mutated. They thus identified a set of proteins which need Minerva to display T-antigen. The large majority of the proteins identified that have a version in vertebrates, a so-called ortholog, are involved in cancer. "Nine of the proteins we found have an ortholog in humans, six of these are linked to cancer in some way. This is intriguing!", Siekhaus says. When the scientists put back the vertebrate ortholog of Minerva, MFSD1, into flies that did not have Minerva anymore, the otherwise stuck macrophages left the head and showed restored levels of T-antigen. This suggests an exciting possibility, Siekhaus adds: "This argues that the function of Minerva is maintained in vertebrates, and that the ortholog of Minerva in vertebrates, MFSD1, could be involved in regulating sugars and metastasis. We are now looking at vertebrate cancer models to see whether and how MFSD1 regulates the migration and invasion of cancer cells." ### Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Lithuania researchers are developing a smart wrist-worn device for monitoring of atrial fibrillation - a condition, which if left untreated can lead to serious health complications and even death. Although smart wristbands are popular fashion gadgets for monitoring heart rate and physical activity, they are usually not sophisticated enough to provide specific and accurate information about potential health problems of the wearer. Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Lithuania researchers are developing a smart wrist-worn device for monitoring of atrial fibrillation - a condition, which if left untreated can lead to serious health complications and even death. According to the data provided by the US government, atrial fibrillation is the most common type of heart arrhythmia. Approximately 9% of people aged 65 years or older have atrial fibrillation; it is estimated that due to the rapidly ageing society, the prevalence of the disease in the global population will increase 3-fold in the next 30 years. At the beginning of arrhythmia development, the episodes are usually short and self-terminating thus may remain unnoticed. If untreated, atrial fibrillation can contribute to the development of serious complications, such as brain stroke. "Atrial fibrillation can often develop after the heart attack, thus these patients need certain medical care and attention to prevent from serious health complications. However, after leaving the hospital their health check-ups are only episodic. Non-invasive, compact wearable devices, which are providing continuous monitoring is an attractive solution for monitoring the health status of such high-risk groups", says Vaidotas Marozas, the Director of KTU Biomedical Engineering Institute (BEI). The team of KTU BEI researchers, led by Dr Marozas is developing a multisensory system, i.e. the wrist-worn device for atrial fibrillation monitoring. Two types of modalities are being used in the device - photoplethysmographic (PPG) for continuous monitoring and electrocardiographic (ECG) for the acquisition of a control signal. When the PPG sensor registers the heart activity akin to atrial fibrillation, the device vibrates mildly, asking the patient to touch the device with the other hand in order to register a short ECG signal. The quality of vital signals acquired in real life is worse than those recorded under clinical conditions. Therefore, continuous monitoring - or the remote observation of patients- is only made possible through high-quality data. According to Dr Marozas, one of the main challenges in the development of the wearable monitoring systems is advanced signal processing solutions which would separate useful information from the "noise" i.e. motion artefacts and other types of arrhythmia. The biomedical engineers of KTU are working together with the international team of physicians and health scientists from Kaunas University of Health Sciences, Vilnius University, Lund University, and industrial designers from Vilnius Academy of Arts. "We are focusing on developing technologies, which are needed for the public and contemporary medicine. For example, due to the prevalence of this condition, every person older than 65 should be checked for atrial fibrillation. However, relying on the short-term clinical ECG, the arrhythmia can be detected only if the condition is chronic. What if the episodes are occurring only occasionally? Then our technology is very useful", explains Dr Marozas. He assures that despite complicated technology and sophisticated algorithms the smart wrist-worn device is very easy to use. It is aimed at seniors - people, who are especially self-conscious when using technologies and smart devices. At the moment, the team is working on adding additional functions to the technology, such as implementing the algorithm of monitoring the heart's response to physical load. Slow heart's adaptation to physical load is related to increased mortality rate and risk of cardiovascular disease, therefore monitoring of this parameter could be valuable for people of all ages. The patent application for the smart wrist-worn device has been submitted to the Lithuanian State Patent Bureau. The KTU BEI team is preparing international applications for two other inventions. KTU Biomedical Engineering Institute is specialising in developing non-standard electronic systems for monitoring human health parameters; usually for research purposes. Together with local and international partners, the KTU researchers have implemented many innovative solutions under the concept of "wearable health", such as a smart T-shirt, multisensory system for haemodialysis, monitoring system for divers, used in military training. ### The psychological impact of debt adds on to the financial burden, making it tough for the poor to escape poverty While many of the poor are burdened with debt, helping them financially is controversial because their debts are often believed to result from bad habits. A new study by the Social Service Research Centre (SSR) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) demonstrates that reducing the number of debt accounts lowers the mental burden of the poor, thereby improving psychological and cognitive performance. This enables better decision-making. Hence, poverty interventions should be structured to improve psychological and cognitive functioning in addition to addressing the financial needs of the poor. The study was jointly authored by researchers from NUS and Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS). A field study was conducted between January 2015 and August 2017 by Dr Ong Qiyan and Associate Professor Irene Ng from the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, together with Associate Professor Walter Theseira from SUSS School of Business. The research findings were published in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). Easing the debt burden of low-income individuals Dr Ong explained, "One challenge with poverty alleviation policies is the bedrock belief that the poor are indebted because of personal failings. Under this view, those who are trapped in poverty are believed to be lacking in desirable qualities such as motivation and talent that most of the Singapore population possess and value. However, our study shows that because debt impairs psychological functioning and decision-making, it would be extremely challenging for even the motivated and talented to escape poverty. Instead, the poor must either have exceptional qualities or be exceptionally lucky to get out of poverty. It is hard to be poor, harder than we thought." The study involved 196 chronically indebted low-income individuals who benefitted from the Getting Out of Debt (GOOD) programme managed by Singapore-based charity Methodist Welfare Services. This is a one-off debt relief programme for households with monthly per capita income of less than S$1,500 and had outstanding chronic debts owed for at least six months. Such debts included mortgage or rental, utilities, town council taxes, telco bills, and hire purchase debts. Before debt relief, the average monthly household income per capita of the participants was S$364. The research team designed a comprehensive household financial survey that measures anxiety and cognitive functioning as well as financial decision-making of the participants. The survey was conducted before the participants received the debt relief and three months after debt relief. Positive effects of debt relief The study, which is the first of its kind, found that the participants had experienced less anxiety and improved cognitive functioning, and they could make better financial decisions three months after receiving debt relief. Between two participants receiving the same amount of debt relief, the participant with more debt accounts eliminated showed more psychological and cognitive improvements. These findings confirm that being chronically in debt impairs psychological functioning and decision-making. The findings also imply that people view each debt as a separate "mental account" and being "in the red" in many debt accounts is psychologically painful. Thus, thinking about these accounts consumes mental resources, increases anxiety and worsens cognitive performance. This psychological impact may prevent the poor from making the right decisions to get out of poverty, further contributing to the poverty trap. Assoc Prof Theseira highlighted that there are differences in how the poor and the non-poor manage their debts and that the poor needs more assistance. He said, "Although our study is based on the poor, many non-poor Singaporeans also have debts. Why are some people able to handle debts easily, while others find them stressful and taxing? One difference is that the non-poor have the financial resources to manage their debts conveniently and at low cost. We think nothing of consolidating our bills on a credit card and paying it automatically. We know that we have enough savings to be able to afford an unexpected expense or occasional splurge. So we have a lot of resilience to life's ups and downs that the poor simply do not. Hence, we should not assume that just because we find it easy to manage debt, we could do the same if we were poor. Our debt mental accounting costs are simply lower than the poor." Actionable evidence to alleviate poverty Assoc Prof Ng concluded, "The findings in this study opens a pragmatic case for designing good debt relief programmes for low-income households. Firstly, they help. In fact, not helping low-income households with debt is counter-productive because not doing so leaves them in suboptimal functioning and high anxiety. Secondly, the design of the intervention is key. As it is the pile up of debt accounts (more than the amount of debt) that affects functioning, interventions should focus on decreasing the mental load on low-income households, whose minds are already highly stressed." The researchers suggest that policy interventions that streamline debts would significantly improve cognitive and psychological functioning, and reduce counterproductive behaviour. For instance, restructuring or consolidating debt could be a more sustainable policy as it is less costly and more effective than simply clearing debt. More generally, poverty alleviation interventions should target and reduce the factors that contribute to the mental burdens of the poor. The researchers are now examining the longer term effects of debt relief and are applying the insights from the study to find innovative solutions that may help the poor. This research project exemplifies what the NUS SSR aims to achieve - policy relevant research that collaborates with the social service community to find solutions for Singapore's social needs. The research team extends its appreciation to Methodist Welfare Services and participating agencies for their contribution to this important study. ### About National University of Singapore (NUS) The National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore's flagship university, which offers a global approach to education, research and entrepreneurship, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise. We have 17 faculties across three campuses in Singapore, as well as 12 NUS Overseas Colleges across the world. Close to 40,000 students from 100 countries enrich our vibrant and diverse campus community. Our multidisciplinary and real-world approach to education, research and entrepreneurship enables us to work closely with industry, governments and academia to address crucial and complex issues relevant to Asia and the world. Researchers in our faculties, 29 university-level research institutes, research centres of excellence and corporate labs focus on themes that include energy, environmental and urban sustainability; treatment and prevention of diseases common among Asians; active ageing; advanced materials; as well as risk management and resilience of financial systems. Our latest research focus is on the use of data science, operations research and cybersecurity to support Singapore's Smart Nation initiative. For more information on NUS, please visit http://www.nus.edu.sg. Since the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) was proposed by the United States, Chinese government has launched the Materials Genome project in 2016. By using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques, the researchers are trying to achieve high-throughput calculation, preparation and detection for the materials database. This project aims to subvert the traditional material research methods and accelerate the development in material research field. Feng Pan's group from Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School has led the research project of "National R&D Plan of Materials Genome Project and Genetic Engineering Supporting Platform" for several years, and they are exploring the rule of the material inherent law of the key basic elements, which includes crystal structure, the connection and interaction of the primitive units. The structural elements are composed of atoms (or ions). In fact, the size of the ion is related to the environment of the structural elements. In 1927, Pauling proposed a large number of ionic radii based on the semi-empirical method according to the nuclear spacing of atoms. However, this model did not consider the interaction between central atom and the coordination atom, so in the application of complex lattice, the prediction error of the distance between adjacent atoms was obvious. Therefore, Pan's team proposed a new model (effective atom size model, EAS), which considers the influence of the type and number of neighboring atoms on the ionic radius and the interatomic distance. Besides, EAS model can well predict the distance between adjacent atoms. Then Pan's group used the EAS model to predict the interatomic distance of a binary compound with a complex crystalline calcium fluoride structure, with both 4 and 8 coordination. The results show that the deviation between the predicted results and the calculated ion spacing by DFT is less than 0.1 A, which is obviously better than the calculated results based on the current main models (Pauling ion radius, Shannon ion radius, etc.). In addition, the team verified some compounds with special stacking methods and all 148 compounds in the database composed of IA/IIA and VIA/VIIA main group elements with 8, 6 or 4 coordination, and obtained good consistency (all deviations were within 0.1 A, and most of them were within 0.05 A). This work "A descriptor of 'material genes': Effective atomic size in structural unit of ionic crystals" has been published in Science China Technological Sciences. Tongyi Zhang, an Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the editor-in-chief of this journal and the Dean of the Shanghai Institute of Materials Genomics, has commented to this work, "Pan and co-workers discovered the most fundamental problem in materials at the atom level via modifying the interatomic distance. This study has a high academic value and will speed up the development of Materials Genome project." ### This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China, the Shenzhen Science and Technology Research, and the Guangdong Key-Lab Project. See the article: Chen D, Li S N, Jie J S, Li S B, Zheng S S, Weng M Y, Yu C C, Li S C, Chen D J, Pan F. A descriptor of "material genes": Effective atomic size in structural unit of ionic crystals. Sci China Tech Sci, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-018-9461-x http://engine.scichina.com/doi/10.1007/s11431-018-9461-x Joint replacements are among the most common elective surgeries -- but around one in 100 patients suffer post-surgical infections, turning a routine procedure into an expensive and dangerous ordeal. Now, researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology have developed a "self-defensive surface" for these implants that release targeted micro-doses of antibiotics when bacteria approach, potentially sharply reducing infection rates. The work, led by Matthew Libera, professor of materials science at Stevens, describes a method for coating implant surfaces with a lattice of microgels: flecks, each 100 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, capable of absorbing certain antibiotics. The microgels' behavior is regulated by electrical charges, and the electrical activity of an approaching microbe causes them to leak antibiotics, preventing infections from taking root. Microgels could be applied to a wide range of medical devices, including heart valves, tissue scaffolds, and even surgical sutures -- and with the market for hip implants alone forecasted to reach $9.1 billion by 2024, the technology has significant commercial potential. The United States Army, which helped fund the research, is also interested in deploying the technology in field hospitals, where infections currently occur in a quarter of combat injuries. "The potential impact for patients, and for the healthcare system, is tremendous," said Libera, who chairs the Stevens Conference on Bacteria-Material Interactions. Stevens doctorate candidate Jing Liang and biomedical engineering professor Hongjun Wang collaborated on the study, which appears in the journal Biomaterials. Post-surgical infections are tough to beat because as microbes colonize surfaces, they form antibiotic-resistant layers called biofilms. Libera and his team disrupt this cycle by killing microbes before they can gain a foothold. "It only takes one bacterium to cause an infection," Libera said. "But if we can prevent infection until healing is complete, then the body can take over." Unlike conventional treatments that flood the whole body with antibiotics, the Stevens team's approach is highly targeted, releasing tiny amounts of antibiotics to kill individual bacteria. That dramatically reduces the selective pressures that give rise to antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" -- a big improvement over both systemic treatments and local approaches such as blending antibiotics into bone cement, releasing orders of magnitude less antibiotic into the patient's system. Other self-defensive surfaces currently in development rely on microbes' metabolic byproducts to trigger the release of antibiotics -- a less surefire approach than the Libera's method, which can kill even dormant bacteria. The team's microgels are also remarkably resilient, surviving ethanol sterilization and remaining stable for weeks at a time. Microgels also respond appropriately to human tissue, retaining their antibiotic load until it's needed and promoting healthy bone growth around treated surfaces. To apply microgels to a medical device such as a knee joint, surgeons could dunk the device in a specially prepared bath for a few seconds; a brief dip in a second bath would then charge the microgels with antibiotics. In theory, surgeons could prepare devices on demand, immediately before implanting them, using antibiotics tailored to a patient's specific risk factors. So far the approach has been tested in vitro, and the team is still working to fine-tune the microgels and enable them to deliver a wider range of antibiotics. Securing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will be tricky, given the innovative nature of the technology, but Libera's team is working with industry partners to plan further demonstrations. ### AUSTIN, TEXAS (March 26, 2019)--Immersive virtual reality (VR) may enable interventional radiologists to improve treatments using real-time 3D images from inside a patient's blood vessels. New research presented today at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting shows that the interactive technology could provide faster, more efficient treatment, with less radiation exposure and greater precision, ease and confidence. "Virtual reality will change how we look at a patient's anatomy during an IR treatment," said Wayne Monsky, MD, PhD, a professor of radiology at the University of Washington and lead author of the study. "This technology will allow physicians to travel inside a patient's body instead of relying solely on 2D, black and white images." The purpose of the study is to demonstrate the feasibility of using a catheter with electromagnetic sensors projected onto a VR headset to see and steer the catheter through the anatomy to certain blood vessels. Using a CT angiography scan, researchers created a 3D printed model and a holographic image of blood vessels in a patient's abdomen and pelvis. Monksy's team of radiologists guided hi-tech catheters through the 3D printed model while the tracking system showed the image from the catheter through the VR headset. They compared the time taken to steer the catheter from the entry point of the femoral artery to three different targeted vessels versus the time the process took using conventional fluoroscopic guidance, as well as time taken in similar real-life clinical angiographic procedures. In 18 simulated procedures, researchers found the mean time to reach the three targeted vessels using VR was much lower than in fluoroscopy, the standard practice that uses an x-ray image. In the first vessel, virtual reality took 17.6 seconds versus 70.3 seconds using the standard practice on the model and 171.2 seconds in the real-life procedure. With the improved efficiency, the researchers believe VR technology will create safer treatments by reducing the amount of radiation exposure to both patient and physician. They say it would also increase access to IR treatments. "Currently, the life-saving potential of IR is limited to hospitals and areas with the resources to invest in image-guided technology," said Monsky. "There are 3 billion people worldwide in rural areas who don't have this access. This technology could allow for portability and accessibility so that these procedures are brought to rural areas using nothing more than a suitcase." Researchers also surveyed the practitioners who had tried the technology, and they reported that VR improved the ease, precision and efficiency of the treatment. Additionally, the users said they felt more confident in their abilities. The VR software was developed through a University of Washington business incubator that supported development of a startup, Pyrus Medical, of which Dr. Monsky serves as the chief medical officer. The researchers are continuing to conduct research in 3D models, as well as animal studies, as they begin the regulatory process to apply for approval from the Food and Drug Administration. ### Abstract 294: Virtual Reality (VR), dynamic holographic, display of the vascular anatomy and a co-registered angiographic catheter with electromagnetic (EM) tracking for the guidance of endovascular procedures. A pilot phantom study to evaluate the feasibility of angiography-free endovascular procedures. W. Monsky; R. James; S. Seslar. University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA; University of Washington, Seattle, WA. SIR Annual Scientific Meeting, March 23-28, 2019. This abstract can be found at sirmeeting.org. About the Society of Interventional Radiology The Society of Interventional Radiology is a nonprofit, professional medical society representing more than 8,000 practicing interventional radiology physicians, trainees, students, scientists, and clinical associates, dedicated to improving patient care through the limitless potential of image-guided therapies. SIR's members work in a variety of settings and at different professional levels--from medical students and residents to university faculty and private practice physicians. Visit sirweb.org. The Society of Interventional Radiology is holding its Annual Scientific Meeting March 23-28, 2019 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. Visit sirmeeting.org. The cocktail of man-made chemicals that we are exposed to daily is a health risk which current regulations and risk assessment overlook. This is the conclusion of the EU Horizon 2020 EDC-MixRisk project that is now being presented. We are exposed to a large number of man-made chemicals in our everyday life. This creates combinations of chemical mixtures, to which we are subjected during our whole lifespan. Current risk assessment and management practices, however, focus mainly on exposure to single substances. Exposure to hazardous substances, especially endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), during the foetal period is of particular concern, as it can lead to irreversible changes in the development of organs and tissues and increased susceptibility to diseases later in life. The EDC-MixRisk project was initiated to investigate how effects caused by real-life relevant mixtures could be studied. The project developed a novel approach based on identifying and testing EDC mixtures associated with adverse health outcomes in humans. An overarching conclusion from the EDC-MixRisk project is that current regulations of man-made chemicals systematically underestimate health risks associated with combined exposures to EDCs or potential EDCs. Effects caused by exposure during the foetal period By using epidemiology data from the Swedish pregnancy cohort SELMA (a cohort of more than 2300 pregnant women), reference mixtures were created to mimic real life exposures (at concentrations found in the pregnant women). These mixtures were tested in various experimental (cell and animal) models, and the toxicological data from these tests were used to establish new methods and strategies for mixture risk assessment in order to better account for complex environmental exposures. Professor Ake Bergman at Stockholm University and coordinator of the project, says "the novel whole mixture approach applied in EDC-MixRisk has allowed us to assess the number of mothers in the SELMA cohort that are at risk for effects in their children, effects related to growth and metabolism, neurodevelopment and sexual development". Researchers in Professor Testa's laboratory in Milano spearheaded the use of human brain organoids to directly assess the impact of such mixtures on the closest available model of the developing human brain. They uncovered that even at real life concentrations, EDCs interfere with the same regulatory networks that are already involved in the genetic forms of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. "This new method enables the investigation of relevant chemical exposures on equally relevant windows of sensitivity during human brain development", Professor Testa points out. In Paris, the team of Professor Demeneix investigated whether the mixtures interfered with brain development and growth through modulation of thyroid hormone signalling. Professor Demeneix underlines that "Thyroid hormone is essential for brain development and children born to mothers that have insufficient thyroid hormone also have increased risk of autism spectrum disorder and IQ loss. Thyroid hormone signalling and numerous thyroid hormone dependent genes were disrupted by the mixture in the different models tested. These findings reveal a mechanism whereby brain development is affected by exposure to the chemicals at relevant human exposure levels." ### More about the EDC-MixRisk project EDC-MixRisk is launching their policy brief as part of the workshop, The Chemical Cocktail Challenge in Brussels, on Tuesday March 26th. The workshop is organized jointly with the EuroMix project, highlighting the main results and conclusions from the two Horizon 2020-funded projects, EDC-MixRisk and EuroMix, and their implications for future needs for chemical mixture risk assessment. EDC-MixRisk was composed by researchers from several Swedish and European universities as well as one U.S. university. Policy brief from the EDC-MixRisk project: https://edcmixrisk.ki.se/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2019/03/Policy-Brief-EDC-MixRisk-PRINTED-190322.pdf Contact information Ake Bergman, Professor at The Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry at Stockholm University and coordinator of the project, phone +46(0)70-644 38 61, email ake.bergman@aces.su.se Joelle Ruegg, Associate professor at Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, phone +46(0)73-712 15 92, email joelle.ruegg@ki.se Tiny nanoclusters of metal atoms - such as gold and silver - have properties which mean they can be used as semiconductors, a joint Swansea-Hamburg research team has discovered. The finding opens the door to a wide range of potential new applications, from phone displays and flatter screens to wearable technology. Semiconductors are at the heart of modern electronics. Amongst their many uses are in display devices for mobile phones and televisions, light detectors, and solar cells for providing energy. The two main types of particle-based semiconductors already in use are colloidal quantum dots and organic semiconductors. These materials are at the nanoscale. Their tiny size means they are subject to a phenomenon known as quantum confinement, which causes changes to their optical and electronic properties. These changes make them suitable for their intended applications. Metal nanoclusters combine aspects of both these other materials. Like colloidal quantum dots, they are very stable. Like organic semiconductors, they are atomically precise, or molecular, containing a specific number of atoms in their metallic core. However, despite containing all the right ingredients, metal nanoclusters had never before been shown to display semiconducting properties. This is where the Swansea-Hamburg team made the breakthrough. The team devised a way of making films of nanoclusters consisting of 25 gold atoms (Au25). They then observed that the nanoclusters displayed semiconducting properties. Specifically, they observed field effect and photoconductivity in phototransistors made of these films. These unique properties are hallmarks of all semiconducting materials. The team is made up of researchers from Swansea University's chemistry department and the University of Hamburg in Germany. Professor Christian Klinke of Swansea University chemistry department explained the potential applications of this finding: "The discovery of semiconducting properties in metal nanoclusters could pave the way for a variety of new applications, from field effect transistors and photodetectors to light emitting diodes and solar cells. These devices could be manufactured on flexible bases. Many metal nanoclusters, including the ones we investigated in this report, have almost infinite stability, which could make them suitable for ink-jet printing applications. We need to build on this finding and refine the technique further. But this discovery points the way ahead. It shows that we can use metal nanoclusters to produce high quality semiconducting films that are easy to assemble." Other researchers from the team explained other potential applications: Dr. Andres Black of the University of Hamburg said: "The affinity of the metal core to different molecular functionalities could make them highly sensitive gas sensors" Michael Galchenko, also of the University of Hamburg said: "The integration with other low dimensional materials could yield heterostructures with new and interesting functionalities." Professor Owen Guy, head of Swansea University chemistry department, said: "Semiconductors are a big focus for our work here at Swansea, both in our chemistry department and our Centre for NanoHealth. Christian's work is very exciting for next generation semiconductor materials - an area in which Swansea University is leading activity, with our industry partners. These findings, made possible by our close links with Hamburg, are a significant step forward in the field. It shows that for research, as for teaching, our chemistry department is at the forefront". ### The findings were published in the journal, Advanced Materials. Notes to editors: Chemistry research at Swansea University is pioneering multidisciplinary technology development in key themes of energy and environment; health; new and advanced molecules and polymers; nanotechnologies and advanced materials. Find out more: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/chemistry/ University of Hamburg: Universitat Hamburg is the largest institution for research and education in northern Germany. As one of the country's largest universities, it offers a diverse range of degree programs and excellent research opportunities. The University boasts numerous interdisciplinary projects in a broad range of fields and an extensive partner network of leading regional, national, and international higher education and research institutions. https://www.uni-hamburg.de/en.html Swansea University is a world-class, research-led, dual campus university offering a first class student experience and has one of the best employability rates of graduates in the UK. The University has the highest possible rating for teaching - the Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) in 2018 and was commended for its high proportions of students achieving consistently outstanding outcomes. Swansea climbed 14 places to 31st in the Guardian University Guide 2019, making us Wales' top ranked university, with one of the best success rates of graduates gaining employment in the UK and the same overall satisfaction level as the Number 1 ranked university. The 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 results saw Swansea make the 'biggest leap among research-intensive institutions' in the UK (Times Higher Education, December 2014) and achieved its ambition to be a top 30 research University, soaring up the league table to 26th in the UK. The University is in the top 300 best universities in the world, ranked in the 251-300 group in The Times Higher Education World University rankings 2018. Swansea University now has 23 main partners, awarding joint degrees and post-graduate qualifications. The University was established in 1920 and was the first campus university in the UK. It currently offers around 350 undergraduate courses and 350 postgraduate courses to circa 20,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students. The University has ambitious expansion plans as it moves towards its centenary in 2020 and aims to continue to extend its global reach and realise its domestic and international potential. Swansea University is a registered charity. No.1138342. Visit http://www.swansea.ac.uk When reporting this story, please use Swansea University hyperlinks. For more information: Kevin Sullivan,Swansea University Public Relations Office Tel: 01792 513245, k.g.sullivan@swansea.ac.uk http://www.twitter.com/SwanseaUni http://www.facebook.com/swanseauniversity SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Tomasz Skwarnicki, professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University, has uncovered new information about a class of particles called pentaquarks. His findings could lead to a new understanding of the structure of matter in the universe. Assisted by Liming Zhang, an associate professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, Skwarnicki has analyzed data from the Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb) experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Switzerland. The experimental physicist has uncovered evidence of three never-before-seen pentaquarks, each divided into two parts. "Until now, we had thought that a pentaquark was made up of five elementary particles [called quarks], stuck together. Our findings prove otherwise," says Skwarnicki, a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Skwarnicki is part of a team of researchers, including members of Syracuse's High-Energy Physics (HEP) Group, studying fundamental particles and forces in the Universe. Most of their work takes place at the CERN laboratory, whose LHC is the biggest, most powerful particle detector in the world. It is within the LHC that protons are flung together at high energies, only to collide with one another. What lies inside the particles, when cracked open, helps scientists probe the mysteries of the fundamental universe. Studying proton collisions from 2015-18, Skwarnicki has confirmed the existence of substructure within a pentaquark. The giveaway, he says, was a trio of narrow peaks in the LHC kinematic data. Each peak refers to a particular pentaquark--specifically, one divided into two parts: a baryon, containing three quarks, and a meson, with two quarks. A peak also suggests resonance, a short-lived phenomenon during particle decay, in which one unstable particle transforms into several others. Resonance happens when protons (a type of baryon) meet--or, more accurately, glide into one another--during an LHC collision. What is unique about each of these three pentaquarks is that its mass is slightly lower than the sum of its parts--in this case, the masses of the baryon and meson. "The pentaquark didn't decay by its usual easy, fall-apart process," Skwarnicki says. "Instead, it decayed by slowly and laboriously rearranging its quarks, forming a narrow resonance." Understanding how particles interact with and bind together is Skwarnicki's specialty. In 2015, he and then Ph.D. student Nathan Jurik G'16, Distinguished Professor Sheldon Stone and Zhang made headlines with their role in LHCb's detection of a pentaquark. Theorized a half century earlier, their discovery drew on LHC data from 2011-12. LHCb's latest data utilized an energy beam that was nearly twice as strong. This method, combined with more refined data-selection criteria, produced a greater range of proton collisions. "It also gave us 10 times more data and enabled us to observe pentaquark structures more clearly than before," Skwarnicki says. "What we thought was just one pentaquark turned out to be two narrow ones, with little space between them." The data also revealed a third "companion" pentaquark. "All three pentaquarks had the same pattern--a baryon with a meson substructure. Their masses were below appropriate the baryon-meson thresholds," he adds. Skwarnicki's discovery occurred relatively fast, considering that LHCb stopped collecting data less than three months ago. Eric Sedore, associate CIO for infrastructure services in Information Technology Services (ITS), played a supporting role. His Research Computing Team provided the necessary computer firepower for Skwarnicki to achieve his goals. In addition to Skwarnicki and Stone, HEP includes Professors Marina Artuso and Steven Blusk and Assistant Professor Matthew Rudolph. The group currently is building an apparatus on campus called the Upstream Tracker (UT), being shipped to and installed at CERN next year as part of a major LHCb upgrade. "The UT will significantly enhance LHCb, which is composed of about 10 different sub-detectors. I am hopeful that the UT will lead to more discoveries," says Skwarnicki, adding that Artuso and Stone are the UT Project's leader and deputy, respectively. Skwarnicki is excited about LHCb because it helps explain how the smallest constituents of matter behave. His latest discovery, for instance, proves that pentaquarks are built the same way as protons and neutrons, which are bound together in the nucleus of an atom. "Pentaquarks may not play a significant role in the matter we are made of," he says, "but their existence may significantly affect our models of the matter found in other parts of the universe, such as neutron stars." ### HEP's work is supported by the National Science Foundation. Researchers have demonstrated a way to use Thioflavin T, a dye used to study amyloid for nearly a century, as a sensor that can image Alzheimer's-related plaques with ultra-high resolution and monitor drug effects. TUCSON, Ariz. - While amyloid plaques have long been closely associated with mechanisms driving Alzheimer's disease, visualizing how amyloid proteins assemble continues to prove difficult. The nanometer-sized amyloid fibrils are only a fraction of the size that the best light microscopes are able to resolve. New work repurposing one of the oldest known reagents for amyloid looks to help provide a clearer picture of how fibrils come together. A team of researchers from Washington University in St. Louis, U.S.A., and University College London in the U.K., has demonstrated a novel approach for nanoscale imaging of amyloid structures without chemically altering them. Using Thioflavin T (ThT), a dye known for nearly a century to fluoresce when in contact with amyloid fibrils, the new method allows researchers to visualize proteins associated with amyloid plaques, called A42 and A40, more precisely than ever. Kevin Spehar, a lead co-author from the team, will describe their work in an oral presentation, titled "Long-Term Super-Resolution Imaging of Amyloid Structures Using Transient Binding of Thioflavin T," at the OSA Biophotonics Congress: Optics in the Life Sciences meeting in Tucson, Ariz., U.S.A., 14-17 April 2019. In addition to producing images of amyloid aggregates with nanoscale resolution, the group's technique lets researchers take snapshots of how fibrils build up and react to their environment. Testing their approach, the team was able to see directly for the first time an anti-amyloid drug at work. "When it comes to amyloid, we use words like 'monomer' and 'oligomer' and 'fibril,' but those words only really describe what we've been able to see before," said paper co-author Dr. Matthew Lew. "Those words are completely inadequate for precisely describing the complex, varying assemblies of these molecules." While attacking amyloid assembly methods stands out as a leading proposed therapy for Alzheimer's disease, Dr. Jan Bieschke, another co-author of the paper, said that studying amyloid aggregates presents unique challenges for researchers. Immunofluorescent techniques, which are employed in many other areas of biology and use antibodies to label biomolecules, fall short because they would disrupt amyloid's tendency to aggregate, making it impossible to accurately study the mechanism that drives Alzheimer's. Cryoelectron microscopy offers superior resolution but can only provide a single, static snapshot of an amyloid sample. "Imaging amyloid dynamics for extended times is crucial if we want to understand the way a drug affects amyloid aggregation or how it disassembles an amyloid fiber," Bieschke said. To tackle these issues, the team turned to the long-established fluorophore, ThT, which avoids modifying amyloid by not covalently binding to it in the first place. Instead, each ThT molecule fluoresces for about 15 milliseconds while in contact with amyloid. The result, Lew said, is that ThT's role in imaging shifts from a simple fluorophore to a molecular sensor for amyloid. "This is literally using a one- to two-nanometer molecule as a sensor," he said. "I think this concept has a lot of potential to be generalized for biomedical and chemical imaging applications." The imaging let the team watch how A42 fibrils remodeled and dissolved with the introduction of epi-gallocatechin gallate, a model anti-aggregation drug Bieschke and colleagues discovered. "Most fluorescence microscopy techniques, especially when aiming for nanometer resolution, require careful fine-tuning of reagents and conditions," Bieschke said. "Our approach removed much of that complexity. At the same time, it can be combined with traditional antibody-based approaches for multiplexed imaging." Bieschke hopes to improve the technique to be able to see the way amyloid structures spread in Alzheimer's and related diseases. Lew said he sees many future uses for using molecules like ThT as molecular sensors, ranging from research in Parkinson's disease to diabetes to materials science. ### Registration Information Credentialed media and analysts who wish to cover OSA Biophotonics Congress: Optics in the Life Sciences should send registration requests to: mediarelations@osa.org. About The Optical Society Founded in 1916, The Optical Society (OSA) is the leading professional organization for scientists, engineers, students and business leaders who fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate achievements in the science of light. Through world-renowned publications, meetings and membership initiatives, OSA provides quality research, inspired interactions and dedicated resources for its extensive global network of optics and photonics experts. For more information, visit osa.org. Media Contacts: mediarelations@osa.org Authors: Kevin Spehar, Tianben Ding, Yuanzi Sun, Niraja Kedia, Jin Lu, George R. Nahass, Matthew D. Lew, and Jan Bieschke Author Affiliations: Washington University in St. Louis, University College, London Contact: mdlew@wustl.edu, j.bieschke@ucl.ac.uk PHOENIX, Ariz. -- March 26, 2019 -- Dr. Daniel D. Von Hoff, Distinguished Professor and Physician-In-Chief for the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, has been selected to receive the 2019 Distinguished Public Service Award from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The AACR is the world's first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. Dr. Margaret Foti, Chief Executive Officer of the AACR, said in a letter to Dr. Von Hoff that the award is "in recognition of your extraordinary clinical research career." Specifically, Dr. Foti cited Dr. Von Hoff's contributions in creating the Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop, which she described as "the world's premier workshop dedicated to educating individuals on effective clinical trial designs and therapeutic interventions for the treatment of cancer." For the past 23 summers, Dr. Von Hoff has led the weeklong workshop, drawing on the expertise of nearly 40 of the nation's leading oncologists, patient advocates and biostatisticians to provide intensive cancer care instruction for newly minted physicians. The workshop is sponsored by the AACR and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world's two leading cancer professional organizations, and by the National Cancer Institute though a competitive grant. The workshop enrolls 100 students each summer. The program's nearly 2,300 graduates now populate leading cancer centers throughout the nation. "We put each applicant through a rigorous process, selecting doctors who have a deep interest in making clinical advances. Participants say it's one of the most effective courses in preparation for cancer patient care," said Dr. Von Hoff, who also is Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, Chief Scientific Officer for US Oncology Research, and Medical Director of Research at McKesson Specialty Health. He holds the Virginia G. Piper Distinguished Chair for Innovative Cancer Research at HonorHealth Clinical Research Institute. Dr. Von Hoff also is a past director of the Arizona Cancer Center, a past board member and President of the AACR, a Fellow of the AACR Academy, and recipient of the distinguished 1997 AACR Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Memorial Award. In addition, he is a past board member of ASCO and winner of its prestigious 2010 David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to the improvement of patient care. Dr. Von Hoff's clinical career is legendary. He has led or participated in more than 350 first-in-human investigational agent clinical trials. For the past 17 years, his work at TGen has brought new treatments into clinical practice that have increased the survival of patients with pancreas cancer and has ushered in groundbreaking advances in other malignancies. Dr. Von Hoff is also a Senior Consultant and Clinical Investigator at City of Hope, a world-renowned independent research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. He has led teams of TGen and City of Hope investigators to explore new medical breakthroughs in pancreatic cancer, childhood leukemia, stem cells, 3-D imaging and more. Through this work, he has expanded options for cancer patients, most of whom are desperate for new and more effective treatments. "Dr. Von Hoff's reputation of providing compassionate care to patients precedes him," said Dr. Michael Caligiuri, past-President of the AACR and the Deana and Steve Campbell Physician-in-Chief Distinguished Chair and President of City of Hope National Medical Center. "It's wonderful that someone who is internationally recognized for advancing so many cancer therapeutics has made it his mission to mentor the next generation of oncology physician-scientists." Through the Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop, Dr. Von Hoff teaches the essentials of effective clinical trial design for therapeutic interventions in the treatment of all cancers. Working around the clock, each summer's class is divided into 12 groups. Each student must write a protocol for a new cancer clinical trial of sufficient quality to pass an Institutional Review Board, a critical step in receiving FDA approval to pursue such a study. Clinical trials are carefully controlled research studies that evaluate promising new drugs, while giving patients access to the latest in potentially lifesaving therapeutics. The AACR and ASCO have helped design the Methods workshop to increase the reliability and effectiveness of clinical trials. Dr. Foti noted that the success of the Methods workshop has prompted similar programs in Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe, resulting in the training of an additional 2,000 clinical investigators around the world. "Collectively, these accomplishments have been made possible thanks to your unwavering vision and commitment to the workshop," Dr. Foti said in her letter to Dr. Von Hoff. "Your ability to constantly innovate is unparalleled and has allowed the workshop to have a tremendous impact on the number of lives saved as a result of the training of thousands of physician-scientists." Dr. Von Hoff will receive the award during the 2019 AACR Annual Meeting -- March 29-April 3 in Atlanta -- where he will present a featured lecture at 7 a.m. April 1 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Dr. Jeffrey Trent, TGen President and Research Director, said of the award, "I can think of no one more deserving of this recognition than Dr. Von Hoff, whose unparalleled practice of precision medicine and its resulting benefit in patient care is a biomedical beacon for us all to follow." ### Dr. Von Hoff is the co-editor of a forthcoming book, "Precision Medicine in Cancer Therapy," to be published by Springer Nature, Scientific Publishing Services Ltd. About TGen, an affiliate of City of Hope Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix, Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting groundbreaking research with life-changing results. TGen is affiliated with City of Hope, a world-renowned independent research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases: http://www.cityofhope.org. This precision medicine affiliation enables both institutes to complement each other in research and patient care, with City of Hope providing a significant clinical setting to advance scientific discoveries made by TGen. TGen is focused on helping patients with neurological disorders, cancer, diabetes and infectious diseases through cutting-edge translational research (the process of rapidly moving research toward patient benefit). TGen physicians and scientists work to unravel the genetic components of both common and complex rare diseases in adults and children. Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical communities worldwide, TGen makes a substantial contribution to help our patients through efficiency and effectiveness of the translational process. For more information, visit: http://www.tgen.org. Follow TGen on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter @TGen. Media Contact: Steve Yozwiak TGen Senior Science Writer 602-343-8704 syozwiak@tgen.org UAlberta researchers show that amount of gesturing has more to do with how you tell a story than where you are from There are many stereotypes about gesturing across cultures--the idea that Italians are prone to hand-talking, for example. But new research by University of Alberta scientists suggests that the amount you gesture when telling a story has more to do with what you're saying than where you're from. "We wondered if how frequently people gesture isn't determined so much by their culture alone, but rather by what they are saying when they are speaking," said Elena Nicoladis, lead author and professor in the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Science. "So we designed a study to look at the differences in how people present a story, and how that affects how they gesture." Previous research shows that English speakers, for instance, prefer to tell stories in chronological order, play by play. In other cultures, such as China, it is more common to focus on the moral or meaning behind a story. The study involved first-language speakers of French, Spanish, Mandarin, and Hindi who spoke English as a second language. Participants were asked to watch a cartoon and then tell the story back to the researcher. The researchers first examined how often each person gestured. The results found that French and Spanish speakers gestured a lot when telling the story, while the Hindi and Mandarin speakers did not. Next, they looked at the storytelling style that each participant adopted. "Sure enough, the French speakers and Spanish speakers were very much telling the story in chronological order--vivid events illustrated with gestures," explained Nicoladis. "The Hindi and Mandarin speakers were much more focused on why the events in the story happened." Maybe, Nicoladis explained, it's not so much that there are cross-cultural differences in how frequently people gesture. Instead, how they are speaking is related to how frequently they gesture. "This could tell us that spoken language is primary," said Nicoladis. "How people are planning to speak seems to determine a lot of nonverbal communication, like gesturing, that happens. How you speak might be far more important than how you are communicating nonverbally." ### The paper, "Gesture frequency is linked to story-telling style: Evidence from bilinguals," was published in Language and Cognition (doi: 10.1017/langcog.2018.25). Research led by UC criminal justice professor identifies more than 1,000 victims of human trafficking in the state of Ohio and provides recommendations for reaching hidden populations of victims More than 1,000 victims of human trafficking in Ohio have been identified thanks to a University of Cincinnati study published Tuesday, March 26, by the Ohio Department of Public Safety's Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS). An additional 4,209 individuals were considered to be at risk of trafficking victimization during the same period. The UC study, titled "Estimating the Prevalence of Human Trafficking in Ohio," examined data from 14 distinct sources that included child welfare, law enforcement, legal and juvenile justice agencies, primarily from the years 2014 through 2016. UC researchers then processed the information into a single database with a common set of measures. The process included identifying and removing duplicate victim records. An estimated 1,032 victims were identified. "This study demonstrates that it is imperative that Ohio's child welfare and juvenile justice systems are equipped with appropriate resources to identify and serve victims of human trafficking and the youth who are at risk to be victimized," said Governor Mike DeWine. The study, which was funded by a $100,000 OCJS grant, is the first of its kind to use individual case records to identify human trafficking victims as defined by the federal Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. Past estimates had relied upon methods such as random samplings of polls, self-reporting in surveys and computer models. "Obtaining reliable data is essential to implementing informed anti-trafficking policy," said Sophia Papadimos, state anti-trafficking coordinator. "The University of Cincinnati and collaborating partners have equipped the state with new prevalence estimates that will help guide Ohio's human trafficking response efforts." The estimates of known victims and at-risk individuals "are likely very conservative relative to the true number of victims," according to the UC study. "Human trafficking victims are particularly hard to identify because they rarely self-identify as a victim while being trafficked." Additionally, a number of records on human trafficking were unavailable to the research team because of agency restrictions and other factors. "Ohio has made tremendous progress toward understanding and combating human trafficking, and this study further demonstrates the state's commitment to that end," said UC assistant professor of criminal justice Valerie Anderson, the study's principal investigator. "We are hopeful that the findings of this study -- which include an inventory of data capacity and tracking capabilities -- will lead to the creation of tools and systems that will ultimately help identify and respond to victims of human trafficking." The study found that law enforcement, courts, child welfare services and other agencies use disparate recordkeeping systems that are unable to easily integrate or share information. The study's conclusions include recommendations to optimize data collection among the agencies involved in combating human trafficking. Recommended are: The creation of a uniform reporting system for agencies serving vulnerable populations to trace trafficking cases and risk factors while preventing the creation of duplicate reports; Incentives for agencies to implement this system, along with training for law enforcement and other service providers who are likely to interact with potential trafficking victims; Prioritizing the collection of socio-demographic information, such as race, ethnicity and foreign national status; and Integration of strategies that researchers have used to measure other hard-to-reach or hidden populations, such as behavioral screening and assessment tools. The findings emphasize the importance of working toward identifying individuals not reached by existing systems -- individuals who could have different experiences than those eventually identified by formal systems. Risk factors of human trafficking among minors Individuals ages 17 and under who exhibited a history of four or more of the following were considered to be at risk of human trafficking victimization by a child welfare agency examined in the study: Child sexual abuse Running away (four or more times in the prior year) Homelessness Truancy Juvenile court involvement Child Protective Services involvement, including foster care Drug use Psychiatric admissions Multiple sexual partners Sexually transmitted diseases and/or pregnancy ### A smartphone device could help millions of people avoid drinking water contaminated by arsenic. Researchers have developed a biosensor that attaches to a phone and uses bacteria to detect unsafe arsenic levels. The device, developed at the University of Edinburgh, generates easy-to-interpret patterns, similar to volume-bars, which display the level of contamination. Researchers believe there is an urgent need to provide simple, affordable, on-site solutions for contaminated water sources. In resource-limited countries, there is a lack of sufficiently skilled personnel and healthcare facilities to test water for contamination. Researchers say new devices could replace existing tests, which are difficult to use, need specialist laboratory equipment and can produce toxic chemicals. The contamination of water by heavy metals is a worldwide health issue. UNICEF reports that arsenic contaminated drinking water is consumed by more than 140 million people worldwide. Researchers tested the arsenic sensors using environment samples from affected wells in Bangladesh, which suffers from some of the world's highest levels of arsenic-contaminated ground water. An estimated 20 million people in Bangladesh - mostly rural poor - drink contaminated water. Long-term exposure to unsafe levels of arsenic leads to skin lesions and cancers and is linked to 20 per cent of all deaths in the worst-affected regions. Researchers developed the biosensor by manipulating the genetic code of the bacteria Escherichia coli. They added genetic components to act as amplifiers when arsenic is detected. Water samples were fed into a plastic device containing bacteria suspended in a gel. This produced fluorescent proteins that were visible in the presence of arsenic. Researchers believe that the approach could be used to detect other environmental toxins, diagnose diseases and locate landmines. ### The study published in Nature Chemical Biology, was funded by BBSRC, Leverhulme Trust and Wellcome. Lead researcher Dr Baojun Wang, of the University of Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences, said: "We tested our sensors with samples from wells in a village in Bangladesh. The arsenic levels reported by the sensors was consistent with lab-based standard tests, demonstrating the device's potential as a simple low-cost-use monitoring tool." Subtle characteristics in the spontaneous movement of very young babies may reveal clinically important aspects of their neurodevelopment. Visual assessment of typical movement patterns (General movements, GM) by a clinical expert is known to be effective in early identification of e.g. cerebral palsy (CP). "A three month old infant shows frequently occurring stereotypical, dancing-like movements throughout the body and limbs. A noted absence of them is highly predictive of later emergence of CP," says Sampsa Vanhatalo, professor of clinical neurophysiology, University of Helsinki. A very early identification and subsequent therapeutic intervention would be highly beneficial for alleviating the neurodevelopmental impact of CP. Currently, a child is diagnosed with CP at much later age, typically between 6 months and 2 years of age. GM analysis holds promise in early detection of CP, however, it needs special expertise that is currently obtained through international teaching courses, which effectively limits the number of doctors or therapists with the relevant skills. In addition, GM analysis in its present form is based on visual assessment, which is always subjective. "There is an urgent need for objective and automated methods. They would allow employing movement analyses at much wider scale, and make it accessible to basically most, if not all, children in the world," says Vanhatalo. THE STICK MAN REVEALS THE ESSENTIALS Researchers at University of Helsinki and University of Pisa set out to explore the possibility that a conventional video recording of an infant lying in bed could be transformed to a quantified analysis of infant movements. They collaborated with people from an AI company based in Tampere, Neuro Event Labs, who were able to create a method for an accurate extraction of children's movements (using a technique known as pose estimation), allowing for the construction of a simplified "stick man" (or skeleton) video. Next, the researchers gave the the stick figure videos to doctors with GM expertise to see whether diagnostically crucial information was preserved in those videos. Using the stick figure videos alone, the doctors were able to assign diagnostic groups in 95% of cases, proving that the clinically essential information had been preserved. The study shows that an automated algorithm may extract clinically important movement patterns from normal video recordings. These stick figure extractions can be directly used for quantitative analyses. To demonstrate such potential, the researchers provided a proof of concept analysis where simple measures of stick figure movements showed clear differences between groups of infants with either normal or abnormal movements. Use of stick figure videos also enables world-wide sharing among research communities without privacy concerns. This has been a significant bottleneck in setting up multinational research activities within this domain. "This will finally enable a genuinely Big Data kind of development for better quantitative movement analyses in infants," Vanhatalo states. "Since this study, we have collected larger datasets, including 3D video recordings, and we are currently developing an AI-based method for infantile motor maturity assessment. The rationale is straightforward: there is a developmental issue with the child, if the computational assessment of the motor maturity does not match with the child's true age." MOVEMENT ANALYSIS TELLS ABOUT NEURODEVELOPMENT AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS In addition to early CP detection, automated movement analyses have many potential applications in the assessment of infant neurological development. "We could create one kind of functional growth chart," says Vanhatalo. Movement analyses could also be used in diverse ways to improve therapeutic decisions. Such methods could provide quantitative means to objectively measure efficacy of different therapeutic strategies; one of the global hot topics in restorative medicine. Automated movement analyses could also allow out-of-hospital screening of children to identify those that need further care, or to provide assurance of normality in cases with concern about child's development. "Use of machine learning and artificial intelligence allows for the extraction of substantial amounts of clinically useful information from a simple home-grade video recording. The ultimate aim is to find methods that will make it possible to provide high and even quality infant healthcare everywhere in the world," Vanhatalo summarizes. The study was a collaboration between researchers from University of Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital, University of Pisa, Scuola Superiore San'Anna ja IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation from Pisa, Istituto Superiore di Sanita from Rome, and Neuro Event Labs Ltd from Tampere. The study was supported by Arvo and Lea Ylppo Saatio, Finnish Pediatric Foundation, and Finnish Academy. ### As schools explore ways to encourage more underrepresented students to consider STEM fields, a team from the University of Illinois believes school counselors and year-round experiences are two of the keys. The team will use a 3-year, $1.2 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to build a program in middle schools and high schools across the state of Illinois and study its results. "We believe that school counselors are gatekeepers for opportunity," said Lynford Goddard, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and a co-principal investigator on the project. "They interact with the entire student body about what classes to take. They can advocate with underrepresented groups to enroll in advanced math and science classes as well as take advantage of outside activities to enrich their experiences in STEM." The proposal is a collaboration between co-PIs Goddard; Lara Hebert, outreach coordinator for the College of Engineering; and Luisa Rosu, a research associate with the Illinois Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Initiative at the U of I. Irfran Ahmad, the Executive Director for the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, serves as the industry liaison. In addition to emphasizing the role of the school counselor, the team also believes it's important for students to have year-round STEM experiences. That is why one of the three pillars of the program is to sponsor STEM clubs, which provide engineering design, project- based experiences at the schools, and encourage a diverse group of students to participate. Another pillar is the development of IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity and access) teams, which will include the school counselor, a teacher, and a third stakeholder at the school dedicated to supporting students at each site. The third pillar will be providing scholarships for underrepresented middle school and high school students to attend Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering (WYSE) camps offered by the U of I's College of Engineering. Ultimately, if their study of this work shows the model is effective, they hope to expand the project with private funding beyond the three years of the NSF grant. If successful, the model can also be shared beyond Illinois. "We are continually committed to increasing diversity and opening up opportunities for underrepresented students, particularly from the State of Illinois" said Rashid Bashir, Dean of the College of Engineering. "This project reiterates that commitment." Like many schools, the University of Illinois College of Engineering is making strides when it comes to its diversity numbers (the number of women and underrepresented students are up 60 percent since 2013), but in order to make more significant progress in admissions and job placement, grassroots efforts need to increase diversity in the pool of students applying. "We have to increase the applicant pool just to be able to say we have a chance," Goddard said. "There is also a lot of theory about critical mass and the idea that when 20-30 percent of the classroom is of an underrepresented group, that a person from that group coming into that environment will not feel as isolated. It's about building an inclusive community and a sense of belonging." Over the course of three years, the team will partner with 24 schools - 20 high schools and four middle schools that feed into one of the 20 high schools. Each year a cohort of eight schools will enter the program, starting this summer. They are targeting schools in Chicago, East St. Louis, and locally, and there are several schools interested. Partnering with the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, the group will provide a 10-day, comprehensive summer institute to equip teams with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and resources to act as effective STEM advocates and learn the technical material the teams are going to study. Lorenzo Baber, an associate professor in the School of Education at Iowa State University and a former Illinois faculty member, will provide educational research on self-efficacy (an individuals' belief they can achieve their goals). They will encourage a network where the schools can communicate with each other about best practices. Representatives from Chip Energy and Henneman Engineering will talk with counselors about industry needs. Other partners in the project include the Education for Employment (EFE) program, National Instruments, and the University of Illinois Extension. "We want the schools to understand what sorts of policies and professional practices influence opportunities for students and reflect on strategies they are currently using to address these issues," Goddard said. "Are there normal operating principles that prevent this from being successful? Our goal is to figure out the synergistic effects of year-round programming that creates an atmosphere conducive to getting students into the STEM." ### Duckweeds - for many aquatic animals like ducks and snails, a treat, but for pond owners, sometimes a thorn in the side. The tiny and fast-growing plants are of great interest to researchers, and not at least because of their industrial applications - for example, to purify wastewater or generate energy. An international research team from Munster, Jena (both Germany), Zurich (Switzerland) and Kerala (India) have recently studied the genomics of the giant duckweed. They discovered that genetic diversity, i.e. the total number of genetic characteristics that are different among individuals, is very low. "This is remarkable given that their population size is very large - there can, for example, be millions of individuals in a single pond", says Shuqing Xu, professor for plant evolutionary ecology at the University of Munster and lead author of the study. To understand the reason behind this mystery, a team of plant researchers headed by Dr. Meret Huber from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena and the University of Munster measured the mutation rate of this duckweed under outdoor conditions, i.e. how many mutations accumulate per generation. The result: low genetic diversity in this plant was accompanied by an extremely low mutation rate. "Our study emphasizes that accurate estimates of mutation rates are important for explaining patterns of genetic diversity among species", says Meret Huber. The results are not only relevant for future studies on the evolution of plants, including many crops that have similar reproductive strategies like duckweeds, they will also accelerate the use of duckweeds both for basic research and industrial applications. The study was published in the journal Nature Communications. Background: Although mutations are the raw materials for evolutionary changes, they are often accompanied by fitness impairments. Evolutionary researchers have hypothesized that natural selection in species with large populations drives the mutation rate to as low as possible. According to this hypothesis, a species with a very large population size may under certain conditions evolve an extremely low mutation rate - which in turn can result in a very low genetic diversity. Until now, however, scientists had not been able to show this connection in eukaryotes, i.e. organisms whose cells have a nucleus. One reason for this is that mutation rates are difficult to measure experimentally. The researchers took samples of the giant duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza) from 68 waterbodies distributed all over the world and read the DNA sequences of their entire genomes. They found that in congruence with their geographic origin the samples fall into four genetic clusters: America, Europe, India and Southeast Asia. Based on the genome sequence information, they found that the genetic diversity of the species is among the lowest values reported in multicellular eukaryotes. Because genetic diversity is determined by mutation rate and effective population size, the scientists then experimentally estimated the mutation rates and calculated effective population size. Since external conditions can influence the mutation rate, they performed the experiments under outdoor conditions. The result: by sequencing genomes, they found that the mutation rate in the giant duckweed was the lowest ever determined for multicellular eukaryotes. The estimated effective population size, as expected, is rather large. The researchers suspect that the enormous population size of the giant duckweed, and therefore the large possibilities of selection in the course of evolution, has led to the reduction of mutations to a minimum. This in turn can explain the low genetic diversity. "Our study provides new insights into why and how genetic diversity differs among different species", says Shuqing Xu. Together with their collaborators, the scientists are currently working on analyzing genomes of even more duckweed samples and plan to carry out outdoor selection experiments. They wish to discover which other factors might have played roles in shaping the evolution of this plant. ### Original publication: S. Xu et al. (2019): Low genetic variation is associated with low mutation rate in the giant duckweed. Nature Communications; DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09235-5 PHILADELPHIA (March 26, 2019) - Nurses play critical roles in patient safety and are often the last line of defense against medical errors and unsafe practices. Considerable research has explored the relationship between the nurse work environment and a variety of patient and nurse quality and safety outcomes. But until now, no synthesis of this body of research has been made to clearly articulate the association between nurse work environments and health care quality, safety and patient and clinician well-being. The nurse work environment refers to organizational elements that influence nursing care quality, such as nurse-physician collaboration, nurse manager support, and nurse involvement in decisions affecting clinical care. A new meta-analysis from Penn Nursing's Center for Health Outcomes & Policy Research (CHOPR) has synthesized 16 years of studies to show the association between the nurse work environment and four sets of outcomes: nurse job outcomes, nurse assessments of quality and safety, patient health outcomes, and patient satisfaction. The article, "A Meta-Analysis of the Associations Between the Nurse Work Environment in Hospitals and 4 Sets of Outcomes," is set for publication in an upcoming issue of the journal Medical Care, but is available online first here. "Our quantitative synthesis of the results of many studies revealed that better work environments were associated with lower odds of negative outcomes ranging from patient and nurse job dissatisfaction to patient mortality," said lead-investigator Eileen T. Lake, PhD, MSN, FAAN, the Jessie M. Scott Endowed Term Chair in Nursing and Health Policy. The researchers did a systematic review of studies from around the world that reported empirical research using the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index. Those studies reported data from more than 2,600 hospitals, 165,000 nurses and 1.3 million patients about the practice environment, nurse job outcomes, safety and quality ratings, patient outcomes, and patient satisfaction. "Our results support the unique status of the nurse work environment as a foundation for both patient and provider well-being that warrants the resources and attention of health care administrators," says Lake. ### Co-authors of the article include University of Pennsylvania alumna Jordan Sanders, of the University of Vermont Medical Center; Rui Duan, MS, and Yong Chen, PhD, both of the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania; and Kathryn A. Riman, BSN, BSPH, RN, and Kathryn M. Schoenauer, both of CHOPR. The study was supported in part by NIH grants 1R01LM012607 and 1R01AI130460 and a research grant from Penn Nursing's Office of Nursing Research. About the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing is one of the world's leading schools of nursing. For the fourth year in a row, it is ranked the #1 nursing school in the world by QS University and is consistently ranked highly in the U.S. News & World Report annual list of best graduate schools. Penn Nursing is currently ranked # 1 in funding from the National Institutes of Health, among other schools of nursing, for the second consecutive year. Penn Nursing prepares nurse scientists and nurse leaders to meet the health needs of a global society through innovation in research, education, and practice. Follow Penn Nursing on: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, & Instagram. TAMPA, Fla. - Hedy Lamarr, Oscar-nominated actress from Hollywood's Golden Age, is among the eight incredibly talented and diverse inventors announced today as the 2019 inductees of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000): Hollywood icon, tinkerer and self-taught inventor, Lamarr retired to Miami Beach, Florida in 1981, and later moved to Central Florida where she spent her final days. At the age of 28, Lamarr invented the Secret Communication System (U.S. patent 2,292,387), which is the foundation for frequency-hopping spread spectrum technologies. Her contribution led to the development of countless wireless communication technologies, including Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth and has spawned significant advances in cybersecurity. However, it wasn't until 1997, when the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) presented her with the EFF Pioneer Award, that Lamarr was first publicly acknowledged for her pioneering invention. She went on to be the first woman to receive the BULBIE Gnass Spirit of Achievement Bronze Award, and in 2014 she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. This year's class also includes: Michael Bass: Professor Emeritus at University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, selected for his significant inventions in the area of optics and spectroscopy that have optimized the use of lasers and optical systems, aiding in the treatment of major diseases and improving the design of the world's fiber optic communication system. Bass is a Fellow of the NAI, OSA, AAAS, and IEEE. He holds 34 U.S. patents. Joanna Fowler: native Floridian, University of South Florida (USF) alum, member of the NAS, and 2008 National Medal of Science recipient selected for her transformative research that enabled the use of molecular imaging to more accurately identify and treat illnesses ranging from drug addiction to cancer. Fowler is a Scientist Emeritus for the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York and holds eight U.S. patents. Thomas Lipo: Research Professor at the Florida State University's (FSU) Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS) in Tallahassee selected for his pioneering innovations in the field of electrical machinery and power electronics that improved the technology that runs subway cars as well as paved the way for hybrid and electric vehicles. Lipo is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, a member of the NAE, and a Fellow of the NAI and IEEE. He holds 45 U.S. patents. Alan List, CEO and president of H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa selected for his dedication to understanding cancer biology and developing novel therapeutic strategies for treating hematologic malignancies such as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myelocytic leukemia (AML). List is an NAI Fellow and holds six U.S. patents. Chris Malachowsky: University of Florida (UF) alum and adviser to the UF College of Engineering selected for inventing the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) that transformed the visual computing industry by creating a consumer-oriented 3D graphics market. Malachowsky is the co-founder of Fortune 1000 company NVIDIA in California, which has evolved the GPU into a computer brain that intersects virtual reality, high performance computing, and artificial intelligence. He holds 35 U.S. patents. Luther George Simjian (1905-1997): prolific inventor, founder of Tampa based flight simulation and training company Reflectone, Inc, now CAE USA, Inc., and pioneer in the concept of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) selected for his many accomplishments including the development of the Optical Range Estimation Trainer used during WWII, which became the standard for simulation defense training, as well as his numerous inventions that advanced technology throughout Florida theme parks. Simjian is a named inventor on more than 200 U.S. patents. Richard Yost: professor of chemistry at University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville selected for his invention of the triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, a groundbreaking analytical instrument that is used daily in drug development, disease testing, food safety, and environmental studies. In 1993, Yost received the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) Award for Distinguished Contribution. He holds 13 U.S. patents. All will be inducted at the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame 6th Annual Induction Ceremony & Gala on Sep. 20, 2019, at the Hilton Tampa Downtown. "We are delighted to announce this outstanding class of inventors whose work has had enormous impact on the state of Florida and our nation," said Paul R. Sanberg, chair of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame advisory board and senior vice president for research, innovation and knowledge enterprise at the University of South Florida. "Collectively, the 2019 inductees hold more than 340 U.S. patents." Nominees, who must have at least one U.S. patent and a connection to Florida, were nominated through an open nomination process and elected by a selection committee comprising distinguished leaders in research and innovation throughout Florida. ### The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame was recognized by the Florida Senate in 2014 with a resolution sponsored by Senator Jeff Brandes that commended the Hall of Fame, "for its commitment to honoring inventors and celebrating innovation, discovery, and excellence." The Hall of Fame is located at the University of South Florida in Tampa and supported, in part, by the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. More information is at http://www.FloridaInvents.org or contact info@FloridaInvents.org. The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame (FIHF) recognizes and commends Florida inventors whose achievements have advanced the quality of life for Floridians, the state and the nation. Founded in 2013 and housed in the University of South Florida Research Park in Tampa, FIHF was recognized by Florida Senate Resolution 1756 in April of 2014. FIHF encourages individuals of all ages and backgrounds to strive toward the betterment of Florida and society through continuous, groundbreaking innovation, and, by commending the incredible scientific work being accomplished in the state, to further the growth of Florida's innovation sector. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Southern Weed Science Society (SWSS) named Neil Rhodes, a professor with the University of Tennessee Department of Plant Sciences, recipient of its Fellow Award at the society's recent annual meeting in Oklahoma City. The Fellow Award is the most prestigious SWSS honor. Recipients must have been members for more than 20 years, have made significant and regular contributions of service to SWSS, and been integral to the success of their university. Last year, Rhodes was presented the Excellence in Regulatory Stewardship Award for tirelessly working to improve the use of herbicides in the South. Rhodes expounds on his most recent distinction, "The society has always been my professional home. I have met countless friends there since I joined as a graduate student in 1979. I am very humbled and proud." Rhodes explained how SWSS fosters relationships. "The reason I am so pleased to be a member is the work being done developing graduate students. In my early days, the society served as a major source of my professional development." Rhodes was working on a master's degree at UT when he first joined SWSS, and after leaving the agricultural chemical industry in 1985, served as a Department of Plant Sciences faculty member. From 2001 to 2008, Rhodes earned the title of Department Head, a position his father also held. His father's work and family homeplace actually inspired Rhodes to become an Extension Weed Specialist. "My father grew up on a farm in West Tennessee. I would visit each summer as a child, and from then I knew I wanted to work with plants," Rhodes recalled. "I knew I wanted to help farmers. There is nothing better than the instant gratification of conducting a growers' meeting and hearing someone say they learned something they might implement. I enjoy assisting others increasing the profitability and sustainability of their operations." Along with being a leading expert, many find Rhodes an affable colleague. Scott Senseman, current head, UT Plant Sciences, relates, "Dr. Rhodes is very deserving of his award. I am proud to work with him and see the positive impacts he is making in the field of weed science." Rhodes is still serving with gusto. "I have had fun and I am still having fun. Helping people -- that is the reward in extension. I am still tremendously enjoying my job." In his acceptance speech, Rhodes communicated his passion to those coming up in the profession. "Weed science is a very exciting career. My generation has solved many problems, but we need new talent to help us now. I told the up-and-comers to enjoy developing their resume in the field, but not to miss enjoying life along the way." ### You can more information about Rhodes' work in Herbicide Stewardship at the UT Institute of Agriculture Herbicide Stewardship website: ag.tennessee.edu/herbicidestewardship. Follow @UTPlantSciences on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for posts about the department's activities. Through its mission of research, teaching and extension, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. ag.tennessee.edu. Strokes are devastating events often associated with people over 65. But large numbers of infants have strokes, too. Now, in the nation's first multicenter pediatric stroke recovery trial, researchers and clinicians from 12 sites across the United States will evaluate an innovative therapeutic approach to help 8-month-old to 24-month-old infants. Called I-ACQUIRE, the Phase III clinic trial will examine the effectiveness of a pediatric therapy to increase upper extremity skills, gross motor development, and cognition in 240 children nationwide who experienced strokes when they were under four weeks old. Sharon Landesman Ramey, a professor and distinguished research scholar at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, and Warren Lo, a pediatric neurologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital and a clinical professor of pediatrics and neurology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, are the lead principal investigators for the five-year, $13.5 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health. The I-ACQUIRE therapy will be tested in children at a three-hour and six-hour daily dose for four weeks to determine whether the more intensive dosage produces better outcomes, or whether the three-hour daily sessions are as effective. The intensive rehabilitation protocol is based on more than two decades of pediatric rehabilitation research led by Landesman Ramey and Stephanie DeLuca, the co-directors of Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Neuromotor Research Clinic. "It's an eye-opener when people learn that babies, like adults, have a very high risk for stroke," Landesman Ramey said. "About half of these infants will not have a permanent impairment, but for the remainder, stroke is a serious event that can produce lifelong, serious neuromotor problems. Given the impact of infant stroke on the child and families, it is astonishing that there is little or no scientific evidence to support the current rehabilitation approaches being used." Findings from the trial have the potential to transform clinical rehabilitation for more than 3,000 newly diagnosed infants annually in the United States who have strokes either before birth or during their first month of life. Perinatal stroke results from a blockage in an artery within the brain in children before they are born or during the first month of their lives. The stroke damage in the brain commonly results in muscle weakness, loss of motor control, and paralysis on one side of the body. It can also affect communication abilities and other developmental areas. "We are honored to bring together expertise in pediatric neurology, psychology, rehabilitation, and neuroimaging to this unprecedented clinical trial," Lo said. "Perinatal stroke is a life-altering neurological condition where there is a vast opportunity to improve early development and independence so that these children can reach their full potential." DeLuca and Landesman Ramey originally developed and tested a novel form of pediatric movement therapy, adapted from a form of treatment for adults known as Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy, when they worked together at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Key features include a specially constructed lightweight cast for the child's non-impaired arm and hand that compels infants to increase their efforts to use the side impaired by the stroke. The casting always occurs jointly with an intensive rehabilitation protocol that is administered for many hours per day, five days a week for four weeks in a row. Unlike adults, infants have not developed use of their upper extremities, so after stroke they are not "recovering" lost skills; instead, they are acquiring brand-new age-appropriate skills that the therapist induces through reinforcement and a process known as skills shaping. "Three or six hours of therapy may sound shocking, but as both parents and therapists will tell you, young children love playing and interacting with people, food, objects and toys -- which is what the therapy feels like to the child. Of course, there are moments of frustration when the therapist is challenging the child," Landesman Ramey said. "For the babies, effective therapy is a form of guided play. They learn how to use their impaired side in every kind of activity from eating, pulling to sit or stand, crawling or walking, to waving and hugging." The I-ACQUIRE trial is part of a national stroke research network, known as StrokeNet, that involves two national and 29 regional coordinating centers funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, a university-level research institute of Virginia Tech, will oversee the I-ACQUIRE phase III trial, which includes funding for the program leadership's work in Roanoke as well as sub-awards to a national coordinating center at the University of Cincinnati, a national assessment core at the Ohio State University, statistics and data management center at the Medical University of South Carolina and a neuroimaging center at Stanford University. DeLuca, with Craig Ramey, a professor and distinguished research scholar at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, and a team of I-ACQUIRE master therapists in Roanoke, Virginia, will directly train the field therapists in the I-ACQUIRE rehabilitation technique and monitor the implementation of the treatment at the 12 locations where clinical treatment will occur. In addition to training field therapists, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute I-ACQUIRE experts will treat children in Roanoke during the trial in a novel parent-home program. "We are very excited to be part of and to play a major leadership role in this very important clinical trial for children," said Michael Friedlander, executive director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and Virginia Tech's vice president for health sciences and technology. "Both Dr. Ramey and Dr. DeLuca are true pioneers and innovators in the development and implementation of this important therapeutic intervention that they now will bring to the entire country in a rigorously designed and controlled study. As a biomedical research institute with a major focus on neuroscience, brain plasticity and development and neuroimaging, we are particularly enthusiastic to see the translation and implementation of fundamental scientific principles from the laboratory to the clinic to improve the lives of children and families." The I-ACQUIRE trial will pay close attention to training and standardization. "Babies take naps when they want, get fussy when they want, get sick, and get needy at unpredictable times," said Joseph Broderick, the principal investigator for StrokeNet's national coordinating center at the University of Cincinnati. "These are all events that will impact the delivery of treatment within the home. However, the therapists will record the amount of therapy delivered so this can be measured. This is critical for the trial and for the future generalization into practice, if the trial is positive." Broderick directs the University of Cincinnati Gardner Neuroscience Institute, but learned firsthand the special challenges families face when infants have strokes after his grandson had a cerebral infarction before he was a month old, and went on to receive the treatment being evaluated in the clinical trial. "Parents are desperate for any intervention that can help their child and three- or six-hours of in-home therapy for five days a week would be extraordinarily welcomed," Broderick said. "The presence of a therapist in the home is not viewed as a burden, but a huge help and opportunity." The therapy is not covered through health insurance, but if it proves effective across the research sites, it could be insured in the future. "This is well-designed study that targets a specific age group," Broderick said. "We will see if it works." In clinical experiences with more than 30 infants who have received this highly intensive form of ACQUIRE therapy before the age of 2, Landesman Ramey said more than 90 percent have benefited. "In this trial, we're focusing on the total child. We are fascinated by how motor development interacts with intelligence and cognition," Landesman Ramey said. "Beside better movement, we've seen children get much better in a language and cognition, and we've seen improvements in their social and emotional development. For a family looking at a lifetime ahead of them with a child who has had a stroke, these changes in multiple aspects are perhaps the most profound and consequential transformation." In addition to the coordinating centers, children will receive therapy at clinical sites in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Cincinnati, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; Houston, Texas; New Haven, Connecticut; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roanoke, Virginia; and San Diego, California. Study enrollment will begin in the summer of 2019. Parents and clinicians interested in participating in the clinical study can find out more by contacting Ramey at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute or consulting the clinicaltrials.gov website later in April. ### The market expectations are now for a Fed rate cut by September. This has not been signaled buy the Fed, but the inverting yield curve and growth concerns mean it is getting more likely. The US dollar remains resilient as the US economy is still relatively strong. Markets are recovering in early Tuesday trading, with Asian markets such as the Nikkei bouncing strongly to reclaim most of Mondays falls. Equities are finely balanced and prone to wild swings as they eagerly await any news on the US China trade deal. This is becoming especially important as growth and recession fears are weighing and the yield curve is making headlines. Last weeks 3m versus 10y curve inversion is suggesting a recession in the US could be coming, and the odds of a rate cut by the Fed are growing. Incredibly, the odds of a rate cut by September are now 60% according to market pricing. Just three months ago the Fed were signaling two further hikes this year. Much of the re-pricing of bonds could be an overreaction. Certainly there are signs of weakness in the global economy, with the China slowdown and some eurozone data particularly concerning. Eurozone manufacturing PMIs released last week can only be described as terrible. Yet the German IFO release for March was not as bad, and we keep hearing of a potential bottoming out of data in the euorzone. Meanwhile, the US has been relatively strong and this is reflected in the performance of the US dollar. With US yields falling and expectations of a rate cut later this year, the USD is still within 1% of the 2018/2019 highs and shows no sign of weakness. You could say the uptrend has slowed, but there is simply no better alternative currency at the moment, with most of the majors such as the Euro, GBP and the Yen all a risky proposition. Tuesday has some Fed speakers (Evans, Harker and Daly), although there is little more for them to communicate to the market after last weeks ultra dovish FOMC meeting. This assumes it is a little early to hint at rate cuts. May Loses Control The British Pound has slowed right down in the last week or so, but there is still plenty Brexit related developments going on in the background. Perhaps after the excitement of the votes several weeks ago, the market has simply grown weary, and if anything, the uncertainty keeps on growing. We now await more votes on Wednesday, which could liven things up again. Heres Danske Bank with a summary of developments, Yesterday, PM Theresa May was forced to abandon plans to hold a third 'meaningful vote', after members of parliament voted in favour of taking control over the Brexit process by demanding a series of indicative votes on a way forward taking place on Wednesday...The indicative votes will not be legally binding and hence we do not know how the EU will respond. As the issue in the UK parliament is still that there is no majority for anything, it remains to be seen whether this is the start towards a compromise in a softer Brexit direction. Our base case remains a long extension but the development on Wednesday is crucial near term. We cannot rule out Theresa May resigning or a general election at this point. The votes could at least tell us what direction parliament wants to take. If there is an overwhelming majority for a certain direction, and the EU are open to it, then a later meaningful vote could settle things once and for all. GBP longs will hope for no deal to be rejected and support for some form of softer Brexit could help ignite the Sterling rally once again. However, the market has learned by now not to get overly excited as there is always another hurdle. UPDATE: The Pound Sterling extended gains against a basket of peers through Tuesday's session amid speculation that hard-line Brexiteers could throw their weight behind PM May's EU withdrawal agreement. At the time of writing, the Pound-to-Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate was last seen trading at $1.32580, up 0.48%. The Pound-to-Euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate received a similar boost with the cross last seen trading at 1.1731, up 0.64% from the session open and pushing the boundary of fresh session highs. The latest GBP rally comes following comments made by Eurosceptic Conservative Party MPs who hinted that they could get behind PM May's EU withdrawal agreement in the face of potentially softer alternatives emerging from Wednesday's scheduled indicative votes. So far, chair of the ERG, Jacob Rees-Mogg (see below) and Tory MP Michael Fabricant have acknowledged that from their perspective, while no-deal is favourable to the PM's deal, the PM's deal would be preferable to a long Brexit delay or any softer options. Whether or not words would translate into votes and if any other hard-line Brexiteers follow suit will only become apparent should the PM re-table her deal. Speculation over a third meaningful vote on Tuesday were put to bed by the PM who announced a lack of support for the deal on Monday. MUFG strategist, Lee Hardman, commented on the ERG Chair's shift, "Comments by Jacob Rees-Mogg show he is formally acknowledging he may accept Mays deal. This increases the likelihood that Mays deal could pass," adding however that "His support by itself cant tip the balance in favour of the deal passing... The numbers still dont stack up. Looking to Wednesday's indicative votes, portfolio manager Mohammed Kazmi of UBP expects the government to reject any proposals backed by the House of Commons. Kazmi wrote "The key question will be whether MPs can rally together and agree on a majority out of the several options that will be presented. Even if there was a majority formed, it is unlikely to be implemented by Theresa May at this stage." Despite a majority of MPs averse to the prospect of a no-deal, it still remains a distinct possibility should the coming days fail to yield any progress towards either Mya's deal or an alternative solution with EU leaders expecting UK lawmakers to present a unified front by the newly set April 12th deadline. Commenting on the implications for the GBP, head of currency strategy at WorldFirst, Jeremy Thomson-Coo wrote that "Currency markets are not going to boost GBP significantly until no-deal risk is dealt with." While the UK's exit date from the EU remains uncertain, the Prime Minister is under increasing pressure to set her own exit date from office as criticism both from within her own party and elsewhere reaches fever pitch. Reflective of increased speculation that the PM could be about to announce a date for her resignation, bookmakers have slashed the odds of a snap election in June with Ladbrokes cutting odds from 6/1 before Monday's HoC session to 7/2 thereafter. PM May is set to address the 1922 Committee later in the session with one MP who refused to be named stating that it was "certainly a possibility" that the PM could use the meeting to set a date for her departure from office. UPDATE: After drifting lower against a basket of peers in early Monday trading, the Pound Sterling (GBP) found support in the wake of comments from anti-EU UK lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg, who suggested a no-deal Brexit to be a very unlikely outcome. The choice seems to be Mrs Mays deal or no Brexit.https://t.co/GggHZ7NEv5 Jacob Rees-Mogg (@Jacob_Rees_Mogg) 26 March 2019 In his eponymously titled Moggcast, chair of the European Research Group (ERG) Jacob Rees-Mogg laid out his evaluation of the current political impasse and suggested that given the anti no-deal stance held by the PM, the cabinet and a majority in the House of Commons, a no-deal Brexit was very unlikely. Rees-Mogg said "The prime minister does not want to leave without a deal. And the cabinet does not want to leave without a deal. And if parliament does not want to leave without a deal, it is therefore very, very difficult to see who you get to leaving without a deal, even though that is the law of the land." Whether or not the ERG would back a third meaningful vote (MV3) on the PM's deal remains uncertain with the outcome of Wednesday's indicative votes expected to provide further clarity. Rees-Mogg said "...I have always thought that no deal is better than Mrs Mays deal, but Mrs Mays deal is better than not leaving at al," adding "leaving the European Union, even leaving it inadequately and having work to do afterwards is better than not leaving at all. As the likelihood of a 'slow Brexit' increases as political turmoil abounds, Wednesday's indicative votes and the Prime Minister's responses should provide clarity as to whether the government intends to pursue the current agenda of the EU withdrawal agreement or another, potentially softer, Brexit approach. Monday's session saw the Pound to Euro, Pound to Dollar exchange rates buffeted by shifting Brexit sentiment with the British first rising in response to speculation that PM May would announce an imminent third meaningful vote only to reverse gains as the PM debunked the rumours. Further upside for Sterling came later in the session as MPs voted to back the Letwin amendment, with investors interpreting the development as a move by parliamentarians to seize some semblance of control over the Brexit proceedings. The amendment, which won by 329 votes to 302, means Wednesday will now be set aside for UK lawmakers to undertake a series of indicative votes in a bid to find an alternative solution to the Brexit impasse out with the 'my deal or no deal' options offered by PM May. As the politicking reaches crescendo levels, volatility for GBP crosses also rose. Apart from the period immediately before the Brexit referendum in June 2016, sterling is now more volatile relative to the euro than at any point since the single currency's launch over 20 years ago. Chart shows spread of GBP/USD 1-mo implied vol over EUR/USD 1-mo implied vol. pic.twitter.com/MvEC2PlCTT Jamie McGeever (@ReutersJamie) 25 March 2019 UK Lawmakers to Hold Series of Indicative Votes In a Bid to Break Brexit Impasse UK MPs are expected to lay out a range of alternative options to break the Brexit impasse, however, given the votes are indicative, there's no requirement for the government to actually follow the directives, even if backed by a majority in the House of Commons. Speaking before the vote on the Letwin amendment, PM May said "No government could give a blank cheque to commit to an outcome without knowing what it is... So I cannot commit the government to delivering the outcome of any votes held by this house," laying the groundwork to reject any proposals. While the PM called off a vote early in the week, there still remains time to call MV3 before the newly set April 12th deadline. Some political pundits have viewed the PMs move as another ploy to win backing for her deal, with the outcome of Wednesday's votes expected to push anti-EU factions towards the deal over the potential of softer options which could emerge from Wednesday's votes. Danske Bank analyst Aila Mihr wrote "While this is another sign that May is Prime Minister in name only, it may actually help getting her deal over the finish line, as some of the Brexiteers, who have made life very difficult for her, seem afraid of losing control of Brexit, as it increases the likelihood of a softer Brexit (customs union or Norway-style single market participation) or a long extension." Other analysts are baffled by what to make of the recent developments. Pictet Wealth Management senior economist Thomas Costerg wrote "Im more worried about no-deal Brexit than the market. Im not clear what Theresa May wants and what (opposition Labour Party leader) Jeremy Corbyn wants these are the two main characters in this play and I cant read them at all." Pictet Wealth Management expect the Pound-to-Dollar exchange rate to tumble to $1.20 in the event of a no-deal Brexit while a UK withdrawal under the terms of May's deal is expected to push the GBPUSD higher, targeting $1.35 to $1.40. Politicians themselves appear to be reaching the end of their tether in terms of patience. Richard Harrington, who resigned as Business Secretary to back the Letwin amendment wrote "It's absurd that now we are in a position of political impasse and... Parliament hasn't actually talked about it on the floor of the House of Commons... That's what I call a democratic deficit. And Parliament has got to talk about it." In total, Monday's vote saw 30 Conservative party MPs defy the party whip to back the Letwin amendment, highlighting the divisiveness within the party. Calls have continued for the PM to stand down with some suggesting a general election could be called by the Summer. Commenting on May's premiership, Former Conservative deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine said "I think she's playing with fire when she says that she is not going to take any notice of what the House of Commons says," adding "Her premiership has been hanging by the flimsiest thread now for some weeks." Looking at the coming days, investor focus is expected to be on what proposals MPs put forward, the expected and realised outcome when put to the vote on Wednesday, and the government's willingness to accept the majority will of the HoC over the current party line of 'May's deal or no deal'. Danske's Mihr outlined the bank's expectations, "Our base case remains a long extension but the development on Wednesday is crucial near term. We cannot rule out Theresa May resigning or a general election at this point," adding with regards to the Euro-to-Pound exchange rate, "as we are in our view heading for a long extension, we see EUR/GBP in a range around 0.85 for an extended period of time." If Wednesday's indicative votes fail to yield a realistic option, focus will shift back to the PM's deal with the UK under extreme pressure to outline a plan to European leaders by April 12th lest be forced to leave the EU without a deal by May 22nd. Commenting on the Sterling, MUFG analysts said "The rising risk of a general election and a no-deal Brexit remain potential banana skins for the pound in the near-term. We are confident that pound volatility should remain elevated, in a note to clients. GBP/USD Stabilises According to analysts at Swissquote, "After the UK Parliament took control of Brexit on Monday, the pound sterling stabilised at around USD 1.32, showing that all options remain on the table. Investors are buying short-term protection against a depreciation of the pound: 1-week implied volatility rose to 16%, while the 25-delta risk reversal measure eased to -1.44% from -0.30 a week ago. In equity markets, reaction was similar with the Footsie edging up 0.02%. Overall, the UK outlook has barely changed: Brexit needs to be addressed!" Germany, Bahrain and the UK are the best countries in the world for career minded expats with moving country to find a better job emerging as the top reason for changing country.But it is the UK that is the top country for learning new skills, according to a new survey of 22,000 expats in 163 countries by HSBC which looks at the best places in the world to work.After the top three comes the United Arab Emirates, followed by Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore, the United States, Canada and then Hong Kong finishing off the top 10.Expats ranked Germany as having the second-best working culture in the world, while almost three quarters (73%) highlight job security as a major perk of working there. It was also rated as the most productive workplace in the world.Bahrain provides the potential for high earnings and 77% of expats agreed that their potential salary has increased since moving, without necessarily having to compromise on their work life balance. Bahrain tends to provide some of the worlds most comprehensive benefits packages with 69% of foreign workers receiving an accommodation allowance, 64% a medical allowance and 23% a bonus to help cover living expenses.The research also suggests that Bahrain is the place to go if you want to be a leader with 59% of respondents working reporting they have developed their leadership skills while in terms of making new friends Brazil, Indonesia and the Philippines are the most sociable work places in the world while 57% of foreign workers say working in Brazil has made them more creative.The research reveals that even with Brexit looming, Britains foreign workforce is educated and ambitious, and more than two fifths have a postgraduate degree at 43% compared to 37% globally.Regardless of their personal circumstances though, the move is usually good for their finances and two thirds of respondents in the UK said that it is easier to acquire new skills in the UK than in their home country.The UK is also the fourth best destination to climb the career ladder, narrowly behind Hong Kong, USA and Singapore, and almost half of the people who move to the UK do so for their career. The average working expat in the UK also sees gains across the board in work/life balance, career progression and earning prospects.Indeed, the positive elements of working life in the UK result in a majority of foreign workers describing the working culture as better than in their home country at 58% compared with 49% globally.British expats, on the other hand, like to seek out a better quality of life, particularly better weather. The top destination for British expats looking to improve their career prospects in the US, followed by Australia, Spain, South Africa, France, the UAE, Hong Kong, Thailand, New Zealand and Canada.Some 41% of British expats said the aim was to improve their quality of life, 30% were looking for a better climate, while 24% aimed to their career. More than 60% said that they have more disposable income than they did at home and more than half can set more money aside for the future.Global talent has long powered the international melting pot of the UK and that does not appear to be slowing down. According to HSBCs Expat Explorer research study, the UK is the best country in the world for those who want to learn new skills, and gains across the board in work/life balance, career progression and earning prospects demonstrate why we have such a strong and diverse workforce, said James Hewitson, head of wealth and advice for HSBC UK .Whether you are taking a calculated risk to secure the job of your dreams or simply craving the warmth of the sun, working abroad can have serious consequences for your finances. Knowing where to keep your savings, how to transfer money and protect against currency fluctuations is vital. Once you have the logistics in order, you can focus on seeking out new experiences, gaining new skills and learning more about your new environment, he added. Tuesday, March 26, 2019 The Democratic Party has chosen the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to hold their 2020 presidential nomination convention. This helps sharpen the contrast with the plutocratic Republican Cult Party of President (King wannabe) Trump. The personality cult of Trump has chosen the messaging of labeling the Democrats the party of Socialists. No city in America has a prouder Socialist tradition than Milwaukee, since they have had a Socialist mayor for 73 of its 174 years since the initial 1846 incorporation. The last socialist mayor of any major American city was Frank Zeidler who served as Milwaukee mayor from 1948 to 1960. Born in September 1912 he died two months short of his 94th birthday in July 2006. One day in about 1994 or 1995, I spoke to two international groups in Milwaukee about Peace Economics, in the morning to the World Federalists and in the evening to the Waukesha suburban group of the United Nations Association. Frank Zeidler was present in attendance at both presentations. He was so impressed with my first presentation to the World Federalists about 10am in downtown Milwaukee that he showed up to hear me again about 7pm in Waukesha about 15 miles away. The last I saw of him, he looked very thoughtful taking it all in, and I was extremely honored but respected his privacy. I have had similar reactions from many groups and individuals who have heard me, but like the parable of the seeds in the bible, many hear a new message, a seed, and forget or are choked off by weeds or fall on rocks (seeds) or are trapped in status quo thinking (message), et cetera. Debbie Metke leader of that group in Milwaukee remains a key fan of mine. Debbie knew me from my five presentations at the five last Fall national meetings of the World Federalist Association of the United States 1998-2002 in Pittsburg, Toronto, Dallas, Saint Louis, and Denver. I gradually lost interest in that group as it changed their name to Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS). I last attended the CGS Santa Fe conference November 4-6, 2005. I stopped being a local CGS group leader in Madison, Wisconsin after a last January 2006 national meeting by conference phone call held in my condo attended by Lee and Tom Brown. Socialist Confusions Milwaukee was settled with German 1848ers many arriving from 1846 to 1854. The Wisconsin Historical Society says "Between 1846 and 1854, a wave of German immigrants arrived, bringing with them expert industrial skills, refined culture, liberal politics, and Catholicism. Milwaukee soon became a center of foundry, machinery, and metal-working industries, as well as a center for brewing and grain trading." 1848ers were disaffected Germans who were inspired by Karl Marx's "Communist Manifesto" but felt they no longer "fit in" in Germany so left for America. But while true communists believe in state ownership of the means of production, democratic socialists believe in freedom and democracy, preferring to use laws and rules to modify and supplement capitalism and avoid monopolistic practices and abuses. Oddly enough the promise of affordable drugs, health care, and education for all, taxing the wealthy, and living wages are very popular among the people, but not so the word socialism. Many European conservatives with their social compacts would be labelled socialists in America. Why is being social good but being socialist bad? Why is community a good thing and communism a bad thing? Why in the eighties was Nicaragua communist and Costa Rica a democracy, even though both had elected leaders, 65% private sector economies, and 35% state owned major industries like banking and petroleum? Often labeling and guilt by association is the major difference. Often those who challenge ruling elites and foreign ownership are demonized regardless of the merit of their positions. Trump as Kingly Cult The Republican Party has long had an interest in big business and strong authoritarian-like leadership. The original Tories in revolutionary days wanted to stay with rule by the king of England. Oddly enough the Republican Party looks like the result of the saying "be careful about your enemies for soon you will be like them". As militaristic Cold War America gradually became more like the totalitarian socialists of the Russia dominated Soviet Union, some of these tendencies gradually became more aggravated. Trump became the cult leader of conservatives and took over the Republican Party and then the nation as he was elected, by the slave era electoral college and with a base of former slave states, despite receiving 3 million less votes. Trump is an internet media king with his 24 million Twitter followers and 16 million Facebook followers. He has used this independent media position along with the effective state TV of fox news to act like a dictator, like many of his most admired world leaders like Putin of Russia (his main mentor), Duarte of the Philippines, and Mohammad bin Salman (MbS) of Saudi Arabia and Kim of Korea. He has used 9000 tabulated lies so far and intimidation tactics extensively to hold his own party in line and limit the effectiveness of his enemies. Enemies include the truth, media, courts, and the traditional national security state in the state department, FBI, and the CIA. Kings and dictators usually use his kind of tactics, making the GOP the party of authoritarianism. His racial appeals against immigrants and various "others" are the dream come true of white nationalists. Lawrence Britt (2003) "14 Characteristics of Fascism" apply to much of Trump's behavior. Empire levels of militarism for 74 years has led to the Trump extremism. America resisted these militaristic economy tendencies for a generation or two, then Reagan sowed the seeds of income inequality, media extremism, and militarism leading to the hollowed out middle class of today's America. Scapegoating then built up the Trump cult. Nature of Militaristic Empire Society Leads to this situation: https://www.academia.edu/11421799/MILITARISM_CONTROL_Empire_Social_Decay_WWW_97_6p Please cite this work as follows: Reuschlein, Robert. (2019, March 26), "Milwaukee Socials Not Kings", Madison, WI: Real Economy Institute. Retrieved from: https://www.expertclick.com/NewsRelease/Milwaukee-Socials-Not-Kings,2019179143.aspx Dr. Peace, Professor Robert Reuschlein, Real Economy Institute, Nominated Vetted 2016 (2 Web Looks), Given Odds 2017 (3 Web Looks), Strongly Considered 2018 (48 Web Looks, one million words) Nobel Peace Prize, a favorite in 2019 (pace double that of last year) for Nobel Peace Prize to be announced Friday October 4th, 2019. Contact: bobreuschlein@gmail.com, Info: www.realeconomy.com A lineup of San Antonio-area chefs has created a food event that will allow ticketed guests to get their goat, but in a good way. The Chef Cooperatives is hosting a Toats McGoats party from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. May 19 that will benefit the Goatalicious Dairy Farm, located between San Antonio and New Braunfels. Proceeds will be used to finish production of the on-site dairy facility. Looking to prevent hackers from tampering with election results, Bexar County officials are moving toward the purchase of a new $12 million voting system that will create a paper trail for every ballot cast. They hope to have the system in place in time for the 2020 presidential election. Bexar County commissioners could take a first step as early as Tuesday to acquire the new voting equipment and supplies. Commissioners will consider whether to authorize county staff to negotiate a contract with Election Systems & Software (ES&S), the countys current vendor, or Hart Intercivic, the other system certified by the state. Either company could provide voting machines with paper documentation. County Judge Nelson Wolff said the county is likely to go forward with the acquisition. A contract could be approved by the Commissioners Court as early as next month. The new machines could be available for hands-on demonstration for voters during the May 4 municipal election. Bexar County became one of the first in the nation to fully convert to touch-screen voting when it invested $8 million in a new ES&S system in 2003. But the countys voting machines are now considered outdated, Wolff said. Were going to have to do it, whether we like it or not, Wolff said in an interview. The reason is because were nearing the end of the life of our system. Another factor driving the purchase of new equipment is concern that paperless systems are vulnerable to hacking. Local governments nationwide began moving away from paper ballots after the 2000 presidential election, marked by a laborious recount of paper ballots in Florida. In many cases, punch-card ballots were only partly perforated, leaving dimpled or hanging chads that made it unclear which candidate voters had selected. No sooner were electronic systems in place than worries emerged about the possibility that hackers could tamper with the machines and alter election results without leaving a trace. A 2016 attempt by Russia-linked hackers to target voting systems in Texas and 20 other states renewed worries that the American democratic process could be undermined. Last year, a fledgling group, the Bexar County Voter Protection Coalition, sent a letter to commissioners requesting a paper document system and assurances that the voting process was secure. Wolff said the new system that county officials are looking at does what people want. I think it alleviates the fears of a lot of people, he said. On ExpressNews.com: State hedges on claim that some voters not citizens The new system will create a two-step voting process. A voter will insert a ballot into a machine, then make selections on a touch screen. The ballot is then printed for the voter to check for accuracy, then inserted into another device that collects the documents. Commissioner Justin Rodriguez said he supports replacing the current machines but wants to ensure that the system will permit the establishment of voting super-precincts, hubs where voters could cast ballots on Election Day regardless of where they lived within the county. Under existing procedures, people can vote at any polling site during early voting but must go to their home precincts to cast ballots on Election Day. Rodriguez said he may be ready to vote Tuesday to authorize county staff to select a vendor and negotiate a contract for the new machines. He would like to have the system available for demonstration during the May 4 election but said he also wants to ensure that voters have a reliable system with paper verification to provide an additional layer of security, in the event of a recount or cybersecurity breach. If we delay this any longer, we wont have time for demonstration in the citys May election, he said. I just want to be sure that we do it right. Bexar County now uses iVotronic touch-screen machines from ES&S that process votes without any kind of paper record. The machines are legal in Texas and 12 other states but are banned elsewhere. Wolff and other officials have said the county uses every available safeguard to protect the integrity of the existing system and that the county has been informed by the Texas secretary of states office that random testing of the machines showed that they counted votes with 100 percent accuracy. On ExpressNews.com: Delays, printing issues accompany near-record voter turnout When commissioners discussed the issue last month, Commissioner Sergio Chico Rodriguez said he had concerns about the timing of the changeover to a new system. He wanted the county to have time to train administrators and election judges, test the system and have a trial run, if officials intended to have the machines ready for use during the presidential election in November 2020. But we do need it. We need to move. People want a paper trail. We do need to give them what theyre asking, he said. It needs to be put out there in school board races, in council races, and then we hit a huge primary and a general election. County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen told commissioners that she wanted a decision on a vendor soon, so that we could put one of the new units in every poll site in May. In Houston, newly elected Harris County Clerk Diane Trautman has said she wants to phase out the eSlate voting machines, manufactured by Hart Intercivic, that have caused problems for voters there. She also hopes to convert to a system with a verifiable paper trail but has said the main obstacle is money. During early voting in the November midterm election, voters in Houston who cast straight-ticket votes choosing all the candidates of a particular party complained that their votes in the U.S. Senate race between Democrat Beto ORourke and Republican incumbent Ted Cruz were not accurately recorded. Harris County officials have said there were instances in which voters supported candidates they did not mean to by pressing buttons on the eSlate devices too quickly. Regardless of what other counties do, Bexar Countys new system, with an extra, final step for paper documentation, is sure to generate longer lines at polling sites. Its probably going to take a little bit longer to vote, Wolff said. Scott Huddleston covers Bexar County government and the Alamo for the San Antonio Express-News. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA The federal government has released more than 108,000 undocumented immigrants inside the United States in the past three months, a top U.S. immigration official said Monday. Ronald Vitiello, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the wave of immigrants, largely from three Central American countries El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala is creating a crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. The migrants are being released, with notices to appear later before immigration judges, because detention facilities are at capacity, Vitiello said. ICE later added that the crush on the feds ability to transport immigrants to detention facilities, and an agreement on how long asylum-seekers can be held also contributed to the releases. OnExpressNews.com: Federal drug raids in San Antonio net 12 arrests; two still at large Vitiello said many of the immigrants will not return to court for determinations on whether they can remain here legally. Unfortunately, that is ... exactly what is happening, Vitiello said. The numbers of people coming to the border, children with their families or children coming alone, is overwhelming the entire system. Vitiello made the remarks in an interview with the San Antonio Express-News ahead of his opening keynote speech Tuesday at the Border Security Expo at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. The expo continues through Wednesday. The wave of immigrants is creating a humanitarian crisis in local border communities and taxing the resources within Homeland Security, including ICE, Vitiello said. Generally, migrants seeking asylum who turn themselves in at the border are held for processing for a short period by the Border Patrol. Then, depending on who they are and their demographics, they are turned over to us and eventually released if theyre a family unit, Vitiello said. During an initial crush of Central American immigrants in 2014, ICE under the Obama administration turned to holding immigrant families at detention facilities called family residential centers. The two largest are in Dilley and Karnes City, both about an hour from San Antonio. OnExpressNews.com: Feds arrest an ex-business partner of San Antonio philanthropist Bill Greehey on tax-evasion charges Vitiello said that, because of the complexities of immigration law, and rulings enforcing a 1997 court agreement known as the Flores agreement, ICE had to adjust because it cannot hold immigrant families longer than 20 days while they seek asylum. That is not enough time for them to go before immigration judges to get their asylum claims adjudicated, so the facilities are now being used instead for immigrant families whose asylum claims have already been rejected and are in the process of being deported. That process lasts less than 20 days. The facility in Dilley had a population Monday of 1,528 and the one in Karnes had 110. What (the family residential center) was built for in 2014, now that situation doesnt exist, Vitiello said. With no capacity to hold asylum-seeking family units longer than 20 days, they are being released. In the last 90 days.... ICE has released 108,500 family units in the U.S., Vitiello said. According to ICE, 47,500 immigrants have been released in the San Antonio area, which stretches down to the Rio Grande Valley. Vitiello also pushed back against critics who lash out at ICE over its operations targeting undocumented immigrants. We dont do any of these enforcement activities without methodical planning, and attention to safety of the community and the people who live in it, he said. When people say things like, ICE is indiscriminately arresting X or Y, or putting little old people in custody, I want to push back on that notion. ...The targets are based on threat. ...These are not indiscriminate sweeps or raids. These are targeted enforcement actions designed to keep us all safe. Vitiello, who joined the Border Patrol in 1985 and rose through its ranks, was picked in April 2017 by President Trump to be acting deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection. Trump picked him again last summer to be acting director of ICE. He is in the process of confirmation to be its director. Louis Barrios says running a small business is the daily process of navigating minefields. Barrios, the president and CEO of the popular Los Barrios family restaurants, identifies those minefields as government policies, inevitable shifts in the marketplace and unpredictable disruptions such as road construction, weather, embezzlement and technology. His determination to give voice to the concerns of business owners explains why Barrios has thrown himself into the middle of political controversies over the years, most notably with his opposition to a city smoking ban and last years mandated paid sick leave ordinance. Listen: Barrios points out that 90 percent of restaurants employ less than 50 people and have little margin for economic error. He suggests that seemingly modest changes in conditions can make the difference between survival and failure. "If you are able to navigate that minefield, then you have a successful business model. If you're not able to navigate it, you go bankrupt. And any particular mine in that minefield can blow you up," Barrios said on this week's edition of the Express-News' Puro Politics podcast. On ExpressNews.com: Council reluctantly makes history on paid sick leave The thing about restaurants and small businesses is that most of them go bankrupt in anonymity, just the way most people die in anonymity, he added. For years, Barrios identified himself as a pragmatic, pro-business Republican, but he moved into the independent category after being turned off by the inflammatory rhetoric of Texas Republicans such as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on the issue of undocumented immigration. Immigrants dont take American jobs, he said. They create the jobs Americans want. On ExpressNews.com: Chick-fil-A out at airport Barrios also weighed in on last weeks much-debated City Council decision to exclude Chick-fil-A from a concessions contract at the San Antonio International Airport because the fast-food company has a history of donating to organizations perceived as hostile to the LGBTQ community. Its a family friendly concept and were a family friendly city, Barrios said of Chick-fil-A. So we should be inclusive to that kind of operator within the airport facility. Hear these and other topics discussed on this weeks Puro Politics podcast. Puro Politics is a weekly podcast with Gilbert Garcia and the Express-News political team as they take you for a spin inside the halls of civic power. Contributors include investigtive reporter Brian Chasnoff, government and politics reporter Dylan McGuinness and business editor Greg Jefferson. Listen and subscribe on: Apple Podcasts Stitcher TuneIn RSS All Episodes Gilbert Garcia is a columnist covering the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470 A San Antonio police officer who was fired after colleagues accused him of trying to give a homeless man a sandwich containing dog feces has won his appeal but hasnt been reinstated. An arbitrator this month overturned Matthew Luckhursts dismissal because he wasnt punished within the required 180 days of the alleged incident. Unfortunately, the arbitrators decision was based on Luckhursts version of the incident even though testimony from officers who were present at the scene established a clear timeline of events, SAPD Chief William McManus said. He is still facing a separate indefinite suspension and we will vigorously defend the decision to terminate him, McManus said. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox Officers reported the dog feces incident happened May 6, 2016, while Luckhurst was on bicycle patrol. Luckhurst testified that he had been ordered to clear out an encampment on Interstate 35 and Houston Street, which had a lot of trash in the area after most of the people walked away. He said he picked up a piece of feces on the ground with a piece of bread and placed it in a tray because he didnt have any plastic gloves. He then told one homeless man who remained to throw it in the trash. No one witnessed the interaction and no body-worn camera footage was found to corroborate Luckhursts story. Investigators found out about the incident after Luckhurst boasted about it, supposedly as a joke, according to a previous report. RELATED: Fired SAPD officer accused of feces sandwich prank says he 'never humiliated a homeless person' Luckhurst was notified of his indefinite suspension Oct. 28, 2016. He challenged the May date, saying injury prevented him from riding a bicycle from April 6 to June 14. An arbitrator voided Luckhursts dismissal, citing uncertain timing and a lack of evidence that it happened at all. Ben Sifuentes Jr., the attorney representing Luckhurst did not respond to a request for comment Monday evening. Luckhurst remains off the job while appealing an unrelated indefinite suspension again involving feces after he and another officer bragged about leaving a mess in the womens restroom. Staff writer Jacob Beltran contributed to this story. Every weekend, Ramiro Cavazos, former CEO of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, makes the 1,600-mile commute back and forth from San Antonio to Washington, D.C., to steer the reins at the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He has been Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside, he says, tending to the inner workings of the operation while connecting with the 250 chamber members all over the country. He reports hes not having a hard time, for several reasons, starting with the fact he sees his family by Thursday or Friday evening each week. Thats no small thing, given flying that much can be sickening my assessment, not his. OnExpressNews.com: Cavazos to ascend to U.S. Hispanic Chamber's top spot Becoming the new president and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic chamber was about starting a new chapter for the organization. It had an urgent need to get past scandals created by Cavazos predecessor and a prominent businesswoman in the organization. Their multiyear extramarital affair led to accusations of sexual harassment and financial impropriety; a $50 million lawsuit; and ultimately a dismissal of the case. The cleanup job was tailor-made for Cavazos, who long has been the guy in the room forging accommodation, connections and civility. He describes himself as a fence-fixer and bridge-builder and makes it a point not to burn the latter. He doesnt speak with bravado when he says his reputation comes from a wholesome, long tenure in San Antonio, where he served as the citys director of economic development before leading the San Antonio Hispanic chamber, the oldest in the nation. He has gotten to know the D.C. chambers operation and examine what it needs to better serve its member chambers. Like all those independent groups, Cavazos job is to promote the growth, wealth and influence of Latino and Latina businesses. He has visited about 25 chambers already, only 225 to go, and so far, he has found great diversity among them. Most are the largest in their cities, though that alone isnt reason to celebrate. The good news is in many communities the Hispanic chamber is the stronger chamber, he says. Were change agents in those communities and by nature not status quo chambers. They focus on business development, but Cavazos says theyve become advocates for pre-K education, higher education and Dreamers hoping to stay in a country they see as their own. Hispanic chambers are also busy creating business incubators, helping Latinos bid on government contracts and getting Latino and Latina leaders on boards and commissions. I still play in the same sandbox, he says. One of Cavazos goals is to mobilize Latinos on critical issues when necessary. We can deploy 250 chambers in an instant, he says. If they trust us, and we trust each other. The Weslaco native and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and St. Marys University has never lived or worked outside Texas before. The job has been made easier because there are so many Texans in Washington, he says. OnExpressNews.com: San Antonio prepares a leader for the national stage Its not too difficult to find a San Antonian either, or someone Cavazos met here. He has found in Washington a renewed appreciation for and perspective on San Antonio. A couple of issues came to mind, such as the challenges of gentrification. Displacement is a challenge that will continue as the city improves the inner core, Cavazos said. Success will hinge on the funding of recommendations made by Mayor Ron Nirenbergs Housing Policy Task Force, he says. Developers are changing that landscape, but theyre not alone. The children who are inheriting their parents properties are flipping homes in those stressed neighborhoods, too. I dont have an easy answer, Cavazos says of rising property values that are impacting older, poorer residents who struggle to pay their property taxes. Those who know him best say having Cavazos in Washington is a boon for San Antonio. They know its hard for him not to advocate for his adopted hometown. Im keeping my Texas perspective, Cavazos says of the bigger pond in which he now swims. The U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce got a payoff, too. Its K Street location is an expensive one. The lease was about up, so Cavazos decided to renegotiate and managed a 20 percent cut. All you got to do is ask, he says. Its what I learned in Texas. San Antonio is lucky to be one of a few large American cities where electricity and water are provided by publicly owned utilities. We are not at the mercy of private corporations maximizing profit at our expense and changing ownership by hedge fund speculators. But how different are SAWS and CPS Energy? Each has a board of trustees, with members approved by City Council. Our mayor serves as an ex-officio member of each board. Each must submit customer rate proposals to City Council for approval. Unfortunately, city oversight is more apparent than real. Both utilities have a long history of functioning as private corporations seeking maximum revenue, service growth and promotion of city business growth, with City Council rubber stamping rate increases, board nominees and wasteful misguided projects like Vista Ridge and Spruce 2. These are both billion-dollar projects that should never have been built, were built over heated public opposition and will become stranded assets, costing us all. Our city government accepts one-third of its budget from utility sources as recompense for its hands-off approach to our publicly owned utilities. In the past, we put the public back in our public utilities. Public policy direction of our utilities should be set by the City Council; our utilities should act in accord with those policies. Our utilities should not have their own legislative agendas and their own paid lobbyists in Austin. These efforts should be integrated into city efforts. Major public policy decisions should be initiated and vetted by our city, not the utility. Resource planning by the city of San Antonio, with full public involvement throughout, would have avoided the Vista Ridge and Spruce 2 debacles. Utility board meetings should follow open government rules, and CPS Citizens Advisory Committee should not function in secret. Board appointments should be done by a public process, with published criteria and questionnaires for selection. Interviews with applicants should be public with the same participation guidelines the city recently adopted for itself. CEO selection for CPS and SAWS should be handled in a similar public process and city manager likewise. Our CEOs, Paula Gold-Williams of CPS and Robert R. Puente of SAWS, like our city manager, should have public accountability. How, for example, is it possible to have no conflict of interest with Gold-Williams serving as chair of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce? For the second time in a year, CPS has selected in secret a new board member, who will have some token public outreach opportunities, and like City Manager Erik Walsh, go to council for an up or down vote. SAWS board Chairman Berto Guerra is nearing the end of his second four-year term, to which he is legally limited. Nonetheless, there is no action by SAWS to begin replacement proceedings Guerra having indicated his desire to continue on until Vista Ridge water begins flowing in 2020. Our democracy is crippled by a good old boy network that holds us in a growth is good, sprawl is great model. We need more than diversity of gender and ethnic origin on our boards and council. Diversity of thought would make the CPS Energy and SAWS boards stronger, but this process of self-selecting replacements without public input all but guarantees that wont happen. At their first Council A Session, council and Mayor Ron Nirenberg passed a resolution committing us to meet the Paris climate agreement goals. Now, the city has released a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan without any commitment from CPS to end its use of fossil fuels. This plan needs to be backed up with real action. CPS fails to commit, sticking to its false flexible stance. I urge voters to judge our council and mayor by their actions to rein in our utilities now. Terry Burns, M.D., is chair of the Alamo Group, Sierra Club. That special counsel Robert Mueller has not resolved all the issues surrounding President Donald Trump is disappointing many of the presidents foes, but its not surprising. Mueller is an honorable man. He is not a bomb thrower. He always defined his role narrowly. All of Trumps attacks on Mueller (and he continued assailing the probe on Sunday night) distracted from the fact that Mueller was not nearly as aggressive as he might have been for example, by subpoenaing the president. At this point, six things seem obvious: First, the full Mueller report must be released as quickly as possible. The letter from Attorney General William Barr makes clear that on the charge of obstruction of justice, Mueller offers material on both sides of the question. Barr quoted Mueller this way: while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. So what exactly did Mueller find? The public and Congress need to know. Second, Barr says he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein have concluded that the evidence developed during the Special Counsels investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense. The Mueller probe spanned 675 days. It took Barr and Rosenstein just two days to let the president off the hook. How did they decide so quickly? The words rush to judgment come to mind. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, said he would call Barr to testify. He must. Third, on the issue of Russian collusion, there is an odd discrepancy between the language Barr uses and what he quotes the report as saying. Barr says: The Special Counsels investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. He quotes Mueller as saying: The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities. The words did not find do not strike me as the same as did not establish. Perhaps I am parsing, but these are legal matters and that word establish raises interesting questions. What did Mueller find? Again, this is an argument for making the whole report public quickly. Fourth, Congress must continue to hold Trump accountable. Republican efforts to shut down any further inquiry should be laughed away. I pointed out in a recent column that it would have been far better if Congress had been investigating Trump simultaneously with Mueller, which is what happened in Watergate. But just because House Republicans ignored their responsibilities for oversight when they controlled the House doesnt mean Democrats should do the same. As I argued, What brought Nixon down were the tapes of his White House conversations orchestrating the cover-up. And we learned of the tapes when his aide Alexander Butterfield revealed their existence, first to Senate staffers and then at an open hearing. Congress, not the special prosecutor, forced Nixon to resign. Nothing Mueller is quoted as saying justifies pretending that there is nothing left to probe. And, yes, there are still investigations into Trump that will continue in the offices of U.S. attorneys. Those inquiries must be protected. Fifth, Mueller should testify before Congress, too. Its important for the public to understand how and why he made the judgments he did during his investigation. Sixth: We have no idea right now if material will emerge over the coming months that will justify impeachment. Impeachment is, in any event, a last resort. In the meantime, everything we have learned about Trump from Muellers inquiry and from media reports suggests potential corruption, conflicts of interest and a leader who has surrounded himself with shady figures against whom Mueller secured either convictions, indictments or plea deals. The case against Trump is strong. If this case needs to be argued in the political sphere, so be it. The 2020 election is 20 months away. President Donald Trump has made fearmongering about socialism a key plank of his re-election campaign. Its more lazy name-calling from a lazy thinker, but this time the lazy name-calling may backfire. For years, Trump has premised his political pitch on the idea that he alone can protect Americans from the many invaders who wish us harm chiefly immigrants, terrorists and globalists. Lately, hes added another boogeyman to the bunch, one thats supposedly homegrown: socialists. In this years State of the Union, he declared, Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country, as if that were ever truly a risk. He has now enlisted his economic advisers in his fight against the great socialist straw man. Ever since 1947, the White House Council of Economic Advisers has released its annual Economic Report of the President. This enormous tome is supposed to summarize the trends in the economy and lay out the presidents vision for solving ongoing and future challenges. Though the document usually has some political spin the presidents economic advisers want their boss to look good, after all it usually sticks to legitimate economic concerns facing the country. Not so this time. When the council released its report this week, it bizarrely included an entire chapter seemingly designed to flesh out cable-news talking points about how Democrats secretly want to turn the United States into a socialist hellscape. Readers of the report might reasonably come away thinking that the most pressing economic questions facing the U.S. economy include: Was collective farming under Mao Zedong successful? How much did Joseph Stalin end up shrinking the livestock population? If these throwbacks seem wholly unrelated to any of the debates were actually having right now as a country, thats because they are. The real debate Americans are having including those on the far left trying to gain greater control of the Democratic Party is about how regulated markets should be and how to make the rules fairer. No one in the 2020 race is proposing that we re-create the Great Leap Forward. Despite what you may have heard from Team Trump, all modern countries have elements of capitalism and socialism. That includes the United States. We have public schools, public roads, subsidized health care for the elderly and other forms of social insurance. Yet we also have private property, and the government does not control the means of production which is, you know, actually how socialism is defined. Trump and his advisers pretend otherwise, in the hopes of confusing and freaking out the public. After all, most people know theyre supposed to be afraid of socialism, even if they have no idea what the term means. In fact, in a Gallup poll last year that asked Americans to explain their understanding of the term socialism, responses were all over the map. The most common answer, volunteered by about a quarter of respondents, was that it had something to do with equality equal standing for everybody, all equal in rights, equal in distribution, something to that effect. Smaller percentages mentioned communism, government control of utilities or even talking to people, being social, social media, getting along with people. Given this level of confusion, its not clear that Trumps strategy to smear the Democratic Party as a Socialist Menace will be terribly effective. Sure, maybe itll mobilize older people who lived through the Cold War and associate socialism with the evil Soviet Union. But Trump probably already had the old people vote locked up. Whether it will scare younger people is a separate question. A majority of adults younger than 30 view the term socialism positively; about 40 percent of those ages 30 to 49 say the same. That might be because of dissatisfaction with the results of the existing (predominantly capitalist) economic system. But it might perversely also be because Republicans have been so relentless in their alarmist attacks on socialism or, rather, socialism. Over the past 60 years since Ronald Reagan warned that Medicare would doom the country to the s-word the GOP has turned into the boy who cried socialism. If you persist in describing popular and not-all-that-radical policies as socialist (protections for pre-existing conditions or letting kids stay on their parents health insurance until age 26), at some point the term starts to lose its negative value. crampell@washpost.com Term limits for supreme court justices have been suggested by some of the 2020 hopefuls for president. First things first, please! We have term limits for the presidents office. I added up the years of just three congresspersons who have been in office, and it came to over 100 years, collectively. Why are Congress members immune from term limits? Some members of Congress have never held a real job. They have never worked for a real living and are mostly all multimillionaires. How do they do that and get away with it? If term limits are to be made on a group, lets make it first where it is long overdue. U.S. Congress should be the first to have term limits! John E. Dallmann Beto a blue strategy? Are the Democrats looking back to 1960 in order to win in 2020? Seems to me they may be doing precisely that, remembering how Lyndon Johnson delivered the 24 Texas Electoral College votes for the Democrats that year. While Beto ORourke may not have much of a chance of heading their 2020 ticket, they could already be planning to include him as their choice for vice president, thereby greatly increasing their chances of turning Texas blue and grabbing those Electoral College votes and virtually ensuring a win. ORourke came close to a major upset in last years race against Sen. Ted Cruz, and if Rep. Joaquin Castro runs against Sen. John Cornyn in 2020, the Democrat turnout will be huge, making it extremely difficult for the Republicans to keep Texas red. Once that happens, it will most likely be impossible to see a red Texas or a Republican administration in Washington, D.C., ever again. M.D. Williams Jr., Boerne Bribery, not privilege Re: College bribe scandal hits wealthy, famous, front page, March 13: This report improperly refers to privileged parents and privileged students being involved in a university admissions scandal. Privilege is defined as a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor, and privileged means having or enjoying a privilege. These parents allegedly gained admission to universities for their children by bribery, not by privilege. Persons who are privileged do not need to use bribery to obtain what they want. More important than the semantical error is the negative effect of describing people as privileged. Because use of the word insinuates an entitlement to preferential treatment, it incites envy, resentment, cynicism and a sense of grievance that create conflict and disunity. As a result, it is both inaccurate and divisive to assert or imply that all wealthy and famous people enjoy unearned advantages or benefits. Bribery and all forms of corruption should be condemned, regardless of the socioeconomic status of the perpetrators, but having the ambition to be successful and the freedom to pursue that ambition have always been aspects of the American dream. Throughout history, they have been and continue to be the principal magnet of immigration. Therefore, referring to all people who have succeeded in acquiring wealth and fame as privileged is a misuse of the word and a misunderstanding of America. Bob Barton A 76-year-old real estate investor, who has property in Connecticut and New York, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of tax evasion. Among the properties that Anthony Valentino, of Palm City, Florida, owns is a 100-unit apartment complex in Naugatuck. According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2011 to 2013, Valentino deposited more than $1.1 million of rental real estate receipts, paid in cash or checks, into his personal bank accounts in Connecticut and New York, and failed to report the receipts on his personal and partnership federal tax returns. For the 2011 through 2013 tax years, Valentino only reported $42,815 in taxable income on his tax returns, and he failed to report $1,008,125 in taxable income. As a result, he evaded payment of $302,449 in income taxes. The investigation also revealed that, in 2013, Valentino made or caused to be made 27 cash deposits totaling $247,100 into his savings account in Connecticut. Many of the cash deposits, which ranged in amounts from $7,000 to $9,900, were made on the same day at different times, or on consecutive days. Federal law requires all financial institutions to file a Currency Transaction Report for currency transactions that exceed $10,000. To evade the filing of a CTR, individuals will often structure their currency transactions so that no single transaction exceeds $10,000. Valentino has paid restitution to the U.S. Treasury of $302,339, but still owes substantial interest and penalties. He also has agreed to forfeit $100,000 related to his structuring of cash deposits. Valentino was released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing. This matter was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations, and the Hartford and Stamford Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter S. Jongbloed. We hate to disagree with Kermit the frog, but it really is pretty easy being green in Fairfield these days. The Town of Fairfields Sustainable Fairfield Task Force will hold a public, informational meeting April 3 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Roger Ludlowe Middle School cafateria, 689 Unquowa Road, to introduce pending proposals to construct carports topped with solar panels in the parking lots of Burr Elementary, Roger Ludlowe Middle, and Stratfield Elementary schools. If approved by the Board of Education and Board of Selectmen, the solar carport project would be completed this summer. Once completed, the carports would produce electricity accounting for about 20 percent of the schools electricity needs. Over the next 20 years, the electricity savings from the carports would exceed a half million dollars and could be more than $1.2 million, depending on how much electricity prices increase over that time. And Greenskies Renewable Energy LLC has completed a milestone solar system for the Town of Fairfield. The new solar array at Fairfield Woods Middle School becomes the 30th solar system to power the towns buildings. The latest project follows seven previous municipal solar installations completed by Greenskies for the town. The new solar installation at Fairfield Woods Middle School provides clean and renewable energy for a healthier environment and, at the same time, saves taxpayers dollars, said First Selectman Mike Tetreau. We are moving our town toward a more sustainable and energy efficient future. Fairfield will produce in just this year alone an estimated 6,000,000 kWh from the 30 solar installations on various town and school buildings which will improve our quality of life and save tax dollars for our residents. Were not sure how much money the town will actually save through its solar initiatives, but renewable energy programs are certainly popular these days. Weve all received phone calls and visits lately from representatives of solar energy companies, spreading the word about their no cost programs. The state of Connecticut is backing these efforts, with solar rebate programs, low interest loans, tax exemptions for renewable energy equipment, and tax credits. The federal government also provides some significant incentives to help the Americans go solar. The federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC), one of the most significant subsidies for solar, was recently extended. This rebate is worth 30 percent of the system cost, and will be deducted from your federal income tax. The ITC applies only to those who buy their system outright (either with a cash purchase or solar loan like the Energy Conservation Loan), and that you must have enough income for the tax credit to be worthwhile. You have to be careful these days when someone calls you on the phone or comes to your doorstep and tells you, in effect, have I got a great deal for you. And individual homeowners have to do some homework, figuring out whether going solar will benefit them in their wallets. But aside from any monetary benefits, solar energy is certainly the green alternative to dirty fuels like oil, as the Town of Fairfield has recognized. And while we cant be sure how long the worlds oil reserves will last, we can be pretty sure the sun will keep shining for the next few billion years. Maybe its easy being green after all. Overlooking Long Island Sound from Fairfields Penfield Pavilion, State Senator Tony Hwang (R-28th), Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), members of the Blue Plan Advisory Committee and State Rep. Brenda Kupchick (R-Fairfield), and First Selectman Michael Tetreau participated in the release announcement of the draft Long Island Sound Blue Plan and the commencement of the public comment period. The event marks the start of the formal 90-day comment period, running through June 21. Proponents of the plan hoped to give an opportunity for the public to provide feedback on the Plan to ensure transparency. Hwang, who worked with former State Sen. Ted Kennedy, Jr. (D-Branford) in the passage of the Blue Plan legislation in 2015, hosted Mondays informational press conference and emphasized that, The Long Island Sound is one of the most important ecological, economic and recreational assets that the State of Connecticut has, and it is critical that we fully understand its spatial bathymetry, ecosystem and impacts of human use to develop a comprehensive Blue Plan strategy to maintain and improve the long term health of the Sound. Please participate and offer your valued thoughts on the Long Island Sound Blue Plan. DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes, who was unable to attend the event, noted, After three years of background research and preparation, unanimous bipartisan support from the General Assembly and the governor, critical outreach and engagement with stakeholders, ecological experts, and various partners, and countless hours of dedication from Advisory Committee members, the Long Island Sound Blue Plan is completed and ready for public review. We are thankful to Senator Hwang for his leadership on Long Island Sound issues and for the support of so many others in the General Assembly in moving this process forward. The Blue Plan provides an opportunity for all with a stake in the future of Long Island Sound to be heard. We are proud to be part of a process that honors these perspectives, employs the best knowledge and protects what we love places important for nature and for people. Despite differences, everyone wins in working together for what matters most, said Nathan Frohling, Director of Connecticut Coastal and Marine Initiatives for The Nature Conservancy. The Blue Plan, legislation created through Public Act 15-66, is not a hard and fast regulation, but rather a roadmap or a guidebook that enables a process by which Connecticut can develop a marine spatial plan to protect Long Island Sounds natural resources and traditional human uses, while allowing for compatible future use and development. The Blue Plan aims to achieve this goal by creating a series of resources and information that can help planners and applicants, make better coordinated and compatible decisions. For more information and to provide comments or feedback on the Blue Plan, please contact DEEP.LISBluePlan@ct.gov or visit the Blue Plan website at www.ct.gov/deep/lisblueplan. FAIRFIELD It wasnt a typical big top, but it was all the excitement of a circus school. The Fairfield Woods Branch Library hosted a visit from Heidi Kirchofer from the Harwinton-based group Matica Arts on Saturday morning, featuring demonstrations and instructions on a range of circus arts, including juggling, plate spinning, baton bouncing and more. NORWALK Simply Smiles, the Connecticut-based not-for-profit organization, will host its annual Keep Hope Alive fundraising event on Thursday, April 25, at Stepping Stones Museum in Norwalk. The fundraiser will begin at 6:30 p.m. with complimentary drinks and hors doeuvres. At 7, Bryan Nurnberger, president and founder of Simply Smiles, will briefly outline some of the organizations current initiatives at its project locations on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation in South Dakota and its childrens home in Oaxaca, Mexico. The evening will also honor Southport couple Lisa and Paul Doocy for their longtime support of Simply Smiles. Paul and Lisa, a former Simply Smiles board member, will be presented with a scholarship for educational initiatives in their name. The Lisa and Paul Doocy Scholarship not only celebrates this amazing couples ongoing commitment, but it will also recognize their legacy by providing educational support for emerging leaders at our childrens home in Mexico, said Nurnberger. Lisa and Paul have been passionate, avid supporters of Simply Smiles since the beginning. Its an honor to have them be a part of our community. In addition to contributing to the scholarship fund, guests will have the opportunity to donate any amount to support Simply Smiles projects, such as summer camp for Lakota youth on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation in South Dakota and the expansion of the Simply Smiles Home for Children in Oaxaca, Mexico. Food and refreshments for the Keep Hope Alive Norwalk event are generously donated by many local businesses, including Little Pub, Asylum Distillery, and Palmers Catering. There is no cost to attend, and the event is open to all. Business casual attire requested. Simply Smiles requests that guests RSVP for Keep Hope Alive at keephopealive.simplysmiles.org. Simply Smiles is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing bright futures for children, families, and communities. The organization partners with populations in need to create physical and emotional environments where suffering is alleviated and from which local leaders can emerge. The work of Simply Smiles instills hope and removes obstacles, empowering indigenous peoples to chart their own course to self-determination and a brighter future. For more information, visit: www.simplysmiles.org. Guyana Goldfields Inc. provides exploration and production of gold. It engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, production, and operation of gold mineral properties. The company also owns and operates gold drilling rights. The company was formerly known as Chiboug Copper Company Limited and changed its name to Guyana Goldfields Inc. in January 1995. Guyana Goldfields Inc. was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. As of August 25, 2020, Guyana Goldfields Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Zijin Mining Group Company Limited. Read More Taubman Centers, Inc. (NYSE:TCO) released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November, 9th. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.49) EPS for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters' consensus estimate of $0.58 by $1.07. The real estate investment trust had revenue of $130.99 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $125.10 million. Taubman Centers had a net margin of 30.09% and a negative trailing twelve-month return on equity of 94.88%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.86 EPS. View Taubman Centers' earnings history. BRISTOL BOROUGH >> The Bristol Riverside Theatre (120 Radcliffe Street) brings back a holiday favorite and welcomes audiences home this holiday season. "An American Christmas Songbook," the theatres first concert in the theatre since 2019, gathers audiences December 9-19 for a heartwarming evening of favorite carols and songs performed by a cast of BRT favorites. Former BRT Artistic Director Keith... You will be hearing of trade wars and rumors of trade wars. That is a slight re-write of Matthew 24:6, which leaves the trade part out. The real verse advises, See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. (NASB) The best rumor from last week actually came from a very good source. Sonny Purdue, the ag secretary, said the new trade agreement would triple the value of ag products that we ship to China. If this works out to be true, it would represent $60 billion a year in ag exports, an incredible number. It is, however, consistent with an earlier rumor that referenced trade of $50 billion a year. The No. 1 principle of grain trading is to buy the rumor, sell the fact. This promotes the view that the market always over-reacts to a good rumor by quickly moving higher, then moderating as reality is realized. Price action last week on the futures markets in Chicago did not support the rumor very well. Corn prices gained four cents, continuing a good recovery after the 3.8612 December futures low of two weeks ago. Being cautious Futures did not boom higher, however. This either means big exports are already in the market, or that the market is not ready to believe the rumor. I am inclined to believe the market is being cautious after being teased for almost four months. The soybeans were actually softer this week, after making a 9.4612 March 21 recovery high from the 9.3434 low of March 12. We are currently at 9.37, down almost three cents this Tuesday morning, March 26. Keep in mind, that analysts have considered the soybeans to be over-priced for market conditions, and corn maybe under-priced. Corn looks to be finally losing some of the burdensome carryout from five good crops, while the soybeans are losing a little this year after a record expectation of nearly one billion bushels left over. If we increase soybeans due to late planting or price considerations, it will add back in carryout bushels. There is support for the rumors, however. China has made good-faith purchased of corn, soybeans, pork, soft white wheat, and sorghum over the last few weeks. Trade rally It is hard to believe that we would not kick off at least a large short-term rally if a trade agreement anywhere near the size of the rumors did materialize. May Chicago wheat futures have finally headed north on the charts after declining for several months. We thunked the bottom of 4.27 on March 11, but got as high as 4.73-34 on March 22. We are currently at 4.76-14, up nearly seven cents this Tuesday so far. Wheat futures have been held down by a near-record level of short positions from the fund traders. The corn and soybean moves have come as the funds have added to near-record levels of short speculation in those commodities. The good news there is that every time we see a huge short spec position, there is usually a huge long spec position to follow. Thus, the specs can be the force that adds to any rally when it is sparked off. Record floods Fundamentally, the biggest news in the markets is really the record floods in the western Corn Belt. Farms in Nebraska are being devastated, and there is talk already that some areas will not even be planted. Large areas along the Platt, Missouri, and Mississippi Rivers are flooded, with snow and rain still going on. The market has not yet made any big move with this devastation because it is early. If this were April instead of March, the prices would be going crazy as we worried that significant acres would not be planted or would be planted late. The reality is that these conditions could continue long enough to still limit corn acres and yields. Amazingly, we in northeast Ohio are looking at the best spring in my lifetime if we do not change to wet weather. I saw tillage along Route 11 in Ashtabula County last week. We did not end the winter with two feet of snow to melt. In fact, we had no snow cover. My first maple tree budded out the first full day of spring, so the sugar season is over and local farmers can pull taps and get ready for planting. Dairy Crest has announced that it will hold the milk price it pays to its Davidstow farmers at 29.9p per litre for May 2019. The price is held for a fourth consecutive month, and has been agreed with by Dairy Crest Direct (DCD). Chris Thomson, Group Procurement Director at Dairy Crest, said the company recognises the importance of giving its farmers 'stability'. He said: As the expansion at Davidstow progresses and we continue with the transition to the new milk pricing schedule, we recognise the importance of keeping our farmers informed and being available to answer any questions. DCD Chairman, Steve Bone, added: Dairy Crest Direct appreciates the confidence that this continuing stability brings to our members. It follows news of Dairy Crest agreeing to be bought by Canadian company Saputo in a deal worth just under 1bn. Both companies announced an agreement in February 2019 on the terms of a cash acquisition by which Saputo will acquire Dairy Crest. Dairy Crest employs approximately 1,100 people in seven locations across the country. An agreement has been reached between the UK and Welsh government regarding the distribution of the red meat levy which will see money making its way to promote the sector in Wales. Farmers and processors make financial contributions on every animal towards promotion, marketing and development work by Hybu Cig Cymru-Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), Wales's red meat levy. Because of the structure of the slaughterhouse industry, many Welsh farmers were using facilities across the border, which meant funding ended up in England. The slaughterhouse industry's restructuring over the decades has disadvantaged the levy as there has been a lower amount of funds available to do essential marketing and promotion work. The UK government has now supported an amendment to the Agriculture Bill which will allow the return of the levy funds to Wales. Rural Affairs Secretary, Lesley Griffiths said the extra money is 'desperately needed' by Welsh agriculture after the UK leaves the EU. She said: The Welsh government is content the amendment provides appropriate means to resolve the long-standing issue of repatriation of the red meat levy. Shadow Rural Affairs Secretary, Andrew RT Davies, said Welsh farming has been placed at a 'huge disadvantage' for decades. Many farmers are forced to use facilities across the border with vital funding ending up promoting the red meat sector in England, he said. Im therefore very pleased to see that arrangements will be made on the face of the Bill to ensure this imbalance in monies is now redressed to the benefit of farming and red meat in Wales. The decision by the European Commission not to renew the fungicide Chlorothalonil is a 'severe blow' to farmers. Chlorothalonil the active ingredient in Bravo will not be renewed after member states of the EUs Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCoPAFF) voted to ban it. Despite the ruling, the fungicide has been recently re-authorised in a number of countries, such as Canada. Chlorothalonil is seen as an essential tool in the UK to keep resistance development under control. It plays a vital role underpinning control of fungal diseases in UK crops like barley, wheat, asparagus and narcissus. In Ireland, the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) called the EU's decision as a severe blow to the industry. IFAs Grain Committee chairman, Mark Browne said: The loss of the product is going to compound the income crisis in the sector. Grain farmers have already experienced successive years of poor returns, which have resulted in a 20% reduction or 67,500ha in the total area planted to the main cereal crops over the past 10 years. The European Commission said: The commissions proposal for a non-renewal of chlorothalonil submitted to member states was endorsed by member states. The proposal is based on the European Food Safety Authoritys scientific assessment which concluded that the approval criteria does not seem to be satisfied for a wide range of reasons. There are also serious environmental concerns, notably high risks are identified for fish and amphibians and great concerns are raised in relation to contamination of groundwater by metabolites of the substance. Northern Irish farmers have criticised the Department for Agriculture for using a 'sneaky, back door approach' to proposals looking at tackling ammonia. The Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) has submitted its response to Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture (DAERA) proposals on the future Nitrates Action Plan (NAP). It has criticised the department for using a sneaky, back door approach and taking liberties in the absence of government ministers to slip ammonia measures into the proposals. DAERA must take a common sense approach. Including ammonia measures in NAP is nonsensical and counterproductive, said UFU president, Ivor Ferguson. Work is already underway to create an Ammonia Action Plan, these measures are better discussed and consulted on as part of that process. The UFU said it is 'seriously concerned' about the majority of the proposed changes to NIs current Nitrates Action Programme. It says, if implemented, they will have a 'hugely detrimental' effect on local farm businesses and the agri-food industry as a whole. Mr Ferguson added: The suggestion to cover new outdoor slurry stores from 1 January 2020 and existing stores by 2022 is just one example of the totally unworkable proposals coming from DAERA. Ultimately, it will all add additional cost, paperwork and frustration to farm family businesses. This is not acceptable. It is vital that NI secures an approved Nitrates derogation but we must not cripple the industry in the process, he said. DAERA have also included a number of measures relating to ammonia in the proposals such as the covering of tanks, banning of urea and phasing out of splash plates. However, the UFU said evidence shows catchment based approaches working with local farmers and other partners is the best way to achieve results. 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 Paul Atanga Nji Minat The government of Cameroon , through the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, has announced that separatists are increasingly laying down their weapons in North West region, with 16 of them already integrated at the regional centre for Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR). Minister Atanga Nji while inaugurating the North West DDR centre on Monday in Bamenda, said 27 of the fighters didnt want to live in the bushes anymore, and had opted to be reintegrated. " This centre was created just barely three months ago, but they have dome a lot of things..The inmates are happy to have been integrated in the centre. We have information that 27 new fighters have laid down their weapons, and we are sending vehicles to go and take them to camp, because they are convinced that they cannot stay in the bushes, boasted Paul Atanga Nji. He further called on Cameroonians and partners who are preoccupied with the situation in the Anglophone regions, to jointly support government's efforts done so far to bring back peace and sanity in the North West and South West. He stressed on the fact that no one knew Cameroon, better than its President Paul Biya and should respect the decisions he takes, for the good of all. Paul Atanga in numerous outings had made calls for secessionists to drop down their weapons and get reintegrated into the society. Many elites had made same calls but the results havent been encouraging. The national coordinator of DDR, Fai Yengo Francis, in an exclusive on state radio recently, said some of the separatists simply dropped their weapons and went away. A step he says its of the solution. He reassured the concerned not to be afraid because nothing would happen to them. March 26, 2019 Fast Facts The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is cautioning pet owners not to feed their pets three lots of Darwins Natural Pet Products raw dog food after samples from these lots tested positive for Salmonella. The codes for each product are listed in the second group of numbers below the barcode on the package. These products are as follows. Darwins Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Chicken Recipe with Organic Vegetables for Dogs: 5309(11)181019, manufactured on October 19, 2018 Darwins Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Chicken Recipe with Organic Vegetables for Dogs: 5375(11)181106, manufactured on November 6, 2018 Darwins Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Turkey Recipe with Organic Vegetables for Dogs: 5339(11)181026, manufactured on October 26, 2018 If you have these lots of Darwins Natural Pet Food, throw them away. The FDA is issuing this alert because these three lots of Darwins Natural Pet Products raw dog food represent a serious threat to human and animal health and are adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act because they contain Salmonella. Salmonella can affect both human and animal health. People with symptoms of Salmonella infection should consult their health care providers. Consult a veterinarian if your pet has symptoms of Salmonella infection. What is the problem? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is cautioning pet owners not to feed their pets three lots of Darwins Natural Pet Food because products from these lots tested positive for Salmonella. These products include two lots of Darwins Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Chicken Recipe with Organic Vegetables for Dogs (identified in the second group of numbers below the barcode as 5309(11)181019 and 5375(11)181106) and one lot of Darwins Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Turkey Recipe with Organic Vegetables for Dogs (5339(11)181026). These products are manufactured by Arrow Reliance Inc., doing business as Darwins Natural Pet Products, and are sold online direct to consumers. The FDA collected and analyzed unopened samples of products from these three lots in response to a consumer complaint. Samples from all three lots tested positive for Salmonella. Why is the FDA issuing this alert? The FDA is issuing this alert because these three lots of Darwins Natural Pet Products raw dog food represent a serious threat to human and animal health and are adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act because they contain Salmonella. Because these products are sold and stored frozen, and the FDA is concerned that people may still have them in their possession. The FDA considers the actions taken by Arrow Reliance to remove violative product from the marketplace to meet the regulatory definition of a recall. However, the firm has not issued public notification, and the FDA is not confident that the firms customer notifications are effective for this ongoing recall. The FDA continues to work with Arrow Reliance, doing business as Darwins Natural Pet Products, on recalling the remaining products from these lots. What do I need to do? If you have Darwins Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Chicken Recipe with Organic Vegetables for Dogs (5309(11)181019 and 5375(11)181106) or Darwins Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Turkey Recipe with Organic Vegetables for Dogs (5339(11)181026), stop feeding it to your pets and throw it away in a secure container where other animals, including wildlife, cannot access it. Consumers who have had this product in their homes should clean refrigerators/freezers where the product was stored and clean and disinfect all bowls, utensils, food prep surfaces, pet bedding, toys, floors, and any other surfaces that the food or pet may have had contact with. Clean up the pets feces in yards or parks where people or other animals may become exposed. Consumers should thoroughly wash their hands after handling the recalled product or cleaning up potentially contaminated items and surfaces. What is Salmonella and what are the symptoms of Salmonella infection? Salmonella is a bacterium that can cause illness and death in humans and animals, especially those who are very young, very old, or have weak immune systems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people infected with Salmonella can develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. Most people recover without treatment, but in some people, the diarrhea may be so severe that they need to be hospitalized. In these patients, the Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream and then to other body sites unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. Consult your health care provider if you have symptoms of Salmonella infection. Pets do not always display symptoms when infected with Salmonella, but signs can include vomiting, diarrhea (which may be bloody), fever, loss of appetite and/or decreased activity level. If your pet has these symptoms, consult a veterinarian promptly. You should also be aware that infected pets can shed the bacteria in their feces without showing signs of being sick. Why is the FDA concerned about Salmonella in pet food? Pet foods contaminated with pathogens such as Salmonella are of particular public health importance because they can affect both human and animal health. Pets can get sick from Salmonella and may also be carriers of the bacteria and pass it onto their human companions without appearing to be ill. The FDA is aware of cases in which humans and/or animals have gotten sick from exposure to contaminated pet foods (Salmonella-human cases, Salmonella-kitten, Salmonella-kitten, dog). Once Salmonella gets established in the pets gastrointestinal tract, the animal can shed the bacteria when it has a bowel movement, and the contamination will continue to spread. Because animals can shed the bacteria when they have bowel movements, its particularly important to clean up the animals feces in yards or parks where people or other animals may become exposed, in addition to cleaning items in the home. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) requires that all animal foods, like human foods, be safe to eat, produced under sanitary conditions, contain no harmful substances, and be truthfully labeled. Pet food manufacturers must effectively manage sourcing of ingredients, processing and packing to control pathogens. Without an effective control, such as cooking, raw pet food is more likely than other types of pet food to contain pathogens such as Salmonella. Refrigeration or freezing does not kill the bacteria. Pet owners who choose to feed raw pet food should be aware of the risks associated with these products. The FDA is the Federal agency that regulates pet food, while the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulates meat and poultry for human consumption. USDA-regulated raw meat and poultry products for human consumption are intended to be cooked and carry instructions to cook the product to a safe temperature. However, raw pet food products are intended to be served without cooking, which creates a potential health hazard for people and pets exposed to these products. How can I report a pet illness? People who think their pets have become ill after consuming contaminated pet food should first contact their veterinarians. Veterinarians who wish to have pets tested for Salmonella may do so through the Vet-LIRN Network if the pet is from a household with a person infected with Salmonella. The FDA encourages consumers to report complaints about pet food products electronically through the Safety Reporting Portal or by calling their states FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators. For more information Turkey is a country that needs to be experienced with all of the senses. Visitors to Fethiye are drawn by photographs of the beautiful, lush Meditteranean scenery, reports of a wonderfully warm climate and friendly, hospitable people. And of course, thats all true. Once you arrive youll immediately realise theres much more to being in Fethiye than any information can possibly describe. The feeling of the warm sun on your face, the sound of the sea rippling along the edge of the beaches, the call of the simitci as he walks the streets selling his sesame seed coated bread rings (simits) One of the most distinctive sounds you will hear is that of the ezan (adhan in Arabic meaning to listen, to hear, be informed about). What is the ezan? The Five Pillars of Islam are the five obligations that every Muslim must satisfy in order to live a good and responsible life. One of these obligations is Salat, performing ritual prayers (namaz) five times each day The ezan (call to prayer) summons the faithful to the mosque for these prayers. In Turkey, the call to prayer is a central part of daily life and echoes throughout Turkey at five set times of the day. The exact time of the ezan is determined by the timing of sunset and sunrise. Gunes: Dawn (just before the sun appears) Ogle: Midday (when the sun passes its peak) Ikindi: Afternoon (when objects and their shadows are equal height) Aksam: Sunset (when the sun has disappeared below the horizon) Yats: When the last light of day has disappeared Muslim men should go to the mosque to pray although it is not compulsory as they can pray at home. If they pray in a mosque they get more reward. Friday is a congregational prayer held just after noon instead of the Ogle prayer and many Turkish people attend the mosque only on Friday due to work commitments. Who calls the ezan? The muezzin is a chosen person at the mosque who leads the call (ezan) to Friday service and the five daily prayers from one of the mosques minarets. The muezzin typically recites the call to prayer into a microphone in the main prayer hall where it is then pumped through loudspeakers installed on the minarets. What does the ezan mean? God is the greatest (Allahu akbar); intoned four times. I testify that there is no God but Allah (Ashhadu anna la ila ill Allah); intoned twice. I testify that Mohammed is Gods Prophet (Ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasul Allah); intoned twice. Come to prayer (Hayya alas salah); intoned twice. Come to salvation (Hayya alal falah); intoned twice. God is the greatest (Allahu akbar); intoned twice. There is no God but Allah (La ilah ill Allah); intoned once. Another line is sometimes added to the first prayer of the morning (pre-sunrise): Prayer is better than sleep (Assalatu khayrum minan naum); intoned twice. Amazing Call to Prayer from Minaret What a beautiful call to prayer from a minaret by two muezzins. Posted by IlmFeed on Tuesday, June 20, 2017 Visiting a mosque Mosques in Turkey welcome non-Muslim visitors who, when correctly dressed, are allowed to stroll around and spend some time there. Working mosques can be visited at any time except during prayers. Shoes must be removed before entering the mosque. Wear modest, conservative clothing which exposes a minimum of flesh. No shorts or sleeveless shirts on either men or women Women should wear trousers or a dress or blouse and skirt (at least below the knees), preferably with elbow-length or longer sleeves (no bare shoulders or upper arms), and a headscarf. Next time youre in Fethiye and the muezzin calls the ezan, stop and savour the moment. If youre lucky enough to be up high youll hear it echoing all across the town. MINISTER REDDY AT THE COMMISSIONING OF THE NADARO VILLAGE PROTECTION PROJECT The Commissioner Central Division, Provincial Administrator, District Officer, Invited Distinguished Guests, Relevant Stakeholders, Media Personnel, Ministry Staff, Ladies and Gentleman.Ladies & Gentlemen, its a pleasure to be here today amongst you all to commission a very important project which means a lot to our life style. Rivers are an integral component of the lifestyle of every Fijian. If we study the how and where villages were established, you will note that we will find a common patternthat most of them were located alongside Rivers. People choose to live along the river banks for various reason including, availability of fertile land, availability of water for washing, bathing, farming and potable purpose and waterways as a means for transportation etc. For us in Fiji, rivers are part of our way of life, it is an integral component of our customs and culture.However, over the last two decades, this very source of our existence is now under threat do to climate change as well as factors caused by us. The river banks are eroding off.Our rivers are constantly changing their course. While some may say that Riverbank erosion is a natural process, however human activities have had a significant impact on the rate and magnitude of morphological change in our rivers. Given above its either of the two;a. Either we are living on active flood plains/banks and invading the rivers, or;b. Rivers are reclaiming what is theirs and are fast encroaching our lands and homesLadies & Gentlemen, many times our actions are such that we disturb the delicate balance of nature through our activities. Many of you would agree with me that activities like works on the banks thus destabilizing the banks, unsustainable farming practices along close proximity of rivers and regulating river flows often have detrimental impacts of which riverbank erosion is a critical one. While we have lived in harmony with our rivers in past, which has provided us a source of livelihood, this very river now, is fast encroaching and are threatening our livelihood and properties.Ladies & Gentlemen, Riverbank erosion is becoming prevalent in Fiji, threatening communities living along the river systems. For all of you living here in Nadaro, its dire and intervention is necessary to address river bank erosion. Nadaro Village is surrounded by Waisere Creek, with the village boundary fixed to the meandering feature of the creek. As such during the period of peaks flows flood water flows towards the village, causing scouring at the foot of the bank leading to destabilization and eventual erosion of the bank. The eroding of Waisere Creek bank poses an imminent threat to the Nadaro Village.Ladies & Gentlemen, The shift of the bank towards the village has compromised the safety of a few houses. The Waisere creek is highly sinuous (higher sinuosity index) fluvial system. As such, the natural meandering of the creek makes the banks more unstable contributing to bank erosion. Taking above into consideration the government will assist the Nadaro Village Community through the provision of river bank protection infrastructure.Todays work consists of of installation of the gabion box retaining wall and groynes. A 112m long river bank protection works will be constructed by Hot Spring Hire Service at a cost of $431,333.17 VIP and the construction period will be 120 Calendar Days. The installation sequence of gabion boxes comprise the following principal elements:i. Mobilization and demobilization work.ii. Excavation and Compacted soil backfill work.iii. Supply, transport and proper placing of boulders (350mm ~ 500 mm) as toe protection works.iv. Supply, transport, and installation of Gabion retaining wall and groynes.Ladies & Gentlemen, the river bank protection will benefit the Nadaro Village Community as follows:a. Protection of land, protection against erosionb. The stabilisation of river banks reduces the loss of landc. Reduction of excessive sedimentation within watercourses, which silts up gravel beds and destroys spawning and invertebrate habitatd. Reduction of channel widening which results in shallow flows especially in dry season, which can cause increases in water temperature and reductions in oxygen levels, affecting aquatic organismsLadies & Gentlemen, while we are committed to addressing riverbank erosion through different means, we also need to understand that we need to give room to the rivers to flow during peak events. The Ministry of Waterways is committed to advise communities to live with the river. Furthermore, the Ministry is committed to ensuring that our vulnerable communities who face issue around riverbank erosion are protected and are safe. While Ministry has provided hard infrastructure to arrest this issue here, I urge the communities to use ecosystem-based approaches to further increase your resilience to such bank erosion The Bombay High Court has dismissed the Income Tax Department's tax appeal allowing Karan Johar's Dharma Productions to claim over Rs 7 crore as an expense. The filmmaker can now finally take a sigh of relief. Had the verdict ruled against KJo's favour, his production house would have had would have had to pay the amount. Shahrukh Khan's Sweet Gesture For A Differently-Abled Fan At IPL 2019 Will Leave You Smiling! Speaking about the cases, the two date back to 2005-2006 - Kaal and 2008-2009 - Dostana. Karan Johar's production house climbed Rs 2.67 crore as expenses for positive prints and advertisement for Kaal and Rs 4.46 crore was claimed as advertisement expenses for Dostana, reported Mumbai Mirror. As per the reports in TOI A division bench of Justice Akil Kureshi and Sarang Kotwal, dismissed the appeals filed by the department. The report stated that the bench observed that even if the department was right that the expenses could not be claimed as the cost of production, another section of the Income Tax allowed those expenses to be claimed as business expenses. Therefore, the cumulative effect was that the production house could have claimed the amounts as expenses and need not to pay tax on the same. On the work front, Karan Johar's next production is the multistarrer Kalank followed by Student Of The Year 2 which stars Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria and Ananya Panday. The filmmaker will returning back to the directorial chair after a long gap. He will be helming Takht which boosts of a stellar star cast which includes Ranveer Singh, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, Janhvi Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar and Anil Kapoor. RX 100 Remake: Tara Sutaria Confirmed To Play Ahan Shetty's Leading Lady In His Debut Film The Chinese word for crisis, weiji, means danger and opportunity This reflects the China strategy of ADM Capital, which is opportunistic in manoeuvering nimbly across the wreckage of defaulted or distressed companies as it hunts for good investments ADM Capital invests opportunistically Many clients approach ADM Capital because they require financing to complete a project or to opportunistically pursue growth strategies, said Celia Yan, the head of greater China investments at ADM ADM, which stands for Asia Debt Management, mostly provides debt financing for companies which are unable to obtain financing via traditional channels Generally, loans range from $20 million to $50 million While ADMs debt investments can be short... International Payments Fintech Start-up Airwallex has Raised $100m USD in Series C Round Led by DST Global Airwallex will use the investment to accelerate international expansion to empower marketplaces, online sellers and SMEs to grow their businesses LONDON, March 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Airwallex confirms unicorn status following a successful Series C fundraising round of $100m USD, valuing the company at over $1bn USD. Airwallex's Series C fundraising was led by DST Global, which has previously backed internet giants Facebook, Airbnb and Spotify and fintech leaders Nubank and Robinhood. The new capital will be used to expand Airwallex's suite of international collection and payment products and to support global expansion into the US, UK / Europe and Southeast Asia . and . Airwallex is committed to empowering marketplaces, online sellers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to grow their businesses. Founded in Melbourne (Australia) in 2015, Airwallex has grown from an emerging start-up to a global challenger in the cross-border payment space. Airwallex offers an end-to-end solution for businesses to make payments and move money programmatically on a global scale, supporting a client base of internet titans including JD.com, Tencent and Ctrip, and large financial service companies including MasterCard. With Airwallex, customers can instantly create Global Accounts with local bank details, access interbank exchange rates and send money through local and international clearing networks to more than 130 countries. Top-tier investor DST Global led the Series C fundraising round, which closed at $100m USD. DST Global has been a primary investor across a number of global technology success stories, including Facebook, Airbnb and Spotify, and other fintech leaders, such as Nubank and Robinhood. Alongside new investor DST Global, existing participants from Airwallex's previous rounds returned for the Series C fundraising, including Sequoia Capital China, Tencent, Hillhouse Capital, Gobi Partners, Horizons Ventures and Square Peg Capital. The round brings Airwallex's total capital raised to over $200m USD. Just three years after it was founded, Airwallex is now valued at over $1bn USD, confirming its position as a newly minted fintech unicorn. Accelerating product development and global reach to help marketplaces, online sellers and SMEs "We started Airwallex because we knew there was a better way to make global payments," said Airwallex CEO and Co-founder Jack Zhang. "Airwallex is proud to free businesses from many of the traditional barriers that have made international transactions so difficult. Our mission is to build a worldwide, technology-driven financial infrastructure that will help our customers - including marketplaces, online sellers and SMEs - grow their businesses globally." Alongside global expansion, the funds will also be used to continue product development, with an emphasis on delivering further value to marketplaces, online sellers and SMEs. Airwallex aspires to become the operating system of global banking, offering customers a truly global financial platform that serves their growing business needs. Tom Stafford, Managing Partner of DST Global, said, "The growing eCommerce industry needs a technology-focused payments network that is reliable, cost-effective and provides data transparency. Airwallex has built such a network and we are excited to partner with Jack and the team as they continue to grow their business." NOTES TO MEDIA Interview opportunities Jack Zhang (CEO and Co-Founder) and Lucy Liu (President and Co-Founder) are available for telephone interviews. Please contact marketing@airwallex.com to arrange. About Airwallex Airwallex is a fintech redefining payments globally. Since 2015, Airwallex has secured over $200 million USD in external funding, supported by top-tier investors including DST Global, Sequoia Capital China, Tencent, Hillhouse Capital, Gobi Partners, Horizons Ventures, SquarePeg Capital, and MasterCard. The company uses advanced technology to enable low-cost, high-speed and transparent international payments encompassing the entire cross-border payment value chain, from global collection to foreign exchange and international payments. Led by a highly capable, experienced, and driven executive team, we have established international offices across Hong Kong, Melbourne, Shanghai, Singapore, London and San Francisco. www.airwallex.com For further information If you have any questions or would like to request further information, please contact: marketing@airwallex.com , +44(0)203-837-3747 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/840609/Airwallex_Logo.jpg CHENGDU, China, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In late March, the fields surrounding the suburbs of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, are covered with golden rapeseed blossoms. A few days ago, a delegation from the Sino-Russian Youth Business Club in St. Petersburg paid a visit to the modern agricultural facilities in the Qingbaijiang Area of the Sichuan Free Trade Zone, where the level of openness and the advanced state of the agriculture left a strong impression on the delegation's members. Consequently, they decided to take part in the 2019 (Inaugural) Chinese Agricultural Transformation of Scientific and Technological Achievements and the 7th Chengdu International Urban Modern Agricultural Expo (IUMAE), two events taking place between the 25th and 28th of April and organized by the municipal government of Chengdu with planning and execution handled by Chengdu New East Exhibition Co., Ltd. The delegation plans to discuss agricultural trade and investment in the city by Russian businesses with Chengdu government officials and entrepreneurs during the event. The event is just one example of Chengdu's exchanges with the global community. Since China's introduction of the opening-up policy 40 years ago, Chengdu has become the most vibrant and entrepreneurial city in western China. With regional GDP exceeding 1.53 trillion yuan (approx. 228 billion USD) in 2018, Chengdu rivals Finland, a country ranked 42nd in the world in terms of this key economic indicator. Chengdu, in which 285 of the top 500 global companies have an office or some form or representation, has been the undisputed leader in western China in terms of the number of companies located there, the amount of investment and the multiplicity of sectors. The city, with a more open-minded approach and a world-class business environment, is creating huge development opportunities for global investors. The IUMAE, a China-based agricultural products fair, has created a leading platform featuring high-quality projects and technology introduction services, with the aim of facilitating win-win results for international buyers. In the aggregate, over the past six years, the event has recorded on-site turnover of more than 5.3 billion yuan (approx. 790 million USD), attendees from over 40 countries and regions, more than 250 visits by delegations from across China as well as signed contracts for more than 860 agricultural projects valued at over 152 billion yuan (approx. 22.6 billion USD). This year's 90,000-square-meter expo features exhibition booths grouped by agricultural technological achievement, many of which have proven transformative both in and outside of China, as well as firms seeking to collaborate on agricultural projects, international logistics and trade of agricultural commodities. The event is expected to attract 1,800 exhibitors and professional buyers including wholesale distributors, food processors and trade companies. Any business interested in this field is welcome to participate in the event. For more information, please contact Miss Zhao: Tel: +86-28-86280019, Mobile: +86-18215577029, E-mail: 261032945@qq.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/840346/IUMAE_international_buyers.jpg Crise anglophone: Les camerounais fuient vers le Nigeria (Dec. 2017) Mark Bareta The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, has called on funders to increase support to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and refugees, caused by the ongoing unrest in the North West and South West of Cameroon. In a press briefing this Tuesday in Geneva, the UNHCR spokesperson, Babar Baloch said the organisation now requires, US$184 million for its operations in Cameroon and Nigeria, including US$35.4 million needed urgently for critical life-saving assistance. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is today asking donors for stepped up support for half a million displaced Cameroonians who have survived over a year of ongoing violence in different parts of the country, said Baloch. According to UN estimates, more than 437,000 people are currently displaced in Cameroon, 246,000 of them in the Southwest Region, 105,000 in the Northwest Region, and 86,000 in the Littoral and West Regions. Most of these are women and children. Many displaced persons are faced with hunger and poor sanitary conditions, according to the report. The conflict has also forced over 35,000 Cameroonians to seek asylum in Nigeria. With the fighting continuing, the number is expected to rise. To the UNHCR, underfunding and insecurity, have restricted protection and assistance activities to affected populations. The statement from the press briefing says Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria, are currently being hosted in settlements, and more than 47 villages along the border. There is significant pressure on existing social services, and facilities for health and education. Refugees in settlements are depending on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs. The UNHCR, acknowledges the humanitarian project initiated by President Paul Biya in Cameroon, and is advocating for international support to the plan. The humanitarian situation in Cameroon, continues to deteriorate. And there are fears now that more people will become displaced over the coming months. VIENNA, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With the recent signing of an additional contract with a leading Benelux bank, SDS jump-starts its compliance solutions business in the region. SDS (Software Daten Service) is a well-known technology solutions provider focusing on state-of-the-future software-products and related services for the international financial industry. With soon over 100 million transactions a year, SDS will also become a leading player in the European banking technology markets. With SDS CCONFORM, a leading Benelux bank has obtained an excellent solution for the recognition and documentation of compliance-relevant incidents in accordance with MAD/MAR and the associated regulations on securities compliance. Or in short: State-of-the-future compliance monitoring for securities processing that is compact, exhaustive and highly reliable. In addition, with SDS CCONFORM the bank will sustainably profit from a solution which is fully compliant with the Market Abuse Regulation and Directive of the EU, from the ability to combat insider dealing and market manipulation in European financial markets successfully and the minimisation of financial risk and damage to the bank's reputation. The comprehensive SDS portfolio ranges from global securities and derivate processing solutions over automated regulatory, tax and compliance reporting solutions to solution-based consulting and professional testing services. Today, more than 3,000 financial institutions worldwide with over 10,000 users in +80 countries trust in SDS and its sustainable business values. Software Daten Service Gesellschaft m.b.H. Herbert Reinisch, Marketing Manager Europe Rennweg 97-99, 1030 Vienna, Austria +43(676)8824-15188, herbert.reinisch@sds.at 26 March 2019 Acron's 2018 IFRS EBITDA up 16% to USD 591 Million, EBITDA Margin Reaches 34% Today Acron (Moscow Exchange and LSE: AKRN) released its audited consolidated IFRS financial statements for 2018. Key Financials Revenue was RUB 108,062 million, up 15% year-on-year (2017: RUB 94,342 million). In dollar equivalent, revenue was up 7% to USD 1,723 million from USD 1,617 million. EBITDA* was up 24% year-on-year to RUB 37,053 million (2017: RUB 29,817 million). In dollar equivalent, EBITDA was up 16% to USD 591 million from USD 511 million. EBITDA margin was 34%, against 32% year-on-year. Net profit was RUB 13,318 million (USD 212 million), down 7% year-on-year (2017: RUB 14,260 million) because of a one-off event: a net exchange loss of RUB 7,043 million due to a revaluation of assets, loans and liabilities. Net debt was up 23% to RUB 74,025 million, against RUB 60,221 million as of 2017 year-end. In dollar equivalent, net debt was up 2% to USD 1,066 million from USD 1,045 million. Net debt/ EBITDA was 2.0, unchanged compared to the end of 2017. In dollar equivalent, the ratio was 1.8, down from 2.0. Operating Results Output of key products was 7,514,000 tonnes, up 2.5% year-on-year. Sales of key products totalled 7,265,000 tonnes, almost unchanged year-on-year. Alexander Popov, Chair of Acron's Board of Directors, commented on the results: "The sustainable growth in Acron Group's financial performance contributes to our development efforts. In 2018, the Group's EBITDA was up 16% to USD 591 million. EBITDA margin reached 34%. Our flexible investment programme is already delivering results. At the Veliky Novgorod site in 2018, the Group commissioned a new 200-ktpa urea unit and upgraded and expanded current UAN, urea and NPK capacity, which promptly resulted in a 5% increase in commercial output at this site and a 2.5% increase for the Group. In the Murmansk region, we commissioned a rail link from the Oleniy Ruchey mine to the Titan station, which cut apatite concentrate transportation costs. As we see the potash market upward trend, we have commenced active construction of the Talitsky mine in Perm Krai, as potash remains one of our key inputs for NPK production. Shaft sinking has been in progress, and as of today a total of over 280 metres have been sunk for two shafts, which is one-third of the required depth. Total CAPEX was USD 232 million, up 20% year-on-year. In 2018, in pursuance of shareholders' interests, Acron Group remained focused on paying dividends and allocated a total of USD 212 million for that purpose. Following the best global practices, payments were made in three instalments. At the same time, the Group's debt burden decreased. At the end of the reporting period, net debt/ EBITDA in dollar equivalent was down to 1.8 from 2.0 at the beginning of the period. In 2019, we proceeded to implement investment projects at Acron and Dorogobuzh as part of our Development Strategy for 2017-2025 and furthered construction of the underground mine at the Oleniy Ruchey phosphate mining and processing facility and of the Talitsky potash mine. We believe that the Strategy will bring the Group's commercial output to more than 10 million tonnes in 2026, up 40% from the 2017 level. The Group will also reach complete potash self-sufficiency, the last key component to produce complex NPK fertilisers, our crucial product, which, in turn, will boost the Group's margin. In the context of the Strategy, we can also adjust CAPEX by reviewing and reconsidering the list of projects at Acron and Dorogobuzh, which makes it possible for us to remain focused on dividends while keeping the debt burden under control. On 11 March 2019, Acron's extraordinary general meeting approved dividends at the rate of RUB 130 per share. Following its 2018 practice, this year the Board of Directors intends to recommend two more dividend payments". APPENDIX Notes on Key Items in the Financial Statements Financial Performance The Group posted 2018 revenue of RUB 108,062 million, up 15% year-on-year. This growth was due to higher global dollar prices for the Group's products and a 7% increase in the average dollar-rouble exchange rate. Sales of key products in the reporting period were almost equal to 2017 results. Average Indicative Prices, USD/t, FOB Baltics/Black Sea 2018 2017 Change NPK 16-16-16 300 265 +13 % AN 188 193 -2 % UAN 179 145 +23 % Urea 251 218 +15 % Ammonia 288 267 +8 % In the reporting period, the cost of sales was up 5% year-on-year to RUB 54,444 million, mainly due to increased global prices for potash purchased for NPK production and growing depreciation and amortisation. Depreciation and amortisation went up after the launch of underground mining at the Oleniy Ruchey mine and the commissioning of a rail link from the mine site to the Titan station. In that context, increase in cash costs was limited to 3%. Selling, general and administrative expenses were up 13% to RUB 8,115 million, mainly due to higher staff costs, Acron Group's more intense international activity and related expenses. Acron Group has continued to win markets in Latin America and Europe. In the reporting period, the Group launched sales through its new trading company, Acron France SAS, and in the short term it expects to see marketing through subsidiaries in Argentina and Brazil. Transportation expenses were up 29% to RUB 17,715 million due to multiple causes. First, the Group is expanding distribution under its commercial strategy, and more sales are made on the delivery basis. Second, ocean fright tariffs have surged. Third, logistics services outside Russia became more expensive because of rouble depreciation. Indexation of railway tariffs in Russia and higher lease rates for railcars also contributed to higher transportation expenses. EBITDA was up 24% to RUB 37,053 million. The Group posted EBITDA margin of 34% for the reporting period, up from 32% year-on-year. Acron, Dorogobuzh and NWPC operated at margins of 35%, 31% and 35%, respectively. Based on 2018 results, the Group posted a net exchange loss of RUB 7,043 million due to a revaluation of assets, loans and liabilities, against a RUB 295 million profit in 2017. This factor pulled net profit down 7% to RUB 13,318 million. Cash Flow In 2018, net cash flow from operating activities was up 71% to RUB 28,406 million (2017: RUB 16,634 million) mainly due to the increased operating profit. There was a release of working capital of RUB 1,025 million, with a RUB 4,009 million increase in 2017. In 2018, net cash used in investment activities in the reporting period was RUB 14,439 million (2017: RUB 10,205 million). CAPEX was up 29% year-on-year to RUB 14,542 million, against RUB 11,299 million in 2017. In dollar terms, CAPEX was up 20% to USD 232 million as Acron and Dorogobuzh implemented investment projects under the Development Strategy and the Talitsky potash mine entered the active construction phase. Net cash used in financing activities in 2018 was RUB 19,643 million, against RUB 18,767 million in 2017. In the reporting period, Acron distributed RUB 13,864 million as dividends (2017: RUB 13,047 million). In the reporting period, the Group compensated Sberbank Investments for accumulated yield from holding a 19.9% stake in VPC by exercising an option to sell the stake and selling it back to Sberbank Investments. Compensation to Sberbank Investments was RUB 5,162 million. Net repayment of borrowings in the reporting period was RUB 28 million, against net proceeds from borrowings of RUB 2,906 million a year before. Debt Burden Total debt was up 13% from 31 December 2017 to RUB 84,485 million. In dollar equivalent, debt was down 6% to USD 1,216 million. Long-term debt made up 79% of total debt as of the end of the reporting period, and foreign currency-denominated debt was 74%. Net debt was up 23% from 31 December 2017 to RUB 74,025 million. In dollar equivalent, net debt was up 2% to USD 1,066 million. Net debt/ EBITDA remained unchanged compared to the end of 2017 at 2.0. In dollar equivalent, the ratio decreased to 1.8 from 2.0. Market Trends Urea prices continued to escalate in 2018. The average FOB Baltic price was up 15% year-on-year to USD 251 and shot past USD 300 in October, hitting a three-year record. Global prices for this product were supported by a deficit of urea supply caused by shrinking exports from China. Hamstrung by the high price of coal, which is a key feedstock for urea production in China, as well as by government environmental restrictions, Chinese producers were forced to hold prices over USD 300 FOB China for most of the year, shifting their focus to the domestic market. Exports from China continued to decrease but still were in demand on the global market, and the need to attract them supported global prices. UAN prices strengthened on the back of growing urea prices. The average FOB Baltic price was up 23% year-on-year to USD 179. The average AN price, on the other hand, fell 2% in 2018 to USD 188 FOB Baltic. This weakening in AN prices was due to a temporary glut on the global market after the Ukrainian market was closed for Russian producers. Acron Group pivoted quickly by ramping up UAN output to the maximum and rechannelling part of its AN. Over 2018, NPK prices saw an upward dynamic sustained by price growth in all three market segments: nitrogen, phosphate and potash. The average price of NPK 16-16-16 was up 13% to USD 300 FOB Baltic. NPK's premium over the core product basket hovered around 15%. Average Indicative Prices, USD/t, FOB Baltic Sea/Black Sea USD/t Q4 2018 Q3 2018 Q4 2017 Q4 2018 to Q3 2018 change Q4 2018 to Q4 2017 change NPK 16-16-16 316 308 271 +2 % +16 % AN 186 213 218 -13 % -15 % UAN 229 174 162 +32 % +41 % Urea 293 263 239 +11 % +22 % Ammonia 336 303 286 +11 % +18 % The full version of Acron Group's financial statements is available at www.acron.ru/en Note: The exchange rate used for currency conversion was RUB 69.4706 to USD 1 as of 31 December 2018 and RUB 57.6002 to USD 1 as of 31 December 2017. The average exchange rate was RUB 62.7078 to USD 1 in 2018, and RUB 58,3529 to USD 1 in 2017. * EBITDA is calculated as operating profit adjusted for depreciation and amortisation, foreign exchange gain or loss on operating transactions, and other non-cash and extraordinary items. Mediacontacts: Sergey Dorofeev Anastasiya Gromova Tatiana Smirnova Public Relations Phone: +7 (495) 777-08-65 (ext. 5196) Investor contacts: Ilya Popov Investor Relations Phone: +7 (495) 745-77-45 (ext. 5252) Background Information Acron Group is a leading vertically integrated mineral fertiliser producer in Russia and globally, with chemical production facilities in Veliky Novgorod (Acron) and the Smolensk region (Dorogobuzh). The Group owns and operates a phosphate mine in Murmansk region (North-Western Phosphorous Company, NWPC) and is implementing a potash development project in Perm Krai (Verkhnekamsk Potash Company, VPC). It owns transportation and logistics infrastructure, including three Baltic port terminals and distribution networks in Russia and China. Acron's subsidiary, North Atlantic Potash Inc. (NAP), holds mining licences for 11 parcels of the potassium salt deposit at Prairie Evaporite, Saskatchewan, Canada. Acron also holds a minority stake (19.8%) in Polish Grupa Azoty, one of the largest chemical producers in Europe. In 2018, the Group sold 7.3 million tonnes of various products to 67 countries, with Russia, Brazil, Europe and the United States as key markets. In 2018, the Group posted consolidated IFRS revenue of RUB 108,062 million (USD 1,723 million) and net profit of RUB 13,318 million (USD 212 million). Acron's shares are on the Level 1 quotation list of the Moscow Exchange and its global depositary receipts are traded at the London Stock Exchange (ticker AKRN). Acron employs approximately 11,000 people. For more information about Acron Group, please visit www.acron.ru/en. OAG uncovers developing golden airport triangle in Asia; London Heathrow's European dominance continues Key findings: 1. South Korea Jeju (CJU) to Seoul (GMP) is the busiest route on the planet, with 79,460 flights annually. 2. Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Singapore (SIN) is the busiest international route in the world, with 30,187 operating flights. 3. New York (LGA) to Toronto (YYZ) is the busiest international route outside of Asia, with 17,038 annual operating flights. 4. Two of the busiest international routes worldwide arrive in London Heathrow (LHR), with service from New York (JFK) and Dublin (DUB) ranking 13th and 15th, respectively. OAG, the world's leading provider of travel data and insight, today revealed the Busiest Routes in the world. OAG's analysis, which is based on operating flight volume, includes insight into on-time performance (OTP) and carrier frequency at the route level, both domestically and internationally. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005429/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) The busiest routes in the world can be found in the Asia-Pacific region, which is home to 15 of the top 20 international, and 13 of the top 20 domestic routes globally. The busiest route on the planet is South Korea Jeju (CJU) to Seoul (GMP), with 79,460 annual operating flights. For a second straight year, Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Singapore (SIN) is the world's busiest international route (30,187 flights annually), followed by Hong Kong (HKG) to Taipei (TPE), with 28,447 flights. The busiest international routes outside of Asia are from New York (LGA) to Toronto (YYZ) and Chicago O'Hare (ORD) to Toronto Pearson (YYZ). In North America, Toronto (YYZ) is featured in five of the top 10 international markets. Los Angeles (LAX) to San Francisco (SFO) is the busiest route in North America and ninth busiest in the world. London Heathrow is the only European hub with routes (from New York JFK and Dublin) ranking among the top 20 busiest international. Within Europe, Amsterdam (AMS) to London (LHR) is the third-busiest international route, with 13,115 operating flights annually. "Asia is once again home to the world's busiest routes. In addition to the dominant role played by Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta have become Asia's new 'golden triangle,' offering similar benefits to major U.S. hubs, Boston, New York and Washington," said John Grant, senior analyst with OAG. "While Asia and North America lead the global rankings, connectivity at London Heathrow remains critical for global air travel, with seven of the region's busiest long-haul routes ending at the airport." OAG's full analysis includes regional insights for Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, North America and the Middle East and Africa, with short, medium and long-haul route categorization. For OAG's full criteria and more insights, access the complete analysis here. About OAG OAG is a leading global travel data provider, that has been powering the growth and innovation of the air travel ecosystem since 1929. Every day, we support millions of journeys across the globe, enabling a simpler, seamless and more enjoyable travel experience. With the world's largest network of schedules and status data, and leading-edge analytics tools, we enable our customers to make smarter decisions, better adapt to change and create exceptional customer experiences. We partner with some of the biggest global brands, airports, airlines, travel operators and fast-growing start-ups to design the best services available today, and the finest innovations of tomorrow. Headquartered in the UK, OAG has global operations in the USA, Singapore, Japan, Lithuania and China. For more information, visit: www.oag.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005429/en/ Contacts: Caroline Mather OAG pressoffice@oag.com HOOFDDORP, Netherlands, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Exelgyn, a global pharmaceutical company specializing in women's healthcare, has announced the launch of Abort-Report.eu, a website aiming to build awareness on abortions for better management of women's health care. Developed by Exelgyn, in collaboration with leading European gynecologists and obstetricians, the platform helps women and medical professionals find abortion, fertility and contraception statistics, for all the country members of the European Union plus Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland. Through the website, Exelgyn intends to make sure that patients and physicians have the information they need to make appropriate choices about abortion methods. Detailed country-by-country comparison data allows users to effortlessly pinpoint and link data trends, as well as download detailed graphs and tables to assist their research. The online tool serves a gap in the market providing easily- accessible, trustworthy and well-referenced information on abortions and female treatments, which has proved difficult in the past. Although abortion is legal under certain conditions in most European countries, legal and practical conditions vary widely between countries (e.g. upon women's request and/or medical reasons, abortion performed up to 10, 12, 14 or even 22 weeks), leading to great disparity. Abort-Report.eu's presented data are always from official or referenced sources and have been collected and checked by each country's correspondents: Nausikaa MARTENS (Belgium), Vesna STEPANIC (Croatia), jvind LIDEGAARD (Denmark), Helle KARRO (Estonia), Oskari HEIKINHEIMO (Finland),Ines THONKE (Germany), Gyula CSERMELY (Hungary), Catherine CHERY (Luxembourg), Mette LKELAND (Norway), Krystyna KACPURA (Poland), Bojana PINTER (Slovenia), Kristina GEMZELL-DANIELSSON (Sweden) and Helene HULDI (Switzerland). The website is updated every year, taking into account the changes occurred within the previous year. Users interested in improving this website and providing additional data, please feel free to contact us by e-mail to info@exelgyn.com. About Exelgyn Exelgyn is a global pharmaceutical company specialising in women's healthcare. The company is known to be a pioneer in medical termination of pregnancy in Europe and export markets and continues striving to ensure women have access to this safe and effective method. Exelgyn is proud to celebrate 30 years of medical abortion since the discovery of its abortive pill. Currently, Exelgyn's products (registered on the WHO list of essential medicines) are marketed in more than 30 countries which has enabled millions of women to interrupt their pregnancy. Exelgyn is committed to support both healthcare professionals and women throughout each step of a medical termination of pregnancy. Nordic Group uses health data files collected in the context of pharmacovigilance, medical information and the quality of medicinal products after they are placed on the market. These data are kept for a period that complies with the GDPR regulation. You have a right of access and rectification of the collected data by contacting dataprivacy@nordicpharma.com. You can also submit a complaint to our data protection officer at the following address: dataprivacy@nordicpharma.com. For more information please visit Nordic's website (http://www.nordicpharma.fr) (https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/839516/Abort_Report_Chart.jpg) (https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/839517/EU_map.jpg) (https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/839518/Abort_Report_Figure.jpg) (https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/839519/Abort_Report_Logo.jpg) BH Macro Limited (the "Company") (a non-cellular company limited by shares incorporated in the Island of Guernsey under the Companies (Guernsey) Law 2008, as amended, with registered number 46235 and registered as an Authorised Closed-ended Collective Investment Scheme with the Guernsey Financial Services Commission) Directorate Change 26 March 2019 The Company announces the proposed retirement of Huw Evans as Chairman and Non-Executive Independent Director of the Company effective from the Annual General Meeting on 20 June 2019. Mr Evans has been a Director of the Company since 2010. The Board has greatly appreciated the experience and support he has contributed to the development of the Company. In accordance with Listing Rule 9.6.11, the Board also wishes to announce that following the completion of the Annual General Meeting, Mr Colin Maltby will be appointed as Chairman of the Board. Enquiries: Company website: www.bhmacro.com Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited Tel: +44 (0) 1481 745001 LONDON, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Visiongain has calculated that the Microgrid Market will see a capital expenditure (CAPEX) of $12.6bn in 2019. Read on to discover the potential business opportunities available. Microgrid is one of the most advanced concepts in the power generation. The technology acts as a promising source of electricity during emergencies, bad weather conditions and power outages. The microgrid market is mainly driven by factors including rising demand for efficient energy usage, growing adoption of renewable energy and need for efficient grid infrastructure. The rapid growth in the population has led to increased congestion and stress on the existing grid leading to an unbalanced and inefficient supply of electricity among the consumers; the bulk of them affected by lack of electricity supply. Most of the rural and remote areas across the world lack an efficient supply of electricity and thus have to rely on imported fossil fuels to meet their energy requirements. The bulk of them lack connectivity to power grids. Microgrid has an ability to store energy and can be connected and disconnected from the main grid. It helps deliver secure energy for emergency facilities including hospitals, defence and police stations during extreme climatic and weather conditions. The microgrid technology can suffice both fossil fuel and renewable energy resources which can lead to a clean, affordable and efficient electricity supply both on-grid and off-grid. The deployment of microgrid technology will not only reduce the burden on existing utilities but will also help reduce greenhouse gases through the adoption of renewable resources. The technology can be considered as a building block towards the development of smart energy system with its compact design and high reliability during emergency conditions. Microgrid market is expected to witness a high potential in remote regions and islands. Increasing measures by the government to facilitate efficient and reliable electrification benefits will boost the demand for microgrid globally. Visiongain's Microgrid market report can keep you informed and up to date with the developments in the market, across five different regions: North America, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. With reference to this report, it details the key investments trend in the global Microgrid market, subdivided by regions, capital expenditure and capacity. Through extensive secondary research and interviews with industry experts, Visiongain has identified a series of market trends that will impact the Microgrid market over the forecast timeframe. The report will answer questions such as: - How is the Microgrid market evolving? - What is driving and restraining Microgrid market dynamics? - How will each Microgrid submarket segment grow over the forecast period and how much Sales will these submarkets account for in 2029? - How will market shares of each Microgrid submarket develop from 2019-2029? - Which individual technologies will prevail and how will these shifts be responded to? - Which Microgrid submarket will be the main driver of the overall market from 2019-2029? - How will political and regulatory factors influence regional Microgrid markets and submarkets? - Will leading national Microgrid market broadly follow macroeconomic dynamics, or will individual country sectors outperform the rest of the economy? - How will market shares of the national markets change by 2029 and which nation will lead the market in 2029? - Who are the leading players and what are their prospects over the forecast period? - How will the sector evolve as alliances form during the period between 2019 and 2029? Five Reasons Why You Must Order and Read This Report Today: 1) The report provides Analysis and Forecasts for the Microgrid Markets by - CAPEX (US$m) - Capacity (MW) 2) The report provides forecasts for the Microgrid Market by Application, for the period 2019-2029 - Remote Application Forecast 2019-2029 - Utility Distribution Application Forecast 2019-2029 - Commercial and Industrial Application Forecast 2019-2029 - Community Application Forecast 2019-2029 - Institutional/Campus Application Forecast 2019-2029 - Military Application Forecast 2019-2029 3) The report provides forecasts for the Microgrids Market by Region, for the period 2019-2029 North America Microgrid Market - US Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 - Canada Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 Europe Microgrid Market Forecast - Russia Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 - France Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 - Denmark Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 - Rest of Europe Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 Asia-Pacific Microgrid Market - China Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 - Japan Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 - South Korea Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 - India Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 - Rest of Asia-Pacific Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 Latin America Microgrid Market - Brazil Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 - Rest of Latin America Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 Middle East and Africa Microgrid Market - Saudi Arabia Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 - South Africa Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 - Rest of the Middle East and Africa Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 4) The report also includes Extensive details and analysis of contracts, projects and programmes in the Microgrid Market information on: - Location - Technology - Project - Contractor 5) The report provides market share and detailed profiles of the leading companies operating within the Microgrid market: - ABB Ltd. - General Electric - Hitachi Ltd. - Siemens AG - Eaton Corporation - NRG Energy - Caterpillar - Honeywell International Inc. This independent 171-page report guarantees you will remain better informed than your competitors. With 168 tables and figures examining the Microgrid market space, the report gives you a direct, detailed breakdown of the market. PLUS, Capital expenditure AND Capacity, as well as Analysis of Contracts, Projects and Programmes that will keep your knowledge that one step ahead of your rivals. This report is essential reading for you or anyone in the Energy sector. Purchasing this report today will help you to recognise those important market opportunities and understand the possibilities there. I look forward to receiving your order. To request a report overview of this report please contact Sara Peerun at sara.peerun@visiongain.com or refer to our website: https://www.visiongain.com/report/the-microgrid-market-forecast-2019-2029/ Did you know that we also offer a report add-on service? Email sara.peerun@visiongain.com to discuss any customized research needs you may have. ABB Ltd Advanced Microgrid Solutions Anbaric Microgrid Canadian Solar Inc Caterpillar Centrais Eletricas do Para (CELPA) Chevron Inc Corinex Communications Cummins Inc Duke Energy Corporation Dynapower Company LLC Eaton Corporation eCAMION Emerson Electric Corporation ENERES ENGIE Fairbanks Morse FuelCell Energy Inc. General Electric Green Energy Corporation Hitachi Ltd. Homer Energy LLC Honeywell International Hyosung IBJ Leasing KERI Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) Lockheed Martin Corporation LSIS METI Nalcor/ Frontier Power Systems NEDO Nimschu Iskudow Inc NRG Energy PanaHome Power Analytics Corporation PowerShift Atlantic Princeton Power Systems Qulliq Energy Corporation S&C Electric Company Saudi Electricity Company (SECO) Siemens AG Solantro Semiconductor Tesla Motors Inc. TUGLIQ Energy Co. Viridity Energy Inc. Organisations Mentioned BC Institute of Technology Centre for renewable Energy Development (CRED) China National Renewable Energy Centre Chinese Academy of Sciences Department of Energy Electricity & Cogeneration Regulatory Authority (ECRA) - Saudi Arabia Energy Market Authority Fairfield University Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) - South Korea National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) National Energy Agency (NEA) Natural resources Canada New York University Princeton University Saudi Ministry of Water and Electricity Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) University of California, Sand Diego To see a report overview please e-mail Sara Peerun on sara.peerun@visiongain.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/523989/Visiongain_Logo.jpg SAN FRANCISCO, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --The global durable medical equipment (DME) market size is expected to reach USD 271.0 billion by 2026 registering a CAGR of 6.1%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is primarily driven by rise in chronic diseases, such as kidney failures and cancer. Moreover, technological advancements along with strong reimbursement scenario will boost the DME market further. For instance, in January 2019, WHILL, Inc., a U.S.-based personal electric vehicle, introduced new technology WHILL autonomous drive at the Consumer Electronic Sow held at the Las Vegas. In the past, Medicare has taken steps to bring reimbursement of DME products in line with other payers. Key suggestions from the report: Personal mobility devices emerged as the largest segment owing to the launch of technologically advanced products with more comfort and portability Nursing homes is anticipated to be the fastest-growing segment over the study period as these facilities offer custodial care like skilled care, such as bathing and dressing Europe led the market with the largest share in 2018 and will witness a steady growth in future on account of the presence of major companies in the region Asia Pacific is expected to register the highest CAGR from 2019 to 2026 owing to the presence of a large target population base and improving healthcare facilities Some of the key companies in the global DME market are Invacare Corporation; ArjoHuntleigh; Stryker Corporation; Hill Rom, Inc.; Drive Medical; GF Health Products, Inc.; Sunrise Medical; Medline Industries, Inc.; and Carex Health Brands, Inc. Read 90 page research report with TOC on "Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product, By End Use (Hospitals, Nursing Homes), By Region (North America, MEA, APAC, Europe), And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2026" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/durable-medical-equipment-dme-market In this direction, in December 2015, the Center for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) issued a new rule of prior authorization process for DME, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS). The DMEPOS includes the master list of 135 items, which require prior authorization before beneficiary receives an item. In addition, growing geriatric population across the globe is likely to contribute to the industry expansion. People aged 60 years or above are more prone to health issues, such as diabetes, mobility issues, Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs), and other lifestyle problems. This creates demand for DME products. However, stringent regulatory guidelines in developed economies and lack of skilled professionals may limit the durable medical equipment market growth. Grand View Research has segmented the global Durable Medical Equipment (DME) market on the basis of product, end use, and region: DME Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2026) Personal Mobility Devices Wheelchairs Scooters Walker and Rollators Cranes and Crutches Door Openers Other Device Bathroom Safety Devices and Medical Furniture Commodes and Toilets Mattress and Bedding Devices Monitoring and Therapeutic Devices Blood Sugar Monitors Continuous Passive Motion (CPM) Infusion Pumps Nebulizers Oxygen Equipment Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Suction Pumps Traction Equipment Others Equipment DME End Use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2026) Hospital Nursing Homes Home Healthcare Other DME Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2026) North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany U.K. France Italy Spain Asia Pacific China Japan India Australia South Korea Latin America Brazil Mexico Argentina Colombia Middle East & Africa South Africa Saudi Arabia UAE Find more research reports on Medical Devices Industry, by Grand View Research: Optogenetics Market - Optogenetics controls the neural activity with by combining genetic engineering and optical tools. Optogenetics is widely used in neuroscience for modulation of neural circuits with high degree of precision and specificity. Cardiovascular Needle Market - There is an increase in demand for cardiovascular needles due to rising number of cardiovascular interventions across the globe. The factors that propel the growth of the global Cardiovascular Needle Market include rising geriatric population and rising occurrence of cardiovascular diseases Blood Fluid Warming Systems Market - Blood warmer is a device used particularly to warm blood or fluids in prior for transferring blood to a person. It basically works by warming the blood to a temperature that is mainly considered safe for infusion. The device is particularly used in ICUs, hospitals, clinical institutions, and operating rooms to prevent hypothermic condition. Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: +1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg Electric Vehicle Charging Solution is the Perfect Match for SunBox Home Solar System VANCOUVER, BC, and KNOXVILLE, TN / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / Solar Alliance Energy Inc. ("Solar Alliance' or the "Company') (TSX-V: SOLR) is pleased to announce that the Company is now an approved Tesla vendor and has signed an agreement to install six Tesla charging stations combined with a solar system at a commercial project in Nashville, Tennessee. "Becoming a Tesla approved vendor provides Solar Alliance customers with the opportunity to access a high-quality electric vehicle charging station installation," said Solar Alliance CEO Myke Clark. "We now have the ability to install standalone Tesla charging stations for homeowners, but more importantly, we can integrate Tesla electric vehicle chargers into our residential and commercial solar system products. Offering Tesla charging stations is particularly important to our new home builder and contractor clients that are constructing high performance homes. As electric vehicles begin to saturate the market, electric vehicle chargers are becoming increasingly critical to the relevance of a new home and ultimately to the resale value of a home," concluded Clark. The project in Nashville, where we are installing a solar system and six Tesla charging stations, is the perfect example of the synergies between solar and electric vehicle charging. According to the latest International Energy Agency forecast, the number of sales of electric vehicles will increase from a record 1.1 million worldwide in 2017, to 11 million in 2025 and then surging to 30 million in 2030 as they become cheaper to make than internal combustion engine cars. The Volkswagen Group is going to shift its fleet to 100% electric by 2030. This massive shift to electric vehicles will require a substantial shift in terms of electrical demand and drive the further adoption of residential and commercial solar. Solar Alliance is a fully licensed general contractor staffed by North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) engineers and installers. Our team is licensed to complete a broad range of electrical work and the addition of Tesla products to our list of offerings provides our customers with a quality product installed by a team they can trust. The Tesla electric vehicle charging station is now an option that can be included in the Solar Alliance SunBox residential solar product. SunBox is a complete solar solution that includes battery storage to maximize energy savings and provide an added layer of security for high performance homes. SunBox comes in two standard residential systems sizes with options such as a generator for whole home backup and a home electric vehicle charger. The Company also announces that the balance of the private placement announced on February 11th, 2019, is proceeding having been granted a 30-day extension by the TSX Venture Exchange. Myke Clark, CEO For more information: Solar Alliance Sales (865) 309-4674 Solar Alliance Myke Clark, CEO 604-288-9051 mclark@solaralliance.com About Solar Alliance Energy Inc. (www.solaralliance.com) Solar Alliance is an energy solutions provider focused on residential, commercial and industrial solar installations. The Company operates in California, Tennessee, North/South Carolina and Kentucky and has an expanding pipeline of solar projects. Since it was founded in 2003, the Company has developed wind and solar projects that provide enough electricity to power 150,000 homes. Our passion is improving life through ingenuity, simplicity and freedom of choice. Solar Alliance reduces or eliminates customers' vulnerability to rising energy costs, offers an environmentally-friendly source of electricity generation, and provides affordable, turnkey clean energy solutions. Statements in this news release, other than purely historical information, including statements relating to the Company's future plans and objectives or expected results, constitute Forward-looking statements. The words "would", "will", "expected" and "estimated" or other similar words and phrases are intended to identify forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different than those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: uncertainties related to the ability to raise sufficient capital, changes in economic conditions or financial markets, litigation, legislative or other judicial, regulatory and political competitive developments and technological or operational difficulties. Consequently, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. "Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release." SOURCE:Solar Alliance Energy Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/540107/Solar-Alliance-Becomes-Tesla-Approved-Vendor In a historic deal with Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (SWS), ABB will supply a comprehensive power and propulsion package for China's first domestically built cruise ship ABB has been awarded a contract to supply an integrated package, including two Azipod steerable propulsion systems, for the construction of China's first ever home-grown cruise ship. ABB's deep domain knowledge in cruise technology coupled with its local expertise makes it the perfect partner to support this significant milestone in the evolution of China's shipbuilding industry. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005501/en/ The Azipod steerable propulsion systems, also used for the construction of China's first ever home-grown cruise ship, due for delivery in 2023. (Photo: Business Wire) The 323-meter vessel, due for delivery in 2023, can accommodate 5,000 passengers and is designed to suit the tastes of Chinese cruise travelers whose numbers are expected to rise to 8-10 million annually by 2025, according to industry body Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). "With this project, China is making great strides in cruise shipbuilding. We believe the key to success is in working closely with experienced stakeholders, and our selection of ABB is based on their unparalleled know-how of the cruise market, as well as capabilities and understanding of running projects locally in China. I'm looking forward to seeing the close cooperation between ABB and the shipyard to provide high level solutions and services for the first cruise vessel built in China," said Mr. Gang Chen, General Manager of Shanghai Waogaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. ABB will supply an integrated package to the vessel including two Azipod units which are proven to cut fuel consumption by up to 15 percent, reduce noise and vibration and offer 360-degree maneuverability. The drive motor of the Azipod is located in a submerged pod below the hull of the ship and has been an industry benchmark in environment-friendly cruise technology since its launch in 1990. "We are truly honored to be part of this breakthrough project for China's first home-built cruise vessel," said Peter Terwiesch, President of the Industrial Automation division, ABB. "ABB has a long-standing history in delivering electric, digital and connected solutions to the cruise market globally, and with our strong local experience and proven solutions, we are committed to support China's current and future cruise demands." The package also includes a complete electric power plant concept with electricity generators, main switchboards, distribution transformers and a propulsion control system for moving the Azipod units from the bridge. The Azipod units can be fully integrated with the electric power plant and propulsion control system for optimal energy efficiency. The digital system includes remote diagnostics capabilities, which enable connectivity to ABB AbilityTM Collaborative Operation Centers. Overall, ABB's technology will boost the performance of the ship while increasing passenger comfort, fuel efficiency and lowering emissions. The vessel will support a flourishing Chinese cruise market, which is expected to rival that of the United States over the next decade or two, according to the China Cruise and Yacht Industry Association. With the potential of China's vast consumer market, as well as rapid developments in domestic shipbuilding, the country is expected to generate a significant demand for cruise travel in the next decade and is widely anticipated to become one of the world's leading cruise nations. As the maritime industry moves towards new energy sources and autonomous operations, ABB's electric, digital and connected technologies are redefining the future, bringing new levels of reliability, efficiency and sustainability to shipping in China, and across the globe. The new vessel will be part of a fleet of Chinese-built cruise ships operated by CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping Limited, a joint venture between Carnival Corporation Plc and China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). Shanghai Waigaoqiao is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CSSC. ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader in power grids, electrification products, industrial automation and robotics and motion, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport infrastructure globally. Continuing a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization with two clear value propositions: bringing electricity from any power plant to any plug and automating industries from natural resources to finished products. As title partner in ABB Formula E, the fully electric international FIA motorsport class, ABB is pushing the boundaries of e-mobility to contribute to a sustainable future. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 147,000 employees. www.abb.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005501/en/ Contacts: Media Relations Phone: +41 43 317 71 11 Email: media.relations@ch.abb.com Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 26, 2019) - Seabridge Gold (TSX: SEA) (NYSE: SA) announced today that the Environmental Assessment ("EA") certificate for its KSM Project issued by the Province of British Columbia has been extended to July 29, 2024. The original KSM EA certificate was issued by the Province for an initial five year term on July 29, 2014 following a comprehensive independent environmental assessment review. Seabridge initiated the renewal process in October, 2018 following a thorough engagement with local Indigenous groups. The new five-year certificate was approved with the same terms and conditions as the original certificate, including the requirement to commence construction of the Project within the five-year period. Seabridge Chairman and CEO Rudi Fronk stated: "We are pleased that our EA Certificate has been renewed until 2024 under the same terms and conditions, reaffirming the Government of British Columbia's support for KSM and the robustness of the original 2014 EA. The extension highlights that KSM is a well-designed, environmentally responsible project offering significant economic benefits for British Columbia and Canada. The receipt of the extension allows us to continue our engagement with prospective joint venture partners for KSM. On behalf of Seabridge and our shareholders, I would like to thank the Nisga'a Nation, and the Tahltan and Gitxsan Nations for their ongoing guidance and support of KSM during the extension review process." Seabridge Gold holds a 100% interest in several North American gold resource projects. The Company's principal assets are the KSM and Iskut properties located near Stewart, British Columbia, Canada and the Courageous Lake gold project located in Canada's Northwest Territories. For a breakdown of Seabridge's mineral reserves and resources by project and category please visit the Company's website at http://www.seabridgegold.net/resources.php. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Rudi Fronk" Chairman & C.E.O. For further information, please contact: Rudi P. Fronk, Chairman and C.E.O. Tel: (416) 367-9292 Fax: (416) 367-2711 Email: info@seabridgegold.net Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange, nor their Regulation Services Providers accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43655 Malachie Manaouda, ministre de la Sante Publique archives President Paul Biya has ordered public health structures in Cameroon to liberate those who cant afford to pay their bills, after hospitalisation and treatment. It is a message sent in across a letter, from the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Manaouda Malachie, to heads of public health institutions in Cameroon, under the instruction of the Head of State. How ever, thorough investigations will be conducted on the patients background, to be certain he or she cant afford paying these bills . Dr. Manaouda in the letter dated March 21, said the good will of the Head of State, comes after he conducted a working visit to some public structures in Cameroon, after his appointment at the ministry of public health, and noted with dismay, that patients were held as hostages in hospitals. This to him, is degrading and goes against the norms of humanity and social justice. Calling them hostages, Dr Manaouda encouraged heads of public structures to think of better ways to solve the problem of unpaid hospital bills, than the current degrading one. He called on them, to propose comfortable solutions, while waiting on the program for Universal Health Coverage to be implemented in the days ahead. The move has been described by many as timely. However many wonder what will happen to those at private hospitals, where these patients are held for months. At some denominational hospitals in Cameroon, patients who cant afford hospitalisation or treatment, are forced to carry out odd jobs within the premises of the hospital, while management cuts his payment for the bills owed. Women and girls who put to birth and are abandoned by their partners, are often victims. After being relegated to a particular room, closer to the maternity, they leave their children in the rooms, and take on their hospital jobs, Im order to pay their bills. New York, New York and Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 26, 2019) - NexTech AR Solutions (OTCQB: NEXCF) (CSE: NTAR) (FSE: N29) (the "Company" or "NexTech") is pleased to announce that it has filed with the USTPO a comprehensive non-provisional patent application titled "METHODS AND DEVICES FOR AN AUGMENTED REALITY EXPERIENCE." NexTech's application covers proprietary approaches to displaying products in an augmented reality environment in a manner which using AR and AI enhances customer experiences in a retail environment from cannabis dispensaries to coffee shops. "With this non-provisional patent application we are continuing to build for our shareholders a valuable portfolio of patents around augmented reality in retail," comments Evan Gappelberg, CEO of NexTech. "Retail is a $30 trillion global industry which is ripe for disruption using AR-enhanced 3D viewing of products and digital humans." The application covers apparatuses and devices which may be employed in coffee shops or cannabis dispensaries to provide engaging advertising which, using 3D AR technology, are intended to promote, indicate, and or extol the features and advantages of any product or service being offered for sale. A unique feature covered by the filed application includes utilizing personalized avatars or "digital humans" in AR space which may be used in dispensaries to provide an engaging educational experience for a customer. Specifically, a unique avatar or "digital human" may be generated for each individual customer who visits a retail space, creating a one-of-a-kind personal shopping experience consumers crave. The proprietary system using both AR and AI monitors customer behavior and customer interaction and modifies the avatar to provide information in an engaging way to the customer. For example, based on a customer's interest in a particular cannabis strain, the avatar may be modified to illustrate a likely effect on the user by way of showing the impact. NexTech is continuing to test and build out its AR and AI eCommerce offerings, which include using AI to create a guided and knowledgeable curator who knows an individual shopper's style, sizes, and preferences, as well as AR holograms acting as personal shopping assistants. About NexTech AR Solutions Corp. NexTech is bringing a next generation web enabled augmented reality (AR) platform with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and analytics to the Cannabis industry, eCommerce, education, training, healthcare and video conferencing. Having integrated with Shopify, Magento and WordPress, its technology offers eCommerce sites a universal 3D shopping solution. With just a few lines of embed code, the company's patent-pending platform offers the most technologically advanced 3D-AR, AI technology anywhere. Online retailers can subscribe to NexTech's state of the art, 3D-AR/AI solution for $79/mo. The company has created the AR industries first end-to-end affordable, intelligent, frictionless, scalable platform. To learn more, please follow us on Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook, or visit our website: https://www.nextechar.com. On behalf of the Board of NexTech AR Solutions Corp. "Evan Gappelberg" CEO and Director The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as, "will be", "looking forward" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements regarding the Company increasing investors awareness are based on the Company's estimates and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of NexTech to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including capital expenditures and other costs. 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. NexTech will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. For further information, please contact: Evan Gappelberg Chief Executive Officer info@nextechar.com Media contact: Erin Hadden FischTank Marketing and PR ehadden@fischtankpr.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43669 Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or dissemination in the U.S. TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / Tartisan Nickel Corp. (CSE: TN; US-OTC: TTSRF; FSE: A2D) ("Tartisan", or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has signed a binding Letter of Intent with Klondike Bay Resources Limited to purchase a 100% interest in certain claims in the Sault Ste. Marie Mining District in Ontario. The claims are located in Vankoughnet Township, Sault Ste. Marie Mining District, Ontario and the purchase terms call for total cash payments of $25,000; the issuance of 500,000 common shares in the capital of Tartisan Nickel Corp. and a 2% net smelter return royalty (subject to a 1% buy-back provision for $250,000). The Sill Lake Lead-Silver Project consists of 13 single cell mining claims and four boundary cell claims which represents 372.8 hectares. Lead-silver mineralization was discovered at Sill Lake in 1892, when a 30m adit was driven to a 17m internal shaft, with approximately 40m of lateral development to exploit a lead-silver vein. This was later defined by other explorers including some 3750m of diamond drilling along a defined steeply dipping mineralized trend some 850m in length, with mineralized widths varying between 1.5m and 4.5m. The Project has seen two distinct periods of underground development and production and it is estimated that 7,000 tonnes of ore containing lead and silver were mined. In 2010, a historical NI 43-101 Technical Report gave a measured and indicated mineral resource of 112,751 tonnes at 134 g/t silver; 0.62% lead, and 0.21% zinc. The historical resource estimate used a silver cutoff grade of 60 g/t; but no cutoff grade for the base metal content was used. Tartisan CEO Mr. Mark Appleby noted, "The purchase of the Sill Lake Lead-Silver claims is in keeping with our strategy of acquiring advanced properties with long term potential. Sill Lake is an excellent project to generate shareholder value in the short term." About Tartisan Nickel Corp. Tartisan Nickel Corp. is a Canadian based mineral exploration and development company which owns a 100% stake in the Kenbridge Nickel-Copper Project in Ontario; a 100% interest in the Don Pancho Zinc-Lead-Silver Project in Peru just 9 km from Trevali's Santander mine. Tartisan also owns a 100% stake in the Ichuna Copper-Silver Project, also in Peru, contiguous to Buenaventura's San Gabriel property. Company financial strength is provided by a significant equity stake in Eloro Resources Ltd, which is exploring the low-sulphidation epithermal La Victoria Gold/Silver Project in Ancash, Peru. Tartisan Nickel Corp. common shares are listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE: TN; US-OTC: TTSRF; FSE: A2D). Currently, there are 99,703,550 shares outstanding (105,803,550 fully diluted). For further information, please contact Mr. D. Mark Appleby, President & CEO and a Director of the Company, at 416-804-0280 (info@tartisannickel.com). Additional information about Tartisan can be found at the Company's website at www.tartisannickel.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Jim Steel MBA P.Geo. is the Qualified Person under NI 43-101 and has read and approved the technical content of this News Release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release. SOURCE: Tartisan Nickel Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/540090/Tartisan-Nickel-Corp-Signs-Binding-Letter-of-Intent-to-Purchase-Sill-Lake-Lead-Silver-Property-Ontario DENVER, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Analysts at Brightfield Group see CBD (cannabidiol) gobbling up a sizeable chunk of a projected $100 billion nutraceuticals 2022 U.S. market. $22 billion -plus CBD market could eclipse broader cannabis market -plus CBD market could eclipse broader cannabis market Growing consensus about health benefits backed by clinical work, personal endorsements CBD found in everything from beverages and dog treats to pharmaceuticals and wellness products The opening of the CBD floodgates represents a huge opportunity for plant-based wellness and health-product developers such as Wildflower Brands Inc. (OTC:WLDFF) (CSE:SUN) (WLDFF Profile) and Green Growth Brands Inc (OTC:GGBXF) (CSE:GGB), a lifestyle-oriented developer of cannabis and CBD consumer products. Similarly, some of the fastest-growing producers in the industry today, such as Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NYSE:ACB) (TSX:ACB), Green Organic Dutchman (OTC:TGODF) (TSX:TGOD) and HEXO Corp. (NYSE:HEXO) (TSX:HEXO) all stand to benefit as the rising tide of the CBD market continues to see tremendous growth for a number of reasons. To view an infographic of this editorial, click here. An Established Wellness Ingredient Goes Mainstream The recent passage of the Hemp Farming Act in the 2018 U.S. farm bill made hemp an ordinary agricultural commodity, swinging open the door for hemp-derived CBD. The industry is seeing everyone from A-list celebs at the Oscars to noted medical professionals such as American neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta extolling the health benefits of CBD. Already incorporated into to a wide variety of functional foods and beverages, CBD has also started to show up in coffee and cocktails, with CBD drinks being added to menus at bars and coffee shops across America. Many users swear by the efficacy of CBD to combat ailments such as various anxieties, sleeplessness or physical pain. Little wonder that CBD is going mainstream, and product developers have been racing to put the stuff into every kind of consumer product imaginable, from health and beauty items for the skin to tasty treats for the family pet. The accumulating evidence for CBD's health benefits also owes a great deal to watershed achievements such as Epidiolex, a CBD-derived anti-seizure medication that has been through numerous clinical trials, becoming FDA-approved in severe forms of childhood epilepsy. There appears to be an emerging consensus among consumers that CBD is strong enough to treat something like epilepsy but also safe enough to be used for daily aches and pains or address the myriad anxieties that plague the modern mind. This awareness, combined with the rapid proliferation of CBD consumer products ranging from vape pens to functional foods, has led to a kind of grassroots market revolution. Any stigma remaining due to laymen confusing CBD with THC is rapidly eroding, particularly with the likes of homemaking legend Martha Stewart now providing her knowledge of consumer products to CBD developers. And household names such as Kim Kardashian, Olivia Wilde and Jennifer Aniston are also going on record as having enjoyed the health benefits associated with their personal consumption of CBD products. Growing Consensus about Healing Power of Plants Speaking of A-list celebrities and CBD products, it was the Wildflower Brands Inc. (OTCQB:WLDFF) (CSE:SUN) CBD+ Healing Stick that found its way into the gift bags of the stars such during Oscar weekend 2019. Packing a walloping 500mg of highly concentrated, full-spectrum CBD, Wildflower's cooling and soothing stick is easy to apply for targeted pain relief and skin care, providing relief through a unique CBD blend that includes therapeutic ingredients such as arnica, wintergreen and other essential oils. A reputable brand whose stated mission is to connect people to the healing power of plants via the company's increasingly sophisticated line of CBD vaporizers, capsules, tinctures, soaps and topicals, Vancouver-based Wildflower Wellness packs its extracts with essential amino acids and beneficial terpenes, the organic compounds that give plants flavor and scent. The company's products are made in the United States at Wildflower's GMP facilities and are third-party lab tested; they are also backed by a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee. Such well-formulated, convenient and discrete products as Wildflower's disposable ACHES CBD+ vaporizer are increasingly enjoying widespread acceptance. This is in part due to education of the consumers by cannabis and wellness influencers. Wildflower Wellness has even partnered with Bridges General to take that company's reimagined convenience store concept to the next level. The partnership fuses together the popularity of the Bridges General design-centric retail space that delivers convenience for the on-the-go urban professional with an engaging opportunity to experience and learn about the benefits of CBD. The partnership is already serving some of the most innovative minds in tech at its Lower Manhattan store, as well its Madison Avenue Bridges General store. The company has also engaged Retail Worx to establish shop-in-shop retail availability at more than 20 locations in the heart of New York City's booming cannabis market. Industry Seeing Retail Renaissance in Consumer Products Wildflower also has a surprisingly impressive retail reach for a company of its size, with the Wildflower Wellness brand already enjoying distribution in key states, such as Washington at more than 200 retailers. The company's California-based King Extracts brand is focused on cannabis technology and delivery systems. King Extracts' flagship product, the King Recharge, is a discreet but powerful little pocket vaporizer that comes in its own sleek charging and storage case, which has room for two 500mg cartridges and a backup battery. King Recharge offers fractionally distilled CO2 extractions in exceptionally clean and sophisticated blends that utilize proprietary terpenes in order to deliver a full, robust flavor profile. Sativa, Indica and Hybrid, as well as two limited-edition Sativa flavors (watermelon and bubble gum), are currently available. Additionally, Wildflower's growing national distribution arm includes over 80 other wellness and healthcare practitioners, bringing the company's total to some 300-plus stores nationwide. The company has even branched out into physical retail itself, harnessing the power of increasing brand recognition, a firm footing in the California market and tightly knit relationships with local hospital oncology departments and community programs. The company has launched its own dispensary in Los Angeles and provides on-demand, legal and licensed cannabis delivery services to adults in the L.A. area. The second quarter of 2019 saw the 10th consecutive quarter of increased revenue for Wildflower, with $1.4 million in sales underscoring a burgeoning direct-to-consumer online channel that witnessed 300 percent growth last year alone. Many analysts are saying that the CBD rush is just getting started. One recent estimate indicates that the CBD market alone could eclipse the entire remainder of the cannabis market combined. Wildflower can apparently read the handwriting on the wall and intends to apply the $1.882 million in proceeds from the company's recent, oversold private placement to good use. A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats Green Growth Brands Inc (OTCQB:GGBXF) (CSE:GGB) is also enjoying the upside as CBD goes mainstream, with increasing traction for the company's Seventh Sense CBD-infused body care collection. Similar upside is being seen across the company's other retail arms, including curated product mix Meri+Jayne, CAMP lifestyle product kiosks, women's wellness focused Green Lily and Nevada-based The +Source dispensaries. Its Indiana shop marks the start of a massive retail push that will see Green Growth Brands leverage newly gained access to some 108 prime retail locations at thriving malls throughout the United States. The push is backed by an $85 million private placement from late last year, which will also bolster the company's XanthicBiopharms operation and may open the door to a variety of strategically significant new products. Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NYSE:ACB) (TSX:ACB), one of the biggest and fastest growing producers in the industry today, has seen a somewhat meteoric rise since opening the company's initial facility in Alberta in 2013. Today, Aurora is engaged in an aggressive international expansion, grounded in an increasingly diverse constellation of subsidiaries and strategic partnerships. Global reach and proprietary high-yield production technologies and techniques have put Aurora on the map as a funded producer, which can deliver more than 500,000 kilograms per year. Green Organic Dutchman (OTCQX:TGODF) (TSX:TGOD), a premier certified organic Canadian producer, is another input supplier benefitting from the increased market exposure CBD has been getting, with 2018 being a pivotal year for the company. Green Organic Dutchman executed two bought deals worth $101.2 million in gross proceeds and pulled another $77.6 million in gross proceeds via private placements. The company was also able to report a healthy $263.5 million in cash and restricted cash for 2018. The Green Organic Dutchman is in a solid position to expand existing facilities and pursue international growth into markets such as Jamaica. HEXO Corp. (NYSE:HEXO) (TSX:HEXO) is a notable low-cost producer with more than 579,000 square feet of production capacity and a 1,000,000-square-foot facility currently under construction. The company recently moved to acquire an additional 470,000 square feet of production space via an all-share acquisition of Newstrike Brands Ltd., valued at approximately $263 million. This news comes on the heels of the company's recent announcement that it is the first cannabis company to join the FCPC (Food & Consumer Products of Canada), arguably the biggest voice in Canadian food, beverage and consumer products. This prestigious feather in HEXO's cap was acquired just days prior to announcing impressive results for what is the first full quarter following the legalization of adult-use cannabis in Canada. With the 2018 Farm Bill thrusting hemp-derived CBD into the limelight, the broader industry likely stands to experience a rising tide that will lift all boats. For more information about Wildflower Brands, please visit Wildflower Brands Inc. (OTCQB:WLDFF) (CSE:SUN). About CannabisNewsWire CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today's market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge. Receive Text Alerts from CannabisNewsWire: Text "Cannabis" to 21000 For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com and or https://CannabisNewsWire.News Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer DISCLAIMER: CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is the source of the Article and content set forth above. References to any issuer other than the profiled issuer are intended solely to identify industry participants and do not constitute an endorsement of any issuer and do not constitute a comparison to the profiled issuer. FN Media Group (FNM) is a third-party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated with CNW or any company mentioned herein. The commentary, views and opinions expressed in this release by CNW are solely those of CNW and are not shared by and do not reflect in any manner the views or opinions of FNM. Readers of this Article and content agree that they cannot and will not seek to hold liable CNW and FNM for any investment decisions by their readers or subscribers. CNW and FNM and their respective affiliated companies are a news dissemination and financial marketing solutions provider and are NOT registered broker-dealers/analysts/investment advisers, hold no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. The Article and content related to the profiled company represent the personal and subjective views of the Author, and are subject to change at any time without notice. The information provided in the Article and the content has been obtained from sources which the Author believes to be reliable. However, the Author has not independently verified or otherwise investigated all such information. None of the Author, CNW, FNM, or any of their respective affiliates, guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any such information. This Article and content are not, and should not be regarded as investment advice or as a recommendation regarding any particular security or course of action; readers are strongly urged to speak with their own investment advisor and review all of the profiled issuer's filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission before making any investment decisions and should understand the risks associated with an investment in the profiled issuer's securities, including, but not limited to, the complete loss of your investment. CNW & 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 CNW and FNM undertake no obligation to update such statements. CannabisNewsWire (CNW) & NetworkNewsWire (NNW) are proud to be affiliated partners of the Investor Brand Network (IBN) About IBN Over the past 10+ years we have consistently introduced new network brands, each specifically designed to fulfil the unique needs of our growing client base and services. Today, we continue to expand our branded network of highly influential properties, leveraging the knowledge and energy of specialized teams of experts to serve our increasingly diversified list of clients. Please feel free to visit the Investor Brand Network (IBN) http://www.InvestorBrandNetwork.com Corporate Communications Contact: CannabisNewsWire (CNW) Denver, Colorado www.CannabisNewsWire.com 303-498-7722 Office Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com Media Contact: FN Media Group, LLC NNW@FinancialNewsMedia.com +1-(954)345-0611 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / EVITRADE Health Systems Corp. (CSE: EVA, OTCQB: EVAHF) (the "Company") provides overview of the North American Cannabidiol (CBD) industry. The CBD market is projected to be worth more than $20 billion by 2022, according to research firm Brightfield Group. As North America and most parts of the industrialized world look to legalize THC based cannabis products, the world of Hemp-based products has taken on a revival. Not so much for food-based products, but for the specific extracted oils from the plant that contain high concentrations of Cannabidiol or "CBD". In Canada, the Canadian Cannabis Act clears the way for whole hemp plant utilization. Industrial hemp licenses would authorize the intra-industry sale of leaves, flowers and branches (or the whole plant). That means licensed industrial hemp producers could sell the flower to someone who has permits to process and sell CBD-based products from plants that contain less than 0.3% THC in Canada and the United States. The newly enacted Farm Bill in the United States has created opportunities within the CBD sector as well,' any cannabinoid that is derived from hemp would be considered legal, provided that the production meets all of the federal regulations, state level regulations, and other guidelines in a manner that is consistent with the Farm Bill". The value of Hemp for the Company is not necessarily in the raw biomass but rather in the extracted oils and resulting CBD based products. Biomass is generally is worth .10 - .20 cents per gram, CBD isolate market price is around $7.5/ gram, 50x more price dense per volume. With its Hemp production facility near completion in Nevada, the Company is ready for the demand for its branded hemp-derived CBD based products. EviTrade continues to fulfill its commitment to elevate the human condition through advanced medical solutions and effective health and wellness research and products. Contact: EVITRADE Health Systems Corp. (formerly Auxellence Health Corporation) Email info@evahealthsystems.com or ceo@auxellence.com Website http://www.evahealthsystems.com CSE Micro-site: http://thecse.com/en/listings/technology/evitrade-health-systems-corp US OTC Markets (OTCQB): http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/EVAHF/news About EVITRADE Health (CSE: EVA, OTCQB: EVAHF) EVITRADE Health Systems Corp. (formerly, Auxellence Health Corporation), is a technology company specializing in the Health and Life Sciences sector looking to deliver effective personalized health solutions with a higher degree of predictability and consistency. The Company is focused on the following areas to help improve health: personalized medical care (including CBD usage monitoring and effects on the cardiovascular system), molecular biology, nutraceutical solutions and genetic tailoring. Disclaimers This news release contains 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. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to revise or update such statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators and on the OTC Markets website which is posted on www.sedar.com, http://thecse.com/en/listings/technology/evitrade-health-systems-corp, and http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/EVAHF/filings.This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE or CNSX Markets), nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the CSE), or any other regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The Company does not undertake to update this news release unless required by applicable law. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein in the United States. The securities described herein have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities law and may not be offered or sold in the "United States", as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. SOURCE: EVITRADE Health Systems Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/540144/Where-Is-the-North-American-CBD-Market Halifax, Nova Scotia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 26, 2019) - Further to its news release dated February 15, 2019, eXeBlock Technology Corporation (CSE: XBLK) ("eXeBlock" or the "Company") is providing an update on the sale of assets transaction with Peerplays Blockchain Standards Association ("PBSA"), Data Security Node Inc., Fallout Complex Inc., 10353027 Canada Corporation ("10353027"), and Jonathan Baha'i. Transaction Terms The material terms of the transaction include: Sale of software including 50/50 Labs, Sidechain and eXeChain (collectively, the "Software") to PBSA for the payment to eXeBlock of $250,000 in cash plus applicable taxes, on closing; the assumption by PBSA of amounts owing by eXeBlock to a third party developer in the development of the Software totaling $463,419 USD; the return of up to 9,965,000 common shares of eXeBlock ("Shares") held by 10353027, an entity wholly-owned by Jonathan Baha'i (which represents approximately 16.2% of the Company's Shares outstanding as of February 11, 2019) to treasury for cancellation by the Company, and the parties recently agreed that there would be no consideration paid for this purchase; the termination of the software development agreement between eXeBlock and PBSA on closing and release by eXeBlock in any interest in any consideration, including any PPY tokens, if any, which were to be transferred as payment for software development under such agreement; the forgiveness of amounts owing by eXeBlock to each of Data Security Node Inc., Fallout Complex Inc., and Jonathan Baha'i for certain equipment, furniture, fixtures and Company expenses totaling $74,912.35; and the termination of the bunker lease between eXeBlock and Fallout Complex Inc. on closing, (collectively, the "Transaction"). Update on Regulatory Approvals eXeBlock has concluded that the return of eXeBlock Shares to its treasury for cancellation will not be an "issuer bid", and no regulatory approvals will be sought under issuer bid rules. 10353027 currently holds an aggregate of 9,965,000 Shares of eXeBlock, including 6,000,000 Shares that remain in escrow. The escrowed Shares are scheduled for release in tranches between May 2019 and November 2020. eXeBlock may seek the necessary regulatory approval from the British Columbia Securities Commission (the "BCSC") to allow for the accelerated release and purchase of the escrowed Shares. The Transaction agreements contemplate that eXeBlock can obtain the escrowed Shares over time as they are released from escrow. Related Party Transaction The Company understands that Mr. Baha'i controls each of 10353027, Data Security Node Inc. and Fallout Complex Inc. Through his control of 10353027, Mr. Baha'i beneficially owns approximately 16.2% of the outstanding Shares. eXeBlock is required to treat Mr. Baha'i as a "related party" under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") and treat the Transaction as a "related party transaction" under MI 61-101. If the 3,965,000 Shares that are not escrowed Shares are repurchased for cancellation at closing, the issued and outstanding Shares will be reduced to 57,476,531 of which Mr. Baha'i will indirectly own approximately 10.4% which will be subject to the Company's rights to acquire additional Shares, as permitted by law. If the 9,965,000 maximum purchased Shares are repurchased for cancellation, the issued and outstanding Shares of the Company will be reduced to 51,476,531 of which Mr. Baha'i will own none. The Transaction is exempt from the formal valuation requirements provided in section 5.5(b) of MI 61-101, as the Shares are only listed on the Canadian Stock Exchange and not on any of the markets specified in section 5.5(b) of MI 61-101. There have been no prior valuations, as such term is defined in MI 61-101, in the 24 months prior to the date of this Material Change Report. The Transaction will be subject to minority approval. For the purposes of the Transaction, the minority approval will exclude the 9,965,000 Shares beneficially owned by Mr. Baha'i. The Company did not establish a special committee of the Board of Directors (the "Board"), as the Board consists of only three directors all of whom are independent of the Purchaser. The Board concluded that a separate special committee was not necessary and that the negotiations were arms-length. Mr. Baha'i resigned as a director and officer of eXeBlock in November 2017 and undertook to the BCSC that his Shares would not be voted for a 5-year period commencing on November 10, 2017. Mr. Baha'i's only role at eXeBlock since November 2017 was as an employee, and that relationship ended in December 2019. Transaction Background The Board of eXeBlock has considered all relevant factors and unanimously determined that the Transaction is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. The Board unanimously recommends that its shareholders vote in favour of the Transaction. After an extensive review of the Software along with a considerable effort to sell or partner with others, it was decided that the direction of the Company would be better served if the capital remaining was protected and other opportunities explored. The decentralized blockchain business, while perhaps a viable opportunity for certain groups, seems less attractive for eXeBlock especially given the time and costs to produce the assets and the long-term return on investment. The open nature of decentralized blockchain and its reliance on large scale adoption of the tokenomics structure would likely work better for a consortium group that may also bring traction to bear. The Company is currently looking at other opportunities within the private blockchain space. Management had reached out to no less than 15 -20 firms or possible partners in attempt to determine whether there were potential purchasers for these assets. The number of organizations interested in the specific assets is very limited. eXeBlock then approached PBSA and determined that PBSA may have an interest. The negotiations were fairly fluid and progressed with multiple meetings and discussions and the parameters of the deal changed from strictly a monetary transaction to a transaction that included the relief of outstanding debt, the assumption of liability to a third party contractor, the cancellation of the facility lease, the return of shares and the cancellation of the software development agreement between the two parties as well as a monetary payment and the acceptance of Mr. Baha'i's resignation. The parties eventually reached agreement in February. Meeting and Other Information The annual and special meeting of the Company has been called for April 2, 2019 (the "Meeting") and will be held at 1969 Upper Water Street, Suite 2001, Purdy's Wharf Tower II, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 3R7 at 2:00 p.m. (Halifax Time). At the Meeting, the shareholders will be asked to consider a resolution approving and authorizing the Transaction. Further details regarding the Transactions are provided in a management information circular mailed to the Company's shareholders in March 2019 and an updated material change report dated today. Copies of the management information circular, the updated material change report and the Agreement are available at www.sedar.com. About eXeBlock eXeBlock Technology Corp (CSE: BLK) is a designer of custom, state-of-the-art blockchain based software applications that provide profitable, secure and efficient solutions to businesses and markets globally. To receive regular updates on the business, follow them on Twitter @eXeBlock or visit www.exeblock.com. For more information please contact: eXeBlock Technologies Corporation Jamie Davison CEO 902.334-1699 jdavison@exeblock.com Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This press release contains forward-looking statements and information that are based on the beliefs of management and reflect the Company's current expectations. When used in this press release, the words 'estimate', 'project', 'belief', 'will', 'anticipate', 'intend', 'expect', 'plan', 'predict', 'may' or 'should' and the negative of these words or such variations or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking information relating to, the anticipated completion of the Transaction including satisfaction of the conditions thereto, including receipt of regulatory approvals and the approval of the Company's shareholders and the anticipated timing for completion of these matters. Such statements and information reflect the current view of the Company with respect to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. There are no assurances the Transaction will be completed on the terms and timeline anticipated, or at all. Forward looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. There are a number of important risk factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. For a more detailed discussion of risk factors, refer to the Company's management discussion and analysis dated as of January 28, 2019 filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and on the CSE's website. The Company cautions that the aforementioned list of material risk factors is not exhaustive. When relying on the Company's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing risk factors and other uncertainties and potential events. THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE COMPANY AS OF THE DATE OF THIS PRESS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE THE COMPANY MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43670 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 26, 2019) - Contact Gold Corp. (TSXV: C) (the "Company" or "Contact Gold") is pleased to announce the discovery of significant gold-in-soils extending 580 metres west from the previous drilling discovery at the Pony Spur target on the Pony Creek gold property ("Pony Creek"). In addition, the highest-grade gold-in-soil sample, 1.18 g/t gold, was returned from a new target 480 metres south of Pony Spur in a similar Carlin-type gold setting. Highlights: 580 metres by 200 metres gold-in-soil anomaly up to 386 ppb Au (0.386 g/t Au) continuing west from the Pony Spur discovery holes (see news release September 5, 2018) Multiple soil samples over 100 ppb Au (0.1 g/t Au) extending east from the discovery outcrop of intensely silicified sandstone with strong barite and hematite alteration Highest grade soil sample at 1.18 g/t Au collected 480 metres south of Pony Spur in an area of gold-in-soil anomalies measuring 225m by 175m These new gold targets are located along the traditional host horizon at the Devil's Gate Limestone - Webb Formation contact that hosts the majority of gold deposits on the southern Carlin Trend "These new gold discoveries at the traditional Carlin-type gold host are very exciting. To discover our highest-grade gold in soil sample to date from Pony Creek is particularly encouraging given its proximity to Pony Spur, and our other targets on the property. In addition, we are excited to see that our drill intercepts from last year might only have been at the margin of the system and that there is a substantial footprint of gold extending west and south from Pony Spur." stated Matt Lennox-King, CEO of Contact Gold. Pony Spur Target The Pony Spur Target was acquired in 2017 as part of Contact Gold's expansion of Pony Creek. The claims cover an exposure of intensely silicified Chainman Shale with strong barite and hematite that occurs along a regional-scale, northwest-striking fault that projects into the Bowl Zone gold-in-soil footprint (580m-200m), defined by 24 soil samples across 3 soil sample lines 100m apart and on 50m centres 7 samples returned better than 100ppb Au, which is considered highly anomalous in Carlin-type gold systems Drilling in 2018 encountered oxide gold in all three holes (27m @ 0.2 g/t Au, 21m @ 0.2 g/t Au and 20m @ 0.2 g/t Au see news release September 5, 2018) and appears to have been drilled at the eastern margin of the gold-in-soil footprint A new, strong gold-in-soil anomaly defined by 7 samples on a 100m by 50m grid was discovered 480m south of the Pony Spur drilling including the highest-grade soil sample ever taken on the project at 1.18 g/t Au, suggesting an extension to the gold system to the south For a map of the Pony Creek target areas please click: http://contactgold.com/_resources/news/Pony-Creek-Pony-Spur-Overview.jpg For a detailed plan map of Pony Spur, please click: http://contactgold.com/_resources/news/Pony-Spur-Soils.jpg Pony Creek is an early stage exploration property and does not contain any mineral resource estimates as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). There has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource estimate at Pony Creek. Additional information about Pony Creek is summarized in a technical report entitled "Technical Report on the Pony Creek Gold Project, Elko County, Nevada, USA" dated April 18, 2017, and effective March 15, 2017), prepared by Michael M. Gustin, C.P.G. of Mine Development Associates of Reno, Nevada (the "Technical Report"), which can be viewed under Contact Gold's issuer profile on SEDAR at: www.sedar.com The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Vance Spalding, CPG, VP Exploration, Contact Gold, who is a "qualified person" within the meaning of NI 43-101. Drill intercepts were calculated using a minimum thickness of 3.05 metres averaging 0.14 ppm gold and allowing inclusion of up to 4.57 metres of material averaging less than 0.14 ppm gold for low grade intervals and higher grade intervals were calculated using a minimum thickness of 3.05 metres averaging 1.00 ppm gold and allowing inclusion of up to 4.57 metres of assays averaging less than 1.00 ppm gold. Gravimetric assays are used for all Fire Assays above 4.00 ppm gold. True width of drilled mineralization is unknown, but owing to the apparent flat lying nature of mineralization, is estimated to generally be at least 70% of drilled thickness Quality Assurance / Quality Control consists of regular insertion of certified reference standards, blanks, and duplicates. All failures are followed up and resolved whenever possible with additional investigation whenever such an event occurs. Multi element geochemical assays are completed on composites using the MEMS 61 method. All assays are completed at ALS Chemex; an ISO 17025:2005 accredited lab. Check assays are completed at a second, reputable assay lab after the program is complete. About Contact Gold Corp. Contact Gold is an exploration company focused on producing district scale gold discoveries in Nevada. Contact Gold's extensive land holdings are on the prolific Carlin, Independence and Northern Nevada Rift gold trends which host numerous gold deposits and mines. Contact Gold's land position comprises approximately 212 km2 of target rich mineral tenure hosting numerous known gold occurrences, ranging from early- to advanced-exploration and resource definition stage. Additional information about the Company is available at www.contactgold.com. For more information, please contact: +1 (604) 449-3361 John Glanville - Director Investor Relations Chris Pennimpede - Corporate Development E-mail: info@ContactGold.com Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, to the anticipated exploration activities of the Company on the Pony Creek property. These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include; business integration risks; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; fluctuations in spot and forward prices of gold, silver, base metals or certain other commodities; fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar to United States dollar exchange rate); change in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations pressures, cave-ins and flooding); inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and indigenous populations; availability of increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); and title to properties. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43653 Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - March 26, 2019) - The oil and gas capital of Canada is now a hub for the greening of the Caribbean and South Pacific. Two major projects have been awarded to Calgary-based Archer Cleantech Inc. ("Archer" or the "Company"), an international project generator in the green energy space with projects in various stages of development, not only in Jamaica and American Samoa but in California, Uganda, Mexico, Guam and Alberta as well. Archer is technology agnostic in putting together projects in wind, solar, geothermal, waste-to-energy and battery storage. Renewable energy is an essential part of today's energy mix and is poised to become the major source of new energy supply in this century. Global investment in renewable generation reached $265 billion in 2015, double the $130 billion investment in new fossil fuel generation in the same year. It's a rare occurrence when a Calgary-based energy executive is on international TV talking about "clean energy." Known as the oil and gas capital of Canada, Calgary is now positioned to be not just an oil and gas leader but also a hub for broader-based "energy" companies including wind, solar and battery. This is reflected in the Calgary Economic Development slogan which states: "Be Part of the Energy." In an episode of "Biz 1 on 1," now available for viewing on the Biz 1 on 1 and BizTV websites (http://www.biz1on1.tv/interview/season-2-episode-5/ and http://www.biztv.com/) and airing in May on Amazon Prime Video Direct in the U.K. and U.S., Archer CEO Paul Blaha and Founder/President Ron Loudon tell the story of how a leading international wind, solar and battery storage project developer is growing out of a tiny office on the Red Mile in Calgary. A former Bay Street investment banker who "went West, young man" to seek his fortune in the oil and gas business, Blaha instead was recruited by iconic Alberta energy entrepreneur Ron Southern and, in the 2000s, developed energy projects valued at over $3 billion for Atco. Little did Blaha know this experience in major project development was preparing him to meet Ron Loudon, a Kelowna-based entrepreneur who made a fortune and retired at an early age to travel the world. He has returned to Vancouver to pursue a passion for clean energy. "I became very interested in conscious-minded business, and I've always been concerned about the environment," explains Loudon. "Jamaica, for example, is losing its tourism partly because they're not paying attention to what everyone is concerned about, which is looking after the environment. Environmental stewardship is in the mainstream consciousness now." Archer has recently landed a project to cut power costs in half for hospitals in Jamaica through a combination of solar power and retrofitting obsolete infrastructure. The Company is also moving forward with a large wind, solar and battery storage project in American Samoa that will significantly impact that country's overall percentage of clean energy while cutting the per-kilowatt-hour cost by as much as two-thirds. An early stage company that is moving from three years of development into the execution stage, Archer is being managed on a day-to-day basis by a high-powered team led by Blaha. "We are a smaller company in an industry that has big players," explains Blaha. "What's advantageous about that is that we can take our ideas and put them into play much more quickly because we are nimble and more flexible. A lot of the big players don't want to be in the front end of the business. That's our sweet spot. What we do better than anyone else is de-risk the projects." Archer is also leading the development project to build one of the world's largest battery storage facilities in California, where the state is committed to closing nuclear plants but is already experiencing brownouts. "It's going to be a very significant solution in a very exciting market," said Blaha. Archer has also created its own wholly owned finance subsidiary and expects to launch an initial $500 million Green Bond Fund later this year. For more information, contact: Dave Ashby, Investor Relations: 250-878-7333 dave.ashby@archercleantech.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43662 Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - March 26, 2019) - Maple Gold Mines Ltd. (TSXV: MGM) (OTCQB: MGMLF) (FSE: M3G) ("Maple Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has increased its previously announced non-brokered private placement financing to up to C$2,600,000 (the "Offering") with support from one of its largest shareholders. On March 15, 2019 the Company announced its intention to raise up to C$2,300,000 in flow-through financing (the "First Tranche") through the issuance of 18,400,000 common shares (the "Shares") at a price of C$0.125 per share. The additional C$300,000 in hard-dollar financing (the "Second Tranche") is being raised through the issuance of up to 3,000,000 Shares at a price of C$0.10 per share, for total gross proceeds to the Company of up to C$2,600,000. There are no warrants associated with this financing. Maple Gold is pleased to announce that it has closed the First Tranche of the Offering, which was completed with CMP 2019 Resource Limited Partnership ("CMP"), an investment fund managed by Goodman & Company, Investment Counsel Inc., an affiliate of Dundee Corporation, and Sprott Asset Management ("Sprott"). The Company is very pleased to welcome CMP and Sprott as shareholders. All Shares issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to a four-month hold period from the date of closing. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the private placement to drill top-priority targets at the Douay Project and for general corporate purposes. There are no finder's fees associated with the flow though portion of the Offering and no pro group participation. The closing of the second tranche is expected to take place in the second week of April. The securities offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy securities in the United States, nor in any other jurisdiction. About Maple Gold Maple Gold is an advanced gold exploration and development company focused on defining a district-scale gold project in one of the world's premier mining jurisdictions. The Company's ~392 km Douay Gold Project is located along the Casa Berardi Deformation Zone (55 km of strike) within the prolific Abitibi Greenstone Belt in northern Quebec, Canada. The Project benefits from excellent infrastructure and has an established gold resource3 that remains open in multiple directions. For more information please visit www.maplegoldmines.com. ON BEHALF OF MAPLE GOLD MINES LTD. "Matthew Hornor" B. Matthew Hornor, President & CEO For Further Information Please Contact: Mr. Joness Lang VP, Corporate Development Office: +1 416.306.8124 Email: jlang@maplegoldmines.com NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS PRESS RELEASE. Forward Looking Statements: This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively referred to as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation in Canada. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, uncertainties and management's best estimate of future events. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations and projections. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding timing and completion of the private placement. When used herein, words such as "anticipate", "will", "intend" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on certain estimates, expectations, analysis and opinions that management believed reasonable at the time they were made or in certain cases, on third party expert opinions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, and uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual events, results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future events, results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to Maple Gold Mines Ltd.'s filings with Canadian securities regulators available on www.sedar.com or the Company's website at www.maplegoldmines.com. The Company does not intend, 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 law. NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43664 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. The list of selected fellows was made public in Abuja, Nigeria on Friday March 22, 2019 report CT. ADS

One hundred and four Cameroonians are amongst the 2019 cohort of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) Entrepreneurship Programme. They are among 3,050 African entrepreneurs, drawn from all 54 African countries, selected to join the 5th cycle of the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme run by the leading African philanthropy.

The list of selected fellows was made public in Abuja, Nigeria, Friday March 22, 2019. According to TEF officials, over 216,000 applications were received, an increase from last years 151,000, and nearly 90,000 were submitted by female entrepreneurs, an increase of 45 per cent.

The selected Entrepreneurs will each receive a non-refundable seed capital of US$ 5,000 (circa FCFA 2.9 million), access to mentors, and a 12-week business training programme, directly focused on the needs of African entrepreneurs. And on July 26 27, 2019, they will gather at the TEF Entrepreneurship Forum to take place for the first time in Abuja, Nigeria.

Tony O. Elumelu, TEF Founder, said each year, they face an almost impossible task to select 1,000 entrepreneurs from the hundreds of thousands who apply. Our entrepreneurs are hungry to effect change. We know we are only scratching the surface, we see the depth of entrepreneurial talent, that all of us must harness to transform our economies and livelihoods. We must rally together to empower them and accelerate the change we want on the continent, he underscored.

Going by Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu, CEO of TEF, the programme has successfully empowered 7,520 entrepreneurs in its first five years. Marking the fifth anniversary of the 10-year programme, this years selection includes 2,050 entrepreneurs, supported by the Foundations partners in addition to the Foundations annual commitment of 1,000. The flagship programme of TEF has so far benefited 101 Cameroonian entrepreneurs. Cameroon had 19 in 2015, 23 in 2016, 21 in 2017 and 38 in 2018, in addition to 104 his year. Last year, the Foundation launched TEFConnect - the digital networking platform for African entrepreneurs and open to all - to further democratise the access to opportunities for the thousands of entrepreneurs that cannot directly benefit from the Entrepreneurship Programme. AMINDEH Blaise ATABONG MALMO, Sweden and ROCKVILLE, Maryland, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Trialbee, a world leading technology provider in patient matching and engagement, and Linical Accelovance Group, a market-leading, midsized, global contract research organization (CRO), announce they will join forces to drive the next generation of digitally powered patient-centric clinical trials. Biopharma sponsors will now have access to a single point of contact delivering end-to-end next generation clinical trials, expediting clinical trial enrollment, retention and speed-to-market solutions. By interlinking digital capability and global clinical trial execution into one end-to-end support chain, this partnership has what it takes to positively disrupt clinical research and accelerate patient access to new treatments and improved outcomes. Patient-centricity is valuable to the entire clinical trial lifecycle. Patient and clinical data refine the feasibility process and help sharpen trial design. A digital recruitment strategy can then be deployed to reach the targeted patient population and enhance trial enrollment timelines. Furthermore, customized engagement solutions mitigate patient attrition, resulting in reduced site burden while maintaining data integrity, quality and project timelines. "Trialbee drives clinical trial success by combining in depth knowledge of clinical trial design and our digital outreach expertise to identify, connect, engage and offer patients access to relevant trials. By addressing patient-specific needs in a relevant manner, we bridge the gap between willing patients and available clinical trials, manage expectations, and connect well-informed and already engaged patients with investigational sites. In partnership with Linical Accelovance Group, a clinical research operations leader providing flexible and pragmatic drug development services, we can jointly deliver a world class recruitment and engagement model across the entire trial lifecycle, resulting in on-time delivery of quality data," said Lars-Olof Eriksson, CEO of Trialbee. Vita Lanoce, CEO of Linical Accelovance Group, commented, "We are pleased to be at the forefront of developing new approaches to accelerate enrollment timelines by engaging patients and investigational sites to successfully deliver clinical research trials. As a global CRO, we have expertise designing and conducting clinical trials across many therapeutic areas and strong relationships with investigative sites. By layering our strengths with Trialbee's technology, we can deliver a more powerful, integrated solution that assures a clear understanding of the patient journey, enhancing patient recruitment and retention, and, as a result, benefiting sponsors, sites, and the patients themselves." In the clinical research community, delivering a clinical trial successfully requires strict focus on well-known barriers. The same challenges still prevail; 11-30% of sites fail to recruit a single patient and as many as 50% of trials are delayed due to recruitment issues. The costs incurred because of delays are momentous, amounting to as much as $8 million per day, along with detrimental setbacks in access to cures. Even once a patient is enrolled, retention and protocol adherence are of the utmost importance for success. The reality is that 30% of enrolled patients will drop out over the course of a clinical study. The industry is yearning for innovative solutions to effectively recruit and retain patients in clinical trials. About Trialbee: Trialbee empowers patients worldwide with clinical trials as a care option through best-in-class digital patient matching and engagement solutions. Since its inception, Trialbee has continuously innovated patient-centric solutions for global clinical trials. Trialbee operates its technology globally from two locations in Sweden and the USA. Trialbee - Dedicated to patients; driven by science; and powered by data. For more information, contact solutions@trialbee.com. About Linical Accelovance Group: Linical Accelovance Group is a market-leading, midsized, global contract research organization with a significant footprint across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. With operations in more than 20 countries, Linical Accelovance Group is a full-service CRO uniquely capable of conducting large-scale, multinational studies, while delivering personalized, hands-on service. The organization's areas of expertise include oncology, hematology, vaccines, CNS, and general medicine trials across Phases I-IV. Providing drug development services to pharmaceutical companies, biotechs, investigative sites and academic institutions, Linical Accelovance Group supports client needs by leveraging operational knowledge and patient recruitment strategies that result in successful clinical trials. Media Contacts: Ann-Sofie Andersson Marketing Director, Trialbee +46-72-702-2466 ann-sofie.andersson@trialbee.com Alison Cundari Marketing & Corporate Communications, Linical Accelovance Group 1-803-753-4160 acundari@linical.accelovance.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/659436/ACCELOVANCE_Logo.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/840720/Trialbee_Logo.jpg Platform designed to enable remote monitoring would offer mothers and clinicians a monitoring tool that non-invasively gathers helpful data and insights PRINCETON, New Jersey and TEL AVIV, Israel, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nuvo Group today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received the PregSense remote monitoring application for the company's first De Novo classification. If granted clearance, the remote platform would be marketed under the name Invu by Nuvo. Invu is an investigational device under FDA review designed for remote pregnancy monitoring. The patented technology is designed to non-invasively measure and display fetal heart rate (FHR) and maternal heart rate (MHR), creating a digital dashboard. It is indicated for women who are in their 32nd week of gestation (or later), with a singleton pregnancy for both in-clinic and at home use. The submission is based on clinical and scientific validation stemming from pivotal and usability trials. A pivotal study compared the investigational platform to cardiotocographs (CTG) - the most widely-used fetal monitoring system. Results from the multi-center study of 149 women showed that Nuvo's platform was able to accurately extract both fetal and maternal heart rates consistent with CTG, while offering the real-time convenience of a remote monitoring solution. As Nuvo's first De Novo submission, this regulatory milestone paves the way for the company's vision of advancing maternal-fetal connected health by creating a connected pregnancy. "We are pleased to have submitted our De Novo application for FDA review and look forward to working with the FDA to complete the review process," said Oren Oz, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nuvo Group. "Our goal is to enable a connected pregnancy, where mothers' visits are seamlessly connected across the home, workplace, doctor's office and hospitals." About Nuvo Group Nuvo Group is committed to transforming pregnancy care for a new generation. Proprietary software solutions combined with innovative product design utilize big data analytics to optimize pregnancy healthcare on a global scale. Nuvo Group leadership is comprised of dedicated data engineers, medical professionals, software designers, and proud parents who share a collective vision to create new solutions for both patients and doctors, creating an immediate impact on maternal care worldwide. Nuvo's initial product offering for healthcare providers has completed clinical investigation to support FDA De Novo clearance but is not yet available for sale in the United States. For more information, visit: www.nuvocares.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/841023/Nuvo_Logo.jpg Leading Medical Professional Liability, a leading provider of medical professional liability insurance, has made a significant step in their digital transformation, choosing to migrate their existing on-premises deployment of the Duck Creek Suite, in production since 2015, to Duck Creek OnDemand. The carrier cited continuous currency and reduced IT workloads as key factors in this decision. With this across-the-board transition to Duck Creek OnDemand, Coverys will be able to enjoy the many advantages of SaaS core systems, including scalability, easy integrations with third-party solutions, and security - a critical consideration for MPL carriers due to the sensitive nature of their insureds' data. This move sends a strong message that carriers increasingly accept SaaS as the future of P&C insurance, and reflects the strength of the long-standing relationship between the two firms. Donald Light, Director in Celent's North America Property/Casualty Practice, commented, "As the transition of core systems to the cloud accelerates, Celent is seeing more examples of insurers with fairly recent on-premises deployments transitioning to the cloud. Insurers' motivations include higher levels of security, availability of advanced analytic tools, and a DevOps-friendly environment." "Duck Creek's offerings are strategically aligned with our digital transformation efforts, and moving our core applications to the cloud is the logical next step to modernizing our operations," said Eric Crockett, VP of IT at Coverys. "Duck Creek OnDemand will give us the capabilities we need to quickly move from concept, development, and implementation to go-live production. "Insurers are experiencing the true value of a SaaS-based software model," said Karen Furtado, Partner at Strategy Meets Action. "The opportunity to have a vendor expert manage the continual upgrade of mission critical software products - as well as their environments - in an extendable cloud offering provides insurers the capacity to focus on the activities that provide direct value in delivering services to their customers. Duck Creek's OnDemand solution provides insurers with a compelling alternative to the traditional on-premises software model." With inherent openness, configurability, and common functionality across Duck Creek applications, the Duck Creek Platformspeeds and simplifies processes, fosters transparency across functions, and brings more and better information to bear on every decision more quickly. By migrating their full Duck Creek Suite to Duck Creek OnDemand, Coverys is ensuring that it will always have access to the newest and best capabilities of the Platform while freeing up its IT resources to focus on business innovation rather than data center maintenance. "We are thrilled that Coverys has seen the true value of SaaS and entrusted Duck Creek to give them the reliability, security, and support they need to innovate faster and more efficiently," said Andy Dey, Chief Product and technology Officer of Duck Creek Technologies. "With the Duck Creek Suite OnDemand, Coverys will be able to capitalize on optimal benefits for managing its business, reducing risk and costs, and responding quickly to changes in the marketplace." About Coverys Coverys is a leading provider of medical professional liability insurance for medical practitioners and health systems. Coverys provides a full range of healthcare liability insurance options, advanced risk analytics, and best-in-class risk mitigation and education resources to help clients anticipate, identify, and manage risk to reduce errors and improve outcomes. Learn more at www.coverys.com. About Duck Creek Technologies Duck Creek Technologies paves a genuine path to the future for P&C insurance companies. Decades of insurance experience underpin advanced technologies specifically designed to accommodate change - allowing carriers to navigate uncertainty and capture market opportunities faster than their competitors. Duck Creek solutions are available standalone or as a full suite. All are available via Duck Creek OnDemand, the provider's SaaS solution for the P&C insurance industry. For more information, visit www.duckcreek.com. Media Contact: Paul Rechichi Racepoint Global 617-624-3295 prechichi@racepointglobal.com Attachment VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / Far Resources Ltd (CSE:FAT) (FSE:F0R) (OTC:FRRSF) is pleased to provide an update regarding its high-grade Winston Gold-Silver Project, located in Sierra County, New Mexico, USA, and the previously-announced spin-out of these assets. The Winston Project comprises the Little Granite Mine and the Ivanhoe-Emporia Mine, both of which are past-producing silver-gold mines. Management believes that these assets are highly valuable and worthy of a systematic exploration programme, but are not currently valued within the existing corporate structure. In late 2017, Far announced that it was contemplating a Plan of Arrangement to spin the Winston assets out into a new public company as a form of dividend to its shareholders. Due to changing priorities and a focus on advancing its Zoro and Hidden Lake lithium projects, as well as changes in gold and exploration fundamentals, the company put plans for the spin out on hold. Far is pleased to announce that it is again advancing plans to spin out the Winston Project into a newly-formed, precious metals-focused exploration company ("SpinCo"), with the initial goal of advancing the gold and silver assets in New Mexico through a focused programme of exploration and drilling. The company believes that SpinCo has the potential to be developed into an independent and viable company based on the merits of the Winston Project. The company would spin out its interests in the Winston Project with the intent of listing on a public exchange in due course. Completion of such plan and any listing of the resulting entity will be subject to regulatory approval, and the approval of shareholders of Far. Updates on this process, including share ratio to Far shareholders and timing of the record date shall be provided in due course. "We believe very strongly in the value of the Winston Property," said Far President and CEO, Toby Mayo. "The exceptionally high grades recovered during due diligence-over 1.4 kg/t silver and 25 g/t gold-combined with the favourable location of the project, captured our investors'; interest. We believe that the time is now right to demonstrate the potential of this opportunity and to unlock the true value of Winston for our shareholders." About the Winston Project Little Granite Mine The Little Granite Mine is a past-producing, high-grade silver-gold mine located in the Chloride Mining District in Sierra County, western New Mexico (Fig. 1 and 2). The area saw major mining activity in the late-19th and early 20th Centuries, with historic records of over 400 mines and prospects in the district. Epithermal vein systems in the northern part of the district exist along dominantly north trends with lesser northeast and northwest trends. The longest continuous vein system in the district, the Great Master Lode, occurs in this area, winding along north and northeast trends for more than 11 km. Vein adularia at the Minnehaha Mine, on the Great Master Lode, yielded a K-Ar age of 26.2 +/- 1.2my, nearly identical to dates for stage two mineralisation in the southern half of the district. Fig. 1. Winston Project location Fig. 2. Winston regional geology Gold-silver mineralisation at Little Granite is contained in two major low-sulphidation epithermal quartz veins (the Little Granite vein and the West, or Jap vein). These veins outcrop in Tertiary age volcanics and run semi-parallel to one another, striking roughly north, and dipping 70 degrees to 80 degrees east. Previous production occurred from workings where the two veins merge. It is understood that the bulk of ore mined was oxidised and free milling containing, silver chlorides and free gold near surface, with the deposits transitioning to sulphide-hosted mineralisation at depth. Historic diamond drilling during the 1980s tested the vein over a strike length of approximately 400 feet (120 metres) mostly to a depth of 250 feet, though one deeper hole was drilled to 450 feet (Table 1). The vein system has been traced for over 600 feet (185 m) along strike by surface drilling and underground development. At the surface, widths are typically 1 to 2 feet, but reportedly widen to between 6 and 12 feet at a depth of 250 feet. The deepest drill intersection to date (Hole LG-7) is approx 400 feet deep. Hole Azimuth Inclination From (m) Interval (m) True width (m) Gold (g/t) Silver (g/t) LG-1 252 -78 47.9 4.6 2.9 20.4 5.1 LG-2 0 -90 65.8 4.9 3.1 43.1 27.8 LG-3 274 -80 60.0 4.3 2.7 80.4 130.9 LG-4 0 -90 67.4 5.5 3.5 0.7 15.1 LG-5 0 -90 42.4 2.7 1.8 33.8 22.3 LG-6 283 -81 57.9 5.2 3.6 Four samples of unknown individual lengths 9.5 272.5 3.4 178.3 0.7 72.0 1.7 6.9 LG-7 270 -79 134.6 4.4 2.8 Three samples of unknown individual lengths 19.7 5.1 6.2 <1.7 18.7 <1.7 Table 1: Historic drilling results from 1984 diamond drilling programme. Note: this work was not carried out under supervision of a Qualified Person. The assaying, sampling and QA/QC protocols are unknown, and therefore cannot be relied upon. These results are presented as historical information only. The vein zone remains open both along strike and at depth. Historic mine records reported local bonanza-grade ore in some of the ore shoots underground. In late 2013, Far conducted a due diligence site visit to the Winston Project, where they visited the Little Granite Mine area. Three composite samples were collected from quartz dump material near the mouth of the decline, which were reportedly excavated in the early 1980s. This check sampling confirmed the occurrence of local very high-grade silver and gold. Two of these samples, representing the main style of quartz present in the mine, returned values of 179 g/t Ag and 2.9 g/t Au, and 170 g/t Ag and 6.7 g/t Au respectively. These samples show classic boiling textures and are considered to be the material from the upper part of a well-developed epithermal system. The third composite sample found on one of the dumps, containing fine grained grey "cherty" quartz material, returned values of 1,439 g/t Ag and 25.2 g/t Au. The results from the third sample supports the historic reports confirming the presence of "bonanza-grade" shoots within the mine';s main vein system. Two additional samples of the exposed quartz vein were taken from the walls of a collapsed stope immediately north of the main shaft, returning values of 226 g/t Ag and 2.2 g/t Au, and 24 g/t Ag and 0.3 g/t Au. However, both of these samples may have experienced surface leaching effects. All of the samples were collected by Lindsay Bottomer, P.Geo., former director of Far, who transported and delivered them to Acme Analytical Laboratories in Vancouver, where fire assay methods were used to analyse them. Ivanhoe/Emporia Lodes The Ivanhoe/Emporia lodes produced gold and silver from workings accessed by a 384 feet deep decline extending into the historical mine. Far believes that there is potential for outlining significant, large tonnage, lower grade mineralisation from the stockwork veins that surround previously mined high-grade veins. Qualified Person The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. James Moors P.Geo., a qualified person as defined under National Instrument 43-101. About Far Far Resources Ltd. is a Canadian battery and technology metals exploration and development company with projects in Canada and the USA. More information on Far is available at www.farresources.com. Information Contact L. Frank Anderson, Director Far Resources Ltd. +1 (604) 253-3444 The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release and accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy hereof. Forward Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements, and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, the future draw-downs under the Facility, the anticipated use of proceeds from the Facility, the planned exploration for the Hidden Lake project and the Zoro lithium property, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company are forward looking statements and reflect management';s current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management';s current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company, including without limitation, that market fundamentals will result in sustained lithium demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future development of the Company';s mineral properties in a timely manner, the availability of financing on suitable terms for the development, construction and continued operation of the Company projects, and the Company';s ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. Readers are cautioned that these forward looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees of future results or performance, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected as a result of various factors, including, the ability of the Company to close any future Tranches under the Facility, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development activities, actual results of exploration activities, the estimation or realisation of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the timing and amount of estimated future production, the costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, requirements for additional capital, future prices of lithium, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, lack of investor interest in future financing, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, title disputes, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents, approvals or authorisations, including acceptance by the CSE, as applicable, required for future exploration activities or the acquisition of additional mineral properties, the timing and possible outcome of any pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, and risks related to joint venture operations, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company';s latest interim Management Discussion and Analysis and filed with certain securities commissions in Canada. All of the forward-looking statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and those in our continuous disclosure filings available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances save as required under applicable securities legislation. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell securities and the Company is not soliciting an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration SOURCE: Far Resources Ltd View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/540117/Far-Resources-Provides-Corporate-Update-for-the-Spin-Out-of-Its-High-Grade-Winston-Gold-Silver-Project-New-Mexico VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / The Board of Directors of Viridium Pacific Group Ltd. ("Viridium" or the "Company") (TSXV: VIR) (OTC Pink: VIRFF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Kamini Hitkari to the position of Chief Financial Officer, commencing on March 26, 2019. Ms. Hitkari joins Viridium from Aurora Cannabis where she was the Vice President of Strategic Finance. Previously, Ms. Hitkari was with HSBC Bank Canada for over ten years at its head office in Vancouver, where she was most recently a Director of Finance for one of HSBC's lines of business. She began her career with KPMG (Victoria) earning a CPA, CA designation, and subsequently moved to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (Vancouver). She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Victoria. "We're excited to welcome Kamini to Viridium as our new CFO," said Viridium CEO, Jay Garnett. "Kamini brings extensive financial, operational, and strategic experience. This, combined with her knowledge of the cannabis industry and experience in scaling high-growth companies, will be a huge asset to Viridium as we enter our next phase of growth and further our mission. We thank Ms. Wong for her service and contributions over the year as CFO and assisting the Company in finding her replacement. We are delighted that Ms. Wong will continue the role as the Company's Corporate Secretary." Ms. Hitkari will succeed Ms. Winnie Wong, who has served as Viridium's Chief Financial Officer since 2018 and will remain as the Corporate Secretary of the Company and a strategic advisor to the Company during the transition period. In addition, the Company issued stock options to its officer that will be exercisable to acquire 250,000 common shares at $0.65 per share until March 26, 2022 and granted 181,250 RSUs to its directors and a former director, of which 50,000 vested immediately into common shares and the remaining 131,250 RSUs will vest 12 months after the directors resign. About Viridium Viridium Pacific Group Ltd. is the parent company of Experion Biotechologies Inc., a Health Canada licensed cultivation and processor of cannabis, based in Mission, BC and EFX labs, a medical products production and clinical research company based out of Calgary, AB. More information about Viridium can be found under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. For further information: Viridium Pacific Group Ltd. Jarrett Malnarich Tel: (604) 837-8688 info@viridiumpacific.com www.viridiumpacific.com Disclosure This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Although the Company believes that such information is reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward looking information is typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, forecast, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking information as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to: the state of the financial markets for the Company's equity securities; recent market volatility; the Company's ability to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies; the risks identified in the Filing Statement, and other risks and factors that the Company is unaware of at this time. The reader is referred to the Filing Statement dated September 25, 2017 and/or the most recent annual and interim Management's Discussion and Analysis for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects, copies of which may be accessed through the Company page on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. SOURCE: Viridium Pacific Group Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/540111/Viridium-Pacific-Group-Names-New-CFO Advanced Program Addresses Enormous Market Demand for Expert Machine Learning and AI Professionals Imperial College London, a globally ranked top 10 university, today announced an online MSc in Machine Learning on Coursera, the world's leading online learning platform. This is one of the world's first online master's degrees in machine learning and will help students pursue the most advanced engineering roles in artificial intelligence (AI), data science, machine learning, bioinformatics, and more. AI is projected to create 2.3 million jobs by 2020, while the machine learning market is expected to grow to $8.8B globally by 2022. To meet the significant demand for experts in the field, the MSc in Machine Learning from Imperial College London will prepare the next generation of machine learning experts to drive innovation in the field and its application across industries. "Machine learning and AI will transform every industry, but we need the right engineering talent to shape this future," said Andrew Ng, Co-founder of Coursera. "I'm excited to see Imperial and Coursera address this acute skills gap with an advanced, technical degree in machine learning. With this increased access to machine learning expertise, learners all over the world can help shape the future of machine learning and AI technology." The MSc in Machine Learning is a rigorous degree with a deep focus on the foundations of machine learning. Applicants are expected to have an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject such as computer science, mathematics, statistics, economics, or physics. The program is highly interactive and offers frequent opportunities to engage with faculty at Imperial College London, a world-leading center in machine learning, data science, and AI. "This advanced degree will train learners in the computational, mathematical, and statistical foundations of machine learning with a curriculum concentrated on areas such as supervised and unsupervised learning, applied programming, and statistical modeling. Students will have the opportunity to work with industry-standard tools like PySpark and PyTorch to develop and apply their machine learning and data science skills," said Professor Emma McCoy, Vice-Dean (Education), Faculty of Natural Sciences at Imperial College London. The curriculum also covers the ethics and limitations of machine learning to equip students with the skills to ethically and morally apply these techniques to their future work. "Degrees continue to be the most valuable credential in today's job market, and this new program provides learners with the most advanced machine learning skills that businesses all over the world are seeking," said Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera. "We're thrilled to partner with Imperial College London, a world-renowned university with a reputation for excellence in mathematics, engineering and computer science, to offer an advanced degree program at the cutting edge of machine learning." Degrees offered on Coursera provide a flexible, high-quality, and engaging learning experience. The MSc in Machine Learning is stackable and modular, allowing learners to start their degree learning with an open course that can count toward the degree upon acceptance to the full program. "Machine learning, data science, and AI are rapidly growing sectors. Through this new open online masters in machine learning we are helping to train, at scale, the future workforce of highly skilled workers and researchers," said Gideon Shimshon, Director of the Digital Learning Hub at Imperial College London. "We are providing a flexible learning experience that enables people from all over the world to access content that otherwise would be available to only the few who can come to our campus." The online MSc in Machine Learning will officially launch in the fall of 2020. To learn more please visit coursera.org/degrees/msc-machine-learning-imperial. About Coursera Coursera was founded by Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng with a vision of providing life-transforming learning experiences to anyone, anywhere. It is now the world's largest online learning platform for higher education. 190 of the world's top universities and industry educators partner with Coursera to offer courses, Specializations, and degrees that empower over 40 million learners around the world to achieve their career goals. Over 1,800 companies trust the company's enterprise platform Coursera for Business to transform their talent. Coursera is backed by leading venture capital firms such as Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers, New Enterprise Associates, GSV Capital, and Learn Capital. About Imperial College London Imperial College London is one of the world's leading universities. The College's 17,000 students and 8,000 staff are expanding the frontiers of knowledge in science, medicine, engineering and business, and translating their discoveries into benefits for our society. Imperial is the UK's most international university, according to Times Higher Education, with academic ties to more than 150 countries. Reuters named the College as the UK's most innovative university because of its exceptional entrepreneurial culture and ties to industry. For more information, visit www.imperial.ac.uk. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005318/en/ Contacts: Coursera Arunav Sinha arunav@coursera.org SpendEdge, a global procurement market intelligence firm, has announced the release of their Global Rail Freight Services Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005568/en/ Global Rail Freight Services Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report. (Graphic: Business Wire) The overall cargo volume of the traditional coal and crude oil is experiencing a gradual decline over the years because of the consumer's inclination towards renewable energy sources. The rail freight services market used to register a considerable demand from the coal and crude oil cargo, whose steady decline, is resulting in a decelerating category spend momentum. However, rail freight services are still considered as the most economical mode of cargo transport, which will continue contributing to the category demand in the coming years. Request your free sample copy of this rail freight services market intelligence report here! According to the experts, the recently signed tripartite trade agreement, USMCA will foster cross-border trade between the US, Mexico, and Canada. This will serve as a significant driving force behind accelerating rail freight services procurement in the region. Europe will witness steady growth in the category spend momentum because of the intra-European freight movement, innovations by service providers to increase efficiency, and the rise in the volume of rail freight between China and Europe. This rail freight services procurement research report offers a scrupulous analysis of the supply market forecasts, sustainability and negotiation strategies of top suppliers and buyers. Also, it also provides information on the total cost of ownership outlook and strategies to cut down on costs. Ask for a customized version of this rail freight services market intelligence report here for free. "Suppliers must have intermodal travel partnerships to handle door-to-door intermodal delivery requirements. They should also exhibit their expertise in handling other associated requirements such as warehousing, customs clearance, packaging, and breakbulk support," says SpendEdge procurement expert Anil Seth. This rail freight services procurement research report has identified the following factors to influence the category growth: The market in APAC is likely to grow significantly during the forecast period Rise in crude oil and labor costs is a major concern for service providers Buy the complete rail freight services market intelligence report here to explore its complete scope of coverage. SpendEdge is now offering limited-time discounts on report purchases. Buy two reports and get the third one for free SpendEdge's procurement market intelligence reports for the logistics, warehousing and transportation category offer information on critical cost drivers and category pricing strategies to help the buyers achieve significant cost-savings. The report provides information on supplier performance benchmarking criteria to help buyers reduce spend and establish better SLAs. Additionally, SpendEdge's reports offer category management insights and procurement best practices for the category. Report scope snapshot: Rail freight services Category ecosystem Market favorability index for suppliers Competitiveness index for suppliers Threat of new entrants Interested to know more about the scope of our market intelligence reports? Download a FREE sample Category management enablers Procurement organization Category enablers Want customized information from our rail freight services procurement research report? Get in touch Category definition Category hierarchy Category scope Category map To view this the complete table of contents for the market intelligence report, Download a FREE sample Do you purchase multiple reports in a year? Our subscription platform, SpendEdge Insights, provides ready-to-use procurement research reports for multiple categories. Now access latest supplier news, innovation landscape, markets insights, supply market forecasts, and much more at the click of a button. Start your 7-day FREE trial now. Related Reports: Global Perishable Goods Transportation Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report Global Distribution Services Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report About SpendEdge: SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions. To know more, https://www.spendedge.com/request-free-proposal View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005568/en/ Contacts: SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager US: +1 630 984 7340 UK: +44 148 459 9299 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us Luxury Portfolio International honors Palm Beach real estate firm during annual conference in Las Vegas PALM BEACH, FL / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / Illustrated Properties, a member of The Keyes Family of Companies, has received one of the luxury real estate industry's most coveted awards. Illustrated was named Top Global Luxury Brokerage of 2018 by Luxury Portfolio International, the luxury marketing division of preeminent global network Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. The organization's Top Global Luxury Brokerage award recognizes the brokerage firm that most effectively utilizes the tools and strategies provided by Luxury Portfolio to produce impressive results. Illustrated generated nearly $1 billion in transaction volume in 2018. "We could not be prouder of the leadership, staff and amazing Sales Associates at Illustrated," said Mike Pappas, president and CEO of Illustrated. "Our firm has certainly embraced the competitive advantage that is realized when partnering with LeadingRE and Luxury Portfolio." Illustrated received the honor during the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World Conference Week at the Wynn Las Vegas in February 2019. The annual event attracts top real estate professionals from over 30 countries. "We are proud to recognize the best and brightest in luxury real estate with awards that showcase their continued impact in the industry," said Luxury Portfolio president Stephanie Anton. "These awards showcase the recipient's excellence in marketing luxury properties and catering to the global high-net-worth. Each brokerage honored has demonstrated strategic implementation of the resources available through Luxury Portfolio International and we are honored to continue to cultivate relationships with the best in the business" In July 2016, Keyes and Illustrated Properties announced the completion of a merger between the two companies, which continue to operate under their existing brands. Overall, Keyes and Illustrated generate more than $6 billion in annual revenue from their real estate service lines. Keyes and Illustrated control more than 20 percent of the $1 million-plus market in northern Palm Beach County. About Illustrated Properties: The story of Illustrated Properties began in the 1930s, when F.F. "Bud" Adams, Sr. started selling land in Hobe Sound and on Jupiter Island. His son, Bud Jr., took the family business to Palm Beach in 1975 and founded Illustrated Properties. He also became the exclusive broker for Lost Tree Village and John's Island. Under the leadership of Bud Jr.'s son, F.F. "Chappy" Adams III in the 1980s, Illustrated grew significantly while implementing new and innovative real estate technologies. The company endured a great loss with the passing of Chappy Adams in January 2013 but continued to grow as the #1 real estate brand in Palm Beach County while maintaining the culture of a family-owned business. Today, Illustrated Properties has more than 500 agents in 21 offices throughout Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Volusia and Collier counties. Illustrated is a Christie's International Real Estate affiliate and a member of the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World network. Luxury Portfolio International (luxuryportfolio.com) is the luxury marketing division of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, the largest global network of premier locally branded companies dominated by many of the world's most powerful independent luxury brokerages. Luxury Portfolio International attracts a global audience of visitors from over 200 countries/territories every month and marketed over 57,000 luxury homes to over three million high-net-worth visitors last year. SOURCE: Illustrated Properties View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/540081/Illustrated-Properties-Earns-Prestigious-Recognition-as-Top-Global-Luxury-Brokerage-of-2018 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 26, 2019) - Pool Safe Inc. (TSXV: POOL) ("Pool Safe" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Revenue Share Partnership with one of Las Vegas's premier global resort and casino operators. Under the terms of the agreement, Pool Safe will provide and deploy 34 PoolSafes in all the cabanas of the Las Vegas-based property. The installation of the PoolSafes has been completed, and the Company expects operations to commence before the end of the month. As with all Pool Safe revenue share agreements, the Company will fund the production, delivery and integration of the PoolSafes at the property. In return, the PoolSafes will be deployed in VIP seating locations, with the Company receiving 60% of the daily rental revenues. Based upon historical revenue increases generated from similar high-end locations, Pool Safe expects to install many more PoolSafe units to other properties owned by the resort operator over the course of the year. "This particular property will be a wonderful Las Vegas proving ground for our PoolSafes," said David Berger, CEO of Pool Safe. He continued, "The Las Vegas strip and their many magnificent hotels and resorts will benefit greatly from the added level of luxury and security the PoolSafe units provide." Pool Safe Inc. Pool Safe Inc. designs, develops and distributes a product known as the "PoolSafe", which functions as a multi-purpose personal poolside attendant. The PoolSafe is designed to provide safety, convenience and peace of mind for hotels, resorts, waterparks and cruise ship guests. Functions include: lockable safe, solar-powered charger for USB compatible electronic devices including phones and tablets in addition to a server call-button, a beverage cooler and holders. Conveniently located alongside pool or beach lounge chairs, PoolSafe is a unique way of providing vacationers with a comforting sense of security for their belongings, while they enjoy their vacation. For more information please visit www.poolsafeinc.com. Pool Safe Inc. is a fully reporting publicly traded company which is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol POOL. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statements Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Corporation's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the Corporation is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. Pool Safe Inc. Steven Glaser Chief Operating Officer E: sglaser@poolsafeinc.com T: 416-630-2444 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43652 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 26, 2019) - TROUBADOUR RESOURCES INC. (TSXV: TR) (OTC PINK: TROUF) (the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on the progress of its due diligence of the Privateer Gold Property (formerly the Surespan Gold Property) located on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island, B.C., near the town of Zeballos. In addition to the established high-grade gold veins, the Company believes the Privateer Gold Property has significant exploration and discovery potential. Preliminary highlights of the data review show significant potential for the expansion of known vein occurrences in the areas around past producing mines on the property. The newly discovered 88 Vein, which contained an intercept of 1,386.50 g/t gold (Company news release dated March 5, 2019) over 0.30 metres from 85.30 metres downhole, has been proven over a strike length of 130 metres. This vein remains open along strike to the northeast, southwest, at depth and is interpreted as the likely extension of the vein system at the past producing Privateer Mine. There is an intervening on-strike distance of 275 metres between the No. 2 vein in the Privateer Mine workings and the 88 Vein, that provides a clear and obvious high priority drill target. The Privateer Mine's No. 2 vein was historically exploited over a 150 metres. Combined with the 88 Vein as the interpreted extension, the No. 2 Vein exhibits a potential minimum strike length of 550 metres. This is just one example demonstrating the continuity over considerable distances of the veins at the Privateer Gold Property and the unrealized discovery potential. See related map here. Further instances of exploration potential are evident around the past producing Prident Mine and White Star Mine. In the area around the Prident Mine, drilling completed in 2018 intersected 7.12 metres of 5.81 grams per tonne gold including 0.37 metres of 67.50 g/t gold; 0.40 metres of 23.10 g/t gold and 0.39 metres of 18.40 g/t gold from 51 metres downhole in hole Z18-25. This hole was a 50 metre step out to the northeast from the known extent of the mineralization in the past producing Prident Mine and remains open along strike and at depth. In the area surrounding the White Star Mine, drill hole Z18-02 intersected 0.55 metres of 24.20 g/t gold from 61.50 metres downhole. This hole was an 80 metre step out to the southwest of the past producing White Star Mine and remains open along strike and at depth (Company news release dated March 5, 2019). See related map here. *Drill intercept lengths disclosed herein are expressed along drill core axis and do not represent true thickness of mineralization. There has been insufficient work to determine true thickness and further work is needed to determine the relationship between core intercept length and true thickness. "We are very encouraged by our initial review of data and have only scratched the surface of the potential of this gold camp. This is the only time in the history of the Zeballos Gold Camp that such a large land package has been assembled, of which over 99% of the historic gold production has been mined from within the Privateer Gold Property's boundaries. The high-grade gold veins in this camp tend to be continuous and traceable for hundreds of metres in strike length and depth and we believe that Troubadour is singularly positioned to realize the full potential of this gold camp," states Gary Schellenberg, CEO, Director and Chairman. The Company believes that the consolidation of ownership of this historic gold camp is pivotal to the success of its development. Previous operators have tried and ultimately failed to effectively develop and exploit resources in the camp due to the fractional ownership that has been present since the 1930's when the Zeballos gold camp was discovered. Historic total production of the Zeballos Camp to 1982 amounted to 333,783 tonnes of milled ore which produced 304,309 ounces of gold(1) and the Privateer Gold Property encompasses the ground that accounted for 99% of this production. The Privateer Mine was the most prolific producer in the camp and accounts for 170,440 ounces of gold production from 146,798 milled tonnes(1). The Privateer and Prident Mines also host a historic estimate of 122,470 measured tonnes grading 9.26 g/t Au and 324,772 indicated tonnes grading 15.09 g/t Au (36,461 ounces Au measured and 157,565 ounces Au indicated). The historical estimate is disclosed in Canadian Mines Handbook 1987-88 and was prepared by New Privateer Mine Limited. Although this historical estimate is believed to be relevant and indicates exploration potential at this site, details of how the estimate was made: the key assumptions, parameters, and methods used to prepare the historical estimate are unknown and have not been reviewed, and the original assay results have not been verified by the Qualified Person. As the historical estimate was prepared in 1988 it does not use existing mineral resource categories under CIM. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves and the issuer is not treating the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. In addition to the ongoing comprehensive review of all available data, the Company is currently mobilizing personnel to perform a site visit of the Privateer Gold Property and the core storage facility. Re-sampling and analysis of select core intervals will be undertaken to confirm analysis results as well as sample some previously untested core intervals. About Troubadour Resources Inc. The Company has signed a letter of intent (LOI) (Company news release March 5, 2019) to acquire a 100% interest in the Privateer Gold Project, located 3km north of the town of Zeballos on Northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The Company is also engaged in the preliminary exploration of its 100% owned Amarillo Project located approximately 30 kilometres west of the town of Peachland and 71 kilometres northeast of the town of Princeton, in southwestern British Columbia. The Privateer Gold Project consists of six (6) mineral tenures and 84 crown grants encompassing the historic Zeballos gold camp, which is home to significant past producing mines. Under the terms of the LOI, the Company has an exclusive 90-day due diligence period allowing it to complete a comprehensive review of all available data and evaluate the exploration potential of the Property before entering into a definitive purchase agreement with the vendor. The Amarillo Project consists of seven (7) mineral tenures totalling 4,178 hectares and is situated within the heart of a major mining district. The multi-element geochemical signature of the Amarillo Project is consistent with a large multi-phase mineralizing system and is acutely similar to some of the neighbouring mining operations; such as the Brenda Cu-Mo-Ag-Au porphyry mine located 10 kilometres to the north that produced 278,000 tonnes of copper, 66,000 tonnes of molybdenum, 125 tonnes of silver and 2 tonnes of gold over a twenty-year mine life (source: Brenda Mines website). Patrick McLaughlin, P. Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release. (1)Zeballos Camp Historic Production Source: Hanson and Sinclair, Geological Fieldwork 1982 Summary, Province of British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. For further information please contact: Troubadour Resources Inc. 625 Howe Street, Suite 488 Vancouver, BC V6C 2T6 Geoff Schellenberg, President Office: (604) 681-0221 geoff@troubadourresources.com Forward Looking Information Except for historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially. Except as required pursuant to applicable securities laws, the Company will not update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. More detailed information about potential factors that could affect financial results is included in the documents filed from time to time with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities by the Company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43666 The Bebot chatbot provides personal AI assistance to passengers on board the Izu Craile train and at 8 additional stations. TOKYO, JAPAN / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / Bespoke Inc. ("Bespoke") and East Japan Railway Company ("JR East") are excited to announce the latest expansion of Bebot, the world's first chatbot for hotels, airports, stations and cities. The AI chatbot will now be available onboard JR East's Izu Craile Resort Train, as well as eight new railway stations along the Izu Peninsula, a popular tourist destination. Bebot already offers guidance to travelers at Narita International Airport, Tokyo Station and many well-known hotels in Japan, such as Hotel New Otani. The launch onboard Izu Craile and eight more stations now provides English speaking users with the confidence to venture out of the city to more remote parts of Japan. Bebot offers multiple advantages to railway companies. Firstly, automation to fulfill simple traveler requests can lead to cutting costs on behalf of the railway company. Secondly, Bebot can assist in directing traveler traffic to specific areas by seamlessly sending recommendations in chat. Thirdly, Bebot can collect passenger insights to find business opportunities and collect feedback to improve railway facilities and services. Bebot encompasses Japanese hospitality into an AI chatbot, complementing the luxurious services of the Izu Craile train. Users can access Bebot on board the trains where QR codes will be placed in seat pockets. Users can also access Bebot from posters at the eight partnered stations in the Izu area. All travelers need to do is scan a QR code to access Bebot, available on any device without any additional downloads. In addition to providing information about events, amenities, and menu options onboard the resort train, Bebot will provide travelers with vital details about each respective station. Travelers will also be assisted with basic tourist information, such as details about main attractions close to each station. Riders will be able to relax and enjoy their trips more, knowing that convenient help is at their phones at all times. Bespoke has been developing Bebot's AI technology through human chat support to ensure that the chatbot is always learning and improving. Since its launch in 2017, Bebot has been helping users receive customized directions, tips, and essential information all through its simple chat interface. ABOUT BESPOKE INC. Based in Tokyo, Japan, Bespoke Inc. is leading the development of multilingual solutions through its Artificial Intelligence technology. With focuses on accessibility and local resources for users from over 100 countries, one of the company's most popular products is its Bebot AI travel concierge. Bespoke Inc. creates client-tailored AI solutions for a wide range of customers, including Holiday Inn, Sofitel Hotels & Resorts, and Narita International Airport. For media queries, please contact: Tomo Nagano press@be-spoke.io Related Video https://youtu.be/Fb-FELh1U8Q Additional Links About Bespoke Inc. Bebot x Izu Craile Resort Train SOURCE: Bespoke Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/540059/Bebot-Comes-to-JRs-Izu-Craile-Making-the-Worlds-1st-AI-Supported-Resort-Train TSXV approval of option of 4 claims adjoining Bootleg Lake Gold project Right of First Refusal granted to Searchlight on claims covering over 300,000 hectares of the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt VMS base metal and gold exploration targets on optioned and RoFR claim VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / Searchlight Resources Inc. ("Searchlight" or the "Company") (TSX-V: SRCH) is pleased to announce that the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") has accepted the option agreement (the "Option") with Diamond Projects Inc. ("Diamond") a private Saskatchewan company, to earn a 100% interest in four claims (the "Property" or the "Claims") located near Creighton, Saskatchewan, Canada, five kilometres southwest of the city of Flin Flon, Manitoba. In addition to the option agreement, Diamond has granted Searchlight a Right of First Refusal ("RoFR") for Diamond mineral claims on NTS Map Sheet 63L and the portion of NTS Map Sheet 63K located in Saskatchewan. See Map 2 below. "Searchlight now has access through staking, options and the RoFR to one of the most significant claim positions in the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt. With the announcement of the closure of the 777 mine by Hudbay Minerals, Searchlight has an excellent opportunity to explore and find the next mine to feed the mill complex in Flin Flon," stated Stephen Wallace, President and CEO of Searchlight. Mr. Wallace further stated, "this puts the Company in a strong position to seek financing and long-term backers to take advantage of this claim position." Searchlight has optioned 4 mineral claims totaling 654 hectares that adjoin the Company's existing Bootleg Lake claims, building the Company's core land position. (See Map 1 below) The newly optioned claims cover historical gold and volcanogenic massive sulphide ("VMS") base metal showings, including the Curved Lake VMS and Phantom Ledge Lake Gold targets. See October 4, 2018 press release at https://searchlightresources.com/news/2018/searchlight-resources-options-4-claims-in-saskatchewan-from-diamond-projects/ for details. Terms of the Option Agreement To earn 100% interest in the Claims, subject to a 1% NSR, Searchlight must maintain the claims in good standing and complete 12 years of assessment expenditures on the claims. The assessment expenditure requirements are outlined in the Saskatchewan regulation document "The Mineral Tenure Registry Regulations" The total yearly exploration expenditures for the four claims are summarized in table 1 below. Once the 100% interest is earned, Diamond Projects will retain a 1% NSR. Further if any Claims optioned by Searchlight from Diamond Projects are sold or optioned by Searchlight to a third party, Diamond Projects is to receive 25% of all cash and share payments. The agreement allows Searchlight to modify the size of optioned claims by adding or removing claim units during the life of the Option. Any claims or claim units returned to Diamond Project will have a least one year remaining before Good Standing Date. Year Exploration Work Commitments Year 1 N/A Year 2 19,597.11 Year 3 19,597.11 Year 4 19,597.11 Year 5 19,597.11 Year 6 19,597.11 Year 7 19,597.11 Year 8 19,597.11 Year 9 19,597.11 Year 10 19,597.11 Year 11 32,677.76 Year 12 32,677.76 Table 1: Summary of Yearly Exploration Expenditures Map1: Location of Claims optioned from Diamond Projects Right of First Refusal In addition to the option agreement, Diamond has granted Searchlight a RoFR for Diamond mineral claims on NTS Map Sheet 63L and the portion of NTS Map Sheet 63K located in Saskatchewan. The right extends to all 100% owned Diamond claims in this area apart from two claim areas being explored and advanced by Diamond. See Map 2 below. The RoFR provides that any additional claims optioned by Searchlight will be under the same terms as the first option presented above. Diamond Projects Inc Diamond Projects Inc. is wholly controlled by Mr. Shaun Spelliscy who also controls Gem Oil Inc. a 20.1% shareholder of Searchlight. As such Gem Oil is an insider of Searchlight. Diamond Projects and GEM Oil are exploration companies active in staking, evaluating and holding mineral claims in Saskatchewan. At present these companies hold over 1.3 million hectares of mineral claims throughout the province, one of the largest single claim holders. Map 2: Location of Right of First Refusal Claims (in green) relative to Searchlight Resources claims and Flin Flon Qualified Person Stephen Wallace, P.Geo., is Searchlight's Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. About Searchlight Resources Inc. Searchlight Resources Inc.is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company listed on the Toronto Venture Exchange (TSX-V: SRCH). The corporate strategy of the company is: to explore and develop opportunities in safe, low risk jurisdictions. The Company holds claims in Saskatchewan and Ontario, Canada and Nevada, USA. These are three of the top seven jurisdictions in the world for mining investment, as ranked by the Fraser Institute. to target known highly productive geological belts, including the Flin Flon - Snow Lake Greenstone Belt, the Abitibi Greenstone Belt and the Walker Lane Structural Belt. to acquire high quality projects, close to infrastructure, focusing on road access. to work closely with stakeholders, including First Nations, Metis, local and provincial governments and local contractors to advance mineral exploration and development in a safe and environmentally sound manner. Searchlight holds a portfolio of gold, cobalt, copper, vanadium and specialty metal projects from grassroots stage to advanced exploration and NI43-101 resource development. On behalf of the Board of Directors, "Stephen Wallace" SEARCHLIGHT RESOURCES INC. Stephen Wallace, President, CEO and Director Contact: Searchlight Resources Inc. Investor Relations (604) 331-9326 info@canyoncc.com Forward-Looking Statements Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's limited operating history and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. SOURCE: Searchlight Resources Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/540150/Searchlight-Resources-Closes-Option-Agreement-to-Acquire-Claims-in-Saskatchewan-and-Outlines-Right-of-First-Refusal GURUGRAM, India, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- There has been a spurt in the online sale of baby food which has led to omni-channel shift of the popular offline retailers such as Coles and Woolsworth to their own online ordering platform. A growth of 5.2% in the number of infants of age 0-36 months over the review period 2013-18 is expected to give a boost to the sales of baby food in Australia . . Participation rate of women in the workforce has increased over the past few years and reached to 60.5% in the year 2018 which is expected to increase the demand for baby food in Australia . The accelerated growth of Australia baby food is expected to be driven by the rising demand from Chinese and other Asian countries. However this growth is expected to cool down and the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 5% during the five year forecast period 2018-2023E. The revenue generated from the domestic sales of baby food in Australia is expected to reach AUD 1,540 million by the end of the year 2023E with significant decline in diagou trend which has caused the rapid growth in the last few years. The market share for organic baby food is expected to increase and command a respectable share thereby causing the slow growth in demand for conventional and inorganic baby food. This growth is due to the emergence of many domestic players like Bellamy's Organic, Bubs Australia Ltd. and many others which are targeting health conscious new age parents with willingness to pay the premium for healthier version of baby food. Additionally, existing companies have come up with organic variants of their existing products. Milk Formula is expected to remain the largest segment as it is in demand for all age group and is the widely used among many baby food categories. Internet retailing will increase the demand of baby food: Online shopping will emerge out as one of the most preferred channel for buying baby food in Australia as conventional store are observed to have started their own online platform. Some of the major online players gaining popularity among the Australians are Catch.com, Chemistwarehouse.com, epharmacy.com, and Amazon. The professionally active consumers prefer online channels for purchasing baby food as it saves their time, effort and money. Gradually, with digitization and globalization, the online channels of distribution are expected to cater a large set of consumers in Australia. Contribution of Females towards Total Labor Force: There has been an increase in the women labor force participation rate over the review period 2013-18, and it has reached to as high as 60.5% in the year 2018. It gets difficult for the working women to breastfeed their children and hence, making them dependent on milk formula for the nutrition of their babies and therefore positively impacting the sales of baby food. Analysts at Ken Research in their latest publication "Australia Baby Food Market Outlook to 2023 - By Type (Dried Baby Food, Prepared Baby Food, Milk Formula and Other Baby Food), By Organic Baby Food), By Region and By Distribution Channels" observed that the baby food market in Australia has registered very fast growth due to high demand from the Chinese market (Diagou trend). It is expected to slow down in the near future leading to normal growth in the range of 5-6% per annum. Key Segments Covered By Food Category Dried Baby Food Prepared Baby Food Milk Formula Other Baby Food Nature of Food Inorganic Baby Food Organic Baby Food By Age 0-6 months 6-12 months 12+ months By Region New south Wales Victoria Queensland South Australia Western Australia Tasmania Australian Capital Territory Northern Territory By Channels of Distribution Supermarkets Health and Beauty Specialist Retailers Internet Retailing Discounters Other Foods Non Grocery Specialists Convenience Stores Forecourt Retailers Time Period Captured in the Report: Historical Period: 2013-2018 2013-2018 Forecast Period: 2019-2023 Companies Covered: Nestle SA Danone Group Kraft Heinz Co. Aspen Pharmacare (Pty) Ltd. Bellamy's Australia Ltd. A2 Milk Co. Bubs Australia Ltd. Key Topics Covered in the Report Executive Summary Research Methodology Stakeholders in Australia Baby Food Market Baby Food Market Australia Baby Food Market Overview and Genesis Value Chain Analysis in Australia Baby Food Market Baby Food Market Australia Baby Food Market Size, 2013-2018 Australia Baby Food Market Segmentation, 2013-2018 Trends and Developments in Australia Baby Food Market Baby Food Market Issues and Challenges in Australia Baby Food Market Baby Food Market Decision Making Criteria for Consumers Government Regulations for Doing Business SWOT Analysis of Australia Baby Food Market Competitive Landscape in Australia Baby Food Market Baby Food Market Australia Baby Food Market Future Projections, 2018-2023E Analyst Recommendations in Australia Baby Food Market For more information on the research report, refer to below link: https://www.kenresearch.com/consumer-products-and-retail/baby-care/australia-baby-food-market/188411-95.html Related Reports UAE Baby Food Market Outlook To 2022 - By Category (Dried Baby Food, Prepared Baby Food, Milk Formula And Other Baby Food), By Inorganic And Organic Baby Food, By Region (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Sharjah, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah And Umm Al Quwain) The report titled provides a comprehensive analysis of the baby food market in the UAE. The report also covers the overall market size in terms of revenue and sales volume, SWOT Analysis, decision making process, competitive landscape and growth drivers and trends and government role and regulations. The report concludes with market projection for future market described above and analyst recommendations highlighting the major opportunities and cautions for the UAE Baby food market. The baby food market of UAE is still in its growth stage. The market displayed a strong competitive scenario where international players that hold majority of the stake are constantly trying to increase their existing market share. The UAE Baby Food market has majorly been an import dominated market. The market is receptive to newness and innovations for instance, camel milk based baby food products and halal baby food products have gained a lot of popularity in the country. Despite the fact that government is encouraging breast feeding among new mothers and economic impact due to oil price shock of mid 2014 that continued till 2015, the baby food market has shown consistent growth. Egypt Baby Food Market Outlook to 2023 - By Food Category (Milk Formula - (Standard Formula, Follow-on Formula, Growing-up Formula and Special Baby Milk Formula, Dried baby food and Prepared Baby Food) and by Distribution Channel (Health and Beauty Stores, Supermarkets, Independent Small Grocers, Hypermarkets, Convenience Stores and Online Sales) The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Baby food market in Egypt. The report also covers the overall trade scenario, SWOT Analysis, decision making process, competitive landscape and growth drivers and trends and government role and regulations. The report concludes with market projection and analyst recommendations highlighting the major opportunities and cautions. Egypt baby food market is still in its growth stage with retail revenue increasing at a positive double digit CAGR during the period 2012-2018. Due to a majority of international players, it has been an import oriented market. There has been a vast demand for innovative products such as camel milk based baby food. Due to high level of malnutrition among infants, increasing number of parents has preferred baby food to fulfill their child's nutritional requirements. Also, there has been a shift to organic baby food products as they minimize child's exposure to harmful chemicals and elements. Albeit government is encouraging breast feeding among new mothers; the baby food market has shown consistent growth over the years due to lack of paid maternity leaves to women in the working sector. Contact Us: Ankur Gupta Ken Research Private Limited, Head Marketing Ankur@kenresearch.com +91-9015378249 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661352/Ken_Research_Logo.jpg For the first time, Leafly, the world's cannabis information resource, is bringing together international participants and exhibitors at a conference for medical professionals in Europe. At the end of September, doctors, pharmacists and researchers are expected to meet in Berlin to discuss the use of cannabinoids in the medical practice. On September 21-22, 2019, the Leafly's European Medical Cannabis Conference will take place at the Umweltforum Berlin. More than 350 participants and experts from all over the world are expected to attend to talk about the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids at Leafly's first medical conference. The event will feature international speakers, focus seminars, a research laboratory with workshops and a trade exhibition. The goal of the conference is to introduce doctors to the therapeutic potential of cannabis. All medical practitioners with previous knowledge will have the opportunity to expand and deepen their knowledge. The conference presidents are two recognized physicians in their field: Dr. Joachim Nadstawek, head of the Pain Clinic for Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine at the University Hospital Bonn, and Dr. Knud Gastmeier, specialist in anesthesiology at the Practice for Anesthesiology in Potsdam. The scientific chair and application lab leader will be the internationally renowned researcher Dr. Catherine Jacobson from the United States. Conference Highlights "2 days 4 topics" is the motto of the Leafly Medical Cannabis Conference 2019. Day one will focus on the fields of pain and neurology. Day two is dedicated to pediatrics and palliative medicine. The scientific program with lectures and discussion forums will be themed to respective days and subject areas. The program in the main hall will be supported by accompanying focus seminars on both days, offering an in-depth exchange with speakers. The trade exhibition will feature booths with information from leading manufacturers. The Leafly Medical Cannabis Conference will have its own application laboratory. From cannabis under the microscope, to extraction on site, and vaporization workshops, medical practitioners and experts can immerse themselves in the subject matter. Workshops are limited to 25 spots per lab. These can be booked beginning May 1, 2019. The complete program will be available shortly. Now through April 30, 2019, interested medical professionals can secure their tickets at the early bird price. For more information, visit https://www.leafly.de/conference/en/. ABOUT LEAFLY As the world's largest cannabis information resource, Leafly's mission is to help patients and consumers make informed choices about cannabis and to empower cannabis businesses to attract and retain loyal customers through advertising and technology services. Learn more in English at Leafly.com and Leafly.ca, in German at Leafly.de, or download the five-star rated Leafly mobile app through Apple's App Store or Google Play. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005633/en/ Contacts: Linn Baumgardt conference@leafly.de +49 179-424 92 48 Global border and maritime security market to grow two-fold to $35.23 billion by 2028, finds Frost & Sullivan SANTA CLARA, California, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Global instability due to terrorism and civil disruptions is leading to increased pressures among border and maritime security agencies to keep their borders safe from human, drugs, and weapons trafficking while streamlining operations to process genuine travelers. According to Frost & Sullivan's recent analysis, Global Border and Maritime Security Market, a high impetus on cross-border data sharing and integrated security systems is driving the need for technological solutions that act as force multipliers. Frost & Sullivan forecasts the market to grow two-fold from $19.22 billion in 2018 to reach $35.23 billion in 2028 at 6% CAGR. "The adoption and integration of next-generation systems and technologies powered by artificial intelligence and real-time big data analytics will enable faster and more accurate threat detection, tracking, and decision making," said Aravind Srimoolanathan, Senior Research Analyst, Security at Frost & Sullivan. "Robust network infrastructure and cybersecurity capabilities will be required with increasing inter-agency collaboration and cross-border data sharing." For further information on this analysis, please visit: http://frost.ly/3b7 From a technology standpoint, Srimoolanathan predicts that multimodal biometrics for seamless security processing of travelers, tracking and identification through video analytics, and the concept of smart border management will gain prominence. Security industry consolidation and merger and acquisition activities with start-ups, which provide innovative solutions for the border security market, are also highly likely. Key trends creating growth opportunities in the market include: Airports poised to implement advanced technologies such as video analytics, eGates, ePassports and electronic visas for streamlining passenger check-in procedures through digital identity of people. This will help increase footfall and reduce processing time with foolproof identification and tracking. poised to implement advanced technologies such as video analytics, eGates, ePassports and electronic visas for streamlining passenger check-in procedures through digital identity of people. This will help increase footfall and reduce processing time with foolproof identification and tracking. Increased investment in the efficiency of ports . Cybersecurity is now critical to port operations, and ensuring that operational networks are not compromised is a top priority. . Cybersecurity is now critical to port operations, and ensuring that operational networks are not compromised is a top priority. Building an integrated, comprehensive automated border management system at land borders through the development and testing of advanced solutions such as laser fences and adoption of innovative screening and detection equipment. through the development and testing of advanced solutions such as laser fences and adoption of innovative screening and detection equipment. Digitization of coastal security through connected assets for enhanced data-sharing capabilities to thwart intrusion scenarios. "While border control groups may look to enhance connectivity in both domestic and international data-sharing capabilities, concerns over data privacy and risk may negatively impact the market," noted Srimoolanathan. "Furthermore, less developed and small countries may not have the budget to procure and operate advanced border and maritime systems and equipment to address their border security requirements and will seek flexible business models instead." Global Border and Maritime Security Market Analysis, Forecast to 2028 analyzes the key aspects of border and maritime security and identifies areas of opportunities in the land border, coastal, and port and airport security segments. It also assesses the technology adoption likely to add value in terms of helping a nation realize its security objectives. Global Border and Maritime Security Market Analysis, Forecast to 2028 is the latest addition to Frost & Sullivan's Security research and analysis available through the Frost & Sullivan Leadership Council, which helps organizations identify a continuous flow of growth opportunities to succeed in an unpredictable future. About Frost & Sullivan For over five decades, Frost & Sullivan has become world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion. Global Border and Maritime Security Market Analysis, Forecast to 2028 ME44_23 Contact: Jacqui Holmes Corporate Communications Consultant E: jacqui.holmes@frost.com Twitter: @FrostADS LinkedIn: Frost & Sullivan's Aerospace, Defence and Security Forum http://ww2.frost.com ORMOND BEACH, FL / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / Rooshine, Inc. (OTC PINK: RSAU) announces that it has signed a Letter of Intent with an Australian international distributor. They have committed to monthly container loads of our smoked range of Rooshine products. The company expects to finalize the agreement within the next 10 days. Larry R. Curran, CEO of Rooshine Inc., stated, "We have been very aggressive in pursuing this particular distribution company. They carry large brand name products and have a stellar reputation. And now we're part of their enormous reach all over the globe. I expect that in the coming months their monthly orders will easily double. As you can see, we've not been resting. I urge investors to keep an eye on this space for we are making great progress in other parts of the world as well. 2019 is our year. Also, due to market opportunities, we continue our due diligence on several potential CBD oil providers, as we are seeking the highest quality of product, reliability of the supply chain and process.' About Rooshine, Inc - The Company was formed under the laws of the State of Nevada in April 1998. The Company's business is currently focused on the importation, distribution, and sale of alcoholic spirits. The Company entered into a Brand Licensing Agreement with The International Spirit Vault Ltd (ISV) (f/k/a Cloudburst Distribution Pty Ltd.), to be the exclusive distributor of ISV's Rooshine brand of spirits in North America. Rooshine's proprietary process allow spirits to taste like a smooth 20-year aged spirit after only a week. Our smoking process allows a permanent infusion of the smoky flavors that last the entire bottle. Statement as to Forward-Looking Statements - Forward-Looking Statements certain statements in this release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may be identified using words such as "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "future," "may," "will," "would," "should," "plan," "projected, " "intend," and similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company's future operating results are dependent upon many factors, including but not limited to the Company's ability to: (i) obtain sufficient capital or a strategic business arrangement to fund its expansion plans; (ii) build the management and human resources and infrastructure necessary to support the growth of its business; (iii) competitive factors and developments beyond the Company's control; and (iv) other risk factors. We assume no obligation to update the information contained in this news release. Contact: Larry Curran, CEO, Rooshine, Inc. 386-673-7246 Larry@ChooseRain.com www.drinkrooshine.com Twitter: @rooshine SOURCE: Rooshine, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/540096/Rooshine-Inc-RSAU-Signs-International-LOI-Valued-at-6-Million-Dollars-Per-Annum BEIJING, CHINA / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / Beijing, China Students, who participated in the eighth session of CHEN XIANG WU DAO study tour of China, arrived in Chicago, USA on 24 March. After spending two days in Chicago, the students will travel to the South American countries such as Brazil, Peru, Chile and Argentina. The whole journey will be ended on 8th, April. With the students arrived the USA, the eighth session of CHEN XIANG WU DAO study tour successfully started. The study tour is jointly sponsored by HuaxiaFu Hsi Academy and HuaxiaFu Hsi International Culture Institute, and up to now, a total of eight sessions have been held. The seventh session was held in the USA, Canada and Mexico. According to Mr. Zheng Kuifei, the person in charge on behalf of the sponsor, the study tour aims to help students attain enlightenment by learning from the nature based on exploring the ancient civilization and the realistic ancient natural scenery. He added that they aim to select the regular students from HuaxiaFu Hsi Academy, and foster these regular students to be the mentors of future civilization within ten years. Mr. Zheng Kuifei informed that the study tour has already helped students explore lots of places since its establishment in 2018, including Kunlun Mountains (China), Pyramids (Egypt), Mayan Pyramids (Mexico), Holy land of Jerusalem (Israel), Grand Canyon Colorado (USA), Niagara Falls (USA), Antelope Canyon (American Indian site), and Cuba Caribbean. The eighth study tour will bring an opportunity to the participating students to explore ancient civilization sites such as Museum of Brazilian Indian, Amazon Tropical Forest, Corcovado, Iguazu Falls Group, NAZCA Lines, etc. Contact: ewtsp@163.com SOURCE: HuaxiaFu Hsi International Cultural Institute View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/540158/Eighth-Session-of-CHEN-XIANG-WU-DAO-Study-Tour-in-South-America-Successfully-Started RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On Monday, engineers from the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) concluded a week-long field study in four Yemeni provinces: Al-Jawf, Hadhramaut, Marib and Hajjah. The aim of the SDRPY fact-finding mission was to assess the development needs of Yemeni communities to inform future programming. The engineers worked closely with Yemeni officials on the ground to jointly establish development priorities. In Hajjah Governorate, SDRPY engineers assessed the capacity of local roads and coast guard facilities in Midi. The Yemeni government has been an important ally in establishing maritime security and combating the smuggling of both licit and illicit goods, including arms. The needs assessments were not limited to the mainland, but extended to the adjoining Red Sea islands of Fasht and Buklan, where education, electricity and water needs were examined. On Fasht, a plan to rehabilitate and re-equip the health center with modern medical devices was outlined with local authorities. In Al-Jawf Governorate, SDRPY and a body of local officials, under Deputy Governor Sinan Al-Iraqi, established priorities in the agriculture, education, electricity and health sectors. The needs assessment was holistic in nature: while examining agricultural potential and suitable types of seed and fertilizer, the team also examined the potential for digging new and restoring old wells, improving water distribution networks and providing public lighting along main roads in the capital Al-Hazm and the Al-Rayyan Highway. A preliminary study of the requirements for rehabilitating provincial health centers was also conducted. In Marib Governorate, SDRPY engineers met with Governor Sultan al-Arada and toured Kara Hospital to inspect its transformation from a local to a regional hospital. Since the conflict began, Marib's population has increased from a mere 40,000 to 1.5 million people. This influx of primarily refugees and IDPs has doubled the hospital's caseload several times over. "The health sector is absolutely vital to our province, and even more so now," said Gov. Al-Arada. "Marib's residents welcome plans for new projects to improve healthcare, as we do for all sectors fundamental to a dignified standard of living." In Hadhramaut Governorate, SDRPY engineers, resident expert teams and local authorities in the Wadi Hadhramaut valley, including a deputy governor of the province, held extensive discussions on electricity, health, roads, water, agriculture and education at Seiyun University and a local technical institute. "All of the projects are carried out in consultation with local authorities," said Mohammed bin Saeed Al Jaber, SDRPY Supervisor and Saudi Ambassador to Yemen. "The joint nature of this needs assessment is good evidence of that." Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/841433/Saudi_Development_Reconstruction_Pothole.jpg Recipient of the 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year Award - Peter Russo seeks to prepare his students for post-secondary education by helping them navigate the educational landscape BATON ROUGE, LA / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / In an attempt to help educate high school students on potential career opportunities, Louisiana educator Peter Russo hosts a Q&A with Harvard student Amanda Gorman. As a sociology major, activist, poet, and a frequent contributor to the New York Times, Amanda has a sophisticated understanding of how to excel in a professional capacity. She was also the first person to be named national youth poet laureate in April 2017 and is the Founder of a non-profit organization One Pen One Page. By discussing relevant social issues, students were encouraged to contribute to a lively discussion and ask a wide range of questions from personal opinions to life as a Harvard student. In this discussion, Amanda encourages students to pursue their passions and implies that every individual has a unique perspective to offer the world. Peter Russo claims that the casual interaction between his students and Amanda Gorman was a means to fuel motivation and provide an opportunity to ask questions. Many students fear the transition between high school and post-secondary education; however, taking the time to establish clear lines of communication may eliminate some of those initial fears. About Peter Russo Istrouma High School Teacher, Peter Russo is the proud recipient of the 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year Award presented by the East Baton Rouge Parish. As a private school educator, some of his most notable achievements include the Voices of a People's History program a collaboration with Cornell University to create community building experiences. Peter takes pride in his ability to challenge his students, while motivating them to connect with real-world issues For more information on Peter Russo please visit https://peterrusso.org/ Email: info@peterrusso.org SOURCE: Istrouma High School Teacher View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/540163/High-School-Teacher-Peter-Russo-Hosts-a-Talk-with-Amanda-Gorman Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 26, 2019) - TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE:TCAN) (FSE: TH8) ("TransCanna" or "the Company") provides the following update further to its press release dated March 25, 2019. The Company retained the services of GreenGrowth CPA , an independent third-party chartered professional accounting firm (the "Firm") 's located in Los Angeles, CA specializing in legalized cannabis. Green Growth was engaged by the Company to determine the enterprise value of the proposed business to be conducted by the Company on the property, which constitutes and fully integrated cannabis operation with divisions for transportation & distribution, extraction, manufacturing and packaging, nursery and a growing. The Firm concluded with a valuation range of US$50 million - $75 million, as at January 31, 2019 using two different valuation methods to reach their conclusion. The operations were valued on a going concern basis. The two different valuation methods used by the firm included the discounted cash flow method and revenue multiples. In utilizing the discounted cash flow method, the Firm considered a number of scenarios with sensitive selective key drivers of value including market share, number of products to be launched and timing for approval of city and state licenses. Under the discounted cash flow method, a discount rate of 31.86% was applied based on the capital asset pricing mode and reviewed against published studies of required rates of return for early stage companies. In utilizing the revenue multiples method, the Firm observed multiples of broadly similar listed businesses, and the revenue multiples implied by the Firm's valuation were in the range of 3.1X to 36.9X. The Firm reviewed listed companies operating in both the United States in Canada to support the multiples implied. A significant component of the valuation is based on the assumption of the Company being able to reach high growth rates and capture market share in a timely manner. A failure of the Company to do so would have a material negative impact on the indicative value range. The Firm reviewed varying scenarios to capture uncertainties relating to same as well as varying scenarios of the Company successfully launching differing numbers of products as the facility to reach the ranges provided The valuation also dependent on the Company obtaining all appropriate city and state licenses to operate the facility in a timely manner. The valuation report cautions that the Company must be reaching expected revenue targets in order to reach the valuation ranges. The assumptions utilized in the valuation have not been tested by the Firm, and they have not audited or reviewed the complication of the cash flow forecasts based on assumptions, nor have they conducted detailed analysis of the industry. Sources of information for the business valuation include financial models provided by the Company, management presentations, other company business and financials, the Company's website, publicly available information on comparable companies published by Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters Financial Markets and available on SEDAR, other publicly available information and press releases. The business valuation also compared 26 publicly traded companies in the industry. The valuation does not constitute an appraisal of the value of the property and equipment on the forming the facility. A separate real estate appraisal performed by Valbridge Property Advisors was reviewed by the Firm which appraised the property at US$16.3 million including equipment. The Firm was paid a flat fee by the Company to complete the valuation which was not dependent on any specified outcome. A US$250,000 non-refundable deposit to secure the property, and the Company will pay an US$8 million down payment from the proceeds of the Company's over-subscribed brokered private placement once closed (see news releases dated February 20, 2019 and March 14, 2019). The seller of the building has agreed to a carry back note of US$6.750 million at 7% p.a. interest only for up to thirteen months, with an initial maturity date of October 15, 2019, subject to a six-month extension. See March 20th press release for additional terms. For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.transcanna.com. About TransCanna Holdings Inc. TransCanna Holdings Inc. is a Canadian based company providing branding, transportation and distribution services, through its wholly-owned California subsidiaries, to a range of industries including the cannabis marketplace. For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.transcanna.com or email the Company at info@transcanna.com. Media Contact TransCanna@talkshopmedia.com 604-738-2220 On behalf of the Board of Directors James Pakulis Chief Executive Officer Telephone: (604) 609-6199 The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward looking statements. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to: the expected purchase of the facility, the terms of the facility acquisition, the payment of finders fees in relation thereto, the ability of the Company to secure financing and the acquisition of appropriate licenses for the facility. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements as well as future results. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward looking statements or otherwise. 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. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43673 Regulatory News: Danone has just opened Nutricia Cuijk, its latest facility for the production of high quality specialized infant formula, in the south-east of the Netherlands. Veolia (Paris:VIE) has supported Danone with the design and construction of the plant, leveraging the latest technological innovations and the company's operational expertise to achieve the best possible environmental footprint for the site. Veolia will be responsible under a 10 year outsourcing services contract for the generation of utilities onsite to specific performance guarantees Nutricia Cuijk is among the biggest production sites for Danone in Europe. Products coming out of the plant will be exported to more than 90 countries. Veolia will be providing the Danone's Nutricia Cuijk site over the next 10 years with guaranteed levels of availability and reliability of its utilities, notably air and steam, as well as ingredient and process water. Energy consumption will be monitored and guaranteed through Veolia's proprietary efficiency hypervision center Hubgrade. This state-of-the-art plant has been designed and built with the latest technologies to maximize re-using and recovering water and heat, thus maximizing the site's efficiency with regards to its CO2 footprint. This project is a clear illustration of Danone's 'One Planet. One Health' vision and the company's goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. In commenting on Veolia's role in the project, David Boulanger, Senior Vice President Operations, Danone Specialized Nutrition said: "The planning, design and construction of the new Nutricia Cuijk plant was inspired by our 'One Planet. One Health' vision which reflects Danone's strong belief that the health of people and that of the planet are interconnected. While producing specialized infant milk formula, we're doing our utmost to preserve a healthy and clean environment for future generations. On behalf of Danone, we'd like to thank Veolia for their strategic support, helping us design and build a production facility that optimizes the resources we use." Laurent Auguste, Senior Executive Vice-President of Veolia for Development, Innovation and Markets, commented: "The Design Build and Operation for the utilities of Nutricia Cuijk's facility is one main achievements of our Alliance with Danone", In addition to Veolia's contribution to Danone's sustainability agenda, the contract has been built to guarantee and incentivize Veolia for commitment on performance improvements. This is where Veolia is at his best and delivers the main value to its customers". Since the beginning of the Alliance between Danone and Veolia in 2016, the companies have been leveraging their respective strengths and expertise to co-design and implement transformational initiatives and projects that can enable Danone to create economic, social and environmental change and value across their processes and operations. The work of the Veolia and Danone teams has been aimed at supporting Danone in its environmental commitments, notably in the fields of water and energy efficiency, sustainable packaging, global waste management and renewable energies such as biomass and methanization. Veolia groupis the global leader in optimized resource management. With over 171,000 employees worldwide, the Group designs and provides water, waste and energy management solutions which contribute to the sustainable development of communities and industries. Through its three complementary business activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, preserve available resources, and to replenish them. In 2018, the Veolia group supplied 95 million people with drinking water and 63 million people with wastewater service, produced nearly 56 million megawatt hours of energy and converted 49 million metric tons of waste into new materials and energy. Veolia Environnement (listed on Paris Euronext: VIE) recorded consolidated revenue of 25.91 billion in 2018 (USD 30.6 billion). www.veolia.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005812/en/ Contacts: Veolia Group Media Relations Laurent Obadia Sandrine Guendoul Stephane Galfre Tel.+ 33 1 85 57 42 15 stephane.galfre@veolia.com VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / Skeena Resources Limited (TSX.V: SKE, OTCQX: SKREF) ("Skeena" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that metallurgical optimizations as well as a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA"), for the Eskay Creek Project ("Eskay Creek") have been initiated. The Company also welcomes Stacy Freudigmann, P.Eng., to the Skeena team as Project Manager for the aforementioned studies. Eskay Creek is endowed with excellent infrastructure including road access, proximity to recently commissioned 195MW run-of-river hydroelectric facilities, tailings storage capacity and historical underground development situated less than 100 metres from existing mineral resources. Phase I Metallurgical Optimizations Demonstrated metallurgy from the past producing Eskay Creek mine involved a 350 TPD flotation plant with average gold and silver recoveries of 80% and 92% respectively. Gravity separation of gold accounted for 10-30% of preliminary separation. Sulphide concentrates were subsequently transported via truck to either the Port of Stewart for further smelting in Japan or trucked to Kitwanga for loading onto rail cars and transported to a smelter in Quebec. Notwithstanding the proven historical process associated with flotation, the Company will be investigating the amenability of the Eskay Creek blended mineralization to leaching. The Blue Coast Research Group ("Blue Coast"), located in Parksville British Columbia, is currently undertaking the metallurgical investigations and subsequent optimizations. Blue Coast provides metallurgical laboratory test work services, specializing in precious and base metals, metallurgical flowsheet development, evaluation of processes and technologies including grinding, froth flotation, gravity concentration, leaching, heap leaching, to full continuous pilot plant testing. The Phase I metallurgical testing is proceeding on schedule with results anticipated in Q2 2019. Preliminary Economic Assessment Ausenco Engineering Canada Inc. ("Ausenco") has been engaged to perform a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for Eskay Creek. The PEA will contemplate an open pit mining scenario with a small up-front contribution of underground resources. Dependent on the results of the metallurgical optimizations, subsequent trade-off analyses will contemplate either the leaching or flotation processes. The Eskay Creek PEA is scheduled for completion in Q3 2019. Ausenco is a global diversified engineering, construction and project management company providing consulting, project delivery and asset management solutions to the resources, energy and infrastructure sectors. Ausenco's experience in gold projects ranges from conceptual, pre-feasibility and feasibility studies for new project developments to project execution with EPCM and EPC delivery. Ausenco is currently engaged on a number of global projects with similar characteristics and opportunities to Eskay Creek. New Project Manager Strengthens Operational Team Stacy Freudigmann P.Eng., is a metallurgist with over 20 years' experience, specializing in areas of mining management, metallurgy and process engineering, project management and development. He possesses extensive experience in evaluating, directing and coordinating engineering for mineral development projects and managing process operations and production. Stacy brings with him the proven capability to oversee large engineering studies for clients, including Prefeasibility and Feasibility studies, as well as the proven ability to solve complex metallurgical and process issues. His founding of Canenco Consulting Corp. ("Canenco") in 2010 has seen him assist multiple mining and engineering companies around the world such as Nystar N.V., Sabina Gold & Silver Corp., Lion One Metals Ltd., SRK Consulting Inc., Dalradian Resources Inc. and more. Other operational, technical and management experience includes Pebble Limited Partnership working with Northern Dynasty and Anglo American, Hunter Dickinson Inc., Taseko Mines Ltd and Placer Dome. About Skeena Skeena Resources Limited is a junior Canadian mining exploration company focused on developing prospective precious and base metal properties in the Golden Triangle of northwest British Columbia, Canada. The Company's primary activities are the exploration and further development of the past-producing Eskay Creek and Snip mines, both optioned from Barrick. In addition, the Company has completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment on the GJ copper-gold porphyry project. Qualified Persons Exploration activities at the Eskay Creek Project are administered on site by the Company's Exploration Managers, Colin Russell, P.Geo. and Adrian Newton, P.Geo. In accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, Paul Geddes, P.Geo. Vice President Exploration and Resource Development, is the Qualified Person for the Company and has prepared, validated and approved the technical and scientific content of this news release. The Company strictly adheres to CIM Best Practices Guidelines in conducting, documenting, and reporting its exploration activities on its exploration projects. On behalf of the Board of Directors of Skeena Resources Limited, Walter Coles Jr. President & CEO Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements Certain statements made and information contained herein may constitute "forward looking information" and "forward looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. These statements and information are based on facts currently available to the Company and there is no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward-looking statements and information may be identified by such terms as "anticipates", "believes", "targets", "estimates", "plans", "expects", "may", "will", "could" or "would". Forward-looking statements and information contained herein are based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves, the realization of resource and reserve estimates, metal prices, taxation, the estimation, timing and amount of future exploration and development, capital and operating costs, the availability of financing, the receipt of regulatory approvals, environmental risks, title disputes and other matters. While the Company considers its assumptions to be reasonable as of the date hereof, forward-looking statements and information are not guarantees of future performance and readers should not place undue importance on such statements as actual events and results may differ materially from those described herein. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or information except as may be required by applicable securities laws. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Skeena Resources Limited View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/540169/Skeena-Initiates-Metallurgical-Optimizations-and-Preliminary-Economic-Assessment-for-Eskay-Creek Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - March 26, 2019) - Margaux Resources Ltd. (TSXV: MRL) (OTCQB: MARFF) ("Margaux" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has executed the definitive agreement with Wildsky Resources Inc. ("Wildsky") for an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Cassiar Gold Project (the "Property") in northern British Columbia by way of an all-share agreement. The Cassiar Gold Project is a road-accessible, advanced-stage orogenic gold system, with a historical Inferred Resource of 1.04 million ounces gold (32.4 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.0 g/t gold using a cut-off grade of 0.5 g/t gold). The resource is supported by a technical report entitled "Technical Report on the Taurus Project, Liard Mining District, B.C. for Cusac Gold Mines Ltd.," dated May 15, 2009, and prepared by Wardrop Engineering Inc.A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves; and Margaux is not treating the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. The Taurus resource does not incorporate the results of drilling completed within the resource area in 2009 or 2012. As Margaux works to complete its evaluation of the Property it anticipates identifying and completing a drill program in 2019, completing further QA/QC work and engaging an independent reserves evaluator to complete an updated 43-101 report. Tyler Rice, President and CEO for Margaux, stated, "The Sheep Creek and Cassiar projects are two of the three regions identified in recently published GeoScience BC report as having good upside potential for orogenic gold mineralization in BC. The third area identified in that same report is Barkerville, which has recently become an active gold producing site. Margaux looks forward to applying our learning and geological insights from our recent work at Sheep Creek to the Cassiar project." On the Cassiar Property, gold mineralization occurs along a 15 km corridor of veining[1]. Within this structural corridor, gold occurs both as discrete high-grade veins and as near-surface low-grade style mineralization. Past-production from the property (primarily 1979-1997) is approximately 920,000 tonnes at an average grade of 11.9 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, or a total of 350,000 ounces of hard rock gold[2]. During this period, portions of the Property were held by different operators, and production was from different mine operations (predominantly underground) utilizing different mill facilities. The Property has subsequently been amalgamated and now covers 60,000 hectares. It is bisected by Highway 37, has significant existing infrastructure, including a 270 tonne per day flotation and gravity mill (on care and maintenance since 2005) plus numerous ancillary buildings, a tailings storage facility, and a 30 man camp with grid power. In addition to the Taurus gold resource described above, a 2010 resource estimate for high-grade veins in the Table Mountain area, includes 21,470 tonnes at an average grade of 18.02 g/t gold (Indicated) and 65,750 tonnes at an average grade of 24.30 g/t gold (Inferred), using a cut-off grade of 3 g/t gold. Contained ounces of gold within the Table Mountain resource are 13,650 ounces (Indicated) and 56,360 ounces (Inferred). Most of the Table Mountain resource is accessible by a modern underground ramp development which is linked by road to the mill facility.The resource is supported by a technical report entitled "Technical Report on the Table Mountain Property, Liard Mining District, B.C. for Hawthorne Gold Corp." authored by C. Pearson, P. Geo. and F. Bakker, P. Geo. and dated May 18, 2010. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves; and Margaux is not treating the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. Numerous other veins are known on the Property, which have been tested by only limited drilling. In addition, Margaux believes there to be good potential to discover new veins and new areas of low-grade gold mineralization. "We are presently reviewing the vast amount of historical data from the Cassiar project and are encouraged by our findings. I am confident that we will have quality targets selected for drill testing in 2019, to advance this exciting project," stated Linda Caron, VP Exploration for Margaux Resources. Terms of Definitive Agreement The Cassiar property, including all existing infrastructure, is held by Cassiar Gold Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wildsky Resources. Under the terms of the Definitive Agreement, Margaux has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Cassiar Gold Project by acquisition of all of the common shares (the "Cassiar Shares") in the capital of the Cassiar Gold Corp. ("Cassiar"). In order to exercise the option, Margaux must issue 58,200,000 common shares in the capital of Margaux, issued at a deemed price of $0.08 per share, for aggregate consideration of $4,656,000. Margaux must also undertake exploration on Cassiar's property and must satisfy certain other conditions as follows: (a) 5,820,000 shares being issued to Wildsky on receipt of final TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") approval of the Definitive Agreement, as fully paid and non-assessable securities; (b) 11,640,000 shares on the date that is the earlier of (a) six (6) months from the date of the Definitive Agreement, and (b) the receipt of final Exchange approval of the Definitive Agreement; (c) 17,460,000 Margaux Shares on the date that is the earlier of (a) twelve (12) months from the date of the Definitive Agreement, and (b) the receipt of final Exchange approval of the Definitive Agreement; (d) 23,280,000 Margaux Shares on the date that is the earlier of (a) eighteen (18) months from the date of the Definitive Agreement, and (b) the receipt of final Exchange approval of the Definitive Agreement. (e) Margaux will expend at least $400,000 on the planning, development and execution of the Cassiar 2019 work program, based on a mutually approved budget; (f) Six (6) Months after execution of the Definitive Agreement, Wildsky will have the right to appoint one (1) member to the board of directors of Margaux; (g) Twelve (12) Months after execution of the Definitive Agreement, Wildsky will have the right to appoint an additional person (for a total of two (2) board members) to the board of directors of Margaux; (h) Twelve (12) Months after execution of the Definitive Agreement, Wildsky will have the right to appoint one person to the senior management team of Margaux, on terms and conditions to be agreed upon by Margaux and Wildsky, acting reasonably; and (i) Wildsky being granted a 30% net profit interest (the "NPI") on all minerals processed from Cassiar's TM-TSF#1 tailings pond (the "Tailings Pond") located on the Cassiar property, after capital payout of up to $500,000. If, at any time prior to the exercise of the Option or the termination of the Definitive Agreement, Margaux or its agent(s) remove material from the Tailings Pond for purposes other than bona fide exploration and testing purposes, and such material is processed for its minerals and/or metals, then the time periods set out above in paragraphs (b), (c) and (d) of shall be accelerated ("Acceleration") to seven (7) days from the date of first removal of such material. All Shares issued to Wildsky in accordance with Definitive Agreement shall be subject to a statutory hold period (the "Statutory Hold Period") of 4 months and a contractual hold period of a further eight (8) months (for a total of 12 months from the date of issuance). If Acceleration occurs, then all Shares issued to Wildsky, including any Shares issued prior to Acceleration, shall only be subject to the Statutory Hold Period. For greater certainty, if any Shares have been issued to Wildsky more than 4 months prior to the occurrence of Acceleration, then those Payment Shares shall immediately become "free-trading". For greater certainty, Margaux will not acquire any interest whatsoever in the Cassiar Shares until such time as it has satisfied all the requirements of exercise of the Option as set out in the Definitive Agreement. If Margaux fails to fully comply with all such conditions of exercise within the stipulated time periods, the Option shall immediately terminate and Margaux shall forfeit all interest in any and all Shares issued to Wildsky and/or any of the Cassiar Gold shares. The Transaction is subject to the following conditions: Approval of the Transaction by the TSX Venture Exchange; and Approval of the Transaction by shareholders of the Wildsky. Qualified Person Linda Caron, M.Sc., P.Eng., Margaux's Vice President of Exploration, is Margaux's Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 who has reviewed and approved the technical information contained within this press release. About Margaux Resources Ltd. Margaux Resources Ltd. (TSXV: MRL) (OTCQB: MARFF) is a mineral acquisition and exploration company focused on gold exploration in British Columbia, and is directed by a group of highly successful Canadian business executives. Forward Looking Statements This press release may contain forward looking statements including those describing Margaux's future plans and the expectations of management that a stated result or condition will occur. Any statement addressing future events or conditions necessarily involves inherent risk and uncertainty. Actual results can differ materially from those anticipated by management at the time of writing due to many factors, the majority of which are beyond the control of Margaux and its management. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements pertaining, directly or indirectly, to the following: Margaux's ability to enter into the Definitive Agreement on the timeframes indicated, or at all, sourcing of the required for the exploration expenditures and the timing and ability to obtain TSX Venture Exchange and requisite shareholder approval for the transaction, Margaux's exploration plans and work commitments, the potential of mineral resources and potential for recovery thereof, the timing of reporting exploration results, as well as other market conditions and economic factors, business and operations strategies. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. These statements speak only as of the date of this release or as of the date specified in the documents accompanying this release, as the case may be. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements except as expressly required by applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. CONTACT INFORMATION Margaux Resources Ltd. Tyler Rice President, CEO and a Director (403) 537-5590 Tyler@margauxresources.com NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES [1], [2] Kirkham et al., 2008. Update of Technical Report on the Table Mountain Property, Liard Mining District, British Columbia, for Hawthorne Gold Corp., June 1, 2008. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43676 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 26, 2019) - Wildsky Resources Inc. (TSXV: WSK) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has entered into an option agreement (the "Option Agreement") with Margaux Resources Ltd. (TSXV: MRL) ("Margaux"). Pursuant to the terms of the Option Agreement, Margaux may acquire all of the common shares (the "Cassiar Shares") in the capital of the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary Cassiar Gold Corp. ("Cassiar") from the Company. In order to exercise the option (the "Option"), Margaux must issue 58,200,000 common shares (the "Payment Shares") in the capital of Margaux, issued at a deemed price of $0.08 per Payment Share for aggregate consideration of $4,656,000, undertake exploration on Cassiar's property and satisfy certain other conditions as follows: (a) 5,820,000 Payment Shares being issued to Wildsky on receipt of final TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") approval for the Option Agreement, as fully paid and non-assessable securities; (b) 11,640,000 Margaux Shares on the date that is the earlier of (a) six (6) months from the date of the Option Agreement, and (b) the receipt of final Exchange approval of the Option Agreement; (c) 17,460,000 Margaux Shares on the date that is the earlier of (a) twelve (12) months from the date of the Option Agreement, and (b) the receipt of final Exchange approval of the Option Agreement; (d) 23,280,000 Margaux Shares on the date that is the earlier of (a) eighteen (18) months from the date of the Option Agreement, and (b) the receipt of final Exchange approval of the Option Agreement. (e) Margaux will expend at least $400,000 on the planning, development and execution of the Cassiar 2019 work program, based on a mutually approved budget; (f) Six (6) Months after execution of the Option Agreement, Wildsky will have the right to appoint one (1) member to the board of directors of Margaux; (g) Twelve (12) Months after execution of the Option Agreement, Wildsky will have the right to appoint an additional person (for a total of two (2) board members) to the board of directors of Margaux; (h) Twelve (12) Months after execution of the Option Agreement, Wildsky will have the right to appoint one person to the senior management team of Margaux, on terms and conditions to be agreed upon by Margaux and Wildsky, acting reasonably; and (i) Wildsky being granted a 30% net profit interest (the "NPI") on all minerals processed from Cassiar's TM-TSF#1 tailings pond (the "Tailings Pond") located on the Cassiar property, after capital payout of up to $500,000. If, at any time prior to the exercise of the Option or the termination of the Option Agreement, Margaux or its agent(s) remove material from the Tailings Pond for purposes other than bona fide exploration and testing purposes, and such material is processed for its minerals and/or metals, then the time periods set out above in paragraph's (b), (c) and (d) shall be accelerated (the "Acceleration") to seven (7) days from the date of first removal of such material. All Payment Shares issued to Wildsky in accordance with the Option Agreement shall be subject to a statutory hold period (the "Statutory Hold Period") of 4 months and a contractual hold period of a further eight (8) months (for a total of 12 months from the date of issuance). If Acceleration occurs, then all Payment Shares issued to Wildsky, including any Payment Shares issued prior to Acceleration, shall only be subject to the Statutory Hold Period. For greater certainty, if any Payment Shares have been issued to Wildsky more than 4 months prior to the occurrence of Acceleration, then those Payment Shares shall immediately become "free-trading". For greater certainty, Margaux will not acquire any interest whatsoever in the Cassiar Shares until such time as it has satisfied all the requirements of exercise of the Option as set out in the Option Agreement. If Margaux fails to fully comply with all such conditions of exercise within the stipulated time periods, the Option shall immediately terminate and Margaux shall forfeit all interest in any and all Payment Shares issued to Wildsky. The Transaction is subject to the following conditions: Approval of the Transaction by the TSX Venture Exchange; and Approval of the shareholders of the Company. About Wildsky Resources Inc. Wildsky Resources Inc. is a Canadian based exploration and development company with office located in Vancouver, B.C. The Company's goal is to create value for shareholders through continuously exploring and developing its current properties in BC and at the same time looking for new properties to acquire through its international connections. For more information on Wildsky Resources, please contact the Company at (778) 889-4966, or visit the Company's website at www.wildskyresources.com. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "signed by Wenhong Jin" Wenhong Jin President and CEO 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 of accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information Statements in this news release that are forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed here and elsewhere in Wildsky Resources' periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. When used in this news release, words such as "will", "could", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "potential", "appear", "should," and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. Although Wildsky Resources has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there can be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, the results or events predicted in these forward looking statements may differ materially from actual results or events. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and Wildsky Resources disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43675 LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / Podiatrist and business owner, Schlomo Schmuel announced today a new investment in the pursuit of academic excellence with the launch of Dr. Schlomo Schmuel's Scholarship program. Providing three scholarships, the program is designed to award students who showcase initiative and academic excellence at the post-secondary level. Schlomo Schmuel's Scholarship program is open to students who have been accepted in or are currently enrolled in a college or university program. Applications are currently being accepted online until May 20. One winner will be awarded a $1,500 scholarship and two awardees with be selected for $750 scholarships. An entrepreneur specializing in Podiatric Medicine, Dr. Schmuel has built nine Los Angeles-based clinics, serving patients throughout Southern California with foot and ankle conditions. Dr. Schmuel attended the College of Podiatric Medicine at Kent State University and performed his Residency in Podiatric Surgery at the University of Southern California Medical Center. "The goal of the Schlomo Schmuel Scholarship program is to encourage the pursuit of academic excellence at all levels," said Dr. Schmuel. "By shining a light on students who show both promise and initiative, we can promote a deeper and wider respect for the importance of learning and those who dedicate themselves to its pursuit." Program applicants will be judged on a variety of criteria, including academic accomplishments, non-academic accomplishments, awards, recommendations, personal statements, volunteer efforts, as well as independent diligence, including research of available public information. Applicants must show a GPA of at least 2.50 on a 4.0 scale and evidence of enrollment in or acceptance of enrollment in a degree program at a four-year accredited college or university within the United States for the 2019-2020 academic year. About Dr. Schlomo Schmuel Schlomo Schmuel, DPM is a successful entrepreneur who built a thriving business specializing in Podiatric Medicine. As the owner of Sunset Foot Clinic, he has specialized in podiatric care for nearly 25 years. As a matter of fact, he has been serving patients on Sunset Boulevard adjacent to The Happy Foot/Sad Foot sign on the border between Silver Lake and Echo Park for a large portion of his professional career. Visit https://schlomoschmuelscholarship.com to apply. Applications must be received via the online application portal before May 20, 2019. Application or scholarship questions should be directed to: info@schlomoschmuelscholarship.com SOURCE: Dr. Schlomo Schmuel & Sunset Foot Clinic View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/540173/Schlomo-Schmuel-Launches-Scholarship-Program-to-Support-Post-Secondary-Academic-Achievement Regulatory News: As announced in the press release of March 21, 2019, Cellnovo Group SA (Paris:CLNV) ("Cellnovo" or the "Company" CLNV: EN Paris), a medical technology company marketing the first connected diabetes management platform composed of an insulin micro-pump communicating via Bluetooth with a locked-down Android smartphone, is facing a delay in the large-scale commercial deployment of its new solution and thus needs to find additional financing. Within such context affecting its short- and medium-term financing, its operating English subsidiary, Cellnovo Limited, employing 92 staff and located in Bridgend, Wales, has obtained, today, the appointment by a competent English court of two representatives of RSM Restructuring Advisory LLP as "administrators". In the interest of Cellnovo Limited's creditors and partners, they intend to continue contacts initiated with strategic partners and investors in order to protect the value of the assets. The initiation of a collective proceeding regarding its UK subsidiary has led the Company to request simultaneously the opening of a conciliation proceeding in France by the President of the Paris Commercial Court. Such conciliation proceeding will provide the Company with a secured legal framework in order to support the actions undertaken with respect to its creditors, its partners and any third party having sufficient resources to support financially the Group or enter into a strategic partnership with it, and to protect its interests within the framework of the collective proceeding initiated in the UK with respect to its English subsidiary, Cellnovo Limited. The Company will communicate as soon as possible on the development of the above proceedings. About Cellnovo (Euronext: CLNV) Cellnovo Group is a global innovative medical technology company supporting the needs and desires of people with type 1 diabetes. Cellnovo has developed and markets a novel diabetes management system, which is a connected platform that aims to make life easier for people with type 1 diabetes. Cellnovo's insulin delivery system comprises a discreet, wearable micro-pump that communicates via Bluetooth Low Energy with a locked-down Android smartphone. This unique system allows optimal management of insulin dosing and delivery while ensuring freedom of movement and peace of mind. Thanks to the transmission of data in real time, the patient's status can be seamlessly monitored by family members and healthcare professionals. Cellnovo is currently participating in several major Artificial Pancreas projects with TypeZero, PEPPER and Diabeloop, to develop fully automated, closed-loop insulin delivery systems. For more information go to www.cellnovo.com Cellnovo is listed on Euronext, Compartment C ISIN: FR0012633360 Ticker: CLNV) Cellnovo 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 subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. For review of risks and uncertainties which could cause Cellnovo's actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, please refer to the Presentation of the Main Risks and Uncertainties ("Description des principaux risques et incertitudes") set forth in Exhibit 1 of the 2017 Annual Financial Report ("Rapport Financier Annuel") and Risks and Uncertainities ( Risques et incertitudes ) section #2.8 of the 2018 Half-yearly Financial Report ("Rapport Financier Semerstriel") of the Company published on the website of Cellnovo Group (www.cellnovo.com), respectively, on April 30, 2018 and November 26, 2018. 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 shares in Cellnovo Group in any country. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005934/en/ Contacts: Cellnovo Chief Executive Officer Sophie Baratte investors@cellnovo.com NewCap Investor Relations Dusan Oresansky + 33 1 44 71 94 92 cellnovo@newcap.eu NewCap Media Relations in France Nicolas Merigeau + 33 1 44 71 94 98 cellnovo@newcap.eu VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / Auryn Resources Inc. (TSX: AUG, NYSE American: AUG) ("Auryn" or the "Company) announces the appointment of Stacy Rowa as Chief Financial Officer and the resignation of Peter Rees as Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary, effective April 1, 2019. Mr. Rees is resigning to pursue a new opportunity. Ms. Rowa is a Canadian CPA, CA who has worked with Canadian and US publicly listed resource companies for the past 10 years. Ms. Rowa has been with the Company since 2016 serving as Corporate Controller. Prior to joining Auryn, Ms. Rowa held finance roles with Elgin Mining Inc., before it was acquired by Mandalay Resources Inc. in 2014, and Aura Minerals Inc. She began her career with KPMG LLP's mining practice after obtaining her Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from the University of British Columbia. A Message from Ivan Bebek, Executive Chairman & Director: "On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to thank Peter for his valuable contributions to our management team and our companies over the past nine years. Peter has worked with Auryn since its inception and played a key role in establishing Auryn as a premier mineral exploration company. We wish him very well on his future endeavor and welcome Stacy to our team in the role of CFO." On Behalf of the Board, Ivan Bebek Executive Chairman and Director For further information on Auryn Resources, please contact Natasha Frakes, Manager of Corporate Communications at (778) 729-0600 or natasha.frakes@aurynresources.com. About Auryn Auryn Resources is a technically-driven, well-financed junior exploration company focused on finding and advancing globally significant precious and base metal deposits. The company has a portfolio approach to asset acquisition and has seven projects, including two flagships: the Committee Bay high-grade gold project in Nunavut and the Sombrero copper-gold project in southern Peru. Auryn's technical and management teams have an impressive track record of successfully monetizing assets for all stakeholders and local communities in which it operates. Auryn conducts itself to the highest standards of corporate governance and sustainability. The Toronto Stock Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Auryn Resources Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/540161/Auryn-Announces-Appointment-of-New-CFO Naresh Goyal continues to be the biggest individual stakeholder in the airline, holding over 25 percent of the company even after the bank transaction closes. Monday was the end of an era in Indian aviation, with Jet Airways promoter Naresh Goyal, hanging his boots at the airline, as its chairman, after two decades of being at the helm of the airline. He did not want to leave but was asked to do so by the bankers to the airline, who took the helms of the airline he instituted in the 1990s, thus putting curtains at one of the longest innings in Indian aviation. If JRD Tata was the king of Indian aviation, having instituted and run Air India, then Naresh Goyal was the prince. Goyal came from a humble background. He started to work for his uncle, who represented various airlines in India, since 1967. In 1974, he launched Jet Air, his own marketing organization for representing various airlines in India. Then, circa 1990s, the government decided to open up the airline industry to private players, offering more choice to India which only had Air India for international flights and Indian Airlines for domestic flights till then. Jet Airways started operations as an air taxi operator in May 1993, operating between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. JRD Tata was there on the first flight for Jet Airways. In 1995, Jet Airways became a scheduled airline, who could sell tickets for a flight scheduled in the future, after the abolition of the Air Corporations Act. In 2004, Jet Airways got its boost when airlines in India were allowed to fly abroad, opening up India to a new way of flying. Their first flight was between Chennai and Colombo, but soon, the airline was able to lease an Airbus A340-300E, to launch flights between Mumbai to London. From then to now, Jet Airways grew to have a fleet of 119 aircraft, including 10 Boeing 777 aircraft and 8 Airbus 330 aircraft powering flights across Europe, and even North America. Most of these aircraft are now grounded but hoping to get back on air soon. The focus of Naresh Goyal was always on building a service-centric business, with customer first as its basis. He had the obsessive eye to make a perfect product, but it may or may not have been what the customer wanted. For instance, when Jet Airways purchased their Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in 2007, Goyal installed first class suites on the plane. Those first class suites, and the aircraft as well, mostly did the bidding for other airlines such as Thai Airways and Etihad, till Jet Airways was able to deploy them on their own routes a couple of years ago, flying them to Amsterdam and Toronto amongst other destinations. But, under Goyal, Jet Airways also had their fair share of confused identity. With the onslaught of low-cost flying, which launched with Air Deccan, Goyal found important to participate in M&A activity to buy market share. In spite of being advised against it, he went ahead with buying Air Sahara to rebrand it as JetLite. He also launched JetKonnect, a third low-cost brand, with the only difference from full-service flights being the meal. And then, in 2014, seeing all these ideas flop, Jet Airways went back to be a full-service carrier. Goyal was a good negotiator, a peoples person, and also a relationship builder. His contacts across the industry made sure that when the airline fell on hard times in 2013, he was able to get Etihad Airways to join hands with Jet Airways for a 24 percent stake in the airline. He also spotted the opportunity that was created with Delta vacating their India flights, and his own airline quitting on flying to the USA, to team up with KLM/Air France to make a commercial agreement to fill these gaps for his own airline, as well as the Delta/KLM/Air France joint venture. However, Goyal was not willing to let go when the time was right. When trouble started brewing in the second half of 2018, Goyal thought he could turn it around. He did succeed with lingering on with the airline for a couple of months, given the employees who were not paid then were willing to continue to work in exchange for IOUs of future salary payments. The Jet Airways employees continued to give their sweat and blood, hoping their chairman was going to be able to figure a way out sooner than later. The lessors, the banks, the airports, everyone joined along too. Like mentioned earlier, there was a small public facing problem in 2018 which could have been fixed as long as the airline was sold then. Goyal, however, wanted to be around to be watching over his baby, even when the baby needed to fly away. Subsequently, the law came into the picture, and the lessors had had enough. So everyone, including the Bank, started to pull the plug on the airline. Even through these dark days, Goyal wanted to be around and his exit from the Board was a pre-condition for Etihad Airways to invest in the airline. Eventually, talks collapsed, and Etihad Airways offered its shares back for a repurchase, wanting to leave the airline. So, what does the future hold for Goyal and Jet Airways? It isnt over yet. Goyal continues to be the biggest individual stakeholder in the airline, holding over 25 percent of the company even after the bank transaction closes. As per the banks, if he climbs back to 26 percent stake, he could get the power to block special resolutions as well, meaning any new investor would have to necessarily team up with him, not against him. And not just that, the door for him is not closed yet. He could still put a bid to buy the banks stake in April, organising a set of investors behind him, and take charge yet again. In the meanwhile, as a customer, it just means that the airline should come back to its original state over the months, in terms of operations. But does that mean they will fly empty planes? Under the management of Jet Airways overseen by a Board committee, that might just be the case. There is a fine line between making profits and filling up planes with cheap seats in the airline business, and in the case of Indian aviation, their low cost competitor can just launch another deep discount sale to chip away any business that Jet Airways may hope to receive in the current environment. Does this mean Jet Airways will live to fight another day? We will find out in the coming weeks leading up to 31 May, when the new owner of the airline will be decided. In the meanwhile, the crown prince will have a moment to reflect, and figure out what his next move could be. (The writer is a business travel and aviation journalist based in Mumbai, and the founder of the Indian frequent-traveller website Live From A Lounge, www.livefromalounge.com. He tweets at @LiveFromALounge.) IDBI Bank on Tuesday said its all-India Officers' Association will observe a one-day nationwide hunger strike on 30 March, over various demands New Delhi: IDBI Bank on Tuesday said its all-India Officers' Association will observe a one-day nationwide hunger strike on 30 March, over various demands. "The Bank is in receipt of notice of one-day nationwide hunger strike on 30 March, 2019 from All India IDBI Officers' Association (AIIDBIOA) addressed to MD & CEO, IDBI Bank in support of their various demands," IDBI Bank said in a stock exchange filing. The Officers' Association has been protesting over RBI categorising IDBI Bank as a private sector lender with effect from 21 January, 2019, pursuant to LIC acquiring 51 percent controlling stake in the bank. For December quarter of this fiscal, IDBI Bank reported widening of loss to Rs 4,185.48 crore as bad loans surged. The bank's gross non-performing assets (NPAs) shot up to 29.67 percent of gross advances as at 31 December, 2018, against 24.72 percent in the year-ago period. This year the company celebrates 40 years of JCB India and its success over those four decades is due to continual investment, he added. New Delhi: Earthmoving and construction equipment company JCB on Tuesday said it will invest Rs 650 crore to set up a new manufacturing facility in Vadodara in Gujarat. The new factory, the company's sixth in the country, would manufacture parts for global production lines in order to cater to increased demand. It is expected to start production next year. The announcement follows the start of the work on a new 50 million pound (around Rs 450 crore) factory to build cabs for JCB machines in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, UK which will be completed later this year. "With major investment in manufacturing capacity in the UK and India, we are very well placed to grow our business in the future," JCB chairman Lord Bamford said in a statement. This year the company celebrates 40 years of JCB India and its success over those four decades is due to continual investment, he added. "It's fitting that we mark the 40th anniversary with an investment in a factory which will give us enormous manufacturing capacity," Bamford said. JCB India already has five factories in Delhi, Pune and Jaipur. On completion, the Vadodara plant would be capable of processing 85,000 tonne of steel annually. "This new factory will be manufacturing engineered components and sub-assemblies for JCB's many factories around the globe. It will add to the capacity at our existing plants in India. "Vadodara presents us with the advantage of being located close to the Surat port and also to our key suppliers," JCB India MD and CEO Vipin Sondhi said. India has been JCB's single largest market since 2007. JCB India currently employs over 5,000 people and has a network of more than 60 dealers and 700 outlets spread throughout the country. Jet Airways board on Monday approved an immediate fund infusion of up to Rs 1,500 crore by SBI-led lenders Mumbai: Industry analysts welcomed the management changes at Jet Airways and the new debt-recast plan under which banks have taken over the control of the crippled airline and forcing founder-chairman Naresh Goyal and his wife out of board, saying the changes, though very belated, are "good and positive" for the airline. Bringing an end to months of uncertainty over the future of the carrier, the Jet Airways board on Monday approved an immediate fund infusion of up to Rs 1,500 crore by SBI-led lenders and conversion of debt into equity at Re 1 a share from a cumulative 51 percent stake-holding. With this, the banks will be owning 51 percent equity of the once-premier airline, and will appoint a new board. As part of the changes, founder Goyal along with his wife Anita, have been forced out of the board and pare their 51 percent holding to just 25 percent. That apart Goyal was also asked to step down from the chairman's position. "Goyal's exit had been a bone of contention for some time now. But it was inevitable. May be it happened a bit late, but good that it has happened finally," said Dhiraj Mathur, a partner at PwC. The amount of fresh funds being infused is also good, he said, adding the new owners (the banks) have also put a time line of two months to get a strategic investor. But he was quick to add that he was not sure of a strategic investor getting on board in two months. According to the airline, as part of the resolution plan, the lenders will also begin the process of sale/issue of shares to new investors which is expected to be completed in the June quarter. Rajesh Narain Gupta, managing partner at law firm SNG & Partners, said as the changes happened as the equity partners (Etihad and Jet promoters) failed to arrive at a resolution, leaving banks with no other option but to pick up majority stake and find a new promoter for the airline. However, Gupta was quick to add that it remains to be seen how successful the banks will be in managing an airline, given their core competence. "We see this as positive for the airline as urgency of funds and new investors wanting removal of old promoters are addressed. This should lead to some extent of revival of operations," said Sameer Kalra, founder of equity research firm Target Investing. There would be potential investors who would show interest in the airline given Jet's premium routes and slots, Karla added. However, an industry observer, who wished not to be named, alleged that the resolution plan is a big setback for retail investors, governance and minority shareholders. "For Re 1, the lenders have got as much as 11.4 crore shares or 51 percent of Jet almost for free. As there is no reduction in debt or its liabilities. If a Jet stock is worth Rs 250 today, there should have been a debt reduction of at least Rs 2,750 crore by conversion of these 11.4 crore shares," he argued. Alleging that the banks got 11.4 crore shares (51 percent of the pad up equity of the airline) for nearly free with an additional fund infusion of only Rs 1,500 crore, he said, "this amount is grossly inadequate." Narayan Hariharan, who worked over three terms as a senior vice-president in Goyal's office, said a lot will have to be done to make the changes really workable. "I believe that the employees, including the pilots, engineers, cabin crew and front-end staff are taken into confidence by the new management so that they assist in the turnaround plan," he said, adding personally he feels very sorry for the man who was intrinsically entrenched in every part of the product and services of the airline. "But Goyal's managerial experiments destroyed all organisational framework at Jet Airways which was once the top international carrier from the country," he alleged. Jet Airways stock opened on a bullish note Tuesday and jumped 8.80 percent to Rs 276.90 on the BSE and at the NSE, shares advanced 8.93 percent to Rs 276.80. New Delhi: Shares of Jet Airways continued to rise for the second day Tuesday, zooming nearly 9 percent on the bourses following the exit of Founder and Chairman Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita Goyal from the board of the ailing airline. The stock opened on a bullish note Tuesday and jumped 8.80 percent to Rs 276.90 on the BSE and at the NSE, shares advanced 8.93 percent to Rs 276.80. Shares of Jet Airways had zoomed 15.5 percent on Monday. Naresh Goyal and his wife will resign from the board of the airline, according to a regulatory filing on Monday. The decision was taken at the airline's board meeting held in Mumbai on Monday. In the filing to the stock exchanges, Jet Airways Monday said Naresh Goyal, Anita Goyal and one nominee of Etihad Airways PJSC would step down from the board. Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways is a strategic partner with 24 percent stake in Jet Airways. Naresh Goyal would also cease to be the chairman, the filing had said. Further, an immediate funding of up to Rs 1,500 crore would be provided to the cash-strapped airline by "way of issue of appropriate debt instrument", the filing added. Jet Airways, which has been operating for more than 25 years, is grappling with financial crunch and is also looking to raise fresh funds. The airline has suspended operations on at least 14 international routes till the end of April and over 80 planes are on the ground. As many as 54 aircraft have been grounded due to non-payment of lease rentals. Indian tax authorities are hoping for a windfall with the auction on Tuesday of rare oil paintings that were once part of fugitive billionaire jeweller Nirav Modis collection and have been seized by the government Mumbai: Indian tax authorities are hoping for a windfall with the auction on Tuesday of rare oil paintings that were once part of fugitive billionaire jeweller Nirav Modis collection and have been seized by the government. Auctioneers say the sale is the first of its kind in a country where tax authorities have usually auctioned property, gold and luxury items, but not art. After a court order allowing the auction to take place, tax authorities, who are pursuing Modi over the countrys largest bank fraud, appointed professional auction house Saffronart. The sale in Mumbai of some 68 works is expected to fetch anywhere between Rs 30 crore and Rs 50 crore ($4.4 million-$7.3 million). Until a few years ago, the tax authorities really didnt know the value of art, said Farah Siddiqui, an art adviser who is advising clients eyeing Modis collection. The 48-year-old Modi, whose diamonds have sparkled on Hollywood stars, is one of the prime accused in a $2 billion loan fraud at state-run Punjab National Bank. Modi denies the charges and believes they are politically motivated. The auction comes just weeks before a national election and as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces pressure to bring back Nirav Modi (no relation), who fled the country last year and has been residing in the United Kingdom. He was arrested last week by British authorities and remanded in custody after he appeared before a London court. India asked Britain last August to extradite Modi. The auction includes works by Raja Ravi Varma, a 19th-century painter considered among Indias finest, and V.S. Gaitonde, a modern artist known for his abstract and often monochromatic paintings. We believe that the collections intrinsic value will garner a positive response from collectors, said Saffronart Chief Executive Dinesh Vazirani. India Law Alliance, a law firm representing the company controlled by Modi that owns the artwork, said it was challenging the court order that allowed the auction. The case will be heard by the Bombay High Court on Wednesday, a lawyer at the firm told Reuters. Vijay Aggarwal, a lawyer for Modi, declined to comment. Vijay Mallya questioned why public sector banks pitched in to save Jet Airways but let his company, Kingfisher Airlines, fail ruthlessly After news was out about public sector banks bailout plan to rescue cash-ridden Jet Airlines on Monday, businessman Vijay Mallya urged Indian banks to take his money and save cash-strapped Jet Airways. In a series of tweets, he asked banks to take his 'liquid assets' he had placed before the Karnataka High Court to pay off Jet Airway's debt to PSU banks and all other creditors. "I repeat once again that I have placed liquid assets before the Karnataka High Court to pay off the PSU banks and all other creditors. Why do the banks not take my money? It will help them to save Jet Airways if nothing else", the liquor baron tweeted. Mallya, who is currently facing trial in a UK Court, went on to highlight the double standards of the NDA government, and questioned why public sector banks pitched in to save Jet Airways but let his company, Kingfisher Airlines, fail ruthlessly. Happy to see that PSU Banks have bailed out Jet Airways saving jobs, connectivity and enterprise. Only wish the same was done for Kingfisher. Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 25, 2019 "I invested over Rs 4,000 crores into Kingfisher Airlines to save the company and its employees. Not recognised and instead slammed in every possible way. The same PSU banks let India's finest airline with the best employees and connectivity fail ruthlessly. Double standards under NDA," read another tweet on the microblogging site. Mallya also claimed that the media 'decimated' him for writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while a BJP spokesman eloquently read out letters he wrote to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and he alleged that PSU banks under the UPA government wrongly supported Kingfisher Airlines. Jet Airways has been suffering bruising competition from low-cost airlines, fluctuating crude prices and a weak rupee. The airline has over one billion dollars in debt and has to repay money to banks, lessors of planes and suppliers besides clearing pending salaries to its pilots. Last week, State Bank of India (SBI) Chairman Rajnish Kumar had said that the resolution plan is almost ready and it will not involve a bailout for any individual. At the same time, talks with Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad Airways to secure a rescue deal are still on, he said adding there is also a possibility of bringing in another investor. Jet Airways is a good aviation property and it is in every body's interest that it continues to fly, Kumar had said on 20 March. The chairman of the airline, Naresh Goyal, stepped down on Monday (25 March), following which lenders agreed to pump in Rs 1,500 crore to bail out the financially troubled airline. Meanwhile, a Delhi court had, last week, ordered attachment of Mallya's properties in Bengaluru under section 83 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in connection with a FERA (Foreign Exchange Regulation Act) violation case, and fixed the next date of hearing as 10 July. --With inputs from Asian News International Minimum income guarantee promise will most likely shift attention from the more serious unemployment problem. Indias reform-myopic and opportunistic politicians have an easy solution to end poverty and unemployment simply throw taxpayers money at poor households and expect this to work wonders to pull them out of distress. Congress president Rahul Gandhis minimum income guarantee offer of Rs 72,000 per annum for the poorest of 20 percent families (about 5 crore poor families) is not very different from the Rs 6,000 per annum that Narendra Modi government has already promised to 12.5 crore farming households; only the quantum and name of the schemes are different. Gandhis scheme aims to ensure every family in the bottom 20 percent gets Rs 72,000 per annum. The fundamental idea behind both schemes is that the state uses taxpayers money to feed its poor. Hence, criticising one and praising the other will be a futile exercise. The larger point is that a culture of freebies, across party lines, is gaining momentum. Will assured minimum income help Indias poor alleviate poverty? There is no evidence, in any comparable economies, for any government or political party succeeding in poverty alleviation through distribution of freebies. Beyond a temporary relief, this isnt gong to alleviate poverty, neither will it help provide skill development, empirical evidences show. Particularly for the Indian economy, this wont be a constructive exercise as the fiscal burden is set to go up while there wont be major contribution in terms of output that will come only through job creation and getting real economic activities back on track. Instead, such schemes will hand over begging bowls to the poor and make them wait for it every year, whereas little focus will be given on skill development. Worse, appeasement of the poor through freebies coming at a time when the country is in the grip of a serious unemployment problem. Minimum income guarantee promise will most likely shift attention from the more serious unemployment problem. Even in January, job creation fell by 6.91 percent to 11.23 lakh as compared to 12.06 lakh during the same period last year, according to payroll data of the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) released on Monday, PTI reported. During September 2017 to January 2019, about 2.08 crore new subscribers joined the ESIC scheme, the data showed. The unemployment level,according to an official report by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), which is yet to be accepted by the government, touched a 46-year high in 2018. A sharp surge in demand for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) jobs is a big evidence that more people are getting out of organised factory jobs. Government data showed that in 2018-19, the demand for work under MNREGA increased by almost 10 percent compared with the previous year and also registered the highest number of person-days of work under the scheme since 2010-11, an Indian Express report said. Till now, there is no road map either from the ruling party or the Opposition on how to deal with the unemployment problem, except more and more announcements on state-sponsored farm loan waivers and minimum income promises. Millions of educated fresh job seekers are finding it difficult to get quality jobs, forcing many of them to compete even for the last grade jobs. Farm loan waivers already punched a big hole in the finances of government and banks thus weakening the economy. Minimum income guarantee schemes will be the next. A back of the envelop calculation shows that the total burden of Gandhis minimum income promise will be Rs 3.6 lakh crore. Thats 1.7 percent of the countrys Gross Domestic Product (GDP). We are talking about an economy that has breached the fiscal deficit target for three consecutive years and is struggling to mop up revenues to keep its balance sheet healthy. Any minimum guarantee programme such as the one announced by Gandhi will have enormous implications on the fiscal front. Gandhis comment re-emphasises that Indian politicians give far greater weightage to freebies and will go to any extent to win votes by totally undermining good economics. The idea seems to be throwing free money to all. The strategy Gandhi is now relying on is the United Progressive Alliance's (UPA) old trick of pushing social welfare schemes to win votes. When politicians vie to become socialist champions, there is no end to competition. By making the minimum income promise, Gandhi has attempted to outdo Modis scheme to win votes. Naturally, Modi will have to beat the Gandhi freebie scheme with a bigger one. In effect, multiple versions of vote-seeking socialist schemes are to be expected once politicians get a taste of success using this tool. On the implementation front, Gandhis scheme will face huge challenges as deciding the 20 percent bracket will be a tough job since there is no reliable and updated income data available. How will the 20 percent deserving poor be counted and the legitimacy of their claim decided is a big question at every level of the implementation. MNREGA, a product of the UPA, has worked well to an extent to provide relief to the rural India.But, that will not be the case with the minimum income promise. Just like Modi governments Rs 6,000 free income assurance to farmers, Gandhis minimum income promise is not going to help the poor in any significant manner. India already has nearly 950 centrally-sponsored schemes. These schemes target the economically weak in each area and assist them through state funding. It is nearly impossible and unwise to go back from this targeted approach and fix minimum income to all because then the purpose of addressing specific problems is lost. The first is about empowering needy with targeted assistance and the second about destroying the incentive to work and excel, not looking at specific segments of economically distressed. Most of this money, inevitably, will go to fulfil unproductive consumption needs, as is the case with Kisan Credit Card loans. On the other hand, chances of the benefit going to the undeserving is also high as fudging income documents arent difficult at the local level. This scheme will, thus, open up new avenues of corruption and can even boomerang on Gandhis party. (Data support by Kishor Kadam) Ever since the apex court decided in favor of mediation to resolve India's one of the oldest and most-aggressively fought cases, there has been an open debate about the viability of this option in resolving the issue. The Supreme Court on 8 March ordered the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute to be decided by a court-monitored mediation team. As directed by the apex court, the mediation was to be completed within eight months and the first report to be submitted within four weeks. Former Supreme Court judge FM Kalifulla, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and senior advocate and mediator Sriram Panchu constituted the three-team mediation panel. Ever since the apex court decided in favour of mediation to resolve one of India's oldest and most-aggressively fought cases, there has been an open debate about the viability of this option. On Monday, Nirmohi Akhara, one of the original parties in the case moved the Supreme Court with a plea that sought that the place of mediation (Faizabad) should be changed to a more neutral location and also asked to bring in two retired Supreme Court judges on the panel. While acknowledging the apex court decision to refer the case for mediation so that an amicable solution is possible and this can ensure that a long-standing issue which has been a source of contention between two communities can be resolved in the next breath Nirmohi Akhara also stressed that amicable resolution would be possible only if there is a direct dialogue between UP Sunni Central Wakf Board and Panch Ramanandi Nirmohi Akhara Ayodhya who claim title to the properties, while keeping the faith and aspirations of all devotes. In its application, Akhara clearly said that while it favours dialogue it does not want any proposal to be given in writing. The Akhara also, while highlighting the fact that it has in past (especially in 2010 when the Allahabad High Court pronounced its judgment in the case), expressed willingness for mediation and following the apex court decision to refer the case for mediation participated in the deliberations of the mediation panel. However, in the application, it stated that while it participated in the mediation proceedings that took on 13 March it felt that the proceedings left a lot to be desired, a clear reflection of the dissatisfaction over the mediation proceedings. Now, it is important to understand that when the beginning of mediation process is resulting in such dissatisfaction, it is hardly possible that panel can magically (within the eight-week deadline set up by the court) succeed in forging any consensus that can lead to any possible resolution. Also, what can prove to be Achilles' heel in this entire process can be gauged from a careful reading of the section that empowers the court to refer a case for mediation. Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 embodies the legislative mandate to the court to refer sub judice disputes to various ADR mechanisms enunciated therein where it finds it appropriate to do so, in order to enable the parties to finally resolve their pending cases through well-established dispute resolution methods other than litigation. Section 89 of the Code of Civil Procedure states: "Where it appears to the Court that there exist elements of a settlement which may be acceptable to the parties, the Court shall formulate the terms of settlement and give them to the parties for their observations and after receiving the observations of the parties, the Court may reformulate the terms of a possible settlement and refer the same for a) arbitration;b) conciliation;c) judicial settlement including settlement through Lok Adalat; or d) mediation. Here acceptable to the parties broadly means willingness of the parties to actually look for an amicable settlement of the dispute. But it is important to understand that this willingness is not only required for facilitating the court to decide whether the case should or should not be referred for mediation, rather this willingness for consensus has to exist and should guide the entire mediation process. Anyone who is aware of the manner in which Indias biggest alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that is Lok Adalats works will understand that mediation or any of the ADR is good for statistics, better in theory and best for optics, but less effective when it comes to settling the long-fought cases marked by sheer mistrust and acrimony. Every year National Lok Adalats are organised across the country and it makes news for statistics. In a country where the judicial system is under immense burden of pendency, resolving over million cases in a day calls for a celebration and also highlights the importance of ADR that includes mediation. But a close analysis of the cases resolved shows that majority of them include cases related to bounced cheques, bank recovery cases, motor accident claims and traffic challans, none of which requires rigorous interpretation of law and jurisprudence. Also, in Lok Adalats it has been often observed that parties often intimidated by the aura of the court agree to a solution, but as soon as they come out of the court, the conflict resumes. And here is a case that concerns a title dispute, has a direct bearing on fundamental rights, and has been a very important case socially, culturally and politically. It has a significant sentimental value for two demographically most dominant communities of the sub-continent. So, to expect much from mediation will be naive. The mediation will have parties who are bound to govern more by subjective criterion than objective law. It was reflected in Allahabad High Court verdict of 2010, where leave aside the arguments made by parties, the judgment was criticised for its panchayati tone. In this context, an important question is whether this mediation which is seen by many parties as legally sanctioned panchayat can ensure a resolution that will honour the law apart from sentiments and in reasonable measure. Also, another important question is: As the mediation process has already started facing the cracks, will it survive its eight-week gestation? A Singapore Airlines flight from Mumbai to Singapore with 263 passengers on board received a bomb threat, prompting Singapore Air Force to send two F-16s to escort the aircraft Singapore: A Singapore Airlines flight from Mumbai to Singapore with 263 passengers on board Tuesday received a bomb threat, prompting Singapore Air Force to send two F-16s to escort the aircraft. The flight landed safely at Singapore's Changi International Airport on Tuesday around 8 am (local time), the airline added. "Singapore Airlines confirms there was a bomb threat concerning SQ423 operating from Mumbai to Singapore. The aircraft arrived in Singapore on 26 March, 2019, at about 0800hrs (local time). There were 263 passengers on board. We are assisting the authorities with their investigations and regret that we are unable to provide further details," a statement issued by the airline said. The Republic of Singapore Air Force said two F16C/Ds escorted the SIA aeroplane. The RSAF said in a Facebook post that two F-16C/Ds were scrambled to intercept the SIA flight. "Our fighters escorted the airliner till it landed safely at Changi Airport," it said. All passengers, except for a woman and a child, disembarked safely and had to undergo screening. The woman and the child were held back for questioning by the police, who are investigating the incident. Preliminary checks showed that the airline received a call after the plane left Mumbai's airport on Monday at about 11.35pm local time. The caller claimed that there was a bomb on the plane. The plane, a Boeing 777-300ER, had departed Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 11.36 pm local time on Monday, according to website FlightAware. It arrived in Singapore 31 minutes behind schedule, the site added. "There was no impact to other SIA operations," an SIA spokesperson said. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman has gone back to his squadron in Srinagar though he is on a four-week sick leave New Delhi: Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was captured by Pakistan last month and returned to India two days later, has gone back to his squadron in Srinagar though he is on a four-week sick leave, official sources said Tuesday. They said Varthaman preferred to stay with his squadron in Srinagar than going to his family home in Chennai while on leave. The IAF pilot went on leave around 12 days ago after security agencies completed a nearly two-week debriefing after his return from Pakistan. "Varthaman could have gone to his family home in Chennai to spend time with his parents. But he chose to go to Srinagar where his squadron is based," the sources said. After his four-week sick leave period, a medical board will review his fitness to help the IAF top brass decide whether he can return to fighter cockpit as desired by him. He was captured by the Pakistani Army on 27 February after his MiG-21 Bison jet was shot down in a dogfight with Pakistani jets during an aerial combat. He downed an F-16 fighter of Pakistan before his plane was hit. Varthaman was released on the night of 1 March by Pakistan. After he was captured, Varthaman showed courage and grace in handling the most difficult circumstances for which he was praised by politicians, strategic affairs experts, ex-servicemen, celebrities and people in general. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after Indian fighters bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp near Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on 26 February. Pakistan retaliated by attempting to target Indian military installations the next day. However, the IAF thwarted their plans. The Indian strike on the JeM camp came 12 days after the terror outfit claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir, killing 40 soldiers. NRIs can only register online to vote in Indian election. They will have to be physically present at their respective polling booths to cast their vote, the Election Commission has clarified Lok Sabha Election 2019 Fact-checker: Claim: NRIs can vote online in upcoming general elections Fact: FALSE. NRIs can only register online to vote in Indian elections. They will have to be physically present at their respective polling booths to cast their vote, the Election Commission has clarified *** It is the election season, and apart from stingy political exchanges, numerous fake reports are also flying thick and fast on various social media networks. From morphed images to contrived data, overflow of such information is being monitored as social media giants try various means to control fake news. However, there is still a need to exercise caution before sharing any unverified or single-source update. For instance, recently there were reports of a message being shared on social media (Facebook and WhatsApp) regarding voting rights of the Non-Resident Indians (NRI). The report claimed that NRIs can now vote online by visiting the official website of the Election Commission of India (ECI). However, various fact-checking websites and the Election Commission itself, have now clarified that these claims are false and that no category of voters has been provided with a provision of online voting. It has come to our notice that the following FAKE NEWS is circulating on some WhatsApp groups. It is clarified that you can only apply for voter registration online through https://t.co/oC8AwgyIdK portal pic.twitter.com/OTxjb1zFbA Sheyphali Sharan (@SpokespersonECI) February 21, 2019 The fake message carried a link to the election commission website which allowed for the ECI logo to show up as an embed, camouflaging its falseness. However, the link only led to the voter registration page on the website, which is mandatory for all voters including overseas voters. If overseas voters wish to participate in the electoral process, they need to fill up Form 6A to register as voters and will have to physically appear at their designated polling stations in India to cast their votes. To cast vote, an Overseas voter may use his or her passport as the document for identification. The ECI is running a disclaimer on their website warning people to not fall prey to message. It's official spokesperson Sheyphali Sharan also shared a copy of the FIR the election body had lodged with the Delhi Police for spread of misinformation. "As follow up action, written to DCP New Delhi District to lodge FIR and investigate the matter of fake news, relating to voting by NRIs using ECI logo, currently in circulation on WhatsApp," she wrote on Twitter. As follow up action, written to DCP New Delhi District to lodge FIR & investigate the matter of fake news, relating to voting by NRIs using ECI logo, currently in circulation on WhatsApp pic.twitter.com/2JpvRcAbzQ Sheyphali Sharan (@SpokespersonECI) February 22, 2019 In February, an expert committee of the Election Commission had said no to e-voting for NRIs but approved proxy voting. Meanwhile, a bill to extend proxy voting rights to NRIs was passed in Lok Sabha in August 2018 but it is pending in Rajya Sabha and is set to lapse on the dissolution of the current Lok Sabha. A simple change in the language might lead us to better understand the severity of the problems people bogged down with mental illnesses suffer from and ensure that they are treated with equal dignity and respect, despite it. "Mental", "mad", "psycho" and "mentally-ill". These are some terms which become an easy come back when we want to put down someone we despise. Or, we commonly use them to refer to someone whose mannerisms or thoughts we dislike, in turn tossing around clinical terms and/or pejorative phrases used against people with mental illness with casual disregard. However, when public personalities, who bear considerable social responsibility, use these words to mud-sling each other, it becomes problematic on a larger scale. Take for instance the case of politicians regularly using phrases like "pagal (hogaye hain)" to shoot down the antics of their opponents. Recently, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee while campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha election said that her party's principal Opposition, BJP, was like a "psychiatric patient" after the saffron party asked West Bengal to be declared a "super-sensitive" state in the wake of polls. She said that the party does not know what they are doing, referring to its alleged desperation to make a mark in the state and win seats. While, Mamata and her followers, and even the BJP, might just see it as a statement made in the heat of political crossfire, it is deeply problematic that these terms are finding acceptance in everyday political lingo and general conversation while the fight against stigmatisation of mental illness continues. Comments demeaning or indirectly outcasting people suffering from mental illnesses should not become the norm nor should they be normalised in any form, including political sloganeering. In fact, according to a report by The Times of India, the Indian Psychiatry Society has asked politicians not to use the word mental to describe their opponents in the run-up to the general election. The society said it has observed that many politicians and people with political affiliations use terms such as "mental instability", "mad", "manasik (roop/taur se) asvasth", and "mental hospital mein bhejna hai" while taking a jibe at their opponents. They also refer to some mental hospitals saying that their political rivals need to be admitted to them, and use the names of those hospitals in their speeches, the council said in its letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The words used by politicians and persons with social responsibility are discriminatory, inhuman and degrade the rights of people suffering from mental disorders, the council stated. Urging the ECI to caution politicians and persons who use such words, the Society also asked the EC to bring it under the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). Recognising the need to honour the looming mental health crisis India is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on Rights to Persons with Disability (UNCRPD) and has also passed the Mental Health Care Act 2017 keeping up with the obligations of implementing UNCRPD. But despite this, politicians and their affiliates are often insensitive in their usage of words related to mental illness, and end up further promoting the stigma already surrounding such patients and their acquired behaviour. But what is the big deal about using these terms in jest, especially when one does not direct them at a person with a mental illness as an insult? A lot of psychiatrists argue that using a clinical term to describe a certain behavior people who fuss about hygiene are OCD, for example makes it seem as if everyone with the symptoms suffers with disorder, or vice versa, everyone who has the disease acts the same way. This makes it difficult for people to understand and recognise mental health conditions. Like for instance, not every time someone feels defeated, sad, or distressed are they experiencing 'depression.' And it is essential to differentiate the two so that not only are we more empathetic towards people suffering from the clinical disorder, but to also create awareness so that someone actually suffering from the disease finds it easier to accept it and seek help. Similarly, just anyone who is annoying to the other can't be termed as 'mad' or 'pagal'. It is an oversimplification of symtomps which are much more serious and clinical than what they seem to be to people who aren't made aware of them. Also, both these terms have pejorative overtones and public figures hurling them casually further normalises their usage in society. Jack Cahalane, chief of adult services at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC was quoted as saying in an article: "Mental health issues are not well understood. They are not seen as real disorders. They are not seen as biologically based. They are seen as something they are brought on by people themselves as weakness in character." And this is the reason why people shy away from seeking professional treatment or even community help for their disorders. How language play a role in affecting lives An Ohio State University research report suggested that the people who participated in the study showed less tolerance toward people who were referred to as "the mentally ill" when compared to those referred to as "people with mental illness." The findings of the research show that language choice should not be viewed just as an issue of "political correctness," said Darcy Haag Granello, one of the co-authors of the study. "This isn't just about saying the right thing for appearances," she said. "The language we use has real effects on our levels of tolerance for people with mental illness." An article by the Science Daily quoted Todd Gibbs, a graduate student at the university as he said that, "Person-first language is a way to honour the personhood of an individual by separating their identity from any disability or diagnosis he or she might have. When you say 'people with a mental illness,' you are emphasizing that they aren't defined solely by their disability. But when you talk about 'the mentally ill' the disability is the entire definition of the person." A simple change in the language might lead us to better understand the severity of the problems people bogged down with mental illnesses suffer from and ensure that they are treated with equal dignity and respect, despite it. India and its mental health challenge Among the many challenges India faces, the most underappreciated is the ongoing mental health crisis, which can be best described as a ticking time bomb sparsely focused at, despite the provisions of the Mental Health Care Act being put to the table. According to reports, an estimated 56 million Indians suffer from depression, and another 38 million from anxiety disorders. The intensity of mental disorders is particularly worrying in adolescents as almost half of all mental illnesses start by the age of 14, which grow in proportion as they go undetected and untreated. As a consequence, suicide is the second leading cause of death among this age group. A report published in Counterview states that there are only about 43 mental hospitals in the country, and most of them are in disarray. Whereas, six states, mainly in the northern and eastern regions with a combined population of 56 million people, do not have a single mental hospital. And most government-run mental hospitals lack essential infrastructure and treatment facilities. Also, not surprisingly, sustaining treatment in private clinics and hospitals is a long, drawn-out affair, which is expensive for most suburban families. And thus, mental care is always pushed to the back, when compared to the urgency of spending the savings for medical needs on other physiological ailments and needs. Not recognising mental illness at par with visible defects and diseases is another factor which adds up to the neglect. According to the report, mental health conditions account for 16 percent of the global burden of disease and injury in people aged between 10 to 19 years and globally, depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents. The consequence of not addressing mental health conditions extends to adulthood, impairing both overall physical and mental health of the grown-up and therefore, limiting opportunities to lead fulfilling lives as adults. This, in turn, impacts the overall productivity of the nation as well. We are losing a big chunk of productive years to mental illness A World Economic Forum-Harvard School of Public Health study estimated that the cumulative global impact of mental disorders in terms of lost economic output will amount to $16.3 trillion between 2011 and 2030. In India, mental illness is estimated to cost $1.03 trillion (22 percent of the economic output) during 2012-2030. Estimates also suggest that by 2025, 38.1 years of healthy life will be lost to mental illness in India (a 23 percent increase). Another study published in Lancet reveals that one-third of the global burden of mental illness defined as healthy years lost to an illness falls on China and India, where millions go untreated because of stigma and lack of resources. While in China, less than 6 percent people with anxiety and depression, substance use disorders, dementia and epilepsy seek treatment; in India, only about one in 10 people are thought to receive specialist help. Also read Reporting on mental health: Eschewing sensationalism in favour of sensitive, critical method is vital Unkempt infrastructure, dwindling number of specialists: Spotlight on mental care A survey conducted by the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in collaboration with WHO across 11 centres in the country, involving 3,000 people from each city, found that 95 percent of those with mental health-related problems remain deprived of treatment due to stigma, shame and fear of getting shunned from society. Whereas, according to a Ministry of Health and Family Welfare report, India faces a treatment gap of 50-70 percent for mental health care while highlighting the dismal number of mental healthcare professionals in India. About 3,800 psychiatrists and just 898 clinical psychologists are available in the country and a large number of them are situated in urban areas. WHO reports that there are only three psychiatrists per million people in India, while in other Commonwealth countries, the ratio is 5.6 psychiatrists for the same. By this estimate, India is short of 66,200 psychiatrists, the analysis states, but not shocks. As, mental health care accounts for a mere 0.16 percent of the total Union Health Budget, which is less than that of Bangladesh which spends 0.44 percent. A developed nations expenditure on the same amounts to an average of 4 percent, the report says. Thus, staring at a glaring gap in the number of mental health patients and the availability of specialised doctors, proper health care professionals, hospitals, clinics and local medics to treat them. On the other hand, the taboo around the problem experienced by such a large number of people is such that people either suffer in silence or adopt enforced social isolation to deal with it. In villages, they are reportedly locked up in homes, tied to trees and even being flogged to exorcise "evil spirits" which others assume they might be infested with. Therefore, it is also essential to involve the social, health and education sectors in a comprehensive, integrated and evidence-based programmes for strengthening the overall healthcare framework at the grassroots level. Mental healthcare initiatives are presently focused on a narrow biomedical approach that tends to ignore socio-cultural contexts. Community mental health services, thereby, can offer to pitch in here, filling-in the need for the right mix of clinical, psychological and social services to people helping them cope with situations and bridging the self-created distance between them and the society at large. From years of outright neglect to coming of age by acknowledging a policy to cater to the same, India has come a long way in its fight and simultaneous support to mental health. However, more awareness, and filling the vacancies for specialists created as a consequence of the raised awareness, is the need of the hour which has to be addressed for those looking up to seek love and light and those willing to speak diligently to help the cause of many among us. The Nirmohi Akhara, an original plaintiff in the decades-old Ayodhya case, has asked for two retired Supreme Court judges to be included on the mediation panel in addition to the three nominated members. A litigant in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case, the Nirmohi Akhara has moved Supreme Court expressing unhappiness over the court-mandated mediation process, according to reports. The organisation, an original plaintiff in the decades-old Ayodhya case, has asked for two retired Supreme Court judges to be included on the mediation panel in addition to the three nominated members, reported News18. Two weeks on, Nirmohi Akhara has moved the #SupremeCourt, seeking changes in the court order on #mediation in the #Ayodhya case. It wants two retired judges more to be included in the #mediation panel besides shifting the place of #mediation to #Delhi from Faizabad. Utkarsh Anand (@utkarsh_aanand) March 25, 2019 On 8 March, the Supreme Court had referred the land dispute case for court-appointed and monitored mediation. The Akhara, reported Times of India, said the issue could be resolved through a dialogue between it and the Sunni Central Wakf Board. The dialogue, it however demanded, should be monitored by former apex court judge FM Ibrahim Kalifulla who currently heads the panel and two other additional retired Supreme Court judges. Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu are in the committee too. It has also requested the Supreme Court to move the mediation process out of Faizabad to Delhi. A five-judge Constitution bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, had said that the mediation proceedings will be held in the Uttar Pradesh city and that the state government will provide the mediators with all facilities. The Supreme Court-appointed mediation committee for resolution of the land dispute had held its first sitting on 13 March and heard all parties who attended the proceedings, of which the Nirmohi Akhara was one. "The appellant (Nirmohi Akhara) participated in the proceedings before the mediation panel held at Faizabad on 13 March. However, with utmost respect to this Honourable Court as well as the panel of mediators appointed by this court, the proceedings have left a lot to be desired," the Akhara was quoted as having said, by The Hindu. The panel had directed that there should not be any reporting of the mediation proceedings in the print or other media, pointing out the views expressed by the top court. The next round of negotiations is scheduled to be held between 27 and 29 March in Faizabad. Established in 237 BC during the reign of Ashoka, the 5,000-year-old Sharda Peeth (which translates to 'the seat of Sharda') is an abandoned temple and ancient centre of learning dedicated to the Hindu goddess of learning, Sharda The Pakistan government on Monday approved a proposal to establish a corridor that will allow Hindu pilgrims from India to visit Sharda Peeth, an ancient Hindu temple and a cultural site in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), PTI reported. The Sharda Peeth corridor, when opened, will be the second religious tract after the Kartarpur corridor in the Pakistan-controlled territory that will connect the two neighbouring nations. Reportedly, India had already sent a proposal to Pakistan to open the temple corridor, sources in Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the Express Tribune. "After Kartarpur, a piece of big news is in the offing for Hindus. Some of the government officials will visit the area and will later submit a report to the prime minister," they were quoted as saying in the report. "Pakistan has decided to open the Sharda temple. Work on the project will start from the current year after which Hindus in Pakistan will also be able to visit the site," Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf member Ramesh Kumar told PTI. "I am going to visit the place in a couple of days. I will also send a report to Prime Minister Imran Khan," he said. Meanwhile, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said that the opening of the temple in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) can help India and Pakistan navigate the current impasse. Not too long ago, I had written to the prime minister imploring the Government of India to reopen Sharda Peeth, a temple across LoC for Kashmiri Pandits. An initiative like this at a time when India-Pakistan tensions are at an all-time high could help navigate the current impasse, Mehbooba tweeted. The temple and its significance Established in 237 BC during the reign of Ashoka, the 5,000-year-old Sharda Peeth (which translates to 'the seat of Sharda') is an abandoned temple and ancient centre of learning dedicated to the Hindu goddess of learning, Sharda (another name of Saraswati). Between the 6th and 12th centuries CE, Sharada Peeth was one of the foremost temple universities of the Indian subcontinent. It was considered one of the most important seats of learning in South Asia, like Nalanda and Takshashila, where religion, philosophy, contemporary literature and astronomy were taught. The temple is next to the famed Sharda University, an ancient place of learning of Buddhism and Hinduism which has hosted scholars such as Adi Shankaracharya. In fact, the idol at the Shringeri Sharadamba temple in south India was once said to have been made of sandalwood, which was taken by Shankaracharya from the Sharda Peeth. It is also one of the three famous holy sites for Kashmiri Pandits, the other two being the Martand Sun Temple and the Amarnath temple in Anantnag. The Kashmiri Pandit organisations, therefore, have been demanding the opening of the corridor for many years now. It is also one among the 18 'Maha Shakti Peethas' highly revered temples throughout South Asia that commemorate the location of the fallen body parts of female Hindu deity Sati. It is about 10 kilometres from the Line of Control and situated at 1,981 metres above the sea level in the valley of Mount Harmukh, which is believed by Kashmiri Pandits to be the abode of Lord Shiva. However, according to the Express Tribune report, the landmark is in ruins due to lack of maintenance and is in urgent need of restoration after being severely damaged by the earthquake which occurred in 2005 in Pakistan. The temple, situated in Sharda village in the Neelam valley at the confluence of three streams, lies in ruins but has not been desecrated, The Times of India's report said. According to a Dawn report, in the year 1030 CE, Muslim historian Al-Biruni visited Kashmir and narrated that he saw a wooden idol of Sharda Devi in the temple. He compared the temple to the Multan Sun Temple, Vishnu Chakraswamin temple at Thanesar and Somnath temple. History and fate of the temple Many believe, and as mentioned in Dawn's report, the temple is very likely to date back to the eighth century CE, in the age of the Karkota dynasty of Kashmir. From what remains of the ruins of the temple, it is reported to have been built of locally quarried red sandstone. The temple had periodically fallen into disrepair by the 14th Century as it was attacked for the first time by Muslim invaders. After the attack, India started losing its contact with Krishanganga and Sharda Peeth. Later, in the 19th Century, Dogra king of Kashmir, Maharaja Gulab Singh, restored the temple. Thereafter, following the brief 1947-1948 Kashmir war in the region between India and Pakistan, the site came under the control of Pashtun tribesmen who invaded the region. Control was then passed to the newly formed government of PoK. Ravi Shankar Prasad was shown black flags by alleged supporters of another party leader, leading to a clash with party workers who had gathered at the Patna airport to welcome him Patna: On his first visit to the city after being declared as the BJP candidate from Patna Sahib, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was on Tuesday shown black flags by alleged supporters of another party leader, leading to a clash with party workers who had gathered at the airport to welcome the Lok Sabha poll debutant. Prasad, a resident of the Bihar capital whose late father was a state minister and leader of the Jansangh, was shown black flags by the alleged supporters of R K Sinha, a Rajya Sabha member, who was hopeful of a ticket for the seat which is currently held by dissident MP Shatrughan Sinha. The Union minister drove away while telling the posse of media persons who stood waiting at the airport, "I thank my party for considering me for this great responsibility. I will be giving my best shot. The BJPs commitment to nationalism and good governance will help Narendra Modi return to power." As supporters of Prasad and Sinha shoved each other and exchanged blows, they were quelled by security personnel deployed at the airport, though it was not known if any of them were detained. Sinha is the founder of a prominent private security provider in the country and belongs to Kayastha community, to which Prasad and Shatrughan Sinha also belong. An office-bearer of the Akhil Bharatiya Kayastha Mahasabha had recently come out with a statement saying that the community which has remained steadfast with the BJP post-Mandal would not vote for Prasad and that only RK Sinha was acceptable to it as a candidate. Shatrughan Sinha, who is completing his second consecutive Lok Sabha term, is expected to be fielded as a candidate of the opposition "Mahagathbandhan" comprising RJD, Congress and other smaller parties. Robert Vadra on Monday claimed before a Delhi court that ED has been leaking details of his interrogation to the media to 'embarrass' and 'humiliate' him on account of a 'political vendetta', a charge strongly denied by the probe agency. New Delhi: Robert Vadra on Monday claimed before a Delhi court that ED has been leaking details of his interrogation to the media to "embarrass" and "humiliate" him on account of a "political vendetta", a charge strongly denied by the probe agency. Special Judge Arvind Kumar, who extended Vadra's interim protection against arrest till 27 March in a money laundering case, was told by the counsel for the brother-in law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi that every question and answer of the interrogation has been leaked to the media with some ulterior motive. This showed that the Enforcement Directorate's probe was meant to "embarrass" and "humiliate" Vadra on account of a "political vendetta" and the agency was guided by the "lust for custody", said senior advocates AM Singhvi and KTS Tulsi appearing for Vadra. ED's counsel DP Singh countered the submission vehemently saying, "They talked about agency's 'lust for custody'. It is their 'lust for money' which has led to our 'lust for custody'". At the outset of the hearing on the anticipatory bail plea of Vadra, Tulsi claimed that even the raid conducted on the businessman's house to obtain documents was "illegal" and moreover, Vadra has not misused the liberty granted to him. The ED case relates to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property at 12, Bryanston Square, worth 1.9 million pounds. The property is allegedly owned by Vadra. The court also extended the interim protection from arrest granted to Manoj Arora, Vadra's close aide and an accused in the case, till the next date of hearing 27 March. ED opposed Vadra's bail plea saying he has been given sufficient opportunity to come out with some proof against the allegations levelled against him by the agency but so far, he has failed to do so. It further said that the offence was about the money coming as kickbacks, as direct payments to bank accounts. It alleged that the case involved payment of Rs 300 crore in a defence deal and $10 million received in a petroleum deal. ED's counsel submitted that he requires more time to conclude his arguments and to present certain details before the court. The court had on 19 March extended his interim protection from arrest till 25 March after the ED had alleged that he was not cooperating and sought his custodial interrogation. ED had told the court that there was reasonable apprehension that Vadra being a highly influential person would tamper with the evidence and hamper the investigation. In his anticipatory bail plea, Vadra has alleged that he was being subjected to "unwarranted, unjustified and malicious criminal prosecution which on the face of it is completely politically motivated and is being carried out for reasons other than those prescribed under law". The ED had also alleged that Arora, an employee of Vadra's Skylight Hospitality LLP, was a key person in the case and he was aware of the latter's overseas undeclared assets and was instrumental in arranging funds. It told the court earlier that it lodged the money laundering case against Arora after his role came up during the probe of another case by the Income Tax Department under the newly enacted Black Money Act and tax law against absconding arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari. It alleged that the London-based property was bought by Bhandari for GBP 1.9 million and sold in 2010 for the same amount despite incurring additional expenses of approximately GBP 65,900 on its renovation. "This gives credence to the fact that Bhandari was not the actual owner of the property but it was beneficially owned by Vadra who was incurring expenditure on the renovation of this property," the ED had told the court. ED said it has received information about various new properties in London which allegedly belong to Vadra, including two houses of five and four million pounds each and six other flats. Rajeev Kumar, who took over as the state CID chief after completing his tenure as the city police commissioner, would hold additional charge of the two departments until further orders, a home department official said Saturday. Reviewing the Central Bureau of Investigation report on former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam, the Supreme Court on Tuesday called the charges "very serious", according to several media reports. The apex court also gave Kumar ten days to file a reply to the CBI report, ANI reported. A bench of Supreme Court, headed by CJI, said, "We will later determine the charges and counter charges after hearing from both the sides." The Court, while pursuing CBI report, said, CBI status report against Rajeev Kumar reveals something very very serious. https://t.co/fA9yB9Z2Fp ANI (@ANI) March 26, 2019 The top court asked the CBI to file appropriate application to seek action against the ex-top police officer, CNN-News18 reported. On 2 March, the West Bengal government had given additional charge of the state directorate of economic offences and the special task force (STF) of Kolkata Police to Kumar. Kumar, who took over as the state CID chief after completing his tenure as the city police commissioner, would hold additional charge of the two departments until further orders, a home department official said Saturday. The order was issued by the state home department late evening on 1 March. Kumar, a 1989-batch IPS officer, had been embroiled in a controversy for being at loggerheads with the CBI over its investigations into the Saradha chit fund and Rose Valley scams. A team of CBI officers was stopped from entering the residence of Kumar, the then Kolkata Police Commissioner, on 3 February when they had gone to question him in connection with chit fund scam cases. The move had prompted chief minister Mamata Banerjee to initiate a sit-in-protest in the heart of the city to protest against "the attack on constitutional norms". On 5 February, the apex Court had directed Kumar to appear before the central investigative agency in connection with the matter. It had also said that no coercive step should be taken against Kumar. Acting on the apex court's order, the CBI had questioned Kumar for five days in Shillong. On 19 February, Kumar had been appointed the additional director general of police and inspector general of police in the CID. With inputs from PTI Uttar Pradesh is the cow belt and the streets of Kanpur provide ample evidence of it. Editor's Note: Although the Supreme Court suspended the government order banning sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter in July 2017, cattle traders across India are living in fear. There is no blanket ban today but the job, it seems, has been outsourced to vigilantes, who enjoy protection due to ideological affinity with the BJP. Consequently, farmers fail to sell animals that are no longer useful to them and their scarce resources get drained in protecting crops as the population of stray cattle grows. The ban on slaughter of animals in abattoirs has resulted in job losses in leather and footwear industries. The poor are deprived of a cheap source of protein and the country is losing on revenue from exports. The cumulative result is a manufactured crisis, which is an example of an ideology running riot because its detached from reality. This three-part series examines how BJPs policies have ironically resulted in animal cruelty on a large scale. This is the second part of the series. Rajkumari Gupta rushes out of her house as photographs are taken of a dozen cows, bulls and calves ingesting a mash of vegetable peel and shredded plastic bags at a waste dump at Tiranga Gali in Kanpur citys Shastri Nagar. She complains about the stench, the aggression of the animals and the indifference of the municipal authorities, and hopes this report will bring relief. The small crowd that soon collects complains about the numbers that swell as the dump gets replenished through the day and the threat the animals pose to passers-by. A bull reportedly gored three scooter-borne boys the previous day. Uttar Pradesh is the cow belt and the streets of Kanpur provide ample evidence of it. In the villages, one finds small groups of hungry cattle lazing under the shade of trees or nibbling at the edges of fenced crops. At night, they feast on the standing crops. Stray cattle were always a presence, but their numbers have increased since gau rakshaks or cow vigilantes enforced an unofficial ban on trading in cattle after a change of government at the Centre. In September 2015, Mohammed Akhlaq was killed in Uttar Pradesh village adjoining Delhi allegedly for possession of beef. In December 2018, police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh of Bulandshahr was killed when he tried to control a violent mob that had been inflamed by the sight of a cow carcass. IndiaSpend, a data journalism service, listed 99 incidents of cow-related violence against Muslims and Dalits across 19 states between 2012 and 2018. Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 19 incidents and nine deaths. The slaughter of cattle cow and its progeny is banned in Uttar Pradesh. Cattle used to be transported to West Bengal, where beef is legal, or smuggled to Bangladesh. The director of a large Mumbai-based buffalo meat export house with abattoirs in Aligarh and Unnao, said (requesting anonymity) that the Border Security Force has cracked down hard on cattle smuggling. In the current environment, it would be a reckless trader who would transport cattle from Uttar Pradesh to states where their slaughter is allowed. Apart from the threat of death, there is the constant fear of extortion by police in connivance with cow vigilantes. Even traders bringing buffaloes to meat export houses are not spared (Uttar Pradesh allows the slaughter of buffaloes, but Chief Minister Yogi Adiyanath ordered the closure of abattoirs that did not meet pollution control norms soon after taking office in March 2017. None of them did and all of them are municipal-owned. Buffaloes are now slaughtered only in the abattoirs of export houses in the state). There was hardly a buffalo trader who said he was not harassed by Bajrang Dal activists and the police at the buffalo-meat exporter Allanasons lairage at Aligarh in April 2017. Abdul Qayyum said he paid the police at Raya railway crossing near Mathura Rs 50,000 after being intercepted by men claiming to be Bajrang Dal activists on 27 March, 2017. He said he had valid papers for the buffaloes he bought in Bharatpur in Rajasthan for supply to the Aligarh abattoir. Mohammed Shoaib said he paid a similar amount to the police at the same crossing for release of 11 buffaloes. Keep the permit in your pocket, the police reportedly said, as they shook him down. At the Mathura cattle market, Ammu Chauthary said in August 2017 that he had to routinely bribe the police upwards of Rs 1,000 per trip. He sold female buffalo calves to grazers in Etah, who after rearing them for two years, sold them to dairy farmers for a profit. Earlier, we didnt have to pay, he said. Uttar Pradesh farmers are facing the blowback. Sarita Devi, an agricultural worker of Tadwara Village of Sarvan Kheda block in Kanpur Dehat district said stray cattle ruined the wheat crop she raised on two of four bighas (one acre is 2.25 bighas) of land. Nothing is left, she said. Devi cannot afford to fence the farm, and her husband cannot keep watch as he works as a loader of cement bags at a hardware store. Vinod Kumar of Simaur village in Kanpur Nagar districts Ghatampur tehsil said he kept watch on his field from 6 in the morning till 10 at night. He claimed to be doing the drill for three years. Yet, he could not save the wheat crop planted in a field next to a road. Kumar shares 3.5 bighas across five patches with two brothers. He doubles up as an agricultural worker to supplement his meagre income from farming. The crop is weak because it was eaten. He spent Rs 3,600 to fence two plots with a single line of barbed wire, strung on wooden poles (iron ones are stolen), but could not keep the starving cattle away. Thirty to thirty-two come at a time, he said. About two months ago, the gram panchayat of Saintha Village in Akbarpur tehsil of Kanpur Dehat district decided to lock up about 80 stray cattle in the premises of an unused baraat ghar. It was a collective decision because we were so tired of them, said Munesh Kumar Mishra, who owns an acre of land. The village folk decided to contribute in kind for their upkeep, but no sooner did the police hear about the plan than they rushed to the village and dissuaded them citing the law against prevention of cruelty to animals. At a gaushala about 10 kilometres away, they found police beating back a group of villagers who were forcing their cattle into it. Now, its each farmer for himself, Mishra said. When asked whether he had lost his crop to stray cattle, Pawan Pratap Singh of Jaswapur village retorted, Name a candidate (sic) here who has not lost 1 to 2 bighas of crop to them. This is a big problem since the past three years, he added. Farmers stay awake well into the night, but they cannot fight sleep after a while, said Jagroop Singh, also of Jaswapur. He spent Rs 7,000 infencing a 10-bigha plot, but the single line of barbed wire running around the farm was no match for determined animals. He lost three bighas of urad (black gram) to stray cattle last year. This year three bighas of urad and two bighas of maize were eaten up. There is no gaushala in the vicinity and if we take the animals in a vehicle to a gaushala we will be arrested and jailed. The number of stray cattle has grown since cutting (slaughter) has stopped, seedha lik do (write it as it is), said Bindu Shukla, of Bauti Pratappur village in Kanpur Nagar district. The gaushalas are opposing (slaughter) but why are they not taking them?Shukla has two cows, one of exotic breed and another desi. He spends a little over Rs 100 on each for their daily upkeep. He claims never to have sold a cow even when dry and old. Shuklas mustard crop in Jaswapur village was damaged by stray cattle. He expects a truncated harvest. He has fenced one plot with barbed write. The other is open. He cannot afford the cost, despite having a side business as labour contractor to brick kilns. The gaushala at Bauti, on the outskirts of Kanpur city has 535 cows, 68 of them lactating, Ganesh Prasad Pandey, the supervisor said. The stables were clean and the animals were well looked after. Animals intercepted by the police from traders were placed there. It is run by a private trust. It was established in 1888 and has 1,800 acres, much of it encroached. People think we are getting a lot of money from the government because Yogi is going around saying that he is giving a lot of money for the care of stray cattle. We havent got any money, an employee said complaining about delayed salaries, because donations have dwindled. The gaushala makes ark (distilled cow urine), manure from dung, vermicompost, poojan dhoop and medicines from herbs and ark, Vishnu Dutt Chandel, the supervising Ayurvedic doctor said. The products are being sold as far Hyderabad and Erode (Tamil Nadu), but they are unlikely to bring in much revenue. Santosh Kumar Sharma, the Municipal Commissioner of Kanpur City Corporation estimated the number of stay cattle in the city at 3,000. He said half of them had been kept in four gau samraksha kendras (cow protection centres). Two gaushalas were being enlisted and a third was being set up to take care of up to 2,000 animals. SN Singh, the Chief Veterinary Officer of Kanpur Dehat, said 17 temporary cattle enclosures had been set up in five blocks with funds from MNREGA, the rural employment scheme. Between them they had 1,327 cattle. They were of one acre area on gram panchayat land. Of the Rs 1 crore given by the state government from a special cess on mandis (agricultural produce marketing yards), Rs 20 lakh had been allocated for cattle feed, Singh said. He estimated the number of stay cattle in the district at about 10,000: double the number in 2012. The asthayi gauvansh ashray sthal or temporary cattle shelter-places did not have pucca structures because of the high cost, Vijay Vishwas Pant, Kanpur district magistrate said. According to the 2012 livestock census, Uttar Pradesh had 1.09 million stray cattle. The number in rural areas at 4.95 lakh was lower than that in urban areas at 5.13 lakh. Kanpur Nagar district had by far the largest number in the state: 4.26 lakh or 42 percent of the states total. Kanpur Dehat had just 5,558. Absent culling, the numbers would have swelled. For a state with stretched finances and 29 percent of people below the poverty line (in 2012), the care a large number of uneconomic cattle is a misplaced priority and a costly ideological indulgence. Ashavari Majumdar's Surpanakha draws on different versions of the Hindu epic and is divided into three parts, which explore the character's relationships with Ravana, Rama and Sita 'Adoring sister, vindictive widow, rebel, spurned lover, beautiful princess, tragic victim.' When one thinks of Ravanas sister Surpanakha from the Ramayana, these are not the phrases that come to mind. She is usually described as an ugly, pot-bellied monster who tried to seduce Rama in the forest, forcing his brother Lakshmana to cut off her nose. As per Valmikis Ramayana, Surpanakha then goes back to Ravana in Lanka, who, enraged, decides to avenge his sister. But there are more than 300 versions of the Ramayana across India and South Asia which are in conflict with this narrative, says Kathak performer Ashavari Majumdar, whose unique piece Surpanakha A Kathak Performance looks at the eponymous character through a feminist lens, using dance, theatre and stand-up. Majumdar, who performed at Harkat Studios in Mumbai on 24 March, said it was the late Veenapani Chawla, one of theatres foremost exponents, who directed her towards an essay by the late poet AK Ramanujam titled Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five Examples and Three Thoughts on Translation. It inspired her to explore Surpanakha as more than Ravanas demon sister. The essay was her point of entry to understand the complexity of the characters and the shades of grey within the Hindu epic. As a kid, I found the Ramayana boring. I only knew of Valmikis version and I thought the characters were very dull and goody-goody, says Majumdar. Chawla, who was curating a Ramayana theatre festival to explore the many voices in epic, had asked Majumdar to create a performance based on it. She pointed me to the whole scholarship on the diversity of the epic. I had no idea that there were more than 300 Ramayanas in India and all over Asia. While scouring through literature on the subject, Majumdar came across Kathleen M Erndls essay The Mutilation of Surpanakha. It is a feminist critique, which sees Surpanakha as challenging patriarchy because she lived alone outside the city. Unlike Sita, she has no male protection. To me, it felt like it was a question of female sexuality, Majumdar says. Majumdars performance, which premiered in 2012, draws on diverse versions of the Ramayana like the Malay Hikayat Seri Rama, Vimalasuris Jain Ramayana and the Adhyatma Ramayana, to script new perspectives on Surpanakha, through her relationships with Ravana, Sita and Rama. It is also the most popular epic, as even the Mahabharata has not travelled the way the Ramayana has. There is some sort of silence on the fact that there are many versions of the text. Many traditions have made it their own. Buddhists have their own version. There is a Persion Ramayana too. In the Kashmiri version, Sita is a Chandi figure who rescues Ram and is killed by Ravana. There are conflicting narratives as well. In some versions, there is no Surpanakha. There are Ramayanas where she plays a larger role and reappears towards the end as a key figure. For me, it was about looking at relationships and drawing a parallel to contemporary issues, shares Majumdar, who has trained in the classical dance form under Pandit Vijay Shankar and Pandit Birju Maharaj. Surpanakha is divided into three sections. In the first part, Majumdar explores the sibling relationship between Surpanakha and Ravana. In the Malay version, Ravana kills her husband. I wanted to look at it because generally, in literature or performance, the brother-sister dynamic is not explored. Their relationship is interesting as it is Surpanakha who goes to Ravana and incites him against Rama. She plays a key role in the war, explains Majumdar. In the second section, the Kathak performer looks at Sita and Surpanakha as two sides of the same coin. She questions the notions of chastity and beauty. You can look at Sita as someone who follows the rules of patriarchy but was eventually rejected. There is also the issue of the ugly woman and the beautiful woman where in some narratives, Surpanakha was extremely beautiful, while Sita was ugly in comparison. In her third and final part, Majumdar draws from the Adhyatma Ramayana to understand the relationship between Surpanakha and Rama. In this version of the epic, Ravana is a devotee of Ram. If Ravana is a devotee, then so can Surpanakha. If she is a devotee, then the lens through which she views Rama also changes. The attraction becomes spiritual, she says. Majumdars piece departs from a traditional Kathak dance performance in several ways. It is interspersed with scripted monologues and audience interaction to bring in elements of stand-up. The Kathak form already shares a lot of similarities with stand-up. Unlike in Bharatanatyam or Odissi, one traditionally interacts with the audience, though it is very casual. As I already came from such a background, I used that in my piece, with monologues. Blurring the lines between dance and theatre, she also uses live video projection during some parts of the performance. In my earlier versions, I used a clip of Ravana to indicate his character. I also used textures and abstract design to add another layer, she says. The use of video also came with an intention to make Kathak more accessible to wider audiences. That was something my team and I used very consciously, because people are so visual now. People dont understand mudras but they will understand a certain visual language. There was a very specific audience for dance who knew what each gesture meant, but we want to expand that, she explains. You want as many people and as diverse a group to watch it. All of us feel traditional forms such as Kathak are under threat and it is important for the wider community not just the dance community to understand why it is important to have Kathak, and send your son/daughter to a dance class or Hindustani classical music class. However, for this particular performance in Mumbai, Majumdar said she will avoid the use of video, since it is in a smaller performance space. The music and songs used in the show are also unique, as they are written in English instead of the traditional Braj/Sanskrit. The costume design includes an off-shoulder top and a lehenga, showing Majumdars innovative exploration of the dance form. It is during the Sita-Surpanakha section where I have divided the stage into two parts left and right. Sita is on one side and Surpanakha is on the other. So, one side of my costume is full sleeved, denoting Sita, while the off-shoulder side indicates Surpanakha. Despite the apparent departure from a traditional Kathak performance, Majumdar rejects the tag of it being a contemporary piece. I dont agree with the contemporary label because the technique I use to express it, is Kathak. The attitude towards it is contemporary. There are techniques like Ballet, Odissi etc. Similarly, in my piece, the technique is Kathak, but my attitude is actually of an artist who is still exploring. It is not set in stone. I think it is a dynamic piece which is influenced by those watching it and thats what makes it relevant. My attitude is different from someone who would be doing exactly as their gurus have taught them and who dont feel the need to do anything different of their own accord, she says, adding that a body like the Sangeet Natak Akademi could programme the piece in its contemporary dance festivals. However, Majumdar also says there are several senior dancers who feel a performance like Surpanakha is Kathak in the classical sense. In a bid to take Kathak to a more diverse audience, Majumdar is slowly transitioning from the proscenium stage to performing in alternative and more intimate spaces like Harkat in Versova, Cuckoo Club in Bandra and Si Bambai in Kala Ghoda. Im looking at how I can take Surpanakha to different audiences from what Im used to. Im also looking at how to take something like Kathak and the Ramayana to younger audiences, or audiences who wouldnt normally go to an auditorium to watch a dance performance, she says. Surpanakha was staged at Harkat Studios, Mumbai on 24 March By Bikash Kumar Bhattacharya On a gloomy afternoon in May 2018, conservation biologist Bibhab Talukdar was visiting Pobitora National Park in Assam. As he rode an elephant into the grasslands at the core of the park he was met with an alarming sight: a luxuriant growth of a low, bushy herb with small green leaves and creamy white flowers. Locally known as congress grass, this plant, Parthenium hysterophorus, is native to the Americas and an alien species in India. Talukdar, the chair of the International Union for Conservation of Natures (IUCN) Asian Rhino Specialist Group and CEO of the NGO Aaranyak, said he was worried because Parthenium is a highly invasive plant with a history of damaging local ecosystems in more than 20 countries around the world. Australia is the prime example, with vast swathes of native rangelands and summer crops under pressure from the weed. If its spread in Pobitora isnt checked in time, Talukdar said he believes Parthenium could spell trouble for the parks 102 greater one-horned rhinoceroses (Rhinoceros unicornis) by smothering the native species they feed on. Parthenium can be seen growing vigorously in the grassland areas inside Pobitora National Park. Conservationists are worried the invasive weed will crowd out native fodder plants. Photo courtesy of Bibhab Talukdar. Its not clear how and when exactly Parthenium arrived in India. The popular theory is that the seeds arrived in the 1950s, piggybacking on consignments of grains imported as part of a US government food-assistance programme. The weed was first reported growing on trash heaps in 1956 in Pune, in the state of Maharashtra. Although Parthenium was first spotted in Assam in the 1980s, it had not previously been reported in the core areas of Pobitora. Nine years ago, when Talukdar visited the park as part of a team of researchers that studied the status and distribution of invasive plants in the rhino habitat, such Parthenium growths werent observed. Its arrival in the park seems to be recent, he said. Silent stranglers Parthenium is just the latest addition to half a dozen invasive plants colonising rhino ranges across Assam, which harbours more than two-thirds of the worlds one-horned rhino population in four protected areas. According to a 2011 article in the journal Pachyderm, the already established invasive plants in Assams rhino ranges are Mimosa invisa, Mikania micrantha (the mile-a-minute vine), Chromolaena odorata (Siam weed) and Ipomoea carnea (pink morning glory). All were identified in Indias Fifth National Report on Biological Diversity in 2014 as invasive plant species responsible for harming local ecosystems. A Chromolaena infested area in Manas National Park. Chromolaena is replacing native vegetation in the park. Photo by Bikash Kumar Bhattacharya. Youve got to add Parthenium, Eicchronia carssipes [water hyacinth] and Lantana camara to the list, said Iswar Chandra Barua, a professor of agronomy at Assam Agricultural University in Assams Jorhat district. Barua, who has been studying the dynamics of phytoinvasion in Assam for over a decade now, said that all four of Assams rhino reserves the national parks of Kaziranga, Orang, Pobitora and Manas are currently reeling under attack from these invasive plants. Each presents a unique danger, Barua said. Siam weed and water hyacinth are driver species, capable of decimating native plants without any assistance from accompanying environmental change; Parthenium and Mimosa possess tremendously high competitive ability, known as allelopathy, which inhibits the growth of indigenous plants in areas colonised by these weeds; Ipomoea stems form thick mats that block natural water flows, making it the most troublesome aquatic weed after water hyacinth, which is notorious for clogging water bodies; Lantana exudes poison from its roots, killing off native flora; Mikania produces around 40,000 seeds every year and colonises forest areas at a very rapid pace by choking and smothering grasses and tree saplings. Hundreds of indigenous plants, including the rhinos favourite fodder species, are under direct pressure from these invasives, Barua said. An Indian muntjac, also called barking deer, is seen grazing in an area inside Orang National Park where Chromolaena has started to infest. Photo by Bikash Kumar Bhattacharya. Different parks, different problems In Kaziranga National Park, home to 2,413 rhinos per the 2018 census, Mimosa can be seen overrunning natural grasslands in several ranges. However, the situation has improved since the early 2000s, when the problem was more acute. Barua credits the natural floods that have hit the park in recent years. During the annual flood, the entire park remains inundated for days and sometimes weeks. This works somewhat as a natural check on the growth of Mimosa, he said. However, a potential threat lurking on the parks doorstep is Ludwigia peruviana(Peruvian water primrose). A 2017 study led by Barua found that this semi-aquatic weed has damaged already around 200 square km of marshland plant communities in Karbi Anglong district, where part of Kaziranga is located. He said Ludwigia will likely infest Kaziranga marshlands if no measures are taken to check its spread. Kaziranga National Park is located pretty close to Ludwigia-infested areas. As such it could just be a matter of time for the weed to sneak into the parks marshlands. If we dont step up vigil now, it could be all over inside Kaziranga in a couple years. Mimosa plants in Orang National Park. The plant is believed to be responsible for a decline in the parks wet alluvial grassland. Photo by Bikash Kumar Bhattacharya. In Orang National Park, home to 101 rhinos, Mimosa appears to be the most severe current threat to the ecosystem. From 1987 to 2008, Orang saw its wet alluvial grassland shrink by 12.8 percent, and dry savanna grassland and degraded grassland increase by 9.25 percent and 6.51 percent respectively, mainly due to the impact of Mimosa, according to a 2011 study on land cover change in the park. Manas National Park is also experiencing a phytoinvasion, with Chromolaena and Mikania infesting large patches of forest. With a density of 9.4 to 15.1 plants per square meter, according to a 2004 survey, Chromolaena is overrunning areas of already-degraded vegetation along the southern border of the park, while Mikania is colonising riverine grassland patches and forest edges. In Pobitora National Park, the biggest threat is Ipomoea, primarily a coloniser of grasslands. The spread of Ipomoea inside the park has sparked competition among indigenous grass species and the weed for space and nutrients. In addition, as Talukdar observed, Parthenium is an emerging challenge. Over the last year, the weed has been seen spreading alarmingly along the parks grassland areas. Mikania plants in Orang National Park. Mikania has also been identified as a threat in Nepals Chitwan National Park, home to the worlds second largest population of greater one-horned rhinos. Photo by Bikash Kumar Bhattacharya. Effects on rhinos Rhinos are already suffering as Assams ecosystems are hit by these invasive plants. First, they choke and smother native plants on which rhinos feed, leading to shrinkage of fodder in protected areas, Talukdar said. Second, when species such as Mimosa, which is thorny, take over grasslands, it becomes difficult for rhinos to graze, which pushes the animals to stray out of the safety of the park and thus makes them vulnerable to poaching. Recognising these threats, the New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019, signed by five Asian rhino range nations on 28 February, has mandated research on invasive species threatening rhino reserves along with other habitat parameters. A 2015 report by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) holds invasive plants responsible for the increase in rhino straying incidents in Pobitora. The report says the rapid growth of invasive plants including Ipomoea, and the accompanying depletion of native fodder species in the park, has led to an increase in crop-raiding incidents by rhinos in villages on the parks fringes. Because the invasive weeds are choking out grasslands, rhinos are increasingly straying out to forage on crops in neighbouring farmlands, said Mukul Tamuly, the forest range officer at Pobitora. Moreover, some invasive plants contain toxic compounds that can harm rhinos and other herbivores that ingest them. Lantana camara, for example, contains pentacyclic triterpenoids, a hepatotoxic compound known as lantadene. If rhinos feed on lantana leaves, it could inflict significant liver injuries on them, Tamuly said. A greater one-horned rhinoceros in West Bengal states Jaldapara National Park. Invasive species including Mikania are also found in that states rhino reserves. Photo by Udayan Dasgupta. Fighting invasive weeds Plants that become successful invaders are fast-growing and highly adaptable to new environments. When they are transported to ecosystems where their natural predators are not present, such species can rapidly overrun indigenous plants. Take, for instance, the case of Parthenium, said D.J. Rajkhowa, a senior agronomist and joint director of the India Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Nagaland Center. In alien environments such as that of India it is free from its natural enemies like the Mexican beetle, Zygogramma bicolorata, that feeds only on Parthenium leaves. It gives the weed a competitive edge and more resources to grow, reproduce, spread and eventually out-compete indigenous plant species. Due to their higher phenotypic plasticity the ability to develop differently in different environments invasive plants can adapt to environmental fluctuations. This helps them spread and establish in new areas. Rajkhowa cites the example of Mikania, which is now seen growing in a range of habitats from terrestrial to littoral. Moreover, many invasive plants are cryptic in nature and have the ability to go undetected for years, or their damaging impacts are not immediately clear, making it difficult to control these species. Degraded forest patches such as this one in Orang National Park, are particularly prone to phytoinvasion. Photo by Bikash Kumar Bhattacharya. Given these challenges, there are three methods to control invasive plants: mechanical removal; spraying chemicals; and using biological control agents. The mechanical removal method, which involves hand weeding, is the simplest way, but is labor-intensive, expensive and has to be repeated consistently. It is widely used in Assams rhino reserves, but has yielded little results. We keep uprooting Mimosa plants at regular intervals, but they sprout up again at a very rapid speed, said Chakrapani Rai, the forest range officer at Orang National Park. Weve also applied controlled burning. Even thats turned out to be futile. The weeds spread seems to be unstoppable. Spraying chemicals is considered nonviable in protected areas as it could have disastrous effects on wildlife and the ecosystem. The biological control method, a far more complicated process that entails releasing organisms that feed on the targeted species, is touted as a less dangerous and potentially effective method. Indias Project Directorate of Biological Control (PDBC), a government agency based in the city of Bengaluru, is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring the hazard-free introduction, handling and release of biological control agents. Attempts to use biological controls against Parthenium have achieved mixed results in India: the biocontrol agent for the plant, the Mexican beetle, has shown successful results in Bengaluru, but has failed in Delhi. Rajkhowa said the best way to deal with the problem is to develop a plan that combines all available methods. In developing an integrated weed management plan, biological control should be the key component. Till suitable biocontrol agents are found, the emphasis should be on mechanical removing. So far biological control agents havent been used in Assam. But Rajkhowa said he thinks its a strategy that should be considered. Given the states moderate climatic conditions, it might just work. Orang National Park located in northern Assam is home to 101 rhinos. Photo by Bikash Kumar Bhattacharya. But the biocontrol method has its own risks: an organism introduced as a biocontrol agent to contain a particular invader may decimate other species as well, turning into an invader itself. The most infamous example of biocontrol going wrong is Australias cane toad catastrophe. Cane toads were introduced in 1935 to control cane beetles in Queenslands sugarcane crops. But in the span of a few decades they spread all over Australia, causing severe damage to local ecosystems. Assam Agricultural Universitys Barua said he favours exploring other alternatives. While he, too, endorses the idea of an integrated weed management plan, he said such efforts should prioritise exploring ways to use invasive plants as raw materials for local industries. There has been some success on this front. Water hyacinth has been used to make an array of products such as mats and bags; the craft now employs about 3,500 local artisans in northeastern India. Silkworm rearers in Karbi Anglong have started using Mikania as a host plant for Eri silk, for want of the primary host plant, castor (Ricinuscommunis). Research shows there is also potential to commercially exploit Mikania to this end, which could in turn help control the weed. Bodo tribal weavers near Manas National Park are experimenting with using Chromolaena as a natural dye, while lantana is being used as a raw material for furniture an initiative that has seen some successin controlling the weed. If such initiatives find commercial footing, Barua said, theyll not only contribute toward effective weed management but also boost local livelihoods. *** This article was originally published on Mongabay.com. Mongabay-India is an environmental science and conservation news service. This article has been republished under the Creative Commons licence. The AIUDF's announcement to contest from 3 seats in Assam gives BJP a chance to polarise indigenous Assamese voters in favour of the BJP-AGP alliance In a move which is likely to polarise indigenous Assamese and immigrant Muslims in opposite directions, Maulana Badaruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front on Monday announced that it is going to field candidates in only three of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam. The move by the AIUDF is likely to be played by the BJP as an outcome of a secret pact between the AIUDF and the Congress as it allows the latter to pull immigrant Muslim voters in a number of constituencies to its fold. Consequently, it gives the BJP an opportunity to polarise the indigenous Assamese voters in favour of the BJP-AGP alliance. The tacit understanding between the AIUDF and Congress (even though the Congress has denied it) is going to have a massive polarising impact not only in Assam but also in other states of North East India, which very recently experienced an anti-immigration movement after the BJP introduced the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, in the Parliament. The bill, which aimed at granting citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Parsi, Jain and Christian illegal immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, was widely protested in the region. The Congress and the AIUDF had sided with the protesters against the bill, terming it communal legislation. But the BJP had alleged that the Congress and the AIUDF were misleading the people on the issue in a bid to fulfil anti-indigenous design. The AIUDFs decision benefitting the Congress is likely to be used by the saffron party as a fuel to fire indigenous sentiments against the grand old party. In a press conference held at the partys office in Guwahati, AIUDF spokesperson Aminul Islam said on Monday, "We hoped for a grand alliance against the BJP among the parties which opposed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. But it did not happen. Hence, in order to defeat the BJP and thus protect the indigenous culture and language, we have decided to field candidates only in the constituencies which elected our party candidates in the last Lok Sabha polls. We appeal the voters in the constituencies where we will field no candidate this time around to vote according to their conscience." The announcement directly benefits the Congress, as a huge section of immigrant Muslims who earlier voted for the AIUDF, would possibly switch to Congress in the constituencies where the party does not field any candidates. The AIUDF, which has its prime constituency among immigrant Muslims, had fielded candidates in eight constituencies in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. It won three seats namely Dhubri, Barpeta and Karimganj constituencies. The party was contemplating fielding a similar number of candidates in the upcoming polls too but decided against it. A lack of seat-sharing agreement between the Congress and the AIUDF had till now made the path to victory for the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls appear smooth, just like in the 2016 Assembly polls in Assam. The BJP had contested the Assam Assembly polls in alliance with AGP and thanks to its comfortable seat-sharing agreement with the AGP, the BJP-AGP alliance had won the Assembly polls with a landslide. However, this victory was also made possible because of the division of immigrant Muslim votes between the Congress and the AIUDF during the 2016 Assembly polls. The unexpected announcement from AIUDF now poses a new challenge for the BJP-AGP alliance in many constituencies. The Congress, which had contested in 122 constituencies during the Assam Assembly polls had bagged 52,38,655 votes, whereas, the AIUDF which had fielded candidates in 74 constituencies had received 22,07, 945 votes. Their combined votes amounted to 74,46,600. In the same election the BJP-AGP alliance had polled 63,69,667 votes together, which is 10,76,933 votes lesser than what the Congress and the AIUDF polled together. If the votes of the Congress and AIUDF get combined in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, which is likely to happen in a number of constituencies now, it may emerge as a serious threat to BJPs dream for North East India. Significantly, the indigenous Assamese and the immigrant population in Assam are two contesting identities. In order to appear Assamese-friendly, the Congress has all along avoided any alliance with the AIUDF, a party that represents the aspirations of the immigrant Muslims. Only last year, former chief minister and senior Congress leader Tarun Gogoi had denied any possibility of forming an alliance with the AIUDF and said, "We are opposing the BJP for being a communal party, but the AIUDF is also a communal party. In the last Assembly elections, the AIUDF played the B team for the BJP." Gogoi, who held the Assam chief ministers post for three consecutive terms defied repeated suggestion from the party high command to ally with the AIUDF. Rather when enquired by media about the possibility of an alliance with the AIUDF, once, Gogoi had defiantly said, Who is Badaruddin? Who is Badaruddin became an iconic statement in the states politics representing the Congress chief ministers Assamese chauvinism in the years to come. The Congress party twice came to power after AIUDF was born in the year 2005 posing serious threat to it. It was widely believed that Congress would not ally with the AIUDF this time too. And it hasn't formally. But the Congress seems set to avail the benefits of an alliance with the AIUDF in many constituencies after the pro-immigrant party's announcement to limit the number of candidates to three. And, the saffron party is likely going to cite the new equation set by the AIUDF as a secret pact between AIDUF and Congress, in a bid to increase polarisation of indigenous Assamese votes in its favour. In fact, it appears to have already started as only two days ago, BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav said to the media, In Assam, the Congress is in an unholy alliance with the AIUDF to face the BJP. We are confident that people of Assam will reject this unholy alliance. Akhilesh Yadav's comment comes a day after Rajasthan governor and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's return to power is important for the nation. New Delhi: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), stating that the three campaigners for it are governor, government agencies and media. Yadav's comment comes a day after Rajasthan governor and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's return to power is important for the nation. Yadav also said the BJP, in the last five years, has driven unemployment and insulted farmers, while its political strategies are social media, hate and money, with the Opposition being its key agenda. Last week, the SP leader had alleged that the BJP is the "most casteist party" in the country and should not give out lessons on socialism. War of words between different political parties is intensifying with the Lok Sabha election dates inching closer. SP, BSP and RLD are contesting the Lok Sabha polls in alliance in Uttar Pradesh in which the SP will contest on 37 seats, BSP on 38 and RLD on three. The alliance will not contest two seats, Rae Bareli and Amethi. Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to be held from April 11 and will go on till 19 May in seven phases. The polls in Uttar Pradesh will be held in all seven phases, and counting of votes will take place on 23 May. There are 80 Lok Sabha seats at stake in Uttar Pradesh. Senior Congress leader Tarun Gogoi Monday said the party will seek support from all organisations and social groups who are opposed to the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the coming Lok Sabha elections. Guwahati: Senior Congress leader Tarun Gogoi Monday said the party will seek support from all organisations and social groups who are opposed to the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the coming Lok Sabha elections. The former Assam chief minister said Meghalaya-based National People's Party was contesting most of the seats in Assam and North East and alleged that it is aimed at helping the BJP. "We will seek support from all those opposing the Citizenship Bill. We will welcome the support from All Assam Students Union, Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti and others for the interest of Assam and its people," Gogoi said at a press conference here. The Congress wants that all anti-BJP and anti-Bill forces unite to defeat the present regime at the Centre, he said. "Because of the Congress party, the Central government could not introduce the bill in Rajya Sabha. We stood by the people of Assam. We will never introduce this bill once we come to government," Gogoi said. He said BJP president Amit Shah in a rally in Assam had announced to bring the Citizenship Bill again if it is voted to power after the elections. Questioning Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma-led NPP's role, Gogoi said: "Conrad's stand is not clear. He was against the bill, but he is still in NEDA despite the BJP saying that the bill will be brought again. That means, Conrad has made a U-turn." Contesting in almost all the 25 seats in North East even though there is "no base" for NPP will eventually help the BJP by dividing the anti-bill votes, the Congress leader said. "He (Sangma) could have said that I will support BJP if there is no bill. But he is silent now. It shows that NPP and BJP have a secret unholy alliance," Gogoi said. On Asom Gana Parishad's (AGP) return to NDA after a hiatus of two months over the bill, the three-time former chief minister claimed that the popularity of the regional party is "decreasing", while all such regional forces across the country are becoming stronger. "The AGP is an anti-Assam, power hungry and corrupt. The AGP-BJP alliance means that none of them are confident of winning alone in the state," he added. Gogoi claimed that the Congress will win at least 10 out of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam. In 2014, the BJP won seven out of 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam, the Congress and the AIUDF had three MPs each and one member was an Independent. The two BJP allies, BPF and the AGP, had no representation in the Lower House of Parliament. An 18-minute-long clip was subsequently shown in which an alleged BJP worker is heard trying to exchange crores of old currency notes at a commission of 40% in Ahmedabad after demonetisation Launching yet another attack on the Narendra Modi-led central government, the Opposition on Tuesday revealed a "video proof" to show how "demonetisation had benefited only the BJP". Addressing a press conference at the Constitutional Club in New Delhi, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said note ban was initiated with an ulterior motive to rob the poor. Delhi: Opposition releases purported video from https://t.co/1Eai2kfdKv alleging a BJP worker offered to convert demonetised currency into new notes at a commission of 40%, in Ahmedabad post demonetization. pic.twitter.com/CyLHrapnbY ANI (@ANI) March 26, 2019 An 18-minute-long clip was shown in which an alleged BJP worker is heard trying to exchange crores of old currency notes at a commission of 40 percent in Ahmedabad after the 31 December, 2016 deadline. Firstpost could not independently verify the veracity of the video or the Congress' claim. The man visible in the grainy clip is identified as 'BJP' in the subtitles. The amount of money exchanged is Rs five crore according to the conversation between the men in the video and a commentary that runs through the footage. However, Sibal did not provide any other proof to support his claims. Sibal accused the government of misusing government machinery, including police and banks to work in favour of the BJP. After sharing the video, Sibal hit out at the BJP for 'looting' people's money. He also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for adding chowkidar as a prefix to his name. After watching this video clip, the country has to decide who is chor (thief) and who is chowkidar (guard)? Who is a patriot and who is an anti-national? the Congress leader said. "There is no bigger treason than stealing from the country's treasury and routing it towards the party," Sibal added. He also hinted at how exchanges of money could not have happened without the involvement of the ruling party, banks and the police. Our industries have suffered heavy losses. Our country has to backtrack on the economic path, and crores of Indian youth had to lose jobs due to demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes on November 8, 2016, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ghulam Nabi Azad said. Meanwhile, finance minister Arun Jaitley hit back, calling the video fake. The Fakery Caravan of the UPA continues to move. After a fake BSY Diary, a fake sting. When there are no real issues, rely on fakery. Chowkidar Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) March 26, 2019 ANI reported that the purported tape cited by Sibal was hosted by a website tnn.world. A reverse lookup of the domain using online tools like Go Daddy and Whois, which reveal owners of websites, showed that the website was registered in the United Kingdom. Other leaders of the opposition parties present at the press conference included Sharad Yadav from Loktantrik Janata Dal, Hemant Soren of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Manoj Jha from Rashtriya Janata Dal, Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjun Kharge from the Congress. With inputs from agencies An internal contest over seat-sharing in the Congress-led grand alliance in Jharkhand can throw a cordon of doubt over the oppositions ability and intention to rewrite the land rights acts that it has formed as part of the political narrative to challenge the BJP in the state In 2016, Hemant Sorens Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Babulal Marandis Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) joined the peoples movements, which were launched against state-proposed amendments in key land rights acts such as the Chhota Nagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act, 1908, and Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Act, 1949. The reason behind their protests was that these acts allowed the government to easily transfer land for industrial use. Considering the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act of 2013 had already been amended by the Centre, exempting the state government from conducting social impact assessment, taking consent of the affected people and ensuring food security, for certain infrastructure projects (listed under Section 10), the proposed amendments to CNT and SPT Acts by the BJP-led state government in Jharkhand had created speculation among its critics. However, while the Jharkhand government sees social impact assessment and consent of affected people as an impediment to development, a section of the population in the poverty-stricken state with a history of land grabbing and illegal mining is resisting the attempts to dilute the portion of the acts which make seeking consent mandatory from gram sabhas. These people's movements led by tribals, who comprise no less than 32 percent of the states population, are an important part of the opposition parties' political narrative, including the grand alliance, who are presenting themselves to the voters of Jharkhand as an alternative to the anti-land-rights policies of the BJP-led state government. The grand alliance announced its seat-sharing formula on Sunday. Out of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the Congress is contesting on seven Ranchi, Lohardaga, Khunti, West Singhbhum, Hazaribagh, Dhanbad and Chatra. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha will be fielding candidates from Dumka, Rajmahal, Giridih, Jamshedpur while Jharkhand Vikas Morcha will contest from Godda and Koderma. The RJD, also a member of the alliance, on the other hand, has been offered one seat Palamu against its demand for two seats (the second seat being Chatra). This has created discontent within the grand alliance with the RJD skipping the seat-sharing press conference on Sunday. Could the grand old party have been a little more accommodating towards RJD? Palamu and Chatra border Bihar, and the population in the two constituencies comprises Bhumihars and Yadavs which is why the RJD wanted to contest on both seats. However, its bleak presence in the state Assembly has made it harder for the alliance to accommodate this request. While the RJD is determined that the alliance accepts its demand for two seats (and field its candidates in both candidates with or without the alliance), Soren, says that the grand alliance will not field a candidate in Palamu even if the RJD is out of the alliance. "The RJD has been in alliance with us in the past and we wont field a JMM candidate on the RJD seat on Palamu, said Soren. Meanwhile, the seat-sharing may have created another problem for the alliance, especially for former Jharkhand chief minister and JVM leader Babulal Marandi, with RJDs state unit chief Annapurna Devi joining the BJP. Speculations are rife that the former RJD leader might be the BJP candidate from Chatra or Koderma. If Devi contests from Koderma, this election may become a battle for survival for Marandi, especially since Jharkhand Speaker Dinesh Oraon recently found the merger of 6 JVM MLAs into the BJP to be legal while rejecting the JVM's petition demanding their disqualification under the 10th schedule. Besides, the Koderma district falls under the North Chotanagpur division, the largest administrative division, which has more than 20 Vidhan Sabha constituencies. For Soren, the bigger concern, however, is how the differences among the Opposition parties, including those in the grand alliance, may impact the people's movements in Jharkhand. He says that the bifurcation within the grand alliance is a disservice to the non-political people's movements that evolved around constitutional rights. Soren says that he wanted the Left parties to be part of the alliance as well. The plan was to offer the Hazaribagh seat which is now with the Congress to the Left. "I wanted the Left parties to be on board with the alliance and to form consensus among themselves but the demand for more seats in a state where there are only 14 Lok Sabha constituencies is difficult to meet," he shared. The Left has multiple pockets of influence in Dhanbad, Hazaribagh, Chatra and Koderma, given the coal mines and workers' movements. However, electorally, the Left is most relevant in Nirsa from where Arup Chatterjee of the Marxist Coordination Committee (MCC) is the sitting MLA. The CPI (ML-Liberation) was not an alliance partner of the Left Front during the 2014 Lok Sabha election. The CPI's state unit secretary Bhubaneswar Mehta had won the Hazaribagh seat, defeating former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha. This is what had reportedly led JMMs Soren to reach out to D Raja to form an alliance back in 2004. Today, Left parties of varying relevance in Jharkhands politics couldnt come together in time to contest from even one seat. Which is why they have no representation in the recently announced seat share. "People from different districts are raising the same issues and each party is promising to address them from their own platform and in their own way. A stronger, combined alternate narrative can benefit the state," said Soren. In Jharkhand, where the unemployment rate is 3.1 percent as against the national rate of 2.7 percent (NITI Ayog data), a movement of rebellion like the pathalgadi took place last year. Munni Hansda from the Kathikund block of the Dumka district in Jharkhand led the agitation against the thermal power plant proposed to ensure there wasnt any violation of the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act, 1949. Whereas, Albert Minj has been leading various rights movements in the Mahuadhar block of Jharkhands Latehar district against the proposed amendments to Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act, 1908. During the 2018 pathalgadi protests, Adivasi villages put up giant plaques declaring their gram sabha as the only sovereign authority. These two activists had told Firstpost that the responsibility of embracing grassroots movements within parliamentary democracy cannot lie only with the Left parties and a broader alternative must be envisioned. In the context of peoples movements, internal contest over seat-sharing can throw a cordon of doubt over the oppositions ability and intention to rewrite the social contract. Today, lack of unanimity, bifurcation of interests and clash of egos over seat-sharing is weakening the grand alliance. "Those who are non-political and working for the interests of the people of the state can be disheartened by internal political calculations. It weakens the movement and becomes harder for them to view it from a political lens," Soren told Firstpost. The former Madras and Calcutta High Court Judge, Justice CS Karnan, was released from a Kolkata prison on 20 December, 2017, after having served a six-month prison term. Justice CS Karnan, former Madras High Court Judge will contest the ensuing Lok Sabha election scheduled to be held from 11 April, from Chennai. Justice Karnan, who launched his own party, Anti Corruption Dynamic Party in May 2018, filed nomination from the Central Chennai constituency on Monday. In an interview with Bar and Bench, Justice Karnan said his "focus will be to expose corruption in the government and the judiciary". A booth agent for the AIADMK in the past, including the 2002 Assembly polls, Justice Karnan later became a Congress sympathiser, The News Minute reported. He is the first sitting judge in the history of India to be found guilty of Contempt of Court. The former Madras and Calcutta High Court Judge was released from a Kolkata prison on 20 December, 2017, after having served a six-month prison term. A website launched recently, justicekarnan.com, has published letters purportedly written by the judge to the authorities, claiming that attempts had been made on his life during his stay in prison. With a fortnight to go for the first phase of polling in Chhattisgarhs Maoist-hotbed Bastar, security forces have intensified their operations against the ultra-Left insurgents, killing four of them, including two women, on Tuesday With a fortnight to go for the first phase of polling on 11 April in Chhattisgarhs Maoist-hotbed Bastar region, the security forces both central and the state have intensified their operations against the ultra-Left insurgents. A joint search operation by security forces against armed Maoist cadre in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on early morning Monday didnt face the same fate as had happened over a week ago. Instead, the joint team in a fierce encounter killed four Maoists, including two women. One of the Maoists killed during the operation has been identified as a section deputy commander in the Battalion-1 of the Peoples Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), which is headed by Maoist leader Madvi Hidma, who is also the head of the central military commission of CPI (Maoist). According to Chhattisgarh Police, acting on a tip-off, a joint team comprising troops of CRPFs 201 CoBRA battalion, District Reserve Guards (DRG) and state police conducted a search operation in the forest of Karkanguda in Chintalnar-Jagargunda area in the wee hours of Tuesday. The encounter location village Bodakode lies on volatile Sukma-Bijapur border. "We got an intelligence input from ground related to the movement of Maoists in Chintalnar area on Monday. Acting on it, a joint team conducted a search operation in the early morning today. Four armed Maoists have been neutralised. The search operation is continuing, said Vivekananda, Inspector General (Bastar range) of Chhattisgarh Police. A source at CRPF said that the Maoists were caught unaware and resorted to heavy indiscriminate firing upon the troops. The gunfight lasted for 45 minutes. The commandos overpowered the ultras and four of them were neutralised. According to local sources, stains of blood have been found on the spot which indicates that more number of Maoists got injured during the encounter. The security forces are seeing this encounter as a big blow to Maoists, who at present are observing Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC) month in Bastar. Its during this period that the Maoists, in order to show their supremacy, target police, paramilitary forces and government establishments. "We conducted a joint operation at 6 am today. Four bodies of Maoists in uniform have been recovered along with rifles including INSAS from the encounter site. Further details can be available once the search team gets back to base camp," a CRPF official told Firstpost. One may recall that on 18 March, the Maoists ambushed a search operation party near Aranpur village in Dantewada district in which one CRPF jawan was killed five were severely injured. It was the first attack on security forces by the Maoists, after the formation of the new Congress government in Chhattisgarh. Prior to the 18 March incident, the Maoist cadre had put posters and banners in the affected area of Bastar region asking villagers to celebrate International Womens Day on 8 March and also boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha election to mark their strong presence. In between, there had been instances of Jan Militia cadre of the Maoists attacking contractors and workers, and putting their vehicles on fire. In one case, a villager was killed by the Maoists for allegedly being a 'police informer'. With the new government coming to power in December 2018, there had been a lull for two months on the Maoist front. But after that, they started making their presence felt. Sukma has been in news due to anti-Naxal operations, encounters and transfer of Sukma districts superintendent of police Jitendra Shukla allegedly due to political reasons. His sudden transfer on 7 March led to a massive political row between the ruling Congress party and opposition BJP. Shukla was considered a 'tough cop' in dealing with the Naxal menace and had brought relief to the locals. "The transfer of the SP was done at the behest of local MLA and state excise minister Kawasi Lakhma, as he had refused to remove an inspector that the minister asked for. Its a clear case of political interference in bureaucracy. The SPs departure has also created disturbances as he was strongly dealing with the Maoist problem," a Sukma-based journalist alleged. According to Chhattisgarh Police and CRPF, the Maoists are expected to step up their activities as the polling date gets closer. Ahead of the Assembly election in Chhattisgarh, the Maoists had blown up a bus carrying security force personnel in Bijapur district in April 2018. The incident had occurred a few days before the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Jangla in Bijapur on 13 April as part of the BJP election campaign. Prior to it, in March 2018, the Maoists blew up a mine protection vehicle (MPV) in Sukma that killed nine CRPF jawans. Even before former Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singhs Vikas Yatra, the Maoists had triggered a blast as a mark of protest. "Were keeping a close watch on the grouping and movements of Maoists across the state and on the borders of Chhattisgarh with other Naxal-hit states. Attempts will be made to create disturbances ahead of polling, as Maoists have issued threats to villagers to boycott polls. A Maoist banner and posters we have recovered mentions about intensifying the fight against the prime minister and the BJP-led government at the Centre, a source from an anti-Naxal Operation unit told Firstpost. Due to security reasons, Chhattisgarh, which has 11 Lok Sabha seats, will undergo polling in three phases on 11, 18 and 23 April. Jaya joined politics in 1994 as a member of the TDP, but left following differences with Chandrababu Naidu and joined the Samajwadi Party. Actor-turned-politician Jaya Prada joined the BJP on Tuesday, two weeks before the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections. Media reports said that the BJP is mulling to field her from Uttar Pradesh's Rampur parliamentary constituency, from where she was elected twice, in 2004 and 2009, on a Samajwadi Party (SP) ticket. Delhi: Veteran actor and former MP Jaya Prada joins Bharatiya Janata Party. pic.twitter.com/vmZD3H1PSL ANI (@ANI) March 26, 2019 However, this time around the contest from Rampur may not be a cakewalk for Jaya Prada, as she will be pitted against Samajwadi Party heavyweight Azam Khan in the constituency NDTV quoted Jaya as saying "I am a part of national party and I'm in a party, where the leader leads on issues of national security". "Whether it is films or politics, I have always worked with everything I have," she said. Apart from the Samajwadi Party, the veteran actor had also been a member of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RJD). Jaya joined politics in 1994 as a member of the TDP, but left following differences with Chandrababu Naidu and joined the Samajwadi Party. Both Jaya and former Samajwadi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, with whom she has been closely associated, were expelled from the party ahead of the 2014 national elections, Scroll reported. Subsequently, she joined the RLD and contested the 2014 elections on a RLD ticket from the Bijnor seat, but lost the polls. With inputs from PTI Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh is one such constituency where the contest will be closely watched. In India, every Lok Sabha election has its own share of hotly contested high-profile seats. While some nondescript constituencies hit the popular imagination because a stalwart or a big leader choose to contest from there, several others remain important for their cultural and political significance. Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh is one such constituency where the contest will be closely watched. Being a Lok Sabha constituency that has been represented by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for five times, Lucknow automatically qualifies to be a high-profile seat. Currently, it is being represented by Union home minister Rajnath Singh who first contested from Lucknow in 2014 and won with more than 2.7 lakh votes. A closer look at the candidates fielded by prominent political parties (in last Lok Sabha elections) in constituencies like Lucknow, Amethi, Rae Bareli shows that how they play safe with high-profile seats which rarely poses a tough challenge to the stalwarts. Given the fact that Lucknow is a prominent seat being the capital city of Indias most populous state, it is expected that the Congress will file a candidate who is strong enough to put up a fight against a senior leader like Singh. Ironically, the choice of candidate by the Congress in the last elections and the name of the probable candidate this time, inspire little confidence or hints at a tight fight. In 2014 Congress fielded Rita Bahuguna Joshi from Lucknow. For Congress Bahuguna was its best bet as she comes from a prominent political family. She is the daughter of Congress veteran Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna, former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. She was a sitting MLA from Congress, representing Lucknow Cantonment and had earlier been the president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee from 2007 to 2012. However, when juxtaposed against Singh the contest clearly looked unequal. Singh was then BJP national president and was Member of Parliament from Ghaziabad. He had also served as the chief minister of the state and had been Union minister in the Vajpayee government. The contest was one-sided and this became evident once the results were declared. Singh secured 55 percent of the total vote share and defeated Joshi by 2,72,749 votes. In October 2016, few months before the Assembly election was to be held in the state, Joshi joined BJP and was given a ticket in the 2017 elections, which she won and now is a cabinet minister in the Uttar Pradesh government. This time the probable candidate of the Congress party is Jitin Prasada who has won the Lok Sabha polls twice in 2004 and 2009 from Shahjahanpur and Dhaurahra respectively. However, he failed to retain Dhaurahra in 2014. The interesting part of Prasadas candidature is that till a few days ago speculations were rife that he will be joining the BJP. The reason for discord with his party was that while Congress wanted him to field from Dhaurahra, Prasada had expressed unwillingness for the same. According to some reports only after he met Congress president Rahul Gandhi who told him to contest from Lucknow and in case of defeat he will be sent to Rajya Sabha, Prasada dropped his idea of joining BJP. Prasada who was Minister of State for Human Resource Development in the UPA government led by Manmohan Singh comes from a prominent political family of Uttar Pradesh. His father Jitendra Prasad was vice-president of Congress party and Member of Parliament from Shahjahanpur Lok Sabha seat for four times. Apart from this Jitin is also projected as a prominent Brahmin face in Uttar Pradesh. In case of Jitin while it would be wrong to mark his candidature as irrelevant or already lost', the fact remains that he is a not a tough match for the opponent-incumbent and it is not a confident bet for the Congress either and probably this is the reason it has assured a Rajya Sabha seat to Jitin in case of a defeat. Political parties understand that the fight is toughest in the constituencies where topmost leaders of any party are in the poll fray. In this scenario either they choose to field a candidate who can fight decisively and actually pose a challenge to the incumbent, irrespective of winning or losing or they put forward a candidate who accepts to fight a lost battle in return of some rewards to be given in future. This trend is not limited to a specific seat as political wisdom, in general, ensures that parties dont field candidates whose loss can be equated to lack of confidence in the party itself. Vajpayee who contested from Lucknow five times hardly had to face a political heavyweight of his stature as an opponent. Most famous of those who were pitted against him were senior advocate Ram Jethmalani as an independent candidate, Karan Singh of Congress, filmmaker Muzaffar Ali on Samajwadi Party ticket and actor Raj Babbar from Congress in 2004, 1999, 1998, 1996 respectively. But all of them were defeated with huge margins. Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency which is represented by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi since 2004 has witnessed the same trend. Be it BJP, Samajwadi Party, or Bahujan Samaj Party, none of its candidates had a match to Sonia in their political stature. Ashok Kr Singh (BJP), RS Kushwaha (BSP) or Ajay Agarwal (BJP) who contested against Sonia and came a distant second in 2004, 2009 and 2014 elections respectively are hardly any match for the political figure like Sonia. Rahul Gandhi who made his political debut in 2004 and contested the Lok Sabha election from Amethi had Chandra Prakash Mishra from BSP, Ram Vilas Vedanti from BJP as main opponents. All these candidates might have good ground connect but none of them had the political weight that could have posed a serious challenge to the legacy that ensured Rahuls victory. As expected Rahul won the election by around 3 lakh votes. Again in 2009, the list of candidates fielded by different parties in Amethi made it clear that Gandhi scion will have an easy win. He won the election with even greater margin by securing 71.78 percent of total votes polled. In 2014 young and energetic Smriti Irani was fielded against Rahul who gave a tough fight to him but could not secure a seat for her party. But the fact that she took on Rahul decisively was appreciated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi who made her Union cabinet minister with a portfolio of Human Resource Development that was held earlier by likes of BJP stalwarts Murli Manohar Joshi. In the days to come two major political players in Uttar Pradesh that is SP and BSP who have come together to take on the ruling BJP will announce their candidate for Lucknow and other high profile constituencies like Varanasi, which is represented by Prime Minister Modi. It will be interesting to see if their choice of candidate hints at a willingness for a tough fight or will they be fielded just because of compulsion to field one. Since Rahul is projected as the next probable prime minister, Congress expects that people, the majority of them eke out a living from farming, will vote for him en masse. Even though the All India Congress Committee (AICC) is still holding the cards close to its chest on party president Rahul Gandhis second seat in Wayanad, Kerala leaders are confident that he will come and it is only matter of time before the official announcement is made. Rahul is seeking reelection from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. The uncertainty over his contesting from Wayanad has not dampened the upbeat mood of the Congress and the party's allies in the United Democratic Front (UDF) across the state. Congress leaders and workers are all set to welcome the party president to Wayanad, traditionally a Congress bastion. As soon as when former chief minister and AICC general secretary Oommen Chandy revealed the move of the AICC a couple of days back, Kozhikode District Congress Committee (DCC) president T Siddique who was allotted the seat and started campaign, has voluntarily announced that he is opting out from the contest in favour of the party president. Now he is heading the campaign for his leader. Congress workers have started writing on walls seeking votes for Rahul and putting up posters across the constituency. Wayanad, constituted in 2009, is perched on the Western Ghats in the north of the state and spreads over the three revenue district of Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram. The constituency comprises seven Assembly segments of Kalpetta, Mananthavady and Sulthan Batheri in Wayanad district, Thiruvambady in Kozhikode district and Nilambur, Eranad and Vandoor in Malappuram district. It is the part of the spices belt of the state. In the first election held after the formation of the constituency in 2009, a senior Congress leader MI Shanawaz won the seat by a whopping margin of over 1.5 lakh votes than his nearest rival M Rahmathulla of CPI. Shanavaz retained the seat in 2014, but with a much lesser margin of over 20,000 votes, owing to the lacklustre performance of the MP coupled with the unprecedented farm crisis and anti-incumbency factors against the second Manmohan Singh government. The major chunk of the population in the constituency is the Christina settlers whose forefathers migrated here from central parts of the state nearly a century ago in search of land for farming. They are the solid vote bank of Congress. Equally, or more strong is the native Muslim population. Baring a minuscule section, members of the entire community is associated with Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) the second largest, constituent of the UDF. It is, therefore, the AICC leadership has contacted the IUML supremo Syed Muhammedali Thangal and conveyed its intention to field Rahul in the Wayanad constituency. "I got a phone call from Delhi in this regard and I offered them all support of my party, he told media persons. PK Kunhalikutty, IUML general secretary and the party candidate in the Malappuram Lok Sabha constituency, said that he (Rahul) has to come only to file the nomination and we will take care of the rest. "Rahul Gandhi is the future prime minister and we, IUML, think that it is our duty to ensure his victory in Wayanad with a margin of 2-2.5 lakh votes. No doubt, it is very much within our reach, not an exaggeration, Kunnhalikutty, five-time state minister and member in the outgoing Lok Sabha, said. Since Rahul is projected as the next probable prime minister, Congress expects that people, the majority of them eke out a living from farming, will vote for him en masse. Political pundits argue that his move seeking almost BJP-free safe South Indian seat will adversely affect the morale of the party workers, particularly in the North. It sends a wrong message that even the prime ministerial candidate of the Opposition is not safe in the North. Their assessment has further strengthened the ongoing chorus of the BJP that by looking for a second constituency, Rahul himself has admitted his defeat to Smriti Irani. Irani is taking him again in Amethi, a pocket borough of the Nehru-Gandhi family for decades. In the 2014 election, she could bring down his winning margin to 1.07 lakh from 3.70 lakh votes in the previous term. She has already kicked off her campaign in Amethi and claims that this time she would wrest the seat. "Amethi drove him away. Calls requesting him to contest from other seats are being staged as people have rejected him, Irani tweeted soon after the news came out that he is looking for a seat. But the fact is that seeking a second seat is not a new thing in Indian politics. Last time Narendra Modi contested in two seats. Even Smriti Irani fought the battle of ballot in Amethi and Chandni Chowk in Delhi. She fell at both places. Annoyed by the attack of the BJP, the AICC is now trying to propagate that Rahul has been invited by various Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) including Kerala and Tamil Nadu committees, to contest from their respective constituencies. However, it is far from the truth as far as Kerala is concerned. A few senior leaders confided that it was former defence minister and Congress Working Committee member AK Antony who conveyed it to the Kerala leaders. It was only then they came to know about the move. So they have confidently announced that Rahul is contesting from Wayanad. Now since the AICC announcement had been delaying, Kerala leaders have taken a leaf from AICC and say that KPCC has invited Rahul to contest from Wayanad too. But the leaders are unanimous in their view that Rahul is safer in Amethi than last time. "See, this time BSP-SP combine is not fielding candidate in the constituency. That itself is a big thing. Last time SP had a candidate. So he will win the seat, said a senior Congress leader. Congress leaders say that Rahuls move to contest in Wayanad is not a move to contest in a safe seat. But it is a well-designed strategy planned mainly by AICC general secretary in charge of organisation KC Venugopal, a close confidant of Rahul. Tutored by the master strategist late K Karunakaran, former chief minister and veteran Congress leader and once a king maker in Congress, Venugopal was the architect of the JD(S)-Congress Karnataka government. He was also instrumental in installing Ashok Gehlot as Rajasthan chief minister, say party sources. The core idea is that to campaign strongly in the South where BJP is out of power except in Goa. In the North, East, and West, there are strong anti-BJP regional parties. They will put up a strong fight against BJP there. Since victory is sure in Wayanad, he doesnt need to spend much time in Amethi. He can peacefully campaign across the country. Congress expects that his candidature in Wayanad is to create a 'Rahul Wave' across the state, that will enable the party to sweep all the 20 seats in Kerala. Since the Wayanad constituency is sharing boundaries with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, ripples of the 'Rahul Wave' will reach these states too, and even beyond it. The party hopes that with the effect of 'Rahul Wave', Congress and its allies can win nearly 80 percent of the total 132 seats in the South. (Kerala 20, Tamil Nadu 39, Karnataka 28, Goa 2, Andhra 25, Telangana 17 and Union Territory of Pondicherry 1) Congress argues that conditions are conducive in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Since the JD(S)-Congress government are only a few months old, the public mood is not against JD(S) and Congress. This apart, BJP has no strong leadership in Karnataka. The recent kickback scam has further eclipsed the image of the party in the state. The party says that in Tamil Nadu, people are fed up with the AIADMK government. Adding insult to injury to it, kin of some of the AIADMK leaders are involved in the sex scam in which several college girls were sexually assaulted for months. Congress is in alliance with DMK. From the North and other regions, the party envisages that with allies, it can win between 60 and 100 seats mainly from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and even Gujarat. If this strategy works out, Congress believes that it can form the government with the backing of BSP-SP, Trinamool Congress and other likeminded regional and small parties. Congress expects problems from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Once the party gets a chance to form the government, winners form these two states can be tamed, Congress hopes. Once the official announcement of Rahuls candidature come, we will design our work on the lines of this strategy. We are confident that it will be rewarding, says a senior Congress leader. Amid much speculation over the BJP's candidate for the Bangalore South Lok Sabha seat, the saffron party declared 28-year-old lawyer Tejasvi Surya for the constituency late on Monday night. Amid much speculation over the BJP's candidate for the Bangalore South Lok Sabha seat, the saffron party declared 28-year-old lawyer Tejasvi Surya for the constituency late on Monday night. The 'rising BJP star' will be fighting from the seat that late party leader Ananth Kumar also Surya's mentor had held since 1999, until his death last year. Surya took to Twitter to express exuberant gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for choosing him from the seat. Earlier, reports had said that Modi might also contest from Bangalore South along with his Varanasi seat in Uttar Pradesh, but the party dismissed the speculation as rumours. Surya, a practicing lawyer at the Karnataka High Court, said, "OMG OMG! I can't believe this. PM of world's largest democracy & President of largest political party have reposed faith in a 28 yr old guy to represent them in a constituency as prestigious as B'lore South. This can happen only in my BJP. Only in #NewIndia of @narendramodi." Reportedly, the decision to field Surya from the BJP's bastion was taken during the BJP's central election committee (CEC) meeting on Monday. The BJP leader also pledged to "work ceaselessly for our motherland till my last breath". Lauding Shah for his "determination, conviction, and ideology", Surya said, "My hands are trembling as I type this. Last year, I had opportunity to talk to our Hon'ble President @AmitShah Ji. The one hour conversation with him left me so motivated that I couldn't sleep for a week." Karnataka BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa had publicly recommended the name of Ananth Kumar's wife, Tejaswini as a candidate for the seat, and reportedly, she had also started campaigning. On Monday night, Tejaswini tweeted urging BJP workers to work in unity. "My urge all the BJP karyakartas, friends and well wishers who are anxious and upest & still visting our house in large numbers. Time to show we are a 'party with a difference'.We are all committed to tread the path of ideology. And work for #NaMoAgain2019." Surya is the nephew of BJP's Ravi Subramanya and is believed to have an association with the party's ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), NDTV reported. I can't thank enough RSS and its selfless leaders for showering their choicest blessings on me. You have excused my mistakes, tolerated my mischief, supported me in every possible way. I can't believe that men like @MUKUNDAckpura & @blsanthosh exist in real. I want to be like you Chowkidar Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) March 25, 2019 "The poll debutant has gained a reputation as a fiery orator. Critics have accused him of delivering polarising speeches," the report said. "I have a hundred ideas brimming in my mind for our city and country. People of Bengaluru, let's take our great city to newer heights. I need your support & blessings. Its a long road ahead, let us all walk together. Let's make Bengaluru AWESOME!," Surya also wrote. With inputs from agencies Shatrughan Sinha is a two-term BJP Lok Sabha member from Patna Sahib Singh but has been dropped by the saffron party which has chosen to field Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from the seat Patna: Bollywood actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who has been associated with BJP for about three decades, will join Congress in New Delhi on 28 March, a senior party leader said on Tuesday. "Shatrughan Sinha will join Congress in New Delhi on 28 March at 11.30 am ... He will be our candidate from Patna Sahib", chairman for the state Congress election campaign committee Akhilesh Prasad Singh told newsmen. Sinha is a two-term BJP Lok Sabha member from Patna Sahib Singh but has been dropped by the saffron party which has chosen to field Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from the seat. Sinha has been openly critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. Speculation had been rife for some time that he would join the Congress, which is an ally of the 'Mahagathbandhan' which also consists of the RJD and other local parties. Asked whether Sinha would be induced in the party in the presence of AICC president Rahul Gandhi, as was being speculated in the media, Singh said "top leaders will be present on the occasion". Sources in the 'Mahagathbandhan' had recently claimed that there was a tug of war between the Congress and RJD over Sinha's candidature as Lalu Prasad's party, with which the 'Bihari Babu' shares cordial relations, was said to be keen on fielding him on its own symbol. Congress has been contesting from Patna Sahib whenever it has fought the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the RJD and Singhs statement indicate that decks have been cleared for Sinhas candidature by the Congress leadership. Singh, however, dodged queries about Kirti Azad, another BJP MP who had recently joined the Congress saying, "he will be contesting elections. From where, it will be decided by the party". Azad is serving his second consecutive term in the Lok Sabha from Darbhanga and the Congress wants to field him from the seat as the constituency has a large population of Maithil Brahmins its traditional supporters. RJD has been insisting that it has won the Darbhanga seat many times and would like to contest it again with its senior leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui as its candidate. Randeep Surjewala explained that minimum income guarantee was not a 'top-up scheme' and will be implemented to the poor across urban and rural areas A day after Congress president Rahul Gandhi promising a mega minimum income guarantee scheme of Rs 72,000 annually to families earning less than Rs 12,000 per month, if the UPA comes to power, party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala on Tuesday attacked the Narendra Modi-led BJP government for opposing the project. Addressing media persons in Delhi, Surjewala said "hypocrite Modi can forgive Rs 3,50,000 crore" defaulted by some businessmen but has trouble handing over Rs 72,000 to India's poor. "In his very first speech in Parliament, after becoming the prime minister, Modi had opposed MNREGA, a scheme that eradicated poverty. But he can spend Rs 5,000 crore for his publicity and advertisements," said Surjewala. Hours after Rahul had made the announcement, Union minister Arun Jaitley called it a "bluff" and said the Congress has a history of cheating the poor and misleading the country in the name of removing poverty. Launching another scathing attack on the prime minister, Surjewala called Modi "anti-poor" and alleged that the latter's "GST destroyed small businesses in the country" even as he went on to add how National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data has revealed a loss of four crore jobs in the past four years. He went on to explain that the project was not a "top-up scheme" and will be implemented for the poor across urban and rural areas. "This scheme is women-centric and the money will be deposited in the account of homemakers." The grand old party has dubbed the scheme as NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojana) meaning 'justice'. Congress general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had on Monday said the party did its calculations and consulted best economists, as she sent out a tweet as #NyayforIndia. "Subsequent Congress governments have reduced India's poverty from 70 percent during independence to 22 percent. We will work towards removing the remaining 22 percent poverty," said Surjewala. The government's failure to recognise forest farmers from four villages in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district Bhawanipur, Bichiya, Tediya, Dhakiya has forced them to live without dignity for decades 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 *** Mihirpurva: Katarniaghat in Uttar Pradeshs Bahraich district, which straddles the India-Nepal border, attracts thousands of tourists and nature lovers from all over the country as well as across the world. This wildlife reserve is famous for its tigers, lions, elephants, rhinoceros, and a variety of birds. Katarniaghat is also home to Ganges Dolphins and the highly endangered Indian vultures. Precisely for this reason, Katarniaghat was given the slogan Durlabh, Sulabh Hai! (Rare, but accessible!). However, the 7,000-strong population living in its vicinity, called vantangiyas or vangramvasis, shows a stark contrast, surviving in pitiable and pathetic conditions. Exploitation broke the communitys back Bahraich is included in Niti Aayogs list of 100 most backward districts. It has 14 development blocks of which Mihirpurva is at the bottom. Predominantly, Mihirpuva is covered with dense forests in which five villages Bhawanipur, Bichiya, Tediya, Dhakiya, and Gokulpur aka Kailashnagar are referred to as vangrams. During the British Raj in the 18th Century, a permanent solution law was enacted to streamline and increase revenue collection. The result was that zamindars acquired most of the lands, leaving a large number of farmers landless. To sustain themselves, these farmers became farm labourers. In 1865, the British decided to develop forestland and introduced a forest management system because the government needed a huge quantity of wood to lay railway tracks. It also needed cheap as well as begaar (unpaid) labour. Hence, the government announced a resettlement plan under which many farmers were given uninhabited lands, where they built homes and began farming. The government charged them 37 paise per bigha as revenue. The British officers exploited the resettled farmers by compelling them to work without pay for various services, like facilitating hunting expeditions, providing livestock free of cost, and paving roads. Compared to other communities residing in jungles across the country, the resettled farmers were not given social and lawful recognition. They were not even considered citizens of India. The five villages these vantangiyas inhabited were not considered part of any village panchayat or district panchayat in Uttar Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act, 1995. Their names were not included in the Families Register Part 2, which was very essential for establishing their official identity. All this deprived them of the benefits of several welfare schemes. In the absence of proof of residence, income, or, caste, they could not even open bank accounts, let alone seek bank loans for self-employment opportunities. They could not apply for passports or seek government jobs. No below the poverty line survey or Census was conducted in the vangrams either, and though they were allotted lands, no vantangiya were considered landowner. They were exploited by unscrupulous forest officials who paid them below minimum wages and worked them overtime to keep up the pace of reforestation. Slaving for survival even after Independence Even after Independence, there was no improvement in the vantangiyas' plight, as they continued to slog for 10-12 hours planting trees without remuneration from the forest department. Moved by their plight, the NGO Dehat launched an outreach programme in 2003, as part of which it created awareness among vantangiyas about their social and legal rights. The result was that after a three-year sustained struggle, they attained freedom from unpaid labour. However, the rights enjoyed by other citizens of the country still remain a distant dream for them. The forest department gave land to our ancestors and charged them revenue. But later, the revenue policy was declared illegal and we were evicted from these lands. Meanwhile, in 2006, another Act was enforced; it stipulated that those aged above 75 would be given land rights. Though many filled claim forms, only 14 were accepted. Against these 14 accepted claims, 15 land deeds were executed in Dhakiya, eight in Tediya, and 19 in Bhawanipur, says Gita Prasad, a resident of Dhakiya village, which is among the five vantangiya villages or vangrams of Mihirpurva block. Highlighting the persisting problems, Gita adds, There are no roads, not even kharanja (brick) tracks. The benefits of government schemes still dont reach us. During elections, politicians come to seek our votes, but afterwards, they turn their backs on us." We were hoping that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath would come to Bhawanipur and grant us revenue status. But he visited only Bahraich on 29 December, 2018. We had to arrange our own transport all the way there only to be told that revenue status had been bestowed on Gokulpur village alone, despite the other four vangrams Tedhiya, Dhakiya, Bhawanipur, and Bichiya belonging to Katarniaghat forest range," she says. When villagers got the disappointing news, they went into a rage. "Resentment is growing day by day, she adds. One of the recipients of Presidents Award for Beti Padhao Beti Bachao scheme is Tediya vangramvasi Bhanmati. "When politicians come seeking our votes, they address the women as maaee (mother), behni (sister), dadi (grandmother), and bua (aunt). But when it comes to government welfare schemes, we are considered vangramvasi, she says. "Now we know our rights. We will snatch it from the government if it is not given to us, and we will not resist in becoming terrorists if our rights are denied to us," she adds. Dark nights, missing facilities Airing more grievances, Bhawanipur vangramvasi Sohan Lal Yadav says, When someone falls critically ill in our village, we carry the patient on a charpoy and walk several kilometres to reach the nearest health centre, because there is no electricity here. The kerosene lamps that we use cant stand against the breeze. At night, we have to keep our children huddled together to protect them from snakes and scorpions." "If we are not residents of India then the government should get us all killed," said Yadav. On 14 April, 2010, though Rigzin Samphel, the then district magistrate of Bahraich, gave the vangramvasis permission to farm on forestland, there was no marked improvement in their lives as their villages were not included in revenue records. Hence, the benefits did not reach them. In 2011, 20 per cent of the vangramvasi population was given land deeds. Was there any change in their lives because of it? "None whatsoever," scoffs Yadav. "One cant get bank loans against patta (title deed), nor can anybody access health services in the absence of khatauni (record of rights). Its us who protect the forests. If we move out of here, forests and wildlife will vanish in no time. The government keeps claiming that no section of the society will remain deprived of benefits, but thats far from reality, he adds. For land allotment in any vangram, the only condition is that the person should be above 75 years of age. However, a 78-year-old Dhakiya vangramvasi claims that he has neither been given any land nor any pension by the government. "In my village, there are 250 families, but only eight have been given land. Where is Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas? We have been pushed into a do-or-die situation! he says. The somewhat more shocking revelation came from Bhawanipur vangramvasi Putti Lal. There are 2,500 families in my village but not a single toilet. Moreover, there are nearly 350 children and no school; they are forced to study in makeshift tents, says Lal. All talk, no action? When this reporter approached Bansidhar Baudh, social welfare minister in the former Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh, to find out why vangrams were not brought within the revenue departments ambit, he claims, When I was a minister, I took the vangramvasi issue to then chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, following which a proposal was sent to the social welfare department. It said all those aged above 18 would be given Rs 10 lakh to move out of the forests. The scheme worked for a while, but after the Samajwadi Party was voted out of power, the matter hit a roadblock." According to Dr Jitendra Chaturvedi, who has been fighting for the rights of vangramvasis for more than 15 years, the vangramvasis have been living deprived lives for almost 154 years. He says, "Thirteen years have passed since the passing of laws to protect the forests, and yet, those living there havent got even a fraction of the benefits. Because they havent been given their rights, they cant even build pucca homes or toilets; neither is there any drainage system nor brick roads. Dr Chaturvedi says that since vangramvasis havent been assimilated into the Indian mainstream, they are forced to live a life without dignity. "The only way to bring them into the mainstream is to include their villages in revenue department records, he adds. Gokulpur is the only vangram to have been included in the revenue records, while people of the other four vangrams have been left out in the cold. And they don't when the authorities will consider their situation. District magistrate Shambhu Nath assures that the process to include the other vangrams in revenue records is on. However, considering the bouquet of empty promises in the past, only time will tell if this will actually happen. The author is a Bahraich-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters Addressing a meeting of his party workers in Jaipur, Rahul lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his prime to transfer Rs 15 lakh to every bank account. 'We thought it was a good idea... Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts. But the promise was not fulfilled by Modi. We started our work six months ago to make such a thing reality,' he said. Jaipur: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said his party consulted "big economists" including former RBI governor Rahuram Rajan before it came up with the idea of minimum guaranteed income to the poorest 20 percent households in the country. Addressing a meeting of his party workers in Jaipur, Rahul lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his prime to transfer Rs 15 lakh to every bank account. "We thought it was a good idea... Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts. But the promise was not fulfilled by Modi. We started our work six months ago to make such a thing reality," he said. He went on to say that his party consulted "all big economists, without telling anyone, without giving any speeches". "We were engaged in this work for six months. Take the list of all big economists of the world, we consulted them... Raghuram Rajan... one by one," he said. "First, we came to know was that there should be a minimum income line. We calculated and the result was that the minimum income line should be 12,000 per month," he said, adding that the party will fulfil the promise. On Monday, Rahul had announced in New Delhi that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income to poor families, benefiting around 25 crore people, if his party is voted to power in Lok Sabha election, and asserted it will be the final assault on poverty. Rahul had said 20 percent or five crore families belonging to the poorest category with monthly income less than Rs 12,000 would come under the scheme tech2 News Staff Apple iPhones and iPads have started receiving the iOS 12.2 update and it brings in new features including the recently announced Apple News Plus subscription service. Apart from that we also see new Animojis, AirPlay 2 features, along with bug fixes and improvements. Apple News Plus service costs $9.99 (around Rs 700) and consolidates popular newspaper and magazine subscriptions, which could appeal more to casual readers suffering from subscription fatigue. Users can get a subscription for publications such as The New Yorker, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Wired, Los Angeles Times and more. A new feature introduced on the iOS 12.2 update is the ability to play videos from your iOS device to Apple TV using Siri. For using this feature, your Apple TV also needs to be updated to version 12.2. Apart from that Apple has also brought AirPlay 2 support for the AirPods 2, which were silently announced last week along with the new iPad mini and iPad Air. As per The Verge, the iPad Pro (Review) is getting support for the Logitech Crayon, which was previously limited to the sixth-generation iPad. In terms of new Animojis, Apple is adding a giraffe, shark, boar, and an owl. To check if you have gotten the update open up Settings, then tap General. Navigate to Software Update,. Apple has announced its new gaming service called Apple Arcade, which gives users access to more than 100 new and exclusive iOS games to play across multiple devices such as the iPad, iPhone, Macs, and Apple TV. Apple hasn't revealed an exact launch date just yet but did mention that the service will be launched in Fall 2019 and that it will be available in more than 150 countries. Reuters Netflix is testing a Rs 250 monthly subscription for mobile devices in India, the video streaming giant said, aiming to boost its presence in a price-sensitive market where data consumption on smartphones is surging. California-based Netflix currently offers three monthly plans in India, ranging from Rs 500 to 800, but those are still expensive compared with similar offerings from rivals. Amazons Prime service, which offers video streaming, music and faster shipping of purchases, is priced at Rs 999 a year while local rival Hotstar has a free service as well paid plans starting at 365 rupees a year. Netflixs test plan at Rs 250 a month gives users access to standard definition video on smartphones and tablets, a company spokesman said. We will be testing different options in select countries where members can, for example, watch Netflix on their mobile device for a lower price and subscribe in shorter increments of time, he added. Netflixs Indian roster includes blockbuster originals such as Sacred Games, global superhits such as Narcos as well as Indian cinema. However, its premium pricing is seen by critics as a stumbling block to bulking up its Indian user base. Chief Executive Reed Hastings told Reuters late last year that Netflix had no plans for cheaper prices in India, where it aims to win its next 100 million subscribers. The company emphasised on Tuesday that the new plan is a test and the company might not roll out these specific plans beyond the tests. Netflixs strategy to launch the test for mobile devices in India comes against the backdrop of rising demand for smartphones in the worlds second-biggest mobile phone market with more than 1.1 billion wireless connections. Aspirational buyers looking for bigger screens and better user experience are likely to spend more on their second or third smartphones, pushing up the average selling price by 18 percent from last year to $190, said Tarun Pathak of technology researcher Counterpoint. tech2 News Staff On 1 April, the Indian Space Research Organisation will carry the Indian EMISAT and 29 other satellites and place them in orbit in a special mission. This will be the first time ISRO attempts to place satellites in three different orbits in a single satellite launch mission the PSLV-C45/EMISAT mission. What is EMISAT? The highlight of the launch on 1 April is EMISAT a powerful electronic intelligence/surveillance satellite developed jointly by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organisation). For satellite standards, EMISAT is a rather small one weighing in at under 500 kg. ISRO will likely place EMISAT in a highly elliptical orbit, also called a signature SIGINT orbit, after its launch on the PSLV-QL, a new variant in the PSLV family. This gives satellites the maximum amount of time to record high-resolution signals from a specific area. How does EMISAT work? EMISAT is modelled after a famous Israeli spy satellite called SARAL (Satellite with ARgos and ALtika). Both these satellites have the SSB-2 bus protocol the core component for their sharp electronic surveillance capabilities across the length and width of a large country like India. EMISAT also has a special altimeter (a radar altitude measuring device) called 'AltiKa' that works in the Ka-band microwave region of the spectrum. The electronic surveillance payload of EMISAT was developed under DRDO's project 'KAUTILYA'. The main capability of EMISAT is in signal intelligence intercepting signals broadcasted by communication systems, radars, and other electronic systems on the ground from hundred of kilometres away in space. The Ka-band frequency that EMISAT is sensitive to allows the 436-kg EMISAT India's newest spy in the sky to scan through ice, rain, coastal zones, land masses, forests and wave heights relatively easily. As of this month, the EMISAT project has been eight years in the making. On 1 April, the PSLV-C45 mission will carry it into low-Earth orbit and place it in an orbit at 749 km. Following this, 28 other satellites will also be released at different altitudes. Other payloads on the PSLV-C45 mission Flock 4a Doves: Twenty Earth-imaging CubeSats made by Planet Labs, called the 'Flock 4a' fleet. Planet has placed 219 Flock doves in orbit since 2013 almost half of them launched in 2017. Lemur-2: Four CubeSats (3U) by Spire Global, a space-to-cloud analytics company that uses nanosatellites to track aviation, maritime, and weather patterns. The Lemur-2s were built to study and monitor air, marine traffic using remote sensing techniques. BlueWalker-1: A 6U CubeSat built by AST & Science and Nanoavionics Two of our precious #nanosatellites have been safely packed and will be heading to India, for integration to #PSLVc45. The launch is scheduled in March - stay tuned for updates!#satellite #cubesat #newspace pic.twitter.com/Xx8ROjnIuz NanoAvionics (@NanoAvionics) February 15, 2019 M6P: A 6U CubeSat by Nanoavionics to test a new (M6P) platform to host Internet of Things (IoT) payloads with space companies SpaceWorks Orbital and Lacuna Space. The 'green' chemical propulsion system on M6P was part of the LituanicaSAT-2 satellite that was launched on the PSLV C38 mission. Astrocast-2: A 3U CubeSat built by Astrocast, a network of small satellites providing low-cost Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity "to people changing the world", as per their website. AIStechsat-3 (Danu Pathfinder): A 2U cubesat made by AIStechspace to help with maritime and aeronautical tracking. The CubeSat is a prototype for a larger constellation to deliver Internet of Things (IoT) services for tracking & monitoring in the aviation sector. Special fourth stage experiment The fourth stage (PS4) of the PSLV-C43 in this EMISAT mission will act as an orbital platform for research organisations and academic institutes to perform microgravity experiments in. The upcoming mission's PS4 will host three payload experiments: Automatic Identification System (AIS) from ISRO Automatic Packet Repeating System (APRS) from AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation), India Advanced Retarding Potential Analyzer for Ionospheric Studies (ARIS) from Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) ISRO discussed at the start of 2019 their interest in opening up future mission fourth stages to universities and startups to send their microgravity experiments to space for a maximum period of 6 months. The PSLV's PS4 would shelter it from space debris as well as power the experiments for that duration. One of the two non-ISRO entities making the most of the opportunity is Exseed Space, which, after becoming the first Indian private company to go to space in the PSLV-C44 mission, will soon also become the second to go to space. India's 1st private company to go to space is also the 2nd to go to space! This time we're flying on @isro #PSLVC45 on April 1. With a very special payload - await details Do send us your wishes - they take us higher! pic.twitter.com/4kCv2Ieveb Exseed Space (@ExseedSpace) March 25, 2019 When and where to watch the EMISAT launch live The PSLV-C45 mission will launch on 1 April aboard a modified version of the PSLV rocket. The overall flight sequence will take roughly 180 minutes, starting with the launch at 9.30 am ISRO on Monday, 1 April. A live stream of the launch and separation will be available on DD National's YouTube page or ISRO's website starting 9 am Monday. Death Miscount Etched Into History President Clinton and veterans from across the nation will gather in somber remembrance this afternoon at the Korean War Veterans Memorial, where it is carved into stone that 54,246 Americans died in the war that began 50 years ago today. For decades, the number has been enshrined in almanacs, histories, memories and monuments, cited as proof of the war's cost. But nearly one-third of those deaths--17,730--occurred elsewhere, often half a world away from Korea, in places ranging from the United States to Germany. The actual number of Americans killed in the Korean War theater of operations is 36,516, the Pentagon acknowledged this month. "If you were walking down the street in Washington, D.C., and were hit by a car, you'd be considered a casualty of the Korean War," said Burt Hagelin, a Korean War veteran who helped uncover the mystery. The error was blamed on an anonymous government clerk who in the 1950s mistakenly added all noncombat deaths worldwide to the total, and the correction was credited to revised reporting procedures, according to news accounts reporting the Pentagon's clarification. That is not the real story, according to veterans and others who have pushed for years to correct the number. "Fifty years later, they're trying to drop it all on one clerk," said Richard Kolb, publisher of VFW Magazine, a Veterans of Foreign Wars publication that several times has urged the number be corrected. "They had the facts all along. Now they're acting like it's a new revelation." Some Pentagon officials have for years considered the 54,000 figure inflated, and they believed before the memorial was dedicated in 1995 that engraving that number in black granite would be misleading, according to interviews. But at the insistence of the veterans committee that oversaw the memorial's construction, the figure was used. Press Trust of India During the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference held at Texas, US last week, NASA confirmed that Chandrayaan 2 and Israeli lander Beresheet, which is due to touch down April 11, will each carry a NASA-owned laser retroreflector arrays. Indias lunar mission Chandrayaan 2, scheduled to launch next month, will carry NASAs laser instruments that allow scientists to make precise measurements of the distance to the Moon, according to the US space agency officials. During the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference held at Texas, US last week, NASA confirmed that Chandrayaan 2 and Israeli lander Beresheet, due to touch down April 11, will each carry NASA-owned laser retroreflector arrays. "Were trying to populate the entire surface with as many laser reflector arrays as we can possibly get there," Lori Glaze, acting director of the Planetary Science Division of NASAs Science Mission Directorate, was reported as saying by Space.com. Retroreflectors are sophisticated mirrors, that reflect laser light signals sent from the Earth. The signals can help pinpoint precisely where the lander is, which scientists can use to precisely calculate the Moons distance from Earth. While five such instruments already exist on the lunar surface, they have some flaws, according to Simone DellAgnello, a physicist at the National Institute for Nuclear Physics National Laboratory at Italy. The existing reflectors are big ones, said DellAgnello adding that individual reflectors instead of arrays, would waste fewer laser pulses and allow more-precise measurements of the moons surface. Those analyses could become so detailed that scientists could see the daily rise and fall of any lander surface the device is resting on as that surface expands and contracts with the Moons dramatic temperature changes. British lawmakers seized a measure of control over the stalled Brexit process from Prime Minister Theresa May's floundering government on Monday, setting up a series of votes that could dramatically alter the course of the UK's departure from the European Union. London: British lawmakers seized a measure of control over the stalled Brexit process from Prime Minister Theresa May's floundering government on Monday, setting up a series of votes that could dramatically alter the course of the UK's departure from the European Union. The move came after May conceded that Parliament would defeat her twice-rejected divorce deal with the EU again if she put it to a third vote. With Brexit delayed and the new departure date up in the air, the House of Commons voted to give itself temporary control of the parliamentary timetable starting on Wednesday so lawmakers can vote on alternatives to May's withdrawal deal. The government usually controls the scheduling of votes in Parliament. Lawmakers who backed Monday's motion, which passed 329-302, hope the planned "indicative votes" will narrow the options down to one that can secure majority support. Possible options include a "soft Brexit" that maintains close economic ties with the EU or scrapping Britain's departure altogether. Three government ministers quit their posts so they could back the motion. Richard Harrington, who resigned as a junior business minister, accused the government of "playing roulette with the lives and livelihoods of the vast majority of people in this country" by failing to resolve Britain's Brexit impasse. The government said it was disappointed by the vote, claiming it "upends the balance between our democratic institutions and sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent for the future." But it also conceded that the new votes might be a way to break the months-long Brexit gridlock. May said she would "engage constructively" with the results of the process, though she said she was skeptical that it would produce a decisive result. The move raises the chances that Britain will tack toward a softer Brexit, and is likely to be welcomed by the EU. Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's Brexit coordinator, tweeted that it was an "opportunity to build a cross-party cooperation leading to an enhanced political declaration & a closer future relationship!" Earlier in the day, May acknowledged, "with great regret," that her deal still lacked "sufficient support" to be approved as of Monday. She said she hoped to hold a third vote on the agreement later this week and was working to build support for the deal, which sets out the terms of withdrawing from the EU and the outline of future relations with the bloc. May warned opponents that continuing to reject the deal could lead to a "slow Brexit" that postpones the country's departure indefinitely. With the 29 March Brexit day set almost two years ago days away and the withdrawal agreement lacking Parliament's approval, European leaders agreed to a postponement last week to avoid a chaotic cliff-edge departure that would be disruptive for the world's biggest trading bloc and deeply damaging for Britain. However, the EU granted a shorter delay than May sought. It said if Parliament approves the proposed divorce deal, the UK would leave the EU on 22 May. If not, the government has until 12 April to tell the 27 remaining EU countries what it plans to do leave without a deal, cancel Brexit or chart a path to a new option. In agreeing to the postponement, European leaders hoped Britain's deadlocked politicians would find a solution to the crisis. But the EU isn't counting on it. The European Commission said Monday it had completed planning for a no-deal Brexit, calling that outcome "increasingly likely. In a recent development, police in Pakistan have arrested seven people who allegedly facilitated abduction and forced conversion of the sisters from Ghotki. Ghotki, Sindh: Abduction of two minor Hindu girls in Ghotki district of Pakistans Sindh province on the eve of Holi festival has brought forth yet again the issue of forced conversions of minority Hindu community, particularly young girls, in the Muslim majority neighbouring nation. On 20 March, two Hindu minor sisters Reena, 15, and Raveena, 13 were abducted by six armed men who barged into their house and held the family hostage at gunpoint, before leaving with the two sisters, according to the First Information Report filed in the case by the girls brother, Shaman Lal. A video that went viral on social media showed the teenage girls father, Hari Lal, beat his chest in protest sitting on the ground while he claimed that the two sisters were abducted, married off to Muslim boys and forcefully converted to Islam. In a phone conversation, the brother alleged that his sisters were abducted and converted at gunpoint by an influential Muslim family that has the backing of clerics from Bharchundi Shareef Dargah in Daharki taluk of Ghotki, an institution infamous for backing forced conversion of Hindu girls in Pakistan. Seeking accountability from the government, Shaman said, We demand the government take notice of this incident and ensure their [girls] reunion with us. Prime Minister Imran Khan must intervene and do the needful. Lal familys advocate Dileep Manghlani told this correspondent: Five gunmen armed with weapons forced entry into my clients home in Ghotki and abducted his two daughters at gunpoint on 20 March, 2019 in the evening at 7.30 pm. Its a case of kidnapping, terrorism and forced conversion. The girls are too young and illiterate. How can they understand the teachings of Islam? And even if they have embraced Islam out of their will, they [influencers/cleric] should have invited girls parents to the ceremony held to mark their conversion, the advocate said. Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry told media persons on Sunday that the prime minister had taken notice of the incident and ordered authorities to take immediate steps for recovery of the girls. In a recent development, police in Pakistan have arrested seven people who allegedly facilitated abduction and forced conversion of the sisters from Ghotki. Deputy commissioner of Ghotki, Saleemullah Odho, said, Police have arrested a relative of Nikah Khawn (the cleric who conducts marriage) and the attendees of Nikah (marriage) ceremony. They are under interrogation, while police parties are raiding suspected places to arrest the main accused. Aamir Ghauri, founder-director of South Asia Future Forum, a group that brings together South Asian thinkers to deliberate on regions affairs, said, This is not the first incident of this nature. Similar incidents have happened in the past. They may happen in the future too. On the same day, another Hindu girl named Shania was allegedly abducted in Mirpurkhas district. Research carried out by local agencies reveals almost 300 Hindu girls are converted each year and forced to marry Muslim men, who in 95 percent cases are already married. Mukesh Meghwar, a social and political human rights activist states that seven Hindu girls have been kidnapped and forcibly converted to Islam in the last five weeks. We condemn it. The government needs to take note of it. As many as seven Hindu girls have been kidnapped and forcibly converted during the last five weeks. According to provincial law, underage girls/boys cannot be converted without the presence of their parents. A document released in 2014 by the Movement for Solidarity and Peace (MSP) in Pakistan, under the National Commission for Justice and Peace, stated 1,791 forced conversions into Islam took place between 2000 and 2012. Of those converted, 624 were originally Christian by faith and 300 were Hindu. (Forced Marriages & Forced Conversions in the Christian Community of Pakistan, April 2014). In an Islamic republic of 200 million majority Muslim population (as per the 2018 Census), Hindus constitute 1.6 percent of the population estimated to be around 3.6 million (36 Lakhs) in number in 2018. What has shaken the minority community here are recent incidents of forced conversions of their young girls. Pakistans Sindh province, home to a majority of Hindu community, has been infamous for forced conversion of young Hindu girls. Hindu community here have been battling poverty, discrimination and hatred (by Majority Muslims) for a long time. In interior Sindh, a Hindu-dominated region of Pakistan, kidnapping and forced conversion of Hindu girls to Islam takes place regularly. Hindu girls are a soft target for influential Muslims. They are kidnapped on a routine basis, says Amarnath Motumal, an activist and a council member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. He adds, Hindu families are too scared. The kidnappings and conversations are done by influential people of the region. The victims prefer to remain silent to save their lives. Further shedding light on the incident, Bherulal Balani, a former member of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh, said most of these Hindu girls belong to low castes, which stops their families from raising their voice against influential kidnappers out of fear. Even the police prefer to bury these cases, he said. Officials from Sindh province said the phenomenon of forced conversion has increased in Sindh during the last couple of years. We are very worried. We cannot afford sending our young children either to India or to other countries to avoid forced conversion, says Sanao Menghwar, 46, a resident of Nawab Shah region in Sindh. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, says he plans to introduce a five-point resolution to end the kidnapping and forced conversion of Hindu girls, in the next session of Pakistans Lower House. The bill against forced conversions which was unanimously passed by Sindh Assembly in 2016 and then reverted due to the pressure of extremist elements must be resurrected and passed in the Assembly on a priority basis. The bill must be passed in the National Assembly on an urgent basis and implemented throughout the country in letter and spirit, he said. He further demands that these incidents be condemned unanimously by all members of the Parliament. I am not sure if the government (Provincial Sindh government as well as the Federal) will be able to stop forced conversion. But, we must appreciate Prime Minister Imran Khan for taking notice of the incident, Vankwani told this correspondent. He mentioned that the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights and the Sindh Assembly has unanimously approved a draft bill to amend the Child Marriage Restraint Act by raising the minimum age of marriage for girls to 18 years from present 16 in the country. Hindus as a minority in Pakistan have had considerably fewer privileges, rights and protections. In Pakistan, anti-Hindu sentiments are common, as followers of any other faith but Islam are often regarded as Kaffirs (Unbelievers) and blamed for causing all the problems in Pakistan. The author is a Pakistan-based freelance writer and a member of 101reporters.com. Trump on Sunday claimed victory after a summary of the report, submitted to the Congress, found no conspiracy 'despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign'. Washington: US President Donald Trump on Monday asserted that the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report would not bother him at all and the decision to make the report public lies with the Justice Department. The report by Mueller, a former FBI director, is a nearly two-year investigation into the allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential elections. Trump on Sunday claimed victory after a summary of the report, submitted to the Congress, found no conspiracy "despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign". Opposition Democratic party, which has been alleging that Russian interference helped Trump win his presidency, are demanding that the report be made public. "It wouldn't bother me at all," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if he wanted the complete report to be released. He said it is up to Attorney General William Barr to decide whether to release the full report. Trump says he is glad that Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling is over and wishes it could have gone quicker. "We can never let this happen to another president again," he said. Earlier, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders also said the President would have no problem with the release of the Mueller report. "I don't think the president has any problem with it. He's more than happy for any of this stuff to come out because he knows exactly what did and what didn't happen and now frankly the rest of America knows," Sanders said on NBC's Today show. Though Mueller found no evidence of Trump or his campaign conspiring with a Russian effort to influence the election in his favour, he stopped short of exonerating the president of obstruction of justice. Attorney General Barr, however, concluded that there was insufficient evidence to bring obstruction of justice charges against Trump. Sanders said the Americans know "there was no collusion, they know there was no obstruction and it's a complete and total exoneration of the president." By David Alire Garcia MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A trove of Aztec sacrifices including a richly adorned jaguar dressed as a warrior and recently discovered in downtown Mexico City could lead archaeologists to the most tantalizing find yet: an Aztec emperor's tomb. Discovered off the steps of the Aztec's holiest temple during the reign of the empire's most powerful ruler, the sacrificial offerings also include a young boy, dressed to resemble the Aztec war god and solar deity, and a set of flint knives elaborately decorated with mother of pearl and precious stones. The offerings were deposited by Aztec priests over five centuries ago in a circular, ritual platform once located in front of the temple where the earliest historical accounts describe the final resting place of Aztec kings. By David Alire Garcia MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A trove of Aztec sacrifices including a richly adorned jaguar dressed as a warrior and recently discovered in downtown Mexico City could lead archaeologists to the most tantalizing find yet: an Aztec emperor's tomb. Discovered off the steps of the Aztec's holiest temple during the reign of the empire's most powerful ruler, the sacrificial offerings also include a young boy, dressed to resemble the Aztec war god and solar deity, and a set of flint knives elaborately decorated with mother of pearl and precious stones. The offerings were deposited by Aztec priests over five centuries ago in a circular, ritual platform once located in front of the temple where the earliest historical accounts describe the final resting place of Aztec kings. None of these details have been reported before and such a discovery would mark a first since no Aztec royal burial has yet been found despite decades of digging. "We have enormous expectations right now," lead archeologist Leonardo Lopez Lujan told Reuters. "As we go deeper we think we'll continue finding very rich objects." The jaguar offering, found in a large rectangular stone box in what would have been the center of the circular platform, has stirred particular excitement. Only about one-tenth of the box's contents has been excavated, but already a wide array of artifacts has been found near the top, including a spear thrower and a carved wooden disk placed on the feline's back that was the emblem of the Aztec patron deity Huitzilopochtli, the war and sun god. A layer of aquatic offerings placed on top of the west-facing jaguar have also been identified, including a large amount of shells, bright red starfish and coral that likely represented the watery underworld the Aztecs believed the sun traveled through at night before emerging in the east to begin a new day. A roseate spoonbill, a pink bird from the flamingo family, has also been found in the offering. It was associated with warriors and rulers, and thought to represent their spirits in their descent into the underworld. "There's an enormous amount of coral that's blocking what we can see below," said archeologist Miguel Baez, part of the team excavating the offerings at the base of the temple, known today as the Templo Mayor, located just off Mexico City's bustling Zocalo plaza. The Templo Mayor would have been as high as a 15-story pyramid before it was razed along with the rest of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan after the 1521 Spanish conquest of Mexico. Expanded by each Aztec king, the shrine was believed to be at the center of the universe and was crowned with two smaller temples, one on the north side dedicated to the rain god Tlaloc and one on the south to Huitzilopochtil. The latest offerings all align with the southern temple. WARRIOR SOCIETY Several decades after the conquest, chroniclers detailed the burial rites of three Aztec kings, all brothers who ruled from 1469 to 1502. According to these accounts, the rulers' cremated remains were deposited with luxurious offerings and the hearts of sacrificed slaves in or near the circular platform. In 2006, a massive monolith of the Aztec earth goddess was discovered nearby with an inscription corresponding to the year 1502, which is when the empire's greatest ruler and the last of the brothers, Ahuitzotl, died. Elizabeth Boone, an ancient Mexico specialist at Tulane University, notes that Ahuitzotl's death would have been marked with lavish memorizing and that the jaguar may represent the king as a fearless warrior. "You could have Ahuitzotl in that box," she said. A smaller stone box next to the jaguar offering containing a top layer of copal bars, used by Aztec priests for incense, has also been identified, though it too has only been partially excavated as both were only opened earlier this year. Next to it another stone box has been found containing 21 flint knives decorated to resemble warriors, including the same war god disk but made of mother of pearl, as well as a miniature wooden spear thrower and shield. Finally, an adjacent circular offering holds an approximately 9-year-old sacrificed boy found with a wooden war god disk, a jade bead necklace and wings made from hawk bones and attached to his shoulders. Like the jaguar, the boy likely had his heart torn out as part of a ritual sacrifice, though further tests will need to be conducted to confirm the theory. The offerings also speak to the geographic reach of the Aztecs, a warrior society like ancient Sparta that conquered neighboring kingdoms to acquire tribute. The starfish came from the Pacific Ocean, for example, while the jade was brought from Central America near present-day Honduras. "The offerings provide a window not only into the (Aztecs) sacred world, but also their economic lives," said Frances Berdan, an Aztec scholar at California State University, San Bernardino. Meticulous sifting through the latest offerings is expected to continue for at least several more months, though practical hardships weigh on the archaeologists. Mexico's new government has cut the project's budget by 20 percent this year, according to several archeologists who work on the excavation, and nearly all members of the 25-person team have not been paid since December. (Reporting by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Sandra Maler) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Israel launched strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza on Monday hours after a rocket from the Palestinian enclave hit a house near Tel Aviv and wounded seven people, leading to fears of a severe escalation Israel launched strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza on Monday hours after a rocket from the Palestinian enclave hit a house near Tel Aviv and wounded seven people, leading to fears of a severe escalation. The retaliatory strikes were begun around the same time as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US President Donald Trump in Washington, with explosions rocking areas of the Gaza Strip and balls of fire rising into the sky. In comments from the White House, Netanyahu said "Israel is responding forcefully to this wanton aggression," while Trump spoke of Israel's "right to defend itself." Netanyahu said he would return home after meeting Trump, cancelling an address to pro-Israel lobby AIPAC's annual conference on Tuesday. The flare-up comes at a highly sensitive time for Israel, which holds elections on 9 April. A security source in Gaza said there had been a range of strikes in various locations across the enclave. One destroyed a building in Gaza City that Israel alleged was a secret headquarters for Hamas security and intelligence. Residents of Gaza said the building was known to house the Hamas-linked Multasim insurance company. Hamas's interior security office in Gaza City was also hit. So far there have been no reports of any casualties in Gaza. "If there is any violation of the red lines by the occupation, our people will not surrender and the resistance is able to deter it," Hamas leader Ismail Haniya said. Earlier Monday, a rocket from Gaza hit a house in Israel in a rare long-distance strike. Israel's army said the rocket was fired by Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip, from the Rafah area. A Hamas official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, denied the group was behind the rocket, evoking the possibility it was caused by "bad weather". The official said the same message had been passed to Egypt, which has acted as mediator between Israel and Hamas. But Israel warned of a firm response and announced it was sending two additional brigades to reinforce the Gaza area and carrying out a limited call up of reservists. Israeli roads near the Gaza Strip were closed and farming activities in the area were halted. Israel also closed its people and goods crossings with the blockaded Gaza Strip and reduced the zone in the Mediterranean it allows for Palestinian fishermen off the enclave, a statement said. The Israeli house hit was located in the community of Mishmeret, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Tel Aviv, police said. The rocket would have had to travel some 120 kilometres (75 miles) from Rafah to reach the area. Rocket fire from Gaza at that distance is rare. The hospital treating the wounded said seven Israelis were injured lightly by burns and shrapnel, including three children. One of the wounded was a six-month-old child and six of them were members of the same British-Israeli family. The house was destroyed in the wake of the rocket and subsequent fire, with burnt wood, a children's toy and other debris piled at the site. Police spokesman Ami Ben David said air raid sirens wailed at around 5:15 am and the home's residents made their way to a safe room, possibly saving their lives. The rocket crashed through the roof and then exploded when it hit the floor, he said. The flare-up comes after mounting tensions in recent weeks. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008, and Netanyahu is believed to want to avoid another one with unpredictable results ahead of the elections. But he faces a tough challenge from a centrist political alliance led by former military chief Benny Gantz and came under pressure to react firmly. Gantz asked on Twitter, referring to corruption allegations against Netanyahu, whether the prime minister would "finally focus on the security of the citizens of Israel instead of dealing only with his legal concerns." In a speech to AIPAC on Monday, Gantz commended Netanyahu's decision to return to Israel and said he would do the same later in the day. Monday's rocket followed another rare one on 14 March in which two rockets were fired from Gaza towards Tel Aviv. No damage or injuries were caused, but Israel responded to that and further rocket fire by hitting what it said were around 100 Hamas targets across the Gaza Strip. Four Palestinians were reported wounded in those strikes. Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad denied they were behind the 14 March rocket fire towards Tel Aviv, raising the possibility they were launched by fringe groups. Israel's military said they were launched by Hamas, but later Israeli media reported the army's preliminary assessment was that they had been fired by mistake during maintenance work. The reports were a sign Israel was seeking to calm tensions. The military refused to comment on them at the time. Saturday also marks the first anniversary of Palestinian protests and clashes along the Gaza Strip's border with Israel. An informal truce between Hamas and Israel had led to relative calm along the border, but recent weeks have seen another uptick in violence. Netanyahu's visit to the United States included Trump's formal recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which it seized from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War. Lebanon on Monday said a US decision to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights violates international law and undermines the prospects for peace. US President Donald Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognising Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, a border area seized from Syria in 1967. Beirut: Lebanon on Monday said a US decision to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights violates international law and undermines the prospects for peace. US President Donald Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognising Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, a border area seized from Syria in 1967. In a statement carried by the NNA state news agency, the Lebanese foreign ministry said the move "violates all the rules of international law" and "undermines any effort to reach a just peace". "The Golan Heights are Syrian Arab land, no decision can change this, and no country can revisit history by transferring ownership of land from one country to another," it said. The ministry said attempts by Israel to expand its territory by way of "force and aggression" would only isolate the Jewish state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the recognition "historic" and said the Golan Heights, which are still claimed by Syria, would remain permanently under Israeli control. The Syrian government said Washington's recognition of Israeli claims over the Golan was a blatant attack on its sovereignty. Russia warned of a "new wave" of tensions in the Middle East after the US Golan move. The UN Security Council is scheduled to discuss the Golan on Wednesday during a meeting on renewing the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force deployed between Israel and Syria in the Golan, known as UNDOF. It was outgoing president Barack Obama who first imposed sanctions on Russia and kicked out nearly 35 diplomats as a result of allegations that Russians had hacked the US election in favour of Donald Trump This scandal has been at least four years in the making. It was, after all, the outgoing president Barack Obama who first imposed sanctions on Russia and kicked out nearly 35 diplomats as a result of allegations that Russians had hacked the US election in favour of Donald Trump. Since then that particular story has been on a rock-and-roll ride, from the time an investigation was authorised by the attorney-general in May 2017, headed by former FBI chief Robert Mueller, to the presenting of the final report awaited gleefully by the media. Not that it hasn't been a bit of a let down. As Attorney-General William Barr observed, "the investigation had employed 19 lawyers who were assisted by a team of approximately 40 FBI agents/professionals issued more than 2,800 subpoenas, executed nearly 500 search warrants, obtained more than 230 orders for communication records, issued almost 50 orders authorising use of pen registers, made 13 requests to foreign governments for evidence, and interviewed approximately 500 witnesses". Thereafter, all that has been released to the public is a mere couple of paragraphs, which is essentially the summary provided to Congress. But this is US democracy in action some good , some not-so-good, and definitely corroding under the present onslaught. The showcasing of a working democracy was the setting up of the investigation and its mandate. First, a Special Counsel was assigned, rather than an Independent Counsel as in the past, with far greater independence of action. Second, the order stated that the Special Counsel was to investigate any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of Trump; and (ii) any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation;. The third aspect simply referred to "any other matters within the scope of 28 C.F.R. 600.4a". That's the interesting addition and is likely to be the focus of future speculation and Congressional focus. The particular Federal Regulation states, "The jurisdiction of a Special Counsel shall also include the authority to investigate and prosecute federal crimes committed in the course of, and with intent to interfere with, the Special Counsel's investigation, such as perjury, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, and intimidation of witnesses That is actually the crux of the whole, and the shameful trail of incidents that followed the beginning of the scandal. This began with the dismissal of then FBI director James Comey who was leading investigations into the allegations of Russian interference, the requested resignation of then attorney-general Jeff Sessions perhaps due to his refusal to intervene in the investigation, the imprisonment on the request of the president, the imprisonment of 'fixer' Michael Cohen for various less-than-savoury reasons including hush payments to women; the arrest of Republican "operative" Paul Manafort, described as a 'hardened criminal' with links to possible Russian intelligence operatives, and within all this and more, the president's attempts to either get some of these individuals off with a pardon, or vilify them when they did make statements to the Counsel. And finally at the end of it all, the president's triumphant declaration that he has been vindicated. This is US democracy at its worst. That particular statement of the president is definitely far from the truth. The attorney-general who will probably receive the homage of precis writers everywhere in summarising the findings of such a massive investigation uses very careful language indeed. The summary of 'Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election' states, "[T]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities." In simple words, the evidence was not enough. Further, it did establish clearly that Russian officials had actively undermined the Hillary Clinton campaign, and multiple efforts by them to 'assist' the one on Trump. Finally, and this is the most damning of all, on the charge of obstruction, it states that "while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him". Period. None of this is likely to fuzzy up the Trump campaign in the 2020 election. Instead, it will probably be used as political gold to shore up his image as a wronged leader, who had been the target of a witch-hunt. Its worth noting that his position on the Mexican wall and the government shutdown that followed hasn't adversely affected his ratings. Meanwhile, his most recent reactions seem to indicate that he is likely to go after those who targeted him, especially the media. Independent Anchors and analysts need to watch their backs. A lot of this seems familiar. South Asia is no stranger to crass politics and corruption, with even an effort to hide such looting considered unnecessary. In the land of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, it's no longer a surprise. But when this happens within what is still regarded as the most powerful country in the world, it's time to worry. The Mueller investigation is unfortunately an indication that the checks and balances that once operated on a US president could be loosening. A future president desirous of shifting the public gaze from uncomfortable questions could far more easily take the option of starting another war in some remote outpost of the world or end another one precipitately in a cry of "bring the troops home". For India, a future US administration's commitments to Afghanistan, its commitments on Pakistan and its consistence on China are vitally important. None of that is going to be certain anymore, hostage as they are to the more than unusually fragile popularity ratings of candidates on both sides of the spectrum. Expect a rock-and-roll ride on this too. Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif is lodged in the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore since December 2018, serving a seven-year imprisonment in the Al Azizia Steel Mills graft case. Islamabad: In a relief to ailing Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to the jailed former prime minister for six weeks for seeking medical treatment within the country. Sharif, 69, is lodged in the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore since December 2018, serving a seven-year imprisonment in the Al Azizia Steel Mills graft case. He filed appeal earlier in March against a judgment by the Islamabad High Court, which on 25 February rejected his bail on medical grounds in the same case. A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, in a short order, granted bail to Sharif for six weeks for his treatment. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo has suffered four angina attacks in recent weeks, according to his daughter Maryam Nawaz. The Sharif family is complaining that the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan was not providing adequate treatment to the three-time former premier who has serious health complications. The apex court, in its order, directed Sharif to submit two bail bonds amounting to Rs 1 crore. However, the bench made it clear that Sharif cannot go out of the country during the six-week period. He will be allowed to get treatment from a doctor of his own choice. After completion of the time period, he has to surrender himself, the judgment said. Sharif can apply for bail in the high court if need be, the judgment added. During the hearing, Sharif's counsel Khawaja Haris asked the court to grant the former premier bail for eight weeks. "As far as the treatment is concerned, my client's life is at risk. He will surrender himself to the court after the treatment is complete," he told the court. But the additional prosecutor told the judges that "Nawaz Sharif has no life-threatening disease." Reacting to the court ruling, Imran Khan said his government respects court decisions, Geo News reported. The premier, who was informed about the top court's decision on Sharif's petition while chairing a meeting of the Cabinet, said, "We had already directed that Nawaz be provided all medical facilities." "The courts and institutions in the country are independent," he said and added that he was praying for Sharif's health. Three corruption cases Avenfield properties, Flagship investment and Al-Azizia steel mills were registered against the Sharif family by the anti-graft body in 2017 following a judgment by the Supreme Court that disqualified Sharif in the Panama Papers case in 2017. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in the Avenfield corruption case in July 2018 which was related to his properties in London. Later he was given bail in September. In December, the accountability court convicted him in the Al-Azizia graft case but acquitted him in the Flagship corruption case. The Al-Azizia Steel Mill case is related to setting up steel mills in Saudi Arabia allegedly with corruption money. Frustrated by Congress's refusal to provide the budget he sought to build a border wall, Donald Trump declared a national emergency last month in order to bypass lawmakers to unlock $8 billion in funding. Washington: Acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan said Monday he had authorized $1 billion to build part of the wall sought by President Donald Trump along the US-Mexico border. The Department of Homeland Security asked the Pentagon to build 57 miles (92 kilometers) of 18-foot (5.5-meter) fencing, build and improve roads, and install lighting to support Trump's emergency declaration as concerns the border. Shanahan "authorized the commander of the US Army Corps of Engineers to begin planning and executing up to $1 billion in support to the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Patrol," a Pentagon statement read. The acting defense secretary defended the move by citing a federal law that he said "gives the Department of Defense the authority to construct roads and fences and to install lighting to block drug-smuggling corridors across international boundaries of the United States in support of counter-narcotic activities of federal law enforcement agencies." The statement was released just hours before Shanahan was due to testify in Congress to present and defend the Pentagon's draft budget. Frustrated by Congress's refusal to provide the budget he sought to build a border wall, Trump declared a national emergency last month in order to bypass lawmakers to unlock $8 billion in funding. The move drew condemnation from both the president's rival Democrats and fellow Republicans, who warned it was an abuse of presidential powers and created a dangerous precedent. Although universal basic income hinges on the basic premise of eliminating poverty, the overwhelming intricacies of employing a direct cash payment to an entire population has led to it being limited to some of the most prosperous countries and cities. Universal basic income, until Rahul Gandhi's promise of it on Monday, is a concept which has so far had little traction in our part of the world. Even though the rate of unemployment is high and poverty levels higher, the sheer number of people in India have made the promise of monetary support to one and all a distant dream. Although the scheme hinges on the basic premise of eliminating poverty, the overwhelming intricacies of employing a direct cash payment to an entire population has led to it being limited to some of the most prosperous countries and cities. Even there, it operates on an experimental basis. No country till now has adopted a full basic income. The world over, thinkers and doers are united in the assumption that the system of ensuring a basic income is a solution to do away with inequality. The Basic Income Earth Network, a charitable portal that traces the intricacies of the concept, defines it as "a periodic cash payment unconditionally delivered to all on an individual basis, without means-test or work requirement." While it does delineate the underlying clauses in declaring a monetary scheme as a universal basic scheme, the definition is in no way binding. For one, even schemes like the one promised by Rahul, tackles households and not individuals are considered part of the universal basic income (UBI) ambit. More importantly, unique socioeconomic conditions of a country call for amendments to the nature of cash payment. Whatever the nature of the UBI system to which a government subscribes, at its core, it attempts to do away with the inherent exploitation in a labour contract. With a cash support in his or her bank, a person is more likely to seek out jobs he or she wants to do, making it easier for employers and employees to have a more equal relationship. Resurgence of an idea Not unsurprisingly, the resurgence of UBI as a possible method to ensure subsistence has come from the very site which holds traditional modes of worker-owner relationships hostage Silicon Valley. From Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg to countless start-up wizards, Forbes notes that the concept finds favour among young geniuses because it belies their fear in the future of a world where robots will soon take over the job market. The fruits of labour, in an artificial intelligence-run utopia, would be divided among those who stand to lose the most from this shift in labour dynamics. However, the report sheds light on the fact that if indeed jobs are taken up by machines, then what would those receiving minimum income have left to aspire to? Not much, and that would mean a stagnant, unemployed, assisted labour force. Ruthless, America's capitalism may be, but it has often tried to arrive at a strong and targeted safety net for those it has thrown out of its ambit. Here, it has proven difficult to strike a balance between assistance and incentive. A report on Wired highlights how difficult it would be to actually bring about a concept like the UBI in a country like America, with its predilection for protecting wealth so firmly ingrained in its economy that there exists laws that reduces taxes for the rich. This, even though a basic cash payment has seen rousing support from both the conservative and liberal side of the political spectrum. One of the lingering doubts left by the UBI is its long term effects. The World Social Science Report 2016, co-published by UNESCO, notes the near universal success of the concept in trials. In the United States and Canada in the 1970s there were a number of randomised trials, most notably in Seattle and Denver, in which randomly selected low-income individuals received a UBI. In India, notes the report, eight villages were selected in 2011 and all its residents were given a minimum income. "In all of these experiments, receiving a UBI significantly improved the lives of people while having at most a modest effect on labour force participation," it noted. While this spells good fortune for the US and Canada, whether a country like India with a chunk of its population involved in non-contractual agricultural labour can reflect the success of the scheme is suspect. In Ontario, Canada, people living in two cities and a town have been a part of an ongoing trial since June, 2017. Barcelona and Scotland are also in the middle of their own own basic income experiments, launched in October 2017. In all these countries, the number of people involved in such trials has not exceeded 2,000. Finland's experiment Finland is among few countries that have launched a trial of the UBI with a view to rolling out the scheme soon. CNBC reports that at the beginning of 2017, as many as 2,000 unemployed people were corralled to receive 560 each month for two years. Researchers will assess how the free money affects recipients incentive to work, and the Finnish government hopes it might reduce bureaucracy in the existing welfare system. But in a separate report, Wired notes how Finland has been quick to clarify that it has no plans of rolling out an UBI scheme any time soon. "There are no plans to continue or expand the experiment after 2018," the site quoted Miska Simanainen, a researcher at Kela, the Finnish government agency behind the trial as having said. The results from the trial, which will determine the future of the UBI rollout, will be available by the end of 2019 or the beginning of 2020, Simanainen had added. An expensive scheme Another Wired report also reflects on how schemes like these are at the mercy of the political inclination of governments. Days after the experiment was started by Kela, Finland's conservative government had begun tweaking the proposal, most importantly eliminating the part of the plan that paid people who had jobs, and only providing UBI for those receiving unemployment benefits instead. Finland's skepticism is, to a large extent, due to the absolutely irrefutable fact that a UBI system (even in the form of a trial) is expensive. For some countries, reports Financial Times, it might prove devastatingly so. The paper quotes a study on UBI proposals by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and reflects on the fact that even in the organisation's relatively advanced member countries, "big tax rises and reductions in other benefits would be needed, even for a modest basic income" for its entire population. The report calculates that in France, UBI would require an increase in income taxes of 5.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and a reduction of other benefits of 5.3 percent of GDP. In Finland, it would require income tax increases of over 10.2 percent of GDP, and benefit reductions of 6.7 percent of GDP. That the realities of India are vastly different from that of France and Finland. Where smaller, richer countries have shied away, if India does indeed bring about an UBI scheme, it will, as have been said before, undoubtedly the biggest in the world. Metin Topuz was formally charged in January. He is accused of contact with police officers and a former prosecutor suspected of links to the Gulen movement Istanbul: A Turkish court on Tuesday starts the trial of a US consulate staffer accused of spying and attempting to overthrow the government in one of several cases fuelling tensions between the United States and its NATO ally. Metin Topuz, a Turkish citizen and liaison with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, was arrested in 2017 and has been accused of ties to US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen who Ankara says ordered a failed 2016 coup. The trial begins as relations between the United States and Turkey have worsened with disagreements over Syria's war, Turkey's purchase of Russian missiles and the US refusal to extradite Gulen. The first hearing of Topuz's trial in Caglayan court in Istanbul is expected to last three days. He faces life in jail if found guilty of spying and plotting to overthrow the government. The US embassy has called the accusations "wholly without merit". US officials say freeing "unjustly detained" Turkish nationals on their staff is a priority, as is the case of NASA scientist Serkan Golge, a dual US-Turkish national jailed on terror charges. Another Istanbul local consulate staffer, Mete Canturk, is under house arrest and facing similar charges to Topuz. A judge in January convicted Hamza Ulucay, a former local employee of the US consulate in Adana, southern Turkey, of helping outlawed Kurdish militants. He was released for time already served. Diplomatic crisis Topuz was formally charged in January. He is accused of contact with police officers and a former prosecutor suspected of links to the Gulen movement, according to Anadolu state news agency. His initial arrest in 2017 triggered a diplomatic crisis with both Turkey and the US suspending visa services, until they stepped back. "This has been a big deal in the Turkish-US relations, but Americans have reversed course from an earlier decision to impose visa bans and have decided to pursue a quiet diplomacy," said Asli Aydintasbas, a fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations. Since the failed 2016 coup against Erdogan, tens of thousands of people have been detained over suspected links to Gulen and more than 100,000 people have been sacked or suspended from public sector jobs. Gulen denies the coup accusations. Ankara has been criticised by its Western allies and human rights activists over the crackdown they say has undermined democracy. But Turkish officials say the raids are needed to clear Gulen's influence from state institutions. US relations with Turkey plummeted to a low last year over detained US pastor Andrew Brunson, triggering tit-for-tat sanctions that hit the local lira currency. Brunson was released in October 2018 and relations improved. But Erdogan's decision to buy S-400 missile systems from Russia has provoked warnings from Washington that the deal may impact its sale of US-made F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and trigger more sanctions. Turkey's push to buy the systems has raised questions among NATO allies over alliance equipment as well as concerns over the relationship between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ties were already been strained over US support of Kurdish forces in Syria, which Ankara brands as a terrorist group tied to PKK Kurdish militants fighting an insurgency against the Turkish state. Trump's decision to proclaim that the Golan Heights captured from Syria during the Six-Day War of 1967 belongs to Israel hands a significant diplomatic victory to Netanyahu before 9 April elections. Ankara: Turkey on Monday denounced US President Donald Trump's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights as an "election gift" to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump's decision to proclaim that the Golan Heights captured from Syria during the Six-Day War of 1967 belongs to Israel hands a significant diplomatic victory to Netanyahu before 9 April elections. The Israeli premier is facing an unexpectedly tough challenge from centrist Benny Gantz. "Trump's signing is virtually an election gift to Netanyahu who is in difficulty ahead of elections," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a speech in the southern province of Antalya. "Whatever you do for (Netanyahu) who even divides his own people, who bombs in Gaza today as you can see for this tyrant, there will be no advantages. America's efforts are in vain," Cavusoglu said in televised remarks. Israel launched strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza on Monday hours after a rocket from the Palestinian enclave hit a house near Tel Aviv and wounded seven people. It is not the first time Turkey has lambasted Trump over his policy towards Israel. In 2017, Ankara repeatedly criticised the US president over his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. About 20,000 Israeli settlers live in the Golan, which overlooks Syrian territory. The annexing of the area has never been recognised by the international community. Cavusoglu said Turkey would "do whatever is necessary until the end" and work with the global community against "one-sided decisions" which disregard international law. Turkey-Israel relations are strained, especially after a recent war of words between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause, and Netanyahu. At a special event Apple unveiled its much-expected video streaming service dubbed as Apple TV+. According to the company, Apples original video subscription service, will feature a brand-new slate of programming from the worlds most celebrated creative artists, including Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Octavia Spencer, J.J. Abrams, Jason Momoa, M. Night Shyamalan, Jon M. Chu and more. Its worth mentioning that, pricing for the Apple TV+ streaming subscription service will be announced when it launches later this fall. Apple TV app Pay only for the service you subscribe! Also, the company debuted the all-new Apple TV app and Apple TV channels coming in May 2019. The all-new Apple TV app can be used across iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, smart TVs and streaming devices. In Apple TV, users have the option to pay only for the service they subscribed like HBO, SHOWTIME and Starz on both offline and online. Starting from May, customers can subscribe to Apple TV channels a la carte and watch them in the Apple TV app, with no additional apps, accounts or passwords required. Apple TV channels include popular services such as HBO, Starz, SHOWTIME, CBS All Access, Smithsonian Channel, EPIX, Tastemade, Noggin and new services like MTV Hits, with more to be added over time around the world. The app will offer suggestions for shows and movies from over 150 streaming apps, including Amazon Prime and Hulu. The Apple TV app is coming to iPhone, iPad and Apple TV customers in over 100 countries with a free software update this May, and to Mac this fall. Apple News+ Subscribers to access to over 300 publications within Apple News Along with Apple TV and TV+, the tech giant also unveiled Apple News+ a new subscription service that brings together over 300 popular magazines, leading newspapers and digital publishers. Available in just US and Canada at present, Apple News+ subscribers can access current and past issues and individual articles from various magazines. In addition, Apple News+ includes The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times and Toronto Star, Canadas largest daily newspaper. Inside the app, In the Today and News+ tabs, subscribers will be presented with individual article and issue recommendations based on both editorial curation and personalized suggestions that maintain user privacy. For US and Canada, Apple News+ is available for $9.99 (Rs. 690 approx.) and $12.99 (Rs.900 approx.) a month respectively. Customers can sign up for a free one-month trial, and the plan automatically renews after the trial ends. To sign up for Apple News+, customers must update to iOS 12.2 or macOS 10.14.4. Through Family Sharing, up to six family members can share one Apple News+ subscription. Apple News+ will be available in the UK and Australia later this year. After rumors, Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy A70 smartphone. It has a 6.7-inch Full HD+ Infinity-U Super AMOLED display with 20: 9 aspect ratio, is powered by an Octa-Core SoC which should be Snapdragon 675. It has up to 8GB of RAM, runs Android Pie with Samsung One UI, features a 32-megapixel rear camera with f/1.7 aperture, secondary 5-megapixel camera for portrait shots and an 8-megapixel 123 ultra wide-angle lens. The phone has a 3D Glasstic body with gradient finish and packs a 4500mAh battery with support for 25W super fast charging. Samsung Galaxy A70 specifications 6.7-inch (2400 x 1080 pixels) Full HD+ 20: 9 Infinity-U Super AMOLED display 2GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 675 Mobile Platform with Adreno 612 GPU 6GB / 8GB RAM with 128GB Storage, expandable up to 512GB via micro SD card Android 9.0 (Pie) with Samsung One UI Dual SIM 32MP rear camera with LED flash with f/1.7 aperture, 5MP depth sensor with f/2.2 aperture, 8MP 123 ultra-wide angle camera with f/2.2 aperture 32MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture In-display Fingerprint sensor 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio Dimensions: 164.276.77.9mm; Weight: 183g Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5, GPS + GLONASS, USB Type-C 4500mAh (typical) / 4400mAh (minimum) battery with 25W super fast charging The Samsung Galaxy A70 comes in Blue, Black, Coral and White colors, is priced starting at 29,990 rubles (US$ 466 / Rs. 32,100 approx.) and will go on sale in Russia first from April 8. Source Photo: The Canadian Press Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland is keeping up the pressure on the Trump administration, warning that Canada's support for the updated North American trade pact may hinge on the U.S. lifting tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. Freeland, who met Monday in Washington with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, says many Canadians have serious questions about ratifying the new NAFTA as long as those tariffs are still in place. Freeland says she told President Donald Trump's trade czar that Canadians want the U.S. tariffs and Canada's retaliatory measures removed before the countries move forward with the approval of the agreement, also known as the USMCA. In addition to being ratified in Mexico and Canada, the deal must make its way through Congress as part of a process that experts predict will take until late summer to run its course. Freeland was in the U.S. capital to meet with Lighthizer as well as other lawmakers, including Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown and Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer, the new chair of the House Ways and Means subcommittee on trade. She calls the tariffs which the U.S. justifies on national security grounds illegal and absurd, saying they make even less sense now that the new NAFTA agreement has been signed by all three countries. "I also made the point to Ambassador Lighthizer that the existence of these tariffs, for many Canadians, raises some serious questions about NAFTA ratification," Freeland said following Monday's meeting. "I have heard from a lot of Canadians that they would be really troubled by Canada moving forward with ratification while the tariffs are still in place. I think to Canadians it just doesn't make sense." Photo: The Canadian Press SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. is walking back a statement by its CEO, who said last week he never cited the protection of 9,000 Canadian jobs as a reason the construction giant should be granted a remediation agreement. Neil Bruce told The Canadian Press last Wednesday that if SNC-Lavalin is convicted of criminal charges and barred from bidding on federal contracts its workers would end up working for the Montreal-based companys foreign rivals. The charges stem from allegations the engineering firm paid millions of dollars in bribes to win government business in Libya between 2001 and 2011. In a statement posted to its website Monday afternoon, SNC-Lavalin now says an agreement to avoid criminal prosecution would be the best way to protect the nearly 9,000 jobs held by its employees in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly held up potential job losses as the main reason he and other top officials spoke with former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould about her decision not to intervene after federal prosecutors declined to negotiate a deferred prosecution agreement with SNC-Lavalin. Wilson-Raybould, who resigned from cabinet last month, has suggested political considerations rather than jobs were behind the alleged pressuring by the Prime Minister's Office to hammer out an agreement with the company. Madison Erhardt Land has been secured for a new water treatment plant in West Kelowna. The city has purchased 24 acres on Bartley Road, which will become the new site of the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant. The plant will serve 12,000 people presently on the Lakeview water system, and a further 6,000 people in the West Kelowna, Pritchard and Sunnyside water systems once interconnections to the new plant are completed. The city previously applied to obtain rights to use Crown land at the end of Rosewood Drive, about 1.5 kilometres away, but hasn't been able to obtain the required Crown land grant. ''The new location means there may be an increase in the cost of the construction and possibly an increase in operating costs,'' said Mayor Gord Milsom. ''There is a very good probability that the people of West Kelowna could be paying more for their drinking water.'' That, however, can be weighed against years of boil-water advisories and yearly complaints of brown water coming out of taps during spring runoff. With the location of the plant now determined, the city can complete its design, with construction to follow as quickly as possible. West Kelowna is in the process of requesting a timeline extension to the $41-million grant the city received for the project, as the delay in securing the location has impacted its ability to meet the March 2020 deadline. ''It will take a couple years for the new plant to be constructed. In the meantime, we will do our best to improve the water quality, but we are moving forward and we are going to have the best water in British Columbia soon," Milsom predicted. How to create a great customer experience in an era of slowing growth is one of the top-of-mind concerns for senior marketing executives today. Customer experience is the customer's assessment of the total quality of interactions, ease of interactions, and ultimate decision to purchase, abandon, or repurchase the organization's offered goods and services throughout the entire buying cycle. A great customer experience leads to highly visible recommendations, brand preference, repurchase activity, and purchasing associated products. A bad customer experience has the exact reverse effects, recommendations to friends and family to look elsewhere, brand indifference, and customers actively seeking to engage competitors. The greatest challenge of customer experience (CX) has always been to move from the "hugging," feel-good phase of customer service into the data-driven, initiative-based business model of delivering delight and experiences to customers that produce a great CX and great revenue for the business. Too many senior business leaders believe that customer experience is just about mitigating or "going through the motions" to listen to and minimally address customer complaints to garner a few "likes" or positive survey comments. Great CX delivers both optimal experience to customers and the growth, revenue, and loyalty to the business. Rules-based customer segmentation identifies loyalty, growth & churn categories. One of the greatest challenges and points of institutional friction is how to collectively identify and agree on the "best" customers for the business to focus on. To help this conversation, look at all your customers by the number of years they have been a customer and the total number of different products, services, and brands they have purchased from your company. Next, create a scatter plot with this data for both active customers and lost customers. The upper right quadrant in the chart is the key focus area because this is where the customers with the most years and the most brands reside. The active customers in this quadrant are your key resource to interview, as are the lost customers in the upper right quadrant. These customers are your key, stable, and most valuable customers. Determine the what, why, and needs for this vital segment to guide your CX initiatives. Listen to these customers closely. Growth "streams" create growth "lakes." Business growth initiatives too often believe that finding new customers is the best way to grow, instead of helping your long-term customers to use more of your existing products and services. Instead of a "blue ocean" of new initiatives with new customers, seek to find "blue streams" of products and services that you slowly introduce to your current customers. Blue streams then grow into "blue lakes" of opportunity that create value for both your existing customers and your organization. A key point of value is that retaining a new customer is difficult and requires extraordinary effort to do so correctly. Retaining an existing customer with an additional product is far easier because that customer is already convinced of your company's value and expertise. Retaining and expanding your existing customer base is the best way to grow both revenue and customer satisfaction that deepens an existing customer relationship. Better enable your sales force with data-driven insights, prioritized opportunity, and proactive customer response. Account-based marketing (ABM) is an innovative field of marketing technology that creates simultaneous value for customers and salespeople. ABM technology helps both marketing and sales determine a customer's interests, intentions, and product interests and where they are in the buying stage, from ready to purchase to information gathering. ABM then can recommend the best marketing material, from technical specifications to a webinar to a white paper, to answer the customer's expressed interests. This level of personalization creates victories for both the customer and the sales team. The customer received material personalized to their interests, and the sales team can prioritize their opportunities to focus on those who are prepared to purchase and allow the ABM technology to nurture the remainder of the prospects. ABM scales so you can address the entire customer base with personalized information, offers, and purchasing assistance that meet every customer's individual needs. Use the data available today to deliver proactive solutions to customer problems. The best advice for CMOs is to productively use the data they have today, instead of wishing for data that is not present. Marketing and sales always want more data, more surveys, and better forecasts - which do not necessarily lead to better customer outcomes. The CX data architecture must engage customers proactively to deliver information, solutions, business outcome metrics, short surveys, and product recommendations that deliver information to customers where they want it, when they want it, and in a manner that helps them operate their lifestyle or business more successfully. Businesses must use their customer insight data to create better interactions for customers that lead to better business outcomes. Using data to enable a better customer interaction creates a low effort, high value, and deeply personalized experience - the hallmark of a great CX interaction. Great CX produces customer and business value throughout the entire buying cycle. Businesses love to sell to customers as much as customers love to buy. Customer experience values a customer's loyalty above the sale, so great CX must enable, build, and engage each customer's relationship throughout the buying cycle, not just at the initial purchase. Following the purchase, businesses need to recommend supporting documentation, draw people into social media engagement about their experience, attend quickly to customer problems, proactively find and fix product defects, and look for customer indicators to determine if the customer seeks to repurchase or depart. Supporting the customer throughout the buying cycle is true CX, because the relationships formed by a customer to a business when not in the immediate purchase process are some of the strongest bonds to a brand. In Conclusion Great CX views its role as creating proactive customer insight, driving new product recommendations to customers, detecting potential customer churn before it happens, and enabling personalized activities toward customers within the communication modalities they prefer. This type of CX meets customer needs they may not have even voiced, delivers a lower-effort experience with higher personalization, interacts with customers according to their preferences, and uses ongoing data analysis with proactive offers from deep customer insights to anticipate customer needs with relevant products and services. This is the type of CX that CMOs need to drive revenue, growth, and loyalty to grow and sustain their customer base. Chad Storlie is an adjunct Professor of Marketing at the University of Minnesota - Carlson School of Management and a mid-level marketing executive. He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets), an Iraq combat veteran, and a widely published author. Contact him at chad.storlie@combattocorporate.com or 402-960-1350. Celebrate Tax Day with Free Frozen Yogurt! Better-For-You QSR Brand, Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt, Offers Fun Freebie on April 15 March 26, 2019 // Franchising.com // MORRISTOWN, NJ - Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt, the quick-service brand known for serving real fruit smoothies with over 30 locations nationwide, is excited to invite guests to celebrate the end of the 2019 tax season. Whether they are expecting a check in the mail or owe a few dollars to Uncle Sam, on Monday, April 15, in honor of Tax Day, all guests are invited to visit their local Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt for a sweet treat - a FREE small frozen yogurt!* To redeem, guests must simply mention the offer at time of purchase and enjoy their first taste of springtime cheerfulness with delicious nonfat yogurt, served in a cup. A healthy, creamy snack for guests to treat themselves to, Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt hopes this gift will relieve tax season stress and headaches from its loyal guests, and mark the first visit of many throughout the spring and summer months! Were always looking for an excuse to celebrate at Bananas, said Andrea Carella, Director of Brand Marketing, Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt, We know how stressful tax season can be, and couldnt think of a better way to give back to our guests than with free frozen yogurt for everyone anxiously awaiting their returns. Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt also offers real fruit smoothies, fresh-squeezed juices, nonfat frozen yogurt sundaes and an assortment of natural grab-and-go snacks. Its customizable menu model offers guests the option of choosing a delicious smoothie from a list of classic flavor combos, which can be made dairy-free upon request, or creating their own by combining fresh ingredients and adding a nutrient rich boost. *Offer available only on Monday, April 15, 2019 at participating Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt locations, while supplies last. *Offer valid on one small plain frozen yogurt only. *Limit one per customer. *Cannot be combined with any other offer. *Void where prohibited. For more information, please visit www.greenleafsbananas.com, or follow along on Instagram @greenleafsbananas. About Villa Restaurant GroupSM (previously known as Villa Enterprises) Villa Restaurant GroupSM is a global multi-brand restaurant operator and franchisor. Founded in 1964 by Michele (Michael) Scotto, a Naples, Italy native, Villa Restaurant Group, began as a small pizzeria next to the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City. Today, Villa Restaurant Group is an international organization that recently celebrated its 52nd anniversary with nearly 350 restaurants in malls, airports, casinos and other high-traffic locations. Villa Restaurant Groups quick-service restaurant brands, including Villa Italian Kitchen, Green Leafs Beyond Great Salads, Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt, South Philly Cheesesteaks & Fries, Far East Asian Fire, and other emerging brands, can be found throughout the United States and internationally. Villa also operates full service restaurants in New Jersey under the 40North Restaurant Group brand including The Black Horse Tavern & Pub, The Office Tavern Grill, The OFFICE Beer Bar & Grill, Steelworks Buffet & Grill, Piattino: A Neighborhood Bistro and George + Marthas. For more information, please visit www.villarestaurantgroup.com. SOURCE Villa Restaurant Group ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Valvoline Announces Opening of Acquired Franchised Quick-Lube Center in Wichita, Kansas New location marks company's seventh service center in Kansas and expands network of more than 1,300 company-owned and franchised quick lube locations LEXINGTON, Ky. - March 26, 2019 // PRNewswire // - Valvoline Inc. - a leading worldwide supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services - announced today its franchisee, Westco Lube, Inc., has acquired a quick-lube location that is now operating as a Valvoline Instant Oil ChangeSM (VIOC) service center in Wichita, Kansas. A core element of Valvoline's strategy is to accelerate the growth of its industry-leading quick-lube model, which is all about delivering a quick, easy and trusted experience for every customer, every day. Westco Lubes, Inc., operates all seven of the VIOC quick-lube locations in Kansas. The newest service center is at 5826 W Central Avenue in Wichita. No appointments are necessary. Valvoline Instant Oil Change service centers let customers stay in their cars and watch VIOC's certified technicians perform their service. Technicians complete a professional ASE-accredited training program that is ranked #2 globally by the Association for Talent Development's 2017 BEST Award. In addition to full-service oil changes done in about 15 minutes, VIOC performs a wide range of preventive maintenance services, including transmission, radiator and air-conditioning services; safety parts replacement, including wiper blades and light bulbs; and tire rotation. Most locations also offer fuel system and battery services. VIOC services most vehicle makes and models, including luxury, diesel, and hybrid. Learn more at www.vioc.com. About Valvoline Valvoline Inc. (NYSE: VVV) is a leading worldwide marketer and supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services, with sales in more than 140 countries. Established in 1866, the company's heritage spans over 150 years, during which it has developed powerful brand recognition across multiple product and service channels. Valvoline ranks as the No. 3 passenger car motor oil brand in the DIY market by volume. It operates and franchises more than 1,300 quick-lube locations, including the No. 2 quick-lube chain by number of stores in the United States under the Valvoline Instant Oil ChangeSM brand and the No. 3 quick-lube chain by number of stores in Canada under the Great Canadian Oil Change brand. It also markets Valvoline lubricants and automotive chemicals, including the new Valvoline Modern Engine Full Synthetic Motor Oil, which is specifically engineered to protect against carbon build-up in Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI), turbo and other engines manufactured since 2012; Valvoline High Mileage with MaxLife technology motor oil for engines over 75,000 miles; Valvoline Synthetic motor oil; and Zerex antifreeze. To learn more, visit www.valvoline.com. Trademark, Valvoline or its subsidiaries, registered in various countries SM Service mark, Valvoline or its subsidiaries, registered in various countries Trademark owned by third party Media Contact: Heather Watson +1 (859) 357-7082 hwatson@valvoline.com SOURCE Valvoline Inc. ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus The future has always been the force that drives the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. How do we build smart, universally trusted machines? How do we manufacture drugs that provide faster, more affordable relief to patients? How do we live up to the responsibility of making everyone feel safe? We answer these questions as researchers and entrepreneurs, and see ourselves as responsibility-minded pacesetters for the economy and for society, says Fraunhofer president Prof. Reimund Neugebauer, describing the organizations mission. A ceremony to be held on March 26, 2019, at the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs will commemorate the Fraunhofer-Gesellschafts 70-year success story. With the motto Research for Europe setting the tone, it will also look ahead to the global innovation stakes at the crossroads of business and science. Distinguished policymakers from Munich, Berlin and Brussels will be on hand, as will select entrepreneurs and scientists, including Bavarias Minister President Dr. Markus Soder and Minister of State Hubert Aiwanger, Germanys Federal Minister of Education and Research Anja Karliczek, Paul de Krom M.A., CEO of TNO, the Netherlands organization for applied scientific research, Infineon AG CEO Dr. Reinhard Ploss, and Prof. Heinz Jorg Fuhrmann, Chairman of the Executive Board at Salzgitter AG and Chairman of the Senate of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. This occasion will also set the stage for a joint statement of intent by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, LMU and TUM. The three organizations aim to establish an Institute for Cognitive Systems in Bavaria to find solutions to pressing questions about artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and cyber security. They will pool their expertise in these cutting-edge fields to build the bridge needed to cross the divide between basic and applied research. Joining forces with other players, this Munich-based alliance aims to develop the outlines of a concept to be implemented as a key component of the German governments AI strategy. Research and development efforts will focus on AI in combination with resilient cognitive systems and specific AI solutions for autonomous systems. Challenges and future issues Anja Karliczek, Germanys Federal Minister of Education and Research, says, As a pioneer of applied research, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is an excellent catalyst for the German and European economy. I hope the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft will carry on exploring new avenues to ensure research outcomes and new technologies reach industry and society quickly and efficiently. I look forward to many more results of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschafts research and development efforts; results that will benefit humankind and secure Germanys position as a hub of business. On its 70th birthday, I wish Fraunhofer brilliant new ideas, an intrepid spirit of scientific inquiry and a feel for the next breakthrough innovation. Minister President Dr. Markus Soder says, Bavaria and Fraunhofer are the dream-team for cutting-edge research and innovation. Founded in Bavaria, Fraunhofer set out from Munich to create a research network unlike any other worldwide. This is no random happenstance; it is the result of a resolute effort to rise to ever-new challenges. Bavaria and Fraunhofer go hand in hand. Twenty new research facilities have been built in Bavaria alone in the last five years. The number of Fraunhofer employees in Bavaria has increased nearly 60 percent this decade. Collectively, they have succeeded in creating outstanding innovation centers in all parts of Bavaria, from IT security research in Garching and biotechnology in Straubing to research into the Internet of Things at the Fraunhofer IIS in Franconia. We are proud of Fraunhofer and will continue to ensure that research remains our priority in the future. Bavarian Minister of State for Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger says, On its 70th anniversary, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is Europe's largest organization for applied research and has evolved to become our economys innovation engine. It plays a key role in Bavarias success as a hub of business and science. With 10 independent institutes and departments as well as 20 other facilities, it has a footprint in all Bavarian districts. More than 4700 Fraunhofer employees work in Bavaria today. Fraunhofer is an important partner for companies engaging in research and development, and for medium-sized enterprises especially. This is how Fraunhofer is doing its part to secure the future viability of business in Germany and Europe. Prof. Reimund Neugebauer adds: Excellence in research is essential, but it is no less important to identify emerging issues early on and set the course for the future with fresh ideas. This enables us to respond that much faster to market demands. Our employees are the key to our success. Like our eponymous founder, they strike the right balance between research and entrepreneurship, take responsibility for the future, develop solutions for tomorrow's challenges, and keep asking: What's next? Prof. Heinz Jorg Fuhrmann, Chairman of the Executive Board at Salzgitter AG and Chairman of the Senate of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, says, It is very important for us to walk the sustainability talk. Energy and resources, health and the environment, manufacturing and services these important topics are among the Fraunhofer-Gesellschafts key fields of research, alongside mobility, communication and security. For example, we are now working with Fraunhofer on the SALCOS project to significantly reduce the steel industrys CO2 emissions with new processes. I wish us every success with this ambitious project and on its 70th birthday, I wish the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft continued innovation to benefit all of society. Dr. Reinhard Ploss, CEO Infineon Technologies AG, says, Innovative power is a key success factor for industry. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, like no other organization, stands for application-oriented research and the successful transfer of new insights and technologies to the market. Research organizations and companies in Germany and Europe must further accelerate the transfer of knowledge to achieve enduring success against competition from other regions of the world in the innovation stakes. The decisive factor will be to combine different fields of knowledge and focus on key technologies for applications of great economic and social import, such as energy, mobility, industrial manufacturing and cyber security. Paul de Krom M.A., CEO of TNO, the Netherlands organization for applied scientific research, adds, The ambition of defending what we have is not good enough. Our ambition, our mission, must reach far beyond that. Our goal has to be to be the best. Europe must remain the best at evolving its businesses and growing and applying its knowledge. This is the only way we will be able to take a leading position amid international competition and hold it over the long term. Presentation of the Fraunhofer Medal The organizations highest distinction, the Fraunhofer Medal, will be presented to Gunther H. Oettinger, EU Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources, at the subsequent Bavarian State Reception. This award acknowledges his meritorious achievements on behalf of the pursuit of innovation in Germany and Europe. According to Commissioner Oettinger, With digitalization fast-tracking the advance of technologies, business and societys ability to innovate is becoming the key to sustaining our societys prosperity. This is why the European Union is going to significantly step up its efforts to research and innovate in Horizon Europe, its next research framework programme. But if European research is to lead to European innovation, it is imperative for organizations such as Fraunhofer to help close the frequently occurring gap between basic research and its commercial exploitation. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschafts concept is a successful model, particularly because its distributed structure strengthens regional clusters. I wish Fraunhofer continued success with its projects, and I do so also from a European perspective. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft a model for success and a success story On March 26, 1949, State Secretary Hugo Geiger invited 210 scientists, entrepreneurs and members of society to the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs. He aimed to help revive the economies of Bavaria and Germany by setting up the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. While children played amid the rubble, and the Wirtschaftswunder Germanys postwar economic miracle was yet a distant prospect, the Munich offices staff of just three people took up the challenge of advancing applied research in Germany. Electing Hermann von Siemens president in the mid-1950s and founding the first of its institutes, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft gradually evolved to become a mainstay of research in Germany. In the mid-1960s, Fraunhofer was officially designated the German science communitys umbrella organization for applied research. In the mid-1970s, the Fraunhofer model of performance-based funding sparked the dynamic success that shows no signs of slowing. Germanys reunification presented unexpected opportunities to expand. Moving swiftly and resolutely, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft was quicker than other research organizations to seize the day, setting up more than 20 new institutes and facilities in the states that had newly joined the Federal Republic. Strategic initiatives for Germanys and Europes economies and societies a third. Building on these assets and its clear focus on new technologies and markets, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has become the German economys innovation engine. Its inventions range from airbags, white LEDs and dandelion rubber to mp3 technology. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft charted a roadmap for its research activities with the Agenda 2022. One of its key goals is to develop end-to-end solutions to provide the systems Germany needs as a hub of business. The organization launched a set of Key Strategic Initiatives (KSIs) centered on seven priority research topics to make that happen. Fraunhofer pools the expertise of its 72 institutes in these KSIs with the aim of developing comprehensive system solutions for tomorrows strategic challenges. All of these topics are of great relevance to the economies and societies of Germany and Europe. The current topics are cognitive systems, artificial intelligence and data sovereignty, battery cell production, programmable materials, quantum technology, translational medicine, public safety and biological transformation. Photo: The Canadian Press Kelowna city council gave quick approval to the rezoning of seven potential cannabis retail stores on Monday. The seven retailers must still go through an April 9 public hearing before applying for both city and provincial licensing. It's unclear how long provincial licensing process will take. To date, only 14 private, and 10 provincial cannabis operations have been licensed in all of B.C. Only one provincial outlet is currently open. Of the seven Kelowna outlets up for discussion Monday, one is on Bernard Avenue downtown, two in strip malls along Harvey Avenue, another in a strip mall on Springfield Road, a fifth in a commercial building on Glenmore Road, a sixth in a small strip mall on Gordon Drive near Cook Road, and the seventh on Rutland Road South near Highway 33. It took less than 15 minutes for council to approve all seven. These are the first of 15 applications expected to come before council in coming weeks. All 15 passed the first hurdle of the city's screening process. Photo: Contributed A month after concerns were raised over horses being neglected at a North Okanagan property, the BC SPCA has stepped in and removed the animals. SPCA senior officer Eileen Drever confirms 50 animals were seized Monday from the Irish Creek Road property, north of Vernon. Officers are still in the process of removing the animals. The property has been involved in controversy over the care of their horses in the past. Animal abuse at the location dates back to 2009, when Carla Christman was arrested and more than 70 animals were seized. We are begging and pleading for the police and the SPCA to step in and do something before its too late, said animal activist Amy Soranno. BC SPCA constables seized 28 thin and emaciated horses with untreated injuries on Christmans property in December 2009. Investigators also discovered dozens of dogs and four cats inside an unventilated area that was so thick with the stench of ammonia and feces that officers gagged upon entry. "When our officers arrived on the scene, the horses were in a state of great distress, suffering from unacceptably thin body condition, internal parasites, multiple wounds, untreated lameness and overgrown hooves," said cruelty investigator Marcie Moriarty. Forty-two horses, four dogs and four hogs were removed from the property on Monday. All the animals met the definition of being in distress, pursuant to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, said Drever. The animals have been moved to an undisclosed location and are being examined by veterinarians. "SPCA constables met with the owner of the animals earlier this month and issued a number of orders for changes that were required to relieve the distress of the animals, said Drever. We have monitored the situation and requested daily documentation that the orders were being met. Unfortunately, we were not satisfied that the owner had made the necessary changes and sought a warrant to remove the animals. Castanet obtained drone footage from the farm when animal activists voiced concerns back in February. "The issues of concern related to inadequate food, water and shelter," said Drever. The home on the property was destroyed by a fire on March 15, but no animals were hurt in the blaze. Correction: BC SPCA stated 46 horse were seized, but corrected this number to 42. Alanna Kelly Photo: Contributed This is a sequel to my last column about how judges arrive at the truth. I had shared judicial commentary from a case decided by our Court of Appeal in 1952 and promised to share additional wisdom from much more recent authorities. Its not so easy to arrive at the truth in the face of quick-witted, experienced and confident witnesses, and of those shrewd persons adept in the half-lie and of long and successful experience in combining skilful exaggeration with partial suppression of the truth (quoting from the 1952 case). And even more difficult when a witness is honestly mistaken about something he or she sincerely believes to be true. Noting a lack of divine insight into the hearts and minds of witnesses, the half-century old solution was to assess the testimonys fit with whats most likely to be true given the circumstances. In her decision, released Feb. 19, 2019, (Schellenberg v. Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company, 2019 BCSC 196, Madam Justice Fleming goes further to list other factors. Her list starts with: The capacity and opportunity of the witness to observe the events at issue. Next: His or her ability to remember those events. A third: The ability of the witness to resist being influenced by his or her interest in recalling those events. Fourth: Whether the witnesss evidence harmonizes with or is contradicted by other evidence, particularly independent or undisputed evidence. Fifth: Whether his or her evidence seems unreasonable, improbable or unlikely, bearing in mind the probabilities affecting the case. And finally: The witnesss demeanour, meaning the way he or she presents while testifying. Madam Justice Fleming specifically noted the danger of relying wholly on that final factor: Regarding the last factor, Chorny and other authorities have discussed the dangers of relying wholly upon demeanour to determine credibility, recognizing the risk of preferring the testimony of the better actor, and conversely, misinterpreting an honest witnesss poor presentation as deceptive. In another recent decision, (McCully v. Moss, 2019 BCSC 81, this one decided by Madam Justice Devlin, a couple of additional factors were noted. One: Whether the witness changes their testimony in direct and cross-examination. And another: Whether a witness has a motive to lie. You might reasonably be coming to the conclusion that judges are cynical. To the contrary, Madam Justice Devlin noted an important starting point: The starting point in a credibility assessment is to presume truthfulness, but this presumption may be displaced. Judges have a lot to consider when arriving at the truth. Might we learn from them? I suggest that the conscious consideration of each of these factors would help each of us evaluate the truth of messages we are presented with in our day to day lives. States and districts are starting to flag schools where subgroups of students are underperforming under the Every Student Succeeds Act. But advocates are concerned that they might miss some schools that need serious help because of the way their ESSA plans are designed. So is that happening? It appears to be. But, so far, its in a very small subset of states, an analysis by the Alliance for Excellent Education, a research and advocacy organization that works to ensure students graduate from high school prepared for college and the workforce. According to the Alliance, Arkansas and Connecticut might be missing some schools where subgroups of studentsEnglish-language learners, students in special education, racial minorities, and disadvantaged studentsare performing as poorly as the students in the worst schools in the state. And its unclear if Michigan, Virginia, and Wisconsin are in the same boat. Heres why: ESSA requires states to flag schools for comprehensive support and intervention (the bottom 5 percent of schools in the state, plus where fewer than two-thirds of students graduate) and additional targeted support and intervention (those where at least one subgroup of vulnerable students is struggling as much as the bottom 5 percent). States also must flag another category of schools where subgroups arent performing well for targeted support and intervention, but they have much more leeway on how to define what that means. Some states decided to pick their additional targeted support schools, from among their targeted support schools. Thats kosher under ESSA. The problem: In at least a couple states, the definition of targeted support means fewer schools will be flagged because the states definition of targeted support is narrower than the definition of additional targeted support. Thats problematic, because students in those schools will miss out on extra help from the state and district, write Lindsay Dworkin is director of policy development and state government relations and Anne Hyslop is assistant director of policy development and government relations in a blog post. A central value underlying ESSA is that every student should have the opportunity to succeed, they write . A key way the law advances that goal is requiring improvement efforts in schools when even one subgroup of students is struggling, even if the overall student population does not. Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . Photo: The Canadian Press An Alberta judge has ruled that a war crimes sentence for former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Omar Khadr has expired. The eight-year sentence imposed in 2010 would have ended last October had Khadr remained in custody. But the clock stopped ticking when a judge freed him on bail in 2015 pending Khadr's appeal of his military conviction. Khadr served more than seven years in custody and on bail. Read more For Playstation gamers that prefer to buy digital game codes at retail, Sony has other plans. Starting April 1st, digital game cards that contain full game downloads will be removed from retail stores. This will make the PlayStation Store the only official way to buy digital games for the PlayStation 4. However, buying Playstation Store gift cards will also be another viable option for those reluctant to share their credit card information with Sony. For gamers that have preordered digital codes from retail stores, their preorders will be transformed into physical copies. Like most gaming companies, Sony seems to be progressing towards an all-digital future that doesnt require retail stores. While this new practice doesnt completely leave gamers out in the cold, its still another anti-consumer practice. Since the 2011 hack of the PlayStation Store, many players have remained hesitant to share their credit card information and have relied on digital game codes for their purchases. Everything from indie games to the biggest releases of the year was usually available as digital codes. Nintendo and Microsoft have yet to follow Sonys bold move but the likelihood that they have considered this is high. Itll be interesting to see the reaction (if any) to this new change but dont surprised if the PlayStation 5 abandons retail stores even more. Photo: City of Kelowna Owners of one of Kelowna's iconic landmarks are ramping up agricultural efforts. David Geen, who owns 151 acres of agricultural land on Layer Cake Mountain and is one of Canada's largest cherry producers, is more than doubling the land dedicated to cherry production. And, he needs workers to help tend to the acreage. City planner Alex Kondor told council Monday approximately 35 acres of the property was converted to cherries two years ago, and efforts are underway to plant another 55 acres. To meet the demands, Geen has applied to house 60 temporary farm workers on the site. His proposal is for 12 ATCO trailers to be placed on the northeast corner of the property. "The area is not suitable for farming, and is not highly visible from the surrounding properties as it is a low point on the property," Kondor told council. The trailers would be placed on non-permanent foundations in two pods of six. They would include communal washrooms and kitchens. Following provincial changes to the Agricultural Land Commission Act, the application must now go before the ALC for final provincial approval. "Any residential use that exceeds the new principle residence regulations now requires a new non-adhering residential use application through the ALC," said planner Laura Bentley. "This includes temporary farmworker housing." It could take up to two months for the ALC to give its approval. The proposal, endorsed unanimously by council, got high praise from Mayor Basran. He thanked Geen for selecting an area away from view for the worker housing. "My fear was in some of these photos, perhaps, there might be the ability to have new worker housing in photos of the views and the aesthetics," said Basran. "I think Layer Cake Mountain becomes even more representative of our community with full agricultural use of the property. I think it makes it more iconic and Okanagan." Photo: The Canadian Press Vanessa Rodel and her seven-year-old daughter Keana talk to media after arriving at Lester B. Pearson Airport in Toronto on Monday, March 25, 2019. A woman who escaped violence and human trafficking, and helped shelter former CIA whistleblower Edward Snowden when he fled to Hong Kong, has arrived in Canada with her daughter after being granted refugee status. Vanessa Rodel and her seven-year-old daughter Keana arrived in Toronto on Monday before travelling to Montreal, where they will settle in an apartment provided to them by a non-profit group that filed her 2016 asylum application. Rodel said as soon as the plane lifted off, she felt as though she could relax and begin to think of her new life in Canada. "I feel so great and I feel like I'm free," she said after arriving at Toronto's Pearson International Airport. Her lawyer, Robert Tibbo, said Rodel's arrival in Canada is the "first victory" in a saga that began in 2013. Rodel was part of a group that became known as Snowden's "Guardian Angels." They helped the fugitive at Tibbo's request in 2013, when the whistleblower fled the United States to Hong Kong after leaking classified information about the U.S. National Security Administration. Five other people in the "Angels" group represented by Tibbo three adults and two children remain in Hong Kong. They fled Sri Lanka years ago, and their applications for asylum in Hong Kong have been rejected. Rodel said her thoughts are with those who remain in Hong Kong who also helped Snowden. "I'm happy, but I'm also sad because they are still left behind," she said. "They are still stuck for many years in Hong Kong. They have so many troubles in their lives. ... I'm hoping they also can come to Canada and (have) a better life." Tibbo urged the federal government to intercede and bring the remaining refugees to Canada. "We are, though, very concerned that the other families have been left behind and we would like to see Mr. Trudeau and his government take necessary steps to decide the cases now," he said. Snowden's leaks revealed to the world the global reach of the vast surveillance network of the U.S. and its allies. Snowden, who is still represented by Tibbo, is now in Moscow and is wanted in the United States on charges related to the leaks. The seven "Angels" gained notoriety in 2016 when their existence was revealed in Oliver Stone's film "Snowden," and Tibbo said they have since faced political persecution in Hong Kong. Tibbo, originally from Montreal, and three Montreal-based lawyers set up a group to raise money for his clients who helped shelter the political fugitive. They filed asylum applications on their behalf, and collected about $350,000 for their expenses in Hong Kong and in Canada, should they all arrive in the city as privately sponsored refugees. Bidzina Ivanishvili became number one oppressor of businesses in Georgia - ICC Georgia chairman Fady Asly - GeorgianJournal I see Russians patrolling the border and keeping me away from my aunts Little Luka dreams of becoming a General of the Army to defend Georgia - GeorgianJournal Lenovo Z6 Pro with 5G support to launch on the 27th of March with HyperVideo feature News oi-Vivek Lenovo Z6 Pro will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC Lenovo is all set to launch a new flagship smartphone, the Lenovo Z6 Pro on the 27th of March. Edward Chang, President, Lenovo phone has officially confirmed the launch of the Lenovo Z6 Pro and the features associated with the smartphone. According to Edward Chang, the Lenovo Z6 Pro will be the first smartphone brand from the company to support 5G network with HyperVision Camera. Here is everything we know about the Lenovo Z6 Pro, the successor to the Lenovo Z5 Pro. Lenovo Z6 Pro features and specifications According to reports, the smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC with at least 8 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. The smartphone is most likely to come with an FHD+ resolution display, protected by 2.5D curved tempered glass. Unlike most of the modern smartphones, the Lenovo Z6 Pro has a single camera, which is expected to be a 48 MP sensor, offering features like true high-resolution image capture and 4K video recording. As of now, there is no information on the selfie camera features or specifications. Along with the 5G version of the Lenovo Z6 Pro, the company is most likely to launch a 4G version of the Z6 Pro, which will cost slightly less than the 5G version. Like most of the 5G smartphones, the Lenovo Z6 Pro will not be available for sale (until June), and the 4G model will go on sale immediately. The Lenovo Z6 Pro will be competing against the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G, OnePlus's 5G smartphone, and other mid-tier smartphones with true 5G network support. As of now, there is no information on the price of the smartphone. Considering the price of the previous Lenovo smartphones, the 4G version is expected to cost around $400, whereas the 5G version will cost more than $500. Stay tuned to GizBot to know more about the Lenovo Z6 Pro. Source Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Oppo Reno to be launched in four color options News oi-Abhinaya Prabhu Oppo Reno is the upcoming smartphones series from the company. We have already started coming across several reports regarding this series that is to be announced on April 10. And, the prime source to reveal these details is the company's VP, Shen Yiren. Recently, we came across a confirmation from the VP that the smartphone will arrive with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC. As five variants of the same were revealed by the trademark filing, it is expected that one of them will feature this mid-range processor known for its performance. Oppo Reno colors leak Now, the executive has shared an image via Weibo (via GizmoChina) spilling the beans about the various color options of this smartphone. Going by the same, the possible color options of Oppo Reno include Nebula Purple, Midnight Black, Pink and Sea Green. These are seen in close-up and show the bottom of the rear panel. On observing the image closely, it is seen that the Purple and Black variants have sheen whole the Pink and Green variants look subdued featuring a matte finish. These two smartphones appear to have a glass coating, but this is speculation. There happens to be an Oppo logo with a new font style. And, the back panel shows off curved edges making us believe that it will be comfortable when held. Oppo Reno: What to expect? From the recently leaked trademark listing, it is speculated that the smartphone might be launched in five variants - Reno Plus, Reno Pro, Reno Zoom, Reno Lite and Reno Youth. One of these variants is said to feature the Snapdragon 710 while the flagship Reno Pro is likely to get the power from the flagship Snapdragon 855 SoC. Oppo Reno live image Besides this, the executive shared the live image of the smartphone showing a fully bezel-less display. It appears to have one of the thinnest bottom bezels among the smartphones that exist now in the market. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Poco F1 receives Widevine L1 certification with MIUI 10 9.2.25 (beta) update News oi-Vivek Poco F1 is the most affordable smartphone with the Snapdragon 845 SoC Xiaomi India has finally rolled out a new software update for the Xiaomi Poco F1, which includes Widevine L1 support. Widevine L1 is a prerequisite certification required to stream HD content on various streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Videos and Nextflix. The MIUI 10 9.2.25 (beta) update is now available for the best testers, which includes Widevine L1 certification and 4K video recording @60fps. As soon as you install the update, you will be able to watch HD content on Amazon Prime Videos. Even with the Widevine L1 certification, the Poco F1 cannot play HD content on Netflix due to an issue with the vendor side. The stable update will roll out in the coming days, which enables HD streaming (720p and 1080p) on the Amazon Prime Videos. Xiaomi Poco F1 specifications The Xiaomi Poco F1 is the most affordable smartphone available in India with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC with at least 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot. The Poco F1 has a 6.18-inch IPS display with FHD+ resolution, with an Apple iPhone XS style notch to house face unlock sensors. The phone has a polycarbonate back panel and a special variant with carbon fiber like finish. There is a rear-facing fingerprint sensor with IR camera-assisted Face Unlock. The smartphone has a dual camera set up at the back with a 12 MP Sony IMX 363 sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and a 5 MP depth sensor, capable of recording 4K video @60fps. The device also has a 20 MP selfie camera on the front with 1080p video recording capability. The smartphone has a 4000 mAh Li-ion battery with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ via USB type C port with a dedicated 3.5mm headphone jack. The Poco F1 runs on Android 9 Pie and will receive Android 10 Q update in the future. Source Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Samsung Galaxy A70 goes official; 32MP selfie camera, 4,600mAh battery and more News oi-Sandeep Sarkar The processor is currently unknown, however, it will come with 6GB/8GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage. Samsung has now extended its refreshed Galaxy A smartphone lineup with the launch of Galaxy A70 smartphone. The latest smartphone comes following the launch of Galaxy A10, Galaxy A30 and Galaxy A50 for the masses. Recently, the Galaxy A70 had been spotted online on TENNA which hinted at an imminent launch. Now, the smartphone has been officially announced by Samsung. However, the South Korean tech giant has not revealed as to when the Galaxy A70 will be available for purchase. Coming to the specifications, the Samsung Galaxy A70 flaunts a huge Infinity-V 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display panel. The display comes with a Full HD+ display panel which offers a wide aspect ratio of 20:9. The display comes with a waterdrop notch on top of it for the selfie camera. The display will incorporate an in-display fingerprint scanner for security. The smartphone follows the latest trend of triple-lens rear camera setup. There is no word on the primary lens packed in the rear camera setup. However, there will be an 8MP ultra-wide sensor paired with a 5MP depth sensor accompanying the primary lens. The smartphone at the front will be a 32MP (f/1.7 aperture) sensor for selfies and video calling. While the processor is unspecified at the moment, it will be combined with two RAM options including 6GB and 8GB RAM to take care of all the multitasking. The smartphone will offer a storage space of 128GB. It will ship with Android 9 Pie-based One UI interface. Powering the Galaxy A70 is a capacious 4,500mAH battery unit which comes with fast charging support for 25W. As mentioned earlier, Samsung is yet to announce the first sale of the smartphone and it is still unknown when the Galaxy A70 will be up for grabs. We will keep you updated with the information on the same, so stay tuned for all the latest information. via Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Photo: Contributed Apple trotted out few details on its long-awaiting streaming service on Monday, but it didn't skimp on high-wattage celebrity. Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and Jennifer Aniston were part of a parade of A-listers who took the stage at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California, where the main attractions are usually the company's latest high-tech gadgets. This time, though, it was the likes of Big Bird and Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, who took the spotlight at Apple's latest live-streamed product launch. "I'm joining forces with Apple," declared Winfrey. "They're in a billion pockets, y'all." Apple chief executive Tim Cook gave what he called "a sneak peek" of the tech giant's plans to transform television viewing and jump some analysts say belatedly into the streaming business Netflix has pioneered. The service, dubbed Apple TV Plus, will debut in the fall in more than 100 countries and feature ad-free original series and films. Cook and Apple declined to say how much the nascent streaming service will cost. It was unveiled as an extension of Apple's redesigned TV app, which will bundle third-party services like HBO, CBS and Showtime, along with a user's cable subscription and some streaming services like Hulu. Netflix has said it won't partake. Much of both Hollywood and Silicon Valley had eagerly awaited details on Apple's much-ballyhooed foray into original programming, something the company had been quietly prepping for the last few years and laying aside at least $1 billion to do so. But it's not the only company readying a rival to Netflix, which spent $12 billion on content last year. The Walt Disney Co. and AT&T's WarnerMedia are both set to unveil their own platforms later this year. Standing out from the pack will be a challenge for each. Disney's streaming service, named Disney-Plus, even bears a plus-symbol just like Apple's service. "It's not just another streaming service," said Zack Van Amburg, who along with Jamie Erlicht was hired away from Sony TV to head Apple's video programming. Cook didn't map out how extensive Apple's streaming library will be; it has about two dozen series and a handful of movies in the pipeline. But he promised big ambitions. "We partnered with the most thoughtful, accomplished and award-winning group of creative visionaries who have ever come together in one place, to create a new service unlike anything that's been done before," he said. Coalition Strikes Daesh Network in Iraq U.S. Central Command Release No: 19-016 March 25, 2019 March 25, 2019 Release # 20190325-01 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve continues conducting airstrikes against Daesh targets in Iraq in support of Iraqi Security Force activities as part of ongoing operations to eliminate their insurgence network. "The Coalition remains steadfast in its assistance to the Iraqi Security Forces as they interdict the Daesh network," said U.K. Major General Ghika, Deputy Commander Strategy and Information, CJTF-OIR. "The Iraqis and the Coalition will ensure the terrorists learn that nowhere in Iraq is safe for them." The airstrikes support broader counter-resurgence operations throughout Iraq. These operations focus on Daesh's capacity to reemerge, which includes the targeting its financial, explosive-manufacturing, communication, recruiting, planning, training and smuggling activities. "The Coalition is committed to Iraq, and we will continue to partner closely the security forces," Ghika said. "This includes our Build Partner Capability mission to enhance the professional and technical expertise of Iraq's security forces through training and equipping." "As Daesh has been systematically defeated, many of its fighters have fled out of Syria into Iraq. They are now seeking to re-establish themselves to conduct a deadly resurgence. Make no mistake, the fight against Daesh and violent extremism is far from over," Ghika concluded. The Coalition operates in Iraq at the request of the Government of Iraq. United international efforts against Daesh resulted in the liberation of Daesh-occupied territory, and the ongoing fight will ensure their enduring defeat and the erosion of their extremist ideology. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Coalition, partner forces liberate last territory held by Daesh U.S. Central Command Release No: 19-015 March 25, 2019 March 23, 2019 Release # 20190323-01 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SOUTHWEST ASIA -- The Coalition congratulates the Syrian Democratic Forces on the liberation of the remaining civilians under Daesh control and the elimination of Daesh's self-proclaimed territorial caliphate in the Middle Euphrates River Valley, Syria, March 23, 2019. Since the beginning of operations in 2014, the Coalition and partner forces have liberated nearly 110,000 square kilometers (42,471 square miles) from Daesh; as a result, 7.7 million people no longer live under Daesh oppression. "The end of the so called physical caliphate is a historic military accomplishment that brought together the largest Coalition in history, but the fight against Daesh and violent extremism is far from over," said U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Paul LaCamera, Combined Joint Task ForceOperation Inherent Resolve commanding general. The SDF ground operation to defeat Daesh in the MERV began in September 2018. Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces supported the ground offensive through cross border air and artillery strikes. The Coalition and its partner forces have, among other areas, liberated Hajin, Dashisha, land around Deir ez-Zor and Baghuz Faqwani. "It is important for us to remember all those who died during the fight against Daesh. During this four-year campaign, thousands of Syrian Democratic Forces and Iraqi Security Forces did not return to their families. I pray for your losses, and for a speedy recovery of your wounded," said LaCamera. "We also cannot forget our Coalition members who saw their last full measure of devotion in the pursuit of defeating Daesh. These Coalition and partner force fighters put their nation's needs before their own and defended the world against the threat of Daesh. They represented the best of their country. We must never forget their courage, dedication, and sacrifice." LaCamera continued, "The 74 nation and five international organization Coalition will need to maintain a vigilant offensive against this now widely dispersed and disaggregated organization." "Make no mistake, Daesh is preserving their force" LaCamera added. "They have made calculated decisions to preserve what is left of their dwindling personnel and capabilities by taking their chances in camps for internally displaced persons and going to ground in remote areas. They are waiting for the right time to reemerge." More than 60,000 Daesh terrorist and civilian have surrendered or fled from Baghuz Faqwani over the past month. "Many civilians evacuated from Baghuz Faqwani are family members of Daesh terrorists and they willingly subscribed to Daesh's radical ideology. These family members will not easily abandon their ideology. Their reintegration into society will require a collective effort from the coalition and international community to help eliminate conditions that would allow Daesh to reemerge," said LaCamera. "Now is not the time to rest and the assistance from the members of the Coalition is critical in consolidating our military gains. We recognize that military action alone will not ensure success and will continue to advocate continued support towards the enduring defeat of Daesh. International support to Iraq and northeast Syria is critical to the success of the enduring defeat of Daesh. More importantly, we must redouble our efforts at defeating their ideology," LaCamera concluded. The Coalition will continue work with our SDF partners and assist them in building their capabilities to ensure the enduring defeat of Daesh; we will also focus on defeating their ideology. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yemenis kill 20 Saudi forces in Jizan IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, March 25, IRNA -- Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman announced that the Yemeni army and the popular committees attacks on two Saudis' positions in Jizan, southern Saudi Arabia killed 20 Saudi forces. According to Yemeni media 'Saba', Brigadier General Yahya Saree said scores of aggressors were also injured and 5 armored cars were damaged. He added that after monitoring enemy's movements, the Yemeni Special Forces conducted an operation against Saudis' positions. Saree went on to say that enemy's positions were also targeted by a Zelzal missile. Meanwhile earlier, Center for Human Rights Development of Yemen in a report announced that the four-year war in Yemen has so far killed or injured 40,972 Yemenis. The Yemeni body announced that the Arab-coalition attacks have killed 16,005 people among whom were 3,547 kids and 2,271 women. This is while, 24,967 others including 3,568 children and 2,560 women were also injured. According to the report, many of the infrastructures of Yemen were also damaged. The human rights body went on to say that 15 airports, 16 ports, 216 roads, 284 power plants, 1,623 water networks and 869 governmental organizations were also destroyed. About 5,914 cluster and phosphorus bombs were also used by Saudis against Yemenis. The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2451 to support the Stockholm Agreement on deployment of a team in order to facilitate monitoring and implementing the Agreement and establishing truce in important Yemeni ports. The resolution mainly focuses on sending essential commodities to the Yemeni people, supporting the Stockholm Agreement, assigning the Secretary-General of the United Nations to implement it and observing the ceasefire. The fourth round of Yemen peace talks kicked off in Stockholm, Sweden on December 6 with the attendance of UN and the government representatives. It agreed to establish truce in Yemeni ports of al-Hudaydah, al-Salif and Ayn Issa. Saudi Arabia and its regional allies attacked Yemen in March 2015 to bring back to power the deposed president of Yemen Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. Since then, the invaders have committed horrible war crimes against Yemeni civilians. 9376**1424 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the Prime Minister of Georgia, Mamuka Bakhtadze NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 25 Mar. 2019 (As delivered) Prime Minister Bakhtadze, Mamuka, It is a great pleasure to be back in Tbilisi. And to visit Georgia during the NATO-Georgia exercise. This is the second time that Georgia hosts this important event. Demonstrating the ability of the Georgian armed forces to operate side-by-side with the Allies and other partners. This exercise is hosted by the NATO-Georgia Joint Training Centre. Which has been working to strengthen your country's defences since it was inaugurated back in 2015. I visited many times and it's always good to be back. This time, I'm going to be visiting the NATO GEO exercise. Georgia is a unique partner for NATO. Last summer in Brussels all NATO leaders reconfirmed the Bucharest decision from 2008 that Georgia will become a member of NATO. You are the largest non-NATO contributor to our Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan. You contribute to the NATO Response Force. And the NATO-Georgia exercise this week demonstrates that we are stepping up our cooperation. Georgia has made a lot of progress in important reforms. Including strengthening Parliament's role in overseeing the security sector. And the reform of Georgia's judiciary. I was glad to hear that these efforts will continue. Your efforts to modernise the armed forces and to build more effective defence institutions have also been very impressive. I also welcome your commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defence. And I congratulate Georgia for spending 20% of GDP on equipment and modernisation. This strengthens your military. And your contribution to regional security. I welcome your efforts in all these areas. And I encourage you to continue making full use of all the opportunities for coming closer to the Alliance. And to prepare for membership. NATO fully supports Georgia's territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. We call on Russia to end its recognition of the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and to withdraw its forces. We also share your concerns about Russia's military build-up in the Black Sea region. That is why we are strengthening the cooperation between Georgian and NATO naval forces. Why we are providing training for Georgian Coast Guard boarding teams. And why NATO's Maritime Command is cooperating with Georgia's Joint Maritime Operations Centre. And during our meeting today we discussed how we can increase our cooperation, not least between our maritime forces. Prime Minister, let me thank you for your hospitality. We will continue working together to prepare Georgia for NATO membership. Georgia is a reliable contributor to our shared security. And I look forward to continue working with you as Georgia moves closer to NATO. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary General visits NATO-Georgia exercise NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 24 Mar. 2019 - 25 Mar. 2019 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Georgia on Monday (25 March 2019) to observe NATO and Georgian forces training together. The NATO-Georgia exercise brings together around 350 participants from 24 NATO and partner countries and international organisations. The exercise is being held at the NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Centre, which has been helping to strengthen Georgia's defences since it was inaugurated in 2015. Mr. Stoltenberg said the exercise shows how NATO and Georgia are stepping up their cooperation. Georgia is one of NATO's closest partners, working with the Alliance on security in the Black Sea region. Georgia is also the largest non-NATO contributor to the Alliance's training mission in Afghanistan and it contributes to the NATO Response Force. Last summer in Brussels, NATO leaders reconfirmed the 2008 Bucharest Summit decision that Georgia will become a member of NATO. The Secretary General praised Georgia's progress in making important reforms and encouraged it to continue these efforts. During his visit Mr. Stoltenberg had talks with the President of Georgia, Ms. Salome Zourabichvili, the Prime Minister, Mr. Mamuka Bakhtadze, and other high level officials. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Expeditionary Medical Facility Training at PacBlitz19 Navy News Service Story Number: NNS190325-12 Release Date: 3/25/2019 2:26:00 PM From Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Public Affairs CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (NNS) -- The Naval Expeditionary Medical Training Institute (NEMTI) on Camp Pendleton, California, hosted Expeditionary Medical Facility (EMF) training as part of Pacific Blitz 2019 (PacBlitz19). One of the key objectives in establishing the EMF as part of PacBlitz19 is to integrate various capabilities across several expeditionary stakeholders to include I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF), 3rd Fleet (C3F) and Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC). Various units including NECC Pacific, Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, Naval Medical Center Balboa, Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 303 (CBMU-303), along with doctors, nurses, hospital corpsmen, Seabees and numerous support staff established the EMF to provide theater hospitalization to the I MEF and C3F Commanders. Military doctrine supports an integrated health services support system to triage, treat, evacuate, and return Soldiers and Sailors to duty in the most time efficient manner. These services are known as Roles. Role 1 care provides immediate first aid at the front line. Role 2 care consists of surgical resuscitation provided by highly mobile forward surgical teams that directly support combatant units in the field or at sea. In Role 3, which is what the EMF delivers, care is provided through combat support hospitals or hospital ships. These are large facilities that take time to become fully operational, but offer much more advanced medical, surgical, and trauma care, similar to a civilian trauma center. Role 4 care is the first echelon at which definitive surgical management is provided outside the combat zone. Role 5 care is the final stage of evacuation to one of the major military centers in the United States where definitive stabilization, reconstruction, or amputation of the injured extremity is performed. The EMF is an expeditionary hospital, designed for austere environments. It has full resuscitation and emergency stabilizing surgery, along with selected specialty care. It provides significant medical support capabilities and capacities to any joint force commander. "The EMF is designed to be assembled and operational in 10 days," said Capt. Teresa Allen, EMF Alpha commanding officer. "It is meant to be a self-sustaining medical facility." Allen explained how the EMF came together at the beginning of PacBlitz19. "All the personnel involved are from the West Coast and we essentially had to have everyone come together to build the EMF as part of this integrated exercise," said Allen. "I'm so pleased with how this team collectively came together so seamlessly." Seabees assigned to CBMU-303 and Sailors assigned to EMF-Alpha built the EMF from the ground up. They began by putting together the framing of the tents and finished by installing medical supplies and equipment. One of the main components of the CBMU-303 mission is to provide camp construction, base operating support and facilities maintenance for expeditionary medical facilities such as EMF-Alpha, to include the containment and distribution of power, water, and fuel. The field hospital supporting PacBlitz19 is a modified EMF, with two ambulances, three operating room tables, 10 intensive care beds, and 40 ward beds along with a host of ancillary services to include pharmacy, laboratory services, radiology, dental, patient administration, information management and technology, and command and control capabilities. It has a range of surgical specialties and general dentistry, along with medical specialties and clinical support services to provide a host of similar functions you would find at a large hospital in any city. "It was little slow going with some bad weather earlier on in the week, but everyone was motivated and was ready to take part and learn," said Chief Builder Eric Laposi, assigned to CBMU-303. "This was great training collectively and all parties involved took a lot away from this." The primary mission of the EMF is to provide standardized, modular, flexible theater hospitalization in expeditionary environments. PacBlitz19 provides realistic, relevant training that replicates a distributed maritime environment, allowing for integration across the Marine Expeditionary Force and the Fleet. "An EMF has never been included previously in a military exercise. PacBlitz19 provides us the unique opportunity to assess the effectiveness of our EMF training and identify areas of improvement," said Capt. Sharon House, officer in charge for Naval Expeditionary Medical Training Institute. "Additionally, it has given us the opportunity to integrate with forces and look at means to sustain training integration. Overall, it's been a great collaborative experience." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pacific Partnership 2019 Concludes Mission Stop in Philippines Navy News Service Story Number: NNS190325-04 Release Date: 3/25/2019 12:06:00 PM From Pacific Partnership 2019 Public Affairs TACLOBAN, Philippines (NNS) -- Senior mission leadership, host nation and partner nation personnel attended the closing ceremony of the second Pacific Partnership 2019 (PP19) mission stop in Tacloban, Philippines, March 22. "Each Pacific Partnership line of effort engineering, medical, host nation outreach, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief has been instrumental in working alongside their Philippine counterparts for a greater good," said Capt. Randy Van Rossum, commodore, Destroyer Squadron 1, the mission commander for Pacific Partnership 2019. "They've worked collaboratively to enhance host nation capability, build regional relationships and exercise a collective ability to respond to disaster emergencies." During the two-week mission stop in the Philippines, U.S., partner nation military members and non-governmental organization volunteers conducted more than 40 subject matter expert exchanges, worked more than 1,500 hours on two evacuation center construction projects, hosted 15 U.S. Pacific Fleet and host nation band performances, engaged with more than 7,000 Tacloban students and residents, and included more than 300 personnel in the final collaborative disaster relief exercise. "Alone we can do so little," said Jerry Yaokasin, vice mayor of the city of Tacloban. "But we've proven here that together, all of us, we can do so much. Not only for a safer Indo-Pacific region, but for a better world. Thank you for making a difference." 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Gaza hit by Israel after Hamas denies rocket attack on Tel Aviv Iran Press TV Mon Mar 25, 2019 10:04PM The Israeli army has bombed several areas across the Gaza Strip, with Palestinian resistance groups responding by firing rockets from the besieged territory. The Palestinian Health Ministry said at least seven Palestinians were injured in the latest attacks. Earlier, Israel's air force targeted the office of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza. Israel also deployed additional troops near the Gaza Strip. In response, Palestinian resistance fighters fired 10 rockets into Israel from Gaza. Later Hamas said it had reached an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Israel. Hamas sources say Palestinian factions will be bound to it if Israel doesn't strike. The new Israeli aggression against the coastal enclave came after Tel Aviv authorities said earlier on Monday that a long-range rocket launched from the Gaza Strip had struck an area near Tel Aviv in central Israel, wounding seven people. The early morning attack on Mishmeret, an agricultural town north of Tel Aviv, came a day after Israeli warplanes bombed the besieged enclave ahead of the anniversary of Gaza fence protests at the weekend. It forced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut short his trip to Washington immediately after meeting US President Donald Trump later on Monday, his office said. A Hamas official, who asked not to be named, told AFP on Monday, "No one from the resistance movements, including Hamas, has an interest in firing rockets from the Gaza Strip towards the enemy." He added that the same message had been conveyed to Egypt, which intervened to broker a ceasefire and prevent Israel from launching another war on Gaza after tensions escalated last year. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi war has failed despite US support: Yemen's Houthi Iran Press TV Mon Mar 25, 2019 06:20PM The Saudi regime has failed in its deadly campaign against Yemen to achieve its objectives despite enjoying support provided by Washington and other allies. That is part of a speech by the leader of Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement on the fourth anniversary of the Yemeni nation's resistance against Riyadh's aggression. Delivering a televised speech broadcast live on Monday evening, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said Saudi Arabia's "unprecedented oppression" aimed to divide the Yemeni people and control them in order to serve the aggressors' interests. The campaign is also aimed at occupying Yemen and looting it oil resources, he said. The Ansarullah leader said it was a religious and national duty to keep confronting Saudi Arabia's agressive behavior. He also condemned the stance of traitors and those irresponsible people who act in support of Riyadh. Referring to Yemen's former President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, Houthi said no one has the right to sell his country and to waste the blood of his people. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, he said, are facing economic challenges due to the campaign against Yemen. Houthi did not elaborate on the matter. Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the devastating campaign on March 26, 2015, with the aim of bringing a former government to power and crushing the Houthi Ansarullah movement. Riyadh has failed to fulfill its objectives. According to a new report by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, the Saudi-led war has so far claimed the lives of around 56,000 Yemenis. The Saudi-led war has also taken a heavy toll on the country's infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The UN has already said that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering from the most severe famine in more than 100 years. A number of Western countries, the US and Britain in particular, are also accused of being complicit in the ongoing aggression as they supply the Riyadh regime with advanced weapons and military equipment as well as logistical and intelligence assistance. Yemenis have been carrying out retaliatory attacks on the Saudi forces deployed in the country as well as targets inside Saudi Arabia. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Photo: Contributed Martin Sellner, leader of the right-wing populist Identitarian movement of Austria is seen giving an interview in Berlin, Germany. Austria's leader called Tuesday for authorities to "ruthlessly" investigate possible ties between an Austrian nationalist group and the alleged Christchurch mosque gunman, after it emerged that a prominent far-right activist in the Alpine nation had received a donation in the suspected shooter's name. Martin Sellner, head of the Identitarian Movement of Austria, said on social media that police searched his apartment Monday and seized electronic devices after he received a "disproportionately high donation" from a person named Tarrant the same surname as the suspected Christchurch shooter. Christoph Poelzl, spokesman for Austria's Interior Ministry, confirmed Tuesday that the country's BVT domestic intelligence agency searched Sellner's apartment in Vienna at the request of prosecutors in the city of Graz. "Any connection between the Christchurch attacker and members of the Identitarians in Austria needs to be comprehensively and ruthlessly investigated," Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz tweeted, adding that he had spoken to Justice Minister Josef Moser about the issue. "It is important that the independent justice system can use all necessary means and resources to conduct its investigation together with the security services and expose these networks," he said. "There needs to be total clarity about all extremist activities." Hansjoerg Bacher, a spokesman for Graz prosecutors, said prosecutors had stumbled across the donation as part of an existing probe against Sellner into possible financial offences. "The purpose of the investigation is to examine links between Mr. Sellner and the Christchurch attacker," Bacher told The Associated Press. He declined to confirm when the donation took place, but said it was much higher than other contributions made to Sellner or his Identitarian Movement. "Most donations were in the area of two-to-three figures, whereas this donation was in the low four-figure area," Bacher told The AP. "This made it stand out, and the events in New Zealand put a face to this donation." He said the investigation against Sellner is based on Austrian anti-terror laws. "We need to determine whether there is a connection and if so, whether it's criminally significant," said Bacher. Sellner denied having anything to do with the March 15 massacre, in which 50 Muslims were killed in the southern New Zealand city. Iran urges Yemen ceasefire, end to economic blockade Iran Press TV Mon Mar 25, 2019 04:58PM Iran's Foreign Ministry says the Islamic Republic supports an overarching ceasefire in Yemen while calling for an end to the "tyrannical" economic and human blockade imposed on the people of Yemen. The Iranian Foreign Ministry made the remarks in a statement released on Monday on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the beginning of Saudi Arabia's war of aggression against Yemen. "In line with its policy to seek a political solution to the crisis in Yemen and within the framework of a four-point plan, which was proposed by [Iran's] foreign minister at the beginning of the campaign against Yemen, the Islamic Republic of Iran declares its support for all forms of overarching and comprehensive ceasefire and removal of the tyrannical economic and human blockade of the people of Yemen," the statement read. In April 2015, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif submitted a four-point peace plan for Yemen to the United Nations in an attempt to end the bloodshed in the Arab country. "It is imperative for the international community to get more effectively involved in ending the senseless aerial attacks and establishing a ceasefire," Zarif said in the letter, adding that Tehran is ready to cooperate with the UN "to facilitate and encourage an immediate end to these senseless bombardments and initiation of a genuine dialogue to find a political solution to this tragic crisis." In November 2018, Zarif once again assessed the viability of putting an end to the ongoing Saudi-led war only through the Islamic Republic's four-point plan. "Today, after untold human suffering & war crimes by the Saudi coalition & its U.S. accomplices, & efforts to whitewash their crimes with absurd allegations against Iran, our four-point plan still remains the only viable option," the top Iranian diplomat said in a post on his official Twitter account. Elsewhere in its statement, Iran's Foreign Ministry urged all political groups in Yemen to reach a political agreement, which would meet the demands of the country's people while asking the international community to support any effort made to alleviate the suffering of Yemeni people, especially women and children. As confirmed by international officials and organizations, more than 24 million Yemeni people are in need of help while over 15 million others are suffering from malnutrition and millions of children are facing the risk of famine and hunger, it added. The Iranian ministry once again threw its weight behind the Stockholm agreement and urged countries engaged in the Yemeni crisis to make necessary preparations for the full implementation of the deal. It also expressed hope that the complete implementation of the agreement would be the first step toward a final settlement of the crisis in Yemen. Back in December, representatives from the Houthi Ansarullah movement and the Riyadh-sponsored government of ex-president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, reached the truce deal during UN-mediated peace talks in Sweden. Under the deal, they agreed to the withdrawal of their troops and the deployment of UN monitors to the port city, a lifeline for millions of Yemenis. Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the war in March 2015 with the goal of bringing a former regime that had been submissive to Riyadh back to power. A number of Western countries the US and Britain in particular supply that coalition with advanced weapons and military equipment as well as logistical and intelligence assistance. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Gaza hit by Israel after Hamas denies rocket attack on Tel Aviv Iran Press TV Mon Mar 25, 2019 04:07PM Only a few hours after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas denied it had launched a rocket attack toward Tel Aviv, the Israeli military says it has begun striking the besieged Palestinian territory. The Israeli military said on Monday it had started hitting Hamas targets throughout the Gaza Strip. Palestinian security officials and Hamas media outlets said a naval position of the resistance movement was targeted by at least two strikes west of Gaza City. In northern Gaza, another target was a large training camp run by Hamas. The new Israeli aggression against the coastal enclave came after Tel Aviv authorities said earlier on Monday that a long-range rocket launched from the Gaza Strip had struck an area near Tel Aviv in central Israel, wounding seven people. The early morning attack on Mishmeret, an agricultural town north of Tel Aviv, came a day after Israeli warplanes bombed the besieged enclave ahead of the anniversary of Gaza fence protests at the weekend. It forced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut short his trip to Washington immediately after meeting US President Donald Trump later on Monday, his office said. A Hamas official, who asked not to be named, told AFP on Monday, "No one from the resistance movements, including Hamas, has an interest in firing rockets from the Gaza Strip towards the enemy." He added that the same message had been conveyed to Egypt, which intervened to broker a ceasefire and prevent Israel from launching another war on Gaza after tensions escalated last year. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump has no problem with release of full Mueller report: White House Iran Press TV Mon Mar 25, 2019 03:07PM White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders has said President Donald Trump would have no problem with the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's full report into the alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election. "I don't think the president has any problem with it," Sanders said on NBC's Today show. "He's more than happy for any of this stuff to come out because he knows exactly what did and what didn't happen and now frankly the rest of America knows." Trump has claimed "complete and total exoneration" after the Justice Department announced Mueller's 22-month investigation found no evidence of collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia in the 2016 election. Attorney General William Barr, a Trump appointee, said in a four-page summary of the report released on Sunday that Mueller's team had concluded that no one in Trump's campaign "conspired or coordinated with the Russian government." However, Mueller's findings left unresolved the issue of whether Trump obstructed justice by undermining the investigations. Many of the president's opponents had accused him of obstructing the Russia probe when he fired former FBI Director James Comey in 2017. Echoing Trump, Sanders said the American public knows "there was no collusion, they know there was no obstruction and it's a complete and total exoneration of the president." Democrats have rejected the determination made by the Justice Department on the evidence presented by Muller following his extensive investigations. They said they wanted to see Mueller's report for themselves as they launch congressional investigations of their own into the 2016 election and Trump's business and financial dealings. Democrats accused Barr of putting his own finding on Mueller's report, saying that the special counsel did not exonerate Trump of obstruction of justice. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hamas denies involvement in rocket attack on Tel Aviv Iran Press TV Mon Mar 25, 2019 02:25PM The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has rejected Israel's claim that it launched a rocket which hit a house north of Tel Aviv and wounded seven settlers. "No one from the resistance movements, including Hamas, has an interest in firing rockets from the Gaza Strip towards the enemy," a Hamas official, who asked not to be named, told AFP on Monday. He added that the same message had been conveyed to Egypt, which intervened to broker a ceasefire and prevent Israel from launching another war on Gaza after tensions escalated last year. His remarks evoked the possibility that the rocket strike may have been caused by "bad weather." Earlier on Monday, Israeli authorities said a long-range rocket launched from the Gaza Strip had struck Mishmeret, a settlement north of Tel Aviv, wounding seven settlers. Israel's military said the rocket was fired by Hamas from the Rafah area in the south of Gaza. The incident had forced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut short his trip to Washington as he pledged to "respond with force" to the rocket attack. The Israeli military said it was sending two additional brigades and carrying out a limited call-up of reservists, raising fears of a severe military escalation. The attack came a day after Israeli warplanes bombed the besieged enclave ahead of the anniversary of Gaza fence protests at the weekend. Gaza has been under Israeli siege since June 2007, which has caused a decline in living standards. Israel has launched three major wars against the enclave since 2008, killing thousands of Gazans each time and shattering the impoverished territory's already poor infrastructure. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yemen sees jump in suspected cholera cases in 2019: UN Iran Press TV Mon Mar 25, 2019 01:09PM The deadly campaign led by the regime in Riyadh against Yemen has in effect exacerbated a health crisis in the impoverished country. The United Nations has announced a rise in suspected cases of cholera since January. The UN office for humanitarian affairs (OCHA) said on Monday that 108,889 cases were reported between January 1 and March 17, including 190 related deaths. The OCHA said children under five years of age account for nearly a third of the reported cases. According to the report, the increase was concentrated in six provinces, including Hudaydah and Sana'a. Airstrikes conducted by warplanes of the Saudi regime and some of its allies in the coalition against Yemen have brought about considerable damage to Yemen's infrastructure. The OCHA said the recent spike in suspected cholera cases could be blamed on early rains and a lack of maintenance of sewage systems. "The situation is exacerbated by poor maintenance of sewage disposal systems in many of the affected districts, the use of contaminated water for irrigation, and population movements." Cholera infection first became epidemic in Yemen in October 2016 and spread until December the same year, when it dwindled. The second outbreak began in the country in April 2017, the worst cholera outbreak in Yemen's modern history. More than 2,500 people died of the infection within an eight-month period that year. Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection that is spread through contaminated food or water. It can be effectively treated with the immediate replacement of lost fluids and salts, but without treatment it can be fatal. Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the devastating campaign in March 2015, with the aim of bringing a former government to power and crushing the Houthi Ansarullah movement. Riyadh has failed to fulfill its objectives. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yemenis kill 20 Saudi troops as Rioyadh's deadly war enters 5th year Iran Press TV Mon Mar 25, 2019 08:13AM Yemeni fighters say they have killed at least 20 Saudi Arabian soldiers in a retaliatory attack as the Riyadh regime's deadly war against the impoverished southern neighbor enters its fifth year. Spokesman for Yemeni armed forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced late Sunday that the attack by the Yemeni army and Popular Committees targeted two military bases in the southern Saudi town of Jizan. The attack, carried out after extensive intelligence gathering, injured a greater number of Saudi soldiers and destroyed at least five armored vehicles, Saree said. The general noted that the Saudi military had yet to collect the dead bodies of its troops despite enjoying close air support. In the capital Sana'a, thousands of Yemeni people gathered outside the United Nations office earlier in the day to demand an end to Saudi Arabia's military aggression, which has killed a large number of civilians and destroyed the country's infrastructure. Riyadh, under the order of its de-facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, began indiscriminately pounding targets across Yemen on March 24, 2015. The ambitious prince, who was the kingdom's defense minister back then, infamously predicted that the campaign would only take a few months to fulfill its two main targets: Destroying the Houthi Ansarullah movement and reinstating fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi a staunch ally. Four years on, however, the Saudis and their allies in the war --- including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain-- and their many thousands of foreign mercenaries have become bogged down. Houthis and their allies, on the other hand, remain steadfast in their resolve to fight off the enemy with a powerful arsenal of missiles that have struck as far as the Saudi capital. The situation inside Yemen, however, remains grim as millions of people remain in the throes of acute starvation and deadly diseases such as cholera and diphtheria. A Saudi-led blockade and its constant destruction of Yemen's infrastructure has shrunk Yemen's economy by 50 percent since the onset of the conflict. The war has also forced more than two-thirds of small- and medium-size businesses to lay off half of their employees and driven up the price of food by 112 percent. According to a report by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, the Saudi war has claimed the lives of around 56,000 Yemenis. A new report by Save the Children says the ongoing Saudi aggression has killed at least 2,500 Yemeni children since March 2015. That means the Saudi military is killing Yemeni children at a horrifying rate of over 30 children per month. In one operation alone, Saudi warplanes used US-supplied bombs to target a school bus in the northern Yemeni town of Sa'ada, killing 40 children onboard. Amnesty condemns 'horrific crimes' Amnesty International said in a statement on Monday that the international community needs to take swift action to stop the "bloodshed" in Yemen. "After four years of bloodshed in the Arab world's poorest country, Yemenis can no longer bear the catastrophic humanitarian impact of the war," said Samah Hadid, Amnesty International's Middle East campaigns director. "The international community must step up efforts to ensure that civilians are protected, obstacles to humanitarian assistance and arbitrary restrictions on import of essential goods are lifted, and impunity for war crimes and other violations is ended," Hadid added. She called on the US, the UK and other Western countries that have been supplying Riyadh with advanced weapons despite international outrage to halt their military dealings with the kingdom. "Western states must immediately halt the arms trade to warring parties. They must put human rights and the lives of millions of Yemeni civilians and their own legal obligations above lucrative arms sales," said Hadid. US President Donald Trump scored a $110 billion weapons deal with Saudi Arabia during his visit to Riyadh in 2017. The UK has licensed over 4.7 billion worth of arms exports, including missiles and fighter jets, to Riyadh since the deadly conflict began in 2015. Prime Minister Theresa May has so far faced down calls for a ban on the weapons sales despite the growing humanitarian disaster. France has also been a major supplier of weapons to Saudi Arabia. French Defense Minister Florence Parly said last year that her country had exported 11 billion euros ($12.6 billion) in arms to Saudi Arabia between 2008 to 2017, a figure which was crucial for French jobs. Germany, Spain, Australia, Greece and many other countries are also involved in arms trade with Riyadh. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Long-range rocket hits near Tel Aviv after Israel attacks Gaza Iran Press TV Mon Mar 25, 2019 05:59AM Israeli authorities say a long-range rocket launched from the Gaza Strip has struck an area near Tel Aviv in central Israel, wounding seven people in the first such incident since a 2014 war on the Palestinian enclave. The early morning attack on Mishmeret, an agricultural town north of Tel Aviv, came a day after Israeli warplanes bombed the besieged enclave ahead of the anniversary of Gaza fence protests at the weekend. It forced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut short his trip to Washington immediately after meeting US President Donald Trump later on Monday, his office said. The Palestinian Information Center reported that two missiles struck the heart of the Israeli-occupied territories early on Monday. The attack reportedly destroyed a building, leaving seven settlers injured. Sirens sounded in central Israel for the first time in two years and residents reported an explosion, highlighting the failure of Israel's much-hyped Iron Dome missile system to intercept the rocket. The multi-billion-dollar system was dealt another blow during the latest military flare-up in November, when Hamas fired more than 460 rockets at the occupied lands in less than 24 hours in response to Israeli aggression. Israel's capital and outlying towns had last come under such an attack during the 2014 war on Gaza. A week and a half ago, two rockets were fired at Tel Aviv from the Gaza Strip but the Israeli military said they had been launched accidentally. Fears of serious escalation Netanyahu, who is seeking a fifth term in next month's ballot, has been in Washington for the annual AIPAC conference. "In light of the security events I decided to cut short my visit to the US," Netanyahu said as he pledged to "respond with force" to the rocket attack. His office said Netanyahu has been updated on the rocket fire, and that he has called for a consultation with chiefs of the Israeli military, Shin Bet and other senior security officials via telephone. The Israeli military later accused Hamas of firing the rocket and announced it was sending reinforcements to the Gaza area. The rocket, it said, had been fired from the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip. "The launch was carried out by Hamas from one of its positions in the Rafah area," Israeli military spokesman Ronen Manelis said. Warning against aggression The rocket would have had to travel some 120 kilometers from Rafah to land in the Israeli capital. The Israeli military said it was sending two additional brigades and carrying out a limited call-up of reservists, raising fears of a severe military escalation just ahead of April 9 elections. Hamas ally in Gaza, the Islamic Jihad said "we warn the Zionist enemy from committing an aggression against the Gaza Strip." "Their leaders should be aware that we will respond with force against their aggression," it said in a statement, without commenting on who may have been responsible for the rocket. On Sunday, Israeli tanks shelled Gaza after "incendiary balloons" were launched across the fence throughout the evening, the military said. The day before, Israeli warplanes struck southern Gaza Strip. Tensions have been running high in Gaza since March 30, when the "Great March of Return" protests started, demanding the right to return for those driven out of their homeland by Israeli aggression. The clashes in Gaza reached their peak on May 14, the eve of the 70th anniversary of Nakba Day or the Day of Catastrophe, which coincided this year with Washington's relocation of its embassy from Tel Aviv to the occupied Jerusalem al-Quds. More than 260 Palestinians have so far been killed and at least 26,000 others wounded in the Gaza clashes, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Gaza has been under Israeli siege since June 2007, which has caused a decline in living standards. Israel has launched three major wars against the enclave since 2008, killing thousands of Gazans each time and shattering the impoverished territory's already poor infrastructure. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mueller issues equivocal report, concludes Russia probe Iran Press TV Mon Mar 25, 2019 02:05AM Special counsel Robert Mueller's findings have failed to implicate US President Donald Trump in collusion with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaigning. The so-called Russia probe came to an end following the release of a summary of findings by Trumpappointed Attorney General William Barr on Sunday. "The Special Counsel's investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia" regarding the 2016 election, according to the letter. The special counsel had 19 lawyers, the assistance of about 40 FBI agents and issued over 2,800 subpoenas to investigate alleged Russia intervention in the 2016 presidential election and the Trump team's collusion with the Kremlin. The report was vague in handling allegations of obstruction of justice by the president, neither exonerating him nor holding him accountable. As a result, Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein concluded that the "evidence developedis not sufficient to establish that the president committed an obstruction of justice offense." Therefore, Trump appeared before the reporter ahead of boarding Air Force One in Florida, boasting that he has been given "a complete and total exoneration." White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley also appeared before reporters in Washington to announce that Trump is "in a really good mood." "He's just very happy with how it all turned out," Gidley said of the president, who has been calling the investigation a "witch hunt" from the get-go. The president's friends in Congress rushed to his support after the report failed to draw any practical conclusions after 22 months. "Attorney General Barr's statement today should end the debate," said North Carolina Republican Representative Mark Meadows on Capitol Hill. "There was no collusion. There was no obstruction. It's over." Democrats, who had been waiting for the investigation to conclude, were quick to announce that they will continue with their own probe, conducted as they hold the majority of the seats in the US House of Representatives. According to top Democrats, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, the report "raises as many questions as it answers," adding that Mueller "determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgment." They concluded that Mueller "did not draw a conclusion one way or another as to whether the examined conduct constituted obstruction." Democrats had stalled impeachment proceedings, hoping that the probe would endanger Trump's tenure. "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," said Pelosi earlier this month. That means Democrats will have to wait until the 2020 presidential election to take on Trump. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Thirteen Civilians, Mostly Children, Believed Killed In Afghan Air Strike, UN Report Finds By RFE/RL March 25, 2019 Thirteen civilians were killed, mostly children, in an air strike by "international forces" near the northern Afghan city of Kunduz last week, according to preliminary findings of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). "The mission expresses serious concern that initial fact-finding indicates that 10 of those killed were children, part of the same extended famil...displaced by fighting elsewhere in the country," UNAMA said in a statement on March 25. It said that three more civilians were apparently wounded in the incident, which occurred in the Telawka neighborhood close to Kunduz city on the night of March 22-23, during "operations conducted by pro-government forces against Taliban in the area." "Work is ongoing to verify all civilian casualties that occurred during military operations that were conducted around the time of the air strike," the statement said. A spokeswoman for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan said on March 24 that U.S. forces had carried out an air strike in the area, but she said the mission had not confirmed it had caused civilian casualties. Sergeant Debra Richardson said the mission aims to prevent civilian casualties but noted that Taliban militants intentionally hide among civilians. The war in Afghanistan killed more civilians in 2018 than at any time since records have been kept, UNAMA said in a February report, blaming the increase on unprecedented suicide bombings by militant groups and air strikes carried out by U.S.-led forces. It said that the conflict killed 3,804 civilians and wounded another 7,189 in 2018, an 11 percent increase from the previous year. The civilian death toll is the highest number since UNAMA began tallying figures in 2009. With reporting by AFP and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/thirteen-civilians- mostly-children-believed-killed-in-afghan-air-strike- un-report-finds/29840653.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Stoltenberg: Georgia Will Join NATO, And Russia Can Do Nothing About It By RFE/RL's Georgian Service March 25, 2019 TBILISI -- During a visit to Georgia, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has again said that the South Caucasus country will eventually join the Western military alliance, despite the Kremlin's fierce opposition. Stoltenberg was in Tbilisi on March 25 to hold meetings with Georgian officials and attend joint NATO-Georgia military exercises. Speaking alongside Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze, he said that the 29 NATO member states had "clearly stated that Georgia will become a member of NATO." "We will continue working together to prepare for Georgia's NATO membership," Stoltenberg said, adding that no country has the right to influence NATO's open-door policy. "We are not accepting that Russia or any other power can decide what members can do," he said. Bakhtadze said that "NATO membership is the choice of the Georgian people." At a 2008 summit in Bucharest, NATO agreed that Georgia will eventually become a member, but no firm date has been set, although the membership perspective for the country has been reconfirmed at every summit ever since. The country of some 3.7 million people fought a brief war with Russia in August 2008, and Moscow's continued military presence on the country's territory adds to tensions in the region. After the war, Russia left thousands of troops in Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and recognized both as independent countries. In Tbilisi, Stoltenberg held talks with Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, during which he hailed Georgia's commitment to reforms. The NATO chief also reiterated the allies' support for Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty. Held at the Krtsanisi National Training Center near Tbilisi, the 12-day joint military exercises involve around 350 personnel from 24 NATO member states and partner countries. The drills, dubbed NATO-Georgia Exercise 2019, will last until March 29. With reporting by Interpressnews and AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/stoltenberg-georgia -will-join-nato-and-russia-can-do- nothing-about-it/29840885.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Photo: Angus Reid Institute B.C.'s John Horgan finds himself among Canada's most popular premiers, according to a new poll. The poll conducted by the Angus Reid Institute has Horgan sitting in the third most popular position behind Quebec Premier Francois Legault and Saskatchewan's, Scott Moe. British Columbia Premier John Horgan received the approval of more than half of B.C., earning the backing of 52 per cent of B.C. residents. Thats an increase of 9 percentage points since December, when four-in-ten or 43 per cent approved of his performance. The current number ties Horgans highest mark as premier, which was set in March 2018. Most premiers have seen their standing among their own constituencies improve or at least hold since December. The two exceptions are Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil. Ontario Premier Doug Fords approval drops four points this quarter to 38 per cent. Albertas Rachel Notley, currently seeking a second term as Alberta premier, faces long odds ahead of the April 16 election day. Recent polls, including one released by the Angus Reid Institute, have consistently pointed to a substantial lead for the opposition United Conservative Party. However, Notleys personal appeal appears to continue to climb. Notleys approval has increased for the fifth consecutive time and is now up to four-in-ten or 40 per cent. Jordan's King Cancels Romania Visit Over Jerusalem Embassy Plan By RFE/RL's Romanian Service March 25, 2019 Jordan's King Abdullah II has canceled a visit to Romania in protest at Prime Minister Vorica Dancila's announcement that Romania was planning to move its embassy to Jerusalem. Jordan's royal palace said that the decision to cancel the visit scheduled for March 25 came "in solidarity with Jerusalem." Dancila made the announcement in a speech in Washington at the annual conference of American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the main pro-Israel lobby group in the United States, but later backtracked on her statement after drawing a strong rebuke from Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. "I as prime minster of Romania, and the government that I run, will move our embassy to Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Israel," she told AIPAC on March 24. However, according to the Romanian Constitution, foreign-policy decisions need the ultimate approval of the president, and Iohannis reacted immediately, saying in a statement that Dancila "demonstrates once again her complete ignorance on foreign-policy issues." Following Iohannis's rebuff, Dancila backpedaled from her previous statement in an interview with a Romanian TV station. "I said that we must complete all constitutional steps first. I haven't said I will relocate the embassy. I said we must observe the constitution," the Romanian prime minister said. "My opinion is that we must take this step. It is a personal opinion," Dancila added. During his trip, Abdullah was expected to meet with President Klaus Iohannis and parliamentary leaders and sign a number of cooperation deals. The United States moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem last year, sparking international criticism as well as Palestinian and Arab anger. Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state. Israel has annexed East Jerusalem and declared the entire city as its capital, a move not recognized by the international community. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Dancila's comments at the AIPAC conference, while the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) called the move a "blatant violation of Palestinian rights, international law, and UN resolutions." With reporting by AP and AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/jordan-s-king- cancels-romania-visit-over-jerusalem -embassy-plan/29840985.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Serbian Accusation Lingers Of Link Between NATO Bombing, Health Woes By Sonja Gocanin, Alan Crosby March 25, 2019 Serbian lawmaker Darko Laketic, head of the Commission for Researching Health Impacts of the NATO Bombing, looks at the data and draws a clear line between the Western security alliance's 78-day bombing campaign and a rise in cancer-related disease in children born in the subsequent two decades. The problem is, others don't see the correlation -- or have yet to be shown it. Laketic said last week that a study commissioned by his group in tandem with the Batut Institute of Public Health of Serbia shows "unambiguously" that children born after 1999 were exposed to something left amid the rubble from the punishing air strikes aimed at forcing Belgrade to withdraw its troops from Kosovo. Specifically, Laketic noted increases in neuroectodermal tumors in the nervous systems of children from birth to 4 years old, malignant blood disorders in children between 5 and 9 years of age, brain tumors in 10-to-14-year-olds, and solid tumors in those aged 15 to 18. "Some poison impacted these children, and with so many poisons released into the environment during the 1999 bombing, it's easy to guess what it is," he said in a thinly veiled reference to incendiary devices made with depleted uranium, a controversial substance NATO has admitted to using while denying it carries extended health risks. RFE/RL's Balkan Service asked Laketic for access to the study, but he said it would be made public "as soon as the study is completed." The bombing of rump Yugoslavia, code-named Operation Allied Force by NATO, began on March 24, 1999, and was aimed at ending violence between ethnic Albanians and mostly ethnic Serbian forces during a two-year counterinsurgency war. The alliance says its pilots carried out more than 38,000 combat missions, with some 3,000 cruise missiles falling on targets across Kosovo and what is now Serbia, including heavy bombardment of the capital, Belgrade. More than 1,200 Yugoslav security troops and around 500 civilians were killed in the operation. Some of the bombs contained depleted uranium, a leftover product from the enrichment process of uranium 235. It is used in warheads because of its extreme hardness, which allows it to penetrate armored targets and fortified buildings. Though its radioactivity is far below that of its original form, depleted uranium is still considered toxic and listed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a "radiation health hazard when inside the body." The Batut Institute said it did not possess the data Laketic was referring to, though it had analyzed some data on "persons suffering from malignant tumors in Serbia" and submitted the results to Laketic. Laketic also claimed that the institute's preliminary report had been sent to every member of parliament. But several legislators contacted by RFE/RL said they hadn't received or seen any preliminary report or refused to comment. "I was hoping to get some information, but so far nothing, and it's been a good nine months. We have absolutely no word about the report," said Sanda Raskovic Ivic, a deputy with the opposition People's Party. NATO: 'No Lasting Damage' For its part, NATO has repeatedly claimed that depleted uranium found in the ammunition used in the 1999 bombardments cannot be linked to adverse health effects. In the years after the bombing, it set up an ad hoc committee to study the issue before concluding that "to date, none of the nations or international organizations has reported finding any indication that would suggest a current threat to human health caused by radioactivity at any of the sites tested." "I have answered questions on this depleted-uranium issue many times including in Serbia and.... [W]e had independent assessments and they concluded that there were no lasting health damages because of the depleted uranium," NATO's current secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, told a conference in Belgrade in October. Serbian officials are also closely following the trial of eight Italian military officials who oversaw a bombing range in Sardinia. The Italians were charged with failing to ensure health and safety standards after a rash of birth defects and cancer cases cropped up around the Quirra military base. Prosecutors allege a tie between illness and the toxicity of the elements detonated at the base, which has reportedly been used by the alliance to test bombs and missiles containing depleted uranium and other toxins. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/serbian-accusation -lingers-of-link-between-nato-bombing -health-woes/29841402.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Serbia, Kosovo Mark Anniversary Of NATO Bombings, But View It Very Differently By RFE/RL March 25, 2019 Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic blasted NATO's 1999 bombing campaign of his country, claiming it was "a crime" that led to the deaths of 2,500 civilians and billions of dollars in damage. However, neighboring Kosovo, which was the beneficiary of the attack, on March 24 said it will "forever be grateful" to the Western military alliance and the United States for intervening to help stop the bloodshed in the region. Serbia and Kosovo were both marking the 20th anniversary of NATO's 78-day air campaign in what was then the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The onslaught began on March 24, 1999, and helped end Belgrade's crackdown against ethnic Albanians in its then-province Kosovo. Belgrade was a major target of the Western alliance's warplanes during the attack, and Serbian leaders eventually acceded to Western demands and retreated from Kosovo. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February 2008. Although more than 110 countries recognize Kosovo, Belgrade does not. "The death of 2,500 civilians, of 79 children, the devastation of the country, damage running into tens of billions of dollars, it will always be a crime for us," Vucic told a ceremony in the city of Nis, about 250 kilometers south of Belgrade. "We were alone in the face of the biggest military power in the world. Their goal was clear: to beat us and humiliate us, and then give part of our territory to someone else," he said. Rights groups put a lower figure on the death toll but still say that several hundred people died in the bombing campaign. Long a nationalist, Vucic has attempted to remake himself as a pro-European reformer while seeking to maintain good relations with traditional ally Russia as well. He has stated a goal to join the EU, but he told the crowd at Nis that "the Serbian people have made the dignified decision that they do not want Serbia to join NATO." In Kosovo, President Hashim Thaci -- who at the time served as a political leader of ethnic Albanian rebels -- said it was a "great and glorious" day when the NATO bombings commenced 20 years ago. Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, a former rebel commander, said the day "marked a turnaround. Our people looked to the sky during the intervention, saying, 'There is a god.'" "We will forever be grateful to NATO and the United States," Haradinaj added. In Belgrade, ambassadors from eight Western countries -- Canada, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Britain, and the United States -- paid their respects to civilian victims at a monument in the capital. "We remember March 24 as the day diplomacy failed, and we express our sincere regret for the loss of civilian lives during the events of 1999," they said in a joint statement. Meanwhile, Vucic continued to face a differing set of political pressures in his home country. On March 23, thousands of Serbs took to the streets of Belgrade and other cities in protest against what they say is Vucic's autocratic rule, the 16th week in a row of anti-government demonstrations. Most of the protesters are demanding Vucic's resignation, freedom of the press, and fair elections. But the demonstrators are a diverse group, with many pressing individual demands, and include leaders from the Alliance for Serbia, a loose grouping of about 30 parties and movements. Protest organizers have resisted attempts by some far-right opposition politicians to take control of the demonstrations. With reporting by RFE/RL Balkan Service correspondents in Belgrade and Pristina, AP, AFP, and dpa Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia- kosovo-mark-anniversary-nato-bombing- raids/29840205.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kosovo Deputy Minister Dismissed Over 'Genocide' Comment About NATO By RFE/RL's Balkan Service March 25, 2019 Kosovar Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has fired the country's deputy justice minister, an ethnic Serb, after she called NATO's 1999 bombing campaign of then-Yugoslavia a "planned genocide." Haradinaj dismissed Vesna Mikic on March 25, saying in a statement that there is "no place" in his government and other institutions in Kosovo for individuals to "denigrate our common euro-Atlantic values." The Western military alliance committed "a deliberately planned genocide against a sovereign country that fought Albanian terrorism inside its own borders," Mikic wrote in a Facebook post on March 24, which marked the 20th anniversary of NATO's 78-day air campaign. Haradinaj called the comments "unacceptable," saying they amount to "hate speech." Rights groups say that several hundred people died in NATO's bombing campaign that helped end Belgrade's crackdown against ethnic Albanians in its then-province Kosovo. Belgrade was a major target of the military alliance's warplanes, and Serbian leaders eventually acceded to Western demands and retreated from Kosovo. Predominantly ethnic Albanian Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, a move that Belgrade has not recognized. Kosovo's ethnic Serb minority accounts for about 5 percent of the country's population of 1.8 million. With reporting by Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-deputy- minister-dismissed-over-genocide-comment- about-nato/29841051.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Attorney General's Outline On Mueller Probe Leaves As Many Questions As Answers By Alan Crosby March 25, 2019 "Does not exonerate." "Complete and total exoneration." Within minutes of the March 24 release of U.S. Attorney General William Barr's outline of the report from Special Counsel Robert Mueller, one thing quickly became clear: The investigation into whether President Donald Trump's campaign conspired or coordinated with Russia during the 2016 election has yet to settle the issue. Trump's team is already celebrating, claiming the president has already been vindicated. According to Barr, Mueller's report says his investigation "did not establish that members of the Trump [campaign] conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities." "The Special Counsel did not find any collusion and did not find any obstruction. AG Barr and Deputy AG Rosenstein further determined there was no obstruction," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said on Twitter. "The findings of the DOJ are a total and complete exoneration of the President of the United States." Not so fast, say Trump's opponents. Neither Mueller nor Barr actually said that. On the question of whether Trump obstructed justice during the investigation, it's not so cut-and-dried. "The Special Counsel stated that 'while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him,'" Barr, Trump's pick for attorney general who was confirmed to the post just last month, wrote in his four-page outline of the "principal findings" of the 22-month-long investigation. Mueller laid out the facts but did not "draw a conclusion" on whether obstruction occurred, according to Barr, who went on to say that he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein "concluded that the evidence developed during [Mueller's] investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction of justice offense." Barr, the U.S. chief prosecutor, also noted that Mueller's team has no plans to issue any new indictments. Democrats were quick to counter the White House's take on Barr's outline, warning him not to bury the evidence and bringing up the possibility of issuing a subpoena to Mueller to testify on the complete findings of his report. Over the course of his probe, Mueller issued some 2,800 subpoenas and indicted more than three dozen people and entities on various charges. But none of the charges has directly addressed the question of whether there was coordination between Trump's associates and Russian officials. Furthermore, Mueller, who spent nearly two years investigating allegations that Russia meddled in the 2016 election to help Trump defeat his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, did not say whether a crime was committed, instead leaving that determination to the attorney general. "The attorney general's offer to provide a summary of the report's conclusions is insufficient. Congress requires the full report and the underlying documents so that the committees can proceed with their independent work, including oversight and legislating to address any issues the Mueller report may raise," said Democrat Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker. As Barr and the Department of Justice consider how much of the Mueller report to release publicly, legal analysts say battles will continue over what can be released, as well as whether the special counsel found potential offenses committed by Trump that could be related to whether lawmakers pursue the president's impeachment. The outline states that Mueller didn't find that the Trump campaign, or anyone associated with it, conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in efforts to influence the election "despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist" the campaign. The summary did not name those individuals, and Democrats have demanded more information behind the conclusion that no conspiracy was established. Robert Reich, a professor at the University of California in Berkeley and a former secretary of labor during the Clinton administration, said the case for obstruction of justice against Trump is "strong." "Barr's summary not only glosses over findings and leaves holes in Mueller's report, but it also buries a critical detail. Barr has decided not to bring obstruction of justice charges against Trump to impede the investigation. This despite the fact that Trump himself admitted he fired FBI Director James Comey to stop the Russia investigation," he said. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-attorney-general-s -outline-on-mueller-probe-leaves-as-many -questions-as-answers/29840133.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Key Findings Of The Mueller Investigation By Frud Bezhan March 25, 2019 In a sprawling investigation spanning nearly two years, Special Counsel Robert Mueller examined two burning questions: Did President Donald Trump or any of his associates conspire with Russia's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and did Trump commit obstruction of justice during the investigation? A four-page summary of Mueller's highly anticipated report -- sent in a letter by Attorney General William Barr to congressional leaders and the media -- provides at least some of the answers. Collusion Not Established The summary said the Mueller investigation did not find that Trump or any American associated with his campaign conspired with Russia to influence the 2016 election, which would be a federal crime. "[T]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities," Barr quoted Mueller as writing in his report. The summary said one of the two main ways Russia tried to influence the election was through the Internet Research Agency (IRA), a St. Petersburg-based "troll factory" allegedly controlled by Kremlin-connected businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin. Barr said the IRA attempted to "conduct disinformation and social-media operations in the United States designed to sow social discord, eventually with the aim of interfering with the election." But Mueller did not find that any "U.S. person or Trump campaign official or associate conspired or knowingly coordinated with the IRA in its efforts," according to Barr's summary. The summary said the other chief way the Russian government tried to influence the election was by hacking material from Democratic organizations that WikiLeaks released at critical junctures in the weeks before the election. They included thousands of stolen e-mails from the private account of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, in the closing weeks of the campaign. Although Mueller brought criminal charges against Russian military officers, the special counsel "did not find that the Trump campaign, or anyone associated with it, conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in these efforts, despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign," Barr said in the summary. Barr said that Mueller "thoroughly" investigated the question of whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia's election interference, issuing more than 2,800 subpoenas, obtaining nearly 500 search warrants, and interviewing 500 witnesses. Did He Or Didn't He? On the issue of whether Trump obstructed justice, the outcome of Mueller's investigation was less clear-cut. According to Barr's summary, Mueller's report states that while it "does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." Barr said that Mueller -- for reasons the attorney general did not explain in detail -- decided not to "draw a conclusion" as to whether Trump, in his view, committed the crime of obstruction of justice. Instead, Barr said, Mueller's report examines Trump's actions and "sets out evidence on both sides of the question." Mueller's report "leaves unresolved what the Special Counsel views as 'difficult issues' of law and fact concerning whether the President's actions and intent could be viewed as obstruction," Barr added. But Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein concluded that the evidence was "not sufficient to establish that the president committed an obstruction of justice offense," the summary said. Barr, nominated to his job by Trump last year, said their decision was based on the evidence uncovered by Mueller and was made "without regard to" the constitutional question of whether a sitting president can be indicted. In a possible nod to Trump's public attacks on investigators and witnesses, Barr said Mueller had cataloged the president's actions, "most of which have been the subject of public report." Zeke Miller, a White House reporter for the AP, said in a tweet that the wording of the letter suggested that "at least one action of the president that was investigated as potential obstruction of justice...has yet to be revealed in public reporting." Many of Trump's opponents accused him of obstructing the Russia probe when he fired FBI Director James Comey in May 2017. Mueller was subsequently appointed to conduct the investigation into Russia's role in the campaign. Trump's shifting explanations for why he fired Comey had fueled suspicions that it was aimed at halting the FBI investigation, which began in July 2016. Some legal experts have said that in itself may have constituted a federal crime -- obstruction of justice -- an allegation that figured prominently in the impeachment-related proceedings of Presidents Richard Nixon in 1974 and Bill Clinton in 1998. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/the-key-findings-of-the- mueller-investigation-/29840116.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pompeo Cautions Russia Over Reports Of Military Mission In Venezuela By RFE/RL March 25, 2019 U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Moscow's dispatch of military personnel to Venezuela is increasing tensions there and warned that Washington will not "stand idly by." U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said Pompeo called Lavrov on March 25 and said "the United States and regional countries will not stand idly by as Russia exacerbates tensions in Venezuela." Pompeo's call came after a Venezuelan official said Russian aircraft arrived in Caracas over the weekend as part of ongoing military cooperation. Reports that two Russian Air Force planes arrived could not be independently confirmed. Russia supports Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. "The continued insertion of Russian military personnel to support the illegitimate regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela risks prolonging the suffering of the Venezuelan people, who overwhelmingly support interim President Juan Guaido," he said. The United States and dozens of other countries support Venezuelan opposition leader Guaido, who says Maduro's reelection last year was rigged. Meanwhile, Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Lavrov had complained of "attempts by Washington to organize a coup d'etat in Venezuela" during the telephone conversation with Pompeo. The statement said such moves "constitute violations of the UN charter and undisguised interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state." With reporting by AP, dpa, and AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pompeo-cautions- russia-over-reports-of-military-mission -in-venezuela/29841369.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia Lands Two Air Force Planes In Venezuela, Official Says March 25, 2019 A Venezuelan official has told the Associated Press that two Russian Air Force planes arrived in Caracas over the weekend as part of military cooperation between the two countries. The official on March 24 appeared to confirm media reports that said Russian military jets carrying defense officials and nearly 100 troops had landed in the South American country on March 23. A journalist with AFP reported seeing one of the planes on the tarmac at Maiquetia Airport, with a Russian flag on its fuselage and being protected by Venezuelan National Guardsmen. The Venezuelan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Russian military officials have come to discuss equipment maintenance, training, and strategy. In December, Russia's Defense Ministry sent two nuclear-capable strategic bombers to Venezuela in an unusual display of Russian military force in South America -- a move that angered the United States and many other regional countries. The Russian ministry at the time said the two Tu-160 bombers had arrived at an airport outside of Caracas on December 10. The statement did not say if they were carrying weapons. The bombers' arrival came just days after President Nicolas Maduro visited Moscow, seeking Kremlin support for his country, whose economy is in shambles and which is deeply in debt to Russia. Moscow supports Maduro in his tense battle for control of the Venezuelan government with opposition figure and self-declared interim President Juan Guaido, who is backed by Washington and many European countries. Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and AGOP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-lands -two-air-force-planes-in-venezuela- official-says/29840315.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel Begins Striking Hamas Targets in Gaza - IDF Sputnik News 18:48 25.03.2019(updated 19:40 25.03.2019) Earlier in the day, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesman Avichay Adraee said that Israel sent two military brigades and a command centre to the border with Gaza. The Israeli army announced on Monday that it began striking Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip after a Palestinian rocket, fired from Gaza, had injured seven people earlier in the day. Following the early-morning incident, the IFD said that it was bolstering its military presence at the border with Gaza and was carrying out partial mobilization of reservists. Commenting on the airstrike, US President Donald Trump said that Israel had an absolute right to self-defence. "The United States recognizes Israel's absolute right to defend itself," Trump said ahead of his bilateral talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Any possible future peace agreement [on the Middle East] must be count for Israel's absolute right to defend itself from Syria, Iran and other regional threats," Trump said at the White House. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Guaido Calls for "Operation Freedom" to Topple Venezuelan President Maduro Sputnik News 18:38 25.03.2019 The call follows Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro blaming the country's opposition leader Juan Guaido for being directly involved in a US plot to assassinate him. Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido has urged citizens to take part in what he described as "Operation Freedom", which Guaido claimed would lead to the shift of power in the Latin American country. He did not elaborate on when the operation may kick off. "The time is ripe for Operation Freedom so as to put maximum pressure [on Venezuelan authorities] for the final cessation of usurpation, the formation of transitional government and free and fair elections. Absolutely everyone will have a role at this stage of our struggle", Guaido wrote in an Instagram post. READ MORE: US and Opposition Want to Unleash an 'Oil War' to Invade Venezuela Maduro He also referred to special committees which "are being set up throughout the country" and which "will be charged with promoting [] actions to stop usurpation in every district, sector, trade union, educational institution and government body". Guaido made the remarks a few days after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro argued that "American imperialism" wants to kill him and that Caracas "just exposed the plan that the devil's puppet [Guaido] personally directed" to assassinate Maduro. "We have evidence; they could not and cannot [succeed] because we are protected by God", Maduro said, adding that the Prosecutor's Office had made serious progress in the case, with "new terrorists" expected to be arrested "in the coming days". Earlier, Venezuelan security forces arrested Guaido's "chief of staff" Robert Marrero, accusing him of organising a terror cell and conspiring to hire professional killers from across Central America to murder high-ranking Venezuelan officials and carry out acts of terrorism. The developments come as Venezuela remains embroiled in a severe political crisis which escalated after Guaido proclaimed himself the country's interim president, contesting the re-election of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last year. Guaido immediately received support from the United States, which also denounced Maduro's re-election, along with a number of other countries. China, Cuba, Russia and a number of other states have endorsed Maduro as Venezuela's only legitimate president. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Photo: The Canadian Press Empire actor Jussie Smollett, center, arrives at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago. Attorneys for "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett say charges alleging he lied to police about an attack have been dropped. Smollett attorneys Tina Glandian and Patricia Brown Holmes said in a Tuesday morning statement that Smollett's record "has been wiped clean." Smollett was indicted on 16 felony counts related to making a false report that he was attacked by two men who shouted racial and homophobic slurs. A spokeswoman for Cook County prosecutors didn't immediately respond to messages requesting comment. Police and prosecutors have said the black and gay actor falsely reported to authorities that he was attacked Jan. 29 in downtown Chicago because he was unhappy with his pay on the Fox show and to promote his career. US Deploys F-15 Aircraft in Poland for Flying Exercise - Pentagon Sputnik News 17:36 25.03.2019(updated 17:38 25.03.2019) WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States military deployed a group of F-15 tactical fighters in Poland for a flying exercise, the Pentagon said on Monday. "US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles, aircrew and support personnel from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, deployed to Powdiz Air Base, Poland, to participate in exercise Rapid Panther, March 25," the Pentagon said in a statement. The exercise is aimed at demonstrating the 48th Fighter Wing's ability to forward deploy rapidly with few aircraft and execute relevant training with the Polish military, it added. The Pentagon also noted the exercise underscores the US commitment to security in the region and is not related to any current world events. The move comes after in May, the Polish Defence Ministry published a document stating that Poland was ready to pay $1.5-2 billion for deployment of a permanent US military base to host a permanent US armoured division in the country. Meanwhile, US officials haven't yet confirmed their preparedness to deploy the state's troops and military equipment to the base that anticipates construction. However, some US troops were sent to Poland early this year. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Navy Gets Access to Oman Ports Amid Iran Tensions - Reports Sputnik News 14:40 25.03.2019(updated 14:41 25.03.2019) Tensions between Washington and Tehran escalated last May, when President Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal and promised to slap the country with crippling sanctions over its alleged "destabilising" role in the Middle East. The southeastern Arabian nation of Oman has penned an agreement with Washington allowing US warships and aircraft to enjoy access to two of its Arabian Sea ports, the state-run Oman News Agency has reported. The agreement, signed in Muscat on Sunday, provided US Navy ships, including carrier groups, with access to the ports of Duqm and Salalah, with the former situated just 500 km from the Strait of Hormuz waterway, through which over 30 percent of the world's seaborne crude oil passes on route to customers around the globe. The US Embassy in Oman praised the agreement, saying it "reaffirms the commitment of both countries to promoting mutual security goals," with an unnamed US official adding that the Duqm port in particular was "very attractive," given its "geostrategic location," as well as its ability to host massive US carrier groups. The official mentioned US worries over Iran, telling Reuters that while the US "used to operate on the assumption that we could just steam into the Gulf, the quality and quantity of Iranian weapons raises concerns." According to the official, the Oman agreement significantly expanded the US's "military options" in the event of a crisis. In addition to the effort to box in Iran, Rueters says the deal will help Washington in its global competition for influence with Beijing, with China previously hoping to invest billions of dollars into the Omani ports for commercial development. The United States already has a large number of major military bases in around the Persian Gulf, including in Qatar, which hosts the largest US military facility in the Middle East Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz if the US or its allies attempted to follow through on their promises to ban the export of Iranian oil. The Trump administration slapped Iranian crude exports with oil related sanctions in November, as part of a broader package of restrictions announced last May following Washington's unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. However, the US has also granted 'temporary waivers' on Iranian exports to major customers including China, India, Italy, and Turkey, with these waivers set to expire in May. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Royal Netherlands Air Force to Receive Four MQ-9 Reaper Drones - Reports Sputnik News 13:48 25.03.2019(updated 13:49 25.03.2019) The Royal Netherlands Air Force is to receive four MQ-9 Reaper drones under a contract with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, approved by the US Department of Defence on 21 March, Dutch aviation magazine Scramble has reported. It is reported that the Netherlands has been planning to purchase drones since 2003, but for various reasons, the implementation of these plans has been postponed several times. According to the Dutch aviation magazine, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. was awarded a $123-million contract for four MQ-9 Reaper Block 5 UAVs for the Koninklijke Luchtmacht (Royal Netherlands Air Force). The US State Department approved the delivery of UAVs back in 2015. In addition to four MQ-9 Reaper UAVs, the request also included the delivery of mobile ground control stations, multispectral target designation systems, satellite communication system terminals, and other equipment. At that time, the order value was about $340 million. The MQ-9 Reaper is an armed, multi-mission, medium-altitude, long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Military Officials Arrive in Venezuela for Defence Talks - Source Sputnik News 11:50 25.03.2019(updated 19:22 25.03.2019) CARACAS (Sputnik) - A group of Russian military personnel have arrived in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas to take part in consultations with country's officials on defence industry cooperation, a diplomatic source in Caracas told Sputnik. "[The Russian military personnel] has arrived to take part in bilateral consultations," the source said when asked about the possible arrival of two aircraft with the Russian military. The source noted that there was "nothing mysterious" about that because the visit was directly related to contracts that had been signed by the two countries years ago. "Russia [and Venezuela] have a number of contracts, which are being implemented, including contracts on military and technical cooperation," the source added. The planes arrived in the Venezuelan capital on Saturday. Media earlier reported that an estimated 99 Russian military staff arrived in Caracas on board two planes, which also delivered 35 tonnes of cargo. Meanwhile, Venezuela has been suffering from a severe political crisis for around two months, after the leader of the country's opposition, Juan Guaido, illegally proclaimed himself interim president, contesting the re-election of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last year. The self-proclaimed interim president immediately received support on the part of the United States, which has also denounced Maduro's re-election, along with a number of other countries. Both Caracas and Moscow have been expressing concerns that Washington may resort to military means to oust Maduro from power. China, Cuba, Russia and a number of other countries have endorsed Maduro as Venezuela's only legitimate president. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel Sends Troops to Gaza Border - Reports Sputnik News 11:24 25.03.2019(updated 12:25 25.03.2019) The development comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short his trip to the US on Monday after at least seven people were injured when a rocket fired from Gaza struck a residential building in central Israel. Israel has deployed two infantry brigades and armoured units to the Gaza border, the country's media reported on Monday. The reported deployment comes after the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) accused Hamas of carrying out a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip earlier this day. "Hamas has launched a rocket from the Gaza Strip toward central Israel. It's a rocket made by Hamas", IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee said. In a separate development on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he would cut his visit to the United States and return to Israel to take charge of a response to the attack from Gaza. "In the light of the events related to the security, I have decided to shorten my visit to the United States. In a few hours I will meet with [US President Donald] Trump and immediately return to Israel to control our actions on the spot", Netanyahu said. Netanyahu is due to meet Trump at the White House for the expected signing of an order recognising Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. His statement came after at least seven people, including children, were injured in the early hours of Monday morning by a Palestinian shell that hit a crowded residential neighbourhood in Israel. Israel has activated its missile defence systems several times this month due to the registered rocket launches from the Gaza Strip on Israeli territory. In the first week of March Israeli fighter jets conducted airstrike on several targets in Gaza after air attack sirens went off in the southern region of Israel bordering the Gaza Strip. On Thursday, Trump tweeted that 52 years on, "it is time for the United States to fully recognise Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and regional stability". Israel took control of the Golan Heights in 1967 after the Six-Day War between Israel and the neighbouring states of Egypt, Jordan and Syria. 1981 saw an Israeli law which extended the country's jurisdiction over the territory, a move that has never been recognised internationally and that further worsened Israeli-Syrian ties. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address We haven't won fight against Daesh yet Writing in the Sunday Times, the Foreign Secretary reflects on the fall of Daesh, and why the fight to tackle its poisonous ideology continues. Published 25 March 2019 The words of the leader of Isis were the purest hubris. In the summer of 2014, he claimed that he would "conquer Rome and own the world". At that time, Isis controlled an area of Syria and Iraq roughly the size of the UK. Its terrorists were imposing a rule of obscurantist barbarism on about 7m people. Yet today (Saturday 23 March 2019), the last fragment of territory is prised from its grasp. We should welcome the blow struck against one of the most depraved terrorist movements in history, guilty of imposing unspeakable suffering on countless people in the Middle East. We should keep at the centre of our minds the bereaved families of the Britons who were murdered by terrorists inspired by Isis. And we should remember the sexual slavery inflicted on women and girls in the territories it occupied. Isis recruits were given a pamphlet called Questions and Answers on Taking Captives and Slaves. One passage read: "It is permissible to buy, sell or give as a gift female captives or slaves, for they are merely property." Nadia Murad, the brave Nobel laureate, was among thousands of women from the Yazidi minority treated in this abominable way. In her book, she wrote: "When Daesh [Isis] took over Sinjar and began kidnapping Yazidis, they called their human spoils sabaya, referring to the young women they would buy and sell as sex slaves. This was part of their plan for us." The hard lesson for those who opposed military action [political content removed] is that, without the use of force, this sickening behaviour would have continued unchecked. They should reflect that whatever mistakes may have been made in the past, it would be profoundly wrong to rule out military action in all circumstances. Another myth is that the battle against Isis has been waged largely by Britain, America and other western countries. In fact, we are part of a global coalition of no fewer than 75 countries, including many in the Middle East, adding to the moral as well as practical force of our actions. The Iraqi security forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces have borne the brunt of the ground fighting: they deserve our thanks for their courage and sacrifice. But we should not mistake the loss of territory by Isis for final defeat. As they are driven underground, they are adopting insurgency tactics and forming covert networks in Syria and Iraq. Isis remains a threat, so military action will continue to be necessary. The survival of their murderous ideology does not depend on control of territory. They can still use the internet to raise funds and spread the propaganda that encouraged young people in Britain such as Shamima Begum with such terrible consequences. I believe we can draw three lessons. First, that the internet is part of the battlefield just as much as the sands of Syria or Iraq. Since 2016, Britain has led the international campaign to counter the ability of Isis propaganda to incite, inspire and recruit. The Foreign Office hosts the global coalition's strategic communications cell, putting UK expertise at the heart of the effort to expose the reality behind Isis lies. Second, the successes against Isis would not have been possible without a broad coalition under US leadership, even though America is much further away from the conflict zone than European countries. If we want the US to continue to play its part in maintaining peace around the world, European nations must be prepared to carry our share of the global burden. Finally, even if Isis has lost physical territory today, other extremist ideologies will be back tomorrow. Isis was a successor to al-Qaeda and the movement will spawn its own successors. History shows that groups such as Isis can survive and remain dangerous even without territory. So we must continue to be vigilant. That means pressing on with military action while countering online propaganda and using every diplomatic and humanitarian lever to address the conditions that allowed the rise of Isis in the first place. It also means defending our democratic liberal values with much more confidence. And our confidence is justified, because while the struggle against Isis is not over, the recapture of its territory means a major battle has been won. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Update: air strikes against Daesh The RAF are continuing to take the fight to Daesh in Syria. 25 March 2019 Summary - Tuesday 12 March Typhoons supported the Syrian Democratic Forces attacking Daesh in Baghuz Fawqani, striking dispersed terrorist positions, and destroying a large truck-bomb. - Sunday 17 March Typhoons destroyed a building in Baghuz Fawqani, from which Daesh were engaging the Syrian Democratic Forces at close range. - Monday 18 March a Reaper killed two terrorists in a trench at Baghuz Fawqani, while Typhoons struck four other Daesh positions. Detail Royal Air Force aircraft, alongside other coalition partners, have continued to provide close air support to the Syrian Democratic Forces as they attacked the last remaining Daesh stronghold in eastern Syria, at Baghuz Fawqani. Typhoon, Reaper and Sentinel aircraft have flown daily reconnaissance missions, with the Typhoons and Reapers ready to engage targets if requested by the SDF. On Tuesday 12 March, the SDF came into contact with Daesh in dispersed positions, and two Typhoon FGR4s conducted a series of three attacks, using a total of four Paveway IV guided bombs, which successfully silenced the terrorists' fire. In addition, a large number of vehicles had been abandoned in the area of the fighting, and one large truck in their midst was identified as booby-trapped with an improvised explosive device. The Typhoons were able to pick out and safely destroy this truck-bomb with a single Brimstone 2 missile. Typhoons conducted a further attack on Sunday 17 March when the SDF came under fire at close range from a building held by Daesh in Baghuz Fawqani. The proximity of the SDF to the target required particular careful targeting by the Typhoons' pilots, but a single Paveway IV demolished the terrorist position with great accuracy. The crew of a Reaper observed two terrorists, who were attempting to conceal their weapons under heavy cloaks, taking up position in a trench at Baghuz Fawqani on Monday 18 March, and successfully engaged them with a Hellfire missile. Typhoons were also patrolling the area, and they conducted an attack which struck four dispersed Daesh positions simultaneously with Paveway IVs. UK contribution to the fight against Daesh Map of UK forces committed to Operation Shader Campaign against Daesh Map of Daesh losses and gains in Iraq and Syria since September 2014 Previous update The Royal Air Force has struck two key targets, as the UK supports the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who are working to clear Daesh from their last small pocket of territory. British aircraft have delivered air attacks to assist the SDF with operations on the ground, while conducting daily reconnaissance missions around Baghuz, eastern Syria. Coalition aircraft also remain available to assist the Iraqi security forces as necessary, to prevent Daesh from re-establishing a presence in the country. On Thursday 21 February, two Typhoons were tasked with an attack on a cave in northern Iraq where a group of terrorists had been spotted, some ten miles east of Tal Afar. Coalition surveillance aircraft carefully checked the surrounding countryside for any civilians who might be placed at risk, before the Typhoons used two Paveway IVs to collapse the entrance to the cave. A Reaper provided close air support to the Syrian Democratic Forces as they fought Daesh around Baghuz Fawqani on Saturday 2 March. The Reaper's crew observed a rocket-propelled grenade being fired from a building, and shortly afterwards a small group of armed terrorists emerged. They were tracked by the Reaper, whilst careful checks were made that no SDF or otherwise unidentified individuals were too close to them, then successfully engaged with a single Hellfire missile. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN urges 'maximum restraint' as Israel-Hamas tensions rise over rocket attack 25 March 2019 - The UN Secretary-General said he was "gravely concerned" by the firing of a rocket from Gaza deep into Israel on Monday which reportedly injured seven people, including three children, north of the capital Tel Aviv. Briefing correspondents at UN Headquarters in New York in the middle of the day, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, said that the rocket attack was "a serious and unacceptable violation." He also noted the reports of Israeli fire directed towards Gaza in response, saying that the UN chief was "monitoring events" closely. According to news reports, Israeli forces said they had carried out strikes against what were described as Hamas targets, and Gaza's health ministry reported that seven had been injured during the retaliatory air strikes. The extremist group Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2006, but so far, no group has claimed responsibility for launching the rocket on Monday morning, according to latest media reports, which penetrated further into Israel than any attack since the end of the most recent conflict between Israel and Gaza, in 2014. Mr. Dujarric, told reporters that the Secretary-General was due to meet his Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, on Tuesday "who is also scheduled to brief the Security Council in person and where he will discuss the latest developments", adding that the Council meeting was "a pre-scheduled briefing." "We continue to work with Egypt and all concerned parties to try to de-escalate the situation and again, encourage restraint" said Mr. Dujarric. "Further escalation is likely to make an already bad situation worse, in particular for civilians in and close to Gaza," he added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Colombian Air Force supports US Navy Growlers for premier air-to-air combat By Tech. Sgt. Angela Ruiz, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) Public Affairs / Published March 25, 2019 NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (AFNS) -- The Colombian Air Force is supporting the U.S. Navy during the U.S. Air Force-led air-to-air combat exercise Red Flag 19-2 March 11-22. The Colombian Air Force brought their Multi-Mission Transport Tanker Jupiter 767 to refuel the U.S. Navy's EA-18G Growlers for the duration of the exercise. The Colombian MMTT Jupiter 767 is the only aircraft capable to conduct air-to-air refueling missions for the Growler during Red Flag 19-2 due to different air-to-air refueling systems available for the exercise. The U.S. Air Force's refueling aircraft participating in Red Flag 19-2 are boom-operated air-to-air refueling systems and the Growlers utilize a drogue air-to-air refueling system, which the Colombian MMTT Jupiter 767 provides. "We're an expeditionary Growler squadron so that means we're land-based, so most of my pilots' experience is based off tanking off of other F-18s (Super Hornet) or Air Force assets. In certain theaters of operation that may not always be the case," said Navy Cmdr. Chris Nesset, Electronic Attack Squadron 134 commander. "So the ability to operate with a partner country in a training environment and go slow using a different tanking platform to get that experience prior to any real world operations is fantastic." Red Flag is America's premier integration air-to-air combat training exercise that focuses on readiness, partnership and integration for expeditionary operations. "After last year's (Red Flag 18-3) exercise our leadership decided to stay close by inviting the Colombians back as soon as we could," said U.S. Air Force Col. Michael Mathes, 414 Combat Training Squadron commander. "The most feasible way to do that was with the tanker visit based on the other forces being engaged in ongoing operations." Red Flag 19-2 has a diversity of participants from around the globe to include Colombia, Belgium, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and U.S. joint forces. The Colombian MMTT Jupiter 767 is conducting day and night refueling missions exclusively with the U.S. Navy Growlers. Colombian Air Force Col. Kerly Sanchez, Colombian Air Force Red Flag delegation commander, expressed excitement in participating in Red Flag by saying that it's important for the Colombian Air Force to maintain consistent training with NATO partners to increase interoperability and continue to be a good partner to their allies. Colombia is the first and only Latin American country that is a NATO Global Partner. "NATO is one of many partnerships that we support," Mathes said. "While not directly involved, the fact that we've already built training expectations and interoperability here allows us to stand up coalitions when called because we can't really predict when and where we will fight next." This is the Colombian Air Force's third time participating in a Red Flag exercise. They previously participated in 2012 and 2018 with their Kfir fighter jets and MMTT Jupiter 767. This is the first Red Flag exercise the MMTT Jupiter 767 is participating to solely refuel U.S. aircraft. "We're ready to support these type of exercises, and any other time we can support our partner nations in this capacity," Sanchez said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Says Airstrike Kills 13 Afghan Civilians, Mostly Children By Ayaz Gul March 25, 2019 The United Nations confirmed Monday that ten children were among at least 13 civilians killed by a recent American military airstrike in northern Afghanistan. The deadly attack occurred early Saturday near the capital city of volatile Kunduz province where Afghan and U.S. forces were conducting a joint operation against Taliban insurgents. The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) lamented the deaths while releasing preliminary findings of its investigation into the incident. It said work is ongoing to verify other reports of civilian casualties that occurred around the time of the airstrike. "The Mission expresses serious concern that initial fact-finding indicates that 10 of those killed were children, part of the same extended family whom were displaced by fighting elsewhere in the country," said UNAMA. Officials and residents around the conflict zone said that insurgents had strongly resisted the joint Afghan-U.S. military raid in the Taliban-held Telawka neighborhood. The ensuing clashes killed two American soldiers and several local commando forces, prompting the U.S. military to launch the airstrike in support of forces on the ground. U.S. officials confirmed the killing of two service members and carrying out an airstrike in the area, accusing the Taliban of using civilian areas as hideouts. UNAMA urged parties involved in the airstrike to conduct their own enquiries into the incident and take immediate steps to safeguard civilians from harm. "Parties are urged to publish results of their findings, as well as provide appropriate compensation to victims." Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the 18-year-old war in Afghanistan. The armed conflict last year killed more than 3,800 civilians, including 927 children, the highest number of civilian deaths recorded in the past ten years, according to UNAMA. The mission documented a sharp increase in civilian casualties in 2018 from aerial and search operations conducted by Afghan and U.S. militaries, blaming pro-government forces for an unprecedented 24 percent overall increase in civilian casualties. Battlefield hostilities in Afghanistan have sharply increased with the advent of spring. The Taliban has inflicted heavy casualties on government forces in several provinces over the past few days. The deadliest of the attacks occurred early Saturday in Sangin district of the southern Helmand province, killing at least 65 Afghan forces, including 48 military personnel. The intensification in the war comes as Taliban and U.S. officials are due to reconvene soon to build on the progress they have achieved in recent negotiations to try to find a political resolution of the war. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Photo: The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is staying mum about whether he rejected former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould's 2017 recommendation for chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Sources tell The Canadian Press that Trudeau turned down Wilson-Raybould's recommendation that Glenn Joyal be elevated from chief justice of Manitobas Court of Queens Bench to chief justice of the Supreme Court over Joyal's views on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Joyal said Monday he withdrew his candidacy due to his wife's health. Trudeau would not answer direct questions this morning about what transpired two years ago, nor would he say whether his office was involved in the leak of what is usually a highly confidential appointments process. Trudeau says it is the prime minister's choice of who to nominate for the Supreme Court, as well as for chief justice, and that Canadians can and should continue to have faith in their judicial system. The House of Commons ethics committee will meet this afternoon in Ottawa to debate an opposition request to probe further into Wilson-Raybould's allegations of political interference in the criminal prosecution of Quebec engineering and construction firm SNC-Lavalin. China, Philippines Living By Tacit Deals at Sea Despite Sovereignty Dispute By Ralph Jennings March 25, 2019 China and the Philippines have learned to live with each other over the past three years at sea despite an unresolved sovereignty dispute, marginalizing a new international legal complaint aimed at Beijing. Former Philippine foreign secretary Albert del Rosario and the government's ex-ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales filed the complaint as civilians March 13 with the International Criminal Court prosecutor. The petitioners told a news conference Friday they want Chinese President Xi Jinping and other people in his government held accountable for what they call crimes at sea. The case is seen also as a swipe at Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, whose government withdrew from the court in mid-March and has made friends with China since 2016 without resolving the sovereignty dispute. Duterte cited China's stronger military and willingness to give Manila development aid as reasons to improve relations. China, in turn, wants to be seen around Asia as a good neighbor. Now the two governments consult periodically and avoid acts that inflame the other side. "There's no need for active cooperation," said Eduardo Araral, associate public policy professor at the National University of Singapore. "As long as they don't bring in those big tourist ships and dump garbage in the ocean or do overfishing in Philippine waters, I think the Philippines would just be happy to let things be as they are." Legal complaint The Philippines withdrew from the Netherlands-based International Criminal Court March 17. The country began its withdrawal process last year after the prosecutor started a war crimes probe into Duterte's deadly strikes against Filipino drug dealers. The prosecutor could technically build a case from the March 13 complaint, as well. "That (Xi Jinping) is powerful does not deter anyone from filing a case against him," Carpio-Morales told the news conference as broadcast by Philippines news network ABS-CBN. "Let's all be optimistic. Are you reminded of the case of David and Goliath?" But the complaint is unlikely to sway Sino-Philippine relations, political experts say. Tacit agreements The two countries have informally agreed to avoid provoking each other, said Alexander Huang, strategic studies professor at Tamkang University in Taiwan. "I think that's a kind of an untold, tacit understanding," Huang said. "I think it's the leaderships' decision." China lets Philippine fishing boats use waters around Scarborough Shoal, a fisheries-rich islet where Beijing took control in 2012, analysts have said. China also let the Philippines build on Thitu Island in a different part of the disputed sea last year, though it sent scores of boats to check out the construction in December and January. China in 2016 pledged $24 billion in aid and investment for the Philippines. Duterte's government avoids criticizing China in international bodies such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The two countries in November signed a memorandum of understanding to explore together for fossil fuels under the seabed. Beijing claims about 90 percent of the sea including tracts in the Philippine exclusive economic zone off their west coasts. China has angered Manila as well as three other Southeast Asian governments over the past decade by building up small isles for military use. Anti-China sentiment The 17-page complaint to the international court's prosecutor says Xi should be accountable for "crimes against humanity over China's activities in the South China Sea" as the acts have "deprived Filipino fishermen of food and livelihood," state-run Philippine News Agency reported. A tense standoff in 2012 over Scarborough Shoal sparked four years of tense relations under Duterte's predecessor, whose government won a world arbitration court case against China -- but one that effected no change in Chinese use of the sea. China cites historical documents as support for its claims. Suspicion of China still reflects sentiment among some Filipinos, who prefer Washington to Beijing as a political ally. The legal complaint was filed two months before mid-term congressional elections in the Philippines. A presidential office spokesman in Manila said Saturday the complaint may be "futile," domestic news website Philstar.com reported. China will ignore the complaint because it does not represent an official stance, Philippine News Agency said. "It's a political play going on here," said Jay Batongbacal, international maritime affairs professor at University of the Philippines. "I think it's less about the actual case than about going against the government and China." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Palestinians Report Cease-Fire in Gaza After Day of Violence By VOA News March 25, 2019 Palestinian officials say Israel and Hamas have agreed to an Egyptian-mediated cease-fire, after a day of fighting in which Palestinians fired a rocket into Israel and Israel retaliated with airstrikes on Gaza. Hamas TV also reported on the cease-fire development, but Israeli officials have not yet commented on the claim. Israeli airstrikes Monday evening hit dozens of targets across the Gaza Strip, including the office of Hamas' leader. Ahead of the airstrikes, Hamas' leadership went into hiding and there is no indication leader Ismail Haniya was in his office at the time of the attack. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the airstrikes, which came as retaliation to a Hamas rocket attack that hit a house in central Israel, injuring seven people. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was visiting Washington at the time of the Hamas attack. He said during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, "Israel will not tolerate this. I will not tolerate this." He said Israel "will do whatever we must do to defend our people and defend our state." The rocket attack was the second launched toward central Israel in recent weeks, and prompted Netanyahu to cut short his trip to Washington. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday he was "gravely concerned by the latest developments" in the Gaza Strip. He called the Hamas rocket attack "a serious and unacceptable violation" and urged all sides "to exercise maximum restraint." The violence has raised fears of the possibility of a larger conflict just two weeks before elections in Israel. Margaret Besheer at the United Nations contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Limited US Forces to Remain in Syria for Undetermined Timeline - State Dept Sputnik News 02:31 26.03.2019 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The remaining 400 US troops will stay in Syria to carry out clearing operations for an unidentified period of time, Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey said in a press briefing on Monday. "Our forces will stay on in very limited numbers in northeast and At Tanf to continue our clearing operations and stability operations against ISIS[Daesh] for a period of time not to be determined at this point", Jeffrey told reporters. Last week, US President Donald Trump confirmed that a total of 400 US troops will remain in Syria. White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Friday that the territorial caliphate of the Daesh terror group has been completely eliminated in Syria. On Tuesday, the US-backed Arab-Kurdish detachments of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said they had taken control of Baghuz, last Daesh stronghold in Syria. Trump announced in December that he had decided to pull out troops from Syria promising to bring about 2,000 US servicemen back home. However, no exact deadline for the return of troops has been revealed by US officials yet. United States and its allies have been conducting operations against the Islamic State in Syria and neighboring Iraq since 2014. The US-led coalition's actions in Syria have never been authorized by either Damascus or the UN Security Council. *Daesh (also known as Islamic State, IS, ISIS, ISIL) a terrorist group banned Russia and man other countries. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Okinawa Urge Tokyo to Engage in Dialogue Over US Air Base Relocation - Reports Sputnik News 16:02 25.03.2019(updated 16:11 25.03.2019) MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The vice governor of the Japanese Okinawa prefecture, Kiichiro Jahana, urged Tokyo on Monday to engage in a dialogue on the issue of the relocation of the US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma as local residents clearly demonstrate little consent for the project, NHK broadcaster reported. The project of the relocation of the air base, which is currently situated in Okinawa's densely populated city of Ginowan, to the Henoko district, was first put forward over two decades ago. The implementation of the project has been continuing despite opposition both on the part of local authorities and residents. Jahana said that to engage in a dialogue on the relocation of the base would be in line with the country's democratic values, the NHK broadcaster reported. Meanwhile, the Japanese Defense Ministry launched on Monday the next phase of the land reclamation work for the relocation of the military base, the broadcaster added. In February, more than 70 percent of Okinawa residents who voted in a non-legally binding referendum on the issue disapproved of the relocation of the facility, once again demonstrating their opposition to the project due to safety and environmental concerns. Moreover, Okinawa residents have expressed their desire to remove the Futenma air base entirely. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Damascus: Liberating Golan Syria's right IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, March 25, IRNA -- Syrian Foreign Ministry said that in a flagrant aggression on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, the US President has recognized the annexation of the occupied Syrian Golan to the Zionist occupation entity. The act comes as an embodiment of the organic coalition between the US and Israel in the severe hostility to the Arab nation which makes the US as the main enemy of the Arabs though the unlimited support and protection offered by the US successive administrations to the Israeli usurper entity, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) quoted an official source in the Syrian foreign ministry as saying . According to a statement released by Syrian foreign ministry, Damascus believes that even whole world will not be able to change this historical fact that Golan belongs to Syria. The US decision indicates US hostility against Arab world, the statement said, adding that Washington proved that it is the most important enemy of the Arab world. The Syrian ministry described the US president's choice as indication of vivid aggression and close alliance between Washington and the Zionist regime of Israel. Trump tweeted on Thursday that after 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel's Sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Earlier, Spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry Bahram Qasemi said that the impetuous personal decisions of US President Donald Trump is pushing the sensitive region of the Middle East toward consecutive crises. He condemned occupying of lands in any form and added, 'The interventionist decision of the US president never changes the fact that the Golan Heights belong to Syria, rather it clearly shows the failure of compromising policies while proving the correctness of the path of resistance against the expansionist and aggressive conduct of the US and the Zionist regime.' Meanwhile earlier, Iran Parliament speaker Ali Larijani condemned President Trump's act to recognize adding Golan Heights to Israel's occupied territories and described it as violation of international regulations. Larijani described Trump's choice as against humanitarian principles, international laws and resolutions. He deplored Trump's incompatibility with public opinion and world countries as a danger for peace and stability in the Middle East. He also urged the international community and the Inter-parliamentary Union (IPU) to prevent another disaster from taking place in the region by taking serious measures. 9376**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Erdogan on S-400 Deal: 'No Backward Steps' on the Issue Despite US Protests Sputnik News 09:53 25.03.2019 Earlier this month, the Turkish President pointed out that the S-400 missile systems that Ankara is buying are not connected to the security of NATO, the United States or the F-35 purchase agreement in any way. Ankara will remain committed to the deal on buying Russian S-400 missile systems despite Washington's opposition, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the Turkish news network TGRT. "There will be no backward steps on the S-400 issue. As for the Patriot [missile systems], if the US offers us acceptable conditions, we are open for them too," Erdogan stressed. His remarks came a few weeks after he rejected the Pentagon's ultimatum on Ankara's purchase of the S-400s. "The S-400s we're buying are not connected to the security of NATO, the United States or the F-35 in any way," Erdogan said, adding that "the reasons for our purchase of these systems are obvious". He voiced hope that the problems in relations between Turkey and the US over Ankara's purchase of the Russian air defence system could "be resolved in the same way as it has on other issues". Also this month, Erdogan confirmed that the signatures had already been made on the Russia-Turkey deal for the S-400 supplies and that the first delivery will be made in July. "This is over", he said, adding that his government will not cancel the deal, despite protests from Washington. The statement followed comments by US Department of Defence spokesperson Charlie Summers that "there would be grave consequences" in terms of the US-Turkish military relationship, as well as the Patriot interceptors and the F-35 fighter jets if Ankara went ahead with the purchase of the S-400s. "They will not get the F-35s if they take the S-400," Summers warned. Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar, for his part, said that Ankara was expecting the delivery of the F-35s in November despite Washington's criticism of Turkey's decision to buy the S-400s. Russia and Turkey inked a $2.5 billion contract for the sale of four S-400 batteries in late 2017, with Ankara set to become the fourth country to possess the system after Russia itself, Belarus and China. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Inmates End Own Lives to Protest Rebel Kurdish Leader's Treatment in Turkey By Rikar Hussein, Ezel Sahinkaya March 25, 2019 At least four Kurdish activists have died in prisons across Turkey since last week, in what lawyers and officials have called suicides over the poor prison conditions of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan. The series of alleged suicides by Kurdish prisoners started on March 17 when Kurdish officials confirmed that Zulkuf Gezen took his own life, followed by the deaths of Ayten Becet and Zehra Saglam by similar attempts last weekend. Officials of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) also confirmed on Monday the death of the fourth Kurdish activist, 24-year-old inmate Medya Cinar. "Today, those who refused to listen to us caused the death of the fourth prisoner," HDP co-chair Sezai Temelli said during a public gathering Monday in Adana. "For 139 days, we have been calling on the Ministry of Justice and the government to end this lawlessness," Temelli said to a crowd of supporters, referring to a widespread hunger strike campaign by Kurdish prisoners since November. "We say that their demands must be fulfilled without deaths," he added. The four deaths have prompted demonstrations from thousands of Kurds in Turkey, northern Syria and some parts of Europe. The four activists had been in prison for years over alleged ties to PKK a U.S., EU and Turkey-designated terrorist organization. Before ending their lives this month, they joined in the hunger strike that initially began in November 2018 to pressure Turkish authorities into giving more access to Ocalan. The rebel leader has been imprisoned on an island in the Marmara Sea since 1999. He has been prevented from meeting with his lawyers since 2011, and has rarely been allowed to see his family. The hunger strikes over his jail conditions were first initiated by HDP lawmaker Leyla Guven last November. Since then, an estimated 300 Kurdish lawmakers and activists across Turkey have joined. Turkish officials have refused to yield to the strikers' requests, calling their activities an attempt by the HDP to stir up trouble in the country and spread pro-PKK propaganda. "I do not call them deputies [representatives]. They are the PKK's deputies," Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said last week, referring to Kurdish HDP lawmakers in the Turkish parliament. Burial, clashes Speaking to a crowd of the ruling Justice and Development Party supporters in Nevsehir city, Soylu condemned HDP officials for attempting to organize a solidarity meeting at the burial site of Gezen. "The other day, a terrorist died in prison. They wanted to meet and join the burial of the terrorist in Diyarbakir. I called the police chief and told him, 'Do not allow anyone to be near the airport. Do not allow anyone to be within one kilometer of the cemetery.' That is impossible for us to tolerate," Soylu told the crowd as reported by local Turkish media outlets. The burial ceremony, which took place last Monday and was attended by dozens of people, ended in violent clashes when police fired a water cannon to disperse the supporters. According to pro-Kurdish ANF News, several HDP lawmakers were barred from entering Diyarbakir cemetery where Gezen was buried. PKK 'wing' Government officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have repeatedly accused the HDP of being the political wing of the PKK. The militant PKK group has been demanding Kurdish autonomy in Turkey since 1978. Violent clashes between Turkey and the PKK have continued for more than 30 years in predominately Kurdish southeast, resulting in the deaths of nearly 40,000 people. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Brexit Treachery Accusations Rage as Lawmakers Worry About Safety By Jamie Dettmer March 25, 2019 British voters were promised that leaving the European Union after half-a-century of membership would be simple. And according to one leading Brexiter, Liam Fox, negotiating a deal with Britain's erstwhile partners would be the "easiest in human history." It hasn't turned out that way. Simplicity has given way to complexity and rancorous division, shaking constitutional foundations. Amid the political chaos there are burgeoning concerns about the safety of Britain's lawmakers. Last week, as British Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to seek a postponement of Britain's exit from the European Union, members of Parliament were advised to take taxis home over fears they risked being assaulted by members of the public. "Personally, I have never felt this level of tension during my time in the House and I am aware that other colleagues feel the same," the deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle wrote to lawmakers, advising them to take extra security precautions. "Many colleagues have already been subject to widely publicized abuse and intimidation," he wrote. He added security measures had been adopted at the homes and constituencies of most MPs. Increased pressure to step down This week Brexit could claim the scalp of Britain's Theresa May, who's clinging to office amid demands from some of her own Conservative lawmakers to quit. They want a caretaker prime minister to be installed to test different exit strategies. May's Brexit withdrawal agreement has been rejected twice by parliament and there appears little prospect it will pass, if she brings it before the House of Commons for a third try. Even the skittish plot to oust her fell apart Sunday, the victim of splits in the Cabinet over who should replace her. Parliament will try this week to seize control of the Brexit process from a government so divided that it has become powerless. That would turn Britain's modern-day constitutional practice on its head and may not resolve anything it isn't clear there's a majority in the House of Commons for any alternative from staying in the EU, to holding a second referendum, to effecting a so-called "soft Brexit," which would see Britain closely tied to the bloc economically but outside its political institutions. Accusations of betrayal, treachery But unnerving British politicians the most is the rising tide of Brexit-related accusations of betrayal and treachery, which is deepening distrust in parliament and risks encouraging violence, they fear. Lawmakers have found themselves outside Parliament surrounded and jostled by protesters. On social media they are regularly denounced in menacing messages often threatening physical harm. At the back of lawmakers' minds is the murder four years ago of Labour MP Jo Cox, who was shot and stabbed to death by a 52-year-old assailant outside a library in her normally placid northern England constituency. Her killer had a history of psychiatric problems. Those favoring an exit argue parliament is frustrating the people's will and they accuse lawmakers of treason. Brexit-backing tabloid newspapers dub those trying to block leaving the EU "enemies of the people" and even the traditionally more sober columnists of the broadsheet newspapers aren't restraining themselves in taking sides. The leading Brexiter Nigel Farage has described May's delay Britain was scheduled to leave on March 29 "an outright betrayal." He has warned darkly of a widening gap between "the people" and politicians. Calls for new referendum But pro-EU campaigners point to Saturday's rally in London calling for a second referendum that attracted a million marchers as an indication public opinion has shifted away from Brexit and people have changed their minds. They accuse Brexit-favoring lawmakers of intransigence and also of a betrayal of the interests of the people by not abandoning Brexit. Others fear long-term harm to Britain's political institutions. Writing in Britain's Daily Telegraph, Charles Moore, a former editor of the storied Conservative newspaper and a staunch Brexiter, said political parties promised Britons the 2016 Brexit referendum would be honored and "if parliament now breaks that trust, it undermines the purpose of its existence." He added, "It invites us to replace its members and perhaps the institution itself." That, say some critics, misunderstands Britain's unwritten Constitution and where sovereignty lies not with the people, but with Parliament. Britain's longest-serving lawmaker Ken Clarke, a Conservative, was critical of holding a Brexit plebiscite in the first place, fearing it would strip from MPs what was rightfully their decision to make. The tension between parliament and people isn't new. In the 18th century, philosopher and lawmaker Edmund Burke told the voters of Bristol that an MP was not a delegate, but a representative. "Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion," he said. That principle has long been seen as key for a parliamentary democracy. If voters are unhappy with their MP, they can always vote them out at a subsequent election. Which is what the Bristol voters did to Edmund Burke. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via OTC PR WIRE -- Choom Holdings Inc. (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, following its strategy to become a multi-state operator, that it intends to expand into Florida. Choom, through its wholly owned US subsidiary, Choom Holdings USA Inc., has signed a letter of intent (LOI) to purchase a 95% equity interest in a Florida-based vertically-integrated cannabis applicant (the FL Company). The FL Company is progressing on its Master License application to operate up to 25 retail locations with potential for more as the number of registered patients increase, as well as, a micro-processing and cultivation facility for medical purposes. Upon completing the transaction, Choom will use its medical brand, Clarity Medical Centres, to create a network of branded Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers. Floridas medical marijuana program has over 190,000 qualified patients, up from approximately 168,000 at the start of 2019, making it the largest medical marijuana market in the United States. Florida has recently allowed the use of smokable medical marijuana products, potentially opening the program to a considerably larger audience. We are very excited to be expanding into Florida and to bring Chooms medical brand into that market. Floridas medical marijuana program is a very attractive opportunity for us seeing that it allows for vertically-integrated operations and it has been a market weve had our sights on for a while now. states Chris Bogart, President & CEO of Choom. This investment aligns with our strategy of becoming a multi-state operator in the US and helps us to bolster our growth targets. Florida is home to over 21 million residents and has shown impressive year over year growth on the number of registered patients with a large portion of the market being relatively uncaptured. The terms of the LOI are not material. Say hello to ChoomTM Choom is an emerging adult use cannabis company whose mission is to establish one of the largest retail networks in Canada and the United States. The Choom brand is inspired by Hawaii's Choom Ganga 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. 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 Contact: Choom Holdings Inc. Chris Bogart President & CEO T: 604.683.2509 F: 604.683.2506 E: chris@choom.ca Alex Porporo Investor Relations T: 604.683.2509 Ext. 231 F: 604.683.2506 E: alex@choom.ca 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" and forward-looking statements (collectively, forward-looking information) within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information relates to management's future outlook and anticipated events or results, and includes statements or information regarding the future plans or prospects of the Company. Forward-looking information in this news release includes statements about: expanding into Florida; purchasing a 95% equity interest in the FL Company; the FL Companys potential to operate up to 25 retail locations as well as a micro-processing and cultivation facility; creating a network of branded Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers; and opening Floridas medical marijuana program to a larger audience. With respect to the forward-looking information contained in this news release, Choom has made numerous assumptions regarding, among other things: closing the transaction contemplated by the LOI; receipt of necessary regulatory approvals; the development of medical marijuana regulations in Florida; continued demand for Chooms products; and continued economic and market stability. While Choom considers these assumptions to be reasonable, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, market and social uncertainties and contingencies. 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. Identified risk factors include: the transaction contemplated by the LOI may not be completed on a timely basis, or at all; FL Companys Master License application may not be approved on a timely basis, or at all; 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; the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources; reliance on key personnel; and economic or market conditions may worsen. A more complete discussion of the risks and uncertainties facing Choom is disclosed in Choom's most recent Annual Information Form and other continuous disclosure filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking 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. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and Choom disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as required by law. NAMPULA, Mozambique, March 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), operating as Ambassador Aviation in Mozambique, is responding to a humanitarian crisis caused by Cyclone Idai, which struck Mozambique on March 14. The aviation non-profit organization has been conducting assessment flights and working with Mozambiques National Institute for Disaster Management (INGC) and other non-government organizations (NGOs) in coordinating rescue and relief efforts. Flight surveys reveal significant damage to the EN6 roadway, a major highway between Beira and Chimoio, with entire sections washed out by flood water, and other roadways under water and bridges damaged or gone. Additional flight surveys going south into the Buzi River basin show the area has deep and widespread flooding with entire buildings under water and people stranded on rooftops surrounded by water. MAF pilot and disaster response team member Rick Emenaker reported on what he saw on the survey flight. It was a heartbreaking flight today as we flew over many miles of flooded land in the Buzi River basin. We saw many people stranded on rooftops surrounded by kilometers of water. It was difficult to comprehend and think about that probably many have perished. A number of villages were completely buried in the floodwaters. The magnitude of this disaster is hard to comprehend, and we are glad we can be here to help, said Emenaker. Information from the aerial surveys is shared with INGC and other NGOs to coordinate relief efforts. Mercy Air, a helicopter operation, is coordinating with MAF and distributing boxes of high-energy biscuits in areas completely cut off by flooding. The food is being provided by the World Food Program (WFP). Recent flights have provided tents, hygiene kits, family kits, and other items from Chimoio to Beira for use at Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps. MAF flew 111 family kits, (that include shelter items), and additional food in the Cessna 208. Additionally, working in cooperation with Mercy Air to conduct food delivery flights using the helicopter, 17 food drops were performed for various locations north of the impassable N6 road, as well as another drop of 40 boxes of high-energy biscuits to the village of Grudja. The helicopter also flew a sling load of seven tents and buckets to the camp at Buzi and returned with a patient, a pregnant woman needing an emergency C-section. MAFs Cessna Grand Caravan (C208) will continue to be used for survey flights as INGC and WFP ask for additional information. The fixed-wing aircraft may also be utilized as an air bridge to bring in bulk supplies and fuel for distribution, as well as relief worker rotations. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e3912026-77d0-4b1d-9665-f100c7e38466 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6949d461-201a-4abf-ab8a-a6706e012b93 Photo: The Canadian Press Nova Scotia Finance Minister Karen Casey Nova Scotia's Liberal government is expecting millions in added federal dollars will help it achieve a balanced budget while it commits money to rebuild aging hospitals and deal with rising pressures in health care. The province is projecting a thin $33.6 million surplus in Tuesday's fiscal plan for 2019-20, on a budget of $11 billion. It's the province's fourth consecutive surplus budget, and there are no increases in taxes or fees. Spending increases are sprinkled in small increments including more funding targeted at homecare, the introduction of tax credits to assist new firms, and new public awareness programs that will begin as the sales of edible marijuana products starts up. However, the Liberals' biggest spending increase is in the health care sector. The government confirmed $157 million in capital grants for "the largest health care redevelopment projects in Nova Scotia history," at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Centre in Halifax and the Cape Breton Regional Health Centre in Sydney. In addition, the budget for the Nova Scotia Health Authority the province's merged health agency is up $57.2 million. Finance Minister Karen Casey devoted close to a quarter of her speech to the province's health care system, which has come under continuing criticism for hospital crowding, doctor shortages and high numbers of pressure injuries among nursing home residents. "When we looked at what the needs were and what the province could afford we were certainly identifying health as a priority," she told reporters just before speaking in the legislature. Casey pointed out the province's health spending has grown by almost one fifth in five years to $4.6 billion, consuming a steadily rising percentage of the government's revenues. However, the province's bottom line is assisted by federal contributions that are expected to go up by $178-million, with health transfer and equalization payments making up about one-third of all its revenues. The transfers, equalization and money for mental health services from Ottawa's federal Liberal government are all rising, after negotiations earlier this year. The province is also planning $16.8-million for home care, and another $10-million for collaborative care centres to help battle the persistent shortage of family doctors. It is committing $14.2 million for housing for people with disabilities, with $6.6 million to help pay for care and support of people with complex needs. A human rights case highlighted the housing shortages in a ruling earlier this year that concluded three people with disabilities had their rights violated by being confined for years in a psychiatric ward rather than in a small care home. The province is bringing in some new measures aimed at encouraging investment in businesses. The budget calls for $3 million to pay for a new venture capital tax credit aimed at encouraging equity investments in Nova Scotia companies. In addition, it is setting up tax credits that are effective on April 1 that will give a tax break to start up firms that have existed for less than 10 years. The net debt is estimated to be $15.3-billion, about $15,858 per person, but has fallen slightly as a percentage of gross domestic product. Education funding is up by about $33 million. That includes $10.2 of already announced money to continue rolling out a pre-primary program for four years at schools around the province. "By September 2020, we anticipate that every four-year-old in Nova Scotia will have access to a free, pre-primary, early learning opportunity," said Casey. TORONTO, March 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kuuhubb Inc. ("Kuuhubb" or the "Company") (TSX-V: KUU), a mobile game development, and publishing company, targeting a female audience with bespoke mobile experiences, announces that, further to the settlement agreement which was announced by the Company on February 27, 2019, the Company issued on March 11, 2019 a total of 246,134 common shares at a price per share of $0.375 to Messrs. Maurice Colson and Geoffrey Farr to settle an outstanding debt of $92,300 in aggregate in director fees and other salary owed by the Company to Messrs. Colson and Farr. The common shares issued are subject to a four-month statutory hold period, which expires in July 12, 2019. The Company also announces that Mr. Arnold Kondrat resigned from the board of directors of the Company, effective as of March 25, 2019. About Kuuhubb Kuuhubb is a company active in the digital space that focuses mainly on lifestyle and mobile game applications for the female audience. Its strategy is to create sustainable shareholder value through acquisitions of proven, yet underappreciated, assets with robust long-term growth potential. Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, Kuuhubb has a global presence with a strong focus on developing U.S. brand collaborations and Asian partnerships. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For further information, please contact: Kuuhubb Inc. Jouni Keranen CEO jouni@kuuhubb.com Office: +358 40 590 0919 Bill Mitoulas Investor Relations bill@kuuhubb.com Office: +1 (416) 479-9547 CHICAGO, March 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At the recent Aviespecialistas de Mexico (AVEM) International Congress 2019, Amlan International presented trial results from a commercial layer producers implementation of an Amlan feed additive program that increased production and resulted in a return on investment of 4 to 1. Amlan, a global leader in the development of natural, innovative products that improve intestinal health and productivity in livestock, participated as an exhibitor and technical guest speaker at AVEM, held March 1214 in Queretaro, Mexico. The Amlan product portfolio featured at AVEM included performance feed additives, Varium for poultry feed efficiency and Calibrin-Z for biotoxin control. Amlan Internationals Poultry Advisor for Mexico, Dr. Abelardo Perez H., MVZ, participated in the events technical seminar by presenting Increased Layer Production Performance in the Field: Results using Varium and Calibrin-Z. His talk highlighted a trial where Varium was used during the pullet-rearing age followed by the inclusion of Calibrin-Z until the end of layer production. The program resulted in increased production performance and improved return on investment. Producers have seen positive results in challenge reduction and improved feed efficiency in the poultry industry, both in clinical and on-farm trials, proving the efficacy and safety of our natural feed additive programs, stated Justino Hernandez, Country Manager for Amlan in Mexico. The trial presented by Dr. Perez demonstrated that Varium and Calibrin-Z used consecutively provided significant overall health benefits for layer producers, leading to stronger economic performance. AVEM is known in the Mexican veterinary community as one of the most important poultry congresses in the country, and it attracts over 800 veterinarian and nutritionist attendees. The three-day event explored many topics related to poultry health and production and new products on the market, including the latest solutions for antibiotic-free production. For more detailed product information, visit amlan.com . Contact us to today to set up a trial of our efficiency support programs. About Amlan International Oil-Dri Corporation of America (NYSE: ODC), a Delaware corporation doing business as Amlan International, has grown its product offering across the intestinal health and AGP-alternative market, driven largely by the research conducted at its laboratory campus in Vernon Hills, Illinois. In 2017, the company added the Richard M. Jaffee Laboratory for Applied Microbiology to the campus. In 2013, the companys global reach expanded with the establishment of its China subsidiary in Shenzhen. Amlan International sells animal health products outside of the United States. Product-associated claims may differ based on government requirements and product availability may vary by country. Reagan B. Culbertson Media Contact press@amlan.com Photos accompanying this announcement are available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c10869e4-1063-45cf-a9bc-6c8f4462c445 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f1ceeda9-7662-45e6-b274-6ae87d2a16b3 Ford Island, Honolulu, Hawaii, March 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In its recently-released Notice to Airman (NOTAM), the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum (PHAM) announced a $1,000,000 Challenge Grant from the Ray Foundation to develop a new educational resource for Hawaii youth. The Ray Foundation will match other donations up to $1,000,000 to create a Learning Lab designed to use the excitement of aviation to inspire the passion of young people for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The Learning Lab will reside in a renovated historic building near the Museums main facilities on Ford Island. Steep Climb To The Objective This challenge grant is a great opportunity for PHAM to expand its contribution to the community, said Elissa Lines, Executive Director of the museum. We are off to a great start thanks to generous donations at our annual Gala dinner in December. The grant is contingent upon matching donations from other non-profit organizations, businesses, and individual donors. Matching the full amount will make $2,000,000 available for the project and allow the Learning Lab to open as scheduled in late 2020. Lt. Gen. Dan Fig Leaf, USAF retired, is leading the fundraising effort as a member of the PHAM Board of Directors. This is an investment in the future of Hawaii and the United States. It wont be easy but I am confident that those who have supported us in the past, and others who are just learning of the museums contributions to the community, will get us to our goal. Learning Lab The new Learning Lab at Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum provides an opportunity to introduce a new generation of Hawaiis youth to the history and technology of flight, introducing them through that experience to a variety of STEM industries. Their experiences will be rooted in relevant, authentic activities powered by state-of-the-art technology to teach timeless fundamentals applicable to a wide range of careers. Students will use lessons learned to help construct their own future. Our vision is to advance education and leadership opportunities for students in Hawaii by creating a Learning Lab. Working with our Navy partners, an existing WWII pilot training building, adjacent to the historic Ford Island Control Tower, will be renovated and converted into a modern-day center for young people. Our plan includes installation of the innovative and highly-successful Aviation Learning Center model developed by the Seattle Museum of Flight. This learning environment uses flight simulators, and other technology tools, to engage students in their own learning, said Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum Executive Director Elissa Lines. James C. Ray witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor as a young steel worker, enlisted in the Army Air Force, and served as a B-17 pilot in the European theater earning two Distinguished Flying Crosses and multiple Air Medals. The Ray Foundation sustains his vision of inspiring and educating Americas youth through aviation. Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum is located on Historic Ford Island, where bombs fell during the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. Walk on the Pearl Harbor battlefield where the attack began, enter the bullet-scarred hangars, see the control tower and aircraft of the battle, Including a Japanese Zero and the B-17 Swamp Ghost. Hear the stories of WWII heroes and their response to the attack that changed our nation and the world. Tour Included, flight simulators and cafe available. Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. Its mission is to steward Americas first aviation battlefield of World War II sharing the artifacts, personal stories, the impact and response to the December 7, 1941 attack and the pacific region battles that followed, honoring those who have defended our freedom so they might educate and inspire future generations. Contact: 808-441-1000; Marketing@PearlHarborAviationMuseum.org Attachment English Lithuanian AB Zemaitijos pienas received the opinion of the Audit Committee on the conclusion of the transaction between associated parties, the basis for the submission of the opinion was Article 372 of the Law on Companies of the Republic of Lithuania. The subject of the assessment and opinion of the Audit Committee was the request of AB Silutes Rambynas, received on 19/03/2019, to acquire ownership of real estate (industrial, administrative, auxiliary and other premises and yard structures) located in Klaipedos str. 3, Silute town. The Audit Committee of the Company, after examining the request of ABF Silutes Rambynas, concluded that the provisions of the Purchase-Sale Agreement correspond to the market conditions and therefore it does not object to such transaction. At the request of the shareholder submitted by written or electronic means of communication, the company may forward a copy of this opinion to the shareholder against signature, by registered mail or by electronic means, if the security of the transmitted information is ensured and the identity of the shareholder can be established. The received opinion is also available to the shareholder at the companys registered office at Sedos 35, Telsiai, during business hours of the company. The opinion of the Audit Committee may be provided if the request is received within 7 days of the date of receipt of this opinion. Gintaras Keliauskas Lawyer + 370 444 22208 LONDON, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Widen announced today that it won Best Digital Asset Management Platform (DAM) at the Marketing Technology Awards 2019 hosted by ClickZ and Search Engine Watch. The award reflects the consensus of customers and expert judges whose scores placed Widen at the top of the DAM pack. The Best DAM Award follows years of steadfast growth and innovation at Widen. On average, the company has welcomed 90 new customers annually since 2013 while maintaining a retention rate of 95 percent. Its DAM platform now serves 500,000+ people at over 600 influential brands. With European Headquarters in London, UK and Global Headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin USA Widen is redefining the DAM category worldwide. Its not every day that a 70-year-old company from Wisconsin, USA reinvents itself into a global content technology provider and goes onto win awards for it, said Widen CEO Matthew Gonnering. Im so proud of our team members for their commitment, ingenuity, and big hearts. Theyve kept a sense of community and humanity at the centre of everything we do. Located outside the predictable technology hubs, Widen has nonetheless become a beacon for the worlds most talented tech professionals. Four years running, Widen has been named one of the best places to work and has been certified as a Worldblu Freedom-Centered Workplace. With an employee retention rate of 93 percent, Widen is able to focus on the long-term, demanding innovations that make for an award-winning platform. The Marketing Technology Awards is the world's largest program dedicated exclusively to the roughly 7,000 platforms that serve marketing professionals. 50 percent of a companys score is based customer rankings of eight traits: fit for purpose, ease of use, customer service, value for money, onboarding, integration, innovation, and overall satisfaction. The other 50 percent comes from 12 expert judges who are among the worlds leading minds in marketing technology. For more information about the Marketing Technology Award 2019, visit https://www.celebratemartech.com/ To discover what makes Widen the Best DAM platform, visit www.widen.com . About Widen Widen builds high-performing software that empowers organisations to create compelling, meaningful, and measurable digital experiences. Focused on service and fueled by a global community of users, Widen has the highest customer loyalty in the digital asset management (DAM) industry. Its platform spans across brand management, content lifecycle management, and creative management, serving 500,000+ people at over 600 influential brands around the world. Customers include Dyson, YMCA, Energizer, Pepsi, Zeiss, Carnival Cruise Line, Yankee Candle and many more. With more than 70 years of service experience, Widen is the company that does what it says, striving to be the best part of its customers day, every day. To learn more about Widen, visit www.widen.com . Contact: Charleston, WV, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Addiction Policy Forum, a leading national nonprofit, is releasing the West Virginia Innovations to Address Addiction: Ten Innovative Solutions that are Transforming Addiction Prevention, Treatment and Recovery, spotlighting innovative programs that address addiction and provide support for families and communities. West Virginians know all too well the devastation addiction has on families and communities, says Jessica Hulsey Nickel, founder and CEO of Addiction Policy Forum. We are honored to recognize programs such as the Boone County Drug Court and Lilys Place as part of our Innovation Now initiative. On March 26, 2019, in the Pavilion at the Charleston Marriott Town Center in Charleston, West Virginia from 12:00-2:00 pm Addiction Policy Forum and keynote speaker Mayor Steve Williams will honor 10 programs saving lives in West Virginia. Programs include: Boone County Drug Court, Handle With Care, Jackson County Anti-Drug Coalition, Jefferson Day Report Center, Lilys Place, Project Hope for Women and Children, Providers Response Organization for Addiction Care and Treatment (PROACT), Quick Response Team, Recovery Point and Dr. James Berry, DO of West Virginia University. West Virginia has been hit hard by addiction, but there is hope, says Mark OBrien, Executive Vice President of Programs and Education at Addiction Policy Forum. Our West Virginia Innovation Now report highlights 10 programs helping communities and saving lives. # # # About Addiction Policy Forum Addiction Policy Forum is a nationwide nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating addiction as a major health problem. Our national headquarters are located in Washington, DC with resources and services in every state. More information on our mission and projects is available at http://addictionpolicy.org. Sellbyville, Delaware, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Flexible AC transmission systems market across Africa, Asia Pacific and Middle East has observed a substantial growth in conjunction to the increasing demand for efficient transmission & distribution technologies. Growing demand for retrofitting of prevailing electrical coupled with rising fund allocation across the electricity sector will enhance the industry outlook. Regulators across Saudi Arabia, in 2018 have proposed to capitalize amount worth USD 130 billion in their Water & Energy projects. Global flexible AC transmission systems market is expected to surpass USD 2.5 billion by 2025, as reported in the latest study by Global Market Insights, Inc. Power transmission industry over the years, has witnessed substantial growth on account of growing demand for effective T&D control systems. Rising demand for revamping of traditional electrical network in line with soaring fund flow towards efficient grid enhancement will drive the FACTS market. Safe operation, network reliability and economical costs are some of the key factors projected to stimulate the industry landscape. Improved system stability, lesser installation time and increase in transmission capacity are few essential parameters augmenting the installation of series FACTS market. Moreover, favorable consumer inclination toward the installation of these products to safeguard the system peripherals coupled with enhanced operational life of the electric network will further boost the industry dynamics. Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/3182 Ability to curb unbalanced loads, voltage fluctuations, resonance across varying active or reactive loads along with power oscillations have incorporated a positive scenario for SVC units. Increasing integration of energy efficient, reliable, secure and advanced fire-resistant electric equipment have further upscaled the flexible AC transmission systems market share. Browse key industry insights spread across 650 pages with 1296 market data tables & 25 figures & charts from the report, Flexible AC Transmission Systems Market Size By Configuration (Series, Shunt, Combined), By Product (SVC, TCSC, STATCOM, UPFC), By Voltage (132 kV to 220 kV, > 220 kV to 660 kV, > 660 kV), By Application (Steady State {Congestion Management, ATC Improvement, Reactive Power & Voltage Control, Loading Margin Improvement, Power Flow Balancing & Control}, Dynamic {Transient Stability Enhancement, Oscillation Damping, Dynamic Voltage Control, SSR Elimination, Power System Interconnection), By End Use (Utilities, Renewables [Wind (Onshore, Offshore), Solar], Smart Grid, Railways, Metal & Mining Industries, Oil & Gas), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Analysis (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Germany, UK, Ireland, Norway, France, Spain, Sweden, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina), Application Development Potential, Price Trend, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2019 2025 in detail along with the table of contents: https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/flexible-ac-transmission-systems-market Increase of thermal loading, power flow control, decrease in short circuit level, loop flows control, post-contingency voltage control are the few indispensable parameters favoring the growth of FACTS units across steady state deployments. Moreover, improved voltage stability, greater reliability, reduced losses in power systems and fast acting switching response will nurture the overall FACTS market. Ongoing enhancement of transmission infrastructure across commercial & residential installations have strengthened the 132kV to 220kV FACTS market. Versatile product configurations along with aesthetic proximities are the key factors enhancing the product penetration. In addition, institution of sustainable energy infrastructure has obligated utilities and installers to focus on revamping the existing electrical network. Process and manufacturing industries in the recent years, are crucial across emerging regions for investments and revenue realization. Developed countries have also observed substantial dependency on processed & manufactured units which in turn have shifted installer & utility inclination toward the adoption of effective grid infrastructure across their platforms. Increasing global mining activities & metal extraction have further led to an upsurge in demand for power networks to ensure continual operations & process reliability which in turn will amplify the FACTS market share. Prominent flexible AC transmission systems market players include BHEL, GE, ABB, Siemens, Mitsubishi Electric, NR Electric, Rongxin, Infineon, Hyosung, American Superconductor and Ingeteam. Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/3182 Browse Related Reports: String Inverter Market By Power Class (Single Phase, Three Phase {Low Power (99 kW), High Power (>99 kW)}), By Nominal Output Power (500 W, 500-1500W, > 1500 W), By Nominal Output Voltage (230 V, 230-400 V, > 400 V), By Connectivity (Stand-alone, On-grid), By Application (Residential, Commercial {College/University, Office, Government/Military}, Industrial {Chemical, Paper, Food Processing}, Utility) By Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Application Potential, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2018 - 2024 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/string-inverter-market Power Distribution Component Market By Products (Switchgear, Switchboard, Distribution Panel, Motor Control Panels, Others), By Configuration (Fixed Mounting, Plug-in, Withdrawable), By Voltage Rating (< 11 kV, 11 to 33 kV, > 33 to 66 kV, > 66 to 132 kV), By Insulation (Air, Gas, Oil, Vacuum, Others), By Installation (Indoor, Outdoor), By Current (AC, DC), By Application (Residential, Commercial {Education, Healthcare, Hospitality, Communication & Data Centers, Commercial Stores, Others}, Industrial {Manufacturing, Mining & Metal, Process, Transportation, Oil & Gas, Others}, Utility) Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Application Development Potential, Price Trend, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2019 2025 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/power-distribution-component-market 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. TORONTO, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Troilus Gold Corp. (TSX: TLG; OTCQB: CHXMF) (Troilus or the Company) reports initial results from the 2019 exploration program at its Troilus Gold Project, in Quebec, Canada, including the discovery of a new gold-mineralized zone in the southeast portion of the J Zone. New Gold Discovery in J Zone Footwall The discovery hole, TLG-J419-092, intersected gold-rich mineralization 300 metres from surface, in the immediate structural footwall to the J Zone (J4) mineralized zone. Drilling ended in gold-bearing mineralization (See Figure 1 and 2). Intercept highlights in the new gold zone, include: 1.11 g/t AuEq over 19 metres, including 1.79 g/t AuEq over 6 metres Other intercept highlights: 2.57 g/t AuEq over 8 metres and 1.43 g/t AuEq over 22 metres in hole TLG-J419-091 less than 200 metres from surface, below J4 open pit. 3 g/t AuEq over 8 metres and 2.09 g/t AuEq over 9 metres in hole TLG-J4-092 below J4 open pit. Justin Reid, Chief Executive Officer for Troilus Gold Corp., commented, This is a great start to the 2019 drill program. We are very encouraged by the results from the first few holes, particularly discovery hole TLG-J419-092, which extended gold-rich mineralization outside of the known mineral resource envelope at depth and to the east. We are currently following-up on this exciting hole with additional drilling, and look forward to further developments as the program advances. Results to date continue to validate our new geological interpretation of the Troilus deposit, and are helping us generate new targets across the entire property. A key part of the 2019 drill program is to expand and improve the grade at the J Zone, specifically below the former secondary open pit northeast of the primary Z87 open pit. Using new structural interpretations validated with the 36,000 metre drill program in 2018, the Company decided to extend drilling beyond the planned depth in one hole, TLG-J419-092, located directly northeast of the Z87 trend. Almost immediately beyond the expected mineralization at J4, a new zone characterized by a far less deformed texture than typical J Zone mineralization with clear brecciation and disseminated sulphides within the recognizable Troilus Diorite was identified in the stratigraphic footwall (See Figure 1 and 2). Hole TLG-J419-092 ended in gold bearing mineralization and remains open. Drilling is underway now to further test the potential extent of this new zone discovery. Troilus plans to drill over 40,000 metres as part of its 2019 Exploration Program, targeting zones Z87 South, the J Zone, Z87, and J4 North (See Figure 3). Figure 1: Plan view of Troilus Property Showing Drill Hole Locations and Geological Interpretation of Mineral Zones http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6912b652-592d-41ec-8007-fc49c8921245 Figure 2: Section J4-N14150 Facing North http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/77228fa4-2735-433c-a098-0a9e5fc10a57 Table 1: Summary of Drill Hole Intercepts Hole From (m) To (m) Interval (m)* Au Grade (g/t) Cu Grade (%) AuEq Grade (g/t) TLG-J419-091 178 226 48 0.573 0.039 0.63 incl. 178 184 6 0.953 0.033 1.01 190 198 8 2.350 0.141 2.57 204 226 22 1.286 0.090 1.43 356 360 4 0.638 0.009 0.65 TLG-J419-092 12 22 10 0.449 0.085 0.58 207 209 2 18.900 0.033 18.95 269 275 6 0.447 0.125 0.64 291 305 14 0.506 0.038 0.57 317 325 8 2.930 0.047 3 incl. 317 319 2 9.610 0.098 9.77 383 390 7 0.816 0.128 1.02 397 406 9 1.956 0.083 2.09 incl. 401 405 4 3.381 0.102 3.54 422 441 19 0.950 0.103 1.11 incl. 422 425 3 0.675 0.105 0.84 incl. 427 433 6 1.061 0.102 1.22 incl. 435 441 6 1.531 0.161 1.79 incl. 439 440 1 5.220 0.644 6.24 TLG-J419-093 111 112 1 3.110 0.076 3.23 182 188 6 0.587 0.075 0.71 208 214 6 0.693 0.084 0.83 286 290 4 0.835 0.027 0.88 308 310 2 1.630 0.173 1.9 326 340 14 0.606 0.061 0.7 350 362 12 0.500 0.083 0.63 370 398 28 0.669 0.141 0.89 incl. 388 394 6 1.310 0.243 1.69 403 410 7 0.877 0.259 1.29 incl. 404 406 2 1.300 0.371 1.89 419 421 2 0.758 0.192 1.06 433 437 4 1.282 0.255 1.69 incl. 434 436 2 1.755 0.337 2.29 477 481 4 0.590 0.053 0.67 incl. 480 481 1 1.260 0.082 1.39 *Note drill intervals reported in this news release are down-hole core lengths as true thicknesses cannot be determined with available information Figure 3: Troilus Property and Exploration Targets http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/26a8acda-6dab-4434-86d3-6a03baff1a68 Troilus Mineral Zones Overview J Zone (J4 & J5) J4 and J5, two secondary historic open pits located 1.2 kilometres directly northeast of Z87 are characterized by the same mineralization and geology as Z87; both remaining open at depth and along strike. These areas have undergone a significant amount of deformation, and appear to potentially represent a structurally hosted mineralization related to tight isoclinal folding, suggests folding could represent excellent traps for gold. This is likely true at drill core scale, and as broadly as regional scale. Near-surface mineralization at the J Zone defined during the 2018 exploration program signifies promising open pittable resource opportunities. The objective of the 2019 drill campaign, will be to expand open pit estimated mineral resources below the 2018 conceptual grade shell (whittle shell) with the intent of recognizing material that could contribute to an early production scenario. Z87 South Z87 South and Z87 North Open Pit are located on the surface flanks of the Z87 open pit. The objective of drilling in these areas is to create new, near surface open pit opportunities directly adjacent to the Z87 pit, and to better understand the structural relationship between Z87 and the J Zone. The offset between these two areas moving grid west has previously been interpreted as solely related to faulting. More recent work carried out by the Company suggests that a large, regional fold system could be accountable, at least in part, for the en echelon pattern moving northeast and grid west. The nature of these structures could relate directly to high grade gold distribution, ultimately changing the approach to property exploration completely. Z87 The broad geology and style of mineralization at Z87 creates a large deposit area, nearly 1 kilometre along strike and 30-50 metres wide, which remains open both along strike and down dip. The 2019 drill program in this area is designed to expand and infill certain areas of Troilus existing underground estimated mineral resource. The program will also serve to increase the overall understanding on geological orientation of mineralized material and use this to vector property scale exploration. From 1996 to 2010, Z87 produced the majority of the over 2 million ounces of gold and 70,000 tonnes of copper produced at the Troilus Project. The Z87 pit was ultimately 350 metres deep and had a strike of approximately 900 metres. The Z87 zone is the focus of the current underground estimated mineral resource, representing over 1.02 million ounces of indicated and 600,000 ounces of inferred material (See mineral resource in Table 1). Table 2: Troilus Mineral Resource Estimate, Effective November 19, 2018 Classification Tonnage (Mt) Au (g/t) Cu (%) AuEq (g/t) Contained Gold (Moz) Contained Copper (Mlb) Contained AuEq (Moz) Total Open Pit and Underground Indicated 121.7 0.87 0.086 1.00 3.40 231.8 3.92 Inferred 36.1 0.88 0.083 1.01 1.02 66.2 1.17 Total Open Pit Indicated 97.5 0.76 0.078 0.88 2.37 167.0 2.7 Inferred 21.7 0.60 0.062 0.69 0.42 29.7 0.5 Total Open Pit Z87 Indicated 56.6 0.83 0.096 0.98 1.51 119.4 1.8 Inferred 12.1 0.58 0.066 0.68 0.23 17.5 0.3 Total Open Pit J Zone (J4,J5) Indicated 40.8 0.66 0.053 0.74 0.86 47.6 1.0 Inferred 9.6 0.61 0.058 0.70 0.19 12.2 0.2 Total Underground Indicated 24.2 1.32 0.121 1.50 1.02 64.8 1.2 Inferred 14.4 1.31 0.115 1.49 0.61 36.5 0.7 Notes: CIM definitions were followed for Mineral Resources. Open pit Mineral Resources were estimated at a cut-off grade of 0.3 g/t AuEq and were constrained by a Whittle pit shell. Underground Mineral Resources were estimated at a cut-off grade of 0.9 g/t AuEq. Mineral Resources were estimated using long-term metal prices of US$1,400 per ounce gold and US$3.25 per pound copper; and an exchange rate of US$1.00 = C$1.25. AuEq = Au Grade + 1.546 * Cu grade A recovery of 83% was used for gold and 92% for copper. Figures have been rounded to the appropriate level of precision for the reporting of Mineral Resources. Due to rounding, some columns or rows may not compute exactly as shown. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues J4 North J4 North represents an area of mineralization running 1.8 kilometres from the end of the J Zone to the former boundary of the Troilus gold property (see Figure 4). The excellent results obtained from surface exploration in 2018, including outcrop samples returning over 100 g/t Au and 4 g/t Au, led to the acquisition of over 11,000 hectares to the immediate northeast. This trend could represent the extension of the J Zone or potential new gold deposits to the northeast. Figure 4: Troilus Property Geology, Claim Contour and Mineral Zones http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3524fc7b-11e9-4cd5-a048-834688adf86c Southwest Zone The Southwest Zone is located along the margin of the Troilus Diorite and surrounding volcanics, 3.5 kilometres Southwest of Z87 (See Figure 4). Historically this area exhibited significant mineralization from drilling including intercepts as high as 36m @ 1.23g/t Au, and 18m @ 1.06g/t Au. Historic drilling in this area is limited, leaving the opportunity to explore and potentially outline new mineralization at surface. The Southwest Zone exemplifies near term, blue sky opportunity at Troilus, and will be the initial focus of a significant, property wide exploration program. The Troilus Diorite remains underexplored and highly prospective. Surface mapping on recently uncovered bedrock show geology (lithology) resembling the identical sequencing to Z87, over 3.5 kilometres to the northeast. About Troilus Gold Corp. Troilus is a Toronto-based, Quebec-focused, advanced stage exploration and early-development company focused on the mineral expansion and potential mine re-start of the former gold and copper Troilus mine. The 16,000-hectare Troilus property is located near Chibougamau, within the Frotet-Evans Greenstone Belt in Quebec, Canada. From 1997 to 2010, Inmet Mining Corporation operated the Troilus project as an open-pit mine, producing more than 2,000,000 ounces of gold and nearly 70,000 tonnes of copper. Quality Control During the J4 Zone drill program, one metre assay samples are taken from NQ core and sawed in half. One-half is sent for assaying at ALS Laboratory, a certified commercial laboratory, and the other half is retained for results, cross checks, and future reference. A strict QA/QC program is applied to all samples; which include insertion of one certified mineralized standard and one blank sample in each batch of 25 samples. The gold analyses were by fire-assay on 50 grams of pulp with an atomic absorption finish. Repeats were carried out by fire-assay with a gravimetric finish on each sample containing 3.5 g/t Au or more. For the main mineralized zone, two metre assay samples are taken from NQ core and sawed in half. The gold analyses were by metallic sieve. A fine crushing 70% <2mm is performed. The sample is divided so that 1.2 to 1.5 kg is used for analysis. The sample of 1.2 to 1.5 Kg is then 95% pulverized <106 mesh. 50 g is recovered for ME-ICP61 analysis of 33 elements four acid ICP-AES. The remainder of the sample is sent to the screen to divide the fraction larger and smaller than 106 mesh. The portion smaller than 106 mesh is analyzed in 50 g by FireAssay. The portion larger than 106 mesh is fully analyzed. The values are then combined by weighted calculation. For both type results are transmitted to Troilus Gold by a certificate certified by the laboratory. Qualified Person The technical and scientific information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Bertrand Brassard, M.Sc., P.Geo., Senior Project Geologist, who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Brassard is an employee of Troilus and is not independent of the Company under National Instrument 43-101. For more information: Spyros Karellas Director, Global Communications +1 (647) 276-0050 x1309 Cautionary statements Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that all or any part of Mineral Resources will be converted to Mineral Reserves. Inferred Mineral Resources have a lower level of confidence that that applied to an Indicated Mineral Resource and must not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. Quantity and grades are estimates and are rounded to reflect the fact that the Mineral Resource Estimate is an approximation. For more information with respect to the key assumptions, parameters and risks associated with the mineral resource estimates discussed herein, see the Companys technical report entitled Technical Report on the Troilus Gold Copper Mine Mineral Resource Estimate, Quebec, Canada dated November 20, 2017 (the Technical Report) available under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com. This press release contains forwardlooking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forwardlooking information includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding, the impact of the planned drill program and results on the Company, , the projected economics of the project, and the Companys understanding of the project; statements with respect to the development potential and timetable of the project; the estimation of mineral resources; realization of mineral resource estimates; the timing and amount of estimated future exploration; costs of future activities; capital and operating expenditures; success of exploration activities; government regulation of mining operations; and environmental risks and the receipt of any required regulatory approvals. Generally, forwardlooking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forwardlooking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Troilus to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forwardlooking information, including but not limited to: there being no assurance that the exploration program will result in expanded mineral resources; risks and uncertainties inherent to mineral resource estimates; receipt of necessary approvals; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; future prices of mineral prices; accidents, labour disputes and shortages; environmental and other risks of the mining industry, including without limitation, risks and uncertainties discussed in the Technical Report and other continuous disclosure documents of the Company available under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com. Although Troilus has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forwardlooking information. Pitchblack and Troilus do not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. English Norwegian Data Respons has signed contracts of SEK 40 million with a customer within Telecom & Media. The contracts include specialist R&D services, software development, advanced testing and system integration supporting all phases of the development cycle. The deliveries will be carried out during 2019. - These contracts confirm a strong structural demand among our customers and contribute to a record high order intake so far in 2019. Over the last years, we have enjoyed great success in the Swedish market and significantly increased revenues through strong organic development, says Kenneth Ragnvaldsen, CEO of Data Respons. The main drivers are increased R&D spend among our customers and that companies are getting more technology-driven in their product development strategies. Products are becoming more intelligent, service and software-oriented, and are expected to be securely connected 24/7. Our skilled engineering teams deliver highly specialised R&D services in long term and business critical product development projects, Ragnvaldsen concludes. For further information: Kenneth Ragnvaldsen, CEO, Data Respons ASA, tel. +47 913 90 918. Rune Wahl, CFO, Data Respons ASA, tel. + 47 950 36 046 About Data Respons Data Respons is a full-service, independent technology company and a leading player in the IoT, Industrial digitalisation and the embedded solutions market. We provide R&D services and smarter solutions to OEM companies, system integrators and vertical product suppliers in a range of market segments such as Transport & Automotive, Industrial Automation, Telecom & Media, Space, Defence & Security, Medtech, Energy & Maritime, and Finance & Public Sector. Data Respons ASA is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (Ticker: DAT), and is part of the information technology index. The company has offices in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Taiwan. www.datarespons.com This information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. TORONTO, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- African Gold Group Inc. (TSX-V: AGG) (AGG or the Company) announces that Stephan Theron has resigned as Chairman and Director of the Company, effective immediately. African Gold Group would like to thank Mr. Theron for his contributions to the Company and wish him well with his future endeavours. About African Gold Group Inc. African Gold Group is a Canadian listed exploration and development company on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX V:AGG) with its focus on developing a gold platform in West Africa. Its two principal assets are the Kobada Project in Mali and the gold project located in Madougou, Burkina Faso. For further information, contact: Andrew Cheatle Vice President +1 (416) 309-2133 andrew.cheatle@fmresources.ca Cautionary Notes Re Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes certain Forward-Looking Statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein, including statements regarding changes to AGGs board of directors and future plans and objectives of African Gold Group. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from African Gold Groups expectations have been disclosed under the heading Risk Factors and elsewhere in African Gold Groups documents filed from time-to-time with the TSX Venture Exchange and other regulatory authorities. African Gold Group disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements whether resulting from new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS PRESS RELEASE. Democratic presidential contender Sen. Kamala Harris said last weekend that, if elected, she wants to give every teacher a $13,500 raise by the end of her first term , according to the campaign. For context: That would be about a 23 percent increase in base pay for the average teacher. In Harris view, it would help make up for the fact that public school teachers make 11 percent less than similar professionals with college degrees. (Thats according to a report by the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank.) We must acknowledge this simple truth: We are a country that claims to care about education, but not so much about the education of other peoples children, Harris wrote in the Washington Post Tuesday . At the most fundamental level, our children are being raised by two groups of people: families and teachers. Yet, we fail to pay teachers their value. So how would Harris actually accomplish this? Heres her plan. The U.S. Department of Education would work with state education agencies to set a base salary goal for beginning teachers in each state. States would increase every teachers salary until they met that goal. The federal government would pay up front 10 percent of the cost of reaching that salary goal. After that initial up-front payment, the feds would match $3 for every $1 the state contributes. That means this plan would depend in part on states willingness to participate. There would be extra resources to help boost pay in the highest-need schools, which serve a disproportionate share of children of color, the Harris campaign says. There are no specifics yet on how the plan would define highest-need. And there would be additional funding"billions, according to the campaignto help support and train teachers, through things like teacher and principal residencies, mentoring and induction programs for new teachers, and programs to help encourage teacher diversity. Half of this teacher-training funding would go to minority-serving institutions, such as historically black colleges and universities. Studies have shown that students of color can benefit from having teachers of color. (More on this in Education Week here. ) Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, praised the proposal. Sen. Harris plan is a bold, smart, strategic and decisive proposal that will help make teaching a respected profession by paying teachers a living wage, while incentivizing diversity and high-quality teacher preparation, she said. It will help fund our future by delivering urgently needed help to communities wracked by decades of austerity and underinvestment. Whats the cost of this plan? The Harris campaign is estimating a price tag of $315 billion over ten years. It would be paid for by making changes to the estate tax, and closing tax loopholes, the Harris campaign says. There are still unanswered questions. For instance, Harris proposal also doesnt specify how, or whether, teachers in different subjects or with varying levels of experience might be impacted differently. Could this actually pass? Its hard to imagine the proposal as written getting very far in the current political landscape, given that Republicans control the Senate. It wasnt easy for the Obama administration to get just $10 billion to save teachers jobs at the height of the Great Recession, and that was when Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress. But a less-sweeping version of the proposalor some other push on teacher paycould garner bipartisan support, as the issue has in some states. Photo: Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., in front of the U.S. Capitol. (Jose Luis Magana for the Associated Press) Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . Photo: Contributed Kelowna-Lake Country Conservative hopeful Tracy Gray fuelled controversy when she recently declined an invitation to take part in a forum debate with rival candidate Renee Wasylyk. Wasylyk invited Gray to the forum this Friday after a similar event proposed by the Electoral District Association was cancelled. Gray declined the invitation, stating that she received legal advice saying her participation may contravene the Canada Elections Act. She didn't elaborate until now. Gray says a political financing handbook published by Elections Canada "clearly states on Page 22 that corporations cannot make contributions in nomination contests." "Ms. Wasylyk stated in her invitation on March 19 that JDS Mining has generously offered to sponsor this event," Gray said in a statement. "Abandoning the event's sponsor at this point only raises more questions." She says she will not attend forums or debates not approved by the local electoral district association. Conservative party members will gather April 6 at the Ramada Hotel to select a candidate for the Oct. 21 federal election. MIAMI, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CDC Deposits Corp. (CDC) announced today that it has become the first cash management provider to become a signatory to the UN-Supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). CDC offers the only social impact solution for cash management, which is a new area of focus for the PRI, says William R. Burdette, CDC President. CDC supports nonprofits around the country through a network of community bank and depositor relationships activated through CDCs Impact Deposit Program. Becoming a signatory of the PRI reinforces our commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG), said Mr. Burdette. CDCs commitment to responsible investment strategies makes them a welcome addition to the PRI, said the PRI CEO Fiona Reynolds. As our first cash management provider signatory, we think this sends a good message to markets that cash deposits can be used by individuals, foundations, and other stakeholders to achieve real world impact on ESG issues. Since 2003, CDC has worked with partner banks to protect and manage large cash deposits through a single account on behalf of its clients. CDC was one of the first network managers in the U.S. to offer institutions the ability to distribute funds into money market accounts at multiple banks across the U.S with no more than $250,000 in any one bank so that all funds in the program remain FDIC insured. Uniquely, CDCs Impact Deposit Program also helps to accelerate beneficial social outcomes. CDC generates positive social impact for local communities and causes through proactive program development between more than 500 banks and charitable organizations to help drive community investment and philanthropic activities. Additionally, CDC donates a portion of its earnings from deposits directly to nonprofits to fund socially impactful programs. To date, CDCs Impact Deposit Program has generated donations of over $7.5 million to nonprofit organizations in communities served by the CDC banking network. About CDC Deposits Corp. CDC Deposits Corp. is a purpose-driven company that proactively builds mutually beneficial relationships between community banks, nonprofits, and partners to accelerate positive economic and social outcomes. Since 2003, the company has operated a cash deposit management network in the U.S., through which it has managed billions of dollars on behalf of high net worth individuals, family offices, foundations, corporations, and institutions. To learn more, visit www.cdcdeposits.com . VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CUV Ventures Corp. (TSX-V: CUV) (the Company) is pleased to announce that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with EasyPagos Ecuador, on March 25th 2019. The MOU, signed by CUV CEO, Steve Marshall and, Silvia Subia, CEO of Easy Pagos, outlines a mutual desire to study the technical requirements for RevoluPAY e-Wallet family remittances and, cash advances for visiting tourists, to be collected at over 1000 agencies controlled by EasyPagos www.easypagos.com in Ecuador. The parties have agreed to work on a Definitive Agreement (DA) concerning bilateral commissions, the technical linking of payments settlement systems and, the mechanism for the instant delivery of worldwide remittances and, tourism focused cash-advances, in Ecuador. The parties anticipate arriving at a mutually agreeable arrangement very soon. The Company would also like to thank Advisor, Emilio Morales, for his assistance in forging this potentially valuable relationship with EasyPagos. EasyPagos Presentation About EasyPagos EasyPagos (Easy Payments in English), headquartered in Guayaquil, was founded in the year 2000 and, currently provides logistical payment deliveries for 27 of the worlds largest remittance companies. EasyPagos manages over 1000 physical delivery bureaus across the length and, breadth of Ecuador, servicing: major cities, smaller towns and, villages. Remittance and Tourism Data for Ecuador The central bank of Ecuador estimates that the country receives over $3 Billion USD annually through international remittances. Furthermore, Ecuador remains a popular South American tourism hotspot, with approximately 1.8 million visitors annually. The Companys RevoluVIP platform (page 17) will offer specific offers to Ecuador on the VIP country website therefore, the proposed agreement with EasyPagos will allow visiting tourists easy access to local currency through their RevoluPAY app. About RevoluPAY The Companys flagship technology is RevoluPAY, the Apple and Android multinational payment app. Built entirely in-house, RevoluPAY features proprietary, sector specific, technology of which, the resulting source code is the property of the Company. RevoluPAYs built-in features include: Leisure payments, travel payments, retail and hospitality payments, remittance payments, real estate payments, pay-as-you-go phone top-ups, Utility Bill payments, etc. RevoluPAY is powered by blockchain protocols, and, is squarely aimed at the worldwide multi-billion dollar leisure sector and, + $595 billion family remittance market. RevoluPAY is operated by the European wholly owned subsidiary RevoluPAY S.L located in Barcelona. RevoluPAY S.L operates under European E-money - Directive 2009/110/EC through a licensed electronic money institution or EDE Banking Licensed entity. RevoluPAY Presentation About CUV Ventures Corp.: CUV Ventures Corp. is a multi-asset, multidivisional publicly traded Canadian company deploying advanced technologies in the; Online Travel, Vacation Resort, Mobile Apps, Money Remittance, Mobile phone top-ups, Invoice factoring, Blockchain Systems, and Fintech app sectors. Our flagship technology is RevoluPAY, the Apple and Android multinational leisure payments and remittance app, powered by blockchain protocols, and aimed at the worldwide + $595 billion family remittance market. Click here to read more. For further information on CUV Ventures Corp. (TSX-V: CUV) visit the Companys website at www.cuvventures.com. The Company has approximately 134,523,337 shares issued and outstanding. CUV VENTURES CORP. Steve Marshall ______________________ STEVE MARSHALL CEO For further information contact: Don Mosher CUV Ventures Corp. Telephone: (604) 685-6465 Toll Free: 800-567-8181 Facsimile: 604-687-3119 Email: info@cuvventures.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Portland, OR, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the global Polyethylene Films Market garnered $73.50 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $90.91 billion by 2022, registering a CAGR of 3.6% from 2017 to 2023. The report has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. It includes a study of the market size and share, market dynamics, market classification, and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the prominent players operating in this market. The information in the report is a result of an extensive primary and secondary research. Request Report Sample at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/2972 The report discusses the drivers, restraints, and opportunities of the passive optical component market in detail. The elastic nature of polyethylene films which enable production of films with good toughness suitable for food packaging as well as non-food applications, innovations in food & beverages packaging, concerns over the rise of use of bioplastic materials, and increase in demand for hygienic and flexible food packaging materials drive the polyethylene films market growth. Nonetheless, fluctuations in the cost of raw materials cost and stringent regulations imposed for the use of plastic restrict the market growth. On the other hand, rise in demand for polyethylene films as a substitute for glass and metal offer new opportunities for the growth of the market. The report presents a broad analysis of the market segmentation. It bifurcates the market into technology, material, type, application, and region. Based on technology, the market is divided into blown film extrusion, cast film extrusion, and others. The blown film extrusion segment captured the highest market share in 2017 and would dominate the market. It would also grow at the fastest CAGR of 3.9% during the forecast period, 2017 - 2023. The material segment is divided into HDPE, LDPE, and LLDPE. The LLDPE segment gained the highest market share of 42% in 2017 and would dominate the market during the forecast period. The report divides the type segment into stretch films and shrink films. Based on application, the market is divided into beverage packaging, food packaging, agriculture films, construction films, household items, and others. Geographically, the market analysis covers North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. Asia-Pacific would attain the highest market share as well as grow at the fastest CAGR during the study period. Purchase Inquiry at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/2972 The report also includes the competitive profiling of the leading players in global polyethylene films market to help players, investors, and new entrants make informed business decisions. They include AEP Industries, Amcor Ltd., Berry Plastics Corporation, Dupont Teijin Films, Exopac Holdings Corporation, Jindal Poly Films, Sealed Air Corporation, Hilex Poly Co LLC, Innovia Films Ltd., and Ampac Holdings. 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. English Finnish Suomen Hoivatilat Oyj Stock exchange release 26 March 2019 02:30 pm EET First projects to start in Sweden Hoivatilat AB has gotten off to a strong start in Sweden. The company has now won three contracts for preschool projects in Eskilstuna, Ronneby and Norrtalje. Their total investment value is approximately EUR 11 million. The final lease contracts will be signed during this spring. All three of the day care centres will be completed in 2020. "We are looking forward to continue our expansion through long-term investments in community service properties in Sweden", says Maria Frid, CEO of Hoivatilat AB. "I'm really glad that our operations in Sweden have taken off quickly and that we have been so positively received there. This means we can also recruit more staff in Sweden this year", says Hoivatilat's CEO Jussi Karjula. Hoivatilat has had a very good year so far on the Finnish market as well. The company has already won contracts for a total of about EUR 30 million in Finland this year. Over half of these are for leased facilities for municipal tenants: a school project in Mikkeli and day care centres in Oulu, Rovaniemi and Vaasa. For further information, please contact: Jussi Karjula, CEO, Suomen Hoivatilat Oyj, tel. +358 40 773 4054, jussi.karjula@hoivatilat.fi Maria Frid, CEO, Hoivatilat AB, tel. +46 70 462 44 55, maria.frid@hoivatilat.se SUOMEN HOIVATILAT OYJ Suomen Hoivatilat in brief: Suomen Hoivatilat specialises in producing, developing, owning and leasing out daycare centre and nursing home premises, service communities and schools. Hoivatilat was established in 2008 and cooperates with around 60 Finnish municipalities. It has started approximately 180 real estate projects throughout Finland. Haldor Topsoe A/S held the annual general meeting of the company on March 26, 2019, at the companys address at Haldor Topses Alle 1, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark. The agenda of the annual general meeting was as follows: 1. Election of the Chairman 2. Report by the Board of Directors on the companys activities during the past financial year The Board of Directors report was adopted. 3. Submission for adoption of the annual report The annual report for 2018 was adopted. 4. Resolution on application of profits in accordance with the approved annual report The proposal for application of profits for 2018 was adopted. 5. Election of members to the Board of Directors All members of the Board of Directors were reelected. 6. Election of auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers Statsautoriseret Revisionspartnerselskab was reelected as auditors. 7. Any other business DALLAS, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lexipol, the leading provider of state-specific policies and training for public safety agencies, is pleased to announce two new customers in Virginia: Chesapeake Fire Department and Richmond Fire and Emergency Services. The agencies, located in two of the largest cities in the state, protect communities of nearly half a million residents. Chesapeake Fire Department was founded in 1963 and operates 15 stations. The 423 fire service members on staff cover 353 square miles and nearly 38,000 calls per year. Richmond Fire and Emergency Services, founded in 1858, operates 20 stations spanning 62.5 square miles. More than 430 fire service members are on staff and respond to approximately 37,000 calls per year. Developed by industry professionals and public safety attorneys, the Lexipol Virginia Fire Policy and Training Solution includes more than 165 policies and 25 procedures for high-risk operations that are continuously updated to meet changes in laws and best practices. The subscription-based service also includes training bulletins, policy acknowledgment tracking and a mobile app where firefighters can access policies and procedures. We are pleased to welcome both departments, said Lexipol Chief Revenue Officer Chuck Corbin. By partnering with Lexipol, these agencies demonstrate their commitment to departmental and operational excellence as well as enhancing the safety of the communities they serve. This sentiment was echoed by Chesapeake Fire Department Chief Edmund Elliott. By providing us with policies that address federal laws and regulations, as well as those of the Commonwealth, Lexipol gives us confidence were delivering the best service possible to our customers, Chief Elliott said. Following best practice guidelines is critical for the safety of our firefighters. Along with policies and procedures, the two departments will have access to training resources that help personnel learn and apply policies. The Daily Training Bulletins bring our policies to life, said Captain Travis Preau of Richmond Fire and Emergency Services. The scenario-based questions are an easy way to reinforce policy and procedure understanding and bring more consistency to our operations across stations and shifts. Lexipol currently offers public safety policies and training to more than 3,500 agencies in 35 states. To learn more, visit www.lexipol.com/fire . About Lexipol Lexipol is Americas leading source of state-specific policy and training solutions that reduce risk, lower litigation costs and improve personnel safety in law enforcement agencies, fire departments and corrections facilities. Delivered via an online platform and mobile app, Lexipols content is continuously updated to address legislative changes and evolving best practices. Using accountability tools and integrated training, Lexipol provides a cost-effective way for agencies to enhance policy compliance and understanding, allowing leaders to focus more resources on serving their communities. With principal offices in Dallas, Texas, and Irvine, California, Lexipol offers policy management solutions to more than 3,500 agencies in 35 states. For additional information, visit www.lexipol.com . About Chesapeake Fire Department The Chesapeake Fire Department (CFD) has 15 fire stations located throughout the Citys 353 square miles. CFD is a progressive organization and its mission is to save lives and protect property by providing responsive and caring services. The Department consists of engine companies, ladder companies, medic units, technical rescue, hazardous materials, foam and marine firefighting specialty teams. CFDs fire prevention efforts include fire code enforcement, inspections, plan reviews, and public education programs. About Richmond Fire and Emergency Services The City of Richmond (VA) Department of Fire and Emergency Services has been serving the capital City since 1858. Today, between sworn and civilian staff we are 433 strong. We are divided into four Battalions with six companies assigned to each. Administration; Safety and Response Operations; Office of Emergency Management; and Support Services (to include Fire Prevention, Investigations, Training, Budget, and Logistics) make up our four internal divisions located at Fire Headquarters. Our firefighters operate out of 20 Fire Stations located within our 62.5 square miles. The Department provides fire and life safety response to approximately 220,000 residents and over 400,000 workers and visitors each day. We are equipped with 19 engine companies, 5 truck companies, 2 Foam Tankers, 2 Brush units, HazMat Response vehicles, Technical and Water Rescue vehicles, and other support apparatus. The department responds to over 37,000 calls for service each year and has an operating budget of nearly $49 million. Media Contacts: Shannon Pieper Lexipol Director, Marketing Communications 949-276-9938 spieper@lexipol.com Edmund Elliott Chesapeake Fire Department Fire Chief eelliott@cityofchesapeake.net 757-641-2521 NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the GoFly Prize, the $2+ million USD international competition to create a personal flying device, announced its five Phase II winners based on their prototype submissions. GoFly is comprised of more than 3,500 innovators from 101 countries across the globe. Competitors are creating a personal flyer that is smaller, lighter and quieter than anything that has ever existed before. From this community, 31 Phase II Teams across 16 countries submitted entries and were reviewed by a panel of experts across 2 rounds of judging. The five Phase II winners, in alphabetical order, are: Aeroxo LV, ERA Aviabike, Latvia and Russia ERA Aviabike, Latvia and Russia DragonAir Aviation, Airboard 2.0, United States Airboard 2.0, United States Silverwing, S1, Netherlands S1, Netherlands Texas A&M Harmony, Aria, United States Aria, United States Trek Aerospace, Inc, FlyKart2, United States Phase II teams were required to submit visual and written documentation detailing their personal flyer prototypes. Its the first time physical prototypes have been introduced into the challenge, bringing GoFly one step closer to the Final Fly-Off next year. After much anticipation, we are excited to announce our Phase II winners and unveil their prototypes. The level of ingenuity and dedication from each of these competitors is truly impressive, said GoFly CEO Gwen Lighter. Each device is unique, revolutionizing the way we envision personal flight. GoFly has been able to reach such a highly qualified group of competitors not only through the strength of its vision, but also through the support of its global network of sponsors. Major partners include Grand Sponsor Boeing, Corporate Sponsor Pratt & Whitney, as well as over twenty international aviation and innovation organizations. All Teams that progress towards the Final Fly-Off and all new Teams that join the GoFly competition now will benefit from the continued support of these sponsors, as well as additional in-kind sponsor resources and a dedicated Mentors and Masters program. Were inspired and excited to see the strong progress that GoFly competitors have made on their bold, creative designs, said Boeing Chief Technology Officer Greg Hyslop. Their work confirms a principle thats at the core of both Boeing and GoFly: aerospace innovation changes the world. The GoFly competition sets itself apart in how it works to inspire the current and future generations of innovators aligning closely with our companys mission, said Geoff Hunt, Senior Vice President of Engineering of Pratt & Whitney. Phase II has produced tremendous results, demonstrating what it means to be a leader in the industry. It is work like this that inspired Pratt & Whitney to create the Disruptor Award, and we look forward to meeting the contenders for that prize during the Final Fly-Off. Following the Phase II announcement, GoFly and its Teams will be preparing for the Final Fly-Off, at which point innovators will put their personal flyers to the test, competing at a final event showcase and vying for the remaining $1.6 million USD in prizes. For more information about the GoFly Prize, or to form a new Team to enter the competition and the Final Fly-Off, please visit http://www.goflyprize.com . About The GoFly Prize The GoFly Prize is a $2+ million USD, two-year international incentive competition to create a personal flying device that can be safely used by anyone, anywhere. With Boeing as its Grand Sponsor and Pratt & Whitney as its Corporate Sponsor, The GoFly Prize will provide teams with expertise, mentorship, prizes and global exposure as they compete to create the worlds first safe, ultra-compact, urban-compatible personal flying device. The multi-phase competition encourages competitors from around the world to participate in making the dream of human flight a reality. For more information or to form a new team to compete, visit http://www.goflyprize.com . About Boeing Boeing is the world's largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners, defense, space and security systems, and service provider of aftermarket support. As Americas biggest manufacturing exporter, the company supports airlines and U.S. and allied government customers in more than 150 countries. Boeing products and tailored services include commercial and military aircraft, satellites, weapons, electronic and defense systems, launch systems, advanced information and communication systems, and performance-based logistics and training. Salt Lake City, Utah, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inception Mining Inc. Announces Completion of Technical Report for Clavo Rico Deposit Salt Lake City, Utah March 26, 2019 Inception Mining Inc. (OTCQB: IMII) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has completed a National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report (the Technical Report) that includes an estimate on its Clavo Rico Project (Project) located in El Corpus, Departamento Choluteca, Honduras. The Technical Report has an effective date of 15 March 2019 and can be found on the Companys website at http://inceptionmining.com/clavorico/43-101-report/ . Highlights of the Report include: Economic mineralization at Clavo Rico is contained in three distinct zones, including an oxide zone, a supergene enrichment zone, and a sulfide zone. Data on 96 recent and historic drill holes totaling 6264 meters of drill core yielding 2552 assays together with 827 channel samples collected from historic adits. Data on an oxide zone. The oxide zone has been producing since 2015. Data on a sulfide zone that was calculated using two different modeling techniques to reflect geologic uncertainties: Data of the supergene enrichment zone The conceptual geologic model, supported by field mapping, production records and both recent and historic drill programs suggests that significant potential exists to increase the known mineral resource with additional drilling. Trent DAmbrosio, Company Chief Executive Officer, remarked, This Technical Report was two years in the making and we are gratified at the results. We feel that our Clavo Rico project, and the Company as a whole, is a world-class mining operation. The team performed exceptionally well during this time which is a key component to our future ambitions. Their diligent efforts, along with the report, both substantiate our long-held belief about our value and potential to compete on the world stage. We are excited about the direction we are headed and look forward bringing our shareholders further news as it becomes available. Qualified Person The Technical Report was prepared by J. Brian Mahoney, P.Geo., of Precision GeoSolutions, who is considered a "Qualified Person" as defined by NI 43-101. The Technical Report may be found on the Company's website at www.inceptionmining.com . About Inception Mining, Inc. Inception Mining Inc., a Nevada corporation, is engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of gold projects in Central and North America. Inceptions core asset is the Clavo Rico gold project in Honduras, which features a heap leach facility and on-site ADR plant. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated content, commencement and cost of exploration programs, anticipated exploration program results and the timing thereof, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves, the potential for the identification of multiple deposits in the Project area, the potential for a low capex and/or opex heap leach mine operation, the potential for a production decision to be made, the potential commencement of any development of a mine following a production decision, the potential for any mining or production, the potential for additional resources to be located between certain of the existing deposits, business and financing plans and business trends, are forward-looking statements. Information concerning mineral resource estimates are deemed to be forward-looking statements in that it reflects a prediction of the mineralization that would be encountered, and the results of mining it, if a mineral deposit were developed and mined. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, variations in the market price of any mineral products the Company may produce or plan to produce, the Company's inability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities, significant increases in the cost of labor, materials, equipment and supplies required to develop and operate any mine, the Company's inability to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's latest filings with the SEC. All of the Company's public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sec.gov and readers are urged to review these materials with respect to the Company's mineral properties. Cautionary Note Regarding References to Resources and Reserves National Instrument 43 101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Unless otherwise indicated, all resource estimates contained in or incorporated by reference in this press release have been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and the guidelines set out in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (the "CIM") Standards on Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserves, adopted by the CIM Council on November 14, 2004 (the "CIM Standards") as they may be amended from time to time by the CIM. While the Company is not listed on any Canadian exchange or subject to NI 43-101, and the Technical Report will not be filed with any Canadian authorities, it elected to have the 43-101 report completed for informational, voluntary purposes. United States shareholders are cautioned that the requirements and terminology of NI 43-101 and the CIM Standards differ significantly from the requirements and terminology of the SEC set forth in the SEC's Industry Guide 7 ("SEC Industry Guide 7") and Subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K. Accordingly, the Company's disclosures regarding mineralization may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by companies subject to SEC Industry Guide 7 or Subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K. Without limiting the foregoing, while the terms "mineral resources", "inferred mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" and "measured mineral resources" are recognized and required by NI 43-101 and the CIM Standards, they are not recognized by the SEC and are not permitted to be used in documents filed with the SEC by companies subject to SEC Industry Guide 7. These definitions also differ from the requirements of the disclosure and technical report requirements of Subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K, which the Company will fully comply with according to the SECs required timeline of the fiscal year following January 1, 2021. Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability, and US investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of a mineral resource will ever be converted into reserves. Further, inferred resources have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and as to whether they can be mined legally or economically. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of the inferred resources will ever be upgraded to a higher resource category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of a feasibility study or prefeasibility study, except in rare cases. The SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute SEC Industry Guide 7 compliant "reserves" as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit amounts. The term "contained ounces" is not permitted under the rules of SEC Industry Guide 7. In addition, the NI 43-101 and CIM Standards definition of a "reserve" differs from the definition in SEC Industry Guide 7. In SEC Industry Guide 7, 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, and a "final" or "bankable" feasibility study is required to report reserves, the three-year historical price is used in any reserve or cash flow analysis of designated reserves and the primary environmental analysis or report must be filed with the appropriate governmental authority. Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes certain forward-looking statements or information. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements with respect to the potential mineralization and geological merits of the Company properties. There can be no assurance statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from anticipated in such statements. Inception Mining Inc. disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events except as required by applicable securities legislation. Contact: SOURCE: Inception Mining Inc. (OTC QB: IMII) 5330 South 900 East, Suite 280 Salt Lake City, Utah 84117 Trent DAmbrosio CEO (801) 312-8113 Ext. 101 info@inceptionmining.com HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Erdene Resource Development Corp. (TSX:ERD; MSE:ERDN) (" Erdene " or the "Company") is pleased to announce its intention to repurchase a 1% net smelter return royalty (NSR) from Sandstorm Gold Limited (Sandstorm) on its Khundii Gold Project in southwest Mongolia by April 14, 2019 for C$1.2 million. Considering the results of our recent Preliminary Economic Assessment and the exploration potential of the Khundii Gold Project license area, the fair value of the 1% NSR is well in excess of the repurchase price. Buying back the NSR will create significant value for our shareholders, said Peter Akerley, Erdenes President and CEO. We would like to acknowledge Sandstorms support during the formative stages of the Khundii Gold Project and look forward to continuing to work with them as we move toward production. As announced on April 21, 2016, Erdene completed a transaction granting Sandstorm a 2% NSR royalty on a select area that included the Khundii Gold Project as part of a C$2.5 million financing transaction. This transaction provided Erdene with a three-year option to buy back 50% of the 2% NSR Royalty for C$1.2 million. Erdene will fund the repurchase from cash on hand. Review of Khundii Gold Project Development Erdenes deposits are located in the Edren Terrane, within the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, host to some of the worlds largest gold and copper-gold deposits. The Company has been the leader in exploration in southwest Mongolia over the past decade and is responsible for the discovery of the Khundii Gold District comprised of multiple high-grade gold and gold/base metal prospects, two of which are being considered for development: the 100%-owned Bayan Khundii and Altan Nar projects. Together, these deposits comprise the Khundii Gold Project (the Project). The Company delivered the Projects maiden mineral resource estimate in Q3 2018 with a Measured and Indicated (M&I) resource of 751,000 ounces (oz) gold at an average grade of 2.3 g/t gold and an Inferred resource of 291,000 oz gold at an average grade of 1.8 g/t gold (cut-off grade of 0.7 g/t gold). This was followed by a National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101) Preliminary Economic Assessment in December 2018 which returned an after-tax Net Present Value at a 5% discount rate (NPV5%) and a US$1,200/oz gold price of US$99 million and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 56%. The initial development has a life of mine head grade of 3.42 g/t gold with an average annual gold production of 51,200 oz over an eight-year mine life. Based on the potential for additional discovery and expansion on the current license areas the planned development is considered as a foundation for growth. About Erdene Erdene Resource Development Corp. is a Canada-based resource company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of precious and base metals in underexplored and highly prospective Mongolia. The Company has interests in four exploration licenses and a mining license in Southwest Mongolia, where exploration success has led to the discovery and definition of the Khundii Gold District. Erdene Resource Development Corp. is listed on the Toronto and Mongolia stock exchanges. Further information is available at www.erdene.com . Important information may be disseminated exclusively via the website; investors should consult the site to access this information. Forward-Looking Statements Certain information regarding Erdene contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although Erdene believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Erdene cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, most of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what Erdene currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration results, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The information contained herein is stated as of the current date and is subject to change after that date. The Company does not assume the obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. NO REGULATORY AUTHORITY HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS RELEASE Seattle, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the Cambia Grove, a health care-focused innovation center, opens its second TRAILS Competition to startups vying for the opportunity to hear valuable product and market feedback from three childrens hospitals along the west coast; Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital and Seattle Childrens Hospital. The TRAILS Competition was designed to provide promising startups access to real world testing and application within the health care system to gain knowledge of how the system works. Through this experience, startups can iterate on their solution to make it a lean, high value product. This springs competition seeks to find startups interested in improving the experiences of children and their families during times of urgent medical needs. Cambia Groves goal is to make it easier to innovate in health care, said Maura Little, Executive Director of the Cambia Grove. "Often, startups lack access to real-world feedback of their products. We are thrilled to partner with Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital and Seattle Childrens Hospital to help startups develop products that will truly move the industry towards a more person-focused and sustainable health care system. The applications are due on April 14, 2019 by 11:59PM PDT. There will be three rounds of judging by representatives from the 5 Points of Health CareTM (patients, providers, payers, purchasers and policymakers), investors and other professionals in the health startup community. Five finalists will be selected to pitch in front of a judging panel on May 22, 2019 in Seattle. All semifinalists will receive feedback including a candid evaluation of the products ability to address participating hospitals problem statements. Innovators often work in a vacuum, building products without getting candid feedback from the individuals who will be using and purchasing their product. Were grateful the Cambia Grove has created the framework for startups to develop and scale actionable solutions in an ecosystem that allows them access to key stakeholders within healthcare delivery organizations, said Omkar Kulkarni, Chief Innovation Officer, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. This TRAILS Competition is unique because it offers entrepreneurs access to stakeholders in very different markets: Los Angeles, Seattle and Portland. The participating hospitals, and the markets we serve, all represent and serve different patient populations. The winning startup will find tremendous value from the feedback they receive. Last years winner LiteSprite, a mental health video game developer, surpassed startups from 6 states and 5 countries to earn a 12-month real-world data application to identify the economic opportunity of their product, Sinasprite, with the UW Primary Care Innovation Lab. Recently, Litesprite won the first U.S. Surgeon General Award presented to a video game. For more information on the TRAILS Competition, deadlines and details on submission requirements, please visit the TRAILS Competition application page. About Cambia Grove Cambia Grove is a health care-focused center where innovators and entrepreneurs can convene and catalyze new solutions. We offer a shared space for the emerging health care economic cluster where a host of stakeholders set aside competition in favor of true collaboration toward the shared goals of better health and a more sustainable system. To learn more, visit us at CambiaGrove.com or on Twitter. About Cambia Health Solutions Cambia Health Solutions, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is dedicated to transforming health care. We put people at the heart of everything we do as we work to make the health care system more economically-sustainable and efficient for people and their families. Our company reaches nearly 70 million Americans nationwide, including more than two million people in the Pacific Northwest who are enrolled in our regional health plans. To learn more about us, visit CambiaHealth.com or Twitter.com/cambia. 5 Points of Health Care is a trademark of Cambia Health Solutions. 2019 Cambia Health Solutions. All Rights Reserved. Attachment Photo: Contributed Vancouver Police are looking for witnesses to a serious assault near the Burrard Street Skytrain Station. Const. Jason Doucette said at 7:30 p.m. on March 20, two men, known to each other, got into an altercation on Melville Street at Burrard Street. One of the men allegedly attacked the other with a weapon before fleeing. The victim, a 47-year-old man from Vancouver, jumped into a taxi and got himself to hospital for emergency treatment. This is a busy area with people coming and going from the Skytrain and local businesses, said Doucette. We understand a couple of people may have tried to assist, and wed like to hear from them. Anyone who may have witnessed this assault, or has information about the incident, is asked to call detectives in the VPDs Major Crime Section at 604-717-2500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. English French Athens / Paris, 26 March 2019 - 17h35 Coface launches credit-insurance offer in Greece Local companies set to benefit from Coface's expertise in risk prevention and payment protection. In line with its strategic ambition to grow in promising new markets, Coface is launching its credit insurance offer in Greece, after having been granted a license from the Greek regulatory authority to operate as credit insurer. Coface is now able to strengthen its support to Greek businesses, by providing them with its recognised expertise in monitoring the credit-worthiness of millions of companies all over the world, and by protecting their commercial transactions. Greece has undertaken reforms which pave the way for a promising credit insurance market. The consolidation of public accounts and reinforced fiscal credibility has enabled the country to make its return to international markets and to partially lift controls on capital. Greek companies have become more competitive, have reduced their debt and are now more export-oriented. This has fostered development of new sectors and allowed the productive fabric to evolve. Commenting on the opening, Xavier Durand, CEO of Coface, said: "Our Greek license extends Coface's historically strong presence in the Mediterranean and Africa region, which represented 27% of the Group's revenues in 2018. Greece is a promising market for Coface, where business confidence is improving, and growth is expected to be buoyant in 2019. Our direct credit insurance offer in Greece will reinforce Coface's support to local businesses, which up to now were served through our international network." CONTACTS MEDIA RELATIONS Monica COULL T. +33 (0)1 49 02 25 01 monica.coull@coface.com Maria KRELLENSTEIN T. +33 (0)1 49 02 16 29 maria.krellenstein@coface.com ANALYSTS / INVESTORS Thomas JACQUET T. +33 (0)1 49 02 12 58 thomas.jacquet@coface.com Benoit CHASTEL T. +33 (0)1 49 02 22 28 benoit.chastel@coface.com FINANCIAL CALENDAR 2019 (subject to change) Q1-2019 results: 24 April 2019 (after market close) Annual General Shareholders' Meeting 2018: 16 May 2019 H1-2019 results: 25 July 2019 (after market close) 9M-2019 results: 23 October 2019 (after market close) FINANCIAL INFORMATION This press release, as well as COFACE SA's integral regulatory information, can be found on the Group's website: http://www.coface.com/Investors For regulated information on Alternative Performance Measures (APM) please refer to our Interim Financial Report for S1-2017 and our 2017 Registration Document. Coface: for trade - Building business together 70 years of experience and the most finely meshed network have made Coface a reference in credit insurance, risk management and the global economy. With the ambition to become the most agile global trade credit insurance partner in the industry, Coface's experts work to the beat of the world economy, supporting 50,000 clients in building successful, growing and dynamic businesses. The Group's services and solutions protect and help companies take credit decisions to improve their ability to sell on both their domestic and export markets. In 2018, Coface employed ~4,100 people and registered turnover of 1.4 billion. www.coface.com COFACE SA. is listed on Euronext Paris - Compartment A ISIN: FR0010667147 / Ticker: COFA DISCLAIMER - Certain declarations featured in this press release may contain forecasts that notably relate to future events, trends, projects or targets. By nature, these forecasts include identified or unidentified risks and uncertainties, and may be affected by many factors likely to give rise to a significant discrepancy between the real results and those stated in these declarations. Please refer to chapter 5 "Main risk factors and their management within the Group" of the Coface Group's 2017 Registration Document filed with AMF on 5 April 2018 under the number No. D.18-0267 in order to obtain a description of certain major factors, risks and uncertainties likely to influence the Coface Group's businesses. The Coface Group disclaims any intention or obligation to publish an update of these forecasts, or provide new information on future events or any other circumstance. TORONTO, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Volaris Group (Volaris) today welcomes Delta Logic AG (Delta Logic) to its expanding portfolio of companies in the Justice vertical. Based in Sursee, Swizterland, Delta Logic provides a comprehensive case management solution, called Tribuna, to courthouses and prosecutors throughout Switzerland. The Tribuna solution helps to move approximately 40,000 people through the Swiss justice system on an annual basis. Its core functionality provides full case management for everything from offense to verdicts, along with accounting and reporting functionality. The solution is used by more than 3,000 users daily. Joining Volaris provides Delta Logic with opportunity to share best-practices and collaborate with like-minded companies in the Justice space. This can only help to improve our product offering and delivery to our customers, said Sandro Bollardini, Managing Director, Delta Logic. Volaris is a great home for us. We share common values about customer-centricity and Volaris really understands what it takes to run an effective vertical market software business. Delta Logic maintains its brand, independence, and leadership under Bollardini. The company joins Volaris company, equivant, in the Justice vertical. About Volaris Group Volaris acquires, strengthens and grows vertical market technology companies. As an Operating Group of Constellation Software Inc., Volaris is all about strengthening businesses within the markets they compete and enabling them to grow whether that growth comes through organic measures such as new initiatives and product development, day-to-day business, or through complementary acquisitions. Learn more at www.volarisgroup.com . LONDON, March 26, 2019 Stolt-Nielsen Limited (Oslo Brs: SNI) will hold a presentation and conference call to discuss the Companys unaudited results for the first quarter of 2019 on Thursday, April 4, 2019 at 14:00 CEST (08:00 EDT, 13:00 BST) in the auditorium at Swedbank, Filipstad Brygge 1, 0115 Oslo, Norway. The presentation and call will be hosted by: - Mr. Niels G. Stolt-Nielsen - Chief Executive Officer, Stolt-Nielsen Limited - Mr. Jens F. Gruner-Hegge - Chief Financial Officer, Stolt-Nielsen Limited Those who wish to participate may dial in local numbers +44 (0) 8445718892 in the UK, +47 2396 0264 in Norway, and +1 6315107495 in the US or the international number +44 (0) 2071 928000 and quote the conference code: 2391959. Phone lines will open 10 minutes before the call. A live audio webcast of the presentation may be accessed via the Stolt-Nielsen website at: https://www.stolt-nielsen.com/en/investors/reports-presentations/ For additional information please contact: Jens F. Gruner-Hegge Chief Financial Officer UK +44 (0) 20 7611 8985 j.gruner-hegge@stolt.com Ellie Davison Head of Corporate Communications UK +44 (0) 20 7611 8926 e.davison@stolt.com About Stolt-Nielsen Limited Stolt-Nielsen Limited (SNL or the "Company") is a leading global provider of integrated transportation solutions for bulk liquid chemicals, edible oils, acids, and other specialty liquids through its three largest business divisions, Stolt Tankers, Stolthaven Terminals and Stolt Tank Containers. Stolt Sea Farm produces and markets high quality turbot, sole, sturgeon, and caviar. Stolt-Nielsen Gas invests in LPG and LNG shipping and distribution. Stolt-Nielsen Limited is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. Attachment MONTREAL, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- I-MED Pharma, Inc., a Canadian company specializing in dry eye diagnosis and management, announced today the signing of an exclusive agreement with DryCom - Dry Eye Solutions for distribution of its I-PEN Tear Osmolarity System in Brazil. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/293fa361-658c-4d57-9766-cc16edfa5498 The I-PEN is the worlds first, point-of-care, electronic diagnostic testing device to detect and indirectly measure the tear film osmolarity levels associated with marginal, mild, moderate and severe dry eye disease. The I-PEN Osmolarity System, used in conjunction with the I-PEN Osmolarity Single-Use-Sensors (SUS), provides a quick and simple method for determining tear osmolarity from the tear soaked palpebral conjunctiva. Daniel Hofmann, President of I-MED Pharma, stated, DryCom is a promising partner for us, with a unique vision for expanding access of our cutting-edge products to both eye care professionals and dry eye patients in the Brazilian market. We are excited by the opportunity present in this country and will be working closely with DryCom to launch the I-PEN Osmolarity System in the upcoming months. Gustavo Couri, CEO of DryCom, commented, DryCom is excited to announce the imminent launch of the I-PEN in Brazil. The I-PEN osmolarity device will now allow medical professionals in the industry to diagnose their patients with the most modern and cost-effective tool for dry eye. About I-MED Pharma I-MED Pharma is a privately held Canadian company, headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, servicing Canadian ophthalmologists, optometrists and the global eye care community. Established thirty years ago, I-MED Pharma Inc. creates and distributes innovative medical, surgical and veterinary eye care products. It continually researches, develops and sources the most effective and advanced solutions to eye disorders like cataracts, corneal degenerations, glaucoma, dry eye and meibomian gland disease. I-MED Pharma is proud to have been at the forefront of managing Dry Eye Syndrome as a serious disease and invests heavily in researching and developing effective dry eye products. I-MED Pharmas ocular surface disease product range includes dry eye drops , ocular hygiene , nutrition, therapeutic accessories and ocular occlusion devices. For more information, please email media@imedpharma.com or visit www.imedpharma.com . About DryCom DryCom was founded exclusively to identify and offer to ophthalmic professionals the most current, innovative solutions for patients with Dry Eye Disease. DryCom is a company dedicated to bringing cutting-edge diagnostics and treatments to dry eye patients. For more information, please email gsc@drycom-drycom.com or visit drycom-drycom.com . Additional photos accompanying this announcement are available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/99bfd5b7-7cc3-4bfe-ae00-a64257d52eeb http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/79c081e7-8af5-4dda-838d-deea48aa9d88 Increase in demand from cosmetics Industry is likely to fuel the growth of Liquid Paraffin market Market Size USD 2.09 billion in 2018, Market Growth - CAGR of 1.2%, Market Trends Increase in investments in Cosmetics Industry NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Liquid Paraffin market is projected to grow at a rate of 1.2% by 2026, to reach USD 2.30 billion in 2026 from USD 2.09 billion in 2018, according to a new report by Reports and Data. Short-term growth till 2022 is projected to grow at a healthy pace of 0.7%. Request for a sample of this research report at: https://www.reportsanddata.com/sample-enquiry-form/1217 Turmoil in the physical commodity market price index along with surplus inventory stock for liquid paraffin is anticipated to decline the growth of this market during the period 2023-2026. Moving forward to 2019 and the following years, vulnerability in raw material prices remains a concern for this industry along with unpredictable trade policies adopted by major consumers and manufacturers country. Cosmetics, food & beverages, detergents and lubricant industry will continue to be a significant demand driver for the growth of the liquid paraffin market. Qatar continues to be a dominant player in the supply of liquid paraffin however the mentioned region would likely face stiff price competition from Chinese and Indian manufacturers where prices would likely see a dip of 16% owing to oversupply. Capacity utilization rates have aggressively gone up by 11% during the period 2017-2018, as prices of liquid paraffin stabilized in this region post June 2017. LAB continues to be the largest application segment in this market valuing USD 1.5 Billion in 2018 and reaching up to USD 1.74 Billion as demand for LAB has seen an overall increase of 6% during the past three years. Installed capacity has seen an increase of 26% combing Africa, LATM, Asia and Middle East. Sales of detergents both industrial and domestic are witnessing a rapid north rise therefore tangentially increasing the demand rate for liquid paraffin. To identify the key trends in the industry, click on the link below: https://www.reportsanddata.com/report-detail/liquid-paraffin-market Further key findings from the report suggest C14-C17 acquired the second largest market share growing at the rate of 1.1% reaching 483.1 million during the forecasted period. This demand mainly rose from the PVC, metal cutting, paints and sealants, plasticizers and flame retardants for rubber and polymers. C12-C14 emerged as the largest segment owing to its wide use in the detergent and fertilizers industry. This segment is also forecasted to have the highest growth rate moving ahead in the future. North Americas current GTL plants are limited and short lived and are estimated to continue to do so during the forecasted period. There are very few production facilities that manufacture liquid paraffin in a wide scale in this region. Therefore majority of the liquid paraffin consumption comes through import. The market in this region is estimated to be USD 399.84 million in 2018. U.S. accounts for 51.14% in the entire consumption while countries such as Canada, Mexico, Dominic Republic and Panama account for the remaining share. Europe liquid paraffin prices were stable during the period 2016-2017. Previously in 2015-2016 prices for liquid paraffin decreased but heading into June 2018 the prices in this region have shown a significant rise. Chinese imported material is still available and many consumers are buying up quantities and building inventories now amid the relatively low prices and quiet demand in order to ease the buying pressure when demand hits its peak at the end of August or in September. Predictions indicate there would be no price increase during this peak demand period as is normal. Manufacturers profiled in this market are Sasol Ltd, Shell, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Farabi Petrochemical Company, Savita Oil Technologies Ltd., JXTG Nippon Oil and Energy Corporation, CEPSA, Sonneborn, MORESCO Corporation, KDOC, Atlas Setayesh Mehr, Gandhar Oils Refinery India, FPCC and UNICORN Make an Inquiry for purchasing this report @ https://www.reportsanddata.com/make-enquiry-form/1217 Segments covered in the report: This report forecasts volume and revenue growth at a global, regional & country level, and provides an analysis on the industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2018 to 2026. For the purpose of this study, Reports and Data have segmented the Liquid Paraffin market on the Grade Type, Product Type, Application and Region: By Grade Type Outlook (Volume, Kilo Tons; Revenue, USD Million; 2018-2026) C10-C13 C11-C14 C12-C14 C14-C17 C17-C20 By Product Type Outlook (Volume, Kilo Tons; Revenue, USD Million; 2018-2026) Light Heavy By Application Outlook (Volume, Kilo Tons; Revenue, USD Million; 2018-2026) LAB Chlorinated Paraffin Others Regional Outlook (Volume, Kilo Tons; Revenue, USD Million; 2018-2026) North America U.S. Europe Germany UK Asia Pacific China India Latin America Brazil MEA Browse more materials and chemicals related reports at: https://www.reportsanddata.com/report/category/materials-and-chemicals About Reports and Data Reports and Data is a market research and consulting company that provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. Our solutions purely focus on your purpose to locate, target and analyze consumer behavior shifts across demographics, across industries and help clients make a smarter business decision. We offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a multiple industries including Healthcare, Technology, Chemicals, Power, and Energy. We consistently update our research offerings to ensure our clients are aware about the latest trends existent in the market. Reports and Data has a strong base of experienced analysts from varied areas of expertise. Contact Us: John Watson Head of Business Development Reports And Data | Web: www.reportsanddata.com Direct Line: +1-800-819-3052 NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via OTC PR WIRE -- On4 Communications (OTCPINK: ONCI) is pleased to announce the following corporate update from CEO Steve Berman: BUSINESS Shareholders, I am happy to report that we had another record quarter with sales up significantly YOY and qtr over qtr. We also achieved major milestones which we will discuss in this letter to shareholders. Not only did sales go up, but our costs went down making us more profit per unit sold. We tried successfully a Facebook and Instagram campaign which netted us real profits immediately. This is something we will be continuing in the next few months. We negotiated Delaware debt down and paid it off, leaving us available to move the company to Colorado which is also in the works. In addition, after the quarter ended we reduced the OS by 1.4 billion shares which is something we wanted to do for a long time. We signed 2 private label deals and are negotiating for 3 more which are testing as I write this letter to you. GIFTCARDEXCHANGE.SHOP As we have discussed GIFTCARDEXCHANGE.SHOP is moving very quickly. We have met with the web designers and have the beginnings of a platform. I received a proposal for a complete build out from one of the design teams and will be receiving another proposal next week from the other team we met with. The biggest issue is not buildout but back end compliance. We have to verify the validity of the card with the retailer and make sure its still valid before we can list on the site. I am expecting we will make a decision by end of April and start work ASAP. As I have stated I have also met with 2 large NY department stores as well as 2 health and beauty stores about buying gift cards at a big discount to populate the site. I will also be populating the site with $3,500 worth of gift cards that I have that I have never used; these include gift cards to Sephora, Dicks Sporting Goods, Ruby Tuesday, Target, Fridays, and a host of others. If any of you want to sell your cards that you are not using please e-mail me at On4company@gmail.com DENTAL We have not discussed this in a while but it is still on the table. I have reached out to 3 large urgent care companies about renting space in their centers and becoming their dental provider. I have met with 2 of them who love the idea and I will be meeting with the 3rd urgent care provider next week. After that meeting our board will decide what is needed to move this concept forward. I have also spoken to 2 large senior care providers and will be setting up meetings with them to discuss mobile dentistry for seniors. Mobile dentistry for seniors is a huge opportunity and is a niche that does not have many players in it. The plan, as I have stated, would be to treat seniors and only take what their insurance or government subsidy is, with no cost to the patient. Most seniors need dental care and its extremely difficult for them to get out and go to the dental clinic. PHARREL PROTECTION We have completed the test with the roofing company and it went great. We are in the process of negotiating terms for the deal. It will be a total of 800 trucks with a roll out of 200 every month for 4 months. Term sheets are out and we are waiting for final comments this week or next. We added a lot of new features for this deal which will be a benefit in deals to come. Through Pharrel we are in contact with large machinery companies including Cat and Deere as well as large Mining Companies like Rio Tinto, BHP and Vale for our Bfound mobile product and I believe we will be testing very shortly. The heavy truck business is a huge opportunity and we are moving forward every day. This is an untapped market and we are the first to be there. Pharrel is reaching out to many clients on our behalf and I believe this will generate lots of revenue for the company in the future and get us into markets we could never get into on our own. As soon as contracts are signed I will release the names of all companies involved. 2ND PRIVATE LABEL I spoke with the owner of the 2nd private label group last Thursday who told me the ads are done. I will see them this week and they are looking to launch the first week of April. I know this has taken a long time but I assure you that this is a blockbuster deal. It is the biggest deal we have done to date and involves many facets. As soon as they start the ads, I will announce the name. We are dealing with one of the largest dealer groups on the east coast with over 60 dealerships. The deal is 20 units in each dealership to start at $200 net to us or $240,000 per month. This will roll out over a month. At present, we have shipped 30 dealerships with the rest to be done in the next two to three weeks. They dont want to release until the ads hit the market. In addition, we are in talks with 3 other companies regarding private label opportunities: 2 in Europe and one here in the USA. Additionally, we will be starting a test with the company I went to see in Charlotte last week which could turn out amazing. Again, one of the biggest dealer groups in the USA. I will announce all names as soon as signed contracts are done. REG A As most of you know we have filed with the SEC for a REG A which will give us all the cash we will ever need to expand all our businesses. We can use all, part or nothing, whichever we choose. We will not need to finance anything through aged debt or other means. I will keep all shareholders involved on how this works out. In regards to debt, most of the large debt has been removed and the rest is over a year old and has to be fulfilled. This has been on the books for the past year. The REG A will allow us complete control over or dollars and we will use as necessary. SIFTHOUSE As we speak, we are in negotiations to lease 5000 plus sq feet expandable to 20,000 sq feet if needed. This business is about to explode. CVS just announced it will sell CBD oils for health and beauty needs. As big companies get more involved, the interest will grow and the demand will exceed supply. Canada is the world leader in this business and will continue to grow as the word desires more product. Land continues to be at a premium and we will take advantage of every opportunity to expand as we see fit. HEXAGON We still getting messages in reference to RS "ALL CAPS DEEMED NECESSARY HERE: LET ME SAY THIS AGAIN, AGAIN, AGAIN and AGAIN: THERE WILL BE NO REVERSE SPLIT." "LET ME SAY THIS AGAIN AS WELL: THERE ARE NO PLANS TO DO ANOTHER 3A1O" So if you dont understand it, again: There are no plans on the table to do a reverse split. The company is in a great position to capitalize on new markets. Distracted driving is an epidemic in the world and is only getting bigger. Cannabis is one of the fastest growing businesses led by total legalization in Canada with 10 other countries to follow. We have Private label deals in place and we are creating new revenue streams. We are positioned for the future and will ride the wave. We are now branching out from our original model for the company which was to sell in Dealerships. Our goal, if I have learned anything, is to be diversified into many different businesses because as technology changes and AI changes the world we will be diversified into 6 different businesses; all different and self-contained. About On4 Communications On4 is a holdings company with an aggressive focus of acquiring proven and profitable businesses. Our first project is focusing on businesses operating in the $1.7 trillion U.S. healthcare industry. Our newest targeted businesses are operating in the trillion-dollar mobile App space. Our first acquisition in the mobile App space is FMS Marketing, a global creator and distributor of mobile Apps for Android and iPhones. We are also targeting businesses to acquire and joint venture within the medical marijuana and emerging MJ ancillary products space. Forward-Looking Statement This release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements regarding our expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations, as well as statements that include words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements, as described in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available for review at www.sec.gov , to differ materially from anticipated results, performance, or achievements. We are under no obligation to (and expressly disclaim any such obligation to) update or alter our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. CONTACT INFORMATION Contact: On4 Communications, Inc. On4Company@gmail.com (323) 487-0389 LOS ANGELES, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global urology devices market size is projected to exceed around USD 57.4 billion by 2026, and this market is anticipated to grow with 6.9% CAGR during the forecast time period. The rapid increase in the geriatric population is expected to drive the growth of the global urology devices market. Free Download Sample Report Pages for Better understanding@ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/request-sample/1227 Urinary tract system disorders are extremely widespread and mainly stated and detected urological disorder across the globe. It has an impact on millions of people causing severe influence on physical, as well as emotional health. Most of the women as compared to men are affected by this disorder, and its occurrence rises with the age. Weak pelvic floor muscles, obesity, pregnancy, urinary tract infection, and neurological disorders are some of the conditions that cause urinary tract system disorders. Around 200 million people across the globe are affected by some kind of urinary incontinence or bladder problems. The huge patient pool suffering from the urinary disorder and other symptoms are expected to drive the global urology devices in the coming years. The high growth rate is due to the surge in adoption of urology devices, ease of availability of urology devices, an increase in demand for minimally invasive products across the globe. Lack of water consumption gradually leads to the occurrence of kidney stone among people of different age. The incidence of urological diseases such as kidney stone leads to painful urination due to the infection in the urinary tract. Additionally, the occurrence of bladder cancer has led to an increase in demand for minimally invasive treatment processes. Also, the occurrence of obesity, chronic diseases, and extreme smoking leads to the growing prevalence of stress incontinence. Also, the growing prevalence of stress incontinence is anticipated to fuel the demand for urology devices in the upcoming years. Also, the increase in demand for minimally invasive devices for urology disorder treatment, favorable medical policies, and rapid increase in the geriatric population are some of the major factors boosting the demand of urology devices globally. Asia Pacific is expected to grow significantly at high CAGR due to the huge number of urinary disorder patient population in countries, such as India and China, the huge geriatric population in Japan, and increase in adoption of technologically advanced products in Japan and other developing countries. These factors are expected to boost the growth of the global urology devices market. View Detail Information with Complete TOC@ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/urology-devices-market The global urology devices market is segmented into product, end-user, and region. On the basis of product, the global urology devices market is segmented into dialysis, laser & lithotripsy, robotic systems, endoscopes, endovision system & peripheral instruments, urodynamic systems, stents, urology catheters, urology guidewires, urodynamic systems, drainage bags, others. On the basis of end-user, the global urology devices market is segmented into dialysis centers, hospitals, and others. On the basis of the region, the global urology devices market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Browse All official Market Research Reports Press Releases@ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/press-releases Explore Our Market Blog@ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/blogs North America region is expected to dominate the global urology devices market followed by Europe and Asia Pacific region. The market in North America is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period due to the presence of well-established health care facilities, favorable reimbursement policies, and early adoption of technologically advanced products for the management of urinary disorders. The Europe region is the second most attractive market for urology devices and expected to grow significantly in the upcoming years. The demand for urology devices in Europe region is expected to increase at a significant pace due to the high incidence of urinary disorders in Europe, continuous product launch of urology devices, an increase in healthcare spending in the region. The prominent players operating in the global urology devices market are Boston Scientific Corporation, C. R. Bard, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson and Company.), Intuitive Surgical, KARL STORZ SE &Co. KG, Richard Wolf GmbH, Fresenius Medical Care, Cook Medical, Olympus Corporation, Siemens Healthineers (Siemens AG), Stryker, Braun Melsungen AG, Baxter International Inc., Medtronic, and Dornier MedTech, etc. These players exhibit significant geographical outreach, with the presence in multiple urology devices segments. Manufacturers are adopting acquisition & collaboration and new product development strategies to tap the unmet needs of a large percentage of urinary disorder patient base. Also, the key players have commenced strategic initiatives that include partnerships, product launch, acquisitions, and mergers. The R&D investments coupled with advanced robotic technologies used in UTS disorders are expected to offer innovative devices for treatments. This factor is anticipated to offer lucrative opportunities for industry players in the global market. INQUIRY BEFORE BUYING@ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/inquiry-before-buying/1227 The report is readily available and can be dispatched immediately after payment confirmation. Buy this premium research report https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/buy-now/0/1227 Would like to place an order or any question, please feel free to contact at sales@acumenresearchandconsulting.com | +1 407 915 4157 For Latest Update Follow Us: https://twitter.com/AcumenRC https://www.facebook.com/acumenresearchandconsulting https://www.linkedin.com/company/acumen-research-and-consulting/ Browse More Press Releases: http://www.amecoresearch.com/ TORONTO, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Goodman & Company, Investment Counsel Inc., the manager of CMP 2017 Resource Limited Partnership (the Partnership), announces that the Partnership will make its second cash distribution to holders of Partnership units of $85 per Partnership unit on March 27, 2019. The net asset value of the Partnership as of March 25, 2019 was $245.11 per Partnership unit. The Partnership will make further cash distributions from time to time as proceeds are received from the sale of assets of the Partnership. For more information please refer to the news release dated February 8, 2019 which is posted under the Partnerships profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. About CMP CMP is a pioneer in flow-through investing, with a history dating back to when flow-through shares were first introduced by the federal government. Since its creation in 1984, CMP has successfully raised and invested over $3.0 billion in companies active in exploration and development efforts across Canada. When combined with the flow-through limited partnerships of Canada Dominion, the two form the largest flow-through investing platform in Canada, raising a combined total of more than $4.3 billion in assets throughout their history. About Goodman & Company, Investment Counsel Inc. Goodman & Company, Investment Counsel Inc. is a subsidiary of Dundee Corporation (TSX:DC.A) and is a registered portfolio manager and exempt market dealer across Canada, and a registered investment fund manager in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador. For more information, contact our Customer Relations Centre at 1.866.694.5672 or visit www.goodmanandcompany.com. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stamper Oil & Gas Corp. (TSX-V: STMP) (FSE: TMP2) (OTCQB: STMGF) (Stamper or the Company) is pleased to announce appointment John P. Ryan as President & CEO and Sam Eskandari as a member of the Board of Directors. John Ryan will continue the role of Chief Financial Officer on an interim basis. The Company also announces the resignation of Alexander Polevoy, as Director of Stamper and David C. Greenway has decided to step down as Director and President & CEO to pursue other opportunities, all effective immediately. The Company would like to thank the outgoing Directors and Officers for their services to the Board. John Ryan, Chief Executive Officer of Stamper Oil & Gas, said, "I, along with all my fellow board members and management of the Company, wish to thank David and Alex for their contributions and dedication to the Company wish them all the best in his future endeavors." John P. Ryan B.S., Mining Engineering, J.D., Juris Doctor, Director and President & CEO, CFO Mr. John P. Ryan J.D. has over 21 years of experience with development-stage companies as a qualified mining engineer. Mr. Ryan has extensive international mining experience particularly in the Coeur dAlene District including work at the Consolidated Silver Mine and the Galena Mine. Mr. Ryan is the founder and co-founder of several resource companies including Royal Silver Mines Inc., Silver Bull Resources, Western Goldfields Inc., and U.S. Silver Corporation. In 2004 he co-founded High Plains Uranium, which successfully acquired uranium assets in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and in Live Oak County and Bee County, Texas and is now part of Uranium One Corporation. Mr. Ryan has been a senior executive and director of several public companies in the USA, Canada, the UK, and Australia. Mr. Ryan holds a B.S., Mining Engineering from the University of Idaho and J.D., Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School. Sam Eskandari, BSc., Director Mr. Eskandari brings significant experience in management, corporate development, and finance in the technology, biotechnology, and resource sectors. Mr. Eskandaris previous experience includes Veritas Pharma Inc., where as a consultant he was instrumental in the companys corporate development, public and investor relations, marketing, and financing activities. Mr. Eskandari is a graduate of Simon Fraser University (SFU) with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, where his research efforts led to a major publication in the area of Riboswitches The Company is currently evaluating other oil and gas projects in Latin America and Africa. About Stamper Oil and Gas Stamper Oil and Gas Corp. (TSX.V: STMP) is an oil and gas company, engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of conventional oil and natural gas properties. The Company plans to identify and build out a portfolio of high-impact oil and gas prospects. Stamper is committed to creating sustainable shareholder value by evaluating and developing prospects into commercially viable assets. For further information on Stamper Oil and Gas please visit www.stamperoilandgas.com ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS John P. Ryan President & CEO, Director For further information, please contact: Stamper Investor Relations Phone: (604) 442-2425 Email: info@stamperoilandgas.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking" statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although Stamper Oil & Gas Corp. believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of Stamper Oil & Gas Corp. management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, Stamper Oil & Gas Corp undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Las Vegas, Nevada, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Natural Health Farm Holdings, Inc (OTCQB: NHEL) (the Company or NHF Holdings), a nutraceuticals biotechnology company was notified by OTC Markets (OTC) of recent trading and promotional activity concerning NHEL common stock. The Company has been informed that the higher-than-average trading volume in the Company's stock may be the result of unauthorized promotional activity. The Company has also been informed that the promotion consists of telephone calls operated by anonymous entities which encourage investors to purchase NHEL shares. OTC has named two possible operators of the promotional activity are entities conducting business under the names Traders Group Online and Equity Traders. The Company had no knowledge of the subject promotional campaign until notified by OTC and shares OTCs opinion that such activities are of concern and need to be addressed immediately, and in that regard, the Company is working diligently to do so. After receiving the OTC notice, the Company conducted an inquiry of the Companys management, directors and control persons in an effort to determine whether these Company insiders are or have been involved in the stock promotion in any way or have sold or purchased the Companys securities within a 90-day period leading up to, during, and after the promotional activity. No insiders have been found to be selling any of the NHEL shares over the last 90 days. NHEL hereby states that the Company, its officers, directors and, to the Company's knowledge, its controlling shareholders (i.e., shareholders owning 10% or more of the Company's securities) have not, directly or indirectly, authorized or been involved in any way (including payment to a third-party) with the creation or distribution of the any promotional materials; and that the neither the Company, its officers, directors, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any controlling shareholders, have sold or purchased any shares in the open market within the past 90 days.. The Company has no agreements with any entity to make promotional telephone calls to our shareholders. Other than LiveCall IR, who assist the Company with drafting press releases, the Company does not have, and has never had any service providers who provide IR services, public relations services, paid promotion, marketing or other related services. LiveCall IR was retained in January 2019 for a three-month period to write press releases for the Company. LiveCall IR is paid a monthly fee in cash and has never been issued or owned any of the Companys securities. The Company has issued approximately $823,000 in convertible securities, of which none have matured, and none have been converted at a discount to the market. On May 30, 2018, the Board granted stock options under its 2018 Non-Qualified Stock Option Plan to two directors, an officer and an employee, and three independent consultants to purchase up to 450,000 shares of common stock with a five-year term. The stock options vested immediately upon the issuance date. The exercise price of the stock options to purchase common stock was at $1.50 per share, and the quoted market price of the Company stock on the grant date was $1.70. The options to purchase common stock expire on May 30, 2023. The fair value of options granted was $526,295, calculated using Black-Scholes option. As of the date hereof, no options have been exercised. No other securities have been issued by the Company at a discount to the current market price at the time of issuance. The Company is committed to compliance with the OTCMarkets Group Policy on Stock Promotion and the OTCQB Standards. The Company does not condone any statements regarding the urgency to invest in the Companys shares or any other similar statements. The Company urges any interested investors to rely solely on information contained in its press releases together with the information set forth in its filings with the Securities Exchange Commission. About Natural Health Farm Holdings Inc. Natural Health Farm Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: NHEL) is a Nevada-based fully integrated nutraceuticals biotechnology company offering clinically researched naturopathic products and related services through healthcare practitioners and direct-to-consumers. Since 2017, the Company has developed and commercialized a proprietary web-based Naturopathic Learning Management System that enables consumers and distributors to be educated on health-related aspects of various diseases. For further information, please visit www.nhf-holdings.com Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933, are subject to Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and are subject to the safe harbors created by those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential future plans and objectives of the company, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and other results and further events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements. Contact information ir@nhf-holdings.com www.nhf-holdings.com Source: NATURAL HEALTH FARM HOLDINGS INC Chelsea Powrie Federal Liberals are pounding the pavement ahead of the October election, with Public Services Minister Carla Qualtrough in Penticton Tuesday pushing the positives of their 2019 budget, while trying to shake the shadow of ongoing scandals in Ottawa. She spoke at Sprott Shaw College, highlighting a funding program for mid-career training that is part of the recently released budget. "This transformational new program will provide working Canadians with a non-taxable training credit of $250 per year up to $5,000 over their career," Qualtrough said. Its part of what the government calls their investing in the middle class approach. "Right this year, employees are starting to accumulate that. If you're working and contributing to EI, you'll start accumulating the $250 this year," she explained. "So next year, if you wanted to take a week off and use $250 toward training, that will be captured next year. And it just kind of rolls out over the next four years until you hit the four weeks." She said it will encourage Canadians to keep improving their job skills and even expanding their employment options long past their time in school. The 2019 budget also includes an interest-free six-month grace period after a student loan borrower leaves school. But Qualtrough has found the federal SNC Lavalin scandal and questions about Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus conduct hard to shake. "I have the luxury of sitting next to him in the House of Commons, I speak with him every day, he's a good man, he's a man of integrity, and he kind of admitted that he wished he would have done things differently, and we're moving on," Qualtrough said. "But certainly it's a distraction, and I wish we had more questions about skills than SNC for sure." Qualtrough briefly toured the school campus, speaking to a few students and staff members, before departing. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Battery Metals Ltd. (formerly RedZone Resources Ltd) (TSX-V: GBML) (the Company or Global Battery Metals Ltd.) Global Battery Metals Ltd. has engaged Pretium Communications Group to provide media and investor relations services to the company. Pretium has been retained on a 5-month contract basis to advise the Company with respect to its public communication materials, to manage the social media accounts of the Company and provide content, to assist in market awareness efforts, to assist management in developing a strategy to enhance and expand the Company's exposure, and to support corporate development initiatives. Pretium's principal, Sherman Dahl, has a proven record of being able to increase investor awareness and liquidity. Mr. Dahl was previously a vice-president and investment adviser with National Bank Financial, a leading Canadian investment dealer. In addition to managing a $150-million retail book and achieving Chairman's Council level, Mr. Dahl participated in numerous capital raises totaling over $100-million directly for various issuers with total issuer financings of $1-billion on behalf of retail and institutional clients over a 20-year career. Pretium shall receive a remuneration of $2,500 per month. About Global Battery Metals Ltd. Global Battery Metals is a mineral exploration company with a focus on metals that make up and support the rapid evolution to battery power. Global Battery Metals common shares listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (GBML). Global Battery Metals currently has three projects: 1) Fortner-Boyd Lithium project in Arizona, 2) North-West Leinster Lithium property in Ireland, and 3) a 55% stake in Peru based Lara copper property, which has over 10,000 metres of drilling. More information about the Company is available on its issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com or www.gbml.ca For further information, please contact: Michael Murphy, President & Chief Executive Officer E: MM@gbml.ca P: 1 604 649 2350 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor it's Regulation Services Provider (as that term defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy and/or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements Specific information outlined in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, sure of which are beyond the control of the Company, including, but not limited to the potential for gold and/or lithium at any of the Companys properties, the prospective nature of any claims comprising the Companys property interests, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, dependence upon regulatory approvals, uncertainty of sample results, timing and results of future exploration, and the availability of financing. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of development, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. BILLERICA, Mass., March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lutronic Vision (Lutronic or the Company), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lutronic Corporation, today announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Professor Robyn Guymer to serve as the principal investigator for Lutronics planned pilot clinical study. The study will evaluate the Companys R:GEN laser for the treatment of the earlier stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Dr. Guymer is a distinguished retinal disease specialist with extensive clinical experience in AMD, so we are honored that she will be leading our planned clinical study where the R:GEN laser will be evaluated as a potential treatment for patients who are diagnosed with the earlier stages of AMD, said Jhung Vojir, PhD, President and COO of Lutronic Vision. This is a significant milestone for Lutronic, particularly following our strategic shift toward earlier stages of AMD intervention. Our R:GEN technology presents a significant opportunity to treat AMD prior to advanced forms of the disease since there are no effective treatment options and therefore earlier intervention represents the potential to address a very large unmet need. We intend to use the results of this trial along with the data from a pivotal clinical study to support a potential approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The pilot clinical study is sponsored by Lutronic and is anticipated to begin in the second half of 2019. Lutronic plans to conduct this study at Dr. Guymers clinical research facility in Melbourne, Australia. Professor Robyn Guymer is a world-renowned AMD expert and key opinion leader with extensive experience in AMD clinical research and patient management. A clinician scientist, she leads a team of 20 researchers who primarily investigate AMD at the Centre for Eye Research Australia. Dr. Guymer has served as principal investigator for many industry sponsored trials and has contributed to the approval of leading therapeutics for retinal disease including the neovascular (wet) form of late AMD. I am looking forward to collaborating with Lutronic on the clinical evaluation of the R:GEN laser in subjects with the earlier stages of AMD, said Dr. Guymer. The vast majority of patients who have AMD have the earlier forms of the disease and various risk factors appear to result in advanced disease over time, which presents either as wet AMD or geographic atrophy (GA), both of which cause permanent decline of central vision. Wet AMD is a result of neovascularization which results in blood and fluid leaking into the retina, leading to a rapid and severe loss of vision if treatment is not commenced. GA on the other hand, results in death of photoreceptors and retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) cells, leading to slow, progressive and irreversible severe loss of vision. The course of AMD could be improved with earlier intervention, yet there are no effective treatments. Based on this significant unmet need, I am enthusiastic about the potential of Lutronics R:GEN laser and I am looking forward to working with the Company to evaluate its use in patients with the earlier forms of AMD. R:GEN is a laser that targets RPE cells. Among their many other functions, RPE cells recycle protein and lipids, however in AMD, the ability of the RPE cells to clear debris is impaired, causing the accumulation of cellular waste material. This waste material forms abnormal deposits, called drusen, which further impair RPE cell function, eventually resulting in vision loss. R:GEN transfers energy to the established retinal treatment area to potentially improve the function of adjacent RPE cells. R:GEN uses proprietary Real Time Feedback Technology (RTF) to optimize laser energy for maximum therapeutic benefit while minimizing thermal damage. ABOUT AMD AMD is an age-related ocular condition which affects people 50 years and older. AMD is the third leading cause of blindness worldwide and the primary leading cause of vision loss in the Western world. It is estimated that close to 288 million people will be affected by AMD by 2040. In the United States, approximately 11 million individuals have some form of AMD, where due to a rise in the aging population, it is estimated that the prevalence will double by 2050. AMD is classified as either early, intermediate or late. There are two forms of late AMD; dry (non-exudative) or wet (exudative) disease. Unfortunately, most of AMD is not treated as there are currently no effective treatments, except for wet AMD. ABOUT LUTRONIC VISION Lutronic Vision is bringing to market the worlds first laser for Selective Retina Therapy with Real Time Feedback (RTF) Technology. Our system, named R:GEN, is a fully integrated laser platform that safely and precisely targets the Retinal Pigmented Epithelium to re-generate and re-store its function. Whereas older retinal photocoagulator lasers destroyed retinal tissue in an effort to preserve vision, R:GEN aims to revitalize retinal tissue by stimulating repair. Through this pioneering mechanism, we aim to introduce a new concept in ophthalmic lasers that will ultimately lead to better vision and improved quality of life for patients around the world. ABOUT LUTRONIC CORPORATION Lutronic Corporation, a leading innovator of Aesthetic, Vision, and Surgical lasers and related technology, was established in 1997 to bring intuitive, robust, versatile devices which are affordable and efficacious to the worldwide medical community. Committed to improving medicine, Lutronic Corporation partners with key opinion leaders to advance science and ensure efficacy of its systems. With a focus on physician needs and patient outcomes, Lutronic Corporation dedicates time and funding toward the development of devices that offer features and improvements not found in todays market. Devoting more than 15% of revenue to R&D, Lutronic holds more than 137 current and pending patents. With more than 430 employees worldwide, Lutronic has offices in the US, Korea, China, Japan, and Europe, distributors world-wide, focused R&D centers in both the US and Korea, and is ever expanding. MEDIA CONTACT: Lutronic Global 1-888-588-7644 office@lutronic.com NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, reminds investors in Mobile TeleSystems PJSC ("Mobile TeleSystems" or the "Company")(NYSE:MBT) of the May 20, 2019 deadline to seek the role of lead plaintiff in a federal securities class action that has been filed against the Company. If you invested in Mobile TeleSystems stock or options between March 19, 2014 and March 7, 2019 and would like to discuss your legal rights, click here: www.faruqilaw.com/MBT. There is no cost or obligation to you. You can also contact us by calling Richard Gonnello toll free at 877-247-4292 or at 212-983-9330 or by sending an e-mail to rgonnello@faruqilaw.com. CONTACT: FARUQI & FARUQI, LLP 685 Third Avenue, 26th Floor New York, NY 10017 Attn: Richard Gonnello, Esq. rgonnello@faruqilaw.com Telephone: (877) 247-4292 or (212) 983-9330 The lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on behalf of all those who purchased Mobile TeleSystems securities between March 19, 2014 and March 7, 2019 (the "Class Period"). The case, Salim v. Mobile TeleSystems PJSC et al., No. 19-cv-01589 was filed on March 19, 2019. The lawsuit focuses on whether the Company and its executives violated federal securities laws by failing to disclose that: (1) Mobile TeleSystems and its subsidiary were involved in a scheme to pay $420 million in bribes in Uzbekistan; (2) consequently, Mobile TeleSystems knew or should have known it would be forced to pay substantial fines to the U.S. government after disclosing in 2014 that the U.S. Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission were investigating its Uzbekistan operations; (3) Mobile TeleSystems level of cooperation with the U.S. government and remediation was lacking; and (4) due to the aforementioned misconduct, Mobile TeleSystems would be forced to pay approximately $850 million in criminal penalties to the U.S. government. On November 20, 2018, the Company disclosed that it had reserved approximately $840 million USD (RUB 55.8 bln) as the potential liability concerning investigations by the SEC and the DOJ into its former operations in Uzbekistan. On this news, Mobile TeleSystems's share price fell from $8.09 per share on November 19, 2018 to a closing price of $7.45 on November 20, 2018: a $0.64 or a 7.91% drop. On March 7, 2019, the DOJ reported that the Company and its subsidiary entered into an agreement to pay $850 million in penalties to the United States to resolve charges arising from its role in a scheme to pay $420 million in bribes in Uzbekistan. On this news, Mobile TeleSystems's share price fell from $7.78 per share on March 6, 2019 to a closing price of $7.54 on March 7, 2019: a $0.24 or a 3.08% drop. The court-appointed lead plaintiff is the investor with the largest financial interest in the relief sought by the class who is adequate and typical of class members who directs and oversees the litigation on behalf of the putative class. Any member of the putative class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision to serve as a lead plaintiff or not. Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP also encourages anyone with information regarding Mobile TeleSystems's conduct to contact the firm, including whistleblowers, former employees, shareholders and others. Attorney Advertising. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP (www.faruqilaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your particular case. All communications will be treated in a confidential manner. PASCAGOULA, Miss., March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) announced today that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division has received a $1.48 billion, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract from the U.S. Navy for the detail design and construction of the amphibious transport dock LPD 30. The ship will be the 14th in the San Antonio class and the first Flight II LPD. Ingalls looks forward to continuing our strong legacy of providing the men and women of our naval forces with the capable and survivable warships they need and deserve, said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. The LPD Flight II builds upon the significant investment that has been made in this platform to improve the capability and flexibility of our deployed Navy-Marine Corps team. LPD 30 will leverage a hot production line and further benefit from the investments we continue to make in our shipbuilders and facilities. We are honored to be a part of the team that will provide this next-generation platform today. A photo accompanying this release is available at: https://newsroom.huntingtoningalls.com/file?fid=5c9a85ca2cfac22774673031 . LPD 30 is the evolution of the dock landing platform that strengthens the Navy and Marine Corps needs in future warfare. Utilizing the LPD 17 class proven hull, this LPD derivative is highly adaptable and, like the first 13 ships in the class, will be used to accomplish a full range of military operationsfrom major combat to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The ships versatilityfrom its well deck, flight deck and hospital facilities to its self-defense and survivability featuresprovides a viable platform for Americas global defense needs. Ingalls has delivered 11 San Antonio-class ships to the Navy and has two more under construction. Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) will launch in 2020 and deliver in 2021; the keel for Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29) will be laid later this year. Start of fabrication on LPD 30 is scheduled for 2020. The San Antonio class is a major part of the Navys 21st century amphibious assault force. The 684-foot-long, 105-foot-wide ships are used to embark and land Marines, their equipment and supplies ashore via air cushion or conventional landing craft and amphibious assault vehicles, augmented by helicopters or vertical takeoff and landing aircraft such as the MV-22 Osprey. The ships support a Marine Air Ground Task Force across the spectrum of operations, conducting amphibious and expeditionary missions of sea control and power projection to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions throughout the first half of the 21st century. Huntington Ingalls Industries is Americas largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. For more than a century, HIIs Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HIIs Technical Solutions division provides a wide range of professional services through its Fleet Support, Mission Driven Innovative Solutions, Nuclear & Environmental, and Oil & Gas groups. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs more than 40,000 people operating both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit: HII on the web: www.huntingtoningalls.com HII on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HuntingtonIngallsIndustries HII on Twitter: twitter.com/hiindustries Contact: Bill Glenn william.glenn@hii-co.com 228-327-1671 NOT FOR RELEASE IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES TORONTO, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Euro Sun Mining Inc., (TSX: ESM) (Euro Sun or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced non-brokered private placement financing by issuing 10,000,000 units of the Company (each a Unit and collectively, the Units) at a price of C$0.30 per Unit for gross proceeds of C$3,000,000.00 (the Offering). Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company and one half of a common share purchase warrant (each whole common share purchase warrant, a Warrant). Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one additional common share of the Company at an exercise price of C$0.50 for a period of 24 months from issuance. If at any time after four months and one day from the closing of the Offering, the common shares of the Company trade at C$0.75 per common share or higher (on a volume weighted adjusted basis) for a period of 20 consecutive days, the Company will have the right to accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants to the date that is 30 days after the Company issues a news release announcing that it has elected to exercise this acceleration right. The gross proceeds of the Offering will be used for general corporate purposes and for the advancement of its Rovina Valley Project. The securities underlying the Units will be subject to a four month hold period that expires on July 27, 2019. Closing of the Offering is subject to receipt of regulatory approval, including final Toronto Stock Exchange approval. The Company paid cash finder fees up to 7% to certain finders. This press release is not an offering of securities for sale in the United States. The Units, Warrants and common shares of the Company 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 exemption from the registration requirements of that Act. Euro Sun also announces that Mr. Justin Reid has resigned as a director of the Company to pursue other opportunities. Mr. Reid has been a director of the Company since August 4, 2016 and the Company would like to thank Mr. Reid for his valuable contributions. About Euro Sun Mining Inc. Euro Sun is a Toronto Stock Exchange listed mining company focused on the exploration and development of its 100%-owned Rovina Valley gold and copper project located in west-central Romania, which hosts the second largest gold deposit in Europe. Further information: For further information about Euro Sun Mining, or the contents of this press release, please contact Investor Relations at info@eurosunmining.com or +1 416.309.4299. Caution regarding forward-looking information: This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, statements regarding the Offering and use of proceeds of the Offering and the appointment of a new director. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including risks inherent in the mining industry and risks described in the public disclosure of the Company which is available under the profile of the Company on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.eurosunmining.com. Although 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. 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. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. The TSX does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) absent such registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. I say leave ICBC alone. Before I moved to B.C. back in 2005, I lived in Edmonton. I was paying $3,000 a year for personal liability and personal damage through AMA. If I lived in Calgary, it would have been $1,100 a year, Fort McMurray It would have been just over $5,000 a year. These were the lowest rates I could find after contacting all the companies in Alberta for quotes on, at that time, a six-year-old truck and a 25-year clean driving record. When I arrived here in West Kelowna and changed my insurance, I was shocked to get the same coverage with a few extras for $485 a year. Its now 14 years later, and Im paying just under $700 a year. When I read articles about this why is the comparison only with Calgary and not the whole province of Alberta or Edmonton vs. Calgary rates? I have to laugh and shake my head when I read about or hear my friends complain about insurance and how they want it privatized. I hope that if it does become privatized, the rates are reasonable and are based on driving records and not statistics, but I doubt it. Chris Allan, West Kelowna Toronto, March 26, 2019 - IAMGOLD Corporation (TSX: IMG) ("IAMGOLD" or the "Company") today announced results from the ongoing exploration drilling program on the Cote Gold Joint Venture Project, located 125 km southwest of Timmins and 175 km north of Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The Cote Gold Project is a 70:30 joint venture between IAMGold Corp. and Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd (SMM Gold Cote Inc.). The Company is reporting assay results from fourteen diamond drill holes (including the deepening of a historical drill hole) totaling 7,452 metres completed as part of its 2017 - 2018 exploration drilling program, which has led to the discovery of intrusive-hosted mineralization referred to as the Gosselin Zone. In addition, the Company is reporting assay results from a drill core re-logging and sampling program of historical drill holes located along a potential south-west extension of this discovery, referred to as the Young-Shannon Zone. The assay results are provided in Tables 1 and 2 below and include the following highlights (a drill hole plan map is attached to this news release): Gosselin Zone: Drill hole CL15-39EXT: 350.0 metres grading 0.81 g/t Au includes: 15.0 metres grading 2.32 g/t Au includes: 91.0 metres grading 1.13 g/t Au includes: 104.0 metres grading 1.12 g/t Au Drill hole GOS17-05: 345.0 metres grading 0.68 g/t Au includes: 132.3 metres grading 1.13 g/t Au Drill hole GOS18-07: 130.0 metres grading 0.63 g/t Au and 139.7 metres grading 1.36 g/t Au includes: 79.0 metres grading 2.11 g/t Au Drill hole GOS18-09: 261.2 metres grading 0.65 g/t Au includes: 163.0 metres grading 0.95 g/t Au and 92.0 metres grading 1.42 g/t Au Young-Shannon Zone: Drill hole YS87-8: 32.5 metres grading 7.53 g/t Au Drill hole YS90-181: 128.5 metres grading 1.12 g/t Au The drilling results confirm the discovery of a new zone of mineralization referred to as the "Gosselin Zone", located approximately 1.5 km northeast of the Cote Gold Deposit. The Cote Deposit (on a 100% basis) hosts estimated Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves totaling 7.3 million ounces of contained gold and Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources (inclusive of Reserves) totaling 10.0 million ounces of contained gold, and Inferred Mineral Resources totaling 2.4 million ounces of contained gold (see news releases dated November 1, 2018 and February 19, 2019). The Gosselin discovery represents the most significant drill intercepts of continuous gold mineralization so far encountered outside of the Cote Deposit on the joint venture project mineral holdings. Craig MacDougall, Senior Vice President, Exploration for IAMGOLD, stated: "The Gosselin Zone is a new grass-roots discovery, the result of our ongoing commitment to sustained exploration and an excellent group effort by the Cote Exploration team. With the completion of a positive feasibility study for the Cote Gold deposit in 2018, demonstrating a solid development opportunity with a long mine life and low production costs, this exploration success continues to add to our track record of resource expansion and further enhances the long term value of this exciting development project." 2017 - 2018 Exploration Program The 2017 - 2018 exploration drilling program was designed to test the continuity of the new Gosselin zone in a number of directions from the discovery hole (GOS17-05) and to determine if the gold mineralization intersected at depth extendsi to surface. The program included one drill hole executed as a deepening of a pre-existing shallow drill hole from 2015 (CL15-39 EXT). All drill holes from the 2017 - 2018 campaign were collared from land on the north shore of Three Ducks Lake. The drilling program has confirmed the presence of a wide corridor of gold mineralization with approximate dimensions of 750 metres (strike), 200 metres (width) and 400 metres (depth). Thirteen of the fourteen completed drill holes intersected significant core intervals with elevated gold values (see Table 1 below). Host lithologies are similar to those which host the Cote Gold Deposit and include: tonalite, diorite, diorite breccia and hydrothermal breccia, all of which are cross-cut by post-mineralization mafic dikes. The intrusive rocks display alteration assemblages dominated by moderate to intense sericite and silica-albite alteration, again similar to that observed at the Cote Deposit. Sulphide mineralization (pyrite, chalcopyrite, and pyrrhotite) occurs throughout the altered rocks as disseminations, patches, fracture-fillings, veinlets and within the matrix of the hydrothermal breccia. The sulphide assemblage is locally accompanied by molybdenite and rare visible gold. Sulphides are generally more-concentrated in the matrix of the hydrothermal breccia, where chalcopyrite has been observed in abundances from 2 to 3%. After the initial discovery of the Gosselin Zone, a re-logging and core sampling program of historical drill holes which originally targeted the near-by Young-Shannon high grade vein system to the southwest of the Gosselin Zone was initiated to seek a possible connection to the intrusion hosted mineralization intersected at Gosselin. Historical exploration work carried out on the Young-Shannon property since the late 1920's and intermittently until the early 2000's, included extensive diamond drilling (225 drill holes and > 33,300 metres of drilling) and underground exploration comprising a shallow inclined shaft with levels at 30 and 57 metres depth, along with a limited amount (200 metres) of lateral development. The historical work outlined gold values over narrow widths in structurally-controlled quartz-veins within the more mafic phases of granodiorite, and it was concluded by previous owners to be an Archean lode-gold style of mineralization hosted in discontinuous veins. Recovery and re-examination of core from 33 historical drill holes, totaling 5,453 metres, revealed the presence of wide intervals of unsampled core displaying strong sericite and silica-albite alteration in tonalite and hydrothermal breccia, associated with disseminated sulphide mineralization. The alteration and mineralization was interpreted as favorable for intrusion-hosted gold mineralization similar to Gosselin and the Cote Deposit. Assay results returned wide intervals of gold mineralization throughout the host rocks, often extending from top to bottom of the shorter drill holes, including drill holes collared proximal to the Gosselin discovery. Of the 33 drill holes re-sampled, a total of 15 returned gold mineralization over core intervals greater than 15 metres in length. The assay results are presented in Table 2 below and assay highlights are provided on the attached map. Next Steps The 2019 Phase I exploration diamond drilling program has commenced and entails the completion of 15 planned diamond drill holes (4,500 metres) mainly on Three Ducks Lake. The program is designed to test for the extension of the new Gosselin zone to surface beneath Three Ducks Lake, and to delineate the ultimate size potential of this discovery. The program will also test for continuity between the new Gosselin Zone and the recently discovered intrusion-hosted gold mineralization associated with the Young-Shannon Zone. As results merit, a second phase of drilling is anticipated to complete an infill drilling program (50 to 75 metres drill hole spacing) to support the completion of an initial NI 43-101 compliant resource estimate in 2020. Technical Information and Quality Control Notes The drilling results contained in this news release have been prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The "Qualified Person" responsible for the supervision of the preparation, verification and review of the technical information in this release is Al Smith, P. Geo, District Manager - Exploration for IAMGOLD in the Ontario Cote District. He is considered a "Qualified Person" for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 with respect to the technical information being reported on. The "Qualified Person" responsible for the planning, supervision and execution of the diamond drilling program is Brad McKinley, P. Geo, Senior Geologist for IAMGOLD in the Ontario Cote District. The technical information has been included herein with the consent and prior review of the above noted Qualified Persons. The information in this news release was reviewed and approved by Craig MacDougall, P.Geo., Senior Vice President, Exploration for IAMGOLD. Mr. MacDougall is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. The sampling of, and assay data from, the drill core is monitored through the implementation of a quality assurance - quality control (QA-QC) program designed to follow industry best practice. Drill core (NQ size) samples are selected by the IAMGOLD geologists and sawn in half with a diamond saw at the project site. Half of the core is retained at the site for reference purposes. Sample intervals may vary from half a metre to one and a half metres in length depending on the geological observations. Samples were stored in sealed plastic bags and packed into fiber backs onto a pallet where they were shrink wrapped for transport. A formal chain-of-custody procedure was adopted for security of samples until their delivery at the laboratory. Activation Laboratories Limited (located in Timmins, Ontario) and AGAT Laboratories (Thunder Bay and Mississauga, Ontario) were the both utilized for assay analyses. Actlabs completed crushing, pulverizing, and fire assay in Timmins Ontario. AGAT Laboratories completed crushing and pulverizing in their Thunder Bay facility and shipped the pulps to their Mississauga facility for fire assay. Analyses completed at both facilities were similar and are summarized below. Activation Laboratories completed the following: Samples are coarse crushed to 90% passing 2.0 mm screen (10 mesh screen), riffle split (250 gram) and (mild steel) to 95% passing 105m. Cleaner sand is included. Samples were analyzed using a standard 30 gram fire assay (30 g aliquot) with an Atomic Absorption (AA) finish. For samples that returned assay values over 3.0 grams per tonne (g/t), another cut is taken from the original pulp and fire assayed with a gravimetric finish. For samples showing visible gold (VG) or samples which have returned values greater than 5.0 g/t, these were re-analyzed by pulp metallic analysis. IAMGOLD inserts blanks and certified reference standards in the sample sequence for quality control. AGAT Labs used a very similar procedure comprising the following: Samples are coarse crushed to 75% passing 2.0 mm screen (10 mesh screen), riffle split (250 gram) and (mild steel) to 85% passing 75m. Cleaner sand included. Samples were analyzed using a standard 30 gram fire assay (30 g aliquot) with an Atomic Absorption (AA) finish. For samples that return assay values over 3.0 grams per tonne (g/t), another cut is taken from the original pulp and fire assayed with a gravimetric finish. For samples showing visible gold (VG) or samples which have returned values greater than 5.0 g/t, these were re-analyzed by pulp metallic analysis. IAMGOLD inserts blanks and certified reference standards in the sample sequence for quality control. Forward Looking Statement This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding expected, estimated or planned gold production, cash costs, margin expansion, capital expenditures and exploration expenditures and statements regarding the estimation of mineral resources, exploration results, potential mineralization, potential mineral resources and mineral reserves) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words "will", "should", "continue", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "believe", "intend", "to earn", "to have', "plan" or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, without limitation, failure to meet expected, estimated or planned gold production, cash costs, margin expansion, capital expenditures and exploration expenditures and failure to establish estimated mineral resources, the possibility that future exploration results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, changes in world gold markets and other risks disclosed in IAMGOLD's most recent Form 40-F/Annual Information Form on file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement. About IAMGOLD IAMGOLD (www.iamgold.com) is a mid-tier mining company with four operating gold mines on three continents. A solid base of strategic assets in North and South America and West Africa is complemented by development and exploration projects and continued assessment of accretive acquisition opportunities. IAMGOLD is in a strong financial position with extensive management and operational expertise. For further information please contact: Indi Gopinathan, Investor Relation Lead, IAMGold Corp. Tel: (416) 360-4743 Mobile: (416) 388-6883 Martin Dumont, Senior Analyst Investor Relations, IAMGold Corp. Tel: (416) 933-5783 Mobile: (647) 967-9942 Toll-free: 1-888-464-9999 info@iamgold.com Please note: This entire news release may be accessed via fax, e-mail, IAMGOLD's website at www.iamgold.com and through Newsfile's website at www.newsfilecorp.com. All material information on IAMGOLD can be found at www.sedar.com or at www.sec.gov. Si vous desirez obtenir la version francaise de ce communique, veuillez consulter le http://www.iamgold.com/French/accueil/default.aspx Table 1 Gosselin Project Drilling Results - 2017-2018 Drilling program Hole No. UTM NAD83 Zone17 AZ DIP EOH From To Core Interval (1) Au (2) Easting Northing Elevation () () (m) (m) (m) (m) (g/t) CL15-39EXT 430999 5268192 386 160 -45 648.0 298.0 648.0 350.0 0.81 Including (3) 298.0 313.0 15.0 2.32 Including (3) 301.1 302.0 0.9 22.0 Including (3) 399.0 490.0 91.0 1.1 Including (3) 438.7 440.0 1.3 12.8 Including (3) 462.3 462.8 0.6 15.2 Including (3) 544.0 648.0 104.0 1.1 GOS17-03 431772 5268022 383 200 -50 500.0 390.2 401.0 10.8 1.27 GOS17-04 431627 5268073 382 200 -48 900.0 292.5 389.5 97.0 0.41 GOS17-05 431533 5268149 382 209 -53 722.0 377.0 722.0 345.0 0.68 Including (3) 452.5 584.8 132.3 1.13 Including (3) 647.5 648.0 0.5 11.23 GOS18-06 431393 5268102 390 225 -60 634.0 399.5 487.4 87.9 0.72 GOS18-07 431348 5268065 383 221 -43 607.0 272.5 402.5 130.0 0.63 467.3 607.0 139.7 1.36 Including (3) 550.5 551.9 1.4 52.87 Including (3) 487.0 566.0 79.0 2.11 GOS18-08 431023 5268183 387 95 -48 300.0 no significant values GOS18-09 430924 5267874 383 141 -55 450.0 8.0 139.0 131.0 0.32 157.8 419.0 261.2 0.65 Including (3) 256.0 419.0 163.0 0.95 Including (3) 305.0 397.0 92.0 1.42 GOS18-10 430844 5267811 382 172 -60 525.0 18.4 36.0 17.6 0.48 98.0 137.0 39.0 0.32 269.5 525.0 255.5 0.73 Including (3) 393.3 525.0 131.7 1.13 Including (3) 509.0 510.3 1.3 59.90 GOS18-11 430595 5267834 382 189 -49 492.0 315.0 444.4 129.4 0.81 Including (3) 360.0 444.4 84.4 1.16 Including (3) 364.0 365.0 1.0 10.40 Including (3) 392.5 393.3 0.8 47.00 GOS18-12 430244 5267643 387 144 -50 408.0 122.2 138.0 15.8 0.48 GOS18-13 430491 5267418 386 31 -54 312.0 7.0 32.6 25.6 0.44 257.2 311.0 53.9 0.35 GOS18-14 430873 5267516 381 309 -49 453.0 107.0 343.5 236.5 0.83 Including (3) 207.5 208.2 0.8 15.70 Including (3) 251.0 252.0 1.0 21.90 Including (3) 333.8 334.7 0.9 32.50 GOS18-15A 431322 5268017 386 184 -49 501.0 214.0 274.5 60.5 0.75 320.6 342.3 21.7 1.87 349.0 401.0 52.0 0.31 414.0 499.0 85.0 0.36 Notes: Insufficient drilling has been completed to accurately determine the Gosselin Zone orientation. Estimated true widths are approximately 60 to 95% of the Core Interval. Drill hole intercepts are calculated with alower cut-off grade of 0.30 g/t Au Assay intervals are reported uncut, but higher grade sub intervals are shown. Table 2 Young-Shannon Drill Core Re-sampling Assay Results - 2018 Hole No. UTM NAD83 Zone17 AZ DIP EOH From To Core Interval (1) Au (2) Easting Northing Elevation () () (m) (m) (m) (m) (g/t) YS87-8 430460 5267280 388 330 -45 183.2 43.0 74.5 31.5 0.40 117.5 150.0 32.5 7.53 Including 124.0 126.0 2.0 79.1 Including 130.0 132.0 2.0 15.4 YS88-47c 430477 5267250 390 325 -65 284.8 1.9 30.0 28.1 0.43 YS89-82B 430953 5267600 382 335 -65 169.5 25.0 41.0 16.1 0.40 81.8 110.5 28.7 0.79 YS89-89 430596 5267360 399 330 -45 138.6 24.0 59.2 35.2 2.12 59.2 91.4 32.2 0.34 Including 35.0 37.0 2.0 23.4 YS89-108B 430893 5267550 382 330 -60 170.5 5.0 20.2 15.2 1.47 Including 5.0 5.8 0.8 14.5 35.0 71.8 36.7 0.41 YS89-110 430910 5267530 383 330 -60 195.0 21.6 44.3 22.7 0.77 47.4 134.6 87.2 0.87 Including 63.0 64.5 1.5 12.6 141.0 162.4 21.4 1.12 YS89-116 430930 5267490 382 330 -60 272.3 146.2 180.7 34.5 0.32 187.5 226.0 38.5 1.31 Including 207.5 209.0 1.5 11.3 YS89-163 430646 5267280 400 330 -45 205.8 118.4 140.3 21.9 2.65 Including 130.0 132.0 2.0 11.6 YS90-172B 430973 5267620 382 330 -65 155.5 132.3 150.8 18.5 0.55 YS90-179 431060 5267710 382 330 -45 109.7 46.9 72.9 26.0 0.39 YS90-180 431083 5267680 382 330 -45 143.3 109.7 143.3 33.6 0.32 YS90-181 431015 5267610 382 330 -65 198.5 66.0 194.5 128.5 1.12 Including 125.0 125.5 0.5 40.2 YS90-182B 431189 5267790 382 330 -65 121.9 12.8 118.6 105.8 0.86 YS90-183 431215 5267800 382 330 -45 99.1 12.6 34.7 22.1 0.36 40.3 65.0 24.7 0.43 NV02-03 431340 5267590 382 330 -45 198.1 147.8 163.1 15.2 0.44 173.7 198.1 24.4 0.77 Notes: True widths are not established yet. Geological modelling of the Au-bearing Young-Shannon breccia + tonalite is required before true widths can properly be established. Significant Au composites from 2018 Re-log exceeding 15m of core length. Assays are reported un-cut only. Figure 1: Gosselin - Young Shannon drill hole plan map and highlighted 2017-18 assay results. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6077/43677_enhanced.JPG To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43677 The structural challenges that entrepreneurs of color face are well-documented, and disparities in business ownership are stark: While minorities make up 38 percent of the U.S. population, only 19 percent of businesses are minority-owned. Minority-owned firms earn less than half the revenue of non-minority-owned firms, and few are on a trajectory to become Fortune 500 companies. Yet most programs focused on supporting entrepreneurs of color target small-business creation, which leads to a self-perpetuating cycle that limits wealth building and may be exacerbating wealth inequities.As cities' leaders have increasingly recognized the role that minority-owned businesses play in building local economies and creating wealth in disinvested neighborhoods, new efforts have been launched to help support entrepreneurs of color, especially those in high-growth sectors.In Chicago, for example, the Blackstone Challenge was launched in 2017 as a three-year, $3 million effort to advance entrepreneurship in underserved communities. Led by World Business Chicago and supported by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, the Blackstone Challenge funds organizations that recruit and support entrepreneurs of color as well as women, veteran, and immigrant entrepreneurs.JPMorgan Chase's Entrepreneurs of Color Fund provides financing for Community Development Financial Institutions and other nonprofit lending partners to provide alternative sources of capital to grow minority-owned businesses. Piloted in Detroit with the Detroit Development Fund and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Entrepreneurs of Color Fund has been expanded to Chicago, San Francisco, the South Bronx and greater Washington, D.C. Between 2015 and 2018, more than 200 minority-owned business received $9.5 million in capital through the Fund.Yet more needs to be done. We highlight five interventions that city leaders should prioritize to support entrepreneurs of color and help them grow the scale of their businesses:In our study of six major metro areas , we found that incubators and accelerators focused on supporting entrepreneurs of color do not have sufficient capacity. For example, in Atlanta, 11 incubators and accelerators serve only 34 percent of the city's entrepreneurs of color. Entrepreneurs of color typically lack the robust social and professional networks needed for high-growth businesses.Contracts with large organizations and government agencies are critical for entrepreneurs in high-growth sectors. Yet we continually hear that finding qualified minority-owned businesses that have the capacity to take on large contracts is a challenge in most cities. More assistance from entrepreneurial support organizations (ESOs) should be targeted to building the capacity of minority-owned firms in industries or sectors that are in high-demand by these large organizations or government agencies.Increasing access to industry-specific ESOs (such as those focused on food manufacturing or high tech) for entrepreneurs of color is critical, since these kinds of ESOs provide access to tailored, powerful networks and targeted capital. Entrepreneurs of color are not participating in this type of ESO at the same rates as their white male counterparts. This is particularly true for high-tech incubators and accelerators Collaboration is needed among existing organizations to address the three primary structural challenges faced by all entrepreneurs but which are particularly difficult for entrepreneurs of color: access to management education, capital (money), and contracts and new customers (markets) -- the three Ms. Most programs focus on supporting only one of the Ms and operate independently from other programs. One notable exception is the new Ascend 2020 program , now operating in 10 U.S. cities and growing.Because of capital-access challenges, entrepreneurs of color are more likely to enter industries with low capital requirements and high failure rates rather than high-growth sectors. More startup and growth capital needs to be available to entrepreneurs of color, and they need support accessing a broad range of sources -- not just more venture capital but also equity infusions from corporations and impact investors.The economic imperative for supporting entrepreneurs of color is clear. Only by removing barriers to growth for minority-owned businesses can city leaders maximize the impact of efforts to catalyze job and economic development. Nowhere To Hide A Return On Investment For decades, hospitals have strained to accommodate patients in psychiatric crisis in emergency rooms. The horror stories of failure abound:Patients heavily sedated or shackled to gurneys for days while awaiting placement in a specialized psychiatric hospital, their symptoms exacerbated by the noise and chaos of emergency medicine. Long wait times in crowded ERs for people who show up with serious medical emergencies. High costs for taxpayers, insurers and families as patients languish longer than necessary in the most expensive place to get care.If you are living with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, that is a really tough way to begin that road to recovery, said Dr. Jack Rozel, president of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry.In pockets across the country, hospitals are trying something new to address the unique needs of psychiatric patients: opening emergency units specifically designed to help stabilize and treat patients and connect them to longer-term resources and care. These psychiatric ERs aim to address the growing number of patients with mental health conditions who end up hospitalized because traditional emergency rooms dont have the time or expertise to treat the crisis.The rate of ER visits involving psychoses, bipolar disorder, depression or anxiety jumped more than 50 percent from 2006 to 2013, according to the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Roughly 1 in 8 emergency department visits now stem from mental illness or substance use disorders, the data show.The psychiatric ERs, staffed with nurses, social workers and psychiatrists, work to treat and release patients in under 24 hours, much as traditional emergency rooms handle physical ailments. Those who are well enough to go home get discharged, while those who need more treatment are admitted to the hospital or transferred to an inpatient facility.There are now roughly 100 such units across the country, said Dr. Scott Zeller, vice president of acute psychiatry at Vituity, a physician-led organization that provides staffing and consulting services to medical centers nationwide.Zeller pioneered the approach while working as chief of psychiatric emergency services at John George Psychiatric Hospital in Alameda County, Calif. Over time, he transformed the center from a traditional ward where restraints were common into one that treated patients in a more supportive, living-room like setting. The results in terms of both patient outcomes and cost-savings made Zeller a believer.He is helping design 10 new units, including in California, Florida, Illinois and Tennessee. Each is distinct, accepting patients in somewhat different circumstances and offering a slightly different range of services.Patients who arrive at an emergency room for psychiatric or substance use disorders are more than twice as likely to be admitted than other patients, federal data show. And yet about 80 percent of the time, Zeller said, patients mental health crises can be resolved without a costly inpatient hospital stay. A patient may be having a psychotic episode because he fell off his medications, for example, or having drug-induced hallucinations.We need to treat people at the emergency level of care, he said. The vast majority of psychiatric emergencies can be resolved in less than 24 hours.Wearing a hospital gown, Rachel Diamond lay back in her recliner in a spacious room in a relatively new ward at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center San Pedro, a hospital near the Port of Los Angeles. Nearby, a few patients slept on identical recliners, draped in soft blankets. Others communed at a kitchen table over microwaved meals. A nurse walked through the locked unit with a rolling cart, dispensing medications.Except for a nursing station in the middle of the room, the unit didnt look much like a health care facility. The room was divided into mens and womens sides, with separate TVs. A few smaller rooms where patients could meet with a psychiatrist or social worker lined the units edge.Anya Price, interim clinical supervisor and a nurse, said the unit was designed to feel more like a home than a hospital. Were operating from an understanding that theyre coming here to get better, Price said.The open design of the unit, known as the Outpatient Behavioral Health Center, allows patients to move freely. Staff said it also helps reduce problems because they can quickly spot a patient who may be getting agitated. Dr. Herbert Harman, a psychiatrist and medical director for the facility, said violence and the need for restraints are rare.The unit is in a building a short walk from the medical center emergency room. It opened in 2017 and accepts patients from emergency rooms across Los Angeles County once they are deemed stable medically. So far this year, its staff has treated about 400 patients, Price said.One recent morning, the patients included a man in his 40s found on the railroad tracks after an alcohol binge, and a woman with a history of schizophrenia who said she was seeing spirits. Some were there on involuntary holds because authorities had decided they were at risk of hurting themselves or others because of their illness.Diamond, 30, said she has been diagnosed with depression and anxiety and has landed in multiple ERs over the past decade when her symptoms spiked out of control. During those stays, she said, she often felt isolated and in the dark about her treatment. Doctors typically numbed her with medications and consigned her to a guarded room. No one really talked to me, said Diamond, who lives in Torrance, Calif. It was like I was a caged animal.She had been living in a car and fighting with her boyfriend in late February when she decided she wanted to end her life. She tried jumping out of a moving car, and when that didnt work, she grabbed a bottle of pills. She gets help for her mental health issues, but sometimes, she said, the stress becomes too much. This time, she was taken to a hospital emergency room in Torrance before being transferred to the San Pedro unit.During her time in the behavioral health center about 26 hours she slept, received medications and met with nurses, a social worker and a psychiatrist. She said it was calmer than a regular ER, and the staff had time to talk, listen and help her through the worst of the crisis.I genuinely feel better enough to leave, she said. I havent been able to say that in a while.Zeller argues that the use of emergency psychiatric clinics is both humane and cost-effective. Research on the Alameda County model found such units can dramatically reduce how long patients spend in medical emergency rooms, and that about three-quarters of patients treated in the units can be discharged to the community rather than to inpatient care. That, Zeller said, can lessen the overwhelming demand for inpatient psychiatric beds and preserve available spots for those who truly require them. The model saves money for hospitals in part because the patients spend less time in emergency care.The return on investment is exponential, he said.In Montana, the Billings Clinic opened a psychiatric stabilization unit last April across the street from the traditional ER. Dr. Eric Arzubi, psychiatry department chair, said nearly 10 percent of the visits in the Billings Clinic emergency room involve people in psychiatric crisis. Since the new unit opened, wait times for psychiatric patients have dropped from about 10 hours to four hours, and fewer patients are being admitted to the inpatient unit. Arzubi said his staff isnt trying to cure people of their mental illness but rather stabilize them and get them the care they need.Just like in the emergency room, you dont get comprehensive care, Arzubi said. But you can stop the bleeding, you stabilize the patient and get them to the right level of care.In some cases, that means a transfer to an inpatient facility.Staff at the San Pedro unit decided soon after Chantelle Unique arrived that she would be one of those patients. Unique, who is 23, has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. She had been dancing on the roof and speaking gibberish when her mother called 911.Unique said she has had a hard time in regular emergency rooms. There are a million people, she said. For most of a morning at the San Pedro facility, she sat calmly watching TV, talking to nurses and eating spaghetti. But at one point, she started pacing and yelling at other patients. Nurses and security guards quickly surrounded her and persuaded her to return to her recliner and take additional medication.Finding an inpatient bed for a patient like Unique with more progressed mental illness is not always easy, said clinical social worker Mark Tawfik. But hes committed to finding a way. We have to make sure we find them adequate resources, he said. Otherwise, they will come right back.For Price, the clinical supervisor, even when a patient requires a transfer for more intensive care, theres satisfaction in knowing that person is headed in the right direction. If Unique hadnt been brought in, Price said, she would have been out in the community, lost to her delusions, putting herself at risk of accident or arrest.In the unit, staff made sure she was safe, Price said, in addition to providing a warm bed, some food and some compassion. Nearly two dozen states are failing to protect children from lead in drinking water at school, according to a recent study.The presence of lead in water is a major health threat for children. According to the study, low levels of lead can cause a decreased IQ level and a decrease in growth, while high levels can result in anemia, kidney disease and even death. The report, by advocacy groups Environment America Research & Policy Center and U.S. PIRG Education Fund, gave 22 states an 'F' grade for how well they protect young students from lead.The report looked at 31 states and Washington, D.C., meaning that more than two-thirds of the states earned a failing grade. The nation's capital received the highest grade: a B+.The states' scores were based on the following criteria: if schools are required to proactively remove lead from water delivery systems, what level of lead triggers mandatory remedial action, if testing is required (and how often), how much information is being shared with the public, and if state laws apply to both schools and early childhood programs.The authors note that only 10 percent of preschools and schools are considered to be their own Public Water Systems and, therefore, have to follow federal drinking water rules. The other 90 percent of schools do not have to follow national standards and, as illustrated in the report, many states do little policy-wise to prevent lead contamination in their schools' water.Some state laws require lead testing but no remediation if lead is detected, while other states that do require action only require a response if lead levels exceed 15 parts per billion (which is also the federal standard). Yet, the authors note that any level of lead contamination isn't safe for children.Among the states that flunked the report card are Alabama, Colorado, Montana, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Texas. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services has issued an emergency removal order of all boys remaining at the Glen Mills Schools, the oldest existing U.S. reform school.In a Monday letter to the school's board of managers, the state agency -- which licenses and oversees the Delaware County campus -- said conditions "constitute gross incompetence, negligence, misconduct in operating a facility, including mistreatment and abuse of clients, likely to constitute immediate and serious danger to the life or health of the children in care.""As the investigation into allegations raised in recent reporting continues, we must do what is necessary to ensure that no more children are at risk of physical and emotional harm," said Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller.Miller said the emergency removal order is "one step" of an ongoing process at Glen Mills, which holds 14 licenses with the state. "DHS is committed to seeing this investigation through to ensure that any individual responsible for endangering the welfare of children and coercing silence can be held responsible," she said.The Inquirer reported in February that serious violence was both an everyday occurrence and an open secret at the Glen Mills Schools, which draws students from across the country. Staff routinely punched, choked, and kicked the boys in their care, even breaking their bones, then kept them quiet with threats. Executive director Randy Ireson and other top leaders failed to properly vet or train the school's counselors, then insulated themselves from abuse complaints. A Facebook group aimed at recalling Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) has amassed almost 30,000 members.The private group had at least 28,525 members as of Monday. It's unclear how many of them are registered voters in Colorado.Tom Good, the registered agent for a fundraising arm involved in the recall effort, told the Greeley Tribune that the Facebook group has no party affiliation.[Theres] currently no involvement whatsoever by the [Colorado] GOP, he told the Colorado newspaper. I plan to keep it that way, if I can. No party affiliation here; just good, hard-working Coloradans who want to save their state from this overreaching agenda.The page has gone by previous names including Recall Hickenlooper 2017, referring to then-Gov. John Hickenlooper (D), who is now a 2020 presidential candidate. It was also once called Keeping Colorado Officials Accountable. (TNS) - As a cloud of toxic darkness hovered above, spokeswoman Alice Richardson was asked if the Intercontinental Terminals Co. would apologize to all of the residents of Deer Park for the petrochemical fire that raged for almost four days, releasing a seemingly endless plume of noxious smoke that would stretch hundreds of miles in the sky.Of course ITC would apologize to all of them, Richardson said Tuesday as tears welled up in her eyes and her voice cracked. The company is very sorry, she insisted. This isnt an event we wanted or planned, she said. Many of my employees work in the city of Deer Park. Theyre out there fighting this fire the best they can.The fire was finally extinguished less than 24 hours later on Wednesday. But, early Thursday morning, an emergency shelter-in-place warning was issued not because of the smoke, but from dangerously high levels of the invisible, cancer-causing crude oil compound benzene that were detected just outside of Houston in Deer Park. As the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality would later note, Because the fires are no longer burning, vapor from remaining exposed chemicals can escape. The remaining product is being removed, and vapor suppression activities are continuing.Essentially, a day after Deer Park residents thought they could finally take in some relatively fresh air, an emergency started all over again without a strong enough warning that this was an ominous possibility.Emergency planning and response protocols are a critical part of the Houston energy sector, and the key goal is always to avoid multiday environmental and human health disasters. But they do still happen and will continue to occur in the future. Crisis and communications experts warn it is essential for companies to do everything they can to avoid disasters while still planning for the worst. Richardson of ITC did not respond to an interview request.So much is essential from the golden hour after a disaster strikes for the ongoing communication with the wide range of stakeholders, including employees, neighboring residents, investors, governmental officials, the media and more. And countless hours of planning only go as far as theyre effectively put into practice.The biggest thing of course is to identify all the weaknesses and prevent a disaster from happening, said Terry Hemeyer, executive counsel at Pierpont Communications and an adjunct management professor at Rice University. Most companies have plans. The good companies rehearse and have tabletop exercises with emergency response officials.Incidents that occur can include small pipeline leaks, large explosions like the Arkema chemical plant disaster in Crosby after Hurricane Harvey that led to the indictments of the CEO and others, and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon tragedy that left 11 people dead and spewed oil for three months from BPs well in the Gulf of Mexico.Other fires just in recent days have ranged from Exxon Mobils sprawling complex in nearby Baytown to Houston-based Phillips 66s Carson refinery in California.Hemeyer was a group vice president at Pennzoil for years, including when a refinery explosion in 1995 in Pennsylvania killed three people and injured others. He helped lead the communications response from Houston. We were on top of it quickly, he said, in part because every worker should know whom to call when theres an issue.The key is to gain control of it and fix the problems, he said, including putting out the fires, taking care of the employees and the injured, coordinating with local officials, contractors and vendors, and controlling the messaging and communications with the public.Honesty is always critical, even if that means temporarily delaying the release of some information. You dont talk before you have the facts. We dont want to say something if its not true, Hemeyer added.At Pennzoil, they could pull the vital response teams together within 20 minutes to start working the problems, he said, including logistics teams buying or locating any necessary parts to fix equipment or put out fires. Today, spray foams are quickly deployed to try to put out fires and suppress chemical leaks.Companies should be prepared to respond at all hours but sometimes theyre caught off guard. That shouldnt occur.Thats usually because it happens at 2 a.m., Hemeyer said. I often say crises dont happen from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.The planning process should be very inclusive, said Julie Fix, an assistant professor of communication at the University of Houston who heads the Fix & Associates public relations firm.You want every Chicken Little in your organization in the planning room saying, The sky is falling, she said, so every possibility is considered.The messaging to everyone whos impacted is critical. Employees and their families will need to receive much different information, Fix said, than investors and securities analysts who are more concerned about the impacts on the company and the stock performance.The secret isnt magical, she said. Its recognizing the vulnerabilities and how to deliver communications to all the necessary parties.While communication used to focus on phone calls and the media, now companies also need to utilize email, websites and social media to get the messages out. Twitter and Facebook, for instance, are just as important as almost as anything else, Fix said.A lot of energy companies follow the lead of the federal government, adopting a unified incident command system, called ICS, for a standardized approach, which first originated decades ago from wildfires in California and Arizona. The system can be used for everything from active shooter scenarios to hazardous materials accidents that require major evacuations.The ICS strategy requires a clear chain of command set up well in advance of any disaster with an incident commander in charge and then public information and liaisons officers to lead the communications. There are typically four teams with everyone knowing their responsibilities an operations response team, planning team, logistics team and an administration team to oversee financial and legal matters.Oftentimes, the federal, state or local responders will lead the situation with the companies providing support and information.Energy companies mostly declined comment for this story or only spoke on background. Chevron, for instance, declined an interview request but pointed out its emergency preparedness strategies worldwide that include planning efforts with a vast array of nations.Chevron uses a tiered approach that goes down to site-specific responses for every facility, and up to a corporate team responsible for providing guidance and expertise in emergency response, crisis management and business continuity. Chevron has expert contractors in all sorts of areas like wildlife management, oil spill and air-dispersion modeling, toxicology, fire fighting, and shipping and salvage.And Chevron participates in multiple international oil spill cooperatives with other energy firms.Companies have to work together for planning and best practices. After all, fairly or not, every incident is essentially a black mark on the entire industry.jordan.blum@chron.comtwitter.com/jdblum232019 the Houston ChronicleVisit the Houston Chronicle at www.chron.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The Colorado Governors Office of Information Technology will soon name its first blockchain expert.The state is set to announce early next month the hiring of a Blockchain Architect, according to a tweet by David McCurdy, the states chief technology officer.Officially known as a Blockchain and Distributed Ledger (BDL) Solution Architect, the new role will lead efforts as a subject matter expert on leveraging technology, innovation and thought leadership to provide scalable solutions to complex and diverse business problems that benefit in leveraging blockchain technologies, according to the job posting McCurdy was not immediately available to discuss the new position withon Monday. And his office also did not release the name of the new blockchain architect.We plan to issue a press release in April to officially announce the appointment of this position, said Brandi Simmons, a spokesperson for OIT.All indications suggest Colorado is embracing blockchain and its abilities to safeguard state data. In 2018 the state Legislature passed SB18-086 , titled "Cyber Coding Cryptology For State Records," which encouraged the use of blockchain technology for developing protected data systems.The Legislature also recently introduced HB 19-1247 , which would direct the Colorado commissioner of agriculture to form an advisory group to study how blockchain technology could be used by the agriculture community. (TNS) For the third time in a year, state of Oregon employees are unable to send emails to many people they would otherwise correspond with for work.The problem originated when an employees email account was compromised, according to a memorandum sent by the states Chief Information Officer Terrence Woods on Thursday.That allowed an outside party to launch an email spam campaign from the state employees account, which in turn caused several email providers to blacklist all email addresses containing the extensions @oregon.gov and @state.or.us.Providers that blacklisted state emails include Outlook, MSN and Hotmail.We experienced the same email reputation issue just last month, Woods wrote.Similarly, the states @oregon.gov email extension was blacklisted by email providers in June, after a state employee clicked on a phishing email and a malicious party was able to send out more than eight million spam emails from the account.The February and March email breaches impacted the Department of State Lands, which manages its own email system, and the March incident also involved the Department of Energy, which uses centralized state technology services, Department of Administrative Services spokeswoman Liz Craig wrote in an email Monday morning. Craig was unable to say by the end of the business day which agency was involved in the June email incident.Each time the state email system is compromised, the government must work to rebuild the reputation of its email accounts with providers so they will once again accept state emails.We believe the issue is resolved, but I am waiting on the official all clear from our IT staff (likely today or tomorrow), Craig wrote. In the meantime, employees will have to use other modes of communication (phone) with people who use these email domains and who cannot provide an alternate email address.Employees whose emails did not reach their intended contacts will know, because they will receive a bounce-back notification.Although many state agencies use centralized information technology services from the Department of Administrative Services, some also run their own technology operations. Woods wrote that the states centralized technology office highly recommends that agencies that manage their own email systems require two-factor authentication, limit the use of (Outlook Web Access), or simply not use (Outlook Web Access).In addition, the (centralized technology office) is working with agency email administrators with email-hardening guidelines and real-time phishing scam information, Woods wrote.Craig wrote in an email that the centralized technology office has published an information security awareness video series that every agency is required to use to educate state employees on email security. Employees at most state agencies are required to go through annual information security trainings, and the state sends out updated security awareness materials to them on a quarterly basis. The days of cybersecurity as an insiders game have passed in Pennsylvania. This is, in part, thanks to the work of Erik Avakian, the states chief information security officer, who has worked in the last nine years to both demystify the concept of cybersecurity, and gain a better understanding of the workings and vulnerabilities of various agencies so he can help make them less susceptible to security disruptions.Speaking recently withAvakian described some of the key philosophies that have guided his work as CISO. Hes a firm believer, for example, that strong cybersecurity practices shouldnt stand in the way of business objectives, but rather empower them to be successful.One effort that illustrates this commitment is Avakians work on an identity and access management solution for the state that simplifies citizen interactions with the state online. The end game for the project is what so many in government strive for: an Amazon-like experience. Thirty applications are expected to go live in 2019. But central to the effort is security: a collection of usernames and passwords for different agencies is less secure, not to mention a poor user experience.Avakian views the Keystone Login SSO (single sign-on) initiative as a key component of any modernization effort happening at the agency level, offering tools and staff resources to smooth the transition. It is definitely something the agencies need help with, he said. But we didnt do it in a silo; we are all moving together.One of the longest-serving state CISOs in the country, Avakian has pushed in recent years for robust and results-oriented cybertraining for the 80,000-strong Pennsylvania workforce. Phishing programs aim to course-correct with specific guidance for those who click on bad links, while cloud-based tools help round out the effort to fortify the first line of defense the workforce against incoming threats. And cyberthreats are only getting more sophisticated, Avakian said. When we look at cyber, its such a complicated topic that requires a team sport methodology. That is a recipe for success, and Im really passionate about that. There is perhaps no term as ubiquitous in city hall tech and innovation work these days as human-centered design. It is being cited in projects ranging from single sign-on initiatives to 311 mobile apps. While the concept has been around much longer in the private sector deployed by gigantic companies like Amazon and Apple government is just now catching up, crafting websites, processes and forms designed for human users rather than institutions.Civilla, a Detroit-based company that describes itself as a design studio dedicated to changework, is out ahead, helping to push government in the right direction. Housed in a refurbished office where Chevy once built the first Corvette, Civilla has used human-centered design on an impactful project within state government, yielding significant results that are changing lives. Project Re:form started in 2015 as a redesign of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services application form, which at 45 pages, 18,000-some words and 1,000 questions was then the largest application for public benefits in the nation.Within Project Re:form, Civilla conducted hours of interviews in applicants homes as well as with the public servants who processed the novella-length forms. By early 2018, the team had a new svelte version of 3,904 words, 18 pages and 213 questions that also kept all vital content. That form has now been implemented, and around this time last year, stakeholders reported it was coming in 94 percent completed versus a previous average of 72 percent, leading to faster processing. The form, in other words, now works for real people, both the applicants and state workers behind desks.Since Civilla launched Project Re:Form, the influence of their work has noticeably trickled into statehouses and city halls across the country. In partnership with Code for America, the company is also working to do for Michigans online benefits application what it did for the paper version. While the Civilla team is varied and deep, at its heart are CEO Michael Brennan a veteran of the United Way in Michigan and Lena and Adam Selzer, design experts out of Stanford Universitys Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. Pierre Gasly is looking forward to proving himself in Bahrain after a poor weekend in Australia. The Frenchman will be disappointed with his Red Bull debut but will hope that the next race will be better. Last year Gasly finished 4th in Bahrain in a Toro Rosso so it is clear that he is quick at the circuit. Gasly is clearly a quick driver and it seems a bit odd that he did so poorly in Australia. He will do better in Bahrain, a circuit where he has had success in the past. Bahrain is one of my favourite races," Gasly said to planetf1.com. "I had my best result in Formula 1 there last year with a fourth place, so for me, Bahrain is very exciting, there is a lot of positive energy. I can not wait to come back here, this time with Red Bull, especially after a complicated weekend in Melbourne. We could see that our car was competitive and I like the Bahrain circuit, so I can not wait to get back in the car and get to work. If Gasly struggles to perform in Bahrain then there will be some real pressure on him and perhaps Red Bull will look to someone else to take his seat. Mick Schumacher's first formula one test will take place next week in Bahrain. We had already reported that the son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher was first in line for the Alfa Romeo seat in the post-Bahrain GP test. Schumacher, 20, will already be in Bahrain for his first Formula 2 race. "Bild (newspaper) knows that Alfa Romeo will be Mick's first formula one car," the German publication and other authoritative sources reported. Alfa Romeo is a Ferrari 'B' team, and Schumacher is the leading member of Ferrari's driver development academy. Schumacher told Italy's La Repubblica last week: "It has never been a problem for me to be compared to my father. "In fact, it is an honour to be compared to the best driver in the history of formula one. I just have to try to learn and improve." As for his new Ferrari role, the reigning European F3 champion added: "They made me feel immediately at home, but Ferrari has always been part of my life after all." (GMM) Researchers at MIT and in China are proposing a new class of dense intercalation-conversion hybrid cathodes by combining intercalation-type Mo 6 S 8 with conversion-type sulfur (HMSC) to realize a LiS full cell. In a paper in Nature Energy, the researchers report that the mechanically hard Mo 6 S 8 with fast Li-ion transport ability, high electronic conductivity, active capacity contribution and high affinity for lithium polysulfides is an ideal backbone to immobilize the sulfur species and unlock their high gravimetric capacity. A pouch cell assembled based on the hybrid cathode and a 2 excess Li metal anode is able to simultaneously deliver a gravimetric energy density of 366 Wh kg1 and a volumetric energy density of 581 Wh l1. Design strategy for jointly high gravimetricvolumetric energy density. The relationship between cathode porosity and predicted cathode-specific volumetric energy density e v (a) and gravimetric energy density e g (b) of the hybrid Mo 6 S 8 /S 8 cathode with all carbon included (HMSC) and C/S 8 cathode with different C/S 8 and Mo 6 S 8 /S 8 ratios. Xue et al. Anion-redox lithiumsulfur (LiS) is one of the most promising conversion battery chemistries with high theoretical cathode energy density of 2,600 Wh kg-1 based on the weight of Li 2 S, S 8 + 16e + 16Li+ = 8Li 2 S, several times higher than conventional lithium-ion battery (LIB) cathodes based on transition metal cationredox intercalation reactions. Unfortunately, the actual full-cell energy densities are a far cry from the theoretical values resulting from the excessive use of inactive components, such as electrolyte and conductive carbon. The electronic insulating nature of the S 8 and Li 2 S phases (as compared to, say, Li x CoO 2 , with its high Co3+ Co4+ polaron mobility) means that for the anion-redox reaction SS+()e to proceed (where 0,2 is the average sulfur valence reflecting a mix of ionic and covalent bonding, often in the physical form of S n 2, where =2/n), the S 8 must physically dissolve into liquid electrolytes as Sn2 (electrolyte), transform into S m 2 (electrolyte) and eventually redeposit somewhere else as solid phases. to reach high full-cell E g and E v [gravimetric and volumetric energy density], which is much more meaningful for pushing LiS batteries into commercial development, LiS batteries must work under rigorous conditions including high active material loading, lean electrolyte and low cathode porosity. Until now, however, few reports have been devoted to improving the joint E g E v energy densities by decreasing the inactive components in sulfur cathodes. our strategy is to design an intercalation-conversion hybrid cathode material by introducing electrochemically active Chevrel-phase Mo 6 S 8 with fast lithium intercalation reactions and high tap density to hybridize with S 8 . Xue et al. Intercalation type cathodes, which use compounds such as lithium cobalt oxide, provide a high volumetric energy density. These cathodes can maintain their structure and dimensions while incorporating lithium atoms into their crystalline structure. Conversion type cathodes use sulfur that gets transformed structurally and is even temporarily dissolved in the electrolyte. Theoretically, these Li-S batteries have very good gravimetric energy density, but the volumetric density is low,partly because they tend to require a lot of extra materials, including an excess of electrolyte and carbon, used to provide conductivity, says MIT Professor Ju Li, co-corresponding author of the paper. In the new hybrid system, the researchers combine the two approaches into a new cathode that incorporates both a type of molybdenum sulfide called Chevrel-phase, and pure sulfur, which together appear to provide the best aspects of both. They used particles of the two materials and compressed them to make the solid cathode. Among other advantages, the electrical conductivity of the combined material is relatively high, thus reducing the need for carbon and lowering the overall volume, Li says. Typical sulfur cathodes are made up of 20 to 30 percent carbon, he says, but the new version needs only 10 percent carbon. The net effect of using the new material is substantial. Todays commercial lithium-ion batteries can have energy densities of about 250 watt-hours per kilogram and 700 watt-hours per liter, whereas lithium-sulfur batteries top out at about 400 watt-hours per kilogram but only 400 watt-hours per liter. The new version, in its initial version that has not yet gone through an optimization process, can already reach more than 360 watt-hours per kilogram and 581 watt-hours per literit can beat both lithium-ion and lithium-sulfur batteries in terms of the combination of these energy densities. With further work, Li says, we think we can get to 400 watt-hours per kilogram and 700 watt-hours per liter, with that latter figure equaling that of lithium-ion. Already, the team has gone a step further than many laboratory experiments aimed at developing a large-scale battery prototype: Instead of testing small coin cells with capacities of only several milliamp-hours, they have produced a three-layer pouch cell (a standard subunit in batteries for products such as electric vehicles) with a capacity of more than 1,000 milliamp-hours. This is comparable to some commercial batteries, indicating that the new device does match its predicted characteristics. So far, the new cell cant live up to the longevity of lithium-ion batteries in terms of the number of charge-discharge cycles it can go through before losing too much power to be useful. But that limitation is not the cathodes problem; it has to do with the overall cell design, and were working on that, Li says. Even in its present early form, he says, this may be useful for some niche applications, such as a drone with long range, where both weight and volume matter more than longevity. The work was supported by the Samsung Advanced institute of Technology, the National Key Technologies R&D Program of China, the National Science Foundation of China, and MITs Department of Materials Science and Engineering. The team also included professor Jing Kong and others at MIT, as well as researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, the Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory in Guangdong, China, the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology America in Burlington, Massachusetts, and Tongji University in Shanghai. Resources Hong Kong: HK-Aus sign trade pacts Hong Kong and Australia today signed a Free Trade Agreement and an Investment Agreement. The pacts were signed by Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau and Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism & Investment Simon Birmingham in Sydney. The deals cover trade in goods, trade in services, investment, intellectual property, government procurement, competition and other related areas, providing Hong Kong traders and investors with legal certainty and more favourable access to the Australian market while creating more business opportunities and enhancing trade and investment flows between the two places. Mr Yau hailed the free trade agreement as a high-quality deal that reflects the aspiration of both economies, particularly those in the investment, trading and professional services. The document actually includes ways and means to improve the market access into our mutual markets. It provides opportunity for professional services to exchange talent and also create new opportunities for others." He added the commitment made by both places to each other far exceeds their World Trade Organization commitments. Under both agreements, Hong Kong-originating goods can enter Australia tariff-free and via simplified procedures. In some 140 services sectors, Hong Kong service providers can enjoy market access and treatment no less favourable than Australia's local service providers under like circumstances. Australia has also committed to liberalising full range of its arbitration, conciliation and mediation services and certain rail transport services. The free trade agreement with Australia is the fourth such pact the current-term Government has signed with its trading partners since taking office in July 2017. Together with the investment agreement, it will take effect after Hong Kong and Australia have completed their respective internal procedures. This story has been published on: 2019-03-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. File this one under depressing: Young voters absentee ballots in Parkland, Fla., were much more likely to go uncounted for arriving late or to be thrown out for other reasons, than ballots cast by other youth voters in the state, according to data first reported by the Washington Posts Tim Craig. About 1 in 7 mail-in ballots, or 15 percent, submitted by Parkland residents aged 18 to 21 were thrown out or arrived late, according to the analysis by Daniel Smith, the chairman of the political science department at the University of Florida. For Broward County, which includes Parkland, that figure was 10 percent. Thats much higher than the rate for all Florida voters aged 18 to 21, which is about 5.4 percent of mail-in ballots. (The statewide average of rejected or uncounted mail-in ballots for all ages was 1.2 percent, the Post reported.) Analyses show that youth voting rates in the 2018 midterm elections boomed in many states , even surpassing general voter turnout in many of them, and the surge of youth activism in the wake of the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland was cited as one likely factor. In fact, the students Road to Change bus tour, which hit dozens of cities last summer, was just as focused on encouraging students to vote as it was on drawing attention to how gun violence affects young people. The Broward County Supervisor of Elections wouldnt comment on the analysis, the newspaper reported. But it did say that its data showed that the rejection rate in Broward County within the 18-to-21 age rangeat 2.8 percentwas far lower than Smiths estimate. So what accounts for this discrepancy? Broward County officials blame a poky U.S. Postal Service system for delayed ballots. But the story also surmises that Floridas voting laws, which require election officials to match the signature on each voters absentee ballot with the one on their voter-registration forms, might have been a problem for young people whose personal stylesincluding their signaturesare still evolving. The ACLU and Smith had previously argued that Floridas laws disproportionately hinder young voters and specific ethnic groups, based on their analysis of 2016 data. Florida, and Broward County in particular, have also faced a number of recent lawsuits over voting in the wake of the midterms. This is partly a Florida phenomenon, where elections are routinely so close that they often move to automatic recounts and legal challenges. But the data also underscore that U.S. voting systems just arent all that user-friendly in general, especially for young people. Our systems are not yet quite voter-centered enough, especially when we think about young people as an important stakeholder, said Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, the executive director of the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning, or CIRCLE, a Tufts University group that studies and analyzes youth civic participation. If we dont do it right for the first-time voters, we cant deem the electoral system to be serving its main purpose. I hope they can get to the bottom of this, she said about the Florida situation. WASHINGTON Rep. Rosa DeLauro used her new clout as an Appropriations subcommittee chairman to tussle with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Tuesday over a report by an education advocacy group accusing her agency of not providing effective oversight of federal charter school funding. DeVos was the sole witness at a hearing before DeLauros subcommittee to answer questions about the Trump administrations latest budget request for the U.S. Department of Education, which would boost federal charter school funding by $60 million while cutting $7 billion, or 10 percent, of its budget this year from other programs. DeLauro grilled DeVos about the findings of a report by the non-profit advocacy group Network for Public Education that said the U.S. government has wasted up to $1 billion on charter schools that never opened, or operated for a short while and then closed because of mismanagement. DeVos initially tried to deflect the question. It sounds like you are saying, This is not our job, DeLauro said. Can you explain how you think not stopping known waste fraud and abuse in the Charter School Program is not the departments job? Charter schools are publicly financed but privately operated, and are a part of the school choice movement supported by the Trump administration. Before joining the administration, DeVos was the chairman of the pro-school-choice advocacy group American Federation for Children, and a force behind the spread of charter schools in her home state of Michigan. DeLauro continued to ask DeVos what the Education Department was doing to recover the lost federal money. DeVos said her department is very aware of the issues raised by the report and that the practices at the charter schools long predate this administration. We are very keen to ensure that the concerns raised are addressed, DeVos said. but you are always going to have schools that dont make it. DeVos also said that shes looking to Congress to authorize more flexibility for charter schools. That was not what DeLauro wanted to hear. Madame Secretary, it would appear to me that based on this report and other reports that charter schools have enormous flexibility, and there seems to be no one who is overseeing how that flexibility translates into the use of federal dollars, DeLauro said. Thats irresponsible in terms of your job with regard to oversight. The report, titled Asleep at the Wheel said, Of the schools awarded grants directly from the department between 2009 and 2016, nearly one in four either never opened or (soon) shut its doors. The report detailed the failures of dozens of charter schools, including one in Connecticut. It said that in 2013, Path Academy opened in Windham and that its charter management organization, called Our Piece of the Pie, received a $585,800 grant to open the school. Within a few years the school was opening up unauthorized satellite campuses as well as falsifying enrollment and attendance data resulting in a $1.57 million overpayment to the school, the report said. Before the state Education Department pulled its charter, the school surrendered its charter. The school surrendered its charter last July, about two months after the state board of education voted to begin the revocation process. DeVos was also questioned by Democrats on the panel about proposed Education Department cuts and plans to eliminate programs like the Special Olympics. They also pressed DeVos on her proposed rule changes on campus sexual misconduct and her decision to rescind Obama-era discipline guidance to schools aimed at protecting minority students. DeVos said her department had to make difficult decisions, but was bound by a directive to cut the federal deficit. I do not understand how you can support this budget and be the secretary of education, DeLauro said. This budget under-funds education at every turn. HARTFORD Later this week the Public Health Committee may or may not debate legislation that would allow a terminally ill patient with six months to live to take their own life. Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, D-Westport, said he doesnt know yet if he has the votes. If he finds that he does have the votes, the bill will be on the agenda Friday. Steinberg said at the moment he doesnt have a vote count and was unable to say if a majority of the 25 committee members would support it. Steinberg made those remarks Monday before the New Jersey Assembly and Senate sent an aid-in-dying bill to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who plans to sign it. Supporters are hoping passage in New Jersey will give the bill some momentum in Connecticut. Meanwhile, opponents have been working hard to create doubt about the legislation, which has never made it out of the Public Health Committee. Opponents like Peter Wolfgang, executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut, said the doubt some lawmakers have is for good reason. Wolfgang pointed to new testimony submitted by the Division of Criminal Justice, which expresses concerns about falsifying a death certificate. The division headed by Chief State Attorney Kevin Kane said his agency takes no position on the concept, but worries the bill could have unintended and very unwelcome consequences. The legislation as currently written says, The person signing the qualified patients death certificate shall list the underlying terminal illness as the cause of death. The division worries that it becomes problematic and would prevent them from moving forward with a murder prosecution where the cause of death is not accurately reported on the death certificate. Steinberg said opponents are using the pejorative of suicide as an excuse and in doing so are stigmatizing terminally ill patients who may choose it to end their lives. He said other states have found an acceptable way around these concerns. For example, he said there could be a primary and a secondary cause of death listed in the death certificate. But Wolfgang said that beyond the new testimony, the advocacy of Cathy Ludlum of Second Thoughts Connecticut is also having an impact. A lot of people may support the underlying concept, but they oppose this particular bill, Wolfgang said. Ludlum said that death from some of these drugs is not as immediate or peaceful as supporters would have someone believe. She pointed to a 2018 report from Oregon, which tracked the death with dignity drugs, the number of individuals who requested the drugs, the number who took the drugs, and how long it took them to die. The range for the time of death was between one minute to 104 hours, depending on the medication. The death in many of these cases was not immediate, Ludlum said Monday. She said the data from Oregon shows it could take an hour or two, but it can also take days, and in at least one case it didnt work for a patient. In 2018, 249 prescriptions were written under the Death With Dignity Act in Oregon. Of those, 158 of those residents ingested the medication and 157 died. One patient ingested the medication but regained consciousness before dying from the underlying illness and is not counted as a DWDA death, according to the report from the Oregon Health Authority. An additional 48 did not take the medication and subsequently died of other causes, according to the report. The ingestion status is unknown for 43 patients prescribed DWDA medications in 2018. Of those, 14 patients died but follow-up information is not yet available. For the remaining 29 patients, both death and ingestion status are pending. In Oregon since the law was passed in 1997, prescriptions have been written for a total of 2,217 people and 1,459 have died from ingesting the medications. Tim Appleton, campaign manager for Compassion & Choices in Connecticut, said hes grateful the Connecticut Public Health Committee agreed to take up the legislation this year. He declined to speculate on what would happen Friday. We respect the legislative process, Appleton said. He said it was clear from the testimony on the bill that this will help prevent suffering for terminally ill patients and give them one more option at the end of their lives. There has been no national campaign involved yet in getting the bill passed this year in Connecticut, but for the first time the Connecticut State Medical Society has taken a neutral stance on the legislation. While legislators and juvenile justice advocates have been sparring over proposed legislation aimed at reining in juveniles accused of car thefts, Fairfield Police Chief Chris Lyddy has been watching videos. We have one case where a high-end vehicle was stolen out of Fairfield, Lyddy said. We have video from the next day with a juvenile hanging out of the sunroof in the same car firing a gun in Bridgeport. Whats clear, according to a recent report given to juvenile justice advocates last week, is that smaller and medium-sized towns are seeing increases in the number of car thefts while larger cities have experienced a steady decline in recent years. Whats not clear, according to Kenneth Barone, project manager for Central Connecticut State Universitys Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy, who drafted the report, is who is actually stealing the cars. His report indicates that only about 14 percent of car theft cases result in an arrest each year. Barone claims the small percentage of arrests is making it impossible to determine if juveniles are driving the increases in car thefts. But officials in towns like Fairfield, which saw the largest increase in motor vehicle thefts in 2017 in more than a decade, are pretty clear about who they are dealing with routinely. Were seeing almost exclusively juveniles, Lyddy said. We stopped a car weekend before last and caught four, three were juveniles and one 18-year-old. Were seeing juveniles from cities in Connecticut. They come in, hit a neighborhood, try the doors and take the unlocked cars with the key fobs inside. We havent seen any sophisticated technical means of stealing cars. We have video after video. The kids have no qualms about telling arresting officers that they will be back at it the next day, Lyddy said. There are no consequences, he said. The juveniles we are catching are the same juveniles over and over again. In 2017, Greenwich, Fairfield, Trumbull and Shelton experienced the worst year for car thefts in more than a decade. Car thefts are down overall in Connecticut from 8,823 in 2008 to 7,310 in 2017, according to the latest data available from the Central Connecticut State Universitys Institute of Municipal and Regional Planning. But since the car thefts hit a low of 6,100 in 2014, the numbers have steadily climbed statewide and nationally, Barone said. Barone concluded that car thefts in the states major cities dropped by double-digit percentages from 2008 to 2017. The lone exception was Waterbury, where there was a 91 percent increase in car thefts during that period. At the same time, suburban communities with populations less than 25,000 people have seen a 20 percent increase during that span. Central Connecticut towns like Wethersfield, Rocky Hill and Newington also had the most car thefts in a decade in 2017. Barone presented his findings Friday to the Juvenile Justice Policy and Oversight Committee, which requested the data as legislators and law enforcement examine ways to address the rising rate of car thefts. Of the 93 municipalities Barone examined in his report, 27 experienced the highest number of car thefts in 2017 than the previous 10 years. Another 10 municipalities saw the highest number of car thefts in more than a decade in 2016. Four of the states largest cities, New Haven, Bridgeport, Hartford and New Britain, along with 14 other municipalities, saw the largest number of car thefts in 2008 with the incidents declining in the past decade. Chief States Attorney Kevin Kane told the Judiciary Committee that hes not attributing the increase to the legislatures decision to raise the age of adult prosecutions to 18 in 2012. But the states top prosecutor said action needs to be taken to address these crimes, which have in some cases led to deaths as the suspects attempted to evade police. It should be clear that we are not stating that the raise-the-age legislation is responsible for the recent increase in juvenile auto thefts, but acknowledging that the problem does exist and must be addressed, Kane said. There is currently no effective means available for law enforcement and the juvenile justice system to respond immediately to the threat these small number of serious repeat juvenile offenders are posing to themselves and others. Even child advocates are split on how to handle the cases, according to testimony provided to the Judiciary Committee. The states Child Advocate Sarah Healy Eagan supports a bill sponsored by Sen. Len Fasano, R-North Haven, that would suspend delinquency proceedings for juveniles charged with car theft in favor of treatment. If the juvenile successfully completed services under the watch of a probation officer, the case would be dismissed. If the juvenile racks up three car theft offenses, the teen would face more serious consequences, including being sent to a detention center, according to the proposed bill. Connecticut legislators through the Juvenile Justice Policy and Oversight Committee have asked for fewer juvenile incarcerations, said Abby Anderson, executive director of the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance, which successfully campaigned to raise the age for adult prosecutions. But at the same time, Anderson pointed out Monday in her testimony to the Judicial Committee that lawmakers have provided less funding for services for at-risk youth which she said is now driving calls for legislation to incarcerate more teens accused of stealing cars. Passing regressive legislation to put more youth in detention as a result of our states failure to fund and implement appropriate alternative interventions is ineffectively holding young people accountable for their behavior while refusing to acknowledge our own responsibility in how we got to where we are today, Anderson said. Lyddy acknowledges there are no easy answers. Its a tough situation, he said. I believe in juvenile justice reform. But at the same time, there has to be consequences. Stealing cars, using cars in crimes and using handguns, there has to be consequences. GREENWICH The American Red Cross is there for people when they are in need. Now, the organization is hoping Greenwich residents will be there for them. The Red and White Ball, a benefit gala set for April 27 at the Net Jets Hangar at Westchester County Airport, is the main source of funding for the American Red Cross in the Metro New York North region. Its headquarters is in Cos Cob, and one of Greenwichs own will receive a high honor at the ball. Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard, a longtime town resident, will receive the American Red Cross Humanitarian Award for his support of the organization and his work benefiting others. His newest project is a documentary about the devastating and deadly California wildfires late last year. Howard is adding star power to the ball, which the main goal is to get critical public support for the emergency response work of the Red Cross. This is our only fundraiser for the region we serve, said Mary Young, CEO of the chapter. This is a very big deal for us. It allows us to continue the work we do day in and day out. Its our signature event. The ball has been held locally for 34 years. Its really remarkable how much support weve gotten locally, Young said. In addition to financial support, Greenwich residents have a long tradition of volunteering and donating at blood drives. In addition to Greenwich, the Metro New York North region covers Westchester, Rockland, Sullivan, Putnam and Orange counties in New York. A lot of work goes on at the Cos Cob location to make sure people are deployed through the vast area to help after hurricanes, floods and fires. The Red Cross has long wanted to honor Howard, but Young said the filmmaker has been to humble to accept. For years, Howard has supported the work of the emergency response organization. The award is fitting this year as Howard focuses on the emergency created by last years vast wildfires, particularly on the California community of Paradise. He has been personally chronicling the story since last year as part of his next documentary project. Young said that was in addition to other ways Howard has supported the American Red Cross mission. I dont think that many people would give of their time like that, she said. Also, the American Red Cross will give its Excellence in Service award to Victor Prato, a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army who was wounded in Afghanistan and received a Purple Heart for his service. Despite his injuries, which have left him as a quadriplegic, Prato is still active in the military and is dedicated to walking again, Young said. He can take some steps and is able to drive. And Prato is furthering his education with a goal of becoming an investment banker. We always look to have a hero come and be a part of this event, Young said. When you hear Victors story, you will see how amazing he is. His fellow soldiers would come to visit him when he was at Walter Reed to cheer him up and he would end up cheering them up. He is a remarkable man. Television journalist, host and legal analyst Ashleigh Banfield will serve as emcee for the ball. The Red and White Ball will begin with cocktails at 6 p.m. at the hangar. That will be followed by dinner, the awards program and dancing. Ball attendees can also take part in a silent and a live auction. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://rdcrss.org/2FyL6Np. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com It's more important than ever that organizations harness the power of creativity. This isn't solely about artistry. Creativity spans every profession and job from a data scientist to a marketer to the CEO. According to LinkedIn, organizations need people who can innovate, problem-solve and develop new solutions -- all of which makes creativity the number one skill in the world. Visionary innovation and invention require the right tools to create content that inspires creativity. Ironically, creativity is more dependent than ever on the right tools, data and systems. Adventures in creativity also depend upon a relaxed mindset that cannot occur within a toolless environment. Most creatives, designers and producers are familiar with Adobes Creative Cloud. Its the undisputed standard when it comes to helping companies design, deliver and manage great customer experiences. As content continually becomes a marriage between data and the creative presentation of it -- the company is making an aggressive play toward owning more of the marketing space. Adobe is also creating an atmosphere that allows greater scope and freedom to attain satisfying work. Old Navy illustrates this brand opportunity quite well in a recent blog post. Our creative team lives in Adobe Creative Cloud and doesnt want to switch around between tools because continual shifts require too many clicks and a diversion of pure thought and attention. Course deviations take-up too much time, wrote Jason Wynne, manager of Global Digital Assets at Old Navy. By bringing Adobe Asset Link into the picture, each team member can seamlessly manage the content workflow between Creative Cloud and Adobe Experience Manager from the tools theyre familiar with. The efficiencies in Adobe Asset Link can save our creative team a lot of time. Countless decisions must ultimately come down to time. As an entrepreneur, there are two important concepts to recognize within this decision paradigm shift. Related: 9 Ways to Rewire Your Brain for Creativity Make sure you find the right solution(s) that can easily transfer data freely. Microsoft, SAP and Adobe all have a data sharing agreement called the Open Data Initiative which allows you to share data across with platforms with no barriers. Which, funny enough, until late last year was a major problem in creating content. Even the average small business has multiple platforms for creative CRM and analytics. We wanted to create a single source of truth. Our goal was to create a one-stop shop where you can find any asset you need, says Ben Snyder, IT Product Owner at Under Armour. In an article about creating faster content, Snyder says Automatic tagging through Adobe Experience Manager Assets saves a lot of time for creative teams as they upload files. It surfaces many assets that might have gotten lost previously. Salesforce has started to invest in content management as well. They have built a legacy on CRM and it will be interesting to see how they navigate their shift away from CRM. Much like a Blackberry, CRM has had its era. Related: 5 Science-Backed Ways to Boost Your Creativity Actionable intelligence Actionable intelligence and effective automation in real time are becoming the standard. Less relevant is remembering to call someone. What you need to able to do is manage the end-to-end content lifecycle from creation and collaboration to delivery and optimization. This content supports a personalized and connected customer experience across any screen, wherever people are -- from the web and mobile sites to online communities and physical signage. Salesforce has partnered with Sitecore and is working toward getting away from manual management where they are now. With Sitecore, Salesforce is continuing to be is closer to Adobes model of what makes content tick. Without data, content is merely pretty. Without content, data are mere numbers. Related: Balancing Creativity and SEO in Content Writing Figure out how to capitalize on the industry shift. Anytime there is a major shift in how brands create content, how they advertise, how they target, how they reach consumers -- it creates opportunities. You wont be able to create a full enterprise solution overnight that has taken these large tech companies decades of fine-tuning. However, just like when SEO emerged 25 years ago, there will be an opportunity to optimize the experiences that get created. As we move away from advertising and jump head first into more personalized content -- this shift will require ways to make that system better. The real opportunity wont be swimming upstream against the competition like Adobe or Salesforce but in finding ways to make solutions work better for your company. Similarly, creating valuable equivalent solutions on a smaller-scale for startups will provide favorable circumstances. The biggest thing to keep in mind right now is studying how content has shifted and where its going. If you can predict contents next maneuver and step up your game ahead of the action you will be garnering a large piece of the content pie. Any activity ahead of the actions of large companies and youll be staking a claim ahead of your competition. Related: Advertising is Changing -- Know How to Lean into the Change AnyMind Group Closes Series B Funding Round Google Fined $1.7 Billion Over a 3rd Breach of EU Antitrust Rules in 3 Years Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved A bill to legalize marijuana use for adults and create what would have been among the nation's largest markets for the booming cannabis industry has stalled in the New Jersey state Senate, a stinging defeat for Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat who was working with Democrat majorities in both houses of the state Legislature. Propents of legalization avoided outright defeat by withdrawing the bill when it became apparent it did not have the 21 votes needed to pass the state Senate. Despite the vigorous backing of the leaders of both houses of the Legislature and the governor, the bill never gained support either from Republican legislators representing suburban and rural areas of the state or from several prominent, and notably older, African American legislators representing urban districts. A lot of this is generational, the Rev. Charles Franklin Boyer, the pastor of the Bethel AME church in Woodbury, told NJ.com. Many of us who are part of Gen X or millennials have been the victims of the tough-on-crime (drug) laws. We have felt the brunt of mass incarceration, and youll be hard pressed to find someone from my generation whos against legalization." Among the most steadfast opponents has been state Senator Ron Rice, a Democrat from Newark with many years service in the legislature who was a career Newark policie officer. In my heart, and from my experience, I know the detriment its going to cause long term in urban communities in particular, Rice told the New York Times. We know the health problems that are going to be created and no one wants to accept that fact. The bill would have created an expedited program for expunging, or at least sealing, the criminal records of anyone convicted of the sale of up to five pounds of marijuana. The five-pound ceiling is much higher than in other states, but is a technicality. State law categorizes illegal sales of two ounces up to five pounds as the same offense, so it was impractical to distinguish the amount sold from the offense for which the person was convicted. The expanise expungment provision drew the support of social justice advocates. No state has leaned into social justice through marijuana legalization as wholeheartedly as New Jersey, Amol Sinha, the executive director of the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, told the New York Times. According to various reports, the bill might be brought back for a vote as soon as next month or not until after New Jersey's legislative elections in November (New Jersey is one of a handful of states that holds statewide races in odd-numbered years). Other reports said the Legislature might cease efforts to pass a bill and instead submit the matter to voters for a referendum. Opinion polls show a large marjority of New Jersey voters favor legalizing marijuana. Related: Legalization Stalls In New Jersey Legislature The Man of 'High Josh' - Manohar Parrikar Succumbs to Illness Howard Schultz Calls This Business Book Author His 'Mentor' Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Felix Fefe Fornett feels he is the right man for Ward 2 in the City of Pascagoula. After the sudden death of former Ward 2 councilman George Wolverton, the city held a special election for those interested in completing Wolvertons unexpired term. A runoff between Fornett, who received 114 votes and challenger Melanie Martin, who received 78 votes will ensue on April 9. Because of his familiarity as a homegrown product and being asked to serve by members of the community, Fornett said he decided it was time he stepped up to assist his city however he could. I just want to help save my city -- I want it to come back to where it can be as prosperous and attractive as any other city on the gulf coast, Fornett said. Pascagoula has the resources and I just want to try to make it better. According to Fornett, his 30-plus years of business experience in Jackson County and across the Mississippi Gulf Coast shows his dedication and commitment to Pascagoula. I worked in Moss Point and Pascagoula and have been here the last 20 years, Fornett said. I grew up in Pascagoula, attended Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, worked at Ingalls Shipyard and then went to Bishop State in Mobile where I learned to become a barber. I became licensed and I have been a business owner for quite sometime. I am a dedicated worker who wants to see the best for my city. Fornett described himself simply as a Mississippi guy who spends money across the gulf coast. People close to Fornett describe him as being someone who is perfect to represent the city, according to Madilyn Garry. I have known Felix over 20 years and hes a great man, Garry said. He has always been about his family, church and raising his kids. He cares about his city and what better person to advocate for Pascagoula than Fefe? He works in his barber shop from sun up to sun down and I have never heard anything bad about him. People respect him and hes an all-around good person who will represent the city in a very mannerable way. When talking to those whose votes he is seeking, Fornett says the people want someone in office who will make great decisions, not just good ones and says he has ideas to make Ward 2 the best it can be. I know my decision-making and what I see and what I am living everyday, I know I can definitely make Ward 2 a more attractive place to live," he said. We all have to live together and I dont want to see my property value dip anymore. Our city can be attractive when we do things and business the right way. Votes will be cast at Iglesia Bautista Fuente De Vida Church located at 3819 Arlington Street in Pascagoula on April 9 from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. Haiti - FLASH : What Jovenel Moise discussed with Donald Trump Returning from his mini USA/Caribbean summit in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, with US President Donald Trump, President Jovenel Moise said that, in addition to the issues of regional topics and of interests, he had discussed several issues specific for Haiti with the US President, in particular : The territory and the maritime borders of Haiti (110,000 km2) which has no surveillance and reinforcement of coastguards in Haiti to fight against smuggling and drug trafficking... Moise spoke about the recovery of the army in Haiti and in particular the US embargo imposed on Haiti on the purchase of weapons of war. Trump kicked in touch by avoiding talking about the army in Haiti "He took note to see how strengthen equipment and training elite units of the national police..." Moise said he had discussed at length investments, saying he had made it clear to the US President that Haiti was looking for foreign direct investment to help develop major projects in the sector of energy and agriculture, but that Haiti no longer wanted to be a humanitarian destination. According to the Head of State, Trump would have been very interested in the energy sector and promised to support the 24/24 power project in Haiti. Regarding investments in agriculture, after having exposed to the US President agricultural potential in Haiti, Trump would have expressed interest in establishing partnerships with US companies via the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) the US Development Finance Agency. A "priority status" will be granted to Haiti and in the next 3 months a high-level delegation from OPIC will visit Haiti to explore investment opportunities https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27259-haiti-flash-at-the-usa-caribbean-mini-summit-trump-promises-with-implicit-conditions.html . In terms of tourism, the Head of State claims to have asked his American counterpart to remove Haiti from the list of countries at risk and avoid, list where Haiti has been since February 14th https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26948-haiti-flash-usa-raises-to-maximum-travel-advisory-levels-for-haiti.html . Moise said that the US President had promised to remove Haiti from alert level 4, however Moise can not say when this measure will take effect... It only remains to wait to see... knowing what the promises of the American President are worth, its unpredictable side and its frequent changes of ideas... See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27267-haiti-flash-trump-strategy-could-weaken-the-cohesion-of-the-caribbean-region.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27259-haiti-flash-at-the-usa-caribbean-mini-summit-trump-promises-with-implicit-conditions.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26948-haiti-flash-usa-raises-to-maximum-travel-advisory-levels-for-haiti.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23314-haiti-politic-official-reaction-of-the-haitian-senate-on-the-words-of-trump.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23263-haiti-flash-trump-chancellor-rodrigue-convenes-the-american-diplomat-diallo.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23259-haiti-flash-haitian-government-s-reaction-to-president-trump-s-remarks.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19950-haiti-politics-remarks-of-jovenel-moise-on-president-donald-trump.html TB/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Environment : Soon start of the reforestation project through schools As part of the promotion of environmental citizenship education, the Ministries of the Environment and National Education, inform that the process of seedling planting under the reforestation project through schools will start in April 2019. Remember that this initiative aims to raise Haitian students' awareness of the need to protect the environment and to ensure their commitment and effective involvement in the country's reforestation activities and also serve as leverage to to mobilize social groups for the defense of the environment. The two Ministries propose to work on a structuring approach to environmental education in schools taking into account all aspects of the curriculum [ in the new secondary program, reforestation will be considered as a compulsory subject https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24627-haiti-environment-towards-compulsory-reforestation-in-schools.html , teacher training and the availability of educational tools support for the medium and long-term implementation of such an initiative. The two ministries are working together to facilitate the planting of seedlings produced in Plant Propagation Centers https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25224-haiti-environment-inauguration-of-the-3rd-plant-propagation-center.html , mobilizing all partners for effective involvement of schoolchildren, teachers and school officials of the Republic in reforestation activities. To this end, teams from the Ministry of Environment and National Education, will be touring from 25 to 29 March 2019, in the 10 departments. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24627-haiti-environment-towards-compulsory-reforestation-in-schools.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23424-haiti-education-the-minister-cadet-provides-an-update-on-the-major-issues-of-his-ministry.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Politic : Saga of the interpellation of the PM, the wire of the events According to the Citizen Observatory for the Institutionalization of Democracy (OCID) the week of March 18 to 22, 2019 was marked by the organization of the only interpellation session of the Prime Minister in the Chamber of Deputies and 2 other sessions scheduled without success : one in the Senate on March 18 and the other in the Chamber of Deputies on March 21 for lack of a quorum (only 58 deputies present). Recall that the Senate office invited Prime Minister Jean Henry Ceant to appear in the Senate to be interpellated, first on March 20 and then on Monday, March 18, 2019. The Chamber of Deputies had interpellated the Prime Minister, and his government also on Monday, March 18th, at 10:00 am Monday, March 18 in the Senate around 8:00 am, Prime Minister Jean Henry Ceant was already in the meeting room waiting for the arrival of the Senators. At around 10:40am, the first roll call took place. In the absence of a quorum (14 senators), the meeting could not start. Unfortunately, after 7 hours of unsuccessful attempts to reunite 16 senators (quorum), Senate Speaker Carl Murat Cantave announced the continuation of the session on Wednesday, March 20, a decision that was preceded by Prime Minister's special request. Minister Jean-Henry Ceant to call on a Justice of the Peace to make constat his presence in the Senate sitting room, in the presence of 7 Senators. While the Senate was struggling to find the necessary quorum to hold its interpellation session, the Chamber of Deputies was already ready for its meeting since about 9am. Thus, around 11am, the roll call showed the presence of 104 deputies in the session room. Following the presentation of the motion of interpellation by the Deputy Patrick Norzeus, followed by some interventions of the Deputies interpellaters, the President of the House put to the vote the motion of interpellation. This vote ended with the dismissal of Prime Minister Ceant and his government; despite his absence from the meeting as well as the members of his government, by 93 votes for the dimissal, 6 votes against and 3 abstentions https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27219-haiti-flash-haiti-has-no-more-government.html Wednesday in the Senate was to be held the continuation of the meeting of the Prime Minister despite the vote of censure of the Chamber of Deputies. This session could not take place. First, a dozen senators had sent since Tuesday, March 19, a correspondence to the president of the Senate office, Carl Murat Cantave, to express their disagreement with the decision to organize the interpellation session https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27247-haiti-flash-interpellation-majority-divergence-in-the-senate-the-pm-seized-justice.html recalling that Jean-Henry Ceant was already demissed by the Chamber of Deputies before faced this situation, the Senate of the Republic had to suspend the interpellation session, which turned into a conference of presidents with about 18 Senators. That same Wednesday, Jean-Henry Ceant decided to attack the decision of the deputies in court https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27247-haiti-flash-interpellation-majority-divergence-in-the-senate-the-pm-seized-justice.html so that he can be reinstated in his rights before resigning on Thursday, March 22, a few hours after the appointment of Acting Prime Minister Jean Michel Lapin https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27249-haiti-flash-ceant-handed-his-resignation-after-the-installation-of-lapin.html Finally, the interpellation session scheduled for Wednesday, March 20 was transformed into a conference of presidents with about eighteen (18) Senators. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27249-haiti-flash-ceant-handed-his-resignation-after-the-installation-of-lapin.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27247-haiti-flash-interpellation-majority-divergence-in-the-senate-the-pm-seized-justice.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27219-haiti-flash-haiti-has-no-more-government.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Economy : World Bank support mission to the National Fund for Education As part of a support mission of the World Bank (WB), four months after the installation of Joseph Frantz Nicolas as the Director General of the National Fund of Education (FNE), https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26238-haiti-education-7-years-after-its-launch-the-national-education-fund-has-a-dg.html both institutions performed for 5 days a series of workshops focused on Rapid Results Initiatives (RRIs). These working sessions targeting the staff of the young institution were led by Benjamina Randrianarivelo, a representative of the World Bank. Collaborative Leadership for Development and Results-Based Management approach were the backdrop for these sessions. Drawing on the groups of priorities identified by Joseph Frantz Nicolas during his presentation, at the opening of the workshops, practical work was carried out throughout the duration of the training around the implementation of a set of management tools that can facilitate a better start of FNE operations. For Randrianarivelo, "It's not just about training. The goal is to work on tools that will be used the next day [...] The objective is to allow the team in place recently, to appropriate a set of instruments, which have already shown their effectiveness in many other countries around the world, in order to carry out the different activities of the institution." For his part, Nicolas believes that this mission of support from the World Bank to the FNE fits perfectly with the notion of "Culture of Results" that he intends to institutionalize as a management philosophy of this state body. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26238-haiti-education-7-years-after-its-launch-the-national-education-fund-has-a-dg.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25587-haiti-diaspora-7-years-later-the-brh-finally-reveals-the-details-of-taxes-collected-on-transfers.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21412-haiti-politics-after-5-years-of-blocking-the-senate-votes-the-law-on-the-fne.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-6379-haiti-education-the-fne-becomes-progressively-legal.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-3034-haiti-education-launch-of-the-national-fund-for-education-fne-by-martelly-update-1h03pm.html HL/ HaitiLibre HL / HaitiLibre Published on 2019/03/25 | Source Actor Namgoong Min thanked viewers for the viewing percentage of the KBS 2TV drama "Doctor Prisoner". Advertisement He posted a picture of his "Doctor Prisoner" script with a short 'thanks' on the 22nd. He said, "I know I am not all that, but thank you for all your love". The script in the picture is full of pen marks. Namgoong Min's passion for the drama can be felt in it. The third and fourth episodes of "Doctor Prisoner" rated 12.2% and 14.1% on the 21st. Press release Havre High CloseUp students will be having a Pizza Hut fundraiser Thursday. In June, after school is out, 13 juniors will participate in an educational experience in Washington, D.C., where they participate in citizenship-building workshops, tour the nations Capitol and meet with the members of Montanas congressional delegation. Students will also spend two days in New York City, where they will experience the cultural sites of the Big Apple. Students have fund raised for two years and say they are excited to spend seven days learning about the foundations of our country. Thursday, if people paying for a dine-in or carry-out order at Pizza Hut say they are donating to CloseUp, Pizza Hut will donate 20 percent of the purchase price to the fundraiser. Blaine County Museum Director Jude Sheppard tours the museum on her final day of work Wednesday in Chinook. Sheppard retired at the beginning of the month, but has been training her replacement, Samantha French, on how to run the museum. After 30 years as the director of the Blaine County Museum, Jude Sheppard has retired and turned the museum over to new director Samantha French. Sheppard said that she wanted to retire because she was been the Blaine County Museum director for such a long period of time. She added that she is glad to see some new blood in the position. "It was time," she said. Sheppard praised French. "She is bright beyond words. I think she's a perfect fit for the job," Sheppard said. "I think she has the enthusiasm and love of history she is going to need. Just seeing that makes me feel better about saying 'Here it is. It's yours now, you take care of it.'" French said she grew up in Havre and after graduating from Havre High School attended Carroll College, earning a degree in history. She said she then took a year off, interning at the Butte Archives, digitizing photos for online use. She added that after working at the Butte Archives she has grown an appreciation and respect for Butte's history. After serving as an intern, she went to the United Kingdom, studying in a year-long master's program in art history, where she was trained in setting up exhibits. "I'm excited to put that to good use here," she said. French said she got into history at an early age. She said she always liked literature but in high school, her love for history was really sparked by former Havre High history teacher, John Ita. "He was an excellent, excellent history teacher," French said. She said that Ita took her class to the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama her senior year. While in Washington, D.C., she went to the Library of Congress, she said, where she remembers a massive circular bookshelf for Thomas Jefferson's personal library. "I thought to myself, 'Wouldn't that be amazing to be the person who takes care of Thomas Jefferson's library." Her employment at the museum has brought her experiences and interests with historical preservation full circle to preserve local heritage. French said she has big shoes to fill, but will do her best to live up to the task. She added that she is really excited about the job, because Sheppard made it a good position to inherit. Everything is very complete in the museum, she said, adding it's something to be proud of. "I'm pretty honored to be chosen to be the caretaker of all of her work," French said. Sheppard said the museum director does everything at the facility. The job involves dealing with finances and the book store, creating new exhibits, writing grant applications, acting as a guardian of the collection and taking care of the archive, she said. She said she has tried to bring in a few volunteers to help her take on the workload, but did not have much success. "It gives you a good idea why Jude may be exhausted," French said, "because she has done everything herself." She said a variety of options are available for students and people over the summer months, which might make it harder to find volunteers, but she wants to continue looking. "If I can find some students, not only in Chinook but in the wider area, that are interested in history and want to get some hands-on experience, I think this would be a really good place for them to get that," French said. She added that she is excited about the position because it is an important part of Montanan and American history. "Museums like this are overlooked, but I think they are really valuable," she said. She added that not many people who come out of college are able to go right into the job field they studied for, she said. The job will give her great experiences that would be unavailable to her in bigger cities, she said. Sheppard said that she is very happy with French's work and expects great things from her and the museum in the future. "I just have a great deal of confidence in her that she is going to be a great director," she said. Sheppard said she doesn't have a favorite part of the museum she has directed for three decades. "I love it all, truly," Sheppard said. She said Blaine County Museum is one of the best county museums, in her opinion, with a good collection of exhibits which are appropriately separated Sheppard said she is also very proud of the connection she had with the community and the school children in the area. She said she enjoyed taking kids on tours through the museum and sparking their interest in history, adding that she has taken more than 1,000 children on tours while she worked at the museum. Havre Daily News/Ryan Berry New Blaine County Museum Director Samantha French peers around a doorway at the museum while following her predecessor, Jude Sheppard, around the building Wednesday in Chinook. French will be the first new director in decades. Sheppard said many community members come to the museum researching genealogy. People come in looking for relatives or where their family originally homesteaded, she said, adding that the museum has a number of resources. People are thrilled when they find out where their grandparents lived, she said. They have fun stories to share, she said, adding that that is one drawback to retiring. "People. I think I'll miss meeting new people and kids," she said. "... Those are things I think I will truly miss." She said she has already begun to travel, taking a trip to Hawaii at the end of February. She said, along with her plans to travel, something she wasn't able to do when she was the director, she will get to see her grandchildren more often. "I'm ready for retirement," Sheppard said. "I worked enough in my life, and it's time to run my own show and do what I want to do." News Release March 26, 2019 Contact information Minnesota looking to expand on successful local strategy for fighting opioid crisis Opioids remain a major public health challenge in Minnesota and nationwide, but Little Falls and several Greater Minnesota communities are showing that real progress is possible. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Opioid Prevention Pilot Project involves eight communities across the state. Based on six months of data, these communities are expected to cut patient pill use by nearly 765,000 pills per year. In addition, 147 patients are receiving care for opioid use disorder, and Greater Minnesota now has 21 new providers of medication-assisted treatment, which uses medicines that help prevent withdrawal symptoms. The pioneer of the approach and leader of the initiative is CHI St. Gabriels Family Medical Center in Little Falls. The clinic estimates it has reduced patient pill use by 724,000 pills per year, tapered about 670 patients off of controlled substance prescriptions, and currently provides about 90 patients medication-assisted treatment. The impact our legislative pilot program has had on these eight communities is substantial, said Dr. Kurt DeVine, CHI St. Gabriels. Prescription opioids dispensed have markedly decreased. This will impact and lessen the number of patients exposed to opioids and hopefully reduce the chronic dependence and subsequent opioid use disorder. Additionally, these communities have significantly increased access to medication-assisted treatment. Gov. Tim Walzs proposed budget includes funds to offer grants to up to 20 additional communities. The proposal also includes support for fatality review teams in local communities, culturally competent services incorporating traditional American Indian healing, resources to connect patients to treatment through increased screening, access to life-saving naloxone, expanded treatment access for those in correctional facilities, and funding for medication-assisted treatment. The early success and proven track record of these pilot projects is encouraging, said Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm. By scaling up the effort, we hope to bring the positive impact to many more communities across the state. The pilot projects focus on reducing the numbers of prescribed opioids in their communities by working locally to help patients rebuild lives and overcome opioid use disorder. One life changed is that of Monica Rudolph, one of the first patients in the Little Falls program. This program helped rebuild my life by allowing me to live normally while taking Suboxone [a drug that blocks the effects of opioids], she said. This unique team of providers contributed greatly to my success, and I am so pleased that now I have joined them in their effort to help other Minnesotans. Each community-led project includes controlled substance care teams that can consist of pharmacists, physicians, social workers, nurse care coordinators, mental health professionals and others. The teams implement evidence-based strategies developed by CHI St. Gabriels over the past three years to reduce inappropriate use of opioids through care coordination, addressing unmet social service needs, prescriber education and assistance, proper opioid disposal, and engaging partners outside the health care system. The collaboration of these pilot sites with their communities has helped facilitate a comprehensive network of stigma-free patient care, Dr. Heather Bell of CHI St. Gabriels said. Combining this legislative pilot program with our weekly Project ECHO telehealth program would enable us to affect dozens more communities if funding is available. Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) offers providers training on best practices in addressing opioid use disorder in the family practice setting. The CHI St. Gabriels Health ECHO telehealth program is one of three such programs funded by an opioid crisis grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services. In 2017, Minnesota has had more people die from drug overdoses than from car crashes. According to MDHs data, in 2017, Minnesota recorded 422 opioid-involved deaths and 733 drug-overdose deaths. The opioid death rate in Minnesota has increased dramatically, seven times, since 2000 from 1.1 deaths per 100,000 residents to 7.8 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2017. Minnesota had 358 traffic fatalities in 2017, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. The Minnesota Legislature approved about $1 million in funding to establish the eight pilot projects in 2017. The initiative was modeled on the successful program initiated by CHI St. Gabriels Health that grappled with opioid abuse and addiction problem in Little Falls and the surrounding rural towns of Morrison County. The pilot projects included the following providers: Alexandria Clinic, A Service of Douglas County Hospital Carris Health Redwood Falls Clinic Chippewa County Montevideo Hospital Fairview Mesaba Clinics Hibbing FirstLight Health System - Mora Lake Region Healthcare- Fergus Falls Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Riverwood Healthcare Center - Aitkin/McGregor -MDH- Scott Smith MDH Communications 651-201-5806 scott.smith@state.mn.us By Jim Stallard Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the most common blood cancers in adults. The disease is difficult to treat with chemotherapy and usually proves fatal. However, researchers have identified a potential chink in the armor: AML cells have a greatly reduced ability to export iron compared with normal blood cells, leaving them at risk for iron induced death. Now, researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Sloan Kettering Institute have found a way to exploit this vulnerability. In a study published March 25 in Nature Nanotechnology, the team showed that an U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved anemia drug can boost iron levels in AML cells to toxic levels. The inability of AML cells to clear the excess load of iron, results in a selective killing of the cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed. Its very exciting that we have a drug that appears to be effective against a disease that has been hard to treat, said co-senior author Dr. Jan Grimm, a molecular imaging specialist and expert in nanoparticle technology. We think this approach can benefit patients with AML and possibly other leukemias and tumors as well. Understanding the vulnerabilities of cancer cells, in this case their inability to export iron, results in an Achilles heel that can be targeted by delivering excess loads of iron, said co-senior author Dr. Monica Guzman, an associate professor of pharmacology in medicine and a member of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine. Micro-Delivery The drug, called ferumoxytol, consists of iron nanoparticles microscopic particles with diameters less than one-thousandth the diameter of a human hair. Ferumoxytol was approved by the FDA in 2009 to treat people with anemia, whose iron levels are too low because of chronic kidney disease. In 2018, the application was broadened to include adult iron deficiency anemia. Normal cells can export excess iron using a protein called ferroportin. In contrast, AML cells that have low ferroportin levels are unable to get rid of an iron surplus. Delivering excess iron through the particles tips the balance, causing the cancer cells to die. The Nature Nanotechnology study found that treatment with ferumoxytol proved effective in mice. The drug reduced the number of AML cells and enabled the animals to live nearly 75 percent longer. The researchers studied cells from other leukemia types and saw the same kind of cell death from iron overload. This suggests ferumoxytol could be effective across a wide range of leukemias, the investigators said. A Surprising Effect The strong antileukemia effects of ferumoxytol came as a bit of a surprise. In 2014, Dr. Grimms lab publishedresearch showing that ferumoxytol can deliver drugs or imaging materials to tumor cells. Researchers regarded the nanoparticles mainly as vessels to carry cargo or imaging agents that did not have significant additional biological effects. They did not suspect that the nanoparticles alone could kill cancer cells. We are exploring ways to make them work even better, Dr. Grimm said. We have just scratched the surface of their potential. Edwin Pratt, the studys co-first authoralong with Dr. Vicenta Trujillo-Alonso, a postdoctoral associate in medicine at Weill Cornell Medicinea member of the Grimm lab and a doctoral student in the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, says ferumoxytol circumvents the leukemia cells normal control system to cause the iron excess load. Whats impressive is that it destroys not just the leukemia cells, but also the leukemia stem cells that give rise to them, he said. A lot of other cancer drugs have trouble getting to the stem cells, so the cancer is not fully eliminated. The researchers say their next step is to demonstrate the effectiveness of ferumoxytol in combination with existing frontline therapies for AML and other leukemias. Since ferumoxytol has been used in patients for a decade, there may be much less need, for safety testing. A version of this story originally appeared on Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centers OnCancer Blog Weill Cornell Medicine The burnt-out shells of the two cars in Clarehall A Vietnamese man remained in garda custody last night after two shocking arson attacks in north Dublin yesterday afternoon. Footage emerged on social media of two cars on fire outside a house in Temple View Green, Clarehall. Gardai said the incident happened at 12.55pm and that the suspect (40) was in possession of a meat cleaver. The man under arrest was being questioned at Coolock Garda Station. The target of the arson attack is understood to be a female Chinese national, aged 54. Smoke No one was injured in the incident, which is being investigated as "criminal damage by fire". The arrested man is also suspected of setting fire to the outside of an apartment complex in the Newtown Court area of Coolock before the attack in Clarehall. Large plumes of smoke could be seen coming from the vehicles. A terrified woman was seen fleeing the house just before Dublin Fire Brigade arrived at the scene. One line of investigation is that the incident may be linked to a personal dispute. The suspect in custody is said to live just yards from the scene of the arson attack and resides at Temple View Row in the northside estate. Neighbours yesterday expressed shock that such an incident happened in what they said was normally a "very quiet estate". Gardai said they were following a definite line of inquiry and believe the incidents could be related to an ongoing row involving the restaurant trade. Last night it was unclear whether a confrontation between two men - who appeared to be armed with a machete and meat cleaver - was linked to the arson attack. Footage of this was also circulated on social media. The incident happened close to the scene of the arson attack when the duo were involved in a "face-off" - but no one appeared to have been assaulted in the incident. Gardai said they had not yet recovered any weapons as part of their investigation into the incident. Thefts at Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin (pictured) and St Vincent's Hospital have been linked to the thug A 37-year-old career criminal who is suspected of being the male in a 'Bonnie and Clyde' crime spree partnership has been arrested by gardai investigating his involvement in almost 50 burglaries, theft and fraud offences this year. Among the crimes linked to the notorious thug are heartless thefts from Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin, as well as Tallaght and St Vincent's hospitals, where it is suspected that staff were targeted by the reckless thug and his female accomplice. The suspect - nicknamed 'Clyde' by a senior source - was still being questioned last night at Longford Garda Station but officers have not yet picked up his partner in crime, a woman in her 30s who has been nicknamed 'Bonnie'. Outlaws Notorious outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow travelled the US with their gang during the Great Depression, robbing stores and banks. Their antics were depicted in the hit 1967 film Bonnie And Clyde, which starred Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. The 37-year-old in custody, who has been based in the capital recently but is originally from Co Longford, was arrested last Thursday by gardai in the midlands town - just two-and-a-half hours after he was suspected of stealing a handbag at a health centre in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, at 2.30pm. When Longford gardai arrested the suspect he had already used a bank card stolen in the Mullingar crime on a number of occasions. However, the officers in Longford were unaware of the Mullingar theft when they originally detained him at 5pm on Thursday. They wanted him for questioning about a separate crime that had happened in their district last Wednesday. CCTV footage linked the serial criminal, who has well over 150 previous convictions, to a robbery at St Mel's Cathedral in which the victim's wallet - containing debit cards, a driving licence and other documents - was stolen. The Herald has learned that while in custody in relation to this offence, the suspect has been questioned by gardai from a number of other districts in relation to multiple other crimes. These include a robbery at a Spar shop in Roscommon town on Thursday, March 14, in which officers suspect the 'Bonnie and Clyde' partnership worked together. A senior source said the arrested man is a "highly volatile" heroin addict, who has been known to "hide blades in his mouth to give him the opportunity to self-harm in the event of being arrested". "He has spat blood at gardai in the past and claimed that he has HIV. This is an individual who has targeted elderly nuns and priests, as well as patients and staff in nursing homes and regular hospitals," the senior source added. "He is facing significant jail time after his arrest last Thursday and is suspected of being involved in 50 crimes since the start of January." His female accomplice, who is from Longford, has not yet been arrested but she is wanted for questioning in relation to some, but not all, of the crimes her close pal is suspected of. 'Bonnie' has convictions for a number of minor theft offences and was the victim of a brutal assault. Sources say that she may not get to meet 'Clyde' for many years if gardai are able to gather enough evidence to send him to jail for his spree. "Apart from being the chief suspect for thefts in three Dublin hospitals, this individual is suspected of robberies at nursing homes in counties Kildare, Offaly and Westmeath," a senior source said. "He has also hit churches in Leitrim, Longford, Westmeath, Galway and Roscommon, in which the victims have often been elderly priests whose ATM cards have been stolen and then used." Gardai at the scene of the knife attack at the seafront in Dun Laoghaire A 15-year-old boy who cut a woman's throat after meeting her through a social media app spoke in a "calm and controlled" voice during the attack, the Central Criminal Court has heard. The youth had brought the victim (25) to the seafront in Dun Laoghaire to take a selfie when he put her in a chokehold and began knifing her, cutting into her windpipe. The boy (now 16) has pleaded guilty to attempting to murder the woman, Stephanie Ng, at Queen's Road, Dun Laoghaire, on December 23, 2017. Mr Justice Michael White adjourned sentencing after hearing a psychiatric report on the accused would be needed. Psychopath Det Gda Daniel Treacy said that when the boy and victim made contact through the Whisper app, he held himself out as being 19-years-old. The accused asked the victim to participate in a threesome and she declined, making it clear to the accused that she was not interested in any form of sexual relationship with him. He set out that he could not commit to girls, telling her "it's like being a psychopath, you don't feel it so it's pretty crazy feeling it for the first time". He told her he had not developed feelings for anyone and had not had a crush on anyone, the court heard. They arranged to meet in Dun Laoghaire on December 23. He indicated to her that "he would bring her to a secret spot" and she jokingly said it sounded like "he was going to murder her", the court heard. He replied that he "did not think he could murder her". They met at the entrance to Dun Laoghaire Shopping Centre that afternoon and their movements were tracked on CCTV. He first brought her to a derelict house at York Road, asking her to come in and she declined. He was not able to gain entry anyway as it was boarded up. He suggested they go to another derelict house and she again said no. The pair made their way to the seafront promenade, where she declined to go with him into the disused baths. At his suggestion, they went to the lower path near the water's edge to take a selfie. Ms Ng was facing out to sea when she was grabbed from behind by the accused, who put her in a neck lock and started choking her with his right hand, while brandishing a knife in his left, Det Gda Treacy said. The victim raised her hand to protect herself and to try to catch a hold of the knife. She suffered "significant lacerations" and the accused told her to stop screaming. He did this in a "calm and controlled voice". The victim urinated as a result of the attack and the shock she was in, and passed out because of the stranglehold. When she came around, Ms Ng was lying on the ground near the water's edge. Her hand was bleeding and there was blood around her head. Det Gda Treacy said Ms Ng did not know if she realised then that her throat was cut or when she got to the footpath, where she collapsed. People out walking noticed her and came to her assistance. They saw she was very pale, her lips had gone blue and she was unable to speak. One of those who helped her thought she was going to die. Emergency services arrived and she was taken to St Vincent's Hospital. She had a large 10cm-deep slash wound across her lower neck, from one side to the other, which cut through the trachea 75pc and damaged her voice box. She also had stab injuries on her upper right arm and the base of her right thumb. In the thumb wound, the blood flow had been compromised and tendons were severed. She had suffered significant blood loss and had aspirated blood into her lungs. Ms Ng was put into a medically induced coma so she could be treated. Identified The next day, she showed gardai her app messages and her attacker was identified. The accused was arrested at his home on Christmas Day. When gardai arrived, he was in his bedroom and said: "Is this about the stabbing of that girl? I haven't got the knife, I threw it in the ocean." Gardai seized a book of drawings that included an entry on November 17, 2017, which "appears to show someone being cut up with a knife". There was an entry with a reference to "serial killer might also be self-deprecator, self-praiser." Gardai found the boy had deleted the Whisper app around midnight on December 24-25. He had also carried out web searches about the stabbing. The blood on his Leinster rugby backpack was a match for Ms Ng's. Det Gda Treacy said there had been a "huge amount of pooling of congealed blood" at the scene, which suggested Ms Ng had been there "a while". The victim was an Irish national living in South Dublin and working at two jobs at the time, said Paul Burns, prosecuting. Patrick Gageby, defending, said the accused's school attendance in 2017 had been sporadic, "possibly due to mental health issues". The boy, wearing a navy jumper, white open-necked shirt and blue jeans, was in court with his parents, who sat alongside him in the dock. His mother hugged and kissed him before and after the hearing. He was remanded in custody. Stranded Irish Islamic State bride Lisa Smith has a daughter aged two called Ruqayya, which means "rise" or "chant", it has emerged. The Herald has also established further details about the 37-year-old Dundalk woman's situation in Syria. Aid workers in the Middle East have been directed to help secure her release from a camp where she lives in a tent with other war widows. Ms Smith is trapped in north-eastern Syria where around 1,000 foreign fighters are being detained. She is in a wing reserved for foreigners, and it is believed a significant number of other European women are also in the camp. It was thought she had a son, but it is now known her child is a girl. A source in the region who has met Ms Smith said she is aware her case has created publicity in Ireland but does not know the nature of the debate. The women in the camp, many of whom want to return to their native countries, are unaware of how they are being discussed in the west. "They're cut off from the world in there. There's no access to news," the source said. "Lisa wants to go back home. It's now all about her little girl." The Department of Foreign Affairs has decided not to send officials to the region as is normal when Irish citizens find themselves in trouble abroad. It has been decided at a high level that Syria is too volatile for diplomats. However, efforts are being made behind the scenes to get help from aid workers there. Discussions are continuing between Irish officials and a number of Middle Eastern governments. Diplomats have been trying to confirm that Ms Smith wants to return to Ireland. The Government has not had direct contact with her, but is now increasing efforts to repatriate her on the grounds of an interview with her aired on CNN in recent days. The former Army officer told correspondent Jomana Karadsheh Scott that she "wants to go home" and is "living in a prison". Ms Smith, who once worked on the government jet, left Ireland in 2015 and married an IS sympathiser who was killed in recent months. It is unclear how she would be treated by the State if she returns home. Trouble However, her child will be automatically entitled to a passport and state support. Travelling to Syria is not an offence, but the Department of Justice will have to establish what activities Ms Smith may have been involved with while abroad. Tanaiste Simon Coveney said yesterday the Government owed "a duty of care" to any Irish citizen in trouble. However, he warned that securing the return of the former Air Corps recruit was "very complex" with her in a camp in an effective war zone controlled by Kurdish forces. "We want to look after Irish people and bring them home if they want to come home," he added. "There's heightened concern because there's a two-year-old girl involved." Pitches at Na Fianna GAA club will not have to close The proposed southside leg of the MetroLink line is to be scrapped when the preferred route is announced by transport chiefs today. The line will not go all the way to Sandyford as had initially been mooted. That route had sparked opposition from residents and fears of years of disruption to the Luas Green Line. The Herald has learned key details of the new plans to be unveiled by the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). They include the Metro running from Swords to Charlemont Street to meet the existing Luas service. Trains will not continue down the Green Line to Sandyford as had been proposed. Drilling is to continue as far as Ranelagh to allow expansion in future years. Green Line Luas services are to be upgraded over the next decade to the point where there should be a 55-metre tram every two minutes to deal with increasing demand. A period of public consultation is to be opened up until mid-May before the preferred route proposals move to the planning stage. Officials have identified 2038 as a possible date for expansion farther south from Charlemont. "By that stage it's hoped further development would be less disruptive to commuters," a source said. The NTA will not reveal any costs at this stage as the project is going to go back to public consultation. An international expert, Prof Bent Flyvbjerg, from Denmark, is to be brought in to oversee the costings. Complaints He deals in the management of mega-projects and has worked on the Olympic Games. The original proposed route sparked controversy on both sides of the city when it was announced last year. There were complaints from Ranelagh residents about the closure of a road from Dunville Avenue to Beechwood Road during construction. The original plan would have seen the MetroLink go underground as far as Charlemont. It would then have continued overground along an upgraded Luas Green Line. That led to claims it could create a "Berlin Wall" dividing the community during construction. Another plan for an underground route through Ranelagh could have seen the Luas line close for up to four years. This was ruled out by Transport Minister Shane Ross as "completely and utterly un- acceptable". On the northside, there was an outcry from members of Na Fianna GAA club when the original plan would have seen them lose playing pitches for up to six years during construction. Its pitches will not be affected in the new plan, nor will a planned 3m facility for the Ballymun Kickhams club near Dublin Airport. Local TD Noel Rock said plans for the facility are not in jeopardy as the site is large enough to accommodate both the new pitches and the Metro- Link tunnel boring machines' entry location. Mr Rock said the proposed MetroLink plans can be considered a "definite victory" for both the Ballymun Kickhams and Na Fianna GAA clubs. A Tallaght man suspected of active involvement in a 2017 Clondalkin feud murder was being questioned by detectives last night. Gardai announced the arrest of the 22-year-old in the town early yesterday morning. He is being detained at the local garda station in connection with the murder of John Gibson (28) at Fortunestown Lane at 9.20pm on September 18, 2017. The Herald can reveal that the suspect was not previously known for involvement in organised crime and has no previous convictions. "He is a suspect in this murder case but has never before run into trouble with the law apart from a minor drugs issue a number of years ago," a source said. The murder of the father-of-two was the fourth of the entrenched Clondalkin drugs feud. Gardai have been investigating if Gibson was targeted after swearing revenge for the murder of his pal Darragh Nugent (36). Nugent was shot dead on Wheatfield Avenue, Neilstown, almost exactly a week before Mr Gibson was slain. There have been no further fatal attacks since Gibson was shot dead in Tallaght, but the Clondalkin feud is still active according to gardai. Both Gibson and Nugent were closely linked to jailed Clondalkin hitman James 'Nellie' Walsh who is serving a lengthy jail term for firearms offences. Gardai believe that their murders were carried out by a west Dublin crime group who were intent on "wiping out" Walsh's gang. The gang suspected of murdering the duo are linked to the deadly Kinahan cartel and are considered west Dublin's biggest drug suppliers, but started conflicting with Walsh around seven years ago. Barbaric It ignited when Walsh's rivals murdered an innocent man, and in a revenge attack, their leader was shot dead five days later. Jason 'Jay' Carroll (39) was shot once in the face and twice in the arm at his home at Cherrywood Drive, Clondalkin, on August 29, 2013. It later emerged that gangsters close to Carroll had raised more than 100,000 to have Walsh shot dead. At Gibson's funeral in Lucan in September 2017, his family called for an end to the "barbaric murders" in Dublin's gangland wars. The family of murdered man William Maughan have described the four years since he went missing as "torture" as they appealed for information. Gardai believe Mr Maughan and his pregnant girlfriend Anna Varslavane, from Lithuania, were murdered, but their bodies have never been found. The couple, who had been living in Gormanston, Co Meath, had been set to move back to Tallaght on the day they dis- appeared in April 2015. They were due to meet his mother, Helen, to get a lift. However, when she arrived at the meeting point there was no sign of them and the couple could not be contacted. A number of searches have taken place since then to find their bodies. A major search was conducted in Louth in April 2017, following a previous search in the county two years before. A Crimecall appeal was launched last night, with Mrs Maughan saying her family has been "torn apart" over the past four years. The heartbroken mother said nobody could know the pain they were suffering until they were actually put through something like this. Agony Ms Maughan added that nobody should have to go through such agony. "This will be four years in April now since this happened to William and Anna; four years of torture. Our family is torn apart," she said. "Nobody knows what this pain is until they're in this situation themselves. "It's a nightmare that no family deserves to be going through. "If there's anyone with information out there, I plead to please have it in your heart to just pick up the phone." Mr Maughan's father, Joseph, has said he has been left "brok-en" by the ordeal. "This has dragged me through hell. I'm just a broken man," he said. "They were classed as missing persons for so long and the day the detectives came to my house and updated to a murder from a missing persons, it kicks in that he's gone." The missing man's sister, Sabrina, said that every night she goes to bed wondering: "Will tomorrow be a better day? Is our William and Anna going to be found tomorrow?" Both parents appealed for anyone with information to come forward in an effort to locate the couple, so they can hold funerals for them. Mr Maughan's father appealed to those who know anything to "do the right thing" and get in touch. "Put the Maughan family at some kind of peace so we can lay our son with Anna," he said. "Please, come forward and do the right thing." A violent crime gang with links to jailed criminal Cornelius Price is suspected of murdering the couple and disposing of their bodies. 'So much we want the public to know': Meritus COVID cases surge again Parkland, Fla., is experiencing a fresh wave of grief after the recent suicides of two students who survived the mass school shooting there last year. A swell of coverage of those deathsand of an apparent suicide of the father of a child who died in the 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Conn .are driving questions about suicide contagion, trauma, survivors guilt, and student mental health to the forefront. And those questions are relevant to educators around the country, even if their students havent survived a collective trauma that dominated headlines. Prevention experts say its wrong to assume a single cause for any specific suicide, even those in Parkland. But, recognizing that students there have an obvious need for support, a coalition of schools, community groups, and faith organizations has organized to connect students to counseling and resources as the town grapples with more losses. Even far outside of the affected communities, widespread news reports and social media posts about suicides can produce a contagion effect , some prevention researchers say. Thats particularly true if the coverage sensationalizes the death, provides too many concrete details, or frames suicide as an inevitable response to mental health issues or difficulties in life, said Christine Moutier, the chief medical officer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Education Week spoke about the events in Parkland with Moutier and with Michael Anestis, associate psychology professor at the University of Southern Mississippi and co-chair of the American Association of Suicidologys firearms and suicide committee. Their responses have been edited for length and clarity. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) or text TALK to 741741. Moutier emphasized the important role that educators play in supporting students. Teachers should be mindful about changes in student behavior, and they should offer resources to students who share mental health concerns or thoughts of suicide, she said. What would you say teachers need to know and think about right now as teen suicides are in the news? Moutier: First of all, I would thank educators for doing the job that they do because it is so multi-faceted and they are being looked to for so many layers of youth development these days. And I would just try to make them aware, if theyre not already, that at any moment in any of their classrooms, theres a certain percentage of students who are actively struggling but not necessarily showing it overtly. The stats on that from the Youth Risk Behavior Study [a federal survey of student risk-taking behaviors] most recently is about one in five students in the past 12 months has had serious thoughts of suicide. Discussions about suicide and student mental health can be intimidating for teachers and parents. Do you have any recommendations? Moutier: The most basic thing that any kind of adult can do is to model it, to say, Ive struggled before. Ive faced challenges in my life because we all do. Its a matter of time before we do, or its a just a question of what the details of that challenge will be. ... Avoid filling the silence with too much of your own talking. A student can feel valued and validated by active listening. Its hard for us adults to do. And its probably [hard] for teachers, too, who are used to giving more of a didactic kind of experience in the classroom. And avoid quick-fix statements. And thats hard. Because you want to be hopeful... but avoid saying, Thats no big deal. Youve got this. The minimizing of the struggle that theyre in is what theyre already afraid of when they take the risk of telling the adults whats going on. So avoid minimizing, avoid quick-fix solutions, avoid platitudes, avoid any kind of judgmental language around the struggle itself. If a young person is sharing about symptoms of depression, or burnout, or sleep problems, or scary ways they are thinking or feeling, be extra compassionate. Thank the students for sharing about that, let them know that theres help available and that those experiences theyre having are not a forever state. The adolescent brain is in a state of transition where that primitive part of the brainthe fear response, the stress response, energy ,and impulsivityare fully developed by age 14, but the cortical areas of the brain, that higher cortex of thinkingexecutive functioning, planning, and ambitionthat doesnt finish developing until early to mid-20s. So kids are not thinking in terms of the long haul. Teachers can help students not only feel supported in the moment, but also to ... bridge through to this longer-term perspective of their life. For a teacher in a school far from Florida, whose students havent experienced a big, collective trauma like a school shooting, it might be difficult to see how these headlines might affect them. But is there reason to be concerned that these stories could affect them, too? Moutier: Just because your local community hasnt experienced the trauma doesnt mean that individuals within the community arent going through their own family and individual health circumstances. You have young people who are already carrying their own risk load, perhaps quite invisibly and undetected to those around them. And thats part of our job is to dial up the sensitivity on our radar so that we see the change when it happens. And they might relate to one of these Parkland survivors for reasons that adults cant even understand. The link is real to them. Moutier: Thats a great point. The relatability of the circumstances may be quite invisible. And that is a real factor for many young people. For youth, the potential for contagion is even greater because theyre in that formative developmental stage where theyre... looking for those ways of better defining themselves. And if they have had a traumatic background or some type of sensitivity in their past, then those stories may in fact feel much more close to them. Anestis said its important for families to safely store firearms and other objects that may pose a danger to a child in crisis. And its important for schools to communicate with families about potential risks. What are the unique concerns for students whove experienced a high-profile trauma like a school shooting? Anestis: Any time you have a traumatic eventloss to suicide or gun violence or any other form of traumatic losstheres always a risk around the time that it happens. Theres always a risk that pops up around times like anniversaries. The attention and the nature of what this past year has been for Parkland students, I think, has been relatively unique. The plus of it is that its really changed the gun conversation, which I think is great, and I consider them absolute heroes for what theyve been doing. The down side is probably that theyve been in the limelight. There hasnt been a lot of time for them to be away from it. For some folks [activism around issues like gun violence and school safety] has been a great sort of healing avenue for them. Its been an outlet for them to be able to do some good with it. But for some other folks, it has probably been difficult in that its hard to just have a normal day because its always about that day. What are some things schools that experience losses like this can do to help students? Anestis: You dont want to create hysteria and create the impression that suicide is truly contagious. It doesnt come out of nowhere. People who are at risk for suicide or died by suicide, they dont catch it like a virus. Right? So the word contagion can be tricky that way. At the same time, you dont want to underestimate what people are going through. One of the things that ...[researchers] have found in the research on folks who survived [lost someone to suicide] is that the people who are most impacted by it arent always the ones youd expect. And so yes, youd expect people really close to these particular folks who died to be really hurting right now, and that closeness matters. But also there are folks that consider themselves loss survivors that didnt know the person very well and probably couldnt even explain to you why it has impacted them that much. One of the things that a community needs to do is to make sure that everybody knows they can have access [to counseling and support], and that what theyre feeling is valid and something that they can get help with. They need to make sure that theres a range of options. Not everybody wants to use the same hotline or identifies with the same group. Some people want to speak broadly to a suicide prevention specialist. Someone might want to speak to someone specific to their communitybe it military or sexual minority or something like that. And so the idea is to reach out and take people seriously. Offer a variety of resources, and do your best to make sure those resources are grounded in some reason to believe theyre effective. Ive heard survivors of the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. say that they scrutinized their own trauma. They tried to rank it, and some felt like their emotions werent justified because they werent as close to the violence. Anestis: Thats not how it works though. People respond to different things differently and they also bring their own lives to that moment. Their lives didnt start at that moment, right? They were their own people with their own lens through which they saw their world. And so how theyre impacted by that [event] is going to differ. So its not a right or wrong. People feel what they feel, and what they feel is valid. And so if somebody was right there and theyre not feeling traumatized, they dont need to feel bad about that... And on the flip side of that, if someone was really far from it and its really impacting them, they also dont need to feel guilt about that. We have very little control over what we feel. We have more control over what we do about it. But what we feel can be made worse if other people or we ourselves try to talk ourselves into feeling badly about it. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has assembled resources to help parents, educators, and the public understand and discuss suicide: Children, Teens and Suicide Loss provides resources for helping young survivors. provides resources for helping young survivors. The More Than Sad curriculum teaches students about mental health issues. curriculum teaches students about mental health issues. The After a Suicide Toolkit helps schools respond to the aftermath of a suicide death. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) or text TALK to 741741. You can find a list of additional resources at SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources . Photo: Getty Images Follow @evieblad on Twitter or subscribe to Rules for Engagement to get blog posts delivered directly to your inbox. Air Chief BS Dhanoa was a young director, Targeting Cell at Air Headquarters when he accompanied his then chief AY Tipnis and presented to the Prime Ministers Office (PMO), a plan to conduct air strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) immediately after the December 13, 2001 Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) attack on Indian Parliament. Then wing commander Dhanoa made a detailed presentation to the PMO that involved the use of the Tiger and Battle Axe squadron of Mirage 2000 fighters on terror camps. The plan never fructified with the US ensuring that then Pakistani dictator General Pervez Musharraf made a public commitment on January 12, 2002 against jihad, radicalisation, and also agreed to ban both JeM and its comrade-in-jihad, Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT). After the 26/11 Mumbai massacre, then Air Chief Fali Major went to the PMO, again with a similar air strike plan but to no avail. Watch: Supporting Pak line: BJPs jibe at Congs Sam Pitroda over Balakot comment But Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a go-ahead to Air Chief BS Dhanoa on February 17, after the Pulwama attack, to take out the biggest training camp of JeM at Balakot in the Khyber-Paktunkwa area of Pakistan. The air attack was initiated with a decoy strike on JeM headquarters at Bhawalpur, forcing the Pakistan Air Force fighters on combat air patrol over Northern Areas and PoK to move south to intercept the Bhawalpur strike. Using this window of opportunity, IAF Mirages successfully took-out the Balakot camp in the wee hours of February 26 from a stand-off distance and then returned safely to their bases. The Balakot strike and the riposte to the PAF counter on February 27 show that the IAF has come of age and can no longer be seen as just a force supporting a land offensive. Time and again, the IAF leadership has come out in the open saying that it is a strategic force but till Balakot, perhaps neither the sister forces nor the political leadership were too sure. As evident from the November 19, 1962 letter of then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to then US President John F Kennedy, the Indian leadership was unsure about its air capabilities. Nehru asked for US B-47 bombers and supersonic fighters to take on the Chinese army positions after Bomdila had fallen and Chushul was being threatened by the PLA. The IAF was largely utilised in support of ground offensive in the 1965 and 1971 wars. The use of IAF fighters in the Dras-Kargil-Batalik sectors in the 1999 conflict was a topic of huge debate with then Air Chief Tipnis waiting for a Cabinet sanction, much to the chagrin of the then Army chief, before inducting warplanes into the theatre. In retrospect, the decision to seek Cabinet approval was good as there is a potential of vertical escalation in the battle theatre, the moment an air element is inducted. The IAFs success in destroying the Pakistani logistics base in Muntho Dalo in Batalik sector was one of the key turning points of 1999 war. It also proved that the IAF could individually deliver for the country in the worst-case scenario without being an adjunct arm of the Army in the name of joint-man-ship. But such were the differences on each services role in conflict, that the then western air commander publicly clashed with his western army counterpart at Chandigarh post Kargil war. With the Balakot air strike, the IAF has moved to another level of capabilities with the force not afraid to get blooded in battle. While all three services need to synergise their roles in the worst-case scenario, Wing Commander Abhinandan, by downing a superior F-16 fighter with an upgraded MiG-21, showed that the IAF takes the battle to its enemy. shishir.gupta@hindustantimes.com Muslims are witnessing two contradictory trends in Indian democracy. Between 2001 and 2011, the share of Muslim population in India increased from 13.4% to 14.2%. This rise in share, however, has not led to a rise in share of Muslim members of Parliament (MPs) in Lok Sabha. In fact, the 2014 Lok Sabha had the lowest share of Muslim MPs in India. One of the biggest reasons for this was that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which got a majority in the 2014 elections, gave less than 2% of its tickets to Muslim candidates, and none of them were elected. Should this be a matter of concern? The answer to this question depends on whether political representation for a community is necessary for voicing its concerns in the legislature. One useful way to measure this is to look at the questions MPs ask about Muslims in India. Using natural language processing algorithms, we were able to extract and analyse more than 1,800 questions about Muslims raised in the Question Hour in the last 20 years. Muslim MPs have had a greater relative share in questions asked about Muslims in Lok Sabha. This means that the share of questions asked by them is much larger than their share of seats in the House. They also seem to ask different kinds of questions compared to non-Muslim MPs. And there are certain issues, such as concerns regarding Muslim women, which are ignored by both Muslim and non-Muslim MPs. Our analysis picked up 1,875 unique instances of questions raised about Muslims between 1999 and 2017. Muslim and non-Muslim MPs had a share of 22% and 78% in these questions. When seen with the fact that Muslim MPs did not make up more than 6% of Lok Sabha at any period, it shows that Muslim MPs have a larger relative share in questions concerning Muslims in the House. Among issues concerning Muslims, questions about Haj had the biggest share, while violence against Muslims and welfare of Muslim prisoners had the smallest share in these questions. The most skewed Muslim versus non-Muslim division can be seen in questions on Islamic terrorism, where non-Muslim MPs asked 97% of such questions. Non-Muslim MPs also had a larger share in questions about Haj. Does the fact that Muslim MPs have a bigger share in questions about Muslim issues mean that they only raise issues of their own community in the Lok Sabha? Data suggests otherwise. Only 2% of all questions raised by Muslim MPs in the Lok Sabha are about Muslim issues. This figure was 0.3% for non-Muslim MPs. To be sure, there is a difference between asking questions on an issue concerning Muslims and doing justice to the concerns of the community on that issue. The best example of this is education. Our analysis shows that 44% of the questions asked by MPs in the Lok Sabha regarding Muslim education were focused on madrasas. This, when seen with the fact that barely 4% of Muslim students are enrolled in Madrasas (National Council for Applied Economic Research, 2005), suggests that interventions by MPs might not be highlighting the relevant issues for the community. On the other hand, there are issues that, despite having a widespread currency among Muslims, are not given adequate attention by MPs. For example, a 2017 Gallup survey found that more than 85% of Indian Muslims support equal access for both genders in education, and think that women should be able to hold a job outside of the house. However, questions related to the condition of Muslim women, in terms of education, employment and overall development, make up only 1.5% of all questions asked about Indian Muslims. Similarly, a survey conducted by the Bureau of Research on Industry and Economic Fundamentals (BRIEF) found about 13% respondents cite issues of security for Indian Muslims. However, this topic barely makes up 3% of all questions pertaining to Muslims in India. So who speaks for Muslims in the Lok Sabha? The answer is tricky. Data tells us that both Muslim and non-Muslim MPs express a range of issues for Indias largest religious minority group. However, the decreasing representation of Muslim MPs in the Lok Sabha remains a challenge as it leads to a lower expression of the concerns about Muslims. While both Muslim and non-Muslim MPs raise these concerns, the questions differ in both the frequency and quality of questions being brought up. However, Muslim or not, MPs do not necessarily address all the issues faced by Indian Muslims, notably among women. Analysis of Lok Sabha questions is just one part of assessing whether MPs are taking care of concerns of the Muslim population in the country. Even this exercise tells us that representation is just a necessary and not a sufficient condition to ensure that relevant Muslim issues find a voice in Parliament. A fall in share of Muslim MPs can lead to a reduction in raising issues concerning the community in Lok Sabha, while the need is to diversify their ambit towards issues which are being given adequate attention currently. Saloni Bhogale is a research fellow with the Trivedi Centre for Political Data, Ashoka University The views expressed are personal Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar was shooting for his ambitious period drama Kesari when the sets caught fire last year. In a behind-the-scenes video for the film, Akshay has spoken about how the fire occurred and what happened thereafter. Kesari opened to mixed reviews and has been raking in moolah at the ticket windows. The film has collected Rs 87 crore in five days. Talking about the fire that engulfed the Kesari sets in Wai, Akshay says in the video, We had already almost finished all the shooting and were about to shoot an important portion for our battle. We were all set, there were about seven cameras, but then suddenly, there was fire. Within seconds, the entire set was engulfed in fire, even before anyone could react. We didnt realise there was something that just took off and the entire set literally melted away. We knew we were just 10-12 days away from finishing the shoot. But the set burned down and it was so sad.We knew this is going to be so difficult to finish.We were there for four months, you get attached to a place when you stay there.I think all of us were crying when we saw the set burn down, added director Anurag Singh. Next day, Akshay sir comes and takes me to the side and tells me what is done is done, let us plan ahead. I was like wow! He was not thinking about the loss So I talked to Karan (Johar, producer) sir because this was he guy who invested so much money, Anurag says Karan asked him not to worry and told him that it was Gods will. Also read: Kesari box office day 4: Akshay Kumar posts ninth hit in a row, film to soon enter Rs 100 cr club I would say full marks to the director on how he created an alternative plans and how the different teams including production, design, VFX, went about recreating the set through set extensions and visual effects, that too in Mumbai, Akshay signed off. Watch the second part of making of Kesari: Directed by Anurag Sinha, Kesari is based on the battle of Saragarhi fought in September 1897 between the British Indian armys Sikh Regiment and Afghan tribesmen. The British Indian contingent comprising 21 Sikh soldiers was attacked by around 10,000 Afghans and decided to fight to death - a battle considered by some as one of historys greatest last-stands. Follow @htshowbiz for more Airbus SE secured a $35 billion jet deal from China during a state visit by President Xi Jinping to the French capital, dealing a fresh blow to Boeing Co. as it grapples with the grounding of its best-selling jet. The mammoth order consists of 290 A320-series narrow-body planes and 10 A350 wide-bodies, Toulouse-based Airbus said after the transaction was announced in Paris on Monday. The deals value is almost double that touted by French President Emmanuel Macron in January 2018 during a trip to Beijing. The Airbus coup comes while Boeings own 737 Max narrow-body -- the chief global rival to the A320 -- has been idled following two fatal crashes in five months. The U.S. planemaker is also struggling with the fallout from a China-U.S. trade war thats seen sales to the Asian nation dry up, just as Airbus bolsters its position with an offer to expand production facilities in Tianjin. China has become the worlds most important aviation market as its fast-growing middle class spurs demand for travel. The country has traditionally sought to keep a balance between the two western planemakers as it seeks to jumpstart manufacturing on its own soil, but Chicago-based Boeings order prospects have been complicated by the trade clash. I would see this as part of broader trade discussions, said Rob Stallard at Vertical Research Partners. For the Chinese to put tariffs on Boeing aircraft would be nuclear, but you can send messages in other ways. This tells the Americans that you have got to play nice if you want us to reciprocate. Macron originally put the value of a likely order at $18 billion. A firm order failed to materialize last year despite a second French state visit in June and a delegation of top Airbus executives in September. The deal announced in Paris will include both Neo -- for new engine option -- and so-called classic or CEO versions of the A319, A320 and A321, though the majority will be A320neos and A321neos, according to officials. China typically orders planes in large batches and allocates them to airlines later. The latest A320neo model has a list price of $110.6 million and the A350-900 sells for $317.4 million before discounts. Airbuss incoming chief executive officer, Guillaume Faury, said at the press conference that construction of the A320s will take place both in Tianjin and Europe, adding that the deal is a sign of the confidence from China. Macron called the transaction an excellent signal. China will need 7,400 new passenger and freighter aircraft in the next two decades, representing almost 20 percent of total global demand, according to Airbus estimates. The purchase provides a boost for Faury who takes over from Tom Enders in April. Airbus sales have had one of the slowest starts in the past decade, with the planemaker registering 103 cancellations and just four new orders in the first two months. Separately, China is looking at excluding Boeings troubled 737 Max jet from a list of American exports it would buy as part of a trade deal with the U.S., people familiar with the matter have said. Airbus shares fell 0.5 percent in Paris on Monday, while Boeing climbed 2.3 percent in New York. Most techniques to prevent frost and ice formation on surfaces rely heavily on heating or liquid chemicals that need to be repeatedly reapplied because they easily wash away. Even advanced anti-icing materials have problems functioning under conditions of high humidity and subzero conditions, when frost and ice formation go into overdrive. Now, researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Engineering describe for the first time several unique properties of materials known as phase-switching liquids, or PSLs, that hold promise as next-generation anti-icing materials. PSLs can delay ice and frost formation up to 300 times longer than state-of-the-art coatings being developed in laboratories. "Ice and frost pose hazards to people and can damage machines and reduce functionality of some technologies, especially those related to energy and transportation, so we have been interested in finding possible ways to overcome their harmful effects, and phase-switching liquids are very promising candidates," said Sushant Anand, assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering and corresponding author of the paper. PSLs are a subset of phase change materials that have melting points higher than the freezing point of water, which is 0 degrees Celsius, meaning that they would be solids at a range of temperatures close to that at which water freezes. Examples of such materials include cyclohexane, cyclooctane, dimethyl sulfoxide, glycerol, and more. "At sub-zero temperatures, all PSLs turn solid. So, on a winter day, you could coat a surface where you don't want icing with a PSL material and it would remain there much longer than most deicing liquids, which demand frequent reapplication," said Rukmava Chatterjee, a doctoral student in the UIC College of Engineering and the first author of the paper. While researchers have known about phase change materials for a long time, their unique anti-icing and anti-frosting properties have not been investigated before, Chatterjee explained. Decades ago, Daniel Beysens, research director of the physics and mechanics of heterogeneous media laboratory at Universite de recherche Paris Sciences et Lettres and a co-author on the paper, had observed that when materials like cyclohexane were cooled just below their melting points, water droplets condensing on the surface would move around erratically. "We had looked into this erratic motion before, and we had shown that it originated from the melting of the cyclohexane induced by the heat released into these materials during water droplet condensation," Anand said. In their current research, Anand and Chatterjee cooled a range of PSLs to -15 degrees Celsius, rendering them all solid. Under high humidity conditions, they noticed that the solidified PSLs melted directly underneath and in the immediate vicinity of water droplets condensing on the PSLs. "We were expecting that the erratic droplet motion would stop upon cooling the surface to -15C. But to our surprise, we found that the droplets kept on showing the same hopping motion even at very low temperatures," Anand said. "It turns out that PSLs are extremely adept at trapping this released heat. "This quality, combined with the fact that condensed water droplets become extremely mobile on these cooled PSLs means that the formation of frost is significantly delayed. Yes, at a certain point, ice does eventually form and that is inevitable, but some of the PSLs we tested are water soluble, and this contributes to their anti-freezing properties and can help delay ice formation much longer than even the advanced anti-icing coatings." Anand and Chatterjee saw the same frost delaying effect with the PSLs even when they were applied as extremely thin layers to objects. "In our first set of experiments, the PSL coating we used was about 3 millimeters thick. But we also tested them as very thin coatings, like a film, and still saw the same freezing delay effect," Anand said. "This means that we can potentially use PSLs to coat objects like car windshields or turbine blades without compromising the object's functionality." In further experiments, the researchers found that PSLs have a wide range of optical transparencies, can self-repair after being scratched and can purge liquid-borne contaminants. "The unique properties of PSLs, which we describe for the first time in this paper, make them excellent candidates for next-generation materials to prevent frost and ice development on surfaces," Anand said. Because PSLs are solids at low temperatures, he anticipates that they wouldn't need to be applied as often as liquid anti-icing agents because they would have better staying power. "But, of course, we need to conduct additional experiments to determine their limits and figure out if there are ways we can further maximize their ice/frost-repelling abilities," he said. Trouble in the air Jet Airways founders Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita Goyal stepped down from the board on Monday. The founders step-down was a key demand by the banks. Banks might take the management into their hands and the fund infusion decided by the banks, which is 1,500 crore, may be able to revive two-thirds of the Jet Airways fleet within a month. The concern right now is to stabilise key international and domestic routes hence, they should be reviving their fleet in a months time, said Ashish K Nainan, research analyst at Care Ratings, an industry research firm. Cash-strapped Jet Airways has grounded 78 aircraft and cancelled flights. This month, SpiceJet grounded 12 aircraft after a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, operated by Ethiopian Airlines, crashed near Addis Ababa killing 157 people. Impact on your pocket Jet had a fleet of 119 aircraft and currently operates 41 aircraft. It is a huge dent in the capacity, said Ajay Prakash, chief executive of Nomad Travels. The increase in airfare is due to Boeing 737 groundings and financial crisis at Jet Airways. But the former has a much more limited impact, said Nainan. Considering that the trouble in the aviation industry comes ahead of the peak summer travel season, you are likely to see a dent in your pocket if you are planning to travel anytime soon. Low-cost airlines do not get any special incentives for running at low fares. By continuing to run at low fares in the current scenario, some of the airlines will also bleed financially, said Sanjay Narula, vice president of Travel Agents Association of India. AIRFARES UP 30-50% The rise is more acute between major cities and more impact is seen in last-minute fares [less than seven days], said Balu Ramachandran, head of air and distribution of Cleartrip.com, a travel portal. For instance, Pune to Bangalore last-minute fares are up by 44%, Pune to Mumbai up by 24%, Delhi to Mumbai up by 14% and Mumbai to Bangalore up by 30%, he added. Subsequent to the fare increase the industry has been witnessing since the last month, we have seen a further 10-20% average increase in fares when compared to fares last week, Ramachandran added. Comparing the average fares in March this year as compared to last year, there has been an increase of 30-50%, said Narula. Recently I asked a senior health official from Tamil Nadu how the state had achieved such an outstanding performance in public health delivery. Was it a combination of enlightened culture, and high literacy levels? Her response was immediate: All that, yes, but the key factor has been votes. Indeed, successive governments in Tamil Nadu, and in Kerala, have consistently promised big, and delivered, on public health. Sadly, these states are exceptions. In the recent state elections, one major party in Kerala had an election manifesto with 43 specific health points; another in Uttar Pradesh had no health manifesto. No surprise that India continues to be in the bottom quartile of the worlds nations in maternal and child health and nutrition. It is election time again, and appropriate to consider health manifestos. I sense that this time around, health will be much more of a voter issue nationally. Here are five election promises that can be accomplished within the term of the next government. All data is from government sources and the World Health Organization (WHO). Increase health spending: The government health spending was 1.4% of national income in 2017-18, much lower than the US (8.2%), China (3%), and even Nepal (2.3%). Consequently, the poor meet 65% of their health expenditure from their own pocket. In 2002 and 2017, the National Health Policy (NHP) spoke about raising health expenditure to 2% and 2.5% of national income (even the promises have been modest!). NHP 2017 asked states to spend 8% of their budget on health. Only Delhi and Puducherry meet this target. Its high time the Centre and states reached for their wallets. Merge health and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) departments: Earlier, I proposed merging the governments ICDS and health departments. Three key government frontline workers accredited social health activists, anganwadi workers and auxiliary nurse midwives report to these two departments. With different lines of command, there is neither enough coordination, nor smart data sharing. An integrated department will ensure a continuum of care from conception till the child turns six. It also ensures reduction in redundancy, which is a key challenge in the field. Better equip public health facilities: India has a tiered primary health facility structure. Sub-Centres (SC) serving approximately five villages, rolling up into Primary Health Centres (PHC) and Community Health Centres (CHC). They are the vanguard of local health delivery across India. Nationally, there is a 19% shortfall in SCs, 22% in PHCs and 30% in CHCs. A large percentage (89% SCs, 87% PHCs, 84% CHCs) are not functioning as per Indian public health standards. There is an acute staff shortage, with less than 10% of CHCs having all four required specialists. It is essential to ensure that primary health facilities have adequate equipment and staff. Establish a dedicated public health cadre: India has one allopathic government doctor per 11,100 people. The WHO prescribes one per 1,000. A national public health cadre has been periodically mooted from as early as 60 years ago (Mudaliar committee, 1959). Tamil Nadu has a dedicated cadre, a key reason why the state has one of the best governed health systems in India. Establishing a public health cadre increases efficiency, defines job roles and responsibilities and promotes accountability and communication throughout the health system. Community ownership: Village communities should take stock of government schemes, address grievances and propose solutions. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (2005) and the National Food Security Act (2013) have provided for such social audits. There are a few good examples of social audits of public health programmes (Meghalaya stands out). But these should be mandatory everywhere. Village audit groups should comprise only women, under the supervision of the gram panchayats. Rural India needs contributions from citizens who have benefited from State largesse. Odisha and Tamil Nadu have already initiated this process. Annual student fees in government medical colleges cover less than 5% of costs, the rest being subsidised. There is also a shortage of managers. The IIMs and IITs provide highly subsidised education. Let all these students be required to spend a year in rural service, before they are awarded their degrees. No free lunches! On the cusp of a general election, its time for political parties to stand and deliver on public health. The voters will be watching. Ashok Alexander is founder-director of the Antara Foundation The views expressed are personal All emergency services at the All India institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Trauma Centre have been shut after a major fire broke out at the operation theatre complex in the hospital on Sunday. The Trauma Centre is one of only two such standalone centres in the capital and receives around 200 emergency cases each day, most of them critical. While AIIMS did not issue an official statement on when the centre is expected to open for services again, hospital officials said that the damage was extensive. As the entire operation theatre complex that house five operation theatres was affected in the fire, it might take long before the facility is restored, said a hospital staff, requesting anonymity, as the person isnt authorised to speak to media. From Monday, the hospital stopped admitting new emergency cases and some of the the in-patients that require surgery are being transferred to the main AIIMS complex. With no official statement, patients were left confused as to what to do next. All new cases landing up at the hospital emergency are being referred to other hospitals. The closed white main gates greeted ambulances that brought patients to the hospital on Monday. Almost all patients who come here need some surgical intervention, so we have to tell all the patients to go to the neighbouring Safdarjung hospital, said a hospital official, on condition of anonymity. As central air conditioning ducts, oxygen and other supply lines have reportedly been affected in the fire, the hospital may not be able to receive new accident and emergency cases for some weeks, he said. Manish Kumar had brought his grandfather to the trauma centre from Meerut on Friday after he took a fall. He needs a hip replacement surgery. But, the doctors told us that the operation theatres are not working because of the fire on Sunday. They said that the surgery would happen in a couple of days, said Kumar. Shanti Devi is also waiting for the brain surgery of her son. Both her sons, Dileep and Kamal, were hit by a truck while returning from work on Tuesday near Mithapur. The family travelled almost 20 km to bring them to the AIIMS trauma centres. We know that this is the best hospital for accidents. In fact, my elder son has already recovered and has been sent home with dressings and medicines. But my younger son had a head injury and is not conscious, doctors say he will need surgery, she said. The family was sitting in the waiting area outside the hospitals emergency when they saw smoke coming out of the building on Sunday. There was a lot of commotion, people were running here and there. The patients were shifted immediately. My son was in the floor just above the fire, thankfully he had been discharged. Many patients are now sleeping on gurneys in the corridor, said Shanti Devi. There was no loss to life as all the patients were moved to safety. Patients from four floors (3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th) that house private wards have been moved to other departments. According to the hospital staff around 25 patients were moved to safety, mainly accommodated in the emergency department. No patient was transferred to main AIIMS as the situation didnt arise. By 11pm the smoke had subsided, so we moved patients back. Only three people had to be moved to the main AIIMS for inhaling carbon monoxide, of which two have been discharged. The third is also stable, the staff said. Fire officials had blamed a shortcircuit for the fire. Vice-chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Jagadesh Kumar Monday alleged that students broke into his residence and confined his wife to the house for several hours. This evening, a few hundred students forcibly broke into my JNU residence and confined my wife inside home for several hours while I was away at a meeting. Is it the way to protest? Terrorising a lonely lady at home?, Kumar tweeted Monday evening. The JNU students union (JNUSU) has been protesting against what it termed the exclusionary online entrance exam system from the coming academic year. The students union had also objected to the varsity decision to de-link MPhil and PhD programmes and the scrapping of the BA second-year lateral entry, among other decisions The JNU students?union denied the V-Cs allegations and said the students were protesting peacefully and never entered the residence. JNUSU general secretary Aejaz Rather said, JNU students have been observing a hunger strike for the past one week, but the V-C never met us. We wanted to meet him and that was why we went to his residence and protested peacefully outside. He is levelling false allegations against us. Meanwhile, Delhi Police told ANI, There was a call for a march till the JNU V-Cs house today (Monday). Students reached his house and tried to enter, but they were stopped by the security guards. So far, most of the students have returned to their hostels. A few are still outside the V-Cs residence. The situation is under control. On March 13, 2019, the Central University of Kerala issued a circular which asked departments to create a list of topics for PhD research in the university. This was being done to discourage research in irrelevant areas and bringing research in accordance to national priorities. The Opposition used it to attack the government central universities come under the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry for trying to curb academic freedom. The university administration, while trying to defuse the controversy, later said that national priority was meant to capture the countrys economic, social and technological advancement. Even if it is taken at face value, and there are good reasons not to do so (more on this later), there are deep problems with such thinking in a university. Who gets to decide whether a research topic is irrelevant? Should a PhD on business cycles in the US be allowed in Indian university departments? How relevant can research on aesthetics of ancient Tamil or medieval Bhakti poetry in Hindi be from a national priority viewpoint? Will a university department risk being singled out for commissioning a PhD examining the collateral damage from demonetisation? Choice of research topics should ideally be driven by motivation towards the subject, its potential rewards and resource endowments at the specific centre for research to support the project. Each of these frontiers is continuously expanding as advances in information sharing bring the world, including that of academics, closer to each other. To be sure, this is not the first controversy vis-a-vis higher education under this government. That the HRD ministry shares the worldview of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is a well known fact. The latter has always held that Indias higher education sector has suffered from a prolonged institutional capture from left liberal intelligentsia, which has prevented India from realising its potential. While the RSS and the present government are entitled to hold such a view, their actions so far can only be compared to throwing the baby with the bath water. In the name of promoting national interest in higher education institutions, professional credentials have often been given a go by. Propaganda has been peddled as research from premier institutions and platforms such as Indian Council of Historical Research and Indian Science Congress. It is entirely possible that such behaviour has created perverse incentives for administrators to appear more Christian than the Pope by deciding PhD topics for students in larger national interest. Let there be no doubt about this. Such acts will only worsen the crisis in Indias higher education. The Delhi government has revised the guidelines for enrolment in its five Schools of Excellence, making it mandatory for candidates to submit a proof of residence in Delhi. The clause was not mentioned in the previous years guidelines. A senior directorate of education (DoE) official said the clause was already in place but it has been mentioned in the admission guidelines for the first time. The government recently decided to make residence proof of Delhi as one of the eligibility condition for admission in state-run schools. Its important that the children of Delhi avail world-class education the government schools are providing when the neighbouring states are doing nothing to improve the situation of their schools, the official said. The DoE on Monday issued guidelines for admission to class IX in Schools of Excellence for the 2019-20 session. It mentioned that the candidate should submit a self attested copy of residence proof of Delhi. As per the guidelines, some documents admissible as residence proof include ration card issued in the name of parents having the name of the child, domicile certificate of child or parents, voter ID card of any of the parents, electricity or water bill, Aadhaar card of parents/child (optional) and passport in the name of any of the parents/child, among others. Five schools of excellence the only completely English medium state-run schools were started by the Delhi government in 2018. While the admission criteria in these schools in nursery to class 5 are based on the neighbourhood criterion, there are entrance exams for classes 9 and 11. The DoE had last month added the same clause to the admission guidelines for entry level classesnursery, Kindergarten and class 1 in its Sarvodaya Vidyalayas. Hindustan Times had, in February, reported that Delhi education minister Manish Sisioda supported the DoEs recommendation of making residence in Delhi a condition for seeking admission into Delhi government schools. The DoE official said that there were instances when more residents of neighbouring states were found enrolled in some Delhi government schools. The Delhi High Court recently had allowed three students from Ghaziabad to take admission in a Delhi government school, citing the fact that its nowhere mentioned in any government document that people with residence proof of Delhi only will be eligible. So, the DoE had decided to mention it in the guidelines, said the official. Ashok Aggrawal, a lawyer in the high court who appeared in the Ghaziabad students case, termed it unconstitutional. According to a Supreme Court judgment, Delhi is the capital of India and no Indian is an outsider here. We will again move to the court if students will be denied admission on the same ground, he said. Four suspected Maoists were killed on Tuesday morning in a gun battle with security forces in Sukma district of Bastar region in Chhattisgarh, police said, weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha election. Police claimed to have recovered one automatic rifle and two country-made pistols from the Karkunguda jungles after the encounter. The encounter took place at around 6am in the forest under Chintalnaar police station in South Sukma. A team of CoBRA commandos along the district police were on search operation since last evening when the met Maoists in the jungles of Karkunguda, inspector general of police (Bastar) Vivekanand Sinha said. The encounter between the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and police personnel and Maoists took place for about 45 minutes and the bodies of four rebels were recovered after that. We have also recovered one Insas rifle and two .303 rifles after the combing of the area, Sinha said. Anti-Maoist operations have been intensified in the forests of Bastar division ahead of the Lok Sabha election 2019. Sukma is under Bastar constituency and will vote on April 11. Chhattisgarh will vote in three phases on April 11, April 18 and April 23. The results will be declared on May 23. Gau raksha or cow protection has an important place in the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) campaign rhetoric. While campaigning for the 2014 elections, Narendra Modi, then the BJPs prime ministerial candidate; accused those supporting the Congress party of promoting a pink revolution of cattle slaughter and meat exports. An overwhelming majority of Hindus have an emotional attachment to cows and consider them holy (which makes the consumption of beef a sacrilege). But there are material issues, such as theft and smuggling of cattle, as well because there has traditionally been a direct correlation between an individuals wealth and the number of cattle he or she owns. An HT analysis shows that the BJPs attempts to leverage the issue of gau-raksha might be aimed at exploiting the emotional fault lines to a bigger degree rather than the material ones. One, there does not seem to be a strong correlation between districts with high cattle population and the BJPs vote share. Also, higher share of cattle owners come from rural areas, while the BJP is generally known to have an advantage in urban areas. Ninety-four percent of cattle-owning population lives in rural areas in India, according to the fourth round of the National Family and Health Survey (NFHS). However, opinion polls do indicate that beef consumption is one of the rare issues where BJP supporters (irrespective of whether they own cattle or not) differ with those of other parties. Indeed, anecdotal evidence suggests that most cattle owners were fairly accustomed to the pastoral economic cycle of selling non-productive cattle to slaughter houses. The fourth round of the NFHS asked respondents if their household owns cows, bulls, or buffaloes. The survey was conducted among six lakh households in 2015-16 and provides district-level data on the ownership of these animals. HT has calculated the percentage of persons in a district and state who live in a household owning any of the three animals. The median share of individuals in a state living in a cattle-owning household is 30.7%. Rajasthan (56.8%), Uttar Pradesh (52.4%), Madhya Pradesh (52.4%), and Gujarat (35.9%) are four big states whose share of such persons is higher than this median value and where the BJP contests without any major alliance. If cow-protection unites Hindus irrespective of their other issues, one would expect the BJPs vote share to be higher in districts of these states where cattle-owning population is larger than elsewhere. However, this does not seem to be the case. For this analysis, district-level vote shares for the 2014 Lok Sabha election were calculated by aggregating the votes of all assembly constituencies in a district. Assembly constituency-level votes for the 2014 Lok Sabha election are available from the Election Commission of India (ECI). This suggests that cattle owners do not have a higher likelihood of voting for the BJP. However, there is evidence to suggest that the gau raksha campaign might have a bigger resonance among non-cattle owners. For example, BJP supporters were significantly more averse to beef eating than others in a 2016 survey of Indians aged 15-34 year old Indians, conducted by Lokniti (see chart 2). To be sure, multiple factors influence voting decision and therefore the relation between cattle owners and BJPs voters might be weaker or stronger than what is shown in our analysis. However, the arguments made above also point towards the hazards of undermining the importance of emotional and non-material factors in political decisions. Nearly 30,000 world maps showing Arunachal Pradesh as a part of India and Taiwan as a separate country were destroyed by customs authorities in a northeastern Chinese city last week. Reports said it was the largest such exercise in recent years and was carried out to protect Chinas territorial integrity. The maps were in English and manufactured by a company in a Chinese province called, Anhui. Arunachal Pradesh is claimed by Beijing as a part of China and depicted on its official maps as a part of south Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Beijing also considers Taiwan, a self-governing democracy, as a breakaway province to be eventually unified. Watch: Explained: Three possible reasons why China blocked UN move on Masood Azhar Acting on a tip off, customs officials of Qingdao city in Shandong province raided an office and seized more than 800 boxes containing 28,908 world maps. A total of 803 boxes of the 28,908 wrong maps were seized and destroyed, the largest amount to be disposed of in recent years, the provinces Natural Resources ministry said at a press conference, quoted by the news website Dazhongwang Qingdao reported. Also read: After China objects to PM Modis Arunachal visit, MEA says state integral part The documents were taken to a secret location and shredded. The maps were produced by a company in East Chinas Anhui Province and were on the way to being exported to an unspecified foreign country, the nationalistic tabloid, Global Times reported. The problematic maps failed to show the correct territory of China and omitted south Tibet and the island of Taiwan, the Qingdao government found after an examination of the maps, the report added. Relevant authorities have carried out checks on the domestic map market more than 100 times and have discovered and destroyed over 10,000 incorrect maps, preventing the sale in domestic and overseas markets. Maps reflected national sovereignty and were a political statement, Ma Wei, from the Natural Resources ministrys geographical information centre, was quoted as saying. What China did in the map market was absolutely legitimate and necessary, because sovereignty and territorial integrity are the most important things to a country. Both Taiwan and south Tibet are parts of Chinas territory which is sacred and inviolable based on the international law, Liu Wenzong from the department of International Law of China Foreign Affairs University told the Global Times. If the wrong maps were circulated inside the country and abroad, it would have caused great harm to Chinas territorial integrity in the long run, noted Liu. Beijing opposes visit of Indian leaders to Arunachal Pradesh and is very sensitive to the depiction of Arunachal Pradesh as a part of India. . In April, 2017, China renamed six places in Arunachal Pradesh in an apparent retaliation against the Dalai Lamas visit to Indias easternmost state, with experts saying the move is aimed at reaffirming Beijings territorial sovereignty on the region. Changing the names was a legitimate action done in line with Chinese law, the foreign ministry had then said, adding it supported Beijings territorial claim. The ministry said: To issue these names, it is actually carried out in accordance with our regulations about the names of localities and it is a legitimate action by the Chinese government, adding: These names reflect from another side that Chinas territorial claim over South Tibet is supported by clear evidence in terms of history, culture and administration. Last February, China had criticised Prime Minister, Narendra Modis visit to the Indian state. Chinas position on the China-India boundary question is consistent and clear-cut. The Chinese government has never recognised the so-called Arunachal Pradesh and is firmly opposed to the Indian leaders visit to the East Section of the China-India boundary, Hua Chunying, foreign ministry spokesperson said. Beijing has increased pressure in recent months on international firms and airlines to refer to Taiwan as a part of China on websites as part of its effort to assert its authority over Taiwan. Last July, Indias national carrier Air India changed the name of Taiwan to Chinese Taipei on its website after China raised concerns about Taiwan being described as a separate region by various airlines worldwide. Air India was among 40 international airlines to do so. Also, last year, the US clothing company GAP had to apologise for selling T-shirts with a map of China which didnt show Taiwan. The international hotel chain Marriott had its Chinese website briefly blocked for listing the Tibet Autonomous Region, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau as separate countries in a questionnaire for customers in 2018. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday alleged that YSR Congress president YS Jaganmohan Reddy offered to pay 1,500 crore to the Congress high command if he were made the chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh after the death of his father YS Rajasekhar Reddy (also known as YSR) in 2009. Hindustan Times could not independently verify his claim. YSR, the former Andhra Pradesh CM and the Congress biggest leader in the state died after his chopper crashed due to inclement weather. (Jaganmohan) Reddy told me he was ready to offer 1,500 crore to the (Congress) high command if he were made the chief minister of the then combined Andhra Pradesh, he said. Repeated attempts to reach out to Reddy and YSRC general secretary V Vijay Sai Reddy for their reactions to Abdullahs allegations proved futile. All India Congress Committee spokesman Sravan Dasoju said it was a fact that Jagan had made all attempts to become the chief minister, including initiating a signature campaign by Congress legislators at the time. But the claim by Farooq Abdullah that Jagan had offered money to the high command to make him CM has no authenticity. Sonia had taken the best decision on YSRs successor in the prevailing circumstances then, he said. Congress veteran K Rosaiah had succeeded YSR. Abdullah, the National Conference leader, made the sensational claim at an election rally that he addressed to seek support for Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at Kadapa. Several top leaders from the opposition alliance, including Abdullah will campaign for Naidu in the coming weeks, according to a senior TDP leader. Abdullah, who arrived in Vijayawada on Monday, will participate in Naidus election rallies in Allagadda, Nandyal and Kurnool in Rayalaseema region, considered to be the bastion of YSR Congress party. Naidu is at the forefront of the Mahagathbandhan or the grand alliance that aims to unseat the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government at the centre. While the Congress is part of the alliance that has come together to oppose the BJP, it will contest the upcoming polls in the state independently. The elections for the state assembly (175 seats) and Lok Sabha (25 seats) will be held simultaneously on April 11. On March 31, Naidu plans to put up a massive show of strength at Visakhapatnam. It will be attended by Mamata, Kejriwal, Farooq Abdullah, Sharad Pawar and Deve Gowda who will extend solidarity with Naidu and also strengthen the grand alliances cause, Rao added. Another senior leader familiar with the development said former Union ministers from the BJP Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie might also attend the Visakhapatnam rally. Political analyst and author Sriram Karri said Naidus attempt to get a national status by involving top opposition leaders may turn out to be a futile exercise, as there is no unanimity among them on the prime ministerial candidate. For one, starting this year, individuals will no longer have to pay penalties for going without health insurance. They also have new options for buying coverage outside the exchange, such as short-term plans that can be used for longer periods of time than in the past. Short-term plans are generally cheaper than exchange plans but may not offer as much coverage. Prime Minister Imran Khan has said he believes Pakistans relations with India will continue to be tense till the general elections in the neighbouring country, and Islamabad is prepared to counter any aggression because the danger is not over. Khan made the remarks during a wide-ranging interaction with the media in Islamabad on Monday. Tensions between the two countries had spiked following a suicide attack by the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 40 paramilitary troops last month. India retaliated for the Pulwama attack by conducting an air strike on a JeM base at Balakot in Pakistan, and this was followed by an aerial engagement along the Line of Control that resulted in the shooting down of an Indian jet fighter. The situation eased after Pakistan freed Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, the pilot of the downed jet. According to a report in Dawn newspaper, Khan responded to a question about ties with India by saying: The danger is not over. The situation will remain tense till forthcoming general elections in India. We are already prepared to avert any aggression from India. Khan said his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi was trying to cash in on the anti-Pakistan narrative during his election campaign, the report added. He added there was no hope for improving relations with India at least until the elections. Pakistan needs to be fully alert as threat by India is possible until their elections. The nation must not let down their guard, he was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune. Khan also said that though Modi had sent a message on Pakistan Day, which was observed on March 23, he was pushing ahead with war hysteria. There was no immediate response to Khans remarks from Indian officials. A 53-year-old landlord, his two sons, and three tenants of the residential building he owned, died of asphyxia one after the other on Tuesday when they were exposed to poisonous fumes from a septic tank on the premises in the town of Nemeli in Kancheepuram district, 81 km from Chennai. According to the police in Nemeli, the chain of deaths started at around 1pm when the landlord, identified as Krishnamurthy, who ran a grocery shop besides renting out portions of his house, peeped into the septic tank to check for blockage. Krishnamurthy had called for a suction machine in the morning to clean up overflowing drainage and wanted to check the tank for any sign of blockage, the police said. As soon as he peeped in, he swooned on inhaling the poisonous gas and fell inside, a police officer said. His wife Latha cried for help and her two sons, Kannan, 27, and Karthik, 26, who rushed to the help of their father, were also overcome by the fumes and fell inside the tank one after the other, the officer said. On hearing Lathas screams, three tenants of the building Lakshmikanth, 22, Suradha Bhai, 28, and Paramasivam, 31 tried to enter the tank to rescue the father and sons, and perished too. It was only then that Latha called the Fire and Rescue Service. When the rescue team arrived, local residents had gathered at the building in large numbers. Fireman Kumaresan, his face covered with a cloth, tried to get into the septic tank, but the poisonous fumes were too strong. Incidentally, Tamil Nadu has reported the highest number of deaths of manual scavengers engaged in cleaning septic tanks over the past five years. The death count in the state stood at 144, according to a reply to a question in the Lok Sabha given in February this year by Union minister of state for social justice Ramdas Athavale. It was more than double the death toll of manual scavengers in Uttar Pradesh, according to the minister. Amid confusion over Congress president Rahul Gandhis probable second seat in south India, NDA ally Bharatiya Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) on Tuesday said it is ready to give the Wayanad constituency in north Kerala to the BJP if Gandhi contests from there. The BDJS is a political outfit of the backward Ezhavas. Out of the 20 seats in Kerala, the BJP is contesting on 14, BDJS is contesting on five seats and Kerala Congress leader PC Thomas is contesting from one seat. The BJP has alerted us about Wayanad. If Rahul Gandhi is fighting from there we are ready to give up the seat for the BJP, said BDJS president Thushar Vellapally, who is seeking his maiden mandate from Thrissur. The BJP has made it clear that if Gandhi decides to contest from Wayanad, the party will field a strong candidate against him. Though many names are doing the rounds, a party functionary said a senior leader will be fielded from Wayanad. Party state president PS Sreedharan Pillai is among the probable candidates. We wont give him an easy walkover. We will field a strong candidate, said the leader who did not want to be identified. Meanwhile, uncertainty continues over Rahul Gandhis possible candidature from Wayanad. A senior Congress district functionary said the AICC has advised party workers to wait for a few days. The DCC has approached the party leadership saying that the uncertainty was affecting the morale of the grassroots workers even as rivals surged ahead in campaigning. A top contender for the seat T Siddique had announced his withdrawal to make way for Gandhi. There is no delay. It is a great honour for the state if he contests from here. We are sure the party president will take a favorable decision soon, said Siddique. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and former CM Oommen Chandy also said they expected a favorable decision by Wednesday. Malappuram DCC has passed a resolution requesting the Congress leadership to take a speedy decision on this. In many places in the constituency, enthusiastic workers have put up boards and hoardings to welcome the Congress president. A woman lodged complaint of assault against the state agriculture minister Randhir Singh at Karmatand police station in Jamtara district, around 180-km south from capital Ranchi, on Tuesday. Pinky Kumari, Zila Parishad member from Sarath in Deoghar district, alleged that the BJP minister abused, slapped repeatedly and broke her eyeglasses amid hundreds of villagers during a religious function at Kalajharia village. The minister, however, denied the allegation terming it political conspiracy against him. BJP workers also lodged a counter complaint at the same police station. Jamtara sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Arvind Upadhyay said, The complaints were lodged by both the parties against each other. We will investigate the matter and then lodge an FIR. Kumari said she was at the religious event on villagers invitation and when she was about to pick Kalash (metal pot) to participate in the religious procession, ministers workers came and asked her to leave the place. They said the function was being organized by the minister. I told them that wont leave the place until villagers ask me to go. Then, they called up the minister. The minister came and started abusing me. He slapped me repeatedly and broke my eyeglasses. Then he left the place following the protest from the villagers, she alleged. Kumaris younger brother Rahul Kumar, who was along with her during the incident, said, My sister had been preparing to contest upcoming assembly polls. She was on field visit to the village two days back where the villagers invited her for their annual religious function held on Tuesday. But, it did not go well with the BJP workers. This is a political stunt to defame me. Actually, the lady slapped me and held my collar, Singh said. Singh, BJP legislator from Sarath, said, Like every year, I participated in the religious event. When I was walking in the procession along with others, I found few committee members arguing with each other. I went to stop them. She suddenly came and started alleging me that I was creating an uproar. She held my collar. When I requested to leave her, she slapped me. The BJP has fielded Tejasvi Surya, a 28-year-old lawyer, for the Bengaluru South Lok Sabha constituency in a surprise pick against senior Congress leader BK Hariprasad. Senior BJP leaders had finalised the name of Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, wife of the late HN Ananth Kumar. Ananth Kumar, the former Union minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had won the seat for six consecutive terms. A senior BJP leader, who was part of the candidate selection process, said that the party was looking at the long-term future after some leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) questioned the logic of banking on sympathy in the crucial Lok Sabha election 2019. In a series of tweets, an elated Surya said the decision to pick a novice like him could only be taken by the Bharatiya Janata Party as he thanked several people, including Ananth Kumar, Tejaswini, and the RSS among others for believing in him. OMG OMG!!! I cant believe this. PM of worlds largest democracy & President of largest political party have reposed faith in a 28 yr old guy to represent them in a constituency as prestigious as Blore South. This can happen only in my BJP. Only in #NewIndia of @narendramodi (sic), he tweeted. Surya, the general secretary of the BJPs youth wing, is the nephew of BJP MLA Ravi Subramanya and joined the party four years ago. Ananthkumar Ji & @Tej_AnanthKumar maam have groomed me from my high school days. I had pestered Tejaswini maam to send me on Jan Chetna Yatra along with AK Ji. She somehow convinced Sir to take me along. I saw my first Bharat Darshan. You both have made me the man I am today (sic), Surya posted. I know that you all have bestowed me with this opportunity with lot of hope in my potential to serve our cause and country. What I have done till now to deserve this is less. What you expect of me is immense. This burden is heavy, but I am confident that I will carry it ably, Surya wrote. Tejaswini had to take to Twitter to urge supporters of Ananth Kumar, who were not happy with the decision, to put the interests of the party before their appreciation for the former Union minister. My urge all the BJP karyakartas, friends and well-wishers who are anxious and upest & still visting our house in large numbers Time to show we are a party with a difference. We are all committed to tread the path of ideology. And work for #NamoAgain2019 (sic), she said. Bengaluru South will vote on April 18, the second round of the seven-phased Lok Sabha election 2019. The results will be declared on May 23. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) organised more than 250 rallies across the country on Tuesday, stepping up its attack on the Opposition on the issue of nationalism as well as Congress president Rahul Gandhis promise to provide 72,000 per annum to the 20% poorest families in India. Tuesday was the second day of the BJPs Vijay Sankalp Sabha, which the party had launched on Sunday to mobilise support for the April-May parliamentary elections. Addressing a poll rally in Uttar Pradeshs Moradabad, BJP president Amit Shah said Narendra Modi was the only prime minister who had responded strongly to terror activities emanating from Pakistan, likening the Centres response to the US action against terrorism. We launched an attack on Pakistan without any delay after the Pulwama attack, while the Opposition leaders were insisting on negotiation, Shah said. The BJP chief alleged the Opposition insulted the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troops who died in the Pulwama attack by asking questions on the number of casualties in the Balakot air strike. Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in Karnataka that the Congress is still relying on the Garibi Hatao [remove-poverty] slogan coined by former PM Indira Gandhi as it could not eliminate poverty during its rule. They are coming up with the Garibi Hatao slogan again. Is that because they could not drive away poverty all these years? she said at a press meet in Udupi referring to the basic minimum income (NYAY) scheme for poor families, a poll promise announced by Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj (Ghaziabad), Uma Bharati (Sonepat), Piyush Goyal (Vijaywada) Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath (Varanasi) were among those who addressed these meetings. Popular Telugu film actor-producer and former Rajya Sabha member Manchu Mohan Babu returned to active politics after a gap of nearly 18 years to join the YSR Congress party. Mohan Babu, along with his son Manchu Vishnu, met YSRC president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at the latters residence in Hyderabad and was formally inducted into the party. Jagan welcomed Babu by offering him the party shawl. Incidentally, Mohan Babu is also related to Jagan. His son Vishnu, a popular hero in Telugu films, is married to Jagans first cousin Veronica. There had been many offers for me from various parties, including the Telugu Desam Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the YSR Congress party in the last five years. But I preferred to join the YSRC, not because I expected some posts or positions. I sincerely felt Jagan will do a lot of good for the people. I am confident he will become the next chief minister, Mohan Babu said. Recalling the services of Jagans father and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister late YS Rajasekhara Reddy for the state, Mohan Babu said he wished Jagan would carry forward his fathers legacy. I will campaign for the YSRC in the ongoing elections, he said. The 69-year-old Padma Shri award recipient was an ardent fan of TDP founder and former chief minister late NT Rama Rao and had been associated with the party since its inception in 1962. He was instrumental in bringing actress Jaya Prada into politics. In 1995, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha and was closely associated with present TDP president and chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu. However, within a couple of years, due to differences with Naidu, Mohan Babu withdrew from politics in 2001 after the completion of his Rajya Sabha term. Since then, he has kept his distance from active politics. Recently, the veteran actor raised a banner of revolt against the Naidu government for not implementing fee reimbursement scheme for his Sri Vidya Niketan Group of Institutions near Tirupati. He alleged that Naidu was harassing the students of his institution by not reimbursing their tuition fees. He tried to hold a massive rally with college students in Tirupati, but was denied permission by the police. This, he says, prompted him to join the YSR Congress party. A firm owned by diamantaire Nirav Modi moved the Bombay high court (HC) on Monday, challenging the decision of a special court to allow the auction of the artworks belonging to the jeweller, who has been arrested in London. The three-day auction is scheduled to begin on Tuesday. Last week, the special court for offences registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), allowed the Income Tax (I-T) department to auction the artworks, primarily 68 modern Indian art paintings, to recover I-T arrears of over Rs 95 crore from Camelot Enterprises, a purpoted shell company formed by Nirav and controlled by another Punjab National Bank fraud accused, Hemant Bhatt. A law firm, India Law Alliance, which has filed the appeal, stated the I-T departments demand to auction the paintings is unlawful. A lawyer associated with the firm said that they have contended that most of the paintings do not belong to the firm, and therefore the revenue department cannot auction them to recover old tax dues. The lawyer also said that the appeal was mentioned by them for urgent hearing before a division bench of Justice Akil Kureshi and Justice Sarang Kotwal on Monday, and the bench has now posted the matter for hearing on Wednesday. The paintings were provisionally attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) which is probing the money laundering angle to the massive Rs13,500 crore PNB fraud. The I-T department has seized about 170 paintings. Nirav was arrested on March 19 in London by the Scotland Yard on behalf of the Indian authorities, and is being held at a London prison currently. Police on Monday recovered the body of a pregnant woman from the Bhakra canal in Lehragaga. The woman had gone missing from outside her house in Punjabs Ferozepur on March 14.. The family of woman, identified as Ravneet Kaur, 29, a resident of Bagge Ki Pippal village, 8 km from Ferozepur, suspect the hand of her NRI husband in the murder. Gurcharan Singh, Arifke police station in-charge, said: On the complaint of Ravneets father Harvinder Singh, we have booked her husband Jaspreet Singh, a resident of Chandigarh who is settled in Australia. The family told police that Ravneet got married to Singh in 2013. The couple has a four-and-a-half-year-old daughter and was expecting their second child. Harvinder told police that Jaspreet had developed illicit relations with a girl called Kiran in Australia. Despite Ravneets repeated pleas, Jaspreet was not ready to end his affair. To get rid of his wife, Jaspreet plotted her murder with his paramours help, said Gurcharan Singh. While Jaspreet stayed back in Australia, Kiran came to India to execute their plan. On March 14, Kiran along with her associates kidnapped Ravneet , who was on a call, from outside her house, said police sources. Later, the kidnappers strangulated Ravneet and threw her body into the canal, alleged the victims father. Jaspreet had recently got a permanent resident card of Canada and was supposed to move there from Australia shortly, he added. The body will be handed over to the family after autopsy tomorrow, said police. Police sources said Kiran and her associates have also been named in the FIR. However, there was no official confirmation. We have cracked the case and will divulge details at a press conference tomorrow, said Ferozepur SSP Sandeep Goel. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Supreme Court on Monday said there were very, very serious allegations against former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar in the Central Bureau of Investigations status report on the Saradha chit fund scam. A three-judge bench led by the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said that facts having serious bearings are disclosed in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) status report and that the agency should file an application against Kumar in the next 10 days. The Central Bureau of Investigation filed the status report based on last months interrogation of Kumar, who is accused of tampering with evidence pertaining to the Saradha chit fund case. The court also refused to drop contempt proceedings against the West Bengal home secretary and the director general of police for wilful and deliberate violation of apex court orders. The CBI had last month filed a contempt petition against Rajeev Kumar, the state director general of police (DGP) and the home secretary, saying the three officials were not cooperating in the Saradha case investigation. In an affidavit filed in the top court on February 18, the probe agency alleged even after the CBI was entrusted with the investigation on 9.5.2014, Rajeev Kumar was not parting with the investigation material containing the evidence collected by the SIT [special investigation team] headed by him clearly in connivance with the main accused persons. ...It is submitted that in spite of the continuous insistence and follow-up by the CBI, Rajeev Kumar furnished only CDRs of the prime accused only on 28.6.2018. The CDRs of the accused when analysed by the CBI were found to be tampered [with], doctored and material evidence had been destroyed, the affidavit read. Kumar, a 1989-batch Indian Police Service officer, is known for his proximity to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. He headed the SIT formed by the state government to probe the Saradha scam in April 2013. On February 3, Banerjee launched a 48-hour dharna in Kolkata in protest against the entry of a CBI team to Kumars residence to question him in connection with the case. Subsequently, Kumar had to face questioning in Shillong for five days between February 9 and 13 under directions by the top court. The Saradha Group, which operated in states such as West Bengal, Assam and Odisha, had collected~200-300 billion from about 1.8 million depositors mostly poor and lower middle-class people before it collapsed in 2013. The kitchen handles tradition well. Thai curries are rich and fragrant, though Id suggest silky tofu, rather than chicken (which can arrive overcooked), as the protein option. Wide pieces of lemongrass beef are slightly spicy, and squiggles of Sriracha sauce on the plate allow you to turn up the heat. Vietnamese spring rolls are worthy, and Phnom Penh prawns arrive with pineapple chunks and a sweet-and-sour dipping sauce. (I suspect these are shrimp, not prawns, going by the size, but there are five of them on a $10 plate.) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has been careful not to run down a minimum income plan promised by Rahul Gandhis Congress, which had been his partys ally in the 2017 state elections. Akhilesh Yadav, who is active on social media when it comes to taking potshots at the ruling BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, hasnt spoken out against the scheme that Rahul Gandhi has variously described as a surgical strike and final assault on poverty. Akhilesh Yadav didnt go on the offensive against the scheme either when he was asked at a Press conference to announce the expansion of the alliance that started out with a tie-up between the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party. But he didnt pass up the opportunity to take a swipe either. Earlier too, some people had promised to deposit Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts of all the citizens, Yadav shot back when a reporter asked him about Gandhis poll promise. WATCH | Surgical strike on poverty: Rahul Gandhi counters BJP on minimum income promise It was a double-barreled attack, treating Gandhis minimum income promise on par with PM Narendra Modis 2014 promise to transfer Rs 15 lakh to the bank account of the poor once his government brings back black money lying abroad. Akhilesh Yadav rubbed it in, insisting that only the Samajwadi Party has been fulfilling promises. Look at our laptop scheme. Laptops were promised and were given too Samajwadi Party will bring Samajwadi Package as a poll promise, he said. The SP boss went on to compare the toilets and houses built by the government during Congress and BJP regimes. Look at the toilets constructed by the Congress and BJP governments. Congress gave one pit toilets while BJP gave two pit toilets. And both have no water supply. How do people use those toilets? he asked. The BJP has been sharply critical of the Congresss minimum income promise to be implemented in phases across the country if it comes to power. The Congress estimates the poorest 20% translates into 250 million people or 50 million households. It will cost Rs 3.6 lakh crore, around 2% of Indias GDP. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath told a rally in Varanasi that the Congresss promise to give up to Rs 72,000 annually to the poor was an eyewash and a mockery of the poor. Upset over the change of his constituency, Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader from Bihar, Giriraj Singh, has claimed the state leadership did not take him into confidence before allotting him the Begusarai seat, instead of re-nominating him from Nawada. Bihar BJP leaders kept me in dark. They gave me pain; now they have to give me medicine, Singh said on Tuesday, expressing displeasure over the BJPs move. I am waiting for them to explain me the rationale behind the decision. The Nawada seat, which Singh had won with a margin of more than 1.4 lakh votes in 2014, has been given to the Lok Janshakti Party, as per the seat-sharing agreement reached between the BJP and its allies Janata Dal (United) and the LJP. Since 1996, I had a desire to contest from Begusarai. Getting to contest from there is an honour. But my self-respect has taken a beating with the way I have been treated. I have to choose between honour and self respect, Singh said. Polling for the Begusarai seat will take place in the fourth phase, on April 29. The Union minister, who is known for making controversial remarks, said he came to know about the change of his constituency from the LJP leadership. A BJP leader, who asked not to be named, however, said Bihar BJP president Nityanand Rai and the partys Bihar in-charge Bhupendra Yadav had discussed the matter with Singh. Singh claims a handful of people decided ticket distribution without proper consultation. He wants to prove a point, and secure a position of prominence in the decision making process in Bihar, the BJP leader said. Another BJP leader involved in the partys Bihar affairs denied that nobody spoke to Singh. He was told before the announcement, the leader said, on condition of anonymity. Singh denied that he developed cold feet fearing a tough contest in Begusarai, following announcement that the Communist Party of India would field student activist Kanhaiya Kumar from this constituency. I do not want to comment on him [Kumar]. But people know I fear none, Singh said. In a tweet in Hindi, Kanhaiya said, The visa minister from the Pakistan Tour And Travels department who forcibly sends people to Pakistan is hurt on having to go from Nawada to Begusarai. Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday alleged that YSR Congress president YS Jaganmohan Reddy had offered to pay Rs 1,500 crore to the Congress high command if he was made the chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh after the death of his father YS Rajasekhar Reddy in 2009. Abdullah, the National Conference leader, made this sensational claim at an election rally that he addressed to seek support for Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at Kadapa in the state. He said after YSRs death, Jagan had come to him and requested his help (in convincing the Congress high command). Reddy told me he was ready to offer Rs 1,500 crore to the high command if he was made the chief minister of the then combined Andhra Pradesh, he said. He wondered from how Jagan had made so much money. Did he have any treasure hidden somewhere? Definitely, it must have been looted from others. If such people are elected as the chief minister, they would only concentrate on swindling money. Beware of such leaders, Abdulla cautioned. Repeated attempts to reach out to YSRC general secretary and Rajya Sabha member V Vijay Sai Reddy, who has been with the party since its inception, for his reaction on Abdullahs allegations proved futile. On situation emerging after Pulwama terror attack, Abdullah said India should maintain good relations with the neighbouring countries including Pakistan, rather than adopting a confrontationist approach. He invoked former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to say, You can change your friends but, you cannot choose your neighbours. Abdullah said the Modi government should make efforts to find peace with the neighbours. If we maintain good relations with our neighbours, both will grow. Otherwise, both will suffer, he said. He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of whipping up emotions of the people before every election. In the last election, they raised the issue of Ram Mandir. Now, they are not talking about it, he said. Abdullah regretted that India at present had not been the same it was during the Gandhi regime. People are living with fear psychosis, he said. Stating that India was a country with unity in diversity, the National Conference MP invited the people of AP to Kashmir as tourists after elections. Kashmir was mine and is mine and will forever remain integral part of India, he declared. After multiple rounds of discussions, the Congress on Monday named Karnatakas rural development minister Krishna Byregowda as the candidate for the Bengaluru North Lok Sabha constituency. The Congress had been left in the lurch after alliance partner Janata Dal (Secular) gave back the Congress the seat as it was unable to find a candidate. The office of former chief minister Siddaramaiah, who is the chief of the coordination committee of the coalition, confirmed the development and said that Byregowda had been picked as the candidate after consultations with the local MLAs. Byregowdas own assembly constituency, Byatarayanpura, comes under the Bengaluru North Lok Sabha constituency. It was decided to field Krishna Byregowda as the candidate for the Bengaluru North Lok Sabha constituency during discussions held at the residence of Siddaramaiah, the statement released by Siddaramaiahs office said. Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, too, approved this decision when it was conveyed to him over the phone, it said. The decision was arrived at after Siddaramaiah called for a meeting with the seven MLAs from the Lok Sabha constituency at his residence in the capital city. The coalition won seven the Congress five and the JD(S) two of the eight assembly segments that fall within the Lok Sabha constituency in the 2018 state elections. Byregowda is a four-time MLA, who also unsuccessfully contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections from the Bengaluru South constituency, where he lost to the later former union minister HN Ananth Kumar. A person who was privy to the discussions said that while many names had been speculated upon since morning, there was really only one person in the fray after Deve Gowda refused to contest the seat, picking the Tumakuru seat instead. Before taking that decision, Deve Gowda had visited Byregowdas residence last week when he had asked the state minister to consider alternative candidates. Byregowda will go up against former union minister DV Sadananda Gowda of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Goa effected a split in its alliance partner the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party with two of the MGPs three legislators -- Manohar Ajgaonkar and Deepak Prabhu Pauskar -- writing to Speaker Michael Lobo that they have agreed to merge with the BJP. The letter was received by the Speakers office at 1:45 am on Wednesday. The Speaker accepted the request and has asked the Secretary Legislature to do the needful. The Legislature Secretary issued an order merging the MGP Legislature Party with the BJP. The total strength of the legislators of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Legislative Party is three members and we constitute of 2/3rd of the members. We, Manohar Ajgaonkar and Deepak Pauskar have agreed to merge with the Bharatiya Janata Party. In view of sub-clause (2) of clause 4 of the tenth schedule (anti-defection law), and in view of the fact that we constitute 2/3rd members of the legislative party, such merger shall be deemed to have taken place, the letter to the speaker reads. The duo submitted the letter to Speaker Michael Lobo along with chief minister Pramod Sawant and state party president Vinay Tendulkar. Speaking of their decision to merge with the BJP, Pauskar blamed the partys central committee for keeping them out of loop even on crucial matters. Both me and Babu (Manohar Ajgaonkar) were never called to a meeting of the central committee. We were never a part of the decision-making process in the MGP. I will be going to Raj Bhavan tomorrow (Wednesday). Whatever ministry I am given by the Chief Minister I will be happy with it. MGP party has split. The decision to drop will be taken, and after that, there will be a swearing-in, said Pauskar who now expects to be sworn in as a minister. Deepak Prabhu Pauskar is likely to be sworn in at 12 noon on Wednesday. The move has isolated MGP leader and PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar who may now be dropped from the Goa cabinet and will no longer be a member of the ruling alliance. The move will also bring the BJPs numbers in the house to 14, the same as that of the Congress. Along with the support of the Goa Foward Party and the Independents, the BJP led coalition government enjoys the support of 20 MLAs, including the Speaker. The current strength of the Goa Assembly is 36. The BJP is believed to have engineered the split after the MGP leadership -- especially MGP president Deepak Dhavalikar, the brother of PWD Minister and preeminent MGP leader Sudin Dhavalikar -- continued to press forward his campaign to for the Shiroda by poll despite being requested by the ruling BJP to withdraw his candidature against the BJP. Speaking earlier on Monday, State BJP president Vinay Tendulkar recalled how BJP union minister Nitin Gadkari himself spoke to Deepak Dhavalikar over phone and requested him to withdraw his campaign for the Shiroda seat. He agreed to do it but we noticed that Deepak has resumed his campaign for the Shiroda seat. We have informed the High Command of the development, Tendulkar told a press conference on Monday. Earlier the MGP expelled its General Secretary and former MLA Lavoo Mamledar from the party after he wrote to the Speaker, without the consent of the Dhavalikar brothers, that only communications sent via him from the MGP were to be considered authentic. In November last year, the MGP had also filed a petition in the Bombay High Court at Goa challenging the decision of the Speaker to accept the resignations of the two Congress legislators who defected to the BJP. The petition was dismissed by the High Court which also imposed exemplary costs. About 20 people, four of them women, wait at the Daltonganj circuit house to meet Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren. It is around 10 pm and the visitors, all belonging to the Paharia tribe, have a long list of complaints to share with the former chief minister. They say they have not received the rural job scheme payout for several months and that the doorstep delivery of grains has not happened as promised. These deliveries were promised by the government - it worked in some areas, but complaints about irregular distribution are rampant, they say. We could live a good life, an elderly woman tells Soren in an anxious voice. I want a better future for the next generation. The government has failed them, Soren said later, as he settled down after campaigning in the arid Palamu region where his party has never had a toehold. Ranchi and Delhi, both are clueless about the hardship these people face. A few hours ago, his rally passed through the Patan block in Daltonganj, and speakers tried to warm up the crowd with the promise of change that Soren could bring. But not everyone was interested. [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi has at least taken strong decisions, said Rajesh Prakash, who owns a salon at a local market. His rivals have no track record of governance. Rahul [Gandhi, Congress president] can never be a match for Modi. The political landscape of Jharkhand is laid out between these competing narratives. The mineral-rich state has 14 seats, out of which 12 went to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2014. It also won the state assembly elections the same year. Will it be able to replicate the performance yet again? Opinions are divided. Voices of discontent Next to Prakashs shop in Patan is a tea stall where customers, mostly Yadavs and Kurmis (both OBC castes), find fault with Modis decision to give 10% reservation to economically weak upper castes in jobs and education. Do Brahmins and Thakurs need reservation? argued Sanjay Yadav, 25, who is preparing for banking examinations. Two others in the crowd admit that poor people exist among upper castes, but insist that Modi could have done without upper caste reservation. There is no anger as such but the disquiet is palpable. The National Family Health Survey 2015-16 pegs the Scheduled Tribe (ST) population of Jharkhand at 28%, OBC at 46% and Scheduled Caste (SC) at 14%. In terms of religion, as per the 2011 Census, Muslims and Christians account for 20% of Jharkhands population. The BJP will have to play its reservation card very safely, political analyst Vidya Bhushan Mishra argued. The BJP could do so well in 2014 because it created a rainbow social alliance. Now, there is perceived anger among the tribes over the Raghubar Das governments move to tweak the tenancy act that puts curbs on the sale and purchase of tribal lands. Land is a sensitive issue in Jharkhand and in scheduled areas, there is a feeling that local government has worked against their interest, said Sudhir Pal, Jharkhand coordinator of the Association for Democratic Reforms. It appeared to a large section of people here that the government wanted to dilute provisions to make provisions for the outsiders to buy land, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) [JVM(P)] chief Babulal Marandi said. United Opposition Marandi is Jharkhands first chief minister who founded the JVM (P) in 2006 after snapping ties with the BJP. His party is part of the opposition alliance that also includes the JMM, the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). As part of the deal, the Congress is contesting seven seats, the JMM four, the JVM (P) two and the RJD one. Marandi claims a double anti-incumbency is working against the BJP in Jharkhand. Chief minister Raghubar Das is unpopular among the masses and BJP workers, he said. Then you have unfulfilled promises of the Narendra Modi government. Soren adds, We got defeated in 2014 because split in the Opposition vote. The BJP cannot take on a united Opposition. Mathematically, a united Opposition can pose a strong challenge to the BJP. For example, in Giridih, the BJPs Ravindra Kumar Pandey defeated the JMMs Jagranath Mahto with a margin of 40,313 votes, while the JVM (P)s Saba Ahmed polled 57,380 votes. In Godda, Nishikant Dubey of the BJP defeated Congresss Furkan Ansari by 60,682 votes while the JVM (P)s Pradeep Yadav polled 193,506 votes. In both cases, the votes polled by the JVM (P) were higher than the BJPs winning margin. Khunti, Kodarma, Singhbhum -- all held by the BJP also witnessed close contests. The Congress is upbeat. We improved our vote share by 12% in the recent municipal elections, said RPN Singh, Congress general secretary incharge of Jharkhand. Our strength has improved, but we want to create an alliance of all opposition parties to avoid a split in the votes. The JMM and the Congress had an alliance in 2014. The Congress won none of the nine seats it fought, while the JMM emerged victorious in two of the four. What could work for BJP The BJP is pinning its hopes on three factors. First, with a strong anti-conversion law, it hopes to drive a wedge between the tribes who converted to Christianity and the other tribespeople. The non-converted tribals are happy with such a bold move for the first time in the state, a close aide of the chief minister said on condition of anonymity. The tribal loyalty has largely remained with the JMM in Santhal Parganas and with the Congress in Kolhan region. If we are able to wean away even a section of the tribal votes, we will repeat the 2014 performance, the aide said. The CM, he said, has visited the Santhal region, a bastion of the JMM, at least 65 times in the last four years. Second, the Raghubar Das government announced a policy in 2016 to settle the long-pending issue of identifying a local. The issue was complex and those who migrated to the state were treated as outsiders. The state government identified six parameters on which a person can be treated as a local, and it benefitted non-tribals settled in urban pockets of the state. This helped us consolidate our support among these people, who were persecuted as outsider ever since the creation of the state in 2000, the aide said. Third, the BJP feels it has brought development to the centre stage of political discourse, and that has helped the party race ahead of rivals in the state. Das has rolled out several welfare programmes. If that clicks, the BJP can hope to be closer to its 2014 tally, said Vidya Bhushan Mishra. The BJP counts on what it describes as a positive response to welfare programmes, such as the recent decision to give ~5000 per acre to 2.2 million farmers. At least 5.7 million families have been enrolled under the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme in Jharkhand, and mobile ambulance facility has clicked in rural areas. Modi is the X-factor, said former chief minister Arjun Munda of the BJP. Peoples faith in him remain intact and his pro-poor schemes will make a difference. Since the creation of the state in 2000, no chief minister has completed a full five-year term, but Das might be the first. He is also Jharkhands first non-tribal chief minister, and has helped the party consolidate its position among the non-tribals. The Opposition lacks a face to mobilise support for the national elections. The BJP may find it difficult to repeat its 2014 performance, but it appears ahead of rivals at present, Pal said. The BJP also feels it is much stronger than what it was in 2014, with the partys organisation getting strengthened at every polling station. The BJPs campaign in Jharkhand has turned aggressive after the February 14 Pulwama terror attack, with ruling party leaders claiming that the nationalism narrative will add value to its campaign. Nationalism is not a divisive agenda, and has better potential to unite voters. It will improve our chances across the state, a BJP general secretary in Delhi said on condition of anonymity. The Opposition does not agree. People will vote for real issues; which is hunger, unemployment and land rights, Soren said. The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Tuesday expanded the Opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh by announcing a tie-up with two more parties, the Janwadi Party (Socialist) and the Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (Nishad) Party, for the national elections that begin from April 11. The SP earlier joined hands with Mayawatis Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in the state, which has the most number of Lok Sabha seats (80). I congratulate the two parties for joining the alliance, SP chief and former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav said at press conference along with Nishad Party founder Sanjay Nishad and Sanjay Singh Chauhan, the chief of Janwadi Party (Socialist). These two leaders [Sanjay Nishad and Chauhan] helped us whenever we needed them, Yadav said. In the last years Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypoll, Sanjay Nishads son, Praveen Kumar Nishad, contested on an SP ticket and wrested the seat from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after 30 years. This time, I will leave it to Akhilesh Yadav to decide the role that my party will play, Sanjay Nishad said. Chauhan said that the BJP was conspiring to take away the rights of backward classes. All backwards are with Akhileshs alliance, he said. The BJP maintained that the alliance wont hurt its prospects. All can join hands but it wont matter. Modis tsunami will sweep them away, BJP spokesperson Navin Srivastava said. Abdul Malik, the Imam of a mosque in Banat town of Shamli district, was among the people who had participated in the funeral procession of CRPF jawan Pradeep Kumar, who had lost his life in a terror attack in Pulwama (J&K) on February 14. Anger against Pakistan was at its peak when the body of the soldier arrived at his house in Banat. Almost all the residents of the town, cutting across religious and caste lines, participated in Pradeeps funeral procession and paid rich tribute to him. More than a month since the terror attack claimed the lives of 41 soldiers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), anger against terrorism and Pakistan is still palpable in the air. However, with the election season setting in, Shamli is fast heading towards communal polarisation. Shamli falls under the Kairana Lok Sabha constituency where the SP-BSP-RLD alliance has fielded sitting MP Tabassum Hasan. BJP has nominated Pradeep Chaudhary, a two-time MLA, from Kairana. Banat town has a population of about 30,000 where Muslims and Jats are almost equal in number. While both the communities vouch for communal harmony, Muslims are against the BJP while Jats, though critical of the saffron party, are averse to supporting the Muslim candidate put up by the alliance. Slain CRPF jawans kin call for amity Family members of slain CRPF jawan Pradeep Kumar insisted on maintaining communal harmony in the region. Pradeep`s father Jagdish Kumar said, We have lived together in harmony for decades and members of all sections of the society came to salute the supreme sacrifice of my son. Pradeeps brother Amit Kumar, who also served the army for over 20 years, said: We dont support discrimination on the basis of religion. All people have equal rights in a democratic country. Hailing the BJP government, Amit claimed almost all the houses of the village got pucca roofs under government schemes. He also appreciated the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh for taking care of the families of soldiers. The CM has promised job to Pradeeps elder son as soon as he clears his class 12 examination. We support airstrikes in Pakistan, Amit said. Notably, Pradeeps mother had earlier questioned the outcome of the airstrike. Our family is with the decision of the government, Amit said when asked about her mothers statement. BJP should go According to Muslim residents of the area, social harmony in the region was first disturbed during the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots and an attempt was again being made to create a division on the pretext of nationalism. They said it was necessary to remove the BJP government from the Centre to revive communal harmony in the country. While discussing elections after offering namaz, a group of Muslims alleged that the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were spreading hatred in the society for political gains. How can you say we are not patriotic? We are equally pained at the death of Pradeep in Pulwama attack and saluted his sacrifice for the country, said Munawwar Jama, the septuagenarian muazzim of a mosque in the town. It is our country but they are not ready to accommodate us because we are Muslims. I have not seen an election in my life in which hatred has been so deeply-rooted, he said. Muslim residents of Banat expressing their views on election. (Sushil Kumar / HT Photo ) Abdul Malik and Shadab Khan claimed that Muslims had made up their mind to vote for the alliance candidate as she was in a position to defeat the BJP. They said the Muslims would try to stop Modi from forming the government at the Centre as they believed it was essential to restore communal harmony and keep the social fabric of the country intact. They said the BJP was making Pulwama attack and air strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) an election issue to polarise Hindu voters in the name of patriotism and nationalism which was a clear attempt to use the armed forces for electoral gains. Ji-ul-Islam, a farmer, said the government had no satisfactory reply on issues like black money, farmers problems and employment and was trying to befool the people by raising emotional issues. Where is their promise of Sabka saath, sabka vikas, asked Dilnawaz, another resident of the town. Cant vote for a Muslim Despite being annoyed with the BJP, Jats are reluctant of voting for a Muslim candidate. Jat farmer Rishipal and his friends raised the issues of decreasing jobs, farmers distress, construction of Ram Temple and abolition of Article 370 and accused the BJP of diverting peoples attention by raising the emotional issue of nationalism. Patriotism doesnt mean one cant ask questions. J&K is under the Presidents rule and the Centre should tell the people how the terrorists managed to attack the CRPF convoy with huge quantity of explosives, he asked. Jat farmer Rishipal and others discussing election scenario in the town. (Sushil Kumar / HT Photo ) Rishipals friends Ashok Kumar and Anuj Kumar asked how could Pakistan release Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman within 60 hours of his captivity if 300 terrorists, as claimed by BJP leaders, were killed in airstrikes. They said these were genuine questions and the government should allay the doubts of the people. However, they said they might still support the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections as they could not vote for a Muslim candidate. Vinod Kumar, a grocery shop owner, said: Election depends on the mood of farmers(Jats) and Muslims. Here, nationalism is being seen through communal angle. Soon after former Union minister Sukh Ram returned to the Congress with his grandson Ashray Sharma on Monday, hoping to get the partys Lok Sabha ticket from Mandi, his son, Anil Sharma, the power minister in the Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government offered to step down on moral grounds. Though the CM did not accept his resignation, he later said that the minister would have to quit if he campaigns for his son. I apprised Thakur of the Congress offer to allot the Mandi ticket to Ashray. I was not taken into confidence before they decided to join the Congress. I contested the assembly election in 2017 on a BJP ticket and will remain with the party, Anil said after meeting Thakur. It was a courtesy call. The BJP is free to act. Whatever action it takes is acceptable to me, Anil said. Initially, Thakur underplayed Sukh Rams move to join the Congress, saying: Anil Sharma ji is my cabinet colleague. Sukh Ram ji and Ashray were never members of the BJP. They are independent to take their decisions. Ram Swaroop Sharma is the BJP candidate and we will work for his victory. Thakur later added that if Anil campaigned for his son in Mandi, he will have to resign. State Congress leader Kaul Singh Thakur said Sukh Rams return to the Congress would go a big way in strengthening the party and bolster its prospects in Mandi parliamentary segment. Its a welcome decision, he said. Sukh Rams rival and former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, considered to be a frontrunner for the seat, did not speak to media. His son Vikramaditya Singh also evinced interest to contest from Mandi, a constituency his mother Pratibha Singh represented till she was defeated by BJPs Ram Swaroop Sharma in 2014. Our family has stood by the party at every crucial juncture. Virbhadra Singh is not only the tallest leader in the party but the tallest leader in the state. He wields influence across Himachal, he said. Janata Dal (Secular) president and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda filed his nomination from Tumkur as the ruling alliance candidate in Karnataka, but might have to face a rebel candidate from alliance partner Congress. Defying the pre-poll alliance between coalition partners, under which Tumkur was allotted to JD (S), sitting Congress MP SP Muddahanumegowda filed his papers. Im not filing the nomination for fun, I am an MP from Tumkur and Im contesting, he said. Muddahanumegowda said he still has faith about getting a ticket from his party. Gowda who submitted his papers at the Deputy Commissioners office in Tumkur in the presence of deputy CM G Parameshwara of Congress called on workers of both parties to fight the communal BJP together, and asked them to forget their past rift. We have united now and formed the coalition government in Karnataka. Lets face this election also together, he said. The JD (S), which will contest eight out of the 28 Lok Sabha seats, based on a pre-poll alliance, conceded Bangalore North seat to the Congress. A senior Congress leader who is a minister in the coalition government and did not wish to be named attributed this to a dearth of candidates in the JD (S). For instance, Congress leader Pramod Madhwaraj is the JD (S) candidate in the Udupi-Chickamagaluru constituency. At best we would have expected that the JD (S) would be given six seats based on its strength, he said. We didnt think one of our seats would be given up, the minister said. JD (S) state president AH Vishwanath termed his partys decision to give up the Bengaluru North seat as compensation to the Congress. Congress has to put its house in order in Tumkur. We didnt ask them to give it up. It was the Congress that asked us to give up Mysore and offered us Tumkur instead, he said. If Muddahanumegowda contests from Tumkur as a rebel candidate, it will add to the Congress-JD(S) coalition worries as the alliance is facing backlash at several places, including Mandya and Hassan, where party workers are unhappy with the seat arrangements. On Sunday, Kumaraswamy had slammed Muddahanumegowda for unnecessarily creating disturbance in the coalition. He also said that few leaders of coalition partner Congress are creating hurdles for candidates of JD(S), including his own son. KN Rajanna, another Congress leader and former MLA, has also filed his nomination from Tumkur as an Independent. (With inputs from PTI) On an intellectual level he was right. But watching the comics wrestle with the news, it was hard to escape what Noah had to say earlier: This one was, for the most part, about Trump winning so very hard. And in the face of a huge PR victory like that, how much can a well-conceived joke or two accomplish? Congress president Rahul Gandhi met senior leaders from partys Delhi unit again on Monday to ask their opinion on a possible alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the state for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, as confusion continued within the party leadership over the partnership. Gandhi had met Delhi Congress leaders earlier this month too when the majority of the leaders, including Delhi Congress president Sheila Dikshit, had expressed strong disapproval for a seat sharing arrangement with the AAP for the seven Lok Sabha segments in the national capital. On Monday too, senior leaders Dikshit, JP Agarwal, Yoganand Shastri, and three working presidents Haroon Yusuf, Devender Yadav and Rajesh Lilothia opposed an alliance with the AAP. While former Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Ajay Maken and AICC in-charge of Delhi PC Chacko stuck to their stand of favouring a tie-up, former state Congress presidents Arvinder Singh Lovely and Subhash Chopra changed their stand in favour of the alliance with the AAP. Another former Delhi Congress president Tajdar Babar, who did not attend the last meeting, also spoke in favour of the alliance but considering her age and poor health, her opinion was not counted, party leaders said. Chacko also handed over signed letters by 12 district presidents and party representatives in the three municipal corporations supporting the alliance. We have conveyed our stand to Rahul ji. He will take a decision soon. Yes, the stand on the alliance was still divided but we have been able to get more people in favour of a tie-up, Chacko said. Party leaders said differences were visible in the meeting with the section in favour of the alliance saying that the Congress will lose all seven seats in Delhi if they the party did not partner with the AAP. Differences are bound to happen but we have conveyed our opinion to Rahulji and we will abide by his final decision, said Devender Yadav, one of the DPCC working presidents. While the Congress remained indecisive, AAP leaders said that they were focussing on campaign meetings as the polling date is nearing. Congress is busy conducing meetings its leaders and AAP is busy with public meetings. The countrys future is at stake but the Congress is confused. It looks like they are not serious about Delhi. AAP is serious and, therefore, it is demanding full statehood for Delhi. Our seven candidates have done a lot of ground work, said AAPs Delhi in-charge Gopal Rai. Senior Congress leaders said they are hoping that Gandhi will make a final announcement on the alliance by Wednesday. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Tuesday termed the Congress minimum income scheme a poll gimmick and accused it of obstructing the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya along with the SP and BSP. Earlier too the Congress party had given the slogan of garibi hatao. The announcement of a minimum (annual) wage of 72,000 (too) is nothing but a gimmick, said Adityanath, addressing a Vijay Sankalp Rally here. On Ram temple, Yogi said, The Congress, Samajwadi Party and BSP are the biggest hurdles in construction of the Ram temple. An army of advocates was brought to the fore by the Congress (to obstruct the construction). Kapil Sibal moved an application in the Supreme Court to see that the hearing in the case does not take place before 2019 elections, he added. There is a family which starts remembering Lord Ram when elections draw closer but sit in temples in the posture of offering namaz, the chief minister said, apparently referring to an incident involving a Gandhi family member. These people visit places to show disrespect to great men. They offer garlands worn by them to the statue of Lal Bahadur Shastri, he added, without taking names. While the Congress serves biryani to terrorists, the BJP feeds them bombs, he added. Adityanath also compared the achievements of previous governments with those of the Modi government and his own in two years, claiming the BJP government did much better. He also attacked the previous governments on the issue of corruption and asserted that due to Prime Minister Modi, an All India Institute of Medical Sciences was being built in Gorakhpur and a fertiliser plant, closed for 26 years, was revived here. He reminded people that though they would be voting for the Lok Sabha candidates, they would be choosing a prime minister and appealed to them to pick Modi again. Former Union telecom minister Sukh Ram on Monday returned to the Congress fold along with his grandson Aashray Sharma. The 91-year-old leader, who wields a considerable clout in the Mandi Lok Sabha segment from where he was elected MP thrice, met Congress president Rahul Gandhi along with partys Himachal Pradesh in-charge Rajni Patil before the formal joining at the AICC headquarters. Pandit Sukh Ram and his grandson Ashray have joined the Congress. We believe he will strengthen the party not only in Himachal but across north India, said Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala while addressing a press conference In New Delhi. When I met Rahul ji, he told me that we have family relations. I have spent (my) political life in Congress and today I have come back home, said Sukh Ram who had left the Congress in 2017 and joined the BJP. Sukh Rams latest move comes two days after BJP renominated its sitting MP Ram Swaroop Sharma from Mandi. Aashray, whose father Anil Sharma is a cabinet minister in the Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government in HP, is seeking a ticket from Mandi. On asked whether Aashray will get a ticket, Patil said his name will be considered and final decision will be taken on March 29. Also Read | Congress likely to declare Himachal Pradesh candidates next week Sukh Rams latest move has put his son Anil in a fix. I have apprised the chief minister of the latest development. Im ready to resign from my post and even offered to quit but the CM turned it down, the HP power minister told HT. Sukh Ram and Anil had quit the Congress on the eve of the assembly elections in 2017, citing humiliation by some party leaders. Anil later won the Mandi Sadar assembly seat on the BJP ticket and became a state minister. Sukh Ram, who was accused in the infamous telecom scam when he was a minister in the PV Narasimha Rao government, had a prolonged rivalry with former CM Virbhadra Singh. He floated Himachal Vikas Party and helped PK Dhumal become the CM in the late nineties. Sukhrams ties with the BJP later soured and he rejoined the Congress only to quit in 2017. Mandi is also the home district of CM Jai Ram Thakur. Currently, sitting MPs in all four parliamentary constituencies in HP are from the BJP. The state will go to polls on May 19. With inputs from agencies Congress in-charge of Delhi PC Chacko has said that a decision on alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party for the Lok Sabha election will be taken on Tuesday. Congress president Rahul Gandhi will take a final decision, news agency quoted Chacko as saying. Chacko, according to ANI, said the Congress and AAP will come together in Delhi for the Lok Sabha polls. Party president to take final decision today. Weve had no word with AAP, as we had to take preliminary decision on our partys political stand whether we wanted an alliance or not. Both parties may have problems, that apart weve to defeat Modi and BJP. So, well come together, ANI quoted Chacko as saying. The Congresss Delhi unit has been divided over alliance with the AAP, the party whose rise in 2013 saw the grand-old-party losing power in the national capital. On Monday, Delhi Congress president Sheila Dikshit held another round of meeting of the party leaders. Four former Delhi Congress leaders Ajay Maken, Subhash Chopra, Tajdar Babar and Arvinder Singh Lovely are said to be in favour of alliance with the AAP. Dikshit, and three working presidents of Delhi Congress Devender Yadav, Rajesh Lilothia and Haroon Yusuf are against the idea of aligning with the AAP. However, 12 district Congress presidents and majority of party councillors in the three municipal corporations have favoured alliance with the AAP. Chacko has handed over a signed letter to this effect to Gandhi. While the Congress has remained indecisive, the AAP is focussing on campaign for the Lok Sabha polls. The Congress is busy conducing meetings with its leaders and the AAP is busy with public meetings. The countrys future is at stake but the Congress is confused. It looks like they are not serious about Delhi, said AAPs Delhi in-charge Gopal Rai. The AAP has been seeking an alliance with the Congress in Delhi saying that a division of votes will help the Bharatiya Janata Party in all seven constituencies in the city. The BJP had won all Lok Sabh seats in Delhi in 2014 parliamentary polls. The Congress on Tuesday sought to clear confusion over the minimum income guarantee scheme that party president Rahul Gandhi has promised to implement if voted to power in the Lok Sabha elections. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the minimum income guarantee scheme will directly benefit 20 per cent beneficiary families. There was some confusion yesterday. This is not a top-up scheme. All 20 per cent families will get 72,000 a year. I repeat, this is not a top-up scheme, Surjewala told a specially convened press conference at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi. Gandhi on Monday announced that the Congress, if voted to power in the upcoming national elections, will implement the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) across the country. He said that the government led by the Congress party will determine an income of 12,000 as the line for demarcation of poverty for a family. Also Read | Final assault on poverty: Rahul Gandhi on 12K income poll promise All the identified beneficiary families will get direct transfer of money into their accounts with a capping of 72,000 a year. A day later, Surjewala clarified that the minimum guarantee scheme is women centric. He said, The Congress party will get this amount credited to the bank accounts of the women of beneficiary families. This scheme will be implemented without any discrimination between the urban and rural areas. It will be implemented across the country uniformly, Surjewala said. Also Read | Bluff announcement: Arun Jaitley on Congresss 12K income poll promise The announcement by Gandhi drew sharp criticism from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Union minister Arun Jaitley called it a bluff announcement in his blog. Jaitley argued that the Narendra Modi governments welfare benefits to people averaged 1,06,800 annually as against 72,000 promise made by Gandhi. Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi will not contest from the Kanpur Lok Sabha seat, the BJP confirmed on Tuesday after a letter from the party veteran emerged informing people of the city that he had been asked by the party not to contest from here or elsewhere. In the letter, Joshi, who was insistent on contesting the seat for a second time, said the partys organisational secretary Ram Lal had conveyed to him that he would not be contesting from Kanpur or elsewhere. BJPs city president Surendra Maithani said the letter was genuine and that it had been released by Joshis office. I have confirmed from him (Joshi) and his office. Indeed, he has written the letter, Maithani said. Joshi was not available for comments despite repeated attempts. It is a decision of the party leadership and we are all committed workers; our leadership has been a blessing for us, Maithani said. On being asked if Joshi was upset, he said, I do not know. They are big people and the situation is a bit weird. The party has decided and we are bound by it. Indications of Joshi sulking became apparent on Sunday night when he cancelled his Kanpur visit scheduled for Monday to attend the politically significant Ganga Mela on Tuesday. The mela is held on the banks of the Ganga after the week-long Holi revelry. The BJP will soon announce its candidate for Kanpur seat, which it has held for four times since 1991. The decision on the partys candidate was on hold as Joshi had put his foot down to contest from Kanpur. Party leaders say internal surveys showed that his popularity in the city was at its lowest. He was not available in his constituency and he visited it eight to 10 times in the last five years; there was a disconnect on his part, said a party leader, adding that the party wanted to replace him with a younger leader, preferably a Brahmin. For the Kanpur seat, the BJP is reportedly considering the names of UP deputy CM Dinesh Sharma, national spokesman Sudhanshu Trivedi, BJP city president Surendra Maithani and UP industries minister Satish Mahana. But the local leadership last week apprised the central leadership that it wont be prudent to parachute an outsider in Kanpur again. National Conference (NC) patriarch Farooq Abdullah on Monday filed his nomination papers for the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency. Accompanied by his son and NC vice president Omar Abdullah, Farooq reached the office of returning officer and deputy commissioner Shahid Iqbal Chowdhary in Shaheedgunj area here to file his papers. Talking to media persons at his residence after filing the papers, Farooq said he longed for creating a new India. I am not seeing myself (as a potential Prime Minister face), but it would have been Gods grade if I would have become the PM. I would have shown you a new India. I would have made it secular and given due respect to everyone and their respective religions. I would have been ready to die for them, he said while referring to the Prime Minister of New Zealand who stood up...reached everywhere, following the recent mosque attack in Chirstchurch. Nobody should go hungry, without clothes or unemployment. I would have made a nation which would have been everyones friend, including Pakistan China, Russia and America, he added. The 81-year-old leader is one of the oldest and influential mainstream politicians in the state, who will be fighting the Lok Sabha elections from Srinagar constituency, comprising Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal districts. He was earlier elected to the Lok Sabha in 1980 and 2009. In 2002, he became a member of the Rajya Sabha and repeated the term in February 2009. He has been the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir thrice in 1982, 1986 and 1996. Abdullah lost the Lok Sabha seat to PDPs Tariq Hameed Karra in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections but won it again in April 2017 after the seat fell vacant following Karras resigination from the PDP and the Lok Sabha. The NC president accused the Centre of vote-bank politics over Balakot airstike. Is the government sitting in Delhi taking up issues of unemployment or poverty? They are talking about attack on Pakistan and trying to garner vote on the same, he said. Abdullah said the fight was against the communal forces. We want to bring the secular forces together... People are being divided on religions linesWe want to keep those parties out who divide us between Muslims and Hindus, Abdullah said. The constituency will go to polls along with Udhampur in Jammu on April 18. While Congress wont contest from Srinagar as part of their alliance with NC in return for Jammu and Udhampur constituencies, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has fielded Aga Mohsin from the constituency. Later in the day, NC held an election rally at Kunzer in north Kashmirs Gulmarg constituency where many senior leaders, including Omar Abdullah, Lok Sabha candidate for north Kashmirs Baramulla constituency M Akbar Lone, party general secretary Ali M Sagar and bureaucrat turned politician Farooq Shah, were present. Omar took on PDP for aligning with Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and blamed PDP president Mehbooba Mufti for NIA case against separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. He sought votes for Akbar Lone and launched an attack against PDP for first campaigning against BJP and then aligning with it in 2014. He also blamed the party for damaging Article 370, bringing food security law in the state, implementing GST and bringing RSS into the state. The FIR by NIA under which Mirwaiz (Umar Farooq) is being called to Delhi was filed in 2017 when Mehbooba was the chief minister. You (PDP) are now saying things against NIA but who brought them here, Omar said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah, the two biggest names in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), will address around 125 and 150 rallies between the last week of March and mid-May when campaigning for the summers parliamentary elections end. The campaign schedules of the two leaders are being finalised, two BJP leaders said on condition of anonymity. The BJP launched its campaign for the national election with the Vijay Sankalp Sabha at around 200 locations on Sunday, although the Prime Minister was not part of this. More such meetings will happen at around 250 locations on March 26. Modi will launch his campaign with a rally in Meerut on March 28, one of the two leaders said. He will address another rally in Jammu the same day. He will be in Odisha on March 29 and April 1. He will also hold two rallies each in Assam and West Bengal on March 30 and April 3. Modi has a public meeting at Itanagar on March 31, and will hold a video interaction on the same day with those who extended support to his Main Bhi Chowkidar (I, too, am a watchman) campaign. We are drawing the plan in such a way that it takes Modi to each of the states in every round of election, the second leader said. Polling for the parliamentary elections will take place in seven phases between April 11 and May 19. Modi is BJPs most popular campaigner, and the party won the 2014 parliamentary election following a campaign centred on him. Between September 2013, when the BJP declared Modi its prime ministerial candidate, and the end of the campaign for the 2014 election in May that year, he addressed at least 425 rallies across the country. In a pre-election blitz, Modi has addressed around 100 rallies in 90 days. The party has divided the entire country into different clusters, with each of them comprising three-four parliamentary seats, the two leaders said. PM Modi will address a rally in each of these clusters. Uttar Pradesh may have 20-odd clusters, and Modi will address at least that many public meetings in the countrys most populous state. Bihar and West Bengal will see Modi addressing at least 10 rallies during the campaign. These three states will vote in each of the seven phases, which means the Prime Minister will make multiple visits to them. The focus of our campaign this time is on Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal for obvious reasons, the second leader added. Uttar Pradesh sends the most representatives to Parliament (80); West Bengal, the third most (42); and Bihar, the fourth (40). Maharashtra sends the second highest number of representatives to Parliament (48). Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar account for 162 Lok Sabha seats and the BJP-led NDA won 106 of them in the previous election. While the BJP faces a strong challenge in Uttar Pradesh following the formation of an alliance between the Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal, it is up against an alliance of five parties in Bihar, which is led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal. We won 104 out of 120 seats in these two states (Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) in the previous election. The Modi campaign is to ensure that we repeat a similar performance in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the first leader said. The BJP could win just two seats in West Bengal and only one in Odisha in 2014. It has high hopes of making big inroads in these two states this time. At 91, former Union telecom minister Sukh Ram created a flutter in Himachal Pradesh politics when he walked back to the Congress with his grandson, Ashray Sharma in tow, two days after the BJP denied the 32-year-old the ticket from Mandi Lok Sabha constituency. The BJP tried downplaying their joining the Congress, while Sukh Rams son Anil Sharma, who is the power minister in Jai Ram Thakurs cabinet, offered to step down on moral grounds. Though the latest move by Sukh Ram or Pandit ji, as he is popularly known, is unlikely to affect the political scenario in Mandi, it has catapulted him into yet another controversy. Man of the moment Born in a poor family on July 27, 1927, Sukh Ram graduated from Delhi Law College. After a few months of practice at the Mandi district courts, he joined the towns civic body as a clerk. In the early 60s, a district magistrate found irregularities in the municipal committees functioning that led to Sukh Rams exit. A by-election to the Mandi assembly seat was due in 1963 and Sukh Ram contested, projecting himself as the champion of the poor. In 1967, he was re-elected on a Congress ticket. He represented Mandi in the assembly till 1984 when he shifted focus to the Lok Sabha. During his tenure in Himachal politics, he was state taxation and excise minister and was charged with illegal recruitments and land encroachment besides unauthorised tree felling. Amid the anti-Congress wave, Sukh Ram lost from Mandi only to win it back in 1991. Scam, ouster and comeback In 1995, when he was the Union telecom minister, Sukh Ram was charged with taking bribes to favour a few companies in the award of contracts. A CBI raid on his official residence led to the recovery of Rs 2.45 crore of unaccounted cash and another Rs 1.16 crore from his house in Mandi. He, however, blamed his rival and former chief minister Virbhadra Singh for the episode. He was away in London and was arrested on his return. The scam led to his ouster from the Congress and he was sentenced to five-year jail in 2011 but was granted bail on health grounds. Sukh Ram staged a comeback in state politics with the launch of the Himachal Vikas Congress in 1997. It won five seats in the 1998 assembly elections. In a post-poll alliance, he helped the BJP form a government led by Prem Kumar Dhumal. In lieu, the BJP sent his son, Anil Sharma, to the Rajya Sabha. In BJP and back to Congress In the 2003 assembly elections, Sukh Rams HVC managed to get only one seat, his own in Mandi. Before the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, he merged the HVC with the Congress, making peace with Virbhadra Singh. While Sukh Ram retired from active politics, Anil Sharma won the Mandi seat in 2007 and 2012 and was a minister in the Virbhadra government. Anil won the seat for the first time in the 1993 assembly election when his father was a member of Parliament. Just before the 2017 assembly election, Sukh Ram and his son joined the BJP after being snubbed by Virbhadra during Congress president Rahul Gandhis rally in Mandi. Anil won from Mandi on a BJP ticket and became a minister in the Jai Ram Thakur government. Political analysts say Sukh Rams joining the Congress at this stage is unlikely to impact the poll scenario. Given his stature, Sukh Ram may have some influence in Mandi town but not beyond, says Pryabhishek Sharma, a political observer. Electors in Himachal vote on issues of national interest than local, he says, adding, Sukh Rams time in politics is over. Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the promise of minimum income guarantee is his partys surgical strike on poverty that will ensure there is no poor in the country after 2019. Gandhi said the Congresss promise of minimum income guarantee is an explosion. It will set off a bombThis is the Congresss surgical strike on poverty. They (the BJP) tried to eliminate the poor. We will eliminate poverty, said Gandhi at a public rally in Rajasthans Ganganagar. Watch: Surgical strike on poverty: Rahul Gandhi counters BJP on minimum income promise Gandhi hit out at the Narendra Modi government in his speech alleging that the current regime has brought back people who were uplifted from the below poverty line by the Congress-led UPA rule. The fact that 25 crore people are living in poverty in the 21st century India is a shame, Gandhi said. The Congress president said nowhere such a scheme has ever been implemented. There should not be a single poor person in the country, he said addressing the Congresss Jan Sankalp Rally at Suratgarh in Ganganagar district. Read more| Volte-face: BJPs dig at Congress after it says income promise not a top-up On Monday, Gandhi promised that his party would, if it comes to power, guarantee an income of at least 12,000 a month for 20 per cent of Indias poorest families by giving them 6,000 a month. He said the minimum income guarantee scheme, named NYAY (standing for Nyuntam Aay Yojana) meaning justice, would cover 5 crore families or 25 crore people, who constitute the poorest 20 per cent of Indian households. The scheme, if implemented, is expected to cost 3.6 lakh crore, around 2 per cent of Indias GDP. Gandhi has insisted that it is fiscally prudent. At his Rajasthan rally, Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tried to create two Indias in the last five years giving all the benefits of the government to select few rich people while insisting that if voted to power, the Congress will eradicate poverty completely. If Narendra Modi can give money to the rich, the Congress will give money to the poor, said Gandhi, who also took a swipe at the prime ministers chowkidar campaign. The Congress president said PM Modi is a chowkidar but serves rich people like Anil Ambani instead of the poor. The BJP has rejected the minimum income guarantee promise of Gandhi with Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley calling it a bluff announcement in his blog. Jaitley also said that the total promised by the Congress ( 72,000 a year) is just around two-thirds of what the NDA gives the poor. The fluidity and gracefulness Williamson brought to the first movement served its innate lyricism, thanks to his elegant turns of phrase and delicate tonal shadings. It was easy to savor the sense of stillness and repose Williamson conjured in the second movement, the CSO strings providing the most tender playing of the night. Though the finale seemed hasty, there was no denying the clarity of Williamsons articulation, even at such a clip. Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the Congress had consulted leading economists, including Raghuram Rajan to check the feasibility of the minimum income scheme that was announced on March 25. While addressing a meeting of the booth workers in Jaipur, he said that the Congress wanted to tranfer money directly to the peoples accounts and in line with that they had discussed the plan with many economists. He said that the Congress party wanted to make PM Modis promise of Rs 15 lakh in every account come true. We began work six months ago. We thought of the PMs plan to transfer money directly into the bank accounts. But he lied about the Rs 15 lakh to be put in the accounts. We decided to make it come true, he said. He said that the party worked quietly for six months to fulfil this plan. We spoke to big economists. Economists like Raghuram Rajan and others... We spoke to all of them. We told them we liked the idea and wanted to implement it. They told us well need to make a minimum income line. After much deliberations and calculations, we arrived at the number of Rs 12,000 per month, Gandhi said. Earlier, while speaking at a Jan Sampark Rally at Bundi in Rajasthan, Gandhi claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not understand the MNREGA scheme and that is why he shut it down. Gandhi said that the PM had given a speech in the Lok Sabha and had ridiculed the Congress and the MNREGA scheme as the worst scheme and had claimed that no one had benefitted from it. Our PM did not understand MNREGA. He did not understand what it was or what its aim was. The common people understood it, but the PM didnt understand it, Gandhi said. Saying that there was a deep thought behind launching MNREGA, Gandhi said, It wasnt a scheme to dig potholes as the PM had claimed. It gave jobs to crores of people. In villages, people made different things. They made roads, built lakes, and when all these people worked, they got money, when they got money, factories were set up. Those people who worked and got money under MNREGA began buying things, factories were set up to manufacture those things, factories generated jobs, this kick-started the economy. But the PM didnt understand this. Carrying his attack on the PM further, Gandhi said that after shutting down MNREGA, the PM brought about demonetisation. Under demonetisation he took whatever money was in your homes, whatever money was in the villages and kept all of that in the banks. You were left with no money, he said addressing the people gathered for the rally. He removed the entire cash from the system. When people didnt have money, they stopped buying goods, factories shut down, unemployment rose. He still hasnt understood this, Gandhi said. He claimed that this was the reason there was the highest unemployment in the last 45 years in PM Modis tenure. Ask any youth what he does. He says nothing. Thats because the entire system has been destroyed but the PM doesnt understand this. All he does is give speeches every day, Gandhi said. Referring to the NYAY (Nyunatam Aay Yojana) that the Congress is proposing to launch if it is voted into power in the upcoming elections, he said the money given to the poor will help kick-start the economy once again. Twenty per cent of the poorest of the poor will Rs 72,000 per year. This is not a gift, its justice. As soon as the people get the money, they will start buying things, factories will start running, the unemployed youth will start getting jobs and the economy will kick-start again, Gandhi said. On Monday, Gandhi had promised that if his party came to power, it would guarantee a minimum income of Rs 12,000 a month. The scheme, if implemented, is expected to cost Rs 3.6 lakh crore, around 2 per cent of Indias GDP. Gandhi has insisted that it is fiscally prudent. Earlier, speaking at another Jan Sampark Rally in Ganganagar, Gandhi had said that the PM was trying to create two Indias; one India of the rich and another India of the poor. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday backed party president Rahul Gandhis poll promise of minimum income guarantee as a scheme, which, when implemented, will empower women. She tweeted that this aspect of the proposed scheme makes her happy. So happy that under the NYAY scheme, women will be the ones who receive the annual amount of Rs. 72,000 directly into their accounts. Empower a woman, empower a family, Priyanka Gandhi wrote on Twitter. NYAY (the Nyuntam Aay Yojana) or the minimum income guarantee scheme was announced on Monday by Rahul Gandhi as a poll promise. He said if the Congress is voted to power in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the party will roll out the scheme for poorest 20 per cent families of the country. Also Read | Final assault on poverty: Rahul Gandhi on Rs 12K income poll promise Priyanka Gandhi had tweeted her support to the minimum income guarantee scheme on Monday with a hashtag #NyayForIndia literally meaning justice for India. The proposed scheme aims to benefit around 5 crore families or 25 crore individuals. Offering further details about the Congresss poll promise, party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala earlier in the day said that this will be a women centric scheme. Money will be directly credited into the bank accounts of women of the beneficiary families, Surjewala told a press conference. Meanwhile, addressing a public rally in Rajasthan, Rahul Gandhi said the minimum income guarantee scheme will be the Congresss surgical strike on poverty. He said if voted to power, the Congress will ensure that there is not a single poor person in the country. Also Read | Surgical strike on poverty, says Rahul Gandhi on minimum income poll promise He proposed to define a poverty line for the proposed scheme at Rs 12,000 per month. Gandhi promised that the Congress, when voted to power, will pay Rs 6,000 to each of the 20 per cent poorest households in the country to ensure that they are uplifted above the new poverty line. The BJP has called it a hollow promise with Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley dismissing it as a bluff announcement made by Rahul Gandhi. Jaitley also said that Gandhis minimum income guarantee plan aims at extending only two-third of the monetary support to the people compared to what is already being given under various schemes of the Narendra Modi government. Also Read | Volte-face: BJPs dig at Congress after it says income promise not a top-up After spending 52 years in the country, Pakistani national Asif Abbas Karadia finally became an Indian citizen. The long legal battle of the 52-year-old, who works as a manager at a restaurant in Mahim, for formal Indian citizenship came to an end when the Bombay high court was informed on Monday that the central government has decided to grant him citizenship. Advocate Deepak Thakare, who represented the central government, informed the bench of justice AS Oka and justice MS Sanklecha that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has granted Asif citizenship and a certificate will be issued in ten days. Asifs father, Abbas, was born in Gujarat in 1945. Abbas married a Pakistani national, who joined his company in India after marriage, but continued to hold a Pakistani passport. In 1967, she went to her mothers place at Karachi for delivery and gave birth to Asif. A few months later, she returned to India with the infant. She then gave up her Pakistani citizenship, passport and acquired Indian ones. According to Asifs lawyer Sujay Kantawala, this sequence of events gave rise to a controversy surrounding his citizenship. Although he was born to a Pakistani national at Karachi, Asif never felt it necessary to acquire formal Indian citizenship and obtain a passport. All along he resided in India on the strength of long-term visas, extended from time to time. He got a ration card, voters identity card, a PAN, Aadhaar cards and continued to pay taxes, just like other salaried individuals. The occasion for him to apply for an Indian passport came only in 2012 when he decided to go for Hajj Pilgrimage. His first application for an Indian passport was rejected by the Ministry of External Affairs in 2012 on the ground that he was not an Indian citizen. Thereafter, he applied for Indian citizenship at least seven times and eventually approached high court in 2016 after the authorities stopped even renewing his long term visa. Kantawalla pointed out that every one, except Asif, is an Indian citizen in his family. His parents, his wife and even his children are Indian nationals by birth, but not Asif. In this backdrop, the lawyer had urged the court to direct the MHA to decide his representation and plead for citizenship. Accepting the request on December 20, another bench of high court had directed the MHA to take into consideration the factual matrix involved in Asifs case and take a suitable decision on his pleas for citizenship. Accordingly, the MHA finally accepted Asifs plea and granted him citizenship. A family that eats together, stays together, and now, according to a recent study, consistently eating breakfast as a family can also promote positive body image for children and adolescents. The study suggests that parents hoping to raise teenagers with positive body image might just find helpful tools in the kitchen every morning. We know that developing healthy behaviours in adolescence such as eating breakfast every day and eating family meals can have long-term effects into adulthood. Children and adolescents are under a lot of pressure from social media and pop culture when it comes to physical appearance. Having a healthy relationship with food from eating breakfast and spending meal time with family might have a significant impact on well-being, said Virginia Ramseyer, one of the lead researchers. Researchers analyzed data from more than 12,000 students in more than 300 schools in all 50 states and Washington D.C. They looked at data related to eating behaviours, including frequency of eating breakfast and eating meals with a parent. The researchers found that eating breakfast during the week more frequently was associated with positive body image. Just over half of the sample reported eating breakfast five days a week; however, nearly 17 per cent reported never eating breakfast. More than 30 per cent reported eating breakfast fewer than five times a week. The researchers also found that boys were more likely to eat breakfast than girls. Additionally, the researchers found that children were much more likely to have a positive body image if they regularly ate breakfast with a parent. We know that the health behaviours of a parent can have long-term effects on a child. Results of this study suggest that positive interactions with food-- such as eating breakfast and having family meals together-- could be associated with body image, Ramseyer asserted. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter China on Tuesday strongly criticised a US State Department report that denounced Beijing for systematically obstructing Americans including Washingtons envoy from travelling to Tibet. The Chinese government systematically impeded travel to the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) and Tibetan areas outside the TAR for US diplomats and officials, journalists and tourists in 2018, said the report to Congress released on March 25. Even visits by US diplomats were highly restricted, it said. Chinese government-designated minders followed US diplomats and officials at all times, prevented them from meeting or speaking with local contacts, interrogated them and restricted their movement in these areas, it said. The State Department said that China last year rejected five of the nine US requests to visit Tibet, including one by Ambassador Terry Branstad. The AFP news agency reported that the State Department documented access problems to the Himalayan region in a report to Congress mandated by the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, passed with bipartisan support in December. The law, which notes that no US region is prohibited, requires the US by the end of this year to deny visas to Chinese officials in charge of implementing the policy. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Geng Shuang, criticised the report in strong words, calling it interference in Chinas internal affairs. This act severely violates the basic norms governing international relations, interferes in Chinas internal affairs send a seriously wrong message to Tibetan independent and separatist forces. It is highly detrimental to our cooperation and exchanges, Geng said. We oppose that, Geng added. This so-called report is full bias and totally ignoring the facts. We (will) never accept that. I want to stress that Tibetan affairs are purely Chinas internal affairs and allow no interference from foreign countries. Geng said China has the right to manage visits to Tibet because of geographical and climatic conditions. Chinas Tibet is open to people of all countries. Yet considering special geographical and climate conditions, the Chinese government exercises certain protection and management measures over the entry by foreigners. This is totally necessaryOur position will never change, he said. We welcome foreigners to visit Tibet. But the condition is that they have to abide by Chinese laws and regulations and go through relevant procedures. We urge the US to stop such wrongdoing and try to remove the negative effects. We urge the US side to stop using Tibet related issues to interfere in our internal affairs, lest it should harm bilateral relations and our cooperation, he said. US president Donald Trump and allies have gone on the offensive vowing to hold accountable those behind the special counsel investigation that found no evidence the Trump campaign colluded with Russian meddling, and, standing their ground, Democrats have demanded to see the full report. President Trump set the tone telling reporters at a White House event Monday that the role of those behind the evil things, the treasonous things, as he described the probe, will be looked at, an indication that another probe was in the making, to investigate the reasons for the Russia investigation. Lindsey Graham, chairman of the Republican-led Senate judiciary committee, has said he intends to call for a special counsel, like Robert Mueller, to investigate how the Russian meddling investigation was launched, by the justice department and the FBI in 2016, on then President Barack Obamas watch. Adding to the push back, the Trump 2020 re-election campaign circulated a memo to TV networks urging them to drop pundits who had made outlandish, false claims about collusion, mostly Democrats and former intelligence officials. Among them was Adam Schiff, chairman of the Democratic-led House intelligence committee, who was among the most aggressive of them. The White House has demanded his resignation. The president and his allies have misleadingly claimed total exoneration by Special Counsel Mueller, when, in fact, the probe only said, in a report that remains confidential, no evidence was found of any collusion by Trump campaign with Russians. It left unresolved the question of obstruction of justice, saying that while the report, does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. Attorney General William Barr settled the unresolved issue in favor of the president, concluding, in a four-page summary of Muellers report, that the evidence developed during the Special Counsels investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense. Democrats and Trumps critics dont agree with the AG, a Trump appointee, they have pointed out, and have demanded the full report with underlying documents and Congressional Democrats wrote to the department of justice Monday to release the report by April 2. Your four-page summary of the Special Counsels review is not sufficient for Congress, as a coequal branch of government, to perform this critical work, they wrote in a joint letter. Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday night suffered another setback in the House of Commons when MPs upheld a motion 329 to 302 seeking to determine the way ahead on Brexit, as three more of her ministers resigned in protest. The development will see MPs voting on Wednesday on a range of Brexit alternatives to identify the scenario that has the most support. This whittles down further Mays control over the Brexit process, which has come under increasing fire from inside and outside her party. Business minister Richard Harrington, foreign office minister Alistair Burt and health Steve Brine resigned to join Brexit rebels, with Harrington accusing the government of playing roulette with the lives and livelihoods of Britons. However, the indicative votes on Wednesday are unlikely to resolve the impasse, as May insisted that their outcome is not binding and would not commit her government to adopting outcomes that has the most support. The setback prompted renewed claims by some of Mays aides and others that she may be in office in Downing Street, but not in power. But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the government must take the process seriouslyThe government has failed and this House must, and I believe will, succeed. He also called for a confirmatory referendum on Mays withdrawal agreement that has failed to pass twice. Mays party MPs and others piled on the pressure after the setback in the house. Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer tweeted: Another humiliating defeat for a prime minister who has lost complete control of her party, her cabinet and of the Brexit process. Labours Hilary Benn, who chairs the Exiting the European Union Committee, told BBC: If the government isnt going to do its job then Parliament is going to have to take responsibility, and that is what we are doing on Wednesday. Indian-origin Conservative former Brexit Minister Suella Braverman called it a a Parliamentary massacre, adding: MPs where we know there is a majority against Brexit, who dont want to respect the referendum, who dont want to honour referendum pledges, are seeking to overturn that and its unacceptable. A Pakistani court ordered the state on Tuesday to take custody of two minor Hindu girls allegedly forcibly converted to Islam and married to Muslim men even as external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj called for the teenagers to be reunited with their family. The Islamabad high court, which was hearing a petition filed by the two sisters from Ghotki in Sindh province and the Muslim men who had allegedly married them, said the state should ensure the safety of the girls till their case is decided. The girls were later sent to a shelter home in Islamabad, and the high court directed a senior woman police officer should be appointed to ensure their safety. The high court also accepted a plea by the men who allegedly married them to be granted protective bail. The men said they had been named in an FIR and their arrests should be stopped. The petition said the girls had left their home on March 20 and sought legal help after announcing two days later that they had willingly converted. However, rights activists and relatives of the girls said they were abducted and forcibly converted to Islam. Swaraj and Pakistans information minister Fawad Chaudhry sparred on Twitter over the weekend after the external affairs minister sought a report on the matter from the Indian envoy in Islamabad. Justice demands that both these girls should be restored to their family immediately, Swaraj tweeted on Tuesday. Referring to the forced conversion of the teenagers, she said the age of the girls is not disputed one named Raveena is only 13 and the other named Reena is 15 years old. Even the Prime Minister (of) Naya Pakistan will not believe that girls of this tender age can voluntarily decide about their conversion to another religion and marriage, Swaraj tweeted, referring to Prime Minister Imran Khans stated policy of building a naya or new Pakistan. People familiar with developments said Swaraj had taken on the Pakistan government on the issue largely because of Khan taking pot shots at the treatment of minorities in India over the past few months. In recent speeches and public remarks, Khan has raked up what he described as the oppression of Muslims and Kashmiris in India as well as attacks on minorities. Indias foreign ministry has rejected Khans remarks and said Pakistan should be the last countryto lecture us on the topic of plurality and inclusive society. On Sunday, Pakistani police arrested seven people from Punjab province allegedly involved in arranging the marriage of the Hindu girls. A case of kidnapping was also registered in Sindh province. During the hearing in Islamabad high court, when Chief Justice Athar Minallah enquired about the age of the girls, their lawyer said one of them was 20 years old. This is an extremely sensitive issue. Pakistans international standing is tied to it Ensuring the rights of minorities is our responsibility, Minallah was quoted as saying by the local media. Senator Krishna Kumari made a request to the interior ministry on Tuesday to meet the girls as a representative of the Hindu community. Kumari said it was also important to meet the girls parents to establish the facts. Shaman Das, the girls brother, also approached the Lahore high courts Bahawalpur bench seeking the immediate recovery of his sisters. He said in his petition his sisters are minors. The petition will be heard on Wednesday. In a relief to Nawaz Sharif, Pakistans Supreme Court Tuesday granted bail to the jailed former prime minister for six weeks in a corruption case on medical grounds. Sharif, 69, is in jail since December last year, serving a seven-year imprisonment in the Al Azizia Steel Mills graft case. He filed appeal earlier this month against a judgment by the Islamabad High Court which on February 25 rejected his bail on medical grounds in the same case. A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa in a short order granted bail to Sharif for six weeks for his treatment. But the court ruled he cannot go out of the country during this period. Three corruption cases - Avenfield properties, Flagship investment and Al-Azizia steel mills - were registered against the Sharif family by the anti-graft body in 2017 following a judgment by the Supreme Court that disqualified Sharif in the Panama Papers case in 2017. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in the Avenfield corruption case in July 2018 which was related to his properties in London. Later he was given bail in September. In December, the accountability court convicted him in the Al-Azizia graft case but acquitted him in the Flagship corruption case. The Al-Azizia Steel Mill case is related to setting up steel mills in Saudi Arabia allegedly with corruption money. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday demanded that the two Pakistani Hindu girls, who were allegedly abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and married to Muslim men should be reunited with their families. Both the girls are minor. Forced conversion of Hindu girls in Pakistan: The age of the girls is not disputed. Raveena is only 13 and Reena is 15 years old. Even the Prime Minister on Naya Pakistan will not believe that girls of this tender age can voluntarily decide about their conversion to another religion and marriage, Swaraj tweeted taking a dig at Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khans catchphrase to assert new thinking in his government Khan has referred to Naya Pakistan in his public speeches after coming to power in last years parliamentary elections. Khan has also ordered probe into the incident. Swaraj said, Justice demands that both these girls should be restored to their family immediately. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, Islamabad High Court ordered the government to ensure protection to the minor girls and take over their custody. The two underage girls are sisters from Ghotki in Sindh. They were allegedly forcibly converted from Hinduism and married to Muslim men on the eve of Holi. Also Read | 7 held for abduction of Hindu girls in Pakistan The incident came to public knowledge after the father and brother of the minor girls posted videos on social media giving details of the case. Civil society activists in Pakistan staged protests including one outside the Karachi Press Club on Sunday. Amid complaint by the family members of the girls and protest by activists, another video was released on social media showing the two sisters stating that they converted to Islam out of their own free will. On Monday, police detained at least seven people, news agency ANI reported, in connection of the case. One of those held was the nikah khwan (marriage officiator), the agency said. The next legal stage of businessman Vijay Mallyas extradition is set to begin after the Home Office submitted its response to his application for permission to appeal against the Home Secretarys February 4 order clearing his extradition to India. Facing charges of financial irregularities worth over 9,000 crore, Mallya again took to Twitter on Tuesday to reiterate his main contention that his inability to return bank loans was a result of genuine business failure, offering to repay them. Mallyas extradition case has progressed through the Westminster Magistrates Court, which ordered his extradition in December 2018. An appeals court judge will now decide whether grounds cited in his application merit progressing the case to a full hearing. All the papers have been received and are now awaiting allocation to a single judge who will decide, on the basis of those papers, if permission is given to go to a full hearing, a spokesman for the judiciary said on Tuesday. Mallya filed his notice of appeal on February 14 and the Home Office responded to it within 20 days. Legal experts say the case is usually allowed to go for a full hearing if new grounds or evidence not previously considered in lower courts are cited. In a series of tweets, Mallya used the current financial problems of Jet Airways to plug his case, demanding that his assets placed before the Karnataka high court be used to pay off banks and other creditors, adding: It will help them to save Jet Airways if nothing else. Noting that banks were reportedly bailing out Jet Airways, Mallya said: I invested 4000 crores into Kingfisher Airlines to save the Company and its employees. Not recognised and instead slammed in every possible way. The same PSU Banks let Indias finest airline with the best employees and connectivity fail ruthlessly. Double standards under NDA, he added. Wishing banks had similarly bailed out his Kingfisher Airlines, he said: BJP spokesman eloquently read out my letters to PM Manmohan Singh and alleged that PSU Banks under the UPA Government had wrongly supported Kingfisher Airlines. Media decimated me for writing to the PM. I wonder what has changed now under the NDA Government. Mallya has previously taken to twitter to seek to change the narrative that he stole money from India and fled, reiterating that he had offered to return the loans, wondering why the government was not taking up the offer. A n Alpine lodge shipped plank by plank from Switzerland to the banks of the Thames has gone on the market for 2.85 million three years after it was put up for sale for almost 13 million. The developer of the 137-year-old chalet near Hampton Court said the Brexit climate had made it impossible to find a buyer for the property, which comes with a heated indoor sand beach, a bathroom with gold parquet flooring and a 500,000 kitchen. It is now being marketed again as an empty shell, without the surrounding plots of land, 225 metres (738ft) of river frontage, associated boats and contents of the property such as four cannons used at the Battle of Waterloo. These can still be bought separately, bringing the total bill to 11 million. Imported in 1882, the five-storey chalet was intended as a feature for the grounds of a country house called Riverholm which no longer exists. It was later used as a boathouse and fell into dereliction before architect Myck Djurberg bought it in 2010 and spent more than 3 million on restoration work. The chalet is now in the hands of receivers; Mr Djurberg is still responsible for maintaining it. Features include a beach themed party level with under-floor heating, wine racks, a cinema room and a spa area. Guest bedrooms have Japanese style pod beds that include a body massage system, and the master suite is accessed by a glass staircase. Its bathroom has two free-standing copper baths and basins made of marble and 24-carat gold. Mr Djurberg told the Standard: The building has historically been used as an entertaining house. King Edward VII himself was here at one time to gamble. Lots of famous people have visited Charlie Chaplin and the likes. So I decided to bring it back to an entertaining home. "Its for someone who doesnt need a house. He or she enjoys the high-life and wants to entertain. I have interested buyers. In the meantime with Savills weve agreed to sell this in stages and break it into pieces in order to sell it faster because the very high-end market is not there because of Brexit. In 2017, a High Court judge ordered Mr Djurberg to pay back 1.8 million to two couples after he sold them unlawful houseboats. The sites did not have permission for residential properties. Mr Djurberg said he was appealing against the decision, adding that the damage to my name and professional profile has in a way also contributed seriously with the sale of my property. President Trumps proposed budget would cut Education Department funding by about $7 billion, or 10 percent, in fiscal 2020. But for special education, the budget proposal represents business close to usual. The proposal would keep funding flat for the major federal sources of special education money. That includes the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Part B funding ($12.3 billion for students ages 3-21, about the same as the previous fiscal year); $391 millon for children ages 3-5 with disabilities (a $10 million proposed increase over the previous fiscal year) and $470 million for infants and families, the same amount as the previous fiscal year. The budget would eliminate $17.6 million in federal funding for the Special Olympics; the Trump administration attempted to cut that funding in the previous fiscal year as well, but Congress gave the program a small boost instead. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos will be visiting Capitol Hill twice this week in support of this proposal and others that are part of the federal education budget.On March 26, shell testify before the House appropriations subcommittee that oversees education; on Thursday, shell address the Senate panel that deals with K-12 funding. Its important to note that, while presidential budgets offer a roadmap of an administrations priorities, it is Congress that holds the power of the federal purse. But there are still a few things that may come up during DeVos testimony and questioning from lawmakers: Full funding: This budget doesnt come close to funding IDEA at the level that Congress is authorized to spend. When the IDEA was passed in 1975, Congress gave itself permission to send to states up to 40 percent of the average per pupil expenditure to meet the goals of the law. In contrast, the federal contribution to special education in this budget proposal is around 13 percent. The amount of federal money proposed per pupil ages 3-21$1,758has actually gone down a bit, by $12, compared to the previous fiscal year. Thats because the number of special education students has gone up. Will lawmakers ask DeVos about this (and will any of them commit to pushing for a full-funding bill themselves?) Equity in IDEA rule: This topic isnt directly related to the budget proposal, but it does involve money. A federal district judge ruled that the Education Department cannot delay a rule intended to prompt states to pay closer attention to minority overrepresentation in special education. The rule is complicated, but the upshot is that more school districts may find themselves having to spend a portion of their federal funds on remedying what the law calls significant disproportionality. The judge made her ruling March 7, and the Education Department hasnt offered a public hint yet of whether it will continue to defend its delay. Congressmembers might attempt to get some clarification on the Departments plans. Scholarship program and students with disabilities: The administration is supporting a $5 billion scholarship program that would provide federal tax credits to individuals and companies that donate to scholarship-granting groups. If passed, these scholarships could help pay for a variety of educational activities, including helping special education students attend private schools. Students with disabilities who enroll in private school lose some of the individual protections that come with the IDEA , however. Democratic lawmakers have frequently pressed DeVos on this issue, and it might come up again. File Photo: Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos sits in with a class at Greater Johnstown Elementary School in Johnstown, Pa. in 2018.John Rucosky/The Tribune-Democrat via AP Now Open 26 March 2019 Embassy Suites by Hilton, a global brand of upscale, all-suite hotel from Hilton (NYSE: HLT), announced today the opening of a new hotel near Indianapolis. Embassy Suites by Hilton prides itself on offering guests an approachable and stress-free experience at each of its properties. The stylish Embassy Suites by Hilton Plainfield Indianapolis Airport is conveniently located in close proximity to Indianapolis International Airport and just a 25-minute drive from downtown Indianapolis, Lucas Oil Stadium, Bankers Life Fieldhouse and the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Business and leisure travelers can take advantage of the hotel's convenient airport shuttle to Indianapolis International Airport. Owned and managed by Sun Development & Management Corporation, this upscale all-suite hotel features 174 two-room and studio suites with all the comforts of home. Each suite is equipped with free Wi-Fi, a large HDTV, mini-fridge and microwave, and the two-room suites' amenities include a living area, sofa bed, two HDTVs and private bedroom. Guests staying at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Plainfield Indianapolis Airport can start their days with free made-to-order breakfast in the morning and unwind at night with complimentary drinks and appetizers daily at the Evening Reception. They can also enjoy appetizers, hearty fare and local beer at Local Kitchen & Tap, the property's on-site restaurant. Additional amenities include 30,000 square feet of meeting space, a 24-hour convenience market, a 24-hour business center, a 24-hour fitness center and an indoor pool. The property's tranquil outdoor setting includes a pond, boardwalk and several outdoor patios for guests to relax. Pipeline 26 March 2019 Range Developments has entered into an agreement with the Government of Grenada to develop the La Sagesse area in St David's. This is an unspoilt area of remarkable natural beauty with two beautiful beaches. The first of the luxury hotels will be the Six Senses La Sagesse, set on a promontory boasting two beaches and a lake, one of which has been described by The Sunday Times as 'one of the top ten beaches in the Caribbean'. La Sagesse will be an incomparable master-planned development on one of the best locations in the Caribbean, just 15 minutes' drive from Grenada's airport. It will feature two luxury 5-star hotels, oceanfront villas, spas, retail and water-sports' facilities. Range Developments specializes in developing luxury resorts in the Eastern Caribbean, and will be working with award winning Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas. As in other of Range's developments, investors will be able to participate in the project, and if applicable, apply for citizenship in Grenada. The project is scheduled to open in 2022, and will create more than 500 jobs during construction and many more during operations. Appointment 26 March 2019 Hotel Chicago West Loop has announced the appointment of a new, dynamic leader. At only 31-years-old, Virginia-native Jean-Luc Laramie is (quite possibly) the youngest hotel general manager in Chicago. In his role at the independent, 3-year-old dual-purpose property known for its eccentric art initiative, Laramie oversees operations while looking to expand the hotel's relationship with Millennial travelers. Although he's a first-time hotel General Manager, Laramie's passion for hospitality runs deep. He admits he always knew he wanted to work in the industry, starting his career in restaurants before entering the hotel world in 2009. Laramie began his hotel career with a manager-in-training program in Amman, Jordan. When he returned to the States, Laramie enrolled at Kendall College in Chicago and studied Hotel Management while working as a bellman at night. After graduation, he rose through the ranks, beginning at the front desk, then moving on to concierge, night audit, manager on duty, supervisor, front desk manager, and operations manager. Laramie's strength is interacting with guests, making them feel welcome, and finding solutions that work for both them and the property. Martyn Barnes has signed his third IHG-branded hotel, bringing Holiday Inn & Suites to Dandenong, the so-called 'capital' of Melbourne's south-east. Martyn Barnes has signed his third IHG-branded hotel, bringing Holiday Inn & Suites to Dandenong, the so-called 'capital' of Melbourne's south-east. Headlining a mixed-use development that includes two levels of office space, the 160-room, design-led Holiday Inn & Suites Dandenong will rise to 11 levels when it opens in 2021, affording great views of the city. It will offer guests an all-day dining and bar experience, a gym, conference and meeting facilities, and retail shopping via separate access. It will also feature a long stay suite component targeting the corporate traveller who is looking to stay for extended periods. The hotel will boast the ideal location, a short stroll from Dandenong train station and the business district, which will enjoy a boost from the State Government's $290-million 'Revitalising Central Dandenong' (RCD), creating demand for a world-class hotel to cater to growing business travel. Dandenong is already considered by many to be Melbourne's second city and the gateway to Gippsland. It's a key employment cluster in Victoria, with its industrial precinct in Dandenong South one of Australia's most significant, employing almost 30,000 people and accounting for around 77% of employment in the area. It is already home to Amazon's first Australian distribution centre, the Australian Tax Office (ATO), Salvation Army regional headquarters, Dandenong Hospital, Chisholm 5 Institute of TAFE and a number of industrial, manufacturing and government offices. Abhijay Sandilya, IHG's Senior Director of Development Australasia, said: "As the world's largest hotel brand, Holiday Inn will attract guests from around Australia and the world to Dandenong. We are thrilled to take our great partnership with Martyn Barnes to the next level with our third hotel signing together in Victoria, continuing the momentum we have started over the past year with Holiday Inn Coburg and voco Yarra Valley." Martyn Barnes, Managing Director at Barnes Capital, said: "As the heart of Melbourne's south-east region, some might say Dandenong has it all, but I would say it doesn't have a great hotel yet. Holiday Inn Melbourne Dandenong will be an important component of the government's Revitalising Central Dandenong project, and we're so proud to support it. I expect it to be the new home-away-from-home for the thriving business, industrial and public-sector community." Barnes announced in May 2018 that he would bring Holiday Inn to Melbourne's growing hipster suburb of Coburg, and then in August confirmed that he would bring IHG's new upscale brand, voco, to the Yarra Valley in 2021. IHG has put a focus on regional Australian growth, with several Holiday Inn signings across the country, including in Wagga Wagga, Geelong, Ringwood, and Melbourne Werribee, as well as opening Holiday Inn Sydney St Marys in 2018. IHG currently has 47 hotels operating under four brands in Australasia, including: InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, voco and Holiday Inn Express, with another 29 in the pipeline, including Hotel Indigo and EVEN Hotels. *Numbers correct as at end 31 December 2018 Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Hotel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Hotel News Resource Joint Venture Addresses Critical Culinary Skilled Labor Shortage Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts and Omni Hotels & Resorts, announce the unique, practical and educational partnership designed to address the critical chef shortage facing professional kitchens and restaurants across the country. Through the new partnership, Escoffier offers its 100 percent online apprenticeship-model culinary programs and externships for Omni Hotel & Resorts' employees to take advantage of while they continue to work within the organization. Working directly with an Escoffier chef instructor, employees participating in the online program can apply their work experience at Omni toward their externship requirement. The partnership also includes an Escoffier $2,000 per student tuition discount, along with additional financial aid options for employees who qualify. Students can graduate with either a Diploma in Culinary Arts and Operations or Diploma in Professional Pastry Arts, from an institution accredited by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET). "We've looked at the chef shortage crisis from all sides and are encouraged to be in the distinct position to offer our world-class culinary curriculum and programs for employees at all of Omni Hotels & Resorts properties," said Tracy Lorenz, Escoffier's president and CEO. "Our industry-recognized online programs aren't bound by geography and give employees the freedom and flexibility to take classes that fit within their schedules and apply externship requirements that develop and deepen culinary skills and knowledge. We see this apprenticeship model as a positive way to address the shortage of culinary professionals and enhance retention and advancement opportunities in the workforce." In addition to campus-based degree and diploma programs, Escoffier is the only accredited institution to offer fully online professional diploma programs, including externships, in the United States. Escoffier is also offering two full scholarships, (value $16,000 each), for more details on employee nomination criteria, visit escoffier.edu/omni. "This partnership allows us to immediately invest in our talented employees and give them new and exciting pathways for advancement," said Devin Burns, vice president of food and beverage at Omni Hotels & Resorts. "The online program and tuition incentives make earning an Escoffier education an achievable goal for our full-time culinary professionals and gives them practical ways to develop skills and put them into practice." Omni Hotels & Resorts employees who enroll in the online educational program(s) will learn from a balanced culinary and business curriculum, understand applied principles of sustainability as well as the importance of work ethics and ability to contribute in a team environment. The Diploma in Culinary Arts and Operations curriculum includes: Culinary Foundations Culinary Arts and Patisserie Purchasing and Cost Control World Cuisine Menu Design and Management Culinary Career Planning and Preparation The Farm to Table Kitchen The Diploma in Professional Pastry Arts curriculum includes: Pastry and Baking Concepts and Foundations Culinary Careers from Entry Level to Management Management by Menu Patisserie Artisan Baking Confiserie and Frozen Desserts Contemporary Pastry Arts For more information about the partnership, testimonials or details on apprenticeship reimagined, visit Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Hotel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Hotel News Resource Award-Winning Luxury Hotel to Bring Innovative Wine-On-Demand Technology Plum to their Suites, Restaurant, and Bar Plum, the first wine by the glass technology revolutionizing the hospitality industry, is proud to welcome the historic Hermitage Hotel to its rapidly growing list of new clients. By introducing Plum, the award-winning property will be the first location in Nashville to offer guests the perfect pour in the comfort of their hotel suite, while dining at the Capitol Grille or relaxing at the world-famous Oak Bar. Our guests value a sophisticated experience that is designed with their personalized needs in mind, said Christopher Salyer, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Hermitage Hotel. Anyone passionate about wine will love the unprecedented technology of Plum, and it provides convenience, choice and that extra attention to detail that has made us a top hotel and keeps guests coming back for more. Beyond just the unique appeal to guests, Plum opens up revenue generating opportunities while reducing delays and demands on staff. The stunning Hermitage Hotel has long been known as the top hotel in Tennessee and one of the best hotels in America. With its Beaux-Arts style and old-world blend of classical Italian and French Renaissance architecture, it is ranked among the 500 best hotels in the world, according to Travel + Leisure. Among its multitude of awards, it is listed as one USA Todays top 10 historic hotels in the U.S. and is consistently named among the Top Hotels in the nation's top travel publications. The Hermitage Hotel is also the only Forbes Five Star and AAA Five Diamond hotel in Tennessee and five contiguous states. In 2018, it was awarded the number one hotel in Nashville according to Conde Nast Traveler Readers Choice. For hospitality operators, the benefits of Plum are numerous. Plum precisely pressurizes each bottle with argon gas protecting the unique flavor and aroma of each wine. Management can select bottles of wine and set the pricing, effortlessly pair wine with food and enjoy the freedom to change their wine seasonally - even customizing the wine selection to match the preferences of their VIP guests. Plum's 7-inch touchscreen and integrated speaker serve as a virtual tasting room, displaying rich video and imagery along with tasting notes. Were very excited to be partnering with the Hermitage Hotel in the music capital of the world, said Founder and CEO of Plum, David Koretz. Plum isnt just another new technology or amenity, its a way to elevate the in-room dining experience and yield greater profits as well as satisfaction. Along with the Hermitage Hotel, Plum has partnerships with leading independent hotels and chains, like the Four Seasons, St. Regis, Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Sheraton, Westin, Auberge, Gemstone Collection, Woodside and Rosewood flags. To learn more, visit hotels.plum.wine. About Plum Plum reimagines every aspect of the wine-by-the-glass experience. The world's first appliance that can serve a glass of wine just as the winemaker intended, Plum allows hoteliers to satisfy the moments that inspire guests to enjoy a glass of wine in the hotel's room product. The company has partnerships with leading independent hotels and chains, like the Four Seasons, St. Regis, Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Sheraton, Westin, Auberge, Gemstone Collection, Woodside and Rosewood flags. Plum delivers an unforgettable experience - and profits - in extraordinary style, one glass at a time. To learn more visit www.plum.wine. About The Hermitage Hotel Opened in 1910, The Hermitage Hotel has been woven into the history and memories of Nashville and her residents for over 100 years. In keeping with a deep respect for Nashville and the state of Tennessee, The Hermitage Hotel is committed to preserving the regions heritage by putting into practice the traditions that make hospitality synonymous with The South. This commitment extends to protecting the states historic and scenic landscapes through a relationship with The Land Trust for Tennessee. This relationship began in 2008 when a program was created in which guests may donate $3.00 for every night they stay in the hotel. To date, guests have donated close to $750,000. The relationship was expanded in 2010 when the Trust graciously allowed the Capitol Grille to create a substantial period garden using sustainable practices on the property at Glen Leven. Glen Leven is a historic 66-acre farm located just 5 miles from The Hermitage Hotel and owned by the Land Trust for Tennessee. The Hermitage Hotel is the only Forbes Five Star and AAA Five Diamond hotel in Tennessee and five contiguous states. For more information, visit https://www.thehermitagehotel.com. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Hotel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Hotel News Resource PARIS -- "[T]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities." That's the bottom line of special counsel Robert Mueller 's investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, according to a summary released over the weekend by U.S. Attorney General William Barr . What exactly are these alleged Russian interference activities? Barr mentioned only two in his summary. The first consisted of a bunch of internet trolls in Russia allegedly creating advertisements and graphics for consumption on social media, characterized by Barr as "designed to sow social discord, eventually with the aim of interfering with the election." The second involves Russian hackers allegedly hacking into Democratic National Committee computers and disseminating internal communications that laid bare the backstabbing within the Democratic Party, including how DNC members conspired against Hillary Clinton's rival in the Democratic primaries, Bernie Sanders. Mueller had previously charged a bunch of Russians for these alleged activities, from online trolls to military intelligence officers. But let's face it: It's unlikely that any of these accused Russians will ever set foot inside an American courtroom. Therefore, any evidence upon which allegations of Russian election interference are based will never be tested. This is critical, particularly in the cyber world, since leaked CIA documents have revealed that intelligence agencies can spoof the origin of an attack to make it look like it came from a different country than the one that actually perpetrated it. So, at the end of the Mueller investigation, we have some unprovable online hacking as the basis for allegations of electoral interference (attributed to the Russian government anyway), coupled with the inability to link President Donald Trump to its coordination. When the alleged interference could feasibly have originated in any nation-state with an intelligence agency, perhaps the investigation never should have been launched in the first place. Unless, of course, one believes that a handful of Russian trolls who were churning out laughable ads for Facebook and Instagram actually managed to convince anyone of anything they didn't already believe --let alone that they managed to swing an election in a country of nearly 330 million people. What if America has been dragged through this entire drama, bombarded with "Russia, Russia, Russia" for the past few years, only to learn that any collusion lay elsewhere -- but that it fell outside of Mueller's principal (and relatively narrow) "Russian collusion" investigative mission? There's an interesting line in Barr's summary: "During the course of his investigation, the Special Counsel also referred several matters to other offices for further action." Mueller's original mandate, according to Acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, was to investigate "any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump," but also "any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation." It's likely that matters falling outside the sphere of direct contact between the Trump campaign and members of the Russian government were farmed out by Mueller to the offices of other prosecutors, and that these cases could involve coordination with representatives of foreign governments other than Russia. Heavily redacted documents from some of Mueller's court filings suggest that there are other cases involving foreign entities to which we aren't yet privy. Documentation regarding the foreign lobbying efforts of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and information about meetings that took place at Trump Tower involving Trump campaign members and representatives of foreign nations could fit within this category. There's also evidence of a meeting at Trump Tower in December 2016 between Flynn and the leader of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who has hardly made a secret of his interest in shaping the Middle East in favor of allies Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to the detriment of Iran. Consider some of Trump's decisions and policies since taking office: hostility toward Iran, recognition of Israel's claim on the Golan Heights, moving the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and brushing off the bone-sawing of a member of the U.S. media inside a Saudi consulate in Turkey while the CIA pins responsibility on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Does this look like Russian collusion to you? Or does it seem as if the real foreign influence could lie elsewhere? After two years and some 2,800 subpoenas, all we've gotten from gatekeeper Barr about the Mueller report is a declaration akin to telling us the earth isn't flat: Trump didn't work with Russian President Vladimir Putin to win the 2016 election. However, there's a good chance Mueller stumbled onto more interesting, non-Russian influence that has yet to be fully revealed. ( 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. Just hours after announcing his retirement from the UFC, Conor McGregor is being hit with some pretty heavy allegations. According to a report from the New York Times, McGregor is being investigated by Irish police for an alleged sexual assault that took place back in December. In the report, it states that a woman had accused Conor of the crime and that he was arrested for it in January. The UFC fighter was questioned about the alleged incident and then let go pending a more thorough investigation. McGregor was never charged with any crimes despite the arrest, although this is fairly standard in Ireland. No allegations have been proven at this time. According to the alleged victim, the incident occurred at the Beacon Hotel in Dublin where McGregor is sometimes a guest. Initially, Mcgregor's name was left out of all initial reports, as Irish law states that those charged with rape cannot be named in the media. However, since McGregor hasn't been charged, his name finally got out. McGregor has yet to comment on the allegations. Be sure to stay tuned for any updates on this situation as we will be sure to provide them. In the meantime, check out our list of some of McGregor's best fights. On the same day that Conor McGregorannounced his retirement from mixed martial arts, The New York Times published a report detailing how the 30-year old superstar is being investigated in Ireland for an alleged sexual assault. According to the report, a woman in Ireland accused McGregor of sexual assault back in December, which led to an arrest in January. He was questioned by authorities at that time, but later released. McGregor has not been charged with any sort of crime, and his camp has labeled the report as nothing more than a "rumor." https://twitter.com/_/status/1110610539196096512 According to ESPN's Ariel Helwani, a spokesperson for McGregor, Karen Kessler, relayed the following response: "This story has been circulating for some time and it is unclear why it is being reported now. The assumption that the Conor retirement announcement today is related to this rumor is absolutely false. Should Conor fight in the future it must be in an environment where fighters are respected for their value, their skill, their hard work and their dedication to the sport" Check out some of McGregor's most memorable UFC fights here. https://twitter.com/_/status/1110624568392208391 Local media in Ireland have been covering the situation for months, though they haven't specifically named McGregor as the suspect due to laws that prevent media outlets from naming rape suspects unless they have been convicted. The accuser, a woman in her 20s, claims she had been hanging with friends in South Dublin before she allegedly ended up at the Beacon Hotel with McGregor on December 10. There was no way for Dr. Dre to know that a simple joke on Instagram would turn into so much criticism. Just days ago, the iconic rapper shared a photo of himself with his daughter, Truly Young, holding her acceptance letter from the University of Southern California (USC) with the caption, "My daughter got accepted into USC all on her own. No jail time!!!" Although the words were jabs at the recent arrests of fellow Hollywood heavyweights Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, fans put him through it after reminding him that he isn't that far removed from a scandal himself. In 2013, Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine created the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology, and the Business of Innovation and donated $70 million to the prestigious university. Also, a social media update Truly posted last year surfaced where she wrote that her father was "pushing" her to attend USC. After the backlash, Dre deleted his post. TMZ caught up with comedian D. L. Hughley to get his thoughts on the controversy surrounding Dre. "That's what a parent is...pushing your children to do things that you believe are better for them," Hughley said. "USC is one of the finest schools in the land and it's nothing like the college cheating scandal." "He didn't pay anybody to take his daughter's test," Hughley continued. "He gave $70 million. If you give $70 million to a school, your kids kids should be able to go there. Anybody named Dr. Pepper should be able to go there," he joked. "My daughter got into USC. I told her to work hard, to study hard...she got into Smith and USC. Who knew all I had to do was lie and bribe people? He should be proud." After years of teasing the eventual arrival of his biggest project to date, Donald Trump is finally able to build his southern border wall. The topic was one of the main points that led to his election as the President of the United States, promising to make America "great" and "safe" again. The POTUS famously said the following words during his campaign: "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people." David McNew/Getty Images Although, according to Trump, some Mexicans are good people, he has made it his personal mission to keep America as an exclusive territory, limiting immigration laws and building a literal wall to prevent those "rapists" from coming in. As reported by CNN, the Pentagon has just announced that they've authorized the $1 billion price tag for Trump's southern border wall, approving the immediate construction of it. The billion dollars will be used to fund 57 miles of fencing, road improvements, and other measures on the southern border. Last month, a national emergency was declared in order to collect as much money as possible to fund the border wall. It appears as though Trump's plan worked out because, now, the wall is finally coming. The $1 billion is reportedly a starting point as the Pentagon will make a further $1.5 billion available at a future time. Are you for or against the wall? Mario Tama/Getty Images Not everyone is boycotting Gucci after the brand released a blackface turtleneck mask. Future, who famously bragged about how he "f*cked your b*tch in some Gucci flip flops," revealed that he isn't following the footsteps of 50 Cent, T.I., and Soulja Boy in boycotting the brand. The rapper explained to Streetz 94.5 that he has spent too much hard-earned money on their clothing to stop wearing it altogether. https://www.instagram.com/p/BthBndcARv4 "Man, I bought Gucci before it got canceled so I'm still gon' wear it because that's my money," he said. "If you wanna give my money back then we can talk, because I'm a businessman. So, you can buy my clothes back if you want me to not wear it, but you can't tell me --because I don't feel like they did it out of ill intentions, but it ain't for me to judge, you know what I'm saying?" He added, "Y'all haven't had no conversation with the designer. Y'all don't know nothing about the background of the designer." Gucci's creative director addressed the controversy in an internal memo following the backlash. Alessandro Michele explained that the turtleneck mask's design was meant to pay homage to Australian fashion designer Leigh Bowery. While Future says he won't be boycotting Gucci, his Super Slimey partner-in-crime, Young Thug, was recently seen sporting the controversial piece. Suffice to say, it's going to take much more than a controversial mask for either one of them to rid their closet of their Gucci clothes. In a surprising twist, Jussie Smollett's criminal charges have officially been dropped. According to TMZ, the Empire actor and his legal representatives will be addressing the media within the next hour. The entertainer and his lawyers arrived in court this morning for a hearing regarding his sixteen criminal charges of lying to the police about an allegedly staged attack. With this new development, it would appear as though Jussie may not have been untruthful or, at least, that's what it looks like. Chicago Police Department via Getty Images In a statement, Smollett's lawyers said, "Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him. Jussie was attacked by 2 people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public, causing an inappropriate rush to judgment." They continued, "Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions. This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect. Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result." The FBI reportedly did not conclude who wrote the threatening letter that was received at the Empire office. Also, there was a lack of evidence regarding the check that was provided to the Osundairo brothers. Jussie will reportedly need to surrender his $10K bond and the case will be finished. Theo Wargo/Getty Images Kanye West and song publisher EMI are still sorting out the details surrounding their cases against each other. Earlier in the year, Kanye sued the company for ownership of his catalog claiming that his contract should have ended in 2010, citing an unfair deal. EMI countersued saying Kanye was trying to get out of his contract unrightfully. The Blast now reports that Kanye is trying to settle the case in private, asking for a 60-day extension to deal with the matters without media attention. Both parties do not want to proceed with the lawsuit because they wish to explore the potential for a resolution of this action, and believe a stay would benefit the parties and the Court by enabling the parties to engage in meaningful discussions in an attempt to resolve this action without having to incur the burden and expense of litigation and motion practice. Rachel Murray/Getty Images When Kanye first sued EMI he detailed how he should be released from the deal because he's under a personal services contract lasting more than seven years, which amounts to servitude. The move is something that may have worked in the West Coast, but EMI is running under New York's law and they don't pay with a "7-year rule." Us is already another commercial and critical success for Jordan Peele. Theatres across North America were packed during the film's opening weekend including the Americana in Glendale, CA. Kid Cudi rented out the theatre and sent an open invite to his fans in the area to check out Jordan Peele's latest flick with him. Even if you're not into horror flicks, watching Us with Kid Cudi is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Cudi sent out an invite an hour before showtime to fans who wanted to peep the film. The rapper told fans to pull up and bring a physical copy of one of his albums or some merch in order to obtain a single adult ticket. https://twitter.com/_/status/1110036866189783040 The rapper was quickly met with a mob of fans who were clearly geeking out and asking for pictures and hugs. Cudi later shared footage of himself in the theatre with the fans. https://twitter.com/_/status/1110103275192213504 https://twitter.com/_/status/1110061495100923905 "We about to watch this movie," he said before the crowd erupted into a cheer. "Yeah, Jordan. Yes, let's get it, baby. Let's go." https://twitter.com/_/status/1110096975532195840 Clearly, Kid Cudi is a massive fan of the film. After watching the film on opening night, Kid Cudi took to Twitter to praise Peele and the film's cast. "Go see Us. Im tellin u," he wrote. "Well done! The great one does it again @ JordanPeele!! MUST see multiple times in theaters # UsMovie total mind fuck arghhhhh Please go see this movie! Congrats to the whole cast!" https://twitter.com/_/status/1108966857313181696 The celebration of Meek Mill continues as the rapper gets yet another honor, this time in Atlanta. The rapper has taken on a personal task of lending his voice and resources to the fight for criminal justice and prison reform, and these efforts have gained him recognition across the country. His hometown of Philadelphia recently honored him with his own "Meek Mill Weekend," Houston gave him his own day, and just last weekend Connecticut gave the rapper his own day and key to the city. The ATL's City Council President Felicia A. Moore and Councilman Cleta Winslow followed suit and publicly declared today, March 25, 2019, Meek Mill Day. He was also bestowed Atlanta's highest honor, the Phoenix Award which is "issued to individuals who have made significant contributions to the local community, and are celebrating a major milestone. Meek has steadily been vocal when it comes to social justice issues and created REFORM Alliance with Jay Z, businessman Michael Rubin, Van Jones, Robert Kraft, and many others. The focus of the organization is to combat against outdated laws and policies throughout the justice system in order to create a more balanced institution that benefits all. "The mission of the REFORM Alliance is to dramatically reduce the number of people who are unjustly under the control of the criminal justice system starting with probation and parole," the REFORM website states. "To win, we will leverage our considerable resources to change laws, policies, hearts and minds." R. Kelly is currently fighting for his innocence which appears to be an upward battle. Over the weekend, his girlfriend and alleged sex slave, Azriel Clary, was set to meet with her family for the first time in years but those plans fell through. Many believed Kelly intervened and canceled the meeting with his lawyer is denying those rumors. Scott Olson/Getty Images Steve Greenberg, Kelly's lawyer, told TMZ that Clary's plan to finally meet with her parents weren't canceled because of R. Kelly. Greenberg said that the plans failed after she insisted on switching the location for the meeting at the last minute. She reportedly wanted to meet with her family at the Trump Tower Chicago in a conference room on the hotel side of the building. Greenberg said Clary suggested the location switch to the Trump Tower in order to have some sort of control over the massive amount of media she believed her parents would bring along with them for the meeting. She said she wanted control over who would be able to access the building. The previous meeting point was at a hotel a block away from the Trump Tower. Greenberg said she made the switch a day ahead of when the initial meeting was supposed to go down. Greenberg shut down claims that Kelly was responsible for the botched plans. Greenberg said that the family canceled the meeting once she said she wanted to change locations. Kelly was not going to be at the meeting. The lawyer for Clary's family, Michael Avenatti, who was arrested today on extortion charges today, shared a statement about the canceled meeting. "On Friday, R Kellys camp tried to abruptly change the terms of the meeting at which time my clients and I decided not to participate because the terms were not acceptable. We are now attempting to reschedule the meeting on agreeable terms so my clients can see their daughter." About eight years ago we started to place a pretty significant emphasis on early childhood education and the recognition that learning begins at birth, she said, adding the focus today is more on prevention than intervention. Now the whole community is getting on board with and recognizing that it is too late if you start in middle school and high school. We haven't heard much about Tone Loc since he collapsed onstage during a concert in Des Moines, Iowa back in 2013, but the legendary "Wild Thing" rapper reportedly had a recent run-in with the law. According to reports, Tone Loc, real name Anthony Terrell Smith, got into an argument at Midland International Air & Space airport in Texas with a white couple. Witnesses say that Smith became irritable after he spotted a teenager wearing a hat decorated with the Confederate flag. The teen was reportedly with two adults, a male and a female, and Smith asked them, "How are you going to wear that hat in front of a black man?" The parents snapped back to Smith, telling him that the child was a minor and it was none of his business what the teen wore. Smith responded by apologizing for how he delivered his initial statement, but he reiterated that he didn't think the hat was appropriate attire. Even with apologies given, the argument went on and continued as they all made their way outside of the airport. The situation escalated and the three adults were yelling at each other. "You ain't nobody!" the woman repeatedly screamed at Smith. In a video of the incident, Smith is seen outside pointing in the face of the father saying, "You need to watch your son!" as the father replies, "He can wear whatever he wants!" There was some pushing a shoving of Smith before he told someone to "get up off me." As Smith and the man continued to argue with the woman in the background yelling, "This is America, freedom of speech! Freedom of religion!" two police offers exited the airport, walked directly up to Smith, and immediately handcuffed him. "Oh, but you're gonna let him go?" Smith asked. The rapper was later released as neither party wanted to press charges. Internet service can sometimes be spotty here on Earth. Just imagine checking email from the moon or searching Google from Mars. A Houston satellite and artificial intelligence company wants to make that possible through an interplanetary internet that someday could connect Earth to mining companies on the moon and human colonies on Mars and other planets. It ultimately would require a network of satellites stretching for hundreds of millions of miles and technology compensating for the movement of planets to prevent the interruption of data streaming at the speed of light. But youve got to start somewhere. I fundamentally believe that we will be an interplanetary species," Ben Lamm, chief executive of the parent company of Hypergiant Galactic Systems, the Houston firm aiming to build out the worlds-wide-web. We need to start building the core infrastructure for the interplanetary internet now." On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston startup announces hotel for the final frontier Hypergiant Galactic, a subsidiary of Hypergiant Industries of Austin, is launching its effort as NASA talks about returning to the moon and sending humans to Mars. Hypergiant Galactic expects to begin building the outer-space internet next year by launching a series of small satellites that would be positioned at different points in space to create a network to relay signals from Earth until reaching the end destination, such as the moon, another planet or a space ship. (Kirk to Enterprise?) 30 million pages Phase one, which includes connecting Earth to the moon and Mars over the next decade, would cost tens of millions of dollars, according to Hypergiant. Once the project moves beyond Mars, costs vault into the hundreds of millions. The satellites also would store a 30-million page archive of human knowledge that will act as a scaled-down version of the internet so, for example, colonists on Mars could access it quickly, without having to wait long periods for pages to load as signals move from Mars to Earth and back. The archive would be updated frequently, and ultimately built out into a more robust subset of the internet. The archive also aims to preserve and protect the legacy of the human race by placing it in off-world storage should cataclysm strike the planet. The archive, assembled by the nonprofit Arch Mission Foundation and stored on long-lasting metal disks as a backup to the version that can be updated from Earth, includes everything from Wikipedia to the Harry Potter series to the worlds many languages and mathematical equations. MISSION MOON: How 50 years of space exploration defined Houston We need to have all of our important knowledge, and also all of our important DNA for every species, backed up in multiple locations, said Nova Spivack, co-founder of the Arch Mission Foundation, which is partnering with Hypergiant Galactic on the project. Hypergiant Industries is an artificial intelligence company that launched in February 2018, backed by a group of investors. The company and its subsidiaries, which together employ about 130 people, develop and implement artificial intelligence for Fortune 500 companies, using technologies such as computer vision, in which computers gain understanding from digital images, and machine perception, which mimics how humans use senses to interpret the world around them. The company also funds emerging technologies. On HoustonChronicle.com: Hypergiant deal boosts AI in Space City In February, Hypergiant announced its acquisition of Satellite & Extraterrestrial Operations & Procedures, a Houston company that deploys satellites. The deal allowed the company to form its Hypergiant Galactic Systems division, which has a broader focus on data collection and artificial intelligence than just the interplanetary internet. Serious about space The work of Hypergiant Galactic Systems and Arch Mission Foundation will rely on a protocol designed to address challenges of an interplanetary internet. It was developed by academics, NASA scientists and Vint Cerf, a father of the earthbound internet and vice president at Google. They started working on the problem of delay/disruption tolerant networking, known as DTN, in 1998, creating the Bundle Protocol as a solution. It is able to handle delays created by vast and varying distances caused by orbital dynamics, and to route internet traffic through the ever-changing relationships among the sun, planets and moons. Cerf said the interplanetary internet began forming during the throes of this massive growth and visibility of the internet on Earth. So the team started examining communications for space exploration. On HoustonChronicle.com: These balloon rides will be (nearly) out of this world We could see that if we were serious about deep space exploration, manned or robotic, then over time wed have an increasing number of spacecraft in need of communication, said Cerf, who is also a visiting scientist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Wed need to have something richer than a point-to-point radio link. He said this new internet technology is already used on the International Space Station for astronauts to send messages to Earth and to support laboratory experiments. And NASA plans for future spacecraft to be outfitted with the Bundle Protocol and other complementary technologies. Hypergiant Galactic Systems would use lasers to transmit data, providing higher bandwidth and allowing larger file transfers than conventional radio-frequency communication systems. Artificial intelligence software would help guide satellites to send the signals autonomously, finding the most efficient route without human oversight. Still about speed And while the interplanetary internet could access the Earths internet, lasers carrying the data can only go as fast as the speed of light. This could cause extensive delays, an hour or more in some cases, just to pull up a single website. Thats why subsets of the internet would be stored on the satellites positioned near people surfing the web from space to speed up access. SPACE JUNK: Sign up for our newsletter for Mission Moon updates and space news Hypergiant Galactic Systems expects its initial customers to be governments and science missions. But as space mining, manufacturing and colonization get underway, the company expects many more users who will desire faster speeds from the interplanetary internet. After all, what Martian transplant could resist posting pictures to Instagram (or the future equivalent Astrogram? Universebook?) to brag about their luxury colony living? andrea.leinfelder@chron.com twitter.com/andrearumbaugh Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, retaliatory measures by trading partners and uncertainty about U.S. trade policy could hit manufacturers in Houston and Texas harder than in other parts of the country, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. The Dallas Fed, in two reports released Monday, noted that local manufacturers, as well as the state and local economies, are deeply tied to global markets. Texas accounts for 19 percent of U.S. exports the biggest share among states and manufactured goods represent about 80 percent of Texas exports. That means the state is disproportionately affected by tariffs and the yet-to-be ratified revision of the North American Free Trade Agreement, now called the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Tariffs may benefit some industries, said Jesus Canas, a senior business economist at the Dallas Federal Reserve, but in the case of Texas, its not benefiting us at all. Texas manufacturing has continued to show moderate signs of growth in recent months, including a solid February in which manufacturers added 17,100 jobs from a year earlier, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. But other measures show a darkened outlook. Texas exports dropped 7.5 percent in December 2018, the largest month-to-month drop since February 2011, according to export data from the Dallas Fed. It was the same month that oil prices reached a year low, to $42.53 a barrel. But Canas also attributed the decline to the impact of trade polices and increasing manufacturing competition by countries such as Japan and Korea. More jobs: Houston sees strong job creation in February even as signs point to slower growth Tariffs on Texas In his analysis, Canas wrote that the future of Texas manufacturing exports hinges on trade policy. Tariffs on steel and aluminum that were imposed last March "directly disrupt" Texas manufacturing since many import specialty steel from foreign suppliers, particularly companies that make pipe and equipment for the energy industry, economists say. Shifting trade and tariff regulations threaten to increase costs for many of Texas leading export sectors, such as petroleum and chemicals. Since economic data is delayed, Canas believes economists may not be seeing the full effect of the tariffs yet. But businesses are feeling it, some say. Paul Nathanson, the executive director at the Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users, an industry group opposed to the steel tariffs, said the general feeling among companies was the robust business of 2018 is starting to wane as steel tariffs and tight labor markets squeeze the firms. Business costs are rising; better than one in four manufacturers told the Dallas Fed that they are paying more for labor, materials and other needs in March. Were starting to see some signs of slowing, Nathanson said. Theres a shortage of skilled workers. The last thing manufacturers want to do is lay people off. Texas companies are trying to get around the tariffs. More requests for waivers from steel tariffs have come from Texas than any other state, accounting for about one in every five requests. The Houston area accounted for 90 percent of the states requests. Pass through While manufacturing output growth continued at about the same pace as last month, the growth rate of new manufacturing orders turned negative for the first time since December 2016, according to a monthly survey of manufacturing business executives by the Dallas Fed. If that trend continues, companies may consider cutting staff or increasing prices, Canas said. Perceptions of business conditions were less optimistic in the Dallas Fed survey in March than in February, but remained positive overall. The bottom line is that inefficiencies and cost increases will become higher prices for us, (the consumers), Canas said. Companies find a way. erin.douglas@chron.com Twitter.com/erinmdouglas23 The Deer Park petrochemical blaze prompted school closures, shelter-in-place orders, spikes in benzene levels and ship channel closures. It also cast a shadow over a petrochemical sector that has struggled to counter negative stereotypes that present the industry as dirty and dangerous. Petrochemical professionals, in interviews at two industry conferences in San Antonio last week, said that major incidents like fire at Intercontinental Terminals Co. undermines much of the work that companies have done to reshape the image of their industry by emphasizing its culture of safety and environmental responsibility, as well as its role as an economic engine that attracts billions of dollars in investment, generates tens of thousands of jobs and provides the materials that make modern life possible. But one disaster, industry professionals acknowledged, can bruise the entire industrys reputation, potentially sparking public blowback, new regulations or increased scrutiny at a time when the industry is in the middle of boom. The Deer Park fire started March 17, damaging 11 storage tanks in a blaze that burned for days. Although there were no injuries, elevated benzene readings around the plant Thursday forced shelter-in-place orders and school closures, while toxic runoff from the site closed a seven mile seven-mile stretch of the Houston Ship Channel for three days before it was partially reopened Monday afternoon. I think any time there is an incident of this magnitude, its a blemish for the industry, said Rachel Meidl, an energy and environment fellow at Rice Universitys Baker Institute. Dark cloud over industry Beyond the Deer Park fire, the issue of image has become growing concern not only for petrochemical companies but also for the broader energy industry as a new generation of workers want to work for companies perceived as having strong corporate responsibility and environmental records. Only 9 percent of college graduates surveyed said they want to work for energy companies, according to he global consulting firm Accenture Strategy. Refining and petrochemical industry executives from Chevron, Motiva Enterprises, Valero Corp., Exxon Mobil and Chevron Phillips Chemical spoke at the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers conference in San Antonio last week about the need to reshape the narrative about their industries and counter the demonization of fossil fuels and the chemicals made from them, including plastics. We know what we do is good. Were just miserable at communicating it to anyone else, said Joe Gorder, CEO of Valero Energy Corp. And were communicating it now better than we have. ECONOMIC TOLL: Houston Ship Channel closure could cost energy industry $1 billon But disasters such as the Deer Park fire or the Arkema plant explosion in Crosby after Hurricane Harvey or the Deepwater Horizon tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico make it all the more difficult to improve the energy industrys image. Even in Houston, where petrochemical companies are major employers and residents tend to be more sympathetic, major disruptive accidents still stoke worry, fear and negative attitudes about the industry, analysts said. This is a well-educated community (familiar with the oil and gas industry) but it doesnt mean they arent going to have concerns,said Pedro Caruso, global downstream lead at the consulting, research and strategy firm Accenture. The industry still has room for improvement in how to build trust with a society that has lost trust in them to an extent. Research suggests that overall public trust in the petrochemical industry and the government agencies that regulate them already is low, said Meidl of Rice University. Meidl has spent her career working as a hazardous materials safety management administrator for the federal government and working on policy for chemical industrys trade group, the American Chemistry Council. Regardless of whether individual companies have compiled strong safety and environmental records, well-publicized accidents, spills and other problems damage these companies are painted with the same broad brush Meidl said. It does raise the scrutiny for everybody and its difficult for the industry to regain public trust, she said. But I think there is so much to be said for transparency and being honest about what you know, what you dont know, all of that enables companies to achieve social legitimacy and public trust. Improving safety record Talk to anyone in the petrochemical industry and theyll tell you safety is their license to operate. Workers start their shifts every day with safety meetings; every site has an active emergency response plan; and larger facilities have emergency personnel including professional fire and medical response personnel on site at all times. In 2017, the incidence rate for non-fatal injuries in the petrochemical sector was less than one per 100 workers, about four times lower than the overall manufacturing industry, according to the U.S. Labor Department. Overall, the American Chemistry Council said chemical companies have reduced the number of safety incidents that result in product spills, fires, explosions or injuries by 60 percent since 1995. At the end of the day these companies measure their success by going 24 hours with no accidents, Michael Kehs, managing director of the energy and industrial practice at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, a global public relations consulting firm. The important thing to remember is that in this industry, safety standards, requirements from the government and regulatory agencies - they are all stringent and extraordinarily protective given the vast majority of these volatile compounds that are handled safely every day. In the wake of the ITC disaster, Kehs suggested that other petrochemical companies in the area should double down on engaging with public officials, first responders, community members and even critics to and to share their best practices theyve implemented and any learnings (from the ITC fire). PLANNING AHEAD: Deer Park fire underscores why good companies plan for disasters The ITC fire in Deer Park will undoubtedly spur other companies too look inward at their own safety processes, petrochemical industry professionals said, especially once the results of a federal investigation into the fires causes are released, analysts and petrochemical professionals said. Both the American Chemistry Council and the state trade group Texas Chemistry Council said they would review the findings of federal investigators to see if there are broader lessons for the rest of the industry. Emissions still widespread Environmentalists, however, say the public still has reason for skepticism. Major incidents may be rare, but according to a 2016 Houston Chronicle investigation, a chemical accident, spill or unauthorized release happened about every six weeks in the Houston area. While emissions of the carcinogenic chemical benzene associated with the Deer Park fire raised alarms in recent days, just 10 Texas chemical plants, storage terminals and other energy facilities poured 47,200 pounds of benzene beyond what their permits allowed in 2017, according to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality data. POLLUTION:Houston ranks second in Texas for most unauthorized pollution In 2017, unauthorized emissions from industrial facilities, including and gas and chemical operations, grew by 27 percent to 63 million pounds of illegal air pollution, according to state data analyzed by the advocacy group Environment Texas. But despite the increased emissions, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality only fined companies 2 cents per every pound of air pollution emissions, Environment Texas found. That creates a culture where companies will avoid taking measures to prevent pollution and major accidents because its just cheaper to pay the fines if there are any fines at all, Metzger said. The truth is that most of these accidents are preventable or controllable if the companies made the investments in better equipment and training. Unfortunately the state, environmental agencies and the EPA arent creating regulatory regimes that forces that force companies to put health and safety ahead of profit. This story has been updated to correct the name of Intercontinental Terminals Co. marissa.luck@chron.com twitter.com/marissaluck7 A dayslong chemical fire in Deer Park did more than endanger the health of residents and pollute the environment. It potentially cost the regions oil and gas and petrochemical sectors $1 billion in lost revenues and added expenses as it shut down one of the nations busiest waterways and cut off Houston companies from markets and suppliers, according to estimates. For three days, nearly half of the 52-mile Houston Ship Channel was cut off from the Gulf Coast and Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, the result of contaminated runoff from the Intercontinental Terminals Co., where fire ripped through the storage facility, damaging 11 tanks holding chemicals such as naphtha and xylene, both used in gasoline, and toluene, a solvent used in nail polish remover, glues and paint thinners. Some vessels were permitted Monday morning to move through the roughly seven-mile stretch that had been closed in the Houston Ship Channel since Friday. The channel was opened to daylight traffic at 2:21 p.m. Maria Burns, director of the University of Houstons logistics and transportation program, estimated that closing the channel for a few days typically amounts to $500 million in the direct costs of delayed shipments and lost materials for thousands of companies. Indirect costs, such as rerouting shipments to other ports, add another $500 million. The Houston Ship Channel is extremely efficient. Its the miracle of transportation, Burns said. When everything works perfectly, no one notices. But when theres a major accident, it ripples all over. ITCs petrochemical storage facility caught fire on March 17 and burned for days. A black plume of smoke filled the air, shutting down schools and triggering orders for residents to remain in their homes. A breached containment wall would later release foam used to put out the fires and other contaminants into the Houston Ship Channel. Cleanup progress ITC officials said Monday that cleanup crews had removed about 1.3 million gallons, or nearly 31,000 barrels, of an oily mixture from the Houston Ship Channel and drained the remaining chemicals from five damaged ITC tanks. The were working to empty another three damaged tanks. Related: Cleanup continues at ITC site The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality published preliminary test results of water samples taken last week, showing toxins exceeded safe concentrations around the ITC facility. The Galveston Bay Foundation is conducting its own water tests, detecting benzene, a chemical that can cause cancer, downstream nearly Lynchburg on Saturday. Ships and barges use this waterway to carry products to and from refineries, petrochemical plants and other facilities that crowd the ship channel. On a typical day last year, activity included 42 tanker movements of liquid products, 19 freighter movements of dry goods and 391 vessel movements towing barges, according to data on the U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service Area that spans Houston, Galveston, Texas City and about 10 miles of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Movements include vessels entering the port, moving from one dock to another, or exiting the port. Being unable to receive feedstock or ship products to markets led at least two companies to slow their production, according to reports. The news service Reuters, citing unnamed sources, reported that the chemical maker LyondellBasell and the refinery of Royal Dutch Shell were forced to reduce output. The companies declined to comment on the status of their operations. Facilities at the Port of Houston produce about 60 percent of the countrys aviation fuel and nearly 30 percent of its gasoline. Companies typically have storage terminals to hold their products in the event of weather, including fog and hurricanes, or other incidents that shut down navigation. Hurricane Harvey, for instance, closed the ship channel for five days in 2017. Storage can give companies a cushion of a few days before they have to slow production, although they might elect to reduce their production sooner if they fear the shutdown could linger, said Jim Kruse, director of the Center for Ports and Waterways at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. Nobody wants to shut down because the cost of shutting down and starting back up again is horrible, Kruse said. Other costs associated with a channel closure come from penalties for missing delivery dates to customers and from ships sitting idle. It costs tens of thousands of dollars a day to operate a ship. To sit there and do nothing is rather expensive, Kruse said. Standing by As of Monday morning, 63 ships were doing just that: 31 waited for the closed portion of the ship channel to reopen so they could move into or past the affected area, 31 waited to leave the ship channel and one waited to move locations within the ship channel. The first priority as the ship channel returns to normal will be to move ships from Houston docks and make room for new vessels. The only limiting factors will be how much traffic the waterway can accommodate and how many ships the Houston Pilots can move. The pilot group, tasked with guiding vessels in and out of port, handles 56 to 57 vessels on an average day. On HoustonChronicle.com: Deer Park fire underscores why good companies plan for disasters In a matter of days, they should be able to clear it all out and get back to normal, Kruse said. Several economists didnt expect a long-term effect on Houstons overall economy, though they agreed that some companies will feel a pinch. Bill Gilmer, director for the Institute for Regional Forecasting at the C.T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, said the main costs would come from delays. Typically its something we recover from. Theres plenty of practice, right? Gilmer said. Every time a hurricane approaches, we close the businesses. We close the ship channel. Its an expensive process. Im sure theres a big number that goes with it. But the economic impact, I would guess, would be relatively minor. Zach Despart contributed to this report. andrea.leinfelder@chron.com jordan.blum@chron.com With Millennials now making up the majority of employees at Schlumberger, the company's CEO said the oilfield service giant is taking a new approach to management. Speaking at the Scotia Howard Weil Annual Energy Conference in New Orleans, Paal Kibsgaard said Millennials now make up 55 percent of the company's global workforce. Employing more than 100,000 people in 85 nations around the world, the figures mean that more than half of the company's employees are under 40 years old. The demographic shift, Kibsgaard said, comes as the company is placing a greater emphasis on digital technology and modernizing its workflows and processes in the oilfield. "For our people, our modernization program opens a broad range of new career opportunities spanning functions, technologies and geographies," Kibsgaard said. "We are also evolving our management approach to become more collaborative and team-based. This will directly appeal to our growing number of Millennial employees." Outlook: Schlumberger expects North American oilfield investments down in 2019 Coupled with advances in oilfield technology, the demographic and management changes are expected to bring financial benefits to Schlumberger's customers and stockholders, Kibsgaard said. "These transformational changes have already enabled us to lower the capital intensity of our business, removing a complete layer of our organizational structure, reduce our cost base and improving our operational agility," Kibsgaard said. Fuel Fix: Get daily energy news headlines in your inbox Founded in 1926 and headquartered in Paris, Schlumberger set up its U.S. headquarters in Houston. The company finished 2018 with a $2.2 billion profit on $32.8 billion of revenue. I always go to Blacksmith (1018 Westheimer) for a flat white. Its my place, mostly because of the baristas. Theyve become like family. For lunch, Ill go to Les Noodle (1717 Montrose) and grab a bowl of pho. My order is the pho with lean and fatty brisket, which is a good texture contrast. I love that they take care of the little fresh salad you get with it bean sprouts, cilantro, Thai basil and jalapeno. Add it all in. I go to Kata Robata (3600 Kirby) all the time. I just ask Hori (chef/owner Manabu Horiuchi) to pick out eight pieces of sushi for me. After so many years of eating with him, he knows. I love the anago he does with sea salt and yuzu. Honestly, I go to Hugos (1600 Westheimer) a lot. They have fantastic bar service. Its really a great place to dine. I mostly stick to the left-hand side of the menu for the pulpo and beef cheeks. I always get one of their soups. They do a mariscos verde that is so aromatic. I love the raw ceviches and tiraditos. Im at the Urban Harvest Farmers Market (2752 Buffalo Speedway) every single Saturday. While picking up all the things I need for the restaurant, its fun to grab a few little dumplings from Dumpling Haus. Kristine (Nguyen) over at Nancys Hustle (2704 Polk) has been doing a fantastic job with cocktails. Ive been sitting in front of her for years, dating back to when she was at Bad News Bar. She makes a really fantastic Manhattan. Her drinks are very grounded in the classic. As told to Greg Morago. In the beginning, there was karaoke. So goes one of Houstons more improbable barbecue-origin myths. Brothers Terry and Robin Wong owned Glitter Karaoke, a Midtown hangout where they started doing barbecue pop-up feasts with their friend Quy Hoang. The trio grew up together in the diverse southwest Houston suburb of Alief, and their freewheeling, Asian-inflected barbecue ideas won a subculty following among food-and-beverage-industry types who ate, drank and sang at Glitter. They called themselves the Blood Brothers. I first ran into them a few years back at the Houston Barbecue Festival, where they were doling out electrifying hunks of their smoked Thai green curry boudin. With its dusky vegetal overtones and a haunting sour tang that was very Thai in spirit, the soft, rice-laced sausage was unforgettable. Now you can order it as a Friday special at Blood Bros. BBQ, their 15-week-old brick-and-mortar location in the same Bellaire Boulevard strip center that houses Bernies Burger Bus. Its a boon for this underserved neighborhood as well as for barbecue fans in general and the Bros. following in particular. Here Hoang who can lay claim to the title of the citys first Vietnamese pitmaster has room to stretch his protein repertoire, and the trios rollicking ideas for sides and specials (brisket fried rice, anyone?) have a broader, steady stage. Blood Bros. BBQ Two stars 5425 Bellaire; 713-664-7776 Hours: 11 a.m. until sold out Wednesdays-Sundays Credit cards: All major Prices: Sandwiches $8-$10; meats by the pound, $16-$24; sides $3 Must-orders: Hot links; pork ribs; smoked Gouda mac and cheese; 1836 beans; jalapeno cole slaw; pastrami tri-tip poboy special; smoked turkey banh mi special; Thai green curry boudin special; brisket fried rice; cucumber salad Reservations: First come, first served Noise level: moderate Parking: Ample in the strip-center lot Website: bloodbrosbbq.com STAR RATINGS Four stars: superlative; can hold its own on a national stage. Three stars: excellent; one of the best restaurants in the city. Two stars: very good; one of the best restaurants of its kind. One star: a good restaurant that we recommend. No stars: restaurant cannot be recommended. See More Collapse On HoustonChronicle.com: Alison Cook finds destination-worthy dining in The Woodlands In a long room accented with scarlet-orange walls and a street-art mural homage to Alief, diners who start queueing before the doors open at 11 a.m. line up along the cordoned-off right-hand side, passing a chalkboard sign that sets out some rules. No saving spots in line. If your friends are late, they wait. No holding tables. I like seeing the barbecue-line etiquette laid out like that. I also like the way this line moves along smartly, and the way theyll assemble a just-right tray for a party of three or four without having to be told precise by-the-pound weights, lest you end up paying for too much. Youll have to ask if you want slices of white bread. And you should definitely ask for some of the Bros. new mustard sauce, with its tart tang. I vastly preferred it to the sauce found on the tables in big quart bottles, which employs liquid smoke to my mind, an unforced error. But perhaps an understandable one. The hot-and-fast cooking style here is light on smoke, which means the unusual seasonings stand out more. I like it best in the neatly trimmed pork ribs, tender while retaining a pleasant al dente quality, with an elusive shimmer of what I guessed as five-spice powder on the finish. These may not be the brawly, barky, slightly uncouth ribs of my wildest carnivorous dreams, but they have charms of their own. And oh, the sausage. Make that sausages: because the Blood Bros. really work out on this somewhat neglected front, in a city where brisket and ribs get much of the love. I crave the hot links with their serious pop of red pepper and mustards seeds, their snappy casings and not-quite-coarse, not-quite-fine grind. Every time I eat these links, I think of that great Calvin Trillin line, wherein he quoted his young daughter as saying, My tongue is smiling. My tongue smiles a lot here. Partly thats because the Blood Bros. are not afraid to bring the heat, in everything from a mayonnaise-free jalapeno cabbage slaw to a jalapeno-and-cheese sausage that is, to my amusement and gratification, their version of a mild link. It makes a swell sandwich on a shiny yellow bun with a bit of that mustard sauce ribboned on. Also in their repertoire as occasional specials are a no-kidding mac-and-cheese sausage and a Reuben link of beef, sauerkraut and Swiss. I am betting its good, based solely on my admiration for the Wednesday special of a meltingly tender tri-tip pastrami po-boy, the savory and faintly sweet meat sharpened with an exhilarating coarse-chopped sauerkraut. Its in a good baguette, too, which ties the realms of Chinatown Vietnamese bakeries and Cajun Louisiana together in a nice big Houston bow. But what about the brisket? you are asking by now. Its good and well-sourced (Black Hill Meats and 44 Farms are respected regional producers), but its just not my style. I prefer a more forward smoky tone, and I like my fat rendered so that it loses its opacity and turns into an unctuous glisten. Here, the interior fat strip has stayed pretty much intact the two times Ive ordered brisket. I liked it, but I didnt love it. Not the way I loved the fried rice studded with brisket debris and crunchy threads of bean sprout; or the blissfully sticky smoked Gouda mac and cheese; or the fresh, jumpy quality of a sliced cucumber salad dressed in tart-and-hot red chile vinegar. I tucked some of those cucumber slices into a smoked turkey banh mi that needed a little extra oomph to highlight its fine basic elements: tender slices of bird that had not been overbrined; long spears of cucumber and jalapeno; sprigs of cilantro; and smears of garlic aioli and a lovely housemade pate. The catch? This excellent Houston invention needs about double the pate and aioli for their full effects to kick in because of the basic austerity of the thick turkey slices. The sandwich is almost there. I wish theyd charge more for it and put it over the top. (Ill bet Sundays special, the pork belly banh mi, comes with more built-in slide and squish.) On HoustonChronicle.com: Ronnie Killen is opening a restaurant inside the Loop In the realm of sides, the 1836 pinto beans caused controversy among two different sets of my guinea pigs. Some felt the strong note of beer (its Buff Brews 1836 Copper Ale, named for Texas independence year) was too much; others felt the tinge of sweetness made the pintos verge too much toward a baked-bean vibe. Personally, I loved their swagger and individuality. Speaking of beer: There will be a full beer, wine and cocktail license coming, perhaps in a matter of weeks. (But as Houstonians know too well, the TABC is not to be rushed.) That will put Blood Bros. on a level with Pinkertons, the first Houston barbecue spot to go the whole route, cocktails and all. That will make the small counter and the capacious front covered patio even more fun to sit at. There is something just right about sitting at one of the handsome wooden picnic tables custom-made for out front, listening to vintage Elvis or Stones in the spring breeze and swapping barbecue stories. Houstonians have more and more of those these days. And the Blood Bros. saga is still being written. These Chinese- and Vietnamese-American guys are passionate restaurantgoers and networkers and idea-swappers who have made first Alief, and then the entire vast sprawl of our city, their inspiration. I get the feeling their best is yet to come. Alison Cook is the Chronicle's James Beard Award-winning restaurant critic. Follow her on Twitter, and keep up with Houston's latest dining and drinking news and reviews by subscribing to our free Flavor newsletter. The unidentified 29-year-old man was experiencing a mental health crisis and not wearing a shirt when he was caught by Chicago Police in a restricted area near Terminal One, said Officer Carrie Costanzo. The temperature at the airport was in the 40s. Complications once again forced a Boeing 737 Max 8 plane to make an emergency landing Tuesday this time, with no passengers on board. The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes after two deadly crashes of the model in recent months. FAQ: What does the Boeing 737 MAX grounding in the US mean for your next trip? A Southwest 737 Max 8 plane was being relocated from Orlando to Victorville, Calif. (San Bernardino County) Tuesday when it had to loop back and make an emergency landing. "Southwest 8701 operating as a ferry flight with no passengers onboard returned to Orlando International Airport just before 3pm EDT after pilots reported a performance issue with one of the engines shortly after takeoff. The crew followed protocol and safely landed back at the airport," said Chris Mainz, a spokesperson for the airline, in a statement. The plane was scheduled to land in California at 5 p.m., where it was supposed to stored short-term at Southern California Logistics Airport. Instead, Mainz says it will be moved into a maintenance facility in Orlando "for a review." TRAVEL PLANS: Booked on a Boeing 737 MAX jet? Here's what you can do On March 10, 157 people were killed on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, which crashed shortly after takeoff. In October, an Indonesian Lion Air flight also using the Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed into the Java Sea in October and killed 189 people. Investigators are studying similarities between the two crashes. More than 40 countries around the world have grounded the planes until a fix is found. Read Alix Martichoux's latest stories and send her news tips at alix.martichoux@sfgate.com. Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. The Border Patrol is taking the unusual step of shutting down its interior checkpoints across New Mexico and a swath of West Texas as officials scramble to respond to a surge in families requesting asylum along the Southwest border. A spokesman for the Border Patrol said the temporary measure was intended to help provide appropriate care for migrants apprehended at the border. The closing of checkpoints not at the border, but up to 100 miles inland reflects the strain on border operations as the number of migrants entering the country, which in February reached an 11-year high, continues to climb. Authorities closed checkpoints across the Border Patrols El Paso, Texas, sector, which includes 121,000 square miles in New Mexico and 4,500 square miles in Texas, in order to free more agents to work directly on the border. To process and ensure appropriate care for those in custody, resources including personnel have been diverted from other border security priorities, Customs and Border Protection officials said in a statement on the closings, first reported by Texas Monthly. This is intended as a temporary measure. Checkpoints are integral to USBPs border security mission. At some of the checkpoints on major highways, orange cones could be seen blocking off access to the roads, along which motorists normally are funneled to checkpoints for queries about citizenship status and visual inspection of vehicles. Agents at the Border Patrol checkpoints arrest relatively few migrants in the country illegally, and most of those who are seeking asylum quickly surrender to authorities at the border. The agents at the checkpoints deal largely with seizures of marijuana and other drugs from motorists. The checkpoints have emerged as a source of contention with human rights groups, which have contended that Border Patrol agents routinely ignore their legal authority during the traffic stops to search people without warrants. By law, agents must have probable cause to search the interior of a vehicle, though an alert from a drug-sniffing dog legitimately alerts to the presence of drugs, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. The Border Patrol operates about 170 checkpoints throughout the country. Checkpoints outside the El Paso sector are thought to be operating normally. The influx of asylum-seekers is placing stress on immigration officials, volunteer shelters and religious charities along much of the Southwest border, as they struggle to assist the migrants. Border Patrol agents in El Paso said last week that they had apprehended more than 400 immigrants in the country illegally during a five-minute period. Most of them were unaccompanied youths or people traveling in family units, the agency said. We do not have a way to care for the numbers who are coming, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said during a visit to South Texas this month. We dont have the facilities; we dont have the legal processes; we dont have the laws that enable us to quickly process their claims to protect them. Immigrants recently released by federal authorities in South Texas overflowed a respite center run by Catholic Charities this month, bathing their babies in sinks and waiting in long lines for food, bus tickets and medical attention. The immigrants, most fleeing poverty and gang violence in Central America, described the conditions they faced in custody as cold and crowded. It was freezing, Cecilio, a 31-year-old from Guatemala, said while sitting behind the respite center with his 7-year-old son. The Border Patrols processing centers, like the one in McAllen, Texas, where immigrants are housed temporarily after being apprehended, are known in the immigrant community as las hieleras, or iceboxes, because they are often kept so cold. Authorities in most cases are supposed to hold immigrants for no longer than 72 hours, yet five immigrants last week interviewed by The New York Times said they were held longer than that. One of them, Cecilio, who asked to be referred to by only his first name, said he and his son were in custody for eight days. President Donald Trump has pointed to the influx of migrants as evidence of a crisis justifying his call for building a wall on the border. But elected officials in parts of the borderlands, including Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, say that the recent mass releases of migrants without plans for housing them amounts to a fabricated crisis aimed at mustering support for the administrations plans. In any case, more migrant families are continuing to make their way toward the United States. A new caravan of about 1,200 migrants began moving toward the border over the weekend from southern Mexico. This article originally appeared in The New York Times WASHINGTON - During a briefing at the Justice Department about three weeks ago, special counsel Robert Mueller made a revelation that those supervising his work were not expecting, a person familiar with the matter said: He would not offer a conclusion on whether he believed President Donald Trump sought to obstruct justice. The decision - which a Justice Department official on Monday said the special counsel's office came to "entirely" on its own - left a gap ripe for political exploitation. After accepting Mueller's report, Attorney General William Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who were among those briefed March 5, made the call Mueller would not, determining that the evidence was insufficient to allege that Trump had obstructed justice. The decisive maneuver, outlined in a letter Barr sent to lawmakers this week, sparked allegations that the two Trump appointees had rushed to a judgment no one asked them to make, and it is likely to be a key battleground in the intensifying political fight over the conclusion of Mueller's work. A day after Barr revealed the principal conclusions of Mueller's work - namely, that the special counsel did not establish any coordination between Trump and Russia on election interference, and found a mixed bag on the question of obstruction - Democrats attacked the attorney general and issued an April 2 deadline for him to turn over a copy of the report, while Republicans called for Trump to be given an apology. Some current and former law enforcement officials, meanwhile, said privately that they were puzzled as to why Mueller concluded his work without a firm recommendation on obstruction. Trump, who had repeatedly derided the investigation as a "witch hunt," said Monday when asked whether Mueller had acted honorably: "Yes, he did." Barr continued to scrub grand-jury material from Mueller's report so it might one day be turned over to lawmakers eager to read the special counsel's findings. A person familiar with the matter said there were no plans to turn over the document to the White House, which had not seen it as of Monday night. The person, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal White House and Justice Department matters. White House officials are not automatically planning to ask for the report, according to two people familiar with the discussion, though it is possible that they would one day want to do so - mindful that the section on obstruction might include privileged discussions, such as Trump's communications with former White House counsel Donald McGahn. White House advisers believe it is possible that Barr will decide he needs to share a copy with the White House to seek input on privileged discussions. On Monday, Trump told reporters that "it wouldn't bother me at all" if the Mueller report was released, but he said that decision would be up to the attorney general. He also suggested that those behind the investigation should be investigated for their own conduct. "They've done so many evil things," the president said, without specifying whom he believed should be investigated. "It was a false narrative, it was a terrible thing. We can never let this happen to another president again. I can tell you that. I say it very strongly. Very few people I know could have handled it. We can never ever let this happen to another president again." It was not immediately clear when Barr might be able to turn over the report - or some portions of it - to lawmakers and the public. After the Justice Department closed its investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as secretary of state, it took about two months for substantive documents from that case to be released. But lawmakers began discussing plans Monday to have Barr testify on Capitol Hill. The House Appropriations Committee has tentatively set a hearing for April 9 on the Justice Department budget, though other committees may seek to request his appearance before then. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who spoke to Barr on Monday, said the attorney general told him he would be "glad" to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss the special counsel's findings, but not before he could determine what should be redacted from the report. Graham, who leads the committee, said he urged Barr to release as much of the report as he can, "sooner rather than later." Barr, Graham said, indicated that he would have to speak with Mueller first "because Mueller is the guy that does the grand jury stuff, because they're the ones that did the grand jury investigation." "I hope it'd be much before months, and not longer than a few weeks," Graham said. The best window into Mueller's probe that lawmakers and the public have so far is the four-page letter Barr released Sunday; it summarized the confidential report concluding Mueller's nearly two-year investigation. On coordination, Barr indicated that Mueller wrote in his report, "The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities." But on obstruction, Barr offered mixed sentiments. He wrote that Mueller "did not draw a conclusion - one way or the other - as to whether the examined conduct constituted obstruction." Mueller's report itself said pointedly, "while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him," according to Barr's account. The attorney general, though, went further, writing that he and Rosenstein "concluded that the evidence developed during the Special Counsel's investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense." "Our determination was made without regard to, and is not based on, the constitutional considerations that surround the indictment and criminal prosecution of a sitting president," Barr wrote. In an interview with Fox News Radio, Trump's former personal lawyer John Dowd said it was "unprofessional" for Mueller not to have made a clear determination that Trump should not be prosecuted for obstruction of justice. "Your job is to decide," he said, adding: "There was no evidence of obstruction here." Democrats took a different tack. Before he became attorney general, Barr submitted to the Justice Department an 18-page memo highly critical of what he surmised was Mueller's theory for how the president obstructed justice. Barr has noted that he did so without inside knowledge of the probe, and he has asserted that the document was "narrow in scope." But his critics have suggested his dim view of that aspect of Mueller's work might have helped land him the job as attorney general. Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., said Monday that he thought it was "completely inappropriate" for Barr to have concluded that Trump did not obstruct justice, and that the attorney general was trying to "shape the narrative" unfairly. "He doesn't make a conclusion, but he goes out of his way to say the president is not exonerated in this regard, and Mr. Barr in 48 hours turns that around and say, 'Oh no, I've looked at it. He's exonerated. He hasn't committed that offense,' " Cicilline said on CNN. Since his appointment in May 2017 as special counsel, Mueller has wrestled with the question of whether Trump attempted to obstruct justice once the FBI began investigating those close to him. Current and former White House officials who were questioned by Mueller's investigators were repeatedly asked about how the president spoke about the inquiry behind closed doors, and whether he sought to replace senior Justice Department officials to stymie the investigation, according to people familiar with the interviews. A person familiar with the matter said the obstruction case was always "the most difficult element" for Mueller's team because demonstrating a person's intent is one of the toughest assignments for federal prosecutors, and the person under scrutiny was the president of the United States. His actions, the person said, have far different legal meaning and repercussions because of his office and the constitutional protections and powers that come with it. Barr wrote that Mueller "ultimately determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgment" on the question of obstruction, and that his report "identifies no actions that, in our judgment, constitute obstructive conduct, had a nexus to a pending or contemplated proceeding, and were done with corrupt intent, each of which, under the Department's principles of federal prosecution guiding charging decisions, would need to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to establish an obstruction of justice offense." Barr noted that many of the president's actions "took place in public view," and he wrote that the special counsel "recognized that 'the evidence does not establish that the President was involved in an underlying crime related to Russian election interference.' " That factor, Barr wrote, "bears upon the President's intent with respect to obstruction." The letter does not make clear whether Mueller asked Barr and Rosenstein to make a final determination on the question of obstruction, or whether he intended to leave that to another body, such as Congress. Mueller concluded his work without interviewing Trump - who answered written questioning - or issuing a subpoena to compel his testimony. A person familiar with the matter said the special counsel's team discussed the subject extensively, with the office's top lawyers, including Michael Dreeben, James Quarles, Aaron Zebley and Mueller most engaged in the discussions. Those talks focused on whether it was legally feasible, and what the potential costs of a subpoena might be to the overall investigation, the person said. The special counsel team went back and forth with Trump's representatives, through multiple iterations of the president's legal team. They were hopeful, the person said, that Trump would meet voluntarily, but they were mindful that they could not explicitly threaten a subpoena unless they were prepared to issue one. Over the course of his investigation, Mueller charged 34 people, including several Trump associates, and the vestiges of his work live on. Prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia took over some ongoing cases, including the matter of a mystery foreign company which resisted a subpoena from Mueller's office and took its battle all the way to the Supreme Court. Notably, the court said Monday it would not review a lower-court order requiring that corporation to comply with Mueller subpoena. - - - The Washington Post's Rachael Bade, Mike DeBonis, Seung Min Kim, Rosalind S. Helderman and Spencer S. Hsu contributed to this report. Smolletts attorney, Patricia Brown Holmes, said she was not privy to the evidence that led prosecutors to bring charges, but she accused police Superintendent Eddie Johnson of trying the case in the press. When asked if authorities should investigate who actually attacked Smollett, Holmes noted that two brothers both of whom knew Smollett had already admitted their involvement. They alleged that Smollett paid them to stage the attack. Though 2017 was marked with the rumblings of the #MeToo movement and troubling accusations of sexual misconduct in Hollywood and beyond, nothing could prepare Anita Hill for 2018. The attorney and Brandeis University professor, widely known for her 1991 congressional testimony against then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, said Monday that last year she was taken aback by the reaction to Christine Blasey Fords testimony critical of-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. In congressional testimony, Ford alleged last September he had sexually assaulted her when the two were in high school. I say that because we were really thinking we were making progress, said Hill, but Kavanaugh, like Thomas, was confirmed to the court. I had no idea that we would be jolted back to the past that we felt we had grown beyond (that), she told a sold-out lecture at Rice Universitys Baker Institute. Hill, who will appear Tuesday at University of Houston Law Center, called the Kavanaugh hearing a setback. But like her own experience, she said, there is still work to be done. Progress is never linear, she said. Hill walked into Rice with a standing ovation and applause from the 400 attendees. The crux of her lecture, organized by Rice's Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality and the Baker Institute, was that women and girls have the right to go to school and work free of abuse. She discussed sexual harassment and abusive behavior that takes place in school and the workplace, stressing that it is an issue that impairs the safety of individuals, hurts the integrity of entire organizations, and perpetuates a power imbalance that allows such behavior to endure. Hill remembered in 1991 when she offered testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, alleging that Thomas, once her supervisor at the U.S. Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, sexually harassed her by making unwanted advances and sexual comments. I think there was a disagreement. I think I was right, said Hill, to which the crowd laughed and applauded. But at the time, Hill received backlash for her testimony. Women polled at the time, she said, largely believed Clarence Thomas deserved to be in the Supreme Court, and many people couldnt comprehend the connection between the sexual harassment and behavior she was experiencing with the devaluing and feeling of inequality she felt. Thats where we were in 1991. It was not seen as a civil rights issue I think weve moved from that, she said. Hills nationally televised testimony inspired widespread discussion about sexual harassment, the lack of women in government and the lack of diversity in courtrooms. We didnt have social media to share our stories, but ... what we did was share our stories for the first time with our families. and change minds of people we loved the most, said Hill, who credited women in the '70s, '80s and '90s, including Michelle Vinson, who came forward about sexual abuse from her employer, for making strides for survivors of sexual abuse in the workplace. Without them, without those efforts, I dont believe we could have much of the advocacy going on in colleges nor we would have ... the #MeToo movement, Hill said. Hill, who won this years Courage Award by PEN America, emphasized that theres more to be done. Hill highlighted the importance of engaging the justice system, both public and private institutions, and more men as allies in the struggle to end sexual violence. She said that it must be recognized that a persons skin color, class, pay grade or sexual and gender identity can have an influence on whether they are believed. We must identify what the problem is, and the problem is not that people are reporting harassment. The problem is that its happening, she said, emphasizing that egregious behavior should be eliminated before it escalates. Some people who we fire will never return to their position of power, and thats OK, she added. brittany.britto@chron.com twitter.com/brittanybritto The Crosby ISD board of trustees officially has called an end to the financial emergency that had the east Harris County district on the brink of insolvency and resulted in the loss of more than 150 jobs, including 34 teachers. Trustees voted unanimously Monday evening to rescind the districts declaration of financial exigency, repealing a status that granted Crosby ISD officials some legal exemptions that allowed them to take drastic budget-related actions since October. Superintendent Scott Davis, who uncovered the districts financial issues when he became the districts leader in July 2018, called the vote a watershed moment in the districts recovery. It signals the end of our contemplation of reduction of force. Yet, what it says is the way were having to live now financially is good, its sustainable and its going to become probably the new normal, Davis said Tuesday. Shortly after Davis and Chief Financial Officer Lesa Jones came to the 6,000-student district northeast of Houston in summer 2018, they discovered issues with the districts budget. It soon became clear the district was on the brink of financial ruin: its rainy day unreserved fund balance sat at negative $200,000; the district for several years had been spending millions more than it was bringing in; the previous administration had dipped into a construction fund to pay teachers; and there were questionable expenditures made in the districts $86.5 million bond program passed by voters in 2013. In the following months, Davis administration also would have to use construction funds to pay teachers after officials learned the previous administration had moved the end of the fiscal year without keeping enough money on hand to pay its bills during the switch. Leaders learned the 2018-2019 was over-stated by $5.3 million, according to Jones, and over-spending on 2013 bond projects nearly sank the district. Rather than allocating the customary 80 percent of its general fund budget to salaries, Crosby ISD was slated to spend nearly 89 percent paying staff. To stanch the districts financial bleeding, Davis ordered every department in October to slash their budgets by 60 percent. Crosby ISDs board approved the layoff of 34 teachers and other contract employees at a October 15 meeting, after 57 contract-based employees had left the district voluntarily since the summer. Davis eliminated the positions of 72 other employees within a week, bringing the total number of jobs cut to more than 150. Now, that the district has ended its official financial emergency, Davis said his priorities are shifting to providing the best education possible to students and creating a sustainable 2019-2020 budget. The upcoming budget will be similar to the districts current spending situation, with few frills and a lot of scrutiny. The goal, Davis said, is to provide quality while also rebuilding the districts unreserved fund balance. I have a very strong sense of hope, Davis said. Sometimes youre just trying to seek the bottom so you can push off. I feel like we did that a long time ago. Now, we can get back to the business of running a school district and not running 9-1-1 operations on finances. shelby.webb@chron.com twitter.com/shelbywebb Scott Dalton / Bloomberg Harris County has sued Intercontinental Terminals Co. for failing to prevent a massive chemical fire that burned for more than 60 hours last week and spewed an unknown volume of hazardous chemicals into the air and nearby waterways. The county is seeking a temporary injunction and restraining order against the company, alleging that it violated the Texas Clean Air Act and the Texas Solid Waste Disposal Act, among other rules. Houston police homicide detectives hope the public can help identify a cross-eyed man accused of gunning down two people outside a bar early March 9. The gunfire erupted around 2:20 a.m. that Saturday outside the Mi Tavenera bar in the 1400 block of Collingsworth, police said. Jose Lopez, 53, and another man were sitting in a truck in the parking lot when the suspect opened fire. Paramedics rushed to the scene and found Lopez dead with several gunshot wounds while the other man was found lying next to the truck with a gunshot wound to his head. He was rushed to LBJ General Hospital nearby but later died, Houston police said. Both victims were not immediately identified by police, although the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences identified Lopez. HOMICIDE ARREST: Veteran HPD officer held in wife's slaying An eyewitness helped Houston Police Department homicide detectives develop a sketch of the suspect. He was wearing a Sherwin Williams T-shirt at the time of the shooting. He's described as a Hispanic male in his late 30s to early 40s, according to police. He is cross-eyed and stands about 6 feet tall. Another person was with the suspect during the shooting, although police said he was only described as having "milky" eyes. Anyone with information is urged to call HPD's homicide detectives at 713-308-3600 or Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477). Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message Looking south from the corner of FM 1683 and Kingsland Boulevard just south of Interstate 10 in Katy the rumble of the approaching trucks comes before the rigs round the corner into view. This Tuesday morning they come in waves of Kenworths, Volvos, Peterbuilts and Macks, some hauling goods, others heading empty to the concrete plant or the rail yard. The trucks are part of Katys booming economy, but also one of its biggest growing problems. There have been some horrific accidents, Katy Mayor Chuck Brawner said. The reminders of the crashes are easy to spot on FM 1683. Two wooden crosses sit tilted in the tall grass next to the entrance to a truck yard. All over Katy and many other Houston-area spots evidence of the large trucks is easy to see: eroded shoulders, cracked concrete, potholes capable of swallowing a Prius are all signs of loads too heavy for the roads they travel. Getting a handle on the big haulers, however, means convincing state leaders to let Katy cite commercial vehicles, something that mostly is the domain of the Texas Department of Public Safety. That could change soon in a handful of places. Lawmakers in Austin have filed eight bills related to commercial vehicle inspections granting specific police or sheriffs departments the authority to enforce trucking rules. Requests have come from cities along the Mexican border and the bustling Permian Basin. HEAVY LOAD: Houston home to worst truck congestion in the country Lawmakers are lined up to approve the requests, but remain skittish. Granting cities commercial truck oversight could, some fear, make some municipalities speed traps for trucks. So, they are taking the enforcement requests on a case-by-case basis. Each of the bills would grant only specific cities such as Katy approval to equip and train commercial vehicle officers. State Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, chairman of the state House Transportation Committee, said a diminution in the presence of Texas Department of Public Safety troopers has left many places where business is booming contending with busted streets and more trucks. Canales did not elaborate on the cause for fewer available officers, but previously has criticized past efforts by DPS to lay off troopers or offer incentives for early retirement to make up for sending an additional 250 troopers to the border, as ordered by state officials. Those decisions left fewer officers in other parts of the state. That has given rise to the number of accidents, Canales said. Heavy toll Brawner said economic growth has come with a growing number of trucks in Katy-area roads. The city sits at the epicenter of Houston metros expansion, where so much of that traffic comes to and from Interstate 10. Three concrete plants operate inside city limits, along with a railroad yard that shifts aggregate materials to trucks. A lumber yard churns with activity, trucks going in and out. Crashes involving heavy trucks in Katy increased to 69 in 2017, up from just 14 in 2010, according to Texas Department of Transportation data. Meanwhile, crashes in the region increased from 6,241 in 2014 to 7,555 in 2017. A single DPS trooper oversees commercial vehicle enforcement outside Harris County. Pressed by officials, the trooper recently cracked down on trucking to demonstrate the need for more enforcement. We asked for them to do a check on (U.S.) 90, in between Brookshire and Katy, Brawner said. They went out there for a short period of time, one trooper, and made eight stops of heavy trucks, issued two weight citations, four weight warnings and another 21 warnings to these trucks operating on our roads in an unsafe manner. ALVIN FREEWAY: Long-sought route could start with Spur 5 extension Statewide, the Department of Public Safety oversees commercial motor vehicle enforcement, but allows counties and municipalities under certain conditions to have officers trained in trucking regulations who can cite drivers for noncompliance. In the most urbanized parts of Houston, there are specific divisions aimed at trucking violations. Harris County Sheriffs Office has a 10-member enforcement unit. Police in suburban communities circling Houston have far smaller teams, opting to have one or two officers handle all commercial vehicle inspections. Smaller departments, meanwhile, are reliant on state troopers, something that is causing concerns in some communities. Practically every county around Harris County has faced some effects of increased truck traffic. Though much of it has been confined to state roads, some counties also have reported rising truck use of county-built roads. Reporting rare Trucking industry officials are supportive of more enforcement, provided the police follow the rules, too, and properly report their revenue. What we want is transparency, said Dana Moore, director of policy and government relations for the Texas Trucking Association. U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded Texas via the Department of Public Safety roughly $60 million in the past two fiscal years as part of the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program. The grant is aimed at funding commercial vehicle enforcement, including training local police and deputies eligible to weigh trucks or properly enforcement regulations. In Texas, 65 municipalities and five counties participate in the program, with applicants trained by DPS through the MSCAP program. Dozens of other counties have deputies trained to verify truck weights. Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer OUT OF CONTROL: Houstons roads, drivers are nation's most deadly Those agencies with commercial vehicle officers are expected to remit any revenues to the state comptroller, once they collect 110 percent of the annual cost of their program from the previous year. Local police are supposed to split any fine written for 5,000 pounds more than the maximum allowable weight of the vehicle with the state. Since 1996, only 10 agencies have remitted payments to the comptroller for commercial vehicle fines, according to a preliminary list compiled by the trucking association. None of the 18 Houston-area agencies have ever reported excess fine revenue to the state. Lawmakers tightened reporting requirements in the program during the 2017 legislative session, but rules established by the comptroller for reporting all revenue are just now beginning to kick in, Moore said. We all want safer roads and everyone to follow the rules, because the violators hurt the honest trucking companies that are doing it the right way, Moore said. With the enforcement, we believe an agency that wants to get in, that they have an actual need for it. Reporting to the comptrollers office how much money they are bringing in. Doing that lets us know that agency is there for safety and not revenue. Brawner said Katy is not in it for the money. The citys tax base, compared with other places, is rather lucrative. Katy is very blessed with the income it has coming in, Brawner said. This is not a revenue source for us. It is a personal safety issue for our citizens. The city expects to invest about $30,000 in equipment, mostly portable scales. Training should take a few months, Brawner said. The officer will focus on local streets, Brawner said, leaving the freeway to state troopers and Harris County officers. He added he does not expect any of the businesses to balk at the extra attention, or for truckers to take their business elsewhere. Our job is not to bankrupt them. Our job is not to make it so them cannot make a living, Brawner said of the drivers. You just want them to come into compliance. dug.begley@chron.com twitter.com/DugBegley Selvey said Watson, who appeared in bond court Tuesday via video from the Will County jail, had been lingering in the hotel much of the day on Sunday. Selvey said Watson, who was not a guest of the hotel, attacked Burgrino as he returned to his fifth-floor hotel room about 10 p.m. Burgrino, who was at the hotel with his girlfriend, was found in the hotel hallway stabbed numerous times in the chest and neck. It would have been a perfect ending for Women's History Month the first all-female spacewalk in NASA's 60-year history. Astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch were set to bridge the gender gap on Friday to replace batteries on the International Space Station. Except only one space suit fit the women's smaller frames, forcing NASA to abruptly cancel the plans. "We do our best to anticipate the spacesuit sizes that each astronaut will need, based on the spacesuit size they wore in training on the ground, and in some cases ... astronauts train in multiple sizes," said Brandi Dean, a spokeswoman for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "However, individuals' sizing needs may change when they are on orbit, in response to the changes living in microgravity can bring about in a body," she said. News of the historic event's cancellation elicited shock, disappointment and, in some cases, anger from the scientific community Tuesday on Twitter. Especially from women. "I'm suuper [sic] disappointed about the all-woman spacewalk not happening as scheduled this Friday but I'm also super supportive of astronauts having the authority to say 'I would be safer using a different piece of equipment.'" Emily Lakdawalla, senior editor at The Planetary Society, tweeted Monday. "An all-woman spacewalk WILL eventually happen." The spacewalk was scheduled Friday morning for McClain and Koch to install powerful lithium-ion batterires on the orbiting laboratory's solar arrays. But NASA announced Monday that McClain, who did a spacewalk last week with American Nick Hague, realized she was more comfortable in a medium-sized hard upper torso the spacesuit's shirt as opposed to the large-sized one she originally planned to use. As of now, only one medium-sized torso on the space station is usable, Dean said, because the second one is a spare and would need additional configuration before being used for a spacewalk. "I wrote a whole book about how NASA just couldn't envision women in space in 1960 and ... here we are," tweeted author Stephanie Nolen, who wrote "Promised the Moon" about a group of women who were secretly training to be astronauts in the early years of the space program but who, ultimately, were never allowed to fly. In order to keep the schedule for replacing the space station's batteries Friday, NASA bumped McClain from the spacewalk, allowing Koch to wear the medium torso and complete the walk with Hague instead. McClain will then wear it for an April 8 spacewalk that she will conduct with Canadian crewmate David Saint-Jacques. "To stay on schedule with @Space_Station upgrades, it's safer & faster to change spacewalker assignments than reconfigure spacesuits," NASA tweeted in response Tuesday. The all-female spacewalk would have drawn accolades for an agency that has been slow to make historic strides with women and minorities. For example, the first female Mission Control chief flight director was only just picked last year and the U.S. was 20 years behind the Soviet Union in putting a woman into space. The U.S. also was behind in allowing women to conduct spacewalks. The first woman to do so was the Soviet Union's Svetlana Savitskaya in 1984. Only 13 women have conducted spacewalk since; Koch will be the 14th. Crewmembers aboard the space station have conducted 214 spacewalks since 1998, when construction of the orbiting laboratory first began. Alex Stuckey writes about NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey. Vice President Mike Pence directed NASA on Tuesday to put humans on the moon again within the next five years, using "any means necessary." "To accomplish this we must redouble our efforts," Pence said in his opening remarks at the National Space Council meeting at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala. "President Trump knows this will require a great investment of time, talent and resources, but the cost of inaction is greater." And when Americans return to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972, Pence said, they will land at the moon's South Pole. SPACE JUNK: Sign up for Mission Moon updates and out-of-this-world space news. Pence is chairman of the council, a group that had been defunct since 1993 until Trump revived it soon after taking office. Reviving the council is just one of many ways President Donald Trump has pushed for a return to the moon as a stepping stone for a mission to Mars since taking office in 2017. Prior to Pence's speech Tuesday, the administration's plans were to build a mini-space station orbiting the moon, known as the Lunar Orbital Platform Gateway, and build and send commercial lunar probes to the surface before humans left boot prints on the celestial body again. Based on that, humans would have returned to the surface by 2028. But Pence said Tuesday that is "not good enough." "We have the technology to return to the moon, and we have the renewed American leadership in human space exploration," Pence said. "What we need now is the urgency." LISTEN: The latest from the Cigarettes & Rocket Fuel podcast The announcement comes, however, just a few weeks after Trump released his budget request for the coming fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, which handed down a $500 million budget cut for the space agency. Pence in his remarks did not mention these cuts -- which still must be approved by Congress -- or explain how they fit into the president's plan to speed up a lunar landing. Also problematic to this plan is the Space Launch System rocket, which is supposed to send the agency's Orion spacecraft around the moon. Initially scheduled for launch in 2017, the SLS rocket has continued to face burgeoning costs and schedule delays. MISSION MOON at HoustonChronicle.com: How 50 years of space exploration defined Houston Pence on Tuesday seemed willing to use other alternatives -- including commercial companies -- to get humans back to the moon, calling for a "major course correction." "I call on NASA to adopt new policies and embrace a new mindset," Pence said. "If our current contractors can't meet this objective, then we'll find ones that will." The SLS rocket -- a brainchild of President Barack Obama's administration that is being build by Boeing -- most recently was delayed to 2021. Earlier this month, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told Congress the agency was investigating launching Orion around the moon on the back of a commercial vehicle so that it could meet the launch deadline. NO SLS? NASA might send uncrewed Orion mission around moon on commercial rocket He appeared to change his tune Tuesday, saying he's confident SLS can meet the June 2020 launch date. "If we want to achieve 2024, we need SLS and need to accelerate it," Bridenstine said, adding that NASA needs to build the rocket's planned upgrade as well. Funding for that upgrade, which would increase the rocket's performance, would be postponed under Trump's budget proposal. NASA has two missions scheduled for the Orion-SLS team. The first Orion spacecraft mission, Exploration Mission-1, is meant to go up without a crew in 2020. The second, Exploration Mission-2, will launch humans around the moon and is supposed to fly no later than 2023. "Given that [Marshall Spaceflight Center] and @BoeingSpace can only meet the 2020 EM-1 deadline by skipping a lot of required tests and Pence's human landing goal of [2024/2025] by utterly changing their current plans, the private sector now has an unparalleled opportunity to show what they can do," Keith Cowing, editor of NASA Watch, a website devoted to space news, tweeted Tuesday. Despite its numerous problems, NASA for years has defended the Space Launch System rocket, saying it was a necessary backbone of their human exploration portfolio. "We must focus on the mission over the means," Pence said. "We must consider every available option to meet the goal." Alex Stuckey writes about NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey. If we took all the U.S. dollars, British pounds, Turkish dinars and every other currency out there and added them up, how much would it come to? Is anyone keeping track? And how hard would it be to figure out? By Kathryn Whitbourne & Francisco Guzman As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. Foxx recused herself from the case last month after revealing she had contact with Smolletts representatives early on in the investigation. She declined to provide details at the time. Communications later released to the Tribune, however, showed Foxx had asked Superintendent Johnson to turn over the investigation to the FBI after she was approached by a politically connected lawyer about the case. 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. 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. 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 UAEs 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) January 2019 v. January 2018 RevPAR: +26.4% to $59.04 TRevPAR: +27.3% to $96.63 Payroll: +0.1 pts. to 22.8% GOPPAR: +40.3% to $38.23 HotStats provides two reporting tools to hoteliers: Our unique profit and loss benchmarking service which enables monthly comparison of hotels performance against their competitors. It is distinguished by the fact that it provides in excess of 100 performance metric comparisons covering 70 areas of hotel revenue, cost, profit and statistics providing far deeper insight into the hotel operation than any other tool. Our latest innovation in daily revenue intelligence, MORSE. Amongst its reporting are daily and highly granular market segmentation metrics as well as distribution channel and source of booking analysis. It takes daily market intelligence to a whole new level. For more information contact: Enquiries +44 (0) 20 7892 2241 enquiries@hotstats.com Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest all industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Hospitality Trends 50+ Music Companies File Copyright Suits Against ISPs Charter, Bright House More than 50 major music companies have joined to file separate lawsuits against ISP providers Charter and Bright House for not doing enough to stop copyright infringement. Each suit could result in more than $1 billion in damages. Universal, Sony and WMG are joined by dozens of major music publishers in both lawsuits. They are part of an ongoing slate of lawsuits against Cox and other ISPs designed to get crack down on large scale and long term infringement. The Charter lawsuit, filed Friday in Colorado, accuses the cable company and its ISP brand Spectrum of failing to "take reasonable measures to curb customers from using its Internet services to infringe on others copyrights, including Plaintiffs copyrights even after Charter became aware of particular customers engaging in specific, repeated acts of infringement." The Bright House complaint was even more strongly worded. In reality, Bright House operated its service as an attractive tool and safe haven for infringement, the complaint reads. During an 827-day period, Bright House subscriber with IP address 75.114.183.231 was identified in 340 infringement notices, sent on at least 232 separate days rather than terminating repeat infringers and losing subscription revenues Bright House simply looked the other way. Share on: Article 13 Copyright Directive Is Approved Ending Safe Harbor For YouTube The European Union gave its final approval to the Article 11 and 13 Copyright Directive designed to update copyright law in Europe for the online age. Members of the European Parliament voted 348 in favor and 274 against. Google, YouTube and others in tech say that the rule, which requires a much more stringent policing of infringing content, will limit user generated content stifle creativity. Most major music and media companies strongly disagree and support the legislation. After the vote, Frances Moore, CEO on major label trade group, the IFPI, commented: We thank lawmakers for their efforts in navigating a complex environment to pass a Directive with noteworthy implications for the content community. This world-first legislation confirms that User-Upload Content platforms perform an act of communication to the public and must either seek authorisation from rightsholders or ensure no unauthorized content is available on their platforms. The Directive also includes a stay down provision requiring platforms to keep unlicensed content down another global first. We now look forward to the implementation stage, where we will work with the EUs Member States to ensure the Directive is transposed into national law in a manner fully consistent with its aim and key principles of European and international law. Share on: Reunion Tour! Bands, Breakups and Contracts The vast majority of successful bands usually end up going through some kind of personnel change, sometimes to the point of having no original members at all. So what are the legal ramifications of these switcheroos and breakups? Prof. David Philp explains. _______________________________ Guest post by William Paterson University Professor David Philp from Music Biz 101 We all have our favorite band of all time. Whether its the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, *N-Sync or Fifth Harmony, they almost all break up or go through personnel changes (except for U2, if you click on the article, which you should do). What are the consequences of breakups? THIS ARTICLE that you just clicked on (big thanks to my brother, Eric, who was a fan of the original Velvet Underground lineup) goes through a list of famous bands that created famous songs & albums, all of which have gone through lineup changes or breakups. Most interesting are the bands that have no original members but tour with the famous name. Ever heard of Blood, Sweat & Tears or the Little River Band? Historically, its hard for bands to keep their original lineups intact, even if the band by name stayed together. Here are some examples: Rolling Stones Original guitarist Brian Jones died; Mick Taylor, a replacement guitarist, was eventually replaced by Ronnie Wood. The Who Original drummer Keith Moon died; Kenny Jones became his replacement. For the bands 1989 Tommy anniversary tour through today, there has been no sign of Kenny Jones. Meanwhile, as The Who prepare for their summer 2019 tour, they do so also without original bassist John Entwistle, who also died. Van Halen David Lee Roth was kicked out (or left, depending upon whose story you believe); Sammy Hagar joined. Sammy Hagar was kicked out (or left, depending upon whose story you believe). Gary Charone took Sammys place. Sammy and David toured together. Then David was back in Van Halen. Meanwhile, bassist Michael Anthony was kicked out and formed a band with Sammy. Did you keep track of that one? Readers of this have probably been through this on their own. I have. My high school band lost members. We stuck together through college. Then we gained and lost members. Im still awaiting that reunion tour. (Note: The pic above is from my very, very first band, The Last Exit. The goofball on the far left was the nephew of David Johansen, a semi-famous artist from the 70s punk band the New York Dolls, which, yes, broke up. David has best been known as Buster Poindexter, who had a huge hit in the 80s, Hot, Hot, Hot. He no longer performs as Buster Poindexter, so does that mean he broke up with himself?) There are lots of bottom lines here. The most important: Bands need to sign agreements amongst each other in the earlier days, before success spoils them silly and they grow quickly to hate each other. Imagine this Youre in a band and have a few hits. You sang on the hits. Youre forced out of the band. The band breaks up afterward. Years pass and you want to go out to tour and use the band name. After all, those hits are associated with your voice and, quite frankly, nobody else is using the name. How about it? Nope! Not unless whomever owns the band name (and that obviously aint you) grants you permission, which would never happen unless there was some money involved. There have been lawsuits amongst members of Pink Floyd, Guns N Roses, and others over who can use a band name. If bands determine within the contract who owns the name and how one loses control of the name (usually by a member leaving voluntarily or getting kicked out of the band), then the lawyers dont need to be the winners. Its all spelled out. This is taken from the article that I keep bugging you to read: Chuck Negron, a founding member of Three Dog Night who sang several of its biggest hits, including Joy to the World, said that bandmates had him sign a contract which stipulated that any member fired from the group would have no further right to use the name while he was a heroin addict. Negron was later fired for missing shows. His attempt to bill himself as Chuck Negron, formerly of Three Dog Night led to a legal battle that the two parties resolved by agreeing that he could use the formerly designation, provided that in all print advertisements, the words Three Dog Night were no larger than half the size of the words Chuck Negron. The lesson here: Dont do heroin. While were on this subject of contracts, Id like to urge songwriters reading this to make sure they are keeping track of song splits the percentage of ownership songwriters have of a song. If I write the verse and the chorus, both chords and lyrics, and I bring you in for the bridge, we need to figure out after were done how much you contributed. There are lots of factors involved in what the percentage of the bridge writer would be: from length of the bridge to the over all importance of the bridge to the song, to whether or not the person who wrote the bridge was really famous. Maybe a good split would be 75/25 in favor of the main songwriter. If the bridge writer was famous, that might end up as 50/50. Either way, figure that out before the song is released. The best time is right after the song is done, maybe even before its fully recorded. In Nashville, the culture is based upon whomever was in the room with an instrument. If there were three of us in the room participating, its just assumed by all three that were splitting the song in thirds even if all I did was come up with the lyrics to one verse. Its important to do this before memories fade. I know of a situation someone is in right now in which the chief writer cant remember the contribution of another writer, who claims he should get 25% of the song. The main writer doesnt think the other writer, ultimately, contributed anything. But they were in a band together and the band broke up and there are some, not hard, but not great feelings. How will this turn out? The other writer will get something, but not 25%. And the main writer will have to suck it up because they didnt deal with it sooner. One final question: Have you read the article yet? Not this one. Youre already here, so that means youve read these words. But what about the main article? Give some love to Rob Tannenbaum of the NY Times. He worked hard on it. His mother is very proud of him. You should be proud too. Professor David Philp is Assistant Professor Music & Entertainment Industries and Popular Music Studies at William Paterson University. He is the co-host of the only FREE advice college radio-based music & entertainment industry talk show in America, Music Biz 101 & More, which airs live most Wednesday nights and is available as a podcast HERE every night (days too). Your favorite professor is also co-author (with Dr. Steve Marcone) of Managing Your Band 6th Edition. Reach him at PhilpD@wpunj.edu or find him on LinkedIn HERE. Share on: The mall has been closed since Wednesday. Target and Regal Cinemas remain open. Berkshire Mall Claims Power Outage Cause For Temporary Closure LANESBOROUGH, Mass. The Berkshire Mall says it looks to reopen later this week after losing electricity. In a post on Facebook, the mall wrote that the closure for the last few days was caused by a power outage. The mall is aiming to re-open Wednesday but has said it is closed until further notice. "In order to ensure our employees and customers safety, we need to resolve these issues before we can reopen. This is the reason we have not opened the mall. We are not closed forever! We are not being shut down by the sheriff! We have not been seized by the government! We are pushing to reopen by Wednesday if that changes we will update," wrote the mall. That is consistent with what Board of Selectmen Chairman and Baker Hill Road District appointee John Goerlach has been told. Goerlach said on Monday that the power had been cut to the mall and the generator it is using does not have enough power to pump water to the toilets. The issue has led to multiple days of closure, starting Wednesday afternoon. "The electricity is the big part of it," Goerlach said. The lack of bathroom access created a hazard at the mall, leading to the shutdown. The mall has been closed to the public, though a wrestling event was held on the weekend that town officials said was not supposed to have happened there given the situation. The mall officials had been silent on the closure until Monday evening. The mall closed last Wednesday and has been closed since. Target and Regal Cinemas remain open and Goerlach said efforts are being made to ensure at least Target can operate in the future regardless of what happens with the shopping center.. "They are working on ways to keep Target open," Goerlach said. Goerlach said Target owns its building but does not have its own water system, which means it would not have fire protection should the rest of the mall go out of business. Goerlach said Target's ownership has been involved in solving any issue that could prevent it from operating independently in the future. But the writing has been on the wall for years now. Kohan Retail Investment Group has not paid taxes in some two years, according to Town Manager Kelli Robbins. Berkshire Mall Realty Holdings owes the town around $700,000 --though Lanesborough's tax collector has not responded to an email request asking for a precise figure. Meanwhile, the Baker Hill Road District recently got approval for the sheriff's Office to seize assets to pay $298,146.92 worth of back taxes awarded to the district in a lawsuit. That order was issued on March 13. Baker Hill Road District attorney Mark Siegars has repeatedly declined to discuss the case over the last two weeks. However, the thought is that if Kohan Retail cannot afford to pay the bill in cash, it could lose control of the mall and property would be sold to pay off the bill. The Board of Selectmen said they do not know if it will come to a payment in lieu of taxes or not. The hope among town officials is that another person will purchase the property and make use of it. "This guy has not been good to us. It was a poor decision by the bank's part," Goerlach said. At the same time, Kohan continues to buy malls throughout the country. Earlier this month, he spent $4.65 million on a mall in Maine. The mall is the town's largest taxpayer, being charged more than $300,000 per year. Selectman Henry "Hank" Sayers said he is concerned that the mall may not last very long, taking that revenue out of town coffers. "I am really concerned about the taxes ... We have to be very careful on how we spend," Sayers said. Robbins said Sayers' concerns could be a little premature as the budget process hasn't begun. UAE fishermen told to remove gargoor 'dead cages' from sea March 25,2019 | Source: The National Fishermen in the United Arab Emirates have been told to remove traditional fishing cages that have been blamed for killing endangered species ahead of a upcoming ban. Gargoors are traditional metal traps that have been blamed for targeting exploited species such as hammour. They are to be prohibited in Abu Dhabi from May 1 and the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi on Saturday urged the community to dispose of the cages at ports in Mina Zayed, Sila, Taweelah and Delma. The ban was introduced by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment after a study pinpointed a significant decline in Abu Dhabi of the population of two of the countrys most threatened species - hammour and farsh. It is believed that more than 85 per cent of the UAE's hammour populations have been wiped out. Aside from over-fishing, abandoned gargoors also pose a huge threat to marine life. The cages are often weighted down with a simple brick, but strong currents can push them along the seabed and they become lost. The fact they are made of metal and do not disintegrate easily compounds the problem. Ahmed Al Hashmi is acting executive director, terrestrial and marine biodiversity sector, at Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi. During our last survey with research vessels, we noticed that in every trip we could have taken up old gargoors or inactive gargoors in most of the locations," he said. The problem is that they accumulate a lot of fish inside - some are endangered fish and found rarely in these waters. It is like a dead cage. Everything enters." Gargoors used on boats registered for research and scientific study are excluded from the ban. The issues of abandoned fishing nets - or ghost gear - is a global problem. The UN Environment Programme has reported that between 600,000 and 800,000 metric tonnes of 'ghost gear' enters the worlds oceans each year. Environmental authorities, meanwhile, have begun the fightback to restore the UAE's depleted fish stocks. A sweeping 12-year plan that aims to reverse the rapid decline in fish species, enhance local fish-farming and rebuild denuded habitats was unveiled at the World Ocean Summit in Abu Dhabi earlier this month. New legislation, tougher enforcement and tighter scrutiny of the commercial, spearfishing and recreational fishing communities all come under the scope of the initiative. Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods. Canadian fisherwoman breaks social stereotypes by Binsal Abdul Kader March 22,2019 | Source: Gulf News A 29-year-old Canadian woman is reluctant to transition from her blue-collar fishing life embraced at the age of 12 into a white-collar existence, despite achieving high academic qualifications. Tiare Boyes from Victoria is now a postgraduate in Marine Resource Management. But instead of pursuing that inside laboratories and an academic environment, she chose to continue going out to the Pacific Ocean on a fishing boat to engage in marine management in a different way. I am proud of doing sustainable fishing and serving fish to families in Canada and abroad, she told Gulf News an interview in Abu Dhabi on the sidelines of the recent World Ocean Summit earlier this month. Moreover I earned money to pursue my bachelors and Masters degree from fishing. She travelled from Canada to Abu Dhabi at her expense to attend the summit, expecting to meet interesting and inspiring people in ocean conservation. When I flew to Abu Dhabi, I arrived after dark. I woke up to beautiful sunshine and my first view of the Arabian Gulf. I have felt very welcome in Abu Dhabi and have been happy to learn of some of the ocean initiatives going on here, she said. Many things attach her to fishing, she added: The ocean is the most beautiful place in the world. I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to work on the ocean and support sustainable fishing of wild halibut [a popular flat fish]. Reminiscing of the first day her father took her on a fishing trip when she was 12, she said: I was seasick, the sea was rough that day. Still my father and uncle taught me how to clean the fish on the boat. Initially she felt embarrassment because of perceived social prejudices. I think there is social stigma attached to fishing. Internationally, fishermen and fisherwomen are considered working class. As she attended a working class school in Victoria, she did not personally face that social stigma. However, in school she was told that girls did not go fishing. She heard that women are generally not involved in fishing. When you think of fisherfolk, old strong men come to your mind, not women. As a child, I was more susceptible to what people think. When she started going to the sea however, she came across many fishing aunts and sisters, who had defied that social stereotype. Over 17 years into regular fishing trips that last seven to nine days in the Pacific Ocean, she has built a sense of pride and accomplishment. Now I have created my own identity. I am proud of being able to harvest nutritious seafood for all. Today, I think we [fishermen and women] can change the social stigma attached to this job. Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2019. All rights reserved. Theme(s): Communities and Organisations. Cyclone Idai survivors urgently need safe shelter, water and sanitation, says Red Cross March 25,2019 | Source: UN News People affected by Tropical Cyclone Idai in southern Africa, urgently need clean water, safe sanitation facilities and shelter, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Monday, warning that some areas of Mozambique still remain inaccessible because of the unprecedented flooding. In an interview with Daniel Johnson from UN News, IFRC Secretary General Elhadj As Sy, described the huge scale of need he witnessed on a visit to the country last Friday. United Nations Theme(s): Communities and Organisations. Cyclone Idai: Mozambique struggles with floodwaters by Enock Muchinjo March 25,2019 | Source: Al Jazeera Joao Domingo returned to his home in the devastated town of Beira on Sunday after collecting the few remaining maize cobs from the family's small communal farmland in Nhamatanda, located 101km away. He recounted the days his family had spent stuck in the house without food, as floodwaters engulfed the surrounding area. "We did not have food when we were trapped inside our small house - myself, my wife and four children - we starved," said Domingo. "After makeshift roads were erected, I had to catch the bus today to Nhamatanda, but a plastic bag full of maize is all I could salvage. "My children were crying when we were trapped inside the house for three days. My 14-year-old-son kept asking if we would emerge alive, and if he would ever go to school again". Cyclone Idai's massive flooding has ravaged Mozambique and killed 446 people nationwide, according to official statistics. The people of Beira are still coming to terms with the deadly effects of the storm, which destroyed the area around the coastal town, leaving most houses ruined or damaged. Rescue efforts have meanwhile intensified, reinforced by a 65-member Chinese rescue team, which arrived in Beira on Monday at the request of the Mozambican government, as the number of those affected by Cyclone Idai rose to 794,000. In Beira, most of those displaced have found shelter on higher ground in several buildings in the city, occupying some 2,867 classrooms throughout this metropolitan area of 500,000 people. 2019 Al Jazeera Media Network Theme(s): Others. Just listen, Im going to close on this. We just had one of the largest ceremonies for the Police Department in the history of the city, 297 men and women. The most diverse class, representing all parts of this city. People from all walks of life and background and faith, who said they want to serve the city and serve the values of the city and help serve others in time of need. They are there to uphold the law and their best training to do that. And I draw to you in that contrast, people of all walks of life as I said, graduates of our public schools, kids who grew up with parents who were police officers veterans of the armed forces who have a life of service. They were there to not only to uphold that law, but the values that imbue and inform those laws. Checkout No resources available in your cart Plundering of marine resources worries Kenya's President by EVELINE DE KLERK March 25,2019 | Source: New Era The President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, says African countries must take stricter measures to fight the exploitation of their natural resources so that they can benefit people on a larger scale. Kenyatta made the remarks during the visit to the Seaflower pelagic processing factory, the biggest fish-freezing factory in Sub-Saharan Africa that is yet to be officially opened, during his one-day visit to Walvis Bay on Saturday. He pointed out that many African countries including Kenya do not really benefit from their natural resources, especially marine resources. The onshore processing plant was constructed at the old Etale canning factory which Fishcor bought for N$160 million. Their partner, Africa Selection Fishing Namibia, injected a further N$370 million for the completion of the factory. Although he was impressed with the factory, a concerned Kenyatta said that unregulated and illegal fishing is one of the challenges that Africa faces that threatens the continents marine resources. It is disappointing to see that foreign nations are benefiting more from the abundant fish in the territorial waters of many African countries. Hence we should work together and learn from the examples of countries like Namibia, which has implemented progressive measures to develop its fisheries sector, Kenyatta noted. Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Bernhardt Esau, who received Kenyatta at the factory, said Namibia is working hard not to export jobs by making sure that Namibian fish leaves the country with value added. We want to address food security and also create business opportunities for our locals, as the industry must create much needed jobs, he said. Esau added that Namibia is keen on collaborating with Kenya to address illegal, unregulated fishing as well as marine pollution. He added that illegal fishing in Namibia puts the countrys responsibly managed fish stocks and its economic benefits at risk. According to Esau, Namibia will collaborate with neighbouring countries to further assist in the control and barring entry to vessels that are conducting illegal and unregulated fishing in ports. New Era Newspaper Namibia A Product of NEPC Theme(s): Fisheries Resources. Hendricks was taking a break between Uber fares when he said he saw Custodio quarreling with a group of people on Milwaukee Avenue, just north of Central Park Avenue. But what he thought was friendly banter turned serious when he saw Custodio pull a handgun and fire several shots. They also tossed the birthday cake to the floor, Hofeld said. It had sat uncut inside a box on a dining table, but by the end of the raid it had been thrown off the table, landing upside-down on the floor. One of the officers then stuck a number "4" candle in the middle of the smashed cake. When the shooting stopped and the gunman's car drove away, Hill said she got out and went to the van while calling police. The couple's older daughter, the only one in the van who wasnt shot, had been in the back seat with her 1-year-old brother and had taken him out of his car seat. Hill took him from her arms and saw hed been hit. Eighteen to 24 months to get a dent in it is too long, said state Sen. Patricia Van Pelt, a Chicago Democrat who chairs the Senate Public Health Committee, which held Mondays hearing in conjunction with the Criminal Law Committee. I really want to see the state police request whatever it is you need to get this done. On Sunday, 24 March, Somali authorities arrested two soldiers and officially charged them for torturing and threatening journalists Abdullahi Dahir Abdi and Said Warsame Sabriye of Dhanbaal. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Somali affiliate, The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), have today welcomed the arrests and demanded an independent and transparent trial. According to the investigation, the soldiers Ali Adan Abdi Gaab and Sakariye Hassan Ibaar of Somali National Army (SNA) tied the hands and the feet of the two journalists behind their back and forced them to lie down on their chests on 18 February 2019 in Mogadishus Hodan district. The journalists were also subjected to other forms of torture. Both soldiers are being held at Mogadishus central prison, awaiting trial. IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, said: The arrest of two soldiers for torturing journalists is a good step in the fight against impunity, but more needs to be done. We demand a transparent trial, free from political interference, to guarantee justice for our colleagues. Governments need to protect journalists and tackle impunity globally and a UN Convention on the safety and protection of journalists would provide better safeguards for media workers. Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General, said: This case sets a positive precedence for the fight for the safety of journalists, protection of media freedom and the fight against impunity. It sends a clear message to those who abuse journalists that wearing official uniform does not place anyone above the law. NUSOJ will monitor closely the trial", added Osman. The voter will then hand the ballot in a privacy sleeve to an election judge, who will initial it and place it in the scanner. The scanner accepts the paper ballot and creates an image of the ballot. Because its the same machine, the paper ballot and touch screen ballots are automatically consolidated, according to information provided by the clerks office. To access our in-house intelligence please request a trial here. Read this article and more for a 30 day period. Are you already an IFLR subscriber? Login here Imperial Valley News Center President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel After Bilateral Meeting Washington, DC - President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel After Bilateral Meeting: PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, thank you very much. Its an honor to have Prime Minister Netanyahu in the Oval Office. Weve had numerous great meetings, and we talk usually about trade and military and lots of things. But today, I think were talking about more than anything else, were celebrating the Golan Heights. Its something that Ive been hearing about for many years, from many people. Ive been studying for years. And this should have been done, I would say, numerous Presidents ago. But for some reason, they didnt do it, and Im very honored to have done it. So I just want to say, Bibi, its an honor to have you at the Oval Office. Thank you. PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU: Thank you. May I say that Ive been here many, many, many times. Ive been around. PRESIDENT TRUMP: You have. PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU: And Ive met many friends of Israel in this office. But as I said in the other room, just now, in a day of history, we have never had a greater friend than President Trump. And I think there is a unique bond between our countries, between our administrations, between the two of us. There has been no greater bond than that. It serves the interests of Israel in ways that I cannot begin to describe because not everything that the President and I talk about can be shared with the public. And I think that, in many ways, the President knows and the United States knows that America has no better friend than Israel. We are willing to fight for our common values. Were willing to fight. You have an ally that is willing to take up arms in defense of liberty, in defense of our land, our people, and our common values. We admire America, and were grateful to you. Thank you, Mr. President. PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much. Q Mr. President, so did this turn out to not be a witch hunt after all? Do you think Robert Mueller did a fair investigation? PRESIDENT TRUMP: Its lasted a long time. Were glad its over. Its 100 percent the way it should have been. I wish it could have gone a lot sooner, a lot quicker. There are a lot of people out there that have done some very, very evil things, very bad things. I would say treasonous things against our country. And hopefully people that have done such harm to our country weve gone through a period of really bad things happening those people will certainly be looked at. I have been looking at them for a long time. And Im saying, Why havent they been looked at? They lied to Congress. Many of them you know who they are theyve done so many evil things. I will tell you, I love this country. I love this country as much as I can love anything: my family, my country, my God. But what they did, it was a false narrative. It was it was a terrible thing. We can never let this happen to another President again. I can tell you that. I say it very strongly. Very few people I know could have handled it. We can never, ever let this happen to another President again. Thank you all very much. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Q Do you want the report to be completely released? PRESIDENT TRUMP: Up the Attorney General, but it wouldnt bother me at all. Up to the Attorney General. Wouldnt bother me at all. Q Any news on pardons? Are you thinking about pardoning anyone, sir? PRESIDENT TRUMP: No, I havent. I havent thought about it. Imperial Valley News Center Head of Organization Backed by Chinese Energy Conglomerate Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for International Bribery Washington, DC - Chi Ping Patrick Ho, aka Patrick C.P. Ho and He Zhiping, was sentenced today to serve 36 months in prison for his role in a multi-year, multimillion-dollar scheme to bribe top officials of Chad and Uganda in exchange for business advantages for CEFC China Energy Company Limited (CEFC China) Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman for the Southern District of New York announced. Ho was convicted of violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), money laundering, and conspiracy to commit the same, in December 2018, after a one-week jury trial before U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska, who imposed todays sentence. In addition to his prison term, Ho, 69, a citizen of the Peoples Republic of China who resided in Hong Kong prior to his arrest in November 2017 and has been detained since his arrest, was fined $400,000. Following his prison sentence, Ho will be removed from the United States. Patrick Ho bribed officials at the highest levels of government in Chad and Uganda in pursuit of lucrative oil deals and other business opportunities, all while using a U.S.-based NGO to conceal his criminal scheme, said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. This kind of corruption undermines world markets and tilts the playing field against law-abiding companies and individuals. The Department will continue to investigate and prosecute individuals and corporations that engage in foreign bribery. Patrick Ho schemed to bribe the leaders of Chad and Uganda in order to secure unfair business advantages for the Chinese energy company he served, said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Berman. His actions were brazen, including offering the president of Chad $2 million in cash, hidden in gift boxes. Foreign corruption undermines the fairness of international markets, erodes the publics faith in its leaders, and is deeply unfair to the people and businesses that play by the rules. Todays sentence recognizes the severe harm caused by Hos actions. According to the evidence presented at trial, Ho orchestrated and executed two bribery schemes to pay top officials of Chad and Uganda in exchange for business advantages for CEFC China, a Shanghai-based multibillion-dollar conglomerate that operates internationally in multiple sectors, including oil, gas, and banking. During the course of the schemes, Ho served as the secretary-general of a non-governmental organization based in Hong Kong and Arlington, Virginia, and registered as a charitable entity in the United States, the China Energy Fund Committee (CEFC NGO), which held Special Consultative Status with the United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Council. CEFC NGO was funded by CEFC China. In the first scheme (the Chad Scheme), Ho, on behalf of CEFC China, offered a $2 million cash bribe, hidden within gift boxes, to Idriss Deby, the president of Chad, in an effort to obtain valuable oil rights from the Chadian government. In the second scheme (the Uganda Scheme), Ho caused a $500,000 bribe to be paid, via wires transmitted through New York, New York, to an account designated by Sam Kutesa, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uganda, who had recently completed his term as the president of the UN General Assembly. Ho also schemed to pay a $500,000 cash bribe to Yoweri Museveni, the president of Uganda, and offered to provide both Kutesa and Museveni with additional corrupt benefits by partnering with them and their families in future joint ventures in Uganda. The Chad Scheme The Chad Scheme began in or about September 2014 when Ho flew into New York to attend the annual UN General Assembly. At that time, CEFC China a multibillion-dollar energy company based in Shanghai, China was working to expand its operations to Chad, and wanted to meet with President Deby as quickly as possible. Through a connection, Ho was introduced to Cheikh Gadio, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Senegal, who had a personal relationship with President Deby. Ho and Gadio met at CEFC Chinas suite at Trump World Tower in midtown Manhattan, where Ho enlisted Gadio to assist CEFC China in obtaining access to President Deby Gadio connected Ho and CEFC China to President Deby. In an initial meeting in Chad in November 2014, President Deby described to Ho and CEFC China executives certain lucrative oil rights that were available for CEFC China to acquire. Following that meeting, Gadio advised Ho and CEFC China to send a technical team to Chad to investigate the oil rights and make an offer to President Deby grounded in factual data. Instead, Ho insisted on a prompt second meeting with President Deby. The second meeting took place a few weeks later, in December 2014. Ho led a CEFC China delegation, which flew to Chad on a corporate jet with $2 million cash concealed within several gift boxes. At the conclusion of a business meeting with President Deby, Ho and the CEFC China executives presented him with the gift boxes. To the surprise of Ho and the CEFC China executives, President Deby rejected the $2 million bribe offer, but later agreed to accept the money as a charitable donation to the country. Ho subsequently drafted a letter to President Deby falsely claiming that the cash had really been intended as a donation to the people of Chad all along. Ho and CEFC China did not obtain the unfair advantage that they had sought through the bribe offer, and by mid-2015, Ho had turned his attention to a different so-called gateway to Africa: Uganda. The Uganda Scheme The Uganda Scheme began around the same time as the Chad Scheme, when Ho was in New York for the annual UN General Assembly. Ho met with Sam Kutesa, who had recently begun his term as the 69th president of the UN General Assembly (PGA). Ho, purporting to act on behalf of CEFC NGO, met with Kutesa and began to cultivate a relationship with him. During the year when Kutesa served as PGA, Ho and Kutesa discussed a strategic partnership between Uganda and CEFC China for various business ventures, to be formed once Kutesa returned to Uganda. In or about February 2016 after Kutesa had returned to Uganda and resumed his role as Foreign Minister, and Yoweri Museveni (Kutesas relative) had been reelected as the president of Uganda Kutesa solicited a payment from Ho, purportedly for a charitable foundation that Kutesa wished to launch. Ho agreed to provide the requested payment, but simultaneously requested, on behalf of CEFC China, an invitation to Musevenis inauguration, business meetings with Museveni and other high-level Ugandan officials, and a list of specific business projects in Uganda in which CEFC China could participate. In May 2016, Ho and CEFC China executives traveled to Uganda. Prior to departing, Ho caused CEFC NGO to wire $500,000 to the account provided by Kutesa in the name of the so-called foundation, which wire was transmitted through New York, New York. Ho also advised his boss, Ye Jianming, the then-chairman of CEFC China, to provide $500,000 in cash to Museveni, ostensibly as a campaign donation, even though Museveni had already been reelected. Ho intended these payments to influence Kutesa and Museveni to use their official power to steer business advantages to CEFC China. Ho and CEFC China executives attended President Musevenis inauguration and obtained business meetings in Uganda with Museveni and top Ugandan officials, including with the Department of Energy and Mineral Resources. After the trip, Ho requested that Kutesa and Museveni assist CEFC China in acquiring a Ugandan bank, as an initial step before pursuing additional ventures in Uganda. Ho also offered to partner with Kutesa and Museveni and/or their family businesses, making clear that both officials would share in CEFC Chinas future profits. In exchange for the bribes offered and paid by Ho, Kutesa thereafter steered a bank acquisition opportunity to CEFC China. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Justice, Criminal Divisions Office of International Affairs provided assistance. Trial Attorney Paul A. Hayden of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section, FCPA Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel C. Richenthal, Douglas S. Zolkind, and Catherine E. Ghosh of the U.S. Attorneys Office for Southern District of New Yorks Public Corruption Unit are prosecuting the case. The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting all FCPA matters. Additional information about the Justice Departments FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa. Imperial Valley News Center Alleged Dark Web Child Pornography Facilitator Extradited to the United States Washington, DC - Irish authorities extradited a dual national citizen of the United States and Ireland to the United States to face federal charges that he allegedly advertised and distributed child pornography on the dark web. The extradition and federal charges were announced by Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur for the District of Maryland and Assistant Director Robert Johnson of the FBIs Criminal Investigative Division. Eric Eoin Marques, 33, arrived in the United States on March 23, and had his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Sullivan in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland. An amended criminal complaint was filed on Aug. 8, 2013, and unsealed today at Marques initial appearance. Marques is charged with conspiracy to advertise child pornography, conspiracy to distribute child pornography, aiding and abetting the advertising of child pornography, and aiding and abetting the distribution of child pornography. At the hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Sullivan ordered that Marques be detained pending trial or a detention hearing scheduled for March 27, 2019 at 11:30 a.m. Child exploitation sites on the dark web present a grave danger to children and unprecedented challenges to the worlds law enforcement agencies, said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. The complaint unsealed today demonstrates the Departments commitment to pursuing those accused of serious child pornography offenses wherever they may hide on the web and in the world, and to seeking justice for the countless children that are victimized by those who facilitate this horrendous conduct. Criminals cannot hide on the dark web or in foreign countries, said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. We will find them and bring them to justice. We are grateful to Irish authorities for their assistance to bring Eric Marques to the United States to face these charges. Todays extradition of Eric Marques demonstrates that no matter where you are in the world, the FBI and its international law enforcement partners will be diligent in their efforts to hold you accountable for your criminal activity, said FBI Assistant Director Johnson. The FBI will never stop working to ensure justice is served for the vulnerable child victims who are unable stand up for themselves. According to the amended criminal complaint, between July 24, 2008 and July 29, 2013, Marques conspired to advertise and distribute child pornography, and aided and abetted the advertising and distribution of child pornography, by allegedly operating a free, anonymous web hosting service (AHS) located on the dark web, an area of the internet that is only accessible by means of special software, allowing users and website operators to remain anonymous or untraceable. The AHS allegedly hosted websites that allowed users to view and share images documenting the sexual abuse of children, including the abuse of prepubescent minors, violent sexual abuse, and bestiality. According to the amended criminal complaint, as of July 12, 2013, one site hosted on the AHS reported that there were almost 1.4 million files that were uploaded and accessible by individuals who visit the hidden service. During 2012 and 2013, FBI special agents and employees using computers in Maryland downloaded more than one million files from that website. As part of the investigation, those files were reviewed and nearly all of the files depict children who are engaging in sexually explicit conduct with adults or other children, posed nude and/or in such a manner as to expose their genitals, in various states of undress, or depict child erotica. A substantial majority of the images downloaded by the FBI depict prepubescent minor children who are fully or partially nude or engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The complaint alleges that during the time of the conspiracy, the IP address associated with the AHS was assigned to a computer server associated with and exclusively used by Marques. A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. The investigation was conducted by the FBI Violent Crimes Against Children Section and Legal Attache London, Irish law enforcement authorities, An Garda Siochana and EUROPOL. The Department of Justices Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in bringing Marques to the United States and procuring foreign evidence during the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Chief Keith A. Becker and Trial Attorney Ralph Paradiso of the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristi N. OMalley and Thomas M. Sullivan of the District of Maryland. Imperial Valley News Center Abused kids use text-based services to seek help, study shows West Lafayette, Indiana - She says she will burn the house down with me in it. He threatened to pull a gun on me. He told me he could kill me in an instant if he wanted to. These are just a few of the texts sent by minors to counselors at crisis hotlines in the last several years. Abused children often look for discreet ways to seek help, hoping not to make matters worse by aggravating their perpetrator. Recently, text-based crisis communication services have started to provide an outlet for those kids. Minors arent just using these services to report suicidal thoughts and depression theyre using them to report abuse, according to a new study in the journal JMIR mHealth and uHealth. There was a general theory in the field that when kids text in about depression or suicide, theyll mention abuse. But we found that in many cases, abuse was the first thing they mentioned, said Laura Schwab-Reese, an assistant professor of health and kinesiology at Purdue University. Kids are actively seeking support regarding abuse and neglect through these services, which isnt what we expected. Every year, Child Protective Services receives more than 3.6 million reports of child abuse, involving more than 6 million children in the U.S. The effects of this abuse and neglect can be long-lasting and varied, from mental to financial. It can even be fatal about 1,750 children died from abuse and neglect in the U.S. in 2016, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When children text or call hotlines to discuss their concerns, crisis counselors are required to report suspected abuse to the state if the misconduct meets certain criteria. Schwab-Reese read all the text conversations (which were made anonymous) from one crisis service that resulted in reports from October 2015 to July 2017. Rather than starting with a hypothesis and looking for answers to confirm or deny it, she dug into the data with an open mind. We were just trying to figure out what kids are talking about when they text in. We had no idea what we were going to find, Schwab-Reese said. This is likely one of the first studies of its kind, as it can be difficult to obtain good information on content of reports while maintaining victims privacy. Phone calls arent recorded, and text-based services are still new to the landscape, Schwab-Reese said. Physical abuse was the most common form of abuse mentioned in the initial disclosure, followed by psychological abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. More than half of texters discussed abuse or other significant family issues in the first message, according to the study. Many also reported psychosocial issues beyond the maltreatment, with nearly a quarter discussing suicidal thoughts. Schwab-Reese was surprised to find that many texters described their abuse in blunt terms. Nearly half of texters used a variant of the word abuse, or other graphic terms such as rape, molest or assault, in their first disclosure of abuse. Its rare for adults to come right out and say, Im a victim of abuse. They say things like, Things arent great at home right now, or My partner and I have been fighting a lot, Schwab-Reese said. We thought kids might use vague terms to describe their abuse as well, but we found that a lot of them use very blunt language to describe whats going on. The findings also show that for most children who are abused, its not a fleeting experience nearly 93 percent of texters reported recurrent abuse. Many were prompted to reach out by a recent crisis or escalation of harm. Implementing text or chat-based communication methods could be essential for social and health services hoping to reach young people. A 2011 report from Pew Research Center found that one-third of adults prefer talking on the phone to texting (a number which is likely higher among young people, and eight years later). Crisis Text Line, a SMS-based support service for people in crisis, has exchanged more than 96 million messages since its launch in 2013. In addition to adapting to the changing communication landscape, crisis services should work to provide or continue providing care for people on both sides of the phone, Schwab-Reese said. Counselors can experience vicarious trauma. The conversations they have with abused children are graphic and heart-breaking, she said. Some organizations, such as Crisis Text Line, are providing terrific training and resources to counselors. But every organization providing these services needs resources to help counselors after theyve engaged in these conversations, and to be really explicit in training how to respond to disclosures. Its an entirely different task to respond to Things arent great at home, than a 9-year-old saying her dad has been sexually abusing her and is threatening her so shell keep it a secret. This research was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The work 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. Imperial Valley News Center Public Designation, Due to Involvement in Significant Corruption, of Former Guatemalan Official Blanca Aida Stalling Davila Washington, DC - The Secretary of State is publicly designating former Guatemalan Supreme Court Magistrate Blanca Aida Stalling Davila due to her involvement in significant corruption. This designation is made under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 2018 (Section 7031(c)), as carried forward by the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019, as amended. Section 7031(c) provides that, in cases where the Secretary of State has credible information that officials of foreign governments have been involved in significant corruption or a gross violation of human rights, those individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the United States. The law also requires the Secretary of State to publicly or privately designate such officials and their immediate family members. In addition to the designation of Blanca Stalling, the Secretary is also publicly designating her adult sons Julio Alejandro Molina Stalling and Otto Fernando Molina Stalling. The United States is committed to combating corruption, increasing respect for fundamental freedoms, and promoting good governance globally. Imperial Valley News Center Preserving Midway San Diego, California - Sailors assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) participated in a community relations (COMREL) event on the USS Midway Museum last week. Sailors volunteered their time to preserve the museum by renovating parts of the ship. The purpose of this COMREL is to get more engaged with the community, said Religious Program Specialist 2nd Class Luis Castro. Our commanding officer encourages us to get out there and be more involved and show how much we care about our new home [San Diego]. This COMREL is a little different as were working to preserve some of our history as Sailors and I think this is a great opportunity to get out to the public. The USS Midway Museum is a former U.S. Navy aircraft carrier that was operational from 1945 until 1992 and now serves as a museum in downtown San Diego. Our crew is about 280 paid staff and 800 volunteers, said Daniel Buscemi, a retired U.S. Navy Master Chief and the senior ship repair and maintenance supervisor of the USS Midway Museum. Eight hundred volunteers that make this thing work. I say its a dead carrier but its really a live carrier; its just that its mission has changed. You walk through the hangar bay and your still ducking aircraft and there are people everywhere. If you dont look outside it still has the feel of a functioning carrier. Bonhomme Richard Sailors like Airman Recruit Leopoldo Lopez Hernandez, from Houston, Texas, spent time cleaning up some of the more neglected parts of the ship in an effort to keep the museum up to standards. Its a piece of our history and we have to preserve it, said Lopez Hernandez. The same way we preserve our ship to keep us ready, we should try and preserve this one and keep this ship ready for the people who come here to see our history. The volunteers, from Bonhomme Richard for example, come over and give their time to help us preserve this ship and its mission, said Buscemi. The volunteers make this place work, without them we could not be successful. The volunteers create the Midway magic that people love about this place. You guys are what help us keep this place clean and functioning and we couldnt function without people like you. Bonhomme Richard is in its homeport of San Diego. Apply now to CDFA Internship Program Sacramento, California - Agriculture is a major industry for the Golden State. With 80,500 farms and ranches, California agriculture is a $44.7 billion dollar industry that generates at least $100 billion in related economic activity. The California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA) mission is, "to serve the citizens of California by promoting and protecting a safe, healthy food supply, and enhancing local and global agricultural trade, through efficient management, innovation, and sound science, with a commitment to environmental stewardship." In 1919, the California Legislature created a single department responsible for protecting and promoting agriculture. CDFA is now organized into six divisions and operates at more than 100 locations throughout the state. These divisions provide valuable services to producers, merchants, and the public. Many of them are conducted in partnership with local county offices of the agricultural commissioners and sealers. CDFA strives to support innovation and agricultural diversity. One way to support these efforts is through working with future generations of agriculturalists. The CDFA Internship Program is designed for college students of all majors and backgrounds who have an interest in agriculture, California government, and public service. Internships are for students looking to gain a better understanding of California agriculture, as well as the role CDFA has among the state's agricultural systems. Internships are available in a variety of divisions within CDFA. Internships are available to students year round and generally last 10-16 weeks. Students should be available for at least 8 10 hours per week, up to 30 hours per week, depending on the internship offered. Prerequisites may include: Enrolled in an accredited U.S. College Good academic standing At least 18 years of age What Interns Are Saying I just wanted to send a quick email to once again say thank you for the internship opportunity over the summer of 2015. I had no idea how much information I had learned from my internship would be invaluable in the classroom. The first-hand experiences and skills I gained during my internship have played such an important role in the classroom! I wanted to express my gratitude to you as I would not be where I am without this amazing opportunity. Please tell everyone I said hello and I hope everyone is doing well! Nicole Nelsen Master of Public Health-Veterinary Public Health Candidate The Ohio State University AREAS OF INTEREST Administrative Services Administrative Services is responsible for planning, organizing, directing, and controlling activities related to fiscal management, personnel, labor relations, budgets, general business services, contract management, and health and safety. Animal Health and Food Safety Services Animal Health and Food Safety Services protects the safety and security of meat, poultry, dairy products, and other foods of animal origin; public and animal health through the prevention, detection, and eradication of livestock and poultry diseases and dairy contamination incidents; and cattle owners against loss of animals by theft, straying, or misappropriation through ongoing inspections and investigative services. For information about Animal Health and Food Safety Services contact: Samuel Mercado (916) 900-5021 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Executive Office The Executive Office provides oversight of the Department. Its mission is to serve the citizens of California by promoting and protecting a safe, healthy food supply, and enhancing local and global agricultural trade, through efficient management, innovation, and sound science, with a commitment to environmental stewardship. For information about the Executive Office contact: Josh Eddy (916) 654-0462 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Fairs and Expositions Fairs and Expositions provides fiscal and policy oversight of the network of California fairs and ensures the best use of available funding and provides other consultative services. For information about Fairs and Expositions contact: John Quiroz (916) 900-5025 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Inspection Services Inspection Services provides professional services that support and contribute to a safe, abundant, quality food supply; environmentally sound agriculture practices; and an equitable marketplace for California agriculture. For information about Inspection Services contact: Cecilia Baumann (916) 900-5197 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Marketing Services Marketing Services assists in the promotion and administrative oversight of agriculture marketing programs in order to promote California agriculture products. For information about Marketing contact: Jeff Cesca (916) 900-5011 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Measurement Standards Measurement Standards is responsible for the enforcement of California weights and measures laws and regulations. The Division's activities are designed to ensure the accuracy of commercial weighing and measuring devices; verify the quantity of both bulk and packaged commodities; and enforce the quality, advertising, and labeling standards for products. For information about Measurement Standards contact: Rebecca Bland (916) 229-3042 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Pierces Disease Control Program Pierces Disease Control Program is responsible for minimizing the impact of the Pierces Disease/Glassy-wing sharpshooter pest-disease complex and its vectors in California. For information about the Pierces Disease Control Program contact: Roger Spencer (916) 900-5252 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services protects California's food supply from the devastating impact of exotic pests; environment and natural resources from direct pest impacts and increased pesticide use; public from pests that pose human health threats; and position in the global economy. For information about Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services contact: David Pegos (916) 654-0317 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Prosecutors office statement, Part II: Later in the day, Tandra Simonton, a spokeswoman in the Cook County States Attorneys office, emailed The Spin to say that some 5,700 cases had been referred for alternative prosecution in the last two years. An alternative disposition does not mean that there were any problems or infirmities with the case or the evidence, Simontons statement says. We stand behind the Chicago Police Department's investigation and our decision to approve charges in this case. We did not exonerate Mr. Smollett. The charges were dropped in return for Mr. Smollett's agreement to do community service and forfeit his $10,000 bond to the City of Chicago. Without the completion of these terms, the charges would not have been dropped. This outcome was met under the same criteria that would occur for and is available to any defendant with similar circumstances. Defendant Who Exploited Opioid Addictions of Young Women Convicted of Crimes Related to Drug Trafficking and Prostitution Manchester, New Hampshire - After a three-day trial, a federal jury in Concord, New Hampshire, found Steven Tucker, 33, of Manchester, New Hampshire, guilty on March 22 of using interstate facilities to promote a prostitution business enterprise and maintaining a drug-involved premises. The verdict was announced by Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Department of Justices Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Murray for the District of New Hampshire, and Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations, Boston. Evidence presented at trial established that, between October 2013 and June 2014, the defendant operated drug and prostitution businesses in the Manchester area. He sold heroin to numerous individuals, including young women and a minor. Witnesses described how the defendant used their addictions to cause them to prostitute for his profit. The defendant would often front heroin to the women and then arrange prostitution dates for them. The women were required to give the defendant half of the proceeds and then purchase heroin from him with the remainder. On other occasions, the defendant withheld heroin from the women, causing them to suffer painful withdrawal symptoms, and then instructed them to prostitute to earn money to purchase heroin from him. The defendants scheme guaranteed that he had a steady source of drug customers and money. Some of the women were required to help the defendant sell his heroin and received heroin in exchange. The defendant used violence and threats to maintain control of the women. The investigation began in 2014, when the mother of one of the women called the Manchester Police Department after the defendant beat her daughter. Motivated by greed, the defendant preyed on young, vulnerable women, selling them heroin, exploiting their addictions, and prostituting them for his own profit, said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband. The Civil Rights Division and its Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit will continue its vigorous efforts to work with our federal and state partners to hold human traffickers accountable, vindicate the rights of their victims, and eradicate this despicable and inhumane exploitation from our country. This case demonstrates the power of opioids to support criminal activity, said U.S. Attorney Scott W. Murray. This defendant took advantage of young women, using heroin and violence to induce them to commit acts of prostitution for his personal profit. His conduct was even more disturbing because he victimized a minor. We will continue to work closely with the New Hampshire Human Trafficking Collaborative Task Force and all of our law enforcement partners to identify, arrest and prosecute those who engage in this type of unlawful and exploitive activity. Were grateful that the jury has brought back this verdict. said Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations, Boston. This case, where the offender cruelly exploited his victims through drug addiction and violence to induce them to prostitute, was disturbing on several levels. The strong partnership among our HSI Special Agents, the Manchester Police Department, victim advocates, and the members of the New Hampshire Human Trafficking Collaborative Task Force was critical in investigating this case. We hope this verdict can serve as some small measure of healing for the victims of this dangerous threat to the community. This prosecution is the result of the joint investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations and the Manchester Police Department, the New Hampshire Human Trafficking Collaborative Task Force, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of New Hampshire, and the Civil Rights Divisions Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit (HTPU). The Hillsborough County Attorneys Office provided victim assistance in the case. The New Hampshire Human Trafficking Collaborative Task Force is a multidisciplinary effort comprised of law enforcement as well as social, medical, and legal services for victims of human trafficking. The Task Force is funded by a grant from the United States Department of Justice, Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) and Bureau of Justice Programs (BJA). The core team members of the Task Force are the Manchester Police Department, Child and Family Services of New Hampshire, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Attorneys Office for the District of New Hampshire. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Arnold Huftalen for the District of New Hampshire and Trial Attorney Vasantha Rao for the Civil Rights Divisions HTPU, with assistance from HTPU Trial Attorney Maryam Zhuravitsky. Britain's influence on Vincent van Gogh is being explored for the first time in a major exhibition at the Tate Britain in London. Van Gogh and Britain looks at how he was inspired by British art, literature and culture and how he in turn inspired several prominent British artists. Van Gogh lived in London between 1873 to '76 while he worked as a young art dealer. and while he did not begin painting until four years after leaving London, those years are regarded as crucial to his development as an artist. Take a look at some of Van Gogh's most famous works in the gallery, below: 20 best Van Gogh paintings Show all 20 1 /20 20 best Van Gogh paintings 20 best Van Gogh paintings Sunflowers 1886, oil on canvas. The mysterious, so-called 'Lausanne' Sunflowers the first Arles Sunflowers painting with turquoise background. It was created in the summer of 1886 at Van Gogh's studio at Arles, north of Marseille in Provence. It has not been show to the public since 1948. Public domain 20 best Van Gogh paintings The Starry Night 1889, oil on canvas. This painting depicts the view from the window of Van Gogh's asylum room of Saint-Remy-de-Provence. It is one of the most recognised paintings in the history of Western culture. 20 best Van Gogh paintings Irises 1889, oil on canvas. The most recognised of several iris paintings made by Van Gogh at the Saint Paul-de-Mausole asylum, in the last year before his death in 1890. 20 best Van Gogh paintings Self-Portrait 1889, oil on canvas. Van Gogh painted over 43 self-portraits, paintings and drawings over a period of 10 years. He wrote to his sister: 'I am looking for a deeper likeness than that obtained by a photographer' and to his brother: 'People say, and I am willing to believe it, that it is hard to know yourself. But it is not easy to paint yourself either. The portraits painted by Rembrandt are more like a revelation.' 20 best Van Gogh paintings At Eternitys Gate Oil on canvas, 1890. This painting was completed in early May, when Van Gogh was suffering a severe relapse of poor health two months before his death. It is based on a pencil drawing, 'Worn Out', from a series of studies he made of a war veteran in 1882. 20 best Van Gogh paintings Cafe Terrace at Night Oil on canvas, 1888. This work was the first in a trilogy of paintings that featured starlit skies, completed over two years. Van Gogh was enthusiastic about the painting and wrote to his sister: 'Here you have a night picture without any black in it, done with nothing but beautiful blue and violet and green, and in these surroundings the lighted square acquires a pale sulphur and greenish citron-yellow colour. It amuses me enormously to paint the night right on the spot... I find satisfaction in painting things immediately.' 20 best Van Gogh paintings The Night Cafe 1888, oil on canvas. The five customers in the scene have described as 'three drunks and derelicts in a large public room... huddled down in sleep or stupor.' Van Gogh told his brother that the cafe owner, Ginoux, had taken so much money it was time to take his revenge by painting the place. 20 best Van Gogh paintings Bedroom in Arles Oil on canvas, 1888. Three authentic versions of this painting were made, easily discernible from the different paintings on the right wall. 20 best Van Gogh paintings Van Gogh's Chair Oil on canvas, 1888. This painting is currently at the National Gallery in London. It was completed after Van Gogh moved from the Hotel Carrel to the Cafe de la Gare at Arles, south France. 20 best Van Gogh paintings The Potato Eaters 1885, oil on canvas. Van Gogh chose this deliberately tricky composition to prove himself as a figure painter, wanting to show the way 'they have tilled the earth themselves with these hands they are putting in the dish... that they have thus honestly earned their food'. 20 best Van Gogh paintings Road with Cypress and Star 1890, oil on canvas. Also known as Country Road, this was the last painting Van Gogh made in Saint Remy, It is part of the large Van Gogh collection at the Kroller-Muller Museum at Otterlo in the Netherlands. 20 best Van Gogh paintings Starry Night Over the Rhone 1888, oil on canvas. Another of Van Gogh's paintings of Arles at nighttime painted at a spot on the bank of the Rhone a few minutes walk from the Yellow House, which he was renting at the time. 20 best Van Gogh paintings The Pink Peach Tree 1888, oil on canvas. In a short space of time during his first weeks at Arles, Van Gogh painted some fifteen orchards, hoping they would sell well because his subject, the glorious blossoms of the flowering trees, had the power to 'cheer everyone up'. 20 best Van Gogh paintings Self Portrait with a Grey Felt Hat 1887, oil on canvas. This self portrait is slightly unusual because Van Gogh's face is angled to face straight towards the observer. Most of them depicted the face as it appeared in the mirror he used, so the right side seen in the image was actually the left side of his face. 20 best Van Gogh paintings Almond Blossoms 1888 - 1890, oil on canvas. Van Gogh loved flowering trees, which to him symbolised hope and new life. This painting was created to celebrate the birth of his nephew and namesake, the son of his brother Theo and sister-in-law Jo. 20 best Van Gogh paintings Woman Sewing This was part of Van Gogh's preparation for The Potato Eaters, where he attempted to paint a figure against the light. He struggled, telling his brother Theo: 'It's a difficult effect', yet he succeeded in a strong contrast with the almost-black head of the woman and the use of white for the window, which focuses the gaze mainly on the woman's hands. 20 best Van Gogh paintings Peasant Woman Against a Background of Wheat Oil on canvas, 1890. This painting, one of several versions by Van Gogh, has exchanged hands several times and was bought by Stephen Wynn in 1997 for $47.5 million. Seven years later, it was sold to American investor Steven A Cohen for more than $100 million. 20 best Van Gogh paintings Two Cypresses Oil on canvas, 1889. In the cypress trees of Saint Remy, Van Gogh found beauty "as regards lines and proportions, like an Egyptian obelisk". He was enraptured but also challenged: 'It's the dark patch in a sun-drenched landscape, but it's one of the most interesting dark notes, the most difficult to hit off exactly that I can imagine'. 20 best Van Gogh paintings The Red Vineyard 1888, oil on canvas. Art historians believe this is the only Van Gogh painting he managed to sell during his lifetime, and has been listed among his major works. It was sold in Brussels for 400 francs (about 3,000) to Anna Boch, an impressionist painter and art collector from Belgium, who was the sister of Van Gogh's friend Eugene Boch. 20 best Van Gogh paintings Wheatfield with Crows 1890, oil on canvas.Commonly regarded as Van Gogh's final painting (with some doubt from art historians due to lack of historical records). Around 10 July Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo and wife Jo Bonger to say he had painted another three large canvases since visiting them in Paris the week before. Two of them, he said, expressed sadness and what he called 'extreme loneliness', but he also believed them to show the healthy and fortifying nature of the countryside. The Tate exhibition is the largest collection of Van Gogh paintings shown in the UK for nearly a decade. It includes some of his most famous works, including "Self-Portrait" and "Starry Night on the Rhone". The exhibition reveals the artist's enthusiasm for writers including Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and Christina Rossetti, as well as British artists like John Everett Millais and John Constable. Arguably Van Gogh's most famous work, "Sunflowers", is on loan to the Tate from the National Gallery. Another, "Prisoners Exercising", was inspired by one of Van Gogh's favourite prints of Newgate Jail, that he collected while teaching himself to draw and paint. "He couldn't afford paintings," Carol Jacobi, the exhibition's lead curator, told ITV News, "but he could afford prints and he collected 2,000 prints of British pictures, and they were very important to him." Dir: Tim Burton; Starring: Eva Green, Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Alan Arkin, Deobia Oparei. Cert PG, 112 mins Tim Burtons live action version of Dumbo is a few hues darker than the 1941 Disney animated classic from which it springs. Its a measure of the directors idiosyncratic abilities that the film has such a personal stamp. As with Burtons other fables, notably Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood, Dumbo is about a group of sensitive outsiders with special gifts who do not fit comfortably with social norms. Theres plenty of humour and pathos along the way: slapstick, with a mischievous monkey (little hairball) hiding in a drawer or on the top of circus ringmasters head, and cutesy interludes featuring scene-stealing white mice. The circus troupe includes a bodybuilder (Rongo the Strongo who not only lifts dumbbells but helps with the administration), a plump mermaid and a snake charmer (Roshan Seth) who has a python draped around his neck. Burtons characteristically whimsical charm, seen in Pee Wees Big Adventure and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is found here. Much of the story hinges on Dumbos desperation to be reunited with his mother. The film has its soaring, emotional moments when Dumbo takes wing, all of which are amplified by another of composer Danny Elfmans majestic scores. The focus, though, is as much on the humans as on the eponymous elephant. Burton has packed the cast with familiar faces from his own repertory company of character actors. Its refreshing to see Danny DeVito back on screen playing the seedy circus owner, the actor having the same diminutive and cantankerous presence as ever. Eva Green, who appears to have taken over Helena Bonham Carters role as Burtons muse, plays a trapeze artist, while Michael Keaton is a swanky but evil showman with a fiendish grin. Having all worked with the director before, they know just how to pitch their performances so that theyre flamboyant without falling into outright camp. The 30 best Disney films Show all 30 1 /30 The 30 best Disney films The 30 best Disney films 30. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) Although the film may feel relatively slight compared to the other titans of animation on this list, there is something so wonderfully zen about this Pooh, filtering the wise words of AA Milne through the slow, thoughtful tones of Sterling Holloway. The 30 best Disney films 29. Bambi (1942) Bambi isnt exactly the most action-packed Disney film around, and its hard to imagine many people are getting a kick out of the singalong version to April Showers. But is there any bigger shock to the system for a child at the movies than the sudden, ruthless slaughtering of Bambis mother? Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 28. Pocahontas (1995) Of the Disney Renaissance offerings, Pocahontas stumbles in its messy handling of history, since turning any interaction between white colonisers and indigenous people into a fluffy romance arguably whitewashes the brutal reality of what happened. But there are plenty of positives to be found, since Pocahontas was such a huge influence in Disneys later portrayals of strong, independently minded women. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 27. The Aristocats (1971) The film may be relatively light on story (its basically Lady and the Tramp, but theres an added kidnap element), but who cares, when the film features the hottest party of the entire Disney franchise? Its true what they say: Everybody wants to be a cat. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 26. Robin Hood (1973) In a way, Robin Hood is the ultimate Disney film of the 1970s. Its a folksy, low-key entry into the canon thats all about keeping the peace and spreading good vibes. Just ignore the fact that it recycled several pieces of animation from the likes of Snow White and The Jungle Book. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 25. Zootopia (2016) It may not have spawned the same level of craze as Frozen did, but Zootopia doesnt deserve to become another forgotten Disney film. Although its as funny as youd hope from a film about animals with jobs, it also offers parents an easy entry point to talk to their kids about racism and xenophobia. And thats something that shouldnt be taken for granted. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 24. Dumbo (1941) Dumbo demonstrates the two gifts of early Disney films. Theres the capacity for moments that are pure and heartwrenching, as seen in Baby Mine (a scene thats almost impossible to watch without welling up). Then theres the ability to descend into the totally bizarre, as characterised by the downright scary Pink Elephants on Parade sequence. The 30 best Disney films 23. Tangled (2010) Tangled finds fun, humour, and adventure in its reimagining of the Rapunzel tale, but whats crucial to its success is how it anchors the entire film around a single, showstopping sequence: I See the Light, where Rapunzel watches hundreds of paper lanterns float up into the skies. Its, quite simply, a beautiful piece of filmmaking. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 22. Princess and the Frog (2009) Disneys brief return to traditional animation reminded us what had been lost in the switch to 3D animation. Theres a wonderful sense of artistry to how The Princess and the Frog renders New Orleans during the Jazz Age, especially in the Art Deco stylised number Almost There. And a Disney princess working hard to make her dreams come true? Thats something to celebrate. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 21. Cinderella (1950) Although Cinderella is a central member of the Disney princesses, her film hasnt aged quite as well as the rest of the early Disney films. Theres an odd amount of time spent on Lucifer the cat, and relatively little time spent at Cinderellas magical soiree. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 20. One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) Cruella de Vil may have committed attempted puppy murder, but theres still something irresistibly delightful about her Patsy from Ab Fab combination of luxury goods and frightening taste. Only Cruella could answer a simple How are you? with the line: "Miserable darling, as usual, perfectly wretched. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 19. Lady and the Tramp (1955) One of several films on this list containing problematic material, Lady and the Tramp certainly isnt a faultless film. However, given that the central courtship is between two dogs, the film boasts a surprisingly elegant love story. Not only is there the famous Bella Notte scene and its accidental spaghetti kiss, but the crooning Pekingese, voiced by Peggy Lee, is simply sublime. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 18. Moana (2016) Disney took the straightforward path to making a hit musical for today: they hired Lin-Manuel Miranda. The Hamilton composer and lyricist is a maestro when it comes to cranking out the hits. Opetaia Foa'i helped create the soundtracks South Pacific touches, while Dwayne Johnson even wheeled out some light rapping for his performance as the demigod Maui. Moana tells a culturally specific story with spirit, heart, and humour more of this in the future please, Disney. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 17. The Emperor's New Groove (2000) The Emperors New Groove never quite got the appreciation it deserved when it was first released, largely because, like Lilo & Stitch, its been tossed aside as another forgettable post-Disney Renaissance entry. Not so fast: though it may not have the epic scale of Mulan or Beauty and the Beast, The Emperors New Groove is a funny, endlessly quotable (Pull the lever, Kronk!) Disney film that most importantly finally let Eartha Kitt voice a Disney villain. Disney The 30 best Disney films 16. Frozen (2013) It may be every modern parents least favourite Disney film, but Frozen is actually pretty great if youve not been forced to watch it five times a day, seven days a week. On top of a moving central story about self-acceptance and sisterly love, Idina Menzels rendition of Let it Go is a showstopper tune that demands to belted at least once at every karaoke night. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 15. Peter Pan (1953) A flight of fancy that celebrates the power of imagination, JM Barries Peter Pan was always an obvious fit for Disney. The film presents an uplifting and limitless world to younger audiences, while letting the adults pretend miserable things like taxes and divorce dont exist for a precious hour and a bit. Plus, Tinker Bell seems like a vicious gossip and the ideal person to go for a drink with, even if she doesnt quite speak our language. The 30 best Disney films 14. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) Its the film that started it all. Although Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has since been overshadowed by its successors to some degree, it still has its fair share of magical moments. Theres the small army of birds and rodents that come to Snow Whites aid during Whistle While You Work, and the Evil Queen, gone full Joan Crawford, delivering her oft misquoted line: Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 13. Hercules (1997) A round of applause for John Musker, who had the idea of telling the Greek myth of Hercules through a chorus of gospel singers. They are, without a doubt, the true heroes of this film, thanks to the insanely catchy Zero to Hero. That said, Megaras definitely a close runner-up for the title, since her Im a damsel. Im in distress. I can handle this routine made her the go-to Disney princess for the cool kids. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 12. Mulan (1998) Let them deny it all they want, but youll be hard-pressed to find a Nineties kid who hasnt secretly put Ill Make a Man Out of You on their workout playlist. The whole film, in fact, is a power anthem, while Mulans one-woman feminist revolution makes her one of those rare multitasking princesses who can do a lot more than just win over a handsome prince. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 11. The Jungle Book (1967) As the very last film to be produced by Walt Disney himself, The Jungle Book marked the end of an era for the studio. The film captures the kind of easy charm that made Disneys work such a huge part of so many childhoods in the first place. As Baloo eases into The Bear Necessities, it feels very much like someones come to gently pat you on the shoulder and tell you everythings going to be alright. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 10. Aladdin (1992) Aladdin may have plenty of tricks up its sleeve, but it deserves its place in the upper echelons of Disney films purely on the strength of Robin Williamss performance as Genie. The comedy actor recorded over 18 hours of additional improvised material for the film, and the finished product is one of the greatest existing tributes to his manic energy as a performer, alongside his vast gallery of impressions. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 9. Alice in Wonderland (1951) Another magnificent adaptation of complex source material, Disneys take on Alice in Wonderland doesnt get lost in Lewis Carolls maze of wordplay, but cooks up its own delightful nonsense. Alice gets read to filth by a patch of garden flowers, Ed Wynns Mad Hatter oozes moneyed eccentricity, and there is a general psychedelic vibe to the whole affair. Alice in Wonderland was initially a flop, but theres no denying its status as a cult classic now. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 8. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) The Hunchback of Notre Dame is easily the most adult Disney film ever made. Theres religious hypocrisy, lust, genocide, prejudice, violent misogyny, infanticide, and corruption take your pick! Although Disney certainly used a little creative license in adapting the 19th-century Victor Hugo novel (there are no singing gargoyles in the original, sadly), its surprising how fluently its central themes have been translated without threatening the films PG rating. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 7. Lilo & Stitch (2002) Although it was technically released in the dip that followed the Disney Renaissance, Lilo & Stitch is a highly underrated entry that deserves to sit among the classics. Few Disney films speak to real experiences like it does. Look past the alien intruders and Stitchs more unusual characteristics, and youll find a reminder that family is defined only as those who love and support us, no matter where we find them. Its a simple but pure message, elevated by a cast of characters who act and speak like those we recognise in our own lives. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 6. Pinocchio (1940) This is the Disney film that comes closest to a David Lynch fever dream. Putting When You Wish Upon a Star the song that best captures Walt Disneys dream aside for a moment, lets remember just how much of a surrealist nightmare the Pleasure Island sequence really is. Be virtuous or youll be turned into a literal donkey, was quite the threat for an America only recently freed from the grip of Prohibition. Its a weird and wonderful entry from Disneys early years. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 5. The Little Mermaid (1989) Were free to question Ariels decision to trade her voice so she can chase after a cute guy she met only once, but she will always remain the most loveable dinglehopper-collecting weirdo around. Ariels unquenchable curiosity is what makes this aquatic tale so charming, second only to the fact its villain was inspired by the legendary Divine. Plus, Under the Sea is such a party tune. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 4. Sleeping Beauty (1959) Sleeping Beauty is Disneys most beautiful film, thanks to the fact artists John Hench and Eyvind Earle drew heavily from Medieval tapestries, Renaissance art, and even Japanese prints. It gives the feeling of actually flipping through a storybook, as Aurora wanders a forest that looks as if its made entirely of stained glass. And, truly, has there ever been a Disney villain as deviously elegant as Maleficient? Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 3. Fantasia (1940) One of Disneys boldest and most avant garde films, Fantasia is simply masterful in its concept. A musical education for many young viewers, the film pairs classical pieces with short animated stories, each wildly different and inventive in its own right. Although Mickeys appearance in The Sorcerers Apprentice has had a life of its own outside of the original film, anyone who grew up with Fantasia is probably more likely to remember the nightmares Chernabog gave them the Night on Bald Mountain sequence is unlike anything else in the Disney canon. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 2. Beauty and the Beast (1991) If you need a sign of exactly how impressive a piece of filmmaking Beauty and the Beast is, reflect on the fact that a love story between a woman and a buffalo-bear-man is the first animated film ever to have been nominated for an Academy Award. And this is nearly two decades before The Shape of Water brought interspecies romance to the ceremony. This is truly a tale as old as time, with a lush Alan Menken score (with lyrics by Howard Ashman) and a smart, relatable heroine in Belle. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 1. The Lion King (1994) Produced at the height of Disneys Renaissance in the 1990s, The Lion King is an epic testament to what animation can achieve as a medium. Can it match the power of its source material, William Shakespeares Hamlet? Well, when Rafiki lifts an infant Simba up to the skies, as an entire kingdom of savannah creatures bows in servitude, all soundtracked to Circle of Life, you cant help but feel momentarily convinced. A film of stunning vistas, heart-wrenching tragedy, and memorable musical moments, theres no doubt that The Lion King deserves its place as one of the greatest animated films of all time. The film starts in Florida in 1919. The Medici Brothers circus is struggling. We can tell as much from the food stains on the vest of the ringmaster, Max Medici (DeVito), and the faded paintwork on the circus wagons. Its not just the war that has harmed business but the Spanish flu epidemic. The scent of death is never far away. Burton includes a magnificent early sequence in which a belching steam train pulls into town and soldiers returning home appear on the platform. One of the last to disembark is Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell), formerly the circus cowboy. His kids Milly (played by Thandie Newtons daughter Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) rush towards him through the steam but cant hide their shock at what the war has done to him. In a bid to revive his circus, Max has bought a pregnant elephant, Mrs Jumbo. The elephants here do not speak, with the filmmakers avoiding anthropomorphising the animals. There are close ups of their tear-filled eyes as mother and child are separated, but they dont burst into song. Nor does a stork deliver the baby (although one is spotted nearby when Dumbo is born). Sophisticated CGI gives the impression we are watching real elephants. We can see every wrinkle on their trunks and skin. Burtons inspiration for the circus is as much Tod Brownings horror classic Freaks as the Disney original. Like Browning, he identifies with the circus misfits. Their way of life is dying and the public treats them with ambivalence, marvelling at their stunts but also taunting and ridiculing them. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up Lonely and motherless themselves, Holts kids strike up an immediate rapport with Dumbo. When Dumbo sneezes after sucking a feather up his trunk, Milly and Joe are first to notice he jumps prodigious distances into the air using his enormous floppy ears to propel himself upward. Ehren Krugers screenplay portrays a world in which everyone is exploiting everyone else. Max sees the flying elephant as his best chance of saving the circus. Just as Max takes advantage of Dumbo, city slicker showman V A Vandevere (Keaton) takes advantage of Max. He, in turn, is in thrall to the cynical old Wall Street banker, J Griffin Remington (Alan Arkin). Narratively, the new Dumbo is a little flimsy. It has only two main locations. From the Florida backwaters, the story quickly switches to the big city, where Vandevere runs Dreamland, a gigantic amusement park with a circus at its centre. Plot points are skimmed over. Some characters disappear abruptly from the storyline while others arent developed. The richness here is less in the plotting than in the extraordinary visuals. Dreamland is an homage both to Art Deco and to the Hollywood of the 1920s and 1930s. Production design is exhaustively detailed. Burton includes wildly elaborate tracking shots through vast crowds of onlookers and circus jugglers, clowns and acrobats, Busby Berkeley-like chorus scenes and a finale involving fire and captive animals that could come from an old King Kong-style horror movie. Always at the centre of the commotion is the lovable, floppy-eared pachyderm himself. Dumbo serves a double function. He is the forlorn little creature reviled as a freak who learns how to harness his own special talent. He is also there to help the human characters overcome their traumas. In caring for him, Holt connects with his own children and deals with his wartime grief. His daughter Milly finds a focus for her scientific experiments. The trapeze artist Colette overcomes her own cynicism. Its catharsis all round. The themes are much the same as in the original animated film but Burton comes at them in such a quirky and subversive way that the film never feels bland or earthbound. Jussie Smollett is making an "emergency court appearance" in Chicago, according to local media reports. The Empire actor, who has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of lying to authorities about being the victim of a racist, homophobic attack, is appearing at the at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse this Tuesday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. A spokesperson told the publication that Smollett and his attorneys will speak to the press following the hearing. It wasn't immediately clear what the purpose of the emergency court session was. Smollet entered a not guilty plea earlier this month after being charged with 16 counts of disorderly conduct. 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 His next court date was originally scheduled for 17 April, before today's emergency hearing. Prosecutors have alleged that Smollett staged his own attack because he was dissatisfied with his salary and trying to further his career through publicity. Smollett has maintained his innocence and his legal team has referred to the charges against him as "prosecutorial overkill". Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The last time the Empire actor publicly spoke to the press dates back to February, when he told Robin Roberts on Good Morning America that he was angry at those doubting his account of the alleged attack. All charges against an American actor accused of staging a hate attack against himself have been dropped unexpectedly. Jussie Smollett, a star in US TV drama Empire, had been suspected of lying to police about being the victim of a racist, homophobic attack. Smolletts legal team said his record has now been wiped clean. The actor had been indicted on 16 felony counts of making a false report after telling authorities he was assaulted. He told police in his initial report in January that two masked men shouted racial and anti-gay slurs, poured bleach on him, beat him and looped a rope around his neck. Smollett also claimed they shouted, This is Maga country a reference to President Donald Trumps Make America Great Again campaign slogan. The prosecutors office offered no detailed explanation as to why the charges were dropped. Its statement said: After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr Smolletts volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the city of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case. We stand by the Chicago Police Departments investigation and our decision to approve charges in this case. Smollett had made a $10,000 (7,500) bond payment to the city to get out of jail after his arrest. 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 Police and prosecutors had alleged that Smollett orchestrated his own attack because he was unhappy with his pay on Empire and was seeking to promote his career. They had also alleged that Smollett hired two men to attack him and that he paid them $3,500. Authorities had also claimed that before the attack, Smollett sent a letter threatening him to the Chicago studio where Empire is shot. The FBI, which is investigating that letter, has declined to comment on the investigation. Smollett has insisted that he is innocent and his legal team have previously referred to the charges against him as prosecutorial overkill. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up The actor and his attorneys spoke to the press following an emergency hearing on Tuesday. This was his first public address since a February interview on Good Morning America, in which he expressed his anger towards those who doubted his account. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events He said the last few weeks had been incredibly difficult and some of the worst in his life, and thanked his family, his friends, and all those who have supported him. The actor said he has been truthful and consistent since day one, adding that he is looking forward to going back to work and moving on. His legal team said they believed that dropping the charges is the correct result, and clarified that there was no deal nor deferred prosecution. Additional reporting by agencies To scientists surprise, the biggest glacier in Greenland has grown while all those around it are melting. Since 2016, the ice of the Jakobshavn glacier has been thickening slightly at its edge, contrary to the apparently relentless retreat of all polar ice, Nasa experts have discovered. But they say their findings are not good news for climate change, because Greenland overall is still losing large amounts of ice, which outweighs the small amount gathered by the Jakobshavn glacier. In an article in Nature Geoscience, researchers from Nasas Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG) project said the slight growth was down to relatively cool ocean waters at the glaciers base, reversing a 20-year trend of thinning and retreating ice. But the Jakobshavn drains only about 7 per cent of the ice sheet, so even if it were growing robustly, ice loss elsewhere would outweigh its slight expansion, the scientists warned. "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change Show all 38 1 /38 "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in London on March 15 Reuters "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Magdeburg, Germany on March 15 AP "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest outside Holyrood in Edinburgh on March 15 Getty "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Cape Town, South Africa on March 15 EPA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in New York on March 15 AFP/Getty Images "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Madrid on March 15 AP "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Quezon City, Philippines on March 15 Getty Images "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Vienna on March 15 AFP/Getty Images "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Dublin on March 15 PA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Canterbury, Kent on march 15 PA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest outside Holyrood in Edinburgh on March 15 Getty "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Erfurt, Germany on March 15 AP "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Zagreb, Croatia on March 15 EPA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Lisbon on March 15 Reuters "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Edinburgh on March 15 Getty "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Florence, Italy on March 15 Sign reads: there is no future without a planet, let's not sell it for money EPA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Vienna on March 15 Getty "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Brighton on March 15 Reuters "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest outside Holyrood in Edinburgh Getty "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Cambridge on March 15 PA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change Students protest in Bangalore, India on March 15 EPA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Lausanne, Switzerland on March 15 EPA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Cape Town, South Africa on March 15 AP "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change Students protest in Bangalore, India on March 15 EPA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change A student protests in Lucerne, Switzerland on 15 March EPA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in London on March 15 AFP/Getty Images "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Lausanne, Switzerland on March 15 EPA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Milan, Italy on March 15 EPA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in London on March 15 AFP/Getty "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Lund, Sweden on March 15 AP "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in London on March 15 PA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change A poster with Greta Thunberg, who began the current children's movement at the protest in Lausanne, Switzerland on March 15 AP "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Cape Town, South Africa on March 15 EPA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in London on March 15 PA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Canterbury, Kent on March 15 PA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in London on March 15 PA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Canterbury, Kent on March 15 PA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest outside Holyrood in Edinburgh Getty The thinking was once glaciers start retreating, nothings stopping them, said Josh Willis, lead scientist of the project. Weve found that thats not true. The researchers believe a recent influx of unusually cold water from the north Atlantic pushing into the Arctic has caused the glacier to grow slightly. And other glaciers among Greenlands 200 or more may also be expanding, suggesting changes may be harder to predict than previously thought, said Willis. A natural cycle in the Atlantic Ocean switches back and forth between warm and cold about once every 20 years, taking cooler waters far up the western coast of Greenland. But the phase will switch again at some point and warmer waters will return. The Jakobshavn alternates between expanding and retreating (Getty) (GETTY) All this is an indicator of how sensitive glaciers are to ocean temperatures, says the studys lead author, Ala Khazendar, a glaciologist with the project. The team suspects it may mean that the overall melting trend may be happening more slowly than previously thought, National Geographic reported. However, the Jakobshavn glacier is still contributing to global sea rise, Dr Khazendar said. That doesnt stop. This cooling is going to pass. When it does, the glacier is going to retreat even faster than before Josh Willis Between 2000 and 2010, Jakobshavn contributed the largest solid ice discharge in all of Greenlands ice sheet, equivalent to nearly 1mm of global sea rise. The glacier had had periods of alternating fast retreat and growth in the 20th century, Dr Khazendar said. But on average the air and sea are warming, so retreats will always be bigger than advances, Dr Willis added. Over 90 per cent of the heat thats trapped from greenhouse gases are warming the oceans. So we know in the long run, this cooling is going to pass. When it does, the glacier is going to retreat even faster than it was before. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Antarctic glaciers are also being eroded by warm currents, with 10 per cent of the continents coastal glaciers in retreat. Research has shown that from 1979 to 2012, Greenlands rainfall increased, triggering sudden melting. A panda is worth a thousand wasps. Put a cute picture of one of those black-and-white bears on your front cover or advertising campaign, and watch the cash flow in. A swarm of flies is unlikely to produce the same effect. Why is this? Presumably because by and large people dont really care about bugs. The plight of the worlds whales and elephants has long been a cause celebre, while the insects at the heart of the planets ecosystems have been overlooked. One exception is the bee, an insect thats easy to love. They make our honey, and their pollination provides a 690m boost to our economy. April Fools' Day is almost here which, along with the onslaught of April showers, can only mean one thing: the most mischievous among us are already planning the tricks we will play on unsuspecting friends and family. A tradition thats celebrated around the world, April Fools' Day is an opportunity for people to inject some lighthearted fun into an otherwise ordinary day. But when did the day of trickery begin, who celebrates it and what are some of the best ways to get involved this year? Heres everything you need to know. What is April Fool's Day? April Fools' Day, or All Fools' Day as its sometimes known, takes place on 1 April every year. The custom sees people play tricks or jokes on others and if that person falls for the prank, they are called an April Fool. However, if you want to take part you need to be quick as tradition in the UK states you can only play tricks on people up until midday. When did April Fools' Day begin? Although April Fools' Day has been celebrated for centuries, its exact origin remains a mystery. According to Andrea Livesey, a historian from the University of Bristol, not everyone agrees where the tradition came from. Some have argued that a story told by early English poet Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century where a fox plays a prank on a rooster is the first reference to pranks taking place on the first of April, Livesey told BBC Newsround. However, the poet doesn't directly refer to 1 April. Instead, Chaucer says 32 days syn March began, which people have taken to mean 32 days since March began which would be April 1st. Livesey went on to explain that some believe the tradition started because of events in the calendar, particularly one called the Renewal Festival which dates back to Roman times. A celebration that occurred at the start of a new year or season, the event often turned things on their head or topsy turvy, with servants controlling their masters or children controlling their parents. How is April Fools' Day celebrated around the world? April Fools' Day, or Dia Da Mentira "Day of Lies" as its known in Brazil, is celebrated by people around the world but different countries all have their own traditions. In Belgium, Italy and France, the day is also called April Fish Day Poisson dAvril in French, or pesce d'aprile in Italian and sees children taping paper fish onto people's backs. Meanwhile, Prima Aprilis, uwazaj, bo sie pomylisz! is a phrase you might hear spoken on April 1 in Poland. This translates to: April Fools' Day, be careful you can be wrong! In Scotland, a foolish person is called a "gowk", so it makes sense that the day is traditionally known as" Hunt the Gowk Day". Here, April Fools' Day is celebrated for the first two days of April. The first day is spent pranking and hoaxing people, while the second known as Tailie Day is when people place tails on each other's backs. In the UK, pranks and jokes are performed until about noon and can include everything from placing a whoopee cushion onto someones chair to replacing Oreo biscuits' sweet fillings with toothpaste. Some countries also have similar traditions that take place at other times of the year. On 28 December, people in Spain celebrate The Day of the Holy Innocents a day when everyone, including the media, is allowed to play practical jokes. What were some of last years best April Fools' Day pranks? Last year, a number of media outlets and big brands played pranks on the public. Google marked April Fools' Day by incorporating Where's Wally? into its maps, enabling users to search for the character and his signature red-and-white stripes in real locations around the world. Coca-Cola and Heinz also played tricks on their customers. While the former said it was going to launch three new flavours of is sugar-free Zero drink including avocado, sourdough and charcoal, Heinz unveiled a new product called Chocolate Mayonnaise. Google's contribution to this year's April Fool's Day involved Where's Wally (Google Maps ) (Google Maps) Scandinavian homeware retailer Clas Ohlson also brought another product launch announcement - bottles of fresh Swedish air. Featuring a classically Swedish design and bottled in the area surrounding Insjon, Clas Ohlsons founding town, the product apparently allowed British customers to breathe like a Swede and was advertised for 1.04. Has genuine news been mistaken for a prank on April Fools' Day before? Yes. April Fools' Day often means that people are slightly suspicious of what they read in the media in an effort to avoid being tricked by a prank story. However, there have been a number of stories which, despite seeming far-fetched, were in fact genuine. On 1 April 1946, the most destructive tsunami in Hawaii's modern history occurred on the island's shorelines. The disaster, which killed 159 people, became known as the April Fools' Day Tsunami because many people thought it to be an April Fool's Day prank. Facebook has removed thousands more accounts from Iran and Russian due to suspicious activity on the social network, including pro-Brexit posts. The company announced that a total of 2,643 pages, groups and accounts had been found to engaging in "coordinated inauthentic behaviour" on Facebook and Instagram. A number of accounts originating from Macedonia and Kosovo were also removed, after Pages purporting to represent political communities in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States were discovered. Among the suspicious posts cited by Facebook in its report were some calling for UK politicians in favour of remaining in the European Union to resign. A link to an article from a site claiming to be a news website was included in the post. A post calling for pro-EU politicians to resign (Facebook) Of the 2,632 pages, groups and accounts removes, 513 were tied to Iran, while 1,907 were linked to Russia, Facebook said. "We didnt find any links between these sets of activities, but they used similar tactics by creating networks of accounts to mislead others about who they were and what they were doing," Nathaniel Gleicher, head of Facebook's cyber security policy, wrote in the report. "We are constantly working to detect and stop this type of activity because we dont want our services to be used to manipulate people." Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Show all 15 1 /15 Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Facebook is born On 4 Feb, 2004, 19-year-old Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched a website called 'TheFacebook' from his dorm. Within 24 hours the college social network had more than 1,000 users Wikimedia Commons Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Winklevoss twins sue Zuckerberg Within one week of launching, fellow Harvard students Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss and Divya Narendra accused Zuckerberg of stealing their idea. It would be four years later when the resulting lawsuit was finally settled Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Open for business The social network finally opened it platform to everyone on 26 September, 2006. The move proved the catalyst in supercharging the site's already explosive growth PA Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Billion-dollar bid Yahoo offered $1 billion to buy Facebook in September 2006 but Zuckerberg turned it down. 'I dont know what I could do with the money,' Zuckerberg reportedly said. 'Id just start another social networking site' Reuters Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network In the money In September 2009, almost five years since the site launched, Facebook turned a profit for the first time Getty Images/iStockphoto Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Taking the lead Facebook overtook MySpace in 2010 to become the worlds most popular social network Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Taking on the tech giants In 2011, Google launched its own social network that it hoped would knock Facebook from its perch. Despite its initial success, Google+ ultimately failed and will be shut down completely in 2019 Getty Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Facebook goes public On 18 May, 2012, Facebook went public. The initial public offering raised $16 billion the third largest in US history Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Gobbling up the competition Facebook acquired Instagram in April 2012 for $1 billion, consolidating its position as the world's leading social network Reuters Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network One billion users On 4 October, 2012, Zuckerberg announced that Facebook had hit 1 billion users. 'If youre reading this: thank you for giving me and my little team the honour of serving you,' he wrote in a blog post Getty Images Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Expanding its empire In February 2014 Facebook acquired the messaging app WhatsApp for $19.3 billion REUTERS/Dado Ruvic Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Two billion users In June 2017, Facebook passed the 2 billion user milestone REUTERS/Dado Ruvic Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Privacy scandal On 17 March 2018, news broke that UK firm Cambridge Analytica had harvested data from around 87 million Facebook users for the purpose of political profiling in the build up to the 2016 US presidential elections Shutterstock Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Record profits Despite the scandals and subsequent #DeleteFacebook campaign, Facebook posted record profits just before its 15th anniversary, the equivalent of $7.37 from each of its 2.32 billions users iStock/Independent Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Unhappy users A study found that people are happier when they dont use Facebook, adding to mounting evidence surrounding the impact social media has on mental health Rex Features Facebook's efforts to stem these types of coordinated misinformation campaigns are ongoing, Mr Gleicher added, with collaborations with law enforcement agencies already underway. "While we are making progress rooting out this abuse, as weve said before, its an ongoing challenge because the people responsible are determined and well-funded," he wrote. Facebook has previously faced criticism for its role in allowing its users' data to be used for the purpose of political profiling during the UK's 2016 EU referendum. It was also forced to remove hundreds of accounts tied to Iran earlier this year. Nasa has cancelled the first ever all-female spacewalk, saying it doesnt have enough spacesuits ready in the right size. Two of the astronauts currently on the International Space Station Christina Koch and Anne McClain had been set to head out of the floating lab to instal powerful new batteries on the outside to charge up from its solar arrays. But now the space agency says a problem with spacesuits will mean Ms McClain is unable to take part in the spacewalk, and she will be replaced by a man, fellow Nasa astronaut Nick Hague. The problem arose because during a recent spacewalk it became clear Ms McClain was finding that a medium-size hard upper torso the spacesuits shirt fit her best. But there can only be one medium-sized shirt available for the spacewalk on Friday, Nasa said, and that is being worn by Koch. That led mission managers to rearrange the assignments and bring in a man instead, undoing the vast excitement that had been built up for the first ever spacewalk conducted only by women. NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Show all 21 1 /21 NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Robert McCalls mid-1970s prediction of NASAs space shuttle building a modular space station is close to what finally happened, except that the real shuttles only flew one at a time. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Ed White photographed by Gemini 4 Commander Jim McDivitt. During the first of 66 orbits, they made an unsuccessful attempt to rendezvous with the spent upper stage of their Titan launch vehicle. On McDivitts advice, White waited one more orbit to recover from the effort of the failed rendezvous, and then exited the Gemini for his historic spacewalk on June 3, 1965. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Apollo 9 CM pilot Dave Scott emerges from the hatch, testing some of the spacesuit systems that will be used for lunar operations. The photo was taken from the hatch of the docked LM by Rusty Schweickart in March 1969. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Mothership Balls Three overflies an X-15 in 1961. Three operational X-15s were constructed and flown for 199 test flights between them, as they pushed at the envelopes of speed and altitude, and reached the very edges of space. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives The Mercury Control Center (MCC) at Cape Canaveral supervised seven human spaceflights between May 1961 and March 1965, into the beginning of the Gemini era. Meanwhile the more advanced control complex in Houston was taking shape ahead of Apollo. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Technicians working at the base of Alan Shepards Mercury-Redstone 3 launch vehicle are swathed in vapour from vented excess oxidiser gas on May 5, 1961. Subsequent rockets could not be so closely approached when fueling. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives The Rendezvous Docking Simulator at Langley prepared Gemini astronauts for the strange physics of orbital flight. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Ahead of Gemini 10, Commander John Young explains to the media how copilot Michael Collins will inspect the Agena Target Docking Vehicle during his spacewalk, 1966. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Navy divers prepare to retrieve the Gemini 6A crew on December 16, 1965. Green dye was released by spacecraft on splashdown, making it easier to spot from the air. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives The U.S. geological Surveys map of the area around Tycho Crater, famous as the site of a mysterious alien monolith in the 1968 science fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey. In real life, this chaotic and rugged terrain would have been too difficult for an Apollo mission to access. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Apollo 11 Command Module Pilot Michael Collins inspects NASAs Lunar Receiving Laboratory at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, where rock samples collected by Apollo were analysed. Nitrogen gas protected the rocks from accidental corrosion in Earths oxygen-rich atmosphere. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives NASA scientists are confident that Buzz Aldrins boot prints from Apollo 11 are still as sharp and distinct today as when they were first stamped down in 1969, because the Moon has no air or rain to erode them. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives NASAs Anechoic Chambers are among the quietest places anywhere on earth. Walls absorb almost all stray echoes, whether sound or radio. This 1972 model of a shuttle, being tested for radio characteristics, has thruster pods on the wingtips. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Lightning strikes the launchpad of Space Shuttle Challenger on August 30, 1983 prior to STS-8, the first pre-dawn launch of the space shuttle program. Launchpads are surrounded by tall lightning towers and other conductive systems.These create a giant Faraday Cage, diverting the electric charge of strike well away from the spacecraft. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives The ISS has been continuously occupied since November 2000. Its habitable volume is equivalent to a Boeing 747s. An international crew of six people live and work while traveling at five miles (8 km) per second, orbiting Earth once every 90 minutes. This is the single most complex and ambitious engineering effort in history, even when compared to Apollo. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives The Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) is a hybrid of parachute and balloon technology. A new generation of flexible heat shield materials could enable a huge shield to be deployed from a small storage canister just before a spaceraft hits the atmosphere of its target planet. In July 2012 a HIAD survived a trip through Earths atmosphere at 7,600 mph. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives In April 2016, ocean scientists at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, analysing data from Landsat 8, found mysterious lines crisscrossing the vegetation in the shallow waters of the North Caspian Sea.The cause turned out to be ice gouging at the seafloor in winter, before melting in the spring, and leaving just these clues. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Curiosity made this self-portrait on August 5, 2015, by maneuvering the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera on the end of a seven-foot-long robotic arm. Multiple overlapping frames were acquired, then digitally stitched together by image analysts at JPL. The arm moved into a new position for each frame but the camera always pointed toward a specific vanishing point to minimize parallax distortions. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Jupiter's moon Io is dwarfed by the planet it orbits, as seen by the Cassini spacecraft en route to Saturn. Cassinis 13-year tour of the ringed planet changed the course of planetary exploration. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives A technician prepares to unlatch a small door built into the guide vanes of the Transonic Wind Tunnel at Langley Research Center in 2010. The vanes prevent turbulent eddies from interfering with the tests. Courtesy of NASA NASA at 60: Amazing photos of space exploration released from archives Courtesy of NASA Nasa spokesperson Stephanie Schierholz said Ms McClain had actually trained in both sizes of spacesuit, and that it had initially looked as if she could wear a bigger one. We have another medium-size spacesuit segment on the station; Anne trained in M and L and thought she could use a large but decided after Fridays spacewalk a medium fits better, she wrote. In this case, its easier [and faster!] to change spacewalkers than reconfigure the spacesuit. Ms Schierholz had also noted when the all-female spacewalk was announced that assignments may be adjusted if the flight operations team deems it necessary, and that it had happened by coincident rather than through any planning. Ms McClain is now tentatively scheduled to do her next spacewalk on 8 April, Nasa said. But she will do that work alongside Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques, dashing hopes of another all-female spacewalk any time soon. There are actually enough medium-sized hard upper torso pieces on the space station, but they will not be ready for the walk on Friday. The International Space Station (ISS) has a set of different pieces of spacesuit: not only the shirt that has proved to be a problem, but kit to cover an astronauts entire body and serve as a spacesuit while they are floating outside of the space station. But worries have repeatedly been raised about the future of that gear, and whether there is enough to allow the astronauts to effectively do their job. In 2017, a Nasa report drew attention to the fact it was running out of functioning spacesuits and that the situation could become a problem in the future. While it has been working on new suits, making them is very expensive and they are not expected to be available any time soon. Of the 11 remaining complete and functional spacesuits, four are kept on the ISS and the remaining seven are on Earth in various stages of refurbishment and maintenance, the audit noted. Along with Madigan and Gonzales, two other candidates surfaced in the race Joe Barboza, a union construction laborer from the West Lawn neighborhood, and Grasiela Rodriguez, a dispatcher for a ready-mix truck company who also lives in West Lawn. Neither Barboza nor Rodriguez filed financial reports with the state to indicate they raised or spent money, the kind of activity associated with active campaigns, the Tribune has reported. A woman who endured eight miscarriages has revealed she fell pregnant just weeks before her husband booked in for a vasectomy. After 10 years, the couple welcomed their child, Ellis, on 2 January 2017. Despite losing every baby at six weeks for almost a decade, Rachael Bosworth, 38, never gave up hope that she would finally have a child. But Bosworths husband Ian, 47, couldnt face watching his wife go through another trauma and decided to have a vasectomy. One month after he went to his GP to organise the procedure, Bosworth found out she was pregnant again. Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks Show all 11 1 /11 Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 14 January 2019 In an unusual style choice for the Duchess, who traditionally favours neutral hues, this ensemble offers a vibrant twist on the colour-blocking trend with a red Sentaler coat, matching heels and a bright purple Aritzia dress. It was a playful choice for the royal couple's visit to Birkenhead Town Hall. Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 30 January 2019 The Duchess wore head-to-toe blush for her visit to the National Theatre, where she is now a patron. The ensemble is by US designer Brandon Maxwell but the suede shoes are Aquazurra. Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 1 February 2019 Oscar de la Renta can do no wrong when it comes to flirty patterned dresses. This theatrical bird and rose-covered number was an apt choice for the Duchess; visit to Bristol Old Vic. AFP/Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 7 February 2019 This Givenchy skirt offers some pizzazz thanks to its knee-high slit and its flattering waistline. Markle paired the look Aquazzura mules and a white collared shirt. Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 12 February 2019 Who said you couldn't wear all-white everything? Markle paired her turtleneck Calvin Klein dress with an Amanda Wakeley coat for a gala performance at the Natural History Museum. Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 23 February 2019 The Duchess was a lady in red for her visit to Casablanca, Morocco in this bespoke Valentino midi-dress, which she paired with nude court heels and a matching clutch. Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 24 February 2019 Markle arrived at a reception hosted by the British Ambassador to Morocco in this full-coverage caped gown by Dior, which came in an opulent shade of champagne. Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 25 February 2019 This billowing Carolina Herrera dress was the perfect choice for the Duchess' outing to brace the balmy climes of Rabat, Morocco, where she'd been visiting King Mohammed VI of Morocco with Prince Harry. This hypnotic sea blue gown was a custom-made number, obviously. Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 8 March 2019 Proving that maternity hemlines needn't be restricted to one's ankles, Markle stepped out in this 1960s-inspired shift dress by high street label, Reiss. Paired with a black blazer and a pair of matching Manolo Blahnik pumps, it was a classic but delightfully retro look. AFP/Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 11 March 2019 The Duchess has a penchant for rich emerald green hues, and this ensemble exemplifies just how suited the shade is to her complexion. The outfit was designed by Erdem, which was a symbolic choice given she wore the Canadian designer's pieces to a Commonwealth Day Youth Event at Canada House in London. Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 11 March 2019 For the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, the Duchess wore a cream chain-print dress by Victoria Beckham, which made its runway debut just a few weeks ago at London Fashion Week. The look was topped off with a matching pillbox hat, emerald green stilettos and a satin clutch. Getty Images A scan at six weeks and one day revealed that she was still pregnant and in January 2017, their son, Ellis, was born weighing 5lb 15oz. Now, the new mother is speaking out with the hopes of help other people who have experienced recurrent miscarriages. You should keep on pushing. You need to keep knocking on doors, Bosworth said. Recommended Shay Mitchell discusses hardship of miscarriage Thats what happened to me and now I have Ellis. According to Tommys the largest charity funding research into the causes of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth one in 100 women experience recurrent miscarriage, which is defined as three or more miscarriages in a row. The organisation explains that the cause is unknown in around half of cases and that research into the topic is the only way we can save lives. One in four women suffer a miscarriage at some time in their lives, and a small proportion of couples suffer multiple losses, Tommys states. Only one in 100 women suffer three miscarriages in a row and most couples who experience a loss go on to have a successful pregnancy in the future. Its important to know that the vast majority of miscarriages arent caused by anything that you or your partner have, or havent done. In Bosworths case, scans at St Marys Hospital in London revealed she had a misshapen womb and surgeons operated to remove a thin layer of cells around the uterus called a septum removal operation. However, she still went on to suffer a number of miscarriages and soon began to feel depressed, revealing that every time she find out she was pregnant she would just wait for the blood to come through my underwear. The Miscarriage Association a charity that offers support and information to anyone affected by the loss of a baby explains that many women can experience a mixture of hope and fear when they discover they are pregnant following a miscarriage. You may feel mixed emotions; ranging from cautiously optimistic one day, to overwhelmingly anxious the next, the Miscarriage Association states. You may feel on high alert, trying to detect any possible symptoms of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. Being pregnant again can also sometimes be comforting, easing feelings of loss. But you might also feel guilty or worried about forgetting your last pregnancy. Know that your feelings, whatever they are, are normal and understandable given what you have been through. When Bosworth fell pregnant again she admits she kept her expectations low but when she got to hear her baby's heart beat for the first time, that all changed. To finally be in a position of hearing a heartbeat was just something else, Bosworth said. I just couldnt believe it. It was our little miracle. For more information and support about miscarriages you can contact the Miscarriage Association on 01924 200799 or email info@miscarriageassociation.org.uk. In just a few weeks, the royal family will welcome the latest addition to their family. In October, Kensington Palace announced the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were expecting their first child, due in spring 2019. However, with little detail shared about Meghan Markles pregnancy in the lead up to her due date, all eyes are now focussing on the Lindo Wing. The Lindo Wing at St Marys Hospital, London, is home to a private maternity ward which has long served as the location for several royal births. Most recently, the Duchess of Cambridge welcomed her third child, Prince Louis, at the wing in April 2018, after giving birth to Princess Charlotte and Prince George there in 2015 and 2013, respectively. The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren Show all 25 1 /25 The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren gettyimages-1166050307.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren gettyimages-1166050310.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren gettyimages-1177177288.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren gettyimages-1170977013.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren gettyimages-1170964159.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren gettyimages-1166866922.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren gettyimages-1148521578.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren gettyimages-1148514717.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren urn-publicid-ap.org-4a451217af36491c827986f93182692d.jpg AP The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren ROYAL-Baby-13191419.jpg PA The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren charlotte2.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren charlotte1.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren gettyimages-994637952.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren gettyimages-970693800.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren louis2.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren louis3.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren gettyimages-950344514.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren gettyimages-898514172.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren gettyimages-843622114.jpg AFP via Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren gettyimages-675360942.jpg The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren gettyimages-596877820.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren gettyimages-523284562.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren gettyimages-514133580.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren gettyimages-479559622.jpg Getty Images The best photographs of the Queen's great-grandchildren gettyimages-479559096.jpg AFP/Getty Images Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and the Duchess of Cambridge's sister, Pippa Middleton, have also chosen the wing for their births given its world-renowned maternity services. In the lead up to Meghan Markle and Prince Harrys babys birth, heres everything you need to know about the Lindo Wing. What is the Lindo Wing? The Lindo Wing is a private facility offering surgical, medical and, obstetric care located in Paddington, London. The Lindo Wing, St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London (Getty Images) The unit specialises in a range of complex and robotic surgeries including trauma, weight loss, vascular, gynaecology, urology, ear, nose and throat, and general surgery. However, its widely become recognised for its maternity services following the births of members of the royal family. The maternity unit provides care and advice from a consultant of a parent/parents choice and a team of midwives. If Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are based at Kensington Palace in the days leading up to the royal birth, it will take them an average of seven minutes in the car to drive from the royal residence to the wing. The couple currently live at Frogmore Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Estate which is an estimated 50 minute car journey. What does the Lindo Wing offer? The wing offers several private, modern rooms with en suite facilities. All rooms come with satellite television, a radio, bedside phone and fridge. Free WiFi is also available as is a choice of daily newspapers, every morning. A statement on the wing's website reads: "You will be able to spend your precious first hours or days in one of our modern private, en suite rooms, and all meals will be made to order on site by our team of talented chefs. You can even order a celebratory high tea with optional champagne to welcome your new arrival. "We also provide a secure, supervised nursery, so you can enjoy some rest whilst remaining confident that your baby is being well cared for." The Lindo Wing, St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London (Getty Images) Karen Yossman, who gave birth at the Lindo Wing in 2017, said of the wing: The most vital thing the Lindo offers is discretion, with each new mother ensconced in her own en-suite room equipped with high-speed internet, radio, safe, fridge and television. "I didnt see or hear another patient during the entirety of my stay. How much does it cost to give birth there? When it comes to consultant-led antenatal care, a standard room for a normal delivery package for the first 24 hours of a mother and baby's stay starts at 5,900. The cost of an additional night per room is priced at 1,175. Meanwhile, prices for a suite (as is used by the royal family) are discussed on application depending on individual requirements. All packages on offer by the wing include routine midwife appointments, blood tests, accommodation and breakfast for the mother and partner each night of their postnatal stay, and postnatal physiotherapy. Recommended The moment royal couples introduced their newborns to the world To secure a booking, the wing requires a deposit of 7,075 for a "normal" delivery (non-instrumental) and 9,785 for a caesarean section. There is also a 10 per cent discount on the standard delivery package available for mothers who have previously given birth at the wing. Which royal family members have been born there? Two generations of royal family have been born at the Lindo Wing, dating back to Princess Anne who gave birth to both of her children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, there in 1977 and 1981, respectively. Previously, Queen Elizabeth IIs children were born at Buckingham Palace. In 1982, Princess Diana chose to give birth to Prince William at the wing, making him the first heir-apparent to be born in the hospital. The Lindo Wing, St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London (Getty Images) She later gave birth to Prince Harry at the wing in 1984. Years later, the Duchess of Cambridge, chose the facility for the birth place of all three of her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. Pippa Middleton, meanwhile, chose the wing for the birth of her first child, Arthur Michael William Matthews in October 2018. When do the press start camping outside the wing? The media have been known to set up cameras in the area opposite the hospital weeks in advance of a royal birth. For Prince Louis birth on 23 April 2018, photographers, journalists, and camera crews were set up as early as 9 April. The Lindo Wing, St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London (Getty Images) However, Shutterstock Royal Photographer Tim Rooke previously told Town & Country that contrary to Prince Georges birth - when people were able to camp outside the wing for weeks before his arrival - the media must wait until the expectant mother goes into hospital before taking their official positions. "Because it is a working hospital, nobody is allowed into those positions until were told that the Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted," Rooke revealed. A woman who suffered a stroke after attempting a yoga position returned to the mat just a month later - despite continuing to suffer from memory loss and pain. Rebecca Leigh, 40, from Gambrills, Maryland, suffered the injury while filming a yoga handstand pose tutorial for her more than 26,000 social media followers in October 2017. According to Leigh, just hours after shed finished the tutorial, she began to feel weak and her vision began to blur - but she just assumed the symptoms were caused by herniated discs in her neck. But it was two days later, when she noticed that her pupils were different sizes, that she rushed to the emergency room. My right eye drooped and my pupils were different sizes, she said. It was terrifying. It was then that I knew something was very, very wrong. Goat yoga in Amsterdam Show all 10 1 /10 Goat yoga in Amsterdam Goat yoga in Amsterdam Brenda and Mark strike a pose Mark Smith Goat yoga in Amsterdam First meeting with the goats Mark Smith Goat yoga in Amsterdam Choosing your goatmate Mark Smith Goat yoga in Amsterdam Getting to know your goat Mark Smith Goat yoga in Amsterdam Warrior pose with goats Mark Smith Goat yoga in Amsterdam Yoga and food - why not? Mark Smith Goat yoga in Amsterdam Goat yoga is not as dour as normal yoga Mark Smith Goat yoga in Amsterdam Goats provide handy extra weight to make asanas more challenging Mark Smith Goat yoga in Amsterdam In shavasana, with goats Mark Smith Goat yoga in Amsterdam The goats here drive as well as do yoga Mark Smith At the emergency room, an MRI scan revealed that Leigh had suffered a stroke, a diagnosis that required Leigh to spend the next five days in the neurological intensive care unit so doctors could run tests. It was a CTA scan that finally revealed Leigh had torn her right carotid artery, one of four arteries that supplies blood to the brain, while doing an advanced type of handstand called a hollowback handstand, which "requires you to extend your neck, drop your hips back and arch your lower spine all while in a headstand," Leigh explained. Doctors found the tear resulted in a blood clot in her brain that caused the stroke - and the trauma of the tear in the wall of the artery also caused a small aneurysm. Following the injury, Leigh experienced terrible headaches that made light unendurable. The stroke caused massive head pain, unlike any headache I had ever experienced before, she recalled. I couldnt shower without help, wash my hair, feed myself, or take my pile of scary and unfamiliar life-saving medications. Leigh also experienced a constant wooshing sound in her right ear - the sound of the blood trying to get through my artery up into my brain. After a month of excruciating pain, Leigh was eventually able to achieve small milestones such as sitting up i bed to watch TV or talking short three-minute walks outside. Leigh still suffers from the effects of the stroke (Rebecca Leigh / SWNS) Shortly after, she went back to her yoga mat, because she know if I didnt get back to my practice relatively soon after my stroke, I never would. Six months later, however, she was still dealing with the effects of the stroke and aneurysm. I am still dealing with some sort of headache, face or neck pain on a daily basis, she said. My face physically hurts and gets worse just by talking for a few minutes or having a busy day. The stroke was caused by a headstand position (Rebecca Leigh / SWNS) Leigh has since gone back to practising yoga (Rebecca Leigh / SWNS) I forget things quickly. I have to ask people to remind me of things theyve already told me, something I never had to do prior to my injury. Leigh was in the hospital for five days (Rebecca Leigh / SWNS) Now more than a year since her incident, she refuses to let the accident hold her back - but wants to inform others who practice yoga to be careful. About a year after my stroke I was about 75 per cent back to where I was before my stroke, she said. The fact that I can touch my toes is enough to make me smile. I wanted to share my story so that something like this doesnt happen to any other yogis. If I had read of just one incidence of something similar, I would have known that a stroke was a very real possibility when I was experiencing my symptoms. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events A carotid tear typically results from a neck injury such as a car accident. According to Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, symptoms include headaches, eye pain, neck pain, a droopy eyelid and small pupil, weakness, numbness, and other issues. Software engineers, entrepreneurs and product managers huddle in small groups, brainstorming ideas and scrawling thoughts onto Post-it Notes on a wall. The project leader exhorts them to think of products around these themes. It's not a startup but a grassroots band of volunteers from London's tech industry developing websites to prevent Brexit, Britain's departure from the European Union that has fallen into complete disarray. They hope to put public pressure on politicians to give people a second vote. While the group is small, their engagement in politics underscores the concerns among businesses and entrepreneurs who stand to suffer from tariffs and border checks. I've never been a political person before, really, said German-born venture capitalist Andreas Cser. A longtime London resident, he joined the group, Tech For UK, after he found Brexit made Britain less welcoming for foreigners and exposed the incompetence and brazen political hypocrisy of its political leaders. Cser, whose firm, Automat Ventures, invests in companies that use artificial intelligence, helped connect Tech For UK to computer scientists. What I know about is how companies develop tech products, and how they scale them up, he said. How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit Show all 10 1 /10 How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Independent How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Times How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Telegraph How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Mirror How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Metro How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The I How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Guardian How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Financial Times How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Daily Mail How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Daily Express Since its launch last year, Tech For U.K. has rolled out a dozen mobile-friendly websites. They help users automatically send anti-Brexit messages by postcard or voicemail to their politicians or spotlight the EU's benefits to Britain. Volunteers donate their time and the group also gets limited funding from anti-Brexit campaign group Best For Britain, which vets the digital tools before they go live. The latest, launched on the weekend, lets Facebook and Instagram users add an augmented reality Stop Brexit button to photos and videos. Britain was due to depart the EU on Friday but the process has been delayed after Parliament rejected the Brexit deal Prime Minister Theresa May negotiated with the EU. The House of Commons took control late Monday of the stalled process and plans to vote this week on alternatives to May's deal. One of the group's goals is to rally support for a second referendum on Brexit. There's no majority for that in Parliament, but a big march in London on Saturday to demand one suggests momentum is growing. A retired academic's online petition went viral last week, receiving over 5.6 million signatures in favor of revoking Brexit altogether. With many outcomes to Brexit still open, Tech for U.K.'s aim is to persuade those on the fence about the benefits of EU membership and give people who are opposed to leaving a way to express their views. At the end of the day, it's for those who might change their mind, said Kiyana Katebi, founder of an IT consultancy. Katebi helped develop the group's first site, MyEU.uk , which shows people EU-funded projects in their neighborhood based on their post code. The site had around 100,000 visitors in the first two days after its September launch. Another site, Finalsay.app , let British residents leave a voice message for their parliamentary representative with their final say against Brexit. Hey MP! lets people automatically send postcards to their lawmaker asking for another vote. It Costs EU reveals the portion of income tax going to the bloc while EU Worth It shows the amount of EU funding British districts receive, to counter claims Brits pay too much to the EU. Can I Move To Barcelona simply explains how Brits can still move to the Spanish city, or dozens of other EU destinations, under the bloc's freedom of movement rules a benefit that likely ends across the British border if Brexit happens. The group, while small, says they've have had an impact on sentiment but didn't provide any numbers on site traffic or messages sent. The point is to ask people the question: Do they really want this? and then show them how Brexit will affect them, said Mike Butcher, Tech For U.K.'s co-founder. About 200-300 people have joined the group, Butcher said. They work on the projects on evenings and weekends and collaborate remotely. The group is using technology to counter what they see as misinformation surrounding Britain's EU membership that may have contributed to the 2016 referendum vote result to leave. Since the referendum, Brexit opponents have raised concerns about the influence of Russian meddling and the role of social-media advertising using data harvested from Facebook. One of the reasons that we lost in 2016 was that (the pro-Brexit camp's) digital game was far superior to the people fighting to stay in. We're playing catch-up, said Eloise Todd, CEO of Best For Britain. On the other side of the argument, pro-Brexit groups flourish online, with names such as Get Britain Out, Stand Up 4 Brexit and Leavers of Britain using social media to promote their views. More than 1,100 U.K.-based tech executives signed Tech For U.K.'s open letter last year to May, warning that Brexit risks making it harder to hire tech talent and crimping funding from Europe. But for many volunteers, Brexit's impact on the country transcends those concerns. At one of the group's recent weekly evening meetups, in a tech company's basement meeting room in Central London, the crowd of about 20 split into three groups. They ran through ideas and themes. Would Brexit make it harder for European musicians to play at Britain's Glastonbury music festival? Could they build a site to get people in Ireland to write letters to relatives in Britain? Would microbreweries still be able to get imported hops? We just need to think about various members of the public, what might tick their buttons, startup founder James Tabor told his group. This is about getting into the minds of the general public. AP Flu vaccine could be airlifted into the UK after Brexit if routes via ferries or the Channel Tunnel are disrupted, the boss of a leading drugs company has said. We prepare in different ways and have prepared many different routes into the UK, Hugo Fry, the UK managing director for French pharmaceutical company Sanofi told the BBCs Wake up to Money radio programme on Tuesday. If we have to in the end, we will airlift it in. He added: We are eating the cost of that but patients and citizens are our primary concern, so were quite happy to take that cost and make that planning. Flu vaccine cannot be stored in the same way that some other medicines can, Mr Fry warned. Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Show all 15 1 /15 Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Nigel Farage has spent his political career campaigning for the UK to leave the EU. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Boris Johnson's support for Brexit took many by surprise before the EU referendum. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises The UK and EU are yet to agree on a withdrawal deal. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises This was taken from a 2012 speech delivered by Mr Davis. He does not currently support a second Brexit referendum. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Boris Johnson now supports a hard Brexit and resigned from the cabinet in 2018 over Theresa May's strategy. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises The US recently issued trade negotiation objectives for future talks with the UK. The country made clear that it expects access to the UK's agriculture industry, reviving the debate about chlorinated chicken. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Nigel Farage does not support the current campaign for a second Brexit referendum. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Despite this quote, in February 2019 Boris Johnson said a no deal Brexit "may yet be the best option for the UK". Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises The UK and EU are yet to begin negotiating a deal regarding their future relationship. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Theresa May announced that the UK would be leaving the Single Market in her Lancaster House speech in January 2017. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Theresa May triggered Article 50 on 29 March 2017. Her withdrawal deal is yet to be passed. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises A classic from the 2015 general election campaign. David Cameron resigned on 24 June 2016, following the EU referendum result. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises David Davis resigned from his post as Brexit secretary in July 2018 after disagreeing with Theresa May's negotiation strategy. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Michael Gove was one of the most influential Leave voices during the EU referendum campaign. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Jacob Rees-Mogg, a prominent backbencher, does not support a second Brexit referendum. He has called the use of this quote "fundamentally dishonest" as it was taken from a 2011 speech discussing the option of referendum before David Cameron entered negotiations with the EU. Such a vote was never held. Twitter/Led By Donkeys You cant stockpile it because its made at a particular time of the year and its only available to import in the month at the end of August/beginning of September, he explained. Sanofi brings most of its drug supplies into the UK via the Channel Tunnel, a route that faced long delays in 2005 due to a lorry drivers strike. Mr Fry added: Were doing everything possible to make sure that everyone will get their medicines and vaccines so that they can be reassured and they dont have to worry about it. Sanofi is the latest pharmaceutical giant to lay out the problems it is likely to face after a disorderly Brexit. In January, German chemical drugs firms said Theresa Mays government must avoid a hard Brexit in order to safeguard the supply of medicines to the UK. VCI, the industry body for German drug manufacturers, warned that transitional arrangements were needed to avoid the worst consequences for drug supplies. The UK was one of the largest buyers of German medicines last year but trade in pharmaceuticals between the two nations collapsed 10 per cent to 16bn (13.5bn) from 17.7bn in 2017, according to VCI. A disorderly Brexit would create such a complex situation that it is impossible for companies to prepare for all eventualities, said Utz Tillmann, managing director of VCI. Ride-hailing service Uber has acquired Middle East competitor Careem for $3.1bn, giving the San Francisco-based firm the commanding edge in a region with a large young, tech-savvy population. Uber said the $3.1bn purchase consists of $1.7bn in convertible notes and $1.4bn in cash, when it made the announcement on Tuesday. It marks the largest technology transaction in the Middle East outside of Israel and propels the Dubai-based firm to legendary status among the region's budding tech startup scene. Under the deal, Careem will keep its brand and app unchanged, at least for now. It will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Uber and be led by its original founders. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020 and is subject to regulatory approval in several countries. Taxi drivers strike in Spain against ride-hailing companies like Uber Show all 10 1 /10 Taxi drivers strike in Spain against ride-hailing companies like Uber Taxi drivers strike in Spain against ride-hailing companies like Uber Demonstrators hold a huge banner reading 'Madrid's taxi demands that the law has to be enforced' as drivers protest outside IFEMA Convention and Congress Center, against the regulation of ride-hailing and car-sharing services such as Uber and Cabify EPA Taxi drivers strike in Spain against ride-hailing companies like Uber The taxi strike continues in the capital in a row after regional authorities rejected the sector's proposals to regulate VTC companies (VTC means 'transport vehicle with chauffeur), a day after a taxi driver was seriously injured when he allegedly threw himself in front of a VTC car in a picket set on a highway. FITUR is the most important fair running in Madrid EPA Taxi drivers strike in Spain against ride-hailing companies like Uber EPA Taxi drivers strike in Spain against ride-hailing companies like Uber EPA Taxi drivers strike in Spain against ride-hailing companies like Uber Spanish National riot policemen stand guard EPA Taxi drivers strike in Spain against ride-hailing companies like Uber EPA Taxi drivers strike in Spain against ride-hailing companies like Uber EPA Taxi drivers strike in Spain against ride-hailing companies like Uber Taxi drivers stand near garbage burning during a demonstration AFP/Getty Taxi drivers strike in Spain against ride-hailing companies like Uber AFP/Getty Taxi drivers strike in Spain against ride-hailing companies like Uber Taxi drivers stand next to a burning barricade during a strike Reuters Uber's CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement: This is an important moment for Uber as we continue to expand the strength of our platform around the world. In a memo to Uber's staff, Mr Khosrowshahi said that keeping the Careem app for now allows Uber to try out new ideas across both brands. Over time, the firms will integrate part of their networks, he said. Uber's stiffest competition in the Middle East was Careem, which launched in 2012 three years before Uber entered the local market. Careem, founded by two former management consultants at McKinsey & Co, quickly became popular, particularly in countries like Egypt and Pakistan, in part because it gave riders the option to pay by cash rather than just credit card. Despite Uber's regional launch in 2015 and services like Uber Eats that delivers food, Careem had the lead operating in more than 100 cities across 15 countries. Careem's CEO Mudassir Sheikha described the deal as a milestone for the company and for budding entrepreneurs in the region. As part of the deal, he will lead Careem's business under Uber and report to a board made up of three representatives from Uber and two from Careem. This has put our region on the map and has shown it's a great place to build some of the best technology in the world, Mr Sheikha said in a statement to Careem customers. Saudi Technology Ventures, one of Careem's investors, said the local ride-hailing firm succeeded by using its deep local knowledge and expertise to cater to the needs of the Middle East's young, techy-savvy population. Other Careem investors include Kingdom Holding, chaired by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, German car manufacturer Daimler AG, Japanese tech firm Rakuten and Mideast venture capital firm Wamda. AP A Tyrannosaurus rex has been identified as the largest ever unearthed in a discovery that reveals the sheer scale of the planets most iconic prehistoric predator. Weighing in at 8,870kg while it was alive, the creature was bigger than any other carnivorous dinosaur known to science. The specimen was nicknamed Scotty after the celebratory bottle of scotch scientists drank following its discovery nearly two decades ago. This is the rex of rexes, said Dr Scott Persons, a palaeontologist at the University of Alberta who led the study investigating Scottys dimensions. There is considerable size variability among Tyrannosaurus. Some individuals were lankier than others and some were more robust. Scotty exemplifies the robust. Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary Dr Persons and his colleagues arrived at their conclusions after conducting careful measurements of its bones, which took years to remove from the hard sandstone they were encased in. Not only is this dinosaur larger and heavier than any other T rex that has been discovered, it is thought to have lived into its early 30s, making it the oldest as well. By Tyrannosaurus standards, it had an unusually long life. And it was a violent one, said Dr Persons. Riddled across the skeleton are pathologies spots where scarred bone records large injuries. The relatively complete skeleton bears various wounds including broken ribs, an infected jaw, and what may have been a bite from another T rex on its tail. Scottys measurements suggest that dinosaurs continued to bulk out as they grew into old age, meaning maximum sizes estimated from existing specimens may be inaccurate. It takes the record spot from Sue, a Tyrannosaurus specimen held at the Field Museum in Chicago which for years was assumed to be the largest. However, while this dinosaur holds the top spot for the biggest for now, Dr Persons thinks this is unlikely to be the final word on T rex size. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events I think there will always be bigger discoveries to be made, he said. But as of right now, this particular Tyrannosaurus is the largest terrestrial predator known to science. The skeleton will go on display at Canadas Royal Saskatchewan Museum in May. The results of the study were published in The Anatomical Record. It is often said that the Brexit choice is between a deal and no deal. However, the current situation is that the deal, as agreed between the EU and the UK last November, is at best only a half a deal a legally binding withdrawal agreement, plus only a political declaration about the future UK-EU trade and security treaty, that has no great legal force. A couple of other clarificatory documents have been tacked on more recently. This is the package that the House of Commons has rejected twice, by overwhelming majorities, and which the prime minister will not bring back unless she has more assured support. We have also seen MPs reject a no-deal Brexit a position now (probably) accepted by the prime minister. Jack Shepherd, the British man convicted of killing a woman on a speedboat during their first date, has agreed to be extradited back to the UK from Georgia. The 31-year-old was sentenced to six years in jail in his absence for the manslaughter of Charlotte Brown, 24, on a champagne-fuelled first date when his speedboat overturned in the River Thames. However he has been granted permission to appeal the conviction and wishes to return to the UK, a court in Tbilisi heard on Tuesday. Shepherd's defence lawyer told the court he wanted to be kept in cell by himself with round-the-clock audio and video surveillance and for media to be given access to his cell. However the judge said this was not a decision for him to make. In pictures: Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd In pictures: Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd Jack Shepherd, who went on the run in March 2018 after killing a woman in a speedboat crash on the River Thames, attends court hearing in Tbilisi, Georgia, 29 January, 2019. Reuters/Irakli Gedenidze In pictures: Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd Charlotte Brown, 24, who died in a speedboat crash on the River Thames in December 2015. PA In pictures: Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd Undated photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of the speedboat owned by Jack Shepherd who was found guilty of killing his date, Charlotte Brown, in an accident on the River Thames in December 2015. Metropolitan Police In pictures: Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd The family of Charlotte Brown - father Graham Brown, sister Katie and mother Roz Wickens - who died following a speedboat crash, pictured on 22 January, 2019. Yui Mok/PA In pictures: Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd Tariel Kakabadze, the lawyer of Jack Shepherd, attends a court session, in Tbilisi, Georgia, 25 January, 2019. Shakh Aivazov/AP In pictures: Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd Jack Shepherd speaks to media on 23 January, 2019, at the police station in Tbilisi, Georgia, where he handed himself in to police. Still taken from video provided by Rustavi 2. Rustavi 2 via AP In pictures: Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd Jack Shepherd is escorted to a court hearing in Tbilisi, Georgia, 25 January 2019 EPA In pictures: Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd Father of Charlotte Brown, Graham, gives a statement to the media outside Portcullis House following a meeting with Home Secretary Sajid Javid on 22 January, 2019. Jack Taylor/Getty Images In pictures: Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd Metropolitan Police image of Jack Shepherd. Metropolitan Police In pictures: Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd File photo of Jack Shepherd dated 18 October, 2017. Steve Parsons/PA His lawyer Tariel Kakabadze said he is not fighting extradition. Shepherd, from Paddington, in London, went into hiding in Georgia while facing trial over the death of Ms Brown, from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, who died after plunging into the icy river in December 2015. Charlotte Brown died after being thrown into the cold Thames when the boat capsized (PA) The web designer, originally from Exeter, in Devon, handed himself in to police in January after almost 10 months on the run. No date has been set yet for Shepherds appeal hearing. Ms Browns family have fought a battle for justice since her death more than three years ago. A post-mortem examination found that Ms Brown died from cold water immersion. The Home Office is being challenged in court after three young refugees were forced to wait months to be reunited with their families in the UK. The unaccompanied minors had completed dangerous journeys to northern France and then endured illegal and distressing delays, lawyers are arguing. The legal deadline to process applications to join family is two months, but they were made to wait between four and six months. Their case is now being brought by the Migrants Law Project and Doughty Street Chambers, who argue the delays were the result of systemic failures on behalf of the Home Office particularly its poor communication with the local authorities where their families live. It comes after The Independent highlighted the case of a child refugee who languished in France for more than two years before he was able to join his aunt in the UK. The Home Office was accused of playing games with the lives of unaccompanied minors. The three refugees in the latest case, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are an Afghan boy, 16, who had to wait more than four months to be reunited with his older brother, an Eritrean girl, 17, who waited more than five months to join her brother, and another Eritrean girl, 16, who had to wait more than six months to join her older brother. In each case, take charge requests were made by the French authorities to the UK under the family reunification provisions of the EU law Dublin III. The Home Office then seriously exceeded the two-month deadline for determining responsibility for the childrens asylum claims, the lawyers said. In written submissions to the court, a solicitor said that as a result of the Home Offices breaches of Dublin III and flawed processes, the minors lost the opportunity for a swifter reunification, and the uncertainty and delays caused distress. Darby Lin ODonnell, legal fellow at Safe Passage, a charity that has been working on the case, said the Home Office had built delay in at every stage of the transfer process. This can lead unaccompanied minors to turn to illegal routes instead, she said. We can see that the delays in these cases are not exceptional, Ms ODonnell said. They are the norm, and the secretary of state is very frequently exceeding the timescale. When my colleagues in France tell a child theyll have an answer in two months, and then in two months they go back to the child and say, We dont have a response, we havent heard anything from the Home Office, just hang tight, it makes it really difficult to continue that trusting relationship that weve worked so hard to build. Recommended Child refugee granted right to join UK aunt after two years in France It increases their risk of absconding, jumping on the back of a lorry, approaching smugglers, traffickers. Especially in France, those risks are completely real. The Home Office has claimed the delays were lawful, stating that they were necessary in order to introduce some flexibility so that the UK was not deemed responsible for the children simply because two months have elapsed. The department said other reasons for the delays included the demands created for the rapid increase in referrals from other Dublin III states, the resources available to the Home Offices European Intake Unit (EIU) at the time [and] the fact that the EIU was having to develop new processes for working with local authorities and the ongoing efforts made to improve the system. It comes eight months after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government materially misled the High Court about its treatment of child refugees in Calais, with around 500 children not given adequate reasons for being refused to join their families in the UK. Three months later, the Court of Appeal found that the government broke the law in its treatment of child refugees who were rejected under the Dubs scheme, ruling that they were given patently inadequate reasons for the rejection of their applications. Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the 2019 American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference in Washington on March 25, 2019. (Jose Luis Magana / AP) More than half of deportations from the UK are called off, The Independent can reveal raising concerns that thousands of people are being unfairly targeted for forcible removal. Figures obtained through freedom of information law show that of the 24,674 removal directions issued last year, 15,200 were cancelled. Of these, more than two-thirds were called off within a week of the scheduled removal and 45 per cent within just one day. Lawyers and campaigners said the cancelled removals were a waste of public money and a "damaging" symptom of the Home Offices detain first, ask questions later approach. The most common reason for cancellation was because legal representations had been submitted (34 per cent), with other reasons given including administrative, disruptive behaviour and medical. It comes after the High Court ordered the Home Office to stop using a controversial no warning tactic, which means a person can be told that at any point during the subsequent three months they may be given between three and seven days' notice that they will be removed. The decision meant the Home Office had to immediately cancel 69 removals scheduled for the coming days. During the hearing, the court heard that hundreds, if not thousands, of people were probably subject to the policy in any one year. Opelo Kgari, who has been issued removal directions twice but had them cancelled both times within hours of the flight time, said the experience was traumatising and that a large amount of resources were wasted in the process. The 28-year-old, who came to the UK from Botswana when she was 13, told The Independent how she and her mother were chaperoned by a dozen officers in two separate vans to the airport last March before their removal was cancelled following intervention from their MP. A month later they were again placed in removal vans and driven towards the airport, before intervention from their solicitor mean the process was again cancelled. They have since been granted leave to remain in the UK. Ms Kgari said: The whole process must cost a lot of money. Having the escorts come in from wherever in the country to the detention centre, getting their vans, taking you to the airport and then the removal being cancelled. It just goes to show how extremely disorganised they are. Opelo Kgari, 28, has been issued removal directions twice and had them cancelled both times within hours of the flight time an experience she said was traumatising The anxiety levels were really high as it was. Then the Home Office says last minute that it wont happen this time. But its still really difficult. You think okay, Ive missed that bullet, but its probably going to happen again. The stress just mounts. In my case, the first time we were almost removed, our solicitor was pretty useless, so I had to get in touch with all my friends and it was an MP that ended up halting the removal not everyone has that chance. Celia Clarke, director of Bail for Immigration Detainees (BID), said the figures were shocking and accused the Home Office of serving removal directions for its own convenience. She said: The uncertainty caused by this callous practice is highly damaging for the people concerned, whether they are parents who face permanent separation from their children, survivors of torture or trafficking, or people who have grown up in the UK and face deportation to a country they have no connection to. Recommended Woman who arrived in UK as a child reveals reality of UK deportation We have repeatedly raised concerns about the dearth of legal advice in detention and the devastating impact of the 2013 legal aid cuts which removed all non-asylum immigration work from the scope of legal aid. The high number of removals being prevented by last-minute submissions is a symptom of a system that is broken in which individuals are not able to access the legal advice they need at an early opportunity and are forced to make late submissions in desperation. Clearly this system does not serve anyones interests and urgently needs reform. The Independent has reported on numerous cases in the past year whereby people have been threatened with removal, but following intervention by their solicitor or their MP as well as media coverage their departure has been cancelled. The trend has been branded a symptom of Theresa Mays hostile environment, which came about during when the coalition government was in power and has since been blamed for the Windrush fiasco and a swathe of other immigration scandals. Immigration lawyer Colin Yeo said the high number of cancellations and declining number of removals suggested a detain first, ask questions later approach, which he described as a waste of public money as well as being very distressing to those affected. Mr Yeo added: It also suggests something is wrong with Home Office information on who is removable and who is not. A Home Office spokesperson said: We only return those with no legal right to remain in the UK, including foreign national offenders and failed asylum seekers. We carefully consider all representations made in relation to a case and, should further submissions be made, have a duty to grant these appropriate consideration. Women in the UK are considerably more likely than men to be working in jobs endangered by the advance of technology, the national statistics office has announced. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said 1.5 million people in England are at high risk of losing their jobs to automation with women holding more than 70 per cent of those roles believed to be at high risk. The three occupations with the highest probability of automation were found to be waiters and waitresses, shelf-stackers and basic retail roles - all of which are low-skilled or routine. However, well-educated women were also found to be more at risk than men. Even among degree-educated workers, three in four men are in jobs at low risk of automation, while only six in 10 women are, said the Resolution Foundation, a think tank which aims to improve the living standards of low and middle-income families. The ONS analysed the jobs of 20 million people in 2017 and found 7.4 per cent of these were at high risk of being replaced. Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Show all 15 1 /15 Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Residents follow moves made by humanoid robot 'Pepper' during an afternoon exercise routine at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Funabashi Hiroshi from A Fun, repairs broken'AIBO's, pet dog robots, at his office in Kasama. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A caretaker wearing a 'HAL for care support' robot suit pushes a wheelchair at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Residents follow moves made by humanoid robot 'Pepper' during an afternoon exercise routine at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Yoichi Suzuki spends time with 'AIBO', a pet dog robot, which his father used for his rehabilitation at his house in Takahag.i Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A resident approaches humanoid robot 'Pepper' to pat its head during an afternoon exercise routine at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A caretaker, wearing walking rehabilitation equipment 'Tree', helps a resident with his walking training at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Yoichi Suzuki shows 'AIBO', a pet dog robot, to his bed-ridden mother at his house. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A broken'AIBO', a pet dog robot, waits for repair in A Fun's office in Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A resident touches 'AIBO', a pet dog robot, at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A resident touches robot seal 'PARO' at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Yoichi Suzuki and his wife take care of his bed-ridden mother as 'AIBO', a pet dog robot walks around at his house in Takahagi. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A caretaker wearing a motion assist equipment 'Muscle Suit' carries a resident from a bed to a wheelchair at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care 'AIBO', a pet dog robot, which Yoichi Suzuki's father used for his rehabilitation, is seen at Suzuki's house in Takahagi. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A resident claps to call 'AIBO', a pet dog robot at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters It defines automation as tasks currently performed by workers being replaced with technology. This could mean computer programmes, algorithms, or robots. Young people also faced a bigger challenge with more than 15 per cent of 20-year-olds at high risk of losing their jobs to automation. However, the threat waned as their careers progressed. Workers naturally obtain further skills and become more knowledgeable in their field as they progress further in their careers, the ONS said. Recommended Why we need to protect our income from robot automation The three occupations at the lowest risk of automation were said to be medics and teachers or lecturers in senior roles. "It is not so much that robots are taking over, but that routine and repetitive tasks can be carried out more quickly and efficiently by an algorithm written by a human, or a machine designed for one specific function," the ONS said. They say there are fewer jobs at risk of automation now than was thought in 2011 the figure has dropped from 8.1 per cent to 7.4 per cent but the proportion of jobs at low and medium risk of automation has increased. Reasons for the decrease are unclear, but it is possible that automation of some jobs has already happened, such as supermarket self-checkouts, the ONS said. Sharon Graham, executive officer for the Unite union, said: We must not and will not sit back and wait for new technology to be imposed, especially when it is putting workers' livelihoods at risk. New technology is going to generate a lot of wealth. We will fight to make sure this wealth is used to do things that help workers and their families, such as reducing working time without loss of pay. Automation needs to deliver for ordinary people, not just make bigger profits for corporations. We need a radical response to the new realities of the labour market. A shorter working week without loss of pay could help workers stay in work when new technology reduces the number of tasks that need to be carried out by people, she said. The areas of England with the lowest risk of jobs being automated in 2017 were said to include Camden in London, Three Rivers in Hertfordshire, and Oxford, while the highest risk was in Tamworth in Staffordshire, Rutland, and South Holland in Lincolnshire. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said: The workers most at risk from automation are the same workers already badly hit by austerity. Workers and trade unions should take charge of the changing economy, not be its casualties. The next Labour government will be on the side of workers and our planet, ushering in a green industrial revolution. Parliamentary speaker John Bercow sparked fury among MPs when he suggested a former Conservative deputy chief whip had not [been] very good at the role. He was responding to a question from Tory Brexiteer David Davies, who suggested Oliver Letwin had installed himself as a jobbing prime minister after his amendment to a government motion passed. It took power to control business in the Commons away from the government, allowing MPs to put forward motions relating to Brexit on Wednesday. Its passage, by a margin of 329 votes to 302, paves the way for what is set to be a series of indicative votes on various options, possibly including a soft Brexit and second referendum. After Mr Letwin's motion had succeeded, Mr Davies said: I dont wish to pay tribute to the honourable member for west Dorset, but since he now seems to have installed himself as a kind of jobbing prime minister, could you tell me how it is how we hold him to account in this house?" Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Show all 15 1 /15 Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Nigel Farage has spent his political career campaigning for the UK to leave the EU. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Boris Johnson's support for Brexit took many by surprise before the EU referendum. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises The UK and EU are yet to agree on a withdrawal deal. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises This was taken from a 2012 speech delivered by Mr Davis. He does not currently support a second Brexit referendum. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Boris Johnson now supports a hard Brexit and resigned from the cabinet in 2018 over Theresa May's strategy. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises The US recently issued trade negotiation objectives for future talks with the UK. The country made clear that it expects access to the UK's agriculture industry, reviving the debate about chlorinated chicken. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Nigel Farage does not support the current campaign for a second Brexit referendum. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Despite this quote, in February 2019 Boris Johnson said a no deal Brexit "may yet be the best option for the UK". Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises The UK and EU are yet to begin negotiating a deal regarding their future relationship. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Theresa May announced that the UK would be leaving the Single Market in her Lancaster House speech in January 2017. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Theresa May triggered Article 50 on 29 March 2017. Her withdrawal deal is yet to be passed. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises A classic from the 2015 general election campaign. David Cameron resigned on 24 June 2016, following the EU referendum result. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises David Davis resigned from his post as Brexit secretary in July 2018 after disagreeing with Theresa May's negotiation strategy. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Michael Gove was one of the most influential Leave voices during the EU referendum campaign. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Jacob Rees-Mogg, a prominent backbencher, does not support a second Brexit referendum. He has called the use of this quote "fundamentally dishonest" as it was taken from a 2011 speech discussing the option of referendum before David Cameron entered negotiations with the EU. Such a vote was never held. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Mr Bercow defended Mr Letwin as unfailingly courteous in his dealings with others, but was heckled by Chelsea and Westminsters MP Greg Hands. Responding, Mr Bercow said: [Mr Hands] was once a whip, he wasnt a very good whip, it would be better if he keep quiet. As MPs shouted and jeered, Mr Bercow smiled and insisted his comments were not outrageous at all. He then suggested members could shout as much as they like as it wouldnt make any difference". Patrick McLoughlin, the former Conservative former chief whip, said Mr Bercow recently sent a letter to MPs saying they should treat each other with respect. Was Mr Bercow following that in what he said about Mr Hands, he asked? Mr Bercow said that if he caused offence he was happy to apologise, but he did not think Mr Hands would mind. Close Countdown to Brexit: How many days left until Britain leaves the EU? MPs are gearing up for a series of votes on different Brexit scenarios after dramatically wresting control of the EU exit process from the government. Different Brexit factions must put forward their preferred options by the end of the day for indicative votes on Wednesday, including bids for a Norway-style deal and a second referendum. The move could pave the way for a softer Brexit, prompting infighting among Eurosceptic hardliners over whether to back Theresa Mays deal instead. On Tuesday, the prime ministers Brexit strategy was left in disarray and her leadership under threat after three of her ministers resigned and MPs dramatically voted to take control of the process. Her authority was left in tatters after 30 members of her party defied her instructions and voted for the move. Three government resigned in order to vote against the prime minister. How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit Show all 10 1 /10 How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Independent How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Times How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Telegraph How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Mirror How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Metro How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The I How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Guardian How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Financial Times How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Daily Mail How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Daily Express It comes as the government rejected a petition with more than 5.78 million signatures calling for Brexit to be halted by revoking article 50. In an official response posted on the parliamentary petitions website, the Department for Exiting the EU (DExEU) said: This government will not revoke Article 50. We will honour the result of the 2016 referendum and work with parliament to deliver a deal that ensures we leave the European Union. The petition will still be debated by MPs in the Commonss secondary chamber Westminster Hall on 1 April. A government minister will be required to respond to the petition, but there will be no vote on the action it demands. Follow our coverage of how the day unfolded Theresa Mays Brexit plans were left in ruins after MPs voted to take control from the government and determine Britains path out of the European Union. In another dramatic day in the House of Commons, where three ministers resigned and 30 Tory MPs voted against the prime minister, Ms May was dealt another humiliating defeat. With speculation rising of an impending general election and questions swirling around about Ms Mays future as prime minister, the papers had plenty to consider as they gave their verdicts on the latest Brexit developments. The Independents Daily Edition leads with the headline MPs take back control. Three ministers quit as Commons wins power to lead Brexit..May finally admits defeat on her deal for now, the front page says. How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit Show all 10 1 /10 How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Independent How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Times How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Telegraph How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Mirror How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Metro How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The I How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Guardian How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Financial Times How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Daily Mail How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Daily Express The Times warns that the country is "sliding towards further stalemate" as Ms May struggles to keep hold of power. Its front page says the PM was "humiliated" as MPs backed a plan to hold votes on alternatives to her deal, while its leader says she remains PM "in name only". "Yet parliament's attempt to take control could yet plunge the country into even deeper crisis," it cautions. "The reality is that unless parliament votes to accept Ms May's deal this week, parliament and the government are likely to face a stalemate," it adds. The Daily Mail warns that MPs seizing control of the Brexit agenda will only see the divorce deal get softer - and describes the possibility of a general election as an "equally unappealing alternative". "For the Brexiteers, the ship is finally sailing," it adds. "If they don't get on board, they risk losing the deal, the Government and their country. It could not be more imperative that they come to their senses." The Daily Telegraph's front page argues Ms May is now "powerless", describing the events in the House of Commons as "a plot to seize agenda on deciding path for Brexit". In its leader, the paper criticises Ms May for delaying Brexit and calls it a "monumental failure of the political process". House of Commons approves the amended Brexit Next Steps motion by 327 votes to 300 Meanwhile, The Sun's front page suggests Ms May has hinted at quitting in exchange for MPs passing her deal. Inside, the paper stresses that her deal "cannot be abandoned", calling it "the only exit door". "All MPs face a simple choice: Honour the referendum, or unleash chaos. Stop pretending. Pick one," it urges. The Metro takes a more light-hearted approach to the latest developments, running with the headline: "Stuck in the muddle with EU". And the Daily Express takes a stronger stance, saying the Prime Minister has been warned that Remainer MPs have "stolen what's left of Brexit". A beleaguered Theresa May will face Conservative MPs demanding she quit just hours before the Commons stages historic votes to snatch control of the Brexit process. The twin threats will rear up on Wednesday, after MPs openly joked Ms Mays shattered authority meant Oliver Letwin the senior Tory behind the move to hold indicative votes is the new prime minister. At a meeting of the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs, the prime minister will come under huge pressure to set out a timetable for her departure from Downing Street, as a last-gasp bid to rescue her deal. A visit to No 10 by Graham Brady, the 1922s chair and backbenchers steward, sparked fresh speculation that he was delivering a message that her time was up. A senior Democratic Unionist Party MP suggested his party now preferred a long Brexit delay to approving her deal, making it even less likely a third meaningful vote can be won or will even be held this week. Meanwhile, up to 20 junior ministers are thought to be ready to resign if the prime minister refuses to grant free votes on all the Brexit options on Wednesday evening. More clues emerged as to how the indicative votes process will unfold. The votes are the first step to potential legislation to force the government to adopt parliaments solution to the deepening crisis. Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Show all 24 1 /24 Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent Put It To The People march: Best of The Independents pictures Angela Christofilou/The Independent MPs will propose options expected to include a no-deal Brexit, a customs union, single market membership plus a customs union, a simple free trade agreement and revoking Article 50 before the speaker whittles them down. Supporters of a Final Say referendum have tabled a motion insisting no withdrawal deal, or framework for a future relationship, can be ratified until they have been approved by the people of the United Kingdom in a confirmatory public ballot. Votes will be cast on ballot slips, rather than in the traditional way, and MPs can back any number of options, with the results to be declared late on Wednesday. The idea is to come up with solid ideas, ahead of a second round of voting to produce a winner on Monday the group stages before the playoffs, as one MP put it. The process was unveiled as: * The government announced that the blockbuster revoke Article 50 petition, which has gathered a staggering 5.7 million signatures, will be debated next Monday. * Brexiteer Tories protested that Fridays agreement with the EU to delay Brexit until at least 12 April had been unlawful ahead of a debate on Wednesday on changing domestic law to accommodate it. * Andrea Leadsom, the Commons leader, warned MPs two-week Easter break from Westminster is likely to be scrapped as the public expected them to be working flat out. Ms Mays departure is being demanded by a growing number of Tories as their price for backing her, so that a new leader can then run crucial trade negotiations with the EU. The prime minister is still facing another clash with parliament after ministers repeated the threat to ignore any Brexit plan B that emerges, if it crosses her red lines. Sir Oliver said: We have to use this process tomorrow, and on Monday, to try to work towards a consensus that can carry a majority. That wont be an easy task. But we owe it to the country to try. In the chamber, an SNP MP called Sir Oliver the real prime minister prompting Ms Leadsom to reply: My right honourable friend the new prime minister for West Dorset [Letwin] has not yet indicated his manifesto. Theresa May has struggled in Brexit negotiations because she lacks the basic human skills to be a political leader, an EU figure involved in exit negotiations has said. In a remarkable assessment that illustrates EU frustration at the prime minister, Philippe Lamberts, a Belgian MEP who sits on the EU legislatures Brexit steering group, said she had left European leaders upset time and time again with her robotic approach. If theres one lesson we have learned from Theresa Mays attitude is her inability to factor in what others think, her inability to form bonds of trust within her Cabinet, he told reporters in Strasbourg. Again weve seen it between her Cabinet and the House of Commons but also within the European Council. Citing Xavier Bettel, the Luxembourg prime ministers reception to the prime minsters address on Friday, he added: When you listen to Xavier Bettel Mr Nice Guy by definition Xavier Bettel is someone who always tries to look at the good side of things. How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit Show all 10 1 /10 How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Independent How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Times How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Telegraph How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Mirror How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Metro How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The I How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Guardian How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Financial Times How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Daily Mail How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Daily Express When he exited the Council, you feel like if even Xavier Bettel is upset by Theresa May she must be totally devoid of the basic human skills you need to be a political leader. And that is scary. That is scary. Throughout Brexit talks the prime minister gone into meetings with EU leaders at summits and left with things worse rather than better most notoriously in Salzburg, where leaders hardened their stances after hearing from the prime minister. She repeated the trick at the European Council in Brussels and December, and was again said to leave leaders unconvinced at a meeting in the EU capital last week. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Diplomats in the room at summits have throughout negotiations have said the prime ministers addresses to leaders often resemble her reading out a statement, and that she often appears evasive response to questions. The prime ministers approach has not escaped attention in Westminster, where she was nicknamed the Maybot after her performance during the 2017 general election campaign. A Rhode Island man jailed for 260 years in prison for producing child pornography involving prepubescent children fainted in court when the judge read out his sentence. Thomas Goodman, 45, was told his crimes showed depravity beyond comprehension by Judge John McConnell at the US District Court in Providence. The paedophile pleaded guilty to eight counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography last October. Prosecutors said Goodman had begun sexually abusing two young girls when they were six-years-old, and had also filmed himself inappropriately touching a three-week-old baby. He collapsed onto the table in front of him as the judge handed him eight 30 year sentences and one 20 year sentence, according to the Providence Journal. 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 Coming to a few minutes later, Goodman reportedly said: I have no excuse for this before he was led away to prison. He was arrested by detectives from the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force in May 2018 after his employer had confiscated his phone. While conducting a search of the phone, Electric Boat Security discovered a vast quantity of child pornography, said the US Attorneys Office for the District of Rhode Island in a statement. The phone was turned over to a North Kingstown Police Department detective who confirmed that the phone contained child pornography. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The 45-year-old was subsequently found to possess approximately 7,800 images and 370 videos of child pornography. The ICAC task force determined that at least 62 of the videos and 135 of the images of child pornography had been created by Goodman over a ten-year period. In interviews with law enforcement officials, he also admitted to having had sexual contact with at least three prepubescent females. The owners of a five-month-old dog are demanding a criminal investigation after their pet died during a flight from Amsterdam to Los Angeles. The purebred Central Asian Shepherd puppy, named Bear, was discovered dead in the cargo hold of a KLM plane when it touched down at LAX airport. The Avetisian family, from the California city of Pasadena, had been given the dog by friends in Greece. They were ready to collect it when the plane arrived in the US via the Netherlands. We were waiting for months to get that puppy and give him some love, my kids were waiting, Andranik Avetisian told ABC affiliate KABC. It is very difficult. It is very hard for me. Mr Avetisian has said they have been unable to collect the dogs body or even see it since the plane arrived on 19 March. World's safest airlines 2019 Show all 19 1 /19 World's safest airlines 2019 World's safest airlines 2019 Eva Air Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Austrian Airlines Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 KLM Getty World's safest airlines 2019 Qatar Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Lufthansa Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Hawaiian Airlines Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Alaska Airlines Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 SAS Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Finnair Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Emirates Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Cathay Pacific Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 British Airways Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Singapore Airlines Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 All Nippon Airways Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Air New Zealand Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Swiss Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 American Airlines Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 United Getty Images World's safest airlines 2019 Virgin Atlantic and Australia Getty Images The familys lawyer Evan Oshan told KABC they were now considering legal action. We want a criminal investigation of the circumstances surrounding the death of Bear, Mr Oshan said. You dont take someones property, someones family member, somebodys pet and just keep it without any kind of explanation, the lawyer added. In a statement, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines said: We take matters of animal welfare very seriously. KLMs Cargo Department is in contact with the owner of the dog, and for reasons of customer confidentiality, we cannot release further details around the current investigation. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events KLM previously said it had to wait for the results of the necropsy to determine the cause of death. The airline said its policy was to keep larger animals in a ventilated part of the hold while small cats and dogs are allowed to accompany passengers in the cabin. In March last year, a French bulldog died on a United Airlines flight from Houston to New York City, after a flight attendant reportedly repeatedly told the dogs owner it would have to be stored in an overhead bin. The notorious drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman is seeking a retrial claiming the first was unfair because jurors were influenced by media articles that detailed how he drugged and raped teenage girls and murdered people. The 61-year-old Guzman, 61, was last month convicted on all counts during a trial in which he was charged with criminal conspiracy and drug trafficking. During the course of more than three months of testimony, the court heard grisly details about life inside the Sinaloa cartel which he ran with a murderous grip. In all, jurors heard from more than 50 prosecution witnesses. Now, the convicted drug lord is seeking a retrial, claiming that the jury had been influenced by reading media reports about his life and alleged crimes. His lawyers claimed jury misconduct had deprived him of his constitutional right to a fair trial, Reuters reported. Inside Mexicos top drug lord El Chapos hideout Show all 4 1 /4 Inside Mexicos top drug lord El Chapos hideout Inside Mexicos top drug lord El Chapos hideout Inside El Chapo's hideout Pictures reveal how the Mexican drug lord had been living since his escape Getty Inside Mexicos top drug lord El Chapos hideout Inside El Chapo's hideout The inside of a house searched by marine special forces where Guzman was hiding Getty Inside Mexicos top drug lord El Chapos hideout Inside El Chapo's hideout Inside a house searched by marine special forces during the military operation to recapture Guzman Getty Inside Mexicos top drug lord El Chapos hideout El Chapo's attempted escape A marine stands guard next to a manhole of the sewer system through which drug kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman tried to escape Getty We look forward to vindicating his rights in a new trial, lawyer Eduardo Balarezo said in a statement. During the trial, prosecutors said Guzman trafficked tons of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine into the United States over two decades, amassing power in Mexico through murders and wars with rival cartels. He faces life in prison at a scheduled June 25 sentencing. Special agent in charge of Homeland Security gives statement following El Chapo guilty jury verdict Judge Brian Cogan had told jurors not to read media coverage of the case. Many ignored him. Among the media coverage cited was a New York Times article based on public court filings that said Guzman drugged and raped girls as young as 13 years old, and published just two days before deliberations began An article published last month by Vice included an interview with a juror who admitted ignoring the judges order. The article said jurors knew from Twitter that Mr Cogan would ask if they had seen the Times article, and several lied when he asked Guzmans lawyers said this exposed jurors to a flood of prejudicial information not admitted at trial. John Marzulli, a spokesman for US Attorney Richard Donoghue, whose office prosecuted Guzman, declined to comment It's true that the so-called "big lie" is an expression made famous by the Nazis, who were not socialists in any meaningful sense, despite the canard of having "National Socialist" in their party's title. But the Nazi-era accusation gained currency in the Third Reich because it was deployed by Hitler and his followers to depict Jews as traitors to the German nation. The Nazi dictator used the term to blame Jews for propagating the idea that German Gen. Erich Ludendorff, a notorious anti-Semite who had been Paul von Hindenburg's chief deputy, was to blame for Germany's defeat in World War I. A Lithuanian man who duped Google and Facebook into transferring over $100m into accounts he controlled has pleaded guilty to wire fraud. Evaldas Rimasauskas, 50, sent fraudulent invoices to the California-based tech companies between 2013 and 2015, according to the US Justice Department. He was involved in running a company that controlled several accounts at banks in Latvia and Cyprus, according to a 2016 indictment filed in the US Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York. Mr Rimasauskas and his unnamed associates were posing as Quanta Computer, a hardware company based in Taiwan that has done business with Facebook and Google, Reuters reported. Mr Rimasauskas pleaded guilty to wire fraud in federal court in Manhattan, where Judge George B Daniels set a 24 July sentencing date. Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Show all 15 1 /15 Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Facebook is born On 4 Feb, 2004, 19-year-old Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched a website called 'TheFacebook' from his dorm. Within 24 hours the college social network had more than 1,000 users Wikimedia Commons Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Winklevoss twins sue Zuckerberg Within one week of launching, fellow Harvard students Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss and Divya Narendra accused Zuckerberg of stealing their idea. It would be four years later when the resulting lawsuit was finally settled Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Open for business The social network finally opened it platform to everyone on 26 September, 2006. The move proved the catalyst in supercharging the site's already explosive growth PA Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Billion-dollar bid Yahoo offered $1 billion to buy Facebook in September 2006 but Zuckerberg turned it down. 'I dont know what I could do with the money,' Zuckerberg reportedly said. 'Id just start another social networking site' Reuters Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network In the money In September 2009, almost five years since the site launched, Facebook turned a profit for the first time Getty Images/iStockphoto Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Taking the lead Facebook overtook MySpace in 2010 to become the worlds most popular social network Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Taking on the tech giants In 2011, Google launched its own social network that it hoped would knock Facebook from its perch. Despite its initial success, Google+ ultimately failed and will be shut down completely in 2019 Getty Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Facebook goes public On 18 May, 2012, Facebook went public. The initial public offering raised $16 billion the third largest in US history Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Gobbling up the competition Facebook acquired Instagram in April 2012 for $1 billion, consolidating its position as the world's leading social network Reuters Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network One billion users On 4 October, 2012, Zuckerberg announced that Facebook had hit 1 billion users. 'If youre reading this: thank you for giving me and my little team the honour of serving you,' he wrote in a blog post Getty Images Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Expanding its empire In February 2014 Facebook acquired the messaging app WhatsApp for $19.3 billion REUTERS/Dado Ruvic Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Two billion users In June 2017, Facebook passed the 2 billion user milestone REUTERS/Dado Ruvic Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Privacy scandal On 17 March 2018, news broke that UK firm Cambridge Analytica had harvested data from around 87 million Facebook users for the purpose of political profiling in the build up to the 2016 US presidential elections Shutterstock Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Record profits Despite the scandals and subsequent #DeleteFacebook campaign, Facebook posted record profits just before its 15th anniversary, the equivalent of $7.37 from each of its 2.32 billions users iStock/Independent Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Unhappy users A study found that people are happier when they dont use Facebook, adding to mounting evidence surrounding the impact social media has on mental health Rex Features The charge could carry as many as 30 years in prison and a fine of as much as $1m or twice the crime's proceeds. The plea deal Mr Rimasauskas reached with prosecutors said he faces almost certain deportation once he finishes his prison time. In a statement on Wednesday, Geoffrey S Berman, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, said: As Evaldas Rimasauskas admitted today, he devised a blatant scheme to fleece US companies out of $100m, and then siphoned those funds to bank accounts around the globe. Some of the money transfers involved banks in New York City, the indictment stated. Rimasauskas thought he could hide behind a computer screen halfway across the world while he conducted his fraudulent scheme, but as he has learned, the arms of American justice are long, and he now faces significant time in a US prison, Mr Berman added. Mr Rimasauskas was extradited from Lithuania to the United States in 2017. He has agreed to forfeit around $50m, court documents show. After his guilty plea last week, he could face up to 30 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced in July. In a court appearance, Mr Rimasauskas said that he had knowingly participated in fraud and that his role was to set up the bank accounts to facilitate the scheme, Bloomberg reported. I was asked to open bank accounts, he reportedly said. After that I did not do anything with these accounts. After money was wired from the tech companies to the bank accounts in Cyprus and Latvia, the Justice Department said in its statement, Mr Rimasauskas caused the stolen funds to be quickly wired into different bank accounts in various locations throughout the world, including Latvia, Cyprus, Slovakia, Lithuania, Hungary, and Hong Kong. The statement added that he also helped to supply banks with forged documents to explain the large transfers of money. Mr Rimasauskas was originally charged with five criminal counts that included identity theft and money laundering. But after last weeks guilty plea for wire fraud, the remaining four charges should be dismissed at sentencing, said his lawyer, Paul D Petrus Jr. Mr. Rimasauskas was far from a major actor in this matter, Mr Petrus said, adding that he did not know of any other people who have been charged in connection with the scheme. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events In emailed statements Sunday, Facebook said the company had recovered the bulk of the funds shortly after the incident and has been cooperating with law enforcement in its investigation. Google said it had detected this fraud and promptly alerted the authorities. We recouped the funds and were pleased this matter is resolved. According to the FBI, crimes that involve deceiving companies via email have grown more common and much more sophisticated in recent years, resulting in billions of dollars in losses. New York Times A driver crashed a stolen car through the front window of a fitness centre after his gym membership was cancelled, according to US police. Security camera footage captured the moment an employee dived for safety as a Honda Accord ploughed into the reception desk. The suspect fled the scene at Crunch Fitness in La Mirada, California, in another car but was arrested following a police chase. Sergio Reyes, 32, from Whittier, was later charged with attempted murder. It appears that Reyes was a disgruntled former member of the fitness club, said the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. 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 Employees at Crunch Fitness told ABC7 News the suspect had been a member of the gym for about three weeks before his membership was cancelled because of inappropriate behaviour. Recommended How to get the most out of your gym membership Following an argument with staff he vowed to return. In the early hours of 19 March witnesses heard the revving of an engine before the car smashed through the front window. A check of the compact vehicle that had crashed through the fitness club was a confirmed stolen vehicle reported out of Whittier just a few days prior, said the County Sheriffs Department. With that additional information, the suspect was also charged with driving a vehicle without owners consent. The getaway vehicle, a 2019 four-door Toyota Corolla, was registered to the arrested suspect. Reyes has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and will return to court next month. A New York county has banned unvaccinated children from all public spaces as the state battles its largest measles outbreak in decades. Officials in Rockland County declared a countywide state of emergency Tuesday, announcing that the ban will begin at midnight and remain in place for 30 days or until unvaccinated minors receive the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Officials said minors who are unvaccinated will not be permitted in public places, such as churches, schools and shopping centres, though outdoors spaces such as playgrounds are not included in the ban. We must not allow this outbreak to continue, County Executive Ed Day said during a news conference. We will not sit idly by while children in our community are at risk. The announcement comes as measles outbreaks have hit areas in California, Illinois, Texas and Washington, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In New York City, more than 180 cases have been confirmed. The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Show all 7 1 /7 The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Charlie Sheen Sheen fought a legal battle against ex-wife Denise Richards to try and block her from vaccinating their children. Richards of course won and Sheen was reportedly so bitter that he paid the paediatrician bill entirely in nickels Getty The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Gwyneth Paltrow Paltrow's "health and wellness" company Goop hosted a notorious anti-vaccine speaker at their 2018 Goop Summit Getty The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Rob Schneider Schneider demanded the freedom to decline vaccination Getty The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Jenny McCarthy McCarthy has claimed that "people are dying from vaccinations", believes that her son caught autism from a vaccine and has pushed her opinions on the topic publicly for many years AFP/Getty The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Bill Maher Maher has long spoken against vaccines sating on Larry King live that "a flu shot is the worst thing you can do." His stance appears to stem from a distrust of government AFP/Getty The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Alicia Silverstone In Silverstone's book The Kind Mama, she wrote that "there is increasing anecdotal evidence from doctors who have gotten distressed phone calls from parents claiming their child was never the same after receiving a vaccine." Getty The famous faces of the anti-vaccine movement Andrew Wakefield Godfather of the anti-vax movement, disgraced doctor Andrew Wakefield famously published a report in the medical journal Lancet claiming a link between the MMR vaccine and autism in 1998. The Lancet retracted the report in 2010 and Wakefield was struck off the medical register PA In Rockland County, about 40 miles from Manhattan, there have been more than 150 confirmed cases, according to county health officials. More than 82 per cent of the measles patients had not received a single dose of the MMR vaccine, health officials said. The data shows that the largest number of cases 46 per cent were seen in children ages four to 18, and 39 per cent of them were in children younger than three. Mr Day, with Rockland County, said authorities will not be searching for children who are not vaccinated but are expecting parents and legal guardians to step up and get children vaccinated. However, he said, parents and guardians who are found to be in violation will be held accountable and their cases will be referred to the district attorneys office. Such a violation will be considered a misdemeanour, punishable by a $500 fine or up to six months in jail. Mr Day said children unable to be vaccinated for documented medical reasons are exempt. Rockland will lead the way in service and safety to the people here, he told reporters. Amid concerns about the growing measles outbreak, Rockland County tried something similar last year. As The Washington Posts Reis Thebault reported, public health officials there barred unvaccinated children from attending schools with vaccination rates lower than 95 per cent. Months later, the parents of more than 40 banned children at Green Meadow Waldorf School sued the Rockland County health department, asking a federal judge to allow the students to return to class. This week, U.S. District Court Judge Vincent Briccetti denied their request, ruling it wasnt in public interest to allow the children to go back to school. Measles is highly contagious virus and can have some serious consequences pneumonia, brain damage, hearing loss and even death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Before the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1963, most children contracted the illness an estimated 3 million to 4 million patients each year in the United States, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Of those, 48,000 were hospitalised, 400 to 500 died and 1,000 others suffered a severe complication known as encephalitis, a condition in which the brain swells because of an infection. In 2000 almost four decades after parents began vaccinating their children measles was declared eliminated in the United States. CDC data shows that from 2000 to 2018, there were an average of 140 measles cases per year in the United States. And there were three reported fatalities during that time one in 2002, one in 2003 and one in 2015. Washington Post The Quinn Dam in South Dakota appears to be severely damaged, as local officials warned of potential flooding in the region. The Rapid City Pennington County Emergency Management agency released a statement on Tuesday afternoon reading, Quinn Dam appears to be falling. Large amounts of water may be uncontrollably released soon, the statement read. Anyone downstream should seek higher ground. Alexa White, deputy director for Penning County Emergency Management, confirmed the agency was expecting a total failure of the dam in an interview with The Independent on Tuesday afternoon. Our folks on the scene Pennington County Highway observed what appears to be a hole three feet by four feet that was continuing to grow. As they were on scene it was changing in size, she said, adding, We do expect a complete failure at some point today. We just dont know how long that will be and how it will develop, she continued. The water being held back currently amounts to nearly 840 acres, according to officials. That's approximately the same size as Central Park in Manhattan, New York. 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 Other local agencies posted flash flood warnings on Tuesday afternoon. The counties that may be potentially impacted by the dams failure include East Central Pennington County, Northwestern Jackson County and Southwestern Haakon County, including other locations across Quinn and Cottonwood, as well as Cottonwood Creek. Recommended Brazil dam collapse was disaster waiting to happen say experts A map of the impacted region indicated no major communities were included in the warning zones for potential flash flooding. Those warnings encouraged residents to act quickly to protect your life. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Residents in the area posted photos to Twitter showing early images of the scene as the damn was expected to fail imminently. Photos showed crews in the area just off the roadway working around the apparent hole in the dam as flood warnings remained in effect. A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 has made an emergency landing in Florida after suffering what officials described as an engine-related problem. The plane, the same model of which has been grounded around the world following two crashes that appeared to indicate problems with a new anti-stall system, was not carrying passengers when it was forced to make the emergency landing at Orlando International Airport. Rather, two pilots were flying the plane to Victorville, California, where it was to have been stored. Instead, they were obliged to return to Orlando at around 3pm on Tuesday, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The crew of Southwest Airlines Flight 8701, a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, declared an emergency after the aircraft experienced a reported engine problem while departing from Orlando International Airport in Florida about 2.50pm today, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement. The aircraft returned and landed safely in Orlando. No passengers were aboard the aircraft, which was being ferried to Victorville, Calif., for storage. The FAA is investigating. Boeing 737 MAX grounding: Ethiopia Airlines Flight 302 in pictures Show all 9 1 /9 Boeing 737 MAX grounding: Ethiopia Airlines Flight 302 in pictures Boeing 737 MAX grounding: Ethiopia Airlines Flight 302 in pictures This picture taken on March 11, 2019, shows debris of the crashed airplane of Ethiopia Airlines, near Bishoftu, a town some 60 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. - 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. (Photo by Michael TEWELDE / AFP)MICHAEL TEWELDE/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Boeing 737 MAX grounding: Ethiopia Airlines Flight 302 in pictures Family members mourn the victims at the crash site of the Ethiopian Airlines operated Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, at Hama Quntushele village in the Oromia region, on March 13, 2019. - A Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines Boeing crashed minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa on March 10, 2019, killing all eight crew and 149 passengers on board, including tourists, business travellers, and "at least a dozen" UN staff. Families of the victims were taken to the remote site on March 13, 2019, where the plane smashed into a field with 157 passengers and crew from 35 countries, leaving a deep black crater and tiny scraps of debris. (Photo by TONY KARUMBA / AFP)TONY KARUMBA/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Boeing 737 MAX grounding: Ethiopia Airlines Flight 302 in pictures A page of a Boeing flight crew operations manual is seen at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Baz Ratner REUTERS Boeing 737 MAX grounding: Ethiopia Airlines Flight 302 in pictures epa07434278 Rescue workers search the site for pieces of the wreckage of an Ethiopia Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft near Bishoftu, Ethiopia, 13 March 2019. Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 302 carrying 149 passengers and 8 crew was en route to Nairobi, Kenya, when it crashed on 10 March 2019 by yet undetermined reason. All passengers and crew aboard died in the crash. The Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft has come under scrutiny after similar deadly crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia within a few months. Several countries have banned the plane type from their airspace and many airlines have grounded their 737 Max 8 planes for safety concerns after the Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed minutes after take-off on 10 March. EPA/STRINGER EPA Boeing 737 MAX grounding: Ethiopia Airlines Flight 302 in pictures A grounded Boeing 737 MAX 8 passenger plane of the Norwegian low-cost airline Norwegian is parked at the tarmac at Vantaa airport in Vantaa near Helsinki, Finland on March 13, 2019. - A number of countries have banned Boeing's 737 MAX 8 medium-haul workhorse jet from their airspace in response to the Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed all 157 people on board. (Photo by Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva / AFP) / Finland OUTHEIKKI SAUKKOMAA/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Boeing 737 MAX grounding: Ethiopia Airlines Flight 302 in pictures Rescue workers search the site for pieces of the wreckage of an Ethiopia Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft near Bishoftu, Ethiopia, 13 March 2019. Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 302 carrying 149 passengers and 8 crew was en route to Nairobi, Kenya, when it crashed on 10 March 2019 by yet undetermined reason. All passengers and crew aboard died in the crash. The Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft has come under scrutiny after similar deadly crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia within a few months. Several countries have banned the plane type from their airspace and many airlines have grounded their 737 Max 8 planes for safety concerns after the Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed minutes after take-off on 10 March. EPA/STRINGER EPA Boeing 737 MAX grounding: Ethiopia Airlines Flight 302 in pictures A heap of debris from the wreckage of an Ethiopia Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft are piled at the crash site near Bishoftu, Ethiopia, 13 March 2019. Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 302 carrying 149 passengers and 8 crew was en route to Nairobi, Kenya, when it crashed on 10 March 2019 by yet undetermined reason. All passengers and crew aboard died in the crash. The Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft has come under scrutiny after similar deadly crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia within a few months. Several countries have banned the plane type from their airspace and many airlines have grounded their 737 Max 8 planes for safety concerns after the Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed minutes after take-off on 10 March. EPA/STR EPA Boeing 737 MAX grounding: Ethiopia Airlines Flight 302 in pictures A crew working with an investigative team to clear the site after the Sunday crash of the Ethiopian Airlines operated Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, carry debris at Hama Quntushele village in the Oromia region, on March 13, 2019. - A Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines Boeing crashed minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa on March 10, killing all eight crew and 149 passengers on board, including tourists, business travellers, and "at least a dozen" UN staff. Families of the victims were taken to the remote site on March 13, 2019, where the plane smashed into a field with 157 passengers and crew from 35 countries, leaving a deep black crater and tiny scraps of debris. (Photo by TONY KARUMBA / AFP)TONY KARUMBA/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Boeing 737 MAX grounding: Ethiopia Airlines Flight 302 in pictures FILE PHOTO: An American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8, on a flight from Miami to New York City, comes in for landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York, U.S., March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo REUTERS A Boeing spokesman said it the company was aware of the incident and supporting our customers. Southwest Airlines said its pilots reported a performance issue with one of the engines shortly after takeoff. The crew followed protocol and safely landed back at the airport, it said. How to tell if you're on a Boeing 737 Max The FAA joined regulators around the world earlier this month in grounding the planes, produced in Seattle, following two crashes Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and last Octobers crash of a Lion Air flight. The Ethiopian Airlines crash earlier this month resulted in the deaths of all 157 passengers on board. In Indonesia, 189 people lost their lives. Investigators said the two downing had clear similarities. They are currently investigating the recently-introduced manoeuvring characteristics augmentation system (MCAS), which is designed to stop planes form stalling on take off. The Pentagon has authorised army engineers to begin construction of additional fencing on the US-Mexico border, diverting an initial $1bn after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency to bypass Congress on the matter. The army would begin planning and building 57 miles of 18-foot-high fencing in Yuma, Arizona, and El Paso, Texas, according to a statement by acting defence secretary Patrick Shanahan. Mr Trump declared the emergency on 15 February after Congress refused his request for $5.7bn (4.4bn). The emergency allows him to divert up to $3.6bn (2.75bn) from other military construction projects. The Pentagon said the money would support the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection. The funding would also go towards installing lighting and constructing roads. Mr Shanahan said the engineers focus would be on blocking drug-smuggling corridors. 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 In a letter to Mr Shanahan, Democrat senators complained that the Pentagon had not brought the funding request to the appropriate congressional committees, according to CNN. We strongly object to both the substance of the funding transfer, and to the department implementing the transfer without seeking the approval of the congressional defence committees and in violation of provisions in the defence appropriation itself, the letter read. Building the wall was one of Mr Trumps most prominent campaign promises, though he claimed the money would come from Mexico, not American taxpayers. It comes as a vote was scheduled for Tuesday in the House of Representatives which will likely uphold Mr Trumps declaration of emergency, in spite of the objections of the majority of congressmen and women. With the unanimous support of Democrats and some Republicans, a resolutions was passed by Congress which struck down the emergency but was vetoed by the president. To override a presidential veto, the House would require a super-majority of two thirds, something it is expected to fall well short of in a vote on Tuesday. The president will be fine in the House, said minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, adding: The veto will not be overridden. Democrats are hoping to use the border emergency battle in upcoming campaigns, both to symbolise Trumps harsh immigration stance and claim he is hurting congressional districts around the country. Last week the Pentagon sent congressional leaders a list of hundreds of military construction projects that might be cut to pay for barrier work. Though the list was tentative, Democrats were asserting that Republican politicians were endangering local bases to pay for the wall. Additional reporting by agencies Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to mock the investigations he and his close ally Donald Trump have faced in recent months during a joke shared with the US president. Mr Trump was joined by Mr Netanyahu at the White House on Monday, where he signed a proclamation recognising Israels sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a reversal of longstanding US policy. Although the Mueller probe has come to an end, the prime minister faces prosecution back home after his countrys attorney general said he plans to indict Mr Netanyahu over claims he received illegal gifts. Ridiculing the investigations, Mr Netanyahu said: Mr President, I have to tell you that I brought you a case of the finest wine from Golan. I understand youre not a great wine drinker, but could I give it to your staff? After Mr Trump nodded, the Israeli leader joked: I hope they dont open an investigation on us. Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights Show all 7 1 /7 Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights An Israeli soldier stands next to signs pointing out distances to different cities on Mount Bental, an observation post in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights Reuters Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights Druze people take part in a rally in Majdal Shams near the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria Reuters Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights Israeli Druzes sit together watching the Syrian side of the Israel-Syria border on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights Reuters Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights A European member of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) using binoculars to look towards the Syrian side of the Golan Heights AFP/Getty Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights A file photo taken on October 19, 1973 shows Israeli Defence Minister General Moshe Dayan (R) looking towards the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, four days after the beginning of the Yom Kippur War AFP/Getty Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights A file photo taken on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on September 5, 2014 shows members of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force Zone (UNDOF) using binoculars to look towards the Syrian side of the Golan Heights AFP/Getty Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights Members of the United Nations peacekeepers standing on a watch tower during a visit by the Israeli Defence Minister in 2018 AFP/Getty The international community has long recognised the 700 square miles of territory of the Golan Heights as occupied by Israel. Praising Mr Trump for shifting Washingtons position, Mr Netanyahu told the American leader: Youve always been there, including today, and I thank you Israel has never had a better friend than the US president. The US president handed the pen over to the prime minister after the signing ceremony. This was a long time in the making [it] should have taken place many decades ago, he said. A Republican congressman has been condemned after he quote from Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf to accuse Democrats of lying about Robert Muellers Trump-Russia probe. Speaking on the floor of the House of Representatives, Mo Brooks claimed Democrats and the media were guilty of pushing a big lie over the conclusions of the special counsel. For more than two years, socialist Democrats and their fake news media allies CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times, Washington Post and countless others - have perpetrated the biggest political lie, con, scam and fraud in American history, said Mr Brooks, from Alabama, saying accusations the president colluded with Moscow were nothing but a big lie. Reading from a translation of Mein Kampf, he said: In that vein, I quote from another socialist who mastered 'big lie' propaganda to maximum, and deadly, effect. Quote, 'In the big lie, there is always a certain force of credibility because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus, in the primitive simplicity of their minds, they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie. He added: Who is this big lie master socialist Adolf Hitler. Mueller investigation: The key figures Show all 12 1 /12 Mueller investigation: The key figures Mueller investigation: The key figures Robert Mueller is the special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election, and potential obstruction of justice by the president. Mr Mueller has a pristine reputation in Washington, where he was previously in charge of the FBI. Throughout his investigation, he and his team have been notoriously tight lipped about what they know and where their investigation has led. REUTERS Mueller investigation: The key figures Former FBI director James Comey was the catalyst that led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller. Mr Comey was fired by the president after Mr Trump reportedly asked him to drop his own Russia investigation. Mr Trump has long maintained that the investigation is a "witch hunt". AFP/Getty Images Mueller investigation: The key figures Deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein had authority over the special counsel investigation for much of the two years it has been active. Mr Rosenstein found himself with that responsibility after then-attorney general Jeff Sessions recused himself from that oversight. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Attorney general Jeff Sessions's decision to recuse himself from oversight of the special counsel investigation may have cost him his job in the end. Mr Sessions resigned last year, after weathering a contentious relationship with Donald Trump who vocally criticised his attorney general for taking a step back. Mr Sessions recused himself from the oversight citing longstanding Justice Department rules to not be involved in investigations overseeing campaigns that officials were apart of. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Attorney General William Barr is currently responsible for oversight of the special counsel investigation. Mr Barr's office will be the first to receive the Mueller report when it is finished. His office will then determine what portion or version of that report should be delivered to Congress, and also made public. EPA Mueller investigation: The key figures Michal Cohn is the president's former personal lawyer, who has been helping the special counsel investigation as a part of a plea deal over financial crimes, and campaign finance crimes, he has pleaded guilty to. Among those crimes, Cohen admitted to facilitating $130,000 in hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign. Cohen has said he did so at the direction of Mr Trump. Cohen has also admitted that he maintained contacts with Russian officials about a potential Trump real estate project in Moscow for months longer than Mr Trump and others admitted. The talks continued well into 2016 during the campaign, he has said. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Stormy Daniels has alleged that she had an affair with Donald Trump in 2006, soon after Melania Trump gave birth to Baron Trump. The accusation is of particular importance as a result of the $130,000 hush money payment she received to keep quiet about the affair during the 2016 campaign. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Paul Manafort was Donald Trump's former campaign chairman. Manafort was charged alongside Rick Gates for a slew of financial crimes, and was convicted on several counts in a Virginia court. He then pleaded guilty to separate charges filed in a Washington court. Manafort has been sentenced to just 7.5 years in prison for his crimes in spite of recommendations from the special counsel's office for a much harsher sentence. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures George Papadopoulos was one of the first individuals associated with the Trump campaign to be charged by the Mueller probe. He ultimately received a 14 day prison sentence for lying to investigators about contacts he had with Russian officials. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Roger Stone is a well known political fixer and operative, who has made a name for himself for some dirty tactics. He has been charged by the Mueller probe earlier this year, and he has been said to have had prior knowledge that WikiLeaks planned on publishing stolen emails from the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016. Getty Images Mueller investigation: The key figures Rick Gates was charged alongside former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort for a range of crimes. Gates, who worked alongside Manafort for a pro-Russia Ukrainian political party. The two were charged with conspiracy and financial crimes. Gates pleaded guilty. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Former national security adviser Michael Flynn was one of the first casualties of the Russia scandal, and was forced out of his position in the White House weeks after Donald Trump took office. Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to "willfully" making fraudulent statements about contacts he had with Russian officials including former Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Flynn then lied to Vice President Mike Pence about that contact. REUTERS The Washington Post pointed out the expression coined by Hitler was used to claim Jews used their unqualified capacity for falsehood to blame a top German military commander for the countrys losses in World War I. He said that a lie could be so large, it defied disbelief. The newspaper wrote: It was unclear if Brooks grasped that by levelling charges of the big lie, he had inverted his own analogy, making Democrats the equivalent of interwar German and Austrian Jews. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The comments by Mr Brooks, a five-time congressman from Alabamas fifth congressional district, were quickly condemned. Its unconscionable for a member of Congress to demonise an opposing party by claiming it's comparable to Nazism, said the Anti-Defamation League, a US-based Jewish group that fights anti-Semitism. The vicious Nazi regime was responsible for the murder of 6 million Jews and millions more. This is dangerous and Mo Brooks must apologise. The Post said Mr Brooks, who in 2017 failed to secure the Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions when he joined Mr Trumps cabinet, has yet to respond to the criticism of his comments. Ilhan Omar has hit back at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he rebuked her comments about the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. The freshman Democrat responded to a line from the prime ministers speech at an event held by the lobbying group in which he appeared to rebuke her statement that stirred controversy and forced an anti-Semitism resolution in the US House of Representatives. This from a man facing indictments for bribery and other crimes in three separate public corruption affairs, the congresswoman wrote in a tweet, referring to Netanyahu. Next! she added. Her tweet arrived after Netanyahu delivered remarks at the groups annual policy conference via live satellite that condemned her past comments without mentioning the Democrat by name. Take it from this Benjamin, he began, Its not about the Benjamins. 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 Ms Omar criticised AIPAC in a series of tweets last month, writing, Its all about the Benjamins baby. Asked on Twitter who she thought was paying members of Congress to support Israel, the lawmaker responded, AIPAC! That sparked House Speaker Nancy Pelosis first public rebuke of a freshman lawmaker who had helped flip the House from Republican control and is part of a record number of women in Congress. Congresswoman Omars use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israels supporters is deeply offensive, Ms Pelosi said in a statement issued by her office and signed by other Democratic leaders after a bipartisan backlash against the Minnesota Democrat. We condemn these remarks, and we call upon Congresswoman Omar to immediately apologise for these hurtful comments. Republicans have called on Democrats to strip Ms Omar of her seat on the House Foreign Relations Committee, but Chairman Eliot Engel stopped just short of that. He said in a statement that he expects his committee members to discuss policies on merits. And though he did not name Ms Omar, he left little doubt that his statement was a response to her tweets. Its shocking to hear a Member of Congress invoke the anti-Semitic trope of Jewish money, Mr Engel said. Donald Trump also said the freshman congresswoman should be ashamed of herself for the tweets. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events I think it was a terrible statement, and I dont think her apology was adequate, he said. Asked what she should have said, Mr Trump replied: She knows what to say. The Associated Press contributed to this report "As a result, we have serious concerns that the Department has allowed political interference and pet projects to come ahead of many near-term, critical readiness issues facing our military," said the letter to acting secretary of defense Patrick Shanahan and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen. "The $1 billion reprogramming that the Department is implementing without congressional approval constitutes a dollar-for-dollar theft from other readiness needs of our Armed Forces." As many as 84 per cent of Americans want Robert Muellers report into Russian election interference and the actions of Donald Trump made public, according to a new poll. As Democrats, and some Republicans, urged the depart of justice for the entirety of the special counsels investigation to be released, a poll found the vast majority of Americans agreed with them. The Quinnipiac poll released on Tuesday, suggested up to 84 per cent of people want the report made available. Even among Republicans, the percentage who support making public the details of the two-year investigation, was as high as 75 per cent. The poll also found 55 per cent of people believed Mr Mueller had conducted a fair investigation, while 26 per cent felt it was not fair. Over the weekend, attorney general William Barr sent to Congress a summary of Mr Muellers investigation into Moscows alleged interference and accusations it had been assisted by members of the Trump campaign. Mueller investigation: The key figures Show all 12 1 /12 Mueller investigation: The key figures Mueller investigation: The key figures Robert Mueller is the special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election, and potential obstruction of justice by the president. Mr Mueller has a pristine reputation in Washington, where he was previously in charge of the FBI. Throughout his investigation, he and his team have been notoriously tight lipped about what they know and where their investigation has led. REUTERS Mueller investigation: The key figures Former FBI director James Comey was the catalyst that led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller. Mr Comey was fired by the president after Mr Trump reportedly asked him to drop his own Russia investigation. Mr Trump has long maintained that the investigation is a "witch hunt". AFP/Getty Images Mueller investigation: The key figures Deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein had authority over the special counsel investigation for much of the two years it has been active. Mr Rosenstein found himself with that responsibility after then-attorney general Jeff Sessions recused himself from that oversight. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Attorney general Jeff Sessions's decision to recuse himself from oversight of the special counsel investigation may have cost him his job in the end. Mr Sessions resigned last year, after weathering a contentious relationship with Donald Trump who vocally criticised his attorney general for taking a step back. Mr Sessions recused himself from the oversight citing longstanding Justice Department rules to not be involved in investigations overseeing campaigns that officials were apart of. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Attorney General William Barr is currently responsible for oversight of the special counsel investigation. Mr Barr's office will be the first to receive the Mueller report when it is finished. His office will then determine what portion or version of that report should be delivered to Congress, and also made public. EPA Mueller investigation: The key figures Michal Cohn is the president's former personal lawyer, who has been helping the special counsel investigation as a part of a plea deal over financial crimes, and campaign finance crimes, he has pleaded guilty to. Among those crimes, Cohen admitted to facilitating $130,000 in hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign. Cohen has said he did so at the direction of Mr Trump. Cohen has also admitted that he maintained contacts with Russian officials about a potential Trump real estate project in Moscow for months longer than Mr Trump and others admitted. The talks continued well into 2016 during the campaign, he has said. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Stormy Daniels has alleged that she had an affair with Donald Trump in 2006, soon after Melania Trump gave birth to Baron Trump. The accusation is of particular importance as a result of the $130,000 hush money payment she received to keep quiet about the affair during the 2016 campaign. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Paul Manafort was Donald Trump's former campaign chairman. Manafort was charged alongside Rick Gates for a slew of financial crimes, and was convicted on several counts in a Virginia court. He then pleaded guilty to separate charges filed in a Washington court. Manafort has been sentenced to just 7.5 years in prison for his crimes in spite of recommendations from the special counsel's office for a much harsher sentence. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures George Papadopoulos was one of the first individuals associated with the Trump campaign to be charged by the Mueller probe. He ultimately received a 14 day prison sentence for lying to investigators about contacts he had with Russian officials. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Roger Stone is a well known political fixer and operative, who has made a name for himself for some dirty tactics. He has been charged by the Mueller probe earlier this year, and he has been said to have had prior knowledge that WikiLeaks planned on publishing stolen emails from the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016. Getty Images Mueller investigation: The key figures Rick Gates was charged alongside former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort for a range of crimes. Gates, who worked alongside Manafort for a pro-Russia Ukrainian political party. The two were charged with conspiracy and financial crimes. Gates pleaded guilty. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Former national security adviser Michael Flynn was one of the first casualties of the Russia scandal, and was forced out of his position in the White House weeks after Donald Trump took office. Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to "willfully" making fraudulent statements about contacts he had with Russian officials including former Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Flynn then lied to Vice President Mike Pence about that contact. REUTERS In his report, Mr Mueller said he found no evidence of a direct link between what he said were Moscows efforts and the Trump campaign. On the issue of whether the president had obstructed efforts to investigate possible collusion, he set out the case for and against in regard to several incidents. Yet he determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgement. In turn, Mr Barr and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, decided the presidents actions did not constitute a crime. Stephen Colbert compares Mueller report on Trump to the 'Lost' finale Democrats have been calling for Mr Barr to make public the entire report. Senator Richard Blumenthal expressed scepticism about Mr Barrs summary of the findings, saying it was designed to frame the message before the information was available. Congressman Jamie Raskin said: I havent seen the Mueller report. Ive seen the Barr report. And Im not going to base anything on the Barr report. The president is saying hes been completely and totally exonerated by the report. The one sentence weve seen from the report says this is not an exoneration of the president. Many Democrats claim Mr Barr is conflicted because of his views - expressed in a memo to the administration before becoming attorney general that the president cannot be charged with obstruction since he oversees the Justice Department. You cant move forward on a four-page memo, said congresswoman Karen Bass told the Associated Press. Its hard for me to accept that as an objective opinion. Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, told The Hill: We want to know more, say voters who have read the bullet points and believe the Mueller investigation was fair, but would like to read it in full. But was it a witch hunt? That remains the stuff of dinner table discussion. Democrats in the US House of Representatives have unveiled major legislation to rescue the Affordable Care Act as Donald Trumps White House administration seeks to eliminate the bill in its entirety. The move follows new filings in a case pending before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals titled Texas v the United States, in which a trial court judge previously sided with the administration in voiding the law during a December ruling. The White House has now taken their calls to crush the legislation commonly referred to as Obamacare a step further, saying every piece of the bill should be removed from law, from protections for patients with pre-existing conditions, to subsidies for a range of Americans seeking insurance. The Democrat bill being unveiled on Tuesday would make more middle-class people eligible for subsidised health insurance, while increasing aid for those with lower incomes who already qualify. And it would fix a longstanding affordability problem for some consumers, known as the family glitch. It also would block Mr Trumps administration from loosening Obamacare rules through waivers that allow states to undermine protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions or to scale back so-called essential benefits like coverage for mental health and addiction treatment. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Show all 23 1 /23 Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Joe Biden The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Bernie Sanders The 2016 runner-up has announced that he will be running again in 2020 Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Hillary Clinton The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State says she is still considering whether she will run again. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Pete Buttigieg The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kamala Harris The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Beto ORourke The former Texas congressman told Oprah Winfrey that he has been thinking about running for presidency, but stopped short of formally announcing his bid to run in 2020. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. Vice News Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Andrew Yang The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual advisor has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Kerry The former secretary of state has said he is still thinking about whether to run. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Michael Bloomberg The entrepreneur and former New York mayor with a net worth of around $50bn has said he will decide by the end of February whether to seek the presidency. AFP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Howard Schultz Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has not yet ruled out running for president in 2020, despite criticism that his bid could help re-elect Mr Trump by dividing the Democrat vote. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Holder The former attorney general has said he will decide in the next month or so whether to run as a 2020 presidential candidate. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Swalwell The California congressman said he is ready to do this and will decide before April whether to run. MSNBC Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Terry McAuliffe The former Virginia governor, who worked to elect Democratic governors during 2018 midterms, said there was a 50 per cent chance he would run. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Sherrod Brown The Ohio senator is still undecided about whether to run for president in 2020. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Mitch Landrieu The former New Orleans mayor said he doesnt think he will run for president, but never say never. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin The bill will get a vote in the House, but as a package it has no chance of passing the Republican-controlled Senate. However, some elements have bipartisan support and may make it into law. Mr Trump was elected into office promising to repeal and replace his predecessors health law but was unable to do so, even with a Congress fully under Republican control. Recommended US states sue Trump administration over Obamacare The president remains committed to overturning Obamacare, but with the House in Democratic hands his last hope seems to be a court challenge to the law by Texas and other Republican-led states, now before a federal appeals panel. The White Houses efforts to completely revoke the health care bill could prove risky in the upcoming 2020 elections. Scrapping the law was a longtime campaign vow that helped sail Mr Trump to victory in 2016, although Obamacare has only grown more popular in the years since. Millions of people continue to benefit from the bill's taxpayer-subsidized private insurance plans, but enrolment is slowly declining and experts fear stagnation. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events His administration said in its most recent appellate court filing in the case that the entire law should be struck down as unconstitutional, a bolder position than it previously held. Its rare for the Justice Department to decline to defend a federal law. The Associated Press contributed to this report The FBI is reportedly set to brief Senate and House leaders on the counterintelligence findings of Robert Muellers Russia investigation. The agency is ready to share the special counsels conclusions on whether Donald Trump or his associates were compromised or influenced by the Kremlin in a private meeting with the so-called Gang of Eight, according to NBC News. The Gang of Eight comprises the Democrat and Republican leaders of the Senate and House, as well as the chairs and ranking members of the respective intelligence committees. Attorney general William Barr told congress on Sunday that Mr Muellers probe had not established collusion or conspiracy between Mr Trumps election campaign and the Russian government, which sought to influence the 2016 presidential vote. But Mr Barr did not touch upon the special counsels counterintelligence findings, and Republicans subsequently blocked an attempt by Democrats to force the release of the full report. Mueller investigation: The key figures Show all 12 1 /12 Mueller investigation: The key figures Mueller investigation: The key figures Robert Mueller is the special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election, and potential obstruction of justice by the president. Mr Mueller has a pristine reputation in Washington, where he was previously in charge of the FBI. Throughout his investigation, he and his team have been notoriously tight lipped about what they know and where their investigation has led. REUTERS Mueller investigation: The key figures Former FBI director James Comey was the catalyst that led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller. Mr Comey was fired by the president after Mr Trump reportedly asked him to drop his own Russia investigation. Mr Trump has long maintained that the investigation is a "witch hunt". AFP/Getty Images Mueller investigation: The key figures Deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein had authority over the special counsel investigation for much of the two years it has been active. Mr Rosenstein found himself with that responsibility after then-attorney general Jeff Sessions recused himself from that oversight. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Attorney general Jeff Sessions's decision to recuse himself from oversight of the special counsel investigation may have cost him his job in the end. Mr Sessions resigned last year, after weathering a contentious relationship with Donald Trump who vocally criticised his attorney general for taking a step back. Mr Sessions recused himself from the oversight citing longstanding Justice Department rules to not be involved in investigations overseeing campaigns that officials were apart of. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Attorney General William Barr is currently responsible for oversight of the special counsel investigation. Mr Barr's office will be the first to receive the Mueller report when it is finished. His office will then determine what portion or version of that report should be delivered to Congress, and also made public. EPA Mueller investigation: The key figures Michal Cohn is the president's former personal lawyer, who has been helping the special counsel investigation as a part of a plea deal over financial crimes, and campaign finance crimes, he has pleaded guilty to. Among those crimes, Cohen admitted to facilitating $130,000 in hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign. Cohen has said he did so at the direction of Mr Trump. Cohen has also admitted that he maintained contacts with Russian officials about a potential Trump real estate project in Moscow for months longer than Mr Trump and others admitted. The talks continued well into 2016 during the campaign, he has said. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Stormy Daniels has alleged that she had an affair with Donald Trump in 2006, soon after Melania Trump gave birth to Baron Trump. The accusation is of particular importance as a result of the $130,000 hush money payment she received to keep quiet about the affair during the 2016 campaign. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Paul Manafort was Donald Trump's former campaign chairman. Manafort was charged alongside Rick Gates for a slew of financial crimes, and was convicted on several counts in a Virginia court. He then pleaded guilty to separate charges filed in a Washington court. Manafort has been sentenced to just 7.5 years in prison for his crimes in spite of recommendations from the special counsel's office for a much harsher sentence. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures George Papadopoulos was one of the first individuals associated with the Trump campaign to be charged by the Mueller probe. He ultimately received a 14 day prison sentence for lying to investigators about contacts he had with Russian officials. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Roger Stone is a well known political fixer and operative, who has made a name for himself for some dirty tactics. He has been charged by the Mueller probe earlier this year, and he has been said to have had prior knowledge that WikiLeaks planned on publishing stolen emails from the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016. Getty Images Mueller investigation: The key figures Rick Gates was charged alongside former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort for a range of crimes. Gates, who worked alongside Manafort for a pro-Russia Ukrainian political party. The two were charged with conspiracy and financial crimes. Gates pleaded guilty. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Former national security adviser Michael Flynn was one of the first casualties of the Russia scandal, and was forced out of his position in the White House weeks after Donald Trump took office. Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to "willfully" making fraudulent statements about contacts he had with Russian officials including former Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Flynn then lied to Vice President Mike Pence about that contact. REUTERS The FBI originally launched the investigation into Russian election interference and links between Trump associates and Moscow in 2016. Mr Mueller took over the inquiry the next year after the president fired FBI director James Comey, prompting calls for an independent probe. Two senior US officials said the intelligence agency was prepared to brief the Gang of Eight on the special counsels findings, according to NBC News. No briefing has been scheduled, but one of the officials who were not named said it could happen within the next 30 to 60 days. Nancy Pelosi, the Democrat speaker of the House of Representatives, has indicated she would reject a classified briefing on Mr Muellers findings, warning it could shield the reports conclusions from public scrutiny. But the Republican-majority Senate Intelligence Committee is reported to want a private briefing. Congressional Democrats on Monday wrote to Mr Barr demanding Mr Muellers report is published in complete and unredacted form, along with all underlying evidence, by 2 April. It is vital for national security purposes that Congress be able to evaluate the full body of facts and evidence collected and evaluated by the Special Counsel, including all information gathered of a counterintelligence nature, they said. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The letter added that congress must be permitted to make an independent assessment of the evidence regarding obstruction of justice. Mr Mueller did not draw a conclusion about whether Mr Trump had obstructed justice, instead setting out evidence on both sides of the question, according to the attorney general. The special counsels report stated that although his report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. Democrats vowed to continue their efforts to get the Mueller report released after Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell blocked an attempt to pass a measure aimed at making it public. The Justice Department has not said whether it will release Robert Muellers full report into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and related matters. Attorney General William Barr has provided a summary of the findings and informed Congress that Mueller had concluded the Trump campaign had not colluded with Russia, but said the probe left unresolved the question of whether Donald Trump engaged in obstruction of justice. Senates Democratic leader Chuck Schumer attempted to a pass a non-binding resolution on the release of the Muellers full findings, arguing that there is no good reason not to make the report public. But Mr McConnell blocked the measure, explaining that the Justice Department was still trying to work out what could and could not be released. 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 The majority leader said: Its not unreasonable to give the special counsel and the Justice Department just a little time to complete their review in a professional and responsible manner. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted in favour of making the report public, but the resolution has now been blocked in the Senate. The measure does not set a deadline for the release of the report, and merely expresses a desire that it should be made publicly available. On Monday, six House Democratic committee chairmen wrote to Mr Barr stating that his summary is not sufficient and asked to have Mr Muellers full report by 2 April. Following a series of evening strategy meetings late in the day, Democrats vowed to continue their multiple investigations into Mr Trump and his associates. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, the California Democrat, said Mr Muellers conclusions would not affect his own committees counterintelligence probes. There may be other corrupt meetings between the Trump campaign and the Russians, there may be other profound financial conflicts of interest that are not mentioned in the Mueller report, and there may be unanswered questions even within what he did examine, Mr Schiff said. Trump on Mueller Decision: People Have Done Evil, Treasonous Things The FBI is reportedly ready to brief Senate and House leaders further on the counterintelligence findings of Muellers investigation. The agency is ready to share the special counsels conclusions on whether Trump associates were compromised or influenced by the Kremlin in a private meeting, according to NBC News. The president vented his anger at the conclusion of the Mueller probe and vowed investigations into unnamed political enemies who did very, very evil and treasonous things. Mr Trumps former chief adviser Steve Bannon said the president would come off the chains and is now going to go full animal after the end of the probe. Additional reporting by agencies Donald Trumps former chief adviser has warned the US president is going to go full animal after he was partially exonerated by Robert Muellers investigation. Steve Bannon, who left the White House in 2017, predicted Mr Trump would come off the chains and use the special counsels findings to bludgeon his opponents and ignore congressional oversight requests for documents. William Barr, the attorney general, sent a four-page letter to Congress outlining Mr Muellers conclusions following the sprawling 22-month probe into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia or Mr Trump obstructed justice. Mr Mueller cleared Mr Trump of conspiracy with Russia, but he did not draw a conclusion on an obstruction charge. Mr Barr, though, concluded the evidence in the report which has not been made public was not enough to bring a prosecution. When I saw no new indictments I thought, Oh my God! They didnt indict anybody regarding the Flynn investigation, they didnt indict Don Jr, Mr Bannon told Yahoo News before Mr Barr submitted his letter on Sunday. 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 Maybe [Mueller] could have details about obstruction of justice that are not indictable, but are meaningful. Mr Trump on Tuesday morning appeared to live up to his former advisers prediction, tweeting angrily about the medias coverage of the probe. The Mainstream Media is under fire and being scorned all over the World as being corrupt and FAKE, he wrote. For two years they pushed the Russian Collusion Delusion when they always knew there was No Collusion. They truly are the Enemy of the People and the Real Opposition Party! He also shared a tweet by Tom Fitton, president of conservative activist group Judicial Watch, who claimed the probe was deep state abuse and called for a separate investigation into Hillary Clintons private email use. Donald Trumps team is sending letters to TV producers demanding they reconsider booking guests they perceive lied about Robert Muellers investigation. The memo was sent on Monday to a number of networks, including MSNBC, CNN and NBC, by Mr Trumps 2020 campaign communications chief Tim Murtaugh, under the headline, Credibility of Certain Guests, according to a copy obtained by Axios. The document highlighted the conclusion reached by special counsel Mr Mueller that Mr Trump did not conspire with Russia to meddle in the 2016 election, and the decision by attorney general William Barr there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the president for obstruction of justice. The only way to interpret these conclusions is as a total and complete vindication of President Trump, Mr Murtaugh argued. The issuance of these definitive findings comes after two years of Democrat leaders and others lying to the American people by vigorously and repeatedly claiming there was evidence of collusion. They made many of these false claims, without evidence, on your airwaves. 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 In fact, members of Congress and the public remain in the dark as to whether Mr Muellers findings were definitive. The full report has yet to be made public, and only a handful of quotes were used to support Mr Barrs conclusions in his four-page letter. On obstruction, Mr Mueller conspicuously refused to rule either way, and was quoted by Mr Barr as saying in his report that although he does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it does not exonerate him. In the memo, Mr Murtaugh singled out six guests who he claimed made outlandish, false claims about the probe over the last 18 months: Congressional democrats Richard Blumenthal, Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler and Eric Swalwell; Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez; and former CIA director John Brennan. The memo claims those who made outrageous and unsupported claims about the president is not limited to the six highlighted critics, and asks networks to reconsider booking them in future. At this point, there must be introspection from the media who facilitated the reckless statements and a serious evaluation of how such guests are considered and handled in the future. But Mr Swalwell hit back, tweeting: The only person who has been caught lying about Russia is Donald Trump. If he thinks Ive made a false statement, he can sue me. And Ill beat him in court. The memo was sent the same day Mr Trump, addressing the Mueller report, accused a lot of people of doing some very, very evil things and treasonous things, and promised ominously they would certainly be looked at. Trump on Mueller Decision: People Have Done Evil, Treasonous Things Appearing on Fox News, Mr Trumps son Donald Trump Jr echoed his father, calling for investigations into people he believed were responsible for what he called the greatest farce in our democracy. Sarah Sanders, Mr Trump's White House press secretary, later tweeted out a mock chart inviting supporters to vote for which of the "Trump haters" prominent in US media were "most embarrassingly wrong". Despite Republican triumphalism over Mr Barrs letter, many in the party appear keen to keep the full report away from Congress and the public. Though Mr Trump said it wouldnt bother me at all if the document was released, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell on Monday blocked a Democratic resolution to do so. Mr McConnell said the Justice Department should not be rushed. Donald Trump reportedly "doesn't want another single dollar" of additional relief funds going to Puerto Rico, which is still struggling amid the fallout from Hurricane Maria in 2017. In a meeting with advisers in the Oval Office last month, the US president asked for ways to limit government financial support from going to the Caribbean island, according to The Washington post, who cited senior administration sources. Mr Trump allegedly wanted more money going to the mainland, and that he only wanted to allocate funds that would fortify Puerto Rico's electric grid. According to the newspaper, the billionaire has also privately signalled he will not approve any additional help to the island beyond food stamp money, which was drastically cut after Congress failed to vote for its reauthorisation earlier this month. A senior administration official told the newspaper: "He doesn't want another single dollar going to the island." Bringing aid to Puerto Rico Show all 20 1 /20 Bringing aid to Puerto Rico Bringing aid to Puerto Rico Crew chief Kenney shelters under the blade of an HH-60 Blackhawk helicopter from 101st Airborne Division's "Dustoff" unit preparing to take off during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria, in Isla Grande, Puerto Rico, October 6, 2017 Reuters/Lucas Jackson Bringing aid to Puerto Rico An HH-60 Blackhawk helicopter from 101st Airborne Division's "Dustoff" unit takes off behind Crew Chief Alexander Blake and his fellow soldiers during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria, in Morovis, October 5, 2017 Reuters/Lucas Jackson Bringing aid to Puerto Rico Crew member Bynum stands in tropical rain as a HH-60 Blackhawk helicopter from 101st Airborne Division's "Dustoff" unit prepares to take off during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria, in Isla Grande, October 6, 2017 Reuters/Lucas Jackson Bringing aid to Puerto Rico UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter pilot Chris Greenway receives a hug from a woman thanking him for water as he works with the First Armored Division's Combat Aviation Brigade during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria, in Verde de Comerio, October 7, 2017 Reuters/Lucas Jackson Bringing aid to Puerto Rico A man carries a case of water away from an HH-60 Blackhawk helicopter after soldiers working with 101st Airborne Division's "Dustoff" unit dropped off relief supplies during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria, in Jayuya, October 5, 2017 Reuters/Lucas Jackson Bringing aid to Puerto Rico Crew chief Alexander Blake from 101st Airborne Division's "Dustoff" unit loads water into a helicopter during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria, in Isla Grande, October 5, 2017 Reuters/Lucas Jackson Bringing aid to Puerto Rico Residents wait for soldiers in UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters from the First Armored Division's Combat Aviation Brigade to deliver food and water during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria, in San Lorenzo Reuters Bringing aid to Puerto Rico An HH-60 Blackhawk helicopter from 101st Airborne Division's "Dustoff" unit lands in a field to avoid lightning during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria, in Manati, October 5, 2017 Reuters/Lucas Jackson Bringing aid to Puerto Rico Residents hold their hands aloft to signal that they need water as UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters from the First Armored Division's Combat Aviation Brigade fly past during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria, near Ciales, October 7, 2017 Reuters/Lucas Jackson Bringing aid to Puerto Rico Tropical rain splashes on a runway as HH-60 Blackhawk helicopters from 101st Airborne Division's "Dustoff" unit wait for weather to clear during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria, in Isla Grande, October 6, 2017 Reuters/Lucas Jackson Bringing aid to Puerto Rico Pilot Eldwin Bocanegra Torres speaks with residents isolated by landslides in the mountains after unloading water and food from a helicopter during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria, near Utuado, October 10, 2017 Reuters/Lucas Jackson Bringing aid to Puerto Rico Residents stand in front of wind-damaged trees as they wait for soldiers in UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters from the First Armored Division's Combat Aviation Brigade to deliver food and water during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria, in San Lorenzo, October 7, 2017 Reuters/Lucas Jackson Bringing aid to Puerto Rico The contents of a home are seen from the air during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria near Utuado, October 10, 2017 Reuters/Lucas Jackson Bringing aid to Puerto Rico Thomas looks out of the window of an HH-60 Blackhawk helicopter from 101st Airborne Division's "Dustoff" unit, loaded with relief supplies, during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria in Isla Grande, October 6, 2017 Reuters/Lucas Jackson Bringing aid to Puerto Rico A message written on the rooftop is seen from the air during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria near Humacao, October 10, 2017 Reuters/Lucas Jackson Bringing aid to Puerto Rico A HH-60 Blackhawk helicopter from 101st Airborne Division's "Dustoff" unit lands in a field during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria in San Sebastian, October 6, 2017 Reuters/Lucas Jackson Bringing aid to Puerto Rico Sergeant First Class Eladio Tirado, who is from Puerto Rico, looks for a landing spot for a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter from the First Armored Division's Combat Aviation Brigade, during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria near Ciales, October 7, 2017 Reuters/Lucas Jackson Bringing aid to Puerto Rico Boys carry water away from an HH-60 Blackhawk helicopter after soldiers working with the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division's "Dustoff" unit dropped off relief supplies during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria, in Jayuya, October 5, 2017 Reuters/Lucas Jackson Bringing aid to Puerto Rico Sergeant First Class Eladio Tirado from the First Armored Division's Combat Aviation Brigade, who is from Puerto Rico, speaks with residents as he helps during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria, in San Lorenzo, October 7, 2017 Reuters/Lucas Jackson Bringing aid to Puerto Rico Residents peek through a fence at helicopters from 101st Airborne Division's "Dustoff" unit that had parked in a locked field during recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria, in Lares, October 6, 2017 Reuters/Lucas Jackson It comes amid a battle over a long-delayed disaster aid bill that has become a top political priority for some of Mr Trump's Republican allies as it heads to the Senate floor this week. At stake is $13.5bn (10.2bn) emergency relief legislation to help southern farmers, rebuild hurricane-damaged military bases, repair water systems, and assist victims of last year's California wildfires, among other purposes. The measure has wide backing from both Democrats and Republicans and is perhaps most ardently backed by Trump loyalists such as senators David Perdue and Thom Tillis, who face potentially difficult re-election fights next year. The White House, however, is unhappy with the bill and remains opposed to efforts by Democrats to make hurricane relief to Puerto Rico more generous. Senate Republicans are supporting food aid to the devastated island and are working with top Democrats like Patrick Leahy of Vermont to try to speed passage of the measure by adding additional help for Puerto Rico. The House passed a companion $14.2bn (10.7bn) version of the legislation in January, but it got tangled up in the politics of the partial government shutdown and Mr Trump's demands for a wall along the US-Mexico border. The measure is especially sought by lawmakers from southern states like Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, which were hit by hurricanes Michael and Florence last year. There is also money to respond to floods in South Carolina, Nebraska, Iowa and other Midwestern states, an earthquake in Alaska, California wildfires, as well as Puerto Rico. Steny Hoyer responds after Republican congressman shouts 'go back to Puerto Rico' In an official position paper in January, the White House said the House bill was far too generous, objecting to almost $6bn (4.6bn) worth of the measure. But it stopped short of an outright veto threat, and aides say Mr Trump has since told Mr Perdue he would sign the Senate version of the bill, which mirrors the House plan in most respects. For many lawmakers, passage is already overdue. Puerto Rico has already cut nutrition benefits by roughly 25 per cent amid the funding crunch and Georgia lawmakers warn that their farmers need help in the run-up to planting season. "We are past the time when this should have gotten done. I have spoken with the president many times about this. His commitment to our farmers is unwavering," Mr Perdue said last month. Mr Trump's commitment to aid to storm-ravaged Puerto Rico is in question, however. Last fall, Mr Trump tweeted falsely that the government of Puerto Rico was using disaster aid funding to pay off its debt, and earlier this year Mr Trump reportedly contemplated trying to shift some of Puerto Rico's disaster aid to address disaster in the mainland US. While Mr Trump supports $600m (454m) to maintain food stamp benefits in Puerto Rico, Capitol Hill aides say the White House is opposing more generous terms for delivery of disaster aid dollars and funding to rebuild antiquated water systems and make them more resilient to future storms. Allies of Puerto Rico say Mr Trump treats the US territory worse than states that have endured far less devastating hurricane disasters. "These folks are living under the American flag," said Democratic congressman Jose Serrano. "They should not be treated any differently than any other American citizen." The Puerto Rican vote is an increasingly potent vote in Florida, an essential state to Mr Trump's re-election bid. Florida senator Rick Scott, a Trump ally, is a strong supporter of aid to the island. "Puerto Rico's success is America's success and Puerto Rico's recovery is America's recovery," Mr Scott said in his maiden Senate speech earlier this year. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Show all 23 1 /23 Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Joe Biden The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Bernie Sanders The 2016 runner-up has announced that he will be running again in 2020 Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Hillary Clinton The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State says she is still considering whether she will run again. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Pete Buttigieg The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kamala Harris The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Beto ORourke The former Texas congressman told Oprah Winfrey that he has been thinking about running for presidency, but stopped short of formally announcing his bid to run in 2020. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. Vice News Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Andrew Yang The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual advisor has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Kerry The former secretary of state has said he is still thinking about whether to run. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Michael Bloomberg The entrepreneur and former New York mayor with a net worth of around $50bn has said he will decide by the end of February whether to seek the presidency. AFP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Howard Schultz Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has not yet ruled out running for president in 2020, despite criticism that his bid could help re-elect Mr Trump by dividing the Democrat vote. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Holder The former attorney general has said he will decide in the next month or so whether to run as a 2020 presidential candidate. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Swalwell The California congressman said he is ready to do this and will decide before April whether to run. MSNBC Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Terry McAuliffe The former Virginia governor, who worked to elect Democratic governors during 2018 midterms, said there was a 50 per cent chance he would run. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Sherrod Brown The Ohio senator is still undecided about whether to run for president in 2020. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Mitch Landrieu The former New Orleans mayor said he doesnt think he will run for president, but never say never. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin The measure represents leftover business from last year, but efforts to add it to a catchall spending bill fizzled last month. Advancing the measure on its own promises to be a delicate task and a test of divided government. It reconnects the main players in last month's successful negotiations on a catchall spending bill and border security measure. That success has lawmakers and staff aides cautiously confident that talks between Senate appropriations committee Chairman Richard Shelby and top panel Democrat Patrick Leahy of Vermont will bear fruit and that the measure could pass the chamber by the end of the week. If the legislative planets aligned just right, supporters hope, the Democratic-controlled House could simply pass the Senate bill and immediately ship it to Mr Trump, forgoing any need for time-consuming House-Senate conference talks. Generally, the more disaster areas that are addressed in an emergency aid bill, the easier it is to pass. That seems to be true in this case, and the legislation could be helped as well because so many Trump-friendly areas were affected. Tyndall Air Force Base on Florida's Panhandle took a direct hit from Hurricane Michael last October and Camp Lejeune in North Carolina took a big hit from Hurricane Florence. Communities in wildfire-ravaged northern California are eager for rebuilding help and thousands of homes in Alaska were damaged in last year's earthquake. Additional reporting by AP Donald Trump's trade policies are adversely impacting Americans to the tune of more than a billion dollars a month, according to a new study. The presidents tariffs and other hard-line policies put forth by his administration have reduced US income by nearly $1.4bn (1bn) each month, according to the joint study conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York along with Columbia University and Princeton University. The three research groups behind the study looked at available data dating back to November of last year, noting substantial increases in the cost of imported goods facing the newly-imposed tariffs. Economists have long argued that there are real income losses from import protection, the researchers said in a statement accompanying the studys release. Using the evidence to date from the 2018 trade war, we find empirical support for these arguments. Losses mounted steadily over the year, as each wave of tariffs affected additional countries and products, and increased substantially after the imposition of the wave 6 tariffs on $200bn (151.5bn) of Chinese exports. 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 During the period of January through November of last year, researchers said total US income losses soared to approximately $6.9bn (5.2bn). Thats a conservative estimate according to economic experts, as CNBC noted in its report on the study published Tuesday. Recommended Trump asks China to drop all agricultural tariffs Earlier this month, the president said tariffs could stay in place even after finalising a trade deal with China in order to make sure Beijing lives by the deal. He said negotiations were coming along nicely and that White House officials were discussing holding the tariffs in place for a substantial period of time, noting China had previously had problems living by certain deals. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events While his tit-for-tat tariff exchange with China has alarmed economists, the president did receive a win by using the tactic during negotiations to revise the North American Free Trade Agreement, which has been updated to the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. Flight simulations recreating the problems with the Lion Air plane that crashed last year have revealed pilots had less than 40 seconds to override an automated system to avert disaster, according to airline sources. The pilots tested a crisis situation similar to what investigators suspect went wrong in Lion Air flight 610, which killed all 189 people on board after it crashed into the Java Sea. In the tests, a single sensor failed, triggering software designed to help prevent a stall. Once that happened, the pilots had just moments to disengage the system and avoid an unrecoverable nosedive of the Boeing 737 Max, according to two people involved in the testing in recent days. Although the investigations are continuing, the automated system, known as MCAS, is a focus of authorities trying to determine what went wrong in the Lion Air disaster in October and the Ethiopian Airlines crash of the same Boeing model this month. Lion Air plane crashes minutes after take-off from Jakarta Show all 13 1 /13 Lion Air plane crashes minutes after take-off from Jakarta Lion Air plane crashes minutes after take-off from Jakarta Indonesia President Joko Widodo inspects the items recovered from Lion Air flight JT 610 Getty Lion Air plane crashes minutes after take-off from Jakarta A member of Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency inspects debris AP Lion Air plane crashes minutes after take-off from Jakarta Rescue teams have been joined by fisherman and volunteers in the search for survivors Getty Lion Air plane crashes minutes after take-off from Jakarta Lion Air CEO, Edward Sirait (centre) speaks during a press conference at Lion Air Branch office at Soekarno Hatta Airport EPA Lion Air plane crashes minutes after take-off from Jakarta No bodies have yet been discovered among the wreckage of the Lion Air flight EPA Lion Air plane crashes minutes after take-off from Jakarta Indonesian search and rescue personnel prepare for a recovery mission Getty Lion Air plane crashes minutes after take-off from Jakarta Rescuers searching the site of the plane crash lift a body bag onto a nearby vessel EPA Lion Air plane crashes minutes after take-off from Jakarta A relative of passengers arrive at Lion Air's crisis center at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia AP Lion Air plane crashes minutes after take-off from Jakarta In this photo released by Indonesian Disaster Mitigation Agency rescuers inspect debris believed to be from a Lion Air passenger jet AP Lion Air plane crashes minutes after take-off from Jakarta A relative of passengers prays as she and others wait for news on a Lion Air plane that crashed off Java Island AP Lion Air plane crashes minutes after take-off from Jakarta A rescue team member points to the location where Indonesia's Lion Air flight JT 610 had crashed into the sea, at Tanjung Priok seaport in Jakarta Getty Lion Air plane crashes minutes after take-off from Jakarta Officials evacuate a body bag containing the remains of one of the victims of the crash EPA Lion Air plane crashes minutes after take-off from Jakarta Indonesian relatives of the plane crash victims cry as they wait for the news at the airport in Sukarno Hatta Airport EPA The software, as originally designed and explained, left little room for error. Those involved in the testing had not fully understood just how powerful the system was until they flew the plane on a 737 Max simulator, according to the two people. In a tacit acknowledgement of the systems problems, Boeing is expected to propose a software update that would give pilots more control over the system. This would make it less likely to trigger erroneously, according to three people familiar with the private meetings and who spoke on the condition of anonymity. There are common procedures in place to counteract MCAS, as currently designed. If the system starts pushing the planes nose down, pilots can reverse the movement via a switch at their thumb, a typical reaction in that situation. To fully neutralise the system, pilots would need to flip two more switches. That would shut off the electricity to a motor that allows the system to push the plane towards the ground. Then the pilots would need to crank a wheel to correct whatever problems had emerged. In the Lion Air crash, pilots used the thumb switch more than two dozen times to try to override the system. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The system kept engaging nonetheless, most likely because of bad readings from a sensor, until the plane crashed into the Java Sea, killing all 189 people on board. The software changes require approval by the Federal Aviation Administration. New York Times The European parliaments top Brexit official has said a real Brexit revolt is under way in the United Kingdom. Guy Verhofstadt highlighted an online petition signed by more than five million people to revoke Britains decision to leave the EU, as well as a protest which saw more than a million take to the streets in London over the weekend to demand a public vote on Theresa Mays deal. I think that we see for the moment [is] a real Brexit revolt by the people in Britain, the Belgian MEP said on Tuesday. He added he was very pleased by the Commons vote on Monday in which MPs took more control over the Brexit process, and set up a series of further votes this week which could dramatically alter the course of the UKs departure. It is possible now to work in Britain towards a cross-party alliance, Mr Verhofstadt said, adding: I hope it will lead to a proposal that can be backed by a majority [in Westminster]. How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit Show all 10 1 /10 How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Independent How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Times How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Telegraph How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Mirror How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Metro How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The I How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Guardian How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Financial Times How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Daily Mail How newspapers reported MPs seizing control of Brexit The Daily Express Philippe Lamberts, a member of the European parliaments Brexit steering group, said Ms May had been unable to establish bonds of trust with other European leaders and within the British parliament. It is for the British government to make up its mind what the alternative strategy is knowing full well that the strategy of running down the clock and scaring people into voting for the withdrawal agreement has failed, he said. Theresa May might be tempted to play [a] scorched-earth policy and say, Well, whatever the parliament does ... I wont do it. After resigning from his ministerial position on Monday, Steve Brine suggested that both revoking Article 50 and a second referendum are on the table. Mr Brine, a former health minister, also hinted he believed the vote against Ms May on Monday paving the way for indicative Brexit votes could persuade Brexiteer Conservatives fearing a softer exit from the bloc to back the prime ministers Brexit deal. Speaking to the BBC Radio 4s Today programme, he warned: Anything from here, as far as they are concerned, gets softer in terms of Brexit. Jacob Rees-Mogg hints he will vote for Theresa May's Brexit deal Mr Brine continued: If the House of Commons just simply cannot come up with anything to move us out of this then everything is on the table. You have to accept that a second referendum or revoking Article 50 are on the table because they will probably be some options. But Jacob Rees-Mogg, a leading Brexiteer and chair of the influential European Research Group, boosted Ms Mays hopes of ramming her deal through parliament after he signalled he may now support it. Speaking on his ConservativeHome podcast, Mr Rees-Mogg said: The prime minister will not deliver a no-deal Brexit. Asked if that meant the options were now Ms Mays deal or potentially no Brexit, he said: That I think, becomes the choice eventually. Whether we are there yet is another matter, but I have always thought that no-deal is better than Ms Mays deal, but Ms Mays deal is better than not leaving at all. Additional reporting by agencies The crew of Southwest Airlines Flight 8701, a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, declared an emergency after the aircraft experienced a reported engine problem while departing from Orlando International Airport in Florida about 2:50 p.m. today, the statement said. The aircraft returned and landed safely in Orlando. No passengers were aboard the aircraft, which was being ferried to Victorville, Calif., for storage. The FAA is investigating. A British doctor is feared dead after he failed to return from a hike on holiday in the French Alps. Robert Bailey, 63, was last seen leaving for a walk in Les Houches, near Chamonix, on Thursday. The mountain rescue team at the ski resort have published a missing person's notice, which was shared on Twitter by the British Embassy. Gendarmerie Haute-Savoie said Dr Bailey was diabetic and had heart problems. He set off to hike near Col de la Forclaz, a mountain pass near Mont Blanc, wearing a blue jacket, dark trousers, and green bag. Dr Bailey is a GP and senior partner at Minster Medical Practice in Peterborough. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty A recorded message told callers to the practice on Tuesday: "We are extremely saddened to advise that last Thursday Dr Bailey, who was on holiday in Chamonix, was involved in an accident. "At present we have no further information." The message goes on to tell patients that the practice will be offering only emergency appointments for the rest of the week. A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are in contact with the French authorities concerning a missing British man, and are assisting his family." On Monday a British man died in a snowboarding accident at a ski resort in Andorra. The 59-year-old suffered cardiac arrest after losing control at high speed and crashing into a tree in Grandvalira. A man wielding a chainsaw sparked chaos by storming into a Russian cafe and threatening customers. Footage posted online shows staff tackling the man, who was reportedly drunk, as he lurched around with the power tool in the far eastern port city of Nakhodka. Screams and the sound of the chainsaw roaring can be heard in the video as at least four people grapple with the him and others flee. Cafe employees and customers were able to wrestle the saw off the man and switch it off, according to local media reports. No one was hurt. Police in the Primorsky region launched an investigation after the clip was widely shared on social media, according to Interfax news agency. The video was posted online this week, but it is not clear when it was filmed. 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 Ministry of Internal Affairs said the incident had not been reported to the police but officers were looking to speak to witnesses. Nakhodka, 90 miles east of China on the Sea of Japan, is a key route for Siberian coal exports. More than five per cent of the city's 160,000 residents are port workers. Town halls have been evacuated in seven cities across Germany after bomb threats were sent overnight, police have said. A threat against the city of Augsburg has been received, the town hall has been cleared, we are investigating, tweeted police in the southern city. Similar incidents were reported at city halls in Neunkirchen, Kaiserslautern, Chemnitz, Goettingen, Heilbronn and Rendsburg. Forces said sniffer dogs were searching for explosives and local traffic in the cities was disrupted. Some of the emails sent overnight threatened bomb attacks, and others made other threats, the police said. Inside Germanys abandoned forbidden city Show all 8 1 /8 Inside Germanys abandoned forbidden city Inside Germanys abandoned forbidden city AP Inside Germanys abandoned forbidden city AP Inside Germanys abandoned forbidden city AP Inside Germanys abandoned forbidden city AP Inside Germanys abandoned forbidden city AP Inside Germanys abandoned forbidden city AP Inside Germanys abandoned forbidden city AP Inside Germanys abandoned forbidden city AP In Augsburg the bomb threats meant some 500 people were evacuated from the town hall and buildings around the main square, local paper Augsburger Allgemeine reports. The town hall in Gottingen, Lower Saxony, was also evacuated and the immediate area shut down after police said an anonymous bomb threat had been received by email, according to the Gottinger Tageblatt. Shortly after 10 clock, the police gave the all clear there. Nothing dangerous had been found, a police spokeswoman told reporters. The paper said special forces were on site and residents were urged to avoid the area, while traffic had been widely diverted. The town hall in Kaiserslautern also received a threatening email, police said. Officers were reportedly on site with explosives detection dogs. In Chemnitz 200 employees were ordered to leave the city hall after the threat was received. The weekly market was closed and traders had to dismantle their stands. Following a bomb threat against the city hall in Heilbronn police have now given the all-clear, according to German news outlet Stern. No explosive devices were found. In recent weeks, numerous bomb threats have been made across Germany including at courts and railway stations, publishers and tax offices and also against politicians and lawyers all prompting evacuations. Explosive devices have not been found in any of the recent cases. Investigators in Berlin are now examining more than 100 cases of threats suspected to be linked to right-wing extremists, according to Die Welt. An airport police officer shot his colleague before turning the gun on himself after a heated argument inside the domestic flights terminal at Kayseri, Turkey, local media reported. It was said that at least four shots were fired inside the airport in central Turkey on Tuesday afternoon, provoking panic among the public. Hurriyet reported that after the two officers argued, one drew his pistol and fired three shots at the other before using the weapon to shoot himself. After the incident, which is said to have occurred 4.20pm local time, a large number of police and ambulances reportedly rushed to the airport, which was also subjected to enhanced security measures. 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 Video footage from Kayseri showed a small crowd of people, some with luggage, forming outside the terminal building. It is understood that both officers were taken to hospital. They have yet to be officially named. The cause of the argument is not yet known. In 2016, suspected Isis militants armed with automatic weapons and explosive belts carried out an attack at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, killing 45 people. Algerias powerful army chief of staff turned against the countrys ailing president Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Tuesday in a dramatic development, calling for the invocation of a constitutional clause declaring his office vacant. Army chief of staff Ahmed Gaid Salah, also the countrys deputy defence minister, is the most senior official to turn against Mr Bouteflika amid weeks of mass protests calling for him to resign rather than seek a fifth term. Some of the protesters and activists participating in the weeks-long uprising against the regime, however, saw in the declaration a stage-managed attempt to push Mr Bouteflika from power without sacrificing the positions and privileges of the generals, security officials, and business leaders who make up the elite. This is the perfect coup, said one Algiers activist and journalist. The army is saying to the protesters, Take Bouteflika and go home. Several major opposition political parties, who have been swept up by the protests rather than leading them, quickly rejected General Salahs intervention. The bold move was quickly followed by a reported convening of the constitutional court, which has the authority to remove Mr Bouteflika. The sequence suggested behind-the-scenes manoeuvres by powerful, shadowy figures within the elite to attempt to defuse a budding crisis by pushing Mr Bouteflika out and handing power to the head of the upper chamber of parliament, Abdelkader Bensalah. Mr Bouteflika, who is 82, has been president since 1999, but has been wheelchair-bound and has not delivered a public speech since suffering a stroke in 2013. Algerians protest against President Bouteflika Show all 14 1 /14 Algerians protest against President Bouteflika Algerians protest against President Bouteflika Protests against President Bouteflika in Algiers on March 15 Reuters Algerians protest against President Bouteflika Protesters march in Algiers to demand the resignation of President Bouteflika on March 15 Reuters Algerians protest against President Bouteflika Protesters carrying the national flag protest against President Boueflika on the Republique Plaza on March 17 AP Algerians protest against President Bouteflika Algerians march during a protest in Algiers on March 15 AP Algerians protest against President Bouteflika Students protest in Algiers on March 19 Reuters Algerians protest against President Bouteflika Protesters hang national flags atop a building in Algiers on March 15 Reuters Algerians protest against President Bouteflika Algerian doctors protest against President Bouteflika on March 19 in Algiers EPA Algerians protest against President Bouteflika Algerians demand the resignation of President Bouteflika in a protest on March 15 in Algiers AFP/Getty Algerians protest against President Bouteflika A woman holds a placard with the photo of President Bouteflika during a protest on March 15 in Algiers AP Algerians protest against President Bouteflika Algerians demand the resignation of President Bouteflika in a protest on March 15 in Algiers AFP/Getty Algerians protest against President Bouteflika Algerian doctors march against President Bouteflika on March 19 in Algiers EPA Algerians protest against President Bouteflika Algerians take part in a demonstration against President Bouteflika on March 19 in Algiers AFP/Getty Algerians protest against President Bouteflika Algerian doctors protest against President Bouteflika on March 19 in Algiers AFP/Getty Algerians protest against President Bouteflika Employees of the Algerian Ministry of Vocational Education and Training protest against President Bouteflika in Algiers on March 18 EPA We must find a way out of this crisis immediately, within the constitutional framework that is the only guarantee to preserve a stable political situation, said General Salah in an address broadcast on state television. The 79-year-old general wore camouflage military fatigues as he spoke. The solution that must be adopted to end the crisis and answer the legitimate demands of the Algerian people, is the solution that guarantees the sovereignty of the constitution and the continuity of the state. This solution achieves consensus and must be accepted by all. Algerias powerful armed forces have long played a lynchpin role in politics. Following impending 1991 election victories by Islamists, they rolled back democracy and ignited a vicious civil war that continues to haunt the country. Many observers likened General Salahs speech, held before a military audience, to the 2011 announcement by Egyptian generals that ousted longtime president Hosni Mubarak but ensured the power of the military and its cronies. What is worrying is Salah announcing it himself, said the journalist and activist, with his legendary authoritarian tone. Article 102 of the countrys constitution allows Algerias constitutional court to declare the presidential post vacant if the officeholder is unable to carry out his duties, and ask the parliament to declare him unfit. It also allows for the extension of parliamentary terms of office in exceptional circumstances. General Salahs call for Mr Bouteflikas departure was all the more surprising as he was largely seen as a loyalist to the president. The senior officer, a veteran of the 1954-1962 war of independence from France, was elevated by Mr Bouteflika to the post of army chief of staff in 2004, and deputy defence minister in 2013. Mr Bouteflika for years deftly balanced the dozen or so power centres within Algerias networks of rival cliques that span commerce, the armed forces, and the intelligence networks. But the waves of protests against his fifth term by Algerians fed up with the regimes perceived corruption and mismanagement of the oil and gas-rich country of 42 million, have pushed the country to the brink. The Algerian armys move was predictable as the Bouteflika clan had no plan B, said Tarek Cherkaoui, North Africa specialist at TRT World Research Centre, a think tank associated with Turkeys public broadcaster. The massive and unprecedented demonstrations created a potentially dangerous vacuum. Moving forward, the devil will be in the details of how the transition will be managed. Algerians across the country protest against the regime When Egypts generals announced Mr Mubaraks departure, the protesters gathered in Cairos Tahrir Square cheered, chanting the army and the people are one hand. Two years on, the military under now president Abdel Fatah el-Sisi staged a coup, toppling Egypts only legitimately elected government and ushering in the most repressive era in the countrys history. Few in Algeria cheered General Salahs announcement. Two Islamist parties quickly rejected the formula, pushing instead for the roadmap approved by a group of opposition parties earlier this month. It is a solution that does not conform with the demands of the Algerian people, Islamist Justice and Development Front leader Abdallah Djaballah was quoted as saying in local media. The predominantly Berber, left-leaning Rally for Culture and Democracy party called Gen Salahs statement tantamount to a coup attempt. On social media, there were no calls to abandon plans for huge anti-government protests later this week. I think Fridays protests will call him off as well, said the journalist and activist. People are not backing down.They want them all gone. Its going to get messier. Syrias foreign minister has called Donald Trump a pirate for recognising the occupied Golan Heights as Israeli territory, amid a widespread backlash over the move. Mr Trump signed a proclamation on Monday officially granting US recognition of Israels sovereignty over the contested land, during a White House visit by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981 in a move not recognised internationally. The US decision will affect nothing, except the isolation of the US, said the countrys foreign minister, Walid Muallem, according to Syrian state news. The news agency said thousands of Syrians have gathered in the streets of different cities on Tuesday to protest against the decision. Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights Show all 7 1 /7 Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights An Israeli soldier stands next to signs pointing out distances to different cities on Mount Bental, an observation post in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights Reuters Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights Druze people take part in a rally in Majdal Shams near the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria Reuters Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights Israeli Druzes sit together watching the Syrian side of the Israel-Syria border on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights Reuters Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights A European member of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) using binoculars to look towards the Syrian side of the Golan Heights AFP/Getty Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights A file photo taken on October 19, 1973 shows Israeli Defence Minister General Moshe Dayan (R) looking towards the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, four days after the beginning of the Yom Kippur War AFP/Getty Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights A file photo taken on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on September 5, 2014 shows members of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force Zone (UNDOF) using binoculars to look towards the Syrian side of the Golan Heights AFP/Getty Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights Members of the United Nations peacekeepers standing on a watch tower during a visit by the Israeli Defence Minister in 2018 AFP/Getty The move has drawn widespread criticism from across the Arab world, including from countries politically opposed to the Syrian government. Saudi Arabia described the Golan Heights as occupied Syrian Arab land in accordance with the relevant international resolutions in a statement on Tuesday, adding that attempts to impose fait accompli do not change the facts. It will have significant negative effects on the peace process in the Middle East and the security and stability of the region, the statement said of the decision. Kuwait and Bahrain said they regretted the decision while Qatar called on Israel to end its occupation of the Golan Heights and comply with international resolutions. The Lebanese foreign ministry also said in a statement that Mr Trumps decision undermines any effort to reach a just peace. Iran said the decision was against international law. Recommended US formally recognises Israeli sovereignty over Golan Heights Russia also joined the chorus of condemnation on Tuesday, saying the move would have negative implications from the point of view of the Middle East settlement process. Most importantly, this is probably yet another step by Washington made in clear violation of international law. We deeply regret that, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by the privately owned Interfax news agency. In signing the proclamation, Mr Trump said: This was a long time in the making. Today, aggressive acts by Iran and terrorist groups, including Hezbollah, in southern Syria continue to make the Golan Heights a potential launching ground for attacks on Israel, the president said in the document. It noted the unique circumstances presented by the Golan, language that appeared to be aimed at countering criticism that the recognition would be used by other countries to justify control of disputed territory, such as Russias 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimea region. Israeli soldiers stand guard at the Quneitra crossing in the Golan Heights (EPA) Criticism has also come from US allies such as Canada and Turkey, who have expressed opposition to the move. In accordance with international law, Canada does not recognise permanent Israeli control over the Golan Heights. Canadas long-standing position remains unchanged, the Canadian foreign ministry said. Annexation of territory by force is prohibited under international law. Turkeys foreign minister said that the US had ignored international law and that the decision would further increase tensions in the region. And, at the United Nations, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said UN chief Antonio Guterres adheres to security council resolutions that Israels annexation of the Golan Heights is null and void and without international legal effect. Amnesty International called the decision irresponsible, reckless and yet another example of the Trump administration violating international law and consensus by condoning Israels illegal annexation. Additional reporting by agencies At least 19 people have been killed and about 100 more injured in flash floods in southern Iran. Dramatic footage showed crumpled cars piled up deep in mud and water and people clinging to lamp posts after floods swept through the city of Shiraz, where most of the deaths occurred on Monday. Pirhossein Kolivand, head of Irans emergency medical services, said four children were among those who died, Irans semi-official Tasnim news agency reports. High water is said to have damaged thousands of houses in the city and other towns, and 26 out of 31 regions are on high alert for imminent flooding because of torrential rain forecast for the coming days. The spread of flooding to the south comes after days of floods in the north which affected more than 56,000 people living in 270 villages and small towns in the regions of Golestan and Mazandaran on the Caspian Sea. Flash flooding kills at least 19 in Iran Show all 10 1 /10 Flash flooding kills at least 19 in Iran Flash flooding kills at least 19 in Iran Cars are piled after being swept up in flash flooding in Shiraz in south-central Iran AFP/Getty Flash flooding kills at least 19 in Iran Vehicles are swept to the roadside in flash flooding in Shiraz in south-central Iran Reuters Flash flooding kills at least 19 in Iran Military vehicles rescue people after flash flooding in the north Iranian of Agh Ghaleh AP Flash flooding kills at least 19 in Iran The northern Iranian village of Agh Ghaleh - shown here on March 23 - has been flooded over the past week AFP/Getty Flash flooding kills at least 19 in Iran The northern Iranian city of Agh Ghaleh - shown here on March 23 - has been flooded over the past week AFP/Getty Flash flooding kills at least 19 in Iran Clean-up efforts after flash flooding in Shiraz in south-central Iran Reuters Flash flooding kills at least 19 in Iran Residents of the northern Iranian village of Agh Ghaleh - shown here on March 23 - walk in a flooded street. The town has been flooded over the past week AFP/Getty Flash flooding kills at least 19 in Iran Cars are piled after being swept up in flash flooding in Shiraz in south-central Iran AFP/Getty Flash flooding kills at least 19 in Iran Cars are piled after being swept up in flash flooding in Shiraz in south-central Iran AP Flash flooding kills at least 19 in Iran The northern Iranian city of Agh Ghaleh - shown here on March 23 - has been flooded over the past week AFP/Getty Five people were killed in floods in the north, according to the state-run Press TV channel. Irans judiciary said the governments handling of the disaster was being investigated after it was criticised for reacting to slowly to the floods. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Any shortcomings regarding the handling of te floods, failure to provide relief and aid to the survivors will be investigated, judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi was quoted as saying by Mizan news agency. Fars governor Enayatollah Rahimi told state TV the flooding was under control and rescue and aid workers had been deployed to the flood-hit areas. Irans energy minister Reza Ardakanian blamed climate change as the cause of the floods. Climate change is forcing itself on our country, Tasnim quoted him as saying. These floods in Iran are the result of climate change worldwide. Additional reporting by Reuters The United Nations has called for urgent restraint in Gaza and Israel, warning an escalation of violence between warring factions could have catastrophic consequences. The caution by Nickolay Mladenov, the UNs envoy for the Middle East, came after more than 24 hours of cross-border fire, sparked by a rocket attack from Gaza on a family home in central Israel which injured at least six people including a baby. No fatalities were reported by either side. Israel said overnight it had destroyed multiple positions controlled by Hamas, the militant group that runs the Strip, including the offices of Hamass political leader Ismail Haniyeh. At least 80 rockets, meanwhile, were fired from Gaza into Israel. Mr Mladenov told the Security Council that a fragile calm had returned to the region on Tuesday afternoon following intense efforts by Egypt, which helped broker the fragile truce, and the UN. However, the situation remained extremely tense. I am concerned that we may once again be facing another very dangerous escalation of violence in Gaza with potentially catastrophic consequences, he said. Israel launches airstrikes in Gaza Strip Show all 10 1 /10 Israel launches airstrikes in Gaza Strip Israel launches airstrikes in Gaza Strip Fire and smoke rises from a building hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City AFP/Getty Israel launches airstrikes in Gaza Strip Smoke rises above buildings in Rafah in the Gaza Strip following Israeli airstrikes AFP/Getty Israel launches airstrikes in Gaza Strip Palestinians are reflected in a mirror as they stand by the rubble of the office of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City Reuters Israel launches airstrikes in Gaza Strip A Palestinian stands by the rubble of the office of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City Reuters Israel launches airstrikes in Gaza Strip Palestinian boys watch as others inspect a mosque that was damaged in a nearby Israeli air strike in Gaza City Reuters Israel launches airstrikes in Gaza Strip Palestinians inspect their home after it was damaged in a nearby Israeli air strike in Gaza City Reuters Israel launches airstrikes in Gaza Strip Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City AP Israel launches airstrikes in Gaza Strip Palestinian men point to an insurance sign amid the rubble of a building destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City AFP/Getty Israel launches airstrikes in Gaza Strip Gaza City in the late afternoon on March 25 shortly before Israel launched airstrikes in the city AFP/Getty Israel launches airstrikes in Gaza Strip Fire and smoke rises from a building hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City AP The UN has been working intensely with Egypt and all concerned to ensure that the situation does not spiral out of control. The last two days have shown how precariously close we are to the brink of war once again, he added. There was confusion over whether a long-term ceasefire had actually been reached. Hamas had first announced the Cairo-brokered truce late on Monday, but a furious exchange of fire continued throughout the night. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who cut short a four-day trip to the US due to the escalation, warned on Tuesday he was ready to order further action against Gaza. His acting foreign minister, Israeli Katz, meanwhile, told Reshet Bet radio there was no ceasefire in place. Security officials in the south of the country including police told The Independent additional forces had been deployed in readiness for a longer military operation. Reservists had also been called up. Paramedics said they were on high alert. Recommended Weary Israelis lose patience over Gaza attacks The flareup comes just two weeks ahead of an Israeli general election. Mr Netanyhau hopes to beat a centrist alliance spearheaded by Benny Gantz, the countrys former army chief, and secure a fourth consecutive term in office, making him Israels longest serving premier. He had been set to sweep the polls after celebrating a surprise decision this week by president Donald Trump to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War. Mr Trump signed the controversial declaration on Monday, despite the fact the UN and the European Union believe Israels de facto annexation of the Syrian territory to be illegal. But the boost to Mr Netanyahus popularity was shortlived as he faced mounting calls for a longer military operation in the besieged Strip after the rocket fire. In the southern Israeli border town of Sderot, which was pounded by rockets during the flare up, Israeli residents announced protests on Tuesday night as they demanded the government take action. The southern regions have in the past been large support bases for Mr Netanyahus right-wing Likud party. Although not all protesters demanded a war with Gaza, many civilians living near to the tiny enclave told The Independent they felt abandoned by Israel, which did not have a plan. Israel does not have a policy vis-a-vis Gaza. We are totally reactionary instead of being proactive. For years [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar has called the shots like he is my prime minister, said Adele Raemer, who lives in Nirim, just a couple of miles from the fences, and keeps in touch with Gazans living on the other side of the border. She had spent the last few nights sleeping in her bomb shelter from the rocket fire and night disturbances: protests in Gaza during which some Palestinians have lobbed explosives towards Israel. Ms Raemer argued the solution was not a military but a political one. A rehabilitated Gaza is a safer western Negev. When Gazans can build schools, hospitals and take care of their sewage system, they wont use marches, explosives and rockets. People need to have a horizon of hope, she said. Local reaction after seven Israelis injured in Gaza rocket strike Her comments echoed protesters in Sderot. We demand the government of Israel recognise that we are Israeli citizens and we have human rights for security and safety like the rest of the country, said Sharon Shelly, 45, who was preparing to attend the evening rallies. The government has no strategy and keeps us living us from one war to another. We want a permanent solution, we dont know if that is fighting Hamas and replacing them, or making an agreement. Either way the government has absolutely failed us. Many people are fed up with Netanyahu and dont believe him, she added. A rehabilitated Gaza is a safer western Negev. When Gazans can build schools, hospitals, and take care of their sewage system, they wont use marches, explosives and rockets Adele Raemer, in Nirim, Israel Meanwhile, in Gaza, civilians said they would not be able to survive another war and feared that any escalation would be tied to the upcoming Israeli elections as all sides jostled for power. Its a disastrous time, because of the economic crisis and humanitarian catastrophe. People literally cannot feed their families at the moment. How can we survive a war? asked Hamdosh Aldayhem, 38, from north Gaza. Mohamed Baba, 26, also from the north, said they had had sleepless night as the airstrikes rocked their neighbourhoods. We do not want our blood to be the fuel for the coming Israeli election campaigns, he added. A Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen that is supported by the UK government has killed more than 8,000 civilians, according to new research. In the four years since the bombing campaign began, a total of 8,338 civilians have been killed by airstrikes, including 801 women and 1,283 children. The figures were compiled by the Yemen Data Project, which analysed 19,511 air raids, and comes amid increased scrutiny over the UKs role in the devastating conflict. Riyadh intervened in Yemens civil war in 2015 to reinstate the internationally recognised government of Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was ousted by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The coalition, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has admitted to causing civilian casualties in the past, but attributes the deaths to unintentional mistakes, and says it is committed to upholding international law. Yemen's Socotra Island, the 'Jewel of Arabia' Show all 17 1 /17 Yemen's Socotra Island, the 'Jewel of Arabia' Yemen's Socotra Island, the 'Jewel of Arabia' 11-year-old Marwa uses the red sap of dragon's blood trees to make nail varnish and make up. This specimen of the endemic Socotran tree is more than 1,000 years old. Bethan McKernan Yemen's Socotra Island, the 'Jewel of Arabia' Dragon's blood trees' grow via dichotomous branching, wherein each of the branches divides into two sections. Bethan McKernan Yemen's Socotra Island, the 'Jewel of Arabia' Detwah lagoon, next to the village of Qalansiyah, used to be a popular spot for camping trips. Bethan McKernan Yemen's Socotra Island, the 'Jewel of Arabia' Socotras estimated 60,000 inhabitants mainly rely on the islands fish stocks, date-yielding palm trees and goats for food. Bethan McKernan Yemen's Socotra Island, the 'Jewel of Arabia' Fish, squid and lobster populations are declining thanks to overfishing and the effects of climate change. Bethan McKernan Yemen's Socotra Island, the 'Jewel of Arabia' Most of Socotra's unique plant life is believed to be derived from subtropical forests dating back 20 million years. Bethan McKernan Yemen's Socotra Island, the 'Jewel of Arabia' Dragon's blood trees are adapted to survive in arid climates but need cool and misty mountainsides. Bethan McKernan Yemen's Socotra Island, the 'Jewel of Arabia' In the 1990s, UN biologists documented nearly 700 species on Socotra that are found nowhere else on Earth. Bethan McKernan Yemen's Socotra Island, the 'Jewel of Arabia' The Socotra Archipelago has been gradually drying out over hundreds of years, threatening the delicate ecosystem's survival. Bethan McKernan Yemen's Socotra Island, the 'Jewel of Arabia' Dozens of rusted Soviet tanks line Socotra's shores, unused relics left over from the Cold War. Bethan McKernan Yemen's Socotra Island, the 'Jewel of Arabia' The mountains on the island's eastern side are covered in fine white coral sand, blown there during monsoon seasons. Bethan McKernan Yemen's Socotra Island, the 'Jewel of Arabia' The island's granite and limestone cliffs are covered in a permanent mist. Bethan McKernan Yemen's Socotra Island, the 'Jewel of Arabia' A red snapper for dinner, a gift from a fisherman. Bethan McKernan Yemen's Socotra Island, the 'Jewel of Arabia' Socotra's Hajhir mountain range rises above the main town of Hadibo. Its jagged peaks can be seen from almost every corner of the island. Bethan McKernan Yemen's Socotra Island, the 'Jewel of Arabia' In the last 200 years, entire dragon's blood forests have been felled to make way for the growing population. Bethan McKernan Yemen's Socotra Island, the 'Jewel of Arabia' Two huge typhoons in 2015 killed hundreds of mature dragon's blood trees. Locals worry newly planted trees will not grow quickly enough. Bethan McKernan Yemen's Socotra Island, the 'Jewel of Arabia' Fishing dhows return to the village of Qalansiyah at sunset. Bethan McKernan Together with the US, the UK has played a major role in supporting the coalitions military campaign against the Houthis who have also been accused of war crimes by the United Nations. The UK has licensed 4.7bn worth of arms to Saudi Arabia since the bombing campaign began, including aircraft, helicopters, drones, bombs and missiles. A recent report by the US-based University Network for Human Rights (UNHR) and Yemeni monitoring group Mwatana found that British and American bombs have killed and maimed nearly 1,000 civilians, including over 120 children in Yemen. British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has consistently defended the sales, and argued in an op-ed on Tuesday that stopping sales to Saudi Arabia would lessen the UKs influence. We could halt our military exports and sever the ties that British governments of all parties have carefully preserved for decades, as critics are urging. But in doing so we would also surrender our influence and make ourselves irrelevant to the course of events in Yemen, Mr Hunt wrote in Politico. Our policy would be simply to leave the parties to fight it out, while denouncing them impotently from the sidelines, he added. However, critics have accused the UK of prioritising profit ahead of humanitarian concerns. Mr Hunt was writing a day after five UK opposition parties called on the government to drop all arms sales to Saudi Arabia. In a letter to Mr Hunt published in The Independent, Labour, the Green Party, SNP, the Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru wrote that: It is disappointing that despite all the evidence to the contrary on a conflict that has lasted four years that the government has determined not to use all the means at its disposal to pressure an ally to abide by basic human rights laws. This terrible war would not be possible without the political and military support of arms-dealing governments like the UK. As the war enters its fifth year it has only become more urgent that they do the right thing, and finally end the arms sales, said Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade. No matter how bad the situation has become, Jeremy Hunt and his colleagues have put arms company profits ahead of the rights and lives of Yemeni people. In addition to the casualties caused by bombing, the widespread fighting has caused what the United Nations describes as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. An estimated 24 million people close to 80 per cent of the population need assistance and protection in Yemen, and famine threatens hundreds of thousands of lives. Western backers of the Saudi-led campaign have come under increasing pressure to end arms sales to the country in recent weeks amid a growing scandal over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabias powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who has been the driving force behind his countrys intervention in Yemen has faced international condemnation after it was revealed that members of his security detail were among the suspects in the killing. Yemenis line up for free bread amid a severe shortage of food in Sanaa (EPA) But airstrikes are not the only danger for Yemens beleaguered population. Save the Children has reported an alarming spike in suspected cholera cases in the country. It said 40,000 new cases were reported in just the last two weeks, an increase of 150 per cent compared to the same period last month. More than a third were children under the age of fifteen. The country suffered its worst outbreak in history in 2017, when more than a million people were affected. A massive outbreak will be yet another killer for children left starved and weakened by four years of war. The tragedy is cholera can be easily prevented with access to clean water and basic hygiene. But thats where we are right now. Yemens sewage system, which was already lacking before the conflict, is now almost non-existent, said Tamer Kirolos, Save the Childrens Yemen country director. All parties to this conflict, and those supporting them, must take the only responsible action which is to urgently reach a peaceful resolution. Yemens children cannot be made to wait while war and deadly disease rage around them. In a moment of pure pathos, Mr Tochigi reaches for a framed photograph of his beloved wagyu heifer, called Saori. She is salmon-pink with mottled spidery veins of fat and dressed as a chuck-eye steak. I nurtured her for four years and when she was butchered I cried, says the tearful 86-year-old, clutching the frame tighter. By way of compensation, his cattle are reared to become Matsusaka wagyu, Japans most expensive beef. In 2002 one single cow fetched a beefy 50 million yen (350,000) at market. Wagyu connoisseurs outside Japan might purr with familiarity at the mention of kobe beef, but the Japanese keep Matsusaka wagyu and its marbled melt-in-the-mouth qualities all to themselves. I first encountered it during a four-day food tour of Mie prefecture on eastern Honshu island although it wasnt exactly love at first bite. Mie prefectures culinary excellence is somewhat hidden in plain sight. Geographically it lies on a rural coastal plain between Osaka, Tokyo, and Kyoto, yet is bypassed by travellers roaming at lightspeed on Shinkansen trains between these gilded cities. Before even reaching Matsusaka city Id delighted in local produce that is the essence of Japanese culinary DNA. In Shima I visited a fourth-generation producer of bonito flakes, the ingredient that adds umami oomph to daishi stock. I shucked Pacific Ocean oysters near Toba, letting their briny loveliness ooze down my throat. And among crumpled hills I learned the precise science of green tea preparation at Shinryaku Sabo tearooms. The first sip was a zesty, citrusy punch to my caffeine-adoring solar plexus. Green tea preparation is an art all its own (Mark Stratton) I saw my first Japanese black tajima cow (one of several indigenous breeds that can be reared to become wagyu) at Tochigis farm during a morning excursion from Matsusaka City. These millionaire heifers hardly slosh around muddy fields they are the most pampered of bovines. Black-furred and compact, Tochigis latest prodigy is ensconced in her own bijou cowshed, which I view from a distance due to quarantine rules. If Ferrari made tractors, Tochigi could afford one but his home is humble and he talks of making people happy with the deliciousness of his wagyu, rather than raking in a fistful of yen. Tochigi rears his heifers for four years before market. Unlike kobe wagyu (produced from bullocks), Matsusaka wagyu is exclusively virgin females. Females have more fat than males; thats why they taste better than kobe, says Tochigi. The endgame is to produce fatty marbling so soft it melts upon the touch of a human finger. This process involves intensively nurturing the cows via rather whimsical means. Tochigi feeds his heifers with corn and soya beans; hand massages them with schochu spirit to promote better blood circulation; quenches their thirst with bottled beer (a beer munchies approach to fostering appetite); and weeps when they exit stage left to one of the several venerable wagyu restaurants in Matsusaka city that draw savants from all over Japan. Cows are given beer to drink to give them the munchies (JNTO) He recommends I first try it in the classical form of sukiyaki, which I do via a cookery class in Matsusaka with private chef, Yoshiko Highashimura. She takes me to the local butchers to buy thin cuts of rump and sirloin costing 2,500 yen (17) per 100g. The more off-white the fatty marbling, the better the taste, says the butcher. Sukiyaki takes a minute to prepare. Add meat to a medium-heat skillet, simmer in its own fat and liberally sprinkle sugar and a dash of soy. While the Japanese participants around me hum an epiphany, I find it too sweet (told you it wasnt love at first bite). When its my turn to cook, I add less sugar and allow the wagyus silky natural tenderness to speak for itself. Its so soft I can pull it apart with chopsticks. Matsusaka wagyu has distinctive marbling (Mark Stratton) Ha! English sukiyaki, observes Highashimura, politely tasting my effort as we exchange bows. Several other ways exist for visitors to experience this hallowed meat. For lunch theres Restaurant Sushiman, run by fourth-generation owner Suichuro Kondo, where traditional seafood sushi is prepared at the counter alongside a jack-in-the-box surprise of wagyu sushi. Dabbed with wasabi, this first bite-sized morsel sets off a velvety firework of juices in my mouth. Its so buttery soft I order another despite each piece costing 900 yen (6.30). So many Japanese visitors came looking for wagyu that we put it on the menu as sushi 40 years ago, says Kondo. Matsusaka wagyu is incredibly tender (JNTO) You wont, however, better Restaurant Gyugin, established in 1902. In one of Matsusakas original wagyu establishments, guests dine in private rooms cross-legged on tatami mats behind paper shoji sliding-screens, served by waitresses dressed in kimono. Another fourth-generation owner, Mr Kobayashi, gets his meat from Tochigi. I have travelled across Japan and never eaten better beef, he says. I press him on how much he outlays for Matsusaka wagyu: Around 5 million yen per cow and we sometimes buy four cows per month, he admits. Which by my rudimentary maths is an eye-watering annual outlay of up to 1.69m. The butcher picks out the softest cuts (Mark Stratton) Mind you, Kobayashi claws it back with a three-slice beef course costing 121. Is it worth it? Well, the first medium-rare slither, grilled yakiniku-style on a charcoal burner at my table, is dressed with grains of salt that harmonise with the soft creaminess of texture and subtle charring. The second is divinely fruity, accompanied by yuzu and ponsu dipping sauces. The third slice is naked and I consume it in several salivating bites, rolling my eyes skywards at the tender, melting savouriness of Matsusaka wagyu wonderment. Priceless. Travel essentials Getting there Japan Airlines flies from London Heathrow to Nagoya via Tokyo for 535 return. Visiting there A cookery class at Utsukushiya costs 5,000 yen pp (34pp). A transcript of that interview was released Tuesday by the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee as part of an ongoing effort to sow doubt about the origins of the FBI's investigation into possible coordination between Russia and President Donald Trump's campaign. Mueller ended his investigation last week without finding a criminal conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign to affect the 2016 presidential election, according to a Justice Department summary of his findings released Sunday. After a planeload of passengers on a British Airways flight to Dusseldorf ended up in Edinburgh by mistake, neither BA nor the airline to which it sub-contracted the flying, WDL Aviation, has said much apart from sorry. So what could possibly have gone wrong with British Airways flight 3271? The Independent has been investigating. Why wasnt British Airways operating the flight? BA does not have enough aircraft to operate its advertised schedule, and it therefore wet-leases planes from other airlines which means hiring the aircraft, pilots and cabin crew. Its absolutely standard practice in aviation; I have flown on Titan Airways when I booked easyJet, and Air Arabia instead of Ryanair. For this flight, BA contracted WDL Aviation, a small German airline that does a fair amount of flying for British Airways London City base. British Airways assures me that passengers will have known they were not booking on real BA. The 10 most beautiful airport landings in the world for 2019 Show all 10 1 /10 The 10 most beautiful airport landings in the world for 2019 The 10 most beautiful airport landings in the world for 2019 Donegal airport in Ireland grabbed the top spot for the second year running in PrivateFly's 2019 poll of the most scenic landings in the world. Owen Clarke The 10 most beautiful airport landings in the world for 2019 The Outer Hebrides' Barra airport in Scotland claimed second place. Ewen Weatherspoon The 10 most beautiful airport landings in the world for 2019 Nice, France, took third place. The 10 most beautiful airport landings in the world for 2019 Orlando Melbourne in the US came fourth. The 10 most beautiful airport landings in the world for 2019 St Maarten in the Caribbean ranked fifth thanks to a dramatic approach. The 10 most beautiful airport landings in the world for 2019 Saba in the Caribbean swings into sixth position. The 10 most beautiful airport landings in the world for 2019 Queenstown, New Zealand, is seventh most scenic. The 10 most beautiful airport landings in the world for 2019 Canada's Toronto Billy Bishop was voted eighth most beautiful. The 10 most beautiful airport landings in the world for 2019 The UK gets a second spot in the top 10 with London City airport, which claims ninth place. The 10 most beautiful airport landings in the world for 2019 Aosta in Italy bags 10th place with its mountain views. So no one stepping aboard BA3271 should have been surprised that instead of a shiny Embraer jet, they were on a 33-year-old British Aerospace 146 plane instead. How did the plane end up flying to the wrong country? British Airways will have specified to its sub-contractor, WDL, the pattern of flying for the day. Looking back over the past week, that plane has flown almost exclusively between London City and Germany mostly Dusseldorf but also Frankfurt. Thats a logical assignment because, while some passengers may be mildly miffed to find themselves on a non-BA plane, at least the crew was German-speaking. But BA, as the customer, can deploy the plane wherever it wishes, and on Sunday 24 March, the day before, it flew Dusseldorf-London City-Edinburgh-London City-Dusseldorf. It is reasonable to conclude that someone picked up or emailed the wrong days flying programme, and the mistake wasnt noticed. Surely someone should have picked up the mistake? Recommended How to claim money back if your journey is delayed or cancelled Had it been a real British Airways plane there is little chance that it would have happened. But because WDL does not work on the same IT system as BA, the opportunity for the error to be spotted on the ramp as the plane was being turned around was lost. Ground staff boarding the flight would have checked people through the departure gate and onto the flight, happily assuming it was Dusseldorf-bound. The dispatcher will have handed the captain a manifest listing Dusseldorf as the destination. But all of us who deal with routine paperwork know that you can sometimes easily overlook details apparently including where to point the plane. On that subject: WDL will have filed a flight plan for Edinburgh with air-traffic controllers, who do not have time to check: Are you really sure thats where you want to go? As Eurocontrol has pointed out: We get 30k flight plans a day. If someone files for EGPH [Edinburgh] and then flies there, no eyebrows are elevated. So the plane took off with everything apparently in order. Should the passengers have spotted the problem? Yes. I dont know what the pre-flight announcement said possibly they may have simply given the flight number and in my experience people pay little attention. Whats more concerning is that passengers in window seats with a modicum of geographical training on a clear day should have spotted: a) that they had not flown over a substantial body of water, ie the North Sea, shortly after take-off (the flight to Edinburgh went along the spine of Britain). b) the sun was at a very different angle to the plane behind and slightly to the right, rather than ahead and slightly to the right and therefore they were flying further away from their intended destination. But there are some unusual flight plans due to congestion, military operations etc, which can cause considerable detours from the most direct track. Presumably when the Forth Bridge appeared in view, people will have realised that they were not going to land at the handsome city on the Rhine, but by then the plane was on the final approach and would not have had enough fuel to fly an extra 526 miles to Dusseldorf. Has anyone offered to help BA avoid the same problem again? Yes. Ryanair is helpfully sending a copy of Geography for Dummies to British Airways. Will passengers get any compensation? Yes. Everyone on the original flight, as well as those on the remaining London City-Dusseldorf-London City flights (at least three more of them, delayed by up to five hours because of the problem) is entitled to 250 (215) in compensation. There should be no problem getting WDL, as the operating carrier, to pay up. The cash is payable unless the cause was extraordinary circumstances that could not be avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. I think it is reasonable to expect the airline to check which direction to point the plane in. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events If people have specific financial losses attributable to the foul-up, from extra car-parking charges to lost wages, they can cite the Montreal Convention and seek additional compensation. Does this sort of thing happen often? No, because of the multiple opportunities for such an error to be spotted. However, it is not unknown. I have ended up at Heathrow rather than Gatwick on a flight to Dubai, because the Emirates duty office neglected to tell the captain to land at Gatwick rather than Heathrow. But at least it was in the same country. A more frequent occurrence is landing at the wrong airport typically when a second airport is close to the intended destination. Delta Airlines pilots landed at a US Air Force base in Rapid City, South Dakota rather than the main airport in 2016. In 2013, an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Kilimanjaro airport in Tanzania touched down in nearby Arusha airport. The most extreme case was in 1995, when Northwest Airlines touched down at Brussels rather than Frankfurt. Why does BA sell flights when it doesnt have enough planes or crew? An airlines fleet and the pilots and cabin crew to staff the flights are long-term resources, and opportunistically an airline may wish to fly extra services as British Airways did through the summer of 2018 when it bought Monarchs slots and had to use them or lose them. Another reason: technical issues such as the grounding of many Boeing 787 aircraft because of problems with their Rolls-Royce engines. BA is chartering an elderly Air Belgium plane to cover some long-haul services. There may be much more wet-leasing this summer because of the problems with Boeing 737 Max planes, which will potentially see Norwegian and Ryanair chartering in spare capacity to cover gaps in the fleet because of the grounding of the Max. Q My niece is getting married in Croatia in September 2020. Jet2 has just released its flights for next summer. I have been quoted a hideous 426 return from Leeds to Split in September 2020. Will they get cheaper or should I book now? Ian McG A I dont blame Jet2 for posting absurdly high prices on this route, just in case anyone out is daft enough to pay them, but I urge you to defer your purchase for at least a year. With the exception of inbound flights on the first few days of September, which are filled with returning families, the month is always a buyers market for tickets between the UK and southern Europe. It was the vote that finally told us who is really in charge of Brexit and on Monday night parliament took back control from the prime minister. The majority of 27 in favour of Oliver Letwins amendment to stage a series of indicative votes was larger than expected and shows the strength of feeling among MPs. They have run out of patience with Theresa Mays months-long strategy of intransigence and running down the clock. On the face of it, granting MPs an opportunity to come up with a Brexit plan B from a menu of options points to a softer Brexit blocking a no deal and shifting away from Mays twice-defeated withdrawal agreement. Supporters of a second referendum, or Britain remaining in the customs union, may be celebrating. And yet, the Letwin vote may, paradoxically, make it more likely that Mays deal squeaks through in the end. Why? First of all, just because MPs have voted to take control of Commons business, and will take part in a series of pink slip ballots on Wednesday, doesnt mean they are unanimous about the next steps. There is still huge disparity between and within parties about whether there should be a Norway plus, a customs union, a hybrid of Mays deal or a second referendum. Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Show all 15 1 /15 Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Nigel Farage has spent his political career campaigning for the UK to leave the EU. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Boris Johnson's support for Brexit took many by surprise before the EU referendum. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises The UK and EU are yet to agree on a withdrawal deal. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises This was taken from a 2012 speech delivered by Mr Davis. He does not currently support a second Brexit referendum. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Boris Johnson now supports a hard Brexit and resigned from the cabinet in 2018 over Theresa May's strategy. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises The US recently issued trade negotiation objectives for future talks with the UK. The country made clear that it expects access to the UK's agriculture industry, reviving the debate about chlorinated chicken. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Nigel Farage does not support the current campaign for a second Brexit referendum. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Despite this quote, in February 2019 Boris Johnson said a no deal Brexit "may yet be the best option for the UK". Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises The UK and EU are yet to begin negotiating a deal regarding their future relationship. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Theresa May announced that the UK would be leaving the Single Market in her Lancaster House speech in January 2017. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Theresa May triggered Article 50 on 29 March 2017. Her withdrawal deal is yet to be passed. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises A classic from the 2015 general election campaign. David Cameron resigned on 24 June 2016, following the EU referendum result. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises David Davis resigned from his post as Brexit secretary in July 2018 after disagreeing with Theresa May's negotiation strategy. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Michael Gove was one of the most influential Leave voices during the EU referendum campaign. Twitter/Led By Donkeys Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises Jacob Rees-Mogg, a prominent backbencher, does not support a second Brexit referendum. He has called the use of this quote "fundamentally dishonest" as it was taken from a 2011 speech discussing the option of referendum before David Cameron entered negotiations with the EU. Such a vote was never held. Twitter/Led By Donkeys The prime minister has been saying for weeks that we know what parliament does not want neither her deal nor a no deal but it has not proactively said what it does want. Of course, this was pure sophistry from May because she never gave them the opportunity to come up with a plan B. Yet, just as so many votes in parliament over the past few months have been tight and often contradictory, there is every sign that Wednesdays indicative process will not shed any more light. The votes could end up with all options defeated. Second, as the PM and her allies are keenly aware, Brexiteers in the European Research Group, led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, are on the verge of capitulating and backing her deal for fear that the only alternative is a softer Brexit. While May had pitted her deal against a no deal, the ERG were happy to take the latter totally undermining her strategy. Now that the prospect of no deal is all but closed off (although there is still a slim chance it could happen), and parliament is gearing up for the indicative votes process, Brexiteers face a clear choice: back the existing deal or risk a soft Brexit. This was why the government was in the bizarre position of being opposed to the Letwin amendment on the constitutional grounds that it undermined the governments authority and yet were, in the event, happy to use the defeat as an opportunity to increase the stakes with the ERG and force them, after all these weeks, into voting for Mays deal. Getting it over the line will not take much Rees-Mogg reiterated his stance on Monday night by saying he would vote for Mays deal if the DUP did. It is now down to the DUP, who are not vehemently opposed to a soft Brexit, to decide which way to go. If Brexiteers are fearful that a soft Brexit or even a second referendum is on the cards then the PM may finally get her deal when it is put forward for a meaningful vote for a third time. Her strategy of running down the clock will have paid off. But at what cost? Even if Mays deal is eventually approved, and Brexit finally happens on 22 May under the new two-speed timetable agreed with the EU last week, her authority has been completely undermined by her handling of the entire process. Even in success, if she ever gets to that point, she will have driven herself out of office through her intransigence, high-handedness and, in what was probably the turning point for many last week, her controversial remarks pitting the people against parliament. At her meeting with Brexiteers in Chequers at the weekend, it was suggested to her that she might set out a timetable for departure in order to win over more Eurosceptic votes but she refused. If her deal is approved this week or next, she will have to acknowledge that her handling of Brexit has alienated MPs at home while reducing the UKs standing in Brussels, and announce her resignation. Namibia's current and Kenya's former ministers for environment engaged in a lively discussion about the polarising issue of trophy hunting at a debate held in at The Arts Club in London on Monday 25 March. Professor Judi Wakhungu, Kenyas former Cabinet Secretary of Environment, Water, and Natural Resources, said that her countrys position on hunting is diametrically opposed to that of her co-panelist Pohamba Shifeta, Minister of Environment and Tourism in Namibia since 2015. Professor Wakhungu said In Kenya we believe a live animal is worth more over its lifetime than a one off killing. Elephant hunting was made illegal in 1973, followed by a ban on all animal hunting in 1977. Since then our elephant population has been growing steadily, and our rhino breeding programme has been successful. Namibia permits the controlled and authorised hunting of wildlife. Minister Shifeta countered Professor Wakhungu's point, saying that conservation hunting makes a valuable contribution to both eco-tourism and employment levels. In Namibia conservation hunting is highly regulated and employs people in their thousands, said Minister Shifeta. It contributes more than half a billion Namibian dollars a year. He added: As long as there are tough penalties in place against illegal wildlife killing and people behave according to protocols, hunting can play an important role in the long term protection of wildlife. In Namibia around 20% of conservancy revenues come from hunting. The money generated is used to increase anti-poaching policing and relocate animals, as well as being funneled back into the local community to build waterholes and infrastructure. The debate called Killing for Conservation - was chaired by Dr Max Graham, Founder and CEO of the international conservation charity Space for Giants, and held at The Arts Club, Mayfair. The panelists were joined by Professor Phyllis Lee, a renowned animal behaviourist who worked on the longest-running elephant research project in Kenya. As Botswana considers lifting its ban on elephant hunting, Professor Lee said that what urgent action and sustained investment is needed to protect wildlife for future generations. She cited the example of critically endangered Rwandas mountain gorillas whose prospects for survival have improved thanks to years of conservation measures. Professor Lee said [The issue of] hunting is being framed as a debate of bad guys in the West telling Africa what to do. But African voices do not want to see their environment trashed and their wildlife eaten. Kenya and Namibia are home to some of the worlds largest remaining populations of free roaming elephants and black rhinos, as such the decisions they makes about wildlife carry global significance. As the next meeting of CITES, the global treaty that regulates wildlife trade, approaches on 23 May, Professor Lee concluded that the role of trophy hunting is an planetary issue, and not just one for African nations to decide upon. For two years, critics of Donald Trump have awaited the outcome of Robert Muellers inquiry with high anticipation. Now, as its conclusions are made public, those who expected the president to be damned are left disappointed. Trump, meanwhile, can claim victory. Inevitably things arent quite as simple as all that. For one thing, the special prosecutors report as summarised by the Attorney General, William Barr is equivocal about whether Trump acted to obstruct justice. It does not exonerate him, but nor does it conclude that he committed a crime. And while Mueller did not establish that either Trump or his campaign team conspired with Russia during the presidential election campaign, Democrats are likely to push for more details about whether he was unwittingly compromised. Ultimately, for as long as the full Mueller report remains unpublished, questions are likely to swirl such is the polarised nature of US politics in the Trumpian age. Mueller investigation: The key figures Show all 12 1 /12 Mueller investigation: The key figures Mueller investigation: The key figures Robert Mueller is the special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election, and potential obstruction of justice by the president. Mr Mueller has a pristine reputation in Washington, where he was previously in charge of the FBI. Throughout his investigation, he and his team have been notoriously tight lipped about what they know and where their investigation has led. REUTERS Mueller investigation: The key figures Former FBI director James Comey was the catalyst that led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller. Mr Comey was fired by the president after Mr Trump reportedly asked him to drop his own Russia investigation. Mr Trump has long maintained that the investigation is a "witch hunt". AFP/Getty Images Mueller investigation: The key figures Deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein had authority over the special counsel investigation for much of the two years it has been active. Mr Rosenstein found himself with that responsibility after then-attorney general Jeff Sessions recused himself from that oversight. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Attorney general Jeff Sessions's decision to recuse himself from oversight of the special counsel investigation may have cost him his job in the end. Mr Sessions resigned last year, after weathering a contentious relationship with Donald Trump who vocally criticised his attorney general for taking a step back. Mr Sessions recused himself from the oversight citing longstanding Justice Department rules to not be involved in investigations overseeing campaigns that officials were apart of. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Attorney General William Barr is currently responsible for oversight of the special counsel investigation. Mr Barr's office will be the first to receive the Mueller report when it is finished. His office will then determine what portion or version of that report should be delivered to Congress, and also made public. EPA Mueller investigation: The key figures Michal Cohn is the president's former personal lawyer, who has been helping the special counsel investigation as a part of a plea deal over financial crimes, and campaign finance crimes, he has pleaded guilty to. Among those crimes, Cohen admitted to facilitating $130,000 in hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign. Cohen has said he did so at the direction of Mr Trump. Cohen has also admitted that he maintained contacts with Russian officials about a potential Trump real estate project in Moscow for months longer than Mr Trump and others admitted. The talks continued well into 2016 during the campaign, he has said. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Stormy Daniels has alleged that she had an affair with Donald Trump in 2006, soon after Melania Trump gave birth to Baron Trump. The accusation is of particular importance as a result of the $130,000 hush money payment she received to keep quiet about the affair during the 2016 campaign. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Paul Manafort was Donald Trump's former campaign chairman. Manafort was charged alongside Rick Gates for a slew of financial crimes, and was convicted on several counts in a Virginia court. He then pleaded guilty to separate charges filed in a Washington court. Manafort has been sentenced to just 7.5 years in prison for his crimes in spite of recommendations from the special counsel's office for a much harsher sentence. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures George Papadopoulos was one of the first individuals associated with the Trump campaign to be charged by the Mueller probe. He ultimately received a 14 day prison sentence for lying to investigators about contacts he had with Russian officials. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Roger Stone is a well known political fixer and operative, who has made a name for himself for some dirty tactics. He has been charged by the Mueller probe earlier this year, and he has been said to have had prior knowledge that WikiLeaks planned on publishing stolen emails from the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016. Getty Images Mueller investigation: The key figures Rick Gates was charged alongside former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort for a range of crimes. Gates, who worked alongside Manafort for a pro-Russia Ukrainian political party. The two were charged with conspiracy and financial crimes. Gates pleaded guilty. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Former national security adviser Michael Flynn was one of the first casualties of the Russia scandal, and was forced out of his position in the White House weeks after Donald Trump took office. Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to "willfully" making fraudulent statements about contacts he had with Russian officials including former Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Flynn then lied to Vice President Mike Pence about that contact. REUTERS Nevertheless, the outcome is patently good news for the primary resident of the White House, for whom a second term in office must have become eminently more likely this weekend. Of course, he overdid things a bit with his analysis of the report, tweeting: No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT! But as presidential tweets go, that is closer to the mark than his opponents would like. And in a way, this has always been the potential danger for those who placed so much faith in Robert Muellers ability to find a smoking gun that could link Trump to the Kremlin. In the event that no such gun existed (or could not be found), Trumps insistence that the whole exercise was no more than a witch hunt would suddenly appear well-founded. Ambiguities and caveats aside, the president has won the day. He will now spend the next eighteen months telling the world that the only conspiracy in town was the one to which he was subjected by assorted establishment critics and which failed. The Mueller report will, therefore, not be the means to bring down the president, but a long-lasting distraction from his actual awfulness. After all, Trumps presidency deserves to be harshly judged irrespective of whether he colluded with a foreign state during his election campaign. Recommended Trump campaign not found to have colluded with Russia He has coarsened the language of political debate; he has rallied nasty, nationalist sentiment by his attacks on immigrants; he is a msogynist and a conspiracy theorist (even putting Mueller to one side); he has given voice to the kind of regressive conservatism that promotes base instinct over progressive ideals. In foreign affairs, he has railed against the supranational organisations which have helped to maintain world peace; he has proclaimed diplomatic victories but achieved little of real substance. In the Middle East, he has provoked debates but offered no lasting solutions. He is the man who came up with the art of the deal yet what deals have actually been secured? Perhaps worst of all, Trump has effectively become the global champion of climate change denial. David Attenborough, the greatest environmentalist of the age hit the nail on the head when he said: What do you say to him in the face of what is visibly happening the climate of the United States of America its perfectly clear. There are none so blind as those who will not see. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events With climate change surely the most urgent challenge facing the world, we have in the Washington hot seat a president who refuses to accept the science behind not just the theory but the reality. Having withdrawn the US from the Paris Agreement, Trump sees more votes in promoting American coal than in leading the charge away from the burning of fossil fuels. But when the next election comes round, will any of this matter? On the campaign trail Trump will be the man who the establishment tried to bring down with its lies, its fake news, its failed inquiry. Why believe anything else they say about him? Mueller was meant to get Trump out of White House. In fact, he has probably kept him in it until 2024. Is there any other country on Earth with which America would dare collude on such a scale? Forget the special relationship with the crackpots in Britain, or the New World coming to the rescue of the Old World in the Second World War. Theres only one special relationship that matters right now and we all know what that is. Having given its blessing to all Jerusalem as Israeli property and having now handed Golan to Israel as a possession for to annex means to take possession, does it not? Donald Trump has undermined the entire foundation of land for peace enshrined in Security Council Resolution 242. And Israel is happy. A gift for Benjamin Netanyahus re-election, we are told. True, the Middle East peace process died years ago if it ever existed, or was meant to work but Trumps ostentatious signature on Israels annexation of Golan on Monday tore up the documents, the paragraphs, the very basis for the two-state Israeli-Palestinian settlement which might have ended the longest military occupation of our generation. And the United States has now given its open, public and wholehearted support to Israels side in the worlds last colonial war. And if Golan is now part of Israel because of the threat of Iran, then southern Lebanon can become part of Israel. Isnt Hezbollah also an Iranian threat? And how quickly will we see the West Bank annexed by Israel with the approval of the United States? Notice two things about the above paragraphs. Firstly, the number of times I have been forced to use quotation marks around verbs and nouns and adjectives which would normally never need them. And secondly, how one word Syria simply did not occur. Syrias loss of Golan in 1967 is so long ago and has become so normalised that in a perverse way, its real ownership had ceased to exist; Trumps recognition of Israels own annexation unrecognised anywhere else in the world merely accepted what wed all secretly gone along with. That the theft of Syrias land was now perfectly legal. Or legal. It was highly instructive that when the BBC website chose to cover the story about Trumps Golan mischief, it ran a story headlined What it all means but which did not mention Syria until the fifth paragraph. Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights Show all 7 1 /7 Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights An Israeli soldier stands next to signs pointing out distances to different cities on Mount Bental, an observation post in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights Reuters Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights Druze people take part in a rally in Majdal Shams near the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria Reuters Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights Israeli Druzes sit together watching the Syrian side of the Israel-Syria border on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights Reuters Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights A European member of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) using binoculars to look towards the Syrian side of the Golan Heights AFP/Getty Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights A file photo taken on October 19, 1973 shows Israeli Defence Minister General Moshe Dayan (R) looking towards the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, four days after the beginning of the Yom Kippur War AFP/Getty Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights A file photo taken on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on September 5, 2014 shows members of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force Zone (UNDOF) using binoculars to look towards the Syrian side of the Golan Heights AFP/Getty Trump backs Israels annexation of Golan Heights Members of the United Nations peacekeepers standing on a watch tower during a visit by the Israeli Defence Minister in 2018 AFP/Getty The media, in its grovelling, cowardly, craven obeisance to Israel and its absolute fear of being cast into the accusatory hell of antisemitism has a lot to answer for. When Colin Powell told the US State Department to instruct its embassies to call the West Bank disputed rather than occupied, the American press and television almost at once switched nomenclature. And so when the State Department suddenly referred to Golan a few weeks ago as Israeli-controlled rather than Israeli-occupied, we all knew what was coming. Thank heavens, as I always say, for those brave Israeli journalists and preciously few activists and politicians who speak out against these insanities. This verbal transition, however, is neither subtle nor surprising given Americas utter surrender to all things Israeli but it is very sinister for the people of the Middle East. I was very struck by something Netanyahu said in response to Trumps signature on that outrageous Golan document: he said that the Jewish peoples roots in the Golan go back thousands of years. True. But I recalled at once that in 1982, within weeks of Israels invasion of Lebanon, Israeli troops and civil affairs officers travelled around the Shia Muslim and Christian villages of the south of Lebanon, handing out questionnaires to the Arabs. I saw them do this. The documents were long and complicated. Were there any Jewish archaeological remains on their lands, the Lebanese were asked? Had any of their older buildings any signs of Jewish habitation in previous decades or centuries? Did any hills or villages have Hebrew names? They were especially interested in the area within the triangle of Tyre, Sidon and Qana. Of course, there were many Jewish remains. Even in the hill villages of the Druze Chouf mountains, I have found the indent of the mezuzah on stone door frames, proving that their ancient owners followed the instructions of the Book of Deuteronomy. The Israelis noted these marks; indeed, some of the inhabitants pointed them out to the initially friendly Israeli soldiers. But of course, it set a precedent. What if after the next Lebanon war Israel decides that rather than occupy southern Lebanon, it will annex the region because the Jewish peoples roots in the region go back thousands of years. Yes, I know that Israel would have to defeat Hezbollah to do this an unlikely event since Hezbollah would more likely be heading across the Lebanese border into Israel. But in the 18 years in which it occupied almost all of southern Lebanon, the media never referred to it as Israeli-occupied. It was always called Israeli-controlled and the vast Israeli occupation zone was never called by this name. Instead, it was always referred to as Israels security zone. We journos had already laid the semantic groundwork for the annexation which hasnt happened yet. But this is not a story about Lebanon any more than it is about Trump himself. Indeed, watching the tomfoolery in the mother of parliaments, I find it ever more embarrassing to write about the insanity of the Trump White House. No, this is about the very act of international annexation and the wests willingness to go along with land theft unless, of course, Putin and Russia are involved. And it is about the fact let us not haggle like skinflints over definitions that the United States, in its foreign policy in the Middle East, is in hock to Israel. As many 20 years ago, I gathered together dozens of US and Israeli government policy statements on the region, jumbled them up and asked a colleague to arrange them back in their original order. Readers might try the same test: it was and is an impossible task. Im tired of the utterly false arguments about antisemitism in the United States. The country contains many anti-Jewish, anti-Arab, anti-black racists without de-semanticising the word antisemitism by using it against all of Israels critics. It doesnt need new Arab-origin legislators, with their dodgy, unpleasantly revealing remarks and their sloppy grasp of history, to understand that Americans will not and dare not complain about the dual loyalties of their countrymen and countrywomen. Just look at the US congress when Netanyahu addresses it. The representatives of the United States stand up and applaud and sit down and again stand up and applaud and sit down 29 times in 2011 and 39 times in 2015. I always watch this act of US legislative grovelling with a smile, for it reminds me of the ovations which Saddam Hussein would always receive from his beloved people and which Bashar al-Assad always received and still receives from his loyal subjects. I can well see why Middle East leaders spot parallels between the Arab world and America. And I could well understand why congress stands to attention so many times on cue when Trumps vice president, Mike Pence, says, as he did on Monday, that we stand with Israel because her cause is our cause, her values are our values, and her fight is our fight. Really? Does the United States, which fought a colonial war against the British, really stand with Israels colonial cause its colonial expansion and land thievery in the West Bank? Do Americans really stand with Israel in its constant, brutal bombardments of Palestinians and of Lebanon and tolerate and approve those war crimes which all but the Americans acknowledge to be Israels responsibility. And if they do, why did Americans bother to go to war with Saddam? Why do we bomb Syria? Theres no point in tracing the putrid history of annexation. Of the US annexation of Hawaii because it needed a naval port in the Pacific (as the Japanese noted) and its annexation of most of New Mexico, Texas and Arizona. Im not even mentioning Putin and Crimea. Nor do we surely need to drag ourselves through the annexations perpetrated by the little corporal with the moustache Jacinda Ardern-like, I shall not mention his name who annexed the Sudetenland and all of Austria, the latter event accompanied by a Times editorial comparing it favourably with the 300-year-old union of Scotland and England. No, Im not comparing annexations. The Israelis are not Nazis and the Americans are not Russians and the Russians are not Israelis. But there are parallels which countries themselves draw when they choose to annex or sanctify annexations of other peoples land. All of which can be based and in most cases were based on both ethnic roots and military necessity. Today, we must learn again that old phrase facts on the ground. Israel annexed Jerusalem and Golan in 1980 and 1981 all the world (and a lot of Israelis) condemned this at the time but now Trump has snapped the land for peace equation in half. Washington has given its imprimatur to illegal land acquisition, to territorial theft. And why not when congress is in thrall to Israel? Yet why get worked up about this? By recognising Israels annexation of Golan, Trump merely recognised that Israel has annexed America. It could be 20 years before Dublins MetroLink rail line needs upgrading, transport chiefs have said. The National Transport Authority (NTA) said the metro will terminate at Charlemont, north of Ranelagh, where it meets the Luas Green line. It had originally been due to run from Swords to Sandyford. With 20 minutes travel time from city center to Dublin Airport and 25 minutes from City Centre to Swords @MetroLink_ie will have 15 new Metro Stations interconnecting all transport services. pic.twitter.com/jarO642nIf Transport for Ireland (@TFIupdates) March 26, 2019 An NTA statement said: It is projected that the number of people seeking to travel on the Green line in future years will exceed the carrying capacity of the Luas system, requiring an upgrade. However, that upgrade is not expected to be needed for some time perhaps 20 years or so. The route will stop at Charlemont to avoid disruption to the Green line. 3,000 car spaces at Estuary Park & Ride all part of @MetroLink_ie planned to commence passenger service in 2027 #TFTupdates pic.twitter.com/Huqm3ci4CL Transport for Ireland (@TFIupdates) March 26, 2019 The NTA added: The plan we are publishing today is to develop the section from Swords to Charlemont with an interchange from Metro to Luas at Charlemont for passengers. The required tunnel-boring works to allow the future connection to the existing Luas line will be completed as part of this current phase. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he would be open to running the MetroLink to UCD and Sandyford. Traveller children are hiding their accent and ethnic identity in school to avoid being bullied, a committee has heard. Organisations representing the community told TDs that traveller children still face considerable disadvantages in education compared to their settled peers. Traveller parents have reported to charities about concerns that schools are not actively supporting the inclusion of their children, and that because lessons about traveller culture are not taught in schools, hurtful stereotypes are perpetuated among young people. The Joint Committee on Education and Skills met on Tuesday to discuss the topic of Traveller Education. Representatives from the Irish Traveller Movement, Yellow Flag Programme, Pavee Point and the National Traveller Womens Forum called for racism training to be a core element to teacher training, as they say institutional racism is compounding the issue. The organisations say that an unconscious bias among teachers is reflected in low expectations for traveller children. A culture of low expectations mean that travellers have missed out on achieving their goals in life, Pavee Points assistant director Martin Collins said. Direct and targeted resources are needed to promote traveller inclusion in mainstream education one size doesnt fit all. Another important action would be to promote affirmative action opportunities for travellers who want to become teachers, this is essential in promoting positive role models. Direct engagement of traveller organisations as equal and key partners in developing policy is also essential. We cant deal with traveller education in isolation from poor living standards, high unemployment, low health status and racism, whats required is a multifaceted approach. The committee also heard about the stark inequality faced by female travellers in education, which leads to future unemployment, poverty and social exclusion. Less than 1% of traveller women are in third level education, while just 167 traveller people have ever held a third level education qualification. The committee also heard how schools are expected to cope with fall out from poor accommodation and mental health problems among traveller children. Its difficult for schools to do this on their own, said Clive Byrne from the National Association of Principals and Deputies. So we call for the restoration of supports that had been cut in the past for schools to be made available. The economic reality of travellers trying to send their children to school is that some have no access to broadband, or some of the technology that is regularly used in schools at the moment. We have to put in support for parents, that they see the value of education for their children. Austerity measures imposed during the recession saw substantial reduction in funding for traveller education, which was noted throughout the committee. Feargal Brougham, vice president of the Irish National Teachers Organisation, said there can be no overstatement of the effect it has had on traveller children. He added: It will take at least a generation to undo the damage done by the cuts. The committee also heard it is widely acknowledged traveller education enrolment declines as they move through the system, decline most commonly begins in fifth class, leading to literacy problems in later life. AN IRISH drug firm has received $1m (885,000) in funding from the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Dublin-based Inflazome was set up by academics Professor Luke O'Neill, from Trinity College, and Professor Matt Cooper, from the University of Queensland, in 2016. The grant will be used to support the development of a brain imaging probe for diagnosing patients, as well as the development of drugs to treat neurodegenerative diseases, including the two most common, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. In Ireland, around 55,000 people suffer from dementia, the most widespread form of which is Alzheimer's. There are approximately 12,000 people living with Parkinson's here. According to the company, scientific data indicates that the NLRP3 inflammasome is overactive in a broad range of serious medical conditions driven by harmful inflammation. These diseases include neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, as well as inflammatory bowel disease and cardiovascular diseases. Prof Cooper, who is also chief executive of Inflazome, said yesterday: "The Michael J Fox Foundation is a fantastic organisation with a passionate commitment to new science, science translation and candidate therapies for Parkinson's. "We are fully aligned in our shared goal to help patients with Parkinson's and other debilitating neurodegenerative diseases, for which there are inadequate therapies and no cures." The news of the funding from the foundation comes after the company completed a 40m Series B funding round last November. Best known for his role in the 'Back to the Future' film series, Michael J Fox (57) was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991. In 2000, the actor established the foundation bearing his name. To date, the foundation has ploughed more than $800m (707m) into funding research. "We don't know if we can get to net-zero carbon emissions in 10 years, but we should certainly try," Gillibrand said at a pro-Green New Deal news conference in front of the Capitol. "Why not let this be a measure of how great we are as a nation?" JACOB Rees-Mogg has now said that he is prepared to back the Withdrawal Agreement. Theresa May will face Tory MPs on Wednesday as she battles to save her premiership and her Brexit deal. The British Prime Minister will address the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee as MPs consider alternatives to her Brexit strategy after seizing control of the Commons timetable. Influential backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg has now said that he is prepared to back the deal. "I apologise for changing my mind," he wrote in a UK newspaper. "I am now willing to support it if the Democratic Unionist Party does, and by doing so will be accused of infirmity of purpose by some and treachery by others." Mr Rees-Mogg said he change allegiances "because the numbers in Parliament make it clear that all the other potential outcomes are worse and an awkward reality needs to be faced". Expand Close A handout photograph released by the UK Parliament shows Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May making a statement in the House of Commons in London. Photo: MARK DUFFY/AFP/Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A handout photograph released by the UK Parliament shows Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May making a statement in the House of Commons in London. Photo: MARK DUFFY/AFP/Getty Images "A long delay would make remaining in the EU the most likely outcome," he said. The MP concluded: "Theresa Mays deal is a more faltering step than I want, or feel, could be taken but at least it is a step forward." The prospect of MPs voting in support of a soft Brexit or second referendum appears to be winning some Tory Eurosceptics round to reluctantly backing her deal, but there has been widespread speculation that others might demand Mrs May sets out the timetable for her departure as the price for their support. Mrs May's fragile authority suffered another blow as three ministers last night quit to back a Parliament amendment enabling MPs to take control of House of Commons business to stage a series of "indicative votes" on alternatives to her deal. Mr Rees-Mogg earlier said: "the choice seems to be Mrs May's deal or no Brexit". The chairman of the European Research Group of Tory Eurosceptic MPs, said the choice seems to be Mrs Mays deal or no Brexit. His comments will give hope to Mrs May that she can still get the Withdrawal Agreement through the House of Commons before April 12. MPs voted last night to take back control and will tomorrow vote on a series of options ranging from no deal to a second referendum or even revoking Article 50. Mr Rees-Mogg said it was now clear Mrs May would not deliver a no-deal Brexit and as a result Eurosceptic MPs would eventually face the choice between the PMs agreement or staying in the EU. He told the ConservativeHome podcast: "Whether we are there yet is another matter but I have always thought that no deal is better than Mrs May's deal but Mrs May's deal is better than not leaving at all. "There is a sort of hierarchy of choice and if the choice is the one you suggest then inevitably leaving the European Union, even leaving it inadequately and having work to do afterwards, is better than not leaving at all." Mr Rees-Mogg went even further in a tweet when he said: "The choice seems to be Mrs Mays deal or no Brexit." The three ministers who quit were among 30 Conservative MPs to defy the whips and support the cross-party amendment which was passed by 329 to 302 - a majority of 27 - in another humiliating reverse for Mrs May. The defeat heaps further pressure on Mrs May's position and could increase the chances of an early general election if MPs back plans for a softer Brexit which would be unacceptable to the Prime Minister or Tory Eurosceptics. At Tuesday's regular Cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister is expected to be confronted with calls for free votes on the rival options. "Many around the Cabinet table will argue for a free vote so Parliament can truly show what it would support," a Cabinet source said. Alistair Burt, who quit his British Foreign Office role in order to vote for the Commons amendment, said: "Parliament should seek urgently to resolve the situation by considering alternatives freely, without the instruction of party whips, and Government should adopt any feasible outcome as its own in order to progress matters. "I did not believe the Government was prepared to do that, so had to vote to ensure this happens." Steve Brine, who quit as a health minister, suggested the revolt in favour of the indicative votes amendment could actually boost the chances of Mrs May's deal finally getting through by persuading Tory Eurosceptics such as Mr Rees-Mogg it was the best form of Brexit on offer. "Those on my side who don't like the deal, maybe they will realise that the House of Commons is prepared to act," he told the BBC. "And, anything from here, as far as they are concerned, gets softer in terms of Brexit." He added: "You have to accept that a second referendum or revoking Article 50 are on the table because they will probably be some options." The 2017 Tory manifesto ruled out membership of the single market and customs union and Mrs May told MPs on Monday that "no one would want to support an option that contradicted the manifesto on which they stood for election to this House". But Mr Brine said: "You also have to remember that the manifesto of 2017 did not win a majority in the House of Commons." The vote came after the Prime Minister acknowledged that she still did not have sufficient support to bring back her deal to the Commons for a third "meaningful vote". She said she would continue her efforts to build support for the deal - defeated by 230 votes in January and 149 votes in March - and stage a vote before the end of the week. The European Council last week set a deadline of Friday for her to secure parliamentary approval for her Withdrawal Agreement if the UK is to leave the EU with a deal on May 22. If she cannot get it through the Commons, then the UK has until April 12 to propose a different approach or crash out of the EU without a deal. Her admission came shortly after a phone call with DUP leader Arlene Foster, who made clear the Northern Irish party was not giving up its opposition. With additional reporting from Press Association A handout photograph released by the UK Parliament shows Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May making a statement in the House of Commons in London. Photo: MARK DUFFY/AFP/Getty Images Theresa May will face Tory MPs on Wednesday as she battles to save her premiership and her Brexit deal. The British Prime Minister will address the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee as MPs consider alternatives to her Brexit strategy after seizing control of the Commons timetable. The prospect of MPs voting in support of a soft Brexit or second referendum appears to be winning some Tory Eurosceptics round to reluctantly backing her deal, but there has been widespread speculation that others might demand Mrs May sets out the timetable for her departure as the price for their support. Mrs May's fragile authority suffered another blow as three ministers last night quit to back a Parliament amendment enabling MPs to take control of House of Commons business to stage a series of "indicative votes" on alternatives to her deal. But Eurosceptics signalled they could now swing reluctantly behind Mrs May's deal, with influential backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg saying "the choice seems to be Mrs May's deal or no Brexit". The chairman of the European Research Group of Tory Eurosceptic MPs, said the choice seems to be Mrs Mays deal or no Brexit. Expand Close Jacob Rees-Mogg tabled the amendments to the bill. Picture: PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jacob Rees-Mogg tabled the amendments to the bill. Picture: PA His comments will give hope to Mrs May that she can still get the Withdrawal Agreement through the House of Commons before April 12. MPs voted last night to take back control and will tomorrow vote on a series of options ranging from no deal to a second referendum or even revoking Article 50. Mr Rees-Mogg said it was now clear Mrs May would not deliver a no-deal Brexit and as a result Eurosceptic MPs would eventually face the choice between the PMs agreement or staying in the EU. He told the ConservativeHome podcast: "Whether we are there yet is another matter but I have always thought that no deal is better than Mrs May's deal but Mrs May's deal is better than not leaving at all. "There is a sort of hierarchy of choice and if the choice is the one you suggest then inevitably leaving the European Union, even leaving it inadequately and having work to do afterwards, is better than not leaving at all." Mr Rees-Mogg went even further in a tweet when he said: "The choice seems to be Mrs Mays deal or no Brexit." The three ministers who quit were among 30 Conservative MPs to defy the whips and support the cross-party amendment which was passed by 329 to 302 - a majority of 27 - in another humiliating reverse for Mrs May. The defeat heaps further pressure on Mrs May's position and could increase the chances of an early general election if MPs back plans for a softer Brexit which would be unacceptable to the Prime Minister or Tory Eurosceptics. At Tuesday's regular Cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister is expected to be confronted with calls for free votes on the rival options. "Many around the Cabinet table will argue for a free vote so Parliament can truly show what it would support," a Cabinet source said. Alistair Burt, who quit his British Foreign Office role in order to vote for the Commons amendment, said: "Parliament should seek urgently to resolve the situation by considering alternatives freely, without the instruction of party whips, and Government should adopt any feasible outcome as its own in order to progress matters. "I did not believe the Government was prepared to do that, so had to vote to ensure this happens." Steve Brine, who quit as a health minister, suggested the revolt in favour of the indicative votes amendment could actually boost the chances of Mrs May's deal finally getting through by persuading Tory Eurosceptics such as Mr Rees-Mogg it was the best form of Brexit on offer. "Those on my side who don't like the deal, maybe they will realise that the House of Commons is prepared to act," he told the BBC. "And, anything from here, as far as they are concerned, gets softer in terms of Brexit." He added: "You have to accept that a second referendum or revoking Article 50 are on the table because they will probably be some options." The 2017 Tory manifesto ruled out membership of the single market and customs union and Mrs May told MPs on Monday that "no one would want to support an option that contradicted the manifesto on which they stood for election to this House". But Mr Brine said: "You also have to remember that the manifesto of 2017 did not win a majority in the House of Commons." The vote came after the Prime Minister acknowledged that she still did not have sufficient support to bring back her deal to the Commons for a third "meaningful vote". She said she would continue her efforts to build support for the deal - defeated by 230 votes in January and 149 votes in March - and stage a vote before the end of the week. The European Council last week set a deadline of Friday for her to secure parliamentary approval for her Withdrawal Agreement if the UK is to leave the EU with a deal on May 22. If she cannot get it through the Commons, then the UK has until April 12 to propose a different approach or crash out of the EU without a deal. Her admission came shortly after a phone call with DUP leader Arlene Foster, who made clear the Northern Irish party was not giving up its opposition. With additional reporting from Press Association A no-deal Brexit will now hit the economy here harder than expected, a leading think-tank warns today. Jobs and wages will suffer if Britain crashes out of the European Union, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) says. But in a further dramatic setback for British Prime Minister Theresa May, MPs seized control of Brexit. In an unprecedented move, the House of Commons voted to hold a series of votes on alternatives to Mrs May withdrawal agreement. Mrs May earlier postponed holding a third vote on her Withdrawal Agreement after DUP leader Arlene Foster rejected a personal plea for support. The stark warning comes as it emerged checks on some goods crossing the Border are inevitable unless the UK agrees to allow Northern Ireland to operate within EU rules after a no-deal Brexit. European officials are working on a system whereby trusted companies can self-declare exports to the North from April 12 onwards, the Irish Independent has learned. But senior sources in Brussels say it will be impossible to maintain a completely open Border in the longer term unless an unprecedented deal, similar to the backstop, is done. The ESRI says, if Britain leaves without a deal, economic output here next year will be 2.4pc lower than had UK remained as an EU member. The respected think-tank says the costs will mount over time so that in 10 years time the economy could take a 5pc hit. That prognosis compares with a forecast of -3.8pc over 10 years made in November 2016. The estimate reflects the deeper wounds a disorderly no-deal Brexit would inflict on the UK economy, which will cause more damage for trading partners like Ireland. Overall our impacts are more negative than in the previous study, said Dr Adele Bergin, a senior research officer at ESRI. European officials are working on a system whereby "trusted companies" can self-declare exports to the North from April 12. Although senior sources in Brussels have warned it will be impossible to continue this indefinitely unless a deal, similar to the backstop, is agreed. "Every effort to keep controls away from the Border will be made. "We are looking at having checks at point of manufacture, or processing in the case of food, and using 'trusted trader schemes' to reduce disruption to trade and the flow of goods," an EU official said. While no-deal plans published by the EU yesterday said it would "immediately apply its rules and tariffs at its borders", a well-placed source said that even in a worst case scenario "no real EU action will happen on the Irish Border for several months". EU chiefs expect countries to initially turn a blind-eye to the trade irregularities on the island of Ireland. But a source said: "The Irish border risks quickly becoming 'a smugglers' paradise' which would prompt calls for controls from many sides." British Prime Minister Theresa May has said the UK will uphold its commitments under the Good Friday Agreement by allowing goods and animals to cross the Border without checks. However she warned yesterday that a form of direct rule may have to be reintroduced over the North. "If there is no Stormont government, if powers are needed and ministerial direction is needed which is not available to civil servants currently, it would require some direct application of powers here from Westminster," she said. A move towards direct rule is likely to be staunchly opposed by nationalist parties in Northern Ireland. A spokesman for Taoiseach Leo Varadkar again insisted last night that the Government is not preparing for a hard border. He admitted that if Mrs May can't get her Brexit deal through the House of Commons then achieving the objective of an open border "becomes more difficult". "We are in ongoing discussions with the European Commission to ensure the manner in which any new regime would be applied does not give rise to the need for a hard border," his spokesman said. The DUP has latched onto the Taoiseach's repeated insistence there are no plans for a hard border. Their Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson said it was evidence the Withdrawal Agreement is "based on a foundation of sand" as there will be "no checks along the Irish Border, therefore no threat to peace in Northern Ireland". He asked Mrs May: "When are you going to stop using Northern Ireland as an excuse, and do you realise that the importance of this agreement to delivering Brexit, and also to the union of the United Kingdom, is such that we will not be used in a scare tactic to push this through?" In response, she told the House of Commons: "What I have genuinely being trying to achieve through everything that I have been doing is ensuring we respect the wishes of the people of Northern Ireland and we respect Northern Ireland's position within the United Kingdom. "It is the case that these remarks about the Border have been made by, I think I'm right in saying, the Taoiseach and others previously, and then have been contradicted in turn by the European Commission." Fianna Fail's Lisa Chambers also called on Mr Varadkar to be "more transparent with the public about the Government's plans" if a disorderly Brexit does occur. "It is clear that discussions are being had but when questioned on this issue the Government continue to trot out vague and ambiguous statements that shed no light on this matter. Meanwhile Central Bank governor Philip Lane will today seek to reassure TDs on Brexit preparations and the impact of the UK leaving the EU is expected to have on the economy. He will tell the Oireachtas Finance Committee that the Central Bank has worked to ensure the financial system is prepared for all Brexit scenarios. Mr Lane is to say: "While a no-deal Brexit would constitute a severe economic and financial blow, our work to improve resilience over the last decade means that the shock should not be amplified by fragility in the financial system." Theresa May as she makes a statement on Brexit to the House of Commons, Photo credit: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/PA Wire Theresa May's Brexit strategy is in disarray after MPs dramatically voted to wrest control of the process from the hands of ministers. Three pro-EU ministers quit the Government to back a Commons amendment enabling MPs to take control of Commons business to stage a series of "indicative votes" on alternatives to the Prime Minister's deal. They were among 30 Conservative MPs to defy the whips and support the cross-party amendment which was passed by 392 to 302 - a majority of 27 - in another humiliating reverse for Mrs May. Business minister Richard Harrington, who resigned along with Middle East minister Alistair Burt and health minister Steve Brine, said the Government was "playing roulette" with peoples' lives and livelihoods in its handling of Brexit. The result means MPs can potentially dictate business of the Commons - normally controlled by the Government - for days to come, potentially paving the way for a "softer" deal that keeps Britain closer to the EU. Ministers will consider their response at the weekly meeting of the Cabinet in Downing Street on Tuesday. The Government warned the Monday night vote had set a "dangerous, unpredictable precedent" and said it was essential that any options put forward by MPs were actually "deliverable". "This amendment instead upends the balance between our democratic institutions and sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent for the future," a spokesman for the Department for Exiting the EU said. "While it is now up to Parliament to set out next steps in respect of this amendment, the Government will continue to call for realism - any options considered must be deliverable in negotiations with the EU." Earlier in a statement to MPs, the Prime Minister warned she would not feel bound by the results of any indicative votes - which could include a softer, Norway-style deal, a second referendum or revoking the Article 50 withdrawal process altogether. Expand Close Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (Aaron Chown/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (Aaron Chown/PA) "No Government could give a blank cheque to commit to an outcome without knowing what it is," she said. "So I cannot commit the Government to delivering the outcome of any votes held by this House. But I do commit to engaging constructively with this process." However one of the leading Tory rebels, former minister Nick Boles, warned that MPs could pass legislation forcing the Government to act if Mrs May tried to ignore their wishes. "We will be relying on the Government to reflect Parliament's wishes," he told the BBC. "If, ultimately, the Government refuses to listen to what Parliament has voted for then we will look to bring forward a Bill, pass an Act of Parliament that will require the Government to reflect Parliament's wishes in its new negotiating mandate." Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also warned the Government must "take this process seriously". "The Government's approach has been an abject failure and this House must now find a solution," he said. "I know there are many members of this House who have been working for alternative solutions, and we must debate those to find a consensus." The successful amendment was tabled by Tory former minister Sir Oliver Letwin with cross-party backing, including from ex-attorney general Dominic Grieve and Labour's Hilary Benn. It means MPs will take control of the Commons order paper from 2pm on Wednesday, with Sir Oliver suggesting voting could carry on over several days to establish if there was a proposal the House could coalesce around. He said the amendment provided for the Commons "to begin the process of working its way towards identifying a way forward that can command a majority in this House". He said he believed the first vote should enable MPs to disclose "where the votes lie" on a "plain vanilla basis" - with all votes cast on a paper slip at the end of the debate. The House, he said, should then seek to establish a method of voting that would enable it to "zero in" on compromise which could command a majority over the course of the coming days. The vote came after the Prime Minister acknowledged that she still did not have sufficient support to bring back her deal to the Commons for a third "meaningful vote". She said she would continue her efforts to build support for the deal - defeated by 230 votes in January and 149 votes in March - and stage a vote before the end of the week. The European Council last week set a deadline of Friday for her to secure parliamentary approval for her Withdrawal Agreement if the UK is to leave the EU with a deal on May 22. If she cannot get it through the Commons, then the UK has until April 12 to propose a different approach or crash out of the EU without a deal. Her admission came shortly after a phone call with DUP leader Arlene Foster, who made clear the Northern Irish party was not giving up its opposition. A sign from Border Communities Against Brexit is seen on the borderline between County Cavan in Ireland and County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland near Woodford, Ireland, November 30, 2017. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne Britain is still on course to crash out of the EU on Friday according to the Border Communities Against Brexit (BCAB). This morning as the group revealed a digital count down of the remaining days and hours, its spokesperson appealed to the British government to pull back from a hard Brexit. Declan Fearon said that from their point of view, all roads in our estimation lead to a very hard Brexit and a crash out and at the moment the law states that is going to be next Friday night at 11 oclock. He said he listened to prominent Brexiteers over the weekend, and, their line is that unless the law changes then they are out on Friday night and (then) we are absolutely in the very worst scenario we could have ever envisaged. From day one we have said this is a possibility and now it looks like it is going to happen. The solar powered digital countdown to Brexit is on a large sign at the side of the M1 motorway a few hundred metres from the border and beside the Jonesborough exit. Mr Fearon said the fear of the community is that the same fate awaits local roads in a hard Brexit that they suffered in the past. He said in the past only 17 of these roads were official approved border crossings, all the rest were known as unapproved border crossings. "That meant here all of those roads were closed and it came to the point when they were reopened by local people that they were eventually cratered and blown up by the British Army and that was to stop the movement of goods and people freely across the Irish border. What is going to be different if we get to a crash out deal, we think it could go back there. Closed roads would divide these communities, split up these parishes, (and) go back to the doomsday scenario for the people who live here. He said the clock is absolutely ticking and even at this late stage we are imploring people within the British government, within the Conservative govt to pull back from this, this does not have to be happen. He said there has to be a way the agreement can be approved without it being seen as a border down the Irish sea. Speaking at the event Conor Murphy, Sinn Fein representative for Newry/Armagh, said, he thinks the Good Friday Agreement has been damaged by Brexit. This is an international agreement which has underpinned our peace process and has transformed lives of people across the island and the British government, in terms of its own Brexit interests, was prepared to jettison all of that. He said people need to know what the implications are of the discussions between Dublin and Brussels over the possibility of a No Deal exit. He said Brussels and Dublin understand the damage Brexit could do to industries across the country including the border region. I think what they need to ensure is that whatever the British Government or the British people decide to do, that we do not become collateral damage, he added. SINN Feins Mary Lou McDonald has said even in the erection of a hard border after Brexit is not an excuse for people to take up arms. With a no-deal scenario looming, Ms McDonald was asked about recent letter bombs sent to a number of transport hubs in London. Gardai and UK authorities have linked the packages to the dissident republicans. The Sinn Fein leader said there are no circumstances, no excuses, no scenario in which anybody would have a justifiable cause to take up arms. She said people on this island of Ireland have embraced new reality of relative stability. At the same time, Ms McDonald argued that the Irish government needs to start preparing for a united Ireland. She said the ultimate backstop is the removal of the border altogether. It comes as Fianna Fail ramped up their criticisms of the Governments preparations for a disorderly Brexit. Brexit spokesperson Lisa Chambers today accused Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of hiding vital information from the public. She said the latest economic predictions from the ESRI make sober reading for every citizen in this country but the Government still cant say what financial package will be in place to help farmers and businesses. On border checks, she said: We know conversations are happening. I dont know why they are not being honest. Meanwhile Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin has called on his counterparts in the British Labour Party to back Theresa Mays deal in the event that a second referendum is off the table. While arguing that a peoples vote is the best way forward, he said in the absence of one he would exhort the British Labour Party to support the only deal on the table. The shattering impact of a hard Brexit is now only two weeks away, she said. British MPs have dramatically seized control of the Brexit agenda from Theresa May - potentially paving the way for a "softer" deal that keeps the UK closer to Brussels. The Commons voted by 329 to 302 - a majority of 27 - for a cross-party amendment to enable MPs to stage a series of "indicative votes" tomorrow on alternatives to the prime minister's deal. MPs will vote tomorrow on options such as staying in a customs union or single market, holding a second referendum or even revoking Article 50. The Prime Minister will be powerless to stop the votes going ahead, and if she tries to resist the outcome, Parliament could overrule her again by tabling its own Brexit Bill. The result is another humiliation for Mrs May, who earlier warned MPs not to "overturn the balance of our democratic institutions" which means the Government normally controls business of the House. She made clear she would not feel bound by the result of any indicative votes - which could include a "softer" Norway-style deal, or a second referendum. No government could give a blank cheque to commit to an outcome without knowing what it is," she said. "So I cannot commit the Government to delivering the outcome of any votes held by this House. But I do commit to engaging constructively with this process." Mrs May yesterday said that a "slow Brexit" was the only alternative to her deal as she ignored calls from her cabinet to consider other plans. She cancelled plans to hold a third "meaningful vote" on her Brexit deal today after admitting she did not have enough support to get it through parliament. She infuriated Eurosceptic ministers by suggesting that a no-deal Brexit was no longer a viable outcome. Mrs May promised MPs would be given time to debate alternatives to her Brexit deal later this week after Remain-supporting MPs called for the so-called "indicative votes" in the House of Commons to find what sort of plan might command a majority. But she told the Remainers that she reserved the right to ignore parliament's recommendation because she could not sign a "blank cheque" over the future of Brexit. Britain will leave the EU on May 22 if Mrs May's deal is passed by parliament before the end of this week. But if the deal is not approved, the UK will leave without a deal on April 12 unless she asks the EU for a longer extension. Her hopes of winning parliament's backing for her Brexit deal - already defeated twice by huge margins - appeared to be fading last night after the DUP, whose votes are seen as pivotal, said it still could not back it. During an emergency cabinet meeting yesterday, Eurosceptic ministers rounded on the prime minister's dismissal of a no-deal Brexit as a third of the ministers present told her a no-deal exit was better than no Brexit at all. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has denied claims the Government plans to quadruple carbon tax rates to tackle climate change. Mr Varadkar said a carbon tax will not resolve the climate change challenge on its own. But we wont solve climate change without carbon tax, the Taoiseach said in reply to Sinn Fein leader, Mary Lou McDonald. There is absolutely no prospect of a carbon tax increase of that scale or anything remotely approaching it, Mr Varadkar said of reports that the plan is for a four-fold increase. If there is an increase in the carbon tax, it is my strong view that the carbon tax should be ring-fenced, and the money given back to people in the form of increases in the fuel allowance and in increased tax credits and in the form of a dividend model, the Taoiseach added. Mary Lou McDonald said the way to fight climate change was not to penalise ordinary families and working people by increasing their fuel and/or utility bills. The Sinn Fein leader said her party would not support any carbon tax increase that does not protect low and middle-income earners and did not ensure that polluters paid their share. We already have high energy charges in this State and the current carbon tax has not lowered emissions, Ms McDonald said. Meanwhile, Varadkar has been accused of telling the French president that Ireland can cope with the fallout from a threatened UK Brexit crashout without a deal. Fianna Fail leader, Micheal Martin, told the Dail it was high time the Taoiseach told the Irish people in full about the implications of a no-deal Brexit happening in 17 days time on April 12. Mr Martin also said the Taoiseach must reveal in full the nature of ongoing contacts between the Government and the EUs policy-guiding Commission about how to manage the Irish border in the event of a no-deal outcome. It was clear no-deal Brexit would mean Irish border controls the only question was about where and how such controls would be done. Its time to be upfront and tell the people, Mr Martin said. The Fianna Fail leader pointed to the report about Brexit economic damage by the think-tank, the ESRI. This found in the event of a no-deal Brexit up to 80,000 Irish jobs would be lost. He asked the Taoiseach whether he had replied to questions from French president, Emmanuel Macron, at the weekend EU leaders summit about the implications for Ireland of a no-deal Brexit. Mr Martin noted the Taoiseach had not denied reports that he told President Macron: We can cope. But the Taoiseach hit back and asked whether Fianna Fail would be prepared to tolerate Irish border checks as part of the price of staving a no-deal Brexit. He defended the Governments record on preparing for Brexit including a no deal outcome. He acknowledged that the ESRI reports findings were not good news. But he argued that even in that scenario there would be more jobs, increased growth, and income increases though all these indices would be lower than in a non-Brexit situation. Mr Varadkar said extensive legislation for a no-deal scenario had been passed and signed into law by the President. He said a low-cost Brexit loans to business will be launched tomorrow by Agriculture Minister, Michael Creed, and Jobs Minister, Heather Humphreys. The Taoiseach said there were ongoing contacts with the EU Commission but the details of handling a no-deal Brexit depended on the stance which the London government would take. There have been no papers, no documents exchanged, Mr Varadkar said about Brussels-Dublin talks. He again said Ireland and the EU will insist the UK must uphold its obligations under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Zurich Insurance Ireland has raised concerns with Dublin City Council over plans by Irish Life Assurance to more than double office space at three office buildings in Dublin 4. Zurich Insurance Ireland is a long-term tenant at one of the three blocks at Ballsbridge Park and consultants for the Irish arm of the insurance giant have told the city council that the quantum of development proposed is out of keeping with the scale of the nearest cottages located a short distance away at Ballsbridge Avenue. In seeking a 10-year planning permission, joint applicants, Irish Life Assurance and Intrust Properties are seeking to increase the amount of floor space in the office blocks from 19,696 sq m to 42,602 sq m. In a submission to the council for Zurich Insurance Ireland, Cunnane Stratton Reynolds (CSR) said "there is a large volume of office space currently permitted and under development within Ballsbridge - this development is not being complemented with the development of residential units". The consultants argue that the new planning application "would significantly increase the scale and floorspace of development immediately adjoining a sensitive residential area and would result in an unacceptable transition in scale from the proposed commercial development to the immediately adjoining single storey residential" development. However consultants for the applicants, Thornton O'Connor Town Planning, state that "the densification of the site combats the sprawl of commercial development into surrounding less-central and less-sustainable locations". They also argue that the densification will assist in the development of an economic hub at Ballsbridge which is an accessible location for business growth. ABP is extending its range of online beef products for Chinese consumers on the JD.com platform following what it described as 'extremely' positive demand. The Chinese market opened to Irish beef in June 2018 and demand has been strong. According to Bord Bia by the end of 2018 more than 1000 tonnes of Irish beef will have been landed in China. The conditions of access for Irish beef limit what can be exported to boneless cuts and those cuts must come from one of six approved meat plants. Bord Bia has said that the rate of growth in beef consumption in China and the limits of its own domestic production capacity make the prospects for significant gains in the values and volumes of beef being shipped to China in 2019 strong. ABP's announcement was made during a visit of its Chinese Distribution partner Hopewise to its Clones facility. Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys was also in attendance. Hopewise was the first company to import Irish beef to China. JD.Com is one of the largest business-to-consumer online retailers in China by transaction volume and revenue, with 301.8 million active users. ABP beef is supplied to JD.Com through the Hopewise distribution network in China. The process of purchasing beef products online is one of the fastest growing trends in the Chinese market. Commenting at the announcement, Mark Goodman, Managing Director of ABPs International Division said feedback and demand from Chinese consumers about our products on JD.com has been extremely positive. "The time is now right for us to extend our range further to include another 7 products. "These have been developed following six months of close and successful collaboration between our New Product Development team here in Ireland, our colleagues in China and our distribution partners Hopewise. We look forward to the continued expansion of our products with Hopewise and the JD.Com platform. Mr Sun Yong Li, Chairman of BJ Hopewise said, Irish beef is proving popular with our customers and with the Chinese consumer. They value the fact that the product is fully traceable, hormone free and is produced in green fields. "Demand has been increasing since we launched ABP product on JD.Com in July, I think it is important for Ireland to push for more plant approvals to ensure increased supply as demand grows. The most important thing for JD.com is product availability. In February 2018, ABP became the first European beef company to agree contract arrangements with Chinese customers. In July, the company signed an export agreement with Hopewise where ABP ships beef cuts to Hopewise processing facilities in Shanghai and Beijing. The product is then processed into consumer packs, with consumers able to purchase for direct home delivery via the JD.com platform on their phones. The seven additional product cuts are: "He was speaking to staying in touch with your constituents. . . making sure you're doing the regular communications as well as [recognizing] that there's often-time nuances to policy making and that it takes time," said Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., who worked in the Obama administration. "He told stories about passing the ACA, and how that took a lot of conviction and 'Don't ask, don't tell,' and how that took a lot of time." OVER 40 claims are expected to be lodged to the Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA) by farmers left out of pocket following the closure of Castleblayney Mart in Co Monaghan. It is understood that farmers were owed in the region of 200,000 when the mart and auctioneering company owned by Edward Paul Nugent Ltd was liquidated on April 9 last year. IFA Monaghan chair Frank Brady said a meeting held in Castleblayney last week heard that one farmer who had a deposit worth 8,000 down on land with the mart, lodged a compensation claim with the PSRA. This was initially rejected but following an appeals process with the Property Services Appeal Board (PSAB) they were successful. Mr Brady said this now "sets a precedent" for more farmers to take compensation cases. Licence Solicitor Paul McCormack of McCormack and Co said that claims can be made to the PSRA on the grounds that the PSRA were "negligent" allowing Castleblayney mart to trade until April 2018 even though it lost its licence in 2017. "Those owed money can contact me to make a claim under Section 78 of the Property Services Regulatory Act 2011," he said. "There's no guarantee everyone will get their money and all the claims will probably be rejected at first, but they can then be appealed." Mr McCormack said that claims can be made up to one year after the mart went in to liquidation so time is ticking for farmers owed money. He said he is now dealing with claims from over 40 farmers owed in the region of 150,000. He added that anybody who is owed money from the mart closure should contact his firm on 042 9740008. Paradyn and BT Irelands 1.2M cloud connectivity deal, pictured (L-R) are Cillian McCarthy, CEO, Paradyn and Peter Evans, director of wholesale, BT Ireland. Paradyn has secured a 1.2m cloud connectivity deal with BT Ireland, enabling the firm to provide a more resilient service with increased bandwidth up to 10Gbps. The agreement is also expected to enable its customers, which include Ryanair, Carbery Group and several county councils, to meet strict regulatory requirements. CEO Cillian McCarthy, CEO, Paradyn, said that organisations operating in today's digital economy "require guaranteed uptime and absolute assurance that their workloads are safe and to meet those needs". "Many of our customers require the highest levels of security, as well as backup and data recovery solutions. The additional hosting infrastructure will enable us to continue to provide these services with even greater peace of mind for our customers," he said. Paradyn provides its customers with a primary and secondary internet connection to ensure zero downtime and rapid internet speeds. The enhanced cloud connectivity provided through BT Ireland's Citywest facility gives it access to more than 37 communications carriers globally, supporting the scale and operation needs of its clients. Paradyn manages more than 30,000 public and private sector users who use around 75,000 devices between them. AIB is poised to sign off on a controversial 1bn sale of bad loans including mortgages to US fund Cerberus, Independent.ie understands. The sale, dubbed Project Beech, is AIBs biggest to date and is mainly of mortgages and business loans in deep arrears. The US fund will pay around 30 cents in the euro for loans with a face value of 3bn Sources confirmed the sale remains live and has progressed to its final stages, despites doubts in the market about the impact of Brexit and around proposed legislation that may restrict loans sales in future, Independent.ie has confirmed. Cerberus has seen off competition from rivals Lone Star and a joint bid from Goldman Sachs and CarVal. In a separate deal in May last year a consortium led by Cerberus bought AIBs earlier Project Redwood loan portfolio made up of bad loans including buy-to-let mortgages with a face value of 1.1bn. AIB has driven ahead with the Project Beech sale despite push back from some bidders around the uncertainty on how Brexit will play out. The bank is on course to complete the deal this month, but may be delayed slightly. The Irish bank is selling off bad loans under pressure from regulators at European level to reduce its stock of so called non performing exposures to the Euro-area average, which is now under 3.5pc compared to around 11pc at AIB. The US Treasury Department is again reducing penalties for taxpayers who didn't pay enough of their tax bill throughout the year. Taxpayers who paid at least 80pc of their estimated tax liability for 2018 through pay cheque withholding or quarterly estimated payments won't face Internal Revenue Service penalties this year, a senior Treasury official told reporters. Taxpayers typically pay fines if they don't cover at least 90pc of their tax liability during the year. Its the second time Treasury has reduced the penalty threshold for the first filing season following the passage of the 2017 Republican tax overhaul. In January, Treasury announced it would remove penalties for taxpayers who'd paid at least 85pc of their payments during 2018. Changes to tax brackets, withholding tables and the child tax credit associated with the new law left some taxpayers asking for too little to be withheld, leaving them with surprise tax bills when they file their returns. The change follows requests from National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson of the IRS and two Democrats, Representative Judy Chu of California and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who pushed for legislation after hearing that confused taxpayers were getting hit with steep penalties for under-withholding. Many taxpayers this year are "shocked to discover they owe hundreds or thousands of dollars to the IRS through no fault of their own, and could even face penalties," Chu said in a statement. "As tax filing season is in full swing, Treasury's action will relieve the financial anxiety facing worried taxpayers across the country." Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that he was aware of bipartisan interest on the issue, and agreed that "further relief should be provided". Taxpayers can also avoid underpayment penalties if they owe less than $1,000 or they paid 100pc of the amount they owed in the prior year. The Treasury official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he expects the change will eliminate fines for 25pc to 30pc of taxpayers who would have owed if the threshold had been left at 90pc. (Bloomberg) EUROPEAN planemaker Airbus is close to signing a deal worth billions of dollars with China following a delay of more than a year in the negotiations, industry sources said on Monday. The deal is part of a package of trade deals coinciding with a visit to Europe by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Airbus declined to comment. Boeing shares pared gains briefly on the news and were up about 1.2pc at one stage yesterday. The deal will provide a boost for the European company's incoming chief, Guillaume Faury, who takes over from Tom Enders in April. Airbus sales have had one of the slowest starts in the past decade, with it registering 103 cancellations and just four new orders in the first two months. China has become a key hunting ground for Airbus and its rival Boeing, thanks to surging travel demand, but the outlook has been complicated by Beijing's desire to grow its own industrial champions and the US-China trade war. French President Emmanuel Macron unexpectedly failed to clinch the Airbus order during a trip to China in early 2018 and the French government and Airbus have been working since to salvage it. Reuters and Bloomberg US President Donald Trump's blunt-force use of tariffs in pursuing his 'America First' trade agenda has angered many, from company executives to allied governments and members of both parties of Congress. But there's one effort which has drawn broad support from those who oppose him on almost everything else - his push to force Beijing to change what are widely viewed as China's market-distorting trade and subsidy practices. As US-China talks to end a trade war reach their endgame, politicians, executives and foreign diplomats are urging Mr Trump and his team to hold out for meaningful structural reforms in China to address entrenched problems in the relationship that hurt US and other foreign companies and workers. Mr Trump's trade war "has let the genie out of the bottle" by lifting expectations that the trade war will force China to reform policies that businesses and foreign governments regard as unfair, said Steven Gardon, vice-president of indirect taxes and customs at Lear. Mr Gardon's firm is an automotive seating and electrical supplier with plants in 39 countries, including the United States and China. "Now that all these issues have been raised, there's a lot more domestic political support to address these issues, and I don't think you can pull back from that," Mr Gardon said at a Georgetown Law School forum this month. Mr Gardon's comments reflect a broad shift in US and international business sentiment towards China's economic and trade policies, one that is aligned with Trump's goals, if not his tactics. Mr Trump's trade team say they are in the final stages of negotiating what would be the biggest economic policy agreement with China in decades. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin head to Beijing this week to try to accelerate talks with Chinese vice-premier Liu He, who is set to travel to Washington for more negotiations in early April. Eight months into the trade war that has disrupted the flow of billions of dollars of goods between the world's two largest economies, it is unclear if a deal acceptable to both sides can be done. China's President Xi Jinping is seen as reluctant to make economic reforms under US pressure, and Mr Trump has said he may keep tariffs on Chinese goods for "a substantial period" even if a deal is struck. He may find it easier to live with the tariffs Mr Trump has imposed on trade than to change China's model for economic development. As part of a deal, Beijing has offered to make big-ticket purchases from the United States to help reduce a record trade gap. Trump's team has said those purchases would be worth more than a trillion dollars over about six years. While big Chinese purchases might be tempting, they would do nothing to address what US firms competing in China or against Chinese firms say are structural problems with a system stacked against them. John Cleese has said he was snubbed by Netflix over plans for a comedy special (Conor McCabe/PA) John Cleese offered to work with Netflix on a comedy special but was snubbed by the streaming giant, according to the Monty Python star. The comedian, 79, said he approached executives in December with the offer of a collaborative programme. However, he suggested they must have hated the idea because they did not return his agents calls or emails. In December I visited Netflix to pitch the idea of a 'Special' They must have hated the idea because they never got back to me, or returned any of my agent's phone calls or emails ! Recently someone showed me one of the 'Specials' they did commission. It was very original... John Cleese (@JohnCleese) March 26, 2019 He also described a later meeting with a head of comedy in which the executive behaved like a teenage Mexican bandit on the run. He wrote on Twitter: In December I visited Netflix to pitch the idea of a Special. They must have hated the idea because they never got back to me, or returned any of my agents phone calls or emails ! In another post he added: At another, the Head of Comedy behaved throughout like a teenage Mexican bandit on the run, throwing looks over his shoulder every few seconds, and wearing an expression of extreme terror throughout. Still, I take heart from the fact that every UK and US studio passed on 'Life of Brian', 10 out of 11 Hollywood studios turned down 'Fish called Wanda', and the man who commissioned 'Fawlty Towers' told me, after the first episode, that I had to 'get it out of the hotel more' John Cleese (@JohnCleese) March 26, 2019 Cleese said another of his programmes was turned down by ITV, with the broadcaster suggesting it was not tonally right. The star said his work had been too intelligent for the channel. Video of the Day The veteran comic added that he thought there was hope for his recent work given the number of times Monty Pythons Life Of Brian was turned down in the 1960s. He added that even the man who commissioned Cleeses successful 1970s sitcom Fawlty Towers thought his work could be improved on. He said: Still, I take heart from the fact that every UK and US studio passed on Life of Brian, 10 out of 11 Hollywood studios turned down Fish called Wanda, and the man who commissioned Fawlty Towers told me, after the first episode, that I had to get it out of the hotel more. Representatives of Netflix have been contacted for comment. On to a winner: Conor Clarkson, centre, toasts his Gold Cup glory with trainer Tom Taaffe and jockey Barry Geraghty. Photo: Barry Batchelor A creditor is objecting to a personal insolvency arrangement (PIA) which would see a businessman and former racehorse owner write off more than 70m in debts, the High Court has heard. Property developer Conor Clarkson, of Cainfort, Enniskerry Road, Stepaside, Dublin, is seeking to have his PIA approved by the court. But financial fund Promontoria (Arrow) Ltd, which says it is owed 64m by the former Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, is objecting to his PIA, saying it is prejudiced by the arrangement. Mr Clarkson hit the headlines back in 2005 when his star horse Kicking King won the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The gelding amassed winnings of more than 900,000 during a successful National Hunt career. Speaking from his home last night, Mr Clarkson said that he did not wish to comment on the ongoing High Court case. If the PIA is approved, it will allow him to return to solvency. At a meeting earlier this year the PIA was approved by the majority of Mr Clarkson's creditors, which are mainly financial institutions. The debts are due to investments that Mr Clarkson made in property prior to the banking crisis and property crash of 2009-10. Included in the proposed PIA is a lump sum payment of 100,000, which has been available to the businessman's creditors. The money has been provided by a relative of Mr Clarkson. He will also retain his family home under the PIA. Mitchell O'Brien, Mr Clarkson's personal insolvency practitioner (PIP), says his debtors will do better through the PIA than if he is made a bankrupt. The lump sum would not be available if he was adjudicated a bankrupt, Mr O'Brien explained. Mr Clarkson has over the last number of years worked with his creditors and has implemented a sale strategy in relation to properties he had an interest in. The case was mentioned before Mr Justice Denis McDonald yesterday. Promontoria sought an extension of time so it can file its objection to Mr Clarkson's PIA being approved by the court. In a sworn statement, Promontoria said its objection was filed outside the permitted 14-day period because the person handling the case on its behalf mistakenly believed the fund had until March 1 last to file the objection. Eoin Martin BL, for Promontoria, said that the money owed by Mr Clarkson represented some 94pc of his total debts. The fund is his largest creditor and it was always their intention to file an objection. Promontoria had voted against the PIA at the meeting of Mr Clarkson's creditors. Keith Farry BL, for Mr Clarkson's PIP, said his side was not objecting to the extension, but the explanation as to why the objection was not filed in time was not satisfactory. The judge, noting the PIP's attitude towards the application, said he was prepared to grant the extension. But he added there was no automatic entitlement to it. He added he was not satisfied with the "broad brush" reason advanced by the fund in the sworn statement as to why the objection was not filed on time. The matter will be mentioned before the court later this year. Education Minister Joe McHugh has initiated 19 High Court actions against the building firm Western Building Systems (WBS), which was at the centre of a controversy over school safety last year. One case before Mr Justice Robert Haughton yesterday involved alleged defects in a 5m "rapid build" school which had to be closed for a part of a term last year to allow temporary remedial works costing 1m to be carried out. The Tyrrelstown Educate Together National School in west Dublin was one of the schools closed last autumn following safety inspections carried out on behalf of the Department of Education. Last December, the department brought proceedings in the Commercial Court, a division of the High Court, over alleged defects in Ardgillan Community College in Balbriggan, north Dublin, against WBS of Coalisland, Co Tyrone which designed and built it. Yesterday, similar proceedings against WBS in relation to Tyrellstown were also entered into the fast track commercial list by Mr Justice Haughton The department says the 525 Tyrrelstown pupils had to be moved to alternative accommodation from the mid-term break in October until after the Christmas holidays while temporary remedial works were carried out. Remedial works have already cost 950,000 and are likely to exceed 1m, it says. The final cost of permanent works is not yet known, it says. Tyrrellstown was designed and built under a 2011 Rapid Build School Delivery contract for just over 5m. Eamonn Murtagh, principal officer in the department, said the building did not comply with fire certificate and/or building regulations and/or with the department's build requirements. He said a consulting engineers' report found issues with the strength and fixity of the walls panels in the building. This gave rise to a risk of a collapse/"fall out" of the outer masonry wall panel and the "fall in" of timber infill panels into the classrooms. In its action, the department seeks damages for breach of contract, negligence and/or misrepresentation by WBS arising from the design and/or construction of the school. Mr Justice Haughton, after admitting the case to the Commercial Court on consent between the parties, adjourned the matter to July. The High Court list currently shows that the minister has initiated 19 cases against the company since last September. WBS has consistently maintained that each of 42 schools assessed by the department last autumn was "previously certified for completion as being free from defects and suitable for use by the Department and its employed professionals". Eleven motorists who dodged payment of hundreds of tolls on the M50 have been hit with fines totalling more than 126,000. The penalties, ranging from 2,500 to 15,000, were handed down by Judge Anthony Halpin at Dublin District Court yesterday. In all the prosecutions which resulted in the fines being imposed yesterday, none of the defendants appeared in court. Each case featured five sample counts of toll-dodging and photographic evidence of how many times the defendants' vehicles had been detected using the motorway without paying the charge. The court heard the evidence showed the passage of the vehicles, mostly private cars, on the barrier-free motorway on dates in May, August and September 2018, as well as proof of vehicle ownership at the time. The M50 is operated by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and the registered owner of a vehicle is responsible for paying a toll even if they were not driving. Judge Halpin expressed concern at the financial and environmental cost of thousands of letters being sent to these motorists by representatives of TII as a result of the non-payment of the tolls. On top of the fines, which totalled 126,500, each owner was ordered to pay costs. Claire Burke, of Balbutcher Lane, Ballymun, Dublin, was fined 9,000. Judge Halpin heard she was the registered owner of a car which had a history of 230 journeys and no payments. Some 500 letters were sent to her, said TII witness Sarah Kavanagh. Marina Stan, of Aulden Grange, Santry, Dublin, had not paid for 215 journeys by her car on the M50, the court heard. For her five sample charges arising from journeys in September, Judge Halpin fined her 12,500. Danielle Riccardo Muntean, of Castlesize Drive, Sallins, Co Kildare, was the owner of a car that made 284 trips on the M50 and had paid five times and was fined 12,500. Some 1,800 letters were sent out about those unpaid tolls. David Tyrell, of Fairlawn Road, Finglas, was also fined 12,500. The court heard his vehicle had a history of 728 passages with no payment. Some 2,000 letters had also been sent to him with no replies. Commercial vehicle owner Philip Johnson, of St Marks, Robin Hood Road, Clondalkin, Dublin, had been the owner of a truck which had done 592 trips on the motorway, the court heard. No payments were received for those journeys and he was fined 15,000. Victor Ekanem, of Tailteann Drive, Windtown, Navan, Co Meath, was the owner of a car which had a history of 489 passages with no payments. He was fined 15,000. A former nurse and personal assistant to Anthony O'Reilly has received a boost to her bid to sue the one-time billionaire from a US court. The court in Pittsburgh ruled it did not recognise the Bahamas bankruptcy of Mr O'Reilly (82), a former chief executive and major shareholder at Independent News & Media, owners of the Irish Independent. Had the bankruptcy been recognised, it would have blocked the lawsuit by Mr O'Reilly's former personal assistant Sabina Vidunas. Now she could seek to restart those proceedings, unless a further application from Mr O'Reilly's bankruptcy trustee is successful. Ms Vidunas worked for Mr O'Reilly between 1995 and 2011. She sued him in 2013 for breach of contract, alleging he reneged on a promise to give her tens of millions of dollars worth of shares in HJ Heinz and Providence Resources. Mr O'Reilly filed for bankruptcy in the Bahamas in 2015. A statement of affairs produced the following year showed that he had debts of 170m, but just 4.6m in unencumbered assets. A US court put a stay on Ms Vidunas's legal action last November as a result of the bankruptcy. On the same day, Mr O'Reilly's bankruptcy trustee Alastair Beveridge filed a petition with the court in Pittsburgh seeking to have the bankruptcy recognised as a "foreign proceeding" under the US bankruptcy code. Such recognition would have offered a number of mandatory and discretionary protections against lawsuits. However, Ms Vidunas objected on a number of grounds, including that Mr O'Reilly's centre of main interest was not the Bahamas. In a written ruling in the Pittsburgh court, Judge Jeffery Deller concluded that Mr O'Reilly's centre of main interests was in France. He has been living there with his wife, Greek shipping heiress Chryss Goulandris, since his home in the Bahamas was liquidated. The judge said for this reason the Bahamas bankruptcy could not be regarded as a foreign "main proceeding", a designation which would have automatically barred legal actions to collect any US assets Mr O'Reilly may have. The ruling is not the end of the issue, however, and Mr Beveridge will be able to file an amended motion seeking recognition of the bankruptcy as a foreign "non main proceeding". This designation would not automatically bar lawsuits against Mr O'Reilly in the US, but it would allow a court to block a case if it was deemed necessary for the bankruptcy process, or to protect assets or the interests of creditors. A judge has said he will take a hard line against professional street beggars who flew to Northern Ireland every six weeks. Barney McElholm made the pledge at Derry Magistrates Court yesterday when he jailed a 30-year-old mother of seven from Bucharest for two months after she admitted stealing a bottle of vodka from Tesco at Strand Road in Derry last Saturday. The district judge said he did not believe Florica Crina Ispas was a genuine indigent street beggar as she had claimed following her arrest. Instead, he said he believed the defendant was "a member of a professional gang of street beggars who could afford to fly into and out of Northern Ireland every six weeks, on a shift basis, to beg". A police officer told Mr McElholm the defendant was stopped by supermarket staff as she attempted to leave without paying for the bottle of vodka. He said the defendant had previous convictions for street begging in Belfast last December, January and last month. Applying for bail, defence solicitor George Copeland said the defendant had no passport but had a visa visiting card which entitled her to travel from Romania to any EU country. "She instructs that she flew in from Bucharest to Dublin six weeks ago and that she has been living on the streets of Dublin, Belfast and Derry since then. "She was arrested as she walked through the check-out area while she was speaking on her mobile phone to her children in Romania and she forgot to pay for the vodka", he said. Mr McElholm said the defendant had similar convictions dating back to last December, yet said she only arrived here six weeks ago. "I don't believe a single word of what she has said and I'm going to take a tough line in such cases in future. This woman in my view is part of a professional group of people who come here to beg and who then fly out again. They can afford to fly in and fly out again", the judge said. Mr McElholm said he recently had a meeting with local agencies to discuss the issue of street begging. "These people are not genuine indigent street beggars. They fly in and out on six weekly shifts," he added. "These people are doing a great disservice to people who are genuinely homeless. "They are a professional group coming here to street beg and to take advantage of the generous and good nature of the local people", he said before jailing the defendant for two months. The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection says the High Court should quash a District Judge's decision to strike out charges linked to redundancies at Clerys department store in Dublin. It arises out of District Judge John Brennan's decision in March 2018 to strike out charges against businesswoman, Deirdre Foley, co-defendant Mark Redmond, of Belfry Dale, Saggart, Co Dublin, and the previous owners of Clerys, OCS Operations. Ms Foley, Mr Redmond, and the company's legal teams had made an application to the District Judge to have the charges struck out on the grounds they could not get a fair trial without being provided with certain material from inspectors appointed by the Labour Court to look into the redundancies at the store. Judge Brennan's decision was based on the grounds including that the prosecution had failed to comply with an order for disclosure of documentation. The defendants had been charged with offences contrary to provisions of the 1977-2014 Protection of Employment Act arising out of the closure of Clerys in June 2015. A total of 460 people lost their jobs, 134 of whom were employees of OCS Operations. Judge Brennan also ruled that any further adjournment would encroach on the defendants' rights to fair procedure and an expeditious trial. In the High Court action, the Minister seeks to have Judge Brennan's decision quashed. The Minister seeks various declarations including that the District Judge failed to strike a balance between the public interest in the prosecution of the offences and any risk of an unfair trial. The Minister further seeks declarations that the striking out order was wholly disproportionate and unjust having regard to the all the circumstances of the case. It is argued the Minister fully discharged the duty to make disclosure to the respondents. The action is opposed by the three defendants. The case briefly opened before Mr Justice Charles Meenan on Tuesday but was adjourned to Wednesday to give the judge an opportunity to read the large volume of papers in the case. The Judge agreed with counsel for the parties this would reduce the time it would take to hear the action which is expected to take between three to five days to hear. Killer Tom Martens is to pay 160,000 ($180,000) to settle a wrongful death action taken in the US by the estate of murdered Irish businessman Jason Corbett (39). An outline settlement has been submitted to a North Carolina court and the proceeds will now go to Mr Corbett's two children, who are being raised by his sister and brother-in-law, Tracey and Dave Lynch, in Limerick. Molly Martens was dismissed as a party to the current proceedings, but she will not now benefit from a 530,000 ($600,000) life insurance policy on her husband. A further 17,500 ($20,000) will be paid to the children's trust fund by an insurance firm acting for Tom Martens (68) and his wife, Sharon. The settlement followed a lengthy mediation process and was without admission of liability. Tracey and Dave Lynch fought a determined campaign over the past four years to see justice delivered for Mr Corbett. The settlement of the wrongful death action is seen as a landmark victory for the brave Irish couple. Mr Lynch said he was relieved at the outcome. "Upon the advice of my attorney, I have agreed to accept the recommendations in the best interest of Jason's children," he said. "I welcome the independent trustee who has the appropriate skills to invest the funds in the children's best interest. It is a burden lifted, I can now focus on my family. Our next step is to go over and finally be able to sort Jason's belongings so we can hopefully retrieve some items of sentimental value to his family and children." Mr Corbett's sister said it was the end of a very painful time. "We are relieved as a family to close this difficult chapter and try move forward with our lives and focus on our children," she said. "Dave has always taken his fiduciary duties seriously and acted in the best interest of the kids - I am very proud of him. What we want now is to continue to focus on ensuring those responsible for Jason's murder remain in prison." Tom Martens, a retired FBI agent, and his daughter Molly (35) were convicted of the second-degree murder of Mr Corbett in August 2015. Both are now serving 20-25 years in North Carolina prisons. Members of former billionaire Sean Quinn's family want permission to vary a bank freeze so they can pay lawyers for their ongoing action against Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC), the Commercial Court has heard. The case is currently being heard in the High Court and may last months. In that action, the Quinns dispute any liability for share pledges and guarantees related to loans of some 2.34bn. The loans were advanced by IBRC's predecessor, Anglo Irish Bank, to various Quinn companies. A separate case by IBRC against various Quinn family members and other parties, alleging a conspiracy to strip some 455m assets from Quinn International Property Group companies, is due to be heard after the loans liability action. In 2012, the Commercial Court imposed freezing orders on the Quinn bank accounts. Since then, they have had to apply to the court to vary those orders for living expenses and legal fees to be paid out. Yesterday Ross Alyward BL, for the Quinns, said he wished to apply to the court next week to vary the freezing order to enable his clients to provide security over a property and to draw down a loan of 250,000 (291,498) to facilitate their continued involvement in the main loan liability proceedings. Barry O'Donnell SC, for IBRC, opposed the application. Mr Justice Robert Haughton adjourned the matter for a week. Two Dublin men were stopped by gardai in a car which was found to contain 150kg of explosives, the Special Criminal Court has heard. John Brock (46), with an address at Cushlawn Park, Tallaght, Dublin 24 and John Roche (55), of Bridgefoot Street, Dublin 8, are both charged with possession of 57kg of homemade explosives, consisting of ammonium nitrate fuel mix, and thirty-eight 2.5kg rolls of Kemegel industrial explosives at Naas Road, Dublin 12, on April 13th, 2016. Arraigned on the charges before the non-jury court today, Mr Brock and Mr Roche remained seated and pleaded not guilty to the counts. Opening the prosecution case this morning, Anne-Marie Lawlor SC said the three-judge court will hear evidence regarding the two mens movements on the Naas Road on April 13. Ms Lawlor said members of the National Surveillance Unit (NSU) will give evidence of observing the accused men at various locations on the day. There will be evidence that Mr Roche was observed driving a black Skoda Fabia car and Mr Brock was a passenger in this car, which was seen in or around the location of Behans Quarry on Windmillhill in Rathcoole, Co Dublin, she said. The barrister further stated that the court will hear about "observations" of the two men in or around the N7, where the car was seen. Ms Lawlor said the evidence will be that the Skoda car was stopped by gardai at 7.24pm that day and both men were arrested. The vehicle was searched and found to contain 18 detonators, 57kg of an explosive substance and thirty-eight 2.5kg rolls of Kemegel, she indicated, adding that the court will also hear ballistic evidence. The lawyer outlined that the men were detained and questioned over a period of time. The court will also be able to draw inferences from the mens failure to answer questions in two of these interviews, stated Ms Lawlor. Finally, Ms Lawlor said the court will be able to conclude at the end of the trial that the accused men are each guilty of the offence charged. Detective Superintendent Willie Johnson, the officer in charge of the National Surveillance Unit (NSU), gave evidence that if the members of his unit were identified it would be detrimental for future operations and could jeopardise them. My application to the court is to request that NSU members be protected from public view to ensure the preservation of the anonymity of the individuals themselves, said the witness. Following this, the three-judge court ruled that the public should be excluded from the court when members of the NSU give evidence in the trial and that its members should only be identified by their previously assigned initials. The trial resumes tomorrow in front of Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, sitting with Judge Patricia Ryan and Judge Ann Ryan. It is expected to last one week. An artist's impression of how an entrance to the MetroLink might look on O'Connell Street The demolition of an apartment complex and a Dublin City Council leisure centre and swimming pool will go ahead under MetroLink plans announced this afternoon. The National Transport Authority (NTA) and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) said it has spent significant time and resources into investigating alternatives to demolishing the 70 apartments at the College Gate complex, however they have reluctantly concluded that the original proposal is the best option. They will help tenants to find alternative accommodation and pay their new rent for up to one year. In the case of owner-occupiers, they will pay "appropriate compensation" and help them find new accommodation. The Markievicz leisure centre will also be demolished with plans to build a replacement centre elsewhere. The two authorities said their new planned MetroLink route will now see a reduction in the number of homes that will have to be acquired - falling from 105 to 85. Expand Close The original proposed route for Metrolink / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The original proposed route for Metrolink They said an apartment building at the proposed station in Glasnevin, which is home to some 40 people, will now no longer need to be demolished. As reported yesterday in the Irish Independent, the new route will now stop at Charlemont. The original plan was to run a 26km railway line linking Swords in the north of Co Dublin to Sandyford in the south, with stations including one at Dublin Airport. The expectation was that passengers would be able to travel the entire route in 50 minutes. MetroLink is due to be completed by 2027. However transport officials were forced to re-examine the planned route following a fierce backlash from local residents, both north and south of the River Liffey. On the northside, the original plans saw Na Fianna GAA Club losing its pitches in Glasnevin for six years during the construction phase and to accommodate a MetroLink station. However the station is now going to be built underneath a training pitch used by Home Farm FC. The NTA and TII said the pitch will be unavailable to Home Farm FC during the estimated three-year construction period, but it will be "fully restored afterwards". On the southside, the MetroLink was to run from Swords to Charlemont Street to meeting the existing Luas and to continue down the Green Line to Sandyford. However this would have involved closing the Luas line for up to four years - something Transport Minister Shane Ross said would be "unacceptable". The NTA and TII said today that, acknowledging the concerns about the closure of the Green Line this will now not go ahead. However the required tunnel boring works to allow for the future connection of the existing Luas line will be carried out during this phase. It also said it has made a number of changes to the original plans in the city centre that will reduce disruption. This includes building a station under the old Carlton cinema on OConnell Street. The station at St Stephens Green will be moved slightly south and west so that Hume Street can remain open during construction. They said St Stephens Green park will be "impacted to a small extent as a result". Announcing the new route, Anne Graham, CEO of the NTA, said; "MetroLink will be a significant economic driver for the region with about 4,000 jobs to be created during construction." HEALTH chiefs are treating as a tragic accident the death of a young mother in a maternity hospital who was found unresponsive on the floor with her newborn baby. An investigation is now underway at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) into the tragedy on Monday. The infant was found seriously injured beside her mother. However, the child is now in a serious but stable condition. The woman, who is in her early 30s, had given birth last weekend and it is believed she was breastfeeding when the freak accident occurred. One theory being considered is that the young woman was suddenly taken ill and may have fallen out of bed as she attempted to seek help or reach a toilet. She was in a single room at CUMH which was opened just over a decade ago. The Cork facility ranks as Ireland's most modern maternity hospital. When discovered, the infant was partially trapped underneath the young mother on the floor. The woman had been checked by CUMH staff just a short time earlier. It is understood the woman showed no indications of illness or feeling unwell at the time. When she was later found on the floor, emergency resuscitation was commenced but, tragically, the woman could not be revived. She was pronounced dead at the scene. A full post mortem examination is now scheduled to be conducted at Cork University Hospital (CUH) to clarify the precise cause of death involved. A file will be submitted to Cork Coroner Philip Comyn. The South South-West Hospital Group of the Health Service Executive (HSE) have described the incident as a tragic occurrence. Counselling and support services are now in place for the woman's family. The scene of the crash at Carrigeenlea, Tramore, Co. Waterford today. PIC Colin O'Riordan The scene of the crash at Carrigeenlea, Tramore, Co. Waterford . PIC Colin O'Riordan The scene of the crash at Carrigeenlea, Tramore, Co. Waterford today. PIC Colin O'Riordan The scene of the crash at Carrigeenlea, Tramore, Co. Waterford today. PIC Colin O Riordan A car is removed from the scene of the crash in which Katie Murphy died. Photo: Colin O'Riordan Pictured: The scene of the crash; Katie (inset left) and with her best friend Claire (inset right) A friend of the 16-year-old schoolgirl killed in a tragic car crash has said her pals were about to call for her and were yards away when the tragedy occurred. Claire Lombard (17) said her best friend Katie Murphy was the sort of girl who could make anyone smile no matter how sad they were. Katie, from the Castlewoods estate in Ballynamona, Co Waterford, was a rear-seat passenger in the car with three friends when it crashed into a wall as it turned into the Carrigeenlea Estate in Tramore at 8.20pm on Wednesday evening. She was rushed to University Hospital in Waterford but died from the injuries she sustained. A 17-year-old boy, the son of a well-known and respected family involved in the motor trade in Tramore, was driving the car and a male pal was in the passenger seat. Katie and another female friend were travelling in the back of the car. Expand Close Katie Murphy / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Katie Murphy The male passenger was later transferred to Cork University Hospital from Waterford where it is suspected he has swelling on the brain and a punctured lung. The female passenger is being treated for suspected bone fractures including her legs and pelvis. Claire, a pupil at St Angela's school in Waterford, described the sequence of events. Expand Close Katie Murphy from Ballinamona Co Waterford who died in a road accident in Tramore on 5.10.16 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Katie Murphy from Ballinamona Co Waterford who died in a road accident in Tramore on 5.10.16 "Katie texted me to say they were on their way and that they'd see me in a few minutes. Then a bit later I was closing my bedroom window and I saw people running down the road, and my brother Conor ran out as well," she said. "I went out to see what was happening, and as I got to the corner I could see the car. (The driver) wasn't that badly injured and he was able to get out and he walked towards me in a daze. Read More: 'I don't know how we can cope without her' - Father pays tribute to 'beautiful' Katie (16) killed in crash "We went down to the car to help. (The driver and passenger) were in the front of the car, and Katie and (her friend) were in the back," she said. Expand Close Katie Murphy and pal Claire Lombard / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Katie Murphy and pal Claire Lombard Claire's brother Conor supported the male passenger's head in the vehicle until emergency services arrived, and local residents did all they could. "Katie was always smiling and laughing. She made everyone happy no matter how sad they were," said Claire through tears. Claire told a poignant story of how Katie had borrowed a biro from her in school on Wednesday so she could write a reminder on her hand as to what classroom she was supposed to start in yesterday morning. "That message, Lab B, was still visible on her hand after the crash," said Claire. Katie's father Hilary has posted a message on Facebook. "Our beautiful daughter was taken from us last night. We loved her so very much," it read. Expand Close The scene of the crash at Carrigeenlea, Tramore, Co. Waterford today. PIC Colin O'Riordan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The scene of the crash at Carrigeenlea, Tramore, Co. Waterford today. PIC Colin O'Riordan Lisa Smith holding her daughter while speaking to CNN Photo: CNN Ms Smith gives an interview to ITV in Syria this week. Picture: Independent.ie Diplomatic help: Lisa Smith served in the Defence Forces Lisa Smith pictured during her passing out parade with the Irish Army Efforts are underway to find a way out for Syria for Isil bride Lisa Smith through Turkey or another neighbouring country. The International Red Cross has been asked to spearhead the operation to bring her home. Government officials have made direct contact with the charity, which has a significant presence in the Middle East. Ms Smith (37) is living in a detention camp in northeastern Syria where conditions are understood to be extremely concerned. Expand Close Diplomatic help: Lisa Smith served in the Defence Forces / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Diplomatic help: Lisa Smith served in the Defence Forces Officials have told Independent.ie that there are significant concerns for the welfare of her two-year-old daughter. Ms Smith is aware that her situation has gained media attention at home but Irish diplomats have failed in their attempts to make direct contact with her. In recent days she told a CNN reporter that she wants to return to Ireland. The government will allow her home after a security assessment is completed. A source told Independent.ie: Once things start to move, they will move quickly. It is understood that Red Cross officials have been consulted in recent days with a view to establishing the potential to secure a safe passage for Ms Smith out of the Syria camp. Sources have said utilising the capabilities and connections of the Red Cross is currently among the main options at the Governments disposal. The permutations were discussed at a senior level meeting today and will be reviewed again later this week. Sources have also said that the potential diplomatic issues involved in using the Army Ranger Wing for such a recovery would make it a highly unlikely option for the return of Lisa Smith. The Gardas counter terrorism and intelligence units have been made aware of the developments, with officers attached to the CTI (Counter Terrorism International) expected to carry out a deradicilsation process of Ms Smith on her return. Read More Earlier today Tanaiste Simon Coveney described her situation as an unusual case. But the Taoiseach and I have made it very clear she is an Irish citizen and she is the responsibility of Ireland, he said. We have a responsibility towards her and, in particular, her daughter. We will try to follow through on that responsibility and find a way to bring her home. Part of the problem here is that this is a war zone or at least a former war zone. It is not that easy to actually get into these places. She also does not have the capability to communicate easily from where she is. BUSINESS owners in Co Mayo have rallied together to help a woman with stage four cancer marry her long-term partner next week. Louise Swift (40), from Co Mayo, was first diagnosed with cancer in 2013 and had a radical hysterectomy. One year later, she says she had a recurrence which led to 28 sessions of radiotherapy, chemotherapy and brachytherapy. "I lost most of my thirties to cancer and had a list of things I was going to do this decade and now everything has come to a halt again," Ms Swift told Independent.ie. Shortly after Christmas, Ms Swift received news that the cancer was back and it had spread to her lymph nodes. After getting the diagnosis, Ms Swift and her partner Mick decided to get married in the first week of April, with just their two children and their mothers present. However, she has been finding the hunt for her dream dress difficult, and her friend Emily shared her plight on RTE's 2fm. Ms Swift explained that she had reconstructive surgery and said she hasn't been feeling great after the chemotherapy. "Now that Ive got this diagnosis, its not so much our last chance to do it because were not giving up any hope, its just we want to do it," she told presenter Eoghan McDermott. "Im not built like every other woman out there, Im plus sized and big chested, its hard to get something that fits nice and flattering as well. "At the same time Im not feeling too well after having the chemo, and going dress shopping has been quite stressful for me." After hearing her story, the radio show became inundated with texts, calls and emails from local businesses in Castlebar, near where Ms Swift lives, wanting to help the bride to be for her special day. Caroline, the manager of fashion retailer Carraig Donn in Westport, told Ms Swift to come in store to "kit her out" for her big day, and offered to help her find the perfect dress. Caroline spoke to their neighbours at Petals, a beauty salon in Castlebar, who offered to do her makeup on the big day. Carraig Flowers also called the show to say they would provide Ms Swift with flowers and said they would call into her to discuss. "We'd be delighted to help," florist Shane said. Mother and daughter: Lisa Smith with her two-year old daughter Ruqayya in Syria Lisa Smith during her days as a member of the Defence Forces Converted: Co Louth woman Lisa Smith, who is being held in Syria on suspicion of being a member of Isil ASSESSMENTS will be done to ensure Isil bride Lisa Smith doesnt become a threat to life and limb here in Ireland when she returns home, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said. The Taoiseach today confirmed details of the efforts to get the Louth woman and her two-year-old child out of Syria, as first reported by Independent.ie. Ms Smiths case was discussed by ministers at Cabinet today. Much emphasis was put on the welfare of her daughter, Ruqayya, who is also living in a camp with extremely poor conditions. In the Dail, Mr Varadkar said efforts are being stepped up to ensure the pair are treated humanly. Expand Close Mother and daughter: Lisa Smith with her two-year old daughter Ruqayya in Syria / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mother and daughter: Lisa Smith with her two-year old daughter Ruqayya in Syria No direct contact has been made between Irish officials and Ms Smith to date. But the Taoiseach said: As is the case with all Irish citizens they will be permitted to re-enter the State should they try to do so. He ruled out using the Government Jet to fly her home from the Middle East, saying it is not capable of flying that far. Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin said Ms Smith had obviously made very poor choices. But he added: Theres a two year girl, an Irish citizen, who deserves a future. Aid workers in the Middle East have been directed to help secure her release from a camp where she lives in a tent with other war widows. Expand Close Converted: Co Louth woman Lisa Smith, who is being held in Syria on suspicion of being a member of Isil / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Converted: Co Louth woman Lisa Smith, who is being held in Syria on suspicion of being a member of Isil A source in the region who has met Ms Smith said she is aware her case has created publicity in Ireland but does not know the nature of the debate. They are cut off from the world in there. There is no access to news, the source said. Lisa wants to go back home. Its now all about her little girl. The Department of Foreign Affairs has decided not to send officials into the region as is normal practice when Irish citizens find themselves in trouble abroad as Syria is deemed too volatile for diplomats. However, efforts are being made behind the scenes to get help from aid workers. It is understood Red Cross officials have been consulted with a view to establishing the potential to secure a safe passage for Ms Smith. Sources have said utilising the capabilities and connections of the Red Cross is currently among the main options at the Governments disposal. The permutations were discussed at a senior-level meeting yesterday and will be reviewed again later this week. There are also ongoing discussions between Irish officials and a number of Middle Eastern governments. To date, diplomats have been trying to confirm that Ms Smith wants to return to Ireland. The Government has not had direct contact with her but are now upping their efforts to repatriate her on foot of a brief interview aired on CNN in recent days. The ex-army officer told correspondent Jomana Karadsheh Scott she now wants to go home and is living in a prison. Ms Smith, who once worked on the Government Jet, left Ireland in 2015 and married an Isil sympathiser who was killed in recent months. A 37-year-old-old man suspected of involvement in a 'Bonnie and Clyde' crime spree has been arrested by gardai investigating almost 50 burglaries, theft and fraud offences. The man and his female accomplice are suspected in a string of robberies in counties Longford, Roscommon, Kildare, Offaly and Westmeath, as well as thefts from three hospitals in Dublin. It's believed staff were targeted by the pair at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, St Vincent's Hospital and Tallaght Hospital. The man was being questioned last night at Longford garda station but officers have not yet arrested the woman, believed to be a mother of five. The man, who was living in Dublin but is originally from Co Longford, was arrested last Thursday in the midlands town just two and a half hours after he was suspected of stealing a handbag at a health centre in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, at 2.30pm that day. When Longford gardai arrested the suspect he had already allegedly used an ATM card stolen in the Mullingar crime on several occasions. However the officers in Longford were looking to question him about a separate theft of a wallet in St Mel's Cathedral that had happened in their district last Wednesday. CCTV footage had linked the man to this incident, it is understood. While he has been in custody for the Longford theft, he has also been questioned by gardai from a number of other districts in relation to other offences. These include a robbery at a Spar shop in Roscommon town on Thursday, March 14, in which officers suspect the 'Bonnie and Clyde' partnership worked together. A senior source said the arrested man is a "highly volatile" heroin addict who has been known to "hide blades in his mouth to give him the opportunity to self-harm in the event of being arrested". "He has spat blood at gardai in the past and claimed that he has HIV - this is an individual who has targeted elderly nuns and priests, as well as patients and staff in nursing homes as well as regular hospitals," the senior source pointed out. "He is facing significant jail time after his arrest last Thursday and is suspected of being involved in 50 crimes all across Leinster since the start of January," the source added. His female accomplice, also from Longford, is a suspect in some of the crimes the man has been involved with. However, she hasn't been involved in all his offences and she has not been arrested yet. "Apart from being the chief suspect for thefts in three Dublin hospitals, this individual is suspected of robberies at nursing homes in counties Kildare, Offaly and Westmeath," a senior source explained. "He has also been targeting churches and has hit churches in Leitrim, Longford, Westmeath, Galway and Roscommon in which the victims have often been elderly priests whose ATM cards have been robbed and then used," the source added. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has condemned any potential return of violence on the island of Ireland. Ms McDonald said a new reality had emerged on the island that there was no appetite for violence of any kind. There is no circumstances, no excuse, no scenario in which anybody from any disposition anywhere across this island would have a justifiable cause to take up arms, she said. There is no appetite for a return to armed actions anywhere across this island, in any community in the north of Ireland and, in fact, people have embraced a new reality right across our country which is one of relative stability and advancement and progress. Ms McDonald made the comments at Leinster House on Tuesday amid ongoing Brexit chaos and after a parcel bomb was found last week at an Irish postal depot, which appeared to be identical to suspect packages found in the UK earlier this month. Army bomb disposal experts were called to a postal sorting office in Limerick on Friday morning after the suspicious package was discovered. The Irish Defence Forces later confirmed a viable improvised explosive device had been found contained in a plastic envelope. Ms McDonald accused Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of being overly relaxed when it came to no-deal planning. We heard An Taoiseach in the course of the weekend almost philosophically say that whereas Brexit might define Britain for a generation, that it doesnt have to define us, she said. I think its a very worrying statement. I think it belies an overly relaxed attitude by An Taoiseach. The Dublin Central TD described the DUPs approach to Brexit as absolutely reckless and dangerous, adding it was entirely at odds with what was best for everybody in Northern Ireland. You cant have part of the island inside the European Union and the other part outside of the European Union, and imagine that there wont be huge consequences for trade and our economy but also, critically, for the enjoyment of rights by our citizens and for the smooth operation of the Good Friday Agreement, she said. Ms McDonald continued: They are very much out of step with public opinion in the north. I think theyre very well aware of that and yet they are quite content to play very, very dangerous games with their friends in the Tory party. Other members of the opposition also voiced their concern over the lack of information being provided by the Government about what will happen to the border in a no-deal scenario. Fianna Fail Brexit spokeswoman Lisa Chambers said the Government needed to explain what discussions were happening at EU level. Its about time now our Government was honest with people because clearly conversations are happening in the background, she said. Were getting little snippets. Were piecing together little snippets from EU officials from various ministers but that information should be forthcoming. Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin said it was a very worrying time for Ireland as the Brexit shambles continued apace. Its incumbent on our government to prepare unfortunately for a hard Brexit, he said. Very inadequate preparation has been explained to us to date. Mr Howlin called on his British counterparts to back Theresa Mays deal. If the choice is a no-deal or the deal thats on the table, I would exhort the British Labour Party to support the only negotiated deal thats there, he said. But he added the ideal outcome would be if Article 50 was revoked entirely or Britain had a second referendum. TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar has suggested it could be "make sense" to extend the MetroLink line to UCD and on to Sandyford in future years. His remarks came as he was challenged in the Dail on the current plan for the Metro Line to stop at Charlemont in the south city and the abandonment of the proposal to continue it along the existing Luas Green Line to Sandyford. Under the new plan unveiled by the National Transport Authority today, the Metro tunnel will be extended to a location just south of Ranelagh to allow for future expansion, but this may not happen for another two decades. Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said the new proposals seem to be to put off expansion and use the tunnel through Ranelagh as a "shunting yard while we wait 20 years before upgrading it." He said he doesn't believe this is the right approach to take. Mr Ryan said he wants the government to be open to looking at different options including continuing the Metro route through UCD to Sandyford or another option to go south-west to Terenure/Rathfarnham. Expand Close An artist's impression of how an entrance to the MetroLink might look on O'Connell Street / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp An artist's impression of how an entrance to the MetroLink might look on O'Connell Street He said: "We need radical, ambitious plans for public transport to stop the 2bn cost of gridlock, to tackle emissions, to improve our quality of lives. "Doing nothing or abandoning public transport projects should not be the answer." He asked Mr Varadkar: "Are you open to look at all the options that are still before us?" Mr Varadkar said meeting Ireland's obligations to reduce carbon emissions won't happen without the Metro but that's only part of the solution. He said residents of Ranelagh "will very much welcome" the changes to the Metro route - a reference to the unrest in the southside suburb of the potential impact of the construction on the southside neighbourhood. Mr Varadkar said the Luas Green Line will still be "significantly upgraded". He said it wasn't a "viable option" to go with a plan for the Metro that could have disrupted the Luas for up to four years. Mr Varadkar said: "I do think we need to be open to suggestions as to where the tunnel should go from there." He said that the NTA believe that the Terenure/Rathfarnham suggestion doesn't have the population density to justify it. He said: "UCD/Sandyford might make sense" and added: "I think we should be open to considering that." Mr Varadkar also said: "But I wouldnt like that to hold up the project because nobody is arguing against it in the Airport and in Swords, in Glasnevin, in Santry that entire area has been waiting far too long." A hospital patient's death following his arrest for alleged abusive behaviour is being investigated by the Garda Ombudsman. Father-of-three Daniel McCormack (40) died suddenly on Saturday night after he had been released from custody. He had earlier gone to the Midland Regional Hospital in Mullingar with chest pains. However, gardai were called to the hospital amid claims that Mr McCormack was abusive towards staff, and he was arrested for public order offences. He returned to his home in Raheen, Mullingar, after being released but fell ill. An ambulance was called and he was brought back to the hospital where he had sought treatment earlier that evening. He was pronounced dead soon after. A separate inquiry into the circumstances is being conducted by the Ireland East Hospital Group (IEHG). The Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) was notified of the incident on Saturday night by a local Garda superintendent. GSOC said last night the case had been upgraded to an investigation under Section 98 of the Garda Siochana Act 2005. The upgrading does not imply any wrongdoing, but means that all circumstances surrounding Mr McCormack's death will be investigated. CCTV footage from the hospital will be examined, and the results of a post-mortem will help determine the course of the investigation. Mr McCormack's family have claimed he did not receive treatment at the hospital prior to his arrest. A spokeswoman for the IEHG would not comment on whether the deceased was treated or assessed before his arrest. "Regional Hospital Mullingar cannot comment on individual patient cases," she said. "The hospital is conducting a review of an incident which occurred this weekend. We have no further comment at this time." A relative of the deceased, who asked not be named, described Mr McCormack as a "quiet" and "hard-working man" who was dedicated to his family. "Danny had a pain in his chest for two days and gradually it was getting worse so he went to hospital," the family member told the Irish Independent. "He was there for a while in obvious pain and asked could he be seen, he was in an awful lot of pain." The family member said they understand a staff member at the hospital contacted gardai, but they don't know why this happened. "He didn't receive any treatment and the guards took him away," the relative added. "We don't know whether he was taken to the station or not." The family member claimed gardai brought Mr McCormack back to his family home. "He fell in the hallway and dropped dead in the house," he added. "He was never without his wife and kids. We want answers from the hospital and the gardai. Why wasn't he treated when he was having chest pains?" A Garda spokesman said the matter was referred to GSOC under section 102 of the Garda Siochana Act 2005. "As this is now a Garda Siochana Ombudsman investigation, we will be making no further comment," the spokesman added. A death notice posted by the family asked mourners to make donations to the Irish Heart Foundation. "He will be deeply missed by his heartbroken wife Hazel, his adored children, Daniel, Caragh and Grace, his mother Mary, brothers Peter, Noel, David and Robert, sister Geraldine and grandmother Christina." His funeral will take place at the Cathedral of Christ the King on Thursday at 10am followed by burial in Ballyglass Cemetery. Victim: Tara Wright, from Donaghcloney, Co Down, was found outside Belfast City Hospital The parents of a teenager whose body was found outside a Belfast hospital have said she was a "vibrant soul with a zest for life". The PSNI believe Tara Wright (17), from Donaghcloney, Co Down, was involved in a road crash 25 minutes before her body was found outside Belfast City Hospital at around 3am on Sunday. Last night, her parents issued a statement to the media in which they said they were "devastated" at the death of their "beautiful daughter". "Tara was a kind, funny, charismatic, bright young girl with her whole life ahead of her and we can't believe that we now have to say goodbye to her. "Tara will be missed immeasurably not only by us, but her entire family, especially her brothers and sister Charles, Alistair and Anna, who will never forget the love they had for her and the love she had for them," they said. The PSNI had initially linked Tara's unexplained death to a single-vehicle car crash involving a silver Mercedes in Castlereagh. Yesterday, a senior officer said they believed the 17-year-old had been injured in the crash. The vehicle was found on its roof near the roundabout at Ballygowan Road close to the Manse Road junction. Around 25 minutes later, Tara was found in the grounds of Belfast City Hospital by Ambulance Service personnel who frantically attempted to resuscitate her. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Initial reports suggested the teenager had been found lying next to a grey MG car. However, CCTV footage subsequently examined by police has since established that Tara was inside the vehicle when ambulance staff arrived on the scene. Inspector Nigel Henry said yesterday officers are following a line of enquiry that Tara had been taken to the hospital in the MG. He revealed that four men aged 20, 21, 28 and 30 - who had been arrested on Sunday but since been released on bail - are assisting officers on establishing the circumstances leading up to Tara's death. Offering his sympathies to Tara's family, the senior officer appealed for anyone who witnessed either vehicle to come forward. "Our investigation is at an early stage, however, we do believe that Tara was injured during the one-vehicle road traffic collision on the Ballygowan Road," he said. "We are appealing to anyone who witnessed either the silver Mercedes or grey MG to contact us to assist us with our enquiries." A man found injured after the crash who was rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast was last night in a critical condition, according to a hospital spokesman. Louise O'Loughlin (38) is a pioneer when it comes to helping women who are living with serious illness. And while the medical profession has achieved wonders in managing the different forms of cancer, she's dealing with the emotional and aesthetic aspects of illness. Louise's journey began in Rush, Co Dublin. Like many young girls, she loved horses. But unlike most, she had her own, which she named Sir Hopkins after the Welsh actor Sir Anthony Hopkins. The pair competed at show-jumping events all over the country. While in secondary school, she was a member of the Loreto Balbriggan equestrian team. Back then, Louise was absolutely certain her future lay in this horsey world. But unfortunately, in sixth year, she hurt her back. "I had three falls in a row," she recalls. "Then, one day, while helping Mam with the shopping, I dislocated a disc in my back, and was told I'd have to give up jumping." It was a devastating blow for this determined young woman, but she didn't sit at home bemoaning her fate. Instead, she went to Spain to learn the language, and then ended up in a riding stables in the Canaries. But due to her back injury, it didn't work out. All along, Louise's mother Colette had been urging Louise to train in beauty therapy because she felt Louise had a natural ability when it came to health and healing. "Growing up, we were comfortable, but there was no excess cash around," explains Louise. "Nonetheless, my mother always took good care of her skin. And because there was a gap of eight years between me and my nearest sibling, I'd accompany her to the salon when she had her facials. At home, I would mimic what I'd seen at the salon and Mam thought I had magic hands. So she wanted me to do massage or beauty therapy." Although Louise only signed up with the Bronwyn Conroy Beauty School to humour her mother, by the second day of training, she was smitten. "I absolutely loved learning all about the skin and how it reveals what is going on elsewhere inside the body," says Louise. A year later, armed with the prestigious Cidesco international qualification, she began her working life in earnest. Less than two years later, she was asked by a US company making beauty products to become a professional trainer in Ireland. "That was my step up into education," says Louise. When she was 26, she opened her own salon in Rush. She also did a diploma in teacher training so she could run advanced courses for therapists who already had a qualification. As far as her personal life was concerned, in 2005 Louise fell in love with local builder Neil Kelly. In 2012, their daughter, Maggie, was born. That joyous occasion was soon overshadowed by the fact that early in 2013, Louise's mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. "I was close to Mam," explains Louise. "She had hearing problems and needed someone with her at all her appointments, so I closed the salon and worked from home." Once Colette's treatment had come to an end, about 30 members of their extended family spent Christmas with her in Fuerteventura in the Canaries. But sadly, some time after they returned from holiday, Colette learned that her cancer had spread. "She was given two or three years at the most," says Louise. "And, at worst, six months. It was so sad. Everyone just loved her. She was incredibly kind and thoughtful. She was always writing little notes to people because she cared so much for them. But she was also very proud and glamorous." Louise says that wasn't their only experience of terminal illness. Colette's sister Bernadette had lost her 10-year battle with a brain tumour four years previously. "So Mam was very aware of what was ahead for her and was determined to do things her way," Louise said. And although Colette did undergo treatment, it wasn't successful. "She was very, very sick with no real quality of life," explains Louise. "So she chose to stop further intervention. The cancer had spread to her bowels and she couldn't even eat; all she wanted was to go back to her own bed on the first floor of her home on the beach." And that's where she was when she left this world, surrounded by the love and care of her four children. It was just six weeks after she'd been given the second diagnosis. One of Louise's greatest regrets was that she hadn't been able to do much for her ailing mother when it came to beauty treatments. "I wasn't trained to deal with someone who had cancer," says Louise. "And I couldn't find anyone near us who was. Mam was too nauseous to travel far. I could give her head and neck massages, and she loved those. Reiki was fine, too." In 2018, Louise ended up doing an intensive course in oncology aesthetics in Italy, with a training institute that had originally been founded in Canada. She is now about to run her own courses in Ireland, based on what she learned there. "Basically, the course adapts beauty treatments to the client's specific medical and aesthetic needs," explains Louise. She says there is no question of them doing anything like lymph drainage. "Only a physiotherapist who is qualified to do so, should do that," she says emphatically. But they can do body massage. "We are always mindful of what areas of the body to avoid, so as not to cause any further damage, or to increase the risks of infection or injury," she explains, adding, "Chemotherapy often causes loss of hair and eyebrows, so we can teach our clients how to replace them using make-up. And if there are skin problems due to treatment, we can use gentle, hydrating, non-invasive products to soothe and calm the skin. "The feedback we get from clients is that finally they can relax and enjoy being pampered, because the person doing the treatment understands their specific needs, and won't cause any additional damage. "It also gives them a great lift to feel they've been cosseted, and that some of their aesthetic beauty needs have been resolved. Then there is the psychological side of things. You don't need some therapist who knows nothing about cancer going, 'Oh, isn't that awful, I feel so sorry for you'. We're trained to say very little; we are there to listen, to let the client talk and to be supportive." And in doing so, Louise and her new recruits will hopefully give back to women - who are severely challenged - their self-esteem and more hope for the future. For more information, contact Louise O'Loughlin at Iguazu Beauty Therapy, Dublin, email louise@oti-oncologytraining.com Anna and Elsa from 'Frozen' in the daily parade of Disney stars along the resort's Main Street We nearly didn't make it. This trip came up so quickly that we had to get a passport - his first - for our baby boy Daniel in a hernia-inducing hurry, dashing to get forms signed by the couldn't-be-more-helpful garda in Blackrock, then a last minute appointment at the passport office in town. Then, we almost missed our flight. We slept through the alarm calls and were only awoken by the taxi driver repeatedly ringing the doorbell at 4am. We made it to the departure gate with seconds to spare for our 6am flight. Daniel's big sister Emilia wasn't able to sleep the night before (hence a frazzled mummy and daddy snoozing through the alarm) because she was that excited at going to visit Mickey Mouse and his girlfriend Minnie at their magical castle in France. Who could blame her? Her excitement rose to near fever pitch on the train from Charles de Gaulle when the driver told us the next stop was Disneyland. When we disembarked and made the short walk to the Disneyland Hotel, I thought Emilia was going to faint on the spot with pure joy at the sight of Donald Duck and Goofy in the lobby greeting guests. When Mickey and his mot Minnie arrived too, at this five-star Victorian-inspired establishment, little Emilia jumped into my arms and screamed: "This is the best day ever. This is the best holiday ever." Expand Close Anna and Elsa from 'Frozen' in the daily parade of Disney stars along the resort's Main Street / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Anna and Elsa from 'Frozen' in the daily parade of Disney stars along the resort's Main Street Her father's concerns about commercialised theme parks, global consumerism and political unrest in nearby Paris aside, this was, indeed, the start of the best holiday ever for our very young children. For the next three days, they could not contain themselves. It was indeed pure joy to see them so thrilled. The adrenalin rush was only increased for Emilia because from the window of her hotel bedroom she could see Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant, Disneyland Paris's ornate interpretation of Sleeping Beauty's Castle. To put this in context: it would be like a connoisseur of art suddenly finding themselves living opposite the Louvre. So every night when she went to bed, Emilia would do so with the words: "Goodnight Sleeping Beauty!" But back to the check-in. They not only checked us into our suite, they had tickets ready for us for lots of the rides at Europe's biggest theme park. And because the hotel is actually a 50ft, if that, stroll from the entrance to Disneyland, the excitement levels with our daughter were now higher than a Buzz Lightyear rocket, we didn't even go up to our room. We went straight into the theme park. We walked up Main Street, bought some ice cream and some lemonade. Emilia's eye was caught by a woman dressed as a princess doing face-painting. Five minutes later our four-year-old daughter had been transformed into a unicorn. Licking her ice-cream, the unicorn walked straight up into Sleeping Beauty's Castle. Emilia looked like she was experiencing something akin to a fairytale or a dream come true. What made it even more magical for our young child was that she was wearing her Sleeping Beauty dress as she explored the castle (a Sleeping Beauty dress which she wore on the plane and had all the Air France cabin staff in thrall at 30,000ft as she told them she was going to sleep in Sleeping Beauty's Castle.) On the castle's second-floor there is a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty tale, in stained-glass windows and tapestries. Downstairs, Emilia randomly met Princess Elsa from Frozen walking through the castle. Emilia was entranced. Just then, Anna from Frozen appeared, by chance. It was like visiting a hip disco in New York with Andy Warhol in the 1970s, but for kids. You never knew what legend or icon or superstar you'd bump into. Baroque music was heard from the balcony of Sleeping Beauty's Castle as we made our way in search of further wonderment. It wasn't long before we found it. On Dumbo's Carousel. What's not to love about Dumbo? And then 30 minutes later - courtesy of one of the de rigueur long queues at Disneyland - we were all riding together in one of the Mad Hatter's Teacups. I accessed my inner child in this surreal Shangri-La 20 miles east of Paris. Little Daniel had accessed his inner adult as he looked sternly at the passing Maleficent, the evil fairy witch herself. We made it back through Sleeping Beauty's Castle just in time to catch the parade down Main Street at 6pm. It was a performance par excellence (that we went to every evening without fail) as all the Disney characters did their well-choreographed stuff in a spectacular show followed by an even more spectacular fireworks display that lit up Sleeping Beauty's Castle. That night, we all slept like kings and queens in our beds - because we were utterly knackered. The sleep had been further helped by the fact that we had a leisurely dip in the hotel's rather fancy pool, followed by a fine dinner in the hotel's California Grill. I don't think my wife and I ever earned a glass of wine as much in our lives - after a day being run ragged around Disneyland by Emilia, bravely assisted by Daniel in his buggy or in my arms pointing at every attraction that he wanted to go on. As Beckett, who lived up the road in Paris, once said: "I can't go on... I'll go on." And to think we would do it all again tomorrow. You can't have a day begin more bizarrely than to see Captain Hook and Peter Pan walk around the tables at breakfast in the hotel. Unsurprisingly, Emilia and Daniel practically jumped out of their seats with shock and awe. And, then, once more we were off into the massive theme park again. We went on the Peter Pan ride (twice). There is something truly wonderful about holding your baby son in your arm as you fly through the sky to Neverland, where pirates and mermaids gaze up at you. This is followed by a boat trip on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride where scary pirates point at you. It is difficult - unless you are of a particularly dour or downcast disposition - not to enter into the spirit of Disneyland. Walt Disney called Disneyland Park in California "the happiest place on Earth". Its opposite number on a 5,000-acre site in rural Marne-la-Vallee has the same aura of cartoon-ish utopia, of flying elephants, swirling teacups, to say nothing of singing mice, dancing ducks, pirates, princesses galore and the usual (big-eared) suspects. After a while I found Disneyland good for my soul. I was forced to be a kid again for three days and nights, lost in my own (and Walt Disney's) imagination. There was something special about the innocent state that comes automatically with spinning around in a giant tea cup or flying through the night with Peter Pan with your two children who are laughing their little faces off. I hope they keep these precious memories. In fact, for me, that is what the true magic of Disneyland is about: having fun, of course, but building memories. I believe Emilia will remember forever flying with Peter Pan when she is older (and the doll she got in the gift shop will be long forgotten). One of my fondest memories as a child is holding my mother's hand as we cycled through the night sky high in the air on ET's bikes at Disneyland in California. Certainly our three days in the Magic Kingdom outside Paris created many memories that will stay with us hopefully all our lives. Walking down Main Street of this pretend turn-of-the-century American town with its pretend turn-of-century shops selling Disney merchandise, there is a sense of the unreal. Personally, especially after a pre-dinner drink in Cafe Fantasia in the hotel, I felt like Jim Carrey's character in The Truman Show. Yet in the end I loved it almost as much as my two young kids. This is despite the struggle to not go financially broke with Emilia permanently dragging us into gift shops selling kids Disney merch on every corner, or the fact that food in the theme park is a tad expensive. We made lovely picnics and brought it into Disneyland Park on our second and third days. On our final day, I arranged for Emilia to meet Mickey Mouse and Minnie. When I made the introductions and the two most famous rodents in the world nodded (they don't speak) Emilia burst into tears and jumped into my arms. Daniel, for his part, acted like he had known the two mice all his life and kept pointing at Mickey's ears. On the way back to the hotel for dinner Emilia said Mickey and Minnie were "as big as lions, daddy". Having pancakes with ice cream and a milkshake in the California Grill soon eased Emilia's sense of being overwhelmed by giant mice. Even more so when her second favourite princess, Elsa made an appearance. We'll be back - once my overdraft facility isn't frozen.... Take Two: Top attractions Amaze-ing Alice Not to be missed, Alices Curious Labyrinth, is a fantastic hedge maze in two sections Alices adventures before meeting the mean Queen of Hearts, and then Alices encounters with the Queen. My daughter was left smiling like the Cheshire Cat... Marvel Superheroes Daniel, my baby son (indeed my hero) would positively marvel at the new Disney attraction that everyone is talking about: Marvel Superheroes with Captain Marvel himself, plus Spider-Man, Thor, Captain America et al. Bring it on. Getting there * Prices for a three day/ two night package including Air France flights and Magic Shuttle Transfer to Disney's Hotel Santa Fe start from 1,568.20 based on two adults and two children sharing a standard room at Disney's Santa Fe Hotel. That includes two night's accommodation, three-day park hopper tickets with unlimited access to Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park. * Price based on a May 12, 2019, departure date, subject to availability. * For more information about a family break to Disneyland Paris, call 01 605 83 83 or visit: disneylandparis.ie or contact your local travel agent. * Air France currently operates flights to Paris Charles de Gaulle from two departure points in Ireland: four daily flights from Dublin and once daily from Cork. * Return economy fares from Dublin to Paris start from 99.89, including taxes and charges. To book or for additional information, visit airfrance.ie or call the reservations line on +353 16590442. This feature originally appeared in The Sunday Independent. This time it was supposed to be different. With 5G, Ireland was to make sure that the network was designed with everyone in mind. Now it looks like that was just a pipe dream. The communications regulator, which governs the licensing conditions that mobile operators go by, has clearly signalled that a rural coverage requirement for 5G mobile data will not be introduced. Many in the telecoms industry will argue that such a prospect was economically unrealistic to begin with. "Very high levels of coverage on a geographic basis would not be achieved by the market itself as this would require networks to have two to four times as many cell sites as exist today," ComReg argues. "This could take many years to achieve and the overall cost to stakeholders would likely be substantial." This seems a long way from a promise from the Government two years ago that 5G licences would come with a geographic coverage requirement. The pledge, from then communications minister Denis Naughten, was in answer to years of frustration at poor mobile coverage outside Irish cities. That, in turn, was caused by licence stipulations that only require 70pc population coverage for 4G data signals - roughly equal to the combined population of the five Irish city areas. For voice, it has been 90pc population coverage. Again, this means that vast tracts of the country can remain without an effective signal under the licence terms. This may not have been such a problem if the Government was not currently reconsidering its commitment to roll out rural broadband. While successive administrations insisted in the last seven years that the State would subsidise broadband in 'unprofitable' areas, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has laid the ground for a postponement. With no broadband and no 5G, rural Ireland will be stuck indeed. Lisa Smith was 19 when she joined the Defence Forces. She initially served as a private in the 27th Infantry Battalion before transferring to the Air Corps where she primarily served as a flight attendant on the government jet. In November 2011, at the age of 29, she retired from the Defence Forces. It may be that she was on the government jet for one or two trips that I made but I do not recall meeting her following my appointment as minister for a justice, equality and defence in March 2011. I have no reason to believe that when a member of the Defence Forces, Lisa Smith did anything other than properly fulfil her duties. I also have no reason to believe anything other than as she entered her 30s she was a mature woman with some awareness of current events and that, like many in the Defence Forces, she had acquired some knowledge of well-publicised conflicts in various parts of the world. By mid-2014 it was not necessary to be a member of the Defence Forces to know something about Isil. The atrocities it had perpetrated and continued to perpetrate were the stuff of constant global reportage. As a ruthless fanatical Sunni Muslim terrorist sect, this throwback to medieval barbarism boasted of its atrocities and, to attract recruits, advertised its sickening cruelty in readily accessible incendiary online colour footage. The maniacal footage was accompanied by strident commentary which gloried in brutality and barbaric murder accompanied by soundtracks of rousing Arabic chanting. And there was a lot of it streamed online. Isil's flagrant human rights abuses and crimes against humanity by the end of 2014 included bloody beheadings, multiple crucifixions, human immolation, mass shootings, barbaric torture and rape. All who did not believe in its extreme version of Islam were labelled as infidels to be erased from the Earth or temporarily enslaved before being eliminated should they fail to convert and adhere to its fundamentalist beliefs. Isil barbarism included the enthusiastic stoning of alleged adulterers, public hangings of homosexuals and forcing children to observe and participate in beheadings. This murderous misogynistic group also treated women it captured as sex objects to either be sold or marry and service its warriors and support them in their task of establishing a fanatical Isil Caliphate. Both then, as now, it valued death over life in its promotion of a suicidal martyrdom culture. Among Isil's well-publicised atrocities reported by mainstream media in Ireland and elsewhere and publicised by Isil online was the beheading by 'Jihadi John' of American journalist James Wright Foley in August 2014. In September 2014, similarly reported and publicised were the beheadings of 'Time' magazine journalist Steven Joel Sotloff, British humanitarian aid worker David Haines and French mountaineering guide Herve Gourdel. These were followed in early October 2014 with the beheading of British humanitarian aid worker Alan Henning. During 2013- 2014, thousands were killed by Isil and many Isil atrocities first became publicly known through its boastful and celebratory recruiting videos. I detail here just four beheadings because it is impossible that they were unknown to Lisa Smith or any other adult man or woman living in Ireland intent in late 2014 or early 2015 on travelling to Syria to live within the Islamic State and among Isil terrorists. It is also impossible that it was unknown that since early 2014 Isil was engaged in the genocide of Yazidis, with women and girls forced into sexual slavery as thousands of men were slaughtered. Nor could she have missed the murder in Belgium in May 2014 of four people in a shooting at a Jewish Museum perpetrated by an Isil returnee from Syria. Lisa Smith when she voluntarily travelled to Syria was not a naive impressionable young teenager lacking worldly experience. She was a 33-year-old retired member of the Defence Forces. It may be that during their time in government former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and former justice minister Dermot Ahern variously regarded her as "an engaging and kind person" and "a lovely girl" as referenced in last week's 'Sunday Independent' but that is beside the point. As a 33-year-old adult, she made the decision to become part of the tyrannical Isil endeavour and reportedly to marry an Isil Jihadi sympathiser and fighter fully knowing what she was becoming part of. While she resided in Syria, Isil atrocities multiplied in both Syria and Iraq and were perpetrated in Europe. In November 2015, 130 were murdered in Paris; March 2016, 32 in Brussels; June 2016, 45 in Ataturk Airport; July 2015, 86 in Nice; May 2017, 22 in Manchester. These numbers do not include the many people injured, some destined to never fully recover. Lisa Smith has now emerged from the besieged town of Baghouz, Isil's last Syrian bastion, which is about to be overrun, seeking sanctuary in Ireland. Some of the benign sympathetic uncritical coverage of her plight has been extraordinary. Had a former retired 30-something member of the Defence Forces taken up with the Provisional IRA during the Troubles as they perpetrated a series of barbaric atrocities there would have been a dramatically different perspective. Some of the sympathy as presented is packaged in good old-fashioned Irish male misogyny, which assumes because she is a woman or "a girl" she did not fully understand her actions or those of Isil. Should Lisa Smith return to Ireland she has serious questions to answer and possibly criminal charges to face. There will also be major credibility issues surrounding any explanation she offers for her conduct. The State also has serious issues to address as to whether she poses a threat to the safety and well-being of others in Ireland or elsewhere. There is a need for serious security issues to be addressed which should not be lost in dewy-eyed, perceived media-friendly, politically opportunistic populist sound bites. Issues surrounding Lisa Smith should also be a wake-up call to the Government to prioritise enacting the long-promised Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Bill to give full effect to the EU's 2017 directive on combating terrorism. While presently engaging in terrorist activity is a criminal offence, there is no specific offence of travelling abroad for the purpose of terrorism as required by the directive. There is currently a risk that should Lisa Smith return home to Dundalk she will be feted as a celebrity or hero by some in the media and by some sympathetic TDs. The only one deserving of attention and sympathy is her two-year-old daughter who knows nothing of the background to her conception and birth. Hopefully, when she grows up she will not be in any way damaged by her first experiences of life within Islamic State and remember nothing of it. Alan Shatter is former justice minister 'How has it comes to this?" That was the question asked by Fiona Bruce on BBC's 'Question Time' last week when the show broadcast a Brexit special from Belfast. It's been 40 years since 'Question Time' first started, a period which has seen Robin Day, Peter Sissons and David Dimbleby take the helm before Bruce took over as moderator. Yet it's quite possible this rhetorical question about the current crisis in which we find ourselves remains the single most honest and heartfelt contribution ever made by any of the illustrious presenters. How has it come to this? The simple, and horrifying, answer to that complex question is that nobody really knows. We can put some of the chaos we have witnessed down to hubris. Much of it - but not all - can be explained by a certain stubborn embrace of the echoes of days long past when the British empire could boast the sun never set on its territories. But things have become much more complex and, frankly, weird than a mere desire for a return to the glory days that were never particularly glorious in the first place. There were certainly arguments in favour of Brexit, which were motivated by a perfectly reasonable desire for self-determination and the equally understandable craving for control over your own destiny, rather than subsuming your country's sovereignty within a vast, continental super-state. But when Bruce articulated what everyone else has been thinking - on all sides of the aisle on this debate, by the way - by simply asking 'how has it come to this?', it reminded us we have now entered the political equivalent of fantasy land. Indeed, it now seems the last shreds of common sense and even self-preservation have all been thrown overboard in favour of a rush, as Leo Varadkar put it, to the rolling cliff edge - with the various main players all competing to be the first lemming to take an Olympic-standard dive over the precipice of no return. For those of you who have simply become Brexited-out over the last few months and who now look at every new development with a mixture of scorn and weariness, things really aren't as bad you think. They're actually worse. To say the political classes in the UK have lost their marbles is to do a disservice to the average marble and to put the current levels of genuinely unprecedented mayhem and confusion into perspective, we now even have Uri Geller offering a solution. The man who ruined a million spoons, and convinced a generation of kids in the 1980s they were all psychic, has informed Theresa May that: "I feel physically and very strongly that most British people do not want Brexit. "I love you very much but I will not allow you to lead Britain into Brexit. As much as I admire you, I will stop you telepathically from doing this - and believe me, I am capable of executing it." Now, as we all know, Geller is a man who has never seen a bandwagon he didn't want to join. But in what is probably the most depressing response to the most ridiculous intervention in an already ridiculous scenario, many people suffering from Brexit battle fatigue simply shrugged their shoulders. In fact, such is the air of despondency that some observers have wryly admitted Geller performing his own version of a Vulcan mind-meld on the soon-to-be ex-prime minister of the UK can't be much worse than any of the other, slightly less mad, suggestions that have been put forward. This is what happens when politicians don't know what they're doing and that's the situation in which we find ourselves. What we're witnessing isn't some evil conspiracy, or a malevolent grand plan by old Etonians; it's just that nobody knows what is happening, least of all it seems the so-called experts and those politicians busy sharpening their knives behind May's back. Although it should be remembered that some of her enemies, particularly Boris Johnson and his cabal, seem determined to administer the coup de grace to her face, such is the open warfare between the various Conservative blocs. Away from the blood-on-the-carpets civil war which has robbed the Tories of any moral or political authority for the next generation at least, Irish eyes will have been further widened by last week's edition of 'Question Time' following the contribution by the DUP's Jeffrey Donaldson, whose half-hearted commitment to maintaining a Border-less Ireland was both sinister and a reminder of where his party is coming from. According to Donaldson, a hard Border would indeed be unfortunate. But an electronic border in the middle of the Irish Sea would be a calamity. This, he claims, would be a sign that the "mainland" doesn't see Northern Ireland as an intrinsic and important part of the UK and that would be unacceptable. It seems almost futile to point out to the likes of Donaldson that the DUP are quite happy to have different rules from other parts of the UK when it suits them - they remain the only part of the UK where abortions aren't available, for example. Frankly, it's hard to escape the impression that despite the usual weasel words we have come to expect from politicians of all stripes, some of the more trenchant Unionists would actually be secretly happy to see a return of the hard Border. Maybe it reminds them of better days, when they held sway over the six counties. The 'B' word we're now looking at is no longer just 'Brexit', but 'border'. As has been pointed out consistently, the EU simply cannot have an open, non-member trade route into their territories. While we fret about the backstop, they worry about a back door into their markets. Some will say the EU is throwing us under the bus and it's hard to disagree with that assertion. Others will say they have no choice and the future of the 27 member nations can't be dictated by an Anglo-Irish disagreement of the sort which has always baffled Europeans anyway. Either way, we lose. May, who now looks like a punch-drunk boxer, faces the possibility of losing another vote this week, which would signal a full and catastrophic exit. Even the much vaunted World Trade Organisation rules, seen by many British observers as the least bad of all the bad options, would result in a resumption of check points and guards along the Border. Forget Uri Geller. They might as well as bring in Derren Brown and David Blaine while they're at it. But at this stage, even Houdini couldn't figure out an escape plan. Yes, this may seem a strange time to quote the ill-fated Soviet leader Leon Trotsky, of all people. But the phrase attributed to him, "You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you", does seem to be a fit right now. Few, if any, of us - north or south - want to return to the dreary and lethal days of Irish Border checks. But, as the continual brinkmanship is ramped up, if the Brexit cards fall a certain way, we're going back to the Border. Even in such a grim eventuality, we should recall a central fact: the EU did away with the Irish Border - not the IRA, nor the irredentist nationalistic rhetoric from people like Eamon de Valera. The 1992 EU single market removed those ugly bothans and containers, hosting tedious hours of customs form-filling. In fact, Brussels quietly drove home the changes with generous peace grants, given with minimal asking since the summer of 1994. Return to the Border would be a double tragedy - turning back the clock. Sources in Brussels yesterday told this writer that Ireland-EU talks on the Irish Border if no-deal happens must be stepped up. "Discussions on this between Ireland and the Commission will intensify," the source said. Experienced Brussels diplomats see the EU's admission yesterday that a no-deal, crash-out Brexit was "increasingly likely" on April 12, as again "upping the ante" in the Brexit war of nerves. "There remains a belief that the UK will pull back from the brink because they know the extensive harm a no-deal exit would bring themselves," one senior official said. But the Brussels diplomat conceded that the need for Irish Border controls would "become very real" in the case of a no-deal Brexit. Efforts continue to find a way to prevent the return of checkpoints dotted between Dundalk and Derry. There can be checks at point of manufacture, or processing in the case of food, and using 'trusted trader schemes' to reduce trade disruption. Even in a worst-case scenario, no real EU action will happen on the Irish Border for several months. But there is a strong EU view that UK temporary tariff arrangements are illegal under World Trade Organisation rules and promote smuggling. The Irish Government was badly jolted on January 23 last when the EU Commission chief spokesman, pushed to give the EU position on a no-deal scenario, conceded that it would mean "a hard Border". Margaritis Schinas said: "If you'd like...to push me and speculate on what might happen in a no-deal scenario in Ireland, I think it's pretty obvious - you will have a hard Border." But he also stressed that the EU would be trying at all times to honour the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and later sought to soften his message. The official response in Dublin was a swift rejection. We are not interested in a Border - but that of itself will not stop it. Special counsel Robert Mueller's decision that he could not conclude whether US President Donald Trump's attacks on the Russia investigation amounted to obstruction of justice illustrates the difficulty in proving such a charge - and left Democrats with a narrow, but fraught, path to press a case against Trump. In the end, Trump's mercurial behaviour and relentless attacks on the FBI and the special counsel probably extended the length of the probe - but the fact that many of his eruptions were in public view also may have made it more difficult to show that he had ill intent, a key element in proving obstruction, legal experts said. In his still-confidential report, Mueller stopped short of drawing a conclusion about whether the president obstructed justice, writing that "while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him," according to a summary by Attorney General William Barr, released on Sunday. Barr went further, saying he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein concluded that the evidence gathered by the special counsel "is not sufficient to establish that the president committed an obstruction-of-justice offence". That has left the question of Trump's actions - which included the firing of FBI director James Comey, the public attacks on then-attorney general Jeff Sessions, the regular cries of "witch hunt" and the taunting of witnesses - as one that will now be wrestled with in the political arena. The obstruction question, as a legal matter, came down to whether the special counsel had evidence that Trump acted with "corrupt intent" as he demeaned and demonised the investigation. "Proving intent is genuinely difficult, because it requires you to get inside someone's mind - and divining intent is art, not science," said Chuck Rosenberg, a former US attorney in Virginia and former counsel to Mueller. Rosenberg said he was not surprised by the special counsel's difficulties in drawing a conclusion on obstruction, noting that it is a complicated calculus to prove someone intended to block investigators and hide a crime. "It was something we routinely debated, as prosecutors and agents," he said. In his report, Mueller addressed obstruction in an unusual way: he laid out evidence on both sides of the question but left "unresolved what the special counsel views as 'difficult issues' of law and fact," Barr wrote in his summary. And Mueller pointedly did not clear the president. One major factor in the Justice Department's analysis: since Mueller concluded that the Trump campaign did not conspire with Russia as it interfered in the 2016 campaign, prosecutors could not argue that he acted corruptly to hide an underlying crime, legal experts said. Prosecutors can seek a charge of obstruction when someone seeks to thwart a known criminal investigation, even if there wasn't an underlying crime, some legal experts said, but they said it can often be difficult to then prove that case to a jury. Compounding the challenge for Mueller was Trump's refusal to sit for an interview in which prosecutors could have probed his motivations. Instead, his legal team only provided written answers from the president to Mueller's questions about the campaign - not Trump's activities in the White House. And some of Trump's actions - such as his firing of Comey - represented the exercise of powers afforded to the president by the Constitution, as his lawyers often argued. To find criminal obstruction, a prosecutor must have evidence that a person's actions would have the "natural and probable effect" of disrupting an investigation, said Mary McCord, former acting head of the Justice Department's National Security Division, who oversaw the early stages of the investigation. Barr wrote in his Sunday memo to lawmakers that Trump's actions - many undertaken not furtively, but in full public view - didn't reach that standard. David Kris, who ran the national security division of the Justice Department in the Obama administration, said it was "notable" that Barr and Rosenstein came to a conclusion about the president's actions within 48 hours of receiving Mueller's final report, which was submitted late Friday. "Attorney General Barr, in the space of a weekend, is able to make the judgment that Mueller precisely avoided making and described as being 'difficult'," said Kris, who now runs the consulting firm Culper Partners. "On the merits, then, Barr and Rosenstein together have reached the question that Mueller specifically avoided reaching, and they reached it very rapidly," he said. ( Washington Post) It beggars belief Theresa May did not seek cross-party consensus before going to the EU to negotiate a deal once she took over from Dave. On the other hand, I can see why it didnt happen May could have been seen as weak by asking for help when she probably wanted to be the next Iron Lady. Imagine Jeremy Corbyn putting his name to a proposal that could be potentially rejected and committing political suicide in the process. He wouldnt have the stick to beat the Tories with and the DUP wouldnt have anyone to blame for the backstop. Yes, its time for a cross-party (aka common-sense) approach but, alas, its far too late in the process. The sharks are circling and smell blood in the water, and it would appear they would gladly let the UK crash out of the EU without a deal to try to further their political careers at the expense of the ordinary citizen. Kevin Dowling Killiney, Co Dublin Dark forces threaten dream of liberal Europe from within The chief feature of Remainer discourse is the actual condition of the EU is hardly ever mentioned. Despite all the embarrassingly hackneyed investigations of the post-imperial English psyche by writers that litter the media, you will struggle to find any reference to the dark forces shaping European politics. France is convulsed by rioting yellow vests every weekend in Paris, as elements in the Alternative fur Deutschland are in the Reichstag for the first time since 1945, while Italy is governed by a coalition that includes heirs to fascism. Hungry and Poland are in the tightening grip of illiberal democracy, and the Czech Republic is ruled by a populist billionaire with close links to Russia. Austria is run by a coalition that includes a party whose first leader was an SS officer. Sweden is struggling to keep the ultra-nationalist Sweden Democrats out of government. The far right has doubled its support in the recent elections in Estonia. Memories of Francos tyranny seem to have faded as the far right is winning seats in the provincial elections in Spain. Ireland could see our 100 years of neutrality on the line if we are to supply our quota for the European Army. It is very likely, according to John Grays recent essay on the European problems, that after the European elections the idea of a united liberal Europe will linger on but will be a fading apparition of a vanished future. Hugh Duffy Cleggan, Co Galway Waless overwhelming victory reveals the joy of six Looking back on Irelands poor performances in the Six Nations, I suspect for Ireland to play so poorly, illness must have had a role. However, we were well beaten by England, who out-thought us. The loss to Wales was in a different category. One of the first things the manager said after the match was that Waless Josh Navidi played very well. His position is at No 6 and he features in open play. Im wondering whether there is a correlation between a win and a good performance by the No 6? Should a team adjust its game if the oppositions No 6 is having a field day? Patrick Dillon Address with editor Would Dun Laoghaire like to show us all how to behave? Liam Collins (Irish Independent, March 23) poses the question: What harm can 82 refugees do a village the size of Rooskey? As a native of Roscommon and having friends in Longford, Leitrim and indeed Donegal, one thing these people know all about is migration. They have been migrating for over 200 years. These are the four poorest counties in Ireland but their people are generous, welcoming and love fair play. Collins pulled the lazy racist card to partially explain the arson attacks in Rooskey and Moville. He barely mentions the lack of dialogue or dearth of facilities. Perhaps in a follow-up he might consider the suitability of Dun Laoghaire, which has numerous empty buildings and facilities we in forgotten Ireland can only dream of, as a re-settlement area for, say, 8,000 migrants. Surely the refined and genteel residents of Dun Laoghaire would give us a lesson in practical hospitality. Sean Fallon Portarlington, Co Laois Murphys views on housing are depressing and sickening Housing Minister Eoghan Murphys pious fatalism (Homelessness will never be fixed completely, says housing minister, Irish Independent, March 23) is both depressing and sickening. Depressing that a holder of such views occupies high office, sickening as astute observers well know this type of guff is usually nothing but an excuse for keeping things the way they are. Jim OSullivan Rathedmond, Co Sligo Carly Moffitt and her partner Jennifer Cleary from Dublin celebrate after the announcing the reults of same- sex marriage referendum at Dublin Castle. Pic: Mark Condren Ireland has been named among the top five worldwide honeymoon destinations for LGBT couples. A global study put us in fifth position, three years after becoming the first country in the world to approve same-sex marriage by a popular vote. The new study on the world's best honeymoon hotspots for LGBT newlyweds considered a series of factors including safety and the inclusivity of the destination. The Latin America Travel Company named Canada - where LGBT couples have been able to marry since 2005 - as the ultimate destination for newlyweds. Ireland was the second highest ranking European destination after Switzerland. Ireland scored full marks in the categories of honeymoon popularity, marriage equality and forward thinking. Meanwhile, the nation scored four out of five when it came to the romantic setting category and three out of five in the "love is in the air" category. The study's authors said LGBT couples had to take in a number of factors when planning their getaway. "While it shouldn't have to be the case, it remains an issue that LGBT equality and rights are not always respected in every country around the world, which can dramatically rule out certain destinations as a honeymoon choice for many couples," they said. The company said that they had compiled the first LGBT Honeymoon Ranking to create "an exhaustive, inclusive list of all the best places for LGBT couples to honeymoon". Video of the Day The authors added: "Firstly, we restricted our list to those countries where homosexuality is not criminalised. "We then analysed factors including marriage equality, LGBT travel recognition, honeymoon popularity and romantic setting, to assess the best honeymoon destination for LGBT couples." New Zealand came in second place in the study behind Canada, with Australia in third. Last December, the Australian parliament passed legislation allowing gay and lesbian couples to legally wed. It came just three weeks after Australians voted in favour of legalising same-sex marriage, by a 62pc to 38pc margin, in a referendum. The legislation added Australia to the ranks of the 27 countries around the world that have officially legalised same-sex marriage. However, a report last year found that homosexual acts were still criminalised in 72 countries. Some countries, including Tanzania, still impose tough jail terms. Werribee Open Range Zoo in Victoria, Australia, has almost doubled its population of critically endangered plains-wanderer birds overnight. In what is believed to be a world first, nine captive-bred chicks of the species hatched in just over 24 hours, after zookeepers helped the eggs to survive. The chicks, which were born on March 19 and 20, hatched in a special brooder and were then transported into a tub, where they were kept warm with heat lamps and a feather duster, to simulate a parents feathers. The chicks arrival marks only the second time the rare native bird has been bred in Victoria. Yvette Pauligk, the zoos threatened species keeper, said: We give the birds every opportunity to incubate and hatch their own eggs, and one pair was successful in doing this. However, the other male was not displaying such encouraging behaviour. So, we moved the eggs to an artificial incubator. The unique genetics of every single one of these birds is so precious. Breeding nine healthy chicks in such a short time is a huge achievement and one we are all very excited about. The hatchlings bring the zoos captive population to 20, while the number of mature plains-wanderers left in the wild is estimated to be less than 1,000. Mourning: The coffin of Syed Areeb Ahmed, one of the victims of the mosque attack, is carried high at his funeral in Karachi, Pakistan. Photo: REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro A Muslim group is to sue social media platforms which allowed footage of the Christchurch massacre to be streamed, it said yesterday. The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), one of the main groups representing Muslims in France, accused Facebook and YouTube of inciting violence. Expand Close Probe: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the royal commission yesterday. Photo: MARTY MELVILLE/AFP/Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Probe: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the royal commission yesterday. Photo: MARTY MELVILLE/AFP/Getty Images It added the companies had disseminated material that encouraged terrorism, and harmed the dignity of human beings. There was no immediate comment from either company. The shooting at two mosques in New Zealand on March 15, which killed 50 worshippers, was streamed live by the white supremacist gunman on Facebook for 17 minutes, then copied and shared on social media sites across the internet. Facebook said it raced to remove copies. But a few hours after the attack, footage could be found on Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet Inc's YouTube, as well as Facebook-owned Instagram and Whatsapp. Abdallah Zekri, president of the CFCM's Islamophobia monitoring unit, said it had launched a formal legal complaint against Facebook and YouTube in France. The move came as New Zealand announced that it will hold a top-level inquiry into the atrocity, examining what roles guns, social media and spy agencies played preceding the attacks. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she had ordered a Royal Commission of Inquiry, the country's highest form of investigation. "While New Zealanders and Muslim communities around the world are both grieving and showing compassion for one another, they are also quite rightly asking questions on how this attack was able to happen here," Ms Ardern said. She added that royal commissions are usually reserved for matters of the gravest public importance and that was clearly appropriate in this case. The exact terms of the inquiry will be finalised over the next two weeks. "The inquiry will look at what could have or should have been done to prevent the attack," Ms Ardern said. "It will inquire into the individual and his activities before the terrorist attack, including, of course, a look at agencies." Those agencies will include the domestic spy agency, the Security Intelligence Service, and its international counterpart, the Government Communications Security Bureau. Other agencies to be looked at include police, customs and immigration. A royal commission is run independently from the government and chaired by a senior judge. Some people have criticised the intelligence agencies for focusing too much on threats from Muslim extremists and left-wing radicals while not looking deeply enough into threats from nationalist groups and white supremacists. "There will be a focus on whether our intelligence community was concentrating its resources appropriately and whether there were any reports that could, or should, have alerted them to this attack," Ms Ardern said. The New Zealand leader also joined the criticism of social media, saying it was unacceptable that the harrowing video of the attack continued to be available on some platforms. She said she wanted assurances from social media leaders that something similar would never happen again. On Thursday, her government said it was rushing through laws to ban "military-style" semi-automatic firearms and high-capacity magazines like those used by the gunman. Australian Brenton Tarrant (28) has been charged with murder and is next due in court on April 5. Residents inspect the damage of the destroyed multi-storey building of a Hamas-affiliated insurance company, in Gaza City (Adel Hana/AP) Israels prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has returned home from Washington, heading straight into military consultations after a night of heavy fire as Israeli aircraft bombed Gaza targets and the strips militants fired rockets into Israel. Schools in southern Israel were cancelled following the violence that threatened to escalate into a major conflict just two weeks before the Israeli elections. The fighting subsided by the morning, though the situation remained tense. The military massed forces on the Gaza border and imposed restrictions on civilian public gatherings after dozens of rockets were fired toward communities in the area, including one that struck a house in the town of Sderot. Hamas needs to know that we will not hesitate to go in and take all necessary steps, regardless of anything, any date, other than Israel's security needsBenjamin Netanyahu Overnight, the Israeli air force pounded militant sites of Gazas Hamas rulers and the smaller Islamic Jihad group. The targets included a multi-storey building in Gaza City that Israel said had served as a Hamas military intelligence headquarters and the office of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Gazas health ministry said seven Palestinians were wounded in the airstrikes. Mr Netanyahu, back from Washington, headed directly to military headquarters in Tel Aviv for consultations on the next steps. He faces the difficult task of delivering a tough blow to Hamas while avoiding protracted fighting that could work against him on election day. Expand Close An explosion caused by Israeli airstrikes is seen in Gaza City (Adel Hana/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp An explosion caused by Israeli airstrikes is seen in Gaza City (Adel Hana/AP) Mr Netanyahu has come under heavy criticism from both allies and opponents for what they say has been an ineffective policy of containing Gaza militants, with calls demanding he deliver a devastating blow to Hamas. He has conducted indirect ceasefire talks through Egyptian mediators in recent months, and even allowed the delivery of millions of dollars of Qatari aid to Hamas to ease harsh conditions in Gaza. After a meeting with President Donald Trump and before leaving Washington, Mr Netanyahu indicated the election would not deter him from acting. We have responded very, very forcefully. Hamas needs to know that we will not hesitate to go in and take all necessary steps, regardless of anything, any date, other than Israels security needs, he said. The cross-border fighting was triggered by a surprise rocket fired early Monday from Gaza that slammed into a house in central Israel and wounded seven people. The Israeli military said it was a self-manufactured rocket with a range of 75 miles, making it one of the deepest strikes ever carried out by Hamas. Expand Close Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Susan Walsh/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Susan Walsh/AP) The military mobilised two armour and infantry brigades and drafted some reserve forces before striking back at militant sites in Gaza. Gazas Hamas rulers announced later in the day that Egyptian mediators had brokered a cease-fire but the firing continued overnight before calm appeared to return early Tuesday. The rocket attack prompted Mr Netanyahu to cut short a visit to Washington and return home, setting the stage for perhaps the most serious conflict since a war in 2014. But with no fatalities reported on either side yet, and the quiet holding for the moment, it still seemed possible to step back from the brink once again. Two weeks ago, rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israels densely populated commercial capital of Tel Aviv, and the Israeli military struck back. Gazas Hamas leaders said the rocket was fired accidentally and the fighting quickly subsided. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars in the last decade. Although neither side appears to have an interest in another war, fighting could easily spin out of control. The 2014 conflict lasted 50 days and ended with over 2,000 Palestinian deaths, including hundreds of civilians, and 73 killed on the Israeli side. Expand Close A house is damaged after it was hit by a rocket in Sderot, southern Israel (Ariel Schalit/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A house is damaged after it was hit by a rocket in Sderot, southern Israel (Ariel Schalit/AP) In Gaza, Hamas is facing perhaps its toughest domestic test since seizing control of the coastal territory from the rival Palestinian Authority 12 years ago. An Israel-Egyptian blockade, imposed to weaken Hamas, combined with sanctions by the Palestinian Authority and mismanagement by the Hamas government, have all fuelled an economic crisis that has left Gaza with an unemployment rate above 50%. Hamas has been leading weekly protests along the Israeli border for the past year in hopes of easing the blockade, but the demonstrations, in which some 190 people have been killed by Israeli fire, have done little to improve conditions. Last week, hundreds of Gazans protested against the dire conditions, a rare expression of public discontent against the authoritarian government. Hamas responded with a violent crackdown, beating and arresting dozens of demonstrators and drawing rare public criticism. By limiting its fire to border communities after Mondays long-range launch, Hamas seems to be trying to keep the conflagration on low intensity. For Israelis living along the border who have suffered from years of rocket attacks that is little comfort. The Israeli government cant, under no circumstances, settle, said Haim Jellin, a Labour party candidate for parliament and a former head of the bordering Eshkol regional council. Firing at Israeli communities that border with Gaza is the same as firing toward Tel Aviv, and its impossible we will show restraint at the continuous firing. The jury in the trial of Hillsborough disaster match commander David Duckenfield yesterday retired to consider its verdicts. The six men and six women were sent out at 10.51am after 10 weeks of the trial at Preston Crown Court in England. Judge Peter Openshaw told them: "You are under no pressure of time whatsoever. You can and should take just as long as you want or need." Duckenfield (74) denies gross negligence manslaughter of 95 Liverpool fans who died in the disaster at the FA Cup semi-final on April 15, 1989. There is no prosecution over the 96th victim, Tony Bland, because he died more than a year and a day later. Retired chief superintendent Duckenfield is on trial alongside former Sheffield Wednesday club secretary Graham Mackrell, who denies failing to discharge his duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act. It is alleged Mackrell (69)failed to take care as safety officer particularly in ensuring enough turnstiles were open to prevent a build-up of fans. Duckenfield gave an order to open exit gates after crowds built up. More than 2,000 fans entered, many making their way to the central pens of the terrace, where the fatal crush happened. The judge has previously told the jury to be "dispassionate". He said: "The death of 96 spectators, many very young, is a profound human tragedy attended by much sadness and anger which for many is as raw today as it was 30 years ago. "There have been times during the trial of heightened emotion and distress. "But, as you go about your duty you must try to put aside your emotions and sympathies and to decide the case after an objective and dispassionate review of the evidence." The Israeli military said it had begun carrying out strikes on Hamas militant targets in the Gaza Strip yesterday, hours after a rocket struck a house in Israel. Witnesses reported hearing explosions across the Palestinian territory just before the military's announcement. Yesterday morning, seven people were hurt when a rocket launched from Gaza hit a house belonging to a British-Israeli family north of Tel Aviv. The escalating tensions also prompted prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut short a visit to Washington. The Israeli leader, who had arrived less than 24 hours earlier, headed back immediately after a meeting with Donald Trump yesterday morning. "This was a criminal attack on the state of Israel, and we will respond with force," said Mr Netanyahu. He added that he had been briefed by the heads of Israeli security and he would return to conduct Israel's response. The military said it was reinforcing troops in the area with two additional brigades, one infantry and one armoured, and calling up reservists for specialist units. It said it held Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza, directly responsible for firing the rocket. Images from the scene of the rocket strike showed the house was badly damaged, its roof caved in. Mika Lifshitz, a military spokeswoman, said it was hit by a self-manufactured rocket with a range of 120km. She said the Iron Dome anti-missile system protects the area, but could not comment on whether it was deployed. Mr Netanyahu is in the middle of a battle for re-election with Israelis going to the polls in less than 15 days. He has been criticized in the past by members of his own government coalition for being too "soft" on Hamas. In November, he agreed to a mediated cease-fire with the group after a spate of rocket attacks from Gaza toward communities in southern Israel. Political opponents have also criticized his decision to allow Qatar to deliver $15m (13.3m) a month into Gaza to pay salaries of Hamas civil servants. In Gaza, tensions have been rising as residents of the strip, under Israeli blockade for more than a decade, have been protesting against both their extreme poverty and Hamas's heavy-handed tactics cracking down on unrest. This Saturday marks one year of weekly protests by Gazans at the border fence with Israel. Dubbed the Great March of Return, the protests were intended to win international recognition of the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their former homes in Israeli territory. Hamas used it as a tool to ramp up pressure on Israel amid stalled ceasefire talks that would have allowed more investment in Gaza. In recent days it has sent flaming balloons into Israel, according to the army. Hamas had agreed to stop such actions under an interim deal that allowed the Qatari money in, which expires in weeks. Domestic pressure has been building against Hamas, and analysts say the strain increases the need for the militants to deflect attention back toward Israel. A recent UN report found that 189 Gazans were killed by Israeli forces during 2018. It said the majority of those killed "did not pose an immediate threat of death or serious injury to others when they were shot". ( Washington Post) Afghan men uncover the dead bodies of young children laying in the back of a truck, after being killed in an air strike. Photo: BASHIR KHAN SAFI/AFP/Getty Images Ten children, part of the same extended family, were killed by a US air strike in Afghanistan, along with three adult civilians, the United Nations has said. The air strike early on Saturday was part of a battle between the Taliban and combined Afghan and US forces that lasted about 30 hours in Kunduz, a northern province where the Taliban insurgency is strong. The children and their family had been displaced by fighting elsewhere in the country, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said, releasing its preliminary findings about the incident. It said in a statement that it was verifying that all 13 civilian casualties occurred around the time of the air strike. Three other civilians were wounded. The incident happened in the Telawka neighbourhood, near Kunduz city. Sergeant Debra Richardson, spokeswoman for the Nato-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, confirmed that US forces carried out an air strike, but she said yesterday that the mission still had not confirmed that it had caused civilian casualties. She said the mission aimed to prevent civilian casualties, while the Taliban intentionally hides among civilians. A record number of Afghan civilians were killed last year as aerial attacks and suicide bombings increased, the UN said in a February report. Child casualties from air strikes have increased every year since 2014. At first glance, the Mueller affair looks like a pretty odd "exoneration". Yes, a summary of the report into Russian involvement in the 2016 election says Donald Trump didn't collude with Vladimir Putin - but the investigation did lead to 34 indictments and seven convictions, and special counsel Robert Mueller draws no conclusion on attempted obstruction of justice. On top of which, the president faces other probes related to business, charitable and personal conduct. "The best day of Trump's presidency," said the BBC. Kennedy had the Cuban missile crisis; Reagan had Reykjavik. Trump's best day is being told that he's not a Russian puppet. But politics isn't about detail, it's about grand narratives - and Mueller has almost mortally humiliated the president's critics. "It will be a reckoning for President Trump, to be sure," wrote the 'New York Times', but also for, "Congress, for Democrats, for Republicans, for the news media and, yes, for the system as a whole". Blink and you'd miss it: the 'Times' was saying sorry. Trump's enemies made three huge mistakes. First, they overshot. They focused on the biggest, most outlandish claim against the president when a mixture of the smaller ones would've been enough to damn him in the eyes of the average voter. Think of that moment in the OJ trial when the prosecution asked Simpson to try on the glove he allegedly wore to kill his ex-wife. "If it doesn't fit," said the defence, "you must acquit" - and it didn't. Never mind that the rest of the evidence appeared compelling, by placing so much emphasis on the glove - or this ridiculous Russia connection - the prosecution walked into its own trap. Second, too many liberals thought they could make Trump go away by impeachment rather than by beating him at the ballot box. This is turning into a psychological trait of our age. I note that Cambridge University has backed down from hosting the conservative thinker Jordan Peterson following student opposition. The vice-chancellor has since said that the Divinity Faculty rescinded the offer of a visiting fellowship after it came across a photo of Mr Peterson with his arm around a man in an offensive T-shirt. In a sense, what liberals hoped Mueller would do was no-platform the president. Don't engage with him, don't tolerate him, just find a photo of him in flagrante with a KGB agent and - boom - we can impeach the old man out of office. "America is our safe space; haters not wanted." Third, and this is the biggest mistake of all, the American left has obsessed too much about the past, neglecting to build a winning strategy for the future. This is understandable. To Democrats, the victory of Trump over Hillary Clinton was so unlikely and so devastating that they assumed he must have somehow stolen the election. Otherwise they'd have to confront the uncomfortable possibility that Ms Clinton was less appealing to working-class Americans than the most radical Republican since Barry Goldwater. Conspiracy theories abounded: Russia was an easy explanation. In fact, the Mueller report concludes that Moscow did try to influence the 2016 election, which itself should put Republicans on the back foot. What is it about Trump that, by inference, made him more attractive to the Kremlin as a presidential candidate than Clinton? But while any foreign interference is obviously important, Trump has been in the White House now for two years and has a record - some good, some bad - that demands adult scrutiny. At what point are Democrats going to start dealing with Trump as a concrete reality rather than Trump as the existential psychodrama of 2016? The same error has been made in the UK. Millions of words have been written about why Britain voted for Brexit. Class war, culture war, or how about those crazy Russians? It's an interesting subject: it would make a great PhD. But while Britons have been arguing over why they voted Leave three years after the fact, there has been precious little talk about the more relevant question of "how" - and that's the reason for this present mess. Politicians are to blame; so is the media. I went on television shortly after the Withdrawal Agreement was published and got all of about 90 seconds to debate its contents. Most of the rest of the conversation was taken up with personality politics, democracy and treachery, which, as the choice of "no deal" or "no Brexit" comes screeching towards us, suddenly seem relatively unimportant. It's as if Britain and America have gone into shock. Something big has happened and we can't get over it. We just stagger about asking if we can replay the past and do it differently. Can we impeach Trump? Can we have a second referendum? No. Both were democratic choices that we have to learn to live with. Criticise them on the merits, but don't retreat into conspiracy theories. Russian spy fiction is fun, no doubt, but not an acceptable distraction from the facts of our present crisis. No crime: President Donald Trump embraces Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a meeting in the White House in Washington yesterday. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria US President Donald Trump vowed yesterday that people who pushed "evil" claims he colluded with Russia would be investigated, after special counsel Robert Mueller found there had been no conspiracy with the Kremlin. Mr Trump said that those making the allegations over his 2016 election conduct had been "treasonous", adding that they "will certainly be looked at". The White House went on the attack after claiming "complete exoneration" from Mr Mueller, despite the fact the special counsel himself did not clear Mr Trump over obstruction of justice. Sarah Sanders and Rudy Giuliani, the president's press secretary and lawyer, demanded that Democrats and the "liberal media" who talked up collusion apologise. Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator, demanded a new special counsel to investigate FBI and Justice Department officials who began the probe. The main findings from the 22-month probe came in a four-page memo from William Barr, the attorney general, and amounted to a major political victory for the president. The Democrats are demanding the full report be made public and its underlying documents be handed to Congress. They are also vowing to continue investigations they started after taking back control of the House of Representatives in January, something which will be harder to justify now. Speaking alongside Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, yesterday, Mr Trump lashed out at those who pushed the collusion claims and expressed relief the probe was over. "I love this country as much as I can love anything - my family, my country, my god. But what they did, it was a false narrative, it was a terrible thing," Mr Trump said. "There are a lot of people out there that have done some very, very evil things, very bad things, I would say treasonous things against our country... [and] those people will certainly be looked at". Mr Trump also said "yes" when asked if he believed Mr Mueller had acted honourably - a marked contrast to his criticism of the investigation as a "witch hunt". Mr Mueller concluded the Kremlin did intervene to tip the election for Mr Trump, but that neither Mr Trump nor his campaign aides conspired with the Kremlin during the campaign. It was Mr Barr and Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, who decided Mr Trump had not obstructed justice - a decision Democrats have questioned, given both were appointed by the president and reached the judgment within 48 hours of the report being submitted. Mr Barr's four-page summary of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation left Mr Trump "gleeful", according to aides. "There was no collusion with Russia, the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Mr Trump said. The extent of his victory could be tempered, though, if Democrats succeed in their push for Mr Mueller's complete report to be released and the documents reveal questionable behaviour by the president. Democrats have made it clear that they are prepared to summon Mr Barr to testify under oath. For nearly two years, the probe had been a source of great anxiety and stress in the halls of the West Wing. Aides described Mr Mueller's findings as a best-case scenario that would buttress the president's mood, solidify Republican support and allow Mr Trump to present a better message for re-election. "What they do is they clear the deck for there to be an evaluation based upon his record as president," said former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, a Republican and Trump ally. Aides say Mr Trump plans to highlight the cost of the probe and call for the firing of members of the media and former government officials who he claims made false accusations about him. "It's a shame that our country had to go through this," he added. "To be honest, it's a shame that your president has had to go through this." One former White House official said the Democrats have "just handed the Trump campaign the greatest election issue in modern political history, on a silver platter". Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University, said: "Trump actually kind of has inoculation now against other charges against him because he was able to prove his innocence here. "It allows Donald Trump to build his narrative about how the news media and the Democrats created this whole Russia collusion hoax, in Trump's mind." Pope Francis has crossed the Tiber River for a visit to Romes city hall. He praised the ancient city for its ability to integrate diverse peoples over centuries of its existence. During his visit to the Romes City Hall on Tuesday, Francis said that Rome, over its nearly 2,800 years of history, has been able to welcome and integrate different populations and people from all over the world without humiliating or crushing their respective peculiar characteristics and identity. Expand Close Pope Francis is welcomed by Romes mayor Virginia Raggi (Ettore Ferrari/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Pope Francis is welcomed by Romes mayor Virginia Raggi (Ettore Ferrari/AP) He also warned against letting the Eternal City become degraded now. Rome is struggling with problems of rubbish removal, potholed streets and other issues of decay that have worsened on the watch of mayor Virginia Raggi. She welcomed him to the Capitoline Hill, where city hall is located. Phumtam Wechayachai, Secretary General of Pheu Thai party, talks during a news conference after the general election in Bangkok, Thailand, March 26, 2019 International observers have issued a critical report on Thailand's first election since a 2014 military coup, calling it "deeply flawed". The Asian Network for Free Elections criticised the "tabulation and consolidation of ballots", which led to some preliminary results that were "wildly inaccurate". It said the inaccuracies damaged the "perceived integrity of the general election". Thailand's Election Commission has defended the count, saying full preliminary results will be released on Friday. The observers' comments came as a military-backed party and the party whose government was ousted in the coup both claimed they should form the next government. Preliminary results show the anti-military party won the most seats, while the military party appears to have received the most votes in Sunday's poll. Chit Su Win, wife of Reuters journalist Kyaw Soe Oo, carries her daughter on arrival at the Supreme Court in Naypyitaw, Burma (Aung Shine Oo/PA) Lawyers for two Reuters journalists sentenced to seven years in prison for their reporting on Burmas brutal crackdown on Rohingya Muslims have appealed against their conviction to the countrys Supreme Court. Reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo remained in Insein Prison while their lawyers attended the courts first hearing on their final appeal on Tuesday in the capital, Naypyitaw. The prisoners wives also came to the court hearing, bringing their young children. Expand Close Pan Ei Mon, wife of Reuters journalist Wa Lone, carries her baby (Aung Shine Oo/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Pan Ei Mon, wife of Reuters journalist Wa Lone, carries her baby (Aung Shine Oo/PA) The reporters conviction for violating the countrys Official Secrets Act has been condemned by rights groups, Western governments and global press associations. It also has highlighted freedom of expression problems in Burma, even after it transitioned from military rule to an elected government under Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Large numbers of Rohingya refugees have fled the country to Bangladesh amid the military crackdown. Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota has gained the biggest release ever in Taiwan market and is now set to release in China and USA in the coming week. Post the humongous success of URI - The Surgical Strike, RSVP's recently released Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota is raking in critical acclaims from across quarters. "It has been an overwhelming journey throughout the film, the love and response are humbling. More than anything else it's touching to know the audience found themselves in the world of Surya. Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota director Vasan Bala shares After the global recognition at TIFF, now the film is thrown open to the global markets with the international releases in Taiwan, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, South Africa, and Japan amongst others. The love and response are enriching more than anything else and it is a bestowing experience to get such appreciation." Post the Indian Release, Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota has released Internationally in countries like Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, South Africa, Japan to name a few. RSVP's Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota has been winning hearts in the homeland after acclaiming global appreciation at the TIFF. RSVP's Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota's global recognition and appreciation has already made its impact across the world, however, it is the Indian audience that has applauded the film the most, even before the release of the film. Produced by Ronnie Screwvala under the banner of RSVP, Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota is written and directed by Vasan Bala and has taken over the theatres with its quirkiness. Today at noon, artist Jaime Black, creator of The REDress Project, will perform along the Riverwalk at the museum in... By Acee Agoyo WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As Democrats in Congress attempt to expand the tribal jurisdiction provisions of the Violence Against Women Act , Native women are changing the narrative surrounding efforts to secure safety for their sisters. The 2013 version of VAWA recognized the "inherent" authority of tribes to arrest, prosecute and sentence non-Indians who abuse their partners. The law represented the first significant rollback of a controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision, known as Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe , that stripped tribes of their sovereignty. But the Native women who secured the landmark provisions in VAWA are finding their hard work under attack, six years after they came to Capitol Hill to put a personal face to the struggles seen across Indian Country. Republicans are once again questioning whether tribes should be able to punish non-Indians despite data showing they are responsible for committing most of the offenses. "We must continue to fight for basic protections," Rep. Deb Haaland (D-New Mexico), who is one of the first two Native women in Congress , said in a video message at the Safety for Our Sisters symposium last Thursday. As part of that effort, advocates are chipping away at depictions of tribal government that are rooted in stereotypes, ignorance and, in some cases, outright racism. Sarah Deer , a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation whose groundbreaking work won her a prestigious "genius grant" , said Native women must continue to share the truth about their suffering at the hands of outsiders. "The history is brutal, the history is uncomfortable," Deer said at the symposium, which was hosted by the National Museum of the American Indian just down the hill from the U.S. Capitol where the GOP attack on VAWA took place this month. "But," she added, "we're still here. Native women will always be here." As part of her research, Deer discovered a Muscogee Nation law that highlighted the importance of a woman's standing in matrilineal Creek society. It was enacted in 1824 -- just as the United States was about to force the tribe out of its homelands -- and it declared a simple truth. Anyone who violated a woman would be punished in accordance to the woman's wishes, the tribe declared. In other words, "what she say, it be law." "Now, I know that didn't come from the state code," said Deer. "I know it didn't come from federal codes. That had to come from our traditions -- that a woman would be honored in a way to understand that they believed her, that they honored her and that they abided by her wishes." Native women rallied at the U.S. Supreme Court on December 7, 2015, as the justices heard arguments in a tribal jurisdiction case. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) Such crimes against women were considered so serious in Cherokee matrilineal society that a third offense could be punished by death, according to Nagle's research. The language tribal leaders chose in enacting the law -- it extends to "any person or persons" regardless of race or nationhood -- shows how they felt about their own sovereignty, she said. "Tribal jurisdiction over non-Indians isn't unconstitutional," Nagle said, responding directly to the Republican doubts about VAWA. "It's just pre-constitutional," she said to applause. The existence of the Creek and Cherokee laws strikes directly at the Supreme Court's decision in Oliphant. Writing for the majority, the late chief justice William Rehnquist simply declared -- without a whole lot of evidence -- that most tribes didn't function as governments. "Until the middle of this century, few Indian tribes maintained any semblance of a formal court system," Rehnquist wrote in the 1978 ruling. To back up that statement, he cited a federal report that had been written in 1834, after the genocidal removal of the two tribes was complete. Though the opinion brought up a 1830 treaty with the Choctaw Nation that Rehnquist said reflected the tribe's "sophisticated" government, the court essentially boiled the case down to one issue. Tribal jurisdiction over non-Indians -- in this situation, a non-Indian man who assaulted a tribal police officer in an allegedly intoxicated rage -- is simply "inconsistent" with their status as "conquered and dependent" nations within the U.S., the 6-2 decision stated. Despite the seemingly thin basis of the ruling, Oliphant remains precedent. And while the 2013 version of VAWA overturns a small portion of it, the Supreme Court has yet to confront its role in perpetuating violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women, advocates said at the symposium. "We have not had our Brown v. Board of Education that overturns our Plessy v. Ferguson ," Nagle said, referring to the manner in which the Supreme Court eventually addressed the racist system of segregation. So "how do we change the laws?" she asked. "You have to change the narrative." That narrative is becoming increasingly important as the U.S. House of Representatives takes up VAWA. H.R.1585, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act , recognizes tribal jurisdiction over non-Indians who engage in dating violence, sex trafficking and who commit crimes against tribal law enforcement. Title IX of the bill also includes provisions to address the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women "It's really a story about taking back sovereignty over our bodies, over the land," said Jaime Black, a Metis artist who launched The REDress Project in Canada almost 10 years ago to draw attention to the issue. By hanging empty red dresses at various locations, Black said Native communities are getting a chance to share the truths about loved ones who have gone missing or have been murdered. She brought her project to the U.S. for the first time to the NMAI on the National Mall, where she staged a performance before the symposium. "It's really a call to action," Black said. "We're in a war. We've been at war since settlers came to Turtle Island ." For Cherrah Giles, a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the struggle comes close to home. As a girl, she suffered abuse at the hands of a close relative and, later, as a young wife and mother. "I'm one of the few that got out of my situation," said Giles, who now uses her position as chair of the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center to advocate for others in need. "I'm one of the few that is still here." "You've heard some of stories today about the missing and murdered," she continued. "I don't want that to be my next statistic." With H.R.1585 moving toward a vote on the House floor, Giles called on Native women and advocates to share their stories with Congress. By doing so, she said they are "turning all that pain, turning all that hurt and shame" into something positive. The House Committee on Rules anticipates meeting next week to prepare the bill for that final vote. As part of the process, amendments to the bill , including ones that could potentially undo the tribal jurisdiction provisions, are due by Thursday. H.R.1585 boasts more than 100 co-sponsors , including Rep. Haaland, who is a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna . But only one -- Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania) -- is Republican. Join the Conversation Related Stories By Acee Agoyo Tribal leaders are welcoming an investigation into the "institutional and systemic breakdown" within the Indian Health Service , one that allowed a pediatrician to abuse young patients on two reservations for years without being held accountable. The Presidential Task Force on Protecting Native American Children in the Indian Health Service System is being co-chaired by R. Trent Shores, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation who is the only Native American serving as a U.S. Attorney in the Trump administration. It will attempt to determine how the IHS failed to keep young citizens of the Blackfeet Nation and the Oglala Sioux Tribe safe from Stanley Patrick Weber, described by federal prosecutors as a "pedophile" who feels no remorse for the hurt he caused. Trent Shores, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma , has a history of working to protect Indian children in Oklahoma and I have confidence in his ability to make safety recommendations as part of this new designated task force, Chief Bill John Baker of the Cherokee Nation said in an endorsement of the new initiative. It is heartbreaking and unconscionable that an IHS pediatrician was allowed to prey upon Indian children," added Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby. "We commend and support the administration and the Department of Justice for initiating this important review of IHS practices so that all proper measures are taken to ensure the protection and safety of all children. Indianz.Com on YouTube: Indian Health Service at United South and Eastern Tribes Impact Week The announcement of the task force comes six months after a federal jury found Weber, who is non-Indian, guilty of attempted aggravated sexual abuse of a child, abusive sexual contact of a minor and aggravated sexual abuse of a child. The crimes occurred at an IHS facility in Montana, where boys from the Blackfeet Nation were victimized between 1992 and 1995. "This conduct is unacceptable and will not be tolerated at IHS," Deputy Director Chris Buchanan, who is a citizen of the Seminole Nation , told leaders of the United South and Eastern Tribes as they met earlier this month in Washington, D.C. Weber apparently does not feel the same way about his conduct. After being sentenced to 18 years in prison , he took his case to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals His opening brief due at the end of April and the government's response due a month later, according to the schedule While that appeal is underway, government prosecutors are moving forward with the second case, this one accusing Weber of abusing boys at an IHS facility on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The incidents there took place between 1998 and 2011, according to the superseding indictment , after he had been reassigned from the hospital in neighboring Montana. The trial is scheduled to start September 6 in federal court in Rapid City, according to the order from the chief judge A 'pedophile': Stanley Patrick Weber, a former Indian Health Service pediatrician, has been convicted of abusing Indian children on the Blackfeet Nation in Montana and is facing a trial for abusing children on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Photo: U.S. Attorney's Office Weber has been the subject of numerous reports in Native Sun News Today , dating back to March 2017, when the charges in South Dakota were first announced. But the IHS didn't publicly discuss the case until a Dear Tribal Leader letter was sent out on October 26, 2018. The case has since drawn wider attention after being featured in the mainstream media. Last month, The Wall Street Journal and FRONTLINE PBS debuted Predator on the Reservation , a documentary that explored how Weber was able to stay employed at the IHS despite long-standing questions about his dealings with young male patients. This conduct is utterly unacceptable and it will not be tolerated at IHS, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar , who oversees the IHS, told the National Congress of American Indians following the release of the documentary last month. At NCAI's winter session in D.C. on February 13, Azar said the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services has opened an investigation into the case. Separately, the IHS is developing policies and plans to address incidents of abuse and suspicions of abuse, Buchanan said at USET's meeting on March 6. According to the White House, the new task force will not interfere with the criminal proceedings or the internal reviews at HHS and IHS. We have the opportunity to do good work for a righteous cause," U.S. Attorney Trent Shores said on Wednesday. "Protecting Native American children who enter the Indian Health Service system is a common sense mission. Its also one which this task force will approach with a great sense of purpose and urgency." This conduct is utterly unacceptable and it will not be tolerated at IHS, Health & Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says of recent conviction of @IHSgov pediatrician for abusing boys on the Blackfeet Nation. Trial pending for abuse at Pine Ridge. #ECWS19 @SecAzar pic.twitter.com/AFPB5Ibaxk indianz.com (@indianz) February 13, 2019 The task force has seven members, with Shores and Joseph Grogan, the director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, serving as co-chairs. The other five members are: Bo Leach, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services Stephanie Knapp, MSW, LCSW, Child/Adolescent Forensic Interviewer, Federal Bureau of Investigations Office for Victims Assistance, Child Victim Services Unit Shannon Bears Cozzoni, Tribal Liaison and Assistant United States Attorney, United States Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma Caitlin A. Hall, MD, FAAP, Clinical Director/Pediatrician, Dzilth-na-o-dith-hle Health Center, Indian Health Service Farnoosh Faezi-Marian, Program Examiner, Office of Management and Budget Of the seven members, none presently work in the Great Plains or Rocky Mountain regions, where the abuse incidents at the IHS occurred. The agency's sole representative is Caitlin A. Hall, who works at the Dzilth-Na-O-Dith-Hle Health Center , a facility on the New Mexico portion of the Navajo Nation Besides Shores, two task force members are based in Oklahoma. One is Bo Leach, a citizen of Choctaw Nation who works for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Oklahoma City, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Shannon Bears Cozzoni works with Shores as a tribal liaison and assistant federal prosecutor. She formerly served as a prosecutor for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Shores, who also chairs the Native American Issues Subcommittee at the Department of Justice , has experience in dealing with child abuse in Indian Country. In an appearance before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in October 2017, he described how one young victim adopted the mannerisms of a horse because of the trauma she endured in her own home. "After months of intense work with our prosecution team and counselors, that same little girl a nd two of her friends who had also been raped by her father bravely testified in front of a jury and in front of her father," Shores told the committee . "He was found guilty and is now spending life in a federal penitentiary." "Members of the committee, there are many more cases like these domestic violence, sexual assaults, child abuse that require resources to be successfully investigated and prosecuted, and to help give a voice to victims," he added. The White House did not say exactly how long the task force would perform its work but one critic of the IHS welcomed the development. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) praised the Trump administration for "recognizing the need to correct the horrors that happened at Pine Ridge and elsewhere due to systemic failures" at the agency. "I look forward to continuing to work with the administration on this and other ways to improve the IHS," said Rounds , who has repeatedly introduced legislation to address "poor leadership and mismanagement" at the agency. Tribes in the Great Plains, a region that is home to some of the worst-performing facilities in the system, have supported his efforts. Thanks @realDonaldTrump for recognizing the need to correct the horrors that happened at Pine Ridge and elsewhere due to systemic failures of @IHSgov. I look forward to continuing to work with the administration on this and other ways to improve the IHS. https://t.co/XMQBiLIfvb Senator Mike Rounds (@SenatorRounds) March 26, 2019 'Stanley Weber is a pedophile' Stanley Weber is a pedophile. For over two decades, he used his position as a pediatrician with the Indian Health Service to gain access to vulnerable prepubescent males, and subsequently committed terrible acts of sexual abuse upon his victims under the guise of providing them with medical treatment. While living and working on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Weber lured young juvenile males to his home by providing them with alcohol, pizza, soda, ice cream, video games, money, clothing, and overnight trips both on and off the reservation. Once isolated with these children, Weber seized his opportunity to act upon his deviant sexual desires by engaging in forced or coerced sexual activity with them. Weber leveraged his position within IHS and the communities where he worked and lived to gain the trust of many of his coworkers and supervisors, allowing him to survive multiple allegations and investigations into his suspicious behavior. Although the crimes at issue in this case occurred more than 20 years ago, Weber has never had to face the consequences of his actions. In fact, when questions were raised about his behavior, he simply moved to a new community where he continued his pattern of criminality. Meanwhile, his victims grew up, saddled with confusion, shame, and fear that they could not reveal what happened to them as children, lest they face further embarrassment and ridicule from members of their community. The impact of Webers crimes ultimately manifested in his victims in the form of legal problems, drug and alcohol abuse, the inability to maintain stead Even after his conviction, Weber continues to be unapologetic for his actions and shows no remorse for his victims or the harm he inflicted upon them. In fact, it is doubtful that he views his actions as criminal at all. His decades of predatory sexual abuse of children are among the most heinous and serious crimes cognizable by federal criminal law. At nearly 70 years of age, and with no sign of remorse, there is no reason to believe that Weber either recognizes the severity of his crimes or any realistic hope that he can ever be rehabilitated. Accordingly, justice demands that Weber face a severe sentence despite the age of his misconduct in this case. From the sentencing memorandum in Stanley Patrick Weber's case in Montana: 'Predator on the Reservation' Former IHS pediatrician Stanley Patrick Weber also awaits trial in South Dakota for allegedly abusing boys on Pine Ridge Reservation. He was subject of @frontlinepbs + @WSJ expose "Predator on the Reservation" https://t.co/DzNxaCNIbf indianz.com (@indianz) February 13, 2019 FRONTLINE PBS: Predator on the Reservation Join the Conversation Related Stories The Navajo Nation's transition beyond coal 'starts now' Report: Reclamation work at the mine and the power plant will take years to complete and will require hundreds of skilled employees Indian Country Today The Navajo Nations interest in taking over a coal mine and a generating station has come to an end. That will mean a dramatic change in energy policy, jobs, as well as the loss of millions of dollars in lease payments to the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe. The Salt River Project announced in 2017 that it would close the 2,250-megawatt Navajo Generating Station by the end of this year. Navajo leaders asked the Navajo Transitional Energy Company to explore acquiring the power plant and a Kayenta coal mine as a way to save the revenue and hundreds of jobs. But there were two major structural barriers. The power plants owners wanted a cap on the liability for cleanup, a cost that could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and it was getting more expensive for any coal-based plant to sell the electricity to utility companies. After a series of town halls, the Navajo Nation Council Naabikiyati Committee last week narrowly rejected a measure to take the next step. Legislation would have supported the Navajo Transitional Energy Company taking over the Navajo Generating Station and Peabody Kayenta Mine. After the councils 9 to 11 vote, Navajo Transitional Energy issued a release stating they were ceasing their efforts to acquire the power plant and mine. For close to 100 years, the Navajo Nation has been a strong traditional energy producer. In that time, government revenue from energy production has supported the nation in becoming the strongest and most robust tribal government in the United States, propelling our people in endeavors our forbearers would have never imagined, Navajo Nation Council Speaker Seth Damon said in a news release. The Navajo Nation Council signaled that it is time for change. In order to develop a healthy and diverse economy that does not overly rely on any particular industry, the 24th Navajo Nation Council will advance new and innovative development initiatives that place our peoples ability to live in our traditional homelands first," the speaker said. "Expanding tourism, alternative energy development, carbon credits, and manufacturing are all ideas that this council is pursuing to ensure that a healthy government can continue to provide for its people. The Navajo Generating Station near Page, Arizona. Photo by Wolfgang Moroder The Navajo Generating Station employed more than 500 people, most of the workers Native American. The Kayenta coal mine added another 400 plus jobs. And, as recently as 2014, the Kayenta Mine, which is owned by Peabody Energy, logged a $60.8 million payroll. A study by Arizona State University estimated that 4,649 will be lost, including 857 direct mining and power station high-paying Navajo jobs. The annual losses to the overall Navajo economy will be $932 million. The Navajo Nation also earned some $25 million a year in leases and royalties from the energy operations. So whats next? Erny Zah, a spokesman for the Navajo Transitional Energy Company, told the Associated Press that news will be tough on the families that have relied on the industry. "A decade-long process would have definitely helped explore some newer opportunities that would have created economic stability for northeastern Arizona," Zah said. "And, now, we are going to do our best to see what we can do to help." However Lori Goodman of the environmental group, Dine Care , said: Its been known for a long time that coal isnt the future, but this final certainty is crucial. For anyone whos been hesitant about moving strongly for renewable energy development, for building our economy in ways that will benefit our communities and our Mother Earth and Father Sky, now there is no reason or excuse to hold back. This moment is why our new council and president were elected. The legacy they will leave for the transition from coal starts now. That transition to a new kind of a regional economy will start as soon as next month when Salt River Projects will begin awarding contracts for the plants decommissioning and for cleanup projects. Often overlooked ... is the likelihood that reclamation work at the mine and the power plant will take years to complete and will require hundreds of skilled employees, many of whom work now at NGS or Kayenta Mine, said a report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis . A successful transition following closure of the power plant and the mine complex will require that the responsible parties be held accountable for their cleanup obligations. Public pressure may be required for proper reclamation of Kayenta Mine, which is owned by Peabody Energy, part of an industry that is not especially well known for its reclamation track record. Most of the clean up at the plant and at the mine could be finished during the next five years, but full remediation and reclamation will take years to complete and will require an array of skilled work. The Institute study says that phase will take at least 35 years and possibly beyond. The cleanup phase includes reclamation of the land used for mining as well as the cleanup of ash and other toxic waste at the plant site. The Institute says Salt River Project and Peabody are obligated to pay for remediation and reclamation and to do so at prevailing wage and salary levels. Their responsibilities, by contract, include post-closure activities. The Institute said documents filed with federal agencies show the number of employees working to cleanup the Kayenta Mine would be about 175. This will not be the only major coal transition in the West. The same economics -- lower cost natural gas, increasing wind and solar energy -- are hitting other mining operations and power plants. In the Powder River Basin of Montana, for instance, the Colstrip coal mine-and-power plant complex that is the economic heart of the area also has a limited future because of the same difficulties facing Navajo Generating Station, the Institute reports. That region is also discussing a post coal future. And the Montana Legislature, like the Navajo Nation just did, is seeking alternatives to delay that inevitable future. 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 25, 2019. Join the Conversation For everyone who enters the film industry without a godfather or a rock-solid connection, their first project is crucial. It decides their journey ahead. For Fatima Sana Shaikh, this journey of films began with Aamir Khan's Dangal. The film turned out to be blockbuster and her journey began! However, in a recent interview, Fatima Sana Shaikh says getting a perfect launch pad was not a cakewalk as people told her she did not have the "looks" of a heroine like Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif. Fatima, who started her journey in the movies as a child actor with Kamal Haasan's 1997 film "Chachi 420", says the rejections shifted her focus from waiting for a conventional lead role to searching for a good character. "I have been a child actor. I quit but making a comeback after that was difficult. I was not getting any work. People used to tell me I don't look like Deepika Padukone or Katrina Kaif. They said, since I didn't have the looks of a heroine, I should do whatever I'm offered.There have been many incidents where I was told that I was not good enough," Fatima told PTI in an interview. The actor says her desire to perform in front of the camera was so strong that she did not pay heed to what people thought of her. "I only had acting on my mind. The reason why I used to go for every audition was because I would get to perform in front of the camera, even if the set-up was small. The success of Aamir Khan-starrer "Dangal", however, made things easier for Fatima as it gave her the option to choose. "Before 'Dangal', I never had the chance to choose my projects. I even did 'Dangal' because that was my only option at that time. Every actor goes through this. That's how things function. But I am happy that post the film and especially after 'Thugs of Hindostan', I have the space to choose," she says. Fatima's last film Thugs Of Hindostan with Aamir Khan was a big dud but she looks all geared up to keep her head high and look forward to more projects. BCCL Large sums of money, both accounted and unaccounted for, cache of liquor and freebies, are being spent by candidates in the hope that they will elections by buying votes. Read more Here's more top news of the day: 1) Vijay Mallya Slams Bailout Plan For Jet Airways, Asks Why Wasn't Kingfisher Airlines Helped Reuters Embattled liquor baron, Vijay Mallya, has lashed out at public sector banks for double standards under the current NDA regime for their intervention to bail out Jet Airways while the same lenders made his Kingfisher airlines fail ruthlessly. Read more 2) 55% English-Speaking Indians Fear Posting Political Views Online Fearing Trouble With Govt Getty Images Numerous people have been arrested in the past for posting comments critical of the ruling government. News reports of arrests for insulting Prime Minister Narendra Modi have popped up with an alarming regularity. Read more 3) Pakistan Born Man Who Lived In India For 50 Years To Get His Wish For Citizenship Fulfilled A Pakistani national living in India for over 50 years is set to be granted Indian citizenship. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs told the Bombay High Court on Monday that he will be granted Indian citizenship within 10 days. Read more 4) 57 Per Cent Of Indian Professionals Want To Switch Careers Because A Good Worklife Balance Is What They Want reuters/representational image About 33% of Indians are career sleepwalking they feel like they are on a treadmill going nowhere while 57% are keen to pivot to build a more rewarding career, according to the findings of a survey by LinkedIn. Read more 5) 2.7 Lakh Voters Want Jobs As It Remains Their Top Priority In Upcoming Elections bccl/representational image The survey, conducted between October and December 2018 across 534 LS constituencies, also asked voters to rate the govts performance, which was deemed below average a score less than 3 on a scale of 5 on all 31 listed priorities. Read more 30 years ago, Sudha Satyan - a playschool teacher - asked a 3-year-old boy to introduce himself. The little boy was all fired up and introduced himself as 'Captain' Rohan Bhasin. Today, after all these years, Satyan actually bumped into the same boy, who is now an Air India Pilot! Satyan used to run the play school in Mumbai and her husband was an engineer with AI. #WarmsTheCocklesOfMyHeart.... During Playschool admission, the teacher asked my son his name. Nonchalantly he answered, "Capt Rohan Bhasin". And he was just 3. And today, the same teacher was enroute to Chicago. And he was indeed the Captain. #StudentTeacherReunion pic.twitter.com/nGAqZSKUnF Nivedita Bhasin (@nivedita_bhasin) 24 March 2019 In a heartwarming post, Pilot Rohan's mother shared a lovely collage of him and his teacher. His mother Nivedita Bhasin, also an Air India pilot, wrote, 'During playschool admission, the teacher asked my son his name. Nonchalantly he answered, "Capt Rohan Bhasin". And he was just 3. And today, the same teacher was enroute to Chicago. And he was indeed the Captain.' The teacher, Sudha Satyan, recognized the boy by his name during the flight announcement. After settling down in the flight bound for Chicago, she insisted the air hostess let her meet Rohan. Upon seeing him, she had tears in her eyes! The tweet is now viral and is surely 'warming the cockles' of everyone's heart! #1 What a lovely reunion! Janaki Kulkarni (@janaki_kulkarni) 24 March 2019 #2 Just imagine that moment when she hears Capt Rohan Bhasin Your son must have been thrilled. Indeed #WarmsTheCocklesOfMyHeart . Louvina Andrade (@LouvinaA) 25 March 2019 #3 Being a teacher I can understand what madam Sudha must be feeling. I have goosebumps seeing this wonderful Reunion. Indu Jha (@indu_00) 26 March 2019 #4 So amazing Tarun Gulati (@gulati_tarun6) 25 March 2019 According to TOI, Captain Rohan's passion for flying runs in his family, his grandfather Captain Jai Dev Bhasin was among the first seven pilots back in 1954 to become commanders. Both his parents fly the Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Actor Vidyut Jammwal in a still from his upcoming film "Junglee." Jammwal told India-West that the film educates people about animals and how to conduct ourselves. (photo provided) Pankaj Jain, an Indian American associate professor in the department of philosophy and religion at the University of North Texas, will appear alongside actor Morgan Freeman in the National Geographic series, The Story of God with Morgan Freeman, April 9. (news.unt.edu photo) We now offer lithium prices and coverage free for reference. Click here to read all about it. Join our growing community of participants who want to learn more about electrification and how this market is developing. Switch the Market flag Open the menu and switch the Market flag for targeted data from your country of choice. for targeted data from your country of choice. President Donald Trump's sexism is so vulgar and unapologetic that it's easy to think about it as something separate from the kind of hurdles that are placed in front of female candidates, hurdles that white men like Buttigieg or Beto O'Rourke don't have to worry about. But they're parts of a complex whole. O'Rourke's entire campaign is essentially built on likability, without anyone bothering to ask whether he's competent. Buttigieg's desire to leapfrog three or four of the traditional rungs on the ladder is seen as worth noting but hardly disqualifying. If a woman in his position sowed that kind of ambition, she'd be considered some kind of lunatic. On the first day of the event, brokers had the opportunity to network with their peers as well as provide feedback to senior members of the Steadfast team an activity which managing director Robert Kelly said had been hugely beneficial for all involved. We spend eight hours with them, we deconstruct the whole company, we go through issues and we invite them to ask questions, Kelly told Insurance Business. We are a focal point where people can ask questions and continually put stuff through to us and it was incredibly powerful, he added. Discussing the common concerns raised by brokers, Kelly said the Royal Commission continued to be a major source of uncertainty for many attendees. The Hayne Royal Commission was on everybodys lips, but I think we deconstructed that completely, he said. We went through all of the possibilities and probabilities and drew up a fairly robust set of opinions about how we should treat ourselves post commission and I think they were pretty pleased about that. Kelly also said the convention served as a valuable opportunity to interact with brokers and show them that the network is there to serve them. We are always market-facing because we do town halls all around Australia so Im very available for people to talk to theres nobody here who would be frightened to come and talk to me or ask me a question, he said. The day that anybody thinks Im up here and theyre down there is the day weve failed in this organisation, absolutely and completely and unequivocally, he added. Following the networking opportunities on Sunday, brokers were able to attend a range of presentations and speeches while also gaining insight from exhibitors and delegates. On Monday, speakers included AFL legend and former Australian of the Year Adam Goodes, ACORD CEO Bill Pieroni, and Macquarie Banks national head of insurance broking, Eughan Trehy. Today, speakers include Olympic gold medalist Sally Pearson, ANZIIF CEO Prue Willsford and Steadfasts own broker technical manager, Michael White among others. Delegates from a range of industry stakeholders are also in attendance, including AIG, Chubb, DUAL, Lloyds, Allied World, Brooklyn, and NTI. The ability to craft innovative solutions for complex risks is a hallmark of the wholesale, specialty and surplus lines insurance industry. Surplus lines professionals are experts in unique and hard-to-place risks, and they react quickly to market changes to accommodate non-standard needs of insureds. According to A.M. Bests 2018 Special Report, U.S. Surplus Lines - Segment Review, the surplus lines industry reached a historic $44.9 billion in direct written premium in 2017, representing a 5.8% increase over the prior year. The 15 states with stamping offices reported $31.4 billion in surplus premium collection in those states during 2018, an 11.3% increase over 2017. Together, these are good indicators of the wholesale, specialty and surplus lines insurance industrys strength and stability heading into 2019. The Wholesale & Specialty Insurance Association (WSIA) was formed in 2017 through the merger of the American Association of Managing General Agents (AAMGA) and the National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices (NAPSLO) to represent members from the entirety of the industry and protect and promote the valuable role they play in the insurance market. WSIA helps members build business relationships by providing networking and business meetings, education, talent recruitment and development initiatives, regulatory and legislative advocacy, and promotion of the value of wholesale distribution, all designed to promote and support this healthy and growing market. WSIA monitors and advocates for state and federal regulation and legislation that impacts members and the industry. Revisions to the federal definition of private flood insurance in the Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act, preserving the private markets ability to solve unique and complex flood risks for consumers, is currently a priority for the association, as is implementation of the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers (NARAB). The association also continues to support uniform implementation of the Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act (NRRA), establishing the insureds home state as the one and only jurisdiction to regulate and tax surplus lines transactions. WSIAs Annual Marketplace and Underwriting Summit are premier networking forums, where industry partners collaborate, and WSIAs education programs, held throughout the year, also provide technical training and professional development to keep members at the forefront of best practices in the as the industry evolves. As a result, WSIA members are innovators whose knowledge of and access to specialty markets result in customized solutions for retail agents and their clients. As the market grows, the association also continues to emphasize talent development initiatives to encourage university students to consider careers in this sector of the industry through college outreach and the WSIA internship program. Those of us in the industry know that there has never been a cost for seeking a wholesale quote, and we can now demonstrate there is also no additional expense for the insured in using a wholesale specialist to develop the best solution. A 2016 Conning, Inc. cost-effectiveness study found that wholesale brokers offer technical expertise, innovative solutions to complex risk, and access to strong and stable insurers with no added cost to the transaction. Leveraging a wholesale partner to find the best and most cost-effective solution is the best way to serve the insured. WSIA members include tens of thousands of individual brokers, insurance company professionals, underwriters and other insurance specialists and professionals worldwide. We are pleased to support these outstanding professionals and the wholesale, specialty and surplus lines industry as it continues to prosper. Joel Cavaness President WSIA Methodology IBAs Producers on Wholesale Brokers & MGAs survey asked retail producers to rate the performance and service of their wholesale broker and MGA partners on a scale of 1 (poor) to 10 (excellent) in eight areas: Underwriting responsiveness/turnaround time Technical expertise and product knowledge Range of products Compensation (commission, bonuses, profit-share, etc.) Claims support Marketing support Technology/automation Communication In addition, producers were asked to provide feedback on how their partners could improve the producer/wholesale relationship. The wholesale brokers and MGAs that earned an average score of 8 or greater in at least one category were awarded a five-star designation, signifying their exceptional service in any one or more of the key categories. In total, 27 wholesale partners earned a five-star this year. Of those five-star companies, 13 were also designated as all-star wholesalers, having earned a five-star in all eight categories. Which wholesale brokers and MGAs did producers say perform above the rest? Read on to discover what producers have to say about the good and bad about the service they receive. The National Transportation Safety Board says a United Express regional jet didnt slide off a runway in Maine it missed the runway altogether. A preliminary report indicates the 50-seat Embraer 145 approached to the right of the runway on an aborted first landing attempt and then again when it touched down March 4 at Presque Isle International Airport. The document indicates it landed between the runway and taxiway. Photos suggest the jet plowed through the deep snow alongside the runway before coming to an abrupt stop. Some of the landing gear was ripped off and ended up stuck in an engine cowling. The NTSB report said one crew member and two passengers being hurt. The Commuter-operated flight from Newark, New Jersey, had 28 passengers and three crew members. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Maine New Jerseys planned legislative vote on legalizing recreational marijuana was canceled as Senate President Steve Sweeney said it didnt have enough support to pass. The bid to end the states prohibition was supported by Governor Phil Murphy, fellow Democrats who lead the legislature and public-opinion polls. But that couldnt overcome opposition from Republicans and some Democrats who took issue with sanctioning a drug that is outlawed by the U.S. government. This fight is not over, Sweeney said in a statement. We need to learn from this experience and continue to move forward. Murphy, though, had warned that today may have been the last chance for lawmakers to send him a bill in 2019. The legislature is about to begin time-consuming budget negotiations for the fiscal year that starts July 1, and then 80 of 120 lawmakers facing Assembly elections in November will focus on their campaigns. New Jersey would have been the 11th state to allow recreational sales and use and first in the Manhattan region. Some supporters who had considered making marijuana a public-ballot question, as has happened in at least a half-dozen states, said they were leery of that approach because Election Day turnout in November is expected to be low. Most Republicans and some Democrats had argued that legalization would drive up crime in urban areas, lead users to try harder substances and erode preventive-education programs directed at schoolchildren. Others said New Jersey needed broader opportunities for those convicted of low-level marijuana offenses to clear their criminal records. Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Topics Cannabis New Jersey French activist fund CIAM will ask reinsurance company SCORs CEO Denis Kessler to surrender the chairmanship of the companys board after he thwarted a takeover attempt earlier this year. CIAM, which has just under one percent of SCOR, will ask the reinsurers shareholders to oust Kessler from the board at the next general meeting on April 26. But the fund does want Kessler to remain as CEO, it said in a statement on Monday. Earlier this year, Kessler, who has run the company since 2002, successfully opposed an 8.5 billion euro ($9.62 billion) takeover attempt by SCORs largest shareholder Covea, which had offered a 20 percent premium over SCORs share price. Unlisted French insurance company Covea holds just over eight percent of SCOR and had wanted full control. SCORs shares have lost more than 10 percent since late January, when Covea dropped its plan amid an acrimonious fight in which SCOR sued Coveas top management as well as Coveas investment bankers for breach of trust. CIAM has questioned the way Kessler handled Coveas move. The hostile reaction towards its major shareholder did not seem appropriate, CIAM said. The fund criticized Kessler for being ubiquitous and omnipresent in the companys governance and for making it hard for the board to oversee him by constantly reshuffling board seats. CIAM also criticized Kesslers lack of a succession plan. The dysfunctional governance of SCOR is obvious and triggers serious issues in the companys management that increase risks for shareholders, the fund said in a document sent to SCOR shareholders. CIAM will also ask shareholders to oppose Kesslers pay package and will oppose the renewal of board member Augustin de Romanet, who they consider too close to Kessler and holds too many mandates in other companies. De Romanet is chairman and CEO of airport operator Aeroports de Paris. The fund said Kesslers compensation is high compared with industry standards and even more so when taking into account SCORs share price performance. SCORs board, in response, backed Kessler, asking shareholders to support both Kessler and de Romanet. The board refuted CIAMs allegations saying they were seriously unfounded, erroneous and deceptive. SCOR said Kesslers departure from the board would automatically mean he would have to leave the CEO job. After being appointed at the helm of SCOR in November 2002, Kessler managed to turned around the company, but over the past couple of years its shares have underperformed competitors. CIAM recommended appointing British board member Kory Sorenson or her Swiss colleague Bruno Pfister as chair of the board. ($1 = 0.8839 euros) (Reporting by Inti Landauro; editing by Luke Baker/Geert De Clercq/Jane Merriman) Related: Topics France Norsk Hydro, one of the worlds largest aluminum producers, said on Monday one of its major divisions was back up to 60 percent of capacity after a cyber attack earlier in March. The cyber attack forced the company to shut several metal extrusion and rolled products plants, which transform aluminum ingots into components for carmakers, builders and other industries. Extruded Solutions is expecting to reach an overall production rate of 60 percent by Monday, Hydro said. The business division was running at 50 percent capacity on Friday. Norsk Hydro said its building systems business, which is part of Extruded Solutions, had been the most affected by the attack, but the company was expecting to slowly ramp up its production and shipments during the week. Following the attack, the companys aluminum smelters in Norway continued to run on a partly manual basis to avoid being affected. The company said it had identified the cause of the problem, but was still unable to estimate the overall time needed for a full recovery, as well as the financial impact of the attack. (Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis, editing by Gwladys Fouche and Jane Merriman) Related: Topics Cyber So whats the real story here? If prosecutors advanced a solid case this far, why not forge ahead and declare that theres a price to pay for wasting police resources in a city with so much gun violence? From Tuesdays Tribune: A young mother was shot and killed, her husband was critically wounded and their 1-year-old baby took a bullet to the knee in the West Pullman neighborhood on the Far South Side. How did Jussie Smolletts partial redeployment of Chicagos detective force contribute to solving the host of such crimes that occur here relentlessly? African Bank Holdings Ltd. is joining the rush into digital banking to fail-proof the business and provide an exit for shareholders that resurrected the South African lender from its collapsed former parent. The firms unusual owners, which includes the South African central bank and six of the nations largest lenders, stepped in to save it with an equity injection when African Bank Investments Ltd. went into administration five years ago. Now, as the business gets back on its feet, the banks competitors will want a way out, whether that be an initial public offering or a takeover, said Chief Executive Officer Basani Maluleke. Were re-positioning the bank, so we can have that conversation with our shareholders when the time is right, she said in an interview in Bloombergs Johannesburg offices. Starting our new product offering is our immediate focus as we build the bank. African Bank is staging its comeback in a much tougher economy and a crowded field as its bigger competitors and owners, including Standard Bank Group Ltd. and Absa Group Ltd., compete more aggressively to boost revenues. At least three new players are entering the industry, hoping to draw away customers with low-cost digital offerings. Very Pregnant African Banks peers came to the rescue to protect the nations financial system when too many of the lenders customers defaulted on their unsecured loans and it was unable to raise more cash on capital markets. Now, the bank is diversifying its revenue base away from unsecured credit, and trying to raise deposits to strengthen its funding base, Maluleke said. Theres no question that unsecured lending will remain a significant contributor to our revenues over the medium term, the CEO said. African Bank is launching a transactional-banking offering to clients and will add more products, such as additional insurance policies. The lender is partnering with Direct Transact Pty Ltd., a Pretoria-based provider of electronic-banking and payment processing services, and Portuguese financial technology firm, ebankIT. Were very pregnant with our digital-transaction banking product, Maluleke said. Its being tested by employees and made available to some of our customers already. Service Hubs After tightening its credit risk appetite, African Bank is digging deeper into client data to find other ways of growing the business, Chief Financial Officer Gustav Raubenheimer said in the same interview. For example, its extracting information from two different credit bureaus rather than just relying on one. African Bank will also keep prices low and turn its 392 branches into service hubs where clients can seek advice, Maluleke said. The company is aiming to grow non-interest revenue to more than 500 million rand by 2021, from 27 million rand at the end of September, and more than double its customer base to 2.5 million by then. While changing our unique shareholder structure is important, it is not on the front burner, Maluleke said. Our aim is to first create an asset that investors will be keen to buy into. Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. A former University of Minnesota employee who admitted to stealing iPads from Target is also accused of the using school funds to purchase 78 computers over 14 months and sell them for personal profit, according to authorities. Hennepin County District Court documents show Michael James McDaniel, 34, is charged in with four counts of felony theft by swindle involving computers worth $134,544, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported. McDaniel is accused of making the acquisitions from September 2017 to October 2018 while employed as an analyst and administrative adviser in the universitys Center for Magnetic Resonance Research. He was fired in November. McDaniel made his initial court appearance earlier this month and was subsequently released without bond. Hes scheduled back in court April 8. McDaniel pawned the computers or sold them via Craigslist, university police said in a charging document. He made over $125,000 in cash bank deposits in that time. The universitys inquiry came in October after a finance employee noticed an inconsistency in computer purchases involving McDaniel. He is accused of buying computers for his department through university bookstores but was not registering them as university property. McDaniel reportedly expressed to human resources that three unidentified men had attacked him outside his office in September 2017 and forced him to make the purchases. I am truly sorry for somehow being in the wrong place at the wrong time and I want to do whatever I can to remedy this if possible, he wrote in a letter. He gave the same account to police, who found no evidence the story was factual. With assistance from Apple and Craigslist, police found two people who had purchased one of the universitys computers. The buyers identified McDaniel as the seller, and bank records show he deposited the $800 in cash the same day. Around the same time, McDaniel had been stealing iPads from Target stores. He was charged with theft by swindle in December 2017 and agreed to join a diversion program a month later after admitting he bought iPads and returned empty boxes to six different stores in October 2017. When police interrogated him about the computer thefts last September, he said the same unidentified men had forced him to prove himself by first stealing iPads. Hired in November 2007, McDaniel worked for several departments as an accountant and financial analyst. He transferred to his newest role in April 2015. His annual pay was $126,824, according to records. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Fraud Abuse Molestation Education Universities Minnesota Nebraska grain farmer Ryan Ueberrhein was barely breaking even after the U.S.-China trade war pushed prices for his soybean crop to a decade low. Then the nearby Elkhorn River burst its banks as flooding swept across the U.S. farm belt. Uberrheins farm was left covered in debris after the roiling water receded. He has mounting debts. And he is worried that President Donald Trump may not be able to strike a trade deal with China that would end tariffs on U.S. soybean exports and allow him to sell whatever grain is left intact at a better price. Frustration is building across farm country at what feels like a never-ending season of bad news. The trade war keeps damaging us, said Ueberrhein, 34, of Valley, Nebraska, who voted for Trump. What the president is doing, we stand by him, but we cant keep getting hit just because a deal cant be made quickly. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are set to arrive in China this week for another round of trade talks with their Chinese counterparts. The two sides have yet to agree on many core issues. Farmers who spoke to Reuters remained supportive of Trump. Soybean exports to China hit a four-year low in February because of the trade war. China is the biggest buyer of U.S. soybeans, which are the largest single U.S. agricultural export. A near halt in exports has hit a rural economy already struggling after years of oversupply cut farm incomes by 50 percent in the past five years. Debt in the agrarian economy has hit levels last seen during the U.S. farm collapse of the 1980s. The Nebraska Rural Response Hotline, which provides support to farmers and ranchers, has received a record number of calls about financial distress, said John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union. Calls about suicide and depression were up, too, he said. The latest piece of bad news came on March 11, when the Trump administration released its 2020 budget and proposed a 15 percent cut for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, calling its subsidies to farmers overly generous. It did not matter to farmers, who helped vote Trump into office, that the budget will not pass muster with Democrats who control the House of Representatives, Hansen said. Some farmers took the proposed cut to subsidies for crop insurance as an insult. How many times do you have to kick us when were down? he said. That insurance is crucial to Richard Oswald, who farms near Phelps City, Missouri. The flood has already swallowed his childhood home, many of his fields and more than 20,000 bushels of corn. His four grain bins have burst, after water-logged corn expanded and split open. If our government and leaders cant step up and start to lead, were done for, he said. For years, Oswald paid extra for flood insurance. He hoped that government talk of investing in improving U.S. infrastructure would come through and bolster the levees and dams throughout the Midwest. But this year, as the trade war dragged on, he dropped the policy to reduce expenses. So he will get no insurance money for the lost corn, Oswald said. A few days ago, one of his lenders called. Oswald didnt have to pay the loan right away, the lender said, but he would have to repay it sooner or later. Help needs to come from Congress, but Congress is so divided, I dont know whats going to happen, Oswald said. Disaster Declaration Trump approved a disaster declaration for Nebraska on Thursday, making federal funding available in nine counties that bore the brunt of the recent floods. On Saturday, he approved one for flood-affected counties in Iowa. Greg Ibach, a USDA undersecretary, is touring the damage in Nebraska, and Bill Northey, another undersecretary, will head to Iowa, agency officials told Reuters. U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa said the farm belt states would need more aid, suggesting a separate relief bill to offer compensation to farmers for livestock killed in the floods and grains in storage that will have to be destroyed. The United States government has always been the insurance of last resort, Grassley said in a phone interview on Friday. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts put agricultural flood damage for the state at nearly $1 billion. Iowa officials are projecting losses of at least $1.6 billion, with at least $214 million in damage to the agriculture sector. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said her state would need assistance beyond what is granted through disaster declarations. Farmers, meanwhile, are staring at waterlogged fields and expecting more floods. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said last week that the flooding would worsen in coming weeks as snow on the ground melts and water flows downstream. Iowa farmer Dave Newby said the standing water in his fields was already threatening his planned start to corn in mid-to-late April. Newby, like many farmers, had been looking to boost his corn plantings this year because such a large volume of soybeans had been left unsold because of the trade war. The same was the case in nearby Nebraska. Parts of flooded farmland remained under water and farmers had yet to assess the damage the piled-up sand, silt and debris caused to soil. Almost all said planting will likely be delayed, which could lead to lower yields. Normal planting would take place around May 1, but I doubt we will make it, said Kendal Sock, a cattle and corn farmer in Genoa. I wish theyd get this trade deal done, like now. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and P.J. Huffstutter; Additional reporting by Mark Weinraub and Tom Polansek in Chicago and Jarrett Renshaw in New York; Editing by Caroline Stauffer, David Gaffen, Simon Webb and Leslie Adler) Topics USA Flood Agribusiness China Iowa Nebraska It sounds like it should have been impossible to miss, but it took more than a year for an industrial equipment company to discover $12,000 worth of doggie day spa charges on an employees expense reports. Level upon level of corporate management also failed to detect that the same employee was running a scheme to sell more than $200,000 in company equipment on eBay. Only a fraction of expense reports are closely examined, so it is no wonder that companies experience more than $7 billion in annual losses from fraud, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. By using robots, instead of relying on random spot checks, companies are catching fraud more than twice as fast and fraud losses are halved, said Andi McNeal, director of research for the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. That is what happened when the industrial equipment company put in place an artificial-intelligence program from Oversight Systems, which was able to quickly ferret out the culprit. It started out as a small infraction that led to an investigation that led to other things, said Terrence McCrossan, chief executive of Atlanta-based Oversight Systems, which audits about $2 trillion worth of employee spending each year and works with employers like the U.S. Department of Defense, McDonalds and General Electric. The expense reporting universe is being overhauled to use artificial intelligence to get a 100 percent overview of employee submissions. In addition to monitoring fraud, companies are streamlining the way employees file expenses. Soon, employees around the world will stop fussing with paper receipts and crying over hotel bills, then waiting weeks to get reimbursed while their paperwork travels through the corporate labyrinth. Managers will no longer be stuck in the middle of the process, policing spending, and companies will stop losing so much money to waste and fraud. TEST CASES Some changes have already occurred, ranging from corporate card charges that automatically attach to electronic expense reports to seamless experiences for business travelers who stay at approved hotels. One of SAP Concurs newest offerings is Concur Detect by AppZen, which does a 100 percent audit of incoming expense reports. AppZen analyzes expenses by looking for risk. Only about 10 percent of expenses that flow through a company have a problem that needs to be addressed, said Anant Kale, CEO of AppZen, based in San Jose, California. The algorithm can clear expense reports with no issues almost instantly, so that these employee outlays can be reimbursed as quickly as two days. If a charge has a red flag, it goes to a human auditor. One Concur Detect customer, Portola Pharmaceuticals Inc, said it had reduced the number of expense reports that required review by one-third. Kale has been surprised by the kind of problems that are popping up since AppZens 2016 launch. Employees are claiming the same expense multiple times. That happens more often than you can imagine, Kale said. Its not fraud, but an honest mistake. AppZen also finds many expenses that are disallowed by corporate policy. Some of these are for strip clubs, in-room movies during business travel or charging gifts at a hotel shop. Oversight Systems has identified questionable expenses like eyelash extensions, lost sunglasses and an employee who billed for a new shirt after he spilled coffee on himself on the way to a meeting. There is also true fraud. Oversight Systems, for instance, found an employee who expensed for parking over and over using the same receipt each time. By the time the fraud was discovered, the parking lot no longer even existed. What makes the difference between catching wrongdoers and companies losing money? Better compliance and making audits more efficient, said the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners McNeal. As much as machines can learn and improve their performance, people are more complicated. AppZen, for instance, has yet to run a clean screen on a company where it catches no problems, no matter how much effort a company puts into employee education and catching disallowed expenses before they are filed. Youre never going to get all of them to comply thats just human nature, McNeal said. Youre just trying to let the fewest grains get through the sieve. (Editing by Lauren Young and by Leslie Adler) Topics Fraud Commercial Lines Business Insurance Deerfield Beach, Florida-based workers compensation carrier Normandy Insurance Co. is now offering workers compensation insurance to small, mid-size and large businesses in Arkansas. The company said it has entered four new states in 2019. In addition to Arkansas, Normandy now offers workers compensation insurance in Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. Normandy has underwritten to a profit for many years and is well-positioned to provide innovative and cost-effective workers comp coverage in multiple states, the company said. In 2017, Normandy Insurance Co. was assigned a Demotech Financial Stability Rating of A (Exceptional) in recognition of the companys strategic growth and solid business operations. Source: Normandy Insurance Co. Topics Workers' Compensation Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Allen Kerr is warning consumers in his state to be wary of individuals posing as car insurance agents to sell fraudulent policies at car dealerships. In a media release, Kerr said the Criminal Investigation Division at the Arkansas Insurance Department has received complaints from Progressive Insurance about people posing as Progressive agents and selling auto policies to consumers looking to purchase a vehicle from a dealership. Arkansans should be wary of insurance agents selling cut-rate plans at a car dealership in order to show proof of insurance. Progressive Insurance referred 240 initial cases of alleged fraudulent insurance being sold to AID for investigation. The company alleges that individuals frequented area car dealerships representing themselves as Progressive agents and offering their services to assist would be car-buyers in acquiring insurance online. Policies were purportedly purchased by paying cash to the individuals at the car lot. The fake agents would then go online to purchase a Progressive policy using a checking account. The individuals would then claim the transaction as fraudulent, leading to a return of the purchase and rescission of the auto policy. People who sell or are in possession of a false, fake, or counterfeit insurance policies or insurance identification care may be charged with committing a Fraudulent Insurance Act, which is a Class D Felony that carries a maximum penalty of six years in prison and a $10,000 fine, according to the insurance departments release. The Arkansas Insurance Department encourages consumers who may have been victims of the fake insurance agents to contact the Criminal Investigations Division at 866-660-0888. Source: Arkansas Insurance Department Topics Agencies Auto Fraud Federal judges in California are cracking down on warped incentives in class-action lawsuits, exerting tighter oversight of settlements that provide hefty fees for plaintiff lawyers but no meaningful benefit for those harmed by corporate misdeeds. A recent example was the proposed $50 million settlement over a customer-data breach at Yahoo! Inc. U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh blocked it, saying a request by plaintiffs lawyers for an additional $37.5 million in compensation for their work on the case was excessive. She also criticized Yahoo for a lack of transparency about how many people were affected and for trying to use the deal to avoid liability in an unrelated breach. Kohs actions epitomize new court guidelines in San Francisco and Silicon Valley that require more justification for class-action settlements in California, a state with some of the toughest consumer-protection laws. Judges are nixing more deals, including some with companies like Uber Technologies Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co. The increased scrutiny may mean fewer settlements and more cases going to trial. The rules are to ensure that class members are adequately protected, said Neal Marder, an attorney with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP in Los Angeles. Lawyers come up with clever ways to settle a case that isnt always in the best interest of the class. Granting class-action status to a lawsuit is supposed to put more power in the hands of the little guy. It allows a single plaintiff to sue on behalf of a larger group of individuals who were harmed by the same bad act but may have little incentive to take a company to court over a relatively small claim. Some class actions work as intended, like when Volkswagen AG agreed to spend $10 billion in 2016 buying back 500,000 vehicles with polluting diesel engines. The vast majority are settled once they are elevated from individual claim to class action. Most businesses want to avoid going to trial, where they risk losing in a huge jury verdict. But when companies settle, some of their deals provide no tangible benefits for the people the suits were intended to help. Short Sandwiches In one noteworthy 2016 case involving Subway sandwich shops prompted by a teen-aged customer who was sold an 11-inch-long sandwich rather than the 12 inches the company advertises the U.S. appeals court in Chicago derided a class-action settlement as utterly worthless. The Subway deal called for each restaurant to achieve better bread-length uniformity on all its foot-long sandwiches. Plaintiffs lawyers sought $520,000 in fees for negotiating the settlement with Subway, even though most customers understand that variations in bread making mean sandwiches may not be exactly 12 inches long, the court ruled, noting that such deals amounted to rackets for lawyers. Even when agreements call for a more tangible damage award, like cash, most class members dont end up with anything. A 2013 study by Mayer Brown LLP, at the request of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, looked at 148 class-action suits filed in 2009 and found that when people have to file a claim to participate in a settlement, very few bothered to do it, with responses in some cases below 1 percent. In November, the federal court in Northern California updated guidelines for proposed class-action settlements, giving judges more leeway to reject deals that dont deliver for the group of intended beneficiaries. Among the new rules: parties must provide a lot more information about how the amount of the settlement was reached and how, specifically, theyll make sure class members get their share. Judges will want a genuine assessment of the value of the case, said Thomas Loeser, an attorney with plaintiff firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP in Seattle. The new guidelines will make all class settlements better because judges will be equipped to detect marginal cases. Judges also are looking more closely at the non-monetary portion of a proposed deal, which may mean corporate defendants will pay more to settle strong cases and will fight more of the weaker ones, Loeser said. So, more could end up at trial. Consumer Advocates In class actions, judges arent just impartial referees. Theyre obligated to represent the interest of class members who arent participating in the litigation but still stand to benefit from a settlement. Federal judges Edward Chen and Richard Seeborg, who sit on the court in San Francisco, said in January that the updated guidelines give them more tools to vet class-action deals. During a forum at the University of San Diego School of Law, the judges said they were particularly keen to get more specific details about what will happen after they approve a settlement and how the parties will ensure that as many people as possible participate. Theres a lot that we dont know, for example, about claims administration, Seeborg said. Class-action payout rates tend to be very low because most people dont understand the notices they get about the settlement or simply dont believe them, according to Elizabeth Cabraser, an attorney with Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP, one of the plaintiff lawyers in the Volkswagen class action. A good settlement is like any other good product you need to market it, Cabraser said. Cases involving people who bought flawed products at a retail outlet can be challenging because finding each one is time-consuming and expensive, Cabraser said. The new guidelines will give plaintiffs lawyers more leverage to demand that defendants make more of an effort to identify class members, she said. The more aggressive rules in Northern California could be copied in other federal districts, though they may already be having an impact, said Michael Brody, co-chair of the class action practice at Jenner & Block LLP in Chicago. Corporate defendants may need to sweeten the pot more to ensure settlements please judges, he said. Negotiating a settlement that looks good for the defendant isnt good if it doesnt get approved, Brody said. Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Topics Lawsuits California Legislation USA California Gov. Gavin Newsom has moved to bypass environmental regulations to prepare for the next wildfire season, a move he said was necessary to prevent further loss of life even as it frustrated activists in a state viewed as a national environmental leader. The increasing wildfire risks we face as a state mean we simply cant wait until a fire starts in order to start deploying emergency resources, Newsom said in a statement ahead of declaring a state of emergency. California experienced two of its most destructive and deadly wildfire seasons in 2017 and 2018 and experts say climate change increases the risks. Newsom said clearing dead trees at a quick pace is essential to diminishing future threats. President Donald Trump has blamed California fires on poor forest management, though experts say climate change caused by people is more of a factor. Newsom is taking recommendations from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, but one environmental group likened it to actions by Trump. Gov. Newsom should reject the Trump approach of logging and rolling back critical environmental protections, said Shaye Wolf, climate science director for the Center for Biological Diversity. Newsom also pledged $50 million for fire preparedness in low-income communities and asked the private sector to bring forward innovative proposals. The center and other environmental groups said focusing on retrofitting and creating defensible space around homes is more effective than thinning forests. Sierra Club California said clearing trees might create more danger by loosening soil that could lead to mudslides. Newsoms order will apply only to 35 projects covering nearly 141 square miles of land, allowing state fire officials to go around multiple state regulations. They include provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act, one of the nations strictest state-level regulations. Administration officials would need to give the go ahead to each individual project and its unclear exactly which regulations each individual project would forego. Newsom said moving through the normal process would drastically slow down the states ability to act. Some of these projects quite literally, not figuratively, could take two years to get done, or we could get them done in the next two months, he told an audience in Lake County, the site of several massive wildfires in recent years. The union representing state firefighters praised Newsoms plan. These circumstances are unusual, unpredictable, unseen in our lifetime, and courageous decisions that sometimes go against the political winds need to be made, said Tim Edwards, president of CAL Fire Local 2881. Republican state Sen. Pat Bates also praised Newsom for acting with urgency ahead of the wildfire season. I stand ready to assist the Governor with any legislative action to eliminate bureaucratic roadblocks that could slow these projects, she said in a statement. While environmental groups bristled at Newsoms plan, they still align with him on a wide range of issues. Newsoms predecessor, fellow Democrat Jerry Brown, was known globally for his fight against climate change but still clashed with environmental groups at home on some issues. California has set a goal, for example, of getting 100 percent of its energy from carbon-free sources by 2045, and passed a landmark cap-and-trade law to decrease emissions. On the whole we see (Newsom) as an ally on environmental issues. I think what were disagreeing with here is an approach to a problem that we all recognize, said Kathryn Phillips, director of Sierra Club California. The states environmental laws are designed to protect Californias soil stability, watershed and wildlife habitats, she said, and waiving environmental reviews could have unintended consequences. For some suspension of oversight now, whats the consequence going to be later? she said. Are we going to end up having huge silt floods and mudslides? Beyond accelerating tree clearing, Newsom put out a request for innovative ideas from the private sector to help fight California fires. He said he wants to tap into Silicon Valley and Californias spirit of creativity to come up with solutions to reduce wildfire threats. Related: Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics California Catastrophe Natural Disasters Legislation Wildfire Pollution March 26, 2019 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Technical analyst Clive Maund charts a small-cap with royalties on a gold project in Nevada, and explains why he sees it as a strong speculative buy. Although Terraco Gold Corp. (TEN:TSX.V; TCEGF:OTCPK) stock hasn't done much since we looked at it late last year and in fact it is barely changed, the technical case for owning its stock and the fundamental case for owning its stock remains the same, but the difference now, as we will see in this update, is that it looks like it is about to get moving at last, which of course is partly due to improving conditions across the sector. Since what was set out in those earlier reports remains valid, there is no need for us to go over this material again in this update. Here we are going to focus on how the stock is shaping up technically. First of all let's remind ourselves how cheap this stock is historically by means of its 11-year chart. On it we can see that it got to over 50 cents at the start of 2011 but since then it has been downhill all the way. However, the latest downtrend from mid-2016, that has taken it marginally to new lows, has been going on for a long time now, making it likely that it is close to a cyclical low here, especially as the fundamentals are favorable and the entire sector is firming up for a major new bull market. Note that a 20-year chart may be viewed in the 31st October article on Terraco. While it is not of much use technically, the 6-month chart shows recent action in detail, and in particular a marked buildup in upside volume over the past five weeks that has driven the Accumulation line sharply higher, and to another new high on its 11-year chart. This of course is bullish, and even after the rise of the past few days, Terraco is still cheap here, as the 11-year chart forcefully reminds us. The conclusion is that Terraco is a strong speculative buy here, and since it has barely moved yet, there is considered to be relatively little downside risk. Terraco Gold website. Terraco Gold Corp. TEN.V, TCEGF on OTC, closed at C$0.08, $0.062 on 21st March 19. Originally posted on CliveMaund.com at 9.50am EDT on 22nd March 2019. Clive Maund has been president of www.clivemaund.com, a successful resource sector website, since its inception in 2003. He has 30 years' experience in technical analysis and has worked for banks, commodity brokers and stockbrokers in the City of London. He holds a Diploma in Technical Analysis from the UK Society of Technical Analysts. Disclosure: 1) Clive Maund: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: None. I personally am, or members of my immediate household or family are, paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. My company has a financial relationship with the following companies mentioned in this article: None. CliveMaund.com disclosures below. I determined which companies would be included in this article based on my research and understanding of the sector. 2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: Terraco Gold. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. 3) Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of the author and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The author is wholly responsible for the validity of the statements. The author was not paid by Streetwise Reports for this article. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the author to publish or syndicate this article. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports requires contributing authors to disclose any shareholdings in, or economic relationships with, companies that they write about. Streetwise Reports relies upon the authors to accurately provide this information and Streetwise Reports has no means of verifying its accuracy. 4) This article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports. 5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article until three business days after the publication of the interview or article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports (including members of their household) own securities of Terraco Gold, a company mentioned in this article. Charts provided by the author. CliveMaund.com Disclosure: The above represents the opinion and analysis of Mr Maund, based on data available to him, at the time of writing. Mr. Maund's opinions are his own, and are not a recommendation or an offer to buy or sell securities. Mr. Maund is an independent analyst who receives no compensation of any kind from any groups, individuals or corporations mentioned in his reports. As trading and investing in any financial markets may involve serious risk of loss, Mr. Maund recommends that you consult with a qualified investment advisor, one licensed by appropriate regulatory agencies in your legal jurisdiction and do your own due diligence and research when making any kind of a transaction with financial ramifications. Although a qualified and experienced stock market analyst, Clive Maund is not a Registered Securities Advisor. Therefore Mr. Maund's opinions on the market and stocks can only be construed as a solicitation to buy and sell securities when they are subject to the prior approval and endorsement of a Registered Securities Advisor operating in accordance with the appropriate regulations in your area of jurisdiction. More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp Its the fifth ad Lightfoot has released during the runoff, including a well-received commercial that shows her daughter attempting to distract Lightfoot as she talks about change. Lightfoots campaign said its spending $90,000 to run the latest ad on Telemundo and Univision. March 26, 2019 (Investorideas.com Newswire) In this interview with Peter Epstein of Epstein Research, Skyharbour Resources' CEO Jordan Trimble outlines his uranium company's projects and prospects. I have been impressed by Skyharbour Resources Ltd.'s (SYH:TSX.V; SYHBF:OTCQB) CEO Jordan Trimble's command of the uranium sector. He puts out the best market commentary in his press releases, and his team has a great corporate presentation. Skyharbour is well positioned with a strong flagship project in its 100%-owned Moore project, and five other projects that are either optioned to partners or in the process of potentially being optioned (see latest press releases). - Peter Epstein Peter Epstein: You have six properties in the eastern part of the Athabasca Basin. Tell us about your most important project. Jordan Trimble: Skyharbour Resources is a preeminent uranium exploration company with projects in the prolific Athabasca Basin of Saskatchewan, Canada, ranked the best global mining jurisdiction by the Fraser Institute in 2017. The company has acquired top-tier exploration projects at attractive valuations culminating in six uranium properties totaling approximately 200,000 hectares. In July 2016, Skyharbour secured an option from Denison Mines Corp. (DML:TSX; DNN:NYSE.MKT), a large strategic shareholder and partner of ours, to acquire a 100% Interest in the Moore uranium project. Skyharbour now owns 100% of this flagship project, which hosts the high-grade Maverick Zone, where previous drilling intercepted grades as high as 21% U3O8 over 1.5 meters (1.5m). There's still strong discovery potential at the project in the sandstone and below the unconformity in the underlying basement rock, where little historical drilling has been done (recent discoveries, like the NexGen Energy Ltd. (NXE:TSX; NXE:NYSE.MKT) and Fission Uranium Corp. (FCU:TSX; FCUUF:OTCQX; 2FU:FSE) deposits, are basement-hosted). Skyharbour just commenced a 3,000m drill program to further test this, which will provide news flow in the near term. The company is run by a strong management and geological team, who are major shareholders. Peter Epstein: Can you provide some commentary on the uranium market? Jordan Trimble: The uranium market has shown notable signs of recovery, with increasing uranium prices and improving sentiment. Analysts that cover the sector have stated that this could be a sustained upswing, as they are currently seeing some of the best fundamentals since pre-Fukushima. That should be supportive of higher uranium prices, as a major supply-side response is playing out while the sticky demand-side continues to improve. Uranium production is on the decline and expected to be just 135 million pounds (135 Mlb) U3O8 in 2019 given recent closures and project deferrals, while demand continues to rise and is expected to be approximately 194 Mlb. The spot uranium price is just ~$27/lb U3O8, which is still well below the average all-in global cost of production. Significant price appreciation is needed to justify production as well as develop new mines to meet growing global demand. Mine closures and production curtailments continue to dominate headlines, while U.S. lawmakers are starting to take notice of external pressures on what is deemed a strategic industry. Major production cuts and depleting mine reserves appear to be working their way into the uranium market, driving prices higher. The two largest producers, Cameco Corp. (CCO:TSX; CCJ:NYSE) and KazAtomProm, announced large supply cuts in 2017 and 2018, including Cameco's suspension of the world's largest uranium mine, McArthur River, as well as KazAtomProm cutting 20% of its production over a three-year period. Additionally, several new uranium holding companies and funds have emerged, including Yellow Cake PLC, Uranium Trading Corp. and Tribeca Capital Partners, which have collectively raised hundreds of millions of dollars to purchase physical material, effectively taking further spot supply from circulation. Lastly, Cameco recently announced plans to purchase 11-15 Mlb of uranium directly in the spot market through 2019 to fulfill its contracts. On the demand side, there are 450 operating nuclear reactors and ~50 new reactors under construction globally. China continues to be at the forefront and has the largest pipeline, including 45 operating reactors, ~15 under construction and 213 ordered, planned or proposed. According to the World Nuclear Association, at the end of 2018, just 4.2% of China's electricity came from nuclear power. Officials want to triple that number by 2030. The situation in Japan finally seems to be improving, with nine reactors in full operation and several more coming back online this year, up from three in 2016. Peter Epstein: What are Skyharbour's second and third most important projects? Jordan Trimble: While focused on our core strategy as a discovery-driven exploration company at the Moore Project, Skyharbour also employs the prospect generator model to advance its other projects in the basin. The Preston and East Preston properties are important for shareholders, as both are being actively drilled this year by partners Orano Canada Inc. (previously AREVAFrance's largest nuclear and uranium mining company) and Azincourt Energy Inc. (AAZ:TSX.V). Combined, the Preston projects comprise a large, 74,965-hectare (185,164 acre) land position, strategically located to the south of, and adjacent to, NexGen's Rook 1 project. It is also proximal to Fission Uranium's Patterson Lake South project. As part of our prospect generation strategy, we optioned 70% of Preston to Orano, which can earn up to 70% by spending up to $8 million ($8M) (up to $7,300,000 of exploration work programs and $700,000 in cash payments) over six years. Orano is carrying out $2.2 million in drilling and exploration this year alone, which will generate additional news flow for Skyharbour. The company also entered into an agreement with Azincourt whereby it has an earn-in option to acquire 70% in the East Preston project. The company has to issue shares and contribute cash, and it has exploration expenditure requirements totaling up to $3.5 million ($1 million in cash payments and $2.5 million in exploration expenditures) over a three-year period. Azincourt just commenced a drill program at East Preston. The company also owns a 100% interest in the Falcon Point Uranium project on the eastern perimeter of the basin, which contains an NI 43-101 Inferred resource totaling 7 Mlb of U3O8 at 0.03%, plus 5.3 Mlb of ThO2 (thorium) at 0.023%. The project also hosts a high-grade surface showing with grab samples of up to 68% U3O8 from a massive pitchblende vein, the source of which has yet to be discovered. Peter Epstein: Can you summarize the significant amount of drilling being done this year on your properties, both internally and by your partners? Jordan Trimble: Skyharbour plans to carry out exploration and drilling programs at our flagship Moore Project over the course of the year. Given the success of the 2017/2018 drilling programs, the company recently commenced a winter diamond drilling program of a minimum of 3,000m. The Moore Project will provide steady news flow over coming months, supplemented by news from partner-funded projects and potential prospect generator transactions. Skyharbour's strategic partner Orano has commenced its 2019 winter diamond drilling program consisting of 11 to 15 holes for a total of about 3,600m on the Preston Project. More recently, Azincourt announced that it has commenced drilling at Skyharbour's East Preston uranium project consisting of 2,0002,500m. So, among the three drill programs, the company is poised to enjoy news flow from approximately 9,000m of drilling, and we highlight that the bulk of this drilling is partner-funded. Peter Epstein: Uranium is one element where a strong and experienced management team and board is critical. Does Skyharbour make the grade? Jordan Trimble: Yes, we do! Skyharbour is managed by a team with vast experience in capital markets, mineral exploration and discovery, and mine development. Specifically, Skyharbour's technical team is led by Rick Kusmirski, P.Geo, M.Sc., head of our Advisory Board, who has over 40 years of global exploration experience. Rick actively participated in the discovery of a number of uranium, gold and base metal deposits. He was exploration manager for Cameco's exploration projects in the Athabasca Basin. In 1999, Rick joined JNR Resources, becoming VP of Exploration in 2000. Subsequently, he directed the exploration program that led to the discovery of the Maverick Zone on the Moore Lake uranium joint venture with partner Kennecott Canada. In 2013, Denison Mines acquired JNR in a friendly all-share takeover bid. Our largest shareholder, Denison Mines, is represented by the president and CEO David Cates. He is also president and CEO of Uranium Participation Corp. (U:TSX). Prior to being appointed to those positions, Mr. Cates served as Denison's VP Finance, Tax, and as CFO. Mr. Cates played a key role in merger-and-acquisition activities, leading the acquisitions of Rockgate Capital Corp. and International Enexco Ltd. Prior to that, Mr. Cates held positions at Kinross Gold Corp. (K:TSX; KGC:NYSE) and PwC LLP, with a focus on the resource industry. Paul Matysek is a large shareholder and strategic advisor. He's a mining entrepreneur, professional geochemist and geologist, with over 35 years' experience. He was the founder and CEO of Energy Metals Corp., increasing its market cap from CA$10 million to approximately CA$1.8 billion, when it was acquired by Uranium One Inc. (UUU:TSX) in 2007. Last year, Mr. Matysek, as chairman, successfully sold Lithium X for $265 million to NextView in Hong Kong. He has built and sold several other mining companies over the course of his career. Finally, I have been running the company as the president and CEO since it started as a uranium company in 2013. I have worked in the resource industry with numerous TSX Venture-listed companies, specializing in corporate finance and strategy, shareholder communications, marketing, deal structuring and capital raising. Prior to Skyharbour, I managed corporate development for Bayfield Ventures, a gold company with projects in Ontario, which was acquired by New Gold (NGD:TSX) in 2014. I hold a bachelor of science degree from UBC, and I am a CFA charterholder, currently serving as a director of the CFA Society Vancouver. My chairman, Jim Pettit, brings over 30 years' experience within the industry, specializing in finance, corporate governance, management and compliance. He was previously chairman and CEO of Bayfield Ventures Corp. Peter Epstein: Can you talk about your largest shareholders? What percentage of the company does management own? Jordan Trimble: Denison Mines is our largest shareholder and a strategic partner. There are several other noteworthy shareholders including Marin Katusa and the KCR Fund, OTP Fund Management, Extract Capital, Sachem Cove Partners, Paul Matysek, Doug Casey and Jeff Phillips. This group, in addition to management and insiders, controls a large portion of the company's outstanding shares. Peter Epstein: Your corporate presentation mentions several high-grade discoveries by peers. What makes your technical team believe there's a reasonable chance of delineating a high-grade resource at the Moore Project? Jordan Trimble: NexGen Energy, Fission Uranium, Alpha Minerals Inc. (AMW:TSX.V), Denison Mines and Hathor Exploration Ltd. are just a few examples of successful uranium discovery stories in the Athabasca Basin. It's worth noting that traditional Athabasca exploration involved rudimentary geophysical targeting and widely spaced vertical drill holes, which led to a high cost of discovery and a low probability of success. However, new exploration techniques and strategies have led to new discoveries through new target types and improved targeting methodologies, leading to lower costs and a higher probability of success. Skyharbour is utilizing these new techniques and is entering overlooked projects, at low cost, with robust discovery potential. Peter Epstein: Does Skyharbour require blockbuster 10%+ uranium grades at Moore to host an economic deposit? If not, what approximate grade might be needed? No, uranium is a valuable commodity, especially compared to traditional metals. For example, 1% U3O8 equals 20.0 grams per ton (20 g/t) gold or 1,404 g/t silver, or 13.7% copper, or 28% zinc. Furthermore, there are new innovative mining methods being proposed for Athabasca Basin deposits that could bring costs down, including SABRE and ISR mining methods. Peter Epstein: If a lot more high-grade uranium were to be found at Moore, is the Maverick zone alone large enough to potentially host an economic deposit? Jordan Trimble: Yes, potentially it is, but this will be determined by further drilling. Peter Epstein: Are you in discussions with potential strategic partners on your other properties? Jordan Trimble: Yes, management is continually assessing new opportunities to add value for our shareholders. At a high level, we have a dual track strategy of 1) discovering more high-grade uranium at Moore, and 2) prospect generation from our portfolio, ex-Moore, as exemplified by the two option agreements with Orano and Azincourt. We would like to find partners at our Falcon Point, Mann Lake and Yurchison properties, which we own 100% of. Peter Epstein: What should readers make of the occasional showings of high-grade cobalt and nickel? Just noise, or potentially more important? Jordan Trimble: This is positive, but the extent of how meaningful the discovery of cobalt and nickel is will be determined with further drilling. It's fair to say it's an interesting development that will certainly be followed up on. Peter Epstein: Why should readers consider buying shares of Skyharbour Resources? Jordan Trimble: When the uranium market turns, it can turn fast, and stock gains can be large. The underlying uranium price can double or more in under a year. This has happened twice in the past 12 years or so. Are we at an inflection point where select uranium stocks are poised for big gains? We might be, and if not this year, I think it's likely in 2020. If one believes, as I do, that the uranium price is headed higher and that nuclear power is here to stay, then Skyharbour Resources is a good bet. With six properties in the best uranium basin on the planet, and partners funding a significant portion of this year's exploration, there's a decent chance of new discoveries and favorable drill hole results. Skyharbour Resources will be very active on multiple fronts this year. The same cannot be said about many other uranium juniors (corporate presentation). Peter Epstein: Thank you, Jordan, for a very good update and review of Skyharbour Resources. I look forward to drill results from you and your partners later this year. Peter Epstein is the founder of Epstein Research. His background is in company and financial analysis. He holds an MBA degree in financial analysis from New York University's Stern School of Business. Disclosures: The content of this interview is for information only. Readers fully understand and agree that nothing contained herein, written by Peter Epstein of Epstein Research [ER], (together, [ER]) about Skyharbour Resources, including but not limited to, commentary, opinions, views, assumptions, reported facts, calculations, etc. is not to be considered implicit or explicit investment advice. Nothing contained herein is a recommendation or solicitation to buy or sell any security. [ER] is not responsible under any circumstances for investment actions taken by the reader. [ER] has never been, and is not currently, a registered or licensed financial advisor or broker/dealer, investment advisor, stockbroker, trader, money manager, compliance or legal officer, and does not perform market making activities. [ER] is not directly employed by any company, group, organization, party or person. The shares of Skyharbour Resources are highly speculative, not suitable for all investors. Readers understand and agree that investments in small cap stocks can result in a 100% loss of invested funds. It is assumed and agreed upon by readers that they will consult with their own licensed or registered financial advisors before making any investment decisions. At the time this interview was posted, Peter Epstein owned no shares in Skyharbour Resources, and it was an advertiser on [ER]. Readers understand and agree that they must conduct their own due diligence above and beyond reading this article. While the author believes he's diligent in screening out companies that, for any reasons whatsoever, are unattractive investment opportunities, he cannot guarantee that his efforts will (or have been) successful. [ER] is not responsible for any perceived, or actual, errors including, but not limited to, commentary, opinions, views, assumptions, reported facts & financial calculations, or for the completeness of this article or future content. [ER] is not expected or required to subsequently follow or cover events & news, or write about any particular company or topic. [ER] is not an expert in any company, industry sector or investment topic. Streetwise Reports Disclosure: 1) Peter Epstein's disclosures are listed above. 2) The following companies mentioned in the article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: Skyharbour Resources. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. 3) Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of the author and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The author is wholly responsible for the validity of the statements. The author was not paid by Streetwise Reports for this article. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the author to publish or syndicate this article. Streetwise Reports requires contributing authors to disclose any shareholdings in, or economic relationships with, companies that they write about. Streetwise Reports relies upon the authors to accurately provide this information and Streetwise Reports has no means of verifying its accuracy. 4) 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 three business days after the publication of the interview or article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Skyharbour Resources, a company mentioned in this article. Graphics provided by author. More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) has linked up with Dell to introduce virtual reality (VR) technology in its classrooms to help students design industry standard VR games using cutting-edge technology. Implementing the new technology has allowed teaching staff to gain an extra 40 minutes of classroom instruction time each day, they said. It has already been used to create projects to help patients with Parkinson's and individuals being released from prison. In introducing new technology, including VR, for students, CIT was hindered by outdated technology. Old workstations and supporting infrastructure were unable to support the programmes required to roll out modules on gaming, VR, animation and application design. To overcome these challenges, CIT collaborated with Dell in a programme of updating design labs. New technology, including state-of-the-art workstations and gaming desktops, have given the students the tools to use VR in their learning. In giving students access to VR technologies, CIT is responding to a growing demand for the use of cutting-edge computer technologies in the workplace. Rose McGrath, head of media communications in CIT said: "In recent times, outdated technology has meant we have been unable to meet the needs of students and teachers who increasingly undertake intensive VR projects as part of their digital media and e-learning curriculum. "Our partnership with Dell has proved pivotal in enabling our students to be more creative and use VR to push the boundaries of what they can do with graphics. Without the improved performance from the Dell workstations and Alienware gaming desktops, we wouldnt have been able to regain 40 minutes of classroom instruction time every day." Aisling Keegan, vice-president and general manager of Dell EMC Ireland, said that the technology will help to prepare the students for a digitally-focused working environment. "Students have used our devices to create projects ranging from therapeutic activitybased video games to assist patients with Parkinsons disease, to a VR immersive programme that helps prepare individuals in prison for release," she said. This story was originally published on March 20, 2019 at 3:55pm. Cork-based recruitment firm PE Global is currently recruiting for in excess of 500 live jobs, including pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device roles, along with positions within the finance, IT, manufacturing, business and healthcare sectors. This includes a huge demand for doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants and social care workers to the HSE in Ireland and the NHS in the UK. In line with this soaring demand, PE Global has appointed three of its recruitment managers to associate directors. Grainne Killilea, David Van Der Vegt and Ken Tierney have all played a big part in the companys steady growth. Grainne Killilea has been promoted to an associate director of recruitment with PE Global Locum Express and PE Global Healthcare (Ireland). She has worked in all areas of recruitment since 2005. Very active in business development, she specialises in providing short and long-term locum and healthcare professionals to the public and private health sectors, managing, motivating and leading healthcare recruitment teams. David Van Der Vegt has been appointed as associate director recruitment with PE Global Healthcare (UK and International). He joined shortly at PEs inception in 2006 and was instrumental in setting up the UK Healthcare Division. He specialises in providing medical personnel to include doctors, nurses, Allied Health Professionals (AHP) and ancillary professionals to the UK, European, Middle Eastern, Australian and New Zealand markets. Ken Tierney has also been appointed as associate recruitment director. He has played an integral role in PEs contracting and temporary teams since joining in 2008. He has recruited across the pharmaceutical, medical device as well as oil and gas sectors for both national and international clients. Shell stepped closer to becoming the worlds biggest power company with an aggressive move into the UK retail market by offering one of the cheapest tariffs available. Shell Energy, formerly First Utility, said it has a fixed-rate power-supply tariff, for UK customers, of 970 (1,133) a year, or 81 a month until July 2020. The move is part of its rebranding of its UK utility business. This undercuts former cheapest UK power supplier, Bulb Energy Ltd, which has a deal available for 981 a year, and is 18% cheaper than power supplied by Centrica-owned British Gas, according to data from UK power regulator Ofgem. Shell plans to become the worlds biggest power company within 15 years and is spending as much as 1.7bn a year on its new-energies division, which suggests it sees climate change as a significant threat to the fossil-fuel business. Shell has been increasingly vociferous about its ambitions in electricity markets, and we see it as a significant, competitive-disruptive force over the coming years for traditional, utility energy suppliers-retailers, said RBC Capital Markets. The bank said Shells plan to invest about 1.7bn a year on its new energies division is only 5% of the companys annual capex (capital expenditure) and, hence, has significant room to grow. It added that it is difficult to rule out Shell buying other UK-based utilities, such as the retail unit of SSE or Npower, which are both up for sale. The move will bring yet more pressure to the UK power market, where swathes of customers have abandoned the traditional Big Six utilities for smaller, cheaper suppliers. Surging wholesale prices for power and gas have driven several companies out of business. Last year, more businesses folded than in the previous 16 years combined. Earlier this month, Brilliant Energy, which has about 17,000 domestic customers, became the tenth firm to cease trading in the past 12 months. Britsh Gas, which lost 742,000 customers last year, held a 19% share of the UKs electricity market in the third quarter of 2018, according to Ofgem. Bulb, which has about one million customers, had a 3% stake in the market. As well as announcing the rebranding, Shell also said it has switched its existing, 700,000 UK customers to power supplied entirely by renewable sources of energy, such as wind, solar, and biomass. Reuters The total number of trips to Ireland by overseas visitors rose by 2.7% to 590,700 last month - an increase of 15,400 compared to the same period last year. Figures from the Central Statistics Office also show that in the first two months of the year, the total number of trips to Ireland rose by 7% compared to the first two months of 2018. The biggest increase came from outside of Europe or North America, growing by 22.6% to 258,100 in February. Trips by US and Canadian visitors were up by nine per cent to 86,800 the same month. While trips by British visitors fell by 2.0% to 258,100, those made by residents of other European countries increased by 3.4% to 208,900. The overall increase was welcomed by Tourism Ireland. Overseas arrivals increased by 7% in the first two months of 2019, said CEO Niall Gibbons. Arrivals from North America grew by almost 11% in the first two months of 2019. Weve also seen good results from mainland Europe, up almost 8% with particularly strong performances from France, Spain and Germany. Visitor numbers from Australia and emerging tourism markets increased by almost 15%." However, Mr Gibbons cautioned that while Tourism Ireland welcomed the 4% increase in arrivals from Britain for January-February, it is concerned about Brexit and its impact on outbound travel from Britain. Arrivals in January and February represent around 11% of total annual arrivals and growth in the month of February alone has slowed to 2.7%," he said. Looking to the summer season, Mr Gibbons said the air and sea access picture is very positive, with increases in the number of airline seats from Britain, Mainland Europe, North America and long-haul markets. A protest is being held by asylum seekers at the Clonakilty Lodge facility this morning after residents claimed they were not told of a visit to the centre yesterday by the Minister of State for Equality, Immigration and Integration. As many as 30 residents and their children have been in the foyer area and outside the building since early this morning amid claims that the visit yesterday by Minister David Stanton was not flagged in advance, with some residents absent during it. Some children were kept back from school with residents holding homemade placards and putting signs on the entry doors bearing statements such as what was the purpose of their visit?, why didnt you inform the residents? and who is the minister for? One resident, Evelyn Adoga, who has been in the centre for more than two years, said: We are on a peaceful protest today. We got annoyed that the Minister for Immigration and Integration was here yesterday at the Lodge and we assumed that he came here to see people living here in the Lodge. But at the end of the day none of the residents were told. Its understood the Minister did meet with some residents, but some of those protesting this morning said the event was stage-managed and claimed that a committee formed by residents were not invited to meet with Minister Stanton to share any issues or concerns they may have. Ms Adoga, who said she has been granted asylum but who cannot find alternative accommodation, said housing was one of the issues residents wanted to raise. Some of the committee have been waiting to meet with him [the Minister] and TDs, especially about areas of childcare and education, she said. Some members of the gardai have attended the scene to meet with residents, who have said they want to meet with management to address their concerns. Other residents, who did not want to be named, said they had been living in the centre for different periods of time ranging up to eight years and that they also had personal issues they wanted to raise. One resident said: They painted the picture that they wanted the Minister to see. Local people have also attended in support of the residents with one stating: Peoples expectations were really mismanaged. Its understood management are due to meet the residents shortly. The Irish Examiner is seeking comment from the managers of the centre and the Ministers office. A baby boy whose mother was found dead in her room at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) is understood to be in a critical condition. The newborn was discovered underneath his mother who was lying on the floor. The hospital has described the incident, which took place this morning, as a tragic occurrence. A spokesperson for the South/Southwest hospital group (SSWHG) said a full medical investigation was immediately initiated as is the case in all maternal deaths. The investigation is ongoing. A post mortem was also conducted today on the body of the mother, understood to be in her 30s. Its understood the baby, who was born at the weekend, was found at the breast of its mother, on the floor of the single room, and required emergency treatment. Staff had checked on the woman at 7am on Monday morning, and found nothing amiss. However she was found lying on the floor with her child when doctors arrived during a ward round an hour later. One possibility being investigated is that a medical episode caused the woman to fall out of bed while she was breastfeeding. Figures published by the Confidential Maternal Death Enquiry Ireland (CMDE) for the period 2013-2015 show a total of 15 maternal deaths, occurring during or within 42 days of the end of the pregnancy. Of these 15 deaths, four were classified as direct, nine as indirect, and the remaining two were attributed to coincidental causes. There was no evidence of clustering in any one maternity hospital. The data also found that two-thirds of maternal deaths were due to a pre-existing health condition, with heart disease being the leading cause of death. Direct causes included Thromboembolism (blood clot) (1), Pre-Eclampsia/Eclampsia (1), Amniotic Fluid Embolism (1) and Early Pregnancy Complication (1). Six of the nine indirect maternal deaths in 2013-2015 were attributed to cardiac disease. The two coincidental maternal deaths were due to malignancy. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has claimed Ireland will not drift into recession even if the United Kingdom crashes out of the European Union (EU). Responding to the warning from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) which said 80,000 jobs would be at risk were the UK leave without a deal, Mr Varadkar said in any scenario Brexit will be bad for Ireland. He was responding during Leaders' Questions in the Dail. The ESRI report published this morning is a reminder of the very stark consequences that Brexit will have for Ireland and the Irish economy, he said. The Taoiseach said there is no such thing as a good Brexit for Ireland. It confirms again that a deal is better than no deal, and a managed no-deal situation would be better than a disorderly no-deal situation, he said. Despite the risks, Mr Varadkar said the report also shows that the economy will continue to grow. It will not be as fast as we anticipate it will grow in the event of a deal but it will continue to grow, he said. We will not go into recession, at least according to the ESRI. There will continue to be an increase in the number of jobs. There will be more jobs, just not as many extra jobs as we would have in the event of a deal. Incomes will continue to rise, just not as fast as they would rise in the event of a deal. Public finances would deteriorate, but not to the extent that we witnessed ten years ago. We would move from a small surplus into a small deficit, he said. Mr Varadkar said we should not underestimate how serious a no-deal Brexit could be for some very vulnerable sectors in our economy, especially the agri-food sector, tourism and small exporters whose only market is the UK. That is where we are most exposed and they will need the most support, should we end up in a no-deal scenario in a few weeks, he said. The Taoiseach hit out at Lisa Chambers, Fianna Fail's Brexit spokesperson who refused to rule out or at least refused to answer a question about whether Fianna Fail thinks we should be preparing for a physical border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin questioned the Taoiseach about reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron sought clarity on the Irish border issue, but the Taoiseach denied pressure was placed on Ireland. There were differences of opinion on which dates we should choose but there was no push-back at all against there being an extension and we as 27 stand behind the extensions we agreed last week, he said. Cabinet ministers and the Attorney General privately expressed concerns that 130,000-a-year directly elected mayors in Cork, Limerick, and Waterford could become too powerful, a confidential memo reveals. Ministers warned that the new positions must be subject to proper checks and balances to avoid an over-concentration of control. Last week, ministers approved the holding of plebiscites in the three electoral areas and to create the legal frameworks for such offices, but behind the scenes concerns were raised by ministers about the new roles having too much power. According to the memorandum, seen by the Irish Examiner, Communications Minister Richard Bruton raised alarm stating it is important that checks and balances are developed to match the new powers being developed for the elected Mayor and Council. Mr Bruton also called on Local Government Minister Eoghan Murphy to consider requiring more than a simple majority for the council to direct the elected mayor to do a particular act, (or to refrain from acting). The memorandum also reveals that Attorney General Seamus Woulfe made a number of key and lengthy observations about the plan to create the directly elected mayors, warning that the plan involves the transfer of responsibility, control and direction of the preparation of such plans from officials with expertise in planning to elected persons who may have little or no expertise in this area. Mr Woulfe said: Issues may also arise with complying with proper and sustainable development, e.g. in the context of permitting development of one-off housing in the countryside, and complying with climate change and mitigation requirements. Mr Woulfe said the shift of powers to these newly elected mayors could see a loss of expertise from the official side. He added: The transfer of this executive function to a directly elected mayor, as appears to be implied by the current proposals, reflects a significant shift in the balance of duties and responsibilities and a potential loss of expertise. This is a matter which may bear some further policy consideration in the context of the departments awareness of the kinds of litigation which has arisen to date. He concluded that these risks arise irrespective of the oversight of planning functions represented by An Bord Pleanala, the Ombudsman, or the Office of the Planning Regulator. Mr Woulfe recommended that the wording of the plebiscites should be sent for legal advice as there will be constitutional considerations and European best practice on how the questions being posed in the plebiscites should be framed. Mr Woulfe also said that while it is a matter of policy it will be recalled that, in addition to the issues which gave rise to the Mahon Tribunal and to the decision to provide that planning applications will be decided by the CEO, the department is aware that legal issues have arisen where local and planning authorities have not complied with Government policy in areas such as waste management in the context of providing for and locating landfills, of excessive zoning for housing, and of attempts to sterilise areas from the development of wind farms. He also said that care will have to be exercised to ensure that when setting up the directly elected mayor to take over functions formerly carried out by the CEO that the Ethics in Public Office, conflict of interest, lobbying and related provisions that now apply in respect of the CEO will also be applied to the directly elected mayor. In response, Mr Murphy said he welcomed the response of his colleagues. He said he addressed the issues about the legal advice and spending of public monies in the revised draft that he presented to Cabinet last week. He said he would also consider further the most appropriate arrangements to comply with the judgements in the McKenna/McCrystal cases. Mr Murphy said that Mr Brutons concerns will be considered them before the final draft of the legislation is published. Voters will decide on whether to establish the new positions on the same day as the local and European elections on May 24. The Government has been urged to provide clarity on plans for the border as the threat of a no-deal Brexit increases. The European Commission has said it is increasingly likely that the UK will crash out without an agreement next month and warned that if this happens, the EU will immediately apply its rules and tariffs at its borders with the UK. Fianna Fail Brexit spokeswoman Lisa Chambers said the Government now needs to be more transparent about its no-deal Brexit plans for the border. It is clear that discussions are being had, but when questioned on this issue the Government continues to trot out vague and ambiguous statements that shed no light on this matter, said Ms Chambers. The situation in the United Kingdom is very fluid at the moment, but we must take heed of a statement from the Commission which said that in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the EU will be required to immediately apply its rules and tariffs at its borders with the UK. However, a spokesperson for the Taoiseach stressed the Government is not preparing for a hard border, adding that Ireland and the EU are at one on this. The EU has been clear that it is determined to do all it can, deal or no deal, to avoid the need for a border and to protect the peace process, said the spokesperson. The European Commission said it is prepared for a no-deal scenario which, it said, is now more likely as British prime minister Theresa May struggles to secure enough MPs to back the withdrawal agreement. It is now important that everyone is ready for and aware of the practical consequences a no-deal scenario brings, the Commission said, adding that it would mean significant disruption for citizens and businesses. The EU will be required to immediately apply its rules and tariffs at its borders with the UK. This includes checks and controls for customs, sanitary and phytosanitary standards, and verification of compliance with EU norms. Despite the considerable preparations of the member states customs authorities, these controls could cause significant delays at the border. Health Minister Simon Harris asked people not to stockpile medicines. We have no notification of any medicine shortage associated with Brexit, said Mr Harris. The advice to patients doctors and everybody else remains the same: not to stockpile because if you stockpile, you can inadvertently disrupt the supply chain. There was nothing cavalier about the way that we handled it, Lightfoot said of the judges comments to debate moderators. I directed the people who preserve the tapes to make sure that they preserved them, and they failed to do that. And the people who were responsible were disciplined accordingly. A promotional trip billed as Irelands first carbon-neutral bus journey took place in Cork yesterday as a bio-methane powered vehicle took passengers from the city centre to Ringaskiddy. Proponents of the biomethane buses say its fuel is renewable and results in lower carbon emissions and better air quality in cities. The bus left Lapps Quay in Cork City and travelled to the SFI-funded Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy in Ringaskiddy, where passengers heard insights from leading gas and algal biofuels researcher Jerry D Murphy on the centres work. The initiative was hosted by Energy Cork, a grouping of stakeholders including Cork city and county councils, Gas Networks Ireland, Bus Eireann and Cork Chamber. Donal Kissane, commercial manager, Gas Networks Ireland said that, unlike the diesel buses currently in operation, the bus used yesterday runs on renewable gas and its journey will have a zero carbon emissions footprint. Gas Networks Ireland believes that the future of public transport in Ireland will be based on renewable gas, using waste from the agriculture and food industry, he said. Michelle OSullivan, Energy Cork spokeswoman and Cork Chamber public affairs senior executive, said the demand for public transport in Cork has never been greater, with the city centre expecting an additional 10,000 jobs in the next five years. She said Energy Cork has long advocated the benefits of adopting compressed natural gas and biomethane for the public bus fleet. This technology is tried and tested with examples of biomethane bus fleets in Stockholm, Lille, and Nottingham to name just a few cities, Ms OSullivan said. We are very keen to see this technology supported by the National Transport Authority and hope to see these buses rolled out in Cork in the not-too-distant future. The Department of Transport, Tourism, and Sport has been carrying out trials of hybrid diesel, fully electric, electric hybrid, compressed natural gas and biomethane powered buses in Cork and Dublin in recent months, amid growing concerns about Irelands failure to meet its European-set emission targets. However, such transport alternatives are well established in other European cities. Last month, it was announced that Nottingham City Transport in the UK would more than double its fleet of biogas double deck buses this year, with an additional 67 buses to be added to the 53 already in use. The woollen red cardigan that Connie Robert wore as a child of four before the industrial school took her away hangs recreated in crushed glass in the National Museum of Ireland. She had written a poem about it some years ago after it was found in a suitcase above a press following the death of her mother, bringing with it a fresh round of memories and sorrows. There were six crude mendings in it and I could picture my mother darning it by the range, waiting for me to come home, she says. Connie, now aged 56 and a 36-year resident of the US, didnt come home for 12 years after she was sent to Mount Carmel Industrial School in Moate, Co Westmeath, to the grief of her battered mother who lost all 15 of her children to institutions because of the violence of her alcoholic husband. Now the artistic representation of the cardigan and Connies poem form part of an absorbing new exhibition in the museums Collins Barracks campus. (A)Dressing Our Hidden Truths is the work primarily of Northern Ireland artist Alison Lowry. She has selected items that symbolise some of the darkest parts of Irelands recent history industrial schools, mother and baby homes, and Magdalene laundries and recreated them in pate de verre, layers of crushed glass made into a paste and fused into shapes with both strength and fragility. Picture: JULIEN BEHAL PHOTOGRAPHY In one display, pairs of glass scissors are suspended from rosary beads above a pile of cruelly hacked hair, remembering the women shorn of their identity when they had their names and hair stripped from them on entry to the institutions. In another, nine childrens christening gowns hang glistening in the dark in memory of the 796 babies and children buried in the disused septic tank in Tuam. A soft voice in the background lists all 796 names while dotted between all the displays are earphones for listening to the recorded memories of survivors. The final displays deal with the current issues of sexual assault and domestic violence to show that the subjugation of women is not only historical. Audrey Whitty, curator of the exhibition, says while the subjects are not easy to explore, exploration through art is a valuable pursuit. A national museum in the true sense presents all history pertaining to that particular nation and if youre looking at the history of 20th-century Ireland and you were not to respond to these issues, you wouldnt be doing your job, she says. Connie Roberts, a poet and teacher, also believes art is an important tool for truth-telling. The 2,500-page Ryan report [from the commission on child abuse], very few people will read that but when you tell the stories like this through art, people will take it in a little better. They might listen to a three-minute ballad, they might look at the glass sculptures and take away a bit of Irish history. The exhibition is being opened tonight by Childrens Minister Katherine Zappone who is urging all schools to visit it. Gardai were threatened they would have their throats cut and get shot in the head when they went to help a man to get medical care from an ambulance crew. Paul Woods, aged 44, of Cork Simon community, was jailed for two months yesterday for his threatening comments to An Garda Siochana. Sergeant John Kelleher said that at approximately 5.30pm on Sunday, January 27, gardai Conor Cronin and Paul Dromey attended responded to a call to attend at Parnell Place where it was alleged that a man had fallen on the footpath. Cork County Council engineers have urged Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to provide improved on-road and off-road warning signs at a notoriously dangerous crossroads, in advance of major works to make it safer. A number of serious accidents have been recorded at Ballymaquirke Cross which is close to Kanturk and on the main N72 Mallow-Killarney road. The latest serious incident took place there earlier this month when two articulated lorries crashed into each other at the crossroads. One of the drivers was taken to Cork University Hospital with serious injuries. For many months, the danger had been highlighted to county council engineers by Fianna Fail councillor Bernard Moynihan. The council decided to acquire some land in the area and is planning to build a roundabout at the junction. However, it will take some time to complete the work. In the interim, assistant county manager for North Cork, James Fogarty told councillors that his engineers were in contact with officials at TIIs Killarney office seeking that additional safety signage be deployed there. Mr Moynihan had suggested that flashing speed detection signs and even ramps be installed at the junction ahead of the completion of the roundabout. Bob OShea, the councils senior roads engineer for the area, said that the council in conjunction with TIIs Safety Section, had already engaged Roadplan Consulting Engineers to design and prepare contract documents for the construction of the roundabout and they were already surveying the area. Mr OShea added that the council is exploring short-term safety interventions with TII staff that could be implemented before the roundabout is in place. As the road is a national secondary route, the county council has to seek permission from TII which is responsible for the national network. Mr Fogarty insisted that the council wasnt sitting on its hands in the meantime. Were making representations about better signage there with TII and we will be following that up vigorously, he said. Independent councillor Timmy Collins noted: There was a massive crash there recently when the cab of a truck was blown off. Meanwhile, Padraig Barrett, the councils director of roads, told West Cork Division meeting an appraisal plan was being finalised for the extension of the southern relief road in Bandon. He said it was hoped to submit plans to TII by the end of April or early May. Applications for funding for the Bantry relief road and the Castletownbere southern relief road were being prepared. An investigation has been launched at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) after a mother was found dead on the floor of her hospital room with her newborn child underneath her. The womans baby was seriously hurt in the incident and is receiving emergency treatment in the hospital, according to the Irish Times. Workers will be hit by lower wages, higher prices and decreases in employment rates in all Brexit scenarios. A study published today has found that 80,000 jobs would be lost in the next decade if Britain crashes out of the EU, and even if a deal is agreed around 44,000 posts would still be lost. The study from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and the Department of Finance finds GDP in Ireland 10 years after Brexit will fall 2.6% if the UK leaves with a deal, but could fall up to 5% in a disorderly no-deal scenario, compared to a situation where the UK stays in the EU. The reports lead author, Adele Bergin, said: The impact of each Brexit scenario is considerable and will have negative effects throughout the economy on the household sector, the labour market, firms and the public finances. The negative impact on Irish output in the long run in the deal scenario is approximately half that of the no-deal scenario. The predictions are more pessimistic than previously outlined by the ESRI and reveal people will see a cut in their disposable income ranging between 2% less and 4% less depending on the type of Brexit. Ms Bergin said it is highly unlikely the country would plummet into a long-term recession and instead we will see the pace of growth significantly slow down with negative consequences throughout the economy. However, she warned it is difficult to predict the scale of impact a no-deal disorderly Brexit would have on Ireland, especially in the immediate aftermath. The results of the study indicate employment, in the long run, would be 1.8% lower in a deal scenario, 3.2% lower in a no-deal scenario, and 3.4% lower in a disorderly no-deal scenario. However, there is more uncertainty about the short-term impact of Brexit as it depends on how smooth any transition to the new trading arrangements will be. Unsurprisingly, the report also finds Ireland has far greater exposure than other European countries given how deeply integrated the economies are. In 2015, Irish exports to the UK accounted for 14% of total cross-border goods exports and 20% of total service exports. The study also finds Ireland could benefit from Brexit in the area of foreign direct investment. It states that the UK is expected to lose a quarter of its foreign direct investment inflows in the event of a no-deal Brexit and 21% in the case of a deal. As Ireland is already an attractive destination for FDI, it is reasonable to assume that this country would gain some of this investment. A man who sued St James's Hospital Dublin over the care he received when he was brought there by ambulance after he was assaulted has settled his High Court action for 750,000. Francis Cunningham (45) who is now in a wheelchair, the High Court heard had a cut on the back of his head when admitted to St James's Hospital, Dublin nine years ago. His counsel, Oisin Quinn SC told the court it was their case Mr Cunningham who was found to have bleeding on the brain after having a CT brain scan should have had the scan sooner and as a result, would have had brain surgery earlier. If that happened Mr Cunningham on the balance of probabilities would be able to walk and live independently, Counsel said. Francis Cunningham, Casement Park, Finglas, Dublin had through his brother James of the same address sued St James's Hospital Dublin over the care he received there nine years ago when he was admitted after suffering an assault. It was claimed there was an alleged failure to properly assess Mr Cunningham on attendance at the hospital and an alleged failure to treat him with appropriate urgency, particularly in circumstances of head injury. It was also claimed there was an alleged failure to carry out any or any proper or suitable observation or monitoring of Mr Cunningham. Mr Cunningham it was claimed had been brought by ambulance to St James's Hospital on October 2, 2010 after he had been assaulted nearby. It was recorded when he attended at the hospital A&E at 15.26 his primary complaint was alcohol and his secondary complaint a laceration. When he was assessed two hours later it was noted Mr Cunningham was intoxicated and not verbalising and he had a cut to the back of the head. It was claimed that a CT scan three hours later showed bleeding on the brain and he was transferred to another hospital for brain surgery but it is claimed at this stage his clinical condition was much worse. It is claimed that if a CT scan was carried out earlier it would have led to a more immediate referral to another hospital for surgery. St James's Hospital admitted it was in breach of duty in that the review of Mr Cunningham at 17.20 ought to have lead to a request for a CT brain scan at that point but all other claims were denied. Approving the settlement Mr Justice Kevin Cross said it was a good one and hopefully the house in Finglas can now be adapted for Mr Cunningham's needs. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has declared there will be no return to armed actions in the event of a 'no-deal' Brexit, as several parties blasted government preparations for Britain's EU exit. Frustration is growing among the Opposition over the lack of clarity about what will happen to the border if Britain crashes out of the EU. Proposed aid for firms is also inadequate, parties argue. Fianna Fail, Labour and Sinn Fein all want answers as to what exactly is plan B if there is a no deal for the border and maintaining the EU's customs union for trade. A proposed 200m 'soft' financial package for SMEs and workers also falls short of what will be needed to protect firms, they say. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald was asked by the Irish Examiner whether republicans would take up arms if Britain crashes out and there is a threat of a new border. She responded: There is no circumstances, no excuse, no scenario in which anybody from any disposition anywhere across this island would have a justifiable cause to take up arms. There is no appetite for a return to armed actions anywhere across this island in any community in the North of Ireland and in fact people have embraced a new reality right across our country which is one of relative stability and advancement and progress. Ms McDonald also called on the government to take responsibility for peace on the island, adding: Part of ensuring stability across the island is being politically truthful about where we are at. And where we are at is the potential of a crash Brexit, the potential of a hardening of the border and the absolute need to respond to that to make sure that we don't see damage to the Good Friday Agreement. The Opposition leader said that in the long run the ultimate 'backstop' for the island of Ireland was the removal of the border. But armed action was out of the question, she insisted: There is no, under any circumstances, any explanation or no cover should be given to anybody who pursues actions of aggression or violence. That is off the table. People have made their view very clear on that. She criticised the Government for failing to support a border poll which in a democratic and peaceful way would lay the steps towards a removal of the border Meanwhile, Ms McDonald said Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was overly relaxed when it came to no-deal planning. "We heard An Taoiseach in the course of the weekend almost philosophically say that where as Brexit might define Britain for a generation that it doesn't have to define us," she said. "I think it's a very worrying statement. I think it belies an overly relaxed attitude by An Taoiseach." Ms McDonald has also described the DUP's approach to Brexit as "absolutely reckless and dangerous". "You can't have part of the island inside the European Union and the other part outside of the European Union and imagine that there won't be huge consequences for trade and our economy but also, critically, for the enjoyment of rights by our citizens and for the smooth operation of the Good Friday Agreement," she said. Ms McDonald added: "They are very much out of step with public opinion in the north. I think they're very well aware of that and yet they are quite content to play very, very dangerous games with their friends in the Tory Party." - additional reporting by Press Association A new group set up to represent retailers in Cork city and county says it wants a seat at the table of decision-making on retail. The Cork Retailers Association (CRA) becomes the latest group - alongside Cork Chamber and the Cork Business Association (CBA) who both count retailers amongst their membership - to speak on behalf of retailers in the region. CRA spokesman John Minihan, who runs a pharmacy on Oliver Plunkett St and is a member of the CRAs interim executive, said there has never been a "dedicated voice" for retail in Cork and they plan to give a voice to the estimated 35,000 people working in some 5,000 retailers across the region. And with the very large sector that it is and the conduit that it is for everything economic in Cork, we are taking on the challenge of establishing this organisation so that we can embrace change and effect change, he said. Our message is all about positivity and progress for this sector and we want a seat at the table of decision-making on retail in Cork city and county and for an industry of this size - that seat is long overdue. CRA's interim executive also includes retailers Pam ORegan, Tim Keane, Paul Gallagher, Wyon Stansfeld, Eddie Mullins and Michael Mulcahy. The retail sector is already represented on CORE, the city centre partnership group, alongside representatives of Cork Chamber and the CBA. City council chief executive, Ann Doherty, said CORE has had no formal communication from the new group and that any application to participate in CORE's work will be considered. Confirmation of the new group comes just days after several city centre retailers, many of whom led vocal opposition to the city councils afternoon car ban on St Patrick's St, invited Retail Excellence to brief traders on the future of retailing. It is now preparing a report on retailing in Cork. Mr Minihan said: We want Cork to be the retail capital of Ireland south and to reinvent its offering. We want every suburb, village and town in Cork to look at its local offering and reinvent itself where it needs to so that it remains relevant, vibrant and ready to embrace a future that will support it." Since Emanuel announced in early September that he wouldnt seek another term, his campaign fund, Chicago for Rahm Emanuel, has made at least $620,000 in campaign contributions to 28 sitting aldermen, according to state campaign finance records. Eighteen of them won new terms outright in February. Another eight are in runoffs, and two lost outright in the February elections. A project board has been established to drive the development of a new elective hospital that could ultimately replace the Mercy University Hospital and the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital in Cork. The new build, which will result in the relocation of elective surgeries from Cork University Hospital, will include a diagnostics centre and possibly a primary care centre. The location should be decided by the end of the year. The board, chaired by Professor Geraldine McCarthy, held its first meeting this month. Prof McCarthy, who is also chair of the South/Southwest Hospital Group, said four main workstreams have been identified. They are: Those driving the individual workstreams will have terms of reference and report to the chair. Prof McCarthy said a business case was submitted to the Department of Health in 2017 and an amended one in 2018 for an elective hospital and diagnostics centre and the possibility of a primary care centre. The new hospital would allow the transfer of more elective surgery out of CUH where bed demand is constantly high. Electives are not getting done to the extent that they should be when a hospital has an emergency department, said Prof McCarthy. With an elective/ambulatory hospital where GPs could directly refer patients, we would get a lot of work done uninterrupted. Prof McCarthy said the project board asked the chief executives of the Mercy, South Infirmary, and CUH to identify what they think could be facilitated in such a facility with strong input from clinical leads and consultants. Asked if the new hospital would mean the closure of the Mercy and South Infirmary, Prof McCarthy said: One or both would close. What would happen to the Mercys emergency department is unclear. Prof McCarthy said she would hope the bulk of the service redesign work will be completed by the autumn, after which they would present their plan to the HSE and Department of Health. Slaintecare, the Governments blueprint for health reform, commits to deciding on the criteria for site selection for the new hospital, as well as two new electives in Galway and Dublin, in 2019, as well as deciding on the locations. Prof McCarthy said it would be best if site selection was taken out of our hands. She said: I would hope it would be done independently. However, she said the new hospital would have to be within a short distance of CUH. I have no fixed belief of where it should be, but it cant be somewhere thats more than half an hour away from CUH, she said. Asked about funding, Prof McCarthy said they wouldnt need a huge amount upfront. The Governments National Development Plan 2018-27 also contains a commitment to three new elective-only hospitals to tackle waiting lists and provide access to diagnostic services. Revenue has announced that officers seized more than 58,000 cigarettes and 1.45kg of pipe tobacco during a cargo vessel search on Monday. Revenue say the tobacco products had an estimated retail value of over 35,100. Students in Cork have had to walk peers who express suicidal thoughts to a support centre because of a lack of mental health resourcing at third level, a union has claimed. An official at Cork Institute of Technologys student union says the waiting list to see a counsellor is so lengthy, some students who experience mental health issues are putting off seeking an appointment in case they take a place from someone suffering greater difficulties. The union has written to all Cork TDs, as well as President Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, to seek extra supports and claim the current six-week wait to see a CIT counsellor is twice as long as that at any other third-level institute in the country. CIT student union vice president for education Stephanie Kelly said students have had to accompany fellow students to Pieta House after they had expressed suicidal thoughts but had nowhere to turn. In other instances, students were brought to emergency rooms to ensure they were seen by a doctor. Ms Kelly said that some students will not seek an appointment with a CIT counsellor for fear that they are prolonging the wait for someone who is feeling worse than them. Its sad that students feel the need to prioritise other people when they need to go and seek help for their mental health, she said. Ms Kelly said student union officers have had some training in how to spot warning signs of mental health difficulties, but that they are not trained counsellors or psychologists. There are instances when students who had not displayed warning signs presented to student union officials expressing suicidal ideation. Its scary. The wait is 60,480 minutes to see a counsellor. That is a long time when you are living with depression every second of the day. The letter to politicians warned that Cork is at crisis point with regards to mental health. In CIT alone, our current waiting list as it stands is six weeks, the letter states. From conversations with our colleagues in student unions around the county, we have found that our wait lists are roughly three times what they are in other higher education institutions. Unfortunately, that means that students in need of someone to talk to are being turned away unless they are presenting as an immediate danger to themselves or others. People are dying because they cant get access to the help that they desperately need People are finally beginning not to be ashamed of their mental health but are still hit with a wall when they seek help. We cannot attend more funerals of people who may still be here had they received help. We cannot take on the extra load of one-on-one meetings that we are not equipped for. We cannot risk our own mental health anymore. Contact the Samaritans in confidence on 116 123. A judge has criticised some young male drivers for treating public roads as some form of private racetrack to show off their driving skills and the performances of their vehicles, without regard to the dangers for their passengers or others. Judge Eugene OKelly made his comments as he sentenced 19-year-old Edward OShea from Magnh, Fenor, Co Waterford, to 14 months in prison for careless driving causing the death of 16-year-old Katie Murphy in a crash in October of 2016. Mr OShea pleaded guilty at Waterford Circuit Court in January to careless driving causing the death of Ms Murphy, from Ballinamona in Waterford, and careless driving causing serious harm to friends Joseph Walsh and Jessica Flynn. The pleas were not accepted by the State and he went on trial at the circuit court earlier this year on charges of dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing serious harm, but was convicted by a jury of the careless driving causing death and serious harm charges. He was sentenced to 14 months in prison, concurrent, on each of the careless driving charges, by Judge OKelly and also banned from driving for six years and fined 800, the latter for driving on a learner permit without being accompanied by a qualified driver. Judge OKelly referred to evidence of Snapchat messages sent from the car, not heard by the jury in the trial, one of which was from Katie Murphy to a friend shortly before the crash in which a female was heard saying they were probably going to die and another which contained a male voice saying they were travelling twice over the speed limit. The court heard that the four friends were in a high-powered, modified Toyota coupe, registered in the name of Edward OSheas familys garage business and being driven by Mr OShea on the evening of October 5, 2016. Mr OShea had a provisional licence since the previous May and there was no qualified driver in the car with him. Family of the late Katie Murphy outside Waterford courthouse after Edward OShea was sentenced to 14 months in prison: Scott (Katies brother), Vivienne (mother) and Hilary (father) With other friends behind them in cars in convoy, they decided to head for a scenic area outside Tramore, and as they hit about 65km/h, the other cars lost sight of Mr OSheas car. On the Cliff Road on the edge of the town, the car went sideways at the entrance to a housing estate, hit a kerb and then collided with a wall. Katie Murphy died as a result of severe head and chest injuries while Joseph Walsh and Jessica Flynn suffered serious injuries. Edward OShea told gardai at the scene that he didnt know what happened and was only doing about 30 at the time. He also said, I cant remember, I had a blackout, at the scene. A Garda forensic crash investigator found that the driver lost control of the car near the housing estate entrance and the car went sideways into a wall. Mr OShea was interviewed four times in a garda station following the crash but had no comment to make on each occasion. John OKelly SC, defending, said Edward OShea worked as an apprentice mechanic in his father Michael OSheas garage business. It was evident from a probation report prepared on Mr OShea that he was very affected by the consequences of his actions and extremely aware of the terrible loss that the Murphy family suffered. He was not, in any way, unaffected by what happened, Mr OKelly said. By pleading guilty to the careless driving charges, he said, he was prepared to accept responsibility for the consequences of his bad judgement and, obviously, bad driving on this day where he failed to negotiate this turn. There were no previous convictions and a psychotherapist he has since been attending found he has been suffering from depression, survivors guilt, post-traumatic stress disorder, flashbacks, shame, grief, and insomnia. A letter written by Edward OShea to the Murphy family was read out by his barrister, in which he said that with a broken heart, I want to personally apologise to the families affected. I am truly sorry, he said. I loved Katie and I miss her so much. I am so sorry that this happened and that you have to feel the pain and devastation you are going through. He said he is devastated by the effect on so many people of his bad judgement on the day of the crash. I am truly sorry and hope that one day you will be able to forgive me. Judge OKelly said he put the offences at the very upper end of the range of careless driving offences but took account of the accuseds age 17 at the time and immaturity. He criticised the OShea family garages extreme and blatantly irresponsibility in facilitating the accuseds driving unaccompanied by putting him on the garages insurance policy. The judge said: Some drivers, particularly young men, treat the public roads as some form of private racetrack, for the exhibition of what they believe to be their driving skills and the performances of their vehicles, and do so without any regard for the potentially catastrophic consequences for their passengers and other road-users. A toddler was left seriously injured after a hit-and-run in Cork City yesterday afternoon. Gardai at Anglesea Street Garda Station are appealing for information following the hit-and-run collision. Shortly before 4pm yesterday, a three-year-old boy was struck by a car at Castle Meadows, just off the Skehard Road in Mahon on the south side of Cork City. The Government jet will not be used to bring home Isis bride Lisa Marie Smith. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar ruled out using the jet to bring back Ms Smith from Syria, where she is understood to be interned in a camp with her two-year-old daughter. She will face a security assessment when she is returned to Irish soil. Cabinet briefly discussed Ms Smiths predicament yesterday and officials from the departments of justice, defence and foreign affairs are assessing how to help her. In the Dail, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said a security assessment will be carried out to make sure the Dundalk woman is not a threat to life and limb here in Ireland. Confirming the cabinet discussion, he added: I am very conscious of the fact that while nobody can condone the choice that she has made and the actions that she took in aligning herself with Isis, a terrorist regime that is hell-bent on the destruction of the West and Christendom, she does have a two-year-old child that is an Irish citizen and that child is an innocent child. And, as is the case with all Irish citizens, they will be permitted to re-enter the State should they try to do so. But, of course, a security assessment will have to be carried out to make sure that Lisa Marie Smith is not a threat to any of us. We are working out how best that can be done to make sure that she does not become a threat to life and limb here in Ireland. But that does not apply obviously to a two-year-old child. Responding to Labour questions, Mr Varadkar dismissed reports that the Government jet would be used to repatriate Ms Smith and her daughter. This suggestion was absolutely without foundation. Furthermore, it emerged, the plane did not have the range to reach Syria or Turkey, the Dail heard. Mr Varadkar also told TDs that he was aware of reports that Ms Smith, a former member of the Defence Forces, was in a camp in an area in northern Syria controlled by Kurdish forces. While consular assistance is traditionally given to Irish citizens, the States capacity to do so in a war zone is limited. It is understood the International Red Cross will try and help Ms Smith. The Government says her family has requested assistance. A woman with an Irish accent in a burka was recently interviewed by CNN in the camp containing suspected Islamic State fighters, saying she was Irish and wanted to return to Ireland. Meanwhile, the Government yesterday agreed terms to hold a referendum on May 24, coinciding with local and European elections, asking voters to reduce from four to two years the time divorcing couples must live apart. Voters will be asked to amend Article 41.3.2 in a move that will also take terms for living apart out of the Constitution and into the hands of legislators. Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said: The irreconcilable breakdown of a marriage causes immense sadness and stress for all concerned. The Government wishes to ensure that the process for obtaining a divorce is fair, dignified and humane and allows both parties to move forward with their lives within a reasonable timeframe. Mr Flanagan also praised Arts Minister Josepha Madigan who has campaigned for and proposed changes to the divorce rules. Elsewhere, Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty brought proposals to beef up checks for bogus self-employment. This will include upskilling 200 social welfare officials, creating a standalone unit to inspect big firms, and creating a new workers rights code. Jazz and punk rock may seem like opposite ends of the musical spectrum, but to drummer Brian Chase, switching between genres is all in a days work. It basically comes down to music as expression, and I often see it in terms of language, says the drummer best known for his work with New York art-punk trio Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Just as different languages can express the same concept, in music, you can ask, how does the sentiment I love you get expressed in Indie Pop, or 60s R&B, or 19th century classical music? It becomes a matter of understanding different languages. Yeah Yeah Yeahs say I love you in undeniably memorable style. They burst onto the early Noughties New York scene with a snarl, a three-piece with no bass guitar. But despite his love of punk, Chases roots are in jazz; conservatory trained, he took up drumming at the tender age of five. He comes from a musical family of eastern European origin. His Jewish Ukrainian jazz-band leader grandfather changed the family name from Chaikin to Chase in the 1950s, having fled anti-Semitism in Kiev in the 1920s. I grew up listening to a lot of different music so the differences between genres dont feel like such a big deal to me, Chase says. I think that if people had a wider listening experience, then different music would be more accessible. Yeah Yeah Yeahs are ramping back up again with some upcoming gigs: they havent released an album since 2013s Mosquito. In the early days of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, it could have been imagined that they were a band on a typically punky nihilistic trajectory. Karen Os performances in grimy clubs could stray into dangerous territories: rolling on stages littered with broken glass, emerging onto the stage in ripped fishnets, her face scrawled with messages or her skin doused in olive oil. But almost 20 years in, theres been no crash and burn. It starts off as super-energetic and feeds off that youthful hyperactivity, but with age and wisdom comes power, Chase says. Were more grown up. Were getting better command of ourselves as individuals. Their enduring career can be credited to Karen Os insistence on taking long breaks between albums. After a tour it was like, right, get back in and start writing songs. I was thinking more along those lines, but Karen had a special insight. Now, I think if we had done that, we would have burnt out. During their time out, both Karen O and Chase became parents. Chase also founded his own label, Chaikin Records, and has released his own triple album, a ten-year minimalist project called Drums and Drones, and an album with West Cork born jazz saxophonist Catherine Sikora. Chase and Sikoras 2016 album, Untitled: after, is inspired by Seamus Heaneys translation of Beowulf. A forthcoming week-long tour will see the free jazz duo reunited; they met in New York but Sikora has returned to live in Ireland. Its amazing to play with Catherine again, Chase says. Now, were separated by the Atlantic Ocean so getting this opportunity to play and present our music in Ireland is great. Well be playing some of the material from that album, but well be bringing in some newer material and start searching for some new directions on this trip. Chases collaboration with Sikora can prove something of an acquired taste for fans of his more mainstream fare. There hasnt been as much over-lap as Id have liked, he says. Yeah Yeah Yeahs fans might be intrigued at first when they hear the music, theyll step into it for a minute, but their first reaction will be that its unfamiliar music. Chases love of avant-garde music, and niche scenes in noise and jazz in New York earned him the moniker of consummate music nerd in the New York Times. Is it so? He laughs. Im a music nerd but there are other people out there nerdier than me. My nerdiness pales in comparison to the nerdiness of others. Catherine Sikora and Brian Chase will perform at the Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh on Friday, April 5 Carol Morley talks to Esther McCarthy about her new supernatural thriller, and her teenage years at the legendary Hacienda nightclub. Patricia Clarkson is on the hunt for a killer in Carol Morleys new film Out of Blue, a police procedural with a daring supernatural twist. Clarkson plays Mike Hoolihan, an unconventional New Orleans cop on the trail of the killer of a renowned astrophysicist found shot in her observatory. As Mike investigates, she finds herself drawn down the rabbit hole of parallel universes and cosmic secrets. Morley describes the film as a radical adaptation of the Martin Amis novel, Night Train isnt she concerned about drawing the ire of fans of the novel? I think actually a lot of the Hitchcock films were adaptations of books but took them quite far away. The themes are true to the book and the intent. But its just as you start working on it you start to own it. I didnt want to make a literal translation or a description of the book. I wanted to take the themes and some of the characters and run with that and create characters. Still, Morley does pay homage to the author a new character, Ian Strammi, is an anagram of Martin Amis. She became so involved in the characters and her story that she actually became confused when she read Amis take on them. I read Martin Amiss memoir Experience which is really good. He mentions Night Train and some of the characters and I couldnt understand how he knew about them because theyd become mine. I mean it was this really weird slippage where I thought: How does he? And then I went: Oh yeah. You start to sort of own it in a really weird way. COMPLICATED ROLE Clarkson is excellent in the leading role and Morley felt she was perfect to play the complicated character. She has this quiet intensity, the character herself is hiding a lot. I did do research and go meet homicide cops and theyre not over demonstrative, lets say, so I really wanted someone that could bring so much to a character without having to labour that. Bring so much to it without the emotion being available all the way. Over the years Ive really fallen in love with her and the characters that she plays, but also the depth she brings to them without labouring. Morley has always been a filmmaker who marched to her own beat. Her psychological drama The Falling, about a mysterious fainting outbreak at a girls school, was effective and unnerving. But it was Dreams Of A Life, the docudrama about a woman, Joyce Vincent, whose body wasnt discovered for three years after she died, which really struck a chord. Carol Morley Actually the Irish Film Board were instrumental in that because they put money into that and the bedsit that you see in the film was filmed in Ireland, she tells me. We used post-production and we filmed here. I think loneliness or being alone is a fear and also a reality for many. But also I think that this rise of so-called connection with social media, certainly hearsay and anecdotally, everybody looks happy or everybody looks like theyre having a great time so I think it does lead to isolation. Dreams of a Life hit because its something core to us all about who we are and where well end up. I had never really thought about it but people were talking about dying alone. "They were very concerned about dying alone. I hadnt really ever thought about that so much but that certainly came out. Many, many people have told her at the time and since that the film prompted them to get in contact with friends, relatives and loved ones. It was beautiful, it was a great legacy for Joyce you know. That was why I wanted to do it, because it just felt wrong, in a way, that somebody should be passed by. PARTY GIRL Carol, the younger sister of top music journalist Paul Morley, grew up in Manchester and experienced a huge trauma in her childhood when her father took his own life. Later in her teens, she turned to partying and later made a documentary about the people she met at that time, called The Alcohol Years. Though she didnt feel it at the time, in hindsight, she realised it was connected to her enormous loss. At the time I think you dont think that. But now you go, yeah of course it was. I was 11 when my dad died and I think that then, also, youre becoming a person and sort of learning about the world so I think at 11, that happening is quite a brutal lesson on the world. Tragedy can make you stronger and make you see things differently. So its definitely informed my films. She was a teenager in Manchester when legendary nightclub the Hacienda opened its doors, and spent a lot of time there in the early days when it was a cultural melting pot. It opened in 1982. It was billed as a 2,000 capacity nightclub based on a kind of New York model but at the beginning about 100 people came. So it would be quite cold and youd all wear overcoats. It was before rave. When it opened and they would have a lot of gigs there and also people doing things. I remember I saw William Burroughs there. So it was like my university at the time, getting exposed to things and finding things out. And then of course when anyone came to play at the Manchester Apollo they would come down to The Hacienda so youd get to see people like Siouxie and the Banshees. It was edgy in the way of being alternative but then later, after my time, it became edgy in terms of drugs and guns and thats why it eventually shut down. LATE DEVELOPER She didnt go to the cinema growing up, watching films on TV at home, and was in her 20s before she decided to study filmmaking. I dont remember going to films as a kid. I saw films on TV like a lot of people. Paul was nine years older, and the culture in the house really was his little bedroom that had 100 albums. His thing was music. Id seen somebody have this passion and so that must have been instrumental. Then he started to write for the NME when he was about 18, 19 and he interviewed Mark Boland and that was his first big interview. So I left school at 16 and I thought: Well Ill just be in a band and Ill make it. And then when I was about 23, I did A-level film studies at nightclass in London which you normally do at 16. I had this teacher. And I just got into film. It was like the power of the teacher. Out Of Blue opens on Friday When it comes to environmental issues, from single-use plastics to water wastage, consumers are regularly told the solution is in their own hands, writes Grainne McGuinness. But Im not sure the same message is getting out for other issues, including the loss of community amenities. The decline in the strength of Irelands local community has been cited as a factor in everything from mental health problems to the increase in homelessness. Facilities like the local post office are the cornerstone of communities, and their loss hits hard. Rural residents can face serious hardship if their local office closes although the harm is also felt in urban communities. The closure of the Shandon Street branch in Cork city led to protests and complaints of long queues in the next available outlets. Do you like having a local post office? Do you think your community would lose out if it closed? If so, have you looked at ways to use it more? Hard-pressed Irish households are doing everything they can to stay afloat, and need to make the right financial decisions for their budget. But, when it comes to personal finance services, An Posts offering has extended so it may be possible to support your community while also helping your own bottom line. The principal financial product is the current account and An Posts version has a number of features that make it an attractive proposition. An Posts does charge fees on its current account so you would have to compare it to what you are currently paying. At first glance, it would appear to be good value for those who pay most of their bills through their accounts and are disciplined about how frequently they visit an ATM. Customers pay a monthly maintenance fee of 5 for their account which covers all electronic payments in the eurozone, except for ATM withdrawals. So this includes contactless payments, direct debits, online purchases and transfers, point-of-sale transactions and statements. It also includes one cash withdrawal per week at a post office. This is not bad when compared to Irish retail banks; it adds up to 60 per year so you can easily look back at your last years statements and see how it compares. My only word of warning would be for those who visit an ATM multiple times a week, it is .50c per trip with this account, which could rapidly add up. But restrict yourself at the ATM and use contactless and point-of-sale and the fees are reasonable. The current account comes with a Mastercard debit card. I have written previously about another of their benefits, aimed at putting some money back in the pockets of loyal spenders. When you use the account to buy from their partners, you will get money back. The offer ranges from 5% back on all transactions of 25 and above with Lidl to 10% back on direct debit payments with the SSE Airtricity MoneyBack plan. You can get a full list of their partners and the benefits offered at www.anpost.com. Another neat feature is two wallets to allow customers put money aside for big or unexpected expenses. The wallets, which work like two mini-accounts alongside your main account, can be accessed online or through their mobile app. Most consumers will need other products in addition to a current account and An Post are offering an ever-increasing range of these. For foreign travel, the An Post Money Currency Card now has 10 currencies and customers can get sterling and US dollars in cash. Safer than cash, cheaper and a credit card, it can also be topped up easily online. An Post also offer loans of between 5000 and 75,000 with terms available of up to seven years and offer 0% Balance transfers for 12 months with their credit card. Some Irish retail bank customers can also support An Post. If you have an AIB account, you can lodge or withdraw money and pay your AIB credit card at the post office. If youre an Ulster Bank customer, you can also lodge cash and pay your credit card. Some post offices also allow you to lodge cheques to AIB and Ulster Bank accounts. Irish mammies have been portrayed on screens as domestic masters or martyrs for too long. Times have changed, writes Ed Power. No two Irish mothers are the same. And yet, to judge by the depiction of motherhood in Ireland on the screen, you might be forgiven for concluding otherwise. The cult of the Irish mammy unflappable, resourceful and long-suffering is deeply embedded in film and TV. Brenda Fricker in My Left Foot won an Oscar for her portrayal of an indefatigable Irish mother, though as we shall see opinions differ as to whether she was embellishing or subverting a stereotype. Brendan OCarrolls Agnes Brown is a potty-mouthed updating of that same caricature. And perhaps the most iconic evocation of cliched Irish motherhood the semi-invisible martyr bearing tea and biscuits came from a character whom, to the best of our understanding, wasnt even a mother: Mrs Doyle in Father Ted. Its easy to write of the depiction of Irish motherhood on screen through the years as the Irish mammy, says Cork-based screenwriter Jonathan Hughes, who deconstructed these archetypes with his 2018 short film, Mother. Master of the domestic domain, put upon, the ultimate martyr, is how he summarises the Irish mammy. Giving their long-suffering children a hard time. Harder on the daughters than the lout of a son. Technophobe, can barely send a text, and dont get her started on the Skype. But under it all beats the heart of gold, someone who would do anything for her family but dont you dare try to cross her. The social construction of motherhood in Irish society is very likely also reflected [in cinema and television], adds Dr Anna Kingston, co-ordinator of UCCs Community-Academic Research Links initiate and a member of the universitys MA in Womens Studies teaching board. Good mothers are self-sacrificing, always putting their children first. They are married and heterosexual and, not too young, not too old, primary caregivers etc. She feels, however, that Brenda Frickers take on suffering motherhood in My Left Foot confronted long-established perceptions of the maternal Irish woman. [Frickers character] is an example of a mother who despite patriarchal oppression giving birth to 23 children refuses to give up on her son. A good example of maternal agency where the mother is an active subject, challenging so-called experts. This as opposed to the passive objectification of mothers who should be fulfilling their duties in the home. Irish film and television are hardly unique in their condescending portrayal of motherhood. Globally mothers have historically been caricatured on screen as either quietly suffering or a disgrace to their vocation. That mothers might just like fathers be well-intentioned but flawed is not a possibility that has traditionally been allowed for. Yet that reflex has lately come under attack. Promoting her recent film Birdbox, in which she plays a mother leading two children to safety in a post-apocalyptic world, Sandra Bullock was in little doubt that perceptions needed to progress. The way motherhood has been represented on film needed to not just change, she said. It needed to expand because the complexities of being a mum, I dont think, have not been fully represented cinematically. I learned that we need to start showing women in a more complex fashion when it comes to motherhood, she said in another interview promoting the same project. Brenda Fricker, who won an Oscar in My Left Foot, with Daniel Day-Lewis. Picture: PA The same we need to show men in a more complex fashion when it comes to those who are incredibly maternal and who are very demonstrative and loving and hopeful with their kids. Its happening all over the world but we are just not seeing enough of it on film. Filmmakers responsibility to render motherhood in shades of grey rather than black and white is also underlined by the success of the 2016 movie Bad Moms about mothers who reject the pressure to be perfect. And there are glimmerings of a more nuanced portrait of motherhood in the recent Irish horror film, The Hole In The Ground about a young mother (Seana Kerslake) who begins to suspect her son is a demonic changeling. I cant think of a more realistic depiction of moms than this movie, and thats a little sad, said Bad Moms star Kristen Bell. When you put the word mom in there, this certain set of characteristics subconsciously infiltrates your mind. You enter this realm of martyrdom. People are scared to write mothers who take time for themselves. That was likewise the theme of director Sian Heder explored in 2016s Tallulah, about a young woman who steals a baby from an irresponsible woman and passes it off as her own. After the premiere, I became this weird priest hearing these bad-mommy confessions, and I realised all moms feel like failures, said Heder, a mother of two. Theres a disconnect between the role of the mother as its presented in the movies and what it actually feels like to be a mom, the amount of guilt and shame you put on yourself. In Mother, writer Hughes and director Natasha Waugh, likewise offer a fresh perspective on the Irish mammy. To her shock, the eponymous mother, portrayed by Young Offenders actor Hilary Rose, is replaced by a fridge. This is a commentary on how mothers can often come to be regarded or at least portrayed on screen as a glorified domestic appliance. Its bonkers but I think reflective of how many mothers must feel, reduced to nothing more than an appliance or something to wait on you hand and foot, says Waugh. The fridge embodies a lot of ideas about women in the home, and the lead character is a working parent. I think its interesting, in the context of our archaic legislation that states that a womens is in the home. Irish mothers are this bastion of hearth and home, and old national values so the film takes that idea and turns into satire by replacing the mother with an appliance. The idea of a mother is reduced to something functional and something that provides bare essentials for the family. I think mums are badass and were seeing that more and more, like in The Hole In The Ground. Thats a great example because Seana Kerslakes character is resolute, and takes matters into her own hands to rescue her son. I think whats interesting is seeing more depictions of single motherhood in this way. Hilary Rose who plays Grace in Mother has something similar with her role as Mairead MacSweeney in Young Offenders. Shes assertive, shes tough, she provides, while she faces the trials of raising a troublesome son. Were definitely moving on from the image of the Irish mammy. Robert Mueller found no evidence that Donald Trumps campaign conspired or co-ordinated with Russia but the stage is set for a new set of political and legal battles, says Andy Sullivan. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has concluded that nobody associated with President Donald Trumps campaign conspired or knowingly coordinated with Russia during the 2016 presidential election, and US attorney general William Barr says he does not see enough evidence to charge Trump with obstruction of justice. But that does not necessarily mean Trump is in the clear he still faces multiple investigations into his business and other aspects of his political campaign, and Democrats are launching a wave of probes from Capitol Hill. The following are some possible next steps as Washington continues to wrestle over Russias role in the election, the conduct of Muellers investigation, and other aspects of the Trump-Russia saga. HOW MUCH OF MUELLERS REPORT CAN BE MADE PUBLIC? Barr said he wants to release as much of Muellers report as he can, as long as it does not undermine legal proceedings that should be kept secret, such as grand jury interviews, or interfere with other ongoing investigations. He is now going through the report to determine what can be released. Democrats are pressing Barr to release the entire report so they can draw their own conclusions. If he does not do so, expect a protracted tug-of-war that could end up in court. THE QUESTION OF OBSTRUCTION Foremost on Democrats minds is whether Trump obstructed justice by interfering with Muellers probe and other investigations. Barr says he did not, but he adds that Mueller presented evidence on both sides of the question. Democrats will press for access to Muellers full report as well as the underlying evidence he collected over the course of an investigation that interviewed 500 witnesses and issued more than 2,800 subpoenas. The Democratic chairs of six House of Representatives committees said on Friday they expected that evidence to be turned over on request to their panels, which cover everything from taxes to banking. The House Judiciary Committee is also expected to continue its own investigation into alleged obstruction of justice after requesting documents from 81 people and organisations weeks ago. US attorney general William Barr could face a grilling from Democrats. Pic: EPA/ERIK S. LESSER TRUMPS ALLIES SAY ITS TIME TO MOVE ON OR MAYBE NOT The Russia probe has dogged Trumps presidency from his first months in office. Trump allies say it is now time to move on and focus on substantive issues like the economy. But some of Trumps biggest supporters on Capitol Hill do not want to put the issue to rest just yet. Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, Lindsey Graham, a Republican, has said he wants to investigate whether top officials at the Justice Department discussed forcing Trump from office, and is pressing the FBI to hand over documents relating to their surveillance of Carter Page, a foreign policy adviser on Trumps election team. BARR ON THE HILL House Judiciary Committee chairman, Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat, said he planned to ask Barr to testify before his committee to explain why he thought Trump should not be charged with obstruction of justice. Many Democrats are already suspicious of Barrs views on the issue. As a private lawyer, Barr wrote an unsolicited memo to the Justice Department last year arguing that Muellers obstruction inquiry was fatally misconceived and saying that presidents have all-encompassing authority over law enforcement investigations, even those that relate to him directly. Barrs views of presidential power are relevant not only when it comes to obstruction of justice but other issues like how much the administration is required to cooperate with congressional investigators which will be a key issue over the next two years. Barr faced pointed questions from Democrats during his January confirmation hearing. Any session devoted to obstruction of justice and presidential powers could be much more contentious. Robert Mueller may not be willing or able to discuss aspects of his report. MUELLER SPEAKS? Mueller has not spoken publicly over the course of the 22-month investigation, but that might change now that his work is done. Nadler and House Intelligence Committee chairman, Adam Schiff, has said they may try to get him to testify in front of Congress. The questioning might be relatively polite as a former FBI director and decorated Vietnam War veteran, Mueller is one of the most respected people in Washington. But his testimony may not be that revealing. Mueller has cultivated a reputation as a scrupulous prosecutor, and he may not be willing to discuss evidence or reach conclusions not contained in his report. Also, as special prosecutor, he is required to defer to Barr as to what can be disclosed to the public. US attorney general William Barrs conclusion that President Donald Trump did not obstruct justice, revealed publicly on Sunday in a letter to lawmakers, reflects inherent difficulties in proving such an obstruction case, legal experts said. Barr sent a four-page letter to congressional leaders summarising a report by US special counsel Robert Mueller, handed in on Friday, which remains confidential. Mueller was appointed to investigate whether Trumps campaign conspired with Russia to influence the 2016 election and to probe whether the president later unlawfully sought to obstruct the probe. Mueller vindicated Trump on the core question of Russian collusion, writing in his report that the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities, according to Barrs letter. While Mueller stopped short of determining whether Trump obstructed justice, Barr concluded that there was insufficient evidence to bring such a case. Following are some reasons why proving an obstruction case against Trump was so difficult and what may lay ahead. WHAT DID MUELLER SAY ABOUT AN OBSTRUCTION CASE AGAINST TRUMP? Mueller said he did not reach a finding on whether Trump obstructed justice and set out evidence on both sides of the question, according to Barrs letter. Barr did not make this evidence public, noting only that Mueller said there were difficult factual and legal questions raised by an obstruction case. Muller said while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him, according to Barrs letter. Barr, however, found there was insufficient evidence to establish an obstruction case against Trump. WHY WAS IT DIFFICULT TO PROVE OBSTRUCTION AGAINST TRUMP? A federal law makes it a crime to attempt to influence, obstruct or impede the due administration of justice. To prove obstruction, prosecutors must show an individual acted with a corrupt, or improper motive a specific intent to impede an investigation. Muellers obstruction investigation likely focused on Trumps interactions with former FBI director James Comey, legal experts said. According to Comey, in February 2017 Trump asked him to back off an investigation into national security adviser Michael Flynn over Flynns contacts with Russia. Trump eventually fired Comey in May 2017. I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go ... He is a good guy, Trump told Comey, according to a memo written by the former FBI director. Some legal experts have said in the last year that Trumps intent was clearly to block an investigation, and that there was a strong obstruction of justice case to be made. But others have said that establishing that Trump acted with the corrupt intent of blocking the investigation would have been difficult. Trump could have argued he was simply vouching for Flynns character, and not pressuring Comey to drop an investigation, these lawyers said. In an interview with NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt that aired two days after the firing, Trump said he was thinking of this Russia thing when he fired him. But Trump also said in the NBC interview and in others that he fired Comey because he was incompetent, weakening a potential obstruction case, experts said. WHY DID BARR CLEAR TRUMP OF OBSTRUCTION? An obstruction of justice case against Trump was also undermined by Muellers findings that the Trump campaign did not conspire with Russians to interfere in the election. Obstruction of justice is usually coupled with some underlying wrongful act that is being covered up, experts said. Barr cited this shortcoming in his letter, saying that, while not determinative, the absence of such evidence bears upon the presidents intent with respect to obstruction. Barrs letter also notes that obstruction, like any crime, requires to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in court. Barr also noted that many of the actions described in Muellers report took place in public view. Obstruction of justice typically describes secret efforts to impede a court proceeding, and Barr may have viewed the public nature of Trumps acts as weakening the case against him. COULD CONGRESS PICK UP THE OBSTRUCTION INVESTIGATION? Yes. Democrats took control of the House of Representatives in January, giving them investigatory powers including the ability to issue subpoenas. US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement on Sunday that the fact that Mueller had not cleared Trump of obstruction demonstrates how urgent it is that the full report and underlying documentation be made public without any further delay. COULD CONGRESS BRING AN OBSTRUCTION CASE AGAINST TRUMP? The US Constitution empowers Congress to remove a president from office for high crimes and misdemeanors, including obstruction of justice through a process of impeachment. In an impeachment proceeding, lawmakers have broad leeway to define obstruction of justice and are not bound by Barrs determination, legal experts said. But impeachment is a very political process and appears unlikely because Trumps Republican party controls the Senate. Some Democratic lawmakers had hoped Muellers investigation would lay a groundwork for impeachment, but that hope has now largely faded. MPs in the UK have voted for an amendment enabling them Read More: How will that work? At 2pm on Wednesday, normal proceedings in the House will stop and MPs will then consider a backbench motion setting out the future Commons business, including the arrangements for staging indicative votes on the various options but forward. Oliver Letwin tabled the amendment (Dominic Lipinski/PA) The architect of the amendment, Tory former minister Oliver Letwin said he hoped to be able to work with both the Government and the Labour frontbenches in coming to an agreement on how it should actually work. After a debate lasting up to an hour, the Commons will then start to consider the various propositions that are put forward. How long will that take? Its not clear, although Mr Letwin suggested it could be quite a lengthy process covering several sitting days, as the House whittles down the various options to one which can command a Commons majority. Result of the House of Commons vote on Oliver Letwin amendment (PA Graphics) He said that should stop MPs trying to game the outcome based on the sequence in which the votes are called. Once they they have established which of the proposals have significant support, he said a way would have to be found possibly through some form of preferential voting system to zero in on the one around which a majority of MPs could coalesce. Which options are likely to be considered? It will be up to the Speaker, but Mr Letwin said he believed all serious proposals that were put forward should have a chance to be debated. At one end of the spectrum that could include a second referendum or revoking the Article 50 withdrawal process altogether. At the other it could include a no-deal Brexit, leaving the EU on World Trade Organisation terms. In between, there could be proposals for a softer Norway-style Brexit sometimes called Common Market 2.0 the customs union plan favoured by Labour, and a harder Canada-style free trade deal. What is the Governments response? Ministers have warned it sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent while Theresa May has said she will not necessarily be bound by the results particularly if they are undeliverable by the EU. That prompted Tory former minister Nick Boles to warn that MPs could bring forward legislation forcing the Government to act if ministers try to ignore the wishes of Parliament. How long have they got to sort this out? The clock is ticking. Last week the EU gave Mrs May until April 12 to come forward with an alternative plan if she cannot finally get her twice-rejected Brexit deal through the Commons in a meaningful vote this week. - Press Association Asia India to Auction Fugitive Billionaire's Art Collection A man talks on a phone as he walks past a Nirav Modi showroom during a raid by the Enforcement Directorate, a government agency that fights financial crime, in New Delhi, India, on Feb. 15, 2018. / Reuters MUMBAI Indian tax authorities are hoping for a windfall with the auction on Tuesday of rare oil paintings that were once part of fugitive billionaire jeweler Nirav Modis collection and have been seized by the government. Auctioneers say the sale is the first of its kind in a country where tax authorities have usually auctioned property, gold and luxury items, but not art. After a court order allowing the auction to take place, tax authorities, who are pursuing Modi over the countrys largest bank fraud, appointed professional auction house Saffronart. The sale in Mumbai of some 68 works is expected to fetch anywhere between 300 million and 500 million rupees ($4.4 million-$7.3 million). Until a few years ago, the tax authorities really didnt know the value of art, said Farah Siddiqui, an art adviser who is advising clients eyeing Modis collection. The 48-year-old Modi, whose diamonds have sparkled on Hollywood stars, is one of the prime accused in a $2 billion loan fraud at state-run Punjab National Bank. Modi denies the charges and believes they are politically motivated. The auction comes just weeks before a national election and as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces pressure to bring back Nirav Modi (no relation), who fled the country last year and has been residing in the United Kingdom. He was arrested last week by British authorities and remanded in custody after he appeared before a London court. India asked Britain last August to extradite Modi. The auction includes works by Raja Ravi Varma, a 19th century painter considered among Indias finest, and V.S. Gaitonde, a modern artist known for his abstract and often monochromatic paintings. We believe that the collections intrinsic value will garner a positive response from collectors, said Saffronart Chief Executive Dinesh Vazirani. India Law Alliance, a law firm representing the company controlled by Modi that owns the artwork, said it was challenging the court order that allowed the auction. The case will be heard by the Bombay High Court on Wednesday, a lawyer at the firm told Reuters. Vijay Aggarwal, a lawyer for Modi, declined to comment. Burma Ferryman Reportedly Shot Dead by Soldiers in Northern Rakhine The wife of U Maung Chay and their two children sit at Rathedaung General Hospital on Tuesday morning. / Supplied YANGON A ferryboat operator in northern Rakhine States Rathedaung Township was shot dead Monday morning by soldiers stationed at a temporary military base in the area, according to a local resident. U Maung Win, a resident of Ahmyet Taung Village, identified the man as U Maung Chay, 33, a casual laborer and father of two from the same village. He said U Maung Chay had dropped off two passengers from Ye Soe Chaung Village on the banks of the river of the same name and was heading back to the opposite shore when some soldiers from the military tactical operations base in Ye Soe Chaung called after him to turn back. But he said U Maung Chay probably could not hear them over the noise of the boats motor and kept going, at which point about four of the soldiers opened fire. U Maung Win said U Maung Chay was hit by two bullets, on in the back and one in the arm, and that his body was taken to Rathedaung General Hospital Tuesday morning. He said there was no fighting in the area between the military and rebel Arakan Army (AA) and that the military, which controls the area, had not informed locals that any locations were off limits. Residents of Min Byar Townships Kalarma Tuang Village reported a similar incident on Monday as well. Ko Khine Thura Hein said his brother, Maung Win Htay, was driving his boat across a local river with four passengers heading home to Kalarma Tuang Village from the neighboring town of Myebon when about 10 soldiers crossing a nearby bridge at the time opened fire on the boat. He said a bullet hit Maung Win Htay in the leg and that his brother then docked the boat near the bridge. According to Ko Khine Thura Hein, the soldiers, from Light Infantry Battalion 380 based in Min Byar, said they had whistled at the boat to stop for inspection and then fired warning shots into the air, not at the boat. Ko Khine Thura Hein said he was not aware of any official restrictions on movement in the area. They should not target innocent civilian like this, he said. Brig. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, a spokesman for the military, said he was not aware of any shooting in Min Byar on Monday. He said soldiers from the tactical operations base in Ye Soe Chaung did exchange fire for a few minutes that day with AA fighters who ambushed them from a mangrove forest and that the boatman was likely caught in the crossfire. Last week, soldiers shot dead five civilians in Buthidaung Townships Say Taung Village and wounded eight others, driving the more than 2,000 residents from their homes for refuge in nearby urban areas. Locals said the shooting was unprovoked. The military said it was responding to AA attacks. Burma Myanmar's Top Court to Hear Reuters Reporters' Appeal in Official Secrets Case A journalist in a "Free Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo" t-shirt waits outside the Yangon Northern Distritc Court before a judge sentenced the pair to seven years in jail on Sept. 3. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy NAYPYITAW Myanmars Supreme Court was scheduled on Tuesday to hear the appeal of two Reuters journalists imprisoned for breaking a colonial-era official secrets law, in a case that has raised questions about Myanmars progress towards democracy. Reporters Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo have spent more than 15 months in detention since they were arrested in December 2017 while investigating a massacre of Rohingya Muslim civilians involving Myanmar soldiers. A judge found the two guilty under the Official Secrets Act in September and sentenced them to seven years in prison. Both remain separated from their young daughters. The wife of 32-year-old Ko Wa Lone gave birth to their first child last year while Ko Wa Lone was behind bars. Ko Kyaw Soe Oo celebrated his 29th birthday in Yangons Insein jail this month. Their convictions were heavily criticized by press freedom advocates and Western diplomats, putting additional pressure on Myanmar leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate who took power in 2016 amid a transition from military rule. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said in September, the week after their conviction, that the reporters case had nothing to do with press freedom as the men had been jailed for handling official secrets, not because they were journalists. At the Supreme Court in the capital Naypyitaw on Tuesday, a judge will hear arguments for and against their appeal, alongside 17 other cases, according to a listing published on the courts website. Myanmars Supreme Court has the opportunity to correct the serious miscarriage of justice inflicted on Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo for the last 15 months, Reuters Editor-in-Chief Stephen J. Adler said in a statement. They are honest, admirable journalists who did not break the law, and they should be freed as a matter of urgency. The appeal, submitted last month, cited lack of proof of a crime and evidence that the pair was set up by police. During eight months of hearings, Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo testified that two policemen they had not met before handed them papers rolled up in a newspaper during a meeting at a Yangon restaurant on Dec. 12. Almost immediately afterwards, they said, they were bundled into a car by plainclothes officers. A police captain testified that, prior to the restaurant meeting, a senior officer had ordered subordinates to plant documents on Ko Wa Lone to trap the reporter. The prosecution said the reporters were caught holding secret documents at a routine traffic stop. The high court in Myanmars largest city Yangon rejected an earlier appeal in January. Before their arrest, Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo had been working on a Reuters investigation into the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men and boys by security forces and Buddhist civilians in western Myanmars Rakhine State during an army crackdown that began in August 2017. The operation sent more than 730,000 Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh, according to United Nations estimates. Burma New Tanintharyi Chief Minister Pledges to Tackle Power, Land Issues New Tanintharyi Region Chief Minister U Myint Maung takes the oath of office on March 25. / Tanintharyi regional parliament YANGONThe new Tanintharyi Region chief minister has vowed to address power shortages and land disputes in the region. As he took the oath of office as the regions new chief minister on Monday, U Myint Maung promised to return to local farmers the farmland that private companies have left idle, for the development of the entire region. On Friday, the Tanintharyi regional parliament approved U Myint Maung, who previously served as the minister of natural resources and environmental conservation, as the new chief minister, replacing Daw Lei Lei Maw, who was arrested on corruption charges earlier this month. U Myint Maung also promised to ensure fair power rates in Tanintharyi, where electricity is mainly supplied by private suppliers, making it expensive. The governments anti-graft body found that the Global Grand Services company, whose directors were arrested along with Daw Lei Lei Maw on corruption charges, broke a contract with the regional government and owes 8 billion kyats (US$5.2 million) to the Ministry of Electricity and Energy for natural gas it purchased to generate the power it supplied in Tanintharyi. The new chief minister also talked about developing the regions tourism and fishery industries, promoting regional security and the rule of law, and ensuring responsible extraction of natural resources. I will build a clean, transparent, responsible and accountable government, he said. U Myint Maung, who is also the National League for Democracys secretary for Tanintharyi Region, had been serving as acting chief minister since Daw Lei Lei Maw was arrested on March 10. He was elected to the regional parliament from Kawthoung Township in the 2015 general elections. His appointment is acceptable. We are taking a wait-and-see attitude. We dare not expect much from him, said Dawei resident Ko Wai Phyo. The Tanintharyi Parliament on Tuesday also approved the three new regional ministers to fill vacant posts. Daw Yi Yi Cho, regional lawmaker from Myeik Constituency 2 and U Aung Thura, regional lawmaker for Tanintharyi Constituency 1, were appointed as the regional ministers of planning and finance; and electricity and energy, respectively. Their predecessors resigned last week. The former ministers, U Phyo Win Tun and U Kyi Hlaing, remain lawmakers for Myeik Constituency 1 and Pulaw Constituency 2. U Hla Htwe, the regional lawmaker for Yebyu Constituency 1, was appointed minister of natural resources and environmental conservation to succeed U Myint Maung. The Tanintharyi parliament has 21 elected lawmakers, all of whom are NLD members, and seven military appointees. News Ex-Govt Figures Back Togetherand Back in Uniformfor a Day Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing (left) and former general and ex-president U Thein Sein (front) observe statues of recipients of the Aung San Thuriya military honor on Tuesday. / Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services YANGONIt has been nearly nine years since the last time former General Thein Sein was in military uniform. His presidency in 2011 saw him wearing civilian suits. Constitutionally, the same was true for his fellow generals and senior military officials who took Union ministerial posts in his administration until March 2016. But they were their former military selves on Tuesdayfor a whiledonning military outfits to attend a ceremony. A flock of former senior military officials mostly from the previous administration, including former general and ex-president U Thein Sein, gathered at a statue unveiling ceremony in Naypyitaw. The ceremony was held to honor the six holders of the prestigious military title Aung San Thuriya (all are deceased) and was joined by the current military chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, and other serving officials. Among the attendees were former Union minister U Ohn Myint, a former lieutenant general who used to threaten people by saying, I can go around and slap everyones face If anyone insults or opposes the government, when he was the head of the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development in 2014. The others included ex-brigadier general and former immigration minister U Khin Yi, and U Tin Aye, a former Union Election Commission chairman and ex-lieutenant general. On Tuesday, they were all in olive green uniforms. Back in military uniform, the slapping minister took pictures with his wife and posted them on Facebook with the caption, I became a soldier again when I met my seniors, friends and juniors [at todays event]. Their appearance in their old outfits seemed unusual because, apart from attending the annual military parade on Armed Forces Day every March 27, they rarely show up in their uniforms. Its also interesting to speculate on why nearly everyone in the previous government suddenly appeared en masse in their former uniforms at a statue unveiling ceremony. Yangon-based political analyst U Maung Maung Soe said it was not unusual for veterans to attend a military-related ceremony in full dress uniform. But its strange when nearly everyone from the previous administration appears at once, he said. He pointed out that their appearance coincides with a popular campaign across the country to amend the Constitution, initiated by the NLD. The military and the Union Solidarity and Development Party have complained that the NLDs approach is unconstitutional. Probably, they just wanted to make a show of force. Who knows? he said. Dr. Min Zaw Oo, a Myanmar affairs expert, said that it is not surprising that all the former generals have gathered in the capital for the Armed Forces Day ceremony to be held Wednesday, and that maybe they happened to come in to show solidarity. But he added that it could be that [the reason] is to show that former and existing personnel want to demonstrate that they pay attention to their heroes, regardless of their ethnicities, as four of the six service men with the Aung San Thuriya title were ethnic Karen, Chin and Gurkha. But Brigadier-General Zaw Min Tun, a military information officer, told The Irrawaddy that Tuesdays ceremony at the Mausoleum for the Fallen Heroes was to honor the six servicemen from 1948 to 1950s who have received the nations highest military honor, which is awarded for gallantry in protecting the countrys sovereignty. For veterans in uniform, he said, its normal. As in other countries, they just want to show how seriously they take these heroes, he said. On This Day The Original Panglong Shan chieftains pose for a photo at the 1946 Panglong in Shan State. Today marks the 73rd anniversary of a conference held in advance of the historic 1947 Panglong. The 1946 conference, which ran through March 28, also in Shan States Panglong Township, has been recognized as the first Panglong but is less known than the one that followed. Though the conference was organized by the British with the intention of establishing a Shan State, U Nu, the vice-chairman of the Anti-Fascist Peoples Freedom League criticized the empires divide-and-rule policy. Shan, Kachin, Chin and Karenni chieftains signed an agreement at the historic Panglong Conference in on Feb. 12 the following year to collectively seek independence for the so-called frontier areas from Burma proper. The day is marked as Union Day on the Myanmar calendar. In Myanmar politics, Panglong is synonymous with national unity. State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of independence hero Gen. Aung San, has co-opted the name for her governments peace talks with ethnic minorities, calls the 21st Century Panglong. Travel Distinctive Ethnic Cultures and Misty Mountain Towns Destination Guide to Western Myanmar Koe Thaung Pagoda in Mrauk U which is preparing for nomination for UNESCO World Heritage Site status. / Marie Starr Ngapali Usually accessed by flight from Yangon and with many high-end hotels, Ngapali is known as a more upscale seaside getaway. Sunsets can be especially spectacular from this beach which has been dubbed one of Asias best. Though youre likely to spend most of your time relaxing on the white-sand beaches or under the shade of coconut trees dining on fantastic seafood, visitors can also go snorkeling, diving or take a boat trip. Sittwe Usually only visited on the way to Mrauk-U, Sittwe is the capital of Rakhine State and the center of Arakanese culture. Arakanese foodall fresh green chilies and juicy seafoodis loved far beyond the state and is a must-try while youre in town. In the morning, check out the bustling central market and in the evening join locals walking along the beach at sunset. Mrauk-U Mrauk-U is currently prone to outbreaks of conflict between Myanmars military and the Arakan Army and visitors should not travel to the area until it is officially declared safe. Arguably one of the most special places in Myanmar, Mrauk-U was once the capital of the Arakan Kingdom which was a regionally powerful realm between the 15th and 18th centuries which is when most of the temples were built. Though some shoddy conservation work has been carried out, inside the most famous Shitthaung Pagoda is a series of tunnels lined with thousands of colorful carvings of religious and historical Arakan figures. Unlike Bagan, life in the vicinity of the temples remains as it always has been with farmers grazing their herds and kids fishing in the streams right next to the ancient structures. Mount Victoria and Mindat/Kanpetlet In southern Chin State, Mount Victoria is rising in popularity as an easygoing trekking destination set in a beautiful national park with wild orchids, cherry blossoms and rhododendron trees. Travelers usually base themselves at Mindat or Kantpetlet and drive to the base from where the trek to the peak takes two to three hours. There are now plenty of accommodation options, especially at Kantpetlet. Southern Chin State is where traditional facial tattoos are still seen on older women today. Hakha and Falam Falam is a typical example of remotest ethnic Myanmar with an unstable electricity supply, minimal modern construction, basic infrastructure and strong cultural and religious values. And these are just some of the factors which make it such a special place to visit. The hilly streets and incredible mountain views in every direction are unforgettable. Hakha is the capital of Chin State located about four hours south of Falam. The cold, often foggy weather and conifer trees and cherry blossom in the winter make it feel like these towns are in a different country altogether. Tedim and Rih Lake Tedim in northern Chin State is a small Christian town set around a peak among the beautiful blue Chin mountains. Theres not much to do in the town apart from admiring the view. Hiking to Kennedy Peak, Chin States second highest mountain located 90 minutes from Tedim, is not too taxing and worth it for the views. Nearby, Siansawn is a unique village on a neighboring hillside where the people have created their own religious sect and marriages are arranged by the village leader. Rih Lake is a famous heart-shaped lake four hours drive from Tedim and close to the Indian border. Tuesday, March 26th, 2019 (8:28 am) - Score 4,997 Mobile operator Vodafone has warned that it would consider a legal challenge against Ofcoms forthcoming auction of the 5G friendly radio spectrum bands at 700MHz and 3.6GHz 3.8GH, unless the regulator changes their proposed strategy of auctioning these as part of a bundled package. Ofcom are currently preparing to award 200MHz of spectrum frequency to UK mobile network operators (i.e. 80MHz in the 700MHz band and 120MHz in the 3.6-3.8 GHz band) and they hope to complete this by Spring 2020 (here). The purpose, they claim, for auctioning off both bands at the same time is so that the winners can bring the spectrum into use as soon as possible. Sadly auctions of new mobile spectrum have become increasingly synonymous with legal challenges, which have an ugly tendency of causing significant delays to the roll-out of faster Mobile Broadband services and related coverage targets. The recent 4G/5G auction (2.3GHz and 3.4GHz) suffered various delays as operators argued over spectrum caps, while different gripes stalled the 800MHz and 2.6GHz bands before that. Unfortunately Vodafone have now signalled that they too might be prepared to hinder the latest auction. The operator is concerned that Ofcoms decision to auction off two very different bands at the same time could inflate spectrum valuations by indirectly forcing operators to bid for licenses they do not need (i.e. it makes valuing spectrum a harder task for auction participants). The 700MHz band travels further and so is ideal for helping to improve rural coverage via 5G (indeed it includes a coverage obligation), while the higher frequencies in the 3.6-3.8GHz band dont travel as far but could be combined with other bands in urban areas to help deliver ultrafast multi-Gigabit fixed wireless broadband or mobile broadband speeds at low latencies. Scott Petty, Vodafone UKs CTO, said (Lightreading): Putting [these bands] together in unusual combinations creates a very difficult situation where your valuation is hard to work out and you end up buying things you dont need because part of the bundle is something you do need. We could end up with a very fragmented spectrum situation depending on how the bundles are put together. It would be disappointing if a falling out over the spectrum auction stalls leadership and we stop deploying for a year and lose that leadership position. Do I want to spend money litigating? No, because it is a waste of money. If we have to, we might. On top of that Vodafone are worried about a so-called two tier outcome, where one or two operators end up dominating specific bands and others miss out. Mind you this is hardly a new scenario for mobile operators and much depends on their appetite during the bidding (nature of the auction). For example, O2 is the only operator to own a 40MHz slice of the 2.3GHz band and Three UK is the only one to currently own a huge chunk of the 3.6-3.8GHz band (see below). A Spokesperson for Ofcom told ISPreview.co.uk: A combined auction could allow winning bidders to bring these airwaves into use as soon as possible, so that people and businesses can benefit quickly from better services. Weve gathered a range of views on our plans, and well set out our decisions later this year. Previous legal challenges have already caused the Government to toughed up Ofcoms ability to fight them off (i.e. requiring operators to prove theyre challenging the substance of the regulators decision instead of its technicalities) and to introduce an updated appeals system. The changes have made it possible to resolve such situations in a shorter space of time, although they do not completely remove the possibility of significant delays. Meanwhile other mobile operators, such as Three UK, are known to have concerns about the currently proposed coverage obligations on the 700MHz band and the possibility of future obligations for other bands. However any operator choosing to rail against the new obligation risks looking like a pariah to consumers, many of which have grown tired of the UKs flaky mobile connectivity outside of busy towns and cities. All of this puts Ofcom in a difficult position. If the regulator continues on its course then Vodafone may challenge and cause delays, but if they make any a big change(s) then that could require another consultation and this in turn might create its own delays. The current distribution of mobile spectrum between UK operators can be seen below (correct as of December 2018). March 25, 2019 POCATELLO Idaho State University Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Mustafa Mashal was awarded the Southern Idaho Section Engineer of the Year award at the 2019 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Awards Banquet on March 19. The awards banquet was part of the ASCE Southern Idaho Sections first annual civil engineering conference held at Boise State University. The award is given to a civil engineer with eight-plus years of experience who has made outstanding contribution to the field of civil engineering through leadership, research, and career accomplishment, and contributions to community, society, humanity, promotion of civil engineering profession including mentoring, and serving ASCE at either local, section, regional, or national level. The awardee must be a member of ASCE within Region 8 in good standing. Mashal is an expert in structural and earthquake engineering. He obtained his Ph.D., masters and bachelors degrees in civil engineering with focus on structural and earthquake engineering from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, University at Buffalo-SUNY in the United States, and Kabul University in Afghanistan, respectively. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Idaho, a Chartered Professional Engineer and International Professional Engineer in New Zealand (buildings and bridges), and is certified by the Structural Engineering Certification Board in the United States. Mashal designed and supervised construction of the new Structural LAB (SLAB) at ISU that was officially opened in October 2017. He also supervised the renovation of several other labs in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is an affiliated faculty with the Center for Advanced Energy Studies in Idaho Falls and has collaborated with Idaho National Laboratory. He has been the faculty advisor for the ISU ASCE Student Chapter since August 2016. Mashal has many years of consulting experience in the United States, New Zealand and Afghanistan. He started his career working on complex projects of the United States Army Corps of Engineers in Afghanistan in 2006. Following the Canterbury earthquakes in New Zealand in 2011, Mashal has been involved with seismic assessment, retrofitting and design of a variety of structures. He has served as an expert for companies in New Zealand and the United States. In addition, Mashal is the holder of U.S. and international patents on novel metallic seismic devices for vibration protection of structural and non-structural components. The ISU assistant professor has authored/co-authored more than 50 publications. He has been the recipient of externally funded projects at ISU. Mashal has been working on projects funded by Idaho Transportation Department, Center for Advanced Energy Studies and other funding agencies. He has been serving in several building code/technical committees for buildings and bridges at the national level in the United States. I am humbled to know that I was selected for the Engineer of the Year Award, Mashal said. It is a great honor. I have enjoyed my career as a civil engineer and I thank the ASCE Southern Idaho Section for recognizing my contributions to the profession. I dedicate this award to the hard working students of the Department of Civil and Environmental engineering at ISU. This is a great honor for Dr. Mashal and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at ISU, said Scott Snyder, dean of ISU's College of Science and Engineering and interim vice president for research. The fact that one of our accomplished assistant professors can win Engineer of the Year speaks to Dr. Mashal's experience working in both industry and academia and the quality of the program he represents. Mashal has also been selected to participate in the competitive Center for Advanced Energy Studies Summer Visiting Faculty Program in 2019. The main focus of CAES is collaboration, this summer program has been designed to bring university faculty and Idaho National Laboratory researchers together to interact, build new relationships/networks, and develop joint funded research programs. Mashal will work with collaborators from the INL on areas of mutual research interest. For more information on Mashal, visit https://sites.google.com/isu.edu/mustafamashal. Professional services outfit KPMG Australia has hired two new professionals to bolster up its cyber team which offers services like strategy and governance, cyber transformation, cyber defence and cyber response. The company said in a statement that Katherine Robins (below, left) and Phil Baker (below, right) had joined what it described as an industry-leading team. Robins has worked in a number of industries, ranging from automotive, telecommunications, mining and high education for more than two decades, with previous stints at Telstra, Deloitte, IBM, and BHP Billiton. The statement said she would concentrate on "building leading-edge digital security services around cloud, mobility, Internet of Things, and next-gen services for clients". Gordon Archibald, National Partner and leader of KPMG Australias Cyber practice, commented: Cyber security and data privacy have consistently ranked as top priorities for Australian chief executives, and is a strategic growth area for KPMG. "We are excited to be adding two of Australias top cyber experts to our leadership team as we continue to grow and invest in our business, in response to client demands. "Both Katherine and Phil bring in-depth expertise, and unparalleled technology and cyber skills. They will play a major role helping KPMG to shape the future of how our clients safeguard their digital systems. Robins said: "The need for a sophisticated and all-encompassing approach to cyber has never been greater, and KPMG is playing a critical role in supporting clients to deliver effective and efficient security strategies. "Im excited to be joining the fast-growing and highly-accomplished team at KPMG, and of course to add my own experience to how we approach cyber in the Australian market." Baker has worked with Telstra and PwC and spent 25 years with the British and Australian armed forces. He will deal with KPMG clients in Canberra. Said Baker: KPMG have made a significant investment in developing the depth of technical skills needed in a modern cyber practice, in areas such as cyber security strategy realisation, cyber risk management, privacy, data security, business resilience and access management. "Im looking forward to working with the team here to bring our capabilities to our Canberra and national clients." Global ICT solutions and services provider Dimension Data and Japanese telco NTT have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Australias Deakin University and Western Sydney University to collaborate on research projects, including a focus on the health of the ageing. The research projects will focus on solving social challenges that are common between Australia and Japan, and the joint-vision partnership is the first time NTT has entered into an agreement of this nature with research institutions outside Japan. Under the agreement, all parties say they will start working together to develop and implement innovative solutions to improve the lives, health and well-being of citizens. The MOU was officially signed at a ceremony at Dimension Datas Australian headquarters in Darling Park, Sydney and attended by representatives from all parties including Katsuhiko Kawazoe, senior vice-president, head of Research and Development Planning at NTT; Steve Nola, chief executive of Dimension Data Australia; Julie Owens, deputy vice-chancellor, Research at Deakin University, and Deborah Sweeney, deputy vice-chancellor and vice-president, Research and Innovation at WSU. Dimension Data and NTT say the emphasis on healthcare, disability and ageing is influenced by the ageing populations in both Australia and Japan and the challenges this poses for society as a whole. The companies say Japanese societal transformation plan, "Society 5.0", has inspired the MOU and explores how the development and access to disruptive technologies, such as connected healthcare can transform and improve society. This partnership provides a framework for Australia and Japan to drive the creation and commercialisation of technologies and solutions to address real-world issues such as the needs of the disabled and those of an ageing population, the companies note. Dimension Data and NTT say that in order to realise this vision, several joint research projects will be established and will commence in the next 12 months. The projects include research and development into communication between dementia patients, their family and other caregivers, as well as research and development on smart homes to ensure a safe and secure life for the elderly and the disabled. Kawazoe said, This MOU is testament to the strong bonds forged between Australia and Japan, and demonstrates our commitment to the transference of knowledge between our two markets. It represents another chapter in our ongoing partnership with Dimension Data, Deakin University, and WSU to create solutions and applications that will help our societies grow and prosper. The missing piece of Australia's innovation puzzle is often identified as the strategic collaboration between universities and the business community, Nola said. This MOU is a significant step towards preserving Australias economic future. The collaboration between business and academia drives knowledge exchange and innovation, and that innovation is what underpins economic and societal growth. This co-innovation partnership deepens our relationship with two of Australias leading universities and enable us to commercialise cutting- edge solutions which will help Australian businesses solve fundamental problems and create new value for years to come. Professor Owens said, Deakin has been working closely with Dimension Data for several years, and we are excited to now extend that partnership to NTT. Our strong engagement with one of the worlds most significant technology companies, gives confidence that we can open up new technologies to change how aged care is delivered in Australia and Japan and have a genuine impact on the communities we serve. Professor Sweeney said, Western is committed that its research will have real impact and deliver tangible health outcomes for the benefit of the community. The applied, translational, end-user focus of our researchers perfectly complements the world leading tech capabilities of our partners. This collaborative model exemplifies Westerns commitment to partnerships, were extremely excited at the prospect of what our joint initiative will achieve. Last year, delegates from Deakin University and WSU participated in the NTT R&D Forum in Tokyo, with the R&D Forum serving as the annual proving ground for NTTs breakthrough technologies and providing an opportunity to introduce next-generation innovations to NTTs customers, partners and employees. The Federal Government will fine social media and online platforms operating in the country $10 million for serious breaches of the Privacy Act, or thrice the value of any benefit derived from the breach. "This penalty and enforcement regime will be backed by legislative amendments which will result in a code for social media and online platforms which trade in personal information," Attorney-General Christian Porter said. A joint statement on Tuesday, from Communications Minister Mitch Fifield and Porter said legislation would be drafted for consultation in the second half of 2019. Regarding the fines, the two ministers said a third option would be to fine the offending company 10% of its annual domestic turnover, with the biggest amount to be charged. Can you imagine the roars of laughter from the representatives of Google, Facebook and Twitter after their meeting with Luddites Mitch Fifield and Christian Porter this afternoon. These blokes have no idea what algorithms are, let alone how they're used. #auspol pic.twitter.com/v1AvjYUTcp ???? ????? (@actualfredsmith) March 26, 2019 Porter also said: "The draft legislation will also incorporate any relevant findings of the current Digital Platforms inquiry by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission which is due to issue its final report in June 2019." The government's reaction comes in the wake of events in Christchurch on 15 March when a white supremacist gunman killed 50 Muslim worshippers in a mosque and live-streamed the shooting on Facebook. The social media giant removed the video after more than an hour and YouTube also struggled to remove clips of the killing. Porter and Fifield said the new fines would be imposed under the Privacy Act. Other measures they announced were: Giving the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner with new infringement notice powers backed by new penalties of up to $63,000 for bodies corporate and $12,600 for individuals for failure to cooperate with efforts to resolve minor breaches; Expanding other options available to the OAIC to ensure breaches are addressed through third-party reviews, and/or publish prominent notices about specific breaches and ensure those directly affected are advised; Requiring social media and online platforms to stop using or disclosing an individuals personal information upon request; and Introducing specific rules to protect the personal information of children and other vulnerable groups. "Existing protections and penalties for misuse of Australians personal information under the Privacy Act fall short of community expectations, particularly as a result of the explosion in major social media and online platforms that trade in personal information over the past decade," Porter said. For a better experience on our website and avoid any trouble, we strongly recommand to activate Javascript ( click here ). Hello and welcome to Journal des Palaces You are a communication or the PR manager? Click here You are an applicant? Check out our questions and answers here ! Vancouver, British Columbia / TheNewswire / March 26, 2019 - Pacton Gold Inc. (TSXV: PAC, OTC: PACXF) (the "Company" or "Pacton") is pleased to announce that the initial field work program at the Tardarinna Gold Project in Pilbara, Western Australia, has commenced. Exploration is focused on high-grade, at surface, visible gold mineralization in the unusual "Tardarinna" metagabbro that contains a mineralized shear zone along 1 km of known strike. Prior work generated sample grades up to 328 g/t Au, obtained from a trench dug to a depth of 10m and a width of 1m, estimated to contain 400 t grading 66.8 g/t Au. (Source: Government of Western Australia, Minedex Site Code: S0024887.) Prior work also reports eluvial gold showings downslope from the prominent, resistive gold-bearing, stockworked Tardarinna metagabbro. Highlights: Large, high-grade identified gold target: Field work is focused on high-grade, shear hosted gold mineralization within a known 10-50 m wide shear zone extending for over 1 km. Surface gold mineralization: Previous sampling has reported grades of up to 328 g/t Au from surface with visible gold. Historical workings: Historical eluvial gold mining has occurred downslope of the prominent Tardarinna metagabbro. Increased target size potential: The entire Tardarinna tenement contains the structurally intense "nose" of a distinct southeast plunging syncline that is dramatically outlined by folded Tardarinna metagabbro, most of which has not been explored. Upcoming drill program: Mapping and rock chip sampling will be used to help define the extent of gold mineralization and to plan the initial drill program. Prospecting & Logistics Assessment: Johnathon Campbell is leading a prospecting campaign across Pacton's West Pilbara tenements to assess the near surface nuggety gold potential and also conducting a logistics assessment across Boodalyerrie, Yandicoogina and Tardarinna. Dale Ginn, Chairman for Pacton Gold, stated "The high-grade gold mineralization at Tardarinna represents a particularly compelling target, with previous surface sampling yielding results of up to 328 g/t. This initial sampling and geological mapping program will increase our understanding of the geology, as well as the number and size of additional targets at the project, and will assist our targeting process for drilling later this year. Our initial geological work will concentrate on the gold-bearing shear stockworks of the Tardarrina metagabbro, the fold axis of the anticline near the known gold occurrences, the unexplored north trending arm of the anticline, and the Mallina formation under the eluvium between the anticlinal metagabbro arms. The Mallina formation is reported to contain gold in a similar anticlinal setting at Croydon, 45km to the north In addition, Johnathon Campbell, a highly-regarded Pilbara prospector, will carry out a prospecting program and logistics review across Tardarinna and our other West Pilbara tenements to accelerate exploration progress." Pacton has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Tardarinna Gold Project in Pilbara, Western Australia (see news release dated March 1, 2019). The Company will acquire a 100% interest in the Project by issuing 1,250,000 common shares on closing of the transaction, subject to the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange. Tardarinna Project The Tardarinna Project is located approximately 125 km southwest of Port Hedland, 10 km southwest of Croydon Outcamp and 50 km southeast of Whim Creek, Western Australia (Figure 1). Pacton's Tardarinna project is located in an area that once hosted an old Archean terrane that was completely obliterated by granodiorite and granite intrusions. This old basement was covered with sedimentary rocks of the Mallina formation of the De Grey Group, mapped as varying from 2.5 km to 10 km thick. Subsequently, a gabbro sheet-like intrusion up to 700 m thick was intruded along the bedding plane of the Mallina formation near its base. The entire area was then subjected to two significant structural events, resulting in the development of synclines made obvious by the distinctive dark metamorphosed Tardarrina gabbro, which remains over 500 m thick in most places. (Figures 2 & 3). The Tardarrina area was then completely covered by Mount Roe volcaniclastic rocks, subjected to two more minor folding events, and the emplacement of the regional Powereena dolerite dyke. Erosion subsequently exposed the Tardarrina metagabbro, leaving relatively flat-lying Mount Roe formation cover in the south and west portions of Figure 2. The known gold mineralization in the area, apart from eluvial showings, occurs in the spectacularly folded Tardarinna metagabbro. (Figures 2 & 3). The Tardarinna metagabbro is resistant, and its strike controlled ridges dominate the local topography. The nose of a southeast plunging anticline occurs within the tenement boundary and presents an outstanding exploration target. The Tardarinna metagabbro contains a complicated, dense stockwork of sheared quartz and calcite veins, with many orientations showing obvious gold transportation into the system. The metagabbro is rich in textures, ranging from fine-grained to large grained pegmatitic texture. Gold mineralization consists of free gold, and gold associated with minor amounts of iron, copper, lead and nickel mineralization. Figure 1. Pacton Gold's Australia property map showing the location of Tardarinna Project Figure 2. Pacton's Tardarinna Project (E 47/3745). Local geology showing multi-phase folding of metagabbro gold host rocks with spectacular large scale folding represented by alternating synclines and anticlines. The rocks between the fold arms, elluvial in nature at surface, are mapped as Mallina formation of the De Grey Group, and contain the injected Tardarinna metagabbro. The south and west portions of the area are overlain by the Mount Roe formation of basalt and volcaniclastic rocks. The Powereena dolerite dyke cuts all rocks and, except for erosion, represents the last geological event in the area. Figure 3. Tardarrina Project. Sampling locations, geology and structure. About Pacton Gold Pacton Gold is a Canadian exploration company with key strategic partners focused on the exploration and development of high grade conglomerate and orogenic gold properties located in the district-scale Pilbara gold rush in Western Australia and the Red Lake District, Ontario. The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dale Ginn, P.Geo., a director of the Company and a Qualified Person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101. The qualified person has not yet verified the data disclosed, including sampling, analytical, and test data underlying the information or opinions contained in the written disclosure. On Behalf of the Board of Pacton Gold Inc. R. Dale Ginn Executive Chairman For more information, please contact 1-(855)-584-0258 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . This news release may contain or refer to forward-looking information based on current expectations, including, but not limited to the Company achieving success in exploring its properties and the impact on the Company of these events, including the effect on its share price. Forward-looking information is subject to significant risks and uncertainties, as actual results may differ materially from forecasted results. Forward-looking information is provided as of the date hereof and we assume no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances. References to other issuers with nearby projects is for information purposes only and there are no assurances the Company will achieve similar results. Neither TSX Venture Exchange, the Toronto Stock Exchange nor their 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. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Gold Resource Corporation (NYSE American: GORO) (the Company) announced today its Nevada Mining Units exploration plans include targeted expansion of the Isabella Pearl (IP) open pit deposit by testing the adjacent Civit Cat North. Additional nearby targets with open pit potential include Scarlet, where numerous high-grade surface samples are situated over historic drill intercepts including 70.1 meters of 1.02 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, and the Civit Cat North West target also along trend, where historic surface samples have reported grades as high as 9.70 g/t gold. Gold Resource Corporation is a gold and silver producer, developer and explorer with operations in Oaxaca, Mexico and Nevada, U.S.A. The Company has returned $111 million to its shareholders in monthly dividends since commercial production commenced July 1, 2010 and offers its shareholders the option to convert their cash dividends into physical gold and silver and take delivery. A modest 2018 drill program testing the boundaries of the IP deposit increased year-end reserves by 22,200 gold ounces and increased the deposits average gold grade by 2.7% to 2.28 g/t. Looking to build on the 2018 drill program success, Civit Cat North is the next target for potential IP pit expansion, which is the northern extension of the Civit Cat trend, located within the IP deposits northern boundary and currently hosting proven and probable reserves. Surface samples from the Civit Cat North target have reported grades as high as 2.1 g/t gold. Much of the early mine bench material in Civit Cat was estimated to be waste in the IP mine plan; however, a significant amount of this material to date has shown economic mineralization and has been delivered to the heap leach pad for future gold extraction. Topographic constraints around Civit Cat North have limited its historic exploration drilling. With the upper portions of the pit shell now removed from mining, there is better access to test the Civit Cat North target. If future drill programs define sufficient mineralization at Civit Cat North, a pit lay-back to the north would be analyzed to potentially expand the IP open pit. In addition to adding to the IP deposit, the Company targets nearby gold discoveries for additional open pit mining to the north west including the Scarlet and Civit Cat North West targets. Scarlet begins approximately 100 meters north west of the Isabella Pearl Projects current planned pit boundary (see target map below). Although limited historic third-party drill data exists in this area, the results are encouraging. Three (3) historic reverse circulation drill holes returned (m = meters, g/t = grams per tonne): Hole # TS-32* drilled at 90 degrees 32.00m of 1.12 g/t gold (from 33.53 meters down hole) incl. 1.52m of 5.49 g/t gold incl. 7.60m of 1.81 g/t gold Hole # TS-37* drilled at 90 degrees 70.10m of 1.03 g/t gold (from 128.02 meters down hole) incl. 18.24m of 1.53 g/t gold incl. 7.60m of 1.70 g/t gold incl. 9.12m of 1.19 g/t gold Hole # TS-39* drilled at 90 degrees 19.81m of 0.73 g/t gold (from 156.97 meters down hole) *Historic third-party drill results Gold Resource Corporation has also collected and assayed numerous surface samples at Scarlet with gold grades assaying as high as 9 g/t (see surface sample highlights table below). There is a consolidation of high-grade surface samples at Scarlet along the Pearl fault structure. At least three north west regional faults extend through the IP deposit, with geologic models suggesting mineralization hosted in both the Isabella and Pearl structures may extend north west through the Scarlet target area. The high-grade surface samples are situated above and near the three historic drill holes at Scarlet, including 70.1 meters of 1.03 g/t gold starting at 128 meters down hole. Depending on the dip of this mineralization, these drill holes could represent the extensions at depth of the high-grade mineralization sampled at surface. In addition, the IP deposit is being mined from the top of two peaks to access a higher-grade core at depth. Scarlet has a lower elevation, as it sits deeper in the valley at the base of the mountains. In other words, the elevation of the IP deposits high-grade core is closer to the surface elevation at Scarlet. Because of this proximity to surface the overburden/waste rock at Scarlet could be much less. The high-grade surface and historic drill intercepts make Scarlet a priority target, indicating that it could be the next minable deposit discovered at the Isabella Pearl Project. Initial exploration efforts are planned to focus on the south eastern portion of the Scarlet target, which lies within the current permitted IP mine plan of operations, potentially reducing the number of permitting requirements necessary to bring additional mineral resources into production. The initial Scarlet drill program has been defined and the Company plans to begin drilling this area once commercial production has been established at Isabella Pearl. Records from Scarlet of historic drill holes, including an intercept of 70 meters of 1 gram per tonne gold starting 128 meters below the surface, has the signatures of a potential deposit and warrants additional exploration, stated Mr. Barry Devlin, Vice President of Exploration. There is a high probability the surface samples we have collected at Scarlet connect to the deeper drilled mineralization. Our exploration program targets this prospective area, with a goal of discovering and delineating our next deposit at our Isabella Pearl Project. The Company also plans an exploration program at the Civit Cat North West (CCNW) target, located along the same trend and faults as the Scarlet target and IP deposit. Located approximately 3,000 meters north west of the IP Project, CCNW was mined on a small scale historically producing approximately 2,300 ounces of gold from several disconnected areas including a 9-meter shaft, a 50-meter lower adit and 110-meters of upper adits and workings. Historic third-party rock chip assays ran as high as 9.70 g/t gold (see CCNW assays below). The Company plans to initiate the exploration drill permitting process at CCNW, with a goal of discovering another open pit gold deposit at the IP project. The Isabella Pearl mine has a current estimated mine life of four and one-half years and we are optimistic we can add to that with the Civit Cat North and other targets, stated Gold Resource Corporation CEO and President, Mr. Jason Reid. It is not uncommon for numerous deposits to be located along the same mineralized trend. We look to targets including Scarlet and Civit Cat North West as having excellent potential of becoming additional open pit deposits. We know at least four historic open pit gold deposits operated south east along this same mineralized trend with the nearest one producing about three hundred thousand ounces of gold. Isabella Pearl is the fifth deposit along trend. Our property position spans over six miles on trend to the north west with numerous areas of open pit potential beyond Scarlet and the Civit Cat North West target. The exploration potential along this trend is tremendous and we expect to become a very long-term operator in this mining district. Mr. Reid continued, With our Isabella Pearl mines construction activities nearing completion and mine operations ramping up, it is time to start focusing on the expansion of the project with a goal to extend its longevity by discovering numerous additional open pit gold deposits. ISABELLA PEARL SURFACE SAMPLE HIGHLIGHTS SCARLET TARGET CIVIT CAT NORTH WEST TARGET Sample Number Au g/t Sample Number Au g/t 843652 0.836 300 2.52 843653 3.757 301 9.70 843659 0.773 302 1.81 843660 1.252 303 3.15 843661 0.848 304 3.41 843669 1.217 305 1.13 843670 0.933 310 1.58 843672 4.617 318 0.72 843673 0.621 320 0.48 843674 2.052 321 1.22 843676 0.553 322 0.21 843681 1.158 324 1.13 843682 0.554 325 7.82 843683 1.414 328 7.92 843684 1.535 332 0.84 843688 1.261 345 1.74 843689 0.787 347 0.97 843694 2.141 348 0.56 843695 9.278 358 3.40 Scarlet target samples taken by Gold Resource Corporation and assays reported by Inspectorate America Corp., Sparks, Nevada, USA. Civit Cat North West Target samples are historic assays reported by previous operators. About GRC: Gold Resource Corporation is a gold and silver producer, developer and explorer with operations in Oaxaca, Mexico and Nevada, USA. The Company targets low capital expenditure projects with potential for generating high returns on capital. The Company has returned $111 million back to its shareholders since commercial production commenced July 1, 2010 and offers its shareholders the option to convert their cash dividends into physical gold and silver and take delivery. For more information, please visit GRCs website, located at www.goldresourcecorp.com and read the Companys 10-K for an understanding of the risk factors involved. Cautionary Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. When used in this press release, the words plan, target, "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend" and "expect" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the statements regarding Gold Resource Corporations strategy, future plans for production, future expenses and costs, future liquidity and capital resources, and estimates of mineralized material. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to Gold Resource Corporation on the date of this press release, and the company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those discussed in this press release. In particular, there can be no assurance that production will continue at any specific rate. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the Companys 10-K filed with the SEC. Contacts: Corporate Development Greg Patterson 303-320-7708 www.goldresourcecorp.com VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA / TheNewswire / March 26, 2019 (TSXV: NRG, OTCQB: NRGOF, Frankfurt: X6C) - Newrange Gold Corp. ("Newrange" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on the ongoing geological interpretation and relevance for the exploration model on the Pamlico Project in Mineral County, Nevada. A review of all Reverse Circulation (RC) drill hole assays (highlights of all holes have been previously released and results available on the Company's website at www.newrangegold.com) has concluded that gold mineralization appears to fall into three broad categories: High-grade (>10 g/t) gold mineralization, locally with coarse visible gold, exists in discontinuous vein-like structures that cut mid-grade (1-10 g/t Au) fracture-controlled gold mineralization that, in turn, is surrounded by a large 'cloud' of lower-grade (<1.0 g/t Au) mineralization. Furthermore, the level of oxidation locally extends for approximately 300 meters beneath the surface and recent metallurgical work completed on drill hole samples has indicated high recoveries, low reagent consumption and fast leach times (See Newrange news releases dated Dec. 11, 2018 and Feb. 5, 2019), all of which are favourable features for heap leaching. Due to the Company's previous focus on the high-grade zones, samples with fire assay grades less than 0.12 g/t Au had not been reported as containing significant mineralization. However, given the favourable metallurgy and revised geological interpretation, an internal exercise to estimate the grade ranges of the entire assay suite and examine the overall tenor of the system was undertaken. Assays from all 47 RC holes drilled by Newrange were tabulated with the following length weighted results at different potential cut-off grades: Cutoff (g/t Au) # Samples Meters Average Grade (g/t Au) No cut All - 4,093 5,402 0.581 0.01 2,476 3,171 0.986 0.05 1,218 1,498 2.063 Note: The reader is cautioned that the above numbers do not represent a resource estimate and do not imply any economics. They are only presented as an indication of the grade distribution within the 47 RC holes drilled to date in order to refine the exploration model for future drill hole targeting. The Company is working towards the completion of a NI 43-101 compliant resource estimate later in 2019. "The recognition that the high-grade zones we have found may actually represent 'sweeteners' within a much larger, lower grade system is a significant step in the development of our exploration model at Pamlico," stated Robert Archer, CEO. "Not only does it explain the somewhat discontinuous nature of discrete gold veins but it allows us to step back and focus on the potential of the whole system. When the drill results are considered in this context, it validates our premise that Pamlico has significant potential to host a large lower-grade gold deposit with excellent metallurgy. The area of drilling extends approximately 500 by 100 meters, within a 1,500 by 1,000 meter area hosting the old mine workings. Future drilling will take this new model into consideration and will include fill-in holes within the existing drill pattern to demonstrate continuity and step out holes to test the extent of mineralization throughout the area of artisanal mining." The program of mapping, sampling and surveying of the underground workings is continuing. New, previously unknown adits and stopes have recently been discovered, expanding the known footprint of the mineralized system and providing additional opportunities for data collection. Additional metallurgical work is underway, and a detailed exploration program is being developed that will allow for the progressive delineation of gold mineralization with the goal of establishing a maiden resource. Mr. Robert G. Carrington, P. Geo, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, the President and Chairman of the Company, has reviewed, verified and approved for disclosure the technical information contained in this news release. About Pamlico Located 12 miles southeast of Hawthorne, Nevada, along US Highway 95, the project enjoys excellent access and infrastructure, a mild, year-round operating climate and strong political support from Mineral County, one of the most pro-mining counties in the pro-mining state of Nevada. The Pamlico project covers the historic Pamlico group of mines, as well as the nearby Good Hope, Gold Bar and Sunset mines. Discovered in 1884, the district rapidly gained a reputation as being one of Nevada's highest-grade districts. Held by private interests for most of its history, the property remains underexplored in terms of modern exploration. About Newrange Gold Corp. Newrange is an aggressive exploration and development company focused on near to intermediate term production opportunities in favorable jurisdictions including Nevada, Colorado and Colombia. With numerous drill intercepts of near surface oxide gold mineralization to 340 grams gold per metric tonne the Company's flagship Pamlico Project is poised to become a significant new Nevada discovery. Focused on developing shareholder value through exploration and development of key projects, the Company is committed to building sustainable value for all stakeholders. Further information can be found on our website at www.newrangegold.com. Signed: "Robert Archer" CEO & Director For further information contact: Sharon Hebgin Dave Cross Corporate Communications Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary Phone: 760-898-9129 Phone: 604-669-0868 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.newrangegold.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statement: Some of the statements in this news release contain forward-looking information that involves inherent risk and uncertainty affecting the business of Newrange Gold Corp. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Vancouver, BC - March 26, 2019 - Global Li-Ion Graphite Corp. ("LION" or, the "Company") (CSE: LION) The Company is pleased to announce it has retained environmental consultant ECG Auguste to undertake the updating and filing of the environmental and social impact reports as required by the Malagasy authorities as part of the mining development and implementation plan for Lion's Ambato-Arana graphite mines. ECG Auguste has a 25-year track record of preparing similar reports and the talented team that they have assembled for this project has over 10 years of specific experience gained in Lion's project area covering both the environmental and social aspects. This work is well under way and the Company plans to be in a position to file the necessary reports imminently. The company is also delighted to announce the appointment of Tom Cushman as its Resident Manager in Madagascar. Tom has over 25 years of operational experience in Madagascar, including artisanal scale mining policy development. Mr. Cushman has also acted for many years as a consultant to the Ministry of Mines and Energy as well as being a founding member of the Malagasy National Mines Committee and is a Chevalier of the Ordre National de Madagascar in recognition of his service to the Republic. Tom is the Managing Director of Richfield Investor Services, an entity that assists international investors in navigating the Malagasy business environment, with a particular focus on minerals and mining. In addition to holding MBA and BBA degrees, Tom is also a Graduate Gemmologist. Richfield will also provide general in-country logistical and administrative support. Company President John Roozendaal states, "Retaining ECG Auguste and the appointment of Tom Cushman are key steps in our ultimate goal of reactivating the Ambato-Arana graphite mines on as short a timeline as is possible. As the news releases of the past several months show, 2019 is setting up to be an exciting year for the Company." Sam Malin adds "The work currently being undertaken by Lion in Madagascar shows the great progress the Company is making to get its graphite mines back into production while remaining in full adherence to Madagascar's regulatory framework while laying the foundation for Lion to move towards a significant level of graphite output" Further information about Global Li-Ion is available under its profile on the SEDAR website, www.sedar.com, on the CSE website, www.thecse.com, and the Company's website, www.globalli-iongraphite.com. For Further information about the Company, please contact: Jason Walsh Director & Officer Global Li-Ion Graphite Corp. Telephone 604.608.6314 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider have reviewed or accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. Forward-Looking Information: This press 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 press release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks discussed in the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. While the Company may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. Highlights: Winter drill program successfully expands new discoveries on the Courvan property confirming a new parallel gold trend located 1.5km west to the New Beliveau deposit Drilling results at Southwest and Creek Zones, along the Courvan trend, continue to identify significant gold mineralization with intercepts grading up to 1.5 g/t Au over 104.3 metres, including 3.9 g/t Au over 30.0 metres; and 16.7 g/t Au over 4.0 metres, including 58.7 g/t Au over 1.0 metre, respectively Near-surface discoveries grading 3.6 g/t Au over 9.3 metres, 10.2 g/t over 1.0 metre, and 33.2 g/t over 1.0 metre identified in step-out drilling 300 metres, 550 metres and 650 metres West of the Southwest zone, respectively Winter drill program is continuing with three drill rigs Results from the program will be included in the 2019 updated mineral resource estimate TORONTO, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Probe Metals Inc. (TSX-V: PRB) (OTCQB: PROBF) (Probe or the Company) is pleased to provide new results from its ongoing 24,000-metre winter drill program on the Val-dOr East property area (the Property) located near Val-dOr, Quebec. The drill program is focusing on expansion and exploration drilling in and around the former Beliveau, Bussiere and Monique gold mines. Results from twenty-two (22) follow-up drill holes, totaling 6,285 metres, were received and continue to outline new discoveries as well as expand previous discoveries surrounding the former Bussiere mine in the Courvan area. Drilling continues to indicate strong potential for additional resources north and south of the former Bussiere Mine (see figure 1) as it delineates this new parallel gold trend. The 100%-owned ground is located approximately 1.5 kilometres west of, and adjacent to, the New Beliveau deposit. Significant drill results are presented below. Owing to the continued success of our drilling Probe has decided to postpone the updated Resource Estimate so that the results of this winter program can be included in the calculation. The inclusion of these new results will allow a better assessment of the potential contribution of the parallel gold trend to the overall resource base and will provide a much better understanding of the gold system for our exploration program. The winter drill program will be completed in April and, once all assays are received, we will begin modeling the gold resources. We expect that the updated Resource Estimate will be ready by early Fall 2019. David Palmer, President and CEO of Probe, states, The identification of a parallel gold trend is significant not only for the potential increase in gold resources but also confirms our belief that the eastern half of Val-dOr has been underexplored and is highly prospective for new gold discoveries. We have assembled one of the largest land holdings in the area and, with a strong treasury, expect to make significant advances to the project during 2019. Assay results from selected drill holes are reported in the following table: Selected drill results from the Courvan Area drilling program1 Hole Number From (m) To (m) Length (m) Au (g/t) Area CO-71 64.1 67.1 3.0 7.7 Southwest Zone including 65.1 67.1 2.0 11.0 Southwest Zone CO-71 136.2 137.2 1.0 5.2 Southwest Zone CO-71 159.5 160.5 1.0 18.4 Southwest Zone CO-73 116.50 220.80 104.3 1.5 Southwest Zone including 144.0 174.0 30.0 3.9 Southwest Zone including 146.0 147.0 1.0 72.1 Southwest Zone CO-75 245.7 255.0 9.3 3.6 Southwest Zone including 254.0 255.0 1.0 21.3 Southwest Zone CO-78 113.3 117.3 4.0 16.7 Creek Zone including 116.3 117.3 1.0 57.8 Creek Zone CO-85 149.5 150.5 1.0 10.2 Southwest Zone CO-86 116.0 117.0 1.0 33.2 Southwest Zone (1) All the new analytical results reported in this release and in this table, are presented in core length and uncut. Additional drilling is planned for the immediate area which will enable the true width determination. Figure 1: Surface Map Val-dOr East - Courvan and Pascalis Gold Trend Area https://www.probemetals.com/site/assets/files/1421/2019_03_25_vde-courvan-surface_map.pdf About the Courvan Property, Val-dOr East Project: The Courvan Property is adjacent to the Companys New Beliveau deposit at Val-dOr East and unlocks significant exploration potential to the west of the New Beliveau mineralized system. The Property land package is largely unexplored, with limited historic diamond drilling in the vicinity of the past-producing Bussiere Mine. Gold-bearing veins historically mined on the property consisted of quartz-tourmaline-pyrite veins associated with shear zones and diorite dykes, similar to what is found in the New Beliveau deposit, approximately 1.5 kilometers to the east. The Bussiere Mine produced 42,000 ounces at an average grade of 5.8 g/t Au up until 1942, when it was destroyed by forest fires. Qualified Persons The scientific and technical content of this press release has been reviewed, prepared and approved by Mr. Marco Gagnon, P.Geo, Executive Vice President, who is a "Qualified Person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). Quality Control During the last drilling program, assay samples were taken from the NQ core by sawing the drill core in half, with one-half sent to a certified commercial laboratory and the other half retained for future reference. A strict QA/QC program was applied to all samples; which includes insertion of mineralized standards and blank samples for each batch of 20 samples. The gold analyses were completed by fire-assayed with an atomic absorption finish on 50 grams of materials. Repeats were carried out by fire-assay followed by gravimetric testing on each sample containing 3.0 g/t gold or more. Total gold analyses (Metallic Sieve) were carried out on the samples which presented a great variation of their gold contents or the presence of visible gold. About Probe Metals: Probe Metals Inc. is a leading Canadian gold exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of highly prospective gold properties. The Company is committed to discovering and developing high-quality gold projects, including its key asset the Val-dOr East Gold Project, Quebec. The Company is well-funded and controls a strategic land package of approximately 1,000-square-kilometres of exploration ground within some of the most prolific gold belts in Quebec. The Company was formed as a result of the sale of Probe Mines Limited to Goldcorp in March 2015. Goldcorp currently owns approximately 13.7% of the Company. On behalf of Probe Metals Inc., Dr. David Palmer, President & Chief Executive Officer For further information: Please visit our website at www.probemetals.com or contact: Seema Sindwani Director of Investor Relations This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. +1.416.777.9467 Forward-Looking Statements Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Companys future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as believes, anticipates, expects, estimates, may, could, would, will, or plan. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet managements expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Companys objectives, goals or future plans, statements, exploration results, potential mineralization, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to failure to identify mineral resources, failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves, the inability to complete a feasibility study which recommends a production decision, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, inability to fulfill the duty to accommodate First Nations and other indigenous peoples, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects, capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, and those risks set out in the Companys public documents filed on SEDAR. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / Auryn Resources Inc. (TSX: AUG, NYSE American: AUG) ("Auryn" or the "Company) announces the appointment of Stacy Rowa as Chief Financial Officer and the resignation of Peter Rees as Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary, effective April 1, 2019. Mr. Rees is resigning to pursue a new opportunity. Ms. Rowa is a Canadian CPA, CA who has worked with Canadian and US publicly listed resource companies for the past 10 years. Ms. Rowa has been with the Company since 2016 serving as Corporate Controller. Prior to joining Auryn, Ms. Rowa held finance roles with Elgin Mining Inc., before it was acquired by Mandalay Resources Inc. in 2014, and Aura Minerals Inc. She began her career with KPMG LLP's mining practice after obtaining her Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from the University of British Columbia. A Message from Ivan Bebek, Executive Chairman & Director: "On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to thank Peter for his valuable contributions to our management team and our companies over the past nine years. Peter has worked with Auryn since its inception and played a key role in establishing Auryn as a premier mineral exploration company. We wish him very well on his future endeavor and welcome Stacy to our team in the role of CFO." On Behalf of the Board, Ivan Bebek Executive Chairman and Director For further information on Auryn Resources, please contact Natasha Frakes, Manager of Corporate Communications at (778) 729-0600 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . About Auryn Auryn Resources is a technically-driven, well-financed junior exploration company focused on finding and advancing globally significant precious and base metal deposits. The company has a portfolio approach to asset acquisition and has seven projects, including two flagships: the Committee Bay high-grade gold project in Nunavut and the Sombrero copper-gold project in southern Peru. Auryn's technical and management teams have an impressive track record of successfully monetizing assets for all stakeholders and local communities in which it operates. Auryn conducts itself to the highest standards of corporate governance and sustainability. The Toronto Stock Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 26, 2019) - Lara Exploration Ltd. (TSXV: LRA) ("Lara" or the "Company") is pleased to report that it has completed a non-brokered private placement financing raising $2,000,000 by the issuance of 4,000,000 units at $0.50 per unit. Each unit consisted of one common share and one half of a non-transferable common share purchase warrant. Each full warrant entitles the holder to purchase an additional common share at $0.70 until March 26, 2021. If, after July 26, 2019, the closing price of the Company's shares on the TSX Venture Exchange is $1.00 or greater for 10 consecutive trading days, the Company may, by news release issued within five trading days thereof, accelerate the expiry of the warrants to the 21st calendar day (not the 21st trading day, as previously announced) after such news release. The Company paid finders' fees of 5% to Raymond James Ltd. ($2,500) and Sprott Global Resource Investments, Ltd. ($25,000) in respect of subscriptions from investors introduced by them as finders. Insiders of the Company purchased 900,000 units and a Pro Group member purchased a further 30,000 units. The shares, and any shares issued on the exercise of the warrants, are subject to a restricted resale period under Canadian securities law until July 27, 2019. The proceeds of the offering will be used by Lara to further its mineral property acquisition and exploration activities and for general corporate purposes. About Lara Lara is an exploration company following the Prospect Generator business model, which aims to minimize shareholder dilution and financial risk by generating prospects and then exploring them in joint ventures funded by partners. The Company currently holds a diverse portfolio of prospects and deposits in Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Chile. Lara's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "LRA". For further information on Lara Exploration Ltd. please consult our website www.laraexploration.com, or contact Chris MacIntyre, VP Corporate Development, at +1 416 703 0010. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons (as defined in the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration is available. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 26, 2019) - Seabridge Gold (TSX: SEA) (NYSE: SA) announced today that the Environmental Assessment ("EA") certificate for its KSM Project issued by the Province of British Columbia has been extended to July 29, 2024. The original KSM EA certificate was issued by the Province for an initial five year term on July 29, 2014 following a comprehensive independent environmental assessment review. Seabridge initiated the renewal process in October, 2018 following a thorough engagement with local Indigenous groups. The new five-year certificate was approved with the same terms and conditions as the original certificate, including the requirement to commence construction of the Project within the five-year period. Seabridge Chairman and CEO Rudi Fronk stated: "We are pleased that our EA Certificate has been renewed until 2024 under the same terms and conditions, reaffirming the Government of British Columbia's support for KSM and the robustness of the original 2014 EA. The extension highlights that KSM is a well-designed, environmentally responsible project offering significant economic benefits for British Columbia and Canada. The receipt of the extension allows us to continue our engagement with prospective joint venture partners for KSM. On behalf of Seabridge and our shareholders, I would like to thank the Nisga'a Nation, and the Tahltan and Gitxsan Nations for their ongoing guidance and support of KSM during the extension review process." Seabridge Gold holds a 100% interest in several North American gold resource projects. The Company's principal assets are the KSM and Iskut properties located near Stewart, British Columbia, Canada and the Courageous Lake gold project located in Canada's Northwest Territories. For a breakdown of Seabridge's mineral reserves and resources by project and category please visit the Company's website at http://www.seabridgegold.net/resources.php. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Rudi Fronk" Chairman & C.E.O. For further information, please contact: Rudi P. Fronk, Chairman and C.E.O. Tel: (416) 367-9292 Fax: (416) 367-2711 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange, nor their Regulation Services Providers accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release Syrias Kurds called Monday for an international court to be set up in the country to try suspected Islamic State group jihadists following the announced fall of their caliphate. IS imposed its brutal interpretation of Islam on millions living in the proto-state that it declared across a large swathe of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014. The extremists stand accused of carrying out numerous crimes including mass executions, kidnappings and rape. We call on the international community to establish a special international tribunal in northeast Syria to prosecute terrorists, the Syria Kurdish administration said. In this way, trials can be conducted fairly and in accordance with international law and human rights covenants and charters, it said in a statement. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces on Saturday announced the end of the caliphate after defeating IS jihadists in the eastern village of Baghouz near the Iraqi border. Kurdish-led forces, backed by a US-led coalition, have detained thousands of suspected IS fighters in more than four years battling the jihadists, including around 1,000 foreigners. 9,000 foreign IS relatives While alleged IS fighters are held in jail, women and children suspected of being affiliated to the group are housed in Kurdish-run camps for the displaced. More than 9,000 foreigners, including over 6,500 children, are being held in the overcrowded main camp of Al-Hol, Kurdish spokesman Luqman Ahmi said Monday, citing figures from a week ago. The Kurdish administration has repeatedly called for the repatriation of foreign IS suspects, and warned it does not have capacity to detain so many people. But the home countries of suspected IS members are reluctant to take them back, due to potential security risks and the likely public backlash. The Kurdish administration in northeast Syria has appealed to the international community to shoulder its responsibilities towards members of the terrorist organisation detained by Kurdish security forces, it said Monday. But unfortunately there was no response. It urged the international community, particularly countries that have nationals detained, to support the establishment of an international tribunal, calling for legal and logistical cooperation and coordination. Previous international courts include the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda which tried genocide perpetrators in the African country. The International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia meanwhile tried those accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in conflicts that tore apart the Balkans in the 1990s. Humanitarian crisis Tens of thousands of people streamed out of the last IS pocket on the eastern banks of the Euphrates in recent months, sparkling a humanitarian crisis. The camp in Al-Hol is now bursting at the seams, housing more than 70,000 people in a place designed for just 20,000. Humanitarian conditions in Hol camp are extremely critical, World Food Programme spokeswoman Marwa Awad said Monday. The Kurdish administration called on the United Nations to improve living conditions in the Al Hol camp, accusing UN bodies of responding poorly to the massive influx of women and children to the shelter. It particularly appealed to UN bodies to provide increased humanitarian assistance as well as support efforts to expand the camp, establish medical points and clinics, and enhance water supply and sewage networks. Despite the declared victory against IS in Baghouz, the jihadists still maintain a presence in the countrys vast desert and have continued to claim deadly attacks in SDF-held territory. Syrias war has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since starting in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests. Apart from fighting IS, the Kurds have largely stayed out of the civil war, instead setting up their own semi-autonomous institutions in the northeast of the country. Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita vowed Monday to beef up security as he visited a village where more than 130 people were killed by suspected militiamen from a rival ethnic group. We need security here this is your mission, Keita said, giving a public order to military chief General Aboulaye Coulibaly, who was abruptly appointed on Sunday after the massacre. Justice will be done, he vowed. The deadly raid took place on Saturday in the village of Ogassogou, home to the Fulani herding community, near the town of Mopti in central Mali. A militia from the Dogon ethnic group a hunting and farming community with a long history of tension with the Fulani over access to land is suspected to have carried out the raid. State television ORTM on Sunday gave a provisional toll of 136 dead. An AFP reporter on Monday said many homes in the village had been burned down and the ground was littered with corpses. I have never seen anything like that. They came, they shot people, burned homes, killed the babies, said 75-year-old survivor Ali Diallo. The perpetrators are not jihadists. They are traditional hunters, a health worker told AFP. But Aurelien Tobie, the chief expert on the Sahel region at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, told AFP that it is very hard to make a true, legitimate identification of who is a militiaman, who is a jihadist, (or) who is the enemy of whom. Everyone is armed but membership of one group or another fluctuates with personal, family, community or circumstantial interests, he said. The victims, many of them woman and children, were shot or hacked to death with machetes, a security source told AFP. It was the deadliest attack in Mali since the 2013 French-led military intervention that drove back jihadist groups who had taken control of the north of the country. Jihadist raids remain a persistent threat, and in the centre of the country, an ethnic mosaic, the attacks have had a bloody impact on groups with a history of rivalry. The Fulani have been accused of supporting a jihadist preacher, Amadou Koufa, who rose to prominence in central Mali four years ago. So-called self-defence groups have emerged in the Dogon community in the declared role of providing protection against the insurgents. But these militias have also used their status to attack the Fulani. Egregious crimes Violence between the Fulani and Dogon and between the Fulani and Bambara ethnic group claimed some 500 civilian lives last year, according to UN figures. Fatou Bensouda, prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), on Monday condemned the vicious attacks and urged all parties to refrain from resorting to violence. She urged the investigation and prosecution of those who participated in or otherwise contributed to what appears to be egregious crimes which may fall under the jurisdiction of the ICC. In January, Dogon fighters were blamed for the deaths of 37 people in another Fulani village, Koulogon, in the same region. On Sunday, Keita fired the heads of the army and air force and replaced armed forces chief of staff MBemba Moussa Keita with Coulibaly. The Dogon militia, called the Dan Nan Ambassagou, was ordered to be dissolved. A newly restored World War II memorial in Malaysia sparked anger and calls for its demolition Tuesday after a sign described three Japanese soldiers honoured as heroes. The Japanese occupation of Southeast Asia in the early 1940s was marked by brutality, and bitter memories still linger even after Tokyo made reparations and built friendships with its former enemies since the war. Funded by Japan, Malaysian authorities restored the long-neglected stone monument built in 1941 in Alor Setar, capital of the northern state of Kedah, in a bid to bolster tourism. It was originally built by the Japanese in honour of three soldiers who were killed while securing a strategic bridge to cut off British and Allied troops. However, a sign that accompanied the restored monument inaugurated last week bore the title: History Of Three Japanese Heroes Who Conquered The Alor Setar Bridge. Lim Swee Bok from the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) on Tuesday led some 15 supporters to the Japanese consulate in the northern state of Penang and handed over a letter demanding the monument be torn down. It only reminds us of the painful era of Japanese occupation, Lim told AFP. The Japanese occupied Malaya modern-day Malaysia and Singapore for almost four years from December 1941. The Star newspaper Tuesday reported that MCA members had draped black cloth over the monument covered with the words: Heroes monument for those who fought Japan. The newspaper also published a photo of the monument surrounded by five large red banners bearing the slogans: Japanese soldiers not heroes, Killing, raping and beheading locals and Japanese soldiers are cruel. Anger was also expressed online. On the Malay Mail newspapers Facebook page, reader Keke Lim said the Japanese were aggressors who committed atrocities and crime against humanity. Reader Lim Hong Meng said calling the soldiers heroes makes Malaysia a laughing stock especially in ASIA (which) suffered the cruelty and brutality of Japanese army. Mohamad Asmirul Anuar Aris, the state tourism committee chairman, apologised for an error in translation. He said the sign has been taken down but rejected calls to demolish the memorial. It has been there since 1941. Furthermore we are trying to bring more tourists to Kedah and it is part of our attempt to upkeep historical sites, he told AFP. jsm/mba/fa BOK HOLDINGS A tribunal tasked with healing the wounds of dictatorship in Tunisia called for institutional reforms and an official apology from the head of state, in its final report published Tuesday. Set up three years after the 2011 uprising that ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the Truth and Dignity Commission (IVD) was created to probe human rights violations and make recommendations for Tunisia on its path to democracy. The IVDs report calls for reforms to dismantle a system of corruption, repression and dictatorship within state institutions. It also proposes measures to boost the independence of magistrates and administrative courts, as well as legal protection for victims and witnesses in corruption cases. Tunisias security forces should be restructured to increase transparency and prevent their use for political ends, an independent body set up to oversee the police and an intelligence service which answers directly to the president and under parliamentary supervision, according to the report. The panel calls for President Beji Caid Essebsi, as a symbol of the state, to make an official apology to all the victims of human rights violations at the hands of the state since 1955, a year before independence from France. The apology would be addressed to all the victims in a presidential speech delivered at a venue to be renamed after the event. The IVD proposed that its archives on violations, based on tens of thousands of interviews it carried out and cases studied, be opened to preserve the national memory for future generations. Amnesty International hailed the publication of the report as a watershed moment for Tunisia. Tunisias authorities must take concrete steps to implement the Truth Commissions recommendations and finally break the pattern of impunity that has marred human rights progress for decades, said Fida Hammami, Amnestys researcher on Tunisia. On March 19, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva held a general debate on racism. This was one of the items on the agenda of its 40th session, and it was the turn of NGOs to speak. Director of UN Watch Hillel Neuer spoke up on behalf of a partner association, Ingenieurs du monde (Engineers of the World). His aim was to denounce the repression conducted against Chinas Muslim minorities (Uyghurs, Kazakhs and Turkmens) in the autonomous Chinese region of Xinjiang as well as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperations silence or even praise for the Chinese authorities. Banging on the table, the Chinese government representative interrupted the speaker immediately, saying this meeting on racism in the world was not the place to talk about a specific case in a country. Her objection was overridden by the president of the Human Rights Council who let the NGO speak again. But the diplomat continued to interrupt noisily, repeating the same argument. This brought a call to order by the president, Coly Seck of Senegal, reminding Chinas representative that speakers may refer to specific situations and asking her not to disturb the discussions. VIDEO General debate on racism during the 40th ordinary session of the UN Human Rights Council Watch the video on UN Web TV This was the latest clear sign of the strategy adopted in Geneva by the Chinese delegation, which came in force for the main annual session of the HRC. Beijing deploys a whole panoply of strategies aimed at keeping its abuses away from the spotlight in international forums: mobilisation of friendly countries to praise the regime, pressure on other diplomats not to take part in meetings criticizing massive rights violations in China, interventions by NGOs under Beijings thumb. An exhibition vaunting great development of human rights in Xinjiang was even organized on the sidelines by the Chinese mission in Geneva and the China society for human rights studies. Strike force I have been following the work of the UN human rights bodies since 1980 and I have never seen at the Palais des Nations such a strike force deployed by a state to stifle criticism, said Adrien-Claude Zoller, director of Geneva for Human Rights, a non-governmental organization that provides training for civil society. John Fisher, the Geneva representative of Human Rights Watch, echoed Zollers words: I have never seen such strong pressure and intimidation on diplomats and NGOs from a government at the Human Rights Council. The American NGO denounced such practices back in 2017, but that has not stopped them at all. John Fisher gave another example from a meeting organized on the sidelines of the session by several countries including the United States. Following a damning testimony by Omir Bekali, a Kazakh who was detained for several months in Xinjiang, a Chinese representative intervened calling him a liar, and mentioning personal information about him. If that is not intimidation and veiled threats, I dont know what is, said Fisher. Fear of a commission of inquiry Zoller thinks the Chinese delegations restlessness was probably linked to fears of a resolution being tabled at the human rights council to establish a commission of inquiry into alleged human rights violations in Xinjiang. This had been called for by a broad coalition of NGOs before the March HRC session. In a statement in February, the coalition urged the Council to urgently adopt a resolution establishing an international fact-finding mission to investigate credible allegations that up to one million Turkic Muslims are being arbitrarily detained in `political education` camps across Xinjiang, a region in northwest China. This possibility has been cautiously evoked by Michelle Bachelet, High Commissioner for Human Rights. The former president of Chile said she wanted to continue the discussion with the Chinese government to allow an independent assessment of allegations of enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions, particularly in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Despite the blanket of silence imposed on Xinjiang since the riots that shook the autonomous region in 2009, the existence of large internment camps where an estimated one million Kazakhs, Turkmens and Uyghurs of the Muslim faith are reportedly detained is increasingly documented. Last September, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination published a report in which it expressed alarm at numerous reports of the detention of large numbers of ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, held incommunicado and often for long periods, without being charged or tried, under the pretext of countering religious extremism. The Committee regrets the lack of official data on how many people are in long-term detention or who have been forced to spend varying periods in political `re-education camps` for even non-threatening expressions of Muslim ethno-religious culture, such as a daily greeting. Estimates of the number of people detained range from tens of thousands to over a million. After first denying the existence of such camps, the Chinese government now says they are training and de-radicalization centres. In Geneva, Chinese vice foreign minister Le Yucheng continued to denounce as lies reports of abuses committed in these camps. Terrorist attacks and other troubling acts have been committed in this region, he said. With the support of the population, measures have been taken, notably the creation of these training centres which are not internment camps. The Chinese delegation invited anyone who wishes to visit Xinjiang to do so, provided they are honest and respect Chinas sovereignty. Turkey expresses concern The Muslim countries had nothing to say, except for Turkey. The Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu briefly declared in Geneva that the Rohingya crisis remained a situation of serious concern and also Chinas treatment of Uyghurs. The Chinese delegation predictably replied that this statement was baseless and unacceptable. A month earlier, a Turkish official had been more explicit. It is no secret that more than a million Uyghurs facing arbitrary detention are being subjected to torture and brainwashing in internment camps and prisons, declared Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy. He called this a shame on humanity and urged the UN to put an end to the human tragedy taking place in Xinjiang. Pakistan, speaking in Geneva on behalf of the OIC, did not express any concern. It even praised China for the care it takes of its Muslim citizens. During a press conference at the Palais des Nations on February 27, the Pakistani Minister for Human Rights tried to justify this position. According to Shireen Mazari, abuses committed against Muslim minorities in Xinjiang are essentially allegations by Westerners. Her government, she said, prefers to discuss these issues on a one-to-one basis as part of its cooperation with its Chinese counterparts. As a result, no resolution on China was finally tabled at the end of this session of the Human Rights Council. However, such a resolution, or even a simple declaration by States, is one of the essential steps to set in motion UN mechanisms for collecting evidence, according to John Fisher. This was clearly easier in the case of Myanmar, for which the HRC voted last September to create an investigation mechanism. This article contains an interview veteran data scientist, Dr Stylianos (Stelios) Kampakis, in which he discusses his career, and how he helps decision makers across a range of businesses understand how data science can benefit them. By Jo Stichbury, Freelance Technical Writer Introduction In this article, Im interviewing a veteran data scientist, Dr Stylianos (Stelios) Kampakis, about his career to date and how he helps decision makers across a range of businesses understand how data science can benefit them. While data science is a field showing immense growth at present, its somewhat nebulous in its description. I think theres a lot of uncertainty as to exactly what it is and how to apply it. Fortunately, Stelios is an expert data scientist with a mission to educate the public about the power of data science and AI. He is a member of the Royal Statistical Society, honorary research fellow at the UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies and CEO of The Tesseract Academy. A natural polymath, with a PhD in Machine Learning and degrees in Artificial Intelligence, Statistics, Psychology, and Economics he loves using his broad skillset to solve difficult problems and help companies improve their efficiency. The Interview Data Science is an increasingly popular career choice these days. Stelios, how did you come to work in the field, and how long have you been doing it? Well, thats an interesting question. Many people these days end up being data scientists solely because there are great job prospects. You see people having studied something completely different (e.g. chemistry), and then they educate themselves in data science using various online materials. My case was quite different. My first degree was in Cognitive Psychology, and I was planning to become an academic in the area of cognitive science, AI and neuroscience. I ended up spending more and more time in data analysis, until I decided to do an applied PhD in machine learning. This was the transition point for me, as I moved away from academia and into the industry. However, I would say that my involvement with the wider area of data and AI, has lasted more than 10 years, and started in my early university days. Of course, data science is a broad umbrella term. How would you break the field down into different subject areas? Do you have any preferences for any of them? Thats a great question, because not many people understand that. Before the term data science we had people working in distinct fields such as rules-based AI, machine learning, statistics, computational intelligence, etc. Data science as a term means I am doing stuff with data, and it is more of a term used to make it easier to sell these kinds of services, because understanding the subtle differences between the various schools of thought, is way too confusing for the uninitiated. In my book (The Decision Makers Handbook to Data Science) and workshop I explain that there are three main fields that have shaped data science: classic AI, machine learning and statistics. Classic AI is not so much around anymore in terms of techniques, but it has played a huge role in shaping part of the history of modern AI. I am one of the few people that have received training in all of these areas (and some more, e.g. computational intelligence). I dont have any particular preferences, and Ive done work using methods from all of them. However, if I had the possibility, I believe that the most fascinating opportunity would be to work on general AI. What is your advice for anyone wanting to get into data science? Hm, I think that getting into data science now is the easiest it has ever been. I know some people will disagree with me. I also know, that me and other people have spent countless hours in our education and training before we called ourselves data scientists, so it might not seem fair to say this. However, let me explain. I believe that there are three main layers of data science expertise. The expert: You have a wide coverage of most areas of data science, and can do research in the field, or propose new methods. This usually describes people with 7+ years of academic experience alongside a few years of industrial experience. The practitioner: You have some knowledge of how techniques work, know how to code and how to use some tools, but your knowledge is not very extensive. This describes people with some academic and industrial experience (e.g. an MSc degree). The tool user: You are familiar with some basic techniques, and know how to use some basic tools and libraries. These people might come from different fields (e.g. physics), and they may be good with using tools, but they may have somewhat limited coverage or understanding of some of the areas of data science. I think that most people that self-educate themselves are between the practitioner and the tool user archetypes. And in reality, the majority of jobs can be done by these people, as they dont require an excellent understanding of how methods work. We had seen a similar trend with software development. You had to really know about computer science in the past, if you were to code the simplest thing. Now, many software projects can be accomplished by people who have just spent a few months going through tutorials and using high level frameworks and platforms. This is not to say, however, that experts are not needed. They will just cover the upper end of the market. Do you have any thoughts on where we are heading in the future? What will the next 5 years look like? I believe we are going to see more of the same trends. Data science will expand across more and more verticals and more and more countries. Ive been doing work with companies from all over the world (from Egypt and Cyprus, to the US and Germany). Industries in all countries are trying to catch up with the trend, collect more data and make better use of it. We will keep seeing a shortage of data scientists, but it might not be as bad, given that (as I mentioned in the previous question), we will see the appearance of many data scientists with limited skills, who will be sufficiently good to solve most problems. Can you tell us about your upcoming event that covers data science and AI? Its coming up soon, on March 21st 2019, and is a workshop that covers everything a decision maker needs to know about data science, such as how to use data science in a company, or how to hire and manage data scientists. The motto of my company, The Tesseract Academy, is technology made simple. Most of the resources and events out there are either very technical, or very fluffy. The goal of the Tesseract Academy is to deliver training in this fine balance, that helps a decision maker understand what data science is about, and how it can be used, but without assuming that they will develop anything themselves. I have people from all backgrounds coming to the workshop. Investors (who want to learn more about the subject), recruiters (who want to understand more about how data scientists think), CEOs of scale-ups or startups and product managers. I think you recently published a book what is it about? It is the Decision Makers Handbook to Data Science. Much like the workshop, it is a high level overview of data science, and covers everything a decision maker needs to know about data science. It includes many case studies from my experience, as well as various examples from multiple industries. I also hand it over for free to the participants of the data science workshop It is available in PDF format from my blog, but also on all major e-book platforms (Kindle, PlayStore, iTunes, etc.) Finally, besides the resources you have published, what are your recommended go-to websites, books and courses? I guess this depends on what path of your learning journey you are in! I am working on releasing a new training program for aspiring data scientists called Datalyst. However, I, myself, am concerned with keeping up with the latest trends on research and the most cutting edge techniques. I am reading the blogs of all major companies doing research in AI (Uber, Google, Facebook, etc.). I am also reading the papers from all major conferences (ICML, NeurIPS, AI & Stats, etc.). Finally, there are some blogs and newsletters I am following, such as Data Elixir and Towards Data Science. In Conclusion Thanks Stelios, it was good to get some clarity from someone so clearly gifted with the ability of simple explanation, which is close to my heart! Ill look forward to find out more from your workshop in March, and wish you and all budding data scientists happy number crunching! Bio: Jo Stichbury is a senior software professional with 20 years experience and Freelance Technical Writer with interest in AI, data science, AR & VR, science and science education, software engineering and agile/lean development Original. Reposted with permission. Related: VF Corp. is adding skateboard and streetwear brand Supreme to its line of recreational apparel brands as people seek comfort and leisure wear during the pandemic. The parent company of Vans, Dickies, Timberland and The North Face on Monday announced plans to purchase Supreme in a $2.1 billion acquisition deal set to be completed before the end of the year. Founded in a New York skateboard shop in 1994, Supreme apparel has become popular with skateboarders, hip-hop fans and other Millennial and Gen Z youth cultures. In 2007, the Carlyle Group acquired half the company for $500 million. Over the years, VF and Supreme have routinely collaborated on products for VF's North Face, Timberland and Vans apparel lines. Both companies' leaders say the acquisition allows Supreme to leverage VF's expertise and resources, including its global supply chain, to maximize growth. VF says Supreme gives it "deeper access to attractive consumer segments that apply to many of VF's existing brands." VF CEO Steve Rendle says his company is the "ideal steward" for Supreme's unique brand and can provide it with the resources and insight "to enable sustainable long-term growth." "We are thrilled to welcome Supreme to the VF family and to build on our decades-long relationship as we create value for all of our stakeholders," Rendle said in a written statement. The news gave VF's stock price a notable boost following the opening bell on Monday before leveling out by midday. Alumni were recognized at a special pre-concert reception, as well as later in front of an audience of 800 in the auditorium at West Aurora High School. And the schools founder, the Rev. Dan Haas, a leading ecumenical pastor in the Fox Valley who also created the Aurora Prayer Coalition for victims of violence, was honored for his decades of service with Christian Covenant, the community and the Chicago area. TALENT, Ore. -- Southern Oregon Climate Action Now says that the City of Talent is leading the Rogue Valley in going solar. They say Solarize Oregon and the City of Talent have created a community-wide clean energy plan. They are inviting other regional residents and Pacific-Power customers to join them for an informational meeting tonight, at 6pm, at the Medford Library. Their hope is for Oregon to lead by example in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They say Pacific Power generates 60 percent of the power provided to the area from coal-fired plants. Southern Oregon Climate Action now would like to replace the electricity taken from the regional grid, with a clean solar source. WHITE CITY, Ore. A hiker was seriously injured and had to be airlifted to an area hospital after falling at Upper Table Rock on Monday, according to Ashley Blakely with Fire District 3. Details remain sparse at this time, however Blakely said that a report came in to emergency dispatch around 3:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon, reporting that a hiker had fallen some 20 feet at Upper Table Rock and was injured. Crews from Fire District 3 and Mercy Flights rushed to the scene and were able to extract the injured hiker from the slopes, securing him for transport. Blakely said that the patient would be airlifted to a local hospital, but their condition or the extent of the injuries remains unknown at this time. This is a developing story, and NewsWatch 12 will update the article with more details as they emerge. GOLD BEACH, Ore. A jet skier who went under the current of the Rogue River on Sunday remains missing at this time in spite of extensive search attempts, according to the Curry County Sheriff's Office (CCSO). Witnesses told CCSO that 37-year-old Jason James of Gold Beach had been testing out a pair of jet skis on Sunday along the Rogue River near Jim Hunt Creek with 25-year-old Thomas Morris, also of Gold Beach. When Morris' jet ski quit running "in the middle of the river," James stopped to help him but his own jet ski flipped over and he slipped into the river. A bystander reportedly tried to swim out and help James, but was unable to reach him. Soon James, Morris and the bystander were all out in the current of the Rogue. "It was reported that none of the three people had life vests on," CCSO said in a statement. Someone called 911 reporting a person in distress in the Rogue River, prompting CCSO deputies, search and rescue (SAR) teams, and emergency personnel from Oregon State Police and multiple fire departments to respond to the scene. "Two members of the Cedar Valley/North Bank Fire Department who live across the river witnessed the event and paddled their Kayaks over and were able to assist two of the three people back to shore," CCSO said. "Jason James had gone under water in the current and disappeared." Search and rescue divers searched under the surface while boats and a Gold Beach Fire crew with a jet ski searched the area. Meanwhile, CCSO said that deputies and fire crews lined both sides of the river, with a helicopter observing from the air. "A SAR member in his private boat used sonar scan to search the river bottom but by late evening, crews suspended the search due to poor light," CCSO said. The search continued on Monday in spite of rainy, overcast weather, but rescuers found no sign of James. Again on Tuesday, searchers set out to find James. Someone flew a drone overhead while crews continued to use boats and jet skis to scour the area. Searchers also used a private plane and a Life Flight helicopter to cover the entire river system from the point that James was last seen to the mouth of the Rogue River, including along the beach, CCSO said. As of the CCSO statement released on Tuesday afternoon, James' body remained missing. "This is a heartbreaking ordeal that affects our entire community and beyond. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Jason James and we hope that we will be able to find Jason so the family can have some closure," CCSO said. COOS BAY, Ore. The suspicious nature of a fire that consumed two structures along Highway 101 in Coos County on Saturday led investigators to suspect arson and make two arrests, according to Oregon State Police (OSP). Fire crews from a number of different agencies descended on the scene following reports of the fire, finding two separate but adjacent buildings in flames. According to OSP, the buildings were unoccupied at the time of the fire. Once firefighters were able to knock down the flames, crews found "several suspicious factors preceding the fire." At this point, they brought in the State Fire Marshal's office, the Southwestern Fire Investigation Team (SFIT) and the Oregon State Police Arson Unit. "Following an investigation into the origin and cause of the fire it was determined to be incendiary and intentionally set," OSP said. Investigators from the OSP Arson Unit and deputies from the Coos County Sheriff's Office eventually tracked the possible source of the fire to 26-year-old Andrew Eastep and 22-year-old Breanna Schuster. "After they were contacted and interviewed, they both admitted to stealing several items from the residence and property days before setting it on fire," OSP said. Officers arrested Eastep and Schuster, charging them with Burglary in the First Degree, Arson in the First Degree and Criminal Mischief in the First Degree. Additional charges are under consideration by the Coos County District Attorney's Office. Investigators were able to recover "a large amount of stolen property" and return it to the owners of the burned buildings. ASHLAND, OR-- Food is coming back out of the Standing Stone Brewery in Ashland this week. Scott Allen the General Manager at Standing Stone Brewery says, "I was called by our chef first thing on Tuesday morning and he was concerned there was no gas on the line for any of our cookware." Last Tuesday he was one of the many people that thought something was broken at his business. Most people didn't have hot water, heat and their stoves weren't working. Allen says, "I came down and stopped for coffee on my way in and I heard a buzz around the coffee shop that there were several people effected. Got a jist that it was a wider region thing that was going on. "The brewery, like many restaurants in Ashland closed their doors for the day. Dana Preston the Membership and Businesses Development Director at the Ashland Chamber of Commerce says, "we then tried to help reach out and let the broader community know here's what we know from our businesses." All week she has been working with the community and businesses about the outage. Preston says, "I mean Avista responded really quickly. We understand that their respond was first to the business community because they recognize the impact." Allen says, "oh us being closed could represent up to $1,000 dollars an hour of operational lose." Allen also says he was on the phone with Avista every hour on the hour Tuesday and Wednesday until their gas got turned back on. Allen says "they were here by 10 am to turn on the gas. I was glad I did that because there were several other businesses that didn't get their gas for another 26 hours in the plaza area." Now the community in Ashland and in Southern Oregon is wanting to help. Preston says, "we've had a couple people contact us saying who do you know that was impacted that we can go out and help support." Luckily the spring tourism season is just starting up. Which Allen says will bring a lot of support to businesses impacted. There are lots of ways to stretch your meals and use up every bit of the food you buy and prepare. From piling roasted vegetables into an omelet to using leftover potato chips as a breading for chicken, here are some smart moves when it comes to using up your leftovers. 186 Shares Share There comes a time in a doctors medical career when the demands of caring for patients is too much. To survive medicine, doctors put on armor so we can go into the battlefield of medicine and do the work we do. The armor is the walls and barriers we erect to maintain a safe distance from all that comes at us in the line of duty. Our armor may take the form of the white coat and stethoscope that defines us as the doctor and the person on the examining table as the patient. Behind our white coat and stethoscope, we keep our humanity at bay. We hide the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual exhaustion that comes with the MD after our name. We take on this authoritative persona that may manifest as cold, demanding and indifferent. Wearing this armor benefits not only the physician. It benefits medicine as a whole. It allows doctors to continue to serve their patients in the face of challenges and adversity. It gives doctors the ability to move from exam room to exam room. With our armor on, we are conditioned to give unfavorable test results to the patient in exam room one and move right along to the exam room two where a word of reassurance is all that is needed. The walls that we have built shield doctors from the feeling of helplessness when all medical interventions have been exhausted, and there is little left to offer the patient. It is how we can sit with the family after they have lost their loved ones and hide our pain until we find a more appropriate place to express it. Some doctors never do express it. Each doctor puts on her or his own armor. It shows up in different ways. But wearing this armor presents its own challenges. While it shields us from the pain, it separates us from the people of medicine. It distances us from the core of our being. Instead of building connections with people, numbness seeps in and pushes compassion and understanding away. This separation can be the gateway to criticism, demoralizing colleagues, workplace bullying and even patient dissatisfaction. The armor we design to protect us becomes the very thing that keeps doctors from living fully. Instead of connecting to one another and building meaningful relationships that support professional and personal growth, we stay disconnected and stuck in the struggle that has become common in medicine. 3 ways that your armor may be ruining your medical career 1. Your armor has taken over and is no longer serving your best interest if you start your day expecting the worse instead of living in positive expectation. You tell yourself that if you expect the worse, then you will not be disappointed. Holding this type of energy is wearing you down and keeping you drained. 2. Your armor has taken over and is no longer serving you if you feel detached from your patients, your colleagues, and your life. You are wearing your armor at times when it is no longer needed. While you maintain a professional distance with your patients and your colleagues, you are also disconnected from your passion and purpose. Instead of feeling energized by the work that you do, it takes all of your effort to get and stay motivated. 3. Your armor is holding you back if you tell the same story or complain about the same issues in medicine over and over. Your armor has taken the shape of the limiting beliefs that you have told over the years to keep you safe from the negative feedback and criticism that you have endured in medicine. Its chipped away at your confidence and blocked your ability to extrapolate the critical lessons that will allow you to find your next level of phenomenal. You have fallen into the trap of collecting evidence to support the frustration and struggle that keeps you feeling like a victim instead of being empowered to make the shifts needed to live into all you are meant to be. It does not have to be this way. To reveal and reconnect to your greatest self, doctors must be willing to peel back their armor and release the struggle. It is a process that takes time and consistent effort. The rewards are invaluable. Stephanie Wellington is a physician and can be reached at Nurturing MDs. Image credit: Shutterstock.com WASHINGTON, D.C. -- An Oregon politician is reacting to the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller's report. Congressman Peter DeFazio said it's crucial that Mueller's report is released to the American people as quickly as possible. As for the findings that President Donald Trump did not collude with the Russians, DeFazio said he needed more information. "I don't think it's adequate at all for Congress or for the American people," DeFazio said. DeFazio said that after over two years of investigation, a four-page report released by Attorney General William Barr over the weekend doesn't cut it and that the House of Representatives is overwhelmingly behind releasing the full report. "The House has voted unanimously, democrats and republicans, that this report should be released with minimal redactions," DeFazio said. DeFazio said it's not only the House of Representatives that think this report should be released. "So, you have the unanimous House of Representatives, I don't know if the Senate has taken a position, and the President of the United States saying it should be released," DeFazio said. "That seems like a slam dunk to me." DeFazio also said he thinks releasing Mueller's full report will help shed light the findings that President Trump did not collude with Russia in the 2016 election, even though according to DeFazio, several people were indicted or convicted for lying about their contact with the Russians. Eugene, Ore.--The Federal ban on bump stocks is going into effect Tuesday. Gun owners had 90 days to throw away or destroy their bump stocks, and Tuesday is the deadline. RELATED: Urgent - Trump administration officially bans bup stocks Last year, President Trump called on the Justice Department to outlaw the devices after a gunman in Las Vegas unleashed rounds from 24 guns, killing 58 concertgoers and injuring more than 500. The Justice Department issued a ruling, declaring an existing ban on fully automatic weapons, that would also apply to bump stocks. Gun owners are able to drop off their bump stocks at their local Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives office, but by appointment only. Two of Kilkennys Fishwives from the award winning Cookbook were honoured to make the trip to Paris last week as they took part in a huge come-together of the international food & drinks cultural network at the first Gourmand World Summit. Head Fishwife Mag Kirwan of Goatsbridge Trout accompanied by fellow Fishwife Siobhan Donohoe represented Ireland at the Summit. Over 200 countries and WINNERS from the last 3 years of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards attended the exhibition at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Among them were 2000 VIPs representing Ambassadors, publishers, authors, chefs, distributors, agents, photographers, food and tourism journalists, bloggers, influencers, winemakers, designers and TV producers. Mag Kirwan of Goatsbridge Trout Farm said it was an extraordinary opportunity to represent Ireland and to see how our Fishwives Cookbook is still being recognised internationally among the best Cookbooks in the World. This Cookbook has taking us on some journey, from Uganda, to China and to Paris and believe me the journey is not over yet. She added This was also an extraordinary opportunity to network, meet friends from the 2017 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, and to be part of something incredible - an opportunity of a lifetime! The Fishwives were invited to be part of the first Gourmand World Summit which was held in the famous UNESCO building - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization that seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture. As part of the Summit they also attended the International Village of Gastronomy at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. This food festival was also making history as the idyllic plot of land it was held on had only once ever being used by the public before and that was to host a fashion show by French fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent. Speaking of fashion and food the Kilkenny business women did not miss an opportunity to showcase Kilkenny on their Paris trip, they brought presents of Goatsbridge Trout to the members of the Summit as well as custom madeberets from Kilkennys Lady Lornas Design Emporium for the famous Australia 4ingredients ladies, who wore them with pride! Mag Kirwan said as well as networking the trip was also very important from a business point of view. She said the cat is not out of the bag yet but we are working on bringing the Best of the Best international food writers to Ireland. Watch this space, something extraordinary is unfolding. Gourmand World Cookbook Awards was founded in 1995 by Edouard Cointreau and honours the best food and wine books, printed or digital. The internationally recognised awards is recognize outstanding contributions to food and drink writing across the globe and are regarded as the Oscars of Culinary Publishing, celebrating international food culture across all platforms. The founder and president Edouard Cointreau is from the Cointreau liqueur family aswell as the Cognacs Frapin and Remy Martin. Fishwives the Cookbook won two world titles at the Gourmand World Awards in China in 2017, when it was crowned Best Fish and Seafood book in the world and Best Charity-Africa, but at the same time this unique cookbook is all about raising awareness for Hospice Africa Uganda. The cookbook Fishwives, was created in less than a year after Mag Kirwan of Goatsbridge Trout came up with the idea to write a cookbook in aid of charity Hospice Africa Uganda. Goatsbridge, self-published the book to celebrate trout, Irelands so-called forgotten fish, with proceeds going to Hospice Africa Uganda (HAU), a charity that is helping thousands of sick and dying in Africa have a pain-free, dignified death. Kirwan is pleased to say that no costs are being kept for the publication or printing of the book, every cent that the consumer spends on the book will be go to Hospice Uganda. After Mag visited Uganda with her husband Ger and seeing first-hand the plight of the people, they agreed that it was vital for no costs or return to be taken. She says to be highlighting the merits of trout and supporting this amazing charity at the same time is so humbling. This exquisite book contains 78 recipes 70 featuring trout. Contributors include well known chefs, food writers and bloggers in Ireland - Darina Allen, Clodagh McKenna, Suzanne Campbell, Lucinda OSullivan, Sally McKenna, Georgina Campbell, Clodagh McKenna, Caroline Hennessy, Aoife Ryan and Sofie Skehan, wife of celebrity chef Donal Skehan. Other contributors are: Former Tanaiste and Progressive Democrats leader, Mary Harney, much loved ex-RTE star Bibi Baskin, Presenter of the RTE One TV Ear to the Ground Programme Helen Carroll, newly appointed Chief Executive of Bord Bia Tara McCarthy, Julie Calder Potts of Highbank Orchards, and Mary Morrissey and Helen King, also of Bord Bia. Recipes in the book range from trout caviar cocktails to fish curries, pies and salads. Kirwans four sisters, Miriam, Louise, Joanne and Cathy as well as her sister in law Siobhan Donohoe, have all contributed recipes. Miriam (Donohoe) volunteered with Hospice Africa Uganda in Kampala for eight months in 2016 and is currently revisiting it to volunteer this month. Hospice Africa Uganda was founded by the inspirational 83-year-old Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr. Anne Merriman, in 1991. It has helped make a difference at end-of-life to almost 30,000 seriously ill and dying patients since its foundation. Merriman says Irish people have been hugely supportive of our charity over the years. We are striving to ensure that no one in Africa dies in pain and discomfort, and we cannot do it without the generosity and support of donors. I hope this book is a sell-out. Winning global awards is so well deserved and it will help spread the message of what we do on a world stage also. Goatsbridge Trout Farm produces trout caviar and high-quality rainbow trout products including cold smoked and hot smoked trout, which sells under the Eat Trout brand. Fishwives is available to buy on goatsbridgetrout.ie for only 20. The publication of the 20 million Slaintecare Integration Fund will support the delivery of community healthcare in Kilkenny, according to Junior Minister, John Paul Phelan, TD. The fund will be open to applications from both the public and voluntary sectors and will focus on testing new models of care with a focus on community care. Successful applications will facilitate a shift in care to the community or provide measures to help people avoid hospital. This is a really exciting opportunity for health and social care sectors here in Kilkenny to pitch their ideas to Slaintecare. The Integration Fund is looking for initiatives that help support us in meeting our ultimate goal of reducing waiting lists and reducing waiting times. I encourage local interested parties to check out the guide to the application process on the Department of Health website. Weve a long history of firsts in Kilkenny. We were one of the first to develop the GP on-call, out of hours service. Our A&E was one of the first to develop a dedicated medical assessment unit. The entirety of the 20m Integration Fund has to be spent in 2019 so this is a great opportunity for local health services to demonstrate leadership and help realise the aims of Slaintecare implementation." An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: Slaintecare is our ten year cross party plan to significantly improve and modernise the health service. However, we certainly dont think we have a monopoly on good ideas, and we now want to hear directly from health and social care providers on how we can better provide care in the community. Through this 20m Integration Fund, we can put good ideas into action and share best practice to help care for people closer to home and keep them out of hospital. Minister for Health, Simon Harris said: Slaintecare will reform Irelands health and social care service to create a modern, responsive service that offers the right care, in the right place, at the right time. Central to this is our goal to shift the majority of care from the acute to the community setting in order to bring care closer to home for service users. Today, we are asking those within the health and social care sector at large to pitch their ideas to help deliver this Slaintecare goal. Finding, supporting and scaling innovative new ways of providing care is fundamental to delivering Slaintecare, the Fine Gael Minister said. Applications are to be submitted via email to PitchToSlaintecare@health.gov. ie. Mooncoin singing legend, Darren Holden was sitting in his hotel bedroom in Annapolis, Maryland when he got a call from fellow High Kings band member, Brian Dunphy, ordering to come down to an Irish themed pub in the centre of the US city. A photo hanging on the wall of the bar was to provide Darren with a history lesson on his own family and one of the highlights of the sold-out tour of the United States by the folk super group. It also brought back memories of the black and white still that he hadn't seen since he was a child. The picture was taken in the summer of 1921 in Tullamore, County Offaly. It shows his paternal great grandfather, James Byrne on the street playing the uileann pipes with a staff for support. He was a travelling musician who was popularly known as Jem and his life style may explain from where Darren brought the love of music and performing. It's amazing that I came over to Maryland, to the Fado Irish Pub in the state capital of Annapolis to see a photo of my great grandfather playing the pipes, he said. Darren will return from the America today (Wednesday) after being away from home for five weeks on the High kings 10th anniversary tour, playing allover the States where they received rave reviews and had the sold-out signs on almost every auditorium they played. The High Kings US Tour began in Memphis this Saturday, February 23 and finished in Helena, Montana on Sunday night. The tour covered some old favourite locations as well as some brand new ones. The High Kings are hugely successful and were formed in Dublin in 2008. The band consists of Darren along with Finbarr Clancy, Brian Dunphy, and George Murphy. By June 2016, the group had released four studio albums, two live albums, and two live DVDs. Their first three studio albums appeared at number three or higher on the Billboard world music chart,] the first two went platinum in Ireland and all of their albums charted in Ireland. Their latest, The Best of the high kings has also sold very well. After the release of their first album, the new group moved from a highly staged format to a more natural performance style. Their third album Friends for Life contains traditional Irish songs, as well as some original songs. Since the inception of the band, The High Kings has toured Ireland, the United States, and Europe on multiple occasions. Together they play 13 instruments during their performances. The group's motto is Folk 'n Roll, and their singing is especially noted for its close harmonies. The citys western environs including the Wetlands, Poulgour, and Drakelands Lower has been christened with a new name as work gets under way to deliver the new neighbourhood there. Breagagh Valley was the name put forward by Kilkenny County Councils infrastructure naming committee, and it received the backing of local councillors at a council meeting yesterday (Monday). Director of services Tim Butler told the meeting that the area in the west would accommodate up to 3,500 houses, three schools and more, encompassing three distinct townlands. Three other pieces of public infrastructure were also given names with the members support, despite the fact that two of them are not yet in existence. The new road which runs through the former mart site from Wolfe Tone Street to the Castlecomer Road will be known as Old Mart Street. Kilkenny Co-Op has been consulted and indicated support for the name, suggested at a recent meeting by Cllr David Fitzgerald. The new road due to be constructed between the Callan Road and Circular Road as part of the LIHAF scheme will be known as William Robertson Way. William Robertson (born in Kilkenny in 1770) was an architect who lived in the area near Rosehill , and was responsible for the appearance of many of Kilkennys notable buildings. A seven-hectare park, proposed to be built as part of the new neighbourhood in the west, will be called Father Tommy Maher Park. Much of the land in the area was or still is owned by St Kierans College, and Fr Maher attended there and taught there, as well as having guided Kilkenny to seven All-Ireland wins. It was the latter two names that raised the eyebrows of Cllr David Kennedy, who said while he had no issue with the choices, it was a bit premature to name the road and park at this stage. We are naming stuff before its even built, he said. I just find it a bit ridiculous. Cllr David Fitzgerald said it was more than appropriate as infrastructure comes on stream to attach a name. He said it was great to see other councillors happy to support the proposed names, and he was delighted the western environs names has now been ditched. Cllr Melissa O Neill asked whether the proposed names should have been the subject of public consultation. Director of services Tim Butler said that in the naming policy adopted by members, each name is not required to go to public consultation. It was felt a consultation was appropriate for naming the St Francis Bridge, but not in this case. LIMA/HONG KONG, March 26 (Reuters) - Chinese miner MMG Ltd on Tuesday said it expected to declare force majeure on contracts for copper from its Las Bambas deposit in Peru, hit by a weeks-long blockade by an indigenous community. MMG, controlled by state-owned China Minmetals Corp Ltd, said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange that it expected production at the site to be "progressively impacted" from later this week. "Consequently, force majeure will be declared under sales contracts," it said, without giving further detail on the contracts that would be affected. Las Bambas is one of Peru's biggest copper mines, with about 385,000 tonnes in output last year. The move comes after the indigenous community's second-in-command said on Monday that it would not take part in negotiations aimed at ending its blockade of a road used by MMG until its leader is freed from jail. Edison Vargas, the vice president of Fuerabamba, said by phone that the arrests last week of the community's president and lawyers on accusations of extortion were groundless and aimed to delegitimize their complaints. Fuerabamba wants MMG to pay it for using a stretch of road on its farmland, accusing the company of building it to transport copper from its Las Bambas mine without the community's permission. The company denies those allegations and has said it remains open to dialogue. "Our primary focus remains on ensuring the health, safety and security of our employees, contractors and the community," MMG CEO Gao Xiaoyu said in Tuesday's filing to the Hong Kong bourse. "The company will continue to pursue active dialogue with Fuerabamba and other community representatives, as well as the authorities, to seek a safe and peaceful resolution to current concerns," Gao added. The arrests have triggered an outcry from other communities in Peru's southern copper belt, threatening to broaden a protest that has prevented Las Bambas' copper output from being shipped to market for more than a month. The mayors of six districts in the province where Las Bambas is located, Cotabambas, have signed a declaration condemning the "criminalization" of local leaders and calling on MMG and the government to make good on previous commitments to communities in the region. The government of President Martin Vizcarra did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It previously denied it was behind the arrests of Gregorio Rojas, Fuerabamba's president, or Fuerabamba's lawyers, the brothers Jorge and Frank Chavez. Peru's police department did not respond to requests for comment on Monday. The police have accused Rojas and the Chavez brothers of belonging to a criminal organization that deals in extortion, but have not yet publicly detailed the evidence against them. MMG said protests near the entrance to the Las Bambas mine were disrupting personnel transport, as well as inbound and outbound logistics. Peru, the world's No. 2 copper producer, is rife with conflicts over mining, especially in remote provinces where international companies operate alongside farming communities. (Reporting by Mitra Taj in Lima and Donny Kwok in Hong Kong; Editing by Peter Cooney and Joseph Radford) Evergreen Park police declined to release any information about the motive for the alleged assault or how it was carried out. They also declined to say how all four individuals knew each other or what brought them together before the alleged assault happened. HONG KONG, March 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Federal Reserve policymakers will look at the scale of the slowdown in the Chinese and European economies to determine any possible impact on Fed policy, Charlie Evans, president of the Chicago Fed, said in Hong Kong on Tuesday. "It depends a lot on how large the slowdown would be in China, and how big the headwinds would be from European deceleration as well," he said at an event hosted University of Chicago. He noted recent instances where uncertainties in the two economies influenced Fed policy. "We were about ready to start raising rates then additional uncertainty pushed us off until December 2015," he said. "And then the uncertainty of 2016 made us wait again until end of 2016." Eric Rosengren, president of the Boston Fed, said at the same event policymakers are "really focused on domestic economic conditions generally in the United States," but "to the extent that it does affect the United States, we fully take that into account." (Reporting by Noah Sin; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) 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! Gold has eased on liquidation from traders disappointed the market couldnt accelerate to the upside, says Afshin Nabavi, head of trading at MKS (Switzerland) SA. As of 8:33 a.m. EDT, spot metal was $5.85 lower to $1,315.95 an ounce. There does not appear to be any fresh news driving the move, Nabavi says. The fact we didnt break $1,322ish is bringing in some light liquidation, he says. The market poked just above this but could not hold. Nabavi adds that soft U.S. economic data first thing Tuesday morning could limit further downside. U.S. housing starts fell 8.7% last month. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com Commerzbank: Platinum ETF Holdings Hit Record High Holdings of platinum by exchange-traded funds have hit a record high but prices are not rising much, says Commerzbank. Analysts cite Bloomberg data showing that platinum ETFs posted inflows of 92,000 ounces Monday. Platinum ETFs have thus registered inflows of 220,000 ounces since the start of last week and of 600,000 ounces since the beginning of the year, Commerzbank says. Yesterdays inflow has put holdings at a record high, yet the platinum price has hardly reacted at all in recent months. Apparently the inflows are not being regarded as a sign of robust demand. Instead, it seems as if surplus material is being merely parked in the ETFs at present. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com BMO: 'We Expect Volatility In The Gold Price This Week' BMO Capital Markets looks for volatility in gold in the near term. Analysts point out that the yellow metal hit a several-week high Monday amid economic-growth worries and recessionary concerns, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note falling to its lowest level since December 2017. Data continues to signal a slowing economy with the Dallas Fed Texas manufacturing outlook survey showing falling new orders and a decline in the shipment index, BMO says. With U.S. trade figures released on Wednesday, as well as jobless claims and 4Q18 GDP growth on Thursday, we expect volatility in the gold price this week. Seasonally-adjusted data from the UK Finance industry body showed banks approved 35,299 mortgages last month, the smallest number since April 2013 when Britain was still suffering the after-effects of the global financial crisis. The value of net mortgage lending increased by 711 million pounds ($936 million), the smallest rise since April 2016 and around half the size of increases in much of last year. The figures added to signs of a weakening in Britain's housing market ahead of Brexit. Overall consumer credit growth also slowed, rising by 3.8 percent compared with February last year, the smallest increase since October, the UK Finance data showed. ($1 = 0.7593 pounds) (Reporting by William Schomberg, editing by David Milliken) * FTSE 100 up 0.3 pct, mid-caps up 0.5 pct* Ocado at record high on partnership deal* Housebuilders gain after HSBC upgrades* Carnival slumps on reduced profit target * ConvaTec surges on M&A talks (Recasts, adds company news items, quote, updates prices) By Shashwat Awasthi and Muvija M March 26 (Reuters) - London's main index bounced back from two sessions of losses as exporters were boosted by a strong dollar while oil companies rose on higher crude prices and Ocado surged to a record high on its latest partnership deal. The FTSE 100 added 0.3 percent, lagging behind European peers as Brexit uncertainties kept a lid on gains, while the FTSE 250 firmed by 0.5 percent. After British lawmakers on Monday wrested control of the parliamentary agenda from the government for a day in the hope of breaking the Brexit deadlock, two eurosceptic lawmakers indicated they might support Prime Minister Theresa May's EU divorce deal rather than risk parliament cancelling the exit. Sterling gained after that, with parliament poised to conduct indicative votes on a range of options on Wednesday. Dublin's main index , seen as a barometer of Brexit mood, also recovered from initial losses to register a 0.2 percent gain. However, CMC Markets analyst David Madden emphasised that there was still no clarity on how, when or even if the UK would leave the European bloc. He said that had led to housebuilders , which are considered particularly sensitive to Brexit-related news, giving up some of the early gains and prompted losses in financial stocks including Barclays and Lloyds . Homebuilders had initially rallied on bullish comments on the sector and rating upgrades from HSBC. Leading gains on the main index were internationally focused stocks, such as Diageo , GlaxoSmithKline and Reckitt Benckiser , lifted by a stronger dollar as U.S. benchmark 10-year yields recovered from 15-month lows. Also supporting the index were oil majors Shell and BP as their share prices tracked a rally in crude oil. Online grocer Ocado rose 4.1 percent to a record high after signing a partnership deal with Australia's Coles Group in its fifth major overseas tie-up in less than 18 months. London-listed shares in Carnival , the world's largest cruise operator, slumped by 8.5 percent after it cut its annual profit forecast on an expected hit from higher fuel prices and a stronger dollar. Ferguson , meanwhile, slid 7.2 percent on its worst day in nearly three years after the heating and plumbing equipment supplier said it expected trading profit for the year to be towards the lower end of analyst expectations. Mid-cap housebuilder Crest Nicholson added 5 percent after naming Galliford Try's Peter Truscott as chief executive. Galliford dipped 2.4 percent. Medical devices maker ConvaTec jumped 6 percent - its biggest one-day gain in more than a year - after Swedish business daily Dagens Industri said that several players were running the numbers for a possible buyout. (Reporting by Shashwat Awasthi and Muvija M, additional reporting by Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru; Editing by Jon Boyle and David Goodman) 223 3403; outside U.S. +91 80 6749 3403; Reuters Messaging: rm://shashwat.awasthi.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))UK hot stocks: [HOT and GB] Wall Street: Gilts report: Euro bond report Pan European stock report: Tokyo stocks: HK stocks: Sterling report: Dollar report:* For company prices, click on -* Company directory: By sector:* For pan-European market data, click on -* European Equities speed guide................ FTSE Eurotop 300 index........................... DJ STOXX index................................... Top 10 STOXX sectors........................ Top 10 EUROSTOXX sectors................... Top 10 Eurotop 300 sectors.................. Top 25 European pct gainers.................... Top 25 European pct losers..................... )) The Herald reports: Images and video taken at the emergency conference of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC), show Peters, who is 74, with his head slumped and eyes closed for extended periods of time. He did not, however, deny being asleep. It is not the first time Peters has appeared to nod off at meetings. Last week, Peters sat with his eyes closed and his head down at times while Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and a contingent of Ministers and MPs met Muslim community leaders following the mosque terror attacks in Christchurch. A few weeks before that, Peters eyes were closed during a Security and Intelligence select committee hearing, also attended by Ardern. Groth said the table is available to anyone in the community, and not just Guerin students and alumni. She said she wanted to become president after seeing the hard work and dedication shown to her by the seniors who graduated last year. South Korea's customs agency has set up a temporary task force, with China, the Philippines and other regional partners, to crack down illegal shipments of waste, an official said Monday. Participants plan to discuss ways to effectively deal with cases of transboundary movements of waste at an Operational Control Unit in southern Seoul, said Woo Je-guk, an official handling the issue at the official of the Korea Customs Service. Delegations from Bangladesh, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam took part in a joint campaign that is set to end on Friday. South Korea plans to inform seven other countries and international organizations Afghanistan, Australia, Cambodia, India, Japan, Maldives and Singapore, as well as the U.N. Environment Program and the Secretariat of the Basel Convention of the results of this week's meetings as part of regional efforts to combat illegal shipments of waste, Woo said. The Basel Convention, a multilateral environmental agreement that went into force in 1992, is meant to combat, among other things, toxic trade. (Yonhap) The owners of these parcels, Richard Fisher of The Autobarn and Oscar Tatosian of Oscar Isberian Rugs, are longtime Evanston business owners who are considering redeveloping their combined 66,594 square-feet properties. Both business owners have said they plan to stay on Chicago Avenue and could occupy parts of any new building if redevelopment goes forward. The main issue they and Illinois have from the data we have seen is not a need for more trains, but rather a need for an extra car on their rush hour trains to address some that are standing room only, Owen said. Benveniste noted that Gloria lives a very, very sheltered life in the zoo. When she is released in the wild, she can kind of be who she is naturally big hips, boom-boom when she walks. She likes to lay down and fan herself and put her toes in the sand. Shes also a very feminine hippo. She likes to do her nails and her toes, and she wears makeup. Saving Sadie: Come meet Sadie, a dog no one wanted who ended up inspiring the world. A presentation about Sadie's story and a meet and greet after take place, so everyone can see that despite her limitations, Sadie is a happy, healthy dog, so worthy of love. All ages are welcome to attend. Sadie's story delivers a strong anti-bullying message and reminds kids and adults everywhere: "Think about what you can do, not what you cannot do just like me!" 2 p.m. Sunday, Antioch Public Library District, 757 Main St., Antioch, free, 847-395-0874. Unfortunately, these types of telephone scams arent going away, and we know it can be very unnerving to be on the receiving end of one of these calls, Son said in a press release. These scammers can sound very convincing and are oftentimes quite persistent and even threatening. Just remember to never give personal or banking information over the phone. According to police, officers responded to the intersection of Austin Boulevard and Roosevelt Road at 2:30 p.m. March 24 for a report of shots fired. Police said when they arrived, they found a 43-year-old Chicago man with a wound to his arm in front of an apartment building in the 1100 block of Austin Boulevard in Oak Park. Court filings in December admitted that evidence was lacking to convict Buncich on three counts of wire fraud, and Hollar, in court documents, said at the time that Buncich should be resentenced and the court should vacate the convictions on three of the wire fraud counts, but the others should stand. The gorgeous Surbhi Chandna, who rose to prominence with her popular character Anika in the much-celebrated Star Plus Ishqbaaaz, is quite a social media sensation. The actress, who has garnered popularity for her unique style of acting, enjoys whopping millions of followers on popular social sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Surbhi is also quite active on her social media accounts and never fails to impress her fans with her exceptional sartorial choices. The diva is definitely reaching new peaks with her glamour quotient and the jaw-dropping pictures on her Instagram handle is a proof! Hot Pic Alert! Surbhi Chandna Posts a Flirty Throwback Photo From Her Swiss Holidays Post her exit from Ishqbaaaz, Surbhi, who is currently enjoying her sabbatical from the daily soaps, has been traveling extensively- from England to the snow-clad mountains and her Instagram feed is all about her fancy vacay pictures. On Monday, the actress took to the photo-sharing app to share a throwback picture on social media from her recent vacation to Switzerland. In the picture, Surbhi can be seen capturing the perfect touristy selfie and we totally loved it, don't we? HOT Alert! Surbhi Chandna Aka Ishabaazs Anika Is Hotness Personified in This Sexy FHM Indias March 2019 Girlfriend Video Take a look! View this post on Instagram Touristy SelFie A post shared by Surbhi Chandna (@officialsurbhic) on Mar 25, 2019 at 1:39am PDT On the personal front, the actress is rumoured to be dating someone in real life. Yes, the actress is reportedly in love with a heartthrob named Karan Sharma; they are in a long distance relationship. Going by the pictures of the two on social media, the two seem to be totally in love with each other. On the professional front, the beloved TV star was appreciated for her on-screen chemistry with Nakuul Mehta in Ishqbaaaz. The new season of Ishqbaaz premiered on December 17, 2018. Stay tuned to this space for further updates. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 26, 2019 09:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Federal judges in California are cracking down on warped incentives in class-action lawsuits, exerting tighter oversight of settlements that provide hefty fees for plaintiff lawyers but no meaningful benefit for those harmed by corporate misdeeds. A recent example was the proposed $50-million settlement over a customer-data breach at Yahoo Inc. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh blocked that settlement, saying a request by plaintiffs lawyers for an additional $37.5 million in compensation for their work on the case was excessive. She also criticized Yahoo for a lack of transparency about how many people were affected and for trying to use the deal to avoid liability in an unrelated breach. Kohs actions epitomize new court guidelines in San Francisco and Silicon Valley that require more justification for class-action settlements in California, a state with some of the toughest consumer-protection laws. Judges are nixing more deals, including some with companies such as Uber Technologies Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co. The increased scrutiny may mean fewer settlements and more cases going to trial. Advertisement The rules are to ensure that class members are adequately protected, said Neal Marder, an attorney with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in Los Angeles. Lawyers come up with clever ways to settle a case that isnt always in the best interest of the class. Granting class-action status to a lawsuit is supposed to put more power in the hands of the little guy. It allows a single plaintiff to sue on behalf of a larger group of people who were harmed by the same act but may have little incentive to take a company to court over a relatively small claim. Some class actions work as intended, such as when Volkswagen agreed to spend $10 billion in 2016 to buy back 500,000 vehicles with polluting diesel engines. The vast majority are settled once they are elevated from individual claim to class action. Most businesses want to avoid going to trial, where they risk losing in a huge jury verdict. But when companies settle, some of their deals provide no tangible benefits for the people the suits were intended to help. Short sandwiches In one noteworthy 2016 case involving Subway sandwich shops prompted by a teenage customer who was sold an 11-inch-long sandwich rather than the 12 inches the company advertised the U.S. appeals court in Chicago derided a class-action settlement as utterly worthless. The Subway deal called for each restaurant to achieve better bread-length uniformity on all its foot-long sandwiches. Plaintiffs lawyers sought $520,000 in fees for negotiating the settlement with Subway, even though most customers understand that variations in bread-making mean sandwiches may not be exactly 12 inches long, the court ruled. It said such deals amounted to rackets for lawyers. Even when agreements call for a more tangible damage award, such as cash, most class members dont end up with anything. A 2013 study by Mayer Brown, at the request of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, looked at 148 class-action suits filed in 2009 and found that when people have to file a claim to participate in a settlement, very few bothered to do it, with responses in some cases below 1%. In November, the federal court in Northern California updated guidelines for proposed class-action settlements, giving judges more leeway to reject deals that dont deliver for the group of intended beneficiaries. Among the new rules: Parties must provide a lot more information about how the amount of the settlement was reached and how, specifically, theyll make sure class members get their share. Judges will want a genuine assessment of the value of the case, said Thomas Loeser, an attorney with plaintiff law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro in Seattle. The new guidelines will make all class settlements better because judges will be equipped to detect marginal cases. Judges also are looking more closely at the non-monetary portion of a proposed deal, which may mean corporate defendants will pay more to settle strong cases and will fight more of the weaker ones, Loeser said. As a result, more could end up at trial. Consumer advocates In class actions, judges arent just impartial referees. Theyre obligated to represent the interest of class members who arent participating in the litigation but still stand to benefit from a settlement. Federal judges Edward Chen and Richard Seeborg, who sit on the court in San Francisco, said in January that the updated guidelines give them more tools to vet class-action deals. During a forum at the University of San Diego School of Law, the judges said they were particularly keen to get more specific details about what will happen after they approve a settlement and how the parties will ensure that as many people as possible participate. Theres a lot that we dont know, for example, about claims administration, Seeborg said. Class-action payout rates tend to be very low because most people dont understand the notices they get about the settlement or simply dont believe them, said Elizabeth Cabraser, an attorney with Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, one of the plaintiffs lawyers in the Volkswagen class action. A good settlement is like any other good product you need to market it, Cabraser said. Cases involving people who bought flawed products at a retail outlet can be challenging because finding each one is time-consuming and expensive, Cabraser said. The new guidelines will give plaintiffs lawyers more leverage to demand that defendants make more of an effort to identify class members, she said. The more aggressive rules in Northern California could be copied in other federal districts, though they may already be having an effect, said Michael Brody, co-chair of the class action practice at Jenner & Block in Chicago. Corporate defendants may need to sweeten the pot more to ensure settlements please judges, he said. Negotiating a settlement that looks good for the defendant isnt good if it doesnt get approved, Brody said. Direct Lending Investments founder Brendan Ross attracted hundreds of millions of dollars from investors with the help of an impressive track record: consistent profits of about 1% a month, without fail. It turns out those numbers were too good to be true, according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The regulator sued Direct Lending on Friday, accusing it of inflating annual returns by about 2% to 3% for years. Direct Lending, based in Glendale, competes with banks by financing loans with money it raises from investors. At the center of the SECs case are allegations that Ross urged a key business partner to alter loan data, giving the false impression that borrowers were repaying their debts. Masking losses? Ross knowingly engaged in a multiyear scheme to mask the poor performance of one of the funds largest investments, the SEC said in its lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles. The agency is seeking to have a receiver appointed to take over the fund and preserve its assets. In a Monday statement, the SEC said its investigation is ongoing. Advertisement Jahan Raissi, a lawyer for Ross, said that the founder unequivocally denies the allegations and believes the regulators lawsuit contains factual inaccuracies. Yasser Ahmad, Direct Lendings head of investor relations, said the company reported the matter itself and is cooperating with the agency. SEC spokeswoman Judith Burns declined to comment. Direct Lending, an early investor in whats known as peer-to-peer loans, reported as recently as November that it had $758 million in assets. (Peer-to-peer lenders are online firms that offer loans to consumers and small businesses, then sell those loans to investors.) But Direct Lending has been in turmoil since last month, when Ross disclosed the default of a borrower representing a quarter of the firms assets. Ross then quit March 18 after Direct Lending found evidence that the valuations of another investment may have been materially overstated. The firm reported its conclusions to regulators. Those valuations tied to Direct Lendings investment in online small-business lender QuarterSpot Inc. are the focus of the SECs complaint. Unmade payments From 2014 to 2018, Ross emailed QuarterSpots principals, urging them to falsely report to Direct Lending that borrowers made hundreds of monthly payments when, in fact, they had not, according to the SEC. The misconduct enabled Direct Lending to avoid recognizing losses on its QuarterSpot investment and to make $11 million in undeserved fees, the regulator said. More loans are going late each month than I can afford and still have normal returns, so that the can we are kicking down the road is growing in size, Ross wrote in one 2015 email quoted in the SEC suit. The agency said it wants Direct Lending to pay an unspecified fine and return all illicit profits to investors. Raissi, Ross lawyer, said the QuarterSpot investment peaked in 2017 and has since declined to about $2 million, an immaterial position for the fund. Despite the salacious allegations regarding the QuarterSpot investment, payments were made on the loans, he said. We believe a quantitative analysis will show that owning the QuarterSpot loans was profitable for investors. The SEC didnt sue QuarterSpot or its management. The company didnt return a phone call seeking comment. Lending boom Founded in 2012, Direct Lending has been part of a boom in alternative asset managers that make loans to midsize companies, filling a gap left by banks after the 2008 financial crisis. The return numbers the firm reported were incredibly smooth. It reported gains every month through at least November 2018, according to an investor letter seen by Bloomberg. Its assets increased about tenfold from 2014 to 2016, Ross said on a podcast hosted by Lend Academy in 2016. Ross initially focused on loans to small businesses and then branched out into making larger loans to companies that were in the business of lending, such as QuarterSpot. Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family have agreed to pay $270 million to settle Oklahomas claims that illegal marketing of the painkiller OxyContin devastated local communities. The deal could influence the results of thousands of lawsuits faced by Purdue and other companies. The settlement comes two months before the scheduled start of a trial against Purdue, Johnson & Johnson and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. in Norman, near Oklahoma City. Oklahoma is the first state in the nation to try claims against opioid makers, and the trial against the other two companies will proceed. The settlement resolves a sliver of the massive legal liability that has led Purdue to threaten to file for bankruptcy protection as a way of managing its legal costs. The drugmaker is owned by the billionaire Sackler family, and states and local governments have recently targeted the familys wealth to recoup billions spent on the social costs of opioid addiction. This agreement is only the first step in our ultimate goal of ending this nightmarish epidemic, Oklahoma Atty. Gen. Mike Hunter said in a press release. He said the state is pressing ahead to hold other defendants in this case accountable for their role in creating the worst public health crisis our state and nation has ever seen. Advertisement Representatives of Teva and Johnson & Johnson didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. I see this as a one-off tied to Purdues limited financial resources, said Richard Ausness, a University of Kentucky professor who teaches about mass-tort law. I think these other companies will wait to see the outcome of some of these test trials before they get serious about settling. At a news conference Tuesday, Hunter said the Purdue settlement is structured in a way to ensure the state gets paid even if the drugmaker seeks Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from creditors. Purdue gave Oklahoma officials a commitment that theyre not filing for bankruptcy in the near term, he said. The companies and others are battling claims by three dozen states and 1,600 U.S. cities and counties, but those suits are pending in other courts and the first test trial isnt until the fall. Purdues settlement could give other states a road map for resolving their cases if they want to avoid trial, said Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond professor who teaches about product liability law. Shares of Johnson & Johnson rose 1.4% on Tuesday to close at $138.57. Bonds of drugmaker Endo International, which is being sued elsewhere, rose as well. In its suit, Oklahoma sought $25 billion in damages and penalties over Purdues push to induce doctors to prescribe OxyContin for unauthorized uses to generate billions of dollars in profits for the company. Although doctors have wide discretion to prescribe medicines for purposes beyond what those medicines are approved to treat, drugmakers are limited to marketing their products for ailments approved by regulators. The Sackler family is accused of taking home billions of dollars tied to the abuse of OxyContin that the companys marketing allegedly fueled. The family made more than $4 billion between 2008 and 2016, according to a recently unsealed opioid suit filed by the Massachusetts attorney general. Craig Landau, Purdues chief executive, confirmed in a March 8 interview with the Washington Post that bankruptcy is an option to deal with the wave of opioid suits that threaten the pharmaceutical companys financial strength. A Chapter 11 filing would shield Purdue from litigation by imposing a stay on all U.S. suits and allow the privately held drugmaker to consolidate its legal costs and expenses. Experts say taking the cases out of the regular court system and putting them before a single bankruptcy judge would be likely to allow Purdue to pay less in settlements. The settlement announced Tuesday will allow Stamford, Conn.-based Purdue to avoid filing for bankruptcy protection, at least for now. Lawyers for Oklahoma and Purdue have been in talks for months, according to people familiar with the negotiations. The talks were overseen by a court-appointed mediator. Oklahoma sued opioid manufacturers in 2017 over their marketing campaigns for painkillers. Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman agreed to break up trials to have only three companies face juries at one time. Purdue, J&J and Teva were slated to be the first three drugmakers to come to trial. In 2016, there were 444 opioid-related overdose deaths in Oklahoma; the state ranked 28th in the nation for such deaths, according to data analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The year before, Oklahoma doctors wrote more than 4 million opioid prescriptions a number exceeding the states population. State officials noted more state residents died from opioid overdoses than car accidents since 2009. The states suit sought millions of dollars in damages for the current costs of dealing with the opioid epidemic and billions of dollars in future costs tied to counseling, healthcare and social services for recovering addicts and children orphaned by overdoses. Among the terms of the settlement, Purdue will pay $103 million to establish the National Center for Addiction Studies and Treatment at Oklahoma State University, donate $20 million worth of medicine to the center and contribute $72 million for counties and cities and the cost of the litigation. The Sacklers have pledged $75 million to the center over five years even though they werent named defendants in the case. The agreement reached today will provide assistance to individuals nationwide who desperately need these services rather than squandering resources on protracted litigation, family members said in an emailed statement. The Sacklers, whose total fortune has been estimated at $13 billion, have had doors closed on them recently as museums refused charitable donations and activists demand the familys names be removed from academic buildings in the United States and Israel. For about two years, Purdue has unsuccessfully sought to negotiate a separate settlement with other attorneys general who have sued the company over its OxyContin marketing. Fellow opioid maker Endo International has had no luck coming up with its own settlement for suits filed by U.S. cities and counties. European Union lawmakers approved a copyright directive Tuesday to give writers and artists more protection of their creative rights and incomes, an intensely contentious measure that could have major transatlantic implications for American technology companies. The European Parliament voted 348 to 274 to pass the online copyright bill, with 36 abstentions. Opponents argued that the legislation, which had been in the works for three years, would stifle freedom and creativity online. The EUs member countries gave the measure preliminary approval in February and have final reviews set for next month. If the directive is enacted, companies such as Apple Inc., Facebook Inc. and Google parent company Alphabet Inc. likely would have to pay European artists more and do more to prevent work that appears online from being used without permission. The most controversial section would make companies responsible for copyrighted material that is uploaded to their online platforms. Advertisement Web giants have been able to benefit from content created in Europe by paying derisory taxes, transferring huge profits to the U.S. or China, European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said. Parliament has chosen to put an end to the existing digital Wild West. Lobbying against the bill by internet giants was said to be so intense even after EU members gave their provisional support that passage wasnt viewed as a sure thing Tuesday. German EU lawmaker Axel Voss, who was the bills lead backer, let out a massive sigh when the vote tally flashed up on a screen inside the European Parliament building in Strasbourg, France. We have agreed a new set of rules which will do exactly the opposite of killing the internet, Voss said. After the vote, Google said in a statement that the bill will still lead to legal uncertainty and will hurt Europes creative and digital economies. The details matter, and we look forward to working with policy makers, publishers, creators and rights holders as EU member states move to implement these new rules. EDiMa, an association of European tech companies, said in a statement that the version approved Tuesday improved on earlier drafts, but we still fundamentally disagree with it, as it undermines other EU law, tries to force a licensing business model on open platforms, and weakens the fundamental privacy and freedom of speech rights of EU citizens. Tens of thousands of people marched in cities across Germany over the weekend to protest what the EU sees as reforms and what critics see as restrictions that could lead to online censorship. Outside parliament, a French band performed music to push the point that artists need higher payments and better copyright protection. There is nothing like free lunch, and I dont know why the giant techs should carry on, you know, having a free lunch on our expense, French music producer Wally Badarou said. In France, ever the guardian of European culture, the government greeted the bills passage with relief. The EU message is clear, French Culture Minister Franck Riester said. Everyone intervening on the European market must respect our common preferences, whether it is copyright or fiscal rules that require Americas tech companies to pay more taxes in Europe. The leader of the EU Parliaments liberal ALDE group, Guy Verhofstadt of Belgium, countered the bills critics by saying the cards had been stacked so much in favor of monopolistic American companies that it was ridiculous to talk about a free internet. The only freedom you have is to send your data mainly to U.S. companies who are using it for their profit. That is all, Verhofstadt said during Tuesdays session. Qualcomm Inc. has fired multiple legal shots at Apple Inc., aiming to use patents to get a ban on importing the iPhone. In separate rulings Tuesday, one missed and one hit. The U.S. International Trade Commission on Tuesday invalidated a Qualcomm patent for a battery-saving feature. Earlier in the day, a separate trade judge said Apple infringed a different Qualcomm patent and recommended certain older models of the iPhone be banned. The commission is scheduled to release a final decision in that case in July. The cases are among about 80 worldwide between the companies in a dispute that has lasted more than two years. Qualcomm is hoping a victory, particularly an import ban, could give it greater leverage in technology licensing negotiations. Qualcomm says its due billions of dollars in unpaid royalties on the iPhone as the two tech giants argue over the value of the chipmakers patents. Apple denied infringing any of the patents in the two cases and said Qualcomm is trying to shut its only U.S. competitor, Intel Corp., out of the market; Apple argues that would hinder the development of the fifth generation of mobile communications, known as 5G. Advertisement In both cases at the trade commission, the Cupertino, Calif., company argued that no import ban should be imposed even if a patent violation is found. Qualcomm argued that the opposite is true. If the San Diego company cant enforce its patents, that will lessen the value of its innovation and give rivals particularly Chinas Huawei Technologies Co. a chance to gain greater market share. Qualcomm has called Intel chips inferior to its own, and it has accused Intel and Apple of incorporating unlicensed Qualcomm inventions into the Intel chips to improve their quality. In the earlier case Tuesday, International Trade Commission Judge MaryJoan McNamara said she would recommend an import ban on certain models of iPhones, which are made in China, a notice posted on the commissions electronic docket says. The judge found no violation of two other Qualcomm patents in the case. The earlier ruling sent Qualcomm shares up 2.4% to $58 in regular trading Tuesday. Apple shares fell 1% to $186.79. In after-hours trading, both stocks reflected the partial wins and losses after the commission decision. Apple was up less than 1%, while Qualcomm fell less than 1%. In the case before McNamara, Qualcomm contended that Apple iPhones with Intel chips infringed two patents related to ways to improve the speed and quality of data downloads and infringed one patent for a power-saving feature. It is seeking an order that would ban imports of those iPhones. The judges finding of infringement related to the power-saving feature, according to the notice. Her full findings arent yet public, and they wont be until both sides get a chance to redact confidential information. We appreciate Judge McNamaras recognition of Apples infringement of our hardware patent and that she will be recommending an import ban and cease and desist order, Qualcomm General Counsel Don Rosenberg said in a statement when the earlier notice came out. The company had no immediate comment on the later-issued decision from the full commission. The original complaint in the McNamara case linked that patent only to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, but it was unclear which models would be affected by McNamaras decision. If the ban applies only to those models, it could have a multibillion-dollar effect on Apple each year Apple still offers those devices. The company will probably discontinue them in the next two years. The second decision announced Tuesday targeted a broader range of iPhones, including the iPhone 7, iPhone 8 and iPhone X, and only ones that had Intel chips. Models with Qualcomm chips wouldnt be affected. The commissions full decision which, for now, sidestepped arguments over whether the Apple-Qualcomm legal battle has broader implications for U.S. supremacy in 5G telecommunications is not yet public. Apple, chafing under what it considers onerous and expensive licensing requirements, has directed its contractors to stop paying Qualcomm until the two sides can reach a new deal. It also has turned to Intel to supply the modem chips on its newest models. The iPhone probably generated about $58 billion in the United States in Apples 2018 fiscal year. The majority of iPhone sales last year were from newer models such as the iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. By all accounts, Qualcomms technology underpins all modern communications. The company is a large player in the development of industry standards, spending billions of dollars on research each year. Its also richly rewarded it makes money off the chips in all mobile devices, and it also gets paid for the use of its inventions in chips made by others. The Federal Trade Commission has accused Qualcomm of using its patents on industry standards to shut out competitors from the market and demand high licensing fees; the two sides await a judges ruling in that case. The patents in this case dont relate to standardized technology, but Apple says Qualcomm is using the International Trade Commission to maintain monopoly power. Uber Technologies Inc. Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi has cut the largest deal of his tenure, buying Middle Eastern ride-hailing competitor Careem Networks for $3.1 billion. Uber will pay Dubai-based Careem $1.4 billion in cash and $1.7 billion in convertible notes when the deal closes, the two companies said in a statement. They are seeking regulatory approval in the 15 countries where Careem operates. Bloomberg had previously reported some details of the deal, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020. The deal comes as San Francisco-based Uber is preparing to file in April for an initial public offering, people familiar with the matter have said. The acquisition isnt expected to slow Ubers IPO process and will enable the ride-hailing firm to emphasize its global footprint relative to rival Lyft Inc., which is expected to begin trading Friday. The acquisition will be Ubers priciest and will mark the first time the company has bought one of its regional competitors. Uber has sold many international business units, including in China, Southeast Asia and Russia, taking stakes in Didi Chuxing Inc., Grab and Yandex in the process. Another recent major purchase was electric bike company Jump Bikes. Advertisement The Careem acquisition represents one of the largest technology deals in the Middle East, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. As part of the agreement, Careem will continue to operate as a stand-alone brand after the deal closes. Careem will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Uber. Mudassir Sheikha will remain as Careems CEO. Careem will have its own board, with three representatives from Uber and two from Careem. Both companies apps will continue to operate under separate brands. Jefferies acted as exclusive financial advisor to Careem on the transaction Because the move combines the two largest ride-hailing companies in the Middle East, it could face regulatory scrutiny. One inevitable selling point of the deal will be that it enables the two companies to raise prices, while also reducing pressure to compete with each other in how much they pay drivers. Uber was very good at convincing the management team that [Careem] can run independently post-acquisition, said venture capitalist David Chao, an investor in Careem. I think terms were good and this was a huge victory for Uber. Some of Careems early backers are set to benefit from the deal. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-based Al Tayyar Travel Group, one of the companys largest corporate shareholders and earliest investors, said it expects to gain at least $470 million, pushing shares up more than 8%. Saudi Telecom expects to get about $274 million in cash and stock. For investors of Careem, this acquisition is a good deal as they have the minimum guaranteed price of $3.1 billion, said Meziane Lasfer, a professor of finance at Cass Business School in Dubai. Because part of the acquisition is paid for in Uber shares, Careem investors also have a large potential upside value if the shares go higher than the $55 price on which the deal is based. California is moving to codify a sweeping court decision curbing employers use of independent contractors, and the new law is unlikely to exempt Uber, Lyft and other app-based technology companies. The two ride-hailing giants are on the verge of going public with initial stock offerings valued at tens of billions of dollars. Both companies are losing money, and converting their California drivers, currently classified as contractors, to employees would cut into their potential profits. Am I concerned about the stock price of Uber and Lyft? said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), author of Assembly Bill 5, who planned to release the legislations new language Wednesday. No. It doesnt keep me up at night. Advertisement The bill offers exceptions for a small group of occupations and may include more as it moves through the Legislature. But employers offering services through digital platforms wont be among them, Gonzalez added. Its not going to happen. Classifying workers as employees requires companies to pay for overtime, Social Security and Medicare taxes, workers compensation, unemployment and disability insurance, and benefits such as family leave and sick pay. That can add about 30% to labor costs. Are you an employee or a contractor? Carpenters, strippers and dog walkers now face that question The California Supreme Court last April set a strict new test for classifying workers as contractors. The ruling was in favor of drivers for Dynamex Operations West, a package delivery company, who disputed the companys move to reclassify them as contractors and force them to use their own vehicles a similar model to that of app-based ride-hailing companies. Uber, Lyft, Amazon, Grubhub, Postmates and other gig economy behemoths are facing lawsuits across the country brought by thousands of workers who say they are misclassified as contractors. They are not alone: A broad swath of sectors including trucking, construction, janitorial services, home care, newspapers and even strip clubs have grappled with similar complaints. Lyft drivers are independent contractors who decide when, where, and for how long they wish to drive, Loni Mahanta, Lyfts vice president of future of work, wrote in an email. We are engaging with policy makers, labor, drivers, worker advocates, and others to actively explore options to allow drivers to maintain this flexibility while also addressing the lack of benefits for independent contractors. Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the bill. The Gonzalez legislation may be amended over the next few months, but as currently written, it grants just four exemptions to the courts test for designating workers as contractors. Those are for doctors, insurance agents, financial advisors and direct sellers who offer products to consumers under the aegis of such companies as Mary Kay, the cosmetics firm, or Herbalife, the supplements giant. Those occupations are already regulated by other statutes but adding them to the bill makes their exemption more explicit. The bills new language is basically a declaration of existing law, Gonzalez said. But she added, We know we have more work to do. We will have another round of amendments for additional folks such as Realtors and hairdressers. We dont want to stop true independent contractors from having their own little businesses. But we dont want to continue this farce of large businesses declaring their people are independent contractors. These workers miss out on all benefits of being an employee. The California Chamber of Commerce, which last year urged the Legislature to suspend or postpone the application of the Dynamex decision, praised the exceptions in the current bill. But the group said in an email that exemptions should also be extended to all individuals who enjoy, prefer, and benefit from the flexibility and security of performing work as independent contractors. Gonzalez said she had met with dozens of companies, some of which sought exceptions, as well as individual workers who want to make sure they are not exempted. Echoing an argument made by a unanimous Supreme Court, she said, California continues to lose millions possibly billions of dollars. Studies show many independent contractors dont actually pay their taxes. Moreover, she added, the cost of treating low-income injured or sick contractors often falls on the state, while workers who are paid below minimum wage and denied overtime often end up on food stamps. Independent contractors are not covered by the National Labor Relations Act, which protects workers who organize unions a fact that partly accounts for the strong support for the Dynamex decision in labor circles. The California Labor Federation is sponsoring Gonzalezs legislation and has jointly drafted its language. It is reluctant to carve out significant exemptions to the bill. We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring millions of workers out of exploitative working conditions and rebuild the middle class, said labor federation legislative director Caitlin Vega. AB 5 will protect that landmark decision, she added. Workers will gain higher wages, greater workplace protection and a safety net in hard times. As for the app-based technology companies, she said, we have had nonstop meetings with every industry and company which has asked. The bar to get exempted is properly high. How are they treating their workers? It is a myth that independent contractors necessarily have more flexibility than employees. Our employment laws allow flexibility. Last year, Assemblyman Evan Low (D-San Jose) introduced Assembly Bill 2765 to establish a new category of worker called marketplace contractor, which would have allowed app-based companies to avoid classifying workers as employees. Similar legislation in other states has been sponsored by Handy, a digital platform for household services, and other gig companies and has been adopted in Kentucky, Florida, Utah, Iowa, Tennessee and Indiana. In California, after stringent opposition from a swath of unions, the bill died. The California Legislature has a Democratic supermajority, Vega said. They believe in worker protections. margot.roosevelt@latimes.com Twitter: @margotroosevelt Suits star Sarah Rafferty is looking to try on something new after listing her West Hollywood home for $2.35 million. Spanish on the outside and modern on the inside, the 1950s estate sits behind gates and lush landscaping a block away from Melrose Avenue. Through an arched doorway, the interior opens to 1,691 square feet of white walls and hardwood floors. Pocketing doors line most of the common rooms turning the living room, family room and kitchen into airy indoor-outdoor spaces. Other highlights include a bright dining area and spacious master suite with a pebble shower. Advertisement The floor plan boasts three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a studio, but the entertainers backyard is the main draw. Surrounded by hedges, the space descends from a wood deck to a patio with a swimming pool, spa and fire pit. Alejandro Lombardo and Roberto Seixas of Keller Williams Realty hold the listing. Rafferty, 46, bought the home in 2006 for $1.787 million, public records show. Known mostly for her role in USAs Suits, the actress has also appeared in Law & Order, Bones, CSI: Miami and Brothers & Sisters. jack.flemming@latimes.com | Twitter: @jflem94 Gibson said he 'crashed his boat,' 'two of my friends are in the water, can you send somebody to get them,' that 'he hit something,' was 'ejected,' he had been 'drinking at the yacht club' and he had been swimming for two hours," the affidavit states. The exhibition Richard Diebenkorn: Beginnings, 1942-1955 does a good job busting up a pretty entrenched assumption. A standard timeline of the artist, one of Californias most important painters, has him launching headlong into Abstract Expressionist waters (when he lived in New Mexico), pulling back to representational landscapes and figures in interiors (in the Bay Area), then returning to full abstraction with ethereal veils of structured color in the great Ocean Park paintings (in Los Angeles). But the narrative is not that simple. At the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine University, a handsome traveling exhibition organized by Sacramentos Crocker Art Museum in conjunction with the Richard Diebenkorn Foundation zeroes in on his early years. Before there was Ab Ex, it handily demonstrates and for a while afterward too he was all over the map. Which is to be expected. Diebenkorn was feeling his way through. Advertisement Diebenkorn was 23 when his Marine Corps service ended along with World War II. By the time he settled in Albuquerque five years later, in 1950, he had a wife and two kids, and the family had crisscrossed the country, living in San Francisco, Woodstock, N.Y., and Sausalito. He finished a degree from Stanford, where the war had interrupted his studies, and he was picking up visual information all along the way. SPRING ARTS: Exhibitions on our radar Richard Diebenkorn, Untitled, 1944, ink on cardboard (Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art) Richard Diebenkorn, Untitled, 1949, oil on canvas (Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art) REVIEW: Charles White show at LACMA pinpoints the power of an underappreciated black artist The show, drawn from the foundations collection and most never exhibited before, has been trimmed to about 75 works (from 100). Only a handful are paintings, many of them rather worse for wear. But the abundance of works on paper makes it well worth seeing, since drawings are where Diebenkorn trained his hand and worked out his pictorial ideas. Here hes applying Cubist facture to a landscape, there hes adding a blast of Matisses color, in between hes rendering a more conventional study of the figure or a still life; veils of liquid hue are perhaps inspired by a new interest in the nature abstractions of Arshile Gorky. The paintings, even in their mostly less than pristine state, do show these and other elements working their way into his canvases. Among the most intriguing is an animated 1954 oil sketch of a horse and rider galloping across the small canvas, with three brushy bands of color behind them. Yes, Diebenkorn would likely have witnessed similar action firsthand in rural New Mexico. But, if the image puts you in mind of Rembrandts famously enigmatic Polish Rider painting in New Yorks Frick Collection, that makes sense too. Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. Through March 31. (310) 506-4851, arts.pepperdine.edu REVIEW: Allen Ruppersberg show at the Hammer Museum is a dont-miss tour de force Although it has been almost two years since Jeffrey Kahane stepped down as music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, it was still fully the band he had exhilarated for two decades when he returned to conduct Sunday at UCLAs Royce Hall. But what made the evening especially notable beyond the premiere of a cello concerto by noted film composer James Newton Howard and a recent work by an arresting young Bay Area composer was what looked to be a Mozart hand-off. A new music director doesnt officially take over until next season, and whether intended or not, the weekend program began and ended with the LACO conductor laureates signature Mozart: Kahane led a piano concerto from the keyboard and conducted a symphony. Next month, when LACOs music director designate begins with a new work by another hot composer and ends with Mozarts Requiem, Jaime Martin will have big, beloved shoes to fill. There were no surprises expected or delivered by Kahane in Mozarts Piano Concerto No. 14, written when the composer had just turned 28 and already had reached a lyrical, playfully complex, miraculous maturity. Mozart flowed from Kahanes hands as naturally and refreshingly as mountain water from a crystalline spring. Advertisement Mozart used his Linz Symphony, tossed off in four days the previous year when he already had an astonishing 35 behind him, to spectacularly sow his oats. Kahane used it for similar purpose, as a very happy, see-you-later gesture and not one to weigh down the new guy. But these two mid-career Mozart mini-masterpieces seemed to have another kind of purpose. Not too many composers these days can toss off a half hour of music in a matter of days. Not too many prolific twentysomethings are ready to really stand out. The modern exception in the first category is the film composer. Gabriella Smith counts in the second. SPRING PREVIEW: Mahlers Eighth, Hannigans Ojai and Central Park Five and more A concert work is, of course, a different animal than a film score, and composers very often make it a point of pride to separate the two. It takes deep listening to recognize the John Williams everybody knows in his concertos, and it requires a leap of imagination to pick out the Ennio Morricone who began as a radical Italian avant-gardist from his work in pictures. But that can be done. It can also be done in Howards concerto, which LACO commissioned for principal cellist Andrew Shulman. (The piece technically got its world premiere at LACOs concert the night before at the Alex Theatre in Glendale.) Howard began writing the concerto in 2017, broke off to score the thriller Red Sparrow and ultimately had something of a startling cinematic vision for the concerto, a sense of foreboding apocalypse fueled by our nations political chaos and the fires in Malibu. An elegiac tone, along with thematic material from the beginning and closing titles of Red Sparrow, thus begin and end the concerto. In between, the work is structured as a kind of sequence of scenes, each with a different color or mood one sweet and led by the orchestras winds, another disturbing, with stamping lower strings, something else more dancelike that refashions earlier material. The cello plays continually, as the dramatic character, and the Shulman plays commandingly. That the orchestra sounds utterly at home with Howard is one more nonsurprise. Several LACO players are studio musicians who can be heard on Howards soundtracks. There is little reason to be surprised that Smiths Riprap, written in 2013, when she was in her early 20s, is a knockout. This happens to be her third orchestral piece performed in L.A. this year. (John Adams programmed another early work, Tumblebird Contrails with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Kaleidoscope premiered a substantial new work for strings, Hexacorallia) There is no question that she is a composer on her way to great things. Smith is a violinist who has a nose-to-tail approach to instruments. Every inch of the instruments music-making potential is used. Surprise is what her pieces do. In Tumblebird Contrails, oceanic slow music that sounds like it is going nowhere goes somewhere. The brilliant Hexacorallia is like Vivaldi played by aliens who start it the way its supposed to be but find it much more interesting to translate it into their own language. Riprap is a 10-minute marimba concerto that takes its start from conventional early Philip Glass and Steve Reich minimalism. But before long, Smith throws spanners in the works. Principal percussionist Wade Culbreath, the hypnotizing soloist, finds himself hitting not just the standard bars but also the resonators. Essentially, whatever is hittable, it be hit. One thing leads to another without seeming to. The piece dazzles. As does Smith. Remember that name its not that hard. Before Jussie Smollett took the stage at the Troubadour earlier this month, members of his family came out to address rumors about what had happened just four nights before when their brother reported being attacked by two presumed racists, homophobes and Trump supporters. Sneakersnstuff, a Swedish multi-brand retailer catering to the global sneakerhead, has chosen the Venice boardwalk as the site of its second U.S. store and just its sixth worldwide which is set to open its doors today, 20 years to the day after its first boutique bowed in Stockholm. A delightful departure from the minimalist, intimidating cookie-cutter sameness that characterizes many a SoCal premium sneaker boutique, the 3,500-square-foot space is warm and welcoming and chock full of nods to its surroundings, from its concrete floors that are the same shade of beige as the sand that stretches toward the water just beyond its doorstep to store fixtures that pay homage to the canals of Venice, Californias Italian namesake. A pinata in the shape of a giant Nike Cortez sneaker marks the space dedicated to all things Swoosh-emblazoned (including, if you take the time to look, the woven Mexican rugs on the floor) while the space dedicated to Adidas is dominated by an homage to the concrete barbells of nearby Muscle Beach. Interior design touches include a Nike Cortez pinata, left, and a dressing-room door, right, tricked out to resemble a low-rider. (Kate Glicksberg / Sneakersnstuff) Advertisement Other sneaker brands in the mix include Jordan, Converse, Vans, Under Armour, Puma, Reebok and Saucony (among many others), while the stuff part of the Sneakersnstuff merchandise mix includes laid-back streetwear offerings from Freshjive, Pleasures, Levis and Carhartt WIP (the U.S. workwear brand interpreted through a decidedly European lens). In an additional nod to its surroundings, theres a souvenir shop just inside the front door stocked to overflowing with ironically SNS-branded lighters, Wham-O Frisbees, floating key rings, Nalgene water bottles and graphic print T-shirts advertising make-believe palm-reading businesses. Co-founders Erik Fagerlind and Peter Jansson, whose adventures in retailing began with sneaker-buying trips to the U.S. more than two decades ago, explained that the locally inspired details which here included carved wooden column toppers depicting sneakers, sand-sculpture artwork of Dodgers caps and Swedish fish, and a changing room customized to resemble an old-school low rider (complete with a car door handle outside and eight-track tape player inside) are something that theyve done with each of their other boutiques around the world (including Stockholm, London, Berlin, Paris and New York the first U.S. outpost which opened in the Meatpacking District in December 2017). The new SoCal outpost of Stockholm-based Sneakersnstuff includes a souvenir shop that pays homage to its Venice environs. (Kate Glicksberg / Sneakersnstuff) With most of the citys high-end sneaker boutiques clustered around the Fairfax District, what prompted Fagerlind and Jansson to head to the Venice boardwalk? Well, theres a lot of foot traffic, first of all, Fagerlind said last week, pointing to the steady stream of people passing by the not-yet-open store. And there was nothing else [like this] on the beach. Also, were from Sweden, and growing up, we watched movies like White Men Cant Jump, so this is California to us. Sneakersnstuff, 1011 Ocean Front Walk, Venice. Open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. adam.tschorn@latimes.com For more musings on all things fashion and style, follow me at @ARTschorn Diya Chacko is a former audience engagement editor for the Los Angeles Times Metro desk and writer of the Times Coronavirus Today newsletter. She previously worked as the public health and environment editor for the Southern California News Group and digital production manager for the Times-Picayune in New Orleans. A USC grad, Diya holds masters degrees in environmental science and journalism from Columbia University. On Monday morning, I walked from my house near the Venice Pier north along Ocean Front Walk. I wanted to check on something I heard last week at a West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission meeting that made me question my sense of reality. At the meeting, I heard folks who own stores along Ocean Front Walk tell planners that the Venice boardwalk is a commercial space, hardly residential at all, and that Venice has a severe hotel shortage. Therefore, argued the entrepreneurs, a landlord who converted a 32-unit rent-stabilized apartment building to a hotel without proper permits and in apparent violation of zoning laws should be allowed to keep operating his business. Despite the citys insane housing shortage, they said, he should not be forced to restore the rent-stabilized units. Nobody lives on the boardwalk, see. Its tourist central. Advertisement Ive lived on the boardwalk for 50 years, said Jordan Monkarsh, owner of Jody Maronis sausage stand, a Venice boardwalk fixture. To say that my area is residential is silly. Which is how I found myself standing in front of Monkarshs famous sausage shack on Monday, trying to validate my own belief that the boardwalk is every bit as much a residential neighborhood as a commercial one. Sure enough, Jody Maronis is dwarfed by the five-story apartment building next door. I guess it is possible to be so distracted by the T-shirt shops, restaurants and sidewalk vendors that you can miss the fact that the boardwalk is full of residences, too. True, the homes are not your typical suburban affair. They befit the urban beach environment; there are new multimillion-dollar houses jammed up against funky apartment buildings and run-down shacks. Much of the recent debate over the future of Venice Beach has focused on the incursion of tech companies such as Snapchat and Google, which have displaced many small businesses and turned once-thriving blocks into locked-up, blank storefronts. But the housing market is really at the heart of the enduring struggle for the soul of Venice Beach. Will it be able to remain one of the only demographically mixed beach enclaves in the state, or become a more colorful version of Santa Monicas hyperconsumerist Third Street Promenade, with a few strategically placed sidewalk performers, graffiti walls and skateboard pits to remind us of what Venice used to be? :: Venice Suites owner Carl Lambert, right, speaks during a public hearing in Los Angeles on March 20. He is appealing the West Los Angeles Area Planning Commissions decision to deny him a zoning change to operate his hotel on the Venice Boardwalk. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Carl Lambert was pleasant but not super chatty when I called him Monday. Anything I say can and will be used against me, he said. Lambert is the landlord at the center of last weeks planning meeting. In 2005, he bought an apartment building at 417 Ocean Front Walk and converted 30 of 32 units into hotel rooms. According to the hotels website, rooms at the Venice Suites go for $255 to $329 a night in the summer high season and well under $200 a night in winter. Thats a lot more revenue than hed get from the rent-subsidized tenants who used to live there. In 2015, he was cited by the city at the urging of local housing activists for operating a hotel without the proper occupancy permit. Then, two years ago, it became unavoidably clear that the short-term rental craze was taking thousands of rental units off the market in Venice Beach, exacerbating an already severe housing crisis. City Atty. Mike Feuer sued a few landlords, including Lambert, claiming he was not just illegally operating a hotel in a residential zone, but falsely advertising it as such and engaging in unfair competition. (Later, the City Council adopted regulations covering short-term rentals, but dont hold your breath that they will ever be enforced.) Though Lambert won a preliminary technical victory in court last year, the suit has not been fully resolved and a trial is scheduled for the end of May. Im a preservationist of buildings, Lambert said. Everybody was happy with the properties I saved until the Airbnb phenomenon. Now, Im the scapegoat. Indeed, he is often vilified by housing advocates and neighborhood preservation folks. Lambert has been accused by housing activists of converting five rent-stabilized apartment buildings in Venice to hotels, thus removing more than 125 units from the market. (He told me that two of the buildings had always been operated as hotels, but declined to discuss the others.) A recent critical story in the community paper, the Free Venice Beachhead, bore the headline The Carl Lambert Problem. :: Last week at the planning commission meeting, Venice resident David Ewing called Lambert a one-man housing crisis. On the phone, Lambert was silent for an uncomfortably long moment when I asked him to respond. Every Venetian has their own idea of what Venice has been and should be, he finally said. But Venice is about change. Hes right, of course. Theres no holding back the tide of money that has swamped Venice. But is accommodating tourists an important value? Lambert saw an opportunity to make money and made his move, hoping to persuade city officials after the fact that what he did is in the best interest of the community, and those beautiful old buildings. Im not among those who think that Venice, which is only three square miles, needs more hotels. We need more housing. In October, a city zoning administrator ruled that the Venice Suites building is zoned for medium-density residential use only, and does not qualify for rezoning. Lambert appealed that decision last week. His supporters attested to Lamberts generosity and good citizenship. But Lamberts personality and civic engagement were not at issue. Three planning commissioners unanimously upheld the denial of his zoning change application. Before casting her vote against Lambert, panel Chairwoman Lisa Waltz Morocco wryly nailed the problem: I think the appellant has already granted himself a variance, she said. Unfortunately, that does seem to be the way things work in Venice. robin.abcarian@latimes.com Twitter: @AbcarianLAT Every day I search for stories big and small about Latinos in Los Angeles. I find tales everywhere in swap meets, parks, panaderias, buses and schools. The Column One I wrote about Vicks VapoRub came from a source I know quite well: my big Salvadoran family. Growing up, my mom and tias each had their own jar of Vicks and their special way of calling it: Beep Vaporu, El Bic, El Vix Vaporoob. Advertisement I didnt learn the real name of the stinky, gooey ointment until high school when I finally took a good look at the little blue container. This was also around the time I learned not all families were as devoted to VapoRub as mine. Over time, I came to consider Vivaporu a Latino thing a fond, funny connection shared from L.A. to Miami to New York by many Central Americans, Mexicans, Cubans and Dominicans. To talk about Vicks is to go back in time, to hear stories about moms and abuelas and all the off-label ways many cleverly and sometimes questionably put the salve to work. Most used it for colds and sore muscles. Others on cuts, burns and bruises. Some drank it with coffee, sipped it with tea or used it to battle headaches, toothaches and nail fungus. As a kid, you never really stop and question these kinds of things, said Michael Diaz, a Dominican from New York whose childhood involved lots of Vicks. You figure it must be normal. For a long time, I thought it was normal, too. Doesnt everyone have stories about Vicks? The North Carolina pharmacist who invented the ointment, I recently found, was a master when it came to marketing his product worldwide. Youll hear plenty of VapoRub tales from the Philippines to India to the far reaches of the Himalayas. But its among Latinos where youll find a treasure trove of tributes. Some are nostalgic. Others hilarious. Ive been stumbling across Vicks videos and Vicks lists online for years: 10 Curious Customs of Latina Moms, Whats With Our Vivaporu Obsession?, Latinas Use Vicks VapoRub For Everything. The story idea had been on my list since college. When I brought it up to my editor recently, we decided to explore the topic. I was fascinated to find much more material than I could ever use. The Latino-Vivaporu connection was easy to find on the internet. On TV, too on popular Latino-based television shows like Jane the Virgin and One Day at a Time. Some people had written about their in nostalgia in dissertations, poems and published essays. Others sold all sorts of merchandise featuring the little blue jar. Diaz, the Dominican from New York, was so inspired by his parents loyalty he and his friends a few years back made a Vivaporu rap video. We knew it was something Latinos would relate to, he said. When I spoke to Sion Boney, the great-grandson of Vicks VapoRub creator Lunsford Richardson, he chuckled on the phone as I mentioned all these tributes, most of all the rap video. His family sold the company to Procter & Gamble in the 1980s, but they still gather once a year to talk about all things Vicks. My great-grandfather always wanted Vicks to be a universal experience, he said. I think he would be shocked and also very proud. Behind the exclusive gates of Hollister Ranch are some of Californias most-coveted beaches and surf breaks. Few have had the chance to visit them. But earlier this month, after decades of pushback and stalemates, state officials passed through these gates with the cooperation of the ranchs powerful landowners. For the first time in years, they traversed the pristine 8.5-mile shoreline to establish initial boundaries that could be used for an ambitious public access program. Its one of many milestones this year in the escalating fight to open Californias coast to everyone. An all-out legal battle over Martins Beach near Half Moon Bay culminated with the nations highest court rejecting a Silicon Valley billionaires appeal to lock the gate on his terms. A Santa Cruz neighborhood that for decades has charged a fee recently agreed, under state pressure, to open its beach for free. And though beach access at Hollister Ranch remains limited to landowners, select visitors and those strong enough to paddle in, coastal officials have declared they will find a way to open up this stretch of Santa Barbara County coastline once and for all. Advertisement The California Coastal Act proclaimed in 1976 that the beach is for everyone not just for those fortunate enough to own an oceanfront home. The state over the years has chipped away at locked gates, private roads and neighborhoods that try to keep out the public. Whats left are access battles against those with the means to fight back in court in perpetuity. This is a long game that over the last 40 years has gotten over a thousand points of public access, and were actually down to a handful of holdout cases: Hollister Ranch, Martins Beach, said Coastal Commissioner Aaron Peskin, who urged the public to keep the pressure on not only the commission but also incoming Gov. Gavin Newsom and new coastal appointees. The time is right, so strike and make progress. Read more: There are more than 1,000 beach access points in California. A new app shows you where The Hollister Ranch gatehouse guard allows only designated owners and guests to enter the secluded oceanfront property. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) Coastal access often jostling for priority with wildlife protection, plastic pollution, offshore drilling and other high-profile environmental issues has captured Californias attention in ways that did not resonate in years past. The issue has taken on new meaning as conversations of equity dominate politics. Ive talked about access for years, and this issue just didnt have the same impact and understanding and reception that it is now getting not just from decision makers but also from my conservation colleagues, said Marce Gutierrez-Graudins of Azul, a group that aims to bring more Latino voices to coastal issues. I think there are a lot of things that are coming together, finally, at the right time. She points to decades of work by advocates such as Robert Garcia of the City Project and the Free the Beach! study. They pushed for Californias new environmental justice law, which explicitly authorizes coastal officials to consider not only impacts to plants, animals and coastal habitats when making decisions, but also the effects on underrepresented communities. The more people have opportunities to go to the beach, the more they will care about protecting these environments, Gutierrez-Graudins said. Theres an assumption that these communities dont really care about beach pollution or conservation or that we only care about access but in reality, its all linked. Mounting public outrage has fueled new efforts by state officials to open a coveted stretch of California coastline in Santa Barbara County. (Tamlorn Chase / For The Times) Equity became a rallying cry this year at Hollister Ranch. The fight to open some of the states most unspoiled beaches had seemed like a done deal in favor of ranch owners, who have long contended the environment has benefited from their private stewardship. Coastal officials, in a controversial agreement struck behind closed doors, ceded a contested claim to access by land. As news trickled out, more than 1,500 people emailed the commission lambasting the deal. Others drove seven hours from Riverside to a commission meeting in Santa Cruz to plea the case for access. The state changed course and has now teamed up its agencies to finish what was promised decades ago. The latest strategy relies on updating a ranch-wide access program that the state had adopted in 1982 after a complicated legislative history and long standoff with resistant landowners. California beaches are supposed to be public. So why is the Hollister Ranch coast an exception? The program includes a walking trail and bicycle lane that would run parallel to the ranchs main private road. To minimize the number of cars in the interest of privacy and environmental protection a van would operate from nearby Gaviota State Park to six Hollister beaches, where there would be picnic areas and bathrooms. (California Coastal Commission) The Coastal Commission, along with the Coastal Conservancy, the State Lands Commission and State Parks, is working quickly to update the plan which officials say does not need a major rewrite. State Lands this month started surveying the beaches to establish the mean high tide line, which separates public from private land, and coastal officials have established an email account to collect ideas and public input on what an access plan today should include. We have an aggressive timeline. We want to move forward on the program as quickly as possible, while allowing enough time for adequate public input upfront, said Coastal Commission Executive Director Jack Ainsworth. We dont want to just hand a plan that we developed to the public. Monte Ward, president of the Hollister Ranch Owners Assn., which represents the more than 1,000 people who own a share of the ranch, urged in a letter to the commission that residents also need to play a central role in the process. The Ranch, landward of the mean high tide line, is our property and our home, he said. We propose a collaborative approach to the task of revising the 1982 Public Access Program in the hope and expectation that working together we can achieve success. Signs warn of trespassing at Hollister Ranch Road. The fight to open some of the states most unspoiled beaches had seemed like a done deal in favor of ranch owners, who have long contended the environment has benefited from their private stewardship. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) Dozens of owners and ranch supporters, in detailed emails and public testimonies, have also pleaded their case to the commission. They worry that unfettered access could spoil the ranchs coastline and undo years of effort to protect the land. They point to the temporary access that they already grant to scientists, academics, historical societies, environmental groups and schoolchildren, and question how someone unfamiliar with the rugged terrain could safely navigate the steep canyons, unpaved roads and high tides without cell service. Many objected to their characterization as wealthy landowners who just want a private beach. I am not an elitist enemy of the people. I share the ranch with as many people as possible. I do not surf. Im not trying to protect a surf break or something like that. I am concerned with the destruction of something that is deeply important to me, Grant Fowlie wrote in an email to the commission. I can tell you from firsthand experience that the impact on the beaches is apparent when even 10 people are there and dont clean up thoroughly. I can guarantee that what exists would be ruined from the 100,000s of visitors that would end up against these bluffs and on the reefs. They spoke one after another at a commission meeting in Newport Beach this month for the first time in years outnumbering access advocates during public comments. Some spoke of their connection to the land and its history; others pointed to the disrepair of nearby Gaviota State Park and worried how a state with limited funding could maintain the pristine coastline. We only have the opportunity to protect things, Patrick Rebstock, who has ties to the ranch, said to the commission, before theyre destroyed. Coastal Commission Chair Dayna Bochco listened to these comments quietly for about an hour. Then, in an unexpected outburst, she pushed back at those who worry that access by the public is going to somehow make your pristine property no longer pristine. I find that somewhat offensive. I find it to be a very subtle kind of elitism that for some reason youre better at protecting natural habitat than anyone else, she said. I can see why for the last 36 years that people of this type of thinking have blocked the state from doing what it legally has the right to do, which is to have an access program to Hollister Ranchs beaches, she said. You shouldnt be able to enjoy it any more than any other human being. You are no better of a steward than we are. Access advocates praised these comments and pointed to other recent victories in the greater fight for access. Earlier that week, a push by the ranch to reject the validity of a public intervention of its settlement with the state was overruled by a Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge. Read more: Coastal advocates challenge deal that bars public from reaching Hollister Ranch by land Were thrilled that the judge appears to understand that the public has rights here, and the public has a role here and that was the role that was not represented when the settlement was negotiated, said Susan Jordan of the California Coastal Protection Network. The coalition of advocacy groups, the ranch and the state will reconvene in January to determine the future of this settlement. We look forward, Jordan said, to representing the publics interest. rosanna.xia@latimes.com Interested in coastal issues? Follow @RosannaXia on Twitter. California is building walls at its borders theyre just not the kind President Trump has in mind. As the Trump administration continues its assault on environmental regulation, state officials are throwing up legal barriers to some high-stakes attacks. They are preparing to strengthen safeguards for waterways that are about to lose federal protections in a major rollback of the Clean Water Act. They are refusing to issue permits the federal government needs to build a controversial dam project that would drown portions of a Northern California river renowned for its wild trout fishery. Advertisement And they can use state water quality standards to limit Washingtons ability to boost irrigation supplies for Central Valley agriculture by relaxing federal safeguards for endangered fish. The state can stand up against the federal government on every single one of those issues, said Noah Oppenheim, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermens Assns. Armed with some of the strongest environmental laws in the nation, California has been a leader in the resistance to the Trump administration. Trump administration unveils major Clean Water Act rollback As governor, Jerry Brown repeatedly clashed with the White House over Trumps policies on climate change and vehicle fuel economy standards. Since taking office in January, Gov. Gavin Newsom has continued the fight. That became clear one week after Newsoms inauguration, when representatives of three state agencies reiterated that the dam project is illegal under California law. The $1.3-billion proposal would raise the 602-foot-tall Shasta Dam near Redding another 18 feet. Doing so would increase the storage capacity of Shasta Lake, Californias largest reservoir, by roughly 14%. But it would inundate a stretch of the McCloud River, which is protected under Californias Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. We are prohibited by state law from permitting the Shasta project, said Andrew Sawyer, assistant chief counsel of the State Water Resources Control Board. The water board, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the State Lands Commission outlined their objections Jan. 14 in letters to the Westlands Water District in Fresno, the states largest irrigation district and primary backer of the proposal. Westlands did not respond to a request for comment. California authorities say the Shasta plan is clearly subject to a section of the 1902 Reclamation Act that requires federal irrigation projects in the West to comply with state laws that relate to the control, appropriation, use, or distribution of water used in irrigation. Exceptions can be made only if Congress directly exempts a project from that mandate. In 2017, the GOP-dominated House approved legislation that attempted to do that for operations managed by the federal Central Valley Project, including Shasta Dam. But concern for states rights killed the bill in the Senate, where the proposal never got out of committee. And with Democrats now in control of the House, any similar efforts in the new Congress are all but doomed. Trumps pick for a top Interior post has sued the agency on behalf of powerful California water interests On another front, the state water board is expected to vote Tuesday on a package of rules that would counter Trump administration plans to cut wetlands protections. In December, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gave notice that it is dropping Obama-era regulations that broadened the Clean Water Acts coverage of wetlands and seasonal streams, which are common in California and the arid West. The law allows states to adopt regulations that are more stringent than the federal standards. Californias water board has been considering tougher wetlands protections for more than a decade, ever since the U.S. Supreme Court issued a set of decisions that left authorities confused about which waters were covered under the act. The boards efforts have taken on a new urgency in the wake of the EPAs move. The threat of the Trump administration rollback has really amplified interest and concern about a need for developing state-level protection, said Julia Stein, a supervising attorney at UCLAs environmental law clinic. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the center of Californias water system, is another Trump-California battleground. Westlands and other San Joaquin Valley irrigation districts have long fought protections for endangered fish that limit water exports from the delta. Under Trump, they have a major ally at the Interior Department: acting Secretary David Bernhardt, a former lobbyist for Westlands who is in line to succeed Ryan Zinke in the agencys top post. Last month, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released documents that justified loosening the restrictions on the grounds that habitat restoration and other measures would help imperiled populations of delta smelt and migrating salmon. Federal fish and wildlife biologists have until this summer to issue a new set of delta export rules. If the regulations are weakened, environmentalists will almost certainly mount a challenge in the courts, which blocked a similar effort by the George W. Bush administration. California has its own endangered species law, but it is unclear whether those protections fit into the category of state laws that the federal reclamation bureau must adhere to. Still, state standards for salinity levels in the delta and for the volume of water that flows through delta habitats to the ocean will restrict the Trump administrations ability to boost exports, said Holly Doremus, an environmental law expert at UC Berkeley. Another leverage point lies in the linkage of state and federal water operations in the delta. The California Department of Water Resources can, for example, refuse to let federal water managers use the state-owned California Aqueduct to convey delta supplies if the state believes the water shipments would hurt protected fish. The state retains primary regulatory authority over its water, period, Doremus said. It has always been bluster for the feds to run around saying that they are going to make California do whatever. bettina.boxall@latimes.com Twitter: @boxall We are going to do a much better job of telling our story (so that parents have) confidence that they made the right choice by trusting us with their childs education, he said. A state lawmaker is applying new pressure on coastal officials and Hollister Ranch owners to provide access to some of Californias most coveted beaches and surf breaks a promise to the public that has been in limbo for decades as legal battles and stalemates dragged on. A bill unveiled Tuesday would set a deadline of April 1, 2020, for coastal officials to come up with a comprehensive public access plan at Hollister Ranch. Failure to do so would trigger a number of procedures that would hold the state accountable. Multiple barriers have prevented the public from accessing and enjoying an 8.5-mile stretch of the coast at Hollister Ranch in the County of Santa Barbara for over 36 years, the bill declares, thwarting legal guarantees for public access. There has to be a deadline. And if we dont meet the deadline, there has to be consequences, said Assemblywoman Monique Limon (D-Santa Barbara), who has been pushing for legislation since hundreds of people called on her office last year to ensure that Californias beaches are open to everyone. Advertisement Finding a resolution isnt easy, but if theres a will, theres a way, she said. Thats whats been in question: Is there a will to do this? The proposed legislation, AB 1680, comes about a year after coastal officials and ranch owners struck a controversial deal behind closed doors that would have allowed access to Hollisters coastline only to landowners, their guests, visitors with guides, and those who could boat or paddle in from 2 miles away. The settlement sparked public outrage after The Times published terms of the deal. Many worried that ranch owners who contend that unfettered access would undo years of careful work to protect the land had found a way to keep the public at bay for good. And a bill last year by Limon that sought to address this long-delayed issue of access was vetoed at the governors desk and celebrated by ranchers as a victory. But the public backlash over the settlement pushed officials to dust off old records and uncover other ways to obtain access at Hollister. One strategy in recent months appears to be blocking new development permits coming in from Hollister owners. The commission last year challenged a ranch owner seeking to build a new house, guesthouse and footbridge citing for the first time in decades that a condition of any permit, under the California Coastal Act, is providing public access in a timely manner. Another owners permit for a new swimming pool was appealed in February by commissioners on similar grounds, and two more permits are in limbo pending a commission vote in April. Another strategy focuses on a ranch-wide access program that the state had adopted in 1982 after a complicated legislative history that had faded from institutional memory. (California Coastal Commission) Read more: California beaches are supposed to be public. So why is the Hollister Ranch coast an exception? The program includes a walking trail and bicycle lane that would run parallel to the ranchs main private road. To minimize the number of cars, a van would run from nearby Gaviota State Park to six Hollister beaches, where there would be picnic areas and bathrooms. The Coastal Commission, along with the Coastal Conservancy, the State Lands Commission and California Department of Parks and Recreation, is working quickly to update the plan. In a collaboration agreement signed earlier this month, the agencies agreed to work efficiently to expand and enhance meaningful, safe, environmentally sustainable and operationally feasible public access to and along the coast at the Ranch. The executive directors of all four agencies are scheduled to meet with the Hollister Ranch Owners Assn. this week yet another milestone in a standoff that has lasted for decades. Read more: These California beaches have long been off-limits. But public outrage is changing the tide The publics demand for more access was a wake-up call, officials said. A state email account, hollister@coastal.ca.gov, has been created to collect ideas and public input on what an access plan today should include, and a public workshop will take place in the coming months. Limons bill supports updating the 1982 plan, and specifies that any new access plan created at Hollister Ranch must include public access by land and opportunities for beach recreation, science and education. If a new or updated plan has not been established by April of next year, the bill states, implementation of the 1982 access program will go into effect until coastal officials adopt a new access plan. Read the 1982 Hollister Ranch Access Progrm In an interview with The Times, Limon stressed the importance of equity along the coast and said she hopes that ranch owners, who are also her constituents, will work with the state and the public this time. Coming to a compromise is hard, but the people of California deserve a resolution, said Limon, who grew up in Santa Barbara and sees firsthand what access to Hollister Ranch symbolizes to those on the other side of the gate. They deserve to have the California Legislature try to settle this issue. They deserve to have access to beaches that belong to all Californians. Identifying ways to fund this access program will be considered as later amendments to the bill. To start, the legislation calls for coastal officials to reexamine a special section of the Coastal Act that has allowed Hollister Ranch owners since the 1980s to pay a $5,000 fee in exchange for not providing access on a parcel-by-parcel basis whenever they sought a building permit. Those fees were meant to be spent on public access whenever ranchers and the state reached an agreement. That special section had not been scrutinized in years, but officials recently discovered that the wording could be read a few different ways. Based on the way state officials today say the law should be interpreted, the fund should now amount to more than $1 million, according to a Times analysis of public records. But for some 30 years, no one had seemed to challenge Hollister Ranchs interpretation of how the fees should be paid. To date, officials have received only about $300,000 from owners. In the settlement agreement, those in-lieu fees would be used by Hollister Ranch to operate their managed access program, which includes inviting disabled veterans and other underserved groups on guided trips, and providing at least 24 opportunities a year for K-12 groups to learn about tide pools and marine ecosystems. Critics say that is an insult to the original public access plan and have called it out in court. In a long-awaited ruling last month, a Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge refused to approve the controversial settlement and gave a group of advocates the opportunity to legally challenge the deal. Lawyers representing Hollister Ranch responded by filing a motion to disqualify the judge, questioning her bias and actions that they say have made her both judge and advocate. A different judge reviewed the ranchs claims and rejected them late last week, saying the motion was devoid of concrete facts evidencing bias. The case will reconvene in April. Five people were charged Monday with attempted murder and carjacking of a woman in Sunland, according to the Los Angeles County district attorneys office. Christian Reyes, 20; Andrew Bran, 19; Jesus Morales, 18; Christina Luna, 24; and Monica Gomez, 25, were charged Monday with one count each of attempted murder, carjacking, second-degree robbery and hit-and-run driving. Hometowns for them were not released. Authorities say the five alleged gang members might have acted at the direction of a criminal street gang. On March 20, about 6 p.m., the woman, who is 12 weeks pregnant, was parking her vehicle outside her home in the Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood when Reyes, Bran and Morales ambushed and robbed her, according to the district attorneys office. Reyes is accused of stabbing the woman multiple times before the men stole the womans car, hitting other vehicles as they tried to flee. Luna and Gomez were nearby in a getaway vehicle, prosecutors said. Advertisement Bail for Reyes is recommended at $1.9 million and $1.4 million for the other defendants. If convicted as charged, each faces a possible maximum sentence of life in state prison. The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department, Foothill Community Police Station. Around 300 people including law enforcement officers and volunteers will take part in an active shooter drill at Los Angeles International Airport over two days this week, federal authorities said. The U.S. Customs and Border Protections Office of Field Operations at LAX will conduct the drill at Terminal 4 from 3 to 11 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. The airport does not expect the exercises to cause any delays, Los Angeles World Airports spokeswoman Becca Doten said. The training wont be out in the open or visible to travelers, she said. Advertisement The two-day drill will involve 12 agencies and happen at one gate and one baggage area but will not affect national or international flights at the terminal, said Jaime Ruiz, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman. LAX was the scene of a fatal shooting in 2013. A Transportation Security Administration officer was killed and three other people were injured by a gunman with a semiautomatic rifle who shot up Terminal 3 one November morning. The man who was fatally shot, Gerardo Hernandez, was the first TSA officer slain on duty since the agency was created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The chaotic and disorganized response to the shooting by emergency personnel led to a highly critical report, noting that poor communication and a lack of coordination between various agencies led to delays reaching victims and sent thousands of passengers fleeing onto nearby streets and airport ramps. javier.panzar@latimes.com @jpanzar Its the end of an era at the San Diego Zoo as the last two giant pandas will soon leave for China. In an announcement Monday, zoo officials said the pandas, Bai Yun, 27 a fixture at the zoo for 23 years and her son, Xiao Liwu, 6, would leave San Diego because a multiyear agreement with the Chinese had ended. Zoo officials said sending the pandas back was always planned for April and was not prompted by any sudden request from the Chinese government. The iconic black-and-white bamboo eaters have had a consistent presence at the zoo since 1996. The last day pandas can be viewed by the public is expected to be April 27. How the San Diego Zoo helped unlock the mystery of panda sex and parenting Advertisement With their impending departure, it is unknown if or when new pandas might inhabit the zoo again. Zoo officials are unable to say whether the wait is a matter of months or years. We have high hopes for pandas returning, but I dont know that we have any set date when they might return, said Shawn Dixon, chief operating officer for the San Diego Zoo. There are still pandas at Smithsonians National Zoo in Washington, D.C., Zoo Atlanta and the Memphis Zoo. In the two decades since the first pandas arrived in San Diego, the animals have become intertwined with the image of the zoo. Their likenesses grace T-shirts and postcards promoting the region, and they had a featured role in the 2004 Anchorman movie. In the comedy, a San Diego news team chronicled the impending birth of a panda with the Panda Watch. Although the prospect of no new pandas for the indefinite future might alarm fans, there is a promising sign: The zoo has no plans to take down the animals exhibit. And several zoo officials are planning to travel to China in the coming months for in-person negotiations with leaders of the countrys panda program. The pandas departure may sadden the community, Dixon said, but its a time for celebration. They are going home to their home country. It truly is a celebration of all the work we have done. The San Diego giant panda program has been very successful by most measures, producing six cubs and developing techniques now used around the world to keep young pandas alive. At the time pandas first came to the zoo in 1996, the International Union for Conservation of Nature listed the species as endangered. Within 20 years, their status had improved to vulnerable. Two decades ago, the wild population of pandas was estimated to be less than 1,000. As of the latest count in 2014, there were 1,864 pandas living in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Another panda at the zoo, 28-year-old Gao Gao, returned to China in October. Gao Gao and Bai Yun produced five cubs together, including Xiao Liwu. All three will be back together at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Dujiangyan. Dont expect much of a reunion pandas are very solitary and arent expected to interact. Pandas are only native to China, so all pandas in American zoos are on loan from the Chinese government. Even those born on American soil are considered property of China. Its unclear from zoo officials what their negotiating strategy will be with the Chinese, or if whatever program comes next will involve breeding. Young male panda Xiao Liwu was born at the San Diego Zoo. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) The species is the rarest of all bears and lives among damp bamboo forests in southwestern China. Most of the decline in numbers has largely been attributed to human encroachment, but pandas are also notoriously difficult to breed. They only mate one to two days a year, and successful pregnancies are rare. It is unknown exactly when the pandas will leave. Bai Yun and her son Xiao Liwu will travel by plane and be attended to by numerous keepers and veterinarians. Bai Yun is expected to go into a retirement wing of the center, and Xiao Liwu will eventually be put in a breeding situation. Zoo officials said it was bittersweet to say goodbye to the pandas but that they were proud of everything that was accomplished over 23 years. The intent was to prevent the extinction of the species. This program can be looked at as one of a handful of programs that have actually prevented the extension of a key species, said Carmi Penny, director of husbandry sciences at the zoo. Despite tension with the Chinese government and the Trump administration over tariffs, zoo officials say that sort of issue doesnt filter down to those who are working with pandas. A storied panda history Giant pandas first took San Diego by storm in 1987 when two of the animals Basi and Yuan Yuan stayed for 200 days. The pandas were a sensation, drawing more than 2 million visitors, the zoo said. A 1987 article in the San Diego Evening Tribune described their arrival as a fanfare usually saved for humans as news reporters, TV cameramen and zoo employees fawned over the pair. The price of a one-day adult ticket at the time was $8.50 and $2.50 for children. Now it is $56 for an adult and $46 for a child (ages 3 to 11). Pandas did not return again until 1996, when Bai Yun and another panda, Shi Shi, arrived at the zoo from the Wolong Nature Reserve in China. Both were supposed to stay 12 years, although Bai Yun remained 13 years longer. The pandas, in special traveling crates, were loaded onto a moving truck and escorted by the California Highway Patrol to the zoo. Things were rocky at first with Shi Shi, who was not interested in mating with Bai Yun. Bai Yun gave birth to her first panda, Hua Mei, in 1999 by artificial insemination. That panda became the first born in the United States to survive and grow into adulthood. In 2003, Gao Gao showed up and quickly began a successful pairing with Bai Yun. A son, Mei Sheng, was born in 2003. Four other cubs followed: Su Lin in 2005, Zhen Zhen in 2007, Yun Zi in 2009 and the last, Xiao Liwu, in 2012. Under the agreement with the Chinese government, most young pandas born in other countries are supposed to go back to China when they are around 3 years old. Xiao Liwu, though, has now stayed longer than expected, as has Bai Yun, who was allowed to remain because of how much success she had in breeding. Xiao Liwu, shown at 7 months, tries to get mom Bai Yun to play in 2013. (Peggy Peattie / Peggy Peattie) Bob Wiese, chief life sciences officer at San Diego Zoo, said several of the six cubs had gone on to have children of their own, building on a lineage originating in San Diego. At the time the pandas were brought to the United States in 1996, the survival rate for cubs was 10% to 20%, Wiese said. Now, there is a 95% likelihood they will survive, he said, and part of that is because of work done at American zoos. One of those advances came from a San Diego Zoo nutritionist who developed a milk formula for cubs that is now in widespread use. The formula is especially useful if the mother panda is not giving her cub enough milk. The milk that panda newborns need to survive is much more nutrient-dense than that of many species and is crucial for survival, making neglect by the mother potentially disastrous. Xiao Liwu, star attraction More than 100 people waited in line Friday to see Xiao Liwu on a cool 64-degree day. The line slowly snaked through the exhibit until the end, where adults and children crowded around the 6-year-old pandas enclosure. Xiao Liwu climbed around the tree-fort-style area and plopped down in one of his favorite spots to sit. A ray of sunshine illuminated the top of his head as he leaned back with a bamboo stalk. He put the stalk in his mouth and peeled off outer layers to begin his meal. Visitors were squeezing against each other to see the panda, although he didnt seem to notice. Hes right there, yelled 6-year-old Brooklyn Putich, of Chino, as she finally got her first glimpse of the panda and climbed on the railing for a better look. Families of young children made up much of the crowd, leading to the occasional baby-stroller traffic jam. Stephanie Toscano, of Tucson, Ariz., said she was in town for a wedding and decided to take her 4-year-old daughter, Adynn, to the zoo. Shes waited all day for this, Toscano said. She wouldnt stop talking about it. Zoo officials said none of the staff that worked with the pandas would be laid off but would work with other animals. Still, it may be tough for those employees to say goodbye, especially to Bai Yun, the 23-year resident. She was the perfect panda, said Penny, the husbandry director. She was behaviorally stable, very intelligent, very inquisitive, not aggressive. Just a nice, good animal. Bai Yun was not on display for much of Friday, but no one seemed to notice with Xiao Liwu content to put on a show. He got up from his sitting spot, climbed across logs in the enclosure, grabbed another bamboo stalk, leaned back and started to chew again. Each movement was captured by dozens of smartphones. Molnar and Bradley J. Fikes, who contributed to this report, work for the San Diego Union-Tribune. phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, long has been an irritant for the Trump administration. The congressman President Trump has dubbed little shifty Schiff has suggested on several occasions that he had seen evidence of collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia more than circumstantial evidence, as Schiff put it in 2017. But Schiff is coming under fire from prominent Republicans now that special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has reported that his investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities. Thats a quotation from Muellers report, not a paraphrase by Atty. Gen. William P. Barr, and it is a victory for the president. On Monday White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Schiff should resign because he had been peddling a lie about collusion. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said Schiff should apologize and step down as committee chairman. Schiff has scoffed at the calls for his resignation, telling CNN that Im more than used to attacks from my GOP colleagues, and I would expect nothing less. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute Advertisement Schiff also legitimately has drawn a distinction between the evidence of collusion he referred to and a conclusion that there was evidence strong enough to justify a finding of criminality. As he put it on Twitter: Mueller did not find sufficient evidence to establish conspiracy, notwithstanding Russian offers to help Trumps campaign, their acceptance, and a litany of concealed interactions with Russia. I trust Muellers prosecutorial judgment, but the country must see the evidence. Republican calls for Schiff to step down ignore the distinction he drew; they can be dismissed as a partisan pile-on. And Schiff is right that its important that the actual Mueller report be made public so that we can evaluate whether his statements about collusion receive any support from its findings. But at that point, Schiff needs to be forthcoming about what led him to assert that there was evidence of collusion and whether Muellers investigation has inspired any second thoughts. We know some of what Schiff has in mind. In an interview with CNN last month, Schiff mentioned contacts between former national security advisor Michael Flynn and the Russian ambassador as well as the notorious Trump Tower meeting in June 2016 involving Trump associates (including campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Donald Trump Jr.) and a Russian lawyer who was expected to provide negative information about Hillary Clinton. If there is more behind Schiffs suggestions about collusion, he should say so not to preserve his position as chairman of the Intelligence Committee, which isnt in any jeopardy, but to demonstrate that he is willing to explain and, if necessary, modify his conclusions. That would make it at least somewhat more likely that he could win the backing of some Republicans for future investigations of the president and his administration. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook In the first major policy proposal of her presidential campaign, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is focused on boosting the salaries of teachers. Harris campaign says her plan is an unprecedented investment in teacher pay and toward programs dedicated to teacher recruitment, training and professional development. In new details released Tuesday, the Democrats campaign described the underpayment of teachers as a national failure thats holding America back and said that weve failed to give teachers the respect and resources they deserve. The issue is hardly new. For years, teachers have said they are underpaid and their schools are underfunded. Teachers in more than a half-dozen states have walked out of their classrooms in protest in recent months. But in wading into the education spending debate in her first policy rollout, Harris is set to capitalize on a debate that has been boiling in districts across the country and that is critical to the nations teachers unions, which have been key players in Democratic Party politics in many regions. Harris previewed her plan in a Houston speech Saturday, saying that you can judge a society by the way it treats its children, and one of the greatest expressions of love that a society can give to its children is educating those children with resources they need. Advertisement Traditionally, elementary and secondary schools receive most of their budget dollars from state and local governments, with the federal government providing less than 10% of total funding. But Harris is calling for the federal government to immediately invest a base level of funding into each state with the goal of closing the teacher pay gap the difference in compensation for teachers and similar professionals with college degrees. Then, Harris campaign says, for every dollar a state contributes to increasing the pay of teachers, the federal government will invest an additional four dollars. Harris campaign says that under the plan, the average teacher in the U.S. will receive a $13,500 a year raise. The campaign estimates this will cost $315 billion over a decade, paid for by strengthening the estate tax and closing tax loopholes that benefit the rich. While it is early in the Democratic primary and the American Federation of Teachers has not backed any Democrat running for president, the head of the AFT praised Harris plan. Randi Weingarten, the groups president, said in an interview that theres been a woeful underinvestment in public schools throughout the country and that Harris had proposed a bold, smart, strategic and decisive proposal that will help solve the problem of how we recruit and retain great teachers. What shes doing is saying personnel is absolutely key in terms of teaching, and she is investing in our personnel, shes investing in teaching, she said. Catherine Brown, a senior fellow at the liberal Center for American Progress, said that states have been systemically disinvesting in public education for a decade, particularly in more conservative parts of the country. I think it would be better if states would step up and pay teachers what they deserve. I think we can all agree its a very hard job, a foundational job to our democracy, and they are underpaid, she said. I think that states are not stepping up in particular, conservative states. What weve seen are states led by GOP leaders have disinvested in education systematically in favor of giving tax cuts. The issue of teacher pay and education spending has been cause for strikes in a number of states. In Harris hometown of Oakland, striking teachers recently went back to their classrooms following a weeklong strike after union members voted to approve a contract agreement that provided pay raises. In 2016-17, the average annual salary for a public school teacher nationally was $58,950, down slightly from the previous year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Overall, 78% of Americans said thats not enough, according to an April 2018 poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Just 15% think teachers are paid the right amount, while 6% think theyre paid too much. Harris campaign emphasized that education funding was a national issue, affecting both urban centers and rural schools, but explicitly singled out the area along Interstate 95 in South Carolina known as the Corridor of Shame because of its underperforming schools. The region gained that nickname from a 2005 documentary that depicted decrepit conditions and deteriorating buildings. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos recently toured the region, and South Carolina lawmakers have said that improving the states education system is a priority this year. On her own South Carolina trip in February, Harris weighed in on the teacher pay issue. You know, right here in South Carolina, we need to pay our teachers what they are worth, Harris said at a North Charleston town hall, adding later: For most of us who ever have a microphone like this in our hands, we have never achieved this kind of success without the teachers and the public education system that made us who we are. Harris plan also includes investments in teacher recruitment, training, retention and professional development, her campaign says. It says there will be a multibillion-dollar investment in programs at historically black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions. Atty. Gen. William Barr plans to release a version of the final, confidential report from special counsel Robert S. Mueller III on his Russia investigation in the coming weeks, a senior Justice Department official said Tuesday. The White House would not get an advance look at the document, said the official, who was not authorized to speak on the record and requested anonymity. The timetable for reviewing and releasing the report would be relatively quick, the official said: weeks, not months. Barr has been reviewing Muellers report to determine whether any information needs to be withheld to protect continuing investigations or grand jury testimony, which is supposed to be kept confidential. Advertisement He sent Congress a letter on Sunday summarizing what he called the principal conclusions from the investigation that Trumps campaign did not conspire with the Russian government and that Mueller did not make a conclusion on whether the president obstructed justice. The special counsel wrote that while his report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him on obstruction, according to Barrs letter. Its unclear whether Barrs timetable or redaction process will satisfy House Democrats. Six committee chairs sent a letter to Barr on Monday demanding a full copy of Muellers report by April 2. They also asked for the underlying evidence gathered by the special counsel so that Congress can make its own determination on the presidents actions. Congress must be permitted to make an independent assessment of the evidence regarding obstruction of justice, they wrote. Barr and Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein, who supervised the special counsels office, have already made their own determination that there was no criminal case to be made on obstruction, a controversial decision that Democrats are eager to probe. Asked on Monday whether the Mueller report should be released, Trump told reporters it was up to the attorney general, but it wouldnt bother me at all. The Supreme Court justices sounded closely split Tuesday during arguments over whether to rein in partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts, with new Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh probably holding the deciding vote. The four liberal justices, all Democratic appointees, said the court was confronting the worst of the worst examples of politically motivated gerrymandering in cases from North Carolina and Maryland. It is so dramatically wrong to leave all this to professional politicians who rig the outcomes, said Justice Elena Kagan. But most of the courts conservatives, all Republican appointees, sounded just as insistent that the Constitution left it to state lawmakers, not federal judges, to draw election districts for members of Congress. Advertisement Why should we wade into this? asked Justice Neil M. Gorsuch. If there was one encouraging sign for the challengers, it was that Kavanaugh seemed open to interceding in cases of extreme gerrymandering. He repeatedly asked whether the Constitution calls for proportional representation in Congress, so that the political views of the elected members of Congress would roughly match the political views of the states voters. None of the lawyers gave a firm answer to Kavanaughs question, but he suggested that the extreme deviations in the cases under consideration could be struck down. North Carolinas map gave Republicans a 10-3 majority, even though they won just 51% of the vote. In the Maryland case, Democrats redrew the districts in 2011 to eliminate one Republican stronghold. The revised map gave Democrats a 7-1 majority in the states congressional delegation. That may go too far, Kavanaugh, who lives in Maryland, told a state lawyer. The 7-1 is a problem. The 5-3 is almost certainly not a problem, which I think has got to be right ... because its close to the proportion of Democrats and Republicans in the state, he said at one point. If Kavanaugh were to stick with that view, it could transform the courts approach to partisan gerrymandering. For more than 30 years, the court has struggled with gerrymandering but has never struck down a states election districts on the grounds that they were so unfair as to deny one partys voters equal representation. In the past, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said he believed the Constitution left the election map to state legislators, He could now be in a position to close the door to partisan gerrymandering claims in the future, but only if Kavanaugh is prepared to join him. The other justices on the right said they did not see a way to create a clear, legal test for deciding when ordinary politics goes too far and becomes unconstitutional. I know it when I see it, Gorsuch said in a mocking reference to the courts struggle to define obscenity in the 1960s. In the North Carolina case, a three-judge federal court last year struck down the partisan gerrymandering by saying it discriminated against voters in violation of the 1st Amendment and the guarantee of equal protection of the laws. The states lawyer, former U.S. Solicitor Gen. Paul Clement, urged the court to reverse that ruling and declare that the Constitution gave the power over election districts to elected legislators. The case is Rucho vs. Common Cause. Meanwhile, a Maryland state attorney urged the justices to toss out a similar ruling that struck down its Democratic plan. That case is Lamone vs. Benisek. In both cases, the architects of the election maps admitted they were acting for partisan motives. Three years ago, Republican state Rep. David Lewis opened a North Carolina legislative session on redistricting by proposing to use the latest political data to benefit Republicans and draw the maps to give a partisan advantage to 10 Republicans and three Democrats because I do not believe its possible to draw a map with 11 Republicans and two Democrats. Marylands Democrats were nearly as blunt in their motives when they redrew districts, deciding they would shift more than 300,000 people to convert a solidly Republican district into a reliably Democratic one. They succeeded in creating a U.S. House delegation that had seven Democrats and only one Republican. Last year, the chief justice wrote an opinion that overturned a partisan gerrymandering ruling against Wisconsins Republicans. He said the Democratic voters who filed the suit did not have standing to challenge the statewide electoral map for its state Assembly. That ruling, in Gill vs. Whitford, allowed the Wisconsin GOP to maintain a supermajority control of its lower legislative house, despite winning only 44% of the votes statewide. In decades past, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy had left the door open to ruling that partisan gerrymandering was unconstitutional because it discriminated against voters due to their political views. But he never voted to strike down an election map as unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering, and he retired last year shortly after the Roberts-led punt in the Wisconsin case. Allison Riggs, a voting rights lawyer from North Carolina, warned the justices of the risk of doing nothing on redistricting as the 2020 census approaches. If the high court punts again or upholds the gerrymandered districts, it will be read as a green light for this kind of discriminatory rhetoric and manipulation in redistricting from here on out, she said on behalf of the League of Women Voters. She is not likely to win over the chief justice, however. Roberts spelled out his view four years ago when he dissented in a 5-4 ruling upholding independent commissions authorized by voters in Arizona and California to draw election districts. The chief justice pointed to a provision in the Constitution that says the times, places and manner of holding elections for members of Congress shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof. Roberts said that meant only elected lawmakers may decide on election districts. No matter how concerned we may be about partisanship in redistricting, this court has no power to gerrymander the Constitution, he wrote in dissent then. The latest from Washington More stories from David G. Savage California voters would consider a state-mandated tax on the assets of wealthy residents, one that could generate as much as $1 billion a year for low-income families, under legislation introduced in the state Legislature on Tuesday. The bill would ask voters next year to impose an estate tax of a size equal to what was loosened in 2017 by President Trump and Republicans in Congress as part of a broad tax overhaul law. The goal, said the proposals author, is to create an overall tax burden for wealthy Californians equal to what existed before the federal tax break was created. Under Senate Bill 378, the revenues from the tax would be earmarked for programs designed to combat income inequality. A California estate tax benefits low-income families by helping them build wealth and end the cycle of intergenerational poverty, state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said in a written statement. Advertisement Wiener floated a similar proposal just after Trump took the oath of office in early 2017. That effort came before the president and GOP congressional leaders pushed to loosen the federal estate tax which now kicks in only on estates worth more than $11.4 million for individuals and $22.8 million for a married couple. SB 378 envisions a California tax that applies to estates larger than $3.5 million for an individual, where the federal tax applied between 2009 and 2011. The tax break grew in 2011 and was expanded dramatically through action in 2017 by Trump. To avoid any instance of double taxation by the state and federal government, SB 378 stipulates the California version would phase out once the value of a deceased residents estate hits the federal threshold. Its obscene that the federal estate tax exemption has escalated so dramatically, Wiener said. Sign up for the Essential Politics newsletter Wieners proposal sets aside the revenues from his estate tax for programs and services that directly address and alleviate socioeconomic inequality, according to a news release. It would include establishing savings accounts for children from low-income families. San Francisco created its own program for child savings accounts when Gov. Gavin Newsom was the citys mayor. The proposal, if passed by the Legislature and signed by Newsom later this year, would have to be ratified by voters in the November 2020 statewide election. A pair of 1982 ballot measures banned a state-level estate tax, which means any change would have to receive final approval on election day. john.myers@latimes.com Follow @johnmyers on Twitter, sign up for our daily Essential Politics newsletter and listen to the weekly California Politics Podcast This legislation is critical for Indiana, since anyone could fall into a persecuted class and become a victim of such crimes, according to Wyatt. It would provide protection available to all of us. All of us fall into one of those protected groups. Trenton Veches liked to suck on the toes of young boys and has spent the last 16 years in prison because of it. A jury convicted him in 2003 at age 32 in a case that shook Newport Beach, where he was a supervisor in the citys youth recreation program. He was tried on multiple counts of child molestation and sentenced to two concurrent life terms after being caught in the act by a co-worker. Last week despite an attempt by Gov. Gavin Newsom to stop it Veches won parole. Veches impending release is one of 33 cases in which Newsom, since taking office, has attempted to stop a serious offender from receiving parole, according to documents provided by the governors office. Parole hearings usually take place in front of a two-person panel. The governor cant revoke these paroles but can ask the states 15-member Board of Parole Hearings to review them. Advertisement Newsom also has stopped 46 paroles for murderers, a different process that allows him to act unilaterally through executive powers. Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for Newsom, said, Each case that comes before the governor is evaluated on its own merits and receives careful review and consideration. The interventions mark a steep increase from those undertaken by former Gov. Jerry Brown and are a departure from the progressive criminal justice reform stance that Newsom has championed, including his recent moratorium on the death penalty. In 2018, the parole board reviewed seven cases at Browns request and Brown reversed 28 paroles for murderers, a steady decline from his peak of 133 reversals in 2014. Newsom has more than quadrupled requests for reviews of serious offenders in three months in office and is on pace to match Browns peak year of reversals for murder cases. Newsoms spike in parole interventions has some wondering whether he is trying to keep more serious offenders in prison or just taking a cautious approach to a dicey issue. The governors reversal rate [on paroles] has dramatically increased over Brown, said Charles Carbone, Veches attorney and a specialist in parole hearings. The question now becomes: Is it a matter of a new policy? Newsoms active role in opposing releases might point to a growing political problem for him within the states parole system: rising numbers of offenders eligible for release because of criminal justice reforms, including Proposition 57, a measure championed by Brown. More so than any of his predecessors, Californias new governor likely will be responsible for overseeing tough decisions on whether certain sex offenders and criminals with multiple felonies should be freed. California holds between 4,000 to 5,300 parole hearings each year, according to a recent legislative report. Next year, that is expected to jump to 7,200 and rise again to 8,300 the following year changes wrought by Proposition 57 alone could add up to 4,000 new hearings, according to Michael Romano, head of the Three Strikes Project at Stanford Law School. There are currently 34,136 California inmates serving life sentences with the possibility of parole, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. There is an incredible backlog and bottleneck, Romano said. Veches parole was not the result of reforms. But he is the kind of potential parolee, complicated and controversial, whom politicians fear and Newsom might increasingly encounter. Along with Proposition 57, passed in 2016, a series of legislative changes and legal rulings has added multiple categories of offenders to the roll of those eligible for release. Among them are offenders who committed crimes in their youth; inmates serving time for crimes other than violent felonies; potentially some sex offenders serving sentences for crimes such as human trafficking, pimping a minor, or raping a drugged or unconscious victim; and those who previously served time for violent sex offenses but are currently incarcerated for other types of crimes. While some governors, such as Gray Davis, took a hard line on parole, Brown and Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger allowed an increase in releases, said Keith Wattley, executive director of an Oakland legal nonprofit that specializes in prisoners rights. Brown dramatically decreased the number of both reversed murder paroles and non-murder cases flagged by the governors office during his terms. Jack Pitney, a professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College, said Newsom is keenly aware of the potential for political danger after his controversial decision to halt executions. Many criticized Newsom for ignoring the will of California voters, who rejected a ballot measure to abolish the death penalty and approved another to speed up executions in 2016. The thing that keeps governors awake at night is the prospect that a bad person will be let out and go on to commit heinous crimes and the governor will be held responsible, Pitney said. After the death penalty reprieves, he is very sensitive to that risk and does not want to be the next Michael Dukakis. During the 1988 presidential campaign, Dukakis came under fire for defending a Massachusetts law that allowed criminals to be released from prison for weekend furloughs. Strategists for George H. W. Bushs presidential campaign linked Dukakis to the case of Willie Horton, a convicted murderer who raped a woman and stabbed her boyfriend after escaping while on furlough. Dukakis, then a Democratic governor of Massachusetts, lost the election. Newsoms efforts to prevent the release of criminals poses little downside, Pitney said. I think he can make a case that hes being consistent: We should be careful of releasing prisoners and careful about the punishments we impose, Pitney said. Romano said some of the interventions might be leftovers from Browns time in office and are too few in number to judge. Wattley, head of the nonprofit that specializes in prisoners rights, agreed it was too early to know how alarmed to be, but the possibility of parole raised by Brown gave inmates hope and created an incentive for rehabilitation. Newsoms interventions, if ongoing, could undo that, he said. Wattley said paroling serious offenders is necessary to decrease the number of people incarcerated, a key component of criminal justice reform. You cant do that unless you find a pathway home for people convicted of serious or violent crimes, he said. Sex offenders in particular are politically perilous candidates for parole. Proposition 57 backers promised it wouldnt free sex offenders, and state prison officials wrote rules for its implementation that excluded them. But a state court ruled last year that the wording of Proposition 57 didnt give leeway for a blanket prohibition, particularly for inmates with past sex offenses currently incarcerated on other charges. Fifteen of the cases Newsom has flagged for reconsideration involve inmates with current or past sex offenses, according to the CDCR. Sonya Shah, executive director of a Bay Area nonprofit that works with sex offenders, said sex crimes are left out of criminal justice reform and often lumped together in public perception despite encompassing a spectrum of harms to victims. We are not willing to have the nuance with sexual crime, Shah said. The way [sex offenders] are painted, they are monsters. On the day the parole board granted Veches his release, it also heard 15 other reviews at Newsoms request, including for Jose Valencia, convicted in 1997 and serving a life sentence for sex crimes and torture. In emotional testimony, Valencias former spouse begged the board not to release him, detailing how he beat her in the head with a hammer while she was pregnant and dug a grave in the backyard, ordering her into it to see whether she fit. Newsom questioned whether Valencia had sufficient insight into his crimes. The board agreed and sent Valencia back for another hearing. Veches mother, Joyce Ormes, attended the meeting to speak for her son. Contesting that release, Newsom again cited a lack of insight, including Veches denial of an allegation by a victim that Veches penetrated him with a finger. Ormes said when Newsom challenged Veches parole it was heartbreaking, and while the harm of his crimes is significant, it is not the same as the damage caused by a violent offender such as Valencia. This thing about grouping all sex offenders into one has haunted me, Ormes said. I know the governor is new and I understand his concerns, but my son wont be back [in prison]. Hes probably one of the best candidates for parole. How a list of 23 crimes now dominates Californias debate over prison punishment Agents from the FBI and U.S. Secret Service descended on homes in Burbank, La Crescenta and La Canada Flintridge on Wednesday where they conducted early-morning raids on the residences. Authorities simultaneously carried out the raids around 6 a.m. after receiving federal search warrants for homes at 512 S. Via Montana in Burbank, 3122 Pontiac St. in La Crescenta and 1435 El Vago St. in La Canada. Laura Eimiller, a spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigations, said the details and targets of the raids were unavailable because a judge sealed the contents of the warrants. Property records show that the homes in Burbank and La Canada are owned by Alen and Dina Gharehbagloo, while the home in La Crescenta is owned by Robert and Dana Khudaverdyan. Its unknown what connection, if any, the four had to the raids. Attempts to contact Alen Gharehbagloo were not returned as of press time. A number associated with Robert Khudaverdyan was answered by a woman who did not wish to identify herself and who said he was unavailable for comment. When the woman was informed about the raids, she responded, OK, thank you, bye-bye and promptly hung up the phone. Eimiller said the raids were conducted jointly by the FBI, Secret Service and Los Angeles Police Department. Requests for comment from the Secret Service were not returned by press time, and the LAPD directed all inquiries to the FBI. Officers from the Burbank Police Department and deputies from the Crescenta Valley Sheriffs Station were also present at raids in their respective jurisdictions. Burbank Lt. Mitch Ross said officers were at the raid to provide a uniform presence in the neighborhood and to provide any assistance, if needed. However, he said officers did not actively participate in serving the warrants. andy.nguyen@latimes.com Twitter: @Andy_Truc A longtime horse rental business at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank will be shutting its doors this summer after a lengthy legal dispute between the business owner and facility officials. Julie Schad, owner of Griffith Park Horse Rentals, said she is looking forward to a fresh start at the end of May, when her sublease with the equestrian center expires. She couldnt say exactly where the new stables will be located, but Schad said the 55 horses she currently owns and rents out to those who want to go on a horseback ride will have a new home soon. Itll be in Southern California, but it doesnt look like well be in this area, she said on Thursday. Well certainly invite our current clientele to where were going, but itll certainly feel like starting over. Schad is leaving the equestrian center after several years of disagreements between herself and those who run the facility. According to a lawsuit filed by Schad on Feb. 24, 2015, she alleged the Los Angeles Equestrian Center breached a contract they had entered into on April 15, 2014. Under that agreement, the center was supposed to negotiate a sublease extension with Schad and draft a request for proposal to be submitted and approved by the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, which oversees the equestrian center. However, Schad alleged the request for proposal was biased and favored a competing horse rental business owned by James and Scott Perez, who own Circle K Riding Stables in Burbank. Neither George Chatigny, general manager of the equestrian center, nor James and Scott Perez could be reached for comment. In the 2015 lawsuit, the Los Angeles Equestrian Center had issued Schad a written notice to vacate the center within 60 days. Schad claimed the notice did not specify the reason for the eviction, and she was up to date on all the fees she had to pay under the sublease. As the 2015 lawsuit was being heard, the Los Angeles Equestrian Center filed an eviction lawsuit against Schad on May 6, 2016. The case was ultimately dismissed in January 2017, when the two parties settled the original lawsuit. Schad took over Griffith Park Horse Rentals, which has been at the center for more than 50 years, back in 2003 and spent $150,000 to purchase the business, according to the lawsuit. During that time, there were about 20 horses and a handful of horse stalls when started, Schad said on Thursday. She said she invested about $250,000 into the business, which resulted in 30 covered stalls, according to court documents. There are currently 55 horses in the stables, Schad said. Because of a nondisclosure agreement she signed as part of the settlement, Schad could not provide detailed information about leaving the equestrian center. anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com Twitter: @acocarpio Whether tweets or memes, text messages or snaps, education about cyber technology is important, so Luther Burbank Middle School will host a discussion Wednesday evening designed to help Burbank Unified parents bridge the digital divide with their children. Lori Getz, founder of Cyber Education Consultants, will lead the presentation, titled Creating a Family Plan around Texting, Gaming, Surfing, YouTube, Social Media and more, at 6 p.m. on the schools campus, 3700 W. Jeffries Ave, Burbank. Admission is free. Parents are also encouraged to bring their children, and childcare will be provided. Also, Spanish translation services will be offered, according to Luther Burbank principal Oscar Macias. This is a great opportunity to present information to all our adults in how we can provide education, prevention and intervention in the online experiences of young adolescents, Macias said. Its a conversation some parents have problems initiating, Getz said. Many are incredibly stuck, and we want to show them how we can deal with it, she added. Getz iterated a desperate need for cyber education, pointing to statistics, such as one that shows 80% of children and teens say they have communicated with an online stranger through games and social media, but less than 10% have told a parent. Getz also noted that nearly every child has reported seeing something that makes them uncomfortable online, but less than 10% have reported the incident to a parent. This is about how the technology works and what the kids are doing what is dangerous, what is silly and what are bad habits, Getz added. The discussion will cover topics such as text messages, social-media platforms, YouTube and Netflix. As a parent, myself, our children are growing up as digital natives, Burbank Supt. Matt Hill said. As a parent, its important to support our kids and educate our parents on cyber living. Internet hoaxes, such as the recent Momo Challenge, in which media outlets incorrectly reported children encouraging each other to do self-harm, will also be discussed. Getz said she wants to encourage all parents, from the internet savvy to the novice, to learn different strategies in understanding and communicating with their children. She also thinks most parents already have many of the tools to be successful. Parents will never get one step ahead of technology. Its like slang, Getz said. Instead, they should focus on parenting behavior and not technology. Its about personal safety. Getz added, Rather than talk about [popular video games] Fortnite, Call of Duty and FIFA 19, talk about personal safety. The event was originally intended for Luther Burbank parents only as part of the districts implementation of the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports program. However, Macias said he felt the program should reach a broader audience. We see the value in sharing this information [with] everyone, Macias said. There is a strong hope that we fill every seat in our auditorium. Our belief is that the more adults and students learn to positively interact in the cyber world, the better off our Burbank community will be. andrew.campa@latimes.com Twitter @campadresports A shootout at a Northern California Rastafarian pot farm has brought new focus on the criminal prosecution of religious observers who use marijuana, despite the drugs recent legalization in the state, an article published in High Times reports. Religious organizations throughout California have been growing marijuana for ceremonial purposes for years and have been losing in court for just as long, the report says. Any cultivation of cannabis going forward will have to comply with the rules of a regulated market regardless of a groups religious affiliation, California officials stated. In contrast, in Indiana, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act signed by then-Gov. Mike Pence in 2015 prompted the founding of the First Church of Cannabis, which when it opened elicited a visit from multiple members of law enforcement, shutting down any use of marijuana. The churchs Grand Poobah Bill Levin filed a civil lawsuit shortly thereafter, with a trial expected in November 2017, which could determine the validity of the churchs claim that religious freedom extends to the use of pot. Q. Is marijuana use a religious civil right? Are there other activities or positions deemed illegal that you believe infringe on religious freedom? .. In our country freedom of religion is a constitutionally protected right. What is not necessarily protected is every possible rite or ritual a given religion chooses to practice. For example, child sacrifices were a common pagan religious practice in Israels kingdom years. Nobody would think thats permissible in America today. Of course, our courts do allow people to take the lives of their children as long as theyre still in the womb. But I digress. Generally speaking, if the law makes something illegal for everyone without an obvious bias against any particular group, then thats acceptable. Usually. The courts are still open to judge which exceptions should be allowed, and some probably should. So to me, marijuana use as a religious practice should be contingent upon its legality for the general population. Other interesting considerations in this question would be animal sacrifice and polygamy. The courts have declared it illegal for me to pray in Jesus name when Ive been invited to give Burbank City Council meeting invocations. Jesus is the name of my God. I believe this ban is a flagrant violation of both my religious freedom and my freedom of speech. The government is not establishing a religion by letting me practice mine in public. But regardless of the particular issue, when it comes down to it, I believe Peter and the apostles had it right: We must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). Pastor Jon Barta Burbank .. Anyone who has ever puzzled over why certain mood-altering substances are legal (alcohol, cigarettes, Oxycontin, soda with high-fructose corn syrup) but others are mostly not (cannabis, lets say), knows the exclusionary logic at work in the world of what were allowed to put in our bodies. Many of my older friends grew up quaffing sacramental wine at Catholic mass, long before drinking age. This sort of thing was OK, whereas late Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for the majority in a 1990 Supreme Court decision against the use of peyote in certain Native American rituals, stated, Leaving accommodation to the political process will place at a relative disadvantage those religious practices that are not widely engaged in ... (the) consequence of democratic government must be preferred to a system in which each conscience is a law unto itself. It is clear from Scalias words that some religions are too big to fail a drug test. While Nine Inch Nails Trent Reznor was talking about something else when he sang You get me closer to God, substances have been used in religious rituals for centuries, regardless of which belief system currently has the blessing of the Supreme Court. Peyote, Ayahuasca, wormwood, Jimson Weed, good old alcohol, and hundreds of other herbs and spices are smoked, crushed, wafted, and otherwise ingested to bring adherents closer to God. At issue in the Rastas case is whose God. That said, churches use of substances should reflect how those substances are regulated in the outside world. And the more substances are legalized and regulated in the outside world, we wont just have to rely on vino to get the veritas. Marty Barrett, Vice President Unitarian Universalist Community of the Verdugo Hills (UUVerdugo) .. As it so happens, the shoot-out was caused by a violent ex-con named Sanchez who also had two outstanding warrants. He was not part of the Rastafarian community, but a trimmigrant who came looking for work, and it wasnt the stoned church-members who caused the altercation except to call 911 and report the scary behavior of this man. The rest is history, as two police officers were wounded and Sanchez has permanently gone to his reward. I mention this detail in fairness to the church folk, since readers might get the wrong impression that it was they who caused the violence. As for whether cannabis should be legal for religious use, I suppose thats the quandary isnt it? The Declaration of Independence states that God grants the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, yet the latter two come into conflict when government deems illegal something people believe satisfies these rights. Also, the Constitution states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Obviously free exercise is prohibited if the law forbids a religious sacrament. I dont mean to imply that I think cannabis is any legitimate sacrament, as I do not believe that Rastafarianism or the Church of Cannabis are true religions (the latter being most idolatrous for its devotion to a weed rather than the God who created it). Government has a tough job protecting our rights while simultaneously protecting the greater good. Would a Church of LSD be going too far? After all, these marijuana faiths point to the legal use of hallucinogenic cactus pods by Indians attending the Native American Church; why can they freely ingest something far more intense than cannabis as their sacrament? And what about the Appalachian snake-handling, poison drinkers? As well, half the Christian world consumes alcohol for its sacrament, even giving it to those who are not of legal age! Judaism does similarly, so theres going to have to be a decision here with this one vegetable: Should it be illegal? Perhaps leaving it to individual conscience is a better path, but that will cause problems of its own, just on the flip-side of what we have currently. Rev. Bryan A. Griem Tujunga I am a member of Burbank Boy Scout Troop 209 and I am working on a communications merit badge. I have been asked to send a letter to an editor as part of my requirement. My mom doesnt let me read the newspaper very much because theres so much bad stuff happening in the world, but she does let me read the good stuff that the Burbank Leader puts in. So, the more positive stories you run, the more I can read! And I believe that would make everyone happier, too. I like stories like the one about the Burbank police department painting their cars pink to address people about cancer awareness. I saw one of the cars at the station the other day and I remembered your article. Ogden Lucsik Burbank --- I have said it many times to anyone who would listen and according to the evening ratings at KFI, that number might be fairly small. I moved to Burbank because of the cops, the schools, and other city services. (This city is a race track and a casino away from being paradise!) I didnt have the best experience with LAUSD nor did they have an amazing 12 years with me either, I call it a wash. I was never a proponent of public schools, but that all changed when I moved to Burbank. The schools in Burbank are incredible, with the most wonderful teachers and counselors, and I want to keep it that way! The politicians in Sacramento are doing a lousy job of providing funding for education, but we can change that here in Burbank. The single best way to keep your property values increasing year to year is to have the greatest school system in SoCal. Please join me in voting Yes for Measure QS to ensure our local students receive the funding they deserve! Tim Conway Jr. KFI AM 640 host Burbank -- There is a long list of things that are useless. I name only a few of them here: 1) a white crayon 2) a glass hammer 3) a knitted condom 4) the g in lasagna. To this list I add another item that easily surpasses them all: the bike lanes on Verdugo Avenue. I drive this route several times a week and can count on one hand the number of bicyclists that use these lanes. Get rid of them! Mike Davison Toluca Lake While Werner Heisenbergs uncertainty principle might not appear in Heisenberg, the 2015 play does find ways to translate its tenets into everyday life specifically, romantic relationships. Its about the un-sureness and the strange way that relationships either progress or dont, said Joe Spano, who plays Alex Priest in the Laguna Playhouse production. [Its about] not being able to know anything concretely, the mystery of life, how do we just exist with the complexity and terror of not knowing, and how to make connections. Spano completed a three-week run of Simon Stephens play at the Rubicon Theatre Company in February and is now reprising his role as the Laguna-Rubicon co-production moves from Ventura to Laguna. The play opens as Priest, a 75-year-old British butcher, sits on a bench listening to music at Londons St. Pancras International train station. Hes kissed on the neck by Georgie Burns (Faline England), a free-spirited, 42-year-old American woman a surprise since theyre strangers. Heisenberg follows what unfolds between them after that initial encounter. As the two become a couple, Alexs conventional life becomes increasingly chaotic and uncertain. Theres eventually a visit to New Jersey in search of Georgies missing son. Spano saw England perform in 2017 when they both participated in a Speaking of Stories project in Santa Barbara, and he was gobsmacked with the depth and truth of her emotional connection. He immediately suggested that they perform Heisenberg together, because they were the right ages for it. Joe Spano said his role in Heisenberg allows him to display vulnerability and play a character who makes a romantic connection. The play runs at Laguna Playhouse through April 14. (Photo by Jeanne Tanner) While Spano has engaged and reveled in theater for more than a half-century he is a founding member of Berkeley Repertory Theatre, which started in 1968 hes better known to mass audiences for portraying gritty characters, including Lt. Henry Goldblume (Hill Street Blues) and FBI Special Agent Tobias Fornell (NCIS). The character [Alex] himself is a lot more vulnerable than a lot Ive played, he said. I like to say that hes porous, that hes able to see and hear but not really good at communicating in normal ways. But he has an eye for truth, and when he senses something is not true, he cant understand how that can be. He notes that its also very sexy and romantic for an actor in his 70s [to play the role] just to validate the fact that age doesnt necessarily indicate how vital and involved a person is. For more Orange County news and entertainment, follow us @timesocofficial Spano said both Rubicon and Laguna had always planned for a dual-venue approach, to provide the show a longer overall run. That means Orange County audiences will see the fruits of the same troupe, from Spano and England to director Katharine Farmer to scenic and lighting designer Mike Billings, costume designer Michael Mullens, and sound designer/stage manager Jessie Vacchiano. Yet Spano said the production has grown and changed since it opened on Feb. 2. Its the same production but much deeper, richer, truer than we did before, he said. People mature and learn things, and were trying to take advantage of that to make it more compelling. Eric Marchese is a contributor to TimesOC. IF YOU GO What: Heisenberg Where: Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach When: Previews March 27 and 29, 7:30 p.m.; March 28 and 30, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Runs March 31 through April 14. Wednesdays through Fridays, 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 1 p.m.; April 2, 7:30 p.m.; April 7, 5:30 p.m.; April 11, 2 p.m. Cost: $56-$86 Information: (949) 497-2787, lagunaplayhouse.com Follow @timesocofficial for more news and features about Orange County. There is not enough evidence to conclude that a Costa Mesa police officer fired his weapon improperly when he shot and wounded a man suspected of prowling over the summer, according to a report the Orange County district attorneys office made public Monday. After seven months and six witness interviews, authorities closed the investigation into the Aug. 14 shooting of Bradley Montgomery, 49, by Officer Dana Potts. Potts declined to voluntarily give a statement to investigators, leading them to conclude that there was a lack of sufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt criminal culpability on the part of Officer Potts. However, the district attorneys office cautioned that a lack of testimony should not be interpreted as a sign that the officer acted improperly. Certainly, it would have been preferable if the OCDA were able to obtain a voluntary statement from Officer Potts regarding his observations and state of mind at the time of the shooting, the report concluded. However, Officer Potts decision to decline to give the OCDA a voluntary statement may not legally and ethically be used to draw negative evidentiary inferences regarding the conduct and the state of mind of Officer Potts. The Costa Mesa Police Department declined to comment on the report. The shooting followed a 5 a.m. call to the 2000 block of Charle Street, where neighbors reported that a prowler tried to enter a residential patio. Potts arrived on the scene and, according to a Costa Mesa police report at the time, gave Montgomery instructions that Montgomery ignored. Potts fired his handgun once, hitting Montgomery who was near the entry of the residence in the abdomen, the report found. Testimony, as well as recordings from the officers digital audio recorder, revealed that Potts fired and then immediately said, Oh, shoot, according to the district attorney report. While Montgomery lay face-up on the ground, Potts, according to the report, asked, What did you have in your hands? Potts asked Montgomery if he had a metal stick, according to the report. Montgomery denied having anything in his hand. However, the district attorneys office found two objects that fit the description of a metal stick near the shooting scene, the report found. Potts also told another officer, Ryan Novikoff, that it appeared Montgomery had something in his hand, Novikoff said in his account of the events, according to the report. After the shooting, Potts and two other officers who were present but did not witness the shooting turned Montgomery onto his back and handcuffed him. Montgomery suffered a non-life-threatening through and through gunshot wound to the right side of his abdomen. He was taken to a trauma center, where he was treated. Montgomery pleaded guilty Feb. 19 to one count of prowling and was sentenced to 30 days in county jail, court records show. A previous investigation determined that Potts acted reasonably when he fired into a pickup truck that crashed into his patrol car, apparently intentionally. On July 5, 2012, Potts found two men in a stolen truck in a parking lot. The trucked backed up and rammed the patrol car twice, police said at the time. Potts fired multiple shots into the truck. The driver, who was struck, survived the injury and ran from the vehicle and was arrested a week later, police said. UPDATES: This article was originally published at 9:20 p.m. March 25 and was later updated with additional information. Last weeks arrests of four members of a Huntington Beach-based white supremacist group raised questions about whether Surf City has indeed overcome the racist episodes of its past, as city leaders suggest, or continues, as critics contend, to incubate extremism. Officials pointed to the low number of arrests for hate crimes and argued that the countys fourth-largest city is increasingly diverse and welcoming. But Latinos living in historically blue collar areas and civil rights watchdogs said racism persists not so obviously on Main Street like it once did but in online forums and at provocative beachfront protests. How does a community shake a myth? posited Mayor Mike Posey, adding that suggestions that Huntington Beach is some kind of epicenter for white supremacists are laughable. Huntington Beach is (a) blended, diverse culture where everyone is welcome. Not so fast, argued Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano, who covered hate groups extensively while editing OC Weekly. If Huntington Beach proclaimed war against neo-Nazis, I sure as hell never heard of it, Arellano said. New arrests pick at old wounds Memories of old racial tensions resurfaced last week when the FBI arrested Huntington Beach resident Robert Rundo on suspicion of conspiring to violate the federal riots statute. Rundo is a key member of the Rise Above Movement, an alt-right street-fighting gang. A protestor is pulled by the Make America Great Again March crowd at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach in March 2017. The march was in support of President Donald Trump. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer) In March 2017, RAM participated at a Make America Great Again rally at Bolsa Chica State Beach, where members attacked counter-protesters and two journalists, according to the FBI. The federal criminal complaint charges the four RAM members of traveling to political rallies across California to engage in a series of violent attacks and conspiring to violate riot statutes. The affidavit alleges that the men used the internet to organize their activities, coordinate combat training and celebrate their acts of violence in order to recruit members for future events. Although Huntington Beach has a history of racially-charged incidents involving skinheads and others, city officials argued that H.B. has moved forward, even if outsiders dont know it. We unfairly get labeled with that every time something comes up again, said Police Chief Robert Handy, who has said that hes made diversity a priority in his department. The 80s and 90s were different In the mid-1980s, Huntington Beach gained a reputation for drawing both local and out-of-town white supremacists. The pier and downtown area became gathering spots for young people with shaved heads, swastika tattoos and steel-toed boots. In 1994, 19-year-old Jonathan Russell Kennedy fatally shot 44-year-old African American Vernon Windell Flournoy outside a McDonalds restaurant. A week after his arrest, Kennedy was charged with the attempted murder of two Latino men in a shooting that occurred just weeks prior. The gunman pleaded guilty to both the murder and attempted murder charges with hate crime enhancements. A 17-year-old was also charged with Flournoys murder and tried as an adult. In 1996, Erik R. Anderson, 22, of Huntington Beach stabbed a 20-year-old Native American, George Mondragon, 27 times at the beach. Anderson was convicted of attempted murder and given a life sentence. These two hate crimes prompted city officials to take action. The city created the Human Relations Task Force to promote and celebrate cultural diversity through tolerance and education. Police report hate speech and other issues to the group. Handy credits these and other efforts with improving relationships. Rundos arrest, Handy said, isnt reflective of our community, which has come an awful long way. He said his officers log about two hate crimes a year. However, one expert argued that racist groups still persist. We have a problem with denying the problem of hate groups in our country, Chapman University sociology professor Peter Simi said. Thats our default mode. Though Huntington has improved, Simi said there is a substantial problem across Orange County and Southern California. Simi explained people wouldnt recognize neo-Nazis or white supremacists walking down Main Street; they now look like everyone else. If you examine Huntington Beach in social media, my sense [is] it would be more than you might expect, he said. Arellano cited a hate crime incident in the last decade where four white supremacists entered a home in the Hispanic Oak View neighborhood and tried to murder a Latino man. Oscar Rodriguez, who lives in the neighborhood, doesnt hear racist remarks yelled on the streets, but agreed they are being said over the internet. He called on politicians to do something about it. If public officials arent outright denouncing hate incidents, then the culture is going to stick around, he said. If this isnt a priority to them, its going to keep going on. SB 54 challenge angered many Latinos Rodriguez also expressed concern with the City Councils court-upheld decision to ignore the states sanctuary city law protecting immigrants. Demonstrators protest Senate Bill 54, a California sanctuary law, during a Huntington Beach City Council meeting in April. (File Photo) Senate Bill 54 in many cases prohibits state and local police agencies from notifying federal officials about the impending release of immigrants in custody who may be deported. Huntington Beach rejected enforcement of the bill, using its city charter to beat a state challenge in court. Rodriguez called the action an excuse to get away with using the city charter. But City Attorney Michael Gates doesnt see it that way. We will continue to hold Sacramento accountable for unconstitutional state law overreaches, he told the Daily Pilot last month. California has the nations largest racist skinhead population, according to the Anti-Defamation League, an organization tracking anti-Semitic incidents since 1979. RAM, the organization affiliated with Rundo, is estimated to have 50 members, several of whom have violent criminal histories. Rundo previously served prison time for a gang-related felony in New York, according to court records. And Matthew Branstetter of Huntington Beach, also an ex-con, has been known to train with RAM,, according to the nonprofit investigative news agency ProPublica. Branstetter is a known member of Hammerskin Nation, which the ADL classifies on its website as the most violent and best-organized neo-Nazi skinhead group in the United States. In 2011, Branstetter was convicted of aggravated assault with a hate crime enhancement and sentenced to three years in state prison after beating a 23-year-old Jewish man in Coto de Caza, court records show. Joanna Mendelson, a senior ADL researcher, said groups like RAM romanticize themselves as soldiers on the front line, helping defend a victimized white population. Statistics reflecting hate crimes in Huntington Beach were not immediately available, but the number of hate crimes rose in Orange County for the third year in a row, according to an annual report by the Orange County Human Relations Commission. Anti-Semitic incidents went up 60% nationwide and 27% in California, according to the ADL. There are bad actors that may have ties to Huntington Beach, but it is no different than other cities in Southern California, Mendelson said. We have to change the stereotype. One elected official said that the city is far better than it once was but agreed theres still work to do. Once you get a bad reputation, its a long road to improving that reputation, said Councilwoman Jill Hardy, who teaches at Marina High School. Im optimistic weve worked on it. It doesnt mean we cant do more to improve the situation and our reputation, but I have seen some positive movements when Im with high school students. Priscella.Vega@latimes.com Twitter: @vegapriscella The Laguna Dance Festival is raising the, um, barre on its autumn show by staging it at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. Laguna Beach, however, will remain in first position for the rest of the series 2019 schedule. For the record: This article originally stated incorrectly that the free summer performances at the Festival of Arts are weekly. Typically they are on two Sundays. For the fall installment, the festival will dance 20 minutes up the road to a space that is nearly double the size of its main home at the Laguna Playhouse, where the festival has held its fall performances for the past seven years. Its time to think broader about how we can impact our community with the performing art of dance, said Jodie Gates, the festivals director. Septembers performances include a weekend of shows and a workshop with the New York-based Parsons Dance Company and the RubberbanDance Group of Montreal. Both troupes have performed at the Barclay. Another group, to be announced later this week, will join the Sept. 27-29 performances. Jerry Mandel, president of the Irvine Barclay Theatre, said he was thrilled to collaborate with Gates on the upcoming shows. This is, as far as Im concerned, a win-win for everybody for our audiences, for the Laguna Dance Festival, for everybody, and a great opportunity for us to work with Jodie, said Mandel, who formerly served on the Laguna Playhouses board of trustees. Gates said the opportunity to stage performances in Irvine is a case of turning lemons into lemonade. She needed a venue for the specific weekend in September and said she was unable to confirm the dates with the playhouse in time. Then the opportunity arose to move from the nearly 400-seat playhouse, which is undergoing remodeling, to the 750-seat Barclay. It will give audiences who are accustomed to the intimacy of the playhouses Moulton Theatre a different experience, she said. Thats OK. Thats lovely, Gates said. Irvine Barclay was made for dance. Its too early to know whether the festival will hold its fall show at the Barclay in future seasons, she said. The Barclay, which is adjacent to UC Irvine, has lighting, an orchestra pit and a stage designed for dance performances, Mandel said. It was a natural for her to move it here, Mandel said. RubberbanDance Group, based in Montreal, will perform at the Irvine Barclay Theatre during Laguna Dance Festival weekend Sept. 27-29. (Bill Hebert / Courtesy of RubberbanDance) The September performance will highlight choreographer David Parsons signature piece, Caught, which features a soloist leaping more than 100 times in six minutes. Parsons last brought the work to Laguna as part of the 2013 festival. Gates, a former Joffrey Ballet principal, said she is excited to blend her audience with the Barclays but was quick to add that the festival, which is heading into its 15th season, remains dedicated to its roots. We are still the golden gem of Laguna Beach, she said of the renowned series, which has hosted Misty Copeland, the first African American female principal with the American Ballet Theatre, as well as Complexions Contemporary Ballet and other major companies. Gates said she hopes the local audience she has cultivated will make the short trek to Irvine. My hope is that our brand is strong enough, that our Laguna dance lovers will come, and that also not to worry, that Laguna Beach is very much a part of our identity, but our future vision includes a broader community, said Gates, who also is vice dean and director of USCs Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Aside from the fall show, the remainder of the 2019 Laguna Dance Festival performances will be local. The festival will hold a summer dance intensive in June at Laguna Beach High School, free performances during the summer at the Festival of Arts, and a November show with New Zealand performer Black Grace at Lagunas Neighborhood Congregational Church. In 2013, Suggs left his job as chief of staff for the Indianapolis Public Schools to accept the superintendents job in Little Rock, the largest school district in the state with about 24,000 students. A Laguna Beach man was accused Friday of using revenge porn to try to coerce a woman back into a romantic relationship with him, police said. The Orange County district attorneys office charged the 54-year-old man with three misdemeanor counts of violating a protective order and three misdemeanor counts of disseminating private photographs of another person without the persons consent. The Daily Pilot is not identifying the man to avoid indirectly identifying the woman. On March 20, according to Laguna Beach police, the defendant sent the woman the photos and threatened to disseminate them to others if she didnt get back together with him. The man is accused of sending the photos via text message, which the district attorneys office called unlawful dissemination, according to court documents. Its unclear whether the photos were shared with anyone else, police said. In 2013, California enacted a law that prohibits distributing photos that depict sex acts or intimate body parts of another person without the persons consent while knowing it would cause emotional distress for the victim. At 7 p.m. Friday, police went to a residence on Highland Way and arrested the man, who they said was standing in his kitchen and apparently intoxicated. He received medical clearance before being booked at the Laguna Beach Police Department. He was later released on bail, police said. The defendant remains out on bail and no hearings are currently scheduled in the case, according to police and court records. The contest between two Newport-Mesa Unified School District board candidates is becoming increasingly heated and personal in the elections final days. Area 4 incumbent Karen Yelsey, a board member for 12 years, is being challenged by Gina Nick, who owns a medical practice. While Yelsey has made public statements calling out Nicks history of personal bankruptcies, Nick has lodged claims of her own, including that Yelsey is breaking a promise to limit her terms on the board and is somehow connected to the online publication of her daughters personal information. Documents show Nick filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2009 and again in 2017. The first, which was jointly filed with her ex-husband, showed more than $785,000 of general unsecured debt, while last years showed more than $185,000 filed under her name alone. Yelsey calls this a red flag for voters, arguing Nick would not be fiscally responsible in dealing with NMUSDs $300 million operating budget. But Nick says she was advised by legal counsel to file for bankruptcy during divorce proceedings to provide a clean break from her ex-husband. I have been the sole breadwinner for many years and was involved in a complicated financial divorce, Nick told the Daily Pilot via text message. It is disappointing that my opponent has chosen to engage in a low-level smear campaign to redirect our voters attention away from her promise to only serve 12 years. Though Yelsey admitted that during her first campaign in 2006 she advocated for 12-year term limits, she said she never made a promise to leave after three terms. The longer Ive been on the board, the less enamored I am by the idea of term limits, Yelsey said, adding that shed be happy to mentor someone to take over her seat, but that no one has approached her with interest. Nicks bankruptcy filings were passed onto Yelsey by one of her supporters, Suzanne Gauntlet, a heavily involved Parent-Teacher Assn. member. Gauntlet said she conducted a web search on Nick to learn who she was after seeing one of her campaign ads on Facebook. I have deep roots in this community, and like everybody else, if you are involved in the schools, youre pretty passionate about it, Gauntlet said. This passion also led Gauntlet to peruse Nicks social media pages, where she found information on where she lived and where her 6-year-old daughter attended school. She said she shared this information with other parents via an email, which then ended up on a community news website without her consent. The information was later redacted. Nick, however, said she believes Yelsey was behind the release of the information about her daughter, and rejects the notion that it was found online, arguing that a school official had to have accessed her daughters records. The school district looked into the claim after an attorney brought it forward during the Sept. 11 board meeting. After researching this matter, our findings have determined that no NMUSD employee or official disclosed private student information, district spokeswoman Annette Franco wrote in a Sept. 13 email. Nick said she has since contacted officials with the California Department of Education, who have expressed concern. Attorney Steve Baric, Nicks spokesman, raised a separate concern about Yelsey Thursday, claiming that video endorsements from teachers posted on her candidate Facebook violate a government code that prohibits the use of public resources for campaign activity. A complaint on the matter was filed with the Orange County district attorneys office, Michelle Van Der Linden, a spokeswoman for the D.A., confirmed Friday. No filing decision has been made at this point, Van Der Linden said. According to Yelsey, the videos were taken during non-school hours, when no students were on campus. Attorney Dan Shinoff, who has served as legal counsel for school districts in San Diego and Orange counties, said that Yelseys videos dont contain anything even close to a violation. I dont know how youd put a monetary value on being inside a school building, Shinoff said. Yelsey, whose top campaign priorities are academic excellence, safety and fiscal responsibility, said that she has to take Nick as a serious threat in this race. When I do something, whether it be as a school board member or something else, I put my whole self into it, she said. Nick said she hopes to bring leadership, mentorship, honesty and collaboration to the school board, if elected. In a text message she said she had no other comments that could be used to promote more unnecessary divisiveness. I have no problem with Karen. I am sure she has done great things, Nick wrote. I am simply here to take the seat with additional fresh ideas after her 12-year term. charity.lindsey@latimes.com Twitter @CharityNLindsey The Orange County district attorneys office will not pursue criminal charges against a Laguna Beach man in connection with an online post that city officials considered a threat, a spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday. The prosecutor did not feel we would be able to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, D.A. spokeswoman Michelle Van Der Linden wrote in an email. Laguna Beach police arrested Michael James Ross Jan. 5 on suspicion of criminal threats and threats to public officials regarding a Craigslist post that authorities said showed photos of a man dressed in camouflage with an automatic rifle hiding in brush. The Daily Pilot inquired about the cases status after Ross father, Laguna Beach resident Robert Mason Ross, appeared at Tuesdays City Council meeting. Escorted by two Laguna Beach police officers, Robert Ross addressed the council for the first time in months after serving time in Orange County Jail. Robert Ross, who ran for a council seat in 2012 and regularly speaks during meetings, criticized the citys change to its bus hours and the size of the trolleys. In an interview outside council chambers, Ross, 75, struck an apologetic tone while alluding to a long-standing concern with the city regarding property line boundaries in the Top of the World neighborhood. My son made a mistake, said Ross, whom authorities also arrested Jan. 5 on suspicion of illegal firearms possession. Investigators found six rifles, a semi-automatic handgun and more than 100 boxes of ammunition. I am warning the City Council that I am going to show up with my gillie suit, to remove these tyrants from office, in 2017, the post stated, according to police. Call the police and the city, council and tell them I am coming to end this corruption, from the Laguna Beach City Council, once and for all. Hahahahahaha, you are going down now. Michael Ross was released Jan. 9 without posting bail because he was not arraigned in time, according to jail records. Voter registration records show Michael Ross has the same phone number as his father. A call placed Wednesday afternoon was not returned. Robert Ross pleaded guilty March 8 to three felony counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, according to the Orange County Superior Court website. He was sentenced to jail time, which he has served, and three years of probation, according to the D.A.s office. Mayor Pro Tem Kelly Boyd said Wednesday he knew Robert Ross would be at Tuesdays meeting. I think he handled himself well, considering everything that happened, Boyd said. Councilman Steve Dicterow said he was confident in the D.A.s decision to not file charges. I think the D.A. does a wonderful job and thoroughly investigated the case, Dicterow said. Per a court order, Robert Ross must contact the city or police department before conducting official business and must stay at least 15 feet away from council members. bryce.alderton@latimes.com Twitter: @AldertonBryce It wasnt easy, and it almost didnt happen. But Corona del Mar is getting a tattoo studio, the Newport Beach Planning Commission decided. E Art Gallery will operate in an existing space in the basement level of a 1940s-era multi-tenant office building at 2721 E. Coast Hwy. to offer tattoos by appointment only. The 513-square-foot studio, where artist and owner Savaanah Gallegos has drawn and painted on canvas for the past year, also will host occasional art classes. The saga of E Art Gallery goes back to December, when the commission narrowly rejected Gallegos application for a permit, against staff recommendation. Commissioners said it would be inconsistent with zoning code, could lead to a proliferation of personal services, that the site is not physically suitable and that the business may impact nearby residences. Gallegos appealed to the City Council in February, saying the commission didnt provide evidence for the concerns. The day of the council meeting, a neighbor in the office building submitted a 17-page letter questioning the physical space, effects on parking and whether live models for classes would be nude, which would require a different type of restrictive permit. The council sent the matter back to the Planning Commission without voting. Last week, in her third attempt to get the permit, Gallegos told commissioners that tattoos and the act of tattooing are protected under the First Amendment. Although I have never claimed this right has been violated, I stated this fact because I am an American citizen and have rights just like everyone else who wanted to open a business in a place where it is zoned, Gallegos told the commission before it voted 4-1 to allow the business. Commissioner Lee Lowrey, who voted against the permit both times it went before the commission, asked about the constitutionality angle. What precludes me if I wanted to go and open an indoor range in Newport Beach? What trumps? Is it our zoning or my right to have a firearm and to be able to use it in the city? he asked Assistant City Attorney Yolanda Summerhill. Its not really a political thing. Id like to know, because thats a pretty big deal throwing that around. Summerhill answered that case law protects tattoos as a form of expression. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has sided with tattoo artists twice in the past 10 years in Long Beach, where city regulations on studios were heavily restrictive, and in Hermosa Beach, which effectively banned tattoo shops. E Art Gallery is the sixth tattoo studio in Newport Beach and the only one not on or adjacent to the Balboa Peninsula, which is about four miles from it. Several neighbors in addition to the letter writer a lawyer in an upstairs suite submitted comments opposing Gallegos application, expressing anxiety about possible effects on property values and children who attend Harbor View Elementary School about a quarter-mile away. Gallegos said her business would not be an average tattoo parlor. She said it would have no more than two artists at a time working by appointment only. The space would be largely for her to work on commissioned paintings; tattoos and instruction would be occasional. She said she would not post signs, live models would not be nude and tattoo equipment would be portable and able to be stowed during classes. While we talk about tattoo parlors being seedy for the neighborhood, I think that stereotype is an old stereotype, said commission Vice Chairman Erik Weigand, who motioned to approve the permit. Commissioner Kory Kramer said Corona del Mar doesnt have tattoo establishments but that the lack of tattoo businesses does not mean that this type of use is not compatible in the neighborhood. Army and Marine Corps veteran Joel Montes can remember the clicking sound his shoes made as he ascended the front stairs of a house to tell the parents inside that their son wasnt coming back from Afghanistan. Navy veteran Richard Castro recalls tripping over a compatriots severed leg while rushing to tend to the man after he was felled by a landmine in Vietnam. Army veteran Al Harvard can recite the joke some of his fellow servicemen made him tell through a mouthful of cigarettes while hanging from a rafter: Charles Dickens goes into a bar and orders a martini and the bartender says, Olive or twist? Seven Southern California military veterans took the stage together Tuesday night to share their memories and experiences in front of a rapt audience of about 150 people during the Voices Veterans Storytelling Project outside the Heroes Hall veterans museum at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa. The project was meant to give veterans a creative outlet to talk about their time in the service and how their experiences have shaped them. Over six weeks, the participants met at Heroes Hall to learn more about one another and develop Tuesdays event. In many cases, they said, those gatherings were the first time they felt comfortable to share some of their experiences. Army veteran Bruce Olav Solheim said its liberating and absolutely essential for all of us to tell our own story. America does not go to war; individual Americans go to war, he said. Our veteran voices need to be heard. Richard Castro, Donald Pageler, Frank Barry and Bruce Olav Solheim, from left, participate in the Voices Veterans Storytelling Project on Tuesday outside Heroes Hall at the Orange County fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. (Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot) Navy veteran Donald Pageler was aboard the USS Liberty when the ship was attacked by the Israeli military in 1967. Israel has maintained the attack was an error caused by mistaken identity and has apologized and paid restitution. However, some people, including some Liberty crew members, believe the attack intentionally targeted the American ship. Pageler said he was sworn to secrecy about the experience for years. He has struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and dangerously high blood pressure. The latter, he said, was greatly relieved when he was finally able to summon the strength to talk about the ordeal. Recovery is a process, not an event, and that process cant take place if your experiences are hidden, said Pageler, who lives in Westminster. When I denied my lifes experiences, I had no identity. You dont get over your military experience, but you can learn to live with it. Though some fond memories of military life do stand out, the speakers Tuesday said they still bear physical, emotional and psychological burdens of their service. War isnt just devastation on the front lines, it destroys us at home too, said Montes, a Huntington Beach resident. Like a virus creeping into our bodies unannounced, it dismantles families, extinguishes hope and handicaps dreams. Air Force veteran Frank Barry said he was diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer in 2011, an affliction he blames on his exposure to Agent Orange, the notorious defoliant used during the Vietnam War. Its far worse to see children afflicted with maladies we suspect come from our exposure to think that we are the cause of their hurt and pain, the Huntington Beach resident said. Those invisible wounds of war are now visible. To Castro, Vietnam evokes memories of gunfire, sweltering heat and the smell of burnt bodies. My soul carries so many memories of those months, and not one day goes by without thinking about the insanity and the misery of that war, the Anaheim Hills resident said. Harvard, of Coto de Caza, said he doesnt talk about his combat experiences in Vietnam he still struggles with the traumatic memories. Still, he said he valued participating in the storytelling project and hearing the stories of the other servicemen. I was particularly enchanted by the inflections and the passions that surfaced as the weeks went by, he said. Because of the continuing struggle with the horrors of war and the challenge of readapting to civilian life, its vital for people to continue supporting veterans after their service has ended, said Army vet Eric Kuyper of Costa Mesa. Now, the mission of the people of the United States is to help the veterans in whatever individual way each one needs, he said. For some, its as simple as a cup of coffee or a pat on the back. But whatever a veteran needs, find that problem and fill it. The Voices Veterans Storytelling Project was presented by Arts Orange County, a nonprofit arts council, in collaboration with Heroes Hall, Anaheim-based Chance Theater and Veterans First, a nonprofit service provider. luke.money@latimes.com Twitter @LukeMMoney A former Glendale police detective who lied to authorities about his connection to organized crime and warned the Mexican Mafia about an upcoming gang arrest was sentenced on Friday to 21 months in prison. John Saro Balian will also have to serve three years of supervised release following his incarceration and will be required to pay a $300 special assessment and a $60,000 fine to the government. The punishment comes after he pleaded guilty last July to one count each of soliciting a bribe, obstruction of justice and making false statements to federal investigators. During the hearing, Balian, who was in handcuffs and wearing a khaki-colored prison jumpsuit, addressed the court, saying he didnt wake up one day and decide this was the road in life I was going to go down. He added, I didnt have the courage at the time to say no to someone who asked me for a favor I regret what Ive done, Im truly sorry. He ended his remarks saying he hopes to one day get a chance to redeem himself and become a member of society again once hes released. A federal judge pointed out what Balian had done was more than just grant a favor because there was an exchange of money. U.S. District Judge John F. Walter also said he hadnt heard a satisfactory answer as to why Balian made the conscious decision to turn to a life of crime and blatantly disregarded the oath he made to protect and serve as a police officer. Balians conduct was a gross abuse of the public trust he accepted as an officer and that no one should be above the law. I suspect a major part of his remorse is that hes sorry he got caught, Walter said. Balian was arrested last May after being identified as a person of interest during an investigation by the FBIs Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force into possible ties between the Mexican Mafia and Armenian organized crime. Three confidential informants had told investigators of their troubling interactions with the detective. Balian previously worked as a narcotics detective for the Glendale Police Department and served as the agencys spokesman. According to the plea agreement Balian made with authorities, he accepted $2,000 in 2017 to locate someone thought to have broken into an office and stolen $100,000 worth of property from an acquaintance. In March 2017, he utilized law-enforcement resources in an attempt to catch the alleged thief by giving information about the incident to the U.S. Marshals Services. In June 2017, Balian overheard Glendale officers discuss an upcoming sweep of roughly 20 members of the Frogtown gang, which has ties to the Mexican Mafia. He tipped off his associates within the mafia, allowing a Frogtown shotcaller named Jorge Grey to evade authorities for about a month, according to the affidavit. The plea agreement stated Balian had given false and misleading information to authorities to hide his connection with the Mexican Mafia and Armenian organized crime and that he acted corruptly with the specific intent to subvert the due administration of justice for the purpose of enhancing his reputation with the Mexican Mafia. Los Angeles Times reporter Alene Tchekmedyian contributed to this article. andy.nguyen@latimes.com Twitter: @Andy_Truc Two Northern California men were found guilty on Tuesday of the 2016 murder of a man outside a Glendale apartment complex. It took a jury only two days of deliberation to convict Suisun City resident Laquan Parker and Brandon Perkins of Stockton for the murder of Phillip Niles Jr. Parker was found guilty of first-degree murder while Perkins was guilty of second-degree murder. The incident began on the night of June 24 when Niles, a recent transplant to Los Angeles from Florida, was out with friends at a Hollywood nightclub, according to previous court testimony. Niles had met two women at the club, Dezerae Lyons and Daniela Love, and the group Niles, his friends and the two women eventually made their way back to an apartment complex in the 1700 block of North Verdugo Road. Both Lyons and Love testified in 2017 that Niles became angry at the pair after he found out they worked as pornographic actors and an argument ensued. Lyons said in court last year she then called Parker to pick her and Love up from the apartment. As the two women headed to a car driven by Parker, Niles reportedly followed them out of the apartment to continue the argument. It was there that Niles was confronted by Parker and Perkins. Police first received reports of gunfire in the neighborhood around 4 a.m. on June 25, according to a department spokesman. Niles had been shot multiple times and was found on the front lawn of a home in the 1600 block of Midway Street. Parker and Perkins were arrested later that day at a hotel in Monrovia where they were staying with Lyons. Police said two handguns were recovered from the scene. The two are scheduled to be sentenced on June 22. andy.nguyen@latimes.com Twitter: @Andy_Truc A home on La Canadas El Vago Street, along with a La Crescenta property and another in Burbank, were targets of federal search warrants served Wednesday morning by personnel from the FBI, U.S. Secret Service and Los Angeles Police Department. The warrants were issued simultaneously at 6 a.m. one at 1435 El Vago Street, another at 3122 Pontiac Street in La Crescenta and a third in Burbank and while local law enforcement reported the cases were related, it could not be determined which agency was overseeing which warrant. Lt. Mark Slater, acting captain for the Crescenta Valley Sheriffs Station, said deputies were called on to assist agents from the FBI and U.S. Secret Service in the execution of the federal warrants in La Canada and La Crescenta following a 5:15 a.m. briefing. They did request CV Station to be a uniformed presence, so we provided one black and white [vehicle] and one deputy, just to be seen, Slater said of the two locations, adding the officers did not participate in serving the warrants. Although we do have some limited information about what the search warrant is about, since its not our investigation, I dont feel comfortable releasing it, he continued. At around 11 a.m. on El Vago Street, five hours after agents arrived on scene, the house was still busy with activity as personnel came and went from the property. Two vehicles a red Nissan SUV with out-of-state license plates and a silver Ford Taurus with California plates were parked in the semicircular driveway out front. In the backyard, another car sat inside a detached garage underneath an interior light. An empty trashcan and unread newspaper were still out by the driveway, and occasional onlookers drove by slowly to catch a peek at the property that had been mentioned on Facebook posts for the FBI activity spotted there. Laura Eimiller, a public affairs officer for the FBIs Los Angeles field office, confirmed a federal search warrant had been served at the El Vago address but said the warrant was under a judge-issued sealing order, which restricts disclosure of the documents and their contents. Online listing information from blockshopper.com indicated the 5,451-square-foot Colonial style house at 1435 El Vago was sold on Dec. 27 for the purchase price of $2.8 million. Real estate transaction records list the current owners as Alen and Dina Gharehbagloo. The latter works in real estate and owns the Arcave Room, a video-game-event space in La Crescenta. Public records show the home on Pontiac Street in La Crescenta is owned by Robert and Dana Khudaverdyan. No further details were available as of early Wednesday afternoon. sara.cardine@latimes.com Twitter: @SaraCardine Little is known about the life of former La Canada resident James Reginald Bauder, though his name and military rank appear on a bronze plaque in Memorial Park honoring those who lost their lives in service to their country. The son of Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Reginald Bauder and wife Dorothy, who lived on Ocean View Boulevard, James was a 35-year-old lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navys Fighter Squadron 21 serving onboard the U.S.S. Coral Sea off North Vietnam on Sept. 21, 1966, the night his plane went missing. Harlan Updegraff, who also hailed from La Canada at the time, was working onboard the U.S.S. Coral Sea that day in 1966. An aviation structural mechanic third class, he was responsible for filling fighter jets with liquid oxygen before they went on missions. Before takeoff, Updegraff signaled to pilots with a thumbs up or down to confirm whether their oxygen supply was functioning. The La Canadan would be one of the last people to communicate with Bauder on that fateful night. Lt. Cmdr. James Bauder, top row, center, was a pilot assigned to the Navys Fighter Squadron 21 in September 1966, when his plane went missing during a nighttime armed reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. (Courtesy of Jane Bauder Castellani ) I knew the names of the pilots because their names were below the canopy on the sides of the jets, recalled Updegraff, 71, who now lives in Tennessee, in a phone interview. I didnt know [Bauder] was from La Canada at the time he gave a thumbs up. I saluted him as he took off. Later that night, Updegraff and others onboard heard an announcement from the captain that two men had been lost on that nights bombing mission. No one in the sky with Bauder ever saw his plane go down or heard a distress call. No wreckage was discovered in the searches that followed. Bauder and passenger James Burton Mills a lieutenant junior grade working as a radio intelligence officer had simply disappeared. James Bauder with wife Sara, in an undated photo from the mid-1950s, on their wedding day. (Courtesy of Jane Bauder Castellani ) Bauder left behind wife Sara, whom hed met while training in her hometown of Pensacola, Fla., and their two children son Chris, 6, and daughter Jane, 4. The family was living in a modest house near an air base in San Diego when they got the news. I was pretty devastated when I learned he was lost, which is how my mom put it to us, recalls Jane Bauder Castellani, now 55 and living in Pensacola. He was like my idol. A self-proclaimed daddys girl, Castellanis memories of her father are vivid, if episodic. She remembers him working on cars with a neighbor, or the times hed come home from the ship for a visit, when it was like every holiday wrapped into one. In another memory, right before her father left for his second tour in Vietnam, shed missed out on flying kites in the yard because she hadnt finished her orange juice. With sadness, she recalled this week the time he flew alone to Florida to bury her infant sister Jennifer, a blue baby whod died not long after she was born. In the months that followed Bauders disappearance, his father Reginald would die from complications of cancer, according to a Nov. 10, 1966, issue of the Valley Sun. Dorothy would later have to leave the family home on Ocean View Boulevard when it was declared uninhabitable due to a crevice that opened up in a nearby hillside, according to Castellani. Bauders wife would pack up the kids and head back to Pensacola to be closer to her support system, her daughter recalled. She would be hospitalized once for a nervous breakdown, but would rally and return home. Some seven years later, the time after which Bauder would be presumed dead, Sara would go on to remarry a neighbor whod lost his wife. But the familys loss would never truly heal, no matter how much time passed. There was still the wondering. The only way I can accurately describe it is emptiness, Castellani recalled. The loss of my dad, it affected me really bad. I had a difficult time coping. Was he still alive? Was he living somewhere with amnesia, and maybe with another family? These thoughts ran through Castellanis head as she grew up, turned to less-than-ideal situations for the momentary escape and release they offered, then suffered the consequences of her decisions. Family members received occasional updates from the Navys Casualty POW/MIA Branch, saying theyd located a piece of a plane or a speck of bone but nothing had ever panned out. Then, on Sept. 8 of this year, Castellani got an email that would send a lifetime of fears and speculations to a grinding halt. I do hope this email reaches you, read the missive from Branch Head Rudy Gonzales. Please call me, I have some very important information regarding your father. James Bauders father, Reginald, left, was a Los Angeles Superior Court judge who lived with wife Dorothy and daughter Jane in the familys La Canada home when James was declared missing in action in September 1966. (Courtesy of Jane Bauder Castellani ) Castellani made the call and learned a piece of bone a femur had been found in June in the area of North Vietnam where her fathers plane was last seen. A test matched its mitochondrial DNA to a sample submitted years earlier by Bauders younger sister, Jane. I was just numb and in shock, Castellani said. It floored me. She tried to call her aunt and namesake, Jane Bauder Darrow, a noted watercolorist living in Sedona, Ariz., only to learn from cousin Mike shed died just days earlier. Castellanis own mother died in 2011. Now, with her cousin and brother, Castellani is making arrangements to meet with Navy representatives in November to get a full account of the search and what it turned up. Plans are being made to have her fathers remains interred at Arlington Cemetery with full military honors. Updegraff, who found Castellani online and has communicated with her over the years, says he cant wait to attend and lay to rest a mystery thats lasted more than half a century. It feels good that hes home, he said. My shipmate was shot down and now hes back. For Castellani this last memory of her father, his homecoming, is bittersweet. Its been decades of wondering and hoping, and not hoping, then hoping again like a yo-yo, she said. When the news finally came, I didnt know how to feel about it. I didnt cry. I wasnt happy. I was just kind of stoic. Im still kind of not sure how to feel about it its still sinking in. sara.cardine@latimes.com Twitter: @SaraCardine Eight months after the death in October of P-41 the first adult male mountain lion documented living in the Verdugo Mountains above Glendale and Burbank from rodenticide poisoning, theres a new puma in town. On June 19, camera traps captured images of an adult male mountain lion traveling in close proximity to an untagged female nicknamed Nikita, whod earlier mated with P-41 and produced multiple litters of kittens, none of which survived in the wild. A picture of health with an apparently unblemished coat and white teeth, the newly spotted male has already been nicknamed Adonis by conservationists and the wildlife photographers-turned-citizen-scientists whose cameras caught the first dazzling images of the newcomer. Hes definitely young. The way he moves, his musculature, his coat, he doesnt have any scars hes just perfect, which is why we call him Adonis, said Johanna Turner, a Universal Studios sound effects editor who began camera trapping in 2008 and prolifically followed the exploits of P-41 with fellow photographer Denis Callet. Uncollared female mountain lion Nikita in the Verdugo Mountains above Glendale on July 5. A mate of P-41, found dead in October from apparent rodenticide poisoning, Nikita is thought to be traveling with Adonis, a young male who may have migrated from a nearby mountain range. (Courtesy of Johanna Turner) First seen in 2010, P-41 may have come south from the San Gabriel Mountains, possibly crossing the Foothill (210) Freeway in search of his own territory, according to Jeff Sikich, biologist for the National Park Service. Sikich collared the 8-year-old cat in 2015 for inclusion in a mountain lion study thats tagged 69 subjects in or near the Santa Monica Mountains since 2002. Data collected from P-41s GPS collar indicated he crossed into the San Rafael Hills, on the southern side of La Canada Flintridge, at least twice while living in the Verdugo Mountains. Bordered by freeways and surrounded by intense development, the isolated Verdugos fall outside the aegis of the Park Services Santa Monica National Recreation Area but play a role in understanding wildlife movement throughout the Southland, Sikich says. There are a lot of implications of connectivity in the area, the biologist said. By following animals in these fragmented landscapes we hope to learn about landscape connectivity in the region and if there are any movement corridors these animals are using. When P-41s decomposed body was discovered in Los Angeles Shadow Hills neighborhood after the 7,200-acre La Tuna fire, tests identified six strains of anticoagulant rodenticide in his system. Sixteen of the 17 living cats in the Park Services mountain lion study have tested positive for rodenticide, including P-55, a 3-year-old Santa Monica Mountains lion found dead on Wednesday. As Nikita was caught on video dolefully calling out for her mate, Turner and other conservationists grew concerned for the fate of mountain lions in the Verdugos. Then along came Adonis. On June 19, a young adult male mountain lion was spotted by wildlife cameras in the Verdugo Mountains above Glendale and Burbank. Nicknamed Adonis for his good looks and apparent health, the puma is seen taking a drink in Burbank on June 23. (Courtesy of Johanna Turner) Barbara Goto is director of operations for the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy, a Pasadena-based group that preserves land for use as wildlife corridors. AFC recently acquired Cottonwood Canyon, an 11-acre parcel off of Linda Vista Avenue in the San Rafael Hills that the group believes opens up to a 20-mile wildlife corridor stretching from Hahamongna Watershed Park west to Tujunga. For Goto, the discovery of a new male in the Verdugos, especially given the nearby presence of a female, is promising. We hope hes found, if not the love of his life, at least someone hed like to have a few litters with, she said of Adonis. Wed really like him and his female to be able to go back and forth in the San Gabriel Mountains so they have greater genetic diversity. That would be our wish for him to find love and freedom. sara.cardine@latimes.com Twitter: @SaraCardine While this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him on whether he obstructed justice. Robert Muellers report states. What is that supposed to mean? He is sorta, kinda, guilty, but because he is the president, we will cut him some slack. I get the sense from most people I encounter that they consider Christmas one big hassle. Theres the rush to shop for presents, dress the tree, hang the lights and plan for the festivities. The meaning of Christmas is lost to commercialism. According to Christian tradition, its supposed to commemorate the birth of Jesus, but he rarely gets a mention anymore. Understanding moments of euphoria are important. This time of year, Im vulnerable to such musings since Christmas evokes thoughts during an era where meaning is skewed toward triviality. I thought Id share a Christmas story from my personal journal titled: 1970. Its about a child; but more so, it tells of the metamorphic change among a platoon of Marines serving in the Vietnam War and their realization that Christmas magic exists in a wasteland. Its copied directly from my journal. The events of those few days forever clarified for me that the miracle of Christmas is the joining of this world with the next. 23 December 1970 the day began after midnight. We were inserted north of Quang Tri, close to the Laotian border. Our mission: to establish a radio-relay site between the enemy and us. Shortly before dawn, we reached the perimeter of the village. We were expected a battle ensued we prevailed. We entered the village and found it abandoned except for one. She couldnt be more than 3. Id say she was closer to 2. She was hungry, unclothed, and gave us a big smile when we came into view. After 49 years, I still see her smile. Corporal Feldman swaddled her while the men gave her the last of their rations. Oh! Even the hardest of hearts of the hardest of men were softened by caring for this child. The Marines held the little Montagnard girl; the wise men, the shepherds and the drummer boy. Only circumstance made them different. The same star they originally followed centuries before still led the way. Chocolate, canned peaches and pound cake replaced the gold, frankincense and myrrh. As we tended to her needs, we treasured the gifts she gave us. We were given a new birth, a chance to find meaning in the maddening inertia of things; a hope that finding and saving her would save us and somehow make the insanity and inhumanity worth it. We had found a reason to exist and rationalize the havoc we brought. We searched for her family or any signs of life. There were none. Regardless, the mission was scrubbed unsuitable for communications. 24 December 1970 Carrying the little girl, we moved quickly to our extraction point. For her sake, not ours, I hoped that the Captain had read the map correctly. Navigating in a dense jungle is no better than a guess. Miracle of miracles! The choppers came at dawn and returned us and the Montagnard girl to Quang Tri. The whole platoon was present when we delivered her to the orphanage of the Sisters of Mercy. As we said our goodbyes, the Marines showered her with keepsakes and good luck charms. Somehow, we didnt need these anymore. We had found something better! We promised to return, but knew we wouldnt. In Vietnam, the dream was always better than the reality. Christmas Eve brought a 24-hour truce. It was a silent night, and, in most areas, all was calm, and all was bright. For one day, the hate and anguish that filled our hearts were replaced by joy and peace, the gift from the little Montagnard girl. That evening, the men moved in slow motion and hardly made a dent in the beer the chopper brought. Sergeant Lehue and I shared a can of ham and lima beans. We sat in silence, unable to find the words to describe what we felt. Sergeant Lehue said, Lieutenant, if there is a God, hes alive and well and with us tonight. Merry Christmas, sir. Thinking back nearly half a century, I remember it was a very Merry Christmas. Joe Puglia is a practicing counselor, a retired professor of education and a former officer in the Marines. Reach him at doctorjoe@ymail.com. Visit his website at doctorjoe.us. As most of Southeast Asia rushes into the future new development is seemingly everywhere Laos continues to feel quiet, dreamy, old-fashioned. No place seems more so than southern Laos along the wide, slow Mekong River, where time seems to stand still. Youll see Khmer-era ruins, glittering gold Buddhist temples, crumbling French colonial mansions, myriad islands, and emerald rice paddies, and perhaps sample fish curry and coconut ice cream. I needed a break from living in hot, congested Ho Chi Minh City in neighboring Vietnam, so I spent a week during the Lunar New Year holiday in Laos. I was suffering from what a doctor had diagnosed as allergy to HCMC pollution. He said Laos would be just the ticket. (Lou Spirito For The Times) Advertisement It took about an hour to fly to the city of Pakxe, or Pakse, as its sometimes spelled, in Laos from HCMC and cost about $100 each way. At the Pakse airport, I was picked up by the River Resort, an enchanting small hotel on the banks of the Mekong River just north of Champasak town. My second-floor room had a wrap-around terrace overlooking the river, which is why I eagerly awakened for sunrise, a gorgeous, milky-pink affair reflected in the water. I also liked to watch the river from the resorts swimming pools and terrace restaurant. Actually, I liked to watch the river from almost anywhere. The River Resort also booked my two-night cruise on the handsome old Vat Phou, which took me sightseeing farther down the river toward the Four Thousand Islands, or Si Phan Don, at the Laos-Cambodia border. I joined about 20 other tourists, most of them French, German and American, installed in a snug wooden cabin with a window and private bath. Why Asia? Why now? Heres why, from a writer who now calls it home Together with five nights at the hotel (including two spa services, a sunset cruise and free use of bicycles) the trip cost about $2,000. Well worth it, Id say. Info: The River Resort; Mekong Cruises travel@latimes.com @latimestravel If you like taking a cooking class when you travel, the Moana Surfrider in Honolulu is featuring master classes with its chefs that will teach you how to make the perfect French macaron and a classic gumbo, with a local twist. Monthly Moana Masters classes at the hotels Beachhouse at the Moana restaurant last two hours and cost $100 per person, including cooking demonstrations and a custom meal. Heres the schedule: French macarons await finishing touches in the pastry kitchen at the Moana Surfrider, where visitors can take a class on how to make them. (Moana Surfrider) April 13: The Easter-themed class starts with a chocolate tasting before demonstration of how to make macarons and chocolate ganache. It ends with afternoon tea, complete with bite-size desserts and a variety of beverages. Its led by pastry chef Carmen Montejo. Advertisement May 11: The class teaches you how to make a single dish: sous-vide pork chops, or chops cooked in water to keep them extra juicy. Participants stay for lunch to eat the featured dish, adding creamed corn and a salad with poached egg and bacon lardons. Its taught by chef de cuisine Colin Sato. Chef de cuisine Colin Sato, in apron, looks on as guests practice preparing paella during a cooking class. (Moana Surfrider) June 8: Chef Sato also leads a class on making gumbo thats a twist on the Deep South dish. He uses locally made andouille and chicken sausage in making the classic soup. Beer pairings accompany a lunch of salad, gumbo, Hawaiian-style dirty rice and dessert. July 6: Learn how to shuck oysters before serving them in specialty Bloody Marys. The class and lunch feature another traditional Southern dish, a Low Country seafood boil. Its taught by chef de cuisine Colin Sato. Monthly Moana Masters classes feature chefs at the Moana Surfrider, Waikikis oldest hotel. (Moana Surfrider) More classes will be added in August. Sessions run noon to 2 p.m., and you dont have to be a hotel guest to take them. Ticket prices includes four hours of valet or self parking. The Moana Surfrider is Waikikis oldest hotel, first welcoming guests in 1901. Info: Moana Surfrider travel@latimes.com @latimestravel The Ft. Moore Pioneer Memorial is a stone wall honoring the Mormon Battalion, U.S. 1st Dragoons, and the New York Volunteers who raised the American flag on July 4, 1847 the first Independence Day celebrated in Los Angeles. The city and California became part of the United States following the Mexican-American War. An article in the July 4, 1958, Los Angeles Times reported: The citys first Independence Day celebration July 4, 1847 was recalled yesterday in the dedication of 400-foot-long, 45-foot-high Ft. Moore Pioneer Memorial Wall on Hill St. just north of the Hollywood Freeway. The Memorial Wall, dedicated to the brave men and women who faced privation and death in extending the frontiers of our country to include this land of promise, commemorates Los Angeles first Independence Day. It was in 1847 at the newly constructed Ft. Moore on the hill overlooking the little Mexican pueblo that all American troops in the immediate area the First U.S. Dragoons, New York Volunteers and Mormon Battalion gathered to participate in the historic Flag-raising ceremony. The largest section of the huge bas-relief panel of the Memorial Wall depicts that Flag-raising. Three smaller sections illustrate other aspects of pioneer life. In addition to the ceramic veneer bas-relief panel, the Memorial Wall features an 80-foot-wide, 47-foot-high waterfall, a 68-foot-high pylon in front of the wall supporting an immense ceramic eagle and a towering flagpole. Participating in yesterdays dedication ceremony of the $373,887 memorial were city and county officials, descendants of members of the Mormon Battalion, members of the Sons and Daughters of Utah Pioneers and the 72nd U.S. Army Band and a color guard from Ft. MacArthur. ... During the 1976-77 drought, the fountain was turned off and sat empty until 2018. A Jan. 28, 2017, Los Angeles Times article announced that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors set aside money to rebuild the memorial. On Dec. 13, 2018, in a move that received little fanfare, water in the fountain flowed again after 42 years. March 10, 1954: Contractor M. J. Brock Jr., left, and Superintendent Bill Lassetter check the progress of the Ft. Moore Pioneer Memorial. R. L. Oliver / Los Angeles Times Dec. 16, 1955: Barren wall of Ft. Moore Pioneer Memorial, under construction on Hill Street next to the Hollywood Freeway. Los Angeles Times The photo above of a blank wall appeared in the Dec. 16, 1955, edition of the Los Angeles Times as part of the "Know Your City" photography series. The original caption reported: Know Your City, No. 32 When we said we wouldnt trick you we fibbed. Because this is pretty tricky. Looks like an unfinished wall. But it isnt. This is part of a memorial. Can you guess what and where? Answer: This is the Hill Street approach to the Board of Educations headquarters atop Ft. Moore Hill. Actually, it is part of the walled memorial dedicated to the pioneer leaders of Los Angeles. The post was originally published on Aug. 18, 2016. July 3, 1956: Members of the Mormon Battalion rehearse a July 4 ceremony to mark the raising in 1847 of the first American flag on Ft. Moore Hill. Edward Gamer / Los Angeles Times July 9, 1957: Four boys ignore a sign prohibiting entering pool at the Ft. Moore Memorial, and merrily transform it into a downtown swimming pool. R. L. Oliver / Los Angeles Times July 18, 2016: Ft. Moore Pioneer Monument on Hill Street in downtown Los Angeles. Scott Harrison / Los Angeles Times July 18, 2016: Part of the Ft. Moore Pioneer Monument on Hill Street, downtown Los Angeles. Scott Harrison / Los Angeles Times See more from the Los Angeles Times archives here Algerias powerful army chief said Tuesday he wants to trigger the constitutional process that would declare President Abdelaziz Bouteflika unfit for office, after more than a month of mass protests against the ailing leaders long rule. The Algerian armys chief of staff is one of the countrys top power brokers, so the announcement by Gen. Ahmed Gaid Salah could pave the way for Bouteflikas ouster after 20 years in power or lead to a showdown with the presidents closest protectors. The 82-year-old Bouteflika has rarely been seen in public since a 2013 stroke. Gaid Salah said in remarks carried on Algerian television that the only guarantee for political stability is to apply the article of the Algerian Constitution that empowers the Constitutional Council to determine if the president is too ill to fully exercise his functions and to ask lawmakers to declare him unfit. Advertisement If the request receives two-thirds majority approval in parliament, the Senate president takes charge of the government until a presidential election can be held, according to the constitutional procedure. Some protesters have called for the application of Article 102 during massive demonstrations that have been held in Algeria every Friday since Feb. 22. They accuse Bouteflika and his entourage of corruption, hoarding the gas-rich countrys wealth and being out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Algerians, especially struggling youth. In this context, it becomes necessary, even imperative, to adopt a solution to get out of the crisis which reflects the legitimate demands of the Algerian people, Gaid Salah said in his televised address from a military base in the southern city of Ouargla. Gaid Salah has served as Bouteflikas public defender so his remarks came as a particular surprise. However, another crucial figure, Constitutional Council President Tayeb Belaiz, is a close friend of Bouteflika, who had served as interior minister before becoming a presidential aide. He has headed the Constitutional Council since February. Several opposition parties quickly reacted to the proposal, with the Rally for Culture and Democracy denouncing what it called an attempted coup detat. Gaid Salah is part of our misfortune. He can in no way be the solution, the party spokesman, Yassine Aissiouane, said in a statement. In contrast, the main moderate Islamist party, the Movement for a Peaceful Society, said the army chiefs proposal to allow the Constitutional Council to determine if the president is fit could lead to a solution but only if measures responding to the peoples demands are taken first. In this July 1, 2018, photo, Algerian chief of staff Gen. Ahmed Gaid Salah presides over a military parade in Algiers, Algeria. (Anis Belghoul / AP) The military institution should be limited to the role of an accompanist, a party statement said. Speeches by the army chief have been closely watched as he travels from region to region to inspect bases. The army has held a top role in the countrys power structure since Algeria won independence from France in 1962 after a brutal seven-year war. Gaid Salah recently softened his remarks, describing a link between protesters and the military. Algeria had a presidential election scheduled for April 18, but Bouteflika announced in a letter this month that he was withdrawing as a candidate and delaying the vote in response to the protests. First elected in 1999, he has not addressed the nation in years. The stroke required him to use a wheelchair and weakened his voice. Critics said the postponement was unconstitutional and alleged it amounted to a desperate bid to cling to power until the presidents entourage found a replacement who would continue corruption and other policies they are protesting. Bouteflikas March 11 letter said he planned to establish a national conference to draft a new constitution and to set a new date for the presidential election. The president also dismissed his prime minister and appointed a new one the same day. Noureddine Bedoui, a Bouteflika loyalist, promised to form a new Cabinet within days to respond to the demands of Algerias demonstrators. However, Bedoui is struggling to form a government, with many potential ministers trying to keep their distance from the unpopular president. Bouteflika is credited with bringing peace to his nation after what Algerians call the black decade of the 1990s. During that period, extremists hoping to create an Islamic state battled security forces while carrying out village massacres and targeting journalists, intellectuals and foreigners. Just before two former students took a .38 revolver into a school outside Sao Paulo and opened fire, Brazils president talked about loosening the nations gun laws. Hours after the gunmen killed eight people, then themselves, a Brazilian senator proclaimed in response, As long as guns are illegal, only criminals will have guns. He then suggested that armed teachers could have prevented the shooting, an idea endorsed by President Trump last year after a gunman killed 17 people at a Parkland, Fla., high school. The rare school shooting March 13 in the town of Suzano has heightened the debate in Brazil about the countrys gun laws and amplified pro-gun politicians rhetoric echoing that of the U.S. gun lobby. Advertisement The former students, 17 and 25, walked into Raul Brasil public school at 9:30 a.m. during the morning snack break. Theyd already killed the younger gunmans uncle. Their faces were covered with skull masks and they carried the revolver, a crossbow, a bow and arrow and an ax. They killed five teenage students and two school workers before killing themselves. The same morning, at a breakfast meeting that started at 8:30, President Jair Bolsonaro announced he was working on a bill to loosen Brazils strict laws on gun-carry permits, which currently allow only security professionals to carry firearms while on the job. A woman leaves flowers one day after a mass shooting at the Raul Brasil state school in Suzano, Brazil, on March 14, 2019. (Andre Penner / Associated Press) Its part of a campaign promise the new president insists will help fight violent crime and reduce the number of homicides in the country, which approached 64,000 in 2017. In January, he signed an executive order to loosen laws around gun ownership. Bolsonaros actions went against the sentiment of a majority of Brazilians, according to a December poll. Sixty-one percent said the possession of firearms should be prohibited because it represents a threat to the lives of others, according to independent polling firm Datafolha. But Bolsonaros moves came as no surprise. During the campaign, an undated video of Bolsonaro at a Taurus gun sales stand circulated on social media. In it, he insists hes not there to help promote the company, one of the worlds leading gun manufacturers, and asks a sales representative about the models of revolvers and rifles displayed on the table. With a T4 in his hand a rifle Taurus describes on its website as being based on M4s and M16s Bolsonaro says hes always been passionate about guns. If I get there [to the presidency], you, good citizens, will have this in your home, he says in the video, holding up a TX revolver. And you, farmers, if its up to me, will have this too, he continues, holding up the T4. More important than your life is your freedom. An armed population will never be an enslaved population. President Trump with visiting Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, left, at the White House on March 19, 2019. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press) It is no accident that Bolsonaros rhetoric reflects that of U.S. gun-rights activists despite the fact that Brazilians do not have the constitutional right to bear arms. The National Rifle Assn. has a special section on its website where Taurus gun owners can register for a free one-year membership courtesy of the firearms manufacturer. The organization that donates to so many U.S. politicians has long shown interest in Brazils pro-gun movement. It advised pro-gun activists here in a failed attempt to block the passage of the 2003 Statute of Disarmament, a law that made it hard for most people to buy or own a firearm. An NRA official traveled to Brazil that year, discussing strategies with organizations fighting gun laws, according to a report by one of the groups, the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property. When Brazil held a referendum two years later on banning the sale of firearms and ammunition, it was widely expected to pass. But after a public lobbying effort that framed the debate in terms of the right to own a gun, voters rejected the ban. Now the divide in Brazil has become starker. Before Octobers federal election, Brazils pro-gun caucus, known as the bancada da bala, or bullet caucus, didnt hold any seats in the Senate. Now, the group has 18 senators out of 81 ready to vote in favor of legalizing carry permits, and they havent shown any sign of backing down in the week since the school shooting. On the day of the shooting, Sen. Sergio Olimpio Gomes, known as Maj. Olimpio, not only defended the presidents decision to loosen gun ownership laws, but also suggested arming teachers could have prevented the shooting. If you had a citizen with a regulated gun inside the school a teacher, an employee, a retired police officer working there he could have minimized the tragedy, Olimpio, the Senate leader of Bolsonaros Social Liberal Party, said during a session of the Senate Commission on Constitution and Justice. But Rodrigo Maia, president of Brazils lower house, says what Olimpio is suggesting would be barbaric and a step in the wrong direction. I hope people will think a little bit about the victims of this tragedy and understand that public security is the states responsibility and not the responsibility of citizens, he said on the day of the shooting. Now the debate is no longer just about gun ownership, he said, noting that arming teachers would become part of the discussion about carrying a concealed weapon. I think that would lead us to a barbaric proposal for our Brazil, and one that should not move forward. But pro-gun activists reject arguments like Maias, insisting the shooting in Suzano should not weigh on the decision to loosen carry laws. Carrying a concealed weapon is prohibited, but that didnt stop the aggressors from getting hold of a gun and using it in this nefarious attack, said Fabricio Rebelo, a criminal attorney who was director of the pro-gun Viva Brazil Movement from 2010 to 2015. What we actually have is proof that the legal restrictions against the circulation of firearms are completely ineffective in avoiding these types of insane acts. Brazils President-elect Jair Bolsonaro makes no secret of his admiration for Trump Research says otherwise. According to a 2018 study by the Institute of Applied Economic Research, or Ipea, for every 1% increase in the number of firearms in circulation, the rate of homicides increases 2%. The study noted that guns caused 71.1% of the homicides in Brazil in 2016. A firearm is not an element that brings safety to a home, but one that will propagate insecurity in it and to the wider public, said Daniel Cerqueira, a researcher at Ipea and council member at the Brazilian Forum on Public Security. This idea of making access to guns more flexible is completely misguided and is irresponsible public policy. Bolsonaros son Eduardo, who in 2018 received more votes that any lawmaker in the countrys history, is another backer of his fathers upcoming bill. In the aftermath of the shooting in Suzano, he compared the dangers of guns to those of cars. We always use the argument that a gun is a piece of metal; it does the same damage as a car, the younger Bolsonaro told reporters on the day of the shooting. That is, for it to do harm, you need a person behind it. Guns dont kill anyone. People kill people, whether it be with a gun, a pistol, a knife or stones. He also argued that the number of homicides in Brazil continued to increase after the implementation of the 2003 Statute of Disarmament. But a 2016 study of gun violence in the country conducted by the Latin American Social Sciences Institute found a markedly slower increase in the rate of homicides caused by firearms after the statute took effect. Between 1980 and 2003, gun-related homicides increased by 8.1% each year. That growth slowed to 2.2% annually after the Statute of Disarmament was enacted in 2003. For some Brazilians, that slowed growth is not enough to make them feel safe. Ive been robbed at gunpoint three times. You have to just hand everything over, said Adelio de Sousa, who owns a small restaurant in downtown Sao Paulo. But having a gun wouldnt have made things any better. I would probably be dead now if I had pulled a gun on one of the thieves. More guns wont make our country any safer. We have to find a better solution than that. Langlois is a special correspondent. Air raid sirens wailed across southern Israel on Tuesday as a truce with Hamas collapsed hours after it began and the two sides exchanged aerial bombardments and rocket fire for the second night in a row. The new round of fighting began Monday when a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip which is ruled by the Islamist militia Hamas landed on a home north of Tel Aviv, injuring seven people. The Israeli army retaliated with an aerial offensive against Hamas targets including a military compound and a weapons warehouse as militias in Gaza fired about 80 missiles toward Israel, according to Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. The violence subsided much of Tuesday, apparently as a result of a cease-fire that Hamas said was brokered by Egyptian mediators. But in the evening, it resumed. Advertisement Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was visiting Washington, D.C., cut short his trip and and returned to Israel on Tuesday. With national elections exactly two weeks away, he faced blistering condemnation from political rivals. Naftali Bennett, the minister of education and chairman of the New Right party, implored Netanyahu to name him defense minister in a future government so I can deal with Hamas properly. The Israel Defense Forces must be given the order to defeat Hamas, to uproot Hamas, to destroy its ability to harm the residents of the south not to talk about deterrence, but to take Hamass sword and break it, he said at a news conference in the southern city of Ashdod. He dismissed the latest Israeli operation as taking out an empty building and telling ourselves that Hamas was deterred. About 30 people gathered Monday evening at the Nir Am Junction, about seven miles from Gaza, taunting Netanyahu with chants that used his nickname. Bibi rise and shine! The whole south is on the line! The escalation comes at a crucial time for leaders on both sides of the fraught border, which for the last year has been the site of massive weekly protests. With the first anniversary of the border protest marches on Saturday, and few achievements to show Gazas beleaguered population, Hamas faces a daunting challenge. Last week, about a thousand Gazans were arrested after taking to the streets to protest dismal living conditions in the enclave, which has been subject to an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas took control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in a bloody coup 12 years ago. Conditions have recently worsened because of sanctions imposed by the Palestinian government. Close to 200 Gazans have been killed in the weekly protests. In the last year, Israelis have lost more than 7,000 acres of agricultural land in fires ignited by explosive kites and balloons launched from Gaza as part of the protests. In the Israeli city of Sderot, which was first struck by a rocket from Gaza in 2001, Shlomo Moskowitz pondered 18 years of this as members of a construction crew strolled in and out of his house, repairing a massive hole created by a rocket late Monday. I heard a huge boom, said Moskowitz, who had taken cover in a bomb shelter. When I saw that my living room was filled with smoke, I realized the boom must have come from my own house. The only thing he would say about the looming elections was that it is the leaders job to ensure citizens can live a good life. No rockets, just like anywhere else. As you can see, he said, they are not doing it. Tarnopolsky is a special correspondent. Special correspondent Rushdi Abu Alouf in Gaza City contributed to this report. For months, Father Jose Alberto Idiaquez has received threats on Twitter, on WhatsApp and in phone calls. The aggressors say that the Jesuit university he runs in Nicaraguas capital supports a coup against the government and that he has been inciting his students to protest. On any given day, dozens and sometimes hundreds of armed police and paramilitary surround Universidad Centroamericana in Managua. They have been deployed to intimidate him and others, said Idiaquez. Idiaquez has loudly condemned longtime President Daniel Ortegas violent crackdown against a civil uprising that began last April and has led to more than 300 deaths and 2,000 injuries, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, mostly at the hands of national police and paramilitary gunmen. Many of Idiaquezs students are opposition activists, and he has participated in marches himself and offered the campus as shelter for those fleeing gunfire. When you see them killing people, you have an obligation to protect someone who is defenseless, he said in a phone interview. Advertisement As a result, he is now a target himself. Since the protests began, the Roman Catholic Church and individual clergy in the Central American nation of 6 million have condemned excessive government force, and have sheltered demonstrators and mediated attempts at dialogue. Consequently, some have suffered physical attacks and have either fled the country or faced threats or defamation campaigns. While the initial demonstrations were sparked by changes to the social security system that would increase taxes, they quickly escalated into demands for Ortegas resignation and for broad-brush political reforms. In reaction, the government forcefully quelled dissent and outlawed public protests. Over 600 people, considered political prisoners by the opposition, are currently in detention, according to the IACHR. Ortega has said that opposition human rights groups have reported an inflated number of deaths. And in a July interview with Fox News, Ortega blamed the violence on paramilitary groups organized by people who are opposed to the government. He denied any persecution of priests, saying, Theres not a single priest who can claim that hes been attacked by the government. Violence has ebbed since the summer but arrests continue. On March 20, the government agreed to release all those who have been imprisoned within 90 days as a precondition for renewed negotiations with the Civic Alliance, a coalition that represents the opposition. Papal nuncio Waldemar Sommertag answers questions at a news conference in February with Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes (second from left), archbishop of Managua. (Alfredo Zuniga / Associated Press) In a predominantly Roman Catholic country, many view the church as the only legitimate institution remaining that can intervene with the Ortega administration as it has suppressed political parties, jailed journalists and forced human rights groups into exile. While the church in March declined an invitation to join political negotiations, priests have continued to speak up and have faced a backlash. Bishop Abelardo Mata, the general secretary for the Roman Catholic Conference of Bishops in Nicaragua, said that bishops have suffered denigration and slander by government supporters. There has been a strong moral attack against the bishops and priests that have distinguished themselves for defending human rights accusing us of attempting a coup when our goal is to ask the president to respect the conditions of the dialogue, said the bishop, who last July was shot at by paramilitaries while traveling in a car, according to local news reports. The churchs leadership has historically alternated between supporting and opposing the leftist Sandinista government, which came to power in a 1979 uprising that toppled Nicaraguas U.S.-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza. In 2005, Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo, a prominent critic of the Sandinista government following the revolution, officiated the marriage of Ortega and his wife (the countrys vice president). This reconciliation played an important role in Ortegas reelection the next year following 16 years out of office, said Karen Kampwirth, a Latin America expert at Knox College. Ortega also backed an abortion ban to win support from the church before the election. In 2014, the national assembly voted to scrap presidential term limits. That year, the churchs Conference of Bishops sent a letter to Ortega, criticizing his government for violating indigenous peoples rights, stifling freedom of expression and using force against protesters. They have utilized religious language and have tried to infiltrate the parishes on the pretext that they are loving people, said Mata. They gave money to support the festivals for patron saints, but their goal was another one trying to gain supporters in the church for the regime. Nicaraguas President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, lead a rally in Managua in September 2018. Ortega forcefully quashed last years protests, effectively outlawing opposition demonstrations. (Alfredo Zuniga / Associated Press) When the violence broke out last April, the church condemned the government and pushed to mediate talks with the opposition. In a July letter, the Conference of Bishops said the government lacked political will for sincere dialogue, writing that the churchs pastoral mission does not contradict our role as mediators and witnesses since we search for peace and justice like [all] Nicaraguans. Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, the archbishop of Managua, denied accusations that the church has backed a coup and Ortegas assertion that some churches have housed armed protesters. The crisis was so abrupt, unexpected, violent that it put the bishops in a much more delicate situation, said Felix Maradiaga, an academic and opposition activist living in exile. The absence of opposition political parties obligated the church to step to the front to fill that vacuum by being the force that told the government to end the human rights violations. When student-led protests began on April 18, Idiaquezs Jesuit university was one of the first attacked. Sandinista youth arrived on buses and destroyed the schools main entrance with sticks and stones, Idiaquez said. On May 30, Idiaquez opened the school up to thousands when pro-government forces repressed a march in support of mothers of victims. Ortegas government, he said, has reduced its funding for students who receive financial scholarships a loss of $2.5 million and has refused to let imported products for the school through customs. They punish us from every side, he said. Evangelical pastors have denounced repression and faced intimidation as well. Tanya Mroczek-Amador started a mission in 2000 in a rural area of Matagalpa, where she worked with about 100 churches. After church leaders participated in marches, she said, they faced threats from Sandinista supporters and had their wells poisoned or their animals stolen or slaughtered. All of a sudden, the evangelical churches went completely quiet, she said, adding that now, most pastors from that area are in hiding. A Nicaraguan city became famous as a rebel stronghold. Now it has turned against the Sandinistas it once backed While the Catholic Church strongly opposes abortion, that has not deterred its legitimacy as a mediator in the eyes of many human rights activists, including those within Nicaraguas womens movement who fiercely criticized the abortion stand, said Manuel Orozco, a Central America expert at the D.C.-based Inter-American Dialogue think tank. You are simply entering in a battle that is far bigger, that is, the future of the country in terms of democracy institutions, he said. Violeta Granera, a prominent opposition activist, agreed. They have risked their lives to be on the side of the Nicaraguans, she said. That has given it recognition that goes beyond differences between the churchs positions and some sectors. A masked demonstrator holding a Nicaraguan flag and a sign that reads in Spanish: No more deaths, protests government repression in April 2018 in Managua. (Alfredo Zuniga / Associated Press) The Organization of American States and the Vatican both helped facilitate the agreement to release political prisoners. Many who experienced the violence firsthand, like Father Edwin Roman Calderon a priest at the church of San Miguel in Masaya hope that this type of international pressure will push talks forward. For several months last summer, Calderon turned his rectory into a medical refuge. He says he often woke up to the sound of gunshots and rushed outside to carry wounded protesters to his church. Those taken to the church included some who were injured and others who were dead. The church became a type of morgue. Calderon said. Doctors and medical student volunteers slept on the floor and Calderon often went days without sleeping or showering. The church also turned into a place for mothers to report their childrens disappearances. It had a tremendous impact on me, he said. Especially when they entered the rectory bleeding and I saw the streams of blood. There is no reason for the blood of youth to be running on the floor. Calderon still receives threats for his activism. His church services have been disrupted by government supporters and in February, he said, agents of the national police stopped his car and physically harassed him. In a news release, authorities said he was stopped because he was zigzagging while driving and was intoxicated, an accusation the priest denies. Calderon says he will not be intimidated. On the contrary, he said, it has filled me with more courage and more obligation to the people. I dont consider myself only a priest for Mass. Rather, I am immersed in a reality. He became an astronaut at the age of 41, when he was finally selected as a mission specialist on board of the Space Shuttle Discovery. In 2009, Hernandez was part of the 14-day mission to finish construction of the International Space Station. He was the only Mexican-American astronaut in that crew. However, one of his greatest accomplishment, he said, was helping to create the first full-field digital mammography imaging system used to detect breast cancer in its early stages while working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. - A UK-based group has condemned the report on human rights activities in Nigeria by the United States - The group said the report was aimed at forcing homosexuality and sale of national assets on the current government - According to the group, the Nigerian government must reject the report and make its stance known to the US without delay A group of Nigerians in the diaspora has reacted to the recent report by the United State through its State Departments Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour which accused the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government of abating corruption and extra-judicial killing. The United Kingdom Chapter of Arise Nigeria said the US report titled: "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018" was aimed at forcing homosexuality and sale of national assets on the current government. Arise Nigeria in a communique issued after its meeting in London on Saturday, March 23, called on the Nigerian government to reject the report and make its stance known to the US without delay. The communique jointly signed by Philip Idaewor, the chairman of Arise Nigeria and its secretary, Charles Eze, said documents like the US report are equally cited as input for decision making by third party countries that could withhold economic, political, military and other critical co-operation from Nigeria based on the conclusions reached in the report, and similar documents. The group said the observation about manufacture of dissent suggests that the United States might be at the early stage of engineering forceful regime change in new set of countries. READ ALSO: 9th NASS: APC commences mobilisation of governors, key chieftains "Even though is recommended that the valuable strong points highlighted in the report should prompt the authorities to taking decisive steps aimed at improving Nigeria they must nonetheless focus on the more pressing issue of asking the international community to call the United States to order by way of discontinuing any of its subversive programs targeted at Nigeria," the communique said. The group also said its observation Nigerian authorities will have to set up a government team to study the report with the aim of further decoding it to get a fairer sense of the estimate in which the United States holds Nigeria. According to the report the exercise should be with a view to developing reciprocal measures that will ensure that the US will soft pedal on the promoting damaging content about Nigeria. "The report, rather than commending the Nigerian Military for their feat in suppressing Boko haram, set out to make the war against terrorism appear like a criminal enterprise undertaken by the Nigerian state," the communique added. It further added that the misinformation contained in the report in its assessment of the anti-terrorism war against Boko Haram and ISIS-WA strongly suggest that the only interest the United States has in the matter is for Nigeria to come under more terrorist attacks. "This is especially so as the report failed to acknowledge the role of the US in aggravating the crisis through its policy that caused instability in the Middle East and North Africa to strengthen ISIS and accelerate the flow of weapons to terrorists. "The unfair demonization of the Nigerian military was matched by attempts to exonerate terrorist sympathizers like those who hide under the cover of being aid workers to support terrorists," the communique said. READ ALSO: Meet senator, House of Reps member reportedly favoured by Buhari for Senate president, speaker In its recommendations, the group urged the federal government to reject the fabrications contained in the report and make its stance know to the United States. It said efforts must be made to reassure commanders and personnel of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that their efforts and sacrifices in fighting terrorism are appreciated by government and citizens alike and that they must not be dissuaded by the neocon lies of the US. It also added that Nigerians must remind the United States that the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2014 was the product of a National Assembly that was democratically elected such that blackmailing the military and security forces of the country to have the law repealed will be counterproductive. PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the US ambassador to Nigeria, W. Stuart Symington, has warned against breaking the law by announcing results before the official announcement by the Independent Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) does. The US envoy, in a statement congratulated Nigerians on the predominantly peaceful conduct of the general elections that held on Saturday, February 23. It was proof of the Nigerian peoples resolute commitment to choose their leaders. The peaceful achievement of millions was shadowed by the violence of a few, he said. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! 2019 Election: Nigerians reveal what Buhari did to them| Legit TV Source: Legit.ng - Senator Dino Melaye has dropped words of wisdom on social media - In a recent post shared on the senator's Instagram page, he adviced Nigerian universities to adopt the style of INEC - In his opinion, exams in which majority of the students fail should be considered inconclusive and a supplementary exam held Senator Dino Melaye seems to have a solution to students failing courses in Nigerian universities and he has publicised his opinion on social media. In a recent post shared on his Instagram page, the senator opined that Nigerian universities should adopt the style of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in determining status of an examination. Melaye stated that exams in which majority of the students fail should be considered inconclusive and a supplementary exam issued in 21 days. His suggestion is stemmed from the practice of INEC, where an election is declared inconclusive when the margin between the leading candidate is lower than the cancelled votes. With his suggestion, Dino, has managed to spark debates on social media where people agree that it might be a good idea. However, some are of the opinion that such a practice already exists in some institutions, where staggering failure in a particular course questions the teaching method of the lecturer and sometimes leads to a supplementary examination being held. READ ALSO: I want my share of money raised for Success and a joint account with her - Stephanie fights dirty (video) Read below: PAY ATTENTION: Get your daily relationship tips and advice on Africa Love Aid group Meanwhile, Professor Akin Oyebode said Nigeria should change its name to Republic of Songhai. Oyebode said the Green White Green does not symbolize anything progressive. The professor earlier called for constitutional and electoral reforms to accommodate electronic voting and transmission of results. Did you know? NAIJ.com (naija.ng) is now-> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better. PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app Nigeria News: Dino Melaye and 2019 Criminal Conspiracy on Legit TV: Source: Legit.ng - Foremost poet, Gabriel Okara, passed away on Sunday evening at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa state - The poets death has been described by the Bayelsa state governor, Seriake Dickson, as a great loss to the state and nation - Among Okaras works are Piano and Drums, Call of the River Nun, The Voice, The Fishermans Invocation Nigerias foremost poet and novelist, Gabriel Okara, has died, just one month before his 98th birthday. A family member disclosed that the renowned poet died on Sunday evening, March 24 at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, The Cable reports. READ ALSO: 2 communities sacked, 27 houses burnt in Nasarawa by suspected herdsmen Legit.ng gathers that Okara slumped around 4pm on that fateful day, as he was relaxing at his Yenagoa residence. Okaras death has been described by Governor Seriake Dickson, as a great loss to Bayelsa state and Nigeria. The Bayelsa state commissioner for information, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, in a statement released on Monday, March 25, disclosed that Dickson has declared a three-day mourning period for Okara. According to the commissioner, all flags will fly at half mast for the next three days. Okara, who is touted as the first modernist poet of Anglophone Africa, was born on April 24, 1921. He was educated at Government College, Umuahia, Abia state and Yaba Higher College and became a lifelong patron of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA). Among his works are Piano and Drums, Call of the River Nun, The Voice, The Fishermans Invocation, The Dreamer, His Vision. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Pius Adesanmi, a popular Nigerian professor and columnist based in Canada, was on the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed in the early hours of Sunday, March 10. The Ethiopian Airlines flight was traveling from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, when it crashed, killing 149 passengers and eight crew members aboard. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! Ethiopian Air Crash: Nigerians pay homage to Adesanmi - on Legit TV: Source: Legit - A coalition has said that the recent report by the United States on human rights activities in Nigeria is aimed at degenerating the entity called Nigeria - The coalition also called on the US government and the former US ambassador to Nigeria to apologies over the report - Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative (CGGCI) said the US report on Human Rights Practices for 2018 was dedicated to sending out the wrong signals about Nigeria A coalition has asked a former United States ambassador, John Campbell, to stop denigration of Nigeria's sovereignty. The Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative (CGGCI) on Monday, March 25, in letter to the former ambassador reacted to the recent report by the US Department of State on corruption and alleged human rights violation under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government as well as a submission by John Campbell, former US Ambassador to Nigeria, who described the presidential election as bad news for democracy. The letter written by Egnunu Abutu said both reports where aimed at degenerating the entity called Nigeria. Abutu asked Campbell to tender apology to the country for his regenerating report. READ ALSO: CCT trial: Onnoghen speaks, says he has no case to answer The letter warned that, a failure to tender the apology within reasonable time shall compel us to taking measures to educate Nigerians to resist the racist-oriented US interference in the affairs of Nigeria. The group said the country reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018 was dedicated to sending out the wrong signals about Nigeria. The group also alleged that the report was done in the belief that the negative messaging about Nigeria would catalyze some sort of citizens revolt against the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and probably lead to a forceful change of government. The letter read in part: "Since the report emanated from the State Departments Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, the US Embassy in Abuja would have had the chance to make input while you would have signed off on the aspect about Nigeria, at least the embassy in Nigeria would have validated the claims made in the document and that is assuming the contents were not mostly generated under your supervision." "It is therefore not necessary to repeat the offensive conclusions drawn by your country about Nigeria other than to state in clear terms that the report is unacceptable to the Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative. Like majority of Nigerian, who unlike the opposition are not looking to fraudulently take over government, we reject the report in its entirety," the letter said. Further calling for an apology, the coalition urged the United States government and persons or organizations acting in its interest to cease and desist from further publishing reports, commentaries or analyses targeted at undermining stability of Nigeria. "A failure to tender the apology within reasonable time shall compel us to taking measures to educate Nigerians to resist the racist-oriented US interference in the affairs of Nigeria. We shall also do our best to criminalize the series of exchange programmes targeted at Nigerians youths such that the US will no longer have cohorts from Nigeria for such programmes. "It is our belief that Your Excellency will communicate our disaffection with the lies about Nigeria to the high-up authorities in your home country while also emphasizing our demand for apology over the wrong done to our country," the letter said. PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the US ambassador to Nigeria, W. Stuart Symington, has warned against breaking the law by announcing results before the official announcement by the Independent Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) does. The US envoy, in a statement congratulated Nigerians on the predominantly peaceful conduct of the general elections that held on Saturday, February 23. It was proof of the Nigerian peoples resolute commitment to choose their leaders. The peaceful achievement of millions was shadowed by the violence of a few, he said. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! 2019 Election: Nigerians reveal what Buhari did to them| Legit TV Source: Legit - Charly Boy has denied collecting money from spokesman for Buhari's campaign, Festus Keyamo - This was shared in a series of posts on Instagram where Charly Boy broke down in tears and defended his stance in the Our Mumu Don Do socio-political movement - According to Charly Boy, the allegations are just mere conspiracy and he is still rooted in the cause of fighting for frustrated Nigerians Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, has denied collecting millions from spokesman for Buhari's campaign, Festus Keyamo. The activist had been accused of being paid a nine-figure sum to release a diss song attacking the opposition party and for getting in bed with the 'oppressors.' The convener of the Our Mumu Don Do movement allegedly admitted to receiving payment from the official spokesperson for the Buhari campaign but claimed that it was money for the right to use a song he recently composed. However, it appears the activist has done a 360 and cleared the air on the allegations in his most recent posts shared on Instagram. In a series of video clips, Charly Boy denied ever receiving money from Keyamo and assured his followers of his commitment to the Our Mumu Don Do movement. READ ALSO: I want my share of money raised for Success and a joint account with her - Stephanie While assuring Nigerians of his innocence, the 68-year-old broke down in tears as he reminisced how much he has put up with for the cause of fighting for frustrated Nigerians. Charly Boy breaks down in tears as he talks about Our Mumu Don Do movement (Picture/Instagram) Source: Instagram He stated that he admitted to collecting the money to Deji Adeyanju because he wanted to play along and understand if they believed the rumours. Charly, also claimed that he was aware that Adeyanju showed up with a tape recorder and he decided to play along because he wanted to understand the position of the person he considers a son. Watch below: PAY ATTENTION: Get your daily relationship tips and advice on Africa Love Aid group Meanwhile, Festus Keyamo has denied allegation that he paid millions of naira to Charly Boy. Keyamo who is the official spokesperson of the 2019 re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari claimed it would be wrong of anybody to believe that he paid such money to Charly Boy. According to him, it is the culture of entertainers to raise their stock in the public by bandying phantom figures for their engagements. Did you know? NAIJ.com (naija.ng) is now-> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better. PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app Nigeria Killings: 'Charly Boy' and Other Activists March to Aso Rock in Protest on Legit TV: Source: Legit.ng Visitors of the Crayola Experience soon will be able to help needy children while enjoying 65,000 square feet of attractions. The endeavor kicks off Sunday, March 31 for National Crayon Day and runs throughout April. Its mission is to provide financial assistance to the Massachusetts-headquartered nonprofit organization, Cradles to Crayons, which provides children from infancy to age 12 living in homeless or low-income situations with essential items needed to thrive at home, school and playtime. Crayola Experience in Easton has a goal to help 300,000 children living in the Greater Philadelphia area. Aside from Boston, Cradles to Crayons has additional locations in Philadelphia and Chicago. How it works is $1 per ticket sold will be donated by Crayola Experience during the campaign and guests also are encouraged to bring in additional donations, such as seasonal clothing, nursery items and lightly-used shoes. Keith Koepke, general manager at the Crayola Experience in Easton, said Cradles to Crayons was chosen because the company couldnt think of another organization more in line with the inspiration behind the Crayola Experience brand. Michael Smith, who serves as executive director of Cradles to Crayons in Philadelphia, said in a statement he was excited about the partnership with Crayola Experience in Easton. Corporate partnerships that are centered around raising funds and donating product are essential to our mission and allow us to serve more children living in poverty in the Greater Philadelphia Region," he said. National Crayon Day, which uses #NationalCrayonDay on social media, encourages children and adults on Sunday to open up a box of crayons and enjoy coloring. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Lighter-than-air croissants and the perfect, crispy baguette are just some of the items The Modern Crumb Bakeshop will be bringing to the Easton Public Market. The bakery has plans to become a vendor public market this May and will be operated by pastry chef Kathryn Gaffney, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and previous executive pastry chef for the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem. Gaffney has worked alongside James Beard Award-winning Chef Francisco Migoya, taught at CIA, and has worked on perfecting her skillsets at various bakeries and restaurants including Bolete in Salisbury Township. Gaffney plans to bring her skills to Easton through her menu of baguettes, seasonal focaccia, brioche rolls and braids, and English muffin Pullman loaves. The Modern Crumb Bakeshop will also be carrying savory items like goat cheese and herb scones along with savory breakfast items like ham and cheese croissants, and smoked salmon with creme fraiche, cucumbers, and pickled onions on brioche. Oh and theres more for those with a sweet tooth. Apple pie Danishes, hazelnut pai au chocolat, coconut keto muffins, vegan chocolate banana muffins, butterscotch bars, gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, custom cakes and more are also available to customers, giving everybody something to enjoy. The Modern Crumb Bakeshop will be taking the place of Barred & Broody, which will be closing their doors on March 31. Lehigh Valley International Airport is again hosting an event to help people with autism or other developmental disabilities navigate taking a flight before they get to the airport to travel. The airport in Hanover Township, Lehigh County and the Arc of Lehigh and Northampton Counties are hosting their fifth annual Wings for All event at 9 a.m. May 11th. Families can register for the event here. Wings for All is a national airport rehearsal program produced by The Arc of the United States, and is designed for people on the autism spectrum or those with other intellectual or developmental disabilities. The event is very popular, and more than 200 people have participated over the years. The event is a collaboration between The Arc, Allegiant Air and the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, which operates the airport. This year there are 177 spots, for participants and one additional person with them. Participants practice parking in the airport lot, checking in at a ticket gate, going through TSA and waiting to board. Organizers do not avoid crowd situations, in the hopes families can see potential triggers before they plan a trip. The participants board an Allegiant plane and sit through the flight instructions, about 15 or 20 minutes on the plane. Afterwards, there is a reception. Last year, officials debuted the new sensory room off the Wilfred M. Wiley Post departure concourse at LVIA, for passengers with intellectual or developmental disabilities, such as autism. It has specialized flooring, low-frequency lighting, a mounted projector and other sensory equipment. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. France-based LOccitane en Provence, an international retailer of body, face, fragrances and home products, will be no longer operate out of the Lehigh Valley Malls Lifestyle Center, come Thursday. Amanda Pasquariello, a spokeswoman for the chain, confirmed the closure Tuesday evening. She did not provide a reason. Patrons, she said, can still visit the online store or shop the next closest location at the King of Prussia Mall, 160 North Gulph Road in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County. Pasquariello said the Whitehall Township store was in existence for the past seven years at Lehigh Valley Mall. When asked if the store was closing, mall representatives on March 13 released an emailed statement: At this time, the mall team would like to refrain from commenting. Representatives did not immediately respond to a request for information Tuesday evening. There was no signage at the store on March 14 indicating a closure was coming. A public relations firm representing the Lehigh Valley Mall, then stated, According to the mall team, LOccitaine is open and operating. LOccitaine is the latest to close at the malls Lifestyle Center, in which two other retailers left in 2018 -- J. Crew and Ann Taylor. Apple, a technology industry leader, completed a remodel and 8,500-square-foot expansion this past September, taking over space previously left by the J. Crew store. Forever 21, a California-based fast fashion retailer, expanded from 4,500 to 8,500 square feet of retail space this past December, taking up some space previously housed by the Apricot Lane store. Apple, J. Crew and Ann Taylor were among the first tenants when the Lifestyle Center addition between JC Penney and Macys opened in 2007. It now also includes Lululemon, Williams Sonoma, Sephora, White House Black Market and Pottery Barn. The mall, however, has plans to fill vacancies. It announced earlier this month BoxLunch, a civic-minded specialty store offering a curated collection of licensed and non-licensed merchandise, has moved into a 2,200-square-foot space formerly housed by Gift Design Galleries. Showcase, offering trendy and As Seen on TV products, took over a space this past December. By spring, the mall also expects Johnnys Bagels & Deli, a New York-style bagel cafe, and The Joint Coffee Co., a specialty coffee shop featuring flavorful beverages, to be open. Johnnys Bagels is slated to move in next to Boscovs department store and Lolli & Pops; while Joint Coffee is planned to move into the outdoor Lifestyle Center. Its unclear if Joint Coffee was planned to move into LOccitanes vacancy. LOccitane en Provence In the first half of its 2018-19 fiscal year, ending Sept. 30, reported unconsolidated sales of 595.4 million euros -- up 12.4 percent on a constant exchange basis. Growth was led by the United States and Hong Kong, whose sales jumped by 65.8 percent, according to a Fashion Network report. The United States markets strong performance, where LOccitane has a little less than 200 stores, was largely boosted by the arrival of American care and makeup brand, Limelife, in which LOccitane acquired a majority stake of in January 2018, according to the report. The Lehigh Valley Mall is home to more than 150 stores and restaurants along MacArthur Road and Grape Street. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Options detailed in a report for Upper Mount Bethel Townships first public sewers could cost from $5.6 million to $7.4 million. Upper Mount Bethel Township is in the process of updating its Act 537 sewage facilities plan. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection recommends municipalities update the required plan every five years. Upper Mount Bethel Townships most recent adoption occurred in 1992. The township currently does not have a public sewer system. Residents and businesses use on-lot septic systems, cesspools or other private sewage systems. The 1992 plan and the recently updated version compiled by Carroll Engineering Corp. identify several Areas of Concern (AOC) in the township, which include areas with outdated or failing sewage systems that may be contaminating nearby wells and streams. Mullin and Lonergan Associates provided township officials with a financial analysis that deals with some of the more urgent areas of concern and the recently established Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) areas, which provide tax exemptions for industrial and commercial development. One option would be to install sewers in the area designated as the Route 611 corridor from Portland Borough to just south of Route 512. These sewers would tap into neighboring Portlands wastewater treatment plant for an estimated cost of $5.8 million, according to the analysis. Its a very realistic and somewhat sobering account, Township Manager Rick Fisher said of the reports estimates. That cost does not include the cost of expanding Portlands plants capacity, which would likely be needed, nor does it include ongoing service fees Portland would likely charge. To install sewers near Shooktown Road, the township would need to tap into Roseto Boroughs sewers that feed into Bangor Boroughs treatment plant. That option would cost about $885,000 including a grinder pump station. If the township were to extend along Lake Minsi Drive from Valley View Road to Persimmon Lane, the cost is estimated to be $786,000. These options do not include the cost of tapping fees for residents. The total cost for these three scenarios that tap into neighboring systems is estimated to be $7.4 million. Another option would be for the township to construct its own sewage treatment system, consisting of a sequencing batch reactor and drip irrigation system, which would service all the sites. That would cost an estimated $5.6 million. Costs for land acquisition from the treatment plant to the receiving stream or drip irrigation disposal fields are not included in that figure. The report lists various grant and loan options to help pay for the sewers. For either extending into neighboring boroughs or constructing a water treatment plant in the township, the analysis projects the township should be prepared to pay $1 million for matching funds for grants. Once the sources of potential grants and loan terms become clearer, the report states, a more complete financial gap analysis can be run on either scenario (including debt service payments, etc.). Supervisors have the option of accepting the proposed ACT 537 update, edit it, or reject it. Even if adopted, supervisors would still need to decide on which aspects get implemented, if any. The timeline for projects could span years or potentially decades. Its not that we are going to jump into a multimillion-dollar project, Supervisor Robert Teel said. Teel and other supervisors have indicated they do not wish to raise taxes to install the sewers. More than 250 residents attended a public information meeting in February regarding the proposed ACT 537 plan. Aside from costs, many residents have expressed concern that public systems will invite unwanted development of the township. Sewer and water are going to change the township, resident Richard Wilford-Hunt said. A second public meeting is scheduled for May 8 at 6 p.m. at the Mount Bethel Volunteer Fire Co. building at 2341 N. Delaware Dr. John Best is a freelance writer. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. China saw a surge in the sales of books on the Chinese classics last year, especially those designed for children. Chinese online retailer giant JD said that compared to 2017, 131 percent more such books were sold in 2018. The sales volume of Chinese classic photocopies rocketed by nearly 200 percent. Sales of Chinese literary classics also boomed, with the sales volume of the classic novel "Journey to the West" published by the Commercial Press increasing five-fold, and "A Dream of Red Mansions" published by the People's Literature Publishing House rising by nearly 150 percent from 2017. The craze for classics has been growing among children and adolescents. Almost all of the 100 best-selling editions of the classic novel "The Three Kingdoms" and those for "A Dream of Red Mansions," more than 60 percent are intended for children, according to Beijing-based book industry researcher OpenBook. The learning of Chinese classics was listed as a major task in a guideline on preserving and developing excellent traditional culture released by China's central authorities in 2017. The same year, the Ministry of Education issued a guideline on college entrance exam reform, urging Chinese classes to increase student exposure to Chinese classics and related texts. A Palmer Township teenager ran a stop sign before colliding Feb. 19 with a municipal SUV driven by Phillipsburg police Chief Robert Stettner, according to a crash investigation report provided by town police. The 17-year-old, whose name wasnt released due to her age, was found at fault in the 7:03 p.m. crash at Firth and Heckman streets in town, the report says. She cited with failure to stop and pleaded guilty March 6 to the traffic count in the towns municipal court. The teenager told police she slowed due to a dip in the road but didnt stop, the report says. She said her view was blocked by a parked 2002 GMC box truck as she drove a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu north on Firth Street and she didnt see the stop sign, per the report. Stettner was driving a 2017 Ford Explorer east on Heckman and told the investigating officer the Malibu crossed in front of the SUV and he hit the drivers side of the Chevy, the report says. He did not have any time to stop his vehicle before impact, the investigator said Stettner told him, according to the report. After the collision, the SUV swerved to the left and struck 395 Firth St., the report says. Little damage was done to that property, according to a report from the scene. Both vehicles had significant crash damage and were towed. Stettner was taken by ambulance to St. Lukes Hospital in town, treated then released, police said at the time. The teenager was checked out at the scene by EMS but not transported, according to a report Feb. 19 from the scene. Phillipsburg Police Chief Robert Stettner on Feb. 19, 2019, was taken to St. Luke's Hospital in Phillipsburg following a motor vehicle crash that began when a Chevrolet Malibu ran a stop sign on Firth Street at Heckman Street in town and was struck by the SUV that Stettner was driving, police say. (Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor)Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.c The investigation revealed the white box truck was parked about four feet south of the stop sign and partially blocked the view of the" traffic device, police said. This vehicle was a contributing factor in this crash, police said about the truck. Registered owner Roberto Martinez, of the Phillipsburg area, was issued a ticket for parking within 50 feet of a stop sign, police said. Martinez pleaded guilty on March 6, the court said. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter@TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Met Eireann has forecast temperatures between 11 and 14 degrees for today and this mild spring weather is set to continue for a couple of days before a 'cold front' hits at the weekend. Met Eireann forecaster Gerry Murphy said on the nine oclock weather on Monday night that temperatures are expected to climb to 17 degrees on Thursday. Weather is going to continue largely dry as we go through the rest of the week. Therell be a mix of cloud and sunny spells with the best of the sunshine over the southern half of the country in general. In terms of temperatures values up around 11 to 14 degrees tomorrow (Tuesday) but getting up that bit higher through Wednesday and Thursday possibly 16 maybe even 17 by Thursday," he said. 'Much colder air' is set to hit at the weekend. "Cold front on Friday making its way in from the north-west through Friday night and into Saturday a little rain pushing down and most significantly introducing much colder air for the weekend behind it," he said. Despite the cold front and patchy rain and drizzle early on Saturday, it is expected to stay mainly dry and calm on Sunday. NATIONAL OUTLOOK OUTLOOK: Overall a lot of dry and calm weather with high pressure in charge, but with further frosts by night. Any rainfall will mainly occur Friday night/early Saturday with somewhat cooler conditions this weekend. WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Dry and calm with clearest skies across the midlands, south and east; remaining mostly cloudy elsewhere. Lows of -1 to +5 degrees Celsius, coldest under cloud breaks with frost setting in. Some shallow fog patches too. THURSDAY: Mild and dry with long spells of spring sunshine occurring widely. It will be the mildest day this week with light southwest breezes. Highs of 11 to 16 degrees Celsius, best values across north Munster and north Leinster. Cloud will increase across the west and northwest on Thursday night with patchy rain and drizzle developing towards morning. Lows of 2 to 7 degrees Celsius, coldest under clear spells in the east. FRIDAY: A mostly cloudy day with patchy drizzle in the west and northwest. However pockets of mild sunshine will occur over parts of Leinster. Highs of 11 to 14 or 15 degrees Celsius, in moderate southwest breezes. On Friday night scattered outbreaks of rain will gradually feeding down from the northwest. Lows of 3 to 6 degrees Celsius. THIS WEEKEND: Feeling fresher in a northwest breeze, with highs of 8 to 10 degrees Celsius. Starting out rather dull on Saturday morning patchy rain and drizzle, but brightening up into the afternoon. Mainly dry and calm on Sunday with brightest skies early on. MORE: Weather forecast for the week from Met Eireann A gang of up to four masked armed raiders broke into a house in Bluetown, Allenwood yesterday evening. It's understood the couple, who were home at the time, heard the dogs barking at around 8.30pm and one of them went to the door to see what was going on. They were confronted by the intruders who ordered them back into the house and tied them up. The men had their faces covered and were carrying weapons. It's believed they took a quantity of cash and left the house at approximately 9.30pm. It's not yet clear what kind of vehicle the intruders were using as the investigation is at a very early stage. Gardai are appealing for anyone who saw anything suspicious in the Bluetown area from around 7.30pm onwards yesterday evening to contact them at Naas Garda Station on (045) 884 300. It's understood the couple were not seriously injured in the incident, but they did receive minor injuries and were traumatised by the violent break-in. The scheduled monthly meeting of the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board did not go ahead this morning because too many members of the board failed to attend. There are 20 members of the board, but only 10 appeared at the offices of Wicklow County Council, which was being used as a venue for the meeting. A minimum of 12 was required to have a quorum. The chairman, Noel Merrick told those who did appear that he and the staff of the KWETB had received apologies or communication from five of those missing, but no word from others. The March meeting of the KWETB is a vital one because it is close to the time when accounts for the final year need to be finalised, a statutory role of the body. This meeting is also the first one since the chairman Noel Merrick and the chief executive Dr Deirdre Keyes appeared before the Public Relations Committee, something Cllr Fiona McLoughlin Healy told the chairman she had wanted to question him about. Cllr McLoughlin Healy also raised the fact that there were 416 pages in the briefing pack that was made available to members in advance of the meeting, something that she felt could leave them overwhelmed and feeling they couldnt contribute. Cllr Reada Cronin called for longer time to consider the briefing pack rather than three days. She suggested also that they be sent in hard copy rather than electronically. Cllr Jennifer Whitmore expressed frustration that people werent showing up to meetings and not explaining why. Its absolutely unacceptable. And were coming to the end of the term with an awful lot of work to do, and were going to hand over a basket case to the next board. Mr Merrick added that the staff of the KWETB had worked for the last few weekends to get everything ready for the meeting. Cllr McLoughlin Healy wondered if some of those who did not attend and did not send apologies were among those who had complained in a review of the board being carried out by the Institute of Public Administration, about people raising concerns at meetings. Well, I dont know. But anyhow, replied the chairman. Board member Deirdre Coughlan Murray noted that critical work needed to be done to move the organisation forward and she expressed concern that if this was not being done it jeopardised the organisation. Read also: Kildare's Ballyann Sim scoops top Greyhound Award She said that she was worried that the inefficiencies of the board, because of people not showing up and because were not in a position to have a board meeting, means that were putting the business if the KWETB at risk. Thats ultimately what were here for, she said. Residents opposed to the Naas ring road say iif its approved it will bring more traffic congestion to parts of the town. About 400 people opposed to the plan, mainly those living close to the when the road starts at the Dublin road entrance to Naas racecourse, staged a public meeting last night at the Osprey Hotel. The road will exit onto Blessington Road, near the AIB centre and roughly opposite the entrance to Sundays Well Most of the Naas councillors representing the Naas area were there along with the three constituency TDs - Catherine Murphy, James Lawless and Bernared Dujrkan. Of the six councillors present only one - Fianna Fails Rob Power - indicated support for the plan. Sundays Well resident Gerry Costello said their will be increased congestion at Blessington Road as well at Ballycane Road where there is a church, school and nursing home generating considerable traffic anyway. He predicted airborne pollution would rise and criticised the proplosal to provide walls at the Kingscourt estate. Mr Costello also said there will be congestion at the AIB junction. Kevin Greene, a Bru na Riogh residents, also highlighted the additional traffic - between 11,000 and 17, 000 vehicles a day - arriving at Ballycane Road. He also pointed out that its proposed to have traffic passing closer to homes along the new stretch of road than it currently does along the Dublin Road, where congestion will ease. Most of the councillors, including Darren Scully, say whats needed instead is an outer ring road around Naas, taking traffic away from all residential areas. Another councillor who favours the plan Fintan Brett sent a letter to the meeting. He too also favors an outer ring road, which he said should start nearJohnstown, But in the meantime the plan is worthwhile because it will take traffic off Dublin Road and facilitate a cycleway. Kildare County Council says the route will take traffic away from built up areas and the road will facilitate the provision of much needed housing and whose lack of delivery would likely restrict further development (beyond already granted planning permissions) in the environs of the inner relief road. The worlds most famous living explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes visited the hometown of another famed adventurer, Ernest Shackleton, when he gave the keynote address at a health and wellbeing conference last week. The event, held at the Clanard Court Hotel, Athy, last Friday and attended by some 526 delegates, was hosted by County Kildare Chamber in association with Kildare Local Enterprise Office. The adventurer recalled attempting to climb onto the roof of the Dail during a family visit to Dublin as a teenager. I was detained by a garda and kept overnight it wasnt the first time I was arrested for climbing up drainpipes. I think they thought I was trying to take the copper or lead from the roof, he said. He recalled the incident during his keynote address to a mixture of business attendees and locals who were enthralled throughout his 60 minute talk. Dr Eddie Murphy of Operation Transformation fame also spoke at the conference. Allan Shine, CEO of County Kildare Chamber said: This conference is one of the largest health and wellbeing gatherings of the year so far in Ireland. We were delighted with the numbers attending and working closely with our partners LEO Kildare we are able to put on events such as this with relative ease. Health and wellbeing is such an important topic currently. We believe that by hosting conferences such as this, we are able to hopefully inspire the people attending in some way in improving their own health and wellbeing. Of particular interest to Sir Ranulph Fiennes was his visit straight after the event to Athy Heritage Centre Museum as he is in the midst of writing a book on Ernest Shackleton. Sir Ranulph said that Shackleton was one of the worlds finest explorers and whilst there are more than 60 books written on Shackleton, I believe that my own experiences of extremes gives me a unique perspective on the adventurer from Kilkea. Sinn Fein MEP Matt Carthy will host a special Brexit Day event in Donegal on Friday March 29, 2019. The event, Brexit: Whats next?, will take place in Dillons Hotel, Letterkenny at 8pm. Ahead of the event Carthy said: March 29th is the original Brexit date. So it makes sense that we would hold a public meeting on that date in one of the regions that has most to lose from a bad Brexit deal. The fact that there remains huge uncertainty about what will happen is symptomatic of the absolute chaos in the British Parliament and particularly their cavalier attitude to Ireland. Farmers and other businesses in Donegal and in other areas along the border dont know what impact Brexit will have other than knowing there is no such thing as a good Brexit. Carthy again reiterated that the backstop is the basic minimum acceptable to the people of Ireland. The backstop remains the least bad option but even if the withdrawal agreement is adopted it will still leave many challenges for Ireland," he said. Therefore this public meeting in Donegal will be an opportunity to provide an update on whats happening with Brexit at that stage. It will also be a chance to discuss how we can deal with all of the potential scenarios in order to protect our communities, farmers, businesses and workers. We will also discuss the issue of Irish Unity recognising, of course, that Brexit has highlighted the failure of the partition of our country in very stark terms." A WOMAN has been taken to hospital after she was rescued from the river Shannon in Limerick city. Emergency services were alerted shortly after 4.30pm this Tuesday after the woman, whose aged in her 30s, was spotted near the Lock Gates at Sarsfield Bridge. Three appliances from Limerick Fire Station, Mulgrave Street were mobilised along with the Limerick Fire and Rescues rescue boat - FireSwift. On arrival in the area, two SwiftWater Rescue Technicians entered the water and swam to the womans assistance. Two members of the public and a member of An Garda Siochana also assisted the woman who was quickly taken on board the FireSwift boat. Limerick Marine Search and Rescue was also alerted and volunteers mobilised its rescue boat and assisted with the rescue. After the woman was taken from the water, she was transferred to the pontoon at the rear of Sarsfield House and handed over to paramedics from the National Ambulance Service. While the woman was treated for hypothermia, her physical condition is not believed to be life threatening. In an effort to better protect ancient relics remotely located in deep mountains and forests, experts are turning to drones for assistance. The Maijishan grottoes, over 1,600 years old, are carved in the caves of an isolated mountain peak on the ancient Silk Road in the city of Tianshui, northwest China's Gansu Province. The 221 caves are connected by trestle roads suspended above the ground. The grottoes are well-preserved, given their long history, thanks to the unique geological conditions. However, their location also poses challenges for the protection of the site. To accurately assess the conditions of the grottoes, researchers have been using drones to monitor the site since 2018. "Compared to traditional manual work, drones have a broader view and higher precision," said Hu Junjian, director of the monitoring center of Maijishan grottoes art research institute. With the help of drones, researchers can better understand landform changes and the construction of nearby villages in a timely manner, allowing authorities to stop destructive activities or adopt protective measures accordingly. In the summer of 2018, cultural workers discovered a rain-triggered landslide with drones. "Without the drones, we would never have been able to discover such a natural disaster," said Xu Bokai, an official with the institute's protection research office. After further evaluation and analysis, researchers decided that the landslide would not damage the grottoes or affect tourists, he said. Drones have been widely used by the country in the protection of cultural relics. Cultural workers in the provinces of Shaanxi and Shanxi have been using drones to monitor the Great Wall. Henan Province said at the end of last year that it will use drones to patrol 35 cultural relic sites. A HOMELESS man who assaulted a resident at a hostel in the city has been sentenced to two months imprisonment David Griffin, aged 40, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to an offence under the Non Fatal Offences Against the Person Act relating to an incident at McGarry House, Alphonsus Street, just before Christmas. The victim, who sustained a number of cuts and facial injuries, was discovered by members of staff on the floor of Mr Griffins room at around 9.30am on December 20, last. Limerick District Court was told the defendant was asleep and covered in blood when gardai entered the room having been alerted. Gardai, who woke Mr Griffin, also observed a considerable amount of blood all over the apartment. Solicitor John Herbert said his client was friends with the victim and that they had been drinking together the previous evening and had regularly travelled around the country together in the past. He said Mr Griffin, who is in receipt of disability allowance, has no recollection of what happened but accepts he launched an attack when he returned to his room. He is ashamed of himself, he let himself down, he said adding he lost his accommodation at McGarry House and is facing the prospect of being returned to the homeless system. Mr Herbert said his client had no explanation for what happened and he suggested a sleeping tablet he took may have interacted with the alcohol. After being informed the victim had declined the opportunity to draft a victim impact statement, Judge Mary Larkin commented the defendant should know better. She accepted he has an addiction to alcohol and suggested that he is well and truly sober by now given the fact he has been in custody since his arrest. The judge imposed a two month prison sentence which she back-dated to the date of his arrest, Mr Griffin was also ordered to engage with the Probation Service and to complete a alcohol and drug awareness programme. AN alcoholic who forced his way into a supermarket and drank a bottle of vodka fell asleep in one of the shopping aisles before gardai arrived, a court has heard. Limerick District Court was told the Lidl store at Childers Road was closed to the public when the incident happened but that there were a number of staff members working there at the time. George OConnor, 38, of Castletown, Gort, County Galway pleaded guilty to stealing the 14 bottle of vodka on June 7, 2018. Sergeant Sean Murray said the defendant was taken to University Hospital Limerick following the incident and that he failed to appear in court on two occasions since. Judge Mary Larkin was told he was arrested on March 14 last after he entered the Circle K filling station at Roxboro Road and stole a bottle of wine which he drank in the store. That incident, Sgt Murray said, happened at around 9.30am while the store was open. He was still present in the store when gardai arrived. He was intoxicated when he was arrested, he added. Solicitor Sarah Ryan said her client, who has 63 previous convictions, has psychiatric problems in addition to his alcohol addiction. She said Mr OConnor, who spent a number of days in custody following the most recent incident, began drinking heavily more than a decade ago to deal with his mental health issues. Judge Larkin was told the defendant, who is a qualified mechanic, previously ran his own panel-beating business until his drinking got worse. He became a martyr to drink, said Ms Ryan who urged the court not to jail her client. Imposing sentence, Judge Larkin commented that if Mr OConnor does not address his drinking problem he will be dead soon. She imposed a one month prison sentence in relation to the incident at Lidl which she suspended for a year. A 100 fine was imposed in relation to the incident at Circle K. COUNCILLORS have agreed a voluntary ban on posters in the upcoming local and European elections. At a meeting of the full council on Monday, Deputy Mayor Cllr Michael Collins argued that it takes 400 years for corriboard, used in posters, to biodegrade. During the last local elections in 2014, he said, over 2,000 candidates had contested 949 seats and some 611,000 posters had been manufactured at a cost of 3m. That was the equivalent of generating 363 tonnes of carbon dioxide or running a family car for 592 consecutive days, he said. The posters alone would have covered 23 Croke Parks, he pointed out. Eight million tonnes of plastic a year are going into the worlds oceans, Cllr Collins said and are becoming entangled in the bodies of fish and other marine life. We are trying to tackle climate change locally and nationally, Cllr Collins said, urging councillors as leaders in our communities to support a voluntary ban. I am not trying to impose this on anybody, he said. But he argued there was considerable public support for a ban. In a Facebook poll which he conducted and in which 1,700 people took part, 1,623 people voted against the use of posters, he said. By using other media, he told his fellow councillors, you should have no fear of being re-elected. Let us do our bit locally for climate change, he said. It would be better if this was a directive from the Minister for the Environment, Cllr Kieran OHanlon said. He agreed with Cllr Collins sentiments, he said, but did not think it was realistic at this point in time. Most people have their posters paid for by now, he said. There is a very strong voice coming from young people. It is at our peril that we ignore them, Cllr Kevin Sheahan warned. The most important word is voluntary, Cllr John Sheahan said. But he asked: Are we as sitting councillors trying to corner the market? Would new candidates, perhaps not as well known, be put at a disadvantage, he wondered. And would the election turn out to be about who put up posters or not? He was, he said, open to Cllr Collins proposal but said it was those who didnt take down the posters and ties that were causing the real annoyance. THE FATHER of Molly Martens is to pay 160,000 to settle a wrongful death civil proceedings taken by the estate of Jason Corbett, the proceeds of which will go to the murdered Limerick mans children. Tom Martens, who is currently serving a life sentence along with his daughter for his role in the brutal killing of the father-of-two from Janesboro, has now agreed to settle the action without the admission of liability. We are relieved as a family to close this difficult chapter and try to move forward with our lives and focus on our children, the late Mr Corbetts sister Tracey Corbett Lynch told the Irish Independent. Ms Corbett Lynch and her husband Dave Lynch, who are currently raising Mr Corbetts children in Limerick, have spent the last four years engaged in civil proceedings relating to the late Mr Corbetts estate. While she was not included in the current proceedings, Ms Martens, the second wife of Mr Corbett, will also not benefit from a 530,000 life insurance policy on her husband, the Irish Independent reports. She will also not be able to make any claim to the estate of the late Mr Corbett. A further 17,500 will also be paid to a trust fund for the Corbett children by an insurance company acting for Mr Martens and his wife Sharon. Upon the advice of my attorney, I have agreed to accept the recommendations in the best interests of Jasons children, Mr Lynch said. I welcome the independent trustee who has the appropriate skills to invest the funds in the childrens best interest. It is a burden lifted, I can now focus on my family, he told the Irish Independent. Our next step is to go over and finally be able to sort Jasons belongings so we can hopefully retrieve some items of sentimental value to his family and children. Ms Corbett Lynch said she was very proud of her husband. Dave has always taken his fiduciary duties seriously and acted in the best interest of the kids. What we want now is to continue to focus on ensuring those responsible for Jasons murder remain in prison. A SERIAL offender who has more than 200 previous convictions cut her finger with a blade as she tried to remove security tags from a store in the city, a court has heard. Mary Ryan, 38, of Sharwood Estate, Newcastle West pleaded guilty to a number of charges relating to an incident at Boots, William Street on December 4, last. Sergeant Sean Murray told Limerick District Court the defendant entered the store at 4.45pm and was observed on CCTV placing a number of items into a bag. The items, he said included a Yankee Candle and a variety of razor blades worth almost 100. Judge Mary Larkin was told when security staff approached Ms Ryan, they noticed she had cut her hand and that the items in the bag were covered in blood. The goods were recovered but they were not re-saleable. The tags were damaged, he said confirming that a blade was also seized from the defendant. During the same hearing, Ms Ryan admitted stealing a bottle of perfume, worth 84, from Brown Thomas at O'Connell Street around an hour later. After hearing the facts of the case, Judge Larkin, who jailed Ms Ryan in January for a separate spate of offences in west Limerick, said she was sick to death of this adding that she continues to get back on the merry-go-round every time she is caught and released from prison. Its not fair on everybody else, she told solicitor Michael ODonnell who informed the court that his client has no further matters pending at present. The judge said Ms Ryan is not getting any younger and that she has to deal with her drug addiction. Its a terribly sad case, she commented. She imposed fines totalling 750 with default a penalty of three daysimprisonment. CLAM Senior Pastor, Wole Oladiyun in this recent interview with City People Magazine explains why all Christians must pay tithe and also advised all Christians to adopt the principle of giving. Below are excerpts of his views. It is very educative. Over the last few months many Pastors have come under close scrutiny and attack from those outside the church. What is your take on various criticisms pastors have been subjected to? The Bible says the prince of this world comes and finds nothing in me. The Bible equally said: He who stands must beware, so that he does not fall. The criticisms are both positive and negative. There are norms that we must conform to as Christian leaders. Once we deviate from those norms, we must be checked. The criticisms, in a way are checks, and they are welcome. We are in a position of leadership and we must be responsible. There are 3 major things I emphasise to Christian leaders. One, that God has put us in the ministry, we have not put ourselves there and its a great opportunity. So, the first thing is God has given us an opportunity. When a man is given an Opportunity, the onus now lies on the man to be responsible and be accountable. So, those two things must be adhered to. We must be responsible for the opportunity to be in ministry and we must be accountable. When responsibility is shirked, then there must be deterrent measures. When we are not accountable then we must be pummeled. The public, singularly speaking can raise voices against us, and then we must check ourselves. You cant rule it out that people are saying what they dont know because we are human beings. We have the episcopal grace. But we must use the grace to better the lot of the people. Some pastors are not called, they called themselves. You can imagine abominable things happening in Christendom. It gives us concerns, those of us who are really standing right by the grace of God. How can you imagine pastors patronising dark practitioners, people in the occult world? Its not right. How can you imagine pastors using the inflowing to the ministry for frivolous things, instead of using the resources to build humanity, to build a better life for people, to build legacies that our children will see tomorrow and congratulate us. When you see pastors living extravagantlifestyle, it shouldnt be so. These days, you see pastors sleeping with women in church and young ones doing abominable things or saying things they dont do. Its not right. That is not being responsible, that is not being accountable. When those things are happening, the Holy Spirit goes away from such ministers, and then they will now look for other means to help themselves up. So, when we are criticized in those areas, those criticisms are welcomed, so that we can change. So that we can conform to the norms of our Lord Jesus Christ. Many General overseers, who are doing evil these days dont have eternity in mind. But I must say some criticisms in some areas are purgatory. They are not positive, like people criticizing Giving, Tithing and first fruit. Those are biblical norms nobody can work against. You can criticize those who are not using the resources right. For instance, every income in CLAM for the past 21years is well accounted for, I have the records. And you can see the visible things we are doing with the income. By the grace of God, if you check in Nigeria today, CLAM has one of the leading medical facilities, caring for people with minimal charges. We just take charges that can make us to pay the staffers. For example, we did the 4th brain surgery a few weeks ago. Each brain surgery will cost 8 million in India, but here we did each one successfully for 900k. Here in CLAM Soteria Maternity, weve done hip replacement and so many surgeries successfully. Now we just concluded one-month free medical checkup for women with our Mammogram machine. Last year alone, 2 to 3 mad persons gave birth to children by the way side and they were brought here. We took care of them and handed them over to the Lagos medical welfare successfully. When we see people who could not afford their bills we let them go. We are doing things right here. Our farms alone will be able to take 7,000 to 10,000 youths off the street. How about using money coming in to CLAM to set up an acquisition scheme, vocational center? Miscreants are being brought in here to be trained. People from other faith are coming here to be trained. We award scholarships. We are training a lady who will become a Pilot in 3 months time, in Philippine. We are training people in primary school, secondary school and University. Even the Muslim community here benefited from our scholarship awards. We are taking care of them. We live together in peace with our neighbours. That is Christianity as defined by Jesus. When ministers veer off, we must be checked, they must be checked. The money that built the Soteria Hospital could have been deposited to wet lease a plane, but I have not done that. There is nothing bad in using a Jet. Let me balance it and let the whole world hear. I am a crusader; I go to villages that pastors dont go. I have been to several countries, states, towns and villages. Sometimes I would be tired in the car and feel like having a helicopter, to bring me out of those villages and hamlets immediately I finish. If anybody gives me, a helicopter, I will collect it, use it, and nobody must shout because I have paid my dues. So, for those of us, who have paid our dues, we deserve a major comfort. What is your take on the issue of Titthe? Tithing has to do with the 10% of your income. It belongs to God. When you pay your Tithe, you activate benefits from the Lord. When you give your Offering, you activate blessings from the Lord. When you give your First fruit, you enter into a level of wealth unprecedented, because God will begin to release ideas, he will begin to minister to you. Payment of Tithes is a spiritual thing; it cannot be analyzed with our gumption. These are biblical norms that must not be faulted by anyone. No one is compelled to give; we explain the principle to the people, the onus now lies on you to activate the principles. It is as simple as that. When you give your Tithe, you chase away devourers from your finances. Even the Muslims give Zakat. They believe Zakat is a matter of must for them. Those who are not born again, they are neither a Muslim nor Christian, yet they Give and receive, Law of nature, Law of nemesis, Law retribution. What you give will activate receiving from the supernatural; Im talking on the mundane level. Every Giver is an Achiever, even those who dont know God, once you give you receive. Its a natural principle that God has instituted. So, in our faith by the grace of God, Tithing, Giving of Offering and first fruit is very important. When the money flows into the church, they must be multiplied. They must be well used. When its not well used, then criticism comes in. What is the correlation between the Old and New Testaments on the issue of Tithing, because that has been the argument over the years? When people are bringing issues up, Ill want us to discuss holistically. The bible is just one book. Everything in the Old Testament is the shadow of the New Testament. When you are talking of Tithing, are they saying we dont have Tithe issues in the New Testament? When you look at Hebrew 7 for example you will see everything there. The Leviticus priest had paid Tithe in Abrahams time. Abraham was the great grandfather, followed by Isaac, Jacob then Levi. The Levi was the 4th generation. When Abraham had an encounter with Melchizedek, there was an exchange. He paid Tithe. He said this levite has paid tithe in Abraham. I dont like complication. That simply means through the blood, genetically levite has done that, though he wasnt born then. We are the modern day Leviticle priest. So, the priesthood is there and there is nothing anybody can do about that. If you say tithe should not come to church; we should not follow the principles of God? We would deny many people of their benefits? You want me to go back and be practising engineering and give myself fully to this work; If I do that you wont meet CLAM like this. We wont be affecting our nation like this. So, for those of us who are genuinely doing the work if I do that well, we know these principles are real and these principles will be there till the 2nd coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. They cannot be discarded. They cannot be removed. They cannot be deleted and they cannot be taken away from the Bible. They remain as God has stated them. When you are talking of Giving, Giving runs through. When you are Tithing, you are Giving the 10% of your earnings to activate the blessing and promises of God. Giving is an act. Some people dont even give physical money, but they give their services. Some people intercede, they give in intercession. So, Giving is multi-dimensional. Its the principle of God; its the principle of the kingdom. Giving must not be compromised. As a rational human being, what you sow, you reap. It works for everyone irrespective of your faith bias. There is something very unscientific about Giving just like the Anointing. The first Submarine made by God was the fish that swallowed Jonah. He was in the belly of a fish for 3 days, God suspended the digestive system of that fish, Jonah was not digested, and the fish vomited him on the 3rd day. That was not scientific. So, this principle is beyond Science. Its beyond rational analysis. Take for instance. Jesus met with the disciples and the tax payers asked them to pay tax. Jesus asked Peter to go to the sea with his hook, the first fish that comes, he should pick it, open it and bring the money in it. Can science rationalize that? So, its the same thing with Giving. Also, the wife of one of the prophets went to Elisha, she said to him, Your servant, when he was alive owed, though he was a good man, now the creditors have come to take the two sons, what shall I do? Elisha asked if she has anything in the house, she said nothing but a little measure of oil and Elisha said, go and borrow vessels, lock the door, get the oil and start pouring it inside the vessels, and the little oil filled so many vessels. Can science rationalize that? So, you cant rationalize the principle of Tithing, first fruit and Giving. There is something that is beyond common sense about the principle of God. A monkey in a Finland zoo recently gained a lot of attention on social media for her unusually "buff" body, but she isn't quite as muscular as she appeared. In the photo, the primate a female white-faced saki monkey (Pithecia pithecia) named Bea crouches on a branch in her enclosure at the Helsinki Zoo. Her arms, chest and legs look exceedingly bulky in contrast to her small, glowering face, making her seem as heavily muscled as a steroid-infused bodybuilder. But in reality, the monkey's muscles aren't all that impressive, and the suggestion of bulk came from Bea fluffing up her abundant fur, zoo representatives told Live Science. [8 Humanlike Behaviors of Primates] White-faced sakis are native to Brazil and parts of Venezuela and Indonesia, spending most of their time in rainforest canopies at heights up to 82 feet (25 meters) above the ground, according to the University of Michigan's Museum of Zoology. Bea, the leader of the zoo's white-faced saki monkey troop, was born at the Helsinki Zoo and is 9 years old, zookeeper Merja Wahlroos told Live Science in an email. On average, adult female monkeys weigh about 3 to 4 pounds (1.4 to 1.9 kilograms) with a body length of (32 to 40 centimeters), "and the tail is usually as long as the body," Wahlroos said. And even though Bea hasn't been measured recently, her size is likely "in the bigger end of the scale," Wahlroos estimated. Nevertheless, Bea's apparent burliness is not the result of rigorous weightlifting and chugging protein shakes; rather, it's an illusion created by her thick, furry coat, zoo representatives explained in a tweet. See more Finnish photographer Santeri Oksanen snapped the image in February; he was visiting the zoo to practice taking pictures of wildlife, which he later shared on Flickr, he told Live Science in an email. As Oksanen stood outside the monkey troop's habitat, Bea struck "this epic pose" and surveyed her territory; at that moment, Oksanen captured the photo that later went viral. "Bea's expression couldn't had been any better," Oksanen said. Little is known about saki monkey's social habits in the wild, but in captivity the monkeys usually live in small family groups of four individuals, and the most common group is parents and offspring, Wahlroos explained. But saki monkeys can also form groups of multiple males or females that contain up to 12 monkeys. Males generally dominate groups in captive populations, but the group hierarchy is flexible, and sometimes females like Bea assume leadership, Wahlroos said. As for Bea's fabulous floofiness, many types of animals fluff their fur (or feathers) to appear bigger and more intimidating when threatened. However, saki monkeys are typically not aggressive toward each other, and unusual fluffiness such as Bea's display "is usually only to show off to other group members," Wahlroos said. "The mighty appearance might be enhanced by shaking a branch vigorously," she added. Originally published on Live Science. A delegation from Taiwan's Kaohsiung city led by mayor Han Kuo-yu Monday signed agreements with four companies from Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, to sell 200 million yuan (29.8 million U.S. dollars) worth of agricultural and processed products to the latter in the next four years. Han described his trip to Shenzhen as "short but fruitful," saying he was looking forward to more people-to-people exchanges between the two cities in the future. The delegation also visited Yantian Port, the Han's Laser company, the Tencent company, and the administrative service hall of Nanshan District, in Shenzhen Monday. Han expressed the hope to expand cooperation with Shenzhen in agriculture, economy and trade, sports, culture, exhibition and other fields in the future. When he was asked to comment on the Democratic Progressive Party's criticism of his ongoing visit, Han said he did not worry about or fear verbal attacks. "We hope that the Taiwan residents can keep their eyes open so that they can tell right from wrong. Politicians should serve the people." A handful of Albert Einstein's letters, including one in which he talks about the "Hitler-insanity" that had taken over Germany and also describes his son's schizophrenia treatments, are being auctioned off this week to the highest bidder. Einstein was a prolific writer, and his letters have allowed historians to see what occupied his mind. As these letters show, Einstein thought about issues big and small, especially about how world events affected him and other people targeted by Nazi Germany. For instance, in one of the letters being auctioned off, dated June 10, 1939, Einstein wrote to Maurice Lenz, a leader in the field of radiation therapy at Columbia University in New York City. But Einstein didn't discuss Lenz's research in the note. Rather, Einstein congratulated Lenz on his work benefiting Jewish refugees during World War II. [6 Ways Albert Einstein Fought for Civil Rights] "The power of resistance which has enabled the Jewish people to survive for thousands of years has been based to a large extent on traditions of mutual helpfulness," Einstein wrote to his friend. "May we stand this test as well as did our fathers before us." The letter that Einstein wrote to Maurice Lenz about helping Jewish refugees. (Image credit: Nate D. Sanders Auctions) In another letter hitting the auction block, dated April 17, 1934, Einstein wrote to his ex-wife Mileva Maric about finances and their children. The couple had three kids, including Eduard ''Teitel'' Einstein, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia by age 20. The letter, written in German, expresses hope that a chemical intervention might help treat Eduard. Einstein wrote that "I read the articles closely, and it does not seem completely impossible that a successful result might be obtained through a chemical intervention such as this. It would simply constitute a strong stimulus to the secretory system created by a deficiency of sugar within the blood." Still, Einstein ever the scientist urged caution before trying the treatment, writing, "we should not rush into this thing, we must wait until more experience has been gained." He also discussed money he was sending to help Maric pay bank debts. But time and money were tight, he wrote, saying, "I am strained so severely by the various acts of assistance that I have to restrict myself all around in the most extreme way. All this is the result of the Hitler-insanity, which has completely ruined the lives of all those around me." The letter that Albert Einstein wrote to his first wife in German, discussing a possible treatment for their son's schizophrenia. (Image credit: Nate D. Sanders Auctions) Even in 1921, Einstein could see that the Nazis were gaining power in Germany. In a letter to his sister, Maja Winteler-Einstein, that is also being auctioned, he wrote, "I am supposed to go to Munich, but I will not do that, because this would endanger my life right now." Eight of Einstein's letters are currently up for grabs at the Nate D. Sanders Auctions in Los Angeles until 2 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT on Friday, March 28. Originally published on Live Science. Matthew Busch, For The San Antonio Express-News / For The San Antonio Express-News Model Emily Ratajkwoski was in Austin again. Multiple photos posted to her highly popular Instagram page show Ratajkowski wearing a silver outfit with a cowboy hat and blond wig and at one point, feeding farm animals while wearing white boots over the weekend. It's unclear why she was in Texas, but the Austin Rodeo, where she's likely to have taken the photos, is currently underway. RELATED: P!nk recaps San Antonio concert, says it was one of her 'favorite nights' "Yeehaw Thanks Texas," she captioned a series of Instagram photos early Tuesday. This trip was not her first to Austin. She spent Memorial Day weekend 2017 touring Texas' capital, stopping at Barton Springs Pool and for some barbecue. Madalyn Mendoza is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @MaddySkye Where is the best taco? Where is the best margarita? Where is the best barbecue? If youre a San Antonian, these are the questions that really matter whether its to satisfy our own cravings or those of the countless visiting friends, family members and random strangers who ask. Culinaria has proposed an answer to all three of those questions in a trio of San Antonio Food Trails celebrating the citys best tacos, barbecue and margaritas. Such food trails are one of the goals the city's World Heritage Office included in its application to be named a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, which was approved in 2017. Culinaria's trails are independent and not part of the World Heritage Office's efforts. Colleen Swain, director of the office, said that their official trails were still in the works and have yet to be released. The designation honors the food traditions in San Antonio left by numerous cultures beginning with American Indians followed by Spaniards, Canary Islanders, Mexicans, Germans and others who have migrated through the region over the past 13,000 years. Numerous area chefs, Culinaria, Visit San Antonio and other organizations have been involved in establishing the trails. A total of 30 restaurants 10 in each category were named to the trails. Longtime area favorites including Henrys Puffy Tacos, Garcias Mexican Food and Los Barrios represent the taco category; 2M Smokehouse, The Big Bib and South BBQ and Kitchen are among the barbecue representatives; and margaritas at Aldacos, La Fonda on Main and Soluna are included. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonios UNESCO City of Gastronomy title could be big business For the time being, the trails exist solely as lists published at culinariasa.org, although Suzanne Taranto-Etheredge, Culinarias president, said guided tours and a mobile phone app will be offered in the near future. Culinaria intends to roll out new trails celebrating seasonal foods and geographical parts of the city every quarter moving forward. Taranto-Etheredge said more than 100 people voted to identify the initial batch of recognized restaurants. In addition to exceptional food, trail honorees had to meet a set of criteria including consistently high health scores and a visible web presence. The establishments will enjoy a one-year tenure on the list, at which point the trails will be re-evaluated by the electing committee. NOTE: Because of incorrect information provided to the Express-News, this story has been updated to state that these these food trails are an independent project not affiliated with the World Heritage Office. Paul Stephen is a food and drink reporter and restaurant critic in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pstephen@express-news.net | Twitter: @pjbites | Instagram: @pjstephen A convicted burglar was recently sentenced to nine years in prison, according to the Webb County District Attorney's Office. Authorities identified him as Ovidio Navarro Jr., 28. He entered a no-contest plea last week to one count of burglary of habitation in the 49th District Court. Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde Gebremariam on Monday said that investigation on the recently crashed Ethiopian plane that killed all 157 people aboard is "well underway." A Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa on March 10, killing all 157 people on board. "The investigation of the accident is well underway, and we will learn the truth," Gebremariam said, adding that "many questions on the B-737 MAX airplane remain without answers, and I pledge full and transparent cooperation to discover what went wrong." Amid ongoing investigations, recent reports indicated that despite Ethiopian Airlines is among the first to install a training simulator on the new Max 8, the captain of the crashed Flight ET-302 was not trained on the simulator. However, Gebremariam stressed that Ethiopia's flag carrier has been providing the training effectively. "As it is well known in our global aviation industry, the differences training between the B-737 NG and the B-737 MAX recommended by Boeing and approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) called for computer-based training, but we went beyond that," an Ethiopian Airlines Group statement quoted Gebremariam as saying on Monday. According to the CEO, after the Lion Air accident in October last year, Ethiopian pilots who fly the Boeing 737 Max 8 "were fully trained on the service bulletin issued by Boeing and the Emergency Airworthiness Directive issued by the USA FAA." "We are the only airline in Africa among the very few in the world with the B-737 MAX full flight simulator. Contrary to some media reports, our pilots who fly the new model were trained on all appropriate simulators," Gebremariam said. "The crews were well trained on this aircraft," Gebremariam said, adding "immediately after the crash and owing to the similarity with the Lion Air Accident, we grounded our fleet of Max 8s." "Within days, the plane had been grounded around the world. I fully support this. Until we have answers, putting one more life at risk is too much," he added. Gebremariam also noted that Ethiopian Airlines flight mechanics are certified by the FAA. Ethiopian Airlines also stressed that it operates with "one of the youngest fleet in the industry, our average fleet age is five years while industry average is 12 years." Ethiopia's flag carrier, which serves more than 11 million passengers annually according to figures from the airlines, has relatively better safety record in the aviation sector with minimal incidents in over 7 decades of its operations. The French air accident investigation authority BEA is investigating the crashed plane's black boxes. A Laredo man has been indicted on two counts of intoxication manslaughter after authorities said he killed a father and daughter in a vehicle crash last year. Jose Guadalupe Perez Jr., 45, was also indicted last month in the 49th District Court on one count of possession of a controlled substance. Laredo police said Perez was intoxicated when he struck a 2013 white Kia Soul driven by Gerardo Guerrero, 17. The two passengers in the Kia, Jesus Guerrero Jr., 53, and Galilea Guerrero, 15, were both pronounced dead at the scene. READ MORE: LPD: Man accused of intoxication manslaughter released from hospital, charged Gerardo Guerrero survived the crash with non-life threatening injuries. LPD said Perez was driving a 1997 white Dodge Ram 1500 when he rear-ended the Kia at about 10:30 p.m. July 15 at the intersection of Mines and Lowry roads. Police said the Kia was stopped at the traffic light when it was rear-ended. The Guerreros were killed upon impact, police said. After the crash, police said Perez "had very visible signs of intoxication." LPD said they also found 1.6 ounces of cocaine on Perez. RELATED: Texas police ID baby killed when alleged drunk driver struck shopping cart Perez was taken to Doctors Hospital in stable condition. He was later airlifted to a San Antonio hospital to recover from injuries he sustained in the crash. After his release, LPD traveled to San Antonio to serve warrants charging Perez with intoxication manslaughter. An evidence exchange hearing is scheduled for April 26 in the 49th District Court. Maria Salas may be reached at msalas@lmtonline.com In the 74-page manifesto Brenton Harrison Tarrant, the alleged New Zealand mosque shooter, published on social media before this month's attacks that left 50 people dead, he denounced immigration to Europe, calling it an invasion. Now Austrian investigators are probing why someone by his last name made a "disproportionately high donation" to a far-right activist in Austria. On social media, Martin Sellner, leader of the Identitarian Movement of Austria (also known as Generation Identity), said police raided his apartment Monday, The Associated Press reported. And Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz tweeted that "any connection between the Christchurch attacker and members of the Identitarians in Austria needs to be comprehensively and ruthlessly investigated." "It is important that the independent justice system can use all necessary means and resources to conduct its investigation together with the security services and expose these networks," he said. "There needs to be total clarity about all extremist activities." Hansjoerg Bacher, a spokesman for the prosecutors in Graz, Austria, who apparently ordered the raid, told the AP that most donations to the group were in the two- to three-figure range, but the one linked to Tarrant's name was "in the low four-figure area." "This made it stand out, and the events in New Zealand put a face to this donation," he said. Sellner is a controversial figure in Europe. Last year, he was denied entry into Britain and was detained for two days when he tried to travel there to make a speech. The BBC reported at the time that a Home Office representative said officials have the right to deny individuals entry "if it is considered that his or her presence in the U.K. is not conducive to the public good." This is not the first time police have raided Sellner's home. Last year, prosecutors in Graz charged him and 16 people affiliated with his group. The charges included incitement to hatred and forming a criminal organization; two people were eventually found guilty of lesser charges related to stunts carried out by the group. In a YouTube video this week, Sellner said he "had nothing to do with the attack" in Christchurch. But Tarrant's travel history has come under scrutiny since the attack, particularly after he outlined in his manifesto how visits to Europe amplified his distrust of immigrants. Austria is among the places he traveled in recent years, which include Bulgaria, Hungary, North Korea and Pakistan. Austrian authorities have not released information about whether Tarrant met with members of Sellner's group or other far-right activists on that visit. Bulgaria's chief prosecutor, Sotir Tsatsarov, announced after the attack that Bulgaria would also be probing whether Tarrant was in the country as a tourist "or if he had other objectives." CONCORD, N.H. - Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., slammed his head on the table four times when I asked what he thought about other Democratic presidential contenders embracing the idea of expanding the Supreme Court. "Having seen up close just how cynical and how vicious the tea party guys and the Freedom Caucus guys and Mitch McConnell have been, the last thing I want to do is be those guys," he said during an interview at a coffee shop recently. "What I want to do is beat these guys so that we can begin to govern again." Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, suggested that morning during a speech in Manchester, which coincided with Bennet's first foray to New Hampshire, that the number of justices should grow from nine to 15 - with Republicans picking five, Democrats picking five and those 10 justices together agreeing on the rest. "I can understand Mayor Pete's frustration because he's a mayor," Bennet said. "He comes to this with the purest intentions a person could have. I'm not sure if he spent a couple months in Washington that he'd have the same point of view." But Buttigieg is far from alone. Even some of Bennet's Senate colleagues have rushed to endorse the latest litmus test from the far left: Sens. Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand express varying degrees of openness to the concept of changing the composition of the court to benefit liberals. Sens. Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar, however, each express skepticism about the very idea that famously derailed Franklin Roosevelt's second term. Court packing, like reparations, has emerged as a bright new dividing line to separate the pragmatists from the ideologues in the Democratic contest. The issue is quickly become a proxy for the larger choice Democrats must confront as they pick a standard bearer for 2020: Will they go with their heads or their hearts? Bennet, who says he's inclined to run for president and will decide in a matter of "weeks," represents an antidote to the Democratic Party's leftward lurch. "I guess I'm starting to think strongly that we need a voice in this primary that's willing to make the kind of case that I think that I would make," he said. Speaking at a house party up the hill from the State House after our interview, Bennet made an impassioned plea to 50 Democrats that the party must be more careful to avoid the "traps" being laid by President Donald Trump. "Look, we've got to nominate somebody who can beat Donald Trump. That means we have a responsibility not to do ourselves in," he said. "I went around in 2016 saying Trump couldn't win. I was totally wrong. . . . "Trump's not an idiot," he continued. "Whatever you think of Trump - and I can't stand the guy myself - he is a marketing genius. He is a savant of some kind when it comes to marketing. And where he sees the weakness, he will exploit it. . . . Trump knows he can't get elected on his two feet. What he's trying to do is disqualify the Democratic Party. He looks for opportunities to do that by calling people socialists . . . by saying Democrats are for open borders . . . and by saying Democrats are anti-Israel. . . . I think Democrats need to be very strategic in not falling into the traps that Donald Trump is laying for us." Bennet explained why he stood to applaud the president during the State of the Union. "When he said we're never going to be a socialist country, I was the first Democrat out of their chair," he said. "I didn't know this at the time, but Bernie [Sanders] ... is sitting right behind me and he's sitting in his chair scowling while I'm standing up and applauding. ... The reason I was on my feet is that I'm not going to let him disqualify us that way. I know what he's trying to do. . . . It's not because I'm applauding him. It's because I want to show that Democrats don't feel that way. Most Democrats don't." Asked about the Medicare-for-all bill that several of his Senate colleagues running for president have co-sponsored, Bennet made the case against the bill both on the substance and the politics. "That legislation takes insurance away from 180 million people who get it from their employer, 80 percent of whom like it," he said. "It takes it away from every single union that has collectively bargained for their health-care plan. It takes it away from 20 million people that have Medicare Advantage who love Medicare Advantage. . . . "We're making it too easy for the people who don't want to cover everybody," he continued. "Donald Trump has been smart enough to figure out that he can agitate seniors about this question because he's going to say to seniors, 'Wait a minute, you guys had to wait until you were 65 years old. You spent your whole life paying into it. And now all of America is going to be in the plan with you.' I have no problem with political slogans, but we have to have a plan for how to address this. . . . I want to say very clearly: This is a not a call for moderation. It is not a call for splitting the difference." Bennet's pedigree, plus his status as a second-term senator from a purple state that Democrats must carry to win the White House in 2020, would have made him a top-tier candidate in presidential elections of the recent past. His resume and record are more distinguished, and his platform is more polished, than someone like former House member and failed Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke, who has been the subject of saturation media coverage since he announced last Thursday. Bennet even chaired the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in the 2014 cycle. Traditionally, this kind of coveted post was considered invaluable for a candidate to build a national network of major donors. But Beto raised $6.1 million of small-dollar contributions during his first 24 hours as a candidate without it, and Bennet so far has been little more than an afterthought among pundits or an asterisk in polls. Partly this is because so much of the energy has been on the left thus far, and there's so much hunger for sending a shock to the political system. "'Morning Joe' calls you a 'centrist' candidate," a man at the house party told Bennet, referring to MSNBC host Joe Scarborough. "Is that what you are!?" "I'm not," Bennet said, before pausing for eight solid seconds. "If you get up in the morning worrying about the poor kids in America's schools and you think about that all day and you go to bed thinking about that, then I would say you're a progressive. That's how I think about it. . . . Sometimes I don't hear about that from more 'progressive' candidates. So I hope in this debate maybe we can redefine some terms about what's progressive, what's centrist, what's moderate, what's whatever. I was described by a reporter in the New Haven Register as a 'pragmatic idealist.' I'll take that description. I think that's what we need." If there was an American aristocracy, Bennet would be part of it. His grandfather was an economic adviser to FDR during the New Deal. His father worked for Lyndon Johnson during the Great Society and was Jimmy Carter's assistant secretary of state before taking the helm of National Public Radio. His brother is currently the editorial page editor of the New York Times. (The Times says James Bennet will recuse himself from any work related to the 2020 election "or major issues in the campaign" if Michael runs.) The senator went to St. Albans and Wesleyan University before Yale Law School. Then he clerked for a circuit court judge, worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in Connecticut and served a stint in Bill Clinton's Justice Department. But he really didn't want to be a practicing attorney. So he moved to Denver to support his wife Susan's career as an environmental lawyer - like Bill and Hillary, they met at Yale Law - and took a very lucrative job overseeing corporate reorganizations and consolidations at the investment company owned by billionaire conservative megadonor Phil Anschutz. Bennet brushed aside my question about the certain attacks he'd face in the Democratic primaries for this work. "I stand on my record in the private sector," he said. Feeling called to public service, Bennet gave up the big paychecks in 2003 to become chief of staff to the new mayor of Denver, a fellow by the name of John Hickenlooper. Hickenlooper then tapped Bennet to become the superintendent of the city's public schools. When Barack Obama appointed then-Sen. Ken Salazar as Interior secretary in 2009, the governor at the time appointed Bennet to replace him. He won a full term in 2010 and another in 2016. Hickenlooper, who also wanted that open Senate seat, instead got elected as governor in 2010 and just finished his second term. He's already announced he's running for president, which is awkward. Both Hickenlooper and Bennet downplay differences and say they're different people with different backgrounds. In fact - temperamentally, ideologically and geographically - they seem quite similar. "I don't think my being in the race would have kept John out of the race, and I think the reverse is true," Bennet said. A question about court packing really got Bennet animated. He believes strongly that Trump won in 2016 as a direct result of McConnell blockading Merrick Garland's nomination to the Supreme Court, and he's angry that the majority leader went nuclear in 2017 after Democrats filibustered Neil Gorsuch. But he volunteered without prompting that he doesn't have a totally clean nose. Referring to Harry Reid ending the filibuster for circuit court judges in 2013 after McConnell prevented so many of Barack Obama's nominees from getting a vote, which he supported at the time, Bennet said: "We didn't always follow the rules. We changed the rules. People can decide whose fault it was. There's plenty of blame to go around. My point is that we owe something much better than this to the American people." Bennet, who edited the most prestigious of the law reviews at Yale and studied American history as an undergraduate, praised the founding fathers for devising a Constitution that created "the most elegant mechanisms" to facilitate decision making among free people. Sitting next to him at the table was the eldest of his three daughters. Caroline, 19, a Yale freshman, is on spring break. They wore matching fleece Patagonia pullovers. The 54-year-old father turned his answer into an extended civics lesson. "They believed we would have disagreement, that this was an essential part of living in a democracy, and out of that disagreement would come much more durable and imaginative solutions than any king or tyrant could ever think of," he said. "That's what those mechanisms are for, and we're in the process of breaking all of those mechanisms. We should think long and hard about whether or not we want to destroy all that, whether we think that what we should do is live in a world where they have their version of one-party rule for a while and then we substitute it with our version of one-party rule. To me, that seems like a really bad answer." Bennet has sought to stake out the moral high ground as a vocal defender of institutions and norms. He complained that both parties focus too much on raw power. He lamented the descent of American politics into "this continuous game of shirts and skins, where you put in your climate policy for two years and they rip it out and then you put in another and they rip it out." He criticized his congressional colleagues for believing that dueling press releases somehow serve the people they represent. "I don't know why we think we can be so lazy that we could just go on cable television at night and somehow our work is done," Bennet complained. "Or that we've introduced legislation and somehow that's the same thing as actually providing health care to people in America. "For me, this isn't just about beating Trump, which I think is important and essential but not sufficient. We also have to figure out how to govern the country, and we're not. We weren't before Trump showed up," Bennet added. "I'm not going to say one thing in the primary and something else in the general, and obviously I'm betting on the fact that that's going to be appealing to people who want politicians to . . . level with them. That may sound naive, but I think that's the only path that I have. And I don't happen to think it's naive because I think what's naive is imagining that we can keep repeating what we're doing in Washington - and this is even without Trump - and imagine that our kids and grandkids are going to remember us very favorably." Independents can vote in either party's primary in New Hampshire, and they're central to Bennet's theory of the case. If Trump doesn't have a credible challenger on the right, many swing voters will take ballots to vote in next February's Democratic contest. Bennet interacted with several of these voters during a town hall style meeting for employees of a rural manufacturing plant in the town of Jaffrey. Barry Charron, 36, is an independent who didn't vote in the 2016 primary or general election because none of the candidates caught his fancy. He's undecided about 2020. "He has a very moderate approach, and I appreciate that, because I only see things escalating," Charron said after watching Bennet talk for an hour. "It's a pendulum right now, and I'm afraid that the next president that we're going to get will be even worse than Trump but in the other direction. Like painfully liberal. To the point where they're ignoring important issues just to make people clap." Chris Hanley, 42, is also an independent who works in the machine shop. He voted for John Kasich in the 2016 GOP primary and Hillary Clinton in the general election. He pressed Bennet about how Democrats can do a better job reaching blue-collar voters. "He probably needs to present himself a little bit more firmly and speak a little bit louder and what not, but I liked his answers and I was pretty impressed with him as a candidate," Hanley said afterward. "Some people in Congress are really alienating people in their own parties that aren't far enough to the right or far enough to the left. And that's really a shame because, if you don't have compromise, you don't really have a working government." Bennet has given everyone who hosted him in Iowa and New Hampshire two books wrapped together in a blue bow: "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City," by Princeton sociologist Matthew Desmond, and "Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom," by Yale historian David Blight. "The abolitionists were saying the Constitution was a pro-slavery document, and Frederick Douglass said that's not right," Bennet explained when I asked about these selections. "He said it's an anti-slavery document and we are not living up to what it says. In his generation, he changed the politics of the abolitionist movement. I think it made them successful in what they were trying to do. As a result, I think Frederick Douglass deserves to be considered a founder just as much as any of the people who wrote the Constitution. That was just as important as what they did. "We forget how hard people have struggled to make this society, as imperfect as it is, less imperfect than it has been," he added. "When we think about what it means to be a citizen in a republic that is under the kind of stress this republic is under, we should be thinking of ourselves as founders. That's why I can't accept . . . the idea that we are fated to have this pathetic and disgraceful political system for the rest of our lives. Other Americans have found ways to fix it. We should be able to find ways to fix it." Bottom line: If he decides not to try in 2020, Bennet would be well positioned to run in 2024 if Democrats nominate the kind of unelectable candidate whom he fears - and that person subsequently flames out a la George McGovern in 1972. WASHINGTON - The Senate on Tuesday rejected the Green New Deal, with Republicans casting the proposal to reduce dependence on fossil fuels to combat climate change as a far-left idea and with Democrats taking the rare step of voting "present" on a politically driven vote. The measure failed on a 57-to-0 vote, with all Republicans and four Democrats blocking the resolution. Aiming to avoid an intraparty fight on the issue, 43 Democrats - including those who introduced the Green New Deal - voted "present." The vote Tuesday came against the backdrop of historic flooding in the Midwest and repeated warnings, including from agencies in the Trump administration, about the economic and environmental impact of failing to deal with global warming. Yet the vote amounted to a political show vote as President Donald Trump and Republicans deride the Green New Deal, but few in Congress have worked on crafting a bipartisan approach to deal with climate change. The broad proposal from freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., envisions the United States achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions within a decade while guaranteeing Americans high-paying jobs and high-quality health care. Republicans call it unrealistic and see it as a means to divide Democrats, pitting liberals who have embraced the idea, including some 2020 presidential hopefuls, against moderates from Republican-leaning states. Joining Republicans in voting "no" were Democratic Sens. Doug Jones of Alabama, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, as well as Sen. Angus King of Maine, an independent who caucuses with Democrats. Forcing the vote was Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who called the plan a "far-left wish list." "The proposal addresses the small matter of eliminating the use of all fossil fuels nationwide in a 10-year time frame," McConnell said Tuesday. "This might sound like a neat idea in places like San Francisco or New York, the places that the Democratic Party seems totally focused on these days. But communities practically everywhere else would be absolutely crushed." He told reporters at the Capitol that he believes climate change is real and a result of human behavior. But he added, "The question is, how do you address it?" Democrats have countered by calling McConnell's maneuver a "sham," saying the vote was held without any hearings or expert testimony, all to scuttle meaningful legislative efforts on climate change. "McConnell tried to rush the #GreenNewDeal straight to the floor without a hearing," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. "The real question we should be asking: Why does the Senate GOP refuse to hold any major hearings on climate change?" The vote was in part intended to put the six Democratic presidential contenders in the Senate on record. But those 2020 hopefuls - all of whom co-sponsored the legislation - voted "present" on Tuesday, with several decrying the vote as "a political game." "Combating this crisis first requires the Republican majority to stop denying science and finally admit that climate change is real and humans are the dominant cause," one of the 2020 candidates, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., said in a statement. Another presidential contender, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said it is politically savvy to set a seemingly aspirational goal, as President John F. Kennedy did when he called for sending a man to the moon. "We don't know if we can get to net-zero carbon emissions in 10 years, but we should certainly try," Gillibrand said at a pro-Green New Deal news conference in front of the Capitol. "Why not let this be a measure of how great we are as a nation?" Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters Tuesday that McConnell's "stunt is backfiring" and that it was becoming clear that "the Republican Party is way behind the times on clean energy." "I heard talk here about floods in the Middle West," Schumer said, speaking shortly after Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, raised the issue at the Senate GOP news conference. "To not do something about climate change when you know your communities are being hurt by it is so badly representing the voters of your state." Later on the Senate floor, Ernst again raised the issue of the severe flooding in Iowa, but she made no mention of climate change in her remarks. A spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what Ernst would like to see done to address the issue. The main Senate sponsor of the Green New Deal, Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., was unapologetic about the broad scope of his proposal. "It is the national-security, economic, health care and moral issue of our time," he said at Tuesday's press event. But a chorus of detractors, including some Democrats, have argued that the sweeping resolution contained many items only tangentially related to reducing climate-warming emissions or addressing their impacts. Others said the goal of drastically curbing the release of the heat-trapping gases across U.S. electricity, manufacturing, transportation and agricultural sectors within just 10 years is impossible to achieve. Among them is former Colorado governor and 2020 Democratic presidential aspirant John Hickenlooper, who said in an op-ed published Tuesday in The Washington Post that the vision being pushed by Ocasio-Cortez and Markey has "laudable aims but also take an approach that limits our prospects for success." "The resolution sets unachievable goals," Hickenlooper said. "We do not yet have the technology needed to reach 'net-zero greenhouse gas emissions' in 10 years. That's why many wind and solar companies don't support it." Ernest Moniz, President Barack Obama's energy secretary, has also criticized the idea of an all-renewable energy economy by 2030 as "just unrealistic." "And putting forward unrealistic goals in my view may impede our progress if it starts to leave behind key constituencies," Moniz said last month on the day the Green New Deal was introduced. A panel of U.N. scientists says the world has about 10 years to rein in emissions and keep the global temperature increase to moderate levels. One irony of the Green New Deal proposal is that it is forcing some Republicans to put forward their own climate proposals after being led by for two years by Trump, who has repeatedly dismissed the overwhelming consensus among climate scientists that humans are warming the world. - - - The Washington Post's Felicia Sonmez contributed to this report. San Francisco Chronicle A man is facing life-threatening injuries after being shot inside a parole office in the Mission District Monday afternoon, according to police. San Francisco officers responded to a call of a shooting just after 3:50 p.m. at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facility near 13th and Mission streets, and found a man in the lobby suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. The competitiveness gaps between Asian economies were narrower in 2018 than in previous years, according to a report released by the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Tuesday. The 37 Asian economies evaluated in the report all scored higher in 2018 in terms of their comprehensive competitiveness, with shrinking gaps between the scores, the BFA Asian Competitiveness Annual Report 2019 said. The report provides rankings of the Asian economies in terms of their commercial and administrative efficiency, infrastructure level, overall economic vitality and social development as well as human capital and innovation capability. "Asian economies have started to enjoy the bonus of the progressing regional economic integration against the complexity of the domestic and international situation," the report said. With increased awareness of building an Asian community of shared future and further regional integration, Asia will be able to achieve self-reliant stable growth, it said. "Its huge consumption market and infrastructure market will enable Asia to take the lead in recovering from the economic downturn and drastically improving security," it said. The BFA annual conference runs from March 26 to 29 in Boao, a coastal town in China's southern island province of Hainan. WASHINGTON - Former president Barack Obama gently warned a group of freshman House Democrats Monday evening about the costs associated with some liberal ideas popular in their ranks, encouraging members to look at price tags, according to people in the room. Obama didn't name specific policies. And to be sure, he encouraged the lawmakers - about half-dozen of whom worked in his own administration - to continue to pursue "bold" ideas as they shaped legislation during their first year in the House. But some people in the room took his words as a cautionary note about Medicare-for-all and the ambitious Green New Deal, two liberal ideas popularized by a few of the more famous House freshmen, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. While the more liberal freshmen have garnered much of the attention in Washington, many first-year Democrats hail from swing- or even red-districts and have struggled with how to respond to the emboldened far-left. "He said we [as Democrats] shouldn't be afraid of big, bold ideas - but also need to think in the nitty-gritty about how those big, bold ideas will work and how you pay for them," said one person summarizing the former president's remarks. Obama's words - rare advice from a beloved leader who has shunned the spotlight since leaving office - come as the Democratic Party grapples with questions of how far left to lean in the run-up to 2020. Most Democratic candidates seeking the presidential nomination have embraced a single-payer health-care system and the Green New Deal, an ambitious plan to make the U.S. economy energy efficient in a decade. But some moderate Democrats worry a lurch left will upend their chances at ousting President Donald Trump. Notably, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calf., who helped organize Obama's meeting with the freshmen, has not put those ideas on the floor for a House vote - nor does she plan to, senior Democrats close to her say. People in the room, who asked for anonymity to describe the evening, said Obama's cost warnings weren't deficit-scolding, per se. Rather he argued that voters care about the costs associated with policies and that Democrats should be ready to answer questions about how they will pay for idea while making big promises to constituents. Obama gave the example of taxes: Even a liberal, he argued, could be repelled from supporting a liberal policy if it's accompanied by a major tax cut to their own bottom line. Obama, these people said, made few if any remarks about Trump or the newly released conclusion of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Impeachment also never came up. Rather, the evening was casual and friendly. Obama spoke about his own experience in Congress, however brief it was before his ascension to the White House. The former president - who had campaigned for a number of freshmen in the room - said he was proud of them for fighting for what they believed was right. Obama also complimented Pelosi. "The reason I love Nancy is because she combines a passion for doing what's right for our country and our kids, along with a toughness that can't be matched on the Hill," Obama said. Pelsoi, notably, has focused Democrats' legislative agenda on passing issues the lawmakers campaigned and won on in 2018, including legislation codifying protections for preexisting conditions and background checks for gun owners. When the freshmen asked Obama about his approach to governing, Obama talked about the importance of constituent services and making voters feel seen and heard. He told them to work across the aisle but also warned against becoming trapped by "phony bipartisanship," as one person described his remarks. "He was speaking to staying in touch with your constituents. . . making sure you're doing the regular communications as well as [recognizing] that there's often-time nuances to policy making and that it takes time," said Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., who worked in the Obama administration. "He told stories about passing the ACA, and how that took a lot of conviction and 'Don't ask, don't tell,' and how that took a lot of time." Stevens did not get into additional specifics of the evening. Obama at one-point dinged Republicans for moving too far right, holding up the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., as an example of the traditional GOP before Trump re-branded the party. He spoke of turning out voters and how to push for progressive ideas while also hailing from a swing district. Obama also gave the freshmen some advice: Find the policy you're willing to lose your seat over and fight for it. The Affordable Care Act was that policy for him as well as a handful of Democrats who took the vote knowing it would cost them their seats. They don't regret that, he said, after millions of people got health insurance. Or, at least, he certainly didn't. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Tragedies like the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High and Sandy Hook Elementary school massacres eventually fade from view, blunted by other mass shootings and the passage of time. But for the survivors, the pain can never end. The father of a Sandy Hook victim killed himself Monday, just days after two Stoneman Douglas students also took their lives. The Florida deaths have officials in Parkland and nearby Coral Springs renewing their communities' focus on the suicide prevention and mental health resources that remain available 13 months after a gunman killed 17 people at the high school. In Newtown, Conn., where 20 first-graders died along with six staff members six years ago, the body of 49-year-old Jeremy Richman was found outside his office Monday morning. Richman's daughter Avielle was fatally shot at Sandy Hook. He had visited Florida last week and met with the parents of Stoneman Douglas victims, said Lori Alhadeff, whose 14-year-old daughter Alyssa died there. Richman and his wife oversaw The Avielle Foundation, a group they started dedicated to preventing violence by better understanding brain health. "Our hearts are shattered, and our heads are struggling to comprehend," the foundation said in a statement. "Tragically, his death speaks to how insidious and formidable a challenge brain health can be and how critical it is for all of us to seek help for ourselves, our loved ones and anyone who we suspect may be in need." Multiple suicides among mass shooting survivors can be alarming, but mental health experts said the Florida deaths are not surprising. They come amid a rising nationwide trend: More than 47,000 U.S. suicides occurred in 2017, at the highest rate in at least half a century 14 per 100,000. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among U.S. teenagers. "One of the big risk factors for suicide is exposure to violence," said Dr. Louis Kraus, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Even if they weren't hit by bullets or didn't see shots fired, "anyone who was at that school is at risk," Kraus said, and should be screened. "The scars simply don't go away with a fresh coat of paint," he said. Psychologist April Foreman, a board member at the American Association of Suicidology, said survivors are more prone to suicide and thus must be vigilant about mental health check-ups just as if they had a family history of breast cancer or heart disease. With help, people can overcome their suicidal impulses, she said. "It's not a foregone conclusion that this will happen to everyone who's been exposed to this and the majority of people who are suicidal don't go on to die. They go on to recover and live," she said. The first suicide took place March 16. Cara Aiello told WFOR-TV last week that her 18-year-old daughter Sydney had suffered from survivor's guilt her friend, Meadow Pollack, died in the attack. Sydney had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and struggled to attend college because she feared being in a classroom, but never asked for help, her mother said. Coral Springs police officer Tyler Reik confirmed Monday that a Stoneman Douglas sophomore apparently killed himself Saturday, but said an official determination had not been made pending an autopsy. SILVER SPRING, Md. - Members of a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee scrutinizing the safety of breast implants urged the agency on Tuesday to take steps to ensure that patients have a clearer understanding of the risks - which includes a rare cancer that is linked to several deaths around the world - posed by the devices. The members, speaking at the conclusion of a two-day FDA hearing, signaled support for a standardized, easily understood consent form that would lay out the major risks of the devices and be reviewed by patients and their doctors before a woman underwent surgery. They said the FDA could negotiate the format and content of the consent form with patients, plastic surgeons' groups and manufacturers. Frank Lewis, chairman of the agency's panel on general and plastic surgery devices, said the current documents written by manufacturers are too long - some are more than 70 pages - and unwieldy. "They were constructed to provide legal protection for the companies," he said. During the sometimes emotionally wrenching hearing on implants, several women testified that they had not been adequately warned of risks posed by implants and were harmed by the devices. The FDA had asked the panel to hold the hearing and provide guidance on several complicated issues involving implants, which have stirred controversy for decades. The panel members came up with other suggestions for the FDA. One said that the tissue removed when implants are taken out should be analyzed by pathologists to try to understand what causes illness or complication. Another said it was important to try to establish an official definition for "breast implant illness" - the constellation of autoimmune problems that many women say are caused by implants - so insurance would pay for treatment of the ailments. The FDA has said the weight of evidence does not support such "systemic" effects from implants. But the panel did not appear to reach consensus on recommending that any implants be taken off the market, including certain textured ones that have been linked to cancer. Many patients and advocates called for such a ban, but several panel members said they opposed the step at this time. At the end of the meeting, however, Texas plastic surgeon Pierre Chevray, a member of the panel, called for banning textured implants that have been barred in other countries. The FDA has identified 457 cases and nine deaths in the United States associated with the cancer, called breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Six hundred cases and 17 deaths have been reported worldwide. Several countries have banned one type of textured device. Diana Zuckerman, a longtime advocate who is president of the National Center for Health Research, said the recommendations from the panel "were rather vague," but she said the meeting was important because it allowed women to tell their stories to the FDA and the surgery panel. "We don't know what comes next, but I'm hopeful," she said after the meeting. The panel also said that the FDA should change its recommendation that women with implants begin to get MRIs after three years to check for ruptures. Perhaps starting after six years would be more practical, members said, considering the cost involved. Facebook groups have attracted tens of thousands of women who say they came down with such afflictions after getting implants and then saw that many of their symptoms eased when the devices were removed. Nicole Daruda, who had her implants removed several years ago, runs the biggest group, called Breast Implant Illness and Healing, with 70,000 members. "Hundreds of women are joining every day," she said. The advisory committee, which includes plastic surgeons, epidemiologists and biomaterials experts, did not take formal votes over the two-day hearing. Instead, it discussed questions posed by the FDA. About 400,000 women a year get implants, 75 percent for cosmetic reasons and the rest for reconstruction after breast-cancer surgery. Implants are either filled with silicone gel or saline solution; their surfaces are smooth or textured. The majority of implants used in the United States are smooth. The FDA banned most implants in 1992 but lifted that ban in 2005. The agency approved implants made by Allergan and Mentor in 2006, requiring them to conduct long-term studies on the impact on women's health. Earlier this month, the FDA sent warning letters to Mentor and Sientra, saying they had failed to comply with those long-term study requirements. Much of the two-day session underscored the difficulty of making regulatory decisions in the absence of reliable, long-term data about the effects of implants. Committee members complained, for example, about a lack of control groups in studies that would allow researchers to compare patients who have implants with people who do not have them. Plastic surgeons and manufacturers defended the implants, saying they provided important option for women who undergo breast-cancer surgery or want to have their breasts enlarged. Lisa Lynn Sowder, a Seattle plastic surgeon who testified on Tuesday, said she had "never been a big fan of breast implants," but she worries that some patient-driven social media sites make women unnecessarily anxious. She said some of the patients "are worried sick" by what they read on the sites. The patients and advocates had asked the committee to recommend that the FDA ban some products, require a "black box" warning on all devices and direct doctors and patients to sign a two-page checklist on implant risks before surgery. Natalie Compagni Portis, a clinical psychologist who is a member of the panel, said just acknowledging what women have suffered is progress. "Women have felt dismissed," she said. "We can at least acknowledge that something is happening." RTHK: Junta holds edge as Thai rivals jockey for power Rival political camps jostled for position on Tuesday, hoping to form a government after Thailand's first election since a coup a vote clouded by allegations of rigging and other chicanery under junta-written rules. The junta is in pole position to return to power as a civilian administration after preliminary results from Sunday's poll showed its proxy party had secured an unexpected majority of the popular vote. Around 7.6 million votes went to Phalang Pracharat with 94 percent of ballots tallied, the Election Commission has said. That gives it and its prime ministerial candidate, junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha a strong claim to legitimacy from a poll held under new junta-scripted rules. It is more than 400,000 ballots better than Pheu Thai, the populist party toppled from power by the 2014 coup and affiliated with self-exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. But Pheu Thai still appeared set to become the largest party in the lower house, on track for 137 constituency seats compared to Phalang Pracharat's 97, according to early figures. Experts predict days, perhaps weeks, of messy negotiations, with both parties claiming the right to form a government. Disqualifications of candidates and disputes over poll irregularities are also likely to reshape the balance of the lower house before May 9, when final results are to be published. Pheu Thai on Monday said as the majority party it is entitled to try to put together an anti-junta coalition. That would lean on the Future Forward party, which took over five million votes, emerging from nowhere to become the third biggest party in Thai politics. The party was given impetus by the millennial vote who support its radical agenda of economic and military reform. "We are willing to form a coalition with the party that got the most seats," its telegenic figurehead Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit told reporters late on Monday as the horse-trading began. Another smaller party, Bumjaithai, the vehicle of a cabal of savvy billionaires whose allegiance shifts with the political winds, is likely to be crucial in swinging a lower house majority towards or against the junta party. It has proposed Anutin Charnivirakul, 52, for prime minister and trailed promises of boosting rural incomes across the northeast by allowing medicinal cannabis to be grown. Seen as a rare compromise figure across a political landscape bisected by personal hatreds, he was once a senior official in a Shinawatra party. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2019-03-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. China Aviation Supplies Holding Company and Airbus have signed a record deal worth 35 billion U.S. dollars in Paris on Monday for the purchase of 290 narrow-body A320 and 10 wide-body A350 XWB aircraft. A screenshot of the Airbus website. [Photo: China Plus] President Xi Jinping witnessed the signing of the deal with French President Emmanuel Macron at a ceremony in France during this week's state visit by the Chinese leader. China Aviation Supplies announced news of the deal on its website, saying that air transportation had grown rapidly in China in recent years. "In order to meet the developing needs of our enterprises and address demand in the air transportation market, we decided to purchase a batch of Airbus aircraft to expand our carrying capacity." File photo of A350 XWB. [Photo: IC] In an announcement on the company's website, the President of Airbus Commercial Aircraft said "We are honored to support the growth of China's civil aviation with our leading aircraft families single-aisle and wide-bodies. Our expanding footprint in China demonstrates our lasting confidence in the Chinese market and our long-term commitment to China and our partners." The latest Airbus forecast on China's aviation market shows that some 7,400 new passenger and freight aircraft will be needed over the next 20 years, which will account for 19 percent of global demand. File photo of Airbus A320. [Photo: IC] As of the start of this year, 1,730 Airbus aircraft were in service with airlines in China, including 1,455 of the A320 and 17 of the A350 XWB. A recent survey shows that close to 90 percent of university students want to gain financial independence, the China Youth Daily reported Monday. Among those who have such plans, 72.88 percent said they realized financial independence to varying degrees, and 8 percent are paying their own personal bills, the Beijing-based newspaper said. The survey was based on answers from 805 respondents. Different from the older generations that earned money to alleviate the burden on their families, the current students aspire for freedom, a sense of pride and responsibility, and satisfaction of supporting themselves, it said. Nearly 50 percent of respondents attributed their pursuit of financial independence to "a sense of being cool" and reluctance to tell parents why they need the money. Li Yuhui, a professor with the School of Labor and Human Resources of Renmin University of China, warned against the risks facing students in taking part-time jobs to this end. "With various choices ranging from tutoring jobs to being hired to create fake reviews in online marketplaces, how to make the right and safe decision should be a problem to be jointly addressed by the students, society and schools," Li told the paper. A media registration system under the press center of the 2019 Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition opened to media from home and abroad on Monday, the organizing committee said. Journalists can log onto the official website -- https://exhibitionreg.news.cn -- to sign up. Registration will close on Sept. 10. After registering online, foreign journalists temporarily in China can apply for J-2 visas at Chinese embassies, consulates or other agencies abroad entrusted by the Chinese Foreign Ministry with the confirmation letter generated by the registration system. The time and method for collecting the press cards will be announced on the official website of the Beijing expo in due course. Open from April 29 to October 7 next year, the 162-day expo will exhibit the latest achievements in floriculture and fruit and vegetable farming at the foot of the Great Wall in northwest Beijing's Yanqing District. So far, 110 countries and international organizations have confirmed attendance. It is expected that more than 16 million people will visit the expo this year. This is the second time China will hold such a high-level horticulture expo. Southwestern Chinese city Kunming held the expo in 1999. The acrimonious legal fight over Charlie Thrash, 81, a mentally incapacitated millionaire, came to a dead halt Tuesday. Thrashs legal guardians went to court to seek a permanent injunction against his girlfriend Laura Martinez, her lawyer and various family members. But the matter was put on hold when Phil Ross, the lawyer for Martinez, asked to recuse Probate Judge Oscar Kazen. Today would have been the hearing on all the marbles but Mr. Ross, at the midnight hour, filed a motion to recuse, said Kazen, who declined to step down. SUBSCRIBERS: San Antonio millionaire marriage annulled after abuse, exploitation and 'abduction' claims Kazen signed a temporary restraining order March 14 that accused Martinez and her family of fraud, converting Thrashs property, committing assault and battery against Thrash and interfering with his court-appointed guardians. That order expires Thursday. Another judge, yet to be appointed, will hear Rosss motion, possibly this week. On March 15, Kazen annulled the March 4 marriage between Thrash and Laura Martinez, citing a court order that Thrash, because of his mental incapacity, not be allowed to drive, vote or make important personal decisions. A few days later, District Judge David Canales voided the March 5 adoption by Thrash of Martinezs two adult children, Joe and Brittany Martinez. Martinez says she began dating Thrash in 2012 when he was still operating his business, CT Thrash Differential & Axle Service on West Avenue. Thrashs estate is worth an estimated $3 million, and Martinez said she is his sole heir. MORE ON EXPRESSNEWS.COM: Judge nullifies mentally incompetent San Antonio man's adult adoptions, scolds lawyer for misleading him In his recusal motion, Ross cites a host of reasons why Kazen should step down, ranging from the judges decision not to hold a political fundraiser that Ross offered to host in 2018, to ignoring pertinent evidence about Thrashs restored mental state, to scolding Ross in open court about unprofessional conduct. Lawyers for Thrashs two court-appointed guardians said the recusal motion was little more than an attempt by Ross to delay. We will argue it is a motion filed in bad faith, a dilatory tactic, said Laura Cavaretta, who represents Tonya Barina, the guardian who last week attempted to make an inventory of Thrashs assets, including his classic car collection. I was able to go to his home and the hanger and take pictures and make an inventory, Barina said. Barina said that all but one vehicle a $100,000 Corvette have been recovered. It is believed to be in Junction. Thrash was not present at Tuesdays hearing. On March 6 ,he was removed from the home in Shavano Park he shared with Laura Martinez by his personal guardian, Mary Werner. Werner said she took the dramatic action, backed by Shavano Park police, because she feared for Thrashs safety. Since then, she said, Thrash has been staying with a relative. Hes doing good. Hes getting out and about. Yesterday he got his hair cut, Werner said. Ross, who has been publicly criticized by both Kazen and Canales, said he is trying to rid Thrash of the guardianships on the grounds that his mental capacity has been restored and to reverse the annulment of the marriage to Martinez and the voiding of the adoptions of her children. We are fighting for everything, he said. Weve also asked Judge Kazen to appoint a medical expert and make a report to the court on whether Charlie has capacity, he added. Liu Jieyi, head of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, Monday met with Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu, who is leading a delegation from the city. Welcoming the delegation, Liu said compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are of the same family. "We welcome and support cities on both sides, on the basis of upholding the 1992 Consensus, to enhance exchanges and jointly seek development to bring Taiwan compatriots a stronger sense of fulfillment," Liu said. Liu expressed the mainland's willingness to continue to share the development opportunities on the mainland with Taiwan compatriots first, carry on efforts to deepen cross-Strait integrated development and build more links across the Strait. He also called on people on the two sides of the Strait to unite, uphold the 1992 Consensus, resolutely oppose "Taiwan independence" and make joint efforts in promoting the cross-Strait development toward the right direction and creating a bright future of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Han said the 1992 Consensus is the underpinning of the cross-Strait relations. He expressed hope to strengthen exchanges with mainland cities, carry out practical cooperation in economic and trade fields and take concrete measures to promote the people's wellbeing. The May 4 San Antonio Independent School District board election is pivotal. Our union and the SAISD superintendent have fundamental differences in our views. When you follow the money and connections and they all lead to corporate education world it becomes clear that the superintendent supports a Betsy DeVos agenda privatize public schools, take them away from the community and give them to charter companies to profit off our children, attack teachers and their unions, and listen only to the voices of the privileged. We contend that public schools belong to the public and that we need a district where parents and community have a stronger voice in decisions about their schools, where our teachers and support staff are respected and valued, and where our SAISD neighborhood schools are strengthened. SAISD board members are either well-meaning but misdirected or complicit in the destruction of our neighborhood public schools. They have become a rubber stamp for the superintendent with unanimous vote after unanimous vote, never a dissenting opinion from anyone. Over the past 3 years, there has been a remarkable lack of transparency, and although the superintendent will engage with businesspeople, parents and the communitys voices have been ignored. The decision to turn Stewart Elementary over to a charter company from New York City was perhaps the most stunning example of this lack of transparency and lack of community voice. Although the district administration had been in talks with the charter company beginning in June 2017, parents were not informed about the takeover until January 2018, just four days before the school board was to vote on the matter. Neither the superintendent nor school board sought parents opinions about their school, their children or the takeover of their school. Public schools are the foundation of strong neighborhoods and a strong community. Over and over in conversations, families have told us they want neighborhood schools that provide a high-quality education for their children. They do not like the gentrification of their schools. They do not want outside charter companies profiting off our children and taking our tax dollars out of state. They want schools that serve as neighborhood hubs; offer supports and services for families and the community; utilize the assets of the community; and provide academic enrichment for students. They want schools with less standardized testing and more engaging learning activities. They want schools that address students social and emotional needs and help students who have experienced trauma. They want the district to stop adding high-priced district administrators and start putting more money into classrooms. Last May, the school board unnecessarily laid off more than 130 teachers, held a job fair a week later, and then started this school year with the highest number of teacher vacancies in years. This resulted in some students going most, if not all, of the first semester without a certified teacher. In addition to the layoffs, teachers and other employees received no pay increases this year, and the length of the teachers workday was increased without any added compensation. The school board eliminated the class-size cap for kindergarten through fourth grade, resulting in class sizes that make it harder for teachers to give students the individual attention they deserve. These factors plus a systematic silencing of teacher and employee voices have caused morale to plummet under the current superintendent and school board. On top of this are teacher concerns about whether district money is being spent efficiently and equitably, fears that the schools at which they work are being set up for failure and privatization, and questions about why there seem to be so many new, highly paid administrative positions. For all these reasons and more, our union is supporting fresh leadership for the SAISD board of trustees Alicia Perry for District 2, Janell Rubio for District 5 and Eduardo Torres for District 6. Shelley Potter is president of the Texas Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel. Re: Imperfect climate plan a useful start, Opinion, Feb. 10: As a student enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin currently taking a marine ethics course, I found this recent commentary of great interest. I commend San Antonio for taking great initiative on ways the city can begin reducing its carbon emissions and implementing more sustainable policies. However, I agree that the citys new Climate Action and Adaptation Plan is just that a beginning. After reading the plan, I first want to applaud its educational format. It does an exceptional job of explaining climate change and how it is specifically affecting San Antonio, helping readers understand the urgency of the issue. I also appreciate the emphasis the plan gives to climate equity, recognizing those who are more vulnerable to the effects climate change will have on the city. I believe policymakers often forget that at the end of a policy or plan is a persons livelihood, so it was refreshing to read equity is at the heart of our CAAP. While the plans introductory and educational purpose were helpful, I agree that it falls short in its mitigation section. While it described some specific, practical strategies, such as converting all streetlights to LEDS with daylight sensors by 2021, other general statements need more clarification, such as reducing the GHG-impact of employee commuting. These broad strategies will require more specific planning on behalf of the city, its partners and its people to most efficiently execute these plans. Indeed, the plan provides an excellent public forum for the people of San Antonio to begin having deeper conversations about mitigating climate change. I agree it is important to recognize this plan as a start to a larger communitywide effort to address this issue, not an end to it. Additionally, I am curious about the communication and distribution facets of the plan. How accessible and well-communicated is this plan to all residents of San Antonio, and how much importance and urgency have city officials placed on it? Only by creating and ensuring the entire community is fully informed of and engaged in this climate change plan can substantial, progressive action take place. Ashley Stluka is a student at the University of Texas at Austin. More than 1,000,000 Acura and Honda vehicles are being recalled due to an airbag defect. About the Airbag Defect Recall Fox Business reports that Honda Motor Company has announced plans to recall more than a million Honda and Acura vehicles in the United States. The recall is in response to a defect that can cause the airbag to explode and spray shrapnel when it is deployed. The company says it is aware of one injury linked to the latest batch of recalled vehicles. Honda previously recalled the same vehicles, repairing them with specific Takata brand replacement airbag inflators. Honda is urging vehicle owners who have already had their airbags replaced to check whether this latest recall applies to them. Honda and Acura dealers will make the repairs for free. About the Recalled Vehicles The Honda and Acura recall applies to several models, including the Honda Pilot from 2003 to 2008, the Civic from 2001 to 2005, and the Accord from 2001 to 2007 and 2009. To check whether your vehicle is affected, visit https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls and search using your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Exploding Takata Air Bags Linked to 23 Deaths The Takata recalls deal with some 125 million vehicles worldwide that are equipped with faulty airbags that can explode on deployment, unleashing metal shrapnel into vehicle cabins. At least 42 million of the affected vehicles were sold in the United States. So far, 23 deaths and hundreds of injuries have been linked to the faulty airbag inflators, most of which have occurred in the U.S. The defect led Takata to file for bankruptcy protection in June, allowing it to sell its non-airbag inflator business to Key Safety Systems, a unit of Chinas Ningo Joyson Electric Corp. As of July, less than half of affected vehicles had been repaired. In February, Ford issued a stop driving warning to 35,000 Ford ranger and Mazda B-Series owners. Contact an Experienced Airbag Recall Attorney If you or a loved one have been injured by a defective and dangerous Takata airbag, call Thomas J. Henry today. Our attorneys are available 24/7, nights and weekends to evaluate your claim and provide you with a free legal consultation. Our firm has offices in Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Austin, and Houston, serving clients across Texas and nationwide. Editors Note: This content is made possible by Thomas J. Henry Personal Injury Law. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of The San Antonio Express-News' or mySanAntonio.com's editorial staff. Learn more about our advertising products at www.hearstmediasanantonio.com. The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks! Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics. The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc. The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics. The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates. Access to college recruiters and advisors its harder to line up higher education. Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family. Vote View Results At a press conference on Thursday, Nada Boustani, Lebanons Minister of Energy and Water, presented the outline of her plans to reform the electricity sector, of which L'Orient-Le Jour was able to obtain a partial copy. The plans were discussed the same day in the Council of Ministers, which decided to form a ministerial committee to study the plan before submitting its report within a week. EDL tariffs hike expected in early 2020 Boustanis plan provides for a 180 percent increase in Electricity du Liban's (EDL) tariffs by early 2020, the tariffs have been frozen and subsidized since 1994. The plan also stipulates an increase in power generation and therefore electricity output (see below) in the same year. This would, therefore, eliminate private generator bills for consumers. For the first (lowest) tariff category, which includes 375,690 users consuming an average of 510 kWh / month, EDL's monthly bill will average at around 110,744 Lebanese Pounds (approximately US $74) in 2020, meaning a 14.5% decrease compared to their current total bill (including costs relating to private generators). For the fifth category (the top consumers), which includes 38,843 users consuming an average of 2,150 kWh / month, EDL's monthly bill will average at 466,863 Lebanese Pounds (about $310) in 2020, a drop of 10.7% compared to their current total bill. EDLs deficit in 2018 was estimated at US $1.8 billion, with an accumulated deficit of $30 billion. The rise in tariffs should have a direct positive impact on EDLs deficit and consequently on public finances, as the Treasurys financial transfers to EDL to cover this deficit are the third largest public expenditure in the budget. Lowering the fiscal deficit is one of the main commitments made by Lebanon at the CEDRE conference in return for $11 billion in soft loans promised by the international community. However, before implementing the tariff hike, a reduction of EDL's deficit could be achieved as early as 2019, as the plan provides for improving the collection of bills (EDL expects to eventually recover almost $2 billion in unpaid bills) and the installation of smart meters starting in 2019. Non-technical losses (theft and illegal connections) are estimated to account for 21% of EDLs output. The modernization and extension of the transmission and distribution network, also covered by the plan, would make it possible to address the technical losses which waste 16% of the output. An increase in production Boustanis plan also provides for the launch of a new call for tenders for long-term power purchase agreements. Interested companies will have to propose a solution to increase output by an additional 1,450 MW (megawatts) in the short-term (i.e. before EDL's tariff increase comes into effect and until 2025) in addition to a long-term solution, through the construction of new sustainable plants at Selaata (550 MW in 2023), Zahrani 2 (550 MW in 2023) and Hraiche (300 MW in 2024). Based on our information, one alternative route (instead of leasing an additional power barge, an option which remains on the table) in order to ensure additional production in the short term would be the installation of 14 to 16 small butane gas-fired power generation units (180 MW each) in several regions in Lebanon. The installation process for these facilities should require between three and six months. This temporary solution has been recommended by the World Bank and will probably be given preference in the potential applications by GE or Siemens, the companies have already begun discussions with the Ministry of Energy. The plan also foresees the rehabilitation of the Deir Ammar 2 plant in 2019 so that it would be partially functional by 2021 and reach its full capacity by 2022; the construction and commissioning of the new Zouk 2 plants (550 MW in 2025) and Jiye 2 (550 MW in 2026); and the development of solar power farms (300 MW in 2022) and wind farms (400 MW in 2023). The three liquefied gas storage and processing units (FSRUs) in the Deir Ammar 2, Selaata, and Zahrani 2 plants will be commissioned by 2021. In parallel, the plan foresees the dismantling of the former Hraiche, Zouk, and Jiye power plants, with the first projected to be dismantled in 2020, and the other two in 2022. In addition, the two power barges currently producing 370 MW will no longer be used. (This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour on the 26th of March) Political populism has expanded around the world, from Brazil and Hungary to the United States. In each country, populist politicians have echoed and emulated each other, proudly promoting an us versus them worldview. The spread of this ideology has, at times, taken an extreme and violent turn. The most recent example of this occured on March 15 when a self-avowed white supremacist attacked two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. In response to the populist trend, a number of initiatives advocating dialogue, coexistence and tolerance have been started. Some have come from organizations while others are more symbolic and international in scope. One example is the Document on Human Fraternity signed by Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, during a summit in Abu Dhabi in February. The document called for the freedom of belief and expression. Among these initiatives, Lebanon holds a special place when it comes to interreligious dialogue. The country has 18 religious communities and during its 15 year civil war experienced the worst results that intercommunal hatred can produce. In response, Lebanon has tried to move beyond scattered initiatives promoting tolerance by becoming the first and only country to establish a national holiday for Islamic-Christian dialogue, which is celebrated on March 25. Here is an overview of where this initiative came from and how it became a national holiday. The Virgin Mary: a bridge between religions According to the Bible, March 25 is the day that the Archangel Gabriel informed the Virgin Mary that she had divinely conceived Jesus, the son of God. In the Quran, Gabriel did not announce that Mary was pregnant with the son of God, but with a prophet named Issa. The announcement is mentioned in two different surahs (chapters): Surah 3, al-Omran (Omrans family), and Surah 19, the Surah of Mary (Mariam, in Arabic). The figure of Mary also appears more than 30 times in the Quran, more than the mother, wives or the daughter of the Prophet Mohammad. Her prevalence, as well as her status as the mother of a prophet, has earned her special recognition among Muslims. This is why many Muslims visit the shrine of Our Lady of Harissa, overlooking the Bay of Jounieh about 20 km north of Beirut. Muslims also represent 5 percent of the 6 million annual visitors to the pilgrimage site in Lourdes, France where believers say the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared, according to Gerard Testard, coordinator of Ensemble avec Marie (Together with Mary), a French initiative bringing Christians and Muslims together. The origin of the Islamic-Christian celebration In the early 2000s, there were an increasing number of roundtables, conferences and meetings on Islamic-Christian dialogue in Lebanon. These events were happening on a regular basis, but we formed a closed-knit club of some 100-150 members who enjoyed using great words about dialogue without having any impact on society, Nagy el-Khoury, who was an educator with Notre-Dame de Jamhour College at the time, told LOrient-Le Jour (OLJ). El-Khoury had grown tired of having endless conversations that didnt yield any concrete results. During one of the interreligious dialogues, he asked Mohammad Nokkari, a former managing director of Dar el-Fatwa and renowned islamic judge in Beirut, Cant we just simply pray together? Nokkari replied that only Mary could bring Christians and Muslims together. In July 2006, the two men organized an interreligious prayer. And in March 2007, on the celebration of the Annunciation, they organized the first big interreligious ceremony with 1,000 attendees from various communities. It was an extraordinary event, seeing Muslims and Christians pray together for one common religious figure; hearing them all singing; hearing the call to prayer resonate in a church, Nokkari told OLJ. A delegation from al-Azhar attended the first event, and in light its success, the organizers decided to make it an annual occurrence and started pushing to turn March 25 into a national holiday. The idea was, for a change, to work on what brings us together as opposed to what divides us, el-Khoury said. March 25: a national holiday In February 2010, Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced that March 25 would be a national day for Christian-Muslim dialogue. The day became a holiday in Lebanon. About 30 different organizations representing diverse constituencies gradually joined Nokkari and el-Khoury in organizing annual celebration all over Lebanon. The initiative became known as the Muslim-Christian Meeting around Mary. A culture of dialogue beyond Lebanon Today, the Meeting around Mary aims to strengthen this culture and see it travel beyond Lebanese borders. El-Khoury is currently serving as the President of the Republics advisor on Islamic-Christian dialogue. He said that the goal of the annual meeting is to break down barriers between communities. To this end, el-Khoury is working in his capacity as a presidential advisor to turn Lebanon into an international center for interreligious dialogue. One of the aims of this initiative is to establish an Academy for Human Dialogue, which Salim Jreissati, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, is currently working on. Lebanon is not an arbitrary location to host these kinds of initiatives, according to el-Khoury. Lebanon is one of the few countries where we can find a real mix. Its not an Islamic country in which Christians live, nor vice-versa, he said. Despite issues and problems, Christians and Muslims live together naturally. The dialogue initiatives centered on Mary are gradually gaining ground. Nokkari has been criticized and faced threats from Islamists for his involvement in the project, and some Christian extremists have also accused the Meeting of stealing the Annunciation holiday. Most of the time, it is more about misunderstanding than opposition, Nokkari said. For instance, the use of the term prayer was problematic for Salafists and Wahhabis who thought that it was a liturgical prayer. We prefer, henceforth, to talk of the invocation of Mary; same thing for people who didnt understand that it could be a national holiday, thinking instead that we wanted to add a new religious holiday to the two big celebrations of al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) and al-Fitr (marking the end of Ramadan). On the other hand, el-Khoury emphasized that politics often plays the role of troublemakers. For his part, Nokkari is looking for new opportunities to create bridges between the communities. The next step may be inviting Christians to participate in the al-Adha celebration. Abraham, after all, is an important figure for both Christians and Muslims, Nokkari said. Regionally, the first event of this kind was organized in Amman, Jordan last year, and the country is looking to establish a national day for dialogue as well, according to el-Khoury and Nokkari. (This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour on the 25th of March) A female leopard and her cub have been caught on camera at Three-river-source National Park in northwest China's Qinghai Province, according to the park administration. The three-river-source area is the source of China's major rivers and a major habitat for the big cat. It is estimated that more than 1,000 snow leopards live in the area. The videos filmed on infrared cameras in January and February showed the leopard and her cub near the source of the Yellow River. It is the first time that the animal has been spotted during a scientific investigation at the source. "Through continuous long-term investigations, researchers will gradually confirm the population, density, living conditions and migration routes of the animal in this area," said He Bin, an expert with World Wildlife Fund and a participant in the investigation. The snow leopard is a Class-A protected animal in China, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies it as endangered-to-vulnerable. On September 28, 2000 a majority of the Danish voters said no to the Euro - 53.1% voted No and 46.9% voted Yes. This was a surprisingly high No-vote, since almost all the different opinion polls and "experts" etc., had been predicting a very close, almost fifty-fifty situation. The participation in the referendum was very high - about 88%, which is the highest percentage in a Danish EU-referendum since the first one in 1972 where 90.4% voted. This was a No against all odds: the majority of the political parties, the unions, the employers' organisations and most of the newspapers had campaigned for a Yes, and the amount of money spent on the Yes-campaigns was much, much bigger than that spent on the No-campaigns. The parties in the government - Socialdemokratiet (Social Democrats) and Radikale Venstre ("Radical Left", which is neither radical nor left - it is a small bourgeois party) - campaigned for a Yes, as did also the main parties of the opposition: the Conservatives, Venstre ("Left" - again not a left party, but the biggest bourgeois party) and the small bourgeois Centrumdemokraterne. The LO - the national organisation of the unions - equivalent to the TUC in Britain - and most unions also recommended a Yes vote, in some instances even in joint campaigns with the employers' organisation. The Yes-campaigns The arguments put forward by the Yes-campaigners, especially the Social Democrats, changed quite a lot during the weeks and months of the debate before September 28. In the beginning the focus was on the economic gains that would be won from joining the Euro. This, however, was changed when a report from a group of "independent experts" called the "wise men" concluded that the gains would be small and uncertain. Then there was a series of arguments about more political issues - it would be a "yes of solidarity and internationalism", "a yes to a project of peace", "the best way of controlling international capital" and so on. And all the time it was stressed that Denmark had to join because then the minister of economic affairs could be at the meetings where the decisions are made - exactly what will be decided at these meetings has never been revealed. Of course these arguments are completely empty - since when have European finance and monopoly capital, who have built, and control, the EU, been the defenders of solidarity and peace? How are we supposed to combat the domination of international capital by giving more power to a handful of financial people in a bank somewhere in Europe, and what has the attempt to build an EU-army got to do with peace? Apparently the leaders of the Social Democracy also realised that these kind of arguments didn't work either, so in the last week or so before the referendum, the campaigning got more and more desperate and turned into threats: the effects of a No would mean the end of the welfare society, it would lead to unemployment and massive cuts (of course carried out by the government, i.e. the Social Democracy). Prime minister Nyrup Rasmussen said that various plans of action (a series of cuts) had already been worked out, that would be implemented when the negative reactions of the world market would make themselves felt after a No. As it turned out - and as one would expect - these kinds of threats didn't have the intended effect: many people felt that the Yes-campaigners were bullying people who were in doubt or saying no. The No-campaigns The Danish population is divided over the question of the EU - and so are all the parties and organisations. In most of the Yes-parties there are Euro-sceptic groups. In the Social Democracy, for example, there is the SNE, Socialdemokratisk NetvErk Europa. While the LO and, for example, the metal workers' union were pro-Euro, there are also unions that were against, especially on a local level. For example there is a group called FagbevEgelsen mod Unionen (Unions against the Union). Several parties also adopted an official line against the Euro. These were Socialistisk Folkeparti (SF, "Socialist People's Party"), Dansk Folkeparti (DF, "Danish People's Party"), Enhedslisten (EL, "The Unity List" - a small party uniting different left sects and the remnants of the old Communist party), Kristeligt Folkeparti (a very small Christian party) and various small groups, among them all the ultra-lefts. Besides there are two so-called "people's movements" against the EU - FolkebevEgelsen mod EU and JunibevEgelsen. In some of these parties there were also people who went against the leadership and supported a Yes. Especially in SF there is a small group of pro-EU people - the "modernisers" of the party. After the referendum it was Pia KjErsgArd, the leader of the nationalist DF, who was on the front pages of most papers, and when CNN broadcast live, it was from DF's rooms. But in the debates leading up to September 28, DF had stayed a little in the background, probably realising that their nationalist arguments could make some No-voters vote Yes instead. (Their campaign was called "For krone og fEdreland" - "For the Krone and the fatherland.") So the main participants in debates on TV, in the newspapers and so on were the Social Democratic leaders and Holger K. Nielsen, the leader of SF. The welfare state What was very interesting in the different campaigns was that the main arguments used to persuade the voters were basically more or less the same on both sides and from all parties: all the leaders talked about the need to defend the Danish welfare state, the so-called Danish model, to fight the bureaucratic and undemocratic aspects of the EU, to build a peaceful Europe - the only difference was that the No-campaigners said that this could best be done without the Euro, while the Yes-campaigners argued that standing outside of the Euro would damage "Danish interests" and thus do harm to the welfare state and that the best way to defend the welfare state would be as a full member of the EU. The fact that we are in a period where no parties (except maybe some extremists) dare to speak out against the welfare state is very important. Of course we know that there is a steady flow of cuts that is slowly dismantling the welfare state. The Social Democrats in government are doing that now, and so would any other Danish party in government, if they follow the rules of capitalism. The Danish working class has fought to build a civilised existence through the welfare state - this was probably as good as it could get under capitalism and it was only possible as an historic exception in a special period of capitalist development. In our present period capitalism will be forced to remove many of the gains of the past, and the government - whether reformist or bourgeois - will be forced to carry out this policy. In words no party dares to say what is the real situation - even the former ultra-liberals from Venstre are talking about the welfare state as something positive, and yet it is only a decade or so ago that their present leader wrote his infamous book "From social state to minimal state" in which he more or less demanded the abolition of the Social Democratic welfare state. They all know that any serious attacks on the welfare state will probably create huge dissatisfaction and resistance, so all the political leaders talk about "developing" the welfare state, "creating new possibilities and choices for the people" and so on. Poul Nyrup Rasmussen has even made himself quite a reputation for giving out "guarantees": in the last election campaign he promised not to make cuts in a the rules for early retirement, but after the election these things were cut anyway, which created huge unpopularity for the Social Democracy, sending the party to historically low levels of support in the opinion polls and at the same time boosting the support for the populist DF. Still he apparently hasn't learned anything from this experience, because in the last weeks of the EU-referendum campaign he issued another "guarantee" - that there wouldn't be any cuts in the pension system. Apparently that did not work. A majority didn't believe in all these assurances and didn't accept the threats. The No represented - for many people - a vote against uncertainty, opposition to any cuts and fear for the general future of the Danish welfare system, a vote of big mistrust in the established leaders of all the main parties and "the elite" in general. The mistrust in the political elite is shown by the very widespread "joke" that "if we don't vote yes, we'll just get another referendum in October." One of the two main tabloid papers - one of the few anti-Euro papers - even used this in a commercial. Of course this is not a joke - it is what really happened after the No in the 1992 EU-referendum. A recent opinion poll as to why people voted like they did on September 28 showed that 37% of No-voters voted No because they didn't want more "integration" in the EU and more "union", and 23% indicated that they had a "general mistrust in the EU". At the same time only 11% of the Yes-voters voted Yes because they thought it would improve their economy. This opinion poll also showed that a very large part of the population had a deep mistrust of Danish politicians in the question about the EU. Who voted what This whole attitude is also reflected in the distribution of Yes and No votes throughout the country. In previous EU-referendums there had been a bit of an "area influence" - people from the countryside voting more Yes, and people in the cities voting more No. But this time the Yes-percentage in the cities on the whole has increased, while the No-percentage has increased in the countryside. The surveys that have been made show that the division was really one of income: generally the richer you were, the more likely you were to vote Yes, and this was reflected in the fact that one of the only places with a Yes-majority was in the rich people's residential areas north of Copenhagen, whereas some of the biggest No-votes came from the traditionally Social Democratic working class suburbs west of Copenhagen and other places where there is also a larger number of people who are in one way or another dependent on the welfare system. As in all previous EU-referendums the No-percentage was much bigger among women than among men - also reflecting the fact that women generally have lower incomes and are more dependent on the welfare system. Of the big Yes-parties it was also among Social Democratic voters that there was the biggest percentage of No-voters - some surveys say 40% of Social Democratic voters voted No, but the fact is that many traditional Social Democratic voters at the present time wouldn't classify themselves as Social Democratic voters. There has been a more or less steady flow of voters away from the party in protest against Nyrup Rasmussen's broken "guarantees", the interference of the government against the workers in the big strikes in 1998 and so on. But if we still classify these people as Social Democratic the percentage of Social Democratic voters voting No would be much, much bigger. No alternatives from the left wing The Marxists think that the No vote is a positive development - it is a big blow to the so-called "political elite", bourgeois and right reformists alike, and it shows that a majority of the Danish working class will not be prepared to accept cuts and "reforms" to the welfare state without protesting. But at the same time this is a very confused No. It is a No to a lot of things, but it is not a Yes to something else - there have never really been any alternatives. The left-wing No-campaigners - SF, EL, the ultra-lefts and the No-groups in the Social Democracy and the unions - have all been more or less entangled in different "popular" campaigns together with all kinds of bourgeois and nationalist groups. There hasn't been one word of independent working class policy from these people. They have just used the same arguments that other No-campaigners have used. But without a clear Socialist perspective these arguments are really hollow: "We still want to be able to control our own economy" - yes, but we, i.e. ordinary working people and youth, don't have any control over the economy and we will never have that under capitalism, inside or outside the Euro or EU. "We want to keep the special Danish model and the welfare state" - yes of course, but this is being dismantled, and this will continue whether Denmark is inside or outside the EU, as the welfare state is being destroyed in all capitalist countries. "We don't want to give up our democratic rights to the EU bureaucrats" - no of course not, and every step in the direction of more EU-integration is a lessening of democracy, but what about the present democracy in Denmark - do we control our own lives, do we have anything to say about our workplace, our schools and the economy and politics? etc., etc. An independent working class alternative And what has happened after the No vote? Has Denmark suddenly been changed into something better, do we have en eternal "guarantee" of the welfare state? Of course not. Denmark is still a capitalist country in a capitalist Europe, and the Danish economy is still dependent on the world market and on Europe, the Krone is tied to the Euro, and the Danish government will pursue the same policies as before. After the referendum the yes-campaigners have tried to explain their defeat. Apparently they haven't realised that a majority of the voters actually disagree with their policies - they try to explain the no-vote with "we haven't been good enough at informing", "obviously people haven't understood what we've been saying", and so on. The leader of the DSU (Young Socialists) has said that now they have to be even more aggressively pro-EU in order to "convince" young people. This can only lead to new defeats for the leadership in the future, as more people will see through their empty words. And what have the No-campaigners done after the No vote? The leaders of SF are negotiating with the government in order to reach some kind of "compromise" on the EU question; the EL is hardly saying anything; the DF is having another round of internal fights and expulsions which is more or less their trademark; the "people's movements" are only "active" when there are referendums - so in short: nothing. However, another important development has taken place in the weeks after the referendum, something which is an even bigger victory: the childcare workers in Copenhagen have been on an "illegal" strike against proposed cuts from the Social Democratic-led local city council. The after-school centres had previously also been open before school, but it was proposed that that be changed, which meant that many childcare workers would be forced to work less (with less pay), and of course it would also be a big problem for the children and their parents. The strike enjoyed enormous sympathy from the children's parents - as a consequence of the strike they are going to get a refund of the money they have paid for the childcare, and in some places they have decided to give that money to the childcare workers, who have lost a lot of income from being on strike. There have been big demonstrations, and all this support combined with the fact that the workers succeeded in getting other types of childcare workers to threaten to join the strike led to victory. The Social Democracy in the city council has been forced to make an agreement with SF and EL that cancels the cuts in the morning openings. Of course we'll still have to see these promises turned into reality, but right now it looks like a clear victory. One of the spokespersons of the strikers said on the radio that the best thing about this strike was that it had showed that the class struggle was not dead. All this contains a valuable lesson for Danish workers and youth: if we want to defend our rights and welfare and even expand it, it's no use just relying on being in the EU or outside the EU; it's not enough just to put our trust in the Yes-side or the No-side. The only way to progress is the unity of the working class itself, its understanding of its own strength and its will to fight against the cuts of capitalism and for a new socialist order, which is the only real guarantee for a life with welfare and progress. The government of Luohu district of Shenzhen city and Tencent Holdings Ltd. signed an agreement on March 21 to cooperate in the fields of digital government, healthcare, smart education, and scientific innovation, giving Luohu a boost in becoming "smarter" and more innovative. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of Luohu district. Its mayor, Luo Yude, noted at the signing ceremony that the cooperation with Tencent will allow Luohu to strengthen its governance and speed up the smart building process. Leon Guo, senior vice president of Tencent, said he hoped such cooperation will empower intelligent industry in Luohu. With a big data-based education ecosystem expected in the near future, Luohu is taking the lead in exploring supply-side structural reform in education. Robert A. Sundberg III, a fired Massachusetts State Police trooper convicted of raping his former girlfriend, a fellow state police trooper, was sentenced to 10-to-15 years in prison Tuesday in Lowell Superior court, officials said. Judge Heidi Brieger also sentenced Sundberg, 48, to three years probation. He was ordered to consume no drugs or alcohol, to stay away from and have no contact with the victim, to complete a certified batterers program, to undergo a mental health evaluation and to register as a sex offender and other conditions. The former 14-year veteran of the department was fired after a jury found him guilty last week of two counts of rape, strangulation, stalking, assault with intent to rape, five counts of assault and battery on a household or family member, three counts of assault and battery and malicious damage of a motor vehicle. Authorities said Sundberg, who is now living in Framingham, attacked the victim in his former Boxborough home in April 2016. The woman told investigators Sundberg had a long history of sexual and physical abuse. Sundberg and the victim began dating in 2010, according to a statement from the office of Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan. In the years that followed the defendant would routinely monitor the victims phone and consistently questioned her communications with others," the statement read. "The defendant on multiple occasions became angry at the victim and physically assaulted her by punching, kicking and strangling her. The defendant also used physical force to coerce the victim into engaging in non-consensual sexual acts. On April 22, 2016, Sundberg was out with friends when he became convinced the victim was contacting a male friend of his, Ryans office said. When Sundberg returned to Boxborough, his then-girlfriend was sleeping. Sundberg strangled the victim until she started to lose consciousness and attempted to rape her, according to the statement. The woman later snuck out of the residence and tried to conceal the injuries inflicted on her. The victim reported Sundbergs actions to a supervisor, resulting in Sundbergs arrest. An investigation resulted in charges against Sundberg in connection with six incidents of domestic abuse in addition to the April 2016 charges, Ryans office said. Sundberg was indicted by a Middlesex Superior Court Grand Jury in June 2016. Sundberg was suspended without pay after state police learned about the attack. He was fired after he was found guilty and sentenced. We have absolutely no tolerance for domestic violence, and hope this case makes clear that any such allegations will be swiftly and decisively investigated, a state police spokesman said after Sundbergs conviction. Former trooper Gregory Raftery, possibly the worst offender in the Massachusetts State Police overtime scandal, was sentenced to three months in federal prison Tuesday morning the first going to prison in the scam that included nearly 50 troopers. Judge William G. Young ordered Raftery to report to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons on April 9 to serve 90 days in prison, followed by a year of supervision. Raftery also must pay a restitution of $51,337, the amount of money he made for overtime hours he skipped. Raftery, 48, of Westwood, pleaded guilty in July to one count of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds. He not only wrote fake tickets for overtime hours he skipped, but also destroyed copies of those citations to cover up his misdeeds, according to the sentencing memo. The now-retired state police trooper admitted to skipping more than 100 specialized patrol shifts in 2015 and 2016, pocketing $51,337 for overtime hours he didnt work. The crime here is so extensive, so sophisticated, motivated by nothing but greed, it is the view of this court that you must spend a short time in prison, Young told Raftery in federal court Tuesday morning. Raftery delivered a tear-filled apology Tuesday morning, saying he has to regain the trust of his family and friends as well as the people of Massachusetts. I know what I did was wrong, and Im truly sorry for that, Raftery said, adding that he hopes people dont judge other police officers for his misdeeds. He was one of nearly 50 troopers tied to the overtime scandal, according to an internal audit conducted by the Massachusetts State Police. Authorities say the members of the now-disbanded Troop E earned thousands of dollars for overtime hours they did not work on the Accident Injury Reduction Effort patrols, or AIRE, the specialized overtime patrols on the Massachusetts Turnpike. But Raftery may have been the worst offender. Sources told MassLive that Raftery appears to be the only trooper who skipped triple-digit AIRE shifts. Raftery spent part of his regular shifts taking down license plate numbers on cars that passed him on the Massachusetts Masspike. He cited those in the tickets he claimed to have given out during the overtime shifts he skipped, authorities said. The sentencing guidelines called for 12 to 18 months in prison, according to Rafterys sentencing memo. U.S. Attorneys Mark Grady and Dustin Chao recommended a 6-month prison sentence, followed by a period of supervised release and restitution. 16 Massachusetts State Police overtime scandal Rafterys attorney, Thomas Butters, said he hopes the judge considers multiple factors in the case, including Rafterys service in the 20-plus years he spent in the Massachusetts State Police. Then he asked to approach the judges bench and spoke with Young and prosecutors quietly about his clients circumstances. It is unclear what they discussed, but it didnt seem to be enough to dissuade Young from ordering prison time. Ive got to send you to jail, Young said. Rafterys sentencing triggers a review by the state retirement board. Raftery retired last year and receives a monthly payment of $6,017.07. Raftery is the second trooper sentenced in connection with the overtime investigation. Eric Chin, a former trooper who was fired last year, was sentenced to three months of house arrest, followed by nine months of supervised release. Eight troopers were charged with embezzlement in federal court. All of them have pleaded guilty. Three troopers are also facing state charges. Lt. David Wilson is the only trooper in the group who is facing both state and federal charges. In a new policy memo released by the Suffolk County District Attorney, Rachael Rollins orders her staff keep watch of ICE officers around any courthouse and directs those working in her jurisdiction to not prosecute misdemeanor crimes. The 65-page document created by Rollins, elected to replace Daniel Conley as Suffolk County district attorney last November, answers many of her campaign promises and details her plan to change traditional criminal justice system outcomes such as arrest, detention, prosecution, probation and incarceration." The guidelines come less than a week after the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts called on Rollins to act on her campaign commitments, including a pledge to not prosecute some 15 misdemeanor crimes like trespassing and shoplifting. In the memo, shared by her office on Monday night, the DA orders her staff to notify her when Immigrant and Customs Enforcement officers are in or near any Suffolk County courthouse. If any [Assistant District Attorney], victim witness advocate, or other [Suffolk County District Attorneys Office] employee observes Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, Department of Homeland Security officers, or other civil immigration authorities apprehending or questioning parties scheduled to appear in court about residency status in or around the public areas of any Suffolk County courthouse, they are to immediately notify me (the District Attorney), my First Assistant, or my General Counsel, Rollins writes in the memo. Rollins also writes that local criminal matters always supersede federal civil matters, and that all parties should be able to arrive in court without fear of civil immigration authorities. Rollins includes that pledge in her policy memo under the title, Declination and Diversion Policy. The policy lists the 15 low-level offenses that she believes are best addressed by avoiding prosecution entirely. Offenses such as trespassing, shoplifting, larceny, disorderly conduct, threats, possession of alcohol for minors, possession of non-marijuana drugs, possession with intent to distribute, destruction of property, breaking and entering to escape cold or sleep, driving with a suspended license, and several other charges should always be declined, even when attached to another charge," the memo reads. She writes that every case must be placed in context, with consideration of factors like repeated offenses, or the purpose behind the individuals action. But ultimately, Rollins says these types of charges should be declined or dismissed pre-arraignment without conditions. . While campaigning, Rollins received pushback from some groups, including the National Police Association who filed a complaint against her, claiming she had reckless disregard for the law. The DA writes that her policies are rooted in data, as well as meetings with law enforcement representatives, the criminal defense bar, the judiciary and the neighborhoods in Suffolk County. The diversion practices are also reportedly based on methods being used by innovative law enforcement leaders across the country, such as Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. Her ideas are neither radical nor untested, she writes, citing a statistic that under her predecessor in Suffolk County, more than 12 percent of low-level crimes were dismissed or diverted compared to more serious crimes. Instead of courts and jail, the district attorney said such those who commit low-level offenses are better served when their crimes are treated as civil infractions. Rollins said in the memo that the Suffolk D.A.'s office can file fewer criminal charges and send fewer people to jail, diverting offenders to seek services and treatment instead. Many of the adults who come before the court each day can likewise be best served by something other than the criminal justice system, the memo reads. Gregory Rafterys pattern of falsifying citations, then destroying copies of those records all so he could pocket overtime pay for shifts he missed was part of a larger culture of deception at the Massachusetts State Police, Judge William G. Young said Tuesday morning in court. That didnt stop Young from sending the retired state trooper to jail. Raftery, 48, of Westwood, was sentenced to three months in federal prison and a year of supervision. He also had to pay a restitution of $51,337 for the overtime pay he collected for hours he skipped. Still, its the first time a judge acknowledged the systemic nature of the overtime scandal alleged by federal prosecutors. Defense attorneys for former trooper Eric Chin made the same argument Monday. U.S. Attorneys Mark Grady and Dustin Chao say the troopers misdeeds were in part the result of a quota implemented by supervisors that required troopers to give out at least eight citations during the specialized overtime patrols they were assigned. A spokesman for the Massachusetts State Police Department said the agency doesnt have any policies or procedures regarding quotas. Raftery was one of dozens of troopers in now-disbanded Troop E, the unit that exclusively worked the Accident and Injury Reduction Effort patrols on the Massachusetts Turnpike. Nearly 50 troopers were flagged for receiving money for AIRE shifts they didnt work, according to an internal audit by the Massachusetts State Police. He also was considered the worst offender. Sources told MassLive that Raftery was suspected of skipping more than 100 AIRE shifts, collecting $51,337 in overtime pay. By contrast, Chin, who was sentenced Monday, was convicted for collecting $7,125 for overtime hours he skipped. Federal prosecutors say Raftery planned out the fake citations, taking note of random license plates he spotted during his regular shifts. He used those plate numbers while writing the citations and submitted them to the Massachusetts State Police. He also destroyed copies of the citations that were supposed to go to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. Raftery retired last year amid the investigation. He pleaded guilty in July to one count of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds. The quota allegations first surfaced in the sentencing memorandum for Eric Chin, the former state trooper who was sentenced on Monday to house arrest. Both sentencing memorandums alleged the department had an eight-citation minimum for the troopers. Both sentencing memoranda state that troopers who failed to issue enough citations had to explain it to their supervisors and commanders and that repeated failures to meet this quota often resulted in a trooper being blocked from receiving such overtime opportunities. In the courtroom, Raftery said he apologized and hoped people wouldnt judge police officers based on his actions. I know what I did was wrong, and Im truly sorry for that, Raftery said. His attorney, Thomas Butters, pleaded with the judge to consider all the factors in Rafterys case, including his prior commendations and his commitment to public service in the 20-plus years he spent in the Massachusetts State Police. He also approached the bench and spoke privately with the judge and federal prosecutors about his clients circumstances. Young referred to the sentencing guidelines throughout the hearing, saying he wanted to impose a sentence that promoted general deterrence." He said he balanced Rafterys public service background and the extensive and sophisticated nature of the crime committed. Even taking into account the sentencing guidelines, Young said the crime here is so extensive, so sophisticated, motivated by nothing but greed, it is the view of this court that you must spend a short time in prison. SPRINGFIELD A non-profits new outpatient behavioral health program will benefit from an April 1 charity volleyball tournament being organized by Springfield College students. The Mental Health Association has opened its BestLife Emotional Health and Wellness Center at 153 Magazine Street adjacent to MHAs Worthington Street headquarters. MHA, which was founded in 1960, is a provider of residential and support services to individuals impacted by mental illness, developmental disabilities, substance abuse and homelessness throughout the Greater Springfield Area. We reached out to MHA because they provide such great support to individuals in our community, said Maura Fennessey, a member of the colleges Physician Assistant Student Organization that has planned the event. People are really beginning to rethink and reframe the perception of mental health, and we wanted to find a way to support a local organization that provides so much support to individuals affected by mental health issues. Kimberley Lee, MHA vice president of resource development and branding, said MHA was very appreciative of the students recognition of the work it does that includes helping 600 individuals annually with residential and support services. The new center will offer mental health, substance use, and/or co-occurring services to adults, children, families and couples in the community as well as to existing MHA clients through its programs and clinician staff that includes a psychiatrist. Its brochure carries the message Best Life Live Yours, and lists its numerous services including comprehensive substance abuse treatment, pharmacological intervention and parent/caregiver support and aftercare planning. The new outpatient behavioral health program will serve the community, as well as our own participants who may not have already engaged with a therapist. It is adjacent to our Worthington offices, but with its own Magazine Street entrance so it is its own entity/service offering, Lee said. While we opened this new program to specifically address the need for clinical supports to the greater community, it is a valuable resource in our continuum of services to those we currently serve who are challenged by chronic homelessness, substance use, acquired brain injuries and developmental disabilities. The April 1 tournament organized by students Fennessey and Dajia Angell to benefit MHA and its new center starts at 6 p.m. in Dana Gymnasium on the colleges Alden Street campus. Teams of six to eight individuals will compete for prizes. A minimum donation of $30 per team is requested to compete. Damon Markiewicz, college spokesperson, said anyone interested in participating should contact Fennessey at mfennessey@springfieldcollege.edu. He also said the public is welcome to attend the free event and that donations will be accepted during the tournament. SPRINGFIELD A property manager for the Eastfield Mall said Tuesday that a proposal for a marijuana facility at the former Macys department store fits in well with the malls long-term redevelopment plans. A public community outreach meeting, giving residents a chance to hear details about the proposed marijuana business and to ask questions, is scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Eastfield Mall Food Court. Springfield-based Cannaworld Inc. recently announced plans to open a recreational marijuana retail store on the first floor of the former Macys store at the 1685 Boston Road mall. The plans call for a cultivation and manufacturing facility on the second floor, said Cannaworld President David Mech. Nicole Sweeny, co-property manager for the mall owner, Mountain Development Corp., said the reaction from other tenants has been very positive. Mountain Development Corp. and the mall are certainly supportive of it, Sweeney said. "Were ultimately looking to redevelop the property into a mixed use space, with office as well as retail and dining. We think this particular use would help us attract other alternative health practitioners into those proposed office spaces, like chiropractic, yoga and holistic health care providers. The mall has no concerns regarding safety or security, Sweeney said, because of Mechs security plans and strict state regulations. State requirements include video cameras inside and outside any marijuana facility, and procedures to prevent anyone under age 21 from entering the business. The proposal by Dave Mech addresses every security concern we could possibly think of, and many we hadnt even considered, Sweeney said. There is currently a multi-vendor weekend market operated by Bulldog Enterprises at the Macys location. The malls goal is to relocate the market to another area, Sweeney said. A lease agreement between the mall and Cannaworld is not yet finalized due to the pending marijuana license application process. The Macys store closed in 2016, and the 127,000-square-foot building was sold to Mountain Development for $1 million in 2017. The company already owned the Eastfield Mall property before purchasing the separate Macys building. Mech said the proposed new marijuana business is an amazing opportunity, and "will be a rebirth for the mall." He would also seek to use part of the first floor for cannabis-related products such as growing lights, tents and cannabidiol (CBD). CBD is an extract from hemp that lacks marijuana's psychoactive properties. Sweeney said that with the legalization of marijuana in Massachusetts, it seems to be "the wave of the future." There has been other interest in the mall for marijuana-related uses, Sweeney said. Clearly, the repeated interest seen in the anchor space, for marijuana sale and cultivation, has shown us that this is an opportunity that should not be ignored with marijuana no longer prohibited in Massachusetts, Sweeney said. Sears, which is now vacant, is separately owned. "We're holding our own," Sweeney said, regarding how the mall is faring with challenges. The mall is about 98 percent occupied. Dean Foods is a tenant at the former JCPenneys store, she said. Sweeney said the mall sees the proposed marijuana business as an opportunity for increased foot traffic. A lot of tenants are excited about the idea, she said. BOSTON A controversial House proposal to let caucuses raise private money did not make it into the final version of a budget bill that is being voted on this week. But House leaders say that, under their internal rules, caucuses will still be able to raise private money as long as they comply with ethics rules, which bar lobbyists from giving and require any gift of over $50 to be approved by House counsel to avoid conflicts of interest. The object of House Rule 19B is a uniform, transparent process under which legislative member organizations can operate and accept donations if they wish to do so, wrote Rep. William Galvin, D-Canton, chairman of the House Rules Committee, in a memo sent to House members Monday evening. It moves historical practices into the modern accounting structure utilized for state entities; and intends to do so thoughtfully. The Rule also ensures a level of transparency in how these organizations communicate information from outside stakeholders. Caucuses are groups of legislators like the rural caucus or the black and Latino caucus who meet and advocate for a particular agenda. Most of them are informally organized with any money spent generally coming from members campaign accounts. The exceptions are the Caucus of Women Legislators, a business, and the Black and Latino Caucus, a nonprofit, which maintain private bank accounts, although leaders in both caucuses say they are member-funded. When the House passed its rules in January, members approved a rule that would let caucuses raise money from public or private sources. The House version of a supplemental budget bill would have set up a Legislative Member Organization Trust Fund to hold the money the caucuses raise. But some advocates for open government worried that this could create a legislative slush fund where special interests with business before the Legislature could donate to lawmakers with no transparency. After The Republican/MassLive.com first reported on the proposal, the Boston Globe editorial board called it a simply dreadful idea. When the latest version of the supplemental budget bill was released Monday, the caucus trust fund was left out. House Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz, D-Boston, and Senate Ways and Means Chairman Michael Rodrigues, D-Westport, said it was left out during negotiations between the House and Senate. We could not agree on that, Rodrigues said, noting, It wasnt one of our initiatives. Asked whether the Senate had concerns about the proposal, Rodrigues said, I really havent given it much thought. Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, said the Senate did not agree to the proposal and we will have some more discussion with House leaders. Monday afternoon, Michlewitz said House leaders were trying to clarify with House legal counsel whether the House rules alone are enough to let caucuses raise private money, without the trust fund. Were going to take a look at it and see what we can do, he said. Michlewitz called private funding of caucuses something well re-evaluate going forward. House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop, said he did not think the trust fund could become law without being passed by the House and Senate and signed into law by the governor. Right now, it is not included in the (supplemental budget) that was agreed to between the House and the Senate, DeLeo said. But later Monday evening, Galvin sent out the detailed memo indicating that caucus fundraising can occur, under certain circumstances, despite not having the trust fund. The new rules require caucuses to certify that state money is not being used for partisan political purposes. It will ensure that caucuses only accept gifts for public purposes, and those gifts are held in a dedicated caucus account with their accounting managed by the House business office. Galvin wrote that the states conflict of interest laws do apply to caucuses, lobbyists would be barred from contributing, and House counsel would need to ensure that any gift over $50 complies with the conflict of interest law and appropriate disclosures are made. Galvins memo says any caucus considering fundraising should consult with House counsel, because lawmakers might have to abstain from certain matters, may have to make disclosures and may not be able to take the donations. He also wrote that any accounts will be subject to state finance laws, and to legislative rules on accounting, procurement and auditing. They will be subject to an annual audit, as other House funds are, and will appear on the Comptrollers Open Checkbook site. Only expenditures are listed on the comptrollers site, not who is giving to an account. Galvin wrote that until the rules change, the caucuses that had bank accounts lacked clear, official guidance about how to handle their accounting, while other caucuses operated informally with no clear structure. By formalizing the process relative to how caucuses are formed and how they operate, the new rule provides uniform guidance to members and staff and increases transparency, Galvin wrote. Catherine Williams, a spokeswoman for DeLeo, said the new rules are a step toward transparency and accountability, since the two caucuses with private bank accounts will now have to comply with the rules and be subject to ethics rules, audits and disclosure on the comptrollers website. The 25-acre Otis Poultry Farm property home to the quirky country store known for its pot pies may also become the site of a marijuana cultivation and retail business. Otis residents will get a chance to discuss the proposal by marijuana company Turning Leaf Industries, which involves keeping the country store open, at a meeting Saturday at Otis Town Hall. Otis Poultry Farm owner Andy Pyenson put the 115-year-old family business up for sale in 2013. Now, the sale of the lakefront property on Route 8 to Turning Leaf is pending. The community meeting is a required step in the licensing process for marijuana businesses. Turning Leaf first came to town in 2018 under the names Community Medical Cannabis Associates and CannaSure. The select board is encouraging everyone to attend, said Town Administrator Rebecca Stone. I think, if the company is serious about meeting the needs of the community whether it is policing, whether it is parking, whether its odors then we can make a host community agreement. The town and Turning Leaf are working on an agreement, she said. Last year, the towns select board voted that it was amenable to marijuana businesses. But, the board hasnt endorsed or agreed to this specific project. Thomas Gecewicz, one of the three partners in Turning Leaf, said the companys goal is to be a good neighbor. "The most important thing is respecting the integrity of the town," he said. The country store at 1570 North Main Road will remain open, said both Gecewicz and fellow partner David Reiner. We did promise the town that we would keep operations going, Reiner said. "We are going to have an operator continue to run the store. The town really wants to keep that going, Reiner said Turning Leaf will build a marijuana greenhouse and a facility to make marijuana products on the property. The company will also need to create retail space for recreational and medicinal marijuana. Gecewicz, who lives now in Bridgeport, Connecticut, said hes a longtime public health official in Massachusetts and in Bridgeport. He also worked for the federal government. His third business partner, John Saccenti, is a public health professional and police trainer in New Jersey. Reiner works in real estate. Gecewicz said hed had his eye on the property for decades, first spotting it as a college student driving from Massachusetts to Connecticut on Route 8. It gives us a great foothold in the Berkshires, he said. Turning Leaf has plans for operations in two other states, he said. Their names show up in a list of applicants for medical marijuana licenses in New Jersey. Reiner said he and his partners have begun the process of applying for licenses from the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, but they cant proceed until after the public meeting. The licensing process can take months. Stone said the town has not been given an estimate of how much money it will get as a host community. But the local sales tax on marijuana is 3 percent. Under state law, the total tax on recreational marijuana can be as high as 20 percent. There is a 10.75 percent state excise tax, the regular 6.25 percent sales tax and cities and towns have the option of charging 3 percent. "Maybe we could use the money to have more of a full-time police force," Stone said. She said shes seen how crowds are still lining up outside NETA in Northampton, which in November became one of the first two retail marijuana shops to open in the state. She doesnt know if that would be the case by the time Turning Leaf opens demand might be spread out among numerous recreational marijuana outlets. But, she says Turning Leaf will still need a plan to deal with crowds. Pyenson said Monday that he started working at Otis Poultry Farm 63 years ago. Back then he was a 5-year-old collecting and grading eggs on the family farm, which his grandparents founded in 1904. They stopped raising chickens in 2006, and the eggs are now shipped in. "The problem is, you can buy eggs cheaper than I could raise them," he said. But even though he hasnt raised chickens for a dozen years, he still displays whimsical signs promising Chicken Hilton, No Vacancy and Limited Edition Eggs, Only Laid Once. Today the store stocks candy, baked goods including chicken pot pies and a few grocery items along with sweatshirts and knickknacks. In the summer they have ice cream. Saturdays meeting at Otis Town Hall, 1 North Main Road, begins at 2 p.m. A Didi Chuxing passenger allegedly killed his driver in Changde, Hunan province, according to local police. Police said that the suspect, a 19-year-old man surnamed Yang, hailed a Didi late Saturday night, and then stabbed the driver, surnamed Chen, several times with a knife, as he was about to alight near a bus station around midnight. Yang later surrendered to police and confessed to long harboring thoughts of suicide that led to a breakdown on the Saturday night and then the killing. Didi said in a statement Sunday: "We have set up an emergency response team to fully cooperate with the police for investigations. And we have sent staff to visit and comfort the driver's family to help with the follow-up matters and provide humanitarian assistance." China's biggest ride-hailing provider, Didi, was at the center of public outcry after two female passengers were killed last year by two of the company's drivers in separate cases in May and August. Paul Sagan, the chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, announced during Tuesdays meeting that he would step down from the role. Sagan was named to the position by Gov. Charlie Baker during his first term in office. He said Tuesday that he spoke with the governor about stepping down during Bakers campaign for a second term and chose to announce Tuesday with a replacement lined up. Board member Katherine Craven has been appointed as chairwoman. Craven currently serves as the chief administrative officer of Babson College, in Wellesley. She previously worked as a budget director and policy advisor to the Massachusetts House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means. Matt Hills, a former chairman of the Newton School Committee, will fill the vacated board seat. Sagan said Tuesday he plans to remain involved in education policy. We can be proud that Massachusetts leads the nation, he said, of educational opportunities overall in the state, adding that theres still work to be done to close achievement gaps in schools. We have to bring equity to the most challenged schools and districts. During his four years on the board, Sagan has advocated for traditional and non-traditional public school opportunities in Massachusetts. He was a supporter of Question 2, a ballot question in 2016 which sought to expand the cap on charter schools. The question was rejected by a majority of voters. Sagan faced backlash for his donations of $496,000 to Families for Excellent Schools-Advocacy, which supported the ballot question. The organization faced a hefty fine after initially keeping the names of donors private. When the donations were made public, Sagan addressed the matter during a board meeting, saying the donations were made as a private citizen. He did not publicly share the donations, he said, for fear he would politicize the issue. But I was clear and unequivocal with these organizations, Sagan said in 2017. I would not help them with fundraising, and they could not use, or even reference, my involvement with the board in any of their activities, specifically because I did not think that would be appropriate. Sagan is a managing director at General Catalyst Partners in Cambridge. He previously served as a member of the executive team of Akamai Technologies, Inc., a senior advisor to the World Economic Forum and on the boards of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University and Massachusetts Business Leaders for Charter Public Schools. Massachusetts Education Secretary Jim Peyser thanked him for his service Tuesday, saying Sagans leadership has been both steady and deliberate as well as inspirational. Peyser thanked him for his leadership during a time of transition in the department after the death of longtime Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester, who died in 2017 following a short illness. Jeffrey C. Riley was named commissioner in 2018. He previously served as receiver of Lawrence Public Schools, leading the districts turnaround efforts. Fall River Police made three arrests last week in connection to two bank robberies in the city. A week after two men held up Bank Five on 13th Street in Fall River, police arrested 18-year-old Riley Tejeda of Attleboro and Jayln Hill of Cambridge, also 18, in connection with the robbery on March 21, police said. Authorities used bank surveillance to identify Tejeda and Hill, who both took an undisclosed amount of cash, police said. Tejeda was charged with armed robbery. Hill was also charged with armed robbery as well as being a fugitive of justice out of Rhode Island. The following day police arrested Jason Boudria in connection with a robbery at Bay Coast Bank at 490 Robeson St. on March 19. Bourdria allegedly covered his face and wore sun glasses as walked up to a teller window, held a note to the window and demanded money. The teller gave an undisclosed amount of money. Boudria was charged with unarmed robbery. Police credited anonymous tips from the public and police officers who dealt with the 36-year-old prior to the robbery. All three men been arraigned in court. Boudria and Tejeda are both scheduled back in court Wednesday. Police didnt know Hills next appearance. SOUTH HADLEY Town Administrator Michael Sullivan presented his fiscal 2020 budget proposals during the Select Boards March 19 meeting, recommending a total of $46.5 million in spending for a 1.71 percent increase over the previous year. Sullivans budget allocates $21.5 million for schools and $20.7 million to the general fund, with the balance going to capital requests and other expenditures. Sullivan told the board he had an honest discussion with the School Committee about the proposed budget. He said the town made every effort to bolster education funding. In the past decade, 35 percent of all new money has gone to the school budget, according to Sullivan. Twenty-three percent of new money, related to new growth and increased revenues, went to the towns general fund. While the School Committee could make a salient argument for an additional $1.2 million in funding, Sullivan said the town does not have the money. The average annual new growth hovers around $930,000. Sullivan noted a substantial increase in spending for human resources, explaining that the town must observe state gender-equity laws that relate to positions in town government or the schools. Sullivan added that the town could consider shared services among departments, like personnel or human resources. He said some school districts are switching to a consolidated human resources model. He cautioned that consolidation does not translate immediately into savings. I think the long-term practice of consolidating the HR, modernizing it and systemizing it, is a smart way to go, Sullivan said. We just havent been able to get there. The assessors office would see a 6 percent boost, mostly tied to salaries. He said the department was underfunded. The town clerks office, which turned a part-time position into a full-time job, would also see an increase. Sullivan cited a significant drop in legal services charges in the past few years, which now average $54,000 to $56,000 annually. The town realized savings by not bringing in outside counsel for every contract negotiation session. The town continues negotiations with the police and public works unions. In other town news, Sullivan announced that newly elected State Sen. Jo Comerford and State Rep. Dan Carey will meet with constituents at town hall on March 27, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The town administrators staff will direct the public to the right meeting room. SPRINGFIELD - A 24-year-old city man is charged with the having sexual contact with minors and with disseminating child pornography, according to District Attorney Anthony Gulluni. Christean Velazquez emerged as a suspect after he apparently uploaded materials depicting the sexual assault of a child and other pornography to the photography social media site Photobucket, Gulluni said. Officials with Photobucket notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Gulluni said the agency notified the state police detectives unit assigned to his office, and they launched an investigation. Velazquez was arrested Friday at his job in Springfield. He is charged with two counts of indecent assault and battery of a child under age 14, four counts each of dissemination of sexually explicit visual materials depicting children, possession of visual materials of child sexual contact, and knowingly permitting a child to engage in sexual conduct for reproduction of visual material. The child in the photos has been located and determined to be safe and staying with relatives. The DAs office has contacted the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. The relationship between Velazquez was not disclosed to the press. The state police and DAs office are continuing to investigate. Velazquez pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday in Springfield District Court. He is being held on $75,000 bail. As a condition of his release if he posts bail, he will be required to wear a GPS tracking device, maintain a curfew, and keep away from the child. Patriots owner Robert Kraft has pleaded not guilty to the charges he faces in connection with soliciting prostitution in Florida and has waived his arraignment, according to court documents. Kraft through his attorney has also requested a jury trial, reversing a previous request to be tried without a jury. Charged with two counts of soliciting another to commit prostitution in late February, Krafts arraignment was scheduled for Thursday in Palm Beach County. Kraft was charged after being ensnared in a larger sex sting operation conducted over several Florida counties dating back to the summer. If convicted, the 77-year-old billionaire could face one year in jail and a $5,000 fine per charge, plus an order to enroll in an educational course on the dangers of prostitution and human trafficking. Police allege Kraft was caught on video receiving sex acts at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida, on Jan. 19 and 20. He was among 25 men charged by local authorities. The owner and manager of the spa are facing felony charges. Through a team spokesperson, Kraft denied the allegations immediately after charges were announced. In recent weeks, his representation has been negotiating a possible plea deal with state prosecutors. Kraft reportedly turned down an offer that would have dropped his charges so long as he entered a pre-trial diversion program and conceded he would have been found guilty had the case gone to trial. Krafts legal team has publicly questioned the legality of the investigation. Several members of Massachusetts congressional delegation spoke out Tuesday against the Trump administrations push to strike down the Affordable Care Act in a new court filing, arguing that millions of Americans benefit from the controversial health care law. The Democrats, who have opposed GOP-led efforts to dismantle the ACA, criticized the Justice Department for stating in a Monday legal brief that it will not challenge any parts of the ruling in Texas v. United States, which found the law unconstitutional. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat and 2020 presidential candidate, stressed that lawmakers will not let the Trump administration rip health care away from millions of Americans. Not now. Not ever, she said, calling health care a basic human right. Ill say it for the zillionth time: We will not let the Trump administration rip health care away from millions of Americans. Not now. Not ever. https://t.co/QXzTFgkcv0 Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) March 26, 2019 Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, D-Boston, agreed. Not on my watch, she tweeted in response to reports of the administrations court filing. Not on my watch. https://t.co/pWO5L0h1q9 Rep Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) March 26, 2019 Congressman Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, contended that the contrast between the Trump administration and Democrats -- who unveiled legislation which they said will protect individuals with pre-existing conditions and lower health premiums -- has never been more clear. Democrats are doing what the American people elected us to do stand up for them. Meanwhile, Republicans are putting profits before people and rolling back the health insurance protections that Americans want and deserve,he said in a statement. "We will not stop fighting until every person in this country has high-quality, universal coverage. Period. U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Melrose, offered that while President Donald Trump campaigned ahead of the 2018 midterms on protecting coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions, the DOJ letter declares war on the health care law these Americans rely on. When will the GOP stop treating health care like its a privilege for the healthy and the wealthy she tweeted. Signs point to never. So, well stand up against these attacks like we did in 2017 and 2018, and well win. The President campaigned on protecting #Medicare & #Medicaid. Then, he released a budget that cuts both programs by $2 TRILLION. The President campaigned on protecting #PreExistingConditions. Then last night, his DOJ declares war on the health care law these Americans rely on. pic.twitter.com/Q51NJbmvLh Katherine Clark (@RepKClark) March 26, 2019 Congressman Joe Kennedy III, D-Newtown, meanwhile, took to Twitter to highlight how several Americans could be impacted if the Trump administration succeeds in gutting protections for pre-existing conditions. Last week, @morethanmySLE & I asked you to tell us what it would mean for you if @realDonaldTrump succeeded in gutting preexisting conditions. This thread highlights a few of them. Please read & keep them coming! #ProtectOurCare https://t.co/rXM8IkRvjH Rep. Joe Kennedy III (@RepJoeKennedy) March 26, 2019 Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee, which is led by U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, also raised concerns about the DOJ filing and pledged to fight to protect Americans with pre-existing health conditions. Eliminating the ACA would mean gutting protections for people with pre-existing conditions. It would mean reverting our country back to a time when preventative care cost a fortune and it wold mean -- once again -- limited, lifetime caps on coverage, panel Democrats said in a statement. Democrats are in this fight with you. And we will never stop working to protect your care. 2/2 Democrats are in this fight with you. And we will never stop working to protect your care. Ways & Means Committee (@WaysMeansCmte) March 26, 2019 Assistant Attorney General Joseph Hunt and other Justice Department officials, in a letter sent to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Monday, said the agency had determined that the district courts judgment in the case should be affirmed. They added that the administration is not urging that any portion of the district courts judgment be reversed. The letter marked a departure from the Justice Departments previous assertion that only two provisions of the law needed to be removed, including language requiring insurers to cover individuals with pre-existing conditions and barring insurers from charging such customers higher premiums. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who filed her own brief in the case Monday, stressed that "Democrats will continue to fight relentlessly to protect people with pre-existing conditions and to deliver lower health costs and prescription drug prices for every American. House Democrats are expected to offer legislation Tuesday to shore up the ACA, the Associated Press reported. U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor ruled late last year that the health care laws individual coverage mandate can no longer be sustained as an exercise of Congresss tax power," according to reports. Therefore, he argued, the individual mandate is unconstitutional and invalidates the rest of the ACA. The case centered around the question of whether the laws insurance mandate still required Americans to purchase health coverage after Congress essentially removed the penalty as part of its GOP-backed tax overhaul. Plaintiff states contended that the mandate had become unconstitutional when lawmakers zeroed out the penalty. The rest of the law, they further argued, is tied to the mandate. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the mandate as constitutional in 2012 based on Congresss taxing power. Shortly after the courts ruling, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey joined colleagues from other states in a national effort to appeal the decision. SPRINGFIELD Hampden Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Ford sentenced Nathaniel L. Wilson to five to seven years in state prison on six drug and five gun charges. Ford sentenced Wilson, 40, of Springfield, on Friday after Wilson pleaded guilty to the 11 charges. Wilson was arrested Dec. 1, 2017. Police said he had 27 grams of cocaine and 196 bags of heroin, along with smaller quantities of MDMA, Oxycontin and Xanax. Police found two guns a Makarov 9 mm pistol and a FEG 9 mm handgun and 18 rounds of ammunition in Wilsons Ranney Street home. He pleaded guilty to two counts of illegal possession of a firearm with one prior drug or firearms conviction, two counts of improper storage of a firearm and one count of illegal possession of ammunition. Wilson also pleaded guilty to trafficking cocaine in the amount of 18 to 36 grams, distribution of heroin, possession to distribute heroin and three other drug counts. In early 1996, Lin Jing, then 33 years old, had her first experience on a sailboat -- which included her first fall overboard. As she and her husband, the helmsman, were trying to lower the boat rail with a sling, she dropped it and the boat flipped, knocking both of them into the water. Despite a scratched lip, Lin didn't give up. She got back onto the boat and kept going. Since that first time out with her husband, a sailing aficionado from France, the two of them often went to sea together in a Hobie catamaran 16. "I found it was a sport that requires not only physical strength, but also a flexible strategy," Lin said with a twinkle in her eyes and lively gestures. For her, she said, it will never be boring, because no two sailing trips are the same. The feeling of braving the wind and waves made a deep impression on Lin and sowed the seeds of her lifelong obsession with sailing. That obsession has driven her onward for 23 years, leading her to take sailing voyages around the Atlantic and to Antarctica. Bountiful yields In 2001, to facilitate a transition from their small boat to a bigger one, the couple went for training at an offshore sailing school in the U.K., where Lin trained to be a "competent crew" and her husband to be a "sea master." Equipped with years of hands-on practice and now professional training, Lin and her husband set out to sea from France in 2005 in a new vessel. They named the ship Kindred Spirit, which, said Lin, refers both to the boat and to the relationship between her and her husband. On this voyage, the couple sailed around the Atlantic, taking turns on duty every four hours at night. Their voyage lasted a total of 760 days, with the longest continual stretch spent at sea lasting 23 days. During their time on board, the couple cooked and ate their meals, fished, played games, read books and shared their opinions, and quarreled at times. When she had spare time, and even when she was running on a tighter schedule, Lin always managed to write something down, at least a few lines, on her iPad. She then posted her writings on her blog. Now Lin has published a book about the voyage, and is working on another one about their second major global expedition, which took place from 2015 to 2017. On this trip, they sailed the Haiyou, whose name means "friend of the sea," to Antarctica. Lin said she harvested a great deal along both journeys -- and not only fish, either, but also beautiful scenery, genuine friendship, reflections on life and more. Compared to the more common way of traveling -- merely ticking off places on the destination checklist and taking quick snapshots -- Lin sees sailing as a slower way to travel the world. "It allows one to understand the world, to get to know the customs of different places, and to discover interesting things about them." During the first night sailing the Haiyou, Lin sat astern to enjoy the sunset during her turn on duty. She described the moment on her Chinese blog, how the sun, like a golden loop with a dazzling white dot in the middle, seemed to be chasing the boat as it moved and wavered on the ocean. As it sunk toward the sea, the sun took on clear-cut edges and a red color. It kissed the stern of the ship before disappearing into the ocean horizon over the course of several minutes, leaving a colorful sunset glow in the sky. Lin looked at her watch and saw that it was past 10 in the evening. Certainly, said Lin, there were also many challenges along the way, like surges and gales around the Drake Passage between the Antarctic Peninsula and the southern tip of Chile, as well as the extreme cold weather in Antarctica, and many others. "The sport requires one to have determination, to be able to bear hardships and endure loneliness," Lin said. The unexpected has also happened along the way, like the time they ran into a fishing net in coastal waters. But there were also unexpected pleasures, such as meeting so many different kinds of people, including other sailors and locals from different countries they passed through. Lin said she has treasured many friendships along the way as well. According to her, in such brief meet-ups, small formalities and reciprocity are required for people to get acquainted, and everyone values the relationship even when it is only a short encounter. Market Scenario: The Anaesthesia Delivery Devices Market, as Market Research Future (MRFR), suggests is all set to achieve 8.2% CAGR during the forecast period (2017-2023). Anaesthesia delivery devices play a pivotal role during a medical surgery where it helps in making the patient unconscious during the procedure. The device generates, blends, and delivers fresh medical gas flow with anaesthetic agents to have control over the entire process. The process often includes a mechanical ventilator, breathing system, suction equipment, and patient monitoring devices to ensure smooth workflow. MRFR in their detailed report on the said market included segmental analysis and factors that can impact the market in the coming years. The report also contains expert comments and updated information on the major market players portfolios. Request Free Sample Copy at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1285 The anaesthesia delivery devices market centers around the growing need for surgical procedure across the world as the prevalence of chronic diseases is on the rise. Advanced technologies are amply backing up the modern surgical requirements and, in the process, are fostering growth for the market. However, the supply-demand relationship is facing some crises globally. Both the developed and developing countries are facing a shortage regarding anaesthesia delivery devices. Manufacturers across the globe are trying to figure out some sort of solution. One such is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) that can ensure specific delivery and reduce the cost in the process. Such technological association can surely guide the anaesthesia delivery devices market to better prospects. Competitive Landscape: Notable market players operating in the global anaesthesia delivery devices market are MEDTRONIC (Republic of Ireland), Teleflex (US), MAQUET Holding B.V. & Co. KG. (Germany), Smiths Medical (UK), GE Healthcare (US), Sedana Medical (Sweden), Dragerwerk AG & Co. (Germany), OSI Systems (US), ResMed (US), Fisher, Paykel (New Zealand), Philips Healthcare (Netherland), Intersurgical Ltd (UK), Covidien plc (UK), Getinge Group (Sweden) and others. In August 2018, Hologic came up with a fluid management system with an aim to help in hysteroscopic procedures. The setup has a modern touchscreen and almost noiseless functioning ability. Fluid capacity, deficit, and how much content left in the fluid bag would get displayed on the monitor that would ease the entire process. Segmentation: As described in the MRFR report, the global anaesthesia delivery devices market can be segmented by types and end-users. Based on types, the anaesthesia delivery devices market can be segmented monitoring devices, anaesthesia delivery devices, disposables device and other. The disposables device segment includes anaesthesia masks and anaesthesia accessories. Based on the end-users, the anaesthesia delivery devices market comprises hospitals, clinics, research facilities, and others. Regional Analysis: Geographically, upon considering the inputs by MRFR on the anaesthesia delivery devices market, the report can be segmented by Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe, North America, and the Rest-of-the-World (RoW). The APAC region is currently leading the global market, and the market demography is expected to remain the same. This can happen as the regional market is also expecting the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. Countries such as India and China, with their revamped healthcare sector and the huge population has tapped into a vast patient pool who require surgeries of different sorts. In the process, they have widened the scale in which the anaesthesia delivery devices market can operate. North America can take credit for being the second largest market. Its substantial revenue can be attributed to the advanced technologies, easy accessibility to products & services, and the emphasis on providing the best equipment in the industry is fostering the growth in the region. Europe has considerable control over the global market as many of the manufacturing companies are from the region. Countries such as the UK, Germany, and France, are boasting off their advanced technology, affordability power, and government initiatives in research and development sector can trigger good responses from the regional market in the coming years. Browse Complete 80 Pages Premium Research Report Enabled with 30+ Respective Tables and Figures at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/anesthesia-delivery-devices-market-1285 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Market Scenario The Global Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Market is presumed to register 51.9% CAGR during the forecast period (2018-2023) owing to the growing adoption of AI solutions among the healthcare providers, asserts Market Research Future (MRFR). Artificial intelligence (AI) is regarded as the next frontier for healthcare innovation. In the healthcare sector, artificial intelligence is being applied for sorting structured and unstructured data. Potential of AI spans across healthcare verticals. AI is considered to play a vital role in overcoming some of the toughest hurdles being faced by healthcare providers. Competitive Dashboard The prominent players operating the global Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare market are Google, General Electric, IBM Watson Health, Microsoft Corporation, Intel Corporation, DEEP GENOMICS, Koninklijke Philips N.V., General Vision, NVIDIA Corporation, CloudMedx Inc., Next IT Corp., and Stryker. Get Free Sample Copy @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5681 Drivers and Constraints Impacting the Market The augmented focus on the use of artificial intelligence in the healthcare sector in the recent past. The adoption of AI solutions in the healthcare sector is growing rapidly owing to the growing number of healthcare applications of AI coupled with its rising demand for medical research. AI is also being employed in clinical laboratories, hospitals, and research facilities, which is further contributing to the growth of the market during the assessment period. Broader applications of AI and technological advancements in deep learning have further led to its increased adoption in the healthcare sector across the globe. Technological companies are highly investing in the development of AI for research and healthcare, which is further boosting the market growth. Moreover, AI in the healthcare sector is being used for prognosis, diagnosis, and therapy, thereby stimulating its growth during the appraisal period. AI has also developed several applications across the healthcare sector, such as delivery of health services, detection of diseases, drug discovery, and management of chronic conditions. AI in the healthcare sector ensures effectiveness and efficiency, which is further considered to trigger its adoption in the coming years. AI also enables the healthcare sector to overcome the crisis of human resource by providing productivity through automation of complicated tasks. Such factors are presumed to contribute to the market growth. On the flip side, the high cost associated with the implementation of AI in the healthcare sector coupled with the stringent guidelines regulating AI are some of the major concerns considered to dampen the market growth during the appraisal period. Global Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Market: Segmental Analysis The global Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare market has been segmented on the basis of component, application, technology, end-user, and region. By mode of component, the global Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare market has been segmented into software, hardware, and services. By mode of application, the global Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare market has been segmented into virtual nursing assistant, robot-assisted surgery, clinical trial, dosage error reduction, automated image diagnosis, and preliminary diagnosis. Among these, the robot-assisted surgery segment is considered to hold the most significant share in the global market owing to the flexibility and high precision assured by robot-assisted surgeries while performing complex procedures. By mode of technology, the global Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare market has been segmented into querying method, machine learning, and natural language processing. Among these, the machine learning segment is considered to demonstrate the highest CAGR owing to the ability to handle multi-dimensional data while facilitating a reduction in the process time cycle. By mode of end-user, the global Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare market has been segmented into pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, hospital & diagnostic centers, and academic & research laboratories. Among these, the hospital & diagnostic centers segment holds the largest market share owing to the extensive application of healthcare AI in robotic surgeries and diagnostic imaging. Regional Insights Geographically, the Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare market span across regions namely, Europe, America, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. Among all the regions, America is predicted to dominate the global Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare market due to the growth witnessed in the biotechnology industry, presence of a developed healthcare sector, and rising cases of robotic surgeries. The European region has secured the second position across the globe and is considered to garner USD 3453.4 million during the appraisal period. The growth is attributed to the extensive research and development activities for healthcare AI. Also, increased funding is responsible for catalyzing the proliferation of the regional market. The Asia Pacific region is predicted to strike a relatively higher CAGR owing to the increasing therapeutic demand for chronic diseases coupled with the fast-developing healthcare sector. Browse Full Reports with Table and Figures Respectively @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/upcoming-reports/Healthcare-artificial-intelligence-market-5681 Industry Updates December 25, 2018: By harnessing digital health data, artificial intelligence, and deep learning, Shefayim-based health care start-up Zebra Medical Vision is aiming towards identifying the exotic diagnoses; the zebras by offering radiologists with high-performance algorithms in order to identify accurately and prevent breast, lung, cardiovascular, liver, and bone diseases. Contact Us: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India Phone: +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Contraceptives are the drugs or devices which not only inhibit pregnancy but also sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). In addition to this, contraception is deliberate prevention of pregnancy by interfering with the normal process of ovulation, fertilization and implantation through the use of barriers, drugs, medical devices or surgical techniques. Advance Market Analytics published a new research publication on Global Contraceptives Market Insights, to 2025 with 189 pages and enriched with self-explained Tables and charts in presentable format. In the Study you will find new evolving Trends, Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities generated by targeting market stakeholders. The growth of the Contraceptives market is mainly driven by the increasing R&D spending across the world. Some of the key players profiled in the study are Merck & Co. (United States), Cipla Inc. (India), Allergan Plc. (Ireland), Bayer AG (Germany), GlaxoSmithKline Plc. (United Kingdom), HLL Lifecare Limited (India), Mankind Pharma (India), Pfizer Inc. (United States), Amgen (United States), Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (Israel), Mithra Pharmaceuticals (Belgium) and Johnson & Johnson (United States) etc. According to AMA, the market for Contraceptives is expected to register a CAGR of 7.4% during the forecast period to 2024. Scope of the Report of Contraceptives Get Free Exclusive PDF Sample Copy of This Research @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/6756-global-contraceptives-market Market Drivers Rise in Menstruating Population Worldwide, and Encouragement by Government to Use Contraceptives. Market Trend Increasingly Causing Working Class Women to Postpone Pregnancy in Both Developed and Developing Economies Restraints The Side Effects Associated with the Use of Contraceptive Drugs and Devices Opportunities Rising Numbers of New HIV Infections Patients Across the Globe and Increasing User Awareness Challenges Rising Prevalence of Infertility The Contraceptives Market report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, geography segment, end use/application segment and competitor segment and manufacturing technology. Then, the report explores the international major industry players in detail. According to the Regional Segmentation the Contraceptives Market provides the Information covers following regions: *North America *South America *Asia & Pacific *Europe *MEA (Middle East and Africa) The key countries in each region are taken into consideration as well, such as United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Germany, United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Turkey, Russia, France, Poland, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Australia and New Zealand etc. Have Any Questions Regarding Global Contraceptives Market Report, Ask Our Experts@ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/enquiry-before-buy/6756-global-contraceptives-market The titled segments and sub-section of the market are illuminated below: The Study Explore the Product Types of Contraceptives Market: Oral Contraceptive Pills, Contraceptive Injectable, Topical Contraceptive Patch Key Applications/end-users of Global Contraceptives Market: Hospitals, Homecare, Gynecology Centers, Clinics, Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASC) Medical Devices: Male Contraceptives Devices (Condoms), Female contraceptive devices (Female Condoms) Top Players in the Market are: Merck & Co. (United States), Cipla Inc. (India), Allergan Plc. (Ireland), Bayer AG (Germany), GlaxoSmithKline Plc. (United Kingdom), HLL Lifecare Limited (India), Mankind Pharma (India), Pfizer Inc. (United States), Amgen (United States), Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (Israel), Mithra Pharmaceuticals (Belgium) and Johnson & Johnson (United States) etc List of players also available in Coverage: Glenmark Pharmaceuticals (India) , Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc. (India) , Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (India) , Piramal Healthcare Limited (India) Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/reports/6756-global-contraceptives-market Strategic Points Covered in Table of Content of Global Contraceptives Market: Chapter 1: Introduction, market driving force product Objective of Study and Research Scope the Contraceptives market Chapter 2: Exclusive Summary the basic information of the Contraceptives Market. Chapter 3: Displaying the Market Dynamics- Drivers, Trends and Challenges of the Contraceptives Chapter 4: Presenting the Contraceptives Market Factor Analysis Porters Five Forces, Supply/Value Chain, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent/Trademark Analysis. Chapter 5: Displaying the by Type, End User and Region 2013-2018 Chapter 6: Evaluating the leading manufacturers of the Contraceptives market which consists of its Competitive Landscape, Peer Group Analysis, BCG Matrix & Company Profile Chapter 7: To evaluate the market by segments, by countries and by manufacturers with revenue share and sales by key countries in these various regions. Chapter 8 & 9: Displaying the Appendix, Methodology and Data Source Finally, Contraceptives Market is a valuable source of guidance for individuals and companies. Buy the Latest Detailed Report @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/buy-now?format=1&report=6756 Contact Us: Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager) AMA Research & Media LLP Unit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJ New Jersey USA 08837 Phone: +1 (206) 317 1218 sales@advancemarketanalytics.com Executive Summary A comprehensive research report created through extensive primary research (inputs from industry experts, companies, stakeholders) and secondary research, the report aims to present the analysis Global Blood Plasma Market. The report analyses the Blood Plasma Market By Type (Immunoglobulins- IV+SC, Albumin, Factor VIII- Plasma Derived, and Others), By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Rest of the World) and By Country (U.S, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, China, Japan, India, Australia, and South-East Asia). The report on Blood Plasma assesses the market for the actual period of 2013-2017 and the forecast period of 2018-2023. According to research report Global Blood Plasma Market Analysis By Type (Immunoglobulins IV+SC, Albumin, Factor VIII Plasma Derived), By Region, By Country (2018 Edition): Opportunities and Forecast (2013-2023), the global blood plasma market is projected to display a robust growth represented by a CAGR of 10.18% during 2018 2023. The Blood Plasma market witness a substantial growth at a noteworthy rate over the past few years and anticipated to grow on the back of its increasing usage in plasma-derived medical products. In addition, rise in awareness towards plasma donation, rise of China blood plasma industry, introduction of new and specialized products, rising geriatric population, rapid increase of the healthcare expenditure on the diseases such as immunodeficiency, neurological disorders, clotting disabilities etc. anticipated to boost the market growth in future. Amongst the regions, North America accounts for the largest regional share in the global blood plasma market. Key factor driving the robust growth rate in North America region is collection of source plasma in large volume for the fractionation process. The report titled Global Blood Plasma Market Analysis By Type (Immunoglobulins IV+SC, Albumin, Factor VIII Plasma Derived), By Region, By Country (2018 Edition): Opportunities and Forecast (2013-2023) has covered and analysed the potential of Global Blood Plasma Market and provides statistics and information on market size, shares and growth factors. The report intends to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help decision makers take sound investment evaluation. Besides, the report also identifies and analyses the emerging trends along with major drivers, challenges and opportunities in the global blood ingredients market. Additionally, the report also highlights market entry strategies for various companies across the globe. Scope of the Report Global Blood Plasma Market (Actual Period: 2013-2017, Forecast Period: 2018-2023) Blood Plasma Market Size, Growth, Forecast Analysis By Type- Size, Volume, Growth, Forecast o Immunoglobulin (IV+SC) o Albumin o Factor VIII (Plasma Derived) Request Free Sample Report at https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3501441-global-blood-plasma-market-analysis-by-type-immunoglobulins Regional Markets North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World (Actual Period: 2013-2017, Forecast Period: 2018-2023) Blood Plasma Market Size, Growth, Forecast Analysis By Type o Immunoglobulin (IV+SC) o Albumin o Factor VIII (Plasma Derived) Country Analysis U.S., Canada, Germany, France, Italy, China, Japan, India, Australia, and South-East Asia. (Actual Period: 2013-2017, Forecast Period: 2018-2023) Blood Plasma Market Size, Growth, Forecast Analysis By Type o Immunoglobulin (IV+SC) o Albumin o Factor VIII (Plasma Derived) Other Report Highlights Market Dynamics Drivers and Restraints Market Trends Porter Five Forces Analysis Company Analysis CSL Limited, Baxter International, Grifols S.A, Octa Pharma, Emergent Bio-solutions, Antaris Pharma, AMAG Pharma, Biota Pharma, Bio delivery Science International, Biotest A.G. Customization of the Report The report could be customized according to the clients specific research requirements. No additional cost will be required to pay for limited additional research. Table of contents Research Methodology Executive Summary Strategic Recommendations Global Blood Plasma Market: Product Outlook Global Blood Plasma Market: Growth and Forecast Global Blood Plasma Market Size, By Type: Breakdown (%) Global Blood Plasma Market: Regional Analysis Global Blood Plasma Market Dynamics Blood Plasma Market: Policy and Regulatory Landscape Global Blood Plasma Market: Supply Chain Analysis Porters Five Forces Analysis 12 Company Profiles About Us: Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Contact Us: NORAH TRENT sales@wiseguyreports.com Ph: +1-646-845-9349 (US) Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK) The Sleeping Bruxism Treatment Market report offers immense growth opportunities across developing as well as developed economies. The research report intends to provide factors influencing the Sleeping Bruxism Treatment Market and gain all possible information with respect to market. The analysis of reports gives a satisfactory result to the user. Segments for Global Sleeping Bruxism Treatment Market MRFRs report states that the sleeping bruxism treatment market is segmented on the basis of type, diagnosis, treatment type, cause, patient type, and end-user. By type, the market is segmented into primary bruxism and secondary bruxism. The secondary bruxism segment accounted for the largest market share in 2017. Increasing sleep disorders, growing consumption of medicines which lead to dental side effects, and changing lifestyle due to stress can fuel the growth of the secondary bruxism segment. By treatment, the market is segmented on the basis of dental approaches and medication. The dental approaches segment is divided into mouth guard and NTI-tss device. The medication segment is sub-segmented on the basis of muscle relaxants, Botox injections, and anti-anxiety drugs. By cause, the global sleeping bruxism treatment market is segmented on the basis of obstructive sleep apnea, sleep paralysis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), malocclusion, and others. Among these, the obstructive sleep apnea segment is estimated to be worth USD 233.20 million by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 7.0% during the forecast period. To Get Free Sample Report visit https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5422 Pediatric and adult are two major segments under patient type. The pediatric segment held the largest market share in 2017. Prevalence of hyperactivity among children, growing anger issues, increasing pain from earache and teething, and even growing stress has fueled the growth of pediatric segment. The end-users in the global sleeping bruxism treatment market are hospitals, dental clinics, and others. The end-users in the market are growing rapidly and will continue to grow at the same pace throughout the forecast period. The number of dental clinics has increased owing to growing awareness among patients regarding bruxism, government funding, and increasing number of dentists opening up standalone clinics. Sleeping Bruxism Treatment Market Overview The latest report by Market Research Future (MRFR) affirms that the Global Sleeping Bruxism Treatment Market is set to accrue USD 638.22 million at 6.7% CAGR during the forecast period (20182023). This growth can be put down to growing prevalence of dental diseases and consequently growing dental procedures coupled with growing funding and healthcare insurance coverage across the globe. Moreover, changing lifestyle, elevating demand for affordable healthcare delivery systems, rapid health insurance penetration, mergers and acquisitions to reach untapped markets, and government initiatives trigger the global market growth. Also, aging population and stressful lives led by a large population have an influence on the market. However, restraining factor such as expensive treatment may hinder the market growth to some level. On the flip side, several types of research and tests are being conducted to enhance treatment for sleep bruxism. Various methods such as drug therapy, behavioral therapy, custom dental and mouth guards are being developed to find out the most effective treatment procedure for sleeping bruxism. These researches help upgrade the treatment procedures, thus leading to market growth. One of the most popular trends creating waves in sleeping bruxism treatment market is treating patient with behavior therapy. It involves the patient practicing proper jaw and mouth positions. The patient can also rest the tongue up with teeth apart and closed lips, which will counteract grinding. Key Players for Global Sleeping Bruxism Treatment Market Market Research Future (MRFR) recognizes the following companies as the key players in Sleeping Bruxism Treatment Market: There are plenty of large and small market players which operate in this market all over the globe. The key players competing in the market are S4S Dental Laboratory, Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., Merz Pharma GmbH & Co. KGaA, Carestream Dental, Ivoclar Vivadent AG, Randmark and Dental Products LLC. Regional Analysis for Global Sleeping Bruxism Treatment Market The Americas market accounted for 39.1% share in 2017 in the sleeping bruxism treatment market. Factors such as rising stress and anxiety among the population have led to this market growth. Rising government funding and growing healthcare insurance coverage also contribute to the markets expansion in the region. Europe is the second largest market owing to growing cases of sleeping bruxism. High economy, growing dental awareness, growing number of dental clinics and healthcare infrastructure aid in market growth in the region. A large number of people also suffer from sleep disorders, snoring and irregular breathing which gives rise to sleeping bruxism, driving the market progress in the area. On the other hand, Asia Pacific will observe steady growth due to rapid adoption of sophisticated healthcare technology, rapid economic growth, massive population size, and rise in investments in the healthcare sector. The pediatric population is growing tremendously which also shapes the market size positively. Furthermore, elevating awareness in terms of sleep bruxism and rapidly growing dental industry in countries such as China, India, Japan, and South Korea can spur overall market demand. The Middle East & Africa market will experience sluggish growth as there is less exposure to the healthcare services along with lack of awareness about sleeping bruxism. To Browse Complete Report visit https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/sleeping-bruxism-treatment-market-5422 Some Brief Table of Contents of Report Chapter 1. Report Prologue Chapter 2. Market Introduction 2.1 Definition 2.2 Scope Of The Study 2.2.1 Research Objective 2.2.2 Assumptions 2.2.3 Limitations Chapter 3. Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Primary Research 3.3 Secondary Research 3.4 Market Size Estimation Chapter 4. Market Dynamics 4.1 Drivers 4.2 Restrains 4.3 Opportunities 4.4 Challenges 4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators 4.6 Technology Trends & Assessment Chapter 5. Market Factor Analysis 5.1 Porters Five Forces Analysis 5.1.1 Bargaining Power Of Suppliers TOC Continued Do You Have Specific Requirement? Ask To Our Experts https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/5422 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Statistical Report, Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Us: Market Research Future Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India Phone: +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer @mahoney_sarah, March 25, 2019 Now that were all kinda bored with how fast formerly all-digital brands are opening physical stores, its worth wondering when its time to say Whoa. Indochino, the made-to-measure mens apparel company, plans to have 50 showrooms open by the end of the year. Casper has 20. Warby Parker is now up to 100. Does opening more stores which usually means sinking considerable cash into pricey rents, long-term leases and at least some amount of inventory make financial sense? Especially at a time when mainstream retailers like Macys, JC Penney and even Nordstrom are closing down stores, looking for more efficient ways to build their digital business? Maybe. I think of it as retail 2.0, says Jeff Greenfield, COO of C3 Metrics, an attribution platform based in Portsmouth, N.H. For these D2C companies, its all an experiment. Theyre trying to get attention for their brands, and above all, to gain a one-to-one relationship with everyone who comes in. Thats not true of a Kohls or a Walmart. Because its all about collecting data, at least theoretically, these stores arent governed by the same brutal sales-per-square foot math traditional stores face. For them, location, location, location translates to a different kind of prospecting. They look for sites with high concentrations of trendsetters, ecommerce devotees and even international visitors. It has to do with visibility, Greenfield says. Maybe. But while that explains why Warby Parker has stores in Venice, Calif., and Cambridge, Mass., it does little to illuminate what theyre getting from their shops in places like Indianapolis and Oklahoma City. Greenfield thinks these companies see stores as a shorter-term strategy, and that theyll vaporize once a D2C company feels its sufficiently mined any given zip code. By then, theyll have turned neighborhood browsers into established e-customers. Its cheaper to serve these customers via internet channels, and likely, more convenient for shoppers, too. So D2C companies will be pushed into deciding whether [their] money is better spent on physical retail locations, or other ways of generating demand, like national TV, says Greenfield. I believe him. And as the reality of those pricey rents starts to eat into venture funds, I suspect well see more companies follow Birchboxs lead. The D2C pioneer, which sold a minority stake to Walgreens last year, quietly closed its Soho, New York City shop back in December, while opening more Birchbox locations within Walgreens stores. (Its already up to 11 stores.) And with the general sense of excitement surrounding upcoming IPOs, its likely that the freewheeling growth is good mantra will be followed by investors chanting show me the money. Very quickly, some of these companies are going to have to show they can be profitable, Greenfield says. But if asking how fast these storefronts can lead to D2C profits is a valid question, I think it makes just as much sense to ask the reverse: How soon can traditional brands adapt the D2C storefront model to generate brand buzz and customer acquisition? Whether its Nordstrom, expanding its Local concept, a service-heavy and practically inventory-free approach, or Procter & Gambles Tide, which is now up to 128 dry cleaning locations, legacy brands are trying new retail formats to capture some of that D2C buzz. Well just have to wait and see how soon profits and growth can meet in the middle. by Larissa Faw , March 25, 2019 Nick Brien CEO, Americas, Dentsu Aegis Network took the industry to task Monday at a 4As gathering in Washington, chastising media agencies for lagging behind in a fast-changing marketing landscape. There has been a fundamental shift in the balance of power" between brands and consumers, Brien said. "It has shifted and we are now in a consumer led world." And agencies arent responding well, Brien asserted. We are too passive. We are too slow to change. We have legacy structures and relationships. We are output-focused versus outcomes. We have an inefficient value proposition among a fragmented industry. We also are losing our creative edge. Consumers expect brands to be more and mean more, said Brien, citing research that shows 78% of consumers expect brands to bring social change. "Our challenge, collectively, is how do we live up to the greater expectations of consumers?" advertisement advertisement Brien shared the stage with peers Mat Baxter, global CEO, Initiative; Tim Castree, CEO, North America, GroupM; Erin Matts, CEO, Hearts & Science; and Jodi Robinson, president, Digitas North America to debate how to best address these issues facing media agencies. Baxter, for his part, believes the single most important thing for the industry to address is trust, or the lack thereof. "Without that, everything is fanciful dreams," he says. We need to move beyond mere lip service to regain trust because the things we are seeing in the wider industry, such as moving work in-house and bundling, are getting taken away from us because that trust is not there," says Baxter. But Robinson points out that Digitas parent company Publicis Groupe was cleared in all 35 audits conducted by clients. "How can we move beyond that issue?" she asks. Castree believes that trust will slowly return. But there are other pressing issues as well such as data and measurement and the development of new business models. Matts added that there needs to be a broader educational program to teach consumers about advertising. "We can be a force for good and for change," says Matts. by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, March 26, 2019 He began his first full day in office by declaring war on the media, and now the President is circulating an "enemies list" asking "the enemy of the people" to bar his most vociferous political opponents from speaking on their airwaves. In a memo first circulated in a tweet by Axios National Political Reporter Jonathan Swan, the reelection campaign's Director of Communications Tim Murtaugh asked TV news producers to bar: * Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) * Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) * Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) * Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) * DNC Chairman Tom Perez * Former CIA Director John Brennan The memo cites Attorney General William Barr's initial sum-up of the Special Counsel's investigation of the President's campaign ties to Russia as proof that his enemies -- who mostly are members of Congress responsible for providing oversight of the President -- lied to the American people and that if they do appear on their news programs, the producers "should replay the prior statements and challenge them to provide the evidence which promoted them to make the wild claims in the first place." advertisement advertisement My first reaction was that this felt like it was part of a prepared campaign strategy to seize on the White House's spin that Barr's summation is the final word, and in the words of the President himself, a "complete and total exoneration," even though Barr's summary included a statement from Special Counsel Robert Mueller saying explicitly that the investigation "does not exonerate him." In other words, the President entered the post-Barr part of his term the way he began the first part: by lying. My second reaction is that the reelection campaign's request to blacklist the President's political opponents is part of a much bigger disinformation campaign that may be the envy of the counter intelligence community. Time will tell what the Special Counsel's investigation actually found, not what the President's hand-picked Attorney General asserts, but the tactics being employed by the White House and the reelection campaign are straight out of the GRU. Trump's campaign may not have actively colluded with Russia, but it's reelection campaign, at least, has studied Russia's tradecraft well, especially its use of so-called "active measures" to attack political opponents by sowing disinformation that creates division within society. What surprises me most isn't that the White House would try to spin Barr's spin, it is the brazen and outlandish way they are doing it. It's more than a war on media. It's more like a war on reality, even if the media are the conduit for it. "The bottom line is that Donald Trump would love to run against the news media," Washington Post Associate Editor David Ignatius observed on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Tuesday morning, adding, "We are his favorite target. And in some ways, we are his most successful target. Beating us up, seems to work. We have a lot of enemies out there. "It's branding for him," added "Morning Joe" co-anchor Mika Brzezinski. "I just think we need to avoid taking the bait," Ignatius added, suggesting, "There are so many important issues facing the country. Hes going to want to make this a daily circus about how terrible the press is. Memo To TV News Producers: Take Ignatius' advice. Don't take the bait. by Ray Schultz , March 26, 2019 The Trump campaign has wasted no time in getting out fundraising emails hailing his exoneration by the Mueller report. The subject line says "NO COLLUSION OR OBSTRUCTION," then asks for donation of $5 or more, according to reports. Promising to quadruple-match any donations, the email seems to imply that the President will personally review the email donor list. My campaign will send me a list of everyone who donates at this critical moment, it says. I know Ill see you on there, Friend. The email was sent after Sundays release of Attorney General Barrs four-page synopsis of the long-awaited Mueller report. Barrs letter to Congress states that Mueller found no evidence of collusion with Russians trying to influence the 2019 campaign an apparent political victory for Trump. However, the report does not exonerate on the obstruction of justice issue, although Barr and Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein found no evidence of obstruction. advertisement advertisement The email and corresponding text messages were sent amid a report that says Republican operatives seek to prevent Trump from raiding the donor lists in GOPs new fund-raising tool called WINRED. The new tool is a small-dollar donation machine designed to match the Democrats small-dollar juggernaut, according to Yahoo News. The brains behind the project say that donor and voter data will be safe against poaching by the Trump campaign. However, traditional conservatives are concerned that Trump operatives will gain backdoor access to donors, the story continues. Trumps email has the headline: WITCH HUNT INVESTIGATION CONCLUDED: NO COLLUSION OR OBSTRUCTION. One caustic observer tweeted: Why do these always read like they were written by a Nigerian prince? However, the Trump fund-raising team has been successful in generating contributions from supporters. The email reads as follows: Friend, After more than 2 YEARS and $25 MILLION taxpayer dollars spent, the Mueller report proves what I have been saying since Day One: NO COLLUSION, NO OBSTRUCTION COMPLETE EXONERATION. Democrats worked with the Fake News Media for 2 years orchestrating this Nasty Witch Hunt to use our government as a weapon to take away the votes of 63 MILLION Americans. After they lied to the American people, Nancy Pelosi, Democratic leadership and all of the 2019 Democratic candidates raised MILLIONS of dollars off of their phony Witch Hunt! Democrats and the Fake News media have proven that there is no line they wont cross, so we need to fight back BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER BEFORE. Thats why I am activating a short-term QUADRUPLE MATCH for my best supporters only, the ones who stood by my side through the entire Witch Hunt. My campaign will send me a list of everyone who donated at this critical moment. I know Ill see you on there, Friend. Please make a contribution of $5 before 11:59 TONIGHT and your gift will be QUADRUPLE-MATCHED. by Sara Guaglione , March 26, 2019 Say hello to the new and improved Texture app. Apple has launched a platform to access editorial content from a range of publishers, dubbed Apple News+. Over 300 magazines and newspapers have signed up to partner with the service, which is built out from the Texture app often called the Netflix of magazines acquired by Apple last year. Users pay $9.99 a month, with the first month free, in the U.S. and Canada, to access content from big publishers like The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, National Geographic, theSkimm, Vox, Vulture, New York, TechCrunch, Grub Street and many Conde Nast media brands, such as Vogue, The New Yorker and Wired. It will allow users to get behind the paywall many of those publishers have put up to increase subscription revenue and diversify publishers' businesses, given digital advertising's struggle to keep up with declines in print ad revenue. In a memo to staff, Wall Street Journal publisher William Lewis said: Our product offering for Apple News+ is designed to drive scale among new readers. WSJ will likely give Apple News+ subscribers access to only three days of its content archive, with the rest exclusive to its full digital subscribers. Notably, The New York Times and The Washington Post are not part of the service. Mark Thompson, CEO The New York Times, warned that "relying on third-party distribution can be dangerous for publishers who risk losing control over their own product," reports Reuters. We tend to be quite leery about the idea of almost habituating people to find our journalism somewhere else. Apple will reportedly take as much as a 50% cut in revenue made on the News+ platform. It will include advertising, but Apple lets publishers keep 100% of the ad revenue for ads they sell against their content, according to Axios. Editors will choose what news sources and articles to surface on the Apple News+ app. Algorithms will prioritize engagement. However, it is unclear if subscribers will have full access to all the publisher partners content. Lewis wrote in the memo to staff: "WSJ members will continue to have exclusive access to the rich business reporting and analysis about which they are so passionate. Apple News+ introduces an entirely new category of readers who will have the opportunity to experience a specially curated collection of general interest news from The Wall Street Journal. As a result, our newsroom will grow. Business articles can be found by searching on the Apple News+ app, but mostly general interest news is surfaced to Plus subscribers. Despite other publishers' reservations about jumping onto a new platform and giving away content at a fraction of a full subscription cost, WSJ editor-in-chief Matt Murray assured staff: The Apple venture is about more people seeing and paying for our journalism. Apple has the potential to push that further and farther, and at a much faster rate than we have experienced before. That's an incredible opportunity." The platform has the potential to bring in millions of new readers. Los Angeles Times owner and executive chairman Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong has a similar belief in the Apple News+ app. We have every confidence the Apple affiliation will spur the growth of our digital subscriptions," he stated. Lewis added The Wall Street Journals collaboration with Apple will also extend to areas like video, voice, market data and AI, and announcements will come in the following weeks and months. WSJ will hire several dozen people in the coming weeks, including reporters in politics, U.S. news and features, as well as editors. More platforms and more audiences mean a greater need to deepen coverage to serve all types of readers," he noted. Jennifer Hicks has been promoted to editor of news partnerships at The Wall Street Journal. She will determine the daily lineup on the Apple News+ platform. The Wall Street Journal had 1.71 million digital subscribers at the end of 2018. by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, March 26, 2019 Omnicom Media Group agency OMD US has named George Manas president, chief media officer, effective April 1. The role is new and will make Manas, 36, the second-highest-ranking executive at the agency behind CEO John Osborn, to whom he reports. Manas joins the agency -- top-ranked in the U.S. by billings and market share according to COMvergence -- from performance marketing agency Resolution Media, where he was president. Resolution is also part of Omnicom, and has previously partnered with OMD on performance marketing related assignments for clients. The appointment follows OMDs recent decision to integrate performance marketing, data science, and platform management capabilities at the account team level. Manas will oversee (and is tasked with accelerating) OMDs digital capabilities across all planning, investment, data and analytics and agency operations platforms. advertisement advertisement As OMD continues to advance its digital and data-driven future at the core, we need expanded expertise at the leadership level Osborn said. In his role as OMDs performance marketing partner [at Resolution], George has been singularly agile and effective in creating platform solutions that drive business results for our clients and propel the relevancy of our go-to-market offer. Manas joined Resolution Media in 2011 as a team lead and chief strategy officer before being named president in 2016. Under his leadership, annual revenue grew at double-digit rates and the agency expanded beyond its New York and Chicago operations, adding offices in Dallas and Charlotte. During his tenure, Resolution secured partnerships across multiple platforms, including first-to-market access to premium programmatic video and connected TV offerings on Amazon FireTV. Most recently he has led the agencys expansion into ecommerce and newer marketing channels such as voice. by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, March 26, 2019 Well-documented changes to browser-based ad targeting across a swath of companies like Apple, Mozilla and Google prompted the IAB Tech Lab DigiTrust ID Working Group to sharply pivot its focus earlier this year. The group began digging "deeper into shared concerns by member companies related to ad targeting through web browsers such as Safari, Firefox and Chrome. The DigiTrust ID Working Group, now talking publicly about its focus, formed a smaller unit consisting of privacy attorneys and technology influencers to determine how to address these changes and the next steps to take, said Jordan Mitchell, senior vice president and operations for the IAB Tech Lab. Theres general consensus on how to address the changes that these browser companies made and continue to make, Mitchell said. We recognize that consumer trust must be at the center of everything. IAB Tech Lab, which develops technical standards for the advertising industry, created the DigiTrust ID Working Group in August 2018, with the first meeting following in September. advertisement advertisement The focus began with creating specifications around the return on investment for the standardized identifier used in ad targeting, along with ways that companies can adopt the technology as the industry changes. Between 250 and 300 employees from a variety of brands, publishers and ad-tech companies will collaborate on building standards. The change in focus began early in 2019. Its pretty clear what browsers have been doing during the last several years because of the limitations of HTTP and the proliferation of JavaScript on the pages that consumers visit and the ill effects, Jordan said. The types of changes to which Mitchell refers points to a similar group, Identity Standards, which the IAB Tech Lab created in 2017. The group developed workarounds for Apples Intelligent Tracker Prevention, which reduced the value of advertising impressions that serve up on mobile and desktop in Safari. We dont work with the browsers today, but that would be a wonderful next step, he said. We realize consumer trust must be at the center of everything we do. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, March 26, 2019 President Donald Trump doesn't violate the First Amendment when he blocks critics on Twitter, because he is acting in a personal capacity, and not a governmental one, a Department of Justice attorney told federal appellate judges Tuesday. If there's no state action, there can't be a constitutional violation, Justice Department lawyer Jennifer Utrecht told 2nd Circuit Judges Peter Hall, Barrington Parker Jr., and Christopher F. Droney during a hearing in New York Tuesday morning. The Justice Department is asking the 2nd Circuit to reverse an opinion by U.S. District Court Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald, who ruled last year that Trump engages in unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination when he blocks critics. advertisement advertisement Utrecht acknowledged at the hearing that Trump uses Twitter to make official statements, but said he doesn't act in an official capacity when he blocks people. Certainly there is speech made from @realDonaldTrump account regularly that does constitute official statements, but that does not change the nature of blocking, she said. Some of the judges on the panel appeared skeptical of the Justice Department's argument stance. Are you seriously urging us to believe that the president is not acting in his official capacity when he is tweeting? Parker asked Utrecht. Parker added that Twitter users can engage in a worldwide dialogue on public matters. What the blocking does ... is subtract from that discussion points of view that the president doesn't like, he said. Why isn't that just a quintessential First Amendment violation? The legal battle dates to 2017, when the Knight Institute at Columbia University sued Trump on behalf of seven critics who were blocked by him on Twitter. The organization argued that Trump was violating the critics' free speech rights. Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight Institute, told the judges that online platforms are comparable to public forums like town halls, where the government can't engage in viewpoint discrimination. Public officials across the country now use social media to communicate with and to hear from their constituents, he said. And these social media accounts often serve the same purposes as forums like city counsel meetings or school board meetings or town halls. Jaffer also asked the judges to reject the Justice Department's argument that Trump uses Twitter in an official capacity when he posts policy statements, but acts in a private capacity when he blocks people. I'm not sure that these two things can be separated in that way, Jaffer said, adding that the users represented by the Knight Institute were blocked after disagreeing with Trump's official policy positions. One of them was blocked after he complained about the president's immigration policies, another was blocked after complaining about health care policies, Jaffer said. Even if you focus myopically on the reasons why the individuals were blocked in this case, they were blocked for having criticized the president about his policies. The battle over Trump's Twitter account is only one of several recent rights over public officials' use of social media. In one high-profile example, earlier this year the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that an official from Loudon County, Virginia violated a constituent's rights by briefly banning him on Facebook. In that matter, Phyllis Randall, chair of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, banned county resident Brian Davison after he made a post on Randall's page about alleged corruption and conflicts of interests at the local school board. This is some of the first research investigating links between exposure to chemical mixtures present in the indoor environment and metabolic health of children living in those homes, emphasizes Kassotis. Kassotis presented these findings yesterday at ENDO 2019 , the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, which was held in New Orleans, LA. Now, a study led by Christopher Kassotis, Ph.D., from Duke Universitys Nicholas School of the Environment, in Durham, NC, has found evidence suggesting that household dust may promote the development of fat cells. Why? Because this dust can contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Many plastics, for instance, contain phthalates , which are endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Such substances are sometimes present in household cleaning products, and even in objects that we use on a daily basis. In recent years, researchers and international policymakers have expressed concerns about the effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals , a class of substances that can interfere with the functioning of the endocrine or hormone system. Researchers have found that the dust in our households may harbor numerous chemicals that may accelerate the development of fat cells, potentially contributing to obesity. Kassotis and the team took their cue from existing research that indicates a connection between exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and impaired lipid (fat) regulation in animal models. This evidence ties in with that of other studies, which have suggested that the mechanism may contribute to the development of obesity in humans. For the current research, Kassotis and the team collected samples of household dust from 194 houses in central North Carolina, with the aim of studying the effect of the dusts chemical components on the inhabitants metabolic health. To do this, the investigators first extracted the chemical substances from the dust samples. Then, they tested the substances effects in vitro, specifically trying to find out whether the chemical mixtures would prompt the development of fat cells. The researchers report that even very low concentrations of the chemicals present in the dust samples did, indeed, promote the growth of precursor fat cells (from which adult fat cells develop) and, consequently, fat cell growth. This discovery is particularly concerning because, according to estimates from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), children most likely ingest between 60 and 100 milligrams of dust and soil per day. We found that two-thirds of dust extracts were able to promote fat cell development and half [could] promote precursor fat cell proliferation at 100 micrograms, or approximately 1,000 times lower levels than what children consume on a daily basis, notes Kassotis. In total, the researchers identified the presence of over 100 different chemicals in samples of household dust, and about 70 of these substances demonstrated a role in the growth of fat cells. Around 40 of the chemicals played a role in the development of precursor fat cells. This suggests that mixtures of chemicals occurring in the indoor environment might be driving these effects. Christopher Kassotis, Ph.D. Moreover, the researchers say that several of the chemicals that induced the growth of fat cells were present at elevated levels in the dust samples collected from homes inhabited by children who were either overweight or obese. At present, Kassotis and the team are trying to take this initial research further and find more specific information about the potential relationship between the ingredients of common household products and the development of metabolic conditions. More than 70% of children who lost parents and caregivers are 13 or younger; Communities of Color have been affected the most; Coalition calls for urgent public and private action to help COVID-bereaved children WASHINGTON , Dec. 9, 2021 ... One thousand days after a majority of voters decided that the United Kingdom should leave the European Union, it is still not clear if, how or when this is going to happen. The result of the June 2016 referendum delivered a huge shock to the British establishment. This came after the peoples of Britain and Northern Ireland had been urged to remain in the EU by the Tory-led coalition government, all the mainstream political parties, the main business organizations, the Bank of England, most trade union leaders, many former diplomatic and military chiefs and even U.S. President Obama. The government and the pro-EU movement had also warned of dire economic, political and security consequences should people ignore their advice. Yet a clear majority of voters ignored that advice, demanding that the Westminster parliament should regain full sovereignty over the U.K.'s laws, borders and trade. Undoubtedly, too, many working-class electors saw the referendum as an opportunity to express their distrust of politicians, bankers and so-called "experts," and to oppose policies of austerity and privatization. Then as now, people were fed up with low incomes, deteriorating public services and a lack of decent, affordable housing. At the May 2017 General Election, both the Conservative and Labour parties pledged to implement the result of the EU referendum. So why has the quest for "Brexit" turned the referendum shock into a full-blown parliamentary and political crisis? Prime Minister Theresa May and Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond have been determined to carry out the wishes of their Business Advisory Council of top industrialists and financiers. These powerful forces proposed a "half-Brexit" whereby the U.K. would formally leave the EU while remaining tied to EU Single Market rules. These rules limit state intervention in the economy, while upholding the freedoms to move capital, labor and market operations across Europe in order to maximize corporate profits. Under the half-Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, concluded with the EU last year, the U.K. would remain part of the EU Single Market for most goods during a 20-month transition period. Many financial services would be excluded, enabling the City of London to escape the threat of mild EU regulation. Should no new permanent relationship be agreed, a "backstop" device would thereafter prevent the construction of a "hard border" between Northern Ireland and Ireland, and would lock the whole of the U.K. into a single market and customs arrangement with the EU, preventing future British governments from reaching their own international trade deals. Unfortunately for May, her Withdrawal Agreement has been rejected in two of the biggest defeats in British parliamentary history. Despite having legislated for the U.K. to leave the EU on March 29 ("Brexit Day"), a majority of MPs including most Labourites would prefer a quarter-Brexit or no Brexit at all, while a significant minority of Conservatives are still holding out for a full Brexit. Many opposition MPs want a second referendum in order to cancel Brexit, emboldened by a media campaign portraying the 17.4 million "Leave" voters as ignorant reactionaries, racists and nationalists, and forecasting catastrophe should Brexit go ahead. This has shifted public opinion marginally against Brexit, although there is less support for what the millionaire campaigners for a second referendum cynically call a "People's Vote." Now the EU heads of government keen to keep Britain aligned with the EU Single Market and Customs Union have offered the Westminster parliament a new range of options: first, approve the Withdrawal Agreement before March 29 and have until May 22 to legislate for a delayed Brexit Day; second, reject the agreement and leave the EU no later than April 12; third, seek a longer extension if the British government can "indicate a way forward" and take part in the European Parliament elections this May; or fourth, revoke "Article 50" and the decision to quit the EU. Given the British government's lack of preparation, leaving the EU with no Withdrawal Agreement would cause substantial, if temporary, disruption to trade with the EU. However, it would also mean no payment of a 49 billion "divorce bill" to the EU, and freedom for British governments to carry out their own economic, financial and labor policies. Many on the political left, as well as on the right, would be happy with this scenario. More likely is that MPs will either adopt the Withdrawal Agreement or delay Brexit still further to negotiate an amended quarter-Brexit. The latter course might allow time for a second referendum or General Election, resulting in a half- or quarter-Brexit or no Brexit at all. The main casualty of most scenarios could be the Labour Opposition, which increasingly appears to many working-class electors as an anti-Brexit party. Conversely, the main beneficiaries would be the far right, feeding on popular disillusionment and likely filling the anti-EU vacuum gifted to them by Labour. Robert Griffiths is former Senior Lecturer in Political Economy and History at the University of Wales and currently General Secretary of the Communist Party of Britain. Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. PROVIDENCE, R.I. March 26, 2019 Providence Rhode Island Joseph P. Marasco Rhode Island Massachusetts Connecticut Providence Rhode Island Joseph Marasco Donna Nesselbush /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Marasco & Nesselbush, a-based law firm specializing in cases involving Social Security disability, personal injury, and medical malpractice, announce today that the firm has been listed in the 2019 U.S. News & World Report Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms."Ranked firms, presented in tiers, are listed on a national and/or metropolitan scale. Receiving a tier designation reflects the high level of respect a firm has earned among other leading lawyers and clients in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism and their integrity.Marasco & Nesselbush, LLP received the U.S. News & World Report Best Law Firms ranking forlaw firms in Personal Injury Litigation Plaintiffs.Firms included in the 2019 "Best Law Firms" list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving the ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.The 2019 Edition of "Best Law Firms" includes rankings in 75 national practice areas and 122 metropolitan-based practice areas. A "Law Firm of the Year" is named in 74 of the 75 nationally ranked practice areas."We are honored to once again be recognized by U.S. News & World Report Best Lawyers Best Law Firms," said, Partner. "This honor is indicative of our attorneys' commitment to providing exceptional client service and extraordinary legal results."About Marasco & Nesselbush Marasco & Nesselbush, LLP is a New England law firm dedicated to providing extraordinary legal results in the areas of personal injury, medical negligence, and Social Security disability in, and. Since 1999, Marasco & Nesselbush has helped thousands of disabled and injured individuals. The main office is located at 685 Westminster Street in. To learn more about Marasco & Nesselbush, LLP, please visit the firm's website at: http://www.M-N-Law.comOur History In April of 1999,andjoined hands as partners to establish the law firm of Marasco & Nesselbush. Today, their unwavering friendship, old-fashioned work ethic, their commitment to each other and to the pursuit of justice, all continue to propel the firm. In 1999, Joe and Donna established the firm with just one legal assistant. Blessed with success, Marasco & Nesselbush has grown impressively over the years, today boasting an accomplished array of attorneys and dedicated support staff.Our Values Hard work, honesty, intelligence and integrity are the hallmarks at Marasco & Nesselbush. Our unwavering commitment is to quality legal work, attention to detail and extraordinary results. Our legal assistants and attorneys treat each client with dignity, respect, kindness and compassion, while we work vigorously to advocate and favorably resolve your case. When we accept a case, we strive for nothing short of extraordinary results for each client.SOURCE Marasco & Nesselbush Study Background In 2016, there were over 110,000 women in federal and state prisons across USA 75 percent of the above women were in the age group 18-44 years As per a 2004 BJS survey, 3 percent of women in federal prisons and 4 percent of women in state prisons were pregnant at the time of imprisonment The 2004 BJS survey data only took into consideration self-reported pregnancies Study Objective Study Procedure Prison administration was contacted for participating in the study Approval for the participation of federal prisons was granted by the US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Prisons Approval for the participation of state prisons was granted by the US State Departments of Corrections A 'Site Reporter' was appointed for each prison to collect data on pregnant women and pregnancy outcomes on a monthly basis Information on the following parameters was collected: Live births Miscarriages Stillbirths Preterm births Abortions Maternal deaths Monthly data were sent by site reporters to the Johns Hopkins researchers through a secure, web-based program called Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) Johns Hopkins research staff assessed the data for any inaccuracies and made the necessary corrections 43 percent of site reporters were interviewed by the researchers to cross-check the accuracy and quality of the submitted data Study Findings 1,396 pregnant women were imprisoned in 22 state and all federal prisons across the US during the study period (2016-2017) The above prisons contained 57 percent of all imprisoned women in the US During the women's incarceration, there were 753 live births 6 percent of live births were preterm (10% in the general population) 30 percent of live births were delivered by Cesarean section (31.9% in the general population) Statistics on other pregnancy outcomes include the following: Miscarriages - 46 Abortions - 11 Stillbirths - 4 Newborn deaths - 3 Maternal deaths - 0 (Annual national figures: >700 maternal deaths) Reasons for variation of preterm birth rates between prisons include the following: Pre-incarceration health conditions Access to prenatal care Availability of food and shelter Access to illegal drugs Access to quality healthcare varied between prisons. So, the data are not generalizable for states that didn't participate in the study Pregnancy outcomes varied widely between states Study Limitations Stage of pregnancy at the time of imprisonment Size of the prisons Prison policies on pregnancy testing Type of hospital used for delivery of babies Quality of living conditions in prisons Pregnancy statistics from the other 28 state prison systems (including New York, Florida and California - the largest) Demographic data on age and ethnicity Future Plans Concluding Remarks Advertisement Pregnancy Outcomes in US Prisons, 2016-2017 - (https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2019.305006) says Sufrin.The study was based on the only dataset available on the prevalence of pregnancy in US prisons, which was collected by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). Interestingly, all current national health statistics totally excluded data from prisons, thereby contributing to the paucity of information on maternal health and childbirths in US prisons. The major background information obtained from the BJS includes the following:The study was aimed at reducing the above information gap by gathering data on pregnant women and pregnancy outcomes in 22 state and all federal prison systems across the US over a span of one year (2016-2017).The study procedure involved the following steps:The major findings of the study are indicated below:says Sufrin.She adds:Information is lacking on the following important aspects:The research team plans to gather demographic data, as well as information on patient experiences by conducting one-on-one interviews. They also plan to assess the quality of maternity care in prisons.The research team is optimistic that this study will be instrumental in developing guidelines for tracking pregnant women and improving their antenatal healthcare in prisons across the US.says Sufrin,Source: Medindia Amidst the heat of elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been accused of stealing a template for its party's new website. A start-up, W3Layouts, has alleged that the party used their template but deliberately removed the backlink. W3Layouts also alleged that the party had removed the code wherever W3Layouts' name was mentioned as soon as the matter was brought to light. The company published a blog post explaining the matter and even posted a series of tweets exposing the whole debacle. Why Removed author information from css ?? But it is available at https://t.co/PyHj2HymCG pic.twitter.com/Nih9cFJe85 W3layouts (@W3layouts) March 22, 2019 While the visible backlinks were removed, it was clear that BJP was still using the W3Layouts code as it was evident in the source code of the page, one of the tweets said. After a few days of back-and-forth banter, BJP decided to take down the code from their website. In response, the party said, It was a free-to-use application. Their code was dropped after they insisted on a backlink, as it is not something we do in the normal course. We had in fact offered to mention their name but since it didn't find favour, we preferred to work with the alternate solution. We are not using their template. Twitter Although the matter has been settled with BJP dropping W3Layouts' template, the start-up founder stressed that the license agreement was clear. He said, You are not allowed to remove back-link to W3Layouts in a template unless you have paid for the template. Both the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have decided to remain tight-lipped on this matter. In fact, the PM has found himself facing flak for using selling #MainBhiChowkidar merchandise on his Twitter handle. Chinese President Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker met on Tuesday and agreed to strengthen China-European Union (EU) relations and global governance cooperation. Chinese President Xi Jinping (2nd L), French President Emmanuel Macron (2nd R), German Chancellor Angela Merkel (1st R) and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker attend the closing ceremony of a global governance forum co-hosted by China and France in Paris, France, March 26, 2019. (Photo: Xinhua/Ju Peng) The leaders met in the French capital on the sidelines of a global governance forum co-hosted by China and France. Noting the increasing volatility and uncertainty in the international situation with a rising tide of protectionism, Xi said China is willing to work with all parties to firmly uphold multilateralism, improve global governance and jointly address global challenges. China and Europe are two major forces in the world, and are important participants in and constructors of the economic globalization process, Xi said, adding that they share broad common interests. The Chinese president proposed that the two sides join efforts in three aspects. Firstly, they should together uphold multilateralism, Xi said, urging China and Europe to protect the status and authority of the United Nations (UN) and the international system with the UN at its core. China is willing to increase communication and cooperation with Europe within the framework of the UN, and actively strive for more achievements in resolving international disputes by political means, addressing climate change, promoting sustainable development and other fields, Xi said. Secondly, he proposed that China and Europe work to facilitate development and prosperity on the Eurasian continent. China is willing to continue to push forward the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative and the EU's Euro-Asian connectivity strategy, Xi said, adding that China will promote bilateral as well as third-party market cooperation to realize mutual benefits and win-win results for all parties. Thirdly, China and Europe should improve strategic mutual trust, he said. China has always regarded the EU as a strategic partner of cooperation and supported the EU's solidarity, stability and prosperity, Xi said. Stressing that China and Europe share far more common interests than differences, the Chinese president urged both sides to take the lead in upholding peace, development and win-win cooperation, and make the cake of cooperation bigger. China stands ready to work with European countries to promote the development of China-Europe ties, he said. Speaking of their meeting, Macron said it has sent a positive signal to the international community that the EU and China firmly uphold multilateralism. Meanwhile, France and China have inked a joint statement on jointly safeguarding multilateralism and improving global governance, which fully demonstrates the strategic nature of their cooperation, Macron said. France and the EU are willing to further enhance mutual trust with China, and together shoulder the historic responsibility of promoting world peace, security and development, he said. Noting that the world today is faced with many difficult problems regarding peace and development, Merkel underlined China's success and huge achievements in lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. Germany attaches importance to China's key role in international affairs, highly appreciates China's support for Europe's prosperity, and is willing to work with China to advance the process of multilateralism, she said. Juncker said the EU and China, as cooperation partners, could do great things together for the world. The EU stands ready to accelerate cooperation with China and play a positive role in jointly addressing global challenges, he said. Flash U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, marking a major shift in U.S. policy in the Middle East. The proclamation said that it is "appropriate to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights" because of the security need of Israel. "This was a long time in the making," Trump said before signing the decree at the White House with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu standing alongside. Netanyahu welcomed Trump's move over the Golan Heights, territory that Israel seized from Syria in 1967, and called the recognition "historic." "In a day of history, we have never had a greater friend than President Trump," he said. Trump expressed condolences to Netanyahu for the Gaza rocket attack and affirmed Israel's right to defend itself. The two leaders also discussed shared interests in the Middle East, according to the White House. Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in a war in 1967 and annexed it in the 1980s, but the international community has never recognized the move. In response, Syria's foreign ministry called the U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights as a "blatant attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Syria, according to the state news agency SANA. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric also said on Monday that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "clear that the status of Golan has not changed." Abdoulaye Magassouba told delegates to Fastmarkets 25th annual bauxite and alumina conference in Miami, on Tuesday March 26, that a key driver for his government was to ensure the integration of as much as possible of the mining sector into the general economy.Our main goal is to use mining to develop and diversify the rest of the economy, so that, in 10-20 years time, Guinea has a much larger gross domestic product [GDP] due to the contribution of the mining sector, he said.Magassouba referred to agriculture, transportation and technology as areas of the countrys economy that the government was seeking to develop. Guineas GDP rose on average by 10% in 2016 and 2017, compared with... Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Katrougalos is travelling to the United Arab Emirates today, 26 March, where he will be having contacts with the country's political leadership. More specifically, on Wednesday, 27 March, he will meet his counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, with whom he will discuss on recent international and regional developments, as well as issues of bilateral interest. The Minister of Foreign Affairs will then meet with UAE's Minister of State for Tolerance, Sheikh Nahyan Mabarak Al Nahyan. In the context of the aforementioned meetings, memoranda of cooperation are expected to be concluded in areas of mutual interest. Finally, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will meet with representatives from the Mubadala Investment Company, and he will also be visiting the Centre for Countering Violent Extremism (Hedayah). A. SPANOU: Lets welcome the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Giorgos Katrougalos. Good morning. G. KATROUGALOS: Good morning to you too, and to our listeners. V. SKOURIS: Good morning. A. SPANOU: You have just returned from Antalya, and what did you come face-to-face with? An attack on the Russian Consulate in Chalandri. Whats your take, Minister? G. KATROUGALOS: We are a safe country but, unfortunately, isolated events such as this can happen in every country, and it is not possible to fully avert them. Obviously, I do not have to state that we condemn it as an unacceptable act. We have spoken to the Russian Embassy, and we will do everything in our power to arrest those who committed this utterly insane act; and we have obviously reconfirmed our excellent relations with the Russian Federation. V. SKOURIS: Do you have any information from the Ministry of Citizen Protection, the Counter-terrorism Unit? G. KATROUGALOS: Even if I did, I wouldnt tell you. V. SKOURIS: According to the information we broadcast just before, the evidence points towards the "Revolutionary Self-Defence Organisation." G. KATROUGALOS: When the need arises for a public statement, one will be released by the competent Ministry. V. SKOURIS: Indeed. A. SPANOU: However, in the last year, there have been many attacks, in one way or another, against foreign diplomatic missions, each on a different scale. They are becoming somewhat of an epidemic in this country. Isnt that right? G. KATROUGALOS: Lets not confuse tossing flyers with tossing grenades. V. SKOURIS: Right, but going to a foreign Embassy and tossing flyers is a problem in itself. G. KATROUGALOS: To avoid giving rise to doubts and misunderstandings: obviously, we condemn anything that violates the space occupied by each Embassy, which is sovereign territory. It has occurred even in milder ways, as I have already mentioned. Undoubtedly, since antiquity, foreign embassies have held everyones respect, and we do not tolerate anyone disrupting our good relations. V. SKOURIS: You fully condemn it verbally, Minister. In practice, however, when this keeps happening, this shows that theres a problem. G. KATROUGALOS: Lets get something straight. Grenade attacks do not keep happening. V. SKOURIS: No, we did not mean grenades, for Gods sake. G. KATROUGALOS: This is precisely the reason we should not group the two events together. Not because we do not condemn them, but because they are truly different in terms of quality. Being in a country where grenades are tossed at embassies is different to being in a country where flyers are tossed. V. SKOURIS: Should patrolling outside embassies perhaps increase? G. KATROUGALOS: We have already taken measures to this end, and we shall take more. But let me reiterate, and we see this from the incidents that unfortunately fill up our newspapers, it is not possible to fully avert such incidents in the world we live in. A. SPANOU: Lets move on to the other topics. Today, the turkish Press is praising the statements you made yesterday on the rights that Turkey also enjoys in the eastern Mediterranean, based on International Law. Were you expecting to make such an impression? Because New Democracys condemnation is on its way. G. KATROUGALOS: Why should New Democracys condemnation be on its way - a condemnation of the International Law? It seems ludicrous to me. Listen, what is Turkeys fixed policy when it comes to issues that concern us? Turkey traditionally comes across as a revisionist power that needs to exhibit strength to get around obligations arising from International Law. We, along with the Republic of Cyprus, have handled Turkeys practice quite effectively in the context of the diplomatic alliances we have forged. It is in our interest to make Turkey talk in terms of International Law, and not in terms of strength. Therefore, when we make moves that have not been fully accepted by the other side -with the other side having other things at mind- obviously it is in the interest of our country to always talk in terms of International Law, as well as to acknowledge the rights of the other side, always in terms of the Law of the Sea, International Law. When we refer to International Law, this does not mean that we want to claim single ownership where we believe our interests lie. We want the rules that stem from International Law to be followed to the letter. V. SKOURIS: Mr Koumoutsakos, for example, criticised you with regard to the issue of Turkey having rights in the Mediterranean. G. KATROUGALOS: There is no doubt that there have been narrow party interests in the announcements issued by New Democracy, which, as I pointed out, echo similar announcements of the Union of Centrists in this case. But lets hold on a minute, what do you mean? Doesnt Turkey have a coastline? Doesnt it, therefore, have rights according the Law of the Sea? Isnt it in the interest of our country to talk on this level, based on the Law of the Sea? I dont understand how there can be any doubt about something that is a fixed national policy line. There is no inconsistency between what I am saying and what we have always said. A. SPANOU: Is any type of cooperation with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean possible? In terms of energy interests, for example. G. KATROUGALOS: Hold on a minute. When Turkey decides that it will respect International Law, that it will not challenge it, and that it will not attempt to exceed the provisions of International Law, through shows of force, that prospect may indeed exist. However, the prospect does not exist at the moment. Whats the issue at the moment? Will International Law be fully respected or not? If we start by accepting this framework of rules and discussion, we can move on. V. SKOURIS: Mr Koumoutsakos accused you of opening up loopholes and connecting Greek-Turkish relations with the Prespa Agreement. G. KATROUGALOS: What does that have to do with this? Nothing was said. What does Mr Koumoutsakos whom I respect and who obviously is getting carried away by the general populist climate within his party mean? If he means that we do not want the problems to drag on, but rather to resolve them, because that is the message from the Prespa Agreement, then thats true. We want to resolve problems; we dont want to keep kicking the can further down the road. At the moment, though, the situation in the relations with Turkey has not matured enough for a breakthrough similar to the Prespa Agreement. The effort we are making is completely incomparable. What we are doing with Turkey is to take many small steps, generally accepted steps, as they relate to soft politics and bilateral issues, mainly in the field of economy or the field of confidence-building measures, so as to advance the positive agenda a bit further, just a tad, each month. To de-escalate tensions and to create conditions for dialogue. At the moment, theres no chance of reaching a major solution for all our issues with Turkey. It would be unrealistic for someone to hope for this. However, we have to come up with the rules and a framework for dialogue, and I reiterate yet again that we have always wanted the dialogue to be determined by International Law and not by force. V. SKOURIS: Let me ask you something else, on a political level. Due to your statement and due to the statement by Mr Nikos Pappas about "Famous Macedonia," which New Democracy also used to make a video, if Im right, in principle, you are being accused of having diminished patriotic consciousness by a sector of the political world. I think youve seen the statements, youve seen the headlines. G. KATROUGALOS: I have said before that foreign policy is not ideal ground for exploiting narrow party interests. Whoever goes further even than Rouvikonas and doubts the patriotism of their political opponent, they do not just undermine the exercise of foreign policy, they undermine democracy. I want discussion to take place on the terms of political controversy, but a political controversy within the context of democracy and the rule of law. And never will I contribute to a further degeneration of the level of political dialogue. Those doubting the patriotism of others must be very careful, because, in reality, they will not gain the electoral benefits they are expecting. They will be led to anti-democratic, semi-fascist forces that have fathered, have the copyright on roughnecks, on traitorous politicians, who are the only ones to benefit from this discussion. V. SKOURIS: Yes, but we witness you granting them use of the hall at the Zappeion Megaron to present their European Parliament ballot paper, and I am referring to Golden Dawn on 25 March, on Greek Independence Day. G. KATROUGALOS: We cannot forbid -I dont know about the Zappeion Megaron- any party from running for elections, even if it is outside the context of the democratic spectrum. V. SKOURIS: I didnt say that G. KATROUGALOS: What did you mean then? How could we have done this? V. SKOURIS: I talked about granting use of the hall at the Zappeion Megaron on that specific date. G. KATROUGALOS: I know nothing about this, but in any case, the main issue is not forbidding Golden Dawn from running for elections, using policing measures. The issue is to convince the Greek people that this party does indeed have neo-fascist traits, which do not have room, cannot fit within the room afforded by our Constitution and the democratic context of political dialogue. This -I repeat- does not mean that we must be led to banning any party. The policy should be condemnation and isolation. A. SPANOU: The counter argument to what we were discussing before is that today, Mr Akar, the Turkish Minister of National Defence, has again made statements saying the Aegean and Cyprus belong to us or something to that effect, while you are talking about recognising Turkeys rights in the eastern Mediterranean. Therefore, each sides rhetoric is on an entirely different level. G. KATROUGALOS: Quite the opposite is happening. When Turkey is making any kind of allegations, if the dialogue is based on International Law, then the answer will be: Based on what could these allegations be substantiated? Let me repeat, it is in the interest of our country for the controversy not to be based on verbalism and rhetoric, but on International Law. Because in that case, everything is clear and the winner is not the one who screams the loudest; the winner is the one who can prove ones case, based not only on legal arguments, but mainly through diplomatic cooperation, based on International Law and also on the acceptance of multilateralism, as the foundation of diplomacy. Its what we do. To state it clearly: we must have a strong foreign policy, which can be secured through our diplomatic initiatives. We must rebuff the other sides display of strength. We have achieved this through our trilateral cooperation schemes. There is no better proof than the success of this aspect of our policy, of the recent 3+1 Summit, where in reality, the USA confirmed our role as an exporter of stability in the region. V. SKOURIS: We are going to ask you about that... G. KATROUGALOS: Hold on a minute. I referred to two things. The second is to avert and curb the other sides policy, when it seeks a show of strength. The positive flipside of this policy is making Turkey talk in our terms, not in our national terms, but in the terms of International Law. If we can achieve this, we will be creating the conditions for truly resolving the issues. If we cannot achieve it, the only thing we will end up doing every time we receive a verbal assault from the other side is to counter it with another verbal assault. But differences between countries are not won or resolved with verbal assaults. V. SKOURIS: Minister, I was reading yesterday in the announcement by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs that in your meeting with Mr Cavusoglu you discussed issues concerning bilateral relations, especially the issue of the Turkish Muslim minority in Greece, in a frank and honest manner. As a matter of fact, he is bringing up the issue of the Turkish minority with you yet again. G. KATROUGALOS: This is a fixed policy line by Turkey, which is always met with our own fixed national policy. This is a religious minority in Thrace, not only because it is recognised as such by the Treaty of Lausanne, but because, in reality, President Erdogan himself admitted so during his visit to Athens, when he talked about ethnic differences, the well-known ethnic differences existing in the minority between groups of Turkish origin, Pomaks and Roma. All three components of this religious minority are Greek citizens. And we have an obligation, according to our Constitution, to treat them in terms of equality before the State and the Law, and I pointed this out during our joint interview with Mr Cavusoglu. And actually, what I said in response to his opposing allegations, was that I was glad to hear them, because the problems are real, they go back decades, and we must not sweep them under the rug. We must we resolve them. I reiterate this, yet again, because it must become our mantra and we must keep repeating it: based on the provisions of International Law. V. SKOURIS: On the same topic, you told Mr Cavusoglu yesterday that talks on confidence-building measures would begin on 12 April. Would you like to give us an idea about what is being discussed? G. KATROUGALOS: It is not just about the confidence-building measures; theres also the so-called positive agenda we have initiated. V. SKOURIS: And this positive agenda? I was going to ask you that next. G. KATROUGALOS: I will tell you about the positive agenda later, as part of a second question. We have also begun unofficial preliminary talks on the international dimension of the Cyprus issue, where we mainly expect Turkey to lay out its cards. Because, what we said at Crans-Montana, was precisely... V. SKOURIS: Lets take the issues one by one, Mr Minister, starting from the confidence-building measures. G. KATROUGALOS: In the confidence-building measures, the first thing we will do is a recap of where we find ourselves. Because we have had important confidence measures that had been decided in the past, chiefly the Papoulias-Yilmaz Memorandum, which imposes an abstention from military exercises in the Aegean Sea during summer, but also during religious holidays, which is not clear whether it is understood by both sides in the same manner. The same applies for other confidence-building measures. So, an effort is being made to see whats there, so that it can be enforced. Discussions are being held between the Ministries of National Defence, in which one of our own teams is participating, to see whether we can complement these measures with others. The objective is again obvious: to de-escalate tensions and to avoid a heated incident. It is an agenda of measures that do not resolve the situation, but prevent it from deteriorating. V. SKOURIS: And the positive agenda? Is the Izmir-Thessaloniki line opening this summer? G. KATROUGALOS: We have already secured the first connection between Lavrio-Izmir as of 2 June, and we are truly trying to push this positive agenda, so as to have even more connections, by air and by sea. We have agreed for a business forum to take place in Istanbul, before the big one that has already been decided in the context of the Erdogan-Tsipras meeting, which will accompany the High-Level Cooperation Council, when that takes place. V. SKOURIS: By the way, when is it being scheduled for? You had mentioned Thessaloniki. G. KATROUGALOS: The discussion must continue to see whether our neighbours will respond in practice to what we have agreed on, in other words to slowly start building a cooperation framework. V. SKOURIS: Can it take place this year, for example? G. KATROUGALOS: It can take place this year, but I dont think theres a chance it will take place before autumn. And there are also other symbolic measures: for example, one could say that the Mass at Panagia Soumela Monastery, which will take place on 15 August is not a major political event, but it does carry a certain symbolism. A. SPANOU: In terms of the Cyprus issue, should we expect an initiative soon? G. KATROUGALOS: We are not talking about initiatives. What do we want to do? To prepare for restarting negotiations in a very systematic manner. How can this be achieved? By having cleared up the technical aspects in advance, and mainly by knowing what the other side is saying. Let me remind you that our responsibility because this must be our countrys only role during the negotiations concerns the international dimension of the Cyprus issue. It pertains to the in depth discussion on the issue of withdrawal of the occupation forces, where, obviously theres no agreement. We have not yet heard other sides ideas with regard to the new mechanism for implementing the agreement, which will follow the abolishment of the colonial nature of the guarantees. V. SKOURIS: Did you mention an international conference? G. KATROUGALOS: Dimension. V. SKOURIS: Pardon me. A. SPANOU: The impact of the Prespa Agreement seems to be quite strong in Northern Greece. In reality, government officials cannot go anywhere without being met with disapproval. G. KATROUGALOS: Hold on. Before moving to the political part of your question, I have to challenge the factual part. In the last few instances, there has indeed been a small group of people -under no circumstances more than ten- who gather and jeer in an organised manner. It is not some type of spontaneous reaction. On the contrary, I think that the small number and premeditated planning of such cheap provocations obviously demonstrate that there is no general opposition on the same level. I do accept, because this is the reality, that a large portion of our fellow citizens have an emotional reaction against the agreement. But to equate an emotional reaction with the bullying, the anti-democratic, semi-fascist way these few choose to show their disapproval towards our officials is a major leap we should not take. It is like saying that whoever opposes the Prespa Agreement is a bully and I do not wish to use harsher terms to describe them. A. SPANOU: Despite all this, isnt the emotional reaction you are referring to, which is healthy as you said, more marked in Northern Greece? G. KATROUGALOS: There is an explanation for this. Where is it stemming from? It is stemming from the fact that due to our bruised national pride from the years of the memoranda, it is easy to view a positive agreement through a lens that distorts it. It is my personal view that, as time goes by, Northern Greece will be the first to reap the financial benefits from the Agreement. It will actually become the heart, the economic hub of a single Balkan economic area of 50 million. Then they will be able to calmly review the significant gains for Greece that resulted from the Prespa Agreement. In my opinion, thats where the integrity of the Prime Minister as a person became evident, who placed the countrys interests before any expectations for ephemeral political gain. I believe this will be appreciated. It is an investment in Greeces national interest, but I believe, also in the integrity of the Prime Minister as a politician of a European calibre. V. SKOURIS: Has Mr Tsipras trip to Skopje on 2 April been finalised? G. KATROUGALOS: It seems so. He will be visiting there on the first week in April. A. SPANOU: What will happen with the statues? With the exchange? V. SKOURIS: Will we be making new ones, to quote Angeliki? G. KATROUGALOS: It is their decision. They might decide to collect them, to make a... G. KATROUGALOS: What will we give them? In exchange, I mean, after the fiasco with The Runner. G. KATROUGALOS: There was no fiasco with The Runner. There have been indeed attempts to spin negatively our attempts to build good relations, which you, being a fine journalist, should not serve. V. SKOURIS: Of course not, Minister. Angeliki serving such things? A. SPANOU: So, are you going to tell us? Will we be sending them a statue? G. KATROUGALOS: Shes a friend. I said the exact opposite. Let me reiterate, we are trying to find ways, with people to whom we had never even exchanged a word previously, to jointly schedule the promotion of our common interests and to stabilise the region. We are also thinking of moves that will show our people that the climate has indeed improved. These moves must be carefully carried out. A. SPANOU: Since you are not answering this, give us some answers on the European Parliament elections. How high is the bar for SYRIZA? G. KATROUGALOS: A very good result, similar to the one we had in the previous elections. V. SKOURIS: First question, and a key one for the issue. Yesterday, through Pratto, Mr Kotzias accused you of settling with Turkey on the issue with the Muslim minority of Thrace. I would like an answer to this and to whether your collaboration with Pratto is actually in jeopardy. G. KATROUGALOS: Nikos Kotzias would never correlate our government with serving Turkish interests. Thats not what Prattos announcement is saying. I think it should be read carefully. I made an announcement about the issues I thought I ought to have addressed, and which concerned the resignation of Pratto members from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I made the clarifications I think should have been made. My relationship with Nikos Kotzias goes back 30 years. I speak with him in private about things I believe should not be said publicly. A. SPANOU: Therefore, do you believe there is no issue of the relationship between Pratto and SYRIZA breaking down? G. KATROUGALOS: In my statement, I too referred to Pratto as an allied party working with SYRIZA, and if you had read Prattos announcement carefully, you would have noticed that in its last paragraph it is stated that Pratto will remain within the larger group of democratic political partiew. V. SKOURIS: The issue is whether it will continue to work with SYRIZA as a party. Thats what we are asking. G. KATROUGALOS: At the moment, SYRIZA is at the core of this group of democratic political parties in Greece. There can be such group in Greece, without the key political body that embodies it. A. SPANOU: Will the Greek stance against Turkey's accession course be reviewed? G. KATROUGALOS: No. It is one of the firm positions in Greeces policies and all the parties essentially agree on it. It is telling that during a recent voting session in the European Parliament concerning a possible freeze on accession talks, the majority of Greek MEPs, including members from both New Democracy and SYRIZA, voted against it. V. SKOURIS: Mr Georgiadis or Mr Syrigos who is a candidate with New Democracy and, therefore, a political figure essentially told us that the accession prospects of Turkey are over, and they are partially correct. None of the countries will accept Turkey. G. KATROUGALOS: It is one thing for one to predict that the environment is radically different, and something else to change the national policy line. That is again something hugely irresponsible. How is the national policy line determined? Based on our interests. It is not left to chance. Otherwise, the national policy line would change every time the state of affairs changed. That is extremely frivolous. I hope Mr Syrigos, and I dont recall who else you mentioned, didnt say that. V. SKOURIS: Mr Georgiadis, and they did. G. KATROUGALOS: If they did, it is a sign of frivolity. I hope they didnt say it. V. SKOURIS: Angeliki, you said something about the bar. Should we insist? I mean about the bar in the European Parliament elections. A. SPANOU: Lets insist, because he is talking about the best possible result, but what loss would you consider manageable? Three points? Four? Five? G. KATROUGALOS: We are not going for a loss. That's all we needed A. SPANOU: I am talking about a hypothetical scenario. You are going for a win. We know this. Is being the first party the bar? G. KATROUGALOS: Should I give an answer to a scenario that considers that our goal is to lose, and for you to ask me what we would consider a dignified loss? At every election you go for the win. Isnt it obvious? A. SPANOU: And if you dont win? G. KATROUGALOS: Thats democracy. If you dont win, you lose. But you go for the win. And in any case, we believe that, both in these elections and the crucial ones in October, we will carry the vote, for the simple reason that we believe the Greek people will find themselves facing a dilemma that is similar to the corresponding major dilemma in Europe: to move forward or to regress? Open societies or nationalism? In Greece, our memories are still vivid in terms of what a New Democracy government means for rights, job security and the way in which a party which does not have the interests of many but the interests of a few in mind addresses our day-to-day issues. Faced with such a dilemma, I dont think the Greek people will demonstrate again that they have the memory of a goldfish, or suicidal tendencies. V. SKOURIS: Thank you very much. G. KATROUGALOS: You're welcome. Have a good day. V. SKOURIS: All the best. Qualcomm Inc. has fired multiple legal shots at Apple Inc. aiming to use patents to get an import ban on the iPhone. In separate rulings Tuesday, one hit and one missed. The U.S. International Trade Commission on Tuesday invalidated a Qualcomm patent for a battery-saving feature. Earlier in the day, a separate trade judge said Apple infringed a different Qualcomm patent and recommended certain older models of the iPhone be banned. The commission is scheduled to release a final decision in that case in July. The cases are among some 80 worldwide between the companies in a dispute that's lasted more than two years. Qualcomm is hoping a victory, particularly an import ban, could give it greater leverage in technology licensing negotiations. Qualcomm says it's due billions of dollars in unpaid royalties on the iPhone as the two tech giants argue over the value of the chipmaker's patents. The Cupertino, California-based Apple denied infringing any of the patents in the two cases and claimed Qualcomm is trying to shut its only U.S.-based competitor out of the market, something Apple argues will hinder the development of the fifth-generation of mobile communications. In both cases at the trade agency, Apple argued that no import ban should be imposed even if a patent violation is found. Qualcomm, based in San Diego, argued that the opposite is true. If it can't enforce its patents, that will lessen the value of its innovation and give rivals, particularly China's Huawei Technologies Co., a chance to gain greater market share. Qualcomm has called the Intel products inferior, and accused Intel and Apple of incorporating unlicensed Qualcomm inventions into the Intel chips to improve their quality. In the earlier case on Tuesday, ITC Judge MaryJoan McNamara said she would be recommending an import ban on certain models of iPhones, which are made in China, according to a notice posted on the Washington agency's electronic docket. The judge found no violation of two other Qualcomm patents in the case. Qualcomm jumped as much as much as 2.6 percent in New York on that earlier ruling. Both stocks reflected the partial wins and losses in extended trading following the commission decision. Apple was up less than one percent while Qualcomm fell less than one percent. In the case before McNamara, Qualcomm contended that Apple iPhones with Intel Corp. chips infringed two patents related to ways to improve the speed and quality of data downloads and one for a power-saving feature. It's seeking an order that would ban imports of those iPhones. The judge's finding of infringement related to the power-saving feature, according to the notice. Her full findings aren't yet public, and won't be until both sides get a chance to redact confidential information. "We appreciate Judge McNamara's recognition of Apple's infringement of our hardware patent and that she will be recommending an import ban and cease and desist order," Qualcomm General Counsel Don Rosenberg said in a statement when the earlier notice came out. The company had no immediate comment on the later-issued decision from the full commission. The original complaint in the McNamara case linked that patent only to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, but it was unclear which models would be affected by this decision. If the ban only applies to those models, it could have a multibillion-dollar impact on Apple for each year that it still offers those devices. The company will probably discontinue them in the next two years. The second decision announced Tuesday targeted a broader range of iPhones, including the iPhone 7, iPhone 8 and iPhone X, and only ones that had Intel chips. Models that had Qualcomm chips wouldn't be affected. The commission's full decision, which sidestepped arguments for now over whether the legal battle between the two tech titans has broader implications for the U.S. supremacy in the fifth generation of telecommunications, isn't yet public. Apple, chafing under what it considers onerous and expensive licensing requirements, has directed its contractors to stop paying Qualcomm until the two sides can reach a new deal. It's also turned to Intel to supply the modem chips on its newest models. Apple likely generated about $58 billion from the iPhone in the U.S. in its 2018 fiscal year. The majority of iPhone sales last year were from newer models like the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus. By all accounts, Qualcomm's technology underpins all modern communications and it's a large player in the development of industry standards, spending billions of dollars on research each year. It's also richly rewarded -- the company makes money off the chips in all mobile devices, and also gets paid for the use of its inventions in chips made by others. The Federal Trade Commission has accused Qualcomm of using its patents on industry standards to shut out competitors from the market and demand high licensing fees, and the two sides await a judge's ruling in that case. The patents in this case don't relate to standardized technology but Apple claims Qualcomm is using the ITC to maintain monopoly power. The cases are In the Matter of Certain Mobile Electronic Devices and Radio Frequency and Processing Components, 337-1093 and 337-1065, both U.S. International Trade Commission (Washington). WASHINGTON Connecticut Democratic lawmakers are pushing for release of the full report of special counsel Robert Mueller. But they are also looking toward other investigative avenues involving President Donald Trump, mindful that Democrats face potential voter blowback if their probes appear to be purely partisan. The president is far from out of the woods, said Rep. Jim Himes, a member of two House committees Financial Services and Intelligence that will pursue investigations involving Trump. Even so, Himes said, we also need to make progress for the American people on jobs, retirement and health care. Mueller last Friday delivered a long-awaited report on his nearly two-year probe of Trump 2016 campaign connections to Russia. In a four-page summary delivered Sunday to Congress, Attorney General William Barr wrote that Mueller had concluded that Trump and his staff did not conspire with Russia to help Trump beat Democratic contender Hillary Clinton. But on the question of whether Trump obstructed justice to thwart investigators, Barr quotes Mueller as saying: While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. More for you Opinion: For Dems, Mueller report turns politics upside down Barrs interpretation Barr said he and Rod Rosenstein, who supervised the Mueller probe before Barr won Senate confirmation last month, decided not to pursue an obstruction case, which would have been based primarily on Trump firing then-FBI Director James Comey in May 2017, then telling a television interviewer that he was bothered by this Russia thing. As a private lawyer, Barr last year wrote a memo in which he argued that the president cannot be charged with obstruction for actions that are within his powers as chief of the executive branch. He called Muellers inquiry fatally misconceived. Why should we accept an interpretation of the Mueller report by an attorney general who was appointed by the president for his hostility to the investigation? Sen. Chris Murphy said Monday during a roundtable on gun violence at New Britain High School. Maybe Barr is right, maybe hes wrong, but thats up to Congress to decide. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, himself a former Connecticut state attorney general and U.S. attorney, also cast doubt on whether Barr can be trusted to correctly interpret the Mueller report. Barr is a Trump appointee, he said. What is necessary is for the American people to see the full report with all the underlying facts and evidence and not just the Barr summary or some other abridged version. Proposed change Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., on Monday called for passage of legislation that would require full release of the Mueller report. Blumenthal introduced such a resolution in January with a Republican co-sponsor, Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa. It would require release of any special counsel report to Congress and the public when an investigation is complete, or the counsel resigns or is fired. Blumenthal on Monday said release of the Mueller report is key. No intelligent reaction is possible without the Mueller report and the underlying facts and evidence, he said. Among the issues not addressed so far is why Mueller did not compel the president to answer questions under oath. After negotiations with Trumps lawyers, Mueller agreed to let the White House answer written questions in place of an interview. Since criminal intent is a part of any obstruction inquiry, direct questioning of Trump would have been a necessary step to determine whether charges were warranted, Blumenthal said. The American people want transparency, he said, noting that Trump himself on Monday said release of the report wouldnt bother me at all. During a meeting Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump portrayed himself as victim of a probe he frequently denounced as a witch hunt. In apparent reference to Democrats, Trump said that those people are to be looked at. Theyve done so many evil things, he said. It was a false narrative, it was a terrible thing. We can never let this happen to another president again. Himes said: Its fair to say the president has been cleared on the part about conspiracy with Russians. I always said a Hollywood ending, with suitcases changing hands, was unlikely. The House Financial Services Committee and the House Intelligence Committee will continue to probe different aspects of Trumps financial entanglements and his conduct in office. Among them: The role of Deutsche Bank in financing various Trump projects and whether Trump has benefited financially as president, for instance, through his Washington hotel near the White House used as a virtual watering hole by foreign officials and business executives seeking to cozy up to Trump. But ultimately, Democrats run the risk of losing public support if they focus too heavily on Trump and not enough on the needs of everyday Americans. I dont give Democrats and A-plus for the last three months on kitchen-table issues, said Himes, a centrist and former chairman of the center-leaning New Democrat Coalition. dan@hearstdc.com HARTFORD After a few collaborative tweaks, Chief States Attorney Kevin Kane announced Monday his support of a bill that would require his office to annually provide all arrest and sentencing data for public view. The bill would also allow defendants to have legal representation during parole revocation hearings. Kane told members of the Judiciary Committee during a public hearing that he supports a revised version of the bill that was crafted with input from the Judicial Branch, the Office of Policy and Management, the Chief Public Defenders Office, and the Connecticut American Civil Liberties Union. Its a good bill and it gets us to a good place, Kane said before qualifying that hell need additional resources in the form more technology staff to deal with a Case Management System his office hopes to pilot this summer. If that helps us get the resources we need, thats a great thing, Kane said of the bill. The first aspect of SB 880 would require the Division of Criminal Justice to gather all information on arrests and sentencings including the demographics of the defendants, the number of continuances and pre-trial proceedings, information on plea agreements, and the number of trials. The second would provide legal counsel through the states public defender system to all sentenced defendants who are facing parole revocation. Had a similar law been in effect two decades ago, Tracie Bernardi said, she would have had a chance to receive a life-altering sentence reduction. Bernardi, who now works in call support for Community Health Resources in Manchester, served 23 years of a 30-year sentence for felony murder. She was released in 2015. She was 19 years old when she was involved in a Waterbury gang beating of another woman that turned deadly, she said. Even though she didnt personally kill the woman, she participated, which led to the felony murder charge. They stack the charges up against you, so they told me I was facing 160 years if I went to trial, she said. Bernardi felt she had no choice but to take a plea agreement for a 30-year prison sentence. She then found out she wasnt allowed a sentence modification, which the prosecutor, Waterbury States Attorney John Connolly, noted in his files that were uncovered after his 2012 death. Everything was veiled, the 45-year-old prison reform activist said. If there was more transparency and it was known what was going, it might have been different. Right now you cant see how many people are trying to get their sentences modified. Any bill that requires transparency helps. Bernardi was among the dozens of people who showed up to support the bill from the CT ACLUs Smart Justice campaign. While the ACLU is in favor of the bill, Smart Justice campaign field organizer Gus Marks-Hamilton, who spoke for the group at the hearing, pointed out that more transparency in juvenile matters is needed. There is a lack of data about how youth are treated in the system and how and why juveniles end up in regular criminal court, Marks-Hamilton told the committee. The bill, which was suggested by Gov. Ned Lamont, currently does not require the Division of Criminal Justice to include information on juvenile arrests. The new version of the bill that Kane supports shortened the laundry list of information the Division is required to supply. The original version of the bill included items such as the amount of time people were spending incarcerated during pre-trial proceedings and whether the defendant utilized a professional bondsman. Kane and the Connecticut Association of Prosecutors also cautioned that while greater transparency is the goal of the bill, in most cases, a cursory review of the data would not tell the whole story of an arrest. The association, which represents the states 248 prosecutors, opposes the release of plea bargaining information, citing concerns that the public doesnt know what factors play a role in the process including the strength of a case and the impact of the crime on victims. It is very important to realize that while data is very helpful for some purposes, it can also lead to misleading and erroneous conclusions if it is analyzed out of context or superficially, Kane said in his testimony. Bail recommendations, plea offers, sentence recommendations and indeed, even the decision whether or not to charge are based on many different but important factors such as quality and strength of the evidence, availability of witnesses at the time the case is to be tried, original history of the defendant, and impact of the conduct on a victim. Justice and fairness must be based on the facts and circumstances of each individual case. Marlene Torres remembers as a young child waiting for the one or two minutes shed get to talk to her brother on the phone when he was in prison. The family often couldnt afford to talk to him more than once a week and, even then, only for a short time because the phone calls were so expensive. At a hearing Monday before the Judiciary Committee, Torres spoke in favor of a bill that would allow inmates to make or receive phone calls for free, telling lawmakers she grew up stressed out and very depressed because she missed her brother, who was a father figure to her. Obviously, its important to keep a family together no matter what the circumstances, Rep. Toni Walker, D-New Haven, said to Torres. The best thing we can do is maintain that security so that when your brother comes home, he comes home to a family that is going to open their arms to him and try to keep him on the straight and narrow. Brittany Kane, program coordinator for the CT Children with Incarcerated Parents Initiative, also spoke in favor of the bill, telling lawmakers that a 15-minute call within the states prisons costs about $4. Kane said Connecticut receives a 68 percent commission rate on the revenue from the calls and collected $7.7 million in Fiscal Year 2018. She noted that its not the inmates paying for the phone calls. That cost is born by the family they left behind. When a parent is incarcerated, specifically a father, a familys income drops by an average of 22 percent, Kane said. As a result, mothers and caregivers report being unable to pay for their childrens basic necessities, including food, utilities, rent and medical care, often creating reliance on state aid programs and services. It is also these same mothers and caregivers that are paying for the phone call that we are speaking about today. Bianca Tylek, executive director of Worth Rises, a New York-based national criminal justice advocacy group, told legislators that since 2012, the state has contracted through Securus Technologies, a national prison telecommunications corporation, which she said capitalizes off the need for human connection and, understanding the vulnerability of the people subjected to its services, charges exorbitant rates for loved ones to stay in contact. She said that Connectiut now ranks 49th, in front of only Arkansas, in the high cost of phone calls. A phone call to Securus for comment was not immediately returned Monday afternoon. The bill says the Commissioner of Corrections shall provide telephone service for free and may provide supplementary telecommunications services including video and electronic mail services. To the extent that the commissioner provides any such services, each such service shall be provided free of charge to such persons the bill says, whether the inmate initiates the contact or receives it. Child Adovcate Sarah Eagan said this is particularly important for youths who are incarcerated in the adult system so they can be in touch with their families. Kane supplied personal impact statements from family members of inmates. One of the family members, a mother who wished to remain anonymous, said that to date she has spent $4,320 to talk to her son. The phone calls are very expensive and not for a long amount of time, she said in a statement. We only get to talk a couple of times a week because of money, but I know he wants to call and talk a lot more than I can afford. That hurts as his mother. Rep. Craig Fishbein, R-Wallingford, said the bills seems to allow for a call of any length every day, which I think people in this building might think is a little much. He suggested there might be a happy medium, allowing inmates free calls on holidays like Christmas or Thanksgiving, but perhaps not at other times of the year. Another legislator suggested that perhaps the calls could be less expensive, but not free. Testimony submitted by the Judicial branch said that while it takes no position on the policy change contemplated in this proposal, the bill as proposed would seriously impact the funding of several adult probation positions. The agency said that in Fiscal Year 2018, the Judicial Branch received more than $5.5 million from the revenue generated by telecommunication services to pay for staff and other expenses related to the Probation Transition Program, as well as for a unit that provides enhanced supervision of people who violated probation. We do not have the necessary funding in our budget to make up for this loss of revenue, the judicial branch wrote. HARTFORD Advocates for making voting easier are pushing for a bill calling for Connecticut to join at least 16 other states in legislatively adopting Automatic Voter Registration. Automatic Voter Registration was implemented administratively through the Department of Motor Vehicles in 2016 and since then a record number of individuals submitted new voters registrations. However, the agreement with the DMV is limited in its scope because it only captures voters who are also drivers. The legislation the General Administration and Elections Committee debated Monday would expand registration efforts to allow other state agencies to participate. Advocates said it would also streamline what historically have been chaotic Election Day cycles in the state, especially during very heavy turnouts which was the case in the 2016 presidential election and the 2018 mid-term elections. Its a good bill, Common Cause in Connecticut Executive Director Cheri Quickmire said in an interview right before the start of the public hearing. She said which agencies would be eligible to be part of the registration program is something that would still need to be worked out. But she thought adding state colleges and universities would be likely be a good addition. Working through the college system would be a way to get a lot of our young people engaged, she said. Quickmire said one benefit of the bill is it might stem the flood of same-day registrations that have plagued the state in certain cities in the recent elections - notably New Haven and Mansfield - where many college students have come to the polls to register to vote on Election Day. That surge in last minute registrations has caused big lines at some polling places in those communities. In some cases, specifically in New Haven, many voters had to wait hours to vote. Some frustrated by waiting so long, gave up and went home. Theres no question that Connecticuts elections need to be modernized, and we can achieve that by passing AVR, Quickmire said. Its a common-sense step thats been implemented in states across the country, one that is a critical to modernizing our government, improving our elections processes, and ensuring up-to-date voter rolls. But there is bound to be some opposition, right? In 2016, Republicans were critical of the AVR agreement Merrill struck with the DMV, which was under pressure from the U.S. Department of Justice. This isnt a partisan issue - its a pragmatic one, Quickmire said. As it expands the right to vote, AVR is an opportunity to reduce data entry for poll workers, so they can focus on running our elections seamlessly. It saves time and money. There was no testimony on the Connecticut General Assembly website uploaded in opposition to the concept. Both Quickmire and and another advocate, Connecticut Citizen Action Group Director Tom Swan said they werent sure whether there would be opposition to the bill. Hopefully not, Swan said. After all voting is traditionally a bipartisan issue. Sen. Rob Sampson, R-Wolcott, said he hadnt looked at the bill closely enough, yet to say whether he would be for or against it. I will say this, Sampson said, however. I do think there is an element of personal responsibility involved when it comes to voting, adding that he wanted to reserve the right to review any language allowing automatic registration before committing himself one way or another on the bill. Swan said passing AVR is a no-brainer. He said it would increase voter turnout and save money in the process. Swan reasoned that if there was less people registering at the polls in the last minute run-up to an election, then there would no longer be the need to bring in additional staff, especially in bigger cities, to handle the number of late registrants. Swan and Quickmire said another added benefit of the bill is that it would the cash-starved state save a few bucks on elections. By moving from paper to electronic methods, AVR eliminates the costs of provisional ballots, costly paper transactions, and manual data entry, they said. While there is a small initial startup cost for AVR, long-term savings will be achieved after implementation, both claimed. HARTFORD One legislative committee took the first step toward legalizing cannabis in Connecticut by approving a bill that creates a regulatory structure and gives equity opportunities to those impacted by the War on Drugs. The committee voted 10-8 in favor of the bill Monday. The legislation would establish a Cannabis Commission inside the Department of Consumer Protection along with regulations for growers, manufacturers, and retailers, and would require the commission to allow those disproportionately harmed by cannabis prohibition and enforcement to apply for a license three months before other applicants. Sen. Doug McCrory, D-Hartford, said the bill doesnt go far enough and voted against the legislation. He said the War on Drugs was racist in its intent. My point is we have a policy thats left over from the Jim Crow era. Its probably the last one, McCrory said. He said he isnt going to argue about the medical data and whether cannabis is harmful, a focus of many Republicans on the committee. McCrory said he wont support a bill in which Connecticuts law is anything less than the gold standard of equity for those whose lives have been most impact by racially disparate enforcement policies. He said Connecticut has a chance to stand up for the past 80 years of prohibition that has harmed his community. Sen. Kevin Witkos, R-Canton, said the communities most impacted by marijuana arrests, possession and sale were Clinton, New Haven, Meriden, and Granby. It is not communities that some people think are disproportionately harmed by arrests for marijuana, Witkos said. An equity applicant under the legislation is defined as individuals or communities disproportionately impacted by high rates of arrest and conviction, as well as individuals who can demonstrate, via affidavit and other documentation as the commission may require, (A) requisite experience with cannabis cultivation, distribution or the sale or manufacture of cannabis products. Witkos said that prioritizes people who have been breaking the law over law abiding citizens. Rep. Juan Candelaria, D-New Haven, said not to offer these entrepreneurs in the blackmarket a chance to become legal is a slap on the face. He said its not so much about equity, but its about the human piece of making these individuals who have been wronged by life and society to say were going to give you an opportunity. Rep. Bobby Gibson, D-Bloomfield, said minority communities most impacted by this have to have a seat at the table. This bill here is a step in the right direction, Gibson said. Rep. David Rutigliano, R-Trumbull, said those opposed to the bill are opposed to the commercialization of cannabis. He said someone of his political persuasion could be in favor of decriminalizing it and allowing people to grow their own at home. But allowing these big companies to come in is a mistake, Rutigliano said. Rep. Michael DAgostino, D-Hamden, said they went with this approach because he doesnt believe there is public support or legislative support for an unregulated marketplace. He said they are still studying some home grow models and microbusiness opportunities. Rep. Craig Ackert, R-Coventry, said hes not voting on the legislation based on race, but the health of the community. Rep. Tony DAmelio, R-Waterbury, said pot is being used everywhere in his community and hes surprised at who supports legalization and who doesnt. I appreciate that were trying to regulate it, but Im not there yet, DAmelio said. He said he thinks legal weed will be too costly when its legal and that will only increase the black market, which will offer discounts. Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, said if you make something legal thats illegal, those people might give it a try because its not illegal anymore. We dont want to open the barn doors and allow the horses to roam free, Kissel said. Lawmakers on both sides of the issue used statistics from Colorado, the first state to legalize marijuana, to support their arguments. Rep. Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, said he cant image how legalization helps Connecticut. He said former U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner is investing in a holding company that invests in a Connecticut medical marijuana dispensary, not because its good public policy but because theres a lot of money to be made. That money is being made at the expense of our youth and our adults, according to Candelora. There are at least four other bills that deal with portions of the legalization debate. Meanwhile, the committee passed another bill that would allow opioid use disorder to become a condition for its medical marijuana program. The bill would also eliminate the $25 registration fee. Last summer, the Board of Physicians that oversees Connecticuts medical marijuana program, voted against adding opioid use disorder to the list of qualifying conditions. NEWTOWN As shock rippled through town after Mondays suicide of a Sandy Hook man who lost his daughter in the 2012 school shooting, families were turning to each other to grieve their common loss. In the last 24 hours, people in the community have been reaching out to each other by phone, by text, by email and in person, making sure everybody is OK and letting people know that they care, said Monte Frank, an attorney from Sandy Hook and the founder of an annual bicycle ride to Washington, D.C., to honor victims of gun violence. That connectedness is so important, not just for this afternoon or tomorrow, but for years to come. The towns top-elected leader agreed. That is something good that comes out of such a horrible tragedy that people are looking out for one another, said Dan Rosenthal, Newtowns first selectman, who has mental health experts on call to supplement the towns in-house grief counseling network. Concern over Newtowns well-being follows Mondays news that 49-year-old Jeremy Richman took his life at the old Edmond Town Hall. Richmans death made national headlines in part because he was a leading figure in town who was making good out of the grief of losing his daughter, Avielle, in the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting. Richman ran the Avielle Foundation, a home-grown nonprofit that supports research into the roots of violence in the brain. He was someone who was so prominent and who was doing such incredible work to help us understand the physiological reasons people do these kinds of things, said Monsignor Robert Weiss, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church. You could see peoples reaction when they heard the news their faces had this sadness and disbelief. Richmans death also drew national attention because it came just days after the suicides of two teenagers who attended the Parkland, Fla., high school where 17 students and staff were killed in 2018. This is what trauma does, says Melissa Glaser, the former coordinator of the federally funded Newtown Recovery and Resiliency Team, whose new book, Healing a Community: Lessons for Recovery after a Large-Scale Trauma, uses Newtown as a model for developing a communitywide trauma recovery effort. The idea that these things heal quickly just isnt the case. In addition to extra mental health experts who are on call at the police department, the towns municipal center and the schools, grief counseling is being offered by Newtowns Center for Support and Wellness. Because there are different circles of grief in Newtown, and because families grieve differently, it is hard to predict when people in pain will need someone to talk to, Rosenthal said. Reach out anytime If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide or needs emotional support, help is available 24/7 through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The lifeline is free, confidential and available any time by calling 1-800-273-8255 or by visiting www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org. See More Collapse I am trying to keep an ear to the ground, so that if we have a tidal wave of people needing support, we are covered, Rosenthal said. Sometimes it takes time to digest the gravity of what happened, so this is something we will continue to stay vigilant about. Glaser, who worked with families of loss after the Sandy Hook shooting, said Richman was the last person anybody thought would do something like this. He was helping others with support and education, and developing programs to help prevent this type of thing from happening, which is why this is so stunning, Glaser said on Tuesday. We just dont have the answers. Richman left a note, but police have not released information on what it said. Autopsy results are expected Wednesday. In the absence of answers, Weiss said it was important to express emotions. Certainly, let the tears come, even if it pulls back the scab and reopens the wound, Weiss said. Make sure you dont suppress it, because if you do it will be even worse. At the same time, Frank said, Newtown residents have learned to lean on each other. Its amazing to me how many people Jeremy touched, and the positive influence he had on so many people lives, Frank said. I hope people will remember those contributions and his radiant smile and his generosity. rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342 MIDDLETOWN The police chief has ordered an investigation into whether the spouse of a mayoral candidate and common councilwoman broke department policy when he shared questionable images on his Facebook page. In a joint statement issued Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Dan Drew and Chief William McKenna said internal affairs will look into posts made by Sgt. Sebastian Bartolotta, husband of Common Councilwoman Mary Bartolotta, to determine if his actions constitute a violation of police standards of conduct or general orders. We want to reiterate that Sgt. Bartolottas posts are not indicative of how the men and women of the Middletown Police Department interact with the public, the statement said. More for you Middletown mayoral candidate denounces husbands social media posts The 25-year veteran of the force has said he apologizes to those he offended. Democrat Mary Bartolotta, who announced her candidacy March 19, denounced her husbands actions a day after she made public her bid for the citys top job. Sebastian Bartolotta re-posted unsavory posts by others on his now deleted Facebook account. The images have been publicly condemned for depicting undocumented immigrants, females and other groups of individuals. In a press release Thursday, Mary Bartolotta called the sergeants action distasteful and offensive. My husband shouldnt have shared those posts on Facebook. I completely and unequivocally denounce the posts, and any rhetoric in any form that makes light of or contributes to the struggle of different groups, including the LGBT community [and] the immigrant community. Its upsetting, she said. ... This does not reflect my beliefs. I have been a strong advocate for the LGBT community [and] the immigrant community. All of my voting record shows that, she continued. The chief and mayor made clear members of the police force are sensitive to needs of all people. In the past eight years, we and our officers have endeavored to build a stronger, more accountable police department. We have expanded the diversity of our police force and continue recruitment efforts to hire officers from underrepresented communities, according to the press release. The Middletown Police Department is an accountable and high-quality department, and we strive each day to ensure that every citizen is safe, it said. Passengers on a British Airways flight from London's City Airport to Dusseldorf in Germany were met with a surprise Monday morning when their plane touched down in Scotland's capital, Edinburgh. The error was down to an incorrectly filed flight plan, leading both the pilot and cabin crew to believe the flight was bound for Edinburgh. The flight was operated by German leasing company WDL Aviation on behalf of the British Airways subsidiary airline BA CityFlyer. The incorrect flight plan was filed at WDL Aviation's offices in Germany. After landing in Edinburgh, the plane took off a second time for Dusseldorf. Piotr Pomienski, a student at Imperial College London, told CNN his girlfriend Zsofia Szabo was on the plane that landed in Edinburgh by mistake. "I saw on Flightradar that the flight was flying north instead of south, but I assumed it was a system error of some sort. That is until she wrote to me that they're in Edinburgh." Szabo told CNN she realized something wasn't right when she saw mountains outside the plane, instead of the "usual German industrial landscape." "When we started descending and I saw some taller hills/mountains, I did think that this isn't how Eastern Netherlands/Western Germany should look like but I assumed we took some small detour," she said. "Then my colleague sitting across the aisle from me told me to check Google Maps, and it showed us being around Carlisle." "The information then spread around quite quickly. Everyone started asking everyone else where they were going everyone was for Dusseldorf." "When we landed there was a bit of a hilarious moment when the flight attendant asked for a show of hands for the people going to Dusseldorf, which turned out to be everyone," she said. The captain subsequently apologized to the passengers, telling them the plane would refuel before heading to Germany. "Most of us found this situation quite funny," Szabo said. "People were on phone calls trying to convince everyone that they've arrived in the wrong city." Another passenger on the flight, Son Tran, told CNN: "Most passengers sleep or work through this flight so no one really noticed we were not flying over the Channel. We only realized we are in Scotland once we descended on approach and asked the crew." In a statement, a spokesperson for British Airways said the airline was working with WDL Aviation "to establish why the incorrect flight plan was filed." "We have apologized to customers for this interruption to their journey and will be contacting them all individually," the spokesperson said. WDL Aviation said in a statement: "We are working closely with the authorities to investigate how the obviously unfortunate mix-up of flight schedules could occur. At no time has the safety of passengers been compromised. We flew the passengers on the flight with number BA3271 to Dusseldorf after the involuntary stopover in Edinburgh." 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 case of a Coast Guard lieutenant who purchased firearms allegedly to commit an act of domestic terrorism and also was accused of holding white supremacist views demonstrates that officers and enlisted leaders should be more "intrusive" when it comes to knowing the people they lead, the service's commandant, Adm. Karl Schultz, said March 21. In his first public statement on the Feb. 15 arrest of acquisitions officer Lt. Christopher Hasson on drug and weapons possession charges, Schultz said leadership should be "very alert and aware in our workplace," and the Coast Guard must be more proactive in promoting diversity across its ranks. "People can have a work life and an outside-work life. It heightens all our awareness about keeping our senses, being intrusive leaders," Schultz said. Hasson, who worked at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C., was arrested in Maryland on charges of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and possession of Tramadol, a Schedule IV pain medication to which he was allegedly addicted. But according to court documents, the 49-year-old also identified as a white nationalist who hoped to attack people and maintained a list of journalists, Democratic lawmakers and judges. He was, court documents, say, "bent on committing acts dangerous to human life that are intended to affect government conduct." Related content: The case comes as the Coast Guard plans to launch a major effort to recruit and retain more women and minorities. The service, which is 85 percent male and 80 percent Caucasian, "doesn't look as representative of our nation as it should be," Schultz admitted. During a speech on the state of the Coast Guard at the Port of Los Angeles-Long Beach, California, the admiral said the service will introduce a policy designed to better support women who need to take maternity, caregiver or convalescent leave; launch a study on minority retention; and review its weight standards and tattoo policies as part of an overall effort to recruit and retain quality personnel. "We have to continue to lean in. We've got to make sure we are setting all people who want to serve up for success," he said. Schultz said the Coast Guard is looking for opportunities to promote women and minorities to higher ranks and attract a more diverse recruiting pool, and should not be measured by the views of an alleged criminal. "I would say, judge us on the fiber of our character. We are an organization that is embraced by the nation. We saw some of that in the shutdown," he said. -- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @patriciakime. Top lawmakers have denied the Pentagon's request to reprogram up to $1 billion of infrastructure funding on the U.S. southern border in response to a recent request from the Department of Homeland Security. Less than 24 hours after Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan authorized the request -- which would require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin making plans for construction along the border -- chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Rep. Adam Smith, D-Washington, sent a letter opposing the reprogrammed funding. "The committee does not approve the proposed use of Department of Defense funds to construct additional physical barriers and roads or install lighting in the vicinity of the United States border," Smith wrote to Shanahan and David Norquist, DoD undersecretary and budget comptroller. Shanahan and defense officials said Monday the funds would be used to support DHS' request "to build 57 miles of 18-foot-high pedestrian fencing, constructing and improving roads, and installing lighting within the Yuma and El Paso Sectors of the border in support of the February 15 national emergency declaration on the southern border of the United States." The acting secretary said the Pentagon would use the authorities under Title 10 U.S.C. 284(b)(7), a section of the law pertaining to "support for counterdrug activities and activities to counter transnational organized crime." The law "gives the Department of Defense the authority to construct roads and fences and to install lighting to block drug-smuggling corridors across international boundaries of the United States in support of counter-narcotic activities of Federal law enforcement agencies," DoD officials said in a statement. Though the committee did not approve the reallocation of funding, the Pentagon can still move forward on the effort. While consensus between Congress and the Defense Department is not a legal requirement, the tradition of collaboration has deep roots, said Rick Berger, a research fellow with the American Enterprise Institute who specializes in defense policy and budget appropriations. "Smith's denial is a really good part of the messaging piece, because he's highlighting the issue," Berger said in an interview with Military.com on Tuesday. "He's trying to highlight [that] this is a complicated issue, but a really, really important agreement between Congress and the Pentagon." Reallocating funding is a serious issue, one that Congress usually "puts up guardrails" for, he added. The committee's message of denial came as Shanahan, Norquist and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joseph Dunford were testifying before its members on Capitol Hill on the Pentagon budget. In the coming months as lawmakers debate the fiscal 2020 defense and appropriations bills, Democrats are likely to focus on other pressing issues requiring resources, such as addressing shortfalls in military housing; making repairs at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, which was badly damaged by Hurricane Florence last year; or dealing with Hurricane Michael's devastation of Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Congress' approval of reallocating funding is "more than a formality, but it's less than a legal requirement. It's really an agreement, and [acts as a] certain degree of trust," Berger said. "This [reprogramming] is breaching that trust." Berger expects the DoD will likely move forward with the reallocation, but lawmakers may find other ways to hinder the Trump administration's efforts to use military funding for border security. "Smith is broadening the issue by highlighting that this will set up the second border wall-slash-military funding fight," he said. "Politically, this is more complex, and the people to watch are the Senate Republicans on this and the authority to spend taxpayer dollars." Trump's recently released fiscal 2020 budget request included $8.6 billion for the border wall project. About $3.5 billion of that is set to be reprogrammed from planned military construction projects, and another $2.5 billion from existing counter-narcotics programs. The Pentagon hasn't said which military construction projects have been targeted, but officials on March 18 released a list of unawarded projects adding up to nearly $6.8 billion that could be diverted for the border effort. "I assume there will be a lot more talk about this as it goes on," Berger said. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. Several years after a scientific body recommended that the Department of Veterans Affairs consider adding four conditions -- bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, hypertension and Parkinson's-like symptoms -- to the list of qualifying diseases tied to Agent Orange, affected veterans may soon find out whether they are eligible for disability compensation and VA health care. During a Senate Veterans Affairs hearing Tuesday on the VA budget, Dr. Richard Stone, the executive in charge of the Veterans Health Administration, said a decision on the three illnesses likely would come in the next 90 days. Responding to a question from Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Stone said the VA is working "through this right now, and it would be my hope" to have a decision within three months. He added that the recommendation will go to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie for final approval. "It's took this country far too long to come to terms with Agent Orange," Brown said. Related content: In March 2016, the National Academy of Medicine found evidence that two conditions, bladder cancer and hypothyroidism, are likely linked to Agent Orange exposure and that a third condition, Parkinson-like symptoms, also should be included on the list of diseases presumed to be related to contact with the herbicide. The announcement brought hope to thousands of veterans living with bladder cancer and thyroid problems, as well as those who have essential tremors and other symptoms similar to Parkinson's, but who haven't been diagnosed with the disease. In late 2017, former VA Secretary Dr. David Shulkin said he had made a decision on whether to add the three conditions to the list of 14 Agent Orange-related illnesses, but it was never announced. In November 2018, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine also released a report finding sufficient evidence to link high blood pressure with exposure to Agent Orange. High blood pressure, or hypertension, previously had been designated as having limited or suggestive evidence that it is related to contact with Agent Orange. A National Academies committee, having reviewed new studies, upgraded the association to say there is "sufficient" evidence that ties the disease to exposure. But high blood pressure is so common among older Americans that it has never been added to the presumptive list, even though the suggested evidence shows it may be tied to exposure. The U.S. military sprayed millions of gallons of herbicides, including Agent Orange, in Vietnam to clear the jungle of foliage that obscured enemy movements. More than 2.7 million veterans served in Vietnam. Veterans with health conditions connected to serving on the ground in Vietnam and inland waterways are eligible for health care and compensation from the VA. A legal decision announced in January by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit may extend those benefits to sailors and Marines who have qualifying diseases and were assigned to ships offshore. The VA announced Thursday it will not appeal the decision by a federal judge to award benefits to the veterans, known as the Blue Water Navy. -- Editor's Note: This story has been updated to list the four conditions under consideration. -- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Miltiary.com. Follow her on Twitter at @patriciakime. Stay on Top of Your Veteran Benefits Military benefits are always changing. Keep up with everything from pay to health care by signing up for a free Military.com membership, which will send all the latest benefits straight to your inbox while giving you access to up-to-date pay charts and more. The Department of Veterans Affairs will not appeal a January court ruling that ordered it to provide health care and disability benefits for 90,000 veterans who served on Navy ships during the Vietnam War, likely paving the way for "Blue Water Navy" sailors and Marines to receive Agent Orange-related compensation and VA-paid health care benefits. VA Secretary Robert Wilkie told members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on Tuesday that he will recommend the Justice Department not fight the decision, handing a victory to ill former service members who fought for years to have their diseases recognized as related to exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange. Last year, the House unanimously passed a bill, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, to provide benefits to affected service members. But Wilkie objected, saying the science does not prove that they were exposed to Agent Orange. Veterans and their advocates had argued that the ships' distilling systems used Agent Orange-tainted seawater, exposing sailors on board to concentrated levels of dioxin. However, the bill failed in the Senate when two Republicans, Sen. Michael Enzi of Wyoming and Mike Lee of Utah, said they wanted to wait for a vote pending the outcome of a current study on Agent Orange exposure. Related content: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in January ruled that a Vietnam veteran, 73-year-old Alfred Procopio, and other Blue Water Navy veterans qualified for benefits currently given to service members stationed on the ground in Vietnam or who served on inland waterways and have diseases associated with Agent Orange. Procopio, who served on the aircraft carrier Intrepid, suffers from prostate cancer and diabetes, illnesses presumed to be related to exposure to the toxic herbicide. The VA has contended that any herbicide runoff from the millions of gallons sprayed in Vietnam was diluted by seawater and would not have affected offshore service members. It also objected to the cost of providing benefits to Blue Water Navy veterans for illnesses common to all aging patients, not just those exposed to Agent Orange. The proposed Blue Water Navy Veterans act had estimated the cost of providing benefits to these veterans at $1.1 billion over 10 years. VA officials say the amount is roughly $5.5 billion. Wilkie told members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee during a hearing on the VA's fiscal 2019 budget that the department already has started serving 51,000 Blue Water Navy veterans. He cautioned, however, that while he is recommending the Justice Department drop the case, he "didn't know what other agencies would do." Lawmakers praised Wilkie's announcement, urging him to ensure that the DoJ drops the case. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, said it would "bring fairness" to these veterans. "I am grateful for you in making these considerations," Blumenthal said, adding that he'd like to see the VA do more research on toxic exposures on the modern battlefield. "The potential poisons on the battlefield are one of the greatest challenges of our time." Committee chairman Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Georgia, also promised a hearing later this year on burn pits and other environmental exposures some troops say left them with lifelong illnesses, including cancers -- some fatal -- and respiratory diseases. Isakson added, however, that the VA needs to care first for Blue Water Navy veterans. "If it happens, we are going to be in the process of swallowing a big bite and chewing it," he said. The diseases considered presumptive to Agent Orange exposure, according to the VA, are AL amyloidosis, chronic B-cell leukemia, chloracne, Type 2 diabetes, Hodgkin's lymphoma, ischemic heart disease, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Parkinson's disease, early onset peripheral neuropathy, porphyria, prostate cancer, respiratory cancers and soft tissue sarcomas. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, in a veteran who served 90 days or more in the military is automatically considered service connected, regardless of date of service. Editor's Note: Wilkie testified before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. -- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @patriciakime. Vietnam Veterans Can Get Free Commemorative Pin at Base Exchanges For the second year in a row, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) will honor Vietnam veterans on National Vietnam War Veterans Day, March 29. In partnership with The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration, AAFES will give away a free Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pin to everyone who served on active duty during the period from Nov. 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975. Along with the pin giveaway, many exchanges will be conducting ceremonies with local organizations. For more information on the times of the ceremonies at local exchanges, visit the exchange website. If you can't get to the exchange for a lapel pin March 29, you can visit this site to find an event or commemorative partner in your local area. Read more about the pins on Military.com. The Cubs have agreed to re-sign veteran righty Junichi Tazawa, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). Its a minors deal that would pay $900K in the big leagues, per Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). The 32-year-old Tazawa had been cut loose by the Cubs over the weekend. It appears that he was afforded an opportunity to test the open market when it was decided he wouldnt crack the Chicago Opening Day roster. With no superior chances to be found, he landed back as a depth option for the Cubs, who now avoid paying Tazawa the $100K retention bonus to which hed have been entitled as an Article XX(B) free agent (i.e. a player with six-plus years of service who finished the preceding season on a Major League roster but signed a minor league deal in the offseason). Tazawa produced good results in his 5 2/3 innings in camp, racking up nine strikeouts without permitting any runs, but has struggled quite a bit in recent seasons. He long produced solid peripherals, if not always the desired results, during his run with the Red Sox. But over the past two seasons, Tazawa carries an ugly 6.16 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 over 83 1/3 MLB innings. PHOENIX -- The Detroit Lions thought Luke Willson was ready for a breakout season at tight end. They were wrong, and paid dearly for it. Now theyre hoping the second times the charm. The Lions signed Jesse James during the first wave of free agency, and hes currently penciled in as the starter at the position even though hes never had more than 43 catches or 423 yards in a season. For comparison, Eric Ebron had 53 catches for 574 yards in his final season in Detroit. Then he was cut, and the Lions turned to Willson and Levine Toiolo last season instead. Willson had never had more than 22 catches or 362 yards in a season. But he was also playing behind Jimmy Graham in Seattle, and Quinn believed he was capable of a lot more if given the opportunity. Then Willson turned in his worst season as a pro, with just 13 catches for 87 yards in 14 games. A year later, Quinn is hoping to fix his mistake by making another gamble on James, an undeniably talented tight end whose production was limited by playing behind Vance McDonald at tight end and alongside skill-position stars like Antonio Brown and LeVeon Bell. (The Steelers) obviously had a good group of skill guys, Quinn said. They had a tight end that was so-called their starter in Vance McDonald who took a lot of the third-down opportunities away from Jesse. So, yeah. We think he can do more. We think all our players can hopefully do more for us than they did for the teams that theyve come from. Quinns comments echo those of James himself, who believes he was misused and under-used in Pittsburgh. He chose Detroit over other opportunities because of the playing time he figures to get here. Logan Thomas, Michael Roberts and Jerome Cunningham are the only other tight ends under contract. Those guys combine for 40 catches and 349 yards in their careers. At 6-foot-7, James wont be running away from a whole lot of guys. But he has great length and uses it well in the short field, which should make him an asset on third down and in the red zone, which were problem areas for Detroit last year. "In Pittsburgh, I was splitting time with Vance, so I was more of a first- and second-down (guy) and he would come in in third (down), James said. So Im looking forward to having that challenge of being in there on third down and helping the offense succeed in those high-pressure moments: the red zone, third down, double (coverage) situations on third down and the red zone. I just think I can do more. Like Ive said, Ive gotten better every day. Im still young, 24 years old. My ceiling hasnt been reached yet. A newly formed Hate Crimes Unit within the the Michigan Attorney Generals office already has received hundreds of phone calls and emails, according to the Attorney Generals office. The contacts range from questions to comments to what may be actual concerns, which we are reviewing for possible investigation," said Kelly Rossman-McKinney, spokesman for Attorney General Dana Nessel. At least a few of those contacts include questions and comments from those worried about government overreach and potential harassment of conservatives. Nessel, who took office in January, recently created the unit to identify, investigate and prosecute hate crimes, defined by federal law as threats or attacks motivated by a persons race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. Assistant Attorney General Sunita Doddamani has been named lead prosecutor in the unit and Special Agent David Dwyre has been named lead investigator. Michigan had 456 hate crimes reported in 2017, up from 399 in 2016 and 309 in 2015, according to the FBI. The units formation fulfills a campaign pledge for Nessel, a former Wayne County assistant prosecutor who helped start the Fair Michigan Justice Project, a task force that specializes in and trains other prosecutors in addressing hate crimes. Its an incredibly important issue, Nessel said in a recent conversation with several reporters. There are so many people living in fear all day, every day, and who have felt nobody in law enforcement cared about that. As examples, she pointed to the palpable fear in the Jewish community after the October 2018 mass shooting in a Pittsburgh synogogue and the similar fears in Michigans Muslim communities after mass shootings in three New Zealand mosques earlier this month. People are afraid to send their kids to schools, to pray in their mosques," she said. Thats just not the way we should be living in America. Nessel says she sees the units creation as nonpolitical." But she also sees President Donald Trump has been a huge factor in the rise in reported hate crimes, based on his rhetoric regarding Muslims, immigrants and others he has deemed as presenting a threat to Americans. I think theres always been undertones here and there, over the years of racism and sexism, Nessel said, but never with elected officials this high up. I think its emboldened people who share similar sentiments, and in some cases, caused them to take action. Meanwhile, some conservatives worry that the plan by Nessel and Agustin Arbulu, director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, to maintain a database on hate groups could open the door to harassment of conservatives. One reason for their concerns: In talking about the database, Arbulu and the attorney generals office have referenced an annual list compiled by the Southern Poverty Legal Center, which conservatives say puts some nonviolent far-right organizations in the same category as violent extremists. That includes groups such as the Church Militant/St. Michaels Media in Ferndale, which advocates for strict adherence to Catholic teachings on homosexuality and abortion and is labeled by SPLC as an anti-LGBT hate group. The hate group designation is outrageous," said Christine Niles, editor for the Church Militant, adding her organization is extremely concerned their members civil rights could be violated if they come under government monitoring. Weve committed no crimes, Niles said. "We are faithful Catholics who robustly defend Catholic teachings, and we should have the right to do that without fear of being investigated by the attorney generals office. Kelly Rossman-McKinney, Nessels spokeswoman, said the Attorney Generals office will use the Southern Poverty Law Centers list is one place to start, but well do our own research. Nessel acknowledges that hate itself is not a crime. Our civil liberties protect the right to speak about even the most terrible of things," Nessel said, but adds her office will prosecute to the full extent of the law when hate crimes are committed. Nessel also says monitoring is an important part of the process. To properly address the problem, we need to know when its happening, where its happening and who its happening to, she said. Another criticism of the new unit involves the whole idea of hate crimes. Some question why, for instance, a case of vandalism or assault that is deemed a hate crime should receive a harsher punishment than vandalism or assault that involves a different motive. Nessel said that hate crimes are different because its a crime directed at an entire community. When you have crimes of hatred, it really affects the entire community and causes people to live in fear, she said. "It has a different sort of impact. Thats why Michigans hate-crime law take acts that would otherwise be deemed minor, such an assault or a property crime or a threat, and turns into a two-year offense, Nessel said. Nessel also maintains the enhanced punishments associated with hate crimes allow for better monitoring of those defendants, who likely would be on probation longer. The attorney general says she thinks there is a massive under reporting of hate crimes. I think hate crimes are even more under-reported that sexual assaults, in many instances," she said. Just having a Hate Crimes Unit can help address that problem, she said, by letting people know that there are law enforcement officials are focused on this issue. Having a unit like this, where thats their only job, were probably going to a lot more people calling in because they feel more comfortable reporting, Nessel said. The FBI and U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider in the Eastern District of Michigan have been very, very positive about creation of the new unit, Nessel said. If there is resistance from law enforcement, I havent heard about it," Nessel said. In most cases, I think sheriff departments and local law enforcement agencies are going to welcome this and going to want the extra assistance. We want to work cooperatively with local law enforcement and be as helpful as we can. Victims of a hate crime or people who have credible information about a hate crime can contact the Department of Attorney General at (313) 456-0180. While the first of three spacewalks scheduled in the next three weeks is complete, NASA has adjusted its upcoming, first-ever all-women spacewalk due to spacesuit availability. Astronaut Christina Koch -- a Michigan native -- is still set for the scheduled Friday, March 29 spacewalk outside of the International Space Station. The U.S. space agency reports that astronaut Nick Hague will now replace Anne McClain after officials and astronauts considered the situation. Related: Michigan astronaut successfully launches to space station ahead of spacewalk Koch had been scheduled to conduct this spacewalk with astronaut McClain, in what would have been the first all-female spacewalk, NASA writes in a news release. "However, after consulting with McClain and Hague following the first spacewalk, mission managers decided to adjust the assignments, due in part to spacesuit availability on the station. McClain learned during her first spacewalk that a medium-size hard upper torso essentially the shirt of the spacesuit fits her best. Because only one medium-size torso can be made ready by Friday, March 29, Koch will wear it. Everybody on station wanted a piece of the action during last Fridays spacewalk! We had front row seats out the windows of the Japanese Laboratory module. Awesome watching Anne and Nick with added bonus of prepping for this weeks spacewalk. Round two of battery swaps coming up! pic.twitter.com/i3IJk6DdSS Christina H Koch (@Astro_Christina) March 26, 2019 McClain is scheduled to now participate in the last of three spacewalks with Canadas David Saint-Jacques on April 8 outside of the orbiting laboratory. NASA adds that the specific assignments for this spacewalk will be announced after reviewing the work from Koch and Hagues this Friday. As for Fridays planned tasks, NASA astronauts Koch and Hague will focus on completing the installation of lithium-ion batteries on the space stations solar arrays. This continues the work astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory in January 2017 to improve its power system. Koch graduated from the NASA Academy at Goddard Space Flight Center back in 2001, and was selected as part of the 2013 astronaut class. She will serve as the flight engineer for Expeditions 59 and 60 on the International Space Station. While she is a Grand Rapids native, she now calls Jacksonville, North Carolina home. She launched to the ISS back on March 14 from Kazakhstan with Hague and Russias Alexey Ovchinin. During the stay of Expedition 59 and 60, the crew will also be on hand for the arrival of three resupply spacecrafts. This includes a Russian Progress, Northrop Grumman Cygnus and SpaceX Dragon that will bring the crew supplies for various science investigations. No ordinary battery swap & work day routine. Pics from suiting up Anne & Nick for their first spacewalk! 7 hours later, success upgrading the batteries that allow us to have power even when were shadowed by the Earth from the sun! Great day of teamwork both on and off the Earth. pic.twitter.com/a3R6y2jC7Q Christina H Koch (@Astro_Christina) March 25, 2019 Related: NASA to offer in-depth live coverage of 3 spacewalks over next 3 weeks Spacewalk assignments may be adjusted if the flight operations team deems it necessary, NASA writes on its website. These will be the 214th, 215th and 216th spacewalks in the history of International Space Station assembly and maintenance. When Marquettes Northern Michigan University first started its Educational Access Network program in 2008, the intent was to give its off-campus students an option for a decent internet connection to complete their schoolwork in a region with notoriously unreliable coverage. Since then, the university has expanded its reach to dozens of communities across the Upper Peninsula, opening up their services beyond current students and alumni to K-12 schools and members of the public. Currently, university officials say 3,300 homes are signed up for the service, and the service is averaging about 150 new signups per month as the university expands to new areas. Northern Michigan University President Fritz Erickson said the program has well exceeded initial expectations, and now, the ultimate goal is to extend the service to interested residents anywhere in the Upper Peninsula. He said the university is also exploring expanding into the northern Lower Peninsula as well. When we started this, I was hoping wed get to maybe 2,000 users by 2020, Erickson said. Were constantly reevaluating...Our goal is to get everybody access in the Upper Peninsula that needs access. To participate, users in communities where the service is available opt into the universitys LTE network and pay a monthly fee of one of three tiers, starting at $19.95 for students and schools and up to $34.95 for community members. The networks do not have a cap on data use. The Educational Access Network isnt a traditional internet service provider in the sense that users are expected to use it for at least some educational purpose. Community subscribers are required to complete at least one learning component per year. The university switched to LTE in 2016 and obtained additional licensing approval from the Federal Communications Commission to access the Educational Broadband Service Spectrum. In 2017, the university received a $6.5 million loan from the Michigan Strategic Fund Board to continue expanding the network, with the university kicking in another $3.2 million. When considering where to expand the service, the university approaches communities that are underserved or have gaps in existing broadband access, said Eric Smith, director of broadcasting and audio-visual services at Northern Michigan University. Participating communities work with the university on location for placing broadband equipment - oftentimes, a water tower will do the trick, Smith said, but extremely rural areas or places with rocky terrain pose additional challenges - he noted in one community, the equipment was placed in an old mine shaft. For communities with limited options for reliable internet, the university is an ideal partner, said Judy Trudell, supervisor of Rock Township, in a statement. In an area where our options are limited, NMUs Educational Access Network has provided an affordable, effective means to reliable, high-speed internet, she said. "This is a huge win for our students and citizens that utilize EAN. While the option to use Northern Michigan Universitys network is helpful for students and educators, the system isnt a commercial broadband service and therefore shouldnt be considered an all-encompassing fix to the Upper Peninsulas issues with internet access, Iron County administrator Gene Smith said. The Educational Access Network currently has an access point in Iron Countys Crystal Falls, and at least two commercial network providers operate in the area. He said coverage options are still limited for those who live outside the countys population centers. I believe there is an accurate perception here that development of adequate and reliable broadband can be a key element of economic development, he said. As the Upper Peninsula struggles with trying to enhance the economy, broadband development implementation would be a major issue from our perspective. Both Erickson and Eric Smith said its possible what Northern Michigan University is doing could be replicated in other areas of the U.S. This is a problem facing not only the Upper Peninsula, but the rest of many parts of Michigan and across the country, Erickson said. Were all pretty proud of this. Longtime Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson announced Tuesday, March 26 that he has been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. In a news release from the county government, Patterson said he will continue to keep working as county executive while undergoing treatment. While he will keep working, Patterson will not seek an eighth-term as Oakland County executive during next years election. Alex Trebek has nothing on me, the 80-year-old said in a statement. "Im fighting this cancer to be among the 10 percent who survive it. I will continue to do my job as Oakland County executive alongside the members of my administration who comprise the best team anywhere in government. Patterson has served in the role since Jan. 1, 1993, after serving as the Oakland County prosecutor from 1973 to 1988. He said he was officially diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer back on March 15. Related: Oakland County executive apologizes for Ku Klux Klan remark The county reports that if a vacancy were to occur during his term, deputy executive Gerald D. Poisson would take over until a new successor was appointed or a special election was held. If the board of commissioners elects to appoint a successor, the appointment shall be made no later than 30 days from the date of the vacancy, Oakland County reports in the Tuesday news release. A county executive appointed by the board of commissioners shall serve until the next general election. If the board of commissioners does not make an appointment within 30 days, a special election shall be held at the earliest possible date allowed by the law. Related: Oakland County the epicenter of Michigans blue wave in midterm elections For more information on pancreatic cancer, click here. OAKLAND COUNTY, MI - The Oakland County measles outbreak has now jumped to 18 confirmed cases, and state health officials have released a new list of sites in the community where people may have been exposed to the highly-contagious disease. The cases have been confirmed in Oakland county since March 13, the county health division and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said Monday night. An effort to get more people protected against the disease had meant 970 new vaccinations since March 22. State health officials also released a new list of measles exposure dates and locations. If you were at these places at the times listed, you were at risk of being exposed to the disease. March 23 Yeshiva Gedolah of Greater Detroit: 24600 Greenfield Road, Oak Park, 7:00 9:00 p.m. March 22 Aldi: 26300 Greenfield Road, Oak Park, 1:15 4:00 p.m. Yeshiva Gedolah of Greater Detroit: 24600 Greenfield Road, Oak Park, 7:00 9:30 p.m. Berkley Urgent Care: 3270 Greenfield Road, Berkley, Noon 4:00 p.m. Congregation Shomrey Emunah: 25451 Southfield Road, Southfield, 7:30 10:00 p.m. One Stop Kosher Food Market: 25155 Greenfield Road, Southfield, Oak Park, 1:45 4:30 p.m. March 21 Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak Emergency Department: 3601 W. 13 Mile Road, 10:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Congregation Yagdil Torah: 17100 W 10 Mile Road, Southfield, 8:30 11:30 a.m. and 7:00 9:45 p.m. Dorfman Funeral Home: 30440 West 12 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, 2:00 5:30 p.m. Dovid ben Nuchim: 14800 Lincoln St., Oak Park, 8:30 11:30 p.m. Yeshiva Beth Yahuda : 15751 Lincoln Drive, Southfield, 8:15 a.m. 1:15 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. 12:45 a.m. Ohr HaTorah Synagogue: 15150 W. 10 Mile Road, Oak Park, 8:00 11:30 a.m. and 2:45 5:30 p.m. March 20 Aldi: 26300 Greenfield Road, Oak Park, All Day Kollel Institute of Greater Detroit: 15230 Lincoln St., Oak Park, 8:20 11:20 a.m. Meijer: 5150 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak, 10:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m. One Stop Kosher Food Market : 25155 Greenfield Road, Southfield, Oak Park, Noon 3:30 p.m. Pointview Products : 46986 Liberty Drive, Wixom, 8:00 a.m. 3:30 p.m. Ohr HaTorah Synagogue : 15150 W. 10 Mile Road, Oak Park, 7:00 11:00 p.m. Yeshiva Beth Yahuda: 15751 Lincoln Drive, Southfield,10:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Health officials say anyone at these locations on the times and dates listed is at risk of being exposed to the measles. Vaccination is available and effective within 72 hours of exposure. High-risk individuals can receive immune-globulin (Ig) treatment within 6 days of exposure, health staff said. To view the full list of confirmed exposure locations, visit www.oakgov.com/health. This photo shows measles and tetanus vaccine vials, ready to be administered at the Dallas County Health & Human Services immunization clinic in Dallas on Friday, March 8, 2019.AP A handful of vaccinations sites are available across Oakland County: Oakland County Health Division offices in Southfield and Pontiac are open Monday, 8:30 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. and Tuesday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. North Oakland Health Center, 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Building 34 East, Pontiac. South Oakland Health Center, 27725 Greenfield Road, Southfield. Other locations: Tuesday, March 26 at Young Israel of Oak Park, 15140 W 10 Mile Road, Oak Park, 10:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Wednesday through Friday Young Israel of Oak Park, 15140 W 10 Mile Road, Oak Park, 10:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. State health officials also suggest you contact your health care provider for measles vaccine availability. Measles outbreaks have occurred recently in other states. Between Jan. 1 and March 21, 314 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in the 15 states, including Michigan, Arizona, Illinois and Texas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Michigan, health officials also released the following information about who should be seeking vaccinations, symptoms of the disease, and how to find out more information. Important points to remember: Unvaccinated individuals need to get vaccinated within 72 hours of exposure. If you do not have documentation of two measles (MMR) vaccines from a doctor or Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR), unsure if you have been vaccinated, or unsure if you have had measles in the past, contact your healthcare provider or visit a location above to get vaccinated. Immune Globulin (Ig) treatment is effective within 6 days of exposure for high-risk individuals including those who are unvaccinated or unsure about vaccination status, pregnant women and those with a weakened immune system due to illness and diseases like HIV, malnutrition, and/or medications. If symptoms develop, do not visit your doctor or emergency room unless you call ahead so they can take precautions to prevent exposure to other individuals. Stay home if you are sick and dont allow visitors in your home as measles is highly contagious. The virus is spread by direct person-to-person contact, and through the air. It can live in the air for up to two hours where the infected person was present. Watch for symptoms for 21 days after potential exposure. Call your preferred healthcare provider if symptoms develop and you believe you were exposed. Measles is a serious disease that can make individuals very ill. Complications from measles can be severe and include: Pneumonia, Encephalitis (swelling of the brain), Ear infections (can result in permanent hearing loss), preterm birth and/or low birthweight babies in pregnant women. Rambo Islas, 8 months, is held by his mother Maria Islas, as he gets a shot for a vaccine administered by RN, Nicole Ives at the Dallas County Health & Human Services immunization clinic in Dallas on Friday, March 8, 2019.AP Measles symptoms Usually begin 7-14 days after exposure, but can appear up to 21 days after exposure and may include: High fever (may spike to over 104F) Cough Runny nose Red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis) Tiny white spots on the inner cheeks, gums, and roof of the mouth (Koplik Spots) 2-3 days after symptoms begin A rash that is red, raised, blotchy; usually starts on face, spreads to trunk, arms, and legs 3-5 days after symptoms begin For more information ST. JOSEPH, MI A man convicted in the fatal shooting of his wife inside a marijuana grow room in Michigan has been sentenced to life in prison. The Associated Press reports that John Lewis, of Niles Township, was given the mandatory punishment in a Berrien County courtroom on Monday. Berrien County man convicted of killing wife in marijuana grow room In February, Lewis was found guilty of killing his 55-year-old wife, Carla Lewis, in 2017. He then called 911, saying two men had broken into the home, killer her and fled in her car. His lawyer Jolene Weiner-Vatter told the court that Lewis "maintains his innocence" and is adamant that the killers remain "in the community, according to the Associated Press. Lewis sentence does not include the possibility of parole. A special commission is advising Michigan lawmakers not to set limits on how much THC a person can have in their system before theyre deemed too impaired to drive. The six-member commission appointed by former Republican Governor Rick Snyder has studied the possibility of setting a legal limit on delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) -- the active mind-altering chemical in marijuana -- for the past year. Last week the Impaired Driving Safety Commission sent its report to state lawmakers, which recommended they not set a numerical impairment limit for THC. After reviewing several studies, the commission found there is no scientifically supported threshold for THC that correlates to impaired driving. Its something that people want to compare it to alcohol, said defense attorney Barton Morris, who founded Cannabis Legal Group in Royal Oak. It simply doesnt exist. Blood levels of THC can be low when people are very impaired -- and conversely, chronic users of marijuana with high levels of THC in their blood can not be impaired, according to the commissions report. With multiple ways of consuming marijuana -- from smoking it to eating infused edibles -- the time it takes to feel its effects vary widely and from person to person. Studies have found that people impaired by cannabis typically drive slower, leave more space between cars and take fewer risks than when they drive sober, according to the commissions report. The Impaired Driving Safety Commission included Michigan State Police Director Col. Kriste Etue, Dr. William Morrone, Norbert Kaminski of Michigan State University, University of Michigan professor Carol Flannagan, forensic toxicologist Nicholas Fillinger and medical marijuana patient and activist Margeaux Bruner. The commission was very accurate, Morris said. There cannot be a THC concentration in blood that reasonably equates to impaired driving. Six states have established per se limits for THC impairment. Colorado, Montana and Washington have set theirs at 5 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). Nevada and Ohio have limits of 2 ng/ML, and Pennsylvania has a legal limit of 1 ng/ML. Without a legal limit for marijuana -- like the 0.08 percent blood alcohol content -- Michigan prosecutors are left to the facts of the case, said D.J. Hilson, president of the Prosecuting Attorney Association of Michigan. "The science is unsettled in that area. I think most of us prosecutors appreciate that because of that they decided not to recommend a level; as we really have with the change in the law we're going to be focused on the facts of the case," Hilson said. A positive test result for THC does not mean a driver can automatically be charged with driving under the influence, Morris said. Now its just a factor that must be taken into consideration, Morris said, explaining a drivers ability to control the car, field sobriety tests and the police officers observations are also factors for prosecutors. The Impaired Driving Safety Commission recommended that more police officers be trained on how to identify drugs and drugged driving, and to continue a planned expansion of roadside drug tests. A trial run of the roadside saliva tests in five counties last year found most of the drivers police suspected were impaired were under the influence of marijuana. A statistical analysis of the roadside tests found that they performed well compared to the subsequent blood tests. Just as the results from breathalyzer tests for alcohol cannot be used in court, the roadside saliva tests for marijuana and other drugs also cannot be used to charge a driver with a crime, Hilson said. -- Amy Biolchini is the marijuana beat reporter for MLive. Contact her with questions, tips or comments at abiolch1@mlive.com. Read more from MLive about medical and recreational marijuana. LANSING, MI Michigan is joining a growing number of states which are drafting enforceable regulations for toxic fluorochemicals called PFAS in public drinking water supplies. On Tuesday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered the Department of Environmental Quality to begin the regulatory process for establishing drinking water standards for PFAS, a class of chemicals found at some level in public supplies serving 1.4 million in Michigan last year. Expedited draft rules are expected to be ready this fall. All Michiganders deserve to know that we are prioritizing their health and are working every day to protect the water that is coming out of their taps, Whitmer said. According to Whitmers office, the states PFAS team, MPART, will form a science advisory workgroup to review existing and proposed health-based drinking water standards from around the country. The goal is to establish maximum contaminant levels, or MCLs, for PFAS compounds that public supply operators would be required to comply with under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The workgroup will present public health goals for PFAS in drinking water by July 1. The proposed regulations should be ready by Oct. 1, after which theyll go through a more typical state rule-making process. According to the DEQ, the workgroup will consider standards for the compounds PFOA, PFOS, PFBS, PFHxS and PFNA the last of which is regulated at 13 parts-per-trillion (ppt) in New Jersey. Thats the only existing state PFAS drinking water standard in the country. Upset that the federal government is moving slowly on the issue, states like New York, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania have begun developing their own PFAS drinking water standards. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not set enforceable standards for PFAS in public supplies. The agency has an unenforceable advisory level of 70-ppt for PFOS and PFOA thats been criticized by some states and independent scientists as inadequate. A science advisory panel convened by former Gov. Rick Snyder to review PFAS health literature concluded in December that 70-ppt may not be protective enough of public health. The EPA says it will decide later this year whether to establish a national drinking water standard for PFAS compounds. Michigan has long advocated that the federal government establish national standards to protect the nations water from PFAS contamination, but we can no longer wait for the Trump Administration to act, Whitmer said. Whitmers announcement drew praise from Democrats and environmental groups, which have been pushing for the state to enact regulatory limits on PFAS in drinking water. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, as well as the Michigan Environmental Council, Clean Water Action, Michigan League of Conservation Voters, the Huron River Watershed Council and Need Our Water (NOW) all issued statements supportive of the move. I commend Governor Whitmer for directing swift action to protect our drinking water, our children and our families, said Tony Spaniola, an attorney and member of NOW in Oscoda, where PFAS from the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base has polluted local waters. Spaniola said that science has clearly shown that PFAS chemicals pose serious threats to the most vulnerable among us, particularly pregnant women and children. He expressed hope for a stakeholder process that includes robust participation from communities whose water has been contaminated, as well as the citizens who have been directly impacted. Lansing Republicans were supportive, but reserved. Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, praised efforts that began under Snyder to discover and respond to PFAS contamination in Michigan. He called it imperative that government rely on scientific research and facts when setting standards. Shirkey promised scrutiny in the legislature. The Governors proposed rule will be vetted and scrutinized by the Senate and will be subject to the regular rule-making process, he said. The Senate has worked diligently to fund efforts to assess and mitigate the impact of PFAS and my colleagues and I remain committed to pursuing science-based standards to protect the health and safety of our constituents. Bonnifer Ballard, director of the American Water Works Association in Michigan, said shes pleased the governor is prioritizing public health and likes the idea of a scientific workgroup review, but she expressed concern about the aggressive timeline. Theres an established process and accelerating that may cause people to inadvertently make some ill-informed decisions, Ballard said. The Michigan Chemistry Council, which represents chemical manufacturers and distributors, sounded a skeptical note about the proposal. We encourage a careful review process that accounts for the numerous determinations and their potential ramifications, said council director John Dulmes. Todays announcement leaves many questions unanswered, including which PFAS compounds will be proposed for regulation and on what basis of risk assessment. Dulmes said the chemistry council believes "the EPA and other federal agencies are ultimately best-positioned to develop such rules, and have reinforced their commitment to do so. For that reason, we urge the Whitmer administration to ensure that science not politics is at the front and center of this proposed process. Scott Dean, DEQ spokesperson, said MPART will meet April 4 in Lansing to select experts for the workgroup. That meeting is open to the public. Dean said the workgroup will consider health-based criteria developed by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and recommendations from groups ranging from the Natural Research Defense Council, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and other states with proposed drinking water standards. Meanwhile, the DEQ will begin talking with communities, environmental groups, business interests and utilities as part of whats generally called the stakeholder regulatory review process. As part of the rulemaking process, DEQ is required to consider analytical and treatment technology capabilities and identify the costs and benefits to communities, he said. This is pretty unique for us, Dean said. Really, only one other state has set a rule for PAFS in drinking water and thats for PFNA in New Jersey. After Oct. 1, the timeline for the regulations to take effect gets a little muddy. The DEQ is unique in state rulemaking because its proposals must go through additional review by a panel established under Snyder that has the power to overturn proposed regulations. Whitmer tried to abolish that panel earlier this year, but her executive order was overturned by Republicans in the legislature in January. State Sen. Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, issued a statement calling the plan for setting a PFAS standard good news for every family and community in our state. Brinks introduced a bill that would set standards at 5-ppt for the compounds PFOS and PFOA, but Republicans in the state legislature have shown little interest in moving the legislation. Enforceable standards based on the best science available put us on the right path one that holds polluters accountable, deters further contamination and keeps the hardworking people of Michigan safe, Brinks said. I look forward to helping (Whitmers) administration in any way I can as we take this important next step. ANN ARBOR, MI - The Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of the city of Ann Arbor in a Freedom of Information Act dispute with conservative pundit Debbie Schlussel. The court, on Tuesday, March 26, reaffirmed Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Timothy Connor's choice to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Schlussel in 2017 in connection to false reports of hate crimes in the city. Schlussel wanted the city to release the name of a Muslim woman who, in 2016, claimed a man threatened to light her on fire if she didnt remove her hijab and said she believed the attacker was a Trump supporter. Police determined the report was false, but prosecutors declined to charge the woman, saying it wasnt in the interest of justice. The womans name was redacted, along with other information, from the police report Schlussel obtained from Ann Arbor police through the Freedom of Information Act. Though the city attorneys office cited privacy and medical exemptions in the act as reasoning for the redactions, Schlussel claimed the move was politically motivated and an attempt by the city to implement Sharia law. Connor threw out Schlussels subsequent lawsuit in October 2017, after reviewing an un-redacted version of the police report, City Attorney Stephen Postema previously said. The Court of Appeals supported the move Tuesday, disagreeing with Schlussel that Michigans FOIA law permits disclosures identifying someone found to have committed a crime, even if that person was not charged. Public interest didnt outweigh the unwarranted invasion of privacy, because the release of the womans name, address and medical history would not contribute to public understanding of the operations of the government, the court ruled. Because prosecutors, not police, make the decision whether to charge a case, further release of information by the Ann Arbor Police Department can't show existence of any preferential treatment, the court said. The Court of Appeals said AAPD treated the case in the same way it treated a false hate crime claim made by a non-Muslim woman, who was charged and had her name released through FOIA. "Plaintiff asserts that there 'could be' any number of reasons that justify her claim, including abuse of prosecutorial discretion or some sort of coverup," the court said in an unpublished opinion released to The Ann Arbor News. "However, plaintiff points to no record evidence that supports these allegations. Plaintiff has the relevant information she appears to have sought: the complainant is a Muslim woman, and the woman who was prosecuted for making a false claim is not." City Attorney Postema celebrated the decision in statement released Tuesday. "Judge Connors correctly applied the balancing test for privacy under FOIA, as the Court of Appeals recognized," he said in the statement. "The City (sic) will always vigorously defend against such claims. For their part, Schlussel and her attorney, West Bloomfield-based Daniel Lehman, vowed to fight the decision and appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court by the end of the week. Lehman said he was "shocked" by the ruling, while Schlussel called it "outrageous." "I dont understand why they are so intent of keeping this person's name a secret," she said. "Is it because she's not a U.S. citizen and if she were prosecuted, she'd be deported?" She believes religion is a factor, based on the non-Muslim woman being charged and named. Schlussel also called the release of the decision Tuesday ironic, given the national news the same day that charges would be dropped against "Empire" star Jussie Smollett. Smollett was accused of staging an attack and falsely claiming to be a victim of a hate crime. "I think this woman defamed (President) Donald Trump and those of us who voted for the president by claiming that Donald Trump supporters threatened her life when in fact it just never happened, just like Jussie Smollett did, and I think that the world needs to know her name just like they know Jussie Smollett's name," she said. "These people that perpetrate hate crime hoaxes have to be brought to justice and part of that process is releasing their names and the complete police reports." Schlussel is an attorney and pundit who has worked with various national media outlets. City attorneys, in court filings, have called her an anti-Muslim blogger and pundit who "attacks Muslims and the Muslim religion." The office accused her of using the case to prey upon a specified person as well as the Muslim public through tactics of fear and prejudice and she is using her website as an anti-Muslim Internet offering plate. FLINT, MI -- An old school once part of the St. Agnes Catholic Church in Flint is filled with abandoned cases of donated bottled water. Flint resident Jimmy Cowell wandered into the structure with his fiance and said he stumbled upon hundreds of cases of bottled water. We were pretty dumbfounded that anyone could leave that much water behind that this city truly relied on, Cowell said. If anyone wants to know where Flint donations went, its just sitting in abandoned buildings in stockpiles... This is probably a 30-by-50 room full of water. Fundraisers have been held at St. Agnes Catholic Church since the Flint Water Crisis started in 2015 and the old school behind the church was used to store donated bottles of water. In 2016, a water drive was hosted at St. Agnes Catholic Church on West Pierson Road through donations from the Grand Rapids Latino community. The water from that drive was cleared out by the Genesee County Hispanic Latino Collaborative, CEO San Juana Olivares said. Those bottles of water werent left by our community, Olivares said. We took all that water out that same year. Our community helped make sure it was taken out and given to residents. Roberto Torres, who helped facilitate the donations along with two Latino radio stations in Grand Rapids, said his community was just answering Flints call for clean water. The radio stations made a call out to the community and residents began dropping off donations at the stations. Those donations were loaded onto two trucks and delivered to Flint, where volunteers from Grand Rapids and Flint passed bottled water out to residents. We were looking to serve the Flint community, Torres said. We just unloaded the two trucks at the church, we just delivered the water. Torres said he doesnt know who helped organize the event on Flints end and that hes not sure if the water in the building now is the water that was donated in Grand Rapids. Families were taking a lot of water while we there passing it out, so it could have been another delivery of water that wasnt ours, Torres said. Isnt there someone in general coordinating all of these donations? Bottled water was distributed by the city of Flint using water pods funded by the State. Those pods required residents to show identification proving their Flint residency in order to receive water. The citys water distribution sites were shut down last year in April. Churches throughout Flint have taken it upon themselves to accept and distribute donated bottled water. Part of the reason Torres community rallied together at St. Agnes was it didnt require residents to show identification in order to receive bottled water. People were asked to show identification, we didnt feel that was necessary, Torres said. St. Agnes closed its doors in 2008 after struggling financially and having low attendance, MLive-The Flint Journal previously reported. The Catholic church was absorbed by St. John Vianney Catholic Church and sold in 2008, St. Johns Pastor Tom Eckert said. Genesee County Property records show Reginald Williams of Flint as the owner of the property. City utility records state utilities are billed to Gods City of Refuge of Flint LLC. State records show Patricia C. Williams as the registered owner of the LLC. Attempts to reach Patricia Williams and Reginald Williams failed as all phone numbers associated with them or Gods City of Refuge on public records were out of service. Torres, who participates in donation drives often, said this kind of thing happens. Torres helped organize a drive for victims of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras and encountered issues with getting the goods delivered. We received a lot of donations. The first shipment that went out didnt make it past the port, Torres said. Once it got to the port and was unloaded, people took it with them. It never reached its destination and we had to do another shipment of donations. While problems getting donations to the people who need them can arise, Torres said it shouldnt stop people from trying to help others out. You dont let that discourage you from giving and donating, Torres said. KENT COUNTY, MI Theres no easy way around it: Motorists in the Grand Rapids area are going to be slowed this summer, with two major construction projects set to begin next week. On April 1, westbound I-196 will shut down just before U.S. 131 to reconstruct the bridge over the Grand River and widen the expressway. The project is expected to last through Aug. 31. Then, theres the project just down the road. In early June, eastbound I-96 will be closed at Leonard Street for about five months so that the existing westbound I-196 bridge over eastbound I-96 can be removed and a new eastbound 1-96 bridge completed. The East Beltline Avenue ramps to I-96, and the Leonard Street ramp to eastbound I-96, will be closed during construction. Any time you lose a lane, let alone a full closure, itll cause a lot of congestion, said John Richard, a Michigan Department of Transportation spokesman. There will be some growing pains. 10 Major road projects to slow traffic in Grand Rapids area Eastbound I-96 near Leonard Street has already seen intermittent lane and ramp closures. Lane and ramp closings are to begin April 1, with total closure of eastbound I-96 at Leonard in mid-June. Traffic will be detoured onto southbound U.S. 131 to eastbound I-196. That project will create dedicated exit lanes to East Beltline Avenue from both I-96 and I-196. The detour for westbound I-196 is I-96 to southbound U.S. 131 and back to I-196. Richard noted that there are other east-west options, including M-6, and 28th, 44th and 54th streets. Drivers on westbound I-196 can take exits to Fuller, College or Ottawa avenues before the highway shuts down. But there will be no access to U.S. 131. The projects cost $60 million. Richard said that the roads need replacement, with westbound lanes of I-196 over the Grand River built in 1960. The reconfiguration will also improve safety and ease of travel. GRAND RAPIDS, MI The Grand Rapids school board plans to ask more rigorous questions and probe deeply into the past experiences of two finalists for superintendent during second round interviews to determine if either is a good fit. During a special board meeting Monday, March 25, members also said they will carefully weigh the focus group feedback from parents, students, teachers, community members, and administrators. The candidates will meet with those stakeholders prior to the evening interviews on Monday, April 8. Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal will retire at the end of the school year after having served seven years in the position. The finalists for the second-round interviews are from large districts, have superintendent cabinet level experience, and have been teachers and principals. They are: Devon Horton, Chief of Schools for Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, KY. The district has approximately 101,000 students. He was previously deputy superintendent of East St. Louis School District 189. Adrian Talley, Director of Community Schools for Prince Georges County Public Schools in Maryland. The district of more than 130,000 students. He was previously executive director of student services. We are not just asking questions that are pre-made but we are digging deeper into the skill sets that these candidates would bring to Grand Rapids based on their experience and creative thinking, said school board member Jose Flores, about being very intentional about vetting the finalists. I think that we are fortunate that we have two proven educators with advanced degrees in education (doctorate degrees) and who have experiences in the trenches -- in the classroom, with building level management, and at the cabinet level.'' Kristian Grant, school board president, said she is confident the board will make the right leadership decision for the community. Grant told board members that final decision will be based on a combination of things, including what they know about the district of more than 16,000 students and its needs going forward. Horton and Talley emerged as the top choices out of four candidates interviewed on March 16. This week the board opted not to interview a fifth candidate, River Rouge Superintendent Derrick Coleman. Rod Green, executive search consultant for the Michigan Association of School Boards, told the school board Monday the finalists had strong references from current and previous positions and were very highly recommended.'' He said reference checks provided good insight into their work experience, character, and overall ability to handle the superintendent job. Horton and Talley are both in newly created positions. As director of community schools since September, Talley is focused on supporting student development, improving student outcomes, and supporting families. Horton became chief of schools in June following an organizational review noted the need for of a chief to provide focused operational oversight and guidance to and consistent evaluation of school principals. I think that it is important that we really get to know them, said school board member Tony Baker, about the upcoming interview. Baker said the board should also look to interview people that would have relevant knowledge of the candidates beyond the references each provided for more perspective. School board member Kymberlie Davis said moving into the second round the board will be looking to drill down on some specific areas they still need to know more about from the candidates. She said they are going to be zeroed in on learning what they didnt hear during the March 16 interviews. With our meeting today, its very obvious that everyone on the board also wants to make sure that all voices in the community are heard and that we get the perspective of students, parents, teachers, and administrators, Davis said. Kimberley Williams said there is a lot riding on the decision. She said she will be cautious and make her decision based on whats in the best interest of the children and the community. Officials say more details regarding the focus groups, to be held at GRPS University, 1400 Fuller Ave. NE, will be available at a later date. However, participants would be meeting with Talley and Horton during the afternoon of April 8, after they tour a few school buildings. Candidate interviews will be held at the district administration building, 1331 Franklin St. SE, with the interview times to be determined. The meetings be live streamed that evening. Those details will be released later. Board members will discuss the interviews and focus group feedback that night to determine if either candidate demonstrated they are the right fit for the community and the capacity run to lead the district. No district employees applied for the position that received 30 applications. For more information about the two candidates, visit the district website. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Kent County Road Commission officials have turned down the sole bid on their 14.2-acre riverfront property. The vote by the Kent County Road Commission Board at their meeting Tuesday, March 26, to reject the $5 million bid on their central complex location at 1500 Scribner Ave. NW was unanimous. Steven Warren, managing director of the Kent County Road Commission, said the bid was about $6.4 million short of what they ideally wanted to align with plans to design, build and move to a new facility billed at $45 million. The request for bids had no minimum offer requirement. A third party hired by the road commission to appraise the property valued it at $7.5 million to $8 million. In rejecting the bid, the board directed Warren to re-examine options for the property sale. Warren expressed he was admittedly a little surprised to only receive one bid on the property but said time is on our side for rebidding in the future. Some factors that may increase the potential for more and higher bids in the future include housing needs near downtown, planned river access and restoration projects and downtown redevelopment encroaching further north to the central complex, Warren said. The lone bidder, West Michigan businessman Chris Weller, previously said he envisioned a number of opportunities for the space but didnt yet have concrete plans for development. The road commission property is one of 15 along the river identified in 2015 as opportunity sites in the GR Forward strategic plan for downtown Grand Rapids and the Grand River. That plan envisions river access, trail connections, recreation areas and opportunities for the development of high loft and office space at the site. We certainly have time, in my opinion, Warren said, to continue to operate out of this facility, to continue to do what we need to do to improve our road network and to consider our options: either rebid it at some time in the future, perhaps gather some more information during that time on potential market value. Road commission officials say theyve outgrown the central complex property and want to move operations about four miles northwest to a 29-acre space purchased two years ago. Because design and construction for a new facility on Northridge Drive NW between Shippers Drive and Bristol Avenue would take an estimated two years, solicited bids were asked to include options for purchasing the central complex property and then leasing it back to the road commission during that time. The $5,050,000 bid included terms to allow the road commission to rent back their property at $82,500 a month until Dec. 31, 2020, with an option to go month-to-month for up to a year after. Subtracting rent and utility costs, the property sale would yield a net value of about $3.1 million. With those funds and about $11 million in reserves, the road commission would need to take out a $31 million bond to fund the new facility project, according to their estimates. But, Warren said, the road commission has an estimated debt limit of $24.5 million, leaving them about $6.4 million short of funding the facility. Warren said the time spent exploring next steps will afford the road commission an opportunity to bolster their reserves. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Drivers will encounter some extra obstacles driving around downtown Grand Rapids on Thursday, March 28, as the city hosts President Donald Trump for a re-election campaign rally. On Tuesday, city officials announced street and parking lot closures around Van Andel Arena, where the rally is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday. The immediate streets around the arena at 130 Fulton St. W will be closed starting at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, and until about 8:30 p.m. That includes: Fulton Street West from Ottawa Avenue to Ionia Avenue; Weston Street SW west of Ionia Avenue; Oakes Street SW from Ottawa Avenue to Ionia Avenue; Ottawa Avenue SW from Fulton Street to Oakes Street. The Area 2 parking lot on Oakes Street SW and Area 3 lot on Ionia Avenue SW will be closed beginning at midnight Wednesday, March 27, through midnight Thursday. All access card-holders for the two lots will have access to the Louis Campau ramp on Monroe Avenue NW and McConnell Ionia lot on McConnell Street SW during that time. Additional closed parking spaces include the metered parking at: Ottawa Avenue NW between Oakes Street and Fulton Street; Oakes Street SW between Grandville Avenue and Market Avenue; Weston Street SW between Ottawa Avenue and Grandville Avenue; Weston Street SW west of Ionia Avenue; Parking lot at Fulton Street SW and Ionia Avenue. Thursdays 2020 campaign rally for Trump is expected to draw 10,000-12,000 attendees, according to city officials. Downtown travelers can expect heavy traffic and possible delays as a result of the additional motorists and pedestrians. Officers from Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Kent County and Michigan State Police will be in the area directing traffic. JACKSON COUNTY, MI Tornado sirens will wail throughout Jackson County Wednesday afternoon, but weather forecasts predict no actual tornado will be on the ground. As part of Michigans Severe Weather Awareness Week, Jackson County is participating in the annual statewide tornado drill on March 27, to raise awareness and preparedness for severe weather, according to a Jackson County Sheriffs Office statement. At 1 p.m., the county's tornado sirens will activate, calling for residents to seek shelter as if a real tornado was coming. Beyond the drill, Jackson County residents can receive free emergency alerts and notifications by signing up for the countys CodeRED alert system. Residents may register online at https://www.mijackson.org Here are some tips to be ready in the event of a tornado. WISCONSIN No foul play is suspected in the death of a Kalamazoo woman whose body was found in Wisconsin, police say. The body of Amanda Hanover was found in the water near the Lake Michigan shoreline Saturday, March 23 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Kenosha police responded around 2:20 p.m. to the 6600 block of 3rd Avenue on a report of a body found. The body was later identified as Hanover, 39, who was last seen by family members March 18. An autopsy was conducted Monday, March 25. The results are pending the toxicology report, which will take several weeks, Kenosha police said in a press release. The investigation is ongoing, but there is no indication of foul play and there is no suspected threat to the public, according to police. Kenosha police said on March 21 they had found Hanovers vehicle unoccupied near Fishermans Circle at the Lake Michigan shoreline. A cell phone had been left in the vehicle. Kenosha police considered Hanover as missing-endangered until they found her body two days later. MASON COUNTY, MI A man suspected of stabbing a relative numerous times and then assaulting a sheriffs deputy who was arresting him initially resisted jail arraignment in Mason County, according to the sheriff. Gerald Francis Morong, 57, is the suspect in the stabbing of his 72-year-old roommate on Saturday, March 23, said Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole. Its alleged that Morong also struck a sheriffs deputy who was arresting him. After being taken to the Mason County Jail, Morong refused to cooperate with authorities, Cole said. He wouldnt fill our paperwork, take a shower or leave the cell in order to be arraigned, the sheriff said. As a result, a magistrate agreed to visit Morong in his cell, where the arraignment took place early in the evening of Monday, March 25, Cole said. Usually, arraignments are done via video from a secure room in the jail. The stabbing was reported around 12:20 p.m. Saturday, March 23, in Mason Countys Free Soil Township, according to a news release from Coles office. Sheriff deputies and a Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officer responded to the scene in the 8200 block of North Custer Road. Inside a home they found the victim suffering from multiple stab wounds to the arm and leg, according to the news release. The stabbing suspect was outside and the DNR officer and a deputy were taking him into custody when he allegedly punched the deputy on the side of the head, according to the release. The stabbing victim was taken to Spectrum Health Ludington before being transferred to Spectrums Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids with serious injuries not considered to be life threatening, Cole said. He did not have updated information on the victims condition on Tuesday, March 26. Morongs bail has been set at $10,000 cash or surety bond. MIDLAND, MI - K-9 TzaYid now has brand new body armor that is bullet and stab-proof for working in the field. Tza-Yid and his handler, Midland Police Officer John DuBois, have been working together for the last seven years and DuBois said it was time for his dog to get new armor to stay safe. Prior to this vest he had a body armor vest, but it was only bulletproof, DuBois said. Each vest has a value from $1,744 to $2,283 with a five-year warranty and an average weight of 4-5 lbs, according to a news release. Community Relations Sgt. Chris Wenzell said typically officers should replace those vests every five-to-six years and it was the right time to get a new vest. The vest was sponsored by RoxAnne Twinning-Russo who helped pay for the vest, which came from a nonprofit charity organization called Vested Interest in K9s Inc. based in Massachusetts. DuBois said its possible that he and his K-9 will be retiring together at the end of the year after almost a decade together. Wenzell said the department is interested in looking at getting another K-9 since TzaYid is their only one right now. ALBEE TWP, MI Michigan State Police detectives are investigating a body found in a creek in rural Saginaw County. About 8 p.m. on Monday, March 25, troopers responded to Bueche Road south of Fry Road for report of a body floating in Pattee Creek. Initial investigation indicated the body had been in the water for an extended time. Troopers did not see anything obviously indicating the cause of death. The identity of the deceased remains unknown. An autopsy of the remains is scheduled for Tuesday. In the meantime, investigators are working with area agencies to determine if there are any missing persons cases that could connect to the case. Troopers were assisted by Albee Township firefighters and the Saginaw County Sheriffs deputies. SAGINAW, MI Rev. Ernest W. Bothuel of Bethlehem Baptist Church left a legacy rooted deep in the Saginaw community, in his family and in the people who loved him. That legacy is one of service. Bothuel, 100, died on Monday, March 18. He served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist for 63 years, which he founded in 1950, said Executive Minister of Bethlehem Ben Smith. He was considered my grandfather in the ministry, said Smith. Ive known him all my life. Bothuel impacted generations of families who would attend services at the South Side church, 3309 Bundy St., and strangers he met when he would visit prison and hospitals to pray. Some would say serving the community was something Bothuel did around the clock, because he was always moving, Smith reminisced. He invested in people no one thought about, Smith said. "He truly appreciated who they are. Bothuel invested his time in building Saginaw up by involving himself in organizations such as Parishioners on Patrol and American Baptist College and founding the Saginaw Valley District Association. When Bothuel retired from his official duties at the church in 2014 he became pastor emeritus and still continued to serve the community and church, Smith said. Those close to him knew he loved to make others laugh by cracking jokes. To honor Bothuel and his legacy, plans are in the works to get Bundy Street, where the church is located, changed in Bothuels name. The legacy of serving is going to live on forever, Smith said. Bothuel is survived by his wife, children and many grandchildren. A funeral service for Bothuel was held on Monday, March 25. China will buy a total of 300 passenger jets from European aircraft maker Airbus as its US rival Boeing struggles in the aftermath of two deadly crashes involving its 737 MAX. The deal was signed during a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to France. Beijings order includes 290 aircraft from the A320 Family and 10 more from the A350 XWB line, Airbus said in a statement on Monday. The agreement reflects strong demand in all sections of the Chinese aviation market, according to the company. Airbus did not reveal the total value of the deal. However, French officials told Reuters that it could be worth 30 billion (around $34 billion), roughly matching Airbus list prices. Also on rt.com Indonesian air carrier to ditch Boeings jets after crash, in favor of rival Airbus The conclusion of a big [aviation] contract... is an important step forward and an excellent signal in the current context, French President Emmanuel Macron said in a joint address with Xi Jinping. Apart from the order for 300 jets, the two sides signed the total of 15 business contracts in sectors ranging from energy to shipping. Frances industrial equipment supplier Fives and the China National Building Materials Group inked a 1 billion ($1.13 billion) deal on cooperation in energy savings in developing countries. Another 1.2 billion ($1.36 billion) agreement to build 10 container ships was signed between the Marseille-based shipping line CMA CGM and China State Shipbuilding Corporation. Beijing also agreed to lift an embargo on French poultry, which was imposed following bird flu outbreaks in France. Also on rt.com Profit v passenger safety: Why the US was the last to ground troubled Boeing jets The massive contract with the European aviation giant comes after Boeings 737 MAX aircraft were grounded following two fatal crashes in recent months. China was the first to suspend the aircraft operation. Previously, Beijing was set to purchase up to 300 Boeing jets, but the US-China trade war is believed to have put that deal on hold. Xi Jinping came to France after his three-day visit to Rome, during which the two sides signed the memorandum of understanding on Italys joining of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative. The deal was sealed despite other EU countries, including France and Germany, warning Rome against the move. French President Emmanuel Macron called on his European allies to stick to a more consolidated approach toward China. For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section The Chinese Belt and Road initiative is an important project, which European states would be glad to join, according to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who stressed that cooperation should be based on reciprocity from Beijing. We, as Europeans, want to play an active part and that must lead to certain reciprocity and we are still wrangling over that a bit, Merkel said, as quoted by Reuters. The comment comes shortly after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is currently paying a state visit to France. The Chinese president came to France after his three-day visit to Italy. On Saturday, Rome and Beijing signed the memorandum of understanding on Italys joining of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative. The move had not been received well by European nations, particularly France and Germany. French President Emmanuel Macron had called for a more consolidated approach toward China among European allies, at the same time as Paris was signing multi-billion-euro contracts with Beijing. The Belt and Road Initiative is expected to provide effective connectivity and boost Chinas cooperation with more than 152 countries in Southeast and Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America and Africa via various infrastructure projects, along the lines of the old Silk Road. The project, proposed by Xi in 2013, promises to significantly boost global trade, cutting trading costs by half for the countries involved. China has heavily invested into the ambitious enterprise with a reported $900 billion having been spent on projects in partner countries. Most of the investment projects of the Belt and Road initiative have reportedly benefitted Chinas state-owned corporations. For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section Gulf states reject Washingtons decision on Golan Heights Gulf states reject Washingtons decision on Golan Heights Four Gulf Arab states all regional allies of Washington that host American troops on Tuesday rejected a US decision to recognize Israels sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait criticized the move by President Donald Trump to recognize Israels 1981 annexation, and said the territory was occupied Arab land. The decision will have significant negative effects on the peace process in the Middle East and the security and stability of the region, a statement released by Saudi Arabias state news agency SPA said. It described Mondays declaration as a clear violation of the UN Charter and of international law. Kuwait and Bahrain said they regretted the decision. Qatar called on Israel to end its occupation of the Golan Heights and comply with international resolutions.Source : RT - Daily news Passengers aboard a British Airways (BA) flight to Dusseldorf were understandably surprised to find themselves not only in the wrong city, but the wrong country, when their plane landed in Edinburgh, Scotland. When the pilot announced that the early morning flight from London City Airport was nearing Edinburgh, passengers initially thought it was a joke. But the commander was being perfectly serious. The flight crew themselves only figured out things were amiss when they asked the confused passengers to raise their hand if they had planned to go to Dusseldorf, at which point everyone on the plane raised their hands. The airline claims that the pilot hadn't gotten lost and what happened was a mix-up of flight schedules which had put the plane on the wrong path. It also assures the passengers were never at risk. Also on rt.com Scorpions on plane! Student STUNG on Canadian flight Frequent flier Sophie Cooke told the BBC that the plane sat on the runway for nearly two hours before taking off toward its actual destination, leaving the angry passengers stuck in the stuffy cabin and, more importantly, without snacks. We have apologised to customers for this interruption to their journey and will be contacting them all individually, BA said in a statement. While some disgruntled passengers took to social media, others reading about the incident were baffled at how no one had noticed the error. After all, navigational instruments aside, there were certainly a few tell-tale signs the plane was not even headed in the right direction. Despite the companys statement, some people had their own imaginative explanations for what caused the mix-up. While no one had signed up for a visit, some friendly Scots suggested that, as long as the confused passengers were in the area, they might as well stop to smell the Haggis before heading to mainland Europe. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! Lion Air, Indonesias largest privately run airline, has announced plans to replace its Boeing 747-400 aircraft with the Airbus 330-900NEO as part of its strategy in response to the dynamic aviation market. The air carrier is currently operating only one Boeing double-deck airplane, which has been part of its fleet since 2009. The aircraft has 12 business class and 492 economy class seats. The airline was proud to operate the plane dubbed Queen of the Skies for the last 10 years to serve domestic commercial flights, the companys spokesman Danang Mandala Prihantoro said, as quoted by The Jakarta Post. Also on rt.com Boeings latest crashes pose serious risk to global AI development analysts The Airbus 330-900NEO will arrive in Indonesia gradually, starting in May. This year, Lion Air will receive two of the airplanes, Mandala added. The air carrier ordered 10 Airbus 330-900NEO planes in 2018 with the jets expected to be delivered in 2019 and 2020. Lion Air is happy with the addition of the Airbus 330-900 NEO to its fleet as it is in line with the long-range aviation business development. The plane is known for its fuel efficiency and long range, the spokesman added. Also on rt.com Doomed Boeing 737 Max missing 2 key safety features that were sold as optional extras The airline reportedly accounts for some 40 percent of Indonesian air transport service. The second largest low-cost airline in the country, Lion Air carried around 51 million passengers in 2017. The company operates 300 planes, most of which are Boeing 737s. In October, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 operated by Lion Air crashed into the Java Sea en route from Jakarta to the Indonesian city of Pangkal Pinang, 13 minutes after take-off. The fatal accident killed all 189 people on board. Earlier this month, an aircraft of the same model crashed in Ethiopia, claiming the lives of 157 people. The two crashes in five months created an international firestorm for the worlds biggest plane manufacturer, with regulators grounding all MAX 8s across the globe. The measure dragged Boeings shares down, wiping more than $40 billion from the companys market value. For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section Manila (CNN Philippines Life) In the early 90s, the garment and textile sector in the Philippines was once considered to be one of the top-performing industries in the country. At that time, the country was under the Multifiber Arrangement (MFA), an agreement that limits imports into countries, particularly developing countries. However, the MFA was abolished in 1995, and when the quotas ended, many countries opted to trade with those that can produce massive volumes of textiles or products at a lower cost. The Philippines suffered greatly because of its relatively higher cost of labor. The Philippine Research and Textile Institute has initiated programs that can help save the textile industry, but the cheaper cost of importing textiles from outside the Philippines is a reality that the country also needs to contend with. Most of these cheaper textiles, largely imported from China and India, can be seen in Ylaya St. in Divisoria. Take a look at some of the textiles and textile shops in the area: The textile stalls inside a building by Ylaya St. feature seamstresses who take on basic sewing jobs that turn some textiles into bed sheets, pillowcases, and other home products. Photo by JL JAVIER Many stalls specialize in a specific type of textile. In this store, they mostly sell cashmere, wool, and linen textiles used for suits. Photo by JL JAVIER Kevin Endab works at another stall in Ylaya that only sells lace. He says that the colors beige and off-white, those used for wedding gowns, sell the most. Photo by JL JAVIER Endab and other workers at their store call the lace chantelace, which may have been derived from the famous French lace fabric, Chantilly lace. Photo by JL JAVIER Nene Rufino works at this store that offers printed textiles. She says that most of the buyers are those who come from Quezon City and Pampanga, who then turn the fabrics into bed sheets and pillow cases. Photo by JL JAVIER All of the shops usually present swatches of textiles to potential buyers. This allows the buyer to feel and touch the textile as well as compare the colors more easily. Photo by JL JAVIER This store only sells printed cotton fabrics, akin to indigenous textiles. They import these from China and have both rolls of these textiles as well as pre-cut ones that are sold as malongs. Photo by JL JAVIER A common print that is also present in Ylaya is the camouflage cotton textile. One yard costs 180 and are usually bought by subcontractors who turn them into military garbs. Photo by JL JAVIER This store is one of the biggest in Ylaya and features textiles (from checkered polyester to plain gina cloths) that are used for school uniforms. Photo by JL JAVIER For most stores, deliveries of the textiles come once a month. Photo by JL JAVIER Outside the textile shops are a myriad stalls and bangketas. Photo by JL JAVIER Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has formally requested an apology from both Spanish King Felipe VI and Pope Francis for the Spanish conquest some 500 years ago. The letter cited massacres that took place during the Spanish conquests of the indigenous peoples of Mexico throughout the 16th century. He also referenced the imposition of the Catholic faith as well as the human rights abuses committed by forces acting on behalf of the Spanish crown. Also on rt.com Can President-elect Lopez Obrador pull Mexico out of slumber? The churches were built above the temples, our patriotic heroes were excommunicated, he said speaking among the ruins of an ancient Mexican city in a video posted to his social media accounts. We are going to reconcile but first we ask for forgiveness. Spain's foreign ministry immediately published a statement rejecting the contents of Obrador's letter. The arrival 500 years ago of the Spanish on present-day Mexican territory cannot be judged in light of contemporary considerations, the government said. The government of Spain reiterates its willingness to work together with the government of Mexico. Also on rt.com Pope to open secret archives of wartime pontiff, shedding light on Vaticans Holocaust actions Spain is currently one of Mexico's biggest sources of foreign direct investment but the Mexican government has yet to ratify a new free trade deal reached with European Union in mid-2018. Mexico also boasts the world's second largest Roman Catholic population after Brazil. The conquest-proper began with the arrival of Hernan Cortes in 1519, and the powerful Aztec Empire was eventually defeated, paving the way for 300 years of Spanish rule. Mexico would eventually gain independence after an 11-year war which ended in 1821 after which it became a federal republic in 1824. Obrador, 65, came to power in December and has maintained friendly relations with Spain's center-left government since his election. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! Moscow calls on Israel, Palestine to resume ceasefire amid rising Gaza tensions Moscow calls on Israel, Palestine to resume ceasefire amid rising Gaza tensions Moscow is calling on Israel and Palestine to immediately resume the ceasefire, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. We call on the Israelis and the Palestinians to exercise restraint and immediately resume the ceasefire, the ministry said, commenting on the rising tensions in the Gaza Strip. There is a need to resume the Israeli-Palestinian negotiation process based on decisions made by the US Security Council and General Assembly and the Arab Peace Initiative in order to stop the spiral of violence, the statement reads. Moscow is deeply concerned about a new round of tensions that may lead to a large-scale armed conflict, according to the ministry.Source : RT - Daily news NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has decried the EUs decision to pass highly controversial copyright reform in a move that critics argue clamps down on free speech. Shortly after the European Parliament voted to adopt Article 13 on Tuesday, Snowden, who currently resides in Russia, tweeted his disgust at the decision to pass a directive that will shift responsibility onto web platforms to enforce copyright law more stringently. Also on rt.com 'Dark day for internet freedom': EU lawmakers approve controversial copyright reform Tweeting in German, Snowden took aim at Germanys ruling CDU/CSU alliance, urging people to punish the parties at the ballot box. Never forget what they did here. Since @CDU_CSU_EP voted for never more internet freedom, the internet must never vote for more @CDU_CSU_EP. #nieMehrCDU, he wrote. The US government fugitive also took the opportunity to aim a barb at the EU for standing by the US and effectively exiling the whistleblower. For the most part, Snowden received widespread support for his criticism of Germanys ruling parties, which despite at least alluding to an attempt at postponing the Article 13 vote, failed to prevent it from passing. Article 13 has faced severe criticism since it was first proposed by the European Commission two years ago and sparked major, last-minute protests across Germany in the days prior to the final vote. Critics allege that MEPs declined to reconsider the proposed legislation and effectively rubber-stamped new rules which will have far-reaching consequences for content producers and average citizens of the EU alike. Like this story? Share it with a friend! to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media wont tell you. Washingtons sanctions against Moscow have not stopped bilateral trade from steadily growing over the past two years and it stood at $25 billion in 2018, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. This is less than the record-high level of $31 billion in 2011 but much better than the figures that we were at when the Obama administration decided to destroy the basis of our cooperation, Lavrov said on Tuesday during a meeting with representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia. In his opening remarks, the minister said that Russia is always open for US business, but the cooperation between the two sides could be much better. Also on rt.com Sanctions on Moscow will hurt US long term head of Russias wealth fund Today Russian-US cooperation falls short of its potential, Lavrov said, adding that Moscow would like to give an additional impetus for our economic and investment cooperation. However, mutual investments have remained on the rise and US companies are still interested in the Russian market and vice versa. Russia wants to further improve the investment climate and attract foreign firms, including from the US, by creating better conditions for foreign businesses. But Europe and the US want businesses to understand the need to sacrifice economy for politics, Lavrov stressed. Such an approach contradicts the interests of businesses and the need to create more jobs and many in the West already agree with it, he explained. Ways to boost bilateral cooperation were discussed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump at their Helsinki summit in July 2018. During the meeting the leaders floated the idea of setting up a special group involving heads of major private companies from each side. The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs had already sent its suggestions on the matter to their US counterparts, but without a response. The silence from Washington might be the result of the political environment dominating in the US, Lavrov explained. Washington has slapped multiple rounds of sanctions on Russian individuals and entities over its reunification with Crimea, alleged involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine and alleged meddling in the US elections among other pretexts. US allies, including the EU, followed Washingtons lead and introduced their own restrictions targeting Russia. Moscow retaliated by imposing an embargo on agricultural products, food, and raw materials from countries that joined in the sanctions. Mutual sanctions have been extended several times since. For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section Another crippling blackout that hit Venezuela this week was orchestrated from the outside, Vice President Delcy Rodrigues suggested, singling out the masterminds of the attack. Power went out in most of Caracas and nearly a dozen states in the afternoon on Monday, hitting local businesses and public places. The outage has also affected Venezuelas main airport and Caracas metro system, spreading across 20 states of the country. Shortly after electricity was restored, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez made a televised statement, claiming that the fascist right and their imperial masters in the US had attacked key transmission lines, thus plunging the country into darkness. Rodriguez, who offered no evidence in support of his claims, pinned blame on the trio of misfortune, perversity and criminality namely US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Advisor John Bolton, and Republican Senator Marco Rubio What was the objective of this new attack? It was to deprive Venezuelas people of electricity as happened so terribly just two weeks ago, the top official stated, saying the outage was dealt with in record time in most parts of the country. Another Vice President and Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez said the countrys lines transmitting power to the west of Venezuela were attacked using EMP equipment. Because of the blackout, shop owners pulled down shutters on darkened stores while employees flooded the streets trying to get home before sunset. It comes less than three weeks after almost all of the country was left without electricity in what was considered the worst power failure in decades. The Venezuelan government maintained that a cyberattack led to the disruption of services. Venezuelas beleaguered President Nicolas Maduro blamed that blackout on foreign-sponsored saboteurs and terrorists. Meanwhile, Juan Guaido, the self-proclaimed interim president of Venezuela, accused Maduro of letting the countrys infrastructure crumble to breaking point. Separately, Rubio, a major proponent of Venezuelan regime change, claimed local electricity workers had predicted the blackout and blamed Maduro for pocketing money that could have been used for repairs. to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media wont tell you. Donald Trump's decision to recognize Israel's annexation of the Syrian Golan has been met with condemnation by the international community, with the UN and Washington's Gulf and European allies slamming the move. The US president signed a declaration on Monday recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was present at the signing ceremony, praised Trump's unilateral move, comparing the president to biblical and Zionist heroes. But reactions among the international community including Washington's closest Gulf and European allies were considerably less enthusiastic. The United Nations, which has long maintained that Israel's occupation of the Golan is illegal under international law, signaled that its position had not changed. A UN spokesman said that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will continue to honor a December 1981 resolution which called Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights "null and void and without international legal effect." Also on rt.com Trumps Golan Heights recognition an act of brigandry George Galloway The declaration was similarly unpopular among nations which normally follow Washington's foreign policy lead. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait Washington's accommodating Gulf allies which host US military bases have criticized Trump's move. "It will have significant negative effects on the peace process in the Middle East and the security and stability of the region," a statement on Saudi Arabia's state news agency SPA said. Saudi Parliament Speaker Mishaal bin Fahm al-Salami reaffirmed Riyadh's "principled position" that the Golan Heights is Syrian land. NATO ally Turkey also lashed out at Washington. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the US has "ignored international law" by recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Washington's northern neighbor Canada echoed similar concerns. In a statement, Ottawa said that it "does not recognize permanent Israeli control over the Golan Heights." Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne went so far as to take a subtle jab at US foreign policy. "The Golan Heights is a matter for Israel and Syria to determine through negotiations in the context of a comprehensive peace settlement," she said. "US policy positions are a matter for the US government." Trump's declaration will also likely exacerbate already strained relations with Washington's European allies. Both Germany and France issued statements last week in an attempt to pre-empt the president's Golan decision. "If national borders should be changed it must be done through peaceful means between all those involved," a German government spokesman said. The French Foreign Ministry tweeted about its opposition to the move, describing it as "contrary to international law." Not surprisingly, Trump's Golan resolution received an equally chilly reception from nations with less cordial relations with Washington. Syria's government said the decision was a "slap" to the international community, claiming that Trump's Golan resolution makes Washington "the main enemy" of Arabs. Following suit, Lebanon's Foreign Ministry insisted the Golan Heights are "Syrian Arab" territory and that "no country can falsify history" by seizing land from another nation. Also on rt.com US backs Israels sovereignty over Golan Heights, proving sovereignty is not something it respects Tehran expressed bafflement over Trump's "unprecedented" move. "No one could imagine that a person in America comes and gives land of a nation to another occupying country, against international laws and conventions... Such action is unprecedented in the current century," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA. He added: At a time when colonialism dominated, some colonial powers were doing these things and giving part of a country to another, but this is unprecedented in the current century For its part, Moscow said that Trump's decision marks yet another unilateral violation of international law. "This decision will definitely have negative consequences both for the Middle East settlement process and the entire atmosphere in the Syrian political settlement. No one doubts this," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Also on rt.com US decision on Golan Heights is highway to war: Russian Duma speaker Similar to Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, his Golan resolution will likely face a vote in the UN General Assembly. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already promised to bring the issue before the international body. The December 2017 resolution condemning Trump's Jerusalem decision was supported by 128 nations almost two thirds of the UN's 193 member states. Only nine countries backed Trump's position. to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media wont tell you. The US decision to recognize the Golan Heights as Israel's territory was taken bypassing the UN Security Council and ignoring the UN dialogue on the issue, said Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russias Lower House. All members of the international community should voice their stand on the matter, he said during the meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun. Such a development could lead to a situation where everyone is fighting each other, he stressed. The rule of force would dominate. This is a highway to war. Also on rt.com Trumps Golan Heights recognition is a move towards further isolation for the US On Monday, US President Donald Trump signed a declaration recognizing Israels sovereignty over the Golan Heights, seized by Israel from Syria during the Six-Day War of 1967 and formally annexed by the Jewish state in 1981. In response to the US decision the UN reminded that the UN Security Council in a December 1981 resolution called Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights null and void and without international legal effect" and this position hasnt changed. Russia, Turkey, and the Arab League have also condemned the move. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! US envoy for N. Korea in Beijing to coordinate policies US envoy for N. Korea in Beijing to coordinate policies The US special envoy for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, is visiting Beijing to coordinate policies with China, the US embassy said on Tuesday. The trip comes a month after the failure of a denuclearization summit between Washington and Pyongyang. Biegun is here to continue US-China coordination on policies related to North Korea, a US embassy spokesman told AFP. The visit overlaps with the arrival of an unidentified high-ranking North Korean, who was greeted by Chinese government officials and Pyongyangs envoy to China on Tuesday, Yonhap reported.Source : RT - Daily news US imposes sanctions on 25 people, entities supporting Irans Revolutionary Guards US imposes sanctions on 25 people, entities supporting Irans Revolutionary Guards The US on Tuesday imposed fresh sanctions on a network of companies and people in Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates it said was transferring billions of dollars and euros to Irans elite Revolutionary Guards. The US Treasury said it was blacklisting 25 people and entities, including firms based in the three countries, associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. The targeted institutions include banks and other financial institutions, including Ansar Bank, Atlas Exchange, Iranian Atlas Company. We are targeting a vast network of front companies and individuals located in Iran, Turkey, and the UAE to disrupt a scheme the Iranian regime has used to illicitly move more than a billion dollars in funds, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.Source : RT - Daily news Washington abhors the thought of foreign actors intervening in the Western hemisphere, and calls on the Venezuelan military to support the US-backed opposition leader in Caracas, John Bolton has thoughtfully tweeted. Come again? The United States will not tolerate hostile foreign military powers meddling with the Western Hemispheres shared goals of democracy, security, and the rule of law. The Venezuelan military must stand with the people of Venezuela, the national security adviser wrote on Monday. The tweet was clearly directed at Moscow, which sent Russian military personnel to Caracas to discuss defense industry cooperation with Venezuela. The consultations, however, were not related to the political turmoil in the country, and had been scheduled long before Juan Guaido, with full backing from Washington, declared himself Venezuelas leader in January. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza expressed disbelief over Washingtons attempt to frame defense cooperation between Venezuela and Russia as some sort of devious imperialist plot. He noted that it was pure cynicism for the US, with more than 800 military bases in the world, to lecture others about alleged foreign meddling. In total, Boltons very airtight Twitter prose received more than 800 responses, with many inquiring about Boltons train of thought. I am sure that other countries feel the same way about us, one weary Twitter user responded. Oh the irony, quipped another member of the Twitterati. Is this some sort of Vaudeville sketch? asked journalist Patrick Henningsen. Others were impressed by Boltons 19th century foreign policy positions. President Bolton reinvokes the Imperialist geopolitical ideology of the Monroe Doctrine over the entire Western Hemisphere, observed analyst Mark Sleboda. John Bolton s**tting on people for meddling in others affairs..... classic, one Twitter user noted. The senior White House adviser has repeatedly used Twitter as a means to disseminate his unique vision for the world. Aside from his countless pronouncements about the need for regime change in Venezuela, Bolton has also targeted Iran and Syria with strongly worded tweets. Boltons insistence that the Western hemisphere is a US-only playground is also nothing new. In this administration were not afraid to use the phrase Monroe Doctrine, Bolton said earlier in March. [Venezuela] is a country in our hemisphere and its been the objective of American presidents going back to Ronald Reagan to have a completely Democratic hemisphere. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described Boltons statement as arrogant and insulting to all the countries in Latin America. Also on rt.com Bolton says Trump very serious about all options as Venezuela dismantles terrorist cell Like this story? Share it with a friend! Yemenis hold mass rally in Sanaa to mark 4th anniversary of war Yemenis hold mass rally in Sanaa to mark 4th anniversary of war Yemenis held a mass rally in the capital Sanaa on Tuesday to mark the fourth anniversary of a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed the country to the brink of starvation, Reuters said. The rally was a show of support for the Houthi movement as the UN pushes ahead with tough talks with the group and the Saudi-backed government to find a political solution to the conflict. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the head of the Houthis Supreme Revolutionary Committee, denounced the US decision to recognize Israels sovereignty on the Golan Heights. The Houthis have controlled the capital and Yemens largest populated areas since 2014 when they ousted the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.Source : RT - Daily news Sounak Mitra Last week, Toyota Motor Corporation and Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan outlined the contours of a proposed collaboration, including electric vehicles. Suzuki gets the technology for electric vehicles from Toyota, which in turn gets access to Suzukis expertise in compact cars. While it plugs a gap in Toyotas portfolio, it makes Suzuki future ready for an era when electric vehicles may rule the planet. Maruti Suzuki India, whose output contributes to around half of Suzukis global output, will be... China President Xi Jinping The leaders of China, France, Germany and the EU were set to meet in Paris on March 26 for "unprecedented" talks on how to improve ties, despite growing jitters over Beijing's massive investments in Europe. It comes ahead of an EU-China summit in Brussels next month and a day after Chinese President Xi Jinping signed an array of deals with France including a huge aircraft contract. At a glitzy state dinner on March 26 evening French President Emmanuel Macron said he hoped to build a "new global governance" with China and would discuss this at the "unprecedented meeting with the German chancellor and the president of the European Commission". "This is an important gesture that we are making now. It is testament to your deep attachment to China's cooperation with Europe... and my desire to build a strong Europe," he told Xi. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker will join Xi and Macron at the Elysee Palace to explore "points of convergence" between the two trading giants. On March 25 China and France inked a dozen deals on nuclear power, cultural exchanges and clean energy, while Beijing also committed to buy 290 Airbus A320s and 10 A350 airliners from Europe's Airbus conglomerate. The order, originally for 184 A320s for 13 Chinese airlines, was first announced during Macron's state visit to China in January 2018. All of the deals, including one on French exports to China of frozen chicken, amount to a total of some $40 billion. Xi's visit poses a particular challenge for Macron, who wants to deepen EU ties with China while pushing back against Beijing's growing global clout. Speaking at the Elysee Palace on March 25 following talks with Xi, Macron called for a "strong Europe-China partnership", adding that this must be based on "strong multilateralism" and "fair and balanced" trade. Meanwhile Xi stressed that "a united and prosperous Europe fits in with our vision of a multipolar world". "China will always back European integration and its development," he added in a statement to the press. Around 200 guests including the French actor Alain Delon, who is widely known in China, French electronic music composer Jean-Michel Jarre and Chinese actress Gong Li attended the state dinner on March 25. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Hyderabad-based Laurus Labs on March 26 said it had entered into a strategic partnership agreement with Global Fund for three-and-half years to supply antiretroviral (ARV) combination medicine for treating HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. "Through this long term agreement Laurus Labs will have the volume commitments from the Global Fund for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. The company didn't disclose the size of the supply contract. Sub Saharan Africa, is having one of the highest disease burden for HIV/AIDS. This is the maiden order for Tenofovir/Lamivudine/Dolutegravir 300/300/50mg (TLD) after the Laurus received a tentative approval from USFDA in the month of February 2019. "For Laurus Labs it is a very significant development which has ventured into the FDFs couple of years ago," said Satyanarayana Chava, Founder and CEO of Laurus Labs. "This partnership has increased the companys commitment to contribute to the global mission for treating millions of HIV AIDS patients across the globe," said Chava. Laurus, which is one of the leading manufacturers of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for anti-retroviral (ARV), has ventured into finished dosages forms (FDFs). The company has current capacity of 5 billion units per year, expandable up to 8 billion units per year. Laurus staved off competition from drug makers such as Mylan, Cipla, Sun Pharma and Macleods to win the contract. Global Fund is a partnership between governments, civil society and the private sector working towards accelerating the end of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics. The Fund raises and invests nearly U$4 billion a year to support programs run by local experts in countries and communities most in need. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The board of Mindtree will meet on March 26 to deliberate on whether to proceed with the share buyback proposal. The founders of Mindtree, who together own 13.32 percent in the company, are trying to fend off a Rs 10,800-crore hostile takeover bid from L&T, Indias largest engineering company, by buying back shares from public shareholders. Rostow Ravanan, Managing Director and CEO of Mindtree, spoke to CNBC-TV18 about what they plan to achieve at the board meet on March 26 and cultural differences that are likely to emerge if the L&T deal goes through. Here's the edited transcript of the interview that was conducted on March 25: Q: We are all looking at the crucial board meeting on Tuesday which is a follow up to last weeks board meeting and we have reported on CNBC-TV18 that there will be an independent directors committee at the board meeting tomorrow and we also understand that many of the independent directors are more positive about the L&T deal than the promoters are, what is your opinion on where they stand right now? A: While we are always busy, I am never too busy not to talk to CNBC-TV18. With respect to the independent directors, they are completely aligned with our approach. The board as a whole has endorsed the stand that we have taken and all the steps that we have taken. The independent directors have a statutory obligation so they will fulfil that obligation as and when that appropriate time comes. But the entire leadership team and the entire board is completely aligned with this approach, so any reports that indicate any kind of differences within the board is completely, totally false. Q: You have reiterated even during your press conference last week that you continue to enjoy support from institutional investors. You have only specifically named Nalanda Capital which holds about 10 percent stake or so. Why have you not named the others? Do you see others backing you as well? A: Absolutely, the question at that time was posed to me saying what does Nalanda Capital think and I guess it could have been asked by that particular journalist because they are like you said they are our larger shareholders. So we said yes, we have spoken to them and they are in line with our way of thinking and no difference of opinion from their side. But many of our large investors have exactly that same view. They have recognised that Mindtree is a high performing organisation, great management team and they have also recognised that financial performance is a function both of strategy and culture and therefore any disturbance to either strategy or culture will then lead to differences in performance and that is why all our shareholders have endorsed the Mindtree management team. Q: You said you named Nalanda because it was specifically asked about it. Let me also name a few others, you have Amansa Holdings, you have Arohi Asset Management, UTI MF and several others what is their stand on this deal? A: Completely aligned with our approach. No difference of opinion amongst any of our large shareholders. Q: You are positive on support from all your large institutional investors? A: Absolutely. Q: All of you have said time and again that there is going to be cultural differences and value destruction if this deal goes through. Could you highlight what exactly is your main concern about what the difference in culture is? A: Without passing any kind of judgment with respect to other cultures, all we are saying for us our culture is unique and our culture is an important ingredient for the success that we have delivered to our all stakeholders there and therefore we would like to leave this equation undisturbed. Q: So basically nothing that employees have expressed concern on or clients have expressed concern on specifically about this? A: There has been an outpouring of support for the Mindtree leadership team and just look at all the comments that have come on twitter using #MindtreeMatters, that plus the feedback we are getting during our internal town hall meetings, our emails that I send and feedback that I get etc. so from our people perspective there is a strong recognition for Mindtree and there is a lot of support again like I said for the current leadership team because we have delivered strong performance from our people across all the countries that we are operating. Similarly, from clients as well there is very strong support for the leadership team and for the successes we have delivered to our clients. Q: L&T continues to say that this is not a hostile takeover, they say that Mindtree will continue to remain an independent entity. Has this been communicated to you categorically or have you sought any such assurance from them on this? A: We have not sought anything from anybody. But if somebody gives us something, obviously we will take a look at it. One of the reasons why we are successful as a leadership team as we are very data-driven in all our decisions. So somebody presents data to us, we will no doubt take a look at the data and then make our decisions on that. However, as of now, no such data has been given beyond the statements in the media and maybe in a lighter way I can say that all the comments that are written about us and when I know how divorced they are from our reality, therefore then I am unable to take any real seriousness for the comments that are attributed to L&T in the media because all those statements have only come to us through the media because I dont believe all the things that are written about Mindtree, I dont want to believe anything else that they have said as well. But we have not reached out to them, they have not reached out to us, nothing has come to us directly. Also read: Mindtree-L&T saga far from over, but founders could benefit from not letting emotions guide their decisions Q: So you havent heard directly from them on how the integration will go? A: Nothing from them till now. Q: If L&T does manage to take a controlling stake which doesnt seem to be very difficult given that they have already taken 20 percent, what will be the managements decision then once they come on board? A: I have no way of commenting on the first part of your statement of how easy or difficult it is for L&T to take a controlling stake and I dont even want to comment on what is a controlling stake because different people have different views on what percentage of stake formulates a controlling stake there. So let some of these things play itself out. They have bought a certain block and they have announced a certain plan. Let us see how all of that pans out in reality in the market place and then we will take a call at that stage there. Q: After the board meeting last week, the company had put out a statement saying that despite detailed discussions there couldnt be any decision taken on the share buyback. What is the status, I know you cannot reveal everything but what is the status, do you think it will go through and will you now require 75 percent shareholder approval? A: Like I said, since the board meeting is getting reconvened tomorrow, so it is only at the end of the board meeting will I be able to say what does the board want. Maybe the board wants some buyback to go through, maybe the board wants to wait, maybe the board wants to do this some other time, so it will be inappropriate for me to make any sort of predictions on what the board meeting will result in tomorrow but however the board decides, we will completely go in the implementation path thereafter and we are confident that if we do things that are right for stakeholder value creation, we will get the support of all our shareholders as well. But we cannot predict anything. Let the board meeting happen tomorrow and then let us decide on that basis. Q: During your Q3 results, you said you are on a one billion dollar run rate, you had a great Q3 as well, but I think the last few months have been quite tumultuous, was business going as usual and have you touched that one billion figure? A: We will formally announce results on April 17, 2019. So I will have to keep you in suspense till then. If I make any comments on Q4 results right now, I will be breaking the law and I definitely dont want to do that. All I can tell you is the leadership team at Mindtree is very broad and very deep. Therefore, they are ensuring that we deliver all the results that we need for our clients, for our book close process etc. This issue has not distracted us in any manner over the last few weeks. So all of us collectively are doing whatever we can even within the board for example, members are focusing on this issue. I spend a minimal amount of time, the majority of my time is with clients and people. The operating leadership team is completely focused on the business, we are not getting distracted by this. Q: So no impact on the business, business is going as usual? A: Exactly. So whatever we have to do on a day-to-day basis to take care of clients and people, that is not getting impacted because of this. Q: I know it has just been a week since L&T made that open offer but have you seen any kind of attrition, any signs of attrition or any concerns from clients who may be holding back on renewing contracts or so on, anything on those lines so far? A: Firstly, L&T has not announced an open offer. L&T has just announced they have signed an agreement with Coffee Day group to buy that 20 percent. That itself is subject to regulatory approval. So that itself will close only in due course whenever those approvals are received. They have intended to buy another 15 percent and want to launch an open offer by 31 percent all of which is way ahead in the future. So nothing has happened as of yesterday. As of yesterday, my shareholder register continues to be Coffee Day group and all their entities. So nothing has changed at the moment for us. No change to client perceptions at the moment because we have been in touch with our clients continuously. So many people have shown their interest and their support for us, some people have had questions. We have been engaging with our clients and answering those questions there. So it is business as usual for us at the moment. Q: You said last week that Mindtree will reach out to as many people as possible to get support from the industry. You mentioned even the government, NASSCOM and so on, what kind of support have you received so far, who all have you reached out to on this? A: I think the general industry perception is completely aligned with our view that our business is a very strong people-oriented business and unsolicited bid - if you dont want to use the word hostile upsets that equation. Therefore, in our business, there is a discouragement for unsolicited bids at the moment. That is the kind of feedback we have got from multiple stakeholders there. Many people have given us support, given us ideas and obviously, we are taking that on board and planning our actions accordingly. Q: L&T last week had said that there was a similar deal about a four years ago and they had actually said that Mindtree management had approached them and it didnt go through. But last week you said that it was Mindtree which has rejected the offer, could you give us some clarity on what happened four years ago and with respect to what is happening now? A: I can tell you that we never approached anybody then or now. So, to that extent, this is not a deal that Mindtree sought. Our shareholder had his own challenges or issues whatever priorities so he went and did a deal based on those priorities. We were not a party to that transaction and neither then nor now. Source: CNBC-TV18 Reliance Industries Ltd said on March 26 its unit Reliance Retail Ltd (RRL) has acquired consumer goods company ITC Ltd's menswear brand John Players. The acquisition would strengthen RRL's readymade garments and accessories portfolio in the fashion and lifestyle retail space, Reliance told Reuters in an email. ITC sold the brand John Players and related trademarks and intellectual property to Reliance Retail as part of its restructuring plan, an ITC spokesperson said. The two companies, however, did not disclose the financial details of the deal. The Economic Times earlier reported that Reliance bought the John Players brand and distribution rights through 750 stores, in addition to 65 exclusive franchise outlets, for an estimated 1.50 billion rupees ($21.79 million). Earlier this month, sources told Reuters that Reliance planned to grow the number of low-cost Reliance Trends fashion stores across India to 2,500 from 557 over the next five years and integrate them with its online business. Reliance plans to diversify into e-commerce and expand in fashion as the conglomerate's billionaire owner Mukesh Ambani aims to grab a dominant share of Indian consumer spending in a struggle with rivals, particularly Amazon.com Inc and Walmart Inc's Flipkart. Reliance shares climbed 1.6 percent as of 0602 GMT while those of ITC were 0.95 percent lower in Mumbai trading. Tata Sons, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways and Delta Airlines. The list of suitors looking to woo Jet Airways may include these names, and many more. Each of these companies has engaged with Jet sometime in the past two years, and industry observers say that banks will again approach them to take a look at the distressed airline. On March 25, the Jet board cleared the way for the banks, led by State Bank of India, to take 51 percent stake after fresh allotment of shares. With that, shareholding of Naresh Goyal fell to 25.5 percent from 51 percent. Etihad's share also got diluted to 12 percent, from 24 percent. Goyal and his wife Anita, have stepped down from the Board of Jet Airways, as did one of the two nominees of Etihad. The banks, who will put in Rs 1,500 crore in the Indian airline, have now set a deadline of May 31, by when a new owner will have the controls of Jet Airways. Interested companies will have to submit expression of interest by April 9, and the deadline for binding bids is April 30. "But are two months enough for companies to complete their due diligence for an investment that could cost up to Rs 30,000 crore?" asked a senior executive from the industry. Domestic suitors To start with, a major stumbling block for these investors has been set aside. Exit of Goyal would mean that one common condition for all the suitors has been fulfilled. Tata Sons, which had held preliminary talks with Jet Airways, would be on of the favourites in the race, given its history in aviation. The conglomerate is keen to scale up its presence in the sector. Jet will fit in well with Tata's ambition to scale up operations of Vistara, its joint venture with Singapore Airlines. IndiGo, which has already built a commanding lead in the domestic market, is looking to do the same in international traffic. Jet Airways, which flies to about 20 countries and has code share with an equal number of airlines, will help IndiGo build on that ambition. The Rahul Bhatia-led carrier is also perhaps the only airline in India that is financially capable to acquire Jet Airways, which has debt of over Rs 8,000 crore. IndiGo has a market cap of Rs 53,282 crore (at the time of writing), many times more than Jet's Rs 3,160 crore. International investors Delta, the Atlanta-based second largest airline in the world, had been in talks with Jet for over a year, from 2017 on wards. But talks got stuck over the role of Naresh Goyal. Delta has a code share agreement with Jet. And there is one more connection. Jet's CEO Vinay Dube is a former Delta veteran. Also, the American airline has been keen to link the US market with Mumbai. A stake in Jet Airways, will give it access to the fastest growing aviation market in the world. Qatar Airways also wants to have a presence in India. And its CEO Akbar Al Baker has repeatedly talked about his interest in forging a deal with IndiGo. While the Gurugram-based airline has not played ball yet, Baker will find a willing partner in Jet. But Qatar has till now stayed away from Jet, especially given the presence of Etihad in the Indian airline. But if Etihad does sell its stake in Jet, and its CEO reportedly offered to do so to the latter's lenders, Qatar could become an interested party. Dark horse But the dark horse will be the founder himself. Even though much of Goyal 25.5 percent stake may be pledged with the lenders, the deal doesn't prevent him from increasing his stake in Jet Airways. And despite statements on Monday that sounded like farewell comments, Goyal continues to have a presence, including nominees on the Board, in Jet Airways. For someone who defied odds to start a full service airline in India, and then led it through many a turbulence, it won't be surprising to see Goyal team up with an investor to bid for Jet Airways. The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY, also called Ayushman Bharat or Modicare)) that offers Rs 5 lakh health insurance scheme may need to be in operation for at least 10 years for its real benefits to reach the masses. A team from the University of Chicago is working with the National Health Authority (NHA) to offer strategies to improve coverage and awareness under the scheme. Until now, 27 million people have been enrolled under the scheme and the target is to enrol 500 million people classified under the socio-economic caste census (SECC). NHA is the umbrella body to implement the scheme. Research has shown an estimated 7 percent of Indias population is pushed into poverty each year due to medical expenses. In an interaction with Moneycontrol, Anup Malani, Professor at the University of Chicago said they are looking to improve efficiencies under the programme. You need to give it time. About 10 years later, this scheme could make a meaningful impact as a public health insurance scheme in India, he added. The Tata Centre for Development, in collaboration with the University of Chicago and the government of Karnataka, had conducted a randomised control trial that examined the impact of Indias previous government-run program-RSBY-on the health and financial security of roughly 50,000 people in Karnataka. Malani said the study has direct relevance for PMJAY, also known as Modicare. This programme covers up to 500 million poor and near-poor Indians for up to Rs 5 lakh ($7,000) in hospital expenses. Important lessons for PMJAY emerged from the study. RSBY and lessons learnt Malani said they looked at what happens to RSBY when it is expanded to the above poverty line families as well. They had started the project in 2013 and followed the individuals for four years since then. The idea was to look into the individuals covered and how people utilise the benefits. Further, the team also wanted to look into how the scheme improved the financial status of households. People in India are pushed into poverty due to high medical expenses. We wanted to take an overview from the see what the financial benefits were, he added. Compared to RSBY where a health cover of Rs 30,000 was given, Modicare offers Rs 5 lakh cover. This includes tertiary care as well. Giving the example of the RSBY programme, Malani said the scheme moved quickly to 120 million enrollments between 2008 and 2012. Modicare will also see similar increases in enrollments. But the country needs to set up an infrastructure that is able to meet the rising demand. Like the United States, it will take time, he added. With respect to the RSBY scheme, Malani said, on the one hand, while there were concerns about fraud, on the other the premiums quoted also fell. With the trust model, Malani said some of these issues could be addressed. The success of such an ambitious health insurance programme hinges on three primary factors, whether people sign up for the service, whether they use it, and whether hospitals participate. Participation of private hospitals is key, he added. This comes at a time when the majority of private hospitals are reluctant to join Modicare given the low rates for the different procedures proposed by the NHA. Another area of work is awareness. Under RSBY, Malani said many enrolled did not know how to use the cards for availing medical facilities. The research has recommended putting more effort into information and education campaigns. Besides reducing paperwork and hassle costs for beneficiariesPMJAYaccording to the research findings, must ensure that hospitals have functioning payment systems and do not turn away patients. Besides addressing demand and supply issues, sound financing and a strong data infrastructure are also important. According to the research team, for a financing scheme like PMJAY, it is important to get the data backbone right, without which claims cant be tracked and paid, and without which the plan runs the risk of failing. Obamacare vs Modicare: What can India learn? Malani said while Obamacare and Modicare are similar in spirit, there are technical differences. Obamacare covered medicine and physician care and it also provided a subsidy for those not rich enough to buy their own health insurance plan. Modicare, on the other hand, is only for those below a certain economic class. India has had a public health insurance system only for 10 years. US introduced a programme like RSBY called Medicaid as early as 1965. But even in the US, the first decade of the programme was very challenging. They had to find enough hospitals, physicians to provide services, he added. Considering the vast population of India, Malani said it would be advisable to not expect a quick turnaround time for the programme. In 2014, Obamacare launched its Medicaid expansion and premium subsidy to get 24 million people enrolled. It took more than a year to get 10 million enrollees and even now they only have 16 million enrollments, he added. How to improve access to private hospitals Malani said private hospital participation will depend on their individual locations. Similar to the RSBY scheme, where private hospitals were keener to participate, Malani said rural areas will see more success in Modicare than urban areas. However, he also said since the scheme does not make financial sense to the private hospitals in larger cities, some tweaks could be considered. NHA is also open to tweaks in the rates that have been uniformly set for hospitalisation procedures across the country. In countries like the US, there is a cost factor adjustment based on the procedure and the location and it shouldnt be difficult to implement in India, he explained. Apart from this, he said that the rise in demand would require more private hospitals to help meet the gap. Going forward, Malani said Modicare could also improve a rise in private facilities provided they have adequate financial incentives/subsidies. Future expansion under Modicare The first step, said Malani would be to have selective targeting through viral marketing campaigns. Further, Malani said that the claims data can be looked at to see what are the exact medical needs of policyholders as well as if there is any fraud by hospitals over the billing. Since the states under the trust model have the power to settle the claims, they also can take over the information campaign. How successful the programme will depend on how many relevant people we are able to target, he added. Modicare is the worlds largest health insurance scheme and was launched in September 2018. A total of 1.6 million beneficiaries have taken the hospitalisation benefit under the scheme among the 14,912 network hospitals India has emerged as the second largest market after the UK for Marks & Spencer, and the British retailer is looking at a double digit growth in terms of store addition this fiscal, said a top company official. M&S has opened one store each in Chennai and Hyderabad on Tuesday. As part of expansion, M&S is now looking at the fast emerging tier II & III cities and also plans to increase the products range with more local relevance. "India has now the largest market for us outside UK," Marks & Spencer India MD James Munson told PTI. For M&S, India is a "strategic market", where there is acceptance of international brands and has space to grow. After recent openings, M&S now has 76 stores across 32 cities and is expanding its presence. As part of its expansion drive, M&S has opened six stores in last 48 days. "We are really excited to be reaching the landmark of our 75th store opening, as well as continuing to improve the online experience for our customers," he added. The company clocked a turnover of Rs 908 crore in India in FY 2017-18 and expects to continue its growth momentum further in the next fiscal. Besides, the company would also continue to add more stores to maintain the pace of expansion of its sales network. "In FY 2019-20, we would continue double digit growth in terms of store addition on like-to-like basis," Munson added. Presently, M&S sources around 30 per cent material locally and rest is from imports, and will increase more products "which are relevant to customers, he said. The company is also present on the fast growing online sales through its several channel partners. Although, the present contribution of online sales is in single digit but Munson expects it to grow further. M&S opened its first store in India in 2001 and in April 2008 signed a JV with Reliance Retail to form Marks & Spencer Reliance India Pvt Ltd. Established in 1884, M&S is one of the UK's leading retailers and trades in 57 markets, with over 400 stores and online presence in 33 markets. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has gone on a campaign overdrive to curb dabba trading but the police says that the regulator's hesitance in filing a case in several cases is letting violators get off the hook. Sources close to the Mumbai police department told Moneycontrol that cops are unhappy with SEBI for not registering a police complaint even as the regulator sends them details about illegal hoax trading that takes place in the city as well as in several hubs around the country. In 'dabba trading', traders bet on movements of stock prices through cash. This system works entirely on trust; traders are often allowed to invest without having adequate collateral, and trades are typically cash-settled -- meaning if a trader buys a stock for Rs 100 and sells it for Rs 110, he simply gets Rs 10 after the position is squared off. Since the system works outside the formal stock exchange system, there are few transaction costs and zero taxes to be paid. In the absence of regulation, defaults also take place, sometimes resulting in players having to resort to pressure tactics and extortion to recover money. SEBI has taken action against such activity, which is prevalent in Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Indore, Nagpur and Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan. But a source in the police department says that sometimes the action is not enough. "SEBI sends details of dabba trading in intervals with specific information about location and traders profiles. However, when we ask the regulator to register a formal complaint with us, it backs off." The lack of a formal complaint means police are often unable to make a strong case when the matter reaches court. "It makes the case weak in trial court," another source said. "When the regulator itself files a complaint, it will make for a strong case." Moneycontrol reached out to SEBI for comments last week but did not get a response. Famously, SEBI's 2016 crackdown on illegal dabba trading in Nagpur suffered an upset when the high court rapped the city's cops for filing the case without authority. When the matter reached the Supreme Court, the apex court insisted on SEBI becoming a party to the case. In this case, Nagpur police's Economic Offences Wing had pegged dabba trading volumes in the city to be about at Rs 10,000 crore per month. The overall volume of the dabba trading across the country is estimated at Rs 1 lakh crore a day. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Larsen & Toubro shares gained nearly a percent in the morning trade on March 26 after its hydrocarbon engineering division bagged an order in Oman. The stock was quoting at Rs 1,381.75, up Rs 4.55, or 0.33 percent on the BSE, at 1012 hours IST. "The wholly-owned subsidiary L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering Limited has won a large order from Tawfiq Coke Products-Oman," the engineering and construction major said in its exchange filing. The contract scope includes the selection of technology licensor, FEED & EPC for a 2 x 225,000 TPA plant of calcined coke from green pet coke. "This award will further reinforce L&T's operations in Oman and provide an opportunity to contribute to the expansion of industrial facilities in Sohar," the company said. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Reliance Industries shares gained 3.16 percent to close at Rs 1,367.15 on Tuesday after its retail company acquired ITC's menswear brand John Players. "The acquisition would strengthen Reliance Retail's readymade garments and accessories portfolio in the fashion and lifestyle retail space," Reuters said quoting Reliance's email. Consumer goods company ITC sold the brand John Players and related trademarks and intellectual property to Reliance Retail as part of its restructuring plan, Reuters said quoting ITC spokesperson. The two companies, however, did not disclose the financial details of the deal. Meanwhile, according to a report by The Economic Times, Reliance bought the John Players brand and distribution rights of 750 stores, in addition to 65 exclusive franchise outlets, for an estimated Rs 150 crore ($21.79 million). Earlier this month, sources told Reuters that Reliance planned to grow the number of low-cost Reliance Trends fashion stores across India to 2,500 from 557 over the next five years and integrate them with its online business. : Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd. March 26, 2019 / 03:39 PM IST Market Closing Benchmark indices rebounded sharply after falling in previous two straight sessions, driven by banking & financials, and index heavyweight Reliance Industries. The BSE Sensex rallied 424.50 points or 1.12 percent to 38,233.41 and the Nifty50 climbed 129 points or 1.14 percent to 11,483.30. The Nifty Midcap index also gained over a percent but the market breadth was not so great. About 1,377 shares advanced against 1,286 declining shares on the BSE. NTPC, Reliance Industries, SBI, Vedanta and Bajaj Finance were leading gainers among Nifty50 stocks, rising 3-4 percent while Tech Mahindra, IOC, UPL, Infosys and Wipro lost 0.6-2.4 percent. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Here are the stocks which are in news today: Indiabulls Real Estate: To raise Rs 600 crore Via NCDs Titan Company: Appoints Pradyumna Rameshchandra Vyas as Independent Director of company DCM: Sumant Bharat Ram resigns as Chief Executive & Financial Officer w.e.f March 31 ICICI Prudential: Prudential Corp to sell up to 2.6% stake via OFS; Floor Price set at Rs 300 per share Suzlon Energy: Completes sale of Wind & Solar Subsidiaries Jet Airways: Resolution plan - Conversion of Re 1 of Lenders' debt into 11.4 crore equity shares. Two nominees of promoter - Naresh Goyal and Anita Goyal, and one nominee of Etihad Airways PJSC to step down from the Board. Naresh Goyal to cease the be the Chairman of the company. Grasim Industries: The Bombay High Court granted a stay against the recovery demand worth Rs 5,872.13 crore on account of dividend distribution tax. Newgen Software Technologies: Company said it will incorporate Australian arm with an initial investment of 1.5 million Australian Dollars. Bharti Airtel: Company said that it eliminated ISD Packs for making regular call to Bangladesh and Nepal. Prepaid user can make calls to Bangladesh at Rs 2.99 per minute and to Nepal at Rs 7.99 per minute. DLF: Company said it will consider QIP issue price on March 28. QIP opens from March 25. The floor price for the issue is set at Rs 193.01 per share. UCO Bank: Board approved preferential issue of 175 crore shares at Rs 19.01 each, against the governments capital infusion of Rs 3,330 crore. Bank of Maharashtra: Shareholders approved issue of 15.5 crore equity shares at Rs 13.25 per share aggregating to Rs 205 crore to the central government. Kalpataru Power Transmission: Company acquired 85 percent stake in a Swedish EPC Company for USD 24 million, which deals in power supply solutions and services. Future Retail: Board approved the re-appointment of Kishore Biyani as the MD of the company and Rakesh Biyani as joint MD for a three years from May 2, respectively. Tourism Finance Corporation: Appoints Anirban Chakraborty as CMD. Prabhat Dairy: Competition Commission of India approved the scheme of the companys sale of its dairy business, which is run by the companys arm Sunfresh Agro Industries to Tirumala Milk Products. NHPC: Company said that it had started power trading in IEX as trader for J&K Power Development Department with effect from March 22. MEP Infra Developers: Company arm entered into concession agreements with NHAI for three highway projects in Maharashtra. Aurionpro Solutions: Board approves the buyback of 10.8 lakh shares or 4.6 percent of equity capital at a price of Rs 185 per share aggregating to Rs 20 crore. Hetal Dalal While MNCs have been paying royalty to their parent companies for the use of brands and technological support, Indian promoters too have been charging listed companies for the use of the brand. Investor pressure has resulted in SEBI bringing in regulations for royalty payments above 2 percent of net sales to require shareholder approvalone of the many recommendations of the Kotak Committee (that was modified by SEBI in its final acceptance). Royalty payments carry different nomenclaturesometimes these are charged in the name of brand fees or technical know-how fees, or other service-related fees. The regulatory intervention was much needed. In several instances, royalty payments made by Indian companies needed to be justified. In February 2019, Jubilant FoodWorks Limited had to withdraw its decision to pay royalty to promoters just a few hours after making the announcement following immediate investor pushback. Havells promoters were paid royalty for the brand up until April 2016 despite the company itself bearing advertisement and other brand-building costs. The Singh brothers (erstwhile promoters of Fortis Healthcare Limited) announced that the over Rs 5 billion recoverable from them would be adjusted against royalty for the Fortis brand. On the other hand, the Tata Group has signed a brand equity agreement with its group companies where, depending on the degree of usage of the Tata brand, the royalty payouts from group companies will be restricted to a specified percentage of turnover (Disclosure: The Tata group, through Tata Investment Corporation Limited, is one of IiAS shareholders.). These payouts are restricted to a maximum of Rs 750 million and 5 percent of profitsensuring that the fees are not excessive and are linked with operational performance. In case Tata companies make losses, they are not required to pay brand fees to Tata Sons. This brand equity agreement is publicly available and lists out Tata Sons' responsibility towards brand building. Tata Sons has a well-organised function that manages the Tata brand. MNCs in India pay royalty because they bring brands to India that have been developed globally. To be fair, those brands do carry market value and are able to attract customer loyalty. But to what extent should royalty be paid? The quantum of royalty paid by MNCs has been egregious in the past, tempering only over the past two years. In the financial year ending in 2018, 27 MNCs (Schaeffler India Limited, Castrol India Limited, and ABB Limited all pay royalty to their parent companies. However, these are yet to publish the FY18 annual reports. Therefore, their data has not been included in this assessment) paid an aggregate of Rs 67. 37 billion in royalties, more than half of which is accounted by Maruti Suzuki India Limited at Rs 38.18 billion. The Rs 67.37 billion royalty payment accounts for 16 percent of these 27 MNCs pre-tax pre-royalty profits and almost 27 percent of their aggregate Rs 250.40 billion profit after tax. Maruti Suzuki India Limited, GE, T&D India Limited, 3M India Limited, and Johnson Control-Hitachi Air Condition India Limited have paid more than 20 percent of their pre-tax pre-royalty profits as royalty to their parent company. 14 of the 27 MNCs (whose recent financial statements were available) have paid over 2 percent of net sales as royalty to their parent company. Although royalty payments are related party transactions, they earlier escaped shareholder approval since these did not exceed 10 percent of revenues or networth. Companies maintain that royalty payments are in the ordinary course of business (in several instances that is so) and on arms length terms (which is debatable). Given how high these payouts were in some companies, and the significant investor push back over not having oversight on these payments, the Kotak Committee recommended that such payments be brought for a separate shareholder approvalthe Kotak Committee set a threshold of royalty payments in excess of 5 percent of revenue, SEBI while accepting the recommendation decided to lower the threshold to 2 percent of revenues. Shareholder approval is required for payments made from April 1, 2019, onwards. Should the company be paying royalty in the first place? When was the brand registered? Why was the brand not registered in the companys name itself? When was the royalty agreement first signed? How much does the company spend on the advertisement and brand building? How does the recipient use the royalty or brand fees? Is there a structure around spending on brand development? Does the market see value in the brand/technology? Does the company have an almost monopolistic position in the market or are there several competitors in the market? Has the brand/company developed a certain size to become comparable to peers, or does it remain a niche player in the industry? Has the company outperformed its peers on revenues or profit margins? How has the quantum of royalty been decided? Will the royalty agreement be periodically reviewed (every 5 years at the very least) or is the agreement in perpetuity / to be reviewed at the parent companys / promoters insistence only? How has the royalty been determined? Is it a share of revenues, profits, or on specific product lines? Is there a cap on the aggregate royalty that will be paid out? For MNCs, is the royalty being charged to the Indian company comparable to that charged by the global parent in other Asian markets? Is there an independent (third party) evaluation of the terms of royalty? Has the audit committee of the Indian company got its own independent advisor to assess the appropriateness of the terms of royalty? The question is how should shareholders vote on such resolutions when these are presented? Likewise, what disclosures should companies make while asking for shareholder approval? Here, are a few issues to address:This question pertains to domestic companies more than MNCs. Investors need to question whether there is a need to pay royalty in the first place. Where companies themselves pay for brand development or the company is itself synonymous with the brand, the rationale to pay promoters for the brand must be questioned. More importantly, for recipients of the royalty or brand fee must be able to justify what they are doing to create or develop the brand. And this should include technology: Nestle spent CHF1.7 billion (Rs 119.7 bn) on R&D. Looking at royalty as a mere charge for ownership of the brand must be avoided. Specific questions that must be answered are:Brands that have a strong franchise must be able to command faster sales growth than competitors or be able to command better product margins or both. Therefore, while assessing whether there is value in the brand, investors must ascertain if the company has been able to outperform its peers within the same industryeither on revenue growth or on marginson a consistent basis. For recently introduced brands, on could argue that their acceptance in the Indian market is largely because of the brand (Starbucks, Mercedes-Benz, Oral-B); even so, royalty payments must not begin immediately, but after the brands have established themselves locally as well. Specific questions that must be answered are:Companies have decided on royalty payments as a percentage of sales and profits. But in several cases, it is unclear how the number has been arrived at. Companies must disclose the basis of the royalty charge, and as a good practice have either a cap on the absolute quantum or seek periodic review of royalty terms from shareholders or both. MNCs charge royalty from other markets therefore, clarity on the comparability of the royalty to be paid by the Indian entity vis-a-vis the region is an equal determinant of its legitimacy. Having independent brand valuers, with oversight by the audit committee, makes the proposition more convincing. Specific questions that must be answered are: As resolutions get presented to shareholders over the next few weeks, both investors and companies would be well placed in greater transparency and better disclosure. Investors understand the value of brands and are unlikely to oppose such paymentsunless the quantum is much too high or the payout is simply unjustified. Asking for periodic approval from shareholders is importantshareholder approvals or agreements in perpetuity (Castrol India Limited and Nestle India Limited) are unlikely to be supported by all investors. Most of all, companies need to engage with investors and discuss their perspectives on royalty. Representative Image Vikas V Gupta Recent events over the past couple of months again highlighted the defence and security challenges that India face. According to a report by the World Economic Forum, India has a defence spending of around $63 billion. The same report highlights that global defence spending is $1.7 trillion. According to a News18 report, India has been the top arms importer across the globe for the last eight years, except this year. It is estimated that India imports about 60-65 percent of its arms requirements. Focusing on the Indian defence spending, the question as an investor is: What is the best way to capitalise on this large expenditure? Since India imports a majority of its arms requirements, it is clear that it is best to look outside the Indian equity markets for taking proper exposure to the defence, aerospace and security sector. Just focusing on the familiar developed markets of US, EU and UK, one can see 42 companies with a market cap of $1 billion or more listed in the defence and aerospace sectors. There are numerous other companies that also contribute to defence and security but are listed under some other industry categories. One could look at Dassault Aviation SA of France, which makes the Mirage 2000 and Rafale fighter jets. Or, one could look at Lockheed Martin that manufactures F-16 and F-21 fighter jets. Similarly, there is Boeing, the makers of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, or SAAB, the makers of Gripen. Besides, these companies make several other defence and security products. Or one could look at Aerovironment that specialises in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drones), such as, Raven and Wasp. Besides, it also offers tactical missile systems. Then there is the Cubic Corporation that specialises in C4ISR (Command, Control, Communication, Computer, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) systems. The whole theme of defence and security is rich with possibilities and is an established and fast-evolving theme that has numerous companies in the global markets offering products, services and solutions. Of course, as an intelligent investor (on the lines of Benjamin Graham) one cannot just jump on a theme and buy companies that look interesting. An investor will have a necessary condition that the company operates and benefits from the targeted theme. But sufficient conditions before investing in a company will be a stable business model, strong balance sheet, and a sustainable competitive advantage. These factors would make it a supernormal company. Supernormal companies generate supernormal profits or excess returns on their capital. However, as an intelligent investor an investment cannot be made unless these supernormal companies are available at a large discount to intrinsic value, i.e. they are available at supernormal prices. Further, buying a handful of companies, say 3-5, with exposure to the theme will not make sense. This will become a very risky portfolio. Ideally, one should have around 20-25 companies in a portfolio with limits on the maximum allocation to a single company. If one can create such a portfolio then it is likely to not only have low risk, but also a potential for high returns. Most people do not invest globally since they find it unfamiliar. However, once they start becoming aware of the opportunities available globally and start becoming familiar with them through research, the discomfort of the unknown will reduce, and global companies will start becoming a natural opportunity set for an equity investor. Remember that not only are you getting exposure to different economies, countries, currencies, but also to different sectors and themes. Thus, the defense theme discussed above could just one among many themes in your international portfolio of stocks/funds. Thus your portfolio is becoming more diverse and hence more robust and anti-fragile. This means it is a lower risk portfolio. Further, the chances of enhanced returns have increased, too, since the portfolio has exposure to fast-growing themes or significantly discounted companies or both. This creates the possibility of coming closer to the holy grail of investing with lower risks and for higher returns at the same time. But, remember, always build knowledge before building the portfolio! The author is the CEO and Chief Investment Strategist, OmniScience Capital. Equity investments are subject to market risks. Global investments entail currency and country risks. The above is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any of the stocks or sectors mentioned. The author and his clients might have exposure to the above-mentioned stocks or sectors. Please consult your investment advisor and assess suitability of investment products for your circumstances before investing. Representative image Hotel Leelaventure is seeking shareholders' nod to sell four hotels, including one in the national capital, and other assets to Canadian investment fund Brookfield Asset Management for Rs 3,950 crore. In a regulatory filing on March 25, the company said it is seeking approval for special resolutions from its shareholders through postal ballots to sell the different hotels. As per the postal ballot notice, the company said its board has approved selling The Leela Palace, New Delhi together with all its assets and liabilities as a going concern, on a 'slump sale' basis, to an Indian subsidiary of BSREP Ill India Ballet Pte Ltd (Brookfield) for a lumpsum consideration of Rs 1,705 crore. Similarly, the board has also approved selling of the company's Bengaluru hotel undertaking as a going concern on a 'slump sale' basis to Brookfield for a lumpsum consideration of Rs 1,000 crore. The company further said its Chennai hotel will be sold to the same buyer in a similar manner for a lumpsum consideration of Rs 675 crore. The Udaipur hotel undertaking will also be sold for a lumpsum consideration of Rs 320 crore. Further, Hotel Leelaventure said the board has approved sale of its hotel operations undertaking pertaining to hotel management operations together with all its assets and liabilities for Rs 135 crore. Moreover, the board has given its nod to sell the company's entire shareholding in Leela Palaces and Resorts Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary that owns property and holds licences for the development of a hotel in Agra, for Rs 115 crore. The voting by shareholders will commence on March 26 and end on April 24 and the result will be declared on April 26, the filing said. The office has total 30 floors spanning multiple buildings and has a capacity to house 7,400 employees which Flipkart says is enough for them. The buildings are connected by nine bridges. Institutional investors invested more than $4 billion funds across the country's real estate segments in 2018. Total private equity inflows in residential segment stood at $266 million in 2018, an 82 percent decline since 2015. Commercial real estate drew the lions share with USD 2.8 billion in PE funds, says a report. The average deal size increased by over 170 percent in four years from $47 million in 2015 to $128 million in 2018. Overall the real estate sector attracted over $4 billion of PE funds in 2018; a decline of 9 percent against 2017. In less than 3 months into 2019, PE equity investment into real estate are close to $1 billion, according to a report by Anarock titled Private Equity in Indian Real Estate. At the city-level, Mumbai continued to be the most-preferred destination for overall PE investments, seeing nearly 38 percent of the total capital inflows in 2018. Hyderabad witnessed a sudden burst in investments in 2018, attracting more than $1.1 billion of private equity a more than three-fold increase in investments compared to the collective previous three-year period. Hyderabad surpassed Bengaluru and Chennai, the other two major South Indian cities, in investment inflows, says the report. The commercial office segment saw the highest inflows, accounting for a massive 70 percent share of the total institutional investments into the industry in 2018. Retail real estate came in a distant second with 7 percent and the residential sector drew the least private equity among the three sectors, with less than 7 percent of the overall share. The report says that out of the total PE inflow of USD 14 bn into the sector in the last four years, 2017 and 2018 collectively saw the maximum investments to the tune of USD 8.6 billion. "Currently, funding is a major hurdle for the Indian real estates growth prospects especially post the NBFC crisis. Private equity funding is the best alternative for developers who qualify for it. Despite a decline of 9 percent in PE inflows in 2018 against the preceding year, 2019 will bring a marked increase in private equity funding because of Indias first REIT listing," says Shobhit Agarwal, MD & CEO - ANAROCK Capital. "From this point onward, commercial real estate especially Grade A office spaces will attract considerable investments," he says. "Nevertheless, much of the industry's prospects also hinge on the outcome of the upcoming general elections. Institutional investors will continue to pump in funds into the real estate industry if they can rely on political stability, proactive policies and a favourable microeconomic environment." The report further states that despite deal numbers declining since 2015, the average deal size has increased by nearly 172 percent in the last four years from $47 million in 2015 to $128 million in 2018. Interestingly, the top 5 deals in 2018 alone contributed almost 50 percent of the total investments during the year. PE investors have become more cautious about selecting and associating with developers; however, once confident, they are making larger investments. "A segment-wise breakdown indicates that commercial realty saw an annual increase of 27 percent in PE investments from nearly USD 2.2 bn in 2017 to over USD 2.8 billion in 2018," says Agarwal. "High occupancy levels, relatively lower rentals in dollar terms, quality Grade A assets and high-quality tenants are the key reasons for commercial space to draw around 70 percent of the overall share of the total private equity investments in 2018. Considering high demand, fund exits have been relatively easier in commercial real estate - and with REITs being launched, they will become even easier." Also, investors interest in long-term real estate plays with preferred developers continues to be visible with more than USD 500 million of additional platforms getting created in just 2.5 months. As we speak, the REIT offering by the Blackstone Embassy Group is ongoing. If the interest for this new investment platform is as expected, it will open a new chapter in the countrys real estate space. Going forward in 2019, institutional investors are likely to continue infusing investments into the maturing Indian real estate market, which offers more scope for growth than developed countries with matured real estate markets. Moreover, strategic policy relaxations to boost the ease of doing business, coupled with the rapidly transformed business environment, will continue to attract private equity to Indian real estate. Global ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc will spend $3.1 billion to acquire Middle East rival Careem, buying dominance in a competitive region ahead of a hotly anticipated initial public offering. Uber said late on March 25 night it would pay $1.4 billion in cash and $1.7 billion in convertible notes in a deal that gives it full ownership of Careem. The long-expected agreement ends more than nine months of start-and-stop negotiations between the two companies and hands Uber a much-needed victory after a series of overseas divestments. The notes will be convertible into Uber shares at a price equal to $55 apiece, Uber said, marking about a nearly 13 percent increase over Uber's share price in its last financing round, led by SoftBank Group Corp more than a year ago. The acquisition makes Careem a wholly owned subsidiary of Uber and will keep the Careem brand and app intact, at least initially. Careem co-founders Mudassir Sheikha, Magnus Olsson and Abdulla Elyas are staying on with Careem following the acquisition, the companies said. However, Careem's board will be overhauled, with three seats going to Uber representatives and two belonging to Careem. Sheikha, who is Careem's CEO, and Olsson will have board seats. An Uber spokesman declined to say whom Uber would appoint to the board. The $3.1 billion cash-and-stock purchase buys out all outside Careem investors, the companies said, and Careem stock will be converted into Uber equity. Careem had raised less than $800 million from investors and as of October had a $2 billion valuation. Its backers include German car maker Daimler AG , Chinese ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing, Japanese internet company Rakuten Inc and Saudi investor Kingdom Holding Company. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020, the companies said, meaning it will not be reflected in Uber's first couple of quarterly earnings releases as a public company, although it will likely be disclosed in a public IPO filing. Uber will kick of its IPO next month and is expected to receive a valuation of at least $100 billion. The agreement is subject to regulatory approval, including by antitrust officials in the countries where Careem operates, which could prevent the deal from moving forward or compel the companies to modify the terms. MONTHS OF NEGOTIATIONS The deal is particularly important for Uber, whose ability to be a competitive global ride-hailing player had come into question after it sold its operations in China, Russia and Southeast Asia to local rivals after sustaining heavy losses. Uber Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi in a statement called the deal with Careem "an important moment for Uber." Uber has been eager to reach an agreement before the company begins its "roadshow," when it will meet with public market investors prior to listing shares on the New York Stock Exchange. The deal enables Uber to claim dominance in a growing region for ride-hailing outside of the United States. Uber operates in more than 70 countries, but faces strong rivals in Latin America and India, and tough regulations in Europe. Talks between the companies had dragged on since at least last summer, sources told Reuters, although they did not get serious until the end of the year. The companies had for years battled in a competition for drivers and riders that had required discounts and subsidies and pushed prices artificially low. Careem over the course of last year grew its business rapidly, including adding a delivery service, and went on to nearly double its valuation, pressuring Uber to increase its bidding price. Toward the end of last year, Careem was entertaining interest from investors for another financing round when Uber moved aggressively to buy the company outright, sources said. SPOTLIGHT ON MIDDLE EAST TECH Careem, founded in 2012, has a larger presence than Uber in the Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan, and Turkey, operating in 98 cities there compared with Uber's roughly 23 locations. "An Uber-Careem merger underscores the huge potential of car-hailing in the Middle East," said Sam Blatteis, CEO at the MENA Catalysts, a Middle East public policy advisory and research firm. The merger also follows the $580 million acquisition of Dubai-based ecommerce company Souq Group Ltd by Amazon.com Inc in 2017, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing, spotlighting the Middle East's budding technology scene. "It's the first 'unicorn' exit in the Middle East, and it's representative of things to come out of the Middle East," said David Chao, co-founder and general partner at venture firm DCM and a Careem investor, referring to start-ups valued at $1 billion or more. Uber said its revenue last year was $11.3 billion, while its gross bookings from rides were $50 billion. But the company lost a staggering $3.3 billion, excluding gains from the sale of its overseas business units in Russia and Southeast Asia. Careem does not disclose its earnings. The Aam Aadmi Party has sought an explanation from Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri over the recent media report of fall in Delhi metro ridership following fare hikes, claiming that the move has led to increase of pollution and impacted the economically weaker sections of the society. According to a recent media report, the average daily ridership of the Delhi metro has dropped by over 3 lakh. Reacting to it, the AAP has sought an explanation from Puri, alleging that apart from directly affecting the revenues of Delhi Metro, the fare hike has also forced the metro commuters to switch to other modes of transport "which is causing an increase in the air pollution levels in Delhi." "Higher Metro tariffs also directly affect the travel pattern of the economically weaker sections of the society," the AAP said in a statement. "The Aam Aadmi Party would like to know from the Union Minister of State for Urban Development Hardeep Singh Puri, who is these days taking a keen interest in politics of Delhi, what is his response to the fact that following the twin Metro hike in 2017, average daily Metro ridership has fallen by over three lakh daily?" the party said. The AAP questioned the official BJP stand on the metro fare hike. "Can any of the seven BJP MPs from Delhi show a single letter they had written to the central government opposing the Metro fare hike? Can any BJP MP show a single speech/statement they had given in the Parliament or outside against this anti-people decision?Does the Delhi BJP endorse the statement of Mr Hardeep Singh Puri that fare hike was mandatory?" the AAP asked. The AAP said it will make Delhi Metro fare hike by the BJP's central government an issue for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections and will tell the people of Delhi that the seven MPs elected by them in 2014 fully deceived them. Earlier, the state BJP had said that the Delhi government has a 50 per cent stake in DMRC and there can be no fare hike without its consent. Nomination of the Aam Aadmi Party's Shweta Sharma from Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar Lok Sabha seat was rejected on Tuesday as she failed to find 10 mandatory proposers, poll officials said. Ten mandatory proposers are required for any candidate who is not from a recognised national or regional party in a state, the officials said. "She said in her nomination papers that she is a candidate from the Aam Aadmi Party. AAP is not a recognised regional party in Uttar Pradesh. It is not recognised as a national party by the Election Commission as well. It is recognised in Delhi though. This was a flaw in her claim," District Magistrate and Returning Officer Brajesh Narain Singh told PTI. He said only one proposer is required in case of a recognised party otherwise 10 proposers are needed. "The nomination process was allowed till 3 pm of March 25. Today the nominations were scrutinised and the candidate was told to bring any document, a court order or directive, to substantiate her claim, but she came up with none and had only one proposer. The decision (to reject her nomination) was taken on this basis," Singh said. The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP is in power in adjoining Delhi and had last week announced fielding three candidates in Uttar Pradesh, but with cancellation of Sharma's nomination, it will be fighting only on the other two -- Aligarh and Saharanpur. In 2014, the AAP had fielded Kishan Pal Singh as its candidate from this seat who got 32,358 votes, a 2.70 per cent share of the total votes polled. Gautam Buddh Nagar goes to polls on April 11 during the first leg of the seven-phased general elections. Representative image After the work on the Kartarpur corridor has begun, Pakistan is taking steps to open a similar corridor for Hindu pilgrims from India to visit the Sharda Temple in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), according to reports. The two countries have been working towards opening a corridor linking Dera Baba Nanak in India with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur, Pakistan. Pakistans Express News television channel, citing sources in the foreign ministry, reported that officials would be visiting the Sharda Temple and would submit a report to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. Ramesh Vankwani, a lawmaker of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was quoted by media reports as saying: Pakistan has decided to open the Sharda temple. I am going to visit the place in a couple of days. I will also send a report...to Prime Minister Imran Khan. Work on the project will start in the current year, after which Hindus in Pakistan will also be able to visit the site. The Sharda Peeth temple is considered to be 5,000-years-old. Water from a pond called Madomati, near the temple, is considered sacred by Hindus. It is believed that the site was one of the foremost temple universities in the Indian subcontinent between the 6th and the 12th century AD. The temple is located on the banks of the Neelum River more than 100 kilometres from Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). In the past, India had made repeated requests for such an arrangement keeping in mind the wishes and religious sentiments of people. The Indian Express quoted Indian government sources as saying: India had made this request several times as part of the Composite Dialogue between India and Pakistan. The proposal was made keeping in mind the wishes and religious sentiments of people. On December 20, 2018, Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh had told Rajya Sabha: The issue of religious tourism to Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) has been raised from time to time. The Joint Statement issued following the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan on 27 July 2011, inter-alia stated that travel across the Line of Control would be expanded to include visits for tourism and religious pilgrimage. India has proposed pilgrims visit to shrines in PoJK, including Sharada Peeth. Pakistan has not concurred with the proposal so far. The Congress on Tuesday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clearly spell out whether he supports its scheme of giving Rs 72,000 annually to each of five crore poorest families in the country, and accused the BJP leadership of opposing the proposal. At a press briefing, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said women heads of five crore poor families will get the amount directly in their bank accounts under Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) scheme. According to estimate, implementation of the scheme will require Rs 3.6 lakh crore annually, and the Congress is yet to clarify how resources will be generated to implement the scheme. Surjewala said 'Nyay' is not a "top-up scheme" and modalities for its implementation would be worked out once the party assumes power, adding the party was working on finances for the scheme. Party leaders said Nyay is not a work-oriented scheme like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment programme and money will provided directly into the bank accounts of women in the beneficiary families to help them come out of poverty. "We are working on finances to implement the scheme. It will not put the economy under strain," said a party leader who wished not to be named. Surjewala said the existing schemes like MNREGA, and existing subsidies would continue and will not be subsumed into 'Nyay'. "No scheme will be closed, no subsidy will be cut. This is neither a replacement of MNREGA, nor of any other scheme, as all existing schemes will continue and this scheme will be besides the existing ones," he said. "This is an income supplementing scheme to pull the family out of poverty and that is why the money is being paid directly into the accounts of women of poor families," Surjewala added. Taking on PM Modi, he said, "His politics thrives on keeping people poor, lest they start asking questions." It was "shameful" that "pro-rich" Modi was opposing the world's biggest anti-poverty scheme, Surjewala alleged, adding "the PM and BJP must clarify whether they support 'Nyay' or not, whether they support helping the poor or not." The Congress leader also attacked Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for dubbing the scheme as a "bluff announcement", saying no other political party has "betrayed" India for more than seven decades in the name of poverty. Surjewala also attacked government think tank NITI Aayog vice chairman Rajiv Kumar dubbing the body he headed as "Rajneeti Ayog" and asked him to run the organisation from the BJP office and contest elections instead. Kumar had criticised Congress on 'Nyay'. Brushing aside critics of the scheme who claim it will strain the economy, he said, "We have looked at the economics of the scheme, we have looked at the contours of the scheme and the scheme is fully implementable," he claimed, brushing aside critics who say this will further strain the economy." On the proposed scheme, the Congress spokesperson said, "...every poor family shall be rightfully entitled to Rs 72,000 per annum. This will apply to both urban and rural poor families." "Rs 72,000 would be deposited directly in the bank accounts of the woman of the family. Modi Government's 'Economic Survey 2016-17' accepted that India under the Congress reduced poverty. Poverty which was 70 per cent during Independence has come down to just 22 per cent in 2011-12. With the path-breaking 'Nyay' scheme, Congress will now eradicate the remaining 20 per cent poverty too," he said. Targeting the prime minister, he said, "The anti-poor DNA of suited-booted PM Modi and his incompetent Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stand exposed as they bitterly oppose the world's biggest anti-poverty scheme." He alleged that the prime minister "can happily waive" Rs 3.17 lakh crore for a handful of crony friends but opposes the Rs 6,000-per month respite for the poor. "Because Modiji opposes anything & everything that is pro-poor, People will now do NYAY' (justice)," he said. He said former finance minister P Chidambaram has had wider consultation with economists and has drafted the contours of the scheme and he will spell out further details of the scheme. President Ram Nath Kovind President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday was honoured with Croatia's highest civilian award -- the Grand Order of the King of Tomislav. Kovind is in the European country as part of his eight-day three-nation visit to Croatia, Bolivia and Chile to further strengthen bilateral ties between India and the three countries. "President of India honoured with highest civilian order in #Croatia! During his State Visit to Croatia #Presidentkovind is honoured with Grand Order of the King of Tomislav, the highest award of Croatia. #Presidentkovind dedicated it to India-Croatia friendship! @KolindaGK," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Ravish Kumar tweeted. The civilian order is awarded to heads of state for their important contribution towards the development of state relations between Croatia and their respective countries. Kovind, who is the first-ever Indian head of state to visit Croatia, was earlier accorded a ceremonial welcome here. He is in the European nation from March 25 to March 28. June 02, 2019 / 09:01 AM IST Welcome to the Lok Sabha election 2019 coverage. This blog tracks the latest developments from the general election. The BJP reacted with jubilation at the exit polls, which forecast a return of the NDA government, saying that they show a huge positive vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but opposition parties rejected the forecast. Narendra Modi is returning to power with a bang, With 510 private cars every kilometre, Mumbai is the most car-congested city in India, ahead of cities like Pune, Kolkata and national capital Delhi. Delhi, with 108 cars per kilometre, has a car density five times lower than Mumbai, according to a report by The Times of India. Punes car density is 359, while Kolkata has 319 cars per kilometre, the report said, citing data from state transport departments. Chennai and Bangalore have 297 and 149 cars per kilometre, respectively. The high density of cars in India's financial capital has risen 18 percent from 430 in mid-2016, due to a shortage of road space and an increasing number of private vehicles. "Mumbai has been bursting at the seams past few years, and if there is no control over the purchase or mobility of private cars across the city, commuting by road will be a nightmare," transport expert Ashok Datar told The Times of India. There are about 10.2 lakh private cars on Mumbais roads, comprising about 28 percent of the citys total number of vehicles, the report added. Mumbais western suburbs have about five lakh registered cars, while eastern suburbs have 1.7 lakh private cars, RTO officials told the paper. "There is an urgent need to set up a parking authority to implement the new parking policy, and also impose congestion tax in the business hubs," said AV Shenoy of Mumbai Transport Forum. YSRCP chief and Andhra Pradesh CM Jaganmohan Reddy Amar Devulapalli YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) President YS Jaganmohan Reddy has a way with people. He is at utmost ease when surrounded by people, whether it is when addressing a gathering or walking with folded hands greeting strangers. Unfavourable weather conditions or health ailments are non-factors for this 46-year-old politician whenever he hit the streets. This is because in the last five years, Jagan has never stopped from being in the midst of people. For every politician, the election campaign for the upcoming polls is filled with challenges but not for Andhra Pradeshs Opposition leader. After losing to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 2014, Jagan raised many issues and protested over it. He undertook the Rythu Bharosa Yatra to interact with farmers and highlight their problems, besides instilling confidence in them. When the N Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP government, which was a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre, supported the special package for the bifurcated state, it was Jagan who went to people with the demand for special category status. Jagans continuous yatras Immediately after his fathers death in a helicopter crash in 2009, Jagan announced the Odarpu Yatra (Condolence tour) to visit every family in the state whose family lost a member due to the shock of his fathers demise. Back in 2015, he undertook an indefinite fast. Later, the YSRCP intensified its protest with hunger strikes and awareness programmes. Last year, all the Lok Sabha MPs of the YSRCP resigned from Parliament and sat on an indefinite fast in Delhi. The favourable reaction to the YSRCPs stand forced the TDP to toe its line. However, the one campaign that completely presented him in a new light and brought him closer to voters was the Praja Sankalpa Yatra. For over a period of 14 months, beginning November 2017, Jagan toured the state walking 3,600 km, covering thousands of villages. The yatra showed Jagan as a committed and strong leader. This yatra also helped Jagan in one more way. At every given opportunity, he conveyed to people that he will promise only what he can deliver. This way, he tried to convince people that he is a man of words, unlike other politicians. This seem to be a well-calculated move. At the same time, the TDP gained notoriety for encouraging defections from other parties and inviting 23 MLAs and MPs to switch sides. Some of them were made ministers before they resigned from their old parties or re-elected on a TDP ticket. On the other hand Jagan insisted that whoever joined his party had to resign from his/her existing party. This approach seems to have helped in improving Jagans image as a leader with a difference. In less than a decade, Jagan has grown from being the son of a popular Chief Minister to an MP, and now to a popular leader. Fighting it alone Alliances and secret pacts have become the order of the day in Andhra politics. However, Jagan has made it clear that he will not be part of any alliance. Even though there were proposals from within and outside his camp to explore the option of teaming up with the Left parties or with actor Pawan Kalyans Jana Sena Party, Jagan had decided against it. The sagacity of this decision, will, of course, be evident on May 23rd when the election results are announced. For now, the decision to contest alone has given clarity to his voters and at the same time thwarted dissidence that could have arisen due to seat-sharing. All said, it will not be a breezy ride for Jagan. Naidu is known for his shrewd political moves and is also a master in poll management. Knowing well that it cannot single-handedly win the elections, the TDP has allegedly propped up various political forces, such as Kalyans party, to split the anti-incumbency votes. The actors party has an alliance with the CPI, the CPI(M) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). What increases rumours of such a tacit understanding between Naidu and the alliance is that Kalyan and the Left leaders have repeatedly criticised and questioned Jagan, who was never in power, while going soft on Naidu who is in power. That apart, the alliance has not fielded strong candidates in any of the seats where important TDP leaders are contesting. Congress-TDP understanding Amidst many such examples, the Congress too seem to be playing to Naidus tunes. It is no secret that after his break-up with BJP, Naidu has grown closer to Congress President Rahul Gandhi. After the TDP-Congress experiment failed in the Telangana assembly polls last year, both parties announced that they would not have a tie-up in Andhra Pradesh. However, considering that both parties are active players in the Mahagathbandhan, it is tough to imagine that they do not have an understanding. A couple of senior Congress leaders may have it easy this time because Naidu has given tickets to weak candidates from those seats. Allegedly, the Congress is also returning the favour. Come young Congress leaders feel that the party will be doomed if it is working hard for Naidus victory. In the thick of action, the BJP seems to have faded into oblivion. With no friends and its credibility taking a hit over granting the state special category status, the national party will be too happy if they manage to win at least a few of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Amar Devulapalli is a Hyderabad-based senior journalist. Views are personal. For more Opinion pieces, click here Image: Twitter/ @INCIndia Rasheed Kidwai Congress President Rahul Gandhis Nyuntam Aay Yojana (Minimum Income Scheme) or, in short, NYAY, which means justice in Hindi is in keeping with Congress economic thinking of social left and economic right. The pre-poll announcement has a potential of a game-changer and blunting Prime Minister Narendra Modis muscular politics and hyper nationalism. Rahul, 49, has some understanding of economy and has reportedly been in touch with economists Thomas Piketty and Angus Deaton to address the Indian model of economic disparity between the rich and the poor. Privately, Rahul is said to have often wondered that if huge non-performing assets (NPAs) of industrialists can be written off, why shouldnt Indias poorest of the poor get a basic income. According to a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) report, corporate loan defaults to the tone of Rs 1,08,500 crore and Rs 1,62,700 crore were waived off by banks in 2016-17 and 2017-18 respectively. A flexible thought Since Pandit Jawaharlal Nehrus times, the Congress thinking has been fluid and flexible. Nehrus biographer, S Gopal felt that even during the Nehru era, the real aim of the Congress was not so much to implement its declared policies but to ensure continuation in power. For this objective, the Congress under Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi accommodated men of different economic thinking even at the expense of the stated social and economic commitment to the country. From 1967 to 1972, Indira displayed her extraordinary political acumen and sense of realpolitik. She kept pitting one Congress leader against the other to deal a body blow to the conservatives during the bank nationalisation, abolition of the privy purse and the presidential polls that pitted Neelam Sanjiva Reddy against VV Giri. Chandrashekhar and others took on the high and mighty on the basis of her stray thoughts at the stormy AICC meets in Bangalore, Bombay and Faridabad. Continuous change In the larger context, party leaders handling economic issues reinforce a stand that as an ideology, the party has been following the course of change with continuity. From Nehru to Sonia and Rahul, the party leadership has not followed any dogmatic or indoctrinated ideology. Successive Congress leaderships have instead chosen to reinvent, avoiding confrontations and sharp divisions in a multi-cultural and pluralistic Indian society. From its inception, the Congress functioned as an amorphous organisation. Describing the Congress at the Avadi session, UN Dhebar, president of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in 1955, spoke extensively in poets flair in the presence of Nehru, Indira and others, who nodded their heads in approval. Dhebar said, What is the Congress? It is a tear, fallen from the sufferings and agonised heart of humanity in bondage, coming to life. According to Nehru, the Congress was always something more than a party and capable of drawing allegiance from millions who were not formally with the party. Speaking in New Delhi at the 1951 AICC session, Nehru said, We have to retain something of that wider aspect of the Congress, but this should not lead to floppiness and loose thinking and an accommodation of all kinds of contrary opinions within its fold. In regard to principles social, economic and political this must be clear. There should be no room for reactionaries in the Congress fold. Nor should there be any room in it for those who seek, through its medium, personal advancement and profit at the cost of the public good. We have to pull ourselves up from the narrow grooves of thought and action, from factions, from mutual recrimination, from tolerance of evil in public life and in our social structure, and become again fighters for a cause and upholders of high principles. Absence of ideological clarity In subsequent party sessions and position papers, the Congress clarified and explained that its concept of socialism was not dogmatic or indoctrinate. In 1972, under Indira, the election manifesto prepared for the assembly polls read, Poverty must go. Disparity must diminish. Injustice must end. Earlier, at the Mumbai AICC session, Jagjivan Ram moved a resolution saying, Modern man is the inheritor of all that is noble and good in human thought. And thus our democratic socialism is a synthesis of all that is best in the thinking of the East and the West and provides an ideology superior to other sectarian ideologies which are communalistic or communitarian. In terms of science of ideas or ideology, many feel the Congress strength lies in the absence of ideological clarity. Senior Congress leader Shriman Narayan Agarwal (who later dropped his caste surname) used to insist that the Congress ideology should not be interpreted in any rigid set of ideas whose acceptance was obligatory to all Congressmen. The culture of having a powerful, dominant leader and the tendency to change from time-to-time as per the political situation kept giving the Congress fresh ideological frames. These were more matters of policy than faith. Such a compromise between various interest groups helped in the sharing of power and the doctrinal pluralism of its leaders. By the time the Congress under Sonia met at Pachmarhi (1997), Shimla (2003) and Hyderabad (2006), the party had formally accepted the need for coalitions with parties of varying ideology. The political resolution in Hyderabad said, At present, coalition of political forces and opinion is inevitable. Each political epoch needs a leader and a visionary who changes the traditional paradigm of society to face contemporary challenges. Focus on the poor Away from public scrutiny, Sonia and Rahul have found Manmohan Singhs economic thinking to be on the same page as theirs. The Gandhis do not believe in a State-controlled economy. Sonias lengthy discussions with Singh prior to 2004 had convinced her that a market-controlled economy, if properly guided, could benefit many, including those who were at the margins of society. Her understanding of the new world order and need for reforms contributed significantly to convincing the great Indian middle class and captains of industry that under Manmohan Singh, reforms would continue and there would be further liberalisation. Singh, too, made it clear that his government was not Sensex-driven, but functioned in a transparent, pro-industry, 24 Akbar Road, 252 pro-entrepreneur manner. In a nutshell, Sonia managed to communicate to the masses, even those who did not read newspapers or watch television, that the Congress prime responsibility towards the poor did not stand compromised by Singhs economic reforms. Rahul had been contemplating to unleash a socio-economic programme that would help him score a point or two against Modi. This explains his frequent and often long trips abroad where he has supposedly spent some time with Piketty and Deaton. Rahul somewhere fancies himself as Indian version of Emmanuel Macron of France or Jeremy Corbyn of England. Rasheed Kidwai is a visiting Fellow of the Observer Research Foundation. He is resident commentator with CNN-Network 18 For more Opinion pieces, click here Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is likely to visit the party bastions of Amethi, Rae Bareli and Faizabad beginning Wednesday in her next leg of campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, party officials said. Earlier this month, she had taken river route to visit parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency Varanasi. AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi is expected to visit Amethi, Rae Bareli and Faizabad from March 27, party spokesman Rajiv Bakshi said. She will arrive in Amethi, the parliamentary constituency of her brother Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday and hold a meeting with booth-level party presidents. Congress spokesman for Amethi unit Anil Singh said Priyanka Gandhi will interact with 1,965 party booth presidents at the AH Inter college in Musafirkhana. After the meeting, she will leave for Rae Bareli where she will hold a programme on Thursday. The AICC general secretary's visit to Faizabad has been rescheduled for March 29. She was earlier scheduled to visit the temple town on March 27. The detailed programme of the Congress leader is being worked out, party sources added. A day after being removed as president of the Mumbai Congress, party leader Sanjay Nirupam on Tuesday said he will continue to take on the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra and highlight its "failures". The Congress on Monday appointed former Union minister Milind Deora as Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) chief, replacing Nirupam, who has been fielded by the party from the Mumbai North West parliamentary constituency. Addressing a press conference here, Nirupam said being a resident of the constituency for over 25-30 years, he always wanted to represent its people in the Lok Sabha. The former MP expressed confidence about his victory from Mumbai North West, which will vote on April 29. The seat is currently represented Shiv Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar. Speaking about his campaign, Nirupam said, "The Mumbai North West constituency has its own set of problems. We are planning to draft a separate and special manifesto for this particular constituency." "We will focus on issues being faced by the people here and will move from the streets of Mumbai to Parliament to solve them." Nirupam said the special manifesto for Mumbai North West will focus on issues like unemployment, construction and maintenance of roads, providing clean water, proper drainage system, solving traffic issues and protection of mangroves, among others. The Congress leader asserted he will not let Aarey Colony, a green belt in suburban Goregaon (which falls in Mumbai North West), get destroyed for construction of a metro car shed. Speaking about Deora, Nirupam said, "I congratulate Milind Deora for being appointed as the new Mumbai Congress president and hope he fight for the people of Mumbai just like I have been doing till now." Mumbaikars are agitated over the "failures" of the BJP -Sena government and the inability of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to provide them even basic amenities, the 54-year-old Congress leader said. Nirupam, who was appointed the MRCC chief in 2015, said he will continue to fight for resolution of problems being faced by people just like he has been doing so far. Meanwhile, an internal survey that showed the Congress under Nirupam was being perceived as a party of one particular community apparently led to his removal as the MRCC president just a month ahead of polling in the metropolis. According to MRCC sources, the survey was done last week and the feedback was that the Congress had a scope to put up a good fight in four of the five Lok Sabha seats that it is contesting in Mumbai if it is led by a face that is acceptable to all communities. "Under Nirupam, the image of the party was that it is a party of only one community," the sources said. Jains, Marwaris and Gujaratis, which form a large chunk of electorate in Mumbai, were miffed with the Shiv Sena, they said, adding the survey's findings were discussed Sunday. Nirupam was earlier with the Shiv Sena and joined the Congress in 2005. "The Congress under Nirupam was seen as a party of one particular community. Milind Deora is a half Marathi as his mother is a Maharashtrian. "He speaks fluent Marathi. Besides, he is acceptable to all other communities as well," a former party MLA said. The former MLA said all senior leaders who had stayed away from party affairs when Nirupam headed the MRCC are likely to be active again under Deora (42), a two-time MP. Deora will lead from front in all the six Lok Sabha seats that the Congress-NCP combine is contesting. All party candidates in Mumbai are former MPs and they can handle their own campaign, he said. Bollywood actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who has been associated with BJP for about three decades, will join Congress at New Delhi on March 28, a senior party leader said here on Tuesday. "Shatrughan Sinha will join Congress in New Delhi on March 28 at 11.30 am ... He will be our candidate from Patna Sahib", chairman for the state Congress election campaign committee Akhilesh Prasad Singh told newsmen here. Sinha is a two-term BJP Lok Sabha member from Patna Sahib Singh but has been dropped by the saffron party which has chosen to field union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from the seat. Sinha has been openly critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. Speculation had been rife for some time that he would join the Congress, which is an ally of the 'Mahagathbandhan' which also consists of the RJD and other local parties. Asked whether Sinha would be induced in the party in the presence of AICC president Rahul Gandhi, as was being speculated in the media, Singh said Top leaders will be present on the occasion". Sources in the 'Mahagathbandhan' had recently claimed that there was a tug of war between the Congress and RJD over Sinhas candidature as Lalu Prasad's party, with which the 'Bihari Babu' shares cordial relations, was said to be keen on fielding him on its own symbol. Congress has been contesting from Patna Sahib whenever it has fought the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the RJD and Singhs statement indicate that decks have been cleared for Sinhas candidature by the Congress leadership. Singh, however, dodged queries about Kirti Azad, another BJP MP who had recently joined the Congress saying He will be contesting elections. From where, it will be decided by the party. Azad is serving his second consecutive term in the Lok Sabha from Darbhanga and the Congress wants to field him from the seat as the constituency has a large population of Maithil Brahmins its traditional supporters. RJD has been insisting that it has won the Darbhanga seat many times and would like to contest it again with its senior leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui as its candidate. Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said there would have been no need for the IAF to enter the Pakistani airspace to hit the Balakot terror camp if it had Rafale aircraft. Addressing a rally in northeast Delhi's Yamuna Vihar, he said the "miracle" would have been possible from Indian territory. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the results would have been different if India had Rafale fighter jets, as he attacked the Congress for its tirade against his government over the aircraft deal. "During the UPA government's tenure, the Indian Army would hoist a white flag whenever the Pakistani forces violated the ceasefire at the border. During my tenure as home minister, I gave orders that if Pakistan fires one bullet, then you fire as much as you can," Singh said. Responding to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's jibe 'chowkidar chor hai' against Modi, the senior BJP leader said the prime minister was "pure and the only cure" for all problems of the country. Gandhi has often used the slogan 'chowkidar chor hai' to hit out at Modi over alleged corruption in the Rafale jet deal. "Chowkidar is not a thief, but pure. He is the only cure for all problems of country. He will become prime minister again for sure," Singh said and asked "for whom will our prime minister take money?" Referring to the Balakot air strikes, he said, "Had Rafale been there, there was no need for our air force personnel to go to Pakistan. And that miracle would have taken place from Indian territory. And these people (the Congress) level baseless allegations against us." Targeting the previous Congress governments for stalling defence modernisation, he said the Indian Air Force did not get any new aircraft for 30 years despite repeated requests. He also asked if Prime Minister Modi committed any crime by finalising the Rafale deal with France when the armed forces were in dire need of fighter jets. "Our armed forces kept asking for fighter jets for 30 years. They should be modernised," Singh said. Singh said the Congress did not take action against the perpetrators of the 26/11 attack, but the attack on a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district was avenged. "Now the Congress is asking how many (terrorists) were killed in Pakistan. The brave armed forces don't count bodies. This is for the others to do," he said. Over reports of Kashmiri-origin people being attacked in different parts of country following the Pulwama attack, he asked people to protect Kashmiri students. Congress president Rahul Gandhi on March 26 promised a "surgical strike" on poverty and said his party had been working on how to eradicate it for the last six months. Addressing a rally in Suratgarh a day after declaring his party would roll out a minimum income guarantee scheme for the poorest 20 per cent households if voted to power, Gandhi said only the rich could dream under the Narendra Modi rule. "We will eradicate poverty in the country. This is a 'dhamaka'. No country has done this in history. There should not be a single poor person in the country," Gandhi said. He said his party would work to reduce unemployment if it comes to power. "If Modi gives money to the rich, the Congress will give money to the poor," Gandhi said. Alleging that Modi had helped those who had black money, the Congress president said those lifted from poverty by the UPA government had again been made poor in the last five years. According to him, 14 crore people were lifted from poverty by the UPA government. "It is a shame that there are still 25 crore poor people in the country," Gandhi said. "You will get the right price for your labour and product," he told the gathering. The UPA government had launched schemes over 10 years but Modi ended them all, the Congress chief said, adding that the prime minister had failed to understand the MGNREGA job scheme. Taking a jibe at Modi, he said the prime minister was indeed a "chowkidaar" but of industrialist Anil Ambani. Prime Minister Imran Khan has said Indo-Pak relations would remain tense till the general elections in India are over. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the February 14 attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pulwama. Amid mounting outrage, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting what it said was a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in an aerial combat and captured an Indian pilot, who was handed over to India later. Khan said shadows of war were still hovering over Pakistan and India as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration could go for "another misadventure" before the general elections. "The danger is not over. The situation will remain tense till forthcoming general elections in India. We are already prepared to avert any aggression from India," Dawn quoted Khan as saying. Khan also claimed that he cancelled his scheduled meeting with the Taliban in Islamabad due to "concerns" expressed by the Afghan government. The Taliban last month said that its representatives would visit Islamabad to meet Prime Minister Khan on February 18. Media reports later suggested that the Taliban called off the meeting as most of the members of their negotiating team could not travel to Pakistan due to sanctions imposed on them by the US and the United Nations. The TDP, CPI and TJS are throwing their weight behind the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections in Telangana, giving the Rahul Gandhi-led party some extra muscle to take on the battle-ready Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS). These parties were part of the Congress-led "Prajakutami" (People's Front) in the assembly elections in December last year but, there is no formal alliance for the April 11 Lok Sabha polls among them. The Congress is now contesting all the 17 Lok Sabha seats. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, has decided not to contest in Telangana. "We are against the TRS and BJP", TDP spokesperson Nellore Durga Prasad told PTI. The TDP would extend support to any leading party fighting against the TRS and BJP in the constituencies, Prasad said, hinting that his party would back the Congress. The Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) President Prof. M Kodandaram said his party has fielded candidates in three segments -- Mahbubabad, Khammam and Hyderabad -- and would support the Congress nominees in the remaining 14 seats. The CPI and CPI-M have inked a seat-sharing agreement over four seats. Accordingly, the CPI would contest from Mahbubabad and Bhongir, and the CPI-M from Khammam and Nalgonda. "In the remaining seats, we will support the Congress party which can defeat the TRS-BJP in the constituencies. If there are any other Left candidate, we will consider about it", the CPI General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy said. Kodandaram, meanwhile, said the "form" of Prajakutami has changed but the alliance continues. "On issues, we work together, we support each other whereever there is no conflict of interest. That's the general idea. Therefore, we are able to continue the alliance", Kodandaram told PTI. In the assembly elections, the Congress had bagged 19 seats and the TDP two, while the CPI and TJS drew a blank. The TRS was swept back to power with a rich haul of 88 seats in the 119-member House. Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on March 24 declared his candidacy from the Azamgarh parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Even though Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati has declared that she would not contest the upcoming general election, Akhilesh picked the Azamgarh seat, which was won by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Akhileshs decision is being seen as an attempt to get support of the Yadav-Muslim vote base in eastern Uttar Pradesh for the SP-BSP alliance. Azamgarh and the area around it, which comprises at least half a dozen constituencies like Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Lalganj, Ambedkarnagar, Sant Kabir Nagar, Deoria, etc, have a significant voter base comprising of Muslims, Yadavs and some sections of non-Yadav OBCs. As per the seat-sharing arrangement between the SP and the BSP, the latter will be contesting from these constituencies. The Muslim-Yadav voter base also has an influential presence in parliamentary constituencies such as Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, etc, from where the SP has fielded its candidates. In the 2014 elections, most of these seats went in favour of the BJP because of the division of the Muslim-Yadav vote. The Muslim votes went to the BJP with the SP landing at the second or the third position. "The primary agenda of the alliance is to prevent the division of these votes in order to defeat the BJP," an SP leader told The Indian Express. In addition, it is said that the Dalit and Yadav voters may not come together in the elections due to local issues. To address this issue, the SP and the BSP have been holding joint rallies in many constituencies including Azamgarh. The candidature of Akhilesh Yadav from the constituency may also run in the possibility of uniting the Yadav and Dalit voters. Azamgarh has nearly four lakh Yadav voters, three lakh Muslim voters and around 2.75 lakh Dalit voters. During the 2014 polls, SP patriarch Mulayam Singh had defeated BJPs Ramakant Yadav in the Azamgarh constituency by a margin of just 63,000 votes. BSP candidate Shah Alam had finished third. At that time too, the BJP candidate had received a share of Yadav votes while the BSP candidate had eaten into the Muslim votes. Earlier, Akhilesh had planned to contest from Kannauj, but he later changed his plan and fielded his wife, Dimple Yadav from that seat. The SP has won from Azamgarh in 1996, 1999 and 2014; while Akhilesh has successfully contested the general election in 2000, 2004 and 2009. Moneycontrol News Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkaris income has jumped from Rs 2.7 lakh in 2013-14 to Rs 6.4 lakh in 2017-18 -- a hike of around 137 percent in five years. The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader disclosed his income in an election affidavit filed along with nomination paper for the Nagpur Lok Sabha seat, on March 25. According to a report by The Times of India, the hike in Gadkaris income was largely due to the big jump it took in 2014-15 when his income rose to Rs 6 lakh. The report suggests that it has been largely stagnant in the years since. According to the affidavit, the income of Gadkaris wife Kanchana has increased ten times in five years, from Rs 4.6 lakh in 2013-14 to nearly Rs 40 lakh in 2017-18. Gadkari has declared movable and immovable assets worth Rs 25.12 crore in the affidavit, PTI has reported. As per his tax return forms, his total income stood at Rs 2,66,390 in 2013-14 and Rs 6,40,700 in 2017-18. According to his affidavit, he has movable assets worth Rs 69,38,691, while his wife has movable assets worth Rs 91,99,160. A sum of Rs 66,07,924 is in the name of the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF). Gadkari declared six cars in his affidavit, four of which are in the name of his wife. There has been a rise of 10 percent in Gadkaris total assets in five years. It stands at Rs 6.9 crore, which includes his inherited property worth Rs 1.96 crore. In the case of his wife, the increase in the value of assets is 127 percent as compared to 2014. Key assets held by her include three properties with an aggregate value of Rs 4.4 crore. These properties include one plot of agricultural land valued at Rs 88 lakh. For the first time candidates contesting elections have to declare their total income as shown in their Income Tax Returns (ITR) for the last five years, as recommended by the Election Commission of India (EC). The disclosure shall also have to cover the candidates spouse, members of the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) and dependents. Abiding by the new rule, Gadkari has declared income of his HUF, which was Rs 8.75 lakh in 2017-18. The BJP stalwart, who defeated Congress Vilas Muttemwar in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls by a margin of 2.84 lakh votes, has expressed confidence about winning with a bigger margin this time. "This time, I will win with a bigger margin. People have a good opinion of the work done by the Narendra Modi-led government in the last five years. Our government did more than (what was promised) in the poll manifesto," Gadkari told reporters after filing his nomination. (With inputs from PTI) National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on March 26 expressed hope that the new dispensation at the Centre will reciprocate steps taken by Pakistan so that New Delhi and Islamabad can move towards resumption of comprehensive dialogue. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister was reacting to reports that Pakistan has decided to open the Sharda Peeth corridor to religious pilgrims. "One can only hope that in a post May 23rd India these steps will be reciprocated by the central government & we can move towards resuming the comprehensive dialogue between India & Pakistan," Abdullah said in a series of tweets. The Sharda Peeth corridor, when opened, will be the second religious tract after the Kartarpur corridor in Pakistan-controlled territory that will connect the two neighbouring nations. "After the welcome announcement to open the Sharda Peeth corridor to religious pilgrims by @ImranKhanPTI, we hope the government in Pakistan will only announce the Kargil-Skardu road as also other routes to facilitate greater people to people contact," Abdullah said. "It's good to see @ImranKhanPTI take decisions that have been held up for years. Allowing greater people to people contact & opening routes to religious pilgrims are always welcome developments that help to ease tensions," he added. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Over the past four years, three global automotive companies have announced detail plans for their India foray. At least two of these Kia Motors and MG Motors are in the final leg of launching their cars while PSA Peugeot Citroen will take a couple of years. A collective investment of around Rs 20,000 crore by the three companies is expected to come to India. While this may seem impressive, the list of companies and brands who have exited India, or are on the verge of closing down, is much longer. From companies producing heavy trucks to premium SUV makers, to manufacturers of commuter bikes, India's auto space has witnessed an exodus of foreign carmakers over the past five years. AMW, Ssangyong Motor Company, Eicher Polaris, Scania, Premier, MAN and General Motors are some of the brands and companies who have shut shop in India completely or partially in the vehicle manufacturing space. Brands like Fiat and Mahindra Two Wheelers are likely to be the next ones to take the exit door. Fiat did not produce even one unit under its own brand in February. Mahindra has shifted focus to the premium offering, where at present it has Jawa. Others such as Beiqi Foton, Changan Automotive, Great Wall Motors, Cherry Automobile, Geely, all headquartered in China as well as Volkswagen-owned Ducati had plans to have a manufacturing presence in India. These plans have largely remained on paper. Heightened competitiveness, change in company strategy, high debt burden and poor product and brand recall are some of the reasons why these brands have failed in India. For instance the joint venture company of Eicher Polaris, which saw an investment of more than Rs 350 crore, downed shutters in less than six years after the firm was incorporated. Its plant in Rajasthan that made a personal utility vehicle called Multix, remains closed. Korean SUV brand Ssangyong was pulled out from India last year when its parent company Mahindra & Mahindra decided to launch a SsangYong product, G4 Rexton, under its own brand. SsangYong was pulled out of India due to a very limited brand recall value with many even failing to identify the country of the brands origin. Volkswagens two truck and bus making companies MAN and Scania had to rearrange their business plans in the wake of poor demand for their products. Strong competition from home-grown companies like Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland restricted their growth. While MAN shut down operations entirely, its sister concern Scania has exited the bus body making operations. VW group is instead rerouting investments to its car business, which includes the Skoda brand, to produce India-specific model. Another VW-owned brand Ducati, that makes premium performance bikes, had plans to have a completely knocked down (CKD) plant operation in India. However, given the free trade agreement that India has with Thailand Ducati imports its models from instead of assembling them in India. Investing in Bharat Stage VI emission norms and making it available at affordable prices was a challenge for all companies and may have proved to be a bummer for them. Vivo Nex | Amazon | Rs 33,927 | The Vivo Nex was the first commercial smartphone to adopt the pop-up selfie camera. The Nex packs a flagship Snapdragon 845 SoC, 8GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage. This last generation flagship from Vivo offers excellent value for money with its current price drop from Rs 39,990 down to Rs 33,927. Google Pixel 3 XL | Flipkart | Rs 61,999 | The Google Pixel 3XL features one of the best camera systems, focusing primarily on AI technology rather than multiple cameras or a high megapixel count to get results. The Pixel 3 XL features more than decent hardware and is one very capable flagship. Additionally, low-light photography of the Pixel remains unmatched thanks to Googles Night Sight. Additionally, Flipkart is offering an extra Rs 500 off on exchange as well as a 5-per cent off on Axis Bank credit cards. Samsung Galaxy S9 | Amazon | Rs 48,900 | While the Galaxy S9 doesnt see any price cut, it makes it to this list simply because of the whopping up to Rs 9,000 extra off on exchange. Only recently released, the S9 is an excellent smartphone with a great camera, beautiful display and powerful performance. We used a OnePlus 3T on Amazons exchange calculator, which helped us bring the price of the phone down to Rs 33,100. Sure, youre thinking why not get the Galaxy S10e. Using the same phone for exchange, the S10e came in at Rs 49,100 down from Rs 55,900. Asus ZenFone 5Z | Flipkart | Rs 24,999 | The Asus ZenFone 5Z offers high-end flagship hardware at a mid-range price, not high-end mid-range, just mid-range. The ZenFone features a Snapdragon 845 SoC and 6GB of RAM to run everything from demanding applications to games with ease. The ZenFone 5Z also has a more than decent 90 DxOMark score with its flagship Sony IMX363 sensor with Optical Image Stabilisation, Night HDR mode and image capture up to 48-megapixels. Xiaomi Poco F1 | Flipkart | Rs 19,999 | Xiaomis Poco F1 is undoubtedly the best value-for-money smartphones on the market. Coming in at just about Rs 20,000, this mid-range smartphone features very few compromises with the primary focus on getting the best hardware for the price. LG G7 ThinQ | Flipkart | Rs 27,999 | The LG G7 ThinQ is another one of those affordable flagships that just about manages to tick all the boxes for a flagship smartphone without much compromise. Boombox speaker, dedicated Google Assistant button, DTS: X 3D surround sound and thats notwithstanding its flagship Snapdragon 845 processor, excellent video capture capabilities and so much more make the G7 an excellent value for money proposition. Image for representation A pint of beer you drink, the one you pay for can feed a cow. Intriguing, isn't it? Top breweries such as Anheuser-Busch InBev, United Breweries, and craft beer makers such as White Rhino and Simba Beer are parting with large amounts of spent grain as cattle fodder. Spent grain or leftover barley and wheat, which are the by-products of breweries, are sold to local farmers, dairies, and cattle sheds at nominal rates. And the more a person drinks, the more they aid cow welfare in states such as Punjab, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, where a cess is applicable on beer and Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL). The cess makes beer bottles cost 50 paise more and IMFL cost an extra Rs 2. At bars, the MRP goes up by Rs 5 and Rs 10, respectively. The extra amount goes to the cow welfare cess, which funds sheds that provide shelter to stray cattle. We are largely dependent on agriculture for our industry, Prabhtej Singh Bhatia, the founder of craft beer brand Simba Beer, told The Economic Times. The start-up company sells around 5,000 kg of spent grain per day as fodder to large dairies, while also donating some to farmers residing in the vicinity of its brewery in Durg, Chhattisgarh. Similarly, White Rhino, New Delhi-based craft beer brand, which was the first to be sold in a bottle in India, has been supplying cattle feed to farmers residing near its brewery in Malanpur, close to Gwalior. According to an Economic Times report, AB InBev, in partnership with the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) in Telangana supplied over 7,000 kg of spent malt daily for a minimal fee. Ben Verhaert, the South Asia president of the beer firm said that supply from the company's breweries in Telangana brewery benefited "about 1,500 cattle across 10 villages". Interestingly, not just the cattle owners, but the breweries also benefit from this initiative. Since spent grain is sold at a rate that is four to five times lesser than standard fodder available at markets, it also translates into CSR initiatives for the companies, while also earning them a token amount. Shekhar Ramamurthy, the MD of Heineken-controlled UB, said: Spent grain is of no use to us. The idea of selling it as cattle feed, in a country where agriculture is integral, was thus a good proposition. Representative Image Observing the 88th year of freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdevs martyrdom, Imtiaz Rashid Qureshi, a Pakistan-based lawyer, has vowed to make the British government pay heavy sums as compensation to the families of the martyrs. Qureshi, who also heads the Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation (BSMF), plans to make the British government a party in the case he filed in Lahore High Court to reopen a 90-year-old case concerning the murder of then ASP John Saunders in 1928. Speaking to the media, he discussed his wish to seek huge compensation from Britain for both India and Pakistan over the judicial killing of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on March 23, 1931. They were hanged 11 hours before their scheduled time of execution. The advocate has also alleged that Bhagat Singhs name is not even there in the FIR registered in December 1928 at Anarkali police station, Lahore. Speaking to The Sunday Express, he said, I will file an amended appeal in the case, which I had filed in March 2013, seeking an apology from the British Prime Minister and the Queen of England to the people of India and Pakistan for hanging the trio." Justifying his demand, Qureshi said: If the previous UK Prime Minister David Cameron can visit Jalianwala Bagh and express regret, then why cant the current PM Theresa May do the same? Speaking to Huffington Post, he also discussed the hurdles he has been facing in his quest. Qureshi said the FIR, which was written in Urdu, was registered at 4:30 pm against two unidentified gunmen for murdering John P Saunders and head constable Chanan Singh. It mentioned that the Saunders assailant was 5.5 inch tall, had a small moustache, slim and strong body and wore white trousers (pyjama) and a grey shirt (kurta) along with a small black christi-like-hat. Qureshi said: I went to get a copy of FIR filed in John Saunders case and the police at Anarkali Police station at Lahore asked me to pay a bribe. I refused and filed a compliance petition with Lahore High court. It was only then that a DSP rank officer submitted a sealed copy of the FIR in the high court. The copy was so important that even the judges asked me for a copy of it. We are not debating if Bhagat Singh killed Saunders or not, but the evidence on the basis of which he was hanged. The FIR did not contain his name, over 300 witnesses named in the case were not questioned and he was hanged on the order of registrar of Lahore High Court, he added. The Supreme Court on Tuesday threatened the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) with contempt proceeding for not disclosing banks' annual inspection reports under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. In January this year, the apex court had issued a notice to the central bank on a contempt petition. Earlier, both, the apex court as well as Central Information Commission (CIC), had held that RBI cannot refuse to put in the public domain the annual inspection reports of banks. However, RBI has refused to follow these orders saying that these reports contain 'fiduciary information' as defined under the RTI Act and, hence, cannot be placed in the public domain. The Supreme Court also directed RBI to decide its course of disclosure within one week, failing which the apex court says it will take necessary action against the central bank. Commenting on the SC warning, Shailesh Gandhi, former central information commissioner, says, "It is a very sad comment on RBI and its commitment to the law of the land. RBI is displaying complete arrogance and a basic lack of commitment to transparency. As one of the prime regulators of the nation, it must realise that it is setting a wrong example. If it will not obey the mandate of law, who will respect its directions?" In the petition, Mumbai-based Girish Mittal, represented by senior counsel Prashant Bhushan and Pranav Sachdeva, contended that he had sought information under the RTI Act in December 2015 like copies of inspection reports of ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank and State Bank of India (SBI) from April 2011 and copies of case files, with file notings on various irregularities detected by RBI in the case of Sahara Group of companies and erstwhile Bank of Rajasthan. Read: SC issues contempt notice to RBI in RTI case ) The petition recalled the Supreme Court ruling in a case that RBI is clearly not in any fiduciary relationship with any bank. RBI has no legal duty to maximise the benefit of any public sector or private sector bank and thus there is no relationship of 'trust' between them. ( Read: RBI Governor Gets Show Cause Notice from CIC for Not Disclosing Defaulters List ) Last year in November, the CIC too had issued a show-cause notice to Dr Urjit Patel, the then governor of the RBI, for not honouring a judgement of the Supreme Court on disclosure of wilful defaulters list who had not paid loans of Rs50 crore and more. ( In the notice, the then central information commissioner Prof Sridhar Acharyulu had also asked the prime ministers office (PMO), finance ministry and RBI to make public the letter sent by previous governor Raghuram Rajan on bad loans. In the order, Prof Acharyulu had stated, "The Commission finds no merit in hiding the names of, details and action against wilful defaulters of big bad loans worth hundreds of crores of rupees. The RBI shall disclose the bad debt details of defaulters worth more than Rs1,000 crore at the beginning, of Rs500 crore or less at later stage within five days and collect such information from the banks in due course to update their voluntary disclosures from time to time as a practice under Section 4(1)(b) of RTI Act." Prof Acharyulu, irked over the denial of information on wilful defaulters who had unpaid loans of Rs50 crore and more, asked the RBI governor to explain why maximum penalty should not be imposed on him for dishonouring a verdict from the apex court, which had upheld a decision taken by then Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi, calling for disclosure of names of wilful defaulters. Earlier in February 2016, the Supreme Court had directed RBI to furnish a list of the companies which are in default of loans in excess of Rs500 crore or whose loans have been restructured under corporate debts restructuring (CDR) scheme by banks and financial institutions. ( Read: Supreme Court asks RBI to submit list of big defaulters Even in December 2015, the apex court, in a landmark judgement, had told RBI that the banking regulator cannot withhold information citing 'fiduciary relations' under the RTI Act. Hearing a set of transferred cases, a division bench of Justice MY Eqbal and Justice C Nagappan had said, "From the past we have also come across financial institutions which have tried to defraud the public. These acts are neither in the best interests of the Country nor in the interests of citizens. To our surprise, the RBI as a Watch Dog should have been more dedicated towards disclosing information to the general public under the Right to Information Act. We also understand that the RBI cannot be put in a fix, by making it accountable to every action taken by it. However, in the instant case the RBI is accountable and as such it has to provide information to the information seekers under Section 10(1) of the RTI Act." In most of the transferred cases, Mr Gandhi, the former central information commissioner, while directing the RBI to provide information sought by applicants, had rejected the central bank's contention of 'fiduciary relation' for denying information. The Jet Airways deal has naturally evoked a strong reaction from fugitive industrialist Vijay Mallya, whose flight to the UK has made him the poster boy of industrialists who flee the country after duping banks. Mr Mallya has taken to Twitter to voice his views. Alleging double standards under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government while dealing with debt-ridden carriers, Mr Mallya asks why his Kingfisher Airlines was not given the same treatment by bankers as they are giving to Jet Airways. He tweeted: "Happy to see that PSU Banks have bailed out Jet Airways saving jobs, connectivity and enterprise. Only wish the same was done for Kingfisher (Airlines)." Mr Mallya points out that he had placed liquid assets before the Karnataka High Court to pay off his lenders, the public sector bank (PSBs) and all other creditors. "Why do the banks not take my money? It will help them to save Jet Airways if nothing else," he tweeted. Mr Mallya owes banks Rs9,000 crore with interest, while Jets outstanding was only a little lower at Rs8,000 crore. The Kingfisher Airlines chief has always claimed that he has offered much more than he owes in terms of assets, to settle his dues. And I repeat once again that I have placed liquid assets before the Honble Karnataka High Court to pay off the PSU Banks and all other creditors. Why do the Banks not take my money. It will help them to save Jet Airways if nothing else. Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 26, 2019 A consortium of 17 banks, led by the State Bank of India (SBI), had sanctioned loans of Rs5,500 crore over a decade back to Mr Mallya's now defunct Kingfisher Airlines. He claims that he had invested over Rs4,000 crore to save Kingfisher Airlines and its employees. However, he says, "(this effort) not recognised and (I was) instead slammed in every possible way. The same PSU banks let Indias finest airline (Kingfisher) with the best employees and connectivity fail ruthlessly. Double standards under NDA." I invested over 4000 crores into Kingfisher Airlines to save the Company and its employees. Not recognised and instead slammed in every possible way. The same PSU Banks let Indias finest airline with the best employees and connectivity fail ruthlessly. Double standards under NDA Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 25, 2019 Mr Mallya also accused a spokesperson for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for 'eloquently' reading his letters to the then prime minister Manmohan Singh, alleging support by the united progressive alliance (UPA) to Kingfisher. BJP spokesman eloquently read out my letters to PM Manmohan Singh and alleged that PSU Banks under the UPA Government had wrongly supported Kingfisher Airlines. Media decimated me for writing to the current PM. I wonder what has changed now under the NDA Government. Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 25, 2019 The Kingfisher Airlines chief also asked why the current government led by prime minister Narendra Modi is not asking banks to accept money he has put on the table. Following on from my earlier tweet, I respectfully ask why the Prime Minister is not instructing his Banks to take the money I have put on the table so he can at least claim credit for full recovery of public funds lent to Kingfisher. Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) February 14, 2019 In June 2018, Mr Mallya had approached the Karnataka HC requesting permission for him and his group companies to sell their assets under judicial supervision and pay creditors. "This cannot be dismissed as frivolous. It is a perfectly tangible, sincere, honest and readily achievable offer. The shoe is on the other foot now. Why dont the banks take the money lent to Kingfisher Airlines?" he had asked. I have made the offer to settle before the HonBle High Court of Karnataka. This cannot be dismissed as frivolous. It is a perfectly tangible, sincere, honest and readily achievable offer. The shoe is on the other foot now. Why dont the Banks take the money lent to KFA ? Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) February 14, 2019 The liquor baron fled the country in March 2016. He has been living in London since then. In May 2018, he lost a lawsuit filed by 13 Indian banks in the UK High Court seeking to collect from him more than $1.55 billion. While Mr Mallya may have a point in what he says, there are a few big differences. First, he attracted a lot of public anger by continuing to flaunt his flamboyant lifestyle and personal wealth, especially on social media, even as Kingfisher Airlines' customers suffered losses due to cancelled flights, while hardworking employees were left in the lurch and without a salary for months on end. Mr Mallya had even omitted to pay taxes and provident fund dues, in what was seen as another attempt to pressure lenders to bail him out again. Secondly, he had used his influence to get lenders, mainly IDBI Bank, to accept the Kingfisher Airlines brand, which had no real value, as collateral and provided personal guarantees that he refused to honour. Thirdly, Mr Mallya has a long record of finding ways to game the judicial system to delay the resolution of any action against him by various investigation agencies. The loans to Kingfisher Airlines were certainly seen as part of the notorious phone banking pressures under the previous government. And, finally, Mr Mallya has also been accused of money laundering by the enforcement directorate, so his problems today are a lot worse than they were when he fled to the UK. Having said that, it will be interesting to see how the Indian government justifies the demand to extradite Mr Mallya, when Jet Airways, which was in a similar financial mess, has been bailed out. At the very least, it gives Mr Mallyas lawyers a chance to argue vendetta when he fights his extradition in the appellate proceedings. Smart classrooms that beam knowledge into students headsalmost entirely automated farmsmankind having the ability to fly These were all predictions made in 1899. And they got it all right Students can beam knowledge about almost anything from a screen right into their heads. Farming output has increased while the population of famers has diminished. And thats largely thanks to automated equipment. Mankind has also taken to the skies, although weve had some trouble with that of late. In 1899, they got it all rightsort of. OK, I might be fibbing a bit. The futurists of 1899 didnt get it exactly right. Source: Little Things [Click to open new window] And how could they? They had no concept of mobile phones or digital screens. How could they imagine the possibilities of such technologies? Their general ideas were solid, at least. The details just turned out to be a little different. The same will likely happen in the Internet 2.0 world. You might remember yesterday, I talked about two moments in history. The first was the creation of the internet. The second was the creation of the Web. From both spawned the digital world you see today, either directly or indirectly. Without either, companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon may never exist. I also briefly mentioned a third moment in history. It will be built atop of the first two. And the world may be drastically different because of it. Its the next evolution in connectivity and youre living through it right now 1,000 years into the future Now its my turn to look silly. What kind of tech will exist 1,000 years into the future? Im going to guess we will have mastered artificial intelligence. Or maybe it will have mastered itself. It will speak, interact, listen and remember just like you or me. The only difference is it can process data exponentially faster. We could also have nanobots swimming around in our bloodstream. Theyll not only fight off infection, but enhance our natural abilities. And forget manual labour for construction. I envision tiny microscopic robots that will construct themselves into whatever shape or building we desire. Doesnt sound too laughable for 1,000 years into the future? I bet somewhere along the line I end up looking like the futurists of 1899. My ideas might be sound, but Ill bet the details are way off. All I can be sure of is that the future will be different, lets put it that way. In yesterdays video, I talked about one type of futuristic technology. And its only possible if we have this next evolution in connectivity. That example was remote surgery. Picture it A Melbourne-based paediatrician delivering lifesaving surgery to children across the other side of the world. How? With robotics and an extremely fast connection speed of course. Maybe this will give you a good mental picture Source: Inverse [Click to open new window] Its from that new Samsung ad. The girl is getting a tattoo from a dexterous robotic arm. The tattoo artist is controlling the arm in another state, maybe even another country from his tablet. Something similar might be just around the corner for surgeons. And it could be one of the greatest leaps forward to disseminate the highly detailed skills that surgeons acquire over the years. You may remember the recent separation of conjoined twins Nima and Dawa. These Bhutan born babies came all the way to Melbourne to have the six-hour procedure. Why not get some surgeons in Bhutan to do it? There were none available. None qualified or experienced enough could pull it off. So they came to Melbourne. But with this next evolution in connectivity, complex surgeries like this might all be done locally, via a robotic arm and live stream. This tech likely isnt 1,000 years away either. Maybe just a few years The same goes for driverless cars. In the video above, I mention estimates of how much data driverless cars eat up and spit out. Its about 4,000 gigabytes per hour. To put that into context its like streaming 4,000 Netflix moviesALL AT ONCE. And this is just one car for one hour. Imagine how much data will be flying around with a road full of these autonomous cars. Point is we need this next evolution in connectivity. With it, possibilities like remote surgery and driverless cars, which are mere inches from our fingertips, become achievable. But without it we dont get there. We need faster connection speeds. We need a network with more capacity. We just need more. Free report: Aussie stock picker, Sam Volkering (with gains as high as 1,431% in the last 18 months) reveals what he believes are his next four big potential winners. What about the NBN? What a joke. The NBN is yet to be fully rolled out. When its complete, it wont even be 100% fibre. Itll be a mix of fibre and copper wire. Such a network wont dramatically improve our connection speeds. Maybe youre already on an NBN plan. If you are, youll know what Im talking about. Thats why we still need this next evolution in connectivity. With it, we leap into the future. Without it, we just dont get there. And boy, do we Aussies need it. Take a guess where we stand at fixed broadband speeds? Top 25? Nope. Top 40? No, again. Australia comes in at number 60 for fixed broadband speeds. Were behind names like Uruguay and Serbia. Source: Speedtest [Click to open new window] I think its pretty clear the government cant fix this problem. They tried their best and they gave us the NBN. No. This job will be left up to the private sector. Theyre already rolling out the infrastructure for this next evolution in connectivity in fact. And its not just in Oz but in China, the US, the UK and most other G20 nations. When the Internet 2.0 finally goes live, I dont think it will be that hard to guess what happens next Two ASX opportunities I expect hundreds, no, thousands of businesses will be scrambling to benefit from this third moment in history. Not only will it pave the way for new technologies, but new businesses and income streams as well. Google, Facebook and Amazon, Im sure theyll all benefit from this next generation in connectivity. But they probably wont be the names that double overnight. The really big winners from this opportunity will likely be found in the smaller end of the market, where $50 million in sales is a noticeable addition. Down here in the bottom of the market, you might see stocks rise 100%, 200%, maybe even 300% on this opportunity. With that in mind, I decided to go on a hunt a few months ago. I wanted to find the few stocks that could really benefit from this Internet 2.0 evolution. I kept coming back to two names. These two ASX stocks, I believe, could really benefit from our ever-increasing data-filled world. One is involved in the infrastructure build-out. The other could see a myriad of customers jump onto their system as we move to a cloud-dominated world. Ill reveal more about both in a report that goes live tomorrow. See you in the future, Harje Ronngard, Editor Money Morning PS: Our Three In-House Small-Cap Experts Have Revealed Their Top Picks for 2019. Download the free guide today. March 26, 2019 Trump Tries To Undo North Korea Sanctions - Gets Sabotaged By His Own Staff Last week saw some confusion within the Trump administration about sanctions against North Korea. A Trump tweet seemed to contradict his own administration's policies. The White House then thought up an implausible explanation for what Trump had done. The face saving measure worked, but new leaks now again undermine him. U.S. media reported of the episode but missed a major point. The timeline below shows that the internal White House conflict was prompted by reactions from North Korea's side. After bad weather and a strong sanctions regime against it, North Korea is running low on food. Last month its ambassador to the UN requested food assistance: Kim, the ambassador to the U.N., said record-high temperatures, drought and flooding last year shaved more than 500,000 tons off of the 2018 harvest from the nearly 5 million tons produced in 2017. ... Humanitarian assistance from the U.N. agencies is terribly politicized, he said, and sanctions against North Korea are barbaric and inhuman. On Thursday the 21st the Treasury Department, ignoring the dire situation, issued new sanctions (pdf) against two Chinese shipping companies that are trading with North Korea. It also named more North Korean vessels that it suspects to be involved in sanction busting efforts. National Security Advisor John Bolton tweeted: John Bolton @AmbJohnBolton - 18:31 utc - 21 Mar 2019 John Bolton Retweeted Treasury Department Important actions today from @USTreasury; the maritime industry must do more to stop North Koreas illicit shipping practices. Everyone should take notice and review their own activities to ensure they are not involved in North Koreas sanctions evasion. The next day North Korea reacted to the move by pulling its officers from the liaison office with South Korea: Matt Lee @APDiploWriter - 9:25 utc - 22 Mar 2019 SEOUL, South Korea (AP) #SouthKorea says #NorthKorea has withdrawn its staff from an inter-Korean liaison office in North Korea. The move was unexpected: Seoul's Unification Ministry said Friday that North Korea informed South Korea of its decision during a contact at the liaison office at the North Korean border town of Kaesong. The ministry calls the North's decision "regrettable." It says the North didn't give a specific reason for its move. The liaison office opened last September as part of a flurry of reconciliation steps. The liaison office is one the few diplomatic contact points where talk between the two sides are still happening. The U.S. uses it to indirectly communicate with North Korea. Following the North Korean pull back there was likely a phone call from President Moon Jae-in of South Korea to U.S. President Donald Trump. Ten hours after North Korea pulled back its liaison officers Trump contradicted his administrations position: Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump - 17:22 utc - 22 Mar 2019 It was announced today by the U.S. Treasury that additional large scale Sanctions would be added to those already existing Sanctions on North Korea. I have today ordered the withdrawal of those additional Sanctions! The New York Times reported of confusion: President Trump undercut his own Treasury Department on Friday with a sudden announcement that he had rolled back newly imposed North Korea sanctions, appearing to overrule national security experts as a favor to Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader. The move, announced on Twitter, was a remarkable display of dissension within the Trump administration. It created confusion at the highest levels of the federal government, just as the presidents aides were seeking to pressure North Korea into returning to negotiations over dismantling its nuclear weapons program. The North Korea hawks were aghast. They wanted to keep the sanctions but could not contradict Trump. The White House needed to come up with an explanation: It was initially believed that Mr. Trump had confused the day that the North Korea sanctions were announced, and officials said they were caught off guard by the presidents tweet. Asked for clarification, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, declined to give specifics. President Trump likes Chairman Kim, and he doesnt think these sanctions will be necessary, she said. Then, hours later, an official familiar with Mr. Trumps thinking said the president was actually referring to additional North Korea sanctions that are under consideration but not yet formally issued. That statement sought to soften the blow that Mr. Trumps tweet had dealt to his most loyal aides. Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, personally signed off on the sanctions that were issued on Thursday and hailed the decision in a statement accompanying them. The Washington Post noted: The move to forestall future sanctions represents an attempt by the president to salvage his nuclear negotiations with North Korea in the face of efforts by national security adviser John Bolton and others to increase punitive economic measures against the regime of Kim Jong Un. The explanation that Trump referred to future sanctions seemed implausible. Why would Trump need to publicly prevent future sanctions? It made no sense. To me it seemed that Trump had tried to play the good guy by revoking the sanctions that were enacted the day before but was overruled by his staff. The issue was then presented in a way that made Trump still look good in the eyes of North Korea. It was a face saving measure. After the failed Hanoi summit between Chairman Kim Jong-un and Trump both sides emphasized their good personal relations. Trump wanted to keep the relation alive but the sanctions were kept up. Luckily North Korea swallowed the additional sanctions and accepted the face saving explanation. On Monday it reacted to the happy spin: Some North Korean officials returned to a liaison office with South Korea just days after Pyongyang withdrew from the facility that allowed the rivals to communicate around the clock. The cut-off of the last face-to-face communication line was avoided. But to some people in the White House that situation is not to their liking. They want to further undermine Trump's efforts to continue negotiations with North Korea. They now leak that the "future sanction" explanation, which North Korea accepted, was indeed nonsense. Bloomberg reports today: President Donald Trump last week intended to reverse sanctions imposed on two Chinese shipping companies accused of violating North Korea trade prohibitions -- until officials in his administration persuaded him to back off and then devised a misleading explanation of his vague tweet announcing the move. ... The president in fact intended to remove penalties Treasury had announced the day before against two Chinese shippers that had helped Pyongyang evade U.S. sanctions, according to four people familiar with the matter. It was unclear whether Trump knew about or signed off on the measures before they were issued, or what triggered his tweet the next day. ... There were no additional North Korea sanctions in the works at the time, according to two people familiar with the matter. It is quite obvious what "triggered" Trump's tweet. It was the North Korean pullback from the liaison office. But Bloomberg, like other U.S. outlets, ignores that quite obvious explanation. This constant ignorance of the action of the other side is one of the systemic problems U.S. media have. New sanctions were announced to which North Korea reacted negatively. Trump, who wants to keep the door open for future negotiations, took note and pulled back on the sanctions. But John Bolton intervened. The sanctions were kept. A well sounding but implausible explanation was found. North Korea accepted that and came back to the table. The new leak now again aggravates the situation. It shows that Trump has little real say about his administration's policy. It shows that he was powerless when he tried to undo the sanctions that had worsened the situation in the first place. The leak undermines whatever trust Kim Jong-un still has in Trump's words. How will North Korea react to this? Will it again pull back from the liaison office, a step the John Boltons of this world would see as a win? Will it ignore the new leak? Posted by b on March 26, 2019 at 17:46 UTC | Permalink Comments A small business has caught out a fibbing bride after she had tried to pull the rug out from under them. A florist shop in the UK was approached by a bride to organize her and her bridesmaids bouquets for her upcoming wedding. They said yes, and just before the wedding they sent the bouquets out, satisfied that they had done a good job. But, then the florist company received a call from the bride saying that she hadn't received the flowers which were valued at a few hundred dollars. The florists were stumped, because they had proof that the flowers were shipped out. They spent a couple weeks going back and forth with the bride, until the florist eventually decided it was best for business to refund her money and move on. While the owners said that refunding the amount of money that they did, was quite substantial to them as they were a small business, they decided to go with 'the customer is always right' rule. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 26) The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is urging at least 31 celebrities in its watchlist to stop using or selling illegall drugs immediately. "Kasi iiniidolo sila ng kabataan, iniidolo sila ng publiko and yet gumagamit sila ng illegal na droga. Time will come mahuhuli namin sila. Dapat ihinto na nila," PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino said in an ambush interview Tuesday. [Translation: "They are being idolized by the youth and the public and yet they use illegal drugs. Time will come that we will arrest them. They should stop now."] Aquino said they are famous personalities on television and movies, with most of them using cocaine, marijuana, shabu, and party drugs. "May ilan na pusher karamihan user Parang tatlo lang yata ang matatanda, most of them are young," he added. [Translation: "A number of them are pushers but most are users. I think three are old people, most of them are young."] He refused to name the celebrities, since their links to the drug trade have yet to be validated. They are part of over 60,000 alleged drug personalities in the National Drug Information System (NDIS), an intelligence system maintained by PDEA. Aquino earlier explained that once an individual in the NDIS has been confirmed of drug links, that person will be part of the "PRRD list," also known as narco list which now contains more than 6,000 public officials and civilians initially validated to be part of the illegal drug trade. Malacanang said it is saddened by the celebrities' alleged drug links and urged PDEA to file the necessary charges. "If they have sufficient evidence to back them up in court, then they should (file cases) and they must," Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a separate media briefing. While President Rodrigo Duterte has earlier ordered the release of names of politicians involved in the illegal drug trade, Panelo said he will have to ask the President if he also wants to make public the list of narco celebrities. However, this may not be PDEA's priority as Aquino earlier told CNN Philippines it is focusing now on going after the alleged narco politicians. He even admitted that the government cannot verify the drug links of all 60,000 public figures and civilians in the NDIS since Duterte's term ends in 2022. He is hoping the next President would continue the fight against illegal drugs. READ: Drug watchlist: Over 6,000 persons validated, 60,000 to go CNN Philippines' Triciah Terada and Ina Andolong contributed to this report. Talking to Buzzfeed, it was reported that the hairstyle took about 25 minutes to do all up. The costs were minimal with green hairspray and the Ariel doll being the only extra costs to the hair. The young girl (obviously) took top spot in her class for the best crazy hairdo, and she loved her hair so much she wore it to her gymnastics class later on that day. Homeowners insurance does not cover damage to a home caused by flooding. A homeowner must have a separate policy to cover flood-related losses, defined as water traveling along or under the ground. Most such policies are underwritten by the National Flood Insurance Program, which is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The program was established in 1968 to address the lack of availability of flood insurance in the private market and reduce demand for federal disaster assistance. It also contains provisions intended to reduce flood risk. The National Flood Insurance Programs activities are funded largely by the premiums and fees paid by its policyholders, supplemented by a little from the federal budget to help pay for flood risk mapping. Because the program serves the public interest by promoting sound land use and minimizing exposure of property to flood losses, some believe that more of its funding for flood risk management should be borne by taxpayers. Homeowners can purchase a federal flood policy directly from the program or through a private insurer. Separately, some private insurers sell their own flood policies on a limited basis for properties that are overcharged by the governments program. It is difficult to determine exactly how many homeowners have flood insurance. The National Flood Insurance Program had just over 5 million policies in force as of this January. Of these policies, approximately 69 percent were on single-family homes and 20 percent on condo units. There is no source on how many private flood policies are in force, but my sense is that that they represent only about 15 percent of all policies sold nationally. In recent years, the number of such policies has been dropping across the country over concerns about the cost and because people underestimate the risk of flooding. In Nebraska, the hardest hit by recent record flooding in the Midwest, there are fewer than 10,000 policies for a state with almost 2 million residents. The damage is expected to exceed $1 billion. Even hurricane-prone areas, such as those hit by Harvey in 2017, are woefully underinsured. In Harris County, which includes Houston, for example, experts estimated before Harvey that only about 15 percent of homeowners were insured for floods though the percentage should be higher in areas near coastlines. Real estate data company CoreLogic estimated that approximately 75 percent of flood losses from Harvey were uninsured, a figure that totaled about 80 percent for Hurricane Irma. A number of factors affect a homeowners decision to buy flood insurance or not. People who perceive that their exposure to floods is high are more likely to buy it, all other things equal. While a mandatory purchase requirement is intended to force owners of mortgaged homes in areas at high risk of flooding to buy insurance, its estimated that only about half of them do. One reason might be that 43 percent of homeowners incorrectly believe that their homeowners insurance covers them for flood losses. Other factors also come into play, such as a lack of information, the difficulty of calculating flood risk and the expectation that the government will provide disaster assistance that will fully cover a homeowners uninsured flood losses which is in fact rarely the case. With a National Flood Insurance Program policy, a homeowner can purchase coverage on a dwelling up to $250,000 and the contents of a home up to $100,000. It does not cover costs associated with loss of use of a home. These limits have been in effect since 1994 and are no longer high enough to account for the increase in the replacement cost of homes and the actual cash value of their contents. As a result, some homeowners buy additional flood protection from private insurers to make up any shortfall. The National Flood Insurance Program has faced considerable criticism over its underwriting and pricing of policies, which have resulted in a substantial debt. Essentially, its premiums are not high enough to cover how much it pays out on claims and its other costs. Part of the problem is that about 20 percent of the properties the program insures pay a subsidized rate. But many other National Flood Insurance Program policyholders are also paying premiums substantially less than what it costs to insure them based largely on whether a home is inside or outside of the 100-year floodplain. To show how much single storms can cost, the National Flood Insurance Program paid out $8.7 billion to cover Harvey-related flood losses, $16.3 billion for Katrina and $8.8 billion for Sandy. These inadequate rates also exacerbate the moral hazard created by flood insurance. People are more likely to buy, build or rebuild homes in flood-prone areas and have diminished incentives to invest in flood risk mitigation, such as by elevating their home, if they can buy insurance at below-cost rates. Although Congress forgave $16 billion in debt in 2017, the National Flood Insurance Program still owed $21 billion to the U.S. Treasury as of September. Legislative efforts to reform the National Flood Insurance Program to put it on firmer fiscal footing have produced mixed results. The Biggert-Waters Act of 2012 made a number of changes to the program, such as increasing premiums, to make it more financially stable. While that would have gone a long way to restore its fiscal solvency, an outcry from homeowners in high-risk areas led to the 2014 Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act, which limited or rescinded many of the Biggert-Waters rate increases. Fundamentally, the program that millions of Americans rely on to help them rebuild their lives after a devastating flood needs to be fixed. Its dire financial straits could be resolved by either making taxpayers foot more of the bill or increasing premiums closer to full-cost rates for most homeowners, while also raising total coverage levels. The Trump administration for its part proposes calculating premiums to more accurately reflect the actual flood risk individual homes face beginning in 2020. This could result in higher rates for many homeowners. But I believe the government also needs to do more to convince or compel more at-risk homeowners to buy flood insurance which would be harder to do if it were to raise rates. To me, this suggests that increasing taxpayer support for the program will have to be part of the solution so that pricey premiums dont become a deterrent to someone buying insurance. Ride-sharing company Lyft is set to go public this week. The company is one of several highly anticipated IPOs, with competitor Uber and content-sharing website Pinterest also expected to make their public market debuts this year. The wave of IPOs comes amid a strong start to the year for U.S. equities. The S&P 500 was up 12.2% for the year to date through March 25, 2019, providing favorable timing for newly listed companies that hope to benefit from broader market tailwinds. Lyft is one of many private firms that have grabbed the attention of mutual fund managers in recent years. As startups gained traction with consumers and raised huge sums of money in the private markets, they delayed their IPOs, preferring to build their businesses without the pressure that comes with being publicly traded. Some mutual fund managers, who were already doing due diligence on such names to understand the competitive dynamics facing their public company holdings, decided to invest privately, with prominent fund companies such as Fidelity and T. Rowe Price leading the charge. "When this announcement was released, it was a little bit off the mark for what we were pushing for as an industry," Penney, a broker with East Coast Mortgage Brokers, told CBC News. "With regard to the rules around that, the maximum household income is $120,000 and the maximum purchase price would be four times that, so you take something around the $500,000 mark, that's a great opportunity for anyone in this market," he said. "But when you take the larger markets, we'll say in Toronto or Vancouver where the average price is $750,000, that doesn't even scratch the surface." Penney also said that, until the details are released, the incentive was still unclear on several matters. From a homeowner's perspective, you've got the government with, essentially, an equity stake into your home," Penney told CBC News. "So some of the clarity we're waiting to hear on is it just a set amount up front, or as the equity increases or decreases in your home, is that shared as well?" "Homeownership is the best tool for a young household to build financial wealth," said Yanick Desnoyers, market analysis manager at QFREB. "We had asked the Quebec government to increase its tax credit for the purchase of a first property and reduce the scope of the property transfer tax, commonly known as the welcome tax. QFREB added that Quebecs budget runs counter to moves by the federal government to improve the Home Buyers' Plan (HBP), as well as fund a CMHC incentive for first-time homebuyers. The housing body also said it was disheartened to note that the government is abandoning the RenoVert program for home renovation work, which is said was very popular with homeowners. "In order to encourage individuals to carry out environmentally responsible residential renovation work, the government set up the RenoVert tax credit in 2016 in conjunction with the LogiRenov and EcoRenov government programs, respectively launched in 2014 and 2013," said Desnoyers. "We are disappointed to see this flagship program disappear and believe that maintaining this measure would have benefited both homeowners and future home buyers." Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News N Augusta Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. Houston pipeline operator Kinder Morgan has sold its stake in a proposed offshore crude oil export terminal in the Gulf of Mexico known as Texas COLT, the company confirmed. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Kinder Morgan confirmed in a Monday afternoon statement that the company sold its stake to Enbridge, the lead developer in the project. "Given the ongoing commitment required to move this project forward through the regulatory phase and, after an internal review within Kinder Morgan, it was determined that continuing with the project does not align with our strategic priorities," the company said in a statement. Deepwater Rivalry: Competing offshore crude oil export terminals proposed near Houston Proposed to be built in an area of the Gulf of Mexico about 40 miles south of Freeport, Texas COLT was launched as a joint venture of Enbridge, Kinder Morgan and German marine terminal operator Oiltanking to accommodate Very Large Crude Carriers, or VLCCs. Capable of carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil in a single load, VLCCs are emerging as the tanker of choice for exports, but U.S. ports are too shallow to handle them. A fully loaded VLCC tanker requires 66 feet of water, while ship channels in Texas and elsewhere are typically between 40 to 45 feet deep prompting the need for offshore terminals. "Texas COLT is a more strategic and desirable project for Enbridge," Kinder Morgan said in its statement. "The project aligns with Enbridge's existing footprint in the U.S. Gulf Coast region and their stated interest in growing their position in the region." Fuel Fix: Get daily energy new headlines in your inbox If approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration, the offshore export terminal would be supported by an an underwater pipeline and an onshore tank farm capable of storing up to 15 million barrels of crude. Drawing on crude oil from U.S. shale plays such as the Permian Basin in West Texas, the Eagle Ford Shale pf South Texas and the Bakken Shale of North Dakota, the offshore platform would be able of loading a VLCC tanker in 24 hours. In a statement, Enbridge officials said the joint venture is moving forward without Kinder Morgan and will still be able to provide multiple varieties of U.S. crude oil for export. "The COLT partnership, which combines Enbridge's leading North American asset portfolio with an international petroleum terminaling company in Oiltanking, continues to be central to the strength of the Texas COLT proposal," Enbridge stated. A 36-year-old Midland woman died Sunday morning after being hit by a Jeep Wrangler in the intersection of Big Spring Street and Dormard Avenue, according to a press release from a city spokesman. Jeniffer Vodron was walking in the middle of the intersection in or near the left turn lane and stumbled into the northbound inside lane in front of the approaching Jeep, according to the release. She was hit and died at the scene. WINCHESTER A bench trial begins today for a Missouri man charged with shooting into a vehicle in Scott County in 2016. Robert L. Carter Jr., 41, of Florissant, Missouri, is charged with attempted first-degree murder after a shooting incident Aug. 1, 2016. According to police, someone tried to kill Dylan Whicker of Scott County by shooting into his vehicle along U.S. 67. Carters trial is scheduled to begin Tuesday, according to court records. He waived his right to a jury trial in December 2017. Trial dates in the case have been pushed back for a year and a half, according to court records. Bill Whicker, the grandfather of Dylan Whicker, said that the family has been following the case and is anxious for a resolution. He said that a bullet broke the back windshield and struck the roof of Dylan Whickers truck. Carter was indicted in June 2017, but was arrested in Pike County the same day as the shooting on other charges, including aggravated discharge of a firearm, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, driving with a suspended or revoked license, possession of a weapon by a felon and on a Scott County warrant. Carter is represented by attorney John Coonrod. Attempted first-degree murder is a Class X felony and the sentence could be lengthened by up to 20 years because of the involvement of a firearm. Updated: A previous version of this story stated that Carter was also facing a charge of aggravated discharge of a firearm in Scott County. That charge was dismissed after a Scott County grand jury indicted Carter on the charge of attempted first-degree murder. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 During the Democratic Weekly Address, Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL) stated that she and her colleagues and I are going to lower health costs and lower prescription drug prices for seniors and families across America. Underwood was Tuesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are her words: Hi there, Im Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, coming to you from the great state of Illinois where I represent the 14th District. I am one of the 64 Democratic freshmen members of Congress Americans sent to Washington to protect their health care, and I bring to this job a unique perspective: Im a nurse. And I have a pre-existing condition that I was diagnosed with when I was a little girl. So, I know first-hand the importance of quality, affordable health care for every American. Nine years ago this weekend, the Affordable Care Act delivered life-saving protections for the health care of American families. For the first time ever, everyone including Americans like me with pre-existing conditions are protected under the law. Now, people with asthma, diabetes, and mental illness cannot be denied health insurance or charged more for it. But maintaining this promise for the last nine years has been hard fought senselessly so. Since Day 1, Republicans have stopped at nothing to sabotage and repeal the law. I watched for years as my representative, a Republican, worked relentlessly, first with his colleagues and then with President Trump, to undermine and sabotage the law putting millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions at risk. This includes nurses like me, but also small business owners, working parents, and our neighbors. One hundred and thirty million people in this country have a pre-existing condition, and none of us deserve to be discriminated against because of a health condition. But, President Trump is continuing to try to destroy protections for people with pre-existing conditions and cynically working to drive up health costs for families across America. To me, this fight is personal. As a nurse I am determined to help everyone in my community access the resources they need to live healthy lives. I couldnt sit around and do nothing. So I ran for office. And I won. And now Im speaking to you today as a leader in a strong, diverse class that has come to Washington to get to work For The People. House Democrats arent wasting time on our agenda of lowering costs and improving care. On Day One we moved to protect people with pre-existing conditions and the health care of all Americans when we voted to oppose the Republicans cruel lawsuit which seeks to destroy life-saving protections. That was just the start. Im proud to have introduced legislation to protect people with pre-existing conditions by overturning a Trump Administration rule that allows companies to dupe consumers by selling them junk plans plans that dont have to offer protections like coverage for pre-existing conditions or benefits like maternity care, prescription drugs, and hospitalization things almost all of us will need at some point in our lives. And in the weeks and months to come, my colleagues and I are going to keep moving forward with legislation to reverse and block the Republican sabotage of affordable health care and instead move our current system and make it more affordable with lower health costs and lower prescription drug prices for seniors and families across America. So, while Republicans continue to work to limit access to care and make it more expensive just last week President Trumps budget proposed repealing health care protections and slashing Medicare and Medicaid Democrats in Congress will continue fighting For The People, so you and your families can have the quality, affordable health care you deserve. Calaveras County Seal View Photos San Andreas, CA Calaveras County Health Officer Dr. Dean Kelaita delivered the board of supervisors an overview of the local response to a measles case, and gave an update on the child impacted. The girl diagnosed with measles had been on an international flight that landed at San Francisco Airport on March 13. The following day the family returned to Calaveras County, and the girl became sick at their Valley Springs home. On the 15th, the child was taken to Mark Twain Medical Center for an evaluation and she was diagnosed with a routine virus. The next day, the 16th, the child was taken back to Mark Twain Medical Center to the ER. However, since she had to stay in the waiting area for 30-45 minutes, the family became frustrated, and she was then taken to an ER at Sutter Amador Hospital in Jackson. She was then evaluated and again told that it was a routine viral illness, and released back home. On Sunday, March 17, the mother took the child to UC Davis Medical Center where she was admitted to the hospital because a rash had developed. It was there that she was diagnosed with measles. Dr. Kelaita says, During the time between when the child became sick, and was finally diagnosed with measles, there were significant exposures to multiple members of our community. The health department conducted a contact investigation with over 40 interviews with members of the community. We had to find out who was potentially exposed, we had to assess whether they were vaccinated against measles, and whether they were immune. There was also a provider alert that was sent to doctors and clinics in the area so that they could be on the lookout for other cases. Dr. Kelaita adds, Weve communicated with the local hospital, Mark Twain Medical Center, and through the health department in Amador County, Sutter Amador Hospital, where they have had to also assess all the potentially exposed people, generate a line listing, and all of those people have to be monitored for symptoms of measles. Thankfully, Dr. Kelaita reports the child is recovering, and there have been no secondary cases at this time. We dodged a bullet, he added. The girl had not been vaccinated for measles. Sometimes vaccines are controversial and parents fear they can have adverse effects. Vaccines are required for students to enter school in California, but there are medical exemptions. We reported previously that Tuolumne and Calaveras counties lag behind the state average when it comes to vaccinations. Data from 2017 showed that between 88-89 percent of children in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties were vaccinated, and the state average was nearly 96-percent. Dr. Kelaita notes that measles vaccines are given at age one, and again right before kindergarten. He adds, If children are under one year of age, they are very vulnerable (if exposed to measles). Pregnant women are also very vulnerable because exposure to measles during pregnancy can cause birth defects to a developing fetus. So, this is serious business and an example of what happens when the community is not adequately vaccinated against routine child diseases. The Supervisors praised Dr. Kelaita, and the public health department, for the quick response and actions following the diagnosis. Students and many parents packed the Plainview ISD board meeting room Thursday as the school board recognized student achievements. The board recognized choir students, art students, young authors and a student who was accepted into a prestigious summer program at Harvard University. Plainview High School Sophomore Jordyn Ramirez will attend the Harvard Pre-College Program this summer. The program, according to its website, is a two-week program designed to submerse participants in a college experience. Alissa Carter, advanced academic services/instructional technology coordinator for Plainview ISD, introduced Ramirez to the board and stated that Ramirez has been determined to attend Harvard University since a young age. As she concluded her remarks, Carter added: "This is the beginning of her Harvard experiences." The meeting room was decorated with art designed by some students. A display of ceramics was stationed at the door of the meeting room and a table filled with cardboard pieces was at the back with multiple other pieces hung along the walls and displayed along the tables in front of the board. Juanetta Bocko, art teacher at Plainview ISD, said these were projects completed by her students. Some of the pieces included a computer, guitar and turtle all made of cardboard; a teapot, a vase and a figurine with two faces each made of ceramics; and some drawings and paintings along the walls. "They've done a good job," Bocko said. "It's some really fantastic work." She pointed out the teapot set, which was placed in front of the board president. The design was submitted via photo to an art competition and was selected to hang on the wall of Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott's office in Austin until March 2020, Bocko said. The piece was created by Yingzhi (Kari) Huang, a PHS senior. Following that recognition, the board recognized the group of young authors present. Vickie Young, principal of La Mesa Elementary, told the board a little about books created by the fifth grade students. The books are called "It Matters" and cover topics like confidence and success both of which were passages read by two of the many authors/illustrators. Prior to these presentations, the board kicked off its meeting with performances by the school's choir and a solo performance by Caleb Aguirre, the choir member who was selected earlier this school year to sing with the Texas All-State Choir in San Antonio last month. The students competed earlier this school year and received 146 gold medals at the regional UIL Solo-Ensemble competition. Eighty of those students qualified for the state contest, which is June 2-4, according to Choir Director and Coordinator Debra Buford. "The choir broke its own record for the number of students earning state level and regionally from the surrounding area," Buford wrote in an email to The Herald. It's competitive, she added. Students can earn scholarships. "It's not common to have this many choir students compete at this level from one school! Students and directors are pumped!" Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 26) The deadlock on the proposed 3.757-trillion 2019 budget was finally broken on Tuesday, with Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III signing the enrolled spending bill and Congress transmitting it to Malacanang for President Rodrigo Duterte's signature. The Senate and the House, however, are still not meeting eye to eye on the alleged "internal realignments" made by the lower chamber to the budget after its ratification by Congress, with Sotto signing the measure with reservations. "It is my view that it is unconstitutional that 75 billion worth of programs and projects under the local infrastructure program of the Department of Public Works and Highways was funded through internal realignments, after the bicameral conference committee report was ratified" he said Tuesday, reading from the annotation he attached to the budget bill. Upon the suggestion of Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Sotto signed the same budget bill which the House earlier withdrew amid protests from senators who viewed their amendments to the measure after its ratification by Congress as illegal and unconstitutional. He admitted that the Senate was ready to play "hardball," but could not keep the budget "hostage" and negatively impact the economy over amounts worth only two to three percent of the total outlay. The Senate leadership hopes Duterte will veto the realignments mentioned by Sotto in his annotation. READ: Duterte will not sign an illegal budget However, they said the President is at liberty to keep those in the budget bill if he decides to approve the measure as is. "It's his call. Authorized 'yan ng Constitution [He is authorized by the Constitution] to line item veto or to approve it in toto. Who are we to question the authority of the President?" Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson said. Drilon added, "Remember, this is the opinion of the Senate that this is unconstitutional. We are not the Supreme Court who has the final say that it is unconstitutional." He said this is the first time that a Senate leader has expressed reservations in signing a budget measure. "Ngayon lang naman nangyari na pagkatapos ng ratification ng bicam report eh nabago 'yung printed copy," he said. [Translation: It is only now that the printed copy was changed after the ratification of the bicameral report.] The Senate and the House had locked horns on whether the itemizations of lump sums done by congressmen after the ratification of the budget is legal. Senators say it is illegal and unconstitutional, but congressmen insisted that it is aboveboard. This had kept Sotto from signing the spending bill. He was concerned that Congressional leaders may be charged with falsification of legislative documents if they certified a budget bill that was altered after its final version was passed by the legislature. READ: Lacson: Arroyo can be charged for signing 'falsified' budget But senators now believe that Sottos strong reservation and annotation would protect him from possible lawsuits in the future. The withdrawal of the measure paved way for the creation of two panels consisting of three members each from the Senate and the House, which met Monday in hopes of breaking the deadlock and finally passing the long-delayed 2019 budget. The delayed budget has impacted key transportation projects and has raised fears that its effects will cascade to the 2020 barangay elections. Economic managers have also warned that the economy will slow down if no fresh funding is enacted. CNN Philippines Correspondent Joyce Ilas contributed to this report. Oil continued its torrid start to the year as bullish supply news from the world's second-biggest producer and disruptions to refiners along the Houston Ship Channel kept crude on pace for its best first quarter since 2002. Futures rose 1.9 percent in New York. In the morning, Energy Minister Alexander Novak told reporters in Moscow that Russia will likely reach its pledged output cut of 228,000 barrels a day by the end of the month. OPEC and its partners, led by Saudi Arabia, have been cutting supplies to counter a global supply glut. Meanwhile, a four-day closing of the Houston Ship Channel following a tank fire and subsequent chemical spill has further disrupted supply networks. "We're back in rally mode," said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC, a New York hedge fund focused on energy. "We're seeing a steady supply decline that's getting us back to $60 and everyone is trying to figure out the fallout from the refinery snags in Houston and the disruption in the Houston Ship Channel." EARLIER: Oil ends volatile day lower as yield-curve jitters linger Crude futures have rallied 32 percent this year as OPEC and its allies implement production cuts to stave off a global surplus. American sanctions on Iran and Venezuela have further squeezed supplies, making for a tighter market more susceptible to disruptions like those in Houston. "The expectation is very much that OPEC+ will stick to its 1.2 million barrel a day reduction plan for as long as one would expect for that market to come into balance," said Bart Melek, head of global commodity strategy at TD Securities in Toronto. West Texas Intermediate for May delivery gained $1.12 to settle at $59.94 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On HoustonChronicle.com: Ship Channel closure could cost energy industry $1 billion Brent for May settlement advanced 76 cents to $67.97 a barrel at settlement on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The global benchmark crude was at a premium of $8.03 to WTI. Meanwhile, the U.S. administration is deeply divided as a deadline approaches for a decision on whether to exempt some countries from sanctions on Iranian crude. The division -- primarily between John Bolton's National Security Council and Michael Pompeo's State Department -- has led to rising frustration and flared tempers. Above the fray, at least for now, is President Donald Trump, who must weigh competing priorities. While Trump wants to make good on his "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran and strong-arm the country into meeting U.S. demands, there's also concern that squeezing Tehran too much will lead to a spike in oil prices that could raise gasoline costs for U.S. drivers as the 2020 election approaches. --With assistance from James Thornhill, Grant Smith and Sharon Cho. 2019 Bloomberg L.P. More than a week of partying is almost upon San Antonio, something locals have been waiting on for a year. They're circling dates, gathering their squads and hoarding medals in anticipation of the big event. Meanwhile, newcomers might still be trying to figure out why people are eager to stand in long lines for a skewered Tyson chicken patty. Fiesta is only a few weeks away, but San Antonio has everything "Fiesta" on their minds. MySA asked readers on social media to describe the biggest party of year in a phrase or sentence, and San Antonio delivered. RELATED: T-shirts, purses and shoes to add to your Fiesta wardrobe now Some folks called it a "city-wide reunion" while others sum it up perfectly: a "puro party." Click through the slideshow above to see some of the ways San Antonians describe Fiesta. Candice.Garcia@express-news.net | Twitter @_candicegarcia Native Texans are always proud to claim our Lone Star State heritage, and we're quick to share our familiarity with the state's history and geography. But even those of us who are fluent in Texan may find that there's some hidden nook left to discover, or maybe just a small town we can't get enough of. There's "weird" Marfa, a far west town stuck in the hippie era, one with a drawl. The growing popularity of this odd, art installation-filled town has some residents concerned that it will soon become another tourist destination with souvenir gift shops proffering flashy key chains. So get there soon, and opt to stay in a yurt, teepee or tent (pictured in the slides above). It had not been planned as a historic mission, yet it would have represented a moment of sorts: the first all-female spacewalk. But that moment will have to wait, NASA said Monday, because of a somewhat basic issue spacesuit sizes. The two astronauts who were scheduled to walk together in space Friday, Anne C. McClain and Christina H. Koch, would both need to wear a medium-size torso component. But only one is readily available at the International Space Station. The mission itself is unchanged. On Friday, two astronauts will venture outside the space station on a six-hour mission to install massive lithium-ion batteries that will help power the research laboratory. Koch is still scheduled to participate, along with fellow astronaut Nick Hague; McClain did her first spacewalk last week. MISSION MOON: How 50 years of space exploration has helped define Houston But the first women-only venture outside of the confines of the space station will have to happen on another day. After consulting with McClain and Hague following the first spacewalk, mission managers decided to adjust the assignments, due in part to spacesuit availability on the station, NASA said in a statement. Stephanie Schierholz, a spokeswoman for NASA, said in an interview Monday that there were already two medium-size hard upper torsos essentially the shirt of the spacesuit, according to NASA at the space station. But there were a couple of issues. One was that McClain had thought she would be able to work in a large-size torso, but after her spacewalk last Friday, she wore a medium-size torso and learned that it fit her better. Koch also uses the same size. And of the two medium-size torsos available, one has yet to be properly configured for a spacewalk. It would take hours of crew labor not to mention some additional risk to fix that in time for Friday. Instead of doing that, NASA decided to simply switch out the astronauts. In the end, both women will have done a spacewalk just not together. When you have the option of just switching the people, the mission becomes more important than a cool milestone, Schierholz said. GET YOUR SPACE JUNK: Sign up for our newsletter devoted entirely to space coverage On Friday, Koch and Hague will be supported by a team on the ground that includes a number of women in key positions, including the spacewalks flight director, Mary Lawrence, and its lead officer, Jackie Kagey. In a briefing at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston this month, Lawrence, Kagey and Kenneth Todd, the stations operations integration manager, said officials had not immediately recognized the significance of the original lineup for Fridays extravehicular activity, or EVA. It was only as they discussed the schedule during a meeting that they realized it was the first time they had scheduled an all-female spacewalk. After the rescheduling Monday, Schierholz said that while there were no concrete plans for an all-female spacewalk, one is increasingly likely because NASA astronauts have been diversifying in terms of gender. Were sort of getting to the point of inevitability, Schierholz said of an all-female EVA. McClain and Koch were part of the 2013 astronaut class, and of the eight people in that class chosen from more than 6,000 applicants half were women, a first for NASA. The agency lists 38 active astronauts on its website, and 12 are women. The current roster of six astronauts at the space station three Americans, one Canadian and two Russians allows the team to carry out a number of important projects, with an eye toward making sure each crew member accumulates significant experience, Todd said. NASA officials hope the relatively young American astronauts will continue to travel to space in the coming years and assist new recruits in the future. The batteries being installed on this mission store solar power that the station needs when it is not in direct sunlight. Work on the battery systems will continue for the next few years as international teams bring more lithium-ion batteries to the station, which is more than 200 miles from Earth. The missions require meticulous planning, and robots do as much of the work as possible before astronauts take the risk of venturing into space. In the busy days before a spacewalk, the crew help to prepare and fit their colleagues spacesuits, which function as mini-spacecraft once they step outside. Koch shared photos on Twitter of her colleagues as they suited up for last Fridays spacewalk. No ordinary battery swap & work day routine, she wrote. A firefighter fell through a roof while extinguishing a blaze at a bar near downtown San Antonio, officials said. The firefighter was one of dozens who responded to the blaze just before 9 a.m. at Club Essence, 1010 N. Main Ave. The flames were extinguished in about 10 minutes, Joe Arrington, a spokesman for the department, said. But while a few firefighters were checking the roof for any remaining hot spots, one of them stepped through a tin roof covering a patio area of the bar. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox The 18-year veteran of the fire department was evaluated at the scene and declined to be hospitalized. "More of a pride hurt kind of thing," Arrington said. "No physical injury." Two people outside the building at the time of the fire complained of smoke inhalation and were also evaluated at the scene but not hospitalized. READ ALSO: SAPD: Man fatally shoots alleged attacker while protecting woman Arrington said the fire caused minimal damage to the bar. 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 If you're looking to move, an organization that uses data to rank cities and schools has published its list of the safest San Antonio suburbs for 2019. Niche, which provides an assessment on places to live throughout the country, recently released its 2019 report and its methodology. TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) A minister who promised a woman he'd take care of her daughter began having sex with the teenager daily and later encouraged two other pastors to have sex with her as well, federal prosecutors said Monday. Anthony Haynes could face up to life in prison if he's convicted of child sex trafficking and other charges. The two other Toledo-area pastors charged in the investigation have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Prosecutors said during the opening of Haynes' trial that he first had sex with the girl when she was 14. They said the evidence against him includes text messages, photos, voice mails and DNA evidence from his church where the girl said they often had sex. Haynes' attorney told jurors that the allegations are shocking, but there's not enough evidence to prove the trafficking and conspiracy charges he faces. Attorney Pete Wagner also said Haynes may have had a questionable relationship with the girl, but he didn't coordinate or take part in trafficking her to the other ministers. He also said there was no paying for sex. Prosecutors say the girl had a difficult childhood and was sexually abused by a relative. Haynes pledged in front of his congregation to protect her and serve as a father figure, but he began grooming her for sex when she turned 14 and first forced her to perform sex acts in front of him, said Michael Freeman, an assistant U.S. attorney. They had sex day after day, often at a motel or his church, the Greater Life Christian Center in Toledo, and Haynes would give her cash, Freeman said. After about a year, Haynes introduced her to Kenneth Butler, another pastor, and he also began having sex with her, Freeman said. Sometimes, the two men joked about the arrangement, prosecutors said. One text shown in court that prosecutors say was sent by Butler to the girl said: "You better be nice and naked when I get there." Prosecutors said the girl next met Cordell Jenkins, a minister who founded his own church in Toledo and built a large following until it closed after his arrest. The FBI has said in court documents that Jenkins had sex with two girls at his home, church office and a motel and often recorded the acts with his phone. Haynes, prosecutors said, encouraged the relationship with Jenkins. In addition to the charges against the men, Haynes' wife and stepdaughter are accused of abducting the girl at gunpoint in January and warning her not to testify at his trial. Court documents say the pair forced the teenager from her apartment, choked her with a cord and told her to take back statements she made to investigators. Attorneys for Haynes' wife and stepdaughter have declined to comment. Just before her husband went on trial, his wife appeared Monday in the same courtroom where the judge overseeing the case turned down her request to be released. Officials have identified four teenage suspects, including one already in custody in connection with an attempted cop killing, involved in a break-in and shooting at a student living complex near the University of Texas at San Antonio, according to court records. Todd Allen Smith, Conrad Perez and Jonathan Cruz Garcia, all 17, and a 15-year-old are accused of shooting a 21-year-old woman during an attempted robbery on Jan. 21 at the Prado Student Living complex in the 7100 block of UTSA Boulevard. They all face a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. RELATED: Suspect in ambush shooting faces attempted capital murder of a police officer charge Court documents made available Tuesday provided more details about the break-in and how police identified the suspects. According to court records, the four went to the Prado complex to rob a 22-year-old resident. Perez drove the group to the apartments, where Smith, Garcia and the 15-year-old rushed into one of the units and opened fire as the resident hid behind a closed door. During the robbery attempt, Smith wore a ballistic vest with "POLICE" printed along the front, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. One of the bullets fired by the trio pierced a wall and struck a resident in an adjacent apartment. Paramedics tended to her at the scene, and she was not hospitalized, police said. The suspects fled in a stolen 2009 Toyota Camry, authorities said. As they sped away, one of the suspects fired a final round at the apartments. Sometime after the shooting, Perez contacted the man they had tried to rob and revealed himself as one of the people involved. He said that "he and his friends were responsible," according to the affidavit. On Jan. 25, Perez and the 15-year-old were arrested after they were caught driving the stolen Camry, the affidavit says. Investigators interviewed Perez on Feb. 28 at the Bexar County Jail. He identified everyone involved and laid out the robbery plan, which he claimed was Smith's idea, court records show. By the time of Perez's interview, three of the four teens allegedly involved in the shooting at Prado had been arrested. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox Garcia was in custody on a charge of attempted capital murder of a police officer. He is accused of shooting San Antonio Police Officer Drew Matthewson during a foot chase on Feb. 12. Matthewson was hit in his left shoulder and returned fire, striking Garcia multiple times. Only Smith remained at large. Authorities were able to secure a warrant for his arrest on March 19, and he was arrested Monday. According to court records, Smith is the only suspect not facing additional criminal charges for unrelated incidents. The 15-year-old has an "extensive criminal history" including arrests for house burglary, vehicle burglary and assault, according to the arrest affidavit. In addition to the charges of unauthorized use of a vehicle and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Perez is accused of theft, marijuana possession, harboring a runaway child, unlawful possession of a handgun and vehicle burglary. Garcia is awaiting indictment on the charge for attempted capital murder of a police officer, as well as charges of evading arrest and theft of vehicle. Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com Caleb Downs covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | cdowns@mysa.com | @calebjdowns San Antonio Crime Stoppers is offering up to $5,000 for information on who killed a 24-year-old man outside his North Side home two years ago. Jean-Michael Pilar Lee was found dead on March 19, 2017, in the 4800 block of Roxton Avenue, according to police. He died of multiple gunshot wounds. San Antonio Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information on a woman suspected of stealing a car from a West Side gas station, then abandoning it nearby after running out of gas. On Feb. 27, a woman left her Nissan X-Terra running and unattended as she went to the bathroom and paid for gas at the Circle K gas station at 7530 Northwest Loop 410 around 2:30 p.m., according to a news release. OPPOSITION leader Nelson Chamisa has warned President Emmerson Mnangagwa and government that the high levels of unemployment could lead to yet another civil unrest unless they quickly address the deepening economic crisis. This comes as the stabilisation measures unveiled by government are threatened by drought and the recent tropical Cyclone Idai whose scale of destruction has added pressure to Treasury. Zimbabwe is facing a severe drought which aid and relief agencies say will leave five million needing food support in the ravaged communities. In an interview with the Daily News, Chamisa warned that the deepening economic crisis and runaway unemployment could spark yet another fury from long-suffering youths. The plight of young people is a threat to the national stability, youth unemployment is a ticking time bomb that has to be resolved in the context of national dialogue and engagement, Chamisa said. The youthful opposition leader also said Mnangagwas foreign trips appeared to be misplaced because they were not bringing anything tangible. I am getting worried with his trips it seems he is not appreciating the problems that Zimbabwe has, especially the young people, he said. In January this year, police and soldiers were engaged in running battles with protesters who flooded the streets of Harare, Bulawayo and other towns to protest the steep fuel price hikes which were announced by Mnangagwa ahead of his tour of Eastern Europe. Mnangagwa, who was feted like a king when he replaced ousted former president Robert Mugabe in November 2017, initially lifted the mood of crisis-weary Zimbabweans who were hopeful at the time that he would turn around the countrys economic fortunes. However, the post-July 30, 2018 election shootings which left at least six civilians dead when the military used live ammunition to quell an ugly demonstration in Harares central business district (CBD) and dozens of deaths during this years fuel riots, as well as the subsequent vicious clampdown of dissenting voices are seen as having dented his international image significantly, in addition to harming his chances of getting financial support from Western countries. Information deputy minister Energy Mutodi said Mnangagwa was working hard to attract investors but the opposition was choosing to criticise him for the sake of gaining relevance. The opposition is overlooking what government is doing. We are creating wealththe president has hosted South Africa and Botswana and travelled to other countries. The message that we are getting is that we are going to get development partners. We have taken measures towards reducing coststrying to instil confidence in investors and laying the foundation for them, Mutodi said. There is no need for people to demonstrate because demonstrations are retrogressive. We know the opposition want to manipulate every situation to remove the government. Those in the opposition should know that the law will take its course and those who are on the wrong side of the law will be punished, he added. Zimbabwe is currently in the grip of a ginormous economic crisis which sparked riots in January when protesters who heeded calls for a stay-away by labour unions clashed with heavily armed security forces, leading to several deaths. Property worth hundreds of thousands of dollars was destroyed and looted in the mayhem which ensued, after a three-day strike call by labour unions. At the same time, security forces unleashed a brutal crackdown against the protesters, the opposition and civil society leaders, in a move which received wide condemnation in the country and around the world. Meanwhile, A United Nations report shows that Zimbabwe was better off under former President Robert Mugabe than under his predecessor, current leader President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The UN World Happiness Report 2019 ranks Zimbabwe as the 146th happiest country out of 156 nations. Zimbabwe dropped two places from number 144 the previous year. In an interview with Newsday, Labour and Economic Development Research Institute of Zimbabwe director Godfrey Kanyenze had this to say: It is not unexpected. If you compare where we are now with where we were last year, certainly last year we were in a better place. Certainly, last year, we did not have the fuel queues, last year expectations were much higher than they are now. The longer we go, the more disappointed we are now because it is a crisis of expectations. After the elections, people are expecting results, for the economy to begin to pick up and the government to address the challenges affecting us. The UN looked at six key variables when compiling the report over a period stretching from 2005-2018. These variables are GDP per capita, social support, life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and absence of corruption, according to the World Happiness Report 2019. DailyNews/NewsDay Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News On Wednesday, 27 March 2019, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ms. Rose Gottemoeller will meet the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Mr. David Zalkaliani. During his visit to NATO Headquarters, Mr. Zalkaliani will also attend a meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission. There will be no media opportunity. Still images will be available on the NATO website after the event. Follow the Deputy Secretary General on Twitter (@Gottemoeller). Also follow us at (@NATOPress and @NATO) (Natural News) The 2014 water crisis in Flint, Michigan, raised national awareness of the effects of lead exposure on children. After municipal officials decided as a cost saving measure to switch the citys water supply from Lake Huron to the polluted Flint River, residents immediately started complaining about the discolored and foul-smelling water. Nonetheless, it took scientists more than a year to get around to analyzing the water, at which point they discovered that it was heavily contaminated with lead and other heavy metals. The problem was swept under the rug for some time, and by the time government officials started doing something about it, thousands of children had already been exposed to dangerously high levels of lead. While the crisis in Flint received national attention, it would be dangerous to assume that this was a once-off problem. In reality, studies have linked lead exposure to over 400,000 premature deaths each year. While lead poisoning levels are now considerably lower than they were at their peak in the 1980s, at least 1.2 million American children still have elevated levels of lead in their blood. Years of research have confirmed that exposure to even low levels of lead can affect growth, intelligence and behavior in children. It has also been linked to coordination problems, learning disabilities and aggressive, violent behavior. Now, a study by researchers from Duke University, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, has revealed that childhood lead exposure can also have long-term effects on mental health and personality right into adulthood. Long-lasting negative effects As reported by Science Daily, the recent study found that participants who had high blood lead levels at the age of 11 were more likely to struggle with mental illness later in life and to exhibit difficult personality traits by the time they turned 38. Risk of these problems increased exponentially the more lead they were exposed to during childhood. (Related: Lead exposure linked to emotional problems, anxiety and pervasive developmental problems in children.) The 1,000 study participants were all born in Dunedin, New Zealand, between 1972 and 1973, back when New Zealands gasoline lead levels were among the highest in the world. Globally, gasoline was treated with high levels of lead between the 1960s and 1980s, meaning that most adults who are now in their 30s, 40s and 50s were exposed to lead when they were children. Science Daily explained the studys methodology: Researchers measured blood lead levels in micrograms per deciliter of blood (ug/dL) when participants were 11 years old. Today, blood lead levels above 5 ug/dL will trigger additional clinical follow-up of a child. At age 11, 94 percent of participants in the Dunedin Study had blood lead levels above this cutoff. The Duke research team also assessed participant mental health and personality at various points throughout their lives, most recently at age 38. Diagnostic criteria or symptoms associated with eleven different psychiatric disorders were used to calculate a single measure of mental health, called the psychopathology factor, or p-factor for short. The higher an individuals p-factor score, the greater the number and severity of psychiatric symptoms. The team found that leads effects on mental health were as severe as other studies had previously found them to be on IQ. In addition, the researchers found that the families of children who experienced high levels of lead exposure described them as having difficult personalities, being more neurotic, less agreeable and less conscientious than other people. With at least two decades worth of kids being continuously exposed to high levels of lead is it any wonder that the world is in the state its in? Could we now be witnessing a lead-poisoned society going insane? Learn more about the true causes of mental health issues at Psychiatry.news. Sources for this article include: ScienceDaily.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Pesticide manufacturers like to reassure the public that their products are very safe, painting them as harmless substances that are actually doing all of us a big favor. They can pay off scientists and journals to bolster this message as much as they want, but the volatility of these chemicals speaks for itself in incidents like a recent pesticide factory explosion in China. Last week, a massive explosion took place at a Yangcheng pesticide plant on Chinas east coast, killing 78 people and injuring hundreds of others. These numbers are expected to climb as rescue workers make their way through the rubble; 13 people are currently listed as critically injured and 566 are still hospitalized and undergoing treatment. The explosion was so strong that it spurred a 2.2-magnitude earthquake tremor, shattering the windows of residential buildings situated miles away from the site and blowing shards of glass into peoples faces. There was a high number of injuries related to broken glass as far away as four miles from the plant, with nearby schools forced to evacuate and hospitals struggling to keep up with the demand for aid. Not surprisingly, many of the casualties involved inhaling toxic substances and dust. Some of the victims were kindergarten students. The factory was almost completely destroyed by the accident. It is believed that a tanker truck that was full of natural gas sparked the incident when it caught fire and detonated a storage area filled with chemicals. It took roughly 900 firefighters to stabilize the situation. This accident is just the latest in a string of deadly explosions and industrial accidents in recent years. The president of China, Xi Jinping, ordered an investigation into the accident, and several of the plants workers were detained by police. Unreasonable production targets, lots of corner-cutting, and a lack of oversight are among the factors shouldering the blame for the countrys poor record in this regard. The plant where the incident took place, the Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical Company, is no stranger to controversy. The chairman of the company that owns the plant was convicted of dumping toxic waste two years ago. The plant itself has been cited for more than a dozen different safety hazards, accumulating hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for environmental regulation violations in the last three years. One citation was for improperly handling benzene, which is believed to have played a role in this accident. Its hard to believe they were allowed to continue to operate given their track record. Are you sure you want to put these chemicals into your body? This incident should serve as a wake-up call to those holdouts who still dont think choosing organic is important. The very class of chemicals that caused an explosion strong enough to register a 2.2 on the Richter scale are being regularly sprayed on crops and, by extension, the foods that many people eat. Are you sure thats what you want to put into your body? On top of that, this is also a timely reminder of how loosely regulated this industry is, especially in places like China. If pesticide plant workers can let something like this happen, what other safety protocols are they ignoring? Were the chemicals mixed properly? Were they applied in the right ratio? Were they used at levels within those permitted, which are still considered by many to be too high? There are so many variables to take in to account when it comes to pesticide use that buying and consuming these foods really is a gamble. Are you sure you want to roll the dice with your health? Sources for this article include: Breitbart.com Reuters.com (Natural News) March 21, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) I live in New Zealand. Ive become alarmed at developments in my country since the shootings last Friday. What I see unfolding seems so disproportionate to the magnitude of the crime. It seems like Ive woken up and all of a sudden live in an Islamic State. (Article by Michelle Kaufman republished from LifeSiteNews.com) Here are some highlights of whats unfolding: The thought police are out in full force and people are being scrutinized for hate speech. Green ribbons are being worn as a symbol against hate. Mosques and many of the prayer rooms continue to be protected by armed police (police arent usually armed in my country). Vigils are being held all over the place in solidarity with the victims. These seem to have morphed into what amounts to support for the Islamic religion. One Catholic bishop held one last Sunday afternoon in the Ponsonby church. After prayers there, they processed over to the mosque, which is on the opposite side of the road and prayed and met there. Whitcoulls, one of our book stores, probably the oldest, has removed Jordan Petersons book 12 Rules for Life from its shelves because he was photographed with a member of the public wearing an anti-Islamic t-shirt while he was in New Zealand recently. Apparently, thats being construed as him having something to do with the madmans agenda. On Tuesday a Muslim prayer was said in Parliament. Just recently all Christian prayer in Parliament was removed. On Friday March 22 at 1:30pm New Zealand will be called to prayerIslamic prayer that is. And we will be expected to keep 2 minutes silence after they read the Muslim prayer acknowledging Allah as great and Muhammad as his prophet. The call to prayer will be broadcasted on national radio stations and TV as well. One top Catholic Church leader will go to the local mosque (Kilbirnie) as well on Friday to stand outside during their prayers as an act of solidarity. The Catholic bishops here have been very sympathetic and playing out their inter-faith role with great enthusiasm. Catholic school students have been praying inside mosques. It seems like were living in a different world all of a sudden. It seems that showing our great respect for those who were killed has somehow been manipulated into showing affirmation of the Islamic religion. New Zealand is now putty in the Islamists hands. The shooting on Friday was terrible. But what has now unfolded is something else entirely and may just be the beginning of something very terrible for New Zealand. Certainly, on a spiritual level, our crisis has become even deeper. Please keep New Zealand in your prayers. Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com (Natural News) Hemp and hemp seed oil are all the hype these days. Millions of people have jumped on the recent health craze by adding high-quality hemp protein powder or hemp hearts to their morning smoothies. But did you know that a pure extract of the cannabis bud could potentially cure cancer, with hungriness, happiness and sleepiness being the only possible side effects? Cannabis oil has become a favorite topic of discussion. While the medical world hasnt fully explored the drugs true potential yet, hundreds of scientists around the world are investigating cannabis oil as a miraculous treatment for cancer and other diseases. Despite resistance from the authorities, government health agencies, Big Pharma and UN offices, one man, Rick Simpson, successfully used cannabis oil to help over 5,000 patients (himself included) defeat their disease. For many years, the medical marijuana activist has devoted himself to providing people with information about the medicinal properties of cannabis or hash oil. The Rick Simpson cannabis oil story In 2003, Rick Simpson was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma skin cancer. After failed surgeries, Simpson decided to try something different. Remembering a radio headline he had heard almost 30 years earlier which stated that the University of Virginia had discovered that the cannabinoid in cannabis, THC, could kill cancer in mice he decided that cannabis oil could kill his cancer too. Simpsons cancer spots disappeared in a matter of days after he applied cannabis oil and bandages to the affected areas. When he tried to tell his doctor and several cancer organizations about his recovery, however, nobody wanted anything to do with the controversial discovery. If you want to learn more about how Rick Simpson cured himself and others through the use of hash oil, watch Christian Laurettes full documentary, Run From The Cure, below. Many cannabis oil enthusiasts, including Simpson, think there has been a Big Government and Big Pharma conspiracy to suppress research and halt medical progress. As reported by Natural News, scientists have known about the anticancer benefits of cannabis oil for decades. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), however, quickly shut down a study that reported on the potential benefits and destroyed its results. Some believe they handled the study in this way out of fear of possible substance abuse. Others believe that it is the fear of losing billions of dollars of chemotherapy profits that drives them to keep this natural cure a secret. After all, why is it that while the government and pharmaceutical companies claim that cannabis is not a cure for cancer or other diseases, they hold patents for medicinal marijuana use? Rick Simpsons cannabis oil recipe According to Simpson, the oral ingestion of hash oil targets and destroys cancer cells in the body, while topical use can control or even cure various skin conditions such as melanomas. Furthermore, he claims that cannabis oil rejuvenates vital organs, and that it is not uncommon for individuals to report the oil making them feel 20 to 30 years younger shortly after beginning treatment. To help people all over the world cure cancer and other diseases free of charge, Simpson has shared his recipe online. As reported by Organic and Healthy, one ounce of the dried herb will typically produce 3 to 4 grams of Rick Simpsons famous hash oil. The amount of oil produced per ounce will vary from strain to strain, though. Since the solvents and fumes are highly flammable, it is important to be very careful when making the oil. It is recommended that the whole process take place in a well-ventilated area. Also, do not use open flames; set up a fan to direct fumes away from the pot; and avoid smoking, sparks, stove-tops and red-hot heating elements. You can find the full extraction method and dosage instructions on Rick Simpsons website, or watch the video below. (Natural News does not endorse the use of marijuana products in States where its use has not yet been legalized.) Sources include: CureYourOwnCancer.org NaturalNews.com PhoenixTears.ca ATTN.com Google.com (Natural News) There is a simple, powerful way that President Trump can end Big Techs evil censorship with a single signature. It requires no act of Congress, no regulatory action and no criminal prosecution (although, at this point, it seems that criminally prosecuting Google for election meddling would be justified as a separate action). The move requires nothing more than Trumps signature on an executive order that cancels and prohibits all federal contracts with large-scale internet platforms that refuse to protect the First Amendment rights of all Americans. In a single signature, President Trump could end all government contracts with Google, Twitter, YouTube, Apple and other dominant online platforms that are now maliciously de-platforming users for expressing conservative or Christian views. The President, in fact, just issued a similar executive order demanding that universities respect free speech or find themselves terminated from all government grants. The strategy is aggressive and effective. Those universities which choose to engage in the un-American practice of suppressing speech for political reasons will quickly find themselves cut off from federal funds. Now, President Trump needs to direct the same tactic at the tech giants. I explain how this would work in the video below: Brighteon.com/6017852129001 If that doesnt work, just seize the domain names of Google, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube If the tech giants still refuse to play fair and respect the speech of all Americans, then President Trump can simply order to U.S. State Department to seize the domain names of these companies until they agree to respect the First Amendment. He doesnt even have to initiate the seizure. He merely needs to threaten to seize all those domains as a way to force these companies to sign a consent decree with the Dept. of Justice, where they agree to respect First Amendment protections of all users as a condition of being allowed to operate in the United States of America. If that tactic doesnt ring a bell, let me remind you that the Obama administration, after accusing police departments of being racist for daring to arrest black people who committed crimes, demanded those police departments sign consent decrees with the U.S. Dept. of Justice. In these agreements, the city police departments agreed to adhere to equality guidelines that hilariously required them to treat people un-equally, based on the color of their skin. The goal was to reduce arrests of black people and increase arrests of white people to make policing appear less racist. (Yes, only under Leftists policies could systematic bigotry against white people be called equality.) Now, the left-wing tech giants are engaged in widespread bigotry that threatens the very future of this nation. Thanks to the de-platforming efforts of Google, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Apple and others, people are now being discriminated against based on the color of their ideas rather than the color of their skin. Those who hold Christian beliefs are doubly targeted for de-platforming efforts happily carried out by the bigoted Leftists who run the dominant search engines and social media platforms. The tech giants all took part in an attempted insurrection against the United States of America The U.S. Dept. of Justice has the power to threaten these corporations with criminal indictments, investigations and even seizure of assets if they engage in the routine discrimination of Americans based on political or religious views. If thats not enough, the DOJ can correctly assert that all of these tech companies actively took part in an attempted insurrection against the United States government through complicity with the now-collapsed Russia collusion hoax. It is factually correct to say that Google, Facebook, YouTube, Apple and Twitter all conspired to steal the 2018 mid-term elections for Democrats. And they are now attempting to steal the 2020 election away from Trump. These are criminal offenses by powerful, dangerous corporations which have maliciously asserted control over nearly all public conversations involving politics or religion. They must be halted, criminally indicted and then dismantled and banished from our society. President Trump can begin by issuing an executive order denying all federal funds to these insidious, anti-American corporations. The next step would be to seize their domain names. And the ultimate end game here is to seek criminal indictments of the CEOs of these companies (Jack Dorsey, a jail cell is waiting with your name on it) and prosecute them for RICO Act racketeering violations. Listen to my recent podcast for more details on how this would work: Brighteon.com/6017784233001 Join me in calling for the shut-down of Google, Facebook, Twitter, Apple and YouTube. These are all evil corporations that have abused their power to discriminate against hundreds of millions of Americans. They no longer deserve the opportunity to operate as corporations in the United States of America. (Natural News) POTUS Donald Trump and his administration have been under siege since before he was even inaugurated in January 2017, as elements of the Justice Department, FBI, intelligence community, and willing propagandists in the mainstream media have worked in concert to undermine his White House with the objective of deposing him. This soft coup attempt is unprecedented in our history. Had it been successful, it would have turned our country in to the worlds biggest banana republic, where presidents serve not at the pleasure of the American people but instead at the behest of the Deep State ruling class. The most visible weapon deployed against the Trump presidency was the Russian collusion investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller. Initiated by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in May of 2017, the investigation ensnared scores of Trump allies, former employees, and campaign staffers and advisers. But in the end, not a single person including importantly POTUS himself was ever charged with criminal collusion or any other treasonous cooperation with a foreign power to steal the 2016 election from Hillary Clinton, the most criminally investigated presidential contender ever. On Friday, Mueller finally filed his final report with the Justice Department. Attorney General William Barr, in a four-page summary to Congress on Sunday, quoted Muellers findings of no collusion and no evidence to charge the president with obstruction of justice (for doing what hes permitted to do under the Constitution fire federal employees, in this case, James Comey). Now the presidents allies in Congress are preparing a counterattack against individuals known to have been involved in the coup attempt and who, suspiciously, were never probed by Mueller and his Clinton donor investigator/prosecutors. As The National Sentinel reported last week, former House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), now the panels ranking member, told One America News that members of his panel were preparing criminal referrals of individuals tied to the coup attempt who Mueller strangely skipped over. (Related: Russia hoax COLLAPSES: Not a single American charged with collusion with Russia; left-wing media has been LYING all along.) Time for the coup conspirators to pay for their treason Were still continuing to get to the bottom of what was happening to the Department of Justice and the FBI, trying to make sure that everyone there is held accountableeither through the courts or otherwise. Well be making criminal referrals on a whole host of topics, most importantly probably lying and misleading Congress, he told the network. He added that Mueller has skipped a whole bunch of people whove lied or mislead Congress, so well be making those referrals to the Department of Justice. In a follow-up interview with Fox News Sean Hannity, Nunes added: We are preparing a criminal referral that we will present to the attorney general at the appropriate timefor many crimes. The obvious ones that you would know about would be lying to Congress. But we will also be looking at FISA [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] abuse and all the other matters that we have been looking into. It will probably be one large referral. On Friday, hours, after Mueller filed his report with Barr, Nick Short with Security Studies Group, tweeted a quote from Nunes, This is the unraveling of the biggest political scandal in American historyremember, this dates back to late 2015, early 2016 & this began as nothing more/nothing less than a Clinton/Obama operation with a bunch of dirty cops at the FBI & career DOJ officials. On Saturday, Nunes noted: The Russia investigation was based on false pretenses, false intel, and false media reports. House Intel found a yr ago there was no evidence of collusion, and Democrats who falsely claim to have such evidence have needlessly provoked a terrible, more than two-year-long crisis. The Russia investigation was based on false pretenses, false intel, and false media reports. House Intel found a yr ago there was no evidence of collusion, and Democrats who falsely claim to have such evidence have needlessly provoked a terrible, more than two-year-long crisis. Devin Nunes (@DevinNunes) March 24, 2019 Investigative reporter Paul Sperry, citing Nunes, added, Rep. Devin Nunes says House Intel has evidence Clinton operatives & hi-level FBI & DOJ officials started Trump-Russia investigation in late 2015/early 2016 &that House GOP will be making criminal referrals to AG Barr for officials who perpetuated this hoax for 3+ yrs. BREAKING:Rep. Devin Nunes says House Intel has evidence Clinton operatives & hi-level FBI & DOJ officials started Trump-Russia investigation in "late 2015/early 2016" &that House GOP will be making criminal referrals to AG Barr for officials who "perpetuated this hoax" for 3+ yrs Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) March 24, 2019 The coup has failed. Now its time for the conspirators to pay for their treason. Sources include: NewsTarget.com TheNationalSentinel.com (Natural News) A few days ago, NBCs show TODAY spent five and a half minutes talking about vaccines. But they didnt talk about vaccine safety studies and how they arent held to the same standard of other medicines. They didnt talk about the revolving door between vaccine manufacturers and government entities. They didnt even talk about why the CDC vaccine schedule has increased exponentially over the years. (Article by Ty & Charlene Bollinger republished from TheTruthAboutCancer.com) They utilized the typical ad hominem attacks. This phrase is Latin for against the man. Instead of advancing good, sound reasoning, ad hominems replace logical argumentation with attack-language unrelated to the truth of the matter. This is a typical tactic of those in favor of vaccine mandates. Call those who question the safety or efficacy of vaccines a name like Vaccine Refuseniks or Science Deniers or Conspiracy Quacks. It was a hit piece that used a broad brush to label people as anti-vaxxers and accused them of deliberately spreading misinformation and preying on peoples fear. By the way, the anti-vaxx and pro-vaxx terminology creates a logical fallacy called a false dichotomy because the vast majority of medical doctors today would probably categorize their position as somewhere in between. Many doctors who consider themselves pro-vaccine, for example, do not believe that every single vaccine is appropriate for every single individual. Many doctors recommend a delayed vaccine schedule for some patients, and not always the recommended one-size-fits-all CDC childhood schedule. Other doctors choose to recommend vaccines based on the actual science and merit of each vaccine, recommending some vaccines, while determining that others are not worth the risk for children. Then, the segment featured a clip from our Global Health News series, a quick sound bite designed to portray TTAC as dishonest and fear-mongering. The clip was used without our knowledge, and NBC did not reach out to us for comment. Were here to set the record straight. 18-Year-Old Ethan Lindenberger Used as Prop in Pro-Vaxx Propaganda Host Kristen Dahlgren began the segment by repeating the WHOs statement that vaccine hesitancy is a top ten global health risk. She then introduced Ethan Lindenberger, who testified on Capitol Hill recently about the role of social media in spreading misinformation and fear-mongering that Dahlgren said puts many people at risk. Lindenberger is an 18-year-old boy from Ohio, with no background in medical research nor any other credentials or experience that would qualify him as an expert in any way. The teen gained some notoriety when he chose to be vaccinated after turning 18. His mother had chosen not to have her children vaccinated, and it wasnt until his 18th birthday that he could choose for himself. He blamed social media for his mothers choices, claiming that she would turn to anti-vaccine groups online and on social media looking for her evidence and defense, rather than health officials and through credible sources. Ethans mother and brother speak out in the video with Del Bigtree below: When asked where he gets most of his information, he said, not Facebook and cited the CDC and WHO as his primary sources. To be clear, both the CDC and the WHO have Facebook pages where they routinely share short videos or images, often with links to relevant health articles. Lindenberger fancies himself a social media whiz, having listed OH! Publishing as an employer, but his Reddit page clarifies that he simply helped a friend set up social media accounts to promote a book. He also has two Facebook accounts, allegedly because he forgot his password. Why were listening to an unqualified young man who cant figure out how to reset his password explain the dangers of social media remains a mystery. The fact that information is shared on Facebook does not inherently make it untrue. Frankly, the boys story adds no value to the social debate revolving around vaccines, though Dahlgren seemed happy to use the gimmick to lead off her segment. [Note: We believe in medical freedom of choice, and support Ethans constitutional right to make his own choices regarding vaccination.] NBC Attacks The Truth About Cancer The host went on to accuse anti-vaxxers of blanketing social media with misinformation campaigns that are designed to scare families, while showing logos from TTAV, the documentary Vaxxed, and the National Vaccine Information Center. At the 1:40 mark, Ms. Dahlgren, while referring to the 2019 outbreak of measles, states in the first 2 months of 2019, the CDC has reported more cases of measles than in all of 2016 and 2017 combined. Wow! So we must be looking at thousands and thousands of measles cases to be considered an outbreak, right? Wrong. According to the CDC, from January 1 to February 28, 2019, 206 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 11 states. Doing the math, thats an average of about 19 cases per state. NINETEEN ONE NINER. Not exactly what most people would think when they hear outbreak is it? But according to the CDC, an outbreak is defined as 3 or more cases. Can anyone say fear mongering? Oh yeah, since 2000, there have been a total of eleven reported deaths from measles, or an average of one death every couple of years. While any death is tragic and heartbreaking, you can see that measles is not typically a deadly disease. The number of Americans who die from measles every year is about the same number that die from a scorpion sting! Youre about 100 times more likely to die from being struck by lightning than from measles in the USA. At 1:48 Amy Pisani (the executive director for Vaccinate Your Family) says Its a public health nightmare, because children are actually getting the diseases that were eliminated from our country years ago. HMMMMM Ms. Pisani is referring to measles, which she claims was eliminated from the USA years ago. But thats a misleading play on words, because elimination does not really mean eradication. In 2000, when the CDC said that measles had been eliminated in the country, they actually meant that measles was no longer endemic. In other words, any measles cases that occurred would come from people traveling to the country. At the 2 minute mark, they show a clip from Global Health News, singling out the line where Ty says, The only science thats settled is that vaccines harm. In the episode, we discussed mandatory vaccinations, state senator Richard Pans refusal to discuss whistle-blowers in the CDC, and unsupported claims about vaccine safety. After diving into the issues with safety testing and research in the context of a discussion about mandatory vaccination we pointed out that the only thing we know for certain is that vaccines can cause harm. Watch the full episode here: This was a blatant and unethical attempt to slander and discredit our work and our mission. The clip was carefully used to fit Dahlgrens narrative, and we were lumped unfairly into the anti-vaxxer and misinformation categories without so much as an email requesting a comment. After the slanderous attack on our mission, we were introduced to Dr. John Torres, an ER doctor and NBC medical correspondent. They asked him about three vaccine myths. Since preventing misinformation is such a priority for the network, were going to fact-check Dr. Torres responses. The Fact Check Fact Check #1 Concern: Vaccines can cause autism. Torres Response: There was one study thats been disproven. Multiple studies show that vaccines dont cause autism. Fact Check: Honestly, we had a difficult time finding the multiple studies on the CDC.gov website that show vaccines dont cause autism. However, we did find one of the studies they cite for support of their assertion. Poul Thorsen was one of the co-authors, so we will refer to it as the Thorsen study. The Thorsen study was a CDC sponsored cohort study and was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002 and Pediatrics in 2003. There were 7 other co-authors of the study, and they looked at Danish data between 1991 and 1998. Thimerosal was removed from Danish vaccines in 1992, and the Thorsen study indicated that not only did autism rates not go down after its removal, they actually went up. Therefore, there was no link between thimerosal (mercury) in vaccines and autism. Therefore, vaccines do not cause autism. Heres the rest of the story that was never included in the Thorsen studys findings. Its a perfect example of lying by omission. During that period, the Danish registry added outpatient clinics to their count of autism cases, when these cases had never been included before. It turns out that 93% of Danish children are diagnosed with autism at outpatient clinics, but the number of autism cases before 1995 did not include the clinics. Also, in addition to adding outpatient clinic autism diagnoses, there was also a new law requiring, for the first time, that autism cases be reported on the national registry in Denmark. The combination of these 2 factors is what likely accounted for the sudden rise in reported cases of autism, not the removal of mercury from vaccines. But thats not all. Of the 8 co-authors of the study, Poul Thorsen was actually a CDC employee, three co-authors had received direct funding from the CDC on vaccine-safety related projects, and two of the co-authors were employees of Statens Serum Institute, a Danish vaccine manufacturer. None of these conflicts are mentioned in the study. In a report released September 18, 2017, our good friend, Bobby Kennedy, and his team outlined various criminal acts committed by the CDC, whose problematic ethics coupled with downright scientific fraud have resulted in extremely unreliable vaccine safety science. And this isnt the first time weve seen a problem with study ethics. The FDA conducts inspections of clinical sites where human testing is underway. They sometimes find misconduct or substantially substandard practices, but arent able to relay the issues to the medical community, so the studies are still published. In a JAMA Network review, 57 studies published between 1998 and 2013 were found to have falsification or submission of false information, problems with adverse events reporting, protocol violations, inadequate or inaccurate recordkeeping, failure to protect the safety of patients and/or issues with oversight or informed consent, and violations not otherwise categorized. The studies we see are not always backed by good science. Among other alarming information, Kennedy has found evidence of criminal activity by Poul Thorsen. The evidence, recently uncovered by Childrens Health Defense, shows that Thorsen and his collaborators did not obtain permission from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) to conduct their research. In 2009, when CDC discovered that Thorsen never applied for the IRB approvals, they did not report the errors and retract the studies. Rather, FOIA documents show that CDC supervisors ignored the missteps and covered up the illegal activity. In 2011, The Department of Justice indicted Thorsen on 22 counts of wire fraud and money laundering for stealing over $1 million in CDC grant money earmarked for autism research. Thorsen is currently on the most wanted list on the OIG website. Despite the obvious ramifications of the above-omitted details, conflicts of interest, and criminal activity, the Thorsen study was never retracted. And heres the kicker: This fraud-tainted study is now cited as one of the primary studies that form the backbone of the popular orthodoxy that vaccines do not cause autism. There have been several instances in which experts and professionals who speak up about the connection between vaccines and autism have been quickly silenced. Dr. Andrew Zimmerman, Dr. William Thompson, and even Congressman Mark Green have been threatened, persecuted, or simply dismissed at the first sign that they are unwilling to play ball with the vaccine industry. Further, the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program has paid over $4 billion to families who have suffered injury or death caused by vaccines. Given the low reporting rate, rigorous application process, and unique rules that make findings for the plaintiff uncommon, this is a massive number. Have you ever heard of Hannah Poling? Hannahs father, Jon a Harvard trained medical doctor/neurologist claimed in 2008 that Hannahs autistic symptoms were caused by a vaccine reaction after she had received 5 vaccines (DTaP, Hib, MMR, Varicella, and Polio) at the age of 19 months. Heres whats interesting: Hannah had been part of a study of normally developing children prior to being diagnosed with autism and had received an advanced brain imaging technology being developed by Harvard University. Dr. Jon Poling was able to present compelling evidence that the vaccine reaction was causative of Hannahs autism. The vaccine court ruled in favor of Poling stating that there was sufficient evidence to conclude that vaccines given to Hannah Poling likely aggravated an underlying mitochondrial disease causing brain damage with features of autism. The Poling family was awarded $1,507,284. Also interesting is the Sanofi Pasteur Tripedia Vaccine insert (for the DTaP vaccine) which lists autism as a possible adverse event. The Tripedia vaccine was taken off the market several years ago due to public outcry about its link to autism and other adverse affects. Its crystal clear that the science is not settled regarding vaccines and autism. Fact Check #2 Concern: Infant immune systems are not able to handle the burden of the current vaccine schedule. Torres Response: Infants have very strong immune systems to begin with. They are exposed to thousands of germs every day. The shots only have a few germs to prime their systems and are totally safe. Fact Check: Infants are born with very susceptible immune systems. For the first month or so, most of the babys immunity is passed on from the mother. Their immune systems develop as they encounter various viruses and germs, but the process takes time. Infants have weak immune systems that can be compromised by such a heavy load of antigens and toxins at such an early age. Whats more, this suppressed immune response is necessary for the child to develop healthy gut bacteria, which are necessary for a strong immune system. Toxic adjuvants in vaccines cause the body to go into a protective mode that prevents healthy bacteria from getting in, potentially causing permanent damage. In addition to the relevant antigens (the virus itself), vaccines contain a host of preservatives, adjuvants, and antibiotics including thimerosal (mercury), aluminum, gelatin, and MSG, are just a few of the ingredients commonly used. It is thought that the rise in childhood allergies may be a result of increased exposure to these ingredients and other toxins. Additionally, certain cell lines, like WI-38 and MRC-5, are derived from aborted fetuses. These are used in vaccines for Hepatitis A, Rubella, chickenpox, and shingles, to name a few. Below is the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for thimerosal. As you can clearly see, these do not look like benign substances. Fact Check #3 Concern: The bodys immune system is better than any vaccine. Torres Response: The bodys immune system is better only once youve been exposed to the disease. Measles has a 1 in 500 death rate and the vaccine has a 1 in 1,000,000 chance of an allergic reaction. Fact check: It is true that the body builds immunity based on exposure to various germs and diseases. However, according to Physicians for Informed Consent, the fatality rate of measles is closer to 1 in 10,000. This number (0.01%) is 20 times smaller than Torres number (0.2%). Conversely, the WHO says that reactions to the MMR vaccine are not uncommon. The risk of a fever over 103 degrees is between 5 and 15 percent. Rashes occur between 2 and 5 percent of the time. Anaphylaxis occurs in as many as 10 in every million doses. The rate of seizures caused by the vaccine is about 1 in 3,000. Torres says the odds of an allergic reaction are 1 in a million, or 0.0001%. The odds of severe fever, rashes, anaphylaxis, and seizures are 15%, 5%, 0.001%, and 0.033%, respectively. Again, these numbers come directly from the WHO website, and expose Torres as either a liar or an unreliable source. For someone who claims to be battling misinformation, neither Ms. Dahlgren nor Dr. Torres seem very interested in accuracy. But maybe theres another reason for such a biased, slanderous, and inaccurate report: money. Pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars every year on TV advertising and are one of the primary sources of revenue for most major networks. In fact, pharmaceutical companies spend far more on marketing than on actual research. In a 2017 interview, lawyer and radio host Mike Papantonio said the following: According to a 2009 study by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, with the exception of CBS every major media outlet in the United States shares at least one board member with at least one drug company. Let me put it in perspective for you, these board members wake up, they go to a meeting at Merck or Pfizer, and then they have their driver take them over to a meeting with NBC to decide what kind of programming that network is going to air. For those board members who arent pulling double duty with a media conglomerate and a big drug company, they still understand that they cant be honest and objective about big pharma because big pharma pays their bills. We see how this influence has spread to social media. Our profile was removed from Pinterest, and Facebook has released statements that they will be taking steps to remove or bury anti-vaccination posts and pages. But remember false dichotomy? Speaking up about the safety of vaccines, or the money that the industry uses to influence the government and regulatory bodies, does not automatically make someone anti-vaxx. At TTAC, we are pro-freedom and pro-knowledge. We believe that no government should dictate what chemicals we put into our bodies and that we should be able to travel freely across state lines without carrying papers that verify our compliance. These are not wild, unfounded fears. These are based on real legislation in motion right now regarding mandatory vaccination. We support Ethan Lindenbergers right to choose vaccinations, just as we support his mothers decision to abstain. What we will not abide are the lies being pushed by manufacturers, health organizations, and major media outlets. We do thorough research before publishing an article, eBook, or docu-series. We interview experts from around the world and spend hours pouring through scientific studies so that we can give you all the information you need to make the decision thats right for you, no matter what that decision may be. Vaccines are one of the most polarizing topics of our day. People on both sides have dug in their heels and are unwilling to have an open discussion. The moment that a person questions the safety of vaccines, they are branded as a dangerous lunatic. But we challenge you to look through some of our articles. Look at our coverage of Vaxelis, or the yellow fever vaccine. Check our sources. Our goal here is to present the truth. Shame on you, Kristen Dahlgren, and shame on the executives at NBC. This was not reporting; this was a targeted and dishonest attack. If NBC, Kristen Dahlgren, Dr. John Torres, or Ethan Lindenberger want to join the fight against misinformation and fake news, perhaps they should start by looking in the mirror. 6 Vaccine Truths Everyone Should Know 1| Vaccines have not been proven to be safe. New vaccines are routinely tested against confirmed dangerous ones in order to arrive at what appear to be positive outcomes, and the timeline for these studies is significantly shorter than for other drugs seeking FDA approval. As a matter of fact, the 2011 Supreme Court decision, Bruesewitz v. Wyeth, SCOTUS referenced the already established status of vaccines as unavoidably UNSAFE. To reiterate U.S. law regards vaccines as unavoidably unsafe. (the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, 42 USC 300aa-22) 2| Theres too much money being pumped into the system by the pharmaceutical industry. Those who serve in the CDC Immunization office are often rewarded with lucrative jobs by some of the industrys biggest companies, including Merck, who has been repeatedly accused of defrauding the U.S. government but continues to be one of the leading manufacturers of U.S. vaccines. 3| Vaccines use preservatives that are known to be dangerous. Many vaccines are accompanied by adjuvants like aluminum and mercury. These toxic substances can wreak havoc on the immune system and have been linked to a host of diseases. There is evidence that these preservatives cause a number of health issues, including autism. 4| Infant immune systems are not equipped to handle the load that the current vaccine schedule presents. In order to develop healthy gut bacteria, infant immune systems are initially suppressed. The massive load of toxic adjuvants and antigens put the infant body on defense, preventing healthy gut bacteria and permanently damaging the childs immune system. 5| Vaccine manufacturers are not liable for harm caused by their products. Lobbyists have pressured the government, claiming that to NOT make vaccines available is unethical. Thats why there are no studies comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated populations. If you or your family are injured or killed by vaccines, you have to go through the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, where you essentially sue your own government for the negligence of private corporations. 6| Freedom of information is under assault. Politicians who question vaccine safety are quickly silenced, and expert witnesses are dismissed and misrepresented if their findings dont support the vaccine industry. Now were seeing social media platforms caving to pressure by silencing anyone who speaks out against the CDC schedule, safety testing standards, or the millions of dollars the industry spends on lobbying efforts. Read more at: TheTruthAboutCancer.com (Natural News) Now that special counsel Robert Mueller has filed his report with Attorney General William Barr and the Justice Department announced there would be no new indictments in his witch hunt investigation into imagined collusion between POTUS Donald Trumps campaign and Mother Russia, the president wants a little payback. Or justice. Whatever you want to call it, its long overdue. Specifically, the president wants to see some investigative action taken against members of the Obama-era Deep State who were involved in the coup attempt to overthrow him after he beat the pantsuit off of Hillary Clinton in 2016, much to their surprise and anger. But also, POTUS wants to see some Democrats pay a political and legal price for their involvement and cover-ups as well. There are a lot of people out there that have done some very, very evil things, very bad things. I would say treasonous things against our country, President Trump said at a White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday when asked about the conclusion of Mullers investigation. And hopefully, people that have done such harm to our country, weve gone through a period of really bad things happening. Those people will certainly be looked at. I have been looking at them for a long time, he added. The president did not name specific people he would like to see investigated. However, he gave indications that they had a lot to do with triggering the special counsel probe, to begin with which, weve since learned, was premised on a hoax narrative devised pre- and post-election (an insurance policy) to undermine him every moment of his presidency and, in doing so, find a way to depose him. Why havent they been looked at? They lied to Congress. Many of them, you know who they are. Theyve done so many evil things, he said. (Related: Russia hoax COLLAPSES: Not a single American charged with collusion with Russia; left-wing media has been LYING all along.) The president went on to note that what has happened to him and his administration cannot be allowed to happen to any other president that includes weeding out Deep State rogues in the FBI and Justice Department, as well as the intelligence community. Traitor is not too strong a word or charge against someone who tried to overthrow our president What they did, it was a false narrative, it was a terrible thing, POTUS noted. We can never let this happen to another president again. Democrats definitely deserve some blame here and, if at all possible, some legal attention. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) comes immediately to mind. Not only has he lied repeatedly to his constituents and to the American people regarding his oft-repeated claim that Trump colluded with Russia, he is a serial leaker, according to several people including former colleague Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.). So does Rep. Eric Swalwell, another California Democrat. As Fox News Tucker Carlson said on his program Friday, hes the original collusion truther, adding that there hasnt been a single aspect of that bogus narrative he has failed to embrace and hasnt repeated as established fact. There are a host of others including Reps. Maxine Waters (another California Democrat) and Steve Cohen of Tennessee, both of whom have not only lied about collusion but have called for the presidents impeachment based on the lie. There are plenty of Deep State operatives as well as current and former government officials who should not simply be allowed to resign or be fired but should face charges of treason: James Comey, John Brennan, James Clapper, Lisa Page, Bruce Ohr, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, and Stephen Halper, to name a few. And lets never forget the ringleader himself Barack Hussein Obama, for without his approval none of this would have taken place. If the word traitor sounds too harsh, so be it. Thats what these people are; anyone who takes part in a plot to overthrow a duly elected, innocent president should be treated as an enemy of the state. Sources include: Breitbart.com TheNationalSentinel.com Barnacles that hitch rides on the backs of humpback and gray whales not only record details about the whales' yearly travels, they also retain this information after they become fossilized, helping scientists reconstruct the migrations of whale populations millions of years in the past, according to a new University of California, Berkeley, study. Oxygen isotope ratios in barnacle shells change with ocean condition and allow scientists to chart the migration of the host whale, for example to warmer breeding grounds or colder feeding grounds. Now, marine paleobiologists led by UC Berkeley doctoral student Larry Taylor have discovered that barnacles retain this information even after they fall off the whale, sink to the ocean bottom, and become fossils." As a result, the travels of fossilized barnacles can serve as a proxy for the peregrinations of whales in the distant past, like GPS trackers from the Pleistocene. "One of the more exciting things about the paper, in my mind, is that we find evidence for migration in all of these ancient populations, from three different sites and time periods, but also from both humpback and gray whale lineages, indicating that these animals, which lived hundreds of thousands of years ago, were all undertaking migrations similar in extent to those of modern-day whales," Taylor said. One surprise finding is that the coast of Panama has been a meeting ground for different subpopulations of humpback whales for at least 270,000 years and still is today. Whales visit Panama from as far away as Antarctica and the Gulf of Alaska. This information about ancient migration will help scientists understand how migration patterns may have affected the evolution of whales over the past 3 to 5 million years, how these patterns changed with changing climate and help predict how today's whales will adapt to the rapid climate change happening today. "We want to understand how malleable migratory behavior has been through time, how rapidly whales have adapted to previous climate changes, and see if this can give us some clues as to how they might respond to the current changes in Earth's climate," he said. "How will whales cope with that, how will the food base shift, how will the whales themselves respond?" Taylor and his colleagues, senior author Seth Finnegan, a UC Berkeley associate professor of integrative biology, Aaron O'Dea of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and Timothy Bralower of Pennsylvania State University in University Park, will publish their findings this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Riding the whales Barnacles are crustaceans, like crabs, lobsters and shrimp, that remain stuck in one place their whole lives, encased in a protective hard shell and sticking out their legs to snatch passing food. Most glue themselves to rocks, boats or pilings, but whale barnacles attach to a whale's skin by boring down into it. Some whales have been estimated to carry up to 1,000 pounds of barnacles, which are visible when they breech. Clusters of barnacles are used to identify individual whales. "This gives the barnacle several advantages: a safe surface to live on, a free ride to some of the richest waters in the world and a chance to meet up with other (barnacles) when the whales get together to mate," O'Dea said. Taylor's technique works because different species of whale barnacle hitch rides on different species of whale, so paleontologists can know, when they find a fossilized barnacle, which species it rode with. Normally, the barnacles stay with a whale between one and three years, until they fall or are brushed off, often at whale breeding grounds. At least 24 fossil assemblages of whale barnacles have been found around the world, Taylor said. The new discovery means that the fossilized barnacles recovered at these sites can tell about ancient migrations of humpbacks, gray whales and perhaps other baleen whales (toothed whales, such as sperm whales, do not host many barnacles), potentially turning up previously unsuspected feeding and breeding areas. The technique is based on measuring the oxygen isotopes in the calcium carbonate, or calcite, shell of the barnacle. The ratio of oxygen-18 to oxygen-16 goes up as the temperature drops. Since barnacles lengthen their shells by a few millimeters a month as they try to stay attached to whales in the face of the mammals' shedding skin, the composition of the new shell reflects the ocean temperature and general isotopic composition where it formed. Taylor built on previous work showing that barnacles attached to living gray whales record a chemical signature of their migrations. He confirmed that the isotopic composition of the humpback whale barnacle (Coronula diadema) also tracks its environment today during the whales' yearly migration, showing monthly changes. He then demonstrated that fossilized barnacles from Panama and from the California coast could be analyzed similarly, and that they showed isotopic changes similar to that of today's whales." This technique will be particularly valuable for studying prehistoric humpback populations, Taylor said, because the humpback was and is more cosmopolitan than the California gray whale, cruising widely through the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Scientists theorize that whale migration began as food sources became more scattered as the climate changed 5 million years ago. Modern Pacific whales migrate tens of thousands of miles annually, visiting several known feeding areas and returning to warm waters off Central and South America or Hawaii to breed. "We plan to push this approach further back in time and across different whale populations," Finnegan said. "We hope that by analyzing other aspects of the geochemistry of the barnacles shells we might ultimately be able to figure out what areas different ancient whale populations were migrating to." A federal appeals court Monday upheld the dismissal of a negligence claim against the city of San Francisco and former Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi by the parents of a woman killed by a bullet from a gun held by an undocumented immigrant. A panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Mirkarimi was acting within his discretion when he issued a 2015 memo limiting the amount of information jail staff could give federal authorities about the release of inmates who were undocumented immigrants. The court said that while federal laws require sharing of some information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the laws "plainly and unambiguously" do not require notification of jail release dates. Kate Steinle, 32, was killed while walking on Pier 14 in San Francisco on July 1, 2015, by a ricocheting bullet from a gun held by Jose Ines Garcia Zarate. Garcia Zarate, a Mexican citizen with a history of drug convictions and deportations, was released from San Francisco county jail two and a half months earlier. The jail staff did not inform ICE about the release. Garcia Zarate was acquitted in a San Francisco Superior Court trial of Steinle's murder, but was convicted of being an ex-felon in possession of a gun. He is appealing that conviction. The lawsuit by parents James Steinle and Elizabeth Sullivan still contains an additional claim against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The gun held by Garcia Zarate was stolen four days earlier from a bureau ranger's car, and the parents claim the ranger violated a duty to secure the loaded handgun properly. Family members say a body discovered at San Francisco's Fort Funston Monday has been determined to be that of 22-year-old Kyra Sunshine Scarlet, the woman who was buried in a landslide at the beach last month. Family members made the announcement Tuesday on a GoFundMe page dedicated to Scarlet. Back on Feb. 22, Scarlet was with another woman and a dog when tons of sand gave way and came sliding more than 100 feet, carrying them along. The other woman and dog were rescued, but crews were unable to find Scarlet until Monday. Fort Funston is part of the federal Golden Gate National Recreation Area and is about 10 miles south of the Golden Gate Bridge. It is set above steep cliffs that are about 200 feet above the San Francisco beach. The Associated Press contributed to this report. U.S. Coast Guard crews and other authorities are continuing to search for a man who went missing after going swimming with friends at Rockaway Beach in Pacifica early Tuesday morning. Officers responded at about 4:20 a.m. to a report of a missing swimmer, later identified as 28-year-old Tyler Collins of Merced County, among a group of friends who were staying at a nearby hotel. The group had been at the beach when two decided to go into the water, police said. The two were about 50 feet from shore when one went missing. The friends searched the beach and surrounding area but didn't find him, then called the police. The swimmer had been last seen about 45 minutes before the friends called police. Police, firefighters and Coast Guard crews have been searching Tuesday morning for the swimmer, described as a white man in his 20s who is about 5 feet 7 inches tall, 160 pounds with brown hair, and was last seen wearing black boxer shorts, according to police. The Coast Guard sent a lifeboat and aircraft to the area but they had not found the man as of 8:30 a.m. The Henry Avocado company in Escondido is voluntarily recalling whole avocados that might be contaminated with the listeria bacteria at the company's North County packing facility. Henry Avocado said the recall covers conventional and organic avocados grown and packed in California. The company said the avocados subject to recall were in stores before March 22. The questionable fruit was sold in bulk to retailers in California, Arizona, Florida, Wisconsin, North Carolina and New Hampshire. Phil Henry, president of the avocado company, told NBC San Diego that avocados imported from Mexico are safe to eat and are not being recalled. The types of Henry avocados can be easily identified by the small stickers on their skins (Pictured Above). One sticker has the words "Organic" and "California" and the number 94225. The other has the words "California" and "Bravocado" and the number 4770. There have been no reports of any illnesses associated with the avocados. The company says it issued the voluntary recall after a routine inspection of its packing plant revealed samples that tested positive for listeria. The company says avocados imported from Mexico and distributed by Henry are not being recalled and are safe. Listeria is a bacteria that can cause fever and diarrhea, and more dangerous complications in pregnant women, and the frail and elderly. "This voluntary recall is being conducted and overseen by a third party expert," company president Phil Henry told NBC San Diego. "Henry Avocado is focused on thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing our Escondido facility. This will be followed by comprehensive environment sampling before we begin packing there again." The San Diego Farm Bureau said the avocado recall is a good reminder of the importance of washing all fruits and vegetables -- including avocados -- before eating. "Because the concern with an avocado is very simple," said Farm Bureau spokesman Eric Larson. "You peel the skin off, so people assume that it's completely safe (to eat). But if you put a knife through it, you can take whatever's on the skin and put it onto the fruit." California lawmakers will discuss the future of high-speed rail Tuesday and seek answers from the Newsom administration about the governor's vision for the long-delayed project. The Senate Transportation Committee's oversight hearing will be lawmakers' first public discussion on the project since Gov. Gavin Newsom suggested changes last month. California voters approved nearly $10 billion in bond money in 2008 to build a high-speed rail line between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The total cost now stands at $77 billion with a completion date of 2033. The state does not have nearly enough money to complete the project. Newsom in his state of state speech said there wasn't a path for the project as planned and said he's instead focus immediately on completing and expanding a line through the Central Valley, adding about 50 miles of track to a line already under construction. He also said he'd continue environmental work on the full line and has since said he's committed to a train from San Francisco to Los Angeles. A background paper put together by Senate staff says Newsom's comments left people "perplexed" about his plans. His administration has not provided any additional details, including how much his new plan will cost, according to the paper. The California High-Speed Rail Authority will lay out more details about Newsom's plan in a May 1 report. Sen. Jim Beall, a San Jose Democrat who heads the transportation committee, said lawmakers want to be proactive in discussing the project's future instead of waiting for Newsom's administration to offer more clarity. "We can't be passive," he said. Set to testify are Lenny Mendonca, Newsom's appointee to head the board that oversees the rail project; the head of the project's peer review group; the state auditor and the legislative analyst's office. The Senate background briefing outlines the project's challenges, including the risk of losing roughly $3.5 billion in federal money that the Trump administration has threatened to rescind or withdraw. The state has spent about $2.5 billion and is waiting for about $929 million more. A roughly 119-mile segment of track in the Central Valley must be completed by 2022 to keep that money, and environmental reviews on the entire line must be finished. The Senate paper says the rail authority will have to work twice as fast as it has been to meet the deadline. Police late Monday afternoon were investigating a shooting at the California Department of Corrections building in San Francisco. The victim, an 18-year-old who was on pretrial release, has been transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, police sources tell NBC Bay Area. Authorities initially told NBC Bay Area the victim was a parolee. Witnesses tell police the suspect hopped into a white vehicle and fled the area. Several nearby streets are blocked off and police have alerted residents to avoid the area of 13th Street and South Van Ness Avenue. Police said no Department of Corrections personnel are involved in the incident. No other information was immediately available. The sanctuary county debate in Santa Clara continued Tuesday. Santa Clara County Police Chiefs Association wrote a joint letter to the county board of supervisors last week, asking to modify the sanctuary county status after a woman was murdered in San Jose by an undocumented immigrant with criminal records. The March 21 letter, signed by 11 police chiefs, including San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia, who has previously asked the county's santurary policy to be revisited, addressed the Board of Supervisors and President Joe Simitian to revise the policy so that it's consistent with the California Values Act. "Contrary to other immigrant-focused initiatives that our agencies have supported, the existing policy that allows predatory criminals to evade lawful deportation requests makes everyone less safe," the letter read. "The County's policy, which predates California's law allowing the safe transfer of individuals deemed to be a threat to public safety to federal immigration officials, undermines the safety of the communities we collectively seek to protect, to include law abiding immigrants." The man who sparked the conversation, Carlos Eduardo Arevalo Carranza, was arrested earlier this month after a 12-day manhunt. Hes accused of killing Bambi Larson in what investigators described as one of the most gruesome and disturbing murders in recent memory. Carranza is an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said cities and counties ignored its requests to detain him for deportation after having prior arrests. "If I have to oppose policies that hinder my ability to keep my city safe, then thats something I have to do," Garcia previously said. Since 2010, Santa Clara has barred its employees from using county resources to communicate with ICE regarding any information collected in the course of providing critical services or benefits. The policy predates the CA Values Act (SB54), which was signed into law on Oct. 5, 2017 and went into effect on Jan. 1, 2018, the police chiefs argued. The letter asked that the Santa Clara Sheriff's Office be allowed to "honor ICE Notification Requests for inmate outdates as allowable under [CA Values Act.]" Erik Bonnar, an acting field office director for ICE, said Carranza has been arrested numerous times for criminal activity and convicted of more than 10 crimes in the past three years, including kidnapping, drug possession, battery on a police officer, trespassing and burglary, which would have made him eligible for transfer to ICE under SB54, according to law enforcement. Carranza was diagnosed with psychosis back in 2016, according to a source. Read the police chiefs' full letter below: Authorities arrested a man suspected of a Thanksgiving shooting at an Alabama mall where police killed a man they mistakenly believed to be the gunman, officials said Thursday. Emantic "EJ" Bradford Jr. was killed by an officer responding to the report of a mall shooting. Police said Bradford had a gun, and they initially blamed him for opening fire. They later retracted that allegation. Erron Martez Dequan Brown, 20, of Bessemer was charged with attempted murder in the Nov. 22 shooting at the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, according to a statement from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Inspector Frank Lempka with the U.S. Marshals in Atlanta said Brown was arrested Thursday morning at a relative's home in South Fulton, just outside of Atlanta. Brown was taken to the Fulton County jail for a hearing to be sent back to Alabama, Lempka said. Brown's arrest followed days of protests over Bradford's killing in Hoover, where leaders of an asked the state Thursday for permission to release more information about the killing. Brown was charged in the shooting of Brian Xavier Wilson, 18, of Birmingham, who was wounded. He wasn't charged with shooting a 12-year-old girl who also was injured. Court records show Brown was arrested in June 2017 in Huntsville on a charge of using a gun to rob a man, but the case was dismissed three months later after prosecutors filed notice that they didn't want to pursue the case. With the city's lone black City Council member, Derrick Murphy, acting as a spokesman, officials made the request during an appearance at City Hall that ended with two prayers. The city will look at releasing information on its own if no response comes by noon Monday, Murphy said. Demonstrators and relatives of Bradford have pushed authorities to release video and other evidence since an officer responding to a report of the shooting, which happened at Alabama's largest shopping mall. Murphy, who joined other leaders in meeting with Bradford's relatives earlier this week, said the city wanted to help answer questions raised by the family. "They have our love, they have our prayers," he said. The city made the request about evidence to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency because state investigators are handling the shooting probe. A statement from the agency about Brown's arrest said it was "highly likely" that releasing evidence would hamper the continuing probe, but it didn't directly address the city's request. The statement from the Alabama police agency did not say whether there was any relationship between Bradford and Brown, and an attorney representing the Bradford family did not return a message about whether the two men knew each other. A minister who described himself as the Bradford family's pastor, Mike McClure Jr., said releasing video of the shooting would help calm growing tensions that have included days of protests and racist social media posts. "When there is no information it only leads to imagination," said McClure, one of two pastors who closed the councilman's statement with prayer. McClure said Bradford attended his church, and McClure will officiate at funeral services on Saturday which will include a eulogy by the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Bradford was shot to death on a mall concourse decorated for Christmas. An officer, who has yet to be publicly identified, shot and killed Bradford upon seeing the young man with a gun moments after shots were fired, police said. Bradford's family has said he had a permit to carry a weapon legally, and their attorney has said witnesses reported that Bradford was trying to help after the shooting. In arguing for border wall funding, President Donald Trump claimed without any evidence that only 2 percent of those apprehended crossing the border and released pending immigration hearings appear in court. Actually, Trump administration officials put the figure at about 50 percent, while immigration experts say it is even higher. The president made his remarks on Day 24 of the partial government shutdown, which began because Congress would not agree on Trumps request for $5.7 billion in funding for a proposed border wall. The president was speaking at the American Farm Bureau Federations annual convention in Louisiana. --Trump, Jan. 14: Somebody comes into our country, they touch one foot on the ground, and we have to catch them. Its called, catch. We then take their names and we bring them to a court can you believe this? and we release them. And they go into our country, and then you announce these are the laws then you say, Come back in three years for your trial. Tell me, what percentage of people come back? Would you say 100 percent? No, youre a little off. Like, how about 2 percent? (Laughter.) And those people, you almost dont want, because they cannot be very smart. (Laughter.) Two percent. Two percent. Two percent come back. Those two percent are not going to make America great again, that I can tell you. (Laughter and applause.) Crazy. It is important to note first that most people apprehended at the border are quickly returned to their home country. In an August 2018 report, the Department of Homeland Security said that 52 percent of the 479,000 people apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol for crossing the border illegally in 2014 were returned to their home countries within three days. Overall, DHS repatriated 65 percent of aliens encountered in 2014, with the majority (80 percent) of these repatriations occurring as expedited removals or reinstatements of previous removal orders, according to the DHS report, which tracked the enforcement outcomes over time for people trying to cross the Southwest border legally and illegally in 2014. Mexican nationals, in particular, are often immediately processed and removed, as are those with criminal records, the report said. Existing enforcement measures are highly efficient at repatriating Mexicans, convicted criminals, and single adults who do not seek humanitarian relief, according to the report, which noted that 97 percent of those with criminal records were repatriated. However, DHS has criticized current laws and court rulings that favor the release of unaccompanied children and families from noncontiguous countries until their immigration status can be resolved in court a process that can take years. The DHS report said that more than half of those from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador who were apprehended at the Southwest border in 2014 remained in the U.S. after three years, and about half of all those apprehended from those countries were unaccompanied children and families. But we found no evidence to support Trumps claim that only 2 percent of those released return for court hearings, and no one from the administration provided us with any evidence, either. We contacted the Department of Homeland Security, which referred us to the White House. Hogan Gidley, the White House deputy press secretary, promised to respond in a minute, but never did. However, two administration officials testified about the subject before Congress, and both officials put the figure for no-shows at around 50 percent not 2 percent. At an Aug. 16, 2018, hearing, Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, questioned James McHenry, director of the Justice Departments Executive Office for Immigration Review, specifically about unaccompanied children who are released and then fail to show up at immigration hearings. Im trying to figure out how many that we actually know are showing up to hearings or are still engaged in the process, Lankford said. Do you have a number on that at all? The closest estimate we have is the in absentia rate, the number who receive an order of removal for not showing up at the hearing, McHenry replied. (In absentia is Latin for in the absence.) McHenry said a little over 50 percent of cases involving unaccompanied children crossing the Southwest border are decided in absentia. A chart on the website of the Executive Office of Immigration Review, which McHenry heads, shows the in absentia rate in fiscal year 2018 for unaccompanied alien children, or UACs, was 50 percent. Similarly, Matthew T. Albence, executive associate director for Enforcement and Removal Operations at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told senators at a Sept. 18, 2018, hearing that 53 percent of cases involving family units encountered at the Southwest border in FY 2014 were decided in absentia. One immigration expert told us Trumps 2 percent figure is highly unlikely. As usual, I have no idea where he is getting his figures from and would suggest it is highly unlikely. This is so because those who are processed through the border are released from detention on an ankle monitor and have to follow a number of different procedures to help track them, all found to be highly effective alternatives to detention, said Ayodele Gansallo, an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School who is a senior staff attorney with the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society of Pennsylvania. Lenni B. Benson, who teaches immigration law at New York University, also questioned the 50 percent figure cited in congressional hearings by Trump administration officials. In a phone interview, Benson said the fact that a deportation order is issued in absentia does not mean that the person will be or should be deported. Too often, she said, noncitizens dont know when to appear in court because they are given inadequate notices to appear. Benson cited the case of Wescley Fonseca Pereira, who was ordered removed in absentia because he missed a removal hearing in 2007. The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in June that Pereiras notice to appear was inadequate because it lacked both time and location. In the majority opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that the Department of Homeland Security almost always serves noncitizens with notices that fail to specify the time, place, or date of initial removal hearings, and instead state that the time, place and date are to be determined. The government acknowledged in a court filing that almost 100 percent of notices to appear omit the time and date of the proceeding over the last three years. If given inadequate notice, noncitizens may seek to reopen their immigration proceedings, even though a deportation order was filed against them in absentia. Benson argued that the 50 percent figure cited by the Trump officials is inflated, because it is a snapshot in time. In other words, some who failed to show up and received a deportation order in absentia may nevertheless continue to work through the judicial system. When asked about the best available data on case outcomes, several immigration law experts referred us to a study published last year in the California Law Review that analyzed government data from immigration court cases initiated between 2001 and 2016. The study led by Ingrid Eagly, an immigration law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles found that [f]amily members released from custody attended all of their hearings in 86% of cases during the 15 years covered by the study period. The percentage was slightly lower 81 percent for nonfamilies. One group in particular families seeking asylum had a very high rate of showing up for court hearings. We find that family members seeking asylum who were released from detention attended their hearings in 96% of cases that began in family detention since 2001, the study found. The president frequently complains about what he calls catch and release. Last year, he claimed only 3 percent of those released show up in immigration court, while on other occasions he has said the released immigrants never show up in court or nobody ever shows up. But there is no evidence to support any of these claims. The first all-female spacewalk, which NASA had scheduled for Friday, has been called off "due in part to spacesuit availability on the station," the agency said Monday. That issue involves the upper part of the spacesuit, called the hard upper torso, which connects to the helmet and arms. There was only one hard upper torso in a medium size that could be ready by Friday, NASA said in a news release, and astronaut Anne McClain found on a spacewalk last week that it fit her best. That meant McClain and fellow American Christina Koch couldn't participate in the spacewalk together. NASA didn't say in the news release what other factors might have contributed to the schedule change, or when the first all-female spacewalk would be rescheduled for. But after a cavalcade of ridicule on Twitter from people who said NASA should have more suits that fit its female astronauts, the agency acknowledged the criticism. It noted in its own tweet that there is a second medium-sized spacesuit torso aboard the space station, "but to stay on schedule with @Space_Station upgrades, its safer & faster to change spacewalker assignments than reconfigure spacesuits." A NASA spokeswoman had told The New York Times, "When you have the option of just switching the people, the mission becomes more important than a cool milestone." Last week, NASA's spacewalk flight director, Mary Lawrence, previewed the series of spacewalks the astronauts are embarking on. She said that, while the astronauts are fitted for their suits on Earth, they are checked again in space. "Of course, your body changes slightly in space due to fluid shifts or spine elongation, so we do refit suits to the crew members and make sure that they have the optimal fit," Lawrence said. Asked about what being part of the first all-female spacewalk would mean to her, Lawrence noted that the spacewalk assignments might change, but added, "If they [the astronauts] can inspire that next generation of space explorers, they are certainly worthy of that inspiration and I am just proud to be a part of it." Both McClain and Koch are still slated to take part in upcoming spacewalks: Koch on Friday, to continue installing batteries for a solar array, and McClain tentatively on April 8. Animal shelters from around Georgia were called in to help authorities rescue 700 dogs from a home in Valdosta. News outlets report the shelters say the dogs were kept in small cages, and many of the animals rescued on Saturday had never been walked or held before. One shelter, Release Atlanta, calls it "an extreme hoarding puppy mill case." A transport coordinator with the Humane Society in Valdosta, Tim Hill, says the dogs did appear to have been fed and watered. He says the owner had asked for help from the state Department of Agriculture. Reason Craig Gray, 58, of Nashville, was facing charges of animal cruelty and obstruction, the Berrien County Sheriffs Office said in a statement late Thursday. Gray ran a licensed pet-breeding business known as Georgia Puppies. It sold miniature breeds including teacup Yorkies and toy poodles for up to $600 per dog. Releash Atlanta, an organization caring for eight of the rescued animals, said they "flinch at the feeling of grass under their feet" and were used to sleeping standing up. In a statement posted on Facebook, the Atlanta Humane Society said the animals "have been living in crates their whole lives one tiny crate stacked on top of another. Theyre matted, covered in feces and have never been held or walked." The Humane Society previously named Gray on its "Horrible Hundred 2018" list of problem puppy mills and puppy sellers in the United States. The Georgia Department of Agriculture inspected his facility last week. Gray initially voluntarily surrendered 630 of the dogs, but police say he admitted to subsequently bringing puppies back onto the property. An additional 85 dogs were rescued Thursday after a search warrant was obtained. The shelters say the dogs will be up for adoption once rehabilitated. Over strong objections from prosecutors, a federal judge on Monday took the rare step of letting a 25-year-old man charged with plotting to bomb a Chicago bar avert trial and move on to sentencing without ever saying he did anything wrong. Adel Daoud entered an Alford plea at the end of a three-hour hearing in U.S. District Court, telling Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman he maintained his innocence but that he simultaneously acknowledged prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him had he gone to trial. Agents arrested Daoud in an FBI sting in 2012, after he pressed the button on a remote he was told would ignite what he thought was a 1,000-pound bomb in a car, just blocks from the federal courthouse. Daoud said he wanted to kill at least 100 people, government court filings allege. Daoud's case has dragged out for six years, delayed in part by his statements that the judge was "a reptilian overlord" and that his own lawyers were in cahoots with the Illuminati. After he received treatment for schizophrenia, Coleman earlier this year declared him fit to stand trial. Dressed in orange jails clothes Monday, Daoud at times seemed unsure about the right words to use in a plea that's rare for federal cases and rarer still for federal terrorism cases. Standing before Coleman, he paused and remained quiet when the judge asked: "You are saying you didn't do anything illegal or wrong in this case?" Daoud said he accepted the "factual basis" of the charges against him. But he added, "I deny culpability and maintain my innocence." Daoud, of the Chicago suburb of Hillside, Illinois, faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when he learns his punishment next year. His sentencing will be April 29. Though Daoud didn't enter standard guilty pleas, Coleman explained to him that a judgment of guilty will be entered in the record for nine counts two related to the bomb plot case and seven regarding charges brought while he was in prison. In objecting to the Alfred plea, prosecutor Barry Jonas alluded to statements from Daoud's lawyers that they intended to put "the FBI on trial" for entrapping Daoud. Jonas said that taking the case to a jury would allow the government to show that's not what happened. "I consider this an FBI success story," Jonas said about the case. "The public has a right to know that." Daoud also entered Alford pleas Monday on the seven other counts. Those included charges that, while behind bars, he solicited the killing of a FBI agent who participated in the sting and that he attacked a fellow inmate with a shank fashioned from a toothbrush after the inmate drew a picture of the Prophet Muhammad. In accepting the Alfred pleas, Coleman cited both Daoud's mental health and concerns the defense had raised about what she said was "the overall environment when (the word) 'terrorism' is mentioned." She didn't elaborate. Daoud's lawyers and other critics have argued for years that federal stings tend to snare psychologically vulnerable youth, not committed would-be terrorists. But in the lead up to Monday's hearing, prosecutors sought to dispel the idea that agents roped Daoud into a bomb plot he never would have contemplated on his own. In a 19-page description of the evidence against Daoud recently filed with the court, prosecutors alleged Daoud expressed an interest in acts of violence for months before undercover FBI agents ever engaged him online. President Donald Trump rallied voters Monday for Republican Senate appointee Cindy Hyde-Smith who has found herself in a closer-than-expected runoff contest after comments she made about attending a public hanging drew condemnation. As Trump praised Hyde-Smith at two high-profile rallies in different parts of the state, her opponent, Democrat Mike Espy spoke at a predominantly African-American church and described his campaign as an effort to reach across the "chasm of racial division." The runoff election Tuesday will decide who serves the final two years of a term begun by Republican Sen. Thad Cochran, who resigned in April amid health concerns. The historic contest features Hyde-Smith, who would be the first woman elected to Congress from Mississippi, against Espy, who's vying to become the state's first black senator since Reconstruction. It's a contest that has been buffeted by racial tensions after Hyde-Smith's public hanging comments. And the tensions continued right up until Election Day with the discovery of seven nooses and six handwritten signs on Capitol grounds Monday morning. It was not immediately known who put them there. The signs referred to the state's history of lynchings and the Senate race. One sign said Mississippi needs a senator "who respects the lives of lynch victims." At rallies in Tupelo and then in Biloxi, Trump praised Hyde-Smith and called on voters to send her back to Washington. She was appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant to fill the senate seat after Cochran retired. "She votes for us and she votes for 'Make America Great Again,'" Trump said in Tupelo, where he was accompanied by Hyde-Smith. Trump called her "a truly incredible leader and tireless champion" for Mississippi. "She stood up to the Democrat smear machine," Trump said, praising her for voting to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Hyde-Smith, who has made the Trump rallies a highlight of her runoff campaign, told the crowd in Tupelo: "I worked very, very hard for you. I have stood up for you and you know I will continue to stand up for the conservative values of Mississippi." But race has become a dominant issue as Hyde-Smith faces Espy, a former congressman and U.S. agriculture secretary. Hyde-Smith has drawn fire for a photo showing her wearing a replica hat of a Confederate soldier, and a video showing her praising a supporter by saying, "If he invited me to a public hanging, I'd be on the front row." Mississippi has a history of racially motivated lynchings and violence against people who sought voting rights for black citizens. About 38 percent of the state's residents are black. Espy is trying to boost their turnout and pick up support from white voters who are uneasy with Trump or the racially tinged stories about Hyde-Smith. Espy spoke for nearly 30 minutes Monday to a crowd of about 200 people gathered at church in Jackson. He called on his supporters to go out to vote on Tuesday "like it's a holiday." "We've got a job to do. We need to come out tomorrow in such numbers, such strength, marching to the polls like it's a holiday," he said. "This is a campaign that goes to the color line and it reached across the color line, across the chasm of racial division, across the chasm of racial acrimony," Espy said, saying blacks and whites share common concerns in the issues he's centered his campaign on, such as health insurance, student debt and jobs. It's the last U.S. Senate race to be decided in 2018 and will determine whether Republicans pad their slim majority. "If we win tomorrow, we'll be at 53-47 which is substantially more than we had," Trump said. He said of Espy, "Oh, he's far left, he's out there. How does he fit in in Mississippi?" And he told the crowd, "don't take any chances" by not voting. Hyde-Smith's support of Trump is unmistakable. She used both her opening and closing statements of the only debate of the runoff campaign to promote Monday's presidential rallies, citing the online address to get tickets. Even on trade and tariffs, where Trump's decisions could hurt Mississippi farmers, Hyde-Smith praised the president. After the event in Tupelo, best known as the birthplace of Elvis Presley, Hyde-Smith and Trump flew to the Gulf Coast for a larger rally in Biloxi where thousands of Trump supporters were waiting. "Cindy Hyde-Smith will support President Trump's agenda, and President Trump's agenda includes a better America for all of us, every state, including Mississippi," said Virginia Olander from Bay St. Louis. About 100 anti-Trump protesters were also there, chanting "Impeach 45" as they held signs with red strikes through Hyde-Smith's name. Espy has emphasized that he's a moderate seeking the votes of everyone and willing to work across party lines. He noted during a campaign stop earlier Monday that he had crossed the "party chasm" to endorse the re-election of Republican Gov. Haley Barbour in Mississippi in 2007. Democrats also have used some star power. Former Vice President Joe Biden endorsed Espy, and three Democrats who could run for president in 2020 Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick have been to Mississippi to campaign for the former congressman who served as agriculture secretary in 1993 and 1994 under Democratic President Bill Clinton. For Espy, turnout is key. He must close the gap in a state where Trump received 58 percent in 2016. Mississippi hasn't elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1982. Hyde-Smith has apologized to "anyone that was offended" by the hanging comment, saying she meant no ill will. She and her campaign have refused to discuss the Confederate hat. Trump defended Hyde-Smith Monday. He said the comment was "a little flip" but said she apologized and that he'd "heard that loud and clear." He said he knows "where her heart is and her heart is good." Walmart asked Hyde-Smith to return a $2,000 campaign contribution because of the hanging remark. AP video journalist Stacey Plaisance contributed to this report. A man whose car was stranded in central Oregon snow for five days survived by eating taco sauce packets and starting the engine periodically to warm up. A snowmobiler found Jeremy Taylor, 36, of Sunriver, on Friday and a search and rescue team member who rode to him on a large snow tractor brought him out of the woods, said Sgt. William Bailey, the spokesman for the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office. Taylor, an avid outdoorsman who loves to go off-roading, was last seen getting gas on Feb. 24 in Sunriver. He told his rescuers he and his dog, Ally, became stuck in deep snow on a U.S. Forest Service road later that same day. He slept in his car and when he awoke Monday, more snow had fallen. He attempted to hike out, but the snow was too deep, so Taylor and Ally returned to his car. "Thank you everyone, I'm safe my Ally dog is safe. I really appreciate all the help. Got lucky, lets (sic) never do that again. I'll be in touch with everyone soon," he wrote on his Facebook page late Friday. Taylor did not reply to a message sent through Facebook on Saturday. In response to a friend's Facebook comment about how he ate three Taco Bell hot sauce packets during the ordeal, he joked: "Taco Bell fire sauce saves lives!" Taylor and his dog were both in good health when found, authorities said, but were very hungry. Central Oregon has been hammered with snowstorms in recent weeks. Sunriver is a well-known vacation destination about 3 hours east of Portland. The Mexican government said Tuesday that it will award President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner the highest honor the country gives to foreigners, the Order of the Aztec Eagle. The Foreign Relations Department said Kushner earned the award "for his significant contributions in achieving the renegotiation of the new (trade) agreement between Mexico, the United States and Canada." Once known as the North American Free Trade Agreement, the pact was renegotiated this year and is now called the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA. Kushner "played a fundamental role during the whole process, displaying decisive support for the trade talks ... thus achieving satisfactory results," the department said in a statement. Tuesday's announcement was met by criticism in Mexico, where Trump is widely disliked for his comments about Mexican migrants and promises to build a border wall between the countries. Prominent Mexican intellectual Enrique Krauze called the decision to give Kushner the Aztec Eagle an act of "supreme humiliation and cowardice." "Kushner is the son-in-law of the man who called Mexicans 'killers and rapists,'" Krauze tweeted. Outgoing President Enrique Pena Nieto was harshly criticized for inviting Trump to Mexico while he was still a U.S. presidential candidate. The decision to give Kushner the award comes days before President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador takes office on Dec. 1. Mexico has previously given the award to foreign leaders, dignitaries, cultural figures and philanthropists ranging from Walt Disney to Bill Gates. Mexico's willingness to accept U.S. asylum seekers while their applications are processed appears to be yet another sign of the blooming honeymoon between leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and President Donald Trump, though it is also causing concern among officials in Mexican border cities already struggling to deal with thousands of Central American migrants. Mexico could have simply refused, as it historically has, to accept the return of non-Mexicans. But this week's announcement of $10.6 billion in U.S. development aid and the personal relationship between the two presidents appeared to smooth the path. It is the same relationship that helped resolve stalled negotiations on Mexico's free trade agreement with the United States and Canada. "Right now it's a honeymoon, in part because even though one is on the left and the other is more to the right, they have things in common protectionism, the anti-establishment thing, each one's nationalism," said Jose Antonio Crespo, a political analyst at Mexico's Center for Economic Research and Training. Crespo noted Trump was getting along better with Lopez Obrador than with his conservative predecessor, Enrique Pena Nieto. "Up to now it's been a honeymoon, who knows how long it will last." Mexico, meanwhile, is struggling to say how it will house and protect what could become tens of thousands of Central American migrants who might wind up in its cities along the border with the United States. It is clearly not ready to shelter so many. Tonatituh Guillen, the head Mexico's immigration agency, said, "In the short term, the National Immigration Institute does not have the organizational capacity to operate this kind of program ... the current legislation also doesn't help us." Mexico is already hosting thousands of Central Americans who arrived as part of a migrant caravan in November. Those migrants were dismayed by Thursday's announcement. "This is bad, because every country has its sovereignty, it doesn't have to depend on another country," said Luis Miguel Conde, a Guatemalan who travelled to Tijuana with his wife and two children to request asylum in the U.S. "When you apply for asylum in Mexico, they don't send you to Guatemala to wait. You wait for your application within the country's territory." Tijuana is currently the most popular crossing point for asylum seekers waiting to submit claims in the United States, but the border city is already weary of housing over 7,000 migrants who arrived in the caravan in November. The city's police staged a raid before dawn Thursday to clear dozens of migrants who had resisted moving to a shelter farther from the border and camped out on a downtown street a few blocks from the border. Riot police loaded about 120 people onto buses to take them to the Barretal shelter, located about 14 miles (22 kilometers) from the San Ysidro border crossing. Officers arrested two dozen who refused to relocate. "We did have to detain 24 people who refused to leave the street, and we found some who were doing illegal drugs," Police Chief Marco Sotomayor said. Cesar Palencia, director of migrant affairs for the city government, reacted with surprise to Thursday's announcement by the federal government on housing asylum seekers. "How would it be done? For how long? How many people? We don't know what the strategy or the plan is, nor have any studies been done," Palencia told The Associated Press. "We respect the federal government's decision, but we would ask that it be accompanied by personnel, funding and a strategy." The assistant legal counsel for Mexico's foreign relations department, Alejandro Celorio, said that there will not be any detention centers for migrants. "They will not be detained," he said. But Celorio did not say whether shelters, like the former Barretal concert venue in Tijuana, would be built, expanded or made more permanent and whose money would be used to pay for such shelters. The only strategy Mexico's federal government has launched so far is a TV and radio "campaign against xenophobia" announced Thursday to combat suspicion and dislike of migrants. "Migrants are not a threat, this is not an invasion," said Alexandra Haas, the head of Mexico's anti-discrimination agency. The most outraged reaction came from U.S. immigration activists, but reaction on the Mexican side was muted, in part because Lopez Obrador's administration was apparently successful in depicting the decision as a humanitarian measure to protect migrants. "There is a segment of Mexicans who are better off and don't feel threatened by migrants who can say this is good, we have to be humanitarian, show solidarity," said Crespo, the analyst. "But for those (Mexicans) who are looking for a job, they perhaps won't like this." All in all, it will be hard for opponents to accuse a die-hard nationalist like Lopez Obrador of being too pro-American. "Who can stand up in congress and say: 'You're selling the country out,'" said Federico Estevez, a political science professor at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico. "He (Lopez Obrador) may absorb a cost, but it's relatively small price to get your neck out of the noose on the immigration issue." "I don't think you can find on the Mexican side much of a coherent stance against these concessions," Estevez added. "I don't think you have a very strong constituency on this side" in favor of the Central American migrants. The country's intelligence chief was on the verge of resigning at the end of last year over his frustrations with President Donald Trump but was talked out of it by his closest ally in the administration, Vice President Mike Pence, current and former senior administration officials told NBC News. Among the many tensions the officials said have marred the relationship between the president and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats was Trump pushing Coats to find evidence that former President Barack Obama wiretapped him. But the tipping point for Coats came in December with Trump's abrupt decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria, and the contentious departure of former Defense Secretary James Mattis after protesting the policy, according to the current and former officials. The vice president, who has repeatedly played the role of envoy between Trump and Coats, convinced his longtime Indiana friend to stay until at least this summer, the officials said. In a statement to NBC News, Coats said, "I am focused on doing my job, and it is frustrating to repeatedly be asked to respond to anonymous sources and unsubstantiated, often false rumors that undercut the critical work of the Intelligence Community and its relationship with the President." A Maine startup company that makes seaweed edibles and kelp puree has a lot more money to grow its business than it did just days ago. Over the weekend, Ocean's Balance, which has offices in Biddeford, and seaweed farms in Casco Bay, won $100,000 beating out dozens of other companies. One of Ocean Balance's founders, Tollef Olson, says the win is huge for a small business that has no full-time employees. "We're small enough that $100,000 is going to go a long way for us," said Olson. "We've been bootstrapping like nobody's business so this could not have come at a better time for us." Olson dove into seaweed in 2006 after holding various types of commercial fishing jobs. He wants to put the award towards hiring more staff, expanding seaweed farms and outsourcing package labeling work that's being done by hand right now. When asked what the long-term plan for his company is, Olson explained it's to make the Maine coast known for producing products from seaweed. Right now, the company sells its products to dozens of stores across New England and beyond. Olson hopes to branch into Whole Foods soon and says he's working on developing new product lines that will be easier to roll out with the new seed money. A state audit released Monday contradicted former Gov. Bruce Rauner's claim that his administration had done everything federal experts recommended to remedy a deadly 2015 Legionnaires' disease crisis at an Illinois veterans' home. Auditor General Frank Mautino reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recommended in December 2015 that filters be put on every water spigot. Despite Rauner's claim, the audit found that only shower and bathtub heads were outfitted with filters before 2018. The audit sharply criticized the Departments of Public Health and Veterans' Affairs for delays in taking action and notifying nursing staff and the public in August 2015 of the outbreak at the Quincy facility, which ultimately led to the deaths of 13 elderly residents. "Based on our review of communications between IDPH and the Quincy veterans' home, auditors determined that there was limited communication ...," Mautino wrote. "IDPH officials often did not know the seriousness of the problems." Legionnaires' is a flu-like malady caused by inhaling water vapor infected with Legionella bacteria. Particularly susceptible are the elderly or those with compromised immune systems. The audit determined the average age of those who died was 88, with several in hospice care. The crisis at Quincy became a main point of criticism of Rauner in his last year in office after families of residents filed lawsuits against the state. The audit found that 66 residents and eight employees of the 130-year-old home contracted Legionnaires', including the 13 deaths. Through June 2018, the state spent $9.6 million to fix the problem, including a $5 million water plant reimbursed by the federal government. Ultimately, Rauner decided the whole campus should be rebuilt . He was defeated for re-election in November by Democrat J.B. Pritzker. "The new administration is committed to working to ensure the Quincy veterans' home sets the standard for what quality care looks like for our veterans," Veterans' Affairs acting director Linda Chapa LaVia said in a statement. "The health and safety of our state's heroes is our top priority and we will take all available action to keep our veterans safe as we move forward." Rauner repeatedly claimed that the administration had done everything federal experts suggested. But the audit determined that while the CDC recommended filters for all water fixtures in December 2015, only shower and tub heads were outfitted with them before April 2018. Mautino noted that after the confirmation on Aug. 21, 2015, of a second case of Legionnaires' a red flag that an outbreak was imminent Public Health officials didn't visit the campus until three days later and nursing staff were not given sufficient instructions on protecting other residents for six days. The audit pinpointed the cause of the initial outbreak to water which sat unused in a disabled boiler for a month in July 2015. When the boiler began operating again, it was not drained. The water in it was heated to 120 degrees before it was released into the water system. But Legionella bacteria can survive in water up to 140 degrees. Mautino made four recommendations for the Veterans' Affairs and Public Health departments, including sufficient and timely instructions to nursing staff and caregivers after a Legionnaires' outbreak is confirmed to protect other residents from water vapor exposure. He said the Veterans' Affairs should develop strict monitoring procedures for residents during outbreaks. Quincy staff said they increased monitoring but had no records to show for the stepped-up activity. Both agencies should improve communication and additionally, ensure that all CDC recommendations are followed. In responses included in the audit, the agencies generally agreed with the recommendations. One of Germany's richest families, whose company owns a controlling interest in Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Panera Bread, Pret a Manger and other well-known businesses, plans to donate millions to charity after learning about their ancestors' enthusiastic support of Adolf Hitler and use of forced laborers under the Nazis, according to a report Sunday. In a four-page report, the Bild newspaper reported that documents uncovered in Germany, France and the U.S. reveal that Albert Reimann Sr. and Albert Reimann Jr. used Russian civilians and French POWs as forced laborers. Family spokesman Peter Harf, who is one of two managing partners of the Reimann's JAB Holding Company, said recent internal research confirmed Bild's findings. "It is all correct," he told the newspaper. "Reimann senior and Reimann junior were guilty ... they belonged in jail." The father and son, who died in 1954 and 1984, did not talk about the Nazi era and the family had thought that all of the company's connection to the Nazis had been revealed in a 1978 report, Harf said. But after reading documents kept by the family, the younger generation began to ask questions and commissioned a University of Munich historian in 2014 to examine the Reimann history more thoroughly, Harf said. The expert presented his preliminary findings to the Reimann children and grandchildren, as well as Hanf, several weeks ago, he said. "We were all ashamed and turned as white as the wall," he said. "There is nothing to gloss over. These crimes are disgusting." In addition al Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Pret a Manger, the Luxembourg-based JAB Holding Co. has controlling stakes in Keurig Green Mountain, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Caribou Coffee Co., Panera Bread and other companies. Many German companies have acknowledged using slave laborers during the Nazi era and have conducted their own independent investigations. In 2000, the German government approved a 10 billion mark (about 5.1 billion euro) fund to provide compensation, with half the money coming from companies like Bayer, Siemens, Deutsche Bank, Daimler-Benz, Volkswagen, and AEG. Bild reported that even before the Nazis came to power, the Reimanns donated to the paramilitary SS. During World War II, the company used forced laborers in its industrial chemicals company. It was not clear how many were used overall, but Bild said in 1943, 175 forced laborers were being used, about 30 percent of its workforce. In addition to Russian and other Eastern European civilians, the company used French prisoners of war about whom Reimann Jr. complained in a letter to the Ludwigshafen mayor in 1940 that they weren't working hard enough. After the war, the two were investigated by the occupying Allied powers and initially banned by the French from continuing their business activities but then had the judgment overturned by the Americans, Bild reported. Harf said the family would donate 10 million euros ($11.3 million) to a not-yet-determined charity as a gesture, and once the historian's report is complete, it would be released to the public. "The whole truth must be put on the table," he said. A Chicago officer who was fatally shot while off-duty over the weekend died while shielding his girlfriend from gunfire, police said Monday. John Rivera, 23, was at a pizza restaurant with a co-worker, a friend and his girlfriend early Saturday morning in the city's River North neighborhood when a gunman opened fire on their vehicle as they left the restaurant. Police believe the shooting was a case of mistaken identity, saying the gunman murdered "the first Hispanic man that he came into contact with" following an earlier and unrelated altercation. In announcing charges against two suspects, Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said Rivera's killing was apparently the result of an incident that happened just blocks away from the restaurant where Rivera had been with friends. Police said the gunman and a friend were involved in an altercation inside what was once known as Chicago's Rock N' Roll McDonald's downtown and is now the chain's flagship eatery at Clark and Ontario. The altercation involved a group of people from a party bus, described as Hispanic. When the altercation turned physical, the gunman allegedly fled the scene only to return a short time later after the party bus had already left, authorities said. That's when police say the gunman and two others began searching for the party bus and ultimately shot "the first Hispanic man that he came into contact with." "He got into it with a group of Hispanics, there was a physical confrontation and he wound up murdering a Hispanic so I think that speaks for itself," Johnson said. Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said those in the car told police Rivera was shot and killed while leaning over and shielding his girlfriend from the gunfire with his body. Rivera was shot in the chest, arm and mouth and taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead, authorities said. Another 23-year-old man in the car was shot in his chest and arm and taken to Northwestern where he was in "critical but stable" condition and underwent surgery Saturday morning. Another off-duty Chicago police officer and Rivera's girlfriend were not wounded in the shooting, officials said. Rivera had been with the department for about two years, police said, and had worked his shift the night before, handling the paperwork on a murder case. This appears to be an unprovoked attack against a group of individuals who went out to unwind on a Friday night, Johnson said at a news conference Saturday. "Theres no problems, theres no words exchanged, Deputy Police Supt. Anthony Riccio told reporters. The incident was captured on a CPD pod camera in the area and police said witnesses and license plate reader technology ultimately led to an arrest in the case. Menelik Jackson, 24, and 32-year-old Jovan Battle, of Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, were both charged with one felony count of first degree murder and three felony counts of attempted murder, Chicago police said in a statement. Both were ordered held without bail Monday. Jackson, of suburban South Holland, was also charged with resisting or obstructing a peace officer, according to police. He was later identified as the gunman in the shooting, Johnson said. Police were still searching for a third person of interest Monday. Jackson, who police say also confessed to the crime, was arrested using Rivera's handcuffs. Police said the alleged weapon used in the "senseless act" and the clothing Jackson was wearing during the shooting, were recovered from his apartment. Johnson, whose son worked with Rivera in the 6th District, said the slain officer was "the kind of officer that we want in Chicago. Hard-worker, who loved going out on patrol and solving problems...he helped investigate a tragic murder, helped console a family on an unthinkable loss." "My third watch is really struggling because he was such a good person," said Commander William Bradley with the department's 6th District. A police procession escorted Rivera's body from the medical examiner's office to the Elmwood Funeral Home on the South East Side Sunday afternoon. "He went out there every day trying to make this city safer," Bradley said. A wake was tentatively scheduled to take place Thursday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., with a funeral the next morning at 10 a.m. at Annunciata Church, located at 11128 S. Avenue G, according to the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation. A Lake County, Indiana, sheriffs deputy has been arrested on bribery and theft charges for allegedly falsifying vehicle inspection reports. Deputy Louis Vasquez, 38, is charged with one felony count each of bribery, official misconduct, theft and perjury, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Superior Court of Lake County. Vasquez, a 14-year veteran of the sheriffs department, is accused of illegally accepting cash in exchange for completing at least 42 salvage vehicle inspection forms for Fast Import Cars LLC of Knox, Indiana, Indiana State Police said in a statement. Salvage auto inspections can only be performed by detectives with the sheriffs Auto Theft Unit, according to court documents. The person requesting the inspection must pay the county a $60 fee and show the receipt to a qualified detective before the inspection is performed. Vasquez, who is not qualified to perform the inspections, charged the business $20 for each vehicle check, according to court records. The 42 forms signed by Vasquez were completed between Sept. 25, 2017, and Nov. 24, 2018. I fully support the work being done every day by our county police officers and the members of our local law enforcement community but if an officer crosses the line, fails to abide by the law and their oath to protect and serve, they must be held accountable as nobody, including police officers, are above the law, Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez said in a statement. Vasquez turned himself in to the sheriffs department on Tuesday, state police said. Disciplinary charges against Vasquez were filed this January, seeking his termination in connection with the investigation, the sheriffs department said in a statement. He has been placed on administrative leave pending a hearing before the Lake County Sheriffs Merit Board this summer. The owners of Fast Import Cars, Pavel Rohatinovici and Andrii Lakymenko, were also arrested and charged with one felony count each of perjury, state police said. What to Know All criminal charges against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett were dropped Tuesday, his legal team said Smollett pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of disorderly conduct earlier this month Chicago police alleged he staged a hate crime attack on himself in January All criminal charges were dropped against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett in Chicago Tuesday, nearly two months after the actor was accused of staging a hate crime attack on himself to further his career. The surprise decision, which was celebrated by Smollett and his legal team and blasted by the city's mayor and police department, came during an "emergency court appearance" where prosecutors not only dropped the charges against Smollett but agreed to expunge the actor's record. "Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgment," attorneys Tina Glandian and Patricia Brown Holmes said in a statement. Smollett maintained his innocence, saying after court that he has been "truthful and consistent on every single level since day one." "I would not be my mother's son if I was capable of one drop of what I was accused of," he told reporters outside the courtroom. "I would not bring my family, our lives, or the movement through a fire like this," he added. "I just wouldn't." Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Supt. Eddie Johnson hammered the decision, saying they were unaware it was happening. "At the end of the day it's Mr. Smollett who committed this hoax. Period. If he wanted to clear his name the way to do that was in a court of law so that everyone could see the evidence," Johnson said. "I stand by the facts of what we produced. If they want to dispute those facts the place to do that is in court." Johnson added, "Do I think justice was served? No...I think this city is still owed an apology." Emanuel called the decision a "whitewash of justice." "Where is the accountability in the system? You cannot have because of a persons position, one set of rules apply to them and another set of rules apply to everybody else," he said. In a statement, the Cook County State's Attorneys office said the decision came after reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollets volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago." "We believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case," the statement read. Tandra R. Simonton, the chief communications officer for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, said the resolution in the Smollett case was not "new or unusual." "An alternative disposition does not mean that there were any problems or infirmities with the case or the evidence. We stand behind the Chicago Police Department's investigation and our decision to approve charges in this case," Simonton said. "We did not exonerate Mr. Smollett. The charges were dropped in return for Mr. Smollett's agreement to do community service and forfeit his $10,000 bond to the City of Chicago. Without the completion of these terms, the charges would not have been dropped. This outcome was met under the same criteria that would occur for and is available to any defendant with similar circumstances." State's Attorney Kim Foxx recused herself from the case in February, with documents obtained earlier this month via Freedom of Information Act request showing that Foxx had asked Johnson to turn the investigation over to the FBI. The Chicago Police Department said it found out about the latest news during a graduation ceremony for recruits. "Its a punch in the gut. Is absolutely a punch in the gut," said Commander Ed Wodnicki. "We worked closely throughout our three-week investigation to get to point where we arrested the offender. For the state's attorney at this point to dismiss charges without discussing this with us at all is just shocking." Smollett pleaded not guilty to multiple disorderly conduct charges earlier this month. He was initially charged with one felony count of disorderly conduct in filing a false police report in February, with Chicago police alleging that he staged a hate crime attack on himself the month before because he was "dissatisfied with his salary." A Cook County grand jury then indicted Smollett on 16 felony counts. Smollett reported the alleged attack to police on Jan. 29, claiming to have been beaten by two men who shouted racist and homophobic slurs, beat him, put a noose around his neck, and poured bleach on him, according to the indictment. Initially investigating the incident as a possible hate crime, Chicago police said new information "shifted" their approach to the case, leading them to allege that Smollett orchestrated the assault by hiring two brothers who worked on "Empire" to execute it. The lawyer for the brothers, Obabinjo Osundairo and Abimbola Osundairo, said the pair had evidence backing their claim that Smollett orchestrated the attack. Smollett's lawyers said "misinformation" had been reported in the case and they planned to prove a lack of evidence in the case. A representative for the brothers' legal team said their attorneys were reviewing the latest developments. Smollett said he would "like nothing more than to just get back to work and move on with my life but make no mistakes I will always continue to fight for the justice, equality and betterment of marginalized people everywhere." 20th Century Fox which produces "Empire" also released a statement saying Jussie Smollett has always maintained his innocence and we are gratified on his behalf that all charges against him have been dismissed. Among the questions that have gone unanswered are whether prosecutors still believe Smollett concocted the attack or whether theres new evidence that altered their view of events. In an interview with NBC 5, First Assistant State's Attorney Joseph Magats said Smollett is "not a victim of a hate crime" and noted that dropping the charges "did not exonerate" him. A man has been charged in a stabbing death at a hotel in southwest suburban Joliet. Robert A. Watson, 25, of Chicago, is charged with murder following the incident at Harrahs Joliet Hotel and Casino, Joliet police said in a statement. Authorities were called about 10 p.m. Sunday for a stabbing in the 100 block of Joliet Street and found Emmanuel M. Burgrino, 76, in a hallway of the hotel with multiple stab wounds in his chest and neck, police said. Watson allegedly attacked him as he was leaving his room, police said. Burgrino, who lived in Hales Corners, Wisconsin, was pronounced dead at Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, police and the Will County coroner said. Watson was arrested about 1:25 p.m. Monday on the second floor the Joliet Public Library in the 100 block of North Ottawa Street, police said. He was wearing clothing similar to the suspect recorded on surveillance video at the hotel. Joliet police said they are no longer looking for anyone related to the case. Watson was due in court Tuesday afternoon, according to the Will County sheriffs office. A forensic expert says it would take five years to clear the state's DNA backlog. Monday's hearing was the second in the past few months to try and get to the bottom of the backlog and also discuss solutions. Latonya Moore determined to get justice for her daughter. Moore joined several other parents whose children were murdered, their cases still unsolved, at a public hearing Monday about the backlog of DNA testing in Illinois crime labs. "I have not found out how she was murdered," she said. "She has a daughter and she needs to know what happened." Moore says she won't give up until police arrest the person who killed her daughter, Shantanieya Smith. Smith's body was found last June in a garage in Lawndale. Moore believes that DNA evidence could be key in her daughters case. "I need to know whose hand prints was on that girl," she said. "I need forensics." Carmia Tang held a picture of her murdered son as she testified. "When the case first happened, (the) detective told me a few months, then six months--then a year--then almost two years," she said. "Why do they not know how long (it takes) for DNA to come back?" One solution discussed at the hearing is a new technology that could reduce the time it takes to get the DNA profile of potential suspects to less than two hours. The parents say they are open to trying anything at this point. A Massachusetts woman napping on a couch was awoken by a pickup truck that crashed into her house and just missed hitting her by inches on Thursday, according to Templeton police. "Thank God I have my guardian angels watching over me," said Tracy Samuels, the woman on the couch. At approximately 11:22 a.m., police received multiple 911 calls reporting a vehicle collision into a house at 315 State Rd. An investigation determined a pickup truck driven by Simon Quero-Luna of Gardner, Massachusetts, veered off the road and collided with the house, according to police. "I got up and I went, 'Oh my God, what in the world is going on?'" Samuels said. "I turned and I looked and I went 'why is there a pickup truck in my living room?'" The truck traveled through the entire length of the house and collided with a parked vehicle in the driveway on the opposite side of the house before the truck came to a stop. Samuels said Quero-Luna got out of the truck and started running around. "He turned around and he saw me and went, 'Oh my God, are you OK?' and I said, 'Yeah, I'm fine, are you OK? she recounted. Miraculously, nobody was injured, but the house sustained major structural damage and was condemned by the Templeton building inspector. Life throws you a curveball. Throws you a lemon. Do what you need to do. Try to keep an upbeat attitude," Samuels said. "And as for Christmas? Its a day. Its a day you spend with your friends and family. Thats what Im gonna do. The incident is being investigated by Templeton police. The White House national security adviser on Sunday described President Donald Trump's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a success despite the lack of an agreement providing for verifiable dismantling of the North's nuclear sites. John Bolton, in three television interviews, tried to make the case that Trump advanced America's national security interests by rejecting a bad agreement while working to persuade Kim to take "the big deal that really could make a difference for North Korea." The U.S. and North Korea have offered contradictory accounts of why last week's summit in Vietnam broke down, though both pointed to American sanctions as a sticking point. However, in a tweet Sunday night, Trump offered another possibility. He appeared to cast criticism at Democrats for holding a congressional hearing with his former lawyer Michael Cohen while he was in sensitive negotiations overseas. "For the Democrats to interview in open hearings a convicted liar & fraudster, at the same time as the very important Nuclear Summit with North Korea, is perhaps a new low in American politics and may have contributed to the "walk." Never done when a president is overseas. Shame!" Trump tweeted. In new show appearances, Bolton said the leaders left on good terms and that Trump made an important point to North Korea and other countries that negotiate with him. "He's not desperate for a deal, not with North Korea, not with anybody if it's contrary to American national interests," Bolton said. Bolton also sought to explain Trump's comments about taking Kim's word about Otto Warmbier, the American college student who was held prisoner in North Korea, then sent home in a vegetative state. Trump said he didn't believe Kim knew about or would have allowed what happened to Warmbier. "He tells me that he didn't know about it, and I will take him at his word," Trump said at a news conference last week. Bolton said Trump's "got a difficult line to walk to" in negotiating with North Korea. "It doesn't mean that he accepts it as reality. It means that he accepts that's what Kim Jong Un said," Bolton said. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., a close Trump ally, broke with the president. "I think Kim knew what happened, which was wrong," McCarthy said. Some have been critical for Trump letting Kim stand with him on the world stage given North Korea's poor human rights record. Kim will be able to portray himself to his people and supporters as the charismatic head of a nuclear-armed power, not an international pariah that starves its citizens so it can build weapons. But Bolton said that Trump's view is that he "gave nothing away." Asked whether that was his view, too, Bolton replied: "The president's view is he gave nothing away. That's what matters, not my view." Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, summarized the summit as a "spectacular failure" made all the worse by Trump's comments on "murder of an American citizen, Otto Warmbier." "This is, I think, the result of a president who is not prepared for these kind of negotiations, a staff that is not well-prepared and that is essentially flying by the seat of its pants, and it has real-world consequences," Schiff said. "Those reactors continue to spin on, producing more material that can threaten us and our allies," said Schiff, D-Calif. Bolton said Trump has "turned traditional diplomacy on its head, and after all in the case of North Korea, why not? Traditional diplomacy has failed in the last three administrations." An example of that non-traditional diplomacy was formally unveiled Sunday when South Korea and the U.S. announced they would not conduct massive springtime military drills and were replacing them with smaller exercises. They described it as an effort to support diplomacy aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis. "The reason I do not want military drills with South Korea is to save hundreds of millions of dollars for the U.S. for which we are not reimbursed," Trump tweeted Sunday. "That was my position long before I became President. Also, reducing tensions with North Korea at this time is a good thing!" Bolton spoke on "Fox News Sunday," CNN's "State of the Union" and CBS's "Face the Nation." McCarthy was on ABC's "This Week," and Schiff was on CBS. What to Know Attorneys for Kevin Spacey are seeking surveillance footage, text messages and other records they say they need to defend their client. Spacey's lawyers also want documents from the accuser's civil attorney, including fee agreements with the accuser's family. Last year, former WCVB-TV news anchor Heather Unruh publicly accused Spacey of groping her son at a Nantucket restaurant in July of 2016. Attorneys for Kevin Spacey are seeking surveillance footage, text messages and other records they say they need to defend the disgraced actor against accusations that he groped a young Massachusetts man at a Nantucket bar in 2016. Kevin Spacey's lawyers asked the judge in court documents filed this week to order the accuser to turn over his cellphone so they can retrieve messages, photos and other data. They also want documents from the accuser's civil attorney, including fee agreements with the accuser's family. The lawyers say they believe the accuser intends to file a civil lawsuit against Spacey, which they say would bolster the defense's argument that the accuser has a "substantial financial motivation to falsify his claims." Spacey pleaded not guilty last month. A hearing is scheduled for Monday, but the judge said Spacey doesn't have to attend. Sex assault resources are available at the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673. Since it was first created in 1994, the National Sexual Assault Hotline has helped more than two million people, according to its website. A jury trial is now underway in a high profile patient abuse case a story broken two years ago by NBC Connecticut Investigates. Former forensic nurse Mark Cusson is facing 16 criminal charges, accused of abusing Whiting Forensic patient Bill Shehadi, with the alleged acts all caught on surveillance video. Dr. Michael Norko, a top administrator with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, described video evidence of the alleged abuse of Whiting patient Bill Shehadi, by now former forensic nurse Mark Cusson. I saw him pour water on his head, take a mop that he had just used to mop the floor and then mop his head with it, Norko said. Surveillance of Shehadi was set up around 2000, to substitute, at times, for having two staffers in his room with him. Watching him constantly all the time was intrusive, and may have been causing him more problems, Norko explained. Cusson is among 10 former Whiting Forensic Division employees arrested in connection with the abuse. Shehadi is a patient in his 50s, committed to Whiting decades ago for the murder of his father. He is described as possibly the most difficult patients at Whiting. Norko said He sometimes yells and screams at people, he sometimes uses racial slurs, when he does that, and at other times he can hit, kick, bite, other people. The defense tried to show the jury that Shehadi is a patient not easily handled by the standard restraint and de-escalation techniques, and that Cusson often did not get a great deal of support from management in dealing with patients like Shehadi. Patient advocates tell us Shehadis issues are still no excuse for the treatment he received. The maker of OxyContin and the company's controlling family agreed Tuesday to pay a groundbreaking $270 million to Oklahoma to settle allegations they helped create the nation's deadly opioid crisis with their aggressive marketing of the powerful painkiller. It is the first settlement to come out of the recent coast-to-coast wave of nearly 2,000 lawsuits against Purdue Pharma that threaten to push the company into bankruptcy and have stained the name of the Sackler family, whose members rank among the world's foremost philanthropists. "The addiction crisis facing our state and nation is a clear and present danger, but we're doing something about it today," Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said. Nearly $200 million will go toward establishing a National Center for Addiction Studies and Treatment at Oklahoma State University in Tulsa, while local governments will get $12.5 million. The Sacklers are responsible for $75 million of the settlement. In settling, the Stamford, Connecticut-based company denied any wrongdoing in connection with what Hunter called "this nightmarish epidemic" and "the worst public health crisis in our state and nation we've ever seen." The deal comes two months before Oklahoma's 2017 lawsuit against Purdue Pharma and other drug companies was set to become the first one in the recent barrage of litigation to go to trial. The remaining defendants still face trial May 28. Opioids, including heroin and prescription drugs like OxyContin, were a factor in a record 48,000 deaths across the U.S. in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Oklahoma recorded about 400 opioid deaths that year. State officials have said that since 2009, more Oklahomans have died from opioids than in vehicle crashes. Other states have suffered far worse, including West Virginia, with the nation's highest opioid death rate. It had over 1,000 deaths in 2017. In a statement, Purdue Pharma said the money that will go toward addiction studies and treatment in Oklahoma will help people across the country. CEO Craig Landau said the company is committed to "help drive solutions to the opioid addiction crisis." Plaintiffs' attorney Paul Hanly, who is not involved in the Oklahoma case but is representing scores of other governments, welcomed the deal, saying: "That suggests that Purdue is serious about trying to deal with the problem. Hopefully, this is the first of many." But some activists were furious, saying they were denied the chance to hold Purdue Pharma fully accountable in public, in front of a jury. "This decision is a kick in the gut to our community," said Ryan Hampton, of Los Angeles, who is recovering from opioid addiction. "We deserve to have our day in court with Purdue. The parents, the families, the survivors deserve at least that. And Oklahoma stripped that from us today." Purdue Pharma introduced OxyContin in the 1990s and marketed it hard to doctors, making tens of billions of dollars from the drug. But the company has been hit with lawsuits from state and local governments trying to hold it responsible for the scourge of addiction. The lawsuits accuse the company of downplaying the addiction risks and pushing doctors to increase dosages even as the dangers became known. According to a court filing, Richard Sackler, then senior vice president responsible for sales, proudly told the audience at a launch party for OxyContin in 1996 that it would create a "blizzard of prescriptions that will bury the competition." Earlier this month, Purdue Pharma officials acknowledged that they are considering bankruptcy . But Oklahoma's attorney general said the company gave assurances it will not take such a step in the near term. And he said the settlement money is "bankruptcy proof" that is, "it's not at risk in the event Purdue declares bankruptcy." Lance Lang, a 36-year-old recovering user from Oklahoma City, said he is glad some of the settlement will go toward helping those still suffering from addiction. "My heart breaks for those that we've already lost. I've buried several myself," said Lang, who now helps recovering users find housing. "But I also know we have waiting lists of dozens and dozens for our facilities, and the state has waiting lists of hundreds and hundreds of people who need help right now." But Cheryl Juaire, whose 23-year-old son Corey died of an overdose in 2011, said she was devastated to hear about the settlement. Jauire, who lives in Marlborough, Massachusetts, had been organizing a group of hundreds of mothers to go to the first day of the trial and stand outside with photos of their dead children. She said a complete airing of the facts is the only way to fully hold Purdue to account. A settlement is "a huge disservice to the tens of thousands of families here in the United States who buried a child," she said. "That's blood money from our children." Members of the Sackler family are defendants in some of the lawsuits but were not actually parties to the Oklahoma case. The company said the family nevertheless voluntarily contributed to the settlement. "We have profound compassion for those who are affected by addiction," the family said in a statement. The Sacklers are major donors to cultural institutions, and the family name is emblazoned on the walls at many of the world's great museums and universities. In the past few weeks, as the accusations have mounted, the Tate museums in London and the Guggenheim Museum in New York have cut ties with the family, and other institutions have come under pressure to turn down donations or remove the Sackler name. A Massachusetts court filing made public earlier this year found that Sackler family members were paid at least $4 billion from 2007 until last year. Purdue Pharma has settled other lawsuits over the years, and three executives pleaded guilty to criminal charges in 2007. But this is the first settlement to come out of the surge of litigation in the past few years that focuses largely on the company's more recent conduct. More than 1,400 federal lawsuits over the opioid crisis have been consolidated in front of a single judge in Cleveland who is pushing the drug makers and distributors to reach a nationwide settlement. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong is joining 20 other states in an effort to prevent the Affordable Care Act from being ruled unconstitutional. A Federal Judge in Texas ruled earlier this year that the law was now unconstitutional because the penalty for not carrying insurance has been effectively eliminated, nullifying the rest of the law. "This isn't about national issues. It's certainly not just about Donald Trump and the Trump administration and its cruel attack on Connecticut, said William Tong, a Democrat. Residents and families and American people. This is about families in Connecticut who depend on the Affordable Care Act for life." The Trump administration had initially stayed out of the legal battles surrounding Obamacare, as the law is known. But the Justice Department announced Tuesday morning that it supported the effort to dismantle the law. In Connecticut, Republican State Sen. Kevin Kelly, (R Stratford), stopped short of calling for the law to be scrapped, but he did advocate for efforts to rein in some of the high premiums consumers have to pay for coverage. "What we need to do is get better ways to solve the cost problem, said Kelly, who is the ranking Republican on the Insurance Committee in the Connecticut General Assembly. If the law were to be ruled invalid, Connecticut has a lot to lose. The state received about $6 billion in federal funds relating to Obamacare from 2011 through 2017. There are also more than 260,000 people who receive Medicaid coverage as a result of an expansion of the program. Tong says the answer to the question at the heart of the case, whether the law can exist without a penalty for not carrying coverage, has already been answered. "There's no reason to think that the federal government can't enact a comprehensive law about health insurance. They have. It's called Medicaid and Medicare, he said. A federal appeals court will hear the case, and then it is possible it could go to the US Supreme Court for a second time, on the question of constitutionality. Tong says hes optimistic that the high court will rule the same way it did the first time it decided that the law met constitutional muster. "They can be thoughtful about the Affordable Care Act, he said. "They know how huge of an impact this law has had on the people of Connecticut." Stepping into a nail salon, most customers may not realize that Connecticut stands out from other states. "As it stands today, anyone in Connecticut can work as a nail technician, eyelash technician, or esthetician, or open a business, no training needed, no oversight except occasional health inspections by the local departments of public health. We're the only state in the country that doesn't license these professions," said Rep Jillian Gilchrest (D-West Hartford). A proposed bill would change that, requiring anyone in those professions to have a license from the Connecticut Department of Public Health. The license would be renewed biannually and the application fee would cost $100. The bill also says the applicant would need to have "evidence that the applicant has a high school diploma or the equivalent." An esthetician would need to complete no less than 600 hours of practical training and experience under the personal supervision and instruction of an esthetician and complete an exam or have practiced esthetics continuously in the state for no less than two years prior to January 1, 2020. A nail technician would need to complete 300 hours. An eyelash technician would need to complete at least 200 hours. The legislation faced quite a bit of scrutiny at Monday's public hearing. Some say the industry is regulated enough. The Connecticut Department of Labor issued stop-work orders to two dozen nail salons across the state for what the agency says are wage and employment violations. "The health department is already in charge of regulating these businesses for the purposes of public health. The format for inspection already addresses salons and spas for proper sanitation and guidelines that are already in existence," said Tara Swagger, owner of Taraesthetics. "Many industry professionals have voiced serious concerns when learning about the proposed language and how this will affect their businesses in terms of financial costs." Even those who applauded the intent had at least some concerns with the language. DPH says the bill's start date is too soon for proper implementation, is unfunded, and may not give qualified individuals time to obtain a license without interruption in service. The Connecticut Society of Plastic Surgeons said language in the bill would allow estheticians to perform "cosmetic medical procedures" which includes cosmetic surgery. The organization is asking the bill be amended to fix that. Kellie Steeves owns Oxford Academy of Hair Design and Diana Leonardi owns Branford Academy of Hair and Cosmetology. They support licensing but say the bill should require nail and eyelash technicians and estheticians to be taught at a school and not a salon. "Anybody can watch a YouTube video and put nail polish on. Anybody can watch a YouTube video and do a facial manipulation. It's actually knowing what you're doing and why you're doing it," said Leonardi. "You need to know the anatomy. You need to know physiology. You need to know chemistry. You need to know what manipulation moves can cause some type of adverse reaction," said Steeves. The name of the bill, 'An Act Concerning Human Trafficking and State Contracts and the Licensing of Estheticians, Nail Technicians and Eyelash Technicians,' also drew some criticism. Gilchrest says she believes they will see a reduction in human trafficking with the passing of the bill. "As chair of Connecticut's Trafficking in Persons Council from 2015 through this past December, we heard time and again from the Department of Labor that while not all nail salons have human trafficking, there is labor trafficking taking place at some nail salons in the State of Connecticut," said Gilchrest. DPH said that it "is skeptical that the proposed occupational licensing will have an impact on the problem of human trafficking in nail salons." To see the language of the proposed bill, click here. To read some of the public hearing testimony, click here. What to Know The Crowne Hotel Plaza in Natick, Mass. was evacuated Tuesday morning as police responded to an active shooter report. Police say the victim was followed into the hotel by multiple suspects unknown to him and fled after a shot was fired, escaping injury. Investigators are still interviewing the victim and going through surveillance video. A Massachusetts hotel was evacuated as police responded to a report of an active shooter early Tuesday after multiple suspects allegedly followed a man into the hotel's front lobby and shot at him. The victim was not injured in the melee, and the suspects fled from the area, according to Natick Police Chief James Hicks. State and local police responded to the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Worcester Road in Natick around 2:40 a.m. and set up a perimeter and evacuated the hotel. At the scene, responding officers encountered a victim who said he was followed into the hotel by multiple suspects unknown to him when a shot was fired, according to Natick Police Department Chief James Hicks. "As he was entering the hotel. persons unknown to him followed him into the hotel at which shots were fired inside the atrium of the hotel," Hicks said at a press conference Tuesday morning. Hicks said one of the suspects opened fire at the victim, but the victim was not injured. The victim ran away and the suspects left in an unknown direction. As their investigation developed, officials determined no one entered the hotel following the victim. The suspects were initially believed to be inside the building after the shooting, according to state police. Out of an abundance of caution, the hotel was evacuated. About 75 guests and employees were sheltered at the Natick Mall cafeteria, while other patrons stayed in their cars. "They were exceptionally courteous," hotel guest Angeles Salas said. "They have these enormous, large scary guns and managed at the same time to say things like 'we're very concerned for your safety and your warmth and were going to arrange for shelter for you, please come this way.'" Hicks said officials do not believe the suspects are in the hotel at this time and that they fled from the scene in a car. He added authorities don't believe there is a danger to the public, and that investigators believe "this is a specific incident on a specific individual." Officials are working to determine how many people were involved in the shooting. The investigation is ongoing, and investigators are interviewing the victim and going through surveillance video. Hotel guests were eventually allowed back into the premises three hours after the evacuation. In addition to state and Natick police responding the active shooter report, police officers from Framingham, Wayland, Wellesley and Ashland were at the scene. A day after the apparent suicide of a father of a Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victim, there is an important conversation taking place in Newtown and all around Connecticut. Suicide and what is being done to prevent it are topics that a lot of people are now saying must be discussed. Monday's apparent suicide of Jeremy Richman, 49, the father of one of the victims in the December 2012 shooting, is spurring a new and potentially life-saving conversation. "I think it's so important that we're talking," said Hilary Blumberg, Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. Blumberg points to statistics that show that, on average, there is one suicide every day in Connecticut. What is it that could push someone to the point of taking their own life? Blumberg said it can be feelings of isolation, hopelessness, someone feeling like they are a burden to others, a past traumatic experience or any combination of those factors. "Some kind of a major stressor or a trauma can have long-lasting consequences," said Blumberg. On Monday, Newtown Police Chief James Viadero told NBC Connecticut that shortly after the Sandy Hook tragedy in 2012, mental health professionals were warning that the impacts of the shooting could and would be seen for years. Details around Richman's actions are unknown, and maybe always will be. Blumberg said, despite what happened Monday, she finds hope in her research. For instance, the team at Yale is using special scanning methods to identify brain circuitry in young people who suffer from bipolar disorder or from depression, which are the disorders most common in people who die by suicide. "I think it's so important that we're having this conversation and I would really encourage people to be talking about this," said Blumberg. "It's important to talk about it. It can really help people." If you are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting 'Home' to 741741. Local and federal law enforcement launched an investigation into an alleged arson attack at an Escondido, California, mosque early Sunday morning, where the suspect left behind a note referencing the terrorist attacks at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, that killed 50 worshippers. The fire broke out at 3:15 a.m. at Dar-ul-Arqam in what authorities are investigating as arson and a hate crime. "If its an arson, its possibly a hate crime as well," Escondido Police Department (EPD) Lt. Chris Lick said. Yusef Miller, a member of the Muslim community in Escondido, said it was fortunate the fire happened before the early morning prayer when there weren't as many people at the mosque. "God bless that it didnt happen that way, he said. Police do not have a description of the suspect, and no arrests have been made at this time. The FBI, ATF and the San Diego County Sheriffs Bomb/Arson Unit also responded to the scene, where there was visible scorching to one of the mosque's exterior walls, Lick said. It appeared that the fires damage was contained to that area of the mosque, located at 318 W. Sixth Ave. The mosques security camera spotted an unidentifiable person breaking a lock to a parking lot gate and then pouring a flammable liquid near a side door and setting it on fire. Seven people were inside the mosque for religious purposes at the time of the fire, police said. They were able to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher before firefighters arrived on the scene. There are people who sleep there overnight, Miller said. They heard the sounds, they smelled some funny smells, and there was a letter saying something connecting to New Zealand at the same time. So, this made everybody especially on edge. Dar-ul-Arqam was built four years ago and serves a community of several hundred people in Escondido, Miller told NBC 7. He said the tension is high following the fatal shooting in New Zealand. Were not surprised by this incident," Miller said. "But, were very on edge right now. Police said the suspect left a message in graffiti in the mosques parking lot. EPD did not reveal what the graffiti said, only noting that it referenced the New Zealand shooting. The graffiti was covered in dirt to block out the hate-filled message. Everybody should stay absolutely vigilant and watchful over their prayer centers. If there are people in the neighbor that are not supposed to be there, please give us a call, Lick said. We have also just re-doubled our efforts in terms of making sure that theres a high police presence in the area. Anyone with information may call the EPDs Community Safety Tip Line at (760) 743-8477. The stretch of West Sixth Avenue in front of the mosque was closed for a time while officials investigated; however, Miller said it wouldn't stop the mosque from remaining open as a place of worship. Were going to stay vigilant. Were not going to close down this mosque yet. People are still going to come pray, he said. We wont stop praying. We wont stop gathering. The Escondido Fire Department, the Escondido Police Department, and the San Diego County Sheriffs Bomb/Arson Unit responded to the scene. Hours after the New Zealand terrorist attacks on March 15, San Diego Muslims unified in worship during a prayer at the Islamic Center of San Diego. Days later, a vigil was held at Balboa Park in honor of the victims of the New Zealand massacre. Following the New Zealand attacks, Lick said the EPD began doing extra patrols in the area. Lick reaffirmed these additional patrols after Sunday mornings incident. Miller said, although we are heightened in our awareness, were still resolved in the idea that there are people here that love us and support us. A page was set up on a crowdfunding site called LaunchGood to collect money for repairs and added security for the mosque and its members. As of 3 p.m. Monday, more than 75 supporters had donated over $2,000. The pages goal is set at $20,000. President Donald Trump is calling on Republicans to revive the effort to quash the Affordable Care Act, handing Democrats an opportunity to unite in defense of the law as they try to move past the Russia investigation and win the White House in 2020. Trump's administration is asking a federal appeals court to strike down the entire health care law. The president vowed on Tuesday to make the GOP the "party of health care" and told Senate Republicans to lean into their own agenda on the issue as they head into next year's election. The moves could help Trump rally his conservative base as he celebrates Attorney General William Barr's summary of special counsel Robert Mueller's report that said there was no evidence that the president or his associates colluded with Russia in the 2016 campaign. But the push also poured political kerosene on an issue that many Democrats credit with powering their midterm election victories in November. Top Democrats, including presidential candidates, said health care is an issue that resonates with voters more than the Mueller investigation. "This is something that Americans care deeply about," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, a White House hopeful. "I may not have been asked about the Mueller report at town hall meetings, but I was sure asked about health care." Other Democrats appeared to relish the chance to shift to health care. Asked if the Trump administration's court filing allowed Democrats to turn the page on Mueller, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would have been talking about health care no matter what. "We have been dealing with health care constantly," the California Democrat said. "The public attention has been on the Mueller report, but we have been focused on health care." Another 2020 contender, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, said if Trump "wants to have a fight on health care, it's a fight we're willing to have. And it's a fight he is going to lose." That confidence is in part because health care was a big political winner for Democrats last year. According to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 115,000 midterm voters nationwide, nearly 4 in 10 Democratic voters identified health care as the most important among a list of key issues including immigration, the economy and the environment. A Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday found 55 percent of Americans supporting the improvement and not the replacement of the nation's health care system. The Supreme Court has twice upheld President Barack Obama's health care law, known as "Obamacare." Five justices a majority who upheld the law in 2012 are still on the bench. Trump's effort to repeal Obamacare narrowly failed in the Senate in 2017. Nearly two years later, it's unclear where the White House plans to focus its health care efforts. Trump's most recent budget backs one piece of the legislation that stalled in the Senate. Republicans gained Senate seats last fall, but there's no indication that GOP senators want another fight over repealing Obamacare particularly not those up for re-election next year. The GOP also lost control of the House, which means any attempt to dismantle the law could not pass Congress. One White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity to address still-early talks, said discussions are ongoing with Pelosi's office on legislation to lower prescription drug prices, but no substantive path forward for a broader health care bill has emerged. As the debate plays out on Capitol Hill, the White House made a surprising legal argument for eliminating the health care bill. In a Monday court filing, the administration said the entire health care law should be struck down as unconstitutional after Congress repealed fines on people who remain uninsured. That's at odds with previous statements by leading congressional Republicans who said they didn't intend to repeal other parts of the law when they cut out its fines, effective this year. It's also a departure from the administration's earlier stance in a lower court, where it had argued that only federal safeguards for people with pre-existing medical conditions and limits on premiums charged to older, sicker people should be struck down. Repeal of Obamacare in its entirety would risk making more than 20 million people uninsured. That includes some 12 million low-income people covered through its Medicaid expansion and some 11 million purchasing subsidized private health insurance through HealthCare.gov and state-run insurance markets. Some Republicans say that wouldn't happen because the Trump administration's "repeal and replace" plan would send grants to states for them to run their own health insurance programs. However, during the 2017 congressional debate over repealing the health law, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the GOP replacement plans would result in steep coverage losses. Several GOP senators said Tuesday that Trump told them to ensure those with pre-existing conditions stayed protected as they work on an Obamacare replacement. Republicans appeared ready to back up the president on health care for now. Trump is "thinking that's the issue that defines us as conservatives," Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., told reporters after the president addressed a closed-door meeting of GOP senators. Rep. Steve Scalise, the House minority whip, said Democrats have "misled" voters about the benefits of Obamacare. "They were misled about collusion with Russia," said Scalise, R-La. "The same people that have been misleading on all those other issues want to try to mislead people on health care costs." The sudden focus on the health care law comes as Democratic presidential candidates have embraced a move toward a single-payer health care system known as "Medicare for All." The momentum for that effort could wane if congressional Democrats instead have to focus on defending Obamacare. House Democrats on Tuesday unveiled legislation to shore up the Affordable Care Act and expand enrollment to millions more people. "For (Trump) to bring this back up is traumatic, and it shines a real light on what the contrast is going to be between him and whoever the Democratic nominee is," said Andrew Bates, a spokesman for the Democratic group American Bridge. The group's planned $50 million investment in deterring swing-state voters from backing Trump in 2020 will focus in part on health care, as well as other economic issues, Bates said. Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Zeke Miller, Kevin Freking, Mark Sherman and Hannah Fingerhut in Washington contributed to this report. What to Know San Diego researchers were the first to participate in the new model of conservation. The giant pandas born at the San Diego Zoo have helped to produce 22 additional giant pandas in China. The giant panda is still on the endangered species list but is less threatened than when the program began. Two giant pandas who have been a favorite of San Diegans for decades and a star attraction for visitors will no longer be a part of the San Diego Zoo, officials announced Monday. Bai-Yun, 27, and her son, Xiao Liwu, 6, will leave at the end of April for China. They are the last two giant pandas to live at the San Diego Zoo, one of only a few zoos where giant pandas can be found in the United States. Zoos in Washington, D.C, Atlanta and Memphis also have the animals. The news, while shocking to many who love to visit and follow the lives of the giant pandas, was not unexpected as a long-term conservation agreement was ending, according to the San Diego Zoo officials. Although we are sad to see these pandas go, we have great hopes for the future, Shawn Dixon, chief operating officer for San Diego Zoo Global said in a written release. The zoos giant panda conservation program began more than two decades ago when the species was threatened with extinction. "This is a Chinese program and we feel fortunate that we were the first foreign zoo to be invited to participate with a new conservation, a new model of conservation," said Carmi Penny, director of Collections Husbandry Science at the San Diego Zoo. "The threat to the giant panda is less than it was when we started this program." The zoo's work with Bai Yun and her cubs have helped to boost the wild population of pandas in China to more than 2,000, according to the zoo. In 2016, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species changed pandas from endangered to vulnerable. With the remaining giant pandas to leave the San Diego Zoo for China, many are wondering how it will impact business. NBC 7's Danny Freeman has more. Now, researchers will work to redefine what panda conservation and research will mean in the future. Zoo officials plan to maintain their exhibit and keep it in place in case they are able to negotiate a new agreement that could ultimately bring pandas back to the zoo. Bai Yun's longtime mate Gao Gao was returned to the Chinese Center for Research and Conservation for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) in October. The father of five cubs born at the San Diego Zoo, Gao Gao had been living at the zoo for 15 years as part of the long-term loan agreement with the Peoples Republic of China. Guests to the San Diego Zoo will be able to say goodbye to Bai Yun and Xiao Liwu up until April 27. [G] San Diego's Cutest Critters Don Heffern, a visitor Monday from Costa Mesa in Orange County, said his reaction to learning that the two giant pandas would be leaving in a month was "sadness." "Obviously, it's the highlight of the zoo. It's something that you don't find everywhere. There's so few zoos in North America that have pandas so I was completely shocked to hear it today," he said. "Hopefully, they're able to work out something to do it again. Of anything in the zoo this is the one thing that has a line -- that's a big attraction." COO Shawn Dixon said for the first time in the park's 100-year history, the San Diego Zoo surpassed 4 million visitors in 2018. And, while he did admit the pandas are a big draw, he is not worried about the ramifications of losing one of their main attractions. "We know our community is concerned about what that looks like, and we feel like we are so much more," Dixon said. "We are a zoo we are a safari park, we have thousands of animals to come visit, so we have so much more to see." Special counsel Robert Mueller told Attorney General William Barr three weeks ago that he wouldn't be making a decision on obstruction of justice charges against President Donald Trump, a source told NBC News Monday. Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who was also at the meeting, hadn't expected that, said the source. The pair ultimately decided there was no evidence requiring prosecution on the obstruction issue, Barr announced Sunday. Mueller had set out "evidence on both sides" of the question of obstruction and stated that "while this report does not conclude the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." Congressional Democrats prepared to huddle behind closed doors Monday evening to plot strategy for their own investigations of obstruction of justice and Russian election interference, among other matters related to the president, following the release of Barr's summary. Barr's four-page document said Mueller did not find that Trump's campaign "conspired or coordinated" with the Russian government to influence the 2016 presidential election knocking down arguments from Democrats who have claimed there was evidence of such collusion. Even as Democrats clamored for the Justice Department to release the entire document and not just Barr's summary, Trump said Monday the release of Mueller's full report "wouldn't bother me at all." Having already claimed vindication from Barr's summary, he said that "we can never let this happen to another president again." As he has many times before, he suggested the investigation was tainted from the beginning and said it was a "terrible thing." He even accused those responsible for launching it of "treasonous things against our country" and said they "certainly will be looked into." Trump has spent months railing against former Justice Department officials, including former FBI Director James Comey, accusing them of an illegal witch hunt for the purpose of delegitimizing his presidency. He has also falsely claimed that the investigation was based on memos compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele, and even blamed former Sen. John McCain, who died last year, for passing the memos to the FBI. But the investigation began months before the FBI ever saw the dossier and the FBI already had a copy by the time McCain turned it in. Trump, asked on Monday if he'd be OK with the release of the full report, responded: "Up to the attorney general, but it wouldn't bother me at all." Republicans followed Trump's lead, with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham promising to "unpack the other side of the story" of the Russia investigation. Graham, who spent the weekend with Trump in Florida, said his committee will investigate the actions of the Justice Department in the Russia investigation, including the FBI's use of the Steele dossier. Graham's comments echoed Trump's own complaints Sunday in which he compared the probe to a failed coup and said those behind it should be held responsible. But Graham wouldn't go quite as far, saying he believed that the Mueller investigation was legitimate and had to happen in order to answer questions about Russian interference in the 2016 election. The South Carolina Republican also had a warning for Trump using his pardon power to help those who were ensnared by Mueller's investigation. "If President Trump pardoned anybody in his orbit, it would not play well," Graham said. Among those whom Mueller charged during the course of his investigation were the president's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Five Trump aides pleaded guilty and a sixth, longtime confidant Roger Stone, is awaiting trial on charges that he lied to Congress and engaged in witness tampering. Monday morning, White House aides and allies blanketed television news broadcasts to trumpet Barr's letter and claim that Trump had been the victim in a probe that never should have started. Democrats said they were still waiting for the full report, in addition to the underlying evidence that Mueller used. "The fact that Special Counsel Mueller's report does not exonerate the president on a charge as serious as obstruction of justice demonstrates how urgent it is that the full report and underlying documentation be made public without any further delay," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement Sunday evening. "Given Mr. Barr's public record of bias against the Special Counsel's inquiry, he is not a neutral observer and is not in a position to make objective determinations about the report." Given the report, Democrats seemed more likely to focus on their ongoing investigations, calls for transparency and frustrations with Barr, rather than engaging with the talk of impeachment that has been amplified on Pelosi's left flank. As the release of Mueller's report loomed, Pelosi recently tried to scuttle that talk by saying she's not for impeachment, for now. In a joint statement, Nadler, House intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., seemed to concede that collusion had not been found, saying they have confidence in Mueller, "notwithstanding the very public evidence of Trump campaign contact with and willingness to receive support from Russian agents." Still, they said, "it will be vital for the country and the Congress to evaluate the full body of evidence collected by the special counsel, including all information gathered of a counterintelligence nature." Ahead of their Monday meetings, Democrats discussed strategy in a flurry of calls over the weekend. Pelosi and Schumer talked repeatedly, including several calls Sunday from her home in San Francisco. As soon as Barr's letter arrived, Pelosi quickly convened a call Sunday with Cummings, Schiff and Nadler to go over its main points. They were on the same page with their response, according to a person familiar with the call. Nadler later held a conference call with Democratic members on the Judiciary panel and reiterated calls for transparency. People familiar with the calls requested anonymity to discuss them freely. Republicans unified to call for Congress to move on. "This case is closed," said House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy in a statement. Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey, Mike Balsamo and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report. A Soviet-born convicted felon who worked on real estate deals with President Donald Trump was accused in a lawsuit Monday of plotting to use Trump-branded skyscrapers to launder money allegedly stolen from a Kazakhstan bank. BTA Bank and the City of Almaty, Kazakhstan, allege Felix Sater conspired with the son of the city's former mayor to use some of the $440 million to develop a Trump Tower in Moscow. Sater, who was due to testify before Congress this week about his work with Trump, started pushing the Moscow project in 2005 and tried to kickstart it during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, but it was never built. The bank also alleges Sater helped the mayor's son, Ilyas Khrapunov, mask $3 million as down payments on three condominiums in Trump SoHo, a New York City hotel that Sater helped develop as an executive at Bayrock Group LLC. Sater arranged for Trump and Khrapunov to meet and discuss potential investments, the lawsuit said, but it makes clear: there is no suggestion Trump engaged in impropriety or that he was aware Sater and Khrapunov allegedly stole money. Messages were left with Sater and representatives for Trump and his company, the Trump Organization. Khrapunov is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan. His lawyer noted that all claims against him regarding alleged money laundering have been dismissed by federal Courts in New York and California. Sater's work on the Trump Tower Moscow project has made him a key figure in the House Democrats' investigations into Trump's ties to Russia. The Congressional probes are moving forward after Attorney General William Barr on Sunday said that Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence that Trump colluded with Russia to influence the election. Sater's public testimony, however, will wait. The House Intelligence Committee postponed Sater's appearance, scheduled for Wednesday. It wasn't immediately clear if he would still meet with the House Judiciary Committee in a closed-door session Thursday. Khrapunov's father-in-law, former BTA Bank chairman Mukhtar Ablyazov, is accused of embezzling billions of dollars from the bank and funneling the money into offshore entities. The lawsuit said that, once caught, he turned to Khrapunov to monetize and launder remaining assets. Khrapunov knew Sater through his family and asked him to join the scheme in 2011, the lawsuit said. Sater had been involved in coal extraction and oil drilling ventures with Khrapunov's family and attended Khrapunov's 2007 wedding to Ablyazov's daughter, the lawsuit said. Sater and two other people are named as defendants, along with five companies, including Bayrock. In addition to the money laundering allegations, Sater is accused in the lawsuit of stealing $40 million for himself and an associate. Sater, 53, is among the more colorful characters in Trump's orbit. He served 15 months in jail in the early 1990s and permanently lost his stockbroker's license for stabbing a man in the face with the stem of a broken margarita glass at a Manhattan bar. A few years later, he got caught in a $40 million pump-and-dump stock fraud, turned state's evidence against two New York crime families and then continued providing the government with information related to national security and other matters. In another Trump connection, BTA Bank hired his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen in 2017 to help with litigation over Ablyazov's alleged embezzlement but dumped him within two months because it says he "did absolutely nothing of value." Sater and Cohen worked together on the Moscow project in 2016. In barely a week's time, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has cemented the authoritarian reputation of his government by shuttering the offices some of the few remaining resonant voices of dissent and expelling the international monitors documenting his government's alleged crimes. The heavy-handed raids on the country's most prominent nongovernmental organizations and the seizure of the offices of the independent news outlets Confidencial and 100% Noticias left a clear message that no one especially former Sandinista comrades was safe from a crackdown on dissent following a wave of protests that increasingly aimed at pushing the 73-year-old president from power. At least 325 people have been killed since protests erupted in mid-April and were violently suppressed. Some 565 people have been jailed, according to the Nicaraguan Human Rights Center, which itself was raided. Many of those held face terrorism charges that carry decades-long sentences. Thousands have fled the country in self-imposed exile. "All Nicaraguans are vulnerable to the possibility that they fabricate charges from the laws they (the government) invented," the founder of Confidencial, Carlos Fernando Chamorro, said in front of Managua's courthouse. "No one is safe here. The law protects no one because in Nicaragua there is not rule of law." Chamorro ran the Sandinistas' newspaper La Barricada for years and his mother Violeta Barrios de Chamorro was initially part of the Sandinista ruling junta when it gained power. But she later split and eventually ran for president, defeating Ortega in 1990. Vice President Rosario Murillo who is Ortega's wife and who also controls the government's communications did not grant a request for an interview with herself or Ortega. But at an event with police last week, she made a thinly veiled reference to Chamorro and other "traitors." "Disgracefully in our country we have known names that repeat throughout history in their eagerness to betray the country," Murillo said. "We are going to strengthen the peace and security every day. Here traitors to the country have no place." The new wave of crackdowns began a little over a week ago when Ortega loyalists in Congress stripped nine organizations of their legal status, alleging they supported what the government has called a coup attempt, a reference to the protests. Police raided the groups' offices the night of Dec. 13, hauling off computers and reams of documents. They returned the following night to occupy their buildings. Police toting rifles could be seen watching television inside the offices of Confidencial while its staff kept its website updated from hotel rooms, their homes and eventually a secret location where they re-established their newsroom. "The issue is that the institutions that he's going after are symbolic of the strength of civil society," said Manuel Orozco, a senior associate at The Inter-American Dialogue in Washington. Ortega thought he could maintain control through the political parties, but this opposition movement has come from civil society. When Chamorro went to police headquarters on Dec. 15 to ask to see what order had allowed the seizure of his offices, he and his staff were pushed away by riot police who punched and kicked at least one of his reporters. Riot police were present again two days later when Chamorro and his wife walked hand-in-hand to the gates of the courthouse to seek judicial relief. "As human beings, obviously we're afraid of being smashed by the regime, which up to now has prevailed through force and terror," Chamorro said. Invoking his father, a journalist and national hero killed in 1978 by the Somoza dictatorship that was later overthrown by the Sandinistas, Chamorro said that each person is the master of his own fear. "All citizens have to learn to manage fear and overcome it and show that you can't kill ideas and ideas can't be killed by killing journalists." Chamorro isn't alone as a former Sandinista now squarely in Ortega's sights. Many of the intellectuals and key figures who participated in early Sandinista governments have split away over the years, accusing Ortega of taking a more authoritarian path. Vilma Nunez, the president of the Nicaraguan Human Rights Center, was a supreme court vice president under Ortega's first Sandinista government in 1979 and dedicated much of her early career to defending Sandinistas persecuted by the Somoza regime. But last week she circulated a panicked audio recording saying that the police had surrounded her offices and she thought they were going to force their way in. They did and now the center, known by its Spanish initials of Cenidh, is reorganizing at a clandestine location. "They believe that by finishing off belligerent organizations that won't be silent about human rights they are going to silence the voices of protest that persist," Nunez said. Cenidh has been documenting abuses by police and paramilitaries since the violence began in April. But in Cenidh's case, it also may be personal. Nunez represented Zoilamerica Narvaez, Murillo's daughter and Ortega's stepdaughter, when she accused Ortega of rape and abuse during her childhood. Efforts to prosecute the case at first were blocked by Ortega's immunity as a member of Nicaragua's congress. He renounced that immunity after his lawyers determined the statute of limitations had expired. "Daniel Ortega, since he thinks that everything belongs to him, believes that everyone who was in the Sandinista Front is his property and that's why he considers everyone traitors," Nunez said. In the streets of Managua, outward appearances suggest some degree of normality. Christmas decorations are spread about the city, more restaurants and bars are staying open after dark and the city's Eastern Market has been humming with shoppers. The sprawling 37-block market, which claims to be the region's largest, holds vendors selling everything from fresh produce to large appliances. But vendors say business has been running 25 to 30 percent below what it was last year, even in the run-up to Christmas. Veronica Guzman Pavon stood at her produce stand bagging fat carrots. She had a big basket of onions on offer but said it now took four days to sell out whereas before it took two. "And they complain because it's expensive," she said. Prices are up because fewer crops were planted because banks were lending less to farmers, she said. That scarcity has driven up costs, which she has to pass on to her customers. Nicaragua's private business umbrella organization COSEP issued a report this month saying that instead of the forecast 5 percentage-point growth in Nicaragua's economy this year, it will finish with a 4-point contraction. Not so visible are people living in fear. A woman who for months has been helping to hide dozens of university students who had occupied campuses in anti-government protests continues to ferry donated food and clothing to them. But she said there's never enough food, and some subsist on rice and ketchup. But their emotional health is the greater concern, she said: These were students on career tracks who suddenly found themselves unable to return to the university or even walk down the street. After police and paramilitaries retook the university campuses last summer, hundreds of students have either fled the country or remain in hiding. "They have imprisoned their future," said the woman, who requested anonymity to protect the students in her care. To get to the Managua home of Carlos Tunnermann, a former university rector, the Sandinistas' first education minister and later Ortega's ambassador to the United States, you have to get through two police checkpoints. Tunnermann, a member of the Civic Alliance formed to negotiate with the government last spring, lives near Ortega's home and falls within his expanded security perimeter. The first checkpoint is easy enough, just a question about where you're going. The second, however, is more challenging. Police took identifications from this reporter and his cab driver. Once an officer established that the cab's passenger was a journalist, an agent dressed as a civilian but carrying a radio followed up with more questions. Who do you work for? What are you reporting on? Where are you staying? Is that the only place you've stayed? When did you arrive? When will you leave? The answers were scribbled into a small notebook. After a half hour, the gate finally swung aside. Half a block away, Tunnermann patiently waited. He apologized for the inconvenience, but such were the times. A young relative recently came to visit and was similarly held up when a police officer remarked that he didn't see the family resemblance. Tunnermann said that the recent aggression toward the NGOs and Chamorro's media outfit could have been a reply to the U.S. government's economic sanctions last month against Murillo and Nestor Moncada, Ortega's national security adviser. Tunnermann said Ortega seemed to not grasp yet that each time he ratchets up the crackdown, the international community will increase the pressure on him. Just a few hours later, Ortega's government would expel teams from two branches of the Organization of American States that were investigating human rights violations. A day after that, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a law ordering sanctions against countries that assist Ortega's government a measure that had stalled in Congress in earlier years. Undeterred, Ortega's police raided the offices of 100% Noticias on Friday night, and the following morning its director was accused in court of inciting "terrorism." In Tunnermann's mind, dialogue and eventually a concession by Ortega to move up presidential elections scheduled for 2021 were the country's best chance for peace. But there was a major obstacle, he said: Ortega and Murillo "have invented a reality that is not the true reality. It's a reality that is only in their minds." Two long-sleeved shirts, a sweater, a fleece jacket, two scarves and two pairs of socks. That has been Karen Ericson's go-to outfit in her office in Des Moines, Iowa, in recent weeks. "I am still shivering," the 39-year-old graphic designer said last week, estimating the temperature in the office was in the mid-60s while outside, the city hit 19 below zero at one point. "Living in the Midwest, I'm well-trained to dress warmly and in layers, but this deep freeze has been difficult to endure, especially when I expect to be comfortable or at least not shivering inside." As much of the nation muddled through bitter weather in recent weeks, office dwellers found they still had to brave the cold even when indoors. Many relied on winter parkas, gloves, blankets and space heaters just to keep working. "Today I've got two sweaters, a scarf, ear coverings, gloves and a blanket over my lap," Rebecca Miller, a 27-year-old academic adviser at Tennessee State University in Nashville, said last week as temperatures barely ticked above 50 degrees in her office while outside it was 20 degrees or lower in the daytime. "But I'm still having a hard time working. I'm shaking cold, and it's hard to focus. The gloves make it hard to type, and the bulky layers make it difficult to move around." Like thousands of other chilly Americans, she snapped selfies of herself at her desk in attire usually reserved for the ski slopes and shared them on social media. Office developments are built with centralized heating systems that make the buildings suitable for a range of uses over many years. The downside is that they provide little climate control to individual tenants sometimes purposely, said Khee Poh Lam, architecture professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Thermostats are often tucked into hard-to-reach spaces like false ceilings and air ducts so office tenants can't mess with them, Lam said. Other buildings have dummy units out in the open that don't actually do anything except give desperate workers the illusion of control. Finding the right temperature to please everyone has been an elusive goal for office designers and builders, said Stefano Schiavon, architecture professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who co-wrote a 2012 study that found roughly 40 percent of U.S. workers were satisfied with their office's temperature. Design standards call for an acceptability rate closer to 80 percent, he said. The challenge isn't just confined to the winter, of course. Chilly offices have long been the bane of women who complain air conditioning is cranked up in the summer to appease their male, suit-wearing counterparts. And there are certainly many offices with overzealous furnaces that prompt workers to crack open windows even on the coldest days. Optimal temperature for office work is 72 to 79 degrees or nearly 10 degrees more than what many buildings typically set their thermostats, said Alan Hedge, a design professor at Cornell University in New York who has researched how temperature affects productivity. Schiavon suggested that companies, even those based in the draftiest old offices, can invest in safe, relatively inexpensive technology to keep workers warm and productive, like heated chairs, electric blankets and heated floor mats. "The bottom line is that central heating won't work for everyone, even if designed right," he said. "We're very different people and need some sort of personalization of our environment." Ericson, the Iowa resident, said the key to getting through the work day has been reminding herself the cold is only temporary. "Every day that passes," she said, "is a day closer to spring." Here's a timeline of the giant pandas at the San Diego Zoo: September 10, 1996: Bai Yun and Shi Shi arrive to the San Diego Zoo from the Wolong Panda Preserve in China. August 21, 1999: Hua Mei was born in San Diego, the first panda cub to survive in captivity in the United States. She was the product of artificial insemination between Bai Yun and Shi Shi. January 2003: Gao Gao arrived in San Diego as a new mate for Bai Yun. Born in the wild, he would go on to father five cubs at the San Diego Zoo. August 19, 2003: Mei Sheng was the first cub born to Bai Yun and Gao Gao and the second cub to be born at the San Diego Zoo. He was moved to China at age 4. February 2004: Hua Mei returns to China where she would live at the Wolong Giant Panda Conservation Center. Panda Portraits: A Look Back at San Diego's Beloved Bears August 2, 2005: Su Lin was born to Bai Yun and Gao Gao as their second cub, and the third to be successfully raised in San Diego. August 3, 2007: Zhen Zhen was the fourth panda to be born to the San Diego Zoo. She was later named by panda fans through an online poll. July 2008: Shi Shi dies at the Guangzhou Zoo. August 5, 2009: Yun Zi was born at the San Diego Zoo to Bai Yun and Gao Gao. Even though it was the fifth successful birth for the panda program, one veterinarian described it as "just as exciting as our first." August 2010: Siblings Su Lin and Zhen Zhen were returned to China. March 16, 2011: Panda Bai Yun pushed open a safety barrier between the keeper area and the animal's habitat. When a keeper tried to herd Bai Yun back into her living quarters, the panda grabbed onto one of the worker's legs with her jaws. The keeper was treated at a hospital. July 29, 2012: Xiao Liwu was born to Bai Yun, her last cub. He continues to live at the San Diego Zoo with his mother. His name means "Little Gift." January 9, 2014: Yun Zi leaves the San Diego Zoo, flies out of LAX, and is returned to China. Images: San Diego Zoo's Panda Cub Xiao Liwu June 2016: The zoo announced its eldest panda was suffering from heart disease. October 30, 2018: Gao Gao leaves San Diego for China. March 25, 2019: The San Diego Zoo announces the remaining two giant pandas will leave the U.S. at the end of April. [G] Giant Panda Celebrates 24th Birthday Visitors of Panda at San Diego Zoo in 1987 Invited to China The body of a 15-year-old girl who had been missing all weekend was found near a business in Compton, ending her family's heartbreaking search Monday. "They found her and I dont know what to say. I dont have words," said Blanca Bautista, the girl's mother. The mother of Samantha Bustos, 15, confirmed to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department that the person they found was indeed her daughter after detectives showed her a picture of the victim. The teen was last seen Friday in Compton. Her mother said her daughter and the girl's best friend had told their parents they were having a sleepover. They had gone to a party, Bautista said. Samantha said she would be home Saturday, but she didn't come home. Samantha's body was found face down in the bushes Monday morning at 1:30 a.m. in the 400 block of Victoria Street near National Retail Systems, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said. "This individual did sustain traumatic injuries to upper torso and is being investigated as homicide," Lt. Rodney Moore said. The company was working to provide surveillance footage. On Tuesday, mourners stopped at a memorial in Compton for Samantha. "It just hit me emotionally before I knew who she was," said Leticia Willis, who works nearby. "When I found out, I just broke down." Authorities had not identified a suspect, but detectives told Samanthas mother she was last seen in a white Jeep with two young men. "They just hurt her, thats what he said. They hurt her bad," Bautista said. Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's department at (323) 890-5500. The family of the victim has set up a GoFundMe to help with expenses. If you would like to donate, you may do so here, but please note that GoFundMe takes a percentage of money raise in the form of platform and other fees. Heather Navarro contributed to this article. President Donald Trump is scheduled to make a planned six-hour visit to the Los Angeles area Friday for a fundraising dinner for his re-election campaign. Tickets are $15,000 for dinner, $50,000 for the opportunity to take a picture with Trump and $150,000 to participate in a roundtable discussion during the April 5 event, according to an invitation obtained by City News Service. Trump is scheduled to arrive at Los Angeles International Airport aboard Air Force One in mid-afternoon after viewing a newly completed section of the border wall in Calexico. He is set to leave the Southland Friday night, bound for Las Vegas, where he will speak Saturday at the Republican Jewish Coalition's Annual Leadership Meeting. The visit will be Trump's third to the Los Angeles area as president. He headlined a Republican National Committee fundraiser near Beverly Hills last March and toured areas ravaged by the Woolsey Fire in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, then met with survivors of the mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks in November. Barack Obama made 21 visits to Los Angeles and Orange counties at the similar stage of his presidency, attending fundraisers during 18 of those visits. Divided in debate but mostly united in a final vote, the House passed a resolution condemning anti-Semitism and other bigotry Thursday, with Democrats trying to push past a dispute that has overwhelmed their agenda and exposed fault lines that could shadow them through next year's elections. The one-sided 407-23 vote belied the emotional infighting over how to respond to freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar's recent comments suggesting House supporters of Israel have dual allegiances. For days, Democrats wrestled with whether or how to punish the lawmaker, arguing over whether Omar, one of two Muslim women in Congress, should be singled out, what other types of bias should be decried in the text and whether the party would tolerate dissenting views on Israel. Republicans generally joined in the favorable vote, though nearly two-dozen opposed the measure, one calling it a "sham." Generational as well as ideological, the argument was fueled in part by young, liberal lawmakers and voters who have become a face of the newly empowered Democratic majority in the House. These lawmakers are critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, rejecting the conservative leader's approach to Palestinians and other issues. They split sharply from Democratic leaders who seemed caught off guard by the support for Omar and unprepared for the debate. But the leaders regrouped. "It's not about her. It's about these forms of hatred," Speaker Nancy Pelosi said before the vote. The resolution approved Thursday condemns anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim discrimination and bigotry against minorities "as hateful expressions of intolerance." Omar, a Somali-American, and fellow Muslims Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Andrew Carson of Indiana, issued a statement praising the "historic" vote as the first resolution to condemn "anti-Muslim bigotry." Some Democrats complained that Omar's comments on Israel had ignited all this debate while years of President Donald Trump's racially charged rhetoric had led to no similar congressional action. The seven-page document details a history of recent attacks not only against Jews in the United States but also Muslims, as it condemns all such discrimination as contradictory to "the values and aspirations" of the people of the United States. The vote was delayed for a time on Thursday to include mention of Latinos to address concerns of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. It was inserted under a section on white supremacists who "weaponize hate for political gain" over a long list of "traditionally persecuted peoples." An earlier version focused more narrowly on anti-Semitism. The final resolution did not mention Omar by name. Getting this debate right will be crucial for Democrats in 2020. U.S.-Israel policy is a prominent issue that is exposing the splits between the party's core voters, its liberal flank and the more centrist Americans in Trump country the party hopes to reach. "What I fear is going on in the House now is an effort to target Congresswoman Omar as a way of stifling that debate. That's wrong," said presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent. "Anti-Semitism is a hateful and dangerous ideology which must be vigorously opposed in the United States and around the world," the senator said. "We must not, however, equate anti-Semitism with legitimate criticism of the right-wing, Netanyahu government in Israel." Other Democratic presidential contenders tried to walk a similar line. California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris said "we need to speak out against hate." But she said she also believes "there is a critical difference between criticism of policy or political leaders, and anti-Semitism." A statement from Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said, "Branding criticism of Israel as automatically anti-Semitic has a chilling effect on our public discourse and makes it harder to achieve a peaceful solution between Israelis and Palestinians." She said threats of violence, including those made against Omar, "are never acceptable. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York said, "Everyone is entitled to their opinion, they are allowed to have free speech in this country," Gillibrand said. "But we don't need to use anti-Semitic tropes or anti-Muslim tropes to be heard." Another member of the new crop of outspoken young House freshmen, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, said the final product, as well as the way presidential candidates are now talking about the issue, showed "there's been some really great progress we've made." But Omar's rhetoric is taking Democrats to a place that leaves many uneasy. The new lawmaker sparked a weeklong debate in Congress as fellow Democrats said her comments have no place in the party. She suggested Israel's supporters were pushing lawmakers to take a pledge of "allegiance" to a foreign country, reviving a trope of dual loyalties. It wasn't her first dip into such rhetoric. The new congresswoman has been critical of the Jewish state in the past and apologized for those previous comments. But Omar has not apologized for what this latest comment. Pelosi said she did not believe that Omar understood the "weight of her words" or that they would be perceived by some as anti-Semitic. Asked whether the resolution was intended to "police" lawmakers' words, Pelosi replied: "We are not policing the speech of our members." Instead, she said, the goal was to condemn anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and white supremacy. Some of the House's leading Jewish Democrats wanted to bring a resolution on the floor simply condemning anti-Semitism. But other Democrats wanted to broaden the resolution to include a rejection of all forms of racism and bigotry. Others questioned whether a resolution was necessary at all and viewed it as unfairly singling out Omar at a time when Trump and others have made disparaging racial comments. There remained frustration that the party that touts its diversity conducted such a messy and public debate about how to declare its opposition to bigotry. "This shouldn't be so hard," Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., said on the House floor. Among the Republican dissenters, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, a member of the GOP leadership, called the resolution "a sham put forward by Democrats to avoid condemning one of their own and denouncing vile anti-Semitism." In part, Democratic leaders were trying to fend off a challenge from Republicans on the issue. They worry they could run into trouble on another bill, their signature ethics and voting reform package, if Republicans try to tack their own anti-Semitism bill on as an amendment. By voting Thursday, the House Democratic vote counters believed they could inoculate their lawmakers against such a move. House lawmakers on Tuesday denounced Defense Department plans to use military funds to pay for President Donald Trump's border wall, telling Pentagon leaders the "unbelievably irresponsible" maneuver will threaten the agency's future ability to shift money around when needed. Both Republicans and Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee said there is little support for tapping military construction projects for the wall, about a week after Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan sent a list of vulnerable projects to Capitol Hill. "Whatever one feels about the border wall, to look at the Pentagon as sort of a piggybank - slash - slush fund, where you can simply go in and grab money for something when you need it, really undermines the credibility of the entire DoD budget," said Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., chairman of the panel. "Funding a border wall out of the Department of Defense is also unbelievably irresponsible." As the hearing continued, Smith sent a letter from the committee to the Pentagon denying the department's first formal request to shift about $1 billion in surplus personnel funds to a counter-drug account in order to pay for barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Pentagon said it was exploring the potential impact of that letter and what steps the department would take next. The committee's top Republican, Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas, also said he opposes using defense funding for other purposes. But he noted that Shanahan is facing "a lot of criticism for decisions that you had nothing to do with." In response, Shanahan said he knew that maneuvering around Congress to fund the wall was risky and would have long-term negative effects on the department. But he said the department was executing a "legal order from the commander in chief." The Pentagon last week sent to Capitol Hill a list of more than 400 military construction projects, totaling about $13 billion, that might be tapped for wall funding. But Shanahan has said that any money for military housing or barracks would not be touched, as well as any projects that will have contracts awarded before the end of this fiscal year, Sept. 30. When those projects are removed, about 150 remain, totaling about $4.3 billion. Shanahan has also said that projects deemed necessary for military readiness or other high priorities will be protected. But those haven't been identified yet. Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and David Norquist, the department's budget chief, were also at the Tuesday hearing. Both the House and Senate voted to overturn Trump's declaration of a national emergency to use construction money to fund the wall. Trump vetoed that bill. A number of lawmakers also objected to the Pentagon's assumption that Congress would simply refund the affected projects next year, calling it a political maneuver to get Congress to pay for the wall. Other lawmakers, such as the entire New Jersey congressional delegation, have written to Shanahan to defend the projects in their state. In their letter, they told Shanahan that they "adamantly oppose" diverting any money for a border barrier, adding that Congress, not the executive branch, has the power to appropriate funds for specific projects. A plan to spend $41 million at the Picatinny Arsenal's munitions disassembly complex in New Jersey is on the list of projects that could be affected. On Monday, Army Secretary Mark Esper told The Associated Press that he and other military service leaders will go through the list and work to protect critical projects. "I will prioritize based on readiness, lethality and things like that," he said, noting that something like a training complex could be protected if it's designed to help soldiers face emerging threats from competitors such as Russia and China. Esper added, however, that there are clearly some projects that could be used. "I can tell you what's not a priority. It's the parking garage, the cemetery," Esper said, referring to two projects planned at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York. The garage could be affected, but the cemetery money would not be touched because the contract award date is June, and would therefore be exempt under rules set up by Shanahan. At least half of the $4.3 billion in vulnerable projects would affect U.S. military bases overseas or in Puerto Rico and Guam. And they include a vast cross-section of facilities, ranging from schools and maintenance facilities to shooting ranges, a cybersecurity center and a military working dog kennel. An exuberant President Donald Trump took a victory lap on Capitol Hill Tuesday, emboldened by the end of the special counsel's Russia probe, even as Democrats pressed insistently for Robert Mueller's full report and Justice Department officials said more information could be released in "weeks, not months." Trump strode into a high-spirited gathering of Senate Republicans, flanked by party leaders, saying the attorney general's weekend summary of Mueller's report "could not have been better." GOP senators applauded his arrival, and he celebrated what he called his "clean bill of health." But challenges are ahead for both the Republicans and the Democrats who hope to deny Trump re-election next year. Both parties are readjusting their aims and strategies in the post-probe landscape, pivoting to health care and other issues that are more important for many voters, even with Mueller's full findings still unknown. At House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's own closed-door caucus meeting Tuesday, she urged rank-and-file Democrats to "be calm" and focus on the policy promises of health care, jobs and oversight of the administration that helped propel them to the House majority last fall. "Let's just get the goods," Pelosi said. Not that the Democrats are forgetting Russia and the 2016 presidential election. Many Democrats dismiss the four-page summary released by Attorney General William Barr as inadequate. "I haven't seen the Mueller report. I've seen the Barr report. And I'm not going to base anything on the Barr report," said Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland. "The president is saying he's been completely and totally exonerated by the report," Raskin said. "The one sentence we've seen from the report says this is not an exoneration of the president." Meanwhile, a Justice Department official said it will take Barr "weeks, not months" to finish reviewing Mueller's longer, still-confidential report and make a version available for the public. It's not clear whether that will be Mueller's own words or another synopsis. Trump has said he "wouldn't mind" if the full report were released. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he's hesitant to agree to releasing information from Mueller that would "throw innocent people who've not been charged under the bus." He is blocking legislation approved unanimously by the House calling for the report's release. In the GOP luncheon, Trump was in a lively mood, senators said. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said the president is "always high energy. He had a little extra today." Russia report aside, the president showed an eagerness to move on. He told GOP senators that health care should be their focus heading into the 2020 election. He said he wants them to abandon efforts to simply repeal "Obamacare" and instead focus on a replacement for President Barack Obama's signature law. "I was a little surprised he came out of the chute in health care," said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., after the meeting. "He wants us to try again." Even so, the White House was making a new effort to get rid of the Affordable Care Act entirely. In a legal filing late Monday, the administration said it would not defend the act against a court challenge essentially encouraging the law's demise. Meanwhile, House Democrats, led by Pelosi, unveiled their own sweeping measure to rescue the program on Tuesday. Trump's hour-long talk to Senate Republicans touched on trade, foreign policy and a vote later in the day on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal, which the Senate declined to take up. Trump said the climate-change proposal would be a good campaign issue to fight over with Democrats. Almost no mention was made of the president's national emergency declaration to expand the border wall with Mexico, even though the House was voting on an effort to block it as the senators lunched. Congress had voted to block Trump, and he had vetoed that action. House members voted 248-181 to override Trump's veto, but that was well short of the needed two-thirds majority. Fourteen Republicans joined Democrats in trying to block the president from taking military funds to build his long-promised wall. The president seemed to have heeded advice from allies, including Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who encouraged him to use the political capital he's now gained to accomplish policy goals. Pelosi's advice to Democrats to stick with the strategy that won them control of the House in 2018 was reinforced by Obama himself, who counseled freshman Democrats at a reception Monday night. Obama advised the newly elected lawmakers to focus on constituents' hopes and concerns, while also identifying issues they feel so strongly about that they'd be willing to lose their House seats in fights over them, according to people at the private party. The focus must go beyond Russia and collusion, Democratic leaders said. "House Democrats did not win the election on collusion; we didn't win the election on impeachment; we didn't win the election on obstruction of justice," said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic Caucus chairman. "Our candidates didn't even talk about those issues. What we all collectively talked about was making life better for everyday Americans ... and that's what we're going to continue to do." At the same time, Democrats will continue their investigations of the Trump-Russia connection, and other aspects of the president's finances and business practices, including his tax returns. "You can't move forward on a four-page memo," said Rep. Karen Bass of California. "It's hard for me to accept that as an objective opinion." Six House Democratic committee chairmen have written to Barr asking to have Mueller's full report by April 2. If not, they have suggested subpoenas could be issued. Police are investigating after someone shot at another vehicle Monday afternoon on the Julia Tuttle Causeway. Witnesses told Miami Beach police they saw another vehicle along Alton Road throwing garbage out the window and took a picture of the subjects. Once they were on the Causeway, a male passenger in the subject vehicle discharged his firearm and shot at the victims three times, with one of the bullets grazing their vehicle. There were no injuries in the shooting. Police temporarily shut down the westbound lanes of the Causeway for the investigation. Check out current traffic conditions on nbc6.com/traffic. This is a developing story. Check back with NBC 6 for updates. The father of one of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre took his own life Monday morning at Edmond Town Hall, in Newtown, according to police. Emergency crews responded to the building at 45 Main St. that house a theater as well as meetings rooms around 7 a.m. for the report of a suicide. Paramedics found Jeremy Richman, 49, of Newtown, dead at that location, police said. Authorities said Richman's death appears to be a suicide. On Wednesday, the office of the chief medical examiner said the cause of his death was suicide. Richman was the father of Avielle Richman, a 6-year-old who was among the 20 first-graders and six educators killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012. Police Chief James Viadero said while his department is confident the death was a suicide, what no one knows for certain is why, but the community has carried heartache for so long. We know its there. Some people perceive that everybodys going about their daily business and as a result of what happened in Sandy Hook, but thats not the fact," Viadero said. "My main concern is are there other children out there that are going to look at their parents and wonder now is that something that they have to worry about," he added. Richman and his wife created The Avielle Foundation, an organization dedicated to preventing violence by seeking a better understanding of brain health, according to its Facebook page. Our hearts are shattered, and our heads are struggling to comprehend. Jeremy was a champion father, husband, neuroscientist and, for the past seven years, a crusader on a mission to help uncover the neurological underpinnings of violence through the Avielle Foundation, which he and his wife, Jennifer Hensel, founded after the death of their daughter, Avielle, at Sandy Hook Elementary School," the Avielle Foundation said in a statement. "Jeremy was deeply devoted to supporting research into brain abnormalities that are linked to abnormal behavior and to promoting brain health. Tragically, his death speaks to how insidious and formidable a challenge brain health can be and how critical it is for all of us to seek help for ourselves, our loved ones and anyone who we suspect may be in need," the statement says. The foundation said Jeremy Richman's mission will be carried on "by the many who love him, including many who share the heartache and trauma that he has suffered since December 14, 2012. We are crushed to pieces, but this important work will continue, because, as Jeremy would say, we have to." Monsignor Robert Weiss of the St. Rose of Lima Church told NBC Connecticut Richmans death is a dark and sad day for the community. It brings back so much of the sadness we experienced six years ago. We have lost a gifted and dedicated man to helping us understand the mind of those who act in such violent ways. Our prayers are with his family as they are asked to accept another loss. Richman had an office at Edmond Town Hall, according to police. "This is a heartbreaking event for the Richman Family and the Newtown community as a whole, the police department's prayers are with the Richman family right now, and we ask that the family be given privacy in this most difficult time," Lt. Aaron Bahamonde said in a statement. The board of managers for Edmond Town Hall said they will close early Monday out of respect for Richman. "The Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers and staff wishes to express our deepest sympathy to the Richman family, the Avielle Foundation, and the community. Dr. Richman was a well-respected and beloved member of the Edmond Town Hall family. We are deeply saddened by his passing," the board of managers said in a statement. They said preparations are being made with the Newtown Resiliency Center to help staff. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal called Richman's death "devastating." "Jeremy Richman's passing is simply devastating. I was proud to call Jeremy a good friend, a dedicated father, an esteemed researcher & an outstanding human being. He will be deeply missed by all that knew him," Blumenthal said in a Tweet. U.S. Senator Chris Murphy said in a Tweet that Richman's death was "awful, horrible devastating news." "My god. This is awful, horrible, devastating news. Jeremy was a good friend and an unceasing advocate for better research into the brains violence triggers. He was with me in my office two weeks ago, excited as could be about the Avielle Foundations latest amazing work," Murphy said in a Tweet. U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes released a statement, saying she recently met with Richman and his death is heartbreaking. "The news of Jeremy Richmans death is heartbreaking. I recently met with Jeremy to learn about the Avielle Foundation, and was struck by how optimistic he was about the progress the foundation was making in understanding brain health. He spoke about how the foundations investments have led to broader study of brain chemistry and violence," Hayes said. Richmans death comes after a second survivor of the Parkland school shooting died of what police called an apparent suicide on Sunday. Todays news, along with the two recent suicides of Parkland students, further illuminates the fact that we must do more as a society to help victims of gun violence and their families grieve. These tragedies show that the trauma of gun violence extends far beyond the initial tragedy," Hayes said in a statement. We have failed in this area and must do more to help survivors and their support networks when tragic events occur. I am so thankful for Jeremys work and grieve today with his family and the rest of the Newtown community. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that suicide is a serious and preventable problem and causes vary. The CDC has resources for prevention strategies here. If you are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting 'Home' to 741741. Spain has issued two international arrest warrants for members of a self-proclaimed human rights group that allegedly led a mysterious attack on the North Korean Embassy in February before offering data stolen during the raid to the FBI. National Court judge Jose de la Mata on Tuesday lifted a secrecy order in the case, announcing it had found evidence of various crimes, including trespassing, injuries, threats and burglary committed by "a criminal organization" at the embassy in a leafy northern Madrid neighborhood. He identified a Mexican, an American and a South Korean as main suspects in the case. The judge named Adrian Hong Chang, a Mexican national and resident in the United States, as the leader of a gang of 10 people who escaped on Feb. 22 after stealing computers and documents from the embassy, where they shackled and gagged its staff. De la Mata said the assailants identified themselves as "members of an association or movement of human rights for the liberation of North Korea" and that they urged So Yun Sok, the embassy's business envoy and only diplomat, to defect. He refused to do so and was also gagged. That group is the Cheollima Civil Defense, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the incident. The shadowy activists have the self-declared mission of helping defectors of the North Korean regime. The court document said Hong Chang flew to the U.S. on Feb. 23, where he got in touch with the FBI and offered to share material and videos with federal investigators. The Spanish investigation didn't say what the content of the material was, or whether the FBI accepted it. The document added that most suspects were believed to be outside of Spain. The FBI said in a statement that its standard practice is not to confirm nor deny the existence of investigations but added that "the FBI enjoys a strong working relationship with our Spanish law enforcement partners." A police spokesman who wasn't authorized to be named in media reports confirmed to The Associated Press that arrest warrants had been issued against Hong Chang and one other suspect. No formal charges have yet been brought into the attack. So, the North Korean diplomat, didn't respond to written questions from The Associated Press and declined to talk to reporters during a recent encounter outside his embassy in northwestern Madrid. Others identified as part of the assailants' group were Sam Ryu, from the U.S., and Woo Ran Lee, a South Korean citizen. Their whereabouts and their hometowns weren't immediately known. The South Korean Embassy in Madrid said it had no knowledge of the events and couldn't offer further comment. The assailants purchased knives and handgun mock-ups when they visited Madrid in early February, according to the investigation, and later used them for the attack. While in Madrid, Hong Chang also applied for a new passport at the Mexican Embassy, the investigation found, and used the name "Oswaldo Trump" to register in the Uber ride-hailing app. The North Korean Embassy hasn't pressed charges in Spain, and officials in Pyongyang haven't officially commented on the attack. Spanish police first found out about the incident after the wife of one of the embassy's workers managed to escape by jumping from a window. When confronted by Spanish police officers who went to check on the embassy, Hong Chang posed as an embassy official and said everything was normal. That paved the way for the group's escape in the embassy's cars. The attack's timing, barely a week before a high-stakes U.S.-North Korea summit on denuclearization derailed in Hanoi on Feb. 28, had led many to speculate that it was an attempt to obtain data related to the North's former ambassador to Spain. Kim Hyok Chol, who was expelled from Spain in September 2017 following Pyongyang's sixth round of nuclear tests and missile launches over neighboring Japan, has become North Korea's top nuclear negotiator with the U.S. When asked if Washington had anything to do with the embassy raid, U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said Tuesday that "the United States government had nothing to do with this." Palladino also said that "regarding the specifics of what's going on, the Spanish authorities are investigating. The investigation is still underway. For any details on their investigation, I would have to refer you to Spanish authorities." Spanish authorities have kept the events of the embassy attack out of the public eye until Spain's El Confidencial news site first revealed some details on Feb. 27. A police investigator with knowledge of the case told the AP that "this attack, whatever it is, would have gone unnoticed if it wasn't for the woman who escaped." Last week, the rights group that allegedly led the attack posted a short video on its website allegedly showing a man shattering against the floor portraits of North Korean late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. The group said the video had been filmed recently "on our homeland's soil," in what could be a reference to the North Korean Embassy in Madrid. AP writers Deb Riechmann and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report. The first glimpse into the special counsel's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election did little to mend a gaping American political divide. The four-page summary of Robert Mueller's probe released by Attorney General William Barr didn't satisfy many who wanted more details. But in a bitterly divided country, the little bit that was known stirred cheers from many Republicans and scoffs from many Democrats. "The one side that's happy is happy. And the other side that's not happy wants to do some more investigation or do something else," said Stephen Turner, an electrical engineer from Belmont, North Carolina, who is Republican and voted for Trump. "I wish it'd just go away." Across the union, the split reaction to the Mueller news repeated. In West Palm Beach, Florida, along the route Trump's motorcade took before returning to Washington on Air Force One, Mary Jude Smith got a wave and a smile from the chief executive. The 71-year-old retiree from Hypoluxo, Florida, speaks about him with passion, and insists he has been exonerated. She sees the investigation as Democrats' pathetic attempt to impeach Trump. "I think Mueller was a crook. He wasted millions of our tax dollars for nothing," she said, before offering her assessment of Trump: "He's as clean as the driven snow." In blue-state New York, 49-year-old filmmaker Dan Lee of Brooklyn Heights felt let down by Mueller and left with more questions than answers. "It stings a little, because I trusted Mueller," said Lee, a Democrat. "There are still so many questions and it seems inconceivable that obstruction isn't one of the conclusions." In red-state West Virginia, 44-year-old truck driver Michael Tucker of Bancroft, declared the Russian investigation "a joke, for the most part" and that Trump has been treated unfairly. "It's one witch hunt after another," said Tucker, who gave his vote to Trump in 2016 and likely will again next year. "If they could have found anything, they would have." There were morsels in Barr's letter both sides could savor. For Republicans, it was acknowledgement that there was no evidence Trump or his campaign conspired with Russia. For Democrats, it was the admission that while Trump wasn't charged with obstruction, he also wasn't exonerated. Trump supporter Richard C. Osburn, 52, a nurse from South Charleston, West Virginia, said Mueller's findings were proof the president was "drug through the mud." He knows Democrats are "hell-bent" on destroying Trump, but says it's time for the president to be given a break. "The things that the man's doing to try to help the average worker in this country never gets recognized by the mainstream media," said Osburn, a longtime Republican. "They would rather hate, hate, hate than recognize accomplishments. Those days have got to stop." In Los Angeles, 57-year-old accountant Sue Arani, checked news on her phone as she took her dog for an afternoon walk Sunday. She calls herself a Republican-leaning voter, though she gave her support to Clinton in 2016. She trusts Mueller, but even with Barr's release, she thinks there was collusion between Trump's campaign and the Russian government. "The public needs to see the report," she said, "especially before the next election." Claire Finkelstein, a University of Pennsylvania professor who founded the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law, said if the full report isn't made available to the public and its contents become known only through leaks and back channels, it would be damaging to faith in the government. "Secrets are where conspiracy theories fester and grow," Finkelstein said. "The only way that we are going to be able to move past this state of affairs is by as much coming out into the light as possible. Let's flesh out the facts, let's get them on the table and have a robust conversation." What seemed certain was there would be no end to the debate over Trump, Mueller's investigation, and the political divide across the U.S. In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 74-year-old Richard Howell, a supporter of the president, said news of the Mueller report proves what critics of the investigation have been saying all along. "So we spent two years and millions of dollars," he said, "worrying about nothing." In Gaston County, North Carolina, Trump voters outnumbered Clinton backers nearly two-to-one in 2016, but Joy Owens didn't budge from her opposition. She believes Mueller has done a good job with the investigation but she's left feeling unfulfilled. "I keep hoping that if we just be patient, we be patient for a little bit longer, that there will be justice," said Owens, 66, who recently retired from running a yarn shop and framing business. "I cannot believe of all the other convictions that are happening about this that Trump is going to be scot-free on this." Contributing to this report were Corey Williams, Sharon Cohen, Chris Weber, Claire Galofaro, Jeff Baenan, Rebecca Santana, Tim Talley, Alanna Durkin Richer, Denise Lavoie, Josh Replogle, Colleen Slevin, Sarah Blake Morgan, Roxana Hegeman, Adam Geller and John Raby. North Korea is pursuing the "rapid rebuilding" of the long-range rocket site at Sohae Launch Facility, according to new commercial imagery and an analysis from the researchers at Beyond Parallel. Sohae Satellite Launching Station, North Korea's only operational space launch facility, has been used in the past for satellite launches, NBC News reported. These launches use similar technology to what is used for intercontinental ballistic missiles. Daily attempts by undocumented immigrants to cross into the United States from Mexico over the past month surpassed daily averages not seen since fiscal year 2006, according to Customs and Border Protection data obtained by NBC News. The surge has maxed out the capacity of existing detention centers, and the Department of Homeland Security is now in negotiations with the Department of Defense to detain and care for the overflow on U.S. military bases, according to a DHS official and two other U.S. officials familiar with the discussions. On March 19, CBP officers and agents stopped or apprehended 3,974 immigrants, the highest single day since the beginning of the Trump administration. Six other days since mid-February have topped 3,595, surpassing the daily average of 3,530 in fiscal year 2006. Those seven days are the highest on record since President Donald Trump took office, a DHS official told NBC News, and they have all been recorded over the past six weeks. What to Know Rockland County declared a countywide State of Emergency relating to the ongoing measles outbreak Tuesday A ban went into effect at midnight, Wednesday, barring any unvaccinated minor from public places for 30 days or they are vaccinated As of last Thursday, there are 151 confirmed reported cases of measles in the county, according to Rockland County Rockland County has declared a state of emergency and banned children who are unvaccinated against the measles from public places after a local outbreak entered its 26th week the longest since the disease was eradicated in the United States in 2000, according to officials in the New York. The ban went into effect at midnight, Wednesday, barring anyone younger than 18 who is unvaccinated against the measles from public places until they receive the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The ban expires in 30 days. Those unable to be vaccinated for documented and confirmed medical reasons are exempt from the declaration. "We believe this to be the first such effort of this kind nationally and the circumstances we face here clearly call for that," said Rockland County Executive Ed Day at a Tuesday press conference. "Rockland will lead the way in service and safety to the people here." The outbreak started after seven unvaccinated travelers with measles entered the county in early October, Day said. As of Tuesday, there were 153 confirmed cases. Rockland County has been grappling with a measles outbreak in recent months affecting residents in Spring Valley, New Square and Monsey. Officials had previously asked students who are unvaccinated not to attend school. Still, Day said county officials have been met with "pockets of resistance" from people unwilling to comply with health department advice and this played a part in the decision to enact a ban. Anyone found in violation could face six months in jail and/or a $500 fine, Day said. However, he added that the county is not looking to arrest people, but rather a means to grab the public's attention. Measles is a highly contagious disease. Young children, the immunocompromised and non-immune pregnant women are at highest risk for severe complications. Measles is transmitted by airborne particles, droplets and direct contact with the respiratory secretions of an infected person. Measles typically presents in adults and children as an acute viral illness characterized by fever and generalized rash. The rash usually starts on the face, proceeds down the body and may include the palms and soles. The rash lasts several days. Infected individuals are contagious from four days before rash onset through the fourth day after the rash appears. Rockland officials encourage everyone to be up-to-date with the MMR vaccine to help protect them in case of any future exposure to measles in Rockland. Rockland health officials have urged those who are ill with a fever, rash, or conjunctivitis (red watery eyes) to stay home, not have visitors and not go out in public. To further prevent the spread of illness, the Rockland Health Department said individuals who have symptoms consistent with measles should contact their health care provider, a local clinic or local emergency department before going in person to prevent exposing the illness to others. The Rockland County Department of Health is coordinating its response with the New York State Department of Health. The Department of Health will also host free MMR vaccination clinics Wednesday from 1 to 3 p.m. One in Pomona and another in Spring Valley. U.S. prosecutors are looking into the development of Boeing's 737 Max jets, a person briefed on the matter revealed Monday, the same day French aviation investigators concluded there were "clear similarities" in the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Max 8 last week and a Lion Air jet in October. The Justice Department probe will examine the way Boeing was regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the inquiry is not public. A federal grand jury in Washington sent a subpoena to someone involved in the plane's development seeking emails, messages and other communications, the person told The Associated Press. The Transportation Department's inspector general is also looking into the FAA's approval of the Boeing 737 Max, a U.S. official told AP. The official wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The Wall Street Journal reported on the probe Sunday said the inspector general was looking into the plane's anti-stall system. It quotes unidentified people familiar with both cases. The anti-stall system may have been involved in the Oct. 29 crash of a Lion Air jet off of Indonesia that killed 189 people. It's also under scrutiny in the March 10 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet that killed 157. The Transportation Department's FAA regulates Chicago-based Boeing and is responsible for certifying that planes can fly safely. The grand jury issued its subpoena on March 11, one day after the Ethopian Airlines crash, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press. Spokesmen for the Justice Department and the inspector general said Monday they could neither confirm nor deny the existence of any inquiries. The FAA would not comment. "Boeing does not respond to or comment on questions concerning legal matters, whether internal, litigation, or governmental inquiries," Boeing spokesman Charles Bickers said in an email. The company late Monday issued an open letter from its CEO, Dennis Muilenburg, addressed to airlines, passengers and the aviation community. Muilenburg did not refer to the reports of the Justice Department probe, but stressed his company is taking actions to ensure its 737 Max jets are safe. Those include an upcoming release of a software update and related pilot training for the 737 Max to "address concerns" that arose in the aftermath of October's Lion Air crash, Muilenburg said. The planes' new flight-control software is suspected of playing a role in the crashes. The French civil aviation investigation bureau BEA said Monday that black box data from the Ethiopian Airlines flight showed the links with the Lion Air crash and will be used for further study. Ethiopian authorities asked BEA for help in extracting and interpreting the crashed plane's black boxes because Ethiopia does not have the necessary expertise and technology. The Ethiopian Accident Investigation Bureau intends to release a preliminary report within 30 days. The United States and many other countries have grounded the Max 8s and larger Max 9s as Boeing faces the challenge of proving the jets are safe to fly amid suspicions that faulty sensors and software contributed to the two crashes in less than five months. Both planes flew with erratic altitude changes that could indicate the pilots struggled to control the aircraft. Shortly after their takeoffs, both crews tried to return to the airports but crashed. Boeing has said it has "full confidence" in the planes' safety. Engineers are making changes to the system designed to prevent an aerodynamic stall if sensors detect that the jet's nose is pointed too high and its speed is too slow. Investigators looking into the Indonesian crash are examining whether the software automatically pushed the plane's nose down repeatedly, and whether the Lion Air pilots knew how to solve that problem. Ethiopian Airlines says its pilots received special training on the software. Dennis Tajer, an American Airlines pilot and a spokesman for their union, said Boeing held a discussion with airlines last Thursday but did not invite pilots at American or Southwest, the two U.S. carriers that use the same version of the Max that crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia. Tajer said airline officials told the unions that Boeing intends to offer pilots about a 15-minute iPad course to train them on the new flight-control software on Max jets that is suspected of playing a role in the crashes. He called that amount of training unacceptable. "Our sense is it's a rush to comply 'let's go, let's go, let's go,'" Tajer said. "I'm in a rush to protect my passengers." A spokesman for the pilots' union at Southwest Airlines also said Boeing representatives told that union they expected the upgrade to be ready the end of January. The spokesman, Mike Trevino, said Boeing never followed up to explain why that deadline passed without an upgrade. Boeing was expected to submit a proposed fix to the FAA in early January. Krisher reported from Detroit. Associated Press writers David Koenig in Dallas and Michael Balsamo in Washington contributed to this report. Warning: The details of this story are extremely graphic and could be disturbing to some readers. No decision was reached Tuesday night in the sentencing of a man who stabbed, raped and strangled his girlfriend's daughter while the older woman watched. A jury deliberated in the sentencing for Jacob Sullivan but did not reach a decision regarding whether he'll get the death penalty or life in prison. They'll return to court Wednesday morning. Sullivan, 46, pleaded guilty to the July 2016 murder and dismemberment of 14-year-old Grace Packer. The teen's adoptive mother, Sara Packer, previously pleaded guilty in exchange for a life sentence. She will appear in court Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. for her sentencing. Last week, the teen's loved ones said in court that they remain haunted by her torture and excruciating death. They described for jurors their unrelenting pain at an emotional hearing in Doylestown. "It sickens me to know that Grace was abused, tortured and literally thrown away like she was a piece of trash," her cousin, Karie Heisserer, with whom Grace lived for a time in 2015, said. "Grace is in a better place now, free from evil and pain." Prosecutors painted a nightmare scenario inside the family's Quakerstown home. They said Sara Packer hated Grace, shared a rape-murder fantasy with Sullivan, watched as he sexually assaulted and strangled her in a hot attic outside Philadelphia, and helped hack up her body and dispose of it months later. Sara Packer took the stand last week and said Grace had a tendency to be a "very difficult child. Grace had become, for lack of a better word, a non-entity, Packer said. She didnt exist anymore. I wanted her to go away. Sara Packer, who wore a red prison jumpsuit, also said she has a degree in psychology and an IQ over 140. Earlier in the week, Amy Adam, Grace's guidance counselor, said the teen got excellent grades but required emotional support. She said that a few months before Grace's death, Sara Packer had threatened to send her to foster care or to a residential center. That prompted Grace to write a "good-bye letter" to her family, Adam said. The letter was displayed for the jury. "I know that you guys are at your breaking point and I understand," Grace wrote. "I love you guys I always have and I always will." Jurors saw photos of the bubbly but troubled teen in happier times: Sitting in the cab of her uncle's big rig, frolicking in the sand at her first trip to the beach, delighting in birthday cake at a pool party. But all of that happened with relatives, not with Sara Packer, a former county adoptions supervisor who, prosecutors said, spent years physically and mentally abusing the little girl she fostered and then adopted. Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub told the jury that he agreed to a life sentence for Sara in exchange for her confession and guilty plea because the physical evidence against her was weak, because it was Sullivan who raped and killed Grace, and because her crimes did not qualify for the death penalty. In a confession to police, Sullivan said he and Sara Packer plotted Grace's death. Sullivan admitted he punched and raped Grace as Sara Packer watched, bound her hands and feet with zip ties and stuffed a ball gag in her mouth. I got wrapped up in Jakes fantasy, she said. I didnt think I could tell him no without losing him. Prosecutors said Sullivan and Packer also gave the teen what they intended to be a lethal dose of over-the-counter medication and left her to die in a sweltering attic. Grace eventually managed to escape some of her bindings and spit the gag out, but was unable to make it out of the house before Sullivan and Packer returned overnight some 12 hours later and Sullivan strangled her as Sara Packer watched. The couple stored her body in cat litter for months, then hacked it up and dumped it in a remote area where hunters found it in October 2016, prosecutors said. Sullivan told police he wanted the torture and death "to be fun" for the teen. Grace's younger brother, Josh Packer, now 14, told jurors the only way he can bear his loss is if adults know her story and then act to prevent child abuse. He said in a statement read by a detective that if his big sister was told she could save other kids' lives by giving her own, she would ask, "What do I have to do?" "Watch out for all the kids so that a loss like Grace's loss never happens again," Josh wrote. "Do your best to help kids who can't help themselves." That's not what happened in Grace's case. Sara Packer and her husband at the time, David Packer, adopted Grace and Josh in 2007. Their biological parents lost custody of the children because they could not provide a safe home for them due to mental illness and her husband's intellectual challenges, The Morning Call reported. The Packers, meanwhile, cared for dozens of children before David Packer was sent to prison for sexually assaulting Grace and a 15-year-old foster daughter at their Allentown home. Sara Packer lost her job as a Northampton County adoptions supervisor in 2010 and was barred from taking in any more foster children. But child welfare authorities did not remove Grace from the home, despite evidence of abuse. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services launched an investigation after Grace's murder. Its findings have not been made public. Both Sara Packer and Sullivan survived suicide attempts in the months following the murder. What to Know Liberation Way, a for-profit treatment company, is accused of exploiting addicts and insurers. Prosecutors say the company fraudulently billed insurance companies for tens of millions of dollars. Liberation Way has centers in suburban Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania attorney generals office charged the co-founder and former executives of an addiction treatment firm Monday and accused them of profiting off addicts by fraudulently billing insurance companies for tens of millions of dollars, with seemingly little regard for the welfare of the addicted person. The charges announced by Attorney General Josh Shapiro against 11 people in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida, and nine corporations revolve around Liberation Way, a for-profit treatment company with centers in suburban Philadelphia that was sold to a private equity firm in 2017 for nearly $42 million. Shapiro said the two-year investigation found more than $44 million in profits from fraudulent schemes. In some cases, the addicted people returned again and again for treatment, leading to more and more fraudulent billing by Liberation Way, Shapiro said. The attorney generals office began investigating based on information it received from the state Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, whose inspectors had flagged various violations at Liberation Way facilities. The schemes include billing for substandard, nonexistent or unnecessary treatment, Shapiro said. State charges include dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, criminal conspiracy, insurance fraud and identity theft. Federal conspiracy charges have also been filed. A telephone message seeking comment was left at a number listed for Jason Gerner, a Liberation Way co-founder and one of the people charged. Court officials say no attorney is listed for him. The private equity firm that bought the majority interest in Liberation Way, Fulcrum Equity Partners, absorbed Liberation Ways treatment centers into a company called City Line Behavioral Health. Fulcrum-owned entities last year sued Gerner and others who had sold stakes in Liberation Way, accusing them of failing to disclose violations and other activity that prompted the investigation. The Fulcrum entities won a settlement that City Line spokeswoman Missy Orlando said is confidential. Two of the three former Liberation Way centers remain open, but with an overhaul of the treatment, programming and staff, Orlando said. Authorities said one scheme at Liberation Way involved illegally signing up addicted people for insurance policies and then paying their insurance premiums in ways that hid the source of the money. That included cash, pre-paid Visa gift cards and bank accounts of two non-profit organizations created by Liberation Ways owners, they said. Shapiro also said the company got kickbacks from insurance coverage of unnecessary urine lab tests from a Florida firm and by warehousing addicts in poorly run and unlicensed inpatient facilities that it owned. The schemes often inflicted suffering on the addicted people, Shapiro said. If insurers didnt pay lab fees in full for unnecessary urine tests, Liberation Way had the labs demand that patients and their families pay the outstanding balances, Shapiro said. Meanwhile, one of the treatment homes was known as the party house, Shapiro said. Patients there were in unsavory or even unsafe situations where the temptation to relapse was rampant, authorities said. Patients who relapsed would re-enter treatment at a higher level of care, and Liberation Way billed insurers for higher rates of reimbursement. Liberation Way cycled patients through the treatment process as many times as possible, even as many as eight times, authorities said. What to Know State Rep. Stephanie Borowicz is a first-term Republican lawmaker from Clinton County, Pennsylvania. State Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell is the state's first Muslim woman elected to the Legislature. She won a special election in Philadelphia. Johnson-Harrell described Borowicz's prayer as "blatant" Islamophobia. Borowicz said she was simply praying as she always does. A Pennsylvania lawmaker was accused of "weaponizing" religion after she delivered a Christian invocation on the floor of the State Capitol Monday, the same day the first Muslim woman was sworn into the legislature. Rep. Stephanie Borowicz, a Republican from Clinton County, went on for nearly two minutes talking about Jesus, Israel, Gov. Tom Wolf, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln before another lawmaker yelled something from the audience. House Speaker Mike Turzai, whose method of choosing members and religious leaders to open hearings with prayers has invoked controversy of its own, then tapped Borowicz on the arm to wrap it up. Borowicz's prayer came the same day that Pennsylvania's first Muslim woman was sworn in. Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell, a Democrat from Philadelphia who won a special election earlier in March, told a news outlet that she had a large group of friends and family in attendance. She said 30 of those 52 guests are also Muslim. "It blatantly represented the Islamophobia that exists among some leaders leaders that are supposed to represent the people, Johnson-Harrell told the Pennsylvania Capital-Star news site. A fellow Philadelphia lawmaker, Rep. Jordan Harris, said Borowicz's prayer "weaponized" religion. "On a day that should be celebrated across Pennsylvania as we see the first Muslim woman sworn into office, we instead started off with a rambling, at times incoherent prayer that consisted of weaponizing the name of Jesus while dipping into partisan rhetoric on President Donald Trump," Harris said of Borowicz's reference to the president's support of Israel in her prayer. "Let me be clear. I am a Christian. I spend my Sunday mornings in church worshiping and being thankful for all that I have. But in no way does that mean I would flaunt my religion at those who worship differently than I do. There is no room in our Capitol building for actions such as this, and its incredibly disappointing that todays opening prayer was so divisive." Borowicz insisted she did nothing wrong, according to an Associated Press report. Her husband is an associate pastor at Crossroads Community Church in Jersey Shore, Lycoming County. A voicemail at the church and an email for Jason Borowicz seeking comment were not returned. "Absolutely not," she said as she headed into closed-door meeting afterward. "I pray every day. I prayed." Last year, a federal judge rejected Turzai's practice of refusing non-believers the chance to give the opening invocation before House sessions. House Republicans, who control the chamber, said they would appeal the ruling. From 1865 to 1994, the state House maintained a permanent chaplain to give invocations. Since 1994, however, guest chaplains, including lawmakers, have served in the role. Bitter cold is setting in after a major winter storm blanketed a wide swath of the country in snow, sleet and rain this weekend, creating dangerously icy conditions that promise to complicate cleanup efforts and make travel challenging on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Some of the coldest temperatures felt so far this season started to set in across the Midwest and Northeast Sunday and are expected to plunge further overnight. Wind chills will bring temperatures into teens in the New York City area and down to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 degrees Celsius) in upstate New York, the National Weather Service predicted. In New England, they'll fall to as low as 20 F (29 C) below zero around Boston and as low as 35 F (37 C) below zero in parts of Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire, the service said. Temperatures across the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and the Mid-Atlantic will drop 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below average, the service said. "It's life-threatening," said Ray O'Keefe, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albany. "These are dangerous conditions that we're going to be in and they're prolonged, right through tomorrow." The freeze will follow the weekend's run-ins with power outages, canceled trains and planes, overnight stays at the airport and traffic jams. Local officials warned residents to limit their time outside to prevent frostbite and to avoid treacherous travel conditions. They also said places could see strong wind gusts, flooding and further power outages. Utilities in Connecticut reported more than 20,000 customers without power by Sunday afternoon. "We had more freezing rain and sleet than we expected," Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said Sunday as public works crews across the state raced to clear and treat major roadways before dangerous black ice could form. Amtrak canceled trains across the Midwest and Northeast over the weekend, but promised full service would resume Monday. Boston's transit system urged commuters to allow 10 to 15 minutes of extra travel time and warned of icy conditions for pedestrians come Monday. The storm caused by the clash of an Arctic high-pressure system with a low-pressure system coming through the Ohio Valley wreaked havoc on air travel and other forms of transportation all weekend. More than 1,500 flights were canceled nationwide Sunday, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking company. Among the hardest hit was Boston's Logan Airport, where stranded passengers lingered Sunday as typically bustling security lines, ticketing counters and baggage claims were largely deserted. Xavi Ortega, a 32-year old engineer from Spain, said he and his wife slept overnight at the airport after their Saturday night flight home to Barcelona was canceled. He said the couple hoped to board a flight Sunday night. "We've been sleeping, playing Candy Crush," Ortega said when asked how'd they been passing the hours. A ferry service route across Lake Champlain between Vermont and New York was also closed Sunday and flights were mostly cancelled at major airports in Vermont and New Hampshire. In the Midwest, where it dumped 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow in parts, the storm caused a plane to skid on a slick runway at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Saturday, though no injuries were reported. In Kansas, a snowplow driver was killed when his vehicle rolled over, and in southeastern Missouri, slippery conditions caused a 15-vehicle crash on Interstate 55 on Saturday. One saving grace of the storm: heavily populated coastal communities from New York to Boston largely escaped major snowfall after days of sometimes dire predictions. Manhattan saw mostly rain while places along Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts' coast recorded 2 to 5 inches (5 to 13 centimeters) of snow. Mountain regions saw significantly more, to the delight of ski resort operators. New York's Adirondacks registered up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) while western Massachusetts' Berkshires saw as much as 10 and parts of northern New England were on track to approach 24 inches of snow. Nicholas Nicolet and his 6-year-old son Rocco welcomed the fresh powder as they cross-country skied on the sidewalks of Montpelier, Vermont early Sunday morning. "We think it's great," Nicholas Nicolet said during the storm. President Donald Trump urged Americans affected by the winter storm to "be careful" in a tweet early Sunday. But, as he's done in the past, Trump conflated the short-term weather phenomenon with longer-term climate change. The White House's own National Climate Assessment recently rejected the idea that a particular plunge in temperatures can cast uncertainty on whether Earth is warming. "Amazing how big this system is," Trump tweeted. "Wouldn't be bad to have a little of that good old fashioned Global Warming right now!" Associated Press reporters Bob Salsberg, Deepti Hajela and Lisa Rathke contributed to this story. Japan announced Wednesday that it is leaving the International Whaling Commission to resume commercial hunts for the animals for the first time in 30 years, but said it would no longer go to the Antarctic for its much-criticized annual killings. Japan switched to what it calls research whaling after the IWC imposed a moratorium on commercial whaling in the 1980s, and now says stocks have recovered enough to resume commercial hunts. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Japan would resume commercial whaling in July "in line with Japan's basic policy of promoting sustainable use of aquatic living resources based on scientific evidence." He added that Japan is disappointed that the IWC which he said is dominated by conservationists focuses on the protection of whale stocks even though the commission has a treaty mandate for both whale conservation and the development of the whaling industry. "Regrettably, we have reached a decision that it is impossible in the IWC to seek the coexistence of states with different views," he said. Suga said the commercial hunts would be limited to Japan's territorial waters and its 200-mile (323-kilometer) exclusive economic zone along Japan's coasts. He said Japan would stop its annual whaling expeditions to the Antarctic and northwest Pacific oceans, noting that non-signatory states are not allowed to do so. The IWC imposed the moratorium on commercial whaling three decades ago due to a dwindling whale population. Japan switched to what is calls research whaling, but the program was criticized as a cover for commercial hunting since the meat is sold on the market at home. The environmental group Greenpeace condemned the Wednesday's announcement and disputed Japan's view that whale stocks have recovered, noting also that ocean life is being threatened by pollution as well as overfishing. "The declaration today is out of step with the international community, let alone the protection needed to safeguard the future of our oceans and these majestic creatures," Sam Annesley, executive director at Greenpeace Japan, said in a statement. "The government of Japan must urgently act to conserve marine ecosystems, rather than resume commercial whaling." Australia's government, often a vocal critic of Japan's whaling policies, said in a statement that it was "extremely disappointed" with Japan's decision to quit the commission. However, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters joined Australia in welcoming Japan's withdrawal from the southern ocean. Japan was the only country with an ambition to return to commercial whaling in the Antarctic Ocean. Japanese Fisheries Agency official and longtime IWC negotiator Hideki Moronuki said Japan would use the IWC's method to carefully determine a catch quota, but declined to give an estimate. Japan has hunted whales for centuries, but has reduced its catch following international protests and declining demand for whale meat at home. The withdrawal from the IWC may be a face-saving step to stop Japan's ambitious Antarctic hunts and scale down the scope of whaling to around the Japanese coasts. Japan slashed its annual quota in the Antarctic by about one third after a 2014 International Court of Justice ruling that the country's research whaling program wasn't as scientific as Japan had argued. Japan currently hunts about 600 whales annually in the Antarctic and the Northern Pacific. Fisheries officials have said Japan annually consumes thousands of tons of whale meat from the research hunts, mainly by older Japanese seeking a nostalgic meal. But critics say they doubt commercial whaling could be a sustainable industry if younger Japanese don't view the animals as food. Suga said Japan would notify the IWC of its decision by Dec. 31 and remains committed to international cooperation on proper management of marine life even after its IWC withdrawal. Associated Press writer Steve McMorran contributed to this report. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 26) President Rodrigo Duterte, in a speech Tuesday night, asked why an ex-police official is still alive. The chief executive was referring to former anti-narcotics police officer Eduardo Acierto who had on Monday said that Duterte's former economic consultant Michael Yang was deep into the illegal drug trade. "Huwag kayo maniwala dito, lalo na ito si Acierto ito ... tanungin ko kaya military at saka police bakit buhay pa 'yang pu********* 'yan," Duterte said in a speech delivered to beneficiaries of the government's unconditional cash transfer program in Koronodal City, South Cotabato. [Translation: Don't believe this, especially that Acierto. So I ask the military and the police, why is this son of a b**** still alive?] Acierto, in a Facebook video Monday, said that Yang was into the drug trade. He added that he had submitted an intelligence report on the matter to top police officials, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Chief Aaron Aquino, Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chair Richard Gordon, and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea back in December 2017. The Palace responded by announcing that Yang is no longer Duterte's adviser and that charges would be filed against the Davao-based businessman if Acierto's allegations are true. READ: Michael Yang no longer Duterte's economic adviser - Medialdea Duterte, however, insisted that Acierto should not be believed in and implicated him in kidnapping Chinese citizens, killing a Korean national in Camp Crame. Philippine National Police Chief Oscar Albayalde said Acierto was the officer in charge during Jee's murder because his superior was on leave then. Duterte also said Acierto was involved in selling firearms to rebels. "Na-dismiss sa police (He was dismissed from the police force) due to procurement of AK-47 rifles which eventually landed in the hands of the New People's Army," Duterte said about Acierto. Following in the footsteps of the U.S., Russia will abandon a centerpiece nuclear arms treaty but will only deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles if Washington does so, President Vladimir Putin said Saturday. President Donald Trump accused Moscow on Friday of violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty with "impunity" by deploying banned missiles. Trump said in a statement that the U.S. will "move forward" with developing its own military response options to Russia's new land-based cruise missiles that could target Western Europe. Moscow has strongly denied any breaches and accused Washington of making false accusations in order to justify its pullout. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in explaining that Washington on Saturday formally suspended its treaty obligations, said in a statement that Russia's "continued noncompliance has jeopardized the United States' supreme interests." He said the treaty will terminate in six months unless Moscow returns to "full and verifiable compliance." The collapse of the INF Treaty has raised fears of a repeat of a Cold War showdown in the 1980s, when the U.S. and the Soviet Union both deployed intermediate-range missiles on the continent. Such weapons were seen as particularly destabilizing as they only take a few minutes to reach their targets, leaving no time for decision-makers and raising the likelihood of a global nuclear conflict over a false launch warning. After the U.S. gave notice of its intention to withdraw, Putin said Russia would do the same. He ordered the development of new land-based intermediate-range weapons, but emphasized that Russia won't deploy them in the European part of the country or elsewhere unless the U.S. does so. "We will respond quid pro quo," Putin said. "Our American partners have announced they were suspending their participation in the treaty, and we will do the same. They have announced they will conduct research and development, and we will act accordingly." The U.S. has accused Russia of developing and deploying a cruise missile that violates provisions of the pact that ban production, testing and deployment of land-based cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,410 miles). Trump's move also reflected his administration's view that the pact was an obstacle to efforts needed to counter intermediate-range missiles deployed by China, which isn't part of the treaty. NATO allies have strongly backed Washington and urged Moscow to save the treaty by returning to compliance. Russia has rejected the U.S. claims of violation, charging that the missile, which is part of the Iskander-M missile system, has a maximum range of 480 kilometers (298 miles). Russian officials claimed the U.S. assertions about the alleged breach of the pact by Moscow were intended to shift the blame for the pact's demise to Russia. The Russian Defense Ministry on Saturday released a satellite image of what it described as new production facilities at the U.S. missile maker Raytheon's plant in Tucson, Arizona, noting that their expansion began in 2017 as the Congress authorized spending for the development of intermediate-range missiles. "The character and the timing of the works provide an irrefutable proof that the U.S. administration had decided to pull out of the INF treaty years before making unfounded claims of Russian violations," it said. Putin has argued it makes no sense for Russia to deploy a ground-based cruise missile violating the treaty because it has such weapons on ships and aircraft, which aren't banned by the pact. Speaking Saturday in a televised meeting with his foreign and defense ministers, Putin instructed the military to work on developing new land-based weapons that were previously forbidden by the INF treaty. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to Putin that they would include a land-based version of the Kalibr ship-based cruise missile and a new hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile. Putin emphasized that such new weapons won't be deployed unless the U.S. does so. "Russia will not station intermediate-range weapons in Europe or other regions until similar U.S. weapons appear in those regions," he said. The Russian leader said Moscow remains open to talks with Washington, but added it would be up to the U.S. to take the first step. "Let's wait until our partners are mature enough to conduct an equal and substantive dialogue on those issues," he said. At the same time, Putin told his ministers that he would like to review the progress on building other prospective weapons that don't fall under the INF treaty, including the intercontinental Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle and the Poseidon underwater nuclear-powered drone. He noted Shoigu's report that a key stage in testing of the Poseidon was completed several days ago. The drone is designed to carry a heavy nuclear weapon that could cause a devastating tsunami wave. The Russian leader last year unveiled an array of new nuclear weapons, including the Avangard and the Poseidon, saying that they can't be intercepted. Putin also noted during Saturday's meeting that he would like the military to prepare a response to the possible deployment of weapons in space. The Pentagon's new strategy unveiled last month calls for a new array of space-based sensors and other high-tech systems to more quickly detect and shoot down incoming missiles. Putin instructed the military to make sure the research and development works on new weapons don't swell military spending. He said the military must reconfigure the existing defense budget to find money for the new weapons. "We must not and will not be drawn into a costly arms race," he said. Deb Riechmann, Robert Burns, Matthew Lee and Lynn Berry contributed to this report. What to Know Mike Stack lost his re-election bid last year for a second term as Pennsylvania Lt. Governor. The former state senator and lieutenant governor blamed the way the Philadelphia Board of Elections picks candidates' ballot positions. Stack is one of the more recognizable politicians from Northeast Philadelphia. Mike Stack, one of the more well-known Northeast Philadelphia politicians of the last two decades, is dropping his bid for a City Council at-large seat. The former state senator and lieutenant governor blamed the method that the Philadelphia Board of Elections picks ballot positions for candidates. "The most disappointing aspect of this effort is that the fate of my candidacy was largely at the mercy of a coffee can, an archaic and dysfunctional system for determining ballot position that is not fair to anyone and needs to be reformed," Stack said in a statement. He is referring to an old Hard N Hardart can that has been used for years to hold numbers that candidates pick blindly from the can. That number is where the candidate will appear on city ballots for voters in the upcoming election. Stack pulled #16, meaning he'd be in the middle of a stacked list of candidates running for Council at-large seats. The ballot is particularly deep this year, in part because of two open Council at-large seats because of retiring incumbents. More than 30 Democrats filed petitions to run for at-large seats. Seven Republicans filed to run for at-large seats as well. After the initial candidate filings earlier in March, the ballot was expected to be the biggest in three decades. Stack's self-elimination, however, could portend more candidates dropping out of the race. Stack, whose political career was feared over after he lost his re-election bid for lieutenant governor last year, said he will not stop working with other city Democratic leaders to push the party's platform. "Although I have won convincingly in Philadelphia in my previous campaigns, overcame two challenges to my City Council At-Large nominating petitions and continue to enjoy widespread support from the leaders of the Philadelphia Democratic City Committee, I believe I can better serve the party and the City at this time as a unifying force seeking to bring people together in common cause," Stack said in his statement. "I am withdrawing my candidacy and will work with Chairman Brady to help elect our endorsed candidates and build party unity for this election and the elections in 2020 when we have an opportunity to defeat Donald Trump, take back the United States Senate and win majorities in both houses of the Pennsylvania legislature." It's Official: Candidates for Mayor, Sheriff, City Council in Philadelphia Incumbents in nearly every elected position in Philadelphia are facing competition in the upcoming May municipal elections. Notably, Mayor Kenney faces an old foe, and two women are trying to unseat the incumbent sheriff and become the first-ever female sheriff in the city. Democrat names are in blue and Republicans in red. An artist is making a political statement at the U.S.-Mexico border in a unique way: with cheese. Cosimo Cavallaro is sculpting a giant wall in Tecate, California out of spoiled cotija cheese. The project is just feet away from the border. "This is a wall that is perishable," said Cavallaro. "It will dissolve in time, like all walls should, because walls are fear." Cavallaro has been raising money through crowdfunding online. He already has 200 blocks of cotija. Each block weighs 50 pounds and costs about $100 to make. "I teamed up with a chemist to make a paste that we can shape into a brick," said Cavallaro. The goal is to make the wall 1,000 feet long and 6 feet high. Cavallaro is leasing the land near the border from a private owner for one year. "It's food so it is obvious it is a waste," said Cavallaro. "In the [border fence] you can't see the waste. The cheese wall uncovers the truth." The project is called 'Make America Grate Again.' If you would like to donate money to the cheese wall, click here. San Diegans were stunned to learn Monday that the world famous San Diego Zoo would be returning their beloved giant pandas to China at the end of April as a long-term contract comes to an end. Within minutes of the announcement, hundreds of locals had already chimed in on social media about what the departure of Bai-Yun, 27, and her son, Xiao Liwu, 6, meant to them. With the remaining giant pandas to leave the San Diego Zoo for China, many are wondering how it will impact business. NBC 7's Danny Freeman has more. "Sad to see them go. 'Little Gift' is my favorite," Barbara Vollen said, referring to the meaning behind Xiao Liwu's name. Joseph Vega recalled working there when the giant pandas were introduced more than two decades ago. "Crazy I remember working there at 18 because they got the panda's (sic)," Vegas said. Panda Portraits: A Look Back at San Diego's Beloved Bears Bai-Yun and her mate Shi-Shi arrived at the San Diego Zoo from the Wolong Panda Preserve in China in 1996. Through the use of artificial insemination, the pair birthed the first cub to survive in captivity -- Hua Mei. Several social media commenters noted the pandas' departure as a tribute to the success of the San Diego Zoo's breeding program. "It's a huge conservation achievement, but yes, it is sad to see them go," Karyl Carmignani said. Bai-Yun birthed another five pandas, including the young Xiao Liwu, while living at the San Diego Zoo. "That's fine, San Diego Zoo is part of their breeding program with China, and now it's time to go home," Eva Antal said adding a smile icon. To some, the move was not unexpected. "[China does] loan them to other countries, but they must always be returned. Weve always known at some point they would be returned to China," Linda Beccue said. Some noted feeling lucky to have seen them before the two were sent back to their homeland while others said they would have to make one more trip to see Bai-Yun and Xiao Liwu before they are gone. Nooooooooooo. Good thing my girlfriend and I got to see them last month when we were in town. Aaron Matthew Kaiser (@aaronkaiser) March 25, 2019 Visitors will have until April 27 to say goodbye to see the pair of pandas at their exhibit at the San Diego Zoo's Panda Canyon. The San Diego Zoo encouraged Twitter users to use the hashtag #Pandas4Ever share their favorite memories of the giant pandas during their more than two decades with the zoo. Australia's prime minister on Tuesday accused an influential minor political party of trying to "sell Australia's gun laws to the highest bidders" by asking the U.S. gun lobby for donations. Prime Minister Scott Morrison was responding to an Al Jazeera documentary that reported One Nation party officials Steve Dickson and James Ashby flew to the United States for meetings with pro-gun interests including the National Rifle Association and political donors Koch Industries in September last year seeking money to undermine Australian gun laws. Dickson and Ashby later told reporters that they had not secured any U.S. money. They also said they had been quoted by Al Jazeera out of context and often after drinking. The trip took place weeks before the Australian Parliament banned foreign political donations with laws that took effect Jan. 1. Morrison said the revelations were reasons why Australians should not vote for One Nation at general elections due in May. "We have reports that One Nation officials basically sought to sell Australia's gun laws to the highest bidders to a foreign buyer and I find that abhorrent," Morrison said. Morrison said his government had made laws to "criminalize taking foreign political donations so foreign lobbyists cannot seek to influence our politics." Opposition leader Bill Shorten, whom opinion polls suggest will be prime minister after the election, accused One Nation of a "betrayal of the Australian political system." "The idea of One National political party operatives going to the United States, seeking millions of dollars, promising to water-down gun law protection in Australia that was absolutely horrifying," Shorten said. The Al Jazeera documentary used secret recordings made by a journalist posing as gun lobbyist Rodger Muller with a hidden camera. One Nation, an anti-Muslim party that had four senators after 2016 election but has been left with two after defections, said in a statement that all party members "have always complied with the law." One Nation also suggested the Qatar-owned Al Jazeera had breached new laws that prohibit covert foreign interference in Australian politics. The party said it had had complained to Australia's main domestic security agency and police "due to concerns of foreign interference into Australian politics in the lead up to the imminent federal election." "Al Jazeera are a state owned propaganda arm of the Qatari government that supports Islamic extremist groups and are not a legitimate media organization," the statement said. "One Nation was invited by Rodger Muller, who has now been outed as a foreign agent working for Al Jazeera to meet with the NRA, American business leaders and attend the Congressional Sportsmen's Dinner" in Washington, the statement said. The NRA did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Ashby, who is party leader Pauline Hanson's chief of staff, is recorded saying that the party would "own" both the Australian Senate and House of Representatives with a $20 million donation from the U.S. gun lobby. This means the party would hold the balance of power in both chambers and influence a government's legislative agenda. Ashby also warned that if such a donation became public, it would "rock the boat." He told reporters on Tuesday that the U.S. trip had been a fact-finding mission to learn campaign tactics. "These conversations with the NRA were to look at nothing more than their techniques. This was not about sourcing money from the NRA. This was about sourcing technology, sourcing an understanding of how they operate, but never was it about seeking $20 million dollars from the NRA," Ashby told reporters. The news followed the mosque attacks in New Zealand on March 15 for which an Australian white supremacist has been charged with murder. New Zealand has responded by banning a range of semi-automatic weapons and foreshadowing a government-funded buyback of newly outlawed guns. The country's response is similar to how Australia strengthened its gun laws following the murders of 35 people by a lone gunman in 1996 in Tasmania. One Nation state president Steve Dickson, who is a Senate candidate at the next election, traveled with Ashby and Muller to the United States to ask for political donations, Al Jazeera reported. Dickon told NRA officials that the Australian gun control model "will poison us all, unless we stop it," Al Jazeera reported. Dickson told reporters on Tuesday he supported Australia's gun laws. He said had not solicited donations in the United States, but conceded his party was not wealthy. "I will tell you the absolute, humble truth. When I was asked: 'Do we need money to run election campaigns?' I said: 'Yes,'" Dickson told reporters. A former One Nation senator who is now an independent lawmaker, Fraser Anning, has been widely criticized for blaming Muslim immigration for the New Zealand massacre. Hanson, One Nation's leader who was criticized for wearing a burqa in the Senate, voted for the ban on foreign donations in November. "Overseas money should not have an influence in our political scene .... so I believe foreign donations should be stopped," Hanson told the Senate. Ashby and Dickson said Hanson did not speak to the media on Tuesday because she was unwell. The founder and CEO of Chobani has no regrets about moving his Greek yogurt company to south-central Idaho, a region embroiled in the national debate over refugee resettlement that spread to company boycotts by far-right bloggers and conspiracy theorists. "I hear the conversations here and there, but it's a peaceful community that we all love," said Hamdi Ulukaya, a Turkish immigrant. "It's the home of Chobani." Ulukaya spoke to The Associated Press before a Thursday announcement of a $20 million expansion of the company's facility in the city of Twin Falls the world's largest yogurt plant to serve as its global research and development center tackling how yogurt is made and consumed. It's a project Ulukaya says he's been planning for several years. As to what innovations the company plans for the 70,000-square-foot facility, Ulukaya isn't sharing yet. He said the focus will be on offering natural and non-synthetic products. The project follows a series of expansion efforts by Chobani since opening its Idaho plant in 2012. The $450 million, 1 million-square-foot plant is the company's second after Ulukaya started Chobani in New York. The company employs 2,000 workers, including 300 refugees. However, Chobani's time in Idaho also has taken a darker turn as anti-immigrant advocates have seized on the company's open stance on refugees. Fringe websites have falsely claimed that Ulukaya wanted to "drown the United States in Muslims." Other websites, like Breitbart News, falsely attempted to link Chobani's hiring of refugees to an uptick in tuberculosis cases in Idaho. To counteract the hateful rhetoric, Chobani sued right-wing radio host Alex Jones earlier this year, saying that Jones and his InfoWars website posted fabricated stories linking Ulukaya and the company to a sexual assault case involving refugee children in Twin Falls. Jones originally promised to never back down in his fight against the yogurt giant but eventually retracted his statements in a settlement. Ulukaya declined to comment on the Jones lawsuit but said the rise in anti-refugee sentiment has never delayed a project he wanted to pursue. And he says he is committed to being a welcoming company. "Don't leave anyone out," he said. "At Chobani, we believe in second chances." During Thursday's expansion launch, Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter praised Chobani's impact on the community. "This new investment in Twin Falls reflects Chobani's commitment to Idaho and to the people who have responded so positively to its corporate citizenship," Otter said in a prepared statement. "Congratulations to all those who are contributing to Chobani's growth, just as Chobani is contributing to ours." Strong economic growth in south-central Idaho an agriculture-dominant area dubbed the Magic Valley led Ulukaya to describe the region as the "Silicon Valley of food," pointing to the wide range of food manufacturing plants that have invested in food science since Chobani moved to the state. "It's an ecosystem generated for food making," he said. "There's now a general knowledge around food science that wasn't there 10 years ago." The boon extends to Chobani's Idaho workers, who earn an average of $15 an hour, more than twice the minimum wage of $7.25. The company's new facility will be open for employees to enjoy, featuring sweeping windows to overlook the rural farm landscape and Sawtooth Mountains, complete with an exercise room, kitchen and visitors center. Sensing a possible shift from conventional automobiles to flying cars, one tiremaker has come up with a tire that doubles as a propeller. Goodyear's Aero tire is designed to support the weight of a vehicle while driving and then tilt horizontally so its spinning bladed spokes can function as a tiltrotor to provide lift and forward propulsion for flying. Designed at a Goodyear facility in Luxembourg and introduced by the company Tuesday at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland, the tire doesn't actually exist yet, NBC News reported. The company calls it a "concept tire" designed to "trigger a debate on the tires and transport technologies for a new mobility ecosystem." A Maryland man is accused of purposely striking a woman he knew with a car in Manassas, Virginia, and taking off. Shamsa Begum, 66, died on Monday, a day after the crash in the 9600 block of Cloverhill Road, the Manassas City Police Department said. Police say 29-year-old Muhammad Taha intentionally struck Begum when she was standing in the roadway about 5 p.m. Sunday. Taha drove off and Prince William County police later arrested him at a 7-Eleven on Dumfries Road, police said. Taha was charged with second-degree murder and hit-and-run involving death in Manassas. Prince William County authorities also charged him with driving under the influence and having an open container. He is being held in jail without bond. His first court appearance is scheduled for May 20. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is trying to revive an effort to ban motorists from holding cellphones while driving. Northam announced Tuesday he's adding a proposed amendment to legislation that would bar drivers from holding a cellphone while driving in a highway work zone. The governor's amendment would broaden the ban to all roads in Virginia. The time has come for the Commonwealth to implement an effective and fair law to combat distracted driving, Northam said in a news release. Too many families have lost loved ones as a result of a driver paying more attention to their phone than to their surroundings. This bill, as amended, will be a significant step forward in promoting traffic safety across the Commonwealth. Lawmakers in the Virginia House and Senate both passed a version of a hands-free driving bill earlier this year but could not agree on compromise language in a final product. Sen. Monty Mason added Virginia's traffic fatalities have risen every year since 2014. Distracted driving caused by cellphone use, whether its dialing, texting, or checking email, is clearly the reason," Mason said in a news release. "Im proud to be a part of a safety measure that will undoubtedly save the lives of many Virginians. The Virginia House of Delegates has passed a bill prohibiting drivers from holding their cell phones while on the road. News4's Justin Finch reports. Both D.C. and Maryland ban the use of hand-held devices while driving, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. The legislature will return April 3 to take up Northam's vetoes and amendments. State law already makes it illegal to text or email on a cellphone while driving. The portion of Jefferson Davis Highway that runs through Arlington County could be renamed as early as this summer thanks to the discovery of a loophole in state law and a legal opinion from the Virginia attorney general. Attorney General Mark Herring said the name change does not need approval from the General Assembly. Instead, the Commonwealth Transportation Board has authority to rename the section of Jefferson Davis Highway if Arlington County makes such a request, the opinion said. Herring's opinion was requested by Del. Mark Levine, D-Alexandria. Levine opposes having a road named after Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America. "In Arlington County, one of the most diverse and progressive localities in the nation, we are saddled with a primary highway that honors a racist traitor and slave owner who led the fight to take up arms against our nation in order to preserve the brutal system of slavery,'' Levine said in a newsletter to constituents. "In that brutal Civil War, more Americans died than in all of our other wars combined. We still live with the terrible legacy of that ruthless and once-legal system of terror that represents America's greatest shame.'' Before Herring issued his opinion, the general understanding was that local governments lacked authority to change names that the General Assembly had placed on certain roads. Several years ago, the attorney general's office issued an advisory opinion saying city governments had the power to rename state highways but county governments didn't. Last year, legislators killed a bill to authorize local governments to rename highways in their jurisdictions. On Jan. 1, the section of Jefferson Davis Highway through the city of Alexandria was renamed Richmond Highway to match the name the road has always carried in Fairfax County. To change the highway's name in Arlington County, Levine took things into his own hands. He found a loophole in a footnote to transportation legislation that the General Assembly passed in 2012. That legislation deleted a line in state law prohibiting the Commonwealth Transportation Board from changing the names of "highways, bridges or interchanges as have been or hereafter be named by the General Assembly." According to the opinion Herring released Thursday, lawmakers' actions in 2012 showed "clear legislative intent to empower the CTB to rename transportation facilities that were originally named by the General Assembly.'' "Accordingly, it is my opinion that the Commonwealth Transportation Board may change the name of those portions of Jefferson Davis Highway located in Arlington County, provided that its Board of Supervisors adopts a resolution requesting the renaming,'' the opinion said. The designation of Jefferson Davis Highway began almost a century ago. In 1922, the United Daughters of the Confederacy asked that a Southern transcontinental highway be named to honor Davis, who was a senator from the state of Mississippi before becoming the first and only president of the Confederacy. The Virginia General Assembly's response was to name Highway 1 as the Jefferson Davis Highway, stretching from Washington, D.C., to the North Carolina line. Today, Jefferson Davis Highway also can go by other names, such as U.S. Route 1 and Route 18. Some people want to keep the name as Jefferson Davis Highway. More than 600 people signed an online petition saying renaming the road would be "a slap in the face to U.S. soldiers as a whole and should not be permitted to happen.'' However, more than 4,300 signed a petition supporting the name change. Levine said Arlington County supervisors could ask for the name change this month - and then the request would go to the Commonwealth Transportation Board. "If all goes well, Arlington street signs could be changed as early as this summer,'' he said. Levine said times have changed since the United Daughters of the Confederacy sought to honor Davis and preserve his legacy. "It's 2019. It is not 1865, nor 1922, nor even 1953,'' Levine said. "We live in a post-Charlottesville time. And the vast majority of Northern Virginia no longer wants to honor the Confederacy or the racist legacy of Jefferson Davis.'' Authorities have linked active pipe bombs found in the woods in Maryland to a stalking suspect who killed himself after he was convicted in 2001. A man with a metal detector came across an old bucket Sunday in Frederick County, and when he dumped it out, he found six old pipe bombs. They had been sitting there for quite some time, Maryland State Fire Marshal Brian Geraci said. There was a lot of rust on them and those types of things. Fire marshals determined the bombs were still active and could have gone off. Investigators found links to Alan Chmurny, who, in 2000, was charged in Howard County with pouring mercury into the vents of a car of a coworker he was accused of stalking, according to Howard County police. We found some writings and things like that that had his name and those types of things, Geraci said. After his conviction in 2001, Chmurny took cyanide in court and later died at a hospital. The coworker was not harmed. The bombs were found in the woods behind Mark Renn's property. I think I've walked by that white bucket many times and didn't go over, he said. Just thought, 'Oh, it's an old white bucket laying in the woods.' Chmurny lived about a half-mile from where the pipe bombs were found. We are glad that these dangerous materials were discovered and could be destroyed safely, Geraci said in a police press release. It was quite a surprise to learn they were connected to an old criminal stalking case in which a woman could have been seriously harmed. A man is dead, and a woman is injured after a shooting that put two schools in Maryland on lockdown for hours Monday. Damon Proctor and three others went to a townhome in the 5200 block of Daventry Terrace in District Heights about 1:40 p.m. to continue a domestic-related incident that took place earlier in the day at a different location, Prince Georges County police said. A fight broke out between Proctor and people at the townhome, and a man at the townhome fired a gun. Proctor, 42, died several hours later, police said. A woman was shot in the leg and treated at a hospital and released. Police identified the gunman, who voluntarily spoke with investigators Monday night. He was released pending the results of the investigation, police said. Police were concerned the gunman might still be in the house, possibly with other people, so Suitland High School and Drew-Freeman Middle School were locked down Monday afternoon as police investigated. Northbound Silver Hill Road was closed in front of Suitland High. Police also asked all residents of the Royal Plaza neighborhood to stay inside their homes. The house was cleared by 5:15 p.m. Three vehicles including two sedans and a work van were towed from the scene later Monday night. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has authorized the Army Corps of Engineers to begin planning and building 57 miles of 18-foot-high fencing in Yuma, Arizona, and El Paso, Texas, along the U.S. border with Mexico. The Pentagon says it will divert up to $1 billion to support the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection. The funding would also go toward installing lighting and constructing roads in those areas. Shanahan says the Corps' focus will be on blocking "drug-smuggling corridors." The El Paso sector has suddenly become the second-busiest corridor for illegal border crossings after Texas' Rio Grande Valley, many of them asylum-seeking families from Central America. The Yuma sector has also witnessed a jump in illegal crossings, particularly Guatemalan families in remote areas. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Monday recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, reversing more than a half-century of U.S. policy. Standing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Trump made formal a move he announced in a tweet last week. The president said it was time for the U.S. to take the step after 52 years of Israeli control of the strategic highlands on the border with Syria. Netanyahu had pressed for such recognition for months. Trump's action gives him a political boost weeks before what's expected to be a close Israeli election. Israel captured the Golan from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war but its sovereignty over the territory is not recognized by the international community. "Today, aggressive action by Iran and terrorist groups in southern Syria, including Hezbollah, continue to make the Golan Heights a potential launching ground for attacks against Israel very violent attacks," Trump said. "This should have been done numerous presidents ago," Trump said. The two leaders met as the Israeli military was striking Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip in response to a rocket that hit a house north of Tel Aviv and wounded seven people. "Israel is responding forcefully to this wanton aggression," said Netanyahu, who planned to return to Israel to manage the attack following his meeting with Trump and other U.S. officials, including Vice President Mike Pence. He added: "Israel will not tolerate this. I will not tolerate it." In a speech earlier Monday, Pence said the rocket attack "proves that Hamas is not a partner for peace." Pence told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee that "Hamas is a terrorist organization that seeks the destruction of Israel, and the United States will never negotiate with terrorist Hamas." The rocket destroyed a residential home in the farming community of Mishmeret, north of the city of Kfar Saba. The sounds of air raid sirens jolted residents of the Sharon area, northeast of Tel Aviv, from their sleep shortly after 5 a.m., sending them scurrying to bomb shelters. A strong sound of an explosion followed. The Israeli military quickly mobilized troops and called up reserves. Gaza's Hamas rulers said Egypt has brokered a cease-fire to end the latest round of fighting with Israel. Hamas media says the cease-fire went into effect at 10 p.m. Monday. There was no immediate Israeli reaction. Ahead of the Israeli airstrikes, Hamas' leadership went into hiding. Several airstrikes rocked Gaza, including an explosion that destroyed the office of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. The Israeli military confirmed the bombing, saying the building had "served as an office for many military meetings." An earlier blast destroyed a multistory building in Gaza City that Israel said had served as a Hamas military intelligence headquarters. There were no immediate reports of casualties. In both blasts, Israel fired warning shots to evacuate the buildings. But the airstrike on the multistory building was so powerful it sent debris flying onto the roof of The Associated Press bureau, located on the 11th floor of a nearby high-rise. Netanyahu arrived in Washington on Sunday for what was to have been a three-day visit. In his remarks, Pence also took issue with comments by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., that he said were anti-Semitic. Omar, a first-term lawmaker who is one of two Muslim women in Congress, has alleged that congressional support for Israel reflected "allegiance to a foreign country" and that Israel "has hypnotized the world." She also has accused Americans who support Israel of being bought off by campaign donations. "Anti-Semitism has no place in the Congress of the United States, and any member who slanders those who support the historic alliance between the United States and Israel with such rhetoric should not have a seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee," Pence said. "Making a Murderer" subject Steven Avery will have his case re-examined by a Wisconsin court, his lawyer announced this week. Avery, who is serving a life sentence for the 2005 murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, won a motion to appeal, sending his case back to a circuit court. There, the court can either grant a new trial or send the case back to the appellate court, which could potentially reverse his conviction or grant a new trial, his lawyer Kathleen Zellner told Newsweek. Zellner noted the appeal centered on a collection of possible human bones, which she said were never tested for DNA before they were returned to Halbachs family. "We Won!!!!!!" Zellner tweeted Monday. "Back to the circuit court." Avery was the subject of the Netflix documentary series "Making a Murderer" series, which recently released its second season. The series follows Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey, both convicted of murdering Halbach and both serving life sentences, as they try to overturn their convictions. Avery had argued that his conviction was based on planted evidence and false testimony. The series spawned conjecture about the pair's innocence, but those who worked on the cases accused the filmmakers of leaving out key pieces of evidence and presenting a biased view of what happened. "[Steven Averys] DREAM OF FREEDOM is a NEW REALITY as [Court of Appeals] lets us reveal all the States BAD FAITH, DESTRUCTION & SUPPRESSION of evidence-misdeeds cannot be undone," Zellner tweeted Tuesday. "States old way of doing business is OVER." She noted that the court of appeals "is letting us create an avalanche of evidence in this record" and called the courts ruling a "very good sign." Should his conviction be overturned, it would mark the second time Avery has been imprisoned for a crime he says he didn't commit. Zellner's office did not respond to NBC Chicago's multiple requests for comment. A genealogy database used to match a family's DNA with evidence found at a 1973 crime scene has led investigators to identify the long-dead suspect in the strangulation killing of a young married couple, a Montana sheriff said Monday. Linda and Clifford Bernhardt, both 24, were killed at their Billings-area home in a case that would stymie investigators for decades. Investigators now believe they were killed by Cecil Stan Caldwell, a longtime city of Billings employee who was once a co-worker of Linda Bernhardt, Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder said. He did not identify a motive in the killing. Caldwell had no criminal record, and died in 2003 at the age of 59, according to his obituary in the Billings Gazette. Relatives of the victims attended a news conference in which Linder named Caldwell as the suspect. The family issued a statement thanking the sheriff's office for its work, but made no further comment and asked for privacy. Clifford Bernhardt was a concrete worker and Vietnam veteran and his wife worked at a grocery distribution warehouse. They been married several years and had just moved into a new house when they were killed. Linda Bernhardt had been bound and sexually assaulted before her death, and authorities used psychologists to try to build a profile of the suspect, according to reports at the time. Hundreds of interviews were conducted, and police at one point even brought in a psychic in their desperate search for clues to a crime described in a newspaper article as "the most sensational unsolved murder case in Billings history." They also enlisted the help of "The Amazing Kreskin," when the mentalist visited town, according to a 1980 news report. Scott Goodwin, a volunteer with the cold case unit who helped with the investigation, said he and others involved were unwilling to let it go. "We were obsessed with it," Goodwin said. "These are two young people who didn't deserve what happened to them. They didn't do anything. They came home on a Tuesday night and they were murdered." All other leads had dried up by 2004, when DNA was discovered on evidence gathered at the crime scene. But comparing that DNA against an FBI database of known criminals yielded no results, leaving authorities frustrated yet again. In 2015, the sheriff's cold case unit enlisted a Reston, Virginia, technology company, Parabon NanoLabs, to analyze the DNA by comparing it to genetic samples available through a public genealogy database. That process ultimately narrowed the list of suspects to Caldwell and his brother, who is still alive and living outside the area, said Vince Wallis, a former detective captain with the sheriff's office who now works for the Billings Police Department. After DNA was obtained voluntarily from the brother, it was analyzed by the Montana State Crime Lab to eliminate him as a suspect. That left only Caldwell, Wallis said. Wallis added other circumstantial evidence including "unspecified behavior" by Caldwell connected the suspect to the crime scene, but he declined to offer additional details. An anonymous donor in 2013 had offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the couple's killer. Democrats' gains in state legislatures didn't end with last November's elections. Over the past two months, as lawmakers were sworn in and this year's statehouse sessions got underway, Republicans in California, Kansas and New Jersey switched their party affiliations to become Democrats. They cited various reasons, but the party-switchers have one thing in common: They say the GOP under President Donald Trump has become too extreme. "The Republican Party, for all of its statements of having a big tent, continues to limit the tent," said Kansas state Sen. Barbara Bollier, of Mission Hills, one of the switchers. "Those of us who were moderates are clearly not welcome." Bollier was one of four moderate Republicans from the Kansas City suburbs to switch parties. The latest party-flip came this week in New Jersey. Republican state Sen. Dawn Marie Addiego, who represented a suburban Philadelphia district in southern New Jersey for nearly a decade, left the GOP, the minority party in both houses of the Legislature. She cited the desire to "be a part of the discussion" in the Democratic majority but also hinted that the national Republican Party is no longer recognizable. "My core values that originally drew me to the Republican Party have not changed, but the party which once echoed the vision of Ronald Reagan no longer exists," she said in a statement announcing the change. Her announcement came just days after California Assemblyman Brian Maienschein, who represents San Diego, left the GOP. He said he differs with his former party on immigration, health care, gun control, abortion and gay rights. The defections come after the Democratic Party won control of the U.S. House in the midterm elections and gained seats in 62 of the 99 state legislative chambers, according to data provided by the National Conference of State Legislatures (Nebraska is the only state with a single legislative chamber). They also come at a time when the president's approval ratings are dipping. "This is largely a product of the Trump phenomenon," said Patrick Murray, the director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. "President Trump has blown the lid off of this party. It starts to look like a personality cult." In Democratic-leaning states such as California and New Jersey, the defections add to the GOP's challenges. Republicans will have to focus on state issues to regain relevance and votes, said Jack Ciattarelli, a former New Jersey Republican lawmaker who says he is planning to run for governor in 2021. In New Jersey, that means focusing on underfunded public pensions and affordability. "In this era, there will always be those whose intense disdain for Donald Trump will determine their vote," he said. "But I still believe there are a majority of New Jersey independent-unaffiliated voters and even some soft Democratic voters that will vote for the party that's going to solve the various crises." The political landscape in the party-switchers' seats has been changing for some time, which also helps explain the shifts. In New Jersey, Addiego beat her Democratic opponent with 63 percent of the vote in 2013. By 2017, her winning percentage was cut to 52 percent. And last November, Democratic Rep. Andy Kim defeated then-incumbent Republican Tom MacArthur in the 3rd U.S. House district, which includes all the towns Addiego represents in the state Senate. Maienschein's Assembly District has become more Democratic since his first election, when it was considered safe for Republicans. Republicans had 38 percent of registered voters to Democrats' 30 percent in 2012. Registration is now roughly even. Statewide, independents now outnumber Republicans in California. In Kansas, the four defectors were all from a congressional district that Trump narrowly lost in 2016 and that elected Democrat Sharice Davids last year. Unlike the lawmakers in California and New Jersey, they went from the majority to the minority party. Republicans in Kansas pointed to the fact that the lawmakers were moderates who voted mostly with Democrats, anyway. Republicans in New Jersey and California criticized the lawmakers for their switch, characterizing it as a ploy to hold on to power. "People will view Addiego's party change for what is an attempt at political survival," Ciattarelli said. But voters were split on how they viewed her defection from the GOP. Dick Bozarth, a 79-year-old retiree from the construction industry, said at a diner in Medford, New Jersey, in the heart of Addiego's district, that the change sends a bad signal. "She wants to be with the radicals right now?" he asked. "Is that what she wants to do?" Bozarth said he's voted for Addiego before but will not do so again. Dave DeAngelis, a 65-year-old retired auto repair shop owner who recently moved to Berlin, a town just outside of Addiego's district, said he's supported her over the years. He said that because of her long political experience in local and state office, her political party isn't important to him. "If she still holds her opinions, I don't think that would make a big difference," he said. The change could help her get more done: "It's very difficult to be a Republican in this state," he said. "She wouldn't get anything through the state Assembly because she doesn't have the votes." Party switching can go in both directions. In Oklahoma, state Rep. Johnny Tadlock, who represents a rural district in the state's southeast corner, switched to the GOP. Democrats have been losing seats there over the last two decades. Associated Press reporters Geoff Mulvihill, John Hanna, Don Thompson and Sean Murphy contributed to this report. Chinese tech giant Huawei is challenging a U.S. law that labels the company a security risk and would limit its access to the American market for telecom equipment. Huawei Technologies Ltd.'s lawsuit, announced Thursday, asks a federal court to throw out a portion of this year's U.S. military appropriations act that bars the government and its contractors from using Huawei equipment on the grounds it is unconstitutional. It comes as the biggest global maker of network equipment for phone and internet companies fights U.S. efforts to persuade allies to exclude the company from next-generation telecom systems. The complaint, filed in Plano, Texas, the headquarters of Huawei's U.S. operations, cites the framers of the U.S. Constitution, including Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, in arguing that the law in question violates the constitutional separation of powers, denies due process and amounts to a "Bill of Attainder" that singles out a specific entity for adverse treatment. It says the law causes the company "concrete and particularized injury, and imminent future injury" and subjects it to a "burden that is severe, permanent and inescapable" that amounts to the corporate "death penalty." Huawei, China's first global tech brand, is at the center of U.S.-Chinese tensions over technology competition and cyber-spying. The company has spent years trying to put to rest accusations it facilitates Chinese spying or is controlled by the ruling Communist Party. Increasingly, both sides appear to be resorting to courts to try to press their cases. "We are compelled to take this legal action as a proper and last resort," the company's rotating chairman, Guo Ping, said at a news conference. Guo said the ban would limit competition, slowing the rollout of fifth-generation communications and raising consumer prices. Huawei has pleaded not guilty to U.S. trade-theft charges after a federal court in Seattle unsealed a 10-count indictment in January against two of its units, Huawei Device Co. and Huawei Device USA. The charges include conspiracy to steal trade secrets, attempted theft of trade secrets, wire fraud and obstruction of justice. The company's chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, is fighting extradition to the U.S. after she was arrested in Vancouver, Canada on Dec. 1. U.S. prosecutors have filed charges accusing Meng, who is the daughter of Huawei's founder, of lying to banks about dealings with Iran. Huawei denies any wrongdoing. The company has about 40 percent of the global market for network gear but its U.S. sales evaporated after a congressional panel in 2012 cited the company and a Chinese competitor, ZTE Corp., as security risks and told phone carriers to avoid dealing with them. U.S. authorities "have hacked our servers and stolen our emails" but have presented no evidence to support their security claims, Guo said. He complained Washington was "sparing no effort to smear" the company. The U.S. campaign to persuade allies to shun Huawei threatens to block access to major markets as phone carriers prepare to invest billions of dollars in 5G systems. Huawei says the new law would shrink its potential U.S. market further by prohibiting the government from buying the Chinese vendor's technology and from buying goods or services from or giving grants or loans to companies or other third parties that do. The United States accounts for 20 to 25 percent of the global market for computer and telecom technology. Huawei says the U.S. law it is protesting improperly has Congress play the role of a court. The ban is "based on numerous false, unproven and untested propositions," said Song Liuping, the company's chief legal officer, at the news conference. "Huawei has an excellent security record and program. No contrary evidence has been offered." The Chinese government says Washington fabricates or exaggerates security concerns to block competition. Huawei, based in Shenzhen, near Hong Kong, is a leading developer of 5G along with rivals Nokia Corp. of Finland and Sweden's LM Ericsson. Industry analysts say excluding the Chinese vendor from markets for 5G equipment would reduce competition and might lead to higher prices. Founded in 1987 by a former military engineer, Huawei overtook Ericsson in 2017 as the biggest global supplier of network gear. It says it supplies 45 of the world's top 50 phone companies and has contracts with 30 carriers to test 5G wireless technology. European governments are balking at U.S. pressure to ban Huawei. The company has announced contracts with customers including the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East for network technology. China's government arrested two Canadians, a former diplomat and a businessman, on Dec. 10 in what was widely seen as an attempt to pressure Canada to release Meng, the company's CFO. On Monday, Beijing accused the two men of acting together to steal state secrets. That followed the Canadian government's announcement Friday that the extradition proceeding for Meng would be allowed to continue. Huawei executives say American security warnings have yet to affect sales outside the United States. The company's 2018 revenue forecast is $100 billion and its founder, Ren Zhengfei, said last month this year's target is $125 billion. Some European officials and others cite a Chinese security law requiring companies to cooperate with intelligence agencies. They say Huawei and other tech companies might be required to install "backdoors" in equipment to allow eavesdropping. Huawei denies altering its equipment to facilitate spying and has set up testing centers in Britain, Canada and continental Europe to allow governments to examine its technology. "Huawei has not and will never implant 'backdoors,'" said Guo, the chairman. The company also has launched a public relations campaign abroad. Its typically press-shy founder, Ren, gave a two-hour interview to foreign reporters in January in which he said Huawei would reject Chinese government demands to disclose confidential information about its customers. Since then, Ren also has talked at length with foreign TV broadcasters. The U.S. pushed China Wednesday to rein in companies that deal with North Korea after President Donald Trump tweeted ahead of the high-level talks that Beijing's efforts to sway its wayward ally weren't working. Trump has been counting on China to use its economic leverage with the government of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as American concern grows over the North's acceleration toward having a nuclear missile that can strike the U.S. mainland. The security talks between U.S. and Chinese diplomats and defense chiefs are occurring amid outrage in Washington over the death of Otto Warmbier days after the American student was released from imprisonment in North Korea in a coma. U.S. lawmakers are pressing for a tough response against Pyongyang over its treatment of the 22-year-old university student, who was accused of trying to steal a propaganda banner while visiting with a tour group and was convicted of subversion. Trump has praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for trying to contain North Korea, which counts on China for 90 percent of its trade, but the effort has delivered few results. North Korea hasn't conducted a nuclear test explosion as feared earlier this year but has kept up its rapid pace of missile launches. "While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out. At least I know China tried!" Trump tweeted Tuesday. Also Tuesday, the U.S. flew two supersonic B-1B bombers over the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. often sends powerful warplanes in times of heightened animosities with North Korea. South Korea's Defense Ministry said the bombers engaged in routine exercises with its fighter jets aimed at deterring the North. At the talks in Washington, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis were hosting Chinese foreign policy chief Yang Jiechi and Gen. Fang Fenghui, chief of the People's Liberation Army's joint staff department. Susan Thornton, the senior U.S. diplomat for East Asia, said North Korea would get "top billing." She said the U.S. would be consulting with China on implementation of U.N. Security Council resolutions that are intended to restrict revenue and technology for the North's nuclear and missile programs. Last week, Tillerson told a Senate hearing that China's efforts on North Korea had been "uneven." Thornton cited Chinese restrictions on imports of North Korean coal as "notable" progress. But she said the U.S. wants more action against blacklisted North Korean companies doing business through China. Beijing, which wants resumed U.S. negotiations with North Korea, was hoping for "positive outcomes" from Wednesday's dialogue, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. The discussions replace a strategic and economic dialogue held annually under the Obama administration. Those talks rarely produced significant results. This year's edition separates out the security aspects. Thornton said the talks would also cover the South China Sea, where Beijing's island-building and construction of possible military facilities have rattled neighbors and caused tension with Washington; U.S.-Chinese military cooperation to reduce risk of conflict; and efforts to defeat the Islamic State group. Divisive trade issues will be dealt with at a later date. Like past presidents, Trump is finding the U.S. has limited scope for punishing North Korea, particularly over the arrest of U.S. citizens. His administration is considering a ban on Americans visiting North Korea. That would only slightly add to the North's isolation and loss of revenue. The route to inflicting significant economic pain on Kim's government remains through China. Washington has one threat it can use with Beijing: The possibility of "secondary" sanctions that go after Chinese companies doing business in North Korea. Such a move risks fraying relations between the world's two biggest economies. The Chinese state-run Global Times warned in an editorial that if Washington imposes sanctions against Chinese enterprises "it will lead to grave friction between China and the U.S." Associated Press writer Richard Lardner contributed to this report. Univision said journalist Jorge Ramos and a TV crew were "arbitrarily detained" in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday after an interview with President Nicolas Maduro was abruptly terminated. In a tweet Monday night, the Spanish-language news network said that "a @Univision team, headed by @jorgeramosnews, is being arbitrarily detained at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas. They were interviewing @NicolasMaduro but he didn't like the questions. Their technical equipment was also confiscated." Western Hemisphere Assistant Secretary of the State Kim Breier Tweeted that the State Department had received word of the detention and insisted on their immediate release, warning that "the world is watching." Minister Jorge Rodriguez responded for the Maduro administration on Twitter by calling the reported detention a "new fake allegation." According to Univision president Daniel Coronell, the crew was later released, but their recording equipment and records of the interview remained confiscated by Maduro loyalists. Coronell said in a tweet that he spoke with Ramos over the phone after he and the crew were released. World of Dance returns for its second season on Tuesday, and Access Lives Scott Evans is pulling duties as the competitions new host! Scott takes us on an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the set! Coronell also said that he confirmed Ramos' release with the Maduro regime's communications minister. Speaking from Caracas Monday night, Ramos told Univision anchor Patricia Janiot during a phone call that aired on the networks broadcast, Maduro didnt like the questions he was asking about the countrys humanitarian crisis and after showing the president photos he had taken of Venezuelans eating out of trash cans on the street, Maduro left the interview. Ramos told Janiot they were then held for more than two hours and placed in a dark room for some of that time. Janiot said Venezuelan Communications Minster Jorge Rodriguez told Univision that Ramos insulted Maduro repeatedly by calling him a dictator and murderer. Ramos made headlines in 2015 after then-candidate Donald Trump had him removed from a news conference when the Miami-based anchor attempted to engage with the GOP front-runner as he recognized another reporter. Ramos was trying to question Trump on his proposal to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants. As the two spoke over one another in a testy back-and-forth, Trumps security detail approached the Mexican-American journalist and escorted him out of the room. "You cannot build a 1,900-mile wall," Ramos continued on his way out. Ramos was eventually allowed to return to the presser and Trump called on him to ask a question. A security guard removes Univision anchor Jorge Ramos from a news conference on Tuesday in Dubuque, Iowa. Ramos stood up and began to ask Trump about his immigration proposal. Could a visit to Maine's Acadia National Park become a little more complicated? Management at the park is proposing a new parking reservation system to enforce during peak visitation periods in some of Acadia's most popular areas. The plans were made available online this week. Beginning in 2020, drivers who want to visit sites like Cadillac Mountain's summit may have to pick a time and pay a $10.00 fee before pulling into a space. The system would be in effect from the middle of June to the middle of October and is meant to combat overcrowding. Park officials say Acadia has seen a 59 percent increase in visitors between 2007 and 2017, adding that it has logged record-breaking numbers of visits in recent years, over 3.5 million annually. "Visitors don't want the experience of not being able to find a place to park at Jordan Pond or Cadillac Mountain," said Stephanie Clement, conservation director for Friends of Acadia, a non-profit that assists the National Park Service care for Acadia. The organization helped lead meetings to craft the new transport plan. Under the proposal, most trails and recreation facilities at the park would remain reservation-free, but parking spaces at sites like Thunder Hole and Sand Beach, and access to a new "Ocean Drive Corridor," would be restricted for private vehicles. Access to those sites via bike, foot and Island Explorer bus service would not be limited. "It's not that we have too many people throughout the park, it's that of the people we have, they all want to be in the same place at the same time," said Christie Anastasia, Acadia's public affairs specialist. Anastasia explained the reservation system will be tiered, with groups of reservations opening up months, then days, in advance, then day-of on a first-come-first-serve basis. It will be based online, accessed through a website or app. She also said the new plan will be rolled-out slowly and will also include increased parking in other areas, making it possible for more visitors to enjoy Acadia. For those who still wish to visit the park completely reservation-free, the new system will not begin implementation for an entire year, which means the summer of 2019 is unaffected. The case of a former Massachusetts priest who was convicted of sexually assaulting an altar boy in Maine years ago is due to return to court later this week. Ronald Paquin was found guilty of 11 of 24 counts of gross sexual misconduct in November and has been awaiting sentencing. The case is expected in York County Superior Court in Alfred on Friday. Paquin's sentencing was delayed when his attorney filed a motion requesting a mental health evaluation. A judge granted the request. A pair of men who testified during Paquin's trial said they were altar boys when the priest invited them on trips in the 1980s and assaulted them repeatedly. Paquin also spent more than a decade in a Massachusetts prison for sexually abusing an altar boy there. A detention facility in Rhode Island is once again housing people detained by federal immigration authorities, a decade after a man's death there ended the practice. The Providence Journal reports the privately-run Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls said it received 133 detainees. The facility was responding to a query from the newspaper. ICE spokesman John Mohan says its Boston office started using space in Central Falls for detainees March 10 and the facility will comply with rigorous detention standards. In 2008, 34-year-old Hiu Lui "Jason" Ng (Eng) died of advanced liver cancer while held there. ICE said in 2009 when ending its contract with Wyatt that an internal investigation found a lack of communication about Ng's health care needs. The ACLU of Rhode Island expressed concerns about Wyatt housing ICE detainees again A former Massachusetts State Police trooper convicted of raping his ex-girlfriend has been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. The Middlesex district attorney says Robert Sundberg was sentenced Tuesday in Lowell Superior Court. The 48-year-old Framingham resident was convicted by a jury last week of multiple charges, including rape, strangulation, assault and battery, and stalking. He was arrested after the victim, who is also a state police employee, reported she was attacked at their Boxborough home in April 2016. Prosecutors said Sundberg had a history of abuse directed at the victim. Sundberg, a 14-year veteran of the Massachusetts State police, was suspended without pay after his arrest and fired soon after his conviction. The agency confirmed Tuesday that he had been terminated. "The State Police support the sentence sought by the district attorney and handed down by the court, which is commensurate with the severity of the crimes for which the defendant was convicted," the department said in a statement. "The department has zero tolerance for sexual assault and domestic violence and will vigorously investigate any such allegations." A tow truck driver is being hailed for protecting a man in a wheelchair who was on the side of the Prudential Tunnel on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Boston as they waited for first responders to arrive at the scene. State police said they received calls Tuesday morning from several drivers reporting a man in a wheelchair on the westbound side of the tunnel at the bottom of the Clarendon Street on-ramp going onto the Massachusetts Turnpike. The man in the wheelchair, identified only as a 56-year-old Boston man, was in the right lane and up along the tunnel's right wall, drivers told state police. They said the wheelchair was not motorized. When troopers arrived at the scene, they found that AAA tow truck driver Waylon Mills had stopped his vehicle and put on his truck's yellow lights in an effort to shield the man in the wheelchair from oncoming traffic. "I was like, 'it's definitely not right,'" recalled Mills. "So I said, 'this person is going to get hurt. Let me just toss my lights on and wait.'" Mills had caught up to the man at the Clarendon Street on ramp, but it appears as though he may have hopped onto the turnpike two blocks earlier at Arlington Street. "It sounds ridiculous. There's no need for anybody other than cars and trucks to go on the Pike," said Mills. Paramedics came to the scene and took the man in the wheelchair, who did not have any apparent injuries, to Tufts Medical Center to be evaluated. In recent years, bikes have been spotted on the city's major highways as well. Resident Lotti Baird uses a wheelchair to get around and said the man on the highway may have been confused. "It wouldn't have gone good for me. I have a hard time getting around as it is," Baird said. It's still unclear how or why he ended up on the turnpike but police said they are thankful for the public's help in protecting the man. "We are grateful to the motorists who called to report the situation and to the tow driver who took steps to protect the man until first responders could arrive," a state police spokesperson said. Police also said they decided not to cite the man in the wheelchair even though they could have. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is among a group of prosecutors who have formed a coalition to support Liberians fighting to stay in the U.S. Healey, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and other attorneys general filed a brief Monday supporting Liberian immigrants in a lawsuit over President Donald Trump's decision to end a humanitarian program that allows them to live and work in the U.S. "The president's cruel decision to end Deferred Enforcement Departure will tear apart thousands of Liberian families and force people into an unsafe country," Healey said in a tweet. Ellison said added in a statement that Liberians in Minnesota are "our co-workers, our neighbors, and our friends." The state has one of the largest populations of Liberians in the U.S. Trump decided last March to end the Deferred Enforced Departure program that dates to 2007. The program protects about 4,000 Liberian immigrants who came from the African nation to escape environmental disasters and war. The coalition also includes attorneys general of Rhode Island, California, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Virginia. Massachusetts is reducing the maximum period that residents can receive unemployment benefits from 30 weeks to 26 weeks. State officials say the change, required by law, takes effect on March 31. It will not affect claims that were filed prior to that date. The reduction in the maximum benefit from 30 to 26 weeks is tied to the state's strong economy and low unemployment rate. State law requires that the maximum benefit be adjusted downward when the 12-month average unemployment rate dips below 5.1 percent in each of the state's designated metropolitan areas. The shorter period could save the state $40 million over the next year. But state officials point out if Massachusetts' labor market begins to deteriorate, the 30-week benefit could be reinstated. Two teenage girls in Vermont are accused of online bullying after police say a Colchester high school student tried to kill herself after she was bullied on social media. Police say the 18-year-old student intentionally overdosed on acetaminophen on Jan. 20. Authorities say she was taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center and then transferred to a Boston hospital. Mynbc5.com reports she survived, but police say she will suffer lifelong consequences involving the care of her liver. Two 16-year-old girls have been cited to appear in Vermont Family Court on a delinquency charge of disorderly conduct by electronic means. Colchester Police Chief Douglas Allen says there are consequences for this kind of action. If you are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting 'Home' to 741741. Police pulled 27-year-old over for driving too slowly A MAN who got behind the wheel after taking ecstacy and cannabis triggered the suspicion of police officers by driving too slowly. The 27-year-old from Monks Lane in Newbury had been taking drugs to celebrate the new year, Reading magistrates heard on Thursday, March 14. But 2019 went rapidly downhill for Royal Mail employee Ionut Emanuel Dascalescu after his car was stopped by the traffic patrol. Anne Sawyer-Brandish, prosecuting, said: It was around 8pm and the officers were suspicious because he was driving at just 20mph on the A4 in a 30mph limit. When they caused the car to stop they smelled cannabis. A roadside drug test proved positive for the Class B-controlled drug cannabis, the court heard. A subsequent blood test at Newbury Police Station also revealed the presence of the Class A-controlled drug MDMA, or ecstacy, in his system. Mr Dascalescu admitted driving a blue Vauxhall Corsa on the A4 Bath Road at Thatcham on January 2 when the proportion of both drugs in his system exceeded the specified limit. Simon Hammudi, defending, said his client had no previous convictions and added: He had the drugs in his system following a new year celebration. There are no aggravating features and, apart from the low speed, no issues with the manner of his driving. He co-operated fully with the police. Mr Dascalescu has since resigned his job with Royal Mail and now works as a Premier Inn chef, earning the minimum wage, magistrates heard. He was banned from driving for 12 months and fined 250. In addition, Mr Dascalescu was ordered to pay 85 costs, plus a statutory victim services surcharge of 30. BRIDGEPORT More than three years after his new North End liquor store was forced to close, City Councilman Michael DeFilippo has the citys OK to try again. The Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday approved DeFilippos application to re-open Vitros at 1044 Brooklawn Ave. Im done waiting. Its crazy, DeFilippo said in an interview. This is go time. Vitros opponents, however, are not done fighting. A coalition of competing package stores is appealing in court the recently passed, re-written liquor regulations the Planning and Zoning Commission used to review and approve DeFilippos proposal. And their attorney, Joel Green, also appeared to lay the ground work Monday for a lawsuit against the vote on Vitros, should the liquor rules be upheld. Still, DeFilippos attorney, Charles Willinger, said his client will move forward re-launching his small business. Theres risk, Willinger admitted, but added he believes the citys decisions will withstand any appeal. When DeFilippo first opened his package store in 2015, he needed a zoning variance because the site, in a small strip mall, was within 1,500 feet of houses of worship and a daycare. DeFilippo was elected to the council last year. But he tended bar at Democratic Town Chairman Mario Testas pizza restaurant across the street from Vitros. So his seemingly mundane zoning application in 2015 drew support not just from Testa, but an ex-mayor, a City Council president and other council members. But Superior Court Judge Dale Radcliffe was not swayed, and in early 2016 rejected the variance to open Vitros. So Willinger began a controversial push to change the 1,500-foot-rule so his client would not need a zoning variance. That effort received support from Planning Director Lynn Haig in 2017. Haig endorsed a 750-foot-rule along with new criteria that zoning officials could use to better screen liquor store applications, like evaluating the impact on property values and future development. Despite opposition from education officials and some elected officials, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted for Haigs new regulations last summer and replaced the previously required zoning variance with a certificate of approval of location. Green filed a legal appeal, claiming Haig had no standing to submit regulation changes to zoning officials. So last month Zoning Commission members, in an effort to nullify Greens lawsuit, re-submitted the new liquor store rules to themselves and voted on them. And Green promptly filed another appeal, which is pending. For my family Both Willinger and Green appeared before the Zoning Commission at its Monday meeting. Mike DeFilippo is young. He lives in Bridgeport has all his life. And he wants to do business in Bridgeport, Willinger testified. The surrounding area is already fully developed. There is nothing were doing that would impair future development. Willinger said the small strip mall housing his clients business was built over 60 years ago and is part of the neighborhood. Green questioned the need for another package store in the city, arguing there is a limited amount of business. The state issues liquor permits based on population, and Bridgeports allowance is 57. There are currently 17 state permits available about the same number as when DeFilippo first sought to open Vitros in 2015. All were doing ... is taking the pie and putting more slices in, but the pie stays the same size, Green said. Youre actually hurting small businesses in Bridgeport. Green also said that Willinger offered no solid evidence, only his own opinion, about Vitros impact. Hes not an engineer or appraiser, Green said. Willinger did submit two signed letters from neighbors who support DeFilippo: Frank Macari, who owns Lil Blessings Daycare, and Deacon Don Foust of St. Margaret Shrine. When Radcliffe ruled against DeFilippo three years ago, the judge criticized the parade of preening politicians endorsing this application. The only politician to show up Monday was North End Councilwoman AmyMarie Vizzo-Paniccia, who urged zoning officials to support DeFilippo and not base their decisions on his political associates. We need more small businesses, she said. Zoning Commission members quickly approved Vitros certificate of location. Chairman Mel Riley noted that no one was here from the general public to oppose the application and said the commission does not make decisions based on competition. Afterward, DeFilippo said in an interview that Vitros was the name of a store his grandfather ran in the city. The stores not for me, he said. Its for my family. DERBY The same building the city deemed unsafe earlier this month and considered demolishing until the owners lawyer stepped in is apparently still falling apart. Michael Hillis, a local defense lawyer and principal in Derby Shores LLC, presented the city with a structural engineers report claiming the building was sound. Last week some of the stucco fell off. Sunday, the chimney collapsed, spewing brick and mortar onto Main Street shortly after 2 p.m. Mayor Richard Dziekan met with his staff Monday to discuss what to do with the four-story building at 195 Main St. just across the street from the ongoing state demolition of four buildings. Theres a big hole in the roof where the chimney had been, Dziekan said. Fortunately, no one got hurt, but I am told one of the pieces came close to hitting a car. It was a firewatch working the state Department of Transportations demolition on the south side of Main Street that first noticed problems with 195 Main St. They saw the chimney titling to a 45 degree angle, Dziekan said. The firewatch worked from 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. while the demolition of the four buildings was ongoing. The demolition, which is complete, is the first step in the states plan to widen Route 34/Main Street into four lanes beginning next year. The mayor ordered a firewatch established for 195 Main St., which is near a bus stop. He also closed off the sidewalk around the building. He also said the owners told him that they would be putting up scaffolding and netting while they repair the facade. However the mayor expressed concern that the damage from the fallen chimney that left a hole in the roof could mean further damage to the inside if the building is open to rain and wind. Dziekan said the state Department of Transportation has been informed of Sundays damage. Hillis had said Derby Shores LLC is suing MESA Underwriters Specialty Insurance Company of New Jersey in Milford Superior Court for failing to pay repairs to the roof for damage allegedly caused by heavy snow and strong winds during the blizzard that began Feb. 9, 2013. MESA is challenging the claims. No hearings have been scheduled. A message left at Hillis law office in New Haven early Monday morning was not immediately returned. One of Connecticuts highest-ranking labor officials charged Gov. Ned Lamonts administration Monday with trying to roll back crucial clean contracting reforms enacted in the wake of the corrupt administration of former Gov. John G. Rowland. Connecticut AFL-CIO President Sal Luciano called certain aspects of Lamonts proposal reckless and shortsighted and a recipe for disaster that threatens the public trust. The bill introduced on Lamonts behalf is an alarming attempt to return us to the shadowy Rowland years in which the governor engaged in pay-to-play contracting and procurement, awarding lucrative state contracts to those who compensated him with expensive gifts, trips and home improvements, Luciano wrote in testimony to the Government Administration and Elections Committee. Rowland repeatedly and systematically used his office for personal gain and was ultimately convicted of corruption charges and sent to prison. The Lamont administration countered Monday that it is trying to transform state government and streamline spending as Connecticut faces unprecedented fiscal challenges. We respect Sal Luciano and the role he plays on behalf of his organization, but on this issue we wholeheartedly disagree and find this type of rhetoric alarmist and unconstructive, Chris McClure, spokesman for the governors budget office, said. Public-private partnerships hold the potential to play an important role in economic and infrastructure development, and the governors bill is his attempt to bring our state government into the 21st century in a way that doesnt overly burden state taxpayers and enhances accountability and efficiency. Lucianos testimony comes just a few weeks after the new governor said he would consider a public-private partnership to cover some or all of the capital costs associated with installing toll gantries on Connecticut highways should legislators approve an electronic tolling system. The administration has estimated capital costs at $213 million and projected 53 gantries would be needed. At issue is the so-called Clean Contracting system enacted in October 2007 to counter the contracting scandals that drove former-Gov. John G. Rowland from office amid an impeachment inquiry in July 2004. Rowland served 10 months in federal prison after admitting he accepted about $100,000 in gifts from state contractors and his staff. Among the many provisions of that law was a new 14-member standards board, to be appointed by the governor and legislative leaders, as well as a staff consisting of an executive director and a chief procurement officer. Another key component of the statute involved a series of rules governing when state agencies can hire the private sector. Before privatizing most services currently performed by state employees, agencies would have to develop a cost-benefit analysis that demonstrates at least a 10 percent cost savings, and no loss in quality of service. The law also makes the presumption that a core governmental function should not be privatized, and any departments cost-benefit analysis arguing that private contracting is necessary must demonstrate that the agency in question lacks staffing to do the job properly. But that system has had a troubled history almost from its onset. In the years immediately after its enactment, Govs. M. Jodi Rell and Dannel P. Malloy asked legislatures to approve minimal funding for the standards board as Connecticut fell into recession and struggled with a weak recovery. At one point the contracting standards boards annual budget was reduced to $10,001 the minimum amount needed to retain a line item in the overall state budget, but not enough to employ full-time staff. The chairman of the contracting standards board, Lawrence Fox, told the Associated Press last month that the state could save $174 million to $260 million annually it its relied more heavily on competitive bidding. Fox said the state waves the competitive process nearly 70 percent of the time in contract awards. Still, as long-neglected pension funds pushed overall state finances into crisis over the past decade, Malloy and his budget director, Ben Barnes, argued the system made it too difficult to privatize government services and cut costs. And Lamont inherited the same fiscal challenges that plagued Malloy. Pension and other debt costs already consume nearly 30 percent of the annual operating budget, roughly triple what they did just 20 years ago. Long-neglected pension and other retirement benefit programs are expected to grow dramatically in cost over the next 10-to-15 years. And legislatures increasingly are pressuring governors to close deficits without raising income taxes or cutting vital social service programs or municipal aid. State finances, unless adjusted, will run $3.7 billion in deficit over the next two years combined, according to the governors budget office. Lamont proposed legislation this year that would open the door for more public-private partnerships to streamline state spending. The governor has developed a bill that would make several changes to the law, removing limits on: The number of major public-private partnerships that can be authorized. The current limit is five. The duration of such partnerships. The current limit is 50 years. The kinds of projects that can be undertaken with the private sector. Currently they are limited to early child care, health, housing and transportation initiatives. Lamont also proposed that the governor no longer need to seek legislative approval to establish new types of services that can be delivered through the private sector. Luciano, whose federation represents hundreds of local unions and more than 220,000 workers in the public and private sectors combined, also serves on the contracting standards board. The labor leader told the CT Mirror he worries many at the Capitol are losing sight of corruption scandals that cost taxpayers millions of dollars in the early 2000s. I hope not, but Im here to remind them, he said. We were a laughing stock. At one point we were called Corrupticut. We are here today to examine the issue of sexual harassment here in Albany, in the public sector, and in the private sector across the state. These simple words from state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi opened the state Legislatures first hearing on sexual harassment in 27 years. Just two months into her first term, Biaggi found herself presiding over this landmark hearing. She had prepared so much that she felt she may have been overprepared, to make sure she wouldnt let anyone down. Even so, Biaggi felt nervous as she began asking her first questions. But the moment passed quickly and she confidently plugged ahead. I dont have time to be nervous, Biaggi recalled thinking. As a survivor of sexual abuse, she recognized the seriousness of the issue and the responsibility she had to the victims. I have to do this. It wasnt the only recent effort by state government to address sexual harassment. Last year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo introduced several measures to increase protections for victims of sexual harassment that passed as part of the state budget, touting them as the most comprehensive in the nation. The main changes required all employers in the state to institute a sexual harassment policy and provide all employees with sexual harassment training, either their own or following models created by the state, and forbid confidentiality agreements unless it is the preference of the accuser. Despite the reforms, many lawmakers and advocates agreed that state policies on sexual harassment remained woefully inadequate. The harassment we had experienced, we dont think the laws that passed last year would have changed any of that. And thats a problem. Rita Pasarell, a co-founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group While Cuomos proposals were not opposed by advocates, the consensus among advocates at the time was that the bills largely missed the most pressing issues for victims of sexual harassment. Something that all of us in the (Sexual Harassment) Working Group thought was that those laws would not have improved our situations, Rita Pasarell, a co-founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group, told City & State. Its members, Pasarell included, are former state legislative staffers who say they were victims of or have encountered sexual harassment or assault. None of the harassment we had experienced, none of the problems in the investigative process that we experienced, we dont think the laws that passed last year would have changed any of that. And thats a problem. Among advocates, there is widespread agreement that the first thing the state must do is change the burdensome standard by which sexual harassment claims are measured. While people are protected from sexual harassment under the federal Civil Rights Act and the state Human Rights Law as a form of discrimination, that harassment must be severe or pervasive in order for the behavior to fall under either law. The standard was established by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1986 case Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, in which a 19-year-old bank teller sued her employer for sexual harassment. This case marked the first time the court ruled that such harassment constituted discrimination on the basis of sex, and was therefore illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had previously issued guidelines in 1980 that Title VII included sexual harassment, but the 1986 decision codified those guidelines through precedent. For sexual harassment to be actionable, it must be sufficiently severe or pervasive to alter the conditions of (the victims) employment and create an abusive working environment, Justice William Rehnquist wrote in the majority opinion, thus creating a broad definition for courts to follow. Courts in New York have long deferred to that standard as well, creating state precedent. New York State Senate Imagine showing up to work only to have a co-worker tell you to get breast implants, touch your butt while telling you to tighten up and tell you not to adjust your exposed underwear because he was enjoying himself. Or to be subjected to name-calling like dumb blonde, repeated remarks about your appearance and being swatted on the butt with papers by a supervisor. Or even to have a supervisor pull your hair, rub lubricant on your arms and tell you to buy sexual paraphernalia. We as lawyers (have to) tell people that, as painful and humiliating whatever they faced was, it probably isnt going to succeed because of the severe or pervasive standard. Miriam Clark, president of the National Employment Lawyers Associations New York chapter None of that behavior is hypothetical. Women described those and other actions taken against them in three separate sexual harassment cases in New York from 2012, 2015 and 2016. And in each one, the court ruled the behavior did not meet the severe or pervasive standard and, under the law, did not constitute a hostile work environment. These standards are so ridiculously high, said Miriam Clark, president of the National Employment Lawyers Associations New York chapter. We as lawyers are often in the position of having to tell people that, as painful and humiliating whatever they faced was, it probably isnt going to succeed because of the severe or pervasive standard. RELATED: 3 horrifying cases that didn't meet the standard Currently, several pieces of legislation in Albany would eliminate this standard. State Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Assemblywoman Nily Rozic introduced one bill shortly before the sexual harassment hearing. Biaggi and Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas introduced similar legislation shortly after the hearing that the lawyers association helped draft. Cuomo also introduced a measure as part of his latest executive budget to eliminate the standard and lessen the burden on accusers. However, the Senate rejected Cuomos proposal in its budget resolution, stating sexual harassment legislation should pass outside of the budget to allow for robust discussion. None of the proposals would introduce a specific new standard into law; they would simply add language to the state Human Rights Law that the law applies to discriminatory harassment regardless of how severe or pervasive it is. They do, however, include language that allows employers to defend themselves in court if they can prove the behavior did not rise above petty slights or trivial inconveniences. The statutory change is to move it from severe or pervasive to a less well standard, Simotas said of the effect of the language change while warning against any language that would inadvertently narrow protections. So if you are treating somebody less well in their workplace than another person based on a protected class, then you are discriminating against them. The Gounardes and Rozic bill would, however, explicitly add sexual harassment to the Human Rights Law as unlawful discriminatory behavior, adding to statute what has already been established through the courts. RELATED: All the bills that aim to adress harassment Both the Gounardes and Rozic bill as well as the one from Biaggi and Simotas would eliminate what is known as the Faragher/Ellerth defense named after the two U.S. Supreme Court cases that set the precedent an aspect not included as part of Cuomos budget proposal. The defense allows employers to use a delay in reporting or a failure to follow a particular reporting procedure to avoid liability for a supervisors actions, or as a basis to deny claims of sexual harassment. The Biaggi and Simotas bill also includes provisions related to the allotment of punitive damages, which is currently not allowed under state law. Another key difference is that the Biaggi and Simotas bill would apply to all discriminatory behavior, while the Gounardes and Rozic bill specifically targets sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination only. Hans Pennink/AP/Shutterstock The definition of sexual harassment and the high burden of proof that falls on accusers obviously plays heavily not only in potential court cases, but in the reporting process people can go through with the state. Any changes to the severe or pervasive standard would entail changes in how those cases handled, a prospect that has largely not been addressed yet. At the state level, employees can file a sexual harassment complaint with the state Division of Human Rights. Theyll do an investigation, theyll find probable cause or not probable cause, theyll have a hearing, and that is all extrajudicial, Clark said. It is underfunded and no one (in government) pays much attention to it, and most lawyers dont go there. (The state Joint Commission on Public Ethics) testified that its totally legitimate to ask complainants about their prior sexual history and really interrogate them on that. state Sen. Andrew Gounardes Pasarell added that based on conversations that the Sexual Harassment Working Group has had, the Division of Human Rights is often not an effective route for victims, who may not know the agency is an option. At last months sexual harassment hearing, lawmakers did not hear oral testimony from the division since its commissioner was not available on short notice. But they did hear from the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics, which investigates and holds hearings on claims made against state government employees in a method comparable to how the Division of Human Rights investigates and holds hearings on sexual harassment and other discrimination complaints. Many were disturbed by what they heard. At one point, they testified that its totally legitimate to ask complainants about their prior sexual history and really interrogate them on that, Gounardes told City & State, expressing concern about a culture of victim shaming. Biaggi raised a similar concern. The questions that they asked (the accusers) ... indicated to me that not only are they ill-equipped, but the people who are there, who are claiming to be experts on this thing, are not trauma-informed, she said, adding that she had not been aware of the level of what she called the commissions incompetence in handling sexual harassment claims. We need to travel into uncomfortable territory and do it as often as possible. state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi While not every criticism of the commission could apply to the state Division of Human Rights, the two agencies share similar investigative powers when a person files a complaint. Shortcomings in how the Joint Commission on Public Ethics handles those investigations and hearings might naturally raise questions about the divisions process for complainants. The agencys written testimony offered little insight into its process beyond how many complaints it received and how many were found to have probable cause, describing its methods as efficient and effective investigation and adjudication. In 2017, the Division of Human Rights found that 143 out of 578 complaints had probable cause and referred the cases to a public hearing, noting that the number of complaints had increased during the #MeToo era. The absence of oral testimony from the division, and testimony from victims who had filed with the agency, leaves many unknowns about the impact of past and potential changes. Last months hearing made it clear as day that we need systematic reforms with the (Division of) Human Rights, Simotas told City & State. And we need to make sure the (Division of) Human Rights is more supportive to victims of this conduct. New York State Senate On May 9, 2018, advocates and lawmakers packed into the New York City Hall rotunda, the crowd extending up the rounding staircases. They came to celebrate a landmark package of 11 bills, each of which would offer new protections for victims of workplace sexual harassment, that Mayor Bill de Blasio would soon sign. Im proud to say with this legislation, New York City government is standing up, and were saying very, very clearly where we stand, what we believe, that we will not tolerate harassment or abuse of any kind, de Blasio said. Many advocates have pointed to the protections established in New York City that day as a good starting point for the state Legislature. Along with eliminating the severe or pervasive standard for cases before the city Commission on Human Rights or city courts, the new laws also expanded protections against gender-based harassment to all employers, regardless of size, and extended the statute of limitations for filing a gender-based sexual harassment claim from one year to three years. And though these laws passed last year, lawmakers are already looking at new ways to make them stronger. Soon after de Blasio signed the bills into law, City Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal introduced legislation aimed at making it easier for a victim of harassment to prove their employer retaliated against them for reporting harassment or other discriminatory behavior. Under current law, the burden of proof lies completely on the accuser to show that a demotion, firing or other form of negative action taken was done so illegally as retribution. Rosenthals bill would shift some of that burden to the employer by requiring them to show good cause for the action. While she said that she is working with business interests to minimize any concerns they may have, Rosenthal asserted that this would not be overly burdensome to any employer that keeps good records. Its such a struggle, certainly in sexual harassment, but also in terms of racial discrimination, its so hard to prove it happened, so shifting the burden, I think, makes sense, Rosenthal told City & State. She added that other municipalities like Seattle have already enacted similar laws. Rosenthal also said that as the city nears the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the sexual harassment package, the City Council will be able to assess data collected by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services under new reporting measures for city agencies and government offices that will be able to better inform the next steps for lawmakers to continue strengthening protections for victims of sexual harassment. However, regardless of the various ways the legal standards or definitions of sexual harassment may change, the group Girls for Gender Equity, which focuses on sexual harassment and sexual assault among young people and students, asserts new policies should address how sexual harassment is broadly understood, beginning with young people. Ashley Sawyer, the organizations director of policy and government relations, said that steps to ensure victims are able to seek justice and perpetrators are punished are positive, but do little to prevent the behavior. Sawyer said a cultural shift must occur by teaching children about consent, sexual harassment and power dynamics beginning at a young age. Students dont even often have the language to define it, Sawyer said. I think there are very few conversations happening that help people understand that, and I think that is the work to help young people feel safe and to prevent adults from experiencing sexual violence. Sawyer said the state should pass comprehensive sex education policy so that young people can be taught about sexual harassment and assault. The Assembly currently has a bill that would create an educational program in schools to prevent sexual harassment, but it does not have a corresponding bill in the state Senate. The state Legislature has yet to introduce new sexual harassment bills based on testimony from last months hearing, but Biaggi told City & State that her staff is working on an internal report. She added that she and other lawmakers are committed to holding more hearings, which Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins also support. In order for us to do our jobs, Biaggi said, we need to travel into uncomfortable territory and do it often and as often as possible to be able to inform us to make policies and laws that protect the people in the state of New York. / STRATFORD Police arrested a teenager Sunday after they said he tried to rob a man at the 7-11 in Paradise Green. The 16-year-old male was charged as a juvenile with attempted third-degree robbery and second-degree breach of peace. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 26) The budget will finally be transmitted to the President despite some concerns from senators. Still, House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson Rolando Andaya is confident that the budget, which was signed by the heads of Congress earlier today, will be passed by President Rodrigo Duterte. Andaya continued to back the House of Representatives' itemization of lump sum budget provisions, and said that it is up to Duterte to veto such provisions that caused the deadlock between the House and the Senate. "How can the President veto something when it is not presented in the budget? When it is kept in a lump sum, how can you veto a particular project when it's just the full amount," Andaya said in an interview on CNN Philippines' Newsroom. Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, Franklin Drilon and Panfilo "Ping" Lacson had previously denounced the P75 billion worth of programs and projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways budget that were itemized by the House of Representatives after the bicameral conference committee report was ratified. While the budget bill was signed by Sotto after meeting with House heads, the Senate president had also a written an annotation for Duterte on his views on the House's actions. READ: Impasse on proposed 2019 budget ends; Congress sends spending bill to Palace Like the Senate, Andaya said that it is up to Duterte to decide whether or not he would veto the contested budget item. "But of course there has to be a set or general standards for it. It can not be capricious or merely a sentiment," Andaya said. The delayed budget has already made a dent in the Philippine economy, leading the economic managers of the Duterte administration to revise its gross domestic product target to 6 to 7 percent from 7 to 8 percent. Willowick-based company NVeyeTech continues to make strides towards its innovative production supply of motor vehicle safety equipment. Last week, the startup gained a major investor, Altair Investments Inc., which will assist in bringing the companys night vision system for motorcycles to market in 2019. NVeyeTech co-owner and founder Robert Schindler has been working with LakeStart, based in Willoughby, for more than a year to help bring his product to the marketplace. LakeStart is a nonprofit organization committed to mentoring and inspiring entrepreneurs cultivate and commercialize concepts, ideas, and prototypes for startups, while also assisting businesses in various stages of development. The incubator provides diverse industry guidance from experienced professionals and proven entrepreneurs, ultimately accelerating economic growth and job creation in Lake County. According to a news release, NVeyeTechs system will feature a camera monitor that will attach to a bikes handlebars, enabling the rider to see much more clearly at night. A friend of mine was biking on a road trip and he said the nighttime riding was extremely dark, so we asked, What can we do about it?' Schindler said. Our night vision system will open up the riders visibility laterally and make riding at night much safer. The investment from Altair is expected to provide NVeyeTech with the funds, along with the management experience, to successfully launch the product to consumers. What we found exciting about this is the safety aspect, how it helped solve the existing needs in the marketplace, said KK Tiwari, president of Altair Investments. Well be actively involved in taking this business to the next level, in supply chain, marketing, social media those are the skills that we bring. We are delighted and proud to help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses, said LakeStart mentor Kip Marlow. All of us are volunteers who want to make Lake County an even better place. Willoughby Mayor Robert Fiala congratulated NVeyeTech on its recent success in acquiring capital to help take the company to the next level. We are proud to have the LakeStart organization reside in Willoughby City Hall and delighted Altair Investments is supporting the mission to mentor and inspire entrepreneurs, he said. Collaboration leads to great things. To learn more, visit lakestart.org or call 440-953-4133. EDITORS NOTE: This article was edited at 11:40 a.m., Aug. 1, to correct the name of NVeyeTechs investor. African-American women are nearly twice as likely to give birth prematurely as white women. Such births often coincide with low birth weight, and together are linked to other developmental delays and health effects believed responsible for almost one-fifth of infant deaths nationwide. The trend holds up regardless of socioeconomic factors. That means, for example, that a black woman with a college degree and a comfortable income has a greater chance of giving birth prematurely than a white woman who didn't graduate high school. Past research has pointed to other contributing factors to the difference, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. In a paper in the winter issue of the Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice, Amelia Gavin, an associate professor in the University of Washington School of Social Work, connects racial discrimination to PTSD, and thus to preterm birth. "Pregnancy is a stress test for the body. If you've been stressed during your life through discrimination, poverty and residential segregation, then the likelihood of having a healthy birth outcome has been compromised," Gavin said. A typical pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks; a birth before the end of the 37th week is considered "preterm." According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 percent of babies born in the U.S. in 2016 were born prematurely - a slight uptick that year, following a steady decline for several years prior. While the CDC attributed that decline to the decrease in the number of teen mothers, the agency noted a consistent difference in the rates of preterm birth among African-American versus white women. In 2016, the preterm birth rate among African American women was 14 percent, compared to 9 percent for white women. There are medical causes of preterm birth, "but the majority of cases have an unknown cause," Gavin said. Research over the years has examined behavioral and biological risk factors for preterm birth, including access to prenatal care, substance use and stress. PTSD, associated not only with combat experiences, but also other traumatic events such as natural disasters, assault and abuse, affects more women than men. Several studies have linked PTSD with a higher risk of preterm birth. When broken down by race and ethnicity, PTSD affects African-Americans more than any other group, and more African-American women than men. Meanwhile, studies have tied racial discrimination to poor health, and to African-American women's health, in particular. The daily experiences of discrimination, as well as the legacy of racism - neighborhoods with higher crime and fewer resources, generational poverty and limited access to health care - can lead to stress, and engagement in unhealthy behaviors. Gavin drew a hypothesis from those connections: If discrimination is associated with PTSD, and PTSD is associated with preterm birth, then racial discrimination, via PTSD, also can be tied to preterm birth. The racial disparity among preterm birth sparked her research interest in graduate school, Gavin said. By studying childhood poverty and abuse, as well as maternal depression, Gavin honed in on PTSD. "I'm trying to unpack, from a life course perspective, how risk factors in black women's lives can have an impact on the next generation," she said. "Exploring the mechanisms by which racial discrimination affects the next generation is really important, and that means taking into consideration maternal mental health status. When we talk about racial disparities in health outcomes, we have to think about how we construct mental health, the role of PTSD and how different racial and ethnic groups experience it." One challenge has been how PTSD is defined, generally by members of the mental health community, Gavin said. PTSD isn't always related to one physically or emotionally devastating event; events can recur and continue to affect a person over the long term. There has been little research into how racial discrimination could manifest as PTSD and influence an early childbirth, she said. Further research could more definitively demonstrate the role of PTSD as the conduit between racial discrimination and preterm birth, Gavin said. In the paper, Gavin and her co-authors recommend that health-care providers start screening all pregnant women for prenatal PTSD, in order to spot those at risk for preterm birth. Pursuing the role of racial discrimination, of course, requires more wide-ranging, social-justice-oriented strategies. The authors suggest greater government investment in the quantity of and access to affordable housing, and in funding for K-12 education and health care. By addressing such social factors, the authors write, the health of African-American women and their offspring can improve. The Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation (FLRF) and The University of Western Australia (UWA) have just released a new clinical tool to help medical practitioners resolve lactation challenges and support breastfeeding mothers: LactaMap (www.LactaMap.com). Featuring content developed by UWA, the online resource offers a wealth of evidence-based information to advance understanding of human lactation, ensure consistent care for breastfeeding mothers and their infants, and prevent dissemination of conflicting advice. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends mothers exclusively breastfeed infants for the first six months to achieve optimal growth, development and health. Unfortunately, according to the WHO, only 38% of infants aged zero to six months are exclusively breastfed. Research published in the 2016 Lancet Series for Breastfeeding shows medical practitioners can play an important role in supporting breastfeeding mothers. Nevertheless, medical practitioners at all levels report they are not receiving the education needed to support the knowledge and skills required to do so. LactaMap aims to help fill these gaps. With a grant of over AUD 1 million from FLRF, LactaMap content was researched and developed by the LactaResearch Group at UWA under the leadership of Senior Research Fellow Melinda Boss and Emeritus Professor Peter Hartmann. The clinical tool functions as a decision support system, helping practitioners rapidly navigate its wealth of information with an intuitive care pathway to appropriate, evidence-based clinical information for their patients. LactaMap is free of charge and available to medical practitioners in any country. Lactation completes the reproductive cycle. Yet when difficulties occur, there generally is no medical doctor specialized in lactating breasts that a breastfeeding mother can turn to for help unlike for difficulties with other major organs, says Boss. As an online tool that allows translation of new research into practice soon after publication, LactaMap aims to change that. LactaMap contains over 100 evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, LactaPedia (a glossary of lactation for science and medicine) and 21 information sheets that can be printed or e-mailed to patients. LactaMap provides relevant, state-of-the-art clinical practice guidelines with medical care plan options, as well as a framework defining normality to assist medical practitioners in decision-making for patients with lactation concerns. Online and soon also available as an app, LactaMap is a real-time, border-free resource for point-of-care consultations with patients. Dr Katharina Lichtner, Managing Director, Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation We are delighted to have joined UWA on another fruitful project, one that follows and builds on LactaPedia. Its heartening to be involved in the creation of this important evidence-based clinical resource. As it evolves, we anticipate LactaMap will serve not only practicing professionals, but those in training as well. Goran Larsson, Chairman of the Board, Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation LactaMap is being evaluated for further development as a case-based learning tool for teaching at medical and healthcare schools. With its ability to answer specific questions and support resolution of lactation and breastfeeding difficulties for mothers and infants, LactaMap has the potential to become a widely used resource that can contribute to the global increase in breastfeeding rates. LactaMap has been appraised against the Agree II Instrument, the international gold standard for practice guidelines evaluation and development, and is now online: www.LactaMap.com GPs will have a pivotal role in ensuring the success of the new Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) for Cancer, new research from the University of Surrey finds. In the first study of its kind, published today in the British Journal of General Practice and funded by Cancer Research UK, researchers investigated public attitudes towards the new FDS for Cancer. Scheduled to be introduced in England next year, this new standard will give patients a diagnosis or all-clear for cancer within 28 days of referral with suspected cancer. Conducting focus group sessions in Bradford and Guildford with participants who in the last six months had undergone diagnostic tests for cancer and received results, researchers identified a degree of scepticism amongst the groups about how the new standard would work. Many participants had experienced swift referrals for diagnostic testing but encountered a delay when receiving test results and were unsure about how the FDS would rectify this. Concern existed amongst participants that the FDS may ultimately extend waiting times and could become more of a 'tick box' exercise, with one participant noting: 'So what happens is that as soon as 28 days appears anywhere that becomes the standard, rather than the last resort, so when suddenly you go, well we've got 28 days, we'll give them a we'll get in touch with them in three weeks' time [].' Participants also described a lack of transparency in the referral process and were apprehensive about getting lost in the system. This feeling was exacerbated by not knowing what to expect and/or being unable to draw upon past experiences due to inconsistency between one referral and the next. Interestingly, researchers found that participants valued reassurance and support from their GP as highly as a speedy referral. A feeling of being listened to by a GP was found to be important to participants when being referred for diagnostic tests. 'Being listened to I think, so it's being heard and my GP was fine, has really really been it was really quick, it couldn't have been quicker, but it was feeling I suppose it's being listened to and then almost like being believed.' Dr Katriina Whitaker, Reader in Cancer Care at the University of Surrey, said: "The new Faster Diagnosis Standard for Cancer is an important step in diagnosing cancer earlier and faster. However we have found that although patients value a speedy referral there are other factors that they regard as just as important. "Simple steps such as informing patients about the diagnostic testing and referral processes and about time scales will help patients better prepare, both physically and emotionally, for the next phase. This will ultimately fall to GPs, who will need clear guidance so they are able to support their patients." Dr Jodie Moffat from Cancer Research UK said: "We need to redouble our efforts to reduce the late stage diagnosis of cancer, so that more people survive their disease. Reducing late stage diagnosis of cancer requires action on a range of fronts, and we all have a part to play. Ensuring there's enough workforce in the system - whether that's in primary care or in hospitals - is vital to achieving our early diagnosis ambitions." Although smart wristbands are popular fashion gadgets for monitoring heart rate and physical activity, they are usually not sophisticated enough to provide specific and accurate information about potential health problems of the wearer. Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Lithuania researchers are developing a smart wrist-worn device for monitoring of atrial fibrillation - a condition, which if left untreated can lead to serious health complications and even death. According to the data provided by the US government, atrial fibrillation is the most common type of heart arrhythmia. Approximately 9% of people aged 65 years or older have atrial fibrillation; it is estimated that due to the rapidly aging society, the prevalence of the disease in the global population will increase 3-fold in the next 30 years. At the beginning of arrhythmia development, the episodes are usually short and self-terminating thus may remain unnoticed. If untreated, atrial fibrillation can contribute to the development of serious complications, such as brain stroke. "Atrial fibrillation can often develop after a heart attack, thus these patients need certain medical care and attention to prevent from serious health complications. However, after leaving the hospital their health check-ups are only episodic. Non-invasive, compact wearable devices, which are providing continuous monitoring is an attractive solution for monitoring the health status of such high-risk groups", says Vaidotas Marozas, the Director of KTU Biomedical Engineering Institute (BEI). The team of KTU BEI researchers, led by Dr Marozas is developing a multisensory system, i.e. the wrist-worn device for atrial fibrillation monitoring. Two types of modalities are being used in the device - photoplethysmographic (PPG) for continuous monitoring and electrocardiographic (ECG) for the acquisition of a control signal. When the PPG sensor registers the heart activity akin to atrial fibrillation, the device vibrates mildly, asking the patient to touch the device with the other hand in order to register a short ECG signal. The quality of vital signals acquired in real life is worse than those recorded under clinical conditions. Therefore, continuous monitoring - or the remote observation of patients- is only made possible through high-quality data. According to Dr Marozas, one of the main challenges in the development of the wearable monitoring systems is advanced signal processing solutions which would separate useful information from the "noise" i.e. motion artifacts and other types of arrhythmia. The biomedical engineers of KTU are working together with the international team of physicians and health scientists from Kaunas University of Health Sciences, Vilnius University, Lund University, and industrial designers from Vilnius Academy of Arts. "We are focusing on developing technologies, which are needed for the public and contemporary medicine. For example, due to the prevalence of this condition, every person older than 65 should be checked for atrial fibrillation. However, relying on the short-term clinical ECG, the arrhythmia can be detected only if the condition is chronic. What if the episodes are occurring only occasionally? Then our technology is very useful", explains Dr Marozas. He assures that despite complicated technology and sophisticated algorithms the smart wrist-worn device is very easy to use. It is aimed at seniors - people, who are especially self-conscious when using technologies and smart devices. At the moment, the team is working on adding additional functions to the technology, such as implementing the algorithm of monitoring the heart's response to physical load. Slow heart's adaptation to physical load is related to increased mortality rate and risk of cardiovascular disease, therefore monitoring of this parameter could be valuable for people of all ages. The patent application for the smart wrist-worn device has been submitted to the Lithuanian State Patent Bureau at the end of 2018. The KTU BEI team is preparing international applications for two other inventions. KTU Biomedical Engineering Institute is specializing in developing non-standard electronic systems for monitoring human health parameters; usually for research purposes. Together with local and international partners, the KTU researchers have implemented many innovative solutions under the concept of "wearable health", such as a smart T-shirt, multisensory system for hemodialysis, monitoring system for divers, used in military training. Source: https://en.ktu.edu/news/smart-wrist-worn-device-developed-by-lithuanian-researchers-can-alert-about-dangerous-health-conditions/ The Chinese Famine of 1959-61 has been widely interpreted as an important contributor to later epidemics of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitis (T2DM), but in re-examining 17 related Chinese studies researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Leiden University Medical Center, found little evidence for this association. The paper is published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology. "Most Chinese studies were limited in using appropriate age-balanced controls," said L. H. Lumey, MD, professor of Epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School. "Therefore, establishing a firm connection between prenatal famine and T2DM in future studies in China will require significant improvements in study design and execution." To demonstrate the limitation in the Chinese studies, the researchers re-analyzed published data using several control groups. With age-balanced controls, no increases were seen in T2DM. Lumey and colleagues further determined that studying just pre-famine births as controls could suggest a 'protective' effect of famine on later health outcomes. Studies from both the Dutch Famine and the Chinese Famine show that increased body size in adulthood has important implications for T2DM after prenatal famine exposure. "However our studies of the Dutch famine have not yet examined if changes in DNA methylation in individuals exposed during gestation could lead to 'intergenerational' effects, on the grandchildren, large enough to explain the increased obesity and hyperglycemia in China today," said Dr Bastiaan T. Heijmans of Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands. Because of limitations in study design and the original analyses of the Chinese studies it is an open question if the famine has significantly contributed to the current epidemic in China. And accordingly, it is also not yet possible to make firm statements regarding the long-term impact of direct exposure or the intergenerational impact of indirect exposure. "The current T2DM epidemic in China represents an enormous public health challenge," noted Lumey. "Public health efforts for prevention and treatment should therefore focus now on well-established risk factors for overweight and obesity, especially the increased intake of energy dense foods and sedentary lifestyles that affect the entire population, regardless of early famine exposure." Wonder Woman "Trial of the Amazons" crossover to elevate Themiscyra to Gotham City and Metropolis status Three of the masterminds behind DC's upcoming Woman Woman Trial of the Amazons crossover open up about what to expect The BBC reports that the volume of children not being vaccinated since 2001 has quadrupled in number raising concerns from all quarters about the rising anti-vaccination movement. Social media plays a significant part in the spread of information, but as Brookings notes, it can be difficult to pin down the effect of misinformation since it tends to mix in with the legitimate information that a user shares. People tend to trust their friends and relatives on social media and because of that give more thought to the media shared by those people. However, there is no organization that fact-checks these posts for accuracy, meaning that what may look and sound like news could be completely fake. Facebook has been leaning towards dealing with so-called 'fake news' ever since the 2016 election and the latest target in its sights is the anti-vaccination movement. Dealing with the Threat of Anti Vaccination Vice President for Global Policy Management of Facebook Monika Bickert mentioned in a post hosted on Facebook's blog that the company intends to directly tackle the misinformation spread by anti-vaccination groups in many ways. Among the steps that the company wants to take include demonetizing ad accounts that promote anti-vaccination advertisements and delisting anti-vaccination groups from the search bar. The aim is to limit the misinformation and access to groups that propagate this misinformation across the social media giant's platform. When it comes to the spread of misinformation, NBC has noted that lies spread a lot faster than the truth on social media. In some cases, this can be a minor inconvenience, but the anti-vaccination movement has caused serious public health problems. A Disaster in the Making Anti-vaccination rhetoric is directly responsible for a recent outbreak of measles in Washington State. The Washington State Department of Health confirmed at least seventy-two (72) cases of measles in the state, a staggering number based on how close to eradication contemporary science considered the diseases to be. The growing trend of shirking the responsibility of vaccination has led to a large volume of the population being unprotected against diseases that were all but unheard of in the developed world. Facebook, noticing the tendency of misinformation to spread have decided to take a serious look at anti-vaccination posts, after previously stating that anti-vaccination rhetoric did not directly violate their terms of service, Bloomberg reports. A Threat to Free Speech Or a Responsibility to the Public? In the past, Facebook has been accused of censoring conservative commentators and have been charged with supporting and promoting partisan politics in the posts they have censored. Gizmodo states that former Facebook workers have admitted to suppressing conservative news while working at the social media company. While in some circles this may be argued as the infringement of an individual's freedom of speech, the same could be said of anti-vaccination rhetoric. However, in the wake of the measles outbreak in Washington state, leading to the increase of sales of scrubs, and further outbreaks of diseases in other populated areas, the anti-vaccination movement has come under scrutiny for spreading patently false information, misinformation that could directly lead to the loss of life. As it stands, the company has decided that it can no longer allow the spread of this misinformation because of the danger it poses to the general public. Good Intentions, Bad Outcomes More and more people rely on social media to provide news for them, and this may be a problem when shares contain blatant misinformation. Facebook is trying to make misinformation a thing of the past on their platform, but it faces a real moral dilemma when it starts censoring content. It's the age-old question when it comes to the censorship of speech - where is enough and how much restriction is too much? While the halt of anti-vaccination posts is a necessity to roll back the wave of outbreaks in some states, it needs to be tempered with moral direction, lest the precedent be used for more nefarious purposes in the future. Sorry! This content is not available in your region Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 26) President Rodrigo Duterte admitted that the country's drug problem had "worsened," and even warned that the Philippines could be the next Mexico which is supposedly controlled by drug cartels. "Things have worsened. My policemen are at the brink of surrendering," Duterte said in Bisaya during a campaign rally of the administration party PDP-Laban in Cagayan de Oro City Sunday night. "Now you can see the headlines: everyday billions worth of drugs are entering the country. Look at the main screen and the crawler, the running news at the bottom. It's always about drugs, drugs, and drugs," he said, letting out an expletive. The President lamented how shabu by the billions of pesos would enter the country on a certain day, a diversionary tactic that will be followed by an even bigger drug shipment. "Everyday, don't believe that it's one billion. The next day there will be another one point three billion. That's just an excuse. That's a bait. Believe us so we can focus on it," he said. "Actually there are other billions coming in." Authorities seized 1.13 billion worth of shabu during a raid in the upscale Ayala Alabang Village in Muntinlupa City last March 19. Three days after, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Bureau of Customs intercepted a 1.8 billion shabu shipment at the Port of Manila. The President said he is worried that the country's drug situation would further worsen. "In the end, we will be like Mexico. We will be controlled by drug cartels. The Sinaloa has already entered the country and that is why drugs are being thrown in the Pacific. The same is happening in the West," he said. Sinaloa is an international organized crime syndicate. He said he had told the police and the military to do everything to put a stop to the drug problem. The President said he urged them not to listen to human rights groups who have criticized his bloody war on drugs that has left over 5,000 people dead in police operations. Critics say thousands more may have been killed in the drug war, something that is being examined by the International Criminal Court. "Don't listen to the human rights. I'll take care of it. Things like that are my orders. The 5,000 are my orders, because that's what it resulted in, encounters," Duterte said. New Delhi: It has been four months since Indian carmaker Mahindra launched the Mahindra Alturas G4 SUV in India. The two-wheel drive (2WD) version of the car is priced at Rs 26.95 lakh while the four-wheel drive (4WD) version is being sold at Rs 29.95 lakh (ex-showroom). The Alturas G4 marked the entry into Mahindras most expensive car segment. The Mahindra Alturas G4 will compete for the likes of Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour and Isuzu MU-X which fall in the same price bracket. However, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra feels the car is under-rated and under-priced. "There's now a waiting list for the Alturas. I drive one myself so I know it's a car that is hugely under-rated in fact and I think we are under-pricing it, which people recognise and that's one reason why they're buying it too," said Mahindra at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show as quoted by NDTV. Speaking about its competitors, the business tycoon said, "If you asked me three years ago how confident are you, that you can actually make Mahindra a serious contender in the a 30 lakh plus price range SUV; I would have said, I am not 100% sure." Mahindra Alturas G4 has a wheelbase of 2,865mm and will come with automatic LED headlamps, LED tail lamps, 5-spoke alloys, and electronic tailgate. On space front, the new Mahindra Alturas G4 has more space than the previous launched SUVs of Mahindra. It has a massive space for seven people and 8-way electrically adjustable driver seat with memory function and ventilated Nappa leather front seats as well. Mahindra Alturas G4 bumper gets a detailed front design and back with LED foglamps. The Alturas G4 features an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system which is compatible with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and WiFi support. Other features include, nine airbags on the front and side airbags for two rows. Mahindra Alturas G4 gets electronic stability program (ESP) with its top of the line features like Active Rollover Protection (ARP), Brake Assist System (BAS), Hill Start Assist (HSA), Traction Control System, ABS + EBD and Emergency Stop Signal. New Delhi: Hyundai Motor India on Monday said it has signed a wage settlement agreement with the workers of its Chennai plant, under which the technicians will get an average salary increase of Rs 25,200 per month spread over three years. The three-year wage settlement will be implemented with retrospective effect from April 2018 and will remain effective until March 2021, Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) said in a statement. The wage settlement agreement was signed between the company's management and the recognised union, the UUHE (United Union of Hyundai Employees), it added. "As per the agreement, technicians will receive an average salary increase of Rs 25,200 per month spread over three years," the company said. Technicians will receive 55 per cent of the increased salary in the first year, 25 per cent in the second year and 20 per cent in the third year. "This would mean a monthly salary raise of Rs 13,860 will be given in the first year, Rs 6,300 in the second year and Rs 5,040 a month in the third year," HMIL said. The company, which sells models like Creta and i20 in the domestic market, is one of the leading passenger vehicle exporters from India. It exports to over 91 countries across Africa, Middle East, Latin America and Asia Pacific. New Delhi: Jet Airways will fly 40 more planes by the end of April and is in talks with leasing companies to restart operating several of its grounded aircraft, Pradeep Singh Kharola, secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Tuesday. "As per plan the given by Jet Airways, they're hopeful that by the end of next month, they would be able to fly about 40 more planes. If this happens, it comes to about 80% capacity," Kharola said. Kharola also said Jet Airways have assured the ministry that no more jets will be grounded. "Today 35 planes are flying, they will approach the DGCA for the next one month to get the schedule approved for the 35 planes," he said. Shares of Jet Airways continued to rise for the second day on Tuesday and closed 6.5 per cent higher on the bourses following the exit of Chairman Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita Goyal from its board. The stock closed at Rs 271, up 6.48 per cent on the BSE. During the day, it zoomed 9.62 per cent to Rs 279. At the NSE, shares jumped 5.37 per cent to close at Rs 267.75. On the traded volume front, 54.11 lakh shares were traded on the BSE and over 6 crore shares on the NSE during the day. Shares of Jet Airways had zoomed 15.5 per cent on Monday. Naresh Goyal and his wife will resign from the board of the airline, according to a regulatory filing Monday. The decision was taken at the airline's board meeting held in Mumbai Monday. In the filing to the stock exchanges, Jet Airways on Monday said Naresh Goyal, Anita Goyal and one nominee of Etihad Airways PJSC would step down from the board. Abu Dhabi-based Etihad is a strategic partner with 24 per cent stake in Jet Airways. For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The income tax department Tuesday evening auctioned the artworks owned by the absconding diamantaire Nirav Modi, who fled the country after duping state-run lender PNB of a whopping Rs 14,000 crore, for Rs 59.37 crore. Of the gross proceeds, the department will get a net of Rs 54.84 crore, with the rest being the commission to the auction house Saffronart and the buyers' premium. This is the first time that a government department has sold artworks adopting the auction-route involving a professional art-house. The department had put up a total of 68 works for auction to recover Rs 97 crore from the scamster. An untitled work by the abstract artist VS Gaitonde fetched a winning bid of Rs 25.24 crore, including the buyer's premium, which however, is lower than the Rs 29.3 crore his work had fetched in 2015, making it the most expensive bid for an artwork from the country ever. The great Raja Ravi Varma's 1881 work depicting the Maharaja of Travancore and his younger brother welcoming Richard Temple-Grenville, and Chandos, the third duke of Buckingham and the governor general of Madras, got sold for Rs 16.10 crore through a phone bid. Potential investors and artlovers started trickling in into the central Mumbai gallery Tuesday evening, but it was the bids over the phones and the Net which were higher at the auctions that began early evening but extended through the course of late night. None of the artworks, "lots" in auction-speak, saw intense bidding, though. As many as 13 works out of 68 had to be passed or returned unsold as the bids were lower than the reserved price. Barring a few works which could not be sold, many of the artworks were sold at prices above the reserve price. Modi's collection of paintings by FN Souza which saw significant interest from the collectors, with "cityscape" and "golly-wog" notching up bids of over Rs 1 crore each. Akbar Padamsee's "Grey Nude" completed in 1960 got a winning bid of Rs 1.72 crore as against an expected price of Rs 1.5-2 crore. Throughout the bidding that lasted over 120 minutes, eight dedicated agents worked frantically on the phones getting the bids from investors and art lovers. The online bids came in from diverse places like Seattle in the US, Toronto in Canada and Belgium in Northwestern Europe, which has emerged as the nerve-centre of the global diamond trade now. Works by some Chinese artists also generated considerable interest among the bidders, with all of them fetching more-than-expected prices. Every buyer will have to pay a 15 percent premium for works costing up to Rs 20 crore, while the same for the ones above Rs 20 crore is a td lower at 12 percent. The premium goes to the art gallery. A successful bidder has to pay 10 percent of the amount plus the buyers' premium within four days and pay up the remaining in a month's time. The sale is being undertaken under relevant sections of the Income Tax Act of 1961. The department was looking to raise up to Rs 97 crore, which is the tax liabilities of Modi shell firm Camelot Enterprises. The tax department reportedly discovered the paintings in a climate-controlled room at his house in the metropolis. As many as 68 artworks went under the hammer this evening and included works by the greats like Raja Ravi Varma, VS Gaitonde, FN Souza, Jogen Chowdhury, and Akbar Padamsee among others to recover dues and the department was expecting to mop up over Rs 97 crore from the artworks which had a reserve price of Rs 50 crore. The auctions took palce after a special PLMA court had on March 20 allowed the law enforcement agencies to sell 173 paintings and 11 luxury vehicles owned by Modi, who is currently in a London jail seeking bail, which will come up for hearing on March 29. The auctions came in ever after Camelot Enterprises, a firm owned by Modi, sent a legal notice to against the auction, terming it unlawful late last week. "The Saffronart online art catalogue lists 68 artwork due for auctions, overlooking the fact that only 19 of the artworks from the 68 belongs to the company," said the legal notice, sent through its law firm India Law Alliance Advocates to the department. "Given this circumstances, the purported auction is unlawful and liable to be cancelled forthwith," the legal notice added. The legal notice also claimed that the sole director of the company Hemant Dahyalal Bhatt is in judicial custody and all the papers and records of the company are with the statutory authorities. The paintings belonging to Camelot and other arms of Modi-promoted firms and were seized by the tax department as part of their probe to recover tax Rs 95.91 crore. The revenue department is also probing a Rs 4,000 crore missing amount from the books of the Modi group of companies. The remaining paintings and artworks will be auctioned by the ED. The ED, CBI, and the department of revenue intelligence (DRI) are investigating Modi, his wife Ami, brother Nishal and uncle Mehul Choksi-the prime accused in the Rs 14,000-croere Punjab National Bank fraud case. For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The ripple effects of the Jet Airways bailout were felt in far-away London. Absconding liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who saw his Kingfisher Airlines going bankrupt, has accused the NDA government for having double standards. In a Twitter rant, Mallya accused both government and the banks in failing to save his airline. Happy to see that PSU Banks have bailed out Jet Airways saving jobs, connectivity and enterprise. Only wish the same was done for Kingfisher, Mallya said in one of his tweets. BJP spokesman eloquently read out my letters to PM Manmohan Singh and alleged that PSU Banks under the UPA Government had wrongly supported Kingfisher Airlines. Media decimated me for writing to the current PM. I wonder what has changed now under the NDA Government, he added. Mallya slammed the Modi government and said that, I invested over 4000 crores into Kingfisher Airlines to save the Company and its employees. Not recognised and instead slammed in every possible way. The same PSU Banks let Indias finest airline with the best employees and connectivity fail ruthlessly. Double standards under NDA. And I repeat once again that I have placed liquid assets before the Honble Karnataka High Court to pay off the PSU Banks and all other creditors. Why do the Banks not take my money. It will help them to save Jet Airways if nothing else, Mallya said as he renewed his payback offer. Last month also, Mallya had tweeted to PM Modi saying that he is not absconding. He also said that Indian banks must take the money that he has offered for the full recovery. The Prime Ministers last speech in Parliament was brought to my attention. He certainly is a very eloquent speaker. I noticed that he referred to an unnamed person who ran away with 9000 crores. Given the media narrative I can only infer that reference is to me, Mallya tweeted. Following on from my earlier tweet, I respectfully ask why the Prime Minister is not instructing his Banks to take the money I have put on the table so he can at least claim credit for full recovery of public funds lent to Kingfisher, he said in another tweet. Talking about his offer, Mallya said that, I have made the offer to settle before the HonBle High Court Court of Karnataka. This cannot be dismissed as frivolous. It is a perfectly tangible, sincere, honest and readily achievable offer. The shoe is on the other foot now. Why dont the Banks take the money lent to KFA ?he also slammed the misleading public opinion. Am appalled to say the least at the media reports on the Enforcement Directorate claims that I hid my wealth ! If there was hidden wealth how could I put approximately 14,000 crores worth of assets openly in front of Court ? Shameful misleading of public opinion but unsurprising, he added. Troubles are mounting for the embattled business tycoon as latest reports suggest that India may soon acquire details of his Swiss bank accounts. The latest move means that India will be able to know the extent of money stashed by the liquor baron in the secret account. According to a Hindustan Times report, the development came after the top court of Switzerland agreed to share the information with Indian authorities. The accounts are held at Edmond de Rothschild (Switzerland) SA and Compagnie Bancaire Helvetique (CBH) in names of Mallya and his companies, Drayton Resources, Black Forest Holdings and Harrison Finance, the HT report quoted a CBI official as saying. For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: CBSE CTET 2019 correction window is now open. The Central Board of Secondary Education or CBSE, the official organisation supervising the CTET July 2019 has opened the application correction window on its official website. According to CBSE applicants can correct any entry or chance the particulars uploaded by the candidate from March 25, 2019 (Monday) to April 1, 2019 (Monday). The Board has also said that no corrections will be allowed under any circumstances after this date. Candidates, who have already registered for the CTET will be allowed to make corrections in applications at the official website, ctet.nic.in. Online registration for 12th edition of Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) on official website was held till March 12, 2019 and the fees were accepted till March 15. CTET July 2019 examination will be held on July 7, 2019 (Sunday). CTET 2019 application correction: How to apply Follow these steps to make the correction in your CTET 2019 July application: Log on to CTET official website www.ctet.nic.in. Click on the link "Correction in Application Form for CTET July 2019" On next page login with your application number, password and security pin given there.On next page, make the necessary changes. The candidates will be allowed to make changes in their following particulars i.e. name, father and mother name, date of birth, category, differently abled category, Paper opted (i.e. Paper I or CTET - JULY-2019 4 Paper II), Subject for Paper II, First choice of Centre, language I and/or II opted, Address of correspondence and the name of the Institution/College/University from where he/she has obtained his/her B.Ed Degree/Diploma in Elementary Education etc. Save and submit the details The admit cards are expected by June 2018. Fee once remitted shall not be refunded or adjusted for any future test under any circumstance. For all the Latest Education News, Jobs News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Less than a month ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, eteran Bollywood actress Jaya Prada joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). According to sources, the former Samajwadi Party (SP) leader may contest Lok Sabha elections from Rampur against Azam Khan who has been named by the SP its candidate from the constituency. Jaya Prada, who started her political journey with Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1994 on the invitation from its founder NT Rama Rao. However, she quit the party following differences with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and joined the Samajwadi Party. She contested the 2004 Lok Sabha elections on SP's ticket from Rampur and won the constituency by a margin of over 85,000 votes. The actress-turned-politician has a bitter rivalry with Azam Khan, whom she had accused of distributing her nude pictures. Despite the controversy, she contested the 2009 general elections on a Samajwadi Party ticket from Rampur and won again. Jaya Prada with BJP MP Bhupender Yadav. (Photo: News Nation) In 2010, the Samajwadi Party expelled her from the primary membership of the party over her alleged involvement in anti-party activities. The decision was taken after she openly supported the former General Secretary of the Samajwadi Party, Amar Singh. Later, she floated her own party along with Amar Singh. Her party, the Rashtriya Lok Manch had even contested the 2012 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections but failed to win a single seat. Interestingly, Amar Singh, whom she considers her "godfather", has been in close touch with the BJP over the years. Recently, he even added "chowkidar" to his name on Twitter in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Main Bhi Chowkidar" campaign. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to direct the Election Commission to issue the common symbol of "Pressure Cooker to TTV Dhinakaran faction of AIADMK for its candidates to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly by-elections in Tamil Nadu. However, the Supreme Court asked the poll panel to give them a common symbol from among the free symbols available. The top court also said that if any candidate is elected, he or she will be treated as an Independent. Earlier on March 15, a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi issued a notice to the Election Commission of India on the limited plea of Dhinakaran that they be allowed to use the common symbol of "Pressure Cooker". Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Dhinakaran faction said that EC is not giving them a common symbol. He said the apex court has directed to allot "pressure cooker' as a common symbol to the party. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami led faction said that, "I am the real AIADMK and he (Dhinakaran) has already floated a new party". On February 28, the high court had dismissed the pleas of Dhinakaran and VK Sasikala challenging the Election Commission's order granting the 'AIADMK' name and the 'two leaves' symbol to the faction led by the Tamil Nadu chief minister, saying the figures showed the Palaniswami-led group "enjoyed a clear majority". It had upheld the EC's decision of November 23, 2017, saying none of the grounds of challenge raised by the Dhinakaran-Sasikala faction were made out and there was "no infirmity" in the poll panel's order allotting the party name and symbol to the group led by Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam. After the high court order was pronounced, Dhinakaran and Sasikala had urged the court to direct the EC not to allot the 'pressure cooker'symbol to anyone during the next 15 days so that they have time to move the apex court and seek an appropriate relief from there. The EC, thereafter, had agreed not to allot the 'pressure cooker' symbol to anyone for next 15 days in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi will blow the poll bugle in Rajasthan on Tuesday in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. He will address two poll campaign rallies in Sriganganagar district's Suratgarh and Bundi district headquarters, besides a meeting of his party workers. He will later meet his party workers at Ramlila Maidan in Jaipur, which would be attended by shortlisted booth-level activists from all 200 Assembly segments of the state. "Preparations for the meetings have been completed for Rahul Gandhi's visit to the state," a party leader said. Rajasthan, which has 25 Lok Sabha seats, will go to polls in two phases. Elections on 13 seats will be held on April 29 and on remaining 12 seats on May 6. In an interview with news agency PTI earlier this month, Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot said is "complete unanimity" among all senior Congress leaders in Rajasthan on the names of the candidates to be fielded in almost all of the 25 Lok Sabha seats, asserting that his party will accomplish its "mission 25" in the state. The Rajasthan Congress chief also asserted that the Lok Sabha polls will be fought on "bread and butter" issues and not on emotional matters that the BJP wants to take the narrative to. The BJP-led government is trying to shift the narrative away from issues of economic non-performance and job creation, he told PTI in an interview. Asked about the issue of infighting over ticket distribution which had reportedly been a concern in assembly polls, Pilot said there is a set process for ticket distribution in the Congress and at every level, all stakeholders are involved in the decision making, from the district to the national level. New Delhi: After Ganga Yatra from Allahabad to Varanasi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi is likely to launch her partys campaign for Lok Sabha elections 2019 in BJPs temple turf Ayodhya. According to reports, the Congress leader will start her Ayodhya visit with a special Pooja (prayer) at Hanuman Garhi temple. Her itinerary includes a round of corner meetings and road shows in Ayodhya and Faizabad. Yes, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will reach Ayodhya on Wednesday morning. She may have darshan at the Hanuman Garhi temple and some other temples in Ayodhya. She will hold corner meetings and a road show during her day-long visit to the constituency, The Hindustan Times quoted Ayodhya City Congress Committee president RP Singh as saying. The BJP has been using Ayodhya as its political turf since the 90s when LK Advani carried out a Rath Yatra to build Ram Temple. The demolition of Babri mosque by right-wing extremists made the temple town more politically sensitive. The visit of Priyanka Gandhi is also significant given the fact that the BJP is trying to suppress the Ram Temple issue with nationalism. In its 2014 manifesto, the BJP had promised to build a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya but failed to do so and the issue is still being heard by the Supreme Court. Also, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself ruled out the option of an Ordinance to construct the Ram Temple. Priyanka, who has been given the task to revive Congress party's fortune in Uttar Pradesh, has been on an offensive against PM Modi and the state government over a host of issues, including piling dues of sugarcane farmers and most recently the "Shiksha Mitra" (Para-teachers). "The hard work of shiksha mitra in Uttar Pradesh has been insulted. Many affected have committed suicide. Those who protested on road, were lathicharged, NSA was imposed on them. BJP leaders are busy in T-shirt marketing. Wish they would focus on the needy as well," she said on Monday. Earlier, the Congress leader had carried out a three-day long 'Ganga Yatra' from Allahabad. The visit, which was started with prayers at Bade Hanuman Ji Temple near Sangam, concluded on Wednesday after she reached Varanasi parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. New Delhi: After Gorakhpur bypoll, Nishad Party has once again come together with the Samajwadi Party. The party announced its alliance with 'Mahagathbandhan' in Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections next month. Nishad Party and Janvadi Party (Socialist) are now a part of Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said at the press conference in Lucknow on Tuesday. After the alliance, Nishad party chief Dr Sanjay Nishad said, we registered the victory in Gorakhpur bypolls. And looking at the present situation in the state, we have decided to come together for the General Elections. Sanjay Singh Chauhan of the Janwadi Party (Socialist) said that the alliance has been formed to fight against BJP governments anti-people policies. Taking a jibe at the BJP, Akhilesh Yadav said that those who dream of winning 74+ seats in Uttar Pradesh will now wonder how to open an account. He also said that entire state machinery and even Governor have become a way of promoting the BJP in poll season. Janwadi Party Socialist party has a strong hold among the Chauhan community, an extreme backward caste of the OBC category, which has a considerable presence across Eastern UP. I congratulate Dr Chauhan for his move and assure that the Samajwadis will always treat Chauhans as younger brothers, Akhilesh Yadav had once said during a rally in December last year. The politically-sensitive state which sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha will go to polls in seven phases starting April 11, the Election Commission announced on Sunday. Voting in Uttar Pradesh will be held on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19. The counting of votes will take place on May 23. When it comes to vote-sharing, the News Nation opinion poll predicts that the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) could again do better than the BJP-AD alliance. While the parties of Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati and Jayant Sinha may win 39 per cent of the votes, Amit Shah-Anupriya Patel alliance may end up with 36 per cent of the total votes. Whereas the Congress may bag only 13 per cent. New Delhi: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will kick off her next leg of her three-day campaigning in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday. She will reach Lucknow by air on Wednesday morning from where she she will travel by road to visit her brother and party President Rahul Gandhi's constituency Amethi, according to party leaders. In Amethi, she will interact with the party's booth-level presidents -- who number 1,965 -- at the AH Inter College in Musafirkhana. After this meeting, she will leave for Sonia Gandhi's Lok Sabha constituency Raebareli. From there, she will reach Ayodhya on Friday before returning to New Delhi. Her earlier plan had her beginning her visit from Ayodhya on Wednesday. The party has planned a 50-km road show in Faizabad-Ayodhya on Friday, during which she is expected to address two meetings, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee secretary Rajendra Pratap Singh told PTI. She will stop at over 30 other points during the road show, interacting with people, according to the schedule worked out so far. The party is yet to announce if Priyanka Gandhi will visit any temple in Ayodhya, the town where the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site is located. Former Faizabad MP Nirmal Khatri said the local unit of the party will try to get her to visit a temple in the town. From March 18 to 20, she undertook a 140-km-long boat ride from Prayagraj to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency Varanasi, interacting with people along the way and visiting prominent places of worship. The Congress won only two seats out of UP's 80 in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and now faces both the BJP and the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance. New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan was among the top economists consulted to draft the partys proposed minimum guaranteed income scheme -- 'Nyunatam Aay Yojana' (Nyay). On Monday, Gandhi had announced in New Delhi that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income to poor families, benefiting around 25 crore people, if his party is voted to power in Lok Sabha polls, and asserted it will be the final assault on poverty. Gandhi had said 20 per cent or five crore families belonging to the poorest category with monthly income less than Rs 12,000 would come under the scheme. On Tuesday, addressing a meeting of his party workers in Jaipur, Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to transfer Rs 15 lakh to every bank account. "We thought it was a good idea...Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts. But the promise was not fulfilled by Modi. We started our work six months back to make such a thing reality," he said. He went on to say that his party consulted "all big economists, without telling anyone, without giving any speeches". "We were engaged in this work for six months. Take the list of all big economists of the world, we consulted them...Raghuram Rajan...One by one," he said. "First thing, we we came to know was that there should be a minimum income line. We calculated and the result was that the minimum income line should be 12,000 per month," he said. Gandhi said his party will fulfil the promise. According to Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, the party has already worked out the finances for the 'Nyunatam Aay Yojana' (Nyay) that will entail a total expenditure of Rs 3.6 lakh crore. New Delhi: After opposition parties including the Congress, the CPI(M) and the CPI, approaching the Election Commission (EC) seeking the postponement of the release of a biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, now a seperate plea has been filed by an activist, questioning the timing of the films' release, reported Times Now. The Congress delegation comprised of Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, R P N Singh, and Randeep Singh Surjewala. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (NMS) had also threatened to stall the film's release in Maharashtra. The opposition parties contended that the film violated the code of conduct and demanded that the film's release should be deferred till the last phase of votiing, i.e. May 19. Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Ranbir Singh said the concerned parties have been given time till March 30 to reply and they will examine it and take action accordingly. The film, PM Narendra Modi, is scheduled to be released across the country in early April, close to the first phase voting beginning April 11. The film features actor Vivek Oberoi as the Prime Minister and chronicles his life. The film also features Boman Irani, Manoj Joshi, Zarina Wahab and Prashant Narayanan. The movie has stirred controversies even before when the credits row included the name of Javed Akhtar and Sameer Anjaan, even without them being part of the movie. Producer Ssandip Singh, in an official statement, later clarified the poster mentioned their names because they had taken two of their old songs - Ishwar Allah from the film 1947: Earth and the song Suno Gaur Se Duniya Walon from the film Dus. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: British-Indian actor Dev Patel has revealed he is tired of being criticised for "stealing" roles from "real" Indian actors. The 28-year-old actor, who was born in London to parents from Gujarat, India, said he is trying to understand himself better by connecting to his heritage. "I get flak sometimes because people will say, 'Why aren't they giving these roles to a real Indian?' I wonder, What does that even mean? The only way I can converse with my grandparents is in Gujarati. Does that make me real enough? Or am I only allowed to witness the moments of prejudice and racism going through airports? Is that the only bit that I'm allowed of the culture? "The truth is I'm trying to understand myself better and my heritage, to figure things out, in the movie choices I make. That's been the greatest thing for me in going to India repeatedly," Patel told San Francisco Chronicle. The "Lion" star previously confessed he "reconnected" with his Indian roots when he starred in the Oscar-winning "Slumdog Millionaire". In 2016, he later said that he could never really fit in as the locals "could smell the foreigner on me". For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Ranbir Kapoors flexibility with his onscreen roles is making him appear in the speed dial of filmmakers and his newest buzz as a double role in Shamshera is one among them. According to latest buzzs, the Sanju star who is ready to make big again in Brahmastra alongside Alia Bhatt is also armored up for his double role ever. Mid Day report claims that the actor who will be seen playing a dacoit in the film may be seen in a double role for the first time. According to the report, the actor will play both a father and his son in the film. A source told the media daily, The film revolves around a dacoit tribe that is fighting for its rights and independence from the British Raj. Apart from playing the protagonist, Ranbir might also be seen as the central characters father. He has been shooting for both roles simultaneously. This is the first time in his 12-year-long career so far that Ranbir will play a double role. The film which also marks Ranbir's return to Yash Raj Films after a period of nine years is also expected to clash with girlfriend Alia Bhatts Telugu debut RRR. Sanjay Dutt who has proven to take on roles of dark roles in Agneepath has also been reported to play the antagonist. Karan, who has earlier directed Sanjay in the 2012 hit Agneepath, told a daily earlier, "Shamshera is a ferocious and fearless character in the film. Therefore his nemesis, the villain had to be even more fierce and monumental in every aspect. Who better than Sanjay sir to give us that impact on screen?" Shamshera, produced by Aditya Chopra under the banner of Yash Raj Films is expected to hit the screens in 2020. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Freddie Mercury biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, one of the biggest talked-about and successful biopics will finally have its China release more than five months after the biopic hit the big screens last year. Audiences in China will however, see a drastically different than the version playing in North America because it is reported that all the scenes with references to Freddie Mercury's sexuality or explicit physical contact between men have been removed. For long, there has been speculation as to whether Bohemian Rhapsody would premiere in China at all with homosexuality despite been legal for more than two decades is still a very much debated issue, particularly in China. This speculation about the Freddie Mercury biopic release in China has been left unsure for quite a time with Chinese censors banning abnormal sexual behaviour, including same-sex relationships, shown in films and TV in 2016. According to CNN, the censorship reportedly includes cutting any mention of the word "gay" from the film, as well as excising a scene in which the actors recreate the filming of the I Want to Break Free music video, which famously features Mercury and the other members of Queen in drag, satirizing bored housewives. It also cuts the major interactions between Mercury and his long-term partner Jim Hutton (Aaron McCusker). Even Malek's best actor Oscar acceptance speech could not escape censorship in China, as the words "gay man" were cut from the broadcast. Bohemian Rhapsody, which released in the US in November, was a critical and commercial success. It earned four Academy Awards, including Best Actor, and was nominated for Best Picture. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Music News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Monday arrested alleged middleman Sushen Mohan Gupta in the AgustaWestland VVIP Chopper scam case. Sushen will be produced in Delhi's Patiala House Court today. Gupta, officials said, has allegedly dealt in defence deals, including the AgustaWestland helicopters deal. The ED officials said Gupta's role in the case came to light on the basis of disclosures made by Rajiv Saxena. It is suspected that Gupta has in his possession some payment details in the purchase of VVIP choppers and the link is to be unravelled, they said. On Monday, Delhi court allowed Rajeev Saxena, an alleged middleman, to turn approver. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier told the court that it has no objection with Saxena being allowed to turn approver as it would be very useful for the agency. Saxena, who had sought to become an approver in the case, recorded his statement on March 6 during in-chamber proceedings after which the court sent the copies of his statement to the special judge hearing the case. He was earlier granted bail by the court on medical grounds after the perusal of reports submitted by AIIMS. Saxena, director at two Dubai-based firms - UHY Saxena and Matrix Holdings - is one of the accused named in the charge sheet filed by ED in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland scam. Christian Michel, Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa are among other accused who are being questioned in connection with the bribery scandal in the AgustaWestland deal. Earlier, Christian Michel was granted 15-minute time in a week to speak to his family and lawyers by a special CBI Court. Last week, India granted consular access to Michel, a British national who was brought here from the UAE last month in connection with the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland chopper deal. The British High Commission had sought consular access to Michel after he was arrested in the first week of December. Michel, 57, was brought to India following his extradition by the United Arab Emirates in connection with the chopper deal case. At present, he is lodged in the Tihar jail in New Delhi. Michel has denied the charges. The ED, in its charge sheet filed against Michel in June 2016, had alleged that he had received 30 million euros (about Rs 225 crore) from AgustaWestland. The CBI, in its charge sheet, has alleged an estimated loss of 398.21 million euros (about Rs 2,666 crore) to the exchequer in the deal that was signed on February 8, 2010 for the supply of VVIP choppers worth 556.262 million euros. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A Singapore Airlines flight with 263 passengers onboard landed at Changi Airport at 7.54 am after a bomb threat on board flight SQ423 from Mumbai on Tuesday, the airline confirmed. The threat later turned out to be a hoax. The plane, a Boeing 777-300ER, had departed Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 11.36 pm local time on Monday, according to website FlightAware. It arrived in Singapore 31 minutes behind schedule, the site added. A Singapore Airlines statement said, "Singapore Airlines confirms there was a bomb threat concerning SQ423 operating from Mumbai to Singapore. The aircraft arrived in Singapore on 26 March 2019 at about 0800hrs (local time). There were 263 passengers on board. We are assisting the authorities with their investigations and regret that we are unable to provide further details." All the passengers were safely deboarded and a security check was conducted on them. However, authorities at the airport have detained a woman and a child for questioning, reported news agency ANI. Changi Airport Group said there was no impact to airport operations. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and NC vice president Omar Abdullah on Tuesday welcomed the Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khans decision to open the Sharda Peeth corridor to religious pilgrims. Earlier, the Pakistan government gave its approval for the opening of Sharda Peeth Corridor Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Sharda Peeth is an abandoned temple in Sharda village along the Neelam river across LoC. It was a major centre of learning and is regarded as one of the 18 highly-revered temples in South Asia. Taking to micro-blogging website Twitter, Omar in a series of tweets wrote, Its good to see @ImranKhanPTI take decisions that have been held up for years. Allowing greater people to people contact & opening routes to religious pilgrims are always welcome developments that help to ease tensions (sic). One can only hope that in a post May 23rd India these steps will be reciprocated by the central government & we can move towards resuming the comprehensive dialogue between India & Pakistan. Omar in another tweet wrote, After the welcome announcement to open the Sharda Peeth corridor to religious pilgrims by @ImranKhanPTI we hope the government in Pakistan will only announce the Kargil-Skardu road as also other routes to facilitate greater people to people contact. India and Pakistan recently laid the foundation stones of the Kartapur corridor on their respective sides. The construction of the corridor is expected to be complete in five months, facilitating the visit of Indian Sikh pilgrims to the 16th-century gurdwara in Kartarpur in Pakistan. Recently, more than 200 Kashmiri Pandits took out a protest march in Anantnag demanding that a passage on the lines of the Kartarpur Corridor for Sikhs be opened to facilitate devotees to visit the Sharda Devi temple. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was held captive for around 60 hours in Pakistan after being captured during a dogfight on February 27, chose to go back to his squadron in Srinagar during his four-week sick leave, instead of spending time with his family in Chennai. After his two-week-long debriefing and medical treatment, the brave IAF pilot was advised to go on sick leave for at least three weeks before resuming duty. During his sick leave, the officer had the option of going to his family home in Chennai where his parents live but he decided to go back to Srinagar where his squadron is deployed for operations, ANI quoted IAF sources as saying. At the moment, the officer has decided to stay with his men and machines in Srinagar and would be required to come back from New Delhi for a review medical board which will decide on his fitness for flying fighter planes, they added. He was captured by Pakistani authorities on February 27 after his MiG 21 Bison went down during a dogfight with Pakistani jets. But before his plane was hit, Varthaman shot down an F-16 of Pakistan air force. After he was captured, Varthaman showed courage and grace in the most difficult circumstances for which he was praised by politicians, strategic affairs experts, ex-servicemen, celebrities and others. A video circulated on social media that he was badly beaten up by a group of people after being rescued by Pakistani security personnel. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the return of Varthaman, saying the nation is proud of his exemplary courage. Tensions between the two countries escalated after Indian fighters bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp near Balakot deep inside Pakistan early Tuesday. Pakistan retaliated the strike by carrying attempting to target Indian military installations on Wednesday. However, the IAF thwarted their plans. The Indian strike on the JeM camp 12 days after the terror group claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir, killing 40 soldiers. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Rap god, Eminemas daughter Hailie Scott Mathers' is no more the teeny-weeny, pony-tailed chid as we remember her back in the 2000s. She is now a 23-year-old beauty ready to take on the world of her own. Hailey, who is also a social media influencer recently posted pictures of her much-needed-vacay in bikini-clad pictures flaunting her rock hard, six-pack abs exuding fitness goals. Hailie, who has over 1.4 million followers on Instagram had previously announced that she was 'heading somewhere exotic' and a 'little rest and relaxation'. Posting pictures of her bikini snaps as Hailie captioned the pics with "Aloha", Hailey is making the best of her amuch-needed vacaya possibly in Hawaii. Her Instagram caption read, 'taking some much-needed vacay time & just in time to share some of my outfit details since iave just started using the liketoknow.it app!'A The beauty can be seen sharing bikini pictures of her vacay in two different bardot bikini tops, one in yellow and the other in a kneaded blue. Check out Hailieas vacation picture here. Hailey, who graduated from Michigan State University last year with a degree in psychology had planned to forge a path on social media, influencing the use of beauty products. New Delhi: Playschool teachersA are blessed with the opportune of witnessing a kidas dream pan out right before their eyes. It is only is some rare, precious moments that teachers get to see the aI want to be a doctor, aactora, apilota, aastronauta evolve into a reality. Sudha Satyan is one of those few fortunate who got to see her once studentas dream evolve right before her very eyes. Satyan, on her Air Indiaas long-haul flight from Delhi to Chicago on Sunday had a memory-juggle when she heard an announcement of the captainas name familiar to her some 30 years down memory lane. As a young playschool teacher, she had come across a bright 3-year-old who had introduced himself as aCaptaina Rohan Bhasin, and true to his acaptainhooda Rohan is now actually a flight captain. Giving into the benefit of her doubts, she requested the airhostess to meet the pilot and lo-behold stood her former student right before her eyes as a now grown-up aCaptaina bring pools of happy tears before his teacheras eyes. #WarmsTheCocklesOfMyHeart.... During Playschool admission, the teacher asked my son his name. Nonchalantly he answered, "Capt Rohan Bhasin". And he was just 3. And today, the same teacher was enroute to Chicago. And he was indeed the Captain. YYaai#StudentTeacherReunionai pic.twitter.com/nGAqZSKUnF a Nivedita Bhasin (@nivedita_bhasin) March 24, 2019 Rohanas mother took toA Twitter to share this very previous reunion of a teacher and a student. She shared two photos of the pilot and his teacher, one from 1990-91 and another from Sunday.A Since her tweet, the reunion of the teacher and her student have brought hap-tears all around the Twittersphere. A Check out some of the tweets here: Beautiful YYY. Dreams do come true! a Ashaba Faridah (@AshabaFaridah) March 24, 2019 Thats very lovely, best moment for a teacher to see her student reached his goal...truely amazing a Jitendra Bhavsar (@jitu_bhavsar) March 26, 2019 Words cannot describe this moment. Never would someone might have seen such a dream becoming reality. Blessed are the people who are a part of this wonderful event. a Vivek (@vsormasd) March 26, 2019 Just imagine that moment when she hears aCapt Rohan Bhasina Your son must have been thrilled. Indeed #WarmsTheCocklesOfMyHeart . a Louvina Andrade (@LouvinaA) March 25, 2019 For all the Latest Offbeat News News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: An artist from Bengaluru found an innovate way to paid tribute to the Wing Commander Abhinandan for his heroic feat. He has created a black and white portrait using a typewriter.A The artists named AC Gurumurthy said ANI, "He is the real hero, he brought real laurels for our country, this is what inspired me." The artwork was done on March 01, when Abhinandan has returned to India from being held captive in Pakistan via Wagah-Attari border. The photos went viral and the social media was all praises for the initiative. Bengaluru: Artist creates a portrait of Wing Commander Abhinandan using a manual typewriter. AC Gurumurthy, artist says, "He is the real hero, he brought real laurels for our country, this is what inspired me." #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/PFQC2E2gMu a ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2019 A Artist Gurumurthy typed out numbers, alphabets, symbols and special characters that are available on a regular typewriter in a fashion that the IAF pilot's picture is visible. The portrait is complete with Abhinandanas gunslinger moustache which recently caught the fancy of thousands of people.A Ever since Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan was captured by Pakistani Army on February 27 and released on March 1, his courage and confidence have been celebrated with many gestures across the country. Thousands of Indians celebrated the brave pilotas return by bursting crackers, writing poems, distributing sweets, and even naming newborns after his first name. Last week, a chef carved the IAF pilotas face on a watermelon at the 14th Culinary Art of India event in Delhi.A In the thoughtful gesture, Singh, who has served PM #NarendraModi and former PM #ManmohanSingh, carved out #Abhinandan's distinct and "iconic" moustache, on the watermelon, along with "#JaiHind" in Devanagari script and a couple of army men. Video: IANS pic.twitter.com/REIRduk17v a IANS Tweets (@ians_india) March 12, 2019 A Gurumurthy a former employee with Bank of Baroda is one of the first type artists in India. It took him two hours to complete the portrait using the typewriter. He has earlier made portraits of APJ Abdul Kalam, Barack Obama and other eminent personalities. For all the Latest Offbeat News News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Apple has announced three new subscription services, including a TV service, gaming bundle, and all-you-can-read magazine subscription. This was announced on Monday at Apples campus in Cupertino, California. This is considered as a new strategic move for the iPhone maker. Apple is aimed to emphasize digital content and services to make up for a slump in smartphone sales. Director Steven Spielberg, TV host Oprah Winfrey and Hollywood stars Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carrell made appearances at the event, which puts Apple in competition with Netflix, Google, Amazon and others in various segments. The Apple TV+ servicean on-demand, ad-free subscription service launching this year in 100 countrieswill compete with services such as Netflix and Hulu with Apple investing heavily in its own content, while upgrading its TV application for third-party services. We believe deeply in the power of creativity, Apple chief executive Tim Cook said at the event at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, without revealing key details. Great stories can change the world. We feel we can contribute something important to our culture and to our society through great storytelling. Meanwhile, a new Apple News+ service at a cost of $9.99 per month will include the Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal, digital news sites and more than 300 magazine titles including Rolling Stone, Time, Wired and The New Yorker. We think Apple News+ will be great for customers and great for publishers, Cook said. Apple also launched its own credit card called Apple Card that will be available to customers this summer. Apple users will be able to sign up on their iPhone in the Apple Wallet app and get a digital card that they can use anywhere Apple Pay is accepted within minutes. The card is partnered with Goldman Sachs to bring out a new suite of functionality. Apple Card also offers a clearer and more compelling rewards program than other credit cards with Daily Cash, which gives back a percentage of every purchase as cash on customers Apple Cash card each day. New Delhi: Afghanistan has recalled its ambassador from Pakistan over alleged remarks by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan that suggested Kabul should set up an interim government, calling the comments irresponsible, according to news agency Reuters. On Monday, Khan suggested an interim setup in Afghanistan as a possible solution to an apparent impasse in the ongoing peace process, while blaming the Afghan government for the stalemate in talks. The suggestion came during PM Khans interaction with journalists at his office. The Afghan government was a hurdle in peace process that was insisting that Taliban should talk to it, said PM Khan. The premier also confirmed that he had cancelled a scheduled meeting with Taliban leadership due to objections raised by the Afghan government. Afghanistan also summoned Pakistans deputy ambassador to discuss the irresponsible remarks by Khan, said foreign affairs ministry spokesman Sibghatullah Ahmadi in a series of tweets on Tuesday. The Afghan government deemed Khans statements as an obvious example of Pakistans interventional policy and disrespect to the national sovereignty and determination of the people of Afghanistan, Ahmadi said. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The stand-off between India and Pakistan is unlikely to get over till the end of the Lok Sabha elections, said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, adding that he feared "another misadventure" by Pakistan's eastern neighbour. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the February 14 attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Pulwama. Amid mounting outrage, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting what it said was a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in an aerial combat and captured an Indian pilot, who was handed over to India later. Khan said shadows of war were still hovering over Pakistan and India as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration could go for "another misadventure" before the general elections. "The danger is not over. The situation will remain tense till forthcoming general elections in India. We are already prepared to avert any aggression from India," Dawn quoted Khan as saying. Recently, Khan welcomed his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi's greetings on the eve of its National Day, saying time has come to begin a "comprehensive dialogue" between the two countries to address and resolve all issues, including the "central issue" of Kashmir. According to official sources in New Delhi, Prime Minister Modi sent a letter to Khan, greeting people of Pakistan on the eve of its National Day and highlighting the importance of a terror-free South Asia. Modi, in his message, said it was time for the people of the sub-continent to work together for a democratic, peaceful, progressive and prosperous region, in an atmosphere free of terror and violence, they said. Khan, in a tweet, welcomed Modi's message and said the time has come to begin a comprehensive dialogue between the two countries to address and resolve all issues, including Kashmir. Khan also claimed that he cancelled his scheduled meeting with the Taliban in Islamabad due to "concerns" expressed by the Afghan government. The Taliban last month said that its representatives would visit Islamabad to meet Prime Minister Khan on February 18. Media reports later suggested that the Taliban called off the meeting as most of the members of their negotiating team could not travel to Pakistan due to sanctions imposed on them by the US and the United Nations. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday ordered Pakistani government to ensure the protection and take over the custody of the two underage Hindu girls, who were allegedly forcefully converted to Islam and married to Muslim men on the eve of Holi, according to local media reports. The court was hearing a petition filed by the girls and their spouses Safdar Ali and Barkat Ali seeking protection from adverse action. As per the petition, the girls converted because they were impressed by Islamic teachings and didnt inform their parents out of fear. Hearing the petition, the judge said, "This is an extremely sensitive issue, Pakistan's respect is joined to it. Ensuring the rights of minorities is our responsibility." A government representative told the court that the inquiry will be completed within a week. On this, the court ordered deputy commissioner (DC) of Islamabad to take over the custody of the girls and ensure their safety. "Until the final report is submitted, they will remain your guests. Even if the girls are placed in a shelter home, the federal government must ensure their protection. A district and sessions judge will be appointed a guardian in this case," the judge said. Earlier in the day, Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday asked Pakistan to safely return the minor Hindu girls to their family, citing that the girls are minor, therefore, cant decide about their conversion to another religion and marriage. "The age of the girls is not disputed. Raveena is only 13 and Reena is 15 years old. Even the Prime Minister on Naya Pakistan will not believe that girls of this tender age can voluntarily decide about their conversion to another religion and marriage. Justice demands that both these girls should be restored to their family immediately," she said. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Pentagon has notified the us congress that it has authorised the transfer of $1 billion for Donald trump's border wall along Mexico. The funds have been diverted from the US army corpus to build the 58 miles fence, the Daily Beast report said. I have decided to undertake yuma sector projects 1 and 2 and El Paso sector project 1 by constructing 57 miles of 18-foot-high pedestrian fencing, constructing and improving roads, and installing lighting as described in your February 25, 2019 request, acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan said in a letter to homeland security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. It is the same wall for which Trump had forced the federal government shutdown in January this year. On January 26, in a surprise move, trump had agreed to open the federal government without any fund for building the border wall. Trumps sudden remark ended the longest shutdown in the us history. I will sign a bill to open our government for three weeks until February 15th. I will make sure that all employees receive their back pay very quickly, trump had said in a brief address outside the oval office. The white house took to Twitter to inform about the decision. president trump supports reopening the government now that many democrats have finally agreed to negotiate on border security and barrier funding. While we hope that congress finds a solution in the next 3 weeks, the president will continue to keep all options on the table, the white house said in a series of tweets. The announcement came on the 36th day of the us shutdown. The state of the union address, which is scheduled for January 29 will see lots of fireworks. With house of representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi not relenting, the democrats and the republicans are appeared to be headed for a collision on SOTU. Throughout the shutdown, the democrats have repeatedly voted to reopen government so that federal workers can pay their bills. Functioning of several key wings of the US government, including security and state departments, has been paralysed for nearly four weeks now because of the ongoing partial government shutdown. President Trump had insisted that building a wall is the only solution to protect the nation from a large flow of illegal immigrants and drug smuggling. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: President Donald Trump on Monday said that Robert Mueller acted honourably in the into alleged collusion with Russia during the 2016 election campaign. Mueller headed the probe for two years. "Yes he did," Trump said after Mueller -- whom he often bitterly criticized during the investigation -- said there was no evidence of collusion by Trump or his campaign. Earlier, US Attorney General William Barr had said Special Counsel Robert Mueller did not find proof that Donald Trump and his campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government. On Friday, Mueller handed over his report to Attorney General William Barr, who has said he will write his own account of the special counsel's findings. The investigation had cast a shadow over the Trump presidency for nearly two years with the Democratic leadership alleging that Russian interference helped him in the 2016 polls. The special counsels investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 US presidential election, the attorney general said. Mueller, in his report, did not draw a conclusion - one way or the other - as to whether the examined conduct constituted obstruction, Barr told the lawmakers. For each of the relevant actions investigated, the report sets out evidence on both sides of the question and leaves unresolved what the special counsel views as difficult issues of law and fact concerning whether the presidents actions and intent could be viewed as obstruction, Barr said, adding Mueller ultimately determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgment. In the letter, he also said the Department of Justice has determined that there is not sufficient evidence to establish that Trump committed obstruction of justice. After reviewing the special counsels final report on these issues; consulting with department officials, including the Office of Legal Counsel; and applying the principles of federal prosecution that guide our charging decisions, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and I have concluded that the evidence developed during the special counsels investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense, the letter read. The special counsels investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 US presidential election, it said, adding, the report identifies no actions that, in our judgement, constitute obstructive conduct. The Democrats were banking heavily on the results of the Mueller investigation to defeat Trump in the 2020 elections. Many were also talking about impeaching the president if the report reveals collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. A cruise liner that ran into trouble in rough seas off Norway was being towed to port yesterday after hundreds of passengers were helicoptered to safety. The Viking Sky lost power and started drifting mid-afternoon Saturday in perilous waters two kilometres (1.2 miles) off More og Romsdal, prompting the captain to send out a distress call. The authorities launched an airlift in very difficult conditions rather than run the risk of leaving people on board. We would rather have the passengers on land rather than on board the ship, police chief Tor Andre Franck said. By yesterday, the crew had managed to restart three of its four engines and two tugs arrived. Authorities said 460 of the 1,373 people on board had been taken off by five helicopters before the airlift was halted to allow the towing to start. Police said 17 people had been taken to hospital, one in their 90s and two 70-year-olds suffered serious fractures. The evacuation has been put on pause for now, a spokesman for southern Norways rescue centre said. The captain will weigh up the situation before deciding if the airlift resumes, he added. The vessel was heading for the port of Molde, with 60 kilometres (45 miles) still to go, and about 500 kilometres northwest of Oslo, officials said. Dramatic footage of the passengers ordeal showed furniture and plants sliding round the lurching vessel as parts of the ceiling came down. Dozens of passengers wearing life jackets were seated around waiting to get off the vessel. I have never seen anything so frightening, said Janet Jacob, who was rescued. I started to pray. I prayed for the safety of everyone on board, she told the NRK television channel. The helicopter trip was terrifying. The winds were like a tornado, she added. We were sitting down for breakfast when things started to shake... It was just chaos, said another passenger, American John Curry, as quoted in Norwegian by media. Passenger Rodney Horgan said he had been reminded of the Titanic. The best word, I guess, is surreal, he said. Sea water 6-7 feet (about two metres) high just came rushing in, hit the tables, chairs, broken glass and 20-30 people just ... went right in front of me. I was standing, my wife was sitting in front of me and all of a sudden, she was gone. And I thought this was the end, Horgan said. But it all ended well for Ryan Flynn. Heres my 83-year-old dad being airlifted from the #vikingsky, he said. The body of an Indian student killed in the Christchurch mosque attacks was returned Monday to her grieving family in Kochi, where relatives remembered a bright young woman dedicated to her studies. Masters student Ansi Alibava, 25, was among at least five Indians shot dead by a white supremacist in New Zealand on March 15 and her body was the first of two to be repatriated. Her body arrived at an airport in Kochi in the southern Indian state of Kerala early on Monday where it was received by relatives and government officials. It was then taken to her nearby hometown of Kodungallur and put on display -- her mother Razia and brother Asif Ali weeping over the coffin -- before a funeral. She hails from a poor family and her whole family counted on her. She was a girl who took up the challenge to succeed in life in all adverse circumstances, said K. I. Noushad, Alibavas uncle. She was praying at the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch with her husband, Abdul Nazer, when the Australian gunman opened fire on worshippers, killing 43. Another seven were murdered at a separate mosque when the shooter later turned his weapon on Muslims there in the worst violence of its kind ever seen in New Zealand. Some families have opted for burials in Christchurch itself, where a national remembrance service for the victims will be held on Friday, two weeks after the tragedy that shocked the world. Alibava started supporting her family after her father died five years ago in Saudi Arabia where he had been working. She took out thousands of dollars in loans to fund her studies in business agriculture at Christchurchs Lincoln University. Alibavas cousin, P.H. Niyas, told AFP the dedicated student was soon to finish her studies. She had gone there last year, the course was due to finish by April. There was to be a six-month training (course) after which she was to return home by December, said Niyas. Supermarket job Alibava also worked part-time at a supermarket with Nazer, who she married two years ago. On March 15, they went to the Al Noor Mosque and sat separately in the men and womens sections. When gunfire broke out, Nazer managed to flee through an emergency exit but his wife did not make it. When he returned to look for her, Nazer found his young wife motionless and face down, according to Indian media reports. He was officially informed of her death 24 hours after the massacre. Another Indian family who lost relatives in the attack opted for burial in Christchurch. Father and son Asif Vora and Rameez Vora hailed from Gujarat, in western India, and were visiting family in New Zealand when they were killed. The body of another victim also from Gujarat, Maheboob Khokhar, was expected to arrive late Monday at Ahmedabad airport. The body was due to be taken to a mosque for prayers and then to a burial ground. I convey my heartiest greetings and congratulations to my countrymen as well as all expatriate Bangalees on the occasion of the great Independence and National Day of Bangladesh. The 26th March is the day of earning self-identity of our nation. Its the day of breaking the shackles of subjugation. On the eve of the Independence Day, I recall with deep gratitude the greatest Bangalee of all times, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, under whose undisputed leadership we earned our coveted independence. I pay my deep homage to the 3 million martyrs. I also pay my tributes to four national leaders who steered the War of Liberation in the absence of Bangabandhu. My homage goes to the valiant freedom fighters, including the wounded ones. I extend my sympathies to those who had lost their near and dear ones, and were subjected to brutal torture during the war. I recall with gratitude our foreign friends who had extended their whole-hearted support and cooperation for the cause of our liberation. The Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman formally proclaimed the independence of Bangladesh at the first hour of the 26th March 1971. Bangabandhus proclamation was spread all over the country through telegrams, tele-printers and EPR wireless. The international media also had circulated Bangabandhus proclamation of independence. Under the brave and dauntless leadership of Bangabandhu, we earned the ultimate victory on the 16th December 1971 after a 9-month bloody war. The independence earned through supreme sacrifices of millions of people is the greatest achievement of Bangalee nation. To ensure that this achievement remains meaningful, all have to know the history of our great liberation war and retain the spirit of independence. The spirit of the liberation war has to be passed on to generation to generations. Being imbued with the spirit of the freedom struggle, the Awami League government has relentlessly been working to develop the country. We have been accomplishing the unfinished work of the Father of the Nation. We have achieved expected developments in every sector during last 10 years. Bangladesh has become the Role Model of socio-economic development in the world. Our government is maintaining zero tolerance policy to tackle militancy, terrorism and drug-menace. For the first time in the world, we have formulated a hundred year plan named Delta Plan 2100. Bangladesh is one of the five top countries in the world in economic development. Ninety percent of development work is financed by our own resources. We have executed the verdict of the trial of the killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman establishing the rule of law. The verdicts of the trials of the war criminals are also being executed. The trials of war criminals will be continued as per our pledges to the nation. Due to the continuation of the Awami League government, grassroot people are now getting the dividend of the development. Bangladesh is moving forward and it will continue. The next generation will get a prosperous Bangladesh. The people made Bangladesh Awami League victorious in the recent 11th parliamentary elections. We will fully honour the huge mandate that the people of our country have given us. We will turn Bangladesh into a middle income country by 2021 and a developed-prosperous one by 2041, InshaAllah. Let us come and uphold the development and democratic spree being imbued with the spirit of the freedom struggle. Let us engage ourselves for the welfare of the country and nation. Let us build a hunger-poverty-free and happy-prosperous Sonar Bangladesh as dreamt by Father of the Nation. On the historic day, let this be our commitment. Joi Bangla, Joi Bangabandhu May Bangladesh Live Forever. The General Assembly of Bahrain Kuwait Insurance Company (BKIC) yesterday approved a cash dividend distribution of 15 per cent (BD 2,143,847) from the paid-up capital. Shareholders approved the boards recommendation during an Annual General Meeting for the financial year 2018 held at the companys head office in Seef District. The recommendation to distribute a cash dividend of 15 per cent of the paid-up capital, excludes treasury shares, the board said noting that the company doubled its paid-up capital in 2018 through the distribution of 100pc bonus shares to increase its paid-up capital to BD 14.3 million. The board further noted that the companys end of the year net profit attributable to the shareholders increased by 22pc, from BD2.6m in 2017 to BD3.2m in 2018. The Return on Equity (ROE) recorded was 8.8pc compared to 7.5pc in 2017. Earnings per share (EPS) at the end of the year 2018 stood at 22 fils (Paid up capital BD 14.3m) compared with 36 fils (Paid up Capital BD 7.2m) in 2017. Stake in Takaful Chairman Murad Ali Murad told shareholders that the company had an impressive performance and continues to maintain its leading position in the insurance market in Bahrain, despite economic challenges faced by the country, especially in the insurance industry last year. The company, the Chairman said, had increased its stake in Takaful International through subscription to the rights issue and by acquiring an additional stake to reach 81.94pc. Since the markets in which we operate are small and limited in scope for organic growth, we believe that strategic investments like merger or acquisition will help us to maximise investment income and cost saving, Murad Ali Murad said. On credit rating, Murad stated that the international rating agency A.M. Best has affirmed the credit rating of the company A- with stable outlook after reviewing the companys performance in 2018. Ebrahim Alrayes the CEO said that the companys technical profits for the year 2018 were good. He indicated that the company achieved underwriting profits of BD 1.9m during the year 2018, compared to BD 1.2m last year, recording an increase of 66pc. The company also achieved a gross premium revenue of BD 81.6m, compared to BD 59.5m in the previous year, recording a significant growth of 37pc. The investment net income increased by 26pc, from BD 1.6m in 2017 to BD 2m in the year 2018, he said. Alrayes mentioned that the net claims increased by 31pc from BD 18.5m in 2017 to BD 24.4m in 2018. Despite this increase, there was no change in loss ratio from the previous year which remained at 76.8pc at the end of the year. Also, based on the report of the external actuary, additional IBNR provisions amounting to BD 564,000 was made to strengthen the technical reserves which stood at BD 29.5m compared to BD 26.5m in the previous year. On business development, Alrayes said that the company recruited an officer in the position of Assistant Chief Executive Officer for Support and Development to implement the state of the art information technology and digital solutions within the company. gig go Alrayes added that among the most important projects that have been completed during the year 2018 was the launch of the application of gig go which is a smart and easy-to-use mobile application that enables customers to buy personal insurance products, renew policies and register their claims online using their mobile phones and other smart devices. Cloud solution Alrayes also mentioned that in accordance with the requirements of the Central Bank of Bahrain, the company is gradually moving to the Cloud Solution using Amazon web services which will save cost on IT infrastructure. NEW MILFORD School officials are offering up $100,000 to cover the overage costs of replacing an oil tank after previously asking the Town Council for that money. Though it is the schools capital reserve fund, the school board needs to get approval from the finance board and Town Council to withdraw from it. The Town Council is waiting to approve the request until there is a more concrete figure to prevent school officials from having to come back again to ask for more money. To me, its open-ended, said Councilman Doug Skelly. The Town Council approved $105,000 to initially replace the oil tank at the Lillis Building, where the schools central offices are housed, but school officials requested another $80,000 in January to cover unexpected costs, including having to remove ledge while digging a deeper hole. Town council members said they wouldnt release the money until they spoke with the contractor to better understand why the cost went over. At the time Councilman Paul Szymanski, who has 20 years of construction experience, questioned many of the charges in the itemized list and several council members questioned the school boards ability to oversee these construction projects. Some of these concerns resurfaced at Mondays council meeting, including how its still unclear the types of wages the workers will have to be paid. Mayor Pete Bass and Interim Superintendent Stephen Tracy are still working with the state to determine if this is a new construction project or renovation, which will determine the fees. That could make a significant difference, Tracy said. This also affects the town project to replace three oil tanks, which its doing with the same contractor as the schools, ETT Environmental. The town and schools are partnering on the oil tanks, along with other capital projects. All of these tanks are required to be removed because they have been in the ground for 30 years, which is a deadline set by the manufactuers and enforced by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The contractor has since answered questions at a school board committee meeting, but has yet to appear before the Town Council. School officials said theyre having a contractor not connected to the project review the list to ensure the costs were accurate. Wendy Faulenbach, chairwoman of the school boards operations committee, said school board members agreed the schools should pay the overages for this project. It went over on our side, she said. This project, like the Hill and Plain oil tank project, needed more money largely due to problems stemming from the initial installation. In this case, workers discovered the tank was only put three inches under the asphalt and it should have been 18 to 24 inches. This caused them to have to remove a lot of ledge and boulders. They also had to do it in a new location because they found an old clay sewer line. Faulenbach said the money was needed so they could start paying some of the bills. She said that while the total isnt finalized, the committee doesnt expect to need more than $100,000. If you underestimate that number, it could be held up for months, she said, adding this approval will get the process going, including the review. Councilman Mike Nahom said they had to be diligent because all of the money came from the same place, whether it was on the town or schools side. Its all on the taxpayers, he said. Tracy and Bass are determining the type of wages this week and then Town Council will revisit the school boards request to use up to $100,000 of its capital reserve to cover the extra costs in two weeks. kkoerting@newstimes.com; 203-731-3345 FAIRFIELD The Stratfield Village Association (SVA), a certified 501c3 non-profit organization serving the Stratfield neighborhood of Fairfield, CT, announced today that Sacred Heart University has committed to a $100,000 donation to the Stratfield Village Associations Four Corners Fund. The project will renovate and revitalize the commercial center of Stratfield Village, the intersection of Stratfield Rd/Rt 59 and Fairfield Woods Rd. Renovations to the intersection will make the area more pedestrian-friendly and safer. We would like to thank University President John J. Petillo and the entire Sacred Heart community for their very generous donation, SVA Co-President Jamie McCusker said. Since we relaunched the SVA in late 2016, Sacred Heart University has been a great supporter and resource to the SVA and a tremendous friend and neighbor to our community; we cannot thank them enough for their support. We feel incredibly fortunate to have not only a world-class university like SHU located within our neighborhood, but also a school led by good people who care about Stratfield and give back so much to our community. The $100,000 donation by Sacred Heart University follows a $650,000 grant for the project from the State of Connecticut, as well as a $100,000 commitment by the Town of Fairfield. The SVA will continue its fundraising in an effort to begin construction. The Fairfield RTM recently approved the project, and the SVA will continue to work with the Town of Fairfield and various State of Connecticut agencies such as the Department of Transportation to finalize the plans and construction of the new Four Corners. Sacred Heart University is pleased to contribute to the growth of Stratfield. We strongly believe that what is good for the neighborhood is good for SHU and vice versa, said SHU President John J. Petillo. We are grateful for the friendship of the Stratfield Village Association and hope to continue our partnership for many years to come. According to the SVA master plan, the Four Corners Project entails pedestrian and streetscape enhancements to the Stratfield Village Business District to improve pedestrian safety as well as to foster economic development in the area. Improvements will include a narrowed intersection, the planting of trees and shrubs, wider pedestrian paths, lamp-posts, benches, art installations and decorative brick inlay. More details on the Four Corners Project can be found on the Stratfield Village Association website at https://stratfieldvillageassociation.org We cannot thank Dr. Petillo and Sacred Heart University enough for their donation and support of the SVA and our neighborhood, said SVA Co-President Dylan OConnor. This is an exciting period of change for our neighborhood. The long vacant and blighted Stratfield Market is scheduled to re-open this fall as an early childhood education center and, in a short period of time, the Four Corners will be transformed into a beautiful and bustling center of our community. BROOKFIELD Officials are investigating Tuesdays fire at a home damaged in last years macroburst. The fire was reported at the house at 9 Parker Hill Road, which was under renovation, around 3 p.m. Emergency personnel from Brookfield and nearby towns, including Bethel, Newtown and Roxbury, responded to the fire. The Brookfield fire marshal and police were also on scene. Smoke from the single-family cape-style home, built in 1964 on an acre of land near the center of town, could be seen from Tower Road. The owners had been fixing it up after it was damaged in last Mays macroburst, said Steve Fusek, who lives across the street. Over a year ago, they had a new roof put on and then the storm hit and a tree took down part of the house, he said. Fusek said the owners havent been living in the home, but had crews working on it. The house was looking beautiful, and then this happens, he said. kendra.baker@hearst.com NEW HAVEN Two people were treated for smoke inhalation after a fire at a Southern Connecticut State University dorm early Tuesday , officials said. A SCSU spokesman said the preliminary cause of the fire appeared to have been a discarded cigarette. SCSU dispatched the New Haven Fire Department after an alarm went off in the dorm at the West Campus Residence Complex at 160 Wintergreen Ave. around 2:21 a.m., New Haven Deputy Chief Robert Ortiz said. As firefighters were on the way, they received reports of smoke and called in for more crews, Ortiz said. The four-floor dorm was evacuated, with SCSU police sheltering students in a nearby building and some students taking refuge in their cars, Ortiz said. The blaze was contained to one dorm room on the second floor and is believed to have started in a trash can, Ortiz said. State and local fire marshals will be investigating the cause, he said. Two people were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene, but both declined to go to the hospital, Ortiz said. A release from an SCSU spokesman said three people were treated for smoke inhalation. The buildings sprinkler system went off in the immediate area of the fire, causing heavy water damage to two apartments on the floor, Ortiz said. SCSU spokesman Joe Musante released a statement on the incident. The West Campus Residence Complex was evacuated early this morning after University Police responding to a fire alarm found heavy smoke billowing from a second floor suite around 2 a.m. New Haven fire fighters found that the suites sprinkler system had doused the flames when they arrived soon after. The preliminary cause of the fire appears to be a discarded cigarette. All students left the building safely and three were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene. Residents were allowed back into the complex around 5 a.m., after clearance by the state fire marshal. The suite and several neighboring suites sustained smoke and water damage. Students from those suites are being temporarily housed in a neighboring residence hall. The Oklahoma attorney general announced a settlement Tuesday with drugmaker Purdue Pharma Inc. in a case that's expected to be the first state lawsuit accusing major drug manufacturers of fueling the opioid epidemic to go to trial. Attorney General Mike Hunter held a press conference announcing the settlement agreement with Purdue Pharma, according to a statement from Hunter's office. The lawsuit also names a dozen other opioid manufacturers. It won't take five days to absorb the news from special counsel Robert Mueller and Attorney General William Barr, or five months, or even the five-plus years left of President Donald Trump's tenure if he is reelected in 2020. Indeed, in 50 years historians will still be at work in the research room of the Donald Trump Library trying to assess exactly what the investigation and conclusion that no collusion occurred meant to the Trump presidency, to the agencies involved, to the country and to the world. I know this particularly well, as on Monday it was announced I will be returning in July to lead the Richard Nixon Foundation as president/chief executive and as a member of the board of directors. It's a job I first held nearly 30 years ago, after previously working for the former president as a writer in his retirement in San Clemente, California, and New York. At 63, I'm at that age when perspective is infused with experience but not crippled by nostalgia. That perspective has made me cautious about issuing sweeping pronouncements about the significance of this or that event. This is especially true of unread reports, even one as exhaustively researched as Mueller's. The research room at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California, is among the busiest in the superb system of such facilities run by the National Archives and Records Administration, which jointly operates the newly refurbished library with the Nixon Foundation. Those researchers and historians are the lifeblood of the presidential libraries, as they will be of the future Trump Library. In some future Trump Library research room many decades down the road, scholars will wrestle with the unredacted Mueller report and interpret it among the backdrop of the booming economy Trump oversees, the negotiations with China and realignment in the Middle East, his two Supreme Court appointments (and maybe more) and 36 federal appeals court judges (certainly more on the way). As for now, critics of Trump will seize on whatever they can find that is worst in the report. Defenders will point to no collusion, no further indictments and the announcement that the special counsel wasn't impeded in any way. Russia attacked our election and - thank God - not one American and certainly not the president helped it do so. But we don't know what the significance of the special counsel's report will be, and we won't for decades and decades, when some future historian does the work of arranging the events of the whole Trump presidency in terms of what mattered most, when and why. When discussing returning to the Nixon Foundation, I told the board that President Nixon's defining legacy is to have been "the first mover" on the strategic relationship that is now and will remain for decades the central relationship on the planet: that between the United States and China. Nixon was also the "first mover" on comprehensive environmental protection for the planet with the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency and his signing of the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act. His decisive intervention on behalf of Israel in the 1973 Yom Kippur War might be the least appreciated of his major interventions into history. But as history compresses events and especially presidencies, most crucial was probably the beginning of the rapprochement with the only other superpower left in the world. As we head into the dangerous decades of our relationship with China, what matters most from Nixon's career is not the political controversies that swirled throughout his tenure, not his political combat with Democrats and the press, not his resignation (no, not even his Supreme Court appointments). What matters about Nixon in 2019 is obviously what he launched by landing in Beijing in February 1972. Of course, the Mueller report matters. But it will be oversold this week by critics and defenders. The disappointment that bleeds through the left's "chin up; this is the end of the beginning" rhetoric is an admission against interest that history is not likely to count the Mueller probe among the most important events of the Trump years. That won't slow down the breathless takes on broadcast platforms large and small this week, but that's how history works. It slowly but inevitably reduces every presidency to a few high peaks and low valleys. With Nixon the highest peak came in 1972. With Trump we have no idea what the peak will be, but the Mueller report does not appear to be much of a valley. In Timothy Bishops Letter to the Editor of March 24, he objects to those in the media defending the late Senator John McCain, as well as the cartoon of March 22 in this newspaper. He refers to them as inane distractions. Inane would actually be a fair description of the Presidents latest rants about the late Senator. They rank right up there with his I like war heroes who arent captured stated in an interview during his campaign for President. We can expect more of the same in coming rallies, unless he was somewhat chastened by the lack of cheering, after his petulant remarks, by the Lockheed Martin employees present. "If elected, you would be the first openly gay president of the United States," Stephen Colbert said to Pete Buttigieg after the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, declared his candidacy. While the characterization of being openly gay or "out" is relatively new, the fact is the United States has already had a gay president whose contemporaries knew it: James Buchanan. Indeed, the United States has also had a gay vice president and, maybe more surprisingly, a gay senator from Alabama. If students taking U.S. history classes are taught anything about Buchanan, they learn that he was "our only bachelor president." How quaint. But, by using euphemisms, we falsely educate students - indeed all Americans - about the realities of this country's history. We also distort how and why Buttigieg's sexual identity matters today. Before becoming president in 1857, Buchanan openly lived with William Rufus King, who at various times served as senator from Alabama, ambassador to France and, finally, Franklin Pierce's vice president. They met in Washington as young politicians, and lived together on and off for more than 16 years until King's death from tuberculosis in 1853. Buchanan's biographer, Jean H. Baker, believes that his relationship with the Southerner King partially explains why this Pennsylvanian was a "doughface," a Northerner who did not oppose slavery. Indeed, Buchanan explicitly urged the Supreme Court to deliver an expansive ruling in the Dred Scott case - which denied freed slaves American citizenship and forbade Congress from regulating slavery in U.S. territories - and lobbied Congress to admit Kansas as a slave state. More for you What Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris understand about 2020 How do we know Buchanan and King were a couple? In 1844, after King assumed his posting in Paris, Buchanan wrote a letter to a friend, complaining about being alone and not being able to find the right gentleman partner: "I am now 'solitary and alone,' having no companion in the house with me. I have gone a wooing to several gentlemen, but have not succeeded with any one of them. I feel that it is not good for man to be alone; and should not be astonished to find myself married to some old maid who can nurse me when I am sick, provide good dinners for me when I am well, and not expect from me any very ardent or romantic affection." Maybe he was only looking for a roommate, but who "woos" a roommate? And he admits he would not deliver "ardent or romantic affection" to a woman. Similarly, King wrote Buchanan from Paris: "I am selfish enough to hope you will not be able to procure an associate who will cause you to feel no regret at our separation. For myself, I shall feel lonely in the midst of Paris, for here I shall have no Friend with whom I shall commune as with my own thoughts." Their peers knew about their relationship, which Buchanan and King made no real effort to hide. Andrew Jackson referred to King as "Miss Nancy" - a euphemism for a homosexual. Other contemporaries called King Buchanan's "better half," and one congressman referred to him as "Mrs. B." All this would be quite peculiar if Buchanan was not gay. And we are not likely to get more explicit acknowledgment because both Buchanan and King had their personal papers burned after death. Skeptics will note that in 1819, at age 28, Buchanan was engaged to Anne Coleman, daughter of a rich Pennsylvania ironmaster. Ultimately, she canceled the engagement and shortly thereafter apparently committed suicide. A rumor in the 1850s had Buchanan involved with Sarah Childress Polk, the widow of President James Polk, but it was never substantiated. In all, there is no evidence that he ever was intimately involved with another woman. At best it could suggest Buchanan was bisexual. By not openly discussing this moment, we forget that being gay in the mid-19th century did not automatically exclude a man from national leadership. The idea that some people, including politicians and social leaders, are gay was not news or shocking to our forefathers. Americans generally considered it a private matter, and irrelevant to holding or performing public office. We obscure or even deny all this history, and, consequently, we miseducated our children and misdirect our attention. Moreover, we obfuscate perhaps the one positive step we took as a country in electing James Buchanan, who makes almost every list of the worst U.S. presidents. So, sorry, Pete Buttigieg, you can't aim to be the first gay president, although you could be the first married gay president. Let's stop pretending Buchanan was a bachelor, and take a lesson from our forebears. Instead of focusing on a candidate's sexuality, let's spend our time assessing their aptitude to lead our country in this perilous moment in history. - - - Emanuel is vice provost for global initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania. Jeremy Richman, who took his life on Newtowns community stage, made it clear since his daughter died in the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012 that he wanted others to feel his pain. A parent who loses a child asks Why? Richman relentlessly pursued an answer. He pointed to the void of empathy shared by the shooters behind Americas killing spree. A neuropharmacologist, he wanted to understand what prompts the mentally ill to kill. He wanted to save others. In his own way, he managed to summon a measure of empathy for those capable of murder. While gun advocates stubbornly redirected the conversation to focus on mental health, Richman did just that. If we can know why, with that knowledge, we can prevent similar atrocities from claiming the lives of vulnerable loved ones, he told lawmakers in Hartford seven weeks after Adam Lanza killed Avielle Richman and 25 others at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. Richman said that while burying his daughter, he was already shaping the concept of the Avielle Foundation, which has a stated mission to prevent violence and build compassion through neuroscience research, community engagement, and education. Since then, he repeatedly invited us, challenged us and implored us to step inside the curtain of his grief: I miss Avie more every day, he said four months after she died. Who owns this tragedy? We argue that we do. It was bought and paid for in the most tragic of ways, he said in November 2014. The brain is just another organ and you dont have to be a neuroscientist to recognize that it can be healthy, it can be unhealthy, and that you need to feel comfortable advocating for your own brain health and the brain health of your loved ones. We feel that the failure to do that led in large part to the tragedy at Sandy Hook, he said in 2016 . It doesnt do any good to support research and know the mechanics of brain science that lead to violence or compassion if you cant give it to the everyday citizen in a way that is tangible. Our job is to connect the dots for people who dont see the lines in-between, he said in November, on the stage where he died. We wanted to prevent others from suffering the way that we were suffering, and continue to suffer to this day, he said in a videotaped interview last week. Richman left his job as a pharmaceutical researcher to focus full-time on the work of the Avielle Foundation. His suicide occurred days after two teenage survivors of the mass shooting at a Florida high school killed themselves. He tried to save lives by challenging us to imagine the worst. As he wrote on the first page of the final report of the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission, As hard as horrible as it sounds, we need people to imagine what it is like. Jeremy Richman believed his crusade could save others. It still can. Please note that the event location has changed. KAMLOOPS, BC, March 26, 2019 /CNW/ - The Honourable Mary Ng, Canada's Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion, will be in Kamloops to discuss the government's investment in skills training through Budget 2019. Minister Ng will also meet with small business owners. Event: Budget 2019 Announcement on Skills Training Date: Tuesday, March 26, 2019 Time: 12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. Location: Thompson Rivers University International Building 805 TRU Way Kamloops, British Columbia Event: A Conversation with the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce Date: Tuesday, March 26, 2019 Time: 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Location: Tumbleweed Lounge 405 Victoria Street Kamloops, British Columbia Follow @CanadaBusiness on social media for business-related news: Twitter, Facebook SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada For further information: Mallory Clyne, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion, [email protected]; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 343-291-1777, [email protected] Related Links http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/icgc.nsf/eng/home by Cait Bladt Twitter set itself on fire when its new favorite political candidate and one of its favorite fictional characters met. At a recent event, Parks and Recreation actress Amy Poehler was asked which candidate Leslie Knope would cast a vote for. Poehler said she could see Knope casting her vote for Indianas own Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Buttigieg then blew the Internets mind by saying he was the Indiana Parks and Recreation Associations 2018 Elected Official of the Year. So whos the better Indiana politician? Pete Buttigiegs award win would make Leslie Knope proud. Wait till she realizes shes talking about the Indiana Parks and Recreation Associations 2018 Elected Official of the Year... https://t.co/6lcNS6rVRj Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) March 22, 2019 While Mayor Pete seems to be receiving consistently positive coverage, Leslie Knopes political career was a roller coaster. But even in the face of serious criticism, she always stayed true to herself! Hopefully, Buttigieg is able to handle himself around Joe Biden a little better than Leslie Knope did. (Especially since he will probably have to debate him at some point.) One issue Buttigieg has spoken about during the campaign is the way communities are disappearing due to automation and technology. The loss of community is one of the biggest consequences of automation, AI, and the way work is changing. We need to rally people around the sense of identity that were building each other up because community is part of how people explain how they fit in to the world. pic.twitter.com/w8nKxW8YNq Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) March 20, 2019 Leslie Knope constantly has to deal with the community of Pawnee, Indiana and somehow she remains optimistic and committed. Mayor Pete would be inspired! The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, wed love to hear what you have to say. Hardware is gating the rate of progress in Artificial Intelligence. Bill Dally is the Chief Scientist and Senior Vice President of Research, Nvidia. Moores law is not providing performance gains but improvement is being made with specialized chips. Powerful new AI chips are developed to improve the speed and efficiency of todays systems. The Nvidia Turing Chip was introduced last year. It achieves its performance through specialization. Nvidia Turing has a Tensor Core at its heart. It does a 4X4 multiplication matrix. This performs 128 operations in one command. Deep Learning acceleration is mainly this matrix multiplication. Nvidia has improved inference improvement by 110X in 6 years and Single chip inference was improved by 66X in 6 years. Nvidia chips went from 28 nanometers to 16 nanometers. This gained 28% of the improvement. Turing added integer tensor cores. NVIDIA Chief Scientist Bill Dally gave a talk 6 months ago at the GPU Technology Conference Israel 2018 in Tel Aviv, where he discusses accelerated platforms and the future of computing. Hotchips gave a 2018 tutorial on deep learning accelerators. They provide a very brief introduction to Deep Neural Nets and their applications in computer vision, speech recognition, and other areas. We review the two key computational elements of Deep Neural Nets: inference and training in regards to their compute and memory requirements. Finally, we review popular target architectures for supporting these applications, including CPUs, GPUs, and custom DNN accelerators, including a discussion around common micro-architectures for acceleration of typical computational patterns and computational considerations around batch sizes, quantization and pruning.In the second portion of this tutorial we turn our focus to the problem of accelerating inference in edge devices. Nvidia is projecting forward and most of the energy of future chips is in data movement and memory. Most of the work is not for processing and calculation. They need to get 70 femtojoule or less per MAC. They are considering analog. AI hardware needs to put most of its work in simulation and training. Nvidia eats its own dogfood and uses its AI chips for improving their own hardware and applications. Nvidia has an evolution of models. Bill feels that further specialization for AI chips would be to target verticals. Nvidia can target and execute on 4 verticals, but there is for more. AI chip startups can target those verticals for true differentiation. 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. SOURCES- Live Reporting by Brian Wang at Nextbigfuture.com covering EmTech Digital 2019, youtube EAST HAVEN A former Shelton man was arrested after police say he was caught driving a car he took from Yale-New Haven Hospital. An automatic license plate reader alerted Officer Jon Trinh that a stolen 2014 Nissan Versa passed him Sunday, Lt. Joseph Murgo said in a release. He met up with the driver, later identified as David Boles, on Harrington Avenue. Boles initially stated that he purchased the vehicle at CarMax several months ago but was unable to provide any supporting documents to prove the purchase. Officer Trinh became suspicious when Boles stated he purchased the vehicle for a lot less than what the vehicle seemed to be worth, Murgo said. Boles admitted stealing the vehicle, according to police. Boles advised officers that he stole the vehicle in New Haven several months ago after he was discharged from Yale New Haven Hospital. He stated that as he walked out of the hospital, a valet attendant mistook him for the Nissan Versas owner and gave him the keys, said Murgo. Boles stated he did not object, got in the vehicle, and drove away. He advised officers that at the time, he was homeless and needed a method of transportation to leave the area. Boles was charged with second-degree larceny and operating a motor vehicle without a license, Murgo said. He also was arrested on an outstanding warrant issued by Troop G of the Connecticut State Police. Boles was held in lieu of $10,000 bail and arraigned Tuesday, Murgo said. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com Prosecutors dropped all charges against Empire actor Jussie Smollett Tuesday. "After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smolletts volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case," Cook County State's Attorney prosecutors said in a statement. Smollett was indicted earlier this month on 16 felony counts after authorities said he filed false reports of a crime. The indictment charged the 36-year-old with 16 counts of disorderly conduct. "He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public, causing an inappropriate rush to judgement," his attorneys, Tina Glandian and Patricia Brown Holmes, said in a statement. Smollett reported to police in January that he had been attacked in Chicago in an incident that ended with a noose around his neck. Police initially investigated the case as a possible hate crime. The indictment said Smollett told police he was attacked by two men who used racial and homophobic slurs during an attack at 2 a.m. After police detained two brothers who were "persons of interest" in mid-February, police sources revealed that authorities suspected Smollett knew the men and allegedly had paid them $3,500 to stage the attack. The men were released without being charged. Smollett denied any involvement in orchestrating an attack. Jussie Smollett has always maintained his innocence and we are gratified on his behalf that all charges against him have been dismissed," 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment said in a statement Tuesday. NEW HAVEN LeRoya Moores co-counsel and the prosecution Monday clashed in their closing arguments over whether Moore could appreciate the wrongfulness of her actions when she killed her two children in their East Haven home. The three judges hearing the case listened to hours of back-and-forth assertions and occasionally asked questions of the attorneys. The judges will deliberate over the next several days and are scheduled to announce their verdict Friday. Moore, 39, acknowledged to psychiatrists hired by the state and the defense team that she killed her daughter, 6-year-old Aleisha Moore, and her son, 7-year-old Daaron Moore, four years ago in their house on Strong Street. Police charged her with two counts of murder. Moore told the defense-hired psychiatrist, Dr. Paul Amble, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, that she believed it was Gods plan that she kill herself and her children in order to join God in Heaven. Amble testified he had diagnosed Moore as suffering from schizoaffective disorder. He said she was in a psychotic state when she killed her children. However, Dr. Catherine Lewis, a professor of psychiatry at the UConn Health Center who was hired by the state to evalulate Moore, testified she concluded Moore has an antisocial personality disorder but was not psychotic when she killed the children. Senior Assistant Public Defender Scott M. Jones Monday morning called Amble back to the witness stand in an effort to rebut Lewis testimony. Jones focused on Lewis statement that Moores actions might have been triggered by a text she received from her boyfriend stating: My heart is not in this relationship anymore. The text message was sent to Moore on May 27, 2015. Amble said Moore told him she killed her children the following day. But Amble testified the text message was not considered devastating by Moore. He added, She made no frantic efforts to avoid abandonment. Amble said that if Moore were suffering from a personality disorder, one would expect to see her making such frantic efforts. Amble said the text message from Moores boyfriend was one of many stressful events that plagued her during that time. These included being arrested on an assault charge after a confrontation with her ex-husband, her older son being arrested on a robbery charge and learning that Daaron had a need for special education. During the first phase of the states two closing arguments, Senior Assistant States Attorney Stacey Miranda told the judges Moore repeatedly had lied about what she had done. Miranda said Moores first deception came on June 2, 2015, the day police discovered the childrens bodies. Miranda cited testimony from Moores friend, who became alarmed when she read a letter from Moore as well as text messages. The friend said when she arrived at Moores home, she asked her: How are the kids? and Moore replied they were sleeping. After the friend called 911, police asked Moore whether she had hurt her children. Miranda noted her response: I saved them. Miranda described how police came upon a horrific scene on the first floor. Aleisha and Daaron werent sleeping. They were lying on their backs, deceased. And they had been for quite some time. Miranda noted Dr. Gregory Vincent of the office of the states chief medical examiner ruled Daaron was killed by acute intoxication of diphenhydramine and his sister was killed by acute intoxication of that same drug as well as alcohol. Addressing Moores account that she had drowned her children as a form of baptism so they could go to heaven, Miranda said, Dr. Vincent found no evidence the children were drowned. He testified there was some fluid in their lungs but that this could have been caused by other factors beside drowning. Miranda cited evidence that bottles of alcoholic beverages and containers of pills were found strewn throughout the house. She also recalled cellphone records showing that beginning the day before the childrens deaths, Moore had conducted numerous internet searches on what quantities of drugs are needed to kill a child. Miranda and New Haven States Attorney Patrick Griffin in his phase two of the states closing arguments focused on the internet searches as showing Moore had carefully planned the deaths and so was not in a psychotic state. The prosecutors also cited what seemed to be a suicide note Moore left by her childrens bodies. Miranda said the note shows she killed her children, knew what she was doing and knew it was wrong. But in the closing argument by Supervisory Assistant Public Defender Jennifer Bourn, she said Moore sincerely believed she was doing the right thing, that killing herself and her kids was what God wanted. Bourn said Moore at that time was suffering from extreme emotional disturbance. The evidence shows she lacked substantial capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of her conduct. According to Bourn, the negative events in Moores life in the months leading up to the killings convinced her that she was meant to die. Bourn said Moore was suffering delusions and thus developed a false belief that it was Gods plan for her to kill herself. Bourn said Moore shortly after this saw her kids as unhappy and crying all the time because Moore was out of the house for her two jobs and relying on baby-sitters. (Moore and her husband had divorced.) She became preoccupied with the thought of what would happen to her kids after she committed suicide, Bourn said. Moore didnt trust social workers, foster parents or her ex-husband to take proper care of the children, Bourn noted. Her delusion came to include her children, Bourn said. It was her sincere belief that what she was doing was morally justified. She admitted killing her children and she said she did it because God wanted her to protect them. Bourn said Moores suicide note showed Moores delusional thinking. She says this was meant to happen. Bourn said that in addition to Amble, multiple psychiatrists and clinicians at the Yale Psychiatric Institute and York Correctional Institution diagnosed Moore as being psychotic. When Bourn concluded her argument, two of the three Superior Court judges, Elpedio N. Vitale and Jon C. Blue, asked her questions that seemed skeptical of the defenses case. Vitale noted Moore did not talk about having hallucinations of hearing a command to do the killings from the voice of God until three years after her children were killed. This raises the question of whether it occurred, Vitale said. Blue noted Moore wrote in her suicide message: If I burn for eternity, at least Ill know why I deserve it. Blue said Moores self-reported expectation of joining her kids in heaven doesnt make sense if she thought she was going to burn for eternity. Griffin argued the burn for eternity phrase shows, as Lewis testified, that Moore appreciated the wrongfulness of her conduct and was inconsistent with delusions. The defendants version given during her evaluation is simply a way to explain the unexplainable, Griffin said. How do you reconcile killing your children? Griffin noted no experts diagnosed Moore as being psychotic until after the killings. He said they did document repeated acts of physical aggression throughout her youth. Griffin cited Lewis testimony that the social workers and doctors who interacted with Moore in her earlier years concluded: She gets angry and lashes out. Griffin added: Unfortunately, when she lashed out, she lashed out at her two children. Griffin called Moores killing of her children calculated, premeditated and deliberate. Moores ex-husband, Michael Moore, who has not testified, was in the courtroom for Mondays proceedings. The defendant, who has remained emotionless throughout the trial, showed no reaction to his presence. randall.beach@hearstmediact.com NEW HAVEN The Board of Education voted Monday to bring in a consultant to help crush a multi-million dollar deficit: the community. A deficit reduction committee, which will deliver its first report to the school boards finance committee on May 1, will include 15 members appointed by presidents of the three unions representing teachers, principals and paraprofessionals, the mayor, the superintendent of schools and school board President Darnell Goldson. Last month, district officials said they believed more could be done to eliminate the projected $5.3 million deficit for the current fiscal year, but they do not expect the budget to balance by June. With a $30 million projected deficit for next year, Superintendent of Schools Carol Birks had previously outlined a plan to remediate $20 million of that figure. You dont have to start from scratch, said board member Joe Rodriguez, who noted he would like to see the committees work build upon and work collaboratively with the superintendents recommendations. To help in the remediation efforts, the school board voted to freeze all general fund spending for the remainder of the year; an amended version of a policy revision that called for a freeze on all spending, until Mayor Toni Harp noted that it was the general fund that needs work, and grant funding ordinarily must be spent in the year its awarded. We already have a freeze on spending, Birks said after the meeting, saying the district currently only spends general fund dollars on items that are necessary. Birks said she welcomes the school boards input. After the meeting, Goldson said he did not see the committee as an outsourcing of the boards responsibilities, but rather an important step to solicit feedback from folks on the ground to provide recommendations to the finance committee. At the end of the day, we make the final decision, he said. The resolution that passed lists the committees goals as twofold: eliminating the current fiscal years projected deficit and the projected upcoming $30 million deficit for 2019-20. The first objective is to ensure that deficit reduction must coordinated in a way that minimizes harm to student achievement growth, the resolution says. The second objective is to identify and ensure deficit reduction measures are permanent and structural, and a framework is put in place to ensure savings materialize. Following the meeting, the school board conducted an informal midyear evaluation of Birks in executive session. Goldson, who was previously investigated by a lawyer hired by the city after Birks told Harp that she felt the board president was creating a hostile work environment for which he was cleared of any wrongdoing and received a public apology from Birks recused himself, citing their prior relationship. He said he would likely recuse himself from her formal evaluation in September as well. brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com Norwegian officials have opened an investigation into why a cruise ship carrying more than 1,370 people set sail along the countrys often wild western coast despite storm warnings, forcing a major evacuation by helicopter. One person is in critical condition but stabilized in an intensive care ward, hospital officials said. Eight others were still hospitalized after the weekend ordeal. The Viking Sky had left the northern city of Tromsoe and was headed for Stavanger in southern Norway when engine problems prompted a mayday call Saturday afternoon. The ship anchored in heavy seas to avoid being dashed on the rocks in an area known for shipwrecks. Norwegian authorities then launched a daring rescue operation despite the high winds, eventually getting 479 passengers off the ship by helicopter in an operation that went on for hours Saturday night and into Sunday morning. Dag S. Liseth of Norways Accident Investigations Board said, the high risk which the ship, its passengers and crew were exposed to made us decide to investigate the incident. After about half of the ships passengers were taken off, the captain made the decision mid-day Sunday to halt the evacuation. About 900 people were still on board when the ship limped into the port city of Molde on its own engines. Viking Ocean Cruises said Monday it had begun an internal investigation .... to establish a complete and thorough understanding of what happened, and welcome the official investigations which they will fully support. In the same statement, Viking Ocean Cruises chairman Torstein Hagen also said he would like to personally apologize for what our guests experienced. Liseth said investigators were heading to Molde on Monday and declined to speculate why the Viking Sky captain had decided to sail to Stavanger in the first place, despite the weather warning. He couldnt immediately say how long the cruise ship would remain in Molde. Yngve Skovly, of the police force in Moere and Romsdal district, where Molde sits, said there is no suspicion of a criminal offense but police have opened an investigation to find out why the ship had engine problems. That probe would be part of the one by the Accident Investigations Board. The Viking Sky is a relatively new ship, delivered in 2017 to operator Viking Ocean Cruises. The ship was on a 12-day cruise along Norways coast before its scheduled arrival Tuesday in the British port of Tilbury, on the River Thames. The passengers were mostly an English-speaking mix of American, British, Canadian, New Zealand and Australian citizens. All the cruise ship passengers were expected to be flown out of Norway by Monday evening, police said. Viking Skys next trip, to Scandinavia and Germany, which was to leave on Wednesday, has been canceled but its owner said no other trip cancellations for the ship were foreseen yet. President Donald Trump is nearing a victory over Democrats as the House tries overriding his first veto, a vote that seems certain to fail and would let stand his declaration of a national emergency at the Mexican border. Tuesday's vote would keep the border emergency intact, which for now would let him shift an additional $3.6 billion from military construction projects to work on a barrier along the southwest boundary. Building the wall was one of his most oft-repeated campaign promises, though he claimed the money would come from Mexico, not taxpayers. Trump's emergency declaration drew unanimous opposition from congressional Democrats and opposition from some Republicans, especially in the Senate, where lawmakers objected that he was abusing presidential powers. But while Congress approved a resolution voiding Trump's move, the margins by which the House and Senate passed the measure fell well short of the two-thirds majorities that will be needed to override the veto. That's expected to happen again when the House votes Tuesday. "The president will be fine in the House," said Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in a brief interview. "The veto will not be overridden." Even with his veto remaining intact, Trump may not be able to spend the money for barriers quickly because of lawsuits that might take years to resolve. Tuesday's vote was coming as Trump claimed a different political triumph after Attorney General William Barr said special counsel Robert Mueller had ended his two-year investigation without evidence of collusion by Trump's 2016 campaign with the Russian government. Democrats were hoping to use the border emergency battle in upcoming campaigns, both to symbolize Trump's harsh immigration stance and claim he was hurting congressional districts around the country. The Pentagon sent lawmakers a list last week of hundreds of military construction projects that might be cut to pay for barrier work. Though the list was tentative, Democrats were asserting that GOP lawmakers were endangering local bases to pay for the wall. Congress, to which the Constitution assigned control over spending, voted weeks ago to provide less than $1.4 billion for barriers. Opponents warned that besides usurping Congress' role in making spending decisions, Trump was inviting future Democratic presidents to circumvent lawmakers by declaring emergencies to finance their own favored initiatives. Trump supporters said he was simply acting under a 1976 law that lets presidents declare national emergencies. Trump's declaration was the 60th presidential emergency under that statute, but the first aimed at spending that Congress explicitly denied, according to New York University's Brennan Center for Justice, which tracks the law. The House approved the resolution blocking Trump's emergency by 245-182 in February. On Tuesday, Trump opponents will need to reach 288 votes to prevail. Just 13 Republicans opposed Trump in February, around 1 in 15. Another 30 would have to defect to override his veto. This month, the GOP-led Senate rebuked Trump with a 59-41 vote blocking his declaration after the failure of a Republican effort to reach a compromise with the White House. Republicans were hoping to avoid a confrontation with him for fear of alienating pro-Trump voters. Twelve GOP senators, nearly 1 in 4, ended up opposing him. If the House vote fails, the Senate won't attempt its own override and the veto will stand. SEYMOUR Seymour High School senior Alexa Michaud knows a thing or two about Wildcat pride. And thanks to her creativity, Michauds blue-and-gold artwork has been selected to appear on the new shirts the school districts cafeteria and custodial staff soon will be sporting. Michaud, 17, was among more than 50 students who entered a districtwide contest to design a new logo for the staff. Her winning design, done on a bright blue background, features a the Wildcat pawprint surrounded by vibrant splashes of yellow and the words Seymour Public Schools in white. I was super surprised and honored to be chosen as the winner of the logo contest, Michaud said. Im excited to have people wear my design and to promote more pride within our schools. Michaud, who is in the graphic arts design program at SHS and has been doodling and drawing since she was little, said it took her about an hour to come up with the design and put in on paper. Of course she had to incorporate a Wildcat pawprint to represent all of the Seymour schools, and the splashes speak to the positive energy she said resonates from within the district. I cant wait to see the design on the shirts, she said. Superintendent of Schools Michael Wilson lauded Michaud and the other students who participated in the contest. All of our students showed a tremendous amount of talent and their designs were very creative and well thought out, which made it a very hard decision for all of the judges, said Wilson. Alexas design was very bright and showed a lot of energy. The designs were judged by Wilson and a panel of seven staff members, including Director of Nutrition Services Cindy Brooks and Facilities Director Tim Connors, who spearheaded the contest in order to give the cafeteria and custodial staff more of a visual identity. Brooks was thrilled with the designs students came up with, and lauded them for their creativity. I really enjoyed looking at all the artwork the students submitted. They are all so talented, Brooks said. Tim and I thought it would be great for our staff to be wearing shirts with a logo that one of our students created. It is a sense of hometown pride and a one of a kind. Michauds design will replace the Seymour Schools Nutrition Services embroidered on the current polo shirts worn by cafeteria staff, as well as the traditional blue-and-gold town seal printed on the corner of the custodians shirts. Michaud won a $100 Amazon gift card for her winning design. Wilson also commended contest runner-ups Sydnie Drezek, Sarah Gagaza and Ashlyn Holland, who all did such a tremendous job and we are very fortunate to have such talented artists here in Seymour. jean.sos@snet.net A Japanese Psychiatrists Takes on the Trials of Life A new report offers fresh insights into the issue of non-attendance at Japanese junior high schools. A Broader Picture of the Problem School non-attendance has long been a major social issue in Japan. The results of a 2018 survey by the Nippon Foundation provide important hints for considering the problem. Unlike the surveys previously implemented by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT), which operated through local boards of education to gather replies from schools, this Nippon Foundation survey was conducted online and posed questions directly to childrenincluding those attending school regularly. This revealed a broader picture by going beyond those who fit MEXTs definition of absenteeism, namely, children who stay home from school for 30 or more days in a year. It also covered what I might describe as a reserve corps for absenteeism: children who have not reached the threshold of 30 days absence, who come to school but study separately from their classmates, or who come to class but do different work or feel a strong aversion to participation, along with those whose normal attendance masks an internal aversion to school. The expanded scope found 330,000 affected children, or more than three times as many as under the narrow MEXT definition, clearly demonstrating the problem is more serious than previously thought. The reasons that students cited for not wanting to go to junior high school illustrate the true state of their complex feelings, which could not be found in earlier statistics. Here, I will focus on analyzing the answers to examine the psychological state of todays junior high school students. Five Categories of Reasons for Non-Attendance Multifarious reasons were provided for not wanting to go to junior high, but I have grouped them into the following five categories. Repressed feelings, as seen in answers like I cant get up in the morning, It makes me tired, When I try to go, I feel sick, and Even I myself dont really know. Although there is no conscious feeling of not wishing to go to school, the end result is an inability to attend. Problems with others, evident from such responses as I dont get on with other students/my teacher[s], I cant rely on my teacher[s], and I dont feel comfortable at school. Although bullying is the core issue here, the category includes less clearly defined feelings of unease. Problems with schoolwork. Among the comments in this category are, I dont understand my classes, I cant get good marks like in elementary school, and I dont want to take tests. Existential issues like I dont understand why I should go to school, and Compared with elementary school, its boring. Students may find junior high boring because they cannot accept that it is meaningful. Other specific problems related to the school, such as I hate the school rules, or Club activities are too tough. Students responses vary greatly depending on the sorts of rules their school imposes and the intensity and duration of their clubs activities (such as practicing sports). Junior High School Students Mental State From these groupings, it is possible to discern the following tendencies. Among all the replying students, including those attending school regularly, the most common answers were ones indicating repressed feelings, the first category above. This is a useful indication of junior high school students mental state. In psychological terms, repression means to hold down thoughts so that they do not rise to the conscious level. In this case, the thought is I dont want to go to school. As it fails to reach the conscious mind, it is liable to be expressed physically instead in a mechanism known as somatization. This leads to inability to get up in the morning and feelings of sickness or fatigue associated with attending school. Repression occurs when children have powerful conscious feelings that they should go to school and should not think negative thoughts about attending. This attitude has likely come to the fore because they have not been allowed to say no from an early age; parents and schoolteachers have made them passively follow instructions. Children who have not attended school for an extended period mainly gave their reasons as problems with others or with schoolwork, the second and third categories above. These have long been viewed as major causes of absenteeism. For children in the early stages of adolescence, how they are perceived by people around them is of the highest importance. It is not surprising that many children identify relationships with others as a reason for non-attendance. It is a problem related to the growth process that is difficult to avoid. Among those who go to school and attend classes normally along with their schoolmates while masking an internal desire not to go to school, many of the responses fall into the fourth category, existential issues. Questioning of the meaning or inherent interest of junior high school is common among children who reach mental maturity early and are highly introspective. Many others will consider the same topic later: in high school, university, or when they start working. These children, who doubt the meaning of what they are doing, are nonetheless able to perform their expected role as students who attend school and participate in classes. And since they are skilled at setting their internal feelings aside and coping with the demands of student life, they are relatively unlikely to cite the final set of reasons, namely, specific problems related to their schools. Subconscious Dissent To date, measures tackling long-term absenteeism have focused heavily on support dealing with bullying and poor academic performance. It goes without saying that these will continue to be crucial. However, analysis of the recent report illustrates the psychological repression among students, which has received little attention. Children start forming their identity when they first learn to say No! during their terrible twos. As their sense of self awakes, they refuse to passively follow parental instructions. Parents and educators must properly appreciate this sort of defiance as a sign of the emergence of selfhood. This is the start of the process by which children learn to express their own will. Nowadays, though, zeal for early education is causing parents to fill their childrens days with scheduled classes and other learning activities during this delicate stage of their self-development. This can make their budding sense of self wither, turning them into obedient but spiritless youngsters. Unable to express themselves through outright rebellion, todays children seem to be tending toward non-attendance at school as a subconscious form of resistance. In their repressed state, they cannot hear the voices of their hearts. The trend to passivity undoubtedly derives initially from the home and the education industry before children ever get to school. I believe that we must think again about how to raise children so they can develop naturally, and that all adults should individually reconsider their values, which have inclined toward excessive management and control. (Banner and Illustration by Mica Okada) Newsfrom Japan Tokyo, March 26 (Jiji Press)--Most of the work style reform measures included in legislation enacted into law in Japan last year are set to take effect on Monday, with the start of the new fiscal year, including the first effective compulsory caps on overtime hours at major companies. The reform will also obliges all companies to have their employees take at least five paid holidays a year, in a bid to redress long work hours. But many companies are likely to face difficulty in implementing the reform measures at a time when labor shortages are becoming severe, pundits said. Overtime will be limited to less than 100 hours a month per employee and a total of 720 hours a year. Companies will face penalties if they fail to abide by the regulation. The overtime caps will take effect for small and midsize companies in April 2020. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] A Bergen County family already caught in one multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme later launched a second scam that netted them $3 million more. The father, mother and son pleaded guilty Monday to involvement in a scheme defrauding investors of a total of $7 million, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said in a news statement. George Bussanich Sr., George Bussanich Jr. and Wilma Bussanich took part in a first scheme between May 2009 and July 2013. In that, they sold 26 investors more than $4 million in investment notes in a fictitious surgery center. To make it appear the investments were profitable, the family made dividend payments from the initial money they collected, while spending the rest on high-class excess. That includes multiple homes, shopping, dining, travel, and seven luxury cars -- including two Maserati Quattroportes, a Ferrari F430 Spider and a Mercedes ML350. But they were found out and by August 2014 settled for $5.5 million with the state Bureau of Securities. Between September 2014 and September 2015, the Bussaniches got 15 of those 26 investors to chip in another $3 million to another fictitious company that they create with the family accountant. Some of that money went to mortgage payments, vacations and restaurant bills, but also to penalty payments for the prior settlement, prosecutors said. The family entered their pleas before Superior Court Judge Margaret Foti in Bergen County. Bussanich Sr., 60, of Park Ridge, pleaded guilty to first-degree conspiracy to commit securities fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors will recommend a sentence of 10 years in state prison. Bussanich Jr., 39, of Saddle River, pleaded to second-degree securities fraud and second-degree money laundering. Prosecutors will reccommend he serve eight years in prison. Wilma Bussanich, 58, of Park Ridge, pleaded guilty to third-degree money laundering and faces probation. Theyre also liable for full restitution to all the victim investors. Four others have pleaded guilty in the case and face probation sentences: Bryan Nazor 47, of Chestnut Ridge, New York - conspiracy and theft Heidi Francavilla, 60, of Park Ridge Robert Schooley, the Bussanich family accountant Christopher Hanna, 37, of Parlin Sentencing is scheduled June 28 in Fotis courtroom. Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. A Camden County jury deadlocked on whether Michael Disporto Jr. should be convicted of sexually assaulting and fatally injuring his girlfriends 23-month-old daughter in 2016. Superior Court Judge Edward McBride declared a mistrial Friday after jurors couldnt agree on any of the charges, including murder and sexual assault, following a week of deliberations and roughly six-weeks of evidence in the case that featured grisly testimony. The Camden County Prosecutors Office plans to retry the case, spokeswoman Alexandra McVeigh said Monday. Disporto, 25, of Manahawkin, remains jailed. Disporto was 22 when he was charged with sexually assaulting Ariana Smyth in Gloucester City on July 2 or 3 of 2016, leading to her death a few days later. Assistant Prosecutor Peter Crawford told jurors in closings that Disporto, the last man with access to Ariana, was alone with the child several times on July 2 and 3 and that he tried to convince the girls mother not to get medical help for her ailing daughter. Amber Bobo, 28, was the key witness against her former boyfriend. She agreed to testify as part of a plea deal that saw her serve 15 months in jail after admitting she failed to get help for her daughter despite her bruises, vomiting and other medical issues over the course of a day. In addition to Bobo, jurors heard from detectives, EMTs, doctors and medical examiners about the horrific injuries that Ariana endured, including internal and genital injuries, a broken arm, and the blunt force trauma to her head that authorities say caused her death. Ariana Smyth, left, died after being assaulted by the boyfriend of her mother, Amber Bobo, right, according to authorities. (Provided by Tawnya Hughes/Dept. of Corrections) Disportos attorney, Jason LeBoeuf, noted in his closings that he saw some of the jurors crying during the trial. He said police got the wrong man because they focused their investigation only on Disporto because they believed Bobo, who was lying to save her own skin. LeBoeuf told jurors the states witnesses, especially Bobo, gave testimony that was riddled with inconsistencies or outright lies, and that there was no DNA or other scientific evidence to support the theory that Disporto sexually assaulted the girl. On Monday, after the judge declared a mistrial, LeBoeuf said the state did not meet its burden. He speculated that the jurors who did want to convict might have been influenced by a strong desire to hold someone accountable for the tragic death. Mr. Disporto maintains his innocence as he always has. He has rejected and will continue to reject all overtures toward a plea deal and he looks forward to demonstrating his innocence to another jury of his peers in the near future, LeBoeuf said Monday. During the trial, jurors heard Ariana Smyths father, Robert Smyth Jr., say his child was fine when he handed her over to Bobo on the afternoon of July 2, 2016, as part of their informal shared custody agreement. Bobo told authorities that Disporto, whom she had been seeing for a few weeks, came over to her apartment that night and took Ariana to the park alone because he wanted to get to know her better. The prosecutors office said Bobo reported that she awoke to discover Disporto had moved the girl to the couch and changed her clothes. She later noticed bruises on her daughters head, arms and genitals in the morning, the prosecutors office said. But LeBoeuf told jurors that Bobo lied and changed her story about whether Disporto had been sleeping in bed or on the couch. The pair then went to the Deptford mall to shop for shoes, but went home when Ariana vomited. They later took the child back out for more shopping, she told police. Bobo said Disporto told her not to get medical help but she finally did call 911 after Ariana vomited more and lost consciousness. LeBoeuf pointed out that Bobo told EMTs she didnt know where the bruises were from and that she had just gotten the child back from Smyth. Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. A shadow hanging over the future of the embattled historic lightship Barnegat may have gotten longer after the death of a Camden marina owner who had been trying to save it for the past 25 years. Rodney Sadler, 69, died last week. He acquired the ship in the early 1990s from a preservation group in Philadelphia, across the Delaware River from his Pyne Poynt Marina in Camden. Today, the Barnegat sits rusting in the mud, moored at the marina on the Camden waterfront. The former Coast Guard vessel was built in 1904 in Camden and used primarily on the Jersey coast to steer ships clear of shallow waters as a floating lighthouse and during WWII for coastal security. Sadlers vision was to raise money from donors to preserve it. He wanted to transform it into an exhibit on the Camden waterfront, his widow, Anna, said Monday. It was going to be an attraction, eventually, Anna Sadler said. He wanted to call it Birth to Berth. But the battleship became available and it took over the idea of a historic ship on the waterfront. The Battleship New Jersey arrived on the Camden waterfront in 2001. Since then, the Home Port Alliance, a private non-profit organization, has worked to raise money to maintain and restore the most decorated warship in the U.S. Navy. It is berthed in a county park on the waterfront. Meanwhile, the Barnegat is included in a 2018 list of the states most endangered historic sites. Preservation efforts for the Barnegat Light Ship are continuing in Camden. Anna Sadler said she thinks the Barnegat can still be saved but it might cost as much as $1 million to build a floating dock to lift it out of the mud and move it to where work can be done to preserve it. I used to be in development, said Sadler, who once worked with the Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild that owned the Barnegat before her husband acquired it. Its very hard to find money for this. An official with Preservation NJ, which included the Barnegat on its most endangered historic sites list, said she has been pitching donors on the restoration project but hasnt received any interest. We arent the ones who have a lot of capacity to save them, Courteney Mercer, director of Preservation New Jersey, said this month. Anna Sadler said she knows her husband wanted to preserve the ship and the marina to benefit the North Camden community. She said the vessel belongs to the Camden Museum and Learning Center, a nonprofit foundation he created to mange it. She said they both also hoped to have the marina included in city and county waterfront bike trails or as a nature preserve. She said there is an eagles nest at the top of one of the masts on the Barnegat. But if that doesnt happen, she may put the 7-acre marina, with dozens of abandoned boats strewn around it, up for sale. If someone came through and was interested in (the Barnegat), Id be thrilled, she said. I dont have the money to do it. Richard Feldmann, a project director of the Camden Shipyard and Maritime Museum said he spoke to Rod and Anne earlier this year about the future of the Barnegat and the marina. Having known Rod and Anna I know their hearts are in the right place, Feldmann said. They want to do things for Camden, the city they loved. Shes a beautiful old ship." Feldmann said. "Id like to see someone come in and make it their focal point. Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@bduhart. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us.nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Millville police are looking for a pair of gunmen after two people were wounded in an early morning shooting. Police responded to a home on West Broad Street for a report of shots fired around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday and found a 49-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man with gunshot wounds, authorities said. Both were airlifted to Cooper University Hospital, Camden, and were listed in stable condition. The victims told police that two men entered the house from the rear and a struggle with the intruders ended in gunfire. The gunmen fled the area on foot. There are no suspects at this time, police said, but they described the shooting as an isolated incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact Millville Police at 856-825-7010, the tip-line at 856-825-2182 or text millvillepd and your tip TIP411. Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Martinos Cuban Restaurant, which closed after nearly 30 years of business in Somerville, isnt reopening. But Somerset County foodies are getting the next best thing. Martino Linares, whose parents owned Martinos and worked there as well, is opening his own restaurant in town. De Martino, a Cuban Restaurant, is tentatively scheduled to open its doors in mid-April, Linares told MyCentralJersey.com, at 9 Davenport St., the location that previously housed Thai restaurant Bangkok Thai. I want to pay homage to the classic Cuban dishes that my father taught us but elevate them by enhancing their flavor and plating with better ingredients and meats, Linares told MyCentralJersey.com. "Our Martinos regulars will think theyre coming back to Martinos, but theyre not. Some people may be upset, but change is good. De Martino will feature dim lighting and an intimate setup with hand-painted artwork. Dishes like oven-roasted pork shank over mofongo, braised oxtail over yuca mash and Cuban sandwiches will be on the menu. Martinos closed at the end of September because the lease was up at the 202 W. Main St. location, according to MyCentralJersey.com, and Linares worked at Jockey Hollow Bar and Kitchen in Morristown as a chef before finding the space for his new restaurant. We had a lot of regulars at Martinos, and it was a staple in Somerville. People loved it and they would come from Pennsylvania and New York to eat there, Linares told MyCentralJersey.com. Im hoping to bring in locals as well as new customers because Somerville is changing for the better, and that only brings in more people to town to try something different. Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Schneider. Find NJ.com on Facebook Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Gynelle Harvey was driving a tractor trailer, headed toward the Pacific Coast, when she got a phone call from a number she didnt recognize. It was an inmate inside Northern State Prison. The voice on the other line told her that her son, Anthony Fontanez, had just been beaten by the prison guards, and by the way he looked, he was not going to survive. She turned around, and headed back to New Jersey, desperate to see her son. Most of the information I had received was from the inside, Harvey said, adding that officials at the prison would not tell her about her sons condition. I wound up getting a lot of these 3-way calls from people telling me he was in ICU and the way he was beaten up so bad, they are surprised if he would ever live after that beating. One of them said he was passed out, knocked out unconscious and they still dragged him down the steps. Fontanezs allegations are laid out in a notice of claim he filed on Friday against the New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC), the Northern State Prison warden, and three corrections officers. The incident started when Fontanez who is less than five years into a 31-year sentence for crimes such as attempted murder and aggravated assault stemming from two shootings in Camden was told he wasnt allowed to take a shower, but took one anyway instead of participating in recreation, according to the claim. Immediately after, he was cuffed and put in a cage where he watched while corrections officers began pouring over his entire cell and his clothing disinfectant, Clorox, cleaning supplies and other toxic substances, the claim states. Fontanez said he was told to go back into his cell, but refused because of the fumes from the chemicals. Additional guards were called in, and one sprayed mace on Fontanez, who then ran to the shower to attempt to wash it off. He claims the officers then attacked him with their batons, hitting him in his head and arms, then eventually dragged him down the stairs and put him in a wheelchair, while blood was dripping from his nose and head. Eventually, he was transferred to University Hospital and had to undergo surgery on his ankle that required plates and screws to be installed, he claims. He also sustained broken ribs and a broken nose. NJ Department of Corrections spokesman Matt Schuman confirmed that an incident involving Fontanez on Jan. 6 is being investigated. He said the department doesnt comment on pending litigation. While Harvey was making her way back to New Jersey, Fontanez was released from the hospital and transferred around various prisons, including the East Jersey State Prison in Rahway before winding up at New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. During that time, Harvey said was not able to speak with her son to see how he was doing. It was not until five days after the incident happened that Harvey was able to talk with him on the phone, and not able to see him in person until Jan 16. He told me he did not do anything, Fontanezs mother said. I know my son, and he might get into situations in prison here and there. If certain things happen, I do find out later. When they finally spoke, Harvey said her son told her his cell was trashed, pictures were ripped off the wall and thrown in the garbage and he had a cast on his leg. Harvey said she did not see his face but was told his it was badly bruised. His family questions why they werent notified sooner by the prison. Here is the thing that kills me: When you have 10, 9 or 8 guys doing that, that is a problem, said Antonio Fontanez, Anthonys father. That does not sit well in my stomach. I understand if something happens, put him in lockup. When you start using excessive force like that and actually break this kids leg and break his ribs, theres something wrong with the system. Harvey said inmates and her son has said the assaults had become something they have come to accept while serving time in the prison. All these guys in here think that this is a routine that goes on in prison and no one will do anything about it, so they take the beat down, suck it up, and go about their business, she said. Fontanez is being represented in the case by civil rights attorney Shelley Stangler. I certainly can say that this is yet another horrific and brutal example of gross misconduct and excessive use of force over a minor infraction, Stangler said. Why does this keep happening? Stangler said it is very common in the corrections system not to let loved ones know what is going on with an inmate or even be allowed visitation under a series of what she considers to be archaic rules that do not let family members into the hospital room. The civil rights attorney also said the types of policies are not transparent, including not being allowed to take photographs of injuries. She said some of these issues are contributing to the reoccurrence of these types of events. It all relates back to the internal affairs function and the lack of discipline and the tolerance for misconduct, Stangler stated. This is what we see in these cases and why it continues to occur. NAACP of Newark criminal Justice chairperson Rick Robinson was contacted by Harvey immediately after the alleged assault. Robinson believes that this incident furthers the cause for more oversight of the prisons. If were going to continue to have complaints regarding inmates who are abused in any way, there must be some type of vehicle in place regarding oversight, he said. We have already had women who were being raped the Edna Mahan Prison, and the NAACP-Newark testified on that because one of the women is from Newark. Harvey is hoping the situation changes the way families are notified when serious injuries or near-death experiences happen. All I wanted was information about my child, Harvey said. Could you put yourself in my predicament? Dont look at him differently because he is a prisoner. At the end of the day, he is somebodys child, regardless of what he did. I am a parent, and I need to know if something is going on with my son. NJ Advance Media reached out to the Attorney Generals Office to inquire if there is an ongoing investigation into the Northern State Prison, but a spokesperson said it is the Offices policy to neither confirm nor deny investigations. 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 Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 26) Chinese businessman Michael Yang is no longer sitting as the presidential economic adviser, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said Tuesday. Medialdea confirmed that Yang's "one peso per annum contract" as an "adviser" to President Rodrigo Duterte expired on December 31, 2018. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo in November 2018 said that Duterte "from time to time" has been seeking advice from the Davao-based businessman in his capacity as a "consultant." Yang, who owns the Davao City Los Amigos shopping center, is currently facing allegations of involvement in the illegal trade. If proven true, charges will be filed A day after clearing Yang of his supposed involvement in the drug trade, Malacanang on Tuesday said it is now waiting for concerned agencies to validate claims against the Davao-based businessman. In his media briefing, Panelo said charges will be filed against Yang if former anti-narcotics cop Eduardo Acierto's allegations are proven true. "This President will not tolerate anyone regardless of the stature or the relationship with him if he's involved in drugs," Panelo told reporters. "I think the burden would fall on the law enforcement agencies. If they received reports of alleged activities of a particular person, then they should do something about it." Acierto on Monday said that based on his investigation, Yang is deep into the drug trade. "Alam ninyo, 27 years ako sa police force, 18 years dito sa anti-illegal drugs operations. Kapag ganun po katagal ang involvement sa isang bagay, may instinct na po kaming mga pulis," Acierto said in a video provided by his camp to Facebook page Now You Know PH. "Marami akong tanong. Bakit pusher/user ang description niya kay Michael Yang? Kung pusher at user ang description, eh bakit consultant ng Presidente? Kung galit ang Presidente sa droga, bakit kasama-sama lagi?" Acierto added. But Panelo said the former anti-drug operative may just be "getting back at the government" for previously tagging him as one of the officials involved in illegal drug trade. "Obviously the motive is, since he has been accused of involvement in drugs, he wants to get back. That's why he's pointing fingers at whoever," the spokesman noted. Panelo added if Acierto's claims were true, then the latter should have filed it when he was still connected with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). Acierto said he sent copies of the intelligence report starting in December 2017 to top police officials, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) head Aaron Aquino, Sen. Richard Gordon, and the office of Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, but he was unaware of any action taken. The Palace on Monday cleared Yang of drug links, saying if that were the case, his name would have been included in a narco list and released to the public. President Rodrigo Duterte in October 2018 also said the Chinese businessman is not a drug pusher because he has close ties with top Chinese officials. Close ties with the President? Acierto had also presented photos of Yang with the President, implying what looked like "close ties" between the two. Panelo, however, said he is unaware of the "extent of friendship" between Duterte and Yang. He added the economic adviser will continue to enjoy the chief executive's trust and confidence as a public official. Meanwhile, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar Albayalde on Tuesday said as far as his agency is concerned, Michael Yang is "not included in any watchlist or investigation" of people with links to illegal drugs. The police chief, in a press conference Tuesday, likewise issued a challenge to Acierto. "Man up and face the charges squarely rather than shoot from the hip with indiscriminate accusations," Albayalde said. CNN Philippines Correspondent Ina Andolong contributed to this report. A municipal official charged last week with inappropriately touching an employee and stealing from his employer is now facing a lawsuit. Charles M. Bosco, 53, of Malaga, was charged with criminal sexual contact and official misconduct over his alleged behavior as public works director for Franklin Township in Gloucester County. An employee in his department told police that Bosco repeatedly harassed her and in one incident allegedly grabbed her by the back of the head and forced her head down to his groin, where her face touched his penis on the outside of his clothing. That employee, Deanna Tyciak, has now sued Bosco and the township, claiming that Franklin officials did nothing to protect her from her supervisors abusive behavior. Tyciak, who has worked for the township as an administrative assistant since 2015, accused Bosco and the township of violating the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination through harassment, creating a hostile work environment and retaliation. On top of the allegations described in the police report last week, Tyciak offers additional details in her suit, describing how Bosco repeatedly tried to convince her to have sex with him. In addition to grabbing her by the waist and rubbing his groin against her backside, grabbing her breast, and talking about his sex life, Bosco has told (her) that if she will just have sex with him that her life at work will be easier, according to the suit. Among the allegations, the plaintiff also claims Bosco routinely grabbed Tyciak by her ponytail and described it as a good holding knob. Bosco also commented on her appearance in front of male employees and told them he wanted to have sex with Tyciak, who is described in the suit as the lone female employee in the department. He also had a camera installed above her desk in order to watch her, the plaintiff alleges. When Tyciak complained to township officials that Bosco was using the departments female restroom, he went into the room and urinated all over it, including the walls, she claims, so that she couldnt use it. Thereafter, Bosco declared the ladies room was unisex, the suit states. Tyciak said she repeatedly told Bosco to stop harassing and touching her and tried to get help from township officials. She feared she wouldnt get any assistance due to nepotism in upper management. When she rejected his advances, Bosco demoted her, cut her hours, screamed at her and called her a dumb blonde and a bitch, she claims. Attorney Arykah A. Trabosh, who is representing Tyciak, said she filed the suit after the township ignored two letters she had sent in an effort to resolve the issues. Tyciak is still employed with the townships public works department, but has been transferred to another building, her attorney said. Bosco was rehired by the township in 2017, according to the suit, after previously working for the municipality for several years. He was terminated around 2008 for official misconduct, the suit alleges, but Franklin officials rehired him even though they knew his employment history. While Bosco declined to comment on Tyciaks allegations in the suit, he said the claim he was fired by the township in 2008 was inaccurate. His position with public works was eliminated in 2009 because of downsizing and he had the least seniority in the department, Bosco said Tuesday. Township officials declined to comment on the allegations in the suit Tuesday, but an official indicated last week that Bosco had not been suspended over the allegations in the criminal complaint. His status with the township is expected to be discussed at Tuesday nights township committee meeting. Bosco is due in court next month on his criminal case. In addition to the sexual contact charge, he is also accused of selling public works scrap at a local scrap yard, then, instead of turning the money over to the township, spending it at local restaurants and stores. Police reviewed 2018 and 2019 receipts from the scrap yard and petty cash records which revealed multiple receipts for cash expenditures at local dining establishments and retail stores, according to the complaint. Boscos salary is $71,875, according to state pension records. Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. BAYONNE Police detectives arrested a Linden man in connection with a February shooting and are still seeking a second person of interest, authorities said. Bayonne police detectives and Linden police officers arrested 33-year-old Andre Taylor on Monday in Linden and charged him with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault for his alleged role in the Feb. 11 shooting that left a Jersey City man with three gunshot wounds. Authorities said Taylor was not the shooter in the incident and that they are still working to identify a second person who may have been involved. It is unclear what Taylors alleged role was in the incident. Detectives said the incident is still under investigation. Corey W. McDonald may be reached at cmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @cwmcdonald_. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. BAYONNE Peter Cresci, the citys former business administrator, was disbarred by the state Supreme Court after an ethics board stated he had been engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation. In a decision submitted to the states highest court, the nine-member Disciplinary Review Board voted to disbar Cresci after detailing cases where he knowingly misappropriated clients funds in three separate matters. The totality of Crescis conduct, the board said in its 86-page decision has demonstrated, clearly and convincingly, that he is unsalvageable. Cresci could not be reached for comment. The decision, made public on Friday, cites three cases: one involving a wrongful termination, another involving a property sale and another in an estate administration where Cresci "commingled personal and client funds." In each of the cases, Cresci avoided or outright lied to his clients and ethics officials about his misuse of funds, the report said, and often refused to cooperate with authorities. "The extent and degree of respondent's pathological dishonesty alone warrant a two- to three-year suspension," the board said. In the wrongful termination affair, Cresci was indicted for allegedly forging a signature on a settlement agreement and unlawfully taking $25,000 without informing his client. He later pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree crime stemming from the initial charges. The two other cases, meanwhile, saw Cresci misuse or mishandle thousands of dollars, according to the board. Cresci was suspended from practicing law in November 2016 for his involvement in handling his attorney trust account. The review board also pointed out that Cresci continued to practice law despite his suspension. Even after warnings from state officials reminding him of his status, Crescis law firm continued to use his name in its letterhead, in violation of New Jersey State Bar Association statutes. But the decision states Cresci continued operating his office through intermediaries and neglected to tell his clients about his status. During this time, he became an active critic of City Hall, representing a number of plaintiffs in lawsuits against the city. In 2017, he filed a civil complaint against the city that asserted several city employees were in violation of a residency requirement ordinance. The city maneuvered to avoid the requirement, but residents petitioned for the ordinance to be established. A Hudson County judge later ruled that the city must enforce the referendum petition, thus solidifying the residency requirement. Many of his other open cases against New Jersey City University, the Bayonne and Jersey City Boards of Education and Hudson County, among other entities are now in limbo. The cases have either been closed by attorneys from Crescis firm, or clients have been ordered to find new counsel. One case in particular, filed by city resident Stacie Percella against Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis alleging he sexually harassed her, has been shuffling through different attorneys after having been originally taken on by Cresci and his associates, court documents show. Cresci was once a prominent figure in City Hall. He was hired as an assistant city attorney in 2001, was appointed city business administrator in 2007 and later represented the Bayonne Parking Authority as its attorney and interim director. But he was ousted in 2009, and arrested in 2011 after city officials said he had illegally taken $150,000 as his salary as acting director of the Bayonne Parking Authority. A grand jury declined to indict him and, after suing the city for wrongful arrest, he settled in 2016 for $25,000. Corey W. McDonald may be reached at cmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @cwmcdonald_. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. Reda Ged was 23 years old when he packed his bags, got on a plane and made the 12-hour trip from Egypt to the United States in 1999. His plan was to start a career with his skills as a mechanical engineer but like many immigrants, he spent months looking for employment after moving to the U.S. Ged eventually landed a job at an auto shop in Jersey City and after five years, he was ready to once again venture out on his own this time to open his own business, AG Service Center in Bayonne. Call it the American Dream. Geds story is not an uncommon one for immigrants in New Jersey. While immigrants make up 22 percent of states total population, they own 47 percent of main street businesses, a study by the left-leaning think tank New Jersey Policy Perspective shows. The report, compiled by policy analyst Erika Nava, refers to documented and undocumented immigrants and defines main street businesses as small businesses focused on neighborhood services, accommodation and food services, and retail. First generation immigrants do not typically have the access or the time to develop strong networks of support in the business community, Nava writes in the report. This makes it difficult for immigrants to acquire full-time, professional positions in the workforce. But in Geds case, he said he started his own business because he wanted to be independent. I dont like to work for somebody, he said standing inside a tiny office at his auto shop at the corner of 51st Street and Avenue C in Bayonne. If youre a handy man, you have to open a business because its better for you." In 2018, Ged, 40, acquired his second business, Noches Antojitos, a Colombian restaurant in North Bergen. I like Spanish food I used to go eat over there, and I liked the place." Immigrants own over half of main street restaurant and food services in New Jersey, according to NJPPs report, which used data collected in 2016 by the U.S. Census Bureau. Immigrants also own 81 percent of household maintenance businesses and 79 percent of dry cleaning and laundry businesses, while also running 48 percent of child care services and 50 percent of clothing stores. In Hudson County where 43 percent of the total population is foreign-born minority groups own over half of all businesses, according to 2012 census data. This tells us that first-generation immigrants who come to New Jersey dont just stop by. They want to stay here and invest in New Jersey," Nava said. New Jerseys immigrant share of main street businesses ranks second in the country, second only to California. In total, New Jerseys immigrant-owned businesses earn $4.4 billion dollars per year, including nearly $1 billion per year from main street businesses, the report indicates. Its astonishing, Nava said. Nava noted that not only are immigrants racially and ethnically diverse, the businesses areas they pursue are also diverse. Khoa Le, for example, now owns and runs Kvibe Productions, a media production company in Jersey City that focuses on content creation, ranging from marketing to documentaries. A Vietnamese refugee, he was six months old when he and his family landed in Michigan in 1980 at the height of the hardline communist rule in Vietnam. Months later, his family moved to Jersey City where he attended School 38, went on to Dickinson High School and then earned his bachelors degree in music from Rutgers University-Newark. Le said he grew up not being educated about his purpose or opportunities in life. But when he graduated college at 21, he knew wanted to have his own company. My thing was always about having control in my life, he said. He recalls thinking, I should have a company that can provide opportunities for people that I couldnt have myself." Now, 38, Le also runs Live Picture Studios, a wedding videography and photography company. Le added that he hopes his businesses create an environment for his children to succeed in. By the time I die, I hope that I had built an environment where my son and his friends and the people that he loves ... can prosper in an environment that I was involved in," Le said. Its always about moving things forward, building a future, building opportunities. Aya Elamroussi may be reached at aelamroussi@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @aya_elamroussi. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. JERSEY CITY A member of New Jerseys royal family The Springsteens may become one of Jersey Citys bravest, sources told The Jersey Journal. Bruce Springsteens firefighter son Sam was one of hundreds who took the civil service exam last year to become a firefighter, the sources said. Results were released last week but have not been made public yet. The city wants to send about 60 of the top scorers to training, according to the sources. Training takes about five months and will occur later this year at an academy in Morristown, after the firefighter hopefuls take required physicals. Sam Springsteen, 25, is the youngest of Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfas three children. He could not be reached to comment. A spokeswoman for his father declined to comment. The family appeared together at the Tony Awards in June where Bruce received a special award for his show, Springsteen on Broadway, which ran from October 2017 to December 2018. Sam Springsteen graduated from the Monmouth County Fire Academy in 2014 and joined the all-volunteer Colts Neck Fire Department. Jersey City has about 600 firefighters. Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. Delaware Valley High School senior Thai Branowski of Alexandria Township is the grand prize winner in a statewide photo contest that attracted 370 entries this year. Also distinguishing themselves were Del Val students Gaby Klein, Alena Graziani and Skye Bundt. The 15th annual New Jersey Youth Photography Competition, sponsored by the Ocean County Camera Club, attracted entries from 14 counties, and its winners go on to the Photographic Society of Americas national competition. Branowskis photo, Into the Woods, won first place in the People/Animals category. Hell receive $50 for taking first place, plus $100 for grand prize. Clockwise from left, Branowski's Into the Woods, Alena Grazianis Self Portrait, and Skye Bundts Natures Eye.Thai Branowski, Alena Graziani, Skye Bundt Grazianis Self Portrait took fourth place in People/Animals, and Kleins Wet Paint took fourth place in Photographers Choice Color. Her Drizella and Skye Bundts Natures Eye achieved Judges Choice recognition; that is accorded to a photo when one or more of the three judges believe a photo has special merit. Also winning recognition are two photos by Gaby Klein -- Wet Paint and Drizella.Gaby Klein Branowski, Klein and Graziani are in Sarah Rupperts Advanced Photography course, and Bundt took Intro to Photography last semester. Submitted by Delaware Valley Regional High School Several New Jerseyans played a prominent role Monday during a ceremony to commemorate the continued construction of the attack submarine New Jersey at a shipyard in Newport News, Virginia. The submarine, which has been under construction, since 2016 is 43 percent complete and is expected to be delivered to the U.S. Navy in 2021. The New Jersey is being built by Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding and is the 23rd Virginia-class fast attack submarine. The ships welder is 35-year-old Momouth County native Jessica Batruk. At Mondays keel authentication ceremony, she traced the initials with a welding torch, signifying the keel of SSN 796 as being truly and fairly laid. The metal plate will remain affixed to the ship throughout its life. Meanwhile, the ships sponsor is retired dentist Susan DiMarco, a Montclair resident and the wife of former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. DiMaroco on Monday chalked her initials onto a metal plate. Jeh Johnson and the couples son, Jeh Johnson Jr., a member of the U.S. Coast Guard were also on hand. I am extremely proud to sponsor the submarine New Jersey, named for my home state, DiMarco said at the ceremony. My family prides itself on service to our great country, and I am pleased to contribute in this way. U.S. Rep. Donald Norcorss, D-1st Dist., also attended. Members of the U.S. Navy flank Susan DiMarco, left, and Rep. Donald Norcross (D-1) at a keel authentication ceremony Monday, March 25 for the Virginia-class attack submarine New Jersey. DiMarco, a Montcalir resident and the wife of former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, is the ship's sponsor The ceremony was held in Newport News, Virginia. (Photo courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries)Photo by Ashley Cowan Virginia-class submarines are built in dozens of individual modular sections, which are then joined together in open ends of hull sections to form the ship during final assembly. The submarine is being built under the terms of a series of multi-year contracts first awarded in 1998 to build the current generation of nuclear subs soon to join the Navys Silent Service. Under those contracts, General Dynamics Electric Boat in Connecticut is sharing construction of the first 28 ships of the Virgina-class submarines with Huntington Ingalls. Each company builds certain parts of each boat, and the yards take turns building the reactor compartments and performing final assembly of the submarines. The lead ship, the USS Virginia, was commissioned in 2004. Shipyard officials in September said including the New Jersey, there currently are 10 Virginia-class submarines under construction at Newport News, as part of the teaming arrangement with Electric Boat. NJ Advance Media staff writer Ted Sherman contributed to this report. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. A spectator suffered serious injuries Sunday after a dirt bike rider crashed during a race at the Cumberland County Fairgrounds, state police said. Police were called to the fairgrounds, which are located in Millville, at 11:49 a.m. after the riders bike ended up in the spectator area and hit a woman, New Jersey State Police Sgt. Lawrence Peele said. The woman, whose name was not released, was airlifted to Cooper University Hospital in Camden for treatment, Peele said. Police did not have an update on the womans condition Monday night. The fairgrounds host several dirt bike races throughout the year for adults and children. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. UPDATE: Ashley Combs was found safe Wednesday evening. The 17-year-old New Jersey girl who hasnt been seen or heard from since she did not return home from school Friday has not been located and her family said Tuesday they believe she left the school with someone that afternoon. Ashley Combs, a senior at Toms River High School North, didnt show up for school again on Tuesday and hasnt returned home, according to Jef Henninger, a lawyer who represents her legal guardians. Police and her family believe she was picked up from school Friday afternoon by someone, Henninger said. The teen didnt have a cell phone, any additional clothing besides what she wore that day or any credit cards or ATM cards, he said. She was carrying just a few dollars in cash. Ashleys legal guardian, Rob Nieratko, posted an update on social media Tuesday morning emphasizing he has no idea where she is and pleading for the teen to return home. He added that she is not allowed to have a cell phone or have contact with her birth parents, but otherwise lives a very comfortable life. Any person that would keep a child away from their parents knowing that they are breaking the law is a sick individual, Nieratko said. In a phone interview Tuesday, Henninger, the familys attorney, commented on the ultimatum he issued Monday which gave the person Ashley is with until 9 a.m. Tuesday to drop her off at a police station. We had to leave open the possibility they thought they were helping this kid. We wanted to give them the opportunity to say, oops, sorry. That wasnt done," Henninger said. "We believe she went with this person voluntarily but theres no indication this was a long-term thing. When Henningers deadline passed, he issued his second statement, imploring the person who is with Ashley to send her home. Someone has her and that person knows that what they are doing is illegal and they dont care, Henninger wrote. They are willing to sacrifice their job, their family and their own freedom by keeping Ashley away from her parents, family members, friends, school and a normal teenage life. To those that think she just ran away, ask yourself this: what type of person would risk everything to help a child runaway knowing that everyone is looking for her? Do you think that this person is mentally sound? Do you honestly think she is not in danger? Toms River police reiterated late Tuesday morning that detectives are still looking for Ashley and that her disappearance is not suspicious. All indications are that she left home purposely and would not divulge her location to people she has had contact with, spokeswoman Jillian Messina said. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Theres an old saying that goes. When you set out to kill the king, make sure you dont miss. I got thinking of that after the news broke that special counsel Robert Muellers probe failed to find proof that the Donald Trump campaign colluded with the Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign. That was no surprise to me. From the evidence available to the public, it never looked like a case for collusion could be made. The anti-Trumpers made much of the campaigns contacts with various Russians in search of possible dirt on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. But at the height of that hysteria, UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh, who is a leading expert on the First Amendment, addressed that on his Volokh Conspiracy blog: If the Hillary Clinton campaign had reason to think that, say, the British government had very high level and sensitive information showing serious misbehavior by Trump, I think it would have had every right to get that information and see if it should be put before the American people as evidence that Trump shouldnt be elected, he wrote. Limiting candidates ability to expose their opponents misbehavior would violate the First Amendment. It would indeed as every journalist should have realized, given that we seek information from shadowy sources all the time. For a crime to be committed, the Trump people would have had to do something truly devious, such as hacking into the Clinton campaigns computers. But the campaign was far too disorganized and chaotic to pull off such a sophisticated stunt. Nor was it needed, not with Hillary Clinton doing things like labeling as deplorables many of the very blue-collar voters who traditionally made up her partys base. When Trump stole that base from right under her nose, Clinton and her supporters were shocked. And that shock led them to search for alternative explanations for her miserable performance. That search needs its own investigation. Maybe now its going to get one, said one of my sources in the world of intelligence. Pat Lang, who lives in Virginia and runs the Sic Semper Tyrannis blog, had a long career with the Defense Intelligence Agency. Lang noted that Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz is conducting an investigation into the events that led to the Mueller probe. That could highlight a major difference between the pro- and anti-Trump forces. Opposition research is not unusual, Lang said. But its a big difference when you make stuff up and peddle it in federal court. The stuff made up was the infamous Steele Dossier, a compilation of unfounded allegations against Trump put together by a former British intelligence agent by the name of Christopher Steele of Fusion GPS, an opposition-research firm that was first hired by Trumps primary opponents and then later by Democrats and the Clinton campaign. That dossier was used to get a FISA warrant against a Trump campaign worker, an issue Horowitz is likely to address, Lang said. He said that its likely Horowitz will also be looking into the conduct of FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. The two shared emails in which Strzok wrote, We will stop it in reference to a potential Trump presidency. He also wrote Im afraid we cant take that risk. Perhaps theres an innocent explanation for those remarks. But on the surface, that sounds like unwarranted political interference by FBI officials. Lang said he expects Horowitz to get answers to a lot of questions that have been hanging over the Mueller probe. The Horowitz report is potentially a really potent document, especially with Barr now encouraging him, he said. Thats Attorney General William Barr. Hes the Trump appointee who succeeded Jeff Sessions, the former Alabama senator who I suspect will go down in history as the worst presidential pick ever. In the frantic days after his surprise victory, Trump picked Sessions to be his attorney general. Sessions promptly thanked him by recusing himself from the Russia investigation. That permitted his deputy to name a special prosecutor who would spend 675 days telling us what should have been obvious from the start: Gathering information is not a crime. Trump punished Sessions by giving him the cold shoulder for two years before finally firing him. That treatment seems to figure in the Mueller reports conclusion on potential obstruction of justice: "While this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." Barr has said he wont be pursuing any charges of obstruction, but some Democrats seem determined to carry on the fight in Congress. All I can say is good luck. All of the kings enemies have taken their best shots and hes still standing. Perhaps they would be wise to find another target. BELOW - LEADING DEMOCRAT WANTED TO BOMB RUSSIA: Federal authorities have charged a fourth Paterson police officer in an alleged scheme to steal cash during traffic stops and then falsify reports. FBI agents arrested Daniel Pent, 32, of Paterson, on Tuesday and charged him with conspiring to deprive individuals of their civil rights under color of law. Five cops took part in the scheme, which ran from at least 2016 through April 2018, authorities said. They allegedly used text messages with code words to describe their actions. The word mango referred to illegally seizing cash, authorities previously said. In addition to traffic stops, the officers would detain people on the street and rob them, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. Two other Paterson officers, Jonathan Bustios and Matthew Torres, were arrested last year for their alleged roles in the operation and officer Eudy Ramos, 28, was indicted last week. The fifth officer has not been identified. Pent and Ramos allegedly stopped a motorist on Feb. 1, 2017, and stole about $10,000 from one of the vehicles occupants. The pair split the cash and then arrested the victim on a charge of loitering in a drug area, according to authorities. Pent filed a prisoner property report that stated the victim had only $36 in his possession and the pair submitted an incident report in which they didnt mention finding and seizing the $10,000. A cooperating witness told investigators that the officers had discussed whether to steal the money, according to the complaint against Pent, and that Pent allegedly told Ramos they should either tag it all or take it all. Ramos was indicted March 20 on nine counts, including conspiring to violate the civil rights of individuals in Paterson, and filing multiple false reports to conceal his actions. In December 2017, Ramos and Bustios allegedly stopped and searched someone on a street corner and stole $1,000 from that victim, authorities previously said. Ramos and Bustios were arrested last April as a result of an investigation launched by the Paterson police internal affairs unit, officials said at the time. Pent is due in a federal courtroom in Newark on Tuesday afternoon for his initial appearance. His conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. EDITORS NOTE: Entrepreneurs everywhere are eyeing the billion-dollar legal weed industry, an economic opportunity unrivaled in modern N.J. history. NJ Cannabis Insider features exclusive and premium weekly content geared toward those interested in the marijuana industry. View a sample issue. Only hours after after a bill that would legalize marijuana in New Jersey was shelved over a lack of support, Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday told a packed room in Union City that he will greatly expand New Jerseys medical marijuana program. Murphy said his administration will soon move ahead with expansion plans that would boost enrollment in the medical marijuana program to as many as 200,000 patients by increasing the number of cannabis growers and sellers far beyond the six operators that currently serve New Jerseys 42,000 patients. The Democratic governor made the declaration at a town hall meeting at a Union City elementary school, where hundreds of supporters packed the gymnasium and dozens more filled the hallway after the room reached max capacity. Well likely aggressively further open up the medical regime in the next day or two, Murphy said, adding the number of people enrolled in the program probably should be at 150,000 or 200,000. The governor fielded a question about opioid addiction and was pressed on the benefits of medical marijuana to help with recovery. It has proven to be an invaluable effort, Murphy said. Democratic leaders in the Senate have insisted the separate recreational weed bill and medical expansion bill be voted on together in order to corral more support for legalization. But on Friday, Murphy, also a Democrat, told reporters he would not wait to add to the pool of medicinal cannabis businesses if recreational marijuana bill did not pass on Monday. We have put off (responding) to the enormous demand for medical marijuana. We have resisted granting more licenses, the governor said. He did not specify how many more licenses would be granted. It will be a significant number, Murphy said. "It wont be six. It will be many multiples of that. Sources close to the negotiations told NJ Advance Media last week the administration said the number could be 30 to 50 separate licenses for growers, cultivators, wholesalers and retailers. After the legal weed bill was pulled from consideration, Murphy told reporters Monday afternoon he expected to focus on expanding the medicinal market but said he was not ready to share the details yet. Details could come as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday, Murphy said at the town hall meeting. Expanding New Jerseys medical marijuana program was billed as a sort of contingency plan if the push to get legal weed in the state stalled which it did Monday morning after it was clear the state Senate didnt have the votes to pass legislation. The backup plan would not cover other parts of the medical marijuana bill designed to help patients, including allowing those enrolled in the program to buy more each month, and steps to make it easier to qualify for the program, two sources familiar with the plans told NJ Advance Media last week. The plan would simply give patients more options when it comes to buying medical marijuana by making the market significantly larger, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. The states 42,000 medical marijuana patients, is more than twice the 18,000 patients when Murphy took office in January 2018. The state Health Departments move to add six additional dispensaries hit a legal snag after a handful of applicants who passed over the permits challenged the decision in court. Those appeals are pending. Mondays town hall meeting was Murphys first since he unveiled his second budget proposal at the beginning of the month. He is expected to hold at least one about every three weeks until the July 1 budget deadline, Murphy officials said. NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report. Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. WASHINGTON In a blistering address closing out the annual conference of thousands of pro-Israel activists, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez accused President Donald Trump of lacking any genuine understanding of the history of anti-Semitism, racial hatred and white supremacy. Menendez leveled his attacks as Republicans used the American Israel Public Affairs Conference to try drive a wedge between Jewish voters and their traditional political home after a freshman House Democrat used anti-Semitic memes to question congressional support for Israel. History warns us against letting anyone use the Jewish community as a pawn in a political game, said Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the final speaker at a conference that drew 18,000 participants as well as Vice President Mike Pence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and leaders of both houses of Congress. For what is politically expedient today may not be tomorrow when youre dealing with a leader who lacks any genuine understanding of the history of anti-Semitism, racial hatred and white supremacy, he said. Because in the history of this nation, weve learned that the only ones who are truly on the side of justice are those who fight for it every day not those who find politically convenient moments to criticize anti-Semitism. In the midterm elections, Jewish voters supported Democratic candidates over Republicans, 79 percent to 17 percent, according to network exit polls. Menendez first referred to freshman Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a supporter of Palestinian rights, who used long-standing anti-Semitic tropes in claiming that pro-Israel lawmakers had allegiance to another country and their votes were paid for. Then he turned his attention to Trump and other Republicans. When you imply that money is the only driving factor of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, you are fanning those flames, said Menendez, D-N.J. And just the same, when you accuse Jews of funding caravans of asylum-seekers at our southern border, or fail to call out and condemn the rise of white supremacy at home and abroad, you are fanning those flames. There is simply no excuse for dangerous vitriol from any politician that threatens both the safety of Jewish Americans and Israels core existence, he said. Trump last fall falsely accused George Soros, a Jewish financier, of funding a caravan of immigrants seeking asylum in the United States and of hiring protesters opposed to the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. And House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in a tweet deleted after 12 Jewish worshippers were gunned down in a Pittsburgh synagogue, accused Soros and two other Jews of trying to buy the 2018 midterm election. In his address to AIPAC on Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence claimed that Omar and her supporters spoke for the entire Democratic Party, in contrast to Trump moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, captured from Syria during the 1967 Six Day War. Its astonishing to think that the party of Harry Truman, which did so much to help create the State of Israel, has been co-opted by people who promote rank, anti-Semitic rhetoric, and work to undermine the broad American consensus of support for Israel, Pence said. Menendez fought back against those comments, as well as remarks by Trump last week calling the Democrats anti-Israel and anti-Jewish. As a Democrat, Im proud to belong to the party of Truman, the first American president to recognize the state of Israel, Menendez said. Im proud to belong to a party that at its core embraces Jewish values like social justice, equal rights and tolerance, which have always strengthened American values. The Trump-Pence campaign was criticized by the Anti Defamation League for using anti-Semitic memes, including a final campaign ad showing pictures of prominent Jews as the narrator described these people that dont have your good in mind." As president, Trump said there were very fine people among the neo-Nazis marching in Charlottesville, Virginia. Trump and other Republicans recently have seized on the failure of House Democrats to pass a resolution specifically condemning anti-Semitism due to blowback from Omar and others in their caucus. Instead, the House passed a resolution that condemned both anti-Semitism and attacks on Muslims with 23 Republicans voting no, including the No. 3 leader of their conference, GOP Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney of Utah. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., praised that resolution in her address to AIPAC as she declared her support for the Jewish state. We will never allow anyone to make Israel a wedge issue, Pelosi said. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who had helped lead the fight for a resolution specifically addressing anti-Semitism, participated in a panel discussion during the AIPAC conference. He, too, talked about how support for Israel needed to remain bipartisan. Whenever we see anything shifting, I think its very, very important that Democrats and Republicans, stand up and make it very clear that we will not allow partisanship, from either side, into the relationship, said Gottheimer, D-5th Dist. We cant allow anti-Semitic rhetoric. We cant use these tropes. We cant make these claims. Any little comment is unacceptable and has to be addressed immediately. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. WASHINGTON A group of New Jersey political and business have banded together to lobby Congress to end the decades-long Cuban embargo. The Engage Cuba New Jersey State Council is the 19th state organization to join the national effort led by the Washington-based advocacy group. It comes at a time when President Donald Trump has rolled back President Barack Obamas efforts to establish normal relations with the Communist country. Earlier this month, the State Department ended a five-year tourist visa for Cubans, allowing them to make multiple trips to the U.S., granting instead only single-entry visas for up to three months. New Jersey is home to 44,974 Cuban Americans, behind only Florida and Texas, according to the Migration Policy Institute. As long as we maintain restrictions on trade with Cuba, we burden American business owners, said state Senator Declan OScanlon, R-Monmouth, one of 29 founding members of the state council. The business community in New Jersey should be free to meet demand in foreign markets and truly compete in the global marketplace. From biotechnology, to agriculture, to manufacturing, New Jersey products have the potential to change lives in Cuba and create jobs across our state." Their efforts face opposition from New Jerseys two Cuban-American lawmakers in Washington, who also disagreed with Obamas overtures to Havana. Just weeks after the Cuban regime approved a new constitution designed to keep the Communist Party in power for the foreseeable future, it seems like a fools errand for Engage Cuba to set up an New Jersey chapter," said U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. New Jersey, with its rich history and vibrant Cuban-American community, should continue leading the way in sending a clear message to the world and to the Cuban people that the United States will never give-up on our commitment to a free and democratic Cuba. And Rep. Albio Sires, D-8th Dist., called the effort all about the almighty dollar, saying that when Obama tried to engage Cuba, the government doubled down on its efforts to quash opposition. If you want to talk about giving something to Cuba, Cuba has to give something back, which they did not do with Obama," Sires said. "If there is dissent, they beat them up they put them in jail and they abuse them. One obstacle in New Jersey, however, is the continued presence in Cuba of Joanne Chesimard. who is on FBIs list of the most wanted terrorists. Chesimard has lived there since 1984 after escaping from prison after being sentenced to life imprisonment in the killing of state Police Trooper Werner Foerster in a 1973 shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike. Trump mentioned Chesimard by name in his Cuba speech in June 2017 announcing changes to U.S. policy. A member of the new council, Assemblyman Gordon Johnson, D-Bergen, said the U.S. could be in a better position to push for Chesimards extradition. Many of us in New Jersey have close ties with the Cuban people, and we should foster that connection." Johnson said. "Both countries have so much to offer each other. We cannot allow the economic and social isolation of the Cuban people to prevent us from continuing to advocate for our interests in Cuba like the return of Joanne Chesimard. Others on the council include Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora; John Harmon, chief executive of the New Jersey African American Chamber of Commerce; and Peter Furey, executive director of the New Jersey Farm Bureau. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. If you are a late night traveler and use the Delaware Memorial Bridge for your commute, you may want to alter your plans on how to get to New Jersey or Delaware on Tuesday night. The Delaware River and Bay Authority announced the bridge would be closed for a half hour between 11:55 p.m. Tuesday and 12:15 a.m. Wednesday morning to allow a massive cargo ship to travel under the twin-span bridge. Once the vessel safely clears under the two spans, the bridge will reopen. A similar closure happened in March 2018, when cranes were delivered to Philadelphia, but the DRBA is closing the bridge as a precaution and to eliminate driver distraction. The authority says the Zhen HUA 25, a Hong Kong-registered ship, will be carrying three ship-to-shore cranes made by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co in China up the Delaware River, traveling under the Delaware Memorial Bridge before continuing to PhilaPorts Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in Philadelphia. Because of the size of the cranes, which are just over 188 feet tall, the ship has to wait until low tide to safely travel under the bridge without striking it. According to authority spokesman Jim Salmon, the last time a ship carrying the type of cranes under the bridge, there was a clearance of 5 feet, 8-inches from the bridge to the top of the cranes. The DRBA will be monitoring the clearance through sensors on the bridge and tide data to make sure the ship safely passes through. According to the Marine Traffic website, as of 3:13 p.m. Monday, the ship was anchored on the Delaware side of the Delaware Bay, waiting to make the trek up the river. This will not be the last time the bridge will be closed in the near future. Once the ship delivers two of the cranes, it will turn around and head back south with the remaining crane headed for Wilmington, North Carolina. Because of this, the bridge will close once again on April 2. Details on the time the bridge will close will be available at a later date. 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 The police lieutenant tasked with running a small Sussex County police department was arrested Monday on charges he stole a cable TV box from headquarters and sought compensation for time he didnt work. Hamburg police Lt. George Gunderman, 41, faces charges of official misconduct, tampering with public records, tampering with evidence, and theft, Sussex County Assistant Prosecutor Gregory Mueller said. Gunderman is the officer in charge of the eight-member Hamburg Police Department and receives a salary of $96,171, according to public records. Gunderman was taken into custody by detectives with the prosecutors office while in full uniform in front of the Hamburg Municipal Building, and taken to the Sussex County Jail pending a detention hearing. An internal affairs investigation began March 19 when Gundermans fellow officers reported he was using compensation time for classes he did not attend, and was allowing other Hamburg police officers to do so as well, according to the criminal complaint. An officer also reported the departments cable TV box was missing on Feb. 3, Superbowl Sunday. Gunderman told the officer he had taken the monitor and box to the Franklin Volunteer Fire Department, where Gunderman is a member, but the cable box, TV and remote hadnt been returned as of March 20, the complaint states. Gunderman previously took the TV the fall 2018 and did not return it until January, authorities said. During the week of Feb. 18, another officer alleged Gunderman paid himself for 12 hours to attend a training course on March 3. The hosting agency confirmed to the prosecutors office Gunderman never attended the course, which was cancelled on Feb. 25. Gunderman maintains his innocence, his attorney Anthony J. Iacullo said Tuesday morning. Officer-in-charge Gunderman is not guilty of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint," Iacullo said. We are preparing to mount a defense to all of these baseless allegations. We are presently working on securing his immediate release from custody so that he could return home to his family and begin the process of defending against the allegations. Gunderman was hired by the police department in 2007 and was appointed to lieutenant/officer in charge of the police department in May 2018 after the council voted to eliminate the police chief position. Gunderman is expected to appear in court on Thursday. Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. A second Wawa convenience store has been approved in Sussex County about four miles from a still-unbuilt location, approved nearly a year ago, where the popular Chatterbox Drive-In restaurant had a devoted following. The Hampton planning board unanimously approved Thursday night a 5,051-square foot Wawa on Route 206, said John Ursin, attorney for the property owner. It will be built on a vacant parcel between a Lowes home improvement store and a Dairy Queen, according to the site plan. Further north on Route 206, at the intersection with Routes 15 and 565 in Frankford, the building that once housed the Chatterbox still stands, more than seven months after the 1950s/60s-themed restaurant said farewell on Labor Day weekend. Actor Henry Winkler, best known as Fonzie on Happy Days, was among the visitors to the Chatterbox during its 15-year run. The former Chatterbox Drive-in restaurant as seen on Monday, March 11. (Rob Jennings / NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) While the Frankford land use board unanimously approved the Wawa on March 28, 2018, the state Department of Transportation is continuing to review a driveway permit application, DOT spokesman Steve Schapiro said earlier this month. Ursin did not have a timeframe for opening the Wawa in Hampton. The Pennsylvania-based company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on either location. Wawa operates more than 800 stores in six states, most notably in the Philadelphia area and southern New Jersey. It offers fresh foods such as cheesesteak hoagies, breakfast sandwiches, soups, sides and snacks, in addition to coffee and other beverages. Most Wawas also offer fuel. Ursin said the approved location in Hampton would have about eight pumps. Wawa has been expanding in New Jersey and opened a store in Ewing, in Mercer County, in the summer of 2017. The company is in the midst of a hiring push and, through April 10, is holding open-house hiring events at 20 stores. Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters A Metairie man, who previously pleaded guilty to rape and kidnapping, is now accused of stealing a gun safe from Mississippi in December 2016. The safe contained 11 guns, according to an indictment handed down Thursday (March 21) by a federal grand jury. David Hunter, 22, is accused of stealing the safe from Tylertown, Miss. and transporting it to Louisiana. The guns included seven rifles, two pistols and two firearm frames. At the time of the theft, Hunter was out on bail for charges of second-degree kidnapping and rape in Orleans Parish. In November 2015, Hunter held his ex-girlfriend against her will as he drove her around through Orleans and Jefferson parishes before punching her and dragging her by the hair to his car where he raped her. He received an eight year prison sentence after pleading guilty to both counts in June 2018 and, court records show. He is currently detained at the Avoyelles Correctional Center in Cottonport, La. Man pleads guilty to 2015 rape, kidnapping of ex-girlfriend In the federal gun case, Hunter faces one count of possession of stolen firearms, being a prohibited person under indictment in possession of firearms and possession of a suppressor not registered to him. The first charge carries a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years and a $250,000 fine, the second a maximum term of imprisonment of five years and a $250,000 fine, and the third a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years and a $10,000 fine. The investigation was handled by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with the Louisiana State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Duane A. Evans is prosecuting the case, according to Monday release from the office of U.S. Attorney Peter Strasser. The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriffs Office named 41-year-old Mica Sood Fitzhugh and 44-year-old Robert Wolfe as the man and woman found dead inside a Ponchatoula residence early Monday (March 25). Deputies went to a home on Kraft Road to check on the welfare of one of the residents and they found two people with fatal gunshot wounds, the Sheriffs Office said in a news release. After investigating the scene, police now believe the incident was domestic. No suspects were being sought in connection to deaths, authorities said. The investigation is ongoing. A life sentence has been reinstated for a 41-year-old man accused in what prosecutors described as a murder-for-hire plot to kill his girlfriends husband, after the Louisiana Supreme Court on Tuesday (March 26) reversed an appeals court decision that had scrapped the mans obstruction of justice conviction. Khoi Quang Hoang was initially charged with second-degree murder, solicitation of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and obstruction of justice in the 2013 case. A jury in 2015 convicted Hoang of obstruction, but could not reach a verdict on the other three charges. Charity Nguyen was found not guilty in the death of her husband, Lien Nguyen, in a separate trial. Criminal District Judge Camille Buras sentenced Hoang to 35 years in prison on the obstruction conviction, and later gave him life after prosecutors filed a motion to have him re-sentenced as a multiple offender. Louisianas 4th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Hoangs obstruction of justice conviction and vacated his life sentence in a 2-1 vote in 2016, saying the only evidence presented by the state was circumstantial and of a speculative nature. Unless that circumstantial evidence excluded every reasonable hypothesis of innocence defendants conviction cannot stand. District Attorney Leon Cannizzaros office appealed that decision to the Louisiana Supreme Court, which heard arguments in the case in January and reversed the appeals courts decision Tuesday. Jury deadlocks on murder charges, convicts on obstruction of justice in murder-for-hire trial Lien Nguyen, 40, was found bleeding from gunshots to his face and torso in a ditch in New Orleans East on April 23. 2013. Before he died, Nguyen told the passerby who found him that his wife was responsible for his death. A New Orleans police homicide detective said at trial that after 2 years of investigation, police found no physical evidence linking Hoang to Lien Nguyens murder. Jurors heard testimony from a man who claimed Hoang and Charity Nguyen asked him on four occasions to kill Lien Nguyen, and from a woman who said she loaned Hoang a truck police believe was used in Lien Nguyens kidnapping. Irene Booker said Hoang returned her truck the next day with the license plate missing. Prosecutors also alleged Hoang removed a security system from Nguyens home. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Appeals court Judge Terri F. Love wrote in her opinion that reversed Hoangs obstruction conviction that witnesses could only speculate as to when they thought the license plate was removed, and the woman who loaned Hoang her truck said she loaned it to a number of people. The woman also testified she learned several other license plates had gone missing at her apartment complex that same night, Love wrote. In their opinion issued Tuesday, Supreme Court justices said from all of the evidence presented, a jury could reasonably infer (without speculating) that defendant removed the trucks license plate or directed someone else to do so because the truck was going to be used in a murder or had just been used in a murder. They said the appeals court panel erred in finding that circumstantial evidence connecting Defendant to the removal of the license plate was nonexistent. Chief Justice Bernette Johnson and Justice John Weimer dissented from the majority opinion. Johnson wrote in her dissent, there is absolutely no rational interpretation of the circumstantial evidence by which a jury could convict this defendant of obstruction of justice. The states evidence connecting Hoang to the truck was based solely on the testimony of an admitted cocaine addict, Johnson said, adding her testimony regarding the missing license plate was inconsistent and confusing. Not only is there a complete lack of evidence to support a finding that defendant removed the plate or directed removal of the plate, there is also a complete lack of evidence from which a jury could find defendant had the requisite specific intent, Johnson wrote. Considering Ms. Bookers testimony, and the lack of any other evidence, I find the record before us wholly inadequate to support defendants conviction for obstruction of justice." Weimer agreed with Johnson, adding the appellate court correctly determined the state failed to prove obstruction beyond a reasonable doubt. Cannizzaro said he was pleased with the Supreme Courts ruling. The jurors who heard and carefully weighed the evidence in this case worked hard to reach consensus, and Im glad to see their verdict upheld to deliver a measure of justice for this victim, he said. Hoangs defense attorney could not immediately be reached. Hoang is scheduled to face trial on the three counts the jury could not reach a verdict on -- second-degree murder, solicitation of murder and conspiracy to commit murder -- in May. Jurors in Covington heard testimony Tuesday (March 26) in two separate murder trials - a teen accused of shooting his stepfather to death in their home near Abita Springs in 2016, and a Mobile, Alabama, man accused of stabbing his girlfriend to death south of Covington in 2014. Daniel Tucker Hamilton, who was 16 at the time of his arrest, is on trial for the murder of his stepfather, James Kenny Hamilton, in the home they shared on Lenel Road north of Abita Springs. The case is being tried before state Judge Alan Zaunbrecher. Deputies were dispatched to the house on March 7, 2016, after James Hamilton, 51, did not show up for work and a relative went to the home and found the body, authorities have said. Hamilton had been shot six times as he sat in a recliner, according to authorities. Daniel Hamilton surrendered two days later after fleeing to the Lake Charles area. Teen arrested in slaying near Abita Springs Hamilton, now 19, is charged with second-degree murder and two counts of murder solicitation. He is accused of soliciting another person on Sept. 1, 2017, to kill two people, according to a grand jury indictment. District Attorney Warren Montgomery said in 2016 that he decided to try Daniel Hamilton as an adult, calling the shooting a gruesome crime. Jurors heard testimony Tuesday from the victims brother and niece, as well as a St. Tammany Parish Sheriffs Office detective who knew Daniel Hamilton and James Hamilton from a hunting club of which they were all members. April Jenkins described her uncle as a big teddy bear, and said he and Daniel Hamilton had a good relationship. They were like best friends, she said. Sheriffs Detective Daniel Buckner testified that he went to the house after getting a call from a fellow hunting club member who became concerned when James Hamilton failed to show up for work. A few deputies were already on the scene. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Buckner said he went inside the house and saw Hamiltons body. I could tell he was lifeless . . . we backed out. Buckner described James Hamilton as a good-hearted person who liked to help others. Assistant district attorneys Elizabeth Authement and Angad Ghai are prosecuting the case. Daniel Hamilton is being represented by attorneys Stephen Hebert and Greg Thompson. In the second trial, which began last week, Johnathan Lee Nall, 39, is on trial before Judge August Hand for the second-degree murder of his girlfriend, Melinda Denny, 26, of Mobile. Denny was found dead of stab wounds Feb. 27, 2014, in a wooded area along Brewster Road south of Covington. Denny, a mother of four, drove to the New Orleans area Feb. 20, 2014, to pick up Nall, who said he was stranded with no money, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune reported at the time. At the request of Nalls mother in Alabama, deputies went to check on the couple in the parking lot of a grocery store along Louisiana 21 south of Covington. Deputies found the pair, and both seemed to be OK, authorities said. Hours later, Nall became involved in a standoff with deputies at a convenience store on Louisiana 1077. He was eventually arrested, but Dennys whereabouts were unknown at the time and deputies suspected foul play. Dennys body was later found along Brewster Road between Louisiana 21 and Louisiana 1077. St. Tammany deputies find missing woman's body Click here for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival "cubes.'' New Orleans music fans have known who will perform at the 50th-anniversary New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival for two months now, but they still couldnt precisely plan their personal festival. Until Tuesday (March 26) that is, when the management released the hour-by-hour, stage-by-stage schedule in an easy-to-read, color-coded grid, aka the cubes. Scanning the cubes for happy scheduling coincidences and possible conflicts is a springtime tradition right up there with twisting the first crawfish. Theres good news if you didnt get tickets to Rolling Stones Day. Stones Day tickets had been sold out. But "a very limited number of tickets'' will go on sale Wednesday, March 27, at 10 a.m. on Ticketmaster.com for Rolling Stones Day, May 2, director Quint Davis announced at the news conference. Davis also announced Coca Cola will sell Jazz Fest 50th anniversary edition bottles. Two significant changes have occurred since the lineup was first announced. Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band canceled their May 4 appearance due to scheduling conflicts. Jerry Lee Lewiss April 28 appearance was canceled when the 83-year-old rock and roll pioneer suffered a stroke. Lewis was replaced by Johnny Secret Agent Man Rivers. Performing at the news conference on Tuesday were Soul Queen Irma Thomas and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Speakers included Kathleen Turner, president of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation; festival producer and director Quint Davis; Mark Romig, president and CEO, New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation; and Allen Pertuit, general manager, of Shell Convent Refinery. Shell is the major sponsor of Jazz Fest. Reflecting on the 50th anniversary of Jazz Fest, Irma Thomas said that the fest began at an opportune time for her and other musicians whose careers may have waned. Thanks for keeping us alive, she said, you brought us out of the closet, took the cobwebs off and gave us a job. You never get too old to play Jazz Fest.'' She sang a rendition of "Happy Birthday'' to Jazz Fest for its 50th, a cappella. "What an honor,'' Davis responded. Quint Davis laughed as he announced that as the festival passes the half-century milestone, it has acquired a new sponsor: AARP. The American Association of Retired Persons will sponsor the CD, book and wine store, known as the Rhythmpourium. Asked if New Orleans music fans could look forward to another 50 years of Jazz Fest, Davis said he saw no reason why not. Heritage isnt something in the rear view mirror, he said. We think of this fest as everything for everybody, of all ages. Davis pointed out that as the years have gone on, the festival has continually added new genres to traditional favorites such as jazz and gospel. He said that when the Jazz Fest first presented bands like Bon Jovi or Pearl Jam it opened up the fest to new audiences. The same should pattern should continue in the future. Rolling Stones will headline 2019 New Orleans Jazz Fest: Its true! Jazz Fest takes place from April 25-28 and May 2-5 at the Fair Grounds Race Track, 1751 Gentilly Blvd. Advance tickets to the rest of the fest besides Rolling Stones Day cost $75 in advance or $85 at the gate. Louisiana residents with proper ID may buy two tickets at the gate on Locals Thursday (April 25) for $50 each. Tickets for children ages 2 to 10 are $5 on all days except May 2. Doug MacCash has the best job in the world, covering art, music and culture in New Orleans. Contact him via email at dmaccash@nola.com. Follow him on Instagram at dougmaccash, on Twitter at Doug MacCash and on Facebook at Douglas James MacCash. As always, please add your point of view to the comment stream. Conversations with the President Conversations with the President are opportunities for President Morton Schapiro to discuss key issues facing the University with staff, faculty and students. The forums, which are are co-sponsored by the Northwestern University Staff Advisory Council (NUSAC), the Faculty Senate and the Office of the President, are webcast live. Conversations with senior leaders Conversations with Senior Leaders are opportunities for leadership to discuss key issues facing the University with staff, faculty and students. The forums, which are sponsored and hosted by the Northwestern University Staff Advisory Council (NUSAC), are webcast live. Recordings will be posted here after each event. Highlights from past conversations Watch video and read about President Schapiros annual Conversations with the President forums: March 25, 2019 Mark Romanski , 906-487-7154 Liz Valencia , 906-487-7153 HOUGHTON, MICH --- Following the translocation of wolves from the Grand Portage Indian Reservation in Minnesota, Michipicoten Island Provincial Park, and the Ontario mainland to Isle Royale National Park, a team of wildlife researchers working with the National Park Service have collared moose on the island for the first time since 1984. This collaboration among the National Park Service, University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan Technological University, and Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa aims to help the National Park Service assess population health, effects of herbivory, and impacts of predator restoration to the ecosystem. This is the beginning of a novel effort to compare numerous aspects of ecology and the health of the moose population between Isle Royale National Park and the Grand Portage Indian Reservation, Mark Romanski, Chief of Natural Resources for Isle Royale National Park said. It also represents an opportunity to evaluate the impacts of restoring predation to the island ecosystem. The National Park Service is implementing a plan to translocate 20 and 30 wolves to the island over the next three to five years. Funding for the moose collaring project came from National Park Service, National Science Foundation, Michigan Technological University, Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Many generous private donations also have supported this project. During 13 17 February, 2019, a helicopter team, wildlife veterinarian, and wildlife research biologists attached GPS collars to 10 female moose on both the west and east ends of the island. During capture they also collected biological samples and assessed individual moose health. The moose were alert and able to walk away in under two minutes after being handled by the team. Since then, the research team has been continuously monitoring them by GPS. The team plans to conduct several studies with this data including understanding differences in the health of island and mainland moose populations, how predator dynamics influence moose populations, how forest management influences moose, and the role of climate on moose and ecosystem health. Isle Royales simple predator-prey system of wolves and primarily moose is ideal for comparative research with the mainland population of moose, also fitted with GPS collars, found on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation. The reservation hosts a more complex ecosystem with multiple predator and prey species. Mainland populations of moose are in decline for numerous reasons: predation from bears and wolves and the effects of changes in climate, such as changes in amount and duration of snow, which has allowed increases in winter ticks as well as parasitism from brain worm as whitetail deer move into moose range. In contrast to mainland Minnesota, the moose population on Isle Royale has increased rapidly in recent years.Although moose in Isle Royale also suffer from high winter tick loads, brain worm has not made it to the island because of the absence of deer. Another crucial difference is that wolf numbers are high on the mainland (due to high deer densities), whereas until recently on Isle Royale only a few remaining wolves are impacting the moose population. As a result, impact of the growing moose population on forest composition and succession is increasingly apparent and experts are concerned that such high levels of browsing damage are impacting forest regeneration and may eventually lead to nutritional stress for moose. The Grand Portage Band of Chippewa were the historical occupants of Isle Royale and used the Island for subsistence purposes. says Seth Moore, PhD, director of biology and environment at the Grand Portage Band of Chippewa. We hope to learn how to better manage moose populations from this research. The team of researchers includes Tiffany Wolf, University of Minnesota; Seth Moore, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa; Rolf O. Peterson, John A. Vucetich, and Sarah R. Hoy, Michigan Technological University; and Mark Romanski, Isle Royale National Park. This team collectively has decades of experience concerning moose and wolf research, as well as the ecosystems in which the project occurs. March 25, 2019 Hanako Wakatsuki , 208-539-3416 Park Ranger , 208-825-4169 On April 4, 2019 from 10am to 11am, the National Park Service will be hosted by the Seattle Nisei Veterans Committee to give an update on Minidoka National Historic Site and previewing the parks film produced by North Shore Productions. This will provide folks from the Seattle area to hear from the Minidoka National Historic Sites superintendent, Wade Vagias; the Executive Director of Friends of Minidoka, Mia Russell; and the producers of the film, Rory Banyard and Cristin Norine. The NVC Memorial Hall is located at: 1212 S. King St., Seattle, WA 98144. Minidoka National Historic Site is located at 296 S. 1400 E. in Jerome, Idaho twenty miles northeast of Twin Falls, Idaho. Admission is free. Visitors can walk the 1.6 mile trail and around historical buildings like the barrack and mess hall in Block 22 on a self-guided-tour from sunrise to sunset. There are trail exhibits allowing visitors to learn more about life at Hunt Camp and the history of why Americans were imprisoned by their own country during WWII. Please be aware of safety at the site in regards to the wildlife as there are bees, snakes, and other animals. For more information, please call (208) 825-4169, or visit the website at www.nps.gov/miin, or explore our Facebook page Minidoka National Historic Site. The purpose of Minidoka National Historic Site is to provide opportunities for public education and interpretation of the exclusion and unjust incarceration of NikkeiJapanese American citizens and legal residents of Japanese ancestryin the United States during World War II. Minidoka National Historic Site protects and collaboratively manages resources related to the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho and the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial in Washington State. You are clearly a super-user of NUVO.net. Thats a good thing. It means you depend on independent and local news sources to keep you informed. You are a smart person. Coincidentally, independent and local news sources depend on you too. Youve read 25 articles this month and now, wed like you to be join our mission and become a NUVO Supporter. For as little as $4 a month, you can keep us alive and fighting -- and can have unlimited access to the independent news that cant be found anywhere else. Does everyone pay? State legislators are considering several possible exemptions for drivers who are low income, have disabilities or are going to medical appointments. Assemblyman David I. Weprin, a Democrat from Queens and a leading opponent of congestion pricing, has called for an exemption for all city residents, which seems unlikely. Though details are being worked out, fees are expected to apply to people driving into the congestion zone from elsewhere in the city, including parts of Manhattan north of 60th Street and other boroughs, as well as beyond. Drivers who live in the congestion zone would not pay when they drive within the zone or when they leave the zone, but they will when they return from elsewhere. Of course, that could change if an exemption or discount is granted to residents of the congestion zone. For instance, London offers a 90 percent discount for registered residents of its congestion zone. But more exemptions could mean higher tolls for everyone else. After all, the fees are supposed to generate $1 billion a year. Every exemption you provide is less revenue coming into the system, said Kate Slevin, a senior vice president for the Regional Plan Association, a research and advocacy group that supports congestion pricing. Alex Matthiessen, the head of a grass-roots campaign to support congestion pricing, said too many exemptions could hollow out the plan, making it ineffective. Now we must guard against a race to the bottom as legislators seek carve-outs and exemptions for every class of driver. Instead, he suggested taking other measures, such as offering discounts on commuter railroads for city residents and subsidizing ride-app services like Uber for those with disabilities, to ensure more people benefit from congestion pricing. During flight simulations recreating the problems with the doomed Lion Air plane, pilots discovered that they had less than 40 seconds to override an automated system on Boeings new jets and avert disaster. The pilots tested a crisis situation similar to what investigators suspect went wrong in the Lion Air crash in Indonesia last fall. In the tests, a single sensor failed, triggering software designed to help prevent a stall. Once that happened, the pilots had just moments to disengage the system and avoid an unrecoverable nose dive of the Boeing 737 Max, according to two people involved in the testing in recent days. Although the investigations are continuing, the automated system, known as MCAS, is a focus of authorities trying to determine what went wrong in the Lion Air disaster in October and the Ethiopian Airlines crash of the same Boeing model this month. The software, as originally designed and explained, left little room for error. Those involved in the testing hadnt fully understood just how powerful the system was until they flew the plane on a 737 Max simulator, according to the two people. There have been tipping points and bombshells, walls closing in and turning points. And there have been so, so many declarations of The beginning of the end! that the comedian John Oliver had a recurring, satirical We got him! segment on his late-night HBO show, complete with a jubilant marching band and sequined majorettes celebrating President Trumps downfall. But in the swirl of reporting and speculation about the 45th president, nothing has held viewers on the edge of their seats quite like the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, and his investigation into possible ties between Mr. Trumps 2016 campaign and Russian agents. The story line had it all: Cold War-era intrigue, allegations of shadowy meetings in Moscow and a cast of recurring characters that included an aide in a $15,000 ostrich skin jacket (Paul D. Manafort) and another who has a tattoo of Richard Nixon on his back (Roger Stone). Mr. Muellers complete report hasnt yet been released, but on Sunday, Attorney General William P. Barr made public a four-page letter to Congress reporting that the 22-month inquiry did not have sufficient evidence to conclude that Mr. Trump and his associates conspired or coordinated with the Russian government ahead of the 2016 election. The news blindsided many liberals particularly those with an ambient knowledge of Rachel Maddows nightly monologues on MSNBC. When allegations about misconduct at the school surfaced on Facebook in 2017, Saint Anns leaders hired an outside investigator. Emails were sent to the schools community, requesting that anyone with information step forward. The investigation, conducted by T&M Protection Resources, a New York-based firm, included interviews with 47 witnesses who reported misconduct from the 1970s through 2017. None of the witnesses appeared to be exaggerating or embellishing facts and all seemed genuinely concerned about being as precise as possible when answering the investigators questions, the school said in its letter. The letter detailed the actions of six male faculty members whose alleged misconduct included having sexual contact with a high school senior and then sexual intercourse after graduation, engaging in sexual contact with a student at an off-campus party, unwanted kissing and inappropriate physical contact. None of the teachers were named, the letter said, because the school found that in some cases the evidence was not clear and convincing. All six of the teachers had left the school before the investigation. What we tried to make clear in the letter was these were the six instances where the investigator made a judgment that the evidence he was able to compile met the appropriate evidentiary standard, Mr. Tompkins, who became headmaster of the school in 2010, said in an interview. Hospitals understandably dislike these proposals, and there may well be a better dividing line. Its also possible that in some cases, the federal government should pay higher fees to private practices rather than pay lower fees to hospital affiliates. The administrations budget contains only a thumbnail sketch of its own ideas, and the details clearly matter. But Democrats are not debating the details. Instead, a proposal to improve the efficiency of health care spending is being treated as an attack on the availability of health care. This is not a new phenomenon, of course. The Affordable Care Act included substantial reductions in Medicare spending. Those cuts, like Mr. Trumps proposals, came mostly at the expense of providers rather than patients. But Republicans chose to attack the changes in language strikingly similar to the language Democrats have used in recent weeks. Both parties have fallen into the unfortunate habit of characterizing every proposal to reduce Medicare spending as an attack on the programs beneficiaries. In fact, careful stewardship of spending is necessary to ensure the program can help as many people as possible. Mr. Trump is guilty of contradicting his campaign promise that he would not seek to cut Medicare spending. But it is the promise that was irresponsible, not the budget proposal. Some items on Mr. Trumps list of proposed savings have obvious downsides. For example, he has proposed to cut federal spending by increasing the annual amount that several hundred thousand Medicare beneficiaries are required to pay for needed medications. The budget also proposes large cuts in Medicaid that would reduce the availability of health care for many lower-income and disabled Americans. But a presidents budget is just a list of ideas. It's up to Congress to pick the good ones. Support for past cuts in Medicare spending was driven in part by concerns about the growth of the federal debt. Both parties lately have taken a more relaxed view of the governments borrowing capacity, in part because apocalyptic predictions about the current level of federal debt look rather silly in retrospect. But the governments ability to borrow money is not a justification for the wasteful spending of tax dollars. Duke University will pay $112.5 million to the federal government to settle allegations that researchers submitted applications and reports containing falsified data to win more than two dozen grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency, the Justice Department said on Monday. Taxpayers expect and deserve that federal grant dollars will be used efficiently and honestly, Matthew G.T. Martin, United States attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, said in a statement. May this serve as a lesson that the use of false or fabricated data in grant applications or reports is completely unacceptable. The allegations were initially made in a whistle-blower lawsuit brought by Joseph Thomas, a research analyst who worked in Dukes pulmonary division. He claimed that another researcher, Erin Potts-Kant, had fabricated data linked to as much as $200 million in federal research grants. Mr. Thomas filed the lawsuit under the False Claims Act, a federal law that allows individuals to sue on behalf of the government. Under the law, the plaintiff may receive a portion of the damages. Mr. Thomas is to receive more than $33 million from the settlement. But the first women-only venture outside of the confines of the space station will have to happen on another day. After consulting with McClain and Hague following the first spacewalk, mission managers decided to adjust the assignments, due in part to spacesuit availability on the station, NASA said in a statement. Stephanie Schierholz, a spokeswoman for NASA, said in an interview on Monday that there were already two medium-size hard upper torsos essentially the shirt of the spacesuit, according to NASA at the space station. But there were a couple of issues. One was that Ms. McClain had thought she would be able to work in a large-size torso, but after her spacewalk last Friday, she wore a medium-size torso and learned that it fit her better. Ms. Koch also uses the same size. And of the two medium-size torsos available, one has yet to be properly configured for a spacewalk. It would take hours of crew labor not to mention some additional risk to fix that in time for Friday. Instead of doing that, NASA decided to simply switch out the astronauts. This article was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba Military prosecutors say they have tapes of telephone calls between the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, and three of his accused co-conspirators talking in code about the plot months before it took place, a defense lawyer disclosed on Monday. The lawyer, Jay Connell, revealed the existence of the tapes as part of a protest over plans to use them as evidence at the death penalty trial of the alleged conspirators. More than 17 and a half years after the attacks in which 19 hijackers commandeered four commercial airplanes and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field, killing nearly 3,000 people there is still no date set for the trial in the proceedings at Guantanamo Bay. Prosecutors gave defense lawyers the original audio and transcripts of their translation on Sept. 30, 2016, Mr. Connell said, and made clear they planned to use them at trial. Defense lawyers sought to investigate their origins and later discovered that the original trial judge, Army Col. James L. Pohl, had issued a secret order preventing them from knowing about the phone call collection system or asking questions about it. Mr. Connell, who is representing Mr. Mohammeds nephew, Ammar al-Baluchi, said that prosecutors secretly obtained a ruling in August 2018 from Colonel Pohl forbidding defense lawyers from learning how the phone calls were collected or investigating that question. The phone calls in at least two languages were made between April and October 2001. This group, which differs from more traditional Democratic activists and party operatives, was sure that Mr. Mueller would implicate the president in conspiracies to influence the 2016 election and obstruct justice. That belief drove an almost obsessive Mueller fandom among the group, which formed its own internet subculture among the wider anti-Trump base. Mr. Mueller was personally revered for being everything the group thought Mr. Trump was not, in ideology, integrity and temperament. A popular podcast called Mueller, She Wrote, which is streamed up to 200,000 times a week, calls its Russia-obsessed fans Muellerites. One of the three hosts, a California comedian who goes by A. G. and has a tattoo of Mr. Muellers silhouette on her arm, said the community was in what could only be described as a collective state of muted shock. Ive had to talk a couple people off the ledge, she said. One fan of the podcast, Anne Craig-Tillmond, said she wants to see the full report before shes completely deflated. Ive been emotionally invested from the start, and was I let down by what Barr said? Absolutely, Ms. Craig-Tillmond said. Was I let down by what Mueller said? I dont know what he said. The Facebook page of the Robert Mueller Fan Club says on its About page, All hail Robert Mueller through his work we shall be delivered from this ignorance and evil we suffer. Barbara Llewellyn, a retired real estate agent from Naperville, Ill., had written Hallelujah on the page. But by Monday, she had changed her tune. I am very disappointed, because I felt that there were so many public instances where Trump acted guilty and tried to shut down the investigation in various ways, Ms. Llewellyn said. And I am realizing that this is just Barrs interpretation of what the report said. And Im hoping very quickly that Congress gets ahold of it totally unredacted, and we can go from there. Some progressive activists have been calling for Mr. Trumps impeachment almost since he took office, and billionaire Tom Steyer ran television advertisements with that aim across the country. But the sense of profound disappointment that has set in on the left illustrates why Democratic campaigns have been so leery of resting their electoral hopes on Mr. Muellers investigation and the possibility of impeachment. Good Tuesday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today. _____________________ President Trump and his Republican allies vowed to pursue and even punish those responsible for the Russia investigation now that the special counsels inquiry has concluded without implicating him. Mr. Trump said some of them had done treasonous things. The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, reached no conclusion about whether Mr. Trump had obstructed justice it was Attorney General William P. Barr who cleared him of that offense. Democrats seized on that, portraying Mr. Barrs decision as a hasty, dubious intervention on behalf of the president who installed him. The tight-lipped Mr. Mueller is poised to return to civilian life, still a figure of mystery and fascination. WASHINGTON The Trump administration broadened its attack on the Affordable Care Act on Monday, telling a federal appeals court that it now believed the entire law should be invalidated. The administration had previously said that the laws protections for people with pre-existing conditions should be struck down, but that the rest of the law, including the expansion of Medicaid, should survive. If the appeals court accepts the Trump administrations new arguments, millions of people could lose health insurance, including those who gained coverage through the expansion of Medicaid and those who have private coverage subsidized by the federal government. The Justice Department is no longer asking for partial invalidation of the Affordable Care Act, but says the whole law should be struck down, Abbe R. Gluck, a law professor at Yale who has closely followed the litigation, said on Monday. Not just some of the insurance provisions, but all of it, including the Medicaid expansion and hundreds of other reforms. Thats a total bombshell, which could have dire consequences for millions of people. michael barbaro From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. Today: The special counsel was supposed to make the decision about whether President Trump committed a crime. Why did the attorney general do it instead? Its Tuesday, March 26. Mike Schmidt, it has been 48 hours since the attorney general, Bill Barr, sent his summary of the special counsels report to congressional leaders. Where are you at in your thinking about all this? michael schmidt In a certain way, Im starting to think that the special counsel regulations, the way that this investigation was set up, has failed. michael barbaro What do you mean failed? Do you mean, because this investigation didnt produce criminal charges against the president? michael schmidt No, no, no. Its not about that. Its about the perception of politics in criminal decisions. Bob Mueller, the special counsel, operated under certain regulations that were designed to protect him and his investigation but also give the public assurances that investigators who were free of politics pursued the facts. In this case, theres a perception problem. michael barbaro What do you mean by perception problem? michael schmidt The special counsel is supposed to go out, look into the issues that are in question in this case, collusion and obstruction of justice and no matter how hard the questions they are looking at are, make a determination about whether someone broke the law or not. archived recording 1 Because obviously, Mueller did not feel comfortable making a decision in either direction on obstruction. archived recording 2 Mueller said, you know what, I cant decide. Its up to you. michael schmidt In the case of the president, Mueller made no conclusion with respect to obstruction. archived recording 1 I would love to learn more about what was happening behind the scenes and why Mueller decided to punt. archived recording 2 Prosecutors get paid to make determinations. Thats what we do. michael schmidt So that meant that the special counsel, the person who had been put there to protect themselves from politics, had no determination. archived recording Thats not the job of the prosecutor. The job of the prosecutor is to decide yes or no. michael schmidt And that left it up to the political appointees, the attorney general and deputy attorney general, people who had been placed there by Donald Trump. archived recording Barr says he and the deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, concluded that that conduct did not reach the threshold of a crime. michael barbaro So youre saying that because Mueller punted the decision on obstruction of justice to Barr, and it was Barr who then cleared the president of that charge, the special counsel failed because there was no apolitical figure reaching a conclusion on one of the central questions of the investigation. michael schmidt Correct. Part of the reason the special counsel is there is to give the public the assurance that a investigator whos not politically tied to the person under investigation is doing the work and following the facts. And in this case, that person, Mueller, said, I cant come to a determination on this, and kicked it up to the folks above him who are the political appointees. By not reaching a conclusion, Mueller left the door open for Barr to come in and make a determination that he didnt think there was enough to say the president broke the law. But Barr has another perception problem. michael barbaro Whats that? michael schmidt Back in 2018, Bill Barr, who had been the attorney general under George H. W. Bush and was now semi-retired, he, unprompted, wrote a memo that ended up in the hands of the Trump legal team that essentially said there is a very, very high bar for a president to be charged with obstruction of justice. And in that argument, he says that in order to prove obstruction, you also have to prove the underlying crime. In this case, collusion. So to make a case, you have to be able to establish both. michael barbaro And Barr writes this long before his attorney general. What is meaningful about that memo and that legal logic about obstruction of justice now? michael schmidt In the letter he sends to Congress this weekend in which he explains the decision on what they did with the president on obstruction, he says that one of the reasons that its so difficult to make this case is that they cant show that the president was part of collusion. michael barbaro An underlying crime that would justify a charge of obstruction of justice. michael schmidt Correct. I actually want to can I read from it? michael barbaro Yeah. michael schmidt In his letter, he said, quote, In making this determination, we noted that the special counsel recognized that the evidence does not establish that the president was involved in an underlying crime related to Russian election interference, and that, while not determinative, the absence of such evidence bears upon the presidents intent with respect to obstruction. michael barbaro So just to translate that for us, what exactly is he saying? michael schmidt Hes saying that unless you can show that the president was trying to obstruct to cover up another crime, then the obstruction is sort of hollow. It doesnt really resonate because theres nothing really to cover up. michael barbaro So that is a clear echo to the original Barr memo from 2018 written to the Trump administration. And it sounds like what youre saying is that because Barr wrote this memo before he was nominated as attorney general, the White House knew he held this position when it came to obstruction of justice. And the fact that it ended up being that legal interpretation that is used to help clear the president of wrongdoing when it comes to obstruction of justice that starts to feel quite political. michael schmidt Heres the problem. Barr may be right. He may have come to the correct conclusion based on the law and the fact. But because Mueller took a pass in this highly weird thing where he didnt want to make a call about whether the president broke the law on obstruction, it ended up in Barrs hands. And he looks like the ultimate and only decision maker. And he, because of politics, has perception issues on this decision. michael barbaro Well, lets talk about the actual conclusion that Barr reached. What do you make, Mike, of his rationale? Is there a broad legal consensus around Barrs argument here that obstruction of justice depends on an underlying crime? michael schmidt I think prosecutors would say that they dont want to bring cases against folks who did not obstruct an actual criminal act. Legally, you could make the case, but most prosecutors wouldnt want to because its not worth their time and energy to go after someone who is trying to cover up something thats not criminal. michael barbaro Got it. michael schmidt But in this case, I would say that there were crimes that the president may have wanted to cover up. michael barbaro Hmm. Which ones? michael schmidt Well archived recording Breaking news. President Trumps former longtime attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, pleading guilty to eight counts of campaign finance violation, including, and importantly, hush money payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal hush money payments that Cohen said then-candidate Donald Trump directed. Cohens stunning words today, and I quote, in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office. michael schmidt The president has been named essentially as an unindicted co-conspirator in Michael Cohens payments to women before the election for violating campaign finance. archived recording Prosecutors say the hush money payments Cohen made violate campaign finance laws. President Trump calls them a simple private transaction. michael schmidt Donald Trump knew about those payments in May, June, July of 2017. So if youre the president and Bob Mueller comes along and you know that you made these payments, you think, well, if this thing really gets out of hand, I could have some problems. So in the summer of 2017 the presidents talking about trying to fire Mueller. archived recording Now, according to The New York Times and The Washington Post, the White House is laying the groundwork to try to discredit or undermine Muellers investigation. michael schmidt Why was he really talking about that? Was it because of Russia? Was it because it was simply a distraction? Or did he want to ensure that Mueller didnt go too far into his personal finances? archived recording Multiple U.S. officials tell NBC News Mueller is gathering documents involving the financial records and businesses of dealings close to the Trump campaign, something the president says is a red line a red line, except following the money is what Mueller does. michael schmidt Barr says, look, he had nothing to cover up on Russia, but his same Justice Department has essentially said hes an unindicted co-conspirator in a campaign finance case. The Justice Department is looking at his inaugural committee archived recording Putting all information related to inaugural donors, vendors, contractors, bank accounts. michael schmidt and his businesses. And Muellers investigation has led to great embarrassment for the president. archived recording 1 President Trumps former national security adviser Michael Flynn just hours away from finding out if hell go to prison for lying to the F.B.I. about his Russia contacts. archived recording 2 Also, breaking tonight, the presidents former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, found guilty on eight counts. archived recording 3 Roger Stone, longtime Trump associate and adviser, was taken into custody by the F.B.I. michael schmidt Even though he was cleared on collusion, more than a handful of his advisors and associates have pled guilty to different charges. So was there really nothing to obstruct? michael barbaro So youre saying that Barrs rationale that there is no obstruction, because there were no crimes to obstruct, doesnt really hold up, because there were crimes, they just werent the crimes of coordinating with Russia to influence the election? michael schmidt Im saying that a day after Barr sent the letter, as we look at it, thats another part of it that doesnt make complete sense yet. michael barbaro Mike, is that one more way in which, by kicking the decision to Bill Barr, the special counsel put this in the political realm of interpretation by political actors in a political system that might have been better left to an independent figure as the special counsel rules envisioned? michael schmidt It means that instead of Mueller explaining the determination, Barr is doing it. And that just exposes the decision to the politics that Mueller was there to protect it from. And the head-scratching part of it is, so you went through this whole exercise of creating a special counsel. michael barbaro To be apolitical. michael schmidt To be apolitical. And in the end, the special counsel takes a pass, and it ends up right back in the hands of the political appointees. Well, why did you need a special counsel? michael barbaro Right. And to that point, I guess the question is, why did Robert Mueller kick this question of obstruction of justice to the attorney general knowing full well everything you just explained, that that would make whatever decision Barr made feel political and in violation of the spirit of having a special counsel? He arguably handed off his central job to a political appointee. michael schmidt Well, we dont know, and were trying to find out. But here are two possibilities. Maybe, one, he didnt want to box in Barr. He didnt want to put him in a situation where he may appear to be disagreeing with the investigators. The second is that the legal issues around this are very difficult to unravel because its caught up in the unique position the president has as the head of the executive branch. And it may just be so hard to untangle them that Mueller kind of threw up his hands and said, this is a highly unusual situation. Im going to let the Justice Department make the call. michael barbaro Its interesting. You said that maybe Mueller doesnt want to box in Bill Barr, but it feels like it also puts Barr in a very weird position, because Barrs options are all about degrees of political once Mueller kicks the decision to him. If Barr makes a decision about obstruction, yes, that seems political. But if he sends Muellers findings along to Congress with an open-ended question of whether or not the president obstructed justice, he leaves it to a Democratically controlled House to answer the question. And honestly, that feels as political, maybe even more political, than the attorney general making the call himself. michael schmidt In a sense, maybe Barr was damned if he did and damned if he didnt. I dont know. michael barbaro Do you think that Mueller would have anticipated all of this, that this would put Barr in a political position and would essentially violate the spirit of what the special counsel was all about? michael schmidt Its one of the mysteries right now. Its one of the questions were trying to answer. Why is it that Mueller couldnt come to a conclusion? Came to a conclusion on collusion, said it didnt happen. But obstruction wouldnt exonerate the president. michael barbaro Mike, it seems like before this report came out over the weekend, the main concern from Congress about Attorney General Bill Barr was whether he would ever release the full Mueller report to Congress, not that he would actually weigh in on whether the president committed crimes, because the idea that Mueller would not reach a conclusion wasnt really conceivable. In retrospect, was that a mistake, that we werent focused enough on the possibility that Barr might weigh in on something like this and that he had already kind of told us how he would act in this situation? michael schmidt Like the folks who put the special counsel regulations together 20 years ago, we, just a few weeks ago, couldnt predict the future, and we couldnt come up with the idea that Mueller, whos been there for two years, would, at the end of the day, throw up his hands and say, I cant make a determination on this. I spoke to a former senior Justice Department official today who said he had never seen an example in his entire career of prosecutors saying, we just cant make a call here. michael barbaro I wonder if the way that this has played out, in such a political manner Mueller sends a decision to Barr, Barr decides not to pursue obstruction how much does that influence what comes next, how Congress now conducts its side of this investigation, and how it treats the Mueller report? michael schmidt Well, if Mueller had said there was no obstruction, and Barr put that out, then the Democrats would really have nothing to work with. But because Mueller didnt make a decision, it now opens the door for the Democrats to say, we really need to take a look at everything that was here. Why was it that Mueller couldnt make a decision? How did Bill Barr assess this? And they actually have something to work with. It gives them an issue to continue to prod on the obstruction of justice. Because if Mueller had cleared the president, the bar, no pun intended, for them to overcome to even investigate it wouldve been pretty high. michael barbaro So counterintuitively, because of the way this played out, because of what Mueller did or didnt do, and what Barr did as a political figure in all this, he has given someone like Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, a reasonably good reason to keep pushing forward for as much evidence as possible. michael schmidt Correct. And I think thats what well see. michael barbaro Thank you, Mike. michael schmidt The Pentagon said that a test on Monday of a new tactic for intercepting missiles aimed at American cities was a success, in an exercise that appeared intended to simulate how the United States would defend against an adversary like North Korea. The test, the first in nearly two years, was conducted over the Pacific Ocean. It fired two interceptors from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California against a mock warhead launched from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The system worked exactly as it was designed to do, Air Force Lt. Gen. Samuel A. Greaves, director of the Pentagons Missile Defense Agency, said in a statement. This test demonstrates that we have a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat. Evaluating the success of missile interceptions is difficult. In the past, the Missile Defense Agency has been accused of exaggerating its kills in order to quiet critics who say a 50 percent successful interception rate is far from satisfactory. PARIS France rolled out red carpets and honor guards for President Xi Jinping of China on Monday, but beneath the pomp, there were wary statements about Chinas influence by his host, President Emmanuel Macron. With Italy last week breaking from Europe in signing on to Chinas global infrastructure project for moving Chinese goods, Mr. Macron has made it clear that a unified European response, in his view, is critical in dealing with the Chinese hegemon. He reiterated that sentiment Monday as Mr. Xi listened in a deal-signing ceremony at the presidential Elysee Palace, where more than a dozen commercial and governmental treaties were signed worth billions of euros. Earlier Mr. Macron welcomed Mr. Xi at a symbol of French imperial history and power, the Arc de Triomphe. A curator who accused MoMA PS 1 of gender, pregnancy and caregiver discrimination has settled the claim she brought against the museum saying it had rescinded a job offer upon learning she had recently given birth. Nikki Columbus, who is also an art editor, filed the claim in July 2018 with the New York City Commission on Human Rights. The settlement, made public by the law firm that represented Ms. Columbus, Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady, includes financial compensation for Ms. Columbus as well an agreement by the contemporary art museum in Queens to update its written policies designed to protect women, working parents and other caregivers who apply for jobs or work there. What happened to me was wrong and clearly against the law, Ms. Columbus said in a statement on Tuesday. I decided to speak out in order to protect other women at MoMA PS1 and beyond. The financial terms were not disclosed, but Ms. Columbus said in an interview that she made it a point that her agreement not bar her from discussing other details of the case. Measuring 26 feet by nine feet, it is an outsized testimony to Raphaels talents. There are details in the cartoon, sketched in charcoal, that are remarkable for their originality, Antonella Ranaldi, Milans principal official in charge of art and archaeology, said at a news conference on Monday. It is a precious testimony, she said. Its value must have been evident to Raphaels contemporaries, and rather than use the cartoon itself for the fresco, a copy was used and the original was preserved. That copy was destroyed through use when the outlines of the figures and details were pricked with pins, and the cartoon was dabbed with a cloth bag containing charcoal powder to transfer the image to the walls AMSTERDAM An art crimes investigator in the Netherlands said Tuesday that he had recovered Pablo Picassos 1938 painting Portrait of Dora Maar, which was stolen from the yacht of its Saudi Arabian owner in the south of France in 1999. Arthur Brand, an independent art detective based in Amsterdam, handed the painting over to an insurance company two weeks ago, he said. Mr. Brand had been trying to track down the Picasso painting since 2015, but all of his leads went nowhere. Earlier this month, he said, he was contacted by two persons with good contacts in the underworld, who said the painting was in the Netherlands. They told me, Its in the hands of a businessman who got it as payment, and he doesnt know what to do with it, Mr. Brand said in an interview. I talked to the two guys and we made a plan to get it out of his hands. CHICAGO In a startling about-face on Tuesday that drove a rift between Mayor Rahm Emanuel and local prosecutors, the Cook County States Attorneys Office dropped all charges against the Empire actor Jussie Smollett, who had been accused of staging a hate crime attack in the citys downtown in January. The decision, announced in court in a hastily convened hearing, slammed the door on a case that became a national fascination and flashpoint, with its overtones of racial and political discord in a city with a history of tension over law enforcement. It drew waves of celebrity commiseration and torrents of finger-shaking tweets as the victim turned into a suspect and then a defendant. And by Tuesday night, many questions remained unanswered, including why prosecutors had suddenly decided to let Mr. Smollett off only a month after his arrest, and what actually happened at 2 a.m. on Jan. 29 as he was walking back from a late sandwich at a Subway. Mr. Smollett, who is black, gay and outspoken on social issues, had told the police that two men jumped him, while taunting him with homophobic and racial slurs and yelling This is MAGA country, a reference to President Trumps Make America Great Again slogan. The assailants, according to Mr. Smollett, tied a rope around his neck and poured a chemical substance on him. He was briefly treated at a hospital. Bending Toward Justice: The Birmingham Church Bombing That Changed the Course of Civil Rights is a valuable addition to the historical record of Alabamas role as the battleground state of the civil rights revolution. It provides an inside look at how Jones, a former United States attorney from Birmingham, and his role model, the former Alabama attorney general Bill Baxley, sent to prison three Birmingham Klansmen who murdered four black girls by dynamiting their church on Sept. 15, 1963. The four children, aged 11 to 14 Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Morris Wesley died instantly in a womens restroom where they were preparing for Sunday school. Image Credit... Claude Sitton/The New York Times Without Jones and Baxley, both white men born in Alabama and educated in the states law schools, the murders of the children killed on that bloody Sunday and memorialized in Spike Lees wrenching film 4 Little Girls would have gone forever unpunished. (I was interviewed in Lees film, and my reports that first identified the four bombers by name were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in investigative reporting by this newspaper in 1983.) With this book, Jones invites us indeed, challenges us to look anew at the central paradox of the case. The three bombers were all convicted on evidence from confidential interviews and wiretaps conducted by F.B.I. agents who were on the scene in Birmingham in the mid-60s. Yet the agencys Washington leadership sought at every opportunity to impede Jones, Baxley and their chief investigator, the former Alabama state detective Bob Eddy. During the past year, I was lucky enough to talk to all three men in Alabama, and Joness account provides an opportunity to revisit both the remarkable dark-horse campaign that made him the first Democratic senator from the Souths reddest state in nearly three decades, as well as this tormenting saga of justice long delayed by Justice Department ineptitude and the personal malfeasance of the longtime F.B.I. director J. Edgar Hoover. Joness account is evenhanded to a fault: He fails to emphasize the villainous role of Hoover as the chief reason that Robert Dynamite Bob Chambliss and his two thuggish accomplices, Tommy Blanton and Bobby Frank Cherry, were all old men before Baxley and Jones were able to put them behind bars in a series of three dramatic trials conducted in 1977, 2001 and 2002. A Justice Department task force reviewing F.B.I. misconduct in investigating crimes in Alabama proved that Hoover stalled the investigation in 1965, causing a delay that continued well beyond his death in 1972. Trump and Republicans seek to turn the tables As the president declared victory in the wake of the Mueller report, he and Republican allies vowed to pursue and even punish those responsible for the Russia investigation. He called his adversaries treasonous and said they should be investigated. Those people will certainly be looked at, he said. Many of his allies agreed, while Democrats weighed whether to shift their focus entirely. Republican response: Senator Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced that he would investigate whether there is any anti-Trump bias at the F.B.I. and Justice Department, and called for a new special counsel inquiry to look at the origins of the last one. The president denounced treasonous people who should be investigated themselves, and the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee suggested a separate inquiry into potential anti-Trump bias at the F.B.I. The attorney general: William Barrs decision to declare that Mr. Trump had not committed a crime despite the fact that the special counsel, Robert Mueller, stopped short of exonerating the president has renewed a debate about the role of American law enforcement in politically charged investigations. The special counsel: Now that his report has been filed, Mr. Mueller is poised to return to civilian life as a figure of mystery and fascination. The news media: Journalists faced bipartisan criticism after the special counsel found that the Trump campaign had not conspired with Russia. Dean Baquet, the executive editor of The Times, said. We wrote a lot about Russia, and I have no regrets. Its not our job to determine whether or not there was illegality. The Daily: In todays episode, a reporter discusses Mr. Barrs determination that Mr. Trump had not illegally obstructed justice. Some legislatures are easier targets than others One consequence of these industrywide measures is that they could affect far more than current gig workers. According to Maya Pinto of the National Employment Law Project, a nonprofit worker-advocacy group that has just published a report on the topic, the broader measures encourage companies to reclassify employees as contractors. Any business that dispatches employees such as plumbers or electricians or nannies could deem them contractors by using a digital interface to coordinate the work and meeting a few other criteria, Ms. Pinto said. Marla Kanemitsu of Tusk Ventures, who has helped to write such measures, said the motivation for the bills wasnt just to preserve the contractor status of Handys workers, but also to allow companies to provide benefits, like health care and retirement-savings vehicles, that might otherwise suggest an employment relationship. Providing benefits was always the driving force for this, Ms. Kanemitsu said. In the first six months of 2018, six states passed bills broadly carving out gig workers from employment laws and effectively classifying them as contractors. Mr. Tusks book referred to these states as the low-hanging fruit of Kentucky, Iowa, Tennessee, Indiana and Utah (and medium-hanging fruit like Florida). But in other states, the fruit stood at a considerably higher altitude: The efforts came up short in Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina and California. Colorado, with a large technology sector, was perhaps the most instructive example. The state was the first to pass legislation legalizing ride-hailing companies like Uber, and a local lobbying firm involved in that effort helped spearhead this one, too. It received more than $80,000 in 2018 from Uber and Handy, according to lobbying disclosures compiled by the National Employment Law Project. The carve-out bill glided through the Republican-led Senate on a bipartisan vote last March, but it ran into resistance in the Democratic-controlled House. Media companies whose business models have been upended by the internet have long complained about Google and other online platforms profiting from their content without compensating them adequately. On Tuesday, the media industry got some help with the European Parliaments adoption of a copyright law that requires technology platforms to sign licensing agreements with musicians, authors and news publishers in order to post their work online. The new law is meant to force tech firms to aggressively remove unlicensed copyrighted material from their websites proactively, rather than waiting for complaints to come in before acting. The vote followed one of the most intense lobbying campaigns in years over a European Union law. Digital rights activists and tech industry representatives who opposed the law said it would result in censorship while limiting the sharing of information. The measures supporters said it would protect Europes creative industries and force companies to pay for the content they share online. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 26) Manila mayoral candidate Isko Moreno wants a new administrative building for the city's local government if he wins in the upcoming elections. Moreno, whose real name is Francisco Domagoso, said he will push for the establishment of a new Manila city hall, as the existing one can no longer keep up with the current demands of the city government. "City hall ang ganda (The City hall is beautiful) architecturally ... but you know, it cannot accommodate anymore the demands of our time," the actor-turned-politician told CNN Philippines' Politics As Usual. "Traffic-wise, it cannot. For offices? Mess in here, mess in there. They use to be one room. Storage? It's everywhere. It's by the hallway, you can see our storage," he added. The city's existing administrative building, Moreno said, will be maintained but "converted [to] other uses." The current Manila City hall, which is located along Taft Avenue, was built in 1939. It was designed by renowned Filipino architect Antonio Toledo. The city hall is popular for its clock tower. Moreno said the new building will be built beside the current city hall, juxtaposing the city's past and future. "Katabing katabi lang, may open space, and you'll see ... may makikita kang ... (In an open space just right beside the current city hall, you'll see) it's a simple statement. Without saying a word that this is our past, we will never forget it, but this is the future of Manila. So dalawa 'yung magiging (there will be two) postcard landmarks. It's a dream," he said. Moreno, a former undersecretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, is going up against Manila's incumbent mayor Joseph Estrada and former mayor Alfredo Lim. Moreno previously served as city vice mayor under the leaderships of the two. Heritage protection Moreno vowed to protect Manila's heritage should he secure the city's mayoralty. "You know Manila, when it was designed in the case of Architect Berno designed the Lawton area, as you can see maganda talaga ang sukat eh (the symmetry is really beautiful). I think ang kailangan na lang namin (what we only need), kailangan ko na lang ng (what I only need is) polishing ointment... 'yung we protect our heritage, the bank of Pasig River, that Burke building in Escolta, that certain heritage to be protected," he said. "We will protect that asset of Lawton, the Arroceros park, na 'pag nakita mo 'yan sa Google (when you see them on Google) you'll be excited na meron pa pa lang ganito (that they still exist)," he added. Moreno said many historic and old establishments in Manila are currently used as mere storage facilities as businesses move to more progressive cities, manifesting the city's "deterioration." "Ngayon bodega na lang kami (We are just a storage facility now). Literally bodega (a storage facility)," he said. Almost every polyethylene factory in the United States is on the Gulf Coast. But more than 70 percent of the American plastics manufacturing sector is within 700 miles of Shells plant, according to the findings of a 2017 IHS Markit study. Proximity to markets, lower transportation costs and lower prices for ethane are competitive advantages that strengthened Shells decision to proceed, Ms. Mercer said. Shell was also encouraged by a $1.65 billion, 25-year tax reduction package offered by state lawmakers. The Ohio River plant will subject ethane to high heat and pressure to crack the chain of carbon molecules to produce ethylene. When completed and operational in the early 2020s, the Shell plant will turn 1.6 billion gallons of ethane into 3.3 billion pounds of little white polyethylene beads annually. More than 6,000 tradespeople and laborers will be on the site during the peak summer construction period. Some 600 full-time workers will manage automated technology to operate the completed plant. A 97-mile pipeline from gas separation installations in Ohio and West Virginia will supply ethane; a 250-megawatt gas-fired electrical generating station will power the plant. The Shell plant is already drawing attention from competitors. In December, Ohio issued air-emissions and water-discharge permits to PTT Global Chemical of Thailand and its partner, South Koreas Daelim Industrial, for a proposed polyethylene plant in Shadyside, about 80 miles downriver. That plant would be about the same size as Shells. Ohio lawmakers are discussing tax incentives valued at more than $1 billion. PTT Globals decision is expected this year. China Energy Investment Corporation, the countrys largest energy company, signed a memorandum of understanding with West Virginia in 2017 to invest $83.7 billion in gas-related power, chemical and storage projects in the upper Ohio River Valley. The agreement was the largest among a number of deals that were announced during a summit meeting in Beijing between President Trump and President Xi Jinping of China. All the activity has generated resistance from environmental and public health groups, which have expressed concern about the effects of the chemical corridor on air and water quality. Emissions of volatile organic chemicals into the air and discharges into the river will increase in an area that already has some of the nations worst pollution. Already the influx of gastro-pilgrims has upset some natural algorithms. Last year in Bangkok, after the crab-omelet specialist Raan Jay Fai was anointed with a Michelin star, waits for a table at the tiny shop-house restaurant stretched to three hours. While the spike in business is a financial boon, the owner who cooks each omelet herself, wearing ski goggles to protect herself from the spitting oil has said that she wishes she could give the star back. There is little chance the crowds will let up. A 2016 report by the World Food Travel Association classified 93 percent of vacationers worldwide as food travelers, who seek out food beyond the demands of sustenance attending a class on cooking mole in Oaxaca, say, or riding a boat at dawn through a floating market in Kashmir. The philosopher Lisa Heldke has critiqued the colonialist impulse behind what she calls eating adventures, which she likens to collecting and uprooting artifacts from their cultural context. But some tour operators contend that in opening our mouths, we open our minds. The polarized view that we get, the xenophobia, comes from the lack of a data set, said Luis Vargas, the chief executive of Modern Adventure, which funnels data in the guise of weeklong eating and drinking itineraries in destinations like the Republic of Georgia and the Basque region of Spain. In this thinking, a basket of dumplings can teach as much about a culture as its greatest monuments. When Little Adventures in Hong Kong helps you decode the tome of a menu at a Cantonese restaurant so you dont repeat dishes with the same ingredients or cooking methods, said Daisann McLane, the companys founder you may earn a grudging nod of approval from the waiter and a deeper understanding of the society in which these feasts are central. Headliner Nora Thai Lately, when it comes to Thai food in New York, the spotlight has been on the spice-fueled cuisine of the Isan region, in the northeast. But the restaurateur Kittigron Lertpanaruk, also known as Khun Oh, is from the south, where curries dominate, and he feels its time to give that part of Thailand its due. His new restaurant, decorated with red hanging lamps, gilded Buddhist statues, temple bells and carved wood panels, features a long list of curries. They include cua kreang, a dry curry; gaeng kua, a black pepper curry; and tiplah, a salted fish paste curry. But Mr. Lertpanaruk, who founded the chain of Asian restaurants called Spice and who recently became a partner in Aruns , a highly regarded Thai restaurant in Chicago, also knows whats popular, so the menu has dishes like crispy spring rolls, tom yum soup, pad Thai, green papaya salad, satays and mango salmon. 176 North Ninth Street (Bedford Avenue), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 718-302-1499, norathainyc.com. Opening Serra Fiorita by Birreria The rooftop restaurant at Eataly NYC Flatiron has undergone its seasonal makeover. This spring, and continuing until fall, its a fantasy of blossoms, bedecked in flowers real and fake. The menu now features an array of spritzes, along with porchetta-stuffed pig . Eataly, 200 Fifth Avenue (23rd Street), 212- 937-8910, eataly.com. Grimaldis Pizzeria On Jan. 15, the Dumbo, Brooklyn, location of the famous coal-oven pizzeria closed for renovation and a change of ownership. Its now about to reopen, with two floors of tables seating 100 in all, and an open kitchen, as part of the Grimaldis chain of 43 pizzerias, based in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Grimaldis name and ownership have been repackaged more than once, and despite the companys attempt to drape it in history, the Dumbo location, in a 19th-century bank building, became a Grimaldis only in 2011 . The original Grimaldis, now Julianas, is next door, and is still owned by its founder, Patsy Grimaldi. He has nothing to do with the bank-building location, nor with the national chain, and has only a tenuous connection to another Grimaldis group in Hoboken, N.J. (Opens Friday) One Front Street (Old Fulton Street) , Dumbo, Brooklyn, grimaldispizzeria.com. Wall Street Grill This kosher steakhouse featuring grilled veal chops and rib-eye chops, among other cuts of steak, also showcases specialty items like beef Wellington, Delmonico steak and Chateaubriand on a rotating basis. Raw bar items like sake-cured king salmon and hamachi carpaccio, as well as a panoply of sushi rolls (finfish, no shellfish), are served as starters. Roasted bone marrow with oxtail confit and duck dumplings are also on the menu devised by the executive chef, Joseph Paulino. Currently, the restaurant serves only dinner Sundays through Thursdays, but will begin serving lunch late next month. 128 Pearl Street (Wall Street), 212-635-5757, wallstreetgrill.com. When I left my home state of Rhode Island at 18, it didnt take long to discover that there was almost nothing about its local food customs that didnt make outsiders laugh. That small children routinely bought coffee-flavored milk in school cafeterias; that beer was not pronounced with an r at the end, but pizza was; that a hot dog shortened to about four inches and topped with meat sauce is called a hot wiener, and that a counterman preparing six of them at a time may deploy a maneuver known as wieners up the arm all of this apparently strikes people who grew up more than 20 miles from Providence as very funny. When New Yorkers hear that Violet, a new restaurant in the East Village, serves a style of pizza that comes from Rhode Island, they start to smile, as if getting ready for the punch line. In fact, though, Violets pies are a homage not to the whole state but to a specific restaurant, Al Forno, in Providence. If you know one thing about Al Forno, you know that its pizza is not a joke. One of the restaurants two founders, George Germon, originated the recipe in the early 1980s, more or less out of desperation. After failing to get an oven hot enough to produce a crust as thin and crunchy as the ones he remembered eating in Italy, he tossed dough on a wood-burning grill and watched in awe as it stiffened to a crisp almost instantly. The pizza he and his wife, Johanne Killeen, would develop and elaborate from there was in a category of its own. The skills required to bake dough in a pizza oven, whether it runs on gas, coal or wood, dont apply to grilled pizza at all. This makes it an unending source of fascination to pizza technologists including Violets chef, Matt Hyland. With his wife and business partner, Emily Hyland, Mr. Hyland paid tribute to wood-fired New Haven and New York pizza at his first place, Emily, then took on Detroit pan pizza at Emmy Squared. They have expanded both restaurants to new locations, including Citi Field, where Emmy Squared is now the official pizza. But Mr. Hyland has been a student of the Al Forno school of pizza for years, since going to college in Rhode Island. Violet, which he opened at the start of the year, is dedicated to the style. He has worked allusions to other features of the states cuisine into the menu, which makes forays into pasta and small seafood dishes, but the pizza grill is at the center of the action. Most Americans would still be able to get coverage under a plan provided by an employer or under a federal program, as they did before the law was passed, but protections for pre-existing conditions are particularly important to those who want to start their own businesses or retire early. Employers would sometimes refuse to cover certain conditions, and companies would have to decide if they would drop any of the conditions they are now required to cover. The need to protect people with existing medical conditions from discrimination by insurers was a central theme in the midterm elections, and Democrats attributed much of their success in reclaiming control of the House of Representatives to voters desire to safeguard those protections. Many Republicans also promised to keep this provision of the law, although exactly how was unclear. Before the law, some individuals were sent to high-risk pools operated by states, but even that coverage was often inadequate. 171 MILLION Americans who no longer face caps on expensive treatments. The 156 million Americans who get coverage through an employer, as well as the roughly 15 million enrolled in Obamacare and other plans in the individual insurance market, are protected from caps that insurers and employers used to limit how much they had to pay out in coverage each year or over a lifetime. Before the A.C.A., people with conditions like cancer or hemophilia that were very expensive to treat often faced enormous out-of-pocket costs once their medical bills reached these caps. While not all health coverage was capped, most companies had some sort of limit in place in 2009. A 2017 Brookings analysis estimated that 109 million people would face lifetime limits on their coverage without the health law, with some companies saying they would cover no more than $1 million in medical bills per employee. The vast majority of people never hit those limits, but some who did were forced into bankruptcy or went without treatment. 60 MILLION Medicare beneficiaries would face changes to medical care and possibly higher premiums. About 60 million people are covered under Medicare, the federal insurance program that covers people over 65 years old and people with disabilities. Even though the main aim of the A.C.A. was to overhaul the health insurance markets, the law touches virtually every part of Medicare, said Tricia Neuman, a senior vice president for the Kaiser Family Foundation, which did an analysis of the laws repeal. Overturning the law would be very disruptive, she said. Medicare beneficiaries would have to pay more for preventive care, like a wellness visit or diabetes check, which are now free. They would also have to pay more toward their prescription drugs. About five million people faced the so-called Medicare doughnut hole, or coverage gap, in 2016, which the A.C.A. sought to eliminate. If the law were overturned, that coverage gap would widen again. The law also made other changes, like cutting the amount the federal government paid hospitals and other providers as well as private Medicare Advantage plans. Undoing the cuts could increase the programs overall costs by hundreds of millions of dollars, according to Ms. Neuman. Premiums for as many as 55 million people under the program could go up as a result. Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, and its owners, the Sackler family, agreed to pay $270 million to avoid going to a state court trial over the companys role in the opioid addiction epidemic that has killed more than 200,000 Americans over the past two decades. The payment, negotiated to settle a case brought by the state of Oklahoma, was far larger than two previous settlements Purdue Pharma had reached with other states. It could jolt other settlement talks with the company, including those in a consolidated collection of 1600 cases overseen by a federal judge in Cleveland. Purdue appears to have concluded that it was less risky to settle the Oklahoma case than have the allegations publicly aired against it during a televised trial and face exposure to what could have been an astronomical jury verdict, said Abbe R. Gluck, a professor at Yale Law School who directs the Solomon Center for Health Policy and Law. That said, she continued, the settlement does put a stake in the ground for the other cases. It telegraphs what these cases might be worth and makes the elephant in the room even larger namely, do Purdue and the Sacklers have sufficient funds to give fair payouts in the 1600-plus cases that remain? 8. The authors write: How many minds it changes is another matter. Opinions have hardened over time, with many Americans already convinced they knew the answers before Mr. Mueller submitted his conclusions. Some believe that the special counsels previous indictments, twinned with voluminous news reporting, have already shown a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. Some believe that the investigation is, as Mr. Trump has long described it, a witch hunt. What impact do you think the report will have on the country? Do you think it will change minds? Finally, tell us more about what you think: What is your reaction to the Mueller report and Mr. Barrs summary? Do they change your view of Mr. Trump and his presidency? Do you find Mr. Barrs interpretation of the Mueller report to be satisfying? Has the investigation restored your confidence in the American system of law or in Mr. Trump and his presidency? Or has deepened your distrust? The investigation took over 22 months and cost over $25 million. Was it worth it? Why or why not? What, if anything, would you change about the proceedings? Do you agree that the full Mueller report should be made public? Should the nation now move on, or should Democrats continue their investigations into the issue of collusion? President Trump claims the Mueller report is a complete and total exoneration. Do you agree? Is he correct to have called the investigation a witch hunt? In No Collusion, No Exoneration, The New York Times editorial board writes: while Mr. Mueller may not have found sufficient evidence of a criminal conspiracy, lets not lose sight of what we already know, both from his investigation and from news reports over the past two years. We know that the Russian government interfered repeatedly in the 2016 presidential election, by hacking into computer servers of the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign. We know that it did this with the goals of dividing Americans and helping Donald Trump win the presidency. We know that when top members of the Trump campaign learned about this interference, they didnt just fail to report it to the F.B.I. They welcomed it. They encouraged it. They made jokes about it. On the same day that Mr. Trump publicly urged the Russians to hack into Hillary Clintons emails, they began to do just that. And we know that when questioned by federal authorities, many of Mr. Trumps top associates lied, sometimes repeatedly, about their communications with Russians. None of this is in dispute. That Mr. Mueller couldnt find sufficient evidence that Mr. Trump or anyone involved in his campaign had coordinated directly with the Russians may be explained by the fact that they didnt need to. They were already getting that help. We also know that what began as a counterintelligence investigation quickly turned into a criminal investigation, in large part because Mr. Trump surrounded himself with criminals. To date, his campaign chairman, Paul Manafort; his deputy campaign chairman, Rick Gates; his national security adviser, Michael Flynn; his campaign foreign policy adviser, George Papadopoulos; and his personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, have all pleaded guilty or been convicted of federal crimes. In January, Mr. Mueller charged Roger Stone, Mr. Trumps longtime aide, with multiple counts of witness tampering, obstructing justice, and making false statements. Imagine if wed learned all of this just Sunday, in one fell swoop, rather than in a trickle of indictments and prosecutions over the last 18 months. Do you agree with the editorial boards interpretation of the report? Which points do you find to be most persuasive? Which the least? In Right and Left React to the Mueller Report, Sarah Mervosh surveys the reaction to the report from across the political spectrum. Read through the short quotations provided and choose one article to read in its entirety. What different facts and perspective did this additional article provide? What do you think about the media coverage of the investigation? Do you think it was fair? If you feel it was not, in what ways do you think the media coverage was flawed? Why? Other Resources: The Daily Podcast: Coordination: Not Established. Obstruction: More Complicated. The Mueller Report: How Did We Get Here? Mueller Has Delivered His Report. Heres What We Already Know. As Brian Otieno was waiting to start college six years ago, he spent his days snapping pictures with his phone as he wandered the unpaved streets and alleyways of Kibera, a sprawling shantytown on the outskirts of Kenyas capital, Nairobi. Often referred to as Africas largest slum, Kibera is home to up to a million people living side by side in ramshackle homes. Poverty, crime and hardship have long defined its visual narrative. Mr. Otieno, who had grown up in Kibera, saw beyond those stark realities. I would look around me, at the rooftops and the scenery, and it just looks beautiful, he said. And I would think this view is amazing for photography. When I was 9, my dad took me to lunch at 360 Restaurant in Torontos CN Tower, then the tallest free-standing tower in the world. At the time, we lived in Saskatchewan, where my father was a judge serving the remote, northern parts of the province, flying into far-flung communities for court. Though this eventually took a toll on my family, as a child I always associated my dads absence with romantic adventure, and this father-son trip to Toronto only deepened my sense that any life away from home was one characterized by rich, unending discovery. Its the visit to the CN Tower that still stands out most in my mind about that trip: Dining in a rotating restaurant in the sky, in a city so big that you could not clearly distinguish its edges, seemed to me the greatest thing in the world. Each moment, something new. For decades, the worlds most famous revolving restaurant was located atop the Seattle Space Needle, which was built for the 1962 Worlds Fair and literally named for the Space Age optimism of the era. From the late 1950s through the 70s, dozens of cities in the United States and Europe built towers capped with rotating restaurants: the Florianturm in Dortmund, Germany (1959), was the first, followed by the Ala Moana Center in Honolulu (1961). Many more popped up around the world the BT Tower in London, the Grand Nile Tower in Cairo, the Holiday Inn in Beirut until they fell out of favor in the 1980s and 90s. You might reasonably dismiss revolving restaurants as kitsch, or worse: imperious eyesores, turning a citys skyline into a tacky tribute to The Jetsons. Thats not to mention the food, which is as overpriced as it is beside the point. For me, these restaurants have always evoked the spirit of ridiculous audacity that many of our cities lack today. Theyre civic boosterism in physical form: We built a tower so you can properly enjoy the other towers were so proud of having built. A Connecticut-based company called Macton built the bulk of Americas revolving restaurants more than 100 during the trends glory days. The company still exists, but the reigning king of the rotating-restaurant space is now a Chinese firm called Weizhong. That should come as little surprise, considering that most of the worlds new revolving restaurants over the last 20 years have been built in Asia. My own wanderings, both professional and personal, eventually took me there for many years abroad, mostly in China. In Asia, audacity reigns. Ceaseless development is certainly not good in and of itself, but it does, at least to some degree, speak to the prevailing sentiment of a people. In an interview, Peele said that as he was writing Us he stumbled across a commercial for the event and got this really eerie feeling. A Hands Across America commercial of the directors own making plays at the beginning of the film. Theres something cultlike about the imagery that makes me think of the Manson family singing folk songs as they leave the courtroom, said Peele, who was 7 when the nationwide gathering happened. Theres like an insistence that as long as we have each other, we can walk blindly past the ugliness and evil that we may be a part of. By infusing Hands Across America with malevolent power, Peele is cinematizing one of the main criticisms it faced in 1986: that it was a superficial gesture that offered no long-term solution to poverty in the United States, as The Times described homeless advocates objections in a front-page article the day after the event. Eventually, the initiative distributed about $15 million to various charities, lower than its target of at least $50 million. In his satirical poke at Hands Across America, Peele said he wasnt calling into question the well intentioned, good people behind it. I dont think the notion is an evil one, he explained. Yet as he reflected on it these years later, Peele said it struck him as an event more for the people who are holding hands to cure hunger than for the people who are hungry themselves. There is no dark side to Hands Across America for Ken Kragen. A former talent manager whose clients included Kenny Rogers and Lionel Richie, Kragen was the events main organizer. Now 82 and a business consultant in Los Angeles, he considers it the biggest accomplishment of his professional life. Thats in addition to his role as president of U.S.A. for Africa, the organization behind the song We Are the World, a 1985 hit featuring Michael Jackson, Tina Turner and other megastars that, according to Rolling Stone, raised over $63 million in humanitarian aid for organizations in Africa and the United States. Despite its surface-level placidity, the Israeli feature Working Woman unfolds like a psychological thriller a procedural that, as it tightens its grip, captures how workplace sexual harassment slowly takes over one womans life. The movie, directed Michal Aviad, opens with Orna (Liron Ben Shlush) emerging from a successful job interview with Benny (Menashe Noy), a prominent property developer who was her commanding officer in the army. Even though Orna has no experience in real estate she feels as if Benny is giving her an unusual chance she demonstrates a knack for the business and an ear for what customers want to hear. It doesnt take long for Benny to reveal less altruistic intentions. He makes comments about Ornas hair and clothes and, one night, kisses her. She rebuffs him, and he apologizes but its clearly not the end of the matter, and only the beginning of a toxic push-pull dynamic in which he will pretend to be interested in her well-being while finding ways to exert control over her, and to insinuate that she owes him. [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] An executive order pulled close to 6,000 unvaccinated children out of schools. Nearly 17,000 doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (M.M.R.) vaccine were given in 26 weeks. There was a public health campaign in which community officials, doctors and rabbis testified to the importance of immunizations. None of those efforts stemmed the severe measles outbreak that has been plaguing Rockland County in New York since October. So on Tuesday, in an extraordinary step, the county executive, Ed Day, declared a state of emergency, effective at midnight, that would bar children and teenagers who are not vaccinated against measles from public places. Mr. Day said he believed Rockland Countys order was the first of its kind in the United States, and several public health experts said that they could not recall any action like it in recent years. More than half appear to be in New York. Others are in Washington, Virginia and Los Angeles. Why are so many investigations in New York? Mr. Trump worked in New York for years and ran his campaign from here. That puts the president, his associates and his company, the Trump Organization, in the jurisdiction of New York investigators. Who is investigating in New York? On the federal level: the Southern District of New York and the Eastern District of New York. On the state level: the attorney general, the Manhattan district attorney, the Department of Financial Services and the Department of Taxation and Finance. What are they investigating? A lot. Mr. Trumps business, his campaign, his inauguration and his presidency. They are mostly following his money: where it went and how it was accounted for. One set of inquiries relates to Mr. Trumps campaign and other activities. Did his business arrange payments to women who claimed they had affairs with Mr. Trump, which may violate campaign finance rules? Did Mr. Trumps inaugural committee make false filings with the Federal Election Commission? Did the committee receive illegal donations? Did a top campaign and inaugural committee fund-raiser use his connections to the president to bolster his own businesses? In 2018, when Mr. de Blasio proposed a plan that would discard the exam and overturn the law, known as the Hecht-Calandra Act, he called the paltry numbers of black and Hispanic students in the specialized high schools a monumental injustice. Can anyone look the parent of a Latino or black child in the eye and tell them their precious daughter or son has an equal chance to get into one of their citys best high schools? the mayor asked. Opponents of the mayors plan have said it could water down the schools academics and that it discriminates against Asian students, who would lose about half their seats at specialized schools under his plan. We firmly oppose the amended bill that completely eliminates the test and substitutes unnamed subjective criteria, said the leaders of the Stuyvesant and Brooklyn Technical High School alumni associations, in the wake of Mr. de Blasios proposal. A half-century after Hecht-Calandra passed, Mr. de Blasio has tried to make the case for why state legislators should eliminate it. But that plan has scant political support in Albany or downstate. But both supporters and critics of the mayors plan have pushed him to release a blueprint to integrate all of the citys 1,800 schools, not just eight especially prominent ones. No proposal has materialized. In 1977, a Times reporter observed that, after a decade of advocacy and discussion, the prospect of school integration in New York was dimming. If the dream of racially integrated public schools is slipping away now in much of New York City, what will have become of it five years from now, or ten years? The outlook, at best, is uncertain and troubled. Larry Cohen, a writer and director whose wide-ranging career included mainstream television series, outlandish horror movies featuring killer babies and killer yogurt, slick thrillers and even a few blaxploitation films, died on Saturday at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 82. Jeff Sanderson, a spokesman for his family, said the cause was cancer. Mr. Cohen broke into show business as a writer. He earned his first television writing credits in the late 1950s, and by 1965 he had his first credit as series creator. The show he created was Branded, a western starring Chuck Connors as a man trying to rebuild his reputation after having been drummed out of the Army because of a false accusation of cowardice. He also created the series Blue Light in 1966 and Coronet Blue and The Invaders, both in 1967. In 1972, seeking more control over his work, he directed and produced his first movie, Bone, a social satire about a home invasion, from his own script. Mike Greco, who was known to connoisseurs of Italian cuisine as the Salami King and the Mayor of Arthur Avenue, and whose salumeria has catered to old neighbors, visiting politicians and insatiable Bronx expatriates for more than six decades, died on March 20 in White Plains. He was 89. His death was confirmed by his son David. Mr. Greco, who lived in Yonkers, died in a rehabilitation center at White Plains Hospital. A Calabrian immigrant, Mr. Greco arrived in New York in 1947 with his 17-year-old twin brother, Joe, each sporting a new suit and carrying $50. Mike went to work in a Bronx butcher shop, married the bosss daughter and, in the early 1950s, opened a delicatessen nearby in the Arthur Avenue Retail Market, a building housing an array of merchants. His brother became the chef and owner of Joe Ninas restaurant in the boroughs Pelham Bay section. Mr. Greco started work at 6 a.m. seven days a week and made Mikes Deli a place of pilgrimage in the heart of the Bronxs Little Italy, roughly bounded in the Belmont section by Fordham Road on the north, East 181st Street on the south, Third Avenue on the west and the Bronx Zoo on the east. (The neighborhoods most famous alumnus is probably Dion DiMucci, whose group, Dion and the Belmonts, plaintively sang in 1959, Why must I be a teenager in love?) China , a country the size of a small continent, tends to leverage its heft by negotiating with other states one-on-one rather than through regional blocs. It has put this technique to use with Asean, the Southeast Asian association , using bilateral deals to divide members . Judging by the tone of President Xi Jinpings visit to Italy and France over the past week, China has adopted the same approach in Europe this time pitting the Italian government, which is anti-European Union, against the pro-E.U. French government of Emmanuel Macron, among others. As expected, Italy signed a wide-ranging memorandum of understanding, or M.O.U., with China, becoming the first major Western economy to endorse Beijings colossal and controversial One Belt, One Road infrastructure initiative. Most contentious, perhaps, was the Italian governments decision to grant a Chinese state-owned company access to two ports, including one used by the United States Navy that is just 100 kilometers from NATOs largest air base in the Mediterranean region. But did Mr. Xi really get out of Italy what he came for? Since June 2018, when the awkward motley coalition formed by the populist Five Star Movement and the extreme-right, anti-immigration League came to power, the Italian government has been as triumphalist as its politics have been amateurish and confused. The same goes for its recent dealings with Mr. Xi. Essential terms of the M.O.U. and of the 29 contracts signed along with it, which range from the frivolous to the reckless are exceedingly vague. In fact, some commitments are inherently noncommittal. MAPUTO, Mozambique On Tuesday evening, five days after Cyclone Idai hit central Mozambique and the rains started, thousands of survivors were still stranded, waiting to be rescued from trees or the roofs of houses. On that same evening, far from the floods, I was in an air-conditioned office here in the capital with a group of bankers and oil industry executives, hearing about how rich and happy Mozambicans would soon be. Standard Bank was presenting a new report on the billions of dollars it predicted the Mozambique government will earn from the giant natural gas projects the American oil companies Exxon Mobil and Anadarko plan to start building in the northernmost province of Cabo Delgado this year. We observed a minute of silence for the victims of the flood. What was not observed was the possibility that climate change, driven by the oil and gas industry, had any responsibility for the natural disaster. If the Standard Bank report is right, Mozambique will earn $80 billion to $100 billion over the next 30 years from Exxons project alone. Anadarkos project is estimated to deliver $67 billion. Those are huge sums in a country whose gross domestic product is estimated to be around $14 billion. In schools, civic education tends to accord outsize importance to the Bill of Rights at the expense of the more complex topics of separation of powers, federalism and other pillars of the constitutional edifice. Hamilton had opposed a Bill of Rights in part because he thought these mechanisms safeguarded rights better than protections inscribed on paper could. Journalists and politicians equally obsess over winners and losers. The public hears whose ox is being gored, but too rarely the importance of the constitutional process by which the goring occurs. A Madisonian people, by contrast, will care about constitutional integrity in addition to political outcomes. This is for constitutional reasons but also for selfish ones: The power whose use one celebrates today will be wielded by a leader with whom one disagrees tomorrow, a lesson Democrats who endorsed Mr. Obamas unilateral executive orders are now learning. Such citizens will also understand that they occupy the country along with more than 325 million fellow citizens whose views must be accommodated. Crucially, they will not tolerate members of Congress who surrender legislative authority, even for results to some voters momentary liking, because they will prioritize enduring constitutionalism over transient policies. They will realize, too, that maintaining legislative authority, which is more immediately responsive to local concerns, serves their own interests as well. Finally, some group among a Madisonian people will have the foresight to step off the cynical and anti-constitutional carousel according to which President George W. Bush did it so Mr. Obama could do it so Mr. Trump might as well, too. None of this excuses members of Congress from their duties, which sometimes include withstanding public opinion. Even the Democratic justification for an override vote sure to fail is, as the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, put it, to create a record so the issue can be resolved by the courts. To her credit, Ms. Pelosi did say that we are Article I, the first branch of government. But she was less reticent about executive power when Mr. Obama acted unilaterally on immigration. In both cases, the House should have defended its constitutional turf. It is no solution on the contrary, it presents its own constitutional problems for one party to ask the courts to provide the institutional protection the whole House declined to provide itself. As for the Senate, one purpose of its members six-year terms is to enable what Madison called great firmness in resisting public whims and defending constitutional principles. So much for that. Every legislator is accountable for how he or she votes on the emergency declaration, but Madison expected those immediately facing re-election to capitulate more easily to public opinion. There are worse political sins. Harsher criticism should be reserved for senators who caved without facing immediate electoral consequences. But their constituents who demanded this constitutional surrender especially those who profess fidelity to the Constitution as the bedrock of their politics deserve the sternest rebuke. It is an axiom of republican politics that everyone incurs criticism sooner or later, except the people. Yet if the people care solely about expediency at the expense of law, we are in a wretched situation from which the Constitution will not rescue us. Greg Weiner (@GregWeiner1) is a political scientist at Assumption College and the author of Madisons Metronome and American Burke: The Uncommon Liberalism of Daniel Patrick Moynihan. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. To the Editor: In Scottish criminal courts there are three possible verdicts rather than our two. To guilty and not guilty is added not proven. This has the effect of a not guilty, yet the jury is saying, There was insufficient evidence, but we believe you committed the offense. The stigma remains. Robert Mueller wrote that his investigation did not establish that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia, rather than Attorney General William Barrs wording, more favorable to Mr. Trump, that Mr. Mueller did not find a conspiracy. It seems to me that Mr. Mueller intended the stigma of that Scottish not proven choice. Mr. Trump may call himself fully exonerated, yet I anticipate that if we get to read the Mueller report itself, we will see a much less favorable verdict. Steven C. Chinn Bronx To the Editor: As someone who firmly believes Donald Trump is unfit to be president, I have simple advice for the Democratic Party: Put the Mueller report behind you and concentrate on the defeat of Mr. Trump in 2020. Mistakes were made in the 2016 campaign, resulting in the election of Mr. Trump. Learn from those mistakes. [Get a more personal, less conventional take on political developments, newsmakers, cultural milestones and more with Frank Brunis exclusive commentary every week. Sign up for his newsletter.] He had known, he said, that Republican officials in North Carolina cheat to draw the district lines. In fact their gerrymandering was deemed unconstitutional by a panel of federal judges last year and is now being examined by the Supreme Court. But he has learned that on top of that, They cheat to steal votes. And now theyre sending emails attacking Democrats, saying Democrats forced a new election. Its like zero moral compass literally zero. I didnt expect that. President Trump was asked late last month about what went down in the Ninth District, which has led to the indictment of an operative who worked for Harris, Leslie Dowless, on felony charges of obstruction of justice and unlawful possession of absentee ballots. He responded that all fraud was bad and pivoted into his self-pitying, delusional lament about an epidemic of illegal voting by undocumented immigrants. This didnt fit the narrative, McCready said. What an optimism-straining odyssey he has been on. He belonged to the bevy of military veterans who ran for office for the first time in 2018, and he stood out even among them for his avoidance of divisive issues, his insistence on the possibility of post-partisan consensus, his buoyancy. Hed been a Boy Scout in his teens. A chess champion, too. His dad, a history buff, made him memorize the Gettysburg Address in the seventh grade. At Duke University, he majored in economics and thought about a career in consulting or finance. But 9-11 had happened when he was a freshman, America was fighting wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan and he was struck by how few of his classmates went into the military. He felt an obligation to serve and figured if I was going to do it, go all the way. So he joined the Marines. MEXICO CITY In the first months of this year, the word huachicolero once a rarely used term has been on the lips of people all around the country. Car owners particularly have cursed it, but Ive even heard schoolchildren shouting it. Etymologists debate the words origins and whether its root comes from a Mayan term for thief or a French word for watered-down paint. But today, its used almost solely to refer to people who steal gasoline , diesel and even some crude oil, usually directly from pipelines, so they can sell it. This has become an extremely lucrative illegal business in Mexico . The term was brought to national attention by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has made a crackdown on these huachicoleros a cornerstone of his administration, which began in December. Soldiers have been securing pipelines, the police have raided the thieves mansions, and the authorities have recaptured tanks of stolen gasoline. Its been a messy operation. When Mr. Lopez Obrador shut down some pipelines in January, to stop the huachicoleros stealing from them, it caused shortages of gasoline in swaths of the country. The fuel thieves have fought back against the police and soldiers, blocking roads with burning cars and ambushing convoys. In January, they hung a banner with a message threatening to kill innocent people if Mr. Lopez Obrador didnt end the offensive. But he continued the battle, and it is a battle worth fighting. Mexicos oil is publicly owned, so when the fuel is looted on a grand scale, it robs the state of money. The government oil monopoly, Pemex, said the huachicoleros took fuel worth 140 billion pesos, or roughly $7.4 billion dollars, over three years. The huachicoleros also contribute to the lawlessness that has seen Mexicos murder rate rise and rise, with a record 33,300 or so homicides last year. And it is a catastrophic public health risk. When a crowd filled cans from a tapped pipeline in the town of Tlahuelilpan in January, a fireball exploded, burning many alive, leaving others hospitalized and struggling for their lives. The death toll for that disaster reportedly is now well over a hundred. Over the last three years, since Brexit and the Trumpening and the general rise of disreputable forces in Western politics, there has been a steadily boiling elite panic about the power of the paranoid fringe, the mainstreaming of conspiracy theories, the pull of fake news and the danger of alternative realities. And yet over that same period, a good many members of the opposition to Donald Trump a mix of serious journalists, cable television hosts, pop culture personalities, erstwhile government officials, professional activists and politicians have been invested in what appears to be exactly the kind of conspiracy-laced alternative reality that they believed themselves to be resisting. With the apparent no collusion conclusion to the Robert Mueller investigation, there will now be a retreat from this alternative reality to more defensible terrain the terrain where Trump is a sordid figure who admires despots and surrounded himself with hacks and two-bit crooks while his campaign was buoyed by a foreign powers hack of his opponent. All of this is still true, in the same way that once the W.M.D. and Qaeda connections turned out to be illusory, Saddam Hussein was still a wicked dictator whose reign deserved to end. But as with the Iraq war, what has been sold, and often fervently believed, about laffaire Russe has been something far more sweeping a story about active collaboration and tacit treason and the subjection of United States policymaking to Vladimir Putins purposes, a story where the trail of kompromat and collusion supposedly went back decades, a story that was supposed to end with indictments in Trumps inner circle, if not the jailing of the man himself. If you squint at NASA satellite photos taken on the evening of Mar. 7, you will see the immediate source of the blackout that paralyzed Venezuela for a week: two tiny wildfires, perilously close to essential power transmission lines. Zoom out and youll see the capital, Caracas, plunged into darkness. On Monday, another blackout struck Caracas and 16 other states. The government has blamed cyberattacks for the blackouts, but under Nicolas Maduro and his predecessor as president, Hugo Chavez, the electrical system was neglected for decades. To fully understand why it took Venezuela at least four days to restore power in March, you need an even wider lens: one that includes Washington. It is undeniable that Mr. Chavez and Mr. Maduro are to blame for having brought the country to this ruinous state . Nevertheless, United States economic sanctions have left Mr. Maduros government unable to resolve the crisis on its own. The cause of the first blackout is now well understood. A comprehensive report by the chairman of the engineering school at Central University in Caracas shows that the blackout resulted from a wildfire near three power transmission lines from the Guri Dam complex in southeastern Venezuela. The complex includes several hydroelectric dams and power stations that provide 80 percent of the nations electricity; its shutdown can thus by itself produce a nationwide blackout. In the capital of Zimbabwe, a building called Eastgate Centre holds nearly 350,000 square-feet of office space and shops. It uses 90 percent less energy than a similar sized building next door. Whats Eastgate Centres secret? Termites. In the 1990s, Mick Pearce, the buildings architect, took his inspiration from mounds built by fungus-farming termites he saw on a nature show. The insects created their own air conditioning systems that circulated hot and cool air between the mound and the outside. As architects and builders seek new and improved ways to cool buildings without using more energy in a warming world, a study of another type of termite mound suggests that Mr. Pearce wont be the last human to take design tips from these cockroach cousins. We think humans are the best designers, but this is not really true, said Kamaljit Singh, an engineer at Imperial College London and an author on the study, published Friday in the journal Science Advances. We can learn from small animals. These virtues are paraded on the website of a new entrepreneurship-focused lobbying firm, the Cicero Institute. The organization started quietly last year, and is intended to advocate for start-up interests. Its landing page is adorned with a quote from Cicero, a Roman philosopher-statesman who embraced much of Stoicisms ethical systems while remaining skeptical of its metaphysics: I have always been of the opinion that unpopularity earned by doing what is right is not unpopularity at all but glory. As stocks rise despite crises, as a new wave of wealth rises in the American West, and promotions and payouts come despite scandals, the old mantra that every start-up is going to save the world now rings hollow. But tenets of Stoicism which can be interpreted to argue that the world and its current power structure are correctly set as they are fit right in. Is this really a thing? Stoicism has been the preferred viral philosophy for a moment for years now or two decades, by one count. The topic of Stoicism usually comes up in the Valley in terms of the maintenance of the personal life. Start-ups big and small believe their mission is to make the transactions of life frictionless and pleasing. But the executives building those things are convinced that a pleasing, on-demand life will make them soft. So they attempt to bring the pain. Were kept in constant comfort, said Kevin Rose, the founder of Digg, in an interview on Daily Stoic, a popular blog for the tech-Stoic community. Mr. Rose said he tries to incorporate practices in his life that mimic our ancestors environments and their daily challenges: This can be simple things like walking in the rain without a jacket or wearing my sandals in the December snow when I take the dog out in the mornings. In the beginning, it was. Founded by the editor Nick Logan as a music magazine with an eye for style, it showcased David Bowie, John Lydon and Siouxsie Sioux among its first covers. Early contributors included Julie Burchill, Jon Savage and James Truman, who would go on to become the editorial director of Conde Nast. With each issue, the magazine quickly broadened to track night life, youth culture, politics and fashion. There was this view of The Face as a fashion magazine, but it wasnt, said Paul Gorman, the author of The Story of The Face: The Magazine That Changed Culture. It was a general interest magazine. The Face offered something new. All these things we now take for granted didnt really exist, said Princess Julia, a D.J. and artist who has been a linchpin of London counterculture since the 1970s. At the time, Julia was living in a London squat with friends like Stephen Jones, now the milliner for labels such as Dior and Marc Jacobs. I mean, whod heard of a stylist in 1981? Face readers were obsessive. I was one of them, living in a small village 100 miles north of London. I bought my first issue, April 1986, at age 12. The magazine taught me how to read with discernment. It was personal: None of my friends cared. All that mattered to me was that, each month, I soaked up its information and let it push my own thinking about what was possible. Its readers were not just in Britain. I was going to the mall to buy a 12-inch, said Honey Dijon, a D.J. and producer who grew up in Chicago. She was a teenager in the 1980s. They had these magazines on the countertop at JRs Music . I freaked out because Id never seen a man in a skirt on a magazine before. In 2013, the company started an ambitious, flashy effort to create robots. Now, its goals are more modest, but the technology is subtly more advanced. Brian Dawson and March 26, 2019 MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. Google has quietly been retooling an ambitious but troubled robotics program that was once led by an executive who left the company amid accusations of sexual harassment. Starting in 2013, the internet company spent tens of millions of dollars buying six robotics start-ups in the United States and Japan. The project included two teams specializing in machines that looked and moved like humans. In a nod to Googles grand ambitions, Andy Rubin, the vice president of engineering who ran the effort, called it Replicant . (The term was originally used in the science-fiction movie Blade Runner.) Little came of it. Over the next few years, Google either sold off the companies it had acquired or shut them down. The best known of the bunch, Boston Dynamics, was bought by the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank and is still working on robots that move like humans or animals. Mr. Rubin left Google in 2014 after the harassment allegations. On Tuesday, Google unveiled a Doodle in honor of Chen Mao Ping, the renowned Chinese-born author known as Sanmao, on what would have been her 76th birthday. She traveled the globe and wrote of her adventures, inspiring generations of women to see the world beyond their own homes. Sanmao died in 1991 in Taiwan, but its not hard to imagine that while traveling she had encountered some risk, as many women who travel today do. After the publication of a New York Times article about the dangers women face while traveling alone a thread in a broader fabric of harassment and violence readers had lots of suggestions about how to keep women safe. Jessica Nabongo, who appeared in the article, says she stays in hotels with 24-hour security or in Airbnbs that have achieved Superhost status. She tries to always take Ubers so that her location is tracked, especially at night. Paramount among the suggestions were calls for men to be allies. Many readers noted that men can do much to help women and others who travel alone by simply not ignoring the bad behavior of others. If something seems amiss, check on another traveler, and if need be, intervene safely or alert the authorities. Our columnist, Sebastian Modak, is visiting each destination on our 52 Places to Go in 2019 list. He arrived in Columbus, Ohio, from Cheyenne, Wyo., where the state was commemorating 150 years of womens suffrage, and then moved on to Williamsburg, Va. Before beginning this journey, I didnt realize how often Id be traversing time, as well as space. Like a sci-fi sojourner crossing dimensions, Ive found myself in places I didnt recognize, not just because of unfamiliar terrain, but because it felt like I had landed in another era. There was the time warp in 1960s Las Vegas and, in Santa Catalina, Panama, two timelines for the future: one of rapid development, another of peaceful seclusion. But nowhere has the demarcation between past and future been as clear to me as it was in Columbus, Ohio, a city obsessed with its future, and in Williamsburg, Va., a place dedicated to its past, even as it reassesses it. No looking back Admittedly, Columbus had long been a blank spot in my understanding of the country. Not so for my Instagram followers. I had more people send direct messages to me about Columbus things to do, favorite restaurants, offers to act as tour guides than any other place so far. A suspect in the deadly shooting of an off-duty police officer in Chicago over the weekend was targeting the first Hispanic man he saw after a dispute with a group of Latino men, the citys police superintendent said. The officer, John Rivera, 23, was shot in a parked car early Saturday along with a friend, who was hospitalized and is now in stable condition, according to Melissa Staples, the Chicago Police Departments chief of detectives. Surveillance camera video showed that one of the two men who have been charged in the attack, Menelik Jackson, 24, encountered the Latino men on a party bus in front of a McDonalds in the River North neighborhood, Chief Staples said at a news conference on Monday. Mr. Jackson, who is black, was punched in the face by one of the men and ran away, the chief said. Shortly after, Mr. Jackson returned but the party bus had left the area, Chief Staples said. Mr. Jackson then got in his white Ford pickup truck and searched the area for the bus but did not find it, she said. Seven Muslim worshipers gathered on Saturday night for an overnight spiritual retreat at the Islamic Center mosque in Escondido, Calif., about a week after dozens of Muslims were massacred thousands of miles away in New Zealand. Shortly before dawn prayers on Sunday, someone noticed a fire outside the building, the police said. One person called 911. Someone rushed to put out the flames using a fire extinguisher. An outside wall was scorched but not badly damaged, and no one was injured. Still, harm was done: There was anti-Muslim graffiti referring to the New Zealand attack. On Tuesday, an Escondido Police Department official, Lt. Chris Lick, said in a phone interview that the fire had been set with an accelerant. But there were no suspects, he said, and investigators were examining video surveillance from anywhere we could get it. The department, which announced in a statement on Sunday that the fire was being investigated as arson and a hate crime, is working with the F.B.I., the San Diego Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on the case. Prosecutors sought a life sentence. But Judge Marcia Cooke balked, noting that there were no specific, identifiable victims of his crimes and that the F.B.I. had known what he was doing for years before arresting him a fact that she said does not support the governments argument that Mr. Hassoun poses such a threat to the community that he needs to be imprisoned for the rest of his life. In the lawsuit, Mr. Hassouns lawyers accused the government of seeking to impose what amounts to a life sentence on the very same basis that the trial judge considered and rejected. The Departments of Homeland Security and Justice declined to comment. Complicating matters, the lawsuit says that the F.B.I. has produced a memorandum assessing Mr. Hassoun as a security risk for reasons that go beyond his actions two decades ago, citing allegations that he used unspecified incendiary rhetoric in Muslim prayer services at the immigration facility and tried to recruit three unidentified fellow detainees for illegal activities. Neither the government nor his defense team would provide the memo to The New York Times or describe the purported illegal activities. Ms. Hallett and Mr. Manes called the claims false, and said making the details of such slander public would only smear their clients reputation. Part of their argument is that he has a right to a hearing to confront his accusers and contest the credibility of such claims. While the dispute over Mr. Hassoun is new, the dilemma it raises is not. A longstanding immigration statute says that when a foreigner is subject to a final removal order, the government should take him into custody for deportation. But it does not dictate what should happen if that goal proves impossible. In June 2001, the Supreme Court rejected the idea that the government can hold such people indefinitely. Writing for a five-justice majority, Justice Stephen G. Breyer said that it would be unconstitutional to interpret the law as permitting perpetual civil detention, and set a general six-month limit for such custody. Still, in that case, Zadvydas v. Davis, the majority also suggested that exceptions could be made for special circumstances, like if a detainee had a mental illness that caused him to pose a threat to public safety. Justice Breyer also noted that the case before the court in 2001 did not involve terrorism. It was sold as a next generation aircraft. But it has now been involved in two fatal crashes in just five months. The Boeing 737 Max 8 entered the market in 2017, a part of the 737 Max class, and became an instant hit. Within the first six months, more than 4,000 Boeing 737 Max 8 planes had been ordered. It quickly became the companys best-selling plane ever. The new model was advertised as a rare win-win for both airlines and passengers. Its going to give them max efficiency, which leads to profitability; max reliability, and to the flying public: max passenger appeal. The demand for something new. Boeing debuted the new planes in response to market pressures. In late 2010, Boeings archrival, Airbus, had just announced a new fuel-efficient version of its best selling A320. Boeing countered with the introduction of the 737 Max The Max uses 14 percent less fuel than current 737s its own version of fuel- and cost- efficient aircrafts. Their message to customers was: These are new planes that arent that new. Boeing 737 Newest arrival in the Boeing family of airliners, the 737 attracts a crowd. Boeings first 737 model took off in 1967. A new queen of the sky. For the Max class, Boeing upgraded the engine and design. They added more cabin space, bigger windows and multicolored ceiling lights to help modernize the planes. But the company kept the 737 name because it evoked a legacy of reliability and built trust. Ill tell you what, its just a beautiful, beautiful airplane. Not only were they able to modernize the airplane with new engines, and new winglets, but they were able to keep that classic iconic 737 look. But that isnt the whole story. The new model was also designed to help carriers save money. Which means CEOs like the Max. Really like the Max. Major changes to the plane would have required pilots to be retrained. But Boeings position was that the new models handled enough like the old ones. Though the 737 Max 8 planes did actually have a number of changes, including the size and location of the engines. The higher and more forward position of the larger engines can cause the planes nose to pitch up, a potential danger. To compensate for this, Boeing added a computerized system called MCAS to prevent the planes nose from getting too high and causing a stall. But the F.A.A. initially said pilots did not need to be informed of this system update. Experts say that the lack of training for the new system may have helped cause a deadly crash with a Max 8 off the coast of Indonesia in October, killing 189 people. All of the Boeing 737 Max 8s in the world are believed to have been grounded, while a second crash in Ethiopia is investigated. Boeing said it supported the decision to ground the planes and is cooperating with investigators. I dont think theyre talking about impeachment, he said on Tuesday as he walked into a Senate Republican luncheon on the other side of the Capitol. We have the greatest economy weve ever had. Our country is in incredible shape. They and others created a fraud on our country with this ridiculous witch hunt, where it was proven very strongly, no collusion, no obstruction, no nothing. In fact, the special counsel pointedly said he did not exonerate Mr. Trump on the issue of obstruction of justice. It was Attorney General William P. Barr who stepped in to reject that charge. Nonetheless, Democratic leaders were eager not to make too much of the opening. They have tried for months to play down the possibility of impeachment. Too divisive, they said. Too dangerous. Not worth it, said Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, who has urged her colleagues to beat Mr. Trump at the ballot box instead. Mr. Muellers report to Mr. Barr, summarized in a letter to Congress on Sunday, seems to have finally proved the point. Mr. Barr wrote that Mr. Mueller had not found evidence to prove that the Trump campaign had conspired with Russia to subvert the 2016 presidential election or to bring a case that the president obstructed justice. Ms. Pelosi met privately with members of her leadership team Monday night to discuss the path forward after the conclusion of Mr. Muellers investigation. On Tuesday, they emerged abuzz about a Trump administrations legal motion to have the Affordable Care Act invalidated by the federal courts and intent on wrestling the narrative back to the partys policy agenda. Democrats have not given up on the Mueller report entirely, with six committee leaders leading the fight for access to the full report. And they say they will push ahead energetically with their own investigations into other aspects of the Trump presidency. WASHINGTON The Trump administrations decision to ask a federal appeals court to invalidate the Affordable Care Act has given House Democrats a new opening to pursue what they see as a winning political strategy: moving past talk of impeachment to put kitchen-table issues like health care front and center. The notice to the court, filed late Monday by the Justice Department, could not have come at a more opportune time for Democrats. The finding by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, that there was no evidence of a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, dashed the hopes of the most partisan Democrats that the House would impeach the president. Speaker Nancy Pelosi who celebrated her 79th birthday on Tuesday had already planned to move to change the conversation with the unveiling of the Democrats own health care plan on Tuesday. The Democrats bill aims to lower health insurance premiums, strengthen protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions and ban the sale of what Democrats call junk insurance. The Justice Departments move gave the unveiling an urgency that not even she could have anticipated. There is no question that Ms. Harris remains far behind Mr. Sanders and Mr. ORourke in the race for small donors. But unlike those two rivals, Ms. Harris has not benefited from running in a campaign that soaked up national attention, which suggests she has barely begun to tap into her fund-raising potential, digital experts said. Ms. Harriss first-day fund-raising figures were almost identical to what Mr. Sanders raised on his first day in 2015, when he made a splash as a favorite of grass-roots givers. Her campaign has said that her email list grew by 20 percent on that day alone. People close to the Sanders and ORourke campaigns view Ms. Harris as the candidate most likely to eventually compete with them for small donations. Some rivals have already witnessed her lists force and reach. The day of Ms. Klobuchars windfall, Ms. Harris had written an email seeking contributions for several female Democratic senators, including Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who is also running for president. The number of online donations Ms. Gillibrand received that day ranks as her fourth-most one spot behind the day President Trump attacked her on Twitter according to an analysis of election data from ActBlue, which processes Democratic donations online. For Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, also a 2020 candidate, her top two days in the last six years, in terms of number of online donations, coincided with days that Ms. Harris had asked her email list to support Ms. Warren financially. (One was after the now-infamous attempt to silence Ms. Warren on the Senate floor, when the Republican leader declared, Nevertheless, she persisted.) [Check out the Democratic field with our candidate tracker.] We couldnt run a campaign of this magnitude without the consistent support of our incredible online supporters, said Shelby Cole, who runs Ms. Harriss email program and previously worked on Mr. ORourkes Senate race. Our supporters arent an ATM. This is a deep, lasting relationship we constantly seek to strengthen because their voices are central to our grass-roots campaign. Unlike Mr. Sanders and Ms. Warren, who have sworn off big-money fund-raisers, Ms. Harris has raced across the country to appear at events where donors give as much as $2,800 to attend; last week she held fund-raisers in Texas and California. Senator Kamala Harris of California announced a plan Tuesday to heavily invest federal money into teacher pay, the first policy rollout of her campaign for the Democratic nomination for president. Ms. Harriss proposal, which was billed as the largest federal investment in teacher pay in U.S. history, marks the next step for a campaign that began in February before a crowd of 20,000 supporters. [Join the conversation around the 2020 election: Sign up here for the On Politics newsletter.] In a statement detailing the proposed increase in teacher pay, Ms. Harris said that, under her administration, the Department of Education would create incentivized baselines for teacher salaries that local school districts would have to meet in order to receive certain federal funds. The average teacher in America would receive a $13,500 pay increase, the campaign said. We have got to think about how we can bridge the gap between helplessness and hope, Ms. Harris said at a campaign rally in Houston on Saturday, where she unveiled early portions of the teacher pay plan. We dont need walls. We need bridges. And thats what we need in the next president of the United States someone who knows how to build bridges, not walls. WASHINGTON The Trump administration will withhold funding from foreign nongovernmental organizations that give money to foreign groups that perform abortions, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday. In an expansion of the administrations anti-abortion policies, Mr. Pompeo also said the government was fully enforcing a law that prohibits groups from using United States aid to lobby on abortion issues. We will enforce a strict prohibition on backdoor funding schemes and end-runs around our policy, Mr. Pompeo said. American taxpayer dollars will not be used to underwrite abortions. The move builds on a 2017 announcement by the Trump administration that it was reinstating and expanding the so-called Mexico City policy. The executive action dating to 1984 and described by critics as the global gag rule requires foreign nongovernmental organizations to refuse to perform abortions in exchange for receiving American funding. WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against sailors injured in the 2000 bombing of the destroyer Cole in Yemen by Qaeda operatives, saying the sailors had failed to serve their legal papers properly in a lawsuit against the government of Sudan. The decision threw out a $314 million default judgment, though the court said the sailors should be able to pursue further litigation. The attack killed 17 American sailors and injured dozens more. Fifteen of the injured sailors and three of their spouses sued Sudan by delivering a copy of their suit to its embassy in Washington. The suit said Sudan had harbored and supported Osama bin Laden and other members of Al Qaeda in the years before the bombing. The question for the justices was whether the suit had been properly served. A federal law allows service against foreign governments by any form of mail requiring a signed receipt, to be addressed and dispatched to the head of the ministry of foreign affairs of the foreign state concerned. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., writing for eight members of the court, said the language of the statute required sending the legal papers to the foreign ministry in Sudan rather than Sudans embassy in Washington. Its one of the darkest arts of electoral politics. And its perfectly legal. This is like original sin. Both sides are infected with it. Gerrymandering. It has a surprising history and an uncertain future, as the nation awaits a ruling by the Supreme Court. What it has become to mean is districts that I dont like because somebody else drew them. The former steel town of Tarentum in western Pennsylvania is a mix of working-class Republicans and Democrats. Former Congressman Jason Altmire says thats given him a close-up view of how gerrymandering works. When I was in office, if you lived in this house you were my constituent. But if you lived on this side, your congressman was 60 miles away in Johnstown, Pa. Its a small town. Theyre in the same school district. Theyre one community, except for the fact they were represented by two different members of Congress. In the decade after each new census, states redraw their congressional and legislative districts. The party in power, whether Republican or Democrat typically draws maps to protect its own members. Well, if youre right there on that line, and that border, and if its a crazy district, it can become very confusing. But gerrymandering isnt a partisan problem. We see this in other states like Maryland where its been the Democrats in power and the Democrats drawing the map to essentially marginalize Republican power. Gerrymandering doesnt just determine how many Democrats and Republicans will serve. It determines what kind of Democrats and Republicans. It contributes to polarization. It makes the more liberal Democrats more likely to win. It makes the more conservative Republicans more likely to win. And they are less likely to cooperate with each other, and that gets us to the politics we have now. If youre a member of Congress representing that type of district, you dont hear different points of view. You hold a town hall meeting and all you ever hear is, Right on, keep doing what youre doing, and dont you dare compromise. Both parties have long played the redistricting game. But todays hard-fought battles have their origins 30 years ago, when the Supreme Court rendered a decision that upended the political landscape. And in one unanimous decision today, the court said that North Carolinas redistricting plan violated the 1982 Voting Rights Act by reducing black voting power. The court ruled that under the Voting Rights Act, minority groups should have the opportunity to elect their preferred candidates to Congress. Need your help! The remedy? New majority-minority districts, where minority residents of voting age made up more than 50 percent of the population. In several states, new snake-like district lines were drawn, linking together small pockets of black voters. I feel like things are changing in the right direction. Just want to say hello to you. Im running for Congress. In the 1992 elections, the new majority-minority districts achieved their goal, and 17 new black representatives were elected to Congress. The new Congress looks more like America than any other Congress in history. Hello, America! One of them was a North Carolina lawyer and activist named Eva Clayton. From 1901 to 1992, no Afro-American had ever represented North Carolina. So that was a beautiful, historical moment. We too sing America. I felt privileged, I felt honored, and I felt humbled and blessed. But for the Democrats, who still controlled the redistricting process, there was a price to pay. By packing black voters into a limited number of districts, there were fewer Democrats everywhere else. And Republicans saw an opportunity to divide and conquer. Let me tell you that the Voting Rights Act has the potential to really shake things up and frankly it is frightening to the Democrats. Very quickly, the Republican politicos figured out that if you drew three minority-majority districts, it meant that there were three incredibly Democrat districts, which meant there were more Republicans in the other eight or 10 districts. So the Republicans went to the African-American community, largely Democratic, and said, Lets make a deal. In South Carolina, blacks and Republicans are already talking about a crescent-shaped district through the southern part of the state. The alliance, when it comes to redistricting, between the Republicans, mostly in the South, and the African-Americans, mostly in the South, has been called The unholy alliance. Certainly, the Republicans knew what they were doing. The first sign of what a big deal the unholy alliance was was the 1994 elections. We will keep our commitment to keep our half of the contract with the help of the American people. Theres a new wind blowing, and it is a majority for Republicans. You saw the white Democrats in the South losing seat after seat. Voters sweep Democrats from power in midterm elections and give Republicans control of the House and Senate for the first time in 40 years. So its an irony. More African-American districts meant less Democrats were elected. I dont think the African-American community was out to destroy the Democratic Party, but they were out to get the representation they thought they were entitled to. What happened was, it led to complete Republican dominance of virtually every state south of the Mason-Dixon line. So its sort of like taking our fight against racism, and the advancements weve made and the laws weve used and literally turning them around on their head and saying, These are the laws you want and you fought for? Fine. Were going to implement them 150 percent and see if you like that. Let me hold the map. Angela Bryant served in the North Carolina legislature from one of the carefully drawn majority-minority districts. Whats on the left side is in my district. Its one of the few trailer parks thats still in the city. The lines can get complicated, even for a seasoned legislator. So Im going to stop here and get my bearing. This road is sort of the boundary. And this is what I cant tell, if these are in or out. It always bothered me, in terms of gerrymandering, that there was what I call a finger that scooped down into what was otherwise my district that interrupted the compactness and scooped out the wealthier households, which are more white and Republican. In a micro sense, both me and my community benefited from the racial gerrymander, in that I got to represent them. However, in the big sense, it rendered us powerless in that the surrounding white communities and representatives didnt need us, and they could label our party as the black party. Having lost their voting strength, Democrats are now running up against the reality that Republicans are firmly in control of mapmaking in a majority of states. The map drawers create a map which is perhaps likely to elect 10 Republicans and three Democrats. I acknowledge freely that this would be a political gerrymander, which is not against the law. Come up with something different. It could be five Democratic seats. Democrats dont like the fact that Republicans took over a lot of state legislatures, and what weve seen with Democrats across the country is to look for bogeymen under every rock they can to explain their electoral failures. And, of course, it is my opinion that Democrats want to use the courts to do what they cant win at the ballot box, and that is elections. Across the country, gerrymandering is facing challenges in court. In North Carolina in 2018, the courts ruled that Republicans had packed too many African-American voters into too few districts. North Carolina is really ground zero for gerrymandering. It was a victory for Democrats, but Angela Bryants district was a casualty. It was more compact now, but also much more Republican. Bryant decided not to run for re-election. People say, Oh, they pushed her out. They didnt push me out. Its a shift we helped design and we pushed for. The Republicans, they said, You realize if you fight this you lose your district. And Im saying, somehow youre missing the point. I say, its not my district thats important to me. Im against racism. Were insulted to have a district based on racial discriminatory practices. Black people are overwhelmingly Democrats. So the question is, is it in the interest of African-Americans to have African-American legislators elected? Or is it in the interest of African-Americans to have the party they belong to have power? You may not be able to have both. Regardless of election outcomes or court decisions, Americas political divisions are unlikely to go away anytime soon. It has to do with where Americans live. The problem that Democrats have is they have sorted themselves into like-minded communities, and it makes it very easy to draw lines that advantage the Republican Party because you can put all the Democrats into one single area. And thats not something thats going to change. Thats a social trend that is greater and more impactful than just gerrymandering. Heres what the Democrats need to do to fix their problem. They need to go win people back over in areas theyve lost, or they need to get the ones they have to move to other places. A Democrat would draw it differently. They would probably come here to Cumberland, divide it up and do something like this, and try to find a district by combining all over the state. I mean, they have lost voters and they dont have voters in the right areas. I mean, thats just what it is. In a democracy, what we have as a final tool are our votes. Thats how people express themselves. Fifty years ago, before the days of majority-minority districts, Eva Clayton ran for Congress and lost. When you find people who are in tears because you lost, then you know that you have not only stirred the emotions, but also the hope. Today, Clayton feels that a minority candidate like herself can appeal to everyone. I have hope that America has moved far enough that a Eva Clayton could get elected. Now I dont know why Eva Clayton would want to run right now. But anyhow, I think I can make my case to anyone. I just need the opportunity to do that. WASHINGTON Nearly a year after imposing stiff tariffs on foreign metals, the United States is pressing Canada and Mexico to agree to permanent limits on the amount of steel and aluminum they export to America each year. The demand, reiterated in meetings with Canadian officials this week, has been rejected by Canada and Mexico and is eliciting opposition from American companies that use foreign steel and aluminum in their products. The dispute is further complicating efforts to finalize a new North American Free Trade Agreement, which faces a long battle in Congress and must be ratified by legislators in all three nations. Canada and Mexico had hoped that President Trump would remove the tariffs last year, when the three countries agreed on a new trade deal known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. That did not happen, and Mexico and Canada are now demanding that the United States drop the levies as a condition of ratifying the deal. But Mr. Trumps advisers appear hesitant to do away with what they see as a source of leverage with Canada and Mexico. Democrats, who now control the House, have made clear they will not approve the new agreement without changes that could require all three countries to sign off, and the White House may use the tariffs as a cudgel to force Canada and Mexico to agree to any alterations. [Watch the full remarks in the video above.] Mayor Rahm Emanuel: This is a whitewash of justice. One thing is, not only do I support the hard work of our police officers, the detective unit, Id like to remind everybody a grand jury indicted this individual based on only a piece of the evidence that the police had collected in that period of time. So the grand jury, actually, brought the charges. I think there are two things, three things Id like to say. One, on financial cost, this $10,000 doesnt even come close to what the city spent in resources to actually look over the cameras, gather all the data, gather all the information that actually brought the indictment by the grand jury on many, many multiple different charges. Second, is what I would call the ethical cost. The ethical cost is as a person who was in the House of Representatives when we tried to pass the Shepard legislation that dealt with hate crimes, putting them on the books, that President (Barack) Obama then signed into law; to then use those very laws and the principles and values behind the Matthew Shepard hate crimes legislation to self-promote your career is a cost that comes to all the individuals. Gay men and women who will come forward and one day say they were a victim of a hate crime now will be doubted. People of faith Muslim or any other religious faith who will be a victim of hate crimes; people of also, of all walks of life, of backgrounds, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, now this casts a shadow of whether theyre telling the truth, and he did this all in the name of self-promotion. And he used the laws of the hate crime legislation that all of us collectively over years have put on the books to stand up to be the values that embody what we believe in. This is a whitewash of justice. A grand jury could not have been clearer. To then say, not only is the cost $10,000 doesnt come close financially, but all the other repercussions of this decision made, I mean, where is the accountability in the system? You cannot have, because of a persons position, one set of rules apply to them and another set of rules apply to everybody else. [Read the full remarks by the mayor.] PARIS After weeks of large street protests, Algerias army chief of staff called Tuesday for a declaration that the incapacitated 82-year-old president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, be deemed unfit to rule, appearing to pave the way for an end to his 20 years in power. The army chief of staff, Gen. Ahmed Gaid Salah, one of the top power brokers in the regime, who had until recently been loyal to the president, threw his weight behind what he called the legitimate demands of the demonstrators in a speech broadcast continuously on Algerian television. The statement from the powerful army leader, in a speech in the central town of Ouargla, seemed to signal an end to the presidents rule, and the thousands who have taken to the streets of the capital Algiers and other cities nearly daily for weeks greeted the news with joy. Mr. Bouteflika, paralyzed and in a wheelchair, has not spoken to his country in years. Mr. Shanahan did not give a timeline for his review, saying only that it would end soon. In May, United States Africa Command finished an initial investigation into the ambush and found widespread problems across the military operation. That inquiry focused mostly on the actions of junior officers before an hourslong gun battle against dozens of Islamic State militants. A separate investigation, by Special Operations Command, has been in limbo as high-ranking Defense Department officials have been divided on its outcome. It largely sought to overhaul training protocols but also designated soldiers for awards for valor and for punishments. In December, before he left the Pentagon, Mr. Mattis criticized Defense Department officials for the length of the investigation and the fact that most of the resulting punishments were issued against junior officers with relatively little experience. The Army has since punished officers and enlisted soldiers who were involved in the battle at nearly every level of command, like a captain, who was the Green Beret team leader in the ambush, and the two-star general who oversaw all Special Operations Forces in Africa. The punishments focused primarily on training failures that led up to the attack on Oct. 4, 2017. Col. Bradley D. Moses, then the commander of the Third Special Forces Group, is the one of the only people in the Special Operations chain of command involved in the ambush who remains unpunished. BEIJING One of Chinas most prestigious universities has suspended a law professor and placed him under investigation after he published a series of essays that warned of deepening repression under President Xi Jinping, he said on Tuesday. Professor Xu Zhangrun, of Tsinghua University in Beijing, shot to prominence last year when he published a passionate essay in July that was a rare rebuke of Mr. Xis rule. The essay denounced Mr. Xis authoritarian tendencies as driving China back to closed, repressive politics that could prove disastrous for the country. In spite of censorship, the essay spread in China, capturing a current of disquiet about the direction of the country. Professor Xu received warnings, but he kept publishing pieces that criticized the authorities intolerance of dissent. Now, as if to prove Professor Xus point, the ruling Communist Party seems to want to silence him. His fate will be closely watched as a measure of how far the party under Mr. Xi will go in tightening restrictions over Chinese academic life, which is already heavily controlled. Since Mr. Xi came to power as party leader in 2012, he has taken particular aim at legal ideas, like constitutional limits on power, that he warned could be used to weaken party control. DOHA, Qatar When the United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001 and toppled the Taliban government, even those who surrendered were treated as terrorists: handcuffed, hooded and shipped to the American detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Now, in a stark demonstration of the twists and contradictions of the long American involvement in Afghanistan, five of those men are sitting across a negotiating table from their former captors, part of the Taliban team discussing the terms of an American troop withdrawal. [To follow the Afghan war peace negotiations, sign up for the weekly At War newsletter.] During our time in Guantanamo, the feeling was with us that we had been brought there unjustly and that we would be freed, said one of the former detainees, Mullah Khairullah Khairkhwa. But it never occurred to me that one day there would be negotiations with them, and I would be sitting there with them on one side and us on the other. The five senior Taliban officials were held at Guantanamo for 13 years before catching a lucky break in 2014. They were exchanged for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the only known American service member to be held by the insurgents as a prisoner of war. MELBOURNE, Australia Dozens of prominent Australian news outlets and journalists have been ordered to appear in court to answer allegations that they violated a gag order barring coverage of the trial of Cardinal George Pell, a former Vatican official who was convicted in December of molesting children. Among those summoned to appear in a Melbourne court on April 15 were editors and reporters for Fairfax Media, which owns The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Financial Review, and for Nationwide News, which is owned by News Corp. They could face fines and possibly prison time. Some of the news outlets themselves were also named in the summons. Ive never seen so many media organizations and journalists charged in one hit, said Jason Bosland, director of the Center for Media and Communications Law at Melbourne Law School. Chief Judge Peter Kidd, who presided over Cardinal Pells trial in the County Court of Victoria, imposed a suppression order on journalists who were covering it, on the grounds that news reports could prejudice a jury in what was then expected to be the second of two trials. It was the liquor talking, apparently. Two officials from an anti-immigrant political party in Australia said on Tuesday that an undercover recording of them explaining the political influence that money from the American gun lobby could potentially buy was not what it seemed. Their comments, they said, were just small talk made over rounds of scotch. In the recording, James Ashby, the chief of staff for Pauline Hanson, leader of the One Nation party, is heard to say that his right-wing party could own the Australian Senate and House of Representatives with a $20 million donation from the American gun lobby. The recording by a reporter for Al Jazeera was made in the United States during a trip last year, just weeks before an Australian law banning foreign political donations took effect. HONG KONG A Filipino woman who sheltered Edward J. Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor, when he fled to Hong Kong has been granted asylum in Canada, where she arrived on Monday with her daughter. The woman, Vanessa Mae Bondalian Rodel, was part of a group of asylum seekers in Hong Kong who briefly allowed Mr. Snowden to stay in their homes in 2013. This is a really great day, said her lawyer, Robert Tibbo. Shes departed Hong Kong. Shes left behind all the distress, hopelessness and uncertainty in life, the discrimination and marginalization she has suffered. The Hong Kong government in 2017 rejected the asylum claims of all seven migrants connected with Mr. Snowden. Since then they have been living in limbo, fearing deportation while awaiting decisions on asylum applications to Canada. There is no ownership of the issue by the government, said Anna Wicha, a director at the Adecco Group, one of the largest employment agencies in Poland. You ask how many Ukrainians are working here and they will say 500,000. But it is more than two million. And many may be going to Germany. For now, the government lacks a long-term strategy to expand the labor pool. Many experts and some opposition politicians in Poland say the situation will only be resolved if political leaders soften their resistance to migrants and embrace plurality. But at the national level, even talking about immigration can be politically lethal. When Pawel Chorazy, the deputy minister of investments and development, said during a televised debate before the October local elections that the inflow of immigrants to Poland needs to be increased to sustain economic growth, he was met with scorn. Joachim Brudzinski, the interior minister, said that Mr. Chorazys comments were not a position of the government. The prime minister, Mr. Morawiecki, said that Mr. Chorazy got seriously ahead of himself. Then he fired him. Politicians are dancing on the line, well aware that you can wake up demons, said Irena Kotowska, head of the center for demography at the Warsaw School of Economics. It is easy to play into nationalist feeling with anti-immigrant rhetoric. But the reality of the need in the labor market is more and more clear every day. This is a defining moment for the country, she added. Some decisions simply have to be made. Here in the central city of Lodz, the contradictions of Polands migration dilemma are evident. Unlike national leaders, however, the local mayor, Hanna Zdanowska, has embraced immigrants. When she ran last October, she called for an inclusive Poland that welcomed newcomers. The governing party campaigned hard against her, but she won with 70 percent of the vote, which she credited in part to the citys history of tolerance. It was once a manufacturing center of hundreds of red brick factories, with a diverse population of Dutch, English and German residents, and a strong Jewish contingent. MADRID An armed group attacked the North Korean Embassy in Madrid last month and then fled. Neighbors reported hearing a womans screams, but the embassy did not want to discuss the events with the Spanish police. On Tuesday, the story got even stranger. A Mexican man who lives in the United States led the raid, and later offered material stolen from the embassy to the F.B.I., a Spanish judge investigating the case said. In a summary of his investigation, Jose de la Mata, a judge of Spains national court, identified the leader of the gang as Adrian Hong Chang, who he said had escaped, through Portugal, to the United States. An American citizen, identified as Sam Ruy, was also involved in the Feb. 22 assault, he said. The judge later issued international arrest warrants for both suspects, according to an official from the court. ROME The founder and the entire editorial board have quit a Vatican womens magazine that has drawn international attention for exposing the abuse of nuns, citing a climate of distrust and progressive delegitimization of their work inside the Vaticans communications office. In a letter of resignation to Pope Francis, Lucetta Scaraffia, the founder and editor of Women Church World, wrote that the editorial board members, all women, felt in the last few months, that a hierarchy dominated by men was marginalizing them and did not value their work. It seems to us that a vital initiative is being reduced to silence, to return to the antiquated and arid method of the top-down selection, under direct male control, of women who are perceived as being reliable, Ms. Scaraffia wrote in the letter, dated March 21, which was provided to The New York Times. Instead of promoting fruitful discussion, the Vatican preferred to return to a clerical self-referential mode, she wrote. The monthly magazine, published by the Vatican newspaper LOsservatore Romano, has focused on womens issues and on the role of women inside the Roman Catholic Church. Recently it had become a forum for revealing and discussing hardships faced by some nuns around the world, including the exploitation of their labor and sexual abuse by priests. JERUSALEM For decades, international law has held that territory seized in war must be returned. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel asserted Tuesday that this was no longer a given. He made the argument after President Trump recognized Israels sovereignty over the Golan Heights, but his remarks, two weeks before a tight Israeli election, were taken to refer to the West Bank as well. There is a very important principle in international life, Mr. Netanyahu said late Monday after attending the Golan signing ceremony at the White House. When you start wars of aggression, you lose territory, do not come and claim it afterwards. It belongs to us. And moments before landing at Ben-Gurion Airport on Tuesday, he emphasized the point, telling reporters, Everyone says you cant hold an occupied territory, but this proves you can. If occupied in a defensive war, then its ours. Flash floods in Iran have killed at least 24 people and injured hundreds more after days of torrential rain caused rivers to overflow in various parts of the country, local news media reported on Tuesday. The sudden, destructive deluge hit the country during Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, when many take to the road for vacations. At least 19 people died in Shiraz, a city in southern Iran that is a popular tourist destination, according to the privately owned Tasnim News Agency, based in Tehran. SELAMAT DATANG DI MESINSLOT. SITUS JUDI CASINO DAN SLOT TERBAIK DI iNDONESIA - Pemeliharaan Terjadwal: Global Gaming pada 2021-02-26 dari 10:00 AM sampai 2031-02-26 10:00 AM (GMT + 7). Selama waktu ini, Global Gaming permainan tidak akan tersedia. Kami memohon maaf atas ketidaknyamanan yang mungkin ditimbulkan. - Pemeliharaan Terjadwal: Asia Gaming pada 2021-04-07 dari 1:00 PM sampai 2021-04-08 11:00 PM (GMT + 7). Selama waktu ini, Asia Gaming permainan tidak akan tersedia. Kami memohon maaf atas ketidaknyamanan yang mungkin ditimbulkan. - Pemeliharaan Terjadwal: S128 Cockfight pada 2021-02-26 dari 12:00 PM sampai 2031-02-26 12:00 PM (GMT + 7). Selama waktu ini, S128 Cockfight permainan tidak akan tersedia. Kami memohon maaf atas ketidaknyamanan yang mungkin ditimbulkan. In recent years, cattle farmers in Frances Brittany region have lost hundreds of cows to deaths that veterinarians simply cannot explain. After running various tests on their land, some now claim that the solar panels and wind turbines in the area are releasing too much electricity into the ground, which is slowly killing their animals. Although mysterious cattle deaths have been reported in various parts of Brittany, the situation is particularly dire in Cote-dAmour, where several farmers have sustained hundreds of losses in mysterious conditions. According to local farmer Patrick Le Nechet, his cattle just started losing weight a few years back and many of them ultimately died. The strange thing was that the animals didnt seem to be suffering from any diseases and the veterinarians couldnt explain the cause of death. After conducting his own investigation, Le Nechet concluded that the mysterious deaths started occurring around the time that a photovoltaic installation appeared in the area. Photo: Couleur/Pixabay The cows started losing weight, and weve lost 120 of them in the last five years, Le Nechet told Europe1. It can not be explained, not even veterinarians know what to do. After beginning to suspect that the solar panels near his farm may be to blame for the mysterious deaths of his cattle, Patrick Le Nechet conducted tests on his land and found that there were electrical currents of over one volt both in the ground and in the water, three times the accepted threshold for animals. There is a direct electrical current going into the earth, the desperate farmer said. Watching all the animals die, its unbearable. Stephane Le Brechec, another cattle farmer from Allineuc, 30 kilometers Cote-dAmour, has lost even more cows in mysterious conditions. He started suspecting something was wrong after 37 of his cows died in six months. Today, the death count is over 200 and he is extremely worried. Photo: distel2610/Pixabay Im panicking. So far, Ive invested 500,000 euros, I can not pay my bills, the situation is dramatic, Le Brechec complained, adding that he has identified at least 17 probable culprits for the unexplained deaths, including wind turbines, antennas and transformers. At this point, French cattle farmers are merely speculating, because there is no irrefutable proof that the electrical current from sustainable energy installations is killing the cows. However, the negative effect electricity has on cattle is well documented. Two years ago, another French farmer from Val de Saone, in Rhone, reported problems related to the electrical current from a nearby industrial area. He claimed that the electrical current sent into the ground by large transformers influenced the health and behavior of his cows. When there are power spikes, some cows gather in one corner, others start to limp, calves that felt good the day before, die, the farmer told Le Progres, adding that many of his cows were also losing weight and producing considerably less milk. Thibaut Bouchut, Building Advisor of the Sanitary Defense Group, confirmed that electricity can indeed cause problems for cattle farmers. The human body has an electrical resistance of 1,500 Ohms, while the cows, only 500 Ohms, not to mention that they are not separated from the ground by rubber soles, Bouchut said. Breeders are not always aware of electrical disturbances, and sometime the seemingly-unexplained problems they face discourage them, even if they are competent. Farms close down because of that. In most places around the world, people are taught that eating raw meat is bad for them due to the high risk of contacting parasites and harmful bacteria, but in Ethiopia raw meat is a popular delicacy. Walking through the streets of Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, its not uncommon to see groups of people gathered around restaurant tables feasting on chunks of raw beef or goat meat. Although particularly popular on holidays or various celebrations, like weddings, a lot of people consume raw meat virtually every day. They will tell you that raw meat is a hearty meal that energizes them and refreshes their bodies, as for the risks associated with eating uncooked meat, which include exposure to tapeworms and dangerous bacteria like salmonella and E-coli, most just choose to ignore them. Photo: Zichrini/Pixabay I do not buy that nonsense, one raw meat lover told Vpro Metropolis correspondent Yidnek Lemma. For the last 20 years I have been eating raw meat and I never got sick. My body loves it! I think that is false information, another raw meat enthusiast said about the dangers associated with eating uncooked meat. Recently my grandmother died when she was 114-years-old and my mother when she was 92. They ate raw meat until the end of their days. Dr. Mesafint Abebe, who runs a private clinic in Addis Ababa, told Turkish news agency Anadolu that most raw meat fans tend to overemphasize the nutritional benefits of meat, while ignoring or flat-out denying the risks associated with their eating habit. Many of the patients diagnosed with health issues caused by consuming uncooked meat usually return to his clinic complaining of the same ailments. No one knows exactly how eating raw meat has come to be so popular in the African country, but the most widely-accepted explanation can be traced back to one of the many wars between the Christian Gurage and the Muslims, centuries ago. Gurage fighters hiding in the mountains would often get exposed by cooking their meat, as the smoke and smell of the meat would attract their enemies, who then slaughtered them in their sleep. Once they became aware of this, the Gurage started consuming the meat raw. However, the wars have been over for a long time, yet Ethiopians continue to consume raw meat. It has become a sort of national dish consumed by all ethnic groups and followers of all faiths, leading some scholars to describe it as a transcendental national dish. The most popular raw meat dishes served in Ethiopia are tere siga, literally raw meat, long strips of meat from which small bites are sliced with a knife and dipped in various sauces, like Mitmita a powdered hot chili mixed with spices or Awaze, a kind of chili paste, and kifto, finely chopped beef mixed with spiced Ethiopian butter and served with Awaze or fresh crumbled cheese. John Childs JW Childs Assocs, has rebranded as Prospect Hill Growth Partners following the Feb. 22 raid of a Florida massage parlor that netted its chairman/co-founder John Childs. The 77-year-old Childs, who stepped down Feb. 27, has dismissed the charge of soliciting prostitution lodged against him as "totally false." The raid was part of an investigation into human trafficking that resulted in similar charges against Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots. Prospect Hill will continue to operate under the leadership of Phil Damiano, Joe Fortunato, Mitchell Eisenberg and Lewis Gold, operating partners under JW Childs Assocs. The Boston-area private equity firm has invested more than $2.5B in 35 portfolio companies. A heritage and community-led submission is currently being undertaken by Edenderry Chamber of Commerce and Edenderry District Lions Club to put the town in the running for future funding initiatives. Chamber chairperson Christine Traynor is drafting the submission which includes a stocktake of Edenderrys heritage and cultural Assets such as Blundell Castle Development, Church Walk and Monasteroris Graveyard. Working side-by side with the District Lions Club, a renowned and well-considered organisation that supports local communities, the two committees joined forces to ensure Edenderry is considered in the National Planning for Investment in Heritage & Culture. Christine, a new Fianna Fail candidate for the Edenderry Electoral Area, says give me any opportunity and I will put our region on the agenda." Christine is campaigning on a number of fronts, inlcuding the wastewater treatment plant debacle in Edenderry and Walsh Island threatening to stunt construction, as well as road and footpath concerns for residents in Greenwood, Fairgreen Churchview and Clonbullogue. "Working with Edenderrys Chamber of Commerce has really put Edenderry on the agenda," she said. Following the successful 'A Gateway to the Hudden Heartlands campaign in 2018, an important follow-on is the chamber announcement for the return of the Easter Boating Raleigh in 2019 which has been confirmed for April 20. The chamber has worked with Waterways Ireland and Inland Waterways Ireland to ensure the return of the popular event in Edenderry. "The Chamber Committee have together been working hard to roll-out a welcome mat on that day and a cross-community effort is been undertaken, with the help of the Edenderry Fesitval Committee, the Edenderry Parade Committee, The Tidy Towns and the Local CE Scheme and with pubs, shops and eateries all joining forces to bring to life the community spirit that we all know exists in our much-loved communities," Christine said. The Chamber of Commerce have been working hard on the Hidden Heartlands: Edenderry, A Gateway and campaigning for infrastructure to raise the profile of the town, bringing tourists and supporting indigenous job growth. Speaking about putting Edenderry on the heritage and culture map, Christine said: Our national heritage offers a window into our origins, allowing us a glimpse into our history." It is also enormously fulfilling to participate in our local district. In an ever-changing, smartphoned, iPadded, instant-access, future-obsessed world, there is solace in all things local." "Local heritage is the patchwork quilt of everything we call 'home.' It celebrates our home landscape, an enduring landmark such as Blundell Castle, which should be restored, a prominent church steeple, the Church walk, continued Christine. Of course, local heritage celebrates our local shops, pubs and eateries and our local people too! Christine supports identifying a key location in the town that could be developed in family-friendly parkland. "A lot of work has been done by those community-activists in developing a playground, a pitch and putt area and the soon to be skatepark, all much-needed amenities and the great work being done must be supported," Christine concluded. She encouraged people to suggest locations that could be developed to promote the culture and heritage of Edenderry and bring the community together around tangible heritage features.' Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 26) Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo is sticking by his earlier statement that the late Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago's election as a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) was void. Defensor Santiago's sister, Dr. Linn Defensor Evangelista, on Monday cried foul over the spokesman's stance on the issue. In a statement, Defensor Evangelista slammed Panelo's remarks, saying it is "deeply disturbing when politics enters the realm of a person's life and personal achievement." She added it was "immoral and extremely disrespectful" especially considering that her sister is no longer around to defend herself. "To say that the Philippine membership in the ICC is not valid and that Miriam was not a valid ICC judge is irresponsible, offensive and full of malice," she said. In a media briefing Tuesday, Panelo apologized to the late lawmaker's sister for "hurting her feelings." However, he said his earlier statement was only "misunderstood." "I'm apologizing for hurting her but I think the concern and the hurt is misplaced. I am an admirer and a friend of the late Miriam Defensor Santiago," Panelo told reporters. "If the theory is that we never were under the jurisdiction of the ICC, it goes without saying as logic, then any appointment to the international court would be void," he clarified. Malacanang on Monday stressed the Defensor Santiago's election as ICC judge was "void" as the country was never under the tribunal's jurisdiction. Panelo added the appointment was only seen as valid before because the perception was that the country was still under ICC jurisdiction. "She was very much qualified to be a justice. She had the credentials but the problem is, prior to the assumption of the presidency of the President, nobody knew that we were never under the jurisdiction of the ICC," the spokesman noted. The country's withdrawal from the ICC became official on March 17, though Malacanang insists that the Philippines was never under the ICC's jurisdiction to begin with. While the Philippines ratified the Rome Statute that created the ICC, the administration said the government never published that in a newspaper or the official gazette, as required by law. President Rodrigo Duterte in March 2018 announced the country's pullout from the ICC - following supposed attacks against him and his administration as well as the international court's attempt to place him under its jurisdiction. Plans are advancing for two further stretches of Grand Canal greenway in Offaly, Offaly County Council has revealed. The two latest additions will join Ballycommon to Kilbeggan with a 13km stretch and Turraun to Shannon Harbour in a 16km stretch and an update on both was given to members by Chief Executive Anna Marie Delaney at the March meeting of Offaly County Council on Monday, March 25. The route from Ballycommon to Kilbeggan section has been long-awaited as a potential tourism driver in both Offaly and Westmeath with the potential to connect major attractions and is at the final consultation stage of the Part 8 process. Stakeholders, including Waterways Ireland and landowners, are working with Offaly County Council and Westmeath County Council as the process nears completion. It is expected to be published in April. Funding for this stretch has been allocated to both local authorities under the Department of Rural and Community Development's ORIS Fund 2018. The section of greenway from Tarraun to Shannon Harbour is at the design stage in the Part 8 process and work is continuing with relevant stakeholders, including Waterways Ireland and landowners. Plans for the 16km route is expected to be published in late May with funding being sought under the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sports' National and Regional Greenway Strategy Fund. "Today in Latin America, we have suffered a huge regression. None of us are safe," said Moises Borges of Brazil. Borges is a member of Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragems (MAB) movement of people affected by dams, a Brazil-based grassroots movement that fights for the rights of communities affected by dams. Borges, along with Leticia Oliveira, also of MAB, were recently in Geneva meeting with members of the international human rights community to raise awareness of the plight of those who were harmed with the recent rupture of the dam in Brumadinho, which left at least 214 dead and 91 still missing. "The risks of being an activist in Brazil and in Latin America are big, so we try to work collectively where there is not only one person acting alone but as a group", Oliveira said. Human rights defenders, particularly those who defend environmental rights, are in the crosshairs of increasing violence. On 21 March, Dilma Ferreira Silva, a human rights defender and regional coordinator for MAB in Tucurui, was killed alongside her husband Claudionor Costa da Silva and Hilton Lopes, a family acquaintance in a rural settlement in the city of Baiao, in the state of Para in Brazil. The UN Human Rights Regional Office for South America issued a note condemning the killings, calling for impartial, independent and thorough investigations, and increased protection for human rights defenders in Brazil. According to MAB, thereare more than 1.5 million people affected by dams in Brazil, either through displacement, environmental damage or in accidents when dams fail. Borges said he got involved with MAB when he realised his own family was threatened with the building of a dam but their worries and rights went unrecognized. "From that I started to understand that the construction of these dams projects were imposed on us, so I got involved in order to create a better world and to avoid other people facing what has affected us," he said. Oliveira too has been affected by dam construction and joined MAB because she wants the community to better understand the relationship between themselves, the environment and the economic situation. "We need a new way to re-organize society to be able to change the environmental and social problems we have today, and MAB was the way I and other people saw that we can contribute," Oliveira said. The Human Rights Council has recognized the increasing threats to environmental defenders. In its last session that ended on 22 March, the Council passed a resolution expressing "grave concern at the situation of environmental human rights defenders around the world and strongly condemns the killing of and all other human rights violations or abuses against environmental human rights defenders." The Resolution urges States to take concrete steps to protect and defend these activists, including pursuing accountability for all attacks and threats made. Borges and Oliveira, who are still attending meetings in Europe and will return to Brazil at the end of March, say that Silvas death reminds them that while the work of an environmental human rights defender dangerous, it wont stop them from continuing to advocate for change and protection for their communities. "We are saddened by the murder of Dilma," they said in a joint statement, "but we will stand firm in the struggle, for her and against all forms of injustice." 26 March 2019 A decade after Irelands devastating financial crisis, the state of financial supervision is arguably much better. The flawed philosophy of principles-based supervision, whereby financial firms were largely left to their own devices as long as profits were high and credit losses low, has been replaced by intense supervision. Rigorous processes, independent controls and sound risk culture are now key concerns of the Regulator. The resources devoted to supervision have increased dramatically. The Central Bank of Irelands staff count has almost doubled since before the crisis, to about 1900 employees today, and the vast majority of this increase is in supervisors. Most profoundly, it is now the ECB and not the CBI that is responsible for supervision of Irelands largest banks, adhering to a single rulebook that applies to all banks in the eurozone. Yet despite this momentous ramp-up, and the associated costs for the industry and taxpayers, supervisors may soon find themselves on the back foot again. Developments in fintech just a sound bite a few years ago are shifting the nature of financial services in a way that defies regulatory frameworks and traditional, entity-based supervision. Payments were once the preserve of banks and credit card companies. Now that fintechs and online retailers are entering the business, payments are gradually but inevitably shifting outside the regulatory perimeter. It is not difficult to imagine that some of the tech giants or social media platforms will eventually bypass traditional players and provide financial services entirely on their own. Which activities will be regulated, and by whom, is not a straightforward question. Second, operational risk is quickly moving outside the supervised entities into firms to which they outsource automated functions such as data storage, reporting and transaction processing. Several global financial services providers have suffered serious data breaches and IT disruptions in recent years. Outsourcing does not itself reduce the likelihood of such incidents - sometimes the opposite - yet it removes these functions from the direct purview of supervisors. Thirdly, and perhaps most challenging, is the pace with which artificial intelligence is removing humans from every part of the financial value chain marketing, risk analysis, pricing, and decision making. The amount of data available to inform credit decisions has grown exponentially with cloud storage, which gives machines an undisputable advantage over people. 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. Cong's surgical strike on poverty: Rahul on promised minimum income for poor India pti-PTI Jaipur, Mar 26: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday termed his party's promise of minimum guaranteed income to the poorest 20 per cent households a "surgical strike on poverty" and said nobody should be poor in 21st century India. Addressing a rally in Suratgarh town of Ganganagar district, a day after declaring his party would roll out the scheme if voted to power, Gandhi alleged that Prime Minster Narendra Modi gave money to the rich and top industrialists of the country, but the Congress would serve the poor. He said the promised minimum income scheme was a "big bang". "Dhamaka hai ye...bomb fatega (It's a big bang...a bomb will set off). This is a Congress's surgical strike on poverty. They (the BJP) worked to eliminate the poor we will eliminate poverty," Gandhi said. On helping the poor, he said, "We thought how it should be done. After discussion and brainstorming, we thought that there should be a minimum income line of Rs. 12,000 per month. Soon after formation of the Congress government in 2019, the minimum income line in India will be Rs 12,000 per month." The name of the proposed scheme is 'Nyuntam Aay Yojana' or Nyay. The word 'Nyay' stands for justice in Hindi. He alleged that poverty and unemployment increased under the Modi government. While the Congress-led UPA government lifted 14 crore people out of poverty, "Modi made them poor again", he claimed. On Monday, Gandhi announced in New Delhi that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income to poor families, benefiting around 25 crore people, if his party is voted to power in Lok Sabha polls. "Nobody should be poor in the country in 21st century," he told the Suratgarh rally Tuesday. [Congress's Minimum Income Guarantee Scheme 'NYAY' Explained in 7 Points] Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Monday dismissed the Congress promise of minimum guaranteed income, saying the party has a history of "cheating" the poor and misleading the country in the name of removing poverty. In 1971, Rahul Gandhi's grandmother and then prime minister Indira Gandhi had also given 'Garibi Hatao, Desh Bachao' (remove poverty, save the nation) slogan during the general election campaign. Years later, PM Modi, during a speech in 2018, termed the 'Garibi Hatao' slogan a "false promise". Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday also alleged the Modi government weakened the schemes and programmes such as MGNREGA and food security introduced by the UPA dispensation. "Whatever was done under the MGRENGA, food security and loan waiver by the UPA government, that all were finished by Narendra Modi. Poverty and unemployment increased in his rule," he said. He said that top industrialists were helped by the government in "looting" the public money and their debt of Rs. 3.5 lakh were written off, but farm loans were not. The Congress chief continued his "chowkidar" barb at the PM. "During last elections, he promised jobs to two crore youths, Rs 15 lakh in every bank account. But no jobs were given and no money was transferred. He made tall promises. He spoke whatever came to his mind. He had asked public to not make him the prime minister but a chowkidar (watchman). But he never told that he will not be your chowkidar but a chowkidar of people like Anil Ambani," he said. Gandhi said that all those who took away public money from banks were "helped" by the NDA government, PM Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and Union minister Arun Jaitley. All of them have looted public money, he charged. He also targeted the government over demonetisation and GST and asked if the note ban was announced to curb black money why nobody having such asset was seen in queue to covert the currency. Banks changed the black money through the back door, he alleged. Gandhi said that Shah's son business of Rs 50,000 progressed to crores of rupees, tainted businessman Mehul Choksi transferred money to the bank account Jaitley's daughter, and fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya met Jaitley in the parliament house before absconding. All these allegations have been refuted by the BJP and its leaders. The Congress president reiterated his allegation on the government over the Rafale deal, saying Modi helped Anil Ambani in getting the contract for manufacturing the plane despite the fact that he had no experience in making aircraft. These allegations have also been rejected by the government and Ambani. Rajasthan Chief minister Ashok Gehlot, deputy chief minister and Pradesh congress committee president Sachin Pilot and other senior leaders of the party were present at the Suratgarh rally. Later, addressing a rally at Bundi, Rahul Gandhi alleged Modi "mocked" MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) as he failed to understand the Congress govt's employment generation scheme. "Small and mid-size businessmen are not doing any business, they are just filling GST forms," he claimed. Gandhi said, "Nyay scheme is not free gift to the poor, it's justice." PTI Rahul Gandhi in centre of Cong posters for Jaipur rally; call for him to become party chief again Consulted 'big economists' including Raghuram Rajan over minimum income scheme: Rahul India pti-PTI Jaipur, Mar 26: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said his party consulted "big economists" including former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan before it came up with the idea of minimum guaranteed income to the poorest 20 per cent households in the country. Addressing a meeting of his party workers at the Ramlila ground here, Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to transfer Rs 15 lakh to every bank account but did not keep the promise. "We thought it was a good idea...Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts. But the promise was not fulfilled by Modi. We started our work six months back to make such a thing reality," he said. He went on to say that his party consulted "all big economists, without telling anyone, without giving any speeches" on the Nyuntam Aay Yojana or Nyay. "We were engaged in this work for six months. Take the list of all big economists of the world, we consulted them...Raghuram Rajan...one by one," he said. "First thing, we came to know was that there should be a minimum income line. We calculated and the result was that the minimum income line should be Rs 12,000 per month," he added. He attacked the BJP, saying it wants a Congress-free India but the Congress will fight it with love and defeat it. "Ek baar tukka lag gaya 2014 mein, wo alag baat hai (By chance they won in 2014. That was a fluke). Look at Indian history. Whoever spreads hate loses and one who spreads love wins," Rahul further said. [Cong's surgical strike on poverty: Rahul on promised minimum income for poor] AICC president said his party will fulfil the promise of minimum guaranteed income to the poor. On Monday, Gandhi had announced in New Delhi that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income to poor families, benefiting around 25 crore people, if his party is voted to power in Lok Sabha polls, and asserted it will be the "final assault" on poverty. Gandhi had said 20 per cent or five crore families belonging to the poorest category with monthly income less than Rs 12,000 would come under the scheme. On Tuesday, the Congress chief said that if his party comes to power, young entrepreneurs will not require any permission for first three years for running a business, unlike under the Modi government, which he alleged, mandates various permissions and bribe is demanded for granting them. "Just start your business and after three years, take whatever permission is required," he said. PTI Kanhaiya Kumar likens Giriraj Singh to a school kid India oi-Vikas SV Patna, Mar 26: Taking a jibe at Union Minister Giriraj Singh over his reluctance to contest from Begusarai, former JNU students' union president and CPI candidate from the Bihar seat, Kanhaiya Kumar, wrote in a Facebook post that the minister's behaviour could be compared to a kid's refusal to attend school after failing to complete his homework. Giriraj Singh earlier expressed dissappointment with the BJP leadership for changing his seat from Nawada, from where he is a sitting MP, to Begusarai in Bihar without consulting him. Singh, after meeting with the senior BJP leaders in Delhi, reportedly refused to contest from the Begusarai seat and demanded to contest only from Nawada, where the NDA has named an LJP representative, Chandan Kumar. "Watched the news on TV and learnt that the BJP minister known for sending off people to free of cost Pakistan tours is not ready to come to Begusarai for contesting the polls. My nephew also refuses to go to school when he has not done his homework. But, he never thinks of sending the teacher to Pakistan. He doesn't hate anyone, neither does he want someone to be expelled from the school," Kumar's Facebook post read. [After coalition snub, Kanhaiya Kumar to contest from Begusarai on CPI ticket] Kanhaiya Kumar's reference to Pakistan was aimed at taking a swipe at the Union Minister over an earlier remark. Singh, a staunch Modi supporter, had earlier asked people who oppose the prime minister to "move to Pakistan". The union minister said those who oppose PM Narendra Modi "should move to Pakistan" as they do not deserve to be in India. Bihar: Tejashwi Yadav blocks Kanhaiya Kumar's grand alliance entry] CPI's decided to field candidate Kumar from Bihar's Begusarai on Saturday (March 23) after the former JNU students' union president was left out of the opposition's Grand Alliance or Mahagatbandhan on Friday. The party also slammed the seat sharing formula of Mahagatbandhan, claiming the decision was not in sync with the ground realities in the state. The 'Mahagathbandhan' on Friday announced its seat-sharing formula for the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, half of which will be fought by the RJD and nine by the Congress. Here is Kanhaiya Kumar's Facebook post: Kashi Vishwanath Corridor: PM to take part in 'cruise baithak'; witness Ganga 'aarti', fireworks on ghats UAE to be first foreign destination of PM Modi in 2022 Lok Sabha Election 2019: PM Modi, Amit Shah set to hit campaign train from Thursday India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Mar 26: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party Chief Amit Shah are set to hit the campaign train between last week of March and mid-May, for the upcoming parliamentary elections. The duo will be addressing around 125 and 150 rallies in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Western Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. In Meerut, the BJP is aiming at garnering public support for the saffron party in eight seats across western Uttar Pradesh that will go to the polls in the first phase of the elections on April 11. 'BJP asked me to not contest LS polls': Murli Manohar Joshi's unsigned message triggers buzz BJP chief Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have been making rounds to stir up supporters. On Monday, Adityanath visited a temple in Mathura along with local lawmaker Hema Malini after which she filed her nomination papers. The BJP is expected to face a tough challenge from the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance (SP-BSP) this time around despite party's gains in the previous Lok Sabha elections and the state assembly polls that followed it. PM Modi will also address an electoral event in Uttarakhand's Rudrapur on Thursday. On Friday too, PM Modi will have a packed schedule with three rallies in Odisha's Koraput, Telangana's Mahboob Nagar and Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool. The Prime Minister will then visit Jammu and Kashmir for a rally in Akhnoor the same day. Security arrangements in the town are being enhanced in view of his visit. Also Read | Modi losing popularity, playing 'China card' to win Lok Sabha election: Chinese media The BJP launched its campaign for the national election with the Vijay Sankalp Sabha at around 200 locations on Sunday, although the Prime Minister was not part of this. More such meetings will happen at around 250 locations on March 26. Modi is BJP's most popular campaigner, and the party won the 2014 parliamentary election following a campaign centred on him. As Mamata Banerjee takes swipe at Rahul Gandhi, Cong says such posturing for personal ambition will help BJP Rahul Gandhi in centre of Cong posters for Jaipur rally; call for him to become party chief again Lok Sabha Elections 2019 updates: Anti-BJP front gains momentum, Naidu meets Sonia Gandhi India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa New Delhi, May 19: Andhra Pradesh Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday met BSP chief Mayawati and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow, continuing his efforts to put together a coalition to form the next government at the Centre. He reached Lucknow after meetings in New Delhi with Congress president Rahul Gandhi, CPI leaders G Sudhakar Reddy and D Raja, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and LJD leader Sharad Yadav. The Telugu Desam Party chief has already held several rounds of discussions with various opposition leaders, including TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury. Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his two-day visit to Uttarakhand today with a visit to Kedarnath shrine. The prime minister is also expected to offer prayers at Badrinath tomorrow before returning to Delhi in the afternoon. The prime minister's visit to the holy shrine came a day before the last phase of the marathon Lok Sabha elections. Fifty nine parliamentary constituencies, including Varanasi, will go to polls in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections and the results will be announced four days later, on May 23. Stay tuned for the Lok Sabha elections 2019 UPDATES: Lok Sabha polls 2019: EC appoints special observers for eight states India pti-PTI New Delhi, Mar 26: The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday appointed four special observers, two retired IRS and two IPS officer, to spearhead its efforts to check the abuse of black money and illegal inducements to voters and monitor deployment of security forces in select sensitive states during the Lok Sabha polls 2019. The poll-body appointed Gopal Mukherjee as special expenditure observer for the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and D D Goel for Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. Mukherjee, a 1980-batch officer of the Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) retired as Member (Investigations) in the Central Board of Direct Taxes, while Goel, a 1982-batch officer of the same service, superannuated as Director General of I-T (Investigations). The Election Commission also appointed former BSF chief and retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer K K Sharma as the special central police observer for the states of West Bengal and Jharkhand. Mrinal Kanti Das, a 1977-batch IPS officer of Manipur-Tripura candre, has been assigned as police observer for the states of Tripura and Mizoram. [Air India withdraws boarding passes featuring PM Modi amid row] The Election Commission, last week, had appointed the two special expenditure observers -- IRS officers Shailendra Handa and Madhu Mahajan. While they were assigned the states of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu initially, the Election Commission Tuesday said Handa will also supervise the EC machinery to check illegal cash and inducements to voters in Gujarat and Mahajan has been additionally assigned Karnataka. This is the first time that special central expenditure observers have been appointed for any polls in the country. PTI had reported on Monday that the Election Commission is mulling to deploy more such officials. In the order for the appointment of Mukherjee and Goel, the Election Commission said the two officers "have extensive knowledge of search and seizure operations conducted by the I-T department". "The special observers will be supervising and monitoring the work being done by the electoral machinery and ensure that stringent and effective enforcement action is undertaken based on intelligence inputs and complaints received through C-Vigil app and voter helpline-1950- against all persons/entities trying to induce voters by distributing cash, liquor and freebies among others in order to vitiate the poll process," it said in a statement. The Election Commission added that former BSF Director General (DG) Sharma "would oversee the deployment and other security related issues" in the two states assigned to him. PTI Shatrughan Sinha likely to join TMC, may be sent to Rajya Sabha Masterstroke by master of situation: Shatrughan Sinha's compliment to Rahul India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Mar 26: BJP's in-house critic Shatrughan Sinha today heaped praises on Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi over the minimum support scheme, a Congress poll promise. Taking to twitter Sinha wrote: It's a masterstroke by the 'master of situation', Rahul Gandhi - declaring MinimumIncome Guarantee scheme. It has rattled our people so much that some of our prominent people had to rush for a press conference, calling the whole declaration/ announcement "chhal kapat". The actor-turned politician added: "Would like to know from our learned friends / leadership - that when you announced various 'jumlaas'....15 Lacs to every individual, farmers' loan waivers & subsidies, more than 2 crore jobs for the youth every year, etc. etc..Was all this fair?" Shatrughan Sinha to join Congress by end of this week The BJP has named Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad as the NDA candidate from Sinha's constituency. "Remember Newton's third law...every action has an equal and opposite reaction. And I am capable of paying back,' said the actor-politician who had debuted in politics nearly three decades ago. Sinha has been widely expected to walk out of the party to align with the joint opposition camp led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar. He had earlier promised to unveil his plans last week. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 12:58 [IST] As Mamata Banerjee takes swipe at Rahul Gandhi, Cong says such posturing for personal ambition will help BJP Rahul Gandhi in centre of Cong posters for Jaipur rally; call for him to become party chief again Minimum Income Guarantee will increase Congress tally, say people India oi-Hardeep Singh Bedi New Delhi, March 26: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday announced that 20% of the poorest families in the country would be annually given Rs. 72,000 each under the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) or minimum income guarantee, if his party was voted to power. He termed the NYAY as a surgical strike on poverty and said the scheme will benefit 5 crore poor families and 25 crore individuals directly. One India talked to some common Indians to know about their views on the NYAY. Though they do not believe on the feasibility of the Minimum Income Guarantee promise but admit that it will improve Congress ' tally in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Rahul makes BIG promise, assures Rs 72,000 per year to poor Anshu Ahuja, marketing executive of a textile company and a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, says that Rahul Gandhi is hoodwinking poor as his grandmother late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi used to do. The announcement made by Rahul Gandhi is a desperate attempt to win as many seats as possible in the Lok Sabha elections. His grandmother Indira Gandhi gave Garibi Hatao (eradicate poverty) slogan and rode to the power but did nothing for the poor. Now, Rahul Gandhi has come up with this Minimum Income Guarantee, which is nothing but old wine in a new bottle, says Ahuja. When asked how the poor are going to respond, he hesitantly accepts that this poll promise is likely to benefit the Congress. Ironical part is that when poor of our country trade their votes in lieu of country liquor then there is no guarantee that they will not vote for the Congress for Minimum Income Guarantee. The Congress may improve its tally but will not be able to form the next government. The next Prime Minister will be Narendra Modi, the marketing executive tells this scribe at Connaught Place. Amit Sharma, Eastern Zone Sales Head (Dairy) of a very big private company, says Congress' move is impractical, but it will attract votes of poor. Rahul Gandhi has made a poll promise that sounds good but he should have given a blueprint that how his government would arrange over three lakh crore rupees to fulfill the promise if the Congress comes to power, says Sharma. He also said that despite being an impractical poll promise, the Congress will be benefitted politically. When many poor people of our country cast vote after taking money from candidates then there is no doubt that they will vote for the Congress for Rs. 6000 monthly income, Sharma tells One India. Akbar Ali, an autorickshaw driver, tells this scribe that a law must be enacted in the country to prevent politicians and political parties from making false poll promises. Neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave Rs. 15 lakh to every Indian nor Congress government will be able to give Rs. 6000 per month to every poor. It is in the interest of the political parties that the poor remain poor. If the poor become affluent then whom will these politicians befool? India must have a law against false and impractical poll promises. Those who come to power after making false promises should be sent to jail if they fail to fulfill those promises, says agitated Ali. An insurance agent Pradeep (name changed) equates Rahul's Minimum Income Guarantee with selling the insurance policy. I often misguide and hide some facts in order to sell an insurance policy, particularly to uneducated low-income group. When the customer purchases insurance policy then he/she comes to know about different riders and they generally crib but are not able to do anything. Rahul is also trying to sell a kind of insurance policy. If Congress comes to power then the poor will come to know about different riders of Rahul's Minimum Income Guarantee, says the insurance agent on the condition of anonymity. He also says that many poor people will buy Rahul 's insurance policy, and if Congress is voted to power then they will only crib because then the media will not have time and desire to highlight how the poor were cheated. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi is also being trolled by people, mostly Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters, after the Congress party tweeted a video clip wherein Rahul Gandhi is seen making the announcement of Minimum Income Guarantee at a press conference in New Delhi. Rahul Gandhi attacks Mamata: The high command's Bengal dilemma Please stop your rant of #GaribiHatao. This nation's garibi (poverty) is your #RojiRoti (Bread and Butter). #MinimumIncomeGuarantee nahi #FinalDesperateAttempt hai ye (This is not Minimum Income Guaratnee but Final Desperate Attempt to win elections), tweeted @neuralamit. Another twitter user @jaswanttak mockingly said, Rahul Gandhi jee if your promise is taken as a genuine one then also yearly Rs. 3.5 lakh crore would be needed to extend minimum support to 5 crore families. It seems you have finally invented the machine to make gold from potatoes. It is notable that an edited 20-second video clip of Rahul Gandhi had gone viral in 2017 on social media in which the Congress President is heard saying that he knows of a machine that if fed potato, will give gold in return. Later the full video was released in which it was evident that Rahul had made potato and gold remark while alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made false promises to the people of Gujarat. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 6:30 [IST] Nirav Modi's paintings sold for Rs 54.84 cr in auction India oi-Madhuri Adnal Mumbai, Mar 26: Nirav Modi's extensive art collection, that was seized by the government was sold for Rs 54.84 crores that will be handed over to the Income-Tax department. 55 out of total 68 paintings in his possession were sold on Tuesday. 2 paintings of Nirav Modi's collection-Untitled oil on canvas(pic 1) by VS Gaitonde sold for Rs 22 cr;oil on canvas depicting Maharaja of Tranvancore&his younger brother welcoming Richard Temple-Grenville,3rd Duke of Buckingham(pic 2) sold for Rs 14 crore. Auctioneers say the sale is the first of its kind in a country where tax authorities have usually auctioned property, gold and luxury items, but not art. [How Nirav Modi was tracked down and arrested] After a court order allowing the auction to take place, tax authorities appointed professional auction house Saffronart. Meanwhile, the firm of Nirav Modi, had moved the Bombay High Court against a special court order which permitted the Income Tax Department to auction 68 paintings seized as part of its probe against the diamantaire. In a petition filed before the high court, the firm, Camelot Enterprises, has said such action is unlawful. However, the petitioner is likely to seek an urgent hearing in the case, at an earlier date, since the auction is scheduled to begin on March 27. Last week, a special court permitted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to auction 11 luxury vehicles belonging to Modi. The special court also allowed the Income Tax Department to auction the high value art collection of the diamantaire who is wanted by agencies on charges of tax evasion and money laundering. Modi was arrested in London last week. He was remanded in custody till March 29 by a court there. Modi and his uncle, Mehul Choksi, another accused in the case, had left India before the fraud came to light in January 2018. The Income Tax Department had last month provisionally attached 29 properties and 105 bank accounts of Modi, his family members and firms as part of its probe. The taxman had also filed a charge sheet against Modi before the special court under sections 276 C (1) (wilful attempt to evade tax), 277 A (false statement in verification), 278 B (offences by companies) and 278 E (presumption as to culpable mental state) of the Income Tax Act, 196 Piyush Goyal challenges Chandrababu Naidu for debate on NDA govt's aid for Andhra Pradesh India pti-PTI Amaravati, Mar 26: Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday threw an open challenge to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu asking the latter to come for a debate in New Delhi on what all the Narendra Modi government did for the state in the last five years. Maintaining that Naidu accepted a special economic package in lieu of special category status for the state, the Union minister said Andhra Pradesh might lose a special grant of Rs 17,500 crore if the SCS was granted. "This is an open challenge to Chandrababu Naidu. Let him come to New Delhi. I am ready for a debate on this," Goyal said. The railway minister visited Vijayawada in Amaravati to release the state BJP's election manifesto which, among other things, promised a transparent, corruption-free and responsible administration besides empowering all sections politically. Seeking to expose the chief minister's "double standards" on the SCS issue, Goyal gave a presentation on the Centre's special assistance to the state. "After getting double benefit from the Centre in the form of a revenue deficit grant and a special (economic) assistance measure, Naidu was now misleading the people by demanding the SCS purely for political reasons," he said. [Lok Sabha elections 2019: Forest rights could decide results in 133 seats, says report] He lashed out at Naidu for carrying out a "malicious propaganda and spreading falsehoods" only to "hide his own failures, corruption and unpopularity" and alleged that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has been reduced to a "private limited company". "On one hand, he is indulging in huge corruption and on the other, nominating members of his family as (electoral) candidates. He is running away from investigations (by the CBI, ED and the Income Tax Department) because all his corruption is coming uncovered," he said. Accusing the TDP chief of ditching former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government and now the Narendra Modi government, the senior BJP leader claimed that the people of Andhra Pradesh have decided to ditch Naidu now. Hitting out at the Congress and the TDP, he said the two "corrupt parties", came together in the recent Telangana Assembly elections and Naidu got a "taste of his unpopularity". "He has now ditched even the Congress by not continuing the alliance in Andhra Pradesh," Goyal said. The BJP, he asserted, never ditches friends and works with partners together. Former state chief secretary I Y R Krishna Rao, who headed the BJP manifesto committee, said political empowerment of all sections was the prime promise incorporated in the manifesto. "The BJP will provide a transparent, corruption-free and responsible administration and empower all sections politically. Since the existing districts in the state are large in size, the party will undertake a reorganisation exercise to make each Lok Sabha constituency a district," Rao said, highlighting the salient features of the manifesto. PTI Why did Reuters remove photo of Nikki Haley with the swastika? US expects the Reuters journalists to be acquitted Reuters survey on India's most used news brands India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Mar 26: Online news generally and social media specifically have outpaced print as the main source of news among English-speaking young Indian news users. The University of Oxford's Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism recently conducted a study pertaining to Indian news media. The Reuters report says, "NDTV (47%) and The Times of India (40% online) are far more widely used among our respondents than any other brands." The report highlights the concerns of an audience and the role of digital media news in an election year. What are the top concerns of Indians? Here's what Pew survey found The India Digital News Report shows that Indians are embracing a mobile-first, platform-dominated media environment with search engines, social media, and messaging applications playing a key role in how people access and use news. As many as 68% of those surveyed identified smart phones as their main device for online news with 52% stating that they got their news from Facebook. WhatsApp (52%), Instagram (26%), Twitter (18%), and Facebook Messenger (16%) were the other sources of news. "Online news generally (56%), and social media specifically (28%) have outpaced print (16%) as the main source of news among respondents under 35, whereas respondents over 25 still mix online and offline media to a greater extent," the Reuters Institute report said. For me, my family & wife come first, worried husband Robert Vadra on Priyanka Gandhi's arrest Robert Vadra accuses ED of select media leaks India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa New Delhi, Mar 26: Robert Vadra claimed before a Delhi court that ED has been leaking details of his interrogation to the media to "embarrass" and "humiliate" him on account of a "political vendetta", a charge strongly denied by the probe agency. Special judge Arvind Kumar, who extended Vadra's interim protection against arrest till March 27 in a money laundering case, was told by the counsel for the brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi that every question and answer of the interrogation has been leaked to the media with some ulterior motive. Posters urging Robert Vadra to contest Lok Sabha polls surface in Moradabad This showed that the Enforcement Directorate's probe was meant to "embarrass" and "humiliate" Vadra on account of a "political vendetta" and the agency was guided by the "lust for custody", said senior advocates A M Singhvi and K T S Tulsi appearing for Vadra. ED's counsel D P Singh countered the submission vehemently saying, "They talked about agency's 'lust for custody'. It is their 'lust for money' which has led to our 'lust for custody'". At the outset of the hearing on the anticipatory bail plea of Vadra, Tulsi claimed that even the raid conducted on the businessman's house to obtain documents was "illegal" and moreover, Vadra has not misused the liberty granted to him. The ED case relates to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property at 12, Bryanston Square, worth 1.9 million pounds. The property is allegedly owned by Vadra. The court also extended the interim protection from arrest granted to Manoj Arora, Vadra's close aide and an accused in the case, till the next date of hearing - March 27. ED opposed Vadra's bail plea + saying he has been given sufficient opportunity to come out with some proof against the allegations levelled against him by the agency but so far, he has failed to do so. It further said that the offence was about the money coming as kickbacks, as direct payments to bank accounts. It alleged that the case involved payment of Rs 300 crore in a defence deal and $10 million received in a petroleum deal. ED's counsel submitted that he requires more time to conclude his arguments and to present certain details before the court. The court had on March 19 extended his interim protection from arrest till March 25 after the ED had alleged that he was not cooperating and sought his custodial interrogation. ED had told the court that there was reasonable apprehension that Vadra being a highly influential person would tamper with the evidence and hamper the investigation. In his anticipatory bail plea, Vadra has alleged that he was being subjected to "unwarranted, unjustified and malicious criminal prosecution which on the face of it is completely politically motivated and is being carried out for reasons other than those prescribed under law". The ED had also alleged that Arora, an employee of Vadra's Skylight Hospitality LLP, was a key person in the case and he was aware of the latter's overseas undeclared assets and was instrumental in arranging funds. It told the court earlier that it lodged the money laundering case against Arora after his role came up during the probe of another case by the Income Tax Department under the newly enacted Black Money Act and tax law against absconding arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari. Union Minister calls Robert Vadra a 'joker' in 'Priyanka-Rahul's political circus' It alleged that the London-based property was bought by Bhandari for GBP 1.9 million and sold in 2010 for the same amount despite incurring additional expenses of approximately GBP 65,900 on its renovation. "This gives credence to the fact that Bhandari was not the actual owner of the property but it was beneficially owned by Vadra who was incurring expenditure on the renovation of this property," the ED had told the court. ED said it has received information about various new properties in London which allegedly belong to Vadra, including two houses of five and four million pounds each and six other flats. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 5:50 [IST] New India in making, infrastructure to be no less than US, Europe in 5 years: Nitin Gadkari Senior PDP leader offers legal aid to Jamaat-e-Islami, JKLF against ban India pti-PTI Srinagar, Mar 26: Senior PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig on Tuesday offered the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu Kashmir and the JKLF legal help to contest the ban imposed on them by the Centre, saying while these outfits were ideologically opposed to his party, he would do it to uphold civil liberties. "Although both Jamaat-e-Islami and JKLF are our opponents, we are ready to provide legal help in contest the ban imposed on them. It is a matter of principles and for upholding civil liberties," Baig said. [How Indian agencies are hitting anti national Kashmir separatists in a sustained manner] The senior leader made the offer of legal assistance to the two banned outfits while addressing a workers' meeting in Baramulla. The Union Home Ministry last week banned the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), led by Muhammad Yasin Malik, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. As per a notification issued on March 22, the central government is "of the opinion that the said organisation is involved in anti-national and subversive activities and is in close touch with militant outfits and is supporting extremism in the state". In an earlier notification issued in February, the Centre had banned the Jamaat, saying that the organisation was "in close touch with militant outfits" and that the group claimed "secession of a part of the Indian territory from the Union". Both the outfits have been banned for five years. PTI Tamil Nadu welding labourer makes remote-controlled bed for ailing wife; gets awarded India oi-Shubham Ghosh Chennai, March 26: Couple's love bonding sometimes produces unbelievable tales to share. A welding labourer from Tamil Nadu's Nagercoil recently won the National Innovation Award for making a remote-controlled bed for his ailing wife who has remained bed-ridden for the past two months. The man, S Saravana Muthu, impressed the hospital staff members at Nagercoil with his innovation and was awarded the second prize for the remote-controlled bed which is now helping his ailing wife. According to a report in Times of India, Muthu started working on his innovative project after his wife underwent a surgery. When he found his wife struggling on a normal bed, he came up with the idea of making a remote-controlled bed which also has facilities of toilet. Hot sauce is saving human lives in US nowadays... Interesting, isn't it? "I understand the woes of bedridden patients and how they are dependent on others for almost everything. Even the caregivers often show signs of disgust while attending to them," Muthu was quoted as saying by Times Of India. "More often than not, the privacy of the patients is affected in such cases. To maintain the dignity and independence of the patients, I decided to design the bed," he added. The bed which Muthu designed for his wife as a flush tank, a closet, a linkage to a septic tank and an opening in the middle which would help her wife to relive herself without undertaking much pain. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 11:06 [IST] Court has to limit itself under the law: SC on Uphaar sentence Uphaar fire tragedy: Non-bailable warrants issued against Ansal brothers India oi-Vikas SV New Delhi, Mar 26: A Delhi court on Tuesday issued Non-Bailable Warrants against Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal for allegedly tampering with evidence in the Uphaar cinema hall fire case. The NBW was issued by Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Delhi's Patiala House court Deepak Sherawat. On June 13, 1997, 59 people died of asphyxia in a fire in south Delhi's Uphaar cinema during the screening of Hindi movie "Border". Over 100 were injured in subsequent stampede. Uphaar fire tragedy: Non-bailable warrants issued against Ansal brothers The Patiala House court is hearing a case related to the tampering of evidence in the case after Krishnamoorthy, who lost two children in the fire, pressed for an early date contending it was a 10-year-old matter which has been already delayed. Krishnamoorthy has been fighting a legal battle for the past 20 years. Krishnamoorthy, convenor of the Association of Victims of the Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT), and her husband Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, have been the flag-bearers in the fight to seek justice on behalf of all the victims. On February 9, 2017, the Supreme Court, on a curative petition, had directed Gopal Ansal to undergo the remaining one-year jail term in connection with the tragedy. However, it had spared 77-year-old Sushil Ansal because of his age. Justice Gogoi, in a 2:1 majority verdict on February 9, had granted relief to 76-year-old Sushil Ansal considering age-related complications by awarding him jail term already undergone and had asked Gopal to surrender in four weeks to serve the remaining jail term. The apex court had also upheld the fine of Rs. 30 crores each imposed on the brothers and said the money should be utilised for setting up a trauma centre. A timeline of Uphaar tragedy case: June 13, 1997: 59 people die of asphyxia in a fire in south Delhi's Uphaar cinema during the screening of Hindi movie "Border". Over 100 were injured in subsequent stampede. July 22, 1997: Uphaar theatre owner Sushil Ansal and his son Pranav arrested in Mumbai. July 24, 1997: Probe transferred from Delhi Police to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Nov 15, 1997: CBI files charge sheet against 16 accused including theatre owners Sushil and Gopal Ansal. March 10, 1999: A sessions court presided by L D Malik initiates trial. Feb 27, 2001: Court frames charges against accused under various sections, including sections 304 (culpable homicide), 304 A (causing death by negligent act) and 337 (hurt) of the IPC. May 23, 2001: Recording of prosecution witnesses' testimony begins. April 4, 2002: Delhi High Court asks trial court to try to wrap up the case by December 15. Jan 27, 2003: Ansals' plea seeking re-possession of the theatre rejected on the ground that place of incident is to be preserved to appreciate evidence. April 24, 2003: Delhi High Court awards Rs 180 million compensation to be paid to relatives of victims. Uphaar fire tragedy: SC asks Gopal Ansal to surrender Sept 4, 2004: Court starts recording statements of accused. Nov 5, 2005: Recording of testimonies of defence witnesses begins. Aug 2, 2006: Court concludes recording of testimony of defence witnesses. Aug 9: Additional Sessions Judge Mamta Sehgal inspects the theatre. Feb 14, 2007: Accused start advancing final arguments. Aug 21, 2007: Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) approaches Delhi High Court seeking conclusion of trial within a time frame. Aug 20, 2007: Senior advocate Harish Salve appears for CBI and advances final arguments. Aug 21: Judgement reserved. Court fixes September 5 for pronouncement of verdict. Sept 5: Court defers pronouncement of verdict and says it would fix the date of judgement on October 22. Oct 22: Court fixes November 20 as date of verdict. Nov 20, 2007: Court convicts all 12 accused, including Sushil and Gopal Ansal, in the case and sentences them to two years imprisonment. Jan 4, 2008: Delhi High Court grants bail to Ansal brothers and two other accused. Sept 11: Ansals sent to Tihar Jail after Supreme Court cancels their bail. Nov 17, 2008: Delhi High Court reserves order on appeals filed by Ansals, other accused, CBI and AVUT. Dec 19, 2008: Delhi High Court upholds trial court order convicting Ansal brothers but reduces their sentence from two years to one year. Upholds conviction of six out of 12 accused. Jan 30, 2009: SC issues notice on petition filed by AVUT for enhancement of sentence of Ansal brothers and alteration of charge. SC also issues notice on plea of Ansals and others challenging their conviction. CBI files appeal in SC seeking enhancement of sentence of Ansals. Apr 17, 2013: SC reserves order on appeals of Ansals, CBI and AVUT. Mar 5, 2014: SC upholds conviction of Gopal and Sushil Ansal. However, two judges differ on sentence. Justice T S Thakur awards one year jail term, while Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra sentenced them to period undergone. Matter referred to three-judge bench. Apr 21, 2015: The new bench couldn't start hearing. Aug 11, 2015: Hearing begins on quantum of sentence. Aug 19, 2015: SC allows Ansals to walk free, asks them to pay a fine of Rs 30 crore each. Mar 9, 2017: Real estate baron Gopal Ansal will have to surrender to serve the remaining period of the one-year sentence in the Uphaar fire tragedy case with the Supreme Court on Thursday dismissing his plea for parity with his elder brother Sushil Ansal. Jan 8, 2018: Delhi's Patiala House Court on Monday dismissed application of victims of Uphaar Tragedy which alleged that Sushil Ansal, convicted in the case, duped the concerned authority to get his passport renewed. We cannot wait longer now: SC to hear Vijay Mallyas contempt case in January for final disposal Take my money, save Jet Airways: Vijay Mallya urges banks India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Mar 26: Fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya blamed banks for letting "India's finest airline" close its operations and said his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines too could have been bailed out by lenders, similar to what happened with cash-strapped Jet Airways on Monday. His statement comes a day after the government announced that banks will infuse Rs 1,500 crore to save Jet Airways from debt crisis. In a series of tweets, Mallya said he has not been recognised for his investments to save Kingfisher and is being criticised for no reason. He also called out the present NDA regime, alleging "double standards". "I invested over 4000 crores into Kingfisher Airlines to save the Company and its employees. Not recognised and instead slammed in every possible way. The same PSU Banks let India's finest airline with the best employees and connectivity fail ruthlessly. Double standards under NDA," wrote Vijay Mallya on Twitter. Mallya set to lose more properties Vijay Mallya asked the PSU banks to take his offer and save the Jet Airways. "And I repeat once again that I have placed liquid assets before the Hon'ble Karnataka High Court to pay off the PSU Banks and all other creditors. Why do the Banks not take my money. It will help them to save Jet Airways if nothing else," he added. And I repeat once again that I have placed liquid assets before the Honble Karnataka High Court to pay off the PSU Banks and all other creditors. Why do the Banks not take my money. It will help them to save Jet Airways if nothing else. Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 26, 2019 Mallya, known for his lavish lifestyle, left India in March 2016 owing more than $1 billion after defaulting on loan payments to state-owned banks and allegedly misusing the funds. The loans from the state-owned IDBI bank were intended to bail out his failed carrier Kingfisher Airlines, whose motto was "Fly the Good Times" but folded in 2012 under huge debts. Indian authorities last year laid money-laundering charges against the tycoon, who dropped off India's most wealthy list in 2014. India formally asked for his extradition in February last year. He is currently living near London. 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 Farmers should be given rights, compensation, jobs: Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in centre of Cong posters for Jaipur rally; call for him to become party chief again Congress's Minimum Income Guarantee Scheme 'NYAY' Explained in 7 Points Infographics oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Mar 26: Congress has announced structure of a minimum income guarantee scheme, which according to the party is going to be a final assault on poverty. Termed as Nyay (justice), the scheme offers Rs 12,000 per month for a family (upto Rs 72,000 per year) as basic income. Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi claimed that this "is an extremely powerful, ground-breaking and well-thought through idea". While all this sounds good, only time will tell if this is just another election promise or a serious policy proposal. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 17:53 [IST] Is China the reason why Pakistan opted to skip Summit for Democracy hosted by Biden? After FATF, APG may also Grey-list Pakistan over terror funding: Report International oi-PTI Islamabad, Mar 26: Pakistan was facing the risk of being grey-listed by the Asia/Pacific Group too as Islamabad has a high non-compliant rate of nearly 70 per cent on 40 recommendations against money laundering and terrorist financing, a media report said on Tuesday. The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has already grey-listed Pakistan from June 2018 and any adverse findings by the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) could further complicate problems for the Pakistan government, The Express Tribune reported. A delegation of experts from the APG arrived here on Monday to review whether Pakistan has made enough progress on global standards against financial crimes to warrant its exclusion from the Sydney-based watchdog's grey list. Pakistan is already under intense international pressure to rein in terror groups like the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) after the Pulwama terror attack. As the APG begins mutual evaluation to gauge Pakistan's compliance with global anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing standards, the country faces the risk of being grey-listed by the APG due to a very high ratio of nearly 70 per cent non-compliance, the report said. The APG is the FATF-style regional body for the Asia-Pacific region. It is an inter-governmental organisation founded in 1997. The mutual evaluation process by the APG is separate from the FATF but it is based on the implementation of 40 FATF recommendations, the report said. The APG delegation currently in Islamabad will conduct last on-site mutual evaluation of Pakistan that began in June 2018. It will be last face-to-face meeting by the mutual evaluation team, suggesting that Islamabad does not have the luxury to take a lenient approach, the report said. The APG has done Pakistan's second mutual evaluation in the past ten years. The last mutual evaluation took place in 2009. [Act or face FATF wrath, Pakistan's finance secretary warns] The mutual evaluation would be based on a third draft of technical compliance annexure that the APG shared with Pakistan this month. There is not much difference between the first and the latest draft technical annexure, a senior Finance Ministry official who has seen the report told the newspaper. The APG Executive Secretary Gordon Hook is leading the delegation that is comprised of experts from the UK, the US, Turkey, China, Indonesia and the Maldives. "If we go by the third draft of technical annexure shared by the APG, there are high risks of being declared non-compliant," said a senior government official who is directly working on the mutual evaluation told the newspaper. Out of the 40 recommendations, the APG has provisionally assessed Pakistan non-compliant on nearly 28 recommendations, he added. He said Pakistan has to be fully compliant or largely compliant with at least 23 recommendations to avoid the grey list. Pakistan is already on the grey list of the FATF and even if it successfully implemented all the 27 actions determined by the FATF, its fate will hinge on the mutual evaluation report outcome, the report said. It has also been conveyed to Finance Minister Asad Umar that the situation could worsen for Pakistan if it did not improve ranking on at least 8 to 10 recommendations, said another official who works for a counter-terrorism authority. Officials said all the stakeholders were not on the same page, which not only created difficulties during the October 2018 on-site inspection but might also create problems this time. Out of the 40 recommendations, Pakistan is fully compliant with hardly two, largely compliant with three and partially to largely compliant with another three. It is either partially compliant or non-compliant with the rest of the recommendations, the report said. But Pakistani authorities believe that they have addressed the APG's concerns in areas of customer due diligence, beneficial ownerships of legal persons, statistics, record keeping, money or value transfer services, new technologies, wire transfers, international cooperation, nuclear non-proliferation and targeted financial sanctions related to terrorism and terrorism financing, the report said. After the current visit, the APG would finalise its draft report that is expected to be shared with Pakistan by the end of April or early May for its comments. After obtaining Pakistan's response, the Mutual Evaluation Report will be presented in the Annual General Meeting of the APG that is likely to take place in August. The APG meeting would either accept the report or suggest changes to it, the report said. In case of the worst outcome, Pakistan may have to implement yet another Action Plan from October onwards. The FATF's Action Plan implementation deadline is September this year. The review on the implementation of the FATF Action Plan held in February did not go well, which has increased pressure on Pakistan, the report said. The next FATF review would take place in June in Washington and before that Pakistan will have to show compliance on 16 points that have been agreed for May in addition to three issues that were left out in the last review, the report added. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 21:01 [IST] Australia: Man accuses ex-colleague of fart bullying him; seeks Rs 12.4cr compensation International oi-Shubham Ghosh Melbourne, March 26: An engineer in Australia has sought $1.8 million (Rs 12.4 crore) in a legal suit against his former employer for a bizarre reason. No, it is not about being deprived of equal opportunity or income at the work place but farting. The 56-year-old man has alleged that one of his former colleagues bullied him for several months by constantly farting near him and even "thrusting his bum" at him. According to a report in Yahoo News, David Hingst sought the legal suit against his former employer Construction Engineering although the supreme court said that there was no evidence to back his charge of bullying. In his appeal, Hingst said his ex-colleague Greg Short was a "serial farter" and that "flatulence was a form of bullying". "I would be sitting with my face to the wall and he would come into the room, which was small and had no windows. He would fart behind me and walk away. He would do this five or six times a day," Hingst was quoted by Yahoo News. Pentagon authorises Billion for Trump's border wall Hingst also said that Greg, who was the manager of the company, abused him over telephone and taunted him with gestures. He said Short's behaviour was part of a conspiracy that left him with "psychiatric injuries". Supreme Court Justice Phillip Priest dismissed the appeal saying farts were not the 'key issue' in the complainant's original claim. The final ruling of the case is expected on Friday, March 29. Muslim youth invites NZ PM Jacinda Ardern to embrace Islam & she gives a beautiful reply International oi-Shubham Ghosh Wellington, March 26: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who has won hearts all over for her handling of the situation post Christchurch massacre on March 15 that left 50 people dead, has made the headlines yet again. In a video that has gone viral, the 38-year-old leader was seen telling an unidentified Muslim youth who invited her to embrace Islam the following: "Islam teaches humanity and I think I have it". Ardern's gesture following the shootings in two mosques in Christchurch on a Friday, the prayer's day, earned accolades the world over as she met the bereaved families wearing a Hijab. Her government also changed the country's gun laws fast to ensure that such deadly incidents did not occur again. The young Muslim man was heard appreciating Ardern who he told: "To be honest with you, what brought me here it's you. I have been crying every day for the last three days. I have been making one Dua from Allah and I said I wish other leaders can look at your leadership skills. And my other one wish is I hope one day you enter into Islam and I wish I will be with you in Jannah." French Muslim group sues Facebook, YouTube over NZ Christchurch attack video It was then Ardern gave her reply which was not only diplomatic but empathetic as well. Ardern even went to the extent of greeting the parliament with the words "Assalam o Alaikum" (peace be upon you) soon after the Christchurch mayhem. Also, a Muslim cleric was invited into the parliament to recite Holy Quran. Ardern earned praise of the Muslim world as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai was lit up with her picture last Friday, March 22, as tribute from the government and people of the UAE to the Kiwi premier. The New Zealand prime minister also received death threats on the social media on Friday and the country's police were probing it. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 6:49 [IST] Report claims most of the revered Hindu sites in Pakistan in state of decay India has just one DNA and it is Hindu: RSS leader Court orders Pak govt to ensure protection of abducted Hindu girls International oi-Deepika S Islamabad, Mar 26: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday ordered the government to take into custody the two Hindu girls allegedly abducted and forcibly converted from Hinduism and married to Muslim men. The Court has also ordered to ensure they are protected, GeoTV reported. After hearing their plea, the Chief Justice of the IHC directed the Islamabad Deputy Commission and Director General Human Rights to take over their custody, until the matter is resolved in court. The court remarked that the girls cannot be taken back to Sindh fearing persecution, vengeful activities and the threat to their lives, till the matter is in court, GeoTV reported. Minister of External Affairs (MEA) Sushma Swaraj has refuted the claims of willing conversion in a series of tweets on Tuesday morning. Swaraj said, "Even the Prime Minister on Naya Pakistan will not believe that girls of this tender age can voluntarily decide about their conversion to another religion and marriage." Russia: Man tries to board flight naked saying clothes make him 'less aerodynamic' Pakistan has arrested at least seven people, including a man who assisted in solemnising the wedding of two teenage Hindu girls after their alleged abduction and forced conversions. The two girls, Raveena (13) and Reena (15), were allegedly kidnapped by a group of "influential" men from their home in Ghotki district in Sindh on the eve of Holi. Soon after the kidnapping, a video went viral in which a cleric was purportedly shown soleminising the Nikah (marriage) of the two girls, triggering a nationwide outrage. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered a probe into the incident after the two separate videos started doing rounds on social media. Citing police, Dawn reported that several raids were conducted on Sunday night in Punjab's Rahim Yar Khan district - where it was believed the girls were taken from Ghotki - and arrested the Nikah Khwan who solemnised their marriages, a leader of the Pakistan Sunni Tehreek, and some relatives of the two men who had married the two girls. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 13:06 [IST] Is China the reason why Pakistan opted to skip Summit for Democracy hosted by Biden? Pakistan: Cops find woman in deep sleep next to body parts of 70 year old man Did Pakistan use a J-17 used to shoot down Indian aircraft? International oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa Islamabad, Mar 26: Pakistan's military has said for the first time that JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft developed jointly with China were used in retaliation to India's pre-emptive strikes on a JeM terror camp in Balakot as it once again denied that US-made F-16 jets were involved in the attack. Referring to the aerial dogfight with the Indian Air Force jets after the February 14 Pulwama terror attack claimed by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Pakistan Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said the Indian jets violated the Pakistani airspace on February 26, dropping payloads without inflicting any casualties or damage to infrastructure. Video: Indian Army destroys Pakistani base in Akhnoor sector The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in an aerial combat and captured Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who was handed over to India later. "The aircraft which engaged those targets and fought them were JF-17. As regard to how to use F-16, in what context [they] were used or not - because at that point of time our entire Air Force was airborne - now it remains between Pakistan and the US to see how the MoUs regarding the use of F-16 have been adhered to or otherwise," Ghafoor told Russian news agency Sputnik International. A day after Pakistan's attempt to retaliate the IAF's air strikes at the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Balakot, the Indian armed forces displayed parts of an AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) fired by an F-16, which fell in Indian territory. New Delhi had also underlined that electronic signatures captured by Indian radars had established the use of F-16 for the offensive. The US State Department announced that it was seeking more information from Pakistan on the potential use of American-made F-16 jets against India in violation of the end-user agreement. The Pakistani General noted that Islamabad was discussing the use of its JF-17 with the US citing "friendly relations" with Washington, stressing, however, that the country would use whatever it deemed necessary if it came to "legitimate self-defence." He said Pakistan only wanted to tell India that it has the capability to hit back. He said Pakistan has the footage of the operation. At the time of the attack, the media reports said that the PAF military aircraft that shot down the Mig-21 Bison was JF-17 Thunder Block II multirole fighter jet. "Proud to announce, I was project director for JF-17 Thunder program jointly produced by Pakistan and China during the tenure of General Pervez Musharraf," retired PAF Air Marshall Shahid Latif said at the time. "Today, same jets targeted and shot down Indian Jets which entered Pakistani Airspace," he said soon after the attack last month. Ghafoor said that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is a deterrence tool to prevent wars in the region. "Pakistan holds the position that this capability eliminates the possibility of conventional war. No sane country having this capability would talk about using it," Ghafoor was quoted as saying by the Russian news agency. He said Pakistan would take steps towards non-proliferation of nuclear arms but only if India does the same. Further terror attack on India will be extremely problematic: US to Pakistan Ghafoor said Pakistan would welcome every effort, including that of Russia, which can bring peace in the region. On military cooperation with Russia, Ghafoor said Pakistan is negotiating defence industry cooperation with Moscow in the areas of aviation, air defence systems and anti-tank missiles. Pakistan's defence ties with Russia have moved past the bitter Cold War hostilities in recent years and the chill in the relations between Pakistan and the US has further pushed the country towards Russia and China. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 5:58 [IST] Modi losing popularity, playing China card to win Lok Sabha election: Chinese media International oi-Shubham Ghosh Beijing, March 26: The general elections in India are not too far away and China's state-run Global Times has said in an op-ed on Monday, March 25, that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is playing the China card to win the upcoming election. In the piece, Zhao Gancheng, a research fellow of the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, said the twin incidents of India's escalating tension with Pakistan in the wake of the terror attack on its paramilitary forces in Pulwama and New Delhi's quest in making the international community announce Jaish-e-Mohammed militant group chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist showed that PM Modi and his BJP were eyeing to make the soar relations with Pakistan as one of their main poll planks. It said such an effort has been undertaken to "shore up" Modi's popularity and "lure" voters. "Bilateral problems are generally not used as election issues in India or other countries, unless tensions boil over leading to a war," the piece said. Narendra Modi to address rally in Jammu on March 28 It also said that though India and China have their share of issues but their relations are far from leading to a major crisis. It added that China has nothing to do with the Lok Sabha elections but accused Modi of playing the "China card" to divert the voters' mind. It also said that the BJP was once confident of winning the polls but various factors like low employment rate and unfulfilled poll promises have left the people upset, making the "China card" relevant in the election. It said the ploy would work to some extent in India's northern parts for the region is underdeveloped and people living in such areas harbour strong nationalist sentiments. It also said that Modi's popularity has declined and to make up more that, he is also playing up the standoff with Pakistan besides using the China card. Why doesn't BJP play China card in South India, asks Chinese op-ed "Why didn't the BJP play the "China card" in southern India, which is more developed and prosperous? The people there wouldn't buy it as the general elections are about domestic politics. Anyone who has a relatively clear perception of the international situation can easily see through Modi's intention of raking up the China issue in election rallies to gain popularity when he cannot figure a better way out of his domestic predicament," the op-ed added. It ended up saying that if Modi wins the upcoming election, he will handle his China policy rationally. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 6:56 [IST] Collapse of Kabul will go down as one of the greatest defeats in American history: Donald Trump Thousands of terrorists might have been airlifted out of Kabul: Trump slams Biden Never in history has withdrawal from war been handled so badly: Trump Pentagon authorises $1 Billion for Trump's border wall International oi-Deepika S Washington, Mar 26: Pentagon has authorised $1 billion to begin new wall construction along with the US-Mexico border. A Pentagon budget reprogramming notification sent to Capitol Hill on Monday and obtained by CNN indicates that up to $1 billion will go towards building 57 miles of fencing, improving roads and other measures on the southern border. The Department of Defense authorized the Army Corp of Engineers to begin planning and construction for the project Monday night. The department will direct the funds toward 18-foot-high fencing along the Yuma and El Paso sections of the border, according to a letter acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan sent to Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen. Hurdles cleared for AK 203 rifles deal with Russia; likely to be sealed next month during Putin's visit Russia: Man tries to board flight naked saying clothes make him less aerodynamic International oi-Shubham Ghosh Moscow, March 26: The aviation sector has come up with all sorts of bizarre news nowadays. Recently, a woman boarded a plane in Saudi Arabia forgetting her newborn back at the airport and the pilot had to return to pick it up. Now, another bizarre incident has happened in Russia's Domodedovo Airport where a man tried to board a plane naked not for he felt that wearing clothes would make his less aerodynamic, the Moscow Times cited a report by REN TV as saying. The man completed the Ural Airlines flight's registration before suddenly shedding his clothes and ran naked onto the jet bridge, according to eyewitnesses. "He shouted that he was naked because clothing impairs the aerodynamics of the body. He flies with more agility when undressed," REN TV quoted a fellow passenger as saying. The man's explanation of physics though did not convince the airport staff members and they intercepted him before he could board the flight heading for Crimea. He was also detained by the police later. Bizarre! Woman passenger forgets baby at airport; pilot turns plane back to pick it "After the police had detained the offender, he was taken to the airport's medical room and then was hospitalized in a medical facility. The offender is a native of Yakutsk but lives in the Moscow region," Moscow Times cited the press service of the Interior Ministry as saying. A video was released of the man after he was handcuffed by the police and sat on the floor, without any clothes on his body. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 9:18 [IST] 4K Technology Market Trends Exhibits Growth by Leading Key Players: AsusTek Corp, Hong Kong Skyworth Digital Holdings Ltd, Innolux Corp, LG Electronics, Hisense, Sharp, JVC Kenwood Corp, Samsung Electronics Corp 4K Technology Market https://www.orianresearch.com/request-sample/875560 https://www.orianresearch.com/enquiry-before-buying/875560 https://www.orianresearch.com/checkout/875560 www.orianresearch.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/13281002/ 4K Technology Market Research Report 2019 offers detailed analysis of market size, share, growth, trends, organization size, region, and deployment mode. This market report is a dynamic and statistical insights pertaining to the market at both regional as well as global level. Technology refers to a horizontal screen display resolution in the order of 4,000 pixels. There are several different 4K resolutions in the fields of digital television and digital cinematography.4K technology market is segmented as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the MEA. Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing region for 4K technology because of the increasing demand of higher quality of communication.Get Sample Copy of this Report -Market Overview: The Global 4K Technology Market 2019 report includes 4K Technology market Revenue, market Share, industry volume, and Trends, Growth aspects. 4K technology is an advanced technology that provides sharp quality pictures along with vibrant colors. YouTube and the television industry have adopted 3840 2160 as their 4K standard. The report provide in-depth analysis of key business trends and closure market is segmented and forthcoming growth opportunities and prospective. The report focuses in decision making abilities, essentials data of Market size and supports to make effective counter strategies in order to achieve competitive advantage and the Current market scenario of the segment and forecasts of the market situation have also been bounded in this market report.Complete report on Global 4K Technology 2019 Market Research Report is spread across 94 pages and provides exclusive vital statistics, data, and research analysis lists the key regional countries, highlighting on the extraordinary regions.Inquire more or share questions if any before the purchase on this report @The following manufacturers are covered:AsusTek CorpSamsung Electronics CorpJVC Kenwood CorpHisenseSharpLG ElectronicsHong Kong Skyworth Digital Holdings LtdInnolux CorpThe report provides insights on the following pointers:Market Dynamics: The report shares important information on influence factors, market drivers, challenges, opportunities, and market trends as part of market dynamics.Market Diversification: Readers are provided with production and revenue forecasts for the global 4K Technology market, production and consumption forecasts for regional markets, production, revenue, and price forecasts for the global 4K Technology market by type, and consumption forecast for the global 4K Technology market by application.Regional Market Analysis: It could be divided into two different sections: one for regional production analysis and the other for regional consumption analysis. Here, the analysts share gross margin, price, revenue, production, CAGR, and other factors that indicate the growth of all regional markets studied in the report.Market Competition: In this section, the report provides information on competitive situation and trends including merger and acquisition and expansion, market shares of top three or five players, and market concentration rate. Readers could also be provided with production, revenue, and average price shares by manufacturers.Order a copy of Global 4K Technology Market Report 2019 @Market segment by Type, the product can be split intoTVCameraDigital signageMarket segment by Application, the market can be split intoTelevision and Consumer MediaMovie ProjectionScope of the Report: To split the breakdown data by regions, type, manufacturers and applications. To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks. To identify significant trends, drivers, influence factors in global and regions. To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.About Us:Orian Research is one of the most comprehensive collections of market intelligence reports on the World Wide Web. Our reports repository boasts of over 500000+ industry and country research reports from over 100 top publishers. We continuously update our repository so as to provide our clients easy access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, and products. We also specialize in custom research in situations where our syndicate research offerings do not meet the specific requirements of our esteemed clients.Contact Us:Ruwin MendezVice President Global Sales & Partner RelationsOrian Research ConsultantsUS: +1 (832) 380-8827 | UK: +44 0161-818-8027Email: info@orianresearch.comWebsite:Follow Us on LinkedIn: Start-Stop Technology Market 2019: Growth Opportunities, Demand, Size, Share, Innovation, Top Companies (Continental, Bosch, Aisin Seiki, Denso, Delphi, Hitachi, Johnson Controls, Mitsubishi Electric, BorgWarner, Valeo etc.) Start-Stop Technology Market https://www.orianresearch.com/request-sample/875273 https://www.orianresearch.com/enquiry-before-buying/875273 https://www.orianresearch.com/checkout/875273 Start-stop technology automatically shuts down and restarts the internal combustion engine of vehicles to cut down the amount of time the engine spends idling. Additionally, the technology helps in reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Based on product, the enhanced starter segment is expected to be the largest segment of the global start-stop technology market during the forecast period.Get Sample Copy of This Report atThe Start-Stop Technology Market Research Report 2019 includes various topics like total market size, key drivers, business challenges, growth opportunities, industry share, international demand, outlook etc. Furthermore it covers key impact of regulations and technological updates. The report focuses on Global Start-Stop Technology Industry major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information.Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states import/export, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions North America, Europe, Japan, China, and other regions (India, Southeast Asia, Central & South America, Middle East & Africa etc.)Inquire more or share questions if any before the purchase on this report @Key Companies Analyzed in this Report are: Continental Bosch Aisin Seiki Denso Delphi Hitachi Johnson Controls Mitsubishi Electric BorgWarner Valeo Global Start-Stop Technology Market report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through analytical research, market survey and observations) and secondary research. The report also features a complete focused on qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain, growth aspects, utilization ratio and manufacturing capacity.Segment by TypeEnhanced starterBelt-driven alternator starter (BAS)Direct starterIntegrated starter generator (ISG)Segment by ApplicationPassenger CarsCommercial VehiclesPlace a Direct Order Of this Report @Major Points Covered in Table of Contents:1 Start-Stop Technology Market Overview2 Global Start-Stop Technology Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Start-Stop Technology Production Market Share by Regions4 Global Start-Stop Technology Consumption by Regions5 Global Start-Stop Technology Production, Revenue, Price Trend by Type6 Global Start-Stop Technology Market Analysis by Applications7 Company Profiles and Key Figures in Start-Stop Technology Business8 Start-Stop Technology Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Marketing Channel, Distributors and Customers10 Market Dynamics11 Global Start-Stop Technology Market Forecast12 Research Findings and Conclusion13 Methodology and Data SourceAbout UsOrian Research is one of the most comprehensive collections of market intelligence reports on The World Wide Web. Our reports repository boasts of over 500000+ industry and country research reports from over 100 top publishers. We continuously update our repository so as to provide our clients easy access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, and products. We also specialize in custom research in situations where our syndicate research offerings do not meet the specific requirements of our esteemed clients.Contact UsRuwin MendezVice President Global Sales & Partner RelationsOrian Research ConsultantsUS: +1 (415) 830-3727 | UK: +44 020 8144-71-27Email: info@orianresearch.com Spindle Shaper Market Shares, Strategies and Forecast Worldwide, 2018-2028 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=3208 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=B&rep_id=3208 https://www.factmr.com/report/3208/spindle-shaper-market www.factmr.com/ http://insiderstribune.com/ Growing Spindle Shaper Market in Automation sectorSpindle shaper is used in industries to shape and mould material. Spindle shaper market has gained sizable momentum in its overall sales over the forecast period. Automation in spindle shaper will make it much faster and is likely to aid in market growth over the forecast period. Use of spindle shaper is primarily concentrated in primary metal, fabricated metal and machinery manufacturing industries.Consumers are also using low RPM spindle shaper to create creative artworks of wood. The spindle shaper is likely to develop substantial incremental opportunities for the manufacturing companies of cutting and crafting machines to penetrate a significant market share in the emerging economies. The demand for spindle shaper is bound to increase in the upcoming years due to its efficiency and easy-to-use system, which is attracting consumers.Global Spindle Shaper Market likely to register lower single-digit growth during the forecast periodThe spindle shaper is essential and economic machine for manufactures to cut and shape material and its demand is likely to grow over the forecast period of 2018 to 2028, according to the companys recent research analysis. The global market for spindle shaper is estimated to dominate in Europe by 2028-end owing to a large number of research facilities, which can help develop spindle shaper in the upcoming years. Consumers from China and Japan prefer wooden furnished houses, which will help the spindle shaper market grow in these countries during the forecast period. America and MEA region are expected to witness a sizable rise in the overall sales of spindle shaper in the coming years due to its reasonable cost.Request For Sample @Increasing Investment in Automation to Boost Sales of Spindle ShaperThe global market for automation in spindle shaper is anticipated to see strong growth over the forecast period due to several growth factors like ability to withstand the bending movement of a machining part, high speed and torque, which are directly or indirectly responsible for the growth of the global spindle shaper market. Growth factors include increasing investment in R&D for fast working spindle shaper for growing automation facilities in emerging and low economies countries over the globe. The rising demand for rapid production companies to fulfil the needs of the population has opened plethora of market opportunities for the manufacturers of the spindle shaper. It is also likely to increase their sales footprint across the globe to maintain their existing customer base and expand new end users in developed and developing economies. Combination of a system like spindle shaper with CNC (Computer Numerical Control) can also give scope to the market of spindle shaper in the upcoming years.Global Spindle Shaper Market : SegmentationThe spindle shaper market can be segmented into motor power, spindle speed, applications and tool type and tool material. By motor power, spindle shaper market can be categorized as 1/2HP, 3 HP and 5 HP. By spindle speed, the spindle shaper market can be segmented in different ranges of RPM such as 4,000, 6,000, 7,000, 7,500, 8,000, 8,500 and 10,000 RPM.By applications, the spindle shaper market can be segmented into material removal process, facing, surface smoothing process and other artwork related area, which largely consists of wood cutting artwork by spindle shaper machine. By tool type, the global market for spindle shaper can be classified into round nose, roughing tool, finishing tool, side recessing tool, slot cutting tool, goose neck tool and other. Geographically, the global market spindle shaper can be segmented into seven regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, CIS & Russia, and Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, and Middle East & Africa.Request For Brochure @Key Manufacturers of Spindle Shaper machines Focusing on AtomizationThe global market for spindle shaper devices comprises several manufacturers, who are primarily converging on bringing eco-friendly devices into the market. Some key market players are STC-STEYR Walzlager Deutschland GMBH, Holytek Industrial Corporation, Woodtech Consultants Private Limited, Wealden Tool Company Limited, Hwacheon Machinery, Europe GmbH Tewkesbury Saw Co, W S Wood Machinery, Futura Woodmac, Felder Grouo Headquarter, JMJ Woodworking Machinery Ltd, Charnwood, Michale Weining AG ind and Charnwood Woodworking Machinery among others.The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the spindle shaper 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 spindle shaper market segments on motor power, spindle speed, applications, and tool type and tool material.Report Analysis @The report is a compilation of first-hand information of 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 of spindle shaper. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.About Fact.MRFact.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.comWeb:Read Industrial News : Small Hydropower Market | Top manufactures key player - Eco Power Holdings, Artelia, Lesotho Electricity Company, Agder Energi AS, Ontario Power Generation Inc. mrrse https://www.mrrse.com/sample/2471 Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) has recently updated its massive report catalogue by adding a fresh study titled Small Hydropower Market Assessment and Revenue Forecast until the End of 2024. This business intelligence study encapsulates vital details about the market current as well as future status during the mentioned forecast period of 2026.The report also targets important facets such as market drivers, challenges, latest trends, and opportunities associated to growth of manufacturers in global market for (Small Hydropower Market). Along with these insights, the report provides the readers crucial insights on the strategies implemented by leading companies to remain in the lead of this competitive market.Request Free sample report @Small Hydropower (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: +1-518-730-0559 Community Care Facilities for the Elderly Market Technology Trends and Top Key Players to Watch in Future https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/11992 https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/toc/11992 https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/pharmaceuticals-healthcare-and-medical-devices/11992/community-care-facilities-for-the-market-research-reports http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/ Community Care Facilities or Residential Care Facilities are services provided to geriatrics to assist their day-to-day routine of care, supervision and assistance with activities such as bathing and grooming and providing medicine as per regimen. In many cases high level of care and supervision is required when people are unable to ambulate by themselves but who do not need 24 hour nursing care. They are considered non-medical facilities and are not required to have nurses, certified nursing assistants or doctors on staff. These services are provided either home to home or at a private facility away from the patients home. Community care facilities are strictly regulated for quality of environment and expertise of the staff.Get Sample Copy of this report @The demand for community care has increased exponentially over the years particularly due to decreased focus and attention meted out to geriatrics by family. This is further fueled with low awareness and training in handling of serious medical situation for old people such as Alzheimers Parkinsons, heart attack, post-surgical care and palliative care. In many situations, end-of-life care is required to be provided which cannot be given in hospitals due to over occupation of hospital premises. Other services may include adult day health care, companionship, delivery of consumables and medical supplies, counseling, emergency alert response, home repair, home-delivered meals, home nursing, legal assistance, material aid, medical therapeutic services, personal care, transportation, and other community-based services.The largest market for elderly community care services is estimated to be in North America which accounts for approximately 37% of the global market followed by Europe. China and Japan, are the worlds largest geriatric population regions where the market is expected to rise significantly in coming years. Cultural differentiation has affected the decision of hiring community care facility as aged people tend to misconstrue the move as abandonment by families which can strain health further. This is expected to remain a constant challenge in developing regions. Rapid urbanization and changing mindset may lead to better acceptance of these facilities in future. Home Community Care will be accepted much faster than care provided at a different facility such as an old age home.Request For TOC Report @Since the facilities are strictly regulated, many of the facilities are government based facilities. Private companies such as Visiting Angels, Care Pathways, Home Instead, Senior Homes and Maxim Home Care are just a few examples in a market teeming with hundreds of players. Unique aspect of this industry is the fact that local players can have a market space of their own regardless of global leaders. Thus the market is expected to remain highly fragmented in coming years as well.MRR.BIZ has been compiled in-depth market research data in the report after exhaustive primary and secondary research. Our team of able, experienced in-house analysts has collated the information through personal interviews and study of industry databases, journals, and reputable paid sources.The report provides the following information:Tailwinds and headwinds molding the markets trajectoryMarket segments based on products, technology, and applicationsProspects of each segmentOverall current and possible future size of the marketGrowth pace of the marketCompetitive landscape and key players strategiesThe main aim of the report is to:Enable key stakeholders in the market bet right on itUnderstand the opportunities and pitfalls awaiting themAssess the overall growth scope in the near termStrategize effectively with respect to production and distributionView Complete Report @MRR.BIZ is a leading provider of strategic market research. Our vast repository consists research reports, data books, company profiles, and regional market data sheets. We regularly update the data and analysis of a wide-ranging products and services around the world. As readers, you will have access to the latest information on almost 300 industries and their sub-segments. Both large Fortune 500 companies and SMEs have found those useful. This is because we customize our offerings keeping in mind the specific requirements of our clients.About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz Latest Report On Oral Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Formulation Market By Growth, Size, Share and Forecast AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Gilead, Merck Oral Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Formulation Market https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/81446 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/enquiry_before_buying/81446 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/81446 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/request_for_discount/81446 www.upmarketresearch.com Up Market Research recently published a new research on Global Oral Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Formulation Market 2019-2026 Report that provides an in-depth overview of industry and competitive landscape, covering multiple market segments and elaborates market outlook and status to 2026.Get Exclusive FREE Sample Copy Of this Report @The report contains pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.Oral Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Formulation Market research report delivers a close watch on leading competitors with strategic analysis, micro and macro market trend and scenarios, pricing analysis and a holistic overview of the market situations in the forecast period. It is a professional and a detailed report focusing on primary and secondary drivers, market share, leading segments and geographical analysis. Further, key players, major collaborations, merger & acquisitions along with trending innovation and business policies are reviewed in the report. The report contains basic, secondary and advanced information pertaining to the Oral Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Formulation Market global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 20192026.The scope of the report extends from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost and profit of the specified market regions. The numerical data is backed up by statistical tools such as SWOT analysis, BCG matrix, SCOT analysis, PESTLE analysis and so on. The statistics are represented in graphical format for a clear understanding on facts and figures.For More Information On This Report, Please VisitThe generated report is firmly based on primary research, interviews with top executives, news sources and information insiders. Secondary research techniques are implemented for better understanding and clarity for data analysis.The report for Oral Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Formulation Market analysis & forecast 2019-2026 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Global Oral Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Formulation Market Segmentation Includes:Region-wise Analysis covers:North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanIndiaSoutheast AsiaOther regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)The Major players include:AstraZenecaBristol-Myers SquibbEli LillyGileadMerckNovartisPfizerAbbVieBoehringer IngelheimProduct Type Analysis:Immediate ReleaseExtended ReleaseOthersApplication Analysis:Hospital PharmacyRetail PharmacyDrug StoresOthersThere are many other application and segment on which the study has been conductedGet Exclusive FREE Sample Copy Of this Report @Oral Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Formulation Market Analysis and Forecast 2019-2026 report helps the clients to take business decisions and to understand strategies of major players in the industry. The report also calls for market- driven results deriving feasibility studies for client needs. UpMarketResearch ensures qualified and verifiable aspects of market data operating in the real- time scenario. The analytical studies are conducted ensuring client needs with a thorough understanding of market capacities in the real- time scenario.Key Reasons to Purchase:- To gain insightful analysis of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Global Oral Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Formulation Market Analysis and Forecast 2019-2026 and its commercial landscape.- Learn about the market strategies that are being adopted by your competitors and leading organizations.- To understand the future outlook and prospects for Oral Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Formulation Market analysis and forecast 2019-2026.Avail Discount On this Report @Customization of the Report:UpMarketResearch provides free customization of reports as per your need. This report can be personalized to meet your requirements. Get in touch with our sales team, who will guarantee you to get a report that suits your necessities.About UpMarketResearch:The UpMarketResearch () is a leading distributor of market research report with more than 800+ global clients. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well- defined we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Contact Info:Name: Alex MathewsEmail: Alex@upmarketresearch.comOrganization: UpMarketResearchAddress: 500 East E Street, Ontario, CA 91764, United States. UV Infection Control Device Industry (Market) Growth Analysis By Top Key Players Getinge Group, STERIS, Clorox Professional, Xenex, Tru-D SmartUVC, Seal Shield Global UV Infection Control Device Market 2019-2024 https://www.orianresearch.com/request-sample/877857 https://www.orianresearch.com/discount/648393 https://www.orianresearch.com/enquiry-before-buying/877857 www.orianresearch.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/13281002/ UV Light refers to Ultraviolet light which is outside the visible light spectrum between wavelength ranges of 100 nanometers (nm) to 400 nm. UV Light is classified into three wavelength ranges: UV-C from 100 nm - 280 nm, UV-B from 280 nm - 315 nm, UV-A from 315 nm - 400 nm.Ask for Sample Copy of This Report @Infection control used to be that washing hands and sterilizing tools and equipment with high temperature water was enough to keep patients, healthcare workers and visitors safe from viruses and bacteria. With the rise of more virulent viruses and antibiotic resistant bacteria in the last five years, healthcare providers are scrutinizing their infection prevention methods and are adopting new methods of disinfection.Top Key Vendors: Getinge Group, STERIS, Clorox Professional, Xenex, Tru-D SmartUVC, Seal Shield, American Ultraviolet, UVC Cleaning Systems, Infection Prevention Technologies, AquiSense Technologies, Lumalier Corp, American Air & WatersWith independent lab tests and peer-reviewed studies validating ultraviolet-C lights ability to quickly and effectively kill germs, UVC light disinfection systems have become increasingly popular with hospitals in the last one to two years. At the same time, many well-publicized incidents of healthcare-associated infections have occurred at hospitals, which have contributed to an increase in use of UVC light disinfection in hospitals.Global UV Infection Control Device Industry is spread across 123 pages, profiling 27 companies and supported with tables and figures.Early buyers will receive reasonable discount on exclusive report @The growing manufacturing sector in all regions is expected to generate demand and drive the UV Infection Control Device market during the forecast period.Today, UV Light can be an important part of a hospitals infection control protocols. As UV Light technology continues to improve and costs come down, it is likely that we will see the development of more devices using UV Light for effective cleaning and disinfection.In addition to the human toll, hospitals now have a financial reason to reduce hospital-acquired infections: beginning in 2017, the federal government will dramatically reduce Medicare payments to hospitals that exceed incidences of them and of other conditions.The worldwide market for UV Infection Control Device is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly xx% over the next five years, will reach xx million US$ in 2024, from xx million US$ in 2019, according to a new study.This report focuses on the UV Infection Control Device 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 applicationInquire for further detailed information before the purchase on Global UV Infection Control Device Market Research Report @Market Segment by Type, covers:Mobile TypeStationary TypeOther TypesMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided into:HospitalClinicOthersAbout UsOrian Research is one of the most comprehensive collections of market intelligence reports on the World Wide Web. Our reports repository boasts of over 500000+ industry and country research reports from over 100 top publishers. We continuously update our repository so as to provide our clients easy access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, and products. We also specialize in custom research in situations where our syndicate research offerings do not meet the specific requirements of our esteemed clients.Contact Us:Ruwin MendezVice President Global Sales & Partner RelationsOrian Research ConsultantsUS +1 (415) 830-3727| UK +44 020 8144-71-27Email: info@orianresearch.comWebsite:Follow Us on LinkedIn: The Truth About Marriage, Divorce And The Remarriage Adultery Epidemic Offered By Evangelical Outreach Dan Corner VS Pat Robertson Of The 700 Club https://www.evangelicaloutreach.org Dan Corner posted a somewhat shocking recording of Pat Robertson of the 700 Club on his website. In that recording, Robertson made a comment regarding an Alzheimer's wife and her husband, whom she doesn't recognize anymore; with the husband who has started seeing another woman: "I know it sounds cruel, but if he is going to do something he should divorce her and start all over again."Divorce in the US is at an all-time high. The numbers shown by the National Center for Health Statistics are staggering. Even more unfortunate is the fact that some people have divorced and remarried more than once - some many times. Therefore it is important that Christians understand the spiritual ramifications of divorce and make good decisions based on Biblical truth.But finding that truth can be extremely difficult, especially when we hear conflicting points of view and contradictory opinions from pastors, church leaders and others, all of whom seem to be able to find something in the Bible to shore up their respective positions. Regarding divorce and remarriage, some say "yes", some say "no", and some say "maybe, but". However Dan Corner believes the answer is very clear. He recently had this to say:The Bible declares that remarriage while one's former spouse is still living constitutes adultery (Rom. 7:2,3). Divorce and remarriage have become so widespread, especially since the advent of "no fault divorce", that over 50% of married people divorce in the USA; Belgium is even worse with over 70% of their married people getting divorced.It is typical for remarriage adulterers to cite polygamist King David in an attempt to justify their own remarriage (even though David was never remarried and Bathsheba was a widow when they married). Furthermore, such arguments are all nullified by what the PRECIOUS Lord Jesus, who knew all about King David, taught:Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery (Luke 16:18).He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery" (Mark 10:11,12).The two people of opposite sex, whom God has joined together and have become one flesh through marriage, are bound together as husband and wife for life. God's eternal word calls that the law of marriage:For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man (Rom. 7:2,3).That same essential "until death do we part" scriptural truth (Mark 10:7-9) is repeated here:A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord (1 Cor. 7:39).Divorce does not end a marriage! Only physical death ends a marriage. People often wonder how the aforementioned verses can parallel the exception clauses in Mt. 5:32 and 19:9 ("except for marital unfaithfulness"), but in their bewilderment, they all too often overlook Mt. 1:19. That verse is where Joseph was going to "divorce" Mary because he wrongly thought she was guilty of sexual sin during their betrothal, that is, BEFORE they were actually married. Again, Joseph was going to "divorce" Mary, which is the same Greek word found in Mt. 5:32 and 19:9, before they were actually married.Furthermore, Jesus taught such remarriage adultery is a continuous tense sin. It is not a one-time sin, which can be confessed and forgotten about, all while continuing to indulge in sexual union. Such soul-damning adultery is committed every time sexual union occurs, because at least one of the two parties is still married to another living person. The lethal seriousness of unforgiven adultery is shown in 1 Cor. 6:9,10 and Rev. 21:8, where such sin will drag both parties to the lake of fire, just on that basis alone. What the many wolves in sheep's clothing say about the permissibility of remarriage after divorce does not change the written word of God, which forbids such practice and is detestable in Gods sight.John the Baptist was beheaded over his preaching about the illegitimate marriage between Herod and Herodias. The truth is, Herodias was still Philip's wife (Mt. 14:3,4; Mark 6:17-19). Hence, Herod and Herodias were committing adultery by their sexual union because their marriage was not legitimate before God.This vital message is not just for people in remarriage adultery now, who desperately need to repent and get forgiven, but also for single people before they become entangled in an emotional bear trap. Marriage is a very serious commitment; only death terminates the bonds of marriage. Marriage is not some trivial arrangement to try out only to have both parties go their own way and try again with different people when problems arise.Finally, please know people in remarriage adultery are not cancelling out their adultery by going to church, praying, reading the bible, giving to the poor, soul winning or by any other church activity. Adulterers must stop their sexual union and seek God's forgiveness to be cleansed. If you have found yourself in such an adulterous situation, which is condemned by God, you must act while you still can. If you die in your sins, you'll be eternally lost. There is no Once Saved Always Saved. Pass this teaching on to those you care about.Dan Corner, a former pastor, is the author of a number of books including 'The Believer's Conditional Security: Eternal Security Refuted', 'The Myth of Eternal Security' and 'Is this the Mary of the Bible?'. He also provides a massive amount of information on his websites.Ex Catholic Dan Corner is available for media interviews, including debates, and can be reached using the information below or by email at eternallifeblog@gmail.com, by phone at 724-632-3210 or by mail at PO Box 265, Washington, PA, 15301. More is available at his websites.After graduating from college, Dan Corner got saved by reading the Bible. For over four decades, he has diligently served the Lord Jesus. Dan Corner's pastoral, apologetic, counter cult and street evangelism experiences have equipped him to contend for the faith and win souls to Jesus from many backgrounds.He is an ordained minister and director of Evangelical Outreach who pastored for almost seven years and has authored hundreds of Christian articles, answered thousands of emails and letters and has written several books of vital importance in our day.Press Contact:Dan CornerPO Box 265Washington, PA 15301724-632-3210eternallifeblog@gmail.com Global Car Rental Market is estimated to expand at a CAGR of 6.6% over the forecast period. Car Rental Market https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-5086 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-the-analyst/rep-gb-5086 Future Market Insights (FMI) presents a revised forecast of the global car rental market for the period 2017-2027 in its published report titled Car Rental Services Market: Global Industry Analysis (2012 2016) and Opportunity Assessment (20172027). In terms of revenue, the global car rental market is estimated to expand at a CAGR of 6.6% over the forecast period, owing to numerous factors, about which FMI offers thorough insights and forecasts in this informative report. The market is segmented on the basis of end use, customer type, sector, booking type and car type.Increased Global Affluence to Make Leisure Travellers Demand Car Rental ServicesBy customer type, the global car rental market is segmented into business and leisure customers. The leisure segment is expected to dominate over the forecast period due to expansion of global tourism market, increasing disposable income, and improved infrastructure for rental service. The leisure segment is anticipated to record a high CAGR growth rate of 7.8% over the forecast period with the total market valued at US$ 51,734.7 in 2017. On the other hand, the business segment has low growth rate of 4.3% CAGR with market valued at US$ 52,365.3 in 2017.Get Sample Copy of Report @Online Booking Unlikely to Outpace Offline Booking in the Car Rental MarketBy booking type, the market is segmented into offline access, mobile application, and other internet access. Offline booking is projected to be the higher revenue generator compared to online bookings and mobile apps. The offline booking segments is estimated to account for approximately 68% of the car rental market i.e. a value of US $ 44,871.6 Mn in 2016. Online bookings for car rentals have increased globally with the development of mobile applications and IT infrastructure advancements making it easy to book car rental services online or via mobile apps. Therefore, the car rental market is thriving. An updated report of the International Telecommunication Union, 2015 WSIS Forum states that Internet users have increased rapidly worldwide on account of continuous developments in Information & Communication Technologies. This is estimated to further increase the demand for car rental services. The proportion of households with the internet access at home increased from 18% in 2005 to 46% in 2015; whereas in 2000 the penetration rate was 6.3%.On-Airport End Use has Maximum Potential in the Car Rental MarketOn the basis of end use, global Car Rental Services is segmented into Intercity, Intracity, On-Airport, and others. On Airport segment has highest growth rate of 7.3% CAGR followed by intercity with a CAGR of 5.3% in the forecast period. Air travel has skyrocketed mainly because of the plummeting prices of airline tickets, leading to a substantial increase in air travelers across the globe. The increasing air trips for business and leisure purpose is fuelling the growth of car rentals to airports.Booming Economic Growth makes APEJ Car Rental Market Critical in the Long TermThe North America market has been estimated to dominate the Global car rental market, accounting for maximum revenue share of 45.9% by 2027 end. In terms of value, North America and Western Europe collectively accounted for more than 57% share in the global market in 2027. Although APEJ has a relatively lower market share of 17.5%, all the stars are in its favor making it likely to witness high growth rate in the medium term. Latin America, Japan and Middle East are also anticipated to show substantial amount of growth over the forecast period.If You Have Any Query, Ask The Analyst @Competition Dashboard in the Global Car Rental MarketSome of the key players in the global car rental market include Enterprise Holdings Inc., The Hertz Corporation, Avis Budget Group Inc., Europcar S.A., Carzonrent India Pvt Ltd., Sixt Rent a Car, Al-Futtaim, Localiza Rent a Car S / A, Eco Rent a Car, and GlobalCARS.For more insights on the car rental market, get in touch with our analysts at press@futuremarketinsights.comABOUT 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 Impressive Growth of the Mobile Phone Accessories Market during the forecast period, at an estimated CAGR of 6.6%. Mobile Phone Accessories Market https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-5338 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-the-analyst/rep-gb-5338 Rapid technological advancements and tremendous penetration of mobile technology have been pushing the demand for mobile phone accessories over the past decade. The global market for mobile phone accessories will possibly witness robust growth in the near future, as indicated by a recent mobile phone accessories market examination by Future Market Insights (FMI) over a 10-year forecast period 2017-2027. FMI foresees impressive growth of the mobile phone accessories market during the forecast period, at an estimated CAGR of 6.6%.Get Sample Copy of Report @Rapidly Growing Consumer Inclination towards Smartphone Usage Boosting Sales of Mobile Phone Accessories in Developing EconomiesIncreasing adoption of smartphones and tablets are likely to promote immense opportunities to key players in the mobile phone accessories market. Furthermore, growing population and urbanization, especially in developing regions such as Asia Pacific and Middle East & Africa, are anticipated to contribute to the demand for mobile phone accessories market during the forecast period. As indicated by FMIs study on the global mobile phone accessories market, the growth is substantially driven by increasing disposal income pushing the purchasing power of consumers in developing countries. However, piracy poses a major threat to the growth of mobile phone accessories market, as the market has been witnessing growing inclination of a sizable population towards the cost effective counterfeit products especially in developing countries. Additionally, lack of standardization in manufacturing mobile phone accessories will hamper the market growth to a greater extent.Advancing trends of online shopping and e-banking have significantly influenced the use of smartphones, sequentially fueling the growth of mobile phone accessories market. Furthermore, the key players in mobile phone accessories market increasingly relying on high potential distribution channels such as multi-brand distributors and online shopping sites to gain a competitive advantage.APEJ to Witness Significant Growth in Global Mobile Phone Accessories MarketMore than 50% share of the global mobile phone accessories market revenue is collectively contributed by North America, Western Europe, and Asia Pacific excluding Japan. The FMI report estimates that the revenue contribution of APEJ in mobile phone accessories market will see a significant expansion at a robust pace during the forecast period. China is expected to remain the largest shareholder in this region, owing to growing consumer affluence and rampant urbanization.If You Have Any Query, Ask The Analyst @Power Bank to Witness Maximum Revenue Growth over Other Types of Mobile Phone AccessoriesNumerous options such as USB plug-in power bank, portable solar panel power bank, and pocket-size units are gaining popularity across the globe. In order to expand the customer base, power bank manufacturers are also focusing on delivering highly innovative products which will influence the growth of mobile phone accessories market through 2027. Europe leads in the sales of power bank owing to the presence of organized multi-brand stores. Furthermore, latest developments in power banks such as LED torch and digital charge indicators are anticipated to attract more customers.On the basis of product type, protective cases are also likely to register robust growth as they have high popularity as a fashion accessory. This further influences the key players to manufacture trendy and attractive products and in turn contribute in shaping the mobile phone accessories market.For more critical insights on the overall performance of global mobile phone accessories market, feel free to contact the team of expert research analysts at press@futuremarketinsights.comABOUT 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 Want To Know the Future of International Lingerie Market Report 2026? know the trends along with SWOT analysis With Key Players: American Eagle Outfitters, Calvin Klein Inc., L Brands International Lingerie Market https://www.qyreports.com/request-sample?report-id=116007 https://qyreports.com/enquiry-before-buying?report-id=116007 https://www.qyreports.com/ask-for-discount?report-id=116007 https://www.qyreports.com/report/global-international-lingerie-market-research-report-forecast-2026-116007/ www.qyreports.com The global International Lingerie market has moderately high entry barriers to new customers, such as brand loyalty, increased marketing investment, an important role for customers, and a low brand switch. While there are many local players on the market, the significant advertising and media costs of multinational brands overwhelm local players' share of the market.The reason for replacing this edition with another is that as the publisher's resource database becomes available recently, more analysis of the supply chain can be done. In other words, where International Lingerie in the world is being manufactured for women to wear in developed countries and regional retail markets.Get sample PDF pages on this report:Top Key Players:American Eagle Outfitters, Calvin Klein Inc., L Brands (Victorias Secret), Triumph, Bare Necessities, Fredricks of Hollywood, Freshpair, Hanes Brands and HerRoom are companies mentioned in this 65Chapters include: The lingerie consumer Lingerie retailing Lingerie products The lingerie market, 2019 Lingerie supply chain analysis The lingerie market, 2026 Lingerie time lines US$bn and percentage growth Market shares and value added Global lingerie sector playersThis research report categorizes the world market for women's lingerie by player / brand, region, type and application. The report also studies global market conditions, competitive landscape, market share, growth rate, future trends, market drivers, opportunities and challenges, sales channels, distributors and Porter 's Five Forces Analysis.For More Details Inquire@Lingerie is at least a category of women's clothing, including underwear, nightwear and lightweight robes. The specific choice of a word is often induced by the intent to imply that the garment is attractive, sophisticated, or both. Lingerie is made of silk, satin, lycra, charmeuse, chiffon, or light, stretchy, soft, sheer or decorative fabrics (especially traditionally) These fabrics can be made of natural fibers such as silk or cotton or synthetic fibers such as polyester or nylon.Market Size Split by TypeBraKnickers and PantiesLounge WearShape WearOtherMarket Size Split by ApplicationOnline StoresStore FrontMarket size split by RegionNorth AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaGet Up To 30% Discount on this Report:Table of Contents International Lingerie Overview1 International Lingerie Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of International Lingerie1.2 Classification of International Lingerie1.2.1 Type I1.2.2 Type II1.2.3 Type III1.3 Application of International Lingerie1.3.1 Application 11.3.2 Application 21.3.3 Application 31.4 International Lingerie Market by Regions1.4.1 United States Status and Prospect (2019-2026)1.4.2 China Status and Prospect (2019-2026)Complete Report Available at:About QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+(1) 786-292-8164sales@qyreports.com Latest Viscose Filament Market Report by Growth, Size, Share and Forecast Research Till 2026 - Key Players are Xinxiang Bailu Chemical Fiber, Yibin Grace Group, Swan Fiber, Jilin Chemical Fiber, Etc. Latest Viscose Filament Market https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/62360 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/enquiry_before_buying/62360 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/62360 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/request_for_discount/62360 www.upmarketresearch.com Up Market Research published a detailed Reports Global Viscose Filament Market Size Status and Forecast 2026. The report classifies the global Viscose Filament Market in a precise manner to offer detailed insights about the aspects responsible for augmenting as well as restraining market.Get Exclusive FREE Sample Copy Of this Report @The report contains pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.Viscose Filament Market research report delivers a close watch on leading competitors with strategic analysis, micro and macro market trend and scenarios, pricing analysis and a holistic overview of the market situations in the forecast period. It is a professional and a detailed report focusing on primary and secondary drivers, market share, leading segments and geographical analysis. Further, key players, major collaborations, merger & acquisitions along with trending innovation and business policies are reviewed in the report. The report contains basic, secondary and advanced information pertaining to the Viscose Filament Market global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 20192026.The scope of the report extends from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost and profit of the specified market regions. The numerical data is backed up by statistical tools such as SWOT analysis, BCG matrix, SCOT analysis, PESTLE analysis and so on. The statistics are represented in graphical format for a clear understanding on facts and figures.For More Information On This Report, Please VisitThe generated report is firmly based on primary research, interviews with top executives, news sources and information insiders. Secondary research techniques are implemented for better understanding and clarity for data analysis.The report for Viscose Filament Market analysis & forecast 2019-2026 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Global Viscose Filament Market Segmentation Includes:Region-wise Analysis covers:North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanIndiaSoutheast AsiaOther regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)The Major players include:Xinxiang Bailu Chemical FiberYibin Grace GroupSwan FiberJilin Chemical FiberNanjing Chemical FiberIndian RayonCentury Rayon(IN)Hubei Golden RingENKAGlanzstoff IndustriesCHTC HelonZhonghui FiberDandong Chemical FiberKesoram RayonJiu Jiang Jin YuanHunan Heli FiberAbirami TextilesThreefold Export CombinesSniace GroupRahul RayonProduct Type Analysis:Ordinary Viscose FiberPolynosicViscose RayonViscose Strong SilkApplication Analysis:Over CoatingFancy SuitingBedding ArticleOthersThere are many other application and segment on which the study has been conducted.Get Exclusive FREE Sample Copy Of this Report @Viscose Filament Market Analysis and Forecast 2019-2026 report helps the clients to take business decisions and to understand strategies of major players in the industry. The report also calls for market- driven results deriving feasibility studies for client needs. UpMarketResearch ensures qualified and verifiable aspects of market data operating in the real- time scenario. The analytical studies are conducted ensuring client needs with a thorough understanding of market capacities in the real- time scenario.Key Reasons to Purchase:- To gain insightful analysis of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Global Viscose Filament Market Analysis and Forecast 2019-2026 and its commercial landscape.- Learn about the market strategies that are being adopted by your competitors and leading organizations.- To understand the future outlook and prospects for Viscose Filament Market analysis and forecast 2019-2026.Avail Discount On this Report @Customization of the Report:UpMarketResearch provides free customization of reports as per your need. This report can be personalized to meet your requirements. Get in touch with our sales team, who will guarantee you to get a report that suits your necessities.About UpMarketResearch:The UpMarketResearch () is a leading distributor of market research report with more than 800+ global clients. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well- defined we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Contact Info:Name: Alex MathewsEmail: Alex@upmarketresearch.comOrganization: UpMarketResearchAddress: 500 East E Street, Ontario, CA 91764, United States. Vascular Closure Equipment Market Detailed Global Analysis Report by Key Players - Abbott Laboratories, Cardinal Health, St. Jude Medical, Vascular Solutions, Etc. Vascular Closure Equipment Market https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/62586 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/enquiry_before_buying/62586 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/62586 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/request_for_discount/62586 www.upmarketresearch.com Vascular Closure Equipment Market report provides a comprehensive analysis by Key players and regions. This report also displays the forecast till 2026 production, consumption, revenue, gross margin, cost, market share, types, applications, and market influencing factors.Get Exclusive FREE Sample Copy Of this Report @The report contains pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.Vascular Closure Equipment Market research report delivers a close watch on leading competitors with strategic analysis, micro and macro market trend and scenarios, pricing analysis and a holistic overview of the market situations in the forecast period. It is a professional and a detailed report focusing on primary and secondary drivers, market share, leading segments and geographical analysis. Further, key players, major collaborations, merger & acquisitions along with trending innovation and business policies are reviewed in the report. The report contains basic, secondary and advanced information pertaining to the Vascular Closure Equipment Market global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 20192026.The scope of the report extends from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost and profit of the specified market regions. The numerical data is backed up by statistical tools such as SWOT analysis, BCG matrix, SCOT analysis, PESTLE analysis and so on. The statistics are represented in graphical format for a clear understanding on facts and figures.For More Information On This Report, Please VisitThe generated report is firmly based on primary research, interviews with top executives, news sources and information insiders. Secondary research techniques are implemented for better understanding and clarity for data analysis.The report for Vascular Closure Equipment Market analysis & forecast 2019-2026 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Global Vascular Closure Equipment Market Segmentation Includes:Region-wise Analysis covers:North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanIndiaSoutheast AsiaOther regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)The Major players include:Abbott LaboratoriesCardinal HealthSt. Jude MedicalVascular SolutionsArstasisBeijing Puyishengji Medical TechnologyEndocorEssential MedicalInSeal MedicalMedeon BiodesignMorrris InnovativeTransluminal TechnologiesVasorumVivasure MedicalProduct Type Analysis:Active ApproximatorsPassive ApproximatorsApplication Analysis:Diagnostic InterventionTherapeutic InterventionOthersThere are many other application and segment on which the study has been conducted.Get Exclusive FREE Sample Copy Of this Report @Vascular Closure Equipment Market Analysis and Forecast 2019-2026 report helps the clients to take business decisions and to understand strategies of major players in the industry. The report also calls for market- driven results deriving feasibility studies for client needs. UpMarketResearch ensures qualified and verifiable aspects of market data operating in the real- time scenario. The analytical studies are conducted ensuring client needs with a thorough understanding of market capacities in the real- time scenario.Key Reasons to Purchase:- To gain insightful analysis of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Global Vascular Closure Equipment Market Analysis and Forecast 2019-2026 and its commercial landscape.- Learn about the market strategies that are being adopted by your competitors and leading organizations.- To understand the future outlook and prospects for Vascular Closure Equipment Market analysis and forecast 2019-2026.Avail Discount On this Report @Customization of the Report:UpMarketResearch provides free customization of reports as per your need. This report can be personalized to meet your requirements. Get in touch with our sales team, who will guarantee you to get a report that suits your necessities.About UpMarketResearch:The UpMarketResearch () is a leading distributor of market research report with more than 800+ global clients. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well- defined we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Contact Info:Name: Alex MathewsEmail: Alex@upmarketresearch.comOrganization: UpMarketResearchAddress: 500 East E Street, Ontario, CA 91764, United States. Multivalent Vaccines Market Detailed Report With Growth Opportunity by Major Players GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Merck, Sanofi Pasteur, Etc. Multivalent Vaccines Market https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/64808 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/enquiry_before_buying/64808 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/64808 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/request_for_discount/64808 www.upmarketresearch.com Multivalent Vaccines Market report provides a comprehensive analysis by Key players and regions. This report also displays the forecast till 2026 production, consumption, revenue, gross margin, cost, market share, types, applications, and market influencing factors.Get Exclusive FREE Sample Copy Of this Report @The report contains pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.Multivalent Vaccines Market research report delivers a close watch on leading competitors with strategic analysis, micro and macro market trend and scenarios, pricing analysis and a holistic overview of the market situations in the forecast period. It is a professional and a detailed report focusing on primary and secondary drivers, market share, leading segments and geographical analysis. Further, key players, major collaborations, merger & acquisitions along with trending innovation and business policies are reviewed in the report. The report contains basic, secondary and advanced information pertaining to the Multivalent Vaccines Market global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 20192026.The scope of the report extends from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost and profit of the specified market regions. The numerical data is backed up by statistical tools such as SWOT analysis, BCG matrix, SCOT analysis, PESTLE analysis and so on. The statistics are represented in graphical format for a clear understanding on facts and figures.For More Information On This Report, Please VisitThe generated report is firmly based on primary research, interviews with top executives, news sources and information insiders. Secondary research techniques are implemented for better understanding and clarity for data analysis.The report for Multivalent Vaccines Market analysis & forecast 2019-2026 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Global Multivalent Vaccines Market Segmentation Includes:Region-wise Analysis covers:North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanIndiaSoutheast AsiaOther regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)The Major players include:GlaxoSmithKline plc (U.K.)Pfizer Inc. (U.S.)Merck & Co. Inc. (U.S.)Sanofi Pasteur SA (France)Astellas Pharma Inc. (Japan)CSL Limited (Australia)Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (U.S.)Johnson and Johnson (U.S.)MedImmune LLC (U.S.)Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. (India)Bavarian Nordic (Denmark)Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (Japan)Daiichi Sankyo (Japan)Protein Sciences Corporation (U.S.)Panacea Biotec (India)Product Type Analysis:Conjugate VaccinesInactivated and Subunit VaccinesLive Attenuated VaccinesToxoid VaccinesRecombinant VaccinesApplication Analysis:PediatricsAdultsThere are many other application and segment on which the study has been conducted.Get Exclusive FREE Sample Copy Of this Report @Multivalent Vaccines Market Analysis and Forecast 2019-2026 report helps the clients to take business decisions and to understand strategies of major players in the industry. The report also calls for market- driven results deriving feasibility studies for client needs. UpMarketResearch ensures qualified and verifiable aspects of market data operating in the real- time scenario. The analytical studies are conducted ensuring client needs with a thorough understanding of market capacities in the real- time scenario.Key Reasons to Purchase:- To gain insightful analysis of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Global Multivalent Vaccines Market Analysis and Forecast 2019-2026 and its commercial landscape.- Learn about the market strategies that are being adopted by your competitors and leading organizations.- To understand the future outlook and prospects for Multivalent Vaccines Market analysis and forecast 2019-2026.Avail Discount On this Report @Customization of the Report:UpMarketResearch provides free customization of reports as per your need. This report can be personalized to meet your requirements. Get in touch with our sales team, who will guarantee you to get a report that suits your necessities.About UpMarketResearch:The UpMarketResearch () is a leading distributor of market research report with more than 800+ global clients. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well- defined we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Contact Info:Name: Alex MathewsEmail: Alex@upmarketresearch.comOrganization: UpMarketResearchAddress: 500 East E Street, Ontario, CA 91764, United States. Home prices in the Portland metro continued their upward climb in January but at their slowest rate since 2012. Portland-area home values rose 3.3 percent in January compared with a year ago, according to the S&P/Case Shiller home price index. Thats slower than national gains of 4.6 percent year-over-year. Prices rose fastest in Las Vegas (up 10.5 percent over the past year), followed by Phoenix (7.5 percent and Minneapolis (5.1 percent). Home prices rose in all 20 cities included in the index, but most saw prices rising more slowly than a year earlier. The rise in home prices is cooling across the country but particularly in cities like Portland, Seattle and San Francisco that saw prices rise by 10 percent or more in recent years. That pushed prices out of reach for many of the cities residents, who havent seen wages rise as quickly as housing costs. Formerly scorching hot, in-demand markets have seen home value growth steadily slow over the past few months, Matthew Speakman, an economic analyst for the real estate website Zillow, said in a statement. A rise in mortgage rates also helped price out some buyers through 2018, putting pressure on sellers to lower prices. It came as a culture shock to sellers and builders, said Kevin Hanna, the Northwest regional executive vice president for Tennessee-based Churchill Mortgage. Buyers are always really heavily motivated by rates. Mortgage rates have since returned to lower levels 4.28 percent for a 30-year fixed-rate loan last week, according to the government-backed mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. Home prices in Portland remain 24 percent higher than their 2008 bubble peak and 79 percent higher than their low in the housing crash. The Case-Shiller index uses repeat sales of the same homes to measure changes across the market. Its numbers reflect a three-month rolling average. The median home price in the Portland metro was $384,900 in January, according to the Regional Multiple Listing Service. It rose to $399,900 in February. -- Elliot Njus enjus@oregonian.com; 503-294-5034; @enjus Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. Apple is getting on board with TriMets Hop Fastpass transit card. At its showcase Monday in Silicon Valley, where Apple announced a new streaming service, the company said the Portland area transit system will soon accept Hop card payments directly from the iPhone. Android phones have been able to use their phone as a ticket for nearly a year. Android users can load a digital Hop card onto their phone, then pay for their ride by tapping their phone on a TriMet card reader instead of tapping a physical card. Riders with a credit card loaded onto their iPhone or their Apple Watch can already tap their phone to pay for a ride. Once TriMet and Apple enable the Hop card, though, theyll be able to deduct funds directly from their Hop cards. People who use their Hop card for pay for multiple rides wont be charged extra once theyve hit the cost of an all-day ticket, or a monthly pass. The addition of the iPhone sometime this spring, according to TriMet comes as the transit agency prepares to eliminate its smartphone ticketing app, which has been a popular way to pay for rides since its introduction six years ago. At that time few phones had the technology to interface directly with a card reader and so the old ticketing app shows an animated image to verify that riders have paid for their trips. TriMet is promoting the Hop card as a standardized alternative that is gradually replacing paper passes and fares. More than a fifth of rides are now paid for with a Hop pass, according to TriMet, while the mobile ticketing app has declined to about 15 percent of all rides. TriMet plans to eliminate the ticketing app sometime this year but hasnt said when. -- Mike Rogoway | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699 A nurse practitioner who helped run an illegal pill mill in Portland became Oregons first medical professional to face federal sentencing for unlawfully prescribing opioids, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. Julie Ann DeMille subsidized her job working for a Clackamas County public health clinic by running the Fusion Wellness Clinic, first on Southeast 122nd Avenue in Portland and then later at a larger site in Northeast Portland, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Maddux. An experts review of patient files found DeMille regularly wrote prescriptions for opioids without a documented medical purpose and outside the usual course of professional practice, at times ignoring or disregarding medical histories that indicated a patients propensity for addiction, the prosecutor wrote in a sentencing memo. A co-defendant, DeWayne Taylor, told investigators that in 2015, word was out that the Fusion Wellness Center was just a candy store, according to court records. In December, DeMille pleaded guilty to two counts of illegal opioid distribution and one count each of filing a false tax return and lying to a federal agent from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Under a plea deal, DeMille on Tuesday received a four-year prison sentence, followed by three years of supervised release. Prosecutors also are expected to seek $43,126 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service from DeMille. DeMille, now 60, lost her nurse practitioners license, and in 2016, voluntarily surrendered her Drug Enforcement Administration registration as a narcotics provider. She had lied to an undercover DEA agent posing as a DEA clerk that she only practiced at the Clackamas County public clinic, concealing her work at Fusion Wellness. Based on a review of Fusion Wellness patient records seized in July 2016, every one of the approximately 580 patients received a prescription for opioids written by DeMille at nearly every visit, according to the government. DeMilles defense lawyer, Philip Lewis, argued that the business manager of Fusion Wellness, co-defendant Osasuyi Kenneth Idumwonyi, was the mastermind of the illegal scheme. Idumwonyi pleaded guilty earlier in the case and was a cooperating witness, but after he provided untruthful information, the government decided to revoke some or all of the benefits initially offered under a plea deal, according to Lewis. Idumwonyi will be sentenced in June and is expected to face a longer sentence. One Fusion Wellness customer told investigators that Idumwonyi and his girlfriend, Brandi Elwood, also a co-defendant, would go to Narcotics Anonymous meetings to recruit patients, according to court documents. Oregon has one of the highest rates of prescription opioid misuse in the country, with an average of three deaths in Oregon every week from prescription opioid overdose, Maddux wrote in her sentencing memo, quoting figures from the Oregon Health Authority. In 2015 , DeMille wrote at least 1,940 prescriptions for controlled substances, according to the investigation. Charging her patients $200 a visit, the prescriptions generated at least $388,000 in revenue for Fusion Wellness in 2015, and DeMille split the proceeds with her business partner, according to prosecutors. When DeMille filed her federal income tax return for 2015, she reported only her income from her job for Clackamas County. She failed to pay taxes on the income she received in 2015 or 2016 from Fusion Wellness, according to court records. Initially, 21 people were indicted after the Drug Enforcement Administrations 14-month investigation, but two federal prosecutors who took over the case from the initial assistant U.S. attorney ended up dismissing charges against 10 defendants after finding the evidence and the law didnt support the allegations. Federal authorities say DeMille conspired to illegally write prescriptions for opioids from Fusion Wellness from January 2015 until her arrest in July 2016. DeMille moved to Oregon in 2014 after working as a nurse practitioner in Texas, at one time working with Idumwonyi at a Houston clinic. Oregon was an attractive place to work because nurse practitioners here can write prescriptions without the oversight and approval of a physician, Maddux said. DeMille was hired to work at a Clackamas County public health clinic in July 2014 and opened Fusion Wellness the following January at 1320 S.E. 122nd Ave., across the street from the Multnomah County parole and probation office. Word quickly spread of the small, cash-only clinic where opioid prescriptions came easy, Maddux wrote in her memo. By April 2015, DeMille and her business partner and office manager moved the clinic to 2442 N.E. 101st Ave., Suite 205, after the other location became too cramped, with patients waiting in their parked cars for their appointments on Friday and Saturday mornings. Their prescription practices immediately triggered red flags and prompted an inquiry by the Oregon Board of Nursing just three weeks after Fusion Wellness opened. Three Fusion Wellness patients had received identical prescriptions on the same day for 60 tablets of 30mg doses of oxycodone. The three then went together to a pharmacy to fill their prescriptions. A pharmacist turned them away and alerted Gresham police. A Gresham police officer caught up with the patients on their way to a second, nearby pharmacy. The officer contacted DeMille, who insisted that the prescriptions were legitimate, and so the officer forwarded his report to the state. The nursing board requested DeMille provide files from eight specific patients. According to prosecutors, Fusion Wellness patient files in early 2015 included few records, contained no medical histories, no prior medical records, few examination notes and no risk assessments for the use or abuse of opioids. But once contacted by the state board, DeMille forged patient signatures on newly created forms and inserted falsified documents into patient files, Maddux said. DeMilles lawyer acknowledged DeMille was in way over her head, but said his client never signed another persons name and never completed forms for patients. Idumwonyi often altered forms without DeMilles knowledge, he said. The nursing board eventually found DeMilles charting and protocols for prescribing to be adequate. The board issued DeMille a letter of concern, but didnt pursue discipline until the close of the federal criminal investigation. -- 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. Daniel Armaugh Butts, who fatally shot Rainier Police Chief Ralph Painter eight years ago using the chiefs own gun, pleaded guilty Tuesday to aggravated murder and was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after nearly 49 years. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted aggravated murder and guilty except for insanity to six other charges. Butts, 29, muttered, "Yes, your honor,'' when Columbia County Circuit Judge Ted E. Grove asked him if those were his pleas in a courtroom packed with Painters seven children, mother, two brothers and former police colleagues, as well as Butts family members. Butts wore a blue suit and blue-striped tie and sat at the far end of the defense table beside his two lawyers. He looked down during most of the two-hour hearing. Ten members of Painters family spoke. They took turns sitting at the opposite end of the prosecution table, facing Butts. A handful of Columbia County sheriffs deputies stood in the entrance to the courtroom and two deputies stood behind Butts. Photos of Painter, in uniform as chief and with his children and grandchildren, were set up in a display at the front of the courtroom. Painters wife, Amy, said Butts robbed Ralph Painters children and grandchildren of many years with their loving and caring father and "Papa Ralph'' who enjoyed taking them fishing and hunting and was preparing the night before his death to return home to help his youngest son, Riley, then 7, with basketball drills before his first practice. She said the love of her life died "protecting his community from evil.'' The family has put its faith in the criminal justice system, "but there is no penalty harsh enough,'' she said. You did not succeed in ruining our lives, she told Butts. "We still live on with Ralphs memory. I choose to forget how Ralph died. I choose to only remember how Ralph lived. Riley Painter, now 15, sat beside his mother and tearfully read a typed letter to his father, sharing how he wished he could get "one more shoulder ride'' or "one more Disney trip'' with his father. Riley said hes now running track and thinks his father would be proud of him. I now have more time without you than I had with you -- 7 years, three months and five days,'' he said. He then looked up at Butts and struggled to continue, but added, "You may have taken my dads life but his spirit will always live on. I can only wish for one more bear hug, but I will never get one. I love you Dad. Mother Kathy Painter, 83, helped to the prosecutions table with her youngest son, Manuel Painter, began, "You took my son ... I feel you killed my son in cold blood. I also feel you knew what you were doing. No family should wait eight years to have justice for their loved one. Butts will not be eligible for parole until hes 70 and will be returned to the Oregon State Hospital in Salem. He essentially was sentenced to 48 years and nine months under an unusual dual jurisdiction sentence governed by both the state Psychiatric Security Review Board and the Oregon Department of Corrections. His sentence starts from the date of the crime, with Butts getting credit for the eight years already served. Hell initially be under the authority of the psychiatric review board and it will be up to the board to determine when or if hell ever be transferred to prison, according to the lawyers involved in the case. Columbia County District Attorney Jeffrey Auxier called the plea deal a practical, pragmatic decision, recognizing Butts substantial mental illness. The judge accepted a psychological evaluation from March 20 that said Butts suffered from schizophrenia at the time of the killing and still does. Butts was able to enter guilty pleas to the aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder charges because the judge last July found Butts symptoms of schizophrenia had diminished with hospitalization and forced medication and that he was competent to aid in his own defense. The sentencing marks the end of years of legal wrangling over Butts mental state and came after several sit-down settlement conferences led by Multnomah County Senior Judge Jean K. Maurer between September and January. It also marked a departure for the Columbia County District Attorneys Office to consider a plea in a homicide case, but Auxier said he believed "it was appropriate under the circumstances.'' "This plea agreement acknowledges that there is substantial evidence that Daniel Butts does in fact suffer from a mental illness, but that his mental illness was never an excuse for the killing of Chief Ralph Painter,'' Auxier said. Butts, of Kalama, Wash., has been housed most recently at the Oregon State Hospital and ordered to face regular mental health evaluations. Painter, 55, was a 25-year veteran of the Rainier Police Department and led the force for five years. His death devastated the small community of about 2,000 on the Columbia River and left his large family, friends and colleagues grief-stricken. According to new details confirmed Tuesday, Butts grabbed the chiefs gun from his holster after Butts knocked him to the ground, Auxier said. The chief had responded to the Sound Authority stereo shop shortly before 11 a.m. on Jan. 5, 2011, on a call about a man acting suspiciously. Butts had entered a car on the shops property and was trying to steal it when the chief confronted him, Auxier said. The chief pepper-sprayed Butts and then Butts assaulted Painter. While the chief was lying on the ground, Butts realized he had just attacked an officer and grabbed Painters gun and shot him in the head, Auxier said. "Thats why it was so important for us that he face criminal liability'' for the killing, the district attorney said. Butts was wounded in a short gun battle with other officers. One of the attempted aggravated murder charges involved Clatskanie Police Chief Marvin Hoover, who raced to the scene and got into a shootout with Butts. The other involved civilian Charles Buchanan, who "exposed himself to great harm'' while rushing up to render immediate aid to Painter "after he was executed,'' Auxier told the court. The guilty-except-for-insanity pleas came on two counts of first-degree robbery with a gun, two counts of first-degree burglary with a gun and one count each of unauthorized use of a vehicle and first-degree theft. Painters family approved the plea deal, partially to put an end to the extensive legal maneuverings, hoping the plea would curtail an appeal, said one of Painters younger brothers, Alan Painter, 62. Alan Painter said he believes his brother was knocked out when Butts took Ralph Painters gun out of his holster and proceeded to shoot him execution style. Another brother, Manuel Painter, told Butts, "I, too, have problems with mental illness and drugs. My brother was right there to help me. ... That day, if you would have asked, he would have helped you. .. I dont hate you. What you did to my family is what I hate.'' Jeremy Howell, a veteran St. Helens police officer who said Ralph Painter married his mother when he was 6, said hes haunted by the killing of the man who served as his father figure. Im hoping this resolution will bring some type of healing process for me and everyone else, he said. Butts declined to address the court. Patrick Sweeney, one of his lawyers, said Butts made the decision because hes severely mentally ill and on medication and didnt want his flat affect or his trouble displaying emotion to be misconstrued. Butts also wanted to respect the Painter familys request not to hear from him, Sweeney said. But outside of court after the hearing, Butts maternal aunt Melissa Gavin expressed her familys sorrow for the Painter family. "Words cannot begin to express our deep sympathy we feel for the chiefs family and the community. This was a profound tragedy that never should have happened changing everyones life forever,'' Gavin said. "We love Daniel very much. His illness was not his fault. ... It can happen in any family. We hope that Chief Painters family and community can understand that we are a family caught up in terrible circumstances and just wish for healing and peace for all.'' -- 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. South Africa: Chinese employers get lessons on NMW Act The Department of Labour took its awareness drive on the implementation of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) Act to Chinese employers. The department on Monday held a seminar with Chinese employers in Cape Town to inform them about the new NMW legislation and amendments on other legislations. The department used the session to also inform them of the exemption of certain sectors and how to apply for exemption, as well as to share knowledge on best practices to ensure compliance. With more than 20 000 foreign Chinese living in South Africa, the department identified the Chinese employers around the country as one of the key stakeholders in ensuring the implementation of the NMW which became effective from January. Unpacking the NMW Act and Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) Amendments, the departments Pravin Naidoo told employers that if they dont comply with the new law, they will face a sanction where they will pay an amount equal to twice the value of the underpayment or twice the monthly wage, whichever is greater. Provincial Chief Inspector in the Western Cape, David Esau, presented findings of a recent inspection at China Towns, which indicated that Chinese employers were well on their way to becoming compliant with South African labour laws. This is as a result of the ongoing partnership between Chinese businesses and the Department of Labour. Poverty alleviation came out strong on the day with the Chinese Consulate supporting the NMW as a tool to close the wage gap and to overcome poverty. Deputy Consul General Lia Cao emphasised that poverty alleviation is a core task for all the developing countries and both South Africa and China can share ideas and learn from each other on how they can better eradicate poverty in their countries. We appreciate the Department of Labour to grant the Chinese community an opportunity to sit down with us to explain better the laws that we need to follow and abide with, Cao said. The NMW sets the minimum which a worker must be paid. According to the law, all workers must earn a minimum rate of R20.00 per hour. The Act applies to all sectors. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2019-03-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 26) Conglomerate San Miguel Corporation broke ground Tuesday on its tollway project that is seen to cut travel time between Sto. Tomas, Batangas and Lucena City in Quezon province. SMC, through its South Luzon Tollway Corporation (SLTC) is starting construction on the 66.74-kilometer South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) Toll Road 4 (TR-4). Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony in Tiaong, Quezon, SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang said he expects the project to be completed on time. "Itong expressway na ito ay mapapadali ang trabaho dahil grabe ang support ng DPWH at ng local government officials...Madalas po ang delay is caused by right-of-way dahil walang cooperation ang local government or DPWH. In this case, napakagaling noong DPWH secretary natin, napakagaling ng LGU so wala akong nakikitang dahilan para madelay itong project," he said. [Translation: The building of this expressway will go fast because the support of the DPWH and the local government is overwhelming...Often, the issue of right-of-way is the cause of delay because there is no cooperation from the local government or the DPWH. In this case, both the local government and the DPWH have been excellent so I see no reason for the project's delay.] "Cavite and Laguna were considered no man's land. Once we finish this tollway, the peace and order situation in Quezon and Bicol will improve. Local tourism will improve. New businesses will emerge. Progress will be brought to the level of the small towns and barangays," Ang said. The usual travel time of three hours along the stretch will be shortened to 45 minutes with the tollway. SMC said the tollway will boost the economy and reduce vehicle volume along Maharlika Highway, a main road leading to the provinces of Laguna, Batangas, Quezon and the Bicol region. "We believe that the TR4 will further unlock the economic potential and promote tourism in Laguna, Batangas, Quezon and Bicol provinces," Ang said. "With the growing population of Metro Manila, more and more people and businesses will move to these provinces due to these areas' proximity. We will continue to invest in modern toll roads and expressways that are at par with our neighbors in Asia." Ang said "under the leadership of President (Rodrigo) Duterte and Secretary Mark Villar, the TR4 project finally gets underway, and I look forward to inaugurating this project in 36 months." The toll road will be divided into six sections, namely Sto Tomas, Batangas to Makban in Laguna (11.32 km); Makban to San Pablo City (12.75 km); San Pablo to Tiaong in Quezon (7.5 km), Tiaong to Candelaria (15 km); Candelaria to Tayabas (10.21 km) and Tayabas to Lucena (9.96 km). Apart from the SLEX, San Miguel's Star Tollway Corporation also operates the Star Tollway, Skyway and the NAIA Expressway in the South, and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway at northern part of Luzon. As state legislators consider a bill that would require Oregons teacher licensing agency to speed up investigations of Oregon teachers accused of sexual misconduct, the agencys leader gave lawmakers a price tag to consider: $540,000. As it stands, it takes around eight months for the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission to run an investigation from beginning to end, given its investigators staggering caseloads. Senate Bill 156, which would patch numerous loopholes that allowed a longtime Portland Public Schools teacher dodge allegations of sexual misconduct, would require those investigations to wrap up in 90 days. Anthony Rosilez, the licensing agencys executive director, said its doable. He just needs more people under his employ. Rosilez told senators during an Education Committee meeting Monday that hes recently lost an investigator to budget cuts. In order to comply with that three-month deadline to close an inquiry, Rosilez said he needs that investigator back plus two more. Im appreciative of these (directives) because theyre indicative of what we should do, Rosilez told committee members. He expects that staffing would cost $540,000 over two years, or $90,000 in yearly salary and benefits for each of the three investigators Rosilez wants to hire. Rosilezs estimated expense to compy with Senate Bill 156 is just one of many changes and clarifications the legislation has undergone since it was introduced to this legislative session. Its one of a handful of bills in Salem produced as a direct result of a damning report that shows how Portland teacher Mitch Whitehurst dodged accusations of sexual misconduct for 32 years. It was submitted to the legislature by Portland Public Schools, where Whitehurst worked until he was forced out in 2015. Another, Senate Bill 155, codifies many of the licensing agencys practices into state law and gives it broader authority, including giving it subpoena powers and allowing it to fine educators and administrators up to $1,000 for failing to obey its rules. That bill would also bar districts from signing new union contracts with provisions that would suppress information about accusations of employee sexual misconduct that are proven or cant be ruled out. It would also prohibit termination agreements that require district officials to drop an investigation into employee misconduct. In the last month, amendments to Senate Bill 155 have included protocols that put the onus on school employees to file a report if they know of alleged misdeeds and administrators to follow through with internal investigations and also comply with the licensing agencys inquiries. Sen. Arnie Roblan, D-Coos Bay, who co-sponsored the bill last summer as a lame duck chair of the Education Committee, said those updates will alleviate issues he saw during his time as a principal in schools on Oregons southern coast. I think we had an assumption that there was more being done than there was, Roblan said. The Education Committee will again consider amendments to the bills on Wednesday at 1 p.m. GRANTS PASS (AP) A Grants Pass man is back in jail after authorities say he escaped through the facilitys ventilation system. The Mail Tribune reports 26-year-old Justin Denney made it to the roof of the Josephine County Jail after entering the ventilation system through a human-made hole in a janitor closet, authorities said. Josephine County Undersheriff Travis Snyder says once in the ventilation system, Denney was able to get to the roof of the jail. After sheriffs deputies spotted Denney on the roof, Snyder says Denney jumped down and ran. Sheriffs deputies and Grants Pass police captured Denney in a Walmart parking lot next to the jail. Denney was in jail facing charges in connection with a burglary and a break-in at the sheriff's impound lot. He's now being held without bail. It wasn't known if he has an attorney. -- The Associated Press In the wake of U.S. Attorney General William Barrs Sunday letter, which clears President Donald Trump of obstruction of justice and asserts the Special Counsels office concluded there was no collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russian operatives, Republicans are going on the offensive. President Trump wants his investigators investigated, insisting there are a lot of people out there that have done some very, very evil things, very bad things. But thats not all his team wants. It wants to control the message. Tim Murtaugh, the Trump 2020 campaigns communications director, is seeking to shame broadcast and cable news networks into keeping some high-profile Trump critics off the air. He sent a memo to networks listing Democratic politicians who Murtaugh says made outlandish, false claims about the president colluding with Russia. In the memo, Murtaugh writes: Moving forward, we ask that you employ basic journalistic standards when booking such guests to appear anywhere in your universe of productions. You should begin by asking the basic question: Does this guest warrant further appearances in our programming, given the outrageous and unsupported claims made in the past? The memo has been met with head-shaking by seasoned television journalists. In two decades as a news producer Ive never seen anything like this, Zev Shalev wrote on Twitter. Ive had skirmishes with spokespeople about stories they didnt like but this is a directive to all producers on all networks with a very clear message: stop booking our critics. Or else? In two decades as a news produce Ive never seen anything like this. Ive had skirmishes with spokespeople about stories they didnt like but this is a directive to all producers on all networks with a very clear message: stop booking our critics. Or else? @NarativLive https://t.co/IVUmQLmTJL Zev Shalev (@ZevShalev) March 25, 2019 Below is the bulleted list of the Democrats Murtaugh would like to keep off the air. It is presented here exactly as written in the memo: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT): The evidence is pretty clear that there was collision [sic] between the Trump campaign and the Russians... (MSNBC, All In, 10/17/18) Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA): I think theres plenty of evidence of collusion or conspiracy in plain sight. (CBS This Morning, 8/5/18) Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY): There was obviously a lot of collusion. The question is how high. Every day we every day every so often we get new information about involvement. (CNN, Erin Burnett OutFront, 10/27/17) Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA): In our investigation, we saw strong evidence of collusion. (CNN, Wolf, 3/16/18) DNC Chairman Tom Perez: And over the course of the last year we have seen, I think, a mountain of evidence of collusion between the campaign and the Russians to basically affect our democracy. (NBC, Meet the Press, 4/22/18) Former CIA Director John Brennan: I called his behavior treasonous, which is to betray ones trust and to aiding [sic] and abet the enemy, and I stand very much by that claim. (NBC, Meet the Press, 8/19/18). The Democratic officials targeted by Murtaugh are rejecting the memos accusation that they made outlandish, false claims. The only person who has been caught lying about Russia is Donald Trump, Swalwell wrote on Twitter. The only person who has been caught lying about Russia is Donald Trump. If he thinks Ive made a false statement, he can sue me. And Ill beat him in court. https://t.co/x9UvPnTqkO Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) March 25, 2019 Blumenthal, meanwhile, appeared on CNN despite the memo. I do not deeply respect and trust the Barr summary, which was designed to frame the message, he said on air. Barr, selected by Trump after Jeff Sessions resigned as attorney general late last year, took office in February. On Sunday he produced a four-page summary of a confidential report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who had submitted his work to the Department of Justice two days earlier. Neither Congress nor the president has actually seen Muellers report. Congressional Democrats are pushing for the reports release. On Monday, Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, blocked a measure calling for the report to be made public. House Democrats insist their various investigations into the presidents and his teams conduct will continue, possibly including calling Mueller to testify publicly before Congress. -- Douglas Perry @douglasmperry Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. SALEM The attorney for a child in Oregons foster care system plans to sue the state after the child allegedly witnessed two state workers having sex in the same hotel room where the child was staying. The attorney further alleges that the state sent the child to a juvenile detention facility as punishment after the child reported the incident. Oregon child welfare workers in Polk County were housing boy at a hotel, a practice the state increasingly relied on over the years amid a shortage of foster homes and programs to care for the most vulnerable and traumatized children. In a letter to the state on Friday, lawyer David L. Kramer wrote that a male employee from the Polk County child welfare office placed my client in the hotel so that he could secretly use the hotel room for a sexual liaison with another DHS employee, a woman. Both the male and female employees names were redacted in the copy of the letter obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive. Kramer wrote that the two employees arranged to meet in the hotel room after the foster child fell asleep and had sex in the bed immediately adjacent to where my client was sleeping. The sex awakened my client, and he then witnessed the sexual activity. The incident allegedly occurred at the Best Western Motel in Dallas on or around Nov. 21. At least one of the employees then threatened the child and ordered him not to tell anyone what happened, Kramer wrote in the tort claim notice, which serves to alert the state that Kramers client plans to sue and instruct the state to maintain relevant records. The following day, as a means to further intimidate my client and keep him quiet, DHS caused my client to be placed in a juvenile detention facility, despite the fact he had committed no new offense that would warrant further incarceration. Kramer alleged the state employees treatment of the boy not only violated his clients Constitutional rights to due process and freedom from unlawful restraint, but also violated a legal settlement the state signed a year ago to phase out its use of hotels to house foster children. Kramer also wrote that his clients rights to be free from false imprisonment and the intentional infliction of extreme emotional distress were violated. According to the state, the average daily cost to house a child in a hotel room is $2,180. Thats largely because of overtime for two state workers to stay with the child. The two Polk County Department of Human Services employees allegedly involved in the incident are Mark Walsh and Kate Guy, according to sources with knowledge of the case. They have been on paid leave since Nov. 30, according to public records obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive last week. Guy could not be reached for comment on Tuesday afternoon and Walsh did not immediately respond to a text message. Yamhill and Polk counties child welfare supervisor Stacey Daeschner has been on paid leave since Feb. 14. She could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon. Letters from the Department of Human Services to Guy and Walsh noted that the paid leave was non-disciplinary in nature. The agencys letter to Daeschner stated that she was being placed on leave pending the outcome of an investigation into concerns of your conduct in the workplace." It was unclear whether that investigation was related to the alleged incident at the hotel. Robert Oakes, a spokesman for the Department of Human Services, said the employees remain duty stationed at home, pending a personnel investigation. He declined to comment further. On Monday afternoon, the Salem Reporter published a story about a state investigation into whether two unidentified Department of Human Services workers were involved in child abuse that involved indecency. According to a decline-to-prosecute memo issued by the Oregon Department of Justice on March 15, the employees were investigated for first-degree official misconduct, endangering the welfare of a minor and private indecency. State prosecutors decided not to charge the employees. Hillary Borrud | hborrud@oregonian.com | 503-294-4034 | @hborrud Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. SALEM Oregon teenagers who spent time in foster care were less than half as likely as their classmates in the class of 2017 to graduate on time. The graduation rate for teenagers who spent any amount of their high school years in foster care was 35 percent, according to figures quietly reported by the Oregon Department of Education at the end of last year. The Oregonian/OregonLive is the first news organization in Oregon to report the abysmally low rate. The state was able to identify 501 high school students who spent time in foster care, out of a 2017 class of 46,155 total students. That means just over 1 percent spent time in foster care. Under a new federal law that took effect last year, states are supposed to report foster childrens graduation rates along with school test results on annual school performance reports. But according to the national education news site The 74, Oregon is one of just 16 states that have made the information available to the public. The news site reported that although the Obama administration required states to publish that data by the end of 2018, the Republican-controlled Congress voted to eliminate the deadline to begin reporting the information. Of the states that did release their rates, Oregon had by far the lowest rate. New Hampshire was the next worst, at 44 percent, followed by Washington at 46 percent, the 74 reported. Oregon test results showed 31 percent of children in foster care during the 2017-2018 school year scored proficient in reading and writing and just 18 percent scored as proficient in math. That compared with all-student proficiency rates of 55 percent in reading and writing and 41 percent in math. The subject of education outcomes for Oregon children in foster care bubbled up in the Legislature this session, with a proposal by Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, and Rep. Duane Stark, R-Grants Pass, to require caseworkers to track foster childrens educational progress at monthly meetings. Gelser said the proposal arose out of frustration that no individual or government agency is currently tasked with tracking how foster children are doing in school. But she plans to scrap much of the bill, saying that it would not be practical to add new requirements for overburdened caseworkers. Senate Bill 475 is scheduled for a work session, when it could be amended and received a vote, at a Thursday afternoon meeting of the Senate Committee on Human Services. Hillary Borrud | hborrud@oregonian.com | 503-294-4034 | @hborrud Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. Oregon would no longer cap damages awarded for so-called pain and suffering resulting from bodily injury under a bill approved in Salem Monday. The Oregon House voted 36-22 to advance House Bill 2014 to the Senate. The measure would remove a $500,000 limit on noneconomic damages that was put in place by a 2016 Oregon Supreme Court ruling. Noneconomic damages are defined in the bill as subjective, nonmonetary losses and could include emotional distress, humiliation and injury to a persons reputation. They differ from economic damages, which are usually awarded to cover the cost of medical care, lost wages and damage to property. Supporters of removing the cap said limiting jury awards limits justice for people who have been harmed through the negligence of others. A senior who has been abused or neglected in a nursing home doesnt have lost wages, said Rep. Carla Piluso, D-Gresham. A child who was sexually abused likely does not have large medical bills. But survivors in both situations are left with a lifetimes worth of mental anguish and trauma. Opponents said the $500,000 cap is sufficient and that lifting it would increase costs to health care providers through larger liability insurance premiums. We have such a difficult time drawing people to our community who want to be health practitioners, said House Republican leader Carl Wilson, who hails from Grants Pass. We already have a reasonable and a just law on the books that gives badly need compensation to those who are injured, and at the same time gives stability to our health care system, said Wilson. Why damage something that already works? Mondays vote was mostly along party lines, with a handful of Democrats voting no, and a handful of Republicans voting yes. One aisle-crosser was Rep. Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte. He said he supports giving juries more discretion when it comes to awarding noneconomic damages. But he said he wants the Senate to amend the bill to make a distinction between lawsuits that arise from intentional acts and lawsuits that address negligence. McLane said he would support eliminating the cap on the former, but he wants to maintain a cap on the latter. McLane wouldnt specify what level of cap he would support on noneconomic damages arising from negligence, but said it should be higher than the current $500,000 limit. Oregon lawmakers considered a similar bill in 2017, but that proposal failed to advance out of committee. The legislation is a high priority for the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association. The group spent heavily on legislative races during the 2018 election cycle, giving out a total of $383,085. Their three largest direct donations to candidates came in races in which incumbent lawmakers were ousted or party control was flipped. In testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, trial lawyers lobbyist Arthur Towers said the measure gives underdogs who have been harmed a fighting chance against powerful interests through the power of a jury. Chris Lehman | clehman@oregonian.com | @capitolcurrents A Portland man was arrested last week on suspicion of sexually abusing two female relatives for years, including raping one of them several times beginning when she was 6 years old. Matthew A. Campbell, 55, is accused of first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy and first-degree unlawful sexual penetration for alleged abuse of the two between 2009 and 2012. One of the people Campbell is suspected of abusing is now an adult and the other is a teenager. According to a probable cause affidavit, Campbell admitted to Portland police last Thursday, the day he was arrested, that he sexually abused the girls between the ages of 5 and 10 and that he became physically attracted to them after they turned 5. A police investigation began when the mother of the two relatives called police on March 10 after the younger of the two told her three days earlier that Campbell had been sexually abusing her since she was 6, the affidavit said. That girl was interviewed by authorities on March 18 and said Campbell raped her several times, according to the affidavit. The older alleged victim also told authorities that Campbell had been abusing her as well when she was a child, the court papers said. Campbell also admitted to sexually abusing a third girl, court documents said. That woman, also now an adult, was interviewed by Portland police and said Campbell abused her as a child while she was living in New Mexico, the affidavit said. -- 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. Despite Portlands worldwide fame as a craft beer and bespoke doughnut mecca, according to a report put out earlier this month by Wallet Hub, the metro area is 98th out 100 in a list of the Fattest Cities in America. Side note: There is nothing wrong with being fat anyway, OK? Apparently, we are less fat than the Denver area, the Miami area, the New York City area and, most surprisingly, the Los Angeles area. I have been to Los Angeles. I find this study to be a little suspicious. The report judged each of 100 major metro areas in the United States on three metrics: obesity and overweight, health consequences and food and fitness, gathering data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies. Still, really? Portland, home of the ubiquitous doughnut, land of never-ending-beer-and-french-fry-based happy hour, where theres a cannabis dispensary on every corner, is somehow less fat than Los Angeles, full of Instagram influencers sipping collagen-infused oat milk before barre class on the beach?* Where 50 percent of the population has been in a music video?* Were less fat than them? [*Not verified fact.] So, who are we thin fitness health freaks fatter than? It turns out just the San Francisco Bay area, number 100, and Seattle, 99, come in ahead of us. Or behind us. That checks out, if the study is based solely on me. I used to live in San Francisco and when I moved back to Oregon I truly gained 40 pounds, mostly from happy hour and brunch. I also lived in Seattle for a short time about 18 years ago and was a lot skinner there too because I mainly walked up hills and spent my meal plan money on thread for sewing projects at the dorm convenience store. Obviously, I am happier now, in deep third place. Probably the whole concept of ranking cities on fatness is body shaming. And reductive. And a little meaningless. So, apologies to first and second place: the McAllen, Texas-area and the Shreveport, Louisiana-area. Honestly, you guys most likely just have better local cuisine than we do, so its all we can do to take wins like this. Maybe we should all move to the South? An economist hoping to familiarize Midwestern communities with the United States' central banking system will visit Saginaw Valley State University this week. Cindy Ivanac-Lillig, an economic outreach specialist at the Chicago Federal Reserve, will discuss the central bank's influence on the U.S. economy at 6 p.m. Thursday in SVSU's Curtiss Hall, seminar rooms D and E. The event is free and open to the public. Hemlock Semiconductor Operations (HSC) is offering 30 scholarships for Great Lakes Bay Region high school students interested in attending Michigan Technological University's Engineering Scholars Summer Youth Program from July 21-27. The $1,000 scholarship will fully cover tuition, classroom supplies, housing, meals and round-trip charter bus transportation from the Great Lakes Bay Region to Michigan Tech's campus in Houghton in the Upper Peninsula. Applications will be accepted from students attending school in Midland, Saginaw or Bay counties until 5 p.m. April 10. Summer Youth Program Scholarships provide funding for students in grades 9 to 11 to attend a week-long program at Michigan Tech that will fully immerse them in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and help them explore careers in engineering and related disciplines. "The strong relationship between HSC and Michigan Tech helps both area students and our company," said Mark Bassett, HSC chairman and CEO. "The scholarship is HSC's way of encouraging young talent in the Great Lakes Bay Region to explore engineering and to think about a career that could include HSC." Students who are selected for this competitive scholarship program will: Explore engineering by constructing a building strong enough to withstand an earthquake, create an artificial intelligence army and much more. Get inside information from role models working in engineering fields. Work in teams to solve engineering problems and complete group projects. Experience college life by staying in a residence hall, exploring campus and meeting others with similar interests. Enjoy team competitions, a variety show and many outdoor activities in Michigan's beautiful Keweenaw Peninsula. "Since 1972, the Summer Youth Programs we've been running here at Michigan Tech have given students an interactive glimpse into the engineering world," said Amanda Jackson, assistant director of the Center for Pre-College Outreach at Michigan Tech. "We appreciate the support HSC gives students so they can attend the program without having to worry about the cost." Twenty-two high schools have had students who have benefitted from the scholarships since they've been available starting in 2010. Between Dow Corning Foundation and HSC, 171 scholarships have been awarded. Of the students who attended the Summer Youth Program on one of those scholarships, 38 ended up attending Michigan Tech, 30 attended Delta College, 24 attended the University of Michigan, 19 attended Michigan State University, and 18 went to Saginaw Valley State University. In addition, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan universities each attracted seven students and four attended U-M-Flint. Several others attended Central Michigan University, Oakland University or Lawrence Technological University. More than 100 ended up studying some type of engineering or computer science. More information about the program and the HSC scholarship can be found at: https://blogs.mtu.edu/syp/2019/02/07/hsc-esp-2019/ The Mackinac Center for Public Policy has had a significant presence on Midland's Main Street for more than 20 years, and has made a significant impact on public policy in Michigan and beyond since the think tank was founded in 1987. The Mackinac Center recently celebrated its 32nd anniversary. The myth is that the Center was founded on Mackinac Island but Joe Lehman, the organization's president since 2008, said the idea for the Mackinac Center actually came during a barroom conversation in Lansing involving several people including John Engler, a Republican who later became governor. "The idea was that free market ideas deserved a voice in the public policy debate but there was no consistent source of free market ideas in that debate that were coming from an independent source, backed by research," Lehman said. The 55-year-old Lehman joined by the Mackinac Center in 1995 after first coming to Midland in 1986 to work for the Dow Chemical Co. as an engineer. The Illinois native succeeded Larry Reed as the head of the Center. Reed's first office was located behind Pizza Sam's in downtown Midland. After a major renovation, the Mackinac Center moved into the former downtown Woolworth's Store in 1997. The center now has 40 employees, most who work in Midland. There's also a satellite office in Lansing. "Midland has been great for the Mackinac Center," Lehman said. "A great advantage is that we are not headquartered in the capitol. They (organizations there) have a constant temptation to get involved in the day to day political squabbles. ... We're all about ideas and we accommodate the politics." The Mackinac Center's primary sources of revenue are grants and donations. The Center is a 501(c)(3) research and education institute. In 2018, Lehman noted the Center received more than $10 million. A report on the Charity Navigator website indicated the income for 2016 was $4.6 million. Lehman said the swing in revenue from year to year comes from how income and pledges have to be reported in IRS filings. In rough figures, Lehman said about 60 percent of the income comes from foundations, a small percentage from corporations, and the balance from individual donors. "(People in) Midland should really appreciate how unique a town it is for philanthropy," Lehman said. The Center recently was ranked among the top 5 percent of think tanks in the country by the 2018 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report. There are almost 1,900 think tanks in the United States. One bullet point on the donation page of the Center's website reads: "Since 1987, Mackinac Center experts have offered free-market ideas to fix public education, reduce the tax burden, cut government red tape, respect property rights and end compulsory unionism." Lehman listed what he viewed as three of the Center's more significant accomplishments: Michigan is now a Right to Work state, the spread of school choice, and what he calls the rescue of the teacher pension system. The Right to Work law prevents employers from requiring union membership and the payment of dues as a condition of employment. Of Right to Work, Lehman said, "No one can be fired for not supporting a union. That's a huge victory for workers." In response to criticism of their right to work efforts, Lehman said, "It's only a bad move if you think it's a good move to put unions in the role of workers getting fired." Of school choice, Lehman said, "School choice is not a silver bullet but there's a moral component. Who should make one of the most important decisions for a child -- (where to go to school) -- a parent or a bureaucrat drawing boundary lines on a map?" He added the biggest gains from school choice tend to be for students most disadvantaged and subject to poverty. Regarding teacher pension reform in 2017, Lehman said the system was $29 billion in the red. The state eventually closed the old pension system to new employees instead offering them enrollment in privately managed retirement plans. "It (the change) assured that teachers would get what they were promised and that taxpayers would not be on the hook," Lehman said. The Mackinac Center has its critics. One website describes it as a "right wing pressure group." Lehman responded, "That's a mischaracterization because political groups are pressure groups. We don't put any money into campaigns or candidates. ... We welcome a strong critique of our ideas." Next on the agenda is the state's infrastructure. Lehman would like to see what he calls the "state's corporate welfare spending go to the roads." He questioned the programs offered by the Michigan Economic Development Corp., that he said allows some companies to not pay corporate taxes and keep secret their identities and the amounts they don't pay. Also, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently proposed a 45 cents per gallon increase in gasoline taxes to fund improvements to Michigan's roads. "It doesn't make sense to raise taxes on everyone so a few favored companies can be released from their tax burden." Plans to build a Dollar General on the east side of town are up for approval by the Midland Planning Commission this week, according to its agenda. The store is slated to contain more than 9,000 square feet and will be located at 3401 James Savage Road, right off the Waldo Avenue exit on US-10. Port Louis, Mauritius (PANA) Mauritian Agro-industry and Food Security minister Mahen Seeruttun on Tuesday informed Parliament that his ministry was made aware of the presence of fall armyworm in Rodrigues on Friday, which is feared to have devastating consequences in agriculture Brussels, Belgium (PANA) - A migrant who has complained about ill-treatment in a given European country cannot be sent back to that country if he has left it for another country, the European Court of Justice ruled, following a complaint lodged by a Gambian migrant, Jawo, who had left Italy for Germany, to escape ill-treatment on Italian territory Abidjan, Cote dIvoire (PANA) The International Criminal Court (ICC) said here Monday it would take the necessary measures against perpetrators of recent massacres in Mali Tripoli, Libya (PANA) The deputy minister of Interior of the Libyan Government of National Accord, Colonel Khaled Mazen, on Monday held talks with members of the committee in charge of activating the cooperation in terms of security with the United States Niamey, Niger (PANA) - Niger's tertiary institutions will now welcome ''unrestricted'', students from the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), which groups together eight countries that share the CFA franc, an official statement said Paris, France (PANA) A delegation of officials from the South African Department of Trade and Industry, will Thursday in Paris hold talks with members of the council of French-South Africa company leaders of the French employers organisation to discuss several issues, including the economic partnership between the two countries Tripoli, Libya (PANA) During his meetings with the mayors and municipal councils members of Zliten, Khoms and Gasr al-Akhyar (southeast), the deputy representative of the UN Secretary general in charge of political affairs, Stephanie Williams, on Tuesday presented the UN action plan, including the national inclusive programme, the results expected and the guarantees for the materialization of those results Watch this 30-second clip from Chuck Schumers speech Monday night at the annual AIPAC conference: Sen. Chuck Schumer at #AIPAC: "When someone looks at a neo-Nazi rally and sees some, 'very fine people' among its company, we must call it out. When someone suggests money drives support for Israel, we must call it out." pic.twitter.com/6UIQTOwAom The Hill (@thehill) March 26, 2019 Heres the full quote: When someone names only prominent Jews as trying to buy or steal our elections, we must call it out. When someone says that being Jewish and supporting Israel means youre not loyal to America, we must call it out. When someone looks at a neo-Nazi rally and sees some very fine people among its company, we must call it out. When someone suggests money drives support for Israel, we must call it out. Lets take those sentences one by one. FIRST SENTENCE: When someone names only prominent Jews as trying to buy or steal our elections, we must call it out. This one is the most unclear, as it could be a reference to George Sorosa liberal donor who is often criticized by white supremacists, one of whom delivered a pipe bomb to his home, but it could also be a reference to Sheldon Adelson, a huge GOP donor, or a few others. In any case, Schumer is already blurring the lineto target only Jewish donors with criticism is both anti-Semitic and very short-sighted, so in that sense Schumer is right. But if the implication is that calling out specific donors is anti-Semitic if one of them happens to be Jewish, well then, the AIPAC shield is officially going up. (Hint: That is, indeed, the implication.) SECOND SENTENCE: When someone says that being Jewish and supporting Israel means youre not loyal to America, we must call it out. Here we go! This is the first oblique reference to Ilhan Omar, the Muslim-American congresswoman who was wrongly accused of this dual loyalty version of anti-Semitism earlier this month, and was the victim of a nonstop smear campaign until that campaign hit a wall of progressive resistance. She was not, in fact, throwing out accusations of dual loyalty against Jewish figures in America, but protesting the forces that demanded that she express allegiance to Israel as an American elected official. And anyway, the broader accusation of dual loyalty to Israel is 100% true and provable, though it should be noted that it doesnt mean not being loyal to America as Schumer phrases it here, and its practiced overwhelmingly not by Jewish-Americans, but by conservative Christian politicians with a variety of financial and ideological interests in bolstering the state of Israel. Its the third sentence, though, when Schumer really ups the ante THIRD SENTENCE: When someone looks at a neo-Nazi rally and sees some very fine people among its company, we must call it out. Yes, this statement by Donald Trump in the wake of Charlottesville was terrible and frightening and deeply anti-Semitic. And for Schumer to equate one of the low points in American presidential history with the legitimate criticisms put forth by Ilhan Omar is so deeply wrong-headed and cynical that it de-legitimizes his entire point. Its the epitome of the both sides! thinking that yielded up a president like Trump, and its deeply, deeply irresponsible. The great irony is that its a false equivalence just like the one Trump made after Charlottesville when he said there were very fine people on both sides. FOURTH SENTENCE: When someone suggests money drives support for Israel, we must call it out. Yes, how dare they suggest something so(checks reality)...fundamentally true. Its not even controversial! AIPAC is an organization dedicated to supporting Israeli interests in America, and like any lobbying group, money plays an essential role! This is another reference to Omar, of course, and if its not bad enough that Schumer is throwing a fellow Washington Democrat under the bus, its made a million times worse that hes equating her legitimate criticisms with the bigotries of Donald Trump. If theres anything positive to be taken from the Ilhan Omar controversy, its that House Democrats buckled to progressive pressure when it looked very much like they were about to throw Omar under the bus for the second time in a month. Maybe this heralds the end of the period in American history where it was impossible to criticize the influence of pro-Israel groups like AIPAC without being called anti-Semitic, and maybe it will shift the Overton Window to a degree where its now accepted to ask legitimate questions about the America-Israel relationship. But Schumers speech at AIPACand please know, he wasnt alone, and even as I write, Nancy Pelosi is making criticism-snuffing noises like we will never allow anyone to make Israel a wedge issueproves that powerful interests are going to fight back tooth and nail in an attempt to ensure that blind support for Israel remains the norm, and that even the most thoughtful, intelligent, evidence-based critique gets lumped in with the callous slurs of bigots and anti-Semites. Actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of staging a fake hate crime against himself, has had his criminal charges regarding disorderly conduct dropped and expunged from his record. The actor appeared in an emergency court hearing in Chicago where the case was ultimately dismissed, per the Chicago Tribune. Smolletts attorneys followed up the ruling with a statement: Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him. Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgement. Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions. This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect. Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result. Jussie is relieved to have this situation behind him and is very much looking forward to getting back to focusing on his family, friends and career. Smollett thanked his supporters and the state of Illinois during a new conference at the courthouse, calling the ordeal an incredibly difficult time for me. He went on to tell reporters, I have been truthful and consistent from day one. The black, openly gay actors alleged attackers, brothers Ola and Abel Osundairo, were previously arrested, then released without charges after claiming that Smollett paid them $3,500 to carry out the hate crime. Smollett claimed the brothers approached him yelling racial and homophobic slurs when they began to beat him, placed a noose around his neck and poured liquid chemicals on him. Following Smolletts arrest in February for disorderly conduct, 20th Century Fox removed the actors appearances in Empire for the last two episodes of its newest season. Theres a scrumptious niche of cinema-orbiting food, food culture and cultural history comprising classics and masterworks: Tampopo, Big Night, Eat Drink Man Woman, Babettes Feast. Add to that number Ramen Shop, Singaporean filmmaker Eric Khoos latest, a piece so gentle and breezy that viewers may be fooled into thinking it weightless. Like the best food porn movies, Ramen Shop is an expression of authentic passion, the kind fostered by abiding connections not simply to food but to the people, places and times food recalls. Even before Khoo swaps locations from Japan to Singapore (where the bulk of the narrative plays out), he diligently photographs beautiful, carefully composed ramen bowls laden generously with pork, eggs, scallions and other accoutrement, all resting on a bed of noodles bathing in broth steaming right through the screen and into viewers nostrils. Khoo captures the esteem by which ramen is held in Japanese culture and its accompanying sensory experience in a single shot. Its enough to get the mouth watering and the mind racing. Thats how Ramen Shop encourages appetites and invites audience curiosity, and to facilitate both, it removes Masato (Takumi Saito) from his hometown in Japan to the birthplace of his late mother, Mei Lian (Jeanette Aw), where, following the present-day passing of his father, Kazuo (Tsuyoshi Ihara), the young man seeks to find out about his ancestry. It turns out Masato doesnt know a whole lot about his Singaporean roots. Hes never even met his grandmother (Beatrice Chien), or his kindly, sharp-witted uncle, Wee (Mark Lee), which means theres a mystery afoot. Whatever reason there is for keeping Masato apart from his Singaporean relatives, it cant be good. Japan did, after all, occupy Singapore during World War 2, and Singapores memory is long. Ramen Shop straddles the line between the sumptuous and the tragic: Khoo, digging deep into what food means to Singapore, positions cuisine not simply as a matter of practice and a function of tradition, but as a marriage between cultures that strengthens. Blending elements of one cultures cuisine with those of anothers means creating new cultures, new traditions and new customs, and that act of creation can reconcile old grudges and temper bad blood. Masato intends to learn to cook bak kut teh, Singaporean pork rib soup, a working mans dish, but his goals expand the longer he remains in Singapore. At first he wants only to get to know his maternal family. Eventually, bak kut teh becomes a peace offering, and his trip becomes a mission to heal historys scars. Thats a heavy burden to put on a bowl of soup. Ramen Shop is made with little gravity; its a bright and airy melodrama that cuts between the present, as Wee teaches Masato the secrets of great bak kut teh, and the past, where Kazuo and Mei Lian make their courtship. This back-and-forth structure stirs up sentimentality that borders on cloying, but as sweet as the film gets, theres an ever-present bitterness to Khoos plot, the kind introduced by unspeakable horrors we all prefer to ignore than address. (A sequence where Masato visits a museum and listens to gruesome audio testimony of Japanese war crimes committed on Singaporean soil may require the faint hearted to reach for the nearest bucket.) Khoo knows he cant tell this story without facing up to the barbaric violence inflicted on Singapores people in WW2. Without that acknowledgment, Ramen Shop would be overwrought and undercooked at the same time. Maybe this is a case of Khoo having his cake and eating it: He gets to touch on a branch of history that most WW2 films tend to ignore, and he also gets to make a movie thatll leave viewers with rumbling tummies. But in keeping with Ramen Shops support of cultural cross-pollination, joining love of food with acceptance of history as prejudices breeding ground results in a movie that packs surprisingly authentic emotional power. Food lets people discover who they really are; thats nothing new. But food also lets us reconnect with the dead in profound ways. In Ramen Shop, a sip of broth and a slurp of noodles means more than a trip down memory lane. It means a second chance to say goodbye to loved ones. Director: Eric Khoo Writers: Tan Fong Cheng, Wong Kim-Hoh Starring: Takumi Saito, Jeanette Aw, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Seiko Matsuda, Mark Lee, Beatrice Chien Release Date: March 22, 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. Patna: The continuing saga of the Patna University Students' Union (PUSU) 2018 election took yet another turn on Wednesday when Patna High Court reversed an earlier decision of the Patna University Vice Chancellor who had, shortly after the poll results were announced, declared the election of Divyanshu Bhardwaj for the post of President null and void on technical grounds. A single bench of Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh, after hearing arguments from both sides of the case, declared his judgment in favor of Bhardwaj saying Patna University Vice Chancellor erred in his decision when he canceled the plaintiff's election on ground that 'violated natural justice' process. The judge lashed out at Ras Bihari Prasad Singh for rushing to judgment and declared Bhardwaj's election valid. He, however, directed the university to continue the investigation so it took its natural course for a final verdict in the case. As recalled, the PUSU election was held on February 17 after a gap of five years. Former Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activist-turned-Independent candidate Divyanshu Bhardwaj was declared winner defeating his nearest candidate, a Chhatra Jan Adhikar Party contender, by a margin of 112 votes. Bhardwaj's victory, however, was short-lived after reports of him being not transparent in his nomination papers surfaced. During an investigation, the university found him to be a simultaneous student of Himalayan University, apparently a violation of the UGC rules according to the PU Vice Chancellor who wasted no time in canceling his election. Bhardwaj then filed a writ petition with Patna High Court that quashed PU's decision in a ruling on Wednesday saying the election was valid but the enquiry may continue until it comes to a natural end. A spokesperson for the Vice Chancellor said the university was looking into its options to bring the case to an end in a way that was fair to all parties involved. Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejaswi Yadav on Wednesday issued what he described as a 'report card' of the NDA government in Bihar that depicts Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his administration in a poor light. The booklet-style report card, complete with a cover that has a cartoon image of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, along with an over-the-top title 'Kursi Ke Pyare, Bihar Ke Hatyare', is designed to expose the failure of the NDA government in Bihar and in particular, the fiasco that Nitish Kumar had been since he broke alliance with the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan and joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The former Deputy Chief Minister accused Kumar of being in bed with a communal party like the BJP and held him responsible for the recent communal flare-ups in Bihar. "The functioning of the Bihar government has come to a standstill while rioters in Bihar were having a field day for the past couple of weeks. This is the same Nitish Kumar who walked out of the Grand Alliance on account of his moral conscience so where is his outrage now?" the leader of the opposition in Bihar Assembly said. Yadav also took a dig at the Chief Minister for abandoning his demand for special status for Bihar. "Nitish Kumar was never interested in getting special status for Bihar. When the Center was governed by the NDA under former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Nitish Kumar was a high-ranking cabinet member of the central government. During that time, it was he who opposed the idea of special status that was raised by the then RJD government in Bihar. Now that both Bihar and the Center has the NDA government, what is stopping the Chief Minister from getting special status for Bihar now?" he asked. Ruling out return of Kumar back into the RJD-led Grand Alliance fold, Yadav said that the door for the JD-U leader was closed for good. The RJD leader, however, in a stunning about turn from his party's previous stand, said that if the Grand Alliance came into power once again, it would, unlike the NDA government, strictly enforce the prohibition law. As reported previously, senior RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and a few others, just a couple of months back, had said that if the RJD came into power again, it will completely get rid of the prohibition law as it did nothing but damage the economy and put hundreds of thousands of Dalits behind bars. "We favor prohibition but we will enforce it in a different way than it is currently being enforced," he said. Yadav, who was accompanied by other senior leaders, also criticized Nitish Kumar for 'rising crime against Dalits and backwards saying crime against the impoverished and minorities had gone significantly up since the JD-U leader went back into the NDA fold. Patna: A thirty-something man died after falling from the roof of a four-storied residential building behind the AG Building on Birchand Patel Marg on early Monday morning. As reported, the guard of the building that has two flats on each four heard a loud thud sound around 3:00 am on Monday morning. As he looked for the source of sound, he found the blood-drenched body of a man in the narrow area between the two sides of the flats. The guard then woke up all the residents in the building but no one could recognize or identify the man. With the victim still breathing, he was rushed to the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) where he died shortly. Kotwali police station in-charge Rama Shankar said that only after a post mortem, the real cause of the mans death could be confirmed. Officials speculated that the victim, possibly a member of a theft ring, after climbing the stairs of the building to the roof, was climbing down a pipe to gain entry into one of the apartments through its balcony and fell on the ground while trying to do so. On the other hand, there were more than one set of footprints on the roof giving rise to speculations that he may have been thrown by someone else who was with him. Police are investigating the case from various angles. Its called a mistake of fact shooting. And people understandably get upset after it happens, especially when the mistake means a police officer killed an unarmed person. But when is the mistake by a police officer criminal? A jury in Allegheny County last week acquitted a former East Pittsburgh police officer in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Antwon Rose, even though the officer shot the unarmed teen in the back as the teen fled a felony car stop. A jury in Dauphin County acquitted former Hummelstown Officer Lisa Mearkle in 2015 after she was charged with homicide for shooting a 59-year-old man in the back because she thought he was reaching for a gun as he lay face-down in the snow. David Kassick turned out to be unarmed. Similar scenarios have played out across America in recent years. So are the juries getting it wrong? What are the laws regarding deadly use of force? A pair of Supreme Court decisions based in the 1980s, Tennessee v. Garner and Graham v. Connor, create the legal framework for determining when deadly force by officers is deemed to be reasonable. In short, the rulings say that officers are to be judged based on what they know when they pull the trigger, and whether it was reasonable at that moment, not based on what is discovered afterward. The U.S. Supreme Court also established that officers can shoot fleeing suspects if it is necessary to prevent the escape and the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others. Many police departments across the country train their officers based on these Supreme Court precedents. So if residents want to see drastic changes in deadly use of force by police, then changes likely would be necessary by the Supreme Court, experts say. The law in Garner acknowledges there will be cases where the officer doesnt have all the information. But if the officer has enough information and reasonably believes the person poses a threat, then shootings can be considered justified even if the officer turns out to be wrong. People want a black and white line, but thats not the law, said Steve Ijames, a retired Missouri police chief and nationally recognized use-of-force expert. Instead, courts look at would a reasonable, prudent and properly trained officer believe this created an immediate danger? And that all has to be digested in a split-second. In the East Pittsburgh case, a jury comprised of Dauphin County residents weighed the fate of former Officer Michael Rosfeld, who shot Antwon three times, hitting him in the face, elbow and back as he fled. The shooting was captured on a bystanders cell phone and triggered weeks of protests by residents who thought it represented unreasonable force. Rosfeld said he thought either Antwon, who fled from the front passenger seat, or the teenager who fled from the back seat, had pointed a gun at him. Rosfeld said he couldnt see whether the teen was still making the motion when he fired, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, saying that his own arms and his own gun were blocking the view. I couldnt tell, he said, adding later, I just saw the person was moving so I assumed the threat was still there. As it turned out, Antwon didnt have a gun. And evidence later proved Antwon wasnt the shooter from the drive-by shooting that prompted the car stop in the first place. The shooting was not necessary, said Ijames, who was police chief in Springfield, Missouri, and a founding board member of the National Tactical Officers Association. But you learn that in hindsight. Officers have to act on the reasonable appearance in the moment. And the inference is if youre running from a car used in a drive-by shooting that youre likely to cause harm. Antwon certainly didnt deserve to die simply for running away, Ijames said, but the shooting was based on more than just the act of fleeing. The officer testified that he saw an arm motion by one of the teens that he interpreted as a threat and the car with a shot-out window had been linked to a previous drive-by shooting. Video of the drive-by shooting proved powerful to the jurors, according to the jury foreman, who was interviewed by Abc27. Youre a police officer. You make a stop. A felony stop. Someone just shot up someone else. How do you approach it? Jesse Rawls, of Susquehanna Township, explained in the interview, the full version of which can be seen on Pittsburghs WTAE. Maybe if the kids wouldnt have jumped out and ran, we would have never been in this situation. Ijames said that a common factor in many mistake of fact shootings he has reviewed (and hes reviewed 3,000 shooting cases since 1994) is people failing to comply with lawful orders by police. The common denominator is non-compliant or resistant people who are posturing like they are trying to shoot you, he said, and police officers will react to that. Theyre not going to wait for a gunshot to the forehead to see if youre really a player. In the East Pittsburgh case, however, Rosfeld had not issued any orders to Antwon and the other teen to stay in the car, a point made by prosecutors during trial. Officials from the Allegheny District Attorneys office didnt believe Rosfelds shooting was justified, which is why they filed the single count of criminal homicide. Prosecutors said Rosfeld originally said he saw something "he perceived as a gun" in Antwons hand but the officer later told detectives he did not see a gun, according to the criminal complaint. Despite the prosecutors best efforts, the jury sided with the defense, likely in part because jurors could see themselves making a similar decision in the officers shoes, said Dauphin County Chief Deputy District Attorney Stephen Zawisky. The officer is out there doing their job, Zawisky said. Then they encounter a situation thats potential dangerous. The jurors are likely thinking: What would I have done in those circumstances? With the benefit of hindsight, the jurors likely believed the killing wasnt necessary and the officer shouldnt have done it, Zawisky said. But they may have thought: Do we really want to see this guy convicted of a crime? I wouldnt be surprised if thats what came up in the jury deliberations. If the shooting had occurred after a traffic stop, with no connection to a violent crime, Zawisky believes the outcome at the trial could have been different. Those are two very different situations, he said. Traffic stops can be dangerous, but in a standalone traffic stop youre not going to have that knowledge that someone in the car was involved in a shooting. Now that fear level by the officer is automatically higher The drive-by shooting was a huge factor in this case. Jurors tend to give police officers the benefit of the doubt, Zawisky said. But there have been officers convicted in Dauphin County, although the cases involved theft and a beating, not fatal shootings. Residents should always obey lawful orders by police, Ijames and Zawisky said. An increase in resistance to police is behind some of the increase in fatal police shootings, Ijames said. While parents should teach their children at a young age to obey lawful commands, there is enough blame to go around when looking for ways to reduce fatal police shootings, experts say. Often in these situations, that blame is meted out in civil lawsuit, where the threshold is much lower than a criminal case. Instead of trying to reach the level of beyond a reasonable doubt, families of someone killed by police simply need to prove that their allegations are more likely than not to be true. In the case of Mearkle shooting Kassick in Dauphin County, his family collected a $300,000 settlement to drop their federal lawsuit. Antwons family has filed federal lawsuits against Rosfeld and his former employer, the University of Pittsburgh. The latter suit was filed because the school allowed Rosfeld to resign after several alleged incidents instead of firing him before he was hired by East Pittsburgh. Its unclear if better training could have impacted the case in East Pittsburgh, but Ijames said police agencies would be wise to look critically at how they train officers and how they review all instances of use-of-force. Comparisons between agencies and against national averages can help police leaders identify problems before an incident that makes national news, he said. Officers at Ijames departments always were trained to try to take cover first, buy time and focus on a suspects hands. Officers also were told to shoot based on what you know, not what you think, he said. While officers sometimes arent in a position to know everything, he said that should be the goal. I thought he had a gun, thats not what we want, he said. Not that its illegal to shoot that guy. But thats the greater responsibility we have to our officers and the public. Everyone is better off when officers are judicious in using deadly force. Officers who are involved in deadly incidents often end up leaving police departments within five years, and even more quickly than that if an incident was considered bad. Suicide also claims more officers each year than on-duty shootings, so protecting the public while protecting officers mental health should be important to police leaders. In addition to training, Ijames said police leaders should look at the culture of their department when it comes to use of force. In some police departments, officers like to say they would rather be judged by 12 than carried by six, referring to a jury of 12 vs. six casket pallbearers. But Ijames said the hyper-vigilant shoot-first, ask questions later mentality is problematic and creates an imbalance in threat assessment. Adding to the problem is that there are no national standards for policing similar to other professions such as nursing. Instead, each department picks their own guidelines and different circuit court decisions establish different laws for officers depending on their state, so its no wonder residents are confused and upset after fatal police encounters. Theres a whole lot of policing that hasnt been answered as to what is right or wrong, he said of national best practices. That is what is so confounding to citizens. A student was nearly abducted as he walked to school on Monday, according to the Harrisburg School District. The 12-year-old boy, however, was able to get away and make his way back home. The incident happened in the area of South 17th and Sycamore streets, according to an email from district spokeswoman Kirsten Keys. A man grabbed the boys backpack, then grabbed the boy by the waist, Keys wrote. The boy was able to break away from the mans grasp and run home. The boy is a student of St. Patricks School, and walks from his home on South 19th Street to Foose Elementary School at 13th and Sycamore streets. There, a bus takes him to St. Patricks, Keys wrote. The suspect is described as a black man in his 30s, and is about 5 feet 9 inches tall. He was last seen wearing a grey and black jacket. Keys said the student was unable to provide police with more details due to the quickness of the incident. City police canvased the area, and a detective was talking to people in the area Monday evening. According to the Harrisburg Bureau of Police, there was a similar incident that occurred a couple of weeks ago on Market Street in Harrisburg, Keys wrote. In this instance, police stopped and detained an individual that may have been the suspect in that case. Students were not able to identify the male even though he matched the description to include the accent. The male did have mental health issues and was committed to the hospital for evaluation." Police continue to investigate Mondays incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Harrisburg Bureau of Police at 717-558-6900. Water that flows from a school drinking fountain in Pennsylvania may be doing more than quenching childrens thirst, it could be harming their brains from elevated lead levels. A bipartisan group of lawmakers gathered at the state Capitol on Tuesday calling for the state to mandate public and non-public schools to annually test all water outlet used for drinking or cooking for elevated levels of lead. When we send our children to school, they go there to learn, said Rep. Austin Davis, D-Allegheny County. The last thing they should have to worry about is their drinking water. Davis is among those supporting legislation to be introduced by Rep. Karen Boback, R-Luzerne County, that would require schools to annually test all water outlets. House Bill 930 further would require schools to shut off outlets that are found to have lead levels above 5 parts per billion, which is the statewide standard that it seeks to set but is lower than the federal standard of 15 parts per billion. Additionally, it would require schools notify parents within two weeks of learning of the elevated lead levels. Tapped Out: PennLives special report examines how PennLives special report examines how Pennsylvanias failing water system is hurting you A newly released report Get the Lead Out by PennEnvironment, a statewide citizens environmental group, gave Pennsylvania an F for failing to take steps to address the issue of lead in school drinking water. Boback said a survey of the years from 2012 to 2015 found Pennsylvania had the highest number of schools with elevated levels of lead. Since then, Stephanie Wein, PennEnvironments clean water advocate, said some schools have begun to take steps to address the program prevalent in schools with aging infrastructure. Some are removing the leaded fixtures and others are going the less expensive route of investing in lead filters, which cost about $1,500 each. A state law enacted last year encourages schools to test for lead but allows them to avoid taking that step by discussing their refusal to test at a public meeting. How much assurance and comfort level does that provide for you? said Rep. Mark Gillen, R-Berks County. A child is drinking water that has not been tested. Are you going to be placated by the fact that there was a discussion at a public meeting in a school facility and in the fact, now that you heard that discussion, you have every assurance of nothing, absolutely nothing. *This story was updated to reflect that Rep. Mark Gillen is a Republican. Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy. You need more than headlines. Sign up for Good Morning, Pennsylvania. NEW BLOOMFIELDPerry County residents packed a VFW hall on Monday night to offer many different arguments both for and against legalizing marijuana for recreational use. Much of the argument against it came from people who said they worked in education or human services and expressed great worry over harm to young people. One of them, Donna Shambaugh, further argued states which have legalized pot are finding the tax benefits are overblown, and legalization is being pushed by profit-driven commercial interests. Its todays version of big tobacco, she said. Another opponent, a retired guidance counselor, said Because of the students Ive lost, Ill never be convinced its not a gateway drug. The arguments in favor were many: Jails are filled, and lives are ruined, as a result of people convicted of victimless marijuana crimes. Marijuana has great relaxation and medical benefits, including helping veterans and others with post traumatic stress disorder. The war on drugs is a failure and legalizing pot would allow it to be regulated and generate tax revenues. And in rural, conservative Perry County, where one speaker said many are Libertarians, government intrusion into what people put into their own bodies has no place. I really dont like the idea of people telling me what I can and cant do inside my own home, said one resident. Perry County is an agricultural county. Think of the opportunity marijuana presents for this county, said another. In the end, a show of hands indicated about 65 percent of the audience favored legalization, with about 35 against, and a few undecided. The meeting was hosted by Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, in the midst of a statewide listening tour to hear views on legalizing marijuana for recreational use. He plans to visit all 67 counties; Monday nights session, which had to be rescheduled several times because of bad weather, was the twenty-fourth. At the conclusion of the tour, Fetterman will share results with Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat who recently began his second term with a promise that Pennsylvania will consider legalization. The VFW outside New Bloomfield was packed well before Fetterman, shirt untucked, took a seat in front of a wall-sized painting of the American flag and a bald eagles head. A Christmas tree occupied a nearby corner. All of the chairs were taken and the parking lot was full, forcing many people to park in soggy fields or halfway into the roadside gully before walking through a drizzle. Marijuana could take this state from a deficit to a surplus, said one man, adding that tax revenues from marijuana could solve problems from potholes to teachers having to buy classroom supplies. Another said, Its a medicinal herb given to us by God. Its in the Bible. Numerous legalization supporters told Fetterman the state must allow people to grow marijuana at home for their personal use. But one stressed that in states that have legalized marijuana, the industry has been dominated by moneyed interests or people who own large amounts of land. Don Harris, an Air Force veteran and college student, said he favors legalization, but has concerns about aggressive law enforcement aimed at people who grow it at home for personal use. How can you ensure that people can grow safely in their home?, he asked Fetterman. Numerous people argued that marijuana isnt a gateway drug. One of them, Claudia Miller, 23, argued the true gateway is drug dealers who try to sway marijuana customers to drugs such as heroin. We need to have a safe place to get it from, she said. I personally feel it helps people. I feel what you put in your body is your own choice. Several people, while not arguing against the possible negative impacts on young people, said its up to each parent to control what their child does, and the possible harm should not impact the rights of adults who want to use marijuana. However, an opponent of legalization said, Youre sending a message to young people this is OK, this is what everybody is doing. Youre ruining young lives before they get started. A second Harrisburg man has been arrested in the federal investigation into the distribution of large quantities of cocaine and heroin in the Milton-Lewisburg area. Luis Hernandez Santiago, 20, who was arrested last Wednesday, is one of the 22 individuals named in two indictments in U.S. Middle District Court accused of being responsible for the distribution of more than 20 kilograms of cocaine and several hundred grams of heroin. Seventeen of the 22 had been identified March 15 by U.S. Attorney David J. Freed at a news conference in Milton. Santiago and Paul Santos, 45, of Milton, who was arrested in Florida, were not identified because they were among the five still being sought. Three others still are. Santiago has been released to a third party custodian while Santos was ordered detained pending further court action. The federal, state and local investigation that led to the indictments was undertaken in October 2016 because of a sharp increase in overdose deaths in the Milton area, Freed said. Kilogram quantities of cocaine were sent through the mail from Puerto Rico and transported from California for distribution in central Pennsylvania, he said. Santiago allegedly was responsible for a mixture containing 500 or more grams of crack cocaine and at least 100 grams of a mixture containing heroin, the indictment states. Like the other indicted Harrisburg resident, Kevin Caban Robles, 29, he is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess, with intent to distribute controlled substances. Robles is accused of being responsible for at least five kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of heroin and 40 grams of fentanyl. Santiago is alleged to have been a distributor for Reymond Nieves Hernandez, 31, of Milton, who according to the indictment is accused of being responsible for the same amount of cocaine and heroin as Robles. Santos allegedly was responsible for the distribution of at least 500 grams of cocaine and 100 grams of heroin. Those charged in both indictments are being prosecuted in federal court in Harrisburg. A court battle waged by a fired-then-reinstated Steelton-Highspire School District elementary teacher seems destined for a trial, even though a federal judge just gave district officials a partial legal win in the case. At issue is a disability discrimination lawsuit lodged by teacher Mark Risser. Risser claims he was mistreated and then wrongly fired him on trumped-up accusations in October 2015. He contends, among other things, that the district violated his rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act and similar state regulations because he has anxiety issues. U.S. Middle District Chief Judge Christopher C. Conner disagreed in a ruling issued this week. He freed the district from the ADA retaliation claims, finding there is no evidence school officials acted against because he filed the ADA-based discrimination complaints. In a 24-page opinion, Conner noted Risser was hired in 2013 and assigned to second-grade. He soon took medical leave due to anxiety and missed 26 days of teaching between late September and early November of that year, the judge wrote. District officials required Risser to undergo a special medical examination before returning to the classroom, citing parental concerns about the consistency of education that Rissers students were receiving and to ensure Risser was comfortable coming back and ready to come back, Conner noted. Risser was placed on limited duty at first, but resumed teaching second grade for the 2014-15 school year. The judge noted Risser received an unsatisfactory rating in an evaluation after the rater found he had trouble controlling student behavior and that (his) language and presentation of material in his lesson was inappropriate for his grade level. Parents and district staff complained about Risser, Conner noted. Risser was accused of pointing his finger at a student in the cafeteria like a gun and saying Pow, Pow, youre dead, Im gonna kill you, the judge wrote. Risser also was accused of telling a student he was reading the erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey. There were other complaints about Risser grabbing students by their shorts, Conner wrote. Risser was suspended in December 2014 after a parent reported he had thrown a chair during class. Police were called to escort Risser out of the school. District officials claimed Risser was finally fired by the school board after receiving two consecutive unsatisfactory ratings regarding his teaching. Risser was reinstated with back pay and benefits after an arbitrator concluded in August 2016 that his firing wasnt justified based on his job performance. The arbitrator also found the complaints of his physical contact with students were either unfounded or were overstated by school officials, Conner noted. In this weeks ruling, the judge determined Risser has made at least a basic case for his disability discrimination claims. Still, Conner rejected Rissers argument that he was illegally retaliated against for filing those complaints. On Tuesday, Conner issued an order scheduling a jury trial in the case for July. Arnold Arnie Gundersen was a lead nuclear engineer in 1979 when the partial meltdown at Three Mile Island sent a tide of fear and panic across central Pennsylvania. Gundersen, a former licensed reactor operator, needed no coaxing to convince a jittery public that it had nothing to fear with regards to the March 28, 1979 accident at the Londonderry Township plant. I was on television telling people not to worry, said Gundersen, whose wife was pregnant at the time. I was telling everybody, Dont worry. No radiation got released. I think I said, The Titanic hit the iceberg and the iceberg sunk. I think that was my comment at the time and boy was I wrong. But it took him about a decade to change his mind. His conversion from proponent to nuclear whistleblower occurred gradually in the 1990s as Gundersen, among other things, served on nuclear energy symposiums and as an expert witness for plaintiffs lawsuits against the nuclear industry. I was on the other side of the argument, said Gundersen, who sits on the board of the Fairewinds Energy Education, a Charleston, S.C.-based anti-nuclear energy nonprofit that advocates for renewable energy. I would call myself a nuclear zealot back then as opposed to a nuclear critic now. Others come at the nuclear energy debate from a decidedly opposite direction. Kristin Zaitz and Heather Matteson, for instance, were once adamantly distrustful and suspicious about nuclear energy. Like legions of other people behind the anti-nuclear energy movement in this country, they worried about exposure to radiation and the dangers of a catastrophic nuclear plant accident. The self-described progressive thinking California moms had a change of heart and opinion. These days, Matteson, who works at the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant in San Luis Obispo County, and Zaitz, who used to work there, are ardent supporters of nuclear energy. I realize people need energy for a higher quality of life and the best way to do that is by using resources that are more energy dense, Matteson said. Anything we do is going to have an impact on the environment. We have to look at those impacts in context of everything else we care about. Forty years after the partial meltdown at Three Mile Island changed the trajectory of nuclear energy in this country, the debate over its safety and viability continues rages increasingly over new environmental concerns - that of climate change. Nuclear energy is by far the largest source of clean-air energy in the United States, generating more than 56 percent of the nations emission-free electricity, proponents note. We need to to provide people around the world with clean energy, Zaitz said. Clean energy in particular. Its our responsibility for future generations to get out of the way and try to open our minds to all possible options for clean energy. Once nuclear energy opponents, Kristin Zaitz (with Oliver), left, and Heather Matteson (with Zoe), are now nuclear energy proponents. The U.S. consumes more energy per capita than any other country in the world. Most of the energy is derived from fossil fuels, which is also the main source used to replace nuclear energy worldwide. Solar, hydro, wind and geothermal electricity sources also are emission-free, but nuclear supplies more electricity than all of them combined, the Nuclear Energy Institute points out. Matteson said the nuclear energy has been misrepresented and maligned in the eyes of the public, much of it by the media. We hear scary news that pesticides are going to kill you. That vaccines cause autism, she said. These are all conspiracy theories trying to explain why something bad happens to people. We want to blame it on something and I think radiation is a scapegoat for lot of people. Radiation, she explains, occurs naturally in the natural world, and it would take an inordinate amount of radiation to pose a danger to the public. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has long stood by its determination that the amount of radiation released in the 1979 Three Mile Island accident was well under acceptable levels and that no member of the public was put in danger as a result. Now 70, Gundersen, stands by his conviction that the health of untold numbers of people across central Pennsylvania was endangered by the Three Mile Island partial meltdown. Over the years in his testimonies, Gundersen has attested to a litany of factors, he said, contributed to the misrepresention by the nuclear industry about the facts of the accident, including the number of radiation plumes released, the amount of radiation released and the amount of radioactive waste that was released inside the reactor. Gundersen said that because of the inaccurate assessments released to the public, subsequent medical studies on the impact of Three Mile Island radiation exposure were compromised. The plant wives pulled all the kids out of school by 11, Gundersen said. The plant staff knew how serious it was. Civilians, who trusted government, didnt do a darn thing. The 2011 Fukushima Daiishi nuclear plant disaster in Japan has furthered fueled the debate on nuclear energy, reinforcing the public opinion chasm. Radiation particles from the plant, which was destroyed that March in the wake of a powerful tsunami, spread over an area the size of Connecticut. About a quarter of a million people fled the area. Zaitz and Matteson say that experts have determined that the Fukushima accident released far less radiation and subsequent risks to the public than initially estimated. In the wake of the accident, Japan took offline its entire fleet of nuclear plants and turned instead to natural gas and coal as its sources of energy. Japan, home of the Kyoto Protocol, the first international treaty on emissions cuts, and once a leader in the fight against climate change, now ranks among the worlds biggest emissions violators. Its having adverse health effects including killing people every year, Zaitz said. Its affecting far more people who live there than Fukushima ever will. A report published by Scientific America in January, noted some areas near the Fukushima plant continue to exceed five times the level of radiation set by Japan as safe for the general public. In certain spots radioactivity remains as high as 20 millisieverts, the maximum exposure recommended by international safety experts for nuclear power workers, according to Scientific America. Three Mile Island, owned today by Exelon Corporation, continues to fuel the debate over nuclear energy. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com HARHAR The debate goes beyond radiation and certainly includes arguments about uranium mining and radioactive waste. Nuclear proponents say that the mining of uranium levels a far lower impact on the environment compared to fracking, natural gas pipelines and other fossil fuel energy sources. Gundersen argues that uranium mining exposes workers to radiation, and contaminates groundwater and aquifers. Citing statistics from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the NEI notes that between 1990 to 1995, states that increased nuclear electricity generation by just 16 percent reduced their emissions by 37 percent. Nuclear power, the NEI says, helps states comply with the Clean Air Act. Gundersen discredits the assessments released on Fukushima. He claims the nuclear industry used identical tactics to deal with that disaster as it did with the Three Mile Island accident, Chernobyl and even the Deepwater Horizon disaster. That includes downplaying the risks and telling the public it is in no immediate danger. The industry controls the narrative, Gundersen said. The orthodoxy very quickly circles the wagons and protects trillions of dollars of investment. Eric Epstein, chairman of Three Mile Island Alert, an anti-nuclear advocacy group, stands behind Gundersens assessment of the lack of transparency in the nuclear industry. Epstein says the industry will never own up to the dangers of nuclear energy nor the dangers inflicted on central Pennsylvania as a result of the Three Mile Island accident. He says he remains resolutely cynical about nuclear: We can all agree that there are no safe levels of radiation exposure. ... But the industry cant afford to acknowledge the truth. It would bankrupt the nuclear industry. Japan has reactivated about seven of its nuclear plants. Gundersen remains troubled by the nuclear industry. Its an orthodoxy, Gundersen said. The nuclear industry is an orthodoxy. What the high bishops say the lowly priests repeat. At the time I just accepted the party line of the orthodoxy. For Zaitz and Matteson, co-founders of Mothers for Nuclear, too much is at stake not to stand behind it. In college I learned about the biases we all have, Zaitz said. I started evaluating my beliefs and using more data instead on a feelings-based approach. I used that to examine beliefs about nuclear.....it aligns with my values about preserving the environment. The ability to use electricity on a tiny footprint with no emissions was something that made me challenge my views. This month marks the 40th anniversary of the partial meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. PennLive is collaborating with PA Post and WITF on a multimedia monthlong look at the accident, its impact and the future of TMI and the nuclear industry. By a show of hands, roughly 60-65 percent of people who attended Lt. Gov. John Fetterman's listening tour stop in New Bloomfield favored marijuana legalization. Fetterman brought his statewide tour to Perry County on March 25 with about 150 residents packing the VFW hall on Soule Road, leaving standing room only. As the evening went forward with people expressing their opinions for and against, the majority said they wanted cannabis legalized for recreational uses, sales and home growth. Fetterman said afterward that's how most of the stops have come down. When he's asked for a show of hands, about 60-70 percent favor legalization. Somerset County was the closest stop with about 50-50 for and against. Things that have moved me were the veterans with (post traumatic stress disorder) in favor, and people against it who had someone killed by impaired driving, the lieutenant governor said. People who shared their stories included a wide variety of ages and backgrounds. Some want to grow it for medicinal and recreational uses, others for agricultural reasons. Nate Raffon said he's been dealing with PTSD since 2009. It's nearly impossible for me to get out and eat with my family without having my back to a wall, the veteran said, noting he was constantly searching for threats and it had made his life miserable. He said he favored full legalization, with people having the right to grow marijuana. Marijuana has opened the door to happiness that wasn't available to me since 2009, he said. Bob Snook, a veteran, former law enforcement officer and New Bloomfield VFW officer, said continued prohibition of marijuana was a billion-dollar mistake. As a military police officer, Snook said he once arrested a guy for a few marijuana seeds. That's nonsense, he said. He, and others, also referenced the vast number of people incarcerated for marijuana possession as an injustice for a non-violent, victimless crime. The revenue generated by cannabis sales taxes could be put toward needs in the state, whether that's drug and alcohol treatment for more addictive drugs, infrastructure or school funding, he said. I'm not going to force your kids to smoke marijuana. That's on you. You're their parents. I am in favor of legalizing marijuana, Snook said. Many others drew comparisons to alcohol and tobacco, noting that while they can have problems, adults can use them as a personal choice. I have nephews, said a man who favored legalization. If someone gave them alcohol, tobacco or marijuana, I would have a problem with that. We should have strong child corruption laws and let adults be adults. A man named Wes said he smoked marijuana for pain relief, but the plant could have benefits for the economy. Perry is an agricultural county. Think about what that would do for us. Many Perry Countians opinions came down to simple libertarian spirit: they didn't want the government continuing to threaten them with prison for growing or smoking a plant. It's not anyone's business what I put in my body, said Lindsey Friends. Many others dont want legalization citing affects on young people, drugged driving, and gateways to harder drugs. It sends the wrong message to our youth, and I'm unequivocally opposed to legalization, said Ed Boyle, the pastor at Trinity Christian Church in New Bloomfield. Glenys Dilissio, the retired director of the drug and alcohol treatment non-profit Perry Human Services, pointed to studies showing marijuana use adversely affects the development of young brains. She also said marijuana would have adverse affects on business owners and cost the state more in public services like welfare. My view of legalization of marijuana has never changed, she said. Bad idea. David Hartzel said hes known too many young people who died from drug addictions, and they started with gateway drugs like marijuana and alcohol. I'm opposed to legalization, he said. When we legalize something like marijuana, we have our heads in the sand if we think it won't affect children. Perry was Fetterman's 24th stop out of 67 counties. He said he was moved by the turnout at the event, especially after it had been rescheduled twice in February due to weather. It was outstanding. The people in Perry County were great. Third time's a charm. People were universally civil, the lieutenant governor said. In addition to the listening tours, residents can enter their comments online at the lieutenant governor's website. Fetterman said residents have submitted about 25,000 online comments about marijuana legalization, in addition to comment cards filled out at the events. The administration is tabulating the general consensus, as well as analyzing comments from residents. What happens next? We dont know, Fetterman said. Were going to share (the findings) with the people of Pennsylvania. Well-oiled machine: Eta Nu's Dress for Chill program continues to provide warmth, smiles Thanks to the Boyne Eta Nu Charities' "Dress for Chill" program, a total of 187 Boyne City students will be dressed warmly this winter season. Pennsylvania conservatives are asking U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and other Congresspeople for hearings on alleged political interference by left-wing rivals and their influence on the U.S. banking system. Read more Editors note: Updated at 9:38 a.m. with comments from Sen. Pat Toomey Pennsylvania conservatives are asking U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) and other members of Congress for hearings on alleged political interference by left-wing rivals and their influence on the U.S. banking system. To be sure, business-bashing can be a bipartisan enterprise. There are plenty of business folks who tolerate President Donald Trump slugging Amazon, GM and other big, profitable employers in speeches and social media posts at least as long as he delivers low taxes and conservative judges, and the economy keeps growing. But a handful of prominent local folks the longtime head of a big Philly law firm, and Wally Nunn, the former Delaware County Council president and investment banker, among others called here last week to express apprehension at JPMorgan Chase & Co.s decision to stop funding private prison operators Geo Group and Corrections Corp. of America, after a long activist campaign against their role in imprisoning undocumented immigrants, including children. Nunn sees this as an escalation, in a well-organized left-wing direct-action campaign to force capitalists to adopt costly socialist ideals, not just through legislation, but pressure on such powerful companies as JPMorgan, the nations biggest bank, to alter their policies to serve leftist goals. I pointed out that business boycotts are an American tradition. I wrote last year about how banks, rent-a-car companies, and Chubb Insurance abandoned their National Rifle Association marketing programs under pressure from anti-gun activists after the Florida school massacre. But Nunn has a local worry: Hes the self-described godfather of Geos contract to operate the Delaware County prison, the only private prison manager for any of Pennsylvanias 67 counties. I visited the county-owned but privately run prison with Nunn a few years back, after Geo had been kicked out following well-publicized inmate suicides, and a New Jersey firm had taken over. Board members told me the private operators saved taxpayers money by not providing county-guaranteed pensions for corrections officers. Geo is now back, having bought out the firm that replaced it. Nunn says Department of Corrections data show that the prison is well-run. Local Democrats, who think theyre going to take over Delaware County in next years elections, want the prison run by the county again. Nunn tells me the problem is bigger even than JPMorgan. Hes on the board of the David Horowitz Freedom Center, a conservative group that is listed as an extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center well-known for reporting on Nazi and Ku Klux Klan groups for granting anti-Muslim voices and radical ideologies a platform to project hate and misinformation. Nunn rejects that characterization; he calls the Horowitz centers politics mainstream-conservative. The center says its had at least two payments to its affiliates stopped by what it believes are financial intermediaries scared to fund organizations on the poverty law centers list. In one case this winter, MasterCard blocked the payment before the money was transferred to our client funds, the Horowitz Centers San Francisco-based lawyer, Harmeet Dhillon told me. MasterCard processed it, but then credited it back to the donor before the money would have been transferred" to the Horowitz Center. MasterCard never gave us policy in writing, never admitted it. The payment was later allowed. I called and emailed MasterCard, asking about political tests for network access, and got no further than Dhillon. I read through MasterCards public user guidelines and saw nothing about hate or political speech. Thats not a lot to prove a conspiracy around. Still, combined with JPMorgans shift on GEO and other recent campaigns, Nunn says it looks to him as if leftists are making an increasingly coordinated push to move their agenda directly on corporate America without the old step of first winning elections. The latest instance involving the financial system, it amounts to an assault on free speech rights, he added. So Nunn says its time the federal government steps in. Arent credit cards a kind of public accommodation that ought to be covered by the Civil Rights Act of 1964? He asks. Hasnt the Supreme Court ruled that political or charitable donations are constitutionally protected speech? He wants congressional hearings and for legislators to guarantee conservatives and others their civil right to use their money as a form of speech. We already have fair-lending laws against discrimination by race or sex. But explicit government guarantees of payments as a form of speech would go further. Comcast, Google and Facebook are private publishers that so far have resisted attempts to force them into utility-style regulation of content. I dont expect financial companies will be any more cooperative with efforts to step up federal control. Most Americans seem to accept laws that limit free speech (and payments) for child molesters and narcotics dealers. But where else to draw the line? Sen. Toomey is "very concerned about the ramifications if some of these banks choose to deny services to legitimate ideologically-based think thanks, websites, and nonprofits regardless of their political leanings, he said in a statement after meeting with former Delaware County council chairman Nunn to discuss recent actions by MasterCard, JPMorgan and other big financial companies. Under a true free market banking system, a decision of this nature by a single institution," would not be a concern, he said. However, due to massive regulations and high barriers to entry that limit competition, our system is not truly free. Our financial infrastructure is very dependent on a handful of the nations largest banks, according to his statement. That implies Toomey believes big financial companies share some of the features of public utilities, though he stopped short of demanding they be regulated as such, or calling for hearings. Nunn is right that companies should feel pressure to apply fair standards, and make them public. Those are tough for people and businesses to make and enforce. Maybe hearings would push firms that hold media and financial near-monopolies to make their policies transparent so we know where they are, and arent, drawing lines. (Sen. Toomeys office did not have any immediate comments when asked late Monday.) But Im not convinced that government ordering companies explicitly how to do that will solve more problems than it creates. In this Friday, March 22, 2019 photo, a bud is seen on a marijuana plant at Compassionate Care Foundation's medical marijuana dispensary in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. Lawmakers will vote on a measure that could make New Jersey the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Read more I know that times have changed when my 80-year-old mother is legally smoking pot. Its true. My mother has a medical marijuana card and, as a resident of Pennsylvania, partakes of the substance to help ease certain of her ailments. Thats all well and good if youre a senior citizen. But what if that same person is one of your employees? Thats the issue many employers are trying to figure out and the challenge is expected to be more pressing. This week, New Jersey lawmakers postponed voting on a bill to make recreational marijuana use legal in the state. Pennsylvania lawmakers are currently considering a similar bill, and even legislators in Delaware who had their efforts defeated last year are regrouping for another try. Currently, recreational marijuana is legal in 10 states and medical marijuana is legal in 33 states. Although the federal government still considers marijuana to be a controlled substance, its clear that theres a growing trend toward legalizing it across the country. So as the use of marijuana medicinal or otherwise grows, how does this affect your workplace policies? For starters, its important to know that Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware do not require their private employers to conduct drug test of its current or prospective employees. As an employer, and unless youre a federal contractor or subject to specific industry mandates, the decision to do this is entirely yours. I have some clients particularly those with manufacturing operations or who deal with hazardous materials that have very strict no tolerance drug policies for safety and insurance reasons. I have many others who have much looser policies or simply ignore drug testing altogether. There are certainly valid reasons not to test for drugs if you dont have to and the biggest is that finding good people in these days of low unemployment is challenging for both small and large companies. This is likely a significant factor behind the reason why such corporations as Apple, Facebook, Whole Foods and Starbucks have either (privately) relaxed their drug testing policies of late or eliminated them altogether, according to a report from Alternet, an independent news platform. You might wind up with results you dont want, Ian Meklinsky, a labor and employment lawyer at Fox Rothschild in Princeton, told the Asbury Park Press last year. If a person comes to work and is a great employee, do you really care if they smoke pot on the weekend? Still, I believe that employers should have a safe and drug-free workplace. Drug testing even if only for specific employees based on their job description is a good idea, as long as its done consistently and regularly communicated. Tests should be made of employees at least twice a year, and its certainly reasonable for an employer to be allowed to conduct discretionary random tests. Rules a warning, suspension and possibly termination should be documented in case of a violation. Drug testing of job candidates after an offer has been made may also be a good practice. If you do the testing, though, I would recommend ignoring the presence of marijuana and instead focus on the more damaging stuff, such as cocaine, opiates, methamphetamine, amphetamines, PCP, benzodiazepine, barbiturates, methadone, tricyclic antidepressants, ecstasy, and oxycodone. Thats because the testing of marijuana can be tricky. According to the popular health website Healthline, marijuana is "usually detectable in bodily fluids for 1 to 30 days after last use and, as with other drugs, it may be detectable in hair for several months. Unless there are visible signs of marijuana use while on the job, it is very difficult to determine whether the presence of cannabis in a drug test is from recent use or from weeks before. However, its important to be consistent when dealing with employees who may appear to be impaired. Employers should train managers in this regard, advises Mike Trabold, director of compliance at Paychex Inc., a payroll provider and human resources consulting firm. They should set a standard procedure for responding to suspected impairment, including documenting observable signs and removing bias. So what do you do if you become aware that an employee is using marijuana? If its for health reasons, you may be required to accommodate that employee under the Americans with Disability Act or to at least make certain accommodations, such as allowing an employee to work different hours. Generally, in Pennsylvania, employers are barred from discriminating against an employee certified to use medical marijuana, Trabold says, although they can prohibit employees from using the substance on work premises or coming to work under the influence, or prohibit use all together in certain dangerous or safety-sensitive jobs. The takeaway is that its important to review your policies and employee handbook and meet with both your insurance and legal professionals. Considering how fast our local laws are changing, the issue needs constant attention. If you dont believe me, just ask my mother. President Donald Trump turns to depart after speaking with the media after stepping off Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, March 24, 2019, in Washington. The Justice Department said Sunday that special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation did not find evidence that President Donald Trump's campaign "conspired or coordinated" with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election. Read more Over on Earth 2 or in some other alternative universe, news of the Barr report the abridged Sunday-night book report version of the Mueller report thats been released to the American public so far struck with the political impact of a powerful asteroid. Confirmation of an extensive Russian plot to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. A body of evidence for Congress to probe obstruction of justice by President Trump in the same type of investigation that built an impeachment case against Richard Nixon. This after criminal charges against 37 people: The Russian trolls and hackers and some key Trump allies including his campaign manager, his personal attorney and his national security adviser. But here on the hell of Earth 1, in 2019, the Barr report splashed down in tainted waters. What Trumps hand-picked Attorney General William Barr squeezed out of his political juice machine was a four-page concoction spiked with Special Counsel Robert Muellers other main ingredient a finding that unusual contacts between Team Trump and Team Russia never rose to the level of a chargeable criminal conspiracy to keep Trumpland and its Greek chorus of Fox News Channel pundits giddy with intoxication for months. President Trump stood on a Florida tarmac and jubilantly called the Barr report on the unseen Mueller report "a complete and total exoneration ignoring the Mueller statement that the report doesnt exonerate him on obstructing justice. But such statements by Trump and his allies still managed to drive the early news coverage from reporters who just like the rest of us have only seen several dozen words from the actual Mueller report so far. It this feels vaguely familiar, it should. This is the GOP playbook that was perfected during the 2000 presidential election and the Florida recount. Declare victory first and as loudly as possible (preferably on Fox) and plow through any real-world uncertainty or facts to the contrary, and make anyone the media, Democrats who challenges the Republican version of reality into a bitter, sore L-on-forehead loser. Lets be real. If the Mueller report were a complete and total exoneration of the president and his minions, Sean Hannity would have been waving the massive file on your TV screen Friday night. Instead, on Monday we had Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refusing to allow even a non-binding vote on making the report public, Thats a tell, and also a familiar pang of recognition for those of us who lived through moments like the Pentagon Papers, COINTELPRO or Iran-Contra. There are things our government doesnt want us to know. Again. Despite the outrage of getting the four-page Barr report instead of the Mueller report, there are still some important takeaways: 1. Vladimir Putin and Russia wanted Trump to be your president, and took extensive active measures to help that happen. The so-called witch hunt of the Mueller probe nonetheless eliminated any doubt that Russian spies, hackers and trolls launched a campaign to undermine Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party and either woo or discourage U.S. voters, even if its impossible to gauge its full impact on the November 2016 election. The same people who spent months denying Russias role including Trumps speculation about a 400-pound hacker" in his bed now shrug at being proved wrong. 2. Muellers findings on obstruction of justice a key part of the investigation that Team Trump is eager to pretend never existed remain shrouded in mystery, thanks to Barr. According to a report in the Daily Beast, the special counsel wanted Congress to decide whether Trump through moves such as firing FBI director James Comey or dangling pardons before key figures, among others committed obstruction. That move would mirror how the obstruction issue was handled by the special prosecutors investigating President Bill Clinton (ultimately impeached) and President Richard Nixon (who resigned in the face of certain impeachment). 3. On the issue that Mueller called coordination but most folks called collusion and became the public and media obsession for everybody from the president (who by the end was saying No collusion!! to people instead of Hello) to the strangest internet theorists, Mueller found no felonies were committed. All those strange contacts between Trumpists and Russians were real, but Barr says Mueller found no crime. I wasnt surprised but I was a little surprised by how many people were. For two years, weve learned all the quids of the Trump-Russia relationship (the bizarre June 2016 meeting in Trump tower, followed in short order by hacked DNC emails and documents, the Trump Tower Moscow plans, etc., etc.) and the quos (a pro-Putin change in the RNC platform on Ukraine, Mike Flynns promises on sanctions, Trump echoing the Putin line on a variety of issues, etc). But there was never the pro a conversation where Team Trump actively hatched a plan for Russia to do the hacking or the social media campaigns that it ultimately did. The Barr-reported Mueller finding is very much in line with a column I wrote in November 2017 when many of the key facts had already emerged. About 17 months ago, I said the general vibe is that while the Trumpsters werent 100 percent sure what the heck was going on [with Russias hacking], they were happy to help in any way they could. And of Trumps infamous public plea on Clintons emails (Russia, if youre listening ... )? I wrote: The candidates desperate plea does reflect a certain, perhaps alarming, level of awareness that Americas global rival was dangling criminally obtained dirt on his opponent but Trump also doesnt sound like a man in full control of a clever criminal enterprise, does he? My overall appraisal of the Trump campaign, a year and a half ago, was in the headline: A confederacy of dunces. Since speculating about the unseen Mueller report is now a thing, my guess is that Mueller and his team of prosecutors pretty much found the same thing. Russia didnt coordinate anything with Trump because it didnt have to. When The Donald emerged from the swamp of 2016 primaries, Putin decided hed found his dream candidate to run America: A useful idiot. Michael Cohen said in his recent House testimony that Trump knows not to give traceable orders but talks in code, like a mob boss. The Russians dont even do that. They took the measure of the man in June 2016 and then quietly went to work with their hacks and their Facebook mucking around. The Trump campaign didnt run the Russian op but they also didnt run away from it. As far as they were concerned, the hacked emails just fell off the back of a truck. Meanwhile, the chaos and constant discord that swirls around Trump, much like the dirt around Peanuts Pigpen, would help Putins ultimate goal of a weaker America even if he lost. And in what still seemed, in the fall of 2016, like the unlikely event of a Trump victory, the Russians would either be working with an effective president inclined to help Putin on sanctions and in the Middle East, or with a horrible, divisive president whod tear the country apart and create needless chaos. It was, arguably, the ultimate win-win scenario. But Russia could never just just show up in an America where everything was hunky-dory and hope to have any influence. Its goal was the stir the pot that was already boiling, to put even just a light finger on the scales of a nation that was already split in two by income inequality and a hollowed-out middle class, and racial and other fears stoked by right-wing media and cynical pols. Putins interference wasnt a conspiracy with the Trump campaign but with 62 million angry American voters. So I accept Muellers finding that there was no coordination that rose to the level of a crime. But I also accept the finding of a lawyer who knows Trump even better, Michael Cohen, who called his ex-boss a racist ... conman ... cheat. Thats exactly the president that Russia wanted, and thats a big problem. But its also the president that 62 million of us wanted, and that remains the bigger problem. And the fact that 65 million of us didnt want this or the corruption, dishonesty, incompetence, racism and misogyny that came with it but seem constantly thwarted from doing anything about it is the biggest problem of all. And yes, as Ive written as recently as January, too many of the 65 million majority were too willing to think Mueller would single-handedly solve that problem. Now, the all-or-nothing stakes that too many placed in the hands of the taciturn lawman are going to be wielded like a bludgeon against the presidents perceived enemies list, and to tamp down things that have nothing to do with the Mueller report the inhumane cruelty toward children and other living things on the Southern border, the constitution-shredding emergency order on the wall, the embrace of white nationalism that allows racists to believe Trump is one of them. Did you think Trump was a bad, dangerous president before March 24, 2019? You aint seen nothing yet. Emboldened by the Barr-fed Total Exoneration Myth, an energized Trump is acting exactly like the autocrat so many feared on the night he was elected. His war against press freedom has already shifted into overdrive, including a demand letter from his campaign to TV producers that could silence his political critics, a move that reeks of the worst authoritarianism. Thats not all. In less than 48 hours, Trumps lawyers have moved in court to kill the Affordable Care Act, threatening the health of millions of Americans. A hunger crisis in Puerto Rico is rapidly deteriorating with the president who responded to the islands hurricane with apathy and then contempt not lifting a finger. It was symbolic, if not intentional, that Israel dropped bombs across Gaza at the very moment Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was meeting Trump. The world has some bad leaders in 2019, and they are feeling empowered. None more so than Putin. Even the brief information specified in the summary has no basis, Putins spokesman told reporters, echoing the GOP spin campaign. "It is difficult to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if it is not there. With Trump already using his belief that Russian interference was a hoax as an excuse to ignore ballot security, Putin may see a green light to move on the 2020 election, or the territory he covets. When you pray for America tonight, put in a good word for Belarus, the Baltic states and Ukraine. But you should do more than pray. For Team Trump, the only goal thats greater than shutting up journalists is discouraging everyday citizens from doing something about the situation in America. If you care about stopping the rise of white nationalism, preserving human rights and returning to a government thats free of corruption, this is exactly the moment to rise up, not stand down. Since Sunday, Ive seen suggestions that for those who are Trump-resistant, this is the moment to forget Mueller and start thinking about 2020. But why wait? The fight to reclaim an America that we can be proud of needs to begin today. Actor Jussie Smollett talks with the media while leaving Cook County Court after his charges were dropped Tuesday, March 26, 2019, in Chicago. Read more Cook County prosecutors have dropped all charges against Empire actor Jussie Smollett involving allegations he paid two men to stage a hate crime against him. Prosecutors didnt elaborate on the dropped charges, other than to say their decision came after a review of the facts involved in the case, and after Smollett agreed to forfeit his $10,000 bond payment. "We didnt exonerate him, First Assistant States Attorney Joseph Magats told the New York Times on Tuesday. "The mere fact that it was disposed of in an alternative manner does not mean that there were any problems or infirmities in the case or the evidence. Magats explanation contradicted comments made earlier by Smolletts attorney, Patricia Brown Holmes, who denied reports that the charges were dropped due to any deal with prosecutors. Smollett touted his own innocence during a brief press conference at the Cook County Courthouse in Chicago. I have been truthful and consistent since day one, Smollett told reporters. I would not be my mothers son if I was capable of one drop of what Ive been accused of. Smollett had faced 16 counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly paying two men to fake an attack against him near his Chicago home in January. Smollett pleaded not guilty to the charges March 14, and told police he was taunted and attacked by two men who were supporters of President Donald Trump who tied a noose around his neck. Prosecutors had contended that Smollett orchestrated and helped rehearse the fake attack, and then misled the public about the incident. Heres what happened after the announcement of the dropped charges: Chicago mayor rebukes Smollett: 'This is a whitewash of justice Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel blasted Smollett in a press conference, telling reporters it was unbelievable for the Empire actor to continue to profess his innocence. Mr. Smollett is still saying he is innocent and still running down the Chicago Police Department. How dare him? How dare him? an angry Emanuel said. This is a person now who has been let off scot-free, with no sense of accountability of the moral and ethical wrong of his actions Is there no decency in this man? Emanuel railed against Smollett for taking advantage of laws intended to protect minorities, telling reporters the false attack the actor was accused of perpetrating would hurt future victims of hate crime. He used the laws of the hate crime association that all of us through the years have put on the books to stand up to be the values that embody what we believe in, Emanuel said. This is a whitewash of justice. A grand jury could not have been clearer. Fox gratified by Smollett dismissal, but no word on his Empire future 20th Century Fox Television said in a statement it was gratified prosecutors dismissed Smolletts case, but didnt elaborate on what it meant for the Empire stars future. "Jussie Smollett has always maintained his innocence and we are gratified on his behalf that all charges against him have been dismissed, 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment said in a statement. Fox removed Smollett from the final two episodes of Season 5 of Empire in February. Following his press conference Tuesday, Smollett didnt respond when a fan asked if he thought he should be welcomed back onto the show. Ex-Philadelphia police chief: This whole thing, it just stinks Former Philadelphia police commissioner Charles Ramsey, now a CNN contributor, suggested Smollett got preferential treatment from prosecutors due to his status as a Hollywood actor. This whole thing, it just stinks, Ramsey said on CNN Newsroom. If this were Joe Shmoe, just a guy living in Englewood in Chicago, his butt would probably be in jail right now. This is just not right, Ramsey added. Ramsey, a Chicago native who also previously worked for that citys police force, also said he thought it was wrong for prosecutors to seal their decision-making from the public. If a prosecutor is going to make a decision, then they need to stand behind that decision and stand by why they made it, Ramsey said. If the evidence changed, fine, what was the new evidence? Lets bring it on and lets talk about this openly. Prosecutor: We didnt exonerate him' First Assistant States Attorney Joseph Magats, who reportedly made the decision to drop the charges against Smollett, told the New York Times the charges were dropped in return for the actors agreement to perform community service and for forfeiting his $10,000 bond. "We didnt exonerate him, Magats told the Times. We stand behind the investigation, we stand behind the decision to charge him and we stand behind the charges in the case," Magats added, according to the Times. "The mere fact that it was disposed of in an alternative manner does not mean that there were any problems or infirmities in the case or the evidence. Magats explanation contradicts comments made earlier on Tuesday by Smolletts attorney, Patricia Brown Holmes, who denied report that the charges were dropped due to a deferred-prosecution deal. Smolletts attorney: There is no deal. Prosecutors dismissed the charges Patricia Brown Holmes, an attorney for Smollett, denied reports that the charges were dropped due to a deferred-prosecution deal. There is no deal. Prosecutors dismissed the charges, Holmes told reporters during at a press conference. Holmes said Smollett deferred his $10,000 bond voluntarily, and that the money paid to brothers Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo were for nutrition and training," not to orchestrate a fake assault against him. We believe that it was the correct result in this case. Were very happy for this result," Holmes added. And we are very anxious for Jussie to get on with his career and his life and to move forward. Smolletts full statement: Id like nothing more than to get back to work and move on with my life. Here is Smolletts full statement on the matter: I just made a couple notes. First of all I want to thank my family, my friends, the incredible people of Chicago and all over the country and the world who have prayed for me , who have supported me and who have showed me so much love. No one will ever know how much that has meant to me and I will be forever grateful. I want you to know that not for a moment was it in vain. I would not be my mothers son if I was capable of one drop of what Ive been accused of. This has been an incredibly difficult time. Honestly one of the worst of my entire life. But I am a man of faith and I am a man that has knowledge of my history and I would not bring my family, our lives or the movement through a fire like this. I just wouldnt. Now Id like nothing more than to get back to work and move on with my life. But make no mistakes, I will always continue to fight for the justice, equality and betterment of marginalized people everywhere. So again thank you for all the support. Thank you for faith and thank you to God. Bless you. Thank you very much. Jussie Smollett statement Fox News legal analyst: This is almost unheard of' Like many people, Fox News legal analyst Andrew Napolitano was stunned by prosecutors decision to drop all charges. It sounds as if the government has asked to dismiss its own indictment, Napolitano said during Americas Newsroom. Quite frankly this is almost unheard of. It is either the result of extraordinary lawyering on behalf of his lawyers, or a realization by the government of some defect in its evidence that it did not know it had at he time it sought and obtained an indictment against him, Napolitano added. Smolletts attorneys: He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator Smolletts attorneys Tina Glandian and Patricia Brown Holmes issued a statement to the Chicago Sun-Times after the hearing: Delawares Dogfish Head is known for its off-centered approach to craft beer, but with its latest brew, the company is moving into the world of film development literally. It even made a little movie featuring Philly landmarks to prove it. As it turns out, Dogfish Heads latest beer, a gose dubbed Super Eight, can be used to develop Kodak Super 8 film. Created in collaboration with the film company, Super Eight features a low pH level and plenty of vitamin C, making it a good catalyst for a step in film developing, according to a release. Clocking in at 5.3 percent ABV, the brew falls on the fruity side of the gose style with the addition of mango, prickly pear, kiwi, raspberry, blackberry, elderberry, and boysenberry. Its balanced with toasted quinoa and red Hawaiian sea salt, giving it nine ingredients, though Dogfish says the salt doesnt count. Technically, thats nine, but it gose without saying that theres going to be salt, the release said. These unique ingredients give this beer a vibrant red color, with delicious flavors of berries and watermelon, along with a tart yet refreshing finish. Super 8 is a well-regarded analog film that Kodak released in 1965. A revolutionary technology at the time, the film is credited with giving rise to the amateur film genre and the home movie rage of the 60s and 70s due to its ease of use and affordability, according to LiveScience. The idea for the beer arose last year after Dogfish founder Sam Calagione appeared on Kodaks podcast The Kodakery. While there, Calagione learned about beers potential as a film-developing agent and decided to brew Super Eight, which was in development at the time, to suit the task. We said, Hmm, this beer is going to have an acidic sort of sour pH, its going to have a heightened level of vitamin C,' and we thought this beer could be the ultimate film-developing catalyst, Calagione said in a statement. We tested it. Lo and behold, it is. As NeatPour points out, however, the process involves a little more than pouring a can of beer into a container and developing film. In addition to the film developer, finished film requires a stop bath and fixer, two steps for which Super Eight is inappropriate. To use the beer as a developer, Dogfish-loving filmmakers will have to add vitamin C and baking soda, as a chart from Kodak shows. However, despite those additional steps, Calagione seems to be all-in on the new Kodak partnership and promises a Super 8-filmed (and Super Eight-developed) movie to be released in partnership with the Nature Conservancy in the fall. Dogfish and Kodak even made a little teaser film of beer-developed Super 8 film featuring Philly landmarks to show that the process works: Ryan Fitzgerald releases a few flavors each week. Pictured is the Dunkatron, featuring feuilletine, peanut butter, dark chocolate chunks, fermented cocoa nibs, chocolate stracciatella, brown butter solids, and salt, all mixed into a popcorn-flavored ice cream base . Read more Ryan Fitzgerald is living in a world of sweet and salty mix-ins. Scattered around his Fairmount kitchen, the makings for fillers like peanut butter crunch clusters, malt chocolate fudge swirl, Vietnamese-brown-sugar streusel clusters, and candied lemon rind all await assembly. These are, Fitzgerald says, the nuts and bolts of 1-900-ICE-CREAM, which he launched in February. Its not an actual phone number, so dont try to dial; at 1900icecream.com, customers can order for pickup. The $10 pints go fast. A self-taught chef, Fitzgerald is the founder of Boku Supper Club, a popular underground dining experience that hes now closing. Fitzgerald wants to focus entirely on ice cream, taking inspiration from Ben & Jerrys to craft pints liberally filled with made-from-scratch mix-ins. Theres some sort of crunch in every bite; many flavors feel as though theyre infused with homemade candy bars. Fitzgerald told us what its like to launch an ice cream business and how to get one of his coveted pints. Take me back to the beginning. When did ice cream come on your radar? It really began five years ago, when I did the very first Boku. I had all my friends come and served this big meal with Korean fried chicken, pork buns, and ramen. I finished it with a tomato sorbet and a salted lemon sorbet. Everyone thought they were disgusting. I started having guest chefs qualified line cooks and sous-chefs doing the menus for Boku, so there was a period where I wasnt in charge of the cooking. But in 2016, I quit my full-time job, and thats when I stepped back into the kitchen and returned to ice cream. I needed something on the dessert side where I wouldnt have to build a multicomponent pastry course. When did you transition from scoops to sandwiches? As I started to elevate my menus, I knew I couldnt just serve up a scoop with a spoon, so I was putting ice cream in between sheets of macaron and cutting it into triangles. Thats when my ice cream began gaining a lot of attention. Howd you decide to turn your dessert course into a full-fledged ice cream business? It all happened organically. I was making really good ice cream. Then I made the ice cream sandwiches, and guests loved them. People started asking how they could get them, and so I was doing a bunch of custom orders. The demand was already vetted, and I knew if I set it up right, the business would have a lot more scalability. Running Boku became my life, and I desperately needed something that was easier to scale. Are you sad to be saying goodbye to Boku? Its definitely sad, but Im looking three years down the road Ill have a life back, I can see my friends, go to weddings. If I frame it that way, Im really happy that we are putting Boku to bed. Its the right time its going to allow me to do something even better. Whats best part about being in the ice cream business? People call me a chef, but Im not a chef. Im a recipe DJ, a glorified home-cook that was cooking out of a book. With ice cream, its the one thing where it just comes to me. I did a lot of research on the base, and now that I understand how ice cream works on a scientific level, Im able to shape the matrix of ideas flying through my head into a pint. I also love making a product people have been eating since they were kids. Everyone can wrap their head around ice cream. Describe your ice cream. What makes it better than Ben & Jerrys? I dont think its a better-or-worse equation. Its another style, particularly for the Philly area. If you look at Weckerlys, for example, they use a French-custard-style base with seasonally driven flavors its a chef execution on a really great ice cream sandwich. Then you look at some of the other makers in Philly, and theyre more about high production. This also serves a need in the marketplace relatively inexpensive ice cream you can get at your neighborhood scoop shop. Then, theres a space that was open for me, where I do a familiar base, not a pizza-flavored Little Babys base, and add a crunch and a swirl. Every single pint has those three elements. The mix-ins are fun and gratuitous, which is a nod to Ben & Jerrys, creating a style we didnt have here. Did you have a go-to Ben & Jerrys flavor? Phish Food. It has a lot of textural components going on gooey marshmallow, smooth caramel swirl, and crunch from the chocolate chunks. What goes into crafting a new flavor? I start by looking at a product thats already made, like blueberry cheesecake, and how I can make that into ice cream. Ill deconstruct the different ways that each component can be executed. Do I want to use freeze-dried blueberries as the crunch or use a blueberry compote and add a crunchy graham cracker crust? The mix-ins you make them all from scratch? The mix-ins need to do a job: Provide crunch, salt, chew, sweetness, umami, and color. They are the nuts and bolts of the whole ice cream robot. When you make them yourself, you have the flexibility to adapt their flavor profile. Tell me about the God Mode flavor, the weekly release youre doing in collaboration with local coffee roasters. Its a pint where I take a local roasters coffee and I reconstruct the flavor profile. Its like wine the coffee bag might list flavor notes like blood orange, red apple, pecan, and chocolate. I start by steeping the beans in my standard base for 12 hours. Then I think about how I can add and accentuate all of those different flavor notes. Maybe its a pecan praline and chocolate chunk situation, with a pureed blood orange swirl. I have to think about how I can accommodate two different fruits with the red apple the hard part and where the real fun begins. Were you concerned about starting an ice cream business in the middle of winter? No. Its counterintuitive, but people often buy more ice cream in the winter. They dont want to go walk outside to the scoop shop, but theyre still picking up pints at the store. It just happened to be winter when my ice cream started to really take off, so I went with it. Whats the story with the name 1-900-ICE-CREAM? I was struggling so hard to find a name that would fit. Im a 90s kid, so I started thinking about the psychic and sex hotline commercials youd see on TV. Then,1-800-FLOWERS popped into my head, which shifted to 1-900-ICE-CREAM 1-900 because you need to have a little edge. I grabbed the domain as a placeholder, figuring Id figure out the actual name later. Then news started to spread, and now Im just kind of stuck with it. Your flavor names Crunchy Munchy Man, Funny Bunny theyre equally playful. Whats the process for crafting those? Crunchy Munchy Man is what I call my parents dog. They have this four-pound, blond teacup poodle. The pint is caramel-colored, and it just fit. Dunkatron is that pint where you go to the movie theaters, get a bag of popcorn, and put Reeses Pieces and Kit Kat into it. This pint feels like you dunked a peanut butter container into the ice cream, and the tron gives the dunking a nice aggressive tone. Really, the naming is just about showing that its important to have fun with yourself. What are some of your favorite flavors? I love the Dunkatron and the Apple Streusel Doodle Pie. The God Mode we just did with ReAnimator [coffee] was also really dope that was a plum caramel swirl, fermented cocoa nibs, and smoked, candied almonds. Four out of five times visiting your website, every pint reads sold-out. Whats the secret to getting one? Its all based on a preorder system. On midday Sunday, Ill post the flavors of the week to Instagram stories and to my website. You want to place your order by Sunday night, because I cut off orders on Monday, and the earlier the better, because certain flavors get capped. I make the mix-ins on Mondays, and the bases on Tuesdays, so I need to know how much of each I need. Right now, the whole production is being held together by duct tape, but in the future, I promise, this will be the easiest ice cream you can buy. What are your future ice cream goals? Im moving to Liberty Kitchen until my own retail shop and production facility comes to life. But I dont want to do a scoop shop, where you come in and get a cone. If at all, Ill scoop one flavor, but I want to focus on pints and sandwiches. Ill finally be able to sell individual sandwiches, which wasnt feasible before. Well have delivery, through Caviar or wherever. Itd be great to even have a truck of our own, driving through city streets handing out sandwiches. Yanako at its new location at 4345 Main St., next to Chabaa Thai. Read more Yanako, chef Moon Krapugthongs Japanese BYOB, has moved a block away in Manayunk, as it opens March 27 at 4345 Main St., next door to her Chabaa Thai. Yanako, which takes the space that was Binto, her Asian market, is darker in this incarnation, sporting plenty of dark wooden paneling, wooden tables, and a seven-seat sushi bar fashioned from a live edge. Menus will pick up where they left off with sushi and kitchen dishes, and lunch Tuesday to Sunday and dinner daily. Krapugthong has shuffled Manayunk locations before. Chabaa Thai opened in 2005 at 4371 Main St. (now the Diner @ Manayunk). It closed in 2014 and reopened in 2016 at 4343 Main. Meanwhile, Krapugthong briefly operated a second restaurant called MangoMoon at 4161 Main, where La Roca is now. Kate Beschen, 45, of Philadelphia, is insured through the ACA marketplace. Read more Sometimes Kate Beschen lies awake at night, thinking about what shed do if the health insurance she buys through the Affordable Care Act marketplace disappeared. The 45-year-old Philadelphian has a chronic form of leukemia that shed never be able to afford to treat on an adjunct professors income without insurance. The occasional sleepless nights began after President Trump, who vowed during his campaign to repeal the health law, won the 2016 election. But what was once a hypothetical monster under her bed is starting to feel more real. In early December, a Texas judge issued a judgment that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional and should be eliminated, a move that would have a seismic effect extending to all kinds of insured consumers. Millions of people who gained insurance through the ACA marketplaces and expanded Medicaid eligibility would lose coverage. Rules that require insurance plans, including those offered by employers, to guarantee coverage of pre-existing conditions would go away. Adult children would no longer be able to stay on their parents health plans until age 26. This would affect nearly every American in some shape or form, said Katie Keith, an adjunct law professor at Georgetown University. The Texas-based lawsuit, brought by 20 Republican attorneys general or governors, faces certain appeal, possibly all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In the meantime, the ACA remains intact. The federal government has said it will continue to enforce the law including health coverage for the millions of people who bought insurance through the ACA marketplace for 2019 until a final ruling. Thats good news for people like Daisy Fried, 51, of Philadelphia, who was able to sign up for health insurance for the first time in years when the ACA marketplaces opened in 2013. A poet and part-time professor, Fried occasionally had access to health insurance through an employer, but mostly she just counted on staying healthy. I hit my 40s and was like, you know, this is getting a little scary, said Fried, who expects to pay $270 a month for an ACA marketplace plan in 2019. She never worried too much about being uninsured, but getting covered made me feel more secure, she said, especially as unanticipated health needs become more likely with age. Whether Fried continues to have access to her health plan will depend on what happens ultimately with the Texas lawsuit. The lawsuit arose after Congress decided to stop penalizing people who dont buy health insurance, beginning in 2019. Under the ACA, most people were required to buy insurance or pay a tax penalty, a rule that, though unpopular, ensured enough healthy people were buying insurance to allow insurers to cover unhealthy members. In an earlier lawsuit against the ACA, the Supreme Court ruled that the law was constitutional because it wasnt forcing people to buy insurance. Rather, it was taxing those who didnt, which Congress is allowed to do. The Texas lawsuit alleges that with the tax reduced to zero, the individual mandate is unconstitutional and the law should be eliminated. The Justice Department agreed that without the individual mandate, new rules for private insurers such as requiring coverage for pre-existing conditions should be revoked, but said the rest of the law should remain. The case could take years to work through the legal system, and though ACA insurance remains available, uncertainty about the laws future could do its own damage. It could have a very serious effect, even if it has no real legal effect at this point, said Timothy Jost, a law professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law, during a call with reporters organized by the Commonwealth Fund. Insurers will need to decide in the spring, before the lawsuit is resolved, whether to continue selling ACA plans in 2020 and how much to charge. People confused over the status of their plans could fail to pay their first months premium, which is required for coverage to take effect. Analysts speculated whether the judges order, which came out the night before the final day of the ACA marketplaces open enrollment period, would deter people from signing up at the last minute. Federal health officials announced Wednesday that enrollment is stronger than expected but still down from the same point last year. The data are preliminary. Theres this shroud of uncertainty thats going to hang over everything, Keith said. We sort of just got to this place where the marketplace was stable. Legal scholars are skeptical that a higher court would uphold the Texas judges broad decision, but for people like Beschen, who are counting on insurance coverage made possible by the law, the threat is terrifying. Theres always the worst-case scenario and getting carried away. Im not the person who thinks that way about life full of fear about whats going to happen. But this is an actual, real, practical fear, she said. Every three months Beschen pays $60 for blood testing to monitor her slow-growing blood cancer. Her monthly premium next year will be $70 because she qualifies for an income-based tax subsidy. Without the ACA, Beschen could be denied coverage because of her pre-existing condition or charged an exorbitant and out-of-reach amount. Eventually shell need chemotherapy, which would be unaffordable without insurance, she said. She has looked into whether she could move to Canada or another country with universal health care. Beschen thought she always would live in the country where she raised her own family, but she said she may not have a choice. She cant afford to live without health insurance. Temple is offering free MMR vaccines after a mumps outbreak has sickened more than 100 people. Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, from left: Temple's Mark Denys, Director of Student and Employee Health, Steven Alles Director of Disease Control, Philadelphia Department of Health and Susan Coffin, Medical Director with the city health department. Read more Temple University officials announced Tuesday that they are prepared to vaccinate up to 1,800 students and staff at a free clinic to address the mumps outbreak that has sickened 105 people over the last two months. The walk-in clinic will be held on Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Temples Mitten Hall Great Court. All Temple students, faculty, and staff can get a dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine at no charge. Hopefully, the numbers go down as we vaccinate more and more people, Mark Denys, director of Temples student and employee health services, said at a news conference. Mumps is a contagious viral disease. Common symptoms include swollen salivary glands, fever, headache, muscle aches, and loss of appetite. Although serious complications are rare, especially in people who were vaccinated as children, mumps can cause inflammation of the brain, deafness, or sterility. Its typically spread through direct contact with saliva or respiratory droplets, which often happens by sharing food and drink or living in close quarters making college campuses particularly vulnerable. The outbreak at Temple was first reported in late February, just before the schools spring break. Although city health officials said theyve most likely identified Patient Zero the person who started the outbreak they did not provide any details about the persons vaccination status. Steven Alles, director of disease control for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, said the original case related to an individual traveling somewhere outside of Philadelphia. As of Tuesday, the Philadelphia health department reported 18 confirmed cases of mumps and 87 probable cases. Most are at Temple, but a handful are in surrounding counties. West Chester University and Drexel University have also reported one case each. All the cases have been linked to Temple, Alles said. None of those infected have been hospitalized. Although most of the people with symptoms had been vaccinated as children, Alles said, the mumps vaccine loses its effectiveness over time. A booster dose can help prevent infection or decrease the severity of symptoms for those who do get sick. In the early weeks of the outbreak, Temple officials focused on isolating infected individuals and getting booster shots to people in close contact with them. Between the schools health services and nearby pharmacies, Denys estimated, about 1,000 booster doses have already been delivered. But as the outbreak continued to grow about five additional cases are reported each day, Denys said school officials decided opening a vaccine clinic was necessary. The incubation period of mumps is relatively long, Alles said. Students can be contagious for 12 to 25 days. Many can spread it before they even know theyre sick." The clinic will offer two doses of the MMR vaccine to anyone who hasnt had it before, or a third booster dose for those who are already vaccinated with the usual two doses, but are now in close contact with an infected person. Standard recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are for children to get two doses of the MMR vaccine: the first at 12 to 15 months old and the second at 4 to 6 years old. The vaccine is 88 percent effective after two doses. But there is evidence that its power may fade after 10 years, shortly before students are ready for college. Although mumps cases in the United States have declined by 99 percent since the vaccine was introduced in 1967, theres been a resurgence in recent years driven by college students. In 2016, outbreaks at universities in Iowa and Illinois affected several hundred students. In 2017, Pennsylvania State University had an outbreak of more than 40 cases. Researchers at Harvard University have suggested requiring mumps booster shots might help protect students as they enter college. As of now, the CDC recommends a third dose only during an outbreak such as the one at Temple. Since the outbreak, Temple announced a new policy that will require all incoming freshmen to be up to date on the MMR vaccination series, as well as the chicken pox and tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough) vaccines. Previously, the university did not require immunizations for admitted or enrolled students. Although some students have petitioned Temple to temporarily close, the university is not considering it because health officials say closing wouldnt help control the outbreak. For anyone who is already experiencing symptoms, Alles said, the best plan of action is to stay home and rest. Limiting contact with others will help prevent the spread of the disease. A new study suggests that girls who share the womb with a twin brother may suffer some negative consequences, possibly from the burst of testosterone that makes its way into her amniotic sac. Read more Does the battle of the sexes begin in utero? A new study has found that women who have shared a womb with a twin brother are less likely to graduate from high school or college, may earn less money and will have lower marriage and fertility rates than twins who were both female. A possible culprit? Blame it on the male hormone testosterone manspreading its way into female twins amniotic sacks. The researchers, who hail from Northwestern University and the Norwegian School of Economics, looked at data on about 13,800 twins born in Norway from 1967 to 1978, and tracked their lives over three decades. Nobody has been able to study how male twins impact their twin sisters at such a large scale, said economist Krzysztof Karbownik, a study author and research associate at Northwesterns Institute for Policy Research. This is the first study to track people for more than 30 years, from birth through schooling and adulthood, to show that being exposed in utero to a male twin influences important outcomes in their twin sister. The findings published last week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) show that girls with a male twin are about 15 percent less likely to graduate from high school that a girl with a twin sister and almost 4 percent less likely to complete college. The women with male twins also had on average nearly nine percent lower earnings by their early 30s than female twins with sisters, about six percent lower fertility rates and 12 percent lower marriage rates. No long term negative impact on the male twins was found as a result of sharing space with a female twin. The rate of twin births in the U.S. has nearly doubled since 1980, a development attributed to women having babies later in life and increased reliance on in vitro fertilization. Karbownik said it is known from other studies that once a male fetus testes start developing, there is a spike in testosterone in his amniotic sack, and some of it goes into his sisters. In addition, Karbownik said women pregnant with a male child have a higher level of testosterone in their blood than women carrying a girl, or female twins. What the initial study does not get into is how much of the later-life outcomes are due to the biological effect of the testosterone, versus how much is due to how the girl is socialized, Karbownik said. To get a better sense of the prenatal testosterones impact, the team repeated their study focusing on female twins whose twin siblings either a sister or a brother died shortly after birth. The results were the same as for the twins raised with their sibling. To the researchers, that was clear evidence that the long-term effects documented by the study were due to prenatal testosterone exposure, rather than postnatal socialization. Karbownik said he believes the issue of prenatal exposure as opposed to postnatal socialization merits further study. A next step, the author said, could be to look at whether the results are consistent across different cultures and time frames. The fact that we can distinguish between prenatal and post-natal exposure doesnt mean post-natal channels are not responsible for (some of) what we observed, Karbownik said. It just means that growing up with a brother is not responsible for this. Antonio Laredo and his wife, Mercedes Barrios Hernandez, at the time of their arrests in Chiapas, Mexico, in September. Read more A reputed Mexican drug kingpin accused of raking in millions of dollars while pumping tons of heroin into the United States has been extradited to face trial in Philadelphia. Antonio Laredo, 51, of Cuernavaca, Mexico, pleaded not guilty to more than 75 counts including conspiracy, drug distribution, and money laundering during a brief appearance in federal court Tuesday. His wife, Mercedes Barrios Hernandez, who was sent to the U.S. last week for prosecution, also denied the charges. The hearing came four years after the couple, several members of their family, and associates were indicted in a narcotics probe that involved federal agents and local law enforcement in two countries and several states. Handcuffed and sullen, Laredo said little during his hearing Tuesday a far cry from his demeanor during his first U.S. court appearance in Philadelphia last week, when he claimed that Mexican authorities had tortured him and kept him from communicating with his wife while they awaited extradition. Its been six months since Ive been detained, he told U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda K. Caracappa through an interpreter on Thursday. Ive been beaten. My wife was also detained, and I havent been able to contact her. Until last week, both had remained in custody in Mexico after their arrests in September in Pueblo Nuevo Solistahuacan, a town of 30,000 about five hours from Mexico border with Guatemala. The couple had moved there from their home about 13 hours away in Cuernavaca after receiving news of their indictment in the U.S., investigators said. If they were trying to hide, they ultimately failed to blend in. Mexican news accounts described the couple arriving in the poverty-stricken village in 2015 with a fleet of luxury cars. While there, the reports said, Laredo bought ranch land paying the full price in cash, and forged highly public relationships with local politicians. Laredos Center City lawyer, Frances Alperin Shapiro, declined to comment Tuesday on the case Laredo now faces in the U.S. one that comes with a mandatory life sentence if he is convicted. The smuggling network he and his family allegedly oversaw stands out amid Mexicos thriving narcotics trade. Investigators believe it operated largely independently of the massive drug cartels that dominate illicit business south of the border. According to court filings, Laredo and his brother Ismael sourced the opium gum they used from an independent broker and processed it themselves. They also turned to family members to oversee operations inside the U.S., including Laredos son-in-law Joseph Torres, who helmed the organizations Philadelphia operations. But to describe the business as a mom and pop outfit would mischaracterize its scope and size. Between 2008 and 2014, prosecutors say, the organization smuggled more than 30 kilograms of heroin a month to distributors in Philadelphia, Camden, Chicago, and New York much of it in secret compartments in custom-built car and motorboat batteries or in sealed fruit and vegetable cans. Couriers transported the drugs to stash houses across Philadelphia, and funneled millions in revenue back to Mexico through at least 60 dummy bank accounts. Their business was so lucrative that authorities estimated one Philadelphia distributor alone was sending up to $1.2 million a month between 2009 and 2011. And just like larger competitors, prosecutors allege, the organization protected its supply and network through assaults, kidnappings, and threats of murder and arson. In all, more than 27 associates of Laredos organization have been convicted either through trials or guilty pleas, including Torres, who was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016. Eliana Fabiyi plays Emily, the girl hero who replaces boy hero Jim Hawkins in the Arden Theatre's musical adaptation of 'Treasure Island.' Read more In 1883, Robert Louis Stevensons Treasure Island established a genre. Arden Theatres musical adaptation, opening next week, redefines it for ages 8 and up. Buccaneers and buried gold stay central to the swashbuckling, high-seas, young-adult tale. But the Old City theaters adaptation by British playwright Toby Hulse recasts 19th-century boy hero Jim Hawkins as Emily, a modern girl with an active imagination, a penchant for adventure, and an uncommonly reflective nature. The adaptation also replaces main pirate Long John Silver with one Mary Ann Evans (played by longtime fan favorite Mary Tuomanen). South Philadelphia resident Eliana Fabiyi plays Emily. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Baltimore, Fabiyi studied acting in college in Cleveland, came to the Arden for an apprenticeship, and stayed. At 26, shes got a few years on her fictional counterpart. Still, she relates to Emilys adventurous drive and free spirit. You didnt start out at the Arden as an actor. How did you end up there? I studied acting and anthropology in college. When I graduated, I went out into the world seeking a stepping-stone. I landed at the Arden in a 10-month program for theater administration and marketing. It was like a mini-graduate school year, a paid position, full-time, to learn how a nonprofit theater is run. If youre going to be in this world, you ought to be able to wear a million hats. But I always knew I wanted to get back into acting. How did you? After the apprenticeship, I just kind of threw myself into anything I could do artistically. I stayed friendly with contacts I made at the Arden. I performed with a group called Orbiter 3, which is no longer in existence, because they were like a born-to-die-in-four-years model. I work with a company called Ninth Planet that does a lot of experimental work. The last show I did with them was theater for babies really, really young. It was called Homeworld. It was an interactive performance in this beautiful white tent where everything was soft and at their level. Its going to come back next year. We might go on tour. How did you start performing at the Arden? The first show I did was A Midsummer Nights Dream. Someone else they had cast had to drop out. They needed someone to play a musical instrument. I play violin. I was called in, did the audition, and booked the part. With the exception of The Bluest Eye, all the shows Ive done at the Arden have also incorporated my violin. Treasure Island is my fourth Arden show. How does the violin fit into Treasure Island? It starts out with Emily practicing violin. Its one of those Cat in the Hat days: She would rather be anywhere else, because practicing is so hard. In that moment, her imagination is allowed to open up, and all these pirate characters spring from that. Theres this dual story happening. Theres her pirate character that she makes up, and the cast all play characters from the book. Whats Emilys age? Shes about 10. Thats when things are still exciting, and youre dreaming, having all these cool adventure fantasies, but, at the same time, youre coming into that time when youre starting to be embarrassed about those same dreams. Does Emilys gender play a role? The cool thing is, it does and it doesnt. I love that the play is blurring gender lines and norms, but its still a classic adventure. Its more subtle messaging. All kids can really enjoy seeing themselves as pirates. I would die happy if a bunch of little girls saw themselves up there, if they were really kind of blown away by seeing themselves in a role that they hadnt always imagined. In my mind, feminism is just equality anyway. What are your favorite parts of Treasure Island? Im not really a musical theater actress, but there are some really beautiful, big, musical moments. There is the also iconic scene in the book, in the end, where Jim Hawkins kills a pirate. In the book, its the N.C. Wyeth picture of the pirate climbing up the mast towards Jim with the knife in his mouth. But in the play, theres a real reckoning with the violence of that act. Emily thinks, Wow I just chose to kill this pirate: What does it say about me? The choice doesnt sit with her. Theres this interesting throughline about violence and whats OK in games or in pretend and when does it start to become reality? Does the play have a moral? Emily has a monologue at the beginning and another at the end about how she really wants to be a pirate. Thats her dearest wish. Whenever she tells that to an adult, they say, You cant be a pirate. Thats not possible. At the end of the play, she realizes she can still be a pirate, or have a pirate spirit, no matter what she does. She can be wild and free and unbridled and a little bit mischievous, while being, say, a businessperson or whatever else she grows up to be. You dont have to choose. My favorite takeaway is, you don't have to grow up in every aspect. You can reconnect with that crazy, wild self and just do it, and just do what you're doing. Thats the spirit of Emily and the spirit of the story. THEATER Treasure Island Willie Singletary, Democratic candidate for Philadelphia City Council At-large, speaks at a forum hosted by the Alliance for a Just Philadelphia at Congregation Rodeph Shalom Sunday. Moderator Lorraine Haw holds the microphone. Read more Former Philadelphia Traffic Court Judge Willie Singletary cant run for a City Council seat due to his felony conviction for lying to FBI agents in a corruption probe, a judge ruled Tuesday. And former Lt. Gov. Mike Stack III, who on Tuesday successfully defended a challenge to his nomination petitions, said he was dropping his bid for one of City Councils at-large seats because of a bad draw for ballot position that ranked him 16th out of more than 30 Democratic primary candidates. Singletary, representing himself, had argued in Common Pleas Court on Friday that a Pennsylvania Constitution ban on certain felons serving in office does not apply to local offices like City Council. He also suggested a presidential pardon could clear his record before he took office if he won election. Judge Stella Tsai was not swayed. In a 12-page order, she said Article 2, Section 7 of the state constitution made Singletary ineligible for the May 21 Democratic primary ballot. That section says people convicted of embezzlement of public moneys, bribery, perjury or other infamous crimes cannot hold any office of trust or profit in the state. Singletary, who spent 20 months in federal prison and is still appealing his 2014 sentence, said he was not giving up on running for office. Im going to file an appeal, he said in a brief phone interview Tuesday. Thats all I can say at the moment. The legal blow came a week after Singletary experienced a stroke of political luck. He pulled the fourth position on the primary ballot, considered prime political real estate in a Council at-large field of more than 30 candidates. Stack was not so lucky, pulling the relatively high number of 16 from the Horn & Hardart can the city uses for the ballot-position drawing. The most disappointing aspect of this effort is that the fate of my candidacy was largely at the mercy of a coffee can, an archaic and dysfunctional system for determining ballot position that is not fair to anyone and needs to be reformed, Stack said. He said he would work with city Democratic Chairman Bob Brady to help build party unity for this election and the elections in 2020 when we have an opportunity to defeat Donald Trump, take back the United States Senate and win majorities in both houses of the Pennsylvania legislature. Stack, scion of one of Philadelphias political dynasties, lost the 2018 primary for reelection as lieutenant governor. Gov. Tom Wolf wanted him off the ticket after a scandal in which Stack and his wife were accused of mistreating their state police security detail and employees who worked at the lieutenant governors residence. In another case, Democrat Tonya Bah lost her bid to remain on the ballot in Councils 8th District. Attorney Kevin Greenberg had challenged her candidacy since Bah had not properly filed a statement of financial interest. Bah, in a statement from her campaign, expressed outrage and said she was carefully evaluating the courts ruling and exploring all options. She had been challenging Councilwoman Cindy Bass, a Democrat who now faces no primary or general election challengers. Whatever comes from the secret Mueller report, which did not I repeat, did not fully exonerate President Donald Trump, this much I know for sure: It wont do a damn thing for the rot that has set into our country, the kind where a president can declare war on a free press while weaponizing lies and provoking hate, and can declare a made-up national emergency over immigrants seeking refuge instead of tackling head-on this countrys true national emergency. You all know what it is without me having to say it: the epidemic of gun violence and its aftermath that has been breaking hearts while the president and his supporters take their victory laps. Last week, a year after the Parkland, Fla., school massacre, two students took their own lives. On Monday, the father of a 6-year-old girl shot to death in her Newtown, Conn., school was found dead, another apparent suicide. In Philadelphia, more than 70 people have been shot and killed so far this year. Thoughts and prayers, at least? Nah. The president of the United States was too busy tweeting about his Complete and Total EXONERATION. This is one of those post-Trump weeks when as a columnist Im torn between jumping into the national fray, which is so deftly handled by the likes of Margaret Sullivan and Will Bunch, and using my platform as a metro columnist to amplify the local stories and voices of the very people Trump and his administration aim to erase. Immigrants. LGBTQ people. Women. People of color. Specifically, women of color, who seem to really irk the administration and its supporters when they not only dare claim their space but use it to call BS. Take Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a favorite target of Republicans. Last week, Foxs Laura Ingraham and her guest Joe DiGenova, desperate to find new ways to mock a politician who terrifies them, tried to make fun of Ocasio-Cortez for how she pronounces her name. DiGenova, who was once in the running to be Trumps lawyer: She does the Latina thing , he said, which is apparently what were calling having the audacity to pronounce our own names correctly. In her usual way, AOC wasted no time swatting away the nonsense and getting back to work. Thats what women of color have to do, on the regular. If by the Latina thing, she means I actually do the work instead of just talk about it, then yeah, Im doing the Latina thing,' she tweeted. In the realm of all awful things said in these hate-fueled times, it wasnt the worst thing said about her or any of the people the president and his supporters routinely dismiss and discriminate against. When they go as low as you think they can, they find a new low. Except that for me, for some obvious and not so obvious reasons, this one cut extra deep. The morning after the racist mocking, I was giving an on-camera interview where I needed to identify myself, and I found myself tripping over my own name. Again. Saying my name is always tricky, and not just because my name has proven hard for others to pronounce. I struggled to embrace the ethnicity that made my family targets of discrimination and bigotry, and that we sometimes hid. Ive written about it. It wasnt pretty, or easy. It still isnt. Do I say Yoo-bin-iss the way Anglos are likely to pronounce the name Ubinas? Or do I say Ooh-veen-yass, the way the name is actually pronounced, tilde and all? The latter is correct. I fought long and hard for that tilde, causing a minor uproar at my old newspaper when in 2003 I demanded to use it after years of being told they didnt have the technical capability to use accents. They figured it out. For me, its not just about calling people by their actual names; I still find myself using both pronunciations interchangeably. Thats my choice. Its about seeking out those who might be marginalized or erased because of their last name or the color of their skin or whom they happen to love or pray to, and telling them that you see them. And using whatever platform you have to make sure others see them, too. So, for now, Ill leave the Mueller report tea-leaf reading to others while I plan for my next pop-up newsroom at a program that gives clothes to people in need across the city, and while I hang out with a man, a Puerto Rican man, who cleans up his North Philadelphia neighborhood parks on his own time, and while I talk to a local Mexican photographer about the people she documented at the Mexican border last year, while Im over here, you know, doing my Latina thing. Philadelphia School Superintendent William Hite and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, right, climb the stairs into Pennell Elementary. Hite released his Action Plan 3.0 update Tuesday, claiming slow, steady progress. Read more How many Philadelphia 8-year-olds read at grade level? How many city students graduate from high school prepared for college and careers? Are the districts finances in good shape? Are all school jobs filled with talented employees? Philadelphia School Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. measures the accomplishments of his administration by these yardsticks, the four anchor goals of his Action Plan 3.0. In an update released Tuesday, he highlighted the slow, steady progress the district has made since he arrived in 2012. The progress that we are seeing in schools across the city is not a coincidence; its because of intentional planning around how we can best support our diverse school communities, Hite said. Hites goals were lofty, and some are difficult to quantify. Here are the goals and the 2019 measure for each: 100 percent of students will graduate, ready for college and career. Score: 69 percent. (This measures the districts four-year graduation rate. Whether those graduates are ready for college and career is a more subjective measure, difficult to quantify.) This is up 4 percentage points since Hite became superintendent in 2012. 100 percent of 8-year-olds will read on or above grade level. Score: 36 percent. This is down nine points since Hite took over, but up three points since 2014-15, when the test changed considerably based on Pennsylvania Common Core Standards. Statewide, 64 percent of Pennsylvania third-graders read at or above grade level. 100 percent of positions filled by great principals, teachers, and employees. Score: 97 percent. (This reflects the districts overall employee fill rate for 2018-19, but does not take into account teacher turnover, which is an acknowledged issue, or address whether those employees are effective, which is difficult to quantify.) 100 percent of funding for great schools is secured with zero deficit. Score: 100, for five years straight. (The district has, after years of deficits and brutal budgets, been known for good financial stewardship under Hite and chief financial officer Uri Monson, but whether the school system has enough funding for great schools is debatable. Most education watchers believe the district is underfunded, and federal statistics have shown that Pennsylvania has the widest gap in the country between wealthy school districts and needy school districts such as Philadelphia.) Hite first introduced his plan in 2013, and has issued annual updates since then. The most recent update comes on the heels of the districts releasing progress reports for each of its 220 schools, plus most city charter schools. There are about 130,000 students enrolled in district schools. Seven out of 10 district schools have improved since the district first began issuing progress reports in 2014-15. The number of low-performing schools has dropped 50 percent, from 84 to 41, and the number of high-performing schools has more than doubled, from five to 12. World War II has just ended in The Aftermath when a British woman named Rachael (Keira Knightley) disembarks from a train in Hamburg, where her officer husband is in charge of the occupying Allied forces. On the stations platform, couples separated by war reunite in passionate embrace. Rachael eyes them furtively, and maybe a little enviously. When her own husband, Lewis, shows up, she gets a chaste peck on the cheek. Shes in the dreaded cheek-peck zone. Its a sign of trouble, as is the fact that her husband is played by Jason Clarke, who has become casting shorthand for At Some Point In This Movie, My Wife Is Going To Cheat On Me. (See also Serenity. Or better yet, dont). On the other hand, maybe Lewis is just tired. He bears the weighty, taxing responsibility of managing a fragile and unstable peace in a dangerous city. The defeated Germans are bitter, Hamburg is in ruins, and Hitler loyalists are organizing into terror groups and killing British soldiers. Counterintelligence officials deal ruthlessly with this insurgency, and also hunt down Nazis trying to blend in with the civilian population. The movie wants to take a reasonably sober look at this postwar context, as well it might its adapted from a novel by Rhidian Brook, who based on his story the experiences of his own grandfather in postwar Germany. The overpowering tone in Aftermath, though, is one of soap opera, and it takes over once Rachael arrives at her new home. Its a mansion confiscated from a wealthy German family, but Lewis has decided to set an example of reconciliation, and so allows the owners to remain including the strapping, handsome head of the household, Stefan (Alexander Skarsgard), who greets Rachael with the first of what will become many Significant Glances. Rachaels personal history of wartime grief and loss, for which she holds all Germans accountable, means that her initial response to Stefan is hostile. But her attitude changes when she learns of widowed Stefans own family tragedy, and she starts to feel that he understands her in a way that her distracted, emotionally distant husband does not. In no time, Rachael is peeking at Stefan through the lace curtains of an upstairs window as he manfully chops wood, pausing to wipe the dew from his glistening brow and to steal a glance at his attractive house guest. As Knightley and Skarsgard wrestle with this material and each other, the movie around them goes plot crazy Lewis counterspy subordinates (including Martin Compston) wonder if Stefan might be a Nazi, and local terrorists target Lewis for assassination. Aftermath, for a movie set in a demolished city, is also weirdly glamorous, awed by Stefans posh mansion and also by Rachaels amazing wardrobe. She has an impressive array of nightgowns, evening gowns, Burberry coats, and endless supply of turquoise and jade sweater sets. This raises a credibility issue, if we think back to that first scene at the railroad station, and remember that Rachael was traveling light. As one sharp-eyed woman at the preview screening noted: Theres no way she fit all of those clothes into one suitcase. The Aftermath. Directed by James Kent. With Keira Knightley, Jason Clarke, Martin Compston, and Alexander Skarsgard. Distributed by Fox Searchlight. Running time: 1 hour, 48 minutes Parents guide: R (nudity) Playing at: Ritz East A Philadelphia Police officer stands alongside a damaged Audi at Seventh Street and Packer Avenue, in Philadelphia, after fatal collision on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019. Read more Prosecutors upgraded charges Tuesday to include murder and homicide by DUI against a Delaware man who police said stabbed himself before driving into an SUV in the early morning of Jan. 2 in South Philadelphia, killing three people including two Mummers. Keith Campbell, 29, who used a walker to enter the Philadelphia courtroom, was there for a scheduled hearing on his mental-health status. But prosecutors Joanne Pescatore and Anthony Voci asked Judge James M. DeLeon to amend the charges against Campbell to include three counts of third-degree murder and homicide by vehicle while DUI. Campbell, of Bear, Del., had been charged with three counts of homicide by vehicle in the deaths of Dennis Palandro Jr., Joseph Ferry, and Kelly Wiseley. He also faces one count of aggravated assault and related charges. Voci said the murder charges were added due to the extreme recklessness involved in this crash and the DUI charge was added after a toxicology report indicated that Campbell was clearly impaired and under the influence. Voci said the toxicology report showed that Campbell was under the influence of marijuana, amphetamine, and midazolam. The report concluded that the combination of the drugs, and the various dosages, rendered him unfit to operate a motor vehicle safely on the highway. Psychiatrist Robert W. Stanton performed a mental-health evaluation on Campbell in early March and deemed him competent to stand trial. Hes got mental-health issues, Voci said, but hes competent. Police said that at 1:45 a.m. Jan. 2, Campbells speeding Audi crossed the median in the 600 block of Packer Avenue, near the stadium complex, and into oncoming traffic, crashing into the SUV. Authorities later confirmed that Campbell had been pursued by police in Delaware shortly before the crash. Ferry, 36, of South Philadelphia, was the driver of the SUV. Wiseley, 35, of Glenolden, and Palandro, 31, of Morton, were passengers. Ferry and Wiseley had recently been engaged. A fourth passenger, Palandros 30-year-old wife, Nicole, was critically injured but survived the crash. Ferry and Palandro were members of the South Philadelphia String Band, which came in second in its category at the Mummers Parade. Palandro was the son of Denny Palandro, the bands captain. Wiseley was the daughter of retired Folcroft Borough Police Sgt. William Wiseley. Campbells next court appearance is scheduled for May 21. This article has been updated to more accurately describe the effect of the collision on Nicole Palandro. Sara Packer (left), Grace Packer (middle) and Jacob Sullivan. Sullivan and Sara Packer have been charged in Grace Packer's gruesome death. Read more For two minutes, the amount of time it took Jacob Sullivan to kill Grace Packer, Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub stood in silence. He stared at a tearful Sullivan as photos of Grace, the 14-year-old girl Sullivan choked to death in 2016, flashed across a screen in a Doylestown courtroom. Weintraub then asked a jury to sentence Sullivan to death to disregard the defenses arguments that the 46-year-olds fate should be the same as that of Sara Packer, who also participated in the kidnapping, rape, murder, and dismemberment of her daughter, and will be sentenced to life in prison. If this was about universal fairness, Weintraub said, Grace would be here. Sullivans defense attorneys disagreed, arguing that Packer manipulated her boyfriend in the same way she had done to others throughout her life. To say Sara Packer and her sentence shouldnt be in your mind is ridiculous, public defender Jack Fagan said. She got life. He should be getting life. The impassioned closing arguments brought Sullivans seven-day sentencing hearing to an end, leaving his fate up to a Bucks County jury of six men and six women. Judge Diane E. Gibbons sent them to deliberate just before 4 p.m. Tuesday. They spent about three hours discussing the case before going home for the night. They are expected to resume deliberations at 9 a.m. Wednesday. For Sullivan to be sent to death row, the jurys decision must be unanimous. If even one juror doesnt believe a death sentence is appropriate, Gibbons will sentence Sullivan to life in prison without parole. The jury is not tasked with deciding Sullivans guilt or innocence. He pleaded guilty to the crimes last month, admitting how he and Packer tortured Grace during her final hours, killed her, then cut up and disposed of her remains. Packer, 44, struck a deal with prosecutors. She is set to plead guilty on Wednesday and be sentenced to life in prison. During his closing argument Tuesday, Weintraub argued that by Sullivans own admission, he dominated Packer, not the other way around. He asked jurors: Could anyone dominate them into committing these crimes? He personally and actually ended her life by strangling her, Weintraub said of Grace. He owns that, by himself. Jurors shouldnt give Sullivan credit for confessing either, the prosecutor said, because he didnt do it to accept responsibility. Its a power trip. Sometimes people get a thrill from reliving this rape-murder fantasy," Weintraub said. Sometimes people get a thrill from shocking others in letting them know what theyve done to another human being." Fagan, however, said Sullivan gave the prosecution its case by confessing. Would we be here if my client hadnt confessed?" Fagan asked the jury. He said Sullivan, a former draftsman, had no criminal record before the killings and has maintained good behavior in prison. Dressed in a black suit jacket, Sullivan sat stoically at the defense table, turning around to chat with relatives before the proceedings began. A calm and emotionless Packer took the stand last week, publicly detailing for the first time how she and Sullivan attacked Grace, originally with the intention of keeping her tied up in a Richland Township attic for years for Sullivan to rape at will. Sullivans public defenders, Fagan and Christina King, called Packer to testify in hopes of convincing the jury that she dominated Sullivan and manipulated him into committing the crimes. Without her influence, they argued, he never would have killed. But Packer testified that Sullivans twisted sexual fantasy led them to murder. She didnt have to die," Packer said. But she added, I never told him not to do it. She described watching Grace be savagely beaten, raped, and choked by her boyfriend. At one point, Grace looked to her mother, and Packer said she told the girl: I cant help you anymore. This is now your life. Packer worked for adoption and foster agencies until 2010, when her foster rights were terminated for failing to report an earlier sexual assault of Grace and another child by her then-husband, David Packer. But Sara Packer was able to keep custody of her adopted children, Grace and her biological brother. On the witness stand in a red prison jumpsuit, Packer said she groomed Sullivan to assault Grace the same way she had groomed her ex-husband. By summer 2016, Packer said she wanted Grace not to be a part of my life anymore." One July morning, after weeks of drugging Graces pudding to make her groggy, she said, she and Sullivan drove the sleeping teenager from a home they rented in Abington to another rental property near Quakertown. Inside, Sullivan punched Grace in the face and raped her, then he and Packer drugged her, bound her wrists and ankles with zip ties, shoved a pink ball gag in her mouth, and left her in a cedar closet in the homes swelteringly hot attic. When they returned early the next morning, they found Grace alive, having broken free of the zip ties and spit out the ball bag. Packer said Sullivan panicked" and choked the girl to death as Packer watched. They stored her body in cat litter inside a cardboard box until October, when Abington Township police arrived at the the home to investigate a missing person report Packer had filed and never followed up on. After officers left, Packer purchased a bow saw, and she and Sullivan cut up Graces remains in a second-floor bathroom. The next day, they drove 75 miles to Luzerne County, Pa. Packer said she directed Sullivan to a wooded spot where they dumped Graces remains, which were found by father-and-son hunters, Guy and Cody Blakeslee, on Halloween. As authorities focused in on the couple, they attempted suicide, but survived. In a hospital intensive-care unit, Sullivan confessed to hospital staff and later police. He and Packer were charged with the crimes in January 2017. If Packer were to be sentenced to death, hed join 142 other inmates on death row. Pennsylvania has not executed anyone since House of Horrors killer Gary Heidnik was killed in 1999. When Gov. Tom Wolf took office in 2015, he imposed a moratorium on the death penalty. Books in the new library at the Taggart school in South Philadelphia. Read more Just seven Philadelphia public schools now have functioning libraries with certified school librarians, down from 200 decades ago. So it was a big deal this month when the community celebrated the reopening of the library at Bache-Martin Elementary at a ceremony where politicians made speeches and TV cameras rolled. The price tag for the library and a part-time staffer was $90,000, paid through the hard work and fund-raising prowess of a nonprofit organized by parents to support the school in Fairmount, a diverse and relatively affluent section of the city. The act felt familiar, with people pitching in to pay for what the Philadelphia School District no longer could or did. But to many, the library laid bare a truth in city schools the divisions between the haves, often in whiter and wealthier neighborhoods, who can fund-raise for new playgrounds and support staff salaries, and the have-nots, in under-resourced schools mostly populated by kids of color, left to make do with whatever they can scrape together. Stephanie King, a parent at Kearny Elementary in Northern Liberties, heard the news of the Bache-Martin triumph and felt frustration, she said, in part because the district is putting the work of funding on the shoulders of parents because they cant or wont fix things themselves. (The district said it lets principals decide whether to prioritize libraries and librarians, but virtually no one has the money to pay for what is expected in most private and suburban schools.) Its absolutely not possible for a school thats got a 99 percent poverty rate to raise $90,000 for a library, or for anything, said King, president of Kearny Friends and a member of the Home and School Association for Kearny, whose student poverty rate is approaching that figure. The only way would be if we won an outside grant, or if an outside group more or less gifted it to us, like a fairy godmother. Shereda Cromwell, a parent at Kenderton Elementary in North Philadelphia, said her school is like a lot of others. Kudos to parents who can get together and advocate and raise money, but I know a lot of schools that cant even worry about fund-raising for big things, like a library," said Cromwell, who is struggling to start a parents' group at her school, where 94 percent of students live in poverty. Theyre trying to make sure that every child that comes to school has a winter coat and socks on. Thats what our school is looking at, thats where our resources have to go. The contrasts are stark. At Chester Arthur, in South Philadelphia, the community raised $1.7 million in grants and donations over five years to build a new playground and outdoor classroom; the Home and School Association at Greenfield, in Center City, has a $125,000 annual fund to spend on after-school programs, technology, and enrichment. The Friends of Bache-Martin made their library happen with crowdfunding, grants, and two years of elbow grease; their funds paid for technology, supplies, and the salary of a part-time retired teacher to staff it for at least two years. Jerilyn Dressler, the Friends of Bache president, said she hoped their communitys efforts serve as a model. But her group members know they have advantages that others dont. This shouldnt be something that takes thousands of dollars or thousands of volunteer hours, Dressler said before the librarys opening. Everyone should have the resources to do this. Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. stressed that he loved the Bache-Martin communitys coming together to rally for literacy in the form of a reopened school library, a wish-list item of school staff, but that other schools have identified upgraded technology or a new play space as their top priorities. Still, Hite acknowledged, there is an equity issue among the districts 220 schools. Everyone doesnt have a `friends of' group that can raise the types of moneys that theyve raised here, the superintendent said at the Bache-Martin library opening this month, or the type of money that was raised at Chester Arthur to do a new playground, or the types of moneys to donate instruments that some of our schools have. Hite said the district has addressed the equity issue with initiatives like a $20 million citywide classroom modernization project and turnaround programs worth millions more that give the citys most struggling schools more resources, support, and scrutiny. But those have limited scope; the modernization project revamped 250 of the citys thousands of classrooms. The turnaround efforts also target a limited number of schools, and the money that comes with them must generally be spent on district-identified priorities. The fund-raising equity issue came up this month at a school board committee meeting where officials detailed the schools' budget process. Let me get this straight, board members asked: Even though schools might start on a level playing field, those in better-resourced communities often end up with more? Essentially, thats how it works, said chief financial officer Uri Monson. If you have that kind of community, and if your school is lucky enough to have Kevin Hart as an alum, these are not funds that we can redistribute or choose who gets what, Monson said at the meeting. (Hart, a George Washington High graduate, has donated hundreds of thousands to purchase computers for district schools and also given money to put charter-school students through college.) Taggart Elementary School in South Philadelphia has a library thanks mostly to the work of its staff. Teacher David Hensel devised a system to allow students to check books out of the library, which closed years ago, when budget cuts decimated most school libraries. Each class got its own binder, and each student had a page in the class binder with space for recording the books they had checked out. Hensel, who is now the Taggart dean, devised a schedule for teachers to take their classes to the library, and he used prep periods and lunches to reshelve books. A local business, the Nelson Group, paid to renovate the Taggart library, which still operates using Hensels system. The schools reading specialist now uses the library as her home base, and though a librarian would be a dream, Hensel said, thats not happening absent district help. With a student body made up of largely poor and immigrant children, large-scale parent and community fund-raising is not something thats possible here, he said. And even if it was, I wouldnt want it. Funding things the district should, that just digs a deeper hole not just for yourself, but for everybody. Cromwell, the Kenderton parent, said that a library is a wish to a school like ours" and that she doesnt begrudge the better-off schools their bells and whistles, but it stings. I signed my kids up for the same things those parents signed their kids up for: a free public education, Cromwell said. Its sad how different it is for kids in different neighborhoods. How do you fix the chasm? Funding, officials said. At the library opening, State Rep. Donna Bullock (D., Phila.) looked around the room and alluded to the divide between what Bache-Martin could provide for its students and what others lack. What this day also reminds us is the importance of funding public education we dont fund it fairly," Bullock said. It is my responsibility to go back to the state and to make sure that we have libraries like this in each and every one of our schools. Philadelphia Media Network is one of 21 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the citys push towards economic justice. See all of our reporting at https://brokeinphilly.org. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., walks to a Democratic Caucus meeting at the Capitol Tuesday, hours before she and leading House Democrats unveiled legislation to shore up the Affordable Care Act. Read more WASHINGTON Democrats on Tuesday hoped to turn away from the special-counsel investigation into Russian election interference and back to the kitchen-table issues that powered their 2018 victories. President Donald Trump offered a helping hand. Changing course, his administration this week joined a legal push to strike down the Affordable Care Act, the health-care law commonly called Obamacare that has proved politically resilient. The shift in strategy refocused attention on one of the defining policy differences of the last decade, and gave Democrats including those running for president an opening to move to more comfortable political terrain, as Trump and his allies continued to bludgeon their critics over Robert Muellers finding that the president did not conspire with Russia during his 2016 campaign. Even before the Department of Justice intervention, in which it joined with a number of Republican state attorneys general to oppose the law, House Democrats had scheduled a Tuesday news conference to highlight new proposals to expand the health laws protections for people with preexisting health conditions, and reverse some of Trumps steps to undercut the law. They aimed to return to one of the most popular issues the party emphasized as it swept to a House majority last year, and one that is now likely to become a major piece of the 2020 presidential race. When Democrats ran on a platform of increasing access to quality health coverage, protecting against discrimination in access to coverage and care, Americans responded, said Rep. Steny Hoyer (D., Md.), the second-ranking Democrat in the House. The topic came back to the forefront as many Democratic strategists and candidates have stressed that they need to turn their attention toward everyday issues as opposed to attacking Trumps actions. Health care is a basic human right, and we fight for basic human rights, tweeted one candidate, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.). Another, Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.), tweeted, Trump and his administration are trying to take health care away from 10s of millions of Americans again ... we need to elect a president who will make health care a right. Beyond the national race, the shift in attention could also be welcomed by freshman Democrats who won in tough swing districts last year, and whose agenda has been overshadowed by the partial government shutdown around the holidays, the Mueller probe, and the partys internal struggles over Israel and other issues. U.S. Reps. Susan Wild, of the Allentown area, and Andy Kim, of Burlington County, who both flipped Republican seats in moderate areas, were among the freshmen who spoke at Tuesdays event alongside Speaker Nancy Pelosi. As a representative of a district with as many Republicans and independents as Democrats, I can tell you this: It is not a partisan issue," Wild said. "When my constituents gather around their kitchen tables, they arent talking about party or ideology. They are talking about how theyre going to afford their premiums this month. Kim and Wild, like most Democrats who won swing districts, campaigned heavily on issues such as health care, gun laws, and government ethics while trying to avoid talk of impeachment or other hot buttons centered on Trump that animate some party activists. Their proposals for modest improvements in the existing health law also drew a contrast with more liberal colleagues who have called for sweeping overhauls of the entire health system. Theres a general consensus that health care played a big part in Democrats retaking the House," said Larry Levitt, vice president of the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, which tracks health policy. The Trump administrations legal maneuver here puts this issue front and center once again as the 2020 campaign ramps up. The Affordable Care Act has helped millions of people obtain insurance, including those who previously faced roadblocks because of existing illnesses, and allowed young people to stay on their parents insurance plans up to the age of 26, helping the law rise in popularity even as Republicans blame it for growing costs. More than 1.3 million people in Pennsylvania and New Jersey have obtained health coverage under the laws Medicaid expansion. Exit polls from last years midterm elections found that 41 percent of voters ranked health care as their top priority, and 75 percent of those favored Democrats. Repealing the law remains a major goal for most Republicans, who largely still disapprove of it, but that has remained out of reach for years. The Republican Party will soon be known as the party of health care you watch, Trump told reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. He didnt elaborate, keeping with his longstanding but unspecified promises to replace Obamacare with something that covers more people for less cost. A GOP replacement plan that passed the House in 2017 would have weakened protections for preexisting conditions, however, while other measures Republicans pushed for years would have repealed those safeguards. In their Tuesday meeting, Republican senators said Trump talked up a health-care overhaul, saying details would follow. Republicans claimed in last years campaigns that they support protections for people with preexisting conditions. Democrats said that the administrations latest move undercut those pledges. The intentions of the Trump administration were unmasked, said Rep. Richard Neal (D., Mass.). The administration shift centered on a lawsuit in Texas brought by the Republican attorneys general. They are seeking to eliminate the Affordable Care Act, and won an initial round in a Texas federal district court, where a judge struck down the law. Previously, the administration supported the lawsuit in part, arguing that the preexisting condition protections should be thrown out while the rest of the law should stand. But, with the case pending before the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the Department of Justice revealed a new stance this week, agreeing that the entire law should be invalidated. The Department of Justice has determined that the district courts comprehensive opinion came to the correct conclusion and will support it on appeal, said department spokesperson Kerri Kupec. Democratic attorneys general and House Democrats are defending the law in court. If the administration wins, it could send shock waves through the health-care system, affecting how people get coverage, what insurance companies must offer, payments to doctors and hospitals, and even calorie counts displayed at restaurants, Levitt said. Its sort of almost impossible to imagine throwing out an entire law that is so entwined with our health-care system at this point, he said. Carmen Pagan walked out of VisionQuest, the youth-services agency that plans to hold immigrant children in Philadelphia, after a supervisor told her colleagues not to speak Spanish. Read more Toward the end of a rigorous day of training for new VisionQuest employees in North Philadelphia, Carmen Pagan recalled, the board chairman of the youth services agency, Bob Burton, interrupted a conversation between two of her Latino co-workers. Stop speaking Spanish, he told them. Pagan, hired as a bilingual case manager, said Burton had made similar comments all week. This time, she walked out. I felt like I was at Genos Please speak English, Pagan said, referencing the South Philadelphia cheesesteak stores infamous This is America counter sign. The incident occurred last month as Pagan and other new hires prepared for the arrival of about 60 Spanish-speaking, undocumented immigrant boys, to be housed at the Logan Plaza property of the Arizona-based agency. The children, ages 12 to 17, are among thousands of unaccompanied minors who turned up alone at the southern border, fleeing violence and poverty in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. The for-profit company, under contract with the federal government, now seeks local zoning approvals to begin accepting children. Burton, who founded VisionQuest in 1973, did not respond to an email and phone message left for him at the agency. VisionQuest would not make Burton available to answer questions, and instead provided a statement from him. It was not my intention to dishonor or offend anyone, and I apologize for any confusion I may have caused, Burton said. My intention was simply to encourage a work environment that promotes open communication and understanding among everyone. VisionQuest operates in six states to provide housing and therapies to hundreds of juvenile offenders and other at-risk youth. A VisionQuest program at the same Philadelphia site closed in 2017 after state inspectors found that staffers had struck and choked children. At least three VisionQuest employees were fired between 2011 and 2017 after hitting or physically handling children, state records show. Some local government officials, union leaders, and activists harbor deep doubts about VisionQuests plans, and question why the sanctuary city of Philadelphia should allow the confinement of immigrant children within its borders. A spokesperson for Mayor Kenney earlier called VisionQuests proposal highly disturbing, and Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president Jerry Jordan declared that incarcerating children who have crossed the border seeking freedom and safety is morally bankrupt. In October, about 40 people staged an emotional protest outside the VisionQuest property, on Old York Road two blocks south of Einstein Medical Center. City Councilwoman Cherelle L. Parker, who represents the area, has set a community meeting for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Pagan, 41, is known as an outspoken single mother who has confronted drug dealers near her home in the Fairhill section. She grew up on the same streets, and landed in prison for drug offenses. Released in 2011, she has since earned a college degree and become a vocal activist against drugs and the gun violence that killed her brother in 2016. Pagan left her job at Forget Me Knot Youth Services, which offers housing, crisis intervention, and counseling, after seeing a VisionQuest advertisement. The pay was higher, and she thought that as a native Spanish speaker of Puerto Rican heritage, she could support and encourage immigrant youths. I wanted to do the work and help the kids, she said. Instead, she walked out after four days and, on March 3, filed a complaint with VisionQuest. In an email to the company, she said she was very insulted by the way my co-workers were addressed by Mr. Bob Burton. How do you hire bilingual case managers and youth attendants and then tell them that they cant speak Spanish amongst themselves? Two days later, on March 5, VisionQuest president Mark Contento replied, telling Pagan he had investigated and found Burtons comments were unauthorized and inappropriate. Bob did say those things, and he was wrong in doing so, Contento wrote in a follow-up email. As a result, he wrote to Pagan, VisionQuest would review its language policies with all administrative staff. The agency has no English only requirement, nor a ban against employees speaking Spanish in the workplace, he said. Agency leaders sometimes encourage the use of English for work discussions because not all staffers speak Spanish. The federal government expects the agency to try to teach English to the migrant youths, he said. Pagan answered, Bob Burton directly stated to numerous employees in my presence, Speak English! I already feel bad for the children. In his statement, Burton said, I made statements regarding speaking English in the workplace because, although most of our staff are bilingual, we have some employees who only speak English. He noted that the federal government expects the agency to teach English, and said he would adhere to VisionQuest policies that allow staffers to communicate in their native language, except in very limited circumstances based on business necessity. Burton, who is about 77, founded VisionQuest in Arizona, incorporating what he says are Native American teachings he learned as a VISTA volunteer with the Crow Tribe of Indians in Montana. The VisionQuest name refers to a native rite of passage undertaken by some young men entering adulthood. Pagan said that in the last week of February, she and 40 to 50 co-workers began a two-week training program. They were expected to gather in what was called a medicine circle by 9 a.m. each day. Burton would move around the circle and touch each person with a feather, she said. Pagan said some colleagues were bilingual, others mainly spoke Spanish and Burton became displeased when they communicated in that language. Every conversation, Dont speak Spanish. You cant speak Spanish, Pagan recounted. She said nothing at first, Pagan said, not wanting to risk her job. Then, on what she recalls as Feb. 28, she and several colleagues were talking to one another near the end of the day. Some people were standing, others sitting. Burton, seeing her seated, approached and told her that she wasnt doing any work, Pagan said. She answered that shed been working all day, since before he arrived. He looks at my two coworkers who are speaking Spanish, she said, and said, Stop speaking Spanish. At that point, she left. I regret the way I just walked out, Pagan said. I should have handled it another way. I dont regret speaking up for my coworkers. Thats my native language. Whats going to happen when these children come in, they speak only Spanish? In the informal economy of prisons, where tobacco has long functioned as extralegal tender, traded to settle gambling debts, outsource laundry service, hire personal security, tip barbers, commission a portrait of a loved one or purchase a spare sandwich swiped from the mess hall, what will prisoners do when the DOC bans smoking come July 1? Read more Necessity is the mother of invention and in the Pennsylvania prison system, inmates are in need of a new informal currency. As of July 1, tobacco will be banned, but reporter Samantha Melamed knows what will take its place on the market. And no, you havent heard the last of Robert Muellers investigation into Russia and the U.S. 2016 election. In this case the end was merely the beginning of debate over the investigation and its outcomes. Reading this online? Sign up here to get this newsletter delivered to your inbox every morning. Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com) In the informal economy of prisons, tobacco has long functioned as extralegal tender. Inmates trade them for food, everyday necessities, and even laundry services or personal security. But tobacco products will be banned in Pennsylvania State Prisons as of July 1. So whats next? As the price of cigarettes has gone up and more prisons have banned smoking, new, hotter commodities are taking their place. The co-founder of Liberation Way, a Bucks County drug treatment company, and 10 others have been charged in a fraud scheme, state officials say. The Pennsylvania Attorney Generals office alleges Liberation Way was trapping patients suffering from drug and alcohol addiction in a cycle of ineffective treatments and relapse. All the while, the company made tens of millions of dollars off insurance reimbursements and kickbacks. If you thought the end of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election was, well, the end think again. Battles over its conclusions are just getting started. Democrats and Republicans alike have called for more hearings and investigations, signalling a partisan debate over unanswered questions as we head into the 2020 election. Leaders of both parties have called for the full report to be made public. What effect has it all had on voters? In a New Jersey town that flipped for President Trump in 2016, those who followed the investigation are still on his side. What you need to know today Join Inquirer columnist Jenice Armstrong for a conversation about the Starbucks protests one year later at the next Inquiring Minds Wednesday, April 2. Get your free tickets here. Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly Looks like it was a success, @filadelphie. Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and well pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out! Thats Interesting Opinions The Soviets used to call unwitting collaborators useful idiots. That may not equate with overt collusion but the term certainly fits Trumps behavior. Columnist Trudy Rubin on what she calls the truth about the Mueller report. Employer bias against applicants with criminal records drags us all down by boosting the unemployment rate writes Claudia De Palma, staff attorney at the Public Interest Law Center. Following the release of a summary of the Mueller report to Congress, responses from the political right, left, and center show the saga is far from over. What were reading A Daily Dose of | Fudge Swirl You cant call 1-900-ICE-CREAM, but if you plan ahead you can snag a coveted pint of this new Philly brands mix-in-filled ice cream before it sells out. (CNN) Canadian authorities have granted asylum to a Filipino woman and her daughter who housed Edward Snowden in Hong Kong after the former NSA contractor leaked classified documents on US surveillance programs around the world in 2013. The decision allows Philippines national Vanessa Rodel and her 7-year-old daughter Keana to leave Hong Kong after living in the city without proper legal status for years. "I'm truly happy," Rodel said. "I'm so excited. I can't sleep." Rodel and two Sri Lankan families put up Snowden shortly after he went public in 2013. At the time, Snowden's lawyer Robert Tibbo worried that his client could face possible rendition back to the US, where he was branded a traitor. So Tibbo advised Snowden to hide with Hong Kong refugees because he thought it would be the last place anyone would look. "This has been a seven year battle," said Tibbo, who also represents the refugees who hid Snowden. After Snowden left the city and was granted asylum in Russia, Rodel and the other refugees who hid him moved forward with their Hong Kong refugee status applications. Their cases were rejected in 2017. As of now, only Rodel and her daughter Keana have been granted asylum in Canada. Lawyers working on behalf of the other refugees who hid Snowden said the Canadian government is still considering their cases. Rodel told CNN the process has been long, arduous and depressing. She said she came to Hong Kong because she was a victim of human trafficking in her home country of the Philippines, and is too afraid to go home. However, as a refugee without legal status, she also does not feel safe in Hong Kong. "There's nothing here," Rodel said. "It's a living hell in Hong Kong. We've had a miserable life in Hong Kong." Rodel said in Canada, she hopes she and her daughter can learn French, buy a home and perhaps even enroll in university. Keana doesn't remember much of Snowden, except that he has short hair. She said she's excited for her new life in Canada, and is looking forward to seeing snow for the first time and Siberian huskies. Rodel and two Sri Lankan families who hid Snowden came forward in 2016, around the time Oliver Stone's film "Snowden" was released. The three families they always faced long odds on being granted legal status in Hong Kong. The city is not a signatory to the United Nations Refugees Convention, and historically has only allowed a very small number of refugees to settle in. There are about 10,000 people living in Hong Kong who are seeking refugee status, according to the NGO Justice Centre Hong Kong. Those who are not recognized have trouble accessing basic services like healthcare or police protection. Children born here to refugees, like Rodel's daughter Keana, are effectively stateless. Keana does not have a passport. The Hong Kong government said in a statement to CNN in 2017 that it rejected the three families' asylum claims because it believed there were no "substantial grounds for believing that the claimants, if returned to their country of origin, will be subject to real and substantial risk of danger." This story was first posted on CNN.com, "Woman who housed Snowden in Hong Kong granted refugee status in Canada" Lynnette Hammond McNeal, 87, of Rosemont, a noted psychiatrist who treated adolescent patients, died Thursday, March 21, of a pulmonary embolism at Bryn Mawr Hospital. Dr. McNeal was one of 11 children born to Horace and Albertha Hammond. The family lived in the Elmwood section of Southwest Philadelphia. She graduated from John Bartram High School in 1949. In December of that year, she enlisted in the Army at a time when the armed forces were working to comply with President Harry S. Trumans 1948 executive order abolishing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion or national origin. She began her military service in one of the last remaining all-black Womens Army Corps units, her family said. By the time she was honorably discharged in 1953 with the rank of corporal, the vestiges of segregation had lessened but were not eradicated, she told her family. During the Korean War, she spent two years in Japan as a laboratory technician in an Army hospital. She was awarded a Korean Service Medal and a U.N. Service Medal. After returning home from her military service, Dr. McNeal earned a bachelors degree in chemistry in 1957 from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, now the University of the Sciences. In 1961, she received a medical degree from Womans Medical College of Pennsylvania, now Drexel University College of Medicine. She earned board certification from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with a specialty in psychiatry in 1973. She had a love of chemistry, and received numerous awards for her work in that field of study, which led to a long career in medicine and psychiatry, her family said. Her practice focused on adolescent patients, although she did treat other age groups. She interned at Germantown Hospital and afterward completed a psychiatric residency at Norristown State Hospital, where she served as the director of the adolescent unit. Later in her career, she was involved with clinical drug trials at Merck, Sharp & Dohme Corp., now Merck & Co. Toward the end of her career, she practiced psychiatry part-time at Haverford State Hospital before retiring in the 1990s. She married George Edward McNeal Jr., a pathologist, in 1960. They raised four children in Rosemont. Dr. McNeal was a lifelong student of the arts as well as French, Italian, German, Spanish, guitar, violin, and piano. Her idea was to keep her mind active, and she did that, said daughter Jacqueline. Dr. McNeal supported local theater and the Philadelphia Orchestra. She enjoyed taking long walks in Ashbridge Park and on the Rosemont College campus. She was fond of growing flowering plants. She and her husband traveled to Egypt, China, India, Alaska, Hawaii, Europe, and the Caribbean. In addition to her husband and daughter, Dr. McNeal is survived by daughters Frances, Nancy, and Marilyn; two grandchildren; two brothers; and many nieces and nephews. Plans for services were pending. Memorial donations may be made to the Mary Louise Curtis Branch of the Settlement Music School, 416 Queen St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147. Rodney S. Sadler Sr., 69, of Camden, a mariner, harbormaster, and community activist, died Wednesday, March 20, of heart failure at Samaritan Hospice in Marlton. Camden County lost a great public servant and community leader with the passing of Rodney Sadler, Camden County Freeholder Jeff Nash said in a statement. Starting in 1992, Mr. Sadler served the county as the harbormaster of Wiggins Park Marina. But he was best known for his leadership role with Save Our Waterfront, a citizens organization working to change Camdens rundown waterfront on the Delaware River into an enticing destination for recreation and economic growth. Mr. Sadler rose to prominence as an advocate for razing the Riverfront State Prison, a correctional facility with 800 inmates in a Camden neighborhood teeming with drug use and violence. The state wanted to consolidate its operations because the inmate census was decreasing. The plan recommended transfer of the inmates to other state prisons. As president of the group, Mr. Sadler argued forcefully at public meetings for demolition. Local officials and prison guards opposed the move because they feared overcrowding of local jails and existing state prisons. Riverfront State Prison has held Camden down since the day it opened on the waterfront, Mr. Sadler told the Newark Star-Ledger in March 2009. The citizens prevailed. When the prison was demolished that same year, Mr. Sadler was thrilled, said his wife, Anna. In its place is a four-acre park along the water. Little people dont usually win, but it was a great win, she quoted him as saying. The neighborhood has stabilized, but the economic development that county officials had hoped would occur on the remaining three acres has been slow to materialize, causing some residents to leave Camden. Mr. Sadler stayed. He had roots here. This was home to him, his wife said. Nash said Mr. Sadler contributed by volunteering for the Economic Recovery Board, Camden City Planning Board, North Camden Neighborhood Development Corp., and Camden Greenways Working Group. Rodney was as quick to lend a hand as he was to flash a smile, and his confident and easygoing style will be missed by all the organizations that benefited from his input, Nash said. Born in West Philadelphia, Mr. Sadler graduated from Overbrook High School and Antioch College with a bachelors degree in science. Mr. Sadler and his wife met while working for civil rights and against gang violence in West Philadelphia in the late 1960s. Weve got to get out on the streets, she said he told her, and we did. He taught high school for four years in Philadelphia. In 1976, he moved to Camden after he was offered a teaching job at an alternative education program there. Since the job required residency, the Sadlers moved to a seven-acre property on the Delaware. His wife said the couple were caretakers for the owner, who lived in a large house on the tract of land, while the couple raised three children in a small house. Two more children would come later. When the man died in 1980, the owners daughter asked Mr. Sadler what he wanted to do with the property. I want to build a marina, he told her. And he did, Anna Sadler said. From 1980 to 2000, Mr. Sadler ran a marina business, but when it began to falter, he became harbormaster of the county-run Wiggins Park Marina. Mr. Sadler held the job for 25 years before stepping down last year. He loved being on the water, his wife said. She described Mr. Sadler as outgoing and fun. He was a party guy when he was younger, and he threw an enormous Christmas party every year. He loved reggae and Jamaica, his wife said. In addition to his wife, he is survived by children Rodney Jr., Eshu Ryan, Laura, Caroline, and Quinn Sadler; 11 grandchildren; a great-grandchild; and three brothers. A viewing from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 29, at the Falco/Caruso & Leonard Pennsauken Funeral Home, 6600 N. Browning Rd., will be followed by a Requiem Eucharist at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 30,, at the Episcopal Church of St. Paul, 422 Market St., Camden. Interment will be private. Memorial donations may be made to Samaritan Hospice, 5 Eves Dr., Suite 300, Marlton, N.J. 08053, or the Center for Aquatic Sciences at Adventure Aquarium, 1 Riverside Dr., Camden, N.J. 08103. Beth Underwood holds her baby, Gertrude, in the Queen Memorial Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, in Queen Village, Philadelphia PA, Sunday, March 5, 2019. For the third straight year, President Trump has proposed to virtually eliminate federal funding for libraries. Read more President Donald Trumps proposed 2020 federal budget includes major cuts for library budgets, reducing funding from $242 million in 2019 to $23 million and seeking to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Libraries are a crucial part of our society, and the impulse to cut their funding shows a profound lack of understanding of the role they play in modern life. The budget cuts seem to take libraries to be a relic of the past rather than the pathway to the future. After all, millennials are the generation most likely to use libraries, according to Pew research. If we want students who become educated, employed members of our society, we should be increasing library funding, not cutting it. Libraries are community centers that the young and old rely on. Theyre a noncommercial space where the public can access news and research about both popular subjects and the more arcane. Libraries dont just lend books; some let users borrow everything from medical supplies to professional clothing for job interviews to musical instruments and works of art. Cutting back library services, resources, and/or hours, as this budget proposes, could threaten the vital services they provide. Libraries help in combating summer slide, where students lose some of the knowledge theyve learned over the school year. Programs like the Free Library of Philadelphias Summer Camp Challenge, which assists camps in adding 30 minutes of daily reading or literacy activities, tackle this problem. And some LGBTQ teens, who may face intolerance or violence at home and/or school, use libraries as refuges to acquire information and cultural affirmation. Other vulnerable populations who rely on library services would be impacted by this budget. According to a letter sent by the New Jersey Library Association to state congressional representatives, if the proposed federal budget is enacted, New Jersey State Librarys Talking Book and Braille Center, which assists those who face challenges with reading, would have to be eliminated. Libraries also help prepare people to take the U.S. citizenship test. Even the Department of Homeland Securitys website states, Libraries play a critical role in serving immigrant communities. How will they perform that service without funding? Or perhaps, given this administrations attitude toward immigrants, thats exactly the point. By slashing library funding, we are telling these groups, among many others, that their needs do not matter. While the budget proposal states it is unlikely the elimination of IMLS would result in the closure of a significant number of libraries and museums, even a single library closing, or reduced hours or programs, is a huge loss for that community. Local library advocates argue that the impact would be profound. Christi Buker, executive director of the Pennsylvania Library Association, said the states libraries are funded through federal, state, and local governments, as well as fund-raising, endowments, and donations. Buker told me that federal funding will be particularly important because the 2020 census will be online for the first time ever. Libraries will be vital in connecting individuals experiencing homelessness, immigrants, new citizens, and rural populations with the online [version of the] census, Buker said. Additionally, she noted, libraries provide internet access and public-access computers, which allow job seekers who dont have other ways to get online to apply for employment. Laverne Mann, director of the Cherry Hill Public Library, said her library also relies on federal funding via the New Jersey State Library. Many of our research databases, for students needing magazine or journal articles, are purchased with this funding. Without it, our 24/7 digital access would be severely restricted. Mann said that the cost of hardware as well as staffing could be passed on to local taxpayers if federal funds are cut. The proposed library cuts assume that our society has other ways of delivering these services but it doesnt. The cuts are so drastic that they signal a dire message: that we as a country are not willing to invest in a culture that values community, reading, learning, and research. Rachel Kramer Bussel is a freelance writer based in South Jersey. rachelkramerbussel.com Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and his wife Ann, depart St. John's Episcopal Church, across from the White House, in Washington March 24, 2019. The release of the special counsels findings in the Russia probe has swiftly reshaped the 2020 presidential campaign. Read more Ask yourself this simple question: When you heard the news that special counsel Robert Mueller concluded that President Trump had not engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Russia, were you relieved or disappointed? Be honest. If the answer is the latter, then its time for a little introspection. Every American should be thankful that, as Attorney General William Barr explained in his letter to Congress, the Special Counsel did not find that the Trump campaign, or anyone associated with it, conspired or coordinated with the Russian government despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign. It would have been devastating for our country if the president of the United States had engaged in a criminal conspiracy with a foreign power to undermine our democracy. Mueller's finding that he didn't should be cause for celebration by Trump supporters and opponents alike. You do not have to believe Trump is a good president to know that it is good that the president did not betray the country. But the sad truth is that many Democratic presidential wannabes were hoping Mueller would find evidence the president had conspired with Russia. Some were almost salivating in anticipation of the Mueller report. In February, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) crowed that by the time we get to 2020, Donald Trump may not even be president. In fact, he may not even be a free person. Last month, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.) tweeted, A campaign for President of the United States should never be in the business of scheming with foreign adversaries to tamper with our elections. And just this Saturday (one day after Mueller delivered his report exonerating Trump!), Beto ORourke assured us that you have a president who, in my opinion, beyond a shadow of a doubt, sought to, however ham-handedly, collude with the Russian government, a foreign power, to undermine and influence our elections. No, he didn't. As Barr notes, the special counsel "issued more than 2,800 subpoenas, executed nearly 500 search warrants, obtained more than 230 orders for communication records, issued almost 50 orders authorizing use of pen registers, made 13 requests to foreign governments for evidence, and interviewed approximately 500 witnesses." Mueller found no evidence of conspiracy or even coordination with Russia. Thank God. It is understandable that Trump believes the Mueller investigation should never have happened. But the probe may end up being the best thing that ever happened to him. If even career prosecutors in his own Justice Department had cleared Trump of conspiracy charges, Democrats would never have accepted their conclusions. But after embracing Mueller even launching a campaign to pass legislation protecting him from being fired by Trump Democrats now will look ridiculous if they refuse accept his determination that there was no Trump-Russia conspiracy. Moreover, keep in mind that Mueller was not simply investigating Trump; he was also investigating the Russian government. He exonerated Trump but not Vladimir Putin. Mueller indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies on charges of conspiracy and identity theft. There was a conspiracy to influence the 2016 elections. Trump just wasnt a part of it. With the collusion fallacy behind us, Republicans and Democrats should be working together to address that ongoing threat. As the U.S. intelligence community declared in a January 2017 report, We assess Moscow will apply lessons learned from its campaign aimed at the U.S. presidential election to future influence efforts in the United States. But instead of focusing on countering those efforts, Democrats seem to want to continue spending their time on Trump. On Sunday, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D., Calif.) stood by his claim that there is significant evidence of collusion and said he plans more hearings. Those who continue to push the false collusion narrative are the ones inadvertently assisting Russia. The intelligence community report noted that Russias objectives in 2016 included undermining public faith in the U.S. democratic process faith in the U.S. Government and fuel[ing] political protest. In this sense, it worked like a charm. Instead of helping Russia further divide us, we should be uniting to push back against Moscows continued efforts to interfere in our democratic process as the 2020 elections approach. For the past two years, the Mueller probe has hung like a cloud over Trumps presidency. Instead of the presumption of innocence, Democrats and many in the media presumed his guilt. Trump said more than 200 times that there was no collusion. He was mocked. But it turns out he was right the whole time. Marc Thiessen writes a twice-weekly column for the Washington Post on foreign and domestic policy. He is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush. @marcthiessen FILE- In this Nov. 16, 2018, file photo William Marx points out one of the districts that crossed four counties as an image of the old congressional districts of Pennsylvania are projected on a wall in the classroom where he teaches civics in Pittsburgh. In Pennsylvania, the Democratic-majority state Supreme Court redrew the congressional map for the 2018 elections after striking down the previous Republican-drawn version as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. Read more Last January, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down the states congressional map, ruling that it clearly, plainly and palpably violates the Constitution of the Commonwealth. After the Republican-controlled legislature and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf failed to agree on a map, the state court stepped in with a new map that, for the first time in decades, created fairer congressional districts. Under the former map, Republicans held 13 seats to Democrats six, despite President Trump only carrying Pennsylvania by a slim margin. Under the fair map, Republicans and Democrats now each hold nine seats. Several plaintiffs in the case are members of my organization, Common Cause Pennsylvania. Our job is to defend Pennsylvanians rights to ensure every voice is heard, every vote is counted, and every vote is protected. Taking this map to court to get a fair outcome shouldnt have been necessary. We need real solutions to guard against corrosive attacks from partisan actors who want to protect their incumbencies at the expense of everyday voters. The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the For the People Act (H.R. 1), a bold, comprehensive bill designed to create a democracy thats open to all Americans. Im thrilled that Pennsylvanias House Democrats all supported the bill. Sens. Bob Casey and Pat Toomey should join them and support the Senate companion bill, because our democracy works best when everyone can participate fully. READ MORE on Pennsylvania and gerrymandering Millions of voters around the country cast ballots in gerrymandered districts in 2018. And, while Pennsylvanians voted under a fair map, voters must be assured the map stays fair. The For the People Act requires all states to adopt independent redistricting commissions to draw congressional districts, ending partisan gerrymandering and make sure voters get to pick their representatives not the other way around. This provision is critical to ensure our map stays fair and to ensure other states maps are fair. The bill also includes important reforms missing in the Commonwealth necessary to make sure voters have unfettered access to the ballot box. The bill requires our election officials to create an automatic voter registration system to automatically register eligible citizens with data from government sources, including the Department of Motor Vehicles, eliminating the need to register by an arbitrary deadline, a system our neighbor New Jersey implemented last year. It also allows for same-day voter registration, ensuring that no one is turned away because they couldnt get registered before Election Day. The For the People Act also includes less championed reforms that are no less essential to protecting our democracy. The bill mandates that states use individual, voter-verified paper ballots, instead of paperless electronic voting machines. Without a paper record that voters can review and that election officials can use to check the totals, voters cant be sure their vote is accurately logged. READ MORE: Pennsylvania, Polarized: How a blue wave and red response deepened the states political divisions Pennsylvania was one of 13 states in 2018 that still used machines that dont have printed ballots or paper-based backups . And, our voting machines are rapidly aging, making them less secure and more likely to fail on Election Day. Last April, Gov. Wolf gave the Commonwealth a 2020 deadline to switch to machines that leave a paper trail. Common Cause has been working to make sure every county in the Commonwealth has adequate funding for purchasing new technology to make sure our voting systems are secure. The For the People Act would provide grants to state and local governments for election security-related activities, including new machines. These are just a few of the reforms the For the People Act includes to make sure every single voter has his or her voice heard. Our democracy suffers when we allow politicians to choose their voters. Passing these reforms allows us fix our broken political system and focus on some of the most pressing challenges we face as a society. READ MORE: Phillys new voting machines: A Q&A guide to the process, the controversy, and why it matters The For the People Act will help us build a 21st century democracy that works for everyone, ensuring that every eligible voter can cast a ballot free from barriers and intimidation, end the dominance of big money in politics, and make sure our politicians are working for the people, not big donors or special interests. I urge Pennsylvanians to call our senators and demand they support the For the People Act. Micah Sims is executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington, Monday, March 25, 2019. Trump said the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's full report "wouldn't bother me at all" as congressional Democrats demanded that the Justice Department hand it over quickly. Trump's remarks came as Democrats planned to huddle behind closed doors Monday evening to figure out how to move forward with their own investigations on obstruction of justice and Russian collusion.. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Read more So, President Donald Trumps holding a rally in Michigan on Thursday. The start of a Total Vindication Tour that just might come to Pennsylvania? Michigan makes sense. As does Pennsylvania. Both gave Trump narrow 2016 wins critical to his election. Both are key to his reelection odds. And total vindication whether you believe it or not, whether it holds or not is the message of the moment. Maybe even the 2020 cycle. To say Republican leaders here are pumped by results of special counsel Robert Muellers nearly two-year probe no collusion, insufficient evidence of obstruction of justice is to understate their elation. The response Im getting from the field is: Were feeling great, says state GOP Chairman Val DiGiorgio. It fires up the base, lights up fundraising, and plays into Trumps narrative that hes under constant attack by elements of a deep state out to protect the status quo. I hope" for a victory tour, DiGiorgio says, I want the president in Pennsylvania as much as possible. Id love to have him in the southwest, where theres a special state Senate election April 2. This is for the seat of former State Sen. Guy Reschenthaler, south and west of Pittsburgh. Reschenthaler, a Republican, was elected to Congress last November. The race features Republican D. Raja, a tech firm founder and Allegheny County GOP chairman, and Democrat Pam Iovino, who spent 23 years in the Navy prior to serving as assistant secretary of veterans affairs. There are three other special elections scheduled to coincide with the May 21 Municipal Primary Election. One is for an open seat in the 12th Congressional District, covering more than a dozen counties in central and north-central Pennsylvania. It was held by former GOP U.S. Rep. Tom Marino, who resigned in January for a job in the private sector. The candidates are Penn State assistant prof Marc Friedenberg, a Democrat who has run before, and State Rep. Fred Keller (R., Union). And there are two more special state Senate elections for seats in south-central and western Pennsylvania. DiGiorgio expects Muellers findings to be a big positive for Republicans now and in 2020. And he says if the Dem-controlled House presses to reinvestigate Trump on issues covered by Mueller, Democrats will pay for it at the polls. Democratic leaders, no surprise, dont see it that way. I cant believe they feel they need a victory lap because they were not found guilty of colluding with Russia, says Democratic state party chief Nancy Patton Mills. She concedes current optics are a plus for Trump, but she isnt buying a carryover effect in upcoming special elections or in 2020. And she points to significant Democratic gains in 2018 for Congress and both state legislative chambers (though both remain GOP-controlled). We ran our races one district at a time. Not against Trump, she says. Republicans try to nationalize races. We stress each district and the state. And for 2020, well still talk about what concerns Pennsylvanians. Thats going to make a difference. Other Democrats discount the Mueller effect due to the here-then-gone nature of todays politics. State Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa of Pittsburgh, for example, says thats why Muellers findings wont have a major impact on state voters. I just think the presidents actions and activities will continue to be as objectionable as they have been, says Costa, The way he treats folks, his recent treatment of [the late] John McCain. Those are things people remember. But Republican consultant Christopher Nicholas says one reason Mueller is immediate good news for Republicans is that special elections not held in conjunction with regularly scheduled elections, such as the April 2 contest, dont draw turnout. Mueller, in this case, might change that in favor of the GOP. There are, youll recall, other issues facing Trump. Investigations into his finances, his business, and that pesky stuff about hush money to two women to cover up alleged extramarital affairs. And, of course, the full contents of Muellers report remain unseen. Still, no denying Trumps in a good place. I hope it gets Republicans excited, says Nicholas, Question is, is this a sustained boost or just a quick sugar high? And does the president start another imbroglio? At this point, the sole certainty? The answer to that last thing is yes. But plural. Officer Tommy Gibbons of the Philadelphia Highway Patrol on his Harley-Davidson in 1970. He became a journalist after he was critically wounded in a 1970 ambush. A new Harley will be presented to the Highway Patrol in his name. Read more Duty first. A ceremony scheduled for Tuesday at which a gleaming, loaded Harley-Davidson was to be presented to the Philadelphia Highway Patrol was postponed when the elite unit was reassigned to escort the funeral procession for firefighter Michael Bernstein, who died last Wednesday while on duty. The motorcycle was to have been presented in memory of Thomas J. Gibbons Jr., who served four years in Highway Patrol until he was critically wounded in a 1970 ambush. Physically unable to return to active duty, in 1972 Tommy went to the Evening Bulletin as a police reporter. The Inquirer lured him away in November 1981, two months before the Bulletin folded. By the time Tommy retired in 2005, he was one of the most popular journalists in the city, loved by colleagues and competitors alike. He was unfailingly friendly to everyone, and dressed better than anyone. He enjoyed his career as a reporter, but nothing meant more to him than his years in the Highway Patrol, says his widow, Carol. They had been married 47 years when Tommy died of brain cancer a year ago. Tommys father, Thomas J. Gibbons Sr., was a cop who became police commissioner in 1952. There was little doubt Tommy would become a cop, although his close friend Walt Hunter, the retired CBS3 investigative reporter, says Tommy had a secret yen to be a firefighter. Carol and Tommy met on a Friday night 50 years ago at the Shack on Roosevelt Boulevard. He approached her and said, Dont our plaids match? He was wearing a glen plaid sportcoat and she was wearing a glen plaid dress. It was a good line, Carol tells me. A handsome 6-footer, Tommy looked good in glen plaid, but even better in his polished Highway Patrol boots, breeches, and white helmet. Tommy was a great cop and it was the sorriest day of his life when he had to step down, says Maureen Rush, president of the Philadelphia Police Foundation, which pitched in with Tommys family and friends to raise the $20,300 for the Harley that will carry saddlebags with Tommys name. Rush is now superintendent of police at the University of Pennsylvania but met Tommy after she as a rookie Philadelphia police officer got into a face-to-face showdown with an armed robber. By then at the Bulletin, Tommy wrote the story as a Mexican standoff. When the Harley is presented, Tommy will be doing an Irish jig in heaven, says Rush. Because I was Daily News and he was Inquirer, I knew Tommy mostly by byline and reputation, until one day in 1983 in the Temple University faculty lounge. Going into Christmas break, the school threw a wine and cheese cocktail party for the adjunct faculty. It was nice enough, and as it began to dissipate, Tommy said: Hey, pal, you want to have a pop and shoot some pool? Pal was his favorite salutation, and pop meant a real drink, not wine. He didnt like to miss a party and was the last one to leave, says Carol. For the next two hours in the faculty lounge, we talked, drank, and shot pool. Before long, neither of us could sink a ball. A friendship was born. On the day Tommy retired after 24 years with The Inquirer, he was escorted into the newsroom by then-Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson, because the cops first had a sendoff for him at Police Headquarters, the Roundhouse. Why the escort by Johnson? We rode right next to each other on the [Highway Patrol] drill team for three or four years, Johnson tells me. Tommy was an outstanding officer, Johnson says, and a reporter who stuck to the facts. Another fact-based reporter, two-time Pulitzer winner Bill Marimow, worked alongside his friend Tommy before becoming his boss at The Inquirer. When five Dallas police officers were ambushed in 2016, Marimow asked Tommy if he would write about his own near-death experience 46 years earlier. Although hed been retired from The Inquirer by then for more than a decade, Tom as always did what was required, recalls Marimow. Within a few hours, he had sent us a dramatic, seamless, and poignant account of how he was nearly killed during a car stop in West Philadelphia. Tommys byline appeared on Page One. Not for the first time, but for the last time. Ill be there, Pal, when that Harley is presented to the Highway Patrol. Protesters and Logan neighborhood residents opposed to plans by Arizona-based VisionQuest to house 60 undocumented immigrant children here gather outside the company's property on Wednesday. Speaking in front of the group are Erika Almiron, executive director of Juntos (left), and Josh Glenn (right) co-founder of the Youth Art and Self-Empowerment Project. Read more About 40 people gathered outside the VisionQuest property in the city's Logan neighborhood on Wednesday, loudly stating their opposition to the agency's plan to house 60 undocumented immigrant children there. The "Immigrants Are Not for Sale" rally, organized by the Juntos advocacy group, drew leaders from the city teachers union, justice groups, and neighborhood organizations. All said they wanted children to be safe and cared for and did not believe that would happen in a shelter run by the Arizona-based agency. "VisionQuest has no place in Philadelphia," said Erika Almiron, executive director of Juntos. "Unaccompanied minors need support, not jail." Efforts to contact the CEO of VisionQuest, a youth-services agency that operates in six states, were unsuccessful Wednesday. The agency says it will provide a comfortable, dormitory-like setting for the children, who arrived alone at the U.S.-Mexico border. The youths would come here from other shelters across the United States. For years, thousands of "unaccompanied minors" have approached the border as they flee violence and poverty in their homelands of El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. The government has attempted to place children with family members already living in the United States, but many of the youths have no relations here. VisionQuest plans to house the children, all boys ages 12 to 17, at its leased property in the Logan Plaza complex on Old York Road. The minors will receive legal services, counseling, and other therapies as needed, the company said, while officials seek to find adult sponsors who might serve as foster parents. VisionQuest said it ensures that the children in its care are safe, that families are respected and communities protected. The agency is rooted in American Indian culture, it says on its website, where a traditional "vision quest" marks the transition from child to adult. "The people of Logan," said civic association leader Charlene Samuels, "will not have it." She and others who gathered on Wednesday said they want VisionQuest to stay away, that children need love and homes, not large shelters. "We should be insulted that they think they can come here and make money off of kids," said Sean Damon, organizing director of the Amistad Law Project, a Philadelphia-based human-rights advocate. In June, immigrant children walked in a line outside the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children, a former Job Corps site that now houses them in Homestead, Fla. Read more An Arizona-based youth-services agency is planning to house 60 immigrant children, all of whom arrived alone at the U.S. border with Mexico, in a property it's now preparing in North Philadelphia. For two days, talk that the city would be the site of a shelter for children caught up in the nation's immigration crisis ricocheted through local migrant and youth agencies upsetting some who questioned why a sanctuary city like Philadelphia should accept the confinement of immigrant children within its boundaries. In a phone interview Wednesday, VisionQuest CEO Peter Ranalli confirmed that his agency has signed a contract with the federal government to house the children, all boys, ages 12 to 17, in a facility in the Logan neighborhood, just south of Einstein Medical Center. The children would come here from other shelters, located in places around the United States, he said. City officials weren't pleased. "This is highly disturbing news and we are still investigating the facts," said Mike Dunn, a spokesperson for Mayor Kenney. "But assuming the currently known facts are true, the city is confident that the proposed use would be illegal under the existing use permits and the city plans to vigorously apply the law." Ranalli said none of the children who would be housed here are among those separated from their parents at the southern border circumstances that provoked a national outcry and a reversal in Trump administration policy. All are among those youths described as "unaccompanied minors," part of a tide of thousands who have arrived at the border on their own, fleeing violence in their homelands. Most come from El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. Beginning under President Barack Obama, the federal government placed those migrant children in closed housing, pending their transfer to relatives such as aunts or uncles who were already living in the United States. Some youths have no family here. They may be sent to live with unrelated sponsors as they await courtroom immigration proceedings. The 60 children will arrive in Philadelphia in stages, the first not for at least two months, Ranalli said. All are native Spanish-speakers. None are recent arrivals to the United States. Immigration agents apprehended about 6,400 unaccompanied children on the nation's Southwest border in May, according to the Pew Research Center. That number was higher than each previous month in 2018, and a big increase over the 1,473 who were apprehended in May 2017, Pew said. But in June the number of unaccompanied children dropped to about 5,100. Ranalli said the leased property, located in the Logan Plaza complex on Old York Road, was "not a shelter," and was being transformed into a dormitory-like setting, one that will be comfortable and even homey for the youths. The minors will receive legal services, developmental aid, counseling, and other therapies as needed, he said, as officials seek to find adult sponsors who might serve as foster parents. He said VisionQuest planned to hire about 80 people to work at the site. None of the children would be allowed to leave the facility without supervision, he said. "They're really good kids," Ranalli said. "Nobody's going to have a problem with them." Peter Gottemoller, who directs Bethany Christian Services refugee programs and who has long worked with unaccompanied minors, said the VisionQuest site concerns him. Minors living in shelters must be able to go outside, to get exercise, and breathe fresh air. That's why similar facilities often are deliberately located in former school buildings or other places with substantial, surrounding grounds. "Them being cooped up in a building doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me," Gottemoller said. "You've got teenagers who need the outlet of being able to get out and run around." Ranalli said the children will have plenty of room. The same space previously housed more than double the number of kids, 125 in all, when VisionQuest ran a juvenile-justice facility there. The agency operates in six states, including Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, focused on helping youths who have become involved in the court and correctional systems or who are otherwise at risk. The agency began its work in late 1960s and early 1970s, when founder Bob Burton worked in juvenile corrections facilities. He imagined an alternative after serving as a VISTA volunteer working with the Crow peoples in Montana, according to the agency website. In 1973 he met an Arizona judge, John Collins of the Pima County Juvenile Court in Tucson, who placed the first six youthful offenders into VisionQuest care. What began as a residential program soon added an outdoor wilderness component. Within three years, about 130 children were in group home and home-based programs in Arizona. VisionQuest said it ensures that the children in its care are safe, that families are respected and communities protected. The agency remains rooted in American Indian culture, where a traditional "vision quest" marks the transition from child to adult, according to its website. Pathways to Housing PA, which helps chronically homeless people find decent places to live, has offices in the same Logan Plaza complex as VisionQuest. President and CEO Christine Simiriglia said that in the last couple of days, word had spread that VisionQuest planned to house immigrant minors there. That was confirmed, she said, when the Pathways staffer who runs the furniture bank told her he had been approached by VisionQuest, which wanted furniture for its new setting. "I said, 'Tell them I'm sorry we can't help with that,' " Simiriglia said. "We're opposed to this. We don't think the City of Philadelphia, a sanctuary city, should be allowing agencies to warehouse detained children." Protesters and Logan neighborhood residents opposed to plans by Arizona-based VisionQuest to house 60 undocumented immigrant children gather outside the company's property on Wednesday. Speaking in front of the group are Erika Almiron, executive director of Juntos, and Josh Glenn, co-founder of the Youth Art & Self-Empowerment Project. Read more One child's head crashed through a wall during an altercation with a staffer at the VisionQuest shelter for troubled youths in North Philadelphia. Another youngster was struck in the face by an adult worker during an argument over a chair. In a separate incident, a youth was choked and slapped by a staff member. But physical violence toward children wasn't the only problem at the Arizona-based company's facility, according to Pennsylvania state inspection reports. Two staffers repeatedly cursed at the children, telling them, "You're nothing," and promising to "make life a living hell," inspectors wrote. Some workers didn't have adequate training. And the place was dirty. The shelter closed in late 2017. Now VisionQuest is back in Philadelphia, intending to use the same Logan neighborhood building to house 60 undocumented immigrant children, all boys ages 12 to 17, who arrived alone at the nation's southern border. They'll come here from shelters around the country, among the thousands of "unaccompanied minors" who fled violence and poverty in their homelands of El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. VisionQuest CEO Peter Ranalli said the new program will be better run, better staffed, and much better financed, through a contract with the federal government. As for its previous shelter at the site, he said, complaints of abuse occur at virtually all juvenile-justice centers, and not all those lodged against VisionQuest workers were true. "Did we have staff do inappropriate things?" Ranalli said. "When you have 130 staff, somebody is going to do something inappropriate." At least three VisionQuest employees were fired between 2011 and 2017 after hitting or physically handling children, state records show. VisionQuest had contracted with the city to provide protective care to teenagers awaiting court adjudication and placement, and other at-risk youths needing short-term supervision. The work could be difficult. At one point in 2013, for instance, 40 percent of the children at the shelter were mentally ill, and 85 percent had been judged delinquent. The first group of migrant children won't arrive for at least two months, during which VisionQuest says it will remake the Logan Plaza domain into comfortable, dormitory-style housing. It plans to try to find foster families for the children. Barring that, the youths could be housed here indefinitely. The federal government's treatment of migrant children has become an explosive issue. In the "sanctuary city" of Philadelphia, a surge of opposition brought about 40 protesters to the VisionQuest property at 5201 Old York Rd. on Wednesday. They said immigrant minors need care and love, not group housing. "VisionQuest has no place in Philadelphia," said Erika Almiron, executive director of Juntos, the advocacy group that organized the demonstration. Kenney administration officials called VisionQuest's plan "disturbing," and City Councilwoman Helen Gym said the agency "seeks to profit off the misery and terror of children." Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president Jerry Jordan, who spoke at the rally, said his 11,000-member union will not "stand by and watch VisionQuest enter our city and perpetuate a profoundly shameful practice." If union members need to march outside VisionQuest, he said, they'll do it. Councilwoman Cherelle L. Parker, whose district contains the VisionQuest site, wants to hear from neighbors in the area, some of whom have already expressed their concern, her spokesperson said. Founded in Arizona in 1973, VisionQuest operates in six states, focused on helping youths in the court and correctional systems. In February 2011, VisionQuest was licensed to run its New Directions Shelter in Logan, two blocks south of Einstein Medical Center. It added children in phases, toward an approved limit of 128 boys and girls. The youths got meals and schooling, along with group therapy sessions, anger-management counseling, and drug and alcohol therapies, records say. They were assigned four to a room. Inspectors from the Department of Human Services cited the first deficiencies six months later: A lack of supervision enabled two youths to leave the premises. Boys and girls complained they weren't permitted additional portions of food. Dirt and food droppings littered the stove area, and overall maintenance was poor. VisionQuest executives filed a plan to make fixes and were allowed to continue operating. Inspectors documented a physical altercation on July 27, 2012. At 11 p.m., a staffer heard a youth making noises while other children in the room were trying to sleep. Told by an employee to be quiet, the person refused, "but remained harmless to self or others," the inspection report stated. The staffer put the child in a restraint and took him out of the room, the young person kicking a dent in the wall as he resisted. VisionQuest fired the staff member, records show. In April 2013, investigators wrote that two staff members "do not treat the children that live at the facility with fairness, dignity and respect." Those staffers allegedly swore at the youths, and said, "You're going to be nothing in life." Both workers received written admonishments and warnings that further violations could get them fired, records show. The state reports do not identify staff members or children by name, age or sex. They provide a summary of events and findings, and in some cases do not specify the date of an altercation or deficiency. In August 2013, inspectors found that eight staffers had not been certified in CPR and first aid. Fire drills were an issue. VisionQuest needed to be able to evacuate all children within 2 minutes. Instead, it was taking three, four, or five minutes, and in one drill, nine minutes. In 2014 and 2015, a staffer was found to be working without a child-abuse clearance. Three had no CPR or first aid training, and five had no medical proof that they were free of serious communicable diseases, required when working around children or food. An August 2016 summary outlined the episode in which a staff member choked and hit a child. The cause of the violence was not stated, but an examination found scratches on the left and right sides of the youth's neck. The employee was suspended immediately and soon fired. The cleanliness of the shelter suffered through 2016: shower heads covered in mildew, a water fountain clogged with rusty brown water, mouse droppings in cafeteria heaters. Floors of community lunch areas and youth bathrooms were corroded with a dirty brown substance, a report stated. "The facility," VisionQuest wrote in response, "is under continuous physical renovation and improvement." In a November 2016 summary, signed in February 2017, inspectors described the episode when a child's head went through a wall. It occurred in what was called the Quiet Room, when a staff member with no training in restrictive procedures improperly attempted to restrain the child, they wrote. A May 2017 summary recounted how, after a child and a staffer got into an argument over a chair, the adult struck the youth in the face. The staffer was fired the same night. In October 2017, the state approved VisionQuest for another year of operation, but the center never made it that far. VisionQuest's Ranalli said his agency closed the shelter after the city declined to pay more for the program. City officials said that while they did deny a rate increase, they ended the contract because of poor oversight of the children and bad building conditions. "When it is clear that a service is not meeting our standards, we close intake" of children, said Heather Keafer, spokesperson for the city Department of Human Services. "We have closed sites that we believe do not serve the best interest of our youth." Staff writers Dylan Purcell and Nathaniel Lash contributed to this article. PENN Many in Chester County are disappointed and angry over this weeks announcement by Tower Health that its deal to sell Jennersville and Brandywine hospitals to Canyon Atlantic Partners had fallen through. Were going to respond to this like we would anything else, said Gary Vinnacombe, deputy chief of EMS from Union Fire Company, [] MEC Poker Open and bwin Poker Join Forces in Belgium March 26, 2019 Jason Glatzer On March 26, bwin and MEC Pokerevents announced a sponsorship agreement for the MEC Poker Open events hosted at the Casino de Spa in Spa, Belgium. The MEC Poker Open is a newly founded Belgian-based poker tour designed for recreational poker players that enjoy low buy-in live tournaments in high-quality settings with its first event held last October. The inaugural event caught bwin's attention when it was sold out in record time. The partnership will kick in for the next stop on the tour at Casino de Spa on April 4-7. The highlight of the festival is the 175 Main Event featuring three opening flights April 4-6. The final day on April 7 will be played on a live stream on bwin Poker's website. bwin: "Offering a slightly lower buy-in tier will be welcomed by our players for either the fun experience or as an early exposure to the world of live poker." In addition, the schedule features five side events with buy-ins ranging from 35 to 440 alongside cash games with stakes starting at 1/1. Casino Spa is one of the oldest casinos in Europe. It was established in 1763 with its current face dating back over 100 years when it was rebuilt in 1918. The newly inked partnership with bwin includes online promotions, online events, and qualifiers to future MEC Poker Open events for bwin Poker players. The first satellite with an $11 buy-in will take place on Sunday, March 31 at 8:15 p.m. CET where three seats are guaranteed to April's MEC Poker Open. Online qualifiers for future MEC Poker Open stops will be held exclusively at bwin Poker. Both bwin poker and The MEC Poker Open are thrilled to join forces in Belgium. "Our new collaboration with the MEC Poker Open is a unique one and a recognition of how successful we believe the MEC Poker Open events will be," said bwin Poker's Marketing Manager Robin van den Heuvel. "MEC Poker Open complements our already strong live offering supported by partypoker LIVE. Offering a slightly lower buy-in tier will be welcomed by our players for either the fun experience or as an early exposure to the world of live poker." "Partnering up with Bwin marks a new chapter for MEC Poker Open and promises many extras that our players will enjoy for sure," MEC Poker Open Founder Mathijs Jonkers said. "With the MEC Poker Open, we hope to give the players a great poker event in a good and player friendly atmosphere. We are proud and excited to collaborate with one of the most recognized and trusted brands within the industry." * Lead image courtesy of Casino de Spa. Follow the APPT Korea Action Live Here at PokerNews March 25, 2019 Matthew Pitt PokerStars Live is heading to Asia from April 5 for the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Korea festival and PokerNews will be on the tournament floor providing you with coverage of the Main Event, High Roller and Super High Roller tournaments. APPT Korea returns to Paradise City in Incheon, South Korea from April 5-14 where five huge events are scheduled. It is the second time in as many years that Paradise City has hosted the festival with all prior APPT Korea events taking place at the Paradise Walker-Hill Casino in Seoul. Last years APPT Korea Main Event saw Malaysias Christopher Soyza outlast a field of 449 entrants to get his hands on KRW158,700,000 (approx. $149,000). APPT Korea Schedule APPT KickOff: April 5-6, 2019 KRW350,000 buy-in, KRW 50,000,000 Guaranteed APPT National: April 7-8, 2019 KRW 700,000 buy-in, KRW 80,000,000 Guaranteed APPT Super High Roller: April 10, 2019 KRW 10,000,000 buy-in APPT Main Event: April 11-14, 2019 - KRW 1,800,000 buy-in - KRW 300,000,000 Guaranteed APPT High Roller: April 13-14, 2019 - KRW 5,000,000 buy-in PokerNews Live Reporting team will bring you live and exclusive updates from three of the scheduled events taking place at Paradise City in Incheon. Follow all of the action from the Super High Roller on April 10, the APPT Korea Main Event from April 11-14 and the High Roller from April 13-14. Qualify to the APPT Korea Online at PokerStars It could be you who the PokerNews updates are covering if you manage to qualify for the APPT Korea Main Event online at PokerStars. Satellites start at just $1.10 and feed into a $109 buy-in 2019 APPT Korea Qualifier. If you want to try to qualify for APPT Korea but dont have a PokerStars account, follow these simple instructions and you will be up and running in next to no time. Click here to open PokerStars in a new tab Sign up for a free account Enter the marketing code " PNEWS " " Use the code " STARS600 " at your first deposit " at your first deposit Register for the event once your ticket is credited Making your first deposit at PokerStars makes you eligible for a 100 percent up to $600 bonus, plus you can play in three PokerNews-exclusive $2,000 freerolls and three $2.20 buy-in PKO tournaments where PokerStars adds $2,000 to each prize pool. Learn more here. The Stars Group owns a majority shareholding at iBus Media. PokerStars EPT Sochi: Ustimov Leads Day 1B, Sapozhnikov Builds Biggest Day 1C Stack March 26, 2019 Lisa Yiasemides Will Shillibier On Monday, both starting flights Day 1B and Day 1C of the PokerStars EPT Sochi were played at Casino Sochi. Viktor Ustimov Tops EPT Sochi Main Event Day 1b Field In stark contrast to the EPT Sochi Main Event Day 1A starting flight, it was a much more competitive affair when it came to the end-of-day chip leader on Day 1B. Several players battled it out over the closing exchanges, but eventually, it was Viktor Ustimov who bagged the chip lead with 305,700 after a field of 359 was whittled down to 137. Ustimov has over $700,000 in lifetime earnings, with several big scores and deep runs coming from Casino Sochi. Last year he followed up a runner-up finish in the EPT National for 4,745,000 ($82,191) with a 42nd place run in the EPT Sochi Main Event. In September last year, he also final-tabled the EPT Open Sochi High Roller, finishing fourth for a further 2,321,160 ($35,445). Viktor Ustimov Other big stacks advancing include Serafim Kovalevsky (233,900), Leonid Semenyuk (195,200), Aleksey Falko (192,900) and EPT favourite Yuriy Guliy (191,300). Also advancing is last year's EPT Main Event runner-up Viktor Shegay who bagged 41,800. He will be joined by 2018 EPT National Sochi champion Matous Houzvicek (118,000) and the 2019 EPT National Sochi champion Yury Masliankou (28,300) along with 2018 EPT Open Sochi Main Event final tablist Nikolay Fal and Leonid Bilokur (64,200). Aditya Sushant had started the day in blistering form, moving up to around 80,000 within a blink of an eye. However, a chastening last two levels knocked him down and will have to settle for 53,300 when play resumes on Day 2. Several players had even worse luck and were eliminated, meaning they would have to make it through Day 1C. They include defending champion Arseniy Karmatskiy who fired two bullets with no success. Also failing to advance from Day 1B were Andrey Andreev, Boris Mondrus, Maksim Panyak, Sarkis Karabadzhakyan, Ezequiel Waigel, and Andrey Guliy. Top 5 EPT Sochi Main Event Day 1B Chip Counts Position Player Country Chip Count 1 Viktor Ustimov Russia 307,500 2 Serafim Kovalevsky Russia 233,900 3 Leonid Semenyuk Russia 195,200 4 Sihao Zhang Luxembourg 194,200 5 Aleksey Falko Belarus 192,900 Sapozhnikov Finishes Top of the Counts as Day 1c of the Main Event Drew to a Close The third and final starting flight of the Main Event concluded, and it was Denis Sapozhnikov who had the most productive day on 1C. His impressive run began with a bit of good fortune when Sapozhnikov got it in with jack-nine suited on a nine-high flop against Mikhail Galitskiy's pocket-queens. He hit a backdoor straight by the river, and the pot saw him take the chip lead, sending Galitskiy to the rail in the process. This all happened in Level 4, and for the next six levels, he didn't relinquish the lead once. Denis Sapozhnikov There were 82 entries in total and by the end, half were still standing when level ten reached its conclusion. The other success stories of the night were Sergey Chaban (163,000) who finished in second, Yang Wang (153,300) in third, Andrey Andreev (124,300) in fourth, and Garik Tamasyan (124,300) bagged the fifth largest stack. There were several other familiar faces who took to the felt and made it through to Day 2. Reigning Champion Arsenii Karmatckii (78,100) will return on Day 2 to continue defending his title. He will face stiff competition though from Sergey Baburin (63,700), Konstantin Puchkov (60,800), Volodymyr Drokin (56,800), Jean Souprayenmestry (49,500), and Maxim Panyak (33,800). It wasn't good news for all the notables who took a seat today. Sedrak Bagdasaryan got very close but busted in the last hand of the night. Jia Tang, Ezequiel Waigel, Ariel Malnik, Mikhail Kovalyuk, Gor Kazaryan, Bernard Boutboul and Timur Azizov were some other casualties. It may not be the last we have seen of any of them though as late registration closes when Day 2 gets underway. That gives any hopefuls one last shot if they so choose. Top 5 EPT Sochi Main Event Day 1C Chip Counts Position Player Country Chip Count 1 Denis Sapozhnikov Russia 207,700 2 Sergey Chaban Russia 163,000 3 Yang Wang China 153,300 4 Andrey Andreev Russia 124,300 5 Garik Tamasyan Armenia 124,300 EPT Sochi Live Reporting The total number of players who have advanced is 306 plus any last minute registrations. The man to catch is Aleksandr Denisov who is the overall chip leader with a monstrous 498,600 chip stack. Play resumes at Level 11, with blinds at 800/1600 and a big blind ante of 1600. As always PokerNews will be live at Casino Sochi to bring all the latest news from the Main Event from start to finish. Check out the PokerNews Live Reporting with PokerStars EPT Sochi Main Event live updates. 1.3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Former Attorney General Eric Holder exposed the holes in Trumps fake total exoneration claim and explained why Mueller must testify before Congress. Holder was asked what did it mean to him that Barr didnt quote a single full paragraph from the Mueller report. He answered, Its a little troublesome because you look at the letter and youre trying to figure how much of this is Barr, how much of this is Mueller, how much of this is based on the Mueller findings. I think it all points to the fact that at the end of the day, Congress, the public are going to have to get access to the Mueller report. And also, I think here from both Bob Mueller and from attorney general Barr. Holder also explained that far from exonerating Trump, Mueller was working within the confines of the DOJ position that a sitting president cant be indicted, I think that what Bob Mueller was doing there was presenting something as best he thought he should do under the obligations that I think he faced. I think he was taking into account the justice department regulation that says you cannot indict a sitting president. And I think that really changed the way in which Bob Mueller conducted himself, conducted his probe. I mean, Ive known Bob Mueller for 30 years. Video: Eric Holder, "You look at the letter and youre trying to figure how much of this is Barr, how much of this is Mueller, how much of this is based on the Mueller findings." https://t.co/9hN2g8gbUR pic.twitter.com/vOvhURQy6p PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) March 25, 2019 Mueller Didnt Exonerate Trump. Barr Did The broader point that can be taken away from Attorney General Holders comments is that Robert Mueller didnt exonerate Trump. Trumps attorney general did. Everything that Barr and the White House has released has been designed to fool the public into a false conclusion. Trump is hiding behind Barr, who isnt going to release the Mueller report. It took less than a day to reveal that Trumps exoneration claims are fake. Trump exonerated himself, and we wont know what Robert Mueller found until the report is released and he testifies before Congress. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook 1.4k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr on Monday demanding Robert Muellers full report by Tuesday, April 2. According to NBC News, Six Democratic committee chairs in the House sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr Monday requesting that he submit the full report from special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation to Congress by next Tuesday, April 2. The Democratic leaders stated the obvious and said that Barrs four-page PR summary of Muellers report is not sufficient for Congress. More from NBC News: The top House Democrats argued that the provision of the report in complete and unredacted form and the underlying evidence and materials would be fully consistent with the Justice Departments practice and precedent with Congress. To the extent that you believe applicable law limits your ability to comply, we urge you to begin the process of consultation with us immediately in order to establish shared parameters for resolving those issues without delay, they wrote. The letter is signed by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters, D-Calif., Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., and House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y. Read the full letter here Forget the Barr report. We need the Mueller report. Attorney General William Barrs hastily-crafted summary released on Sunday has raised far more questions than it has answered. So far, Barrs political document seems to have served just one purpose: give the Trump administration a jumpstart on the PR war that is likely to be set off by the release of the actual Mueller report, which has not yet been released. Ultimately, House Democrats are right to demand a swift release of Muellers report, as well as the underlying evidence that led to his conclusions. The longer the Barr summary circulates, the more misled the American people will be about the actual facts. On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked an attempt to release the report. The Democrats must continue to fight back until the special counsel findings are released in full. The American people deserve the Mueller report, not the Barr report. Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter 3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Rachel Maddow tore into Donald Trumps attorney general, William Barr, on Monday for breaking historical precedent in order to clear his boss of wrongdoing. The MSNBC host pointed to the Watergate era, when special prosecutor Leon Jaworski produced a report similar laying out all the facts related to Richard Nixons potential obstruction of justice. In 1974, as Maddow noted, the report was passed along to the House Judiciary Commitee, which decided what to do based on the facts and evidence presented. On Sunday, William Barr broke that norm and instead issued a four-page letter in which he made the decision himself that Trump did not obstruct justice and he did it without presenting any underlying facts. Barr could have just passed that information (from the Mueller report) onto the Judiciary Committee for them to decide what to do with it, following in Jaworskis footsteps in the handling of the Watergate road map in 1974, Maddow said. But instead, somewhat inexplicably, he decided to take it upon himself to declare definitively there is no crime there. Video: Rachel Maddow says William Barr handled the Mueller report much differently than a similar report was handled during the Watergate era. #ctl #p2 #maddow pic.twitter.com/Y4Lude8k7k PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) March 26, 2019 Maddow said: When that exact sort of document was handed over to the Judiciary Committee in the House by Leon Jaworski in the Watergate grand jury in 1974, the Judiciary Committee in 1974 looked at that factual record of information they had obtained from the grand jury and the special prosecutor and they decided, in fact, that based on that information they would draw up impeachment proceedings against Nixon primarily for obstruction of justice. This time, this factual record, this description of the presidents behavior, it didnt go over to the House Judiciary Committee. Instead, they got a letter, because the actual information went instead to the presidents newly appointed attorney general who has been on the job for a month and who got the job after submitting to the White House an unsolicited 19-page memo which claimed that the president inherently cant obstruct justice and Robert Mueller cant even investigate him for that. Whatever information Attorney General William Barr just received from Robert Mueller about the presidents behavior, as it pertains to potential criminal obstruction of justice, Barr could have just passed that information onto the Judiciary Committee for them to decide what to do with it, following in Jaworskis footsteps in the handling of the Watergate road map in 1974. But instead, somewhat inexplicably, he decided to take it upon himself to declare definitively, yeah, you know, I looked at all that stuff and I can tell you there is no crime there. Its fine. At which point, whatever you think about the quoted conclusions about the other half of Robert Muellers report, on this obstruction stuff, its like, what? Where did this come from? I mean, on what grounds are you saying that you have concluded there is no crime here? What facts did you consider about the presidents behavior when arriving at that conclusion? William Barrs summary is just political noise William Barrs four-page summary he released on Sunday 48 hours after Robert Mueller submitted his final report was a political document. It should be treated as such. As Maddow noted on Monday, the important facts will be found in the Mueller report, which nobody outside of the highest ranking officials in the Justice Department has seen yet. Congress and the American people should ignore Barrs political flackery and instead let the facts in the Mueller report guide their decisions on what to do next. Its another reason why the full special counsel report should be released to Congress and the public immediately. Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter 4.5k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) just blocked a measure by Sen. Chuck Schumer to make the Mueller report public. Steven Dennis reported: "The report should be made public" Schumer McConnell: Barr should have time to decide what to make public Schumer: Resolution doesn't specify a timeframe Schumer's resolution was nonbinding Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) March 25, 2019 If the report is so great for Trump, why did McConnell block this measure? The Republican cover story on the Mueller report is falling apart. There are obvious cracks appearing in the Trump PR scam of total exoneration. If the report is so great for Trump and the Republican Party, why wont they support releasing it to the public? If the report contains everything that Trump and the White House claim it does, Mitch McConnell should have never blocked the resolution and the vote should have been unanimous in support its release. The reality of the information that is slowly trickling out does not match what Trump and Barr are selling. Mueller wrote his report with the full expectation that Congress would get it. Muellers report is intended not to charge Trump with a crime, but to provide investigative evidence and the facts. The Trump administration and their Republican Senate enablers are hiding the Mueller report because they dont want Democrats in the House and the American people to read the special counsels findings. Mitch McConnel is helping Trump to hide the Mueller report because what it contains could lead to Republican defeat in 2020. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook While Donald Trump and his allies take a victory lap, even before the full Mueller report has been released, there are signs that Attorney General William Barrs summary of the special counsel findings could be very different than Muellers final conclusions. In an interview with MSNBCs Ari Melber, former attorney general Eric Holder said he doesnt believe Mueller would have left the decision on obstruction to Barr, who was recently appointed by the president. It seems hard for me to imagine that Bob Mueller asked Bill Barr to do this, Holder said. That would be Bob Mueller shifting the responsibility for making the call to the attorney general, and thats just not the way in which Bob Mueller is wound. Former federal prosecutor Gene Rossi went further to say that he believes Muellers final report could be very different from Barrs PR stunt and that the attorney general should have left the unsettles question of obstruction to Congress. Rossi called Barrs four-page letter released on Sunday tainted. Video: Eric Holder and a former federal prosecutor dont believe Robert Mueller wanted William Barr to have the final say on whether Trump obstructed justice. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/dhAuOxoMXl PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) March 25, 2019 This is why we need the full Mueller report Given the Trump administrations public relations stunt and the controversy surrounding Barrs four-page summary, it is imperative now more than ever that the Mueller report is released in full. The American people havent been waiting for two years to see a political document cooked up by a Trump appointee in less than 48 hours. They want answers, not spin. So instead of arguing over the contents of the four-page Barr report, its time to see the facts. Not only do the American people need to read the full report immediately, but Robert Mueller should testify before Congress to clear the air. Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter 669 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Democratic members of Congress are ready for a fight against the latest move by the U.S. military to make money available for Donald Trumps misguided wall at the Mexican border. It was announced Monday night by the Pentagon that it will be transferring $1 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers to build barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border. The move immediately brought an outcry from from Democratic lawmakers who have refused to appropriate money for the wall. The Pentagon justified the movement of money under Trumps bogus declaration of a national emergency at the southern border. The shift in funds will make possible the construction of 57 miles of what is called pedestrian fencing. It will also allow for road construction and installation of new lighting along a few stretches of the border in both Arizona and Texas. Ten Democratic U.S. Senators, including Patrick J. Leahy (Vt.), the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, voiced their objections to the move by the Pentagon. They wrote a letter saying that the military brass were supposed to seek approval of congressional defense committees before transferring money, but they did not do so. The letter said: As a result, we have serious concerns that the Department has allowed political interference and pet projects to come ahead of many near-term, critical readiness issues facing our military. The $1 billion reprogramming that the Department is implementing without congressional approval constitutes a dollar-for-dollar theft from other readiness needs of our Armed Forces. The letter was addressed to acting secretary of defense Patrick M. Shanahan and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen. The new conflict between the Pentagon and Congress has highlighted the continuing tensions between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats. The administration has pledged to try to make good on Trumps campaign promise of a border wall, and the latest movement of money is an attempt to make that happen. Earlier this month, Trump had to veto a bill passed by both the House and Senate that nullified his declaration of a national emergency at the Mexican border. Trump is using the emergency declaration to spend more on border barrier funding than Congress has authorized. The Pentagon said that the $1 billion that was transferred will help block drug-smuggling corridors across international boundaries of the United States in support of counter-narcotic activities of Federal law enforcement agencies. 677 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Attorney General William Barrs summary of the special counsel report does not address key counterintelligence aspects of the investigation into Donald Trumps ties to Russia, according to national security experts quoted by The Atlantic. Even though Barrs summary addressed the issues of crimes and criminal indictments, it leaves open the question of alleged security and national intelligence violations by the president and his aides. Immediately after Trump fired the FBI director James Comey, the FBI opened a counterintelligence investigation. But at this point its not clear what happened to that probe. After Robert Mueller was appointed special counsel, the direction of the FBIs investigations changed and became focused on obstruction of justice, conspiracy and other crimes. Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe explained the counterintelligence investigation this way: We were concerned, and we felt like we had credible, articulable facts to indicate that a threat to national security may exist. The original counterintelligence investigation was directed at determining whether the president was acting as a Russian agent. Normally, the bureau would investigate, said Jeremy Bash, former chief of staff at the Defense Department and the CIA during the Obama administration, and if criminal matters were involved, theyd ask prosecutors to get involved. But if it is just a matter of there being a national-security threat, the FBI would report to the director of national intelligence, who would then report to the president. But what if the president is the threat? We dont have a playbook for this. Trump was seeking lucrative real estate deals in Moscow during the 2016 campaign, which he and his lawyer Michael Cohen lied about. That explains some, but not all, of his unusually strong devotion to Russian president Vladimir Putin. We still do not understand why President Trump has this affinity for Putin, said former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell. What happened yesterday is Mueller took one possibility off the table that there was a criminal conspiracy. But we still dont know what is going on between these two leaders, and what is driving this relationship. Barrs summary claims that Mueller determined there was not enough evidence to prove a criminal conspiracy case, but thats a different standard of proof than what a counterintelligence investigation would determine. You can have a national security threat and still not have the evidence needed to bring criminal charges. John McLaughlin, a former acting CIA director, clarified this: Mueller always noted that the term evidence meant something different to intelligence analysts who had to work with a variety of sources of varying reliability, whereas an FBI officer needed something so unassailable as to work in a court prosecution. That distinction is very important to understanding what evidence Mueller was looking for, but Barr did not address these issues in his summary. If all we do is provide criminal standards to investigative findings, we are missing the point, said Frank Figliuzzi, the former assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI. Most counterintelligence cases dont result in criminal prosecution, but are intended to determine whether a foreign power targeted, compromised or recruited the subject of the investigation. This thing started as a counterintelligence investigation, Figliuzzi said, and it needs to end as a counterintelligence investigation. The American People Must See the Results of the FBIs Counterintelligence Probe As I wrote last Sunday: Most people are not aware that Mueller will issue a second report called the counterintelligence report that cant be kept from either Congress or the public by William Barr or anyone else. This counterintelligence report will deal only with counterintelligence findings and not whether crimes were committed. It is this report that may address the question of whether or not there was collusion between Russia and Trumps 2016 presidential campaign. Unlike a final criminal report, a Mueller counterintelligence report cannot be bottled up. By statute it must be shared with Congress. 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 criminal elements of Muellers investigation were contained in the report that William Barr received on Friday. He might try to keep that report secret, but in fact the criminal aspects of Muellers probe have already been farmed out to other federal prosecutors, including the Southern District of New York (SDNY). In short, Donald Trumps 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. 800 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard MSNBCs Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski expressed outrage at Donald Trump and his allies today for claiming vindication before special counsel Robert Muellers report had been released to either Congress or the public The Morning Joe co-hosts made clear that there are some extremely important questions that still must be answered from the 22 month investigation of the Trump campaigns ties to Russia. And they demanded that we be given those answers. Despite the claims of the president, the short summary of Muellers report by Attorney General William Barr did not in any way vindicate him or let him off the hook for his misdeeds. At one point during the show Brzezinski said: The one quote in it that Barr did put forward is that Trump is NOT exonerated in terms of obstruction. If you listen to the White House, and if you listen to Fox News, and if you listen over and over and over again, they are branding this as a full exoneration it is not. Its not even close to an exoneration, it is not an exoneration. Does anybody want to argue that? Its not. Joe Scarborough then pointed out that the short Barr summary didnt even include any quotes of entire sentences from Muellers report. Since Robert Mueller said they couldnt exonerate him, and we only get sentence fragments, I think we should do something really radical, Scarborough said. Then he clarified what he meant: We should wait and read the entire report, because we have read with a letter from the man who applied for his job by sending a letter to Donald Trump saying, I dont think the special counsel should be doing all the terrible things that hes doing to you. Thats not a letter Im going to put a lot of stock in, Im going to wait for the real report. MSNBC contributor David Ignatius, a Washington Post columnist, added to the discussion by bringing up the point that Donald Trumps actions of lying and attempting to stifle the Russa probe strongly suggested he had done something wrong. There is the enduring mystery of why, if he was so innocent, he has acted so guilty for two years, Ignatius said. Thats going to take historians to sort out, probably. We Must See the Entire Mueller Report This despicable chapter of American history will not end with a short summary written by Trumps hand-picked attorney general. It will only end once Congress and the American people are allowed to see Muellers entire report. There is no exoneration of Donald Trump for anything, despite the claims of his allies and despite the headlines that have appeared in the media for the past two days. Donald Trump was elected president with the help of Vladimir Putin and his Russian intelligence operatives. The details of how that happened have not yet come to light, but someday they will. And when that happens we will see the truth of how Donald Trump has sold out his country. CLICK HERE to watch the Morning Joe video on MSNBC 12.8k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Trump went to Capitol Hill and suggested that Barack Obama was behind the Russia investigation and demanded an investigation of the former president. Here was Trumps exchange with reporters: Q: Youve accused the people who launched the investigation into your campaign of treasonous acts how high up do you think it went. Trump: I think it went very high up. I think what happened is a disgrace. I dont believe our country should allow this ever to happen again. This will never happen again. We can never let it ever happen again. It went very high up, and it started fairly low, but with instructions from the high up. This should never happen to a president again. We cant allow that to take place. Do you think it reached the West Wing of the Obama White House? Trump: I dont want to say that, but I think you know the answer. Video: Trump now wants Obama investigated for his crimes https://t.co/ypJKFZEgRR pic.twitter.com/mJsqTqmUsn PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) March 26, 2019 Trump was calling for an investigation into Obama Donald Trump is pulling all of the old tricks out of his playbook now. After the lie and refuse to release documents stunt related to the Mueller report, Trump has moved to trying to distract from the Mueller report by calling for an investigation into former President Obama. This is a stunt that Trump used to try to distract from his own problems in the past. Trump has at various times called for investigations into Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Trump clearly still believes that Obama spied on his campaign. Trump has convinced himself and he is trying to sell the rest of the country on the idea that Obama is the real criminal. Republicans in the Senate arent going to launch an investigation into Obama. Trump is in full cover-up mode, and he is trying to distract the country by calling for a baseless investigation into Obama that isnt fooling anyone. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook 1.1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate is now saying that if special counsel Robert Mueller had indicted Donald Trump it would have eventually led to civil war. Gabbard issued a lengthy statement that she posted on Twitter: I strongly supported Mueller being allowed to complete his investigation and submit his findings. Now that Mueller has found no collusion took place, we need to set aside our partisan interests and recognize that finding the president of the United States not guilty of conspiring with a foreign power to interfere with our elections is a good thing for America. If the President of the United States had been indicted for conspiring with Russia to interfere with and affect the outcome of our elections it would have precipitated a terribly divisive crisis that could have even led to civil war. Now we must stand together and move beyond this divisive issue that has taken up enough of the national conversation. Im calling on Congress to protect the integrity of the 2020 elections and all elections by passing my Securing Americas Elections Act, which empowers every state to use voter-verified paper ballots making it impossible for Russia or anyone else to change our election results. Americans all over the country are asking when our leaders, from every party, are going to put aside partisan politics and work to address the challenges that are threatening American lives and livelihoods. We have a lot of work to do rebuilding our countrys crumbling infrastructure, ending wasteful regime change wars, forging a clean energy future, ensuring healthcare for all, achieving immigration reform and so much more. (1/6) I strongly supported Mueller being allowed to complete his investigation and submit his findings. Now that Mueller has found no collusion took place, we need to set aside our partisan interests and recognize that finding the president of the United States not guilty Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) March 26, 2019 (6/6) We have a lot of work to do rebuilding our country's crumbling infrastructure, ending wasteful regime change wars, forging a clean energy future, ensuring healthcare for all, achieving immigration reform and so much more. Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) March 26, 2019 Tulsi Gabbard Is Right We Have a Lot of Work to Do Although her presidential campaign has not taken off, Gabbard makes some excellent points in her tweets. She has correctly called on Congress to safeguard against further election interference by supporting the Securing Americas Elections Act, a bill she sponsored that would allow every state to use paper ballots, making it impossible for Russia or anyone else to change our election results. She also is correct in saying that Democrats must focus on solving the problems of everyday Americans. Donald Trump is a genius at distraction, and the more we are distracted then the less we can focus on Trump administration corruption and the many ways that Republicans have sold out our government to large corporate interests. After the release Sunday of Attorney General William Barrs summary of Muellers findings, Gabbard joined other Democratic candidates in calling for the release of Muellers full report, so she does want that to happen. We must see the full report, and even if it does not lead to indictments it will show American voters the truth of Donald Trumps corruption and lies. And when that happens, the chances of Democrats taking back control of Congress in 2020 will skyrocket. Which is the outcome that most Americans want anyway. Jerrel Floyd is an Alabama raised reporter who covers Summerville and Dorchester County for The Post and Courier. You are the owner of this article. Santee Cooper approved more than half a million in retention bonuses for seven of its executives last year. The contracts were meant to keep t Gregory Yee covers the city of Charleston. He's a native Angeleno and previously covered crime and courts for the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, CA. He studied journalism and Spanish literature at the University of California, Irvine. David Slade is a senior Post and Courier reporter. His work has been honored nationally by Society of Professional Journalists, American Society of Newspaper Editors, Scripps foundation and others. Reach him at 843-937-5552 or dslade@postandcourier.com Editorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are not involved in newsroom operations. The Post and Courier provides a forum for our readers to share their opinions, and to hold up a mirror to our community. Publication does not imply endorsement by the newspaper; the editorial staff attempts to select a representative sample of letters because we believe its important to let our readers see the range of opinions their neighbors submit for publication. Jamie Lovegrove is a political reporter covering the South Carolina Statehouse, congressional delegation and campaigns. He previously covered Texas politics in Washington for The Dallas Morning News and in Austin for the Texas Tribune. Assistant Columbia bureau chief Adcox returned to The Post and Courier in October 2017 after 12 years covering the Statehouse for The Associated Press. She previously covered education for The P&C. She has also worked for The AP in Albany, N.Y., and for The Herald in Rock Hill. Ombre Ga'chong As we head into the Christmas and New Year season it is imperative that all residents take an extra moment and adjust and increase their perso Read more Lawmakers should be "ashamed of themselves" for their failure to enable easy access to marijuana, according to Dr. Vince Akimoto. Akimoto and Dr. Samuel Friedman spoke to The Guam Daily Post on Tuesday afternoon, as senators of the 35th Guam Legislature discussed Bill 32-35, which would legalize recreational marijuana. A supporter of legalizing marijuana, Akimoto had strong words for senators should the bill fail. Friedman seeks more of a middle ground, saying decriminalization may be the best way forward. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Akimoto said, if Bill 32 doesn't become law, then the island's lawmakers have failed in their duty to ensure his patients have access to the substance. He said the government has failed to construct regulations that provide for easy and affordable access which means people have suffered unnecessarily. Resistance from lawmakers regarding marijuana access essentially amounts to obstruction of justice, Akimoto added. "I think it's disrespectful for people of Guam who voted (to legalize medicinal marijuana and) make this the law of the land. So basically, the attorney general should arrest these senators for obstructing justice," Akimoto said. Lawmakers debated Bill 32, or the Guam Cannabis Industry Act, for several days. Prior to that, opponents and proponents of the bill testified at a public hearing. In the last few days, the volume of debate has gotten louder, particularly those against the measure. A local veterinarian and retired teacher are among those who were at the Guam Congress Building in Hagatna on Tuesday in protest of the bill. Some opponents of the proposed legislation claim marijuana to be highly addictive and consider it a gateway to other drugs. Akimoto called these people "idiots." "People who claim any plant or thing is evil is ascribing to it properties that are basically magical. It's the behavior of people when they use substances that is the issue," he said, pointing out the effect of wine on people, as an example. "Quit blaming the drug or the plant. Quit blaming God for your bad behaviors it's a plant, it grows in the ground." Friedman calls for 'middle ground' Friedman called for a "middle ground" with recreational marijuana. Rather than full legalization, Friedman suggested decriminalizing or ignoring marijuana "more or less." "Why not take the toe-in-the-water approach instead of full immersion that some fear?" Friedman asked. Some countries, such as Portugal and Switzerland have decriminalized drug use, according to Friedman. The "four pillars" of the Swiss law include harm reduction and treatment. "The result, a drop in drug use overall, no prison for drug use, legal drugs available for addicts in Switzerland, a great drop in infection rate and overdose because of proper instructions on use and accurate dose of drugs," Friedman said. He suggested decriminalizing marijuana and observing the results over a couple of years before deciding on a future direction. "This was the approach for some years in Canada before they finally legalized the sale and distribution of marijuana recently," he said. Two Hawaii-based forensic pathologists will be performing autopsies for Guam in the near future. Attorney General Leevin Camachos office announced that a $70,000 contract has been signed with Dr. Martin Ishikawa and Dr. Rachel Lange. I am both relieved and grateful we have this in place. We want to make sure the families who have lost loved ones have closure and peace. A forensic pathologist will play an important role in making sure that they also receive justice, Camacho said Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Guam hasnt had a forensic pathologist since February after Dr. Aurelio Espinola retired. Without a replacement for Espinola, several families have been waiting on autopsies of their loved ones. Additionally, police also are waiting for autopsy reports, which are part of their investigation into deaths that occurred in February and March. Questions to the Guam Police Department regarding the number of autopsy reports GPD needs werent answered as of press time. In the last few weeks, police have said they are waiting for autopsies for various cases. Pyung Sik Lee, who died after being attacked in February, has yet to undergo an autopsy, which police have said they need as part of their investigation into his death. And police have several other cases that require a forensic pathologist including a death investigation in the discovery of the body of an elderly man found last week, a woman who died after a three-car collision in Mangilao, and the body of the man found Monday near Two Lovers Point. These cases require an autopsy to determine the cause of death and, among other things, rule out foul play. Contract cost At $5,000 an autopsy, the $70,000 contract will not last long. The contract also provides $2,200 for airfare from Honolulu and $2,450 for airfare from Maui, as well as a $1,500 travel allotment for lodging, meals and transportation. Additionally, if a medical examiner reviews a case or testifies in court, that will cost $300 per hour. Carlina Charfauros, the AGs office spokeswoman, said the budget will be discussed at the next Commission on Post-Mortem Examinations session. The forensic pathologists are expected to fly in to perform autopsies when a homicide or a similar crime is suspected as the manner of death, according to the press release. All other autopsies will continue to be performed by Saipan-based Dr. Phillip Dauterman, who has an existing contract with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Camacho is looking for a long-term solution. He is working with the AG of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which also relied on Espinola for forensic autopsies. CNMI Attorney General Edward Manibusan said discussions with Camacho included sharing the cost of recruitment. POTTSTOWN Shots fired at a West Street home Sunday night may be connected to a long-running bullying issue among eighth-graders at Pottstown Middle School, officials say. Police responded to the 500 block of West Street for reports of shots fired Sunday around 8:30 p.m. Upon arrival, ballistic evidence was found in the street indicating multiple shots had been fired, according to police. Residents of 552 West St. told authorities the home had been struck several times. There were no injuries reported by anyone in the home or elsewhere. Police are asking anyone with information in regard to this investigation to contact them at 610-970-6570. Monday morning, the Pottstown School District issued an email that read we have been alerted to a situation involving eighth grade students which allegedly included the use of weapons over the weekend. We are fully cooperating with the Pottstown Police Department and have taken extra precautions to ensure the safety of our students and staff. Pottstown Police Capt. Robert Thomas replied to a Mercury query Monday afternoon by noting we are looking into the possibility that (the shooting incident) is related to a call less than an hour prior to the shots being fired. The prior call did involve middle school-age kids. On Facebook, a parent who said it was her house that was shot, and whose name is being withheld to protect the familys identity, said her child has been the target of bullying by a group of Pottstown Middle School girls for six months. The parent also said her daughter was receiving Instagram death threats from boys as well, and that she had contacted the police and school administration multiple times. She said police took no action and her daughter got in trouble for fighting back. John Armato, direction of community relations for the Pottstown School District, confirmed that the school district is cooperating with police and that one aspect of the investigation into the shots fired report involves middle school bullying. He said the middle school building and district administration have been deeply involved in working with the students and adults in attempting to resolve this ongoing incident. He also confirmed the conflict has been ongoing for several months. Armato, who has been with the Pottstown School District for 49 years, said he cannot remember another incident during his tenure that involved gunfire and middle school students. He said in those 49 years, he has seen how our culture is desensitizing us all to how we deal with other individuals. We all heave reason to be concerned about the social and emotional issues that give rise to such acts. It is a sad reflection on our times and on our culture. The shots being fired at the house also comes at a time of increased concern about behavior issues at Pottstown Middle School. Just last week, Principal Brian Hostetler updated the school board on the methods being used to control behavior problems there, including a chart showing that discipline referrals have been down in the past three years. The school also has two mentor programs with David Charles and Terrence Shawell, as well as two mental health counselors from Creative Health. Visits there are up over last year. Hosteler said the middle schools students understand the lessons of the Social Emotional Learning protocol the district is using to reduce bullying and fighting, but struggle to apply the skills and concepts in the situation. There are anger management, two friendship skills, anxiety and two grief groups for student, four more than last year. Supports even include grab and go breakfasts for children who arrive at school too late for sit-down breakfast as well as collaboration with Operation Backpack, so children have food over the weekend; and St. James Lutheran Church so they have food over the holidays. One factor making it difficult to get a handle on discipline issues, Hostetler said, is the large staff turnover at the North Franklin Street building. Nearly 40 percent of the staff has been there less than five years and another 5 percent are retiring this year. Further, there have been seven different administrators in the building in the last 18 months, Hostetler included. Armato said in the wake of the gunfire incident, the district will continue, as it always does, in assessing the effectiveness of our programs and looking for ways to make it more effective. Hostelers presentation came in the wake of a series of three town hall meetings the district held to gather input on a proposal that the former Edgewood Elementary School, last used in 2014, be re-opened as a fifth grade center in order to pull the fifth grade out of the middle school building. No decision has been made on that matter. Governments, both state and national, have a primal urge to tinker in our formerly free market economy. Sometimes governments are moved to such intervention out of ideology, such as the currently in vogue strain of socialism coursing through the Democrat Party. Intervention is also born of arrogance as elected officials and deep state regulators believe they can do a better job running the economy. And, often, intervention comes at the behest of the private sector itself. Such is the case here in Pennsylvania as two examples of government picking winners and losers have generated headlines in recent weeks. One is an effort by a failing industry to survive; the other a state agency exceeding its mandate. To wit, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission recently awarded a $2 million contract for a feasibility study to determine whether a cross-state hyperloop should be built. This raises a wide range of issues, not the least of which the financial instability of the turnpike itself. The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a ticking fiscal time bomb that may soon blow up the entire state budget. Back in 2007, Gov. Ed Rendell and lawmakers hatched a scheme to have the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission toll Interstate 80 and divert a substantial portion of the revenue to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The federal government refused to allow the tolling of I-80, but the turnpike was stuck making annual payments of $450 million to PennDOT. That has not only triggered substantial toll increases on the turnpike, but legislators learned during recent budget hearings the agency has missed making several payments to PennDOT and likely will be unable to make this years payment. Worse, trucker associations have filed suit against the turnpike claiming the siphoning off of toll revenue to non-turnpike related projects is illegal. If they are successful, and the chances they will be are high, the turnpike will be on the hook for billions and PennDOTs subsidies will be a thing of the past. Given that scenario, and the fact a hyperloop falls outside the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commissions charter to run a highway, the decision to squander $2 million to study a futuristic mode of transportation was ill advised. The company awarded the study built a test track for entrepreneur Elon Musk in 2016. A hyperloop would put passengers and potentially freight into pods and propel them at speeds of 600 to 700 miles per hours using a vacuum system. Several companies are working to develop such systems, which do in fact show promise especially for the movement of freight, but those private firms are exactly who should be refining the technology, not the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. The federal government is sticking its hands into the mix as well recently announcing the establishment of a Non-Traditional and Emerging Technology Council. There is no better way to retard or kill the development of such technologies than to clutter their pathway with government councils and commissions. Another effort to put the foot of government on the scales of free enterprise is legislation designed to bail-out Pennsylvanias nuclear power industry. This is an example of the industry itself seeking government intervention in a bid for self-preservation. The fact is nuclear power has become uncompetitive in the energy marketplace due to the development of the nations fossil fuel resources, particularly natural gas which is plentiful in Penns Woods. While some in state government are seeking to tax the successful natural gas industry more, others are advocating the subsidization of an energy source that simply cant compete. There is also a proposal to make nuclear power part of the states alternative energy mandate, meaning requiring a certain percentage of energy must come from nuclear power even though it is not the least expensive source. Either a bailout, or alternative energy mandate would mean one thing: taxpayers and/or rate payers will be paying hundreds of millions of dollars to protect an uncompetitive source of energy generated by otherwise highly profitable companies. Such interventions as these rarely end well. In California a government-inspired high speed rail project was recently cancelled after billions in state and federal tax dollars were squandered. High speed rail, hyperloops, energy generation all are functions that are and should be left to the private sector to develop and to implement. When government picks winners and losers there is only one certain outcome taxpayers will be losers. Lowman S. Henry is Chairman & CEO of the Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research and host of the weekly Lincoln Radio Journal. His email address is lhenry@lincolninstitute.org The House failed today to overturn President Trumps first veto, leaving his declaration of a national emergency at the southwestern border intact. Both chambers of Congress passed a resolution nullifying the presidents order, but Trump vetoed the resolution and the veto could not be rendered ineffective without two-thirds of both chambers voting to override it. Opponents of the emergency declaration missed by about 40 votes in the House. The final count was 248-181. This was almost the same margin by which the resolution passed the House. That count was 245 to 182. Only one additional House Republican joined forces with House Democrats this time around (Rep. John Katko of New York who was absent for the last vote), bringing the total to a mere 14. Now the battle over Trumps declaration moves to the courts, where Democrats enjoy the edge, at least until the case arrives before the Supreme Court. At that point, well see. Yesterday, the New York Times carried an op-ed by Bob Bauer. As the title Trumps Shamelessness Was Outside Muellers Jurisdiction suggests, the op-ed is just another attempt to talk around the fact that Robert Mueller cleared President Trump of collusion with Russia. Whats notable about the article is how the New York Times identifies Bauer. The Times states: Mr. Bauer is a professor of practice and distinguished scholar in residence at New York University School of Law. Thats true as far as it goes. But for purposes of an op-ed about the Mueller investigation of alleged collusion with Russia, it doesnt go very far. Until May 2018, Bauer was a partner at the Perkins Coie law firm. Moreover, when Bauer left the firm, it announced that he will maintain his representation of a number of key clients in an individual, solo capacity and will co-counsel with Perkins Coie on a number of those representations. At Perkins Coie, Bauer headed the firms political law practice the largest in the country. It became the go-to practice for prominent Democrats trying to use lawyers to win elections. During the 2016 presidential race, Perkins Coie served as the private lawyers for the Democratic National Committee. According to The Hill, both the DNC and the Clinton campaign used Perkins Coie secretly to pay Fusion GPS and Christopher Steele to compile a dossier of uncorroborated raw intelligence alleging Trump and Moscow were colluding to hijack the presidential election. Fake intelligence in that dossier was then used by the FBI as the main basis for seeking a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant targeting the Trump campaign in the final days of the campaign. After the election, the dossier continued to be used by those pushing claims of collusion. These claims led to the Mueller investigation. Its unclear whether, without the dossier, there would ever have been an investigation into (nonexistent) collusion. Given the role of Bauers law firm in ginning up the collusion narrative, the Times should not have run an op-ed by Bauer about the Mueller investigation and where things stand in light of the collapse of the narrative that led to it. If the Times was going to run such an op-ed, it should have disclosed Bauers affiliation with Perkins Coie both his leadership role as of 2016 and, arguably, the ongoing affiliation cited in the 2018 announcement (assuming it persists). Its not hard to find partisans who will castigate Trump for shamelessness. The Times didnt need Bauer to perform this task. In any event, there is no excuse I know of for not providing full disclosure about his connection, via Perkins Coie, to the events at issue in the investigation about which Bauer was commenting. Over the weekend I came across the Snopes fact check: Did U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar Marry Her Brother? It rates the allegation, originally raised by me on Power Line, Unproven. Published on February 15, it stated in its conclusion that neither Omar nor Power Line had responded to a list of questions. Before writing Snopes I searched the Power Line gmail account for any email from Snopes. It turned up nothing. I emailed Snopes stating that we had never received a list of questions and asking for a correction. Around noon yesterday we received a forwarded email with a list of questions from Snopes reporter Bethania Parma dated February 15, the same date as Snopess Omar post. It read: Hello, Im a reporter for the fact checking organization Snopes.com. I am looking into rumors about Ilhan Omars marriage and the claim she married her brother. A post written by Scott Johnson on Powerline appears to be most-cited as the original source for this claim. Johnson cited a message board called SomaliSpot. My questions are: Does Mr. Johnson have any evidence to back the claim that Rep. Omar married her brother, other than a post on the SomaliSpot message board? Is Mr. Johnson aware of any evidence that has surfaced since his blog post was published? Was Mr. Johnson and Powerline the first to report this claim? Thank you in advance for your help, I look forward to your response. Sincerely, Bethania Palma Reporter, Snopes.com I immediately asked Palma where the forwarded email had allegedly been sent. I wrote: Bethania: I am not sure how you responded to the question I asked regarding where you sent your February 15 email. Let me state unequivocally that it was not received at our Power Line gmail account (this one). I have searched under your name and under Snopes. A search returns the Snopes automated response to my March 23 email and our exchange today but nothing else. I want you immediately to correct the comment that we have not responded to [you]. I will have a substantive response to you later today. I want to add this. I also ask that you share it with your editors at Snopes. I have promptly responded to every reporter who has asked me about my work on Ilhan Omar. That includes Patrick Coolican of the Star Tribune, Sheryl Gay Stolberg of the New York Times, Brent Scher of the Washington Free Beacon, John Gage of the Washington Examiner, Preya Samsundar of Alpha News in Minneapolis, and David Steinberg of PJ Media. None of them had any problem contacting me. Indeed, my phone number is listed on our site. Several of them called me. How is [it] that only Snopes was unable to contact me prior to publication of your fact check? That is one fact I would like to check. I emailed Snopes on Saturday from my personal gmail account. I would appreciate your acknowledgement that you have shared this message with your editors and copying your response to me at my personal gmail address [omitted]. Thanks. Scott Johnson I received no response. Our Power Line publisher is searching our spam folders for the February 15 message [see update below], but does any legitimate news organization consider a single unsolicited message from a previously unknown email account to be a legitimate attempt to contact a named subject? When the subject has a publicly displayed cell phone number on the site that gives rise to the issue under review? Give me a break. When I returned home yesterday afternoon I quickly responded to the substance of Palmas questions. Im not proud of it, but it is submitted for your consideration as part of the story: Bethania: This message responds to your inquiry received at our Power Line email account on this date. I am responding at my earliest opportunity. Please forgive possible typos. You asked: Does Mr. Johnson have any evidence to back the claim that Rep. Omar married her brother, other than a post on the SomaliSpot message board? Is Mr. Johnson aware of any evidence that has surfaced since his blog post was published? Was Mr. Johnson and Powerline the first to report this claim? This is my response to your first question: When I originally reported that we had been tipped to Omars peculiar marital situation on Power Line, I had been tipped by a reader to a post with photographic evidence (as I recall) on the SomaliSpot message board. I first checked out the dates of Omars marriages on the Minnesota online marriage database. The dates and names checked out. Checking Omars online site, I found that she advertised husband number 1 as her husband and the father of her children. I followed up with an inquiry to Omar through her campaign spokesman. The spokesman told me they would respond to me later that day. Late that day I heard from a criminal defense attorney whom I knew from covering the Somali terrorism case here. She represented one of the defendants in the case. The attorneys response provided a nondenial denial attacking me in personal terms. I drew adverse inferences from Omars response. That is what I originally reported. The attorneys message instructed me to communicate with Omar through her (the attorney). When I submitted follow-up questions, I received no response. I laid all this and more out in the City Journal column The curious case of Ilhan Omar. I laid all this out at that time so I could respond to reporters with inquiries like yours. This is my response to your second question: Yes, I am. I cite some of it in the City Journal column. See Preya Samsundars several articles at Alpha News and David Steinbergs four 2018 columns for PJ Media. Steinbergs four 2018 columns are full of additional evidence supporting the proposition that Ahmed Nur Said Elmi (husband number 2) is her brother. In addition, I continue to draw adverse inferences from what I interpret to be Omars guilty behavior. She behaves as if she has something to hide. See my March 21 post The curious case of Ilhan Omar revisited [URL omitted]. To all this I would add (1) Omars refusal to respond to AP reporter Amy Forliti last year when she revisited the controversy in the article cited at the end of your item; and (2) Omars queer behavior with Star Tribune reporter Steve Montemayor during the campaign (in connection with the article cited at the end of your item). She showed Montemayor a copy of her immigration documents on her cell phone but would not let him make copies or jot down the names. I emailed Montemayor to confirm her refusal to let him take down names. She is hiding something. I have also met with a confidential Somali source who confirms my reporting based on his acquaintance with the family members. He gave me copies of Facebook photos now removed of her brothers in London. I believe that one of Preyas Alpha News 2016 articles has the photos and a lot of other related social media information. This is my response to your third question: Yes. These questions are very basic and it is not apparent to me that you have done more than a minimal level of research. I am available to elaborate if you have follow-up questions. I would like to emphasize this: possible immigration fraud was the only reason I could think of for Omar marrying her brother, if that is what she did. when I first raised these issues in 2016. Subsequent reporting suggests other reasons. I do not assert that she married her brother to commit immigration fraud, which you focus your fact check on. although I think she may have committed immigration fraudShe has not responded to a serious interview on these issues with anyone. Snopes is only the latest in a long line of organizations with whom she has declined to engage. I freely acknowledge, and have expressly done so on Power Line, that my inability to state definitively why she might have married her brother is a weakness in the theory that she did so. I may be wrong. However, Omars refusal to answer questions about her marriage to husband number 2 is the underlying reason for any possible error. I would appreciate your confirmation of receipt of this message and your prompt correction of the Snopes fact check stating we failed to respond to you. Thanks. Scott W. Johnson Power Line Snopes has now updated the conclusion of its post to read: We sent a list of questions to Omars spokesman but did not receive responses prior to publication. We also sent a list of questions to Powerline blogger Scott Johnson, who responded on 25 March 2019 but offered nothing more substantive in support of the claim than inference and supposition. I wrote the Snopes reporter again: Bethania: I see you have updated your post to state that I provided you nothing but inference and supposition. I rate that false, if not a lie, and request that you post my email to you in full so readers can see for themselves. If nothing else, I cited the work of Preya Samsundar and David Steinberg, which is full of facts supporting my work. Your post simply omits it all, which makes it easy for you to misrepresent me as you do. Scott Johnson In Faulknerian terms, I rate the Snopes post four Flems. UPDATE: Our publisher reports: Cant find any evidence that she sent this email to Power Line Feedback on the date claimed. If it was tagged as spam, it was automatically deleted 30 days later, on March 15. If it was deleted, the trash would have been emptied automatically 30 days later as well. One thing she can easily do to help prove that she asked PL for comment on February 15 would be to go into her email, find the message that was sent on February 15, and send us the full headers of the email. Now that the Lefts collusion narrative has fallen apart, many are speculating about whether those who drove it, and roiled our public life for more than two years on the basis of opposition research that they probably knew was fraudulent, will be held to account. There is much to investigate: the fraudulently obtained FISA warrants; the hundreds of incidents of unmasking of innocent American citizens; the attempt by the FBIs top leadership to swing the election to Hillary Clinton or, failing that, to derail the newly-elected Trump administration; the CIAs role in leaking the fake dossier to the press while purporting to brief President Trump on its contents, thereby giving the Democratic Party news media permission, with a wink and a nod, to report on the Clinton campaigns fake dossier in the guise of a news story. And, of course, the over-arching question: what did Barack Obama know, and when did he know it? That is only a partial list. Will these misdeeds be investigated? Not in the House, obviously. Possibly in the Senate: Lindsey Graham has indicated as much on Twitter: Could not agree more. See you soon. https://t.co/KNGzyDizdq Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 25, 2019 But the Senate is generally a very poor investigative body. One question remains unanswered: why, with both House and Senate ostensibly in Republican hands, have the obvious questions about Obama administration corruption not been investigated already? Only Devin Nunes in the House has made a serious effort in that direction, for which we all should be eternally grateful. But what has the Senate done? Not much. Likewise, why hasnt President Trump declassified and released full information about the Democrats unmasking and FISA abuses, and other information that must be under executive branch control? I dont know. Will anything change now? Maybe Republican senators and President Trump are orchestrating a brilliant strategylying in the weeds (and losing the House) until the Mueller report routed the Democrats, and only then beginning a counterattack. I seriously doubt that is the case. Perhaps there will be serious investigations of the Obama administration and its holdovers in the FBI and the CIA, but I doubt it. Then there is the press. I confess to being surprised at the suggestion by many on the right that the liberal media have disgraced themselves, should apologize and seek reform, and so on. In truth, the liberal media have been disgracing themselves for decades. They have no problem, in principle, with deceiving the American people with fake news on behalf of the Democratic Party, as long as they dont get caught. That was the lesson of Rathergate: they needed to up their game from a technical standpoint. If anyone in the Democratic Party press sincerely regretted defaming President Bush (as opposed to failing in the attempt), I havent seen it. The Democratic Party press will continue what it has been doing for many yearseverything it can to help its party. The idea that the collapse of the collusion narrative might change this pattern is delusional. So, I would love to be proved wrong, but I think the likelihood of any serious accounting for the outrages of the last two-plus years is slim. PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-26 16:13:43 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 537 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 SAN JOSE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / On January 21st, 2019, under the provisions of the attorney- client doctrine, Dominic Caserta participated in a polygraph examination regarding allegations of misconduct by a volunteer for Caserta supervisorial campaign, Lydia Jungkind. In an attempt to dispel all duplicitous accusations, Caserta requested a polygraph test and signed a waiver citing his participation as entirely voluntary.Mr. Caserta was questioned on various incidents pertaining to the allegations after being accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with female students during his time as a teacher and candidate for the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. The examiner has conducted over eleven thousand polygraph examinations and is used by law enforcement throughout California. The examiner categorized the test as a 'Sex Offense Lie Issue type test for question formulation purposes'. The polygraph examiner concluded that Dominic Caserta passed with the highest score, 99.9%. The primary accuser of the 2018 allegations, Lydia Jungkind has not participated in a polygraph. Mr. Caserta continues to maintain his innocence and that the incident was made in effort to derail his front-leading status as a candidate for the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors occurring 29 days before the primary election.Relevant questions were hand scored by the polygraph governing board. The instrument accurately recorded his breathing, changes in blood pressure, and pulse rate throughout the examination period. The results proved that Dominic Caserta was being truthful in his responses, and, after careful analysis of the test charts, the examiner determined that the participant was in no way deceptive with his answers.After being wrongfully accused of misconduct, all sexual harassment charges involving Dominic Caserta were officially dropped in August 2018 by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office citing "insufficient evidence." Having maintained his innocence, the former Vice-Mayor of Santa Clara, California, Dominic Caserta remains a model citizen and is ready to move on from this political hit, focusing on the well-being of his family.About Dominic CasertaDominic Caserta is a graduate from Bellarmine College Preparatory and Santa Clara University, graduating cum laude. In 2000, Dominic received his teaching credentials from Santa Clara University where he graduated with honors. After obtaining his educational degree, he ran for Santa Clara City Council and he was elected to Seat Two in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006. In 2014, Dominic was elected again to the Santa Clara City Council, Seat Five. He takes pride in his ability to serve his community, and one of his most significant accomplishments was establishing a scholarship program in the City of Santa Clara for local graduating seniors that reside in Santa Clara, raising the minimum wage to the highest in Santa Clara County, and passing the first worker retention ordinance to protect workers.In 2009, he attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government where he participated the State and Local Officials Executive Program. In 2010, Dominic was awarded the prestigious James Madison Fellowship where Dominic received a high master's degree in political science from San Francisco State University where he currently teaches. Dominic is a passionate advocate for higher education. As a proud father and husband, Dominic Caserta is continuously searching for new ways to better his local community.For more information, please contact:Mlnarik Law Group, Inc.Phone Number: (408) 919 0088SOURCE: Dominic Caserta Research Report Insights (RRI) has launched the Fruit Puree Concentrate Market expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.8% over the forecast period 2026 PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-26 12:46:43 Press Information RESEARCH REPORT INSIGHTS Research Report Insights (RRI) 42 Joseph Street Port carling P0B 1J0 Muskoka, Ontario1 Phone - +1-631-721-4201 Website: https://www.researchreportinsights.com Email: sales@researchreportinsights.com BISHU T.L 6317214201 email https://www.researchreportinsights.com # 1144 Words Research Report Insights (RRI)42 Joseph StreetPort carling P0B 1J0Muskoka, Ontario1Phone - +1-631-721-4201Website: https://www.researchreportinsights.comEmail: sales@researchreportinsights.comT.L6317214201 In this report, Research Report Insights (RRI) offers a 10-year forecast of the global Fruit Puree Concentrate Market: Global Industry Analysis, size, sales and Forecast by 2026. In terms of value, the market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.8% over the forecast period. The current study reveals the market trends and market dynamics in all seven regions that are expected to positively affect the current market environment and future scenario of the Fruit Puree Concentrate Market over the forecast period.This Research Report Insights report inspects the Fruit Puree Concentrate market for the period 20162026. The prime objective of this report is to offer insights into developments in the Fruit Puree Concentrate market that are gradually helping transform global businesses associated with the same.The global Fruit Puree Concentrate market report begins by the executive summary and defining various categories and their share in the Fruit Puree Concentrate market. It is followed by market dynamics, overview of the global Fruit Puree Concentrate market, which includes RRI analysis of market drivers, restraints, opportunities and trends that are affecting growth of the Fruit Puree Concentrate market. Furthermore, to understand the popularity of the market segment and regions, the attractiveness index with elaborated insights on the same is provided, which will show the markets attractiveness based on the factors such as CAGR and incremental opportunity.Request For Report Sample: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/sample/110114817/Fruit-Puree-Concentrate-Market The market is segmented based on product type, fruit family type, application type and region. Based on product type, the market is sub-segmented into With Sugar and No Added Sugar. Among all the product type segment, No Added Sugar segment is expected to account for the highest market share, followed by With Sugar segment over the forecast period. The With Sugar type segment is expected to register a significant CAGR of 2.4 % during the forecast period in terms of value. The No Added Sugar segment is projected to register the highest CAGR of 6.4% over the forecast period. The factors fuelling demand for Fruit Puree Concentrate is the development in food industry and easy regulations for Fruit Puree Concentrate globally.The next section of the report highlights the Fruit Puree Concentrate adoption, by region, and provides the market outlook for 20162026. The study investigates the market attractiveness regionally, as well as analyses the limit to which the drivers are influencing the Fruit Puree Concentrate market in each region. Main regions assessed in this report include North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan and the Middle East & Africa (MEA). The sections, by product type, by fruit family type and by application type, evaluate the present scenario and growth prospects of the regional Fruit Puree Concentrate market for 20162026. Increasing focus of global key players for expansion in North America and APEJ region is expected to increase the Fruit Puree Concentrate market share in these regions. Latin America and Eastern Europe is expected to be the most attractive regions in terms of CAGR by 2026. The Fruit Puree Concentrate consumption in APEJ is anticipated to rise over the forecast period. In 2016, the region is estimated to account for 7.3% value share in the global Fruit Puree Concentrate market; and is anticipated to exhibit a CAGR of 6.1% by the end of the forecast period.To ascertain the Fruit Puree Concentrate market size, we have also taken into account the revenue generated by the various manufacturers. The forecast presented here assesses the total revenue generated by value, across the Fruit Puree Concentrate market. In order to provide an accurate forecast, we initiated by sizing up the current market, which forms the basis on how the Fruit Puree Concentrate market is expected to develop in the future. Given the characteristics of the market, we triangulated the outcome on the basis of three different types of analysis; based on supply side, downstream industry demand and the economic envelope. In addition, it is imperative to note that in an ever-fluctuating global economy, we not only conduct forecasts in terms of CAGR, but also analyse the market based on key parameters, such as year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth rates, to understand the predictability of the Fruit Puree Concentrate market and identify the right opportunities across the market.The Fruit Puree Concentrate segments, by product type, by fruit family type, by application type and region, have been analysed in terms of basis point share (BPS) to understand the individual segments relative contributions to market growth. This detailed level of information is important for identifying various key trends in the Fruit Puree Concentrate market. Another key feature of this report is the analysis of key segments in terms of absolute dollar opportunity. This is overlooked while forecasting the market. However, absolute dollar opportunity is critical for evaluating the scope of opportunity that a provider can look to achieve, as well as to identify potential resources from a delivery perspective of the Fruit Puree Concentrate market. The overall absolute dollar opportunity along with the segmental split is mentioned in the report.In the final section of the report on Fruit Puree Concentrate, the dashboard view of the companies is provided to compare the current industrial scenario and their contribution in total Fruit Puree Concentrate market. Moreover, it is primarily designed to provide clients with an objective and detailed comparative assessment of key providers specific to a market segment. Report audiences can gain segment-specific manufacturer insights to identify and evaluate key competitors based on the in-depth assessment of their capabilities and success in the Fruit Puree Concentrate marketplace.Detailed profiles of Puree Concentrate production companies are also included in the report to evaluate their long and shortterm strategies, key product offerings and recent developments in the Fruit Puree Concentrate market. Key market competitors covered in the report include Agrana Juice Gmbh, China Huiyuan Juice Group Ltd., Cobell Ltd, Doehler Gmbh, Fenix S.A., Grunewald Fruchtsaft GmbH, Kerr Concentrates Inc., Tianjin Kunyu International Co. Ltd., Tree Top Inc. and Watt's S.A.Request Report Discount: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/discount/110114817/Fruit-Puree-Concentrate-Market Key Segments CoveredBy Product TypeWith SugarNo Added SugarBy Fruit family typeBerry FruitBlueberryRaspberryStrawberryCitrus FruitOrangelemonExotic FruitBananaAppleMangoMelonPineappleCoconutTomatoOrchard fruitApricotPeachPearBy Application TypeFoodBaby foodsDairy and Frozen ProductsBakery and ConfectionaryOthers (Fruit snacks and bar, etc.)BeverageJuiceAlcoholic beveragesSmoothies and snack drinksOthers (cider, drinkable dairy products, etc.)Key Regions/Countries CoveredNorth AmericaS.CanadaLatin AmericaBrazilRest of Latin AmericaWestern EuropeK.GermanyFranceItalyBENELUXRest of Western EuropeEastern EuropeRussiaRest of Eastern EuropeAsia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ)ChinaIndiaAustralia & New ZealandRest of APEJJapanMiddle East & AfricaGCC CountriesTurkeySouth AfricaRest of MEAReport Analysis: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/rd/110114817/Fruit-Puree-Concentrate-Market PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-26 19:56:54 Press Information Research N Reports 10916, Gold Point Dr, Houston, TX, Pin - 77064 Sunny Denis Sales Manager +1-8886316977 email http://www.researchnreports.com # 523 Words 10916, Gold Point Dr, Houston, TX, Pin - 77064Sales Manager+1-8886316977 The report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global Credit Insurance market based on services and industry vertical. It also provides market size and forecast for overall market with respect to five major regions, the market by each region is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. Credit insurance is an insurance policy that pays off an outstanding debt in the event of the policy holders death, disability, or termination of employment.The global Credit Insurance market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of +3% during the period 2019-2025.The need for this product is swelling and its recognition in the market will fuel up in the market globally in the near future. Its quick disposition in the industry, scalability and flexibility that they offer are anticipated to add to reputation over the forecast period. Porters five forces and SWOT analysis have been utilized as well to scrutinize the market. This report offers an inclusive analysis of the Credit Insurance market.Get Sample Copy of this Report @Top Key Vendors in Market:Euler Hermes, Atradius, Coface, Zurich, Credendo Group, QBE Insurance, CesceTrade credit insurance, business credit insurance, export credit insurance, or credit insurance is an insurance policy and a risk management product offered by private insurance companies and governmental export credit agencies to business entities wishing to protect their accounts receivable from loss due to credit risks such as protracted default, insolvency or bankruptcy.The research report segments the Global Credit Insurance Market based on its application into clinics, residential, and hospitals, and others. On the basis of topography, the worldwide market is separated into North America, China, Europe, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia. The research report witnesses that North America will be a key territorial market in the general market. There is a lot of statistical surveying organizations out there, however, just a couple are trusted and are fruitful in pulling in the trust of the clients.Ask for discount@Market segment by Region: North America Europe Asia-Pacific Middle East & AfricaReasons for Buying this Report: Save and reduce time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the growth, size and segments in the Credit Insurance 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 market. Develop and modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging Credit Insurance market.For more Information @About Research N Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Where counting on a legitimate board company for your selections will become critical. Research N Reports specializes in enterprise evaluation, marketplace forecasts and as a result getting great reports overlaying all verticals, whether be it gaining angle on modern market situations or being in advance inside the cut throat Global opposition. Research Report Insights (RRI) has launched the report 5G Network Equipment Market a remarkable 59.3% CAGR all through the duration of 2019-2025 PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-26 08:35:39 Press Information Research Report Insights Research Report Insights (RRI 42 Joseph Street Port carling P0B 1J0 Muskoka, Ontario1 Phone - +1-631-721-4201 Website: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/ Email: sales@researchreportinsights.com BISHU CEO 6317214201 email http://www.. # 449 Words Research Report Insights (RRI42 Joseph StreetPort carling P0B 1J0Muskoka, Ontario1Phone - +1-631-721-4201Website: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/Email: sales@researchreportinsights.comCEO6317214201http://www.. researchreportinsights.com 5G also referred as 5th generation wireless systems, are enhanced wireless network advancements positioning them in 2018 and later. On the other hand, early inclusion of organizations in the market could profit them from numerous points of view and network equipment makers would have created mature products before the business arrangement of 5G starts.The worldwide market for 5G network equipment is likely to foresee a market estimate of more than US$ 1,100 Million in 2019 and is projected to grow over US$ 18,200 Million by 2025 end. The global market is projected to expand at a remarkable 59.3% CAGR all through the duration of 2019-2025.Market SegmentationIn terms of the component type, the worldwide market includes macro cell, small cell, RRU, AAU, RF filter, BBU, phase shifters and energy supply equipment. Amid these components, the worldwide market is likely to foresee an increase in the number of small cells category. Although the macro cells have been used until now, the category offered radio coverage to a broad geographical area as well as small cells was dependent and connected to macro cells.Request For Report Sample: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/sample/110114878/5G-Network-Equipment-Market In terms of the region, the worldwide market includes APAC, Europe, North America, MEA and Latin America. In growth rate terms, Europe regional market is anticipated to remain the largely attractive region in the worldwide market for 5G network equipment. The region is estimated to record an increase at a remarkable CAGR of 65% all through the six years forecast period 2019-2025. In the Europe regional market, nations, for example, the U.K., France and Germany are dominating in contrast to other regions for before time commercialization of the 5G services. On the other hand, the overall market share of Asia Pacific (APAC) regional market is considered to remain the biggest in the years to follow.This regional market is estimated to dominate the worldwide market with a market evaluation of more than US$ 10,300 Million towards the end of the calculated year 2025. This is moreover an outcome of the regional concentration on the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) inclination with the intention of improving workforce efficiency by the flexible employment of enterprise resources to fulfill the rising business requirements. The expansion of the 5G network equipment market is also likely to be rapid in nations of the Middle East.Request For Reprot discount: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/discount/110114878/5G-Network-Equipment-Market Key Market PlayersThe major companies functional in the global market includeSamsung Electronics Co., LtdQualcomm Technologies, Inc.Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.NEC CorporationNokiaZTE CorporationCisco Systems, Inc.CommScopeEricsson ABAirspan Networks, Inc.Hitachi, Ltd.QorvoEquinix, Inc.OthersReport Analysis: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/rd/110114878/5G-Network-Equipment-Market PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-26 12:33:05 Press Information RESEARCH REPORT INSIGHTS Research Report Insights (RRI) 42 Joseph Street Port carling P0B 1J0 Muskoka, Ontario1 Phone - +1-631-721-4201 Website: https://www.researchreportinsights.com Email: sales@researchreportinsights.com BISHU T.L 6317214201 email https://www.researchreportinsights.com # 726 Words Research Report Insights (RRI)42 Joseph StreetPort carling P0B 1J0Muskoka, Ontario1Phone - +1-631-721-4201Website: https://www.researchreportinsights.comEmail: sales@researchreportinsights.comT.L6317214201 Research Report Insights (RRI) 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, Europe & Asia Pacific herbal beauty products market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 3.7% during the forecast period due to various factors, which RRI offers vital insights into in detail.On the basis of end-use, the Europe & Asia Pacific herbal beauty products market has been 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 is expected to support growth of the male segment over the forecast period.Europe & Asia Pacific herbal beauty products market distribution channel has been segmented into supermarket, specialty stores, departmental stores, drugstores, beauty salons and online/direct selling. 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.Request For Report Sample: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/sample/110114787/Herbal-Beauty-Products-Market On the basis of type, Europe & Asia Pacific herbal beauty products market has been segmented into hair care, skin care, fragrance and oral care. Among all these, skin care segment has been estimated to represent highest value share of 45.7% in 2016 and is 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 segment in the market in the region during the forecast period. Skin care segment is further sub-segmented as cleanser & toner, cream & lotion, face wash & scrub and others. Among all these sub-segment, cream and lotion is expected to account for major value share over the forecast period. Hair care segment is predicted to occupy second largest position of the pie in terms of revenue contribution. Hair care segment is further sub-segmented as hair oil, powder, shampoo, conditioner and others. Oral care segment is expected to represent substantial growth over the forecast period. The segment is projected to represent CAGR of 3.1% in terms of value growth by 2026 end.Increasing adoption of products with naturally-derived herbal ingredients for acne, skin and hair problems especially in Asia Pacific region is expected to further drive demand for herbal beauty products market in Europe and Asia Pacific over the forecast period. In addition, availability of wide range of herbal cosmetics in retail outlets coupled with regular launch of new and innovative herbal beauty products by the manufacturers is expected to fuel the market growth during the forecast period.Shifting consumer preference towards Green Label cosmetic products that promote healthy skin and hair and enhance beauty to increase Europe & Asia Pacific herbal beauty products market value from US$ 1,727.0 Mn in 2015 to US$ 2,571.2 Mn by 2026: Research Report InsightsThis 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 regions including Europe and Asia Pacific (APAC). 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.This report covers detailed profiles of key players in Europe & Asia Pacific herbal beauty products market that includes major 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.Request Report Discount: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/discount/110114787/Herbal-Beauty-Products-Market Key Segments CoveredBy End-useMaleFemaleBy Distribution ChannelSupermarketsSpecialty StoresDepartmental StoresDrugstoresBeauty SalonsOnline/Direct SellingBy End-useHair CareHair OilPowderShampooConditionerOthersSkin CareCleanser & TonerCream & LotionFacewash & ScrubOthersFragranceOral CareKey Regions/Countries CoveredEuropeGermanyFranceK.SpainItalyRussiaNordicBeneluxRest of EuropeAsia Pacific (APAC)ChinaIndiaASEANJapanAustralia & New ZealandRest of APACReport Analysis: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/rd/110114787/Herbal-Beauty-Products-Market PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-26 17:22:44 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 315 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Recipient of the 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year Award - Peter Russo seeks to prepare his students for post-secondary education by helping them navigate the educational landscapeBATON ROUGE, LA / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / In an attempt to help educate high school students on potential career opportunities, Louisiana educator Peter Russo hosts a Q&A with Harvard student Amanda Gorman. As a sociology major, activist, poet, and a frequent contributor to the New York Times, Amanda has a sophisticated understanding of how to excel in a professional capacity. She was also the first person to be named national youth poet laureate in April 2017 and is the Founder of a non-profit organization One Pen One Page.By discussing relevant social issues, students were encouraged to contribute to a lively discussion and ask a wide range of questions from personal opinions to life as a Harvard student.In this discussion, Amanda encourages students to pursue their passions and implies that every individual has a unique perspective to offer the world.Peter Russo claims that the casual interaction between his students and Amanda Gorman was a means to fuel motivation and provide an opportunity to ask questions. Many students fear the transition between high school and post-secondary education; however, taking the time to establish clear lines of communication may eliminate some of those initial fears.About Peter RussoIstrouma High School Teacher, Peter Russo is the proud recipient of the 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year Award presented by the East Baton Rouge Parish. As a private school educator, some of his most notable achievements include the Voices of a People's History program a collaboration with Cornell University to create community building experiences. Peter takes pride in his ability to challenge his students, while motivating them to connect with real-world issuesFor more information on Peter Russo please visit https://peterrusso.org/ Email: info@ peterrusso.org SOURCE: Istrouma High School Teacher The actor, who was then dating Kristen, didnt want to take up the show since it was scheduled for shoot in Philadelphia and required him to live away for months, reports JustJared.com. Actor Dax Shepard says that he had initially turned down the role in American television series Parenthood. When it was offered, the actor didnt want to live away from his now wife Kristen Bell. The actor, who was then dating Kristen, didnt want to take up the show since it was scheduled for shoot in Philadelphia and required him to live away for months, reports JustJared.com. I got offered Parenthood I hadnt acted in a long time, no one was offering me anything and they said, This show shoots in Philadelphia and I said, Theres no way I can be in this relationship and move to Philadelphia. says the actor. He goes on to add, I turned that show down which, by the way, is certainly the first time in my life that I had ever done thatI couldn't believe I was doing it. Dax eventually took the show after the shoot schedule moved to Los Angeles. The market, which is estimated to reach US$ 59 Bn value by the end of 2017, is poised to showcase a CAGR of 3.7% and bring in US$ 87.6 Bn by 2027- PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-26 14:42:02 Press Information Research Report Insights Contact Us: Research Report Insights (RRI) 42 Joseph Street Port carling P0B 1J0 Muskoka, Ontario1 Phone - +1-631-721-4201 Website: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/ Email: sales@researchreportinsights.com BISHU TL +1631721420 email https://www.researchreportinsights.com # 681 Words Contact Us:Research Report Insights (RRI)42 Joseph StreetPort carling P0B 1J0Muskoka, Ontario1Phone - +1-631-721-4201Website: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/Email: sales@researchreportinsights.comTL+1631721420 With the rising demand for petroleum products and newer technologies, there has been a growth in oil and gas extraction. Increasing number of oil and gas projects globally are driving the pipeline installation and construction. Hence the rise in a number of pipelines covering long distance are fitted with a number of valves to regulate hydrocarbon flow. Moreover, development of new refineries and upgrading existing refineries are driving the demand for industrial valves.According to the report by Research Report Insights (RRI), a massive boost in offshore oil and gas exploration in countries like Brazil, Peru and Argentina are fueling the demand for industrial valves. Moreover, Total S.A., a petroleum refining company has decided to spend half a billion dollars to develop shale gas field in Argentina, this presents an opportunity for industrial valve manufacturers. More such projects are taking place in diverse regions such as Europe and North America. Russia and Poland are also increasingly investing in subsea exploration. Hence, installation of subsea stations in both the countries are expected to drive demand for industrial valves. The market, which is estimated to reach US$ 59 Bn value by the end of 2017, is poised to showcase a CAGR of 3.7% and bring in US$ 87.6 Bn by 2027-end. In terms of volume, as well, the global industrial valve market is expected to register a 4% CAGR over the forecast period.Request For Report Sample: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/sample/110114781/Industrial-Valves-Market However, oil and gas industry is the largest end user of industrial valve, is witnessing uncertainty due to high oil prices. This factor is impacting the growth of industrial valve market.Advances in industrial valve technology is at more evolutionary paceAlthough evolving at a slow pace, innovation in industrial valves have significantly contributed to the access and process of iron ore, gold, oil and gas. New power plants to operate at higher temperatures and pressures are being developed. Moreover, oil and gas industry is also involving in new offshore projects, hence these industries require effectively operating products. Here, pressure relief valves which are used to control and limit pressure in a system are playing a major role.Manufacturers and major players are using advanced technologies to make these pressure relief valves more effective. With help of emerging technologies the valves are able to remotely sense relieving pressure, are well-balanced against back pressure, are bigger and lighter in weight and are cost-effective. New industrial valves are also being developed to meet changing demands for change in weight and size requirements, to adjust with higher temperatures and pressures and emission standards.Increasing number of partnerships and mergers & acquisitions in industrial valve marketManufacturers and major companies are entering into partnerships and mergers and acquisitions to provide services, increase capacity and develop innovative products. For instance, Denholm Valvecare, a valves provider to global oil and gas industry has entered into a partnership with IBOR Valves to enhance its manufacturing and designing capabilities.Another deal has been signed between Maersk Oil and SIMMONS EDECO. As per the contract, SIMMONS EDECO will provide valve and wellhead maintenance service for offshore wells of Maersk Oil in Danish North Sea. The company will also refurbish valves and wellhead maintenance equipment.Request Report Discount: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/discount/110114781/Industrial-Valves-Market An increasing number of projects are taking place in oil and gas industry. As per the U.S. Energy Information Administration report on International Energy Outlook 2016, shale gas production included more than 50% of natural gas production, is expected to reach 79 bcf/d by 2040. This will lead to more construction in oil and gas sector resulting in increasing demand for industrial valves.The report further profiles key players in the global industrial valve market which include Flowserve Corporation, Emerson, AVK Holding A/S, KSB Aktiengesellschaft, Zhejiang FuGe Fluid control equipment CO.,LTD ., Cameron International Corp., Neway Valve, LESER GmbH & Co. KG Hamburg, CIRCOR International, Inc., KITZ Corporation, ABO valve, Tecofi, Guichon Valves, Robvalve, Polna corp. s.r.o, Gunric Valves (Pty) Ltd, John Mills Valves, Achech Europe, Orion Valves, Exotica Valves.Report Analysis: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/rd/110114781/Industrial-Valves-Market PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-26 19:55:42 Press Information QYReports 204, Professional Centre, 7950 NW 53rd Street, Miami, Florida 33166 Jones John Sales Manager +(1) 786-292-8164 email http://www.qyreports.com # 414 Words 204, Professional Centre,7950 NW 53rd Street, Miami, Florida 33166Sales Manager+(1) 786-292-8164 A compressive outline of the global Virtual 3D Nanorobots market has newly published by QYReports to its extensive database. Qualitative and quantitative research techniques have been used to collect and interpret the various facts of the Virtual 3D Nanorobots market. The global market has been explained in detail by considering each and every market segments over the forecast period.Nanorobotics is the technology of creating machines or robots at or close to the scale of a nanometre (10-9 metres). More specifically, nanorobotics refers to the still largely theoretical nanotechnology engineering discipline of designing and building nanorobots. Nanorobots (nanobots or nanoids) are typically devices ranging in size from 0.1-10 micrometres and constructed of nanoscale or molecular components.Request for Sample Copy Of this Report @ https://www.qyreports.com/request-sample?report-id=82039 The Top Key Players including in the Virtual 3D Nanorobots Market: Zymergen, Gingko Bioworks and SynthaceThe global Virtual 3D Nanorobots market breakdown into various global regions such as North America, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East, Europe and Africa based on various business parameters. Top manufacturers are also examined in those global regions to understand the global market investment. The data which has been examined by considering both established key players as well as upcoming entrants in the market. The growth prospects and profit margin are elucidated in the research report. Different key variables, as well as regression models, have been used to estimate the trajectory of the global Virtual 3D Nanorobots market.For more Information and Enquiry Click Here:The financial aspects of businesses such as growth rate, profit margin, and revenue have been presented by applying effective infographics. The global market has been studied by using SWOT and Porters five-technique. Furthermore, dominating trends in the global Virtual 3D Nanorobots market are also marked in the research report. The productivity of global Virtual 3D Nanorobots market has been described by focusing on different pointers such as production, pricing structure, capacity, and revenue.The main points which are answered and covered in this Report are-What will be the total market size in the coming years till 2025?What will be the key factors which will be overall affecting the market?What are the various challenges addressed?Which are the major companies included?Buyers will get up to 30% discount on this report Click Here:If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want. PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-26 11:48:03 Nokia Corporation Stock Exchange Release March 26, 2019 at 12:45 (CET +1) Nokia Board convenes the Annual General Meeting 2019, proposes that the Board be authorized to distribute an aggregate maximum of EUR 0.20 per share and Sren Skou be elected as a Board member Espoo, Finland - Nokia announced today that its Board of Directors (the "Board") has resolved to convene the Annual General Meeting on May 21, 2019. The notice of the Meeting and the complete proposals by the Board are scheduled to be available on Nokia's website on March 29, 2019. Distribution of distributable funds for the financial year 2018 As announced earlier, the Board proposes that the Annual General Meeting authorize the Board to resolve on the distribution of an aggregate maximum of EUR 0.20 per share as dividend from the retained earnings and/or as repayment of capital from the fund for invested unrestricted equity. The authorization would be valid until the opening of the next Annual General Meeting and it would be used to distribute funds in four instalments during the validity of the authorization, unless the Board decides otherwise for a justified reason. The Board would make separate resolutions on the amount and timing of each distribution with preliminary record and payment dates stated below. The Company will announce each Board resolution separately and confirm the relevant record and payment dates in such announcements. Preliminary ex-dividend date Preliminary record date Preliminary payment date May 22, 2019 May 23, 2019 June 6, 2019 July 29, 2019 July 30, 2019 August 8, 2019 October 28, 2019 October 29, 2019 November 7, 2019 February 3, 2020 February 4, 2020 February 13, 2020 Each instalment would be paid to the shareholders that are registered in the Company's Register of Shareholders maintained by Euroclear Finland Oy on the record date of the relevant instalment. The actual dividend payment dates outside Finland would be determined by the practices of the intermediary banks transferring the dividend payments. Board composition and remuneration Louis R. Hughes has informed that he will no longer be available to serve on the Board after the Annual General Meeting. Consequently, the Board proposes, on the recommendation of the Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee, that the following current Board members be re-elected as members of the Nokia Board of Directors for a term ending at the close of the next Annual General Meeting: Sari Baldauf, Bruce Brown, Jeanette Horan, Edward Kozel, Elizabeth Nelson, Olivier Piou, Risto Siilasmaa, Carla Smits-Nusteling and Kari Stadigh. Furthermore, the Board proposes that Sren Skou, CEO of A.P. Mller Mrsk A/S, be elected as a member of the Board for the same term. The Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee will also propose in the assembly meeting of the new Board of Directors after the Annual General Meeting on May 21, 2019 that Risto Siilasmaa be elected as Chair of the Board and Sari Baldauf as Vice Chair of the Board, subject to their election to the Board of Directors. The resumes of the Board member candidates are available on www.nokia.com/agm. The Board does not propose changes to the Board remuneration. Authorization to the Board to issue shares and repurchase company's shares In line with previous years, the Board proposes that the Annual General Meeting authorize the Board to resolve to issue an aggregate maximum of 550 million shares or special rights entitling to shares under Chapter 10, Section 1 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act. The Board may issue either new shares or treasury shares held by the Company. Shares and special rights may be issued in deviation from the shareholders' pre-emptive rights within the limits set by law. The authorization may be used to develop the Company's capital structure, diversify the shareholder base, finance or carry out acquisitions or other arrangements, to settle the Company's equity-based incentive plans or for other purposes resolved by the Board. Also, in line with previous years, the Board proposes that the Board be authorized to resolve to repurchase a maximum of 550 million shares. The repurchases would reduce distributable funds of the Company. The shares may be repurchased otherwise than in proportion to the shares held by the shareholders (directed repurchase). Shares may be repurchased to be cancelled, held to be reissued, transferred further or for other purposes resolved by the Board. 550 million shares correspond to less than 10 per cent of the Company's total number of shares. The Board shall resolve on all other matters related to the issuance or repurchase of Nokia shares in accordance with the resolution by the Annual General Meeting. It is proposed that both authorizations be effective until November 21, 2020. Auditor election and remuneration The Board proposes, on the recommendation of the Audit Committee, that PricewaterhouseCoopers Oy be re-elected as the auditor of the Company for the financial year 2019. In addition, Nokia has an obligation to organize an audit firm selection procedure in accordance with the EU Audit Regulation concerning the audit for the financial year 2020 (mandatory auditor rotation). The practical requirements for arranging the selection procedure under the EU Audit Regulation and the obligation to include at least two candidates in the recommendation of the Audit Committee have caused the Board to re-evaluate of the timing of the election of the auditor. The election of an auditor for the financial year 2020 already in Annual General Meeting 2019 would give the elected auditor time to prepare for the new audit engagement. At the same time, the shareholders of the Company would have an opportunity to elect the auditor already prior to the relevant financial year. Consequently, the Board proposes, on the recommendation of the Audit Committee, that Deloitte Oy be elected as the Company's auditor for the financial year 2020. It is also proposed that elected auditors be reimbursed based on the invoice of the auditor and in compliance with the purchase policy approved by the Audit Committee. About Nokia We create the technology to connect the world. We develop and deliver the industry's only end-to-end portfolio of network equipment, software, services and licensing that is available globally. Our customers include communications service providers whose combined networks support 6.1 billion subscriptions, as well as enterprises in the private and public sector that use our network portfolio to increase productivity and enrich lives. Through our research teams, including the world-renowned Nokia Bell Labs, we are leading the world to adopt end-to-end 5G networks that are faster, more secure and capable of revolutionizing lives, economies and societies. Nokia adheres to the highest ethical business standards as we create technology with social purpose, quality and integrity. www.nokia.com Media Enquiries: Nokia Communications Tel. +358 (0) 10 448 4900 Email: press.services@nokia.com Jon Peet, Vice President, Corporate Communications FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS It should be noted that Nokia and its businesses are exposed to various risks and uncertainties and certain statements herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect Nokia's current expectations and views of future developments and include statements regarding: A) expectations, plans or benefits related to our strategies and growth management; B) expectations, plans or benefits related to future performance of our businesses and any expected future dividends; C) expectations and targets regarding financial performance, results, operating expenses, taxes, currency exchange rates, hedging, cost savings and competitiveness, as well as results of operations including targeted synergies and those related to market share, prices, net sales, income and margins; D) expectations, plans or benefits related to changes in organizational and operational structure; E) expectations regarding market developments, general economic conditions and structural changes; F) our ability to integrate acquired businesses into our operations and achieve the targeted business plans and benefits, including targeted benefits, synergies, cost savings and efficiencies; G) expectations, plans or benefits related to any future collaboration or to business collaboration agreements or patent license agreements or arbitration awards, including income to be received under any collaboration or partnership, agreement or award; H) timing of the deliveries of our products and services, including our short term and longer term expectations around the rollout of 5G and our ability to capitalize on such rollout; and the overall readiness of the 5G ecosystem ; I) expectations and targets regarding collaboration and partnering arrangements, joint ventures or the creation of joint ventures, and the related administrative, legal, regulatory and other conditions, as well as our expected customer reach; J) outcome of pending and threatened litigation, arbitration, disputes, regulatory proceedings or investigations by authorities; K) expectations regarding restructurings, investments, capital structure optimization efforts, uses of proceeds from transactions, acquisitions and divestments and our ability to achieve the financial and operational targets set in connection with any such restructurings, investments, capital structure optimization efforts, divestments and acquisitions, including our 2019-2020 cost savings program; L) expectations, plans or benefits related to future capital expenditures, temporary incremental expenditures or other R&D expenditures to develop or rollout new products, including 5G; and M) statements preceded by or including "believe", "expect", "expectations", "commit", "anticipate", "foresee", "see", "target", "estimate", "designed", "aim", "plan", "intend", "influence", "assumption", "focus", "continue", "project", "should", "is to", "will" or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. These statements are based on management's best assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it. These forward-looking statements are only predictions based upon our current expectations and views of future events and developments and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. Factors, including risks and uncertainties that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to: 1) our strategy is subject to various risks and uncertainties and we may be unable to successfully implement our strategic plans, sustain or improve the operational and financial performance of our business groups, correctly identify or successfully pursue business opportunities or otherwise grow our business; 2) general economic and market conditions and other developments in the economies where we operate, including the timeline for the deployment of 5G and our ability to successfully capitalize on that deployment; 3) competition and our ability to effectively and profitably invest in new competitive high-quality products, services, upgrades and technologies and bring them to market in a timely manner; 4) our dependence on the development of the industries in which we operate, including the cyclicality and variability of the information technology and telecommunications industries and our own R&D capabilities and investments; 5) our dependence on a limited number of customers and large multi-year agreements; 6) our ability to maintain our existing sources of intellectual property-related revenue through our intellectual property, including through licensing, establish new sources of revenue and protect our intellectual property from infringement; 7) our ability to manage and improve our financial and operating performance, cost savings, competitiveness and synergies generally and our ability to implement changes to our organizational and operational structure efficiently; 8) our global business and exposure to regulatory, political or other developments in various countries or regions, including emerging markets and the associated risks in relation to tax matters and exchange controls, among others; 9) our ability to achieve the anticipated benefits, synergies, cost savings and efficiencies of acquisitions, including the acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent; 10) exchange rate fluctuations, as well as hedging activities; 11) our ability to successfully realize the expectations, plans or benefits related to any future collaboration or business collaboration agreements and patent license agreements or arbitration awards, including income to be received under any collaboration, partnership, agreement or arbitration award; 12) Nokia Technologies' ability to protect its IPR and to maintain and establish new sources of patent, brand and technology licensing income and IPR-related revenues, particularly in the smartphone market, which may not materialize as planned, 13) our dependence on IPR technologies, including those that we have developed and those that are licensed to us, and the risk of associated IPR-related legal claims, licensing costs and restrictions on use; 14) our exposure to direct and indirect regulation, including economic or trade policies, and the reliability of our governance, internal controls and compliance processes to prevent regulatory penalties in our business or in our joint ventures; 15) our reliance on third-party solutions for data storage and service distribution, which expose us to risks relating to security, regulation and cybersecurity breaches; 16) inefficiencies, breaches, malfunctions or disruptions of information technology systems; 17) our exposure to various legal frameworks regulating corruption, fraud, trade policies, and other risk areas, and the possibility of proceedings or investigations that result in fines, penalties or sanctions; 18) adverse developments with respect to customer financing or extended payment terms we provide to customers; 19) the potential complex tax issues, tax disputes and tax obligations we may face in various jurisdictions, including the risk of obligations to pay additional taxes; 20) our actual or anticipated performance, among other factors, which could reduce our ability to utilize deferred tax assets; 21) our ability to retain, motivate, develop and recruit appropriately skilled employees; 22) disruptions to our manufacturing, service creation, delivery, logistics and supply chain processes, and the risks related to our geographically-concentrated production sites; 23) the impact of litigation, arbitration, agreement-related disputes or product liability allegations associated with our business; 24) our ability to re-establish investment grade rating or maintain our credit ratings; 25) our ability to achieve targeted benefits from, or successfully implement planned transactions, as well as the liabilities related thereto; 26) our involvement in joint ventures and jointly-managed companies; 27) the carrying amount of our goodwill may not be recoverable; 28) uncertainty related to the amount of dividends and equity return we are able to distribute to shareholders for each financial period; 29) pension costs, employee fund-related costs, and healthcare costs; 30) our ability to successfully complete and capitalize on our order backlogs and continue converting our sales pipeline into net sales; and 31) risks related to undersea infrastructure, as well as the risk factors specified on pages 60 to 75 of our 2018 annual report on Form 20-F published on March 21, 2019 under "Operating and financial review and prospects-Risk factors" and in our other filings or documents furnished with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Other unknown or unpredictable factors or underlying assumptions subsequently proven to be incorrect could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent legally required. This announcement is distributed by West Corporation on behalf of West Corporation clients. The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: NOKIA via Globenewswire Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the "Perfume Ingredient Chemicals Market to Witness Steady Growth at 5.5 % CAGR During 2017 - 2027" report to their offering Perfume Ingredient Chemicals PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-26 05:11:00 Press Information Future Market Insights 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,, Abhishek Budholiya Manager 3479183531 email https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ Published by Abhishek Budholiya +1-347-918-3531 e-mail http://www.futuremarketinsights.com # 578 Words 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,,Manager3479183531Abhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531 Global revenue from the sales of perfume ingredient chemicals was valued at US$ 5,254.1 Mn in 2017 and is projected to reach a market value of US$ 8,967.3 Mn by 2027 end, increasing at a CAGR of 5.5% during the forecast period i.e. between 2017 and 2027. According to a new publication by Future Market Insights titled Perfume Ingredient Chemicals Market: Global Industry Analysis (2012 2016) and Opportunity Assessment (2017 2027), most of the companies manufacturing perfume ingredient chemicals focus on manufacturing fragrances and materials with synthetic chemicals. The expert analysts of Future Market Insights have observed that the personal care and cosmetics industry will witness major opportunities for growth and is all set to help market players increase their market share and business revenue.Global Perfume Ingredient Chemicals Market: RestraintsHigh cost of raw materials and lack of low tier manufacturingLow awareness of greener products and low production growthHigh cost of extracting raw ingredients and expensive research & development programmesRaw material price fluctuations and high cost of petroleum based fuelsGrowing concerns regarding the harmful effects of using aggressive ingredientsRequest For Report Sample @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-6131 Global Perfume Ingredient Chemicals Market: Forecast by ApplicationOn the basis of application, the global perfume ingredient chemicals market is segmented into fine fragrance, home care, laundry care, personal care, cosmetics, and others. The fine fragrance segment accounted for a significant market value share of 22.3% in 2017, followed by the personal care segment. The personal care segment is expected to remain dominant till 2027. This segment is also expected to remain the most lucrative during the forecast period.Global Perfume Ingredient Chemicals Market: Forecast by Product TypeProduct type segmentation comprises synthetic aroma chemicals and essential oils. Synthetic aroma chemicals segment is further segmented into alcohols, esters, ethers, ketone, and others. Essential oils segment is sub-segmented into orange, citronella, peppermint, eucalyptus and others. Synthetic aroma chemicals segment is anticipated to witness the highest value CAGR of 5.7% in the global perfume ingredient chemicals market. Cost factor is expected to move market players to adopt synthetic products; further, a global trend towards green products is expected to create lucrative opportunities for manufacturers of essential oils owing to a growing consumer preference for herbal products.Global Perfume Ingredient Chemicals Market: Forecast by RegionAsia Pacific is estimated to be the most lucrative regional market in terms of revenue generation in the global perfume ingredient chemicals market, valued at US$ 1,198.0 Mn in 2017 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.2% over the forecast period. Within the Asia Pacific, China & India are expected to remain in a dominant position for perfume ingredient chemicals demand. In terms of growth, following the Asia Pacific are several European countries such as Italy, France, and U.K. A noteworthy increase in sales in other developing markets such as Brazil, Russia, Turkey, GCC countries and South Africa is anticipated over the forecast period.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-6131 Global Perfume Ingredient Chemicals Market: Key PlayersSensient Technologies Corporation, BASF SE, Eternis Fine Chemicals, YingYang (China) Aroma Chemical Group, KDAC CHEM Pvt. Ltd., Frutarom Harmony Organics Pvt. Ltd., Atul Ltd, GODAVARI BIOREFINERIES LTD, Givuadan Firmenich, International Flavors and Fragrances Inc., Symrise, Takasago International Corporation, MANA SE, Robertet SA, T. Hasegawa USA, Huabao International Holdings Limited, Zhejiang, Xinhua Chemical Co., Ltd, Henkel AG & Co KGaA ADR, and Charkit Chemical Company LLC are some of the leading companies operating in the global market that have been profiled in this report. PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-26 18:50:25 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 388 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / Podiatrist and business owner, Schlomo Schmuel announced today a new investment in the pursuit of academic excellence with the launch of Dr. Schlomo Schmuel's Scholarship program. Providing three scholarships, the program is designed to award students who showcase initiative and academic excellence at the post-secondary level.Schlomo Schmuel's Scholarship program is open to students who have been accepted in or are currently enrolled in a college or university program. Applications are currently being accepted online until May 20. One winner will be awarded a $1,500 scholarship and two awardees with be selected for $750 scholarships.An entrepreneur specializing in Podiatric Medicine, Dr. Schmuel has built nine Los Angeles-based clinics, serving patients throughout Southern California with foot and ankle conditions. Dr. Schmuel attended the College of Podiatric Medicine at Kent State University and performed his Residency in Podiatric Surgery at the University of Southern California Medical Center."The goal of the Schlomo Schmuel Scholarship program is to encourage the pursuit of academic excellence at all levels," said Dr. Schmuel. "By shining a light on students who show both promise and initiative, we can promote a deeper and wider respect for the importance of learning and those who dedicate themselves to its pursuit." Program applicants will be judged on a variety of criteria, including academic accomplishments, non-academic accomplishments, awards, recommendations, personal statements, volunteer efforts, as well as independent diligence, including research of available public information. Applicants must show a GPA of at least 2.50 on a 4.0 scale and evidence of enrollment in or acceptance of enrollment in a degree program at a four-year accredited college or university within the United States for the 2019-2020 academic year.About Dr. Schlomo SchmuelSchlomo Schmuel, DPM is a successful entrepreneur who built a thriving business specializing in Podiatric Medicine. As the owner of Sunset Foot Clinic, he has specialized in podiatric care for nearly 25 years. As a matter of fact, he has been serving patients on Sunset Boulevard adjacent to The Happy Foot/Sad Foot sign on the border between Silver Lake and Echo Park for a large portion of his professional career.Visit https://schlomoschmuelscholarship.com to apply. Applications must be received via the online application portal before May 20, 2019.Application or scholarship questions should be directed to: info@ schlomoschmuelscholarship.com SOURCE: Dr. Schlomo Schmuel & Sunset Foot Clinic PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-26 18:32:55 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 924 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / Skeena Resources Limited ( TSX.V: SKE, OTCQX: SKREF) ("Skeena" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that metallurgical optimizations as well as a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA"), for the Eskay Creek Project ("Eskay Creek") have been initiated. The Company also welcomes Stacy Freudigmann, P.Eng., to the Skeena team as Project Manager for the aforementioned studies. Eskay Creek is endowed with excellent infrastructure including road access, proximity to recently commissioned 195MW run-of-river hydroelectric facilities, tailings storage capacity and historical underground development situated less than 100 metres from existing mineral resources.Phase I Metallurgical OptimizationsDemonstrated metallurgy from the past producing Eskay Creek mine involved a 350 TPD flotation plant with average gold and silver recoveries of 80% and 92% respectively. Gravity separation of gold accounted for 10-30% of preliminary separation. Sulphide concentrates were subsequently transported via truck to either the Port of Stewart for further smelting in Japan or trucked to Kitwanga for loading onto rail cars and transported to a smelter in Quebec.Notwithstanding the proven historical process associated with flotation, the Company will be investigating the amenability of the Eskay Creek blended mineralization to leaching.The Blue Coast Research Group ("Blue Coast"), located in Parksville British Columbia, is currently undertaking the metallurgical investigations and subsequent optimizations. Blue Coast provides metallurgical laboratory test work services, specializing in precious and base metals, metallurgical flowsheet development, evaluation of processes and technologies including grinding, froth flotation, gravity concentration, leaching, heap leaching, to full continuous pilot plant testing.The Phase I metallurgical testing is proceeding on schedule with results anticipated in Q2 2019.Preliminary Economic AssessmentAusenco Engineering Canada Inc. ("Ausenco") has been engaged to perform a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for Eskay Creek. The PEA will contemplate an open pit mining scenario with a small up-front contribution of underground resources. Dependent on the results of the metallurgical optimizations, subsequent trade-off analyses will contemplate either the leaching or flotation processes. The Eskay Creek PEA is scheduled for completion in Q3 2019.Ausenco is a global diversified engineering, construction and project management company providing consulting, project delivery and asset management solutions to the resources, energy and infrastructure sectors. Ausenco's experience in gold projects ranges from conceptual, pre-feasibility and feasibility studies for new project developments to project execution with EPCM and EPC delivery. Ausenco is currently engaged on a number of global projects with similar characteristics and opportunities to Eskay Creek.New Project Manager Strengthens Operational TeamStacy Freudigmann P.Eng., is a metallurgist with over 20 years' experience, specializing in areas of mining management, metallurgy and process engineering, project management and development. He possesses extensive experience in evaluating, directing and coordinating engineering for mineral development projects and managing process operations and production. Stacy brings with him the proven capability to oversee large engineering studies for clients, including Prefeasibility and Feasibility studies, as well as the proven ability to solve complex metallurgical and process issues. His founding of Canenco Consulting Corp. ("Canenco") in 2010 has seen him assist multiple mining and engineering companies around the world such as Nystar N.V., Sabina Gold & Silver Corp., Lion One Metals Ltd., SRK Consulting Inc., Dalradian Resources Inc. and more. Other operational, technical and management experience includes Pebble Limited Partnership working with Northern Dynasty and Anglo American, Hunter Dickinson Inc., Taseko Mines Ltd and Placer Dome.About SkeenaSkeena Resources Limited is a junior Canadian mining exploration company focused on developing prospective precious and base metal properties in the Golden Triangle of northwest British Columbia, Canada. The Company's primary activities are the exploration and further development of the past-producing Eskay Creek and Snip mines, both optioned from Barrick. In addition, the Company has completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment on the GJ copper-gold porphyry project.Qualified PersonsExploration activities at the Eskay Creek Project are administered on site by the Company's Exploration Managers, Colin Russell, P.Geo. and Adrian Newton, P.Geo. In accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, Paul Geddes, P.Geo. Vice President Exploration and Resource Development, is the Qualified Person for the Company and has prepared, validated and approved the technical and scientific content of this news release. The Company strictly adheres to CIM Best Practices Guidelines in conducting, documenting, and reporting its exploration activities on its exploration projects.On behalf of the Board of Directors of Skeena Resources Limited,Walter Coles Jr.President & CEOCautionary note regarding forward-looking statementsCertain statements made and information contained herein may constitute "forward looking information" and "forward looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. These statements and information are based on facts currently available to the Company and there is no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward-looking statements and information may be identified by such terms as "anticipates", "believes", "targets", "estimates", "plans", "expects", "may", "will", "could" or "would". Forward-looking statements and information contained herein are based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves, the realization of resource and reserve estimates, metal prices, taxation, the estimation, timing and amount of future exploration and development, capital and operating costs, the availability of financing, the receipt of regulatory approvals, environmental risks, title disputes and other matters. While the Company considers its assumptions to be reasonable as of the date hereof, forward-looking statements and information are not guarantees of fut PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-26 10:37:02 OAG uncovers developing golden airport triangle in Asia; London Heathrows European dominance continues Key findings: 1. South Korea Jeju (CJU) to Seoul (GMP) is the busiest route on the planet, with 79,460 flights annually. 2. Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Singapore (SIN) is the busiest international route in the world, with 30,187 operating flights. 3. New York (LGA) to Toronto (YYZ) is the busiest international route outside of Asia, with 17,038 annual operating flights. 4. Two of the busiest international routes worldwide arrive in London Heathrow (LHR), with service from New York (JFK) and Dublin (DUB) ranking 13th and 15th, respectively. South Korea is Home to Busiest Route on the Planet Caroline Mather OAG pressoffice@oag.com OAG, the worlds leading provider of travel data and insight, today revealed the Busiest Routes in the world. OAGs analysis, which is based on operating flight volume, includes insight into on-time performance (OTP) and carrier frequency at the route level, both domestically and internationally. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005 (Photo: Business Wire) The busiest routes in the world can be found in the Asia-Pacific region, which is home to 15 of the top 20 international, and 13 of the top 20 domestic routes globally. The busiest route on the planet is South Korea Jeju (CJU) to Seoul (GMP), with 79,460 annual operating flights. For a second straight year, Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Singapore (SIN) is the worlds busiest international route (30,187 flights annually), followed by Hong Kong (HKG) to Taipei (TPE), with 28,447 flights. The busiest international routes outside of Asia are from New York (LGA) to Toronto (YYZ) and Chicago OHare (ORD) to Toronto Pearson (YYZ). In North America, Toronto (YYZ) is featured in five of the top 10 international markets. Los Angeles (LAX) to San Francisco (SFO) is the busiest route in North America and ninth busiest in the world. London Heathrow is the only European hub with routes (from New York JFK and Dublin) ranking among the top 20 busiest international. Within Europe, Amsterdam (AMS) to London (LHR) is the third-busiest international route, with 13,115 operating flights annually. Asia is once again home to the worlds busiest routes. In addition to the dominant role played by Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta have become Asias new golden triangle, offering similar benefits to major U.S. hubs, Boston, New York and Washington, said John Grant, senior analyst with OAG. While Asia and North America lead the global rankings, connectivity at London Heathrow remains critical for global air travel, with seven of the regions busiest long-haul routes ending at the airport. OAGs full analysis includes regional insights for Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, North America and the Middle East and Africa, with short, medium and long-haul route categorization. For OAGs full criteria and more insights, access the complete analysis here. About OAG OAG is a leading global travel data provider, that has been powering the growth and innovation of the air travel ecosystem since 1929. Every day, we support millions of journeys across the globe, enabling a simpler, seamless and more enjoyable travel experience. With the worlds largest network of schedules and status data, and leading-edge analytics tools, we enable our customers to make smarter decisions, better adapt to change and create exceptional customer experiences. We partner with some of the biggest global brands, airports, airlines, travel operators and fast-growing start-ups to design the best services available today, and the finest innovations of tomorrow. Headquartered in the UK, OAG has global operations in the USA, Singapore, Japan, Lithuania and China. For more information, visit: www.oag.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005 South Korea is Home to Busiest Route on the Planet. OAG uncovers developing golden airport triangle in Asia; London Heathrows European dominance continues PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-26 14:07:00 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 610 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / The Board of Directors of Viridium Pacific Group Ltd. ("Viridium" or the "Company") (TSXV: VIR) (OTC Pink: VIRFF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Kamini Hitkari to the position of Chief Financial Officer, commencing on March 26, 2019.Ms. Hitkari joins Viridium from Aurora Cannabis where she was the Vice President of Strategic Finance. Previously, Ms. Hitkari was with HSBC Bank Canada for over ten years at its head office in Vancouver, where she was most recently a Director of Finance for one of HSBC's lines of business. She began her career with KPMG (Victoria) earning a CPA, CA designation, and subsequently moved to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (Vancouver). She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Victoria."We're excited to welcome Kamini to Viridium as our new CFO," said Viridium CEO, Jay Garnett. "Kamini brings extensive financial, operational, and strategic experience. This, combined with her knowledge of the cannabis industry and experience in scaling high-growth companies, will be a huge asset to Viridium as we enter our next phase of growth and further our mission. We thank Ms. Wong for her service and contributions over the year as CFO and assisting the Company in finding her replacement. We are delighted that Ms. Wong will continue the role as the Company's Corporate Secretary." Ms. Hitkari will succeed Ms. Winnie Wong, who has served as Viridium's Chief Financial Officer since 2018 and will remain as the Corporate Secretary of the Company and a strategic advisor to the Company during the transition period.In addition, the Company issued stock options to its officer that will be exercisable to acquire 250,000 common shares at $0.65 per share until March 26, 2022 and granted 181,250 RSUs to its directors and a former director, of which 50,000 vested immediately into common shares and the remaining 131,250 RSUs will vest 12 months after the directors resign.About ViridiumViridium Pacific Group Ltd. is the parent company of Experion Biotechologies Inc., a Health Canada licensed cultivation and processor of cannabis, based in Mission, BC and EFX labs, a medical products production and clinical research company based out of Calgary, AB.More information about Viridium can be found under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com For further information:Viridium Pacific Group Ltd.Jarrett MalnarichTel: (604) 837-8688info@ viridiumpacific.com DisclosureThis press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Although the Company believes that such information is reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct.Forward looking information is typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, forecast, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking information as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to: the state of the financial markets for the Company's equity securities; recent market volatility; the Company's ability to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies; the risks identified in the Filing Statement, and other risks and factors that the Company is unaware of at this time. The reader is referred to the Filing Statement dated September 25, 2017 and/or the most recent annual and interim Management's Discussion and Analysis for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects, copies of which may be accessed through the Company page on SEDAR at www.sedar.com SOURCE: Viridium Pacific Group Ltd. PR-Inside.com: 2019-03-26 13:29:05 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 747 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2019 / EVITRADE Health Systems Corp. (CSE: EVA, OTCQB: EVAHF) (the "Company") provides overview of the North American Cannabidiol (CBD) industry. The CBD market is projected to be worth more than $20 billion by 2022, according to research firm Brightfield Group.As North America and most parts of the industrialized world look to legalize THC based cannabis products, the world of Hemp-based products has taken on a revival. Not so much for food-based products, but for the specific extracted oils from the plant that contain high concentrations of Cannabidiol or "CBD".In Canada, the Canadian Cannabis Act clears the way for whole hemp plant utilization. Industrial hemp licenses would authorize the intra-industry sale of leaves, flowers and branches (or the whole plant). That means licensed industrial hemp producers could sell the flower to someone who has permits to process and sell CBD-based products from plants that contain less than 0.3% THC in Canada and the United States. The newly enacted Farm Bill in the United States has created opportunities within the CBD sector as well,'' any cannabinoid that is derived from hemp would be considered legal, provided that the production meets all of the federal regulations, state level regulations, and other guidelines in a manner that is consistent with the Farm Bill".The value of Hemp for the Company is not necessarily in the raw biomass but rather in the extracted oils and resulting CBD based products. Biomass is generally is worth .10 - .20 cents per gram, CBD isolate market price is around $7.5/ gram, 50x more price dense per volume. With its Hemp production facility near completion in Nevada, the Company is ready for the demand for its branded hemp-derived CBD based products.EviTrade continues to fulfill its commitment to elevate the human condition through advanced medical solutions and effective health and wellness research and products.Contact:EVITRADE Health Systems Corp.(formerly Auxellence Health Corporation)Email info@ evahealthsystems.com or ceo@ auxellence.com Website http://www.evahealthsystems.com CSE Micro-site: http://thecse.com/en/listings/technology/evitrade-health-systems-corp US OTC Markets (OTCQB): http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/EVAHF/news About EVITRADE Health (CSE: EVA, OTCQB: EVAHF)EVITRADE Health Systems Corp. (formerly, Auxellence Health Corporation), is a technology company specializing in the Health and Life Sciences sector looking to deliver effective personalized health solutions with a higher degree of predictability and consistency.The Company is focused on the following areas to help improve health: personalized medical care (including CBD usage monitoring and effects on the cardiovascular system), molecular biology, nutraceutical solutions and genetic tailoring.DisclaimersThis news release contains 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. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to revise or update such statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators and on the OTC Markets website which is posted on www.sedar.com http://thecse.com/en/listings/technology/evitrade-health-systems-corp , and http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/EVAHF/filings.This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE or CNSX Markets), nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the CSE), or any other regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The Company does not undertake to update this news release unless required by applicable law.This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein in the United States. The securities described herein have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities law and may not be offered or sold in the "United States", as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration requirements is available.SOURCE: EVITRADE Health Systems Corp. Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, and Globacoms Executive Vice Chairman, Bella Disu, believe that the digitalization of Africa will play a crucial role in the continents search for regional integration and economic growth. They expressed the view at a private meeting between the two leaders at the 2019 edition of Africa CEO Forum which kicked off in Kigali, Rwanda, on Monday. They agreed that the deployment of digital technology would help fast-track the continents march towards economic prosperity, adding that Globacom would be of immense support in driving the digitalization on the continent, especially through the Glo 1 international submarine cable. President Kagame also commended the success Globacom has made over the years. The Glo EVC, on her part, said that the company could help Africa achieve a digitalized economy through Glo 1, as well as digital solutions such as mobile money, artificial intelligence, E-Health, Smart Cognitive Learning and Smart Energy. I commend President Kagame for his exemplary leadership and for the tremendous success Rwanda has achieved under him, Mrs Disu said. Like President Kagame, I have no doubt that greater integration will lead to continental growth and a more prosperous Africa. Globacom is committed to Africas economic renaissance. Earlier, President Kagame, while declaring open the Africa CEO Forum, called for open, responsive and accountable governance on the continent, saying the private sector was critical to growth because of its ability to envision what needs to be changed to achieve desired improvement in the private and public sectors. Speaking later when she chaired a session on Women in Business, Mrs Disu applauded Rwandas policy of 50 per cent female representation in appointments as a good model. She also called for more gender parity on the boards of companies. Dignitaries at the opening session of the Forum included Togolese President, Faure Gnassingbe Ethiopian President, Sahle-Work Zewde; Cote dIvoires Prime Minister, Amadou Gon Coulibaly; Prime Minister of Rwanda, Edouard Ngirente, President of Congo Democratic Republic, Felix Tshisekedi. The session was also attended by over 1800 leading decision makers in the private and public sectors from different parts of Africa and beyond. Organisers describe the annual Africa CEO Forum as the foremost international meeting for African CEOs and investors. The gathering, now in its seventh edition, is holding between 25 and 26 March 2019 in Kigali, Rwanda. (CNN) A math and physics teacher from rural Kenya, who gives away 80% of his monthly income to help the poor, has won a $1 million prize. Peter Tabichi, who is also a Franciscan brother, was awarded the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize on Sunday. He teaches at a rural Kenyan school in Pwani Village, with only one computer, poor internet and a student-teacher ratio of 58:1. Nearly all his students are from poor families, and almost a third of them are orphans or have only one parent. Tabichi gets online educational content by visiting internet cafes and using them offline in class, according to his profile from the Varkey Foundation. He guided the school's science club, in which students now compete in national and international competitions. The mathematical science team qualified to compete the INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair this year in Arizona. His students also won an award from the Royal Society of Chemistry after using local plant life to generate electricity. "Everyday in Africa we turn a new page and a new chapter. Today is another day," Tabichi told the foundation. "This prize does not recognize me but recognizes this great continent's young people." Tabichi's students face many challenges, including food scarcity, drug abuse, teenage pregnancies and young marriages. Yet at the Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School where Tabichi teaches, enrollment has doubled over three years and more of the students are going on to college, according to his profile. "You have to do more and talk less," Tabichi said. He accepted the award from actor Hugh Jackman, who hosted the ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Kenyan teacher who gives away 80% of his salary is awarded a $1M global prize." This 5 ft 8 inches beauty, who hails from an orthodox Gowda family from Mandya, started modelling model while studying engineering. Soon after her photos started making the rounds, and she ventured into Tamil films. Her journey took her to new destinations including her debut in the Hindi film Rangrezz. Akshara Gowda, who has been busy with her Tamil movies had actually signed her first Kannada film titled Premadalli but for some reason, it never took off. Eventually she made it big with Yogaraj Bhats Panchatantra in which she plays a character called Artha which means meaning. The actress who underwent depression talks to Bengaluru Chronicle on how she overcame the problem with medical treatment along withe support from her family and her close friends who stood beside her during the toughest phase of her life, and more. After my debut in Tamil and Hindi, I was looking forward to my first film in Kannada, which is my mother tongue. I signed my first Kannada movie which was titled Premadalli but for some reasons, it did not take off and as they say the right things happen at the right time, and so Panchatantra happened to me. I guess, destiny had bigger plans with my Kananda debut. Moreover working with Yogaraj Bhat is like entering into an institution and coming out of it as a graduate. After working with him, I can now talk something about my acting skills. The entire team is so skilful and to portray a female character etched by Yogaraj is treat by itself for an artiste, says Akshara Gowda. The actress who graduated from SKIT College in Bengaluru as an engineer, recalls how she landed in the film industry. Even during my college days, my height which is 5.8 paved the way for several modelling assignments and during one such assignment with Santhosh Sivan, he suggested that I could do more than just ramp walks. I never looked back after that I started taking things as it came. As far as Kannada films were concerned, I was not offered any projects and hence took time to realise my wish to work in my mother tongue, she adds. In Panchatantra, she plays the role of Artha, which has shades of a tomboyish character, but the actress explains that it is a complex character. It is difficult to understand Artha but it is she who foresees other characters in the movie. It was an honour to depict such a strong female character but the director shows her in the most subtle manners. About facing depression, Akshara shares, I get very emotional when I talk about it and always hope that my fight against it could help at least one person to identify it in their life and overcome it effectively. I could do it because of the strong bond I share with my parents especially my father and my friends, she says adding, Initially it was ethargy and then the depression followed , which made me realise that I needed immediate help. It is according to me is no less than a cancer. When a serious illness is diagnosed, a patient is medically treated but people hesitate when it comes to mental illness. I come from an orthodox family and going public about mental illness would easily lead to several consequences and even becomes difficult to get married in the end. But it was my father, who stood beside me and pushed me to get it treated, she says. She goes onto add that her fathers word yede gundabardu which means that one should not lose faith and become weaker, helped her grab herself and face it with a braveheart. Akshara concludes by adding that apart from a web series in Hindi, she is excited with the release of her Kannada film. She confesses that her family members are eagerly waiting to see her on the big screen in the state soon. Authorities in the United States have dropped all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett. The Empire actor was indicted earlier this month for allegedly faking an attack against himself and later lying to the police in Chicago about it. After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollets volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, American media quoted a statement from the office of the Cook County States Attorney as saying Tuesday. We believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case. The statement comes as Mr Smollett was expected to appear for trial at the Cook County Courthouse in Chicago Tuesday morning. He was accused of faking a brutal, racist attack against himself, during which his attackers allegedly hurled racial epithets at him. Abel and Ola Osundairo, two brothers of Nigerian descent, were later said to have been hired carry out the attack, with People Magazine later reporting that the brothers apologised for their involvement in the scandal that reverberated across the world. Mr Smollett was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgement, his lawyer, Patricia Brown Holmes, said in a statement. The lawyer added that Mr Smolletts record in the criminal database had been wiped clean following the development, which many on social media received with shock Tuesday. Burundi has released three schoolgirls who were detained for scribbling on President Pierre Nkurunzizas picture in textbooks which led to international outcry. The three were the last still being held from a group of seven children arrested earlier February in Kirundo province, in Burundis northeast some 200 kilometres from the commercial capital Bujumbura. All were accused of insulting Mr Nkurunziza by defacing his image. A regional court in Kirundo had decided last Wednesday to proceed with a full trial against the three. But Aimee Kanyana, the Minister for Justice, told state broadcaster RTNB that the girls had been given provisional release. Future cases would result in prosecutions, she said. She added that we call on parents to strengthen the education of their children. We remind children that they have to respect authorities, that the age of criminal responsibility is 15. Next time, justice will clamp down on such behaviours. The arrest of the schoolgirls resulted in an online campaign, with users using the social media hashtag #freeourgirls to post pictures of the president defaced with clown wigs, twirly moustaches, pointy ears, and bloody fangs. With so many real crimes being committed in Burundi, its tragic that children are the ones being prosecuted for harmless scribbles, Human Rights Watch Central Africa Director, Lewis Mudge, wrote. Members of the ruling partys youth wing have killed, arbitrarily arrested, abducted, beaten, raped, and intimidated real and perceived political opponents with impunity, Mudge wrote last week. Authorities should focus on holding perpetrators of serious rights violations to account instead of jailing school children for doodles. Burundi denies that its ruling party carries out systematic human rights violations. Mr Nkurunziza has been in power since 2005. His decision to stand for a third term in 2015 was called illegal by the opposition, triggering protests and a failed coup. In 2016, 11 children were jailed on accusations of defacing photos of Mr Nkurunziza in a textbook, and more than 300 students at a school in the capitals Ruziba neighbourhood were expelled. Early this month, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said Burundi had forced the UN to close its local human rights office after 23 years. In 2016, Burundi stopped cooperating with the UN human rights office in Burundi after a UN-commissioned report accused the government and its supporters of committing crimes against humanity. (Reuters/NAN) A call on African countries to reinvigorate their quest for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030 rang out from the hills of Kigali, Rwandas capital, a fortnight ago. The event was one of the largest biennial health gatherings in the continent the Africa Health Agenda International Conference 2019 (AHAIC). To advance the critical conversations initiated in Nairobi, Kenya at AHAIC 2017, 1500 participants from over 40 countries gathered at the Kigali Convention Centre (KCC) between March 5 and 7 for this years conference. The upbeat mood, buoyed in large part by the ambiance of the event centre, was interrupted by the urgency of seeking ways to tackle the numerous challenges bedeviling the health system in Africa. Co-hosted by the Ministry of Health of Rwanda and the African Medical and Research Foundation (Amref Health Africa), AHAIC 2019 focused on the greatest health challenges facing Africa under the theme 2030 Now: Multi-sectoral Action to Achieve UHC in Africa. The participants confronted the stack reality that Africa is falling behind in achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Three, one of the 17 goals set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 for the year 2030. Achieving UHC by 2030 is the central target of SDG 3.8. Targets of SDG 3 include ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under five years of age by 2030. However, five children under five years of age are still dying from preventable causes every five minutes in Africa, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). AHAIC, now in its second edition, arose from the need for home-grown solutions, innovations, political commitments and lessons from successes and setbacks of other countries in achieving affordable health for all. Here are some of the talking points at the conference. Affordable health for the poor and vulnerable Providing an affordable option for Africas poorest will determine whether countries achieve SDG 3, which is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all by 2030, Githinji Gitahi, CEO Amref Health, explained in his first press briefing. Financial protections for the vulnerable is embedded in what universal health coverage means by definition, which is a concept that overall looks at how to provide quality health services to people without them struggling to afford it. Eleven million Africans are pushed into poverty every year by medical expenses, according to the WHO. In Sub-Saharan Africa, health services are mostly paid for out-of-pocket and those gravely affected already live far below the poverty line. Universal health coverage is about equity, not equality, Gitahi said. Services must first be built for the vulnerable. With that, governments show that the services are responding to equity. Poverty and ill health are intimately linked in many developing countries, particularly in Africa where public health services are severely strained. A report by the UK Institute of Development Studies suggests that public healthcare services often provide limited benefits to the poor. Experts at the conference agreed that achieving UHC would require increased access for the marginalised populations and heightened financial support from both governments and public-private partnerships. It would also require improved health service quality and ways to hold governments and health providers accountable to citizens. Health Insurance: Learning from Successes and Failures of other African Countries One countrys success story is anothers gain, just as one countrys loss is anothers lesson. AHAIC 2019 had both setbacks and success stories. A working and affordable Health insurance and finance mechanism is a major driver for UHC. Host country, Rwanda and their neighbors, Kenya and Ethiopia were exemplified for advancing UHC through various health financing mechanisms. In Rwanda, community-based insurance has provided the modern social security we want for our people, Rwandas Minister of State for Primary Health Care, Patrick Ndimubanzi, said. This health insurance scheme is financed by both the national government and individuals through insurance and fees for services. Members pay annual premiums at a flat rate based on their economic status, regardless of individual health risks, which can then be used for discounted treatments at community health centers. Health insurance became mandatory for all individuals in 2008; in 2010 over 90 per cent of the Rwanda population was covered. In 2012, only about four per cent was uninsured. This scheme increased the number of women delivering in health facilities from 50 percent in 2010 to 90 percent in 2015, Mr Ndimubanzi noted. In Kenya, government appeared to have a larger plan of achieving UHC by 2022. UHC hospital insurance pilot project is currently being tested in four regions troubled with high disease burdens. Since the launch in December 2018, the government has offered free basic health care services to all citizens holding a UHC card which required the presentation of national identification to register and covers anyone in the household under 18. Today, 75 percent of all residents [in the pilot counties] have been registered and are holding a UHC card, Rashid Abdi Aman, chief administrative secretary at the Kenya Ministry of Health, said. He explained that health programmes requiring registration may need to be adapted for those who lack identification papers. Rwanda and Ethiopia were recognised for their exemplary efforts to expand health care access to their population. While President Paul Kagame of Rwanda received the UHC Presidential Champion Award, Amir Aman, Ethiopian Minister of Health, got the UHC Ministerial Champion Award. Setbacks: The Nigeria story All I had built in the scheme now goes down the drain. It hurts, said Dogo Muhammad Waziri, Past Executive Secretary, Nigerias Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in an emotional outburst. Mr Dogo was a panelist at the side event at the conference organised by the Development Research and Project Centre (DRPC) in collaboration with the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, (NIPPS) the groups that led the Nigerian delegation. The Nigeria delegation at the Africa Health Agenda International Conference The former executive secretary was dismayed by the failure of his countrys NHIS to deliver 14 years after inception. It hurts to see that NHIS has always been in the news for the wrong reasons. Reeling out the grim statistics, Nasirdeen Usman, the Secretary General of NIPPs who anchored the panel, said only five per cent of Nigerians are covered under the NHIS. Of that five per cent, he said only four per cent is in the formal sector with only one percent in the informal sector. It is as bad as that. In view of this, we want to interrogate why we still have a serious deficit in our journey to UHC. Many have traced the relatively poor coverage to the structure of the scheme which has been tainted with financial irregularities even before the embattled executive secretary of the scheme, Usman Yusuf, took over in 2016. Both Mr Dogo and the current Chairperson of the NHIS governing board, Enyantu Ifenne, said the problem is from the act enabling the scheme. It was resolved that the act should be reviewed and the scheme made compulsory and public inclined. The last call: Abuja Declaration The participants called on governments in Africa to take local actions on prior commitments they made, such as the 2016 Tokyo International Conference on African Development and signing of the Universal Health Coverage in Africa Framework for Action. Adoption of the 2001 Abuja Declaration was the last and ultimate call, however. It is the realisation of shortfalls in their health systems that made African governments commit in April 2001 to dedicate at least 15 per cent of their annual budgets to the health sector in what is now known as the Abuja Declaration. Sixteen years later, only about seven countries Rwanda, Botswana, Niger, Zambia, Malawi and Burkina Faso, Togo have met the Abuja target. In 60 per cent of the countries, the health sector share of total government expenditure is below 10 per cent. Nigeria that hosted the conference has never voted more than six per cent of its annual budget to the health sector. The highest percentage since the declaration was in 2012 when 5.95 per cent of the budget was allocated to health. We need to educate our people because from this conference, I can see that many dont know the real situation of our health sector, Lanre Tejuoso, the Chairman, Nigerias Senate Committee on Health, told PREMIUM TIMES shortly after a panel discussion at the conference. Lanre Tejuoso, the Former NHIS boss Mohammed Dogo Waziri and Chairman, Nigerias Senate Committee on Health, Lanre Tejuosho He said through good policies, education, and advocacy, the 15 percent benchmark is achievable and can also chart the road-map in achieving UHC. Mr Tejuoso said the struggle for UHC has been tough in the Senate, noting that there are many unimplemented laws in Nigeria. First of all, I have to educate and lobby my colleagues on the need for health financing. I started with the Senate President, he said while explaining his role in the inclusion of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) into the countrys annual budget. The BHCPF is the fundamental funding provision under the National Health Act and was appropriated for the first time in the 2018 budget since the Act was signed in 2014. Round Up: Health for All Ensuring that everyone has access to basic health services is a challenge and the key to the success of UHC. That was the key take-home that signaled the stirring end of this years conference. There is need to ensure that the quality of services is good enough to improve the health of the people who access them, said Michel Sidibe who co-moderated a high-level ministerial panel in a compelling speech. We need to track the impact of UHC. Coverage is not enough, we need to be delivering quality, affordable, accessible services to all. The ultimate measure of success for UHC will be whether the poorest, the marginalised and the most vulnerable people are able to benefit. Eleven parliamentarians from Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia launched the Kigali UHC communique, committing to strengthening health systems, addressing health inequities, supporting community health and ensuring universal access to immunisation to drive progress on UHC in their countries. Former NHIS boss, Mohammed Dogo Waziri speaking at the Nigerian side panel organised by Drpc and nipps. A new initiative, the Women in Global Health (WGH) Africa Regional Hub , was also launched as a strategy for a greater emphasis on gender equity in the leadership of global health within the continent. Certainly, AHAIC 2019 has set the stage for the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage which will take place on 23 September 2019 during the United Nations General Assembly under the theme Universal Health Coverage: Moving Together to Build a Healthier World. Violence, vote trading and intimidation of voters characterised the February 23 supplementary governorship election in Kano State, the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) said on Monday in its report of the exercise monitored by 20 of its observers. The mission said it was disturbed that both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies did little to address the violence and malpractices, which spread to many parts of Kano State. Also in the statement, the EU said its deployed observers, some of whom were prevented from accessing some polling units, witnessed widespread interference and vote-buying by party agents during the supplementary poll. Extensive electoral security problems were observed in some areas, with groups of men with weapons intimidating and obstructing the process, and security agencies ineffective at protecting citizens right to vote, the EU said in its report sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday afternoon. In particular, parts of Kano were largely inaccessible to EU observers, and citizen observers and journalists were also obstructed. EU observers also witnessed increased interference by party agents and cases of vote-buying, the major foreign observers group found. Supplementary governorship elections were conducted in five states Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Kano, Plateau and Sokoto where results from the March 9 initial ballot were declared inconclusive as the margin of victory was less than the cancelled votes. Notwithstanding the violence across Kano, INEC on Sunday declared Abdullahi Ganduje of the All Progressives Congress winner of the governorship supplementary election, handing the scandal-ridden governor a second term. Mr Ganduje was trailing Abba Yusuf of the Peoples Democratic Party by about 26,000 votes before the March 9 first ballot was declared inconclusive, but INEC said additional figures from the supplementary election put the governor ahead of his main challenger. The EU Mission acknowledged general improvements in the supplementary polls, but said these were overshadowed by apparent disregard for ballot secrecy, inability to access some polling units, amongst other issues. Throughout the day, INEC did not comment on electoral disturbances, despite its overall responsibility for the election and security arrangements, the observers said. In the polling units that could be fully observed, there were improved logistical arrangements and procedures were mostly followed, although there were problems with secrecy of the ballot. The mission identified suspected political thugs, who patrolled Kano streets with machetes and other deadly weapons as largely responsible for the brutality which neither police nor INEC could do anything about. In some areas the environment was intimidating and not conducive to voters free participation in the election. Party leaderships locally and centrally did not appear to take any steps to rein in supporters and prevent evident violence, intimidation or other misconduct. In Nasarawa local government area (LGA) in Kano, which accounted for approximately one-third of all registered voters for the supplementary governorship election, EU observers witnessed organised intimidation of voters. Groups of youths with clubs and machetes patrolled the streets, and people with party agent tags harassed voters. During collation in Kano, EU observers saw that several INEC polling staff had been attacked.Large groups of men with weapons were not contained by the police. Due to intimidating crowds and disturbances, EU observers in Kano could not access or continue observation in polling units in Dala and Nasarawa LGAs. The observers also noted previously reported cases of violence against media practitioners on election duty. The electoral process in Kano was further compromised by the harassment and obstruction of citizen observers, and journalists from BBC Hausa, the Nigerian Television Authority, and TVC. This compromised scrutiny of both polling and collation of results in the affected areas. Other supplementary elections Isolated violent incidents also disrupted voting and counting in other states. In Bauchi, EU observers witnessed around 50 people with clubs disrupting counting in one polling unit. In Benue, election materials were burnt, resulting in the cancellation of polling affecting 13,000 registered voters, and a collation officer carrying result sheets was shot in the leg, the observers group found. The EU Mission has been in Nigeria on invitation of INEC since January, and is expected to continue its observation until early April. A final report of the EU Mission on the entire 2019 general elections in Nigeria is expected to be made public in June. INEC did not comment on the violence, but the police said the election was largely peaceful, and skirmishes, where reported, were summarily addressed. Nigerias central bank (CBN) has slashed the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) from 14 per cent to 13.50 per cent. The decision was reached at the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of the CBN on Tuesday. The MPR is the rate the CBN lends to commercial banks. It had remained unchanged at 14 per cent for 30 consecutive months or 15 meetings of the MPC, since July 2016. It moved from 12 per cent in June 2016. The cut in the MPR is the first time since the CBN decided in July 2016 to pursue a tight monetary policy to bring stability to the financial market and engender growth in the countrys economy. In announcing the committees decision at the end of its 122nd meeting in Abuja, the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, said the committee, however, resolved to retain other parameters unchanged. He said Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) was left at 22.5 per cent, while the liquidity ratio was kept at 30 per cent. The CRR is the funds kept with the CBN as a minimum deposit a commercial bank must hold as reserves, rather than lend out. Prior to the meeting, most analysts expected the MPC to retain the rates unchanged. Details later The Algerian Army has stepped in to ensure the exit of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika from office. The Chief of Army Staff, Gaed Salah, said in a televised announcement Tuesday that Mr Bouteflika was unfit for office. The army chief urged an immediate adoption of the countrys Article 102, which allows for a president to vacate office if declared unfit, according to Algerian media. The development comes days after the 82-year-old leader said he would not stand for reelection for another term, following a wave of protest about six weeks ago. The protests stemmed from Mr Bouteflikas extended medical vacation in Switzerland, which citizens said was costing the country too much in terms of state business. Mr Salah was the first to meet Mr Bouteflika when the ailing leader returned home to announce he would not stand for election again earlier this month. Mr Bouteflika, however, postponed the scheduled presidential elections to allow for some issues to be resolved. Mr Salah said the military was with the people, and their demand for a new leader would be looked into. The military chief has now urged the country to activate constitutional provisions to ease Mr Bouteflika out of office without crisis. It was not immediately clear how Mr Bouteflika would respond to the call, especially as the military represents a crucial decider in power formation in Algeria. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Africa and other groups have condemned attacks on journalists during the 2019 general elections. Reports from the media and election situation rooms indicated several journalists and election observers were attacked during the polls while others were denied access to cover election proceedings. Groups including Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism, (PTCIJ) BBC World Service Group, YAIGA Africa, Connected Development (CODE) have condemned the attacks. The community to Protect Journalist (CPJ), and The International Press Centre (IPC) also condemned the attacks. The groups also urged the federal government to ensure a safe environment for journalists during subsequent elections. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), conducted the Presidential and National Assembly elections on February 23, while governorship and state assembly elections were held on March 9. Supplementary elections in five states were held on March 23. The BBC in a statement emailed to PREMIUM TIMES, condemned the harassment of two of its reporters during the governorship election dscribing it as completely unacceptable. Dooshima Abu, was assaulted on February 27. The BBC reporter was assigned to film a procession in front of the Benue State government house when she was attacked by a policewoman and other people. On March 9, Ajoke Ulohotse, was assigned to monitor voting proceedings around a polling unit along the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway when she was attacked by Mr Segun Adewale, popularly known as Aeroland, a prominent member of the ADP in the Alimosho local government. In both instances, the reporters were assaulted by more than one person, the statement said. When PREMIUM TIMES contacted Mr Adewales spokesperson, Ajala Adeboye, in a telephone interview, he debunked the claims, admitting that he did say he was going to slap her (reporter) but later did not do so. Two PREMIUM TIMES journalists were harassed at the governorship and supplementary elections in Plateau and Sokoto states. Kunle Sanni, a PREMIUM TIMES journalist was abducted by political thugs for taking pictures during the governorship elections in Plateau. He was later released after he was forced to delete the pictures. Taiwo-Hassan Adebayo, also a PREMIUM TIMES journalist, during the governorship supplementary election, was harassed by the police in Magajin Garri Ward, Sokoto North Local Government Area when he was trying to access one of the polling units. Reactions The Head of West Africa Languages for BBC World Service, Oluwatoyosi Ogunseye, said the harassment of journalist is completely unacceptable. Harassment of journalists who are simply doing their jobs is completely unacceptable. Our reporters should not have to face physical threats or intimidation and we call on the authorities to take action to protect the freedom of the media, Ms Ogunseye said. Oluwatosin Alagbe, Deputy Program Director (PTCIJ), in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES said: Its disappointing that the very institution tasked with the mandate to create a safe and secure environment for every Nigerian, including journalists is found wanting again despite the uproar from Nigerians during the last elections. IPC Director, Lanre Arogundade, in a statement published on its website said: The rights of journalists to monitor and report election activities as guaranteed by various regulatory frameworks such as the Electoral Act, the Nigeria Broadcasting Code and the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage have not been respected as expected. Angela Quintal, CPJ Africa program coordinator, in New York, in a statement also published on its website said: Nigeria must act to ensure journalists can work safely during elections, and the first step is to hold responsible those who attacked or impeded the media during the recent polls. YAIGA Africa also condemned the attacks. The attack on journalists and civil society actors during the 2019 elections is condemnable. During the March 9 elections, journalists and observers were intimidated, abducted and assaulted, it said. CODEs Chief of Mission on Election Observation, Hamzat Lawal, also weighed in. CODE condemns the acts of intimidation, threats and assaults of some journalists and observers by thugs and party loyalists. A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja on Tuesday, fixed April 4 for ruling in the no- case- submission filed by Maryam Sanda, charged with the killing of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello. Ms Sanda was charged with the murder of Mr Bello, a son of former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman, Haliru Bello. The accused was charged alongside her mother, Maimuna Aliyu; her brother, Aliyu Sanda; and their house-help, Sadiya Aminu. Mr Bello died in November 2017. They were arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on culpable homicide and conspiracy. They all pleaded not guilty to the charge. The Judge, Yusuf Halilu, adjourned after listening to submissions of all counsel on the adoption of addresses on the no- case- submission. During the court session on Tuesday, Mrs Sandas counsel, Olusegun Jolaawo, in his submission told the court that the prosecution had not made a prima facie case against the first defendant to warrant her to enter a defence. According to Mr Jolaawo, the evidence brought by the prosecution before the court were done away with by cross-examination. He then urged the court to uphold that there is no case to answer by the first defendant and discharge her of the allegation against her. In his part, counsel to the second, third and fourth defendants, Hussein Musa, urged the court to discharge and acquit the defendants because the prosecution did not adduce enough evidence to warrant them to enter a defence. Responding, prosecuting counsel, Fidelis Ogbobe, told the court that the prosecution had made out enough evidence to warrant the defendants to enter a defence. He said there is enough evidence that linked the first defendant and others to the crime which they have to answer to. Mr Ogbobe, therefore, urged the court to reject the no- case submission of the defendants and allow them to enter a defence. Tje prosecution closed its case on January 22 after calling six witnesses. The first defendant counsel, Mr Jolaawo and Mr Musa, counsel for three other defendants, thereafter informed the court that they were going to file a no- case- submission. President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday congratulated First Bank Nigeria on its 125th anniversary, which he said historically and remarkably marked the commencement of banking in the country in 1894. In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the president felicitated with the bank on behalf of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and Nigerians in general. Mr Buhari joined the financial services industry, particularly the banking sector, in celebrating the purposefulness, prudence and propriety that has become the hallmark of the bank for more than a century and quarter. He also congratulated the board, management and staff for upholding the vision of the founder, Alfred Lewis Jones. The president saluted the vision and strength of character of the management in providing a voice for the Nigerian economy by rendering competitive financial services that had culminated in spread of branches across the country, Africa and Europe. According to him, as the oldest bank in Nigeria, the FBN has lived up to the expectation of customers over the years, both private and public, necessitating its survival and continuous service as a formidable training ground for many Nigerian bankers and chief executives. He noted that such chief executives had also established banks and served the country as Governors of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). While celebrating the milestone and great achievements of FBN, the president commended banks in the country for generally supporting government policies in buoying the economy. He especially lauded banks for their renewed focus on infrastructural development and providing financial lifelines for businesses. He, however, urged them to always explore partnerships that would benefit the country and promote trust. (NAN) The Nigerian government has begun a process for the digitalisation and standardisation of street naming and numbering across the country. The Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at the second meeting of the National Addressing System (NAS) Committee. He said it has become necessary for the country to adjust the NAS from analogue to digital. Mr Shittu explained how difficult it is for people to locate various places within the country. If more than two streets have the same name within a state, the postal man to discharge messages to a street will be confused about the location to go to, he said. The minister said the NAS committees move will tackle such challenge and aid accessibility. The postal code will also be adjusted in the plan. . Mr Shittu is also the Chairman of NAS committee. He said postcode and addressing are as important as the mobile phones people use regularly. Mr Shittu said the NAS is aimed at positively impacting on the economy and social development in the country. NAS is domiciled at the Nigeria Postal Service through the Federal Ministry of Communications. In other countries, even before development, they were well planned, road connections are seen. But the contrast is the case in Nigeria, he said. He said the only planned cities in Nigeria are Abuja and Port Harcourt. We want to ensure that we are able to identify everybodys address by the name of the street and postal code also, he said. He said the government can not fund the implementation of the NAS programme, hence, strategies will be developed to attract funding partners to participate in the activities with shared benefit in focus. Mr Shittu emphasised the need to set up addressing infrastructure items such as National Addressing Data Ecosystem (NADE), that will enhance the performance of the NAS. He said the approval for the infrastructure items was granted last year by the National Economic Council. NADE will comprise software that will link all addressing Data GIS offices in all the 774 local government areas through their state offices to the National Addressing Database, he said. The National Database and the National Bureau of Statistics portal are essential for the easy take off of the Addressing Data Collection from the field, Mr Shittu said. Interested software developers are expected to participate in an open procurement process for the development of the addressing software and associated tools for its management, he said. Also speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications, Musa Istifanus, said the NAS committees responsibilities are vast, thus, require adequate planning and timelines to achieve seamless project implementation. He urged the committee members to perform their duties for the socio-economic development of the country. The NAS committee are urged to bring their expertise to bear in the discharge of this national assignment , which is to build a dependable National Addressing System, he said. The National Secretary of NAS, Julius Anjorin, said the committee is to ensure that every Individual is accessible in Nigeria. In Nigeria, a lot of places are not properly addressed, NAS will ensure that all nook and cranny is addressed, he said. Streets are going to be named, they are going to be named digitally and electronically, he said. He said the digitalisation will assist in commerce, building and also attract foreign investors. 17% of the patients were on the right treatment path according to scientific international guidelines. Hyderabad: A massive 83 per cent of cancer patients in India are mistreated, according to findings by an online cancer care platform, the report of which was published in the American Society for Clinical Oncology. The online platform is a site that patients approach for second opinion. It was found that in the case of 15 per cent of the patients, the treatment was completely wrong. The forum which carried out the study with data of 365 patients, found that 27 per cent were not being given the right chemotherapy drugs and 41 per cent did not undergo complete tests. Only 17 per cent of the patients were on the right treatment path according to scientific international guidelines. Dr Amit Jotwani, co-founder of the online cancer care platform, said, When we say that 83 per cent patients are mistreated, it means that they are not getting optimal treatment. It means that there is better treatment or the best possible treatment which can be given to them. Dr Jotwani explained that cancer is a complex disease and required multi-disciplinary and evidence-based approach. It has been found that Indian patients do not get access to multi-disciplinary care which is the major reason for higher deaths. A multi-disciplinary review means doctors of three specialities surgical, medical and radiation oncology must attend, then outcomes can be improved, Dr Jotwani said. The study noted that practicing doctors in India may sometimes not get the time to update themselves with latest guidelines and protocols which leads to mistreatment. Ms Rashie Jain, CEO of the online portal, said the purpose of the study was to understand the adherence to international treatment protocols for cancer patients and the treatment they are undergoing in India. Gaps in the treatment are also one of the reasons why cancer treatments are not effective in India, opined experts. According to members of the platform, there have been cases when oncologists have refuted their opinion and told them that it is not right. The portal gives a detailed written reply to the patient and the right treatment which must be followed. There have been more than 10,000 queries on the portal. The Federal High Court, Abuja, has adjourned until May 7 a suit seeking the disqualification of President Muhammadu Buhari and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, over alleged excess spending on campaigns. The presidential candidate of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Usman Ibrahim-Alhaji, dragged the duo to court alleging that they both spent over N1 billion each on campaign expenses. Mr Ibrahim-Alhaji prayed the court to invoke Section 91(2) of the Electoral Act, 2010 to nullify the participation of Messrs Buhari and Abubakar in the February 23 presidential election for allegedly violating the Electoral Act 2010. The plaintiff through his counsel, Ezekiel Ofou, alleged that by spending over N1 billion each, the two violated the electoral law and were liable to be removed as contestants in the election. At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, Mr Ofou informed the court that he had served the processes on Messrs Buhari and Abubakar through substituted means as was ordered by the court on March 5. He, however, acknowledged that even though they were yet to respond, according to the law, they had up till 30 days within which to respond. He added that since they were served on May 22, they had until April 22 to respond, thereby asked the court for an adjournment to enable the defendants to file their responses. The judge, Ahmed Mohammed, agreed with the counsel and adjourned the matter until May 7 for further mention. Mr Mohammed said since the defendants were still within time to respond, it could not be adjourned for hearing, but rather for further mention. On the last adjourned date, Mr Ofou said he found it extremely difficult to serve the court papers on the two, who were the main defendants in the suit because of the retinue of security around them. Mr Ofou then moved an ex parte motion in which he prayed the court for an order of substituted service on the two major defendants which was granted by the judge. (NAN) The Authority Newspaper on Tuesday in Abuja nominated the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, for its Minister of the Year 2018 Award. The Managing Director of the newspaper, Madu Onuorah, said Mr Onu, a former governor of the old Abia State, was chosen following his outstanding performance in office. Mr Onuorah added that we are aware that you came into the ministry with an unblemished image as a fine statesman, brilliant scholar, accomplished administrator, prolific author and poet. A man of great ideas and inventions, as well as a distinguished man of exceptional principle and exemplary character. These qualities have been displayed in your daily conduct of affairs and we also noted them. Sir, the board and management of The Authority Newspaper considered you for `Minister of the Year 2018 Award because of your giant strides. The managing director said under Mr Onus stewardship, President Muhammadu Buhari signed on February 2, 2018, the landmark Presidential Executive Order No.5 for planning and execution of projects, programmes and contracts with science, engineering and technology components. According to him, the bold initiative now puts the use of science and technology as key instruments toward realising the National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, beginning with the 2017-2020 plan to further diversify economy in a sustainable manner. He said so, more jobs will be created, poverty and illiteracy reduced, thereby leading to significant improvement in standard of living for our people. In addition, the Presidential Executive Order No.5 will help to move Nigeria toward developing the necessary local capacity she needs to fight capital flight. It will also strengthen local manpower development, encourage indigenous technology capacity, enhance national self-reliance and restore national pride. Mr Onuorah said the formal award ceremony would come up soon. Mr Onu thanked the Board of Authority Newspaper for assessing his deeds and counting him worthy for the nomination. In another developing, Mr Onu said the ministry would strengthen its collaboration with May & Baker Pharmaceuticals Limited in formulating new therapeutic food supplement to manage sickle cell anaemia as major contribution to healthcare delivery. He made this known during a meeting with the directors-general of agencies under the ministry and directors in Ministry of Science and Technology. The minister urged the agencies to synergise toward national development. (NAN) The Nigerian government has hinted at issuing stronger measures in tackling corruption, money laundering and financing of terrorism and other violent crimes. The government, in a statement by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), said it will soon unveil significant measures it described as necessary in order to move the country forward. The NFIU was recently granted operational autonomy from the Economic and Financia Crimes Commission (EFCC), after the signing of a law passed by the National Assembly last year. President Muhammadu Buharis nominee to head the financial intelligence agency, Modibbo Tukur, was cleared for the post in January. A statement by NFIUs Ahmed Dikko said the unit is now fully repositioned to commence full operations from 1st April 2019. The main focus of the NFIU will be to fight all crimes through money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation of weapons real time analyses in the entire country, the statement said. The unit said it will begin the implementation of the national sanctions regime to all detected areas of vulnerabilities within our systems and issue guidelines and advisories that will affect cash transactions by governments and bureau de change operators. The Unit will also release new reporting requirements on suspicious transactions for terrorism prone areas and on suspects taken into custody in violent and flashpoint communities to check vices of terrorism, proliferation of small arms, kidnapping, ethnic violence, cattle rustlings etc. with the view to providing credible intelligence for law enforcement and national security. Mr Dikko further explained that the beneficial ownership database for politically exposed persons and public servants, which has been in the works, will be completed and expanded to capture additional areas. The new process which includes new approach to analysing compliance in public account expenditures will almost shut down corruption from the way we used to know and new transparency methods will come to governance, the statement added. The statement further stated that Nigerias recent listing among high risk countries with deficiencies in money laundering and terrorism financing controls, has been objected by the European Union Council. The listing was officially withdrawn by the Council of Europe on 5th March 2019 while giving room for the European Commission and the European Parliament to align their positions. The Nigeria government engaged the E.U authorities through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the NFIU to reach an understanding, he explained. The statement urged all entities and individuals to cooperate with the new processes being proposed by the NFIU because the measures are necessary in order to move the country forward. President Muhammadu Buharis campaign has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of having illegal access to the computer server of the electoral commssion, INEC. The spokesperson of Mr Buharis campaign, Festus Keyamo, stated this in a petition sent to the Inspector General of Police and the Director General of the State Security Service. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the alleged content of the INEC server is one of the major basis of the electoral petition filed by the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, against the re-election of Mr Buhari. Mr Abubakar claims that by votes on the INEC server, he won the February 23 presidential election and not Mr Buhari as declared by INEC. It is based on the petition of Mr Abubakar and other factors that Mr Keyamo petitioned the security chiefs accusing the PDP of illegal access to the INEC server. Read Mr Keyamos full petition as sent to PREMIUM TIMES below. 1. The Inspector-General of Police, Police Force Headquarters, Louis Edet House, Abuja. 2. The Director-General, Department of State Services, Aso Drive, Abuja. Dear sirs, PETITION TO INVITE, INTERROGATE AND INVESTIGATE THE PDP LEADERSHIP OVER ITS ADMITTANCE OF ILLEGAL ACCESS TO INECS SERVER BACKGROUND 1. It would be recalled that an Electoral (Amendment) Bill containing the provision for electronic transmission of results to INECs central computer system (otherwise called server) was sent to President Muhammadu Buhari by the National Assembly for assent late in the year 2018. 2. Despite the shortness of time before the Presidential/National Assembly Elections, and the lack of time to first simulate the process to ensure its effectiveness in a country like ours with problems of effective networks in many rural areas and constant failure of technological devices, together with its violation of the time frame of such laws as provided for in regional and continental Protocols in terms of the length of time required for the passage of such laws before any major election, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party was hell-bent that the President should sign the Bill into law. That was the first indication that the main opposition was up to something sinister regarding the electronic transmission of the results. 3. Upon the last-minute postponement of the February 16, 2019 Presidential/National Assembly Elections, the nation was shocked to see already prepared presidential elections results floating around in the cyber space just less than 24 hours after the postponed election was originally billed to hold! The fake results had details of the scores of the candidates of the major parties. Of course, the fake results gave victory to the candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, even when elections did not hold. 4. The only conclusion one can draw from the above is that the PDP had prepared those results which were to be smuggled into the INEC Server. However, the sudden postponement of the election scuttled that evil plan, but it was too late to restrain the release of the fake results. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS 5. The proper elections were held on February 23, 2019 and President Muhammadu Buhari declared the winner. Despite the approval of the elections as credible by nearly all local and international observers (except some few known PDP acolytes masquerading as local observers), the PDP cried foul and made a shocking claim: it claimed that from purported results it obtained from INECs server, it has so-called proof that its candidate won the election by about 1.6million votes! 6. Shockingly and coincidentally, this margin was about the same margin by which it also purportedly won by the fake results released just hours after the postponement of the February 16, 2019 Presidential/National Assembly Elections. 7. As if this expensive joke was not enough, the PDP and its Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, have gone ahead to file an Election Petition against the clear victory of President Muhammadu Buhari and have repeated the same outlandish claim of having access to INECs server which shows that they have some purported results at their disposal giving victory to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. 8. Sirs, we wish you to note that INECs server is the back end of electronic records of INEC. This is not INECs website but its server! Although, the purported results have been conclusively shown by public engagements to be false and even ridiculous, especially as the total number of accredited voters is exactly equivalent to the purported votes of the APC and PDP candidates, this criminal claim of the PDP has revealed a few things: (a) It is now clear that some criminally-minded PDP operatives have access to the INEC server to be able to smuggle in fake results into that server. (b) The only means by which they could have access to the INEC server is by the criminal hacking of the server or through the criminal conspiracy of some INEC officials. PRAYERS The APC Presidential Campaign Council hereby prays that the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of the Department of State Services use your good offices to investigate the hacking of and/or illegal tampering with the INEC server by the PDP. The leadership of the PDP must be invited, interrogated and investigated and those identified as perpetrators must be arrested and prosecuted. Opposition is healthy in a democracy but it is not a license for criminality and illegality. A country governed by laws cannot be blackmailed or cowed into indolence by the perceived underdog status of the opposition so as to condone such a blatant criminal claim by the PDP of having illegal access to INECs server. We trust you will act with alacrity. Thank you. The Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday urged Governor Gboyega Oyetola to shelve any plans for appellate review of a judgement that sacked him as governor last week. The election petitions tribunal for the September 2018 governorship election in Osun State declared Ademola Adeleke winner of the election in its March 22 ruling. The tribunal found that the supplementary election that held on September 28 to make up for the inconclusive September 22 poll was illegal. It, therefore, deducted the scores of both major candidates, and found that Mr Adeleke was the true winner based on the results of the initial ballot. Nigerian politicians have always appealed such judgements to the highest applicable jurisdiction, and Mr Oyetola is expected to appeal the ruling without delay. Challenges to governorship and presidential election terminate at Supreme Court, while the Court of Appeal has the final say on complaints arising from parliamentary polls. The PDP said since Mr Oyetola is a Muslim, a religion that teaches fairness, equality, peace and truthfulness,he should search his conscience and ask this pertinent question did I truly win the governorship election'? Diran Odeyemi, a PDP spokesperson, in a statement Tuesday, described Mr Oyetola as a refined gentleman, very religious but whose gubernatorial election was favourably manipulated by APC and INEC to discredit his person and personal belief and we believe he will not want his integrity to be dragged into the mud. Mr Odeyemi said it was long acknowledged by local and international observers that the governorship poll was manipulated for Mr Oyetola against the overall verdict of the electorate, but the governor could still atone for his alleged wrongdoing by immediately vacating office for Mr Adeleke. The PDPs advice contradicts its position on the outcome of the presidential elections, which its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has challenged. Following repeated demand by supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari for Mr Abubakar to abandon tribunal petition, the PDP said both itself and its candidate would see the case through, including to the Supreme Court if necessary. Mr Abubakar last week submitted his petition for the tribunal to declare him winner of the presidential election, alleging manipulation of results, falsified identity documents by Mr Buhari, amongst other grounds. Atiku Abubakar has hailed President Donald Trump for his breakthrough in the extensive investigation of alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 elections. Mr Trump, of the Republican Party, was accused by the opposition Democratic Party of enlisting Russian hackers and other criminals to manipulate the outcome of the November 2016 presidential elections in his favour. Mr Trump vehemently denied wrongdoing, accusing the Democrats and their supporters in the media of being on a witch-hunt. An independent panel was ultimately raised in 2017 to look into the allegations, which dominated American media coverage without break. The panel was headed by Robert Mueller, a former head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). For several months, there were reports that Mr Trump was on the verge of firing Mr Mueller after the top detective closed in on several of Mr Trumps allies. Paul Manafort, a former campaign manager of Mr Trump, and Michael Flynn, whom Mr Trump appointed as a national security adviser shortly after assuming office in January 2016, were amongst the top associates of the president arrested on Mr Muellers findings. However, their cases, even though they stemmed from the larger collusion investigation, were completely unrelated to the collusion itself. Mr Manafort was prosecuted for questionable business ties with Russians and Ukrainians in his personal capacity and years before the 2016 campaign. At least 37 persons were indicted by Mr Muellers panel, which included top FBI investigators and government prosecutors, and hundreds of subpoenas also went out. In the final report which Mr Mueller submitted to Attorney-General William Barr, the special counsel found that neither Mr Trump nor anyone in his campaign colluded with Russians to alter the 2016 elections. Mr Mueller, however, said he was unable to clear Mr Trump of obstruction of justice, even as he was unable to indict him of committing such offence, either. Mr Trump quickly hailed the findings as a total exoneration of alleged collusion and descended on Democrats for allegedly lying to Americans for so long. Mr Trumps supporters said the decision by Mr Mueller not to indict or exonerate the president on obstruction of justice was in itself a satisfying decision that favoured the president. Mr Barr, who made a four-page excerpt of the report public on Sunday, said Mr Trump cannot be charged for obstruction of justice based on the entire document submitted by Mr Mueller. The outcome jolted the Democrats, who immediately waved it off as largely opening the path for over a dozen investigations already ongoing against Mr Trump than an absolute exoneration of the president. The Democrats argued that Mr Trump would be hurt by those investigations at the 2020 presidential elections after the presidents supporters suggested that Mr Muellers exoneration had handed him an easy second term. Mr Trump is facing charges, including those targeting his tax filings, in some American jurisdiction, especially New York. I congratulate President @realDonaldTrump on his vindication by the Robert Mueller report, Mr Abubakar tweeted Tuesday afternoon. It is my hope that the lifting of this cloud will give room for further successes by the 45th President of the United States. The former vice-president, who has challenged the outcome of the 2019 presidential election against President Muhammadu Buhari in court, longed for an era when Nigeria can emulate the rigour of the American system in unravelling a political crisis. I trust Nigeria can learn from the application of rigorous due process to get to the truth of our current challenges. Congratulations once again, Mr Abubakar said. Except Nigerias ruling party puts its house in order, it risks making the same mistake it made in 2015 when Bukola Saraki emerged Senate President against the interest of the party. Hours after the APC leadership at a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari and senators-elect announced the endorsement of Ahmed Lawan to be the next Senate president, Ali Ndume has vowed to fight on. Mr Ndume, a Borno State senator, expressed dissatisfaction over the decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to endorse lawmakers for leadership positions in the 9th assembly. The lawmaker said the endorsement of Mr Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila for positions of Senate President and Speaker House of Representatives may have sparked off a crisis of confidence in the ruling party. Mr Ndume, a ranking senator, on Monday wrote the chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomole, to declare his intention to run for Senate President. Same Monday, the party was reported to have endorsed Mr Lawan for this position at a meeting held at the Presidential Villa. Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Mr Ndume described the endorsement APC handed to Mr Lawan as unconstitutional and against the spirit of fair play. His reaction was reported by The Nation. He said the position of the party on who emerges the Senate President cannot stand as it did not follow due process adding that he consulted widely and was given the go-ahead by party leaders to vie for the position. For him, the best the party could have done was to zone the slot of Senate President to a geo-political zone and allow the zone to choose their candidate First of all, let me say that the decision by the party to settle for an individual instead of zoning the position to a particular geopolitical zone and also consulting or allowing the senators from that zone to decide who among them they prefer as Senate President, is a surprise. We were surprised on Monday when national chairman of our party told us a decision had been taken to adopt Ahmad Lawan as candidate from the North-east for the position of the President of the Senate. The reason why I am shocked and I am sure that is the feeling of my colleagues, is that the constitutional provision for the emergence of the leadership of the Senate is clearly spelt out. Section 51 (a) of the Constitution says that there shall be a Senate President and Deputy Senate President who shall be elected by members of the House. Section 1 of the Constitution clearly states that this Constitution is binding on all Nigerians and government agencies. It went further to say that any other law that contravenes the provision of the Constitution is null and void. Ndume takes swipe at APC Mr Ndume also tackled the APC on its decision, questioning the democratic credentials of its leaders. As a party that is supposed to be democratic and as a government that insists on allowing due process to prevail, this is strange. A candidate of APC normally emerges by one of three means, namely- consensus, indirect elections and direct primaries, he said. As I said, such a decision was taken and we were not given the chance to ask questions. We were not allowed to make comments. The President made his remarks and after that, the national anthem was recited. Even the chosen candidate was not given the chance to thank us or say something about it. Those of us that have indicated interests were not consulted or given the chance to make any comments. I left there with that shock but I slept well notwithstanding. I am one among equal. I am just one among 109 senators. I am not better than them, except for Lawan. I came back and slept well. My wife and children were worried about my feelings. I was even late for the prayers in the morning. I try my best in everything I do and I leave the rest to God. I am now leaving this to God and those who elected me. I am going home to consult with elders who gathered themselves and asked me to contest. I will consult with them and then take a final decision. The party has taken a decision. I ultimately wait on the decision of Almighty God and my colleagues. That is what I will say for now. Asked to explain what he meant by waiting for his colleagues to decide his fate, he said: You should not be confused. The constitution is clear. It says the Senate shall elect its president and deputy. Like I said, my decision to contest for the position of the Senate President is not personal. Even my colleagues encouraged me to run. Not just the elected ones. They said I should vie for the position. Even then, the party didnt say it had elected Ahmad Lawan. It only said it has nominated Lawan. The way the leadership of the National Assembly should emerge is clearly stated. Anything contrary to that means it is illegal and it cant stand. As I said, we wait on God. I am not the one saying this. It is the decision of my colleagues. I am one of those offering himself to contest for the position. I cant even nominate myself. Someone has to nominate and second me. I cant say that a candidate has been imposed on us. The decision is now left for my colleagues. If you look at the history of the National Assembly, such decisions have never gone down well. In 1999, Evan Ewerem was imposed. He didnt last. Wabara was also imposed. It didnt last. After that, the PDP we have accused of impunity didnt do this. In 2007, the PDP showed wisdom by zoning the position to North Central. That was what led to the contest between David Mark and George Akume. Because that happened, Mark served for two terms. Mark would have served for another term if PDP had won. He served his tenure peacefully. The Saraki Experience Although the APC has a clear majority of Nigerias109 senators (over 60), Mr Ndume stands a chance for the Senate presidents seat if he is able to get significant support of the partys lawmakers and those of other opposition parties. Should the APC not be able to resolve its internal squabbles, the party risks going through the same crisis it went through in 2015 when Bukola Saraki defeated the APC-endorsed Ahmed Lawan to emerge Senate president. The ruling party never got out of that crisis as Mr Saraki, now an opposition lawmaker continues to preside over the Senate. The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has alleged that the deputy governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the state, Akpo Yeeh, was bribed with N200 million by Governor Nyesom Wike to defect from the AAC. Mr Yeeh stunned the public on Monday when he resigned his membership of the AAC, defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and pledged political support to Mr Wike who has been battling to survive a tough election battle with the AAC. Mr Yeehs action came as a surprise to many because his party, backed by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and the APC, has become the major opposition against PDP in the state. The court had barred the APC from being on the ballot because of the internal power struggle in the party. More so, the governorship and the House of Assembly elections are yet to be concluded in the state. Honestly, I think we are not surprised at the news that the deputy governorship candidate of the African Action Congress, Mr Akpo Yeeh, has resigned the membership of his party to join Wike after collecting N200 million from the government, the APC spokesperson in Rivers, Chris Finebone, told PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday afternoon. We are only reacting to his decision because we adopted in principles, the AAC governorship candidate, Biokpomabo Awara, and the fact that Mr Akpo, for want of justification for his actions, is struggling to lie about the Hon. Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi. Even the retarded of the earth know that Mr Akpo simply responded to what many people called stomach infrastructure. Depending on Mr Akpos station in life, N200 million definitely is a once in a lifetime opportunity he had to grab. His ilk totally jettisons their conscience in time like that. We wish him well. We only want to inform Mr Akpo that even as he struggles to reap from a script written by others, that in a few days he came close, he had no opportunity to know or to associate with the minister as to be in a position to say what he is claiming, Mr Finebone said. The Rivers State government has denied that it bribed Mr Yeeh to abandon the AAC. They are talking rubbish, the Commissioner for Information in the state, Emma Okah, said of the bribery allegation. They are a people who have no shame, trying to distract peoples attention from the calamity which they have inflicted upon the people of Rivers State during the elections. Why do we need to bribe a deputy governorship candidate? Does it change the fact that we won the elections? Are we under any threat by AAC? Mr Okah said. The commissioner said the PDP has won the governorship and the House of Assembly elections in the state. What we can say is to thank the man (Mr Yeeh) for realising that there comes a time in a mans life when you must tell yourself the truth, he said. Mr Yeeh has reportedly been making disparaging remarks against Mr Amaechi since he (Mr Yeeh) announced his defection from AAC. When Mr Yeeh visited the Government House, Port Harcourt, on Monday to formally inform Mr Wike of his decision to support him, he was quoted as telling the governor, I cannot afford to leave the fast lane and go to the slow lane. The governor-elect of Bauchi State, Bala Muhammed, has assured of good governance in the state after he was declared winner on Monday following a close contest. Mr Muhammed, a former senator and former minister of federal capital territory (FCT), defeated the incumbent governor, Muhammed Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with a vote margin of 14, 488 votes. In the keenly contested election, the former minister polled 515, 113 votes against the incumbents 500, 625 votes. Mr. Abubakar is the first governor of Bauchi who failed to secure a second term since the return of democracy in 1999. Delivering his acceptance speech at about midnight Tuesday, the governor-elect said he was humbled by the confidence the people of Bauchi reposed in him through their ballots. He said his core mandate is to give Bauchi citizens a better prospect and greater opportunity for a prosperous life. He promised to reduce poverty and encourage the people in the area of agriculture, education, urban and rural infrastructure. Thanking the chairman and members of the PDP for giving him the opportunity to stand for the election and ensured victory for his mandate, the governor-elect thanked those who formed his governorship campaign team. I sincerely extend my sincere appreciation to my brother, the Right Honourable Speaker of the House of Representative, Barrister Yakubu Dogara and our father and elder statement, Alhaji Bello Kirfi and other statesmen, religious and community leaders who stood by us, he said. Mr Muhammed also thanked the coalition of political parties that came together to support his candidacy. Most importantly I want to thank each and every of 2.4 million voters of Bauchi state for supporting us because this victory belongs to all of us. You have not only made Bauchi state proud but have restored states political culture to highest state of integrity and credibility to our greater glory. Four years ago the citizens of Bauchi state accepted a clarion call with excitement and voted a government they believe will usher a new and radical beginning. This dream turned out a nightmare with the scandalous consequences leading majority of our people and children to doubt we will ever have a better future. As a matter of fact, it is the failure of the present administration to fulfil virtually all its electoral promises that boomerang to their rejection by the citizens of Bauchi state. The governor-elect also promised to ensure the welfare of women and children which he said saving their lives remains close to his heart. He said his incoming administration is determined to launch a pro-business and pro-market, while agricultural and economic revolution within four years. Transition and the Future He said n the coming days and weeks, his team shall be engaged with officials of the outgoing government in what will hopefully be a peaceful transition exercise. Once we have a clearer picture of the enormity of task of rebuilding our state, I shall be honest with you about the challenges we will face because I know the roads will be rough and tough. We are indeed at a historic crossroad. He promised to engaged the best hands in the running of his administration whom he said he will hold responsible and accountable to my administration and the people of Bauchi state. In this task, I am delighted to have an able and tested senator as my partner (deputy governor), who has a distinguished record of service to our country and to Bauchi state. I am lucky to have him as a deputy governor. With him, Baba Tella, as a senator and me a senator, I think the leadership will not be bereft of ideas and capacityWe will lead our people with dignity; as the people have spoken and we have taken charge. Profile of Bauchi Governor-Elect Mr Muhammed was born on October 5, 1958 at Duguri Town in Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State. He started his formal primary and secondary education between 1965 and 1976 in Bauchi State. He obtained Advanced Level Certificate at the North East College of Art and Science between and 1977 and 1979. Mr. Muhammed obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Language at the University of Maiduguri in 1982. He attended the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) in 1988 for a general management course. In 1997, he attended a capacity building training in Lagos and was given a certificate of the Institute of Purchase & Supplies. He began his career as a journalist in the early 1980s and rose to the position of news editor of the Mirage Newspaper, Jos, between 1982 and 1983. He also had a stint as a news reporter with the News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN). In 1984, he joined the federal civil service as an Administrative Officer under the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs, Abuja. In 1994, he was promoted and redeployed as Principal Administrative Officer in the Cabinet Secretariat of the Presidency. He was Chief Supplies Officer, Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals from 1995 to 1997. He rose to the position of Assistant Director in the Federal Ministry of Power and Steel in 1997. He held the position until 1999 when he was promoted Deputy Director/Special Assistant to the Minister, Federal Ministry of Transport. Mr Mohammed was later promoted the position of Director of Administration, Nigerian Railway Corporations in 2003. Later in September that year, he became special assistant to the Minister of Aviation. In January 2004, he became Director of Administration and Supplies, Nigerian Meteorological Agency. He was once the Personal Assistant to the Minister of Internal Affairs and Personal Assistant to the Director General, Cabinet Secretariat, the Presidency. He also served as Special Assistant to the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power and Steel and Secretary Ministerial Tenders Board, Federal Ministry of Power and Steel. In 2007, he joined politics and was elected as the Senator, Bauchi South District. He occupied the seat until his appointment as the Minister of Federal Capital Territory in April 2010 and served until 2015. The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Yobe State, Iliya Damagum, on Tuesday, said he would not challenge the results of the election at the petition tribunal. Mr Iliya told journalists in Damagum after a PDP stakeholders meeting which reviewed the outcome of the governorship election that he had accepted the election of Mai Mala Buni of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the next governor of the state. There may be areas and issues that bedeviled the elections, but a winner has emerged and that has been announced. We have no option but to accept it as the will of God and move forward, he said. Mr Iliya said he had already congratulated the governor-elect on his victory. I have congratulated Mai Mala, the governor-elect and called on him to look at Yobe as his entire constituency, knowing that God has given him this opportunity, he said. He urged the governor-elect to use the mandate for the good of the people of the state irrespective of their political differences. Mr Iliya commended his supporters and politicians in the state for conducting themselves peacefully during and after the elections. (NAN) After the tanker had left suctioning the sewage, Krishnamoorthy reportedly spotted a small area inside the tank which required further cleaning and hence he got inside the tank to do it himself. Chennai: At least six men, including three from the same family and a Good Samaritan who rushed to their help, died inhaling poisonous gas from a septic tank in a house at Sriperumbudur near Chennai on Tuesday, sending shock waves across the state. Police gave the names of the deceased as Krishnamoorthy, the house owner, his two sons Kannan, 28, and Karthik, 25, two of the landlord's tenants, Suradhabhai, 28 and Paramasivam, 32, besides a 22-year-old youth, Lakshmikanthan who was delivering gas cylinders in that locality. All fell like ninepins, one after another, in a serial tragedy hardly witnessed in recent days, to the noxious gas emanating from the tank, starting with the family head Krishnamoorthy who first got inside to apparently round off the cleaning to perfection after a sewage tanker had initially emptied the septic tank in his house. While the family lived on one of the floors, Krishnamoorthy had let the other portions in the building to other families for rent. Since this part of Sriperumbudur is yet to get underground drainage system, Krishnamoorthy made sure the septic tank was cleaned periodically. But Tuesday work was to be deadly. After the tanker had left suctioning the sewage, Krishnamoorthy reportedly spotted a small area inside the tank which required further cleaning and hence he got inside the tank to do it himself. As Kannan and Karthik watched, Krishnamoorthy fell unconscious within the tank. Karthik rushed inside the tank to get his father wake up, but also fainted inside the tank. Kannan, hoping to revive his brother and father, jumped into the tank only to faint in it. As one disaster after another unfolded in front of their eyes, Krishnamoorthy's family shouted for help and two of their tenants - Suradhabhai (28) and Paramasivam (32) - came running to help the three men. They also got inside the septic tank, fainted, taking the tally to five. Hearing the cries of the families of the men, Lakshmikanthan, delivering gas cylinder nearby, rushed to their help. He jumped into the tank to rescue the men, but also succumbed to the gas. Shocked neighbours and others nearby alerted the police, fire station and the ambulance. A fire engine reached the spot and pulled out all six men from the tank, but they were all reportedly dead by then. The Fire and rescue services personnel also cleaned the contaminated tank with foam and sealed it shut. Bezwada Wilson, Founder and National Convener of the Safai Karamchari Andholan (SKA), was later quoted by a news website as having said that people set out to do such things due to lack of awareness about the technology available to clean septic tanks.I would hold the state responsible for such deaths, he reportedly added. The police registered an FIR under section 174 CrPC and sent the six bodies for autopsy to the government hospital in Sriperumbudur. A Justice of the Supreme Court, Sidi Bage, has emerged as the 17th Emir of Lafia Emirate following the demise of Mustapha Agwai I. Mr Agwai died on January 10. Haruna Osegba, the Nasarawa State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs announced the selection of the Emir on Tuesday in Lafia following the state traditional council meeting. Mr Osegba said the new emir was selected by the emirates college of selector, ratified by the state traditional council and approved by Governor Umaru Al-Makura. He said the selection of the new emir was in line with legal notice 12 of 1986, section 31 stipulating the rotation of the stool between the two royal houses. Mr Osegba explained that Mr Bage and Musa Mustapha-Agwai, son of the late emir, contested for the position. Mr Bage was however selected by four out of the five members of the college of selectors. Mr Bage was born on June 22, 1956, in Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State. He attended the Dunoma Primary School Lafia from 1963 to 1969 Government Secondary School Lafia from 1970 to 1974. He was admitted into the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, for a Diploma Programme in Law between 1975 and 1977, obtained same at Credit Level and later got his L.L.B. Hon degree in 1980. He graduated with Second Class Lower Division, proceeded to the Nigerian Law School Lagos in 1980 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1981. Mr Bage worked as a Legal Officer, Ground Training Group, Nigerian Air Force Base Kaduna (NYSC) 1981 to 1982, and Appointed Magistrate Grade II Plateau State Judiciary 1982. He was Promoted Magistrate Grade I 1984, Promoted Senior Magistrate Grade II 1986, Appointed Chief Magistrate II F.C.T Judiciary 1989, Promoted Chief Magistrate I. 1990 and was promoted as Deputy Chief Registrar FCT Judiciary 1991. He was again promoted Substantive Chief Registrar, FCT High Court January, 1992, elevated to the High Court Bench as a Judge November 9, 1992, elevated Justice Court of Appeal December 10, 2007, and appointed Justice of the Supreme Court on December 5, 2016. Mr Al-Makura also approved the selection of Isa Abubakar Umar as the Emir of Awe following the death of the late emir. Mr Osegba noted that the new emir of Awe was unanimously selected by the four surviving kingmakers of the emirate. Also selected was Umar Dodo as the new Osu Kadarko a third class tradition ruler in Keana local government area. The Osu Kadarko stool became vacant following the death of Fabian Orogu on January 12, 2018. (NAN) The Kano State Government on Tuesday dismissed reports that killings were perpetrated during the March 23 re-run governorship election in the state. The government challenged those who made the claims come forward with proof of such killings. The State Commissioner of Information, Mohammed Garba, threw the challenge while addressing a news conference in Kano. I want to challenge anyone with proof of killings during the election to come and give the names of those killed. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) claimed that two persons were killed in Nasarawa Local Government Area but we went to the area and Nasarawa Hospital as well, but we were not able to get a report of any death. So, if there is any person who witnessed the killing of somebody in Nasarawa local government or anywhere, let him or her come forward and say so, Mr Garba said. He also debunked the rumours that there was protest after the election results were announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). According to him, there were a lot of fabricated stories during the election which was the handiwork of those he described as desperate members of the opposition who wanted to discredit the election at all costs. The desperation of the opposition to discredit the election was the reason why they continued to spread all sorts of rumours and lies on social media platform to misinform the public, he said. The commissioner said that the supplementary election was generally peaceful besides two incidents which were quickly addressed by the security agents in the affected areas. He said the State Government would continue to ensure the security of lives and property in the state and urged all residents of the area to remain law abiding. Kano is very peaceful because people are going about their normal businesses since the declaration of the election results by INEC, contrary to the rumours being peddled on the social media platform. I commend journalists for their adequate coverage of the exercise and call on them to continue to use their various media to promote peace in the state, Mr Garba said. (NAN) A coalition of 28 political parties in Sokoto State on Tuesday rejected the victory of Governor Aminu Tambuwal at the governorship election in the state. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday declared Tambuwal winner of the election after Saturdays supplementary polls with a narrow margin of 342 votes, The Chief Collation/Returning Officer, Fatima Mukhtar, said that Mr Tambuwal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured the highest votes of 512, 002, defeating his close rival Ahmad Aliyu of APC, who polled 511, 660 votes. Addressing a news conference in Sokoto, the coalition leader, Musa Aliyu of the Nigeria Elements Progressive Party (NEPP), rejected the declaration. Mr Aliyu, the NEPP governorship candidate in Sokoto State, said the process was flawed with irregularities and characterised by acts of violence which contravened the nations electoral laws and the Constitution. Our decision was rightly informed by the glaring fact that the elections were hugely marred by myriad of flaws, which had rendered the result of the polls null, void and unacceptable. We observed that the elections were characterised by massive vote-buying, intimidation, non-use of card reader machines as well as the duplication of voting in polling units where the polls were earlier conducted. The coalition, therefore, deemed it necessary to unravel these infraction on the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, as well as INECs Electoral Guidelines. We are also in total and formidable support of All Progressives Congress (APC) action to seek legal redress, he said. He appealed to supporters and the entire people of the state to remain calm and law abiding, while we patiently await the outcome of the litigation on the polls. Some of the delegates at the conference included Mujjitaba Aminu of MPN, Muhammad Shehu of GPN, Lawali Haliru of UPP, Dan-Ali Kasarawa of LP and Bello Ibrahim of DPP. (NAN) The Edo State Government has granted clemency and parole to 84 inmates in various prison formations in the state, in alignment with the federal governments commitment to decongest prisons across the country. Edo State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Yinka Omorogbe, said the move has the backing of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, with the aim of tackling overcrowding in Nigerian prisons. Mr Omorogbe said the state government in conjunction with the Attorney General of the Federation and a donor agency raised N9 million to secure the release of the prisoners, who could not meet their bail conditions due to their lowly status. According to her: the high number of inmates awaiting trial for crimes ranging from stealing, breaking and entering and other minor offenses, are the major causes of overcrowding. The state government is working hard to decongest and improve the living condition of prisoners as well as ensure proper rehabilitation of the inmates. The Edo State Controller of Prisons, Joseph Usendiah, said 23 inmates were being released from the Benin prisons, while 61 inmates are to be released across the various prisons in Edo State, bringing the total number of those affected to 84. He said the move will help decongest the already overcrowded prisons, as it would help the ministry properly manage resources for the welfare of the remaining inmates. One of the affected inmates, identified as Mr Efosa, who has been in prison since 2016, thanked the Edo State Government for coming to their rescue. He said he is now a changed man and promised to lead a crime-free life. The police in Anambra State on Monday paraded one Monday Onyikwa from Umuefi Village, Nteje in Oyi Local Council Area for allegedly selling a six-year- old girl for ritual purposes. Rabiu Ladodo, who briefed reporters in Awka, said the suspect was arrested in the bush with the victim, Chisom Egbunu. Mr Ladodo said Mr Onyikwa confessed that he was taking the child to one Nnamdi, a native doctor in Nando Village, Anambra Council Area who was also arrested. He said the man also confessed that he was paid N100,000 for the trafficking business, adding that the matter was still under investigation. The police commissioner also paraded the masterminds of the viral video of a nude woman, Ogochukwu Okafor, who allegedly visited her Facebook friend, Ifeanyi Azotani, and was humiliated by his wife and her friend. Mr Azotani, his wife Toochukwu and her friend Nwankwo posted the nude video on the internet after the victim refused to pay them the sum of N60, 000 they demanded from her to kill the video. The command said it recovered seven cars including one black Toyota Venza, three Toyota Corolla, two Lexus-350 Jeep and a Toyota Rav 4 Jeep from an Asaba based robbery syndicate led by one Paul Chukwuezugo and an accomplice Michael Obinna. The commissioner said the syndicate had earlier robbed one Chinyere Onwuzulike of her Lexus Jeep in Orumba North council area. Items recovered from them include one Barreta pistol, three IPhones and a Samsung phone. He said the suspects have voluntarily confessed to the crime. Mr Ladodo said a total of 113 suspected cultists were arrested with 45 of them already charged to court and 33 under investigation. According to him 35 of the cultists were screened out. (NAN) Ifeanyi Ubah, the Anambra South Senator-elect, has reacted to reports of his reported defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Many newspapers reported that the senator-elect of the Young Peoples Party (YPP) dumped the party for the APC Monday night. Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday evening during a phone interview, Mr Ubah said he is caucusing with the APC, but has not joined the party. I am still with the YPP, we do not have a crisis in my party so why would I leave the party? Although the APC Chairman introduced me as a potential APC incoming senator during a dinner I attended, but it is normal for chairmen of parties to do that, he said. Mr Ubah said he has a case in court challenging the election result while noting that he is still a member of YPP. The Uba brothers are challenging the result of the election in court, he said According to him, I am caucusing with the party because I cannot be a loner at the Senate. Its either I move with the opposition or the ruling party, and I chose the ruling party, but it doesnt mean I have joined them, he said. He said caucusing in parliamentary terms means to work with people in harmony. Mr Ubah is the only candidate of YPP who will be a member of the 9th assembly. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Capital Oil and Gas boss won the Anambra South Senatorial ticket on the platform of the YPP polling 87,081 votes in the February 23 election. Mr Ubah, a former governorship candidate in the state, defeated his closest rival, Chris Uba of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who got 62,462 votes. Meanwhile, the senator representing Anambra South, Andy Uba, his younger brother, Chris Uba, and Victor Umeh are among those who filed petitions challenging the outcomes of their various elections in the Anambra Election Petitions Tribunal as at March 19. An Ado-Ekiti High Court on Tuesday sentenced a 40-year-old driver, Ajibola Abednego, to death by hanging for the murder of a fellow driver. Lekan Ogunmoye, the judge, sentenced the convict to death by hanging for the murder of Ojo Ogunsakin, 42, during a disagreement over loading arrangement. The prosecution has established the ingredients of the offence of murder against Abednego. May almighty God have mercy on your soul, Mr Ogunmoye said. The convict was charged with a one count of murder which contravened the provisions of Section 316 of the Criminal Code Law, CAP C16 Laws of Ekiti State. He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge. According to the IPO, Momoh Kamoru, the incident occurred on or about March 10, 2017, at the Tosin Aluko Motor Park in Ado Ekiti. Mr Kamoru told the court that an argument ensued between the convict and the deceased over who should get passengers first. He told the court that the convict took a stone and threw it at the deceased which caused his death. To prove its case the prosecution, called six witnesses including Mr Kamoru, the wife of the deceased, and J.A.Omotayo of the Ekiti State Teaching Hospital who conducted the post-mortem examination. Counsel to the convict, Kayode Oyeyemi, called two witnesses including the convict. (NAN) The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Unit (Task Force) has suspended one of its officers, Alex Ikuburuju, for allegedly collecting a bribe of N30,000 from an offender on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lane at Agric, Ikorodu. Adebayo Taofiq, the task forces, said in a statement Tuesday that the agency suspended the officer for extorting money from an arrested traffic offender. Investigations revealed that the officer, Mr. Ikuburuju Alex, truly negotiated and extorted the sum of N30,000 from the owner of an impounded vehicle who committed a traffic offence by plying the BRT lane around Agric Bus-Stop in Ikorodu, Mr Taofiq said. While Mr Ikuburuju was suspended from the agency, the senior police officer who led the team that impounded the vehicle was moved to a different unit for lack of supervision, the statement added. The Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force, Olayinka Egbeyemi, said the suspended officer confessed that he collected the bribe and that the suspension became imperative following complaints against the officer on the social media and subsequent investigation of the accused staff. Mr Egbeyemi said the action of the officer was disgraceful and did not justify the training he received. The government recently trained all paramilitary officers attached to the agency on Career Evaluation where they were taught how to be professionals and civil in dealing with members of the public. He said the Lagos task force would not tolerate indiscipline in any form and corrupt officers would be dismissed from the agency and urged members of the public to not hesitate in reporting any officer found misbehaving while discharging official duties. On learning of the accident, police rushed to the spot and shifted the injured to a government hospital at Kancheepuram. (Representational Image) Chennai: In a tragic incident, two persons were killed and at least 13 were injured after a trailer lorry ran amok near Oragadam on the wee hours of Tuesday. According to the police, a speeding trailer lorry ran amok a private company's bus and a car, reportedly after his brakes failed, which resulted in the death of two men. In the accident, a trailer lorry collided head-on with a van carrying a staff of a private company and a car behind the van. Police said the accident happened at around 2 am on Tuesday. The accident happened near the HP petrol station on the Chennai - Arakkonam highway at Avalur near Walajabad. The trailer lorry driver had turned the vehicle fast in the bend which resulted in the accident. The victims were identified as Logesh, 32 a staff of the private company and Nishanth, 22 the car driver. Fourteen people who were inside the van suffered minor and major injuries. The van belongs to a private company in Oragadam, said a police officer. On learning of the accident, police rushed to the spot and shifted the injured to a government hospital at Kancheepuram. The driver of the lorry and the injured were shifted to Chengalpattu government hospital for post mortem. The driver said that failure of brakes resulted in the accident, but a report from technical experts will ascertain the exact reason, the police said in a statement. The Walajabad police have registered a case and are investigating the exact reason for the accident. Patna: Bollywood actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who has been associated with BJP for about three decades, will join Congress at New Delhi on March 28, a senior party leader said here on Tuesday. "Shatrughan Sinha will join Congress in New Delhi on March 28 at 11.30 am ... He will be our candidate from Patna Sahib", chairman for the state Congress election campaign committee Akhilesh Prasad Singh told newsmen here. Sinha is a two-term BJP Lok Sabha member from Patna Sahib Singh but has been dropped by the saffron party which has chosen to field union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from the seat. Sinha has been openly critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. Speculation had been rife for some time that he would join the Congress, which is an ally of the 'Mahagathbandhan' which also consists of the RJD and other local parties. Asked whether Sinha would be induced in the party in the presence of AICC president Rahul Gandhi, as was being speculated in the media, Singh said Top leaders will be present on the occasion". Sources in the 'Mahagathbandhan' had recently claimed that there was a tug of war between the Congress and RJD over Sinhas candidature as Lalu Prasad's party, with which the 'Bihari Babu' shares cordial relations, was said to be keen on fielding him on its own symbol. Congress has been contesting from Patna Sahib whenever it has fought the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the RJD and Singhs statement indicate that decks have been cleared for Sinhas candidature by the Congress leadership. Singh, however, dodged queries about Kirti Azad, another BJP MP who had recently joined the Congress saying He will be contesting elections. From where, it will be decided by the party. Azad is serving his second consecutive term in the Lok Sabha from Darbhanga and the Congress wants to field him from the seat as the constituency has a large population of Maithil Brahmins its traditional supporters. RJD has been insisting that it has won the Darbhanga seat many times and would like to contest it again with its senior leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui as its candidate. 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. Gorakhpur: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday termed the Congress' minimum income scheme a poll "gimmick" and accused it of obstructing the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya along with the SP and BSP. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is likely to visit the party bastions of Amethi, Rae Bareli and Faizabad beginning Wednesday in her next leg of campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, party officials said. "Earlier too the Congress party had given the slogan of 'garibi hatao'. The announcement of a minimum (annual) wage of Rs 72,000 (too) is nothing but a gimmick," said Mr Adityanath, addressing a "Vijay Sankalp Rally" here. On Ram temple, Mr Yogi said, "The Congress, Samajwadi Party and BSP are the biggest hurdles in construction of the Ram temple. An army of advocates was brought to the fore by the Congress (to obstruct the construction)." Mr Kapil Sibal moved an application in the Supreme Court to see that the hearing in the case does not take place before 2019 elections, he added. "There is a family which starts remembering Lord Ram when elections draw closer but sit in temples in the posture of offering Namaz," the chief minister said, apparently referring to an incident involving a Gandhi family member. "These people visit places to show disrespect to great men. They offer garlands worn by them to the statue of Lal Bahadur Shastri," he added, without taking names. "While the Congress serves biryani to terrorists, the BJP feeds them bombs," he added. Mr Adityanath also compared the achievements of previous governments with those of the Modi government and his own in two years, claiming the BJP government did much better. He also attacked the previous governments on the issue of corruption and asserted that due to Mr Modi, an All India Institute of Medical Sciences was being built in Gorakhpur and a fertiliser plant, closed for 26 years, was revived here. He reminded people that though they would be voting for Lok Sabha candidates, they would be choosing a prime minister, appealing to them to pick Mr Modi again. SOUTH BEND, Ind., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Global vehicle systems provider, AM General, is featuring its wide array of tactical mobility solutions at the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) Global Force Symposium & Exposition, Mar. 26-28, Booth 1205 at the Von Braun Convention Center in Huntsville, Ala. This comes on the heels of a Department of Defense (DoD) contract award for 103 armored M1152A1B2 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV) with a value of approximately $14.8 million. "Through continuous improvements, today's Humvee demonstrates its relevance and reliability while ensuring readiness for our U.S. military partners," said Executive Vice President of U.S. Defense, Chris Vanslager. "The AUSA Global Force expo is an invaluable platform that enables us to demonstrate our alignment with the Army's modernization strategy by showcasing the latest technology integrations into our mobility platforms to meet the U.S. Army's requirements now and in the future." On display at the show is the HMMWV Enhanced Tactical Kit Narrow Body. This kit enables the vehicle's body width to be reduced by 8 inches. It allows for internal transportation inside a CH47, has a payload capacity for up to 9 soldiers, and can be added to the existing HMMWVs already in service. The DoD's recent order of 103 armored Humvees is also a testament to the versatility and longevity of the vehicle platform. The M1152A1B2 configuration not only features the current production chassis with added power and performance, but also has additional perimeter and overhead armor as well as a rear ballistic bulkhead. These vehicles, like the less armored versions, are air transportable, droppable, and can be sling-loaded by helicopter without additional modifications. This vehicle order will support the Product Manager Mission Network initiatives and be delivered Q3-Q4 2019. About AM General AM General designs, engineers, manufactures, supplies and supports specialized vehicles for military and commercial customers worldwide. Through its military business, the company is widely recognized as the world leader in design, engineering, manufacturing and logistics support of Tactical Vehicles, having produced and sustained more than 300,000 vehicles in over 70 countries. AM General has more than five decades of experience meeting the changing needs of the defense and automotive industries, supported by its employees at major facilities in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, and a strong supplier base that stretches across 43 states. Please see more information about AM General at www.amgeneral.com . Media Contact: Deborah Reyes Global Marketing and Communications Director Phone: 248-309-5897 E-mail: [email protected] SOURCE AM General Related Links http://www.amgeneral.com AUSTIN, Texas, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Aurigo Software Technologies, developer of America's leading capital program and project management software, today announced a major new version of Aurigo Masterworks Cloud version to help infrastructure owners reimagine success for their capital projects. The SaaS product offering from Aurigo is delivered on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud infrastructure. Aurigo Masterworks Cloud is a comprehensive, purpose-built SaaS product specifically designed for the complex needs of large-scale, public-facing capital projects. Aurigo Masterworks Cloud will help cities, counties, states, agencies, and facility owners plan, build, and maintain capital assets, infrastructure, and facilities, without having to rely on a multitude of point solutions or system integrators to develop custom solutions. The new capabilities introduced in this release, powering over 25,000 users across 40,000 capital projects in North America, are designed to enable public agencies, and infrastructure owners across North America operate more efficiently, increase transparency, reduce risks, and transform their communities and regions. Aurigo offers a total of seventeen products in the Masterworks Cloud suite, and they can be purchased either stand-alone or bundled. Aurigo Masterworks cloud comprises four distinct product lines: Capital Projects Portfolio Management Full Lifecycle Construction Management Safety, Quality & Maintenance; and Business Operations. Each product line of Aurigo comprises a family of products to automate different aspects of the plan, build, maintain and operate phases of the infrastructure lifecycle. All products are powered by the Aurigo Masterworks platform, which includes powerful reporting and dashboard capabilities, robust document management and collaboration tools, and a native mobile application for iOS, Android, and Windows smartphones and tablets. Some of the new enhancements in version 11 include: "Master Contract" and "Work Orders" As an extension of our best-in-class contract management product, Aurigo has now announced the new "master contract" feature that can be used to create contracts which can benefit multiple projects. With the master contract feature, contracts are established with a specific vendor for a pre-defined time. Ceiling costs and work orders are executed within the contract across various projects. Masterworks Cloud version 11 simplifies the tracking of all work done and every payment made in the contract. Resource Management Capital projects are always resource-intensive. Effective resource management is a pivotal part of effective project management. Masterworks' all-new Resource Management feature helps users manage and allocate the 3 M's--Manpower, Machines, and Material--across and within individual projects. Masterworks provides over-utilization and under-utilization charts along with extensive resource reporting and dashboarding capabilities to give organizations full clarity into their resource planning. Vendor Management The enhanced Vendor Management feature in version 11 enables capital project and infrastructure owners to oversee and analyze all the vendors, consultants, and suppliers they interact with during the capital project lifecycle. Vendor performance can be measured and ranked based on criteria you can define to meet your organization's specific quality standards and needs. Microsoft Outlook Plug-in The plug-in for Microsoft Outlook is now a standard feature in Aurigo Masterworks Cloud version 11. Masterworks users can now upload emails and attachments directly from Microsoft Outlook without logging into Masterworks! The new Outlook Plug-In requires a one-time setup and configuration within MS Outlook. Once configured, users can seamlessly upload their emails and attachments to document management folders of a project or contract in Masterworks. Microsoft Project Integration Microsoft Project is one of the most widely-used scheduling applications to maintain construction project plans across the world. Aurigo Masterworks' new MS Project integration API in version 11 allows users to import, export, and run bi-directional updates of project plans either in MS Project or with Masterworks Schedule. This new functionality provides schedule or actuals data to be synced in both applications at all times--ensuring everyone gets the most current and accurate view of the information. "Aurigo Masterworks Cloud version 11 has been tested for large scale deployment. I am excited to announce that our investment in designing high performance architecture has paid rich dividends, and our users will now experience a 3X faster response with the latest release of Masterworks," said Kevin Koenig, Chief Technology Officer. "Aurigo Masterworks Cloud version 11 is more secure and scalable. It uses microservices to support critical business functions and comes with pre-configured forms and workflows to reduce the implementation time. From an implementation perspective, the latest release of Masterworks Cloud can be deployed in 90 - 120 days for small to mid-size cities and counties," said Ashish Agrawal, Vice President of Product & Platform. "Aurigo Masterworks Cloud version 11 significantly extends the lead we have over our competition. It is a major release that we are very proud of, and we have done this by enhancing the full lifecycle construction management capability and adding newer products. Our customers will experience superior ease of use, rapid deployment capabilities and higher availability with our new release. Also, Masterworks 11 extends our breadth of capability into the full plan, build, maintain and operate lifecycle of capital projects," said Balaji Sreenivasan, CEO, Aurigo Software. Mr. Sreenivasan added "Infrastructure in America is crumbling, and a massive investment in this sector is a matter of when and not if. We see that transparent, performance-based monitoring and timely infrastructure delivery are the biggest goals facing transportation agencies across America today, as they prepare to consume and spend over a trillion dollars on infrastructure projects over the next decade. Agencies need the latest technology and tools that are catered toward transportation agencies to help them plan and deliver these projects on time and budget. With our latest release 11, Aurigo Masterworks has secured its position on the leader board as the best-in-class capital program and project portfolio management software in North America." About Aurigo Aurigo Software is North America's leading provider of modern cloud software to help infrastructure owners plan, build, maintain and operate their multi-billion-dollar capital investments safely and efficiently. Aurigo Masterworks Cloud is a comprehensive suite of enterprise software products that automates the entire lifecycle of capital programs, including planning, forecasting, budgeting, bid & estimation, project management, contract administration, scheduling, right of way, permitting, materials testing, field inspection, civil rights, and document control. The system has robust reporting and dashboard capabilities, and a native mobile application. Aurigo is investing extensively to harness Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and Blockchain technologies in its product roadmap. Aurigo helps over 200 customers plan and deliver over $300 Billion of capital programs safely and efficiently. Aurigo is a privately held US corporation headquartered in Austin, Texas, with wholly owned subsidiaries in Canada and India. Visit www.aurigo.com for more information. SOURCE Aurigo Software Related Links http://www.aurigo.com CHARLESTON, S.C., March 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Multifamily investment firm Blaze Partners announced today the successful acquisition of The Gibson, a 250-unit luxury apartment community in Charlotte, North Carolina located in the thriving Plaza Midwood neighborhood. This transaction marks a continuation of the Company's current strategy of acquiring Class A communities within dynamic locations throughout institutional growth markets in the Southeast. "We are thrilled to expand our Charlotte presence and add The Gibson to our growing portfolio of institutional assets," said Chris Riley, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Blaze Partners. "The Gibson, unique in its design, walkability, and historic legacy, helped spur the transformation of the neighborhood. We are excited to take a stake in the continued growth of the submarket and embrace a community that stands unmatched amongst its peer set." The Gibson, developed in 2015 and built upon the site and legacy of a historic recording studio, offers residents a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom floorplans with designer-level finishes and an expansive amenity set. Positioned at the gateway to Plaza Midwood on Central Avenue and minutes from Uptown Charlotte, the community is walkable to high-profile restaurants, bars, and retail and offers remarkable views of the Charlotte skyline. "The Gibson transaction marks over $215 million in net acquisition volume in the last nine months, the vast majority of which has been with a slant towards core-plus assets in markets and locations that we deem to have superior long-term fundamentals with transformative catalysts to further drive demand," added Eddy O'Brien, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Blaze. "We anticipate a continuation of this investment focus throughout the year as we look to prudently expand our footprint throughout the Southeast with a keen eye towards relative risk and return." About Blaze Partners Blaze Partners, LLC is a multifamily investment firm focused on owning and operating institutional rental housing communities throughout the United States with a specific focus on the Southeast. Headquartered in Charleston, SC, the company offers a full suite of investment services including research, acquisitions, development, and asset management capabilities. Blaze Partners was founded by Chris Riley and Eddy O'Brien in 2016 with the goal of establishing a premier real estate investment firm with focused specialization across the rental housing spectrum. To learn more about Blaze, visit www.blazepartners.com. SOURCE Blaze Partners, LLC Related Links http://www.blazepartners.com Mr Lakshmana Reddy said that in 1990, JCV had started various awareness programmes and inspired by the same, women had started an anti-liquor movement. VIJAYAWADA: Jana Chaitanya Vedika has asked the public to defeat the ruling Telugu Desam for getting the public addicted to liquor in the past five years. JCV State president Mr V. Lakshmana Reddy said that TD had promised to restrain liquor sales to save the public from liquor addiction but sadly liquor sales had incre-ased greatly as it was a strong source of revenue generation. Mr Reddy said that as YSR Congress was aiming to implement phase wise liquor ban, the JCV was supporting YSRC in the elections. He stated that JCV had asked all political parties to announce their party policy on liquor and had appealed to all political parties to ban liquor in the State. Mr Lakshmana Reddy said that in 1990, JCV had started various awareness programmes and inspired by the same, women had started an anti-liquor movement. He mentioned that responding to the movement, the then AP chief minister N.T. Rama Rao put a liquor ban in AP State but later Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu lifted the liquor ban. NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Campari, the iconic Italian aperitif, and The New York Film Festival (NYFF), the premier U.S. showcase of the best in world cinema presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, are pleased to announce a two-year partnership. As the exclusive spirits partner for the 57th and 58th editions of NYFF - and the presenting partner of Opening Night, the festival's gala event - Campari extends its long-standing commitment to the world of film and art. Campari has long embraced film as an expression of its brand, working with such film luminaries as Federico Fellini, Salma Hayek, Zoe Saldana, Paolo Sorrentino and Clive Owen, celebrating creativity, storytelling and innovation in all its forms. Its Red Diaries platform, a series of unique short film collaborations with renowned international directors and actors, uses innovative storytelling to depict Campari's rich history. The most recent short film in the series, Entering Red, premiered in February 2019 and stars Ana de Armas from the blockbuster film Blade Runner 2049. The film is directed by Matteo Garrone, whose newest feature, Dogman, opens at the Film Society April 12. Remaining true to Campari's mantra that every cocktail tells a story, the release of Entering Red kicks off a year-long celebration of the iconic Negroni cocktail as the world-famous drink marks its 100th anniversary. "Our partnership with the New York Film Festival is a major step forward in continuing our devotion to film and the arts," said Melanie Batchelor, Vice President Marketing at Campari America. "The festival is the perfect place to share our excitement about Entering Red and support the creative individuals who devote themselves to making captivating films for film lovers. We look forward to toasting a collaborative partnership with a Negroni in hand." Since 1963, the New York Film Festival has brought new and important cinematic works from around the world to Lincoln Center, introducing New York audiences to many of the industry's most acclaimed filmmakers as well as fresh new talent. New York Film Festival Director Kent Jones said, "We are thrilled to be working with Campari to elevate our most important event of the year. Our festival prides itself on presenting the best in international cinema without competition, because, above all, our mission is to support the art and craft of cinema and foster film culture; it's very meaningful to collaborate with a partner that shares those values." For further details on Campari, visit, campari.com. For further details on the New York Film Festival, visit: filmlinc.org/about-us/new-york-film-festival. For inquiries regarding Campari, please contact: Emily Anderson / M Booth [email protected] 212-388-7664 For media specific inquiries regarding the Film Society of Lincoln Center, please contact: Lisa Thomas [email protected] 212-671-4709 Kate Patterson [email protected] 212-875-5945 Isadora Johnson [email protected] 212-875-5419 #NYFF #Campari #RedDiaries #N100 www.campari.com https://www.youtube.com/EnjoyCampari www.facebook.com/CampariUS www.instagram.com/campariusa https://twitter.com/campari ABOUT CAMPARI Campari is a contemporary and charismatic classic. The secret recipe, which has remained unchanged, originated in Novara in 1860 and is the base for some of the most famous cocktails around the world. Campari is an alcoholic spirit obtained from the infusion of bitter herbs, aromatic plants and fruit in alcohol and water. With its vibrant red color, intense aroma and inspiring flavor, Campari has always been a symbol of intrigue and pleasure, which unfurls itself into a captivating drinking experience. These are the values that have made the Campari brand famous throughout the world as an icon of passionate Italian style and excellence. ABOUT CAMPARI AMERICA Campari America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A. (Reuters CPRI.MI Bloomberg CPR IM). At the heart of Campari America are two legends in the American spirits industry. The first, Skyy Spirits, was founded in San Francisco back in 1992 by the entrepreneur who invented the iconic SKYY Vodka. The second is the world-famous Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, where they have been making the world's finest whiskies since the 1800's. Both companies were purchased by Davide Campari-Milano and together they form Campari America, which has built a portfolio unrivaled in its quality, innovation and style, making it a top choice among distributors, retailers and consumers. Campari America manages Campari Group's portfolio in the US with such leading brands as SKYY Vodka, SKYY Infusions, Grand Marnier, Campari, Aperol, Wild Turkey Straight Kentucky Bourbon, American Honey, Russell's Reserve, Glen Grant Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Forty Creek Canadian Whisky, BULLDOG Gin, Cabo Wabo Tequila, Espolon Tequila, Appleton Estate Rum, Wray & Nephew Rum, Coruba Rum, Ouzo 12, X-Rated Fusion Liqueur, Frangelico, Cynar, Averna, Braulio and Jean-Marc XO Vodka. Campari America is headquartered in New York, New York. More information on the company can be found at www.campariamerica.com, www.facebook.com/campariamerica, Twitter: @CampariAmerica, Instagram: @CampariAmerica, and www.camparigroup.com. Please enjoy Campari America brands responsibly and in moderation. ABOUT CAMPARI GROUP Campari Group is a major player in the global spirits industry, with a portfolio of over 50 premium and super premium brands, spreading across Global, Regional and Local priorities. Global Priorities, the Group's key focus, include Aperol, Appleton Estate, Campari, SKYY, Wild Turkey and Grand Marnier. The Group was founded in 1860 and today is the sixth-largest player worldwide in the premium spirits industry. It has a global distribution reach, trading in over 190 nations around the world with leading positions in Europe and the Americas. Campari Group's growth strategy aims to combine organic growth through strong brand building and external growth via selective acquisitions of brands and businesses. Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Campari Group owns 18 plants worldwide and has its own distribution network in 20 countries. Campari Group employs approximately 4,000 people. The shares of the parent company Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A. (Reuters CPRI.MI - Bloomberg CPR IM) have been listed on the Italian Stock Exchange since 2001. For more information: http://www.camparigroup.com/en Please enjoy our brands responsibly. ABOUT THE NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL Since 1963, the New York Film Festival has brought new and important cinematic works from around the world to Lincoln Center. In addition to the Main Slate official selections, the festival includes newly restored classics, special events, filmmaker talks, panel discussions, an Avant-Garde showcase, and much more. The New York Film Festival highlights the best in world cinema, featuring top films from celebrated filmmakers as well as fresh new talent. The festival is presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, and the 57th edition will take place September 27-October 13, 2019. Additional confirmed partners of the 57th New York Film Festival include HBO, Netflix, and JCDecaux. FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER The Film Society of Lincoln Center is devoted to supporting the art and elevating the craft of cinema. The only branch of the world-renowned arts complex Lincoln Center to shine a light on the everlasting yet evolving importance of the moving image, this nonprofit organization was founded in 1969 to celebrate American and international film. Via year-round programming and discussions; its annual New York Film Festival; and its publications, including Film Comment, the U.S.'s premier magazine about films and film culture, the Film Society endeavors to make the discussion and appreciation of cinema accessible to a broader audience, as well as to ensure that it will remain an essential art form for years to come. The Film Society receives generous, year-round support from The New York Times, Shutterstock, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. American Airlines is the Official Airline of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. For more information, visit www.filmlinc.org and follow @filmlinc on Twitter. SOURCE Campari DUBLIN, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Exosome Research Products Market by Product and Services (Kit, Reagent, Instrument, Service), Application (cancer [lung cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer]), and End User (Hospitals, Academics, Research Institute) - Global Forecast to 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. High global prevalence of cancer and increasing funding for life sciences are expected to drive the overall growth of the exosome research products market The global exosome research products market is projected to reach USD 264 million by 2024 from USD 91 million in 2019, at a CAGR of 23.8% during the forecast period. Factors driving the growth of this market include the increasing funding for life science research, the high global prevalence of cancer, and the increasing interest in exosome-based procedures. However, the dearth of skilled professionals is a major factor that is expected to restrain the growth of this market to a certain extent in the coming years. The pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period Based on end user, the exosomes research products market is segmented into academic & research institutes, hospitals & clinical testing laboratories, and pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies. Pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies are expected to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. This can majorly be attributed to significant investments by companies in research activities for the development of exosome-based diagnostics to combat new diseases. The lung cancer segment accounted for the largest share of the exosome research products market during the forecast period Based on cancer applications, the exosomes research products market is segmented into lung, prostate, breast, colorectal, and other cancers. In 2018, lung cancer accounted for the largest share of the exosomes market for cancer applications. The large share of this segment can primarily be attributed to factors such as the increasing prevalence of lung cancer, technological advancements in instruments & assays for liquid biopsy, and the growing demand for advanced diagnostic technologies. North America to dominate the market during the forecast period In 2018, North America accounted for the largest share of the exosome research products market. The North American market is also expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Factors such as the availability of government funding for life science research, favorable regulatory environment, increasing focus on exosomes in research and diagnostics, and the presence of high-quality infrastructure for clinical and laboratory research are driving the growth of the exosomes market in North America. According to R&D Magazine (2018), North America accounted for 27.36% of global R&D spending. North America has several national institutes that support biotechnology and life science research activities. The growth of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries and growth in the number of cancer cases in the region are also supporting market growth. Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 4.1 Exosomes Market: Overview 4.2 Exosomes Market, By Application, 2019-2024 (USD Million) 4.3 Exosome Market Share, By Cancer Applications & Region (2018) 4.4 Exosome Market, By End User, 2019 vs. 2024 (USD Million) 4.5 Exosome Market: Geographic Growth Opportunities 5 Market Overview 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Market Dynamics 5.2.1 Drivers 5.2.1.1 Increasing Funding for Life Sciences Research 5.2.1.2 High Global Prevalence of Cancer 5.2.1.3 Increasing Interest in Exosome-Based Procedures 5.2.2 Restraints 5.2.2.1 Lack of Skilled Professionals 5.2.3 Opportunities 5.2.3.1 Untapped Emerging Markets 5.2.3.2 Growing Interest in Exosome-Based Therapeutics 5.2.3.3 Personalized Medicine 6 Exosomes Market, By Product & Service 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Kits and Reagents 6.2.1 Kits and Reagents Segment to Witness the Highest Growth in the Exosomes Market During the Forecast Period 6.3 Instruments 6.3.1 Increase in the Number of Diagnostic Laboratories Offering Exosome-Based Tests to Drive the Adoption of Instruments 6.4 Services 6.4.1 Exosome Services Aid Oncologists to Detect and Monitor Cancer Biomarkers From A Simple Blood Or Urine Sample 7 Exosomes Market, By Application 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Cancer Applications 7.2.1 Lung Cancer 7.2.1.1 Increasing Prevalence of Lung Cancer and Technological Advancements in Instruments & Assays for Liquid Biopsy to Drive Market Growth 7.2.2 Breast Cancer 7.2.2.1 High Prevalence of Breast Cancer and Increasing Awareness to Drive the Market for This Segment 7.2.3 Prostate Cancer 7.2.3.1 Liquid Biopsy Helps Detect Aggressive Prostate Cancer Before SurgeryA Key Factor Driving Market Growth 7.2.4 Colorectal Cancer 7.2.4.1 Increasing Research Activities and Projects Based on Exosomes to Drive the Market for This Segment 7.2.5 Other Cancers 7.2.5.1 Rising Incidence of Cancer and Increasing Research Funding to Drive the Market for This Segment 7.3 Non-Cancer Applications 7.3.1 Wide Range of Non-Cancer Applications to Drive Growth in the Demand for Exosomes in This Application Segment 8 Exosomes Market, By End User 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Academic & Research Institutes 8.2.1 Academic & Research Institutes are the Largest End Users in the Exosomes Market 8.3 Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies 8.3.1 Significant Developments in Research Activities to Drive Market Growth in This End-User Segment 8.4 Hospitals & Clinical Testing Laboratories 8.4.1 Hospitals & Clinical Testing Laboratories Use Exosomes for the Diagnosis of Cancer 9 Exosomes Market, By Region 9.1 Introduction 9.2 North America 9.2.1 US 9.2.1.1 High Burden of Cancer and Favorable Public and Private Funding for Research Activities to Drive Market Growth 9.2.2 Canada 9.2.2.1 Availability of Research Funding & Rising Incidence of Cancer to Drive Market Growth 9.3 Europe 9.3.1 Germany 9.3.1.1 Presence of A Large Number of Academic Research Institutes to Support Market Growth 9.3.2 UK 9.3.2.1 Growth in the Life Sciences Industry to Drive the Market for Exosomes in the UK 9.3.3 France 9.3.3.1 Government Initiatives to Boost R&D Activities in the Country and High Healthcare Expenditure are the Key Factors Driving Market Growth 9.3.4 Roe 9.4 Asia 9.4.1 China 9.4.1.1 Government Initiatives to Strengthen the Biotechnology Industry and the High Prevalence of Cancer are the Major Factors Driving Market Growth 9.4.2 Japan 9.4.2.1 High Prevalence of Cancer and Increasing Healthcare Expenditure are the Key Drivers for the Exosomes Market in the Country 9.4.3 Rest of Asia 9.5 Rest of the World 10 Competitive Landscape 10.1 Overview 10.2 Market Share Analysis 10.3 Competitive Scenario 10.3.1 Partnerships and Agreements (2016-2019) 10.3.2 Product Launches (2016-2019) 10.3.3 Acquisitions (2016-2019) 10.3.4 Expansions (2016-2019) 10.4 Competitive Leadership Mapping (2017) 10.4.1 Vanguards 10.4.2 Innovators 10.4.3 Dynamic Players 10.4.4 Emerging Players 11 Company Profiles 11.1 Bio-Techne 11.2 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 11.3 System Biosciences (SBI) 11.4 NX Pharmagen 11.5 Qiagen N.V. 11.6 Miltenyi Biotech 11.7 AMS Biotechnology Ltd. 11.8 Nanosomix 11.9 Lonza Group AG 11.10 Norgen Biotek Corp. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/dw957m/exosome_research?w=5 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2017, a total of 793,000 new elevators were sold globally, a slight rise of 3% from a year earlier, thanks to the increased demand from Asia-Pacific and Europe, bringing global elevator ownership to estimated 14.5 million units. It is predicted that in 2018 global new elevator sales will sustain growth in the context that global economy is on a steady rise, expectedly reaching 813,000 units with a year-on-year increase of 2.5%. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p01254433/?utm_source=PRN Globally, most elevators are produced and sold in Asia-Pacific region and China is the largest producer and consumer of elevators. World-renowned elevator brands have set up their either own companies or joint ventures in China, making the country a center of global elevator production. New elevator market: In 2017, around 480,000 elevators were sold in China, up 2.1% year on year driven by the property market growth. Shanghai Mechanical & Electrical Industry Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Guangri Stock Co., Ltd. and Canny Elevator (except for players with smaller business scale, like SJEC Corporation and Shenyang Yuanda Intellectual Industry Group) saw a varied increase in new elevator sales, of which Shanghai Mechanical & Electrical Industry Co., Ltd. reached the highest 75,600 units, a year-on-year increase of 9.4%, a 15.8% share of the total. Under the impetus of urbanization, aging population, fast-growing urban rail transit, enforcement of the policy for elevator installation in old buildings as well as a growing number of old elevators to be replaced, Chinese elevator market will continue to grow steadily in the next five years, and till 2022 the sales of new elevators is anticipated to record 560,000 units. Maintenance Market: The ownership of elevators has been climbing in China year after year. By the end of 2017, there had been a total of 4.8 million elevators in China. Higher ownership has contributed to the robust elevator maintenance business. Assuming the maintenance cost of RMB8,000/year for each elevator, Chinese elevator maintenance market size now reaches RMB38.4 billion and will fetch RMB52 billion by 2022. At present, Chinese elevator maintenance market is in a state of disorderly competition. As the elevator maintenance is featured with high gross margin and huge market space, Chinese and foreign brands attach great importance to the development of the maintenance business, and they have rushed into the maintenance market successively. In the future, Chinese elevator maintenance market will be developing in an orderly and sound way. Global and China Elevator Industry Report, 2018-2022 highlights the following: Global elevator industry (new elevator market, maintenance market and competitive landscape); China elevator industry (new elevator market, maintenance market, competitive pattern and development tendency); Elevator demand in China (demand from downstream sectors, demand structure, factors influencing demand); 7 foreign and 10 Chinese companies (operation, elevator business, R&D and investments, development strategies, etc.) Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p01254433/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com To build towards this goal, the Houston Open Innovation Conference (HOIC) will bring together industry, government and academia in an open exchange of ideas and sharing of best practices, challenges and success stories. Lone Star College (LSC), the City of Houston and the Energy Conference Network (ECN) are teaming up to host the unique platform Thursday at Houston Exponential, 410 Pierce St., Houston, Texas 77002. The event kicks off with a welcome message at 8:30 a.m. "As mayor, it is my distinct honor to invite you to the third annual Houston Open Innovation Conference," said Mayor Sylvester Turner. "At this conference, I'll lay out my vision for Houston's innovation ecosystem, and you will learn techniques and specific ideas to innovate within your organizations from industries' top executives and thought leaders." Lone Star College the largest institution of higher education in the Houston region - is a vital engine of economic development and growth and promotes the area as a leader in innovation. "Innovation is key to the success of LSC, so we are proud to once again host HOIC as the founding partner," said Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., LSC chancellor. "Any opportunity we have to facilitate the exchange of ideas to fuel growth and innovation ultimately benefits our community and the businesses and organizations that attend." Open innovation fosters an environment where companies, industries, communities and organizations share ideas in a forum that will lead to transformative technologies, cutting-edge breakthroughs and new business for the future. "HOIC brings together a unique cross section of leaders, thinkers and innovators," said Dr. Shah Ardalan, LSC-University Park president. "The collaboration and networking at this conference will inspire new opportunities and practical breakthroughs to transform ideas into reality and turn Houston into one of the nation's premier innovation hubs." Visit HoustonOpenInnovation.com to learn more about the conference, speakers and sessions and to register. To learn more about Lone Star, visit LoneStar.edu and for LSC-University Park, visit LoneStar.edu/UP. Media Contacts: Kimberley Baker Interim Executive Director 281.401.5315 (O) [email protected] Jessica Jordan Communications Manager 281.290.1812 (O) [email protected] SOURCE Lone Star College - University Park Related Links http://www.LoneStar.edu/UP STAMFORD, Conn., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Olympus Partners (Olympus) has acquired Tank Holding Corp (Tank) for the second time in a decade. The private equity firm based in Stamford, CT originally formed Tank with the management team in 2008 by merging Norwesco and Snyder Industries, creating the leading manufacturer and marketer of rotationally molded polyethylene tanks and containers. Olympus acquired Tank from private equity firm Leonard Green Partners (LGP), who has owned the company since buying it from Olympus in 2012. "The Tank management team has built a remarkable business with impressive and consistent performance across all of their products and customers. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with the Company again," said Manu Bettegowda, a Partner at Olympus. Tank, North America's largest rotational molder, markets their products under the brand names of Norwesco, Snyder, Bonar, Stratis and Bushman. Besides being a leader in the manufacturing of plastic tanks used to store and transport bulk liquids for a variety of industries, Tank's product portfolio also includes dry material handling bins, insulated containers, steel transport tanks, medical waste containers, and specialty pallets. "Our management team cannot be more excited about partnering with Olympus once again. They have a great understanding of our business, and we look forward to working with them in the execution of our many growth initiatives," said Greg Wade, President and CEO of Tank. Founded in 1988, Olympus Partners is a private equity firm focused on providing equity capital for middle market management buyouts and for companies needing capital for expansion. Olympus is an active, long-term investor across a broad range of industries including business services, consumer products, healthcare services, financial services, industrial services, and manufacturing. Olympus manages in excess of $8.5 billion mainly on behalf of corporate pension funds, endowment funds and state-sponsored retirement programs. The Olympus team included Manu Bettegowda, Mike Horgan, Griffin Barstis, and Connor Wood. Olympus was represented by Jim Faley, Matthew Goulding, Michael Hanna, and Devon Mongeluzzi from Kirkland & Ellis LLP. SOURCE Olympus Partners Related Links http://www.olympuspartners.com SHELTON, Conn., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- NanoViricides, Inc. (NYSE MKT: NNVC) (the "Company") a company with novel platform technology to treat difficult and life-threatening viral diseases, announces that it has requested a pre-IND meeting with the US FDA, as it progresses its lead drug candidate towards human clinical trials. The Company recently reported that its first broad-spectrum drug candidate in the HerpeCide program, namely, NV-HHV-101, has successfully completed the non-GLP portion of the Safety/Toxicology studies that are required for filing an IND in order to initiate human clinical trials. The Company is now in the process of manufacturing a large batch of the drug as needed for the GLP portion of the Safety/Toxicology studies. Our IND-enabling non-GLP as well as GLP Safety/Toxicology studies are being conducted by BASi, Evansville, Indiana, a well known CRO specializing in these studies. NanoViricides has now submitted a request for a "Type B" Pre-IND Meeting with the US FDA for this drug candidate. The Company believes that the resulting pre-IND meeting will provide valuable information for designing the Company's clinical program for this drug candidate. The initial indication of this drug candidate will be for the treatment of shingles rash. The Company is also developing drugs against HSV-1 "cold sores" and HSV-2 "genital ulcers", both based on this same drug candidate, although final clinical candidates are in pre-clinical optimization stage for both of these indications as of now. NV-HHV-101 is a broad-spectrum nanomedicine designed to attack herpesviruses that use the HVEM ("herpesvirus entry mediator") receptor on human cells. This drug candidate is composed of a flexible polymeric micelle "backbone" to which a number of small chemical ligands are chemically attached. The ligands in this case are designed to mimic the binding site of the herpesviruses on HVEM, based on molecular modeling. NV-HHV-101 is expected to bind to VZV via a number of binding sites (i.e. the ligands), thereby encapsulating the virus particle and destroying its ability to infect human cells. This "Bind, Encapsulate, Destroy" nanoviricide strategy is distinctly different from the mechanism of action of existing antiviral drugs against VZV. The Company is developing its clinical program for NV-HHV-101, formulated as a skin cream for topical application, with the help of regulatory affairs experts from the Biologics Consulting Group, Inc., Alexandria, VA. Until our own antiviral cell culture studies, it was not known whether such a drug would be able to attack the Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV). VZV causes chickenpox in children and shingles in adults. Upon primary infection in childhood, VZV becomes dormant in the nerve ganglia as the patient recovers from chickenpox (or from the attenuated viral vaccine "ZostaVax"), and then the virus reactivates in adulthood when immune surveillance weakens to present as shingles. The Company has conducted a drug candidate optimization program using an ex vivo human skin organ culture ("SOC") model of VZV infection, together with cell culture based VZV infection studies, to arrive at NV-HHV-101. The SOC model of VZV infection has been developed by Professor Jennifer Moffat at the Upstate Medical Center, SUNY, Syracuse, NY. It is the only pre-clinical model suitable for evaluating a topical therapy against shingles because VZV infects only humans. There is no animal model available for the evaluation of topical drugs against VZV infection. NV-HHV-101 is formulated as a dermal cream to be applied topically on the rash. It is expected to reduce viral load at the site, thereby arresting the progress of the shingles rash, and minimizing damage to nerve endings in the area. It is generally believed that the damage to nerve endings caused by VZV that is replicated locally after it is released from the nerves initially leads to the severe "pins-and-needles" debilitating pain of shingles. Thus NV-HHV-101 is expected to minimize the entire pathology of shingles, including the rash, skin damage, nerve damage, and associated pain. The Company intends to focus the initial clinical studies to evaluate the effect of application of NV-HHV-101 on the shingles rash. Existing antivirals against VZV include oral derivatives of acyclovir. These drugs requires activation by a viral enzyme, thymidilate kinase (vTK), for further cellular conversion to the active triphosphate form that interferes with the viral DNA polymerase. However, the vTK encoded by VZV has an extremely poor activity (compared to vTK from HSV-1 or HSV-2), and thus these drugs have very poor activity against VZV, and large oral dosages over extended periods are needed to be given for relatively small clinical benefit. Additionally, a dermal topical cream formulation of cidofovir is employed in very severe cases of shingles. Cidofovir is highly toxic, particularly towards kidneys. A safer, effective, drug is thus an unmet medical need for VZV. Zostavax and other attenuated VZV (Oka strain) vaccines for chickenpox are available, but not widely adopted. These vaccines may lead to a less severe form of shingles in adulthood or at a later age, compared to the "wild type" chickenpox virus. A new vaccine, Shingrix has been introduced by GSK recently, based on subunits or protein fragments of the virus, which cannot lead to rebound shingles, but suffers from a very severe side effects profile. Shingrix is not yet widely available, potentially due to difficulties in manufacturing. The market size for a highly effective drug against shingles is projected to be in several billions of dollars, if it leads to substantial reduction in the advanced manifestation of the disease, namely PHN, by independent consultants. These market size estimates account for the effect of ZostaVax and the newly introduced Shingrix vaccine on the patient population size. PHN or "post-herpetic neuralgia" is the continuation of the debilitating pain of shingles well after the patient has recovered from the shingles rash episode itself. PHN is believed to be due to extensive damage to nerve endings in the area of the shingles rash, and is expected to be correlated with the severity of the shingles presentation (or viral load). A less effective drug that minimizes the pathology of the shingles rash alone is also projected to have a market size into a billion dollar range. The Company also continues to evaluate this broad-spectrum drug candidate as well as certain variations based on the same candidate, for the treatment of other herpesviruses, namely HSV-1 cold sores and HSV-2 genital herpes. The market size for our immediate target drugs in the HerpeCide program is variously estimated into billions to tens of billions of dollars. The Company believes that its dermal topical cream for the treatment of shingles rash will be its first drug heading into clinical trials. The Company believes that additional topical treatment candidates in the HerpeCide program, namely, HSV-1 "cold sores" treatment, and HSV-2 "genital ulcers" treatment are expected to follow the shingles candidate into IND-enabling development and then into human clinical trials. NanoVircides' platform technology and programs are based on the TheraCour nanomedicine technology of TheraCour Pharma, Inc. NanoViricides holds licenses for developing drugs against several different viruses from TheraCour, including HSV-1 and HSV-2. A license for drugs against VZV is in progress. The Company recently announced that it has entered into a non-binding letter of intent with TheraCour with respect to the terms of a license for use in all therapeutic indications caused by the shingles virus (VZV), including shingles, chickenpox, PHN, ARN (acute retinal necrosis), and other clinical manifestations where attacking the VZV virus would be of clinical benefit. TheraCour is owned substantially by the Company's President and Executive Chairman of the Board, Anil R. Diwan, PhD. A final license agreement is in progress. About NanoViricides NanoViricides, Inc. (www.nanoviricides.com) is a development stage company that is creating special purpose nanomaterials for antiviral therapy. The Company's novel nanoviricide class of drug candidates are designed to specifically attack enveloped virus particles and to dismantle them. The Company is developing drugs against a number of viral diseases including H1N1 swine flu, H5N1 bird flu, seasonal Influenza, HIV, oral and genital Herpes, viral diseases of the eye including EKC and herpes keratitis, Hepatitis C, Rabies, Dengue fever, and Ebola virus, among others. This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect the Company's current expectation regarding future events. Actual events could differ materially and substantially from those projected herein and depend on a number of factors. Certain statements in this release, and other written or oral statements made by NanoViricides, Inc. are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, 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. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the company's expectations include, but are not limited to, those factors that are disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in documents filed by the company from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory authorities. Although it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors, they may include the following: demonstration and proof of principle in preclinical trials that a nanoviricide is safe and effective; successful development of our product candidates; our ability to seek and obtain regulatory approvals, including with respect to the indications we are seeking; the successful commercialization of our product candidates; and market acceptance of our products. FDA refers to US Food and Drug Administration. IND refers to investigational drug application. API refers to active pharmaceutical ingredient. SOURCE NanoViricides, Inc. Related Links http://www.nanoviricides.com La Sagesse will be an incomparable master-planned development on one of the best locations in the Caribbean, just 15 minutes' drive from Grenada's airport. It will feature two luxury 5-star hotels, oceanfront villas, spas, retail and water-sports' facilities. Range Developments specializes in developing luxury resorts in the Eastern Caribbean, and will be working with award winning Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas. As in other of Range's developments, investors will be able to participate in the project, and if applicable, apply for citizenship in Grenada. According to Grenada's Prime Minister, Dr. the Right Honourable Keith Mitchell: "We are extremely delighted to welcome such an experienced hospitality developer to Grenada. Range Developments is well known for the high quality of its hotels and for the ability to deliver the results in our region. Our Government's policy is to bring investment and sustainable jobs to the country, and our partnership with Range Developments is an irrefutable proof to this. What's more telling is that this project will be based in a rural part of the country, St. David; showing our commitment to ensuring that every part of our Tri-Island State is developed." The project is scheduled to open in 2022, and will create more than 500 jobs during construction and many more during operations. "We have been impressed by the welcome and the opportunities in Grenada," said Mohammed Asaria, Managing Director and Board Member of Range Developments. "Six Senses which has been voted the world's best hotel brand by the readers of Travel+Leisure magazine in 2018 for a second consecutive year. We look forward to working together on this exciting project." On announcing the project, Six Senses President Bernhard Bohnenberger (BB) said, "We are very excited about coming to Grenada, the legendary spice island of yore. The ease of access from the United States and from Europe is also a very positive factor as these markets represent our two most prominent markets who embrace the quintessence of Six Senses. We are equally thrilled to work with the Government of Grenada and with Range Developments who are so aligned with our commitment to sustainability." About Six Senses Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas operates 11 resorts and 28 spas in 20 countries under the brand names Six Senses, Evason and Six Senses Spas. Aggressive development plans will triple the portfolio over the next five years with resort, hotel and spa openings underway in Austria, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Fiji, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Nicaragua, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia and United States. Six Senses operates resorts in far-flung locations of incredible natural beauty known for their distinctive and diverse design personalities. Each of the nine properties is supported by a leadership commitment to community, sustainability, wellness and design. Six Senses hotels which share the same vision and values found at their award-winning resorts will premiere in urban locations in 2019. Six Senses Spas offers a wide range of holistic wellness, rejuvenation and beauty treatments administered under the guidance of expert therapists. Six Senses Spas are located in all Six Senses and Evason resorts; 17 additional standalone spas are located in prestigious hotels and resorts as well as the premier class lounges of two major airports. Evason introduces a collection of two unique resorts that follow the Six Senses philosophy of uncompromised responsibility to sustainability and to the community. Family friendly, these properties also provide a strong value focus while offering a vast array of guest services and personal attention. About Range Developments Range Developments is an international property developer focusing on high-end hotel resorts in the Caribbean that are well-designed, sustainable and desirable. Its flagship project Park Hyatt St. Kitts is open to guests since 1 November 2017. This luxury resort has received multiple awards and has been widely recognized in the international media. CNN has singled it out as "the Best Hotel in the Caribbean" with Forbes naming it "a grand Caribbean debut that was well worth the wait". It has been included in Conde Nast Traveler's 2018 hot list "Best New Hotels in the world". Range has other developments in the region. The Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski, Dominica is the first government approved real estate project in Dominica under the country's Citizenship-by-Investment Program. The hotel is expected to open in 2019 and has recently been named "the most exciting new Caribbean property set to open in 2019" by the Caribbean Journal and Forbes. A minimum investment of US$ 220,000 in the project will entitle investors and their families to a citizenship of the Commonwealth of Dominica. It is currently under construction and the most advanced of any government-approved project on the island. SOURCE Range Developments SACRAMENTO, Calif. and REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The not-for-profit Sutter Health network announced today that it is teaming up with Suki to pilot an artificial intelligence-powered, voice-enabled digital assistant with doctors in Northern California. Suki uses a combination of voice commands from a physician and context in which they are operating, to create a clinically accurate note that is then pushed to an electronic health record (EHR) systemenhancing the quality of care and creating greater efficiencies. "Maximizing the amount of time clinicians spend with patients while reducing the documentation burden on our clinicians is a strategic and tactical priority," said Howard Landa, M.D., vice president of clinical informatics and EHR for Sutter Health. "Personalized care paired with digital assistant tools will enhance care delivery and have a positive impact on health outcomes for our consumers, which is what really matters." Sutter will initially introduce Suki into three clinical practice areasprimary care, dermatology and orthopedics. Over time with use, Suki can distill a doctor's conversation with a patient into an actionable plan, based on the doctor's known preferences and clinical practice guidelines. A doctor can tell Suki, "I did my typical diabetes counseling" for a patient, and Suki knows how to create relevant content for the noteand the resulting note is tuned not only to the doctor's medical specialty, but also to their own vocabulary and style. This type of support can lend to streamlined documentation inside the patient's EHR, which can help create the most appropriate care plans for patients. The overall care experience also can improve as more time is freed up from administrative tasksgiving patients and providers more one-on-one time during visits. While Suki launched in May 2018, results from one-year pilots across multiple specialties show up to a 70 percent reduction in the amount of time physicians spend on medical notes. (In comparison, for every hour of direct clinical facetime with a patient, physicians spend nearly two additional hours on medical paperwork). Today, Suki is used five days per week across the country, working with three different EHR systems and seven medical specialties, and accounting for more than 1,000 patient interactions every week. "We are excited to work with Sutter network doctors to help ease the burden of administrative work like medical charting and to give doctors time back in their day. Through this collaboration, we will expand our footprint into new specialties, allowing Suki to master new skills from one of the most tech-savvy health systems in the country," said Punit Soni, Suki's CEO and co-founder. With this new collaboration, Suki will continue building on the amount of time it saves physicians by capturing high-quality medical notes for patient encounters, and work with the Sutter Health network to build a data layer on top of these notes that will not only reduce the documentation burden but also attack other interesting use cases like clinical decision support. About Suki Suki is an AI-powered, voice-enabled digital assistant for doctors that lifts the burden of documentation, enabling them to focus on what they love: treating patients. By using artificial intelligence, Suki is able to be personalized to each doctor, gets smarter as they use it, and is rapidly and inexpensively scalable. Suki is like having an assistant in the exam room who knows how a doctor practices and, as a result, makes the work day easier. Suki was founded by Punit Soni a former senior executive at Google and Flipkart and Karthik Rajan, who previously led IT infrastructure for Salesforce. Its team includes technologists from Apple, Google, Salesforce, and 23andMe, as well as physicians from the University of California, San Francisco and Stanford. Headquartered in Redwood City, Calif., Suki is backed by investors such as Venrock, First Round, Social Capital, and Marc Benioff. The company was named "Best New Startup" in Rock Health's Top 50 in Digital Health 2019. To learn more, visit suki.ai, or follow them on AngelList, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. About Sutter Health Sutter Health is more than 60,000 people strong thanks to its integrated network of physicians, employees and volunteers. Rooted in Sutter Health's not-for-profit mission, these team members partner to deliver exceptional care that feels personal. From physician offices to hospitals to outpatient care centers and home services, they proudly support the more than 3 million people in their carenearly 1 percent of the U.S. population, in one of the most diverse and innovative regions in the world. Sutter team members adopt new technologies, make novel discoveries and embrace creative thinking to help patients and communities achieve their best health. From its street nurse program that provides check-ups for homeless people, to telemedicine-aided specialist consultations, to walk-in care clinics, to smart glass technology, the Sutter Health team goes beyond traditional models to make care more convenient and to nurture and empower people throughout their medical journey. For more information about the Sutter Health network visit: sutterhealth.org | facebook.com/sutterhealth | youtube.com/sutterhealth | twitter.com/sutterhealth. SOURCE Sutter Health Related Links http://www.sutterhealth.org LONDON, March 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Middle East leisure boats market is expected to grow to US$ 2,947.1 million by 2027 from US$ 1,840.0 million in 2017, growing at a CAGR of 4.9%. Middle East region comprises a significant high net-worth individual (HNI) population. A majority of this population has an affinity towards spending on travel and leisure activities. They prefer new experiences and privacy to spend some quality time. Today, people are shifting towards more personalized holiday vacations such as renting superyachts to discover the region's coastlines. Renting a crewed superyacht provides them the flexibility to personalize their travel plan and explore, thus offering liberty to make the most of every moment of their vacation. Therefore, it makes the Middle East one of the most lucrative regions for the leisure boats market. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5730249/?utm_source=PRN The key trend which will predominantly affect the leisure boats market in the coming year is growth in the adoption of hybrid leisure boats.With the need for a cost-effective and eco-friendly solution, hybrid leisure boats are expected to gain high adoption in the near future. The leisure boat manufacturing companies are already working on the technology and have announced to launch their product in the market soon.For instance, Volvo has announced to commercialize its hybrid marine propulsion concept in 2021. This concept will enable a boat to operate with both electric as well as diesel. The factor above is expected to have a noteworthy impact on the leisure boats market. Leisure boats market by application is segmented into sailboats, runabouts, jet boats, cabin cruisers, and watercraft.With the increase in real estate waterfront developments each year, the opportunities for the growth of leisure boats are very apparent. The sailboats can be distinguished from the other boats mechanically, as they are propelled entirely or partly by the wind. The Leisure boats market for sailboats in the Middle Eastern region is foreseen to be prominent as during the coming years the region is anticipated to be the most preferred destination for luxury travel and water sports/adventure. The overall leisure boats 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 market. Also, the primary interview was 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 Leisure boats industry. The leisure boats market report profiles key players such Gulf Craft Inc., Al Shaali Marine, Al Hareb Marine, Al Fajer Marine Llc, Al Seer Marine Supplies & Equipment Company L.L.C, Ribcraft Middle East, Ocean Boats, Al Suwaidi Marine, Al Marakeb Manufacturing Boats Est, and Instinct Marine, 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 Middle East Leisure Boats 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 Middle East Leisure Boats 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 Middle East 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/5730249/?utm_source=PRN 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 SOURCE ReportBuyer Related Links http://www.reportbuyer.com SANTA FE, N.M., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Building off the success of its 2018 inaugural event, The Whiskey Classic has announced that the event will be held on Oct. 12, 2019, at the San Cristobal Movie Ranch in New Mexico. The Whiskey Classic is an immersive event experience designed for whiskey, bourbon and scotch aficionados and industry professionals as well as those who want to discover the art behind these beverages. The venue for the event is one of the most famous western movie sets in the film industry. The Whiskey Classic "We were so excited by the turnout last year, and we are expecting 2019 to be even better with more people and exhibitors in a venue that brings the perfect atmosphere to this kind of event," says Micaela Brown, producer of The Whiskey Classic. "We encourage attendees to buy their tickets now. We have exhibitor information available on the website and ticket packages will be available soon." This year, The Whiskey Classic will benefit a new scholarship program for students in Central New Mexico Community College's Brewing and Beverage Management program. The award-winning program prepares students for a career as a beverage manager working in the beverage and brewing industry. In addition to brewing technology, students learn the underlying sciences behind beer production, including biology and chemistry courses. Students are also introduced to purchasing, cost controls, marketing and business/hospitality law. For more information about the Whiskey Classic including exhibitor and sponsorship information and upcoming ticket and VIP packages, visit WhiskeyClassic.us or email [email protected]. The Whiskey Classic The Whiskey Classic is the premier whiskey, scotch and bourbon event in the United States. The event is held each year at a movie ranch that lends to the authenticity of the experience. For more information, visit WhiskeyClassic.us. Related Images image1.jpg image2.jpg image3.gif image4.jpeg Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRp0AJTwn4w SOURCE The Whiskey Classic Related Links http://WhiskeyClassic.us This time, Trump is referring to the two-year probe led by special prosecutor Robert Mueller into Trump's opaque links with Russia. (Photo:AP) Washington: President Donald Trump on Tuesday branded the mainstream media the "enemy" and the "opposition party" after the Mueller report cleared him of collusion, accusing journalists of covering the Russia probe unfairly. "The Mainstream Media is under fire and being scorned all over the World as being corrupt and FAKE. For two years they pushed the Russian Collusion Delusion when they always knew there was No Collusion," Trump tweeted. "They truly are the Enemy of the People and the Real Opposition Party!" Trump has previously used "enemy of the people" -- echoing a Stalinist phrase used to describe political enemies -- to describe the media, which he has always said does not give him accurate coverage. This time, Trump is referring to the two-year probe led by special prosecutor Robert Mueller into Trump's opaque links with Russia and suspicions that his 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russian agents in attempts to influence the election in his favor. According to a brief summary released by Trump's attorney general William Barr on Sunday, Mueller could not find evidence of collusion, although he did establish that Russian agents tried to disrupt the election. Trump has seized on that summary clearing him of collusion as a complete vindication of his many claims to have been subjected to a "witch hunt" -- and that the media, which covered the bombshell investigation, was part of an organized assault against him. The summary of the report says Mueller could not decide whether Trump obstructed justice and left that up to the Justice Department. Barr wrote in the summary that Trump had not in fact committed such a crime. HOUSTON, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Tissue Genesis, LLC, the leading provider of cell isolation technology is pleased to announce that the Icellator is being used to generate therapeutic cell preparations at the V.P. Komisarenko Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism in Kiev, Ukraine, for patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). The autologous stem-cell therapy, which utilizes a patient's own fat cells, is the first of its kind in Ukraine to treat CLI patients. This effort will build on previous stem cell studies that have shown promising results as a potential therapeutic option for this debilitating and increasingly common vascular disease. Six patients were treated in the opening week in the open-label registry study. The CLI patients are treated with their own stem cells in a series of direct intermuscular injections into the lower limbs. The surgical team, led by Dr. Yuri Tarashchenko, and the research team, led by Dr. Svitlana Bolgarska, PhD, will follow patients to determine whether SVF therapy reduces amputation, accelerates wound healing or increases ambulatory function. Lower limb blood pressure and quality of life surveys will also be assessed throughout the follow up. "This study is an alternative way to achieve limb salvage for patients with Critical Limb Ischemia," explained Dr. Bolgarska. "I am glad to report that all of our patients are recovering well and feeling good. I am looking forward to seeing the results of our study and I am optimistic that there will be positive results." Dr. Marc Penn, Tissue Genesis' Chief Medical Officer, traveled to Kiev to oversee the first treatment week. He was joined by Dr. Bart Rademaker, a plastic surgeon and clinical consultant who provided training in the liposuction technique to obtain a patient's adipose tissue and prepare it for cell processing. The study was organized with the help of Faon LLC, a Ukrainian company. "It is exciting to bring autologous cell therapy to patients in Ukraine with critical limb ischemia who otherwise would be at risk of losing their limb," said Dr. Penn. "Collaborating with the expert clinicians in the Ukraine who offer their patients excellent state of the art care, to bring stem cell therapy to their patients has been equally rewarding." As the leader in the production of stromal vascular fraction (SVF) from a patient's own adipose (fat)-derived stem cells, the Icellator is a state-of-the-art, enzyme-derived cell isolation system. The totally enclosed, fully automated process is designed to minimize the risk for human error and contamination. The Icellator has a sterile, single-use, disposable cartridge kit per patient and uses a patented, purification process to obtain a consistent yield of SVF. "Tissue Genesis is committed to providing the most advanced cell processing technology to address the unmet medical needs in vascular diseases, including CLI," said General Manager Ben Chlebina. "The Icellator allows physicians access to active stem cell preparations to treat their patients without the need to build an expensive cell isolation infrastructure or support a large scientific team. We are excited to expand our clinical program into new markets and offer therapeutic options for populations with chronic conditions and diseases." ABOUT CRITICAL LIMB ISCHEMIA Critical limb ischemia, also known as chronic limb-threatening ischemia, is a condition where lack of blood flow to an extremity, such as an arm or leg, inhibits normal metabolic function. CLI can lead to pain, skin ulcers and dermal sores, and, if not successfully addressed, amputation. It can also put patients at a higher risk for cardiovascular complications, and death. CLI is considered the "end stage" of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Currently, CLI affects approximately 200 million people worldwide. As the population ages and the prevalence of diabetes, obesity and chronic kidney disease rises, so will the incidence of peripheral arterial disease and, consequently, CLI. ABOUT TISSUE GENESIS Tissue Genesis, LLC, (TG) offers best-in-class, clinical grade cell therapy solutions. Its state-of-the-art Icellator is a high-performance, point-of-care device that efficiently extracts adult stem cells from a small sample of autologous adipose tissue in an enclosed and automated process. Manufactured under cGMP to the highest ISO 13485 and FDA standards, the Icellator provides yields of stromal vascular fraction that is sufficiently pure to allow for intravenous infusion in an hour or less. Tissue Genesis' Icellator is approved for use by medical regulatory authorities in South Korea, Ukraine and the Bahamas, and is working to obtain regulatory approval for its cell therapy products in Japan and the US, with ongoing FDA-cleared trials for multiple indications of chronic disease. Media Contact: Erik Borg Ph: (212) 584-7829 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Tissue Genesis, LLC COLLEGE PARK, Md., March 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Maryland has named Georgina Dodge, PhD as Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion. In this role, Dodge will work closely with senior leaders, faculty, staff, students and external constituencies to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and respect as core institutional values. She will be a member of the President's Cabinet, and work with the Senior Vice President and Provost, the Provost's Council of Deans, and other senior leaders to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment. "Following a highly competitive national search, Georgina was selected based upon her 23-year career of successful leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion at three universities," said University of Maryland President Wallace D. Loh. "She is a tireless advocate for human rights, civil liberties, and equal opportunity, and we welcome her to Maryland." Since 2017, Dodge has served as Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Bucknell University, and has held similar roles as Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Vice President; Title IX Coordinator at the University of Iowa and Assistant Vice Provost of Office of Minority Affairs at The Ohio State University where she she convened and directed the university's Bias Assessment and Response Team, produced the university's annual diversity report and helped develop metrics for diversity performance evaluations. "I am honored to be chosen to lead diversity and inclusion at the University of Maryland," said Dodge. "Across many higher education institutions, I have listened and learned from the communities I serve, and I look forward to partnering across the university to foster a vibrant and inclusive climate for all." As a first-generation college student, Dodge brings a unique perspective to Maryland as an individual who took an unconventional path to educational and professional success. Prior to her career in academics, she served in the U.S. Navy as an electronics technician. Upon completion of her six-year enlistment term, Dodge began her pursuit of an A.A. from Golden West Community College in Huntington Beach, California. After graduating with honors, Dodge continued to build on her education with a B.A. in English from the University of California Irvine, graduating summa cum laude. The scholar went on to earn both her MA and PhD in English from University of California, Los Angeles. Following a six-year appointment as an Assistant Professor of English at The Ohio State University where she taught courses in African American, Asian, Multiracial and Women's Literatures, Dodge became the Director of the Department of African American and African studies at the community extension center in Columbus, Ohio. There she developed and implemented enrichment courses for community residents, worked with city and community officials on citizen beneficial partnerships and continued to develop multi-ethnic focused courses under the university umbrella. Along with her various memberships to professional organizations like the Association of Title IX Administrators (ATIXA) and Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), she organized the Women of Color Caucus within the Society for the Study of Multi-Ethnic Literatures of the United States and has served in several other change-making positions throughout her 23-year career. Dodge was recently featured on the September 2018 cover of Diverse: Issues of Education. About University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park is the state's flagship university and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, the university is home to more than 37,000 students, 9,000 faculty and staff, and 250 academic programs. Its faculty includes three Nobel laureates, three Pulitzer Prize winners, 56 members of the national academies and scores of Fulbright scholars. The institution has a $1.9 billion operating budget, and secures $560 million annually in external research funding. For more information about the University of Maryland, College Park, visit www.umd.edu. SOURCE University of Maryland Related Links http://www.umd.edu "We are honored to welcome Drs. Lipshultz, Sawhney and Stothers to the Foundation," said Harris M. Nagler, MD, Urology Care Foundation President. "Each believe deeply in our mission, offer a rich set of skills and experiences and will play an integral role in ensuring our continued impact through meaningful philanthropy - it is also a wonderful development for the Foundation to appoint its first female Board Member." Larry I. Lipshultz, MD is Professor of Urology and Chief of the Scott Department of Urology's Division of Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery. Dr. Lipshultz, who holds the Smith Chair in Reproductive Medicine, is a well-known authority on abnormalities of male reproduction, erectile dysfunction and male hormone production. He also is the AUA's first Research Scholar. Recognized as a leading expert on men's health, Dr. Lipshultz is a highly respected author and editor, as well as lecturer. His research has been in many journals, books and videos. Dr. Lipshultz instituted a fellowship training program in male reproductive medicine and surgery that has trained more than 80 physicians who are now in practice both in the U.S. and abroad. Amarpreet Sawhney, PhD is the Chairman of Ocular Therapeutix, Inc., a company focused on solving unmet needs in ophthalmic drug delivery and wound sealing. He is also the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Instylla, Inc., a company focused on liquid embolic products for interventional oncology. His entrepreneurism has facilitated the creation of several bio-pharma and medical device companies, as well as the development of such innovative technology solutions as extravascular closure devices, surgical sealants and spacers that enable improved radiotherapy. Dr. Sawhney's innovations are the subject of more than 120 issued and pending patents in medical devices, methods, and biomaterials. Many of his innovations have been "first of a kind" to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He has been involved in several charitable causes including ones focused on education, the environment and creating platforms to support other healthcare entrepreneurs. Through his companies and inventions, Dr. Sawhney has touched more than five million patients and created more than 2,000 jobs. Lynn Stothers, MD, MHSc is a Professor at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Urologic Sciences. She also serves as a Senator at the University of British Columbia and is an associate Member in the School of Population and Public Health and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Stothers is a former Peter Wall Institute Scholar and is a Principal Investigator at the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), where she has a keen interest in the results and challenges relating to neurogenic bladder such as those following spinal cord injuries. She is committed to her work with hospital foundations and other nonprofits and has been involved in raising funds for more than 20 years. She enjoys her time volunteering and helping to raise funds for urology research, including spinal cord injury research and education. Learn more about the Urology Care Foundation Board of Directors. About the Urology Care Foundation: The Urology Care Foundation is the world's leading nonprofit urological health foundation, and the official foundation of the American Urological Association. Partnering with physicians, researchers, healthcare professionals, patients, caregivers, families and the public, the Foundation supports and improves urologic clinical care by funding research, developing patient education and pursuing philanthropic support. To learn more about the Urology Care Foundation and its programs visit: www.urologyhealth.org. The Urology Care Foundation is the official foundation of the American Urological Association. www.UrologyHealth.org About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology, and has more than 21,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health policy. www.AUAnet.org SOURCE Urology Care Foundation Related Links http://www.urologyhealth.org WASHINGTON, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Line Pipe Producers Association (ALPPA), a domestic coalition of large diameter welded pipe (LDWP) producers, urges the Administration to maintain Section 232 relief on imports from Canada and Mexico. In addition, both countries have and continue to engage in unfair trade practices with respect to LDWP products. The United Steelworkers (USW) recently called for the removal of Section 232 tariffs and quotas on Canada ahead of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement's (USMCA) ratification. However, while ALPPA supports the USMCA, it strongly rejects that USMCA should be tied to removal of Section 232 tariffs, particularly given the trade-distortive practices of Canada and Mexico: Canada: Last month, the Department of Commerce concluded that Evraz and other Canadian LDWP producers are dumping LDWP in the United States at a rate of 12.32%. A final injury determination vote will occur next week at the U.S. International Trade Commission. Further, even with Section 232 tariffs and dumping duties in place, Canadian LDWP producers have continued to ship massive volumes of LDWP into the U.S. market. U.S. imports of Canadian LDWP increased by more than 25% in the past year alone. This increase has directly and adversely impacted domestic LDWP producers and their workers, including USW workers working at ALPPA members Dura-Bond (McKeesport and Steelton, Pennsylvania) and Stupp Corp. (Baton Rouge, Louisiana). Mexico: The Mexican large diameter pipe market is closed to U.S. producers. Mexico's most recent WTO Trade Policy Review indicates that current tenders for oil and gas pipeline projects issued by Mexico's National Hydrocarbons Commission require 25% local content; this requirement will reach 35% by the end of 2025. Further, reports indicate that, in practice, Mexico's local content requirement for oil and gas pipeline projects may be much higher. It is imperative that Section 232 tariffs relief be maintained on both Canada and Mexico in order to uphold the President's goal of increasing U.S. steel capacity, including domestic LDWP capacity, to support U.S. national security needs. The failure to do so will directly undermine LDWP production in the United States and increases the possibility of Canada and Mexico becoming platforms for circumvention by China and other countries. Nonetheless, to the extent that Section 232 tariffs are removed on Canada and Mexico, the tariffs should be replaced by a quota to ensure that U.S. national security is protected, and that Section 232 relief benefits U.S. companies and workers, including USW workers. Such a quota should be well below the 2016 to 2018 average volumes for U.S. imports from Canada any quota set at historic levels would improperly reward Canada for its surge of LDWP imports at dumped prices. CONTACT: Timothy C. Brightbill American Line Pipe Producers Assn. 202-719-3138 | [email protected] SOURCE Wiley Rein LLP AHMEDABAD, India, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Veeda Clinical Research Pvt. Ltd., a leading independent CRO, is pleased to announce that our clinical (Shivalik, Ahmedabad) and Bioanalytical facilities (Insignia, Ahmedabad) have successfully completed the third inspection by NPRA (Malaysian Regulatory Agency). This was a routine study inspection by the NPRA to verify the compliance of the facilities and the studies with the principles of Good Clinical Practices and applicable Good Laboratory Principles. The inspection outcome confirmed Veeda's commitment to the highest Quality standards and compliance with the defined SOPs and regulatory guidelines. Veeda Clinical Research has successfully cleared 60 regulatory audits in the last 14 years including 19 USFDA Inspections of its facilities and clinical trial sites in last 24 months. With its focus on sustaining a strong Quality Culture that underscores its Quality Policy and robust Quality Management System, Veeda continues to steadfastly pursue its mission 'To Strive for Excellence in Quality and endeavour to become the partner of choice for our Sponsors and our Stakeholders'. ABOUT VEEDA CRO Veeda is the leading independent CRO in India. Veeda offers a diverse range of clinical studies including bioequivalence as well as PK, PD and Clinical End point studies for Generics, NCE and Biopharmaceuticals. Veeda is a partner of choice for many global pharmaceutical companies and is reputed for its best-in-class scientific knowledge, quality and ethics. Veeda has an exemplary regulatory track record of successfully completing 29 USFDA, 6 ANVISA, 5 WHO, 3 MHRA, 1 AGES, 1 ANSM, 1 MCC, 12 DCGI and 3 NPRA audits till date. Please contact the following for any clarifications regarding this communication: Ms. Priyanka Tiwari Veeda Clinical Research Private Limited Vedant Complex, Beside YMCA Club, S. G. Highway Vejalpur, Ahmedabad - 380 051 Gujarat India Phone: +91-79-3001-3000 Fax: +91-79-3001-3010 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Veeda Clinical Research Pvt Ltd NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- VisuWell has been awarded the contract for Nevada Health Centers' comprehensive telemedicine initiative. Established in 1977, Nevada Health Centers is the largest provider of primary care for uninsured, underinsured, and geographically isolated patients in Nevada. The organization conducts over 150,000 patient encounters annually through 17 locations and utilizes the VisuWell platform to expand access and improve convenience for patients. "We are excited to have VisuWell as our partner in launching our first telemedicine initiative," said Corie Nieto, director of telehealth services for Nevada Health Centers. "VisuWell allows us to extend hours and coverage in low population areas and expand programs, such as our school-based services. The combination of platform options provided by VisuWell is something that exceeds what is available from other vendors as a package. The platform is browser-deployed, providing flexibility to reach our goal of extending services directly to patient homes, yet also supports diagnostic peripherals when connecting to our own centers and specialty consult partners." The VisuWell platform accommodates workflows throughout health systems and provider groups, allowing for deployment of unique solutions associated with various sub-organizations and locations. Integration options are extensive and include the 3M Littmann Stethoscope, Horus Scope, Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras, legacy SIP endpoints, and telemedicine carts, as well as the organization's native EHR. VisuWell maintains a consumer-first approach that is browser-deployed, device agnostic, and plugin-free, creating an unparalleled patient experience. "Nevada Health Centers is attacking one of the greatest challenges in healthcare - limited access to care - and we are excited to help them achieve their goals," said Sam Johnson, CEO, VisuWell. "Our goal at VisuWell is to offer the most robust set of enterprise-ready options that provide limitless scalability, open device integration, and a myriad of workflow options that are superior to other options on the market. Corie and her team are innovators in the community health center model and it will be exciting to watch them as they advance their telemedicine strategy." About VisuWell VisuWell is the leader in patient-centered telemedicine offering an easy-to-use, cloud-based platform that improves access to care through the integration of consumer devices, clinical monitoring peripherals, EHR platforms, and legacy SIP endpoints and telemedicine carts. The VisuWell platform utilizes a flexible SaaS-delivery model enabling health systems and provider groups to meet consumer demand while improving outcomes and increasing efficiency. Learn more by visiting visuwell.io , and the company's telemedicine resources page that includes guides and white papers, as well as an in-depth review of telemedicine reimbursement . SOURCE VisuWell Related Links https://www.visuwell.io NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Yext, Inc. (NYSE: YEXT), the leader in Digital Knowledge Management (DKM), today announced that its Spring '19 Product Release is available for general access. Live for Yext customers and partners, the Spring Release features integrations with some of the largest global digital services used by Chinese travelers around the world, including Baidu Map (Overseas), Fliggy, CK Map, and PIRT. These integrations put businesses outside China in control of their brand information in the services that hundreds of millions of Chinese travelers all across the globe use to find places to eat, shop, stay, and more. "Travelers from China spent $261 billion overseas in 2016more than tourists from any other countrybut the digital services these travelers use to find businesses are completely different from those popular in the West, and businesses are struggling to reach this major customer base," said Marc Ferrentino, Chief Strategy Officer of Yext. "Yext's integrations with leading Chinese services like Baidu Map make it possible for Western businesses to provide correct answers to these consumers as they look for places to eat, shop, and stay." Chinese tourists use services they're familiar with, like Baidu Map (Overseas), Fliggy, CK Map, and PIRT, while traveling. Baidu Map alone has exceeded 100 million users in China's outbound travel market so far. A survey by Coresight Research indicates that 72% of Chinese tourists use online resources to plan their trips and 98% rely on their mobile phones while abroad to keep in touch and do research on the go. The Spring '19 Release, now available for general access, includes the following features: New Integrations with Chinese Apps: The Yext Knowledge Network now includes leading services that Chinese travelers use when they travel around the world. Businesses outside China using Yext can now publish their information to Baidu Map (Overseas), Fliggy, CK Map, and PIRT, so their critical business information will be correct and up to date in these services. The Yext Knowledge Network now includes leading services that Chinese travelers use when they travel around the world. Businesses outside using Yext can now publish their information to Baidu Map (Overseas), Fliggy, CK Map, and PIRT, so their critical business information will be correct and up to date in these services. Google Q&A: Businesses can now monitor and answer questions that consumers ask about them on Google in Google's Q&A search results, directly in the Yext dashboard. Using Yext, they can also sync pre-answered FAQs to pre-empt common customer questions in order to provide a better customer experience and win more business. Businesses can now monitor and answer questions that consumers ask about them on Google in Google's Q&A search results, directly in the Yext dashboard. Using Yext, they can also sync pre-answered FAQs to pre-empt common customer questions in order to provide a better customer experience and win more business. AI-Ready Pages: Yext has enhanced AI-Ready Pages with new customization options. AI-Ready Pages let businesses create a smart landing page on their website for any entity stored in Yext with just a few clicks to drive consumer discovery and action. For more information on the Spring '19 Product Release, visit the Release Notes. About Yext: Yext, Inc. (NYSE: YEXT) is the leading Digital Knowledge Management (DKM) platform. Our mission is to give companies control over their brand experiences across the digital universe of maps, apps, search engines, voice assistants, and other intelligent services that drive consumer discovery, decision, and action. Today, thousands of businesses including brands like Taco Bell, Rite Aid, and Steward Health Care use the Yext Knowledge Engine to manage their digital knowledge in order to boost brand engagement, drive foot traffic, and increase sales. Yext has been named a Best Place to Work by Fortune and Great Place to Work as well as a Best Workplace for Women. Yext is headquartered in New York City with offices in Berlin, Chicago, Dallas, Geneva, London, Paris, San Francisco, Shanghai, Tokyo and the Washington, D.C. Area. For more information, visit yext.com . SOURCE Yext, Inc. Related Links http://www.yext.com TULSA, Okla., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Zarrow Pointe, Tulsa's leading retirement community for seniors, has launched a peer-mentoring program for the development and advancement of its team of certified nursing assistants (CNAs) in partnership with the National Association of Healthcare Assistants (NAHCA). The program aims to reinforce teamwork, learning, and problem solving by nominating CNA mentors who will be trained to increase employee productivity and reduce turnover by fostering a culture of leadership and peer support. Mentors will be selected on the basis of outstanding caregiving skills, commitment to service delivery, experience and track record of adherence to policies and procedures. Selected CNA mentors will be expected to contribute to the professional development and success of their peers including existing and new nursing assistants. Upon completion of the full NAHCA mentorship program, Zarrow Pointe CNAs will earn a nationally certified preceptor certificate in recognition of their professional competence and proficiency in peer mentoring. For over three decades, the Zarrow Pointe retirement community has redefined industry standards in Oklahoma by delivering an exceptional program that combines high-quality senior care, with a philosophy of life-long learning and wellness. The CNA mentoring program is yet another initiative that highlights Zarrow Pointe's commitment to quality, performance and resident-focused care. Jim Jakubovitz, CEO Zarrow Pointe, views the CNA mentoring program as an important investment that will enable mentees to make a meaningful contribution in the future. "At Zarrow Pointe, we place a very high emphasis on quality and have set benchmarks that exceed state and national requirements. By equipping our nursing staff with hands-on skills, training, and knowledge to ensure their continued success in health-care settings, we hope to bridge the caregiving gap in nursing facilities that are struggling to meet required standards in service delivery. Through this initiative, we hope to empower our nursing team to improve performance and outcomes not only at Zarrow Pointe but throughout the state of Oklahoma." Zarrow Pointe is a vibrant and engaging senior living community in Tulsa that inspires lifelong learning and represents active seniors of all faiths and traditions. View more here: https://vimeo.com/262428158 For more information, contact Aaliya Briggs: [email protected] SOURCE Zarrow Pointe Related Links https://zarrowpointe.org/ Since 2009 ZeroCater has fed some of the world's fastest-growing companies. As these companies grew in size and scale, ZeroCater followed suit with the launch of ZeroCater Snacks & Kitchens in 2017, ZeroCater Pours in 2018 and now ZeroCater Enterprise Catering in 2019. With its formal expansion into enterprise catering, ZeroCater has built a suite of products for enterprise customers that offers a single-source solution for all their corporate food needs. "Our goal is to be the single provider for every calorie consumed in an enterprise company's kitchen," said Ali Sabeti, CEO of ZeroCater. "We've spent the last two years listening to the needs of our largest customers, and with our new enterprise catering solution we are able to deliver the unlimited cuisine and meal variety of our core product but at the scale and consistency large headcount companies demand." Operating out of industrial-sized kitchens, our Enterprise Culinary Partners prepare all meals according to the highest industry standards of commercial food safety to ensure compliance throughout the supply chain. Meals are weighed to ensure portioning accuracy and then delivered through a temperature-controlled and fully managed delivery fleet. The Enterprise Catering solution also includes a fully managed on-site dining experience customized to a company's office layout, headcount, and culture. ZeroCater's team of dedicated on-site staff is responsible for all aspects of the meal service including presentation, equipment, replenishment, cleanup and food donation. With enterprise companies spending millions annually on their corporate food programs, ZeroCater's dedicated food concierge team works to ensure each employee has a flawless experience. Every customer receives a dedicated customer success manager who is responsible for the entire food program including office catering, snacks and one-off special events. The food concierge team uses proprietary technology to analyze a company's food program, identify trends and make recommendations for optimization based on each company's unique tastes and preferences. In a $130 billion-dollar industry, ZeroCater is redefining corporate food programs for enterprise companies with a single solution that promises unmatched variety and consistency. ZeroCater Enterprise Catering is now available in New York and the Bay Area. To learn more, please visit zerocater.com or call (844) 229-9376. ABOUT ZEROCATER With a mission to help companies build a better culture through food, ZeroCater is on a path to becoming the No. 1 food company serving the workplace. Founded in 2009, ZeroCater has become a leading provider of office catering and snacks, serving companies including Cisco Systems, Fandango and Salesforce. Technology, people and an ecosystem of culinary partners allows ZeroCater to provide the food that employees love. ZeroCater's office catering and snack products serve the Bay Area, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Austin and Los Angeles. For more information, please visit zerocater.com. Follow @ZeroCater on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. Media Contact: Megan Palmer [email protected] 415-432-8173 SOURCE ZeroCater Related Links https://www.zerocater.com PITTSBURGH, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Annually, the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) brings together more than 3,700 oncology nurses from across the country and around the globe to celebrate and advance the oncology nursing profession. The 44th Annual ONS Congress in Anaheim, CA, from April 1115, 2019, showcases educational sessions, networking opportunities, and groundbreaking nursing research. One key theme for the 2019 ONS Congress is nurse-led innovation. On April 11, ONS member and keynote speaker Rachel Walker, PhD, RN, OCN, assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and American Association for the Advancement of Science Invention ambassador, will discuss the ways nurses have changed health care for more than 100 years. New for 2019, Johnson & Johnson is sponsoring the keynote address and opening ceremony. "For more than 120 years, Johnson & Johnson has proudly supported the nursing profession and partnered with nurses on the frontlines of care," team at Johnson & Johnson said. "Today, we are focusing on elevating the visibility and impact of nursing by championing nurse-led innovation, supporting skills development, developing nurse leaders, and strengthening nurse resiliency. This sponsorship also represents a continuation of a 25-year partnership with the ONS, where the Janssen Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson have partnered in the essential work of ensuring that oncology nurses have the latest information they need to best care for their patients. At Johnson & Johnson, we believe nurses change lives and that changes everything." For four days in Anaheim, oncology nurses will attend sessions in five educational tracks designed specifically for the field, including clinical practice; advanced practice; leadership, management, and education; research; and radiation. Each session provides continuing education opportunities for nurses as well. Attendees will also discover ways to advance their careers at ONS's Career Fair, where educational presentations provide useful tips on resume writing, how to leave an impression in job interviews, and best practices for publication, along with many other career-centric sessions. For nurses unable to attend Congress, ONS will stream live coverage of selected sessions at congress.ons.org and archive them after each initial broadcast. Members and attendees can access the sessions online after Congress to revisit or share material with their colleagues back home. ONS is a professional association of more than 39,000 members committed to promoting excellence in oncology nursing and the transformation of cancer care. Since 1975, ONS has provided a professional community for oncology nurses, developed evidence-based education programs and treatment information, and advocated for patient care, all in an effort to improve quality of life and outcomes for patients with cancer and their families. Learn more at www.ons.org. To Register for a Congress press pass, please email [email protected]. Media Contact: Nicole Lininger Email: [email protected] Phone: (412) 859-6321 Congress Onsite Press Number: (724) 601-0337 SOURCE Oncology Nursing Society Related Links http://www.ons.org But the Israeli army reported late-night mortar fire and 30 new rocket launches from Gaza, on top of 30 rockets detected earlier in the evening. (Photo: AFP) Gaza City (Palestinian Territories): Israel kept up air strikes on Gaza into Tuesday and Palestinian militants launched new rockets despite a reported ceasefire deal, raising fears of a return to open conflict in the enclave. Gaza's Islamist rulers, Hamas, had said on Monday evening that an Egypt-brokered ceasefire has been agreed following a flare-up of violence just two weeks before an Israeli general election. But the Israeli army reported late-night mortar fire and 30 new rocket launches from Gaza, on top of 30 rockets detected earlier in the evening. Israel struck around 15 fresh targets including what the army said were a Hamas military compound and an Islamic Jihad position, adding in a statement that it would increase its operational activity as necessary. Our response was very powerful, very very powerful, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israeli reporters accompanying him on a visit to Washington. Hamas needs to know that we shall not hesitate to go in (to Gaza) and take all necessary steps, he said. NEWTON, Mass., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Abcuro, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class immunomodulatory therapeutics, announced the publication of proof-of-concept data describing KLRG1 as a promising new target for cancer immunotherapy. The article, published in Oncotarget ( link ), reports the anticancer activity of KLRG1 antibody blockade in syngeneic mouse models of breast cancer, colon cancer and melanoma. The study also highlights the expression of KLRG1 in human tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and its role in adaptive resistance to immunotherapies. KLRG1 was identified as a critical immune inhibitory receptor by datamining expression profile databases with the aim of finding immune checkpoint receptors that align with the state of T cell differentiation. This analysis showed that KLRG1 is, genome wide, the immune inhibitory receptor that best aligns with degree of T cell differentiation. Compared to other clinical targets that are active in early and intermediate stages of T cell differentiation (such as CTLA-4 and PD-1), KLRG1 functions as the ultimate break on the most differentiated and cytotoxic T cells. Furthermore, KLRG1 expression on a differentiated subset of T cells and the high cytotoxic potential of these cells strongly suggests a beneficial therapeutic combination with existing treatments. The results presented in the publication show in vivo proof-of-concept for the anti-cancer action resulting from KLRG1 blockade in mouse syngeneic models and highlight KLRG1 as an important driver of adaptive resistance to immunotherapy in humans. Abcuro has discovered KLRG1 blocking antibodies and is developing first-in-class new immunotherapy agents for treatment of cancer. ABOUT ABCURO Abcuro's mission is to develop a new generation of immunomodulatory therapeutics for treating both autoimmunity and cancer. The company uses proprietary analysis of transcriptome data from human disease to identify new approaches to target key compartments of the immune system. Abcuro was launched in 2016 and is based in Newton, Massachusetts. Abcuro contact: [email protected] SOURCE Abcuro, Inc. Related Links http://www.abcuro.com TORONTO, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE: AEM, TSX: AEM) ("Agnico Eagle" or the "Company") today announced that it will release its first quarter 2019 results on Thursday, April 25, 2019, after normal trading hours. Additionally, the Company will host its Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders (the "AGM") the following day, Friday, April 26, 2019, in Toronto. First Quarter 2019 Results Conference Call Webcast Agnico Eagle's senior management will host a conference call on Friday, April 26, 2019 at 8:30 AM (E.D.T.) to discuss the Company's financial and operating results. Via Webcast: A live audio webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's website at www.agnicoeagle.com. Via Telephone: For those preferring to listen by telephone, please dial 1-647-427-7450 or toll-free 1-888-231-8191. To ensure your participation, please call approximately five minutes prior to the scheduled start of the call. Replay archive: Please dial 1-416-849-0833 or toll-free 1-855-859-2056, access code 7073579. The conference call replay will expire on May 27, 2019. The webcast, along with presentation slides, will be archived for 180 days on the Company's website. Annual Meeting The AGM will begin on Friday, April 26, 2019 at 11:00 am (E.D.T). The AGM will be held at the Arcadian Court, 401 Bay Street, Simpson Tower, 8th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 2Y4. During the AGM, management will provide an overview of the Company's activities. For those unable to attend in person, the alternatives to participate are set out below. Via Webcast: A live audio webcast of the AGM will be available on the Company's website at www.agnicoeagle.com. Via Telephone: For those preferring to listen by telephone, please dial 1-647-427-7450 or toll-free 1-888-231-8191. To ensure your participation, please call approximately five minutes prior to the scheduled start of the AGM. Replay archive: Please dial 1-416-849-0833 or toll-free 1-855-859-2056, access code 5296987. The conference call replay will expire on May 27, 2019. The webcast, along with presentation slides, will be archived for 180 days on the Company's website. About Agnico Eagle Agnico Eagle is a senior Canadian gold mining company that has produced precious metals since 1957. Its operating mines are located in Canada, Finland and Mexico, with exploration and development activities in each of these countries as well as in the United States and Sweden. Agnico Eagle and its shareholders have full exposure to gold prices due to its long-standing policy of no forward gold sales. Agnico Eagle has declared a cash dividend every year since 1983. SOURCE Agnico Eagle Mines Limited Related Links http://www.agnicoeagle.com AUSTIN, Texas, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- argodesign , a product design consultancy and incubator of new experiences, is proud to announce further expansion into Europe, with the introduction of our Amsterdam studio. With a growing product design demand beyond the U.S., argo's hire of veteran design heavyweights means our customers will have fresh, creative thinking at the ready and around the globe. argo Amsterdam will hit the ground running on day one, with a seasoned team already well-known for its work with NS Dutch Railway, Facebook, Elsevier, Philips and a large Dutch bank. Tjeerd Hoek, coming off a decade long stint as VP at frog design, and Joe Fletcher, former Co-founder and Executive Director at Raft and Creative Director at frog design, will lead the studio, deepening the argo bench of experienced designers, expert technologists, strategic thinkers, and passionate makers. The talent the Amsterdam team brings is a reflection of the incredible work Joe and his co-founders Guus Baggermans, Matthias Dittrich, and Serve Custers did at their previous outfit, Raft , in addition to decades of experience in the industry. "From day one of our founding, we've been intent on rethinking how a design consultancy is run," said Mark Rolston, argodesign Founder and Chief Creative. "We are always looking for complex, interesting problems to solve. It's important to us to build something that will last, something bigger than ourselves. Amsterdam is an ideal city for this vision. It is a center of design and top talent, which is clear in the incredibly talented team kickstarting our first European studio." As a design consultancy, growth partner to entrepreneurs, and incubator of new products and experiences, argodesign has built an amazing market presence and client roster - including Magic Leap in AR, CognitiveScale in AI, and Sam's Club in retail - helping forward-thinking companies combine their physical and digital spaces. The new Amsterdam studio sets argo up even better to help its clients transform digitally. "Great user experience design is not a commodity, despite a common industry narrative that says otherwise," said Tjeerd Hoek, Head of Creative, argo Europe. "We take a nimble but deliberate approach with our clients, tying all design decisions back to business strategy and doing everything we can to understand the full picture of what they and their customers need, want, and do. With that mindset, the creative team that we now have in Amsterdam and the U.S. is primed to push the boundaries of how we deliver design, innovation and digital strategy with real business impact, bringing delight to users at a global scale." About argodesign argodesign is a product design consultancy, growth partner to entrepreneurs, and incubator of new experiences. We create products that hide their technological prowess, evoke delight, and demonstrate simplicity and value. Our team is made up of experienced designers, expert technologists, strategic thinkers and passionate makers. To learn more, please visit www.argodesign.com . SOURCE argodesign Related Links http://www.argodesign.com TOKYO, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503, President and CEO: Kenji Yasukawa, Ph.D., "Astellas") today announced results from a Phase 2b dose-finding study of fezolinetant, presented in an oral session (Abstract OR33-6) at ENDO 2019, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in New Orleans. Fezolinetant, a selective neurokinin-3 (NK3) receptor antagonist, is an investigational oral, non-hormonal compound being studied for the treatment of vasomotor symptoms (VMS) i.e., hot flashes and night sweats in postmenopausal women. The study met the four FDA-recommended co-primary endpoints of mean decrease in frequency and mean decrease in severity of VMS at both week 4 and week 12 in most groups. "Vasomotor symptoms can significantly impact a woman's quality of life and there are currently limited non-hormonal options for managing them," said Arthur Waldbaum, M.D., a gynecologist in Denver, Colo., specializing in women's health, and lead investigator for the Phase 2b study. "The study findings presented at ENDO are promising as they suggest that fezolinetant may have the potential to address these symptoms as early as one week." In the Phase 2b study, 356 women were randomized to receive either placebo or fezolinetant doses ranging from 15 90 mg twice daily (BID) or 30 120 mg once daily (QD). Most groups were statistically significant from placebo in mean change in the frequency and severity of moderate-to-severe VMS at both week 4 and week 12. Results were maintained throughout the 12-week treatment period, with a return to baseline once treatment was stopped. "We are encouraged by these results showing fezolinetant to be a potential non-hormonal therapeutic agent for women living with moderate-to-severe hot flashes," said Salim Mujais, M.D., Senior Vice President and Therapeutic Area Head, Medical Specialties, Astellas. "Further, these results suggest once-daily dosing including the lower doses produced similar reductions in severity and frequency of VMS to the twice-daily dosing. We look forward to studying fezolinetant in Phase 3 clinical trials, scheduled to begin later this year." Fezolinetant significantly reduced VMS frequency compared to placebo, showing between -1.9 to -3.5 mean change per day from baseline for the BID doses and between -2.3 to -3.0 mean change per day for the QD doses at week 4. At week 12, fezolinetant demonstrated reduced VMS frequency compared to placebo, showing between -1.8 to -2.6 mean change per day for the BID doses and between -2.1 to -2.6 mean change per day for the QD doses. The percentage reduction in VMS frequency from baseline to week 12 was between 74.3 to 86.9 percent for the BID doses and between 75.1 to 77.9 for the QD doses versus a 55 percent reduction for placebo. Additionally, fezolinetant showed improvement in VMS severity compared to placebo, with a mean change per day range of -0.5 to -1.0 for the BID doses and -0.4 to -0.7 for the QD doses at week 4. At week 12, fezolinetant demonstrated improvement in VMS severity compared to placebo, with a mean change per day range of -0.3 to -0.6 for the BID doses and -0.2 to -0.5 for the QD doses. Overall treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE) rates were similar across groups and mostly mild or moderate. There were no deaths or treatment-related serious adverse events (SAEs) reported. Common TEAEs (greater or equal to 5 percent in any treatment arm) include headache, nausea, urinary tract infection, diarrhea, upper respiratory tract infection, fatigue, viral upper respiratory tract infection, sinusitis and cough. There were no reports of endometrial hyperplasia. Nine patients (less than 3 percent) treated with the higher doses of fezolinetant saw brief increases in the liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). There were no cases of bilirubin greater than two times the upper limit of normal. Patients returned to baseline levels after discontinuation of dosing. No other clinically meaningful changes were noted in the vital signs and laboratory tests, electrocardiogram parameters, or plasma bone marker concentrations. About Fezolinetant Fezolinetant is an investigational oral, non-hormonal compound being developed for the treatment of moderate-to-severe VMS, including hot flashes and night sweats. Fezolinetant works by blocking neurokinin B (NKB) signaling and normalizing KNDy (kisspeptin/NKB/dynorphin) neuron activity, which modulates the temperature control center and reduces the frequency and severity of hot flashes. About Vasomotor Symptoms (VMS) Globally, approximately 57 percent of women 40 to 64 years of age have reported the occurrence of hot flashes and sweating.1 VMS can have a considerable effect on women's comfort and sleep and can lead to anxiety, irritability, loss of productivity and depression.2 Hot flashes are also the most common symptom for women transitioning through menopause.3 About the Phase 2b study The Phase 2b study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study. The study enrolled postmenopausal women 40 to 65 years of age suffering at least 50 moderate-to-severe hot flashes per week. In the study, 356 women were randomized to one of the following doses: fezolinetant 15, 30, 60 or 90 mg twice daily or 30, 60, 120 mg once daily. For more information about this study, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov [NCT03192176]. The safety and efficacy of the agent discussed herein are under investigation and have not been established. There is no guarantee that the agent will receive regulatory approval and become commercially available for the uses being investigated. About Astellas Astellas Pharma Inc., based in Tokyo, Japan, is a company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. For more information, please visit our website at https://www.astellas.com/en Cautionary Notes In this press release, statements made with respect to current plans, estimates, strategies and beliefs and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements about the future performance of Astellas. These statements are based on management's current assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in general economic conditions and in laws and regulations, relating to pharmaceutical markets, (ii) currency exchange rate fluctuations, (iii) delays in new product launches, (iv) the inability of Astellas to market existing and new products effectively, (v) the inability of Astellas to continue to effectively research and develop products accepted by customers in highly competitive markets, and (vi) infringements of Astellas' intellectual property rights by third parties. Information about pharmaceutical products (including products currently in development) which is included in this press release is not intended to constitute an advertisement or medical advice. 1 Makara-Studzinska MT, Krys-Noszczyk KM, Jakiel G. Epidemiology of the symptoms of menopause an intercontinental review. Menopause Review. 2014;13(3):203-211. doi:10.5114/pm.2014.43827 2 Utian WH. Psychosocial and socioeconomic burden of vasomotor symptoms in menopause: A comprehensive review. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes. 2005;3(1):47. doi:10.1186/1477-7525-3-47. 3 Freedman RR. Menopausal hot flashes: Mechanisms, Endocrinology, treatment. The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 2014;142:115-120. doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2013.08.010. SOURCE Astellas Pharma Inc. Related Links https://www.astellas.com NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Automotive Millimeter Wave Compatible Emblem Market: Overview This comprehensive reportanalyzes and forecasts the automotive millimeter wave compatible emblem market at the global and regional levels.The report provides analysis for the period from 2018 to 2026, wherein 20182026 is the forecast period and 2017 is the base year. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05760673/?utm_source=PRN Data for 2016 has been added as historical information about the market.An in-depth and unbiased market assessment has been made to offer readers comprehensive and accurate analysis. Based on application, the market has been broadly classified into passenger and commercial.The report emphasizes all major trends likely to be witnessed in the global automotive millimeter wave compatible emblem market from 2018 to 2026. It also focuses on restraining factors, market drivers, and opportunities for the automotive millimeter wave compatible emblem market during the forecast period. The study provides a complete perspective about the automotive millimeter wave compatible emblem market, in terms of value (in US$ Mn) and volume (in thousand units), across various geographies including Asia Pacific, South America, North America, Middle East & Africa (MEA), and Europe. The report includes detailed value chain analysis, which is focused to offer a widespread view of the global automotive millimeter wave compatible emblem market.Porter's five forces analysis has also been provided to help understand the competition scenario in the global market. The study incorporates market attractiveness analysis, wherein application and regional segments of the market have been benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate, and market attractiveness. In order to offer a complete analysis of the overall competition scenario in the global automotive millimeter wave compatible emblem market, every geographical region mentioned in the report has been provided with attractiveness analysis. The market overview chapter in the report explains market trends and dynamics including restraining factors, drivers, and the current and future opportunities for the automotive millimeter wave compatible emblem market.Market outlook analysis has also been provided in the report. Moreover, the report provides analysis of different business strategies being adopted by leading players in the automotive millimeter wave compatible emblem market. The market introduction chapter assists in getting an idea of different trends in the global automotive millimeter wave compatible emblem market. Global Automotive Millimeter Wave Compatible Emblem Market: Scope of Report The study provides a decisive view of the global automotive millimeter wave compatible emblem market, by segmenting the market in terms of application and region.Based on application, the market has been segregated into passenger and commercial. The report provides detailed region-wise segmentation of the global automotive millimeter wave compatible emblem market by categorizing it into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America, thereby providing valuable insights at micro and macro levels. The report further highlights the competition scenario in the global automotive millimeter wave compatible emblem market, by ranking all major players according to their geographical presence and key recent developments.The insights into the market is a result of our extensive primary interviews, secondary research, and in-house expert panel reviews. The market estimates have been analyzed by considering the impact of different economic, political, social, legal, and technological factors. In terms of country, the North America automotive millimeter wave compatible emblem market has been divided into Canada, the U.S., and Rest of North America. Furthermore, the Europe market has been categorized into the U.K., Germany, and Rest of Europe. The APAC automotive millimeter wave compatible emblem market includes China, Japan, and Rest of Asia Pacific. Middle East & Africa covers Turkey, South Africa, and Rest of Middle East & Africa. Similarly, South America includes Brazil and Rest of South America. This report provides all strategic information required to understand the global automotive millimeter wave compatible emblem market. Also, the report provides insights into the market in geographical regions mentioned above. Global Automotive Millimeter Wave Compatible Emblem Market: Research Methodology The research methodology is a perfect combination of primary research, secondary research, and expert panel reviews. Secondary sources include annual reports, company websites, SEC filings, investor presentations, national government documents, internal and external proprietary databases, statistical databases, relevant patent and regulatory databases, government publications, and statistical databases. Primary research involves telephonic interviews, e-mail interactions, and face-to-face interviews for detailed and unbiased reviews of the global automotive millimeter wave compatible emblem market.Primary interviews are usually conducted on an ongoing basis with market experts and participants in order to obtain the latest market insights and validate the existing data and analysis. Primary interviews offer new information on important factors such as market trends, market size, competition landscape, and growth trends.These factors help validate and strengthen secondary research findings. Moreover, the data collected and analyzed from secondary and primary research is again discussed and examined by our expert panel. Global Automotive Millimeter Wave Compatible Emblem Market: Competition Dynamics The research study includes profiles of leading companies operating in the global automotive millimeter wave compatible emblem market.Market players have been profiled in terms of attributes such as company overview, financial overview, SWOT analysis, business strategies, and recent developments. Major players operating in the global automotive millimeter wave compatible emblem market are TOYODA GOSEI Co., Ltd, Shinko Nameplate Co., Ltd., ZANINI AUTO GRUP, S.A., Toyota Motor Corporation, Shimadzu Corporation, and ROHDE & SCHWARZ GmbH & Co. KG. The global automotive millimeter wave compatible emblem market has been segmented as follows: Global Automotive Millimeter Wave Compatible Emblem Market, by Application Passenger Commercial Global Automotive Millimeter Wave Compatible Emblem Market, by Geography North America U.S. Canada Rest of North America Europe U.K. Germany Rest of Europe Asia Pacific Japan China Rest of Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa (MEA) Turkey South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa South America Brazil Rest of South America Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05760673/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com BOCA RATON, Fla., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Customers at Nature's Pavilion Health Food Store in New Jersey have known about Steve Shah's traditional remedies for the past 20 years. Now, it is time for the rest of the country to learn about these products that are rooted back 5,000 years ago in India, and which Shah has brought to today's consumer. Shah's flagship supplement is CVF, formerly called Cold, Virus & Flu Formula, which is a unique blend of 24 different herbs from around the world in a ratio that addresses all the symptoms associated with a cold or the flu. CVF's satisfied -- and healthy -- customers from his health food store are the best word-of-mouth endorsement any supplement could receive. "We have had nothing but positive feedback for the past two decades about CVF," said Steve Shah, the owner of Nature's Pavilion and CEO of Bio-herbMD. "The support from our customers has given us the confidence to introduce our supplements to American consumers throughout the country." Once Shah developed CVF, a process, which took him more than a year to determine the correct herbs to use and the proper amount, he went on to create other remedies that combine an Indian Ayurvedic approach with traditional Chinese medicine as well as natural herbs from Europe, North America, and South America. Bio-herbMD's other natural remedies are: Aller-G for allergies, hay fever, and sinus infections. Deep Tissue Gold for joint and muscle relief. Nerve Calm for stress, anxiety, panic attacks, Restless Leg Syndrome, muscle tightening and sleeplessness. Anti-Fungal Oil for nail fungus, athlete's foot, ringworm, etc. Balanced Superfood for energy and the immune system, digestive system, sugar balance, and weight management. "When we first introduced CVF there was a flu epidemic. Nurses, who were ordered to come to work healthy or sick, started using CVF and found it worked. From there, word of mouth just took off," Shah said. "We introduced our other remedies over the years. Now is the time to go national." For more information, check out his website at healthpavilion.com . Please direct inquiries to: Andrew Polin, 561-544-0719 [email protected] SOURCE Bio-herbMD DUBLIN, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Biocompatibility Testing for Medical Devices" training has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The medical device field is one of the most heavily regulated industries, for obvious reasons. Medical devices are an important tool in efforts to improve patient care and treatment outcomes. Learn how to achieve more successful biocompatibility testing outcomes by attending this seminar. Biocompatibility testing is in the spotlight with regulatory bodies - especially with the recent release of the updated European MDRs and the FDA's Guidance document on ISO 10993-1. It is essential for medical device manufacturers to have an understanding of the current landscape for biocompatibility testing while keeping an eye on the future trends that will affect future requirements. This seminar will discuss the recent changes to regulatory documents and standards and how they will impact the overall biocompatibility assessment of medical devices. Attendees will understand and apply ISO 10993-1 and the FDA Guidance on its use. They will know how to use the ISO documents to locate information that you need. Understand what tests to select and how to choose among various options. By attending this seminar, attendees will get answers of these questions: When is testing not the only option? Understand how to apply Materials characterization, and more importantly learn how to use the information to understand biological safety? Understand ISO 14971 and how to use it? Learn how to use ISO 10993-1 as a tool for hazard identification? Learn how to develop a program that guides your device on the regulatory path and reduces your time to market? Practice how to execute your plan from development to completion and how to schedule and document the implementation of your biocompatibility plan? Learning Objectives: After completing this seminar, participants should be familiar with the full scope of ISO 10993-1, including the current version. The topics covered will include: Gain a deeper understanding of global regulatory expectations for biological safety. Know how to review reports for accurate data and work with a laboratory when unexpected results are reported. Understand evaluating complexities for drug/device combination devices. Familiarization with calculating allowable limits for cancer, chemical mixtures, and assessment of unidentified chemicals. Experience working application with real life examples to calculate allowable limits, experience testing errors and how to mitigate them, and then manage a device from concept to market clearance. Gain knowledge on the principles of toxicology, FDA consensus standards, and Good Laboratory Practices. Learn the difference between evaluation and testing. Recognize when testing is absolutely necessary and how to avoid unnecessary testing. Areas Covered: The areas that will be discussed in the seminar will include the following topics throughout the agenda: History of ISO 19993-1 Overview of collateral standards, i.e., 10993-X Risk based approach (for Biocompatibility) Review of ISO 14971 Risk management file Biocompatibility evaluation endpoints Endpoint assessment vs. testing Endpoint consideration: Test specific Chemical testing: Extractables and Leachables Toxicology assessment Key Topics Covered: Day 1 08.30 AM - 08.59 AM: Registration and Meet & Greet 09.00 AM - 10.00 AM: Seminar outline History of Biocompatibility testing 10.00 AM - 11.00 AM: ISO 10993-1 The general principles governing the biological evaluation of medical devices within a risk management process; The general categorization of devices based on the nature and duration of their contact with the body; The evaluation of existing relevant data from all sources; The identification of gaps in the available data set on the basis of a risk analysis; The identification of additional data sets necessary to analyse the biological safety of the medical device; The assessment of the biological safety of the medical device. 11.00 AM - 12.00 PM: FDA & 10993-1 ODE Final Biocompatibility Guidance Use of ISO 10993-1 Biological evaluation of medical devices - Part 1: Evaluation and testing within a risk management process Published: June 16, 2016 12.00 PM - 01.00 PM: Lunch 01.00 PM - 02.00 PM: ISO 14971-Risk Assessment Have risks been designed out if possible? Have manufacturers shown that risks have been reduced as much as possible? Have manufacturers conducted a risk benefit analysis for all risks? Have residual risks been incorrectly reduced by warnings placed on IFUs or provided in training? 02.00 PM - 03.00 PM: Developing a Biological Safety Plan Biological Safety: More than just Test Data Leverage information that is known about the constituents of the device Identify and characterize biological and toxicological hazards associated with the medical device product in an effort to characterize risk Define a plan for ensuring biological safety Explain how your company uses the requirements of ISO 109931:2003 to assure biological safety 03.00 PM - 04.00 PM: Chemical Testing: Extractables & Leachables Regulators are concerned with substances migrating from different materials (polymers, metals, glass etc.) which patients may be exposed to through many different routes of administration. Extractables studies Leachables studies Analytical Techniques for Extractables and Leachables What do the results tell you? 04.00 PM - 04.30 PM: Good laboratory practices What are they? How do they apply? Day 2 08.30 AM - 10.00 AM: ISO 10993-17 Allowable Limits Approach for setting tolerable intake (TI) values for chemical compounds released from medical device materials based on the method described in the standard Practical advice is provided on how to derive both non-cancer and cancer-based TI values 10.00 PM - 12.00 PM: Biocompatibility Endpoints-Testing Use of ISO 10993-1 and the FDA-modified matrix (Attachment A) to determine the relevant biocompatibility endpoints for an evaluation General biocompatibility testing considerations, including test article preparation Specific considerations for the following testing: cytotoxicity, sensitization, hemocompatibility, pyrogenicity, implantation, genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, and degradation assessments Chemical assessment recommendations Considerations for labeling devices as -free 12.00 PM - 12.30 PM: Seminar wrap up For more information about this training visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/gwns4x/biocompatibility?w=5 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com ARCADIA, Calif., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Blo Blow Dry Bar, North America's original blow dry bar and the world's largest blow dry bar franchise, announced today the opening of its newest bar in Arcadia, California, marking the third Blo Blow Dry Bar in greater Los Angeles. Located at 316 E Huntington Dr., Blo Arcadia will kick off its grand opening on April 12th with a ribbon-cutting ceremony accompanied by treats, beverages and $35 blow out specials lasting through the grand opening weekend. Blo Arcadia is owned and operated by first-time franchisee, Helen Lin. With a dual bachelor's degree in economics and psychology and a master's degree in international business, Helen's hardworking nature led her to a successful career in real estate development. But her entrepreneurial spirit ignited a desire to own her own business one that would fill a need in her hometown of Arcadia. As a working woman whose career took up much of her time, Helen was attracted to Blo Blow Dry Bar, as the concept provides a practical and enjoyable experience that can fit into a busy schedule. Coupled with the desire to empower women by making them look and feel good, all while saving them the time and stress of styling their own hair and makeup, Helen made the decision to become a franchisee and open her own location in Arcadia. "We are thrilled to partner with someone as dedicated and hardworking as Helen. Her knowledge of the industry and background in real estate are great attributes that will set her up for success as she launches Blo Arcadia," said Vanessa Yakobson, CEO of Blo Blow Dry Bar. "Helen is deeply rooted in her community and with her connection to her neighbors, family and friends, there's no one better to introduce Blo to the Arcadia suburb." Over the past few years, an array of beauty and personal care brands have established a strong presence across California in an effort to meet the needs of the wellness-oriented consumer. With a demand for more retailers that promote a balanced lifestyle, Blo Blow Dry Bar's presence in Arcadia will positively impact the community and encourage residents in the area to prioritize self-care. "I've always seen myself operating my own business and partnering with a brand like Blo Blow Dry Bar is a dream come true. My family is very familiar with the blow out concept, as we would frequently treat ourselves to blow outs on our trips to China, so I'm excited to not only bring a sense of familiarity to the community, but also an affordable luxury that I know our town needs," said Helen Lin. "When deciding on the location, I wanted to make sure Blo Arcadia was in close proximity to not only residents, but also other businesses that Blo Arcadia could partner and collaborate with on future initiatives in our hometown. That's why I'm eager to introduce Arcadia to Blo Blow Dry Bar." Recognized as America's original blow dry bar, Blo Blow Dry Bar believes in creating an inclusive space where people of all ages, ethnicities and orientations can feel welcomed, represented and gorgeous. Combining a chic and modern design with a fun and lively environment, Blo creates a seamless and enjoyable experience for guests from start to finish. Expertly trained bloers are available for consultation seven days a week to meet the needs of all customers. Blo's hair menu includes seven signature styles to choose from, ranging from a sleek ponytail to flirty and bouncy curls. Blo Arcadia is open from dawn to dusk seven days a week. Walk-ins are accepted and online reservations are available at blomedry.com/Arcadia or via the app (available for IOS or Android). Appointments can also be made by calling 626-538-4037. To stay up to date on the latest news and promotions, follow Blo Arcadia on Facebook (@BloBlowDryBarArcadia) and Instagram (@blo_arcadia). For more information on Blo Blow Dry Bar, visit www.blomedry.com. About Blo Blow Dry Bar Blo Blow Dry Bar is North America's original blow dry bar and the world's largest blow dry bar franchise. The company transformed beauty norms and reinvented the salon industry when it launched the "no cuts, no color" concept: only blow outs. Since opening its first location in Canada in 2007, Blo has grown to over 130 locations across the U.S., Canada and the Philippines and continues to expand rapidly. With a mission to enhance the lives of those in the community through the power of flawless blow outs and beauty services, Blo Blow Dry Bar offers perfectly styled hair and exceptional customer experiences seven days a week. For more information, visit www.blomedry.com. MEDIA CONTACT: Shana Rosenthal Fish Consulting [email protected] 954-893-9150 SOURCE Blo Blow Dry Bar Related Links http://www.blomedry.com CHICAGO, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --According to the new market research report "Blockchain IoT Market by Offering (Hardware, Software, and Infrastructure Provider), Application (Smart Contract, Data Security, Data Sharing/Communication, and Asset Tracking & Management), End User, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2024", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Blockchain IoT Market is estimated to grow from USD 113.1 million in 2019 to reach USD 3,021 million by 2024; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 92.92%. Major factors driving the market growth are increasing adoption of IoT, growing need for IoT security, simplifying business processes and affording transparency and immutability, and increasing focus on operational efficiency. Further, underlying opportunities for the blockchain IoT market include higher adoption of blockchain solutions for smart contracts and digital identity and rising government initiatives. Major factors hindering the market growth are uncertain regulatory status and higher latency with an increase in the number of nodes. The lack of awareness about blockchain technology and lack of standards pose major challenges to the blockchain IoT market. Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=168941858 Asset tracking and management for blockchain IoT to grow at highest CAGR during forecast period Among all applications, the blockchain IoT is majorly used for asset tracking and management applications. Asset tracking and management of integrated software is instrumental in tracking and managing physical assets and the performance of equipment on the manufacturing floor. Protection of physical assets such as plants, machinery, and fleet are the backbone of manufacturing operations. These physical assets help in ensuring the integrity of assets, which is the top-most priority of any enterprise. Managing and monitoring the integrity of assets or transactions is easy, and if a change is necessary, a new digital fingerprint can be generated and validated. Transportation and logistics is expected to hold largest market size in blockchain IoT market Among all end users, the transportation and logistics to hold the largest market size in the blockchain IoT market. The blockchain technology helps transportation and logistics end users by tracking freights, offering secure transactions, and validating user identities through single sign-on and multi-factor authentication. Thus, with these unique offerings from blockchain-focused solution providers, the demand for blockchain IoT solutions in transport and logistics is expected to increase in the near future. Browse in-depth TOC on "Blockchain IoT Market" 65 Tables 34 Figures 143 Pages For blockchain IoT, North America is major contributor among all regions, thereby expecting to hold largest market size in next 5 years North America is among the major contributors to the blockchain IoT market, and the US accounted for the largest share of the market in North America in 2018. The global blockchain IoT market is dominated by North America as the region is an early adopter of the blockchain. North America is the most advanced region in terms of technology adoption and infrastructure. The presence of key market players here is the main factor driving the growth of the North American blockchain industry. Organizations in this region are gradually moving toward the adoption of blockchain IoT. Businesses have recognized the potential of blockchain IoT in delivering enhanced customer experience. Hence, they have started adopting technology to develop business applications. Request Sample pages of the Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=168941858 Key players in the blockchain IoT market include IBM Corporation (IBM, US), Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft, US), Intel Corporation (Intel, US), Amazon.com, Inc. (Amazon, US), Cisco Systems (Cisco, US), Ethereum Foundation (Ethereum, Switzerland), The Linux Foundation (Linux Foundation, US), R3 (R3, US), Filament (Filament, Nevada), and KrypC (KrypC, India). Please Explore Relevant Report: Blockchain in Manufacturing Market by Application (Business Process Optimization, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Counterfeit Management), End Use (Automotive, Energy & Power, Industrial, Pharmaceuticals), and Region - Global Forecast to 2025. About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Shelly Singh MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/blockchain-iot-market.asp Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com SOURCE MarketsandMarkets NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Braze, the leading global customer engagement platform that delivers personalized messaging experiences across push, email, apps, and more, today revealed the next generation of email, identifying personal, responsive, and relevant messaging value across the entire customer lifecycle. More human email communication leads to deeper impact and ROI for brands. Braze found that users who receive email alone see 45% higher engagement than those who receive no messages at all, while a triple-digit boost in engagement can be achieved by adding even one other channel.1 With the proliferation of digital platforms and touchpoints, it's become increasingly difficult to break through the noise and reach customers. Email should be used when it is most effective, and understanding that requires agility and experimentation across channels. The shift to emerging technology solutions that support sophisticated email strategies and provide cohesive, cross-channel value to consumers is becoming table stakes in the holistic customer experience and Braze continues to evolve to provide the most effective solutions. "The next generation of email is now upon us. Early email programs are still sent in bulk, impersonal, and considered successful by merely driving more eyeballs to the top of a funnel. Next-generation email is integrated throughout the customer lifecycle, wielded like a specialized tool rather than a blunt object," said Bill Magnuson, CEO & Cofounder at Braze. "Email can now understand the product journey and brand discovery process, using data and sophisticated strategy to be deployed when it's most effective and most appropriate." The channel-agnostic solution offered by Braze enables global campaign reach with options for message frequency and delivery prioritization. The agility of the platform allows for experimentation with advanced email campaigns and engagement strategies through an established partner ecosystem to help accomplish marketing goals, at scale. "Empowering everyone across the globe to be able to design anything and publish anywhere has been a core part of our vision since our early days. Today Canva is available in over 100 languages and is embraced by over 15 million users worldwide. Due to our broad international reach, it's important that our approach to email marketing continues to evolve with our growth. With Braze, we're able to deploy localized campaigns to engage with our design community in an authentic, meaningful way," said Michelle Huang, Email and Messaging Lead, at Canva. Braze has supported email since day one and works with email marketers at brands like Canva, iHeartRadio, Overstock, and Yelp to send billions of emails that use trillions of cross-channel data events based on customer behavior. To learn what next-generation email capabilities can do for your business visit, Braze.com . About Braze (formerly Appboy) Braze (formerly Appboy) is a customer engagement platform that delivers messaging experiences across push, email, apps, and more. Braze is built specifically for today's mobile-first world and tomorrow's ambient computing future. Braze is set apart as the platform that allows for real-time and continuous data streaming, replacing decades-old databases that aren't built for today's on-demand, always-connected customer. With data, technology, and teams working together in unison, the Braze platform makes marketing more authentic, brands more human, and customers more satisfied with every experience. Braze is a venture-backed company with hundreds of employees. Offices are located in New York City, San Francisco, London, and Singapore. We've been recognized by Forbes Cloud 100 at #85, ranked #225 on Inc.'s 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies, and listed as #21 in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 List, and recognized by The New York Times as 'The Next Wave of 'Unicorn' Start-Ups'. Learn more at Braze.com . Contact Information: Stephanie Cortez Communications Manager [email protected] 1 https://www.braze.com/resources/library/report/cross-channel-messaging/?utm_content=email-press-release SOURCE Braze Related Links http://www.braze.com "As a health and wellness company, we help people live healthy lives," said Ian Gilley, founder of Candy Head, which is based in Rhode Island. "This is why we offer our support for National Nutrition Month to help get the word out. It is important for people to eat healthy and to exercise." Candy Head manufactures full-spectrum, CBD-infused edibles, which many people use to ease inflammation and pain, as well as depression, blood pressure, insomnia, anxiety and some chronic diseases. Research also has indicated that CBD oil may help with childhood epilepsy disorders, such as Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndromes. Meanwhile, the recent farm bill, which allows licensed farmers to grow hemp and transport it across state lines, moved the CBD industry into the mainstream of health and wellness society. Candy Head uses only the best possible full-spectrum oils available. The company chose to develop CBD-infused hard candies because it provides optimal absorption of the many compounds found in full-spectrum oil. When you slowly consume the great-tasting CBD candy, you are giving your body the time it needs to accrue benefits from the oil. Candy Head, which prioritizes health and safety, uses a third-party lab to test their candies for proper CBD dosing and consistency to make sure consumers receive the precise amount of oil. None of Candy Head's products contain dairy, gluten, animal products, soy, wheat, fish, shellfish, sesame, coconut, peanuts or tree nuts. "At Candy Head, we know the importance of health," Gilley said, adding that his family developed the CBD-infused hard candies to help their 10-year-old son, who was enduring pain because of scoliosis. "During National Nutrition Month, please take stock of your lifestyle choices and choose wisely." For more information, visit candy-head.com . Please direct inquiries to: Andrew Polin, 561-544-0719 [email protected] SOURCE Candy Head Related Links http://candy-head.com NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study from the Capgemini Research Institute has found that just 10 percent of major automotive companies are implementing artificial intelligence1 (AI) projects at scale, with many falling short of an opportunity that could increase operating profit by up to 16 percent. The research also shows that fewer automotive companies are implementing AI than in 2017, despite the cost, quality and productivity advantages. The "Accelerating Automotive's AI Transformation: How driving AI enterprise-wide can turbo-charge organizational value" study surveyed 500 executives from large automotive companies in eight countries, building on a comparable study from 2017, to establish recent trends in AI investment and deployment. The research highlighted the following potential reasons for the modest progress in relation to AI implementation: The roadblocks to technology transformation are still significant, such as legacy IT systems, accuracy and data concerns, and lack of skills. The hype and high expectations that initially came with AI may have turned into a more measured and pragmatic view as companies are confronted with the reality of implementation. Key findings include: Scaling of AI has seen a slow growth: Since 2017, the number of automotive companies that have successfully scaled AI implementation has increased only marginally (from seven percent to 10 percent). However, the increase in companies not using AI at all was more significant (from 26 percent to 39 percent). According to the report, just 26 percent of companies are now piloting AI projects (down from 41 percent in 2017). This is maybe due to companies finding it harder to realize a desired return on investment. The results also reveal a significant regional disparity, with 25 percent of U.S. firms delivering AI at scale, compared to nine percent in China. Automotive organizations can drive significant reward from scaled AI: The modest progress in implementing AI projects at scale represents a major missed opportunity for the industry. Modelling in the report, based on one typical top 50 original equipment manufacturer (OEM), estimates that delivering AI at scale could achieve increases in operating profit ranging from five percent (or $232m) based on conservative estimates, to 16 percent (or $764m) in an optimistic scenario. "With AI-empowered visual inspection we have sensibly reduced the ratio of false positives with respect to the previous systems," said Demetrio Aiello, head of the AI & Robotics Labs at Continental. "I am very confident that if we can deploy AI to its fullest potential it would have an impact on performance equivalent to almost doubling our capacity today." AI is seen more as a job-creator than a job-replacer: The report showed that the industry has become more positive about AI's job-creation potential - 100 percent of executives say that AI is creating new job roles, up from 84 percent in 2017. Where AI is being deployed, it is achieving results: The survey found a consistent story of AI delivering benefits across every automotive business function. On average, it delivered a 16 percent increase in productivity across Research and Development (R&D), operational efficiency improvements of 15 percent in the supply chain and 16 percent in manufacturing/operations, reduced direct costs of 14 percent in customer experience and 17 percent in IT, and reduced time to market by 15 percent in R&D and 13 percent in marketing/sales. Additionally, a number of successful AI projects are identified and detailed in the research report. One example is Continental generating 5,000 miles of vehicle test data an hour through an AI-powered simulation, compared to 6,500 miles a month it was getting through physical test driving. Others include: Volkswagen accurately modeling vehicle sales across 250 auto models in 120 countries using machine learning. 2 Mercedes-Benz testing an AI-recognition system for parcel delivery that can reduce vehicle loading time by 15 percent.3 Markus Winkler, Executive Vice President, Global Head of Automotive at Capgemini concludes, "These findings show that the progress of AI in the automotive industry has hit a speedbump. Some companies are enjoying considerable success, but others have struggled to focus on the most effective use cases, vehicle manufacturers need to start seeing AI not as a standalone opportunity, but as a strategic capability required to shape the future which they must organize investment, talent and governance around." He continues, "As this research shows, AI can deliver a significant dividend for every automotive business, but only if it is implemented at scale. For AI to succeed, organizations will need to invest in the right skills, achieve the requisite quality of data, and have a management structure that provides both direction and executive support." To deliver at scale, companies must invest, upskill and create infrastructure: The report also examined the behaviors of the companies in the survey who have had the most success implementing AI at scale ('Scale Champions'). It found they had typically, invested much more in AI (more than $200m a year for 86 percent of Champions), a year for 86 percent of Champions), focused hiring and training efforts on AI skills (32 percent said hiring was relevant to their AI strategy, versus 14 percent of others; 25 percent said they proactively upskilled and re-skilled current employees, compared to eight percent of others); and created a clear governance structure to prioritize and promote AI, with measures including a central steering to govern AI investment, and a cross-functional team of tech, business and operations experts. Research Methodology The Capgemini Research Institute conducted a primary survey of 500 automotive executives from large automotive organizations in eight countries: China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States. The research team then conducted in-depth interviews with a number of industry experts and entrepreneurs. The report can be downloaded here. About Capgemini A global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation, Capgemini is at the forefront of innovation to address the entire breadth of clients' opportunities in the evolving world of cloud, digital and platforms. Building on its strong 50-year heritage and deep industry-specific expertise, Capgemini enables organizations to realize their business ambitions through an array of services from strategy to operations. Capgemini is driven by the conviction that the business value of technology comes from and through people. It is a multicultural company of over 200,000 team members in more than 40 countries. The Group reported 2018 global revenues of EUR 13.2 billion (about $15.6 billion USD at 2018 average rate). Visit us at www.capgemini.com. People matter, results count. About the Capgemini Research Institute The Capgemini Research Institute is Capgemini's in-house research center. The Institute publishes research on the impact of digital technologies on large traditional businesses. The team draws on the worldwide network of Capgemini experts and works closely with academic and technology partners. The Institute has dedicated research centers in India, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was recently ranked #1 in the world for the quality of its research by independent analysts. Visit us at https://www.capgemini.com/researchinstitute/ 1 Artificial intelligence (AI) is a collective term for the capabilities shown by learning systems that are perceived by humans as representing 'intelligence'. Today, typical AI capabilities include speech, image and video recognition, autonomous objects, natural language processing, conversational agents, prescriptive modeling, augmented creativity, smart automation, advanced simulation, as well as complex analytics and predictions. 2 Automotive World, "VW says OK to AI", March 2018 3 Daimler website, "Vans as motherships", September 2018 SOURCE Capgemini Related Links http://www.capgemini.com MIAMI, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL;NYSE: CUK) announced U.S. GAAP net income of $336 million, or $0.48 diluted EPS, for the first quarter of 2019, compared to U.S. GAAP net income for the first quarter of 2018 of $391 million, or $0.54 diluted EPS. First quarter 2019 adjusted net income of $338 million, or $0.49 adjusted EPS, compared to adjusted net income of $375 million, or $0.52 adjusted EPS, for the first quarter of 2018. Adjusted net income excludes net charges of $2 million for the first quarter of 2019 and net gains of $16 million for the first quarter of 2018 relating to unrealized gains on fuel derivatives net of other charges. Revenues for the first quarter of 2019 were $4.7 billion, higher than the $4.2 billion in the prior year. Carnival Corporation & plc President and Chief Executive Officer Arnold Donald stated, "First quarter earnings included revenue growth from higher capacity and improved onboard spending, offset by the timing of cost increases and a drag from fuel price and currency compared to the prior year. First quarter adjusted earnings were better than the mid-point of December guidance by $0.07 per share." Donald added, "For the full year, our earnings guidance now reflects $155 million, or $0.22 per share, from fuel price and currency moving against us. Operationally, we continue to expect revenues and adjusted earnings per share improvements in line with our December guidance. We expect adjusted earnings per share to be higher than the prior year, despite a $45 million, or $0.06 per share, year over year drag from currency and the price of fuel." Key information for the first quarter of 2019 compared to the first quarter of 2018: Gross cruise revenues of $4.6 billion compared to $4.2 billion for the prior year. In constant currency, net cruise revenues of $3.6 billion compared to $3.4 billion , an increase of 4.7 percent. compared to for the prior year. In constant currency, net cruise revenues of compared to , an increase of 4.7 percent. Gross revenue yields (revenue per available lower berth day or "ALBD") increased 5.8 percent. In constant currency, net revenue yields increased 0.5 percent, better than December guidance of approximately flat. Gross cruise costs including fuel per ALBD increased 8.6 percent. In constant currency, net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD increased 0.9 percent, better than December guidance of up approximately 2.0 percent, mainly due to the timing of expenses between quarters. Changes in fuel prices and currency exchange rates decreased earnings by $0.03 per share. Highlights from the first quarter included the delivery of AIDAnova, the first cruise ship in the industry powered at sea by liquefied natural gas and the delivery of Costa Venezia, the first Costa ship designed for the Chinese market. Princess Cruises expanded its MedallionClass experience onboard Regal Princess, with three additional ships to follow in 2019. OceanMedallion, the wearable device that powers the breakthrough guest experience platform behind MedallionClass vacations, was awarded the 2019 IoT Wearables Innovation of the Year. Additionally, Carnival Cruise Line was named the Best Ocean Cruise Line in the annual USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards and Carnival Corporation was named by Forbes as one of America's best employers for diversity for its outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. 2019 Outlook At this time, cumulative advanced bookings for the remainder of 2019 are ahead of the prior year at prices that are in line with the prior year on a comparable basis. Pricing on bookings taken since January have been running in line on a comparable basis to the prior year while booking volumes are ahead compared to the prior year. As a result, even with higher capacity, there is less inventory remaining for sale than at the same time last year. Donald added, "Booking trends achieved during wave season rivaled last years' historical highs and were consistent with the demand trends we experienced going into the year, building further confidence in our full year guidance. For our North America and Australia brands, our booked position is ahead of the prior year at higher prices while our Europe and Asia brands are well ahead of the prior year at lower prices. Our brands are strong and growing, including Continental Europe, where we continue to expect revenue growth driven by double-digit capacity increases." Based on current booking trends, the company continues to expect full year 2019 constant currency net cruise revenues to be up approximately 5.5 percent, with capacity growth of 4.6 percent, and net revenue yields in constant currency expected to be up approximately 1.0 percent compared to the prior year driven by our NAA brands. The company continues to expect full year net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD in constant currency to be up approximately 0.5 percent compared to the prior year. Taking the above factors into consideration, the company expects full year 2019 adjusted earnings per share to be in the range of $4.35 to $4.55, compared to December guidance of $4.50 to $4.80, due to changes in fuel price and currency exchange rates and 2018 adjusted earnings per share of $4.26. Donald commented, "We believe we are on a path that includes delivering, over time, double-digit earnings growth and improving return on invested capital through a consistent strategy of creating demand in excess of measured capacity growth while leveraging our industry leading scale." The company invested more than $250 million in share repurchases during the quarter, bringing the cumulative total to nearly $5 billion since late 2015. Second Quarter 2019 Outlook Second quarter constant currency net revenue yields are expected to be in line with the prior year. Net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD in constant currency for the second quarter are expected to be up approximately 1.0 percent compared to the prior year. Changes in fuel prices and currency exchange rates are expected to decrease earnings by $0.08 per share compared to the prior year. Based on the above factors, the company expects adjusted earnings per share for the second quarter 2019 to be in the range of $0.56 to $0.60 versus 2018 adjusted earnings per share of $0.68. Selected Key Forecast Metrics Full Year 2019 Second Quarter 2019 Year over year change: Current Dollars Constant Currency Current Dollars Constant Currency Net revenue yields Approx (1.0%) Approx 1.0% Approx (2.5%) Approx Flat Net cruise costs excl. fuel / ALBD Approx (1.0%) Approx 0.5% Approx (1.5%) Approx 1.0% Full Year 2019 Second Quarter 2019 Fuel cost per metric ton consumed $494 $502 Fuel consumption (metric tons in thousands) 3,320 840 Currencies (USD to 1) AUD $0.71 $0.71 CAD $0.75 $0.75 EUR $1.14 $1.14 GBP $1.31 $1.32 RMB $0.15 $0.15 Three Months Ended February 28, 2019 2018 Net income (in millions) $ 336 $ 391 Adjusted net income (in millions) (a) $ 338 $ 375 Earnings per share-diluted $ 0.48 $ 0.54 Adjusted earnings per share-diluted (a) $ 0.49 $ 0.52 (a) See the net income to adjusted net income and EPS to adjusted EPS reconciliations in the Non-GAAP Financial Measures included herein. Conference Call The company has scheduled a conference call with analysts at 10:00 a.m. EDT (2:00 p.m. GMT) today to discuss its 2019 first quarter results. This call can be listened to live, and additional information can be obtained, via Carnival Corporation & plc's website at www.carnivalcorp.com and www.carnivalplc.com . Carnival Corporation & plc is the world's largest leisure travel company and among the most profitable and financially strong in the cruise and vacation industries, with a portfolio of nine of the world's leading cruise lines. With operations in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia, its portfolio features Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard. Together, the corporation's cruise lines operate 105 ships with 245,000 lower berths visiting over 700 ports around the world, with 19 new ships scheduled to be delivered through 2025. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices. With a long history of innovation and providing guests with extraordinary vacation experiences, Carnival Corporation has received thousands of industry awards - including recognition by the Consumer Technology Association as a CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree for Ocean Medallion. A revolutionary wearable device that contains a proprietary blend of communication technologies. Ocean Medallion enables the world's first interactive guest experience platform transforming vacation travel on a large scale into a highly personalized level of customized service. The prestigious CES Innovation Awards honor outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products. Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com , www.princess.com , www.hollandamerica.com , www.seabourn.com , www.pocruises.com.au , www.costacruise.com , www.aida.de , www.pocruises.com and www.cunard.com . Cautionary Note Concerning Factors That May Affect Future Results Carnival Corporation and Carnival plc and their respective subsidiaries are referred to collectively in this document as "Carnival Corporation & plc," "our," "us" and "we." Some of the statements, estimates or projections contained in this document are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions with respect to us, including some statements concerning future results, outlooks, plans, goals and other events which have not yet occurred. These statements are intended to qualify for the safe harbors from liability provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements other than statements of historical facts are statements that could be deemed forward-looking. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about our business and the industry in which we operate and the beliefs and assumptions of our management. We have tried, whenever possible, to identify these statements by using words like "will," "may," "could," "should," "would," "believe," "depends," "expect," "goal," "anticipate," "forecast," "project," "future," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "target," "indicate," "outlook," and similar expressions of future intent or the negative of such terms. Forward-looking statements include those statements that relate to our outlook and financial position including, but not limited to, statements regarding: Net revenue yields Net cruise costs, excluding fuel per available lower berth day Booking levels Estimates of ship depreciable lives and residual values Pricing and occupancy Goodwill, ship and trademark fair values Interest, tax and fuel expenses Liquidity Currency exchange rates Adjusted earnings per share Because forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are many factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. This note contains important cautionary statements of the known factors that we consider could materially affect the accuracy of our forward looking statements and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial position. It is not possible to predict or identify all such risks. There may be additional risks that we consider immaterial or which are unknown. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following: Adverse world events impacting the ability or desire of people to travel may lead to a decline in demand for cruises Incidents concerning our ships, guests or the cruise vacation industry as well as adverse weather conditions and other natural disasters may impact the satisfaction of our guests and crew and lead to reputational damage Changes in and non-compliance with laws and regulations under which we operate, such as those relating to health, environment, safety and security, data privacy and protection, anti-corruption, economic sanctions, trade protection and tax may lead to litigation, enforcement actions, fines, penalties and reputational damage Breaches in data security and lapses in data privacy as well as disruptions and other damages to our principal offices, information technology operations and system networks and failure to keep pace with developments in technology may adversely impact our business operations, the satisfaction of our guests and crew and lead to reputational damage Ability to recruit, develop and retain qualified shipboard personnel who live away from home for extended periods of time may adversely impact our business operations, guest services and satisfaction Increases in fuel prices and availability of fuel supply may adversely impact our scheduled itineraries and costs Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates may adversely impact our financial results Overcapacity and competition in the cruise and land-based vacation industry may lead to a decline in our cruise sales and pricing Geographic regions in which we try to expand our business may be slow to develop or ultimately not develop how we expect Inability to implement our shipbuilding programs and ship repairs, maintenance and refurbishments may adversely impact our business operations and the satisfaction of our guests The ordering of the risk factors set forth above is not intended to reflect our indication of priority or likelihood. Forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a prediction of actual results. Subject to any continuing obligations under applicable law or any relevant stock exchange rules, we expressly disclaim any obligation to disseminate, after the date of this document, any updates or revisions to any such forward-looking statements to reflect any change in expectations or events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based. CARNIVAL CORPORATION & PLC CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (UNAUDITED) (in millions, except per share data) Three Months Ended February 28, 2019 2018 Revenues Cruise Passenger ticket $ 3,199 $ 3,148 Onboard and other (a) 1,446 1,071 Tour and other 29 13 4,673 4,232 Operating Costs and Expenses Cruise Commissions, transportation and other 709 663 Onboard and other (a) 467 140 Payroll and related 557 558 Fuel 381 359 Food 268 264 Other ship operating 731 711 Tour and other 29 14 3,142 2,709 Selling and administrative 629 616 Depreciation and amortization 516 488 4,287 3,813 Operating Income 386 419 Nonoperating Income (Expense) Interest income 4 3 Interest expense, net of capitalized interest (51) (48) Gains on fuel derivatives, net (b) 16 Other (expense) income, net (2) 1 (49) (28) Income Before Income Taxes 338 390 Income Tax Expense, Net (2) Net Income $ 336 $ 391 Earnings Per Share Basic $ 0.48 $ 0.54 Diluted $ 0.48 $ 0.54 Dividends Declared Per Share $ 0.50 $ 0.45 Weighted-Average Shares Outstanding - Basic 693 717 Weighted-Average Shares Outstanding - Diluted 695 719 (a) Includes the effect of the adoption of new accounting guidance of $323 million for the three months ended February 28, 2019. (b) During the three months ended February 28, 2018, our gains on fuel derivatives, net include net unrealized gains of $32 million and realized (losses) of $(16) million. CARNIVAL CORPORATION & PLC CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED) (in millions, except par values) February 28, 2019 November 30, 2018 ASSETS Current Assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 649 $ 982 Trade and other receivables, net 406 358 Inventories 444 450 Prepaid expenses and other (a) 603 436 Total current assets 2,101 2,225 Property and Equipment, Net 37,005 35,336 Goodwill 2,943 2,925 Other Intangibles 1,181 1,176 Other Assets 700 738 $ 43,930 $ 42,401 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY Current Liabilities Short-term borrowings $ 768 $ 848 Current portion of long-term debt 1,684 1,578 Accounts payable 798 730 Accrued liabilities and other 1,637 1,654 Customer deposits (a) 4,755 4,395 Total current liabilities 9,642 9,204 Long-Term Debt 9,134 7,897 Other Long-Term Liabilities 912 856 Shareholders' Equity Common stock of Carnival Corporation, $0.01 par value; 1,960 shares authorized; 657 shares at 2019 and 656 shares at 2018 issued 7 7 Ordinary shares of Carnival plc, $1.66 par value; 217 shares at 2019 and 2018 issued 358 358 Additional paid-in capital 8,776 8,756 Retained earnings 25,033 25,066 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (1,869) (1,949) Treasury stock, 130 shares at 2019 and 129 shares at 2018 of Carnival Corporation and 53 shares at 2019 and 48 shares at 2018 of Carnival plc, at cost (8,063) (7,795) Total shareholders' equity 24,241 24,443 $ 43,930 $ 42,401 (a) Includes the effect of the adoption of new accounting guidance of $142 million as of February 28, 2019. CARNIVAL CORPORATION & PLC OTHER INFORMATION Three Months Ended February 28, 2019 2018 STATISTICAL INFORMATION ALBDs (in thousands) (a) (b) 21,299 20,462 Occupancy percentage (c) 104.8 % 104.7 % Passengers carried (in thousands) 2,937 2,860 Fuel consumption in metric tons (in thousands) 830 821 Fuel consumption in metric tons per thousand ALBDs 38.9 40.1 Fuel cost per metric ton consumed $ 459 $ 437 Currencies (USD to 1) AUD $ 0.72 $ 0.78 CAD $ 0.75 $ 0.79 EUR $ 1.14 $ 1.21 GBP $ 1.28 $ 1.37 RMB $ 0.15 $ 0.15 CASH FLOW INFORMATION (in millions) Cash from operations $ 1,116 $ 1,064 Capital expenditures $ 2,129 $ 574 Dividends paid $ 348 $ 323 Notes to Statistical Information (a) ALBD is a standard measure of passenger capacity for the period that we use to approximate rate and capacity variances, based on consistently applied formulas that we use to perform analyses to determine the main non-capacity driven factors that cause our cruise revenues and expenses to vary. ALBDs assume that each cabin we offer for sale accommodates two passengers and is computed by multiplying passenger capacity by revenue-producing ship operating days in the period. (b) For the three months ended February 28, 2019 compared to the three months ended February 28, 2018, we had a 4.1% capacity increase in ALBDs comprised of a 5.0% capacity increase in our North America and Australia ("NAA") segment and a 2.5% capacity increase in our Europe and Asia ("EA") segment. Our NAA segment's capacity increase was caused by: Full quarter impact from one Carnival Cruise Line 3,960-passenger capacity ship that entered into service in April 2018 Full quarter impact from one Seabourn 600-passenger capacity ship that entered into service in May 2018 Partial period impact from one Holland America Line 2,670-passenger capacity ship that entered into service in December 2018 Our EA segment's capacity increase was caused by: Partial period impact from one AIDA 5,230-passenger capacity ship that entered into service in December 2018 The increase in our EA segment's capacity was partially offset by: Full quarter impact from one P&O Cruises (UK) 700-passenger capacity ship removed from service in March 2018 Full quarter impact from one Costa Cruises 1,300-passenger capacity ship removed from service in April 2018 (c) In accordance with cruise industry practice, occupancy is calculated using a denominator of ALBDs, which assumes two passengers per cabin even though some cabins can accommodate three or more passengers. Percentages in excess of 100% indicate that on average more than two passengers occupied some cabins. CARNIVAL CORPORATION & PLC NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES Consolidated gross and net revenue yields were computed by dividing the gross and net cruise revenues by ALBDs as follows: Three Months Ended February 28, (dollars in millions, except yields) 2019 2019 Constant Dollar 2018 Passenger ticket revenues $ 3,199 $ 3,289 $ 3,148 Onboard and other revenues (a) 1,446 1,472 1,071 Gross cruise revenues 4,645 4,760 4,219 Less cruise costs Commissions, transportation and other (709) (734) (663) Onboard and other (a) (467) (475) (140) (1,177) (1,209) (803) Net passenger ticket revenues 2,490 2,555 2,485 Net onboard and other revenues 978 996 931 Net cruise revenues $ 3,468 $ 3,551 $ 3,416 ALBDs 21,299,196 21,299,196 20,461,582 Gross revenue yields $ 218.06 $ 223.51 $ 206.20 % increase 5.8 % 8.4 % Net revenue yields $ 162.82 $ 166.73 $ 166.95 % decrease (2.5) % (0.1) % Net passenger ticket revenue yields $ 116.90 $ 119.95 $ 121.46 % decrease (3.8) % (1.2) % Net onboard and other revenue yields $ 45.92 $ 46.78 $ 45.50 % increase 0.9 % 2.8 % (a) Includes the effect of the adoption of new accounting guidance of $323 million ($328 million in constant dollar) for the three months ended February 28, 2019. Three Months Ended February 28, (dollars in millions, except yields) 2019 2019 Constant Currency 2018 Net passenger ticket revenues $ 2,490 $ 2,576 $ 2,485 Net onboard and other revenues 978 999 931 Net cruise revenues $ 3,468 $ 3,575 $ 3,416 ALBDs 21,299,196 21,299,196 20,461,582 Net revenue yields $ 162.82 $ 167.86 $ 166.95 % (decrease) increase (2.5) % 0.5 % Net passenger ticket revenue yields $ 116.90 $ 120.96 $ 121.46 % decrease (3.8) % (0.4) % Net onboard and other revenue yields $ 45.92 $ 46.90 $ 45.50 % increase 0.9 % 3.1 % (See Explanations of Non-GAAP Financial Measures.) CARNIVAL CORPORATION & PLC NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (CONTINUED) Consolidated gross and net cruise costs and net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD were computed by dividing the gross and net cruise costs and net cruise costs excluding fuel by ALBDs as follows: Three Months Ended February 28, (dollars in millions, except costs per ALBD) 2019 2019 Constant Dollar 2018 Cruise operating expenses (a) $ 3,113 $ 3,185 $ 2,695 Cruise selling and administrative expenses 623 638 610 Gross cruise costs 3,736 3,822 3,305 Less cruise costs included above Commissions, transportation and other (709) (734) (663) Onboard and other (a) (467) (475) (140) Gains (losses) on ship sales and impairments (2) (2) (16) Restructuring expenses Other Net cruise costs 2,558 2,611 2,485 Less fuel (381) (381) (359) Net cruise costs excluding fuel $ 2,177 $ 2,231 $ 2,127 ALBDs 21,299,196 21,299,196 20,461,582 Gross cruise costs per ALBD $ 175.40 $ 179.46 $ 161.51 % increase 8.6 % 11.1 % Net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD $ 102.21 $ 104.73 $ 103.92 % (decrease) increase (1.6) % 0.8 % (a) Includes the effect of the adoption of new accounting guidance of $323 million ($328 million in constant dollar) for the three months ended February 28, 2019. Three Months Ended February 28, (dollars in millions, except costs per ALBD) 2019 2019 Constant Currency 2018 Net cruise costs excluding fuel $ 2,177 $ 2,233 $ 2,127 ALBDs 21,299,196 21,299,196 20,461,582 Net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD $ 102.21 $ 104.84 $ 103.92 % (decrease) increase (1.6) % 0.9 % (See Explanations of Non-GAAP Financial Measures.) CARNIVAL CORPORATION & PLC NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (CONTINUED) Three Months Ended February 28, (in millions, except per share data) 2019 2018 Net income U.S. GAAP net income $ 336 $ 391 Unrealized (gains) losses on fuel derivatives, net (32) (Gains) losses on ship sales and impairments 2 16 Restructuring expenses Other Adjusted net income $ 338 $ 375 Weighted-average shares outstanding 695 719 Earnings per share U.S. GAAP earnings per share $ 0.48 $ 0.54 Unrealized (gains) losses on fuel derivatives, net (0.05) (Gains) losses on ship sales and impairments 0.02 Restructuring expenses Other Adjusted earnings per share $ 0.49 $ 0.52 Explanations of Non-GAAP Financial Measures Non-GAAP Financial Measures We use net cruise revenues per ALBD ("net revenue yields"), net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD, adjusted net income and adjusted earnings per share as non-GAAP financial measures of our cruise segments' and the company's financial performance. These non-GAAP financial measures are provided along with U.S. GAAP gross cruise revenues per ALBD ("gross revenue yields"), gross cruise costs per ALBD and U.S. GAAP net income and U.S. GAAP earnings per share. Net revenue yields and net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD enable us to separate the impact of predictable capacity or ALBD changes from price and other changes that affect our business. We believe these non-GAAP measures provide useful information to investors and expanded insight to measure our revenue and cost performance as a supplement to our U.S. GAAP consolidated financial statements. Under U.S. GAAP, the realized and unrealized gains and losses on fuel derivatives not qualifying as fuel hedges are recognized currently in earnings. We believe that unrealized gains and losses on fuel derivatives are not an indication of our earnings performance since they relate to future periods and may not ultimately be realized in our future earnings. Therefore, we believe it is more meaningful for the unrealized gains and losses on fuel derivatives to be excluded from our net income and earnings per share and, accordingly, we present adjusted net income and adjusted earnings per share excluding these unrealized gains and losses. We believe that gains and losses on ship sales, impairment charges, restructuring and other expenses are not part of our core operating business and are not an indication of our future earnings performance. Therefore, we believe it is more meaningful for gains and losses on ship sales, impairment charges, and restructuring and other non-core gains and charges to be excluded from our net income and earnings per share and, accordingly, we present adjusted net income and adjusted earnings per share excluding these items. The presentation of our non-GAAP financial information is not intended to be considered in isolation from, as substitute for, or superior to the financial information prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. It is possible that our non-GAAP financial measures may not be exactly comparable to the like-kind information presented by other companies, which is a potential risk associated with using these measures to compare us to other companies. Net revenue yields are commonly used in the cruise industry to measure a company's cruise segment revenue performance and for revenue management purposes. We use "net cruise revenues" rather than "gross cruise revenues" to calculate net revenue yields. We believe that net cruise revenues is a more meaningful measure in determining revenue yield than gross cruise revenues because it reflects the cruise revenues earned net of our most significant variable costs, which are travel agent commissions, cost of air and other transportation, certain other costs that are directly associated with onboard and other revenues and credit and debit card fees. Net passenger ticket revenues reflect gross passenger ticket revenues, net of commissions, transportation and other costs. Net onboard and other revenues reflect gross onboard and other revenues, net of onboard and other cruise costs. Net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD is the measure we use to monitor our ability to control our cruise segments' costs rather than gross cruise costs per ALBD. We exclude the same variable costs that are included in the calculation of net cruise revenues as well as fuel expense to calculate net cruise costs without fuel to avoid duplicating these variable costs in our non-GAAP financial measures. Substantially all of our net cruise costs excluding fuel are largely fixed, except for the impact of changing prices, once the number of ALBDs has been determined. Reconciliation of Forecasted Data We have not provided a reconciliation of forecasted gross cruise revenues to forecasted net cruise revenues or forecasted gross cruise costs to forecasted net cruise costs without fuel or forecasted U.S. GAAP net income to forecasted adjusted net income or forecasted U.S. GAAP earnings per share to forecasted adjusted earnings per share because preparation of meaningful U.S. GAAP forecasts of gross cruise revenues, gross cruise costs, net income and earnings per share would require unreasonable effort. We are unable to predict, without unreasonable effort, the future movement of foreign exchange rates and fuel prices. We are unable to determine the future impact of gains or losses on ships sales, restructuring expenses and other non-core gains and charges. Constant Dollar and Constant Currency Our operations primarily utilize the U.S. dollar, Australian dollar, euro and sterling as functional currencies to measure results and financial condition. Functional currencies other than the U.S. dollar subject us to foreign currency translational risk. Our operations also have revenues and expenses that are in currencies other than their functional currency, which subject us to foreign currency transactional risk. We report net revenue yields, net passenger revenue yields, net onboard and other revenue yields and net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD on a "constant dollar" and "constant currency" basis assuming the 2019 periods' currency exchange rates have remained constant with the 2018 periods' rates. These metrics facilitate a comparative view for the changes in our business in an environment with fluctuating exchange rates. Constant dollar reporting removes only the impact of changes in exchange rates on the translation of our operations. Constant currency reporting removes the impact of changes in exchange rates on the translation of our operations (as in constant dollar) plus the transactional impact of changes in exchange rates from revenues and expenses that are denominated in a currency other than the functional currency. Examples : The translation of our operations with functional currencies other than U.S. dollar to our U.S. dollar reporting currency results in decreases in reported U.S. dollar revenues and expenses if the U.S. dollar strengthens against these foreign currencies and increases in reported U.S. dollar revenues and expenses if the U.S. dollar weakens against these foreign currencies. Our operations have revenue and expense transactions in currencies other than their functional currency. If their functional currency strengthens against these other currencies, it reduces the functional currency revenues and expenses. If the functional currency weakens against these other currencies, it increases the functional currency revenues and expenses. SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc Related Links www.carnival.com On April 3, 2010, despite being in the middle of an economic recession, Samuel Bistrian started ROMA Boots, the company that merges fashion with philanthropy to 'Give Poverty the Boot.' After spending years working at Neiman Marcus, Bistrian developed a passion for quality and customer service and wanted to take that a step further by giving back to people in need. Growing up extremely poor, he realized how big the impact of rain boots are in a child's life in poverty-stricken countries and from that, his business model was created. "I never considered myself a businessman or even an entrepreneur. Even when I wanted to leave Neiman Marcus to start ROMA, some of my superiors told me that it was a poor decision, and to some degree they were right. I did not have much of a plan as the country was in a recession. I had $5,000 in my bank account, significant credit card debt and student loans, but over all of that, I had passion," explained Samuel Bistrian, Founder and CEO of ROMA Boots. With the mission of bringing impoverished children throughout the world hope, love, and lasting change through aid and education, for every pair of boots sold, a new pair is donated to a child in need. ROMA's ultimate goal is not only to provide aid but to educate. By doing so ROMA is empowering impoverished children around the world to break out of the cycle of poverty and contribute their gifts and talents to society. "Having grown up so poor, 'Giving poverty the boot' was everything I always wanted to do, to help those less fortunate just like someone once helped me. But I knew from the start that without love as the foundation, all of my good intentions will result in disappointment," told Bistrian. After the first few years of launching, ROMA was a success but he wanted to expand. Finding the solution that any logical businessman would, he borrowed money and took on investors. While things seemed to be off without a hitch, there were downsides that came from this. "All the pressures of growing a business can cause one to lose their purpose and you no longer have that same passion to help those in poverty when you can't pay your own bills and you have partners putting enormous pressure on you," Bistrian expressed. It took a family crisis to put things back in perspective to help him rediscover his purpose; helping those who can't help themselves. Hitting rock bottom was the motivator for Bistrian to take back the company that was once all his. Over the course of 9 months, he was able to buy out his investors and today, Samuel Bistrian is returning to his roots as the sole owner of ROMA Boots, running a successful business, giving back and doing what he loves. After nine years, ROMA is 'America's Favorite Rain Boot' and doing better than ever by giving poverty the boot with joy and love. ROMA Boots is easily on its way to becoming 'World's Favorite Rain Boot' with countless practical, yet fashionable rain boots for women and kids. For the first time ever, ROMA now offers a new, men rain boot line, which just launched January 2019, creating rain boot options for the whole family. ROMA Boots can be found at boutiques across the U.S., Canada, and Australia. They are also available online at romaboots.com and Amazon. To learn more about ROMA Boots and how you can make a difference in a child's life, visit romaboots.com or romafoundation.com. For media inquiries or to request interviews, please contact Geena Mahler at [email protected] . IMAGES: https://photos.app.goo.gl/VTFfPxCbHgTmSEaj6 VIDEO: https://bit.ly/2UeAbjO SOURCE ROMA Boots Related Links https://www.romaboots.com NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Tax refunds are arriving just in time for the spring travel season and CheapOair, an online travel agency and leading provider of cheap flights, has analyzed trends and booking data to reveal the top destinations that travelers are jet-setting to with their extra cash. This year, travelers from different age groups are planning getaways to big cities, warm weather destinations, European hot spots, and more. Travelers in Generation Z, aged 18-23, are cashing in their tax refunds to travel to some adventurous international destinations, including Paris, Barcelona, Cancun, and even Bangkok. Domestically, young globe trotters are heading to Orlando, Los Angeles, Ft. Lauderdale, New York City, and Miami1. This year, a top destination for millennial travelers aged 24-38 is Zagreb, Croatia, among other European hotspots like London and Rome. CheapOair also found that millennials are traveling internationally more than any other generation, specifically to big cities across Europe and Asia, including Bangkok and Tokyo2. While the younger generations are jet-setting off to big cities, CheapOair found that Generation X and Baby Boomers, travelers aged 39-73, are taking this opportunity to relax and travel to popular warm-weather destinations. These destinations include many cities in Florida, like Orlando, Miami, and Fort Myers, in addition to international destinations like Cancun, Madrid, and the Philippines3. "This year, travel is a very popular way for Americans to spend their tax refunds, as they're receiving them right in the middle of the spring travel season," said Tom Spagnola, Senior Vice President of Supplier Relations at CheapOair. "Many parents are also using this opportunity to plan a spring break vacation for their families, while younger generations are using their extra funds for spring break trips to big cities and popular beach destinations within the U.S. and the Caribbean." By consistently monitoring travel trends, CheapOair's mission is to educate and aid consumers and travel professionals in both planning their travel accommodations and staying current on the most popular destinations. For more information, please visit cheapoair.com, cheapoair.com/mobile, or our social media pages, facebook.com/cheapoair and twitter.com/cheapoair. About CheapOair CheapOair is an online travel agency that specializes in providing cheap flights and great last-minute flight deals for travelers worldwide. Consumers can book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone (1-800-566-2345) or live chat. Part of Fareportal's family of travel brands, CheapOair bridges the gap between an online travel agency and a traditional agency with certified travel agents available 24/7 to help find discount flight tickets to global destinations on over 600 airlines, a million hotels, and 100s of car rental companies. Follow CheapOair on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest to learn how to travel the world for less. 1 Based on booking data for passengers ages 18-23 departing from all U.S. gateways from 3/1/19 5/31/19 as of 2/26/19 2 Based on booking data for passengers ages 24-38 departing from all U.S. gateways from 3/1/19 5/31/19 as of 2/26/19 3 Based on booking data for passengers ages 39-73 departing from all U.S. gateways from 3/1/19 5/31/19 as of 2/26/19 SOURCE CheapOair Related Links http://www.cheapoair.com "While we are no longer newlyweds, we are still head-over-heels with the partnership between China Airlines and the City of Ontario," said Alan D. Wapner, president of the Ontario International Airport Authority. "The airline's commitment to Ontario is a strong show of confidence in all we are doing to develop a first-rate international gateway with the services travelers demand, not to mention creating an economic driver for the region," said Curt Hagman, commissioner of the Ontario International Airport Authority. "China Airlines has carried approximately 175,000 passengers between Ontario and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) since last March, more than 14,000 air travelers per month on average," said Jim Bowman, commissioner of the Ontario International Airport Authority. "Over the past year, China Airlines has worked closely with Ontario International Airport in bringing a more convenient and friendly service to travelers, we provide a daily service from Ontario with the brand-new Airbus 350 aircraft. Currently we enjoy a strong customer demand on our ONT flight. China Airlines Ontario route has steadily increased its passenger and cargo loading over the past 12 months and we are excited to have these numbers continuously grow," said Simon Lee, Vice President of China Airlines, The Americas. The ONT-TPE route is currently served with Airbus A350-900 aircraft, the newest, most technologically advanced model of the Airbus fleet. The aircraft, which features an extra-wide body, is equipped with 306 seats configured in three cabins including 32 lie-flat seats in Premium Business Class, 31 Premium Economy seats and 243 seats in Economy Class. Daily flights arrive at ONT's Terminal 2 at approximately 3:00 p.m. pacific time with return flights to TPE departing at 11:55 p.m. Arrivals into TPE are scheduled for approximately 5:00 a.m. local time enabling travelers to make convenient connections to South East Asia, Japan, Korea and China. TPE is the primary International gateway airport for the Taipei-Keelung-Taoyuan City metro area, with more than nine million residents, while ONT is the closest and most convenient international airport for more than 10 million Southern California residents in the Inland Empire, northern Orange County, and eastern Los Angeles County. Airline passengers enjoy easy access to ONT, ample reasonably priced parking close to passenger terminals, quick and efficient security screening, spacious gate areas and complimentary Wi-Fi. The airport's retail and dining concessions underwent multi-million-dollar upgrades in 2018 and now include a variety of local and national brands popular with air travelers. About Ontario International Airport Ontario International Airport (ONT) is the fastest growing airport in the United States, according to Global Traveler, a leading publication for frequent fliers. Located in the Inland Empire, ONT is approximately 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the center of Southern California. It is a full-service airport with nonstop commercial jet service to 19 major airports in the U.S., Mexico and Taiwan, and connecting service to many domestic and international destinations. There is an average of 67 daily departures offered by nine air carriers. More information is available at www.flyOntario.com. Follow @flyONT on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. About the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) The OIAA was formed in August 2012 by a Joint Powers Agreement between the City of Ontario and the County of San Bernardino to provide overall direction for the management, operations, development and marketing of ONT for the benefit of the Southern California economy and the residents of the airport's four-county catchment area. OIAA Commissioners are Ontario City Council Member Alan D. Wapner (President), Retired Riverside Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge (Vice President), Ontario City Council Member Jim W. Bowman (Secretary), San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman (Commissioner) and retired business executive Julia Gouw (Commissioner). News Media Contacts: Atif Elkadi, Deputy Executive Director, (858) 361-9319 [email protected] Steve Lambert, (909) 841-7527 [email protected] SOURCE Ontario International Airport Related Links https://www.flyontario.com/ CLEVELAND, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Eric Gordon will discuss Say Yes to Education and other key issues facing today's schools during the first of McDonald Hopkins LLC's Leaders in Education Lunch Series at noon on April 2. The Leaders in Education event, the first in a series of four lunches to be hosted by McDonald Hopkins through December, will be held at the firm's Cleveland office at 600 Superior Ave. and streamed live on mcdonaldhopkins.com. "We have chosen to focus our community outreach efforts on education," said David Kall, managing member of McDonald Hopkins' Cleveland office. "It is so important to educate our future workforce, which will help relieve poverty in our community." The conversation with Gordon, who is responsible for the daily management of Cleveland's 39,000-student school district and integral in the city's Say Yes to Education and College Now Initiatives, will offer valuable insight to anyone interested in the state of education systems and the opportunities being made available to today's students. Cleveland was selected in January by Say Yes to Education, a national nonprofit organization designed to revitalize communities by helping them give every public high school graduate access to college or other postsecondary scholarships. Founded in 1987 with the promise of preparing 112 Philadelphia sixth graders for college and pay their college tuition if they graduated high school, Say Yes to Education now helps entire communities make a similar commitment to every public high school student. In addition to Cleveland, Say Yes to Education has community-wide chapters in Buffalo and Guilford County, N.C. Similarly, College Now of Greater Cleveland helps students as early as middle and high school students as well as adult learners achieve their dreams of going to and succeeding in certificate, two-year and four-year degree programs. It reaches over 29,000 students and adult learners each year, providing college access success advising, financial aid, counseling and scholarship retention services. Many of their students are from low-income families and are first-generation college students. College Now is one of six convening partners which worked over a period of two years to make Cleveland the most recent Say Yes to Education chapter. McDonald Hopkins is a proud sponsor of College Now's Say Yes to Education program. About McDonald Hopkins Founded in 1930, McDonald Hopkins is a business advisory and advocacy law firm with locations in Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Miami, and West Palm Beach. With more than 50 service and industry teams, the firm has the expertise and knowledge to meet the growing number of legal and business challenges our clients face. For more information about McDonald Hopkins, visit mcdonaldhopkins.com. CONTACT: David Carducci McDonald Hopkins LLC 600 Superior Avenue, East, Suite 2100 Cleveland, Ohio 44114 Phone: 216.348.5814 Email: [email protected] SOURCE McDonald Hopkins Related Links http://www.mcdonaldhopkins.com Launched in the United States in 1991 and now active in more than 80 countries on six continents, Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures (BSBF) is among the most far-reaching, successful children's oral health initiatives in the world, driving better oral health actions, greater awareness and increased access to oral care. The cornerstone of BSBF is an award-winning educational curriculum presented by classroom teachers. The company also has created new classroom toolkits for its employees to bring activities and experiments to school age kids. In addition, Colgate operates nine mobile dental vans that travel to more than 1,000 U.S. cities and towns to provide free dental screenings, oral health education and treatment referrals to underserved children. These vans visit schools, Head Start and after school programs, and community events. "Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease in children around the world, so it's our hope to reach the next billion children in half the time it took to reach our first billion," said Dr. Marsha Butler, a dentist and Colgate-Palmolive vice president who has led the program from its inception. "The Colgate brand is found in nearly two thirds of homes around the globe more than any other brand in the world so we have a special opportunity and responsibility to promote healthy oral care habits among the next generation." To reach further into communities around the world, Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures partners with governments, schools and community groups. Partnerships Around the World In the U.S., Colgate is expanding its partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America for 2019 with a "Smile-a-bration" competition. Children at participating Clubs will use music, dance, art or some other creative expression to share the importance of healthy oral care habits. Winning Clubs will receive a grant from Colgate. "This is our fourth year bringing the Bright Smiles program into our Boys & Girls Clubs across the country," says Jim Clark , president and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. "We believe it makes an important contribution to the health of our kids. Good brushing habits and a healthy mouth help build a child's self-esteem and promote academic success. That's a big part of our mission." "This is our fourth year bringing the Bright Smiles program into our Boys & Girls Clubs across the country," says , president and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. "We believe it makes an important contribution to the health of our kids. Good brushing habits and a healthy mouth help build a child's self-esteem and promote academic success. That's a big part of our mission." In Mexico , Colgate BSBF has reached over 224 million children since 1993. Colgate worked with the Mexico City government in 2017 to support legislation that ensures that 1.2 million school children receive oral health education and a tooth-brushing kit from Colgate. The company now hopes to extend the reach of that program to additional Mexican municipalities. , Colgate BSBF has reached over 224 million children since 1993. Colgate worked with the government in 2017 to support legislation that ensures that 1.2 million school children receive oral health education and a tooth-brushing kit from Colgate. The company now hopes to extend the reach of that program to additional Mexican municipalities. In Romania , the Romanian Red Cross is a valued partner in bringing the BSBF program into schools. In the past 25 years, Colgate Bright Smiles , Bright Futures has reached 6 million Romanian children. , the Romanian Red Cross is a valued partner in bringing the BSBF program into schools. In the past 25 years, , Bright Futures has reached 6 million Romanian children. In South Africa , Colgate has a longstanding relationship with the Department of Health. The partnership includes two mobile vans that reach 100,000 children a year, and visits by dentists to schools to educate, screen and provide treatment to children. , Colgate has a longstanding relationship with the Department of Health. The partnership includes two mobile vans that reach 100,000 children a year, and visits by dentists to schools to educate, screen and provide treatment to children. In India , where the focus has been on reaching underserved children in rural areas, Colgate recently added outreach to children in cities, partnering with the Dental Council of India and Government agencies. Colgate India has reached 162 million children with dental education and checkups. Said Dr. Butler: "Colgate people are honored to play a part in helping children to have a healthier and brighter future. We believe that every child, everywhere in the world, deserves a future to smile about." About Colgate-Palmolive Colgate-Palmolive is a leading global consumer products company, tightly focused on Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition. Colgate sells its products in over 200 countries and territories around the world under such internationally recognized brand names as Colgate, Palmolive, elmex, Tom's of Maine, Sorriso, Speed Stick, Lady Speed Stick, Softsoap, Irish Spring, Protex, Sanex, Elta MD, PCA Skin, Ajax, Axion, Fabuloso, Soupline and Suavitel, as well as Hill's Science Diet and Hill's Prescription Diet. For more information about Colgate's global business, visit the Company's website at http://www.colgatepalmolive.com. To learn more about Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures oral health education program, please visit http://www.colgatebsbf.com. CL-E SOURCE Colgate-Palmolive SEATTLE, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Committee for Children (CFC) announced today that it is creating a new social-emotional learning (SEL) program for after-school care, summer camps, and other learning environments beyond the classroom, through support provided by The Wallace Foundation. A grant of $836,500 from Wallace will contribute to CFC's efforts to launch an out-of-school-time (OST) adaptation of their award-winning Second Step program during the 20192020 school year. "We're extremely thankful to The Wallace Foundation for this important opportunity to address the need for social and emotional learning in out-of-school settings," said Joan Cole Duffell, Committee for Children's executive director. "Though our organization reaches millions of children annually with research-based SEL curricula taught in schools across the US and around the world, we know that children's social-emotional development is enriched far beyond the classroom. For SEL to make its greatest impact, this vital area of learning should take place in all facets of a child's life. We have committed ourselves to positively transforming the social-emotional well-being of 100 million children annually by 2028, and this investment in out-of-school time programming will be integral to reaching that goal." CFC's research-based Second Step program currently reaches 14 million children annually, from preschoolers to middle schoolers. In recent years, the demand for an OST program has grown as many OST providers have adapted the programwhich is designed for school settingsto support children's social-emotional development out of school. Although this interest has been encouraging, CFC knows that out-of-school time contexts differ meaningfully from school contexts and demand different instructional approaches. To meet these context-specific needs and catalyze broad impact, the organization is developing a program that will focus on research-based activities, group discussion, games, and projects to support SEL in OST environments. To ensure the new out-of-school time SEL curriculum can meet the needs of OST settings, CFC will use the Wallace Foundation grant to focus on three key activities: OST activities differentiated by children's developmental levels Professional development for OST facilitators Content designed to support culturally relevant and responsive teaching Based in New York City, The Wallace Foundation is a philanthropy working nationally to answer important questions that, if solved, could help strengthen practices and policies within a field. Their mission is to foster improvements in learning and enrichment for disadvantaged children and the vitality of the arts for everyone. The organization has made significant investments in SEL through their Partnerships for Social and Emotional Learning Initiative (PSELI), a six-year initiative to build partnerships between school districts and out-of-school time intermediaries for the development of children's social-emotional skills. "Based on what we have learned to date in PSELI, it has become clear there is a dearth of evidence-based SEL curricular supports available for out-of-school time providers," said Gigi Antoni, director of learning and enrichment at The Wallace Foundation. "We believe that CFC is well positioned to help fill this gap by creating an SEL-specific OST program that meets the needs of this learning environment." The new OST program will launch during the 20192020 school year and will support mixed-age settings from Kindergarten through Grade 5. For more information on the program's launch, and to sign up to participate in online surveys, focus groups, or user testing of the program in development, please visit www.secondstep.org/out-of-school-time-program. About Committee for Children Committee for Children is a nonprofit on a mission to ensure children everywhere can thrive emotionally, socially, and academically. Best known for our innovative social-emotional learning (SEL) curricula that blend research and rigor with intuitive program design, we empower children and their adults with skills that help them realize their goals in the classroom and throughout their lives. Since 1979, we've been connecting experts in the field to share experiences and advance the cause of educating the whole child. A force in advocacy, we're helping pass policies and legislation that place importance on creating safe and supportive learning environments. Today, our programs reach more than 14 million children in over 70 countries worldwide. By lifting up children today, we're helping them create a safe and positive society for the future. Learn more at cfchildren.org. Connect with Committee for Children on Facebook and Twitter. About The Wallace Foundation The Wallace Foundation is an independent, national foundation dedicated to supporting and sharing effective ideas and practices that expand learning and enrichment opportunities for children. The Foundation maintains an online library of lessons at www.wallacefoundation.org about what it has learned, including knowledge from its current efforts aimed at strengthening educational leadership to improve student achievement; helping disadvantaged students gain more time for learning through summer learning and through the effective use of additional learning time during the school day and year; enhancing out-of-school time opportunities; and building appreciation and demand for the arts. CONTACT: Shauna McBride, [email protected], 206-612-8718 SOURCE Committee for Children Related Links http://www.cfchildren.org (CNN) Thailand's first general election since the army took over in a coup five years ago was not free and fair, according to an election watchdog, amid concerns over alleged voting irregularities. The outcome of Sunday's elections is still unclear, with no party taking a decisive lead but both leading parties claiming the right to form a coalition. Persistent delays in the release of the final results has added to the confusion surrounding the electoral process. On Monday evening, the fugitive former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra added his voice to the growing chorus of criticism saying that Thailand's military government "manipulated" polling to ensure its grip on power. Writing in an opinion piece in the New York Times, Thaksin pointed to myriad voting irregularities and accused the country's Election Commission of "interfering" with "the work of what are supposed to be independent agencies and institutions." The billionaire telecoms mogul was ousted in a 2006 military coup and lives in self-imposed exile. But he remains extremely influential and leaders loyal to him have continued to dominate Thailand's turbulent political landscape. "If neither the rules of the game nor the referees are fair, the outcome will not be respected by Thai people or internationally," Thaksin wrote. His words come as two Asian election monitors released their reports into the integrity of Sunday's poll. Inept Election Commission The non-governmental election watchdog Open Forum for Democracy Foundation (P-Net) determined that the election was "not free and fair." Thai-based P-Net cited a litany of failures allegedly committed by the Thai Election Commission, including that it was unprepared for overseas advance voting; commission members were inexperienced, having being appointed just six to seven months before the election; and there were no voluntary observers at polling stations to detect potential fraud. Polling station staff were poorly trained and did not follow regulations strictly and there was a lack of coordination to investigate claims of vote buying, according to P-Net. Some candidates relied on vote buying and influence of local officials to secure wins, the watchdog added. The commission was "incompetent to hold the elections efficiently," P-Net concluded. A separate report from the The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFRE) International Election Observation Mission also released on Tuesday said the election process "displays fundamental democratic shortcomings." While it said the voting process ran smoothly, issues such as "overly restrictive regulations" on the validity of ballot marks "contributed to the 2.8 million invalid ballots." And the organization and tally of ballots was "deeply flawed," leading to "an announcement of some preliminary results that were wildly inaccurate on election night." "The blunders did further damage to the perceived integrity of the general election, and ANFREL invites the ECT to release comprehensive election results as soon as possible in order to foster trust in the general public's eye," ANFREL said. The military-drafted 2017 constitution was designed to ensure the army could keep a hold on politics through a military-appointed Senate and new and complex electoral rules that weaken big parties such as Thaksin's Pheu Thai, critics say. "People were free to vote, but the choices are so limited under manipulated rule that such freedom is also curtailed," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University. Election Commission members were chosen by the military leaders and were seen to be favorable to them. The pro-Thaksin Thai Raksa Chart party was dissolved for nominating a princess for its prime ministerial candidate but the case came from the Election Commission, which took less than a week to formulate and send the case to the Constitutional Court. "ANFREL saw a campaign environment which is heavily tilted to benefit the incumbent military junta and the candidates that it supports," the ANFREL election observers report found. The commission was also underprepared for the complexities of polling under the new electoral rules. "If they had been prepared and neutral with these rules it would already be difficult to oversee this election process," Thitinan said. Deal making begins By Tuesday, the Thaksin-aligned main opposition Pheu Thai Party appeared to be on course to be the largest winning party, with early results showing it took 137 out of 350 seats in the lower house. Though parties are still waiting to hear how many party list lawmakers they will get -- 150 are up for grabs -- it was enough for Pheu Thai to announce that they would form a coalition government with any third party that does not support the return of the military. "We have been chosen to come in number one (in constituency lawmakers) therefore we will start to form a government as we have received consensus from people," Suradat Keyurapan, a prime ministerial candidate for Pheu Thai said Monday. But early results showed the pro-military Palang Pracharat Party -- formed to ensure junta leader Prayut Chan-o-cha's return to power -- taking a slight lead in the popular vote. On Monday party spokesman Kobsak Pootrakool told reporters that it aims to form a government, calling on "like-minded parties" to enter talks. Analysts said this put Palang Pracharat in a stronger position politically than Pheu Thai. It (Palang Pracharat) could use the popular vote to "insist on forming the government because it has the Senate and army backing, and the full force of the law and power in the interim," said Thitinan. A dark horse in the race for prime minister is emerging, however. The Bhumjaithai Party, which campaigned on a ticket of marijuana legalization, won the fifth most seats in early results. Its leader Anutin Charnverakul has found himself at the center of power brokering and experts say he could be swayed by the sweetest deal. Deal making may be underway but the military has spent the past five years consolidating its power. Pro-military parties only need to 126 seats in the lower house to form a majority as they can rely on the support of the Senate. Still, any coalition is likely to be weak and unstable, according to Thitinan, with multiple small parties fielding one or a few representatives. A large anti-junt bloc made up of Pheu Thai and other pro-democracy parties such as Future Forward could also be an effective block to junta policies. "It will look rather unwieldy and messy," Thitinan said. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Thai election 'not free and fair' says monitor group." Scott Warren, founder of Generation Citizen. Courtesy Scott Warren grew up in Del Mar until he was eight years old. After that, his childhood horizons expanded beyond anything his young imagination could conjure up. His father joined the State Department as a foreign-service officer and the international whirlwind began. Warren lived in the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Kenya and Ecuador. At first, I was incredibly disappointed to be leaving the comfortable environs of Del Mar, Warren recalls. Now I look back on that experience as incredibly formative to becoming the person I am now. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have observed so many different types of cultures and to have seen so many emerging democracies in action. Warren observed the first truly democratic elections in Kenyas history in 2002. He was in Ecuador during a coup in 2005. He visited his parents in Zimbabwe in runoff elections in 2008. All these experiences convinced Warren, now 32 and back in Del Mar, of the power and the fragility of democracy. I believe democracy is a concept we always need to cultivate, grow and improve upon. It also taught me how much the United States can and has to learn from the rest of the world. We do not have a monopoly on effective democracies. Warren decided to take action on all his observations while living across the globe. In college at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, he majored in international relations and became an activist concerning the ongoing genocide in Darfur, Sudan. He knew he wanted to do more, beyond the campus itself. Cover of Scott Warren's new book, Generation Citizen: The Power of Youth in Our Politics. Courtesy I learned a lot about the political process by emerging myself in it. I learned about the Rhode Island legislature through pushing lawmakers to pass Sudan divestment legislation. I also realized that a lot of my peers wanted to make the world a better place, too, but didnt necessarily see government or politics as the best way to do so. There are a lot of reasons for that, including a very valid distrust and cynicism of government right now. But a key reason is that we dont teach civics anymore, and when we do, its one of the most boring classes in school. Warren was determined to change that perception, so he started a nonprofit with another Brown student called Generation Citizen. The mission of the organization is to ensure that every student in the country receives an effective action civics education to provide them with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in this countrys democracy as active citizens. Warren calls it Action Civics. Over the course of a semester, a class of students chooses one issue to focus on, then examines the root cause of that issue and takes action to change it. Warren believes the best education takes place when students are learning by doing, so he believes students should learn civics by doing civics. Students in the program focus on hyper-local issues in their community including housing and gentrification, youth homelessness, cafeteria food, and then bigger causes such as immigration. The goal of the program, Warren explains, is to ensure young people become engaged and active citizens in the long term. Democratic change takes a long time, so we dont necessarily expect that theyll achieve massive results in one semester; thats not how democracy works. At the same time, students have helped secure funding for youth homeless shelters, passed police accountability legislation and changed disciplinary policies across school districts. Warren says many students are skeptical of the program at first because theyve been programmed to believe they have little ability to effect change. Public institutions often tell young people implicitly and explicitly that their voices do not matter. The most empowering moments happen when young people recognize, often through meeting with elected officials, that their voices can and do matter. Warren believes the work of Generation Citizen is more vital in todays political climate than ever before. There is unprecedented interest in our work right now, he says. We are non-partisan, but I think its impossible to ignore the ramifications of the fact that weve deprioritized civics education for so long. At the same time, our work is so local that we can avoid a lot of the hot-button issues that make our politics so tumultuous at the national level. Warrens greatest fear is that reaction to the immediate reality, like election after election, will take away from the long-term foundational efforts to rebuild this countys democracy. And his greatest hope? That we use this moment in our democracy to collectively rebuild, and that young people are at the center. Warren has just published a book on the same topic titled Generation Citizen: The Power of Youth in Our Politics. The book is available on Amazon. Hell be doing a book-signing event at the Del Mar Library on Wednesday, April 3 at 6 p.m. Address: 1309 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar, 92014. AMSTERDAM, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Core Laboratories (NYSE: "CLB US" and Euronext Amsterdam: "CLB NA") will broadcast its first quarter 2019 conference call over the Internet at 7:30 a.m. CDT / 2:30 p.m. CEST on April 25, 2019. David Demshur, CEO, Larry Bruno, President, Chris Hill, CFO, and Gwen Schreffler, SVP Investor Relations, will discuss financial and operating results. An earnings press release will be issued after market close on April 24th and may be accessed through the Company's website at www.corelab.com. To participate in the live webcast, simply log on to www.corelab.com at least fifteen minutes prior to the start of the call. For those who are not available to listen to the live webcast, a Podcast will be available immediately following the conference call and a replay will be available on Core's website shortly after the call which will remain on the site for 10 days. To listen to the conference call via telephone, please contact Elizabeth Blanchard at [email protected] for the dial-in number. Core Laboratories N.V. (www.corelab.com) is a leading provider of proprietary and patented reservoir description and production enhancement services and products used to optimize petroleum reservoir performance. The Company has over 70 offices in more than 50 countries and is located in every major oil-producing province in the world. SOURCE Core Laboratories N.V. Related Links https://www.corelab.com SAN FRANCISCO, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Corn Oil Market evaluates the growth trends in the industry and is anticipated to display a significant rise in the CAGR by 2028. Corn oil is pale-yellow oil produced from corn or kernel. The past few years have demonstrated product quality as the most imperative factor among customers as well as manufacturers. It has numerous heal benefits and is used for various therapeutic purposes. These attributes are projected to exhibit expansion of the market. "Corn oil has been increasingly used as a feedstock for biodiesel production. Manufacturing of paints, pesticides, cosmetic products, and pharmaceuticals is further boosting the proliferation of corn oil market." The market's growth has been anticipated based on increasing demand for healthy oil from the millennial population and the rising health concerns due to an improper lifestyle. Corn oil has demonstrated enormous usability in treating diseases like blood pressure, heart ailments, and diabetes. The global industry players are increasing their spending over the research & development activities of healthy and organic oils. Based on end users, the retail segment will hold the highest market share as modern trade is estimated to stay the major distribution channel for corn oil. Also, the advent of e-commerce and social marketing strategies adopted by businesses, have surged the online sales of corn oil. These factors are driving the growth of corn oil market. Striving to reduce the carbon footprint, industries have established the employment of corn oil as a biodiesel and support environmental sustainability. Based on geography, the corn oil market has been segmented into North America, Latin America Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Europe is the largest manufacturer of corn oil, whereas North America and India are forthcoming attractive markets in terms of prospects. The Asia Pacific region has been ascribed as the fastest growing, owing to the high adoption of corn oil as cooking oil. The global market is characterized by the presence of major international players and emerging domestic entrants. Some of the key competitors or manufacturers capitalizing in the market include Abu Dhabi Vegetable Oil Company, Archer Daniels Midland Company, IFFCO, Cairo Oil and Soap, Wilmar International Ltd., Cargill, Lam Soon Edible Oils Sdn. Bhd., Incorporated, ConAgra Brands, Inc, ACH Food Companies, Inc., Bimald.d. Bracko, The Savola Group, Qingdao Changsheng Group Co., N.K. Proteins Pvt Limited, Elburg Global, Taj Agro International, Ltd., Henry Lamotte Oils GmbH, Macjerry Sunflower oil Co. Ltd, Fytel, Saporito Foods Inc., and The J.M. Smucker Company among others. The emerging companies have identified raw material suppliers, buyers, research investors and distributors of the corn oil market. The competitors are profiling their business expansion strategies by incorporating merger & acquisition, collaborations, and joint ventures with the fellow contenders. ACH Food Companies, Inc has emerged as a trusted brand in North America for manufacturing cooking spray and corn oil. They had introduced Mazola in the year 1911 and it is still being used as a staple ingredient for chefs across the country. The global Corn Oil market was valued at $XX million in 2017, and Radiant Inights analysts predict the global market size will reach $XX million by the end of 2028, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2017 and 2028. Access 100 page research report with TOC on "Corn Oil Market" available with Radiant Insights, Inc. @ https://www.radiantinsights.com/research/2013-2028-report-on-global-corn-oil-market This report provides detailed historical analysis of global market for Corn Oil from 2013-2018, and provides extensive market forecasts from 2018-2028 by region/country and subsectors. It covers the sales volume, price, revenue, gross margin, historical growth and future perspectives in the Corn Oil market. Leading players of Corn Oil including: Sunora Foods Henry Lamotte Yonca Gida Cargill Taj Agro International Xiwang Group Shandong Sanxing Group COFCO Group Yingma Changsheng Group Market split by Type, can be divided into: High Oleic Middle Oleic Low Oleic Market split by Application, can be divided into: Industrial Commercial Household Market split by Sales Channel, can be divided into: Direct Channel Distribution Channel Market segment by Region/Country including: North America ( United States , Canada and Mexico ) ( , and ) Europe ( Germany , UK, France , Italy , Russia and Spain etc.) ( , UK, , , and etc.) Asia-Pacific ( China , Japan , Korea, India , Australia and Southeast Asia etc.) ( , , Korea, , and etc.) South America Brazil , Argentina , Colombia and Chile etc.) , , and etc.) Middle East & Africa ( South Africa , Egypt , Nigeria and Saudi Arabia etc.) Browse reports of similar category available with Radiant Insights, Inc.: About Radiant Insights, Inc.: At Radiant Insights, we work with the aim to reach the highest levels of customer satisfaction. Our representatives strive to understand diverse client requirements and cater to the same with the most innovative and functional solutions. Contact: Michelle Thoras. Corporate Sales Specialist Radiant Insights, Inc. Phone: +1-415-349-0054 Toll Free: 1-888-928-9744 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.radiantinsights.com/ SOURCE Radiant Insights, Inc. NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Cove Key Bluescape Holdings LP (" Cove Key ") announced today that on March 25, 2019, Mangrove Partners Master Fund, Ltd. issued a notice (the " Notice ") to TransAlta Corporation (the " Company ") pursuant to the Company's Advance Notice By-Law No. 2 submitting nominations for the election of directors (collectively, the " Nominees ") to the Board of the Company (the " Board ") at the upcoming Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders of the Company currently scheduled to take place on April 26, 2019 (or any adjournment or postponement thereof) (the " Annual Meeting "). No securities were acquired in connection with the filing of the Early Warning Report filed by Cove Key on the date hereof. As of the date of hereof, Cove Key has ownership and control of 8,397,333 common shares, representing approximately 2.95% of the issued and outstanding common shares as of the date hereof, calculated on an undiluted basis. As of the date hereof, the Mangrove Cooperating Parties (defined below), the Cove Key Cooperating Parties (defined below) and the Bluescape Cooperating Parties (defined below) (collectively, the " Cooperating Parties ") collectively have ownership and control over 28,729,196 common shares, representing approximately 10.1% of the issued and outstanding common shares as of the date hereof, calculated on an undiluted basis. On March 25, 2019, the Company announced that it had entered into an Investment Agreement with Brookfield BRP Holdings (Canada) Inc. (the " Brookfield Investment Agreement "), a copy of which was subsequently filed on SEDAR on March 25, 2019. Under the terms of the Brookfield Investment Agreement, if two or more persons, who are not among the Company's director nominees recommended in its management proxy circular for election to the Board at the Annual Meeting, are elected as directors of the Board, then the Company will have the right, up to six business days prior to the date that is 30 days after the date of the Annual Meeting, to decline the financing provided for in the Brookfield Investment Agreement and terminate the Brookfield Investment Agreement. The Cooperating Parties have had insufficient time to fully evaluate the Brookfield Investment Agreement. However, they believe that transactions superior to the Brookfield Investment Agreement may be available to the Company and that it is therefore important to preserve the Company's ability to terminate the Brookfield Investment Agreement in order to explore and potentially pursue such superior transactions. Accordingly, Mangrove Partners Master Fund, Ltd. has submitted the nominations for election to the Board to ensure that it is possible that two or more persons not nominated in the Company's management proxy circular may be eligible for election at the Annual Meeting in accordance with the Company's Advance Notice By-Law. If no shareholder nominations were to be made in accordance with the Advance Notice By-Law, the Company would have no ability to terminate the Brookfield Investment Agreement to pursue a superior transaction that may emerge. The Advance Notice By-Law provides that shareholders may provide a notice of nomination up to 5:00 p.m. Calgary time, 30 days prior to the date of the Annual Meeting, which means that further nominations may be made up to 5:00 p.m. Calgary time on March 27, 2019. Mangrove Partners and the Cooperating Parties may supplement the Nominees before the nomination deadline with the nomination of additional persons for election to the Board. The Cooperating Parties also reserve the right to withdraw one or more Nominees from time to time or to submit further nominations after March 27, 2019, subject to waiver of the Advance Notice By-Law by the Board. On March 6, 2019, Mangrove Partners, Bluescape Energy Partners LLC (" Bluescape Energy Partners "), and Cove Key entered into a cooperation agreement (the " Cooperation Agreement ") whereby, among other things, they agreed to coordinate and cooperate in certain activities related to their ownership of the common shares of the Company any other voting or equity securities of the Company, any securities convertible into voting or equity securities of the Company, and related derivative contracts. Cove Key may be considered a joint actor of the Mangrove Cooperating Parties, the Cove Key Cooperating Parties and the Bluescape Cooperating Parties. The " Mangrove Cooperating Parties " are the following individuals and entities, each of which may be considered to be a joint actor with Cove Key: (i) The Mangrove Partners Master Fund, Ltd; (ii) Mangrove Partners; and (iii) Nathaniel August. The " Cove Key Cooperating Parties " are the following individuals and entities, each of which may be considered to be a joint actor with Cove Key: (i) Cove Key Fund GP LP; (iii) Cove Key GP LLC; (iv) Cove Key Management LP; (v) Cove Key GP Management LLC; and (vi) Jeff Coviello. The " Bluescape Cooperating Parties " are the following individuals and entities, each of which may be considered to be a joint actor with Cove Key: (i) Bluescape Energy Partners, (ii) Bluescape Cove Key GP LLC; (iii) Bluescape Energy Partners III GP LLC; (iv) Bluescape Resources GP Holdings LLC; (v) Bluescape Resources Company LLC; and (vi) Charles John Wilder, Jr. Mangrove Partners, Cove Key and Bluscape Energy Partners have not yet determined whether they will solicit proxies for the election of the Nominees. Depending upon other factors, including overall market conditions, other investment opportunities available to the Cooperating Parties, and the availability of securities of the Company at prices that would make the purchase or sale of such shares desirable, the Cooperating Parties may endeavor (i) to increase or decrease their respective positions in the Company through, among other things, the purchase or sale of securities of the Company on the open market or in private transactions or otherwise on such terms and at such times as the Cooperating Parties may deem advisable and/or (ii) to enter into transactions that increase or hedge their economic exposure to the common shares without affecting their beneficial ownership of common shares. No Reporting Person has any present plan or proposal which would relate to or result in any of the matters set forth in subparagraphs (a) - (k) of Item 5 of the Early Warning Report filed by Cove Key on the date hereof except as set forth herein or such as would occur upon or in connection with completion of, or following, any of the actions discussed herein. The Cooperating Parties may take positions regarding or make precatory, conditional or binding proposals with respect to, or with respect to potential changes in, the Company's: operations, management, certificate of incorporation and bylaws, composition of the board of directors of the Company or its committees, ownership, capital or corporate structure, dividend policy, potential acquisitions or sales, businesses or assets, including the sales thereof, strategy and/or plans of the Company as a means of enhancing shareholder value. The Cooperating Parties may change their intention with respect to any and all matters referred to in Item 5 of the Early Warning Report filed by Cove Key on the date hereof. The Cooperating Parties intend to review their investment in the Company on an ongoing basis and may from time to time in the future express their views to and/or meet with management, the board of directors of the Company, other shareholders or third parties, including, potential acquirors, service providers and financing sources, and/or may formulate plans or proposals regarding the Company, its assets or its securities. Such possible plans or proposals may include one or more plans or proposals that relate to or would result in one or more of the changes referred to herein, or any of the matters set forth in subparagraphs (a) - (k) of Item 5 of the Early Warning Report filed by Cove Key on the date hereof. Cove Key is a Delaware limited partnership whose principal business address is 200 Crescent Court, Suite 1900, Dallas, Texas (United States of America) 75201. The principal business of Cove Key is investments. The head office of the Company is located at 110 - 12th Avenue S.W., Calgary, Alberta, T2R 0G7. This press release does not constitute a solicitation of proxies and is being filed in accordance with legal requirements under applicable Canadian securities laws. For further information and to obtain a copy of the early warning report filed by Cove Key under applicable Canadian securities laws in connection with the matters descried herein, please see the Company's profile on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com or please contact: SOURCE Cove Key Bluescape Holdings LP ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The national voice of cybercrime victims, Cybercrime Support Network (CSN), is pleased to announce a new leadership sponsorship with the world's most advanced VPN service provider, NordVPN. With this sponsorship, CSN can continue to give a voice to cybercrime victims and to work toward accomplishing the organization's mission of bringing together national partners to support cybercrime victims. The impact of an online scam or attack can be devastating, and knowing where to go for help can be confusing. Over a billion people's data was compromised in 2018, increasing the growing need for cybercrime victim support. Millions of American consumers and small businesses are affected by cybercrime each year and struggle to find resources to help report and respond to the incident. As a solution, CSN launched Phase 1 of FraudSupport.org in November 2018, as a platform to provide guidance on where to go and what to do after a cybercrime has occurred. The corporate sponsorship of NordVPN is a natural fit with CSN's mission to help cybercrime victims not only report and recover after an incident but to learn about valuable tools that will reinforce their cybersecurity to help prevent revictimization. "As a NordVPN user myself, I reached out to them to form a partnership knowing the quality of the product," said CSN's CEO and President Kristin Judge. "For anyone who uses public Wi-Fi in a hotel, airport, coffee shop or school, protecting your data with a strong virtual private network (VPN) is a critical step to improve account security. We are thankful for NordVPN's support of CSN's work to serve cybercrime victims." "At NordVPN we understand how important it is to leverage new digital possibilities and personal cybersecurity needs. Even if cyber-threats cannot be prevented completely, there are things people can do to make their digital life safer," says Marty P. Kamden, CMO at NordVPN. "We are thrilled to support the Cybercrime Support Network and we hope this partnership will help to elevate the conversation around digital threats and possible solutions. One of the best ways to empower people is to educate them on how they can mitigate cyber risks themselves." About Cybercrime Support Network Cybercrime Support Network (CSN) is a public-private, nonprofit collaboration created to be the voice of cybercrime victims. With the strong support of our sponsors, Craig Newmark Philanthropies - Google - KnowBe4 - NordVPN - AT&T - Comcast - Facebook, CSN can continue to support victims through FraudSupport.org, which provides assistance to individual and small business cybercrime victims. For more information: cybercrimesupport.org About NORDVPN NordVPN is the world's most advanced VPN service provider that is more security oriented than most VPN services. It offers double VPN encryption, ad blocking & Onion Over VPN. The product is very user-friendly, offers one of the best prices on the market, has over 5,000 servers worldwide and is P2P friendly. For more information: nordvpn.com. Media Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Cybercrime Support Network Related Links https://cybercrimesupport.org/ NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Marketing and Communications Center has extended by one week its Call for Entries for the 2019 Excellence in Marketing and Communications Awards (formerly the Society for New Communications Research Excellence in New Communications Awards). Submissions now close on Friday, March 29, 2019 at 11:59pm EST. Organizations that have made innovative use of digital, social, and mobile marketing and communications technologies can now submit their case studies for consideration at www.conferenceboard.org/2019mktgcommsawards. Entrants are asked to detail their initiatives, technologies used, and success metrics. Now in its 13th year, this prestigious awards program honors the work of corporations, nonprofits, governmental organizations, educational institutions, and media organizations that are using digital and social media, online video, data analysis, artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, and other emerging technologies in innovative ways to achieve their marketing and communications goals. It was started by the Society for New Communications Research (SNCR), which merged with The Conference Board in 2016. SNCR recently retired its brand and is (including their Fellows and Advisory Board) now fully integrated into The Conference Board. Award Divisions and Criteria Awards are granted in six divisions: Academic, Corporate, Government, Media, Nonprofit/NGO, and Technology Innovation, and eight categories, including: Agile Marketing Excellence in creating a seamless, connected, comprehensive and usable customer data set, including behavioral, transactional, financial, operational, and more to achieve a complete understanding of customers for immediate, relevant and personalized actionethically and with data privacy and security compliance. The data is also being used for fast adaptation of marketing programs and/or product/service innovation. Excellence in creating a seamless, connected, comprehensive and usable customer data set, including behavioral, transactional, financial, operational, and more to achieve a complete understanding of customers for immediate, relevant and personalized actionethically and with data privacy and security compliance. The data is also being used for fast adaptation of marketing programs and/or product/service innovation. Content Marketing Excellence in creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to engage, attract and retain a clearly defined audience. Judges reward case studies that provide evidence of a "pull" effect that results in the generation of consumer-based content. Excellence in creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to engage, attract and retain a clearly defined audience. Judges reward case studies that provide evidence of a "pull" effect that results in the generation of consumer-based content. Digital Advertising and Paid Social Media Excellence in the use of paid social media and other digital advertising, including display advertising, native, online video ads, etc. Excellence in the use of paid social media and other digital advertising, including display advertising, native, online video ads, etc. e-Commerce and Social Commerce Excellence and innovation in the use of digital and social platforms for online sales transactions, including the use of native, experiential, AR/VR, voice, mobile, and other digital technologies to enhance the shopping experience. Excellence and innovation in the use of digital and social platforms for online sales transactions, including the use of native, experiential, AR/VR, voice, mobile, and other digital technologies to enhance the shopping experience. Emerging Communications Technologies Excellence in the innovative and effective use of AI, chatbots, AR, VR, smart speakers, IoT, screens in cars, smart devices and experiments with other emerging technologies for marketing, media and communications. Excellence in the innovative and effective use of AI, chatbots, AR, VR, smart speakers, IoT, screens in cars, smart devices and experiments with other emerging technologies for marketing, media and communications. Employee Engagement: Digital Internal Communications, Online Communities & Collaboration Excellence in internal communications and employee engagement and collaboration initiatives using social intranets, and other online employee engagement initiatives such as mobile platforms, virtual town halls, and other digital communications tools, technologies and tactics. Excellence in internal communications and employee engagement and collaboration initiatives using social intranets, and other online employee engagement initiatives such as mobile platforms, virtual town halls, and other digital communications tools, technologies and tactics. Organic Social Media Excellence in the use of social media and social networks to build relationships, communities, and interact with stakeholders, from prospects to customer engagement to crisis communications, relationship management, social customer care and social selling, brand building and media / analyst relations. Excellence in the use of social media and social networks to build relationships, communities, and interact with stakeholders, from prospects to customer engagement to crisis communications, relationship management, social customer care and social selling, brand building and media / analyst relations. Video Marketing Excellence in the use of video to build brands, engage customers, communicate how-to's, live-stream events, and deliver engaging content. JUDGING CRITERIA The Excellence in Marketing and Communications Awards honor projects that are successful at achieving business or societal goals. For this reason, judges will reward entries that display the following characteristics (as well as excellence in implementation within their category): Meaningful business impact Effective use of other program performance metrics Contribution to achieving business/organizational goals (this includes, for relevant projects, achieving social good) Integration of digital and traditional platforms Efforts to overcome obstacles and take advantage of opportunities Recognition of lessons learned About The Conference Board The Conference Board is the member-driven think tank that delivers trusted insights for what's ahead. Founded in 1916, we are a non-partisan, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States. www.conference-board.org. SOURCE The Conference Board Related Links http://www.conference-board.org HOUSTON, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A new media campaign from FamilyTreeDNA featuring Ed Smart, the father of Elizabeth Smart, will begin airing in San Diego, California this week and expand to more cities this spring, asking the millions of Americans who have already taken a DNA test to join their effort to help victims of violent crimes, and their families, find answers. Earlier this year, FamilyTreeDNA announced that law enforcement would use the same family matching features available to all its customers in order to help solve violent crimes. Since that time, arrests and/or identifications have been made in more than five decades-old cold cases, including the murder of 11-year-old Linda Ann O'Keefe of Newport Beach, California, and the 37-year-old San Diego mother of two young boys, Barbara Becker. According to Bennett Greenspan, President and Founder of FamilyTreeDNA, "The genealogy community has the ability to crowd-source crime solving. With the evolution of the family matching database, which FamilyTreeDNA first created nearly two decades ago, we can do the greatest good for the greatest number of people in our society." An independent poll conducted by the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine* found that 91% of people polled supported law enforcement's use of investigational genetic genealogy and consumer DNA databases to help solve violent crime cases. FamilyTreeDNA's long-standing commitment to the privacy of its customers remains fully intact. As specified in FamilyTreeDNA's Terms of Service, law enforcement can only receive information not already accessible to the standard user by providing FamilyTreeDNA with valid legal process such as a subpoena or a search warrant. Additionally, FamilyTreeDNA customers have the option to opt out of law enforcement matching entirely. If customers do opt out, they can still see their family matches but are excluded from being seen by law enforcement. According to Greenspan, "If FamilyTreeDNA can help prevent violent crimes, save lives, or bring closure to families, then we feel the company has a moral responsibility to do so." *https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.2006906 MEDIA: "Families Want Answers" :30 Spot. https://www.dropbox.com/s/hpaowzheym5p9yf/FTDNA%20Ed%20Smart.mp4?dl=0 URL: join.familytreedna.com ABOUT FAMILYTREEDNA AND GENE-BY-GENE Founded in 2000, FamilyTreeDNA is the pioneer of the genetic genealogy and direct-to-consumer DNA testing industry and the top choice for consumer privacy, according to U.S. News and World. FTDNA is a privately held company located in Houston, Texas. www.familytreedna.com . Gene-by-Gene is a CAP and CLIA accredited laboratory located in Houston, Texas which processes genetic tests for commercial customers, along with consumer DNA tests for its FamilyTreeDNA division. www.genebygene.com SOURCE FamilyTreeDNA Related Links http://www.familytreedna.com PARIS, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, global leader in anti-corruption certification ETHIC Intelligence, a subsidiary of The Red Flag Group, launches its global series of three-day training workshops on the International Organization for Standardization's Anti-Bribery Management Systems standard, ISO 37001. The workshops are designed to get compliance professionals familiar with the requirements of the ISO 37001 standard, including its implementation, the certification and audit process, and an overview of developments in corruption prevention and in the international legal framework. Key objectives: Learn how to plan, implement, monitor and improve the Anti-Bribery Management Systems Interpret the requirements of ISO 37001 from an implementation perspective in the context of your organisation Identify focus areas for the Anti-Bribery Management Systems Recognise the threat of bribery within the context of your organization OPTIONAL Day 3 - Learn more about ISO 37001 Certification & Audit Process Since 2006, ETHIC Intelligence has certified companies in corruption prevention from every sector across the globe. With the publication of the ISO 37001 standard in 2016, ETHIC Intelligence is uniquely qualified to respond to the requirements of this universal standard and has been running successful global training workshops on ISO 37001 to corporate compliance staff and consultants since 2017. The first of the 2019 workshops will take place in Paris from 27 to 29 May, and will be followed by sessions in Phoenix, New York, Dubai, London and Singapore. Visit the ETHIC Intelligence website to learn more about the training series: https://www.ethic-intelligence.com/en/iso-training/iso-37001-training. Contact: Maria Girald [email protected] +34 673 839 491 SOURCE The Red Flag Group Related Links http://www.redflaggroup.com Mr. Barrett, who will be based in London and report to Hamilton Group CEO Pina Albo, will be responsible for overseeing the integration of the Lloyd's and non-Lloyd's operations that are being acquired by Hamilton from Liberty Mutual Group. These include Pembroke Managing Agency and Ironshore Europe DAC as well as two MGAs one in the US and one in Dubai. Mr. Barrett will also be responsible for overseeing the development of a broader insurance strategy that builds on the operations associated with the pending acquisition. An insurance industry veteran, Mr. Barrett was recently honoured with the Vincent Donahue/Charles McAlear Industry Award presented by the Wholesale & Specialty Insurance Association (WSIA). He began his career in 1976 and joined Bell & Clements in 1986. He was appointed the broker's Managing Director in 1989 and Chairman in 2004. Mr. Barrett has been an active industry association participant throughout his career. He served as a board member of the American Association of Managing General Agents (AAMGA) and participated on various National Association of Surplus Lines Offices (NAPSLO) committees. AAMGA and NAPLSO merged in 2017 to form WSIA. Ms. Garber will be based in New York and report to Group CFO Jonathan Reiss. She will serve as a key member of Hamilton's finance team and will be responsible for all taxation matters including, but not limited to, developing and maintaining an overall approach for taxation efficiency and operations that support Hamilton's growth strategy. She will also be responsible for all aspects of Hamilton's global tax compliance. Ms. Garber joins Hamilton from Validus Group where she was Tax Director of the Americas. Her 25 years' experience in the insurance and financial services sectors also includes eight years as Tax Director and Senior Vice President at Sirius Group, and three years as Vice President, Financial Guaranty Insurance Company. Mr. O'Donohoe, who joined Hamilton in 2015, oversaw the April 2015 acquisition of Sportscover Managing Agency and Syndicate 3334 and the subsequent transformation of both into a fully functioning specialty Lloyd's player recognized in the market for its talent. In discussions with Ms. Albo, Mr. O'Donohoe agreed to stay with the Company until the definitive agreement with Liberty Mutual was signed. "Following the announcement earlier this month of our transformative deal with Liberty Mutual, I'm delighted to welcome Peter Barrett and Christi Garber to the Hamilton team," said Ms. Albo. "Their impressive skills and valuable experience are going to be critical as we complete our transaction and plan for the subsequent integration of the operations we're acquiring. The establishment of these two new positions are key developments in achieving our goal of establishing a leading diversified global specialty insurance and reinsurance company. "Tempering our welcome to Peter and Christi is our regret at losing Dermot. He's been with Hamilton at Lloyd's from the beginning and has steered our agency and syndicate with a steady hand. "We're grateful for all that he's contributed to Hamilton and wish him the very best in his future endeavours." "It's been a great pleasure to be a part of establishing Hamilton's platform at Lloyd's," said Mr. O'Donohoe. "While I've enjoyed my time with the Company, I'm looking forward to a new challenge. I wish everyone well as they continue to build a top quartile specialty franchise at Lloyd's." About Hamilton Insurance Group Hamilton Insurance Group ("Hamilton") is the Bermuda-based holding company for insurance and reinsurance operations in Bermuda and at Lloyd's. Hamilton leverages analytics and research to create underwriting and investment value for its clients and shareholders. For more information, please visit www.hamiltongroup.com. Follow us on Twitter: @HamiltonInsures. Media contact: Wendy Davis Johnson [email protected] or +1 441 707 5240 SOURCE Hamilton Insurance Group Related Links https://www.hamiltongroup.com SAN DIEGO, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- AIIM Conference -- Fasoo, a leader in the intelligent information management market, will demonstrate how content virtualization revolutionizes information management and collaboration at the AIIM Conference being held March 26-28 in San Diego. Fasoo's content virtualization works across a myriad of cloud, enterprise repositories, collaboration tools and personal devices to control and synchronize files so employees are free to access, work and store content anywhere. The approach ensures the latest version is always available, eliminates redundant copies, and maintains back-up and usage history for all versions. Employees no longer waste time searching for files in multiple locations with the risk of working on the wrong version. Fasoo's Wrapsody and Wrapsody eCo solutions are powered by content virtualization. Wrapsody is an enterprise grade solution that manages and integrates all organization documents regardless of where they are located. The platform provides an integrated set of key content services including access control, sync, revision control, and back-up, all transparent to user workflows. Its intuitive user interface helps employees manage and share content more efficiently. File-level protection and traceability enable enterprises to protect their data and comply with privacy regulations. Wrapsody eCo is a security-by-design collaboration solution that offers users the flexibility to specify the security and control for each file, from open sharing to encryption, even to granular rights such as edit and print. Users can work across collaboration portals while preserving consistent file security and traceability. Wrapsody eCo puts 3rd-party security and risk management under your control with the ability to remotely expire access to shared data at will. Visit Fasoo at AIIM booth #41 to learn why our content virtualization powered solutions bring a new era to information management. About Us Fasoo provides unstructured data security and enterprise content platforms that enable our customers to protect, control, trace and analyze critical business information while enhancing productivity. Fasoo has successfully retained our leadership in the unstructured data security market by deploying enterprise-wide solutions for more than 1,500 organizations globally, securing a million+ users. Fasoo is experiencing continuous improvement in its global market position, based on our unique technology, ongoing R&D and strategic approach to comprehensive product capabilities by extending our core security capabilities into content-centric collaboration, behavioral analytics and information security consulting services. www.fasoo.com Contact: Gennifer Biggs Witz Communications on behalf of Fasoo (814) 449-2676 [email protected] SOURCE Fasoo Related Links http://fasoo.com ORLANDO, Fla., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- LSQ, an alternative funding provider to small and mid-sized businesses, announced today plans to relocate its headquarters from Maitland, Florida to Downtown Orlando. Scheduled to commence Friday, April 05, 2019, the move will relocate LSQ's 130-person staff to the second floor of Landmark Center One, located at 315 East Robinson Street. LSQ will soon be relocating its 130-person staff to the second floor of Landmark Center Two, located in Downtown Orlando, FL. Overlooking Orlando's famed Lake Eola and Walt Disney Amphitheater, the newly renovated space will provide more capacity and situate LSQ within Central Florida's business epicenter. The new headquarters features a collaboration-inducing atmosphere, on-site fitness center, covered parking, and a cafe serving up breakfast and lunch options. "Our objectives for new space were room to grow, a collaborative working environment, and central location. We believe Landmark checked all of those boxes. To be in close proximity to our bank partners and the dynamic downtown environment are also tremendous benefits," said LSQ President, Dan Ambrico. Attracting local talent and investing in the community remains a high priority for LSQ. The company regularly participates in local festivals and charity events, including the annual Orlando International Dragon Boat Festival and upcoming IOA Corporate 5k. Mr. Ambrico asserts that the new location will better serve LSQ's commitment to recruiting Central Florida's brightest professionals and recent college graduates. "Finding and cultivating talent is critical to our success. Across our organization, the goal is to create an environment conducive to identifying and developing the deep talent pool in Central Florida. We believe a downtown location in a new and modern office will enhance our ability to attract talented individuals to LSQ." This news comes in conjunction with the release of the company's new client dashboard and the announcement of record fundings in 2018. With recent additions to multiple departments and increasing demand for Software Engineers and Data Scientists, LSQ looks poised to offer high-quality jobs to Central Floridians for years to come. About LSQ LSQ has been helping small and medium-sized business access the working capital they need to grow and thrive for more than 20 years. Offering invoice financing and alternative funding options to thousands of businesses across the U.S., the company provides clients with a simple, secure, and honest funding experience. With a robust bank partner network that spans coast to coast, LSQ helps incubate businesses to meet future requirements for bank financing. For more information, visit LSQ's website at https://www.lsq.com/ . SOURCE LSQ Related Links https://www.lsq.com NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Anti-Aging Devices Market to Reach $15.77 by 2028 The anti-aging devices market is a well-established, multi-billion dollar market consisting of a wide range of devices offering anti-aging treatments.Skin rejuvenation, body contouring, hair removal, skin tightening, and cellulite reduction are the most common types of treatment carried out by anti-aging devices. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05760799/?utm_source=PRN The market mainly comprises two type of devices depending on end-user of such device type- stand-alone devices and direct-to-consumer devices.Stand-alone devices are those devices that are mainly handled by skilled professionals and used to conduct in-office skin treatment. On the other hand, direct-to-consumer devices are user-friendly, hand-held devices that are used by the consumer directly and allows home-based treatment. These anti-aging devices are designed based on a single technology or a combination of technologies, such as laser, pulsed light, infra-red light, ultrasound and radiofrequency. The demand for restoring younger looks by repairing aging skin has been the initial driving force towards the growth of the anti-aging devices market.The growing influx of reconstructive procedures and minimally invasive aesthetic procedures has been a key trend witnessed by the market in the past few years. Besides, factors such as increasing awareness related to novel anti-aging devices, high demand for non-invasive skin treatments, growing incidences of premature skin aging, and rise in geriatric population, are contributing significant towards the growth of the global anti-aging devices market.On the contrary, lack of clinical data, instances of product recalls and side-effects associated with these devices are some of the challenges hampering the growth of the market. However, technological upgradations and innovations related to anti-aging products offer lucrative opportunities favoring the growth of the market in the coming years. The purpose of this study is to gain a holistic view of the global anti-aging devices market in terms of various influencing factors, such as recent market trends and technological advancements.The scope of this report constitutes of an in-depth study of the global anti-aging market, including a thorough analysis of the products across different regions. The market has been segmented into 'device type', 'product type', 'target area' and 'regions'.The 'devices' segment consist of both stand-alone and direct-to-consumer devices. The report presents the reader with an opportunity to unlock comprehensive insights with respect to the market and helps in forming well informed strategic decisions. The research uncovers some of the substantial parameters that must be taken into consideration before entering into the market. This research report aims at answering various aspects of the global anti-aging devices market with the help of the key factors driving the market, restraints that can possibly inhibit the overall market growth, and the current growth opportunities that are going to shape the future trajectory of the market expansion.The report includes an in-depth examination of the key ecosystem players and key strategies and developments taking place in this market. Moreover, the report includes chapters on market dynamics (market drivers, opportunities and challenges) and industry analysis as well. The research study considers the market share analysis for a comprehensive understanding of the global anti-aging devices market, and assesses the factors governing the same.Opportunity matrix and detailed product mapping have been included in the report. The market by region has been further sub-segmented in various countries, and in each sub-segment the key market trends, list of the key players, and the recent developments that have taken place, have been discussed. The answers to the following key questions can be derived from this report: What are different types of anti-aging devices available in the market and what are the benefits offered by them? What are the advantages of non-invasive and minimally-invasive anti-aging devices and what are the different technologies they support? What are the major market drivers, challenges, and opportunities in the global anti-aging devices market? What are the key developmental strategies implemented by the key players to stand out in this market? What are the leading companies dominating the global anti-aging devices market? How many types of anti-aging devices available in the market, and which are the companies offering them? Based on product type, which anti-aging device type is anticipated to witness massive rise in the demand in the forecast period? What are investors' perceptions about the global anti-aging devices market? What are the regulations pertaining to the global anti-aging device market? What are initiatives implemented by different government bodies regulating the development and commercialization of anti-aging devices? What was the market value of the leading segments and sub-segments of the global anti-aging devices market? How will each segment of the global anti-aging device market grow during the forecast period, and what will be the revenue generated by each of the segments by the end of 2028? How will the industry evolve during the forecast period 2018-2028? Which region will contribute to the highest sales of the global anti-aging devices market during the forecast period? What are the leading trends and consumer preferences witnessed in global anti-aging devices markets? The key players who have significant contributions to the global anti-aging devices market include Allergan plc, Cutera Inc., El.En. S.p.A, Koninklijke Philips N.V., L'Oreal S.A., Spectrum Brands Holding, The Procter & Gamble Company, Alma Lasers GmbH, Cynosure, Inc., Home Skinovation Ltd., INMODE, Lumenis Ltd., Merz Aesthetics, Neutrogena, NuFACE, PMD Beauty, Quasar Biotech, Sciton, Inc., Solta Medical, and Tria Beauty Inc., among others. Executive Summary Aging is a complex process of becoming older that is associated with several biological, physical, psychological, and social changes in human beings over time.Broadly there are two factors that act simultaneously in the process of aging- intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic factors are genetically and physiologically determined factors that cannot be controlled and results in natural aging.On the other hand, extrinsic factors are those that are governed by a number of environment and lifestyle aspects, such as smoking, sleep deprivation, exposure to harmful radiation, and air pollution, among others. Unlike chronological (natural) aging, extrinsic aging affects different individual at different levels.Some individual may age comfortably, while others may age progressively, expressing the early signs of aging. Human aging is usually accompanied by changes in the physical appearance of an individual that becomes more prominent on the outer layer of the skin. Aging of skin is a genetically determined process that affects all the layers of the skin. Fine line, wrinkles, folds, loss of skin elasticity, and growth of facial hairs are some of the common signs of aging that results due to dermal disorganization, atrophy of dermal and epidermal components, and loss of the dermo-epidermal papillae of the skin. Anti-aging device refer an electronic or mechanical device that aims to the prevent, diminish or reduce the signs of aging.These devices mainly target the skin and offer vast range of anti-aging applications including skin rejuvenation, body contouring, hair removal, skin tightening and cellulite reduction. Currently, there are several anti-aging devices available in the market that are either stand-stand devices (designed for providing in-office treatments) or direct-to-consumer devices (user-friendly devices that are used directly by the consumers). These devices are designed based on a single technology or a combination of more than one technology. Some common examples of anti-aging devices include laser devices, pulsed light devices, ultrasound devices, exfoliation devices, and radiofrequency devices. The purpose of the study is to gain a holistic view of the global anti-aging devices market in terms of various factors influencing it such as recent trends and technological advancements of the market.The scope of this report is centered upon conducting a detailed study of the devices allied with anti-aging applications including skin rejuvenation, hair removal, body contouring, skin tightening, and cellulite reduction. The global anti-aging devices market is segmented into four different parts: by device type, by product type, by target area, and by region.The global market value was estimated using these three different approaches and was validated with one another. These segments are further segmented into several sub-segments to ease the market estimation. The global anti-aging market was estimated at $6.37 billion in 2017 and is anticipated to reach $15.77 billion by 2028. Among the different anti-aging device products available in the market, laser devices contributed to highest market share of the global anti-aging devices market in 2017. However, based on product type, cryotherapy devices are expected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period between 2018 and 2028. High public as well as clinical acceptance of cryotherapy treatment in addition to the benefits offered by it attribute to the highest CAGR displayed by the cryotherapy market. Based on device type, stand-alone devices occupied higher market share in 2017 as compared to direct-to-consumer devices, whereas direct-to-consumer devices demonstrated the potential to register higher growth rate than stand-alone anti-aging devices. Based on target area, skin rejuvenation registered the highest market share in 2017. The global anti-aging devices market is further segmented by the geographical regions into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin-America and Middle-East and Africa.North America is the leading contributor to the global anti-aging devices market with a contribution of almost 40% of the total market share in 2017. However, several emerging countries of Asia-Pacific and Latin America displayed high potential to witness robust growth rate during the period. The global anti-aging devices market is majorly dominated by the U.S. and Chinese players. Based in Dublin (Ireland), Allergan plc offering the "CoolSculpting System" was the leading player of the market in 2017. The key players who have significant contributions to the global anti-aging devices market include Allergan plc, Cutera Inc., El.En. S.p.A, Koninklijke Philips N.V., L'Oreal S.A., Spectrum Brands Holding, The Procter & Gamble Company, Alma Lasers GmbH, Cynosure, Inc., Home Skinovation Ltd., INMODE, Lumenis Ltd., Merz Aesthetics, Neutrogena, NuFACE, PMD Beauty, Quasar Biotech, Sciton, Inc., Solta Medical, and Tria Beauty Inc., among others. Countries Covered North America The U.S. Canada Asia-Pacific Japan China South Korea Australia India Thailand Indonesia Philippines Malaysia Singapore Rest-of-Asia Pacific Europe Germany France The U.K. Italy Spain Netherlands Poland Belgium Sweden Denmark Rest-of-Europe Latin America Brazil Mexico Argentina Rest-of-Latin America Middle East and Africa Saudi Arabia U.A.E Egypt Rest-of-Middle East and Africa Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05760799/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com DUBLIN, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Structural Insulated Panels Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecast (2019 - 2024)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global structural insulated panel market is expected to register healthy growth, by 2024, at an estimated CAGR of 6.13% over 2019-2024. The major factors driving the market studied are the increasing demand from the construction sector and increasing cold storage applications. Advancements in building technologies such as modular construction techniques are expected to hinder the growth of the market studied. In 2018, the building wall segment is expected to dominate the market and expand at the fastest CAGR of 6.39% during the forecast period. This is due to the robust demand from the residential sector. In 2017, North America dominated the market, holding a share of almost 37%, and is expected to register a CAGR of 6.21% during the forecast period. This growth is primarily due to rising construction activities in Canada and Mexico. Key Market Trends Increasing Demand for Building Walls Structural insulated wall panels are generally available in thicknesses of 4-1/2 inches and 6-1/2 inches. Manufacturing of curved wall panels are possible and it is often more practical to use stud framing for non-orthogonal geometries. The whole wall R-value of a wall assembly is currently the best and the most followed method of quantifying the total thermal performance. The whole wall R-value takes the resistance of heat flown through an opaque cross-sectional area of the insulation and structure into the account while the total loss of energy at the interfaces of the wall with the roof and floor are accounted. The whole wall R-value of a 4-inch structural insulated wall panel is 14, whereas for a 2x4 wall is less than 10. The whole wall R-value of a 2x6 wall is between 11 and 13.7 depending on the quality of the installation of batt insulation. The elimination of thermal bridging and a more airtight envelope contributes to the higher whole wall R-value of structural insulated wall panels, compared to the conventional metal and wood stud walls. The total volume of the panels used as structural insulated wall panels is much higher, compared to the volume of the panels used as structural insulated roof panels. North America Region to Dominate the Market North America region dominated the global market share in 2017. The construction industry in the United States has not been the same in 2017 as it was in the past three years. An increase has been observed in private construction spending over the years. The residential and non-residential construction in 2017 has increased significantly compared to the previous years and is likely to grow in 2018. Competitive Landscape The global structural insulated panels market is a highly fragmented market with no major player accounting for a prominent share in the global market. Most of the market leaders are forward integrated, i.e., they produce structural insulated panels along with providing installations and maintenance services. Premier Building Systems is the leading manufacturer of structural insulated panels in the North America region. 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 Drivers 4.1.1 Increasing Demand from the Construction Sector 4.1.2 Increasing Cold Storage Applications 4.2 Restraints 4.2.1 Advancements in Building Technologies such as Modular Construction Techniques 4.3 Industry Value-Chain Analysis 4.4 Porters 5 Force Analysis 5 Market Segmentation 5.1 Product 5.1.1 EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) Panel 5.1.2 Rigid Polyurethane (PUR) and Rigid Polyisocyanurate (PIR) Panel 5.1.3 Glass Wool Panel 5.1.4 Other Products (Extruded Polystyrene Foam) 5.2 Application 5.2.1 Building Wall 5.2.2 Building Roof 5.2.3 Cold Storage 5.3 Geography 5.3.1 Asia-Pacific 5.3.2 North America 5.3.3 Europe 5.3.4 South America 5.3.5 Middle East & Africa 6 Competitive Landscape 6.1 Mergers & Acquisitions, Joint Ventures, Collaborations and Agreements 6.2 Market Share Analysis 6.3 Strategies Adopted by Leading Players 6.4 Company Profiles 6.4.1 Alubel SpA 6.4.2 ArcelorMittal 6.4.3 BALEX-METAL 6.4.4 DANA Group of Companies 6.4.5 Isopan (Manni Group SpA) 6.4.6 Italpannelli SRL 6.4.7 Jiangsu Jingxue Insulation Technology Co. Ltd. 6.4.8 Kingspan Group 6.4.9 Marcegaglia SpA 6.4.10 Metecno 6.4.11 Multicolor Steels (India) Pvt. Ltd. 6.4.12 NCI Building Systems 6.4.13 Nucor Building Systems 6.4.14 Owens Corning 6.4.15 PFB Corporation 6.4.16 Premier Building Systems 6.4.17 Rautaruukki Corporation 6.4.18 Tata Steel Europe Limited 6.4.19 Zamil Steel Pre-Engineered Buildings Co. Ltd. 7 Market Opportunities and Future Trends 7.1 Increase in Demand from Emerging Economies For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/fmkhzz/global_structural?w=5 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com SAN FRANCISCO, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP alerts investors in Bridgepoint Education Inc. (NYSE: BPI) of the May 10, 2019 Lead Plaintiff deadline in the pending securities class action. If you purchased or otherwise acquired Bridgepoint Education securities between March 8, 2016 and March 7, 2019 and suffered losses contact Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP. For more information about the case or to inquire about serving as Lead Plaintiff click https://www.hbsslaw.com/cases/BPI or contact Reed Kathrein, who is leading the firm's investigation, by calling 510-725-3000 or emailing [email protected]. According to the complaint, during the class period Defendants misled investors concerning Bridgepoint's revenue and expense recognition practices. On March 7, 2019, Defendants announced investors should no longer rely on the Company's consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and disclosed "the Company identified errors, relating to revenue, provision for bad debts, accounts receivable and deferred revenue, which resulted in the overstatement of revenue and expenses." This news drove the price of Bridgepoint Education shares down $3.21, or down over 34%, to close at $6.22 that day. On March 12, 2019, Defendants filed Bridgepoint's amended financial statements for the periods containing restatements of balance sheet and income statement data. "We're focused on investors' losses, admitted improper accounting, whether the so-called "errors" were in fact "irregularities," and the extent to which Defendants may have misled investors," said Hagens Berman partner Reed Kathrein. Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Bridgepoint Education should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 510-725-3000 or email [email protected]. About Hagens Berman Hagens Berman is a national investor-rights law firm headquartered in Seattle, Washington with 78 attorneys in 9 offices across the country. The firm represents investors, whistleblowers, workers and consumers in complex litigation. More about the firm and its successes can be found at www.hbsslaw.com. For the latest news visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @classactionlaw . Contact: Reed Kathrein, 510-725-3000 SOURCE Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP Related Links https://www.hbsslaw.com Aviation Leaders Set to Transform Seaplanes into ePlanes a Zero-Emission Aircraft for the Future REDMOND, Wash. and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- magniX, the company powering the electric aviation revolution, and Harbour Air, North America's largest seaplane airline, today announced a partnership to transform Harbour Air seaplanes into an all-electric commercial fleet powered by the magni500, a 750 horsepower (HP) all-electric motor. Operating 12 routes between hubs like Seattle and Vancouver and across the pristine natural wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, Harbour Air welcomes more than 500,000 passengers on 30,000 commercial flights each year. Through this partnership, both companies are furthering the vision to someday connect communities with clean, efficient and affordable electric air travel. "Harbour Air first demonstrated its commitment to sustainability by becoming the first fully carbon-neutral airline in North America in 2007, through the purchase of carbon offsets," said Greg McDougall, founder and CEO of Harbour Air Seaplanes. "Through our commitment to making a positive impact on people's lives, the communities where we operate and the environment, we are once again pushing the boundaries of aviation by becoming the first commercial aircraft to be powered by electric propulsion. We are excited to bring commercial electric aviation to the Pacific Northwest, turning our seaplanes into ePlanes." The aviation industry currently contributes 12 percent of all U.S. carbon emissions and 4.9 percent globally, all while providing few low-cost, fuel-efficient options for passenger flights under 1,000 miles. By modifying existing Harbour Air planes with innovative, all-electric magniX propulsion systems, the partnership will create the world's first completely electric commercial seaplane fleet. A Harbour Air ePlane will have zero reliance on fossil fuels and produce zero emissions a significant step forward in the innovation and advancement of the airline industry. "In 2018, 75 percent of worldwide airline flights were 1,000 miles or less in range. With magniX's new propulsion systems coupled with emerging battery capabilities, we see tremendous potential for electric aviation to transform this heavily trafficked 'middle mile' range," said Roei Ganzarski, CEO of magniX. "We're excited to partner with Harbour Air, a forward thinking, like-minded company that is dedicated to bringing environmentally conscious, cost effective air-transport solutions to the West Coast of North America. This partnership will set the standard for the future of commercial aviation operators." The first aircraft to be converted will be the DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver, a six-passenger commercial aircraft used across Harbour Air's route network. Harbour Air and magniX expect to conduct first flight tests of the all-electric aircraft in late 2019. This partnership follows significant milestones for both companies, including the successful testing of magniX's 350 HP all-electric motor and the addition of a Vancouver to Seattle route in Harbour Air's destination roster. To learn more, visit magniX and Harbour Air. About magniX Headquartered in Redmond, WA with engineering facilities in Redmond and in Australia, magniX is dedicated to connecting communities by enabling an era of clean and affordable commercial air travel with all-electric propulsion. Developed with proprietary technology, magniX offers a range of revolutionary solutions including the 375HP and 750HP all-electric motors which produce zero emissions and increased efficiency and power electronics solutions for various aviation applications. For more information, please visit: www.magnix.aero. About Harbour Air Founded in 1982 with two small seaplanes, Harbour Air is North America's largest seaplane airline and the first to be fully carbon-neutral. The company's international seaplane service, which originally began as a service for the forestry industry in B.C., is now a quintessential west coast experience. With a showcase fleet of more than 40 aircraft, Harbour Air offers up to 300 daily scheduled flights, scenic tours, adventure packages, and private flights. With 12 scheduled destinations connecting downtown Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle (WA), Nanaimo, Tofino, Whistler, Richmond (YVR South), Sechelt, Salt Spring Island, Pitt Meadows, Maple Bay and Comox, B.C. born Harbour Air welcomes 500,000 passengers every year. For more information, visit www.harbourair.com. Media Contacts: Barokas Communications for magniX [email protected] Samantha Kent Marketing Manager, Harbour Air Group [email protected] SOURCE magniX Related Links http://www.magnix.aero LONDON, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Countries that are considering and recommending food donation policies will soon have a valuable resource. Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC) and The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN) announced today at the Food Bank Leadership Institute in London that, together with the support of the Walmart Foundation, they have partnered to develop the Global Food Donation Policy Atlas, a two-year project that will map the laws and policies affecting food donation in 15 countries. According to the United Nations, more than enough food is produced to feed every person in the world, yet an estimated 821 million people globally suffer from hunger. While millions of people go without adequate food, one-third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted. Because food is heavily regulated, and food safety laws can pose barriers to the creation of food donation programs in many countries, redirecting safe, surplus food can be difficult and complicated. The Global Food Donation Policy Atlas will help in-country partners by providing research that will help them understand national laws relating to food, compare laws across countries and regions, analyze donation barriers, and share best practices and recommendations. In addition to written legal guides to food donation and policy considerations for each country, the Global Food Donation and Policy Atlas will outline its findings with a website and interactive map presenting countries' food donation laws. "In the U.S., our work has uncovered unclear or confusing laws that lead to unnecessary food waste. Businesses throw food away because they do not know what safety rules apply to donations, or because they cannot access tax credits to cover the cost of transporting such food," said Emily Broad Leib, Director of the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic. "We are thrilled to collaborate with The Global FoodBanking Network and in-country partners to examine these issues in a range of countries, aiming to reduce barriers, learn best practices and build more thoughtful policies to get food to those in need." FLPC and GFN will assess food donation laws and policies in Argentina, Canada, Chile, Mexico and the United States in the project's first year. An additional 10 countries will be incorporated in the second year. The project team will collaborate with local not-for-profit organizations, businesses, policymakers, government officials, and academics in designing and developing the atlas. "Through the Global Food Donation Policy Atlas business, community and government leaders will access comprehensive and global information on food donation policy all in one place," said Lisa Moon, GFN President and Chief Executive Officer. "GFN is excited to partner with Harvard Law School's Food Law and Policy Clinic in developing this important resource, and we thank the Walmart Foundation for their support for the project." The Global Food Donation Policy Atlas will benefit from FLPC's leadership in researching, evaluating and documenting food donation laws and policy at all levels of government in the United States, as well as GFN's work in launching and strengthening food banks in more than 30 countries. Food banking is a unique model that provides hunger relief to more than 60 million people globally by saving surplus food and redirecting it to social service organizations that feed the needy. It's a successful model that has been replicated and tailored to different countries and communities. "Drawing on Walmart's local presence, logistics expertise, and associate passion, around the world we donate millions of pounds of food and our associates volunteer hundreds of thousands of hours toward hunger relief," said Kathleen McLaughlin, president of the Walmart Foundation. "Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are also committed to help innovate and strengthen the charitable system through philanthropy, extending the reach of hunger relief programs. The Global Food Donation Policy Atlas is a key part of this strategy and we're proud to be involved in the project." About the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic The Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC) serves partner organizations and communities by providing guidance on cutting-edge food system issues while engaging law students in the practice of food law and policy. FLPC focuses on increasing access to healthy foods, supporting sustainable production and regional food systems, and reducing waste of healthy, wholesome food. About The Global FoodBanking Network The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN) is an international non-profit organization based in Chicago that nourishes the world's hungry through launching and strengthening food banks in 30 countries. GFN focuses on combating hunger and preventing food waste by providing expertise, directing resources, sharing knowledge and developing connections that increase efficiency, ensure food safety and reach more people facing hunger. Last year, GFN member food banks rescued and redirected food to more than 9 million people facing hunger. About Philanthropy at Walmart By using our strengths to help others, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation create opportunities for people to live better every day. Walmart has stores in 27 countries, employing more than 2.2 million associates and doing business with thousands of suppliers who, in turn, employ millions of people. Our philanthropy helps people live better by supporting upward job mobility and economic development for the retail workforce; addressing hunger and making healthier, more sustainably-grown food a reality; and building strong communities where Walmart operates and inspiring our associates to give back. To learn more about Walmart's giving, visit http://giving.walmart.com/foundation SOURCE The Global FoodBanking Network; Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic Related Links https://www.chlpi.org/food-law-and-policy PALO ALTO, Calif., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- HGGC, a leading technology-focused private equity firm, today announced several promotions and new hires in the wake of receiving a strategic investment from Dyal Capital Partners. These moves recognize contributions from current team members and enhance talent across the firm as it continues to build its portfolio and execute its successful 'Advantaged Investing' strategy. "Steve Young and I are excited to have five team members join us in the partnership group of HGGC," said Rich Lawson, Chairman, CEO and co-founder of the firm. "Les, John, Steven, Harv and Lance have taken strong leadership roles within our firm to drive the success of our model of true partnership among our portfolio companies, our global investors and our team." The HGGC team members promoted to Partner include: Les Brown joined HGGC in 2007 and serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for HGGC's Fund III investment in Nutraceutical International Corporation. He was previously a member of the Board of Directors for HGGC's Fund II investment in Dynata, and the exited investments in Serena Software and hybris Software. John Block joined HGGC in 2010 and is active in the firm's Fund III investment in Mi9 and HelpSystems, Fund II investments in Aventri, Davies Group, Integrity, FPX and Pearl, as well as Fund I investment in Innovative and MyWebGrocer. He previously was involved with the firm's exited investments in Citadel, Hollander and hybris Software. Steven Leistner joined HGGC in 2009 and is active in the firm's Fund III investments in Nutraceutical International Corporation and Denodo, Fund II investments in Selligent and Dynata, as well as Fund I investment in iQor. He previously was involved with the firm's exited investments in Serena Software, Power Holdings, MaMa Rosa's and Sunquest Information Systems. Harv Barenz joined HGGC in 2008 and leads HGGC's business development efforts globally and focuses primarily on sourcing new platform investments and assisting portfolio companies with add-on acquisitions. Harv is also responsible for developing and managing the firm's intermediary relationships and plays an integral role in the HGGC ecosystem. Lance Taylor joined HGGC in 2014 and serves as the Chief Financial Officer of HGGC overseeing the Firm's finance and accounting operations. Prior to joining HGGC, Lance was Managing Director, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at Calera Capital. "Rich and I are incredibly proud of the talented team here at HGGC," said Steve Young, President and co-founder of HGGC. "Not only are these professionals smart and hard-working, they also continue to learn and grow to the benefit of our firm, our portfolio companies and our investors. We are happy to recognize their contributions, and to welcome five new additions to the team." Kurt Krieger joined HGGC in 2008 and has been promoted from General Counsel to Chief Legal Officer. Kurt serves as the Corporate Secretary of the firm's portfolio holding companies and fund entities. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of HGGC's affiliated private foundation. In addition, he serves or has served on the boards of various HGGC portfolio companies. Jay Tabu joined HGGC in 2010 and has been promoted from Vice President to Principal. Prior to joining HGGC, Jay was the Manager of Information Technology at Mayfield Fund, a venture capital firm in Menlo Park, California. Chris Schulze joined HGGC in 2016 and has been promoted from Senior Associate to Vice President. Prior to HGGC, Chris was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company, where he advised clients primarily in the technology, consumer and retails sectors. Peter Cozzi joined HGGC in 2017 and has been promoted from Associate to Senior Associate. Prior to joining HGGC, Peter was an Investment Banking Analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he focused on leveraged buyouts, mergers and acquisitions and debt offerings. Neha Vaidya joined HGGC in 2017 and has been promoted from Associate to Senior Associate. Prior to joining HGGC, Neha was an Investment Banking Analyst at Evercore, where she worked on mergers and acquisitions, activism defense and IPOs. New additions to HGGC include: Greg Caltabiano and Lindsay Sparks join HGGC as Executive Directors who will work directly in support of HGGC's portfolio companies. Lindsay Sparks is a seasoned Senior Executive who has extensive experience building and running a diverse set of businesses. As a former Officer of Microsoft Corporation and a multi-time founder and CEO, Lindsay has extensive experience scaling and guiding businesses to industry leading returns. Lindsay also sits on a number of boards and provides strategic guidance to large investment firms and selected companies. Greg Caltabiano has deep knowledge of the technology ecosystem and over 30 years of operating experience in the US, China, Japan, Korea, and Europe. Previously, he was President and CEO of Teknovus, which was acquired by Broadcom, President and CEO of ACCO, and President and COO of SOMA Networks. Greg holds an MBA from Stanford University and a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Princeton University, where he graduated with highest honors and Phi Beta Kappa. Mo Gulamhusein, Vice President, joins following his graduation from Harvard's MBA program and a 2018 summer internship at HGGC. Prior to business school, he spent 3 years in the direct private equity group of Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan and 2 years in investment banking at CIBC World Markets. Gulamhusein graduated from Queen's University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Holland Reynolds, Investment Associate, joins from Cambridge Associates where she worked as an investment analyst and investment associate focused on U.S. Private Equity. Reynolds earned Bachelor's Degrees in Spanish and Art History from Colgate University. Chandni Shah, Fund Accountant in the Operations Team, joins from CITCO Fund Services where she held the same position. Prior to Citco, she was a Fund Analyst at Northern Trust. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois At Chicago. About HGGC HGGC is a leading middle-market private equity firm focused on technology investments with $4.3 billion in cumulative capital commitments. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., HGGC is distinguished by its "Advantaged Investing" approach that enables the firm to source and acquire scalable businesses at attractive multiples through partnerships with management teams, founders and sponsors who reinvest alongside HGGC, creating a strong alignment of interests. Over its history, HGGC has completed more than 120 platform investments, add-on acquisitions, recapitalizations and liquidity events with an aggregate transaction value of nearly $20 billion. More information is available at www.hggc.com. SOURCE HGGC Related Links https://www.hggc.com "The new packaging allowed us to get into prominent, luxury stores," Bernardo said. "Our new look is attracting customers and retailers, and has transformed our brand." The team at Hippo created a clean, fresh look for Canna Bath products by developing beautiful new packaging, featuring a new logo, specially selected pastel colors, and carefully applied metallic inks and foils. Most importantly, the new packaging has helped generate a significant increase in sales for Canna Bath. "Our sales of bath salts and bombs have doubled since we rolled out the new packaging," Bernardo said. "We are so gratefully to the Hippo team!" Kary Radestock, Co-Founder and CEO of Hippo Premium Packaging, said she loved the collaboration with Canna Bath Co. "Jessica told us that she wanted her packaging to pop," Radestock commented. "It was a fun process bringing her new brand to life and getting creative with the decorating treatments," she added. "It is especially gratifying that the new packaging is helping Canna Bath get into prominent new retail chains, as well as stimulating a terrific increase in sales." Hippo Premium Packaging, which recently won a PAC Global Leadership Award for excellence in packaging, recently celebrated its 3rd anniversary. "We have grown so much in the past 3-years, that it is a bit astonishing," Radestock said. "We not only have won prestigious awards for our work, but have also become experts in compliance, and a trusted resource for our clients," she added. "We are proud that we can provide superb branding and packaging solutions, as well as help guide our clients through the maze of rapidly evolving regulations that govern this industry." For information on Hippo Premium Packaging, call: 619-269-0939, or visit: www.hippopackaging.com. For information on Canna Bath, visit: www.cannabathco.com Connect: Facebook: facebook.com/hippopackaging Twitter: @HippoPackaging Instagram: instagram.com/hippopackaging Pinterest: pinterest.com/hippopackaging YouTube: youtu.be/DMC5D5dLW-4 Website: www.hippopackaging.com SOURCE Hippo Premium Packaging Related Links http://hippopackaging.com NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarity Benefit Solutions, one of the leading HSA Companies, advises on attracting and retaining younger workers. It may come as a surprise to many that millennials currently comprise the largest share of this country's workforce. These 18- to 35- year old workers now make up the largest share of the workforce Attracting and retaining them requires a vastly different approach than with other generations. The following are tips to recruit this younger generation as well as those who come after. Promote a flourishing corporate climate. It is vital to offer a nontraditional working experience to the younger generation, as they are not interested in being a part of a typical office environment with a time clock and cubicles. They want to feel as if they belong to a community. As such, progressive employers will offer amenities such as nontraditional workspaces, team-building events, and off-site meetings that foster creative thinking and productive relationships. Offer an amazing benefits program. The younger workforce wants the ultimate in benefits. While health insurance, raises, and bonuses are important, flex time is top-of-mind. The younger generation wants to not only have the ability to work from home, they want to be able to have additional time off. And, although they may be young, they are already thinking about retirement options. Foster a mentorship program. While a traditional workplace mentor, where an older colleague teaches a younger colleague, isn't a new concept, millennials and their peers want to give back and provide feedback to their mentors. Utilize modern recruitment methods. Employers who want to reach new talent should look beyond newspaper ads and word-of-mouth, such as a strong digital presence, a relationship with college career centers, and websites like LinkedIn. Provide health and fitness initiatives. There is a multitude of offerings employers can offer the younger generation to attract and retain them. Paid gym memberships, a lunchtime yoga session, healthy lunch items, and entrance to activity- and sporting-related events are just a few examples. Ease financial worries. Younger generation workers seek security and stability, especially in light of the financial struggles their parents experienced while they were growing up. Offer financial education webinars and workshops to provide them with peace of mind, which will reduce any stress they may be experiencing. About Clarity Benefit Solutions: Clarity Benefit Solutions HSA Administration provides technology that makes the health insurance plan selection process fast, easy, and straightforward. For over two decades, we have provided clients with industry-leading technology, compliance, and exceptional customer service. Our offering is designed to save time and lower the costs of managing benefits while also promoting employee self-service and automated ACA compliance. SOURCE Clarity Benefit Solutions Related Links http://claritybenefitsolutions.com AUSTIN, Texas, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyalose, LLC, a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of novel hyaluronic acid (HA) technologies, announced today that it has selected Echelon Biosciences, Inc. of Salt Lake City, Utah, to serve as the new, sole distributor of its Select-HA products. Echelon Biosciences, a leading supplier in novel biochemical reagents, assays, and screening services, will sell Select-HA products directly from its website and through distributors worldwide. Unlike any other HA polymers available today, the Hyalose Select-HA products have very narrow size distribution ranges and discrete molecular weight ranges allowing researchers to study the physical and biological properties of defined HA compounds. Effective immediately, customers may purchase the size-defined HA standards and products at the Echelon Biosciences website. Initially, the companies will offer a variety of Select-HA products including Hi-Ladder and Lo-Ladder products, in addition to further expanded HA product offerings. W. Tim Miller, CEO and President, stated that, "Echelon Biosciences is pleased to join with Hyalose to again make these products available to HA researchers and product developers throughout the world. Echelon already has an existing and strong presence in the field with unique HA & Hyaluronidase assays and fluorescent analogs." For more information about Select-HA products visit: www.Echelon-HA.com. About Hyalose Hyalose was founded in 2000 to address the commercial and research need for the supply of hyaluronic acid products. Its unique and proprietary synthetic hyaluronic acid technologies were developed by Chief Scientist, Dr. Paul DeAngelis at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. Hyalose is a portfolio company formed and managed by Emergent Technologies, Inc. About Emergent Technologies Emergent Technologies, Inc. is an innovation solutions and technology commercialization leader headquartered in Austin, Texas. For more information visit www.etibio.com. About Echelon Biosciences Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Echelon Biosciences, was established in 1997 to supply synthetic lipid reagents for R&D. Since then, Echelon has successfully grown in scale and scope to include custom chemistry, peptides, and assays with over 700 catalog items in the fields of cell signaling, extracellular matrix, cancer drug discovery, and disease biomarkers. For more information visit www.echelon-inc.com. About OU College of Medicine Founded in 1910, the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine trains the next generation of healthcare professionals. With campuses in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, the College of Medicine offers the state's only Doctor of Medicine degree program and a nationally competitive Physician Assistant program. For more information, visit oumedicine.com/collegeofmedicine . Media Contact: Cameron Mackie Email: [email protected] Phone: (512) 697-8224 SOURCE Emergent Technologies, Inc. Related Links http://www.etibio.com NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Welton Investment Partners today announced the hiring of Basil Williams as President, a new position. Williams joins Welton's senior leadership in managing the overall business, including oversight of the firm's investment products, operations, and expansion initiatives. Based in New York City, Mr. Williams will report to Dr. Patrick Welton, CEO and CIO. Williams brings deep general management experience as a 30+ year industry leader, both as an investment manager and allocator. He is a proven investor in alternative strategies having traded a broad suite of relative value strategies during his 20 years at Concordia Advisors. Moreover, he brings C-suite experience having built and led hedge fund businesses at Concordia and Mariner Investment Group. Most recently he was the Head of Portfolio Management at PAAMCO, one of the largest alternative allocators and emerging manager investors. "Basil is a tremendous addition to our team. His broad leadership expertise and strong track record as an investor will directly enhance our capabilities and catalyze initiatives to broaden our global client partnerships," said Patrick Welton. "I am very excited to join Welton because their expertise is in high demand from investors. Over the last several years they have built a first-rate institutional framework, integrated systems, and broadened their investment talent. Their goal of delivering absolute returns with a low correlation to the equity and credit markets aligns perfectly with my own background. The happiest and most rewarding times of my career were when I was facilitating growth, and I see a similar opportunity now," said Williams. Welton Investment Partners is a privately-owned, alternative asset management firm co-founded by Dr. Patrick Welton to provide investors long-term capital appreciation with no correlation to overall asset markets. Welton is a pioneer in advancing quantitative investment techniques. The firm manages approximately $1B in assets for institutional and private investors across four distinct product offerings with offices in New York and California. https://www.welton.com SOURCE Welton Investment Partners Related Links https://www.welton.com JACKSONVILLE, Fla., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson Vision today announced that results from two Phase 3 clinical studies evaluating the company's investigational antihistamine-releasing contact lens (etafilcon A with 0.019 mg ketotifen) were published in the journal Cornea. The results demonstrated that patients wearing the investigational contact lens had lower mean itching scores after their eyes were exposed to allergens compared to those wearing non-medicated control lenses, indicating that in these studies, the lenses reduced symptoms of eye itch. Click to Tweet: @JNJVision announces Phase 3 data published on its investigational antihistamine-releasing contact lens in patients with #allergy eyes https://bit.ly/2HIXDzY "These Phase 3 study results are important on multiple fronts. Contact lens wearers who historically suffer from itchy, allergy eyes had meaningful reductions in itching across two randomized, well-controlled studies," said Brian Pall, OD, MS, FAAO, Director, Clinical Science, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. and lead author of the manuscript. "There was both a clinically and statistically significant reduction in ocular itching that occurred 15 minutes after lens insertion and lasted for the 12-hour study evaluation period. This marks the first time that contact lens technology has shown potential in a large-scale study to address itch stemming from ocular allergies." According to the Cornea publication, more than 20 percent of the U.S. population experience ocular allergy, or itchy eyes, when exposed to allergens such as tree or grass pollen, pet dander or dust. The condition has a similar prevalence worldwide and can have a significant impact on productivity and quality of life.1,2,3,4,5,6 "At Johnson & Johnson Vision, we are committed to pioneering new technologies that both correct people's vision and also have potential to address other lifestyle or medical needs they may have," said Xiao-Yu Song, PhD, MD, Global Head of Research and Development, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. "It is encouraging to see this large-scale assessment that indicates the potential of a contact lens-based drug delivery system which, in the future, could represent an entirely new category of contact lenses. We will continue development of this contact lens technology and are committed to making regulatory submissions for this antihistamine-releasing contact lens as we move forward." Study Design and Results The antihistamine-releasing contact lenses worn in the studies are daily disposable lenses containing ketotifen, a drug that inhibits certain substances in the body that are known to cause allergic reactions and inflammation. They were tested in two multicenter, double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled trials that included 244 patients and used the conjunctival allergen challenge model (Ora-CAC) to measure efficacy. After the initial screening visits, patients were randomized by eye to receive either the antihistamine-releasing lens or the placebo control lens. The lenses were then worn for either 15 minutes or 12 hours depending on the study visit. After the prescribed wearing time, allergens were dosed into the eyes wearing the contact lenses and the patients reported the severity of their itching symptoms using a 0-4 scale (where 0 equals no itch and 4 equals an incapacitating itch with an irresistible urge to rub). The primary study endpoint was comparisons of reported itching scores between the two lens types. Across both studies, the patients who wore the antihistamine-releasing contact lenses experienced both a clinically and statistically significant (p< 0.001) reduction in the average eye itch symptom at both time point evaluations (15 minutes and 12 hours) as compared to those receiving control lenses in the study. Secondary endpoints in the trials evaluated the reduction in eye redness (ciliary, conjunctival and episcleral vessel beds) while wearing the antihistamine-releasing lens. The antihistamine-releasing lenses did not demonstrate a clinically significant reduction in eye redness. In the studies, both the antihistamine-releasing contact lenses and control lenses demonstrated a low rate of ocular adverse events (4.9% overall) with the majority being mild and not considered study related. The most commonly reported adverse events associated with the antihistamine-releasing lenses were stinging upon insertion (1.7%) and temporary pupil enlargement (2.1%). The stinging upon insertion was generally classified as mild and there were no discontinuations from study treatment based on these or any other ocular adverse events. Johnson & Johnson Vision At Johnson & Johnson Vision, part of Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies*, we have a bold ambition: to change the trajectory of eye health around the world. Through our operating companies, we deliver innovation that enables eye care professionals to create better outcomes for patients throughout their lives, with products and technologies that address unmet needs including refractive error, cataracts and dry eye. In communities with greatest need, we work in collaboration to expand access to quality eye care, and we are committed to helping people see better, connect better and live better. Visit us at www.jjvision.com. Follow @JNJVision on Twitter and Johnson & Johnson Vision on LinkedIn. About Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies As the world's most comprehensive medical devices business, we are building on a century of experience, merging science and technology, to shape the future of health and benefit even more people around the world. With our unparalleled breadth, depth and reach across surgery, orthopaedics, vision and interventional solutions, we're working to profoundly change the way care is delivered. We are in this for life. *Comprising the surgery, orthopaedics, vision and interventional businesses within the Johnson & Johnson's Medical Devices segment Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding data on an investigational antihistamine-releasing contact lens. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., any of the other Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies and/or Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: uncertainty of regulatory approvals; uncertainty of commercial success; challenges to patents; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; manufacturing difficulties and delays; product efficacy or safety concerns resulting in product recalls or regulatory action; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; changes in behavior and spending patterns of purchasers of health care products and services; and trends toward health care cost containment. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2018, including in the sections captioned "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Item 1A. Risk Factors," and in the company's most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. None of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies, or Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments. 1 Rosario N, Bieolory L. Epidemiology of allergic conjunctivitis. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011; 11: 471-6. 2 Blaiss MS. Allergic rhino-conjunctivitis: burden of disease. Allergy Asthma Proc. 2007; 28:393-7. 3 Gomes PJ. Trends in prevalence and treatment of ocular allergy. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014; 14: 451-6. 4 Bielory L, Friedlaender MH. Allergic conjunctivitis. Immunol Allergy Clin North Am. 2008; 28: 43-58. 5 Smith AF, Pitt AD, Rodruiguez AE, et al. The economic and quality of life impact of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis in a Spanish setting. Ophthalmic Epidemiol. 2005; 12: 233-42. 6 Pitt AD, Smith AF, Lindsell L, et al. Economic and quality-of-life impact of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis in Oxfordshire. Ophthalmic Epidemiol. 2004; 11: 17-33. Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. 2019. SOURCE Johnson & Johnson Vision Related Links http://www.jjvision.com LOS ANGELES, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer supported a deceptive notice to ratepayers in a class action settlement over the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars in what amounts to a City slush fund, according to attorneys for Consumer Watchdog. On Monday, Consumer Watchdog filed its final court papers in an appeal of a class action settlement in which the City Attorney's office did not provide any notice to Angelenos or the court of the $242 million transfer. Though the $242 million transfer was not disclosed to consumers in time to exercise their right to opt-out or object to the settlement, the settlement barred consumers from challenging it in court. Read Consumer Watchdog's opening brief here: https://www.consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/2019-03/Opening%20Brief.pdf. The Court of Appeals filing comes as scrutiny intensifies over public corruption at the City Attorney's office involving the settlement of another DWP ratepayer case. Two City Attorney special counsels secretly represented both the ratepayer plaintiff and the City/DWP defendant. The City Attorney failed to inform the court, the public or ratepayers that attorneys he hired represented parties on both sides of the case. City Attorney Mike Feuer's Number Three deputy, Thomas Peters, resigned over the weekend, the third resignation in two weeks in connection with the scandal. Consumer Watchdog called for all three resignations and that of top deputy Jim Clark at the beginning of March when it learned about the scandal. DWP billing errors have been a perennial problem for Angelenos, with outrageous examples, like a family being overcharged $60,000 for a leaky toilet.The special counsel quickly settled the action, with little scrutiny and no investigation and no real changes to DWP's practices. The City Attorney's special counsel Paul Paradis received $36 million no-bid contracts in the settlement from DWP. Read Consumer Watchdog's letter calling upon Attorney General Xavier Becerra to take over a public corruption investigation at the City Attorney's office: https://consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/2019-03/LtrBecerraJonesCase3-12-19.pdf. "The cozy relationship between the City Attorney, DWP, and co-opted private lawyers is costing Angelenos hundreds of millions of dollars and year. The illegal cash transfers between DWP and the City gives the City Attorney a strong incentive to shield DWP from scrutiny from the courts and the people of Los Angeles, even if it means consumers will continue to face outrageous rip-offs," said Ben Powell, staff attorney for Consumer Watchdog. "It's like a scene out of Chinatown, unfortunately, it's all too real." Consumer Watchdog objected to the class action settlement over the $242 million transfer in December 2017. The trial court approved the settlement and the case is now awaiting decision by the Second District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles. The case is Eck, et al. v. City of Los Angeles, Appeal No. B289717. Read the brief filed yesterday here: https://consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/2019-03/Reply%20Brief.pdf. The settlement purported to resolve a dispute regarding surcharges embedded in the electricity rates of City of Los Angeles residents, which resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in annual financial transfers from the DWP to the City. Illegal taxes fueling such transfers have been the subject of a voter revolt expressed in multiple ballot initiatives over the last four decades. On December 12, 2017, before final approval of the Settlement and approximately two months after notice of the settlement was provided to Angelenos, the City authorized an additional $242 million transfer from LADWP. City residents were not given notice of the $242 million transfer even though the City had line-itemed the anticipated revenue as early as April 20, 2017, and the City Attorney's office, which represented the City and LADWP in the litigation, was aware of the transfer and signed off on its legality on November 17, 2017 and December 5, 2017. Timeline Apr. 20, 2017 Unbeknownst to consumers, the proposed City budget, dated April 20, 2017, anticipated a $242 million transfer from the DWP. Sept. 14, 2017 The court preliminarily approves the settlement. The Settlement Agreement does not mention the $242 million transfer. Oct. 12, 2017 Postcard Notice is mailed. Long Form Notice is posted to settlement website, and internet and publication notice is provided. None mention the $242 million transfer. Nov. 16, 2017 The DWP Board receives staff recommendation to transfer $242 million to City of Los Angeles for FY 2017/2018. Nov. 17, 2017 City Attorney's Office signs off on the $242 million transfer: "Approved as to form and legality." Nov. 28, 2017 DWP Board authorizes transfer of $242 million to the City of Los Angeles. Dec. 5, 2017 City Attorney's office once again signs off on transfer. Dec. 6, 2017 The Final Approval and Attorney Fees briefs are posted to the settlement website to allow Angelenos the opportunity to consider them before deciding whether to object to the settlement or opt-out. No notice of the $242 million transfer was provided on the settlement website. Dec. 12/13, 2017 Two weeks prior to Opt-Out/Objection deadline, the City Council adopts an ordinance approving the $242 million transfer on December 12, 2017. The ordinance is signed by Mayor Garcetti on December 13, effective January 26, 2018. No notice of the $242 million transfer was provided on the settlement website. Dec. 27, 2017 Deadline for consumers to decide whether to object to the settlement or opt-out. Feb. 14, 2018 The court approves the settlement. The "Released Claims" and "Release and Waiver" provisions of the Settlement Agreement purport to release all claims pursuant to the '08, '12, and '16 Rate Ordinances and any financial transfers between LADWP and the City through the date of the Final Fairness Hearing February 14, 2018. SOURCE Consumer Watchdog Related Links http://www.consumerwatchdog.org RIVIERA BEACH, Fla., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- La Granja Restaurant Chicken and Steak on the Grill in Riviera Beach offers award winning Peruvian Cuisine that's fast and affordable. La Granja Peruvian Restaurants offer customers in Riviera Beach a 1/4 Chicken Lunch special starting at $5.25 for a limited time. La Granja opened its first South Florida location in Margate in 1993. Serving Peruvian cuisine praised by locals, La Granja has become a favorite place for many to grab a quick lunch or a family dinner. Regular customers note their love affair with the Chicken meal as a reason for their constant return. Those choosing to dine at La Granja have their choice of chicken, steak, seafood or pork with 2 sides of their preference. La Granja Restaurant Chicken and Steak on the Grill serves Peruvian dishes with big portions and authentic flavors. When ordering, customers can choose from a wide variety of platters and side options. Each platter comes with a sizable portion of meat and 2 or more sides. Dishes are seasoned to perfection and paired with perfect additions, of which arroz, frijoles, and fried plantains are most popular. One patron advises first time visitors to choose the grilled chicken plate with yellow rice, black beans, and plantains; while another notes that no matter what she has ordered from the sizable menu, she hasn't been disappointed. La Granja offers local favorite Boneless Breast Special starting at $10.25 to residents in Riveria Beach. Providing patrons with mouth watering Peruvian dishes holds true to the roots of the original La Granja. First serving customers in Aruba, the local restaurant expanded to South Florida just two years later. Known for their perfect mix of flavor and convenience, La Granja has served up must-have cuisine to locals for over 20 years. According to one customer, "the Arroz con Mariscos is simply delicious." Winner of "The Best Peruvian Restaurant of the Year" award, La Granja is proud to serve South Florida with affordable comida that's both appetizing and worth the money. Customers enjoy large portions that are just as big on flavor. Savory platters adorn the menu next to an assortment of fajitas and sandwiches, making La Granja Chicken and Steak on the Grill a perfect choice for a fast lunch. For a Peruvian meal to remember, enjoy the new restaurant La Granja Chicken and Steak on the Grill in Riviera Beach. At La Granja, delectable platters are served with sides that are a step above the rest. Family platters are available to make dinner quick and hearty. Visit La Granja Chicken and Steak on the Grill at 2700 Broadway Ave. Riviera Beach, FL 33404. Taste authentic Peruvian cuisine at an affordable price. Take advantage of their lunch $5.25 1/4 chicken lunch special when ordering at the counter. (Monday through Friday until 4:00 p.m. Prices and items in locations may vary). Related Images la-granja-winner-of-the-best.png La Granja, Winner of "The Best Peruvian Restaurant of the Year" Expands to a Location in Riviera Beach in 2019. La Granja opened it's first South Florida location in Margate in 1993. Serving Peruvian cuisine praised by locals, La Granja has become a favorite place for many to grab a quick lunch or a family dinner. 1-4-chicken-lunch-special-starting.png 1/4 Chicken Lunch Special starting at $5.25 Monday thru Friday until 4:00 p.m. Prices and Items in locations may vary. boneless-breast-special-starting.png Boneless Breast Special starting at $10.25 Boneless Breast with Beans and Rice 1-2-lb-grilled-steak-starting-at.png 1/2 lb Grilled Steak starting at $11.25 La Granja Restaurant Chicken and Steak on the Grill serves Peruvian dishes with big portions and authentic flavors. SOURCE La Granja Restaurants NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Global consulting firm BRG announced today that John Auerbach has joined its Global Investigations + Strategic Intelligence practice as a managing director based in New York. "I am very excited to welcome John to our international group of experts," said Frank Holder, the Global Head of BRG's Investigations and Strategic Intelligence practice. "His expertise in conducting high-profile corporate and white collar investigations is a tremendous asset." Auerbach has over twenty years of experience managing complex domestic and international corporate investigations, compliance assessments and pre-M&A due diligence. He specializes in corporate integrity issues related to anti-bribery and corruption, third-party risk management, anti-money laundering and financial fraud. Before joining BRG, Auerbach was a partner in a Big Four Forensic and Integrity Services group. He was managing partner of that firm's forensic practice in Greater China for nine years before returning to its US forensic practice in New York in 2014. Previously, he was a managing director with a corporate investigations and risk consulting firm and head of the firm's mainland China practice. He is a fluent Mandarin speaker and a widely recognized subject-matter expert and public speaker on issues related to fraud, corruption and operational risk management in China. Auerbach has directed numerous investigations and compliance reviews in response to US Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, and overseas regulatory enforcement actionsfrom Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations to securities fraud and accounting restatement matters. He has particular experience with matters in the life sciences, financial services, consumer product and technology sectors. "I am very excited to join one of the world's most dynamic investigations consultancies in BRG, and to bring my experience to bear in expanding its innovative global platform," said Auerbach. About BRG Berkeley Research Group, LLC (BRG) is a global consulting firm that helps leading organizations advance in three key areas: disputes and investigations, corporate finance, and strategy and operations. Headquartered in California with offices around the world, we are an integrated group of experts, industry leaders, academics, data scientists, and professionals working beyond borders and disciplines. We harness our collective expertise to deliver the inspired insights and practical strategies our clients need to stay ahead of what's next. Visit thinkbrg.com to learn more. SOURCE BRG Related Links http://www.thinkbrg.com NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Underscoring its continued commitment to providing customized solutions to customers across its key verticals, Logicalis, an international IT solutions and managed services provider, is celebrating 15 years of partnership with Trevecca Nazarene University, a Christian university in the heart of Nashville, Tenn. Logicalis has supported Trevecca Nazarene through various custom IT projects focused on improving the students' technology experience and providing them with greater security. Most recently, Logicalis led the successful implementation of HPE Nimble, an intelligent, self-managing flash storage solution. In conjunction with the HPE Aruba networking and security platform, this implementation helped strengthen the overall network to better meet the university's growing networking and storage needs. Established in 1901, Trevecca Nazarene University serves as home to several thousand students pursuing higher education. The fully accredited university boasts a highly esteemed faculty and comprehensive degree programs across its five locations and online, as well as an impressive growth rate. Since 2015, Trevecca Nazarene's student population grew by 48 percent, making it the fastest-growing university in Middle Tennessee and resulting in a significant strain on the university's antiquated IT storage network. "We didn't want our own growth to hinder our students' success," said Dr. John Eberle, Chief Information Officer, Trevecca Nazarene University. "We knew that we could trust Logicalis to pinpoint a solution to meet our needs, and they did exactly that with HPE. Now, we have centralized storage in a stable, fast, and easy-to-use platform, as well as a clear, sustainable path for growth. It's a prime example of how Logicalis continuously leverages their network and partnerships to enable us to better focus less on our technology and more on what matters most: our students." Leveraging its expertise in the GovEd sector and its position as an HPE Platinum partner, Logicalis helped Trevecca Nazarene identify which of HPE's range of server, storage, software and networking solutions would best meet the needs of the university's growing population. "At Logicalis, we focus on our customers' needs to identify solutions that address challenges before they become larger issues," said Mike Houghton, President, Logicalis U.S. "As Trevecca Nazarene continued to grow, we understood that a stronger overall network would become a top priority for the IT team. Leveraging our experience in the education industry and partnership with HPE, we were confident that a combination of HPE Nimble's storage solutions and the HPE Aruba platform for networking and security would help the university continue to deliver the level of service its faculty, staff and students need for success. We look forward to continuing to work with the university for the next 15 years and beyond." For more details on the partnership with Logicalis and Trevecca Nazarene University, please see this video. About Logicalis Logicalis U.S. is an international multi-skilled solution provider, providing digital enablement services to help customers harness digital technology and innovative services to deliver powerful business outcomes. We focus on delivering custom IT solutions for vertical markets including healthcare, government and education, manufacturing, financial services, TMT (telecommunications, media and technology), education, retail, and professional services. We apply the skills of our 5,700 global employees in modernizing key digital pillars; data center and cloud services, security and network infrastructure, workspace communications and collaboration, data and information strategies, and IT operation modernization. Our customers which are among the world's leading technology companies including Cisco, HPE, IBM, NetApp, VMware, Microsoft and AWS. Logicalis U.S. is a part of the Logicalis Group, which has annualized revenues of $1.6 billion, from operations in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific and Africa. It is a division of Datatec Limited, listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, with revenues of over $4 billion. Follow Logicalis U.S.: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. SOURCE Logicalis PORTLAND, Ore., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Lovett Inc., a construction services provider for drain cleaning, plumbing, masonry restoration, excavation, directional drilling, and vac-truck projects headquartered in Portland, Oregon, today announced the acquisition of Synergy Restoration & Construction LLC. The acquisition goes hand in hand with key strategies recently implemented to support long-term organic and inorganic growth of the company. One of the most critical of those strategies is to expand our service offering to be among the most comprehensive in the industry fortifying key customer relationships while improving profitability through verticalization of services previously outsourced by both organizations. "The more time I spent with the Synergy team exploring opportunities for them to become part of our Lovett family the more excited I was about the transaction. We are going to be a force to be reckoned with when it comes to solving our customer's problems," said Dale Lovett, Lovett Inc. Founder & CEO. "We have a strong culture match and many overlapping customer relationships we can grow together, our combined portfolio of services gives us the most comprehensive offering in the industry allowing us to disrupt the markets we now serve and expand beyond them," said Gary Cosmer, Lovett Inc. President & COO. "We are thrilled to be joining forces with the Lovett organization. They are a proven winner and the combination of our two organizations brings a unique value to the industry. This opportunity is the natural progression of our "Achieving Greater Results through Teamwork" motto," said Stuart Babicky, Synergy Restoration & Construction LLC. Founder & CEO. Synergy will continue to operate under their existing brand and at their current location for up to one year during the transition. About Lovett Inc. Lovett is a construction services company providing excavation, directional drilling, plumbing, drain cleaning, vac-truck, and masonry restoration services. The company serves the greater Portland and SW Washington metro areas by providing a multitude of construction services specializing in emergency services, project consultation, building maintenance, service repair and installation. www.lovettservices.com About Synergy Restoration & Construction LLC. Synergy is a full-service restoration company providing fire, smoke, water, and storm damage containment, repair, and remodeling services. The company serves the Northwest specializing in commercial and residential emergency crisis response mitigation and remediation using the most recent technology and state-of-the-art procedures to reduce exposure and restore normalcy as soon as expeditiously possible. www.synergyrnc.com Contact: Heather Cutler / 503-351-5109 / [email protected] SOURCE Lovett Inc. Related Links http://www.lovettservices.com BOSTON, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mendix , a Siemens business and the global leader in low-code for the enterprise, announced today that Lorraine Vargas Townsend is the company's new Chief People Officer. In this role, Lorraine will lead people functions in the company already voted best place to work by employees for three years running and the top Cloud Computing Company to Work for in 2019, according to Glassdoor . Mendix was also named a February 2019 Gartner Peer Insights Customer's Choice for Enterprise High-Productivity Application Platform as a Service, is consistently named a "Leader" among low-code development platforms by Forrester, and was named a "Leader" in the Gartner " Magic Quadrant for Enterprise High-Productivity Application Platform as a Service " and the Gartner "Magic Quadrant for Mobile App Development Platforms" , both for the second consecutive year. Ms. Townsend joins Mendix from athenahealth where she served as SVP, global head of HR. While at athenahealth, she created and delivered a transformative HR strategy that encompassed all aspects of the employee life cycle. She focused on employee experience as the core of the HR organization, fostering a cultural transformation that connected business growth with the attainment of marketable skills for each employee's unique career aspirations. Prior to athenahealth, Ms. Townsend worked at TE Connectivity, Schneider Electric, and Dell Inc. "I am thrilled to welcome Lorraine to our executive team as our first chief people officer," said Derek Roos, co-founder and CEO at Mendix. "We are on a tremendous growth trajectory, having added 200 people to our team in 2018, and are looking to add as many in 2019 and beyond. Lorraine will play an instrumental role in creating and executing a world-class talent strategy that underpins our growth ambitions and helps us maintain and disseminate our unique culture globally. I'm looking forward to working closely with Lorraine so that Mendix continues to be a great place to work and attract top talent to help make our customers even more successful and help build on our position as the leader in the low-code market." "In a perfect world of leading top employee talent, we create leaders and structures that unleash people to bring their passion and genius to their work," said Ms. Townsend. "We can't do that with over-engineered HR programs and processes that stifle the creativity and desire for accomplishment every team member covets. We do that by creating a culture where personal growth is well rewarded and where team achievement is celebrated across the organization. I am excited to bring this philosophy to Mendix and contribute to its already impressive culture." To learn more about Mendix and open career opportunities, please visit https://www.mendix.com/careers/ . About Mendix Mendix , a Siemens business and the global leader in low-code for the enterprise, is transforming the world of legacy software and application development by bringing business and IT teams together to rapidly and collaboratively build robust and modern applications for the enterprise. The Mendix application development platform directly addresses the tremendous worldwide software developer talent gap, and involves business and IT at the very start and throughout the entire application building and deployment process. Recognized as a "Leader" by top analysts, including Gartner and Forrester , Mendix helps customers digitally transform their organizations and industries by building, managing, and improving apps at unprecedented speed and scale. More than 4,000 forward-thinking enterprises use the Mendix platform to build business applications that delight customers and improve operational efficiency. Join the Mendix community on LinkedIn and Twitter . Start building apps for free at signup.mendix.com . Press Inquiries Katie McGovern Senior Account Manager, SHIFT Communications [email protected] (617) 779-1867 Dan Berkowitz Senior Director of Global Communications [email protected] (415) 518-7870 SOURCE Mendix Related Links http://www.mendix.com ST. LOUIS, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- FleishmanHillard today announced the promotion of Mette Grolleman to general manager of the agency's Brussels office, effective May 1. Grolleman will succeed Caroline Wunnerlich, who will join a roster of distinguished senior advisors and serve as chair of FleishmanHillard's Brussels Advisory Board. Grolleman joined FleishmanHillard in 2017 as a senior vice president in the Brussels office where she has spearheaded senior counsel to clients on their reputational and regulatory issues at European level. Previously, she served as an advisor in the European Commission, and prior to that, Grolleman worked as the financial counselor at the Danish Permanent Representation to the European Union. For more than a decade, she served in the Danish public administration, latterly as a senior advisor in the Ministry for Business and Growth. "Mette is an inspired choice to take over from Caroline," said John Saunders, president and CEO of FleishmanHillard. "I know she will work closely with other outstanding leaders in our Brussels office to ensure both a smooth transition and continuity. "I am thrilled that Caroline will remain with us in an advisory capacity. Caroline is one of the most respected leaders in our entire industry, not just our firm. I am truly honored to be able to call her a dear colleague and friend. No one has done more than she has to build FleishmanHillard into one of the most respected public affairs and communications firms in Europe." Wunnerlich has been with FleishmanHillard for 26-years, 20 of which were as the general manager of the Brussels office. In addition to overseeing two decades of growth to a market leadership position, she served as vice chair on the Management Committee of the European Public Affairs Consultancy Association from 2010 to 2015. In 2016, she was named to Politico's Top 20 'Women who Shape Brussels' and received the prestigious personal award for 'Outstanding Contribution' to the industry at the EuroPAwards. "With a big year of change ahead at EU institutional level, this is a good moment to hand over the reins as a new chapter starts in Brussels," Wunnerlich said. "I am absolutely delighted that Mette has agreed to take on this challenge. Since joining us, Mette has demonstrated not only her extraordinary political acumen with clients, but also her talent as a people person, making her an obvious choice to lead FleishmanHillard Brussels into the future. With strong succession now in place, I look forward to accompanying the team's continued success in an advisory capacity." About FleishmanHillard FleishmanHillard specializes in public relations, reputation management, public affairs, brand marketing, digital strategy, social engagement and content strategy. FleishmanHillard was named Agency of the Year at the 2017 and 2018 North American Excellence Awards; 2017 and 2018 ICCO Network of the Year for the Americas; 2018 Large Consultancy of the Year by PRWeek UK; PR News' Best Places to Work in PR 2016-2018; Human Rights Campaign Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality for 2018; PR Awards Asia 2017 Greater China Agency of the Year; and NAFE's "Top Companies for Executive Women" for 2010-2019. The firm's award-winning work is widely heralded, including at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. FleishmanHillard is part of Omnicom Public Relations Group, and has more than 80 offices in 30 countries, plus affiliates in 43 countries. About Omnicom Public Relations Group Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, global health strategy and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses more than 6,300 public relations professionals in more than 370 offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and non-profits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group delivers for clients through a relentless focus on talent, continuous pursuit of innovation and a culture steeped in collaboration. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) that includes more than 200 companies in a wide range of marketing disciplines including advertising, public relations, healthcare, customer relationship management, events, promotional marketing, branding and research. SOURCE FleishmanHillard Related Links http://www.fleishmanhillard.com MIAMI, March 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mining Power Group, Inc., (the "Company" or "MPGR") (OTC: MPGR), announced today, that as a result of preliminary negotiations, it has issued a draft letter of intent ("LOI") to the management of a CBD company that already generates millions of dollars in revenues under its various brand names that are well known in its sector. The draft LOI, which would have the Company acquire the CBD company as a wholly-owned subsidiary, provides the foundation for finalizing negotiations in order to lead to its signing and subsequent entry into a definitive agreement. Under the terms of the proposed transaction, the acquired company will operate as an independent subsidiary producing and marketing its brands and maintain its current management. Current CEO and controlling shareholder, Dror Svorai, will transfer complete control of the Company to the management of the newly acquired company, who will appoint new officers and directors. Additional details were not disclosed at this time. Results of the negotiations will be announced at a later date. Dror Svorai, President and CEO, stated, "Closing this transaction will be a total game changer for us. Not only will it mean a major refocus of our business into a rapidly growing consumer sector, but the addition of millions in annual revenues from a known CBD company with a solid history of steady year-over-year increases in its business. Once we get the LOI agreed to, we believe we will be able to complete this acquisition in 30 days." He added, "We couldn't be more excited by the prospects of completing this acquisition. All indications are that the years ahead for the CBD business represent unparalleled accelerated growth, meaning for us that completing this acquisition puts us in an excellent position to be able to capitalize on that growth with an established brand leader in the industry." About Mining Power Group, Inc. Mining Power Group, Inc. is a holding company for subsidiary operations that provide data center services for companies in the cryptomining industry. The Company trades under the symbol "MPGR") and is a fully reporting SEC company listed on the OTC market. For additional information on the Company, visit, Safe Harbor Statement: This release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements include any that may predict, forecast, indicate, or imply future results, performance or achievements, and may contain the words "estimate", "project", "intend", "forecast", "anticipate", "plan", "planning", "expect", "believe", "likely", "should", "could", "would", "may" or similar words or expressions. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the company's actual results and financial position to differ materially from those in such statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, including those relating to the Company's ability to grow. Actual results may differ materially from those predicted and any reported should not be considered an indication of future performance. Potential risks and uncertainties include the Company's operating history and resources, economic, competitive, and equity market conditions. CONTACT: Mining Power Group, Inc. (800)304-2657 SOURCE Mining Power Group, Inc. Related Links http://http://www.miningpowergroup.com. LAS VEGAS, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- People representing all 50 U.S. states responded to a quiz assessing their money knowledge. The National Financial Educators Council (NFEC) designed the 30-question National Financial Literacy Test to measure teens' and young adults' ability to earn, save, and grow their finances. The average score of financial capability among this sample was 67.74%. Among the 15- to 18-year-olds who participated, 55.40% failed the test that is, they scored 70% or lower. Young people from Oregon posted the highest average score (68.59%) among the 50 participating states from which at least 200 youth responded; respondents from Arkansas scored lowest (52.23%). Other notable state results of participants between the ages of 15 to 18 years: New York 1,347 participants averaged 62.22%, California - 1,472 participants averaged 61.99%, Texas 1,419 participants averaged 68.58%, Florida - 443 participants averaged 62.67% and Oregon 680 participants averaged 68.59%. Full Results Available at: https://www.financialeducatorscouncil.org/national-financial-literacy-test/ Take the Test at: https://www.financialeducatorscouncil.org/financial-literacy-test/ The test questions assess knowledge about the 10 subjects covered in the Financial Literacy Framework & Standards. The questions were designed to measure comprehension across three key areas of financial wellness: learning motivation, topic understanding, and ability to recognize the first step toward securing one's financial future. "Nationwide testing demonstrates that the average person lacks the basic financial knowledge he or she needs to make qualified financial decisions. Testing is just an indicator of content knowledge. But unlike other subject matter taught in school, financial literacy requires more than just understanding content. It requires learners to be able to adjust their daily financial behaviors and have enough knowledge to make confident financial decisions." Vince Shorb, CEO National Financial Educators Council The NFEC also posted results from 3 other tests. Advanced Financial Education Test: The average score on this personal finance test, which asks more advanced questions focused only on financial literacy, was 58.95%. Of the 6,651 respondents, 58.11% failed (scored below 70%). Full results available at: https://www.financialeducatorscouncil.org/advanced-financial-education-test-results/ Financial Foundation Test: This 8-question test establishes whether participants possess knowledge to make entry-level financial decisions; among 6,235 respondents the average score was 64.60%, with 43.70% failing (scoring below 70%). Full results available at: https://www.financialeducatorscouncil.org/financial-foundation-test-results/ Student Loan Test: This test for college-bound youth and current college attendees measures ability to make responsible student loan decisions; out of 5,987 respondents, the average score was 60.13% and 63.99% failed (scored under 70%). Full results available at: https://www.financialeducatorscouncil.org/student-loans-financial-education-test-results/ The NFEC's Financial Literacy Testing & Survey Center provides more than 30 complimentary tests and surveys. Individuals and organizations may leverage these tools online; the measures are automatically graded for self-assessment and to help reach financial literacy programming goals. Visit the Financial Literacy Test & Survey Center assessment page for more information. The National Financial Educators Council is a social enterprise organization committed to improving financial capabilities among the global community. The NFEC develops tools, resources, and training to help organizations and individuals share financial literacy messages at the community level. The NFEC's Financial Literacy Test & Survey Center represents one available tool for organizations to assess program effectiveness and gather baseline measures of personal finance knowledge. Contact: Trevor Stoll 415.729.7290 ext 7010 SOURCE National Financial Educators Council SAN FRANCISCO, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Doximity, the largest professional medical network, today released its third annual Physician Compensation Report. The report shows that after years of steady pay increases, national physician wages have plateaued for the first time since 2016. The study also shows that the gender pay gap is decreasing from prior years. Male physician pay has remained flat since 2017, while female physician pay has increased. Major variations in pay were also found across metropolitan areas and within medical specialties. The report is based on the responses of nearly 90,000 licensed U.S. doctors across six years, making it the largest repository of data available on physician compensation. "Compensation transparency is a powerful force. As more data becomes available to us, exposing the pay gap between men and women, we see more movements to rectify this issue," said Christopher Whaley, PhD, lead author of the study and adjunct assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health. Key findings include: Physician Compensation by Metro Area The top five cities with the highest average compensation are: Milwaukee ($395,363) ; New Orleans ($384,651) ; Riverside, Calif. ($371,296) ; Minneapolis ($369,889) ; and Charlotte, N.C. ($368,205) . ; ; ; ; and . The bottom five metros where physicians are paid the lowest average salary are: Durham, N.C. ($266,180) ; Providence, R.I. ($267,013) ; San Antonio ($276,224) ; Virginia Beach, Va. ($294,491) ; and New Haven, Conn. ($295,554) . ; ; ; ; and . Seattle saw the highest growth rate in compensation at 15 percent, followed by Hartford, Conn. (13 percent); Riverside, Calif. (12 percent); Cincinnati (12 percent); and Baltimore (10 percent). saw the highest growth rate in compensation at 15 percent, followed by (13 percent); (12 percent); (12 percent); and (10 percent). San Antonio had the lowest wage growth rate at -10 percent, followed by Tampa, Fla. (-10 percent); Virginia Beach, Va. (-7 percent); Chicago (-7 percent); and Louisville, Ky. (-6 percent). Physician Compensation by Medical Specialty The top five highest-paying medical specialties are: Neurosurgery ($616,823) ; Thoracic Surgery ($584,287) ; Orthopedic Surgery ($526,385) ; Radiation Oncology ($486,089) ; Vascular Surgery ($484,740) . ; Thoracic Surgery ; Orthopedic Surgery ; Radiation Oncology ; Vascular Surgery . The lowest-paying medical specialties are: Pediatric Infectious Disease ($185,892) ; Pediatric Endocrinology ($201,033) ; Pediatrics ($222,942) ; Pediatric Hematology & Oncology ($222,953) ; and Family Medicine ($242,352) . Physician Compensation by Gender Cities with the smallest gender wage gaps in 2018: Birmingham, Ala (9 percent wage gap); Bridgeport, Conn. (10 percent); Milwaukee (14 percent); Seattle (15 percent); Jacksonville FL (16 percent). (9 percent wage gap); (10 percent); (14 percent); (15 percent); (16 percent). Cities with the largest gender wage gap in 2018: Louisville / Jefferson County (40 percent); New Orleans (32 percent); Austin Texas (31 percent); Hartford, Conn. (31 percent); Dallas, Texas (31 percent). / (40 percent); (32 percent); (31 percent); (31 percent); (31 percent). Cities where female physicians earn the highest average annual salary are: Milwaukee ($351,247) ; Bridgeport, Conn. ($319,577) ; Seattle ($306,310) ; Minneapolis ($303,416) ; and Riverside, Calif. ($302,937) . ; ; ; ; and . Female physicians earn the lowest average annual salary in these metros: Providence, R.I. ($220,482) ; Durham, N.C. ($226,594) ; Louisville, Ky. ($230,754) ; Virginia Beach, Va. ($232,172) ; and Austin, Texas ($232,333) . Physician Compensation by Employment Type Of the 10 employment types examined in this study, half of them experienced little to no changes in compensation, including the following: single specialty group; solo practice; multi-specialty group; health system/IDN/ACO; and health maintenance organization. Only one employment type saw a double-digit percentage increase in wages: Industry / Pharmaceutical (17 percent). The following employment types saw a decline in compensation: hospital (-7 percent); academic (-9 percent); "We hope that this study can be used as a comprehensive resource to better inform U.S. physicians, medical students, and health care organizations," said Mandy Armitage, M.D., Director of Medical Content at Doximity. "Although pay for female physicians has improved substantially, there is still significant progress that needs to be made." Methodology Doximity's study is drawn from self-reported compensation surveys completed by approximately 90,000 full-time, licensed U.S. physicians who practice at least 40 hours per week. Responses were mapped across metropolitan statistical areas, and the top 50 were ranked by the number of respondents in the data. To control for differences in specialty, geography, and other provider-specific factors that might influence spending, we estimated a multivariate regression with fixed effects for provider specialty and MSA. We also controlled for how long each provider has practiced medicine and their self-reported average hours worked per week. This regression was estimated using a generalized linear model with a log link and gamma distribution. For the geographic and specialty rankings, we used the predicted values from this regression. About Doximity Founded in 2011, Doximity connects physicians and clinicians to make them more successful and productive. It is the largest professional medical network with over 70 percent of all U.S. physicians as members. The network enables medical professionals to communicate with colleagues and patients, and to share their perspectives on the latest health care trends and research. Doximity is based in San Francisco and was created by the founders of Epocrates and Rock Health. To learn more, visit www.doximity.com SOURCE Doximity Related Links http://www.doximity.com BOLOGNA, Italy and HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pa., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Menarini Silicon Biosystems, the pioneer of liquid biopsy technology, today announced that significant advances in research using the company's CELLSEARCH and DEPArray technologies will be presented at the upcoming annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). One presentation will cover research from Northwestern University that used the FDA-cleared CELLSEARCH Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) Test to conduct CTC testing on metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients.* The study was co-authored by Massimo Cristofanilli, M.D., F.A.C.P., Associate Director of Translational Research at Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center, Northwestern University. It will report on a significant correlation between high levels of co-expression of CCR5 and HER2 in CTCs. CCR5 has been associated with cancer stem cells and believed to drive metastatic process. The researchers suggest that CCR5 may contribute to more aggressive phenotype by upregulating HER2 expression. It is the first evidence of identifying CCR5 expression in CTCs as a potential new marker for MBC with potential therapeutic implications. "This is an exciting study, as it provides evidence of CCR5 being a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer," said Dr. Cristofanilli. "This observation is the basis of an upcoming clinical trial incorporating detection CCR5/CTC expression and in which we will target CCR5 with a specific antibody in the hopes of preventing metastasis and prolong disease control in patients with TNBC." In addition, the Northwestern researchers will present a new application of the CELLSEARCH and DEPArray NxT systems for the isolation of CTC clusters in MBC.** CTC-clusters are reported to have greater potential to form distant metastasis compared to individual CTCs. The novel Research Use Only workflow helps streamline the isolation of both single CTCs and CTC-clusters to facilitate genomic analysis for MBC patients. "Our goal at Menarini Silicon Biosystems continues to be the improvement of patient care through innovative single-cell precision medicine technologies and solutions that provide actionable information for clinicians and researchers," said Bob Roda, Chief Executive Officer of Menarini Silicon Biosystems. "Our expanding portfolio of technologies and solutions is helping researchers better understand cancers at the molecular level." A study involving a collaboration between Menarini Silicon Biosystem researchers and scientists from Fraunhofer ITEM Regensburg will present a new application using the company's DEPArray technology for marker-dependent single-cell isolation from malignant melanoma lymph nodes. Another study will demonstrate a new approach to understanding tumor heterogeneity in classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), starting from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples and enabling cHL genome-wide genetic analysis at the single-cell level. In the future, these approaches could be used to help select individualized therapies for patients with these cancers. Menarini Silicon Biosystems will also be introducing two new products for research use only: Ampli1 OncoSeek, a targeted cancer panel, and MSBiosuite, a cloud-based bioinformatics platform. Ampli1 OncoSeek is a panel that offers a targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay comprised of 60 clinically-relevant oncology genes, which facilitates NGS library preparation from single cells isolated with the DEPArray technology. MSBiosuite is a fully-automated, secure platform that enables customers without bioinformatics capabilities to easily analyze and interpret the NGS data generated by the DEPArray and Ampli1 molecular analysis kits. It provides a complete end-to-end solution for laboratory workflow from sample input through to processed results, including genetic interpretation for research use only, not for diagnostics purposes. These products will be featured in a study that presents a complete solution to detect hotspot mutations and focal copy number alterations (CNA) that are needed for accurate tumor characterization. This targeted sequencing workflow is suitable for analyzing CTCs at a single-cell level, which assists researchers with understanding tumor heterogeneity. To learn more about the Menarini Silicon Biosystems technologies, AACR attendees can visit Booth #2702. The AACR Annual Meeting will take place March 29-April 3, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. About Menarini Silicon Biosystems Menarini Silicon Biosystems, based in Bologna, Italy, and Huntingdon Valley (PA), USA, develops innovative technologies and products that help researchers understand the biological complexity of disease through the study of single cells. The company manufactures and markets the DEPArray NxT, the only image-based digital cell-sorting and isolation platform that enables clinical researchers to conduct molecular analyses on live or fixed cells with single-cell precision. In 2017 Menarini Silicon Biosystems purchased all the assets and relevant business related to the CELLSEARCH Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) System*. The integration of CELLSEARCH and DEPArray provides an end-to-end workflow solution** for the enumeration, isolation, and molecular characterization of CTCs from a simple blood test in the clinical research setting. This will help drive the clinical utility and correlation of CTCs with the effectiveness of specific therapies. Menarini Silicon Biosystems is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Menarini Group, a multinational pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostics company headquartered in Florence, Italy, with a heritage of over 130 years and over 17,000 employees in more than 100 countries. *For more information on the full intended use and limitations of CELLSEARCH system, please refer to the Instructions for Use on http://documents.cellsearchctc.com/. **The workflow described is for research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. The performance characteristics, safety, and effectiveness of the workflow have not been established and are not cleared or approved by the FDA. Contact: Liz Dowling, (415) 388-2794 Dowling & Dennis PR [email protected] SOURCE Menarini Silicon Biosystems Related Links http://www.siliconbiosystems.com/ WASHINGTON, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A landmark national survey of over 40,000 Americans, including results for all 50 states, released today by PRRI finds approximately seven in 10 (69 percent) Americans support nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people today. The survey also finds nearly six in 10 (57 percent) Americans oppose allowing small businesses to refuse services to gay and lesbian people based on religious objections. More than six in 10 (62 percent) Americans also support same-sex marriage. The only major groups in which a majority oppose same-sex marriage are white evangelical Protestants and Republicans. Majorities in All States Support Nondiscrimination Protections for LGBT People Approximately seven in 10 (69 percent) Americansincluding majorities in all 50 statesfavor laws protecting LGBT people from discrimination in jobs, public accommodations, and housing, virtually unchanged from 2017 levels (70 percent). Though support is highest in Northeastern (72 percent) and Western (72 percent) states, majorities in the Midwest (68 percent) and South (65 percent) are also supportive. Even in states with the lowest levels of support, such as South Carolina (58 percent) and Arkansas (56 percent), solid majorities support these policies. "The broad support for laws to protect LGBT people from discrimination represents a rarity in our polarized politics todayan issue that actually brings Americans together across partisan, religious, and geographic lines," notes PRRI CEO Robert P. Jones. The nationwide strength of support for nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people transcends age and religion. Three in four Americans ages 18-29 (76 percent) favor these protections, as do 59 percent of Americans ages 65 and over. Solid majorities of all major religious groups in the U.S. support laws protecting LGBT people from discrimination in housing, public accommodations, and the workplace. Among major religious groups, the strongest supporters of LGBT nondiscrimination protections are Unitarian Universalists (90 percent), Jews (80 percent), Hindus (79 percent), Buddhists (75 percent), and religiously unaffiliated Americans (78 percent). Even majorities of faith traditions that have been historically more opposed to LGBT rights support these protections. Fully seven in 10 Mormons (70 percent), along with 65 percent of black Protestants, 60 percent of Muslims, 54 percent of white evangelical Protestants, and 53 percent of Jehovah's Witnesses favor LGBT nondiscrimination laws. Majorities of Democrats (79 percent), independents (70 percent), and Republicans (56 percent) also favor such protections, though Republican support has slipped five percentage points over the last few years, down from 61 percent support in 2015. All Racial Groups, Most Religious Groups Oppose Allowing Businesses to Refuse Services to LGBT Customers A majority of Americans (57 percent) oppose allowing a small business owner in their state to refuse products or services to gay or lesbian people based on their religious beliefs. Opposition to religiously-based refusals to serve gay and lesbian people is slightly lower than support in 2017 (60 percent) and 2016 (61 percent) but consistent with support levels in 2015 (59 percent). Majorities of residents in 40 states believe small business owners in their state should not be allowed to refuse service to gay and lesbian people. While there are no states in which a majority support religiously-based refusals to serve gay or lesbian people, opposition falls short of a majority in 10 states: Arkansas (50 percent), Kansas (50 percent), Alabama (49 percent), Nevada (49 percent), Utah (49 percent), Louisiana (48 percent), Oklahoma (48 percent), Idaho (47 percent), Tennessee (47 percent). Alaska is the only state with plurality support for religiously-based service refusals (46 percent favor, 42 percent oppose). Younger Americans ages 18-29 (63 percent) are noticeably more likely than seniors over the age of 65 (52 percent) to oppose religiously-based refusals to serve gay or lesbian people. Americans of all racial and ethnic groups oppose religiously-based service refusals. Black (66 percent) and Hispanic (60 percent) Americans are most likely to oppose allowing businesses to refuse service to gay or lesbian people because of religious objections. White (54 percent) and Native Americans (52 percent) are least likely to oppose such service refusals, though a majority remain against them. Majorities of most major religious groups oppose religiously-based refusals to serve gay or lesbian people. The greatest opposition comes from Unitarian Universalists (83 percent), Jews (68 percent), religiously unaffiliated Americans (66 percent), Buddhists (66 percent) and Muslims (60 percent). White evangelical Protestants (55 percent) and Mormons (54 percent) are the only religious groups where a majority support allowing small business owners to refuse service to gay and lesbian customers if doing so violates their religious beliefs. Jehovah's Witnesses have no majority opinion: a plurality (43 percent) are opposed, while almost as many are in favor (39 percent); 18 percent offer no opinion. Opposition to religiously-based service refusals varies dramatically by political affiliation. Three-quarters of Democrats (75 percent) and a majority of independents (56 percent) oppose allowing businesses to refuse service to gay or lesbian people based on religious objections. Only 36 percent of Republicans oppose religiously-based refusals to serve gay or lesbian people, compared to nearly six in 10 (59 percent) who support such a policy. Conservative Republicans exhibit significantly more support for religiously-based service refusals (65 percent), compared to moderate (44 percent) and liberal (35 percent) Republicans. Support for Same-Sex Marriage Remains Widespread Support for same-sex marriage has continued growing since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 rule that established a constitutional right to marry for same-sex couples. More than six in 10 (62 percent) Americans now say gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to marry legally, while only about half as many (30 percent) are opposed. The increased support for same-sex marriage over the last decade has been dramatic: In 2007, over one in three (36 percent) Americans supported same-sex marriage, while 55 percent were opposed. Majority support for same-sex marriage extends across all regions of the nation. Residents of Northeastern (70 percent) and Western (67 percent) states are the strongest supporters of same-sex marriage. Robust majorities in the Midwest (60 percent) and South (56 percent) support it as well. Nearly eight in 10 (79 percent) young Americans (ages 18-29) support gay marriage, with only 16 percent opposed. Even among seniors (ages 65 and older), nearly half (49 percent) favor same-sex marriage today, compared to 43 percent who are opposed. Majorities of all racial and ethnic groups support same-sex marriage. The strongest levels of support come from Asian-Pacific Islander Americans (75 percent), Americans who identify with another race or as mixed race (68 percent), and Hispanic Americans (65 percent). But majorities of white (62 percent), black (56 percent), and Native Americans (55 percent) also support same-sex marriage. Most major religious groups in the U.S. now support same-sex marriage, including an overwhelming majority of religiously unaffiliated Americans (82 percent). White evangelical Protestants are the only major religious group in which a majority oppose same-sex marriage (31 percent favor, 60 percent oppose). Strong majorities of Democrats (77 percent) and independents (65 percent) favor same-sex marriage. While only four in 10 (41 percent) of Republicans currently favor same-sex marriage, support among Republicans has risen by 10 percentage points since 2011, when only 31 percent favored this policy. Methodology: The American Values Atlas (AVA) is a project of PRRI. The survey was designed and conducted by PRRI and was made possible by generous grants from The Nathan Cummings Foundation, The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, The Gill Foundation, The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, and the United Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock. Results for the nondiscrimination laws and religiously-based service refusal questions are based on a subset of 40,292 telephone interviews (including 24,149 cell phone interviews) conducted between March 14, 2018 and December 16, 2018. The margin of error for these questions is +/- 0.5 percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence. Results for the same-sex marriage question are based on a subset of 4,028 telephone interviews (including 2,413 cell phone interviews) conducted between March 14, 2018 and March 25, 2018 and between June 27, 2018 and July 8, 2018. The margin of error for the same-sex marriage question subsample is +/-1.5 percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence. About PRRI: PRRI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to conducting independent research at the intersection of religion, culture, and public policy. SOURCE PRRI OTTAWA, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Nordion (Canada) Inc., a Sotera Health Company, has signed an amendment to an existing agreement with Tong Xing (Beijing) Nuclear Technology Co. Ltd. (TXNTC), a subsidiary of China Isotope & Radiation Corporation (HK. 01763) to supply Nordion with Cobalt-60 produced in CANDU reactors in China. The amendment expands an existing supply relationship between Nordion and TXNTC that began in 2016, resulting in several shipments of Cobalt-60 to date, and will now allow for an increased amount of Cobalt-60 to be supplied in the future. The agreement also contains provisions for the extension of the term. "The combination of Tong Xing's high quality production capacity with Nordion's best in class regulatory and logistics expertise are critical to provide global customers access to previously landlocked Cobalt-60 from China," said Kevin Brooks, President of Nordion. "As our customers' demand for Cobalt-60 grows, we continue to expand our supply network and are committed to ensuring that the available supply grows along with it." Cobalt-60 is used to sterilize single-use medical devices, to reduce pathogens in food and other products, and to treat certain cancers. As the world's leading supplier of Cobalt-60, Nordion maintains the most geographically and technologically diverse supply network and plans to further diversify production in the future. About Nordion Nordion, a Sotera Health company, is a leading provider of medical gamma technologies used for the prevention and treatment of disease and infection. Nordion's products are used daily by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, medical-device manufacturers, hospitals, clinics and research laboratories. Nordion supplies products to more than 40 countries around the world, and is committed to their mission, Safeguarding Global Health with every critical isotope they supply. Learn more at www.nordion.com. SOURCE Nordion, a Sotera Health company Related Links www.nordion.com DENVER, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Northstar Commercial Partners announced the hiring of Tim Lorman as the company's new Chief Operations Officer. Northstar's Former Chief Operations Officer, Scott Gibler will now be the Chief Investment Officer. Mr. Lorman brings over 20 years of commercial real estate experience to Northstar, specifically focused on driving growth and managing teams. Prior to joining Northstar, Tim has served as a senior executive at CBRE, Colliers, Serco, TIAA-CREF, and Gensler. "We couldn't be more excited to have Tim join Northstar," stated Brian Watson, Chairman and CEO of Northstar Commercial Partners. "It's clear that Tim has the expertise and experience to drive significant growth while also promoting a positive company culture." As a part of this process, Northstar is pleased to announce that former Chief Operations Officer, Scott Gibler, has accepted a new role as the company's Chief Investment Officer. In this role, Scott will help vet all major property investment decisions for the company. "Scott has been a key decision maker for our organization since he started with us in 2016," continued Watson. "At Northstar, we love promoting our own employees, which is why I was thrilled to give Scott his new CIO title. I have no doubt that Scott's 20+ years of experience in commercial real estate investing will help us make even more calculated, objective decisions moving forward." Northstar specializes in buying vacant and value-add assets in both Colorado and throughout the United States, in order to help stabilize properties, and create jobs and opportunities for thousands of people. The company also develops and owns commercial real estate assets for companies and for its own account, and these consist of office, industrial, retail, medical, senior care, mixed-use, and data center facilities. Since Watson founded the company in 2000, Northstar has been responsible for closing more than 130 deals, and currently has 48 properties in 15 states under its investment, development, and management. The portfolio exceeds $1.3 billion of market value. To learn more about Northstar Commercial Partners, please visit: www.northstarcp.com Media Contact: Nick Pennebaker, [email protected] SOURCE Northstar Commercial Partners Related Links http://www.northstarcp.com VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Following on the heels of the launch of the revolutionary pain relief solution Comfort! comes Comfort Extra Strength!, combining THC-Free Cannabis with traditional herbal remedies to deliver a faster-acting, longer-lasting formula that targets specific pathways associated with intense occasional pain. Created by respected Naturopath and nutraceuticals product developer Brazos Minshew in collaboration with renowned wellness development company Vergence Naturals, Comfort Extra-Strength! will make its US and Canada debut in March 2019. Offering a unique combination of phytocannabinoids from THC-Free Cannabis and non-Cannabis sources, Comfort Extra-Strength! safely and effectively addresses occasional pain through its unique blend of five non-Cannabis plants that interact with Cannabis receptors in the brain and body without any THC side effects. For thousands of years plants have been used in medicine to reduce occasional pain. For example, Aspirin is derived from White Willow Bark, and morphine is derived from plants in the poppy species. Cannabinoids from THC-Free Cannabis have been used by progressive physicians to successfully treat occasional pain. Science has identified cannabinoids in many non-Cannabis plants, such as Hops, Turmeric and Cocoa that yield full functional health benefits. THC-Free Cannabis is recognized as a method to reduce both occasional physical and emotional discomfort by soothing CB-1 receptors in the brain and CB-2 receptors in the body. Reports on the ability of THC-Free Cannabis to soothe occasional emotional distress include: Preventing us from holding on to emotionally irrelevant memories. 1 Helping us respond to stress appropriately, especially the stress from the memories of injuries. 2 Reduces learned-fear stress response and enhancing stress extinction, both of which can result in a lasting reduction of learned emotional discomfort.3 Brazos Minshew and Vergence successfully combined THC-Free Cannabis with five phytocannabinoids to create Comfort Extra-Strength!, including: Turmeric phytocannabinoids and terpenes support a healthy inflammatory response without the side effects of THC. Curcumin from turmeric powerfully activates Cannabis receptors for relief of occasional pain. 4 Ginger phytocannabinoids and terpenes support a healthy COX-2 inflammatory response, balance leukotrienes and quiets certain genes associated with pain. 5 Kaempferia galanga phytocannabinoids and terpenes inhibit occasional pain from multiple pathways, including histamine-induced, serotonin-induced and bradykinin-induced models. 6 phytocannabinoids and terpenes inhibit occasional pain from multiple pathways, including histamine-induced, serotonin-induced and bradykinin-induced models. Frankincense phytocannabinoids and terpenes strongly inhibit occasional pain that arises from the nervous system itself (neuropathic pain). This is important because, over time, the brain pathways related to occasional pain tend to experience pain even when nothing is really wrong. 7 Red Pepper phytocannabinoids and terpenes harmonize and amplify the cannabinoids of other plants. Further, pain is often worsened by obesity and obesity, in turn, may produce sensitivity to pain. Red Pepper reduces the pain process that is directly associated with obesity.8 "I am excited to join with Vergence Naturals in the development and launch of Comfort Extra-Strength! uniquely blends phytocannabinoids from THC-Free Cannabis and non-Cannabis plant species to deliver safe and effective relief from occasional pain. We look forward to introducing this extraordinary remedy to adults throughout North America," said Minshew. "Brazos Minshew has worked tirelessly throughout his distinguished career in medicine to create herbal remedies focusing on endocannabinoid and phytocannabinoid science. Comfort Extra-Strength! is the result of his intense experience in this critically important area of wellness and we are proud to work together to introduce his latest achievement to the public," said Vergence Naturals CEO, Rob Abenante. Brazos Minshew has dedicated his professional life to the development of wellness technologies that promote health and prolong vitality. His cutting-edge work in bioscience has led to the creation of life-enhancing therapies and helped expand the knowledge and understanding of Functional Medicine. He ranks among the most respected product developers in the burgeoning field of nutraceuticals. Brazos Minshew graduated Hollywood College in 1981 with a degree in Naturopathy, from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1985 in Psychophysiology, from Brantridge Forrest School in 1987 as a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine and from Brantridge University in 1993 with a Master of Science degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. He has been in clinical practice for more than 35 years. Brazos Minshew has significant experience in creating formal and ad hoc Medical Advisory Boards and Scientific Panels in support of Wellness initiatives worldwide. As a media contributor, Dr. Minshew has prepared over 250 Weekly Wellness Reports for 320,000 subscribers, as well as more than 180 VitaJournal articles with circulations exceeding 450,000 and produced a series of audiobooks including the acclaimed Body Systems 101. At the same time, his collection of YouTube videos on Health and Wellness have achieved thousands of visitors. As a speaker, his travels have taken him across the US and Canada, Latin America, Europe and Asia, where he averages more than 60 speaking engagements each year. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2018 Feb;235(2):447-458. doi: 10.1007/s00213-017-4766-7. Epub 2017 Oct 24. Phytocannabinoids modulate emotional memory processing through interactions with the ventral hippocampus and mesolimbic dopamine system: implications for neuropsychiatric pathology. Hudson R1, Rushlow W1,2, Laviolette SR3,4. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2017 May;76(Pt A):56-66. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.12.033. The endocannabinoid system as a target for novel anxiolytic drugs. Patel S1, Hill MN2, Cheer JF3, Wotjak CT4, Holmes A5. Br J Pharmacol. 2017 Oct;174(19):3242-3256. doi: 10.1111/bph.13724. Epub 2017 Mar 9 . Cannabidiol regulation of emotion and emotional memory processing: relevance for treating anxiety-related and substance abuse disorders. Lee JLC1, Bertoglio LJ2, Guimaraes FS3, Stevenson CW4. Altern Med Rev. 2009 Jun;14(2):141-53. Anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin, a major constituent of Curcuma longa: a review of preclinical and clinical research. Jurenka JS1. https://www.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/treatments/natural/supplements-herbs/guide/ginger.php https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273636921_Antinociceptive-Kaempferia_galang https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5736925/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5442453/ CONTACT: Steve Syatt SSA Public Relations [email protected] / (818) 222-4000 SOURCE Vergence CLIFTON, N.J. and BOISE, Idaho, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- NuMSP, a leading national managed service provider (MSP) offering IT and cybersecurity solutions, announced its acquisition of the Boise, Idaho assets from Corporate Technologies. Corporate Technologies continues its operations in California, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, and New Jersey. "We are happy to reach an agreement with Corporate Technologies to buy the business in Boise," said Jim Griffith, CEO of NuMSP. "The Boise market is a vibrant, growing market for businesses, and NuMSP looks forward to delivering IT services to those businesses with the highest level of excellence." This acquisition is the ninth for NuMSP. The company is building a nationwide company with the scale and resources to deliver advanced IT services to SMBs that will rival incumbent solutions at Fortune 500 companies to meet the challenges SMBs face in leveraging their IT investments. "NuMSP was our first choice for an MSP committed to the SMB market when we decided to exit the market. We remain committed to our customers in our California, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, and New Jersey markets," said Elam Baer, CEO of Corporate Technologies. "Jim and his team at NuMSP will continue to take care of the Boise customers with the same level of care and service delivery we provide." Learn more at www.NuMSP.com and www.GoCorpTech.com. About NuMSP After years of providing IT services and security solutions for SMBs, NuMSP's leadership recognized the need to offer premium solutions in every U.S. state. The SMB market is responsible for most of the job and economic growth in the United States but this segment's ability to leverage technology has always been limited to in-house research capabilities and expertise or the reliance on an IT advisor, a role made more difficult given the advances in technology and proliferation of security threats. In response, NuMSP is creating a nationwide company with the scale and resources to deliver advanced IT services and security solutions that will rival the solutions leveraged by Fortune 500 companies. NuMSP is actively looking to enter new geographic areas and acquire MSPs in existing geographic markets. If you are interested in having your MSP join the NuMSP platform, please contact us at [email protected]. SOURCE NuMSP Related Links http://www.numsp.com KIGALI, Rwanda, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Online marketplaces such as Jumia, Souq, Uber, and Travelstart could create around 3 million new jobs by 2025 across Africa. These digital platforms, which match buyers and providers of goods and services, could also raise incomes and boost inclusive economic growth with minimal disruption to existing businesses and workforce norms. These are among the findings of a new report, titled How Online Marketplaces Can Power Employment in Africa, released today by Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Generating employment is an urgent priority across the continent. The African Development Bank estimates that one-third of the 420 million Africans age 15 through 35 were unemployed as of 2015. Around 58% of the new jobscreated directly, indirectly, and through the additional economic activity generated by online marketplaceswill be in the consumer goods sector, 18% will be in mobility services, and 9% in the travel and hospitality sector, according to the report. For online marketplaces to reach their full potential, however, the public and private sectors must work together to build the right digital environment from the outset, the report notes. Obstacles to industry expansion include underdeveloped infrastructure, a lack of regulatory clarity, and limited market access. For their part, African policymakers are concerned about issues such as data security and potential disruption to traditional business sectors. The Economic and Social Benefits of Online Marketplaces "Online marketplaces are a good illustration of how the digital revolution can create economic opportunity and improve social welfare in Africa," said Patrick Dupoux, a senior BCG partner who leads the firm's Africa business. "Because Africa currently lacks an efficient distribution infrastructure, online marketplaces could create millions of jobs." Concerns that growth in online marketplaces will merely cannibalize the sales of brick-and-mortar retailers are misplaced in the case of Africa, according to the report. There were only 15 stores per one million inhabitants in Africa in 2018, compared with 568 per million in Europe and 930 in the US. This extremely low penetration suggests that there's minimal risk that e-commerce will displace existing retailers and that much of the population is underserved. Nor are online marketplaces likely to disrupt labor-market norms by blurring the lines between employees and freelances. Unlike in developed economies, the vast majority of African workers are in the largely undocumented and unregulated informal sector. In Nigeria, for example, 71% of workers are self-employed and another 9% contribute labor as family members. The report also details the ways in which economic activity generated by online marketplaces boosts employment and incomes. These businesses create demand for personnel in new fields, such as platform development, as well as for merchants, marketers, craftspeople, drivers, logistics clerks, and hospitality staff. Some also offer skills-development programs and help small enterprises raise capital to expand their businesses. Online marketplaces also boost demand for goods and services in areas currently beyond the reach of conventional retail networks and bring new peoplesuch as women and youth who may be currently excluded from labor marketsinto the workforce. "While online marketplaces are often seen as disruptive forces in advanced economies, in Africa's less-structured economics they can be tremendous catalysts of economic development," said Lisa Livers a BCG partner and co-author of the report. The report recommends that the online marketplace community and African governments collaborate to address the challenges that hinder the online marketplaces' ability to grow. Both industry and government should take actions that foster a mutual understanding of both opportunities and concerns, strengthen trust through the sharing of resources, and build the right technological infrastructure and governance systems. "Fulfilling the tremendous promise of online marketplaces relies on the ability of the private and public sectors to come together to create the right digital environment that is designed from the outset to bring economic and social benefits for all," said Amane Dannouni, a BCG principal and co-author of the report. A copy of the report can be downloaded here. To schedule an interview with one of the authors, please contact Eric Gregoire at +1 617 850 3783 or [email protected]. About Boston Consulting Group Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global management consulting firm and the world's leading advisor on business strategy. We partner with clients from the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors in all regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their enterprises. Our customized approach combines deep insight into the dynamics of companies and markets with close collaboration at all levels of the client organization. This ensures that our clients achieve sustainable competitive advantage, build more capable organizations, and secure lasting results. Founded in 1963, BCG is a private company with offices in more than 90 cities in 50 countries. For more information, please visit bcg.com. About the Center for Customer Insight Boston Consulting Group's Center for Customer Insight (CCI) applies a unique, integrated approach that combines quantitative and qualitative consumer research with a deep understanding of business strategy and competitive dynamics. The center works closely with BCG's various practices to translate its insights into actionable strategies that lead to tangible economic impact for our clients. In the course of its work, the center has amassed a rich set of proprietary data on consumers from around the world, in both emerging and developed markets. The CCI is sponsored by BCG's Marketing, Sales & Pricing practice and Global Advantage practice. For more information, please visit https://www.bcg.com/capabilities/marketing-sales/center-customer-insight/default.aspx. SOURCE Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Related Links www.bcg.com SAN FRANCISCO, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- LF Networking (LFN), which facilitates collaboration and operational excellence across networking projects, today announced OpenDaylight (ODL), the most pervasive open source Software Defined Networking (SDN) controller, celebrates its sixth anniversary with the release of OpenDaylight Neon. The Linux Foundation's first networking project and now part of LFN, OpenDaylight was founded in 2013 as an open source framework to accelerate adoption, foster innovation, and create a more open and transparent approach to SDN. Today, ODL has become the most pervasive open source SDN controller that helps power over 1B global network subscribers. Its 10th release, OpenDaylight Neon , demonstrates industry commitment to fostering an open, scalable and interoperable networking solution and supporting ecosystem of developers, integrators, and users. "This has been possible in large part due to the modular and extensible software architecture which makes it possible to use OpenDaylight in a variety of use cases," said Abhijit Kumbhare, OpenDaylight Technical Steering Committee chair. "Neon speaks to OpenDaylight's longevity as well as its integration with other projects like Kubernetes, ONAP, OPNFV, and OpenStack," said Phil Robb, vice president, Operations, Networking, and Orchestration, the Linux Foundation. "I am continually impressed by the community's cohesiveness in delivering platform releases with updates and features that enhance evolving SDN use cases." Most Pervasive Open Source SDN Controller Scope, diversity and deployments: In just six years, OpenDaylight has delivered 10 releases with the help of 1000+ authors/submitters who contributed 100K+ commits, across dozens of unique organizations. Additionally, ODL-based solutions help power over 1B global network subscribers. In just six years, OpenDaylight has delivered 10 releases with the help of 1000+ authors/submitters who contributed 100K+ commits, across dozens of unique organizations. Additionally, ODL-based solutions help power over global network subscribers. Support from top vendors, end users: Over time, ODL community contributions have moved from a select group of initial creators to a diverse set of global users and vendors, all building and leveraging solutions based on ODL today. Over time, ODL community contributions have moved from a select group of initial creators to a diverse set of global users and vendors, all building and leveraging solutions based on ODL today. In-demand upstream: As a robust open source SDN controller, ODL continues to be sought-after by key downstream projects across layers of the network stack, including Akraino Edge Stack, Kubernetes, OpenStack, ONAP, OPNFV, and more. More industry partners continue to deploy the ODL platform and realize the power of open SDN/NFV. Recent examples include: Coweaver , one of the largest optical network system makers in South Korea , used ODL to build its Network Management Service (NMS), which is leveraged by South Korean and global vendors. , one of the largest optical network system makers in , used ODL to build its Network Management Service (NMS), which is leveraged by South Korean and global vendors. FRINX's UniConfig, now powered by PANTHEON.tech's lighty.io, is based on OpenDaylight and enables vendors to build and deploy applications faster. UniConfig, by PANTHEON.tech's lighty.io, is based on OpenDaylight and enables vendors to build and deploy applications faster. Inspur 's OpenDaylight-based SDN controller is used to manage virtual and physical devices for both enterprise and government cloud environments in China . 's OpenDaylight-based SDN controller is used to manage virtual and physical devices for both enterprise and government cloud environments in . Partnership between NoviFlow and Lumina Networks , a provider of OpenDaylight-based SDN Controller solutions, who together are using OpenDaylight as part of a solution to create and deliver an intent-based Terabit-scale network that reduces costs and network complexity. , a provider of OpenDaylight-based SDN Controller solutions, who together are using OpenDaylight as part of a solution to create and deliver an intent-based Terabit-scale network that reduces costs and network complexity. Lumina Networks also just announced Lumina Extension & Adaptation Platform, LEAP, which is a platform that extends the benefits of OpenDaylight to legacy devices as well as advanced model-to-model translation, and a cloud native app (or MicroServices) dev environment. also just announced Lumina Extension & Adaptation Platform, LEAP, which is a platform that extends the benefits of OpenDaylight to legacy devices as well as advanced model-to-model translation, and a cloud native app (or MicroServices) dev environment. Telecom Argentina has chosen OpenDaylight for a wide range of use cases, including the enablement of CDN traffic optimization capability that improves customer experience and reduces data transport costs. for a wide range of use cases, including the enablement of CDN traffic optimization capability that improves customer experience and reduces data transport costs. Integration with other open source communities continues to grow, including collaborations with OpenStack, Kubernetes, OPNFV, and ONAP. ONAP is using OpenDaylight in its APP-C, SDN-C, and SDN-R projects for use cases like 5G and CCVPN. Meanwhile, SDN adopters1 including AT&T , CableLabs , China Mobile , Ericsson, Globo.com , Orange, Tencent , Verizon , and more continue to leverage OpenDaylight within their networks and solutions. More details on OpenDaylight user stories are available here. OpenDaylight Neon brings best-in-class functionality for key SDN use cases Neon includes updated features important to networking use cases, such as optical transport networking, WAN connectivity and routing, as well as virtual networking in cloud and edge environments. Neon also features new stability and scalability enhancements, and cements the project's leadership in working with other open source communities to expedite next-generation networking solutions. Specific enhancements include: Cloud/Edge Network Virtualization features have been hardened with the Neon release to further enhance the suitability of OpenDaylight in production networks. features have been hardened with the Neon release to further enhance the suitability of OpenDaylight in production networks. Optical Transport Infrastructure Control now offers new features that ensure interoperability with higher level controllers using an open northbound API. now offers new features that ensure interoperability with higher level controllers using an open northbound API. WAN Connectivity: Building on Fluorine's mature BGP stack, Neon brings enhancements that improve error reporting, restarts and network stability. Building on Fluorine's mature BGP stack, Neon brings enhancements that improve error reporting, restarts and network stability. Improved Stability and Reliability: Neon includes improvements in stability and scale, in addition to functional enhancements and bug fixes. OpenDaylight continues to undergo infrastructure enhancements making it easier for vendors and downstream open source projects to rapidly put-together and deploy OpenDaylight-dependent products and platforms. More details on OpenDaylight Neon are available here: https://www.opendaylight.org/what-we-do/current-release/neon Looking Ahead In conjunction with the Open Networking Summit (ONS) April 3-5 in San Jose, Calif., OpenDaylight will host a Developer Forum, April 1-2, 2019, for its next release, "Sodium." More details are available here: https://wiki.opendaylight.org/view/Events:Sodium_Dev_Forum . There will also be a demo of OpenDaylight's integration with Network Service Mesh in the LFN Booth at ONS. ONAP Dublin, slated for mid-2019, will include the OpenDaylight Fluorine release to support the SDN-C and APP-C modules. Ongoing Support for OpenDaylight AT&T "We are pleased to congratulate OpenDaylight on its sixth birthday," said Brian Freeman, Distinguished Member Technical Staff, AT&T Labs. "AT&T has been using OpenDaylight since Hydrogen, with production deployments since Helium in 2015. Today, we have global deployments with L3 applications using BGPCEP and NETCONF. Our deployments span control of L0 OpenROADM devices to L7 Mobility PNFs and VNFs. Needless to say, we look forward to test-driving Neon and deploying it to production." Cisco "OpenDaylight has massively evolved in its six short years and I'm incredibly proud to have been part of the community from the beginning," said Dave Ward, XXX, Cisco. "With a large, sustainable community showing strong collaboration across a diverse set of developers, vendors, and end users, it's become the de facto open source SDN controller for the industry. It's great to see how many other hugely impactful OSS projects are using ODL at their core. I'm very excited to watch its evolution into the future. Happy Birthday ODL!" Ericsson "Congratulations to the OpenDaylight community on both the Neon release, and the longevity that its sixth anniversary represents," said Eric Ericsson, Head of Solution line NFVi, Ericsson. "Ericsson continues actively to upstream to the OpenDaylight community and to use the ODL open source software in our commercial NFVi solutions, that enable telecom operators evolved to 5G and to be more productive and lower OPEX and CAPEX expenditures. This includes solutions for onboarding cloud based services, as well as offering intra and inter cloud network automation, multi tenancy and other advanced networking use cases. Ericsson has so far deployed ODL software to more than 50 service providers worldwide". INSPUR "Warm congratulations to the OpenDaylight community on the release of Neon and project's sixth anniversary," said Max Zhang, CTO, Inspur Cloud Service Group. "Inspur's Cloud Engine SDN Controller 2.0, based on OpenDaylight Nitrogen SR2 release, has been deployed in both government and enterprise clouds environments. It helps our customers to deploy businesses quickly and flexibly, automate network management, and significantly reduce the cost of operation and maintenance. Future Inspur Cloud Engine SDN Controller releases will continue to use the newest and most stable OpenDaylight release to provide even more features for our customers." Lumina Networks "The digital transformation OpenDaylight was built to support, isn't easy," said Andrew Coward, CEO of Lumina Networks. "But in six years, this impressive effort of community innovation has managed to start returning network control and service innovation to the Service Providers. It's an honor to contribute to our shared goals and continue to reach these release milestones." Red Hat "The OpenDaylight project started a little more than six years ago with an ambitious set of goals, creating a community from scratch to build an evolving, flexible and open source software-defined networking platform," said Chris Wright, CTO, Red Hat. "Over those six years, we've seen the power of community-driven innovation take OpenDaylight from an aspiration to a thriving open source ecosystem of SDN developers and users. Congratulations to the ODL community on their continued success with the launch of the Neon release." About The Linux Foundation Founded in 2000, the Linux Foundation is supported by more than 1,000 members and is the world's leading home for collaboration on open source software, open standards, open data, and open hardware. Linux Foundation's projects are critical to the world's infrastructure including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, and more. The Linux Foundation's methodology focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org. 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 Jill Lovato The Linux Foundation [email protected] 1 Based on publicly-available information SOURCE LF Networking OPPO's 10x Hybrid Zoom is a new technology created by OPPO with a triple-lens camera structure consisting of a telephoto lens, a 120-degree ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 48MP main camera. To provide further value to users, OPPO will also introduce Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) on both the main camera and the telephoto lens to achieve higher, anti-shake accuracy that brings people closer to the world around them so that they never miss the unmissable. With all the three lenses, the OPPO technology can cover broad focal lengths of 16 mm-160 mm, which make up the 10x Hybrid Zoom. The global smartphone maker has tasted much success in the last few years, in large part due to its focus on smartphone camera innovation. It was the first to usher in the era of selfie beautification, and while the trend was eventually copied by other brands, OPPO still retains its crown as the leader in this domain. This is seen in technologies such as the AI Beauty Camera, which features on a number of OPPO flagships and lets users decide what goes into the making of a perfect shot, including face slimming, makeup, and six other fully-configurable modes as well as a live preview option. The company was also the first in the world to release a 13-megapixel camera smartphone, introduced the world's first smartphone with a rotating camera, and revolutionized the world of smartphones with the world's first stealth 3D cameras in its OPPO Find X phone. For more details of OPPO's 10x Hybrid Zoom technology, please check this video: https://youtu.be/9raEfOlN2A0 About OPPO OPPO is a leading global smartphone brand, dedicated to providing products infused with art and innovative technology. Based on the brand elements of young, trend-setting and beauty, OPPO brings consumers delighted experience of digital life. For the last 10 years, OPPO has been focusing on manufacturing camera phones, while innovating mobile photography technology breakthroughs. OPPO started the era of Selfie beautification, and was the first brand to launch smartphones with 5MP and 16MP front cameras. OPPO was also the first brand to introduce the motorized rotating camera, the Ultra HD feature and the 5x Dual Camera Zoom technology. OPPO's Selfie Expert F series launched in 2016 drove a Selfie trend in the smartphone industry. Today OPPO's business covers 40 countries and regions, and has 6 research centers worldwide, providing excellent smartphone photography experience to more and more young people around the world. About OPPO MEA In 2015, OPPO entered the Egyptian market. In 2016, OPPO set up its Middle East & Africa Sales Center in Cairo. The markets OPPO has entered in the Middle East and Africa include: Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kenya and Nigeria. OPPO set up its factory in Algeria in 2017, which made OPPO the first Chinese brand setting up factory in North Africa. Now, the factory goes into production. Based on the insights of local consumers in each country, OPPO MEA has started the progress of localization. And the localization includes all the perspectives towards each market product localization, to further meet the core needs of users; marketing localization, to better communicate with local young customers; and team localization, to know our local consumers further and provide better service to the consumers. Within the last year, OPPO has started to adjust its product line in the Middle East region specifically. This has included the launch of its flagship OPPO Find X smartphone and the introduction of the OPPO R Series. OPPO will continue to evolve its local product line to offer more premium series to young consumers in the region. SOURCE OPPO Leading Cannabis Brand in California and Oregon Lists on the Public Markets COSTA MESA. Calif., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Orchid Ventures, Inc. ("Orchid"), with its award-winning cannabis brand Orchid Essentials, initiated trading on the CSE under the ticker ORCD on March 18, 2019. This is yet another milestone for the fast-growing Cannabis brand that became a top-selling brand the first year it entered the Oregon market and has plans to meet those same goals in California this year. Orchid was co-founded by Corey Mangold, a serial entrepreneur that has founded multiple successful ventures, and built and marketed brands of products sold around the world, and Rene Suarez, an entrepreneur with a proven track record of developing products that the consumer is looking for in the market. Both Corey and Rene are California natives. "The public listing of our shares signifies an important milestone for our company as we seek to expand our footprint in our current markets of California, Oregon and beyond," says Corey Mangold CEO and Co-Founder of Orchid Essentials. "We are also gratified to offer our loyal customers and the public access to our shares alongside our longtime early investors." "Since day one, Corey and I set out to build a company focused on premium quality, calculated expansion and a strong brand," says Rene Suarez, President and Co-Founder of Orchid Essentials. "Finding the right partners has been critical in our growth in this emerging market. Our listing on the CSE is a big step towards reaching our goal, and, establishing Orchid as a leading cannabis company across global markets. Keep watching as there is so much more coming from our team in the near future." As the CEO of Orchid, Corey brings 20 years of start-up experience and a knack for developing successful companies. Corey is also the principal and co-founder of Gigasavvy, a leading southern California creative marketing agency. He's established a thriving agency that has launched and managed campaigns for Toshiba, Knott's Berry Farm, Johnny Rockets, Hi-Chew Candy, Tenet Healthcare and Northgate Markets to name a few. Corey has also worked tirelessly to create a thriving culture at Gigasavvy that has been recognized, 4 out of the last 5 years, as a "Top 10 Places" to work in Orange County. As the President of Orchid and former CSO/Partner at Space Jam, a leader in the nicotine/vape juice industry, Rene Suarez brings years of experience in supply chain operations and sales management and has a keen eye for accounting and statistics. At the beginning of his tenure with Space Jam, the company was generating $80k/mo. Through Rene's vision and strategic execution, sales grew rapidly over $1.6MM/mo in less than 6 months. Rene was ultimately responsible for driving over $15MM in sales revenue in 2014 which catapulted Space Jam towards becoming an industry leader. As validation for the brand and the management team, Orchid was able to attract Tom Soto and Robert MacDonald, sophisticated and experienced political and financial influencers, to its Board of Directors. Tom Soto is the Chairman of the Board for Orchid, and a long-time investor in the impact sector. His leadership, voice and investments range from Fintech, to electric vehicle technology and policy, to political process, regulatory frameworks and more. His presence in the impact sector as an investor and opinion leader over the past twenty years has been substantial, creating tectonic shifts in policy and in the lives of millions of people who now benet from improved health policies. Mr. Soto was also an appointee of President Bill Clinton to the State Department's Border Environmental Cooperation Commission which oversaw the $2.5b North American Development Bank's activities. In addition, he was President Barack Obama's Co-lead of the Executive Oce of the President's Transition Team for The White House Council on Environmental Quality from November of '08 to January of '09. Robert MacDonald is the Chair of the Audit Committee for Orchid and, an influential, trusted advisor with deep Board and corporate governance expertise in energy, clean technology, banking, and manufacturing industries. He has had success in raising billions of dollars in capital to catapult startups and growth companies into thriving, profitable entities. Mr. MacDonald has served on 23 Board of Directors for 16 private and 7 public companies and has raised over $8 billion in funds over his extensive career. His experience varies from co-founding and leading the development of one of the country's first fully integrated independent power production companies to helping create two of the largest municipal joint action agencies in California. Within two years of formation, Orchid has secured distribution in over 250 locations and offers 12 SKUS with many more in development. Orchid has plans to expand into new markets in the US and globally. Orchid is in the process of securing licensing to gain more control of its supply chain and plans to launch its first phase of its CBD line next month. About CSE The Canadian Securities Exchange, or CSE, is operated by CNSX Markets Inc. Recognized as a stock exchange in 2004, the CSE began operations in 2003 to provide a modern and efficient alternative for companies looking to access the Canadian public capital markets. About Orchid Essentials Orchid is an award-winning cannabis brand with THC and CBD product lines currently sold in 250+ dispensaries across California and Oregon. Orchid plans to expand its brand into new markets such as Nevada, New York, Puerto Rico, Canada and other global markets. With a continued focus on brand and intellectual property development, Orchid will execute strategic acquisitions to solidify an integrated cannabis manufacturing and distribution infrastructure with the goal of becoming a dominant premium cannabis brand in the United States. Orchid's management brings significant branding, product development, manufacturing, and distribution experience with a proven track record of scaling revenues, building value generating partnerships, and creating enterprise value. THIS PRESS RELEASE, REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE CANADIAN LAWS, IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN. Contact: Rosie Mattio, [email protected] SOURCE Orchid Ventures, Inc. NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of financial markets for 10,000 U.S. and global securities, announced today that NanoXplore Inc. ("NanoXplore"; TSX-V: GRA; OTCQX: NNXPF), a graphene company, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. NanoXplore upgraded to OTCQX from the Pink market. NanoXplore begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbol "NNXPF." U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com. "We are pleased to welcome NanoXplore to the OTCQX Best Market," said Jason Paltrowitz, EVP of Corporate Services at OTC Markets Group. "OTCQX companies must meet high financial standards, demonstrate compliance with U.S. securities laws, and have a professional third-party sponsor introduction. Upgrading to the OTCQX Market from the Pink Market is an important milestone for international issuers, and we look forward to supporting NanoXplore as the company seeks to build visibility among U.S. investors." "We are delighted to have achieved this very important milestone. Trading on OTCQX will allow for more transparency and liquidity to our current U.S. shareholders," said Soroush Nazarpour, CEO and Founder of NanoXplore. "As a leader in graphene technology, NanoXplore has a patented process in graphene production that provides a cost-effective solution for high-volume applications. The OTCQX Market will provide a platform to attract a broader U.S investor base as we continually achieve our objectives and position ourselves as one of the largest graphene producers in the world." J.P. Galda & Co. acted as the company's OTCQX sponsor. About NanoXplore NanoXplore is a graphene company, a manufacturer and supplier of high-volume graphene powder for use in industrial markets. The company provides standard and custom graphene-enhanced plastic and composite products to various customers in transportation, packaging, electronics, and other industrial sectors. NanoXplore is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, with nearly 400 employees supporting manufacturing facilities across Canada, the U.S., and Switzerland. About OTC Markets Group Inc. OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market and the Pink Open Market for 10,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN, we connect a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. We enable investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empower companies to improve the quality of information available for investors. To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com. OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN are SEC regulated ATSs, operated by OTC Link LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Subscribe to the OTC Markets RSS Feed Media Contact: OTC Markets Group Inc., +1 (212) 896-4428, [email protected] SOURCE OTC Markets Group Inc. Related Links http://www.otcmarkets.com WARREN, Mich., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Art Van Furniture customers are invited to roll out of bed, grab their blankies and head to the retailer's Midwest showrooms and Art Van PureSleep freestanding stores wearing their comfiest sleepwear to shop for a new mattress on Saturday, March 30 and Sunday, March 31. Pajama-clad guests will be treated to complimentary coffee and breakfast in bed while enjoying a fun Art Van PureSleep shopping experience. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 30 and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 31 at Art Van Furniture stores and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 30 and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 31 at Art Van PureSleep stores. Free pillows will be given away while supplies last to customers who take a rest test wearing their favorite slippers, robes and jammies at the Midwest's No. 1 furniture and mattress retailer's Michigan, Chicagoland, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri and Iowa showrooms. Art Van PureSleep shoppers in search of a great night's sleep can be fit to the right mattress for their body using advanced technology. They will be educated by Art Van PureSleep experts on the physical and emotional benefits of quality sleep as well as different adjustable powerbases, pillows, sheets, protectors and sleep accessories to keep them cool, healthy and comfortable all night. Art Van PureSleep carries today's most trusted brands in the sleep industry, including Sealy, Beautyrest, Stearns & Foster, Tempur-Pedic, Serta, iComfort, Sleep to Live, Reverie, Bedgear Performance Bedding, and Detroit Mattress Co. For additional information, visit artvan.com. About Art Van Furniture, LLC. At Van Furniture, LLC is the Midwest's No. 1 furniture and mattress retailer with 189 stores in nine states operating under the following brands; Art Van Furniture, Art Van PureSleep, Scott Shuptrine Interiors, Levin Furniture, Levin Mattress, Wolf Furniture and Gardiner Wolf Furniture. Founded in 1959, the company is headquartered in Warren, Mich. Art Van Furniture owned by Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. of Boston. Visit artvan.com for more information. SOURCE Art Van Furniture Related Links http://www.artvan.com ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Plug and Play, the largest global innovation platform, and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the leading international financial centre based in Abu Dhabi, have kicked off their second fintech accelerator and innovation program in the Middle East. Currently, they are partnered with BNP Paribas, Boubyan Bank, Finablr Group, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), and Riyad Bank. These corporate partners are part of Plug and Play's global ecosystem, amongst more than 80 financial institutions across Silicon Valley, New York, Tokyo, Paris, and Frankfurt. "After the tremendous success of our first fintech accelerator batch last year, we are incredibly excited and motivated to continue bringing value to the financial services sector in the GCC. The local and international startups participating in this upcoming batch will continue to provide value to key financial institutions in the region, and we look forward to cultivating impactful engagements with our corporate partners," said Omeed Mehrinfar, Managing Partner, EMEA at Plug and Play. The nine fintech startups that have been selected to participate in Plug and Play ADGM's three-month accelerator will have the opportunity to work alongside the financial institutions for a possibility to execute POC or pilot projects. There is no cost for the startups to be in the program and they will remain part of the ecosystem post-graduation. The Plug and Play ADGM accelerator program will begin on March 26th, 2019 with the selected startups residing at ADGM's co-working space in Abu Dhabi. The selected fintech startups are as follows: API Fortress: API Fortress is a versatile testing platform for any company that relies on application programming interfaces (APIs). It creates and automates functional tests, virtualizes APIs, and performs load tests. It also saves time with automated test generation, collaborates with an intuitive interface, and validates deployments to identify problems before your customers or partners. Cygnetise: Cygnetise is a digital platform built to help organizations maintain and distribute their authorized signatory lists (ASL) in a more secure, efficient and auditable manner. Utilizing blockchain technology, the platform alleviates the pain associated with managing ASLs through its intuitive peer to peer network. Cyr3con: Cyr3con uses artificial intelligence and dark web information to provide proactive cyber threat intel. A robust API enables multiple next-generation prediction applications. Predictive patching and prediction of specific cyber attacks are two such use cases. Cyr3con also supports current darkweb use-cases through advanced search (i.e. brand protection, leaked data search). IDNow: IDNow is the world's fastest, most flexible and most secure identity verification platform. Designed to meet specific needs, the platform offers complete flexibility across a wide range of KYC services, from fully automated to agent-assisted solutions. Using a combination of artificial intelligence, facial recognition and machine learning, it delivers instant verification of the identity documents used by seven billion people. Labiba: Labiba is an artificial intelligence and robotic process automation company specialized in building virtual agents. These virtual agents can emulate human actions in executing business processes and interacting with customers. Merit Incentives: Merit Incentives provides gifts, rewards and engagement strategies using innovative technologies. This includes gift registry, gift cards, merchandises, and employee & customer rewards with over 400 retailers and service providers across 10 countries in the MENA region. Narrativa: Narrativa was founded with the mission of making the world's data understandable. Narrativa transforms data into natural language through artificial intelligence. So far they have enjoyed important success in the media and e-commerce sectors and are expanding into financial services. Silot: Silot empowers banks with a fast and scalable artificial intelligence platform. Their technology helps banks by integrating siloed systems onto the Silot Banking Platform, and transforming data into knowledge and actionable insights across various use cases, enabling banks to better serve their retail and business customers. Token: Token provides software to banks enabling them to support open APIs, as well as software to developers enabling them to use a single API to access thousands of banks. Token provides the tools to deliver best-in-class data access and payments use cases, and better open banking propositions. If you are a financial institution looking to work with innovative fintechs disrupting the industry, or a startup enabling the advancement of the financial sector in the MENA region, get in touch today to learn about our programs: [email protected] . About Plug and Play Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 30 locations globally giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 6,000 startups and 280 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. We provide active investments with 200 leading Silicon Valley VCs, and host more than 700 networking events per year. Companies in our community have raised over $7 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club, and PayPal. For more information, visit www.plugandplaytechcenter.com About Abu Dhabi Global Market Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), an international financial centre (IFC) located in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, opened for business on 21 October 2015. Established by a UAE Federal Decree as a broad-based financial centre, ADGM augments Abu Dhabi's position as a global hub for business and finance and serves as a strategic link between the growing economies of the Middle East, Africa and South Asia and the rest of the world. ADGM's strategy is anchored by Abu Dhabi's key strengths including private banking, wealth management, asset management and financial innovation. Comprising three independent authorities: ADGM Courts, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority and the Registration Authority, ADGM as an IFC governs Al Maryah Island which is a designated financial free zone. It enables registered financial institutions, companies and entities to operate, innovate and succeed within an international regulatory framework based on Common Law. Since its inception, ADGM has been awarded the "Financial Centre of the Year (MENA)" for three consecutive years for its initiatives and contributions to the financial and capital markets industry in the region.* For more details of ADGM, please visit www.adgm.com or follow us on Twitter : @adglobalmarket and Linkedin : ADGM * Source : The Global Investor Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Awards SOURCE Plug and Play Related Links http://plugandplaytechcenter.com CHICAGO, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Did last year's Pride celebrations give you FOMO? With April acting as the unofficial kick off to Pride season, recognized annually and internationally throughout June, now is the perfect time to start planning a trip around the upcoming 2019 Pride festivities. Travelers planning a trip to celebrated Pride destinations including Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., San Francisco and New York City can browse hotels, booking tips and itineraries using the new Orbitz Pride Travel Guide launching April 1 at Orbitz.com/Pride. According to recent data from Orbitz, a long proponent of LGBTQ+ travel and the first online travel company to launch a microsite dedicated to gay and lesbian travel more than a decade ago, hotel searches for Pride weekends have already increased by more than double digits when compared to 2018, along with a significant increase in flight searches and Pride package considerations. In fact, when asked directly in an online survey, 79 percent of LGBTQ travelers plan to attend this year's Pride events with a group. Hotels (57 percent) and car shares (54 percent) are the travel accommodations most likely to be booked for Pride celebrations in 2019. 1 "More travelers than ever before will be celebrating love and equality in some of the most gay-friendly cities across the country this year," said Carey Malloy, Director of Brand Marketing for Orbitz Brand. "With this being a milestone year for Pride, our message to travelers is now is the time to plan your trip while accommodations are in high demand." Pride Travelers are OUT in the World From east to west, LGBTQ travelers have visited a range of gay-friendly cities throughout the United States, with San Francisco (13 percent), New York (11 percent) and Chicago (10 percent) ranking as the top three destinations based on a recent survey by Orbitz. Nearly half of respondents confirmed they plan to travel between five and 50 miles for a Pride event in 2019, and 42 percent plan to travel more than 50 miles. Three in four (74 percent) of LGBTQ travelers also said that knowing whether a destination is Pride-friendly impacts their decision on where to travel. Based on hotel inventory in key Pride-friendly destinations, recent flight prices and travel searches, the top 10 cities to celebrate 2019 Pride according to Orbitz are: Provincetown, Mass. St. Petersburg, Fla. Atlanta, Ga. Long Beach, Calif. New York City , N.Y. Minneapolis, Minn. Columbus, Ohio Miami, Fla. Houston, Texas San Francisco, Calif. "My summers in Provincetown are always the highlight of my year, so naturally I love that P-Town is ranked as the number one Pride-friendly place to travel!" said Miss Richfield 1981, a well-known drag personality for Orbitz. "It is such a joy to see Pride celebrations spreading throughout the United States and internationally; I encourage my fans and queer community to get out and plan a weekend getaway to celebrate Pride with friends, loved ones and fellow LGBTQ travelers." Celebrity Shout-OUT Known as a true LGBT icon, it is no surprise that Ellen DeGeneres topped the list of celebrities that travelers would most like to attend Pride with (31 percent), followed by Lady Gaga (24 percent) and the cast of Netflix's Queer Eye and the Obamas tied for third (both 15 percent). When asked who they would like to see as Grand Marshall of this year's Pride Parade, Ellen DeGeneres, Ru Paul, Barack Obama and Janelle Monae were the top picks from nearly half of respondents (47 percent). Can't Put a Price on Pride A shocking 80 percent of LGBTQ travelers said they would sacrifice their cell phone and break the "pics or it didn't happen" rule of Instagram during Pride celebrations in exchange for free parade tickets, meals and hotel accommodations for the weekend. Additionally, while one-in-three travelers (30 percent) say they are looking to spend less than $100 on Pride travel and accommodations, 67 percent of Orbitz's respondents claim experience is the most important consideration when traveling for Pride. Anchorage Pride Meets Miami Beach Pride In addition to being one of the top 10 destinations to celebrate Pride based on Orbitz data and recent search demand, Miami Beach is known as an award-winning LGBTQ destination and rightfully kicks off Pride season from April 1-7, 2019. To continue its strong support of LGBTQ+ travel, Orbitz is sending a small delegation from Alaska to the upcoming Miami Beach Pride Week and Parade. The group of four Anchorage Pride members will travel 5,000 miles together, trading the Alaska snow for sand, to embrace Miami's city-wide Pride festivities and gay-friendly accommodations first-hand. Orbitz is sponsoring the Anchorage Pride group to reward and recognize them for the positive impact they have had on their local LGBTQ community, while also connecting with people who share their same passion and Pride, despite the vastly different destinations. To further spotlight the 2019 Pride celebration, Orbitz will be changing its logo to the rainbow "O" for the month of June. LGBTQ travelers and supporters are encouraged to follow Orbitz on Instagram (@Orbitz) to check out photos, videos and live moments from the Anchorage Pride group's first-time experience at Miami Beach Pride. To book your hotel and LGBTQ-friendly travel accommodations for 2019 Pride, visit www.Orbitz.com today. Highlights from Orbitz's Pride-Friendly Travel Survey: Social media (82 percent) and feedback from friends, family and peers (69 percent) are the main sources from which LGBTQ travelers are most likely to hear about Pride events Nearly three in four (74 percent) Pride travelers say knowing whether or not a place is LGBTQ+ friendly impacts their decision to travel there 67 percent of LGBTQ travelers say the experience is the most important consideration when traveling for Pride; while 17 percent say its location and 10 percent are most cognizant of price LGBTQ travelers are looking for the best Pride discounts and deals; nearly one in three (30 percent) are looking to spend less than $100 on travel and accommodations on travel and accommodations Hotels (57 percent) and ride or car shares (54 percent) are the travel accommodations most likely to be booked for 2019 Pride events 80 percent of LGBTQ travelers would forgo their cell phone during Pride in exchange for free tickets, meals and hotel accommodations for the weekend From their experience, the most Pride-friendly cities LGBTQ travelers have visited include San Francisco (13 percent), New York City (11 percent) and Chicago (10 percent) (13 percent), (11 percent) and (10 percent) Nearly half of LGBTQ travelers (47 percent) will travel between five and 50 miles for a Pride event in 2019, and 42 percent will travel more than 50 miles Pride travelers are split on where to sit; more than half (53 percent) would rather get front row at the Pride parade while 47 percent would rather travel first class for Pride According to LGBTQ travelers, the top U.S. destinations for celebrating Pride include Boston , Miami , San Francisco , New York City and Los Angeles , , , and Approximately 79 percent of Pride travelers are planning to attend this year's events with a group, with most wanting to attend with their best friend (81 percent) Nearly half (47 percent) of LGBTQ travelers expressed that their ex is the companion they would least want to go with to Pride More than 30 percent of LGBTQ travelers say Ellen DeGeneres is the celebrity they would most like to travel with for Pride; 24 percent would prefer to travel with Lady Gaga and 15 percent would like to travel with the cast from Queer Eye or the Obamas For more information: Mel Dohmen Sr. Manager, Brand Marketing Orbitz Press Office Coyne PR on behalf of Orbitz: Laurel Mundth Account Supervisor [email protected] 973-588-2000 1This report is based on Orbitz search and historical booking data from 2017 to 2018, as well as a survey conducted among 300 U.S. adults ages 18-44 fielded between March 11 and March 15, 2019. In addition, supplemental data was incorporated from Orbitz pricing and demand information based on historical averages for flights and hotels booked during Pride event dates during 2017 and 2018, as well as travel intent based in search information collected during Pride event dates from 2018 to 2019. SOURCE Orbitz Related Links http://www.Orbitz.com WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- It is not easy being human. That's one of the conclusions reached by Katherine Kelly, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., after nearly 30 years of clinical practice in psychological, medical and holistic health. With that in mind, Kelly has created 11 Soul Health Essential Oils that she says treat deep-rooted mental, emotional and spiritual issues and pair well with her new book, Soul Health: Aligning with Spirit for Radiant Living. Katherine Kelly Pictured are the 11 Soul Health Essential Oils created by Katherine Kelly, Ph.D., M.S.P.H. Sold individually or as a set, the products are made with 100 percent organic Jojoba oil, which closely mimics oils produced by human skin and hair. Only non-GMO and mostly organic oils are used in Soul Health Essential Oils which have all been approved by a certified aromatherapist. This oil set includes: Soul-Centered: Made with palo santo, spruce, citrus, and lavender, it is the signature oil in the collection. Soul-Centered is designed to ground, relax, and focus users for radiant living. Evolve-Ease: Made with cedar, frankincense, sandalwood, grapefruit, lemon and vetiver, the oil is said to ease souls as they undergo grief and other transitions. Soul-Soother: Made with orange, rose, jasmine, bergamot, chamomile, sandalwood and lavender, the oil was created to calm, soothe and empower those who are dealing with prolonged sadness and depression. Karma-Klear: Made with cypress, frankincense, grapefruit, peppermint, sage, lemon and lavender, the oil is said to help souls say goodbye to patterns that no longer serve them. The additional seven oils, Love My Soul, Awake My Soul, Manifesting Magic, Radiance, Divine Wisdom, Ascension, and Empath's Armor are designed to assist people who struggle with negativity, low self-esteem, or poor body-image, awaken the senses and inner wisdom, and help people envision their optimal life. Kelly also plans to offer lines of essential oils for workplace wellness, healthcare practitioners, educators, and for hospice workers and those suffering from grief. In an interview, Kelly can discuss: How effective is aromatherapy for relieving depression, anxiety, grief, emotional eating, and focus? Why is the global aromatherapy market expected to reach $2.35 billion by 2025? by 2025? What are some tips for using essential oils to greater advantage? About Katherine Kelly Katherine Kelly, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., is a clinical health psychologist and consultant currently practicing in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She has taught in two major medical schools, received specialized training from the Mind-Body Medical Institute of Harvard University, holds a master's of science degree in public health, and is soon to receive certifications in Integrative Mental Health and aromatherapy. She has been a guest on over 300 radio and television shows following the publication of her book Soul Health: Aligning with Spirit for Radiant Living, now in its second edition. Availability: Nationwide by arrangement and via internet or telephone Media Contact: Dr. Katherine T. Kelly, office: (336) 659-3923, cell: (336) 406-8431; [email protected]; www.drkatherinetkelly.com SOURCE Katherine Kelly Related Links https://www.drkatherinetkelly.com Prior to joining TSG, Jonathan was the Director of Business Development for OB Hospitalist Group, where he helped the company achieve new growth milestones and strategic partnerships in highly competitive markets. In addition, Culp served as the Vice President of Business Development for NorthStar Anesthesia, where he delivered nearly $20mm in annualized run rate growth in both 2016 and 2017. "I am enthusiastically looking forward to building long-term relationships with hospitals to educate and inform senior leadership about how they can benefit from The Surgicalist Group's Model. I pride myself in the ability to assess and diagnose client challenges along with business and market dynamics to successfully build partnerships with hospital administrators that deliver on key clinical quality and financial metrics, that in long-term will benefit patients, surgeons and hospitals alike," said Culp. The company continues to educate the healthcare industry about the benefits of adopting The Surgicalist Model. Members of the company's leadership team will be present at the 10th Annual Becker's Hospital Review Meeting (booth #403) to inform hospital business leaders about how they can improve their hospital's patient care and its bottom line. This year's conference will be held in Chicago from April 1-3, 2019. For more information about The Surgicalist Group, call 888-510-1325 or visit TheSurgicalist.com. SOURCE The Surgicalist Group Related Links http://www.thesurgicalist.com "Over the past decade, Taylor has led RMS through a significant period of technological and business growth. His leadership has set the foundation for future business success and we thank him for his extensive contributions to both our customers and our nation's security," said Kennedy. In commenting on the company's new leadership appointments, Kennedy added, "Wes and Ralph each bring extensive technical and operational expertise to their new roles. Their customer relationships and proven leadership capabilities will serve our company well as we enter a new period of technical advancement, product innovation and global growth." Wesley D. Kremer Kremer, who joined Raytheon in 2003, was named a corporate officer and President, IDS in 2015. Previously, Kremer was vice president of the Air and Missile Defense Systems (A&MDS) product line at RMS, where he managed the SM-3, SM-6, Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV) and Redesigned EKV (RKV) programs, as well as Advanced Kill Vehicles and European Missile Defense efforts. Kremer previously served as the director of Raytheon's SM-3 program, where he was responsible for the development, testing and production of all variants of the SM-3 missile portfolio. He had previously served as the director of Systems Design and Performance Engineering, leading an organization of more than 1,700 engineers responsible for the systems engineering; modeling, simulation, and analysis; guidance, navigation and control; and signal processing design for all Missile Systems programs. Kremer served 11 years in the U.S. Air Force as a weapon systems officer, flying the F-111 and F-15E, with more than 1,500 hours of flight time in fighter aircraft, including over 90 combat sorties in Iraq and Bosnia. He was the first person to be named the top graduate of both the Electronic Warfare Officer course and the Fighter/Bomber course at Specialized Undergraduate Navigator Training. Kremer was ranked first of 411 graduates and named as the Air Training Command Navigator of the Year for 1989. He received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Montana State University and his MBA in engineering technology management from City University of Seattle. Kremer will be based at RMS headquarters in Tucson, Arizona. Ralph H. Acaba Acaba joined Raytheon in 1986 and has held a series of increasingly senior leadership roles in the company, including director of the Patriot Systems business, director of Maneuver Protection Programs, and program manager for the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor program. In 2013, Acaba was named vice president of Raytheon's Integrated Air and Missile Defense portfolio within IDS, which includes all aspects of the global Patriot Air and Missile Defense System, Hawk Air Defense System, and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System business, supporting customers in more than 20 countries. He was named a corporate officer and vice president of Raytheon Program Management Excellence in 2017, where he was responsible for the continuous improvement and implementation of program management best practices and automation across the company's more than 8,000 programs. In this role, Acaba also led the development and certification of the company's program leaders. Acaba received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California, and his master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California. In his new role, Acaba will be based at IDS headquarters in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence Dr. Lawrence retires after serving more than 13 years with the company, including over a decade as President, RMS. Prior to leading RMS, Dr. Lawrence served as Raytheon's vice president of Engineering, Technology and Mission Assurance. In that role, he guided the company's vision and provided corporate leadership in the strategic areas of technology and research, engineering, operations, performance excellence, Raytheon Six Sigma and Mission Assurance. Previously, Dr. Lawrence was sector vice president and general manager of the C4ISR and Space Sensors division for Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems. Before joining Northrop Grumman, Dr. Lawrence served as the staff director for the Select Committee on Intelligence for the U.S. Senate and, previously, as deputy director of the Information Systems Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. He also held a variety of scientific and research leadership positions, including deputy program leader of the Advanced Imaging, Imaging & Detection Program of the Lasers Directorate at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; senior staff scientist of the Research and Development division of Trex Enterprises; and research assistant and undergraduate research fellow in the physics department at the California Institute of Technology. Dr. Lawrence holds a bachelor's degree in physics from the California Institute of Technology and a master's degree in applied physics from Stanford University. He earned his doctorate in applied physics from Stanford in 1992. He is a member of the Caltech Board of Trustees, the Caltech Space Innovation Council and a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service. About Raytheon Missile Systems Headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, Raytheon Missile Systems also has locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, as well as oversight of the operations of Raytheon UK and Raytheon Emirates. RMS' broad portfolio of weapon systems supports every mission area of its customers, including air-to-air, land combat, naval weapons, strike weapons, missile defense, guided projectiles, directed energy systems, and combat and sensing systems. The business continually develops and invests in new, innovative technologies to provide rapid, high-quality, affordable mission capability to its customers. RMS is the world's leading producer of weapon systems for the United States military and the allied forces of more than 50 countries. Missile Systems had 2018 sales of $8.3 billion and employs more than 16,000 people. About Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems Headquartered in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, IDS has 31 locations around the world and provides oversight of the operations of Raytheon Australia and Raytheon Saudi Arabia. Its broad portfolio of weapons, sensors and integration systems supports its customer base across multiple mission areas, including air and missile defense systems; missile defense radars; early warning radars; naval ship operating systems; C5I products and services; and other advanced technologies. IDS provides affordable, integrated solutions to a broad international and domestic customer base, including the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Armed Forces and the Department of Homeland Security. IDS had 2018 sales of $6.2 billion and employs 14,700 people. About Raytheon Company Raytheon Company, with 2018 sales of $27 billion and 67,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 97 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. Follow us on Twitter. Media Contact Raytheon Company Mike Doble +1.703.284.4345 [email protected] SOURCE Raytheon Company Related Links http://www.raytheon.com President Kagame said Africa's hopes of achieving regional integration and economic growth would not be realized without modern technology. He also commended the success Globacom has made. The Rwandan leader who had in his opening remarks at the forum called for "open, responsive and accountable governance" on the continent, said the private sector was critical to growth because of its ability to "envision on what needs to be changed to achieve desired improvement in the private and public sectors". Mrs Disu said Globacom's Glo 1 armoured submarine cable and digital solutions such as mobile money, artificial intelligence, E-Health, Smart Cognitive Learning and Smart Energy, could help Africa achieve a digitalized economy. "I commend President Kagame for his exemplary leadership and for the tremendous success Rwanda has achieved under him. Like President Kagame, I have no doubt that greater integration will lead to continental growth and a more prosperous Africa. Globacom is committed to Africa's economic renaissance," Mrs Disu stated. The Globacom EVC also chaired a session on "Women in Business" on the opening day of the forum. She called for more gender parity on the boards of companies and applauded Rwanda's policy of 50% female representation in appointments as a good model. "There are no two ways about it, women must continue to advance. After all, we make up more than half of the world's population. "My charge to women is to keep climbing the career ladder. Climb it anxious. Climb it confidently. But just keep climbing. And when you get to the top, because you will - give a helping hand to the women coming behind you - this is how we grow," Mrs Disu said. The opening session was attended by Cote d'Ivoire's Prime Minister, Amadou Gon Coulibaly; Ethiopian President, Sahle-Work Zewde; Togolese President, Faure Gnassingbe; President of Congo Democratic Republic, Felix Tshisekedi, Prime Minister of Rwanda, Edouard Ngirente, and over 1800 leading decision makers in the private and public sectors in Africa. SOURCE Globacom Limited Dear @IlhanMN, I hear you plan to go on a fact-finding tour of Israel. In fact, Israel is doing pretty well. Its, Somalia, your native country, that could truly use your formidable skills. Maybe you could use your frequent flyer miles and swing by. DUBLIN, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sanlam Asset Management (Ireland) Limited (SAMI) has selected award winning AQMetrics to provide AIFMD Annex IV regulatory reporting for its funds. Sanlam will utilise AQMetrics software technology to automate Annex IV reporting, having deemed the AQMetrics platform the most scalable and robust technology best suited to fit the firm's requirements as the regulatory landscape evolves. Sanlam is beginning a digital overhaul for the firm's operations and are pleased AQMetrics will deliver a seamless, time-saving technology platform. CEO of AQMetrics Geraldine Gibson stated, "We are delighted to welcome Sanlam to our ever-growing client base. We have the ability to quickly onboard even the largest portfolios and provide a dedicated customer success team to manage the process. We have the best solution to meet Sanlam's requirements for functionality, transparency and cost-effectiveness. Regulation is constantly changing for asset management, but with AQMetrics platform, our clients will always be compliant for both today's and tomorrow's emerging regulations." Commenting on the partnership Dale Bucknell, Head of Operations at Sanlam, stated, "Sanlam is embarking on a journey of digital transformation, this process will be driven by in-house development of technology solutions, where appropriate, and by partnering with high quality service providers such as AQMetrics where it makes more sense to do so. We very much look forward to working with AQMetrics over the coming months and years." About AQMetrics AQMetrics, established in Ireland in 2012 is one of the world's leading regulatory technology ("RegTech") providers. Since inception AQMetrics has continually improved and evolved its technology offering and offers a full risk management and regulatory reporting platform to its clients: from $bn hedge funds, alternative investment managers, MiFID firms, asset servicing providers, fund administrators to banks. Award winning AQMetrics now provides RegTech solutions to a number of the top global fund administrators and asset servicing providers in addition to directly servicing fund managers who require direct access to multi-jurisdictional regulatory reporting technology. www.aqmetrics.com About Sanlam Asset Management (Ireland) Limited Sanlam Asset Management (Ireland) Limited (SAMI) was established in June 1997 in Dublin, Ireland. SAMI currently manages in excess of $8bn for clients world-wide. Clients include various large institutions and retail clients from South Africa, United Kingdom and other jurisdictions. They offer institutional and third-party fund solutions and fund hosting capabilities, along with a wide range of funds for both institutional and retail investors in a range of international markets. All their funds on offer to retail investors in South Africa are FSCA approved. SAMI is part of the Sanlam Group of companies https://www.sanlam.com/ireland Contact: Phoebe Toal [email protected], +353-1-903-5689 Out of office hours: +353-87-7696-448 SOURCE AQMetrics Ltd Related Links https://www.aqmetrics.com/ In Hajjah Governorate, SDRPY engineers assessed the capacity of local roads and coast guard facilities in Midi. The Yemeni government has been an important ally in establishing maritime security and combating the smuggling of both licit and illicit goods, including arms. The needs assessments were not limited to the mainland, but extended to the adjoining Red Sea islands of Fasht and Buklan, where education, electricity and water needs were examined. On Fasht, a plan to rehabilitate and re-equip the health center with modern medical devices was outlined with local authorities. In Al-Jawf Governorate, SDRPY and a body of local officials, under Deputy Governor Sinan Al-Iraqi, established priorities in the agriculture, education, electricity and health sectors. The needs assessment was holistic in nature: while examining agricultural potential and suitable types of seed and fertilizer, the team also examined the potential for digging new and restoring old wells, improving water distribution networks and providing public lighting along main roads in the capital Al-Hazm and the Al-Rayyan Highway. A preliminary study of the requirements for rehabilitating provincial health centers was also conducted. In Marib Governorate, SDRPY engineers met with Governor Sultan al-Arada and toured Kara Hospital to inspect its transformation from a local to a regional hospital. Since the conflict began, Marib's population has increased from a mere 40,000 to 1.5 million people. This influx of primarily refugees and IDPs has doubled the hospital's caseload several times over. "The health sector is absolutely vital to our province, and even more so now," said Gov. Al-Arada. "Marib's residents welcome plans for new projects to improve healthcare, as we do for all sectors fundamental to a dignified standard of living." In Hadhramaut Governorate, SDRPY engineers, resident expert teams and local authorities in the Wadi Hadhramaut valley, including a deputy governor of the province, held extensive discussions on electricity, health, roads, water, agriculture and education at Seiyun University and a local technical institute. "All of the projects are carried out in consultation with local authorities," said Mohammed bin Saeed Al Jaber, SDRPY Supervisor and Saudi Ambassador to Yemen. "The joint nature of this needs assessment is good evidence of that." SOURCE Kingdom of Saudi Arabia DULUTH, Ga., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sebacia, Inc., a privately held, commercial stage dermatology and aesthetics company, today announced that new data from studies on the Company's proprietary Sebacia Microparticles will be featured in three separate presentations during the 39th Annual Conference of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, being held March 27-31, 2019 in Denver, CO at the Colorado Convention Center & Hyatt Regency at Colorado Convention Center. The presentations will feature durability data out to 12 months from the Company's real-world study in Europe, as well as the results from two studies focused on imaging the gold microparticles in the skin. The study results will be presented by Jill S. Waibel, MD, board-certified dermatologist practicing at the Miami Dermatology and Laser Institute and a Sebacia U.S. clinical trial investigator, and Merete Haedersdal, MD, PhD, DMSc, dermatologist and associate clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. Anthony Lando, Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are excited to share our new real-world results from Europe demonstrating 85% improvement in acne with Sebacia Microparticles out to 12 months with the U.S. dermatology community. At ASLMS, we will also present results from research that compares the ability of different imaging technologies to detect gold microparticles in vivo. These studies supplement our existing clinical data set and provide physicians further evidence supporting the use of Sebacia Microparticles in the treatment of acne." Details of the presentations include: * Abstract Session: Clinical Applications Cutaneous * Oral Presentation: "Gold Microparticles and Laser for the Treatment of Inflammatory Acne Vulgaris: A New Paradigm" * Time: Friday, March 29; 12:40 - 12:45 pm MT * Location: Four Season Ballroom 4 * Presenter: Jill S. Waibel, MD * Abstract Session: Basic Science and Translational Research * Oral Presentation: "Improved Follicular Delivery of Microparticles Following Topical Pretreatment Visualized by Optical Imaging" * Time: Friday, March 29; 1:09 - 1:16 pm MT * Location: Room 109 * Presenter: Vinzent K. Ortner, MD * Abstract Session: Non-CME Basic Science and Translational Research * Oral Presentation: "Correlation of in vivo Imaging and Histologic Photothermal Damage to Follicular Structures Using Gold Microparticles and Laser Pulses" * Time: Sunday, March 31; 8:03 - 8:10 am MT * Location: Room 109 * Presenter: Jill S. Waibel, MD About Sebacia Sebacia, Inc. is a private medical device and aesthetics company focused on creating advanced topical therapies for the treatment of dermatological conditions, with a primary focus on a novel procedure-based acne treatment. Sebacia's goal is to provide a better alternative to the daily use of topical and systemic drugs currently available for the treatment of acne. Sebacia's patented microparticles technology was invented at Rice University, and the proprietary dermatology applications were further developed with researchers from the Wellman Center of Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Sebacia Microparticles is cleared for use in the U.S. and in the EU, the two largest dermatology markets in the world. Sebacia is planning its U.S. commercial launch for mid-2019. In the EU, Sebacia Microparticles is sold in select markets. Investors in the company include Accuitive Medical Ventures, Domain Associates, Partners Innovation Fund, Salem Partners and Versant Ventures. Sebacia, Inc. is located in Atlanta, Georgia. More information is available at www.sebacia.com or follow us at www.twitter.com/SebaciaNews and https://www.facebook.com/sebaciainc/. SOURCE Sebacia Related Links https://www.sebacia.com/ BOCA RATON, Fla., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Seeman Holtz Property & Casualty, LLC is pleased to announce the asset acquisition of Prey Insurance Services, LLC, headquartered in Shawano, Wisconsin. Prey Insurance Services has been serving the state of Wisconsin for 20 years and counting. Prey has grown to be one of Wisconsin's leading independent insurance agencies with a knack for assessing their client's needs and building key relationships. They offer personal and commercial insurance, from home and life insurance to auto and theft. Led by Mike Prey and his team, Prey Insurance excels in customer care with the ability to find the right plan for every need with emphasis on the customer. This acquisition will strengthen Seeman Holtz Property & Casualty's foothold in the Midwest under its Vincent Urban, Walker division. Seeman Holtz Property & Casualty, Inc. continues to target high-quality independent agencies for geographic expansion and continued growth throughout the United States. With the addition of Prey Insurance Services, Seeman Holtz Property & Casualty, Inc. will continue to reach new and current clients by helping them protect their most important valuables with not only the right insurance but with the right service for each client. SHP&C offers: All Personal Insurance lines Private Client Umbrella Coverage Commercial, Trucking, Marine Insurance Payroll Employee Benefits Human Capital Management Professional Liability Insurance Medical & Malpractice Marshal Seeman, President of Seeman Holtz Property and Casualty, stated, "David Anderson who runs our Vincent Urban Walker division was instrumental in identifying and coordinating this acquisition. Prey will provide us additional resources and dramatically add to our client base in Wisconsin." Eric Holtz, Executive Vice President, added, "Seeman Holtz Property & Casualty has always been committed to the Midwest with emphasis on providing quality regional carriers a connection to farmers and business owners. We are happy to have the Prey team join our family of companies." About Our Company: The Seeman Holtz family of companies provides comprehensive risk management, financial and insurance advice to clients across the country. Contact: Eric Holtz Seeman Holtz Property & Casualty 844.255.6639 [email protected] SOURCE Seeman Holtz Property & Casualty, Inc. Related Links http://www.seemanholtzpc.com NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- seriesOne today announced its rapid growth efforts with its series of major partnership and acquisition moves in the last five months. As the only end-to-end platform for fundraising and issuing digital securities, seriesOne has successfully expanded to Switzerland, Seoul, and New York; acquired software development firm, Dynamo Development ; and launched partnerships with Canada-based Polymath , top South Korea-based crypto exchange, Bithumb , and iDisclose , a proprietary legal technology platform. "Our mission to offer the world's most complete investment and digital security platform, backed by industry best technology and long-standing Wall Street connections, is off to a red hot start in 2019," said seriesOne CEO Michael Mildenberger. "Between November's Bithumb announcement and this month's recent global acquisitions and partnerships, including Dynamo Development in which we were able to accelerate the delivery of solutions for issuers and react to market demands with the support of an additional 40 engineers, we're gaining meaningful traction in the ecosystem." seriesOne enables investors to put a new wrapper around a familiar or traditional asset, with a view towards broadening the market and enhancing liquidity. This simplified asset and distribution channel that is easier to customize, manage and approve, leveraging blockchain and infrastructure to enable assets, funds, and companies to digitize ownership in a way that is more inclusive, liquid and regulation-compliant, with reduced management costs for investors. Key developments include: Partnerships Bithumb - created a new exchange in the U.S. that seeks to offer a compliant marketplace to trade tokens offered as securities, subject to approval by the SEC, FINRA and other applicable regulatory agencies. - created a new exchange in the U.S. that seeks to offer a compliant marketplace to trade tokens offered as securities, subject to approval by the SEC, FINRA and other applicable regulatory agencies. Polymath - enables issuers to create and manage tokens that are compliant throughout their entire lifecycle; from initial offering to trading on a secondary exchange. - enables issuers to create and manage tokens that are compliant throughout their entire lifecycle; from initial offering to trading on a secondary exchange. iDisclose - provides legal and disclosure documents to issuers coming through the seriesOne platform. The service enables seriesOne to help their clients by providing a cost-effective solution for filling out detailed disclosure documents that are required by the Securities and Exchange Commission for companies raising capital. - provides legal and disclosure documents to issuers coming through the seriesOne platform. The service enables seriesOne to help their clients by providing a cost-effective solution for filling out detailed disclosure documents that are required by the Securities and Exchange Commission for companies raising capital. New Offices New York - launched the New York office after hiring Yvonne Beri , Investor Relations Advisor and Dmitry Grinberg , Chief Technology Officer - launched the office after hiring , Investor Relations Advisor and , Chief Technology Officer Switzerland - hired former Accenture consultant, Marcus Maute to launch the Zurich office as the Global Head of Issuer Management. - hired former Accenture consultant, to launch the office as the Global Head of Issuer Management. Seoul - welcomed Kaine B. Kim , the former Deputy Director of South Korea's Financial Services Commission ("FSC"), to become the Head of Legal & International Development. Kim will assist seriesOne clients and stakeholders in accessing the South Korean and other major Asian capital markets while ensuring compliance with international law, evolving structures and governing bodies. - welcomed , the former Deputy Director of Financial Services Commission ("FSC"), to become the Head of Legal & International Development. Kim will assist seriesOne clients and stakeholders in accessing the South Korean and other major Asian capital markets while ensuring compliance with international law, evolving structures and governing bodies. Acquisitions Dynamo Development - the acquisition enabled seriesOne to expand and strengthen its in-house technology development capabilities and accelerate the delivery of solutions for issuers. To learn more about seriesOne, visit here: www.seriesone.com . About seriesOne seriesOne is a leading blockchain based FinTech company formed by industry veterans with decades of expertise across technology, investment banking, venture capital, and financial compliance. The firm enables digital securities offerings by providing a combination of key technology, strategic consulting, regulatory compliance, fundraising infrastructure and access to a network of investors worldwide. All seriesOne services are designed to comply with applicable securities regulations, enabling companies to register, market, and escrow their fundraising initiatives. SOURCE seriesOne Related Links https://seriesone.com DALLAS, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mark R. Dambro, MD, SVP of Medical Informatics at Signify Health was awarded the prestigious Dr. Martin L. Block Award in a ceremony held on March 18 at the RISE Nashville conference in Nashville, TN. The award was created by the RISE Association to honor the late Dr. Martin L. Block, whose dedication to medicine fueled a deep passion to improve patient care. Mark R. Dambro, MD Dr. Mark Dambro addresses the audience at the RISE Nashville conference after being named as the winner of the Martin L. Block Award Earlier in his career, Dr. Dambro spent more than 18 years treating thousands of patients through his private family medicine practice in Fort Worth, TX. In spite of early difficulties, he was able to run his entire practice as a paperless office on an electronic medical record (EMR) years before it became a requirement. Dr. Dambro also authored and coedited a book with Dr. Winter Griffith in the '90s titled "The 5-Minute Clinical Consult." The book became a mainstay for physicians seeking to efficiently answer clinical questions of diagnosis and treatment and was the first database of medical information. The book was revised and re-released every year with new information. In 2008, Dr. Dambro accepted a consulting position to help build a Medicare risk adjustment company. He eventually joined the company, CenseoHealth, as Chief Medical Officer. In his role, he continued to teach clinicians the art of bedside diagnosis while helping the company with a thousand clinical and practice-related questions. Today he serves as the Senior Vice President of Medical Informatics for Signify Health, where he continues to use his clinical and technology background to transform the quality and delivery of care. "Dr. Dambro has been an integral part of this company since the beginning," said Kyle Armbrester, Chief Executive Officer of Signify Health. "His vision and knowledge are the foundation of our current practices; his tremendous kindness and keen insight into the needs of patients--especially seniors--are now integral to the practice of literally thousands of physicians every day. He embodies every aspect of the Martin L. Block Award." "It is very poignant for me to be honored by my peers and to be standing here today to accept this award," said Dr. Dambro in his acceptance speech. "It is always a team effort, and I'm fortunate to be surrounded by a group that is spectacular and who have helped me deliver on the promise of good medicine. I am so humbled and so thankful." About Signify Health: Signify Health partners with leading health plans, healthcare providers, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and technology companies to improve quality of life by providing comprehensive care where and when it's needed most. With an innovative logistics and clinical workflow technology platform, exhaustive data set, and an unparalleled national clinical network, the company provides tech-enabled care services to vulnerable populations within the routine of their daily lives to improve health and quality of life. Signify Health serves well over one million health plan members each year, providing health risk evaluations, complex care management, outcomes-based pharma services, and specialized medical services in the home and other convenient locations. Signify Health is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and employs more than 1,800 professionals throughout the U.S. Media Contact: For Signify Health: Melissa Humphrey Email: [email protected] Phone: 469-466-7306 SOURCE Signify Health Related Links https://www.signifyhealth.com/ SoftIron's HyperDrive Storage Router is a highly intelligent services gateway for software-defined storage (SDS) that supports multiple protocols and enables enterprise-wide adoption of Ceph. By consolidating user shares, virtualization and any other storage technologies onto one scalable, high-performance platform, the power of Ceph is unlocked for the entire organisation, no matter the end user. SDS is an attractive enterprise storage solution due to its ability to scale as an organisation grows, and Ceph is widely considered to be the leading open-source software that underpins SDS. However, one of the biggest challenges for Ceph-driven SDS is its inability to support all of the necessary services an enterprise may need. Whilst Ceph caters to Block, Object, and File storage protocols, it is unable to simultaneously provide block service over iSCSI and file shares for users and servers using NFS, SMB/CIFS, until now. "HyperDrive Storage Router acts as the intermediary between all of these different protocols, finally allowing businesses to leverage Ceph as their unified storage solution. As you can imagine, this massively reduces the complications, delays, and costs that administrators have had to deal with in the past" says Tim Massey, SoftIron's CEO. "It unlocks the exponential potential of Ceph and SDS and allows the entire enterprise to benefit from this technology, regardless of the end user." "HyperDrive Storage Router has been built as a services gateway that can have different services modules added as features or requirements grow over time. The benefit for our customers is long term scalability and considerable cost reductions. A great example of this is support for VMware. You may want to consolidate all of your storage on Ceph and that is where you would use Storage Router. It exposes iSCSI block services to VMware while at the same time storing all data within the Ceph cluster, maintaining all of the benefits of Ceph for the enterprise" says Tim. "It will do for SDS what Uber did for transport." Coupled with the HyperDrive Storage Manager, all of this can be managed via a unified, online management system, vastly reducing the management complexity and overhead of your storage. To find out more about SoftIron and Storage Router, or to book a demo, visit softiron.com or email [email protected] About SoftIron: SoftIron makes the world's finest solutions for the data center. The company's HyperDrive software-defined storage portfolio is built on Ceph; it's custom-designed and purpose-built for scale-out enterprise storage and runs at wire speed. HyperCast delivers the best density and value for real-time video streaming. SoftIron unlocks greater business value for enterprises by delivering great products without software and hardware lock-in. Web: www.softiron.com Twitter: @SoftIron Facebook: SoftIronNews LinkedIn: SoftIron SOURCE SoftIron Related Links https://softiron.com/ PHOENIX and CHICAGO, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Solera Health , and Blue Cross Blue Shield Institute (BCBS Institute) today announced the launch of a nationwide program to directly address social determinants of health (SDOH) at the community level, including patient access to healthy food and transportation. The national roll-out of the program is expected in Q2 of 2019 and will focus on the unique environmental and cultural influences and barriers to successfully coordinating regional patient resources at scale. As an integrated benefits network, Solera offers an extended care marketplace that connects patients, payers, and physicians with a curated network of programs and services paid for outcomes through medical claims. In the case of the BCBS Institute partnership, Solera is actively building and managing a diverse ecosystem of community organizations and resources focused on addressing SDOH while also handling the program's patient identification and enrollment, reimbursement and payment as well as increased consumer engagement. By tailoring local SDOH resource recommendations to directly align with individual wellbeing needs and preferences, Solera and BCBS Institute's collaboration is expected to have a significant impact on improved consumer health and enhanced quality of life for plan members. In fact, a recent survey by Change Healthcare found that 80 percent of payers believe that addressing the SDOH of their beneficiary populations will be a crucial way to improve their population health programs. Reaching beyond population health, the relationship between Solera Health and BCBS Institute further exemplifies a commitment to bringing private and public entities together to improve community health in a manner that a healthcare organization could not address on its own. Solera is committed to changing lives by guiding people to better health in their communities. From a consumer engagement perspective the company's technology platform acts like a Match.com service to seamlessly connect people to a curated and managed network of in-person community providers and SDOH resources, ensuring care continues outside the traditional hospital or doctor's office and into the individual's community and home. Through the program, BCBS Institute will leverage Solera's data science to match members with health resources that meets their individual goals, needs, and preferences, which has proven to drive both engagement and outcomes. "The Blue Cross Blue Shield Institute and Solera Health strategic collaboration was conceived around our organizations' mutual recognition that in order for healthcare to have the maximum impact on individuals, care must reach beyond the four walls of the doctor's office and extend to the community," said Brenda Schmidt, CEO of Solera Health. "To help improve overall health outcomes, Solera's proven, curated network and payment innovation model is being applied to address social determinants of health, connecting BCBS plan members with a diverse array of local resources that best meet their unique needs and preferences. We look forward to seeing the full impact of the initiative as it scales nationally in the coming months." "The future of healthcare prevention moves away from the clinical setting into the community setting. This transition means that food, fitness and transportation will become an integral component of how we evaluate holistic approaches to the health and well-being of our population," said Dr. Trent Haywood, president of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Institute. "The collaboration with Solera will help us to better understand how we can address social determinants of health quicker and more effectively." Solera's marketplace model eliminates the need for health plans to evaluate, contract and manage multiple point solutions to meet the needs of diverse populations at the community level. The company's expansive network of local SDOH resources are paid through outcomes-based medical claims, providing a sustainable revenue model for these organizations and value-based payment innovation that results in healthier individuals and communities all while lowering healthcare costs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 10 percent of factors affecting premature death are related to clinical care, and 30 percent of factors relate to genetics. This means that 60 percent of factors impacting premature death are based on a combination of social/environmental factors and behavior. About Solera Health Solera Health is committed to changing lives by guiding people to better health in their communities. The company serves as an integrated benefit network that connects patients, payers, and physicians with community organizations and digital therapeutics providers, simply and securely. Solera helps consolidate highly fragmented programs and services into a single marketplace allowing health plans and medical providers to increase consumer participation while lowering associated costs. By using data science to proactively identify the "best fit" program provider based on each individual's unique health goals, needs and preferences, the company has proven to have a significant impact on improved patient outcomes at a fraction of the cost of traditional medical care. For more information, visit Solera Health at www.soleranetwork.com, call 800-858-1714 or follow us on Twitter @SoleraNetwork or LinkedIn. About Blue Cross Blue Shield Institute Blue Cross Blue Shield Institute (BCBS Institute) is the first entity dedicated to addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) at the community level by identifying geographic areas of opportunity and targeting services to improve health within commercially insured markets. The Institute is a subsidiary of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), an independent licensee of BCBSA, and filed as a benefit corporation. CHM Hub and the CHM Hub proprietary software application are intellectual property owned by Blue Cross Blue Shield Institute. CHM Hub is a proprietary software application that offers general information, only, in "as is" condition. CHM Hub does not provide medical, legal, or financial advice. For medical issues, check with your healthcare provider. Neither BCBSA nor any Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield Plan recommends, endorses, warrants, or guarantees, nor are they responsible for damages based on any program, provider, product, service, or community asset whose information may appear on CHM Hub's website. For details, see our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy available at https://app.chmhub.com/. SOURCE Solera Health Related Links http://www.soleranetwork.com PHOENIX, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Solidarity HealthShare, a pro-life, life affirming alternative to traditional health insurance is proud to premiere UNPLANNED. Based on the incredible true story of Abby Johnson, a former clinical director of Planned Parenthood, who has become one of the most prolific pro-life activists after witnessing the savagery of abortion. Solidarity HealthShare will host a premiere of UNPLANNED Thursday, March 28, 2019 at 7:00 P.M. at Ahwatukee 24. The movie premieres nationwide in theaters Friday, March 29, 2019. UNPLANNED exposes the abortion industry, specifically Planned Parenthood and their for-profit business, killing countless of innocent babies every year, even in the late-term. "We are honored to have Abby Johnson and her family as members of Solidarity HealthShare. She is an incredible heroine and true advocate for the pro-life movement. Abby's story will profoundly impact American's views on abortion and be a force continuing to change hearts and minds promoting a pro-life culture in America," said Solidarity HealthShare COO, Chris Faddis. "Solidarity HealthShare is an amazing, life-affirming option for affordable healthcare, better options and peace of mind. My family and I could not be happier as members of Solidarity. Working with Solidarity to promote 'Unplanned' has been a joy and I am so appreciative and grateful for their support. I hope every Solidarity member sees the film so they know exactly what Solidarity supports and that they too become passionate supporters of life," said Abby Johnson, CEO and Founder of And Then There Were None. Proceeds from the premiere will fund Aid to Women Center, a local Catholic, non-profit pregnancy center whose mission is to educate, support, and encourage women and families through pregnancy, providing compassionate care no matter the circumstances. "Solidarity HealthShare is an affordable, moral, viable alternative to traditional health insurance. We offer a life affirming option for women and their families that unlike most healthcare plans never pays for abortions. We are also working tirelessly, promoting legislation that prevents tax payer funding of abortion and exposing plans that cover the life-ending procedure," said Solidarity HealthShare CEO, Bradley Hahn. Solidarity HealthShare is a healthcare sharing ministry that offers its members an affordable and ethical way to pay for healthcare. Based on the social and moral doctrine of the Catholic Church, we protect our members' well- formed consciences by sharing in the costs of life-affirming healthcare, and by refusing to participate in unethical medical practices. Our mission is to restore and rebuild an authentic Catholic healthcare culture that promotes the sanctity of all human life, while facilitating the sharing of our members' medical expenses. SOURCE Solidarity HealthShare AUSTIN, Texas, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Aker BP ASA ( AKERBP:NO ), one of the largest independent offshore oil and gas companies, and global artificial intelligence (AI) company SparkCognition, are collaborating to enhance AI applications in Aker BP's "Cognitive Operation" initiative, a new upstream flagship transformation project. "We recognize the imperative of applying advanced technology to optimize our critical operations," said Per Harald Kongelf, SVP Improvement at Aker BP. "Working with SparkCognition on the Cognitive Operation project confirms Aker BP's unmatched commitment to surpass industry demands and propel its innovation strategy forward." Through the new transformation initiative, Aker BP is deploying SparkCognition's analytics solution SparkPredict on offshore production platforms to accelerate productivity with advanced predictive maintenance capabilities. SparkCognition's AI systems will monitor both topside and subsea installations for over 30 offshore structures, augmenting Aker BP's entire fleet of production platforms. "SparkCognition is dedicated to advancing the most important interests in society with sophisticated AI systems," said Philippe Herve, Vice President of Solutions at SparkCognition. "Our collaboration with Aker BP confirms SparkCognition's capability to address difficult challenges in the world's most significant industries and illustrates our dedication to enhancing operations with artificial intelligence." Using machine learning algorithms, SparkPredict analyzes sensor data to identify suboptimal operations and impending failures before they occur. By deploying SparkPredict on its offshore production platforms, Aker BP will maximize production and efficiency, accelerating its mission to deliver unparalleled value to its customers throughout the world. "The oil and gas industry is facing a rapidly changing digital landscape that requires cutting-edge technologies to cultivate growth and success," said Per Harald Kongelf. "Aker BP has long term collaborations in place with companies like SparkCognition to deploy industry-leading solutions." About Aker BP ASA: Aker BP is a fully-fledged E&P company with exploration, development and production activities on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). Measured in production, Aker BP is one of the largest independent oil companies in Europe. Aker BP has a balanced portfolio and is the operator of the Valhall, Ula, Ivar Aasen, Alvheim and Skarv field hubs. The company is headquartered at Fornebu outside Oslo and has offices in Stavanger, Trondheim, Harstad and Sandnessjen. At the end of 2016, the company had 1,371 employees. Aker BP ASA is jointly owned by Aker ASA (40%), BP (30%) and other shareholders (30%). The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange with ticker 'AKERBP'. About SparkCognition: With award-winning machine learning technology, a multinational footprint, and expert teams focused on defense, IIoT, and finance, SparkCognition builds artificial intelligence systems to advance the most important interests of society. Our customers are trusted with protecting and advancing lives, infrastructure, and financial systems across the globe. They turn to SparkCognition to help them analyze complex data, empower decision making, and transform human and industrial productivity. With our leading edge artificial intelligence platforms, our clients can adapt to a rapidly changing digital landscape and accelerate their business strategies. Learn more about SparkCognition's AI applications and why we've been featured in CNBC's 2017 Disruptor 50, and recognized three years in a row on CB Insights AI 100, by visiting www.sparkcognition.com . For Media Inquiries: John King SparkCognition [email protected] 512-956-5491 SOURCE SparkCognition Related Links http://sparkcognition.com NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- People with and without cancer are more likely, over time, to use a more potent form of medical marijuana with increasingly higher amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a new study shows. In a report publishing in the Journal of Palliative Medicine on March 26, researchers say that cancer patients were more likely to favor forms of medical marijuana with higher amounts of THC, which relieves cancer symptoms and the side effects of cancer treatment, including chronic pain, weight loss, and nausea. By contrast, marijuana formulations higher in cannabidiol (CBD), which has been shown to reduce seizures and inflammation in other studies, were more popular among non-cancer patients, including those with epilepsy and multiple sclerosis, say the study authors. Cancer patients were also more likely to prefer taking oil droplets containing medical marijuana under the tongue than "vaping". "Although there is growing patient interest in medical cannabis, there is a scarcity of solid evidence about the benefits, risks, and patterns of use of marijuana products in various disease settings," says study lead investigator Arum Kim, MD, an assistant professor of medicine and rehabilitation medicine at NYU School of Medicine and director of the supportive oncology program at its Perlmutter Cancer Center. "Such information is important for delivering the best care." Since 1996, 31 states, including New York in 2014, have legalized medical marijuana. For the study, researchers analyzed data from 11,590 men and women in New York, of whom 1,990 (17.2 percent of the total patient cohort) were cancer patients who purchased and used cannabis products from Columbia Care LLC., a dispensary licensed in New York State, between January 2016 and December 2017. The researchers caution that their data did not include the type of cancer the purchasers had, how much of what they bought was used, or whether marijuana was used for symptoms unrelated to the cancer. Nevertheless, the patterns of use among cancer patients were distinctly different from those of non-cancer patients. Specifically, the study found that cancer and non-cancer patients used different dosages of cannabis formulations with dramatically different THC:CBD ratios. The two most common formulations contained THC and CBD, but one had twenty times more THC than CBD, whereas the other had the opposite ratio. Over the two years of the study, the research team found that all types of patients increased their THC dose by approximately 0.20 milligrams per week. "Our study provides valuable new information about how cancer patients are using marijuana," says study senior investigator Benjamin Han, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of medicine and population health at NYU School of Medicine. "In the absence of strong clinical research data for medical marijuana, identifying patterns of use offers some sense of how to guide patients who come in with questions for using medical marijuana, and what may or may not help them." Researchers say they next plan to get more detailed information about how medical marijuana affects patient response to therapy and functional status at different stages of their disease, as well as the risks and side effects of treatment. Furthermore, the profiles of other cannabinoids besides THC and CBD in medical marijuana products warrant further research, according to the study authors. Along with Kim and Han, another co-author from NYU School of Medicine and Perlmutter Cancer Center, which funded the study, was Zujun Li, MD. Other study authors include Christopher Kaufmann, PhD, MHS, at University of California San Diego; and Roxanne Ko, BA, BS, at the University of Hawaii. Media Inquiries: Jamie Liptack 212-404-4279 [email protected] SOURCE NYU Langone Health Related Links http://www.med.nyu.edu A Public Sale of Assets Representing over $200 Million at Replacement Cost in Soup Cooking, Processing, Filling & Packaging will be open to the public after the massive plant is decommissioned in May 2019. TORONTO, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- TCL Asset Group Inc., Corporate Assets Inc., Rabin Worldwide and Capital Recovery Group LLC, today announced the recent joint venture acquisition of assets from the Campbell's Soup 600,000 sq ft Toronto processing plant. The world-renowned facility is known within the industry for having late model, well maintained equipment. The joint venture is now facilitating an unprecedented offering that will not only attract manufactures in the soup production industry, but buyers from other food and beverage sectors globally. OAKLAND, Calif., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- TerViva, an agriculture technology firm commercializing resilient pongamia trees that produce as much as ten times the beans per acre as soy for the supply of plant protein, vegetable oil, and biofuel raised an additional $20 million in its first close of its Series D funding and current commitments. This latest round of investment was led by a diversified agricultural family office, Evans Properties, The Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust, and a group of Florida agricultural family offices, who join existing investors including the Elemental Excelerator, the Yield Lab, Astia Angels, Allotrope Ventures and Howard Fischer of Gratitude Railroad. New funds will allow TerViva to accelerate research connecting the pongamia bean's valuable functional properties to critical processing and product development partnerships that will demonstrate commercial viability of pongamia protein and oil. These funds will also grow TerViva's infrastructure to supply farmers with the company's patented high-yielding oilseed trees in Florida and Hawaii. TerViva sells farmers patented non-GMO cultivars of pongamia selected for their high yields and hardy growth. Farmers partner with TerViva to grow pongamia on abandoned agriculture lands with little to no fertilizers or pesticides. TerViva buys back the crop for processing into plant protein, livestock feed, and high-oleic oil. By cultivating high seed-producing trees and successfully removing compounds impacting taste, TerViva is the first company to make the ancient pongamia tree's protein and vegetable oil yields accessible for food applications. "Consumption of plant-based proteins and oils is growing rapidly, but the amount of arable land to grow these crops is increasingly limited," says Naveen Sikka, founder and CEO of TerViva. "We've developed a sustainable, market-driven approach for farmers to profit off marginal land by cultivating trees that can feed the planet. We look forward to building partnerships that will incorporate our supply of highly-sustainable pongamia protein and oil as food and feed ingredients." TerViva is planting patented varieties of the pongamia tree in Florida, where the citrus industry has dramatically shrunk and few alternative crops have emerged, and in Hawaii, on former sugar cane lands on Oahu, Kauai, and Maui, which saw the state's last sugar cane harvest in 2016. TerViva has 150,000 trees under contract with existing customers that include several of the largest citrus farmers in Florida and will use funding to deliver an additional 200,000 trees in the coming two years. Growers and local communities will benefit from a sustainable plant protein with a dramatically lower carbon footprint, and greater resilience to extreme storms, flooding, drought, and heat than annual plant proteins. The pongamia tree produces a legume that is related to beans, peas and lentils and has been harvested for mostly medicinal uses for more than 1,000 years. As a plant protein, pongamia has excellent potential as a replacement for soy. Pongamia protein has strong gelling and emulsification properties and pongamia vegetable oil is similar to high-oleic acid vegetable oils. TerViva has conducted studies utilizing pongamia protein as an animal feed ingredient with poultry and cows, with promising results emerging as it prepares for regulatory submissions with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). TerViva's funding round has enabled the firm to bring on new leaders in sustainability, growth, and food and feed commercialization, including Jim Astwood, PhD., Agricultural Food and Science, Certified Food Scientist, formerly VP of Scientifics and Government Affairs at Martek (DSM), VP of Global Nutrition at ConAgra Foods, and Science Fellow and Director of Food Regulatory Affairs at Monsanto; and Marc Diaz, who has led impact investing for NatureVest at The Nature Conservancy and UNICEF Bridge Fund, a 2017 Aspen Institute Finance Leaders Fellow, member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, and former management consultant at McKinsey & Company. TerViva's board chairman is Ron Edwards, president and CEO of Evans Properties, Inc., former COO of Tropicana, co-founder of SoBe Beverages and Blue Buffalo Pet Food. He observes that, "TerViva will invest this Series D fundraising support alongside Florida's citrus growers eager to revitalize fallow acreage and scale-up a sustainable, transparent oilseed supply chain. This will unlock numerous applications of the company's intellectual property growing high-performing trees and processing beans in to nutritious food and feed products to meet a broad range of needs." ABOUT TERVIVA Formed in 2010, TerViva is a Series-D agricultural technology company that produces pongamia trees with abundant oil and protein-rich beans, similar to soybeans. We provide patented high-yielding trees and offer proprietary bean processing to create sustainable food and fuel. TerViva uses pongamia to restore farmland to productive use, helping farmers feed people while taking care of the planet. Learn more at TerViva.com. For more information: Justin Wilson, [email protected] SOURCE TerViva Related Links https://www.terviva.com The five-year Age Well Study is the most extensive longitudinal research to date relative to Life Plan Community residents, and includes responses by 5,148 residents from 80 Life Plan Communities from 28 states nationwide. It is available to download for free at www.TheAgeWellStudy.com . "This research has the potential to enhance the lives of older adults by providing facts, based on actual data, regarding housing alternatives that positively impact health and wellness," said Mary Leary CEO and President, Mather LifeWays. Age Well Study key findings show Life Plan Community residents report: Greater satisfaction with life More physical activity Increased personal connections Higher frequency of volunteering More optimism Greater life purpose Better self-reported health, and fewer chronic conditions Life Plan Communities are lifestyle residences where people can pursue new passions and priorities, with a plan that supports aging in place. They provide an important benefit: a continuum of living options, which enables people to plan ahead to access additional services, including health care, if ever needed. The Mather, which is projected to open in 2023, will feature amenities and program offerings centered around six dimensions of wellness that are supported by research from Mather LifeWays nationally-recognized Institute on Aging. In addition to the Age Well Study, the Institute has recently partnered locally with George Washington University on other age-related research. The Mather will offer well-appointed apartment homes with Smart Home Technology, amenity-rich community spaces, and lush green space as well as a variety of dining venues, a fitness center and day spa and inspiring social, educational, and cultural opportunities, such as digital media workshops, live music, art + technology seminars, featured lecturers, and much more. In addition to The Mather in Virginia, Mather LifeWays operates Life Plan Communities in Illinois and Arizona. For more information about The Mather, visit www.TheMatherTysons.com, call (703) 348-8522, or email [email protected]. SOURCE Mather LifeWays Related Links http://www.matherlifeways.com BOSTON, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Opioid Spoon Project (OSP) founded by artist-activist Domenic Esposito, names Tufts University as the first recipient of their "Virtual Spoon Drop" campaign launch today. Tufts were selected for their continued connection via funds and influence with the owners of Purdue Pharma. Esposito, who garnered national attention by placing his hand sculpted, 800lb opioid spoon at the doorsteps of Purdue Pharma and Rhodes Pharma to protest Purdue's alleged role in creating the opioid epidemic, has expanded his activism efforts via this new online platform. The Virtual Spoon Drop campaign will allow Esposito to target the many "players" who continue to contribute to, and profit from the opioid crisis, and serves as an extension of his on-going "live" spoon drop agenda. The Virtual Spoon drops consists of a Meme depicting Esposito's opioid spoon sculpture and a photo of recipient's logo and/or headquarters, and will be displayed on all OSP social media platforms. Tufts University has a long history with Purdue's founders, and has continued their relationship in spite of court documents filed in January 2019 from Massachusetts attorney general Maura Healy. The State of Massachusetts filed a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, and Purdue's owners, and revealed via the court documents, detailed allegations about Purdue's Oxycontin production and its alleged misleading attempts to deceive the public and medical industry about the drug's highly addictive qualities. The documents further allege Purdue's founders had influence within Tufts University, and their medical programs via funding and the influence they secured through funding that include, Purdue owner board placements, educational programs and policy and the naming of University structures such as the "Sackler Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering," proving a very deep seated relationship. "It is unacceptable and highly disturbing that Tufts has allowed an entire generation of doctors to be trained by the founders of Purdue within their institution," stated Domenic Esposito. "The next generation should be trained on the merits of medicine, not influence. Sales people belong in car dealerships not our medical schools," Esposito proclaimed. The Opioid Spoon Project hopes Tufts will cease their relationship with the owner's of the Pharma giant, by rejecting funds and influence, and supports the students and faculty who have created a petition to formally outline their list of demands to the Tufts Administration. The petition demands include; A fair and transparent investigation into all connections between Tufts University and Purdue Pharma; Appropriate steps to defend Tufts' academic integrity, including the removal of Purdue-sponsored curriculum material and Financial support for opioid treatment programs through the School of Medicine and the University at large. "We want the students and faculty of Tufts to know that The Opioid Spoon Project fully supports their efforts in this cause, and hope the Virtual Spoon Drop helps them achieve their goals," stated Esposito. For all media inquiries, please contact: Cheryl Riley, [email protected]; 202-403-7971, or visit: www.theopioidspoonproject.com. To view the petition created by Tufts University students and faculty: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/455/880/532/tufts-university-sack-sackler/ SOURCE Domenic Esposito Related Links http://www.theopioidspoonproject.com SAN FRANCISCO, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Tigera, an enterprise software company providing security and compliance solutions for Kubernetes platforms, today announced the general availability of Calico for Windows, adding Microsoft Windows support to its popular Calico container security and networking solution for Kubernetes. Collaborating with Microsoft, Tigera has leveraged the latest Windows platform capabilities to deliver seamless networking and network policy support for cross-platform Linux/Windows Kubernetes deployments. The combination of Tigera Calico for Windows and the release of Kubernetes 1.14 this week lets development teams move Windows workloads such as .NET applications into a Kubernetes environment while Calico handles the networking and network security across both Windows and Linux. Tigera Calico leverages a number of built-in Microsoft Windows Server networking features to deliver open networking interoperability and secure host-based policy enforcement, including host networking services (HNS), virtual filtering platform (VFP), and built-in border gateway protocol (BGP) support. "In talking to many large enterprises, there's a good deal of demand to move applications to more agile, cloud-based environments running in Containers on Kubernetes," said Ratan Tipirneni , president and CEO of Tigera. "Windows workloads are a key component of many enterprise applications, and with Kubernetes now supporting Windows workloads, I expect to see enterprise Kubernetes adoption accelerate." Tigera Calico is the industry's de facto standard for Kubernetes networking and network security, having been integrated into all major Kubernetes distributions including offerings from AWS, Docker, Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Red Hat. More than 100,000 Calico-based Kubernetes clusters are active daily with innovative organizations such as Atlassian, Github, GiantSwarm, and Idealo. "More than anything, the benefit afforded by MSA ( microservices architecture ) is agility. MSA was made famous by digital business leaders such as Netflix, Amazon, and Twitter, which adopted it to support their ever-increasing traffic volumes and their competitive requirements to continuously deliver new features and capabilities. Most organizations don't have to deal with Netflix-level scalability concerns, but they do need to deliver new features more quickly," per Gartner.1 According to Gartner: "By 2022, more than 75 percent of global organizations will be running containerized applications in production, which is a significant increase from fewer than 30 percent today."2 Further, Windows users are adopting a cloud strategy, with the share of Windows server deployments in public cloud more than doubling from 8.8 percent in 2014 to 17.6 percent in 2017, according to IDC.3 Tigera Calico for Windows is generally available now with enterprise-grade support via Tigera's Essentials subscription service. Interested end users should contact Tigera to learn more. About Tigera: Tigera provides Zero Trust network security and continuous compliance for Kubernetes platforms. Tigera Secure extends enterprise security and compliance controls to Kubernetes environments with support for on-premises, multi-cloud, and legacy environments. Tigera powers all of the major managed Kubernetes providers and is integrated with the majority of Kubernetes distributions. Visit us at www.tigera.io or follow us on Twitter @tigeraio Contacts: Andy Wright [email protected] (415) 361-3594 Scott Samson [email protected] (415) 781-9005 1 Gartner, Inc., "Best Practices for Running Containers and Kubernetes in Production" by Arun Chandrasekaran, February, 25, 2019. 2 Gartner, Inc., "Innovation Insight for Microservices" by Anne Thomas, Aashish Gupta, March 4, 2019. 3 IDC, "Windows Server Operating Environment Market Update" by Stephen Belanger, August 2018. SOURCE Tigera Related Links http://www.tigera.io ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., March 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Tortuga Logic, a cybersecurity company specializing in hardware threat detection and prevention, is exhibiting at GOMACTech 2019. The four-day conference will take place March 25-28, 2019 at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, NM. Visit Tortuga Logic at booth #216 to speak with a team of hardware security experts, view live product demos and more. Exhibit Hours Tuesday, March 26 from 12:00pm - 8:00pm MT Wednesday, March 27, from 9:00am - 4:00pm MT For inquiries or to schedule a meeting with Tortuga Logic at GOMACTech 2019, please contact [email protected]. Conference Details What: GOMACTech 2019 When: March 25-28, 2019 Where: Booth #216 | Albuquerque Convention Center | 401 2nd Street NW | Albuquerque, NM 87102 About Tortuga Logic Tortuga Logic is a cybersecurity company that provides industry-leading solutions to address security vulnerabilities overlooked in today's systems. Tortuga Logic's innovative hardware security verification platform, Radix-S, enables design teams to identify and prevent system-wide exploits arising around a Hardware Root of Trust that are otherwise undetectable using current methods of security review. To learn more, visit www.tortugalogic.com or contact [email protected]. SOURCE Tortuga Logic Related Links http://www.tortugalogic.com WATERTOWN, Mass., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Tufts Health Plan has joined the growing national movement to adopt eight "National Principles of Care" for the treatment of addiction that will improve outcomes and save lives. Shatterproof, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the devastation addiction causes families, is spearheading the initiative. "The high number of Americans over 21 million that suffer from substance use disorder is deeply concerning. During the first nine months of 2018, there were over 1,500 deaths in Massachusetts due to the opioid crisis," said Paul Kasuba, M.D., chief medical officer at Tufts Health Plan. "We are proud to join this national effort and collaborate with Shatterproof to improve access and care in substance use disorder treatment. These Principles are another important step that Tufts Health Plan is taking to ensure our members are receiving the best care possible, at the highest quality." The National Principles of Care were derived from the Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health and are backed by three decades of research. Aligning care with these evidence-based Principles will significantly improve the quality of treatment for the 21 million Americans with substance use disorders. Tufts Health Plan will work to identify and promote substance use disorder treatment that aligns with the Principles, which are expected to improve results and save lives. The Principals include: Universal screening for substance use disorders across medical care settings Personalized diagnosis, assessment and treatment planning Rapid access to appropriate substance use disorder care Engagement in continuing long-term outpatient care with monitoring and adjustments to treatment Concurrent, coordinated care for physical and mental illness Access to fully trained and accredited behavioral professionals Access to FDA-approved medications Access to non-medical recovery support services Tufts Health Plan is one of several health plans, representing 250 million lives nationally, who have signed on to the initiative. As part of the commitment, Tufts Health Plan will also serve on the Substance Use Disorder Treatment Task Force, launched in April 2017 by Gary Mendell, founder and CEO of Shatterproof, and Dr. Thomas McLellan, founder and chairman of the Treatment Research Institute and former Deputy Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President Obama. The Taskforce will develop metrics to measure progress on this initiative and will publish regularly. Tufts Health Plan and the Opioid Epidemic As the opioid epidemic continues to devastate families, Tufts Health Plan is playing a critical role in its early identification and intervention with initiatives and health benefits designed to treat substance use disorder. Several of the health plan's initiatives include: Substance Use Navigator: Complementing the work of our care management program, the substance use disorder navigator helps members and their families understand treatment options, benefits and coverage; make decisions about next steps; find resources available to them and find solutions that fit their situation on a case-by-case basis. This personalized attention allows members to capitalize on the spectrum of treatment options. Locally-based Treatment: Unlike costly, out-of-state treatment alternatives, Tufts Health Plan advocates for local treatment, allowing for recovery in a familiar environment. This means individuals learn to cope with triggers, rather than avoid them. Local treatment also provides an easier transition back to the community including a return to the member's professional and personal life. Medication and Training: Tufts Health Plan has created a unique program to encourage behavioral health and primary care providers to prescribe Suboxone as a medication-assisted treatment by offering providers reimbursement for the federally-mandated training. The goal of this program is to increase access to a critical treatment. Education: Tufts Health Plan and Delta Dental of Massachusetts are collaborating to improve safe prescribing practices and to promote alternative treatments, through messaging to all dentists. This is critical because, as a 2011 study in the Journal of the American Dental Association indicated, dentists are responsible for 12 percent of prescriptions for fast-acting opioid pain relievers. About Tufts Health Plan Tufts Health Plan is nationally recognized for its commitment to providing innovative, high-quality health care coverage. Staying true to our mission of improving the health and wellness of the diverse communities we serve, we touch the lives of more than 1.16 million members in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire through employer-sponsored plans; Medicare; Medicaid and Marketplace plans, offering health insurance coverage across the life span regardless of age or circumstance. We are continually among the top health plans in the country based on quality and member satisfaction. Our Tufts Medicare Preferred HMO and Senior Care Options plans received a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the highest rating possible.i To learn more about how we're redefining what a health plan can do, visit www.tuftshealthplan.com/whatwedo. Connect with us on Facebook , Twitter , YouTube and LinkedIn . About Shatterproof Shatterproof is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the devastation the disease of addiction causes families. Shatterproof works to end the stigma and foster a community of support, providing evidence-based resources to support prevention, treatment, and recovery. Shatterproof advocates for changes in federal and state policy and supports the development and implementation of evidence-based solutions for substance use disorders. iEvery year, Medicare evaluates plans based on a 5-Star rating system. Star Ratings are calculated each year and may change from one year to the next. For more information on plan ratings, go to www.medicare.gov. Tufts Medicare Preferred HMO plans received 5 out of 5 stars for contract years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019. Contact: Kathleen Makela [email protected] 857-304-8293 SOURCE Tufts Health Plan Related Links http://www.tuftshealthplan.com "I am so excited to be back in my hometown of Tulsa, leading Leake Auction Company into the next stage of its history as a pioneer in the collector car industry," said Gary Bennett, General Manager, New Ventures & Sectors (Collector Cars) for Ritchie Bros. "Tulsa is a special place and Leake is a special company and with the strength of Ritchie Bros. as our owner, we expect to accomplish some amazing things here in Oklahoma and around the country. We aren't resting on our laurels. Our next auction in Tulsa in June should not be missed." While at Barrett-Jackson Gary oversaw the consignment, bidder, guest services, and insurance divisions. He expanded the company from annual events to quarterly events, as well as implementing strategic campaigns to increase attendance at its auctions. Now at Leake, Gary plans to expand the company's auctions to Florida and Arizona, as well as online-only auctions through Ritchie Bros.' online brand IronPlanet.com. The June 6 8 auction being held at Tulsa's River Spirit Expo is already building with excitement. "We had more than 700 vehicles on the auction block in Tulsa last June," said Mr. Bennett. "We encourage interested sellers to contact us early to make sure they get a chance to sell in this auction. The earlier you consign the more time we have to market your vehicle to the world." For more information about the upcoming Tulsa auction, becoming a registered bidder or consigning a vehicle, visit LeakeCar.com or call +1.918.254.7077. Admission is $20 for adults; $15 for seniors; $7 for children under 12; and free for military with ID. Online bidding in the auction will be available via IronPlanet.com. About Leake Auction Company: Leake Auction Company was established by James C. Leake, Sr. and is America's first collector car auction. The company continues to carry out the principles Mr. Leake founded the company on: quality, respect, knowledge, and loyalty to the business. The team of industry experts provide decades of world-class collector car auction knowledge. Currently Leake conducts auctions in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Dallas. In January 2018, Leake was acquired by Ritchie Bros., a global asset management and disposition company. With Ritchie Bros. online audience of 3.3 million registered bidders worldwide, Leake has the largest bidder base of any collector car auction company in the world. About Ritchie Bros.: Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is a global asset management and disposition company, offering customers end-to-end solutions for buying and selling used heavy equipment, trucks and other assets. Operating in a number of sectors, including construction, transportation, agriculture, energy, oil and gas, mining, and forestry, the company's selling channels include: Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, the world's largest industrial auctioneer offers live auction events with online bidding; IronPlanet, an online marketplace with featured weekly auctions and providing the exclusive IronClad Assurance equipment condition certification; Marketplace-E, a controlled marketplace offering multiple price and timing options; Mascus, a leading European online equipment listing service; and Ritchie Bros. Private Treaty, offering privately negotiated sales. The company's suite of multichannel sales solutions also includes RB Asset Solutions, a complete end-to-end asset management and disposition system. Ritchie Bros. also offers sector-specific solutions including GovPlanet, TruckPlanet, and Kruse Energy Auctioneers, plus equipment financing and leasing through Ritchie Bros. Financial Services. For more information about Ritchie Bros., visit RitchieBros.com. Photos and video for embedding in media stories are available at rbauction.com/media. SOURCE Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Related Links http://www.rbauction.com DUBLIN, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "UAE Electric Motor Market: Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2019-2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The UAE electric motor market reached a value of US$ 198 Million in 2018 An electric motor is an electro-mechanical machine that produces mechanical energy from electrical energy. It can be operated by direct current (DC) sources, such as solar cells or batteries, or by alternating current (AC) sources, which includes generators or inverters. Electric motor is extensively used in modern-day life, such as in dishwashers, blowers, cars, vacuum cleaners, computer printers, machine tools, water pumps, printing presses and many more. On account of rising energy consumption in the region, the UAE government is planning to increase its target for power generation to more than 27 per cent by 2023. As electric motors are extensively used in the power generation, this is projected to drive the demand for electric motors in the country. Additionally, expanding applications of pumps and compressors in the desalination, water and wastewater sectors are anticipated to facilitate the electric motor market. Moreover, government initiatives aimed at promoting the adoption of electric vehicles among the consumers represents another major market driver. As a result, the market is expected to reach a value of US$ 298 Million by 2024, growing at a CAGR of around 6.2% during 2019-2024. The report has segmented the UAE electric motor market on the basis of application. Some of its major applications are found in pumps and fans, compressors and others. The market is also segmented on the basis of end-use, covering HVAC, oil and gas, food and beverage, mining, water and utilities, and others. Based on efficiency, the market is segmented into IE2, IE3, IE1 and IE4. An analysis of the competitive landscape provides the details of the key players operative in the market. Some of the major players are ABB, Siemens, WEG Industries, NIDEC Corporation and TECO Middle East Electrical & Machinery Co. Ltd. Key Questions Answered in This Report: How has the UAE electric motor market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years? What are the key end-use segment in the UAE electric motor industry? What are the major applications in the UAE electric motor industry? What are the key efficiencies in the UAE electric motor industry? What are the price trends of electric motors? What are the various stages in the value chain of the UAE electric motor industry? What are the key driving factors and challenges in the UAE electric motor industry? What is the structure of the UAE electric motor industry and who are the key players? What is the degree of competition in the UAE electric motor industry? What are the profit margins in the UAE electric motor industry? What are the key requirements for setting up an electric motor manufacturing plant? How is electric motor manufactured? What are the various unit operations involved in an electric motor manufacturing plant? What is the total size of land required for setting up an electric motor manufacturing plant? What are the machinery requirements for setting up an electric motor manufacturing plant? What are the raw material requirements for setting up an electric motor manufacturing plant? What are the packaging requirements for electric motor? What are the transportation requirements for electric motor? What are the utility requirements for setting up an electric motor manufacturing plant? What are the manpower requirements for setting up an electric motor manufacturing plant? What are the infrastructure costs for setting up an electric motor manufacturing plant? What are the capital costs for setting up an electric motor manufacturing plant? What are the operating costs for setting up an electric motor manufacturing plant? What will be the income and expenditures for an electric motor manufacturing plant? What is the time required to break-even? Key Topics Covered: 1 Preface 2 Scope and Methodology 2.1 Objectives of the Study 2.2 Stakeholders 2.3 Data Sources 2.4 Market Estimation 2.5 Forecasting Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Introduction 4.1 Overview 4.2 Key Industry Trends 5 Global Electric Motor Market 5.1 Market Overview 5.2 Market Performance 5.3 Market Breakup by Product Type 5.4 Market Breakup by Region 5.5 Market Breakup by End Use 5.6 Market Forecast 6 Global Low Voltage Electric Motor Market 6.1 Market Overview 6.2 Market Performance 6.3 Market Breakup by Power Ratings 6.4 Market Breakup by Efficiency 6.5 Market Breakup by End Use Industry 6.6 Market Breakup by Application 6.7 Market Breakup by Region 6.8 Market Forecast 7 GCC Low Voltage Electric Motor Market 7.1 Market Overview 7.2 Market Performance 7.3 Market Breakup by Power Ratings 7.4 Market Breakup by Efficiency 7.5 Market Breakup by End Use Industry 7.6 Market Breakup by Application 7.7 Market Breakup by Region 7.8 Market Forecast 8 UAE Low Voltage Electric Motor Market 8.1 Market Overview 8.2 Market Performance 8.3 Market Breakup by Power Ratings 8.4 Market Breakup by Efficiency 8.5 Market Breakup by End Use Industry 8.6 Market Breakup by Application 8.7 Market Forecast 8.8 SWOT Analysis 8.9 Value Chain Analysis 8.9.1 Raw Material Procurement 8.9.2 Manufacturing 8.9.3 Distribution 8.9.4 Exports 8.9.5 End-Use 8.10 Porters Five Forces Analysis 9 UAE Electric Motor (Low Voltage) Market: Performance by Efficiency 9.1 Standard Efficiency Electric Motors 9.2 High Efficiency Electric Motors 9.3 Premium Efficiency Electric Motors 9.4 Super Premium Efficiency Electric Motors 10 UAE Electric Motor (Low Voltage) Market: Performance by End-Use Industry 10.1 HVAC 10.2 Oil and Gas 10.3 Food, Beverage and Tobacco 10.4 Mining 10.5 Water and Utilities 10.6 Others 11 UAE Electric Motor (Low Voltage) Market: Performance by Applications 11.1 Pumps and Fans 11.2 Compressors 11.3 Other Applications 12 Competitive Landscape 12.1 Market Structure 12.2 Key Players 13 Electric Motor Manufacturing Process 13.1 Product Overview 13.2 Detailed Process Flow 13.3 Various Types of Unit Operations Involved 13.4 Mass Balance and Raw Material Requirements 14 Project Details, Requirements and Costs Involved 14.1 Land Requirements and Expenditures 14.2 Construction Requirements and Expenditures 14.3 Plant Layout 14.4 Plant Machinery 14.5 Machinery Pictures 14.6 Raw Material Requirements and Expenditures 14.7 Packaging Requirements and Expenditures 14.8 Utilities Requirements and Expenditures 14.9 Manpower Requirements and Expenditures 14.10 Other Capital Investments 15 Loans and Financial Assistance 16 Project Economics 16.1 Capital Cost of the Project 16.2 Techno-Economic Parameters 16.3 Product Pricing and Margins Across Various Levels of the Supply Chain 16.4 Taxation and Depreciation 16.5 Income Projections 16.6 Expenditure Projections 16.7 Financial Analysis 16.8 Profit Analysis 17 Key Player Profiles ABB Siemens WEG Industries NIDEC Corporation TECO Middle East Electrical & Machinery Co. Ltd. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/zqzpmp/uae_electric?w=5 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com For 2019, the top five Healthiest Communities score above the national average in all 10 categories. Following Douglas County, Colorado, at No. 1, Los Alamos County, New Mexico, rose to No. 2, moving Falls Church city, Virginia, to No. 3, down from No. 1 in 2018. Loudoun County, Virginia, jumped up a spot to No. 4, with Broomfield County, Colorado, rounding out the top five. "Through the Healthiest Communities initiative, U.S. News expands on three decades of expertise in measuring health care quality to assess how social determinants affect community health," said Eric Gertler, executive chairman of U.S. News & World Report. "Our second-year endeavor with the Aetna Foundation combines high-quality data with the power of journalism to engage communities about where they can improve and how they can learn from each other." The Healthiest Communities rankings, underwritten by the Aetna Foundation, are part of a $100 million commitment by CVS Health and its affiliates to making community health and wellness central to the company's charge for a better world. The new Building Healthier Communities initiative, which will be funded over five years by CVS Health and the CVS Health and Aetna foundations, builds upon the outstanding tradition of community investment by CVS Health and Aetna and advances CVS Health's purpose of helping people on their path to better health. "Through our support of organizations across the country, we know that the most effective and innovative solutions to improve health are consistently developed by addressing the needs of each specific community," said Larry J. Merlo, president and CEO of CVS Health. "The Healthiest Communities rankings continue to provide the insights that are essential to identify key issues and support community organizations, leaders and residents who are tackling the unique social determinants of health that impact their respective neighborhoods." In addition to an overall ranking of the top 500 communities, four peer groupings were developed based on counties' urban-rural status as tied to population density and economic status. The peer groups assure fair comparisons between communities and are categorized as: urban high-performing, urban up-and-coming, rural high-performing and rural up-and-coming. Key Findings in the 2019 Healthiest Communities rankings: For 2019, Douglas County, Colorado , is the No. 1 healthiest community in America . The Denver suburb is among the top 10 healthiest communities in the country in at least four of the 81 measures, including physical activity, educational attainment and median household income. . The suburb is among the top 10 healthiest communities in the country in at least four of the 81 measures, including physical activity, educational attainment and median household income. Seven communities in Colorado rank among the top 20 : Douglas County (1), Broomfield County (5), Chaffee County (11), Routt County (14), San Miguel County (17), Pitkin County (19) and Boulder County (20). In those seven counties, nearly all adults exercise and only about a quarter missed their annual wellness checkup. Across all of its counties, Colorado has the highest average score in the country in the Environment category, which includes measures of natural amenities and air and water quality. : (1), (5), (11), (14), (17), (19) and (20). In those seven counties, nearly all adults exercise and only about a quarter missed their annual wellness checkup. Across all of its counties, has the highest average score in the country in the Environment category, which includes measures of natural amenities and air and water quality. Iowa has the strongest presence in the Healthiest Communities rankings overall , with 62 counties landing among the top 500 . Average community scores put Iowa among the top 10 states in four of the 10 broad categories assessed, including Population Health and Housing. Iowa's top-performing community, No. 26 Bremer County, takes top scores in walkability and low toxic releases. , . Average community scores put among the top 10 states in four of the 10 broad categories assessed, including Population Health and Housing. top-performing community, No. 26 Bremer County, takes top scores in walkability and low toxic releases. 81 counties are new to this year's top 500 communities , including Montour County, Pennsylvania , which improved in the Population Health category. Bath County, Virginia , saw significant progress in Education and Sweetwater County, Wyoming , rose in Environment. , including , which improved in the Population Health category. , saw significant progress in Education and , rose in Environment. Of the 81 metrics included in the Healthiest Communities analysis, diabetes prevalence and smoking rate have the strongest correlation to life expectancy. According to Healthiest Communities calculations, Hawaii counties perform the best in the country in life expectancy, with an average of 81.15 years. According to Healthiest Communities calculations, Hawaii counties perform the best in the country in life expectancy, with an average of 81.15 years. At 8.7 percent, the average smoking rate across Utah counties is the lowest in the country. The rate is about half the national average and about 3 percentage points lower than in California , the state with the second-lowest rate. The rate is about half the national average and about 3 percentage points lower than in , the state with the second-lowest rate. Poor self-reported mental health has about the same negative link to life expectancy as diabetes, smoking and physical inactivity. The same metric also is linked to higher rates of poverty at the community level. The same metric also is linked to higher rates of poverty at the community level. Communities in Nebraska take 16 of the top 100 spots in the Mental Health subcategory, including Cherry County and Morrill County , which both score among the top 10 in the subcategory. The state has averaged 26 deaths due to suicide, alcohol-related disease and drug overdoses per 100,000 population; only New York state has averaged fewer "deaths of despair," with 25 per 100,000 population. To compile the rankings, U.S. News worked with the University of Missouri Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems (CARES), a research institution skilled in community health assessment, and consulted with members of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics. For the 2019 rankings, three new measures were added: two under the Equity category assessing racial disparities and one under the Housing category measuring households with incomplete plumbing. Overall, the rankings are based on metrics drawn from sources such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Healthiest Communities rankings are the centerpiece of a platform featuring in-depth reporting and analysis on community and public health issues, as well as comprehensive data covering the full spectrum of factors that influence population health. Healthiest Communities is part of U.S. News' expanding civic journalism portfolio, which includes the Best States and Best Countries sections that evaluate how government leaders and public policies best serve their citizens. 2019 Healthiest Communities- Top 10 *See the full rankings here Douglas County, Colorado Los Alamos County, New Mexico Falls Church city, Virginia Loudoun County, Virginia Broomfield County, Colorado Teton County, Wyoming Hamilton County, Indiana Carver County, Minnesota Delaware County, Ohio Howard County, Maryland Peer Group Rankings Top 5 Urban, High-Performing Douglas County, Colorado Los Alamos County, New Mexico Falls Church city, Virginia Loudoun County, Virginia Broomfield County, Colorado Rural, High-Performing Teton County, Wyoming Chaffee County, Colorado Morgan County, Utah Routt County, Colorado Jefferson County, Montana Urban, Up-and-Coming Houston County, Minnesota Hood River County, Oregon Bennington County, Vermont Island County, Washington Marquette County, Michigan Rural, Up-and-Coming Wallowa County, Oregon Lincoln County, Washington Calhoun County, Iowa Iron County, Wisconsin Baylor County, Texas Key Health Measures Top 5 Top 5 Communities for Access to Health Care Suffolk County, MA Olmsted County, MN Montour County, PA Ohio County, WV Johnson County, IA Top 5 Communities for Mental Health Manassas Park city, VA Cherry County, NE Tripp County, SD Honolulu County, HI Santa Clara County, CA Top 5 Communities for Low Cancer Prevalence Ziebach County, SD Culberson County, TX Presidio County, TX Garfield County, WA Hudspeth County, TX The 2019 Healthiest Communities rankings are accompanied by data-driven and narrative stories examining the health island of Williamson County, Tennessee; the conflict of city vs. suburban health as seen in Nassau County, New York; and more. To view the full rankings and search county profiles, please visit: https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities. For more information on Healthiest Communities explore Facebook and Twitter using #HealthiestCommunities. U.S. News Media Contact: Maria Santucci, [email protected], 202-955-2031 Aetna Foundation Media Contact: Ethan Slavin, [email protected] 860-273-6095 About U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report is a digital news and information company that empowers people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. Focusing 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. About the Aetna Foundation The Aetna Foundation is an independent charitable and philanthropic affiliate of CVS Health (NYSE:CVS). As a national health foundation, the Aetna Foundation promotes wellness, health and access to high-quality health care for everyone. This work is enhanced by the time and commitment of Aetna employees, who volunteered 670,000 hours in 2018 alone. For more information, visit www.aetnafoundation.org. SOURCE U.S. News & World Report Related Links http://www.usnews.com LONDON, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Visiongain has calculated that the Microgrid Market will see a capital expenditure (CAPEX) of $12.6bn in 2019. Read on to discover the potential business opportunities available. Microgrid is one of the most advanced concepts in the power generation. The technology acts as a promising source of electricity during emergencies, bad weather conditions and power outages. The microgrid market is mainly driven by factors including rising demand for efficient energy usage, growing adoption of renewable energy and need for efficient grid infrastructure. The rapid growth in the population has led to increased congestion and stress on the existing grid leading to an unbalanced and inefficient supply of electricity among the consumers; the bulk of them affected by lack of electricity supply. Most of the rural and remote areas across the world lack an efficient supply of electricity and thus have to rely on imported fossil fuels to meet their energy requirements. The bulk of them lack connectivity to power grids. Microgrid has an ability to store energy and can be connected and disconnected from the main grid. It helps deliver secure energy for emergency facilities including hospitals, defence and police stations during extreme climatic and weather conditions. The microgrid technology can suffice both fossil fuel and renewable energy resources which can lead to a clean, affordable and efficient electricity supply both on-grid and off-grid. The deployment of microgrid technology will not only reduce the burden on existing utilities but will also help reduce greenhouse gases through the adoption of renewable resources. The technology can be considered as a building block towards the development of smart energy system with its compact design and high reliability during emergency conditions. Microgrid market is expected to witness a high potential in remote regions and islands. Increasing measures by the government to facilitate efficient and reliable electrification benefits will boost the demand for microgrid globally. Visiongain's Microgrid market report can keep you informed and up to date with the developments in the market, across five different regions: North America, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. With reference to this report, it details the key investments trend in the global Microgrid market, subdivided by regions, capital expenditure and capacity. Through extensive secondary research and interviews with industry experts, Visiongain has identified a series of market trends that will impact the Microgrid market over the forecast timeframe. The report will answer questions such as: How is the Microgrid market evolving? What is driving and restraining Microgrid market dynamics? How will each Microgrid submarket segment grow over the forecast period and how much Sales will these submarkets account for in 2029? How will market shares of each Microgrid submarket develop from 2019-2029? Which individual technologies will prevail and how will these shifts be responded to? Which Microgrid submarket will be the main driver of the overall market from 2019-2029? How will political and regulatory factors influence regional Microgrid markets and submarkets? Will leading national Microgrid market broadly follow macroeconomic dynamics, or will individual country sectors outperform the rest of the economy? How will market shares of the national markets change by 2029 and which nation will lead the market in 2029? Who are the leading players and what are their prospects over the forecast period? How will the sector evolve as alliances form during the period between 2019 and 2029? Five Reasons Why You Must Order and Read This Report Today: 1) The report provides Analysis and Forecasts for the Microgrid Markets by CAPEX (US$m) Capacity (MW) 2) The report provides forecasts for the Microgrid Market by Application, for the period 2019-2029 Remote Application Forecast 2019-2029 Utility Distribution Application Forecast 2019-2029 Commercial and Industrial Application Forecast 2019-2029 Community Application Forecast 2019-2029 Institutional/Campus Application Forecast 2019-2029 Military Application Forecast 2019-2029 3) The report provides forecasts for the Microgrids Market by Region, for the period 2019-2029 North America Microgrid Market US Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 Canada Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 Europe Microgrid Market Forecast Russia Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 France Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 Denmark Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 Rest of Europe Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 Asia-Pacific Microgrid Market China Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 Japan Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 South Korea Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 India Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 Rest of Asia-Pacific Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 Latin America Microgrid Market Brazil Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 Rest of Latin America Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 Middle East and Africa Microgrid Market Saudi Arabia Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 South Africa Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 Rest of the Middle East and Africa Microgrid Forecast 2019-2029 4) The report also includes Extensive details and analysis of contracts, projects and programmes in the Microgrid Market information on: Location Technology Project Contractor 5) The report provides market share and detailed profiles of the leading companies operating within the Microgrid market: ABB Ltd. General Electric Hitachi Ltd. Siemens AG Eaton Corporation NRG Energy Caterpillar Honeywell International Inc. This independent 171-page report guarantees you will remain better informed than your competitors. With 168 tables and figures examining the Microgrid market space, the report gives you a direct, detailed breakdown of the market. PLUS, Capital expenditure AND Capacity, as well as Analysis of Contracts, Projects and Programmes that will keep your knowledge that one step ahead of your rivals. This report is essential reading for you or anyone in the Energy sector. Purchasing this report today will help you to recognise those important market opportunities and understand the possibilities there. I look forward to receiving your order. To request a report overview of this report please contact Sara Peerun at [email protected] or refer to our website: https://www.visiongain.com/report/the-microgrid-market-forecast-2019-2029/ Did you know that we also offer a report add-on service? Email [email protected] to discuss any customized research needs you may have. ABB Ltd Advanced Microgrid Solutions Anbaric Microgrid Canadian Solar Inc Caterpillar Centrais Eletricas do Para (CELPA) Chevron Inc Corinex Communications Cummins Inc Duke Energy Corporation Dynapower Company LLC Eaton Corporation eCAMION Emerson Electric Corporation ENERES ENGIE Fairbanks Morse FuelCell Energy Inc. General Electric Green Energy Corporation Hitachi Ltd. Homer Energy LLC Honeywell International Hyosung IBJ Leasing KERI Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) Lockheed Martin Corporation LSIS METI Nalcor/ Frontier Power Systems NEDO Nimschu Iskudow Inc NRG Energy PanaHome Power Analytics Corporation PowerShift Atlantic Princeton Power Systems Qulliq Energy Corporation S&C Electric Company Saudi Electricity Company (SECO) Siemens AG Solantro Semiconductor Tesla Motors Inc. TUGLIQ Energy Co. Viridity Energy Inc. Organisations Mentioned BC Institute of Technology Centre for renewable Energy Development (CRED) China National Renewable Energy Centre Chinese Academy of Sciences Department of Energy Electricity & Cogeneration Regulatory Authority (ECRA) Saudi Arabia Energy Market Authority Fairfield University Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) - South Korea National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) National Energy Agency (NEA) Natural resources Canada New York University Princeton University Saudi Ministry of Water and Electricity Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) University of California, Sand Diego To see a report overview please e-mail Sara Peerun on [email protected] SOURCE Visiongain SALT LAKE CITY, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- As nearly 13,000 students across the country are affected by the closure of Argosy University, Western Governors University (WGU) President Scott Pulsipher today announced that the university has created transfer pathways and is offering scholarship opportunities for those students seeking to complete bachelor's and master's degrees at WGU. President Pulsipher offered encouraging words to the nearly 13,000 students impacted by Argosy's closure: "Don't give up. You've worked too hard and come too far to give up on your dreams of a better life now. At WGU, our competency-based programs offer students the flexibility to earn credentials on their schedule, with the option to accelerate, and our tuition is very affordable. WGU won't be the right fit for every Argosy student, but it may be a great option for many who don't want to let their hard work go to waste." The Finish Strong Scholarship is a competitive program and is available for any of WGU's more than 60 bachelor's and master's degree programs in business, nursing and healthcare, information technology, and teacher education. Scholarships will be awarded based on the student's academic record, previous college experience, readiness for online study, current competency, and other considerations. In addition to the scholarships, WGU will waive the university's $65 application fee as well as the first-term resource fee of $145 for Argosy transfer students. WGU's dedicated admissions staff are on standby to review Argosy University students' situations and answer transfer or other questions. About WGU Established in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors with a mission to expand access to high-quality, affordable higher education, online, nonprofit WGU now serves more than 114,000 students nationwide and has more than 136,000 graduates in all 50 states. Driving innovation as the nation's leading competency-based university, WGU has been recognized by the White House, state leaders, employers, and students as a model that works in postsecondary education. In just 21 years, the university has become a leading influence in changing the lives of individuals and families, and preparing the workforce needed in today's rapidly evolving economy. WGU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, has been named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies, and was featured on NPR, NBC Nightly News, CNN, and in The New York Times. Learn more at www.wgu.edu. Follow WGU: http://www.facebook.com/wgu.edu http://www.linkedin.com/companies/western-governors-university http://twitter.com/wgu http://www.youtube.com/WesternGovernorsUniv http://google.com/+wgu http://news.wgu.edu/news/news.xml Contact for media inquiries: Contact for enrollment information: Joan Mitchell, VP Public Relations 866-225-5948 801-428-5463 wgu.edu [email protected] SOURCE Western Governors University Related Links http://www.wgu.edu MOUNTAINSIDE, N.J., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The cost of motor vehicle accident injuries continues to rise, notes My NJ Injury Lawyer, Howard P. Lesnik, Esq. These costs have grown by 26 percent for personal injury protection (PIP) no-fault claims over a nine-year period, according to the recent Insurance Research Council's (IRC) study. Medical expenses from an accident can include ambulance service, hospital, doctors, MRIs and other scans, and months of medical care, more scans, surgery and physical therapy. Although many people assume the car insurer for the other car will pay their medical bills, this is no longer the case in New Jersey. New Jersey requires insurance companies to provide Personal Injury Protection (PIP coverage). PIP coverage covers medical bills resulting from a NJ car accident, regardless of who is at fault for the crash. PIP may cover: Family members injured in a car accident who reside with you, and do not own their own car even when they were not in your car at the time of the accident. No one should be afraid to ask a relative they reside with for the car insurance policy. Medical coverage to passengers in your car who are injured in a car accident, if they don't have their own car, and don't reside with someone who has PIP coverage. NJ's PLIGA When PIP Car Insurance Coverage is Not Available The State of NJ. NJ has set up a fund through a program called NJ PLIGA which may cover medical benefits for people injured in a car accident and there is no PIP coverage available to them from their own car insurance or family member's policy. To qualify, NJ PLIGA must be notified within 180 days. How Much Will My PIP Coverage Pay? PIP benefits are available to you through your automobile insurance policy if you own your own car. Therefore, you can elect how much PIP coverage you want to purchase. You can purchase the minimum coverage, which is $15,000. However, if you are involved in a serious accident and require extensive medical coverage and surgeries, this limit will not fully cover your medical expenses, and you will be responsible for the balance of the bills. Even if your personal injury attorney settles your claim against the other driver, your bills will have to be paid out of the settlement. In other words, your settlement amount may be greatly reduced to satisfy the outstanding medical bills. If you elect full PIP benefits, you are entitled to $250,000 in medical coverage. If you are the victim of a traumatic car crash and require substantial medical care and surgeries, your medical bills will be fully covered. And your settlement will not be reduced by reimbursing the doctors for outstanding medical liens. Finally, the insurance companies don't want you to know that full PIP coverage, which provides an additional $235,000 in medical benefits, is just a hair more expensive then the basic minimum coverage. This small increase in your premium provides full medical coverage to prevent against astronomical medical bills that can not only affect your settlement, but your financial freedom going forward after the accident. About My NJ Injury Lawyer Howard P. Lesnik, Esq. Howard Lesnik is a NJ Certified Trial Lawyer who brings experience and knowledge of the laws of New Jersey to protect seriously injured clients. His legal counsel allows clients to heal from injuries while he negotiates with insurance companies, and prepares for trial, if reasonable settlements cannot be reached. See https://mynjinjurylawyer.com/, or contact him directly [email protected]. Media Contact: Howard P. Lesnik, Esq. My NJ Injury Lawyer, Howard P. Lesnik, Esq. Cell: 908-264-7701 [email protected] https://mynjinjurylawyer.com/ Image: https://mynjinjurylawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/howard-lesnik-my-nj-injury-lawyer.jpg SOURCE My NJ Injury Lawyer Howard P. Lesnik, Esq. Related Links https://mynjinjurylawyer.com "The response in our inaugural year was nothing short of inspiring," said WWP CEO Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Linnington. "Now it's time to build on that momentum. We want to reach more veterans and communities as we strive to empower those who have served." Every participant has a story. Three sailors in San Diego exemplified the spirit, taking turns carrying each other. Volunteers cheered as a father, with his young son perched on his shoulders, waved a flag, while others carried weights across the finish line. There were countless smiles and pictures of supporters who provided a snapshot of perseverance and patriotism. "With all of the hundreds of people that are here supporting us, it really warms my heart to know this is the country we live in," said one veteran at the Carry Forward event in Nashville. Here's where the stories will unfold this year: San Diego Aug. 24 Nashville Sept. 21 San Antonio Oct. 5 Jacksonville Nov. 9 Virtual now thru Dec. 15 If you can't attend an event, don't worry there's another way to participate. Virtual runs or walks give you the flexibility to create your own Carry Forward event on a date and location that's most convenient for you. Follow this link to see how you can set up your own event: https://carryforward.woundedwarriorproject.org. All proceeds of Carry Forward help veterans on their journeys to recovery. Warriors don't pay a penny for WWP programs, because they paid their dues on the battlefield. WWP's free services in mental health, career counseling, and long-term rehabilitative care change lives. To donate or read more about WWP, visit https://wwp.news/GiveBack. For updates on Carry Forward events, follow WWP Carry Forward at https://www.facebook.com/wwpcarryforward. About Wounded Warrior Project Since 2003, Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) has been meeting the growing needs of warriors, their families, and caregivers helping them achieve their highest ambition. Learn more: http://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org/about-us. SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project Related Links https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org WALNUT CREEK, Calif., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Yapstone ("Yapstone" or the "Company"), a leading provider of online and mobile payment solutions for global marketplaces, software companies, platforms and merchants, and Priority Technology Holdings, Inc. ("Priority"), a leading provider of merchant acquiring and commercial payment solutions, today announced that they have entered into a real estate payments operating partnership within Priority Real Estate Technology ("PRET"), an operating subsidiary of Priority. The business that Yapstone is contributing represents less than ten percent of Yapstone's overall revenue. Yapstone will continue to provide credit and debit card processing to PRET and will contribute its leading real estate payment processing technology, as well as its extensive property management contracts and customer relationships in the rent, storage and dues markets. Additionally, Yapstone will maintain a significant minority stake in PRET and will serve on its board. Yapstone will continue to focus on providing superior payment solutions to marketplaces, software companies, platforms and merchants worldwide. Priority will be the majority owner in the partnership and assume responsibility for the management and daily operation of the newly combined business. In addition to managing the new entity, Priority Real Estate Technology will provide critical operating infrastructure, marketing and sales support and real estate technology assets, including products and services derived from the previous acquisitions of RadPad and Landlord Station. Priority will fund the transaction through its recently amended Senior Secured Credit Facility. Tom Villante, Chairman and CEO of Yapstone stated, "We're thrilled to partner with Priority to jointly attack the multi-trillion-dollar global rentals market. Priority's existing real estate businesses, strong distribution platform and product offerings fit perfectly with Yapstone's technology and market position we've built in these verticals over the past 20 years. The partnership with Priority allows Yapstone to better serve the global rentals market and at the same time, allows us on a standalone basis to focus on providing superior end-to-end payment solutions to a broader set of marketplaces, software companies, platforms and merchants worldwide." Thomas C. Priore, Executive Chairman and CEO of Priority, added, "We are both excited and optimistic about joining forces with a market leader like Yapstone in the rapidly growing real estate payments industry. Building on our prior acquisitions of RadPad and Landlord Station, when combined with Yapstone's market-leading enterprise market offering, PRET possesses a single platform that addresses the needs of all landlord constituents from integrated enterprise property managers and middle market partners to small/local landlords for rent, dues and storage payment processing. This partnership aligns perfectly with our integrated payment solutions strategy in a key industry vertical, and we expect it to be highly accretive for shareholders." About Yapstone, Inc. Yapstone is a leading fintech company that delivers tailored payment technologies and manages risk for some of the world's largest marketplace platforms. Yapstone is among the largest private payment companies in the world and processes billions of dollars annually. It continues to be recognized by Inc., Forbes, and Entrepreneur Magazines for its explosive growth and has won numerous accolades for being a Best Place to Work. The company has raised over $120 million from investors including Accel Partners, Meritech Capital, Premji Invest, and MasterCard. Headquartered in Walnut Creek, CA, Yapstone has additional offices in Santa Monica, CA and Ireland. About Priority Technology Holdings, Inc. Priority is a leading provider of merchant acquiring and commercial payment solutions, offering unique product and service capabilities to its merchant network and distribution partners. Priority's enterprise operates from a purpose-built business platform that includes tailored customer service offerings and bespoke technology development, allowing the Company to provide end-to-end solutions for payment and payment-adjacent opportunities. Additional information can be found at www.PRTH.com . SOURCE YapStone, Inc. MADRID, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In a ranking dominated by apparel brands, Zara has retained the top spot as the most valuable Spanish brand with a value of $24.8 billion in the BrandZ Top 30 Most Valuable Spanish Brands report released today by WPP and Kantar. Overall, the 2019 ranking value grew 1% to $103.9 billion but there were many brands that defied the average. CaixaBank (No. 13, $1.7 billion) was the fastest riser, up 36%, followed by oil & gas brand Repsol (No. 8, $3.0 billion) and national airline Iberia (No. 25, $430 million), which both grew by 19%. The top five remained unchanged with telecom provider Movistar (No. 2, $21.6 billion), banking giant Santander (No. 3, $9.9 billion), finance brand BBVA (No. 4, $8.5 billion) and energy titan IBERDROLA (No. 5, $5.6 billion) completing the list. Kindness and difference drive growth When asked to associate which of 24 positive or negative words best described brands, those identified by Spanish consumers as 'kind' exceeded average growth rates by 5%. Iberia is perceived as the kindest brand in the Spanish Top 30, indexing 126 (where the average is 100). Growth was also driven by a clear perception of 'difference', a measure of consumer recognition that the brand stands apart from rivals in its sector. Spanish brands in the ranking scoring highly on difference are worth an average of $6.9 billion, compared to $1.4 billion for those with a low difference score. David Roth, WPP said: "Offering something different is vital for building brand value today if companies want to stand apart from their competition and grow their business faster. Being indistinct means slower growth and a greater vulnerability to fast-moving rivals. A significant proportion of brands clearly recognise this but there is potential for many of Spain's most valuable brands to improve in this area." The BrandZ Top 10 Most Valuable Spanish Brands 2019 Rank 2019 Brand Category Brand value 2019 ($M) 1 Zara Apparel 24,801 2 Movistar Telecom providers 21,614 3 Santander Banks 9,879 4 BBVA Banks 8,473 5 IBERDROLA Energy 5,591 6 Naturgy* Energy 5,110 7 Endesa Energy 4,922 8 Repsol Oil & Gas 3,018 9 Massimo Dutti Apparel 2,210 10 Mercadona Retail 1,818 Apparel's competition Zara's top spot reflects its leadership in 'fast fashion trend' retailing, and while the brand saw a minor drop in value (1% year-on-year), it performed significantly better than the apparel sector as a whole, which fell 6% in total value over the same period. Spain's international apparel brands are being challenged by greater competition and currency fluctuations, as well as the ongoing challenge of transferring sales to digital platforms, all of which are impacting their brand value. The best-performing brand in this category was Pull&Bear (No. 11), which rose 5% to $1.8 billion and targets a younger group than many of its competitors. The retail sector also faced many of the same challenges, with total brand value down by 20%. Banking boost CaixaBank, this year's fastest riser, stands out due to strong perceptions of its corporate responsibility (indexing 139); it is also the only Spanish bank to be perceived as 'friendly' (indexing 110). The banking sector saw the largest change in total brand value, up 12% to $21.9 billion, with six brands in the Top 30, including Bankia (No. 16, $1.1 billion), Banco Sabadell (No. 22, $516 million) and Bankinter (No. 29, $242 million). Better financial results, fuelled by greater consumer optimism, rising employment, combined with the benefits of offering greater convenience to consumers via tools such as digital banking have helped boost brand valuations across the sector. Other trends highlighted in this year's BrandZ Top 30 Most Valuable Spanish Brands report include: A healthy brand is a valuable brand: The ranking shows a strong correlation between good health as measured by BrandZ's 'Vitality Quotient' metric and brand value. The 10 healthiest brands in the ranking have an average value of $6.8 billion , while the bottom 10 have an average value of just $868 million . Healthy brands can be found across a range of sectors including beer, insurance, retail and travel but the healthiest is oil and gas company Repsol , which indexes 133. The ranking shows a strong correlation between good health as measured by BrandZ's 'Vitality Quotient' metric and brand value. The 10 healthiest brands in the ranking have an average value of , while the bottom 10 have an average value of just . Healthy brands can be found across a range of sectors including beer, insurance, retail and travel but the healthiest is oil and gas company , which indexes 133. Brands need to show they can be trusted: While personal confidence is generally up, trust in institutions and the government is down, driving a growing need for honesty and transparency from Spanish brands not least because trust is closely linked to recommendation, which is increasingly important in the digital age. Martin Wohlfart, Head of Client Management, Madrid, Kantar Millward Brown, said: "For Spanish consumers we've seen it's not just about cost but about valuing brands that are perceived to support local jobs and communities. Brands should maximise the presence they have in Spain, seize the opportunities to build on trust and demonstrate their contribution to national pride." The BrandZ Top 30 Most Valuable Spanish Brands report and rankings, and a great deal more brand insight for key regions of the world and hundreds of market sectors, are available online here. The Spanish report, rankings, charts, articles and more can also be found via the BrandZ app. The BrandZ app also contains the same features and functionality for all BrandZ regional reports and can be downloaded free for Apple IOS and all Android devices from www.brandz.com/mobile or by searching for BrandZ in the respective iTunes or Google Play app stores. Background and methodology Created by WPP and Kantar, the valuation behind the BrandZ Top 30 Most Valuable Spanish Brands was conducted by brand equity research experts Kantar. The methodology mirrors that used to calculate the annual BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking, which is now in its 13th year. The ranking combines rigorously analysed market data from Bloomberg with extensive consumer insights from over 3.7 million consumers around the world, covering more than 166,000 different brands in over 50 markets including opinions from over 61,500 Spanish consumers on more than 700 brands in over 49 categories. The ability of any brand to power business growth relies on how it is perceived by customers. As the only brand valuation ranking grounded in consumer opinion, BrandZ's analysis enables Spanish brands to identify their strength in the market and provides clear strategic guidance on how to boost value for the long-term. The BrandZ Top 30 Most Valuable Spanish Brands is the most definitive and robust ranking of the country's brands available, and the brands ranked all meet these eligibility criteria: Brand is originally created in Spain The brand is owned by a publicly listed company traded on a credible stock exchange or a private company with financials publicly available *Please note that consumer fieldwork was carried out prior to the rebrand of Gas Natural Fenosa as Naturgy. The suite of BrandZ brand valuations and reports also includes China, India, Indonesia, Latin America, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, UK, US, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Australia, South Africa, Italy and Global rankings. About Kantar Kantar is the world's leading marketing data, insight and consultancy company. We know more about how people live, feel, shop, vote, watch and post worldwide than any other company. Working across the entire sales and marketing lifecycle, we help brands uncover growth in an extraordinary world. Kantar is part of WPP and its services are employed by over half of the Fortune 500 companies in 100 countries. For further information, please visit us at www.kantar.com. About WPP WPP is a creative transformation company. We build better futures for our clients through an integrated offer of communications, experience, commerce and technology. For more information, visit www.wpp.com. For more information please contact: Teresa de Ledesma Communications Manager Insights Division, Kantar Spain [email protected] SOURCE Kantar Rio De Janeiro, March 26 : Brazil's former President Michel Temer and seven of his close aides were ordered to be released from prison on Monday, following their arrest last week on corruption charges. Temer, his former Minister of Mines and Energy Moreira Franco and six others, were granted release by a federal judge, Antonio Ivan Athie, two days before a panel of judges was scheduled to rule on a habeas corpus petition from Temer's defence team. "Upon examining the case, I verified that there was no justification for waiting another two days for the decision... on the matter of release," Athie wrote in his decision, Xinhua news agency reported. Athie said he was not acting to curtail Operation Car Wash, Brazil's ongoing judicial investigation into graft, but argued it was the suspects' constitutional right to remain free while awaiting trial. Preventive arrest in Brazil aims to prevent a suspect from destroying evidence, witnesses tampering or continuing to commit a crime. In Temer's case, investigators had argued he was still committing the crime of taking bribes, but Athie contradicted their finding. Temer was arrested on Thursday, 80 days after leaving office, for accepting kickbacks from nuclear energy firm Electronuclear, which was granted a government contract to build the Angra 3 power plant. Under questioning Friday, he decided to remain silent. The former President was arrested in Sao Paulo, where he resides, and taken to Rio de Janeiro, where the investigation is taking place. He had been held at the headquarters of Rio's federal police force. London, March 26 : MPs have voted to take control of Commons business in an unprecedented move to try to find a majority for any Brexit option. The government was defeated by 329 votes to 302 on the cross-party amendment, a majority of 27. It means MPs will get a series of votes on Wednesday to find out what kind of Brexit they will support. British Prime Minister Theresa May has said there is no guarantee she will abide by their decision, the BBC reported. But Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn, who had backed the amendment tabled by Conservative Sir Oliver Letwin, said the government "must take the process seriously". He added: "The government has failed and this House must, and I believe will, succeed." He said MPs would want to find a consensus on the way forward, including a possible "confirmatory vote" on the PM's deal by the public -- something May told MPs earlier she did not want because Remain would be on the ballot paper. May had earlier tried to head off a defeat by offering MPs a series of votes on Brexit alternatives, organised by the government. She said allowing MPs to take over the Commons agenda would have set an "unwelcome precedent". But supporters of Sir Oliver Letwin's amendment said they did not trust the government to give MPs a say on the full range of Brexit options. Thirty Tory MPs voted against the government, including three ministers -- Richard Harrington, Alistair Burt and Steve Brine -- who have now resigned from their ministerial posts. Sukma : , March 26 (IANS) Four Maoists were killed on Tuesday in a gun battle with a special unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, said the paramilitary unit. The gunfight began around 6 a.m. when a Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) unit, was on a search mission in deep forested area around one kilometre from Bimapur in Jagargunda area. "Four bodies of Maoists in uniform, one Insas rifle and two 303 rifle were recovered," said a CRPF official. The specialised unit of the CRPF proficient in guerrilla tactics and jungle warfare continues with the deep combing of the forested area, he added. New York, March 26 : Michael Avenatti, who represented adult film star Stormy Daniels in her case against US President Donald Trump, was arrested after he was charged in two criminal cases over complaints that he allegedly attempted to extort over $20 million from Nike and also for committing wire and bank fraud. Avenatti was arrested on Monday in Manhattan, law enforcement officials told CNN. He was however, released on a $300,000 bond later in the night and said outside a federal court here that he was "highly confident" that he will be "fully exonerated." The criminal complaint unsealed in the New York case describes a rapid investigation that unfolded over the course of the past six days, beginning March 19. According to the complaint, Avenatti on March 19 met attorneys for Nike and threatened to release what he said were allegations of misconduct by employees on the eve of both its quarterly earnings call and the start of the NCAA tournament. Avenatti would disclose the allegations at a press conference, according to the complaint, unless Nike made millions in payments to him and an unnamed co-conspirator by hiring them to conduct an "internal investigation", for which he later requested between $15 million and $20 million. After the meeting, Nike's outside counsel, lawyers from Boies Schiller Flexner LLP contacted federal prosecutors to inform them of Avenatti's threats. In the second case, federal prosecutors in California charged Avenatti for wire and bank fraud -- charges that could bring a maximum sentence of 50 years in federal prison. The California complaint alleged he "embezzled a client's money in order to pay his own expenses and debts, as well as those of his coffee business and law firm, and also defrauded a bank by using phony tax returns to obtain millions of dollars in loans". On Monday, after the two sets of charges against Avenatti became public, Daniels said she was "saddened but not shocked" at the news, CNN reported. "I made the decision more than a month ago to terminate Michael's services after discovering that he had dealt with me extremely dishonestly and there will be more announcements to come," she said in a statement. Washington, March 26 : US President Donald Trump's administration has said that the entire Affordable Care Act or Obamacare should be struck down, in a dramatic reversal. In a filing with a federal appeals court, the Justice Department said on Monday night that it agreed with the ruling of a federal judge in Texas that invalidated the Obama-era health care law, CNN reported. "The Department of Justice has determined that the district court's comprehensive opinion came to the correct conclusion and will support it on appeal," said Kerri Kupec, spokesperson for the Department. It's a major shift for the Justice Department from when Jeff Sessions was attorney general. At the time, the administration argued that the community rating rule and the guaranteed issue requirement -- protections for people with pre-existing conditions -- could not be defended but the rest of the law could stand. After the Justice Department took that position, federal District Judge Reed O'Connor struck down the entire law and the case is currently before a federal appeals court. Overturning the law would have far-reaching consequences -- way beyond disrupting coverage for the millions of people who get their health insurance on the exchanges or through Medicaid expansion. Obamacare saves senior citizens money on their Medicare coverage and prescription drugs. It lets many Americans obtain free birth control, mammograms and cholesterol tests. It also allows children to stay on their parents' health insurance plans until they turn 26. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the administration's stance amounted to "all-out war on the health care of the American people", CNN reported. "While the Trump administration broadens its monstrous ambitions from destroying protections for pre-existing conditions to tearing down every last benefit and protection the Affordable Care Act provides, Democrats are fiercely defending the law of the land and protecting all Americans' health care," she said. Senator Kamala Harris, a California Democrat, became the first 2020 candidate to weigh in on the filing with her criticism on Monday night. "Trump and his administration are trying to take health care away from tens of millions of Americans - again," Harris wrote in a tweet. "We must fight back again with everything we've got. And in 2020, we need to elect a president who will make health care a right." New York, March 26 : A US federal court here has sentenced a disgraced former Hong Kong politician for six years in jail for his role in a multimillion-dollar scheme to bribe African leaders through contacts made at the UN. The sentencing on Monday wrapped up a case that began with his arrest by FBI agents at the John F. Kennedy Airport here in November 2017, and saw Ho convicted on seven counts of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and money laundering in December 2018, reports CNN. The maximum penalty for each charge ranged from five to 20 years in jail. He has pleaded not guilty. Besides the sentence, the court also asked Ho to pay a $400,000 fine. In sentencing, Judge Loretta A. Preska had called corruption "an insidious plague". She noted that it is "found in all countries -- big and small, rich and poor -- but it is in the developing world that its effects are most destructive". But she also noted Ho's record of helping others, including the inmates he had tutored during his 16 months at the Manhattan Correctional Centre, which will be deducted from his sentence. After leaving the Hong Kong government, where he had served as Home Affairs secretary from 2002 to 2007, Ho became the head of a UN-based NGO which was fully funded by a mysterious Shanghai-based conglomerate called CEFC China Energy, which had been founded by Ye Jianming, who in 2016 was ranked No. 2 on Fortune's 40 Under 40 list. At the UN, Ho befriended African politicians and ultimately offered them bribes to gain business advantages for CEFC China Energy, CNN said. He was found to have offered a $2 million cash bribe in gift boxes to the President of Chad, Idriss Deby, after arranging a meeting with him in the Sahara Desert to secure oil rights for a Chinese conglomerate. In Uganda, Ho caused a $500,000 bribe to be paid, through the New York banking system, to Sam Kutesa, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uganda, who had recently completed his term as the president of the UN General Assembly. Uganda has since said in a statement that it was "erroneous" to say Kutesa was involved. Ho also schemed to pay a $500,000 cash bribe to Yoweri Museveni, the President of Uganda. The bribe was not paid and there is no suggestion that Museveni accepted or solicited it. Singapore, March 26 : A Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from Mumbai landed safely at Changi Airport here on Tuesday after the pilot raised a bomb threat alert. Flight 423 was escorted safely back to the airport by Singapore's air force and touched down at about 8 a.m., The Straits Times quoted the police as saying. The police searched the Boeing 777-300ER that carried 263 people onboard, but did not find any suspicious item. All passengers, except for a woman and a child who were held back for questioning, disembarked safely and had to undergo security screening before they could leave. Preliminary investigation showed that the airline had received a call after the plane left the Mumbai airport on Monday at 11.35 p.m. The caller claimed that there was a bomb on the plane. An airline spokesman told The Straits Times: "Singapore Airlines confirms there was a bomb threat concerning SQ423 operating from Mumbai to Singapore... We are assisting the authorities with their investigations and regret that we are unable to provide further details." New Delhi, March 26 : After a heated argument with her husband, a woman pushed her two children and then jumped off the third floor of her house here, a police official said on Tuesday, adding that both minors died on the spot. The incident occurred late on Monday in Lalita Park of Laxmi Nagar. Neighbours heard a loud thump and informed the police. Aliya, 34, mother of seven-year-old Mehak, and three-year-old Aafraan pushed the two children from her balcony. Aafraan landed on the ground, while his sister and mother fell on the first floor balcony, a senior police officer from Laxmi Nagar police station said. "Aliya has been admitted to the LBS hospital, and is critical," he added. "Probe suggests Aliya took the extreme step after her husband, Munawar Ali, left the house following their argument," he added. "A Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) inquiry has been ordered into the incident and we are questioning Munawar Ali," he added. Washington, March 26 : US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and called on Moscow "to cease its unconstructive behaviour" in Venezuela, the State Department said in a statement In the phone call, Pompeo told Lavrov that "the US and regional countries will not stand idly by as Russia exacerbates tensions in Venezuela", reports Xinhua news agency. Pompeo noted that the presence of Russian military personnel in Venezuela "risks prolonging the suffering of the Venezuelan people". In response, Lavrov said: "Washington's attempts to organise a coup in Venezuela and threats against its legitimate government are in violation of the UN Charter and undisguised interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state." Monday's development comes after two Russian air force planes landed in Venezuela on March 23 carrying a defence official and nearly 100 troops, reports said. The US has been pursuing a policy of economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation against the Venezuelan government, in support of the opposition leader Juan Guaido. Moscow has condemned Washington's threats against the legitimate Venezuelan leadership, calling them "blatant interference" in the South American nation's internal affairs and a "flagrant violation" of international law. US President Donald Trump's administration recognised Guaido as the nation's "interim president" on January 23, days after incumbent Nicolas Maduro was inaugurated for a second term. In response, Maduro severed "diplomatic and political" ties with the US. Sukma : , March 26 (IANS) CRPF troopers on Tuesday shot dead four Maoists in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh. The Central Reserve Police Force {CRPF) said the four were killed in a gunfight Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) unit that was on a search mission in the forested areas around one kilometre from Bimapur early in the morning. "Four bodies of Maoists in uniform, one Insas rifle and two 303 rifle were recovered," said a CRPF official. The CRPF's specialised unit, proficient in guerrilla tactics and jungle warfare, continues with its anti-Maoist operations, the official added. March 26 : The much hyped APPLE Showtime Event 2019 had been wrapped up pretty well. It was in fact a delight to watch. They do promise a lot, but only reality will speak for us. Some of the highlights are the Apple TV, then Apple TV+, Apple News +, Apple Arcade, and the Apple Credit Card. All claim to be unique in their own way, but since the past experiences with their product launches have not met the expectations of customers- we just have to wait and see. To make things look more promising, they had roped in some of the top celebrity names in the film world and the media. So, a sneak peek into that, will show what went on at the event. They have quite a few good and promising shows lined up for the subscribers. It seems that this is one of their diligent entries into Hollywood. The celebrities who have joined hands with Apple are: Oprah, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell, Steven Spielberg, Damien Chazelle, J.J.Abrams, Kumali Nanjlani, and M. Night Shyamalan. Oprah reportedly commented at the event, The Apple Platform allows me to do what I do in a whole new way. Roger Rosner, offered a talk on the new Apple News+ and how it will offer a curated new and magazine experience to all. Wyatt Mitchell also pitched in with more highlights of the Apple News+. Jennifer Bailey explained about the all new Apple Credit cash card. Then Anna Thai went on to reveal the dynamics of the Apple Arcade- a gaming platform with games that have been developed with a difference. They are original and exclusively only provided by Apple services. Steve Spielberg did his fair bit of creative talk and how Apple would help launch his new series very soon. Big Bird along with Cody was there to bring back the fun and animated feel of the 80s. If Cook opened out the Event, then this time, it was graceful Oprah who concluded the final moments of the show time event. She briefed about her two documentaries that would be aired via Apple. Sources obtained : https://www.apple.com/in/apple-events/march-2019/ Washington, March 26 : The US Missile Defence Agency successfully launched two ground-based missile interceptors in rapid succession against a simulated intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launched from a test site in the Pacific. According to the Agency, Monday's test was to ensure that if multiple missiles were in the air, the sensors of the US ground-based interceptors would be able to distinguish the enemy's incoming missiles from other missiles and electronic clutter in the environment, CNN reported. While the interceptors were launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the ICBM flew from the test site on the Kwajalein Atoll. The first ground-based interceptor destroyed the re-entry vehicle on the mock adversary missile as it was designed to do. Then the second ground-based interceptor's sensors tracked the resulting debris and remaining objects. As expected, it did not sense any adversary warhead. So it struck the next "most lethal object" it could identify, as designed, the agency said. "This was the first GBI salvo intercept of a complex, threat-representative ICBM target, and it was a critical milestone," Agency Director Air Force Lt. Gen. Samuel A. Greaves said. "The system worked exactly as it was designed to do, and the results of this test provide evidence of the practicable use of the salvo doctrine within missile defence, CNN reported. "The Ground-based Midcourse Defensc system is vitally important to the defence of our homeland, and this test demonstrates that we have a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat." Jammu, March 26 : Indian and Pakistani armies exchanged heavy fire on the Line of Control (LoC) on Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district. Defence Ministry sources said the Pakistan Army broke the 2003 ceasefire in Keri area around 11.30 p.m. on Monday, leading to exchange of firing that continued into Tuesday. "Indian positions retaliated effectively. Firing between the two sides continued till early this morning," an official said. There were no reports of casualties or damage on the Indian side. Dubai, March 26 : An Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered robot will address a session during the Arab Media Forum (AMF) in Dubai on Wednesday and Thursday. The robot will address the session called the 'future of news anchoring' and highlight the use of AI in news anchoring, the Khaleej Times reported. At another session, the world's youngest journalist, Janna Jihad from Palestine, will share her inspirational story as a young activist and how she began her journey reporting about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the age of seven using her mother's iPhone. Over 3,000 regional and international media leaders, scholars, writers and experts will come together for the 18th edition of AMF. Held under the theme 'Arab media: From now to the future', the event will feature over 75 speakers and 200 prominent media figures representing more than 20 countries from across the Arab region and the world. Kabul, March 26 : Federica Mogherini, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs who arrived here on Tuesday on a surprise visit, reaffirmed the bloc's support for the Afghanistan peace process. In a TV appearance along with Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Mogherini said the EU supported the Afghan people's desire for "peace, human and women rights, rule of law and development of the country", reports Efe news. "The EU will be at your side in this process (peace)," said Mogherini, in addition to offering the bloc's cooperation for the country's general election. Abdullah thanked her for being "a friend of Afghanistan in the position she has been working in" and said she had played a critical role in supporting the war-torn South Asian nation. Mogherini will meet President Ashraf Ghani and other Afghan leaders. Her visit comes two weeks after the conclusion of the fifth round of talks between the Taliban and the US on ending a 17-year long conflict in Afghanistan. At the end of the latest meeting in Qatar on March 12, the Taliban said there had been progress on issues such as the withdrawal of foreign troops, although a concrete draft of the agreement was yet to be prepared. Due to the ongoing negotiations, where the insurgents have refused to bring the Afghan government to the dialogue table, the presidential elections scheduled for July have been postponed to September 28. The Afghan government controls just 55 per cent of the country's area while the Taliban have around 11 per cent and the rest is contested. Bengaluru, March 26 : Around 6,000 mining dependents from Bellary and Chitradurga districts, as well as surrounding mining belts, protested here on Tuesday against the bad condition of the mining industry in Karnataka and appealed to the government to save their livelihoods. The mining ban in the state has resulted in large-scale job losses, said members of Karnataka Gani Avalambithara Vedike (KGAV) who gathered at the Freedom Park here. "Their livelihood became highly uncertain even after the Supreme Court permitted mining operations to start, as production cap, e-auction and lots of other restrictions lowered the mining capacity that has led to stagnation in the iron ore industry," said KGAV spokesperson Rajakumar S. "Lakhs of lives are hanging in uncertainty due to the discriminatory policies prevalent only in the Karnataka mining sector. This will not be found anywhere else across the globe," he added. According to the association, the production and dispatch from the leases are never fixed and fluctuate according to the purchasing pattern of the steel industry. While buyers of iron ore are allowed to buy freely from outside Karnataka, sellers are not allowed to sell freely resulting in huge pile-up of inventory due to lack of sale, they added. Besides, there is also loss of contribution to the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) when ore from areas outside the state is bought by Karnataka buyers. In his appeal to the government, Rajakumar S. said: "We urge the government to ensure our survival by allowing free trade, giving preference to local iron ore over imports, and ensuring regular business for truckers and lakhs of other mining dependents." After the protest rally, a delegation of 15 members met the authorities to hand over a memorandum of appeal. Dubai, March 26 : The Gurudwara Guru Nanak Darbar Dubai organised the Punjabi Culture and Heritage Festival at the Indian High School here. The Al Maktoum Foundation Dubai, an organisation focused on humanitarian work at the local, regional and global levels, was the patron of the event, Gulf News reported on Monday. The event's schedule included a video presentation on Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and the first of the 10 Sikh Gurus. It also included panel discussions on teaching and travels of Guru Nanak as well as Punjabi poetry and literature. "We are indeed most fortunate that the United Arab Emirates not only values harmonious coexistence but also upholds these values that are being echoed to the rest of the world," said Surender Kandhari, Chairman of the Gurudwara, referring to the Year of Tolerance. The event also saw performances by the renowned Pure Bhangra Group, an all-male Bhangra dance and an all-female Gidda Jugni dance. Mumbai, March 26 : Actress Renuka Shahane stood up for prostitutes when actress Suchitra Krishnamoorthi bracketed prostitutes and criminals in a tweet. Renuka said there needed to be ways to correct the injustice that the traditions had imposed on sex workers. Suchitra tweeted: "Amma always said 'money is not everything. Even criminals and wh**es have money. What matters is not money but character and integrity'. I truly understand her words only today. I've never felt more proud of my middle class roots."To this, Renuka replied: "No disrespect to your Amma, Suchitra, but as women let's try and correct the injustice that our traditions have imposed on wh**es. We castigated wh**es while letting off their customers who are leading 'respectful' lives! Let's not put wh**es and criminals in one bracket at least." "Wh**es sell what is theirs. Criminals take what is others," she added. Renuka said sex workers were often pushed into their profession due to human trafficking at a young age. "Does any child have the right to say 'no' at that age? Wh**es are pushed into prostitution by people they trust explicitly. Wh**es are abused, raped, tortured, drugged, given hormonal injections at a very early age and then raped relentlessly throughout their professional lives."Suchitra concurred with Renuka's point of view. "Yup, good point Renuka. Agree with you totally," she said, adding that she made the comment in context of her friend Pramod Goenka's alleged abduction. Ranchi, March 26 : There was a time when prominent leaders of the UPA in Jharkhand would visit RJD chief Lalu Yadav often but now the party is left fending for itself in the state. The RJD chief played the role of a kingmaker in Jharkhand. He was instrumental in the formation of the Madhu Koda government in 2006 and also played a key role in the formation of the JMM government led by Shibu Soren in 2009. The opposition parties' Grand Alliance cold-shouldered the RJD in its seat-sharing deal. The RJD wanted to fight the Palamau and Chatra Lok Sabha seats. But as per the initial seat-sharing deal, RJD was offered the Chatra seat and Jharkhand Vilas Morcha-Prajtantrik (JVM-P) was offered Koderma and Palamau seats. JVM-P declined to fight from Palamau as it wanted to fight from the Godda Lok Sabha seat. Considering the demand of the JVM-P, the alliance partners agreed to give Godda and Koderma seats to JVM-P and Chatra was given to the Congress. RJD was offered Palamau. The opposition Grand Alliance partners on Sunday announced the seat-sharing deal. No RJD representative was present at the joint press conference organised by the Grand Alliance partners. RJD sources said that the party had almost finalszed the name of Subhas Yadav, a leader from Bihar for the the Chatra seat. The sources further said that former RJD state president Annapurna Devi was not happy with the party stand to field Subhash Yadav as she considered him an outsider. Even though she was party president, she was not consulted in the slection process of the Chatra Lok Sabha candidate. The RJD suffered another jolt when Annapurna Devi joined the BJP in New Delhi. Annapurna Devi met BJP president on Monday in New Delhi and later joined the party in presence of Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das and party general secretary Bhupendra Yadav. This is a big shock for the RJD in Jharkhand. Annapurna Devi was the face of the RJD in the state. She had won the Assembly polls four times. Annapurna Devi is wife of late Ramesh Prasad Yadav, who was a Minister in undivided Bihar in the Lalu Yadav government. He died due to a heart attack in 1996. After his death, Annapurna Devi fought the Assembly polls from Koderma and won the seat till 2014. RJD, however, is putting up a brave front. "There will be no impact on the party after the exist of Annapurna Devi. People come and go. We reiterate our demand to fight from Chatra and Palamau seats," Gautam Sagar Rana, the new president of the Jharkhand RJD, told reporters on Tuesday. The RJD is gradually losing ground in Jharkhand. The RJD had fought from Palamau in 2014 Lok Sabha elections but lost the seat. In 2014 Assembly polls, RJD failed to open an account in the state Assembly. The RJD had won seven seats in the 2009 Assembly polls. New Delhi, March 26 : Jet Airways CEO Vinay Dube on Tuesday said that the stakeholders of the cash-strapped airline were optimistic about the airline's future. Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting on Jet, he said: "We are optimistic." State Bank of India Chairman Rajnish Singh, DGCA chief B.S. Bhullar and Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola were also present in the meeting held to discuss the future of Jet. The meeting came a day after Jet Chairman Naresh Goyal resigned and lenders of the bank agreed to provide immediate funds of Rs 1,500 crore. Gandhinagar, March 26 : The Border Security Force (BSF) caught a 35-year-old intruder from Pakistan in Gujarat's Gandhinagar sector, an official said on Tuesday. Muhammad Wali was held on Monday evening from the border outpost of Kumar. According to the official, the intruder speaks Sindhi and he was being questioned. This is the second such arrest in Gujarat this month. The BSF caught a 50-year-old man from the Rann of Kutch border on March 6. Kolkata, March 26 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya here on Tuesday said party's former Presidents Murli Manohar Joshi and Lal Krishna Advani themselves refused contest the Lok Sabha polls this time. "Advani Ji and Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi refused to contest the Lok Sabha polls. Similarly, I also refused to contest. If someone is unwilling (to contest) will the party give them tickets?" Vijayvargiya said after inspecting the preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public meeting at the Brigade Parade Ground here on April 3. When asked whether the two party veterans wrote any letter to the leadership expressing their unwillingness to contest the coming elections, Vijayvargiya said the message was conveyed to their organisational minister. The BJP leader's remark comes amid the controversy over Joshi's claim in an open letter that the party asked him not to contest the 2019 polls. Earlier, the BJP denied a ticket to Advani and replaced him with party President Amit Shah in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat. The two veteran leaders have also been kept out of the list of 40 leaders who will be campaigning for the first two phases of the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh. Colombo, March 26 : A Sri Lankan telecom official said on Tuesday that plans were underway to transform Polonnaruwa district into the country's first "Smart City" following several projects launched to upgrade education, health and transportation. Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) Chairman Kumarasinghe Sirisena told the media that the government was discussing the transformation of Polonnaruwa by launching the smart health, smart education, and smart transportation concept, which will accelerate economic development and social progress in the district, reports Xinhua news agency. Sirisena said that the Smart City concept was a possibility as the SLT had now covered the entire country with ultra-fast fibre-optic connectivity. This would help upgrade education, health, and transportation. Under the government's Smart City project, 2,500 schools will be connected through a wireless connection to enable smart education in Sri Lanka. The initial discussions have been completed, and the government hopes to connect these schools within this year, Sirisena said. (CNN) The Pentagon notified U.S. Congress Monday night that it has authorized the transfer of $1 billion to begin new wall construction along the U.S.-Mexico border, drawing immediate objections from Democratic lawmakers. A Pentagon budget reprogramming notification sent to Capitol Hill on Monday and obtained by CNN indicates that up to $1 billion will go toward building 57 miles of fencing, improving roads and other measures on the southern border. The Department of Defense authorized the Army Corp of Engineers to begin planning and construction for the project Monday night. The department will direct the funds toward 18-foot-high fencing along the Yuma and El Paso sections of the border, according to a letter acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan sent to Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen. In February, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in order to funnel billions of dollars to wall construction. As part of his announcement, he directed the use of counterdrug monies to partially fund new wall construction. Under the national emergency, other funds can also be dedicated to building the wall and related infrastructure, including military construction funds. Monday's announcement was just the first $1 billion the administration is making available for wall funding. The administration said previously it plans to shift an additional $1.5 billion at some point in the future. These initial counterdrug funds will ultimately flow from the Department of Homeland Security to the Army Corps of Engineers to begin construction. Senate Democrats immediately objected to the transfer of money to build fencing along the southern border to block drug smuggling. Every Democratic senator on the Senate Appropriations Committee's subcommittees on Defense and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies signed on to a letter written to Shanahan objecting to moving $1 billion in personnel funds to counter drug funds to go toward the wall. The senators say the Pentagon did not seek permission before notifying the committee of the transfer. "We strongly object to both the substance of the funding transfer, and to the Department implementing the transfer without seeking the approval of the congressional defense committees and in violation of provisions in the defense appropriation itself," the senators wrote. "As a result, we have serious concerns that the Department has allowed political interference and pet projects to come ahead of many near-term, critical readiness issues facing our military." The letter was signed by Sens. Patrick Leahy, Democrat of Vermont; Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois; Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island; Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii; Jon Tester, Democrat of Montana; Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington; Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut; Tammy Baldwin, Democrat of Wisconsin; Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California; and Tom Udall, Democrat of New Mexico. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Pentagon notifies Congress $1 billion authorized to begin new wall construction." New Delhi, March 26 : As reports emerged of the suicide bomber behind the Pulwama attack in Jammu and Kashmir using virtual SIMs for communication with his handlers, the country woke up to the dangers of allowing these kinds of app-based communication services. What are these virtual SIMs and how do they work? Virtual SIM is an application-enabled service that requires you to install an app to use a number. With this technology, it is possible for one to have numbers of different countries. There are a number of apps that offer virtual SIMs for Android and iOS users. InstaVoice ReachMe, for example, offers virtual numbers from the US, UK, France and Canada. Incoming calls to the virtual number can be answered for free in the ReachMe app, over data or Wi-Fi. FreeJe is another such app that offers virtual numbers of more than 70 countries. These apps which often offer calling as well as messaging services generally work using the VoIP (voice over IP) technology. There are several benefits of a virtual SIM. If you have to travel to a foreign country, you can give your virtual SIM number to a friend and make use of free incoming call services that many of these apps offer. If you run a business, virtual SIMs can help you have a different number for business purposes while keeping your physical SIM number completely private. However, there are also dangers of using virtual SIM as the verification process can easily be faked by bad actors. Adil Dar, the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) bomber behind the Pulwama attack, reportedly used virtual SIM generated by a service provider in the US, prompting security agencies in India to seek more details about the terrorist and his associates from the US service providers. "Now this is an issue, because first of all you will have to depend on how closely the other country would cooperate and the second issue is that the address and other details might be faked," Faisal Kawoosa, Chief Analyst at market research firm techARC, told IANS. The February 14 Pulwama attack killed 40 CRPF personnel and brought India and Pakistan on the brink of a conflict. "The government must simply ensure that such virtual coordinates are blocked in India," Kawoosa said, while adding that virtual SIMs should not be confused with eSIM or embedded SIM that users of the latest iPhone models can use. In India, telecom operators Airtel and Reliance Jio offer eSIM, or digital SIM support. "eSims first of all let you change the operator without any swap of SIMs and you would digitally go to a new operator. Upon registration your eSim would get reconfigured on a new operator network," Kawoosa said. "eSIMs are the inevitable future as regards the evolution of SIMs. It's going to happen and more smartphones are going to be launched with eSIM," he added. New Delhi, March 26 : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday said that the two Hindu girls, who were reportedly kidnapped in Pakistan and forced to convert, should be restored to their families immediately. In a series of tweets, Swaraj said the age of the girls is not disputed and even Pakistan Prime Minister will not believe that girls of this tender age can voluntarily decide about their conversion and marriage. "Forced conversion of Hindu girls in Pakistan: The age of the girls is not disputed. Raveena is only 13 and Reena is 15 years old. "Even the Prime Minister on Naya Pakistan will not believe that girls of this tender age can voluntarily decide about their conversion to another religion and marriage. Justice demands that both these girls should be restored to their families immediately," she said. The Minister had on on Sunday sought details from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad following reports of abduction, forced conversion and underage marriage of two Pakistani Hindu girls in Sindh province. The two sisters were reportedly abducted on the eve of Holi. India also shared its concerns through an official note to Pakistan Foreign Office sent on Saturday and said that suitable remedial action is being taken by the Pakistan government to protect and promote safety, security and welfare of its own citizens, especially from the minority communities. The incident came to light after their father and brother said in videos that went viral in social media that the two were kidnapped and forced to embrace Islam. In a separate video, however, the minor girls were heard saying that they accepted Islam of their own free will. Sushma Swaraj's tweet on Sunday had led to a spat between her and Pakistan Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry, who had responded through tweet and said it was his country's internal issue. Replying to Chaudhry's tweet, Sushma Swaraj asked him if giving data on abducted Hindu girls is making them nervous. She attributed the nervousness to a guilty conscience. Kabul, March 26 : Over 92,600 Afghan refugees have returned from neighbouring countries Pakistan and Iran since January this year, the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Tuesday. "(A total of) 92,698 Afghans returns from Iran and Pakistan since January 1," said IOM in a statement. A total of 88,516 Afghans have reportedly returned to their homeland from Iran as the value of local currency had fallen and job opportunities were low, reports Xinhua news agency. Another 4,182 Afghans were back from Pakistan during the period. More than 849,000 Afghan refugees had returned or were deported to Afghanistan in 2018, according to figures from Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations. Kochi, March 26 : The Kerala Catholic Bishops Conference (KCBC) declared Tuesday that it will not support any political party in the Lok Sabha elections but will be with those who "protect democracy and secularism". Kerala goes to the polls on April 23 to elect 20 Lok Sabha candidates. A circular issued by KCBC President Archbishop Soosa Pakiam said: "KCBC wishes to make it clear that they will not support any political front or political party or any candidate. We do not wish to interfere in the freedom of our laity. "But at the same time, the KCBC will be with those who protect democracy and secularism and who will work for the upliftment of the country," said the circular. The KCBC, the Regional Bishops Council for Kerala, is constituted under the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI). The churches that come under KCBC includes the Syro Malabar Church, Syro Malankara Church and Latin Church. Catholics in Kerala constitute 50 per cent of the 61.41 lakh Christians in Kerala, which is home to 334 lakh people. Tokyo, March 26 : A Japanese company is aiming to release a mass-market flying motorcycle by 2022, its CEO has announced. Tokyo-based venture company A.L.I. Technologies Inc., which mainly develops small drones, hopes to sell the product, called a "hover bike", in emerging economies in Africa, the Middle East and Asia with poor road infrastructure, The Japan Times reported. "We'll create a (flying) bike first, in order to get flying cars widely used in society eventually," CEO Shuhei Komatsu said. "Our hover bike is an ensemble of drone technologies," he said, expressing confidence that his company can commercialise the flying motorcycle. The envisioned vehicle will use propeller power to hover dozens of centimetres above the ground. It will stay at the desired altitude through technologies that use sensors to avoid obstacles. A.L.I. Technologies is developing a special limited version for sale around late next year. Reservations will be accepted in May at the earliest. As for the mass-market model, Komatsu said: "We want to deliver it to customers from around 2022." He said the price will roughly match those of mini-vehicles. Thiruvananthapuram, March 26 : BJP Kerala chief P S Sreedharan Pillai on Tuesday dropped broad hints that the BJP could field its own nominee in Wayanad constituency should congress national president Rahul Gandhi decide to contest from there. Replying to reporters queries on whether the BJP would field a strong candidate in Wayanad if the congress scion chose to contest, he said that his candidature would obviously influence our election campaign and candidate selection. We were watching the developments with curiosity, he said of the speculation swirling over Mr. Gandhis potential candidature from the north Kerala constituency, adding that they had already devised strategies to meet any contingency. He, however, took a swipe at the congress leaders in Kerala, saying that they were mocking at the public by making empty claims that Rahul Gandhi would be declared the candidate for Wayanad constituency imminently. The Wayanad seat is among the five seats the BJP had allotted to the BDJS. But the rumours of Mr. Gandhi contesting from there have thrown a spanner in the works with the BJP contemplating taking over the seat and fielding a strong candidate of its own to give the congress scion a tight contest. The BDJS list of candidates announced on Tuesday was conspicuous by the absence of candidates for Wayanad and Thrissur. BDJS chief Thushar Vellappally is more or less certain to be named the candidate for Thrissur. Reports suggest candidate selection for Wayanad seat was put off because of the Rahul factor. A decision on Mr. Gandhis contesting from Wayanad is expected in the next couple of days. Should Mr. Gandhi accede to the congress Kerala units request and throw his hat in the ring, the BJP is expected to take over the seat from BDJS. Thushar Vellappally, however, told reporters that the BDJS state council meeting scheduled to be held within the next two days would take a decision on the candidates for Thrissur and Wayanad. Congress Kerala unit leaders had the other day revealed that they had requested the AICC leadership to have Rahul Gandhi contest from Wayanad. The AICC leadership is contemplating fielding Rahul Gandhi from a south Indian state to shore up the congress prospects in the region. However, Mr. Gandhi is reportedly yet to make up his mind on contesting from Kerala. He refused to be drawn on his potential candidature from Wayanad the other day when reporters quizzed him on it. Mumbai, March 26 : Just two per cent of major automotive companies in India are implementing artificial intelligence (AI) projects compared with 25 per cent in the US and 9 per cent in China, according to the French technology services major Capgemini. Globally, just 10 per cent of major automotive companies are implementing AI projects, with many falling short of an opportunity that could increase operating profit by up to 16 per cent, said the report. Since 2017, the number of automotive companies that have successfully scaled up AI implementation has increased only marginally, from 7 per cent to 10 per cent. However, more significant has been the increase in companies not using AI, from 26 per cent to 39 per cent, the findings showed. According to the report from the Capgemini Research Institute, just 26 per cent of companies are now piloting AI projects, down from 41 per cent in 2017. "These findings show the progress of AI in the automotive industry has hit a speedbump," said Markus Winkler, Executive Vice-President, Global Head of Automotive at Capgemini. "While some companies are enjoying considerable success, others have struggled to focus on the most effective use cases, vehicle manufacturers need to start seeing AI not as a standalone opportunity, but as a strategic capability required to shape the future which they must organise investment, talent and governance around," Winkler said. Los Angeles, March 26 : "Slumdog Millionaire" actor Dev Patel says he often gets criticised for stealing roles from "real Indian" actors. In an interview to San Francisco Chronicle, Dev, who was born and raised in the UK and has Gujarati parents, opened about the racist remarks he has been receiving in the film industry. He said: "I get flak sometimes because people will say, 'Why aren't they giving these roles to a real Indian?' I wonder, what does that even mean? The only way I can converse with my grandparents is in Gujarati. Does that make me real enough?" Raising more questions, the 28-year-old said: "Or am I only allowed to witness the moments of prejudice and racism going through airports? Is that the only bit that I'm allowed of the culture? "The truth is I'm trying to understand myself better and my heritage, to figure things out, in the movie choices I make. That has been the greatest thing for me in going to India repeatedly." Dev is currently gearing up for the release of his film "Hotel Mumbai", which also stars veteran actor Anupam Kher. New Delhi, March 26 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that it has not intercepted phone of the National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and former CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana at any point of time. The CBI remark came in a reply to a plea seeking direction to form an SIT to look into charges of abuse of power by some officials of the probe agency by illegally tapping phone calls. The court was hearing a plea filed by lawyer and social activist Sarthak Chaturvedi, who also sought a direction to the Central government to frame comprehensive guidelines regarding tracing, tapping and surveillance of phone calls. The CBI said no telephone number was under surveillance illegally and that the Centre has already framed rules and comprehensive guidelines in the form of Indian telegraph rules on phone tapping. The CBI also told the court that technical surveillance by the agency has been carried out in a "proper manner" and the competent authority from which authorisation is obtained is being apprised regularly about the outcome of the technical surveillance. The technical surveillance is undertaken by the agencies authorised by the central government with due approval of the competent authority. It requested the court to dismissed the plea filed by the social activist. London, March 26 : A British Airways (BA) flight destined for Dusseldorf in Germany mistakenly landed in Edinburgh, Scotland, after a flight plan paperwork was submitted incorrectly. The Times newspaper reported on Tuesday that BA flight 3271 to Dusseldorf left the runway at London City airport on Monday and passengers only realised the error had been made when they heard the "welcome to Edinburgh" announcement after the plane had landed, reports Xinhua news agency. The flight was operated by WDL Aviation, a small German aviation business, on behalf of BA. On Sunday, the plane flew Dusseldorf-London City-Edinburgh-London City-Dusseldorf. It was believed that someone had picked up or emailed the wrong day's flying programme and the mistake wasn't noticed. A BA spokeswoman said the company was working with WDL Aviation to establish why the incorrect flight plan was filed. "We have apologized to customers for this interruption to their journey and will be contacting them all individually," the spokesperson said. Sophie Cooke, a 24-year-old passenger on the flight, said when the pilot first made the announcement that the plane was about to land in Edinburgh, everyone assumed it was a joke. She asked the cabin crew if they were serious. The pilot then asked passengers to raise their hands if they wanted to go to Dusseldorf. Everyone raised their hands. "The pilot said he had no idea how it had happened. He said it had never happened before and that the crew was trying to work out what we could do," Sophie said. The passengers remained on the plane during its stay at Edinburgh and took off again for its intended destination. They eventually landed in Dusseldorf more than three hours late. Passengers were entitled to 215 British pounds in compensation. Chennai, March 26 : The southern-tip Lok Sabha constituency Kanniyakumari will see a battle of crorepatis in the ensuing general elections slated for April 18 in Tamil Nadu. The three crorepatis are: Congress candidate and businessman H. Vasanthakumar, outgoing MP and Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan and Kamal Haasan-floated MNM party candidate J. Ebenezer. Interestingly, Vasanthakumar, the promoter of consumer durable retail chain Vasanth & Co, will be the richest candidate contesting in the Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu. According to the affidavit filed with the Election Commission, for the fiscal 2017-18 Vasanthakumar has shown an income of Rs 28,93,59,990. He has also declared total assets of about Rs 412 crore -- movable about Rs 230 crore and immovable about Rs 182 crore -- in his name. The movable and immovable assets in his wife's name is just over Rs 5 crore. On the other hand, Radhakrishan has declared an annual income of Rs 7,72,850 for the fiscal 2017-18, down from Rs 14,09,490 earned in 2016-17. Radhakrishnan has declared total assets of about Rs 7.49 crore -- moveable worth Rs 50,56,298 and immovable of Rs 699,40,155. MNM candidate Ebenezer has declared an annual income of Rs 5,31,881 for 2017-18, immovable assets of Rs 2 crore and movable assets worth Rs 36 lakh. The two bitter political rivals -- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress -- are in direct contest in Kanniyakumari and Sivaganga seats out of the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu. The BJP's Radhakrishnan is seeking a re-election. In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, when the entire Tamil Nadu was swept by late AIADMK leader and Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, it was only Kanniyakumari and Dharmapuri constituencies that bucked that wave. Pon Radhakrishnan won that election polling about 3.72 lakh votes and Vasanthakumar was the runner-up polling about 2.44 lakh votes, while the AIADMK candidate came third securing about 1.76 lakh votes. The fourth position was taken by DMK candidate who got about 1.17 lakh votes. This time around, the BJP has tied up with the AIADMK and Congress with the DMK. Delhi, March 26 : Jet Airways' management on Tuesday informed the Civil Aviation Ministry that it would fly 40 more aircraft by April end and also assured that it would not ground any more aircraft, Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said. "By Monday or Tuesday, Jet and the lessors should come into an agreement on getting back the grounded planes. By the end of April, Jet would be able to fly 40 more aircraft. As on today, Jet is flying 35 aircraft," Kharola said after meeting with the Jet management including representatives of the State Bank of India (SBI). The meeting took place post the management takeover by the SBI and its subsequent Rs 1,500 crore capital infusion for emergency funding on working capital needs. A total of 75 aircraft is envisaged by April end which is around 80 per cent of the Jet's total aircraft previously, he said. Elaborating on the operational part, Kharola said the financial part of the problem at the airline are being handled by the lenders led by the SBI and the Ministry is only looking at the passenger safety aspects so that they don't have to face any hardship. He also said the government is also keeping a close watch on the airfares and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has suggested to the airlines not to resort to predatory pricing. On Monday, Jet Airways promoter Naresh Goyal stepped down and the SBI-led management took over the daily operations and cash flow. With Goyal's exit and the SBI leading a consortium of banks to take charge of the interim committee, Rs 1,500 crore was infused as emergency funding by the lenders to look at immediate issues. Jet Airways has been struggling with cash flows for the past six months because of rising fuel costs and intense competition. It has even delayed payment to lessors, airport operators and oil marketing companies besides a part of its workforce to keep the company running. As many as 40 of its aircraft were grounded due to inability to pay rentals. Its pilots and certain sections of the employees have been without pay for some months, leading the pilots to issue an ultimatum on salary payment to the erstwhile management. The airline owes Rs 8,000 crore to the SBI-led lenders consortium. SBI expects Jet to find a new financial investor by the first quarter of next fiscal. Srinagar, March 26 : National General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Ram Madhav on Tuesday said the alliance between the Congress and the National Conference (NC) is a dichotomy everyone fails to understand. Addressing a party meeting in Srinagar, Ram Madhav said, "J&K is one state. The NC and the Congress have alliance in Jammu region, while they will fight each other in the Valley. "It is a dichotomy everyone fails to understand. They are double-faced and double-tongued. They say one thing in Delhi and quite the opposite in the Valley." These are their gimmicks to fight the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, adding that they will not succeed by doing such dramas. Madhav expressed hope that the BJP would produce better results in the state during these elections. The BJP had bagged three out of the six Lok Sabha seats in 2014 elections in the state. Out of 87 members in the state Legislative Assembly, the BJP had 25 while it had the support of two other members of the Peoples Conference (PC) led by Sajad Lone. Patna, March 26 : Two days after the CPI fielded the former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) President from the Begusarai Lok Sabha seat in Bihar, Kanhaiya Kumar appealed to people to donate at least 1 rupee for his campaign fund. "Like every drop of water fills an earthen pot, (your) donation of Re 1 to my campaign fund will help me to fight the election and take the voice of the marginalised and exploited to Parliament," he said. Kanhaiya Kumar also launched an online crowdfunding platform to collect money to contest the elections. Kanhaiya Kumar is the Left candidate and will take on Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Giriraj Singh in Begusarai. Earlier, the Grand Alliance of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress and other parties did not allocate Begusarai to the CPI. The RJD is set to field Tanweer Hasan who lost to Bhola Singh of BJP in 2014. Kanhaiya Kumar has said that his fight will be against Giriraj Singh, not RJD. "People of Begusarai will defeat Giriraj Singh and the BJP-led NDA will be defeated across Bihar as the people have made up their minds to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said. "The people of Begusarai have decided not to support any hardliner. The BJP has been spreading hatred across the country," he said. Kanhaiya Kumar, 32, was arrested in February 2016 and accused of sedition for allegedly doing nothing to prevent the raising of anti-India slogans on the JNU campus. The JNUSU President for 2015-16 was then pursuing doctorate from the School of International Studies and was affiliated to the All India Students Federation (AISF). Mumbai, March 26 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday warned that it could attach the entire amount of the one-time settlement (OTS) to be paid by the absconding directors of the scam-hit Sterling Biotech Group to the Committee of Banks. The ED informed the National Company Law Tribunal that it is also in the process of declaring the company's promoter Nitin Sandesara as an absconder under the stringent Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018, and the agency has already attached Rs 4,700 crore worth of the promoters' assets so far. Since the FEOA supersedes all other laws, the ED can also attach and seize the entire amount of the OTS which the banks, led by the Andhra Bank, expect to get from the Sterling Biotech Group. The agency's response came to the March 14 notice issued by the NCLT, Mumbai members V.P. Singh and R. Duraiswamy, after the Committee of Creditors sought withdrawal of the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) after the Stering Biotech Group's absconding promoters agreed to pay an OTS. In another revelation on Tuesday, the Committee of Creditors' lawyers said that the promoters have revised the settlement offer and instead of clearing the full OTS by March 31, they will now pay a token Rs 179 crore and the rest, estimated around Rs 3,100 crore, in June. The Gujarat-based pharmaceutical giant owes Rs 8,100 crore only to the banks and more to other financial creditors, amounting to a total of around Rs 14,938 crore - bigger than the Nirav Modi scam. The OTS of around Rs 3,100 crore would mean that the banks would have to forget a whopping nearly 65 percent of their total dues. The NCLT, questioning the sources of funds for the OTS offer, asked the Resolution Professional to verify the authenticity and posted the matter for further hearing on April 26. It has also directed the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) to give its opinion in the matter as most of the banks involved in the matter are public sector banks. During the last hearing, the NCLT had asked for the views of the MCA, the ED, the Securities and Exchange Board of India, the Reserve Bank of India, the Income Tax Department, and the Central Bureau of Investigation, but only the ED and SEBI have responded so far. The NCLT had slammed the Andhra Bank's proposal of an OTS especially since the firm's directors were missing and even specialized agencies like the ED and the CBI have failed to track them down so far. The Sterling Biotech matter came before the NCLT in June 2018 and during pendency of the matter, in the first week of March, the Committee of Creditors comprising banks, suddenly voted to withdraw the proceedings against it in return for a OTS from the Sandesara brothers. If accepted, the OTS plan -- under Section 12A of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 -- could entail a loss of around two-thirds to the creditors-lenders, and probably help the fugitives emerge unscathed by the scam. According to the company's last Annual Report as on March 31, 2018, it had loans, borrowings, and external commercial borrowings of Rs 7,564 crore, and financial creditors have made claims worth Rs 14,938 crore. Of this Rs 14,938 crore, the RP has admitted claims of Rs 8,967 crore till November 21, 2018. The company admitted that its premises were sealed by the ED and it is under the scrutiny of multiple agencies including the CBI and the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO). In October 2018, the CBI had registered a case against Sterling Biotech and its top officials for obtaining fraudulent loans worth a total of Rs 8,100 crore from Indian banks and their overseas branches between 2004-2012. The ED had named a web of 184 group companies in India and abroad, besides 181 accused, and charged the Sandesara brothers of hatching a criminal conspiracy to cheat the banks by manipulating the balance sheets of their companies and luring banks to sanction higher amounts in loans. Taking action on a CBI complaint, in January, the ED nabbed former Andhra Bank Director A.P. Garg in connection with the fraud, accusing him of money-laundering and other charges. On February 14, the Sandesara brothers moved a Delhi court seeking cancellation of the non-bailable arrest warrants against them. Their plea will come up for hearing on April 2. Chennai, March 26 : Out of total sum of about Rs 913 crore available under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) with the district authorities in Tamil Nadu, Rs 801 crore has been spent, said Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. The data pertains to the 16th Lok Sabha and as on March 26. According to the figures, the total entitlement for Tamil Nadu during the 16th Lok Sabha was about Rs 982 crore while the funds released by the central government was Rs 870 crore. As per the figures, the percentage of utilization over the released sum stands at about 92 per cent for Tamil Nadu. The unspent balance available under the MPLADS in the state is about Rs 112 crore. As per MPLADS, the role of an MP is restricted to recommending a project. It is the responsibility of the district authority to sanction funds and execute the projects recommended by the MP. "We consider the amount sanctioned by the MPs as an additional parameter to measure an MP's performance in Parliament while awarding the Sansad Ratna award," K.Srinivasan, Founder, Prime Point Foundation, told IANS. The Foundation has been awarding top performing MPs since 2010. "During the interactions with the MPs over the years, we found that local politics come into play in sanctioning the projects if the MP belongs to a different party and the state government is run by another party," Srinivasan said. The Hague, March 26 : A stolen Pablo Picasso "Buste de Femme" (Female Bust) that the Spanish artist never sold has been recovered by the so-called Indiana Jones of the art world, the Dutch art detective said on Tuesday. The painting was stolen from Abdul Mohsen Abdulmalik, a Saudi Sheikh, from one of his yachts in southwestern France on March 11, 1999, Efe news reported. "I am excited," Arthur Brand said. "We are talking about one the greatest artists of the 20th century and this was one of his most important works and his favourite because he didn't sign it and never wanted to sell it," Brand said. "He stored it in his house until he died," the art detective remarked. At the time of the theft, the painting was valued at four million euros ($4.5 million). French authorities archived the case and assumed it had been destroyed. "When a canvas disappears it is usually because thieves have been unable to sell it and choose to destroy it to avoid problems," Brand continued. The owner had offered a 400,000 euros reward to whoever retrieved the artwork. However, once he lost the hope of recovering it he made a claim to his insurance company which made him a four million euros payout. The artwork is an abstract portrait of Dora Maar, a French artist who was Picasso's lover, and is a good example of Picasso's cubism, an art movement the painter was at the forefront of. The Dora Maar has never been exhibited. The pair were a couple during the 1930s and Picasso painted the canvas a year after producing his most famous the "Guernica," (1937), an epic canvass of huge proportions that depicts the bombing of the eponymous Basque town during the Spanish civil war (1936-39). Despite assuming it was long lost, Brand had been searching for the stolen Dora Maar since 2015. When such a high profile artwork gets stolen there is, Brand said, a 10 per cent chance of it surviving, with it usually being handed over to an organised criminal group, often, to settle debts. According to Brand's investigative work, the Picasso canvas probably exchanged hands around 20 times. In 2015, the detective heard the painting was doing the rounds on the Amsterdam black market and that in 2002 it had been handed over as insurance to a mafia that trafficked weapons and drugs. Brand contacted both the French and Dutch authorities but because the case had been closed in France investigations did not progress any further. "Because there are so many stolen Picassos, I wasn't sure which one it might be and this was before the internet boom and it was difficult to keep up with the details," the art sleuth said. "I dug deeper and then knew which painting it was and how important it was for its painter," Brand continued. "When he died his family sold it to a dealer who then sold it to an Arab sheikh who kept it on his boat." Several weeks ago the investigator became aware that an art dealer had purchased the painting without any knowledge of what he was handling. When the new owner realised the painting could have been the long lost Picasso he reached out to try and pinpoint the origins of the work, somewhat cautiously as he was concerned of the legal implications of owning a stolen painting, if it indeed was proven to be so. "We knew he had nothing to do with the theft," the art expert said. "Launching an investigation did not make much sense, we would never get to the thieves because the canvass changed hands many times during this time. Thus, we reached a deal: he would hand over the painting to me and there would be no investigation." The Dutch art sleuth admired the colorful cubist portrait in his home on Monday, the day he recovered it, while he waited for the insurance company to come and collect it on Tuesday. The Picasso is now in the hands of Abdulmalik's insurance company's headquarters in Amsterdam. An American expert is analysing it to confirm the painting's attribution and assess the condition of the canvas before returning it to Abdulmalik. Once returned to its rightful owner, it is thought, the artwork would be valued at around 25 million euros if it were to be sold at auction. This is not the first high profile artwork brand has retrieved. Brand estimates the total value of cases solved by the Dutch art historian amounts to over 150 million euros, a statement on his website said. New Delhi, March 26 : A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court will begin hearing from Wednesday on five matters, including whether a member of legislative assembly can escape criminal prosecution for accepting or offering bribe by citing immunity under Article 194(2) of the Constitution. Other matters before the Constitution bench include the interpretation of Section 24 of the right to fair compensation and transparency in land acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, whether a citizen is entitled to seek information on the appointment of top court and high court judges and challenge to the restructuring and re-organisation of 19 tribunals that was brought by the 2017 Finance Act. The question whether Article 194(2) of the Constitution confers any immunity on the members of the legislative assembly for being prosecuted in a criminal case for an offence involving offer or acceptance of bribe is rooted in the election of two Rajya Sabha seats from Jharkhand in March 2012. The Jharkhand High Court had by its February 17, 2014 order rejected the plea for quashing a trial court order taking cognizance by one JMM lawmaker Sita Soren for allegedly accepting money from a contestant. Later Election Commission countermanded the election to the Rajya sabha from Jharkhand. In the right to fair compensation and transparency in land acquisition, the bench would examine the correctness of the payment of compensation to the land owners whose land has been acquired as well as when the award granting compensation would come into effect. The matter was referred to the Constitution bench following conflicting judgements by two bench of the top court - each bench with three judges. Another significant hearing would be challenge to the Finance Act 2017 relating to the restructuring and re-organisation including the appointment, removal and the service conditions of the members of 19 tribunals. The Tribunal, Appellate and other Authorities (Qualifications, Experience and other conditions of Service of Members) Rules, 2017 was brought as a part of the Finance Act, 2017. The hearing on the appeal by top court's Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) challenging November 24, 2009, Central Information Commission's order directing the CPIO to furnish the information sought by one Subhash Chandra Agrawal on the appointment of judges to top court could bring it in the ambit of Right to Information Act. The matter was referred to the Constitution bench on August 17, 2016. The Constitution bench would adjudicate the question "whether the concept of independence of judiciary demands the prohibition of furnishing of the information sought and whether the information sought amounts to interference in the functioning of the judiciary. Kolkata, March 26 : The Election Commission is examining a report sent by the North 24 Parganas district election officer in the controversy surrounding Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee's wife Rujira Naroola allegedly trying to stonewall Customs officials from checking her baggage at the Kolkata airport recently, an official said on Tuesday. "We are examining the report", Additional Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Basu told reporters. Banerjee had already described all the allegations that his wife was caught at the Kolkata airport carrying gold in her check-in baggage as "baseless". Basu mentioned that they have received a report from Antara Acharya, DEO of North 24 Parganas, and everything is "under examination". On Tuesday, BJP members submitted the lyrics of the party's campaign song for which MP Babul Supriyo was given a show- cause notice. Asked if the CEO office will approve of the content, Basu said: "We have an elaborate mechanism and the steps will be taken accordingly". Referring to cash recovery made so far, Basu said about Rs 6.80 cash has so far been seized. Around 5,093 litres of country spirit, 21,683 litres of illicit liquor and other items have also been recovered. Sharing the details of 'c-Vigil App' Basu said, "As many as 1,562 complaints have been registered so far, out of which 988 have been found correct and action was taken". Also, the EC has received 711 complaints via ECI's National Grievance Services (NGS) portal and 335 of them have been resolved. The citizens portal of NGS recorded 1,008 complaints and 503 of them have been addressed, he said. New Delhi, March 26 : Samsung Electronics on Tuesday announced the launch of Galaxy A70 in its popular Galaxy A range next month. Featuring a 6.7-inch Infinity-U display along with the biggest screen in the Galaxy A portfolio to date, Galaxy A70 provides a more immersive edge-to-edge experience, the company said in a statement. The device will be unveiled on April 10. "Today's consumers are using their phones in a more visually active and authentic way - sharing their experiences and staying connected longer. Image Source: IANS Samsung Galaxy A7 comes with a triple camera configuration at the back. "To meet the needs of this emerging generation, we created the new Galaxy A70 - designed for the way people are connecting now," said D.J. Koh, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. Galaxy A70 has a triple camera system with a 32MP super high-resolution front and rear lens. The device comes with 4,500mAh battery and super-charging technology. Paired with Samsung Pass, people can sign into websites and apps by using biometric authentication as an easier and more secure way of logging-in. New Delhi, March 26 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday said it will hear on April 2 petitions challenging the electoral bond scheme. A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna said the matter would be heard by an appropriate bench. One of petitioners, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR)'s advocate Prashant Bhushan told the court that 95 per cent of the electoral bonds sold so far have been in favour of one ruling political party. He called it a form of kickbacks before the elections. He said most of the bonds purchased since 2018 have been in the category of Rs 10 lakh and 1 crore, indicating that it is not common citizens but corporates who have been buying these bonds while enjoying complete anonymity accorded by the electoral bond scheme. As per the said scheme, an electoral bond is an instrument issued in the nature of promissory note -- it may be purchased by a citizen of India or entities incorporated or established in India. The bonds are issued in multiples of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakhs and Rs 1 crore. "These are available at specified branches of State Bank of India and any KYC-compliant account holder can buy these bonds," the petition said. Bhushan has argued that this scheme has been introduced even as Election Commission has registered strong reservations. He said that these electoral bonds are being made available in the last three months leading to the general election scheduled in April-May. "It is expected that the enormous amount of corporate funding would be received by political parties in April and May and this would play a critical role in the elections. It is known that corporate financiers use their clout to get lucrative contracts and get laws passed for their profits, often at the cost of public interest," Bhushan said. "That is why many corporates are keen to fund political parties," he said. The petitioner NGOs have challenged various amendments to the Companies Act, Income Tax Act, Representation of the People Act, Reserve Bank of India Act and Foreign Contribution Regulations Act. Agartala, March 26 : Nominations of five candidates, including one from the IPFT, were cancelled in Tripura for different reasons on Tuesday, an official said. The rejected candidates include Sukla Charan Noatia (IPFT), Subrata Chakraborty (SUCI-C), Sonacharan Debbarma (Tipraland State Party) and two independents. "The IPFT (Indigenous People's Front of Tripura) candidate Noatia's nomination was cancelled as he has been holding the office-of-profit as Chairman of the Tripura Small Industrial Corporation," Mahatme Sandeep Namdeo, returning officer of Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency, told IANS. However, the nomination of another IPFT candidate Brishaketu Debbarma, an alternative nominee of the party for the seat, was found valid. Namdeo said 18 candidates of different political parties and independents filed nominations for the Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency till Monday and scrutiny of these papers was undertaken on Tuesday in presence of leaders of political parties and Election Commission observers. The IAS officer, also the District Magistrate and Collector of the West Tripura District, said 13 nominations were found valid after the scrutiny and the remaining five were rejected for a variety of reasons. The IPFT has fielded candidates in Tripura's two Lok Sabha seats, rejecting dominant partner BJP appeal to not contest the elections. IPFT president and Revenue Minister Narendra Chandra Debbarma, a candidate from the Tripura East (reserve) seat, said the IPFT is contesting the polls to raise the party's statehood demand in Parliament. The IPFT has been agitating since 2009 to upgrade the existing Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) to a separate tribal state. The TTAADC has jurisdiction over two-thirds of Tripura's 10,491 sq km area that is home to over 12,16,000 people, mostly tribals. Ahmedabad, March 26 : An application was filed in the Special CBI Court, here on Tuesday, challenging the Gujarat government's refusal to sanction prosecution of retired police officials D.G. Vanzara and N.K. Amin in the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case. The plea has been filed by Shamima Kausar, Ishrat Jahan's mother, who also asked the court to share with her the copy of the Gujarat government's letter. Earlier, CBI lawyer R.C. Kodekar informed special CBI Judge J.K. Pandya the Gujarat government had denied sanction to prosecute its retired officers under Section 197. The state government's letter claimed the encounter, carried out by the cops, was genuine and 'in the line of duty'. Vanjara, a former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Gujarat Police, and Amin, a retired Superintendent of Police (SP), are two of the seven accused chargesheeted by the CBI in the case. Ishrat Jahan, a 19-year-old girl from Mumbra near Mumbai, was killed along with Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar by the Gujarat Police on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004. The police claimed the killed persons had links with terrorists and were plotting to kill then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Following a Gujarat High Court order, the CBI probed the encounter and said it was "staged". New Delhi, March 26 : The Centre on Tuesday declined to share details relating to the appointment of RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das citing a clause in the transparency law that bars disclosure relating to the appointment of key government functionaries. In a reply to an RTI query, it declined to share the details, including names of short-listed candidates and other such details of the appointment. Shaktikanta Das was appointed as the Reserve Bank of India Governor on December 11, 2018. He succeeded Urjit Patel after he resigned months after a tussle with the government over the autonomy of the central bank. The RTI application was filed with the Department of Financial Services (DFS) seeking details about the appointment procedure. "It is informed that the requisite information about appointment of Shaktikanta Das as Governor, Reserve Bank of India, being Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) related file notings/documents/records, is exempt from disclosure under Section 8 (1) (i) of the Right to Information Act 205," the cabinet secretariat said in its reply to the RTI application. In its reply, the DFS said the selection of Governor, RBI is done by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on the basis of a recommendation made by the Financial Sector Regulatory Appointments Search Committee (FSRASC). The committee is headed by cabinet secretary as its chairperson and has an additional principal secretary to Prime Minister and secretary of the department concerned besides three outside experts as its members, the DFS said, without giving the names of the experts. The section which the government cited to withhold information related to the appointment of Das and bars disclosure of cabinet papers, including records of deliberations of the council of ministers, secretaries and other officers. New Delhi, March 26 : India on Tuesday termed reports about denial of overflight to an aircraft carrying Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad during his visit to Islamabad as "false and motivated". Sources said Pakistan has blocked it's own airspace from flights which are overflying India. Therefore, even though the Directorate General Civil Aviation had given overflight clearance to Malaysian PM's flight, it had to take a longer route because Pakistan denied permission. They said it is strange that even for their National Day guest from Malaysia, Pakistan could not make an exception, thereby resulting in a longer flight for the Malaysian Prime Minister. The sources said that all flights, including international flights, flying westward from or over Pakistan are not being allowed to fly over India by Pakistan. India has not imposed any such restriction. Sections of Pakistani media have claimed that Malaysian Prime Minister's flight took longer to reach Pakistan as India did not give the requisite clearance. Panaji, March 26 : A corpse is beautiful, there is nothing impure about it, said Datta Naik of the Dakshinayan Abhiyan, an organisation that promotes rationalism, slamming the purification ritual carried out at the government-run Kala Academy, where Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's mortal remains were kept for public homage on March 18. Naik also demanded suspension of academy officials responsible for facilitating the 'purification' on Saturday, claiming such practices promote superstition. "Death is a beautiful thing and the message which has gone out is that a corpse is bad, a corpse is impure. What is bad about it?" Naik said in his statement on Tuesday. "Forget Kala Academy, every house where there is a death, the practice of purifying it should be stopped," Naik added. The purification ceremony, photos and videos of which surfaced on the social media, triggered a furious debate in the coastal state. Goa Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude, who on Saturday ordered a probe into the incident, on Tuesday did a U-turn saying purification ceremonies were conducted in "99.99 per cent" Hindu homes after a death in the family and therefore a probe was not necessary. He also ruled out any action against academy staffers, who had invited Hindu priests to perform the 'shuddhikaran'. Naik accused Gaude of promoting superstition. "I feel bad that our friend Govind Gaude has supported it by saying 'havans' are offered in homes. We say it should not be performed even in houses. Someone should be suspended or punished. A message should go out," Naik said. Gandhinagar, March 26 : The All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Tuesday announced two more candidates for Gujarat for the 2019 general elections. The AICC came out with a list of three candidates on Tuesday, of which two are for Gujarat -- one for Kutch and the other for Navsari. The grand old party has trusted experienced political leader Naresh Maheshwari for Kutch -- a seat reserved for the Scheduled Castes. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded a sitting legislator Vinod Chavda in the constuency. Maheshwari, is a resident of Madhapur, a town close to the main city of Kutch. He has been with the Congress for over two decades, and contested elections at all levels of government, from block to the state Assembly. Dharmesh Patel has been nominated for the Navsari seat in south Gujarat, who will be fighting it out against the BJP stalwart C.R. Patil. The contest in Gujarat is primarily between the two main parties. The Congress had earlier declared candidates for Ahmedabad West, Anand, Vadodara and Chhota Udaipur seats for the Lok Sabha elections. Mumbai/Singapore, March 26 : Singapore Airlines' Mumbai-Singapore flight landed safely at the Changi Airport on Tuesday, with two F-16s of the Singapore Air Force escorting it, after a call warning that there was a bomb on board. Soon after the flight, which had 263 passengers on board, landed in Singapore at around 8 am local time, security officials checked the aircraft thoroughly but nothing suspicious was found. A Singapore Airlines spokesperson said that there was a bomb threat concerning SQ-423 operating from Mumbai to Singapore. "We are assisting the authorities with their investigations and regret that we are unable to provide further details," the spokesperson added. The Boeing 777-300ER plane had departed Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 11.36 p.m. on Monday. Sources in Mumbai said that a woman passenger and a boy have been questioned by the police in connection with the incident. However airline officials have not yet commented. The Singapore Air Force swung into action as the plane approached Singapore. "Heard the roar of our fighters early this morning? That's because two of our F-16C/Ds were scrambled to intercept a Singapore Airlines flight from Mumbai to Singapore after receiving a bomb threat. Our fighters escorted the airliner till it landed safely at Changi Airport," the Republic of Singapore Air Force said in a post on its Facebook page. Rome, March 26 : Italy views America as its chief ally, but is "an independent country" that will seize new trade opportunities like the multi-billion dollar Belt and Road infrastructure project with China, Industry and Welfare minister Luigi Di Maio said on Tuesday as he began a three-day US visit. "I will meet members of the administration (of United States President Donald Trump) during the trip," Di Maio told Corriere della Sera newspaper. "The US is our principal ally and my visit will be an opportunity to underscore this in a concrete way," said Di Maio, who is also Deputy Premier. Italy has always had "solid bilateral ties" with the US, he underlined. "We are a NATO member and well aware of our alliances but we are an independent country that can go after new business opportunities such as the new Silk Road project," Di Maio said. Italy on Saturday became the first European Union and G7 country to join China's massive Belt and Road Initiative, drawing concern from the US and European allies over the Asian power's push for economic domination. The Italian government's signing of a preliminary accord on the BRI took place during a visit to Rome by Chinese President Xi Jinping that saw a total of 29 deals signed worth a total of $2.8 billion. The potential value of those business accords with the Chinese is as much as 20 billion euros, giving Italy's recession-hit economy a much-needed boost, according to Di Maio. The raft of deals are part of the BRI - a global trade project aimed at connecting Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe via a network of ports, railways, tunnels and other infrastructure. During his visit to Washington, Di Maio plans to assuage concerns over the BRI project, which comes as the US and China negotiate to end a protracted trade war and amid US concerns at the security threat posed by Chinese telecoms companies, particularly its largest, Huawei. Rome, March 26 : Days before Britain's slated departure date from the European Union - and with no deal yet approved by its Parliament and politicians and the public bitterly divided on the issue - Italy's Foreign Minister on Tuesday likened the Brexit endgame to an Alfred Hitchcock thriller. "As Brexit has unfolded in recent days, it seems the UK could be talking part in the (May) European elections," Enzo Moavero Milanesi said. "We will have to see. It's rather like a film by that great European master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock, which leaves you guessing until the very last moment," he added. Current Brexit options include the withdrawal accord negotiated by Premier Theresa May with the EU, which critics say could see Britain permanently "trapped" in a customs union; leaving the bloc on Friday without a deal; a softer Norway-style exit; revoking the Article 50 divorce process; a second referendum and a general election. EU leaders last week granted the UK the option of delaying Brexit until May 22 but on the condition that May's deal is approved this week. Otherwise the government will have until April 12 to tell the EU what its plans are - a no-deal exit on that date or a longer extension, meaning Britain will take part in the European elections on May 23-26. Washington, March 27 : US President Donald Trump's declaration of a national emergency at the US-Mexico border survived a critical vote in the House on Tuesday, as Democrats failed to muster the necessary two-thirds majority to override his veto, the media reported. The vote was 248-181, well short of the 288 that would have been required. The vote effectively ends -- for now -- legislative attempts to strike down Trump's national emergency declaration. According to the Washington Post, now the fight over his attempt to circumvent Congress to get more money for his border wall will shift to the courts. "President Trump can't take taxpayer dollars to build his wall without Congress's permission," California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a former congressman who has filed a lawsuit to block Trump's declaration, said following the vote. "The 20 states standing with us in court are ready to fight long and hard to stop his fabricated emergency in its tracks," he added. Congress sent Trump a bipartisan disapproval resolution earlier this month that sought to nullify his national emergency declaration, but Trump used the first veto of his presidency to strike it down. Trump had announced the national emergency in February, following a record-long government shutdown and weeks of negotiations that resulted in a deal giving him billions less than he sought for barriers along the border. Lawmakers of both parties said the emergency declaration -- which allows Trump to redirect money Congress appropriated for other purposes and use it for border construction instead -- represented a dramatic intrusion into Congress's authority over government spending. In floor debate ahead of the vote on Tuesday, Democrats insisted Trump was violating the Constitution's separation of powers, while Republicans argued he was acting within his authority under the National Emergencies Act to address a genuine crisis at the southern border. "What we have here is an act of constitutional vandalism -- the executive trying to steal the power of the purse from Congress," said Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Tex.). He warned that if lawmakers allow it to happen, future presidents of both parties will have great power to ignore Congress. Fourteen Republicans broke ranks to vote with Democrats in attempting to overturn Trump's veto, but they represented a small minority as most GOP lawmakers stood with the president, arguing he was addressing an emergency Democrats had ignored. "The radical left in this House would dissolve our borders entirely if given the chance," declared Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.). "They care more about defending the Iraqi border than defending our own." Border apprehensions have spiked and are on pace for the highest level since 2008, although they remain below peak rates in the 1990s and early 2000s. Lawmakers of both parties generally agree that there is an unfolding humanitarian crisis at the border, with many families from Central America attempting to enter the US, but Democrats argue that a wall won't help with that. McGrath Estate Agents have expanded their reach, opening a new office in Ballarat in regional Victoria. Their move, which is part of the focus to expand into key regional areas in the state, comes after they opened a Geelong office, their first regional John McGrath, the founder and executive director of McGrath, said Ballarat is an important growth area of Victoria. We earmarked Ballarat over two years ago in our McGrath Report as an important key regional market that has transformed itself from an industrial hub to an attractive lifestyle centre that offers more affordable housing, employment opportunities, a strong sense of community and a relaxed way of life," McGrath said. "Ballarat is a prime example of a regional city that is no longer the sleepy second tier town but conversely, one that has come of age as thriving economic centre and community. McGrath Ballarat will service the area of from Ballarat North to Durham Lead in the south; and Cardigan in the west to Warrenheip in the East. Key suburbs will include Ballarat Central, Solders Hill, Wendouree, Canadian and Ballarat North. EXPERT OBSERVER We dont often get sensible analysis of price data from economists - mostly they generalise about the Australian property market - but Westpac senior economist Matthew Hassan provides an exception. In a recent article he notes that some sections of the Melbourne market are still strong and that Regional Victoria has many locations with rising prices. This correlates with recent Hotspotting research revealing that the cheaper areas of Melbourne still have strong prices while Regional Victoria is the most buoyant market in the nation. Hassan says Melbournes overall price correction has shown much bigger differences across segments and tiers than has Sydney. For Melbourne, units and bottom tier areas are holding up much better, he says, noting that prices across the bottom 25% of the market remain resilient. This theme is also apparent across sub-regions. The big movers over the second half of 2018 were Melbournes Inner East and Inner South, with the Inner City and West holding up considerably better. Prices are also performing better across Regional Victoria. Hassan says that, overall, the citys rental market remains tight with vacancy rates holding around 2%. Meanwhile, rental vacancy rates are extremely tight across Victorias regions, having fallen from 2% in late 2017 to just 1.2% in early 2019, he says. This in turn suggests the uneven performance is likely to continue. Hotspottings regular nationwide research into sales activity and price movements has identified numerous growth markets in Regional Victoria. They include Geelong (above), Ballarat, Bendigo, Pakenham, Officer and Warragul, as well as many smaller towns within an hour or so of Melbourne. The Price Predictor Index published by Hotspotting ranks Regional Victoria as the No.1 market in Australia for strong sales activity and rising prices. It has also identified growth markets in the Melbourne metropolitan area. The generalised data on prices - i.e. one growth figure for the entire nation or for a major city - has Melbourne house prices down, although how much theyve fallen depends on whose figures you believe. One major data source has the Melbourne median house price rising slightly in 2018, while others say it fell 2% or 3%, the latest figure from the ABS says 6% and CoreLogic (which usually has the most negative figures) says Melbourne is down 11%. These sources have one thing in common: they generalise about very large areas. They lump all of Greater Melbourne, which has 500 suburbs as diverse as Toorak and Epping, into one melting pot, with one figure to describe the whole market. But Melbourne has many different scenarios in play, including precincts where prices are still rising. Hotspottings suburb-by-suburb analysis shows many of the outer-ring areas still have price growth. This is confirmed by new data on the suburbs of the Melton LGA in Melbournes west. Most Melton suburbs have had annual price growth above 13%. Meltons median sits at $410,000 (up 14.5%) while Melton South is $411,750 (up 15.7%), Kurunjang $432,000 (up 19.5%) and Melton West $450,000 (up 13.9%). The figures confirm that investors who are able to ignore media generalisations and do some real research will have little trouble finding strong markets where prices are growing. Terry Ryder is the founder of hotspotting.com.au [email protected] twitter.com/hotspotting The bond between a dog and their human is unbreakable. Wed like dog owners and their family members to have fun with the entire family, fur and all, by participating in our unique event. Dogs and their owners alike will be able to participate in the 10th annual Easter Egg Hunt hosted by Wag Hotels to benefit the Humane Society Silicon Valley on April 6, 2019. Thousands of eggs will be filled with pizza-flavored dog treats, then hidden so each pup can discover the egg and earn its treat. There are also prizes for humans inside some of the eggs. The event is Wag Hotels largest signature event and one of the largest fundraisers for local animal rescues. After attendees hunt eggs with their dogs, they can participate in a variety of activities, including taking photos with the Easter Bunny, eating delicious snack items, visiting local dog-friendly vendors, and purchasing tickets toward a raffle that benefits the Humane Society Silicon Valley. Those who plan to attend are encouraged to come dressed in their favorite bunny ears and pastel colors. The bond between a dog and their human is unbreakable. Wed like dog owners and their family members to have fun with the entire family, fur and all, by participating in our unique event. The dogs will have fun hunting eggs and the humans will have fun with all the amazing vendors, all while benefiting a great and necessary organization. One-hundred percent of the events proceeds will go to the Humane Society Silicon Valley, said Kristen Rau, Director of Marketing for Wag Hotels. Dogs and children under twelve receive free entry to the event. It will take place rain or shine at several parks throughout California. Tickets for the April 6th Egg Hunt for Dogs event can be found on Eventbrite, and those who would like to make a donation can also donate on Eventbrite. Links for individual events are below: San Francisco, Benefiting Humane Society Silicon Valley: https://sfeasteregghunt2019.eventbrite.com Oakland, Benefiting Humane Society Silicon Valley: https://okeasteregghunt2019.eventbrite.com Hollywood + West LA + Carson, Benefiting Much Love Rescue: https://laeasteregghunt2019.eventbrite.com West Sacramento, Benefiting Pits R Us All Breed Rescue: https://wseasteregghunt2019.eventbrite.com Redwood City + Santa Clara, Benefiting Humane Society Silicon Valley: https://scrceasteregghunt2019.eventbrite.com San Diego, Benefiting Second Chance Rescue: https://sdeasteregghunt2019.eventbrite.com About Wag Hotels: Wag Hotels is the ultimate stay and play resort for dogs and cats. Founded in 2005, Wag has redefined the pet care business by offering a variety of innovative services including hotel-style boarding, all day play/doggie day care, grooming and spa services. Wag offers climate-controlled environments, personalized Wag cams and provides care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Learn more about Wag Hotels, https://www.waghotels.com/. Alain Leon Pavon We are so pleased to work in partnership with HRH Prince Charles to support the preservation of Cubas remarkable capital through sponsoring the continuing education of talented young Cuban architects like Alain Leon Pavon. We are pleased to announce Alain Leon Pavon as the recipient of the 2019 Havana Heritage Foundation Traveling Grant for Cuban Architects. This is the third year that this award has been presented. The Princes Foundation is a loyal co-partner in the grant program, and this years announcement coincides with the historic royal visit of HRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to Cuba to highlight the arts and historic preservation and restoration of the country. James F. Friedlander, Founder and Chairman of the Havana Heritage Foundation, said, In conjunction with the historic royal visit of HRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall in March and the landmark 500th birthday of Havana in November, we are so pleased to work in partnership with HRH Prince Charles to support the preservation of Cubas remarkable capital through sponsoring the continuing education of talented young Cuban architects like Alain Leon Pavon. Friedlander adds, The Princes Foundation Summer School program enables students to work alongside peers from around the world to apply current architectural techniques to 21st-century challenges. This opportunity will help Alain play a crucial role in the redevelopment and protection of Cubas rich architectural heritage in the years ahead. About Alain Leon Pavon Grant: Havana Heritage Foundation Traveling Grant for Cuban Architects Work: Joined the architecture studio DAG Arquitectos as an intern in 2015 and, after graduating college in 2017, became a full-time employee. Most of his projects at the company deal with the architectural rehabilitation of buildings with patrimonial or historical value. Education: Architecture Graduate of Instituto Superior Politecnico Jose Antonio Echeverria (ISPJAE) / Jose Antonio Echeverria Institute of Technologies of the University of Havana. Home: Resides in Havana. Alain will spend the month of July in the United Kingdom including three weeks at The Princes Foundation Summer School for Architects and Builders. There are approximately 30 participants in the Summer School, and they come from a multitude of countries. One week is spent in London followed by two weeks in Scotland based at the historic estate of Dumfries House. Alain will also have an additional seven days for exploration of London and the rich cultural scene of museums and architecture. I am the product of a rich cultural legacy here in Cuba, says Alain Leon. Therefore, I am very passionate about the preservation and evolution of my home city. The current process of transformation in Havana is challenging, and there is still so much to do. As the recipient of the Havana Heritage Foundation Traveling Grant, I hope to gain further skills to maintain our citys heritage for future generations. Past recipients of the Havana Heritage Foundation Traveling Grant include Ailyn Lazara Penton Ansia (Fellow 2017), Daniel Munoz Cedeno (Fellow 2017), and Joel Estevez Gonzalez (The Alejandro Alonso Fellow 2018). Partners in the Traveling Grant Program: Havana Heritage Foundation (HHF) | http://www.HavanaHeritage.org The Princes Foundation | http://www.Princes-Foundation.org Ludwig Foundation of Cuba | http://aflfc.org/ INTBAU CUBA, a chapter of The International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture and Urbanism | http://www.INTBAU.org The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), which will help facilitate some of Alains additional time in London. This will include an introduction and visit to the RIBA Collections (located at the RIBA and at the Victoria & Albert Museum), a visit to a school of architecture exhibition of student work, visiting a large architectural firm to see first-hand contemporary practices of such a firm, learning about the latest technologies being utilized, and meeting with other young architects. RIBA | http://www.architecture.com Sir John Soanes Museum Foundation, the originator of the Traveling Grant for Cuban Architects program in 2016/2017 in partnership with the Havana Heritage Foundation. In 2018, the Soane handed over the program to the Havana Heritage Foundation. Havana Heritage Foundation is a New York based 501(c)3 non-profit with a mission to promote, preserve, protect, and restore the rich architectural and cultural heritage of Havana. James F. Friedlander, Founder and Chairman. Havana Heritage Foundation 1040 Avenue of the Americas, 23rd FLOOR New York, NY 10018 Press Contact: Chas(dot)Miller(at)HavanaHeritage(dot)org Telephone: 212-327-3160 http://www.HavanaHeritage.org A+ Dental In Partnership with the Smiles for Everyone Foundation, A+ Dental will provide free dental services for low-income, underinsured individuals at its Roseville, California office on April 27th. Dental services provided include same-day procedures such as exams and x-rays, fillings, cleanings and extractions. For more information, please visit the A+ website. About A+ Dental A+ Dental Care is a rapidly growing group dental practice owned and operated by Herman Dental Corporation and affiliated with the dental support organization, Smile Brands, Inc. Since 1975, A+ Dental has been delivering quality care to Northern California residents. With five convenient locations, A+ Dental Care provides comprehensive general and specialty care to patients in the greater Sacramento area including the communities of Roseville, Lincoln, Rocklin and Folsom. Their mission is to create long-term patient relationships by making dental visits convenient, affordable and stress-free. A+ relies on Smile Brands to provide world-class business support services so they can focus on delivering highly personalized patient care. Learn more at https://www.aplusdentalcaregroup.com/. About the Smiles For Everyone Foundation The Smiles for Everyone Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of delivering smiles for everyone by providing free dental care for those in need, both at home in the U.S. and around the world. Since 2011, the Smiles for Everyone Foundation has delivered over 19,000 smiles and $14.5 million in donated dentistry. The foundation currently supports programs which provide free dental care to those in need in Cambodia, Ghana, Laos, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Thailand, and the United States. For more information or to make a donation, visit http://www.smilesforeveryone.org. Contacts: A+ Dental Jody Martin PR@smilebrands.com 714.427.1299 Smiles for Everyone Foundation Crystal Strait crystal.strait@smilesforeveryone.org 714.824.5037 I cannot begin to express the magnitude of the extra hours we had with Collin, said Collins mother, Alissa Rodriquez. I hope these will gather dust and never be used but in reality, they will be used and needed by other families. The family of Collin Sebastian Mellor has partnered with Madisons Miracles to graciously donate a Cuddle Cot to The Baby Place at AdventHealth Zephyrhills, in honor of their son. Collin Sebastian Mellor passed away September 1, 2018 during birth at AdventHealth Tampa. Traditionally, families only have a few hours to say goodbye when an infant passes away but the Cuddle Cot cools the baby, allowing the family to spend additional time to process bereavement. Collins parents, Alissa Rodriquez and Ryan Mellor, were able to use a Cuddle Cot to spend more precious time with their son, allowing time for his only bedtime story and the opportunity for his grandparents to hold him and say their goodbyes. These are moments the family shared that would not have been possible without a Cuddle Cot. I cannot begin to express the magnitude of the extra hours we had with Collin, said Collins mother, Alissa Rodriquez. I hope these will gather dust and never be used but in reality, they will be used and needed by other families. Collins family was so touched by their experience using a Cuddle Cot, they will donate a total of six through Madisons Miracles, with the first being donated to AdventHealth Zephyrhills. Collins father is a surgeon at AdventHealth Tampa. Madisons Miracles is a 501 (c) 3 founded by Chris and Christina Stamper following the loss of their daughter, Madison Elizabeth Stamper. Christina wanted to use her tragedy to help other families who experience loss. Madisons Miracles is dedicating to honoring all babies gone too soon every day. For more information about the Cuddle Cot and Madisons Miracles, please visit http://www.madisonsmiracles.org. About AdventHealth West Florida Division (Formerly Florida Hospital) The West Florida Division of AdventHealth has some of the nations brightest medical minds making lifesaving breakthroughs with surgical pioneers, scientists and researchers using leading edge technology and innovation to deliver our brand of whole-person care. Our network of care includes AdventHealth Carrollwood, AdventHealth Connerton, AdventHealth Dade City, AdventHealth Lake Placid, AdventHealth North Pinellas, AdventHealth Ocala, AdventHealth Sebring, AdventHealth Tampa, AdventHealth Wauchula, AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and AdventHealth Zephyrhills, as well as three freestanding offsite Emergency Rooms including AdventHealth Central Pasco ER, AdventHealth Palm Harbor ER and AdventHealth TimberRidge ER. We are more than hospitals, as we have a robust system of care including specialty acute care, over 200 primary care and specialty employed physicians, Express Care at Walgreens clinics, urgent care centers, wound care, physical therapy and home health care. AdventHealth is a faith-based not-for-profit health care system with a mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ. AdventHealth has hundreds of care sites and nearly 50 hospitals across the United States. For more information about AdventHealth, visit AdventHealth.com, or Facebook.com/AdventHealth, and for West Florida Division, click here. West Penn Hospital We chose Voalte Platform for its unified directory, which makes it easy to reach any member of the care team quickly and quietly, and for the customized workflows it enables for responding instantly to alarms and alerts. Voalte, the leader in healthcare communication technology, today announced that West Penn Hospital, part of Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Health Network (AHN), is using Voalte smartphones to help monitor and care for premature and critically ill infants in its Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), including a new, $23 million, all-private bed expansion. Using Apple iPhones with Voalte Platform for integrated voice, alerts and secure text messaging, the entire AHN Women and Children Institute team based at West Penn Hospital is connected via a unified directory and simple search capabilities, enabling efficient communication among a large team that includes nurses, neonatologists, obstetrician/gynecologists, pediatricians, anesthesiologists, respiratory therapists and others. Instant notifications help the team monitor patients conditions with GE patient monitoring and instantly initiate call-backs into the patient room via Rauland nurse call and Connexall middleware. The pager-free notification system enables caregivers to receive instant notifications about patients conditions directly on their smartphones. Our new NICU offers patients the highest level of care in addition to beautifully equipped private rooms that deliver the comfort and quiet that is so important to the families of premature or critically ill infants, said Jacqueline Collavo, VP and Chief Nursing Officer at West Penn Hospital. We chose Voalte Platform for its unified directory, which makes it easy to reach any member of the care team quickly and quietly, and for the customized workflows it enables for responding instantly to alarms and alerts. West Penn Hospital is the first in the Pittsburgh area to deploy iPhones at the point of care for clinical communication and alarm integration, said Trey Lauderdale, Founder and CEO of Voalte. As NICUs throughout the country transition from ward-style to private room settings, Voalte Platform becomes essential for patient safety and the caregivers peace of mind. Were pleased to partner with West Penn to help them care for these tiny, vulnerable patients. About Voalte Voalte develops smartphone solutions that simplify caregiver communication. Ranked number-one and named 2017 Category Leader in the Best in KLAS: Software & Services report for the Secure Communications Platform segment, Voalte is the only company to offer a comprehensive Mobile Communication Strategy that enables care teams inside and outside the hospital to access and exchange information securely. Founded in 2008, Voalte is a privately held company based in Sarasota, Florida. Voalte solutions are now available to more than 215,000 caregivers throughout the United States. For more information, visit voalte.com or follow @Voalte on Twitter. RENEW logo The Impact Angel Network (IAN), a global angel network dedicated to investing in high-potential companies across the continent of Africa, has announced the IANs 2019 International Gathering. This year, the Gathering will be held on May 17th, 2019 at the Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C. The events keynote speaker will be David Rubenstein, co-founder and co-executive chairman of the Carlyle Group. Join us for a fireside chat as he shares his story about building one of the worlds most successful private equity firms and how he views opportunities in Africa. Attendees will also interact with other special guests and dignitaries, and hear IAN members personal stories about how they help finance companies managed by smart and successful Ethiopian entrepreneurs for impact and financial returns. Organized by RENEW, an impact and investment advisory firm which manages IAN, the annual Gathering convenes IAN members and guests to explore the dynamic investment landscape in sub-Saharan Africa, through the lens of SME investing. Guests will spend the evening at the Embassy of Canada, overlooking the Capitol Building, with other like-minded individuals, business executives, thought leaders and experts in the impact and angel investing space. RENEW aims to elevate angel and impact investing and how the private sector is driving growth. The Gathering is a great opportunity to have important conversations related to impact investing and how were all contributing to an entrepreneurial culture on the continent and to Africas growth story. Tickets for the event are available until Monday, May 13th and can be purchased at this link. For more information about sponsorship opportunities please visit our website. Additional events will be held exclusively for IAN members throughout the weekend. If youre interested in learning more about the IAN or joining the network please visit the following link. Wed like to thank the following partners and sponsors for making the 2019 International Gathering possible: The Embassy of Canada (co-host), Faegre Baker Daniels (platinum sponsor), LimaLimo Lodge, Enlightenment Wines and KANTER. About Impact Angel Network and RENEW The Impact Angel Network is one of the most active private equity investors in East Africa. Its members seek to make both social impacts and financial returns through investments in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), a proven engine of economic growth and job creation, but lacking capital in Africa due to their size. They believe that targeting employment through SMEs, dollar-for-dollar, can help reduce poverty in a more sustainable way than charity. RENEW, with its largest office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, manages the IANs investment operations and provides investment advisory and consulting services in support of its investments. RENEWs work in Ethiopia was piloted with USAID and is currently undertaken with financial support from the Government of Canada provided through Global Affairs Canada. The project, Accelerating Business Growth, aims at sustainable job creation for low-skilled workers, including women and young adults, through a dynamic and growing small and medium business sector in Ethiopia. To find out more, please visit http://www.renewstrategies.com As a company, we are proud to support the work of the Havana Heritage Foundation to preserve and protect this captivating nation and its 500-year-old capital for future generations. This is a banner year for Cuba, with an historic royal visit in March and the 500th anniversary of Havana in November. Arrangements Abroad is celebrating 20 years of leading educational trips to Americas closest overseas neighbor with a special trip to the 13th Havana Biennial from April 23 to 28. The thematically based Havana Biennial, which is one of the most interesting art festivals in the Western Hemisphere, features the best of Cuban visual artists alongside those from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Chas Miller, a board member of the Havana Heritage Foundation; Wilfredo Benatez, Executive Director of the Ludwig Foundation of Cuba; and Joel Estevez, Architecture Fellow of the Havana Heritage Foundation, will lead this five-day trip, which is presented by Arrangements Abroads Museum Travel Alliance (MTA), where Miller serves as Relationship Manager. Arrangements Abroad will offer travelers exclusive access to festivities and events at the 13th Havana Biennial, as well as opportunities to connect with artists, collectors, museum curators, and gallery dealers. The previous Biennial was hosted in 2015. Planning for the 2017 event was postponed due to the damage caused by Hurricane Irma, making this years event even more highly anticipated. For Arrangements Abroads president Jim Friedlander, Cuba is close to his heart: he is also the founder of the Havana Heritage Foundation, whose mission is to promote, preserve, protect, and restore the rich architectural and cultural heritage of the countrys capital. Ive traveled to Cuba more than 50 times over 20 years, said Friedlander, And Arrangements Abroad has taken approximately 10,000 Americans to all parts of Cuba since we began offering tours there in 1999. As a company, we are proud to support the work of the Havana Heritage Foundation to preserve and protect this captivating nation and its 500-year-old capital for future generations. As travel leaders who form deep relationships in our destinations to provide the most exclusive access for our guests, it is our duty at Arrangements Abroad to give back to the communities who have given us and our travelers so much. Arrangements Abroads Havana tour will follow Marchs historic official royal visit of HRH Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall to the countrys shores, the first-ever for the British royal family in Communist-run Cuba. Prince Charless visit will highlight the arts and heritage restoration, among other themes, and will coincide with the announcement of Alain Leon Pavon as Havana Heritage Foundations 2019 recipient of its Traveling Grant for Cuban Architects. The Princes Foundation is a partner in the grant program, and Leon as the recipient of the award will receive three weeks at the Princes Foundation Summer School. The HHF Traveling Grant offers a unique continuing educational opportunity for young Cuban architects to travel to London and the United Kingdom to explore contemporary architectural practices and hone handson skills while meeting and working with likeminded colleagues from around the world. This annual award is presented with cooperation from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), INTBAU Cuba, and the Ludwig Foundation of Cuba. ### ABOUT ARRANGEMENTS ABROAD A leader in academic travel since 1977, Arrangements Abroad provides an insiders look at a destination, offering programs that provide special access to extraordinary places through its rich resources of museum curators, professors, and diplomats in more than 50 countries. Each itinerary is designed for its sponsoring institutions, which include some of the nation's preeminent museums, cultural organizations and alumni associations. Arrangements Abroad has been leading educational trips to Cuba since 1999, and during those two decades they have introduced some 10,000 Americans to the rich history and culture of this captivating country. Their expertise in creating and operating educational tours to Cuba is unmatched, with deep relationships all across the country. Find out more at http://www.arrangementsabroad.com. Follow on Facebook Follow on Twitter Follow on Instagram Follow on LinkedIn ABOUT THE MUSEUM TRAVEL ALLIANCE A division of Arrangements Abroad, the Museum Travel Alliance (MTA) provides individuals who are members and supporters of more than 60 participating museums with access to unique, high-end cultural travel programs. Travelers join members affiliated with other participating museums from across the country on MTA tours, all led by curators and other experts. Find out more at https://museumtravelalliance.com/. ABOUT THE HAVANA HERITAGE FOUNDATION The Havana Heritage Foundation is a US based 501 (c)(3) dedicated to protecting and preserving the architecture and culture of Havana. The Foundation has a diverse group of both US and Cuban professionals, architects, city planners, politicians, academics and others that share an interest in preserving 500 years of Havanas heritage for future generations. Find out more at https://havanaheritage.org/#home. Todays customers overwhelmingly seek businesses that make them the priority. ASEOHosting, a provider of SEO-friendly hosting, has identified what it feels are the three most critical search engine optimization trends of 2019. According to Daniel Page, Director of Business Development at ASEOHosting, these are, respectively, mobile friendliness, user experience, and local search. It has been common knowledge for some time that Google uses a websites functionality on mobile devices as a ranking signal. However, Google has more recently started using a websites mobile version for indexing and ranking. This means, explains Daniel, a site that does not prioritize smartphone and tablet users is likely to suffer. User experience, meanwhile, comprises several different aspects of a website. Page speed is among the most important, but content quality, GDPR compliance, and overall relevance are critical, as well. Daniel advises businesses endeavor to form as complete an understanding of their audiences as possible, and leverage that to provide them with the best experience they can. Finally, local search has remained an important trend for the past several years, and 2019 will be no different. Local search results will continue to draw in audiences, while geotargeted ads will continue to show significant gains. Businesses should complete their Google My Business listing and include address and contact information wherever relevant. Todays customers overwhelmingly seek businesses that make them the priority, explains Daniel. Its not surprising that Googles algorithms are evolving to reflect that. Ranking these days involves more than simply understanding the technical elements of on-page SEO - it involves understanding your customer and making a concerted effort to provide them with exceptional service and value. A business that puts its customers first will not only find itself ranking higher on Google, but will also likely see increased conversions and improved customer loyalty, he continues. At the end of the day, this means that there is no reason not to follow the trends. Youll adhere to them simply by trying to provide the best service you can. About ASEOHosting: ASEOHosting is the leader in providing all types of SEO Hosting, including Shared SEO Hosting, Dedicated SEO Hosting, US Dedicated SEO Servers, and EU Dedicated SEO Servers, based in Orlando, FL, and Detroit, MI, owned and operated by Ahosting, Inc., supplying hosting services that are truly beyond imagination. Since 2002, ASEOHosting has established one of the webs premier solutions for reseller web hosting, multiple IP hosting, dedicated servers, and VPS hosting. For more information, visit https://www.aseohosting.com. Our research teams work within the clinical department and are not separated from one another. They apply their own knowledge, technologies and abilities on the real clinical level thats what makes Sheba so unique and the products being developed so innovative. At this years American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy session, Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer and Dr. Nathalie Bloch, Director of Shebas Innovation Center, were recognized for groundbreaking medical innovations that have an unparalleled impact around the world. The hospital recently earned a place as one of The Top Ten Hospitals in the World. Its our mission to redesign healthcare for the next decade and beyond, said Bloch. Dr. Bloch spoke with other esteemed panelists about Shebas breakthrough cures and treatments and why Israel is leading the world in health innovations. Bloch spoke about Shebas new ARC Innovation Center which works to quickly and seamlessly bring start-up ideas to market. Our research teams work within the clinical department and are not separated from one another. They apply their own knowledge, technologies and abilities on the real clinical level thats what makes Sheba so unique and the products being developed so innovative. Sheba Medical Center has over 1900 physicians and 200 specialized researchers pursuing developments in numerous fields of study, including: pharmaceuticals, sophisticated data collection and sharing, artificial intelligence programs and smart technologies. Dr. Bloch also touched on Shebas commitment to humanitarian crises across the globe. Even as Bloch spoke, a Sheba humanitarian team was quickly mobilizing to fly to Mozambique to assess the deadly destruction of Cyclone Idai. This kind of response is part of Shebas dedication to bring cutting edge medicine and care to those in desperate need. About Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer Born together with Israel in 1948, Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer is the largest and most comprehensive medical center in the Middle East. Sheba is the only medical center in Israel that combines an acute care hospital and a rehabilitation hospital on one campus, and it is at the forefront of medical treatments, patient care, research and education. As a university teaching hospital affiliated with the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel-Aviv University, it welcomes people from all over the world indiscriminately. To learn more, visit: eng.sheba.co.il. Best eCommerce Web Design Firms 10 Best Design has published its list of the 10 best eCommerce web design firms, featuring Ruckus Marketing and Blue Fountain Media in first and second place, respectively. This monthly award has been determined by 10 Best Design, a company dedicated to finding out which design firms are the best in their areas of expertise. eCommerce websites require special handling from web development companies for security reasons and creating a payment portal that gains the trust of the customers, rather than losing them. Online stores require advanced website design to create a vehicle of commerce. To determine the best eCommerce web development company, 10 Best Design used a complex ranking process that uses qualitative and quantitative statistics. Their teams review the firms to determine the best service, and they only rank the highly regarded firms. The top eCommerce web design firm is Ruckus Marketing. The digital agency is more than just an agency. They focus on helping businesses develop inspiring brands and companies whether they are brand new or looking to evolve the brand. They create disruption for many different markets. The New York agency creates disruption that will engage the audience. Creating a design that moves people stems from better platform design and engagement. They campaigns are driven to create consumer action rather than sounding like every other company out there. Ruckus believes branding should have life to it. Messages and imaging need to be distinct for each business. Each phase helps the brand evolve while it is infused with knowledge about how it will impact consumer behavior. The second-place winner among the best eCommerce website design firms is Blue Fountain Media. The digital design firm focuses on combining technology and imagination to help businesses grow in the increasingly-crowded digital space. Their website design is perfect for mid-sized companies and enterprises. They believe that digital marketing shouldn't just copy the competitors or sound like a robot wrote it. The marketing needs to be designed to reach the needs of the prospect. They also use website development to create bold new websites for companies. Proper website development requires experience, planning, and communication. Blue Fountain Media exceeds in all of these areas. The right partner in designing a website needs to identify their client's needs and clear communication. To learn more about this months winning firms, visit http://www.10bestdesign.com. Biscom, a leading provider of secure document delivery for regulated industries, today announced integrations for Box and Microsoft OneDrive, helping organizations seamlessly and securely share confidential files and private data within a single, secure platform. The new integrations expand on Transits existing Dropbox integration and enable users to easily and securely share files from their cloud repositories but with integrated audit logging. Transit administrators have complete visibility into usage and can report on whos sharing information with others both internally and externally. Transit can be used to help meet regulatory compliance including HIPAA, SOX, and FERPA. Most companies have instances of Dropbox, Box, or Microsoft OneDrive which are often not managed by IT, said Bill Ho, CEO of Biscom. By creating hooks into these cloud repositories, Biscom Transit can act as a unified platform for sharing files while maintaining a single searchable and exportable audit trail. As a CPA who works with highly confidential financial information all the time, Transit has been invaluable in helping me securely communicate, send and receive files with clients and associated professionals in need of confidential data, said Robert L Baker, CPA of Baker Corbett & Geary, LLC. Its easy and intuitive to use. I can track when a client receives what has been sent, and clients appreciate the security of the environment and ease of use. Biscom Transit features include: Secure email: Email that supports a secure section that can be used to convey sensitive information, confidential attachments, and maintain a full audit trail FIPS 140-2 certified AES 256-bit encryption: Transit is NIST-approved for Federal Government deployment, for the highest levels of security Multi-tenancy: Each customer is provided its own space to store data that is not commingled with any other customer Pseudonymization: Helps meet the needs for GDPR compliance Integrations: Integrated with cloud storage providers including Dropbox, Box, and Microsoft OneDrive to provide a single security and tracking overlay for all corporate information sharing Mobile-friendly: Send and receive messages and files on any mobile device Recently, Biscom Transit was selected as a Silver winner by the 2019 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards for Cybersecurity Product - Email Security and a Bronze winner by Info Security Products Guide. In addition to its award-winning solutions, Biscom has also been recognized for its exceptional customer support by the American Stevie Business Awards as a Bronze Stevie Award recipient for two consecutive years for best customer service. The new cloud storage integrations are immediately available to all existing Biscom Transit users. For more information about Biscom Transit, visit: http://www.biscomtransit.com. About Biscom Transit Biscom Transit is a cloud-based secure file sharing and email solution that provides businesses with a way to send documents, large files, and messages as easily as email, but with embedded encryption and audit logs that enable companies to meet security and compliance requirements. About Biscom As the leading provider of secure document transfer solutions for highly regulated industries such as healthcare, government, legal, and financial services, Biscom continues to spearhead data security with its enterprise secure file transfer, collaboration, and fax solutions. Biscom uses its thirty years of experience to help some of the worlds largest organizations securely transmit and share information, keeping confidential data protected. Biscom leads the industry in innovation and outstanding customer support. Learn more at http://www.biscom.com. There are many insurance companies that pretend they are the best and offer the best car insurance deals. To select insurance companies that can satisfy their needs, drivers will need to analyze multiple factors , said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that explains how drivers can find the best car insurance companies. For more info and free quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/tips-to-find-a-good-car-insurance-carrier/ When looking for a car insurance company, its important to always choose a reliable insurer. A reliable insurance company is capable to provide its customers with the services they paid for it. To find a good auto insurance carrier, drivers should consider the following: Avoid scammers. Drivers should look for websites that report scams and place the reported companies on an exclusions list. Also, drivers are recommended to check the local Department of Insurance website. All insurance companies authorized to sell policies in an area are listed by the respective local Department of Insurance website. Look for insurers that are financially strong. Strong insurance companies are capable to pay their customers whenever they file a claim. Drivers can check the ratings of an insurer by visiting the websites of independent rating agencies like A.M. Best, Moodys, Fitch, Standard & Poors. These agencies are known for their independence and the accuracy of their ratings. Look for insurers that have a high customers satisfaction rating. Customer satisfaction is very important for any insurance company. Drivers should look at the Auto Insurance Provider Ratings, that is released every year by J.D. Power. On this list, the insurance companies are rated based upon policy offering, billing, payment, pricing, and customer support. Check the complaint ratios. To find out about the complaint ratio of an insurance company, drivers can visit the Better Business Bureau website. Based on the complaint ratios and how they solve them, the insurance companies are rated from A+ to F. Drivers are recommended to select insurers that have low complaint ratios. For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/ Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. Throughout his career as an educator Joel H. Rosenthal has worked with academic and professional constituents to bring ethical analysis to matters of international public policy. On March 29 2019, Joel H. Rosenthal, president of Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, will receive the Distinguished Scholar Award at the International Studies Association (ISA) Conference in Toronto. The ISA's Distinguished Scholar Award is given for life achievement in International Studies. Typically, nominees will have made major contributions to scholarship in the field both via their own research and writing and their mentorship of others. Joel H. Rosenthal has served as president of Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs since 1995. He is also chairman of the Bard College Globalization and International Affairs (BGIA) program in New York City, and editor-in-chief of "Ethics & International Affairs" journal published by Cambridge University Press. As a scholar and teacher Rosenthal has focused on ethics in U.S. foreign policy, with special emphasis on issues of war and peace, human rights, and pluralism. His first book "Righteous Realists" is a study of Hans Morgenthau, Reinhold Niebuhr, and George Kennan, among other American realists. His edited volume "Ethics & International Affairs: A Reader," co-edited by Christian Barry, is a compilation of essays from major figures in the field and is widely used in college and university courses. In 2016, Rosenthal was appointed Dorsett Fellow at Dartmouth College where he delivered a lecture on "Rising Fences: Migrants, Borders, and a New Frontier for Ethics." In 2019 he will deliver the McMurrin-Tanner Lecture at the University of Utah on "Ethics for a Connected World." Throughout his career as an educator Rosenthal has worked with academic and professional constituents to bring ethical analysis to matters of international public policy. In doing so he has worked with partners in scholarly associations, colleges and universities, grant-making foundations, government, business, and the media. Rosenthal received his Ph.D. from Yale University and B.A. from Harvard University. In addition to his ongoing teaching duties, he lectures frequently at universities and public venues across the United States and around the world. In 2013 he received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Social Science from the University of Edinburgh. About International Studies Association Representing over 100 countries, ISA has more than 6,500 members worldwide and is the most respected and widely known scholarly association in this field. Endeavoring to create communities of scholars dedicated to international studies, ISA is divided into 6 geographic subdivisions of ISA (Regions), 29 thematic groups (Sections) and 4 Caucuses which provide opportunities to exchange ideas and research with local colleagues and within specific subject areas. Go to https://www.isanet.org/. About Carnegie Council Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1914, Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs is an educational, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that produces lectures, publications, and multimedia materials on the ethical challenges of living in a globalized world. Go to https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/. Blue Bird Corporation brought a propane-fueled yellow school bus to the Atlanta Science Festival to show students emissions-reducing propane bus technology. We share our Blue Bird Vision Propane school buses with the youth of the Atlanta area to demonstrate how an everyday part of their lives fits in with their STEM learning. A Blue Bird school bus was on display last weekend in an unexpected place the Atlanta Science Festival. Blue Bird Corporation brought a propane-fueled yellow school bus to the festival to show students emissions-reducing propane bus technology. The festival attracted thousands of attendees to celebrate the local science community with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities. We share our Blue Bird Vision Propane school buses with the youth of the Atlanta area to demonstrate how an everyday part of their lives fits in with their STEM learning, said Justyne Lobello, product communications and marketing manager of Blue Bird Corporation. This bus is just one example of the thousands of our alternatively fueled buses servicing schools throughout the country. The propane bus was borrowed from Fulton County Schools. Our school district is helping children learn about the propane buses that they ride to school in and the engineering thats under the hood, said Sam Ham, executive director of transportation for Fulton County Schools. We are so pleased with this technology that we will surpass our original goal to have 300 propane buses by 2022 with 316 propane buses in operation when we open school in August 2019. Nearly 1 million students in about 850 school districts ride to school in emissions-reducing propane buses across the U.S. Propane is a nontoxic, non-carcinogenic and non-corrosive fuel. Buses fueled by propane emit fewer greenhouse gases and total hydrocarbon emissions, and virtually eliminate particulate matter, when compared to conventional diesel-powered buses. The ultra-low nitrogen oxide (NOx) ROUSH CleanTech propane engine in Blue Bird Vision buses is 90 percent cleaner than the current Environmental Protection Agency standard. Were thrilled to have Blue Bird join the festival family this year, said Jordan Rose, executive co-director and co-founder, Atlanta Science Festival. Blue Bird's commitment to reducing bus emissions, and to educating the public about the dangers of nitrogen oxides makes them a great partner in building a scientifically literate community. Blue Bird also sponsored an interactive booth at the festivals Exploration Expo. Attendees made propane molecules out of marshmallows and experienced the difference between a propane spill and a diesel spill. Blue Birds smelling station simulated the odor of propane emissions compared with diesel emissions. About Blue Bird Corporation: Blue Bird is the leading independent designer and manufacturer of school buses, with more than 550,000 buses sold since its formation in 1927 and approximately 180,000 buses in operation today. Blue Birds longevity and reputation in the school bus industry have made it an iconic American brand. Blue Bird distinguishes itself from its principal competitors by its singular focus on the design, engineering, manufacture and sale of school buses and related parts. As the only manufacturer of chassis and body production specifically designed for school bus applications, Blue Bird is recognized as an industry leader for school bus innovation, safety, product quality/reliability/durability, operating costs and drivability. In addition, Blue Bird is the market leader in alternative fuel applications with its propane-powered, electric and compressed natural gas-powered school buses. Blue Bird manufactures school buses at two facilities in Fort Valley, Georgia. Its Micro Bird joint venture operates a manufacturing facility in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada. Service and after-market parts are distributed from Blue Birds parts distribution center located in Delaware, Ohio. For more information on Blue Birds complete line of buses, visit http://www.blue-bird.com. # # # "Our goal here at Chromaflo is to create colorants that provide consumers with a fresh look and approach to their products and this new colorant does exactly that. - Technical Service Representative Urethanes, Lisa Collette Chromaflo Technologies, the premier global provider of colorant technology solutions, is pleased to announce the release of a new black colorant, the latest addition to its thermoset product line. The black is associated with Chromaflos DL line of products and has a product code of DL-020017. Created by Chromaflos Thermoset technical team, the new black colorant targets the polyurethane market, which encompasses a host of different applications. The colorant is uniquely different in that it contains 40% high structure carbon black and its thixotropy allows the product to readily flow with no need for agitation. Benefits of the DL-020017 new black include: Ability to achieve a jet black color at lower loadings; Lower loading provides a cost to use benefit, less impact of the colorant and properties of the final product and less inventory; A low viscosity, which allows for ease of handling including the ability to pump or meter. Our goal in the creation of this new colorant was to fill the need for a high color strength, low viscosity black in the polyurethane market, said Technical Service Representative Urethanes, Lisa Collette. Tested for color strength in an array of polyurethane systems, this new colorant has the 40% high structure carbon black and low, stable viscosity that users are looking for." The colorant was initially released at the FOAM Expo in Novi, Michigan on March 26. About Chromaflo Technologies Chromaflo Technologies is a leading independent global supplier of colorant systems, chemical and pigment dispersions, serving customers in architectural and industrial coatings as well as the thermoset composites market. Headquartered in Ashtabula, Ohio, USA, Chromaflo has production facilities in the USA, Canada, The Netherlands, Finland, Australia, China, India, Malaysia, Mexico and South Africa. Sales and technical support is also provided throughout North and South America, Europe, Australia, China, India, Malaysia, Mexico and Southeast Asia. Commitment to excellence is driven by three core values: quality, speed and service. Chromaflo Technologies retains the following quality and environmental certifications: ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS-18001 in the Americas, Europe and Asia. From the start, our mission has been to help create drug-free homes, workplaces, and environments. Confirm BioSciences, the San Diego, CA-based leader for high-quality diagnostic testing and health & wellness solutions for both the corporate community and individual consumers, today announced it has secured impact financing from HCAP Partners, a California-based private equity firm and recognized impact investor. Confirm BioSciences has made a great impact on corporate and personal wellness with its instant and lab-based testing solutions, educational resources, and straightforward results reports for concerns ranging from drugs of abuse to health and well-being. The testing tools are utilized by over 10,000 business customers and sold to consumers directly at many major retailers and online at https://testcountry.com and https://livewelltesting.com Launched in 2008, Confirm BioSciences has been recognized among the fastest-growing in the U.S., scaling over 2000% as one of the top private companies providing drugs of abuse and health & wellness testing, and yielding a yearly growth rate of over 30%. The Company, which donates 5% of its profits to homeless shelters, has also earned a spot among Inc.s 2018 Best Workplaces and in San Diego Business Journals Best Places to Work four times, ranking #1 in 2016 and 2017, for its missionary ethos approach to the workplace. From the start, our mission has been to help create drug-free homes, workplaces, and environments, said Zeynep Ilgaz, Co-founder and CEO of Confirm BioSciences. We continue to accomplish this by providing quality products, raising awareness of the issues, and supporting our communities. This partnership with HCAP Partners will provide us with additional strategic value, and help us further our mission and scale our business to impact even more geographies worldwide. The Company is currently poised for immense growth with channel expansion, including the recent launch of HairConfirm (http://www.hairconfirm.com) in the retail market, upcoming new products serving the corporate customer and individual consumers alike, as well as international market expansion. We see tremendous opportunity for Confirm BioSciences' continued growth and are thrilled to partner with this dynamic team, said Tim Bubnack, Managing Partner at HCAP Partners. The company has built strong momentum in the market and its core guiding principles of employee focus and nurturing meaningful jobs align directly with HCAPs impact focus and Gainful Jobs Approach." For more information on Confirm BioSciences, its product portfolio, and leadership team, please visit http://www.confirmbiosciences.com. About Confirm BioSciences Confirm BioSciences is a pioneer in high-quality diagnostic testing and health & wellness solutions for both the corporate community and individual consumers. Our product portfolio ranges from instant and lab-based testing solutions for drugs of abuse, including HairConfirm (hair-based) and Drug Confirm (urine-based), to HealthConfirm, a line of testing solutions for health & wellness hormones and neurotransmitters, with all results delivered in user-friendly reports. As experts in the drug testing and health & wellness markets, Confirm BioSciences prides ourselves in supporting various organizations and projects that help families create a drug-free home. Confirm BioSciences is headquartered in San Diego, California. For company information, visit http://www.confirmbiosciences.com. About HCAP Partners HCAP Partners was founded in 2000 and is a provider of mezzanine debt and private equity for underserved, lower-middle market companies throughout California and the Western United States. The firm seeks to invest $2 million to $10 million in established businesses generating between $10 million and $75 million in revenues in the healthcare, software, services, and manufacturing industries. HCAP Partners has invested in over 60 companies since it was founded and through ongoing, active engagement with portfolio companies the team at HCAP Partners provides value-added resources to help optimize performance and increase enterprise value. The firm has been recognized as an ImpactAssets 50 fund six years running and, through its Gainful Jobs Approach, works to facilitate a positive impact on underserved businesses, their employees, and their communities through active portfolio engagement. Partners Tim Bubnack and Frank Mora and Principals Hope Mago and Nicolas Lopez lead HCAP Partners investment team. For more information, please visit http://www.hcapllc.com. Covered Insurance Solutions, Inc. (Covered), an independent digital insurance marketplace, is excited to announce its partnership with Realty ONE Group, an innovative, real estate brokerage. On March 24, these two industry disruptors officially launched their partnership at the 2019 ONE Summit in Las Vegas, NV. By integrating with Realty ONE Groups home-buying platform, Covered will provide home buyers with the ability to easily compare and purchase home insurance. When home buyers are ready to purchase their new home, Covered will provide multiple unbiased insurance quotes from top-rated local and national insurance carriers. The seamless platform integration eliminates the pain from the insurance-shopping process, delighting customers while reducing closing issues and time frames. Realty ONE Groups Mike Clear, COO at Realty ONE Group said Realty ONE Group is excited to provide our home buyers with an innovative, simple solution for finding and purchasing home insurance. This partnership is an important part of our overall offering that gives our clients the best products and services in the industry. Through the Covered partnership, Realty ONE Group adds to the slate of innovative products it offers to clients and continues to set the industry standard for innovation and customer focus. This partnership will allow Realty ONE Group to continue improving the customer experience and close on homes faster. We are proud to enter into a national-scope partnership with Realty ONE Group to provide a fast, accurate, and award-winning homeowners insurance marketplace to our joint customers, said Ross Diedrich, Covereds Co-Founder and CEO. Together, Realty ONE Group and Covered are bringing the home-buying process into the 21st century with a unique combination of digital and in-person elements. About Realty ONE Group Founded in 2005, Realty ONE Group is known as an industry disruptor radically changing the face of real estate franchising with its unique business model, fun coolture, technology infrastructure and superior support for its real estate professionals. The company has rapidly evolved to include more than 11,000 real estate professionals in 160+ offices across 34 states and Washington D.C. and recently expanded into the international market. Realty ONE Group ranks in the top one percent in the nation by REAL Trends, has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as a Top 5 Real Estate Franchise and has been on Inc. 500s list of the Fastest-Growing Companies for seven consecutive years. Realty ONE Group is surging ahead, opening doors, not only for its clients, real estate professionals and franchise owners. To learn more, visit http://www.RealtyONEGroup.com. About Covered Insurance Solutions, Inc. Covered is the smarter, easier, and faster way to buy homeowners insurance. We are an independent, consumer-first insurance agency focused on making insurance easy to understand and painless to purchase. Our integrated online marketplace combines intuitive technology with a human touch to help consumers quote, compare, and purchase the right coverage at the best price in minutes. We partner with mortgage lending, servicing, and real estate providers to make the home-buying process seamless. Covered is innovating insurance: We are a Housingwire 2018 HW Tech100 winner and one of Kairos' "50 World-Changing Startups to Watch in 2019." Learn more at https://www.itscovered.com/ and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. As Executives, Where are We Spending Our Resources? will be moderated by John McElroy of Blue Sky Productions and will feature discussions about how executives look at both internal and external influences in order to allocate their companys technical resources. SAE Internationals WCX World Congress Experience will feature a special panel discussion addressing the challenges facing technology executives in the automotive industry. The session is part of the Leadership Summit, a unique venue offering insights from executives on the critical business issues driving quality, performance, safety, design, development and cost optimization of mobility. As Executives, Where are We Spending Our Resources? will be moderated by John McElroy of Blue Sky Productions and will feature discussions about how executives look at both internal and external influences in order to allocate their companys technical resources; along with how resources are allocated for development of future mobility technology and continue utilizing resources in advancing current technologies. In addition, the panel will share thoughts how product development could look like in the future, the effects of disruptive technologies and the changing consumer. The panel discussion will be held Thursday, April 11 at 2:10 p.m. at The Exchange on the Exhibit Floor. Participants will include: Jeff Hemphill, Chief Technical Officer, Americas Schaeffler Group USA Inc., Schaeffler Group USA Inc. Jon Lauckner, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, General Motors Helen Pan, Director & Head of Autonomous Driving Hardware, Baidu USA LLC Kenneth Washington, Vice President of Research and Advanced Engineering and Chief Technology Officer, Ford Motor Company Kathy Winter, Vice President and General Manager, Autonomous Driving Solutions Division, Intel The future of mobility is constantly in motion, and nowhere is the spirit of innovation and exploration more evident than at WCX. Presented by SAE International, WCX propels the mobility industry forward through a convergence of engineering, research, design and technology. Its where the brightest minds in mobility meet for three days of interactive learning, expert insight, collaboration and inspiration. For more information or to register for SAE Internationals WCX 2019, visit http://www.sae.org/wcx. Journalists and other members of the media seeking credentials should email pr(at)sae(dot)org or call 1-724-772-8522. SAE International is a global association committed to advancing mobility knowledge and solutions for the benefit of humanity. By engaging nearly 200,000 engineers, technical experts and volunteers, we connect and educate mobility professionals to enable safe, clean, and accessible mobility solutions. We act on two priorities: encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals and setting the standards for industry engineering. We strive for a better world through the work of our philanthropic SAE Foundation, including programs like A World in Motion and the Collegiate Design Series. http://www.sae.org Silverlon wound dressings have a permanently plated metallic surface, which provides the antimicrobial benefits of silver in the dressing without staining the skin and without increasing bioburden. Silverlon has been included in numerous studies that have clearly demonstrated that silver nylon dressings can offer advantages that help to improve patient care. Cura Surgical has been awarded a contract with Premier Inc., a leading healthcare improvement company. This agreement enables Cura Surgical to provide a comprehensive line of unique silver-plated nylon dressings in both Silverlon and TheraBond product ranges. Premier Inc., is a healthcare improvement company utilizing an alliance of approximately 4,000 U.S. hospitals and health systems and approximately 165,000 other providers and organizations. Silverlon has been included in numerous studies that have clearly demonstrated that silver nylon dressings can offer advantages that help to improve patient care, said Raul Brizuela, president and CEO of Cura Surgical and Argentum Medical, provider of Silverlon. We are grateful for this opportunity and look forward to working with Premier member hospitals providing improved patient care, enhanced savings, and creating exceptional value through clinical excellence. Silverlon antimicrobial silver-plated dressings provide 50-100xs more silver than other silver-based antimicrobial dressings, and Silverlons efficacy is supported by multiple independent, peer-reviewed and published clinical studies. These studies suggest Silverlon Dressings can be an important element in wound care and that control of wound bacteria within the dressing may help reduce the risk of infection. About Silverlon Silverlon wound dressings have a permanently plated metallic surface, which provides the antimicrobial benefits of silver in the dressing without staining the skin and without increasing bioburden. Silverlon was originally developed for the U.S. military, where it is still extensively used for management of burn and blast injuries. Silverlon dressings are used today by surgeons and other healthcare professionals around the world on surgical wounds, in negative pressure wound therapy, on chronic wounds, burns, skin grafts, and IV and catheter-related wounds. Silverlon Island Wound Dressings and Silverlon Wound Pad Dressings are indicated for the management of infected wounds, as the silver in the dressing provides an antimicrobial barrier that may be helpful in managing these wounds. In addition, the moist wound healing environment and control of wound bacteria within the Silverlon Island Wound Dressing and Silverlon Wound Pad Dressing may help reduce the risk of wound infection and support the body's healing process. Silverlon Island Wound Dressings and Silverlon Wound Pad Dressing's non-adherent wound contact layer reduces pain during dressing changes and evaporation of moisture in the dressing may soothe the wound. For more information and complete indications for use, visit http://www.silverlon.com as well as Twitter and LinkedIn pages. ### Cybera, Inc., the leader in application-based SD-WAN services, today announced that Comdata, a leading provider of fleet management and B2B payment solutions, has enhanced their partnership by now offering their customers the CyberaONE platform, allowing them to easily deploy next generation network and cloud services. Comdata provides their merchant customers with world-class payment services and POS hardware solutions. Leveraging the CyberaONE platform, Comdata can offer their merchant community a more robust managed network service experience through a highly reliable, resilient edge appliance and cloud solution upgrade. Merchants can standardize on Cyberas SCA-325 edge security appliance with integrated 4G LTE to achieve high availability network failover in case of an internet service disruption. In addition, the merchant can utilize the same appliance to consolidate existing and new site-specific network services, such as loyalty, digital signage, ATM, fuel tank monitoring, etc., eliminating the need to purchase new hardware. The CyberaONE platform allows Comdata to deliver reliable and consistent network services and performance, as well as secure transaction processing to merchant customers who count on critical networking functions to run their businesses, said Andrew Lev, CEO of Cybera. Delivering a solution that reduces complexity and cost while helping futureproof for new business opportunities means they can focus on growth and leadership. Comdata offers a suite of payment and POS solutions designed for convenience stores, truck stops and unattended fuel locations. The companys solutions help business owners manage all transactions, including retail, fuel and other services, from a single platform. Since 2011, Comdata has partnered with Cybera to provide merchants with the enterprise security infrastructure needed for its Smart Solutions POS systems. By moving to CyberaONE, Comdatas merchants are also able to use their existing broadband connections to receive a better experience, such as network performance and uptime for services like secure connectivity to the Comdata payment network for faster transaction authorization and quicker remote POS support. We are delighted to continue our long-standing partnership with Cybera, said Kevin EckelKamp, vice president, Merchant Products of Comdata. We have built a collaborative and successful partnership that empowers our merchant customers to adopt new applications and services quickly, so they can run profitable businesses. To learn more about the CyberaONE Platform, please visit: https://www.cybera.com/cybera-platform/ To contact Comdata for B2B payment solutions, please visit: https://www.comdata.com/merchants/index About Comdata Corporation Comdata Inc., a FLEETCOR company, is a leading provider of innovative payment and operating technology that drives actionable insights from spending data, builds enhanced controls and positively impacts its clients bottom lines. The company partners with more than 30,000 businesses to better manage $55B in annual fleet, corporate purchasing, payroll and healthcare spending, making it one of the largest fuel card issuers and the second largest commercial MasterCard provider in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, Comdata employs more than 1,300 professionals across North America. To learn more about Comdata, Inc., visit http://www.comdata.com. About Cybera Inc. Cybera enables business for distributed enterprises, including retail and hospitality, healthcare, financial services and other key verticals with many remote locations. The company is the market leader in delivering applicationbased SDWAN services. Its cloudbased services are purposebuilt for widely distributed enterprises and IoT devices, helping to take the complexity and cost out of secure application networking and to futureproof new business opportunities. This allows customers and managed service provider partners to bring on new network and security services across 1000s of remote sites at a disruptive pace. Cybera helps customers power the worlds largest SDWAN deployment with 16,000+ locations, the largest loyalty application in the world, and the largest mobile payment application. The company has been named an IDC Innovator, a Gartner Cool Vendor and recognized seven times by Inc. 5000 as one of Americas fastest growing private companies. Investors include Sumeru Equity Partners, a Silicon Valley based spin out of Silver Lake. For more information about Cybera, visit cybera.com. Daniel Kowalski AnySizeDeals announced today that Daniel Kowalski, Counselor to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will be the afternoon keynote speaker at the ASDSummit - Opportunity Zones on April 11th, 2019 in New York City. The ASDSummit will take place at the luxurious Williamsburg Hotel at 96 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249 from 8:30am to 3pm. Tickets to the event are available at ASDSummit.com. As Counselor to the Treasury Secretary, Mr. Kowalski advises the Secretary regarding Treasurys efforts to drive the Administrations domestic policy agenda. His particular areas of focus are budget and fiscal policy; health, education and welfare policy; tax policy; and infrastructure policy. In, addition he oversees the implementation of the Opportunity Zone program at Treasury and is instrumental in crafting the rules governing the program. His insights on the program will be invaluable to the attendees of the ASDSummit. Earlier in the day at the ASDSummit, the morning keynote session will be comprised of Anthony Scaramucci, Founder of SkyBridge Capital and Steven Witkoff, Chairman of Witkoff. Some of the other notable speakers include: Clint Myers Partner, Revolution Brandon Lacoff CEO, Belpointe REIT Alfonso Costa Jr. Deputy Chief of Staff (HUD) Craig Bernstein Principal, OPZ| Bernstein Eric Clement SVP, NYC EDC Zach Aarons Co-Founder, MetaProp NYC Bryan Woo EVP, Youngwoo & Associates Toby Moskovits CEO, Heritage Equity Partners Jennifer Collins Fellow in Residence, Georgetown University Clare Newman Chief of Staff, Brooklyn Navy Yard and many more. The ASDSummit Opportunity Zones has assembled all the stakeholders in the Opportunity Zone space and is really a cant miss conference for owners, family offices and local communities who are eager to be a part of this transformative program aimed at revitalizing American cities. said Steve Nson, organizer of the ASDSummit. In addition to the morning and afternoon keynote sessions, the ASDSummit will cover a wide range of topics around Opportunity Zones including: a) Panel Discussion Practical Zone. Whats the ideal opportunity zone business model and how can high growth startups benefit from Opportunity Zone investing? b) Panel Discussion Impact Investing & Opportunity Zone Funds. How should fund managers and developers approach impact investing in Opportunity Zones? c) Panel Discussion Public/Private Partnership. What makes a Designated Opportunity Zone area attractive to a real estate developer and what can/should local governments do to incentivize investments in their communities? d) Panel Discussion Sponsor Zone. What are the optimal partnership structures for Opportunity Zone Fund Sponsors and what are the tax & legal implications? Tickets for the conference are currently on sale at asdsummit.com About AnySizeDeals AnySizeDeals (ASD) provides global events in the real estate space. Our verticals include Blockchain, AI, PropTech & Opportunity Zones. Learn more information at https://anysizedeals.com Contact: Conference Press Team, support(at)anysizedeals(dot)com We are thrilled to bring together an outstanding line up of some of the most influential innovators from pharma, biotech and drug delivery responsible for helping advance medicine delivery in patients and prepare the future R&D and clinical care. The Conference Forum announces five keynotes from prominent pharma and academic institutions on the forefront of drug delivery technology for the 2nd annual Drug Delivery West Summit to be held May 6-7, 2019 at the Marines Memorial Club and Hotel in San Francisco. Dr David Grainger, University Distinguished Professor, Chair of the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Utah will open the meeting with a state of the industry address and a talk on nano-medicines current clinical reality. Dr Isabelle Aubert, an innovator in brain delivery and Professor of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto will present her keynote on focused ultrasound with blood-brain barrier modulation for delivery of therapeutics. Recognized as one of the world's top 35 innovators under 35 by MIT Technology Review, Dr Zhen Gu, Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA will deliver a keynote discussion on the future impact of precision medicine on drug delivery along with a talk on leveraging physiology for bioresponsive precision drug delivery. Dr Tejal Desai, Ernest L. Prien Endowed Professor and Chair of the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at UCSF Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine will provide a keynote on nanostructured materials for enhanced therapeutic delivery. Dr Desais work focuses on the use of micro and nanotechnologies to create new ways to deliver medicine to target sites in the body and to enable the body to heal itself. Drug Delivery Wests pharma keynote will be presented by Dr Justin Wright, Global Head of Innovation at Novartis. Dr Wrights keynote will focus on the Digital and Connected Health Ecosystem: Incorporating Wellness into the Pharma Model and How Drug Delivery will be a Key Enabler. Dr Wright leads the drug development process for biologics and small molecules at Novartis. He has developed models and partnerships in drug delivery innovation and has commercialized drug delivery systems for the biotech, vaccine, and pharmaceutical industries. We are thrilled to bring together an outstanding line up of some of the most influential innovators from pharma, biotech and drug delivery responsible for helping advance medicine delivery in patients and prepare the future R&D and clinical care, noted Kate Woda, Conference Director, Drug Delivery West. The speaking faculty also includes representation from Genentech, Allergan, Merck, Novartis, GSK, Medimmune, Janssen, Amgen, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono and Bayer. Drug Delivery West will also feature extensive networking opportunities and includes a one-on-one partnering system to help facilitate business meetings and additional collaborations. About Drug Delivery West The 2nd annual Drug Delivery West (DDW) Summit provides a west coast venue for biotech, pharma and drug delivery companies to address scientific and business solutions for the best routes of delivery across different therapeutic areas with an emphasis on emerging technologies and to prepare for the future of R&D and clinical care. About the Conference Forum The Conference Forum is a life science industry research firm that develops conferences primarily around how to get therapeutics to patients faster. They examine and challenge the complex ecosystem of drug development and delivery, bringing ideas together from a variety of sources to help advance clinical research with common goals that are patient-focused. They are committed to creating the best content, exchange of ideas and solutions among peers, as well as providing high quality networking. The Unimarket platform will provide E&I members with valuable insights into their organizational spend and deliver real cost savings - savings that can be re-invested in initiatives that make a real difference for their students and staff, said Darren Blakely, President of Unimarket North America. Unimarket, a leading provider of procurement software and services, has announced that E&I Cooperative Services (E&I), the only member-owned, non-profit purchasing cooperative serving the needs of education, is expanding its supplier portfolio by adopting a Unimarket contract for an integrated, cloud-based spend management solution. The contract was awarded in a competitive solicitation process and will give E&I members access to the full suite of modules that comprise Unimarkets powerful, easy-to-use spend management solution. Unimarkets integrated eProcurement offering includes purchasing, invoicing, payments, contracts, sourcing, expenses, and a continuously growing supplier marketplace. In the world of procurement, having end-to-end visibility of the entire sourcing, purchasing, and payable process is paramount to organizational efficiency and success, said Tom Fitzgerald, CEO of E&I. Unimarkets comprehensive platform, complete with support and services most important to education, makes them a clear standout in the industry. Were delighted that E&I has selected Unimarket as a new partner for its members, said Darren Blakely, President of Unimarket North America. With our extensive experience in higher education and a deep understanding of the sectors unique challenges and opportunities, were well placed to help E&I members develop a strategic, value-focused approach to their spend management. The Unimarket platform will provide E&I members with valuable insights into their organizational spend and deliver real cost savings - savings that can be re-invested in initiatives that make a real difference for students and staff, Blakely added. Unimarkets platform easily integrates with a variety of facilities, inventory, asset management, and user database/SSO systems, plus a range of ERPs and financial systems, including Ellucian (Banner and Colleague), Oracle, PeopleSoft, Workday, Blackbaud, Microsoft Great Plains, TechnologyOne and more. Unimarket is a certified Ellucian partner and the only eProcurement provider to offer both Banner IFeP and Community Source integration. Unimarket co-developed Community Source with its customers to provide a cost-effective way for schools to integrate their Banner ERP with Unimarket. More information about E&I can be found here: https://www.eandi.org/ Details about the Unimarket E&I contract can be found here: https://www.eandi.org/contracts/unimarket/ About E&I Cooperative Services E&I Cooperative Services (E&I) is the only member-owned, non-profit purchasing cooperative solely focused on serving education and related facilities. E&I delivers expertise, solutions, and services through a diverse portfolio of competitively solicited contracts. By leveraging the knowledge and purchasing power of its nationwide membership, E&I helps higher education and K-12 institutions reduce costs, optimize supply chain efficiencies, and save time on the RFP process. The Cooperatives member-driven competitive solicitation process has been validated by the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) as complying with generally accepted procurement standards. For more information, please visit: http://www.eandi.org. About Unimarket Unimarket is a leading provider of procurement software and services. Its powerful, easy-to-use cloud-based solution brings together purchasing, invoicing, payments, contracts, sourcing, expenses, and a continuously growing supplier marketplace all in one unified platform. Founded in 2005, Unimarket supports clients in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, spanning a range of industries including higher education, government, financial services, transport and logistics, and healthcare. For more information, visit unimarket.com or follow on Twitter @Unimarket or LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/unimarket. EcoSystems partners with property owners to conserve billions of gallons of water and millions of dollars. We hope that more property owners throughout Georgia begin implementing multifamily water conservation efforts in their buildingsunderstanding the benefits for both business and the environment. -- Richard Lamondin, CEO of EcoSystems. EcoSystems, in partnership with property owner BH Management, announced today that they achieved a record-setting rebate for Edgewater at Sandy Springs, a one and two-bedroom multifamily apartment community located in Atlanta, Georgia. The teams water and energy conservation efforts have secured a rebate from the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management for $117,000, the largest in the Citys history of refunds of this kind. The conservation efforts implemented by Edgewater, in partnership with EcoSystems, included 1,171 bathroom upgrades completed in 46 days. Old and wasteful toilets, showerheads and aerators from the complex were replaced with ultra high-efficiency 0.8 GPF Niagara Stealth toilets, water-saving fixtures, and carbon monoxide detectors. The EcoSystems team also recycled all of the toiletstotaling an estimated 117,000 pounds of porcelain. EcoSystems has been crucial in helping us to secure rebates with cities throughout the country. They manage all of the legwork, and in this case, their efforts resulted in the largest rebate of its kind in Atlanta and an immediate ROI, explained Mike Watkins, Director of Construction at BH Management. The Edgewater conservation project is one of more than 57 EcoSystems is executing across the U.S. as part of a national retrofit program in partnership with BH Management. We are thrilled to partner with BH Management and Edgewater at Sandy Springs to conserve water, a vital resource in Metro Atlanta, while delivering financial upside to one of the largest multifamily management companies in the nation, said Richard Lamondin, CEO and co-founder of EcoSystems. We hope that more property owners throughout Georgia begin implementing multifamily water conservation efforts in their buildingsunderstanding the benefits for both business and the environment. For more information on Atlantas Multifamily Toilet Rebate program, visit here. About EcoSystems EcoSystems partners with property owners to conserve billions of gallons of water and millions of dollarsone toilet, showerhead, and faucet at a time. Our mission: to provide solutions that promote smarter, more efficient uses of water and energy, and empower people and businesses by eliminating waste and cutting costs. In a matter of weeks, EcoSystems helps properties save up to 55% on sink usage, 40% on shower usage, and 50-75 percent on toilet usage. For more information, visit http://www.ecosystems.com. I thank USWCC for all it has done to help promote Electrosofts success, and I encourage others to take advantage of this amazing resource. Electrosoft, a leading provider of diversified technology-based solutions and services to the federal government, proudly announces that the U.S. Womens Chamber of Commerce (USWCC) has selected Sarbari Gupta, President and CEO, as a Stellar Award winner in its 2019 Women Contractor Award program. USWCC characterizes Stellar executives as exceptional contractors who have shown exemplary growth, quality, and are positioned as leaders within the contracting community. Dr. Gupta will receive her award on March 28, 2019 at the USWCC National Small Business Federal Contracting Spring Summit being held at George Mason University, 3351 Fairfax Drive, Founders Hall, Arlington, Virginia. National Small Business Contractors Week, held during Womens History Month, celebrates the contributions and growth of Americas women-owned small business contractors. USWCC recognizes firms with the following awards: Innovation & Performance, Growth Master, Emerging Star and Stellar. This years Emerging Star is Sydney Cody, Vanguard Pacific LLC, while Alba Aleman, Citizant, takes home the Innovation & Performance award. Sarbari is joined by Cynthia Miracle, MIRACORP, and Rebecca Andino, Highlight Technologies, as Stellar Award winners. Women-owned firms are very active and competitive in the federal supplier marketplace, says Margot Dorfman, CEO, USWCC. The U.S. Womens Chamber of Commerce recognizes firms who stand out for the achievements they have made in this challenging marketplace. Sarbari Gupta says, I am honored to receive this award, and I congratulate my fellow winners on their accomplishments. While we have each traveled different paths in our professional lives, we share the common bond of knowing what it takes to succeed in business. Our success was made possible by the bold women contactors who preceded us and, in turn, we ease the journey for those who aspire to follow in our footsteps. I thank USWCC for all it has done to help promote Electrosofts success, and I encourage others to take advantage of this amazing resource. Dr. Gupta will be the guest expert for the April 24, 2019 edition of USWCCs Growth Masters Series. In the interview, Sarbari will discuss the challenges and successes leading to Electrosofts amazing business growth. Individuals wishing to attend the 2 p.m. ET event may register on the USWCC website. About Electrosoft Services, Inc. Electrosoft, headquartered in Reston, Virginia, delivers a diversified set of technology-based solutions and services to federal civilian and defense agencies. We couple domain knowledge and experience with proven, mature management practices to design and deliver the right solutions on time and within budget. Our practices include an ISO 9001:2015 registered Quality Management System and Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Level 3 assessed processes. Founded in 2001, Electrosoft is an 8(a) certified Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) and an 8(m) certified Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB). For more information about Electrosoft, visit our website at http://www.electrosoft-inc.com. Larry Rubin We are so honored with our recent addition to our Board of Advisors. Larry Rubin brings exceptional healthcare experience and insights to our company. We are excited to bring him into discussions about our future and believe his feedback will be invaluable as we grow. FacilityONE Technologies, LLC, which provides a cloud-based Facility Information System (FIS) that enhances a buildings functional & economic lifespan, with a revolutionary Blueprint Operations System (BOS), announced today the appointment of the Cleveland Clinics Larry F. Rubin, CPE, CEM, CHFM, CHSP, CHC to its Board of Advisors. Rubin brings more than three decades of executive experience in plant operations and building maintenance in the healthcare sector to FacilityONEs already impressive advisory board. Rubins expertise runs the gamut of Facilities Management through healthcare and commercial properties, healthcare compliance, construction projects, and operations, to the management of power plants, education, and teaching. Rubins wealth of knowledge, specifically in the healthcare sector, will be of tremendous value to FacilityONE as the company bolsters its Joint Commission compliance offering while implementing solutions in facility space management and visualization. These initiatives, with Rubins experience, will keep FacilityONE uniquely positioned within the healthcare industry ahead of ongoing changes in the EAM/CMMS market. FacilityONE CEO Renee Farmer is thrilled with the addition of Rubin adding, We are so honored with our recent addition to our Board of Advisors. Larry Rubin brings exceptional healthcare experience and insights to our company. We are excited to bring him into discussions about our future and believe his feedback will be invaluable as we grow. Rubin is currently the senior director of facilities management at Cleveland Clinic, named a top U.S. hospital in U.S. News & World Reports 2018-19 Best Hospitals. Rubin began work at the Cleveland Clinic in 2013. His first five years were spent in Ohio, where he was responsible for the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) of over 33 million square feet, including all properties in the U.S. and International. As a facilities management leader at Cleveland Clinic, Rubin led the initiative to maximize utilization of Cleveland Clinics Building Automation System (BAS) and Computerized Maintenance Management Software (CMMS) in the drive towards a Most Efficient Organization (MEO) and a nationally recognized High-Reliability Organization (HRO). Into his advisory role, Rubin brings more than 35 years experience in plant operations and building maintenance, 25 of those in a healthcare setting. He is a certified plant engineer, certified energy manager, certified healthcare safety professional, a certified healthcare facility manager, certified healthcare constructor as well as a Certified Green Belt. In August of 2018, Rubin moved to Florida to oversee work on the newly opened bed tower at Cleveland Clinic Hospital in Weston, FL, and the integration of two new health systems into Cleveland Clinic Florida. In addition to his role with Cleveland Clinic, Rubin is a Life Safety Code Surveyor for The Joint Commission (TJC) and teaches the Environment of Care (EOC) Base Camp for Joint Commission Resources. Larry holds a BS and Masters degree in Education/Administration from the University of Massachusetts. Larry is a long-time member of ASHE (The American Society for Health Care Engineering) and is the Past President of the local ASHE Chapter NOSHE. (Northern Ohio Society of Hospital Engineers) More about FacilityONE at http://www.facilityone.com About FacilityONE Technologies, LLC: Based in Louisville, Kentucky, FacilityONE Technologies is the only interconnected, interactive blueprint enhanced CMMS, with custom data analytics as a service (AaaS) in the world. FacilityONE offers a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), Computer-Aided Facility Management (CAFM) and asset management solution. The system is enhanced by its proprietary SMARTPRINT technology, to support data aggregation, compliance and risk mitigation. Founded in 1999 by a group of engineers and facility managers, FacilityONE has built a legacy in the Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) marketplace, by offering an operations solution that can easily integrate into the client's existing processes. FacilityONE is currently being utilized to organize and transform facility management, in millions of square feet throughout North America, by 100,000+ users with a 99% retention rate. For more information, visit http://www.facilityone.com. Finaeo.com Team Finaeos vision is to become the digital fabric that connects and powers the life insurance industry. Today, Finaeo announces a $5.35M funding round, led by fintech-focused investor Luge Capital, supported by RGAX, the transformation unit of global reinsurer RGA, San Francisco based Rising Tide Fund, inovia capital and a strong angel syndicate, led by AngelList Partner, Alex Norman. The investment had follow-on participation from all previous major investors including Impression Ventures and iGan Partners. The diverse group of investors provides Finaeo unparalleled access to both strong capital partners and the right industry support to continue building towards their long-term vision. Over the last three years, weve laid the foundation. With this new injection of capital, we can take the next steps toward executing our vision of moving this industry forward, said Aly Dhalla, CEO and Co-Founder of Finaeo. We plan to further invest in product development, customer acquisition and geographical expansionstarting with the US. Finaeos vision is to become the digital fabric that connects and powers the life insurance industry by building a digital network of insurance carriers around the world. Digitizing the experience for all stakeholders is core to realizing that vision. The life insurance industry has been very slow to evolve, said Karim Gillani, General Partner at Luge Capital. Finaeos mission is to build the plumbing that digitizes the insurance industry for both advisor-assisted and self-serve experiences. Theyre building Amazon for insurance products, and the Finaeo team has the right pedigree to orchestrate that mission. Finaeos digital front-end platform enables insurance advisors to sell personalized and curated life insurance products to end customers efficiently across Canada. The back-end connectivity to insurance carriers will soon enable real-time application submission, real-time adjudication and real-time application status, which will finally enable a customer-centric approach to interacting with the insurance industry. Finaeo has also developed ground-breaking technology to help insurers digitize applications, create dynamic underwriting and automate legacy systems. Finaeo is bringing much-needed automation that will vastly improve the level of service advisors can provide, explains Christian Lassonde, Founder and Managing Partner at Impression Ventures. When we first invested, their tech was very much in its infancy. But today, were seeing that early promise realized, and its beyond exciting. There are still challenges to overcome, but Finaeo has the talent and track record to succeed. The industry is at a tipping point, and were excited to be at the centre of that change, summarizes Dhalla. We believe in the future of advice and, more importantly, want to be the catalyst to move this industry forward around the world. We see ourselves as an enabler to the industry and want to work with forward-thinking carriers, advisors and strategic partners to reimagine the way our industry delivers value to customers. About Finaeo Inc. Finaeo is a high-growth insurtech startup revolutionizing the life insurance marketplace with an advisor-first digital platform. The platforms automated tools and 24/7 concierge support offer unprecedented turn-around times, allowing financial advisors to drastically shorten the prospect-to-policy timeline. Finaeos deep industry knowledge and tech background puts them in the #1 position to create the digital fabric that powers the global insurance industry. To learn more, visit http://www.finaeo.com. About Luge Capital Luge Capital is a venture capital fund focused on early-stage fintech and artificial intelligence (AI) applied to financial services, with $75M under management. We invest in talented teams shaping the way the world interacts with financial services. Luge looks for founders that improve customer experiences, remove complexity, make financial institutions more efficient and use data-driven methods and decision-making. We work closely with entrepreneurs and their teams in their efforts to build world-class companies by sharing our extensive network, experience and industry insights. To learn more, visit http://www.luge.vc - Building fintech champions. Derrick Lopez and Daniel Neal at Flint Community Schools Launch Event I want our students to be prepared and have access to a comprehensive STEM education. Derrick Lopez, Superintendent, Flint Community Schools Kajeet, the industry leader for safe, affordable K-12 mobile solutions, announces its partnership with Flint Community Schools (FCS) to provide its students wireless connectivity and new mobile devices. Located in Flint, Michigan, FCS is providing one thousand eighty Kajeet SmartSpot devices, wireless Kajeet Education Broadband service, and the Dell Chromebook 3180 to their junior high students over the next year as they restructure their secondary education curriculum and launch a robust 1:1 program. FCS is equipping their High Tech Junior High School seventh- and eighth-grade students with new technology as part of their program to prepare students for careers and college after high school. I want our students to be prepared and have access to a comprehensive STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics] education, said Derrick Lopez, superintendent of FCS. The new curriculum offers different tracks to students based on their interest, all with the goal of readying students for work after high school or college. This new technology will complement the curriculum tracks to ensure students have the tools they need to enhance their skills, both inside and outside the classroom. Kajeet has collaborated with Dell to provide the Kajeet SmartSpot devices, policy-managed and filtered Wi-Fi hotspots, with the Dell Chromebook 3180. The Chromebooks will be used in the classroom for the remainder of the 2018-2019 school year, then go home with students in the 2019-2020 school year. The Kajeet SmartSpot devices will ensure students can connect their Chromebooks to safe, managed, and filtered Internet anywhere, anytime. Kajeet provides CIPA-compliant, educational Wi-Fi access to keep students focused on their schoolwork and secure while online. Kajeet is proud to help Flint Community Schools take on this impactful initiative to prepare their students for life after high school, said Daniel Neal, CEO and Founder of Kajeet. Access to state-of-the-art technology will help Flint students advance their digital skills, while educational Internet connectivity expands their learning beyond the classroom, preparing them for todays workforce. Access to technology and the right technology for each unique task and each students unique learning style combined with an engaged community, professional learning for teachers, and a streamlined school infrastructure will prepare students for a globally competitive workforce and even bridge socioeconomic gaps, said Bill Popp, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Sales, Dell, US East. Dell is focused on delivering technology that enables successful student outcomes. FCS received $423,600 in funding to invest in education technology for junior high students. This donation supports the revised junior high curriculum, which will begin in the 2019-2020 school year. About Kajeet Kajeet, the industry leader for safe, managed mobile solutions, powers the K-12 connected environment. Our secure Kajeet Sentinel platform centrally manages and enables safe, online connectivity and visibility into mobile learning environments. Schools and districts can manage and protect student mobile devices anywhere to create an ideal learning environment while extending the school day with Wi-Fi on the bus and Internet access outside the classroom. From the classroom to home, Kajeet has students covered. Kajeet products and services, which operate on the six leading North American wireless carriers, are protected by the following issued U.S. patents: 10,057,300; 10,009,480; 9,237,433; 9,137,389; 9,137,386; 9,125,057; 8,995,952; 8,929,857; 8,918,080; 8,774,755; 8,774,754; 8,755,768; 8,731,517; 8,725,109; 8,712,371; 8,706,079; 8,667,559; 8,644,796; 8,639,216; 8,634,803; 8,634,802; 8,634,801; 8,630,612; 8,611,885; 8,600,348; 8,594,619; 8,588,735; 8,285,249; 8,078,140; 7,945,238; 7,899,438; 7,881,697. Other patents are pending. For more information, please visit us at kajeet.com. ### We are very proud of our pro bono practice, and particularly honored to be able to serve refugees that choose to live in our country to start a new life, said Frias. Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLPs Mexico City office has been awarded the 2018 Pro Bono Alexis Rovzar Medal of Merit by the Appleseed Mexico Foundation (Appleseed). Greenberg Traurig received this honor in recognition for its pro bono work with asylum seekers and refugees in Mexico and is the first firm to offer this type of pro bono work in Mexico through an alliance with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The Appleseed Foundation is a civil organization that offers pro bono legal services for institutions and social issues that have an impact in the community. It is a pioneer in organized pro bono work in Mexico, and one of the countrys most recognized clearing houses. Greenberg Traurig Mexico attorneys worked 1,480 hours in asylum matters from May 2017 to July 2018, with 46 percent of them having volunteered in at least one case. Appleseed particularly recognized the leadership of Victor Manuel Frias Garces (Mexico, Shareholder) and Elba Gutierrez (Mexico, Pro Bono Coordinator) in spearheading these efforts. Previous relevant pro bono projects, such as our participation and support in response to the 2017 Mexicos catastrophic earthquake, were also referenced. We are very proud of our pro bono practice, and particularly honored to be able to serve refugees that choose to live in our country to start a new life, said Frias. Anyone that has worked with this hardworking community would agree that they are the bravest women, children, and men. They deserve all the help we can provide. Asylum seekers are one of the most vulnerable communities in Mexico, and our involvement in these causes has been key in setting precedence for other law firms in Mexico to also participate in alliance with the UNHCR. It is an honor to work with legal professionals conscious of the challenges that our society faces. We have designed multiple impact litigation strategies to shape the legal landscape and protect human rights, said Gutierrez. The law is a powerful tool for social change, as lawyers we are constrained to donate our professional talent to this type of causes. Pro bono services should not be an exception, but part of our daily practice. About Greenberg Traurigs Pro Bono Program: Greenberg Traurig lawyers across the firms offices provide pro bono legal services to the indigent and working poor, as well as to numerous civic and charitable organizations dedicated to assisting them. The firm focuses its resources on specialized and interrelated issues including civil rights and affirmative action, anti-human trafficking, family law matters, criminal appeals, immigration and political asylum, housing, and homelessness. About Greenberg Traurig Mexico: Greenberg Traurigs Mexico City office has more than 60 bilingual attorneys who have been contributors to major national projects in Mexico, and who have held positions in Mexican government offices and regulatory agencies. The Mexico City office is an integral part of the firms award-winning Latin American and Iberian Practice, and has recently been recognized with leading banking, infrastructure, real estate, privacy, administrative litigation, and competition practices in Mexico. About Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 39 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law. "Were very appreciative of corporations like InterDev who partner and build homes for our local families. We look forward to working with InterDev in 2019 to build another home for a hardworking family. InterDev, an Atlanta-area provider of information technology, security and geographic information systems (GIS) services, today announced it has been honored by Habitat for Humanity-North Central Georgia for its sponsorship and service in 2017 and 2018. To reinforce its continuing commitment to the organization, InterDev will again sponsor a home build in fall 2019. As a sponsor, InterDev contributes $5,000 each year and sends out a team of employees to build homes for families in need. During their 2018 build, InterDev participated in the First Nail event and completed the framing of the Dilly family home. Were very appreciative of corporations like InterDev who partner and build homes for our local families, said Sabrina Kirkland, Director of Community Engagement of Home Repair for Habitat for Humanity-North Central Georgia. We look forward to working with InterDev in 2019 to build another home for a hardworking family. Habitat for Humanity-North Central Georgia is a not-for-profit, independently run and operated affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. Through the help and financial support of sponsors like InterDev, the non-profit saves thousands of dollars on labor costs, building affordable homes for families who would otherwise not be able to own one. Our management and team enjoy partnering with Habitat for Humanity-North Central Georgia, said Gary Nichols, Founder & CEO of InterDev. It allows our team to work together outside of the office while making a difference in others lives. About InterDev Beyond their principal role as strategic provider of Managed IT, GIS (Geographical Information Services) and Security Services, InterDev is widely recognized as a champion of IT visioning and innovation for growing businesses and government agencies; a role they perfected over nearly four decades. In addition to managing and hosting IT operations for a wide range of clients, InterDev offers location-based services aerial (drone) mapping and MosaicGIS, its Esri-based cloud GIS platform as well as VoIP telecommunications services and IT project management. InterDev also devised a unique resource-sharing model, helping municipalities form IT alliances that drive greater value through partnership. InterDev delivers services to business and municipalities throughout the Southeast and Midwest from their offices in Atlanta, Chicago and Beaufort (SC). For more information, visit http://www.interdev.com. About Habitat for Humanity-North Central Georgia Habitat for Humanity-North Central Georgia is a non-profit, Christian housing ministry that builds affordable housing for purchase by low- to moderate-income families who demonstrate a capacity for responsible homeownership. Since its inception in 1995, Habitat-NCG has built or rehabbed over 300 homes in North Fulton, Cherokee and Forsyth/Dawson counties. Partner families are required to attend educational classes related to homeownership and perform 200 sweat equity hours; they earn between 30% and 60% of the Atlanta area median income and purchase their homes through a 30-year, no-interest loan financed by Habitat-NCG. In 2014, Habitat-NCG started a home repair program targeted primarily at veterans and seniors. To date, 60 repair projects have been completed, bringing the total number of persons served by the ministry to over 1300, including more than 750 children. For more information regarding Habitat for Humanity-North Central Georgia, please visit http://www.habitat-ncg.org. Community support, along with affordable homeownership and wraparound services, is an essential piece to the long-term success of our military families. -Donna Deutchman, President and CEO Homes 4 Families (H4F), a nonprofit that empowers low-income veterans and their families to enter the middle class by providing them with affordable housing and holistic services that build resiliency, self-sufficiency and economic growth, held Welcome to the Neighborhood today in the Antelope Valley. This event introduced community leaders of the Antelope Valley to H4Fs newest project, a 56-home Veteran Enriched Neighborhood being built in the City of Palmdale. Attendees enjoyed a lunch while they learned about the project and programs being offered to low-income veterans, in partnership with The California Department of Veterans Affairs and the City of Palmdale. This project, for which they are currently accepting applications from qualified veterans, will soon be fully graded. Low-income U.S. veterans can qualify for the two- and three-bedroom homes with low- or no-interest loans. Along with this affordable home ownership opportunity, veterans and military families will be provided with access to wraparound services proven to build self-sufficiency and resiliency. The events table committee included Vets 4 Veterans, Lily Knight, Northrop Grumman, Edwards Air Force Base, H4F Board Chair Hunt Braly, H4F Board Member and Progression Drywall CFO Rose Rockey, Lou and Joyce Gonzalez of AV Chevy, and Johnny Zamrzla of Western Pacific Roofing Company. Palmdale City Mayor Steve Hofbauer and Representatives of Congresswoman Katie Hill, Senator Scott Wilk, Assemblyman Tom Lackey, LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, and the City of Palmdale were in attendance. Attendees included groups from local Chambers of Commerce, the Assistance League of Antelope Valley, Greater Antelope Valley Association of Realtors, the Antelope Valley Republican Women Federated, and local business owners. We are thrilled to be building in the Antelope Valley. The community being so supportive of veterans is why we chose to build our third Veteran Enriched Neighborhood in the City of Palmdale, said Donna Deutchman, President and CEO of Homes 4 Families. Community support, along with affordable homeownership and wraparound services, is an essential piece to the long-term success of our military families. For more information on Homes 4 Families, please visit http://www.Homes4Families.org. About Homes 4 Families: Homes 4 Families (http://www.Homes4Families.org) empowers low-income veterans and their families to enter the middle class through affordable, full-equity homeownership combined with holistic services that build resiliency, self-sufficiency and economic growth. Through its outcome-proven Enriched Neighborhood model, the nonprofit provides servicemen, servicewomen and their families with comprehensive wraparound services that equip them to succeed in civilian life, including financial education, therapeutic workshops, trauma-informed programs and veteran-to-veteran support. With more than ten years of research-backed experience and success, Homes 4 Families works closely with the California Department of Veterans Affairs and others to build permanent, thriving veteran communities. Amidst a surging home infusion therapy market, estimated to be worth US$135 billion in just five years, providers can realize their growth potential, deliver optimal client outcomes and keep pace with emerging legislation by underpinning operations with the right technology. A team from AlayaCare, one of the worlds fastest-growing software companies to specialize in home care, attended the 2019 National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) conference earlier this month in Orlando. Much of the conversation there focused on the new NHIA Data Initiative, a quality improvement effort that sets in motion standardized definitions for home and specialty infusion providers to use when collecting data about patient events. Its clear that, as the demand for home infusion rises, the need to ensure rigorous patient safety and high-quality care will be a key focus across the country, says Adrian Schauer, Founder and CEO of AlayaCare. To meet that demand, and to be a successful partner in industry benchmarking, providers would be best-served to modernize and leverage technology that captures data accurately across all areas of operation. An inventive, flexible software solution will not only help agencies meet regulations but provide significant benefits in-house. Mobile technology that captures and analyzes data in real-time can uncover vast new efficiencies that make the operation run smoother and help foster the best possible outcomes for clients. It can open the window to optimized scheduling, novel insights into each client visit, an improved caregiver experience (helping retain and recruit talent in a high-demand market), and the ability to create and measure key performance indicators in the most important elements of business. In todays landscape, it is not that strenuous a climb to make any home infusion provider a data-driven organization. This month, AlayaCare published a guide to doing just that (Read it here: https://hubs.ly/H0h6VwY0), which further explores the benefits that stem from making the right strategic decision on technology. It is, coincidentally, the same topic that the AlayaCare team presented at NHIA 2019, as the company continues to take its expertise in software for the home care industry and broaden it into such specialty services as home infusion. We look forward to how this industry has progressed this time next year at the 2020 NHIA conference, says Schauer. About AlayaCare AlayaCare's unique platform includes back office, client and family portals, remote patient monitoring, telehealth, and mobile care worker functionality in one integrated, highly robust and secure, cloud-based system. AlayaCare is providing the platform for home and community care organizations to propel towards innovation and home care of the future. AlayaCare was founded in 2014. http://www.alayacare.com / @AlayaCare For more information: Media enquiries: Amy Cole, amy(at)colecomms(dot)ca, 647-287-0025 Client enquiries: Brady Murphy, VP, Sales & Marketing, 647-477-4174 ext. 201 Intrinsic ID "BroadKey enables us to quickly and easily upgrade existing hardware, whether on our production line or as a retrofit into existing deployments. These are great advantages the oil industry has historically not enjoyed. - Mark Goehring, CEO, Tyrion Intrinsic ID, the worlds leading provider of digital authentication technology for Internet of Things security, today announced that Tyrion Integration selected Intrinsic IDs hardware root of trust technology to secure Nucleus, Tyrions Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) SCADA gateway device serving the oil & gas industries. Tyrion will utilize unclonable identities powered by Intrinsic IDs BroadKey product to protect communication and data collection from pumps and other remotely deployed Industry 4.0 equipment. Our customers operate equipment in remote and hostile environments, where security is both vital and challenging, said Mark Goehring, chief executive officer at Tyrion. During deployment of our latest version of the Nucleus gateway product, in response to escalating attack threats, our tier one oil & gas customer increased the system security requirement. Intrinsic IDs BroadKey delivered an industry-unique software solution to deploy a robust foundation of trust via unclonable identities without any hardware modifications. Tyrions Nucleus gateway, a SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) device, utilizes BroadKey to securely, remotely, and in real time, monitor and manage oil wells productivity and efficiency. By contrast, oil and gas industries have traditionally needed physical access to devices, with no control from a remote dashboard. Using Intrinsic IDs BroadKey to secure our Nucleus gateway gives us two great advantages, Goehring said. First, because BroadKey delivers an unclonable identity for each device, the anchor of trust is unparalleled. This enables robust enforcement of hierarchical access control for both man and machine, as well as secure monetization of analytics in the cloud. Second, BroadKey enables us to quickly and easily upgrade existing hardware, whether on our production line or as a retrofit into existing deployments. These are great advantages the oil industry has historically not enjoyed. BroadKey is a software-based approach to Intrinsic IDs SRAM Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) hardware root-of-trust technology, and allows semiconductor and OEM manufacturers to deliver IoT security via a unique, intrinsic fingerprint identity without the need for separate security-dedicated silicon. A root key generated by BroadKey delivers a high bar of security since it is never stored and anchors to the device all other keys and security operations. Were pleased to help Tyrion accelerate the Nucleus gateway product to market with our software approach to unclonable identities, said Pim Tuyls, Intrinsic IDs chief executive officer. BroadKeys flexibility of deployment and security strength are great advantages for challenges faced by the oil and gas industries, and in other IIoT applications. About Intrinsic ID Intrinsic ID is the worlds leading digital authentication company, providing the Internet of Things with hardware-based root-of-trust security via unclonable identities for any IoT-connected device. Based on Intrinsic IDs patented SRAM PUF technology, the companys security solutions can be implemented in hardware or software. Intrinsic ID security, which can be deployed at any stage of a products lifecycle, is used to validate payment systems, secure connectivity, authenticate sensors, and protect sensitive government and military systems. Intrinsic ID technology has been deployed in more than 125 million devices. Award recognition includes the Cyber Defense Magazine InfoSec Award, the IoT Breakthrough Award, IoT Security Excellence Award, the Frost & Sullivan Technology Leadership Award and the EU Innovation Radar Prize. Intrinsic ID security has been proven in millions of devices certified by Common Criteria, EMVCo, Visa and multiple governments. Intrinsic IDs mission: Authenticate Everything. Visit Intrinsic ID online at http://www.Intrinsic-ID.com. Intrinsic ID, the Intrinsic ID logo, BroadKey and Authenticate Everything are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intrinsic ID, Inc., and are protected by trademark laws of the United States and other jurisdictions. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. The proliferation of phishing websites is just one of many examples of how attackers are constantly in search of new ways to stay ahead of defenders. IRONSCALES, the worlds first automated phishing prevention, detection and response platform, today announced the ability of its anti-phishing technology to prevent phishing attacks masquerading as fake login pages designed to steal user credentials. In December 2018, IRONSCALES added new mailbox-level advanced malware and malicious URL detection to its email security platform. Todays announcement bolsters those capabilities by providing even more continuous inbound protection for phishing emails designed to defeat sandbox and signature detections. Last August, the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) detected a 46 percent increase in unique phishing websites totaling more than 263,538. Accordingly, these malicious websites have emerged as a major threat vector acting as a catalyst for account takeover, credential theft and access to personally identifiable information (PII). To reduce the risk of phishing attacks using fake login pages targeting businesses, IRONSCALES has bolstered its platforms prevention layer and adaptive self-learning AI and machine learning models to automatically detect new phishing sites in near real-time. The proliferation of phishing websites is just one of many examples of how attackers are constantly in search of new ways to stay ahead of defenders, said Eyal Benishti, IRONSCALES founder & CEO. The ability of our advanced phishing threat protection platform to now proactively determine whether or not a login page is legitimate and to automatically block URLs when verified as malicious is another example of how our technology is built to drastically reduce employee risk as well as security team workload burden. Utilizing advanced deep learning algorithms and computer vision to detect in real-time visual deviations and determine whether or not a login page is legitimate, IRONSCALES will now automatically block access to the verified malicious URLs while simultaneously decentralizing the threat intelligence by sharing information with open source anti phishing websites. Currently, IRONSCALES has visibility into 250 of the worlds most popular brands, with thousands more to be added over the next few months. IRONSCALES will announce additional protections for credential theft phishing attacks in the coming months. IRONSCALES multi-layered advanced phishing threat protection platform combines technical controls to block as many phishing attacks as possible and end-user controls to help users detect more sophisticated attacks at the mailbox-level, while incorporating employees as part of the defense strategy to detect what is missed by technology. Its adaptive platform uniquely combines human intelligence with machine learning and AI to automatically prevent, detect and respond to advanced email threats and predict future attacks, so if one control fails, there are others to compensate while maintaining an adaptive security architecture. For more information on IRONSCALES, and on forthcoming product updates, visit http://www.ironscales.com and signup for our newsletter. To learn why a 3-pronged approach to email security is needed today, download this AberdeenReport white paper using IRONSCALES data here. About IRONSCALES IRONSCALES is the leader in anti-email phishing technologies. Using a multi-layered and automated approach starting at the mailbox-level to prevent, detect and respond to todays sophisticated email phishing attacks, IRONSCALES expedites the time from phishing attack discovery to enterprise-wide remediation, reducing the time from detection to response from hours or days to just seconds or minutes, by significantly reducing the workload on incident responders. Headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, IRONSCALES was founded by a team of security researchers, IT and penetration testing experts, as well as specialists in the field of effective interactive training, in response to the phishing epidemic that today costs companies millions of dollars annually. It was incubated at the 8200 EISP, the top program for cyber security ventures, founded by alumni of the Israel Defense Forces elite Intelligence Technology unit. We are thrilled to have Jessica join us to lead our continued marketing evolution and to be our brand ambassador. Ms. Wein will be leading Lifecycles strategic marketing plans to achieve corporate objectives for the companys products and services. In her position, Ms. Wein will also oversee Lifecycles social media channels, its educational blog on lifecyclebio.com, maintain and further develop the companys website and customer beneficial features as well as any other marketing efforts in print or in person at tradeshows and conferences. Ms. Wein will be responsible for Lifecycles continued brand expansion and development in the years to come. Ms. Wein will work closely with the companys Business Development Managers, Customer Outcomes Managers, and Account Managers to ensure an optimal customer experience across the companys communication channels. Prior to her new role at Lifecycle, Ms. Wein held the position of Marketing Coordinator for ComplyRight, Inc. an HR, labor laws and tax solutions company. At ComplyRight, Ms. Wein was responsible for lead generation projects including social media, e-mail and web campaigns; creating blog article topics and managing their production processes; creating and managing customer acquisition projects and initiatives; analyzing customer and lead behavior data to identify new market opportunities; and ensuring all campaigns were aligned with the correct messaging. Over the past few years, our marketing program has advanced significantly, and we are thrilled to have Jessica join us to lead our continued marketing evolution and to be our brand ambassador, said Aaron Schieving, Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Lifecycle Biotechnologies. Her experiences and success prior to joining our team will allow her to quickly understand and contribute to Lifecycles continued rapid growth. We are excited to have someone with Jessicas skillset and experience join us and we are looking forward to her continued success and expansion of our marketing program. To learn more about Lifecycle Biotechnologies, the industries it serves, or to learn more about how you can benefit from their products, please contact Lifecycle Biotechnologies at info(at)lifecyclebio(dot)com, 817-840-7855, or http://www.lifecyclebio.com. Based in Ft. Worth, TX, Lifecycle Biotechnologies has served the life science industry for over 40 years. Lifecycles products are the beginning of the lifecycle of the lifesaving and life-enhancing medical products used globally today. As a leading life sciences tools and service supplier, Lifecycle fully understands the critical role its products play in many of the worlds leading pharmaceuticals, medical devices, biologics, cell- and tissue-based products and many other medical products. While Lifecycles products arent used to diagnose, treat, or cure patients, without their contribution, none of this would be possible. Kathleen Sandow, a native of New York State with a masters degree in social work, avid outdoorswoman, mother, and grandmother currently living in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, has completed her book When Two Worlds Collide: a riveting tale featuring interdimensional travel, the eternal battle between good and evil, and the extraordinary abilities hidden within seemingly ordinary people. When Two Worlds Collide is a story about a young couple who find themselves in another world. The wizard Tabuline and all his companions work with Mark, Jane, and their dog, Max, to overcome the existing dangers as well as coping with the adjacent world. Together, with the help of the people of the other world, they work to destroy the evils within. A group of people and colorful characters set out on a quest to confront and destroy the Dark Lord. If they are successful, two worlds will continue to thrive in their own dimensions. If they fail in the adjacent world, then both worlds will meet destruction. Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, Kathleen Sandows book is an engrossing story introducing an ordinary couple who, while out for a walk with their dog, are given the seemingly impossible task of saving two worlds from imminent destruction. Readers who wish to experience this engaging work can purchase When Two Worlds Collide at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708. About Page Publishing: Page Publishing is a traditional New York-based, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not overwhelmed with logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and the like. Its roster of accomplished authors and publishing professionals allows writers to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues to focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com. LeanIX, the leading provider of Software-as-a-Service solutions in Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM), today announced it has appointed Hylton Southey as Managing Director for the U.S. Southey will lead a growing in-market team, supporting LeanIXs rapid expansion in the region and fueling long-term strategic growth for the company. He will report to LeanIX CEO and co-founder, Andre Christ. Southey has nearly 20 years of experience leading high-growth technology sales organizations and operations teams. He spent 10 years at Mimecast, a leading email and data security company, where he served in a variety of sales leadership roles including Vice President of Business Development and VP of North American Sales. Hylton is a remarkable leader with a proven track record of building and leading modern IT sales organizations through periods of profound growth, said LeanIX CEO and co-founder, Andre Christ. This is an incredibly exciting time for LeanIX and I know Hylton will be a great asset to our team as we continue down our path to scale. I am thrilled to join LeanIX, and more specifically, a consultative, fast-moving team that has an established reputation for excellent customer service and technical expertise, said Hylton Southey, U.S. Managing Director, LeanIX. LeanIX is a first-mover, with a visionary leadership team and an energized, supportive company culture. The company is poised to transform Enterprise Architecture as we know it, showing the real value EA can bring when their tools match the trajectory of the business. Southey is LeanIXs fifth executive hire within the past year. Since opening U.S. operations in 2017, the company has nearly doubled headcount in the region to support strong customer adoption. Globally, LeanIX continues to lead doubling its enterprise customer base and deploying multiple new offerings to its comprehensive EA Management application suite. Most recently, the company achieved Strong Performer status in The Forrester Wave: Enterprise Architecture Management Suites, Q1 2019 report. It was also named one of Germanys Top 10 fastest growing technology companies by Deloitte in 2018. To learn more about LeanIX, please visit http://www.leanix.net. About LeanIX LeanIX provides the leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application for Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM), which enables organizations to make faster, data-driven architecture decisions. Hundreds of global brands such as Adidas, DHL, Merck, Vodafone, and Zalando use the LeanIX software to increase transparency, visibility, and drive real-time insights and efficiencies. LeanIX addresses ITs critical need to ensure high-quality, real-time data is accessible to all the people who need it. Use cases include application rationalization, application portfolio management, technology asset management and the management of IT risk and compliance. LeanIX was founded in 2012 by Jorg Beyer and Andre Christ. The company is headquartered in Bonn, Germany, with an office in Boston, Massachusetts. To learn more about LeanIX, visit http://www.leanix.net or @leanix_net on Twitter. Central Fremont Montessori Preschools Children are individuals and have distinct personalities. This can affect how quickly they learn to accomplish tasks for themselves. Learn and Play Montessori, a top preschool program in Fremont, California, is proud to announce content upgrades for its Peralta location. Busy Fremont parents can learn more via social media updates for one of its key preschools serving central Fremont and the Centerville neighborhood. "Children are individuals and have distinct personalities. This can affect how quickly they learn to accomplish tasks for themselves. Some seek assistance for all of their needs while others are ready to do everything independently," explained Harpreet Grewal, director of Learn and Play Montessori. "We want Fremont parents and the greater Bay Area to know we are ready to help all children develop good skills in self-reliance." The school is announcing four interrelated updates. First, the upgraded content on the Learn and Play Montessori Fremont, Peralta page can be reviewed on Yelp at https://www.yelp.com/biz/learn-and-play-montessori-school-fremont. The Central Fremont Montessori Preschool pages show better photos and content. Second, a push to expand the schools' social outreach on Facebook is ready for viewing at https://www.facebook.com/LearnAndPlayPeraltaCampus/. Third, in addition, the school is increasing its tweets to Twitter at https://twitter.com/LAPMS_Peralta and has launched a "branded hashtag" as #LAPMSPeralta. And fourth the landing page for central Fremont preschools has been updated at https://www.learnandplaymontessori.com/peralta-fremont.php. CENTRAL FREMONT MONTESSORI PRESCHOOLS TAKE CHILDREN FROM INSECURE TO CONFIDENT, INDEPENDENT LEARNERS Here is the background for this release. A professional daycare, preschool, and kindergarten program serving children ages two through six is proud to announce a significant upgrade to the Yelp page. Central Fremont Montessori preschools are expanding social outreach to support young Bay Area families in a quest for high-quality daycare. Growing children may need help navigating new challenges as they prepare for elementary school. The right preschool environment can make a positive impact. Young children meet milestones on an individual basis. A five-year-old can push away a mother's hand to try and tie shoelaces on their own. A three-year-old can commonly use the term "do it myself" to handle daily tasks independently. Some children can move in the opposite direction clinging to a parent and asking for help with every personal responsibility. Fostering independence in an insecure child can be vital to learning development. A team of teachers at central Fremont Montessori preschools are ready to help young children gain confidence in personal abilities. Demanding assistance for simple, manageable tasks such as wearing a jacket can be the sign of an insecure child. Fear and angst can hinder learning development. For these reasons, Learn and Play Montessori announced four key updates to its media strategy for Fremont, California. ABOUT LEARN AND PLAY MONTESSORI Learn and Play Montessori aims to be one of the best Montessori schools in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Whether parents are looking for a Montessori School in Danville, a Blackhawk preschool or a top-rated Montessori School in Dublin / San Ramon, Learn and Play has a campus for their child or children. Bay Area parents searching for Walnut Creek preschool options could find the right fit in Danville. All schools use the famed Montessori method, offering programs from childcare to daycare, preschool to kindergarten, in not only Danville, Fremont, Dublin or San Ramon but also in nearby towns such as Alamo, Blackhawk, Diablo or San Ramon on the I-680 corridor as well as Walnut Creek. Learn and Play Montessori Media Relations https://www.learnandplaymontessori.com/ Lender Price announced that David Colwell and Linn Cook are joining their management team to head up marketing, business development and strategy, reporting to CEO and founder Dawar Alimi. David and Linn bring many years of experience in the mortgage technology industry to assist in the growth of Lender Price. David Colwell will take on the role as executive vice president of business strategy, bringing more than 20 years of experience in mortgage banking, product and pricing engine (PPE) technology and loan origination system (LOS) technology. David will oversee all aspects of revenue generation, strategic planning, business partnerships and financial forecasting. Linn Cook brings 20 years of experience in finance and mortgage technology sales and marketing, taking on the role as senior vice president of marketing and sales. Linn will draw on his successes in credit reporting, PPE and mortgage LOS technology to drive revenue and increase visibility of the Lender Price brand. At Lender Price, we believe in bringing on talented people with deep industry experience, said Dawar Alimi, CEO of Lender Price. David and Linn have shown that they know how to grow technology companies and were thrilled to have them join our team. They are both exceptional leaders and their experience in the mortgage technology industry will be invaluable to us. Lender Price is an amazing technology company and Im grateful to have this opportunity to work with such a talented group of people, said David Colwell. I am looking forward to this journey, and to helping mortgage lenders leverage Lender Price to re-invent the mortgage lending process. Lender Prices technology is modern and can handle big sets of data very efficiently, said Linn Cook. That means our products are more responsive, more configurable, and more useful to the end user. These are great products and Im looking forward to setting new sales records every year. Lender Price provides mortgage lenders with an online and mobile borrower engagement tool that features a built-in pricing engine and automated generation of loan disclosures. Seven of the top 50 mortgage lenders in the country use Lender Price to drive online interactions with borrowers, resulting in higher application completion rates and more efficient lending. About Lender Price Lender Price is a California-based big data technology innovator and developer of digital mortgage lending technology, including the Digital Lending point-of-sale (POS) tool and an advanced product pricing & eligibility (PPE) engine. Lender Price provides all types of mortgage lending institutions wholesale and correspondent lenders, banks, credit unions and mortgage brokers with advanced technology designed to eliminate friction, increase transparency, and effectively engage with borrowers. For more information, visit https://lenderprice.com and https://digitallending.com Iqbal & Kim and Baby Gursaz with LIV Fertility Center Staff To see them holding a child in their arms is an incredibly emotional feeling. Devastated to discover the medical complications that kept them from conceiving for 15 years, LIV Fertility Center new parents, Iqbal and Kim, are now celebrating the birth of their baby boy after successful IVF in Mexico. Like so many other couples around the globe, the journey to parenthood for Iqbal and Kim was not easy. Over a decade of trying to conceive in the United States, the couple had no success and it left them emotionally, physically and financially exhausted. But after all of those long years of medical difficulties and infertility, their story-book journey was just beginning. Success Rates with IVF Mexico We help patients make well-versed decisions and can provide guidance to help them achieve their dreams of parenthood. You never have to endure infertility alone, stated Dr. Francisco Velez, Medical Director of LIV Fertility Center in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We were honored to be a part of Iqbal and Kims journey. To have them come back to the clinic and celebrate with our team is indescribable. To see them holding a child in their arms is an incredibly emotional feeling. The LIV Fertility Center is the first and only fertility clinic in Puerto Vallarta dedicated to advanced fertility care and womens wellness and is now the only licensed lab to offer MicroSort Mexico. The clinic prides itself on being transparent with patients by providing the most current information about treatment options along with the probability of a successful pregnancy associated with each option. When asked about the IVF success rates, Lead Embryologist Karla Martin del Campo, gave a brief statement. Because all our data comes from within our own laboratory, considering our advanced technology, expertise, progressive reproductive techniques, and overall experience, our pregnancy success rate is exceptionally high. By providing personalized, evidence-based success rates to patients, we aim to help couples move through the IVF process with as much clarity as possible. Iqbal and Kim Celebrate Miracle Baby It was more apparent than ever. Iqbal and Kim needed a break an escape from the hurt and pain. They needed each other. There was no hope for us, so we ended up in Puerto Vallarta for vacation, stated Iqbal Singh. The couple arrived in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in 2018 for a much-needed getaway. Little did they know, that getaway would help give them a miracle baby. Exploring the sites and taking a stroll, the couple walked past the LIV Fertility Center. In that moment, Iqbal and Kim, made a decision that would change their entire lives. They decided to take a tour of the LIV Fertility Center and see if the clinic could offer anything they had not already tried. Overwhelmingly impressed with their first visit, the couple never looked back. Here we met one of the best best teams ever. If I say start from the reception room to the doctors to the cleaning crew, they were the best and we were so impressed. We decided right away, stated Kim Mahal. Iqbal added, when we entered the clinic, it was a beautiful place, immaculate shiny place that gives you hope that its going to be okay. Today, Iqbal and Kim, are celebrating their 4-month-old baby boy Gursaz and a love for each other that never faded. The couple returned to the clinic to thank the team members that made it possible and to show off their handsome bundle of joy! In an exclusive interview, the couple tells all the ins and outs of IVF in Mexico from the beginning of their journey to the experience with the LIV staff to the cleanliness of the fertility clinic all the way to the loving heartbeat of their new family. Its a journey you must see for yourself! Watch the Entire Iqbal and Kim Interview Now About LIV Fertility Center The LIV Fertility Center in Puerto Vallarta is a renowned, world-class fertility center that embraces affordability, technical expertise, proven successful outcomes, and the ability to exceed the challenges for every individual case of infertility. Infertility is one of life's most difficult encounters medically and emotionally. The LIV team is continually striving to implement new infertility technologies and a management structure to embrace patients on their journey to parenthood. The world-class laboratory precisely reflects in the pioneering treatments of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), Egg Donation, Embryo Cryopreservation, Assisted Hatching, and Gender Selection. LIV invites you to revel in a unique cultural experience in Puerto Vallarta with its year-round stunning climate, gorgeous pristine beaches and a dazzling array of world-class attractions. LIV Fertility Center Mission Adhering to a set of core values that characterizes our beliefs, the LIV Fertility Centers mission is to provide affordable, trustworthy and successful fertility support to those we serve on all facets of the globe. "Lone Star has been far more than just a place to work to me, it is my family and it has overwhelmingly supported my endeavors as an officer in the military. Lone Star Analysis, a trusted provider of advisory services and internationally recognized for leading-edge predictive and prescriptive analytics solutions, has been awarded the Pro Patria Award by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) for providing support to Guard and Reserve employees through their leadership and practices. The Pro Patria Award is given annually to only three companies in each ESGR state or territory. Recipients of this award are nominated for demonstrating the greatest support and making it easier for employees to perform their duties in the National Guard and Reserve. As of 2018, veteran and reservists comprised 15 percent of Lone Stars new hires and 17 percent of all Lone Star employees. Current Lone Star employee and active duty Apache Longbow Pilot Weston Woerner nominated the company for this award. "Lone Star has been far more than just a place to work to me, it is my family and it has overwhelmingly supported my endeavors as an officer in the military, said Weston Woerner, analyst, Lone Star Analysis. "In addition to support, the skills I have developed, combined with Lone Stars methodologies on problem solving, have made me a much more effective officer in any challenges I face." In order to be eligible for the award, employers must first receive the Above and Beyond Award, and have at least one supervisor who has received the Patriot Award. Lone Stars Director of Prescriptive Analytics Tom Abraham was honored with the Patriot Award in 2018 for his efforts as a supervisor to support Service members. Lone Star also received the Above and Beyond award in 2018 for supporting National Guard and Army Reserve employees by providing extra accommodations such as expanded health benefits and other additional support beyond the scope of the act. Lone Star is proud to even be considered for this award, because it means were doing our part, said Steve Roemerman, chairman and CEO, Lone Star Analysis. Our community is full of citizen soldiers who are always ready to answer the call, and were honored to support and employ people like them. ESGR, a Department of Defense program established in 1972, focuses on promoting cooperation and understanding between Reserve Component Service members and their civilian employers, and assists in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee's military commitment. Its seven awards were created to recognize supportive supervisors and employers. To learn more about Lone Star, visit: https://lone-star.com/. About Lone Star Analysis Lone Star Analysis is a Dallas-based predictive and prescriptive analytics specialist enabling customers to make smarter decisions faster by leveraging data and insights to provide foresight and enhance the decision-making of its customers. Lone Stars TruNavigator and AnalyticsOSTM software programs provide transparent, auditable and explainable solutions for clients. Additionally, Lone Star applies the right combination of data, people and processes to get results with its 15 years of experience and more than 1,000 subject matter experts, across several industries, including aerospace, defense, energy, logistics, manufacturing and transportation. For more information on Lone Star, visit http://www.Lone-Star.com. Media Contact: Andrew Williams MCC for Lone Star 972-480-8383 ext. 273 andrew_williams(at)mccom(dot)com Wilbur: the uber simple app-free, card-free loyalty rewards program Wilbur is ideal for Mom & Pop business owners because the set-up is super simple and requires no extra training or ongoing investment of time. With the average American belonging to a staggering number of business reward programs, its hard for small business owners to cut through the clutter with a solution that sticks. Smart Transaction Systems wants to change that with Wilbur, a new, ultra-simple loyalty program designed for busy business owners who dont have extra time to manage a loyalty program, and customers who dont want another form to fill out, card to carry or app to download. To kick things off in style, Wilbur is launching a Free-2-100 limited-time offer on March 29, in celebration of National Mom & Pop Business Owners Day and small businesses owners nationwide. From March 29-April 30, customers who sign up for Wilbur will pay absolutely nothing until 100 customers enroll in their new loyalty reward program. Wilbur is ideal for Mom & Pop business owners because the set-up is super simple and requires no extra training or ongoing investment of time, said Sarah Miller, marketing director of Wilbur and Smart Transaction Systems. Customers also like Wilbur because its non-invasive and hassle-free. They simply text their first name to a number and thats it: Theyre signed up for their favorite Mom & Pop shops loyalty program and never get spammy marketing texts, calls or emailsonly rewards. Shoppers join Wilbur by texting their first name to the business Wilbur number and earn points by giving their phone number to cashiers during checkout. Texts with updated point balances and reward notifications are sent automatically to the customer with absolutely no mobile marketing. And, once customers enroll in their first Wilbur-powered rewards program, they dont have to sign up again with other participating businesses. Each business can use Wilbur to define its own reward structure and control how customers earn points. Wilbur requires no special training or equipment, is compatible with a wide variety of POS systems to make it easy for the merchant to get started, and can provide businesses with their loyalty transaction history on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Celebrate National Mom & Pop Business Owners Day with Wilburs Free-2-100 Promotion To take advantage of Wilburs Free-2-100 promotion, businesses can enroll in two ways: by filling out the Contact Us form at wilburrewards.com or by calling 888-494-9760. Once enrolled, customers can participate in three easy steps: 1) Texting their first name to the provided Wilbur number, 2) Sharing their phone number when they make a purchase, and 3) Redeeming rewards with their cell phone number at checkout. The Wilbur program will remain free until the participating business reaches 100 participants. Once the 100-customer enrollment threshold is met, businesses can continue to reap the rewards of their Wilbur loyalty program at a low rate of $49 per month. For more information, visit wilburrewards.com or call 888-494-9760 to get started today. About Wilbur Based in Boulder, Colorado, Wilbur is a super simple loyalty rewards program designed for busy business owners who dont have extra time to manage a loyalty program, and for customers who dont want another form to fill out, card to carry or app to download. Wilbur is powered by Smart Transaction Systems, a leading provider of customer loyalty, mobile marketing, gift card programs and e-commerce capabilities that are custom designed for small businesses to achieve their unique goals. Visit wilburrewards.com to learn more and follow Wilbur on Twitter at @wilburrewards. OpsCompass is precisely the type of Nebraska investment we are built to fund. Solid client acceptance, growth trajectory and differentiated by both its technology and its management fervor. We are delighted to participate... - Ben Williamson of Invest Nebraska. Today, OpsCompass, a leading public cloud governance and compliance company, announced that they had received key funding to expand growth of their successful SaaS product, Helm, in order to meet growing client demand. The round was led by Invest Nebraska and included Dundee Venture Capital, Nebraska Angels, M25, and NelNet, Inc. OpsCompass is precisely the type of Nebraska investment we are built to fund. It represents solid client acceptance, growth trajectory and differentiated by both its technology and its management fervor. We are delighted to participate, said Ben Williamson of Invest Nebraska. OpsCompass Helm accelerates workload migration to the cloud through continuous governance and compliance monitoring across the leading public clouds. The company provides a high-fidelity view into an organizations status and position in the public cloud and alerts to problems in real time, which enhances awareness of company-wide cloud operations and the associated costs. This provides the missing controls needed to leverage cloud resources effectively for enterprise and high growth workloads. In addition, the company helps enhance the corporate IT teams ability to enforce organizational policy at cloud scale, providing speed and security to the DevSecOps process, and ensuring compliance with industry standards. This is particularly important to certain industries such as healthcare and finance. We are very grateful that so many important investors decided to support our growth, commented Manny Quevedo, president of OpsCompass. He continued, the public cloud is an undeniable presence in the age of digital transformation. They are powerful, fast and economically sound, but only if you apply proper governance and the same best practices we have used for years in the compliance and security industries. Like any great utility, it must be monitored, directed and managed. The company was aided in its initial growth by several innovative State of Nebraska programs provided by the Department of Economic Development including the prototyping program and the Academic R&D grant program. Nebraska is a state that values entrepreneurship and innovation, said Department of Economic Development Director Dave Rippe. Investing in businesses is one of the best ways to grow our state. The Business Innovation Act gives us a set of tools in this case, the Academic R&D Grant Program to turn those values into action. Our congratulations to OpsCompass, and their research partner, NARI, on this latest success. John Jenkins, Partner at Dundee Venture Capital captured the orientation of several of the investors when stating, This one checked all of the boxes: great team, market traction, fast growth, unique technology, significant revenue, and value priced. The new funds will be used to enhance OpsCompass growth strategy including sales expansion in the central U.S., training of strategic service partners and the expansion of key development personnel for multi-cloud expansion and product enhancements. Quevedo closed his announcement with a note of clarity regarding the next steps for the firm. This funding is a valuable catalyst that allows us to respond directly to the many opportunities coming our way from Microsoft, Amazon, and the clients leveraging cloud resources for their digital transformation. We appreciate the support we have received from the community and we know our continued success is built on the success of our clients, and that is our sole mission. For more information on OpsCompass, please view the website at http://www.opscompass.com or reach out to info@opscompass.com. About OpsCompass OpsCompass, LLC is a Nebraska based provider of enterprise software that drives operational control, visibility, and security in Microsoft Azure, AWS and other global cloud platforms. Purpose-built for the cloud, OpsCompass replaces legacy controls that are not designed for contemporary, API-driven, cloud infrastructure. The company was formed by former tech executives that have experience in a variety of cloud-related industries and who have lived many of the challenges facing large enterprises in the transition to cloud-based systems.https://opscompass.com or https://waypoint.opscompass.com About Invest Nebraska Investment Nebraska was founded in 2002 and is a private nonprofit venture development organization focused on high growth companies and growing an entrepreneurial economy in the state of Nebraska. Invest Nebraska is funded in part by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development through the Business Innovation Act. Learn more at: http://www.Investnebraska.com About Dundee Venture Capital Dundee Venture Capital invests in high-growth, early-stage technology companies in the Midwest. With a focus on passionate and dynamic entrepreneurs, Dundee VC provides the capital and the connections to founding teams across industries with specific attention to e-commerce, B2B SaaS and consumer networks. Learn more by visiting: dundeeventurecapital.com or follow us on Twitter: @dundeevc. About DED Since 1967, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) has focused on growing and diversifying the states economic base by bringing new investment, businesses, and people into the state. DEDs mission is to provide quality leadership and services that enable Nebraskas communities, businesses, and people to succeed in a global economy. DEDs primary divisions of Business Development and Housing & Community Development are equipped with a variety of programs to advance Nebraska businesses and communities by assisting with business formation, retention, and expansion and by supporting Nebraska communities with development efforts. To find out more about the programs that DED offers to businesses and communities, please visit opportunity.nebraska.gov About M25 is a Chicago-based Midwest-focused venture capital firm run by Victor Gutwein and Mike Asem. Since the firm's inception in 2015, M25 has invested in over eighty early-stage tech startups in over 20 cities across 11 states in the Midwest. M25's objective, analytical model and collaborative, forward-thinking approach creates a large portfolio spanning several industries across the entire region, allowing them to establish M25 as a key node in the Midwest startup ecosystem. For more information, visit https://m25vc.com/. About NelNet Nelnet (NYSE: NNI) is a diversified and innovative company focused on offering educational services, technology solutions, telecommunications, and asset management. Nelnet helps students and families plan and pay for their education and makes the administrative processes for schools more efficient with student loan servicing, tuition payment processing, and school administration software. Through its subsidiary, ALLO Communications, Nelnet offers fiber optic services directly to homes and businesses for ultra-fast internet and superior telephone and television services. The company also makes investments in real estate developments and new ventures. For more information, visit Nelnet.com. Nebraska Angels The Nebraska Angels are a network of angel investors who meet once a month to work together to review business plans, listen to pitches, conduct due diligence and negotiate terms for potential investments. Founded in 2006, the Nebraska Angels membership continues to expand and welcomes new members throughout the year. Learn more at: http://nebraskaangels.org About NARI The Nebraska Applied Research Institute is a 501(c) affiliate of the University of Nebraska-Omaha that provides applied research and development, hands-on training, data analytics, and cybersecurity services within the cyber physical system domain to industry and Government clients. Built around multiple high-fidelity hardware-in-the-loop testbeds, NARIs offerings provide real-world solutions to some of the most complex and difficult cybersecurity challenges facing the high-tech digital world. The Institute was formed by tech executives and cybersecurity professionals with vast experience in vulnerability research, exploitation, data analytics, modeling, simulation, and visualization. https://nari.unomaha.edu. ORPHANetwork CEO, Dick Anderson and Country Director, Nicaragua, Eddy Morales with Rod Brooks, CEO of Rise Against Hunger ORPHANetworks CEO, Dick Anderson, and Country Director, Nicaragua, Eddy Morales, were recognized by the organizations partners at Rise Against Hunger for their strategic roles in the collaborative effort to end world hunger. By pairing Rise Against Hunger meals with ORPHANetworks strategic development plan to break the cycle of poverty, the partnership has become sustainable and high impact, having delivered 19 million meals to Nicaraguas most vulnerable children. Under Anderson and Morales leadership, ORPHANetwork has grown alongside Rise Against Hunger, receiving its first container of meals in 2009 to feed 300 vulnerable children to nourishing nearly 20,000 on a daily basis. In addition to now receiving ten containers of meals annually, the partnership has yielded huge success in education and maternal health programs. On March 14, CEO of Rise Against Hunger, Rod Brooks, hosted ORPHANetwork at his organizations corporate office to honor and award Anderson and Morales as Hunger Champions. The award was designed to celebrate individuals who have made a significant impact on hunger as Rise Against Hunger celebrated its 20th anniversary. Brooks shared with his Raleigh, North Carolina staff that ORPHANetwork was instrumental in the life of Rise Against Hunger adding, We recognize the partnership with that we have with ORPHANetwork is one of those relationships where we have grown together, we have supported one another and we have created a great impact together. What makes Rise Against Hungers relationship with Anderson and Morales unique is not only their commitment to excellence as a distribution partner, but their willingness to host staff, volunteers and donors in Nicaragua. Rise Against Hunger has taken more than 12 teams to Nicaragua to see firsthand the impact of nutritious meals and powerful partnerships like this one. Working at ORPHANetwork is not just a job for Anderson and Morales its their calling. They are committed to breaking cycles of poverty by addressing problems in Nicaraguan communities by investing in staff, local community leaders and the next generation. About ORPHANetwork OPRHANetwork serves nearly 20,000 vulnerable and orphaned children in Nicaragua. Believing that the local church is the "Hope of the World," ORPHANetwork works through the local Nicaraguan church to break cycles of poverty through health, education and jobs. About Rise Against Hunger Rise Against Hunger, an international hunger relief organization, aims to show the world that it is, in fact, possible to end hunger by the year 2030. With 28 U.S. locations and five international offices, the organization is committed to nourishing lives, providing emergency aid, empowering communities and growing the hunger movement. Rise Against Hunger has facilitated the packaging of more than 460 million meals distributed to countries around the world. Outdoor Enthusiasts Gear Up for Nations Biggest Off-Road Accessory Show at Washington State Fairgrounds on April 6-7 If youre a fan of the outdoors and are interested in upgrading your Jeep or truck for the off-road lifestyle, this is a show you cant miss. Attendees will find some of the best deals of the year and get the chance to talk one-on-one with the manufacturers and get insight on their latest products. Outdoor fans can stock up on off-road gear at huge discounts when the 4 Wheel Parts (4WP) 2019 Jeep & Truck Fest tour returns to Puyallup, Washington on April 6-7. This two-day event is free to the public and brings premier off-road manufacturers and enthusiasts together with great factory deals and giveaways. If youre a fan of the outdoors and are interested in upgrading your Jeep or truck for the off-road lifestyle, this is a show you cant miss, said Brent Goegebuer, Director of Advertising and Events at 4 Wheel Parts. Attendees will find some of the best deals of the year and get the chance to talk one-on-one with the manufacturers and get insight on their latest products. Attendees looking to upgrade their Jeeps will find the latest in bumpers, armor, tops and interior accessories, as well as information from manufacturer representatives on which suspension systems and gearing would best fit their needs. $500,000 of inventory will be on hand at dramatic discounts by brands such as ARB, Bestop, BF Goodrich, Bilstein, Currie, Daystar, FOX Shocks, Method Race Wheels, Mickey Thompson, Pro Comp, Rancho, Rigid, Smittybilt, Toyo Tires, Warn and many more. Off-road wheels, tires, winches and lights can be found at heavily marked down prices. The ever-popular Blow-Out section will offer up to 75% off on overstocked, discontinued or damaged-package goods. For those looking for eye-candy, custom Jeeps and trucks (usually seen at pro races or industry-only events) will be on display, showcasing innovations from the industrys top manufacturers. The Jeep & Truck Fest will be held at the Washington State Fair Events Center (near the Blue Gate) at 110 9th Avenue SW in Puyallup, Washington and will feature more than 100,000 square feet of booths and products. Doors open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free. This event will mark the fifth stop of the 11-city 4WP 2019 Truck & Jeep Fest tour. The campaign will continue to Dallas, TX (May 18-19), Ontario, CA (June 8-9), Denver, CO (July 13-14), Long Beach, CA (July 20-21), Atlanta, GA (August 3-4) and conclude in Orlando, FL (August 17-18). For event information, please visit http://www.4wp.com/Truckfest. Highlights Largest off-road traveling exhibition in the country Tires, wheels, suspension, bumpers, lighting, truck bed accessories and more Product demonstrations and installation specials Free raffles for two $500 4WP Shopping Sprees Hourly promotional pricing and giveaways Puyallup Truck & Jeep Fest Washington State Fair Events Center 110 9th Avenue SW Puyallup, WA 98371 Saturday, April 6, 2019 | 10 a.m. 4 p.m. Sunday, April 7, 2019 | 11 a.m. 4 p.m. FREE ADMISSION Images, copy, logos and schedule http://bit.ly/Truckfest_2019 Liberty University is honored to welcome Pastor Jerry Vines, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, founder of Jerry Vines Ministries, and longtime Board of Trustees member, as the keynote speaker for its 46th Baccalaureate Service on May 10, 2019. Vines served as Libertys Baccalaureate keynote speaker in 1991, 1999, 2000, and 2007. He has been a Baptist pastor and preacher for more than 60 years. As I have done several times in the past, I am honored to be the Baccalaureate speaker for Liberty University this year, Vines said. Over these years, I have been thrilled to see Gods marvelous blessings on the university. I pray the Lord will give me the message to encourage the graduates to move forward in their lives as they continue to be Champions for Christ. President Jerry Falwell expressed his excitement that Vines will play such an important role. I am pleased and honored that Liberty University graduates in the Class of 2019 and their families will hear from Dr. Jerry Vines as the keynote speaker at Libertys Baccalaureate service. Dr. Vines is a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention (two terms) and a longtime pastor of one of the nations leading churches, First Baptist Church of Jacksonville. Dr. Vines has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Liberty University since 1988 and was selected by Libertys founder, Dr. Jerry Falwell, to preach his funeral in 2007. As the Southern Baptist denomination strayed from its conservative theology in the 1980s, Vines was among the leaders who stepped up to guide the denomination back to its roots. It was through that process that Vines became best friends with Liberty Founder Dr. Jerry Falwell. Vines has also served as president of the Alabama Pastors Conference and the Southern Baptist Pastors Conference. Through Jerry Vines Ministries, Vines trains pastors to become more effective in the preparation and delivery of expository sermons and provides Bible preaching and teaching materials, including books, DVDs, and CDs. His sermon library features more than 2,000 messages. Vines recently released an expository study Bible, which guides readers through Gods Word. Vines was trained at Mercer University (B.A.), New Orleans Theological Seminary (B.D.), and Luther Rice Seminary (Th.D.). He and his wife, Janet, have four children and seven grandchildren. Baccalaureate is held each year to serve as a demonstration of Libertys Christian commitment to the Great Commission and Great Commandment. It will begin at 6 p.m. in the Vines Center. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. About Liberty University Liberty University, founded in 1971, is the worlds premier Christian university, one of the largest private, nonprofit universities in the nation, and the largest university in Virginia. Located near the Blue Ridge Mountains on more than 7,000 acres in Lynchburg, Va., Liberty offers more than 600 unique programs of study from the certificate to the doctoral level. Over 300 programs are offered online. Utilizing its world-class infrastructure and Christian faculty, Libertys mission is to train Champions for Christ with the values, knowledge, and skills essential for impacting tomorrows world. Glasses are metastable systems continuously evolving towards microscopic configurations of lower energy. The correlation of glass stability with structural and dynamic disorder was revealed by studying the vibrational properties of geological hyperaged amber with two inelastic X-ray scattering techniques. Glasses are characterised by their lack of long-range microscopic order and a structure continuously evolving to reach lower energy microscopic configurations. As a consequence, their physical properties are not uniquely defined and depend on their thermal history. The correlations between the topology of the configurational energy landscape and the physical properties of the glass are crucial for understanding its metastability. Among these, the vibrational properties are particularly relevant, being responsible for universal thermodynamic anomalies with respect to crystalline solids. Moreover, the vibrational density of state (VDOS) g(E) of glasses exhibits a characteristic excess with respect to the Debye prediction for crystals g(E)E2, named Boson peak. Since spontaneous stabilisation, or aging, would require unpractically long observation time, the conventional way of obtaining glasses of different degrees of stability (height in the energy landscape) is by cooling the liquid below the melting point at different quenching rates. The slower the rate, the lower the energy position of the basins in which the system gets trapped. The stability range covered by tuning the cooling rate is however limited, upwards, by thermal conductivity and annealing technology, downwards, by the occurrence of crystallisation. Recently, glasses with high thermodynamic stability have been prepared by physical vapor deposition (PVD) and their study unveils a correlation between stability and vibrational dynamics [1,2]. However, the investigation of the VDOS of PVD glasses is extremely challenging for X-ray based techniques due to their limited thickness. In this work, the vibrational properties were measured experimentally in the THz regime, including the Boson peak of the VDOS, as a function of stability by exploiting a glass that has experienced an extremely prolonged natural aging: a geological amber from El Soplao (Spain) dated back to 110 million years ago. Specifically, the elastic properties of hyperaged amber were compared with that of its rejuvenated counterpart obtained by annealing a pristine sample into the supercooled liquid phase and cooling it down at the standard rate of 1 K/min to erase its thermal history. The extreme stability of amber can be traced back in the endothermic peak in the specific heat at the glass-transition measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) (see Figure 1a). The different degree of stability, or age, is quantified by a 9% smaller fictive temperature T f for pristine amber. Figure 1. (a) Specific heat of pristine and rejuvenated amber measured by DSC; (b) Normalised scattered intensity IQ and difference among raw data (red line) after scaling of 0.75% (blue line) and of 2% (green line) of the Q-axis of pristine amber; (c) Reduced VDOS and in the inset, corresponding fit with FET; (d) Phonon energy E dispersion, apparent velocity =E(Q)/Q and mode attenuation of pristine and rejuvenated ambers. The structure was investigated by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (see Figure 1b) at the inelastic X-ray scattering beamline ID28. The scattering intensity (proportional to the static structure factor) shows similar structures in the two samples: a main peak at 10 nm1 and two smaller, broader peaks at 28 nm1 and 52 nm1. The observed 2% densification of pristine amber corresponds to a shrinking of the main diffraction peak, which does not scale linearly with density (0.75% is the optimal q-axis scaling) as expected for homogenous densification. The reduced VDOS g(E)/E2 was measured by performing an inelastic X-ray scattering experiment with nuclear resonance analysis (see Figure 1c) at the nuclear resonance beamline ID18. Remarkably, we observe that the Boson peak appears to be less intense (26% vertical scaling), blue-shifted and broader (11% horizontal scaling) in the pristine amber. The collective excitations in the THz regime that contribute to the VDOS were examined by measuring the phonon dispersion and mode attenuation by means of momentum Q-resolved inelastic X-ray scattering (see Figure 1d) at the beamline ID28. The hypersonic attenuation exhibits a similar quadratic power law dependence on acoustic energy for the two samples, with slightly reduced values for pristine amber. The comparison of the acoustic phonon dispersions E(Q) reveals a mode stiffening for the pristine amber and the appearance of positive dispersion which is an excess in the apparent velocity =E(Q)/Q with respect to the low frequency limit measured by Brillouin light scattering (arrows in Figure 1d), indicating a longer relaxation time for the probed modes. All these results can be rationalised by the fluctuation elasticity theory (FET) that describes the glass disorder in terms of microscopic random spatial fluctuations of the transverse elastic constant (shear modulus) with a certain degree of spatial correlation. The best fit for the Boson peak is reported in the inset of Figure 1c. Importantly, the FET quantitatively relates the vibrational properties to the width and correlation length of the elastic constant distribution, ruling out any density dependence. The VDOS redistribution together with the lower hypersonic damping and positive dispersion of pristine amber in the framework of FET indicate that the elastic constants distribution of pristine amber is sharper and the correlation length longer compared to the rejuvenated sample, as summarised in Figure 2. Figure 2. Sketch of the inherent structures explored with pristine (red dot) and rejuvenated (black dot) ambers on the potential energy landscape and the observed correlation to the structural and elastic properties of the glass. In conclusion, the experimental characterisation of the structural and elastic properties of a glass amber in different stability states revealed that its physical aging is achieved through a reduction of the disorder of the elastic matrix of the glass. Principal publication and authors Tracking the connection between disorder and energy landscape in glasses using geologically hyperaged amber, E.A.A. Pogna (a), A.I. Chumakov (b), C. Ferrante (c), M.A. Ramos (d), T. Scopigno (c), J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 10, 427-432 (2019); doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b00003. (a) Laboratorio NEST, CNR-INFM and Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, and Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano (Italy) (b) ESRF and National Research Centre Kurchatov Institute, Moscow (Russia) (c) Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Roma, La Sapienza, Rome, and Center for Life Nano Science@Sapienza, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome (Italy) (d) Laboratorio de Bajas Temperaturas, Departamento de Fisica de la Materia Condensada (IFIMAC) and Instituto Nicolas Cabrera, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain) References [1] E.A.A. Pogna, C. Rodriguez-Tinoco, M. Krisch, J. Rodriguez-Viejo and T. Scopigno, Sci.Rep. 3, 2518 (2013). [2] E.A.A. Pogna, C. Rodriguez-Tinoco, G. Cerullo, C. Ferrante, J. Rodriguez-Viejo and T. Scopigno, PNAS 112, 23312336 (2015). Glenn McJoy, a published poet, has turned his creative attention to the nonfiction genre in his new book The Do Right Man: a brief examination of his father, Old Willie McJoy, and the actions that made him such a loveable member of society. My dad was bigger than life itself, Glenn McJoy said when asked about his work. Dad not only told a story; he was quite the character. If any one of you out there had been fortunate enough to meet the king of the south, the real do-right man, youd say along with me, Old Willie McJoy was quite the guy. Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, Glenn McJoys work spans the life of Willie McJoy, both before parenthood and well into his later years. The work includes family photographs that bring the readers into the fold, as if inviting them into the McJoys memories. In addition to full length chapters, Glenn McJoy offers a list of axioms and witticisms he attributes to Old Willie McJoy, which range from parental advice to major life lessons. They provide an insight into Will McJoy the man, as well as his comfort with all topics, whether humorous or sombre. Readers who wish to learn more about the well-lived life of Willie McJoy can purchase The Do Right Man at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708. About Page Publishing: Page Publishing is a traditional New York based full-service publishing house that handles all of the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not bogged down with complicated business issues like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes and the like. Its roster of authors can leave behind these tedious, complex and time-consuming issues, and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com. Womens History Month allows Pond Lehocky to highlight its gender diversity and inclusion efforts. As one of its women and diversity initiatives, associates Kajal Alemo, Danielle Webb, Ruxandra Osgood and Erica Shikunov participated in a roundtable discussion at the Women, Diversity & Change Summit in Philadelphia on March 20th, hosted by Centerforce USA. The topic of the discussion was Women & Self Advocacy: Damned if you do, damned if you dont. The event's attendance doubled from last year, with about 300 people present to listen to more than 30 leading experts and speakers. The Pond Lehocky quartet held their discussion before four rotating groups of attendees. The participants shared effective strategies used by women of all ages and ranks to handle workplace challenges. "Participants were really interested in hearing about others' current situations at work and bouncing ideas off each other about uncomfortable topics such as raises, promotions, disproportional workloads and speaking out effectively," Ruxandra Osgood said. "A resounding theme is that when women are faced with a situation where they want additional resources, a raise or a promotion, they are reticent to ask for it, or if they do ask, are hesitant about being persistent until they get it," Erica Shikunov said. There was also conversation about being an ally to other women in the workplace. Shikunov said some examples discussed were "singing the praise of a female colleague who has trouble promoting herself, helping a colleague get facetime with a boss or supervisor and ensuring a female colleague gets credit for her good ideas." "Most exciting was witnessing the evolving perspective that though longstanding socialization has contributed to an asymmetrical playing field, we have more control over our experience now than ever before," Kajal Alemo said. "We must earnestly engage in these conversations and then hold ourselves accountable too." Getting diverse perspectives and fresh insights helps the firm better connect with its clients, who come from all walks of life. It also helps the firm deliver innovative legal solutions to our clients most pressing problems. Learn more about our diverse initiatives at http://www.pondlehocky.com/diversity. Pond Lehocky acknowledges that there is still a long way to go in the fight for gender equality. But the firm, known for its commitment to workers, believes it is well-suited to take a lead role. Other Pond Lehocky gender diversity initiatives include: Womens rights in the workplace, particularly gender discrimination and sexual harassment. Visit https://www.pondlehocky.com/ME for a special message. Mass Torts affecting women, including litigation over Talc products that cause ovarian cancer, mesothelioma and other conditions. Founded by Samuel Pond, Jerry Lehocky, David Stern and Thomas Giordano Jr. in July 2010 with six attorneys and only 22 total staff members, the firm has expanded its practice areas to include employment law in addition to work injury and disability matters. Pond Lehocky has a successful nationwide network that allows clients to receive legal help anywhere in the nation. The firms attributes its success to its personalized, holistic client care and aggressive trial lawyer techniques. Our retail, restaurant and bar customers were looking for an easy, simple-serve solution to create a world class Painkiller, said Pussers CEO, Gary Rogalski Love a world famous Pussers Rum Painkiller but dont want to go through the fuss of putting all the ingredients together? No worries, because Pussers has just introduced a newly, re-formulated Painkiller Mix with all the necessary ingredients. Just add Pussers rum and garnish with an orange slice, cherry and fresh-grated nutmeg, now close your eyes and youre in the tropics! The new mix has just the right amount of the secret recipe; pineapple juice, orange juice and cream of coconut. Just add one part Pussers Rum to three parts Painkiller mix. No fuss, no mess! "Our retail, restaurant and bar customers were looking for an easy, simple-serve solution to create a world class Painkiller and we think we hit it out of the park with our new non-alcoholic mix blended and packaged by Bevolution Group, said Pussers CEO, Gary Rogalski. Our Bevolution Group partners are highly renowned for the quality of its packaged juices, purees and premium cocktail mixers. Pussers Painkiller Mix is the latest tasty addition thanks to this partnership. Consumers can enjoy the best cocktail the Caribbean has to offer by simply adding the Mix and a healthy dose of Pusser's Rum over ice with a little grated nutmeg. Bevolution Group is a proprietary blend of industry leaders and pioneers that offers an unparalleled selection of beverages across several categories, including premium and classic cocktail mixes like Tropics Mixology, Tiki Tropics and Lemon-X. Were proud to have partnered with Pussers, a premier brand, to work on this project, said Bevolution Group CEO, Sam Lteif. We never lose sight of the idea that our product mix is directly related to our partners bottom line. Every one of our beverage strategies is customized for the business that we are serving. The new Painkiller Mix is made from all natural juices and has no artificial flavors or colors and no high fructose syrup. A single serving has only 80 calories. The iconic Pussers Painkiller is the official drink of the British Virgin Islands where Soggy Dollar Bartender, Daphne Henderson, and Pussers Rum founder, Charles Tobias, planted the seeds for its humble beginnings. A favorite among bartenders and enthusiasts alike, the Painkiller cocktail has become legendary and traditionally becomes an establishments best-selling cocktail when added to its beverage menu. The mix comes in 1-liter bottles which are packed 12 liters per case. It can be purchased by going to http://pussersrum.com/painkiller-mix Pussers Rum is imported by Shaw Ross International Importers, LLC. About Pussers Rum Pussers Rum is produced in strict accordance with Admiralty blending specifications last used by the Royal Navy for issue to its fleet, a tradition which began in 1655 when it first served rum as its spirit of choice, with extra tots being offered before and after some of the most infamous battles in history. In massive wood pot stills, approaching 300 years old, Pussers continues to produce liquid history without the aid of flavoring agents and is 100 percent natural. Pussers Rum is highly decorated and has taken several Gold Medals in the highly acclaimed International Wine & Spirits Festival and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Pussers Rum Limited is a British Virgin Island Company with administrative offices in Charleston, South Carolina. Its products are imported into the United States by Shaw-Ross International Importers.For more information on Pussers Rum Ltd and its brands, please visit http://www.PussersRum.com. About Shaw-Ross International Importers, LLC Founded in 1968 as a wine and spirit importer representing a handful of brands, Shaw-Ross has grown into one of the nation's leading importers representing leading suppliers from around the world. Shaw-Ross continues to evolve its portfolio to keep ahead of the ever-changing wine and spirits industry. For additional information go to http://www.shawross.com EDITORS NOTE: Imagery and samples can be acquired through Peter Nasca at the above address. George and Eli Medina We are inviting our local friends and clients to swing by this unique establishment to see what a pay what you can restaurant is all about. We hope that through spreading the word we can get more people involved in this great cause. The Medinas will be serving up delicious food, as well as making a financial contribution to KCs first ever pay-what-you-can restaurant. We are inviting our local friends and clients to swing by this unique establishment to see what a pay what you can restaurant is all about, said George. We hope that through spreading the word we can get more people involved in this great cause. Thelmas Kitchen, 3101 Troost Ave., Kansas City, MO, is a Healthy Communities Initiative of Reconciliation Services and a member of the One World Everybody Eats collective of pay-what-you-can cafes. The goal is simple - food and community. All are welcome to eat regardless of their ability to pay. People may also offer volunteer time in exchange for lunch and not only that, it is a top-notch restaurant serving delicious, high-quality food. Weve eaten there a few times and love the idea of paying it forward by purchasing meals for people who may come in to eat, but cannot afford to buy their own lunch, added Eli. The Medinas are extending an invitation to all friends, clients, and Kansas City community members to join them on this day to learn more about Thelmas Kitchen, and the cause behind it. The mission of Thelmas is to cultivate a community seeking reconciliation to transform Troost Avenue from a dividing line to a gathering place, revealing the strength of all. To donate directly to Thelmas Kitchen, please visit https://www.thelmaskitchen.org/donate. About The George Medina Team, ReeceNichols Real Estate The George Medina Team is a father-daughter duo who specialize in the KC metro area. They are neighborhood experts and strong advocates of serving their community. George and Eli have been honored with Top 25 rankings in the Kansas City Business Journal 5 of the past 6 years. For more information, please call 816-838-5178 or visit http://www.MedinaSells.com. For media inquiries, please call the NALA at 805.650.6121, ext. 361. The free guide will equip educators to leverage technology to foster learning that infuses digital tools and practices with deep focus on positive youth development A team of researchers from the University of California, Irvine (UCI), and New York University (NYU) has just published Reclaiming Digital Futures, a free guide and associated website for youth organizations to use as they integrate digital learning into their programming and practices. The report is available at DigitalLearningPractices.org. The objective of the guide is to equip educators to leverage technology to foster learning that infuses digital tools and practices with deep focus on positive youth development, igniting the hearts and minds of youth and preparing them to be impactful 21st century citizens a much larger task than simply teaching technology-related skills like coding or data analysis. The rising generation must learn to thrive in a world changing at warp speed, and it will take more than gut-level instincts to develop effective tools and programs to prepare them for this reality. To that end, the Chicago-based foundation Susan Crown Exchange worked with UCI and NYU to execute an in-depth analysis of leading out-of-school time organizations focused on equipping youth to navigate a world both analog and digital. The report and the associated DigitalLearningPractices.org site contain a cross-section of resources to aid organizations and educators in developing quality programming that integrate technology and youth development. Rather than focusing on efforts to help youth become fluent and skilled in uses of technology simply for the sake of meeting predetermined standards, the organizations highlighted in the report provide practical avenues to support youth in transforming their communities and worlds. The knowledge and best practices gleaned from the reports partner organizations may be adopted and adapted by any youth-serving practitioners. Five strategic areas are identified for success in digital learning. The toolkit provides perspectives, practical how-tos and case examples in each: Pedagogy: Co-design programs with youth, combining educator and learner expertise with youth interest to help students develop relevant launchpads for learning. Learner-centered supports carefully surround youth with the right adults, educators and peers as they pursue robust digital projects in the context and application of meaningful work, play and goal achievement. A strong example is seen in the YOUmedia program in the Chicago Public Library, which encourages youth to co-design new programs. Young people in YOUmedia have developed video screencasts of gameplay and community tournaments that link youth interests in gaming to digital production, leadership, and neighborhood organizing skills. Skills: Design programs that offer students the opportunity to participate in real-world contexts and practice integrated skills such as technical production, project management, collaboration, adaptability and problem solving. One highlighted example is FUTUREWORLDS, an annual event held by youth arts organization AS220 Youth in Providence, RI. FUTUREWORLDS focuses on writing the future, and is part fashion show, part music and theater performance and part live storytelling. Apprentices from multiple programs in AS220 Youth collaborate and coordinate on all aspects; from determining a theme and format for the event, to the design and technical production of the event. Technology: Leverage technology in a way to support larger organizational goals, moving youth from consumers to producers who understand technology is a useful tool to help achieve their own cultural and social agency. Youth should work collaboratively on projects with experts, such as teaching artists and industry volunteers, learning to tailor technical practices and applications to their deepening expertise in a field. In Brooklyn, NY, Beam Center is a maker centered organization that supports young people to create hands-on projects that integrate a wide variety of tools that include carpentry, welding, physical computing, video, ceramics, programming, textiles and design. Students are encouraged to push beyond discomfort with new tools to start immediately growing learning. Community: Serve all students where they are, including disconnected and at-risk youth. Featured programs are deeply rooted in their individual communities and rely heavily on rich connections to local opportunity and need. Participants are provided the inspiration and audience for media and technology projects, plus access and pathways to professional and higher education opportunities. An example is provided from WMCAT in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where students are encouraged to understand the inner workings of the Jammys, a local musical awards night. Students are encouraged to go backstage and interview the artists, plus they have other behind the scenes access. Local professionals also come into the student space to discuss the types of paths through college and industry that make sense for their profession. Capacity: Understand the importance of overall organizational priorities in hiring and developing staff individually and collectively. Emphasize a blend of skills in technology, creative media and the arts, and youth development. The Digital Harbor Foundation (DHF) describes itself as a melting pot of people from wildly different backgrounds (in both education background and professional experience). At DHF, nobody presents themselves as a knowledge expert. All employees have experience on certain tools or processes, but theres always room to grow, and thats expected of staff and program participants alike. The report on Reclaiming Digital Futures was developed after careful analysis of eight organizations that were selected through a highly competitive, national RFP. All are helping youth evolve into secure, capable, contributing adults through programs outside of the traditional classroom. The partner organizations are: The distinctive vision of digital learning shared by these organizations focuses on youth power, creativity and agency instead of sole attention on technology or media. This kind of digital learning involves making and creating, amplifying youth voice on issues that matter, balancing technical and social and emotional skills, enhancing connections to culture and community, and directly linking youth to future opportunity. Creating the Report Developed through a collaborative process between the Susan Crown Exchange, researchers from the University of California, Irvine and New York University, and eight exemplar youth-serving organizations, Reclaiming Digital Futures is a toolkit of adoptable and adaptable resources that relay knowledge and best practices in achieving real success in youth-centered digital learning. The full project is available at DigitalLearningPractices.org. Learn more about the Susan Crown Exchange at scefdn.org. Susan Crown Exchange (SCE) is a Chicago-based foundation invested in shaping an ecosystem of anytime, anywhere learning to prepare youth to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing and highly connected world. Through grantmaking programs in digital learning and social and emotional learning, SCE helps to identify, codify and promote high-quality opportunities for young people to learn and grow in out-of-school time. Robert Kennah joined HNTB Corporation as project director, based in the firms Houston office. Robert has a strong background in delivering complex transit projects throughout the country through multiple delivery methods. Robert Kennah, PE, joined HNTB Corporation as project director, based in the firms Houston office. Kennah has more than 23 years of engineering and project management experience and has served in leadership roles on high-profile transit projects throughout the nation. Kennah is responsible for managing and delivering major projects, nurturing client relationships and working to expand HNTBs services to its regional transit clients. Robert has a strong background in delivering complex transit projects throughout the country through multiple delivery methods, said Mike Voinis, PE, HNTB Houston office leader and vice president. He has a clear passion for transit and all it can offer to a robust transportation system. Prior to joining HNTB, Kennah served as principal project manager for another consulting firm. Throughout his career, he has worked on transit projects across the U.S., including light rail, automated people movers, and terminal and station modeling. Kennah earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of Wyoming. He is involved in numerous industry associations, including American Society of Civil Engineers, American Public Transportation Association, streetcar coalitions and more. He is a graduate of the Leadership APTA Class of 2018. HNTBs many signature transit projects in Texas and throughout the nation include design for Houston METROs Northwest Transit Center, serving as final designer and program manager for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Blue Line Light Rail extension to serve South Oak Cliff, construction manager for the Charlotte Area Transit Systems Blue Line Extension, coordinating with multiple stakeholders to communicate a vision for the Atlanta streetcar system, leading design and providing construction oversight assistance on the Wilson Station Reconstruction project in Chicago, and many others. About HNTB HNTB Corporation is an employee-owned infrastructure solutions firm serving public and private owners and construction contractors. Celebrating 105 years of service in the United States, HNTB continues to grow in size and service offerings to clients from seven office locations in Texas, currently employing approximately 360 full-time professionals in the state. HNTB understands the life cycle of infrastructure and addresses clients most complex technical, financial and operational challenges. Professionals nationwide deliver a full range of infrastructure-related services, including award-winning planning, design, program management and construction management. For more information, visit http://www.hntb.com. By Googles own admission, the E-A-T score is one of the top factors it considers when measuring a websites value. SEOHost.net, a provider of SEO hosting, domain registration, and SSL services, today issued a statement about the importance of a websites E-A-T score in 2019. First introduced as a concept by Google itself, E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. Expertise measures the level of skill a website and its creators have in their field and is critical for B2B organizations and businesses working in industries like medicine or finance. Authority is tied to credentials and reviews, both of which serve to validate expertise. Finally, Trustworthiness is based on the websites hosting platform, as well as factors like SSL certificates or the presence of HTTPS. By Googles own admission, the E-A-T score is one of the top factors it considers when measuring a websites value, explains Terry Cane, COO at SEOHost.net. It ties back into the search engines concerted push towards high-quality content in lieu of technical, on-page elements like keywords. Well-written pages and long-form copy with a clear focus tend to perform very well in terms of establishing ones expertise, but authority and trustworthiness are a little more difficult to build. Cane advises working hard to seek out and promote positive, verified reviews, and to engage in outreach with influencers through channels such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The more relevant, high-quality links, shares, and interactions a website receives, the likelier Google is to take notice and flag it as authoritative. In regards to Trustworthiness, Cane says that its more of an attitude than anything. Trust seals like an SSL certificate or a Better Business Bureau badge are a good way of establishing surface-level trust, continues Cane. But an organizations best bet is to always err on the side of both privacy and authenticity. Adherence to regulations like the GDPR and a customer-first attitude are both excellent ways to inspire loyalty, and Ive no doubt they may eventually play into a websites trustworthiness - if they do not already. Cane went on to assert that SEOHost.net is dedicated to helping its clientele with every aspect of search engine optimization, including their E-A-T score. Sharebee Technologies, Inc. (https://www.sharebee.io) announced today that it has raised an undisclosed pre-seed investment round led by Toronto-based self-storage company All Canadian Self-Storage, with the participation of Broken Glass Angels, ex-Uber Montreal general manager JN Guillemette and a group of independent angels. The funds will allow the company to focus on growth initiatives such as expanding into the Greater Toronto Area, further improve the renter and host experience on the platform, and hire new talent. The company is opening up the platform to Torontonians as of today, with 200 hosts already offering 300 unique locations for storage and parking. Sharebee is actively seeking new hosts in Toronto to meet the increasing demand for storage spaces. "Sharebee is a pioneer in the P2P storage industry, with a product targeted at a market segment that is growing with the digitally enabled sharing economy. We are excited to work with and support Sharebee as they grow their customer base and expand into larger markets across Canada," said Leslie Kellen, director of operations and marketing at All Canadian Self-Storage. Using your computer or mobile device, we envision a future where anywhere around the world, you can rent affordable, convenient and safe storage spaces in your neighbourhood for half the price of a traditional storage unit. Were very happy to be offering our services to the Greater Toronto Area. said Max Villemure, co-founder and CEO at Sharebee. Sharebee sources and manages the best storage spaces in a neighbourhood, such as warehouses, garages, basements, vacant rooms and storage lockers. Sharebee Hosts can get reservations from verified renters. Renters can plan their move and storage needs in a couple of clicks, or by contacting Sharebees storage specialist team. Every booking comes with full customer support, a $250,000 insurance policy for civil liability, and a $10,000 insurance policy for goods in storage, provided by Intact Insurance. About Sharebee Launched in 2017, Sharebee is a Montreal-based technology company transforming the self-storage market by aggregating idle spaces throughout cities and turning them into local storage that provides a safe, inexpensive and convenient experience. With more than 5,000 storage spaces in Quebec and Ontario, Sharebee is the leading peer-to-peer storage platform in Canada. Its vision is to bridge a community of neighbours and businesses by building friendlier and more efficient cities. To learn more visit https://www.sharebee.io Specialty Technical Publishers Specialty Technical Publishers (STP) and Specialty Technical Consultants (STC) announce the availability of the newly updated International Audit Protocol Consortium (IAPC) EHS audit protocol for Switzerland. Leading companies around the world use IAPC EHS audit protocols to understand the scope of their EHS regulatory obligations and rapidly collect, share, archive, and export audit findings in a cost effective manner. IAPC EHS audit protocols are now prepared by STC in partnership with STP and continue to focus on those national (plus, in some cases, regional or provincial) EHS requirements that have site-specific application for manufacturing operations. As a leading EHS management consulting firm with a global network of experienced EHS teaming partners, STC has indepth knowledge and technical expertise of local/regional EHS requirements. STP and STC maintain leading-edge EHS audit protocols for more than 50 jurisdictions. The protocol documents are written in English and are available in MS Word, Adobe Acrobat and Excel formats, as well as through STPs web-based portal or can be integrated into an existing company platform. Using the protocols custom templates and advanced functionality features, auditors can easily track audit findings and manage data over time to improve compliance, risk management and safety performance. In addition, STPs formatting is compatible with leading risk management and sustainability platform providers. This audit protocol covers relevant national and provincial EHS requirements. The regulatory date for the current release is December 2018. Highlights of selected legislation covered in the newly developed protocol: This EHS audit protocol is organized around sixteen topics, with a separate section devoted to each: General Environmental General Health and Safety Air Emissions Equipment, Machine and Electrical Safety Solid and Hazardous Waste Material Handling and General In-Plant Safety Water Resources Fire Safety Above and Below Ground Tank Management Transport of Dangerous Goods Community Noise Industrial Hygiene PCBs Chemical Management Asbestos Construction Work Site Safety In Switzerland, environmental framework legislation is issued on national level. The cantons are responsible for implementing the federal statutes and ordinances, except where the law reserves this duty for the Confederation. The cantons enact the appropriate legislation. European Union (EU) environmental regulations do not directly apply to Switzerland, as the country is not a member of the EU. However, Switzerland maintains extensive co-operative relations with the EU, including with regard to the harmonization of environmental legislation. Further, Switzerland is a party to numerous international environmental agreements. The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) is the main national agency responsible environmental issues in Switzerland. The mission of FOEN is to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources including soil, water, air, quietness and forests. It is responsible for the protection against natural hazards, safeguarding the environment and human health against excessive impacts, and conserving biodiversity and landscape quality. It is also responsible for international environmental policy. Enforcement of environmental legislation is carried out by cantonal authorities. The primary legislation in Switzerland for environmental issues is the Federal Act on the Protection of the Environment of 7 October 1983 and implementing Ordinances. Examples of implementing Ordinances include, but are not limited to: Ordinance on the Register relating to Pollutant Release and the Transfer of Waste and of Pollutants in Waste Water of 15 December 2006; Ordinance on Air Pollution Control of 16 December 1985; and Ordinance of 12 November 1997 on the Incentive Tax on Volatile Organic Compounds. As with environmental legislation, the health and safety legislation is issued by the national authorities. There are two main laws governing OSH: the Labor Act and the Accident Insurance Act. The Labor Act covers work hours, health protection, workplace building standards, and the protection of personal integrity. The Accident Insurance Act covers the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases which are caused almost entirely by work. The cantonal labor inspectorates, SUVA (main accident insurance authority) and the State Secretariat of Economic Affairs (SECO) enforce the laws. A coordination commission (EKAS) oversees and finances the inspection system for accident prevention. The implementing legislation issued under the Labor Act includes: Ordinance 4 related to the Labor Act (Industrial Facilities, Plan Approval and Operating Permits) of 18 August 1993; Ordinance 1 related to the Labor Act of 10 May 2000; and Ordinance 3 related to the Labor Act (Hygiene) of 18 August 1993. For more information on all International EHS audit protocols offered by STP and STC click here. About Specialty Technical Publishers Specialty Technical Publishers (STP) produces technical resource guides covering environmental, health & safety, transportation, accounting, business practices, standards and law, offering comprehensive guidance on key compliance and regulatory issues. STP is a division of Glacier Media Inc., a Canadian information communications company that provides primary and essential information in print, electronic and online media. Glaciers Business and Professional Information Group publishes directories, technical manuals, research and development materials, medical education, electronic databases, investment information and specialty websites. About Specialty Technical Consultants Specialty Technical Consultants, Inc. (STC) is a specialized management consulting firm working to enhance environmental health and safety (EHS) performance. Through its consulting services, STC partners with clients to strengthen management systems' design and implementation, and identifies needs and implements solutions to meet business objectives. Services provided include: EHS compliance support; risk assessment; EHS auditing; corporate responsibility and sustainability; EHS management systems development and implementation; EHS regulatory information tools; and EHS training. STC is certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Womens Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and the Supplier Clearinghouse for the California Public Utilities Commission, and as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program. Veterans will use their card to do good while doing well. Our mission is to be the trusted financial solution for Americas heroes and their communities, and this offering will help us achieve that. StreetShares announces plans to launch Americas first business credit card for the veteran business owner community. The card will fill the gap in the marketplace for a payment product uniquely focused on the needs of the nations 2.5 million military veteran business owners. StreetShares will use a portion of its proceeds from every card to support training and educational programs for military veterans and military spouse entrepreneurs. StreetShares has provided over $150 million in financing for small businesses through term loans, the Patriot Express lines of credit, and specialty financing products for government contractors. Multiple studies, such as those conducted by the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University, suggest that military veteran business owners are a highly underserved population. The addition of a credit card to the product suite will provide veteran business owners with a convenient payment and financing tool to handle everyday expenses. Veterans love to help other veterans. StreetShares is a veteran-run company, and the goal of the card is not only to provide a veteran focused payments tool, but also to benefit the veteran community as a whole by funding programs that benefit veteran entrepreneurship. said Mark L. Rockefeller, CEO/Co-Founder of StreetShares and an Iraq War Veteran. Veterans will use their card to do good while doing well. Rockefeller added. Our mission is to be the trusted financial solution for Americas heroes and their communities, and this offering will help us achieve that. StreetShares is expected to launch the card in the second quarter of 2019. Interested veteran business owners can sign up to join the waitlist at http://go.streetshares.com/join-our-waitlist About StreetShares StreetShares offers unique financial solutions for America's heroes and their communities. StreetShares' technology captures the social loyalty that exists within the military community and harnesses that trust to lower risk in financial transactions. StreetShares offers alternative investments, including a veterans social-impact investing product called Veteran Business Bonds. StreetShares is veteran-run and located outside of Washington, D.C. To learn more, please visit: StreetShares.com. Our collaboration with Poetry Northwest will provide students with the pleasure of reading fresh and contemporary selections, inspiring a love of reading and providing an experience from which to expand their writing capabilities and creativity. Today, StudySync announced a new content partnership with Poetry Northwest, one of the longest-running poetry journals in America. StudySync will be using the journals archived poems in its core StudySync ELA curriculum to boost middle and high school students literacy and appreciation of language. Poetry Northwest was founded as a quarterly poetry journal in 1959 and soon gained an international reputation for publishing some of the best established and emerging poets in the United States, Canada, Great Britain and beyond. The journal explores the ways that poetry intersects with and informs (or is informed by) the other arts and sciences, the way that poetry has adapted to new technologies and modes of composition and distribution, as well as the role that poetry can play in restoring sanity, nuance, and balance to civic discourse. We are delighted to be working with StudySync, said Kevin Craft, the executive editor of Poetry Northwest. We have been sparking and nurturing a love of poetry for six decades, and our archives are one of the great treasures of American literature, filled with themes that StudySync students will no doubt find interesting, instructive and useful as they work to become more thoughtful writers and readers. With recommendations from Poetry Northwest, StudySync selects poems and develops curriculum around each poem including suggestions for further reading. "Studying poetry can be a rewarding experience for students, expanding vocabulary and improving critical analysis skills, adds Robert Romano, CEO of StudySync. In addition, and equally important, our collaboration with Poetry Northwest will provide students with the pleasure of reading fresh and contemporary selections, inspiring a love of reading and providing an experience from which to expand their writing capabilities and creativity. The complete StudySync ELA curriculum provides students in grades 6-12 with a diverse library of more than 1,700 fiction and nonfiction texts, with rich multimedia lessons and new content added daily. In addition to reading and writing, students view video episodes that model academic collaboration by peer-aged students. The poems will appear in the products Blast lessons -- short reading and writing assignments on relevant cultural topics and global current events. Students respond in short answer social media-like format, engaging in thoughtful discussions with peers. ABOUT STUDYSYNC StudySync is a leading developer of the most engaging, socially connected, and rigorous academic learning products for grades 6-12. StudySync, its hallmark offering of the same name, is an award-winning, comprehensive English language arts curriculum. The companys most recently-released product, SyncBlasts, expands the companys scope to include an engaging, supplemental digital inquiry solution for social studies and science classrooms. For more information about technology-relevant educational products from StudySync, visit http://www.studysync.com. McGraw-Hill Education is the exclusive distributor of StudySync products in the United States. ABOUT POETRY NORTHWEST Poetry Northwest is a semi-annual print poetry journal founded in 1959 in Seattle, Washington. The magazine is currently affiliated with Everett Community Colleges Written Arts program. It has published incisive, thought-provoking and cutting-edge poetry from poets around the world, including such writers as William Stafford, Joyce Carol Oates, Raymond Carver, Annie Dillard and Mary Oliver. It is regarded as one of the most important poetry journals publishing today. # # # The new terminal, served by Norfolk Southern and CSX Railroads, will initially provide 120,000 gallons of propane storage, along with a four-position rail rack and two truck loading racks. The new MARS terminal is an example of how Superior strategically builds efficient, safe and fully automated terminals that play a crucial role in delivering fuel to underserved markets. Superior Energy Systems has completed its most recent propane terminal build for Tri Gas & Oil, which will operate as affiliate Mid-Atlantic Rail Services (MARS). Superior spearheaded all efforts in the design, engineering, permitting, construction, startup and commissioning of the brand-new Baltimore terminal. Family owned and customer focused, Tri Gas & Oil offers energy solutions to both residential and commercial customers in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Superior exceeded our expectations with this terminal build, said Keith McMahan, chairman and CEO of Tri Gas & Oil. From the initial design phase to commissioning, the Superior team focused on quality, efficiency and customer service at every step. Now we can provide an additional midstream source of propane to our growing community. MARS will serve the Mid-Atlantic region with a reliable source of propane by providing destination delivered supply or railcar through put arrangements. The new terminal, served by Norfolk Southern and CSX Railroads, will initially provide 120,000 gallons of propane storage, along with a four-position rail rack and two truck loading racks. Double-acting compressors quickly unload and recover vapor from railcars. Turbine pumps allow for loading rates of 550 gallons per minute, with capability to load up to six trucks per hour at an average rate of 18 minutes per truck. Local daily switching service from The Canton Railroad provides up to three switches a day in the peak of winter. This translates to product delivered into as many as 36 trucks per day when it is needed most, said Andy Ronald, NGL consultant with JAR Consulting, LLC. Conveniently located just north of Baltimore Harbor off Highway 95, the terminal allows trucks access to bulk propane product. Fuel transport trucks in Maryland are prohibited from entering the tunnel system, typically traveling over bridges instead. The strategic location of MARS allows for the convenient use of the Francis Scott Key Bridge when accessing from the south of Baltimore. The Canton Railroad, a Class III switching and terminal railroad in Baltimore County, operates the terminal. Superior led design efforts to extend the railway siding to create adequate space for the terminal. The new MARS terminal is an example of how Superior strategically builds efficient, safe and fully automated terminals that play a crucial role in delivering fuel to underserved markets, said Derek Rimko, vice president of operations for Superior Energy Systems. Our excellence in engineering quality and design, combined with our commitment to customer service, continue to set us apart in the midstream market. A grand opening event and tour of the terminal is planned for spring and will be open to the public. For information on the event, please contact Crystelle Markley at crystelle(at)superiornrg.com. About Superior Energy Systems, Ltd.: For more than 40 years, Superior Energy Systems has brought together engineering, manufacturing, construction and safety expertise to focus on operational excellence. We provide the best in turnkey LPG and NGL systems and infrastructure solutions as well as safety and compliance training. We have manufactured more bulk plants and trans-shipment terminals throughout the United States than any other company and have over 1,000 autogas dispensers located across North America. In addition, we design, engineer, construct and service vaporizers and mixers, rail towers, metering and odorant skids and stand by fuel systems. Visit us at our Cleveland headquarters or learn more at SuperiorNRG.com. About Mid-Atlantic Rail Services: Mid-Atlantic Rail Services provides unbranded petroleum products to wholesale customers in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. MARS is a new addition to the Tri Gas & Oil family of companies. With this addition, we are able to increase the transport and service area of our unbranded petroleum-based fuels to our wholesale partners. We offer fuel delivery, risk management, supply physical and financial hedges, fixed pricing, spot contracting, index, and swaps/options. For rail and supply needs, please contact Randy Marshall, Director of Logistics & Rail Operations (rmarshall(at)trigas-oil.com), or John Dalina, Director of Supply (jdalina(at)trigas-oil.com), or by calling our office at 1-888-229-9245. Find us online at http://www.trigas-oil.com/wholesale. About Tri Gas & Oil: Since its incorporation in 1963, Tri Gas & Oil has proudly been serving the Eastern and Western Shores of Maryland and Delaware and surrounding areas. We provide propane, heating oil, petroleum-based fuels, and propane appliances to area homes and commercial businesses. Find us online at http://www.trigas-oil.com. # # # Lias diverse skillset and strong leadership skills will help the OCLA Special Projects group continue to grow and diversify, strengthing the company's position in this robust market. Swinerton is pleased to announce that Lia Tatevosian has been promoted to Division Manager for the Orange County & Los Angeles Special Projects Division. Lias diverse skillset and strong leadership skills will help the OCLA Special Projects group continue to grow and diversify, strengthing the company's position in this robust market. Lias responsibilities as Division Manager will include maintaining and strengthening our already strong Swinerton Culture and brand in OCLA, client satisfaction, succession planning, consistency in operations and realizing the companys vision moving forward. Lia brings over 24 years of experience in the construction industry and over 22 years with Swinerton, starting her career here as a field Project Engineer in May 1996. After serving a variety of roles within our organization including Project Executive and Chief Estimator, Lia has spent the past five years as Swinerton OCLAs Operations Manager. Lia also serves on the Board of Directors of The Swinerton Foundation. Lia has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from UC Davis and loves spending time with her three children, Mara (19), Luca (17) and Ella (10). In her spare time, Lia proudly serves on the Architecture Construction Engineering (ACE) Los Angeles/Orange County Chapter Board, an organization that exposes high school students to the ACE disciplines and provides direction, scholarships and internships in their desired fields. Lia also serves on the Architecture and Design (A+D) Museum board in Los Angeles, whose mission is to celebrate and promote an awareness in progressive architecture and design in everyday life through exhibits, educational programs and public outreach. Lia was one of the co-founders of Women in Construction Operations (WiOPS) and served on their Southern California board for five years until 2017 and earlier this year was recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal Publication as one of The Most Outstanding Women in Construction & Design, and by Bisnow as one of LA's most influential women in the construction industry. An active lifestyle is fun and beneficial especially when you are over 65, Michael Dorazio, Executive Director for Landon Ridge Alamo Ranch Independent Living. In addition to announcing its sponsorship of the Texas Senior Games, Landon Ridge Alamo Ranch Senior Living invites the public to an open-house brunch Sunday, March 31, 2019. The event is at Landon Ridge Alamo Ranch Independent Living at 11300 Wild Pine from 11 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. An active lifestyle is fun and beneficial especially when you are over 65, Michael Dorazio, Executive Director for Landon Ridge Alamo Ranch Independent Living. With our Texas Senior Games sponsorship, it important to stress the importance of senior health. Landon Ridge Alamo Ranch amenities feature a fitness center, walking trails, wellness programs like dancing, weight training and even sit-and-stretch exercises that can help residents live a healthier life. Tours of the Landon Ridge Alamo Ranch community, which features spacious cottages and apartments, resort-style amenities, fine dining and a 24-hour concierge, will be offered with the brunch. In addition, visitors will have the opportunity to tour Landon Ridge Alamo Ranch Assisted Living and Memory Care at 11349 Alamo Ranch Parkway. Please RSVP to Landon Ridge Alamo Ranch Independent Living at 210-816-4700 to reserve brunch seating or for a tour. # # # About Sagora Senior Living Sagora Senior Living, based in Fort Worth, Texas, currently operates 39 retirement communities in five states, each with a unique focus on retirement lifestyle choices including independent living, assisted living, respite and memory care. The companys mission is to serve and celebrate the wisdom of their residents and family members by enriching their lives with a Resident First philosophy developed locally within each community. For more information about Sagora Senior Living, visit http://www.Sagora.com. Our consistent AM Best A rating is a true testament to our financial stability and goal to protect dentists better than any other insurance company. The Dentists Insurance Company has earned the AM Best A rating for the 25th consecutive year. AM Best Company ratings include comparisons to peers and industry standards as well as assessments of operating plans, philosophy and management. The A (Excellent) rating is a reflection of TDICs financial strength and its mission to provide the best insurance products and related services to more than 24,000 policyholders. Our commitment to providing high quality service is the reason so many dentists trust us with their business, said Daniel Davidson, DMD, TDIC board chair. Our consistent AM Best A rating is a true testament to our financial stability and goal to protect dentists better than any other insurance company. For nearly 40 years, TDIC has upheld its promise of protecting dentists and their practices by consistently reviewing trends, auditing service processes and evolving with changing markets and policyholders needs. TDIC recently merged with Dentists Benefits Insurance Company and Northwest Dentists Insurance Company to extend its exceptional legacy and comprehensive suite of insurance products to policyholders in 15 states. AM Best Company is a global credit rating agency with a unique focus on the insurance industry. Insurance professionals, brokers, regulators and consumers refer to Bests Credit Ratings as an opinion of the financial strength and creditworthiness of risk-bearing entities and investment vehicles. For more information about The Dentists Insurance Company, visit http://www.tdicinsurance.com. About The Dentists Insurance Company Founded in 1980, The Dentists Insurance Company, a subsidiary of the California Dental Association, underwrites Professional Liability policies, Commercial Property, and Workers Compensation coverage exclusively for dentists. Rated A (Excellent) by AM Best Company, TDIC insures more than 24,000 customers and is endorsed by 10 state dental associations and societies. AM Best Company rating effective March 2019. For the latest rating, access http://www.ambest.com. The Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend, now in its 22nd year, is a four-day music festival coming Thursday, April 18th- Sunday, April 21st to The Orleans Hotel and Casino. VLV is the Longest Running Music Festival in Las Vegas and The Largest Rockabilly Event in the World, featuring bands and fans from over 30 countries around the globe who come to experience Rockabilly & Original 50s Music, a Classic Car Show, Burlesque, Vintage Fashion Show, Dance Lessons and Competition, Tiki Pool Parties, Swimsuit Contests, Burlesque Bingo, Pin-Up Beauty Academy, Pin-Up Contest, over 120 Vendors, a Bowling event, Tattoo Lounge and more. VLV annually attracts up to 20,000 of the most eye-catching, stylish, head-turning people you will ever see in one place. Some of the biggest attractions this year include: The Reverend Horton Heat, Wanda Jackson and The Delta Bombers performing at the Car Show on Saturday, April 20. Filmmaker and comedian John Waters will host the VLV Burlesque Showcase Friday Apr 19 at 8 p.m. in the Orleans Arena. The Viva Las Vegas Car Show is one of the largest classic car shows in North America, featuring 800 1,000 vintage cars, all pre-1964, as well as famous movie cars, the annual VLV Pin-up Contest, and 5 bands (including Linda Gail Lewis, Jerry Lee Lewis sister). One day tickets are available for the car show. The Stars of Rockabilly and the Rock n Roll Stars shows are two of the most popular attractions for the fans, featuring legendary musical acts from the 50s, all in one place. No other festival puts together shows with as many original 50s acts as this! (Featuring Ray Campi (sometimes called The King of Rockabilly,) Billy Harlan, Don Woody, Freddy Cannon, The Majors, Sandy Nelson). VLV has international Rockabilly bands coming to perform from the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Australia, Canada, The Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong and Russia, some of whom have never played the U.S.! It all happens at The Orleans Hotel and Casino, 4500 West Tropicana Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89103. Tickets are available for the event until they sell out. The Hi-Roller passes for the 4-day festival event have sold out in advance 11 years in a row. (Separate tickets are available for the Car Show.) VLV works with several other hotels to provide discounts to accommodate the fans traveling from far and wide. For all VLV Media Inquiries, contact alisha(at)vivalasvegas.net. Click here for all Press Releases. Facebook / IG/ Website Uptrust logo So many of these issues from housing, to financial hardship, to childcare, to FTAs are related. Its about tackling the problem earlier, before it gets worse, said Jacob Sills, founder of Uptrust. Uptrust, a court reminder text message communication tool, has officially launched a partnership with the Tulsa Public Defenders Office (TCPD) and Family & Childrens Services (F&CS). Uptrust, TCPD and F&CS will work together to connect TCPD with defendants via text message to remind them of their court and scheduled legal appointments while also connecting those in need with F&CS social services. Many times, the underlying cause of a FTA is not because the client is a flight risk. Instead, most FTAs are the result of client challenges around transportation, child care issues, mental health support and addiction recovery needs that exacerbate legal violations and often result in unnecessary incarcerations. The technology partnership will reduce costs and taxpayer burden for Tulsa County by improving client/attorney communication. So many of these issues from housing, to financial hardship, to childcare, to FTAs are related. Its about tackling the problem earlier, before it gets worse, said Jacob Sills, founder of Uptrust. We hope to replicate this partnerships mission and continue to seek ways to mitigate or even avoid unnecessary incarcerations, that this program allows us to focus on the root of the problem: what else may be going on in these defendants lives. Uptrust helps reduce and even eliminate FTAs and bench warrants by helping law enforcement focus on their most impactful work. Local governments spend more than $9 billion on unnecessary pretrial incarceration, and an additional $1 billion issuing and enforcing FTAs. Further, bench warrants have been shown to become expensive and wasteful of both taxpayer and law enforcements time and funds. We are excited to partner with F&CS to better serve our out of custody clients and reduce the failure to appear rate in Tulsa County. Uptrust has had great success in other jurisdictions and we are grateful to be able to introduce it here, said Tulsa County Public Defender Glen Blake. To date, Uptrusts messaging system has reduced FTAs by more than 50 percent in certain jurisdictions, with 30 percent of users texting back to their attorney, continuing the correspondence. The platform provides a communication and reminder tool similar to many modern dentist or doctor appointments. Family & Childrens Services is delighted to be working so closely with the Public Defenders office, helping individuals successfully exit the criminal justice system while supporting the need for longer term sustainability. Connecting individuals to housing, employment, transportation and child care strengthens families for more successful outcomes, said F&CS Women in Recovery Chief Program Officer Mimi Tarrasch. Partially funded by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, TCPD is one of 12 jurisdictions joining the Safety and Justice Challenge, a national $148 million initiative to reduce over-incarceration by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails. ### About Uptrust Uptrust is a text message-based communication and engagement tool helping defendants arrive at court for their scheduled hearings and other mandatory appointments. By improving the relationship between the criminal justice system and defendants, Uptrust has proved to keep low-income defendants out of jail on bench warrants and technical violations, while also saving attorneys time and reducing the cost to the municipality or county. Uptrust currently is contracted with more than 15 public defender offices around the US, and reaches over 100,000 defendants. Uptrust is a public benefit corporation supported by the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, RFK Human Rights and the Heising-Simons Foundation; it has offices in San Francisco, CA and Northampton, MA. To learn more about Uptrust, visit http://www.Uptrust.co. About Tulsa County Public Defenders Office The Tulsa County Public Defenders Office is tasked with protecting the rights of indigent criminal defendants in Tulsa County. The agency, which includes 43 attorneys, handles around 9,000 criminal cases a year, including over 1,500 probation revocations and accelerations per year. The Public Defenders office mission is to achieve the best possible results for the individual based upon the unique circumstances of each clients life. About Family & Childrens Services For nearly a century, Family & Childrens Services has been the place to turn for help with problems that seem overwhelming and too difficult to handle alone. The agency restores childrens well-being, heals victims of abuse, strengthens individuals and families, and provides hope and recovery for adults suffering from mental illness and addictions. Today, its life-changing services help one in six Tulsans. About the MacArthur Foundation The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. MacArthur is placing a few big bets that truly significant progress is possible on some of the worlds most pressing social challenges, including over-incarceration, global climate change, nuclear risk, and significantly increasing financial capital for the social sector. In addition to the MacArthur Fellows Program, the Foundation continues its historic commitments to the role of journalism in a responsible and responsive democracy, as well as the strength and vitality of our headquarters city, Chicago. More information about the Foundations criminal justice reform work can be found at http://www.macfound.org/criminaljustice. Francis By approximately two months after the stem cell therapy, Francis symptoms were reduced and only 'mildly problematic.' A leader in the field of Regenerative Veterinary Medicine, VetStem Biopharma has been providing autologous adipose-derived stem cell services to veterinarians across the United States and Canada since 2004. The primary indications for VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy are osteoarthritis as well as bone and soft tissue injuries in the dog, cat, and horse. Recently, VetStem teamed up with the world-renowned San Diego Zoo to provide stem cell therapy for an arthritic sun bear named Francis. In September 2018, VetStem CEO, Dr. Bob Harman, alongside local veterinary surgeon, Dr. Holly Mullen of VCA Emergency Animal Hospital and Referral Center, assisted San Diego Zoo senior veterinarian, Dr. Deena Brenner, to provide stem cell therapy for Francis. According to an article released in the March 2019 issue of ZooNooz, a San Diego Zoo publication, Francis is a 21-year-old sun bear who was diagnosed with arthritis in multiple joints. The worst of Francis arthritis was in his elbows and hips, which helped to explain why he was increasingly stiff and moving slower. Dr. Holly Mullen, a VetStem-credentialed veterinarian who has been providing VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy for over ten years, lent her expertise by administering Francis stem cell injections into his arthritic joints and also intravenously. After careful observation by several members of the Zoo staff, it was noted that Francis stiffness, gait, and activity level began to improve. By approximately two months after the stem cell therapy, Francis symptoms were reduced and only mildly problematic. In a 90-day follow up evaluation, it was reported that Francis continues to do well. Vetstem founder and CEO, Dr Bob Harman, has authored several articles about the benefits of stem cell therapy. He also co-wrote a chapter on stem cell therapy for zoo animals with San Diego Zoo Safari Park veterinarian, Dr. Matthew Kinney, in the 9th edition of Fowlers Zoo and Wild Animal Medicine Current Therapy. Though mesenchymal stem cell use in zoological medicine is in its infancy, successful cases like Francis help to broaden the potential applications of stem cell use as a therapeutic modality to improve the health of all animals. About VetStem Biopharma, Inc. VetStem Biopharma is a veterinarian-led Company that was formed in 2002 to bring regenerative medicine to the profession. This privately held biopharmaceutical enterprise, based near San Diego, California, currently offers veterinarians an autologous stem cell processing service (from patients own fat tissue) among other regenerative modalities. With a unique expertise acquired over the past 15 years and 17,000 treatments by veterinarians for joint, tendon or ligament issues, VetStem has made regenerative medicine applications a therapeutic reality. The VetStem team is focused on developing new clinically practical and affordable veterinary solutions that leverage the natural restorative abilities present in all living creatures. In addition to its own portfolio of patents, VetStem holds exclusive global veterinary licenses to a large portfolio of issued patents in the field of regenerative medicine. "The students put in a lot of work making their videos, and had a lot of fun too. This years voter turnout is expected to be larger than ever," said Eric Joseph Esoda, President/CEO of NEPIRC. Public voting polls for northeastern Pennsylvanias Whats So Cool About Manufacturing? (WSCM) Student Video Contest will open Wednesday, March 27, 12:01 am and run until Friday March 29, 11:59 pm on the http://www.whatssocool.org website. Everyone throughout the northeastern Pennsylvania community is welcome and encouraged to vote. The video with the most votes will receive the Viewers Choice Award. The videos will also be reviewed by a panel of judges for awards in five other categories, including Outstanding Editing and Outstanding Educational Value. "The students put in a lot of work making their videos, and had a lot of fun too. This years voter turnout is expected to be larger than ever," said Eric Joseph Esoda, President/CEO of NEPIRC. The program promotes STEM education and gives students a new perspective for opportunities in manufacturing careers, and I think it benefits students and manufacturers alike to see modern manufacturing through young students eyes. Presented by the Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (NEPIRC), the WSCM Student Video Contest, gives 8th grade students in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike and Wayne counties the opportunity to connect directly with local manufacturers, discover what is "cool" about todays manufacturing industry and record their experiences through documentary video production. The students are able to gain new perspectives and experiences then present them in an educational way. The contest was created to generate excitement that draws students toward considering manufacturing career paths to create a 21st century workforce. Partnering with NEPIRC for the project are Manufacturers Resource Center, eMediaWorks, Sahl Communications, Inc., the PA Department of Community and Economic Development, Lackawanna College, and NEPIRCs Board of Directors. Educational resources, student camera kits, professional media training from eMediaWorks, student training materials and other project costs were funded by a number of local sponsors, including a generous donation from the PPL Foundation. Platinum level sponsors include the PPL Foundation, the Lackawanna Workforce Investment Board and the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development. Educational sponsors include Keystone College and Luzerne County Community College. LPL Financial is the contests Silver level sponsor this year. Strategic partners include eMediaWorks and Sahl Communications, Inc. For more information visit http://www.WhatsSoCool.org, https://facebook.com/WSCMNE and https://twitter.com/wscmne About Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (NEPIRC): NEPIRC is a not-for-profit organization that has been providing world-class professional services exclusively to manufacturers throughout northeastern and northern Pennsylvania since 1988. NEPIRC works with manufacturing clients on consultative engagements designed to address their unique challenges and maximize their profitability. NEPIRC promotes manufacturing in the region and helps small and medium-sized manufacturers generate business results in today's technology-driven economy. NEPIRC is committed to providing solutions to the region's emerging need for workforce development strategies that support manufacturing now and in the future. About Whats So Cool About Manufacturing?: Developed by Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC), the WSCM program is a video based educational tool that increases awareness of career paths in manufacturing. MRC developed this innovative career awareness program which at its core is "peer marketing" (kids telling kids what's so cool about manufacturing jobs). The contest is showcased on the What's So Cool Website, https://www.whatssocool.org and shared nationally through the Manufacturing Institute and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership platforms. The contest is expanding across the Commonwealth and the country. Inside Pennsylvania there will be 15 regions conducting contests this year. This contest gives students the opportunity to connect with local manufacturers, document their experiences and present them in an educational and cool way. The contest was created to generate excitement that draws students towards manufacturing career paths and STEM education. Elder law attorney Anthony J. Enea, member, Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano, LLP Without any written plan whatsoever, your intended wishes as to whom will receive your estate and handle your affairs can easily go by the wayside. According to a new study released earlier this month by Age Wave and Merrill Lynch, nearly half of Americans over 55 have not created a last will and testament and fewer still have executed a healthcare proxy and/or durable power of attorney. Westchester elder law attorney Anthony J. Enea, member at Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano, LLP in White Plains and Somers, N.Y., recently shed light on the importance of last wills and advance directives including the potential negative implications that can be avoided once they are in effect. A last will and testament allows an individual to specify how (and to whom) their assets are to be distributed after they pass away. While a last will does not control jointly held assets, if a spouse passes away with assets in his or her name alone and no named beneficiary, the lack of a last will can have significant negative consequences. Mr. Enea believes that every adult, whether they are married, single, have children, or dont have children, can benefit from executing a last will and testament. Without any written plan whatsoever, your intended wishes as to whom will receive your estate and handle your affairs can easily go by the wayside, said Mr. Enea, who has spent the past three decades protecting the rights of seniors, the disabled and their families. In the absence of a last will and/or trust, the laws governing intestate distribution (not your wishes) will control the outcome of your estate and virtually anyone can apply to be the estates administrator. The new study, Leaving a Legacy: A Lasting Gift to Loved Ones, revealed that among those age 55 and older, only 55 percent had executed a last will and a mere 18 percent have a last will, durable power of attorney and healthcare proxy in place. All power of attorneys are not created equal and, unfortunately, this document is all too often an afterthought in many estate and long term care plans, noted Mr. Enea. The most frequently seen problem with a standard short form durable power of attorney form is its lack of broad gifting powers. This prevents the agent from making transfers to protect the assets of a principal that has become disabled or taken ill. In the absence of broad powers, the incapacitated person's family must often commence a guardianship proceeding with the court to obtain the powers to make the necessary transfer. It is an expensive and time-consuming procedure. Enea continued, Regarding your healthcare proxy, its important to ensure that you only have one named agent and alternate agent. All too often the proxy is executed with two named agents, which is not legally permitted in New York. Your agent should also know your specific wishes regarding your health care and end of life in case you are no longer able to make these decisions. A strong leader in Westchesters legal community, Mr. Enea is chair of the New York State Bar Associations Senior Lawyers Section and president of the Westchester County Bar Foundation. He was named Westchester Countys Leading Elder Care Attorney at the Above the Bar Awards and Best Lawyers 2019 Trusts & Estates Lawyer of the Year in White Plains. A past chair of the New York State Bar Associations Elder Law Section, Mr. Eneas practice areas include elder law; Medicaid asset protection trusts; Medicaid applications (home care and nursing home); special needs planning; guardianships (Article 81 and 17-A); and wills, trusts and estates. Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano, LLP is located at 245 Main Street in White Plains, N.Y. with additional offices in Somers, N.Y. Elder law attorney Anthony J. Enea can be reached at 914-948-1500 or a.enea@esslawfirm.com. For the latest news, visit Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano online at http://www.esslawfirm.com. About Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano, LLP Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano, LLP is an AV preeminent rated elder law firm with offices in White Plains and Somers, N.Y. The practice concentrates on Elder Law; Medicaid Planning; Nursing Home and Home Care Applications; Wills, Trusts and Estates; Guardianships; Estate Litigation; Supplemental Needs Trusts; and Special Needs Planning. Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano, LLP serves Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, the Bronx, Manhattan, Long Island and Queens and is committed to providing the highest quality legal services to seniors, the disabled and their families. Visit the firm online at http://www.esslawfirm.com. During a check presentation ceremony, Potomac Edison awarded Frederick County YMCA with $1,875 in incentives for energy-efficient upgrades. The check was presented to the YMCA by Potomac Edisons Energy Solutions for Business Program for its installation of lighting improvements above the swimming pool. The project included the retrofitting of fluorescent high-bay lighting to LED vapor tight high-bay lighting. The upgrades are expected to save the YMCA more than 2,900 kWh, which is equivalent to the energy used to charge 261,494 smartphones or to power the average Maryland home for more than nine months. Potomac Edisons Energy Solutions for Business Program offers rebates to Maryland commercial and industrial customers for qualified upgrades to more energy-efficient lighting, which not only helps save energy but also provides longer lasting, brighter and significantly less maintenance than traditional lighting. Fixing lights above a pool is challenging and dangerous, said Tim Dunn, Vice President of Facilities and Information Technology for the YMCA of Frederick County. The corrosive environment causes lamps to burn out faster and need to be changed more often. With incentives from Potomac Edison, the YMCA was able to make improvements with the help of Catoctin Lighting, resulting in lower maintenance fixtures and therefore fewer lamps to change. And the benefits go beyond decreased maintenance. Improved pool lighting increases the visibility and safety of the pool area. It enhances contrast and highlights transitions between the pool and decks, walkways, stairs and other hard-to-see places. The result is a safer, more accessible environment for the YMCA community. We have been working with the YMCA for over ten years and have had the opportunity to work with Tim and his team on many energy-saving lighting projects, said Jim Richards, President of Catoctin Lighting Services. We specified and supplied the LED fixtures and submitted the rebate paperwork on their behalf. About Potomac Edison Potomac Edison, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., serves about 270,000 customers in seven Maryland counties and about 140,000 customers in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Follow Potomac Edison at potomacedison.com, on Twitter @PotomacEdison, and on Facebook at facebook.com/PotomacEdison. EmPOWER Maryland programs are funded by a charge on your energy bill. EmPOWER programs can help you reduce your energy consumption and save you money. To learn more about EmPOWER and how you can participate, go to energysaveMD.com. If you are new to iQ you can schedule a demo and learn more about this opportunity. 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. Some scientists are truly extraordinary mentors. Take, for example, professor Charlotta Turner, a chemist at Lund University in Sweden, who in 2014 received a text from her Ph.D. student telling her that he might not finish his thesis in time. When she learned that her student, Firas Jumaah, was in fact hiding with his family in an Iraqi factory as armed members of the Islamic State group roamed the streets outside, she leapt into action and worked with the universitys security chair to arrange a daring rescue operation. But for every heroic mentor, there are just as many horror stories about bad ones. Unfortunately, most mentors dont always have the tools or training to provide the proper support to their mentees (and, unfortunately, some just dont care). One way to address this issue is by learning the science behind great mentoring, as Jay and colleagues discussed on a panel recently. Instead of relying solely on personal anecdotes or their own gut intuitions, the panelists described theories and research on how to manage the most important relationship in science: the one between a mentor and mentee. Here, we share three lessons from that event. Becoming a better mentor should be a central concern for new faculty members starting their own labs, but also for graduate students and postdocs mentoring research assistantsand even for more senior faculty members who are continually striving to improve their mentoring. Our capacity for growth as mentors is a lifelong journey. Read the whole story: Science The Society of Experimental Psychologists has awarded its most prestigious honors to APS William James Fellows Nora Newcombe and Linda B. Smith in recognition of their pioneering achievements in experimental psychology. Newcombe, editor of Psychological Science in the Public Interest and a professor of psychology at Temple University has received the 2019 Howard Crosby Warren Medal for her distinguished research contributions on fundamental aspects of cognition and development, with emphasis on spatial cognition and the development of memory. The Howard Crosby Warren Medal recognizes outstanding achievement in experimental psychology, and was the first major award in American psychology when it was established in 1936. She received APSs highest honor, the William James Fellow award, in 2014, in recognition of her lifetime of contributions to basic science. Her highly influential research on the development of spatial cognition has demonstrated how both children and adults can improve these skills through training and play, and that some of these abilities, such as using maps, develop even earlier than once thought. Newcombes adaptive combination model of the development of spatial cognition has shed light on how information sources are combined through psychological mechanisms that prioritize sources based on their potential usefulness. In the realm of memory research, Newcombe has proposed that the hippocampal maturation necessary to support explicit episodic memory may not occur until around 2 years of age. Later in life, this early absence of specific memories may then lead to infantile amnesia, a phenomena in which our earliest memories become impossible to retrieve as older children and adults. In 2014, Newcombe presented her neoconstructivist approach to cognitive development as part of her APS William James Fellow Award Address at the 26th Annual APS Convention in San Francisco. Linda B. Smith, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Indiana University, Bloomington, has received SEPs 2019 Norman Anderson Lifetime Achievement Award for her groundbreaking theoretical and empirical work on cognitive development, including comprehensive theories based on dynamic systems, and how the infants natural predispositions and visual world interact to guide object name learning. She is a 2018 recipient of the APS William James Fellow award. Her model of perceptual classification has provided an essential framework for conceptualizing the developmental shift from the tendency to classify objects by overall similarity as very young children to classifying objects using identical dimensional identities such as color, size, or shape alone as adults. Smith and collaborated with developmental scientist Esther Thelen to establish a dynamic systems theory of early human development. This theory draws on a mathematical approach to the study of change to link the processes of exploration and selection to the development of self-organizing perception-action categories. Smiths work on the shape bias in young children has also significantly advanced psychological sciences understanding of language acquisition. Her research in this area has demonstrated that children of 2 to 3 years in age will extend a novel name for one object to other objects of the same shape for example, tractor to John Deeres, ride-on mowers, and antiques regardless of variation in texture and size. This and other mechanisms support childrens ability to learn large numbers of words very quickly. Most recently, Smith has been using head-mounted cameras and eye trackers to study how infants view of the world contributes to cognitive and visual development. Her studies in this area link vision and machine learning, and are among the first to connect infants unique visual environment to object name learning. Smith spoke on the relationship between infant and machine learning during her APS William James Fellow Award Address at the 30th APS Annual Convention in San Francisco in 2018. She was also a keynote speaker at the 2017 International Convention of Psychological Science in Vienna, where she highlighted the intersection of object identification and linguistic learning in children. Established in 1904 by the British psychologist Edward Bradford Titchener, the Society of Experimental Psychologists, SEP is the oldest, most prestigious honor society dedicated exclusively to psychology. The societys purpose is to honor its members and gather for annual research presentations by its fellows. SEP membership, currently totaling 220 individuals, is by invitation only. References Newcombe, N. S., Drummey, A. B., Fox, N. A., Lie, E., & Ottinger-Alberts, W. (2000). Remembering Early Childhood. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9(2), 55-58. doi:10.1111/1467-8721.00060 Smith, L. B. (1989). A model of perceptual classification in children and adults. Psychological Review, 96(1), 125-144. doi:10.1037//0033-295x.96.1.125 Citing Californias anti-SLAPP laws, lawyers for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and the groups executive director Lin Oliver will seek to have a defamation suit filed against them by Thirteen Reasons Why author Jay Asher thrown out. In a motion shared with PW this week, lawyers for the defendants argue that Asher cannot establish a probability of success on the merits, and that as a public figure, his complaint should be stricken under Californias robust anti-SLAPP statute. Anti-SLAPP laws are designed to protect against lawsuits (known as SLAPPsStrategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) that would otherwise chill free speech and coerce parties into remaining silent. In addition, lawyers argue that Caifornia's anti-SLAPP statute essentially "requires" that Asher be ordered to pay the defendants' legal fees and costs. "SCBWI and Ms. Oliver have been forced to respond to Plaintiffs meritless Complaint by filing this anti-SLAPP motion, thereby incurring significant attorney's fees." Accused by several women of sexual harassment last year, Asher steadfastly denied the charges and in January filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleging that Oliver and SCBWI made "false and defamatory statements about him that unfairly damaged his reputation and career." Asher is seeking monetary damages for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. In seeking to strike Ashers complaint, however, attorneys for Oliver and SCBWI argue that since Asher cant show that any of the defendants statements were extreme or outrageous or "intended to inflict emotional distress," he is unlikely to prevail. In response to serious allegations in the children's publishing industry and against Plaintiff specifically during the height of the #MeToo movement, SCBWI and Ms. Oliver acted in a careful and measured manner to address the issues facing them, the motion states. Plaintiff seeks to blame SCBWI and Ms. Oliver for the negative fallout caused by his own bad decisions and poor behavior. No evidence Plaintiff will be able to produce will show that any emotional distress he claims to be suffering is anybody's fault but his own. In the filing, attorneys for Oliver and SCBWI informed the court that they plan to make their motion to dismiss in an appearance scheduled for April 23. In a statement to PW, Asher's attorney, Patrick L. Fisher, said the defendants' motion to strike the suit was routine, and without merit. We hope the judge allows us to prove to a jury that SCBWI knowingly issued false statements to the media. There was no allegation, investigation, or finding that Mr. Asher violated SCBWIs code of conduct. An investigation would have shown these relationships were between consenting adults that Mr. Asher had no power over and did not harass. An investigation would have shown this to be a continuation of vindictive harassment Mr. Asher has been subjected to for a decade. SCBWI used its status to greatly damage the reputation of one of the countrys leading young adult authors, someone who spent his entire career standing up for victims and fighting harassment." Asher, through his attorney, also responded to the filing. I repeatedly tried to get Lin Oliver to set the record straight. I provided her with witnesses who could refute the allegations, but she refused to contact them. I offered proof with emails, texts, and a polygraph test, but she refused to investigate. Instead, she relied on anonymous and contradictory claims. This left me no choice other than filing a lawsuit to set the record straight. This story has been updated to include statements from Jay Asher, and his attorney. After some five years of contentious debate and negotiation, the European Parliament today voted to approve a sweeping copyright reform bill supported by publishers and media companies, but which critics say could harm free expression online and fundamentally alter the way the internet works. By a 348 to 278 margin, MEPs approved a final version of the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, including two controversial provisions: Article 11, which will require web aggregators (like Google News) to negotiate with media companies for sharing snippets of their works; and Article 13, which observers say will require web platforms hosting user-generated content to filter uploads for intellectual property violations. In a joint statement on the EU web site, Andrus Ansip, v-p for the digital single market and Mariya Gabriel, commissioner for digital economy and society, welcomed the outcome. Today's vote ensures the right balance between the interests of all playersusers, creators, authors, presswhile putting in place proportionate obligations on online platforms, the statement reads, claiming that the copyright revision will still protect free expression online while improving the position of creators in their negotiations with big platforms which largely benefit from their content. In a separate statement, Rudy Vanschoonbeek, president of the Federation of European Publishers, also praised the votes outcome. This Directive, the most hotly contested I have ever seen, will modernize copyright and bring certainty to stakeholders in a number of important areas, Vanschoonbeek said. The FEP represents 29 national publisher associations in Europe. In recent weeks, the years-long battle over the directive had become eerily reminiscent of the SOPA/PIPA battle in the U.S. in 2011 and 2012, with tech companies and the public lining up against the EU directive, and publishers and news organizations supporting it. More than 240 media groups had signed a letter of support for the EU Directive. Companies like Google, on the other hand, as well as organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation were lined up against it. "We understand that laws need to be updated and adapted for the internet age," reads a Google press release. "However, the proposed EU Copyright Directive may have unintended consequences that could limit the variety of information available online." 'The proposed EU Copyright Directive may have unintended consequences that could limit the variety of information available online...' Meanwhile, with EU elections coming up in May, the measure is unpopular with voters. More than five million signed an online petition against the directive, with thousands of protesters taking to the streets last weekend to pressure lawmakers to vote no on the directive. In addition, a number of popular internet services, including Reddit and Wikipedia, went dark last week in protest. "Despite what EU lawmakers believe, we dont live in a world where a few large rights holders control the copyright of the majority of creative works," argued Cory Doctorow, one of the directive's staunchest opponents, especially articles 11 and 13, on the EFF web site. "Every Internet user is a potential rightsholder. All three billion of them. Article 13 doesn't just require online services to police the copyrights of a few giant media companies; it covers everyone, meaning that a small forum for dog fanciers would have to show it had made 'best efforts' to license photos from other dog fancier forums that their own users might reportevery copyright holder is covered by Article 13." Despite the vote to approve the copyright revision, the battle is not over. The measure will next get a vote in the coming weeks before the Council of the European Union, though observers say passage there is not in doubt. And as a directive (rather than a regulation) each EU member state will then have two years to rewrite their own national laws to comply with the directivea prospect that could still prove contentious in some member states. LITHUANIA: Following a competitive tender, national railway Lietuvos Gelezinkeliai has awarded Skinest Rail subsidiary Vitras-S a contract worth 938m plus VAT to reinstate the line connecting Mazeikiai with Renge in Latvia, which had been closed in controversial circumstances. RUSSIA: A framework agreement for the development of a suburban rail network in Krasnodar was signed by Russian Railways Chief Executive Oleg Belozerov and regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev on March 12. SAUDI ARABIA: Testing company TUV Rheinland has handed over the Independent Competent Person certificate for Saudi Railway Cos ETCS Level 2 deployment on the NorthSouth Railway, completing formal acceptance by the national Public Transport Authority. Bahrain plans to provide commercial 5G services by June, subject to availability of consumer handsets and equipment, the government has announced. Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed, Bahrains minister of transportation and telecommunications, said preparations for the rollout of the kingdoms 5G networks are now complete. The regulator will allocate licenses and spectrum by the middle of April, he added.5G technology will enable a greater volume of data transmission at higher speeds, supporting interactive technologies like virtual reality and fuelling the growth of 4K video streaming and high-end gaming.Our leadership in 5G reflects Bahrains appetite for innovation and sends a signal to the world that we can be a test-bed for some of the most transformative technologies. There were a lot of hurdles along the way ensuring spectrum availability as soon as possible was a big challenge, but overcoming these obstacles exemplifies the support and cooperation amongst all stakeholders in Bahrain and demonstrates how Bahrain can move quickly, deliver enormous progress against an accelerated timeframe, and be a partner to technology leaders, said the minister.VIVA Bahrain, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabias STC, last month signed an agreement to use Huawei products in its 5G network. Ericsson has partnered Bahrains state owned operator Batelco on its 5G network, while the Gulf island nations third telecom group Zain Bahrain is yet to announce a 5G technology provider.Commercial trials for 5G technology in Bahrain were held in June 2018.Bahrain joins the UAE Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the race to launch 5G services in the Gulf. Worldwide, South Korea , China, Japan and the US are also starting to roll out their 5G networks. While not yet a clear success or failure, Trumps America First foreign policy so far has not achieved the pillars of the administrations initial security strategy advancing American Influence. So finds a 2019 Rating World Leaders survey from Gallup, which found median global approval of U.S. leadership stood at 31 percent at the end of 2018, only a one-point improvement from 2017, when it was at a record low of 30 percent. President Trumps bellicosity in his speeches and on Twitter has caused many abroad to dislike him and, by extension, the United States. But there has been one notable exception in world opinion: Asked whether they approve or disapprove of the job performance of the leadership of the United States, South Korean respondents gave Gallup more positive answers from 2017 to 2018, up from 39 percent approval to 44 percent. It is difficult to imagine this burst of positive sentiment is unconnected to Trumps diplomacy with North Korea. Trumps instinct for restraint and his campaign promise of no more nation building is popular when it successfully influences U.S. policy. After an exchange of threats between the U.S. and North Korea in 2017, South Korean outreach resulted in joint-Korean cooperation in the February 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Shortly after, Washington changed course and began engaging with Pyongyang as well, progress that culminated in the historic meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore in June 2018. This attempt at building a peace regime was a vast improvement over previous spiraling escalation, so it is no wonder a plurality of South Koreans supported U.S. leadership and were hopeful for further progress at the second Trump-Kim summit in Hanoi. Although that most recent summit ended without a comprehensive deal, both sides left the door open to future diplomacy and seemed to understand deterrence will keep the peace. It should be evident that diplomacy is better than threats, but that is not always clear to Washington's foreign policymakers. U.S. administrations have traditionally worked to convince North Korea to give up all its nuclear weapons even though Pyongyang has no reason to do so. Each administration has used sticks and carrots, but Kim will never give up its only deterrence against being forced out of power the way Iraq's Saddam Hussein or Libya's Muammar Al-Gaddafi were toppled and executed with U.S. help. That is not surprising, as the desire to eliminate hostile foreign governments by force has long been a bipartisan temptation. The list of regimes the U.S. has attempted to overthrow is long and includes Iran, Guatemala, Congo, Cuba, Chile, and more. Open-ended wars of choicemost notably the Vietnam War and the 2003 invasion of Iraqare too common in American history and have been tremendously costly in lives and treasure. The administrations of former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama also all considered military strikes on North Korea specifically, though they ultimately decided against it. The United States has many areas for leadership improvement, but the Trump administration is right when it understands that Americans do not want multiple wars that span several generations. For instance, The Eurasia Group Foundation polled Americans, asking them how in general Peace is best achieved and sustained. Only 18.1 percent supported maintaining overwhelming strength and deploying it and even then only when America is attacked, or our vital interests are compromised by another power." These conflicts do not serve U.S. interests and harm our image abroad. The White House must continually refuse the hubris and temptation that come with commanding the world's mightiest military. A return to talk of preemptive strikes or a bloody nose attack on North Korea would be a grave mistake. A more diplomatic course is wiserand it would be more popular, too. Even when tensions reached new heights in 2017, world opinion, in general, was supportive of diplomacy to deal with North Korea. Gallup International conducted a snap poll between September 20 and October 1, 2017, which asked respondents about two options: "continue to try to reach a peaceful diplomatic solution" or "a peaceful diplomatic solution is not working; a military one is needed." Of the fourteen countries surveyed, on median 83.5 percent wanted diplomacy and just 16.5 percent favored using force. Crucially, 75 percent of Americans and 66 percent of South Koreans backed a peaceful solution. Trump succeeds when he chooses restraint instead of conflict and peace over continuing decades-long wars. In dealing with North Korea, he should double down on that instinct and listen to the American and South Korean people. John Dale Grover is a fellow with Defense Priorities and a writer for Young Voices. He is also assistant managing editor at The National Interest. His articles have appeared in The Diplomat, The Hill, Forbes, and the American Conservative. The first several months of 2019 have seen several notable developments in the areas of national security in space and strategic defense areas that are becoming inextricably linked, and of increasingly vital importance to the U.S. In early January, China landed its Chang'e-4 lander and rover on the far side of the Moon a notable accomplishment with considerable technological implications. In late February, the adversarial states of India and Pakistan engaged in cross-border hostilities a startling situation given the nuclear stakes involved. The Hanoi summit with North Korea in February concluded with President Trump walking from negotiations over the disagreement on denuclearization terms. And recently in March, Turkey seems poised to purchase several Russian S-400 missiles a move that could further complicate U.S.-Turkish relations, and perhaps impact U.S. geopolitical interests more broadly. Amidst the unfolding of these events, the U.S. government produced two important documents the timing of which couldnt be more appropriate considering current trends in space and strategic defense. In January, the Department of Defense released its 2019 Missile Defense Review followed shortly thereafter in February with the Defense Intelligence Agencys report entitled Challenges to Security in Space. The Missile Defense Review broadly lays out the DoD policy vision and challenges in missile defense, while DIAs report provides an unclassified assessment of key concerns, threats, and issues regarding security in space. Two things are key to take away from both documents. Number one is the alarming technological pace of peer competitors in designing, testing and fielding their strategic defense and space capabilities. Clearly, Chinas space and strategic efforts stand out, exemplified by head-turning achievements like their new Moon Lander. Number two is the growing imperative to plan, develop and test platforms and counter-measures that effectively and accurately address the realities of space security and strategic defense in the 21st Century. Where success in a real-life scenario or circumstance is dependent on effective testing and preparation, that advance work is most productive when it is realistic, accurate and relevant to the actual effort being addressed. For those who have served in a military uniform, it is why timeless aphorisms like The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat or Train like you fight not only resonate, but serve an important purpose. For those whove played organized sports, it may simply be Practice how you play. From a strategic defense perspective, the appropriate phase may be test to the threat. Nowhere is the need to test more effectively, and more accurately, more critical than in the area of missile defense. Simply, it is imperative that the U.S. continues to conduct missile defense testing in a way that while perhaps unconventional uses models, vehicles and targets that accurately mimic the capabilities actually being developed and operationalized by our adversaries. For example, targets should be used that as best as technology, capacity and cost can replicate incorporate the same physics of flight, the same signatures, the same profiles, size, and characteristics as those either being developed or used by our adversaries. Not only are space and strategic defense issues becoming more closely intertwined, but they are also marked by a heightened dynamism, accelerated development, a revolution in innovation, and a renaissance in risk. All of this necessitates new, adaptive, and flexible thinking about how to anticipate, match and hopefully overmatch our opponents. With peer competitors and hostile states quickly building and buying everything from hypersonic missiles to space-based systems to disable our defenses the need to answer their capabilities with accurate and frequent testing is pressing. In fact, the 2019 Missile Defense Review highlighting the intents and approach of the Missile Defense Agency recognizes this imperative and makes these points abundantly clear: Given the worsening missile threat environment, DoD must prioritize speed of delivery, continuous adaptation, and deliver enhanced performance at the speed of relevance. To do so, DoD must adopt processes and cultures that enable MDA and the Services to streamline and refine acquisition processes, ensure flexibility in the development, testing, and fielding of missile defense, and swiftly adapt systems once fielded. DoD and MDA will pursue a rigorous test program that enables us to counter evolving offensive missile threats, to include increasing the frequency of test events given the speed of adversary innovation. Moreover, accurately and frequently testing against threats as they currently exist in form (and as our adversaries are actually designing them) may be the critical factor in effectively preparing for, and ultimately preventing, a hostile strategic strike against the U.S. In balancing requirements and capabilities with limited resources, the burgeoning commercial launch industry may offer ways to achieve greater frequency of missile defense tests that provide a more precise modeling of the threat. The fundamental lesson is clear: preparation be it training, war-gaming, simulation or testing should be conducted in a way that closely matches the real event. In the context of strategic national security, if we as a Nation are going to spend precious resources on fielding the best capabilities to challenge our competitors whether in space or on missile defense we should encourage and continue the use of technologies that most closely simulate the platforms of our adversaries. To put it another way we need to test to the threat our national security depends on it. Steve Mosteiro is a former strategic planner, policy analyst and missile defense expert with the U.S. Office of Secretary of Defense and the Office of Secretary of the Air Force. Serving in the military is both an honor and a service to those who volunteer in this great country of the United States of America. Many potential volunteers are disqualified for various reasons. Thus the reason for my letter, I am a twenty-five-year-old man with a four-year college degree in history from Stony Brook University with high functioning autism. I have been rejected by the U.S. Army three times outright just from disclosing my diagnosis. I was also rejected by the U.S. Marine Corps twice after disclosing my medical records. I was never given the opportunity to take the ASVAB nor was I given an opportunity to appeal the decision. This is a personal fight for me, but this is also a fight for other people with high functioning autism. For far too long our right to serve and fight has been denied on the grounds of our disorder, but we are so much more than that. We have served before, and we continue to serve beneath the radar. I was even told by one of my recruiters to hide my diagnosis by not mentioning it. This is wrong as, just like in the case of ethnic minorities and LGBT service members before us, we shouldn't have to hide whom we are when serving. That is why Im asking the U.S. Government and Military to make high functioning autism a waiverable condition for military service. This waiver won't cover all people on the autism spectrum nor should it because Autism is a spectrum disorder. Functioning varies widely, from totally non-verbal to highly qualified and fully functioning individuals. The waiver would include individuals with Aspergers and other high functioning autistic people that dont have any sensory difficulties and those who dont need help in the past year in special education at school. The Medical Standards for appointment, enlistment, or induction into the military Services or DODINST 6130.03 along with DOD Directive 5124.02, establishes policy, assigns responsibilities, and prescribes procedures for physical and medical standards for appointment, enlistment, or induction into the Military Services. Is this waiver policy "Autism" under the category of learning, psychiatric and behavioral disorders? DODINST 6130.03 doesnt differentiate between the levels of Autism. It just says Autism Spectrum Disorder.[i][ii] Openly allowing those with autism to serve would raise standing for those in the autism community. Autism rates are currently at one in forty births in the USA, and the rates are even increasing. Just because you have Autism does not mean you don't have the desire to fight and serve for your country. There are also people with Autism that have served in the past successfully and even serve now. The rate of autistics that serve and have served may be higher than we think. There is one article where there are three veterans with autism, one in Korea, one in Vietnam, and one an Air Force Academy graduate. In these cases, they have served successfully with little problems.[iii] Some nations such as Israel already allow those with high functioning autism to enlist. I've included an article from Washington DC-based newspaper, The Atlantic about an Israel Defense Forces unit of teenagers with high functioning autism.[iv]There are a lot of patriotic autistic people out there who would like to contribute to their country by serving, and we need to recognize that. With autism rates at one in sixty-eight people and growing, we are a large portion of the population. It seems unjust that so many people who are willing to serve are not being given a chance. Autism can indeed bring many advantages to the table. One veteran with autism, Jason Meade, was a Machinist Mate in a nuclear submarine in the U.S. Navy from 1997 to 2003. He said during this time the Navy provided him with a good routine and he was good at his job. Submarine maintenance is where Meade excelled. Communication issues aside, the navy had pretty standard communication that helped him in his job. Another one D (name withheld for privacy reasons) is currently serving as a combat medic in the Alabama Army National Guard. He said his single focus helps him with his job. He is able to form a strong understanding within the medical community of his group. D even attests that they make wonderful carriers but often have to mask their struggles. These two individuals I interviewed were able to adjust to the strict discipline of military life and considered their service as something positive and rewarding they did in their life. From what they told me I felt more encouraged to fulfill this task. I realize that not everybody wants to serve in the military, even those with autism. I also recognize that military service is voluntary for everyone. However, that person with autism probably knows themselves better than anybody else and knows what they are capable of in the world. It is personally frustrating to be evaluated every day because of your disability. I know that I am not alone in feeling this way. I have read an article about an Army medic with autism that gave his life for our freedom in Afghanistan. Included is the web address.[v] I feel the need to pioneer and fight for those who dont have a voice. Individuals with autism need legislative support to get this ball rolling. My role in this letter is to act as a spokesman and voice for those that have been beaten down before me. My passion is that I will be able to serve openly as a military man that just happens to have autism. Why blanket discount a whole group of people who could do well in the military. Autism is called a spectrum for a reason, and there are different levels to autism, we're talking about the high functioning one. We are also talking about the ones who are making a conscious choice and know what they are doing. We are not being tricked, and we know what joining the military entails. I have served in the New York State Guard for the past three years, and continue to serve. The NY State Guard or just NY Guard is the unpaid, volunteer, auxiliary defense force of the state of New York. I have been through boot camp, and I understand the pressures such as PT and being yelled at by drill instructors. I made it through the other side, and I am currently serving as a radio operator. Every month I serve one weekend a month, and one week a year I go away to Camp Smith to hone my skills. With this experience, I am fully aware of what I am walking into, and it has not deterred my desire to want to serve my country. The one lesson to take away from this is that every person with autism is an individual first with different talents, desires and motivations. So many other people with autism who want to join and I should not have to lie to get in. This goes against our true nature in the world. We should not have to lie to get ahead in the world. We are people, and we want to serve just like everybody else. James Strack is a Stony Brook University graduate with autism wanting to serve in the military. Right now he works at King Kullen and Home Depot. He also serves in his local State Defense Force. NOTES: [i] https://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmotc/nami/arwg/Documents/WaiverGuide/DODI_6130.03_JUL12.pdf [ii] https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodd/512410p.pdf?ver=2018-03-15-115410-923 [iii]http://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/x/31231/employee+rights+labour+relations/Asperger+Syndrome+in+Military+Service [iv]https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/01/israeli-army-autism/422850/ [v] http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/24/local/la-me-jameson-lindskog-20110724 Last month month, ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum announced that they will proceed with construction of the >$10 billion Golden Pass liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility on the Texas Gulf Coast. This project would export up to 2.2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of LNG, and is just one of more than 50 LNG export projects to be approved by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). According to the DOE, since the startup of Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass LNG export terminal in February 2016, about 2 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of domestically-produced LNG have been exported to 34 different countries. Cheniere Energy was the first major LNG exporter, but they were joined last year by Dominion Energy, which opened its Cove Point LNG export terminal. This is just the tip of the iceberg, however, as the LNG export market is projected to surge over the next three decades. You can thank the shale boom for that. This Page Is Under Construction - Coming Soon! Why am I seeing this 'Under Construction' page? What Happened Russia is seemingly upping the stakes in Venezuela's standoff for friend and foe alike to see. In a deliberately visible event, two Russian aircraft reportedly landed at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas on March 22. One plane arrived with 100 Russian military personnel, including the chief of staff of the ground forces, Gen. Vasily Tonkonshkurov, while the other landed with 35 tons of unspecified military equipment. According to an unnamed Venezuelan military official, the Russian forces are there as part of an agreement to assist the South American country in military training and engage in cooperation. Why This Matters The Russian soldiers could be the first wave of additional troops that will arrive and remain in Venezuela. A greater Russian deployment would raise the stakes of a U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, as the use of military force to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro could ignite a direct confrontation with Russian military forces something that Moscow could bank on the United States wishing to avoid. Naturally, a semi-permanent Russian deployment could complicate U.S. efforts to oust Maduro, but it would allow Moscow to make strategic inroads into Washington's near abroad and deprive foreign energy companies the prospect of greater investment opportunities in the short term. But given Venezuela's importance to the United States, especially due to its geographic proximity, Washington could seek to counter Russia's actions in Venezuela with a more forceful reaction. Russia's Calculations If Russia does deploy even more forces to Venezuela, it would have to consider the size of the force. Realistically, Moscow's options run the gamut from a token force to a larger-scale mission along the lines of its intervention in Syria. A larger deployment would enable the country to bolster the Maduro government more effectively against internal threats, such as a military coup or a significant armed revolt. It would also allow Russia to spread its forces around the country, potentially deterring a U.S. intervention under the assumption that the United States would hesitate to launch military operations in Venezuela if it feared Russian casualties. In effect, Russia is calculating that the United States is unlikely to risk a wider war with Russia just to topple Maduro's government. Indeed, there is a precedent for such Russian behavior, as Moscow's increased presence in Syria restricted the United States' ability to strike and, ultimately, oust President Bashar al Assad. While a larger deployment would offer Russia greater ability to pursue its objectives in the country, it would also present some significant drawbacks, with cost being the most obvious concern. Yet another Syrian-sized deployment would place additional strain on Russia's ability to project force, especially since Venezuela is much farther away than the Levant. A larger, more visible deployment could also ensconce Russia in a potential quagmire, exposing its forces to more dangers and threats in the event that security worsens in the country. But there are potentially graver concerns for Moscow as well: An enhanced Russian military presence in Venezuela might not actually deter the United States from acting against Maduro. What's more, the prospect of a larger Russian deployment could even spur the United States to move early to intervene before Russia can entrench itself militarily. A smaller deployment would offer Moscow less room to maneuver, but it would not expose Russia to as much risk. A more limited deployment would be less expensive and offer Russia greater flexibility, as it could withdraw its forces much more rapidly in the event that Venezuelan security deteriorates. And while a smaller deployment is likely to present less of an impediment to the United States, it would also put fewer Russian troops in harm's way, thereby decreasing the chances of a wider military conflict. What to Watch For So far, Russia has sent few forces to Venezuela, and even then, most of these troops have been on temporary missions. The deployments include Wagner Group mercenaries, rotations of heavy bombers and the latest arrivals on March 22. Accordingly, we will be looking for indications that Russia is preparing to upgrade its presence in Venezuela by deploying troops for longer periods and preparing more forces and materiel for missions to the country. If the Russian government seriously intends to bolster Maduro, it is likely to deploy military forces in and around Caracas, as well as near oil production and export infrastructure. Of course, the U.S. reaction to this latest Russian move will also be on our radar. Thus far, there is no major indication that the United States is mulling a serious military intervention to preempt greater Russian activity in the country, but this could change if the Maduro government emboldened by Russian reinforcements conducts a bloody crackdown on its opponents. The U.S. strategy so far has been to focus on economic coercion to cripple the Venezuelan government and encourage military defections at the same time as it collaborates with Colombia and Brazil to contain the fallout. The United States will also evaluate the longer-term implication that Russia could establish a military foothold in the Caribbean basin, as that would undermine the core tenets of the Monroe Doctrine, complicating the U.S. imperative to prevent foreign powers from interfering in what it perceives to be its geopolitical domain. For the moment, the threat of U.S. military intervention has hampered the Venezuelan government's attempts to crack down on growing internal dissent. Indeed, Maduro's government is reluctant to arrest or exile the partially recognized interim president, Juan Guaido, for fear of kick-starting a potential U.S. military intervention. But if Maduro begins repressing the political opposition and other internal dissenters because he believes Russian forces have effectively eliminated the threat of a U.S. intervention, Venezuela's crisis will develop along two broad possible paths. On one hand, Maduro's opponents may perceive the Russian deployment as a sign they must act against the government sooner, rather than later. Depending on the extent of the plans to unseat Maduro, dissidents within the armed forces may attempt a coup before extensive Russian military deployments or a severe crackdown make that option impossible. On the other hand, the threat of a greater backlash from the government could convince officers sitting on the fence to swing back to the president's camp, making a coup much more difficult to carry out. Whatever the case, the prospects of a greater Russian presence on the shores of the Caribbean is likely to reshuffle the deck on Venezuela. Reprinted with permission from Stratfor Worldview. Ukraines presidential election is less than a week away, and no candidate will win outright with fifty percent. Comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy leads in the polls and will certainly be in the run-off election on April 21. The big question is whether he will face incumbent President Petro Poroshenko or former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Poroshenko leads Tymoshenko by less than 2 percent, so the race is tight. Poroshenko is counting on several things to put him into the run-off. One is the emergence of technical candidates meant to confuse voters. Two political nobodiesYuri Tymoshenko, a volunteer soldier, and Yuliya Lytvynenko, a TV journalistare meant to reduce Tymoshenkos vote on election day. Of course, every Ukrainian citizen has the right to propose her or his candidacy in the elections, yet these two candidates are so marginal that they are not mentioned in most opinion polls, and do not have campaigns or political movements behind them.The appearance of these two names on the ballot is a plain attempt to mislead those who would like to elect Yulia Tymoshenko. A certain number of voters will mistakenly mark the wrong line, giving their vote to Yuri Tymoshenko or Yuliya Lytvynenko when they had intended to vote for Yulia Tymoshenko. The successful registration of Yuri Tymoshenko and Yuliya Lytvynenko would not have been possible without the silent approval from the very state that currently benefits from large-scale Western support. Ukraines president, parliament, government, general procuracy, and electoral commission are permitting this and other trickery in the run-up to the presidential election, in spite of their loud adherence to Western standards and European values, as well as pompous claims for speedy accession to the EU and NATO. That this deceit is still being actively used in a country with a ratified and far-reaching association agreement with Brussels and a strategic partnership charter with Washington should give Kyivs Western partners reason for pause. Poroshenko and Yuliya Tymoshenko are very close to each other in the latest polls. This means that the previous irrelevant candidacies of Yuri Tymoshenko and Yuliya Lytvynenko could cost Tymoshenko the presidency. Because of the technical candidates, Yulia Tymoshenko could come third in the first round, but may not be ready to accept such a result. An uncompromising stance by Yulia Tymoshenko would gain legitimacy if the difference between her voters support and Poroshenkos winning result would be approximately similar or even smaller than the percentages acquired by Yuri Tymoshenko and/or Yuliya Lytvynenko. The outcome would be worse and indeed objectionable if Poroshenko would then go on to win in the second round. In such a case, it would become plausible to argue that Yuri Tymoshenko and/or Yuliya Lytvynenko stole Yuliya Tymoshenkos presidency. To be sure, the probability of the above scenario is low. Most likely, Poroshenko will either come in third, or he comes in second and the margin of his lead, compared to Yulia Tymoshenkos result, will be enough to avoid fundamental doubts. Technical candidates arent new to elections in Ukraine or the broader region. Subverting fair political competition by purposefully misleading voters through word games about the choices they are making on election day has been a staple of post-Soviet politics since 1991. Post-Soviet politics has a rich history of the creation of pseudo-parties associated with names and programs specifically chosen to confuse voters about the identities and ideologies of real competitors in elections. Perhaps the most infamous such example is Vladimir Zhirinovskiis ultra-nationalist Liberal-Democratic Party that the Soviet ancien regime invented in 1990 to discredit and obscure the real liberal-democratic movement emerging at that time. Since then, there have been hundreds of examples of elections, in the post-Soviet space, muddled by the appearance of so-called technical parties and candidates the names and programs which sounded similar to those of some genuine political force whose electoral support they were designed to dilute. One would have hoped that Ukraine has overcome this pathology, at least on the national level, after almost thirty years of independence, and its three pro-democratic upheavals in 1990, 2004, and 2013-2014. The fact that the incumbents political technologists use such cheap tricks in order to preserve his power is not encouraging. It is a stark illustration of the continuing rapaciousness, immorality, and pseudo-patriotism of the loudly pro-Ukrainian clan that currently dominates in Kyiv. While most Western observers hope for a continuation of Poroshenkos presidency after April 2019, their expectations of his second term, in view of the dubious tools his team has been employing, should not be high. Reprinted with permission from The Atlantic Council. Andreas Umland is senior non-resident fellow at the Center for European Security of the Institute of International Relations at Prague, principal researcher of the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation at Kyiv, and general editor of the ibidem-Verlag book series Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society distributed by Columbia University Press. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate Cardi B is celebrating the success of her "Please Me" music video. ADVERTISEMENT The 26-year-old rapper and former "Love & Hip Hop: New York: star thanked fans in an Instagram post Sunday after the video with Bruno Mars passed 100 million views on YouTube in less than a month. "100,000 Million views in less then a month!!!!!!" Cardi B captioned a screenshot from the video. "THANK YOU SOOOOOOO FREAKIN MUCH! Thank you Bardigsng and of course the hooligans! @brunomars," she wrote. Cardi B and Mars released the "Please Me" video March 1. The pair previously released a remix of Mars' song "Finesse" in January 2018. "Please Me" is expected to appear on Cardi B 's forthcoming second studio album. She said in an Instagram Live video in January she hopes to release the album in the spring. "Of course it's going to be an album in 2019," the star said, according to Billboard. "Hopefully I can get my album done around the same time that Invasion of Privacy came out." FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! Cardi B will kick off a Las Vegas residency show at Kaos at Palms Casino Resort this year. In addition, she is seeking to trademark her catchphrase "Okurrr." By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/25/2019 ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. , which is returning to Fox after 16 years, will premiere in May and feature reality TV star Kristin Cavallari as the host.Fox has announced the revival of will premiere with a two-hour episode on Thursday, May 9 at 8PM ET/PT.The reality dating competition series will air three nights per week, and Kristin -- who found fame on Laguna Beach followed by The Hills, and currently stars on Very Cavallari, which is in its second season on E! -- said she is "so excited" to host the revival this summer."This show literally has everything -- dating, love triangles, alliances, competition -- and I can't wait to stir the pot and have a front-row seat to all the drama!" Kristin said in a statement.will air over the course of five weeks.Following the Thursday night premiere, the series will air one-hour episodes on Mondays beginning on May 13 at 9PM ET/PT and Wednesdays starting on May 15 at 9PM ET/PT. Each Thursday night broadcast will be two hours long from 8-10PM ET/PT.Fox reality chief Rob Wade said Kristin will be the perfect host of because she "grew up on the frontlines of reality television" and will appeal to a new generation of viewers."The show is a fun balance of romantic love, cutthroat competition and humor," Wade continued, "and Kristin's unique experience, especially with live television, makes her the best person to navigate the wild, unpredictable moments."originally aired on Fox in 2003 and featured contestants competing for an "Ultimate Reward" mystery prize which turned out to be $500,000.'s new revival will reportedly follow a similar format as the original show, which featured singles of the opposite sex living, playing and hooking-up with one another in an exclusive resort in a tropical location (the original took place at a resort in Acapulco, Mexico).Each week, the pairings changed and the housemates evicted one of their fellow contestants and a new person joined the cast as a replacement.In a new twist, Fox's new revival will allow viewers to play along at home and use social media to try and influence what happens on screen -- including helping to decide who stays and who goes.The "modernized version of the international hit," according to Fox, is being produced by Mentorn Media and SallyAnn Salsano's 495 Productions.is being executive-produced by SallyAnn Salsano, Becca Walker, James Sunderland, Paul Osborne, and Celia Taylor.A soapy, Big Brother-like reality series, aired a 32-episode, twice-a-week run on Fox during Summer 2003. ( Click here to read Reality TV World's extensive coverage of the original edition.)'s strong ratings performance in 2003 resulted in Fox executives all but formally announcing their intentions to air a Summer 2004 edition of .However, rather than actually doing so, they instead decided to attempt to capitalize on the format's popularity by leveraging it into a new "never-ending" year-round Forever Eden reality series that flopped and was canceled only seven episodes after its Spring 2005 launch.Fox then contemplated bringing the original format back for another run for Summer 2005, but eventually decided against it.A couple of years later, Fox decided to revive for dual broadcast on MyNetworkTV, the then-new broadcast network Fox had launched after 2006's surprise The CW network launch left many former The WB and UPN affiliates (including nearly a dozen Fox-owned stations) without a network affiliation, and Fox Reality, a short-lived cable and satellite TV network Fox had launched in 2005.Dubbed 2, the revival premiered in February 2008 and consisted of only 16 episodes that aired once a week. It was not renewed. From Left: Doug Webb, Jim Kusserow, Grace Munoz-Riosm Raymond Camarena and Denise Marchant pose for a photo with their certificates of recognition Friday, March 22 during the 2019 Porterville Wall of Fame ceremony at the Porterville Heritage Center. Are fireXfighters using all the right stuff? On Tuesday, the UGA SGA 2019 election cycle will officially come to a close with the inauguration of the Empower ticket. All that remains are disintegrating stickers on odd-walls and bathroom stalls, along with a few lingering questions: How much money was spent? How many hours did they table? Where did all those stickers come from? The total direct tax collection stands at a little over Rs 9 trillion, giving the taxman just few days to reach the 2018-19 revised target of Rs 12 trillion., reports Shrimi Choudhary. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com The income-tax (I-T) department collected over Rs 4 trillion as advance tax from corporates and individuals as of March 15 in the current financial year, about 15 per cent more compared with the tax mop-up in the corresponding period last year. However, the total direct tax collection stood at a little over Rs 9 trillion, giving the taxman just two weeks to reach the 2018-19 revised target of Rs 12 trillion. Officials said it was an extremely difficult task to raise the remaining Rs 3 trillion in direct tax revenue before March 31. State Bank of India (SBI), ONGC, and Punjab National Bank said to have topped the list of advance tax payments, but the amounts could not be ascertained. However, it is learnt that the advance tax collection from the three companies, and from state-run banks, oil and gas public sector units (PSUs) and other government-owned entities like Life Insurance Corporation and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, was below expectations. It is also learnt that senior tax officials of some jurisdictions, including Mumbai, expressed their concerns to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the finance ministry about a possible revenue shortfall. The growth rate under different heads show some interesting trends. As of March 11, growth in the collection under tax deduction at source (TDS) grew 18 per cent to Rs 4.44 trillion, while self-assessment tax rose 6.5 per cent to Rs 83, 465 crore. However, the regular assessment tax (recovery from arrear and current demand) showed negative growth (-5.4 per cent) as compared to the same period a year ago. The Mumbai zone, home to 45 of the top 100 companies and responsible for one-third of the total direct tax collection, has managed to achieve 70 per cent of the target. The net collection of Mumbai stood at Rs 2.65 trillion against the revised target of Rs 3.82 trillion. Meanwhile, I-T refunds worth more than Rs 1.56 trillion have been issued to taxpayers, which are 11 per cent more than the last year's payout by the tax department. The increase of Rs 50,000 crore in the interim Budget 2019-20 has made the task of achieving the revised target difficult for the tax department. However, the department has been consistently putting efforts to maximise revenues and make up for the shortfall. The income-tax department has created various functionalities under its Project Insight, which will provide the 360-degree profile of taxpayers, including new and non-filers to gauge their accountability and tax liability. The tax department had on March 15 put out instructions for tax officials for accessing the insight. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com. From April 1, the income-tax department will keep a check on taxpayers comprehensive profile, including transactions, relationships, social networking and all other related information under its much-awaited Project Insight, slated to be fully operational from the beginning of the next financial year. According to sources, the income-tax department has created various functionalities under the portal, which will provide the 360-degree profile of taxpayers, including new and non-filers to gauge their accountability and tax liability. The tax department had on March 15 put out instructions for tax officials for accessing the insight portal. The move aims to capture the tax compliance of the assessees and to bring more people under the tax net. This would also help nab errant assessees during demonetisation and those having pending demands exceeding Rs 10 lakh. The information under the insight portal will be segregated. This will have the taxpayers master profile, including the individuals address, signature, the tax return profile, where key values of the return and processing will be accessed. Another segment will be business intelligence hub, which will provide filtered information and parameters to identify non-complaint taxpayers. This includes tax collection -- this would have monitoring of gross and net collection, refund and top taxpayers; tax base for monitoring ITR filers, new filers and tax base; taxpayers compliance dealing with non-filers and scrutiny cases; third party reporting -- monitoring of registration, filing and defects in the third party reports such as banks, financial intelligence unit, and other institutions mandated to flag off suspicious transactions. These apart, the insight portal will have an integrated system for managing the information in an effective manner. The objective of this system is to leverage machine learning in organising, creating, sharing and using it for getting the right perspective at the right time, said an official. Insight portal will also comprise information regarding cases related to demonetisation. In cases where substantial cash deposits were reported during the note-ban, a list of those were made available where tax sleuths could check the status of the matter (such as notices served, non-compliant) and so on. Similarly, to assist the assessing officer in recovery of demand, the insight profile view has been enabled for high demand cases exceeding Rs 10 lakh, where demand has been marked non-recoverable because of assesses not traceable or have inadequate assets. The portal will provide details of movable and immovable assets to help the tax department in recovering pending dues. Project Insight was launched in 2017, aimed to use big data analytics to match information from social media sites to deduce mismatches between spending pattern and income declaration. The making of Insight portal has been initiated by the income-tax department for data mining, collection, collation and processing of such information for effective risk management, with a view to widen and deepen the tax base. It will also help taxmen monitor high value transactions, and curb the circulation of black money. The tax department had signed a pact with L&T Infotech for implementation of Project Insight, which is designed to strengthen non-intrusive information driven approach for improving tax compliance. The steps include the launch of Operation Clean Money after demonetisation of old higher denomination currency for collection, collation and analysis of information on cash transactions, extensive use of information technology and data analytics tools for identification of high risk cases, expeditious e-verification of suspect cases and enforcement action. The portal has been created by using technology allowing them to collate databases of IT returns, IT forms, TDS/TCS statements and statement of financial transactions received from financial institutions. With unchecked powers and resources and unbridled access to the media, prosecutors can manipulate witnesses. Typically, the prosecutors are political animals, so theyre all about winning at all cost, not finding the truth. Rajat Gupta, 70, the first Indian managing director of McKinsey and who of 17 months in US prison for insider trading, gets ready to tell his side of the story. IMAGE: Rajat Gupta etches a self-portrait in the first sentence to the Preface in his memoir: I am an orphan. Immigrant. Businessman. Leader. Philanthropist. Role model. Convicted felon. A file photo of Rajat Gupta leaving Manhattan Federal Court in New York on June 8, 2012. Photograph: Andre Kelly/Reuters The cheekbones are more sharply defined, the hair tinged with grey. Those could be signs of natural ageing for Rajat Gupta, 70, the first Indian managing director of McKinsey, rather than the result of 17 months in prison for insider trading. The real difference is that Gupta, trim and dapper as ever, is far more forthcoming as an interviewee than he was in the early 2000s. Then, at the height of his powers, even innocuous questions about his creation, the Indian School of Business, yielded non-committal answers. Now, out of prison since 2016, he has plenty to say: Principally, that his conviction for insider trading in a scandal involving the flamboyant Sri Lankan-origin hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam was a miscarriage of justice. The result is this memoir, Mind Without Fear, the title drawn from the much-quoted English translation of a poem by Rabindranath Tagore. For someone whose life story was a model of the Great American Dream -- an Indian of modest means who rose to the highest circles of politics and business, mingling with the White House and Davos crowd -- his indictment in 2012 marked a stunning fall from grace. Many ascribed it to the hubris of the rich and powerful. But as Gupta writes ruefully, the critical error of judgement on his part was to not tell his story. He never spoke to the press, those writing books on the subject nor, most crucially, did he testify at his trial. Consequently, he says in the preface, the jury, the press and the public saw only... a cropped picture." "The judge went out of his way to block any reference to my character and to those aspects that mattered most to me.... [And] I missed the opportunity to tell my own story and to let the jury, and the public, see who I am directly. He helpfully etches a self-portrait in the first sentence to the Preface: I am an orphan. Immigrant. Businessman. Leader. Philanthropist. Role model. Convicted felon. The burden of his readable autobiography, written with understated bitterness but no false sense of modesty, is that he was the victim of a justice system that was searching for villains to assuage public anger when none of the high-profile investment bank CEOs suffered for the global financial crisis they had precipitated. I saw the underbelly of the US justice system, he says in a pre-launch interview to Business Standard. His book offers an interesting alternative insight into the storied US justice system, hinting at collusion between the justice department and the Securities Exchange Commission. And he is less than complimentary about Preet Bharara, then the famous crusading US attorney for the Southern District of New York. Typically, the prosecutors are political animals, so theyre all about winning at all cost, not finding the truth, he says. Proving insider trading, he points out, demands three criteria: the transmission of market-moving information, criminal intent and a quid pro quo or meaningful benefit from the tip-off. The trial established that Gupta did not benefit from allegedly passing on information to Rajaratnam, whom he says he knew only on a professional basis. So poor judgement, maybe? A rush of blood to the head? Guptas specific defence is that phone calls, involving Goldman Sachs and Procter & Gamble, on which his convictions hinged, were made to inquire about the fate of a Galleon fund in which he had invested called Voyager; he had discovered Rajaratnam had closed the fund without informing him or paying him his due share. IMAGE: A file photo of Galleon hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam departing Manhattan Federal Court after his sentencing in New York on October 13, 2011. Photograph: Lucas Jackson/Reuters The fact that these calls were placed immediately after those board meetings Gupta ascribes to his ultra-hectic globe-trotting schedule as a high-powered consultant to Fortune 500 corporations and a sprawling agenda of voluntary work, which the book describes in detail. As a consequence, he used the brief breaks between meetings to make calls. His September 23, 2008, call to Rajaratnam immediately after a Goldman Sachs board meeting (which he attended via a phone-in) approving a game-changing $5-billion investment by Warren Buffet, therefore, was one of many he had made to follow up on his Voyager investment, he says. The call lasted less than a minute. It was, according to phone records, the only call on Rajaratnams direct line (which was not tapped at the time) that day. After that, Rajaratnam called an aide into his office, who reappeared minutes later on the trading floor shouting, Buy Goldman Sachs. Four minutes before the New York Stock Exchange closed, Rajaratnam bought $25 million worth of Goldman stock, the value of which soared after news of the Buffet investment broke. The circumstantial evidence was strong, was it not? So heres what I remember about what happened, Gupta replies. In the morning, I had a discussion with Raj because by then I knew he had taken money out of Voyager and I had asked him for details. "He said he would send all the information that day. "When the [Goldman] board call finished I asked my secretary to call him. "Why would I ask my secretary to do this if I wanted to pass on insider information? "I cant remember if I even got to him or not. Probably not. "Because two hours later I made another call and left a message saying, I am trying to catch up with you. Why would I leave a message two hours later saying this if I had already caught up with him at 4 pm? So how does he explain the bulk-buying of Goldman stock minutes after his call? I dont know. But I know why I called and it had nothing to do with insider trading. Raj got information from all kinds of people. "The other thing is, the Goldman stock started going up at 1 or 2 pm, well before the board meeting. "Obviously, there must have been something in the market; why should the stock be going up when no board decision had been made? (It is worth noting that the name of a Goldman salesman and managing director David Loeb did come up in Guptas trial. Loeb was never charged but he abruptly quit the investment bank in 2013 for reasons that were never fully explained.) IMAGE: Rajat Gupta in a courtroom sketch during his appearance in the Manhattan Federal Court on October 26, 2011. Photograph: Lucas Jackson/Reuters Gupta offers a similar explanation for an October 23 call following a Goldman board meeting called to discuss laying off 10 per cent of its staff. The morning after, Galleon dumped a hefty amount of stock. In his book, Gupta writes that the information about the lay-offs had been leaked to the Wall Street Journal before the board meeting. [I]n this instance, Rajaratnam didnt need an insider at all to have known that dumping the stock was a wise move -- the leak had made that clear. Gupta does, however, recall the contents of a January 9, 2009, call following a P&G audit meeting to discuss declining sales growth. He says Rajaratnam asked him to call. When he did, it was to be told that the Voyager money was gone. After that, Galleon shorted a chunk of P&G stock but Gupta says he was not the source of this information. In fact, that was the last time he spoke to Rajaratnam - he was to meet him later in prison, where they played the occasional game of cards, chess or scrabble. As he points out, Rajaratnam, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison, was never charged on the Goldman or P&G transactions. So why was I the centrepiece of his case? The prosecutors were trying to get it out into the press because I was more visible and well-known. Rajaratnam later also told Gupta that federal agents had come to prison to persuade him to testify against Gupta, which he refused to do. With a counter-narrative like this, why didnt Gupta take the stand? Partly on the advice of his lawyer, the highly-regarded litigator Gary Naftalis, who suggested that doing so would be naive and stupid. And later, having witnessed the prosecutors at work, his wife, too, advised him against doing so. With unchecked powers and resources and unbridled access to the media, prosecutors can manipulate witnesses, he says. He described how two former McKinsey colleagues, Pramath Sinha and Ashok Alexander, were subjected to FBI questioning when they came forward as character witnesses. (These facts are not in the book but Sinha confirmed them, saying there were no direct threats but the tone of questioning was intimidating; ultimately, he says, only Alexander was able to testify, because the judge chose to drag out the prosecutorial process). For all his tribulations, Gupta retains his faith in his adopted country. Now into his eighth decade, he claims there is a certain amount of money I can afford to lose (insurance covered most of the $60 million legal fees that Goldman demanded, but he had to pay $26 million in fines and restitution, which was financially quite expensive). His prison regimen kept him fit, but he is trying to slow down. But then, you know, theres this project in Gujarat, and another fascinating one in Nigeria... At first look, the reader would be aghast at the similarities in the DMK and AIADMKs manifestos, wondering if the same hand had drafted both. Yet, when it comes to drinking water and irrigation supplies, both parties are equally silent on the subject -- as if summer did not exist, as didnt water scarcity, says N Sathiya Moorthy. IMAGE: File photograph showing a parched Chembarapakkam lake bed on the outskirts of Chennai. Photograph: PTI Photo Days after they had launched their respective manifestos on the same day, the ruling AIADMK and the rival parent DMK in Tamil Nadu have not mentioned a word about what their voters are possibly scared of the most during the Lok Sabha poll time this summer. Neither has mentioned the unforgettable drinking water scarcity that is already upon the state, and could be a major daily issue for the voters as the voting day, April 18, arrives, at the height of summer that is already here. At first look, the reader would be aghast at the similarities in the two manifestos, wondering if the same hand had drafted both. If in the past the common refrain was that only the proof-reader and an occasional editorial writer read these documents in full and in some detail, this time round, its possible even he needed to have read it only once -- if written by the same hand, and printed at the same press. So similar are the two manifestos that they have promised the very same things -- like farm loan-waiver, stipend/dole, and, of course, NEET exemption which the AIADMK state government has been enforcing and the DMK Opposition has been opposing. Where the two parties seem to differ, it may be on an odd issue, or in detail. Yet, when it comes to drinking water and irrigation supplies, both parties are equally silent on the subject -- as if summer did not exist, as didnt water scarcity. Whether or not they are able to do something about it, before or even after the elections, with the current elections mainly being for electing a government at the national level, their respective manifestos should have talked more about river links, beginning with those within the state, before traversing out. Already, villages and towns across the state are dotted with long queues of people, both men and women, young and old, waiting at the public water taps attached to government-built overhead tanks and manned by local panchayats. With local bodies elections long since forgotten, despite repeated reminders and warnings from the Madras high court, the state government is in charge of ensuring that there is water in the overhead tank and there is water in the taps. In urban and semi-urban centres, government-run tankers supply drinking water at street-corners, and they are already operational most part of the year. However, for long, suburban populations, whose ground water stocks are being tapped for urban supplies, have been complaining and protesting -- with little or no effect. In the past, they had also protested against ground water tapping, especially by private entrepreneurs and tanker-lorry owners, and have also arrested men and their vehicles until the authorities/police intervened. If such protests erupt overnight in any or many part(s) of the state and with a certain consistency between now and poll time, the chances are that radical left movements, outside of the mainstream polity, may be working with the people, as was the case with the liquor ban protests ahead of the assembly polls of 2011. This has been a recurring occurrence across the state on a series of other issues and concerns, earlier and later -- impeding at times developmental projects of the Kudamkulam N-plant and others, since. In between, the police firing on the anti-Sterlite protestors in southern Thoothukudy last year, claiming 13 lives, and the subsequent tough action against land-owners protesting take-over for the Salem-Chennai eight-lane highway, may have discouraged future protestors. However, drinking water is more immediate an issue than any other for people to take to the streets. So is election time a wrong occasion for the authorities (read: ruling party) to act tough on protestors. In the process, the absence of any blue-print for providing drinking water, irrigation and industrial supplies in the twin Dravidian manifestos may hit the young segments of the youthful majority of voters hard on their face. The election time is also examination time for most/all of them, and now with the campaign peaking, they would have questions for the politicos, for which no one has guessed any answer. If anything, going by the form and content of the rival manifestos, the Big Two Dravidian majors want the voter to forget water for the moment, and focus more on what all is on promise. Ask, however, economists and veteran economy managers of previous governments, they do not know where from the two parties hope to mop up the resources required for all the freebies schemes that they have announced. But the two party leaderships do not seem overly concerned. In their estimation, as over the past two-plus decades of economic reforms across the country, a state like Tamil Nadu incapacitated by the availability of basic natural resources like water, building on the social infrastructure becomes a modern-day necessity. Independent of whichever between the two is in power, the Dravidian majors are cued to this reality -- though they do not dress it up in the terms and phraseology of economists and sociologists. Independent of what economists may have to say on the various poll-promises of rival Dravidian majors in Tamil Nadu, the fact is that national parties, including the Congress-UPA with reforms architect Manmohan Singh as prime minister, and the preceding and succeeding BJP governments of Vajpayee and now Narendra Modi, too seem to have put electoral pragmatism above economic realism, all through -- and borrowing much of their ideas from the south Indian state. Less said about their counterparts from other states the better. Some of them have even despatched official teams to study Tamil Nadus social welfare schemes like Amma Canteen when Jayalalithaa was chief minister and other schemes, both under the AIADMK and DMK regimes, whenever some other scheme got rolled out -- and caught the imagination, either of the national media or of world organisations and governments -- or, both. N Sathiya Moorthy, veteran journalist and political analyst, is Director, Observer Research Foundation, Chennai Chapter. 'The Pollachi case will have a negative impact for the AIADMK alliance.' 'The BJP and AIADMK are in alliance in Tamil Nadu.' 'That may be the reason for the delay in the central government's approval for case transfer to the CBI.' Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com The biggest sex scandal in recent times is unfolding in Pollachi, Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, on the Kerala border, in which it was revealed that young women were lured through social media, videographed in compromising positions and blackmailed into having sex with various men. Shockingly, this terrifying assault on young women had been going on for seven years before it came to light. The case was first investigated by the local police and then by the CB-CID, Tamil Nadu police, before the state government decided to hand it over to the CBI. The case took a turn for the worse when a police officer not only named a victim, but also gave out her address. Then the state government named the victim in an order it issued. The court has now fined the Tamil Nadu government Rs 2.5 million to be paid to the victim for naming her. "I am very sure that he (the superintendent of police) deliberately revealed the identity of the victim. The state government's GO (government order) too did the same... This was done obviously to pressurise other victims not to come forward to make a complaint so that the bigwigs involved are protected," U Vasuki, vice president, All India Democratic Women's Association, tells Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar in an e-mail interview. In the 21st century where college students are aware of their rights, how come this scandal went on for seven long years? For friendship or love, trust is the basis. Is trusting someone wrong or betraying the trust wrong? Who is at fault? I fear that the whole discourse would turn around against the victim. The physical, psychological and social impact of sexual assaults cannot be underestimated. Despite awareness, the social stigma makes even an aware person hesitate to lodge complaints. In the Pollachi case, there are many sections of people that started advising dos and don'ts to girls, but not to boys. The chairperson of our state women's commission said that girls should nurture morality. (She actually meant that girls must have control over their sexuality). Then again, note that it is not meant for boys the concepts of friendship or love, and take us back to, I don't know, which century! Society keeps blaming women, their attitude, their dress, the timing when they were out on the streets etc. Then how do we account for child rape or an 80-year-old woman being gang-raped? The assembly speaker in Andhra Pradesh said women must be parked at home like cars so that there is no accident/sexual assault. He did not dare say that men must be parked at home to avoid violence. The recent 'Me Too' movement itself is a classic example of this hesitation for fear of social stigma for years together. Some are pushed to committing suicide. Some become chronic depression patients. Some families shift their residence. They may stop the girl from school/college. We really have a long way to go. Moreover, the money-spinning business, the patronage given by influential persons and the connivance of police is a dangerous mix which forms a criminal network that will prevent the victims from coming forward boldly. Do you think the police officer gave out the girl's and her brother's name and address to prevent other victims from coming forward? I am very sure that he deliberately revealed the identity of the victim. The state government's GO (government order) too did the same. Actually, the crime number is enough to transfer a case to another agency, no need to mention the name of the victim. Don't tell me that the SP and higher-ups in the government/DGP are not aware of the legal position regarding not revealing the identity of victims of sexual violence. They know it perfectly. This was done obviously to pressurise other victims not to come forward to make a complaint so that the bigwigs involved are protected. On the other hand, Bar Nagaraj (one of the alleged accused) was booked only under an assault case and immediately let off on bail. Cases against students/women activists are foisted. People who posted on their social network that the ruling party is involved are slapped with cases by the cyber crime police. No action has been taken against the police officer. Will your association pursue this? The Madurai bench of the Madras high court took up the case suo motu and has stated that disciplinary action has to be taken against the concerned police officials who disclosed the identity of the victim. Our organisation will pursue that. But the court did not recommend the same action for the officials responsible for the GO which contained the name of the victim. The court has only recommended to issue a modified GO. We will take it up also. As of now, we have given a complaint to the CB-CID regarding the mistakes and procedural lapses committed by the local police and attached whatever evidence we collected. For example, statement 161 (of those involved) was recorded by a male police person which is contrary to CrPC (Criminal Procedure Code) provisions; the culprits were not taken into police custody within 15 days of their arrest; they were not physically presented before the court for taking them from judicial custody into police custody, instead video conferencing was used. There are judgments rejecting that. Later, the accused can use all this as their defence. What does the CBI have to do to make other victims come forward? We need not teach the CBI how to get evidence, they are quite capable! Anyway, the central government is yet to give clearance to the CBI though the state government has already recommended the transfer of the case to the CBI. When it is done, we will give a petition to the CBI regarding other aspects. Do you have faith in the CBI as the ruling party in Tamil Nadu is in alliance with the ruling party at the Centre? The question is right. The BJP and AIADMK are in alliance in Tamil Nadu. That may be the reason for the delay in the central government's approval for case transfer to the CBI. The BJP government has consistently misused the CBI as a political instrument for their narrow political gains. That is why we have demanded that an honest CBI officer should lead the investigation under the direct monitoring of the high court. Are womens's associations such as yours planning to conduct independent investigation into the Pollachi crimes? We always try and meet the victims and the neighbours to ascertain the facts of the case before putting our weight beind it. It may not be a foolproof inquest. But to satisfy ourselves about the veracity of the complaint and to get some inputs which may have been missed by the victim herself because she will be unaware of so many aspects. In this case, we tried. But the victim's family was unwilling. The other victims are not known to us. Forensic examination will reveal the deleted videos in the cell phones. Are you going to put pressure on the government to make sure this evidence is not suppressed? The local press put the number of videos at about 100. Magazines like Nakkeeran already seem to be in possession of some of these. So, it will be very difficult for the investigating agency to hide the whole truth. We and other organisations will keep watching, certainly. Will the investigation slow down till voting day is out of the way? I have a feeling the central government may not give approval for the CBI probe before elections on April 18, or they may do it just a week before the elections. By the time the CBI makes its preparation and starts the investigation, it will be past the elections. Do you think this scandal will have an effect on the election? I am very sure the Pollachi case will have a negative impact for the AIADMK alliance. That is why they removed Bar Nagaraj from the party, quick transfer of the case to the CB-CID from local police and double quick transfer to the CBI. They are making Hindutva outfits blame our women's organisations and other organisations as Naxalites and Maoists who would create an anti-Sterlite-like situation and put people to danger by instigating violence and blowing this out of proportion. This shows they are feeling the impact. 'But that does not make him weaker than his adversaries.' IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi addresses a rally in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Photograph: Press Information Bureau "People are able to measure the distance between what has actually been achieved and what was promised -- and that does not put the PM in a position of strength," says Professor Gilles Verniers, author of two publications on Uttar Pradesh politics and assistant professor of political science at Ashoka University. "But the question is whether this disenchantment is strong enough to detach voters from the BJP and get them to vote elsewhere," he tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih in the concluding part of an interview discussing the crucial BSP-SP alliance, the sameness of the BJP's electoral formula and the political dynamics of UP. Is patriotism going to decide this election? Indian voters are very smart and it is very rare that they will vote on a single issue. No doubt, Pulwama and Balakot is an important electoral issue in favour of the BJP, but I don't think it will be a substitute to other issues that affect people's lives like joblessness, access to education, health, farmers's distress. It is yet another campaign issue which clearly favours the BJP, but it will be mingled with many other considerations grounded into local realities. Last time the Modi wave secured 71/80 seats in UP for the BJP -- that tally is expected to reduce with the BSP-SP alliance -- but Mr Modi's popularity is high, what will the Modi effect be this time? Modi's popularity is still high. Many people credit him for at least trying to do good. But people now have an opportunity to measure the distance between old promises and realisation. 4-5 years ago, he promised to transform UP into Gujarat, but by almost any measure, the situation in UP is worse than it was 4 years ago in terms of economic development, law and order, caste and communal violence. So there will be many who will hold him accountable for the promises made The question is whether this disenchantment is strong enough to detach voters from the BJP and get them to vote elsewhere. One rhetoric that works for the BJP is that voters are asked to vote for the national leadership and they have to choose between national parties and state-based parties. Akhilesh-Mayawati for UP, but Modi for the nation remains a strong argument. Mayawati's popularity remains very strong with her base, Akhilesh's too -- these are two parties with strong organisations and resources. One does not see a wave in favour of the BJP like in 2014. The Congress has not lost a back to back election since 1998-1999, what happens to the party and the family if it were to lose another? A party is never really dead in Indian politics. A party can sustain itself with microscopic vote share and some faithful family strongholds. It can go on like this for a very long time. It is up to the Congress to decide if they want to transform themselves. They have been punished by the electorate repeatedly in UP. It has had very little effect so far in terms of transformation of organisational culture. I don't see any dramatic change in the Congress party should they face yet another defeat. There is an interesting precedent in a party that could not perform in elections -- the Jan Sangh. It merged with the Janata coalition in 1977 and took a break for a few years to introspect and reinvent itself. In the process, it did not even need a change in leadership. The BJP was reborn with basically the same leaders -- L K Advani, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Murli Manohar Joshi who used the time to ponder and think to change that losing streak. They did that very successfully. In 2014, Modi was a three term chief minister contesting his first Lok Sabha election to become prime minister. In 2019, he is fighting to retain his office -- what differences do you see in him since then? I don't see much change. A lot of strength for the PM and the BJP comes from the RSS which is a rather unchanging organisation. The political style, rhetoric hasn't changed. From development for all, this time it is more about welfare and nationalism, but it is the same formula. This is also an advantage that the BJP presents -- consistency, cohesiveness and solidity in front of the electorate. It also depicts political cleverness, cunningness, sense of purpose, rarely seem in Indian politics. The energy they deploy in any and every election really has no precedent -- whether you agree or disagree with their purpose or not. It is the same old recipe, the same old formula that has worked for him, so why change? Does the prime minister's position seem stronger than it was 5 years ago? I wouldn't say that because he had a term that gave him opportunities to fulfill his promises. Earlier, he had to create a link between expectation and promises which is a comparatively easier thing to do. Now he has to create a link between promises and achievement. People are able to measure the distance between what has actually been achieved and what was promised -- and that does not put the PM in a position of strength. The PM is in a weaker position compared to 2014, but that does not make him weaker than his adversaries. Very few of his adversaries actually display a strength of their own with the exception of some regional parties. How will the BJP's fortunes in UP be this time? My sense is it is going to perform anyhow. In every election there are 16 to 20 factors that work against the BJP, but the BJP seems to overcome it. Their ability to mobilise cannot be underestimated -- their ability to canvass, its limitless resources, the charisma of the PM etc. It remains a formidable machinery. I won't be surprised if their vote share does not drop significantly in UP. There is a large floating population that has been voting in variation in UP. It is the floating electorate the decide the outcome of an election. These voters don't have affiliation to any party and decide who they will vote for at the last moment. Where do you see the Muslim voter in this election? There is no such thing as the Muslim voter. There are Muslim voters and they are as strategic as other groups in UP or India. There has been a long strategy of voting for the candidate that has the best chance of defeating the BJP. That is again going to work very strongly. I would expect the Muslim voters to provide a lot of support to the alliance -- the old risk of votes splitting between the SP-BSP and the Congress has greatly reduced by the presence of the alliance. The Congress also receives votes from Muslims in UP, fairly marginal, but Muslims will massively support the alliance. IMAGE: Since his arrival in India in 2005, Gilles Verniers -- assistant professor of political science at Ashoka University and co-director of the Trivedi Centre for Political Data -- has been a keen observer, researcher and writer on Indian politics. Photograph: Kind courtesy Dr Gilles Verniers This has effectively become a two party contest in UP which will benefit the BJP, don't you think? Realistically, the consideration of a fragmented Opposition is a better scenario for the BJP. Bipolar fights are closely contested because 2 to 3 players dent into the base of the opponent. In a way, the stronger the Congress is in UP, the better the chances for the BJP to win. What impact do you see the BSP-SP alliance having on the ground this time? It is the only strategy that makes sense for both these parties. There is no certitude that arithmetic alone would be sufficient. The election remains open and competitive. The question is whether the alliance will be able to gather votes outside the core base of both the parties. There is a big question mark on that at the moment. The alliance won the recent by-elections, but the BJP vote share also increased. So the election in UP is very open and competitive. Small distribution of votes can make the results go either way. I foresee many closely contested elections. What will be the big themes of this election? How different is this election from elections of the past? There is not much contrast from elections of the past. Economic questions will be at the forefront of most voters concerns -- which party is most likely to improve their economic situation and trajectory, and whether they hold the BJP responsible for lack of progress or not. At the end of the day, daily lives matter more than generic considerations including nationalism. There is a great sense of patriotism ingrained into people, but it is not necessarily a substitute for legitimate daily life concerns. I would expect those concerns to be at the forefront in determining how people are going to cast their vote. The BJP's losses in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, where the UP CM had addressed nearly 75 rallies, has put a big question mark on his ability to deliver in high-octane contests, reports Virendra Singh Rawat. In the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls in 2017, which subsequently morphed into a triangular contest between the Congress-Samajwadi Party combine, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party, speculation was rife about then Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath, lobbying for tickets for his candidates in about a dozen constituencies in eastern UP, or Purvanchal. It was no secret that Adityanath and his supporters, predominantly comprising the influential Hindu Yuva Vahini, a self-acclaimed social and cultural organisation founded by him, were at the same time peeved at the BJP not projecting him as the partys chief ministerial candidate. Adityanath, who is also the presiding seer of the powerful Gorakshnath Peeth monastic order, had been acknowledged to have wielded influence over 12 eastern UP districts, including Deoria, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Maharajganj, Sant Kabir Nagar and Siddharth Nagar. As things turned out, the BJP and allies, riding on the euphemistic Modi wave and aided by the division of votes, went on to score a stupendous victory at the hustings, winning 325 of the 403 seats. Adityanath, on the basis of preference of the partys elected legislators, was anointed the 21st chief minister of the countrys most populous state. The firebrand Hindutva leader, who had shared rather bitter-sweet relations with the BJP owing to his larger-than-life image in eastern UP pockets, was suddenly entrusted with an expansive canvas to govern and also extend the partys base in the state. Now having completed two years as chief minister, the report card of Adityanath is at best a mixed one. Even as the saffron party won 14 of the 16 urban local bodies mayoral posts in December 2017, the BJP suffered defeats in all the three parliamentary and one assembly by-polls held last year, including his own turf of Gorakhpur. While Adityanath prefers to discount these defeats by noting they did not alter the constitution of his government, the fact that the ruling party lost these by-polls with Adityanath at the helm had put a big question mark on his ability to deliver in high-octane contests. In this backdrop, the Lok Sabha polls are an acid test for Adityanath to prove his merit as a political leader, possessing the capacity to deliver beyond his traditional pocket boroughs of Gorakhpur and adjoining districts. The coming together of the SP and BSP just ahead of the crucial elections has made the path tougher for Adityanath, considering these two opposition parties represent 42 per cent of the vote in the state. Interestingly, the trial by fire for him becomes even tougher since he is up against the charm offensive of the Congress general secretary in charge of eastern UP, Priyanka Gandhi, who had recently led an impressive road show in Lucknow, alongside his brother and party president, Rahul Gandhi. Political commentator Sharat Pradhan said there was more hype around the personality of Adityanath than what was real. He has been touring other states for campaigning, but hasnt done any magic so far. The BJP faced poll reverses in Hindi heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, where Adityanath had addressed nearly 75 rallies, even as the opposition criticised him for allegedly neglecting UP while electioneering in other states. Further, Pradhan said the phenomenon of stray cattle destroying crops in rural areas would hit the poll prospects of the BJP. There is a strong undercurrent of anger among farmers, especially small agriculturists, since their livelihood is getting affected due to the menace of ever-increasing stray cattle. In contrast, Adityanath has been religiously talking about the successful holding of the UP Investors Summit 2018 and Kumbh in Prayagraj in 2019. Nonetheless, the Opposition has been sharpening attacks on his government over rising crime, including crime against women. A senior Congress leader slammed the government for functioning like an event management company and trying to conceal its failures. The accusation of graft and impropriety against the personal secretaries of three UP ministers, caught in a sting operation by a news channel in December last year, had put the state government in the dock. However, a large section of BJP supporters in UP and outside reckon Adityanath the rightful successor to BJP mascot Narendra Modi owing to their identical persona of propriety and austere lifestyle. The Karnataka BJP core committee had proposed only later Union minister Ananth Kumar's wife's name for the Lok Sabha seat, but Tejaswi Surya emerged the dark horse. "It's Tejaswi and not Tejaswini!"exclaimed the Twitteratti as the Bharatiya Janata Party central leadership sprang a surprise, announcing Yuva Morcha general secretary Tejaswi Surya as the party's candidate in its bastion of Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency. It was widely expected the BJP would field late Union minister Ananth Kumar's wife Tejaswini given her active participation in scripting her husband's victories from the seat six times, but 28-year old Surya emerged the dark horse. Ending the suspense with just hours left for the deadline for filing nominations for the first phase of polls, the BJP central leadership announced in the early hours Tuesday the name of Surya, a lawyer and the head of party's national social media campaign team. The delay in finalising the name had even fuelled speculations that prime minister Narendra Modi might opt for Bangalore South as the second constituency, apart from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Senior leader Ananth Kumar, who died last year after battling cancer, represented Bangalore South for six terms and had defeated IT czar Nandan Nilekani in the 2014 polls. His wife Tejaswini, an aerospace engineer, runs an NGO Adamya Chetana in memory of her mother-in-law Girija Shastry, a staunch Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh loyalist, who was active in politics as the member of Bharatiya Jan Sangh, the earlier avatar of BJP. Active in public life through the NGO, Tejaswini had worked as a scientist at Aeronautical Development Agency between 1993-1997 and also on the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA - Tejas) project. During her student days, she was very active in Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, and has also served as its state joint secretary and the national executive member. The Karnataka BJP core committee had proposed only Tejaswini's name, according to Padmanabhanagar MLA and former deputy chief minister R Ashok. Tejaswini was also confident about fighting the poll on BJP ticket and had been preparing for it and had started the door-to-door campaign when the suprise decision came. The party plumped for Surya from the RSS stable. Besides being a part of the BJP social media campaign team, he heads the the party's state IT cell. He will take on Congress Rajya Sabha member B K Hariprasad. "OMG OMG!!! I can't believe this. PM of world's largest democracy & President of largest political party have reposed faith in a 28 yr old guy to represent them in a constituency as prestigious as B'lore South. This can happen only in my BJP," Surya tweeted, reacting to the announcement. The reason behind projecting Surya, said BJP sources, was to build a second line of young and talented leaders who can lead the party and the nation. Endowed with oratorial skills, Surya was involved in strengthening the party base in Bengaluru as well as in coastal Karnataka, especially around Mangaluru and Udupi, the BJP strongholds. Following the denial of ticket to Tejaswini, her loyalists made a bee-line to her house. A group of her supporters shouted slogans, saying she should have been given the ticket. Tejaswaini, however, insisted that she remained loyal to party and she accepted their decision to ensure 'NaMo Again'. "I urge all the BJP karyakartas, friends and well wishers who are anxious and upset & still visting our house in large numbers, time to show we are a party with a difference. We are all committed to tread the path of ideology. And work for #NamoAgain2019," she said in a tweet. Later talking to reporters, she said there can be some sense of dissatisfaction because things did not happen according to one's beliefs. "It is but natural. But above all is the decision of the party... I have been telling my party workers, whatever the party has decided will remain binding on me. Nation first, party next and my interests come last," she added. Highly politically conscious Bangalore South has remained anti-Congress since 1977, barring once when former late chief minister R Gundu Rao got elected in the 1989 polls. Bangalore South has eight assembly segments, with BJP holding five and Congress three after the 2018 assembly polls. True to its cosmopolitan nature, the constituency has considerable share of Brahmin, Vokkaliga and Muslim voters and a mix of upper and middle class voters. The constituency was under the hold of the erstwhile Janata Party after the 1977, 1980 and 1984 general elections and from 1991-2014 in successive parliament elections, BJP has maintained its grip, mostly with Ananth Kumar, who first got elected to Lok Sabha in 1996, as MP. Bollywood actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who has been associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party for about three decades, will join the Congress at New Delhi on March 28, a senior party leader said on Tuesday. "Shatrughan Sinha will join Congress in New Delhi on March 28 at 11.30 am ... He will be our candidate from Patna Sahib", chairman for the state Congress election campaign committee Akhilesh Prasad Singh told newsmen. Sinha is a two-term BJP Lok Sabha member from Patna Sahib Singh but has been dropped by the saffron party which has chosen to field union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from the seat. Sinha has been openly critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. Speculation had been rife for some time that he would join the Congress, which is an ally of the 'Mahagathbandhan' which also consists of the Rashtriya Janata Dal and other local parties. Asked whether Sinha would be induced in the party in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi, as was being speculated in the media, Singh said Top leaders will be present on the occasion". Sources in the Mahagathbandhan had recently claimed that there was a tug of war between the Congress and RJD over Sinha's candidature as Lalu Prasad's party, with which the 'Bihari Babu' shares cordial relations, was said to be keen on fielding him on its own symbol. Congress has been contesting from Patna Sahib whenever it has fought the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the RJD and Singh's statement indicate that decks have been cleared for Sinha's candidature by the Congress leadership. Singh, however, dodged queries about Kirti Azad, another BJP MP who had recently joined the Congress saying he will be contesting elections. From where, it will be decided by the party. Azad is serving his second consecutive term in the Lok Sabha from Darbhanga and the Congress wants to field him from the seat as the constituency has a large population of Maithil Brahmins its traditional supporters. RJD has been insisting that it has won the Darbhanga seat many times and would like to contest it again with its senior leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui as its candidate. The New Hartford Land Trusts annual meeting will be held Wednesday at 7 p.m. at New Hartford Town Hall, 530 Main Street, 3rd Floor. The events special guest is John Mimmelman, an author, naturalist and illustrator who co-founded the Connecticut Butterfly Association, presenting Butterfly Neighbors This presentation will introduce all to the butterflies and moths in this area and answer questions about the lives and preferences of this fascinating group of insects. Himmelman will discuss butterfly families and species, life cycles, finding butterflies, and creating butterfly habitats. There will be a fun section on moths, cousins of the butterflies. TORRINGTON Owen Quinn, executive director of the United Way of Northwest Connecticut, and his team of tax assistance volunteers, are offering their services through April 11. This change is only possible because of the expanded number of volunteers we were able to recruit this year. And because of those volunteers, we were able to have close to a dozen of them become certified at the advanced level, giving them advance certification to become quality reviewers, said Quinn. The new system means an initial tax return once completed by a VITA volunteer is immediately referred to a quality review that reviews the return for accuracy and completeness and is then filed with the IRS before the customer leave the VITA site. Authorities at China's top science university have suspended a professor from teaching duties after he criticized President Xi Jinping's constitutional amendments allowing him to serve an indefinite term in office. Tsinghua University law professor Xu Zhangrun was recently notified by school authorities to cease performing any duties, and banned from teaching and counseling students, sources told RFA. The move comes after Xu published an article last July hitting out at the return of totalitarianism under the ruling Chinese Communist Party, including the abolition of presidential term limits and a cult of personality around Xi. He called for amendments nodded through by China's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC) in 2018 to be revoked, and for an end to massive international expenditure to boost China's influence overseas, as well as legislation requiring officials to publish details of their assets and financial interests. Xu also published articles in November and January hitting out at "red" imperialism and calling for an upgrade to China's political system. A friend of Xu's who requested anonymity confirmed to RFA on that he had been relieved of his duties at Tsinghua, although he remains on the payroll. An employee who answered the phone at the Tsinghua University law school declined to comment on . "We're not clear about this ... this wouldn't be for us to decide," the employee said. 'High-handed behavior' Beijing-based writer Zhang Yihe called on fellow Chinese intellectuals to stand with Xu. "There are many people talking about this in intellectual circles, but not many of them are brave enough to stand up," Zhang said. "Deep down, everyone, whether they are an intellectual or an ordinary citizen, is scared." "One shouldn't underestimate what is going on in China right now," he said. "We should take a very clear stance, regardless of whether we are on the left or right of politics, that it is unacceptable for an elite professor like Xu Zhangrun to be suspended from teaching class over one or two articles." "Everyone should be brave and speak out about this. Tsinghua University shouldn't be allowed to get away with such high-handed behavior," Zhang said. Zhang Lun, an economics professor at the University of Selci Pontoise in France, said Xu's fate was sealed as soon as he published his articles, however. "There are very few voices like Xu Zhangrun's in China right now ... who are willing to point out that the emperor has no clothes," Zhang Lun said. "I was pretty sure that Xu would be retaliated against as soon as those articles came out." "It would be strange if they didn't go after him, given Xi Jinping's insistence on social control and his throttling of freedom of expression," he said. "Chinese intellectuals should continue to speak out against such oppression and persecution." Xia Yeliang, a former economics professor at Peking University who now lives in the United States, agreed. "The Chinese Communist Party will come after you, regardless of whether you criticize them gently or more directly and openly," Xia said. "Academics who criticize the party's autocratic rule should be under no illusions; you can't give them advice in good faith ... you have to abandon these illusions and take the fight to them." New ideological campaign targets intellectuals Xu, 57, also served as the director of the Center for the Rule of Law and Human Rights at Tsinghua, and as a special researcher at the liberal Unirule Institute, which was shut down by the authorities last year. Last August, the Chinese government announced a new ideological campaign targeting the country's intellectuals, particularly those who may not be "patriotic" enough. The campaign was based on remarks by President Xi Jinping on "carrying forward the spirit of patriotic struggle," state news agency Xinhua reported at the time, citing a joint statement from the party's organization and propaganda departments. The campaign seeks to wage "unremitting struggle" among intellectuals so as to "strengthen unity," it said. In practical terms, all departments are being ordered to strengthen propaganda work, including "interpretation" of Xi's directives, by organizing study sessions for intellectuals, the agency said. Such sessions must "enhance the ideological identity, emotional identity, and value identification" of intellectuals in Xi's "new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics," the directive states. Individuals may also be singled out for such work, it said. Departments at all levels are required to submit concrete plans for the implementation of the directive, the report said. Bao Tong, a former top aide to late ousted premier Zhao Ziyang, has said the current regime is mimicking late supreme leader Mao Zedong in its approach to the party line. Reported by Ng Yik-tung and Tam Siu-yin for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Wang Yun for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Authorities in China are holding a prominent parent campaigner under criminal detention after she helped to organized protests over faulty vaccines last month. He Fangmei, the mother of a baby made sick by a faulty vaccine, was initially detained by police from her home province of Henan on Feb. 25 during a protest by parents of children affected by faulty vaccines outside the National Health Commission in Beijing, rights groups said. She was taken to an unofficial detention center at Majialou on the outskirts of the capital, before being sent back to her home city of Xinjiang on under escort. He, who is also known by her online nickname Shisanmei, was handed a 15-day administrative sentence on her arrival in Xinxiang. But instead of releasing her, the authorities issued a notice of criminal detention dated , and are continuing to hold her on suspicion of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," according to the Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) network. She is currently being held at Xinxiang Detention Center. "He Fangmei and her husband have been part of a group of victims and their families protesting government mishandling of scandals over faulty vaccines after the couples daughter got very sick," CHRD said in a statement on its website. "They have faced reprisals since for calling for accountability and protection for victims, including brief detention, denial of passports, and eviction from their home," the group said. He's last communication via Twitter was dated Feb. 26. "We were protesting injustice outside the National Health Commission, when a journalist came over to interview us," He's tweet said. "Then they went to interview the head of the vaccine control center, Gao Fu, who told them that Chinese vaccines are the safest in the world." 'Picking quarrels and stirring up trouble' He had earlier posted a video clip of the protest to Twitter, which showed them chanting: "Vaccinating us to death! Give us back our health! Give us back our kids! Emergency treatment now! Long-term care later!" Around 30 parents of children made sick by substandard and expired vaccines gathered outside the National Health Commission headquarters on Feb. 22, ahead of the annual parliamentary sessions in Beijing, calling on the government to deliver on earlier promises of assistance. He Fangmei told RFA at the time that the parents-turned-activists were hoping to use heightened media attention around the National People's Congress (NPC) meeting in early March to publicize their families' grievances. "We want the government to finish work on a Vaccine Law, taking into account suggestions from parents like us," she said. "That includes early intervention and treatment and guarantees in the longer term." "We also want to see the health checks we were promised for our children implemented, and proper diagnoses made," she said. Authorities in the northern province of Hebei also detained rights activist Yuanping on suspicion of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," his friend told RFA. , who is being held under administrative detention in the Shijiazhuang Detention Center, is accused of "forwarding inappropriate comments" using his Twitter account. He had previously spoken up in support of families affected by tainted vaccines. An employee who answered the phone at the Shijiazhuang police department on declined to give details, however. "I don't really know, because we're not the department handling this case," the employee said. Parents who campaign are detained and beaten President Xi Jinping demanded a thorough investigation into last year's tainted vaccine scandal at Changchun Changsheng Biotech, and promised severe punishment for those responsible. But the authorities repeatedly detain, beat, and even "disappear" parent campaigners, who want the government to face up to its responsibilities and give the families hit by faulty vaccines compensation to help with mounting medical bills. The Changchun incident was only the latest in a string of public health scandals surrounding fake, substandard, and expired vaccines that have had a devastating impact on the health of young children and on their immediate family. Many parents say they were initially promised compensation and help with medical expenses, but that the assistance never materialized. Many are still seeking redress from similar scandals that occurred years ago. Several human rights defenders working on socio-economic rights issues have been detained just days after the close of Chinas third human rights review in Geneva, CHRD said. The timing of the detentions indicates that authorities waited until after the end of the highly public scrutiny of Chinas rights records at the United Nations to crack down on the activists. This year will see a number of politically sensitive anniversaries, including the 30th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre, the group said. Reported by Tam Siu-yin for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Wang Yun for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. North Korea is experimenting with private real estate ownership in the city of Rason, part of a special economic zone located in the countrys northeastern corner near China and Russia. Private ownership of houses is technically illegal in North Korea. The constitution states that all property is owned by the state, and the government typically grants living spaces to its citizens for specific periods of time. According to two June reports by United Press International, the rights to living spaces were being bought and sold as a loophole around this technicality. North Korea was said in one of the reports to be undergoing a real estate development boom as homes were coming to be owned by the state in name only. RFA sources report that the government is trying out a de jure private ownership system in Rason. It will price state-owned houses and sell them to their current residents. [The city] recently announced the requirements for home buyers to take ownership of their state-owned houses, said a source in North Hamgyong province in an interview with RFAs Korean Service on Mar. 19. [The country] is planning to privatize ownership of houses and people are really interested in this, said the source. According to an announcement [by the city government], they will set a value for each house and if residents make payments, [the city] will give them the ownership of their house. In North Korea, no one could own a house until now. It was impossible even for the rich and powerful, the source said, adding, People have been exchanging their houses or selling their rights to live in their houses but the state still had the ownership. The benefit of ownership will not be restricted only to those with the cash flow to purchase a home outright. The government wants to make ownership more widely available. [Buyers] can make a payment in full, or they can make monthly payments for up to 25 years, the source said. Just as in real estate markets around the world, each home will have a different value based on a number of factors, chief of which will be location. The value of houses is dependent upon location and convenience in the surrounding area, access to transportation, year built and [amount of living space], said the source. The source was able to estimate the approximate value of the citys homes, saying, It is about $1-5 per square meter. There are cheaper homes in suburban areas that will go for as low as 300 Chinese Yuan ($44.71). But downtown apartments will cost more than $5,000. There are people who would want to pay that amount to become homeowners, the source said. Legitimate home ownership may be cheaper than the de facto system in place. People make deals for apartments in the city, and pay tens of thousands of dollars to each other. But now people can have the right of ownership of their current house with much less, said the source. Under the new plan there will still be limits on ownership. Buyers will not be able to purchase more than one home. Even if you have a lot of money, you cant own any property unless you are currently living in it, the source said. Regardless of the restrictions, Rason residents are quite enthusiastic about the idea of owning a home. A second source from Rason said, Ever since [the city] administration committee announced the new system, the housing market has been on fire! The rich and high ranking government officials are all busy getting ready to buy their houses, said the source, adding, Once they pay for the house [it will be theirs], so they are all doing their best to find ways to buy their house, the source said. If the experiment proves successful, the source expects a real estate craze to sweep the entire country. Nationwide privatization of state-owned houses depends on Rason. This experiment is just a small step, but it is the first case of the state recognizing private ownership since the founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea [in 1948]. Reported by Jieun Kim for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. The Arakan National Party (ANP) received a blow last week when its leader, Aye Maung, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for high treason to be served concurrently with an additional two-year term for defamation of the state for a speech he made in January 2018 in Myanmars volatile Rakhine state. During the speech he is said to have accused the ethnic Bamar-dominated ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) government of treating the ethnic Rakhine people like slaves. A year later, the Arakan Army (AA), a Buddhist Rakhine military fighting for autonomy in the state, was branded a terrorist organization by the Myanmar government after it killed 13 officers during raids on police outposts. Arakan fighters killed nine other officers in a similar attack in early March. The clashes which flared up late last year have claimed the lives of 24 civilians and 22 policemen and displaced thousands of residents. A day after Aye Maung was sentenced, the ANP formed a commission to investigate the civilian deaths and determine which side is responsible for recent shelling that damaged heritage sites in the ancient town of Mrauk-U. One member of the commission is Oo Hla Saw, an ethnic Rakhine lawmaker who represents Mrauk-U in Myanmars lower house of parliament. He is also a leader of the ANP, the dominant ethnic political party in the western state. The ANP receives its greatest support from Rakhine Buddhists, the largest ethnic group in the impoverished and religiously and ethnically divided state. The Burma Task Force, a coalition of American and Canadian Muslim organizations, has said that the ANP is extremely xenophobic and has a specifically anti-Rohingya and Islamophobic platform when it comes to Rohingya Muslims who live in Rakhine state. More than 740,000 Rohingya Muslims, viewed by Myanmar as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, fled Rakhine during a vicious military crackdown in 2017. In an exclusive interview with reporter Kyaw Min Htun of RFAs Myanmar Service, Oo Hla Saw discusses the work of the investigative commission, the jailing of Aye Maung, and what needs to be done to resolve Rakhine's states complicated issues. RFA: Can you tell me about the investigation committee formed by ANP? Oo Hla Saw: We know the ongoing armed conflicts will not be over anytime soon. There havent been any armed conflicts in Rakhine state for a long time. As far as I remember, there was one called the General Offensives in 1980. Apart from that, there has not been any heavy fighting in the past 40 years. There had been intense fighting in northern Shan, Kachin, and Karen states, but not us. We thought these conflicts would not diminish, [and] just as we thought, they are getting bigger. As for the people, some are frightened, while others are very motivated about them. There is growing misery among the people. The worst thing is when the conflict spread to archeological sites. A party's statement is not enough. It needs more than that. We are going to investigate all these issues independently to produce an impartial research paper. It will become a part of the historical record. We will distribute it among the public and to the media. We will also submit it to the leaders of the country. RFA: Aye Maung, the former ANP leader who is still technically a leader of the party, has received a lengthy prison sentence. There has been widespread criticism of the authorities' decision to give such a sentence to a prominent Rakhine leader. As a Rakhine party leader yourself and as a colleague of Aye Maung, what is your opinion of the prison sentence? Oo Hla Saw: To put it bluntly, I absolutely denounce that prison sentence. It should not be, especially as it comes from a government that assured it would have a policy of having no more political prisoners in this democratic society. It is unlawful to charge and imprison a democratically elected leader. In a democratic society, everyone is entitled to share his opinions freely. Freedom of expression is the fundamental principle of democracy. [Aye Maungs] speech was framed as incitement, and he was charged with high treason. The truth is he didnt have an army or possess any weapons not even a needle to commit high treason. Besides, he was prosecuted with three charges for a single incident. Our lawyers pointed out that that is not in line with the law. But he was still convicted. It is a very harsh decision. To put it more bluntly, it is undemocratically impertinent and authoritarian. Like I said, people in Rakhine state have different feelings about the AAs emergence. Some are frightened, but others especially young people are very motivated to join them. Its a reflection that the young people of Rakhine are not satisfied with the current democratic transition. They view it as something that has nothing in it for them since our whole Rakhine state is still in poverty. They see the central government has no efficient control over the state government to bring prosperity and opportunities to the state. With the armed conflict spreading to Mrauk-U, more and more people sympathizing with the AA, and [the court] giving a very harsh sentence to a Rakhine party leader, it is like the [central government] keeps creating misery for the Rakhine people. It has led people to radicalization. RFA: You said earlier that the current Rakhine state government does not see eye to eye with the Rakhine people. Can you give specifics? In what ways has the Rakhine state government led by Nyi Pu of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party acted against the wishes of the Rakhine people? Oo Hla Saw: The leadership of the Rakhine state cabinet doesnt know what is happening on the ground. Especially on the Muslim issue, they should be consulting with the Rakhines. The Rakhine people have different attitudes toward Muslims. Some are frightened. Some are friendly. Some view them in a balanced and fair manner, but others are extreme. They should have engaged with all the people, but they didnt. They dont know what is happening in townships like Buthidaung and Maungdaw. They only followed the leaders from Naypyidaw when they visited. Everything they said is incorrect. Besides, they didnt do anything to improve the unemployment issue and bring opportunities to the locals. There is also rampant corruption, especially in awarding tenders to businessmen. They didnt take any action [on this], though they know it well. All in all, people from Rakhine state havent seen any signs of improvement during the five-year term of this government. I have visited all 14 capital cities of [Myanmars] states and regions. Rakhine state's capital Sittwe is the most dilapidated and hopeless of all of them. The management is very incompetent, so people have lost faith in the democratic transition. As we all know, the Muslim issue is still a very pressing one in Rakhine state. Then there is the conflict concerning the AA. On top of that, China is very aggressive in promoting its investments. We Rakhine party leaders have met the Chinese ambassador. I found him very aggressive. He was dictatorial and told us only what he wants. RFA: What must be done to resolve Rakhine states complicated issues? Oo Hla Saw: There are such delicate and complicated issues in Rakhine state. The Union government is not working efficiently. I dont think the current NLD-appointed Rakhine state government has the capacity to resolve these issues either. I would like to suggest letting [the ANP] get involved and working together. We would like to work with the NLD government. We have plenty of ideas and contributions to make. We have talked about that with the NLD leadership, [and] Aung San Su Kyi has said, I will take care of it. Thats it. It shut us out. In reality, she cant manage. There are several pressing issues going on in the whole country. The masterminding of The Lady alone is not enough, but now they wont let us get involved. Now relations between the NLD and the ethnic parties, relations between the NLD and the military, and civilian-military relationships in parliament are all getting worse. How can national reconciliation be possible under those conditions? Will reducing the tensions and reconciliation ever be possible? Reported by Kyaw Min Htun for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Khin Maung Zaw, a Myanmar attorney representing jailed Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, speaks to the media outside the Supreme Court in Naypyidaw, Feb. 1, 2019. Myanmars Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to rule on an appeal filed by lawyers representing two Reuters journalists sentenced to seven years in jail for violating the countrys colonial-era Official Secrets Act while they reported on a massacre of Rohingya Muslims during a brutal military-led crackdown in Rakhine state. Reporters Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 29, were arrested in December 2017 while pursuing a story about the extrajudicial killings of 10 Rohingya in northern Rakhine's Inn Din village, after policemen they had met for dinner handed them papers related to security operations in the state. A Yangon court sentenced the journalists to seven years in jail in September 2018 for possessing classified government documents. Their lawyers filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on Feb. 1 based on a lack of proof and evidence that the two men had been set up by police, after a previous appeal filed with the Yangon Regional High Court on Jan. 11 had been rejected. Attorney Khin Maung Zaw said Tuesday that during submission of the appeal to the court he cited 13 grounds on which he believed judicial procedure had been violated. He also said it was unusual that the court accepted the appeal based on legal precedents involving the right to information and state secrets laws in other Asian countries. The judge cited Singaporean and Indian rulings in the appeal, he said. The essence of these rules is that the right to information will not prevail when it comes into conflict with the Official Secrets Act, he said. Though Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who are jailed in Yangons Insein Prison, did not attend the hearing, their wives traveled to the capital with their young children to show their support. We want to be together as a family as soon as possible, said Chit Su Win, wife of Kyaw Soe Oo. We have been dreaming about our times together. I believe the appeal for them will succeed. Wa Lone's wife, Pan Ei, who gave birth to their first child last year while her husband was in prison, echoed the sentiment. I dont understand well about the judiciary, but I simply want to be united with my husband, and I want both of them to be home as soon as possible, she said. Their health conditions are good. No date was set for the pairs next appearance before the judge. Ahead of the hearing, Reuters editor-in-chief Stephen J. Adler issued a statement that said: Myanmars Supreme Court has the opportunity to correct the serious miscarriage of justice inflicted on Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo for the last 15 months. They are honest, admirable journalists who did not break the law, and they should be freed as a matter of urgency, he said. Miscarriage of justice Rights groups and diplomats have condemned the sentencing of the the reporters, saying their convictions have dealt a blow to freedom of the press in the developing democracy. Aung San Suu Kyi, who defended the sentencing in September 2018, invited critics of the ruling to point out any miscarriage of justice and said that the reporters could appeal their sentences under due process of law. She also maintained that their convictions had nothing to do with the suppression of press freedom and that they were jailed for handling classified documents about the crackdown during which roughly 740,000 Rohingya fled to safety in neighboring Bangladesh. The United States, United Nations, and other critics have said that atrocities committed against the Rohingya amounted to ethnic cleansing, if not genocide, though the Myanmar government has denied the allegations. Independent journalists have largely been forbidden to access to the areas where the crackdown occurred. Dozens of journalists have been arrested under Myanmar's civilian-led government that came to power in 2016, earning the administration of Aung San Suu Kyi the wrath of rights groups for appearing to backpedal on press freedom after decades of stifling military rule in Myanmar. Reported by Win Ko Ko Latt for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. UPDATED at 11:50 A.M. EST on 2019-04-1 China systematically impedes access to Tibet for U.S. diplomats and officials, journalists, and tourists, and when visits to the region are granted, they are highly restricted, the U.S. State Department said in a report that Beijing promptly dismissed as being full of bias and harmful to bilateral relations. In 2018, the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) was the only area of China for which the Chinese government required diplomats to request permission to visit, and Beijing denied five of the nine official requests for the U.S. diplomatic mission in China to visit the region, including one from Ambassador Terry Branstad, said the first annual report on U.S. access, submitted to Congress on Monday. The State Department report was part of the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act passed by U.S. lawmakers in December, which requires Washington by the end of this year to deny visas to Chinese officials in charge of implementing policies that restrict access for foreigners to Tibet. When U.S. diplomats received permission through the TAR Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) to travel to the region, FAO and security personnel tightly chaperoned their trips, the report said, adding that local authorities in Tibetan areas of Sichuan province interrogated U.S. diplomats and denied them access to monasteries despite prior reassurance that they were free to travel there without diplomatic notes. Tourists were required to obtain an official confirmation letter from the TAR government before entering the region, and were routinely denied access to the region during periods the Chinese government considered sensitive, including the March anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan Uprising against Chinese rule and the July birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. China heavily restricted and controlled access for U.S. journalists to the TAR, and directly threatened to expel U.S. journalists reporting on developments in the regionthe only part of the country international reporters were required to obtain official permission to enter, the report said. The U.S. State Department noted that journalists of Tibetan heritage also faced Chinese government restrictions on their personal travel to China, including an RFA Tibetan Service reporter who was interrogated by authorities at the Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou in August 2017 and refused entry into the country to visit his mother. While diplomats and other officials, and journalists, were permitted to travel to Tibetan areas outside of the TAR, they were regularly subjected to monitoring by government representatives, and reporters were in some cases restricted from covering stories there. The report said that U.S. diplomats observed an increased amount of Chinese surveillance over their movements from 2017 to 2018, while fewer international journalists applied for permission to visit Tibetan areas in 2018 due to what the Foreign Correspondents Club of China attributed to the apparent futility of applying. The United States seeks reciprocity from China regarding the open access that China and many other countries enjoy in the United States, a State Department spokesman said in a statement issued Tuesday. We will continue to work closely with Congress in pursuit of our shared goal of seeing Americans have full access to China, including the Tibetan Autonomous Region and other Tibetan areas. Bhuchung Tsering, vice president of Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet, told RFAs Tibetan Service Tuesday that justice will be done later this year, when the U.S. denies visas to Chinese officials in charge of implementing the policies that restrict U.S. access to Tibet. It is a fact that Tibetans dont have any authority and the only authority over the welfare and prosperity of Tibetans inside Tibet is the Chinese government, he added. Beijing responds On Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a press briefing in Beijing that the State Department report is in total disregard of facts and full of bias, and that China will by no means accept it. He defended restrictions on travel to the region based on geographical and climatic conditions, and said Beijing encouraged foreigners to visit and conduct business there, provided they abide by Chinese laws and regulations. We urge the U.S. to fully recognize the high sensitivity of Tibet-related issues, take concrete measures to remove the negative impact produced by the above-mentioned report, and stop using Tibet-related issues as a tool to interfere in China's internal affairs, so as to avoid damaging our bilateral relations, exchange and cooperation, he added. Geng also called the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act a serious violation of the basic norms governing international relations that grossly interferes in Chinas internal affairs, and warned that the law is severely undermining China-U.S. cooperation. In December, two young Tibetans set themselves ablaze in Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) county in Sichuan province in opposition to Chinas rule, as well as political and religious repression in the TAR and other Tibetan areas. Before the burnings, there were 155 self-immolations by Tibetans since the wave of fiery protests against nearly 70 years of Chinese rule of their homeland began in 2009. China maintains that it peacefully liberated the TAR, and that Tibetans enjoy freedom and economic growth it brought to the region. Reported and translated by RFAs Tibetan Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. A Vietnamese activist serving a seven-year prison term for his role in protesting a chemical waste spill three years ago on Vietnams coast ended a 12-day hunger strike earlier this month, a day after his family visited him in jail, his sister said. Nguyen Thi Hue told RFAs Vietnamese Service that her brother, Nguyen Van Hoa, who staged his hunger strike to call for police officers and prison guards who assaulted him to be punished, sent the family a letter mailed on March 6 which arrived on Monday. In the letter Hoa writes that he stopped the hunger strike on March 6 after 12 days. Our family visited him on March 5 and had advised him to stop, she told RFA. Hoa is being held in at An Diem prison in south-central Vietnams Quang Nam province. Hoa wrote that he got help from other political prisoners during his hunger strike days, said Hue, who said her brother in his letter also thanked a U.S. diplomat from the embassy in Hanoi who had shown concern for him. It was not clear whether authorities had taken any action on Hoas demand that an investigation be carried out into beatings he received in detention in 2017 and later in 2018, when he was brought from prison to testify in the trial of another detainee. Hoa, aged 22, was jailed by the Peoples Court of Ha Tinh in Nghe An province on Nov. 27, 2018 after filming protests outside the Taiwan-owned Formosa Plastics Group steel plant whose spill in 2016 killed an estimated 115 tons of fish and left fishermen and tourism industry workers jobless in four central provinces. Hoa, who blogged and produced videos for RFA, was arrested on Jan. 11 for abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state under Article 258 of the Penal Code, but the charges against him were upgraded in April to the more severe "conducting propaganda against the state" under Article 88. Held for nine days at the Ha Tinh police station following his arrest, Hoa was hung by his hands and beaten by eight police officers, who also threw water in his face, one of Hoas petitions says, listing the names of the officers who attacked him. On Aug. 18, 2018, after being brought to testify at another activists trial in Nghe An, Hoa was taken by police guards to an isolated room where he was again beaten and verbally abused, with guards from the team transferring him from his prison to the court taking part, Hoas petition reads. Hoas petition notes that physical abuse in custody is prohibited by Vietnams own constitution and laws, and by the U.N.s International Convention on Civil and Political and Rights. New York-based Human Rights Watch has said that police brutality is systemic in Vietnam, whose own Ministry of Public Security has admitted that 226 suspects and inmates died in police stations and detention facilities throughout the country between October 2010 and September 2014. Prominent blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, known as Mother Mushroom and one of the best-known of Vietnams roughly 130 political prisoners before her release into exile last year, had documented 31 cases of mysterious deaths in police custody before being imprisoned for her online writings criticizing the government. Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by An Nguyen. Written in English by Paul Eckert. KALININGRAD, Russia -- An 18-year-old Russian activist has become the first person punished under a new law that prohibits adults from encouraging minors to take part in unauthorized protests. In a ruling late on March 25, a court in the Baltic port city of Kaliningrad ruled that Ivan Luzin violated the law by involving two 16-year-old girls in an unsanctioned demonstration and fined him 30,000 rubles ($465). Under the law signed by President Vladimir Putin in December, offenders can be punished by jail terms of up to 15 days, community service, and fines of up to 50,000 rubles ($775). Civil-society activists say the law is part of a persistent effort by Putin's government to stifle dissent and restrict street protests. It was proposed and passed amid apparent Kremlin concern over the participation of teenagers in several protest in recent years, including demonstrations organized by opposition politician Aleksei Navalny. In February 2018, Putin called on the Interior Ministry to "vigorously put an end" to the activities of groups he said encourage teenagers to participate in unsanctioned protests. State media have sometimes devoted particular attention to the participation of minors, and the exact numbers are unclear. Some critics say the government has overstated the role of children in such protests, and Kremlin opponents fear the legislation could be used to discredit opponents by suggesting they are roping children in and putting them at risk Luzin is a supporter of Navalny and a member of the unregistered Libertarian Party. He was charged after a demonstration in downtown Kaliningrad in which he and two girls held posters expressing support for a pair of jailed activists who claim they were tortured in custody. The following summarizes the FCPA Docket for individuals, which includes all known FCPA-related ongoing prosecutions, fugitives, sentencings, and pending appeals. This information is current as of March 25, 2019. FCPA-Related Ongoing Prosecutions Uriel Sharef, Herbert Steffen, Ulrich Bock, Stephan Signer, Carlos Sergi and Miguel Czysch (DOJ | SDNY 11-1056): The DOJ charged eight defendants, all former senior executives with or agents of Siemens AG or one of its subsidiaries, on December 13, 2011. In addition to the above listed executives, Eberhard Reichert, a German national and former executive of Siemens Business Services, agreed to be extradited to the United States after his September 2017 arrest in Croatia and pleaded guilty on March 15, 2018, while Andres Truppel, an Argentinian national and the former CFO of Siemens Argentina, pleaded guilty on September 30, 2015. Both Reichert and Truppel are still awaiting sentencing (see Pending Sentencings below). No trial date has been scheduled for the other defendants, who remain at large. As non-U.S. nationals (either German or Argentinian) currently living abroad, these defendants will likely require extradition to be tried. Dmitry Firtash, Andras Knopp, Suren Gevorgyan, Gajebdra Lal, Periyasamy Sunderalingam, and KVP Ramachandra Rao (DOJ | NDIL 13-515): The DOJ charged the defendants, all non-U.S. nationals, under seal on June 20, 2013, in connection with an alleged racketeering conspiracy in India, and later unsealed the charges on April 2, 2014. Firtash, a Ukrainian national, was arrested in March 2014 and released after posting $174 million in bail. According to the indictment, Firtash controls Group DF, a company named, but not charged, along with several other companies reportedly associated with Firtash. The United States sought to extradite Firtash, but had its request rejected by an Austrian court on April 30, 2015. This ruling was overturned on appeal on February 21, 2017, but on December 12, 2017, the Austrian Supreme Court stayed Firtashs extradition pending its review of the appellate court decision, and the court has not yet issued a ruling. On August 27, 2018, Firtash and Knopp filed a motion to dismiss in U.S. federal court, arguing that the FCPA charge should be thrown out based on the 2nd Circuits decision on U.S. v. Hoskins (see immediately below). The court has not yet ruled on the motion. Outside of Firtash, the other defendants are still at large, and no trial dates are currently scheduled. As non-U.S. nationals currently living abroad, these defendants will likely require extradition to be tried. (Note: Rao, a Member of Parliament in India, has only been charged non-FCPA offenses). Lawrence Hoskins (DOJ | DCCN 12-238): The DOJ charged Hoskins, the former Senior Vice-President of Alstom Asia, in a superseding indictment against William Pomponi, the former Vice-President of Regional Sales for Alstom SAs U.S. subsidiary, on July 30, 2013. Pomponi pleaded guilty on July 17, 2014, but passed away in 2016 while awaiting sentencing. In contrast, Hoskins has sought to have the charges against him dismissed. Although on December 30, 2014, the Court denied Hoskins initial motion to dismiss, on August 14, 2015, the Court agreed to strike the conspiracy count against him on the grounds that Hoskins, a non-U.S. citizen/domestic concern, was not Alstoms agent and so could not be prosecuted under the FCPA for conduct occurring outside the territory of the United States. On March 16, 2016, the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut affirmed its earlier ruling that a non-resident foreign national cannot be charged with conspiracy to violate the FCPA (or with aiding and abetting a violation of the FCPA) unless the government can show that he acted either as an agent of a domestic concern or while physically present in the United States. DOJ appealed to the 2nd Circuit on April 4, 2016 (2d Cir. 16-01010). On August 24, 2018, the Second Circuit ruled that individuals can only be charged with conspiracy under the FCPA if they are directly covered by the statute. Hoskins still faces money laundering charges, and his trial is set for September 9, 2019. Ban Ki Sang (DOJ | SDNY 16-cr-0831) and Sang Woo (DOJ | SDNY 17-0139): The DOJ charged Ban, a South Korean construction executive, along with his son Joo Hyun Bahn, a New York commercial real estate broker, and Malcolm Harris, an arts and fashion consultant and blogger, under seal in an indictment on December 15, 2016 (unsealing the charges on January 10, 2017). The DOJ subsequently charged Sang Woo and Andrew Simon, Manhattan-based commercial real estate brokers, in separate but related criminal complaints on January 10, 2017, and October 17, 2017, respectively. Woo and Bahn, both South Korean nationals and U.S. permanent residents, were arrested on January 10, 2017, while Harris was arrested on January 13, 2017. It is not clear when Simon was arrested. Harris pleaded guilty to a non-FCPA offense on June 21, 2017, and was sentenced on October 13, 2017. Bahn pleaded guilty on January 5, 2018, and was sentenced on September 6, 2018 (see Recent Dismissals, Sentencings, and Denials below). Simon pleaded guilty under seal on March 30, 2018, and was sentenced on February 25, 2019 (see Recent Dismissals, Sentencings, and Denials below). Woo, whose case had been continued until May 12, 2017, is reportedly in the midst of negotiating a potential plea. Finally, Ban, a South Korean national, remains at large. As a non-U.S. national living abroad, Ban will likely require extradition to be tried. Michael L. Cohen (DOJ | EDNY 17-00544): The DOJ indicted Cohen, a former Och-Ziff executive, on FCPA-related charges under seal on October 5, 2017. The indictment was unsealed on January 3, 2018. Cohen, a dual U.S. and U.K. national, pleaded not guilty on June 27, 2018. No trial date has yet been scheduled. Separately, the SEC charged Cohen and his colleague Vanja Baros on related grounds on January 26, 2017, but the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed case on July 12, 2018 (see Dismissals, Sentencings, and Denials). Joseph Baptiste and Roger Richard Boncy (DOJ | D Mass 17-10305): The DOJ charged Baptiste, a retired U.S. Army Colonel, under seal on August 28, 2017, and unsealed the complaint on August 29, 2017, the same day Baptiste was arrested. On October 5, 2017, the DOJ issued an indictment against Baptiste that included an additional charge. Trial is currently scheduled for Baptiste on June 3, 2019. On October 30, 2018, Roger Richard Boncy was charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA, among other charges. The DOJ filed a superseding indictment on October 30, 2018, to include an additional count against Boncy for conspiracy to commit money laundering. No trial date for Boncy is currently scheduled. Mark Lambert (DOJ | D. Md. 18-0002): The DOJ charged Lambert, the former co-president of a Maryland-based company that transports nuclear materials, under seal on January 10, 2018, and unsealed the 11-count indictment on January 16, 2018. No trial date is currently scheduled for Lambert, who reportedly rejected a pre-indictment plea, as well as a second plea agreement offered in October 2018. Petros Contoguris, Azat Martirossian, and Vitaly Leshkov (DOJ | SDOH 17-233): The DOJ indicted Contoguris, a Greek national and the founder and chief executive officer of Gravitas & CIE International Ltd., on October 12, 2017, for activities related to the Rolls Royce enforcement action. Several other individuals, including James Finley, Keith Barnett, Aloysius Johannes Jozef Zuurhout, and Andreas Kohler, were indicted on related charges and have pleaded guilty (see Pending Sentences below). On May 24, 2018, the DOJ filed a superseding indictment also charging Azat Martirossian (an Armenian national) and Vitaly Leshkov (a Russian national), with money-laundering counts. On November 8, 2018, Martirossian filed a petition for a writ of mandamus with the Sixth Circuit, arguing that Mr. Martirossian is not personally subject to U.S. jurisdiction and that the extraterritorial reach of the statute under which he is charged is expressly limited. The appeal was dismissed and the writ of mandamus denied on March 7, 2019. Nervis Gerardo Villalobos Cardenas (DOJ | SDTX 17-514): The DOJ indicted Villalobos and Luis Carlos De Leon Perez, both former employees of Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), on August 23, 2017, and unsealed the indictment on February 12, 2018. Villalobos and De Leon were arrested in Spain in October 2017 pursuant to warrants issued based on the unsealed indictment. De Leon was subsequently extradited and pleaded guilty on July 16, 2018 (see Pending Sentences below). Villalobos is still awaiting extradition to the United States and does not yet have a trial date scheduled. Co-defendants Cesar David Rincon Godoy, Rafael Ernesto Reiter Munoz, and Alejandro Isturiz Chiesa were all charged with non-FCPA offenses. Frank Roberto Chatburn Ripalda (DOJ | SDFL 18-20312): The DOJ indicted Ripalda, a U.S.-based financial advisor, on FCPA-related charges on April 19, 2018, and filed a superseding indictment on December 13, 2018. Ripalda was charged alongside Jose Larrea, another U.S.-based financial advisor, who pleaded guilty to a non-FCPA count on September 11, 2018. The men were charged in connection with a scheme to bribe officials from Empresa Publica de Hidrocarburos del Ecuador (PetroEcuador). Ripalda is contesting the charges, and his trial is scheduled for September 16, 2019. Jose Manuel Gonzalez Testino (DOJ | SDFL 18-mj-03171): Testino, a U.S. citizen who controlled a number of U.S. and Panama-based energy companies that supplied equipment and services to PDVSA, was arrested in Florida on July 31, 2018, based on a sealed criminal complaint filed by the DOJ in the Southern District of Texas. Testino is the seventeenth individual charged in connection with the PDVSA scandal (see several other listings in both Ongoing Prosecutions and Pending Sentencings). The current status of Testinos prosecution is unclear, as the case remains under seal. Ng Chong Hwa (Roger Ng) (DOJ | EDNY 18-538): The DOJ indicted Ng, a Malaysian national who formerly served as managing director for Goldman Sachs in Malaysia, along with Low Taek Jho (Jho Low), a prominent Malaysian financial advisor, on October 3, 2018, in connection with the 1MDB bribery scandal. Ng was arrested in Malaysia on November 1, 2018, and waived his rights to challenge his extradition to the United States. Malaysian authorities have charged him with violating the Capital Markets and Services Act (CMSA), and it is likely that he will be extradited to the United States after facing charges in Malaysia. Low is a fugitive (see Fugitives below). Gordon J. Coburn and Steven Schwartz (DOJ | DNJ 19-120) and (SEC | DNJ 19-cv-05820): The DOJ indicted Coburn and Schwartz, the president and chief legal officer, respectively, of Cognizant Technology Solutions on February 14, 2019. The SEC charged Coburn and Schwartz with related securities violations on the next day. No trial dates are currently scheduled in either the criminal or civil cases. Gulnara Karimova and Bekhzod Akhmedov (DOJ | SDNY 19-165): The DOJ indicted Karimova, daughter of Uzbekistans former president, and Akhmedov, former head of Uzdunrobita (MTSs Uzbek subsidiary), on March 7, 2019, in connection with FCPA allegations relating to several recent FCPA settlements. Karimova is reportedly under house arrest in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Akhmedov escaped Uzbekistan and is believed to be residing in Moscow. Rafael Enrique Pinto Franceschi and Franz Herman Muller Huber (DOJ | SDTX 19-135): The DOJ indicted Franceschi and Huber, executives at a Florida-based company, on February 26, 2019, in connection with the PDVSA bribery scheme (see several other listings in both Ongoing Prosecutions and Pending Sentencings). Franceschi and Huber were both arrested on March 1, 2019, and neither has yet entered a plea. FCPA-Related Fugitives Low Taek Jho (Jho Low) (DOJ | EDNY 18-538): The DOJ indicted Low Taek Jho (Jho Low), a prominent Malaysian financial advisor, along with Ng Chong Hwa (Roger Ng), a Malaysian national who formerly served as managing director for Goldman Sachs in Malaysia, on October 3, 2018, in connection with the 1MDB bribery case. Low is a fugitive who, according to the Malaysian government, is residing in a country that is not cooperating with extradition efforts. Ng was arrested in Malaysia on November 1, 2018 (see Ongoing Prosecutions above). Raul Gorrin Belisario (DOJ | SDFL 18-80160): The DOJ unsealed an August 2018 indictment against Gorrin Belisario, a Venezuelan who owns the Globovision news network, on November 19, 2018. The charges relate to the alleged bribery of Alejandro Andrade Cedeno (a former Venezuelan national treasurer) among other Venezuelan officials. Belisario, a non-U.S. national living abroad, is considered a fugitive and his whereabouts are unknown. Alain Riedo (DOJ | SDCA 13-3789): The DOJ charged Riedo, the former Vice-President and General Manager of Maxwell Technologies wholly owned Swiss subsidiary, on October 15, 2013, and an arrest warrant was issued the same day. No trial date is currently scheduled, with Reido still at large. Riedo is considered a fugitive and, as a non-U.S. national living abroad, will likely require extradition to be tried. Jald Jensen (DOJ | NDOK 12-06): The DOJ charged Jensen, a former Sales Manager for Bizjet International, along with Bernd Kowalewski, the former CEO of Bizjet, on April 5, 2013. Kowalewski, who pleaded guilty in July 2014, was sentenced to time served on November 18, 2014. Jensen, a naturalized U.S. citizen who remains at large, is believed to be living outside of the United States and has no trial date currently scheduled. According to press reports, U.S. authorities believed they were close to extraditing Jensen from Panama in 2013. Han Yong Kim (DOJ | CDCA 09-77): The DOJ charged Kim, the former president of CCIs Korean office, on April 8, 2009. Kim, a non-U.S. national, challenged his fugitive status in an attempt to contest his indictment without surrendering to U.S. authorities. The Ninth Circuit rejected his challenge in April 2014. The South Korean government has reportedly refused requests to extradite Kim because it does not consider the individuals Kim is accused of bribing to be public officials. Washington Vasconez Cruz, and Cecilia Zurita, (DOJ | SDFL 09-21010): The DOJ initially charged Cruz, and Zurita, executives with the telecommunications companies Uniplex Telecom Technologies and Cinergy Telecommunications, in 2011, and issued a superseding indictment in 2012. Cruz and Zurita were declared fugitives on March 7, 2013, along with a third defendant, Amadeus Richers, who was arrested on February 23, 2017, pleaded guilty on July 19, 2017, and was sentenced to time served and ordered to pay a $100 fine on September 27, 2017. Numerous other individuals have been convicted in connection with this matter, including former co-defendants Joel Esquenazi and Carlos Rodriguez, who unsuccessfully appealed their 2011 convictions to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Enrique Faustino Aguilar Noriega (DOJ | CDCA 10-1031): The DOJ charged Noriega in 2010, along with Linsday Manufacturing and several other defendants. Noriega was the Director of Grupo Internacional de Asesores SA, a sales agent hired by Lindsay Manufacturing. While Linsday Manufacturing and all the other individuals charged in connection with this case have had the charges against them dropped, Noreigas case is still listed as open. Although the United States has reportedly ended its efforts to extradite Noriega, he remains a fugitive. James Tillery (DOJ | SDTX 08-22): The DOJ charged Tillery, a former executive for Willbros International, in 2008. Tillery was reportedly arrested in Nigeria in 2010, but immigration officials prevented the FBI from extraditing him without proper documentation. A Nigerian court later found the initial arrest of Tillery to be illegal and ordered him released. Nigerian police, however, reportedly refused to comply with this request. The status of U.S. efforts to extradite Tillery is unclear. Tillery remains a fugitive. Edgar Valverde Acosta (DOJ | SDFL 06-20797): The DOJ charged Acosta, the President of Alcatel de Costa Rica and Senior Country Officer for Alcatel Lucent SA in Central America, in 2006. Acosta is considered a fugitive. Victor Kozeny (DOJ | SDNY 05-518): The DOJ charged Kozeny, a Czech-born investor, in 2005. The United States attempted to extradite Kozeny from the Bahamas for years; however, the Bahamas court of last resort, the U.K. Privy Council, rejected the extradition request on March 28, 2012. Kozeny remains a fugitive. Pablo Barquero Hernandez (DOJ | WDMO 01-190): The DOJ charged Hernandez, a former employee of Owl Securities and Investment, in 2001. Hernandez is considered a fugitive. Joaquin Pou (DOJ | SDFL 89-802): The DOJ charged Pou, a former agent for AEA Aircraft Recovery, in 1989. Pou is considered a fugitive. Ricardo Beltran and Mario Gonzalez (DOJ | SDTX 82-224): The DOJ charged Beltran and Gonzalez, both associated with Grupo Delta, in 1982. Beltran and Gonzalez are considered fugitives. FCPA-Related Pending Sentencings Andres Truppel (DOJ | SDNY 11-1056): The DOJ charged Truppel, an Argentinian national and the former Chief Financial Officer of Siemens Argentina, on December 13, 2011, alongside several other former senior executives of Siemens AG or its subsidiaries (see Ongoing Prosecutions above and Eberhard Reichert in this section). After initially challenging the DOJs attempts to extradite him, Truppel pleaded guilty on September 30, 2015. His sentencing date, previously set for April 14, 2017, was delayed, reportedly due to Truppels ill health, and does not appear to have been re-scheduled. Daren Condrey (DOJ | DCMD 15-336): The DOJ charged Condrey, the Principal of Transport Logistics International, with FCPA-related charges on June 16, 2015. Condrey pleaded guilty on June 17, 2015. Two of Condreys co-conspirators, Vadim Mikerin (the former director of Tenex, a subsidiary of Russias State Atomic Energy Corporations) and Boris Rubizhevsky (a consultant to Mikerin) also pleaded guilty to related money-laundering counts last year, though neither was charged under the FCPA. Condreys sentencing was set for June 1, 2017. Numerous documents have been filed under seal since that date. Fernando Ardila Rueda (DOJ | SDTX 17-515): The DOJ filed a criminal information against Rueda, part owner of several Florida-based businesses, on August 24, 2017, in connection with the PDVSA bribery scheme (see several other listings in both Ongoing Prosecutions and Pending Sentencings). Rueda pleaded guilty on October 11, 2017, and his sentencing is scheduled for May 9, 2019. Charles Quintard Beech (DOJ | SDTX 17-00006) and Juan Jose Hernandez-Comerma (SDTX 17-00005): The DOJ charged Beech and Hernandez-Comerma, two executives from U.S.-based energy companies on January 4, 2017, in connection with the PDVSA-related bribery scheme (see several other listings in both Ongoing Prosecutions and Pending Sentencings). Beech and Hernandez-Comerma pleaded guilty on January 10, 2017. Hernandez-Comermas sentencing is scheduled for May 9, 2019; while Beechs sentencing is scheduled for July 30, 2019. Frank James Lyon (DOJ | D Haw. 19-0008): The DOJ filed a criminal information against Lyon, owner of a Hawaii-based engineering and consulting company, on January 16, 2019. Lyon was charged alongside Master Halbert, an official with the Micronesian Department of Transportation, Communications and Infrastructure, against whom the DOJ filed non-FCPA charges. Lyon pleaded guilty to an FCPA-related charge on January 22, 2019, and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 13, 2019. Julia Vivi Wang (DOJ | SDNY 18-20108): The DOJ filed a criminal information against Wang, a naturalized U.S. citizen and vice-president of South News (a U.N.-focused media outlet), on March 16, 2016, followed by a superseding information on July 21, 2016. Wang pleaded guilty on two FCPA counts, among others, on April 4, 2018. She is scheduled to be sentenced on June 5, 2019. Tim Leissner (DOJ | EDNY 18- 439): The DOJ filed a sealed criminal information against Leissner, the former chairman of Goldman Sachs in Southeast Asia, on August 28, 2018, in connection with the 1MDB bribery scandal. Leissner pleaded guilty on November 1, 2018, the same day the indictment was unsealed, and his sentencing is scheduled for June 28, 2019. Jeffrey Chow (DOJ | EDNY 17-466): The DOJ unsealed charges against Chow, a former lawyer for Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd, on December 21, 2017. Chow pleaded guilty on August 29, 2017, and agreed to cooperate in the DOJs efforts to prosecute Keppel Offshore and certain former company executives. Chows sentencing is currently scheduled for July 17, 2019. Moises Abraham Millan Escobar (DOJ |SDTX 16-009): The DOJ filed a criminal information against Escobar, an employee of Abraham Jose Shiera Bastidas, on January 7, 2016, in connection with the PDVSA-related bribery scheme (see several other listings in both Ongoing Prosecutions and Pending Sentencings). Escobar pleaded guilty on January 19, 2016, but the plea agreement remains under seal. The Court entered a $533,578 monetary judgment against Escobar on August 30, 2016, while sentencing in the case is scheduled for July 30, 2019. Juan Carlos Castillo Rincon (SDTX 18-00200): The DOJ indicted Rincon, a Texas businessman, on an FCPA-related count on April 11, 2018. He was prosecuted in connection with the payment of alleged bribes to PDVSA official Jose Orlando Camacho, who pleaded guilty to a money-laundering count in July 2017. Ricon pleaded guilty on September 13, 2018, and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 30, 2019. Roberto Enrique Rincon-Fernandez and Abraham Jose Shiera Bastidas (DOJ | SDTX 15-654): The DOJ charged Rincon and Bastidas, each the owner (together with others) of several closely held oil-related companies, on December 10, 2015. The defendants are among numerous individuals charged in connection with a scheme to scheme to corruptly secure contracts from Venezuelas state-owned and state-controlled energy company, PDVSA (see several other listings in both Ongoing Prosecutions and Pending Sentencings). Rincon pleaded guilty to both FCPA-related and non-FCPA charges on June 16, 2016. Bastidas pleaded guilty to FCPA-related and non-FCPA charges on March 22, 2016. Sentencing for both defendants is set for July 31, 2019. Eberhard Reichert (DOJ | SDNY 11-1056): The DOJ charged Reichert, a German national and former executive of Siemens Business Services, on December 13, 2011, alongside several other former senior executives of Siemens AG or its subsidiaries (see Ongoing Prosecutions above and Andres Truppel in this section). Reichert, agreed to be extradited to the United States after his September 2017 arrest in Croatia. He pleaded guilty on March 15, 2018, and his sentencing has not yet been scheduled. David Rothschild (DOJ | DCCN 12-223): The DOJ charged Rothschild, the former Vice President of Sales of Alstom USA, on November 2, 2012. Rothschild pleaded guilty to the FCPA-related charges on that same day, but his settlement was not unsealed until April 15, 2013. Rothschild sentencing has not yet been scheduled and the last entry on his docket is dated December 17, 2014. James Finley, Aloysius Johannes Jozef Zuurhout, Keith Barnett, and Andreas Kohler (DOJ | SDOH 17-160, 17-122, 16-248, and 17-113): The DOJ charged the defendants, three of which are former Rolls-Royce employees, under seal on July 21, 2017, June 9, 2017, December 20, 2016, and June 6, 2017, respectively, and unsealed the charges on November 7, 2017. Finley, a former senior executive in energy at Rolls-Royce, pleaded guilty on July 28, 2017. Zuurhout, a former energy sales employee at Rolls-Royce, pleaded guilty on June 13, 2017. Barnett, a former regional director in energy at Rolls-Royce, pleaded guilty on December 20, 2016. And Kohler, a managing director at an unnamed international engineering and consulting firm, pleaded guilty on July 20, 2017. Sentencing dates for these four defendants have not been set. Another individual, Petros Contoguris, was also indicted, but has not entered a plea (see Ongoing Prosecutions above). Luis Carlos De Leon Perez (DOJ | SDTX 17-514): The DOJ indicted De Leon and Nervis Gerardo Villalobos Cardenas, both former employees of PDVSA, on August 23, 2017, and unsealed the indictment on February 12, 2018. De Leon and Villalobos were arrested in Spain. De Leon was subsequently extradited and pleaded guilty on July 16, 2018, and his sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. Villalobos is still awaiting extradition to the United States (see Ongoing Prosecutions above). FCPA- Related Appeals Dmitrij Harder (DOJ | EDPA 15-1; 3rd Cir. 17-2698): The DOJ charged Harder, the former owner and president of the Chestnut Group, on January 6, 2015, and then filed a superseding indictment on December 15, 2015. Harder pleaded guilty to FCPA-related charges on April 18, 2016. On July 18, 2017, Harder was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment. Despite waiving part of his right to appeal, Harder appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on August 7, 2017. The DOJ filed a motion in response requesting enforcement of the waiver. The Court rejected Harders economic benefit argument and ruled against Harder on November 9, 2018. Recent FCPA-Related Dismissals, Sentencings and Denials Ng Lap Seng and Jeff C. Yin (DOJ | SDNY 15-706): The DOJ filed a second superseding indictment against Macau billionaire Ng and his assistant Yin on November 22, 2016, that added FCPA counts to the original October 20, 2015 indictment charging Ng and Yin, alongside two other defendants, with a variety of non-FCPA offenses, and the June 30, 2016 superseding indictment charging Ng and Yin with an additional conspiracy count. Yin pleaded guilty on April 7, 2017, and was sentenced on March 26, 2018, to 7 months and 2 years of probation and ordered to pay $37,367 in restitution. Ng contested the charges against him and was convicted of both FCPA and non-FCPA counts at trial on July 27, 2017. He was sentenced on May 11, 2018, to 48 months imprisonment and ordered to pay a $1 million fine, a $1.5 million forfeiture, and $303,000 restitution to the United Nations. Michael L. Cohen and Vanja Baros (SEC | EDNY 17-00430) The SEC charged Cohen and Baros, both former Och-Ziff executives, with FCPA-related charges on January 26, 2017. Cohen is a dual U.S. and U.K. national, while Baros is an Australian national living in the United Kingdom. On July 12, 2018, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed the SECs case against both Cohen and Baros on the ground that the claims were time-barred. Separately, the DOJ indicted Cohen on related charges on January 3, 2018 (see Ongoing Prosecutions). Joo Hyun Bahn (DOJ | SDNY 16-0831): The DOJ charged Bahn, a New York commercial real estate broker, under seal in an indictment on December 15, 2016 (unsealing the charges on January 10, 2017). He was charged alongside several other individuals in connection with an effort to bribe officials in Vietnam, including Malcolm Harris, an arts and fashion consultant and blogger, Ban ki Sang, a South Korean construction executive and Bahns father, and Sang Woo and Andrew Simon, Manhattan real estate brokers who were each charged in separate criminal complaints (see Ongoing Prosecutions above and this Recent Dismissals, Sentencings, and Denial section). Bahn, a South Korean national and U.S. permanent resident, was arrested on January 10, 2017. He pleaded guilty on January 5, 2018, and was sentenced on September 6, 2018, to 6 months imprisonment and ordered to disgorge $225,000. Anthony Mace and Robert Zubiate (DOJ | SDTX 17-618 and 17-591): The DOJ filed FCPA-related criminal informations against Zubiate (a former Sales and Marketing Director for SBM) and Mace (the former CEO of SBM) on October 6, 2017, and October 19, 2017, respectively. Zubiate pleaded guilty on November 6, 2017, while Mace pleaded guilty on November 9, 2017. Both men were sentenced on September 28, 2018, Zubiate to 30 months imprisonment and a $50,000 fine, and Mace to 36 months imprisonment and a $150,000 fine. Colin Steven (DOJ | SDNY 17-788): The DOJ filed a criminal information against Steven, a former Embraer sales vice-president, with FCPA-related charges on December 21, 2017. Steven pleaded guilty the same day and was sentenced to time served on December 12, 2018, and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine. Andrew Simon (DOJ | SDNY 16-831): The DOJ charged Simon, a Manhattan-based commercial real estate broker, on October 17, 2017. He was charged, along with numerous others, in connection with an effort to bribe officials in Vietnam (see Ongoing Prosecutions above and this Recent Dismissals, Sentencings, and Denial section). It is not clear when Simon was arrested, but he pleaded guilty under seal on March 30, 2018 and was sentenced on February 25, 2019, to time served and ordered to pay $500,000 in restitution. Chi Ping Patrick Ho (DOJ | SDNY 17-779): The DOJ charged Ho, the head of a Hong Kong-based non-governmental organization, along with Cheikh Gadio, the former foreign minister of Senegal, under seal on November 16, 2017, and unsealed the complaint on November 20, 2017. Ho contested the charges at trial and was found guilty on December 5, 2018, of all but one of the counts against him. Ho was sentenced on March 25, 2019, to three years imprisonment and ordered to pay a $400,000 fine. The charges against Gadio were dismissed on September 14, 2018 (see this Dismissals, Sentencings and Denials section). Cheikh Gadio (DOJ | SDNY 17-8611): The DOJ charged Gadio, the former foreign minister of Senegal and operator of an international consulting firm, on FCPA-related counts under seal on November 16, 2017, before unsealing the complaint on November 20, 2017. Gadio was charged alongside Patrick Ho, Deputy Chairman and Secretary-General of China Energy Fund Committee. The charges against Gadio were dismissed on September 14, 2018, in exchange for his agreement to testify against Ho, who was convicted at trial on December 5, 2018, and sentenced on March 25, 2019 (see this Dismissals, Sentencings and Denials section). Lawrence W. Parker, Jr. (DOJ | SDFL 17-20914): The DOJ filed an FCPA-related criminal information against Parker on December 20, 2017, in connection with bribes paid to Egbert Yvan Ferdinand Koolman, an official with Arubas state-owned telecom company whom the DOJ charged with non-FCPA counts on January 31, 2018. Parker pleaded guilty on December 28, 2017, and was sentenced on April 30, 2018, to 35 months imprisonment and ordered to pay $701,750 in restitution. (Koolman pleaded guilty on April 13, 2018 and was sentenced on June 27, 2018 to three years imprisonment and ordered to pay $1.3 million in restitution.) Paul A. Margis and Takeshi Tyrone Uonaga (SEC | File No. 3-18938 and 3-18939): The SEC filed cease-and-desist orders against Margis, the former CEO of Panasonic Avionics, and Uonaga, its former CFO, on December 18, 2018. To resolve the charges, Margis agreed to pay a $75,000 fine to resolve the charges, while Uonaga agreed to pay a $50,000 fine and was barred from appearing or practicing before the SEC as an accountant for at least five years. Patricio Contesse Gonzalez (SEC | File No. 3-18839): The SEC filed a cease-and-desist order against Gonzalez, the former CEO of Chilean-based chemical and mining company Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile, S.A. (SQM), on September 25, 2018. To resolve the charges, Gonzalez agreed to pay a $125,000 fine. ____ Marc Alain Bohn is a contributing editor of the FCPA Blog and Counsel in the International Department of Miller & Chevalier. He focuses on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and other areas of international corporate compliance, including export controls and economic sanctions. He can be contacted here. Christine Ciambella is a Librarian at Miller & Chevalier. Afghanistan has recalled its ambassador from Pakistan over statements made by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to the media that suggested Kabul should set up an interim government. Khan told Pakistani journalists on March 25 that forming an interim Afghan government would help peace talks between the United States and Taliban officials since the militant group refuses to speak to the current government. "The Afghan government was a hurdle in [the] peace process that was insisting that Taliban should talk to it," Khan was quoted as saying by the Express Tribune newspaper. Afghanistan also summoned Pakistan's deputy ambassador to discuss the "irresponsible" remarks by Khan, Foreign Ministry spokesman Sibghatullah Ahmadi said in a series of tweets on March 26. The Afghan government considers Khan's statements "an obvious example of Pakistan's interventional policy and disrespect to the national sovereignty and determination of the people of Afghanistan," Ahmadi said. U.S. and Taliban officials have held talks to end the 17-year war, but the militants regard the Afghan government led by President Ashraf Ghani as a U.S. puppet. Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. envoy negotiating with the Taliban, is heading back to the region for a new round of talks, the State Department said on March 26. Khalilzad will head to Afghanistan as well as Pakistan during the trip, which began on March 25 and is scheduled to run through April 10. With reporting by Reuters and AP TBILISI -- A British man dubbed the "speedboat killer" after a manslaughter conviction in London has agreed to be extradited to the United Kingdom from Georgia, where he fled last year ahead of his trial. Jack Shepherd attended a March 26 court hearing in Tbilisi at which it was decided that he will return to Britain, where he plans appeal his conviction and six-year prison sentence over the death of 24-year-old Charlotte Brown. Brown died in a speedboat crash on the River Thames in December 2015 while on a first date with Shepherd, whom she had met online. The extradition order is based on the manslaughter conviction and an assault charge relating to an incident in March 2018 in which Shepherd, 31, is accused of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Shepherd disappeared shortly before his trial later in 2018 and turned up in Georgia, where he was jailed after he handed himself in to police following 10 months on the run -- mostly in hiding in Tbilisi. In footage from the court, Shepherd said he felt "depressed suicidally" for some time after Brown's death and that he was "sorry for the...suffering" endured by her relatives. He said that he decided to seek closure following what he called the "horrible accident" by returning to Britain and appealing his conviction on the charge of manslaughter by gross negligence. Safety Concerns Shepherd had previously vowed to fight extradition, claiming his life would be in danger if he had to serve his sentence in Britain. A lawyer for Shepherd in Georgia, Mariam Kublashvuili, told the court that he had several "demands" related to concerns about his safety in jail in Britain, including a single-person cell with 24-hour video and audio surveillance. Judge Arsen Kalatozishvili agreed to Shepherd's extradition. During their date, authorities say, Shepherd and Brown were thrown from the speedboat when it hit branches in the water at about midnight. Brown was found in the water unconscious and unresponsive, and Shepherd was clinging to the upturned motorboat. With reporting by the BBC and The Telegraph BRUSSELS -- The European Parliament has called on the European Union's leadership to keep a close watch on Uzbekistan's progress on political reforms and adherence to human rights and media freedoms. The recommendations on Uzbekistan, where President Shavkat Mirziyoev has promised reform after coming to power following the death of long-ruling autocrat Islam Karimov in 2016, came in a report approved by the European Parliament on March 26. It urged the EU's executive council and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini to "provide for regular, in-depth dialogue and monitor full implementation of political and democratic reforms aimed at creating an independent judiciary" in Uzbekistan. It also calls on the Central Asian country to create "a genuinely independent parliament resulting from a genuinely competitive election" and to take steps aimed at "protecting human rights, gender equality and freedom of the media." Cooperation Agreement The report comes after the EU earlier this year held the first round of negotiations on a Comprehensive Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) with Uzbekistan. The deal, which will replace an existing political framework between Brussels and Tashkent from 1999, covers issues such as trade in goods, legislative cooperation, and issues related to democracy and human rights. A similar deal between the EU and Kazakhstan took four years to negotiate, and the European Parliament needs to give consent to the EPCA with Uzbekistan. The parliament report welcomed the release of political prisoners but urges the authorities "to guarantee them full rehabilitation and access to remedy and medical treatment." It also calls for the "release of all remaining political prisoners and all other individuals imprisoned or persecuted on politically motivated charges." The text also welcomed "progress made towards the eradication of child labor" but said that "state-sponsored forced labor in the cotton and silk industries and other areas remains a problem." In an annual report released in February, the Washington-based rights group Freedom House classified Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as "not free," placing them among countries with the worst situations for political rights and civil liberties. But it cautiously welcomed "another year of tentative improvement" in Uzbekistan, which previously has been on the group's "worst-of-the-worst" list. Freedom House said the government "continued to release political prisoners and ease restrictions" on nongovernmental organizations in 2018. Russia's Investigative Committee says a former cabinet minister and ally of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has been detained for allegedly embezzling $62 million from a Siberian energy distribution company. The committee said Mikhail Abyzov was taken into custody by Federal Security Service agents on March 26. Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said Abyzov was allegedly involved in a criminal group that embezzled 4 billion rubles, or about $62 million, from the Siberian Energy Company and Regional Electric Grid in Novosibirsk. Investigators alleged that Abyzov and five accomplices stole the money and transferred the funds abroad. Defense lawyer Aleksandr Asnis told the state-run TASS news agency that Abyzov would appear in a Moscow court March 27 for a pretrial hearing, and would plead not guilty. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that President Vladimir Putin had been informed in advance about Abyzov. Abyzov served as a cabinet minister between 2012 and 2018, and is considered a close associate of Medvedev, who was president between 2008 and 2012. After Putin resumed the presidency in 2012, Medvedev returned to become prime minister. Abyzov retained his position in Medvedev's government until last year. Investigators alleged that Abyzov founded the criminal enterprise in April 2011 -- a year before he was appointed as Minister for Open Government Affairs, whose duties included trying to make the Russian government transparent and accountable. Abyzov also held several executive positions at major Russian energy firms since the mid-1990s, including a role on the board of directors at the electric power holding company EES. In 2017, anticorruption activist Aleksei Navalny reported that Abyzov owns a mansion in Italy worth about $11.7 million. Navalny reported that Abyzov amassed his wealth through his energy-sector connections in Novosibirsk. With reporting by The Moscow Times, Meduza.io, Interfax, and TASS KYIV -- When it comes to distracting from the issues troubling most Ukrainians ahead of this weekend's presidential election, the rough-and-tumble among the leading candidates has rarely disappointed. There have been allegations of vote buying, murky campaign donations, and wiretaps. In the latest twist, the race threatened to spill over into the courts as President Petro Poroshenko's team announced a lawsuit against a TV station owned by a longtime foe linked to the incumbent's leading challenger. Poroshenko's camp on March 25 accused the 1+1 TV channel of airing "systematic lies" and "disinformation" about him as revenge for a contentious nationalization dispute. The TV station's owner, Ihor Kolomoyskiy, owned PrivatBank, Ukraine's biggest lender, until its nationalization in 2016 amid allegations of massive fraud. 1+1 broadcasts the traveling comedy show and sitcom of Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the actor and candidate who plays a fictional president on TV and has led most opinion polls for months. The station's management called the lawsuit a "public relations" move by a president fighting for his political survival and said all its news programming was grounded in facts. Three independent pollsters this week reported that Zelenskiy still held a commanding lead, with Poroshenko vying with the populist former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko for second place. Unless one candidate wins a majority outright -- and those same polls suggest that is unlikely -- the top two finishers advance to a second round on April 21. A whopping 39 candidates are on the first-round ballot. 'Revenge' Artur Herasymov, head of the president's Petro Poroshenko Bloc-Solidarity party in parliament, announced the lawsuit in a statement published on the official website of Poroshenko's election campaign. "Petro Poroshenko has made his mind to sue Channel 1+1 for systematic lies on a large scale, for spreading enormous disinformation detrimental to the honor and dignity of the presidential candidate and president," Herasymov said. "Obviously, Mr. Kolomoyskiy is guided by a sense of revenge on the state," Herasymov claimed, citing the PrivatBank case. Ukraine's central bank made the decision to nationalize PrivatBank in late 2016, saying the move was necessary to protect some 20 million customers and "preserve financial stability in the country." The central bank later said an investigation into PrivatBank showed it had been "subjected to a large-scale and coordinated fraud" by Kolomoyskiy over at least a decade, a charge that he has rejected. "At any price, without hesitating to employ the dirtiest methods, [Kolomoyskiy] seeks to prevent a Petro Poroshenko victory in the presidential election," Herasymov said. 'PR Campaign' Kolomoyskiy's 1+1 responded by calling Poroshenko's accusations "baseless" and said that "every fact that was cited in the journalistic investigations is supported by evidence and witnesses." The broadcaster said that filing a lawsuit mere days before the election was "more like an element of a preelection promotional campaign than a real refutation in court of supposedly false information voiced on air." "Such a reaction from the presidential candidate at the height of the election campaign once again demonstrates the weak and unjustified position of the current government," 1+1 added. The company also leveled its own accusations, charging that "media that are associated with Petro Poroshenko have long violated journalistic norms and...been transformed into outright propaganda." Poroshenko is the owner of Channel 5, whose television news programs have been critical of Kolomoyskiy as well as Zelenskiy. Ukrainians Tuning In While news consumption via the Internet is on the rise, roughly three-quarters of Ukrainians still mainly watch TV news to stay informed, according to recent studies. Hence, the attention from powerful oligarchs, five of whom control the country's leading television channels. And while studies show trust in TV outlets has increased in recent years, television remains a "source for fake news as well," media analyst Taras Shevchenko told Hromadske Radio in a recent interview. 'A Very Loud Day Of Silence' Besides Poroshenko's lawsuit and allegations, 1+1 has come under scrutiny over its programming lineup for March 30, the day before the election. Under Ukrainian law, the day before any political election should be a "day of silence," with no campaigning allowed. But Ukrainian politicians have found clever ways to get around the law, including putting up billboards that look identical to their official campaign posters -- minus the candidates' name and party. This week, photos circulated on social media showing purple billboards going up around the country with the word "Think" plastered across them, closely resembling Poroshenko's official campaign billboards. The 1+1 preelection program lineup includes at least two slots for Zelenskiy's comedy show and a documentary about U.S. President Ronald Reagan that is narrated by Zelenskiy. Some Ukrainians have drawn comparisons between Reagan and Zelenskiy -- two men who were successful actors before entering politics. Critics alleged that airing programs clearly aimed at bolstering Zelenskiy's campaign violated the "day of silence" law. But 1+1 disagreed, saying the comedy shows were reruns that showed Zelenskiy "as an actor, not a candidate" and that two other shows set to air would not in any way include him. Novoye Vremya reporter Kristina Berdynskykh, who first noticed the lineup, called it "a very loud day of silence." KABUL -- During a visit to Kabul, the European Union's top diplomat has said that the bloc supports "an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process." Speaking at a joint press conference with President Ashraf Ghani on March 26, EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini said that the EU had "always been on the side of Afghan people with no other agenda" than peace, security, and prosperity for the war-torn country. She made the remarks two weeks after the latest round of negotiations between the United States and the Taliban ended in Qatar, as Washington seeks an end to the nearly 18-year war in Afghanistan. The Western-backed government in Kabul has complained it is being left out of the talks, because of the Taliban's refusal to negotiate with what they consider as "a U.S. puppet." Mogherini said that the political and social achievements of the past years, including in the field of rights for women, girls, and children, should be taken into account in talks with the Taliban. The EU official also met with Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah during her Kabul visit. With reporting by AP and dpa The major economic strides made by energy-rich Kazakhstan during President Nursultan Nazarbaev's nearly 30-year reign often overshadow reports chronicling an undemocratic, repressive tenure punctuated by jailings and the suspicious deaths of opposition leaders, activists, and journalists. In power since the 1980s, Nazarbaev surprised many Kazakhs and outside observers on March 19 when he announced an abrupt end to his presidency. The one-time steelworker and former Communist Party apparatchik leaves behind a legacy of economic progress striped with despotic rule that squelched democratic norms, shuttered independent media outlets, and suppressed protests or virtually any hint of opposition to his government. Human Rights Watch (HRW) says in a recent report that the Kazakh government "heavily restricts" freedom of assembly, speech, and religion, while democracy watchdog Freedom House calls Kazakhstan a "consolidated authoritarian regime." Its annual reports conclude that the country has become less democratic and more repressive over the past decade. Reporters Without Borders ranked Kazakhstan 158th out of 180 countries worldwide in press freedom in 2018, while the religious-freedom watchdog Forum 18 says Kazakhstan "restricts freedom of religion and belief." The Oslo-based organization said it has recorded "increasing numbers" of people jailed for their religious beliefs. Nazarbaev's presidency was marked by numerous suspicious deaths -- many of them unsolved -- of journalists, activists, protesters, businessmen, and politicians, as well as others who were detained or imprisoned, often on what rights activists describe as trumped-up, politically motivated charges. In November, the Open Dialogue Foundation named at least 40 people in Kazakhstan whom it considered to be either political prisoners or living under restricted freedom, many of them bloggers. Disappearances And Deaths Here are some of the frequently forgotten disappearances and mysterious deaths since Nazarbaev came to power in 1989: Nuri Muftakh, 66, was a well-known journalist who was run over in a bizarre incident at a bus station parking lot in a small town during a stop by his bus on the Taraz-to-Almaty route in 2002. Aleksei Pugaev, a journalist focused on human rights and the publisher of the opposition Eurasia newspaper, was killed in a hit-and-run car accident in central Almaty in 2002. Askhat Sharipzhanov, 40, a prominent independent journalist and brother of then-RFE/RL Kazakh Service Director Merhat Sharipzhanov, was found bloodied and unconscious with a fractured skull in central Almaty in July 2004. He died a few days later. Police said he had been hit by a car, but friends and colleagues said his injuries suggested he had been struck in the head before being hit by a car. Just days before he was killed, Sharipzhanov had interviewed opposition leaders Altynbek Sarsenbaiuly and Zamanbek Nurqadilov as part of an investigative report. That report, which was nearing publication, was never found, nor were the interviews with the two men -- both of whom died of gunshot wounds months after Sharipzhanov. Yuri Baev, the chief editor of the newspaper Talap, died after being struck by a car in the western city of Oral in 2004. He had been writing articles about an oil-kickback scandal known as Kazakhgate. Erzhan Tatishev, 37, the head of Kazakhstan's largest bank, Bank Turan Alem (BTA), died in December 2004 while hunting for wolves in what officials said was an accident. But several politicians said suspicious circumstances surrounding his death pointed to an assassination. Exiled former BTA bank Chairman Mukhtar Ablyazov was found guilty in absentia in November 2018 by a Kazakh court of organizing Tatishev's murder. Batyrkhan Darimbet, 54, a member of the opposition Democratic Choice of Kazakhstans political council and a former correspondent for RFE/RL's Kazakh Service who also served as the head of the opposition newspaper Azat, died six days after a suspicious car crash in the southern Zhambyl region in 2005. Zamanbek Nurqadilov, 60, a former government minister and Almaty mayor who joined the opposition in 2004 and accused President Nazarbaev of corruption, was found dead at his home in Almaty in 2005, three weeks before the presidential election and shortly after saying he would publicize documents proving high-level corruption. He had been shot twice in the chest and once in the head. His death was officially ruled a suicide. Anastasiya Novikova, 23, was a news moderator at the NTK TV station in Kazakhstan and purported girlfriend of Nazarbaev's son-in-law, Rakhat Aliev. Novikova died violently under mysterious circumstances in 2004 in Beirut, where she reportedly went to give birth. Novikova's friends and relatives formed the group Justice For Novikova and accused Aliev of being behind her death. Oksanna Nikitina, 14, the daughter of opposition activist Yelena Nikitina, disappeared in Almaty in October 2005 and was found dead weeks later. Yelena Nikitina, deputy chief of a group supporting opposition presidential candidate Zharmakhan Tuyakbai, had been questioned and pressured several times by police seeking information about the For A Just Kazakhstan political party shortly before her daughter's disappearance. Altynbek Sarsenbaiuly (aka Sarsenbaev), 44, was a former Kazakh ambassador to Russia who also had served as information minister under Nazarbaev. Sarsenbaiuly was the co-chairman of the opposition Naghyz Aq Zhol (True Bright Path) party and was seen as a political rival to Nazarbaev. Sarsenbaiuly, spokesman Bauyrzhan Baibosyn, and driver Vasily Zhuravlyov disappeared on February 11, 2006. They were found dead two days later outside of Almaty with their hands tied behind their backs and shotgun wounds to their heads. Saken Tauzhanov, 37, was a blogger known for his online articles critical of Nazarbaev. His last article, published on kub.kz, compared the Kazakh administration to the exploits of the movie character Shrek. Tauzhanov was hit by a large truck as he crossed a street in Almaty in 2007, five days after he wrote that article. Police declared his death a routine traffic fatality. Oralghaisha Omarshanova, 39 when she was last seen, was a reporter for the Russian-Kazakh weekly newspaper Law And Justice until she disappeared in late March 2007, shortly after investigating clashes between ethnic Chechens and Kazakhs in southern Kazakhstan. Omarshanova was investigating a reputed political connection to the clashes. Twelve years later, Omarshanova is still missing. Rakhat Aliev, 52, Nazarbaev's former son-in-law, was found hanged in a cell in a Viennese prison in February 2015, a few days before he was to testify in the trial of two slain Kazakh bank executives. Aliev had been married to Nazarbaev's eldest daughter, Darigha, until allegedly being forcibly divorced from her in 2007 after falling out with Nazarbaev. Aliev was a close ally of his father-in-law for many years and held several top posts in the Kazakh government, but the relationship collapsed after Aliev publicly criticized Nazarbaev in 2007 and announced he would run in the next presidential election. Aliev's father, who had also fled to Europe about the same time as his son in 2007, died of an undisclosed cause in Kazakhstan one month before his son was found dead in prison. Although Rakhat Aliev's death was ruled a suicide by Vienna's coroner, an internationally known forensic specialist concluded that he had been strangled before he was hanged. Nurbank Vice President and Chairman Zholdas Timraliev and bank manager Aibar Khasenov were reported missing in Almaty in early 2007 and their mutilated bodies were discovered years later in a metal drum at a waste dump. The disappearances came weeks after Timraliev and another Nurbank official said they had been kidnapped and beaten for 24 hours by Rakhat Aliev to pressure them into selling an Almaty bank building to Aliev. Aliev was later charged by Kazakh officials of direct involvement in the bankers' murders, but Austrian officials refused to extradite him. Zhanaozen Massacre At least 14 oil-industry workers and their supporters demonstrating for higher wages and improved working conditions were shot dead by OMON riot police in the western oil town of Zhanaozen in December 2011. Demonstrators say dozens were killed in the incident, while state officials maintain that 11 died. Detained, Harassed, Imprisoned Dozens of former high-ranking officials, businesspeople, journalists, and activists have been detained, imprisoned, and harassed, with many of them fleeing Kazakhstan during Nazarbaev's tenure. These are some of the most noteworthy: Mukhtar Ablyazov, the former BTA bank chairman, was Kazakhstan's energy, industry, and trade minister and is the founder of the opposition Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan. He fled Kazakhstan for the United Kingdom in 2009, where he eventually received political asylum. He was accused of embezzling billions from BTA and detained by French officials at Kazakhstan's request for three years before being released. Ablyazov's former security chief, Aleksandr Pavlov, was also sought by Kazakhstan and was detained in Spain for more than one year as he fought extradition on charges of terrorism and embezzlement. Akezhan Kazhegeldin was prime minister from 1994 until turning critical of Nazarbaev in 1997, citing the president's autocratic ways, and resigning from his post. Kazhegeldin was prevented from taking part in the 1999 presidential election and was later accused of plotting a coup against Nazarbaev. He fled to the West in 1999 and is currently based in London. After Nazarbaev's resignation, he told Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA, that he would be willing to stand in a presidential election in Kazakhstan if it were free and fair. Mukhtar Dzhakishev was a businessman and former head of uranium giant Kazatomprom, a position he held until 2001, when he became deputy energy and mineral resources minister. He returned as head of Kazatomprom in 2002 but was sacked and charged with embezzlement in 2009 on charges that many observers said were politically motivated. Dzhakishev received a 14-year prison sentence in 2010. Tatyana Paraskevich, former head of the Eurasian Investment and Industrial Group, where she worked with Ablyazov, fled to the West in 2012 and settled in the Czech Republic, where she was detained for nearly two years as she fought extradition to Kazakhstan. Kazakh authorities have charged her with embezzlement and abuse of funds. Galymzhan Zhakiyanov, a former governor, businessman, and opposition leader, was jailed from 2002-06 on abuse-of-office charges. He was declared a political prisoner by international rights groups. He left Kazakhstan for the United States after serving his term. Vladimir Kozlov was a journalist and politician who founded the Algha opposition party in 2005. He was a presidential candidate in 2011 but was prevented by officials from running. Kozlov was charged in 2012 with inciting social hatred for supporting striking oil workers at Zhanaozen and given a 7 1/2-year prison sentence. He was released in 2016. Muratbek Ketebaev was Kazakhstan's deputy economy minister and later was a leader of the opposition Algha party. He fled in 2010 after a violent pressure campaign against independent media outlet Respublika, where he published articles about corruption and cronyism within Nazarbaev's government. He was accused of preparing terrorist attacks. He settled in Poland, where he was granted political asylum. With reporting by RFE/RL's Bruce Pannier and Merhat Sharipzhanov ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's Supreme Court has granted bail for six weeks to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who had been sentenced to seven years in prison for corruption. Sharif, 69, will be free to get treatment anywhere in Pakistan but will not be allowed to leave the country, a three-judge panel ruled on March 26. The three-time former prime minister has been suffering from a heart condition and kidney problems. Last month, the Islamabad High Court rejected Sharif's bail appeal, saying that he was already being treated at a hospital. That decision was later challenged in the Supreme Court. Sharif was removed from office in 2017 after the Supreme Court disqualified him from serving. In December, an anticorruption court sentenced him to seven years in prison on a charge of possessing assets beyond his known sources of income. Sharif was also handed a 10-year prison sentence in July over the purchase of luxury apartments in London. However, he was released on bail in September. The appeal process in both cases is under way. Sharif has denied any wrongdoing and says the charges against him are politically motivated. With reporting by dpa and Reuters Russia, Iran, and a number of Arab countries including U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf have blasted President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, charging that it violates international law and could undermine regional stability. In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters on March 26 that he was "saddened but not surprised" by international criticism triggered by Trump's decision, adding: "We are simply recognizing facts on the ground." Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov said that "such decisions undoubtedly have negative consequences from the point of view of a settlement in the Middle East and the general atmosphere of political settlement in Syria." He said Putin would discuss the matter with his visiting Lebanese counterpart, Michael Aoun, later in the day. Trump signed a proclamation on March 25 officially granting U.S. recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. Israeli forces seized the rocky plateau from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War, and effectively annexing it in 1981 in a move not recognized internationally. Trump's move came after the United States moved its Israel embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem last year, sparking international criticism as well as Palestinian and Arab anger. During a meeting with Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, Aoun said in Moscow that "the leader of a foreign state has no right to dispose of someone else's territories this way," according to the Interfax news agency. Iranian state news agency IRNA quoted President Hassan Rohani as saying that "no one could imagine that a person in America comes and gives land of a nation to another occupying country." "Such action is unprecedented in the current century," Rohani added. Four Gulf Arab states -- Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait, all regional allies of Washington that host U.S. troops -- also rejected the decision. Saudi Arabia has expressed its "firm rejection and condemnation of the declaration issued by the American administration," said a statement carried by the SPA state news agency. It warned that the U.S. step would have "major negative effects" on Middle East peace-making efforts and the "security and stability" of the region. Kuwait voiced "regret and dismay" over Trump's decision, while Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, said that it regarded the Golan Heights as occupied Syrian territory. Qatar called on Israel to end its occupation of the Golan Heights and comply with international resolutions. In Syria, state news agency SANA reported that thousands of people had gathered in the streets of several cities to protest Trump's decision. The government of President Bashar al-Assad, whose forces have been battling rebels and Islamist militants in a devastating eight-year civil war, has called the U.S. move a "blatant attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Syria. With reporting by dpa, Reuters, Interfax, and AP Serbian human rights activists held a commemorative march to the parliament building in Belgrade on March 26 to remember Kosovar-Albanian victims of the 1998-99 war in Kosovo. About 30 activists unfurled a banner in the center of the city with the names of 744 Kosovar Albanians, who were discovered in mass graves at a Serbian police-training facility in Batajnica, near Belgrade, in 2001-02. Serbian law enforcement ensured security during the march. U.S. President Donald Trump has hinted at possible payback for that his political enemies who did "evil" and "treasonous things," a day after the summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report cleared him of colluding with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election, although it reached no conclusion on whether the president obstructed justice. "There are a lot of people out there that have done some very, very evil things, very bad things, I would say treasonous things against our country," Trump told reporters at the White House on March 25, without mentioning anyone by name or citing specific actions. "Those people will certainly be looked at," the U.S. president said. Senator Lindsey Graham, the Republican Senate Judiciary Committee chairman and a Trump ally, told reporters he would ask Attorney General William Barr to appoint a special counsel to probe whether U.S. law enforcement officials made missteps in their investigation. Trump's offensive came as Democrats made a new push for the Mueller report to be released. The six committee chairs in the Democratic-led House of Representatives on March 25 called on Barr to release the full Mueller report to Congress by April 2. No one outside the Justice Department has yet seen the report, including the White House. The Justice Department has not said whether it will release Mueller's full report, but Barr has said he will be as transparent as possible. Trump and his allies appeared jubilant after Barr said, in a letter released to Congress and made public on March 24, that Mueller's report states that the probe "did not establish that members" of Trump's campaign "conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities." But disagreement between the White House and Democratic lawmakers over the findings appeared to herald further tension and confrontation as the next presidential election, in November 2020, draws closer. Barr quoted Mueller's report as saying, "While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." Russian officials and lawmakers used Barr's summary to reiterate Moscow's claim that it did not meddle in the U.S. presidential campaign -- despite the attorney general's repeated and sometimes detailed references to "election interference activities" by President Vladimir Putin's government. In his four-page outline of the report Mueller's office delivered to him on March 22 after a 675-day investigation, Barr also said he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein concluded the evidence gathered by Mueller is "not sufficient to establish" that Trump committed obstruction of justice -- a separate question that the special counsel investigated. Democrats who disputed Trump's claim of vindication focused on those words and on the fact that while Mueller decided not to "draw a conclusion" on whether Trump obstructed justice. Barr -- a Trump appointee who was confirmed as the U.S. chief prosecutor in February -- decided along with Rosenstein that the evidence was insufficient to show that he did. Trump said on March 25 that it was up to Barr to decide whether detailed findings from Mueller's report would be made public. Mueller examined Russia's interference in the 2016 election, along with, as Barr's letter describes it, "allegations that members of Trump's presidential campaign, and others associated with it, conspired with the Russian government in its efforts to interfere." That was one of several instances in which Barr's summary referred unequivocally to Russian interference. Barr said that Muellers investigation "determined that there were two main Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election" -- one involving attempts to "sow social discord" though "disinformation on social media operations," the other "computer hacking operations designed to gather and disseminate information to influence the election." Barr also said Mueller's report described "multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign." With reporting by AP, Reuters, and The New York Times The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged Turkmenistan to immediately lift a travel ban imposed on veteran correspondent Soltan Achilova and allow her to travel freely outside the Central Asian country. "Systematic harassment of Achilova and a handful of other journalists must be stopped as they do the important job of reporting from one of the most closed-off countries of the world," Gulnoza Said, the New York-based media watchdog's Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, said in a statement on March 25. Achilova is an Ashgabat-based contributor to the Vienna-based independent news website Khronika Turkmenistana (Chronicles of Turkmenistan). She was about to take a flight to attend an international seminar in Tbilisi, Georgia, when she was stopped at passport control in Ashgabat International Airport on March 11, according to Farid Tukhbatullin, editor in chief of Khronika Turkmenistana. An immigration officer told Achilova that she could not leave the country, without providing any explanation, Tukhbatullin told CPJ. In a statement on March 21, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urged the Turkmen authorities to "stop harassing [Achilova] and the small number of other independent journalists in Turkmenistan." Achilova, a former correspondent of RFE/RL's Turkmen Service, has in the past been detained by police and physically assaulted by officers, thugs, and other unidentified assailants. Khronika Turkmenistana and RFE/RL's Turkmen Service, known locally as Azatlyk Radiosy, are among the few critical Turkmenistan-focused media outlets, Tukhbatullin said. Ranked 178th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2018 World Press Freedom Index, Turkmenistan is a "black hole from which little news and information emerge and where the few independent journalists risk severe persecution," the Paris-based media watchdog said. According to CPJ, the Turkmen government "tightly controls the Internet through the country's only state provider, and has blocked critical websites, social media, and messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal." A court in Pakistan has ordered protection for two sisters from the mostly Muslim country's Hindu minority, as investigators are trying to determine whether they were abducted and forced to convert to Islam and marry two Muslims. The Islamabad High Court issued the order on March 26, saying that the sisters had petitioned the tribunal seeking protection for themselves and their husbands. The four, all from the southern town of Ghotki, were sent to separate government shelters. According to police, the sisters' parents said that their daughters were 13 and 15 years old, but their lawyer told the court in Islamabad that one of them was 20, according to the Dawn newspaper. It said that a government representative had told the judge that the probe would be completed within a week. In their petition, the sisters said they had left their home on March 20 without informing their family because of threats to their lives, and willingly converted to Islam, Dawn reported. After leaving their native town of Ghotki in Sindh Province, the two petitioners travelled to Punjab Province and later to Islamabad. Reports said that several suspects had been detained in the case, including a cleric who performed the wedding last week. Underage marriage is illegal in Pakistan but the law is often ignored. Based on reporting by AP, Dawn, and RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal Abingworth, a London, UK-based international investment group dedicated to life sciences, appointed Bali Muralidhar as a Partner based in the London office. Muralidhar has 15 years professional experience in healthcare across a range of functions including venture investing, R&D, clinical practice and teaching. He will work with the team in the London, Boston and Menlo Park offices to source and evaluate new investment opportunities and support existing venture investments through to exit. Prior to joining Abingworth, Muralidhar was a senior partner at MVM Partners LLP in London where he completed investments in and served on the boards of several companies, both public and private. Two of these were Wilson Therapeutics and Valneva, both also Abingworth portfolio companies. Muralidhar obtained a degree in clinical medicine from the University of Oxford and practiced general surgery at the John Radcliffe and Addenbrookes Hospitals in Oxford and Cambridge, respectively. He has a PhD in translational cancer research from the MRC Cancer Cell Unit, University of Cambridge, and has published over a dozen peer reviewed papers,a Bye-Fellow in Medical Sciences at Downing College, Cambridge where he taught pathology, surgery and medicine. Abingworth is an international investment group dedicated to collaborating with life sciences entrepreneurs to develop their ideas into products having a big impact on health. With over $1.1 billion under management, the firm invests at all stages of development, from startups to publicly traded companies, and across all life science sectors. Supporting its portfolio companies with a team of 27 at offices in London, Menlo Park (California) and Boston, Abingworth has invested in 152 life science companies, leading to 65 IPOs and 47 mergers and acquisitions. FinSMEs 26/03/2019 OncoLens, an Atlanta, GA-based technology company serving cancer care programs, closed a $1.35m seed funding round. BIP Capital and Atlanta Technology Angels (ATA) led the round. As part of this funding round, OncoLens announced Sarath Degala, vice president at BIP Capital, and ATA board member Bill Midgette have joined its board of directors. The company will deploy the capital toward its strategic growth plans. Led by Anju Mathew, CEO and co-founder, OncoLens provides a platform that enables a diverse and multispecialty cancer care team to collaborate on treatment plans for individual patients. The company also provides cancer-specific decision support and assists cancer programs to track, discuss and implement nationally approved quality metrics. It is part of Georgia Techs Advanced Technology Development Centers ATDC Accelerate portfolio and in 2018. FinSMEs 26/03/2019 Ouster, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of high-resolution lidar sensors used for autonomous vehicles, robotics, and mapping, raised over $60m in equity and debt funding. Backers included Runway Growth Capital and Silicon Valley Bank, as well as additional funding from Series A participants Cox Enterprises, Constellation Tech Ventures, Fontinalis Partners, Carthona, and others. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate its expansion into new industries and geographic markets and rapid pace of technology development. Led by CEO Angus Pacala, is a provider of high-resolution lidar sensors used for autonomous vehicles, robotics, and mapping. In addition to the funding, the company opened a new manufacturing facility currently producing hundreds of sensors per month and capable of producing thousands of lidar sensors per month, and appointed Susan Heystee to its board of directors. Heystee most recently served as Senior Vice President of Verizons Global Automotive business. Prior to joining Verizon, she was the Executive Vice President of Sales at Telogis, a global enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) company providing location technology solutions for fleet and mobile workforce management. Under her leadership, Telogis grew to one of the dominant players in the connected vehicle/smart mobility market, resulting in its acquisition by Verizon Communications in August 2016. Ouster has over 100 employees and 400+ customers in 15 industries from autonomous vehicles to industrial robotics, agriculture, mapping, defense, and drones. FinSMEs 25/03/2019 Police arrest two in Tulum in mid-ATM theft Tulum, Q.R. Two men were arrested in Tulum after police received a report of an ATM theft. Members of Secretaria de Seguridad Publica in Tulum say they have detained two men for the robbery of ATM. They report that while conducting security and surveillance tours, they received a radio report of an attempted ATM theft on Avenida Satelite and Tulum Avenues. When they arrived, they found a white truck and two men attempting to steal an ATM. Police say from the incident, arrested was 41-year-old Antonio N and 28-year-old Ruben N. TerViva, a Oakland, Calif.-based agriculture technology company, raised an additional $20m in the first close of its Series D funding. The round was led by a diversified agricultural family office, Evans Properties, The Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust, and a group of Florida agricultural family offices, who join existing investors including the Elemental Excelerator, the Yield Lab, Astia Angels, Allotrope Ventures and Howard Fischer of Gratitude Railroad. The company intends to use the new funds to accelerate research connecting the pongamia beans valuable functional properties to critical processing and product development partnerships that will demonstrate commercial viability of pongamia protein and oil and grow its infrastructure to supply farmers with patented high-yielding oilseed trees in Florida and Hawaii. TerViva is an agriculture technology company commercializing resilient pongamia trees that produce as much as ten times the beans per acre as soy for the supply of plant protein, vegetable oil, and biofuel. The company sells farmers patented non-GMO cultivars of pongamia selected for their high yields and hardy growth. Farmers partner with TerViva to grow pongamia on abandoned agriculture lands with little to no fertilizers or pesticides. The company buys back the crop for processing into plant protein, livestock feed, and high-oleic oil. TerViva is planting patented varieties of the pongamia tree in Florida and in Hawaii, on former sugar cane lands on Oahu, Kauai, and Maui. FinSMEs 26/03/2019 Walk around Langold Lake 10am, meet at Langold Cafe off A60. April 24 meeting 7.30pm in The Loyal Trooper, Sheffield Road, South Anston, talk on Spain by John Gardner. The NAPT hide open Saturdays 8-11am subject to water present in the Scrape. Anyone interested in birds is welcome to join the warden and find out whats about. Contact 01909563108, www.sk58birders.com The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a Notice to Proceed to Ames Construction last week to allow work on the concrete weir and fish bypass at Intake. The long delay has been due to the bid complaint filed by American Southwest Electrical, which has now been denied by the courts. Ames can begin to resubmit applications for permits, which had expired due to the delay, and mobilize its efforts towards completing the project. Actual river work will probably not start until mid-July since they are not allowed in the river during the spawning season, but site prep should begin once the permits are finalized. Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project manager James Brower stated, We are glad that these Unnecessary court delays to the saving of the Endangered Pallid Sturgeon are finally over and the Construction of the Fish Bypass can start before the Wild Pallid Sturgeon becomes too old to reproduce sufficiently to repopulate the wild population. Jacklyn Damm, Tobacco Prevention Specialist at the Richland County Health Department will be presenting Kick Butts Day hosted by Savage Junior High and High School on April 11. As an annual celebration of youth leadership and activism in the fight against tobacco use, Kick Butts Day rotates around Richland County schools each year. This year Savage will feature five activities to demonstrate important consequences of tobacco use. Posters around the school will inform students that across the nation 1200 people die every day from a tobacco related disease. 100 rubber rats will be hidden around the school for students to find and exchange for prizes. The rats represent arsenic, or rat poison, which is found in tobacco products like cigarettes, spit tobacco, and vapes. A display board showing damage caused by vape devices exploding will demonstrate that electronic cigarettes can damage lungs and may explode in addition to containing a highly concentrated amount of nicotine. A candy store comparing candy flavored tobacco and actual candy will illustrate how Big Tobacco markets towards minors. Mr. Gross Mouth, a display of oral diseases will show students how using spit or smokeless tobacco increases risk for cancer of the mouth, gums, and throat. It also increases risk for gum disease, stained teeth and tooth lossMontanans that use tobacco on average have six fewer teeth than Montanans who have never used tobacco products. Spit tobacco also absorbs into the body faster which also increases risk for nicotine addiction. For more information please contact Jacklyn at the Richland County Health Department at 406-433-2207. The MT Quitline is also available for all tobacco users including vaping. Call 1-800-Quit-Now or go online to QuitNowMontana.com. The Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program plays an important role in Partnership for Promise, a subcommittee of Communities in Action that strives to work together to with the youth of Richland County to create an ongoing, healthy, and supportive environment. Sidney Doctors spend their lives helping and healing others, and in 1990, Congress passed and President George H. Bush signed a bill into law proclaiming March 30 as National Doctors Day. Celebration of this day has grown from simply expressing our gratitude to our physicians to using this day as an opportunity to share some positive messages for the medical profession. As part of National Doctors day, the Fourndation for Community Care invites you to recognize a special physician who cared for you or a loved one. Let your physician know how nuch they are appreciated your words and support are the most powerful source of gratitude. In addition to the over 20 highly skilled physicians who are affiated with Sidney Health Center, the Foundation is proud to support doctors who ensure quality care for all of Richland County, from dentists to optometrists. Please send your message of appreciation to the Foundation for Community Care at [email protected], or call the Foundation at 406-488-2273. Community members may also make a contribution in honor of a physician at https://foundationforcommunitycare.org. Not only will the gift affirm the commitment of an exceptional doctor, it will also support the critical programs and lifesaving care provided every day at Sidney Health Center and across eastern Montana. LuAnn Sharbono is retiring from the profession she has loved for 38 years. Inspired by ladies such as June Sullivan and Betty McConnell, she knew in high school that she wanted to be a teller at the bank in Fairview. She attended Montana Tech in Missoula and then returned to Fairview to start her career. Other than seven years off to raise her kids, Sharbono has been welcoming customers with her beautiful smile, and taking care of their needs with courtesy and efficiency. She hadn't planned to return to work as early as she did but the bank asked her to come in "for a day or two," and she has been there ever since. Bookkeeping was done with a pencil and ledger when Sharbono started at the bank, and all the tellers worked out of one till which was a nightmare to balance and caused some very late nights. Debit cards were unheard of and few, if any, customers had direct deposits or automatic payments, so there were piles of checks and deposits to go through at the end of the day. Everything had to be precise, right to the penny. Computers were just being introduced when she left on maternity leave, and were the norm when she returned. The bank name has changed several times during Sharbono's tenure, from Fairview Bank to Montana Bank, back to Fairview Bank, then 1st Security Bank West, and now Merchants Bank. Several bank presidents have also come and gone, but she has thrived along with the changes. Sharbono's favorite part of the job has been the social aspect, both the customers and the people she has worked with. "They're family," she said. "And have made it easy to stay here." She had no "dislikes" saying that "they've been good to me." Community involvement has always been important to the Fairview native. She taught Sunday School for 10 years and was a leader for both Girl and Boy Scouts. She and Rick, her husband of 45 years, continue to take care of the Fairview Food Bank after over 35 years. Rick retired from Tri-County Implement in 2016. The couple plans to enjoy retirement and spend more time with their kids: son Daniel and his wife Alyssa; daughter Marci and her husband David Ellingson and especially 18 month old grandson Riley Ellingson, all of Minot. Vice-president Jan Duda is looking forward to keeping in touch with Sharbono. "We're definitely going to miss her, but she won't be a stranger. She'll keep us posted on how the baby's growing and bring pictures," she said with a smile. Bank president Neil McWalter commented, "She's a sweetheart. It's always been her ambition to give the best customer service possible. She has been dedicated to taking care of people." An open house will be held from 1-4 p.m. Friday, March 29 at Merchants Bank. Everyone is invited to stop by for coffee and cake and wish Sharbono well in her retirement. The Watford City Area Chamber of Commerce and Watford City Economic Development Corporation held their annual meetings on March 22 in the Outlaws' Gallery and Ballroom in Watford City. The meetings also included legislative updates from the local state representatives, some words from ND Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford and keynote speaker Pat Bertagnolli, VP of Human Resources at MBI. Five businesses will be popping up in the main foyer of the Watford City High School lobby from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10. This Market Day event is a part of the Youth Entrepreneurs curriculum. Earnings from the sales will go to the student minus expenses and sales tax. Watford City is the first high school in North Dakota to offer this elective course to their students thanks to generous sponsorship by First International Bank and Trust. This event is open to the public. Singapore Airlines New Delhi, Mar 26: A Singapore Airlines flight heading from Mumbai to Singapore with 263 passengers on board Tuesday received a bomb threat, the carrier said. However, the flight landed safely at the Changi International Airport in Singapore on Tuesday morning around 8 am local time, the airline added. "Singapore Airlines confirms there was a bomb threat concerning SQ423 operating from Mumbai to Singapore. Singapore Airline's Mumbai-Singapore flight receives bomb threat Advertisement The aircraft arrived in Singapore on 26 March, 2019, at about 0800hrs (local time). "There were 263 passengers on board. We are assisting the authorities with their investigations and regret that we are unable to provide further details," a statement issued by the airline said. The flight had departed from Mumbai airport around 11.50 pm on Monday. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari Nagpur, Mar 26: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has declared movable and immovable assets worth Rs 25.12 crore in an affidavit filed along with his nomination papers for the Nagpur parliamentary constituency. Gadkari filed his papers for the Nagpur Lok Sabha seat on Monday. Polling in the constituency will be held on April 11. As per his tax return forms, his total income stood at Rs 2,66,390 in 2013-14 and Rs 6,40,700 in 2017-18. According to his affidavit, he has movable assets worth Rs 69,38,691, while his wife has movable assets worth Rs 91,99,160. A sum of Rs 66,07,924 is in the name of the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF). Similarly, Gadkari has immovable assets worth Rs 6,95,98,325, his wife Rs 6,48,60,325. A sum of Rs 9,40,31,224 was in the name of HUF. Gadkari declared over 29 acres of agricultural land in Dhapewada in Nagpur, of which 15 acres are registered in the name of his wife and 14.60 acres owned by HUF. Advertisement Gadkari declares assets worth Rs 25.12 crore in poll affidavit Gadkari declared an ancestral house at Mahal (Nagpur) and a flat at an MLA Society in Worli (Mumbai). The Union minister, in his affidavit, has informed that he has invested Rs 3,55,510 in savings scheme, mutual funds, bonds and shares. He has Rs 8,99,111 in his banks account, according to the affidavit. Similarly, his wife's bank balance stood at Rs 11,07,909. The senior BJP leader also has liabilities of Rs 1,57,21,753 by way of bank loans. Gadkari declared six cars in his affidavit, four of which are in the name of his wife. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu Mumbai, Mar 26: Vice President Venkaiah Naidu Tuesday hailed Mahatma Gandhi as a visionary for his call to disband the Congress. Naidu, a senior BJP leader before his elevation to the top Constitutional post in 2017, also lauded the Narendra Modi regime, mentioning a slew of flagship initiatives, including ease of doing business, which he said got recognition from the World Bank. In remarks coming just ahead of polling for the Lok Sabha elections, the Vice President said Gandhi had spoken for the need to disband the Congress after Independence. Speaking at the convocation of the RBI-promoted Indira Gandhi Institute of Developmental Research here, Naidu said this was political advice from Gandhi, adding he doesnt wish to dwell on it now as hes no more in active politics. Advertisement "Mahatma Gandhi had such a vision. After independence, he gave two advices, one is political, I dont want to dwell on that. He said disband the Congress. That was the first advice. "Congress was a platform of different shades of people coming together to fight for Independence. He (Gandhi) said independence is achieved. So disband this (Congress) and start your own parties. That is not an issue for us today and moreover Im not in politics and dont want to speak politics also," Naidu said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Another visionary advice given by the Father of the Nation was to concentrate on rural development, Naidu said. In his over 50-minute speech, Naidu mentioned a slew of flagship schemes and initiatives of the Modi government and how they have driven change on the ground. He said these include ease of doing business, Make in India, GST, demonetisation, direct benefit transfer, JAM trinity and the PM Jan Dhan Yojana, among others. Advertisement JAM trinity refers to the government's initiative to link people's Jan Dhan accounts, mobile numbers and aadhar cards. He credited demonetisation and GST for widening the tax base in the country. Abhi thoda parivartan aaya hai, kaafi parivartan aana abhi bhi baki hai (a little bit of change has come now and more changes are yet to come), he said. This comment came while Naidu dwelt on work done under the ease of doing business initiative and was followed with a mention of the prime minister. "The PM said earlier it used to be red tape; now let us have red carpet. Thats the talk of town everywhere now, he said. The Vice President also made it clear that the remarks should not be seen as him giving good marks to the Modi-led government. For two months, the story of what happened to Empire actor Jussie Smollett on a frigid January night in downtown Chicago has transfixed the nation with its many plot twists. On Tuesday, the script was flipped yet again and in many ways it only added to the mystery. In a stunning reversal, Cook County prosecutors abruptly dropped all charges in an indictment accusing Smollett of staging the Jan. 29 attack in Streeterville and falsely claiming he was the victim of a hate crime. In exchange, prosecutors said, Smollett agreed to forfeit the $10,000 hed posted for his bond and perform community service. The purported deal appeared to be hastily arranged Smollett only completed the community service Monday and apparently was not put in writing. Advertisement While prosecutors claimed to have overwhelming evidence, the deal did not require Smollett to admit he did anything wrong. Whats more, Smolletts lawyers have vehemently disputed there was an agreement at all, and now the entire court file has been sealed at the defenses request. The unanswered questions surrounding the development left many wondering what might have happened behind the scenes. It also appeared to have caught Chicago police brass by surprise and brought swift condemnation from Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who called it a whitewash of justice. From top to bottom, this is not on the level, Emanuel told reporters at an afternoon news conference, emphasizing repeatedly that a grand jury had chosen to bring 16 counts of disorderly conduct against Smollett. Wheres the accountability in the system? Read the Chicago police investigative file on the Jussie Smollett case The arrangement came to light as Smollett appeared unexpectedly Tuesday morning for a previously unscheduled hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building. Wearing a blue wool coat, Smollett stood silently in Circuit Judge Steven Watkins small, third-floor courtroom as prosecutors announced they were dropping all charges. At the request of the actors attorneys, the judge agreed to seal the entire court record, a move that prosecutors did not oppose. The proceedings were over within minutes. Afterward, the states attorneys office issued a one-sentence statement that attempted to explain the about-face but instead only added to the confusion. Smolletts lawyers, meanwhile, professed the actors innocence, accusing police of trying the case in the media and insinuating that the two brothers who alleged that Smollett hired them to carry out the attack were the ones who should have been charged in the first place. Before departing the courthouse, Smollett, 36, thanked his attorneys, family, friends and Chicago for supporting him through what he called an incredibly difficult time for me. He also thanked the state of Illinois for attempting to do whats right. I have been truthful and consistent from day one, said Smollett, wearing sunglasses and reading from notes as his hands shook. In a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon, First Assistant States Attorney Joseph Magats, who took charge of the case after States Attorney Kim Foxx stepped aside because of a conflict of interest, emphatically denied that the move to drop the charges against Smollett was a signal of any weakness with the evidence. Magats said the office reached an unwritten deal with the defense in recent weeks to drop the charges if Smollett forfeited the $10,000 bond and did community service an arrangement he characterized as a routine way to resolve nonviolent charges against first-time offenders. The bottom line is we stand behind the investigation, we stand behind the decision to charge him, Magats, a career prosecutor whos been with the office for nearly three decades, told the Tribune. The fact that (Smollett) feels that we have exonerated him, we have not. I cant make it any clearer than that. The states attorneys office later released a letter from the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition that said Smollett had performed community service but just for two days, on Saturday and Monday. The letter said Smollett spent several hours in their store managing sales and later gave suggestions to staff. He also took questions from students about the music and film industries. Later, though, a spokesman for Rainbow/PUSH, which was founded on the South Side by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, said the civil rights organization was unaware that Smolletts assistance had any connection to his court case. He was just a volunteer, " Don Terry said. How Lori Lightfoot, Toni Preckwinkle reacted to Jussie Smolletts case dismissal in debate Smolletts attorney, Patricia Brown Holmes, denied any deal had been made with prosecutors, contrary to Magats account. The states attorneys office simply dropped the charges, according to Holmes. Smollett agreed to forfeit his bond so he could go on with his life and get this over with, she said. Smollett had posted 10 percent of the bond $10,000. Ordinarily, that money would be returned to him or his attorneys, but instead it will be handed over to the city of Chicago. In a telephone interview, Eric Sussman, Magats predecessor as Foxxs top aide, said the abrupt, secretive nature of the deal raises questions as to whether there is embarrassing information the states attorneys office doesnt want the public to know. Ive never, ever seen anything like this, Sussman, now in private practice, said of the decision to drop charges so soon after Smolletts indictment earlier this month. Magats denied, however, that the dropping of the charges either signaled weak evidence or a desire for secrecy. Its a mistake and its wrong to read into the decision that there was something wrong or that we learned something about the case that we didnt already know, Magats told the Tribune. The baffling turnabout left Emanuel and police Superintendent Eddie Johnson fuming. Both were careful not to directly criticize the states attorneys office but instead focused their contempt on Smollett. The mayor suggested that Smollett was given special treatment because of his celebrity and scoffed at the $10,000 Smolletts bond money given to the city as part of the deal, noting it wouldnt come close to the citys expenditures for investigating the alleged attack. You cannot have, because of a persons position, one set of rules apply to them and another set of rules apply to everybody else, the mayor said. Johnson stood by the work of detectives and said he believed the city was owed an apology. Do I think justice was served? No, said Johnson, who memorably blasted Smollett at a news conference last month announcing the charges, saying at the time that the hoax dragged Chicagos reputation through the mud. Ive heard that they wanted their day in court with TV cameras so America could know the truth, the superintendent said. And now they chose to hide behind secrecy and broker a deal to circumvent the judicial system. Area Central Detective Cmdr. Edward Wodnicki, whose detectives led the investigation, said prosecutors gave no heads-up to police that the charges would be dropped. He also expressed concern that it left it looking as if police mishandled the investigation. Detectives uncovered overwhelming evidence against Smollett, he said. Its absolutely a punch in the gut, Wodnicki told a Tribune reporter. We worked very, very closely throughout our three-week investigation to get to the point where we arrested the offender. So for the states attorneys office at this point to dismiss the charges without discussing this with us at all is just shocking. Read Mayor Emanuel, Chicago top cops comments about Jussie Smollett charges being dropped Smolletts lawyer, meanwhile, said she was not privy to the evidence that led prosecutors to bring charges, but she accused Johnson of trying the case in the press. When asked if authorities should investigate who actually attacked Smollett, Holmes noted that the two brothers both of whom knew Smollett had already admitted their involvement in what they said was a staged attack. The two men who attacked him have indicated that they attacked him, so we already know who attacked him, she said. When asked whether she was calling for the brothers to be charged, Holmes said that is a decision for prosecutors to make. We dont want to try them in the press any more than (Smollett) wanted to be tried in the press, she said. Holmes, a Chicago attorney, was among a team of lawyers for Smollett, including high-profile entertainment attorney Mark Geragos from Los Angeles who did not attend Tuesdays hearing. On Monday, Geragos was identified by the Associated Press as an unindicted co-conspirator in a multimillion-dollar plot by attorney Michael Avenatti to extort Nike. Reached by phone Tuesday, attorney Gloria Schmidt, who represents the brothers, declined to comment. Foxx recused herself from the case last month after revealing she had contact with Smolletts representatives early on in the investigation. She declined to provide details at the time. Communications later released to the Tribune, however, showed Foxx had asked Superintendent Johnson to turn over the investigation to the FBI after she was approached by a politically connected lawyer about the case. Foxx reached out to Johnson after Tina Tchen, former chief of staff to first lady Michelle Obama, emailed Foxx saying the actors family had unspecified concerns about the investigation. Tchen, a close friend of Mayor Emanuels wife, said she was acting on behalf of the Empire actor and his family. A relative later exchanged texts with Foxx. The exchanges began Feb. 1, three days after Smollett said the attack occurred. It would still be 2 weeks before he was charged with making the story up, but some media outlets were already starting to question the actors account, citing unnamed police sources. Tina Tchen appears at a rally for Toni Preckwinkle at Northeastern Illinois University Feb. 23, 2019. Tchen, former chief of staff to first lady Michelle Obama, emailed States Attorney Kim Foxx saying the Smolletts family had unspecified concerns about the investigation. (Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune) Kiera Ellis, a spokeswoman for the states attorneys office, said at the time that Smolletts relative was specifically concerned about leaks to the media that purportedly came from the Police Department. Magats said prosecutors informed Chicago police officials Tuesday morning of the decision to drop the charges against Smollett, but he noted that the office has been in contact with police from the beginning about potential options for resolving the case. The investigation done by CPD and the detectives was outstanding, Magats said. The fact that the case is disposed of alternatively is not and should not be read as some type of statement that the case is flawed. There had been no clue that prosecutors planned to drop the charges before the announcement in court. In fact, there likely would have been no reporters in the courtroom if it hadnt been for a publicist for Smolletts attorney alerting the news media Tuesday morning that Smollett was already in court for an unscheduled emergency hearing. Moments after the judge allowed the dismissal, attorneys for Smollett issued a statement saying his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him. Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th, the statement read. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgment. 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. Smollett said they also yelled, This is MAGA country, in a reference to President Donald Trumps campaign slogan of Make America Great Again. Police initially treated the incident as a hate crime, but their focus turned to Smollett after the two brothers who were alleged to have been his attackers told police that Smollett had paid them $3,500 to stage the attack, with a promise of an additional $500 later. Police pieced together much of their evidence by reviewing footage from about 55 police and private surveillance cameras showing the brothers movements before and after the attack. The shift in the investigation came amid intense news media coverage, and often bitter public debate and stinging skepticism on social media. Smollett addressed those doubts in a national TV interview and in a strongly worded statement after the brothers were released from custody after questioning by police. A week before the alleged attack, Smollett told police he received a threatening letter at work. Prosecutors said Smollett staged the attack because he was unhappy with the studios response to the threatening letter. Chicago police took it a step further, accusing Smollett of faking the letter as well. Federal authorities are conducting a separate investigation into that letter. Chicago Tribunes Jeremy Gorner contributed. mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com mbuckley@chicagotribune.com jmeisner@chicagotribune.com Qpex Biopharma, a local startup spun out of leftover antibiotics research at The Medicines Company, launched Monday with $33 million in new funding to tackle dangerous drug-resistant infections. The financing round was led by Menlo Park venture capitalists New Enterprise Associates and comes on top of $32 million in government grants earned in 2016. The money is a testament to the growing need to fight infections brought on by superbugs now resistant to existing antibiotics a major focus of U.S. health officials in recent years. Qpex has a new name and fresh funds, but San Diego has seen this team before. The company is chock full of researchers from Rempex, a local antibiotics maker acquired by The Medicines Company in 2013. At the time of the deal, Rempexs research was led by Michael Dudley, who eventually joined The Medicines Company as chief scientific officer. There, he oversaw the New Jersey companys infectious disease unit, which churned out three FDA-approved antibiotics in recent years. But last November, The Medicines Company decided to withdraw from the antibiotics field, breaking off its infectious disease unit and selling it in parts. The three approved and market-ready drugs were sold to Melinta Pharmaceuticals in 2017 for $270 million. It turns out, however, there was still some early stage research left on the table at The Medicines Company. Its this early stage work not yet tested in humans that Qpex snatched up to form its antibiotics portfolio. Advertisement The tipping point with superbugs has been their ability to produce enzymes that can enable bacteria to degrade a class of compounds called beta lactamase, a useful group of compounds for treating infections, Dudley said. With bacteria being able to inactivate those compounds, it has put us in a world of hurt. One approach is to develop a new class of antibiotics that the bugs dont recognize, but thats a difficult and lengthy process. A different approach is to develop drugs that inhibit those enzymes that break down beta lactamase. The drug can then be used in combination with existing antibiotics to boost their efficacy, Dudley said. This is how The Medicines Company drug Vabomere works, Dudley said. That antibiotic was approved last year to treat urinary tract infections and Qpex hopes to build on that success. Qpexs pipeline of antibiotics are tweaked to work a little better against mutations, Dudley said, and might be able to be taken as a pill. Thats a big improvement from existing medications, which are given intravenously. But the science is still very early, and Qpex doesnt yet know if their drugs will work in humans. Some of the Rempex team departed for Melinta, Dudley said, but 20 remaining employees have signed on board with Qpex to see where this research will take them. In addition to New Enterprise Associates, the funding round was also supported by Adams Street Partners, LYZZ Capital, Hatteras Venture Partners and Stanford University Draper Fund. Carol Gallagher, a partner at New Enterprise, said they see great potential in Qpex and looks forward to working with Dudley and his team as they progress their portfolio of drug candidates into the clinic. Business brittany.meiling@sduniontribune.com 619-293-1286 Twitter: @BrittanyMeiling As the fast-moving Ebola virus sweeps through eastern Congo, scientists are braving into war zones hoping to test new medicines including one designed in San Diego in sick patients there. Despite civil unrest in the region, Doctors Without Borders has set up testing sites in the cities of Butembo and Beni, the latest hotspots of the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But researchers have plans to chase the virus as it moves throughout the region, which it does at a rather rapid pace. Here in San Diego, where scientists have long been studying the deadly virus, a biotech company is getting a rare shot at seeing how its drug compares to three other experimental treatments that are part of this trial, including ones made by biotech giants Regeneron and Gilead Sciences. The local firm Mapp Biopharmaceutical leaped into national news in 2014, when its experimental medicine, ZMapp, was used during the West African Ebola epidemic. The drug is a mixture of three antibodies meant to knock down levels of the Ebola virus in the body, hopefully buying time for the patients immune system to rally and defeat the disease. Advertisement Anecdotal accounts indicated ZMapp might have helped save the lives of infected patients such as American missionaries Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol. ZMapp spiked in demand during the 2014 outbreak, but the company wasnt set up to make its drug at mass scale back then. By early 2015, when a clinical trial was finally authorized to start treating patients with ZMapp, the epidemic was waning. The study moved forward anyway but had a hard time recruiting patients to test. In the end, the data showed some evidence ZMapp helped Ebola patients survive. But not enough patients were enrolled in the trial for the drug to prove statistical significance. Of course, fewer grievously ill people is a good thing. But its hard to test whether a drug works when proper trials cant be conducted. Its challenging to do clinical trials in a way that will satisfy (regulators) because we obviously would never intentionally infect people with Ebola, said Larry Zeitlin, founder and president of Mapp Biopharmaceutical. And so data on ZMapp and other newer drugs designed to fight the virus are slim. And that means scientists must rely on animal trials to learn how Ebola reacts to drugs, which can be a hindrance to understanding the virus. This is why researchers are rushing into regions of eastern Congo to set up new trial sites at area hospitals where outbreaks arise, despite the political unrest in the area. The National Institutes of Health is leading the trial, and its overseen by a World Health Organization steering committee, along with other national and international actors. But its a difficult task. In December, an Ebola treatment center was stormed by rioters in Beni, who protested the postponement of an election by setting fire to the facility. Virus researcher Erica Ollman Sapphire, who works at The Scripps Research Institute of La Jolla, helped Mapp determine the molecular structure of ZMapp and is familiar with the new trial sites in eastern Congo. She said the trial might be able to tell researchers which of these four anti-Ebola drugs work best, how well and at what stage of the virus progression. But thats assuming best case scenario. Sapphire said shes worried the data might be noisy if the trial stumbles into difficult circumstances, like not having enough patients to sort into a truly randomized trial. Can we be sure the people getting Therapy A is an identical population to the people getting Therapy B? Sapphire said. In a traditional randomized trial, more people would be involved. Not to mention, she said, the instability in the region could shake up a clinical trials best efforts. Theyre working under very difficult circumstances, Sapphire said. This is an Ebola outbreak in an unstable zone. Getting a trial done at all would be a good outcome. The drugs being tested in the trial are Gileads Remdesivir, mAb114, Regenerons REGN-EB3 and ZMapp, which is the control arm. Zeitlin said the trial would likely not play into ZMapps future regulatory approval in the U.S., however. The company is taking a different route through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration via the Animal Rule, which allows drugs like ZMapp to get approval by showing efficacy in animals only. If all goes well in ZMapps trials, the company will ask the FDA for approval around 2022, Zeitlin said. Business brittany.meiling@sduniontribune.com 619-293-1286 Twitter: @BrittanyMeiling Challenging the popular but pricey EpiPen, San Diegos Adamis Pharmaceuticals is readying its own emergency allergy medication for sale. Called Symjepi, the product is a pre-filled syringe of epinephrine, used to counteract life-threatening allergic reactions. Its meant as a lower-cost alternative to market leader EpiPen, which costs hundreds of dollars. Just how much lower it will cost hasnt been announced, or when the products will reach the market. The launch is being handled by marketing partner Sandoz, a subsidiary of Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis. The role of Adamis is to manufacture the product. Adamis has received approval for two Symjepi formulations. A low-dose form, for patients who weigh 33 to 66 pounds, was approved in September. A higher dose for those over 66 pounds was approved earlier. Advertisement Adamis meanwhile is working on other products. Those in the late stages of development include formulations of naloxone, which reverses opioid overdose, and beclomethasone, for asthma. Were transitioning from a development company to actually getting some revenue coming in real soon here, said Adamis spokesman Mark Flather. Adamis plans to submit a marketing application for its naloxone product later this quarter, Flather said. It delivers the drug in its proprietary Symject syringe system, the same used for epinephrine. Symject is intuitive and the FDA is already familiar with the injection system from its experience with Symjepi, Flather said. The company is also developing other inhaled drugs, using a dry powder inhaler system it acquired from 3M Drug Delivery Systems. Symjepi, which manually injects epinephrine, isnt directly comparable to the auto-injection EpiPen. But its smaller, Flather said, making it more convenient for patients to keep on their person, such as in a pocket or purse. The syringe is super easy, Flather said. You take the product out of the case, pull off the cap that exposes the needle. You inject the needle into your outer thigh and you push down on the plunger rod to deliver the medicine. Thats it. For those at risk of a life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis, having epinephrine readily available can be life-saving. But EpiPens seller, Mylan, has been criticized for its prices which can exceed $600 for a two-pack. When Mylan acquired rights to EpiPen in 2007, it sold for just $57 per dose. Mylan says its prices are reasonable, and offers discount programs for those who cant afford the full price. While epinephrine itself is an inexpensive generic drug, Mylan has been able to charge a premium because of a lack of significant competition. Those days are ending, and not just because of Adamis. In August, Israeli drug maker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries was granted U.S. permission to sell generic EpiPen products. Even Mylan recently began selling a generic version of EpiPen, which sells for about half the cost of the brand name version. Shares of publicly traded Adamis traded at $2.62 each, down 16 cents at the close of trading Monday. On Jan. 2, the years first trading day, shares closed at $4.55. Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 The Allen Institute has donated $125 million to a new division dedicated to understanding the human immune system. Partners include UC San Diego and four other academic centers, the institute said Wednesday. Paul Allen, the late Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist, made the donation to create the Allen Institute for Immunology. Allen died in October of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. The new division is housed at the Allen Institutes headquarters in Seattle. Unlike many biomedical research projects aimed at specific diseases, this is a much more encompassing effort to devise models of how the immune system works in health and disease. It follows the ambitious pattern set by two other efforts, the Allen Institute for Brain Science, and the Allen Institute for Cell Science, At the Allen Institute, we pride ourselves on our large-scale industrial approach to science, said Allen Jones, its president and CEO, at a press conference announcing the immunology initiative. Advertisement Thomas Bumol, the former head of Eli Lillys Biotechnology Center in San Diego, has moved to Seattle to become executive director of the new institute. Bumol was Lillys senior vice president of biotechnology and immunology research. Besides the University of California San Diego, the other four initiative members are: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle; Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, also in Seattle; University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; and University of Pennsylvania. The new institutes main goal is to extend immunology from basic research to get clinical insights in actual people. All of the five member institutions have access to patients and patient tissue samples, in addition to performing their own immunological research. The human immune system uses multiple interrelated networks of cells and chemicals to detect and repel infections. At the same time, it contains elaborate checks and balances to prevent these networks from attacking the body. Failures can make people vulnerable to infections or cancer, or cause autoimmune diseases. The Allen Institute for Immunology aims to build a sort of immune system atlas, with detailed descriptions of the cell types and networks. It will study how these components change over a period of one to three years, in both healthy volunteers and patients with different immune diseases. To put discoveries to use as rapidly as possible, the institute said its data and tools will be made publicly available online. Get the balance right Researchers have been studying the immune system for decades, but what we dont yet understand is its dynamic balance, Bumol said Wednesday at the press conference. What does a healthy immune system look like? How does it shift when our body encounters different environments? How does it change when we age and what goes wrong? The institute will first study two cancers and three autoimmune diseases. They are multiple myeloma and melanoma; along with rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis and Crohns disease. Unlike cancer, when the immune system fails to destroy abnormal cells, autoimmune diseases are the result of a hyperactive or wrongly directed immune system, which attacks normal cells. UCSD and the University of Colorado are taking on the rheumatoid arthritis program. Its headed by Dr. Gary Firestein, UCSD Healths associate vice chancellor for clinical and translational research. As a medical doctor, Firestein treats those with rheumatoid arthritis as well as conducting research. The program will study healthy people at elevated risk for rheumatoid arthritis, and continue to follow them if they develop the disease, Firestein said. This feature of the program, focusing on the transition between health and illness, got Bumols support. Those individuals who have a family history of rheumatoid arthritis, or who test positive for certain antibodies, are at greater risk for the disease, Firestein said. About 1 percent of the general community will develop rheumatoid arthritis, but with our criteria, we can predict that about 40 to 50 percent of those individuals will ultimately develop the disease, he said. From understanding to treatments Ultimately we are hoping that if we understand that process, we could develop new therapies that would help prevent that transition, Firestein said. In other words, prevent people from getting rheumatoid arthritis, rather than waiting to get it and treat them with drugs for the rest of their lives. One part of the monitoring involves examining peripheral blood cells, specifically their pattern of gene activation, he said. We now have the technology to look at what genes are expressed cell by cell, as opposed to the old technology where youd have to look at billions of cells all at the same time, Firestein said. Those who develop rheumatoid arthritis will also get synovial biopsies. A fine needle will be inserted into the inflamed joint, and part of the joint lining removed. We will be able to compare what the immune system looks like in the joint where its actually causing the damage to whats going on in the blood, Firestein said. And that way were going to hopefully be able to discover how to use the peripheral blood as a window to whats going on. The rheumatoid arthritis effort is still being organized. A web site with information will be established soon, Firestein said. Such large-scale projects would not be possible without the donation and the Allen Institutes support, Firestein said. It could not be done by writing NIH (National Institutes of Health) grants, it is far too ambitious for most other institutes or foundations, he said. Patients and others looking for more information on the Allen Institute for Immunology can find it at j.mp/aimmunology. Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 Just one out of seven of seniors take part in assessments for cognitive problems, according to a new report from the Alzheimers Association. But much higher numbers get regular screenings for ailments like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. The disconnect means that millions of seniors with early cognitive problems arent getting medical attention early, when it can be most helpful, said the report, issued on Tuesday. Problems with cognition can have many causes, said Katie Croskrey, executive director of the associations chapter for San Diego and Imperial counties. These include dehydration, stress, side effects of medication and poor blood circulation to the brain, Alzheimers, or a mixture of causes. These issues can be detected early on with a variety of cognitive tests. One of the most popular cognitive screens is the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Its usually given in person and takes about 15 minutes, said Ana Seda, the chapters director of programs. These include such tasks as drawing the hands of an analog clock, counting backward in a sequence, and repeating sentences exactly as given. Advertisement If the assessment reveals a possible problem, a doctor will first check for issues not related to dementia, Croskrey said. If those causes are ruled out, at that point the patient would be sent to a neurologist for more sophisticated tests, such as a CT scan. While there are several causes of dementia, Alzheimers accounts for most cases. Both the number of Alzheimers patients and number of deaths from the disease are increasing. In 2017, 16,238 Californians died of Alzheimers, a 268 percent increase over the number in 2000, the report stated. Nationwide, more than 5 million Americans now have Alzheimers, and by 2050 that number is projected to reach 14 million. By contrast, deaths from heart disease and cancer from 2000 to 2017 have actually gone down, Croskrey said. When it comes to physical maladies, 91 percent of seniors get their blood pressure measured; 66 get tested for diabetes; and 61 get cancer screenings. In addition, 83 percent get their cholesterol measured; 80 percent get vaccinations; and 73 percent get hearing or vision check Just 16 percent of seniors get thinking and memory assessments, and even fewer get them regularly, according to the report. Croskrey said one explanation is that people simply arent discussing their worries about thinking or memory loss with their physicians. The doctor probably wont do a memory test unless you share some concerns about your memory, she said. That means people need to bring up the subject. Its normal to become more forgetful with aging, Croskrey said. Simply misplacing keys or other objects isnt by itself a sign of dementia. If you find your keys in the refrigerator or you find them in other odd places where you cannot retrace your steps, then thats something you want to raise with your doctor, Croskrey said. Fear is a major reason people dont ask for cognitive screening, said Dr. Howard Feldman, director of the Alzheimers Disease Cooperative Study at UC San Diego. It is really a dreaded event in a persons life, Feldman said. Physical ailments, bad as they are, leave you with mental intactness. In the worst case, dementia will take away a persons functional autonomy, he said. Overriding all is a stigma about having dementia. Several factors make taking a cognitive test a wise idea for seniors, he said. One is that the patient may not have dementia at all, freeing that person from needless worry. For those in the early stages of dementia, they have time to make important decisions, such as who will have power of attorney and look after their assets. Waiting puts people at risk of being defrauded. Another is that certain health and lifestyle changes may reduce dementias toll, Feldman said. While the evidence for benefit isnt proven, at the very least these changes wont cause harm. Early stage patients whose cognitive impairment is mild may also be good candidates for taking experimental drugs that just might slow or stop the course of the disease. And in the later stages, voluntarily giving up autonomy, such as ceasing to drive, could save someone elses life, he said. Those with questions about Alzheimers or other forms of cognitive impairment can get answers around the clock by calling the Alzheimers Association helpline at 1-800-272-3900. The association is online at www.alz.org. Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 Common childhood diseases as well as dangerous conditions can be diagnosed with an artificial intelligence system just about as accurately as an experienced pediatrician, scientists in San Diego and China report Monday. The AI system processes large amounts of data from electronic health records, and also finds disease associations not previously identified, according to a study led by Kang Zhang, founding director of the Institute for Genomic Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine. The work shows an across-the-board usefulness. Previous medical AI efforts were often focused on one disease or related conditions. For example, a study published in February of last year, also led by Zhang, was designed to screen patients who may have potentially blinding retinal diseases. The AI system interpreted data from more than 1.3 million pediatric visits to a health care referral center in Guangzhou, China. Results were compared to a doctors initial diagnosis. It not only performed well in diagnosing common ailments, but also dangerous conditions such as bacterial meningitis, the study said. Advertisement For example, it achieved 85 percent accuracy with gastrointestinal diseases and 93 percent for bacterial meningitis. This can be useful for identifying patients who urgently need treatment. Although this impact may be most evident in areas where healthcare providers are in relative shortage, the benefits of such an AI system are likely to be universal, said the study, published in Nature Medicine. It can be found at https://j.mp/aichildmed. The study demonstrates the growing usefulness of artificial intelligence in medicine, said Giorgio Quer, Director, Artificial Intelligence at Scripps Research Translational Institute. While the system in this paper cant yet outperform an experienced physician, it could assist junior physicians, he said by email. An interesting application of this system - that would require new data and that should be clinically validated - would be in the emergency department, Quer said. This system could potentially analyze vital signs, basic history and notes from a physical examination by a nurse to help in the prioritization of patients who should be seen first by a physician. The AI system was trained on manually annotated information. Once trained, it was set loose on patient data in the electronic health records, including symptoms, physical exams and results of lab tests. The system used natural language processing methods to extract pertinent data from doctors notes. It proceeded toward a diagnosis with a question-and-answer format just like doctors use. Examples of questions are Is patient having a fever? and Is the patient coughing? the study said. Aside from identifying patients who need immediate attention, the study said the AI system might even be able to pick out patients who dont need a doctors evaluation at that time. These patients can be referred to routine followup care at a later date. This diagnostic prediction would help to ensure that physicians time is dedicated to the patients with the highest and/or most urgent needs, the study said. The study also included researchers from VA Healthcare System in San Diego; Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China; Hangzhou YITU Healthcare Technology Co. Ltd, Hangzhou, China; Guangzhou Kangrui Co. Ltd, Guangzhou, China; and Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou, China. Study funders included the National Key Research and Development Program of China; National Natural Science Foundation of China; Guangzhou Women and Childrens Medical Center, Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory. Related reading Evaluation and accurate diagnoses of pediatric diseases using artificial intelligence Serious eye diseases accurately diagnosed through artificial intelligence S.D. researchers find better way to grow neural stem cells Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 Blood is hard to beat for detecting disease. This liquid tissue circulates throughout the body, picking up chemicals, cell fragments and whole cells. But signs of disease may be exceedingly rare, and reliably picking them out has spawned an industry devoted to the task. La Jollas BioFluidica says it has greatly improved upon existing technology with its own method to find circulating cancer cells. which it is testing in leukemia patients. The goal is to replace invasive and painful bone marrow biopsies for detecting when the cancer reoccurs. BioFluidica is now moving toward commercialization of what could be an even bigger invention. The privately held company has embedded its technology into a small, clear plastic chip. This microfluidics chip is etched with microscopic channels through which blood samples flow. Importantly, the chip can be cheaply mass-produced, allowing for more frequent testing at a lower cost, said CEO Rolf Muller. The chip could supersede existing systems that require trained, expensive staff to manually process samples. Advertisement A number of manufacturers said they couldnt make the chips to the exacting specifications required, Muller said. Finally, BioFluidica found a company in Austria that could do so. We never could achieve high-throughput processing of the samples. It was always a very laborious and difficult process which took a long time, cant be scaled, Muller said. And now all of a sudden we can create these chips with injection molding. We can produce them like CDs. BioFluidica is also working on other cancers, including lung, breast, prostate, ovarian and multiple myeloma. The technology is being developed for early detection as well as monitoring. The savings to the health care system will be considerable, although exact numbers arent yet available, Muller said. As a very rough guide, a lung biopsy that costs $10,000 could be replaced with a BioFluidica test costing half that, he said. Lung and bone marrow biopsies are the main targets right now because of the cost, he said. Patients may require hospitalization and anesthesia, along with an operating team. Replacing this with a simple blood draw promises great savings and reduced inconvenience to patients. Were proposing to eliminate the most expensive procedures, Muller said. The company is far from alone in the field of blood testing, especially the use of liquid biopsies to detect cancer. Local companies in the field include Carlsbads Genoptix and San Diegos Genalyte. The entire blood testing industry has struggled to escape the pall cast by Theranos, a Silicon Valley company that falsely claimed it could reliably perform hundreds of tests on just a few drops of blood. So other companies have taken pains to show objective evidence their tests work. Its a lot to take on for a company with just 20 employees, 12 in San Diego. The company operates screening centers in North Carolina and Kansas as well as in San Diego. BioFluidica is testing its Liquid Scan technology with leukemia patients, funded by the National Cancer Institute. The results of bone marrow biopsies are compared with BioFluidicas blood test. We have demonstrated in a small clinical trial with eight patients that we can find those recurrences earlier, Muller said. Now the company is expanding testing to 40 patients with acute myeloid leukemia, or AML. Theres no room for error, Muller said, because a false negative can be catastrophic. AML flare-ups can take place suddenly, when a mutation occurs in a quiescent cell that turns it aggressive. This mutant cell quickly proliferates, so fast detection of the event is critical. If you miss it, youre dead, Muller said. The chip can capture as few as 10 cancer cells per 7 billion blood cells, in about 90 minutes, he said. BioFluidica has also been awarded a contract from the National Cancer Institute to perform a 100-patient study in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL. Replacing painful bone marrow biopsies for this population is even more important than for adults, he said. Patients range in age from 18 years to infants. In addition, BioFluidica performs lab work for other companies that are running their own clinical trials. Work on the chip began several years ago, before Muller joined the company with Judy Muller-Cohn, chief operating officer and his wife. Muller succeeded founder Steven A. Soper, who is at Kansas University. Soper remains with the company as chief scientific officer. Soper received $10 million from the National Institutes of Health to create a blood testing chip. A few years ago, Soper was introduced to Muller and Muller-Cohn, who were impressed by the chips ability to isolate circulating tumor cells. The chip contains entrance and exit channels for the blood. In between are 150 microscopic channels, each one-quarter of the width of a human hair. Blood is inserted through a machine BioFluidica customized for the purpose, supplying blood through the intake and taking it out the other end. Normal blood cells pass through, leaving behind abnormal cells that are hooked by antibodies. These cells can then be examined microscopically for signs of cancer, and their DNA sequenced for malignant mutations. And the chip can be programmed to look for other forms of cancer, or other diseases, by attaching the corresponding antibodies, Muller said. The company plans to extend testing to solid tumors. Getting this technology onto a small plastic chip wasnt the hard part. The true challenge was mass-producing it inexpensively. The tolerances are narrow, because irregularities could rupture tumor cells, which are often delicate. Capturing the intact cell allows for a much more comprehensive test than is possible by examining cell fragments, Muller said. Clinical trial information is available by emailing BioFluidica at info@biofluidica.com. Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 One had the technology. The other had the science. Both shared a mission. Frank Bennett and Adrian Krainer worked since 2004 to find a treatment for an incurable genetic disease called spinal muscular atrophy. In its most severe form, SMA can kill before the age of 12 months, when the babies lose their ability to breathe. The collaboration led by Bennett, of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in Carlsbad, and Krainer, of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island, yielded Spinraza, the first drug ever proven effective against the disease. Bennett and Krainer now share something else: A 2019 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, announced Wednesday. Theyll equally split the $3 million that comes with it a prize roughly three times that of the Nobel Prize. Advertisement Four of these prizes were given for life sciences. Three other $3 million awards were given; two in fundamental physics and one in mathematics. Bennett, vice president of research at Ionis, said he was shocked by the news. He had trouble believing it. It took a while to process, said Bennett, 61. Spinraza may be just the beginning of a wave of treatments for currently intractable neurological diseases, according to Wednesdays announcement. The work has also paved the way for new therapies ... for Huntingtons, ALS, spinocerebellar ataxias, Parkinsons and Alzheimers all being developed by Ionis, the announcement stated. Spinraza is sold by Ionis partner Biogen of Cambridge, Mass. The Breakthrough Prize was founded in 2012 by a group of noted technology entrepreneurs. These include Mark Zuckerberg, a Facebook cofounder; Sergey Brin; a Google cofounder; Anne Wojcicki, cofounder of personal genomics company 23andMe, and tech investor Yuri Milner. Prizes in each field are awarded by a board including some of the founders, assisted by a selection committee composed of previous winners in that field. The joint award to Bennett and Krainer illustrates that good science alone isnt enough to yield a breakthrough drug like Spinraza. Basic academic research must be paired with the expertise of a drug company. That company takes a potential drug through the long path of optimizing it for safety and efficacy, and confirming its safety and effectiveness in cell cultures, in animals and ultimately in people. Bennett is a busy man: this is just one of his projects. His work includes two other drugs in clinical testing; for ALS, or Lou Gehrigs disease; and for Huntingtons disease. Both are incurable, neurological diseases that are virtually always fatal. The Ionis drugs have shown early signs that theyre reaching their targets in ALS and Huntingtons. But its too early to tell if the drugs will join Spinraza as breakthrough drugs. The odds are forbidding. According to a study this year from MIT, only 14 percent of drugs that enter the clinical trial process get approved. And many of these drugs compete with each other, such as the plethora of cholesterol-lowering medicines. Spinraza isnt one of those me-too drugs. Its approval by the U.S. FDA in December 2016 forever changed the outlook for those born with spinal muscular atrophy, and their families. Bennett recalls his excitement on hearing the first hints that Spinraza was working in infants with Type 1 spinal muscular atrophy, the severest form. He well knew the diseases grim natural history. Once theyre diagnosed with the disease, they get worse, Bennett said. They lose muscle tone and eventually become paralyzed from the disease. And we were getting these anecdotes that the drug was making the kids stronger. They were moving around and being able to reach for things, starting to sit, which is never heard of for Type 1 SMA patients. Bennett tried to keep his hopes in check, because the first tests were open-label, without a placebo control. Later trials included a sham injection of the drug, which is given through a lumbar puncture. As the trials progressed, unmistakable evidence came in: the infants were surviving significantly longer. The effect was so great that the trial was stopped ahead of schedule, and Ionis put all the infants on Spinraza. The drugs for ALS and Huntingtons disease havent reached that point. So far, they have shown early signs that theyre affecting the disease process. But it remains to be seen if they will deliver benefits that merit approval. Other San Diegans have won Breakthrough Prizes, either collecting the $3 million outright or sharing with a partner. They include: -- Don Cleveland, a UC San Diego professor who collaborates with Bennett on the ALS drug. Cleveland won one of the five 2018 Breakthrough Prizes in Life Sciences for his work on that disease. -- Joanne Chory of the Salk Institute won another of the 2018 prizes in Life Sciences for her work in plant science. -- James McKernan of UCSD shared his award in mathematics equally with collaborator Christopher Hacon of the University of Utah. -- UCSDs Napoleone Ferrara received one of the 2013 prizes in Life Sciences for his work at Genentech. This study of how new blood vessels form, or angiogenesis, led to drugs for cancer and eye diseases. The partnerships begin Bennett is one of the Ionis teams longest-serving members. He was personally recruited in the late 1980s by Stanley T. Crooke, Ionis chairman and CEO. They had originally met at Baylor College of Medicine, where Bennett was a graduate student and Crooke an adjunct professor. Later, when Crooke took a research post at a drug company in Philadelphia, Bennett joined his lab. When Crooke was starting up Ionis, he invited Bennett to join him. Ionis was then a tiny company, operating out of temporary lab space in Sorrento Valley. Bennett was interested in the potential of Ionis, then called Isis Pharmaceuticals, to invent a new class of drugs called antisense. These drugs alter how genes work by targeting RNA, the messenger molecules made from genes. There was a more personal motivation: Bennetts wife, Paula, didnt like living in Philadelphia. In San Diego, Bennett met Don Cleveland, who became his collaborator in exploring the potential of antisense therapy for ALS. Then in 2003 Bennett read a scientific paper by Krainer that described how antisense could change the activity of a gene that codes for a protein that promotes survival of motor neurons. A deficiency in that protein progressively kills these neurons in SMA patients. This gene became the genetic target for the drug called Spinraza. The concept was to use antisense to change how the gene works, increasing production of this protein. I contacted Adrian to see if hed be interested in collaborating with us, Bennett said. Adrian, being an academic, didnt have an ability to see his ideas get translated to therapies He had the expertise in the basic science, and we had the expertise in translating that basic science into potential therapeutics. Bennett and Krainer discussed a larger-scale partnership with antisense, but eventually decided to narrowly focus on SMA. This program had a clear genetic target and a clear mechanism to affect that target. Some of the other projects that we had talked about werent quite as well-defined, Bennett said. So we felt it was important to establish what the technology could do for a disease. Working with patients As part of his job, Bennett meets with patients and patient groups. He says this helps him personally understand what patients are facing, which informs the goals of drug development. That patient involvement led Bennett to the Vatican last year, for a historic meeting between Pope Francis with Huntingtons disease patients and advocates. Its similar to SMA as a disease that really motivates you to do what you can for the patients, Bennett said. And thats why I still come to work everyday, is that theres still a need out there. Huntingtons disease is caused by a mutated protein that is needed in the brain during development. This mutated protein becomes toxic, causing gradual and progressive neurodegeneration. Patients gradually lose muscle control, develop psychiatric symptoms and eventually die. They tend to get the disease in middle age, but the age of onset depends on the severity of the mutation. Bennett had been invited to the meeting by one of its organizers, Charles Sabine, a Huntingtons disease advocate and former NBC news journalist. As it turned out, Bennett had a business meeting scheduled in Switzerland just after the event with drug giant Roche, the partner with Ionis in developing the Huntingtons disease drug. So he was able to connect the two trips. But he didnt travel alone. I should highlight that my wife is Catholic, and so when I mentioned that I was going to see the pope, she was coming as well, Bennett said, laughing. Pope Francis met with the patients and advocates in the televised event, saying they deserved love and support as a matter of Christian teaching. Charles arranged for me to sit up in the VIP session section and I was able to meet the pope as part of that event, Bennett said. It was a life-affirming event. Im not religious myself, but the pope is clearly somebody who cares about people, and it comes through very strongly. Ill remember it for the rest of my life. One last thing, Bennett said: Patients who took the experimental drug, and their families, deserve the most honor. They were very brave to try a very novel therapy for the first time, he said. And for the first few patients there was a lot of risk associated with it. We had done all the work that we could to show that it was safe, but you never know when youre testing a new medicine. And so to me, the families that take care of these kids, and the kids themselves, are really the heroes in the story. Related reading From basic research to saving lives the Spinraza story Ionis surges on Spinraza sales Ionis reports continued success testing drug for fatal disease FDA approves Ionis spinal muscular atrophy drug Spinraza Designer DNA drugs approach a potential watershed moment Ionis earns $40 million from spinal muscular atrophy drug Spinraza Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 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. Siren wailing, the bright red truck pulled into the back of San Diego Fire-Rescue Station 45 in Mission Valley. As more than 600 people watched, Santa Claus emerged, his red-and-white suit replicating the trucks color and lettering scheme. Trusty elf by his side, Santa walked to his chair and began greeting the children who had lined up to see him. It looked like a typical holiday party, but not to the 150 attending burn survivors, both children and adults, along with their families and volunteers. The event is a longtime partnership between the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and the Burn Institute, a nonprofit organization that helps burn survivors and their families move beyond the trauma. Advertisement One of the things that really benefits a burn survivor and the whole family is to know that theyre not alone, that they have other families that have been through a similar experience, and to pull them together, said Susan Day, the Institutes executive director. So when they come to an event like this, they know other people have been through a trauma similar to theirs. For the first time, the holiday party was held at a fire station. Burn survivors exchanged stories with each other, met firefighters, and the younger of them enjoyed the holiday excitement of meeting Santa. A short distance away from Kris Kringle, a crew from San Miguel Fire Protection District tended a slightly smoky grill, serving up hamburgers and hot dogs. Inside the cavernous station diners sat at benches draped with red and green. Wooden toys stacked on other tables awaited their new owners. These events are also important to the fire department staffers, said Day. Many times the fire personnel see a child or an adult on the worst day of their life, she said. And they always wonder, what happened to that child, what happened to that family? They can witness that families maybe not the exact families (they saw) do survive and they do thrive. A few survivors bore visible scars on their faces. Most scars were hidden beneath their clothes. All had gone through the intense pain, fear, and loneliness of enduring burn trauma. Malia Troesch, 9, bears scars on her back from extensive burns. Going to the Burn Institutes summer camp turned her depressed outlook around, said her mother, Jamia Troesch. They taught her she is not her scars, her mother said. We did arts and crafts, Malia said. We got to make our own beds by ourselves. We even had our own drawer so we could put our stuff there ... And they also gave her an awesome blanket her first time there, her mother said. When she got home she looked so sad and Im like, Whats wrong? She was like, I miss my friends. The experience gave Malia a career goal: She wants to go back to the camp as part of the staff. Event volunteer Ann Malo works at UC San Diegos burn center. She said the camps give the children a renewed sense of belonging. Ive been a camp counselor, and Ive seen them go from 5 years old to 18 years old, and theyll keep the same friends, Malo said. Theyll ask how did you get burned? And one says I got burned by ramen and the other kid says I got burned from Cup-a-Soup, Malo said. And theyll show each other their scars. Such injuries from preparing hot noodle dishes are distressingly common, Malo said, cautioning families to beware of them. Theyre flimsy, flimsy containers, she said. The kids think they can make them themselves, and with the fat content they really burn very deeply, and theyre terrible burns. Randy Sanders, an adult burn survivor, said he was introduced to the Burn Institute by a friend, and began going to the camps to help the children. He also helped himself. I found myself embedded into support groups and burn retreats, Sanders said. And it really helped build my self-esteem and my self-worth. It gave me a lot of confidence in myself because I was able to help other burn survivors. Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 Another Ayres award Janelle Ayres, an infectious disease researcher at the Salk Institute, has been granted $3.5 million over five years from the National Institutes of Health in a coveted NIH Pioneer Award. Its not just the money. Its the source. The National Institutes of Health is the largest single funder of biomedical research in the United States with $37 billion appropriated by Congress for the 2018 fiscal year. When the NIH funds scientists, it gets noticed. In July, Ayres won $1 million from the W.M. Keck Foundation to fund her microbial research. And in June, Ayres was given the Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists. The award is given to scientists 42 and under by the Blavatnik Family Foundation. It included $250,000 to fund her research. Advertisement That research can loosely be described as make peace, not war. Instead of the traditional eradication approach to deadly microbes, Ayres look for ways to tame pathogens so they dont make us sick. Its even in the interest of the microbes, as killing the host deprives parasites of a home. This is nothing more than standard evolutionary theory, but applying this concept to human disease therapies is still a novelty. But the evidence is there to support it. In January 2017, Ayres and colleague Sheila Rao led a study demonstrating that some Salmonella bacteria a common cause of food poisoning actually promote appetite in their hosts. People who feel sick tend to stay in one place and be isolated. Turns out thats not helpful for bacteria that depend on spreading to new hosts to propagate their kind. Scripps Research adds to advisers Scripps Research has added another layer to its ongoing transformation. The La Jolla biomedical nonprofit has added a Board of Overseers, expanding the institutes network of advisers. Its also another example of the ability of Scripps Research CEO Peter G. Schultz to persuade some most distinguished people to help the institute. Local notables include Richard Heyman, a prolific biotech entrepreneur and vice chair of the Salk Institute. Also: -- Dr. Stanley Crooke, chairman and CEO of Ionis Pharmaceuticals. -- Faheem Hasnain, chairman and CEO of Gossamer Bio. -- Kevin Sayer, president and CEO of Dexcom. Outside of San Diego, prominent members include: -- David Gollaher, vice president of policy and public health for Gilead Sciences of Foster City. -- Dr. John Reed, head of global research and development for Paris-based drugmaker Sanofi. Reed is known in San Diego as the former CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. -- Dr. Mikael Dolsten, MD, president of worldwide research and development for pharma giant Pfizer. These have all made formidable contributions to biomedicine. What will they do for Scripps Research? Too many? Could there actually be too many experimental trials of new cancer treatments? Those affected by cancer may have trouble believing it, but thats exactly what an article in the industry publication Fierce Biotech said earlier this month. A bottleneck of immunotherapy clinical trials has put the fields advancement somewhat on hiatus, the article states. The bottleneck is finding enough patients to fill the hundreds of clinical trials of cancer treatments, industry professionals said. Tom Schuetz, CEO of Compass Therapeutics, told Fierce Biotech that hed rather see more extensive animal testing to select fewer but more rigorously screened therapies for human testing. The New York Times made that same point in an article last year. Cancer immotherapys success against previously fatal cancers has led to many other products. Many of these experimental candidates in trials are quite similar, the Times article stated. Yet each drug company wants to have its own proprietary version, seeing a potential windfall if it receives FDA approval. On the other hand, these treatments are all quite new, so over time some versions may be better suited to some cancers, others to different cancers. But the avalanche of trials, for now at least, has outstripped the supply of patients. More than 1,600 cancer immune therapies are now recruiting for clinical trials, according to a search on the official government registry at clinicaltrials.gov. That search excluded completed trials or those not recruiting, along with observational trials. Theres another side to that story; Cancer patients eager to try experimental therapies, but who dont meet the eligibility criteria. The plight of one patient who eventually died was told last year in the Washington Post. Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 San Diego cancer therapy developer VelosBio has received $58 million in venture capital funding, lead investor Arix Bioscience said Monday. The money will be used to complete preclinical development and advance the companys programs into clinical trials. Privately held VelosBio is developing drugs consisting of a targeting antibody linked to a drug. These antibody-drug conjugates have attracted a great deal of attention because of their potential to precisely kill cancer cells while leaving normal cells alone. London, England-based Arix is investing $11 million, giving it an 11.2 percent stake in VelosBio. Advertisement The financing is co-led by new investors Arix and Sofinnova Ventures, along with Pappas Ventures and Chiesi Ventures, as well as existing investors Takeda Ventures, Inc and Decheng Capital. Posthumous afterglow A new study is out from a team including Roger Y. Tsien, the UC San Diego biochemist whose work with fluorescent protein imaging won him a Nobel Prize. The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, presents a refined method for identifying elusive yet important interactions among proteins. It can be found at https://bit.ly/rytsien. Its a logical extension of Tsiens work, but seeing his name there was a bit unexpected, since Tsien died in August 2016. A dedication from the other authors says Tsien inspired and co-supervised the study. This year is also the 10th anniversary of Tsiens Nobel in chemistry, which he shared with Osamu Shimomura and Martin Chalfie for their work with green fluorescent protein. This molecule, and various differently colored variants, illuminate molecular interactions inside living cells in a way not previously feasible. Insulin-secreting cell project gets $1.6 million Salk Institute professor Ronald Evans has received a $1.6 million grant to develop a therapy for Type 1 diabetes, using insulin-secreting cells made from stem cells. The grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine will fund work on what Evans calls human islet-like organoids, or HILOs. Its what the institute calls a translational grant, to get the process ready for testing in people. These organoids, described in a 2016 paper in Cell Metabolism, function much like natural pancreatic islet cells. They secrete insulin in response to high blood sugar. In addition, these organoids contains a variety of islet cells, not just those that make insulin. Its hoped that this structure will more closely replicate natural islet function than just supplying insulin-making cells alone. In preclinical testing, our HILOs can immediately restore glucose homeostasis (balance) upon transplantation into (type 1 diabetes) T1D mice, Eiji Yoshihara, a leader of the HILO project team, said in a statement. Even better, these organoids appear to be immune-tolerant, that is, they are not attacked by the hosts immune system. Evans and colleagues performed their work on stem cells produced from normal adult cells such as skin. These induced pluripotent stem cells act almost exactly like embryonic stem cells, but dont come from human embyros. These cells are coaxed into becoming islet cells. Originally, the process was incomplete. Evans found a chemical switch that prompts these cells to become fully efficient insulin-making cells. Related reading Seeing is understanding UCSDS Roger Tsien shares Nobel Prize in chemistry UCSD Nobel laureate Roger Tsien dies $1.6 million CIRM grant supports potential diabetes treatment Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 In 2006, a few hundred mostly local researchers gathered in La Jolla to discuss the emerging but still science-fictiony field of stem cells. Since then, stem cells, enhanced by gene therapy, have progressed to yield breakthrough treatments, most spectacularly in cancer. Likewise, the conference known as the Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa has mushroomed into an international event. (The mesa is Torrey Pines Mesa, the epicenter of San Diegos life science sector). About 1,200 scientists and business executives are expected to attend the three-day conference, up from about 900 last year. On Wednesday and Thursday, investors and potential partners are to hear from 69 listed companies. Theyre developing therapies for a gamut of diseases, from rare genetic conditions to big killers such as heart disease and cancer. Advertisement Thats nearly double the 35 presenting companies in 2012. Theres a lot of companies now doing a lot of interesting work, and at later stages in the development process, than there have ever been before, said Janet Lambert, CEO of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine. The Alliance holds the conference along with the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center at UCSD Health. On Friday, the scientists get their turn. Topics include genetic editing of human embryos; the use of mini-brains organoids to model human brain development and diseases; and rejuvenation of old muscles. The conferences growth has diluted its early focus on San Diego. Of the 69 presenting companies, only two are from San Diego. They are ViaCyte, a diabetes treatment developer; and Organovo, a maker of bioprinted tissues. And 14 are from other countries, including Australia, Chile, Japan, and the United Kingdom. There was pretty intense competition, Lambert said. Theres not only competition to attend, but also for space, she said. The hosting hotel, the Estancia, has been popular for its intimate setting. But the conference has maxed out the Estancias capacity. The hotel can only house only about half of the guests. So next year the business side of the event will move to the Park Hyatt Aviara in Carlsbad, which the conference has fully booked. That hotel will provide double the space for attendees, Lambert said, along with 78,000 square feet of meeting space, more than double that of the Estancia. On the scientific side, researchers have grown more adept and comfortable working with cell therapies, said Alysson Muotri, chair of the conferences scientific symposium steering committee and co-director of UC San Diegos stem cell program. Previously, there were concerns that if any rogue stem cells were transplanted into a patient, they could become cancerous, or that they would migrate away from where they were intended to go, he said. Scientists now know much more about how to identify and grow stem cells, he said. Moreover, genome editing technologies such as CRISPR makes it easier to genetically alter cells with precision. Now we can manipulate those cells the way we want, Muotri said. Another advance is in the use of stem cells to develop disease models not otherwise feasible, such as by producing human brain cells with mutations linked to Alzheimers or other diseases. And Muotris own lab studies the brains three-dimensional nature by growing brain organoids, small, rudimentary structures that model some of the brains circuitry. Last month, Muotri and colleagues published a study about an improved method of making brain organoids directly from a persons cells, such as people with autism spectrum disorder. The science event, hosted at the nearby Salk Institute, is also wrestling with growing pains, Muotri said. So it, too, may have to move. We are debating that now, he said. More information on the conference is available at www.meetingonthemesa.com. Related reading Building a Better Brain-in-a-Dish, Faster and Cheaper Gene therapies save lives, but how to pay for them? Japan seeks leadership role in stem cell medicine Stem cell meeting focuses on business Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa 2006 Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 Diabetes therapy developer ViaCyte has raised $80 million, its largest financing to date, the San Diego biomedical company said Wednesday. ViaCyte will use the money to advance its stem cell-derived therapies, said Paul Laikind, president and CEO of the privately held company. ViaCyte is combining a variety of technologies for its quest, including stem cell biology, materials science, and ultimately, even genetic editing. If successful, the therapies will supply insulin as needed from insulin-making beta cells, grown from the stem cells. This has the potential of providing a functional cure, the company says. Its intended for patients with type 1 diabetes, who lack beta cells, and for some insulin-requiring patients with type 2 diabetes,. ViaCyte grows human embryonic stem cells into precursors of pancreatic islet cells. These cells are encapsulated in a thin implant, which is inserted under a patients skin. Once in place, the cells are expected to mature into functional beta cells, as well as other cells of the pancreatic islet. Advertisement The implant is being tested in two versions. Both use the same cells, but differ in the way the precursor cells are encapsulated. ViaCyte may get initial evidence on efficacy for one version by as early as the middle of next year, Laikind said. ViaCyte said the financing will meet the companys needs for at least a couple of years as it develops these versions. By that time, more definitive evidence of efficacy should be available. At that point, Laikind said the company can consider its options, such as being acquired, doing a partnership with a larger company, or holding an initial public offering. ViaCyte received the funding from venture capital firms led by Bain Capital Life Sciences, along with TPG and RA Capital Management, as well as existing investor, Sanderling Ventures, and several individuals. The company has now secured financing commitments of more than $100 million in the second half of this year, Laikind said. This includes $15 million from a collaboration with CRISPR Therapeutics, to genetically edit cells so they dont cause an immune reaction when implanted into patients. This is a long-term project. Another $10 million came from W.L. Gore & Associates, the maker of Gore-Tex. It is helping ViaCyte refine an implanted encapsulating device that holds the implanted cells. In addition, over the last 10 years ViaCyte has been awarded about $72 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the states stem cell agency. It has also received about $14 million from JDRF, an advocacy group for those with type 1 diabetes. ViaCyte originally began clinical testing with a product candidate called PEC-Encap, which protects the beta cells from direct contact with the patients cells. PEC-Encap requires blood vessels to form on the surface of the cell delivery device. It allows insulin and waste to filter out and nutrients to filter in, but avoids provoking the patients immune system. The other product candidate, called PEC-Direct, allows direct contact between the cells and blood vessels. But this exposes the cells to the immune system, so patients must take immune-suppressing drugs to avoid rejection. PEC-Direct is intended for high-risk type 1 diabetes patients. For these, the risk from the drugs is less than that from poorly controlled blood sugar levels. ViaCyte is now enrolling patients for a midstage study of PEC-Direct, which will examine safety and efficacy. ViaCyte turned to PEC-Direct after encountering difficulties with PEC-Encap which first entered the clinic several years ago. The body treated that implant as a foreign object, essentially obstructing it with scar-like tissue that interfered with the ability of blood vessels to form on the surface of the cell delivery device. Without sufficient access to nutrients, the beta cells couldnt thrive. Thanks to the collaboration with W.L. Gore, modifications of the encapsulating material appear to have conquered the obstruction problem, at least in a relevant animal model, Laikind said. Clinical testing with PEC-Encap is expected to resume next year, Laikind said. The gene-editing work with CRISPR Therapeutics is a longer-term project, but could have wider implications, Laikind said. Having an immune-evasive source of cells that you can then drive to become other types of cells for cell replacement therapy would open up many opportunities, Laikind said. ViaCyte was founded over a decade ago, shortly after human embryonic stem cells were successfully cultured in the laboratory for the first time. For all of that time, the companys goal has been to restore natural control over blood sugar by replacing the beta cells. The company employs 55 people, all in San Diego. For information on all of ViaCytes clinical trials, go to www.clinicaltrials.gov and search for the companys name. Related reading ViaCyte tries again with potential diabetes cure ViaCyte starts diabetes trial Pancreatic grafts made immune-tolerant Johnson & Johnson, ViaCyte testing possible diabetes cure ViaCyte gets $20M for diabetes therapy trials ViaCyte gets funding for potential diabetes cure Novocell Renamed ViaCyte; Gets 3 Patents Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 Vistas DJO Global has been sold for $3.15 billion in cash by investors led by the Blackstone Group to Colfax Corp, a diversified technology company in Maryland. Sale of the orthopedic products company, announced Nov. 19, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2019. DJO employs 5,000 people companywide, with about 500 in Vista. Revenue amounts to $1 billion annually. It will operate as a new segment within Colfax, led by Brady Shirley, DJOs president and CEO. DJO has a long history in North County. It began in 1978 by selling neoprene sleeve supports for the knee, ankle and elbow, but really made its mark by selling rigid but light knee braces. It later branched into other areas of rehabilitation and injury prevention. Advertisement Colfax, which is new to the medical industry, indicated it plans to make more investment in the field. Colfax said in a statement that as it expands in the medical field, it is considering getting out of its businesses in air and gas products. We are committed to reducing leverage and restoring balance sheet flexibility near-term and will explore strategic options for our Air and Gas Handling business, said Matt Trerotola, Colfaxs CEO. Longer term, we see tremendous opportunities to build our new medical technology platform with additional investment. Shirley said he was looking forward to that growth. Colfax has the financial strength, experience, and proven business system to support our operational performance and growth, Shirley said. Importantly, they are committed to our mission to get and keep people moving, and we are confident that the Colfax teams operating expertise across a broad array of businesses makes them the ideal partner to help us build on our momentum, drive new levels of innovation,and continue to deliver outstanding service to our customers. Colfax shares closed at $24.61 on Monday, giving it a market value of about $2.9 billion. Its considered undervalued by Chicago-based research company Morningstar, which gives it a fair market value of $31.68 per share. DJO was founded as DonJoy in 1978 in a Carlsbad garage by Mark Nordquist, the then-Philadelphia Eagles offensive line captain, and Ken Reed, a San Diego attorney. They named the company after their wives, Donna and Joy. In 1998 the company moved to Vista, where it has remained ever since. Along the way, DJO has had a number of owners, including British medical products company Smith & Nephew; independent life as a publicly traded company, and in 2007, the Blackstone Group. Blackstone paid $1.6 billion for DJO, which was merged with another Blackstone company, ReAble Therapeutics. DJOs executives were put in charge of the combined company. DJO also operates a production plant in Tijuana. That began in the early 2000s, as soaring costs pushed the company into the red. Hundreds were laid off at DJO, then a publicly traded company. Those left mainly produced custom-fitted braces for rush orders. The cost-cutting worked, and the company started making a profit again. It also began developing new products to fuel growth, such as devices to stimulate bone healing with electricity and magnetism. Related reading Brace maker DJO Global soars under radar A bracing milestone for DJO Vista medical equipment company agrees to buyout Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 Jecure Therapeutics, a San Diego company targeting inflammatory liver diseases, said Tuesday it has agreed to be purchased by Genentech. The purchase price wasnt disclosed. Privately held Jecure was founded in 2015 with financing from Versant Ventures. The company raised $20 million from Versant in 2017. The purchase gives Genentech access to a group of potential drugs that inhibit a protein called NLRP3. The protein is involved in cellular inflammatory responses in diseases such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, and liver fibrosis. These inhibitors may also treat gout, inflammatory bowel disease and cardiovascular ailments. None of these compounds has entered clinical trials; if and when will be Genentechs decision. The South San Francisco-based biotech is a member of the Roche group of companies. Advertisement Jecure employs 15 people in San Diego. Genentech spokesman Andrew Villani said the company couldnt at this time provide specifics about what will happen with Jecures employees. Genentech and Jecure will be reviewing current operations, ongoing business and staffing in the coming weeks, Villani said by email. In the long-term, we do not plan to maintain Jecures site in San Diego. Genentech employs more than 400 people in San Diego County, most at a drug manufacturing plant in Oceanside. Dr. James Sabry, Roches global head of pharma partnering, said in a statement that Jecures focus fits into Genentechs approach to these diseases. Weve had a long-standing interest in targeting inflammatory pathways that may play a role in a number of serious diseases, Sabry said. Were excited to combine Jecures portfolio with our discovery and development capabilities, as well as our expertise in NLRP3 biology, to potentially help people with inflammatory diseases. NASH and related liver diseases have become an increasingly serious health problem. At worst, NASH can progress to cirrhosis and ultimately liver failure, requiring a liver transplant. The disease process begins with accumulation of excess fat in the liver. This produces non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which affects about 80 million to 100 million Americans, and produces no symptoms. Inflammation in the fatty liver can then lead to NASH. Other San Diego companies pursuing treatments for NASH and related diseases include Bird Rock Bio, Conatus, and Viking Therapeutics. Related reading Viking Therapeutics Announces VK2809 Phase 2 Study Results Cirius Therapeutics reports positive midstage results for liver disease drug Bird Rock Bio asks to start liver disease drug trial Nonalcoholic liver diseases focus of new UCSD center Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 As a partial government shutdown drags on, biomedical researchers and companies are looking at 2019 with anxiety. Researchers who plan to apply for grants from the National Institutes of Health and companies seeking product approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration worry that the shutdown will progressively hinder their work. To date, the effect has been mild, and essential functions such as monitoring food and drug safety continue. But that respite will be short-lived if the showdown continues between President Donald Trump and Congress over funding a wall at the Mexican border. Advertisement Celyad, based in Belgium, has more reason to worry than most biomedical companies. The cancer drug developer has multiple clinical trials under way in the United States. There hasnt been any problem in the short time since the partial shutdown began, said Dr. Christian Homsy, Celyads CEO. But the longer it continues, the more likely it is that some complication will arise in the cancer studies that require consulting the FDA, he said. Celyads products fight cancer with immune cells that target both blood cancers and solid tumors. Its U.S. studies include acute myeloid leukemia; multiple myeloma; and myelodysplastic syndrome. Were quite concerned, Homsy said. The FDA has been tremendously helpful in the last couple of years in assessing our programs and giving feedback on a very timely basis. Now the trials are running, and you never know when when youre going to hit an issue where you need to talk with the FDA. If a problem does occur and the FDA isnt able to give that advice, the agency might decide to halt the trial, Homsy said. FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said Wednesday on Twitter that the agency would issue guidelines on activities that will continue during the shutdown because of critical public health need. Likewise, UC San Diego researcher/oncologist Dr. Catriona Jamieson said that while work is currently moving ahead, a prolonged shutdown will increasingly interfere with research. The National Institutes of Health is the single biggest funder of biomedical research in the United States, spending about $37 billion a year. We can continue to operate with existing grants, but they wont disburse any new grants, said Jamieson, who not only researches cancer but sees patients. The NIH not only funds researchers like Jamieson, but it also helps finance programs at UCSD Moores Cancer Center, where Jamieson practices. It also pays for training new cancer researchers. The UCSD center has been designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. That means it provides the full spectrum of cancer support, from basic research to experimental clinical trials and approved medical care. We just got a very good score on our cancer center core grant renewal and are anticipating a larger amount of funding as a result of that, Jamieson said. That should come through in the next few months. But if theres a government shutdown, it would be difficult to get that money. Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 As medical science proliferates with technologies, what is left for the doctor to do? For medical humanist Dr. Abraham Verghese, the answer is simple: Spend more time getting to know your patients as people. Take the time to read a poem and other literature. Do your part to bridge the gap between the two cultures of science and the humanities. Verghese delivered the closing speech at last weeks Future of Individualized Medicine conference in La Jolla. His talk was meant to put into perspective the meaning of the technologies that otherwise dominated the conference, like genomics, microbiomics, machine learning and artificial intelligence. It takes a doctor who is attuned to a patients life history to make the best use of these tools, Verghese said. And that means having insight into human character. Advertisement Verghese said machines have eclipsed human beings in their capacity to care for the patient, that is, in diagnosing illnesses and indicating the best available therapies. But doctors can evoke the human spirit, the knowledge of human beings and their motivations, that can pull together a life picture of a patient and understand them as more than a collection of symptoms. Case history: A 64-year-old man admitted to the hospital after repeated falls, pains, and the loss of two teeth that just fell out, with no apparent cause. What was wrong? Was it his medications, which could have caused abnormally low blood pressure? Was it alcohol abuse? A nutritional deficiency? The man rapidly improved after being hospitalized. It turned out he had bachelor scurvy, a nutritional deficiency known to occur in older men who live alone. He was surviving on no fruits or veggies, just alcohol and processed meats, I would guess, Verghese said. My point here is that this diagnosis, as clever as it was, also might have been made much, much earlier had we had a good relationship with this patient and had some sense of who that person was, as an individual. What would it mean for that man to have lost his wife? How would that change his entire circumstance of living? These are the kinds of things that shouldnt be neglected in the pursuit of ever-greater technical efficiency, Verghese said. I would actually say its a two-way street, he said. Those of you involved in making these machines and doing these wonderful things for us probably need to embrace the humanities in order to make the things you do meaningful for those of use who are using them. Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 Local drugmaker TP Therapeutics has brought in $80 million to push forward its research for a cancer therapy to treat tumors that are resistant to existing cancer drugs. The company, which made the announcement Friday, plans to put the cash to work funding a mid-stage trial that tests its drug, Repotrectinib, in humans. The therapy is targeted to treat specific cancer mutations to the genes ALK, ROS1, and TRK, which are all tied to lung cancer and other solid tumors. TP Therapeutics was founded in 2013 by well-known drug designer Jean Cui and her husband Y. Peter Li. Cui is best known as the lead inventor of top-selling Pfizer cancer drug, Xalkori an achievement that earned her prestige (along with many awards and honors) in the scientific community. Thats because Xalkori trounced chemotherapy in a 2014 lung cancer trial and is one of Pfizers top selling drugs, pulling in $600 million per year in annual sales in 2017. When Xalkori reached the market in 2011, Cui wasnt satisfied with her contribution to patients. Advertisement I saw problems with Xalkori and other drugs available for this type of cancer, and I knew that someone needed to work on these problems so that we could provide better medicines for patients, Cui said in an interview with the San Diego Business Journal in 2016. Thats why I resigned from Big Pharma to start a company that could solve these problems. The biotech has been hard at work ever since. But this new money came with a shakeup to the companys executive team. Athena Countouriotis is being promoted from chief medical officer to chief executive officer. Co-founder Li, who has been chairman and CEO since the company was founded, has moved into a new role as head of TP Therapeutics Asia. Cui, whos serving as president and chief scientific officer, has additionally assumed the role of chairman. Located in the Torrey Pines area, TP Therapeutics was founded in October 2013. It now has 32 full-time employees, Countouriotis said. The company expects to have about 40 full-time employees by the end of this year, Countouriotis, who joined the company in May of this year, has extensive experience in developing cancer drugs. This is the first time shes been a CEO. I stepped out of oncology about a year ago, and then I was enticed back by our board of directors, Countouriotis said. I knew most of the people who were already part of this company. Countouriotis said Cui played a particularly important role in convincing her to join. Cui and Li made it clear to Countouriotis in March that the company was looking for a CEO with experience in both public and privately held companies, which Countouriotis has. Most recently, Countouriotis had been senior vice president and chief medical officer at Adverum Biotechnologies in Menlo Park. Before that, she held the same role at Halozyme Therapeutics in San Diego. Additionally, Countouriotis was chief medical officer at San Diegos Ambit Biosciences, where she led development of the acute myeloid leukemia drug quizartinib. Ambit went public shortly before it was purchased by Japanese drug company Daiichi Sankyo in 2014 for about $315 million. Countouriotis also worked in clinical development at Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb for the cancer drugs Sutent, Mylotarg, Bosulif, and Sprycel. TP Therapeutics may be gunning for an IPO in the near future. The company just raised a $45 million Series C financing round last May that included a number of crossover investors usually a sign that a biotech is considering going public soon. This recent $80 million equity financing was a mezzanine round. Foresite Capital and venBio Partners led the round, with participation from new investors HBM Healthcare Investments and Nextech Invest, among others. Cancer patients and others interested in clinical testing of repotrectinib can find more information at www.tptherapeutics.com/pipeline. Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 San Diegos Molecular Assemblies, one of a number of companies looking to use DNA as the ultimate data storage system, says it has made a significant advance in making practical use of the famed double helix. The privately held company says it has developed a faster and more accurate way of storing and retrieving information, the critical read/write process performed routinely by hard drives. Such traditional storage methods are reaching their limits, as photos, videos, health and financial records and other information piles up. By 2025, research firm IDC estimates global annual data production of 163 zettabytes. One zettabyte can hold about 167 trillion high-definition movies averaging two hours each. As a proof of concept, Molecular Assemblies converted text messages into the 0s and 1s of computer-speak, encoded that binary data into the four-letter DNA alphabet, then wrote the sequence into DNA. The process was then reversed to recover the text message, said Michael Kamdar, president and CEO of Molecular Assemblies. Advertisement Molecular Assemblys method writes longer stretches of DNA letters at a time than traditional chemical synthesis, Kamdar said. It also uses non-toxic materials and doesnt require processing. It is based on enzymes, proteins that catalyze chemical reactions without themselves being consumed in the process. The process is also far less energy-intensive than traditional storage. Its really the first time in the industry that weve seen that data can be stored and retrieved using enzymatic DNA, Kamdar said. In nature, DNA compacts a huge amount of information into a microscopic package. The human genome consists of a sequence of 3 billion DNA letters, tightly wrapped up in the cell nucleus. Elegant molecular mechanisms package the DNA so it can be stored and retrieved as needed. Something like this storage and retrieval process will be needed to make the enzyme-based system feasible for large-scale use, a task Molecular Assemblies is working on. The company was founded in 2013 by Bill Efcavitch and Curt Becker. They are veterans of Applied Biosystems, a DNA synthesis company that merged with Carlsbads Invitrogen in 2008 to found Life Technologies. Its now a unit of Thermo Fisher Scientific. Competitors include Iridia, with offices in Carlsbad. Iridias chairman, Jay Flatley, was the longtime CEO of DNA sequencing giant Illumina, itself a major contributor to the data tsunami as human genome sequencing becomes routine. Microsoft is also researching DNA storage. So is Boston-based Catalog, founded by scientists from Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For all these companies, stability of storage is critical. In the biological hubbub of a living being, DNA molecules are continually broken and repaired. Kamdar said that outside the body, DNA can be stored very stable manner. Molecular Assemblies plans to raise money in the fall to advance its work, Kamdar said. In December 2016, the company said it had raised $2.3 million in seed funding. Related reading The next big thing in data storage is actually microscopic Data Storage Solution May Be in the DNA What Will We Do When The Worlds Data Hits 163 Zettabytes In 2025? Video clip encoded in DNA of living bacteria and played back Scientists work toward storing digital information in DNA Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 A cancer-fighting gene known as the guardian of the genome actually promotes certain tumors, according to a study by UC San Diego researchers. That means drugs that affect its activity may backfire in some cases, fueling the tumors growth. Called p53, the gene makes a protein that causes abnormal cells to self-destruct before they turn malignant. Mutated forms of the gene dont perform this function as well. About half of cancers have a mutated p53 gene, making it the most commonly mutated gene in malignancies. As such, it has been a major target of drug development to restore normal function. But in certain instances restoring normal function could actually help the tumor grow. So knowing what these drugs will do to a particular cancer is vital. The study underscores a point oncologists have been making for decades: Cancer is not one disease. What we call cancer is actually hundreds of genetic diseases that share certain characteristics. And as knowledge grows about the differences between cancers, the desirability of personalized treatment becomes more evident. Advertisement Researchers led by Yang Xu based their results on studies of human patients, cell samples and mouse models of cancer. The study was published Thursday in the journal Cancer Cell. It can be found at j.mp/cancerp53. Cancers often occur gradually, with a series of mutations that weaken genetic defenses against abnormal growth. Their degree of aggressiveness also varies. Some cancers are rapidly growing and require immediate treatment. Other cancers are slow-growing, and may not need immediate treatment. Slow-growing cancers can cross a threshold and begin to spread rapidly. The activity of p53, or the lack of it, helps determine if and when that threshold is reached. Ovarian cancer is one example in which the lack of normal p53 is implicated. In some aggressive ovarian cancers, the gene is mutated nearly all the time. But the gene is much less frequently mutated in hepatocellular or liver cancers. Xu and colleagues found that restoring p53 function in mutated liver cancer cells improves their metabolism, by indirectly causing cells to switch to a process called glycolysis, which involves the heavy use of sugar as an energy source. Normally, cells use a process which is more energy-efficient but is limited by the availability of oxygen. Called oxidative phosphorylation, it takes place in mitochondria, organelles inside cells that provide most of the bodys energy. This metabolic change to glycolysis, called the Warburg effect, has been recognized for decades as a characteristic of cancer. So in liver cancers, promoting p53 function will induce this metabolic shift, energizing the cancer. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine funded the research, along with Chinese sources including the Natural Science Foundation of China; the Leading Talents of Guangdong Province Program; and the National High-Tech R&D Program. Related reading How a gene that usually protects against cancer becomes the diseases aggressor This protein is mutated in half of all cancers. New drugs aim to fix it before its too late Targeting p53 for Novel Anticancer Therapy . Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 When her parents asked Amanda Walker if shed like try an experimental treatment for her rare bone disease, the girl was terrified. As they had been counseled, Amandas parents, Alicia and Robert Walker, dropped the matter for the time being. But a few days later, Amanda herself began asking about the clinical trial for her disease, called MHE. Appealing to Amandas interest in science and desire to help others, her parents got her permission. So Amanda, who gave her age as 8 3/4, began taking what may be a drug to treat MHE, or a placebo. Advertisement The Walkers story underscores that medical research is more than science its about meeting human needs. That linkage of science to people was the theme of Thursdays Rare Disease Day symposium at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) in La Jolla. Now in its 10th year, the symposium is one of the few events specifically intended to bring together everyone with an interest in rare diseases. The event featured mainly scientific and medical talks. The Walker family traveled from their Culver City home for the symposium. Also present: SBPs Dr. Yu Yamaguchi and Dr. Maurizio Pacifici of Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, whose research led to development of the drug. The event was sponsored by a patient advocacy group, the MHE Research Foundation; and Clementia Pharmaceuticals. Amanda is taking part in the drugs clinical trial at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. It is being tested by Montreal drugmaker Clementia Pharmaceuticals. (On Tuesday, drug company Ipsen said it would buy Clementia for $1.3 billion, largely for its rare disease drug portfolio.) MHE, or Multiple Hereditary Exostoses, is a genetic disease that causes abnormal bone growths. These vary in severity from mild to crippling. Until the clinical trial started, the only treatments available were surgery and pain management. Amandas condition is mild. She has an overgrowth on her right knee, but its painless and doesnt limit her movement. Her parents are more worried about the future: Some children get worse when they enter adolescence. The Walkers said Amandas symptoms were subtle, such as movement that produced painless but abnormal clicks. Because there was no disability, Amandas diagnosing specialist said to ignore it. He was very jovial and just said, if I were you, I would stay in denial and, just enjoy her childhood, Alicia Walker said. That wasnt acceptable, so the Walkers, especially Robert, continued to look for information online. Through a patient support group, Robert eventually discovered the clinical trial, which provides treatment at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, where Amanda goes. Because treatment means missing school days, Amandas parents began telling friends and relatives of her condition. Previously, only a few of the closest relatives had been told. The drug, palovarotine, has shown indications of effectiveness in clinical testing against another bone disease, fibrodysplasia ossificans progressive (FOP). After discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Clementia said last October that it plans to ask approval of the drug for FOP in the second half of 2019. Getting Amanda to assent to the trial required some preparation. She had been reading the Little House on the Prairie books about American pioneers. Her mother discussed that approach with a counselor. I said, what if we position it like that theres all sorts of different pioneers, and shes going to be a medical pioneer, Alicia Walker said. And since Amanda is being raised as Jewish Alicia is Jewish, Robert is not they appealed to Amandas spiritual side. Theres a word, mitzvah, doing good deeds, her mother said. And Amanda loves helping people. Amanda understands that she may be be getting a placebo, and thats OK with her, her mother said. I said to her, the placebo group is just as important as the group with the medicine because without the placebo group, you cant bring a drug to market. Amanda said: The reason Im missing so many days of school is because Im helping other kids who have this weird disease. For more information on palovarotene, go to j.mp/palovarotene. bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 Coronary stents, those tiny mesh tubes that prop open blocked blood vessels, have helped millions of people avoid invasive and complicated bypass surgery. But stents cease to be needed after the blood vessels have healed. And that poses a problem. Metal stents are impractical to remove, so they remain in the heart, possibly risking long-term complications. And temporary, resorbable stents have had a mixed record. This year, Reva received positive data about the performance of its Fantom line of bioresorbable scaffolds, as it calls its stents. It continues to collect data, hoping to demonstrate Fantoms long-term superiority. Made of a special polymer called Tyrocore, Fantom stents gradually dissolve in the body. Reva sells them in Europe. Eventually, it plans to enter the U.S. market. An estimated 1.8 million stents are implanted per year in the U.S., according to iData Research. Advertisement The actual number of patients with stents is smaller than the number implanted, because some receive multiple stents. The most stents implanted in any one person is 34, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Fantom stents have been shown to be as effective as metal stents in the short run, said Reggie Groves, Revas CEO. And long-term, the company is looking to provide evidence Fantom is superior to metal stents. If you put permanent metal in, its a foreign body in a vessel thats trying to move, which it cant because you have metal caging it, she said. The consequence is a risk of an adverse event, such as a heart attack. The stent also interferes with cardiac imaging, and is in the way if another procedure is needed. While the risk is low, it can be totally avoided if the stent dissolves, Groves said. With our material, Tyrocore, the first thing that happens is it loses molecular weight, Groves said. So in about a year the molecular weight is mostly gone, and you end up with whats like a powder, in the shape of a scaffold, but the strength is mostly gone. The vessel can expand and contract. Eventually, all the material is dissolved and removed, leaving behind a healed artery. While it exists, the Fantom is visible by X-ray, useful in confirming the stent was correctly placed. Fantom, Revas first product, received European marketing approval early last year. In the second quarter ended June 30, Reva reported $91,000 in net revenue, compared to no revenue for the same quarter a year ago. The company earned $1.9 million in the quarter, compared to a loss of $503,000 in the year-ago quarter. However, that technical profit includes an unusual and difficult to understand element - the mark to market value of Revas convertible debt, Groves said. Shares of Reva trades on the stock exchange of Australia. The company would like to eventually trade in the U.S., Groves said. Reggie Groves, CEO of Reva Medical, makers of bioresorbable cardiac stents. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) A study of 240 patients given the Fantom stent showed good results after two years, she said. The stent failed to work 4.6 percent of the time, technically called a target lesion failure. For competing resorbable stents, the failure rate ranged from 5.9 to 11 percent. The patients were treated in Europe, Australia and Brazil. Competitors include Abbott Vascular. Abbott is researching new resorbable stents after discontinuing sales of one model last year, the Absorb. Abbott said sales were too low. In early 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had warned that the Abbott Absorb stent had a higher rate of problems than Abbotts permanent Xience stent. However, some stents had been implanted in arteries too small for the device to work properly. Revas temporary stents differ from others in part because of the polymer, licensed from Rutgers University, Groves said. In addition, theyve been carefully engineered to reduce thickness, and used in specific patient populations most likely to benefit. The best candidates for Fantom stents tend to be younger, with at least more than five years life expectancy, Groves said, not specifying any precise cutoff age. Also, heavily calcified vessels are not suitable for the Fantom stents, nor are the smallest and largest vessels. Blood flow to the smallest vessels are impeded by the thickness of the stent, and Fantom is not strong enough for now to treat the largest vessels. Reva continues to research ways to improve stent performance. Fantom Encore, the latest in the Fantom line, received European approval this June. It has thinner struts. Reva plans to start selling Fantom Encore later this year. Stent manufacturing takes place alongside research in Revas San Diego headquarters. Thats because tight integration of chemistry and manufacturing helps produce stents with the necessary specifications, she said. The core backbone for us is our chemical expertise in making this polymer, and we have all the expertise right here, Groves said. Stents became popular a few decades ago in conjunction with a procedure called balloon angioplasty, in which a small balloon is inserted into an artery in the groin or wrist, guided into the blocked artery, and expanded to open it. After the blockage is cleared, the stent is placed to keep the vessel open while it heals. The procedure allows patients to leave the hospital sooner than the alternative of open heart surgery, and causes less discomfort. But in some cases blood vessels eventually re-occlude. Called restenosis, this event requires further treatment. To stop this, metal stents are coated with a drug that inhibits restenosis. These drug-eluting stents have become the standard. Revas stents are also drug-eluting. The company continues to monitor patients receiving its stents, hoping to provide more evidence of benefit over the long term. Reva employs a total of 57 people, 50 in San Diego and seven in Europe. The company eventually intends to sell its stents in the U.S., Groves said, but it will take several years. The trial that would get approval would likely take us about three years once we start, and we have not started, she said. Meanwhile, Reva is selling and developing stents for other applications outside the heart. The company has European approval to sell a stent for use below the knee in peripheral artery disease. And its working on a cancer treatment using its polymer for what are called embolic beads. These are placed inside blood vessels feeding the tumor to starve it of nutrients. Related reading The Incremental Risk of Coronary Stents on Postoperative Adverse Events: A Matched Cohort Study Why the wrist is better than the groin when it comes to stenting FDA approves potentially revolutionary heart stent Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 UC San Diego researchers say theyve discovered a major reason why skin ages, and how skin aging impairs resistance to infections. And theyve found a way to fix it, at least in mice. In aging, skin cells called fibroblasts lose their ability to make fat cells that reside under the surface, said Dr. Richard Gallo, who led the study. These fat cells give the skin a smooth, youthful appearance, and also secrete an antibacterial substance. The loss of this layer of fat makes the skin thinner, and contributes to wrinkles, Gallo said. Thats the reason behind injections of dermal fillers, he said. They restore the rounder contours of youthful skin. UCSD researchers examined mice and human skin cells to understand the role of these dermal fat cells, and what inhibits their formation. Advertisement A paper on the study was published Wednesday in the journal Immunity. It can be found at j.mp/skinage1. The fat cells make a substance called cathelicidin that kills the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. These fat cells are especially abundant in infant skin, Gallo said, helping them fight infections until their immune system matures. Staph is commonly found on human skin, and usually is harmless. But it can become virulent, and an antibiotic-resistant form called MRSA is especially deadly. So these fat cells perform an important function in protecting the body, Gallo said. It used to be thought that they just filled space, said Gallo, who studies the skins role in the immune response. The biological importance of these cells wasnt known until just a few years ago. Now we know theyre really key. As aging occurs, a protein called transforming growth factor beta, or TGF beta, blocks fibroblasts from making the fat cells, Gallo said. This protein controls how cells differentiate, and has important functions, such as promoting scar tissue to quickly patch over wounds. Researchers tested the concept in mice. They used both chemical and genetic means to inhibit TGF beta to see if the skin fat loss could be reversed. Not only did the fat cells increase in number, but the skin showed greater resistance to Staphylococcus infection. No one had done that before, and it was quite amazing in mice how potently it reversed this effect of aging, he said. Putting on weight doesnt restore the infection-fighting abilities. Once a fat cell becomes fully engorged, it can no longer have this function either, so its a delicate balance, Gallo said. This effect of obesity is something Gallo and colleagues are now studying. Gallo serves on the scientific advisory board and is a consultant for two local biomedical companies; Sente and MatriSys Bioscience. He has equity interest in the companies. Study funders include National Institutes of Health; Pew Charitable Trusts; National Science Foundation; and Simons Foundation. Related reading Skin products firm Sente raises $5 million Common human bacteria could protect against skin cancers, researchers say Scripps Health allies with Encinitas skin care company Cause of sunburns painful inflammation discovered by UCSD researchers The hygiene hypothesis Skin bacteria keep inflammation under control Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 The public thinks of stem cells as cures for diseases and injuries. But to scientists, they have become something even more fundamental: the ultimate toolkit for learning about life. How do organs develop? What signals do cells respond to as they grow? And how do cells of different types arise and work together? These are the kinds of age-old questions that stem cells are at last helping to solve, said San Diego stem cell researcher Evan Snyder of Sanford Burnham Medical Discovery Institute. Stem cells are not just a vehicle for therapy, theyre a tool for understanding how the nervous systems put together, how it degenerates, or how it goes awry, Snyder said. Advertisement Its not just looking at the cell, its diving into the fundamental molecular mechanisms. And we have great tools that we didnt have 15 years ago. Snyder chaired a data blitz Monday night during the Society for Neuroscience conference at the Convention Center downtown. Each scientist gave a 15-minute presentation -- 13 presentations in all -- on what theyve learned from stem cells in neuroscience. This included talks on: -- Production of rudimentary brain organoids from stem cells, a specialty of UC San Diegos Alysson Muotri, who spoke with Cleber Trujillo, a student in his lab. These rudimentary brains can be used for such purposes as modeling fetal brain damage from the Zika virus, and testing defenses. -- The origins of astrocytes, cells that support and define the architecture of the brain, and how they work with neurons. Astrocytes were once considered relatively minor brain components, but in recent years their critical importance has become more appreciated. --Directly converting toxic astrocytes into neurons, to repair brain damage in live mice. Astrocytes that would otherwise cause inflammation and scar tissue were converted into neurons, improving brain healing. -- The characteristics of growth cones, projections from neurons that move like an amoeba. These approach other cells to form a synapse, which transmits signals. Synapses are involved in the formation of memory. Alexander Laperle, a researcher at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, discusses the uses of stem cells in Parkinsons disease research. These cells are derived from Parkinsons patients and used as tools to understand the disease process, Much of this research begins with patients. Thats the case of a study about the origins of early onset Parkinsons disease, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. These cases were sporadic, that is, they occurred in families without a history of the disease. Scientists converted donated patient cells into stem cells, and then grew them into the kinds of neurons destroyed in Parkinsons, said Alexander Laperle, a researcher in the lab of Clive Svendsen, at the data blitz. Cells from most of the patients were found to share three biomarkers, as well as signs of the disease, Laperle said. These became tools for screening potential drugs. Compounds that returned biomarker activity to normal can be examined further. The data blitz was the 15th annual event held in honor of the late Christopher Reeve, the Superman actor who became a stem cell advocate after becoming paralyzed in an accident. Reeve played a major role in encouraging passage of Proposition 71, the 2004 initiative that put $3 billion in Californias public money into a new institute. The measures mandate was to pursue stem cell-related treatments for diseases and injuries such as the spinal cord injury that left Reeve immobile from the neck down. That wish has taken longer to realize than was first hoped for. Reeve never walked again. But scientists now appreciate that getting a better understanding of the mechanics of life advances that goal, Snyder said. Sequencing the genomes of individual cells, and new tools to make sense of big amounts of data allow a far more detailed look at what the cells do and why they do it, than just by looking at surface markers, he said. In particular, scientists are now learning the complex web of genetic connections that determine what cells do, and under what conditions. So when people say, what progress has the stem cell field made, what theyre thinking about is what clinical trials are going on, Snyder said. This is an example that we now are understanding how the nervous systems put together, and stem cells have led to that. The Society for Neuroscience convention ends on Wednesday. Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 Biotech companies in the scientific frontiers of stem cell and gene therapies are used to dealing with failures, loss of funding and other setbacks. Now theyre having to deal with new issues raised by success, according to experts speaking Monday in a panel at Biotech Showcase in San Francisco. And on top of that, questions of payment are becoming more urgent, said Janet Lambert, CEO of Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, the panel sponsor. Biotech Showcase, along with the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, is attracting an estimated 15,000 life science professionals this week to discuss the state of the industry.. As more stem cell and gene therapy products reach patients, their makers are putting increasing attention on ensuring consistent quality. From raw supplies to finished treatments, manufacturing therapeutic cells is turning from a biotech niche to mass production on an industrial scale. The importance of quality control was highlighted recently when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cracked down on unregulated stem cell companies offering treatment outside of FDA oversight. Advertisement These include San Diegos Genetech (no relation to South San Franciscos Genentech). Twelve patients reportedly contracted serious infections after being given products from the company supposedly containing stem cells. The products contained two kinds of fecal bacteria, according to cultures grown from unopened items. In addition to sterility, the companies that do heed FDA regulations need to establish a consistent supply chain of supplies, develop methods to test for quality, and ensure products are kept under appropriate conditions until delivered to doctors or hospitals. The panel discussion was far different from one several years ago, when it was uncertain whether these exotic therapies, such as genetically engineered immune cells, would be effective. Cells, being living things, have proven much harder to engineer to a uniform standard than the nonliving chemicals that have been medicines therapeutic arsenal. And big drug companies had long considered the field too immature for big investments. But doubt is vanishing. The ground-breaking approval of immune cell therapies for blood cancers cancer such as Kymriah and Yescarta in 2017 gave a definitive yes to the question whether these were ready for patients. And while cancer treatments predominate, Luxturna, the first gene therapy for a form of blindness, was also approved that year. On Monday, San Diegos Stemedica said it had achieved positive results in an early stage trial of its stem cell therapy for stroke. The trial showed safety and preliminary evidence of efficacy, the company said. Were already having an impact with the products on the market, Lambert said. Moreover, the panelists said, that impact has been so sudden companies are still adjusting to the new reality. In 2018, biotechs raised hundreds of millions to advance other cell therapies. This included $80 million for San Diegos ViaCyte, testing a stem cell-based diabetes treatment. And the year closed with a $604 million whopper of an initial public offering from Cambridge, Mass-based Moderna Therapeutics, developer of RNA-based drugs. It was the largest IPO in biotech history. Ironically, the great success of these therapies has caused issues in commercializing them, said panelist Christopher Vann, CEO of Autolos Therapeutics. The London, UK company is testing cancer therapies with immune cells called T cells. The urgent demand for these new therapies means that companies are rushing to get them to patients as fast as feasible, Vann said. They went to market very quickly, based on academic manufacturing processes, Vann said. These processes werent equipped to scale up to commercial demand. But that is now being fixed. The realization today is that you need to fix your manufacturing process before you enter into registration (late-stage) studies, he said. Maria Fardis, president and CEO of cancer immunotherapy company Iovance Biotherapeutics, agreed with Vann. Fardis company is treating solid tumors with immune cells called tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Im a chemist by training and I was shocked when I started in the cell therapy field, and understanding there was no known supply chain for every item, Fardis said. You have to source it, get to know the provider, ensure that you have adequate supply agreements in place, and that theyre able to consistently provide you what you need. Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 San Diegos Triton Algae Innovations says the Food and Drug Administration has accepted its edible algae as safe to eat. The FDAs designation clears the way for the startup to sell its algae as a food ingredient. The FDA says it has no questions that Tritons algae falls under Generally Recognized As Safe, or GRAS status, the company said last week. Triton plans to introduce its algae into the consumer market this year through business partnerships, said Xun Wang, president and CEO. Prominent San Diego chef Brian Malarkey, who has included Tritons algae in special meals, says diners love the taste. Advertisement Privately held Triton cultivates strains of the freshwater algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. One of the companys selling points is that the algae is high in protein and essential nutrients, compared to traditional sources such as soybeans. C. reinhardtii is a workhorse algae in the biotechnology industry. Its been widely studied for a variety of purposes, such as making biofuels. Researchers such as Steve Mayfield of UC San Diego, Tritons founder and scientific adviser, have focused on increasing the algaes productivity. Triton grows the algae in three colors, green, yellow and red, using a closed fermentation system. Both green and yellow are nutritionally similar. The yellow algae lacks chlorophyll. The color difference expands its potential uses. The algae are not genetically modified. Nutrition aside, how does Tritons algae taste? Judging from the reactions of diners, great, said Malarkey. He presented an algae-based meal last May at Farmer & The Seahorse restaurant in La Jolla. He also served algae pasta at Herb and Wood in downtown San Diego. The diners love it (algae pasta) because its got a bit of a funk, like anchovies, like a secret umami, and its brilliant in color, Malarkey said. When I make a pasta its just neon green and it tastes great. And everybodys like, if you didnt tell me that was algae, I wouldnt think that was algae. Algae is also versatile, Malarkey said. Algae-based menu at lunch hosted by San Diego chef Paul McCabe. (Triton Algae Innovations) Weve made everything from algae pasta to algae bread, algae vinegarette, algae marinades and algae butter, he said. In addition, he praised algaes potential to reduce the environmental impact of food production. Malarkey doesnt have a formal role in the company at present, said David Schroeder Tritons director of corporate & regulatory affairs. Brian was an enthusiastic early adopter of our ingredient, in every sense of the word, and has been a staunch advocate or brand ambassador on our behalf. Schroeder said. The process of growing the algae by fermentation causes less stress on the environment than traditional agriculture, Schroeder said. Theres no crop protection chemicals or pesticides or anything like that, Schroeder said. The red strain also makes heme, a substance that gives meat its taste. Heme is used by Impossible Burger to make its imitation meat taste like real meat. Triton plans to offer its heme as an alternative to the heme used in Impossible Burger, said Xun Wang, president and CEO. That heme comes from genetically modified yeast, in contrast to Tritons non-GMO products, he said. The FDA previously has given Impossible Burgers heme the same no questions safety clearance that Tritons algae has just received. However, some people avoid GMO-containing foods anyway. Triton has developed its algae strains to make certain proteins that are especially high-value, Wang said. In addition to heme, Tritons algae also provides nutrients such as essential amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids that have been linked to heart health, vitamin A/beta-carotene, and iron. In addition, Triton uses the algae to make proteins found in colostrum, a mothers first milk. Among other benefits, colostrum helps an infants immune system develop. These proteins can make infant formula more nutritious, the company says. These colostrum proteins will be on a separate regulatory path to market, Schroeder said. The companys website is https://www.tritonai.com/. Related reading Triton ingredient gets FDA No Questions letter Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Genetically engineered algae safely grown outdoors Algaes promise rebounds after setbacks New center to focus on algae, biofuels Energy from green goo Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 Seeking to speed up development of new drugs, UC San Diego has partnered with a New York investment management firm that has committed $65 million to the project. Called Poseidon Innovation, the joint venture of UCSD and Deerfield Management will fund early-stage drug development, and may also make additional investments in spin-off companies arising from the venture. Announced Wednesday, the project is the latest UCSD initiative to use its research abilities to find promising new drugs and get them through the complicated cycle of discovery, refinement, human clinical testing and approval. In 2015, the university said it would work to double the number of patients it enrolls in clinical trials. Also that year, it was awarded $52 million from the National Institutes of Health to accelerate drug development. Advertisement The next year, the university opened its $269 million Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute, where researchers from different fields of expertise collaborate to advance clinical trials. UCSD has also directly teamed up with drug companies such as Pfizer and GSK. For its part, Deerfield has entered into similar partnerships with Johns Hopkins University, Vanderbilt, Northwestern University and the Broad institute of Harvard and MIT. The UCSD partnership is Deerfields first on the West Coast and the first with a public university. This is another alternative for the campus and faculty to really accelerate drug development, said Paul Roben, UCSD associate vice chancellor for the Office of Innovation & Commercialization. Roben is a member of Poseidons joint steering committee. Projects that are accepted will be given funding from the $65 million, along with other resources needed to take them to the beginning of the clinical trial process. As opposed to looking at a single individual lab, we will identify all the resources that are going to be needed, he said. Its going to be bringing a lot of different things together, both on campus and off campus, Roben said. Deerfield will contribute its own drug development capabilities in addition to funding, said Deerfield partner Jonathan Leff. This comprehensive support will eliminate many of the inefficiencies that are caused by handling projects piecemeal. These capabilities include everything from pharmacology toxicology to manufacturing to intellectual property, to biostatistics and regulatory, all of the different disciplines to make the best decisions about how to move these things forward as quickly and efficiently as we can, Leff said. The money is specifically intended to bridge the funding gap from academic discovery to beginning clinical trials, which is usually handled by companies, he said. That gap is whats commonly referred to as the Valley of Death, because so many programs die at that stage for lack of access to capital. Leff said. And so Poseidon is a collaboration thats designed to provide the capital to traverse that valley for these programs. After drug programs qualify to start clinical testing, more money will be provided, Leff said. These would either be licensed into a new company funded by Deerfield and possibly others; or directly licensed to a drug or biotech company. This money is in addition to the $65 million used to take drugs to the threshold of clinical testing. Related reading UCSD gets $52 million to speed drug development UCSD struggles to expand drug trials GSK, UCSD team on blood cancers Sanford-Burnham joins Pfizer-UCSD drug collaboration Pfizer, UCSD collaborating on early drug discovery Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 Flyers have long assumed that flights sold by a major airline but operated by their regional partners would be less likely to show up on time. Theyre right, according to new information from the U.S. Department of Transportation, though passengers odds of finding themselves on a canceled flight remain relatively low even on regional carriers. Last year, the Transportation Department began tracking airlines performance across all domestic flights sold using their brand, whether operated by the main carrier or a regional partner. A report released earlier this month provides the first full-year look. Most travelers tend to focus on fare and schedule when booking tickets, not whether that United Airlines flight will actual be operated by a regional partner like Air Wisconsin Airlines or Republic Airways. But there is a difference. Advertisement Nationwide, flights operated by Delta Air Lines regional partners were a little more than four times more likely to be canceled than flights operated by Delta, according to a Tribune analysis of monthly Transportation Department data. At American Airlines and United, the percentage of regional partner flights canceled was between two and three times greater than for those of the mainline carrier. The odds of any particular flight being canceled are still quite low: a little less than 1 percent of domestic 2018 flights at Delta, about 1.75 percent at United and about 2.76 percent at American. Even on the regional carriers, only about 1.6 percent, 2.4 percent and 3.7 percent of flights operated by Delta, United and Americans partners were canceled in 2018, respectively. So why is there a gap at all? When something like a major storm or runway closures limit the number of flights airlines can operate at an airport, regional flights are more likely to end up on the chopping block. 1 / 4 American Airlines mainline vs. code-share: Percentage on time arrivals, 2018 2 / 4 Delta Air Lines mainline vs. code-share: Percentage on time arrivals, 2018 3 / 4 United Airlines mainline vs. code-share: Percentage on time arrivals, 2018 4 / 4 Delta Air Lines mainline vs. code-share: Percentage on time arrivals, 2018 Giving priority to flights connecting hubs or big cities, international flights and those using larger aircraft which tend to be run by the mainline airline helps minimize the impact problems at one airport have on flights throughout the country, said United spokesman Charles Hobart. Regional partners also tend to use smaller aircraft, meaning a cancellation affects fewer passengers. Their routes tend to have relatively frequent flights, providing opportunities to rebook those customers on later flights, said American spokeswoman Leslie Scott. The passengers on each flight can also be part of the calculus. Delta said it considers whether a flight has a lot of passengers who might find a cancellation particularly disruptive, like people connecting to another destination, unaccompanied minors or loyal frequent flyers. When it comes to delays, domestic flights on regional carriers for United, Delta and American were between 1.8 and 5.7 percentage points more likely to arrive 15 minutes late than flights operated by the main carrier, according to the Transportation Departments report. Overall, about 83.2 percent of domestic mainline and regional Delta flights, 77.4 percent of American flights and 77.9 percent of United flights arrived on time last year. At OHare, United and American were about as likely to arrive on time as they were at airports across the country, or slightly more punctual, according to the Tribunes analysis. Delta, which operates fewer flights through Chicago than those carriers, was less likely to arrive within 15 minutes of the scheduled time at OHare than its average nationwide last year. But there was also a bigger gap in the odds that a Delta flight arriving at one of Chicagos airports would arrive on time, depending on whether it was operated by the carrier or one of its regional partners. In 2018, almost 80 percent of mainline domestic flights operated by Delta arrived on time at OHare, compared with just 67 percent for its regional partners. At Midway, about 88 percent and 79 percent of mainline and regional Delta flights arrived on time, respectively. One factor could be that most of Deltas regional flights at Chicagos airports connect the city to airports in the northeastern U.S. that tend to struggle with delays, Delta said. Shorter regional flights on small aircraft tend to have relatively quick turnarounds between trips, Scott said. A couple extra minutes on each leg can add up to a longer delay over the course of the day, which is why American is particularly focused on ensuring morning flights start the day on time, she said. Regional flights also tend to have more passengers with connecting flights. American will wait a few minutes for passengers with tight connections as long as it doesnt risk making customers miss flights on the other end, which could contribute to the slightly higher odds of a delayed arrival, Scott said. So should travelers trying to minimize the risk of a delay or cancellation avoid flights operated by regional partners? Its one factor, but its not necessarily the most important one in any given situation, said Gary Leff, a travel expert who writes the View from the Wing blog. Whether an itinerary allows enough time between connecting flights or stops in a city with a high risk of bad weather matters, he said. So does departure time, since flights leaving in the morning, before problems have a chance to stack up, tend to be more punctual. For some travelers, avoiding regional flights has more to do with a reputation for being small and less comfortable than mainline flights. But the gap is narrowing, Leff said. United recently announced plans to replace some 50-seat regional jets with a new version that has a first class cabin with more legroom and a self-serve beverage and snack bar. Leff said hes not surprised by a convergence to the mean it has already been under way. The tiny regional jets people hate were once an improvement over the prop planes they used to hate, he said. lzumbach@chicagotribune.com Twitter @laurenzumbach American Airlines is extending cancellations of flights through April 24 due to the grounding of Boeing 737 Max aircraft, as federal regulators continue to investigate two deadly crashes involving the plane model. Southwest Airlines is also continuing to make cancellations. American has 24 Boeing 737 Max aircraft in its fleet, and said Sunday that it will be canceling about 90 flights a day. Not every flight that was previously scheduled to be on a Max aircraft will be canceled, and some flights scheduled to fly on other aircraft types may ultimately be canceled. The airline said it will contact affected fliers directly. Southwest, which has 34 Max aircraft, is making cancellations five days in advance, with an average of 130 daily cancellations. On Saturday, it also began to ferry all its Max aircraft to a facility in Victorville, Calif., without passengers, to free up space at the airports where they had been parked. United Airlines, which has 14 Max aircraft, does not have any flights scheduled on the equipment through April 9. It doesnt expect any future cancellations as a result of the grounding of the planes, and it is using alternate aircraft to make up for their being grounded. Advertisement Aviation authorities around the world grounded Boeing 737 Max aircraft earlier this month following deadly crashes involving the plane model in Ethiopia and off the coast of Indonesia, which occurred within five months of each other. Letter from Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg to Airlines, Passengers and the Aviation Community We know lives depend on the work we do, and our teams embrace that responsibility with a deep sense of commitment every day. Our purpose at Boeing is to bring family, friends and loved ones together with our commercial airplanessafely. The tragic losses of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Lion Air Flight 610 affect us all, uniting people and nations in shared grief for all those in mourning. Our hearts are heavy, and we continue to extend our deepest sympathies to the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board. Safety is at the core of who we are at Boeing, and ensuring safe and reliable travel on our airplanes is an enduring value and our absolute commitment to everyone. This overarching focus on safety spans and binds together our entire global aerospace industry and communities. Were united with our airline customers, international regulators and government authorities in our efforts to support the most recent investigation, understand the facts of what happened and help prevent future tragedies. Based on facts from the Lion Air Flight 610 accident and emerging data as it becomes available from the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 accident, were taking actions to fully ensure the safety of the 737 MAX. We also understand and regret the challenges for our customers and the flying public caused by the fleets grounding. Work is progressing thoroughly and rapidly to learn more about the Ethiopian Airlines accident and understand the information from the airplanes cockpit voice and flight data recorders. Our team is on-site with investigators to support the investigation and provide technical expertise. The Ethiopia Accident Investigation Bureau will determine when and how its appropriate to release additional details. Advertisement Boeing has been in the business of aviation safety for more than 100 years, and well continue providing the best products, training and support to our global airline customers and pilots. This is an ongoing and relentless commitment to make safe airplanes even safer. Soon well release a software update and related pilot training for the 737 MAX that will address concerns discovered in the aftermath of the Lion Air Flight 610 accident. Weve been working in full cooperation with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Transportation and the National Transportation Safety Board on all issues relating to both the Lion Air and the Ethiopian Airlines accidents since the Lion Air accident occurred in October last year. Our entire team is devoted to the quality and safety of the aircraft we design, produce and support. Ive dedicated my entire career to Boeing, working shoulder to shoulder with our amazing people and customers for more than three decades, and I personally share their deep sense of commitment. Recently, I spent time with our team members at our 737 production facility in Renton, Wash., and once again saw firsthand the pride our people feel in their work and the pain were all experiencing in light of these tragedies. The importance of our work demands the utmost integrity and excellencethats what I see in our team, and well never rest in pursuit of it. Our mission is to connect people and nations, protect freedom, explore our world and the vastness of space, and inspire the next generation of aerospace dreamers and doersand well fulfill that mission only by upholding and living our values. Thats what safety means to us. Together, well keep working to earn and keep the trust people have placed in Boeing. Dennis Muilenburg Chairman, President and CEO The Boeing Company The black boxes of the Ethiopian Airlines jet that crashed with the loss of 157 lives last week have been read successfully, French accident investigators said Monday. The recorders from the Boeing 737 Max 8, which crashed March 10 shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, have been sent back to Ethiopia, French air accident investigation body BEA told dpa. The Paris-based body said in a statement that French, Ethiopian and U.S. officials had verified correct data extraction from the two boxes the flight data recorder, or FDR, and cockpit voice recorder. The BEA Bureau dEnquete et dAnalyses (Bureau of Investigation and Analysis) also confirmed Sundays statement from Ethiopian Transport Minister Dagmawit Moges that the data showed similarities with the October crash of a Lion Air Boeing 737 Max 8 plane off the coast of Indonesia that killed 198 people. Advertisement During the verification process of the FDR data, clear similarities were noted by the investigation team between Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Lion Air Flight 610, which will be the subject of further study during the investigation, the BEA said. Aviation authorities around the world grounded Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 planes after the Ethiopian crash. The models are the latest version of the U.S. manufacturers narrow-body workhorse. Moges said Sunday that detailed information based on the black box data would be released within a month. The developments come amid reports that the U.S. Department of Transportation has begun an inquiry into the certification process for the jets systems. The Transportation Departments inspector general had begun looking into the planes design certification before the Ethiopian Airlines crash, The Wall Street Journal reported. The inspector general wants to know whether the Federal Aviation Administration took appropriate steps in approving the 737 Maxs anti-stall system, the newspaper said. The FAA declined to comment on the report, referring questions to Boeing. A spokesman for the company told dpa it does not comment on legal matters, litigation, or governmental inquiries, adding, we do not comment even as to whether such matters exist. An earlier FAA statement said its aircraft certification processes are well established and have consistently produced safe aircraft designs. The 737-Max certification program followed the FAAs standard certification process, the FAA said. Questions have arisen over whether pilots worldwide were informed about the system and how to react when it was automatically activated. The aircraft system includes software designed to prevent the aircraft stalling on takeoff. The Journal also reported Sunday that a grand jury in Washington issued a subpoena the day after the crash in Ethiopia to at least one engineer involved in the development process of the jets. A spokesman for the Department of Justice declined dpas request for confirmation. As a general matter, the department will neither confirm nor deny the existence of any ongoing investigation, a department spokesman said. Boeing said Sunday in a statement it is in the process of finalizing the update. The statement also quoted Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg as saying the company continues to support the Ethiopian investigation. As part of our standard practice following any accident, we examine our aircraft design and operation, and when appropriate, institute product updates to further improve safety, Muilenburg said. 2019 Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH (Hamburg, Germany) Visit Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH (Hamburg, Germany) at www.dpa.de/English.82.0.html Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A set of stairs may have never caused so much trouble in an aircraft. First introduced in West Germany as a short-hop commuter jet in the early Cold War, the Boeing 737-100 had folding metal stairs attached to the fuselage that passengers climbed to board before airports had jetways. Ground crews hand-lifted heavy luggage into the cargo holds in those days, long before motorized belt loaders were widely available. That low-to-the-ground design was a plus in 1968, but it has proved to be a constraint that engineers modernizing the 737 have had to work around ever since. The compromises required to push forward a more fuel-efficient version of the plane with larger engines and altered aerodynamics led to the complex flight control software system that is now under investigation in two fatal crashes over the last five months. Boeings problems deepened Thursday, when the company announced it was stopping delivery of the aircraft after the Federal Aviation Administrations decision Wednesday to ground the aircraft. Advertisement We continue to build 737 Max airplanes, while assessing how the situation, including potential capacity constraints, will impact our production system, the Chicago company said in a statement. The crisis comes after 50 years of remarkable success in making the 737 a profitable workhorse. Today, the aerospace giant has a massive backlog of more than 4,700 orders for the jetliner and its sales account for nearly a third of Boeings profit. But the decision to continue modernizing the jet, rather than starting at some point with a clean design, resulted in engineering challenges that created unforeseen risks. (Lorena Elebee / Los Angeles Times) 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. Few, if any, complex products designed in the 1960s are still manufactured today. The IBM 360 mainframe computer was put out to pasture decades ago. The Apollo spacecraft is revered history. The Buick Electra 225 is long gone. And Western Electric dial telephones are seen only in classic movies. Todays 737 is a substantially different system from the original. Boeing strengthened its wings, developed new assembly technologies and put in modern cockpit electronics. The changes allowed the 737 to outlive both the Boeing 757 and 767, which were developed decades later and then retired. Over the years, the FAA has implemented new and tougher design requirements, but a derivative gets many of the designs grandfathered in, Moss said. It is cheaper and easier to do a derivative than a new aircraft, said Robert Ditchey, an engineer, aviation safety consultant and founder of America West Airlines, which purchased some of the early 737 models. It is easier to certificate it. But some aspects of the legacy 737 design are vintage headaches, such as the ground clearance designed to allow a staircase thats now obsolete. They wanted it close to the ground for boarding, Ditchey said. Andrew Skow, founder of Tiger Century Aircraft, which develops cockpit safety systems, and a former Northrop Grumman chief engineer, said Boeing has had a good record modernizing the 737. But he said, They may have pushed it too far. To handle a longer fuselage and more passengers, Boeing added larger, more powerful engines, but that required it to reposition them to maintain ground clearance. As a result, the 737 can pitch up under certain circumstances. Software, known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, was added to counteract that tendency. It was that software that is believed to have been involved in a Lion Air crash in Indonesia in October. The software erroneously thought the aircraft was at risk of losing lift and stalling because of a malfunctioning sensor and ordered the stabilizer at the rear to put it into a series of sharp dives that ultimately caused the plane to crash into the Java Sea. What happened on the Ethiopian Airlines flight is less clear, but tracking data show that it also encountered sharp changes in its vertical velocity and at one point in its climb after takeoff lost 400 feet of altitude. The FAA grounded the jetliner Wednesday, saying that new satellite data showed the Ethiopian Airlines flight dynamics were very close to those of the Lion Air jet. Ethiopia sent black box recording devices recovered from the crashed jet to France for analysis, after refusing to hand them over to U.S. authorities. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board still plans to send investigators to France to help its Bureau of Inquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety. Forensics experts comb through the dirt for debris at the crash site of the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max aircraft. (Tony Karumba / AFP / Getty Images) Airline crashes seldom are caused by a single factor, and the two 737 accidents may yet involve poor maintenance, pilot errors and inadequate training. But it appears increasingly likely that Boeings software system and the companys lack of recommendations for pilot training on it may have played an important role in the crashes. The entire need for the software system is fundamental to the jets history. The bottom of the 737s engines are a minimum of 17 inches above the runway. By comparison, the Boeing 757 has a minimum clearance of 29 inches, according to Boeing specification books. The newer 787 Dreamliner has 28 inches or 29 inches, depending on the engine. The 737 originally was equipped with the Pratt & Whitney JT-8 series jets, which had an inner fan diameter of 49.2 inches. They looked like cigars, long and skinny, Moss said. By comparison, the LEAP-1b engines on the Max 8 have a diameter of 69 inches, nearly 20 inches more than the original. There wouldnt be enough clearance without some kind of modification. In the 737-300, which came after the original planes sold in West Germany, Boeing came up with an unusual fix: It created a flat bottom on the nacelle (the shroud around the fan), creating what pilots came to call the hamster pouch. They made it work, said Ditchey, whose America West was one of the original customers of the 737-300. But the LEAP engines required an even bigger change. Boeing redesigned the pylons, the structure that holds the engine to the wing, extending them farther forward and higher up. It gave the needed 17 inches of clearance. The company also put in a higher nose landing gear. The change, however, affected the planes aerodynamics. Boeing discovered the new position of the engines increased the lift of the aircraft, creating a tendency for the nose to pitch up. The solution was MCAS, which ordered the stabilizer to push down the nose if the angle of attack or angle that air flows over the wings got too high. The MCAS depends on data from two sensors. But on the Lion Air flight, the MCAS relied on a sensor that was erroneously reporting a high angle of attack when the plane was nowhere near a stall. The pilots tried to counteract the nose-down movements by pulling back on the yoke. But even pulling with all their might they could not counteract the forces, according to data in a preliminary accident investigation report. Skow criticized Boeings MCAS system, saying it acted only on the basis of angle of attack. The Lion Air jet was traveling so fast that when MCAS ordered the stabilizer to pitch the nose down it was a violent reaction. The software should have factored in air speed, he said, which would have better calibrated the pilots reaction. Skows firm has developed a cockpit display system, known as Q-Alfa, which he says would have identified the failure of the angle of attack sensor and allowed the crew to abort the takeoff. We believe we could have prevented the accident, he said. If the results of the investigation do not undermine the fundamental design of the aircraft, then the 737 Maxs future may not be in peril, aviation experts said. It may turn out all thats needed is a software fix or additional pilot training. The 737 has survived other crises. In a 1988 accident on a flight between Honolulu and Hilo, the entire top of the plane came off in an explosive decompression. A flight attendant was sucked out and 65 passengers and crew were injured. It was blamed on faulty lap joints in the aluminum skin of the fuselage, which Boeing reengineered. The 737 is the most successful commercial jet ever produced, said John Cox, an air safety expert and veteran pilot, adding that commonality among its models helps airlines with pilot training. It is nearing the end of its production life. The technology will eventually drive Boeing to a replacement. ralph.vartabedian@latimes.com Twitter @rvartabedian Dennis Muilenburg, Boeings chief executive officer, took home just over $30 million last year, a $6 million increase from the year before, according to a filing late Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as the companys business soared after another banner year. With revenues at a record high in 2018, breaking the $100 billion mark for the first time, Boeings heavily incentivized compensation model was a boon for the 55-year-old executive, whose base salary is $1.7 million. The company noted in the filing that Muilenburgs annual compensation of $23.4 million was 184 times higher than the median salary of companys employees. (His total compensation included stock options from prior years that were paid out.) Now, after two harrowing crashes that killed a total of 246 people, Muilenburg faces one of the toughest tests of his 34-year career at the Chicago-based behemoth. Last week, Boeings stock dropped after one of its 737 Max 8 airplanes crashed in Ethiopia, the second time in five months one of the planes was involved in a deadly crash. In October, one of the planes went down in Indonesia, killing everyone on board. Muilenburgs compensation was first reported by the Seattle Times. Advertisement Countries around the world have grounded the aircraft, a major source of revenue for the company, which has more than 150,000 employees. Boeing has said that it has stopped delivering the 737s while it works on updating its flight-control system. Jeffries analyst Shelia Kahyaoglu said in a note that a two-month halt in deliveries could cost the company $5.1 billion this year. Meanwhile, Congress has vowed to investigate the cause of the crashes. And families of at least two dozen crash victims are suing the company. Fighting to stem the fallout from the crashes, Muilenburg called President Donald Trump Tuesday, vowing that the planes were safe and that there was no reason to ground them. Eventually, the Federal Aviation decided to do so anyway. The safety of the American people, and all our people, is our paramount concern, Trump said in explaining his decision. Still, analysts have said the crisis is unlikely to have a long-term effect on the companys finances. Despite the crash in October last year, the company finished 2018 with record revenue that beat its goal, profit of $10 billion and a healthy order book for future growth. In 2017, Boeings stock climbed nearly 90 percent, and for the first two months this year, it was up nearly 35 percent. In the SEC filing, Boeings compensation model for its executives is designed to drive near-term program execution, operational excellence and sustainable growth. By those measures, Boeings CEO had a banner year, the filing said. Mr. Muilenburgs leadership in successfully executing Boeings business strategies in 2018, as evidenced by record operating cash flow, revenue, operating earnings and commercial airplane deliveries, it said. The Washington Posts Thomas Heath contributed. This story was first published by The Washington Post. Follow @ChiTribBusiness on Facebook and @ChiTribBiz on Twitter. The bad news for Boeing has dripped out in a constant stream, day by day. There were revelations that it may not have done enough to train pilots about a new system in its 737 Max airplane line before the jets were involved in crashes last year in Indonesia, and then again this month in Ethiopia, killing everyone on board both flights, a total of 346 people. Then NASAs administrator said the agency is considering sidelining the massive rocket Boeing is helping build because of how far behind schedule it is. And now, the agency is about to announce another major delay in a separate high-profile program the spacecraft Boeing is building to fly astronauts to the International Space Station. The latest date for the first test of the Starliner capsule was to be in April, a flight which had already been pushed back repeatedly. Now that first flight a test mission without any astronauts on board is going to be delayed to at least August, according to two officials with knowledge of the situation. Advertisement That, in turn, would push the first flight with humans on board to no earlier than November, but some said the company may be forced to push the flight into 2020 if they discover more problems with the spacecraft. Reuters first reported Starliners new schedule. The delays put pressure additional pressure on Boeing to deliver in part because its main competitor, SpaceX, which is also under contract to fly NASAs astronauts to the station, had its first test flight earlier this month. And it appeared to go flawlessly. There is also pressure to get astronauts flying on the companies spacecraft because NASA has been forced to pay Russia for rides to the space station since NASAs Space Shuttle was retired in 2011. Both SpaceX and Boeing have had delays, forcing NASA to look at the possibility of buying more seats from Russia at a cost of more than $80 million each. The version of the Starliner that flies without people will be as similar as possible as the spacecraft that eventually does have humans on board, officials said. So Boeing hopes there wont be a lot of work left in between the two flights, allowing it to fly its crewed mission this year. SpaceXs Dragon capsule has a number of issues to work through between flights, officials said, so the time in between flights could be greater, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has said. I think theres going to be less time between the uncrewed vehicle for Boeing and crewed vehicle for Boeing and longer time between (flights for) SpaceX, he recently told CNBC. Which means whoever gets to fly that first crew we dont know right now. But I will tell you Im highly confident it will be before the end of 2019. NASA is also expected to announce soon that when Boeing does finally fly a three-member crew to the station in its first test flight with humans on board, the astronauts will stay for up to almost seven months in what NASA is calling a long-duration mission. Previously, the astronauts on the crewed test flight were only supposed to stay on the station for about two weeks. NASA awarded Boeing a $4.2 billion contract in 2014 to build Starliner. But it has run into numerous problems. Last year, during a test of its emergency abort system, officials discovered a propellant leak that has required it to redesign valves in the system. The Government Accountability Office also found an issue with the abort system that could possibly cause it to tumble, which could pose a threat to the crews safety. Boeing has said it has identified the solutions with those problems and is well on its way to having them fixed. Part of the reason the company is pushing the launch date back is because there is a sensitive national security launch, scheduled for June, that will occupy the launch pad and related facilities for weeks, officials said, forcing Boeing to push into August. The news of the Starliner delay comes as Bridenstine said the agency was looking at sidelining the Space Launch System rocket that Boeing is helping build in an effort to speed up a mission to send a spacecraft in orbit around the moon. SLS, as the rocket is known, has also faced repeated delays, and a government watchdog recently took aim at Boeing, the prime contractor on the project, saying it has already spent $5.3 billion and is expected to burning through the remaining funds by early this year, three years ahead of schedule and without delivering a single rocket stage. This story was first published by The Washington Post. Follow @ChiTribBusiness on Facebook and @ChiTribBiz on Twitter. Fewer Illinois residents signed up for health insurance through the Obamacare exchange this year as questions continued to swirl about whether the law would continue to stand. About 312,280 Illinois residents selected health plans through the exchange for this year, according to data released by the federal government Monday afternoon. Thats down from about 334,979 last year a decline of nearly 7 percent. Nationally, enrollment fell by about 3 percent, to 11.4 million. Illinois residents signed up for coverage even as the Trump administration made a number of changes, and court challenges to the law persisted. The Trump administration, for example, now says it supports a Texas judges ruling that Obamacare is unconstitutional a significant hardening of the administrations position against the law. House Democrats, meanwhile, say they have a plan to improve and strengthen the health care law. Heres what you need to know about sign-ups in Illinois and the status of Obamacare. Advertisement 1. Why did fewer people in Illinois sign up? The number of Illinois residents signing up for exchange plans has been dropping since 2017 the same year that President Donald Trump took office, pledging to undo the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Most people in Illinois get health insurance through their employers or government programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, but others buy plans through the exchange at Healthcare.gov. This years decline was likely because of lower demand for exchange plans, thanks to a strong economy in which more people have access to insurance through their employers, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said in a news release. Others, however, have said uncertainty surrounding the law in recent years has most likely deterred some consumers from purchasing exchange plans. They also say changes to the requirements surrounding the law may have contributed to the decline in enrollment. Its possible the drop in enrollment is result of continued action by Trump administration to undermine the Affordable Care Act, said Kathy Waligora, interim executive director at EverThrive Illinois, referring to a number of changes the administration has made to requirements surrounding the law. Still others blame high prices for driving Illinois residents away from the exchange. 2. Has the cost changed? Prices remained relatively steady in Illinois this year for plans purchased through the exchange, according to federal data. In Illinois, average monthly premiums are about $646 this year, compared with $644 last year though most people get tax credits to offset those costs. Nearly 84 percent of Illinois residents who have exchange plans this year also get the tax credits, bringing their average monthly premiums down to $140, compared with $135 last year. Illinois largest health insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, dropped its average rates for many plans slightly this year. The drops, however, followed years of double-digit increases, which may still be keeping some people from buying exchange plans, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This small decline in premiums in 2019 moves in the right direction, but, for unsubsidized people, premiums remain considerably higher than before the (Affordable Care Acts) main requirements were implemented in 2014, the agency said in a news release. 3. What changes has the Trump administration made? Since Trump took office, the administration has made a number of changes to requirements surrounding the law. The administration has said the changes are intended to give consumers more options, but proponents of Obamacare say they could lead to fewer people with health insurance. Trump made changes after Congress was unable to fully repeal the law. For one, starting this year, individuals will no longer have to pay penalties for going without health insurance. They also have new options for buying coverage outside the exchange, such as short-term plans that can be used for longer periods of time than in the past. Short-term plans are generally cheaper than exchange plans but may not offer as much coverage. Also, the federal government has dramatically cut funding meant to help enroll people in exchange plans. Illinois got 78 percent less federal money last year to hire workers to help enroll people in exchange plans. 4. Where does the law now stand? Despite all the changes and uncertainty, Obamacare remains in place. Over the years, it has faced a number of court challenges, and the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld its provisions several times. Its still being challenged in court, however. A federal judge in Texas ruled in December that the law should be invalidated. That case is now in appeals court, and on Monday the federal government filed a notice saying it now supports the original ruling to scrap the law entirely a significant change from last June when the administration said some parts of the law could still stand. Illinois is one of a number of states defending the Affordable Care Act as part of the case. 5. What would happen if the law were struck down? The appeals court must still make a ruling, and if that ruling were against the health care law, it would most likely be stayed until an appeal is concluded, said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at Georgetown Universitys Center on Health Insurance Reforms. The ruling would most likely go to the U.S. Supreme Court, so a final decision may be some time away. Its hard to imagine, certainly, anything happening this year, Corlette said, of the law being invalidated. But if the law were eventually struck down in its entirety, it could affect millions of people in Illinois. Also, the law doesnt just govern exchange plans and the 312,280 people in Illinois with them. States also expanded Medicaid a health insurance program for the poor to more people under the law. More than 590,000 additional adults in Illinois had Medicaid coverage as of October because of that expansion, according to the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. The law also affects people with coverage through their employers. The law allows young adults to stay on their parents health insurance plans until the age of 26. It also bars insurers from imposing lifetime and annual coverage caps and from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. Proponents of erasing the law say doing so could lead to more options at better prices for consumers, while opponents worry that fewer people will be able to get comprehensive insurance and will suffer more financially if theyre sick. lschencker@chicagotribune.com Twitter @lschencker The tables were set and the candles lit. Bouquets of babys breath were arranged on black tablecloths, and menus rested atop each plate. Table for Twenty was hosting its first event of the year. Wearing cocktail party attire, diners who paid $115 for a ticket sipped drinks and enjoyed a five-course meal. But this wasnt your typical private dinner club event. At every place setting, a joint was placed neatly next to the silverware and the food and drink was infused with cannabis. Marijuana is coming out of the shadows, as more states look to legalize the drug for recreational use and the stigma eases. Perhaps nowhere is that more evident than in food, as weed matures from its college-dorm-pot-brownie reputation into a respected ingredient in fine dining. Exclusive, cannabis-infused supper clubs like Chicago-based Table for Twenty are popping up around the country. Advertisement In Illinois, recreational marijuana is illegal, but Gov. J.B. Pritzker supports legalizing weed, and lawmakers are drafting a bill that would do just that. The legalization of marijuana is expected to unleash massive growth in Illinois, generating sales of $224 million by 2022. Entrepreneurs are looking for ways to get into the burgeoning industry early, even if it means occasionally skirting the law until weed is legal. For me, the thing is getting it together now so we can get our name out there first, said Anicia Peden, Table for Twentys chef, as she stood over the stove, frying plantains on one burner and heating up a pound of cannabis butter on another. Owner Stacie Thompsons goals are to establish Table for Twenty as a luxury brand and, as a black woman, to bring some diversity to the industry. I truly, truly believe black people deserve a seat at the cannabis table, she told attendees at the mid-February dinner. And I am ready to take my place. Chef Anicia Peden drizzles cannabis oil over sweet potato chowder at a members-only dinner hosted by A Table For Twenty. (Kristan Lieb/for the Chicago Tribune) Customers of Table for Twenty can choose to have their food infused only with CBD, a legal cannabis compound that relaxes users but does not get them high. But the food at this dinner was infused with THC, the marijuana compound that does get users stoned. The joint was an extra touch. Back in the kitchen, a container of marijuana sat next to a roll of paper towels and brown sugar. Peden also works in catering, but for more than a year she has been laying the foundation for a career in the marijuana industry, teaching herself to infuse cannabis extracts into foods. People want more than weed brownies, and theyre curious about what other foods can be infused with cannabis, Peden said. She sees a business opportunity in that curiosity. Chef Anicia Peden prepares a dinner infused with cannabis for guests at a dinner hosted by A Table For Twenty. (Kristan Lieb/for the Chicago Tribune) A cloud of smoke hung over the Logan Square room as guests talked and ate the dinner Peden prepared. Thompson used a microphone as each course was served to explain what the guests were eating and how it had been infused. Ingesting marijuana is a different experience than smoking it. The plant must be heated to activate its chemical compounds, called cannabinoids, Peden said. Those compounds then must cling to a fat, such as butter, and the body processes it differently. Everyones tolerance is different, Peden said. Peden went light on the infusions, adding a drizzle of cannabis butter here, a splash there. Thompson told diners Peden used Tangerine Kush, a strain of marijuana often used for relaxation. The menu for the dinner was African-themed to honor Black History month. Guests ate Cajun sweet potato chowder, garnished with charred corn and drizzled with cannabis butter. To cleanse the palate between courses, servers brought mango drinks sweetened with marijuana-infused simple syrup. The main course: blackened chicken, topped with microgreens, roasted root vegetables and cannabis butter. A Table For Twenty co-founders Akeea Barker and Stacie Thompson talk between courses at a dinner party they hosted at a private home in Logan Square. (Kristan Lieb/for the Chicago Tribune) As laws around the country become more marijuana-friendly, chefs will increasingly incorporate cannabis in their cooking, said Joline Rivera, founder of Chicago-based Kitchen Toke, a magazine and an app that teach readers how to cook with cannabis. From a chefs perspective, they look at this like anything else. Its an ingredient, she said. Another supper club, Herbal Notes, has been hosting dinners in Chicago with marijuana-infused dishes for more than a year, said chef and founder Manny Mendoza. The multicourse meals typically cost $125, and are open to anyone over the age of 21. We understood what the (legal) risk was associated with that, but we took it anyway because we want to be pioneers, Mendoza said. Its not like theres some kind of criminal enterprise going on here, he said. Its a dinner party. The 26-year-old Pilsen native attended the Culinary Institute of America and launched Herbal Notes as a supper club in San Diego. He moved back to Chicago in 2017, a year after Illinois decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Herbal Notes has served more than 1,200 people in Chicago, he said. Eventually, he wants to partner with growers and other large cannabis companies. Mendoza asks attendees to fill out a questionnaire before the dinners so he can make adjustments based on each individuals tolerance. Some courses come with marijuana-infused sauces, so diners can decide for themselves how strong to make their dishes. Were encapsulating something a lot larger than just, Come get high at this dinner party, he said. Were trying to characterize this as something that is more inherently human than something thats more inherently criminal. This story has been updated. amarotti@chicagotribune.com Twitter @AllyMarotti The former head of a federal traffic safety agency on Thursday accused the auto industry of dragging out the implementation of a technology that could keep thousands of drunk drivers off the road. Joan Claybrook, a former administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, urged Congress to pass a law that would require automakers to include passive ignition-interlock systems in all new motor vehicles within as little as three years. She said the notion of using technology to effectively immobilize drunk drivers has been around at least since 2006 and has been in use for several years now. The systems should be incorporated into all new vehicles, along with seat belts, rearview cameras and other lifesaving devices, she said. I dont know whats the matter with the industry on this issue, Claybrook said during testimony Thursday before the House consumer protection and commerce subcommittee. Ignition interlocks are devices that use breathalyzerlike technology to prevent a vehicle from starting if a driver has been drinking a certain amount of alcohol. Thirty-two states now require that the devices be installed in a first-time offenders vehicle. Claybrook, who was testifying on behalf of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, said adding the ignition interlock devices to all new vehicles could save 7,000 lives a year by preventing drunk drivers from starting their vehicles. Advertisement The federal government has spent millions since 2008 on a public-private initiative with the automotive industry to develop such technology, known as Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety, and its still not clear when it will appear in the marketplace. Where is this system? Claybrook asked. It didnt take that long to produce air bags. Air bags are a lot more complicated than this ... and they cost a lot more. But Robert Strassburger, who heads a coalition of automakers working with the federal government to develop such technology, said one form of the passive interlock technology could be available for use by large commercial fleets next year. Claybrook was not the only safety advocate to express impatience with the progress on DADSS. The goal of the initiative a joint undertaking of NHTSA and 17 automakers in the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety is to create interlock devices that would use breath or a touch of the finger to determine whether a person has a blood alcohol level that would make it dangerous to drive. Their testimony coincides with an overall rise in U.S. traffic deaths, particularly among pedestrians and other vulnerable users, and a stubborn lack of progress in further reducing deaths caused by drunken driving. Yet evidence shows that installing ignition interlock devices in the vehicles of people convicted of drunken driving has had a significant, beneficial impact on traffic safety. West Virginia, for example, found that recidivism among drunk drivers fell by 77 percent after the state began requiring first-time offenders to put the devices in their vehicles. A study by University of Michigan researchers estimated that installing interlocks in every new vehicle sold in the United States could cut drunken-driving fatalities by 85 percent over 15 years. David Kelly, executive director of the Coalition of Ignition Interlock Manufacturers, told the panel that the devices have stopped more than 2.7 million attempts at driving by people who were impaired or intoxicated. Helen Witty, president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said the federal government could move things along by requiring that the technology be installed in its fleet of vehicles. That happened with air bags, and it helped expedite their delivery to the market, she said. Our goal is to get this technology into vehicles for consumers to purchase as soon as possible, she said. Witty also urged lawmakers not to be distracted by the need to address drugged driving too. While thats a concern for MADD, particularly as more states legalize marijuana use, she said technology that might stop a marijuana user from driving is nowhere on the horizon because of difficulties determining levels of impairment. But its established science and law to bar people from driving if their blood alcohol levels are above 0.08 percent, and machines have been able to detect those readings for years. Strassburger, who is president and chief executive of the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety, said engineers are still working to ensure that the devices are accurate, quick and unobtrusive. He suggested that a safety system that hassled sober drivers who had not been drinking might trigger the sort of pushback that seat-belt buzzers created years ago and might make it harder for the technology to catch on. This story was first published by The Washington Post. Follow @ChiTribBusiness on Facebook and @ChiTribBiz on Twitter. 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 Chicago-based 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 their 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, Pa., are part of a chain of 10 Tiffin eateries in the region. Advertisement 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, first reported by Philadelphia Magazine, 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. 2019 Philly.com Visit Philly.com at www.philly.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Follow @ChiTribBusiness on Facebook and @ChiTribBiz on Twitter. Gollum or Smeagol, who will have the upper hand in the upcoming stealth-action adventure? Coming to PC and consoles in 2022 Junior Mints may be chocolate, peppermint and delicious, but allegations their boxes are deceptively large do not constitute consumer fraud, a Chicago federal judge ruled this week. A lawsuit brought by an Illinois woman last year against Tootsie Roll Industries, the Chicago-based makers of Junior Mints, was dismissed on the grounds that there were no actual damages in buying a box that was more air than candy so-called slack fill packaging. That she expected to receive something more than what she got, in and of itself, does not constitute actual damages, U.S. District Judge John Lee said in the order, issued Tuesday. Paige Stemm, of downstate Belleville, filed the lawsuit in March 2018 after buying a box of Junior Mints at a Walgreens for $1. The lawsuit sought class-action status for what it claimed was Tootsie Rolls misleading, deceptive and unlawful conduct in packaging its Junior Mints, which take up only slightly more than half of their familiar cardboard box. Advertisement While the Junior Mint box has the weight on the front, the ruling this week did not preclude that the size of the box may mislead a reasonable consumer. But Stemm did not allege she would have paid less if she knew the box contained so much air. Stemm has 15 days to file an amended complaint or the case will be terminated. Benjamin Haskin, a Chicago attorney representing Tootsie Roll, declined to comment on the lawsuit Thursday. An attorney representing Stemm did not respond to a request for comment. The Junior Mints lawsuit is part of a growing trend of cases brought against food manufacturers for allegedly deceptive and unnecessary empty space in packaging. Governed by federal regulation, slack fill is the difference between the actual capacity of a container and the volume of product contained therein. In August, a New York federal judge dismissed a similar slack fill lawsuit against Tootsie Roll and Junior Mints, ruling that a reasonable consumer would expect some empty space in the box. Junior Mints have been a candy staple since they were launched in 1949. The brand was acquired by Tootsie Roll in 1993, the same year it was immortalized in the Seinfeld episode The Junior Mint, in which one of the candies inadvertently falls from a hospital observation gallery into the open abdomen of a patient on the operating table. Whos going to turn down a Junior Mint? Kramer asks after the incident. rchannick@chicagotribune.com Twitter @RobertChannick The maker of Dum-Dums lollipops won a round in its battle with the company that makes Charms Mini Pops after forcing Chicago-based Tootsie Roll Industries to abandon confusingly similar packaging for its rival lollipops. Spangler Candy, a private, century-old Ohio confectioner that owns the Dum-Dums brand, filed a trademark infringement lawsuit last year against Tootsie Roll, alleging its redesigned 300-count Charms Mini Pops bags were meant to confuse lollipop customers. On Wednesday, an Ohio federal judge issued a temporary injunction ordering Tootsie Roll to repackage its lollipops while the trademark lawsuit proceeds. Dum-Dums v Charms is centered around red bags with the names emblazoned in cartoonish white letters across the top, a clear panel in the middle displaying the colorful lollipops inside and a yellow oval with the 300 product count in blue letters at the bottom. Advertisement Adding to the confusion, the lollipops are also displayed in similar yellow pallets at retailers such as Costco and Sams Club, according to Spanglers lawsuit. Our claim against Tootsie followed the release of new Charms Mini Pops packaging that mirrored Dum-Dums packaging in nearly every way except the name of the product, Kirk Vashaw, Spanglers chairman and CEO, said in a news release. Spangler developed its current Dum-Dums packaging in 2011, while Tootsie rolled out the new Charms bags in 2017. When Spangler learned of the similar packaging in March 2018, it immediately saw red, leading to the trademark lawsuit. John Strand, a Boston-based attorney representing Tootsie Roll in the lawsuit, declined to comment Thursday. Efforts to reach Tootsie Roll CEO Ellen Gordon on Friday were unsuccessful. While the lollipops and packaging are similar, the century-old candy companies are less so. Tootsie Roll is a publicly traded candy company with a $2.3 billion market capitalization and annual sales of $515 million last year, according to financial filings. In addition to Charms Mini Pops and its namesake Tootsie Rolls, other products include Junior Mints, Razzles and Dots. Founded in 1906, Spangler Candy is a family-owned company located in Bryan, Ohio, a small town in the northwest part of the state. It makes lollipops, candy canes and marshmallow Circus Peanuts, among other products. Spangler acquired the Dum-Dums brand in 1953, and it remains a major part of its portfolio, making 12 million Dum-Dums each day. In the lollipop market especially the mini-lollipops Dum-Dums is kind of the dominant player, David Wicklund, a Toledo-based attorney representing Spangler in the trademark infringement lawsuit, said Friday. Tootsie Roll packaged Charms Mini Pops in yellow bags until 2017. In court filings, the company said it invested $1 million in the redesign. The company claimed it would not only have to invest more money in a redesign, but also damage its image as a whole by changing so soon after introducing the disputed packaging. In granting the temporary injunction, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Helmick said any hardship experienced by Tootsie Roll was outweighed by potential damage to Spanglers Dum-Dums brand. I conclude the circumstantial evidence suggests Tootsie emulated the Dum-Dums trade dress with the intent of diverting business from Dum-Dums through the similar design, Helmick wrote in his decision. The ruling is expected to go into effect next week, after Spangler posts a bond to cover Tootsie Roll Industries costs in the event Tootsie Roll prevails. Some details of the temporary injunction such as whether the existing products will need to be pulled from store shelves still need to be worked out as well. The trademark case is ongoing. In addition to getting Tootsie to change the packaging, Spangler will be seeking undisclosed damages, Wicklund said. rchannick@chicagotribune.com Twitter @RobertChannick As Illinois lawmakers move toward legalizing marijuana for recreational use, state Treasurer Michael Frerichs is pushing legislation to make it easier for banks to work with weed companies. Medical marijuana businesses around the country have long faced banking issues. The drug remains illegal at the federal level, and banks hesitate to establish accounts or offer loans to companies for fear that regulators could see that as drug money. Twin bills introduced in the Illinois Senate and House of Representatives would protect state-chartered banks that do business with cannabis companies. There are a lot of banks out there that want to be in this industry, they want to bank, but their board of directors have concerns, Frerichs said. Each little thing we can do, like passing state legislation, helps allay some of those concerns. Advertisement Still, Frerichs acknowledged that some banks wont be comfortable working with marijuana companies until theres a federal law protecting financial institutions that work with them. The states medical cannabis program generated sales of $136.5 million last year. If the bill lawmakers are drafting to legalize recreational marijuana passes, the industry could generate sales of $224 million by 2022. Without access to the banking system, marijuana companies might have to operate solely in cash, unable to write checks, make deposits and obtain loans. Ascend Illinois, which operates dispensaries in Springfield and Collinsville and a cultivation facility in Barry, went six weeks without a bank last year. During that time, the company was unable to pay vendors and in order to pay employees, the company spent two days driving cash and money orders around the state, said CEO Chris Stone. Ascend Illinois now works with a state-chartered bank, though Stone declined to name the financial institution. If you add recreational onto the deal, youre talking about expanding this industry substantially, he said. Youre still going to be taking in cash, and if you dont have a bank to deal with that, oh boy, I just could see all the horrors and challenges. Its unclear how much of a difference a state law would make. The federal law would need to change before Catlin Bank in Catlin, Ill., considered working with marijuana companies, said President Jeff Fauver. Though the bank is state chartered, it still must answer to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, he said. Its against federal law, and until state and federal law coincides, I think this debate will continue, he said. Last year, President Donald Trumps administration reversed an Obama-era policy that discouraged federal prosecution of companies operating in states that had legalized medical marijuana. Bank of Springfield the main bank serving Illinois medical marijuana companies at the time pulled out of the industry. The Democratic sponsors of the Illinois bill, state Sen. Toi Hutchinson of Olympia Fields and state Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth of Peoria, said just as states have led the way in legalizing marijuana, states must take the lead to encourage banking in the industry, until federal laws change. We need to make sure marijuana businesses have a way to make deposits so their money is safe, Gordon-Booth said. The bill would prevent the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation from going after banks for doing business with the marijuana industry. To date, the state has not taken such action but the law would assure that it would not do so even if there was a change in circumstances or a new administration, the sponsors said. The sponsors were unaware of any robberies or thefts of marijuana businesses, but said companies are targets for crime because they handle so much cash. The cash business also provides opportunities for cheating on taxes that routine banking would address, Hutchinson said. Separately, Frerichs also seeks to create a program to deposit state funds into banks that could be used for loans for marijuana businesses. It would be similar to a program that has provided more than $1 billion in reduced-interest loans to Illinois farmers since 1983. This is not a question of if, but when, he said. We have medical cannabis in Illinois. I think that recreational is most likely coming. amarotti@chicagotribune.com rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com Twitter @AllyMarotti Twitter @RobertMcCoppin MillerCoors sued Anheuser-Busch, maker of Bud Light, over the advertising campaign it launched during last months Super Bowl, taking the so-called Corn Syrup War to court. The Chicago-based beer-maker alleges the commercials deceive consumers over MillerCoors use of corn syrup in the brewing process. While Miller Lite and Coors Light use corn syrup as a fermentation aid, the corn syrup is not present in the beer once brewing is finished, MillerCoors says. The lawsuit further alleges that Anheuser-Busch knew consumers try not to ingest high-fructose corn syrup and would confuse the sweetener with corn syrup. Bud Light fired the first salvo in the Corn Syrup War last month with an ad depicting a mythical king on a quest to return the corn syrup mistakenly delivered to his castle to Miller Lites and Coors Lights castles. Advertisement MillerCoors seeks to set the record straight with the lawsuit, according to the complaint, filed Thursday in Wisconsin federal court. The company uses corn syrup only to feed the yeast in the fermentation process for Coors Light and Miller Lite, and does not use high-fructose corn syrup at any point, the lawsuit says. The lawsuit accuses Anheuser-Busch of false advertising by suggesting otherwise, and of diluting the Coors Lite and Miller Lite trademarks. Anheuser-Busch is fearmongering over a common beer ingredient it uses in many of its own beers, as a fermentation aid that is not even present in the final product, said Marty Maloney, manager of media relations at MillerCoors, in a statement. This deliberate deception is bad for the entire beer category. We are showing the world the truth. Anheuser-Busch maintains that the Bud Light campaign is truthful. Gemma Hart, vice president of communications, said in a statement said that the ads are meant to point out a key difference from Miller Lite and Coors Light. MillerCoors lawsuit is baseless and will not deter Bud Light from providing consumers with the transparency they demand, the statement said. We stand behind the Bud Light transparency campaign and have no plans to change the advertising. This not the first time MillerCoors has demonstrated its distaste with the ads. Weeks after Bud Light first aired its corn syrup ads, MillerCoors pulled out of a beer industry advertising collaboration with Anheuser-Busch. Additionally, MillerCoors is planning to strike back with two ads set to air during March Madness broadcasts. They will show a mock look at the costumed knights and crew behind the scenes of the Bud Light Super Bowl ads cracking open cans of Miller Lite. amarotti@chicagotribune.com Twitter @AllyMarotti Chicago will have nonstop flights to Israel for the first time in two decades next year, city officials announced Tuesday. El Al Israel Airlines will fly between Chicago and Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv three times per week starting in March 2020, with flights departing OHare International Airport on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, city and airline officials said in a news release. El Al plans to use a 235-seat Boeing 787 for the flights. The airline last flew to Chicago in 2007. But for several years, those flights had required a stop in another city en route to Israel, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. The City of Chicago is one of the most important academic, cultural, industrial and business centers in the United States and is an especially attractive destination for tourism and business, said Michael Strassburger, El Als vice president for commercial and industry affairs, in a statement. Advertisement In flying directly to Chicago, El Al will gain more direct access to a market with nearly 300,000 Jewish residents and 25 companies with operations in Israel, city officials said in a statement. The new route is expected to bring $70 million in annual economic impact to the Chicago area, the statement said. The new flight is proof that our investments in OHare are paying off, as more people throughout the world want to travel to Chicago than ever before, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in the statement. From the Midwest to the Middle East, OHare is making whats already the best-connected city in the nation more accessible for travelers throughout the world. American Airlines ended daily nonstop flights between Chicago and Shanghai and reduced the number of flights between Chicago and Tokyo each week late last year. But the city has also been picking up new destinations, including Athens, Barcelona and Lisbon. The Tel Aviv route is the eighth new international destination for Chicago this year, according to the city. El Al did not provide details on airfares but said tickets will go on sale Mar. 27. lzumbach@chicagotribune.com Twitter @laurenzumbach Its one part of shopping that both retailers and their customers loathe: the checkout line. Even customers who like to shop just want to get out the door. And its not lost on retailers that a good portion of their labor costs go to workers who perform mind-numbing, robotic tasks. In response, a growing number of stores are trying to speed the checkout line along, or do away with it altogether. That doesnt mean shoppers are ready to step away from the 10 items or less checkout line just yet, though. Heres 10 things to know (not 11, mind you) about the technology. 1. Amazons on the leading edge. In the most extreme form, Amazon is rolling out a fleet of cashierless convenience stores across the country. No cash, no plastic credit card required. Just an app and an account. Advertisement And last week, Meijer joined chains like Sams Club and Macys that let shoppers ring up purchases on their smartphones. To retailers, the cashierless future is not such a leap. No one thinks twice about using ATMs or pumping their own gas. Eventually, retail experts say, streamlined serve-yourself shopping could feel just as natural. But its going to be a bumpy road, said Robert Moraca, vice president for loss prevention at the National Retail Federation. Still, he added, thats where were headed. 2. Were used to self-checkout. By now, self-checkout kiosks are a staple in grocery and drugstores. But its become a bigger focus for a wider range of retailers in the past couple years, said Read Hayes, director of the Loss Prevention Research Council at the University of Florida. Customers are watching closely, too. When Chicagos first Amazon Go store opened last fall, customers eager to try what Amazon calls just walk out shopping stretched down the block. Store director Minesh Patel demonstrates the use of a smartphone app to scan items at the Meijer store in Rolling Meadows, March 19, 2019. (Antonio Perez/ Chicago Tribune) Customers scan an app on their smartphone when they arrive. Cameras and other sensors track when they grab items from shelves and the store automatically charges their account when they leave. Three more Chicago stores have since opened. 3. Retailers are experimenting. Amazon isnt the only company using technology to try to improve self-service shopping. As of last week, customers at Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Meijers 23 stores in Chicago and Northwest Indiana can use a smartphone app to scan a bar code on items as they take them from the shelves and add them to a running tab. It still requires a stop at a self-checkout kiosk, but doesnt require pulling each item from the cart and makes it easier to search for coupons, said Thomas Dant, Meijers Chicago-area market director. You go to the checkout lane, scan a code, and away you go, he said. Sams Club and Macys have similar tools. Macys also requires customers who use the mobile scanning app stop at a designated checkout counter before leaving. Sams Club does not, though all customers must let an employee check their receipt before leaving regardless of how they pay. 4. Shoppers arent sold, yet. Meijer, which also has curbside pickup and home delivery options, began testing the app at stores in Michigan last year. About 80 percent of customers who tried it used it again, Dant said. But it appeared to be off to a slow start at a store in Rolling Meadows, where self-checkout shoppers were still scanning at the kiosk the old-fashioned way one week after the tool became available in Chicago stores. Store director Minesh Patel said that many shoppers werent aware that it was available and expects it will become more popular as more customers learn about it and start to use it. The ones who have it love it, he said. 5. A little different isnt enough. Shoppers hearing about the Meijer app for the first time in Rolling Meadows werent immediately sold. It doesnt sound that much different, said Lisa Crowne, 46, of Chicago. She said she prefers traditional registers because using them feels as if shes supporting jobs, but heads to self-checkout when its lines are shorter. Even shoppers who said they prefer handling checkout themselves shrugged off the idea of ringing up items on a phone. Alan Holmes, 44, of Cary, said hed heard about similar technology at other retailers but never felt motivated to try it out. I stick with what I know, he said. Im usually only getting a couple things. I dont know it would help that much. 6. Tech wont slip up on that banana. Meijers app found bar codes on most products easily, even when the camera wasnt well-aimed. Items without a bar code require some extra effort, though no more than with standard self-checkout. Top sellers like bananas are listed prominently on machines that weigh and print labels for produce sold by the pound, but items like tamarind (a misc. vegetable) require a couple of more clicks. Customers can also search using a four-digit item code. Challenges around items that arent prepacked and need to be weighed were part of the reason Walmart Sams Clubs parent company tested the membership clubs smartphone-based checkout but chose not to roll it out. Walmart carries more of those items and the scanners added friction points that undermined the promised convenience, Sams Club said in an emailed statement. At least temporarily, theres one more friction point for Meijer shoppers scanning purchases with their phones. An employee has to spot check their work, re-scanning some items before they can pay at the checkout kiosk. Its a short-term measure while customers and employees get used to the new system, though Meijer said it will audit some purchases on an ongoing basis as a security measure. Still, it highlights the challenge for retailers that want to give customers a seamless experience without making it too easy to walk away with items they havent paid for, whether intentionally or by mistake. A customer checks out at the Meijer store in Rolling Meadows. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune) 7. Some folks will forget to scan. Stores with self-checkout tend to see higher losses than those that send all shoppers to cashiers, and letting customers use their own devices is generally seen as riskier than requiring they ring up their items at a kiosk because its harder to monitor, Hayes said. Asked how effective Amazon Go has been at keeping customers from walking out with items they havent paid for, Amazon said its technology is highly accurate. That doesnt mean it would work for other stores, said Brendan Miller, principal analyst at Forrester Research. Outfitting a chain of big box stores with a system of cameras and sensors like the one powering Amazon Go would cost too much, and bigger stores with multiple entrances and exits are harder to control, he said. 8. Its another app to deal with. Other retailers also dont want to limit their pool of customers to people who have accounts with the store, as Amazon does, said Michael Suswal, co-founder and chief operating officer of Standard Cognition. The San Francisco-based company is among a handful of startups working on systems meant to let other retailers offer something more like Amazons cashierless stores than traditional self-checkout. Its runs a test store in San Francisco, and is operating behind the scenes at another retailer that wants to test its performance before using it on real transactions, he said. Standard Cognition uses cameras to track the motion of every person that enters a store. According to Suswal, they can monitor the items shoppers pick up with fewer overhead cameras than Amazon Go and no shelf-based sensors, making it easier for a retailer to roll the system out to large numbers of stores. 9. Coping with cash could be key. Customers using Standard Cognitions app will be charged automatically. Those who dont want to use the app or want to pay with cash must use a kiosk, but wont have to scan their items, Suswal said. Clumsy as kiosks are, the ability to accept cash could become more important if laws requiring stores accept cash, already on the books in New Jersey and Philadelphia, become more common, said Neil Stern, senior partner at Chicago-based consulting firm McMillanDoolittle. 10. Techs effect on employment still uncertain. While cashierless stores have obvious appeal for retailers facing tight labor markets and higher wages, that doesnt necessarily mean they would employ fewer people. Amazon still employs people to stock shelves and help customers at Amazon Go stores, and Dant said Meijer hadnt used the scanning app to reduce the number of traditional, staffed checkout lanes. Its just one more option, without taking away anything else, he said. Retailers are more likely to shift the kind of work cashiers do, since a basic transaction at the cash register doesnt add much to most shoppers experience, Miller said. If I can seamlessly (use self-checkout) and have a higher-value engagement with someone at the deli stand or bakery, my experience is going to be better, he said. Its more emotional. lzumbach@chicagotribune.com Twitter @laurenzumbach United Airlines travelers now have choices other than male or female when they book a flight. Customers can also identify themselves as undisclosed or unspecified. Major airlines have been working on ways to accommodate passengers who dont identify as either male or female, but United says its the first U.S. airline to officially offer alternative gender options during booking. Airlines ask passengers for their gender, name and date of birth to comply with Transportation Security Administration programs, and say the details should match the photo identification travelers present at the airport. Advertisement A handful of states are beginning to issue gender-neutral identification cards, including California and Oregon. United is excited to share with our customers, whether they identify along the binary of male or female or not, that we are taking the steps to exhibit our care for them while also providing additional employee training to make us even more welcoming for all customers and employees, United Chief Customer Officer Toby Enqvist said in a statement Friday. Illinois isnt among the states that offer identification cards with a nonbinary gender option. But efforts to add a third option are in the works, said Beth Kaufman, spokeswoman for the Illinois secretary of state. The secretary of states office has been working with LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality Illinois, Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, and Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, D-Naperville, on the issue. Last month, Stava-Murray introduced a bill that would require the secretary of state to take steps ensuring that state forms and documents requiring a person to identify their gender include a non-binary option. Its important that we recognize and respect people for who they are, Cassidy said. And its an issue of safety for folks whose identity doesnt match the way they present. For many nonbinary folks, whichever one they feel forced to choose raises questions. But when it comes to drivers licenses and identification cards, adding a nonbinary gender option isnt as simple as adding a third box to tick, Cassidy said. The secretary of states office uses software that encodes a persons gender in their drivers license number. It cant currently accommodate a third option, and if the state changes the way identification numbers are generated, it would also need to make sure those changes dont affect other agencies that use those records, she said. There is a bit of a ripple effect, she said. In the meantime, passengers who select one of the nonbinary gender options when booking a flight but dont have a matching identification card should be fine as long as the name on their boarding pass matches the ID they present at airport security, TSA spokeswoman Sari Koshetz said in an email. United passengers can also choose the gender-neutral title Mx. when booking or setting up a frequent flyer account. The airline also launched employee training initiatives focused on inclusivity, covering topics including preferred pronouns and LGBT competency in the workplace, United said in the statement. lzumbach@chicagotribune.com Twitter @laurenzumbach European Union regulators have hit Google with a 1.49 billion euro $1.68 billion fine for abusing its dominant role in online advertising. Its the third time the commission has slapped Google with an antitrust penalty, following multibillion-dollar fines resulting from separate probes into two other parts of the Silicon Valley giants business. The EUs competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, announced the results of the long-running probe of Googles AdSense advertising business at a news conference in Brussels on Wednesday. Todays decision is about how Google abused its dominance to stop websites using brokers other than the AdSense platform, Vestager said. Advertisement The commission found that Google and its parent company, Alphabet, breached EU antitrust rules by imposing restrictive clauses in contracts with websites that used AdSense, preventing Google rivals from placing their ads on these sites. Google prevented its rivals from having a chance to innovate and to compete in the market on their merits, Vestager said. Advertisers and website owners, they had less choice and likely faced higher prices that would be passed on to consumers. AdSense is an older Google product that lets web publishers such as bloggers place text ads on their websites, with the content of the ads based on results from search functions on their sites. Microsoft filed an EU antitrust complaint about the service in 2009 and the EU Commission formally launched its probe in 2016, although it said at the time that Google had already made some changes to allow affected customers more freedom to show competing ads. Last year, Vestager hit the company with a record 4.34 billion euro ($5 billion) fine following an investigation into its Android operating system. In 2017, she slapped Google with a 2.42 billion euro fine in a case involving its online shopping search results. Facebooks top executive in charge of all products, Chris Cox, the longtime confidant of Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, is leaving the company, the highest-level departure at the social media giant and follows nearly two years of sustained crises. Coxs unexpected departure, which he and Zuckerberg announced in separate Facebook posts Thursday, comes months after Cox was promoted in a major reorganization. Last May, Cox was put in charge of Facebooks family of apps, including Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Facebook itself which together have over 2.7 billion users worldwide. These apps have been distinct until recently, when Zuckerberg announced plans to unify them under a banner of/with a new focus on privacy. It is with great sadness I share with you that after thirteen years, Ive decided to leave the company, Cox wrote in his post. Since I was twenty-three, Ive poured myself into these walls. This place will forever be a part of me. Advertisement Cox, who grew up in Winnetka and graduated from New Trier in 2000, has been with Facebook since the companys early days. He joined the company in 2005, shortly after graduating from Stanford University, and rose to be one of Zuckerbergs top deputies. Cox didnt offer any explanation for his departure. In his blog post, Zuckerberg said that Cox had told him that he planned to move on several years ago, but that Cox decided to hold off on leaving until the company made more progress combating misinformation and Russian meddling controversies that erupted in the wake of the 2016 election. For a few years, Chris has been discussing with me his desire to do something else. He is one of the most talented people I know and he has the potential to do anything he wants. But after 2016, we both realized we had too much important work to do to improve our products for society, and he stayed to help us work through these issues and help us chart a course for our family of apps going forward, Zuckerberg wrote. At this point, we have made real progress on many issues and we have a clear plan for our apps, centered around making private messaging, stories and groups the foundation of the experience, including enabling encryption and interoperability across our services, Zuckerberg continued. As we embark on this next major chapter, Chris has decided now is the time to step back from leading these teams. Chris Daniels, who heads messaging app WhatsApp, is also departing. It isnt clear what future plans the executives have. Founding executives of Facebook-owned Instagram and WhatsApp have also recently left the company. Chicago Tribune staff and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Published by the Washington Post. The German family whose holding company owns controlling stakes in companies such as Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Panera Bread, Pret a Manger and Einstein Bros. Bagels profited from the horrors of the Nazi regime, according to a report in a German newspaper. The tabloid Bild, one of Germanys most popular papers, reported that Albert Reimann Sr. and Albert Reimann Jr., whose family backs JAB Holdings, had significant links to the Third Reich. JAB Holdings is a privately-held conglomerate that has investments in a wide portfolio of global companies, among them Peets Coffee, Keurig Green Mountain and Dr Pepper-Snapple. It acquired Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, which owns three national bagel chains Einstein Bros., Noahs New York Bagels and Manhattan Bagel in 2014. The report found that Russian civilians and French prisoners of war were used as forced laborers in the familys factories and private villas around World War II, when it was involved in chemicals-related manufacturing mostly for the food industry, according to Deutsche Welle. Advertisement It is all correct, family spokesman Peter Harf, who is one of two managing partners of JAB Holdings, told Bild. Reimann Senior and Reimann Junior were guilty. The two men have passed away, but they actually belonged in prison. The two men died in 1954 and 1984, respectively. Other disclosures in the report include revelations that the two men were anti-Semites and avowed supporters of Adolf Hitler, and Reimann Sr. donated to the paramilitary SS force as early as 1933, according to Deutsche Welle. Reimann Jr. once complained to the mayor of Ludwigshafen, where the family had an industrial chemicals company, that the French prisoners of war werent working hard enough, Deutsche Welle reported. The report was a reminder of the way that some private businesses that are willing to put moral and human rights concerns aside are able to profit from the repression of fascist regimes. Many German companies have reckoned with histories of collaboration with the Nazi regime, among them: Hugo Boss, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and others. Harf told Bild that the company plans to give about $11 million to charity after learning of the familys history, the AFP reported. He said that the family had been looking into its past and in 2014 commissioned a historian, Paul Erker of Munich University, to study its ties to the Nazi regime, a work that has yet to be completed more than four years on. Harf said that the family plans to release more information about that study when it is done. In an email, Erker confirmed that he was investigating the companys history during the Nazi era. It is about an overall story also in the industry context, but in which the subject of forced labor plays a central role, Erker said. The mandate includes absolute scientific independence and unrestricted access to files, including the Benckiser Archive and family records. I ask for your understanding that I cannot provide any information on the details and results of the ongoing project. JAB Holdings was founded in the 1820s by Johan A. Benckiser, according to CB insights, and now serves as the investment vehicle for the Reimann family. It holds stakes in companies behind brands such as Mucinex, Woolite and Durex condoms, according to CB Insights, and is a majority shareholder of the beauty product company Coty. In recent years, its aggressive moves to expand beyond the world of household goods have drawn attention, particularly in the world of coffee and baked goods. It has reportedly spent more than $40 billion to acquire brands such as Peets Coffee, Caribou Coffee and Keurig Green Mountain, Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Intelligentsia. The Reimann family, which has been described repeatedly in news reports as secretive, has an estimated wealth of some 33 billion euros, or about $37 billion, according to the AFP, and is believed to be the second-wealthiest in Germany. JAB Holdings did not respond to a request for comment. Erker said he did not have an exact date yet when he expected to have his report ready. According to the AFP, the company employed as many as 175 forced laborers, and produced items for the Nazi military and weapons industry. The company has not provided compensation to any of the forced laborers, but we have since talked about what we can do now, Harf said. We want to do more and donate ten million euros to a suitable organization, he said. Luisa Beck contributed to this report First published by the Washington Post. The Daisy Lane Parade started in 1953 when Gertrude Whittle worked with the Long Beach City Council and Council of Churches to help decorate the grass median on Daisy Avenue with a Christmas Village and nativity scene, according to the... San Diegans may take pride in how their skyline has blossomed in recent decades, but the untold story is what made possible those pretty buildings. Or as Roger Ball, president of Rick Engineering put it, Architects get all the glory and we make it work. From the construction of Mission Bay in the 1950s to the pending redevelopment of SDCCU Stadium into SDSU West, Rick Engineering has been at the forefront of planning the countys roads and freeways, neighborhoods, parks, shopping centers, waterworks and landscapes. The companys first few decades of work took place in the colored pencil and blueprint era. The earliest computers in the 1970s and 80s required piles of keypunch cards and 10 hours of mainframe computing time to spit out what today is a simple calculation that takes seconds to perform. Advertisement But technology without street smarts can turn the nerdiest engineer into a laughing stock. Jayne Janda-Timba, who oversees the companys water resources division, recalls one newbie who insisted that a curb was 3 feet tall because thats what his computer screen showed. It was 3 inches and he was reading the scale wrong. I just gave up (after 20 minutes) and walked away, she said. Rick Engineering was founded in 1955 by Glenn Rick, who as San Diego citys first planning director in 1928 oversaw the implementation of the Massachusetts landscape architect John Nolens 1908 and 1926 master plans for San Diego. Nolen laid out the key thoroughfares that became freeways after World War II, San Diegos bayfront, the location of key parks and public buildings and a zoning code that separated housing from industry and commerce -- a concept now giving way to mixed-use development and transit-oriented development. Several teams of young and old Rick engineers took a few hours recently to explain what they do and how their profession has morphed from manual labor to space-age tech. Surveying Engineers cant do a thing until they know where imaginary boundaries lie. Thats the job of surveyors. On Pat McMichaels side table is a mini-museum of relics from surveying in its precomputer days -- devices that George Washington might have recognized in his first career as a colonial surveyor. McMichael, who oversees Ricks survey staff, has a length of metal tape measure marked in tenths of inches; a transit or small telescope to determine the angles of a slope; and a three-quarters-inch metal disk thats pounded into the sidewalk to mark a property line. Decades ago, land surveyors used a cloth measuring tape for their surveys. (Nelvin C. Cepeda/ U-T) But in San Diegos earliest days, boundaries were commonly described by natural landmarks like trees, creeks and boulders. When current landowners want to build a fence they might land in court because their neighbors dispute the location of the boundary line. His colleague, Brian Laird, said todays surveyors tap into the global positioning system, or GPS, linked to satellites and employ lasers to measure distance. One of the big differences and challenges, especially in California, in surveying physical features is California is moving, Laird said. It moves north and west a couple of centimeters a year. And so surveyors have to reconcile the on-the-ground conditions with the GPS coordinates. McMichaels crews are currently surveying a section of a site in Mission Bay where old buildings and structures are giving way to new development. Laser beams scan a space a million times a second to capture the exact distances. An even more fantastic tool is LIDAR (light detection and ranging), a laser system that penetrates buildings, trees and other obstructions to produce a 3D image in minutes. Coming next is augmented reality that can simulate a place using high-tech goggles and a laptop. Then come robots that can do the work automatically. But its still going to take a human to interpret that (survey), Laird said. The downside is were maybe a little farther away from the everyday work. Water resources Water resources manager Janda-Timba pulled out a 1990s set of blueprints of the Fashion Valley southside parking garage -- the one that floods when a heavy rainstorm swells the San Diego River at Camino de la Reina and Avenida del Rio. The blueprints are filled with handwritten markings and notations to denote where and how high floodwaters flow through the narrow channel that cuts between the mall and the property of the Town & Country Hotel. The findings were used to design the garage so that the flood waters would be contained within the first level of the garage. That explains why the floor-to-ceiling height is so much greater than between the second and third level. A land surveyors transit from the early 1900s. (Nelvin C. Cepeda/U-T) Traditionally, engineers measured widths and depths in the field and worked out the calculations by hand. Then came hand calculators and mainframe computers that still took many hours to generate the necessary calculations. Now the results can be done instantly without ever setting foot in the field. In the meantime, regulations have been tightened. I dont know if we could do that today, she said since its no longer permitted to let waters flow through a garage and carry away oils and other pollutants out to sea. The preferred method of handling floodwaters is to capture the overflow and its pollutants in retention basins, bioswales and other devices before entering the storm drains. One of Janda-Timbas project managers, Andrew Thies, can fire up GIS mapping software from ESRI -- those are abbreviations for geographic information systems and the Environmental Systems Research Institute -- to work out the solution. And that comports with his personal priorities. Its my passion -- I like going to the ocean and going surfing, he said. Civil engineering Rick President Ball joined seven-year-employee Salvador Galvan to compare past and present civil engineering techniques and challenges. One of the biggest changes from decades ago is what engineers are no longer allowed to do. They cant wipe out natural habitat to build an artificial harbor (as was done at Mission Bay). They cant bulldoze rare and endangered plants to make way for a roadway -- as would have been done for a future recreational vehicle park at the Chula Visa bayfront. Bottomline: Civil engineers can build almost anything, given enough time and money, but the question these days is should they be allowed to do it. Ball said the goals are laudable but mitigation can greatly increase costs on a property-by-property basis. We are making such a minute, insignificant impact that until it is done across the entire spectrum, it means nothing, he said. The alternative is to approach such issues across a wider, multi-property-owner basis and charge a proportionate share of the total cost. When it comes to a single large property such as SDCCU Stadium, Ricks client, San Diego States University, faces far more stringent requirements to redevelop the site than when the stadium was built in the 1960s. Right off the bat, you have the San Diego River to deal with, Galvan said. Flooding from the river and nearby creek needs to be managed to steer clear of the office buildings, apartments, hotels and new stadium planned for the 132-acre site. That will require raising the footprint of the new buildings above the floodplain by moving dirt from one part of the site to another. Transportation to and from the site will have to reflect the daily comings and goings of SDSU students, just not the occasional crowds at sporting events. That means improving Friars Road and freeway ramps to accommodate more daily traffic patterns. Room also will need to made to accommodate the multi-billion-dollar San Diego Trolleys Purple Line as it stops at the stadium on the way north and south on Interstate 805. Planning and landscape architecture San Diego is a manmade paradise, thanks to the regions landscape architects who picked the plants, spotting the park sites, laid out scenic highways and beautified the bayfronts, riverbanks, creeks, canyons and lakesides. In the early 20th century, planning and landscape architecture were one, says Patricia Traub, Ricks landscape architecture lead. But terraforming the landscape to mimic lush conditions back East is no longer considered acceptable in arid places like San Diego. We kind of ignored nature for a long time, Traub said. In the 30 years Ive been practicing, theres been a pretty dramatic change, and cultural change, for communities. What was considered weeds are now native plants. Sand and soils had been analyzed to determine what could best grow in them. Drainage, water conservation, natural habitat and other details took center stage. An example can be seen outside Lindbergh Fields Terminal 2 parking garage, Ricks landscaping plan called for natives not bluegrass. Along the coast, said fear of landslides along the cliff line prompts owners to build 50 to 100 feet back from the edge, said Brian Moore, the companys planning lead. They also know that overwatering can weaken the cliff face and hasten erosion. A new threat is sea level rise, caused by a warming climate and melting glaciers and ice caps. Rick is taking that into account as it works on the Chula Vista bayfront redevelopment. Were in uncharted territory how much to raise up a site, Traub said. Mooney also noted that northern Baja California is growing rapidly, even as San Diego nears a zero-population-growth rate in coming decades. The region has to include Tijuana, he said. Thats where were seeing growth happening, whether its from immigration from other parts of Mexico and Central America or from San Diegans choosing to live in a less expensive place. Rick Engineering at a glance Founded: 1955 Headquarters: Mission Valley Rank: 1st in terms of licensed engineers on staff, according to the San Diego Business Journals annual report on engineering firms. Workforce: 310 with half in San Diego County and the rest at nine other offices around the state and in Arizona, Colorado and Nevada; 65 percent are women and minority group members. Key projects of the past: Mission Bay; numerous subdivisions and master-planned communities, such as La Costa, Lomas Santa Fe, Carmel Valley, Rancho Bernardo, Scripps Ranch, Liberty Station, Chula Vista Current projects: SDSU West, Civita, Chula Vista bayfront, water resources master planning Business Roger Showley is a San Diego freelance writer. He can be reached at (619) 787-5714; and rmshowley@yahoo.com; Twitter: @rogershowley Following two deadly crashes, the U.S. joined the rest of the world in temporarily grounding the Boeing 737 Max, the newest version of one of the most popular planes in the world. The causes of the crashes one in Indonesia and the latest in Ethiopia havent been determined, but plane manufacturer Boeing Co. agreed with the Federal Aviation Administrations decision to ground the planes out of an abundance of caution and to reassure the flying public of the aircrafts safety. For the record: A previous version of this article said that Southwests grounded 737 Max 8 planes flew about 39 daily flights. The correct number is 150. How have travelers been affected by the grounding? The three U.S. carriers that fly 737 Max planes Southwest, American and United Airlines say the FAAs decision has had minimal impact on their operations and on their customers. All of the passengers who were scheduled to fly on 737 Max planes have been rebooked on other similar-sized or larger planes at no extra charge or refunded their money. In some cases, airlines said they upgraded passengers to more expensive fares that come with free meals. Southwest Airlines officials acknowledge there have been some delays for fliers but say that bad weather across the country is contributing to the problems. Advertisement Several travelers who were scheduled to fly on 737 Max planes expressed frustration on social media about the delays and confusion. Flying out of AUS at the end of spring break & SXSW & after the 737 Max got grounded. No flights to DFW. Theyre putting us in a bus. Yes, a bus. Thanks to the @AmericanAir gate agent for her professionalism and humor. Jeff Jarvis (@DrJeffJarvis) March 14, 2019 @SouthwestAir #southwest please help me! I cant check in and I have no clue if my flight tomorrow is on the grounded 737 max 8 plane... the app and site both wont let me check in and 120 minute hold time.... Huddy Bield (@that1whiteman) March 14, 2019 Why hasnt the impact on fliers been more significant? Although Boeing describes the plane as its best-selling model, based on about 5,000 orders, the manufacturer deliveries began fairly recently, in 2017, with 370 planes in commercial use so far. Which airlines have been most affected by the worldwide grounding of the 737 Max? Southwest Airlines is the U.S. carrier with the greatest number of 737 Max 8 planes 34. But that represents only about 4% of its fleet of more than 750 planes, almost all of which are older model 737s. The grounded planes flew about 150 daily flights out of more than 4,000 flights operated by the airline a day. American Airlines, the worlds largest carrier with more than 960 planes in its fleet, has 24 of the 737 MAX 8 aircraft, which operate 85 flights a day. That is a fraction of the approximately 6,700 daily departures throughout the American Airlines system. United Airlines has 14 of the 737 Max 9 plane out of more than 770 planes, representing 40 flights a day, out of about 4,800 departures a day. What does this mean for the future of Boeing? Industry experts and financial analysts have expressed faith in the stability of Boeing but note that the outlook for the manufacturer could change, depending on what investigators determine caused the two deadly crashes. S&P Global Ratings noted in a report Thursday that Boeing has a strong financial position and liquidity and that we currently do not see any effect on our rating of Boeing. Boeing stock dropped sharply on Monday and Tuesday from its high of about $420 before the latest crash in Ethiopia. Shares closed Thursday at $373.30. After the market closed, Boeing said it was pausing delivery of the 737 Max. S&P Global noted that it would be difficult for any airline to now abandon their orders of Boeings 737s and switch to a competing model, such as the Airbus SE A320neo, because it is more efficient to operate a fleet from a single manufacturer. Has the 737 Max had safety problems in the past? Following the fatal October crash of the Lion Air flight in Indonesia, Boeing issued a warning about potential issues with an automated anti-stalling system on the 737 Max plane that could push the nose down. Boeing was criticized by pilots and others who said this was not disclosed when the plane was unveiled. Boeing has since announced that it would take several steps to make the planes even safer, including updating the flight control software as well as pilot displays, operating manuals and crew training. The company said these changes would be implemented over the coming weeks. The accidents in Indonesia and Ethiopia involved the 737 Max 8. (Shaffer Grubb, Lorena Elebee / Los Angeles Times) What made the 737 Max so popular among airlines? Boeing marketed the 737 Max as being 14% more fuel efficient than the earlier 737 planes produced in the 1990s, such as the 737 Next Generation 600, 700, 800 and 900. Boeing attributes the fuel efficiency to new engines built by CFM International, a joint venture between a division of General Electric and a division of Safran of France, and other aerodynamic features, including the winglets that look like shark fins but point up and down on the end of the wings. As a result, the 737 Max 8 has a range of about 4,000 miles, compared to about 3,370 miles for the older 737 models. In addition, Boeing said the 737 Max makes less noise on takeoff, compared to its older 737 planes, thanks to acoustic treatments in and around the engines. How have the planes been used in the U.S.? The 737 Max is a single-aisle plane that can seat between 172 and 230, depending on the version of the plane and the seat layout. The plane has been manufactured in four versions the 7,8,9 and 10 each with the same CFM engine and wingspan but different lengths. The 737 Max 7 is the shortest, at 116 feet in length, and the 737 Max 10 is the longest at 143 feet long. Southwest and American have primarily used the plane for mid-range and long-haul flights, including transcontinental routes and flights to Mexico from Florida. hugo.martin@latimes.com To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter. The fatal crashes of two Boeing Co. 737 Max jets and the fleets worldwide grounding have triggered a complicated scramble regarding legal liability involving the manufacturer, airlines and the victims families. Boeings risks might be rising after a report in the Seattle Times that the companys safety analysis for the airliners new flight control system had crucial flaws. Much of the legal liability depends on the findings of investigators, as well as the contracts Boeing has with airlines that purchased the planes. But one thing so far appears clear: The families of passengers who perished in the crashes of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on March 10 and Lion Air Flight 610 in October will have strong claims for damages. Questions remain, however, about whether some of those legal cases will be heard in the U.S. or abroad. They are in a sense the innocent participants in the whole thing, and its really a function of when and how much the families receive in damages and not if, said Mark A. Dombroff, an attorney with law firm LeClairRyan in Alexandria, Va., who often represents airlines. Advertisement Robert L. Rabin, a Stanford law professor and expert on accident law, said there were a variety of types of legal claims possible against Boeing. They include product liability for defects in the airplane or its flight control system and negligence for not training pilots on the changes to the system and not taking steps to fix any problems after the first crash. If U.S. law is applicable, he said, the case for liability, from what we know now, would be pretty strong. Several lawsuits already have been filed against Boeing by families of victims of the Lion Air crash, which killed all 189 passengers and crew on board when it plunged into the Java Sea minutes after takeoff from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. More lawsuits are expected after the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, which killed all 157 on board. Both flights involved Boeing 737 Max airliners. Regulators have grounded the jets because of similarities between the crashes, and Boeing is working on a fix to the flight-control software. Families of victims of the second crash could have stronger legal claims because there was already the fatal October crash involving the 737 Max, Rabin said. Boeing declined to comment Monday on its potential liability, with a spokesman saying the Chicago company does not respond to or comment on questions concerning legal matters, whether internal, litigation, or governmental inquiries. Federal prosecutors and the Department of Transportations inspector general reportedly are investigating the design certification process for the 737 Max. The chief executive of Norwegian Air said last week the European airline would send a bill to Boeing for the costs of the lost flights. Boeing 737 Max planes account for 18 of Norwegian Airs 160 aircraft. But Boeing could avoid payments related to the grounding. Aviation insurance covers such losses. Boeing and the airlines may have that coverage, Dombroff said. There also are warranties and other provisions in contracts between Boeing and the airlines that govern claims. Boeing might only be required to fix the problems with the jets, and any other disputes could be required to go to private arbitration, Dombroff said. The first thing everybody undoubtedly is looking at is the contracts, the warranties and limitations of liabilities, he said. Airlines usually are hesitant to file lawsuits against manufacturers, particularly because Boeing is one of only two major jet makers in the world, along with Airbus, Dombroff said. Does the airline want to get into a public dispute with the manufacturer whose airplanes theyre flying? he said. How does that impact the future relationship between the manufacturer and the airline? Southwest Airlines has 34 737 Max jets, the most of any U.S. airline, and said it would not disclose the specifics of its Boeing contracts. As you would expect, we are in constant contact with Boeing following the Ethiopian Air accident and subsequent 737 Max 8 grounding, said Chris Mainz, a Southwest spokesman. We are Boeings largest customer of the 737, and we have a long history of working together with Boeing, and this is no different, he said. But we wont be reporting out on the details of those ongoing conversations. Boeings bigger legal liability worries come from the fatal crashes. Families of the crash victims can seek compensation from the airlines and the manufacturer of the jets. Complex international rules govern where lawsuits against airlines can be filed. Under an international treaty, damages from airlines for the families of victims of crashes of international flights are capped at about $170,000. Airlines often resolve such lawsuits with passengers, then seek compensation from the manufacturer if the crash involves equipment failures and not pilot error, Dombroff said. But there is no cap on damages in lawsuits from passengers against a jet maker. And theres an advantage for foreign passengers to file those lawsuits in the U.S., where courts are more likely to award significant damages, Dombroff said. Lawsuits against Boeing by U.S. victims of the crashes would have to be tried here. But Boeing is likely to push to have lawsuits by victims from other countries adjudicated in the nation where the airline resides, Dombroff said. Several lawsuits already have been filed in Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois by families or the estates of crash victims. Boeings corporate headquarters are there, and the court has a reputation for being friendly to plaintiffs, Dombroff said. Boeings lawyers have used a legal right to move some of those cases to the federal U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago, court records show. Companies involved in air crashes and other disasters usually are eager to settle wrongful-death lawsuits to get the incident and negative publicity behind them, Rabin said. There would be strong incentives, I think, for Boeing to enter into settlements of the wrongful-death cases, he said. Boeing executives sat down in November with pilots at the Allied Pilots Assn.s low-slung brick headquarters in Fort Worth. Tensions were running high. One of Boeings new jets hailed by the company as an even more reliable version of Boeings stalwart 737 had crashed into the ocean off Indonesia shortly after takeoff the month before, killing all 189 people aboard the flight, operated by Lion Air. After the crash, Boeing issued a bulletin disclosing that this line of planes, known as the 737 Max 8, was equipped with new software as part of the planes automated functions. Some pilots were furious that they were not told about the new software when the plane was unveiled. Dennis Tajer, a 737 captain who attended the meeting with Boeing executives, recalled, They said, Look, we didnt include it because we have a lot of people flying on this and we didnt want to inundate you with information. Advertisement Im certain I did say, Well, thats not acceptable, said Tajer, a leader in the association representing American Airlines pilots. A Boeing spokesman said the company disputes that any of its executives made that statement. On Wednesday, federal regulators ordered the grounding of the 737 Max 8 and a similar plane, the 737 Max 9, after another crash involving the plane, on this occasion in Ethiopia on Sunday. Many other countries had already acted. In statements throughout the week, Boeing has said that safety is its top priority. But it also announced that it would take several steps to make the planes even safer, including updating the flight control software as well as pilot displays, operating manuals and crew training. The company said these changes would be implemented over the coming weeks. The announcement comes after years in which Boeing had trumpeted the new plane as offering a seamless transition from previous models, a changeover that would not require carriers to invest in extensive retraining. And it highlights concerns from pilots and other groups about whether Boeing moved fast enough to address potential problems after the Lion Air crash. Congress, regulators and the companys shareholders are now scrutinizing the decisions. On Wednesday, Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said he would hold hearings to study the Federal Aviation Administrations process for approving the planes. DeFazio cited a concern that has particularly alarmed pilots: the software that was flagged in the bulletin sent after the Lion Air crash. The software, known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, can in some rare but dangerous situations override pilot control inputs unless it is switched off. This can interfere with pilots longtime training that pulling back on the control yoke raises a planes nose, putting the plane into a climb. That means that as a pilot tries to maneuver an airplane, the automated system may be counteracting that pilots inputs. Im going to investigate how they came to the conclusion that retraining was not necessary, and then obviously were going to want to look at how foreign countries certify their pilots and retrain them, DeFazio said. After the Ethiopian Airlines crash Sunday, Boeing said it would update flight control software, provide more training, introduce enhancements to external sensors that measure the direction of an aircraft and make changes to how MCAS is activated. But two pilots who attended the meeting with Boeing in November after the Lion Air crash said pilots had suggested that the company take these actions at that time. Whatever level of training they decided on [before the Lion Air crash], it resulted in an iPad course that I took for less than an hour, Tajer, the American Airlines pilot, said. A lot of pilots here at American did that course. But he said the course did not cover the new MCAS. There was nothing on the MCAS because even American didnt know about that. It was just about the display scenes and how the engines are a little different, he said. Boeing did not comment on the pilots concerns. The same week Boeing executives met with pilots in Fort Worth, they also asked pilots at Southwest Airlines which also owns 737 Max planes to meet with them. They hurriedly arranged a conference room at the Reno airport the Sunday after Thanksgiving, said Jon Weaks, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Assn. At that meeting, they told us that a software update would probably be forthcoming in the near future, Weaks said. But no update came in the following two months. Boeing did not comment on the meeting. In a statement earlier this week, Boeing said it had been working on the software enhancements for the 737 Max for the last several months in the aftermath of the crash of Lion Air Flight 610. The company said it had been working closely with the FAA on the software update and had also been soliciting feedback from airlines that operate the plane. The concerns in meetings with Boeing executives were not the only signs that pilots were worried about the airplane. A federal flight safety reporting system contains about a dozen reports by pilots expressing exasperation about systems that limited their control of the 737 Max. Nearly two-thirds of the complaints were mainly flagging perceived faults with the aircraft or shortcomings and ambiguities in instruction, according to an analysis of the Aviation Safety Reporting System by the Washington Post. The Dallas Morning News first reported on the pilots complaints. I think it is unconscionable that a manufacturer, the FAA, and the airlines would have pilots flying an airplane without adequately training, or even providing available resources and sufficient documentation to understand the highly complex systems that differentiate this aircraft from prior models, one pilot wrote in November. 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. Pilots expressed confusion about various features of the airplane. I reviewed in my mind our automation setup and flight profile but cant think of any reason the aircraft would pitch nose down so aggressively, one pilot wrote. How can a captain not know what switch is meant during a preflight setup? asked another. Poor training and even poorer documentation; that is how. The FAA pushed back against the idea that these pilot complaints could have assisted in identifying problems, saying they did not involve the MCAS that has been at the heart of pilots concerns. Some of the reports reference possible issues with the autopilot/autothrottle, which is a separate system from MCAS, and/or acknowledge the problems could have been due to pilot error, it said in a statement. Boeing declined to comment on the system. Southwest, which uses the 737 Max planes, said it had received no reports of issues with the MCAS. American Airlines said it reviewed data for more than 14,000 flights since the Lion Air crash in Indonesia and has not seen a single anomaly related to the MCAS. In its order grounding the planes Wednesday, the FAA said it had received information from the Ethiopian Airlines wreckage concerning the aircrafts configuration just after takeoff that, taken together with newly refined data from satellite-based tracking of the aircrafts flight path, indicates some similarities between what happened with that flight and the Lion Air flight in Indonesia. Boeing is scrambling to maintain its reputation for making safe and profitable airplanes. Chief Executive Dennis A. Muilenburg called President Trump on Tuesday, the White House said, to vouch for the safety of the planes. On Wednesday, the company issued a statement saying that out of an abundance of caution and to reassure the flying public of the aircrafts safety, it agreed with the FAAs decision to ground the planes. Boeing continues to have full confidence in the safety of the 737 MAX, the company said. Boeing designed the 737 Max to fly up to 3,850 miles, and it became a key tool in the companys global ambitions. The Max uses engines that are both bigger and more fuel-efficient, and the new engines have been moved slightly forward on the wings compared with previous models. To compensate for the repositioning, Boeing added MCAS to replicate the handling characteristics of earlier models. In the Lion Air crash, according to a preliminary report, the 737 Max seemed to careen up and down repeatedly. Analysts said this suggested the MCAS was redirecting the plane whenever it went into a nose-up position by pointing the nose down. In an appearance on CNBC in December, Muilenburg was asked whether the company was doing enough to ensure pilots were properly trained after the October crash. Muilenburg said that the companys bulletin on the software helped in directing pilots and airlines to these existing procedures and that Boeing was taking a look at that to make sure all the appropriate training is in place and that the communications with our customers are there. Its very, very important to us, but I will say bottom line here, very important, is that the Max 737 is safe, he said. Muilenburgs comments came about a week after the meetings in Texas and Reno, when pilots said they heard similar promises. Sitting around pullout tables in leather-backed chairs, Tajer said, some of the companys top engineers were apologetic. We said, Shame on you. They said, I know. Facebook Inc.s effort to establish a service that provides its users with local news and information is being hindered by a lack of outlets where the companys technicians can find original reporting. The service, launched last year, is available in some 400 cities in the United States. But the social media giant said it has found that 40% of Americans live in places where there werent enough local news stories to support it. Facebook announced Monday that it would share its research with academics at Duke, Harvard and the universities of Minnesota and North Carolina who are studying the extent of news deserts created by newspaper closures and staff downsizing. Some 1,800 newspapers have closed in the United States over the last 15 years, according to the University of North Carolina. Newsroom employment has declined by 45% as the industry struggles with a broken business model partly caused by the success of companies on the internet, including Facebook. Advertisement The Facebook service, called Today In, collects news stories from various local outlets, along with government and community groups. The company deems a community unsuitable for Today In if it cannot find a single day in a month with at least five news items available to share. Theres not a wide geographical disparity. For example, the percentage of news deserts is higher in the Northeast and Midwest, at 43%, Facebook said. In the South and West, the figure is 38%. It affirms the fact that we have a real lack of original local reporting, said Penelope Muse Abernathy, a University of North Carolina professor who studies the topic. She said she hopes the data help pinpoint areas where the need is greatest, eventually leading to some ideas for solutions. Facebook doesnt necessarily have the answers. Everyone can learn from working together, said Anne Kornblut, director of news initiatives at the company. The company plans to award some 100 grants, ranging from $5,000 to $25,000, to people with ideas for making more news available, said Josh Mabry, head of local news partnerships for Facebook. That comes on top of $300 million in grants Facebook announced in January to help programs and partnerships designed to boost local news. The company doesnt plan to launch newsgathering efforts of its own, Kornblut said. Our history has been and we will probably stick to it to let journalists do what they do well and let us support them and let them do their work, she said. When Jerry Schubel joined the Aquarium of the Pacific as president and chief executive in 2002, he knew it was time to expand not with bigger tanks or more creatures, but in scope. In May, the $53-million project spearheaded by Schubel will open with a focus on the one animal putting all others on the planet at risk: us. The new wing will be welcomed by 250 employees and more than 1,000 volunteers. It will be the Long Beach nonprofits first major expansion since it was founded in 1998 and one of the biggest endeavors of Schubels long career in academia, conservation and science. Natural curiosity Schubel, 83, says his interest in conservation can be traced to the concerns he developed observing the Great Lakes while growing up in a small Michigan town on Lake Huron. He saw firsthand how the freshwater lakes affected his community, including his familys clean drinking water supply. This curiosity paved Schubels way into academia with an interest in making scientific advances accessible to the public. He earned a masters degree in physics from Harvard and a doctorate in oceanography from Johns Hopkins University, where he worked with the Chesapeake Bay Institute. Going West He moved on to lead Stony Brook Universitys Marine Sciences Research Center in 1974. After 20 years, including three spent as the universitys provost, he was recruited to head the New England Aquarium in Boston. Long Beach called eight years later. Advertisement Ive always wanted to create an institution that focused on how humans are affecting the Earth and the world ocean. All the stars were aligned to do that in Long Beach, Schubel said. Bold vision In California, Schubel saw an opportunity to turn the energy, food and water issues facing the state into a sustainable model showing how people can live in harmony with the Earth and the ocean, and thrive. That model required deep collaboration, a commitment to educational resources for the public and an aquarium willing to take a risk. I came knowing that I wanted this to be an aquarium that would be operated at the interface of science and society and that would combine art and science and telling stories, Schubel said. The most important things in nature and in society happen across interfaces. New direction In 2005, the aquarium weighed three options for an expansion: a traditional expansion with more exhibit space, one that would allow visitors to swim with marine life, and a Pacific Visions concept that would capture human impact on the planet and its oceans. After the board selected Pacific Visions, Schubel led efforts to translate the aquariums concept into programs, raised money for the project and worked with scientists from around the globe to identify the most pressing environmental issues that would be featured. Theres no other aquarium, science center or museum anywhere in the world that attempts to tell this really big story of people and the ocean, Schubel said. So weve got our fingers crossed that people are going to like it. Staying flexible Schubel said the project has been one of the most challenging, but also most rewarding, of his career. Along the way, he embraced the unpredictability of the issues the aquarium has to tackle. One of the most challenging things always is being flexible enough to come at achieving your vision in a variety of ways, Schubel said. You have to be adaptable and know where you want to end up, but realize sometimes you have to take a different route. Leading the way Schubel said that flexibility, an understanding of how to operate a growing nonprofit and a leadership background in education have been key elements in his career. I was the director of an institute. I was the provost, I was a vice president for research and the dean of the graduate school for a while. So I had experience in managing routes, Schubel said. I think thats very important because leadership without management doesnt get you anywhere. Empowering a team In leading his team and working with the aquariums board of directors to create an expansion with enduring value, Schubel has found success in avoiding micromanagement. I try to give [my team] as much freedom to pursue our vision in ways they think work best, Schubel said. Our board has also understood the difference between governance and management. So while they largely left us alone to run the aquarium, they have been generous in their financial support and theyve been willing to take risks. More success stories from How I Made It Lifelong learning Schubel settles into his office before 6 a.m. when things are quiet. Before his staff gets to work and after they go home, thats when Schubel can think about implementing the aquariums vision and write. Schubel and his wife, Margaret, have co-written more than a dozen short films that are screened at the aquarium to help the public understand Earth and its changing climate. As with their latest work, The Time Is Now, the Future Is Here, the couple are dedicated to making science and its findings accessible. I think we underestimate the ability to learn in the very young and in the elderly, Schubel said. Supporting education Schubel, who has taught adult classes for more than 40 years, created the Aquatic Forum, which connects scientists, decision makers and citizens to discuss important environmental issues facing California. He also founded the Aquatic Academy, which hosts a series of courses about the ocean and the environment. I find all the things I need in my work. I spend my free time reading, writing and thinking how we can make this aquarium better, Schubel said. And thats not a chore. Its something I really enjoy doing. An engaged society Through his work in the forums, the expansion and building a community Schubel hopes to support an informed society for a stronger democracy. Right now, I think were so polarized that we dont have the kinds of thoughtful discussions that we need to have to surround these issues and look at them from all perspectives and make the right decisions, Schubel said. Most people arent environmentalists, but they care about the environment. A fierce struggle over automation has erupted at the Port of Los Angeles, as local union officials representing some 12,000 dockworkers demand that one of the worlds largest shipping firms abandon a plan to introduce driverless electric cargo trucks. Shouting, whistling and jeering, more than 1,200 union members, local business owners and community activists packed a four-hour hearing Thursday before the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners. The board voted to postpone a construction permit for the automated system after an offer by Mayor Eric Garcetti to mediate the dispute. The decision before the board may have far-reaching impacts on the pace of automation at our port and could define how the port will compete and sustain jobs into the foreseeable future, Garcetti wrote in a letter unveiled at the hearing. The mayor called for a 28-day delay in deciding on the permit, adding that negotiations should serve as the basis of a new task force to explore automation and its impacts on the future of the Port of Los Angeles and others across the state. Advertisement Port automation dates to the 1960s, when dockworker unions agreed to the introduction of containers, and consequent job losses, in exchange for higher pay and benefits. Today a typical full-time Southern California longshore worker earns more than $100,000 a year. But thousands of so-called casuals, who are not yet registered union members, earn far less, are eligible only for part-time hours, and do not yet get health or retirement benefits. Dockworkers battle plan to bring driverless trucks to the port of Los Angeles. A 2008 International Longshore and Warehouse Union contract, renewed in 2015, explicitly allowed West Coast ports to continue automating. Two large terminals one at the Port of Long Beach and one in Los Angeles have already introduced the driverless vehicles known as UTRs, or utility tractor rigs. But automation at the 484-acre facility operated for Denmarks Moller-Maersk by APM Terminals is prompting an uproar from local union members who are having second thoughts about the current contract and believe the permit will lead to automation across all 12 of the port complexs terminals. The struggle comes as Los Angeles and Long Beach, the busiest ports in the nation, are enjoying record cargo traffic, despite the threat of an escalating trade war with China. The twin ports handle a third of U.S. container traffic, but they have lost market share to facilities along the Gulf of Mexico and, since the widening of the Panama Canal, along the East Coast. APM officials decline to say how many jobs will be eliminated if what they call self-guided container handling equipment is introduced. Union officials say hundreds are at stake. One in nine jobs in the five-county region is linked to commerce flowing through the port complex, according to port officials. A driverless, electric-powered vehicle is seen at the Port of Long Beach. Maersk and APM Terminals say proposed battery-powered vehicles would replace diesel rigs as a response to the Port of L.A.s clean-air rules. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) APM characterizes its proposed automated, battery-powered vehicles, which would replace diesel-fueled rigs, as a response to the ports clean air rules. But union officials say APM could introduce manned electric vehicles instead. This proposal is not about clean air and streamlining business practices, Mark Mendoza, president of ILWU Local 13 told the five-member commission. It is about Maersk maximizing their profits at all costs. It will ultimately ensure the economic demise of the Southern California region. Port staff members have recommended approving APMs permit request to install infrastructure to support the automated vehicles, along with scaffolding for containers and an upgraded Wi-Fi system. Economic impact is not part of the permit process, which falls under the ports coastal land-use plan, port officials said. The permit is in compliance with the ports master plan and the California Coastal Act, said Eugene Seroka, the ports executive director. Maersk attorney Peter Jabbour said at the hearing that there is no legal basis for the unions opposition to granting the permit. The company proposes only minor infrastructure changes to the terminal, with no adverse environmental impacts. Objections to automation are not part of the coastal development process. Hundreds of union members and community members from San Pedro and Wilmington show their opposition to automation during a Harbor Commission meeting. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) James McKenna, president and chief executive of the Pacific Maritime Assn., which represents 70 port companies, accused Local 13 of making an end run around the current Pacific Coast Longshore contract, the federally governed collective bargaining process that led to it, as well as the ILWUs democratic election that resulted in its ratification. Nonetheless, political pressure is building to halt the automation expansion. Robots do not pay taxes, Local 13 Vice President Gary Herrera told the hearing, as hundreds in the audience rose to their feet applauding and yelling approval. Robots do not shop in our communities. Robots do not vote! Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn urged the board to block the automation plan, saying, I support reduced pollution, but we do not need to automate to achieve it. She added that the ports are prime targets for terrorism. Our dockworkers are the first line of defense. Theres nothing like a pair of human eyes and ears. City Councilman Joe Buscaino alluded pointedly to the fact that the City Council has the power to overturn any commission decision. We should work together, so this doesnt have to come to the City Council, but I will exercise that option if needed, he said. We need a green and efficient port while preserving jobs. Mark Mendoza, center, president of ILWU Local 13, spoke at a Harbor Commission hearing over whether to allow APM to use driverless electric cargo vehicles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Two congresswomen, and more than a dozen state senators and Assembly members, including Speaker Anthony Rendon, along with seven neighborhood councils in San Pedro and Wilmington, and the Los Angeles Democratic Party wrote letters expressing reservations or outright opposition to the automation plan, calling for the preservation of jobs. The fact that the ILWU, which represents 30 ports along the U.S. and Canadian Pacific coasts and in Panama, agreed to automation in past contracts is often contrasted with the stance of the International Longshoremens Assn., which represents East Coast dockworkers. In October, under a six-year extension of their contract, East Coast terminals agreed not to automate. In Southern California, dockworkers disrupted port traffic for months in 2014 and 2015, and officials have counted on the 2017 ratification of an extension of the ILWU contract through 2022 to guarantee labor stability. Some 40 ports around the world have spent about $10 billion to install some form of automation. But overall, ports have been slower to automate than many industrial sectors such as mining, auto manufacturing and warehousing. Speakers at the hearing noted that a 2018 McKinsey & Co. report, The Future of Automated Ports, raised questions as to whether the high upfront cost of automation is likely to be recouped by shipping firms. More automation is on the way, McKinsey reported, but executives interviewed for the report found that automated ports, especially fully automated ones, are generally less productive than their conventional counterparts. margot.roosevelt@latimes.com Twitter: @margotroosevelt Lawmakers scolded Wells Fargo & Co. Chief Executive Tim Sloan for hours Tuesday, telling him the bank had not done enough to rehabilitate itself after years of scandals about its allegedly abusive practices toward customers. Some called for Sloan to be fired. The next day, the banks board of directors gave Sloan a 5% raise, increasing his total compensation to $18.4 million. Of that, $2 million is an annual incentive award that is, a bonus. Sloans pay is now 283 times the median pay of the banks more than 200,000 employees. The bonus was based on Wells Fargos financial performance and Sloans continued leadership on the companys top priority of rebuilding trust, Wells Fargo said in its annual letter to shareholders. The companys stock price fell 27% last year in a tough market, but its yearly profit rose to $22.4 billion, up from $22.2 billion in 2017, and the companys board noted that Sloan had led a massive stock buyback program. Advertisement Would have loved to ask questions about this, Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) said on Twitter of Sloans pay raise. Porter had questioned the sincerity of Wells Fargos efforts to reform itself during Tuesdays hearing. Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloans message of contrition and improvement draws bipartisan rebuke Despite his raise, Sloan still earns less than many of his competitors. JPMorgan Chase & Co. CEO Jamie Dimon earned $31 million last year after the bank reported record profits. Bank of America Corp.s Brian Moynihan received a 15% raise to $26.5 million. Michael Corbat of Citigroup Inc. earned $24 million last year. The industry has been enjoying what Dimon has called a golden age. Regulators have begun loosening tough rules put in place after the global crisis, and the corporate tax cut has helped boost profits to record levels. Wells Fargo has weathered sustained backlash from its admission two years ago that it had opened millions of accounts in customers names without those customers knowledge or consent, and from more recently saying it had mistakenly foreclosed on hundreds of customers and improperly repossessed thousands of cars. Sloan, who has been at Wells Fargo for more than 30 years, has spent years apologizing for the banks bad behavior and attempting to rebuild its reputation with customers, regulators and lawmakers. But the company still faces a lot of skeptics. The Federal Reserve has banned the bank, which has nearly $2 trillion in assets, from growing any bigger until it reforms itself. The Office of Comptroller of the Currency, another big regulator, has said it was disappointed by Wells Fargos rehabilitation efforts. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a presidential hopeful, has led an effort calling for Sloan to be fired. Facebook Inc.s top executive in charge of all products, Chris Cox, the longtime confidant of Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, is leaving the company. Its the highest-level departure at the social media giant amid nearly two years of sustained crises. Coxs unexpected departure, which he and Zuckerberg announced in separate Facebook posts Thursday, comes months after Cox was promoted in a major reorganization. Last May, Cox was put in charge of Facebooks family of apps, including Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Facebook itself which together have more than 2.7 billion users worldwide. These apps have been distinct until recently, when Zuckerberg announced plans to unify them under a banner of privacy. Chris Daniels an executive who ran Internet.org, the companys philanthropic project to promote global internet access, and was recently promoted to lead WhatsApp is leaving as well, Zuckerberg said. Facebook will not appoint a direct replacement for Cox; rather, the leaders of each app will report to Zuckerberg. Longtime Facebook executive Will Cathcart will head WhatsApp. Advertisement It is with great sadness I share with you that after thirteen years, Ive decided to leave the company, Cox wrote in his post. Since I was twenty-three, Ive poured myself into these walls. This place will forever be a part of me. Cox didnt offer any explanation for his departure. In his blog post, Zuckerberg said that Cox had told him that he planned to move on several years ago, but that Cox decided to hold off on leaving until the company made more progress combating misinformation and Russian meddling controversies that erupted in the wake of the 2016 presidential election. We have made real progress on many issues and we have a clear plan for our apps, Zuckerberg said in his post. As we embark on this next major chapter, Chris has decided now is the time to step back from leading these teams. Cox, who dropped out of a Stanford University graduate program to work with Zuckerberg when the company had just 15 engineers, was widely seen as one of Facebooks most popular and capable executives and a potential replacement CEO, were Zuckerberg to leave. (Zuckerberg has said he has no plans to exit.) Perhaps more than anyone else at Facebook, even more than Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, Cox was a sounding board for Zuckerberg on product ideas. He launched Facebooks flagship scrolling news feed nearly a decade ago and ran human resources before he was promoted to run the Facebook app in 2014. The announcements of Coxs and Daniels exits come during a bumpy week for Facebook. On Wednesday morning a global outage hit its services. Facebook announced Wednesday night that Instagram was back in service, and Thursday morning about 24 hours after the problem began it said that the issue had been caused by a server configuration change and that its systems were recovering. During the outage, Facebook product director Rob Leathern said on Twitter that people were also unable to access the social networks ad interfaces, which may exacerbate any lost revenue. The company also raised the possibility of issuing refunds to advertisers. Compounding Facebooks woes was a report about a federal criminal investigation into the company. The New York Times, citing unnamed sources, reported late Wednesday that a grand jury had issued subpoenas as part of an investigation into Facebooks data-sharing deals. In addition to facing multiple federal investigations over data privacy, Facebook is experiencing stagnating user growth in its most lucrative markets and a record-low reputation with the public. Facebook stock fell 1.8% to close at $170.17 a share Thursday. After the executive departures were announced, the shares declined 1.7% in after-hours trading. The Associated Press was used in compiling this report. Facebook on Tuesday agreed to overhaul its lucrative targeted advertising system to settle accusations that landlords, lenders and employers use the platform to discriminate against African Americans, women, seniors, people with disabilities and others. The far-reaching settlement compels Facebook to withhold a wide array of detailed demographic information including ZIP codes, gender and age from advertisers when they market housing, credit and job opportunities. Although the settlement is unlikely to deal a major blow to Facebooks bottom line, the change represents a significant shift for a company that has built one of the most successful advertising platforms in history. Facebook has long allowed advertisers to target potential customers and employees based on their demographics and interests, as gleaned from the vast trove of data the platform collects. Now, the social media giant is stepping away from that approach, amid mounting evidence that its microtargeting techniques were abused. Advertisement Civil rights advocates have warned for years that Facebooks ads violated anti-discrimination laws because advertisers were able to use that data to exclude specific groups of people. The Justice Department allowed a lawsuit to proceed last year over Facebooks objections, arguing that the company can be held liable for ad-targeting tools that deprive people of housing offers. Until now, the company made only minimal tweaks to its systems and largely resisted calls for change, arguing that these ads were standard in online advertising. Tuesdays announcement will require a major overhaul of Facebooks software, and could make the platform less valuable to certain advertisers. Many companies use Facebook to recruit workers. Facebook said it will make the changes by the end of the year, creating a separate portal to limit how much advertisers for housing, employment and credit can micro-target their audience. We are fully taking all the steps we can to protect people from discrimination on our platform, said Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer at Facebook, in an interview with the Washington Post. We believe this settlement goes not just to [the letter of] the law but beyond the law in taking very, very strong action to make sure any discrimination doesnt happen. Sandberg declined to comment about whether Facebooks advertising practices were illegal. The settlements resolve lawsuits and other legal challenges filed in recent years by the National Fair Housing Alliance, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Communications Workers of America and others. It arrives at a moment when Facebook is facing growing scrutiny from regulators, lawmakers and the public. The company is being investigated by the Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission and several state attorneys general over the Cambridge Analytica data privacy controversy. This type of discrimination that we thought was stamped out in the 60s and 70s by our civil rights laws should not be given a new life in the digital era, said Galen Sherwin, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU. This settlement establishes that the web is not a civil-rights-free zone. The company is paying out less than $5 million to the parties, including a $2.5-million settlement with the National Fair Housing Alliance to train advertisers on how to comply with housing and lending laws, and advertising credits to promote fair housing. This is going to have a very broad reach, Lisa Rice, president and chief executive of the National Fair Housing Alliance said. Technology and how data is used is really the new civil rights frontier. Federal housing law prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, disability and family status. Facebook said the new platform will also prevent advertisers from discriminating based on sexual orientation, age, ethnicity, and other characteristics covered by state and local civil rights laws. The National Fair Housing Alliance and other housing groups sued Facebook last March, alleging that the company created pre-populated menus for advertisers that made it easy to block people with disabilities or families with children from seeing rental or sales ads. Facebook used terms such as English as a second language, disabled parking permit, or Telemundo which advocates argue are proxies for protected categories of people. Fair housing groups say that online companies such as Facebook have superseded billboards, rent signs and newspaper classifieds to become the hubs where people look for homes and jobs. Facebook has abused its enormous power, the suit alleged. The housing groups conducted their own investigations in Miami, New York, San Antonio and Washington, D.C., creating dozens of ads that excluded families with children, women, the disabled and African Americans, Latinos and people with certain national origins all without consumers ever knowing they had been excluded. The ACLU and other groups filed a legal complaint last September with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, accusing Facebook of enabling discriminatory job postings with its ad-targeting tools. Some firms, for example, were targeting ads only to people under age 45. The legal efforts followed a ProPublica investigation beginning in 2016 that found that Facebook allowed advertisers to exclude African Americans, Latinos and Asian Americans. While Facebook later said it would bar housing, employment and credit ads that discriminate based on ethnic affinity, it continued to allow other forms of discriminatory targeting, including gender and disability, civil rights groups alleged. The company signed a legally binding pledge last July promising it would no longer allow advertisers to discriminate, as part of a settlement with the attorney general of Washington state. As part of the pledge, Facebook removed thousands of additional targeting categories. Tuesdays announcement goes much further. The new advertising platform will introduce technological barriers to companies promoting housing, employment and credit ads from significantly restricting their intended audience. No longer will they be able to target or exclude users based on religious and political views or ZIP code, which advocates argue serves as a proxy for race. Advertisers will still be able to target by location, with a minimum geographic radius of 15 miles. Companies could still potentially get around Facebooks new system if they advertise in other categories. Previously, Facebook largely relied on advertisers to comply with its anti-discrimination policies, but did not actively block them from using the targeting categories. Our policies already prohibit advertisers from using our tools to discriminate, Sandberg wrote in a blog post Tuesday. Weve removed thousands of categories from targeting related to protected classes such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and religion. But we can do better. Facebook said it also will try to detect advertisers attempts to create housing, employment and credit ads using prohibited terms. The company will then block those ads and reroute advertisers to the new limited portal. Facebook also pledged to make its advertising more transparent by the end of the year. As part of the settlement, it plans to give users the ability to search all housing-related ads for rentals, sales, financing, appraisals and insurance that appear on the platform regardless of whether users have received the ads in their individual news feeds. The company has a similar system for political ads, which are visible to any Facebook user, even if they are not in the friend network of the person who posted them. The system was created in response to findings that Russian operatives and others abused Facebook by creating hyper-targeted political ads. Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said Tuesday that he hopes Facebooks first of its kind settlement will be a pace setter for other platforms going forward. Facebook is still working to address a separate complaint from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which has also accused the company of enabling illegal housing discrimination by allowing advertisers to exclude people based on race, gender, ZIP code or religion. Sandberg declined to say how much the advertising changes are projected to cost the company. We care more about protecting people from discrimination than about lost revenue or the costs incurred, she said, adding that the company will use technology as well as humans to review ads placed on the new platform. Like its peers in Silicon Valley, Facebook has struggled with racial diversity and discrimination issues on which federal lawmakers have shined a spotlight. White men make up much of Facebooks workforce. Black employees hold about 1% of the technical roles, while Latino employees hold 3%, according to company data. Facebook has become more vulnerable to accusations of advertising discrimination because its microtargeting capabilities go beyond those of its rivals. It gathers consumer data using self-reported information by users as well as through tracking their online activity, building arguably the most complete consumer profile on earth. In 2017, Facebook earned 98% of its $40.65 billion in revenue from advertisers. Jan and Dwoskin write for the Washington Post. The muddled response by U.S. regulators and the Trump administration to the safety risks of the Boeing 737 Max raised fresh doubt about the international airworthiness not only of a jetliner but also of American leadership. Across the globe, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration for decades represented the gold standard for air safety a regulator whose decisions, particularly on American-made aircraft, boosted the confidence of plane travelers in New York, Miami and Los Angeles as well as London, Rio de Janeiro and Beijing. Yet since Sundays Ethiopian Airlines crash shortly after takeoff the second 737 Max to go down in less than five months foreign observers watched Washingtons handling of the crisis with mounting alarm. Critics at home and abroad blamed, at best, erratic decision-making and, at worst, domestic commercial interests, for what many of them decry as a flawed U.S. reaction. Protection of passengers is what the FAA is there for. Beyond any consideration, its safety, safety, safety. And traditionally, the FAA has been the best in the world, said Elmar Giemulla, a professor of aviation law at the Berlin University of Technology in Germany. But now, this has been spoiled. Advertisement After the March 10 crash, the FAA defended the 737 Max until reversing course on Wednesday, two days after China led a host of nations in grounding the jetliners. President Trump, meanwhile, fired off rambling tweets about newfangled planes before preempting his own regulators and announcing the U.S. decision to finally ground the aircraft based on new evidence that showed similarities between Sundays crash in Africa and that of another 737 Max crash in Indonesia in October. The outcome, critics say, has undermined American credibility as the pacesetter for global aircraft standards, while potentially ushering in a new era in which international regulators particularly those in China and Europe assert growing clout. The global response now stands in contrast to 2013, when foreign aviation authorities largely followed the U.S. lead in dealing with a rash of battery problems that led to the temporary grounding of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. This time, the FAA just looked idiotic, said Mary Schiavo, a former inspector general of the U.S. Transportation Department. Noting that Ethiopia has decided to send black boxes recovered from Sundays crash to France rather than the United States for analysis, she added, There is no way this doesnt erode confidence in American aviation regulation and American leadership. Giemulla said the delays in Washington have reinforced fears that the Trump administration is compromising the work of government agencies and experts in deference to the wishes of big companies such as Boeing. It fits the impression that the world outside the U.S. has of Donald Trump. And the suspicion, of course, is that he has ordered the FAA to deviate from its main task, he said. For some, the events of this week harked back to the international distrust of American financial regulators that surfaced after a toxic meltdown on Wall Street sparked the global financial crisis a decade ago. Yet it also fueled further concern over what critics call the recklessness of a Trump era driven by edicts via Twitter, impromptu trade wars and the on-again, off-again detente with North Korea. In the aftermath of the crash, global experts marveled at what they called a sudden rebellion in an area Washington once dominated: global aviation. The Americans may feel, and not without justification, that they have the greatest insight into the Boeing aircraft, said Sandy Morris, an aerospace analyst at Jefferies International in London. But this is a case when others in the world decided that they wanted to bring the risk of another accident down to zero. What youve seen here is a rebellion. Shanghai Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 planes in China. (Associated Press) Perhaps nowhere was U.S. leadership on aviation safety being questioned more than in China, the first country to ground the 737 Max an unprecedented move for a government that long followed cues from American authorities. A top Chinese regulator said his agency made its decision because the FAA and Boeing had not provided China with satisfactory answers about the airplanes software and safety issues after the first 737 Max crash of Lion Air Flight 610 in Indonesia that killed all 189 passengers and crew. Li Jian, deputy director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, or CAAC, suggested that the FAA was reluctant to take strong measures against the 737 Max. They have had difficulty making a decision, so we took the lead, Li told reporters. Chinas move triggered a cascade of other countries, including Britain, Canada and members of the European Union, to follow suit within 48 hours, effectively isolating the FAA before Trump ordered the planes temporarily grounded as well. Chinese officials probably welcomed the opportunity to establish their leadership credentials at an inflection point in the countrys aviation history, analysts said. Chinas civil aviation market is expected to eclipse that of the United States in three years, while its first homegrown passenger jet, the C919 narrow-body model that is designed to compete with the 737 Max, is also expected to take to the skies by the mid-2020s, at least in China. As China grows, as its aviation grows both as a market and manufacturer, as its products and technology develop, its obviously the intention of the Chinese government to take on more and more global leadership, said Guo Yufeng, chief executive of the Q&A Consulting firm in Guangzhou. In Europe, several aviation officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the process by which jets are grounded, said they traditionally looked to the FAA for guidance on U.S.-built planes. And for days, they stuck to that, opting not to take action in the face of mounting pressure to do so. As recently as Tuesday morning, regulators in some nations in Europe issued statements standing by the U.S. decision to keep the 737 Max flying. But within hours, European officials made a different determination, prompted in part by new satellite information suggesting similarities between the crash on Sunday and the Lion Air flight that went down October evidence the United States would not act on until later in the day on Wednesday. China says no to Max, FAA says dont worry, EU closes airspace. So much for U.S. leadership. Stephen Saideman, Canadian scholar Aviation safety is our number one priority & the EU is taking every step to ensure the safety of passengers, wrote the top European Union official in charge of transportation, Violeta Bulc, on Twitter. The outcry of international criticism was not universal few, for example, in Japan and South Korea appeared to challenge U.S. management of the crisis. But from Canada to China to the Middle East, a social media storm erupted over the erosion of American credibility. Smart friends of mine have pointed out the reactions to 737 Max might be inflection point for U.S. hegemony, tweeted Canadian scholar Stephen Saideman. China says no to Max, FAA says dont worry, EU closes airspace. So much for U.S. leadership. In Brazil, the controversy surrounding the 737 Max even before Sundays crash was not so much a rejection of U.S. leadership as an attempt to function in its absence. When the Max models were first introduced, for instance, Brazil ignored an FAA report that did not require additional pilot training for the aircrafts software, instead determining that such training was in fact needed. On March 11, Indias civil aviation regulator first announced that any pilot flying the 737 Max must have a minimum of 1,000 hours of experience and reserved the right to impose other restrictions based on information received from the FAA and Boeing. But as other countries grounded the planes entirely, Indias aviation regulator which eventually grounded the aircraft Tuesday night faced a growing chorus of criticism for its own delayed reaction. Critics there said the fact that the FAA was even slower to react undermined its role as a decider in such crises. We all live by their rules, said Neelam Mathews, a veteran aviation journalist based in New Delhi. Its very disappointing the way the FAA reacted. By Wednesday, the last major holdout besides the United States was Canada. As other countries grounded the planes, Ottawa stood with Washington. Canadian Transportation Minister Marc Garneau on Tuesday said the country would keep flying the 737 Max. That changed Wednesday morning. With domestic pressure growing, Garneau and Canada switched course, just hours ahead of Trump, citing new evidence from satellites and other sources. Canadian reporters pressed him on whether the U.S. had pressured Canada to keep the planes in the air. He said it had not. Hours later, Trump announced the United States was also grounding the planes. Were doing it almost as a simultaneous thing. Because we were coordinating with Canada. We were giving them information, they were giving us information, and we very much work in conjunction with Canada, he said. Rep. Maxine Waters on Thursday called for the firing of Wells Fargo & Co. Chief Executive Tim Sloan after the bank reported his pay increased last year by nearly $1 million despite continued consumer scandals. The 4.9% increase in total compensation in 2018, to $18.4 million, included a $2-million bonus, Wells Fargo said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday. Sloan earned $2.4-million base pay both years. He did not receive a bonus in 2017, but received more in stock, pension and other awards to bring his overall compensation to $17.6 million. The filing came a day after Sloan faced bipartisan anger about what Waters (D-Los Angeles) called the banks ongoing lawlessness during a hearing by the House Financial Services Committee, which the Los Angeles Democrat chairs. After the hearing, Waters suggested that regulators remove Sloan. Advertisement But Waters went a step further on Thursday. She called Sloans pay increase outrageous and wholly inappropriate, particularly because the bank was hit last year with an unprecedented regulatory cap on its growth because of its history of consumer abuses. Mr. Sloan shouldnt be getting a bonus, he should be shown the door, Waters said in a written statement. She joins Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in calling for Sloans removal. Warren, the Democratic presidential candidate, has pushed for his firing since 2017. I could go on but I don't need to: its clear that Tim Sloan isn't the right person to try to clean up @WellsFargo. His hands are too dirty from overseeing years of scams and scandals. Thats not just an informed opinion. Thats a fact. Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 28, 2019 Waters was not happy with Sloans performance during the four-hour hearing and concluded it by promising to reintroduce legislation that would direct regulators to downsize or even shut down banks with a pattern of violating consumer protection laws. It was very clear from Mr. Sloans testimony that Wells Fargo has failed to clean up its act, Waters reiterated Thursday. Maxine Waters wields gavel on powerful committee, but freshmen could make it challenging She noted that after the hearing, one of the banks regulators, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, took the unusual step of publicly declaring disappointment with Wells Fargos performance under consent orders designed to improve its operations and the banks inability to execute effective corporate governance. A Wells Fargo spokesman declined to comment. 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. Sloan was promoted to chief executive shortly after the scandal exploded in 2016. He replaced John Stumpf, who retired in the wake of the controversy. Wells Fargo has paid about $4 billion in settlements with regulators and plaintiffs who have brought private lawsuits over the unauthorized accounts and other problems. 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. On Monday, a report from 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. Wells Fargo announced in 2017 that it was overhauling the incentive compensation system that was at the root of the unauthorized-accounts scandal. But the report said new customer-unfriendly sales incentives have been put in place. Democratic congresswoman Susan Davis addressed growing concerns over cyber threats to the U.S. including potential election hacks and cyber warfare from foreign nations in a public talk Saturday at San Diego City College. The discussion, which included top-ranking cybersecurity experts, came just one day after the close of the long-anticipated Russian interference investigation conducted by special counsel Robert Mueller. His report, which has not been shared with the public, will reveal his conclusions on any interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election by Russia, including foreign cyber attacks and other high-tech meddling. We have seen state actors such as Russia utilize cyber to try and influence elections, or others to try and deny the capabilities of our military, Davis said. Its critically important that we invest in cyber technologies and do everything we can ensure we are at the cutting edge of research in this field. The timely panel discussion, hosted by Davis as part of a series of educational talks on global policy, touched on the intensifying risk of cyber attacks on governments, corporations, and individuals all for which the U.S. is unprepared, panelists said. Advertisement The events speakers included Shirley Adams, executive director of CyberTech; Mark Heckman, a cybersecurity professor at the University of San Diego; Eric Basu, CEO of cyber company Sentek Global; and Brian Marsh, SPAWAR assistant chief engineer. In the midst of a cyber Cold War As panelist Heckman put it, the world is in the midst of a cyber Cold War, during which threats are veiled and indirect. Concerns about Russia, of course, have risen to the forefront. Even before Muellers report is released, the probe has already produced a number of cyber-related indictments. Eleven Russian intelligence officers are accused of computer crimes in their efforts to hack Democratic National Committee computers and steal emails. And two Russian officials are accused of conspiring to hack into voting booths. Beyond Russia, Heckman said cyber adversaries to the U.S. include China, North Korea and Iran each of which has sophisticated and active cyber efforts underway. There are lots of things that could be considered hostile going on right now, Heckman said, including espionage, cyber attacks on infrastructure, the weaponization of social media, and malicious Trojan horse hardware built into Chinese electronics. Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego, holds a cybersecurity panel discussion Saturday. (Brittany Meiling/U-T) What can be done? Several panelists said the U.S. needs to focus on building its cybersecurity workforce to stay competitive globally. Here in San Diego, thousands of unfilled cybersecurity jobs have prompted efforts by universities and corporations to train more workers. Right now, China, Russia, and North Korea have an advantage over us, because they can take children at a very young age and put them into cybersecurity, Basu said. We dont have that. Panelists encouraged individuals to do what they can to protect their own data by beefing up cybersecurity practices at home and work. As far as more serious threats to grid infrastructure, the economy, and outside meddling in elections, panelists urged attendees to push companies and lawmakers for better, updated policy regarding technology. Its about the laws and the policy we have, which is still lagging from a technology perspective, Marsh said. Getting ahead of the technology is crucial. It gives us a level playing field to compete in. Basu said he was wary of overregulation, but did note that companies like Facebook and Google need more restraint. The power balance, he said, had shifted in the tech giants favor. Heckman added, Leveling out that balance is why we have congressmen. Davis take After the event, Davis told the Union-Tribune that the recent passage of anti-corruption bill H.R. 1 by House Democrats is a good step toward establishing updated policy around technology concerns. Among several provisions, the bill calls for more transparency from Facebook, Google and other digital companies to disclose campaign ad purchases and block certain purchases from foreign nationals. The bill, Davis said, highlights multiple areas of U.S. vulnerability. Wed certainly like to have our colleagues on the other side of the aisle join us on that, Davis said. As for the Mueller report, Davis has joined her colleagues in the House in asking for the document to be made public. It should all be out there, Davis said. We certainly dont want to compromise the national security of the United States, but Im afraid if so much is redacted then people wont believe it. The reality is that theres a lot of time and a lot of rigor in that report and I want to make sure people have a chance to know the results. Congress could be briefed as early as Sunday. Davis said she is sticking to her schedule, though, with plans to return to Washington on Monday. Business brittany.meiling@sduniontribune.com 619-293-1286 Twitter: @BrittanyMeiling Its the end of an era at the San Diego Zoo as the last two giant pandas will soon leave for China. In an announcement Monday, zoo officials said the pandas, Bai Yun, 27 a fixture at the zoo for 23 years and her son, Xiao Liwu, 6, must leave San Diego because a multi-year agreement with the Chinese to keep them here has ended. Zoo officials say sending the pandas back was always planned for April and was not prompted by any sudden request from the Chinese government. The iconic black and white bamboo eaters have had a consistent presence at the zoo since 1996. The last day pandas can be viewed by the public is expected to be April 27. With their impending departure, it is unknown if or when new pandas might inhabit the zoo again. Zoo officials are unable to say whether the wait is a matter of months or years. Advertisement We have high hopes for pandas returning but I dont know that we have any set date when they might return, said Shawn Dixon, chief operating officer for the San Diego Zoo. There are still pandas at Smithsonians National Zoo in Washington, D.C., Zoo Atlanta and the Memphis Zoo In the two decades since the first pandas arrived, the captivating animals have become intertwined with the image of San Diego. Their images grace T-shirts and postcards promoting the region, and they even had a starring role in the 2004 Anchorman movie. In the film, San Diego news anchors had a daily feature the Panda Watch chronicling the impending birth of a panda. While the prospect of no new pandas for the indefinite future might alarm panda fans, there is a promising sign: The zoo has no plans to take down the animals exhibit, in hopes they will get more pandas. Several zoo officials are planning to go to China in the coming months to have in-person negotiations with leaders of its panda program. We know our community is going to be sad when they hear this, but its a time for celebration, Dixon said. They are going home to their home country. It truly is a celebration of all the work we have done. While lines are often long to catch a glimpse of the pandas at their enclosure, officials say they do not anticipate a drop in attendance once the pandas leave because all of its other exhibits. The San Diego panda program has been very successful by most measures, producing six cubs and developing techniques now used around the world to keep young pandas alive. When pandas first came to the zoo in 1996, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, had listed the species as endangered. Twenty years later, they were downgraded to vulnerable. Two decades ago, the wild population of pandas was estimated to be less than 1,000. As of the latest count in 2014, there were 1,864 pandas living in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Another panda at the zoo, 28-year-old Gao Gao, returned to China in October. Gao Gao and Bai Yun produced five cubs together, including Xiao Liwu. All three will be back together at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Dujiangyan. Dont expect much of a reunion pandas are very solitary and arent expected to interact. Pandas are only native to China, so all pandas in American zoos are on loan from the Chinese government. Even those born on American soil are considered property of China. Its unclear from zoo officials what their negotiating strategy will be with the Chinese, or if whatever program comes next would necessarily involve breeding. The species is the rarest of all bears and lives among damp bamboo forests in southwestern China. Most of the decline in numbers has largely been attributed to human encroachment, but pandas are also notoriously difficult to breed. They only mate one to two days a year and successful pregnancies are rare. Xiao Liwu in October 2018 (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) It is unknown exactly when the pandas will leave. Bai Yun and her son Xiao Liwu will travel by plane and be attended to by numerous keepers and veterinarians. Bai Yun is expected to go into a retirement wing of the center, and Xiao Liwu will eventually be put in a breeding situation. Zoo officials said it was bittersweet to say goodbye to the pandas but they were proud of everything they accomplished over 23 years. The intent was to prevent the extinction of the species. This program can be looked at as one of a handful of programs that have actually prevented the extension of a key species, said Carmi Penny, director of husbandry sciences at the zoo. While there might be tension with the Chinese government and the Trump administration over tariffs, zoo officials say that sort of issue doesnt filter down to those who are working with pandas in both nations. A storied history Pandas first took San Diego by storm in 1987 when two pandas Basi and Yuan Yuan stayed for 200 days. The pandas were a sensation, drawing more than 2 million visitors, the zoo said. A 1987 article in the San Diego Evening Tribune described their arrival as a fanfare usually saved for humans as news reporters, TV cameramen and zoo employees fawned over the pair. The price of a one-day adult ticket at the time was $8.50 and $2.50 for children. Now it is $56 for an adult and $46 for a child (ages 3 to 11). Pandas did not return again until 1996, when Bai Yun and another panda, Shi Shi, arrived at the zoo from the Wolong Panda Preserve in China. Both were supposed to stay 12 years, although Bai Yun remained 13 years longer. The pandas, in special traveling crates, were loaded onto a moving truck and escorted by the California Highway Patrol to the zoo. Things were rocky at first with Shi Shi, who was not interested in mating with Bai Yun. Regardless, Bai Yun gave birth to her first panda, Hua Mei, in 1999 by artificial insemination. That panda became the first one born in the United States to survive and grow into adulthood. In 2003, Gao Gao showed up and quickly began a successful pairing with Bai Yun. A son, Mei Sheng, was born in 2003. Four other cubs followed: Su Lin in 2005, Zhen Zhen in 2007, Yun Zi in 2009 and the last, Xiao Liwu, in 2012. Under the agreement with the Chinese government, most young pandas born in other countries are supposed to go back to China when they are around three years old. Xiao Liwu, though, has now stayed longer than expected, as has Bai Yun, who was allowed to remain because of how much success she had in breeding. Xiao Liwu, seven months old, in March 2013 with mother Bai Yun. (Peggy Peattie / Peggy Peattie) Even if San Diego never gets another panda, the legacy of the zoos program will likely be viewed as a positive step in the rebuilding of the species. Bob Weise, chief life sciences officer at the zoo, said several of the six cubs have gone on to have children of their own, building on a lineage originating in San Diego. At the time that that pandas were brought to the United States in 1996, the survival rate for cubs was 10 percent to 20 percent, Weise said. Now, there is a 95 percent likelihood they will survive, he said, and part of that is because of work done at American zoos. One of those advances came from a San Diego Zoo nutritionist who developed a milk formula for cubs from Bai Yuns lactation that is now in widespread use. The formula is especially useful if the mother panda is not giving her cub enough milk. The milk that panda newborns need to survive is much more nutrient-dense than that of many species and is crucial for survival, making any neglect from the mother potentially disastrous. Congcong Zheng, a Chinese-born entrepreneurship professor at San Diego State University, noted that pandas have been used throughout history as a goodwill gesture by the Chinese. Its something only the Chinese have, she said. It signifies something uniquely Chinese. At the same time, they are really cute and people around the world like them. It has been a way for the Chinese government to establish friendships. As beloved as the pandas are in San Diego, its unlikely their absence at the zoo will dampen visitation or lower the institutions profile, said Joe Terzi, CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority. It will continue to be a place that people all over the world come to see, with or without the pandas, he said. The zoo is bigger than just the panda exhibit. A lazy day More than 100 people waited in line Friday to see Xiao Liwu on a cool 64-degree day. The line slowly snaked through the exhibit until the end where adults and children crowded around the six-year-old panda. Xiao Liwu climbed around the tree fort-style enclosure and plopped down in one of his favorite spots to sit. A ray of sunshine illuminated the top of his head as he leaned back with a bamboo stalk. He put the stalk in his mouth and peeled off outer layers to begin his meal. Visitors were squishing against each other to see Xiao Liwu, although he didnt seem to notice. One gets the impression the panda was completely content and having a good day. Hes right there, yelled Brooklyn Putich, 6, of Chino, as she finally got her first look at the panda and climbed on railings to get a better look. Families of young children made up much of the crowd, leading to the occasional baby stroller traffic jam. Stephanie Toscano, of Tucson, Ariz., said she was in town for a wedding and decided to take her 4-year-old daughter Adynn to the zoo. Shes waited all day for this. She wouldnt stop talking about it, Toscano said. Zoo officials said none of the staff that worked with the pandas will be laid off, but will instead work with other animals. Still, it will be tough for employees that worked with the pandas each day to say goodbye, especially to Bai Yun, who has lived in San Diego for 23 years. She was the perfect panda, said Carmi Penny, the husbandry director at the zoo. She was behaviorally stable, very intelligent, very inquisitive, not aggressive. Just a nice, good animal. Bai Yun was not on display for much of Friday, but no one seemed to notice with Xiao Liwu content to put on a show. He got up from his sitting spot, climbed across logs in the enclosure, grabbed another bamboo stalk, leaned back and started to chew again. Each movement was captured by dozens of smartphones. Staff writer Bradley J. Fikes contributed to this article Business phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnar ALSO Is San Diego County done building single-family homes? San Diego County apartment rush continues. More than 4,500 planned for 19 New Tijuana condo towers will hit record heights When Leslie Borns first child was born in September 2014, the medical team quickly realized something wasnt right. Her newborn son had low muscle tone, feeding challenges and developmental delays. But what was the cause? This diagnostic mystery led to a month-long stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), several inconclusive genetic tests and numerous follow-up visits. It took nearly a year before geneticists finally arrived at a diagnosis: a rare disorder called Schaaf-Yang Syndrome. At the time, her son was the 17th case diagnosed in the world, and the only one in San Diego. I have yet to meet a doctor who has heard of my sons condition before Ive told them about it, Born said. You go to the doctor to seek answers. But a lot of the times were the ones with answers for the doctors. Advertisement While their sons syndrome is uncommon, the Born family of Poway is not alone. According to 2015 data from a U.S. Census Bureau survey, approximately 18,000 children in the county have a major disability. The technologies have gotten so much better that children are actually are surviving and living longer than they ever have been before, said Dr. Bretten Pickering. He is the medical director for the Rady Childrens Hospital Special Needs Clinic and clinical professor of pediatrics at UCSD School of Medicine. For the last 25 years, Pickerings medical practice has focused on children with the highest level of medical complexity. Many of his patients are dependent on wheelchairs, feeding tubes, breathing devices and round-the-clock nursing care. The stress level for these families is very high, Pickering said. There is also significant medical and financial stress because of all of the needs that their children have which are not covered by insurance. Carlos Flores is executive director of the San Diego Regional Center which serves nearly 30,000 adults and children with disabilities in the county. He said in many families where both parents were working, one will decide to quit to care for their child with the developmental disability. Statistics show approximately 40 percent of primary parents will leave the workforce. In some cases, it just changes the family dynamic, Flores said. There is a large amount of care. Four-year-old Nathan Born (Julie Favis/PHOTOS) Five months into her sons life, Born became a full-time caregiver. The number of therapies and appointments her infant son required were incompatible with her full-time work schedule. Medically fragile children are also more likely to require unexpected hospitalizations which may pull their parents out of work. While there is little statistical evidence that parents of children with special needs have overall higher divorce rates, both Pickering and Flores anecdotally state they can see the enormous pressures caregiving can place on the marriage. We see a lot of families breaking up because of the stress, Flores said. Deborah Setzer of Jamul has two grown children and an adolescent daughter on the autism spectrum. When your whole life becomes consumed by a special needs child it becomes pretty much all you (and your spouse) have in common, Setzer said. Its hard to break away from that when you have a chance to be a couple. Her special needs journey began when her youngest daughter was born deaf. She received a cochlear implant when she was 3 years old. Her autism diagnosis came at age 5. Now 17, her daughter has difficulties behaving socially, practicing hygiene, and communicating. Currently, she is at risk of engaging in self-injurious behavior, such as banging her head against hard surfaces. Our daughter is going to need caregiving the rest of her life, Setzer said. She doesnt have a sense of danger. Its constant care. We dont even leave her in the house to go to the store which is 50 feet away. Setzer and her husband are retired from careers in law enforcement. They have one paid caregiver that they can rely on occasionally to help but find it difficult to get a much-needed time away. Were tired, were exhausted, Setzer said. A lack of qualified homecare nurses in the state can make it hard to get support, even when a family is eligible for respite care. In San Diego County, there is a lack of nurses, so there are inadequate nursing respite services, Flores said. RegisteredNursing.org has predicted that this trend will continue and Californias nursing shortage will be the countrys highest by 2030. In Pickerings practice, helping his patients thrive often requires looking at the family as a whole. You have to put down the keyboard and sit and talk and find out a little about the family. What is their day like? For the Born household, which now includes two young children and a third on the way, every day is hectic. While 4-year-old Nathan is thriving, the time and skill required to care for him are significant. He is fed exclusively by a feeding tube and relies on a walker and a wheelchair to get around. Between special needs school, therapies, and medical appointments, his schedule is jam-packed. There are a lot of unspoken responsibilities you dont realize that come with special-needs kids, Born said. You kind of get thrown into being a superhero. Born also found much to love about being his mother. My son cant talk, he cant walk, and he cant feed himself. So we a have all of those struggles, she said. But he is the sweetest child. Hes just happy all of the time. Despite the challenges of autism, Setzer has also found taking care of her youngest daughter tremendously rewarding. She remembered one incident was particularly meaningful. I tucked her in at night and, for the first time, she said I love you, momma. It makes it worth everything. Her caregiving experience has made Setzer more appreciative of the sacrifices of others like her. There are heroes walking around us every day, she said. Quiet heroes who are taking care of a special person. They never say anything. They give their life up to take care of them. Amialya Durairaj is a health-writing consultant at Little Octopus and co-creator of Mindful Returns Balancing Career with a Special Needs Baby program. She lives in San Diego with her husband and twin daughters. The All Tribes American Indian Charter School in Valley Center was recognized by the California Charter Schools Association for its work educating Native American students. On March 12, the schools founders and administrators, Michelle Parada and Mary Ann Donohue, received the Hart Vision Award at the 26th Annual Charter Schools Conference in Sacramento. The California Charter Schools Association bestows the annual award to recognize achievements of charter public schools, leaders, teachers and advocates in honor of Gary K. Hart, retired state senator, former California Secretary of Education and author of Californias charter public school legislation. Native American students in California have long seen achievement gaps in public schools, and scored 36.8 points below grade level standards for English language arts, and 73 points below grade level standards for math in 2018, according to the California School Dashboard. Advertisement Parada and Donohue founded All Tribes American Indian Charter School in 2001 to address problems in the Native American community including low high suicide and dropout rates, along with low academic performance and low graduation rates. Their drive and passion to provide a quality education to all students helped change how much the community valued a public education, the charter school association said in a statement about the award. The K-12 school combines academic instruction in the context of Native American culture, according to its website. It aims to help students develop positive self images about their identity, to see their culture affirmed, and engage with people who care for them at school. There are 96 students enrolled at the school, which serves students from San Diego area reservations, including the San Pasqual and Pala Bands of Mission Indians, and the Pauma, Rincon and La Jolla Bands of Luiseno Indians, as well as other students from the general area. Besides founding the charter school, Parada and Donohue provide foster care, and offer housing, financial, and emotional support to the school community, to make sure that students have the help they need to succeed in school, according to the charter school association. deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan A citizens group of growth-control advocates will not be permitted to intervene in two housing-related lawsuits against the city of Encinitas that were filed two years ago, a Superior Court judge has ruled. Allowing the Preserve Proposition A group to have a voice in the court process now as an official intervener would unnecessarily delay litigation that finally is headed toward resolution, Judge Robert Dahlquist wrote Friday as he rejected the groups recent request to participate. Group members and their attorney could have made their request back when the first lawsuit was filed, but they elected to sit on the sidelines and watch as the lawsuit has unfolded, he wrote. Now, after the merits of the lawsuit have been fully adjudicated, (the group) wants to jump into the fray and re-litigate the case all over again. There is no good reason for the court to allow this to happen, and there are very compelling reasons not to allow it to happen. Advertisement One key compelling reason, the judge wrote, is that Encinitas has been out of compliance for years with state housing law and needs to resolve this situation immediately. Encinitas is the only city in San Diego County that lacks a valid Housing Element, a state-mandated planning document that spells out how a city proposes to handle its future growth, particularly the housing needs of low-income people. The city is currently being sued by the both the Building Industry Association of San Diego and San Diego Tenants United over its lack of compliance with state law. In order to meet the state planning requirement, Encinitas must agree to designate a group of properties as spots for additional housing and increase those properties zoning so that denser projects, particularly lower-cost, multi-family apartment complexes can be built. Building higher-density housing in town has been very controversial and thats been a problem because the city has to obtain voter approval for the proposed zoning changes. Because of the provisions of the Prop. A growth-control measure, Encinitas needs voter approval for any proposed increases in housing density or building height. Voters have turned down two of the citys proposed housing plans, including the Measure U plan which was rejected in November. After that plan failed to win voter approval, the judge overseeing the two court cases ordered the city to submit a housing plan to the state within 120 days and said Encinitas would be allowed to temporarily exempt itself from the voter requirements of Prop. A to get its planning project done. It was this court directive that led the Prop. A group to file its intervener request, Everett DeLano, the groups attorney, said Monday. Prior to that point, Prop. A supporters believed the city was following Prop. As voter approval requirements. Up until that moment, they were doing their duty, he said, calling the new directive a sea change. DeLano added that he found Dahlquists decision to reject Preserve Proposition As new intervener request interesting reading, saying the judge essentially told his group that it shouldnt intervene now, but could file its own lawsuit later if the citys housing plan isnt acceptable. Essentially, the judge is saying you have your rights .... bring a case against the city, he said, adding that group members havent yet decided what steps theyll take next. The latest housing plan proposal thats working its way through the review process is a modified version of the Measure U plan that voters rejected in November. The new plan contains slightly higher building height limits and some changes to the way building density is calculated. The City Council gave its initial stamp of approval to this plan earlier this month, and it is scheduled to be sent to the state for its review before an April 11, court-ordered deadline. The legalization of recreational marijuana in California left American Indians out in the cold. Proposition 64, approved by voters in 2016, lets local governments decide whether to allow cannabis dispensaries to operate within their jurisdictions. But it made no provisions for tribes. As far as the state is concerned, tribes can do whatever they want with cannabis on their reservations, which are considered sovereign nations. But they cannot operate in the licensed California market, said Alex Traverso, a spokesman for the California Bureau of Cannabis Control, which oversees licensing of dispensaries. Advertisement For the past couple years, a number of tribes have been trying to get that changed. But the state is insisting that its regulators must have control over any operations on reservation land, something tribal officials say is unacceptable. The ability to regulate themselves in all matters is a basic tenet of their sovereign status as independent nations, they say. The result is Indian tribes have been shut out of the far more lucrative California cannabis market because they cant sell their product outside of tribal lands. Recently, the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel in northeast San Diego County opened a dispensary inside what used to be a casino that went belly up in 2014. The Mountain Source Dispensary is the first on tribal land in the county, but most likely will not be the last. Most of the former casino building for the past few years has hosted the Santa Ysabel Botanical Facility, where marijuana is grown and a sophisticated laboratory has been operating, run by private cannabis companies leasing the space from the tribe. As of now, Santa Ysabel can only sell the pot grown on the reservation at its lone dispensary or to other tribal operations. David Vialpando, the head of the Santa Ysabel Tribal Cannabis Regulatory Agency, said he expects other local tribes will open dispensaries. We have other tribes that have expressed an interest with doing business with Santa Ysabels tenants, he said. As predicted, there will be additional dispensaries opening up on tribal lands throughout California. He said discussions are being held with a couple local tribes. I dont think there are any plans in place, he said. Everybody moves cautiously in this space. But the expectation is that there will be other tribes in the area that will take advantage of the need that is out there. For two years, 23 of the states 109 recognized American Indian nations have been working toward creating legislation in Sacramento that would allow tribes to enter the general cannabis California market. Theyve met with lawmakers, representatives of the governors office, and hired lobbyists, including former Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante, to press their cause. Vialpando, in addition to his position with Santa Ysabel, is also the executive director of C-NACA, the California Native American Cannabis Association, which includes five of the countys 18 federally recognized tribes as members: Sycuan, Campo, Manzanita, Los Coyotes and Santa Ysabel. Of those tribes, only Santa Ysabel and a representative of Sycuan provided information. Adam Day, chief administrative officer for the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, said the tribe is closely watching the market but would not say whether the successful East County gaming and resort tribe is seriously thinking about getting into marijuana. Its certainly in Sycuans interest to insure that if there is an industry that others are allowed to participate in, we want to have that opportunity as well, Day said. I can tell you we dont have a current business in that field. But we are actively looking at exploring the issue to insure that if we were ever to get into that field that we have the ability to do so. Vialpando said after the passage of Prop. 64, C-NACA was formed and meetings were held with numerous people at the capitol. We met with state officials and were basically told by folks from the governors office, look, you werent included in Prop. 64. There is no place for tribes in the California market. Do whatever you want on the reservation. We have no control over that. But there is no provision for the state to allow tribes to participate, or even non-tribal entities on tribal lands. Vialpando said it was suggested that C-NACA work toward legislation and twice bills were proposed creating a pathway for tribes into the cannabis market. Each time those failed because there was a large constituency of stakeholders that were opposed, he said. So the tribal cannabis organization hired Bustamante and many more meetings were held. There was a lot of time and energy and money spent on this grassroots effort to create legislation that was fair to tribes and acceptable to the state, Vialpando said. And we did it. We managed to turn all of those who were opposed into either supporters or (to agree) to taking no position. Even the California Cannabis Industry Association became supporters.We had a groundswell of support and thought we were good. A bill sponsored by Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) was about to go to the Legislature. I believe tribes absolutely deserve the right to participate in the same legal, regulated cannabis market as other stakeholders, Bonta said Friday in a statement. Our past legislative efforts have proposed policies that were consistent with the principles of tribal sovereignty and self-governance and would have achieved this objective while protecting the public and the environment. But shortly before the bill was to be heard, a final meeting at the governorss office killed everything. We were told they didnt think legislation was needed at all, Vialpando said. They said just defer all regulatory authority to the state. They wanted the state to regulate all aspects of cannabis on tribal lands and to make sure revenues are shared with the state. Basically, Vialpando said, the state was demanding that the tribes waive their sovereignty. They wanted us to waive our identity, he said That was a non-starter. After that meeting, the proposed legislation fell apart and Santa Ysabel changed its own tribal statutes to allow for dispensaries on their reservations as a pathway for our non-tribal commercial businesses to actually continue operating without going into economic extinction. The tribes are now hoping Gov. Gavin Newsom will be open to the idea of working with them to create a way to allow Indians to enter the lucrative California marketplace. Letters have been sent, but so far no indication has come from the governors office about a willingness to talk. With little fanfare or advertising, the Santa Ysabel dispensary opened in early February. Since media reports about the operation were written, business has boomed, Vialpando said. They are now averaging about 60 customers a day despite the remote location off state Route 79. The majority of customers are older people with canes and walkers looking to purchase cannabis to manage various pains. The old myth of marijuana dispensaries attracting all the tweakers in the area is just not our experience and we dont expect it to be the experience of other tribes who replicate our regulatory model, he said. News of the Santa Ysabel dispensary upset San Diego County Board of Supervisor Chairwoman Dianne Jacob. The county took the position in 2017 not to allow dispensaries in the unincorporated parts of the county. All of the reservations in the county are located in unincorporated San Diego, albeit on their own independent reservations. She then wrote to the Attorney Generals office looking for clarification of the law. I am concerned that the cannabis dispensary on the Santa Ysabel reservation is operating in the dark with little to no oversight, Jacob wrote. This constitutes both a public safety and a public health hazard for those who visit the dispensary, and for the surrounding community due to impaired drivers navigating the rural areas challenging roads. The Attorney General has not yet responded, Jacobs office said. Reacting to the letter, Santa Ysabel sent Jacob a letter inviting her to the reservation to see for herself what is happening. It said cannabis regulations the tribe operates under are in many instances stricter than those enforced by the state anywhere else in California. They also point out that the operation employs about 100 people, making it one of the biggest employers in that part of the county. We welcome the opportunity to address any concerns you may have, answer any questions, and engage in constructive dialogue designed to ensure the safety of customers and employees working at the Santa Ysabel Botanical Facility and maximize our effectiveness in ensuring the accountability of cannabis cultivated, processed, and distributed from the Nations lands, Santa Ysabel Tribal Chairman Virgil Perez wrote. One of the reasons we would love to have the supervisor or members of her staff come up is to allay some of the fears and concerns, and to certainly seek her input on how we can do things better, Vialpando added. A spokesman for Jacob said on Friday the supervisor intends to take the tribe up on its offer. A date has not yet been set. jharry.jones@sduniontribune.com; 760/529-4931; Twitter: @jharryjones Although 100 years of life may have weakened his body and hearing, Pearl Harbor veteran Joe Walsh said his memory is still razor-sharp about the two hours of terror and pure adrenaline he experienced the morning of Dec. 7, 1941. You dont forget something like that, Walsh said in an interview at his 100th birthday party on Sunday, the day before his actual centennial. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Joe Walsh photographed in Guam in 1945, during World War II. On March 18, the Vista resident turned 100 years old. (Courtesy photo) Walsh, then a Marine in the 3rd Defense Battalion, was at a color guard ceremony in the Navy Yard near the mouth of Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attack began. He and his fellow Marines manned three 50-inch anti-aircraft guns, trying to shoot down the invading planes before they could sink the American battleships near the harbors entrance. Advertisement I didnt have time to get scared, he recalled on Sunday. You dont think about it. You did what you were told to do. You manned your gun and tried to get anyone you could. More than 2,400 Americans died in the unprovoked attack that ushered America into World War II. For decades, Walsh didnt talk much about his war experiences with his wife, Bea, or their six children. But that changed in the mid-1980s, when he helped organize, and then served as the longtime president of, the North County chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. At its peak, Chapter 31 had 130 members, but Walsh is now the last surviving member, following the Feb. 15 death of Navy veteran John Quier of Fallbrook. Walsh said Sunday that it was important to him to help start the chapter and to host its annual Dec. 7 commemoration ceremony at the small-craft fishing pier at Oceanside Harbor. Walsh and Quier also successfully campaigned in 2006 to have the city install a Pearl Harbor memorial monument by the pier. The guys who were over there who didnt make it back deserved to be remembered, Walsh said. We didnt want to forget any of them. Pearl Harbor veteran Joe Walsh, right, chats with a family member at his birthday party on Sunday. (Pam Kragen/San Diego Union-Tribune) Sundays birthday celebration was held at Pacifica Senior Living, a retirement community in Vista where Walsh moved two years ago with his 95-year-old wife, LaVonne, who goes by the nickname Bea. She is also a Marine veteran, having served in the Aviation Womens Reserve Squadron 21 at Brown Field in Quantico, Va. She was one of just 23,000 women who enlisted during World War II. Sitting in side-by-side wheelchairs, the Walshes were the guests of honor at a party that drew nearly 50 visitors, including five of their six children, cousins, nieces, nephews and former neighbors, as well as family members of Chapter 31 members who have died. The Walshes enjoyed slices from a sheet cake decorated with the words A Prince of a Fellow, a childhood nickname that stuck with him because he was so well-regarded by others, said daughter Joanie Culver of Fallbrook. A native of East Orange, N.J., Walsh joined the Marines in 1938 not for the adventure but for the steady income it would provide. It was the Great Depression and jobs were scarce, he said. Culver said her dad earned $19 a week in the Marines and sent $10 from every paycheck home to his mom, who had raised him and his siblings alone after his father abandoned the family when Joe was 5. U.S. Rep. Mike Levin holds the congressional record recognizing married Marine veterans LaVonne Bea Walsh, 95, and Joe Walsh, 100, at Pacifica Senior Living in Vista on Saturday. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Drake Nickels) Walsh served in the Marines for nine years, retiring at the rank of gunnery sergeant. Later, he worked in the book publishing industry, according to local World War II historian Linda Dudik, who wrote the Walshes biography for her website The World War II Experience at wwiiexperience.com. None of his sons followed Walsh into the military, and if they did I wouldve broken their legs, he joked on Sunday. Although he was proud to have served his country, Walsh said his war experiences were challenging and often harsh, especially a period of severe deprivation stationed at Johnston Atoll, an air base in the Pacific. It was pretty rough, he said. All I could think of was how to get the hell out. On Saturday, the Walshes were recognized for their service by Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, who visited them at their retirement community and read them the congressional minutes from when he honored them for their patriotism. On Sunday, partygoers took turns kneeling or sitting down next to Walsh to offer good wishes and share memories. Attired in a green blazer, tie and felt bowler hat in honor of St. Patricks Day, Walsh said he was delighted with all of the hoopla. Im a man with a lot of riches, he said. pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com Encinitas schools have won two of the top honors in the 2019 Civic Learning Awards, co-sponsored by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and Chief Justice of California Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye. Thurmond recently announced 92 California schools that won awards in the program, now in its seventh year. The awards celebrate public schools efforts to engage students in civic learning through classes, clubs and programs that prepare them for participation in democracy. The awards also identify successful models that can be replicated in other schools. Flora Vista Elementary School in the Encinitas Union School District is one of three winners of the 2019 Award of Excellence. The other two are Lexington Junior High School and Cypress High School, both in Orange County. At Flora Vista, students developed budgets and proposals for the school board on how to conserve energy in the classroom, organized to decrease trash and debris on their campus, and helped find ways to assist children in Africa to get clean drinking water. Advertisement Cantil-Sakauye visits schools receiving Awards of Excellence, the highest level. I commend our schools and teachers for their creativity and commitment to civic education, she said in a statement. They are giving students the skills they will need as active participants and leaders in our democracy. She will visit Flora Vista on April 17 to present the award. Encinitas district schools are no strangers to these awards: El Camino Creek Elementary won an Award of Excellence in 2018 and an Award of Distinction in 2017, and Flora Vista won Awards of Distinction in 2018 and 2017. La Costa Heights Elementary School in Carlsbad, also in the Encinitas district, was one of the six schools receiving 2019 Awards of Distinction and the only one in San Diego County. Eighty-three schools won Awards of Merit, two in North County: Rancho Buena Vista High School in the Vista Unified School District, and Del Lago Academy, Campus of Applied Sciences, in the Escondido Union High School District. Three other San Diego County schools received Awards of Merit: Crawford High School, San Diego; De Portola Middle School, Tierrasanta; and Liberty Charter High School, Lemon Grove. Having had the chance to teach a civics class, and from my time working with students in the Legislature, Im a huge supporter of engaging students in civics early, which helps to engage them for life, said Thurmond in a statement. The awards have recognized more than 300 schools since they began in 2013. Find more at https://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/civiclearningaward.asp. laura.groch@sduniontribune.com Info At the Bio-Gastro-Messe, the city of Bonn was presented with the certificate of accession to the Network of Biocities. The goals of the network are: To promote organic farming, the further processing and demand for organic food with short transport routes and regional value creation; Priority for organic food at public institutions, events and markets; To network the organic sector within the framework of economic development and to promote jobs in a forward-looking sector; To ensure that state funding policy focuses considerably more on the organic sector and corresponding cooperation projects and that agricultural and economic policy measures are more closely interlinked with municipal activities. North County Transit District has postponed the removal of about 90 bus stops, saying it needs more time to address concerns and to post notices at each of the locations to be eliminated. We are unfortunately behind schedule in deployment of signage at stops slated for removal, said NCTD communications officer Kimy Wall. Notices must be posted at each stop at least 30 days in advance, she said. As a result, the service that had been scheduled to end April 7 will now end April 21. NCTD has 30 bus routes with 1,800 stops. Plans call for the elimination of 27 stops in Oceanside, 18 in Escondido, 13 in Encinitas, 11 in Carlsbad, 10 in Vista, seven in Solana Beach and three each in San Marcos and San Diego. Advertisement Each city is represented by one of its city council members on the transit districts board of directors. Feedback from the city of Solana Beach resulted in the retention of four bus stops there that were previously proposed for elimination, Wall said. Carlsbad and at least one individual also had questions about some of the stops, she said. Jason Haber, assistant to the Carlsbad city manager, said there was some back and forth between Carlsbad and transit district officials, but the city did not plan to dispute any of the proposed removals. Its just been requests for additional information, Haber said. An Oceanside planning official last week did not object to the closures there and said speeding up service could be an incentive to get more people to ride buses. Bus ridership has declined across the country for at least the past decade, as people turn to online ride-hailing services such as Uber and other transportation alternatives. More than 6.4 million bus trips were taken on the districts Breeze buses in 2018, a drop of 26 percent from the 8.7 million trips taken in 2009. NCTD sent letters in January to all the cities in its service area announcing the optimization program and the specific stops to be eliminated. The program was outlined to the NCTD board in February. The truth of the matter is weve got to make transit a lot more competitive and a lot better, district Executive Director Matt Tucker told the board. To do that, this is the easy step. He also suggested that more cuts could be coming. If you squirm over this, you are really going to squirm later in the process, as we get down to the consolidation and the optimization so we can raise that quality, Tucker said. No one from the public or on the board objected to any of the closures at the Feburary meeting. Stops to be eliminated are under-used, have other stops nearby, and have limited or no facilities such as benches and shelters, district officials said. Most have five or fewer riders per day and dont comply with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Other factors considered included proximity to schools, medical services and disadvantaged communities. The closures announced for April are the first phase of a program that could include additional eliminations in the second phase. In the third phase, the district plans to add amenities to the most heavily used remaining stops and making them ADA compliant. The timeline and potential implementation of future phases will largely be addressed based on the results of comprehensive studies that will begin this year, Wall said. A full list of the stops to be eliminated is posted on the districts website, www.goNCTD.com. NCTD also has announced it plans to increase fares for the first time in 10 years. The new fares would be coordinated with changes by the Metropolitan Transit System in San Diego as part of an effort to ease passenger transfers between the two systems. NCTDs basic one-way bus fare of $1.75 is expected to increase to $2.50, but so far no date has been announced for the new ticket prices to take effect. philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @phildiehl The Super Bloom has been an economic boon for Borrego Springs. A stunning array of colorful desert wildflowers throughout Anza-Borrego Desert State Park has brought thousands of visitors the past few weeks, leading to record-breaking economic activity in the small town located in the middle of the states largest park. I feel that this year we are way more organized and people are having a really enjoyable time, park volunteer Christie Barber said during a respite from answering questions in front of the Anza-Borrego Foundations state park store. This time around, unlike in 2017 when the first Super Bloom in a decade brought a crush of visitors and problems to the community, Borrego Springs was ready. Advertisement They made sure businesses were supplied properly and that dozens of portable toilets were spread out strategically near the most popular flower fields and in town. Dumpsters were rented by the dozens, and traffic control measures were put in place at the bottom of the Montezuma Road grade, where massive traffic jams had happened two years ago. Absolutely, Borrego Springs is shining thanks to the preparation and the work put into it by Borregans in anticipation of this wonderful flower bloom, said Patrick Sampson, president of the local chamber of commerce. 1 / 25 Visitors to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park walk through a sea of flowers in Henderson Canyon. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 25 The butterflies were out in Henderson Canyon at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 25 Michelle Han, left, her husband, Thomas Han, center, and their daughter, Ashley Han, right, from 4S Ranch take a selfie photo of themselves while in a bed of wildflowers off DiGiorgio Road north of Borrego Springs. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 25 Visitors to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park stop to enjoy, and take photos as they make their way up the Cactus Loop Trail. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 25 Sam Lim from Garden Grove in Orange County takes photos of the desert dandelions in a field off Borrego Springs Road. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 25 Jon Derenburger of Normal Heights shoots video of a butterfly while visiting Henderson Canyon in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 25 Visitors walk and drive along Palm Canyon Drive in Borrego Springs. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 25 Selden McKee, center, a Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association volunteer gives Christy Lam, left, of Moorpark in Ventura County, and Karl and Rosie Galla of Redlands in San Bernardino County, advice on where to find the wildflowers in the area. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 25 Henderson Canyon is alive with color in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 25 A caterpillar makes its way along the side of Henderson Canyon Road in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 25 Carlees Food and Spirits was packed, just like most businesses in Borrego Springs, from visitors enjoying the wildflowers in the area. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 25 Visitors walk along Palm Canyon Drive in Borrego Springs. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 13 / 25 Poppies predominantly cover much of the south-facing hillsides and surrounding area above San Felipe Wash, just north of Highway 78 in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 14 / 25 Michael Stewart, of Pacific Beach takes photos of Emily Vaccarezza, also of Pacific beach, while visiting Henderson Canyon in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 15 / 25 Theres plenty of colors along the Borrego Palm Canyon Trail in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 16 / 25 Chuparosa can be seen from the Borrego Palm Canyon Trail in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 17 / 25 Bigelows monkey flower can be seen from the Borrego Palm Canyon Trail in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 18 / 25 Poppies are near the south-facing hillsides above San Felipe Wash, just north of Highway 78 in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 19 / 25 Vehicles are parked along Yaqui Pass Road in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park near the Cactus Loop Trail. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 20 / 25 Poppies predominantly cover much of the south-facing hillsides above San Felipe Wash, just north of Highway 78 in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 21 / 25 The Borrego Palm Canyon Trail in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is alive with color from the wildflowers. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 22 / 25 A sea of wildflowers off DiGiorgio Road north of Borrego Springs. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 23 / 25 A constant flow of visitors arrive in Borrego Springs along Palm Canyon Drive. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 24 / 25 Visitors in a field of mainly desert dandelions off of Borrego Springs Road. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 25 / 25 Visitors in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park walk among a sea of flowers in Henderson Canyon. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) Experts say it appears the bloom will continue for some time, perhaps as long as Easter. I think this is the best flower year weve ever had and Ive been here since the 2005 one, Barber said. The flowers are different and where theyre popping up is different and we still havent gotten to the canyon flowers. The cactus are just barely starting (to bloom), the smoke trees arent out or the ironwood. Part of the preparation included a media campaign encouraging visitors to avoid weekends and come during the week instead. It seems to have worked. All of the businesses are breaking records this year, said Betsy Knaak, president of the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association and one of the leaders of the preparation plans. The weekdays are breaking records. From what Im hearing from the restaurants and other businesses, they all feel the same way. Its just been a real boom year. A super year. Its good for Borrego Springs. Thomas Hildebrandt, the manager and head chef at Keslings Kitchen on Christmas Circle, said business has been up 30 percent the past few weeks compared to the Super Bloom of 2017, and that was a record-breaking time itself. He said the weekdays have been almost as busy as the weekends. The clientele trends older during the weekdays, he said, and younger during the weekends when working families have time to flower gaze. Hildebrandt came up with a plan to handle the crowds better. People arent seated until they have ordered. A sign in front of the entrance reads: Please Take Note! Expect periodic, unannounced and extensive halts in this ordering line. Thank you. He said if there are no more seats, orders have to be stopped. Across the street at Carlees restaurant, owner and Borrego Springs Honorary Mayor Andy Macuga said waiting times of 45 minutes have often been the norm. I think its a little busier than in 2017, he said. Overall, the town has a better handle on it. There are still some issues for instance I cant create a bigger kitchen and put more cooks in there but I think the plans we had for dealing with trash and the Porta Johns and the traffic flow with the state park at the bottom of the grade has made everything flow a lot smoother. Macuga said he was asked recently what advice he might have for folks in Lake Elsinore, which has been overwhelmed the past month with flower-goers eager to see vast fields of orange poppies in Walker Canyon. I told them there are really no pointers except that after going through it once, youre better prepared for it the next time, he said. All of the hotels in Borrego Springs are going gangbusters, too. Were sold out! said chamber president Sampson, who also is the general manager of La Casa del Zorro Resort and Spa. Theres no room at the inn. Same condition last 15 days and potentially the next 15 days. Food and beverage is booming. Reservations are a must but also were doing our share of feeding the visitors and offering them services under some duress given the sheer numbers. Adding to the beauty of the flowers on Saturday where hundreds of cars were parked along various roads exploring flower sites were countless painted lady butterflies flying through the air and landing on blooms. Along Henderson Canyon Road in northern Borrego Springs adjacent to the park, a vast acreage of yellow poppies, interspersed with white and lavender flowers, was attracting many visitors. That was good news for nature lovers but not so good for countless white-lined sphinx moth caterpillars that have been getting squished by passing cars for weeks. The road was a sea of thousands and thousands of yellow-brown smudges where a caterpillar had been flattened. Rob Anslow from Santa Ana was at Henderson Canyon in the late morning, having already climbed the Palm Canyon Trail. He said hed been coming to Borrego for 20 years during various Super Blooms. Palm Canyon is just wonderful right now, he said. You can see almost every color of the rainbow. From the bottom of the canyon, all the way up to where the palm oasis is, is just stellar. Its just amazing. He said he even found two rare peach colored poppies near the trail. Looking to the north at the field of poppies, Anslow said he comes to Henderson Canyon each visit. Every single time, the canyon has been a different color, he said. Ten years ago, this canyon was solid orange with California poppies. This year, its yellow. He said the 2019 Super Bloom is amazing, but in his opinion not as good as two years ago. 2017 would look at this and say, Hold my beer, he said. South of the town near the intersection of Yaqui Pass Road and state Route 78, two retired schoolteachers from El Centro were about to take a hike along Cactus Loop Trail across the road from the Tamarisk Grove campground. Theyre gorgeous, said Ellie Kussman of the flowers that filled the south-facing side of mountains right before her. Spectacular, said her friend, Gretchen Benson. Earlier in the day, they had been out near Shelter Valley to the south where they saw fields of purple flowers and many other blooms. You can stand in one spot and see 15 different types of flowers, Kussman said. In the afternoon, Knaak and Mike McElhatton, who is also with the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association, were out in the desert looking for blooming cactus to update the associations map of wildflower locations, which can be found at borregoblooms.org.CQ McElhatton said one reason he thinks more people have visited this year than in 2017 is that visits to the website are averaging about 4,000 a day compared to 1,300 to 1,500 two years ago. I think that indicates a very high level of interest, he said. Back along Henderson Canyon Road, Allen and Janis Ryan of Solana Beach said they had spent the night in town. This is one of the most spectacular things to see in Borrego and the county, Allen Ryan said. If you dont come out to see this, youre missing something thats a truly amazing display of nature and wildlife. jharry.jones@sduniontribune.com; 760/529-4931; Twitter: @jharryjones San Ysidro voters may be asked next year to authorize the school district to borrow as much as $108 million in school bonds. Discussions about a possible bond measure or measures came about in light of a presentation that laid out the districts options to spend authorized, but unused bond money. The district in 1997 was given permission to borrow $250 million under Measure C, which was overwhelmingly approved by voters. The district has spent almost $142 million. The bond measure was under scrutiny in 2016 when the district was faulted by a San Diego County grand jury, which found that former administrators misused Measure C bond money. In response, the district vowed to create a bond oversight committee but never accomplished the task. The district late last year revived the efforts, which are ongoing as the district reviews applications. Advertisement While the district is authorized to borrow another $108 million, the district is unable to issue more bonds under Measure C because its reached a limit on property tax rates and as a result would be unable to raise taxes to repay additional debt, said Dale Scott, a financial adviser. Scott shared the information with the school board during a meeting on March 14. Under Measure C, the tax rate is capped at $100 per $100,000 of a propertys assessed value. With the rate already at the limit, the district is unable to borrow more unused funds until 2050 or so around the time it expects to pay off the bonds issued under Measure C. A possible solution should the district want to spend more funds would be to go back to voters to request that they re-authorize the district to borrow some or all of the $108 million under new tax-rate limits. Scott gave the district three options: place on a ballot a $108 million bond measure for construction that would require a two-thirds vote and yield $60 per $100,000 of a propertys assessed value. put forward a $54 million bond measure for construction, equipment or technology that would require approval by 55 percent of voters and set the tax rate at $30 per $100,000 of a propertys assessed value. push for two $54 million bond measures for construction, equipment or technology that each would require 55 percent of the vote and set the tax rate at $30 per $100,000 of a propertys assessed value. With 2020 in sight, the district could place a bond measure or two on a ballot next year, either in November during the presidential election or in March during the primary election. The presidential election would likely yield a higher voter turnout than the primary election, but a measure approved on the March ballot would make bond money available sooner, Scott said. Since 2012, he said, more than 20 school districts across the state have successfully gotten voters to re-approve borrowing under new terms, including six in San Diego County the Cajon Valley Union, Dehesa, Lakeside Union, Santee and South Bay Union school districts. If voters were to allow the San Ysidro School District to borrow more funds under Measure C, the district would have the option to issue bonds to pay off outstanding bond debt, Scott said. He said the district would be required under state law to outline projects on which it intends to spend bond money. Board members and Superintendent Gina Potter generally showed interest in the options Scott put forward. I think its something we do need to explore and really talk about in a community setting, board member Rosaleah Pallasigue said. Potter and some trustees suggested that planned housing projects in the San Ysidro area could lead to a need for more schools in the future. Potter said the additional bond funds could provide modernized schools to our 21st century student learners. Trustee Antonio Martinez said the district should eye the presidential election in November, saying he anticipates the voter turn out will be high, especially because it lines up with the San Diego mayoral election. He said it would be crucial to put together a structured campaign if the district decides to put a bond measure on a ballot. Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com Phone: (619) 293-1876 Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez The Port of San Diego and the city of Chula Vista held a public design workshop March 20 for one of two signature parks connected to the citys billion-dollar Bayfront development project. Almost 100 attendees had a chance to tell designers what features theyd like to see in Sweetwater Park, a 51-acre space east of E Street that connects the Living Coast Discovery Center to Bayside Park. Unlike Harbor Park, which will be much larger and feature amenities designed to make it a destination where families can spend hours, Sweetwater Park will appeal to people who want to connect with nature and explore the natural resources. Port Commissioner Ann Moore, who represents Chula Vista, said this environmental component makes Sweetwater Park special. Advertisement I know all the parks are special in their own way but Sweetwater Park is particularly special because it is adjacent to very sensitive habitat, Moore said. Residents who didnt attend the meeting still have a chance to weigh in on the parks design elements online. The Port of San Diego will accept input until April 3. I think its great that they are getting public input, said Chula Vista resident Michael Cronin. Designers envision Sweetwater Park as a place where people can connect with the areas natural wetland habitat and San Diego Bay. The mock-ups showed walking and hiking trails and several outlook points featuring views of the bay, Coronado and downtown San Diego. During Wednesdays workshop, designers presented the audience with two design options and asked them to choose elements from each one. The main point of the workshop was for designers to get a clear idea of which design features are most popular so they can begin prioritizing the final design. We do not have the budget to do everything as shown, so you need to help us prioritize the elements we bring in, said designer Mike Singleton. So its very important for you not to say, love it on everything. Both design concepts had a parking lot, public restrooms, trails and activity areas. One design featured more active elements, such as playgrounds and outdoor gyms, while the other design tried to highlight the areas natural elements with more lookout points and hiking trails. Hope Dills, another Chula Vista resident, liked elements from each design but said she preferred the more natural version. I love nature, she said. The Port of San Diego plans to return to Chula Vista in June for a follow-up workshop during which designers will reveal updated versions of Sweetwater and Harbor parks. Residents will have another chance to provide feedback on those designs. Contact Gustavo Solis via Email or Twitter When Jose Tellez began his career with the National City Police Department in 1988, it was a different time. The department had a reputation as an overly aggressive police force a judgment driven by a slew of complaints of police brutality at a time when its focus was to crack down on high crime rates. Community-oriented policing was barely an incipient concept. It wasnt ingrained in us, Tellez said. Advertisement Yet early on, as the culture gradually changed within the Police Department, Tellez made impactful connections with the community that shaped his career as he rose through the ranks. Now Tellez, 55, has ascended yet another rank, stepping into the top position. The former assistant chief, who last week was sworn in as the top cop, runs a department with a $21 million budget and 100-plus employees, including more than 80 sworn officers. Under a three-year contract, he will earn an annual base salary of $197,000. Unequivocally, hes the one, said police Capt. David Espiritu, who completed the San Diego County Sheriffs Academy at Southwestern College alongside Tellez in 1988. Tellez has taken over the police force at a time when violent crimes appear to be on the rise, in the midst of a new era of transparency in law enforcement and less than a year since the Police Department was embroiled in controversy as critics pushed the department to be transparent about the in-custody death of Earl McNeil. McNeil stopped breathing and suffered a heart attack after he was arrested by police and taken to San Diego County jail on May 26. A combination of a struggle with officers, drugs in his system and being held in a restraint device with two spit socks over his head led to his death, authorities said. District Attorney Summer Stephan determined that neither officers nor sheriffs deputies were criminally liable for his death. With a new police chief in charge, residents said they want a Police Department that keeps its officers accountable. The challenge that I have perceived is the complete lack of transparency and how they have no one holding them accountable, said one resident who did not want to be named. While the Police Department has made great strides since the late 80s and early 90s, Tasha Williamson said she feels the department has a long way to go. (Tellez) has a lot of culture change that he has to do in his Police Department, said Williamson, who was among a core group that protested against the department in response to McNeils death. Williamson, a community activist, said she met Tellez last year when she and McNeils family sat down with the Police Departments top brass. She said she appreciated his calm demeanor. Tellez said he understands the push in National City and statewide for less secrecy surrounding police officers conduct. He is receptive for the most part to new state laws intended to make public certain records and footage. He vowed to be open to meaningful dialogue with residents. I think its incumbent on me to keep those lines of communication open, he said. Its a task Tellez, who in 2001 became the first official spokesman for the department, has not shied away from throughout his career. As a rookie police officer, one conversation in particular left a profound impact on him. At a time when crime was rampant, a mother made him aware of a harsh reality: She told Tellez she dared not venture outside with her children past nightfall because she perceived the streets as dangerous. It was then that Tellez witnessed first-hand the effects of crime on the larger community and registered the impacts officers can have on the day-to-day lives of residents. Outside the patrol unit, Tellezs first assignment was on campuses as a school resource officer a role that led to relationships with children, parents, teachers and administrators. Alma Sarmiento was a parent volunteer at Sweetwater High School when she met Tellez around that time. What stood out about him in my mind was that he was very calm in his dealings with the teenagers, which helped him to earn their respect, said Sarmiento, now a National School District board member. Ive seen (that) hes gained the respect of everyone that hes come to know, Sarmiento added. Beyond earning respect, she said, Tellez showed dedication. She was left flabbergasted when he showed up to work the morning his son had been born. She recalls that he showed her a small photo that had been taken at a hospital hours earlier. She remembers Tellez admitted: Theres nothing for me to do there so I decided to come to work. Tellez and his wife have two children, ages 24 and 26. Another day, in 1991, a Sweetwater High School teacher, David Ybarra, asked Tellez to visit his government classes to talk about a controversial topic in the news: the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers. The discussion opened the door to hard-hitting questions from students, Tellez said. He, in turn, for the most part listened to the students and assured them he understood the basis of the outrage. For every incident that happens, Tellez said in a recent interview, theres an opportunity to connect with our community somehow. As chief, Tellez hopes to build stronger bridges between the Police Department and the community to reduce crime and address public safety issues across National City, a working-class community of more than 60,000 predominately Latino residents where the violent crime rate has been on the rise despite an overall decline in crimes. In mid-2018, the citys violent crime rate was the third-highest in San Diego County, trailing only Lemon Grove and Valley Center, according to a report by the San Diego Association of Governments, a regional planning agency. Tellez said he plans to reshape the gang enforcement unit into a neighborhood policing team designed to tackle area-specific issues whether gang-related or not with a focus on long-term solutions. Tellez also intends to create a homeless outreach team in response to a high volume of police calls related to homelessness, mental health and drug addiction. Were dealing with those three aspects more and more, Tellez said. He said patrol officers oftentimes are swamped with other calls and, regardless, arent exactly suited to address the underlying causes or provide long-term solutions. While some consider him a natural successor to former police Chief Manuel Rodriguez, it wasnt long ago around early 2017 near the 30-year mark in his career that Tellez, a captain at the time, contemplated the idea of retirement. Tellez said he felt it was the right time to cap his career and leave open his position to give interested lieutenants the opportunity to move up the chain of command. At the time, he shared his thoughts with City Manager Leslie Deese, who didnt want the Police Department to lose his wealth of knowledge and wisdom. Hes so well-regarded inside and outside the department, Deese said. I thought, It would be a shame to lose his philosophy. So Deese and Rodriguez devised a plan so that Tellez could mentor lower-ranking officers. The end result was a succession plan that gave lieutenants, sergeants and some corporals the chance to rise one rank in an acting capacity, allowing them to gain experience. As a byproduct of the succession planning, Tellez stayed with the Police Department long enough not only to see Rodriguez announce his retirement but also to succeed him. During an emotion-filled ceremony in which Tellez was sworn-in on March 19, the consensus among officers, city leaders and community members was a palpable sense of pride in Tellez, a product of the department hes taken over. Deese, a champion of internal promotions, reminded Tellez of the words she shared with him when he was promoted in 2017 to assistant police chief. Keep leading from the heart and you will go far, she reiterated. In May 2012, then-National City police Lt. Jose Tellez briefed reporters outside an apartment on Norton Avenue where a man was found dead. Tellez, a former spokesman for the Police Department, is the citys new police chief. (John Gibbins) Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com Phone: (619) 293-1876 Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez A persons identity can be suppressed by a basic government document like a drivers license or birth certificate. Before this year, if you were a transgender or nonbinary Californian, you were forced to choose between two options that did not describe you: male or female. Since Jan. 1, state residents have had a third choice: X. X also represents, in Roman numerals, the number of years that plucky chorus Sacra/Profana has produced nontraditional concerts: Season X. Advertisement A program called Gender: X seems like a good fit for Sacra/Profana, but the Friday evening concert at St. Davids Episcopal Church delivered what could be better described as Gender: Female. Featuring only one transgender composer, Mari Valverde, the X in the title apparently applied more to chromosomes. The majority of composers performed were female, including Hildegard of Bingen, Libby Larsen and Caroline Shaw. Sacra/Profana premiered a new work by Sarah Rimkus, the winner of their call for scores. With 14 compositions arranged into sections with headings such as The Sacred Feminine, Agency & Autonomy and Bodies Desired/Bodies Imprisoned, Sacra/Profana celebrated feminism. The evening began, however, with an invocation to God the Lord. Swedish composer Karin Rehnqvists I Himmelen opened with piercing cries from soprano soloists stationed in the corners of the church. Rehnqvist is influenced by Swedish folk music, and I Himmelen incorporates very high, very loud notes sung by female herders to call livestock. From the altar, the rest of the chorus sang in a classical choral style, a striking contrast to the visceral, clarion calls of the soloists. This vision of a holy patriarch was followed by Larsens Womanly Song of God, a rhythmically charged a cappella stunner rejoicing in a singing, dancing Goddess. Most of the works heard were in a contemporary tonal choral style (think of Eric Whitacre). Larsen used this idiom with the greatest success, piling up lush clusters to underscore divine ecstasy. The chorus was principally conducted by guest conductor Emilie Amrein. Sacra/Profana has sounded tighter, but there was a lot unfamiliar music for the concert. Intonation was marvelous, though, and the singing uniformly high spirited. Juan Carlos Acosta, the groups artistic director and choral music instructor, at times stepped in to conduct, including the world premiere of The Devils Tower by Rimkus. The Devils Tower was chosen out of 81 submissions to Sacra/Profanas competition, open to women of all ages. With a text by the composer, it relates the Kiowa origin story of Devils Tower in Wyoming, a remnant of seven sisters escaping from a bear (which was recently their brother). What distinguished this composition was the way it set texts as fragments appearing in different sections of the chorus. At first, we heard one phrase at a time, but as the action of the story increased, so did the density of the fragments. Multiple fragments overlapped, the same words heard earlier or to come, presented all at once. In its ending, the sisters transformed into stars, the text setting became straightforward again, with gentle pentatonic melodies and harmonies. Ive been to a few concerts this year where an announcement is made that the event takes place on land stolen from Native Americans. Gender: X opened with such a verbal proclamation. Rimkus does not seem to be a descendant of Native Americans. Make of this what you will. Hertzog is a freelance writer. Divine intervention may not have been directly at play when rising young San Diego bassist Sean Hicke made his transition to jazz from the in-your-face rock of such bands as Rage Against the Machine and System of a Down. Like many who ponder the past and plan for the future in the new year, San Diego Dance Theater artistic director Jean Isaacs follows suit with flair. She takes her inspiration from the Roman god Janus, who is depicted in ancient times with two faces, one looking back and one looking forward. In Janus III: Dancing the Future, staged this weekend at San Diego City College, dual themes dominate her modern choreography with works both historical and progressive. Isaacs annual Janus program is also a part of the San Diego Symphonys Hearing the Future festival, a monthlong series of events by music, dance and visual arts organizations. Advertisement They invited us, said Isaacs, who has planned a stirring program and, because January is her birthday month, an after-party. Basically its a chance to affiliate with the symphony and align ideas that are compatible. For me, it helped to shape what I was going to do this year. This year, Janus III: Dancing the Future includes a duet with a double bass player, a lynching scene, references to a celibate religious community, and the re-launch of a poignant work based on a radio play. Theres the ominous Lynchtown for instance, created by Charles Weidman more than a half-century ago. Weidman, a modern dance pioneer who died in 1975, witnessed a lynching as a youngster. In 1936, he created choreography that incorporates slow-motion marching, clenched hands and crouching bodies. Set to a pulsing percussive composition by Lehman Engel, the movement suggests a mob mentality and a response to violence. George Willis, a founder of San Diego Dance Theater and a former member of the Charles Weidman Theatre Dance Company, has reset the work performed by six company members and four guest artists. Its an iconic piece, Isaacs said. And Charles Weidman is the family tree of modern dance. Sometimes we judge and say, Oh, its dated. But you know what? It looks like Trump-era white nationalism. Steve Baker will play Fur Alina, the melancholy, tentative piano composition by Arvo Part, to accompany a segment from The Atlantic Man, a work Isaacs first staged in 2003. The idea was inspired by a 1982 radio play by the late French playwright/author Marguerite Duras, and it suggests a bittersweet longing for a loved one. The program also includes San Diego Dance Theater interpreting Shaker Loops, a minimalist piece of music by composer John Adams. Adams grew up in New Hampshire near a now-defunct Shaker colony, where members of the pious and celibate Christian community would engage in frenetic dancing to achieve spiritual transcendence. His music and the dance mirror the complex emotional life of Shaker society, from shimmering violin tremolos to sounds of strain to poignant melodies. Isaacs invited creative writing professor and poet Meagan Marshall to add a spoken-word section to the piece, which helps to convey the connection between the music, the dance and the rituals of Shaker life. A lighthearted duet titled Je Ne Sais Quois features University of Hartford (The Hartt School) dance professor Katie Stevinson-Nollet and bassist Robert Black, a Bang on a Can All-Stars member who dances with his instrument. When Isaacs takes stock of nearly five decades as artistic director of San Diego Dance Theatre and then looks to the future, she considers expansion. I want to do intergenerational work that reflects not just the skinny, young, hyper-mobile dancer, she said. Modern dance requires a more mature dancer. I have three or four in their 20s, but size-wise, age-wise and ethnicity-wise, the company is as diverse as the community. My resolution is to spread it out even more. San Diego Dance Theaters Janus III: Dancing the Future When: 2:30 p.m. Friday; 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday Where: Saville Theatre, San Diego City College, 1313 Park Blvd., San Diego Tickets: $15-$40 Phone: (619) 225-1803 Online: ticketleap.com/Janus-2019 or sandiegodancetheater.org An after-party with the cast at 10 Barrel Brewing Co. follows Sundays performance. Tickets are an additional $25 and include bites and a beverage. Manna is a freelance writer. Kuumba Fest, San Diegos biggest celebration of African-American art and culture, returns to San Diego Rep this weekend, with theater, dance, film screenings, food competitions and more. The fest launches Friday with a program titled Friday Night of Positive Images Honoring the Ancestors, and concludes Sunday evening with the Black 2 Excellence Dance/Movement Extravaganza. Saturday takes in such family-minded events as a Kuumba Kidz performance and a screening of the movie Liyana. All events are at the Reps Lyceum Theatre downtown. Advertisement And a note about the name: Kuumba means creativity in Swahili. 27th Annual Kuumba Fest When: Friday through Sunday Where: San Diego Reps Lyceum Theatre, 79 Horton Plaza, downtown Tickets: $5 and up (prices vary by event) Phone: (619) 544-1000 Online: kuumbafest.com, lyceumevents.org Felicia People at the 2017 Kuumba Fest. (Nancee E. Lewis) jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert If theres one thing more romantically potent than Love Potion Number 9, it must be Smokey Joes Cafe because theaters big and small seem besotted with the idea of reviving this musical revue. And with a string of Leiber & Stoller tunes from Jailhouse Rock to Stand by Me to (yes) Potion, theres no denying the show is an audience-pleaser, too. Tony Houck directs New Village Arts visit to the Cafe, a Broadway long-runner in the 90s. His cast includes NVA returnees Natasha Baenisch, Melissa Fernandes, Jasmine January, Eboni Muse and Trevor Rex, plus first-timers Philip David Black, Kevin Blax Burroughs, Isaac Kalimo and Kyle Leatherbury. Advertisement And Houck will lead the onstage band of Benjamin Goniea on keyboards, Marc Akiyama on percussion and Kyle Bayquen on bass. Smokey Joes Cafe When: Previews begin Friday. Opens Feb. 2. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through March 10. Where: New Village Arts Theatre, 2787 State St., Carlsbad. Tickets: $25-$47 (discounts available) Phone: (760) 433-3245 Online: newvillagearts.org jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert Accessibility in Bonn : Platform 3 at Mehlem station is a problem Mehlem Deutsche Bahn plans to carry out work at Mehlem station over the next ten years. During a local inspection, the SPD and the Disabled Association Bonn looked at the shortcomings. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken For wheelchair users, those who have difficulty in walking or who are visually impaired, mothers with prams, senior citizens with walking frames or even travellers with heavy luggage, Mehlem railway station is hardly usable. If you are coming from Bonn heading south and get off at platform 3, you can only leave the platform feasibly via a staircase. That is, if you can get out at all, because the edge of the platform is too low and therefore, the distance to the entry steps of the trains is too wide. But that's not all: tactile features for the visually handicapped to distinguish the boundary between the platform and the track are completely missing on platforms 1 and 3. The route to the platforms is also difficult, as Daniela Werdin from Selbst Aktiv, the working group for people with disabilities in the SPD, discovered. She was on crutches and could only move at a snail's pace, due to presence of uneven surfaces and larger potholes. "With wheelchairs or walking frames you constantly get stuck, criticised Werdin, who elicited nods of agreement. Info FURTHER RAILWAY STATIONS UNDER CRITICISM During the inspection of Mehlem station, further stations were also criticised. The stops in Rolandseck and Oberwinter are also not accessible, Daniela Werdin enumerated. Remagen train station would serve as the next possible stop, but the elevator had recently broken down. Jutta Ueberberg of the Blind and Visually Impaired Association also noted problems in Bad Godesberg. There, the handrail ends six steps before the end of the stairs. "This is a problem for the blind and visually impaired, for whom end of railing means end of stairs", she said. The financing of the construction work has been secured, says the railway Together with other SPD politicians and the disabled community in Bonn, the members of the working group travelled around the station to draw attention to the shortcomings in accessibility. They more than found what they were looking for: numerous stairs, the absence of lifts, platform edges that were too low, a steep ramp that could only be used by electrically operated wheelchairs - the list was endless. The conclusion of the group was therefore not very positive: "Actually, everything is missing here", was the unanimous bottom line. This is a situation that Deutsche Bahn (DB) would like to change - albeit in the long term rather than in the medium term. "Mehlem station will be upgraded to be accessible for the disabled", said a company spokesman in response to a GA request. The site will then be completely overhauled and the platforms will be raised, among other things. This was decided together with Nahverkehr Rheinland (NVR). Although the funding has already been secured, it is not yet possible to say when the work will commence, only that "it will be in the 2020s." Disabled travellers can call the mobility service But why so long? According to the DB spokesman, Mehlem station belongs to the third modernisation phase of the railway along with 33 other stations in the Rhineland. In the first and second phases, further stations have been and will continue to be renewed. The DB and NVR will jointly determine which have priority. One criterion, for example, is user numbers. "Accessibility is very important", emphasised the spokesman. Unfortunately, it is only possible to modernise one station at a time. In the course of the DB offensive so far, about 75 percent of the stations in the Rhineland have been refurbished. But this is of little help to those who currently use Mehlem station and cannot ascend the stairs. They should contact the DB Mobility Service Centre before starting their journey, on 0180/651 2512, according to a tip from the spokesperson. "There, the staff will look for alternative travel options. However, if you end up spontaneously in Mehlem, you will end up with the short straw. If no help is in sight, you have no choice but to wait for the next train. Original text: Ayla Jacob If you thought last Januarys tour visit of the world-beating Broadway musical Hamilton was destined to steal the thunder of San Diegos theater year, our local stage scene stood ready and eager to prove you wrong. Even for a town with one of the most vibrant theater communities in the country, 2018 was exceptional for the depth and diversity of stage productions here. (And I cant pretend to have made it to everything.) Such riches almost defy ranking but still, a guys gotta try: 1. Vietgone San Diego Repertory Theatre: Qui Nguyens wildly original, stereotype-smashing play based on the odyssey of his own parents as Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s burst from the Rep stage under Jesca Prudencios direction. Advertisement Pomme Koch, Jason Kapoor and composer and musician David Coulter (from left) in the Old Globes A Thousand Splendid Suns. (Kevin Berne) 2. A Thousand Splendid Suns Old Globe Theatre: Ursula Rani Sarma adapted Khaled Hosseinis novel into a tremendously affecting stage piece about injustice, resilience, redemption and the unshakable friendship between two women in war-wracked Afghanistan; Carey Perloff directed a radiant production for the Globe. Sofia Jean Gomez and Rene Thornton Jr. in San Diego Reps A Dolls House, Part 2. (Jim Carmody) 3. A Dolls House, Part 2 San Diego Rep: Sam Woodhouse, the Reps co-founder and artistic chief, directed Lucas Hnaths witty and ambitious play to perfection, and the local premiere of this sequel to an Ibsen masterwork showcased a stunning San Diego debut by star Sofia Jean Gomez. Melissa Miller (left) and Rae Gray in La Jolla Playhouses Queens. (Jim Carmody) 4. Queens La Jolla Playhouse: Pulitzer Prize winner Martyna Majok revamped this tough-minded tale of immigrant women for its quietly gripping Playhouse production, a West Coast debut; and Carey Perloff again directed with a deeply human and masterful touch. The cast of Lambs Players Theatres Once. (Ken Jacques) 5. Once Lambs Players Theatre: The bittersweet, movie-based musical about longing and regret played straight to Lambs Players strengths, with rich ensemble work and beautifully performed songs under Kerry Meads capable direction. 6. Fun Home San Diego Rep: The Rep scored again with the San Diego premiere of this Tony Award-winning show, adapted from Alison Bechdels illustrated memoir of coming out and coming of age; Woodhouses direction and an ace cast brought out all its humor and heart. 7. The Wanderers Old Globe: Anna Zieglers inventively conceived, Globe-commissioned play paired the stories of two very different couples to probe ideas about faith, desire, ambition and unspoken cultural pressures; Globe artistic chief Barry Edelstein directed with a sure feel for the lyrical, multilayered material. 8. A Little Night Music Cygnet Theatre: The Old Town company returned to the sumptuous, deeply romantic Stephen Sondheim musical it first staged 10 years ago, and artistic director Sean Murrays closely observed production boasted a memorable lead performance by Karole Foreman. 9. The Father North Coast Repertory Theatre: With a committed lead performance from James Sutorius, Florian Zellers fascinating and heartbreaking play explored the unnerving experiences of an older man struggling to order his reality; NCRT artistic chief David Ellenstein directed the tricky piece with a deeply sympathetic feel. 10. Men on Boats New Village Arts Theatre: Despite the title, there were no men in director Melissa Coleman-Reeds exhilarating production of the Jacklyn Backhaus play a daringly stylized (and deliberately gender-reversed) chronicle of a real-life 1869 Grand Canyon expedition. 11. Cardboard Piano Diversionary Theatre: By turns graceful and devastating, director Jacole Kitchens hard-to-shake staging of the Hansol Jung play explored the limits of forgiveness, and showcased a particularly searing performance by Wrekless Watson. 12. The Year to Come La Jolla Playhouse: Lindsey Ferrentinos world-premiere work proved to be an involving look at one extended Florida family as a microcosm of our country. Director Anne Kauffman handled the plays reverse chronology (and the complications of an actual onstage pool) with admirable agility. Honorable mentions Hamilton, the Broadway musical juggernaut whose touring visit showed it has earned every bit of its breathless praise. The Heart of Rock & Roll, the much-buzzed Old Globe world premiere of the peppy and polished Huey Lewis musical. Beachtown, a smartly unconventional, San Diego-centric world-premiere work at the Rep. Uncle Vanya, the Globes meticulously observed reconsideration of the Chekhov masterwork, from a brand-new translation. A Jewish Joke, with Roustabouts Theatre co-founder Phil Johnson in a terrific performance of the solo piece he wrote with Marni Freedman. Chicago, whose summer revival was part of an exceptionally strong season at Moonlight Stage Productions. The Loneliest Girl in the World, an impressive and inventive world-premiere musical at Diversionary. Fade, Moxie Theatres well-acted, high-impact local debut of the Latinx-inflected Tanya Saracho play. Red, Oceanside Theatres excellent and hard-hitting production of the play about painter Mark Rothko. The Tempest, with Kate Burton as a commanding Prospera in the Globes Shakespeare Festival. The Wind and the Breeze, Cygnet Theatres meditative, rap-laced world premiere from the gifted playwright Nathan Alan Davis. Avenue Q, New Village Arts winning revival of the puppet-centric Broadway favorite. Young Frankenstein, San Diego Musical Theatres snappy revisit to Mel Brooks movie-based musical. Xanadu, revived in all its sublime 80s silliness at OnStage Playhouse. jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert The fading fictional stage actors George and Charlotte Hay may or may not be big in Buffalo, but the real-life playwright Ken Ludwig is pretty big all over the place these days particularly in San Diego, where three of his works have premiered at the Old Globe in recent years. Now North Coast Rep returns to the comic aces 1995 backstage farce Moon Over Buffalo, a piece the Solana Beach theater last did back in 2000. Like Ludwigs Lend Me a Tenor which earned the writer a Tony Award nomination in 1989 Buffalo revolves around grand show-biz types, mistaken identities and some breathless physical gags and pratfalls. Matthew Weiner, who staged Tenor for NCRT in 2011, returns to direct this ode to the stage life and whether or not an actor actually flips into the orchestra pit, it should be clear these people are head over heels for theater. Advertisement Moon Over Buffalo When: Previews begin Jan. 9. Opens Jan. 12. 7 p.m. Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through Feb. 10. Where: North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach Tickets: $45-$56 (discounts available) Phone: (858) 481-1055 Online: northcoastrep.org Arthur Hanket and Katrina Ferguson (front) and Jacque Wilke and Josh Braaten (back) in Moon Over Buffalo. (Aaron Rumley) jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert Like the central character in her play The Hour of Great Mercy, Miranda Rose Hall knows what it is to make a consequential journey to Alaska. Unlike the protagonist of that work, which is about to receive its world premiere at San Diegos Diversionary Theatre, Halls trip there eight years ago was the first time shed set foot in the 49th State. And the mere idea of doing so just about froze her with fear. It was a terrifying prospect the idea of moving to Alaska scared me out of my mind, says Hall of relocating to Anchorage after college to perform service work with a Jesuit volunteer corps, providing a ministry of presence to people receiving long-term and end-of-life care. After all, Hall grew up in downtown Baltimore and was afraid of grass as a child, she says with a gentle laugh, chatting by phone between rehearsals at Diversionary. Advertisement And yet it was also the kind of fear that was kind of intriguing, she acknowledges. From its inception, (moving there) felt like a pretty radical thing to do. And once I got there, it was very clearly an extreme and pretty radical place to be. And it totally captivated me. It was unlike any place Id ever been before, and I just felt this very electric sense of connection to the community and the environment and the people I was serving. All of it the isolation of the place, the bonds among people there, maybe a little of the fear, too eventually would be filtered through her writers eye and, some five years later, into The Hour of Great Mercy first as Halls thesis project at the Yale School of Drama and now as a piece about to receive its professional debut at the LGBTQ-centered theater. The play centers on Ed, a gay Jesuit priest who returns to his family home in a remote Alaskan town called Bethlehem, in a last-ditch bid for reconciliation. His visit takes place against the backdrop of past tragedy, the nature of which Hall is reluctant to talk about for fear of giving away too much. The plays title refers to the hour on Good Friday, that, in Catholic traditions, Christ is said to have died on the cross: 3 p.m. That also happens to be around the time the sun sets what sun there is, anyway in much of Alaska in the dead of winter. Finding the poetry Alaska, as it happens, wasnt the only thing that seemed unlikely to be part of Halls future once upon a time. So was playwriting. Hall originally entered Georgetown University with the intent of becoming a poet and literature teacher. Soon, though, she found herself diving feet-first into the theater community there. Then she learned that playwrights existed and could be alive, rather than simply names on a page. That was news to me! But Halls poetry background and the way it influences her writing turned out to be one of the big draws for Diversionary executive artistic director Matt M. Morrow when he decided to program the piece, which is being directed for the theater by the distinguished San Diego stage artist Rosina Reynolds. I was immediately drawn to Mirandas voice as a writer, Morrow says. She is able to draw characters so specifically and intimately, just through the dialogue, without forcing exposition. Theres just an ease to her writing it just flows so naturally. So I really connected with her talent on that level. But I was also really moved by the subject matter. Its a very gentle piece. The word I always use in describing this piece is compassion. It just makes room for people and their experience. I just dont think you find that very often a gentle, sensitive and compassionate piece like this. Our industry is rife with competition and people trying to stand out and distinguish themselves, Morrow adds. And Miranda doesnt seem interested in staking a claim or being BOLD. Shes bold, but in a very understated way. Theres a real maturity to her work that I was really impressed by. Hour fits into a larger phenomenon that has developed at Diversionary since Morrow took over as leader just over four years ago: A determination to champion new work, often by promising young writers just starting to make waves. The University Heights company has proved a crucial developmental ground for such recent world-premiere plays as Ballast and The Loneliest Girl in the World, as well as the musical The Boy Who Danced on Air, which went on to an off-Broadway run in 2017. Morrow acknowledges that for a small nonprofit there are risks involved in stepping up to produce unproven new works. But thats just what we do, he says. If I wanted to be safe, I would go into insurance. And with Miranda specifically, I thought she has a unique voice that needs to be heard. (And) many times larger institutions wont take a chance on new writers like this. Partners on the journey As the production of Hour has ramped up at Diversionary, Hall has been in town for much of the process, working closely with Reynolds as well as the productions five actors: Dana Case (as Maggie), Patrick Mayuyu (Joseph), Andrew Oswald (Ed), Eileen Rivera (Irma) and Tom Stephenson (Roger). Andrew Oswald (as Ed, left) and Tom Stephenson (as Roger) appear in Diversionary Theatres The Hour of Great Mercy. (Simpatika) For Reynolds, who has directed numerous shows around San Diego, staging a world premiere is always an interesting journey, because your collaboration with the playwright is supreme. Thats even more so when the playwright is there in person: Its not a matter of checking in with us all the time, but making sure the voice in her head is being realized, as Reynolds puts it. Its actually refreshing in many ways. And Hall is extremely collaborative. Shes protective of the material, as she should be as the writer, but also open to exploring all aspects. One of the most surprising aspects of Hour is how the piece began to take shape in earnest: As a gift play for Halls father. That idea came from Halls playwriting mentor at Yale the much-produced Sarah Ruhl, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist whose In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) hit Broadway in 2009. We had a lot of conversations about gift plays, and its an important part of her philosophy for a playwright the idea of writing a play for a person you love, Hall says of Ruhl. Around the same time, she wrote a play for her mother, For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday. So this idea of writing gift plays for my parents (developed). I had been writing a lot of crazy plays absurd comedies, letting some steam out plays. I said I wanted to write a play that my parents would think was beautiful. She said, It sounds like you should write a gift play for your father. So when Hall began work on the play, I wrote out a list of ingredients that I thought would need to be included in a gift play for my dad. And was I was writing it out, I started connecting some of those ingredients to Alaska. And Alaska, in my imagination, is kind of inseparable from Catholicism, and concerns and conversations about the end of life. Hall actually is Presbyterian rather than Catholic. Her fathers side of the family was Italian Catholic, and her dad grew up very religious. But in his youth, he got really upset that the church didnt take a strong stance against the Vietnam War. That kind of unraveled his relationship with the institution of the Catholic Church. For her own part, says Hall, I think I wouldve converted to Catholicism if I hadnt been queer and hadnt grown accustomed to women in leadership positions in her own church. But I feel I absorbed a lot of Catholicism, even though I was raised in the Presbyterian church, she adds. And because her dad is a choral conductor, he spent a lot of his career performing sacred music, so that has been a big part of my life. Catholic sacraments and rituals are part of the fabric of Hour, as are questions about the nature of intimacy in a very isolated place, and questions about love and reconciliation. One of the things this character (Ed) inhabits for me is somebody who really interrogates his space, and interrogates what his authentic relationship with God is like. And has a pretty queer spiritual theology, which is something that I also inhabit. For Hall, that means certainly acceptance and tolerance and I think on a more primal level, an understanding of the divine as a pretty queer force. Understanding God outside of a gender hierarchy. Theres a moment in the play where Ed says: Theres nothing on Earth more queer than God so fluid, so encompassing the spectrum, and so devoted to radical love. And Ive met a lot of Catholics who have a very fluid understanding of the divine, in a way that maybe contradicts the kind of dogma of the overall Catholic church. There is definitely an earthiness and a transformative quality to Catholic social teaching. And I really connect to that. And by the way: Yes, Halls father got to see the play that was written for him. My dad really loved it, she reports. But just to be safe, she admits: I didnt tell him it was a gift play for him until he told me he liked it! The Hour of Great Mercy When: In preview. Opens Feb. 9. 7 p.m. Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through March 3. Where: Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Blvd., University Heights Tickets: About $22.50-$50 (discounts available) Phone: (619) 220-0097 Online: diversionary.org jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert San Diegos flagship theater nationally renowned for its devotion to the works of Shakespeare is rolling out a new professional training program aimed at keeping the Bards legacy thriving locally and beyond. The Old Globe has just announced a Classical Directing Fellowship, led by Barry Edelstein, the Balboa Park institutions Erna Finci Viterbi artistic chief and a prominent Shakespeare director and scholar. The Globe also has announced the programs first participants: Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, Daniel Jaquez, Sam White and LA Williams. Sonnenberg and Jaquez both live in San Diego, while White is from Detroit and Williams is New York-based. The quartet will be in residence at the Globe Jan. 22-26. Advertisement The new program, says the Globe, will focus on Shakespeares text; Edelstein will teach master classes and train the directing fellows to take the techniques they learn and implement them in rehearsals with professional actors. The work will culminate in a private presentation on the Saturday of the fellows tenure, plus subsequent, broader conversations about Shakespeare, his place in the culture and the directors role. The fellows also will meet with members of the Globes staff as well as representatives from the larger San Diego theater community. Im very happy to launch this new program and help enrich American Shakespeare, Edelstein said in announcing the fellowship. Artist training has been a huge part of my career, and Ive benefited from the mentorship and guidance of some wonderful Shakespeareans at many points in my artistic life. I care a great deal about the future of Shakespeare in America, and it seems only right that I do everything I can to provide opportunities to artists who treasure this work as I do. Our first cohort of fellows Daniel, Delicia, Sam, and LA has demonstrated the kind of passion and seriousness that I think merit support and encouragement. Im beyond delighted to be part of their trajectory in this way, and I look forward to this fellowship growing in both excellence and impact in the years ahead. A bit more info on the four inaugural fellows: Delicia Turner Sonnenberg is a co-founder and former artistic chief of the women-centered Moxie Theatre, where she continues to direct and serve in an advisory role. She is also one of San Diegos most prominent directors, with credits at the Globe, San Diego Rep, La Jolla Playhouse and numerous other companies. Daniel Jaquez is a freelance director, theater-maker and translator of plays; he also is a co-founder of TuYo Theatre, a new San Diego company aimed at producing and celebrating Latinx artists. He held numerous theater leadership roles in his former homes of New York and Seattle, and serves on the Latinx Theatre Commons Steering Committee. Sam White is an artist, activist and founding artistic director of Shakespeare in Detroit. Her credits include the 2017 Paul Nicholson Arts Management Fellowship at Oregon Shakespeare Festival; she also recently served as assistant director for The Tempest at Canadas renowned Stratford Festival, and will direct Twelfth Night for Utah Shakespeare Festival later this year. LA Williams is a New York director focused primarily on new work. He recently staged Rated Black: An American Requiem for Next Door at NYTW, and has developed and directed new work at the Public Theater, Clubbed Thumb, the Eugene ONeill Theater Center and others. He also was the founding artistic director of the Black Directors Studio. jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert Sometimes people leave you / Halfway through the wood. No One is Alone, from Into the Woods In the fall of 1986, the musical Into the Woods had its world premiere at San Diegos Old Globe Theatre. Halfway through the shows run, its composer and lyricist, Stephen Sondheim, added a new song about finding comfort amid great loss: No One Is Alone, which would become a signature of the piece on Broadway and beyond. Nearly 20 years later, when Into the Woods was staged for the first time at Canadas renowned Stratford Festival, Britta Johnson went to see the production. Advertisement Then the 13-year-old went again. And again. And again. She was there, in a sense, because someone else wasnt: Her own father, a musician and composer who, along with Johnsons mom, had been a longtime regular in the Stratford orchestra pit. That was the first show my dad didnt play, Johnson says now, her voice growing soft as she talks in a conference room at the Globe before a rehearsal of Life After, her own new musical. He had passed away. And I went to see it, like, 16 times, because I didnt realize musicals could do that the simplicity of such complicated truths, about community and about loss, and connection. I felt so seen in my grief in that show. It would be easy to say, given the storyline of Life After, that its U.S. premiere here represents a kind of full-circle moment for Johnson: After all, her own musical centers on a teen-age girl who has just lost her father. And the rising young composer-lyricist-writer, who grew up in Stratford, acknowledges shes so excited to be here because this is where Into the Woods started, at the Globe. But the full story, like a whole lot of things in life and in theater, is a bit more complicated than that. For one thing, Johnson is quick to add that Life After whose director is the Globes artistic chief, Barry Edelstein is not meant to be autobiographical by any measure. Our familys story is very different from this one, says the writer, whose sister Anika is serving as a dramaturg on the Globe production (and played the central character, Alice, in a 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival version of the work). It certainly is inspired by (our experiences). Similar to our lead character, a big part of my coming-of-age was grief, because that was the chapter of my life I was in when my father passed away. The fact that is part of my story helped me find how the music sounds, how it feels, the sort of texture of it. But the literal story isnt mine. There is another connection of sorts, though, between Life After and Into the Woods. Johnsons songwriting has more than once been compared to that of Sondheim particularly after Life After had its high-profile, warmly received world premiere in 2017 in Toronto. Director and Old Globe artistic chief Barry Edelstein works with actors Sophie Hearn and Bradley Dean during rehearsals for Life After. (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune) Director Edelstein likewise perceives at least an indirect link to Sondheim (as well as to such artists as the French composer Debussy) in the oceanic quality thats just deep and rich in Johnsons compositions. There is a sound I will call it a kind of post-Sondheim sound that characterizes the contemporary musical theater, as Edelstein puts it. And there is a universe of colors around that, that all in some way feel attached to Sondheim as this, I dont know, originating force. Brittas got her own voice theres nothing particularly Sondheim-like about this score. And yet, its in a continuum that starts there. Theres just a sense of wit, think. Theres wit in the lyrics, and a sense of sophistication in the wordplay, that one associates with Sondheim, and that I really appreciate about Brittas work as well. The observation leaves Johnson momentarily at a loss for words. I mean, I love hearing that, she finally says with a laugh. I always just try to let the music tell the story that were telling. And this story is one in which I think grief is oceanic. I did listen to a lot of Debussy when I was working on it the way it moves, the way it can change so quickly. And Sondheim, you know, changed my world. I grew up watching so many musicals because it was just what my family did. But I never felt particularly connected to them until Woods came into her life. Looking for answers As the cast of Life After launches into a scene in rehearsal a bit later the same day, Sophie Hearn, who plays Alice, runs frantic circles through snow flurries or what will be snow flurries when the show hits the Globe stage. The anguished girl is on quest to figure out what was going on with her dad before he died suddenly, leaving her to puzzle out one final, haunting voicemail. The father (played by Bradley Dean) was a famous motivational speaker a choice that Johnson says had partly to do with presenting the character as someone who the world has access to, and who Alice in this moment especially after losing him cant find access to. She explains that on some level this show is about the way people cope, and about this young person becoming acquainted with the many ways adults cope, which is different (from hers). Johnson adds that the whole piece kind of exists in the mind of this young woman it exists in her imagination. Cast members (from left) Mackenzie Warren, Ximone Rose, Emma Stratton, Bradley Dean (behind screen), Sophie Hearn (seated), Danyelle Williamson (behind screen), Mamie Parris and Charlotte Mary Wen rehearse a scene. (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune) That has remained true even as the piece has grown in scale to what now is by far its biggest production. Its been slowly growing since its inception, Johnson says. I started working on it when I was 19. It was at a theater festival for young artists. Then it was just on music stands (as a staged reading), and then we did it at the Toronto Fringe. Just bare-bones, with me on piano. Even in its subsequent move to a 250-seat theater in Canada, it was a bare-bones production it was very much about the movement and music. Now, at the Globe, doing it on this scale has really been exciting, Johnson says. And seeing that it perhaps can work for a stage this big is very empowering and exciting for me. On top of that, Stratford reminds me very much of the Globe, Johnson says. Theres something that feels very much like home about this place the Shakespeare in the air, perhaps. Edelstein cant help but marvel at the artists who have signed on to be part of this new piece by a still relatively little-known artist: Besides the Broadway-seasoned actors in the cast, the creative team includes such top talents as set designer Neil Patel, lighting designer Japhy Weideman and costumer Linda Cho. You know, Id love the Globe to claim as much credit as possible, Edelstein says. But I dont think thats the full story. The full story is the piece itself. It has a kind of power to it and a richness to it that, when you put it in front of an artist, they see something true in it, and want to be part of it. I cant tell you how many actors who came in and auditioned, even people who didnt end up being cast, would say to us, This material is extraordinary. That just doesnt happen all the time: Wow, I heard something in here, and I wanted to be part of it. And weve all had that experience everybody whos working on it. For Johnson, having worked with so many amazing collaborators on (the show), the colors have gotten richer. The palette, the detail, is what has come into focus. I feel as though I had the foundation of a house, and then a lot of people have come and helped me build the walls and choose the furniture. And so much of it seems to go back to those days as a teen-ager with a hole in her heart, sitting in the dark and seeing some much-needed light in a musical about trying to move on from heartache. I think that is a thing musicals can do, is to take a world of feeling, and within a song make it so clear and simple, Johnson says. Like it has always existed. Life After When: Previews begin March 22. Opens March 29. 7 p.m. Tuesdays-Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. (Check with theater for exceptions.) Through April 28. Where: Old Globe Theatres Shiley Stage, Balboa Park Tickets: About $34-$106 (discounts available) Phone: (619) 234-5623 Online: theoldglobe.org jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert The growing arts-engagement efforts at both the Old Globe Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse have earned big financial boosts once again from the James Irvine Foundation, which has awarded a $1.9 million grant to the Globe and $1.3 million to the Playhouse. The recently announced grants represent the second three-year cycle of funding for the San Diego theaters from the foundations New California Arts Fund. The grant to the Globe is $175,000 larger than that awarded in 2015, while the Playhouses is $250,000 smaller. The money will go toward supporting a range of programs that endeavor to further connect the two institutions with the community. Advertisement At the Globe, those include the flagship Globe for All initiative, which takes Shakespeare plays to people who otherwise dont have ready access to the arts. The New California Arts Fund backing has helped us to develop and adopt a new strategic plan focusing on theater as a public good, and on the creation of public value through our art form, said Barry Edelstein, the Balboa Park theaters Erna Finci Viterbi artistic director. Weve forged deep, ongoing partnerships with 24 community-based not-for-profits and governmental agencies serving low-income and diverse individuals and families throughout the region. Last year alone, our free, participatory arts-engagement programs made theater matter to over 37,000 people. The Globe is a national leader in this work, and the Irvine Foundation is a fundamental reason why. We are deeply grateful. Besides the Globe for All program which this year toured a production of A Midsummer Nights Dream to 17 locations the theaters arts-engagement efforts take in the Community Voices playwriting program; a technical-theater apprentice program for military veterans and family members; and Shakespeare-based writing and performing workshops for prison inmates, among other initiatives. A scene from La Jolla Playhouses Without Walls production of What Happens Next. (Jim Carmody) At the Playhouse, managing director Debby Buchholz said the New California Arts Fund grants have allowed the theater to significantly expand and sustain authentic, mutually beneficial community programming and engagement activities, such as South of the 8, during which we partnered with Ping Chong + Company to highlight the stories of young adults from Southeast San Diego and surrounding areas, and Naomi Iizukas What Happens Next, produced in partnership with Cornerstone Theater Company (another NCAF recipient), in which local veterans were featured performing alongside seasoned actors. These vital funds have also helped the Playhouse grow its acclaimed Without Walls (WOW) series, mounting numerous productions and three WOW Festivals of immersive and site-based work in unique spaces around the city. These programs, along with the success of such military outreach initiatives as the Veterans Playwriting Workshop, have helped us toward our goal of becoming a vital arts resource for the city, reaching San Diegans in the communities in which they live. jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert Theres something Casey Nicholaw would like to say about Aladdin, and it may come as no surprise: This musical is not A Long Days Journey Into Night. Its just extravagant; its a good, big Broadway musical, says the San Diego-bred director about the Broadway show, which is making its first touring visit to town. Theres so much to look at. And theres a lot of money spent on costumes, you know?, the ever-ebullient Nicholaw adds with a laugh. There are two numbers where the cast changes four times in each number. So thats a big deal. Also a big deal: Nicholaw himself. The 1980 Clairemont High graduate and alumnus of San Diego Junior Theatre has become one of the most successful and celebrated directors on Broadway, with 10 Tony Award nominations for direction and choreography (and one win, for co-directing The Book of Mormon). Advertisement Right now and not even for the first time Nicholaw has four shows running on Broadway: Aladdin, Mormon, The Prom and Mean Girls. He also has major projects in the works, including a movie version of the musical Monty Pythons Spamalot, which he choreographed for Broadway in 2005; and a musical-theater adaptation of the classic movie Some Like It Hot, which was filmed partly at the Hotel del Coronado (the stage version will be officially set in San Diego, Nicholaw says). Not bad a for a guy who spent years waiting tables in New York while trying to establish himself as an actor and, eventually, choreographer. Aladdin, adapted from the 1992 animated Disney movie, was brought to Nicholaw amid his initial flurry of Broadway success nearly 10 years ago. Now, five years after its Broadway premiere, the show arrives in San Diego on tour for the first time. Like the film, the musical tells the story of a poor young man in the long-ago Middle East whose life is turned upside-down by a wish-granting genie, a sympathetic princess and a whole lot of royal intrigue. That saga unfolds to such favorite numbers as Friend Like Me and A Whole New World a Grammy winner as song of the year. We talked with Nicholaw by phone about the show and his road to Broadway: Q: I think the first time we spoke, back in 2008, Drowsy Chaperone was opening at the Civic Theatre here, and it was the first time a Broadway show of yours was touring to your hometown. There have been plenty more since then! Have you gotten used to that idea? A: Its always cool. Im much more used to it now, but I still sometimes have one those pinch-me moments, you know what I mean? When Im in L.A., and I have a show at the Pantages I remember driving up there to see shows (as a kid). And I remember ushering in high school for Grease and for Annie (at San Diegos Fox Theatre, now Copley Symphony Hall). My parents had, like, no money, but they bought me subscription seats, because they knew I was interested in theater. That was at the Spreckels, but I remember ushering over at the Fox. You volunteered to usher, and then you got to watch the show. I saw Timbuktu!, which I loved. And I saw Hello, Dolly! with Carol Channing, and that made a huge impression on me. Q: Fast-forward to 2010, when work began on the stage adaptation of Aladdin. Were you already a fan of the movie when you were approached with the idea was it an exciting prospect from the start? A: Oh, it definitely was. When they brought it up, I was like: Absolutely, are you kidding me? I would love to do it! We did it in Seattle right after Book of Mormon opened (on Broadway), just to see what we had. And we changed so much (after that). Two years later was when we did it in Toronto. And even in Toronto, we knew it wasnt right. Chad (Beguelin) rewrote a third of the book or something. It was a big shift between Toronto and New York. We all went into overdrive to try to get it right. A scene from the national touring production of Aladdin. (Deen van Meer) Q: How important was it to connect the shows vibe and visual style to what people remembered from the movie? A: Its funny when we were first opened in New York, there really werent many kids in the audience at all. It was like a date-night show, because everyone who saw it as kids or when they were younger, came again. And youd see people wiping their eyes after A Whole New World. There was a huge nostalgia part of the equation there. We were all a little surprised by that. And then whats funny is you have the parents going, Oh God, weve gotta bring our kids next time! (Laughs.) Q: The show definitely seems to have that cross-generational appeal. A: Yeah, it does. And we purposely aged up Jasmine and Aladdin, so that they didnt feel like they were just 16-year-old kids. We did it on purpose to make a little sexier, and for the romance to have a little more to it. Q: What kinds of reactions do you hear from fans? A: You hear a lot of stories from girls who say, I always looked up to Jasmine and thought, Thats me. And its a really diverse cast, and always has been, from the day we opened. It just feels like its this magical world that everyones a part of. I loved working on it. And I just tried to keep it buoyant. I think thats the characteristic thing I can bring to shows to have a certain energy to them. But I think its its own thing. It has my energy to it, but its definitely its own thing. Aladdin When: 7 p.m. Tuesdays-Wednesdays; 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays (plus 1 p.m. Feb. 21); 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays. Through March 3. Where: Broadway/San Diego at the San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown. Tickets: About $33-$75 Phone: (619/858/760) 570-1100 Online: broadwaysd.com jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert Step into Jesse J. Perezs office at the University of San Diego and the first thing you spy might be the bobblehead dolls of Darth Vader and company lined up on a shelf. Were crazy Star Wars fans, Perez the new leader of the Old Globe/USD Shiley Graduate Theatre Program says with a smile about the sci-fi fandom he shares with his longtime partner, the stage actor Sofia Jean Gomez. Actually, those dolls might be about the only things you see: Perez just took over the reins of the renowned classical-acting program in January, and getting up to speed on running things as he bounces between the Globe and USD and all over the country has left precious little time to decorate. Perez, a seasoned actor, director, choreographer and educator who played the lead role in last years La Jolla Playhouse world premiere of Seize the King, steps into a post held for 25 years by the now-retired Richard Seer, who brought the program to national prominence. Advertisement As Perez sits down to chat at USD during a brief spring-break respite, hes in the midst of consulting on final candidates for the next class in the two-year, Shakespeare-dominated program, which admits just seven students annually; the acceptance rate hovers around 2 percent. We saw about 320 people, Perez says of recent auditions and interviews in New York, Chicago and San Francisco as well as San Diego. I forgot about how much pressure it is, having done it so long ago. I was so young and brave, you know? Perez was just a kid when he first felt the force of artistic inspiration, and it had nothing to do with Star Wars (sorry, Luke). One of three sons of Mexican-immigrant parents in urban Los Angeles, Perez remembers growing up watching old Charlie Chaplin movies with his dad. Later, when he was performing in a touring dance troupe as a teenager, Perez pulled the companys director aside one day and told him: I dont think this is what I want to be doing. What he did want to do, he said, was be kind of like Charlie Chaplin. When the director responded, Well, thats dancing, Perez insisted: No, theres something else going on. Perez eventually would develop into a multifaceted performer one conversant, as was Chaplin, with clown work as well as acting both for film and for live audiences. His talent and drive got him into the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting Los Angeles although he ultimately would graduate from the L.A. County High School for the Performing Arts, where he transferred when his family no longer could afford the Adler school. Perez then studied at New Yorks Juilliard School, one of the countrys pre-eminent training grounds for the performing arts. And at Juilliard and in his subsequent career, he grew adept at making himself indispensable to directors whose work he admired. Id be like, I just want them to think of me like an apprentice here, he says of forming bonds with such artists as Mary Zimmerman, Robert Woodruff, Christopher Bayes and Daniel Fish. I want them to use me however they want, because Im inspired and I feel like I want to be in their room. And I would basically work with them for years. I call it being in directors pockets, Perez adds, smiling a little sheepishly at the term. All of a sudden, theyre like, Oh, my God, Ive gotta cast somebody! Oh theres Jesse Perez! As he narrates that last part, Perez who has by this time sprung up from his chair performs a little Chaplin-esque gesture, reaching into his own pocket and pantomiming a welcome find there. Putting in the work That drive to prove himself came in part from his parents; Perezs dad initially supported the family by cleaning restrooms at a leather-manufacturing operation, eventually rising to become part-owner of the place. My parents have always said, hey, you have to work twice as hard, and create it, so that people can come and be like, We want that thing over here, Perez says. Part of the reason his parents pushed the necessity of working hard, Perez acknowledges, was because of the color of my skin, because of where I come from. (They knew) its not going to be easy. And once I graduated from Juilliard, the business slapped me right in the face on how they stereotype you, on how they want you to have a thicker accent with that color of skin, on you being the bodega person, on you putting gas in someones car and mowing the lawn, on being the suspect. Still, that had more to do with TV, Perez says, noting that theater has always embraced me. And eventually, you start turning that (on its head), by how you start auditioning, and the people you start meeting in casting offices. And then theyre like, Oh yeah, why dont you come in as that tech, or as the forensic scientist? You dont need an accent lets put scientific jargon in your mouth. I told you he could do that! Perez strikes a similar note in talking about interpreting and staging Shakespeare for a new, more diversity-minded age, when the Bard stands to become accessible and relevant to a much broader range of voices. Jesse J. Perez in the 2018 La Jolla Playhouse world premiere of the Shakespeare-inspired Seize the King. (Jim Carmody) All of a sudden those stories resonate everywhere, says Perez, whose own first Shakespeare role was as Sir Toby Belch in a high school production of Twelfth Night. How does it sound in the mouth of a Filipino kid? How does it sound in the mouth of an Asian woman playing Mercutio (from Romeo and Juliet)? Im interested in this new idea of kind of twisting and rubbing up against what Shakespeare is usually seen as. One of Perezs own key inspirations when it comes to the Bard is someone hell now be working closely with: Old Globe artistic chief Barry Edelstein, who was Perezs Shakespeare instructor at Juilliard, and who helped recruit him for the USD/Globe position. Perez (who himself taught for 12 years at Juilliard) says Edelstein was really supportive as I became a Shakespearean actor. Now, as he settles into a new life in San Diego with Gomez (who won a San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Award for her turn in San Diego Reps A Dolls House, Part 2 last year), Perez is beginning to map out whats next for the Shiley program. I have ideas, but I feel as though this program is pretty successful already, he says of the 32-year-old MFA module, whose alumni include Emmy Award winner Jim Parsons as well as plenty of highly regarded stage actors around the country. Its up in the ranks. I feel we can make it better and it can grow into the 21st century. But I feel the foundation of this place is firm. And Im coming in and building on top of that. Im coming in here and kind of just trying to see what the classics mean today. And in the classroom, I definitely believe in technique. Lets definitely see how we do it all in this scientific way; lets really slow things down. But then theres this idea that once we start performing it, or living it in front of people, we have to let that go. And be human beings. jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert The world premiere of a La Jolla Playhouse-commissioned work plus a new musical directed by the lead producer of Hamilton are the final two shows to join the Playhouses 2019-20 season. The just-announced productions are playwright Keith Bunins The Coast Starlight, a story of secrets and intrigue aboard a California passenger train; and Fly, a musical adapted by Rajiv Joseph (a Pulitzer Prize finalist for Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo) from the Peter Pan saga, and directed by Broadway mega-producer Jeffrey Seller. Those works join the previously announced productions of Put Your House in Order, The Luckiest, Kiss My Aztec! and Cambodian Rock Band on the Playhouse slate. The theater also has announced official run dates for all six shows. Tickets for the 2019-20 productions are currently available via subscription purchase at (858) 550-1010 or lajollaplayhouse.org. Advertisement Heres a look at whats coming: The Coast Starlight by Keith Bunin, Aug. 20 to Sept. 15, Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre. Bunin was last at the Playhouse in 2012 with Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir, one of the first shows in the theaters site-specific/immersive Without Walls series. This new, Playhouse-commissioned piece, directed by Tyne Rafaeli of off-Broadways Usual Girls, was developed in last years DNA New Work Series. I really just enjoy his voice, Playhouse artistic director Christopher Ashley says of Bunin, who has had numerous plays produced in New York and was a writer on HBOs Treatment. The Coast Starlight, Ashley says, was partly inspired by Bunins own travels up and down Californias coast on the plays namesake train, as he shuttled among writing projects. Bunin became fascinated by the unspoken intimacy among passengers, and in the play theres an element of those passengers interior lives speaking to each other. Theres also an element of suspense, as the young man at the storys center harbors a secret whose implications require that his fellow passengers help work through them. Its funny, its compassionate, and its very much about the capacity for invention and reinvention when your life goes off the rails, Ashley says of the piece. Fly by Rajiv Joseph, composed by Bill Sherman, lyrics by Kirsten Childs and Rajiv Joseph; based on J.M. Barries Peter Pan. Feb. 18 to March 29, 2020, Mandell Weiss Theatre. This will actually be the second production of the musical riff on the Peter Pan saga; the first was back in 2013 at the Dallas Theater Center. That production marked the directing debut of Jeffrey Seller, the producing whiz whose hit projects include not just Hamilton but Avenue Q and Rent. Fly recasts the story of Peter Pan through the lens of Wendys experience, says Ashley, who notes that the show has a contemporary feel and a propulsive and percussive score. The music is by Bill Sherman, who won a Tony Award in 2008 for orchestrating In the Heights, the first big hit by Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. Writer Joseph, best-known for Bengal Tiger, had his subsequent piece Guards at the Taj staged at the Playhouse in 2016. Kirsten Childs, his co-lyricist on Fly, won multiple awards for her 2000 off-Broadway musical The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin, and also has performed in two Broadway shows. Ashley says the Playhouse production will include extensive aerial effects in fact, probably the most flying seen at the Playhouse since his own staging of A Midsummer Nights Dream back in 2010. Ashley is particularly pleased with the shows prospects for broad audience appeal. I love seasons where we have something for a multigenerational audience, and Fly fits the bill, he says. The full dates for the Playhouses four previously announced 2019-20 shows: Put Your House in Order by Ike Holter, directed by Lili-Anne Brown; June 2-30, Mandell Weiss Forum. The Luckiest by Melissa Ross, directed by Jaime Castaneda; June 30 July 28, Potiker Theatre. The Berkeley Repertory Theatre Production of Kiss My Aztec!, book by John Leguizamo and Tony Taccone, music by Benjamin Velez, lyrics by David Kamp, Benjamin Velez and John Leguizamo, based on a screenplay by John Leguizamo and Stephen Chbosky; directed by Tony Taccone. Sept. 3 to Oct. 13, Mandell Weiss Theatre. Cambodian Rock Band by Lauren Yee, featuring songs by Dengue Fever; directed by Chay Yew. Nov. 12 to Dec. 15, Potiker Theatre. jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert In its 34 years of staging contest-winning student works, the San Diego-based Playwrights Project had never before put up a fully produced musical for its annual Plays by Young Writers Festival. Then along came Trash! The piece by Naomi Melville, a senior at Mt. Carmel High School, is one of five winning works from the yearly California Young Playwrights Contest that will be showcased in the fest starting this week, and its the first musical to receive that honor. But its not the first to be in the running, says Cecelia Kouma, the festivals executive producer and the Projects longtime executive director. Advertisement Every two or three years we get a musical submission, Kouma says. Sometimes its by a group, and its like, Oh, that would be really impossible to work on, given the extensive workshopping each play receives. But with this script, because it was absolutely hands-down delightful, every single person (who read it) gave it a Yes, lets see this onstage! Melvilles Trash! The Musical a saga of tossed-away objects trying to find some new purpose in life is one of five plays by school-aged writers that will be showcased in the 2019 festival, which begins performances Thursday at the Old Globes Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre in Balboa Park. The works also include Sea of Fog by Jack Ventimilia, and A Mothers Mother by Emma Kuli, both of which will receive full productions; plus Just Let Me Help by Marco Herrera and Chris Johnson, and Have Hope by Shyla de Hoop, which will get staged readings. Those plays were among 415 submitted by students statewide; the winners were chosen through an extensive vetting process conducted by area theater professionals, including Deborah Salzer, who founded Playwrights Project in 1985 and led it for more than two decades. Kouma, contest coordinator Rachael VanWormer (herself a former winner of the contest) and festival artistic chief Ruff Yeager made the final choices based on judges feedback and interviews with finalists. Melville was actually a finalist in the 2016 edition of the contest, and Trash! was just one of three plays she submitted this time around. As it turns out, it wasnt even the one she thought had the best prospects of winning. I was really surprised, she acknowledges. I thought the other two were so profound, and they chose this one. It made me realize that what you think is good isnt necessarily the best work. In developing the piece for the fest, Melville worked with the New York-based composer Thomas Hodges yet another former Playwrights contest-winner to get her music from the piano onto the page, and with director Yeager to hone the storys whimsical characters. While she doesnt know her college destination yet, Melville has dreams of studying in the theater program at the University of California San Diego and meeting Naomi Iizuka, head of playwriting there and a favorite of the young writer and her Mt. Carmel drama teacher. Whatever happens, Melville sounds committed to her chosen artform. Its really interesting to think about why we still have theater when we now have film and television and all that, she says. And I think its because of having that connection with someone whos really there in front of you and the ephemerality of it. Theres a quote I saw once, and it was about carving something into the snow; how its only there for an instant, but its still beautiful. And part of the beauty is that it is there for only an instant. The lineup Festival performances are divided into Program A (appropriate for ages 11 and up) and Program B (for ages 16-plus). Each program includes one staged reading and one or two full productions. Two separate acting ensembles will perform in the two programs; actors play multiple roles. Heres a look at the full lineup (quoted plot descriptions are provided by Playwrights Project). PROGRAM A for ages 11 and up (directed by Ruff Yeager) Full production Trash! The Musical, by Naomi Melville, Sabre Springs: Trash! The Musical features discarded items in a trash can banding together in search of purpose. Through song and witty dialogue, this unlikely group sorts through their past, present, and hopes for the future. The script was written by Naomi Melville, at age 17, while attending Mt. Carmel High School. Director Ruff Yeager will direct and dramaturg this imaginative musical. Staged reading Just Let Me Help, by Marco Herrera and Chris Johnson, Imperial Beach: In Just Let Me Help, a camping trip provides a father and son with a greater understanding of one another. Playwrights Marco Herrera and Chris Johnson, both age 14, composed their winning script while attending Bayfront Charter High School. Playwrights Project teaching artist and Plays by Young Writers Festival alumna Mabelle Reynoso will act as the dramaturg/writing mentor. PROGRAM B for ages 16 and up (directed by George Ye) Full productions Sea of Fog, by Jack Ventimilia, Studio City: In Sea of Fog, two outsiders examine their differences and explore religions place in a modern world. Compelling characters ponder issues of authenticity and vulnerability in this philosophical glimpse into teen-agers lives. Playwright Jack Ventimilia, age 16, wrote this script while attending Bridges Academy in Studio City. Director George Ye will also serve as the dramaturg. A Mothers Mother, by Emma Kuli, Villa Park: A Mothers Mother explores the relationship between a pregnant teen and her mother. This heartfelt look into their bond provides the audience with insights into the stigma of teen pregnancy and the responsibility of motherhood. Playwright Emma Kuli, who now attends Santa Clara University, wrote her play while attending the Orange County School of the Arts. A Mothers Mother will be dramaturged by Playwrights Project founder Deborah Salzer. Staged reading Have Hope, by Shyla de Hoop, Rolando: Have Hope depicts the journey of two young cats searching for their mother. Shyla wrote her winning script in a playwriting program taught by Playwrights Project teaching artist Aurrora Arnold in Mr. Halls humanities class at the Creative Performing Media Arts School in San Diego. Her writing mentor will be Playwright Project teaching artist Aleta Barthell, who also founded Kids Act. Plays by Young Writers Festival When: 10 a.m. Jan. 10 (Program A) and 11 (Program B); 10 a.m. Jan. 22-23 (Program A) and 24 (Program B); 7:30 p.m. Jan 12 (opening night three full productions, no staged readings); 10 a.m. (Program A) and 7:30 p.m. (Program B) Jan. 25; 2 p.m. (Program B) and 7:30 p.m. (Program A) Jan. 26. Where: Old Globes Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, Balboa Park. Tickets: $25 (discounts available); $60 for opening night, including reception. Phone: (858) 384-2970 Online: playwrightsproject.org jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert New plays by both national talents and enterprising local community members will all be part of the celebration when the sixth edition of the Old Globes Powers New Voices Festival gets under way next month. The free fest, set for Jan. 18-20, will take in four new American plays by rising professional writers including Anna Ziegler, who has premiered two previous works at the Globe. And it will kick off with Celebrating Community Voices, a showcase of work created by San Diego residents through the Globes arts-engagement programs Community Voices and coLAB. Those readings directed by Karen Ann Daniels and Katherine Harroff will include The Last Signal Officer, by Max Daily; Not a Game (working title) by Eboni Harvey; Boundaries and Barriers by Johnny Lozano; The Best Insurance Company in the World by Renea Minyard; Whos Crazy by Richard Nichols; 3 Days by Maharani Peace; and The Ex Games by Miki Vale. Advertisement That program begins at 7:30 Jan. 18 in the Globes Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre in Balboa Park. The readings by professional playwrights begin the following day. Here are details and schedule notes on those works: Welcome to Matteson by Inda Craig-Galvan, 4 p.m. Jan. 19: Moxie Theatre co-founder and top San Diego director Delicia Turner Sonnenberg stages this piece by Craig-Galvan, a writer for the ABC series The Rookie who has had plays produced across the country, winning a string of awards. The blurb on the new work: A suburban couple hosts a welcome-to-the-neighborhood dinner party for their new neighbors a couple forcibly relocated from Chicagos roughest housing project and its anything but welcoming. A dark comedy about reverse gentrification and how we deal with the other when the other looks just like us. The Great Moment by Anna Ziegler, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 19. The Globe has become a key artistic home for Ziegler, whose plays The Last Match and the Globe-commissioned The Wanderers premiered at the Balboa Park theater. San Diego Rep also staged the local premiere of her work Actually this year, and Zieglers Photograph 51 had a London run starring Nicole Kidman. No director has been specified for The Great Moment. The story behind the play: As Sarahs grandfather is nearing the end of his life, her son Max is nearing the beginning of his. Globe favorite Anna Ziegler crafts a poetic meditation on beginnings and endings, birth and age, and the moments of transition that mark our journey from life to death. Faceless by Selina Fillinger, 4 p.m. Jan. 20: Jennifer Chambers directs the work by Fillinger, a much-produced young writer whose other works include Faceless and The Armor Plays: Cinched/Strapped. Susie Glenn, a white 18-year-old from the Chicago suburbs, was arrested at OHare International Airport for conspiring with ISIS. Recent Harvard Law grad and practicing Muslim Claire Fathi has been brought on to prosecute. Inspired by real court cases, Selina Fillingers crackling drama looks at two women fighting for justice in a world gripped by fear. The Thanksgiving Play by Larissa FastHorse, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 20. FastHorse, who identifies as Sicangu Lakota, is a playwright, director and choreographer who has been produced across the country. No director has been named for her new work. The blurb: In this satirical comedy, four well-intentioned teachers and actors set out to create a politically correct school play that can somehow celebrate both Thanksgiving and Native American Heritage Month. Can they navigate historical fact, cultural representation and school district regulations to create a play that makes everyone thankful? Either way, the pageant must go on! A number of plays showcased in past editions of the Powers Festival named for major benefactors Paula and Brian Powers have gone on to further life on stages here and elsewhere. They include three plays receiving full productions in the Globes current season: JC Lees What You Are, Laurel Ollsteins They Promised Her the Moon and PigPen Theatre Co.s The Tale of Despereaux. Tickets to all readings in the 2019 fest are free, but reservations are required. Theyll be available beginning at noon Dec. 19 for for donors and subscribers, and at noon Jan. 11 for the general public. To reserve, call (619) 234-5623. jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert Three years ago, San Diego Theatre Week launched with an idea modeled after the popular Restaurant Week: Offer special deals to bring people through the doors and, with luck, turn them into repeat visitors. Now, as it gets ready to launch its fourth edition this Thursday, Theatre Week a project of the nonprofit San Diego Performing Arts League has continued to refine and simplify its cultural tasting menu. Where once the PAL left it up to participating arts groups to set their own discounts and inducements which led to a wide variation in the appeal of those deals now the organizations are asked to offer a standard 20 percent (or more) off, with tickets sold at three price levels: $15, $30 and $45. And as PAL vice president and executive director Gary Kramer is quick to point out, it cant be for the worst seats in the house. Advertisement Kramer notes that the idea is to get people into your theater and show them the quality of the shows we do here, and have them have such a great time that they come back. We want the experience to be good from start to finish, and we try to instill that with all the participating (organizations) in Theatre Week. Wandachristine, Zakiya Young, Ramona Keller, Cherene Snow and Olivia Washington in the Old Globes Familiar. (J.T. MacMillan) Theatre Weeks name is actually slightly misleading: The event runs a full 11 days (through Feb. 24), with tickets also available for a few events that begin beyond those dates. And its not just theater, either: There are seats available for dance and comedy events as well. (One of the participants is National Comedy Theatre, where Kramer is founder and artistic director.) About two dozen events are part of 2019s Theatre Week, somewhat fewer than last year. Kramer says some unavoidable scheduling factors are involved; for example, La Jolla Playhouse has been a key past participant but is about to open the hugely anticipated new musical Diana, for which tickets (discounted or otherwise) are likely to be scarce. While thousands of tickets are sold for shows around the county during each Theatre Week, Kramer acknowledges that theres room to grow, and hes still hoping it catches fire a little bit. San Diego Theatre Week When: Feb. 14-24 Where: Performing-arts venues around San Diego County Tickets: $15-$45 Phone: (858) 437-9850 Online: sandiegotheatreweek.com Theatre Week Lineup Here are the shows that have Theatre Week ticket discounts available, by price level. Check individual entries for details, and keep an eye out for possible additions. $15 Aubergine, San Diego Rep Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune, OnStage Playhouse Guys and Dolls, Coronado Playhouse Mainstage Show, National Comedy Theatre Ritmos Latinos: Que Bonito Amor, San Diego Ballet at the Lyceum Theatre A Permanent Image, Point Loma Playhouse A Boy and a Girl / Quibbling Siblings, Patio Playhouse Bojos Place, Community Actors Theatre Fuddy Meers, Trinity Theatre A scene from Smokey Joes Cafe at New Village Arts. (Daren Scott) $30 A Jewel in the Crown City, Lambs Players Theatre Smokey Joes Cafe, New Village Arts The Hour of Great Mercy, Diversionary Theatre Beyond Babel, Beyond Babel Theatre Dancing Lessons, Scripps Ranch Theatre Augustin Hadelich Returns, San Diego Symphony Gabriel, North Coast Rep Michael Feinstein Sings Sinatra, San Diego Symphony at Copley Symphony Hall Nellie McKay performs The Big Molinsky: Considering Joan Rivers, Lawrence Family JCCs Garfield Theatre $45 Beyond Babel, Beyond Babel Theatre Marie & Rosetta, Cygnet Theatre Familiar, Old Globe Theatre Starting or continuing after Theatre Week $15 Moana Jr., San Diego Junior Theatre Madagascar Jr., J*Company Youth Theatre $30 Dancing Lessons, Oceanside Theatre jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert Like the hero of the megahit musical Hamilton, Edred Utomi is young, scrappy and hungry and now he has performed his way to the pinnacle of one of the biggest shows on the planet. Tonight in Pittsburgh, the University of San Diego grad and former local actor takes over the title role in the Angelica tour of Hamilton, one of two national tours of the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical. Utomi had joined the touring company early last year just weeks after his last San Diego performance, in the ensemble of Dr. Seusss How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at the Old Globe. In short order he became a standby for the role of Alexander Hamilton, the Revolutionary War hero, statesman and U.S. treasury secretary whose story is at the center of the show. Advertisement Utomi first went onstage as Hamilton last March, and had subbed into the role numerous times since, while also portraying such key characters as Aaron Burr (who killed Hamilton in an infamous real-life duel), George Washington, Thomas Jefferson/Marquis de Lafayette and others at various times. But now, with the departure from the tour of longtime principal Austin Scott who played Hamilton when the show came through San Diego a year ago Utomi is the main man. It is with great pride that I announce that starting tonight, I will be taking over the role of Alexander Hamilton on the Angelica Tour, Utomi posted Wednesday on Instagram from the shows current stop in Pittsburgh. Actually, pride is not the word Im looking for. There is so much more inside me now, he added borrowing lyrics from the Hamilton song Dear Theodosia. On Twitter, Scott said: My man @edredutomi will be taking over as Hamilton on the Angelica Tour and I couldnt be happier. Edred has been holding it down as the Ham alternate and principal standby all year and my mind is at ease knowing that this company will have such a strong and capable leader. Much love and best wishes to you brother! A son of Nigerian immigrants, Utomi was mostly a journeyman actor around San Diego after graduating from USD, but his talent was obvious in such shows as San Diego Reps 2015 production of My Manana Comes. The past four years have been incredible in San Diego, Utomi said when the U-T checked in with him in late 2017. The San Diego theater community is really something special. Every theater Ive worked at is committed to putting on good theater. And its a family such a welcoming community, such a thriving community. Now he leads a show that has received renewed exposure recently (not that publicity is ever an issue for Hamilton) as writer-composer-lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda launches a new production of the musical in Puerto Rico, the place of his own familys heritage. Miranda, who originated the title role on Broadway, will portray Hamilton again in that production, which opens Friday. jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert It can be hard now to separate memories of Princess Dianas life from the sad story of her passing, at age 36 in a 1997 Paris car accident. Even the song most associated with the late Princess of Wales is one that was famously played at her funeral: Candle in the Wind, which Dianas friend Elton John originally wrote for Marilyn Monroe another cultural icon who died tragically and too young. But this week, when La Jolla Playhouse unveils a whole new set of songs about Diana, it will be in service of a world-premiere musical that revisits her days as a dynamic and sometimes divisive figure on the world stage, rather than focusing on that final chapter. At the center of the show, created by the same key artists who took the musical Memphis from the Playhouse to Broadway, is Dianas 1981 wedding to Prince Charles. Advertisement That globally televised event commenced what seemed a fairy-tale union. And yet the marriage eventually would devolve into the stuff of tabloid gossip, as the pair became estranged and Charles longtime relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles was exposed. Those soap-opera aspects of the real-life story aside, director and Playhouse artistic chief Christopher Ashley says Diana ultimately stands as a tribute to the late princess. Everyone involved in this show is interested in celebrating her, says Ashley, who teamed with writer-lyricist Joe DiPietro and composer David Bryan (the longtime keyboardist for the band Bon Jovi) to create the musical. And everybody working on this show has a real fascination with her. Choreographer Kelly Devine (left) works with Diana star Jeanna de Waal and cast mate Tomas Matos at a La Jolla Playhouse rehearsal. (Jim Carmody) So how do you step into Dianas shoes not to mention the splashy fashions that the princess became known for in those sartorially flamboyant days of the 1980s? Thats what the Broadway-seasoned Jeanna de Waal has been working hard to figure out in the nearly two years since she was tapped to play the title role in Diana a show that seems an obvious candidate for Broadway, depending on how things go in La Jolla. Although de Waal spent the first seven years of her life in Germany, her mom is British, and the family had moved to England not long before Dianas death an event that left a lasting impression. I very vividly remember the day she died, because our mum got us out of bed, actually, to watch (the news), says de Waal, chatting at the Playhouse before a recent rehearsal. I remember it being on the TV all day. And my mum and my grandma in particular being very upset. But it really wasnt until I started researching for this role that I deep-dived into the facts of Dianas story, and also the more subtle parts of her motivations. What de Waal came away with was a conviction that Diana, who was barely 20 when she and Charles married, was a wonderfully sensitive young human being, and that the ways that pressure and isolation and loneliness can affect a person and then to see them overcome those challenges and do something extraordinary with their life is a brilliant and amazing story. Its a pleasure to dive into and really explore those parts of your own emotions, and see how you can tap into those and connect. For director Ashley, a big part of the motivation for creating Diana has been that I think she was an extraordinarily transformational, inspirational woman. Through her work to raise awareness of such issues as the AIDS crisis and the perils of abandoned land mines, says Ashley, Diana really used the white-hot spotlight that was on her in such productive ways to call attention to charities that really needed help. And its also a great time to tell a story of a woman who finds her voice and finds her power the way Diana did. The many dimensions of Diana On the face of it there seems a surprising contrast between that serious-minded Diana and the one whose favorite quote (according to her son, Harry) was: You can be as naughty as you want just dont get caught. But to de Waal, those are really two sides of the same coin. I think there are contrasts, but I think theyre also linked, says de Waal, whose Broadway credits include Kinky Boots and American Idiot. When she was doing her work with (causes), it was all about connection. And playfulness IS connection, right? There is an element of fun or silliness to it. And I think that even though she brought a great sense of gravitas to the work she did by shining a light on it, she wasnt lecturing people. She was making them laugh and making them smile. She discovered how to use her natural skill, that playfulness, for a greater cause. De Waal adds that Diana was put into a circumstance where she had a clearly defined set of rules, and was very willing and enthusiastic to please the people around her. And she had to find that balance of serving her own voice rather than always serving the voices of others. I think the positive of living like that is the empathy and the kindness and the love you can make people around you feel. And I think thats something in her personality Ive tried to emulate and take on, and really be aware of how much value there is in listening to the nuances and the subtleties of day-to-day interactions. Jeanna de Waal with Judy Kaye, who plays Queen Elizabeth, at a Playhouse rehearsal. (Jim Carmody) De Waal whose Diana cast mates include two-time Tony Award winner Judy Kaye as Queen Elizabeth, Roe Hartrampf as Charles and Erin Davie as Camilla says the team has been very clear that were not making a documentary. Were making a musical. But, she adds, the one part that maybe comes closest to being a documentary are the costumes, designed by the Broadway veteran William Ivey Long. His attention to detail is extraordinary, de Waal says. I mean, we analyzed closeups of pictures to see where the buttons lay. Youll recognize every costume I wear, truly although there was the challenge of, she was much taller than I am. (So) you put 20 ruffles on her and she still looks good. You put four ruffles on me and I look like a Christmas tree! Small sacrifice, in her eyes, for getting a chance to play such a celebrated and complex figure and to be part of a new creative work from the very start of its life. This is my absolute favorite part of being an actor, says de Waal. Its all-consuming, and its stimulating every day. And really exciting. It feels lovely to be part of something as youre going up the roller coaster. Diana When: In previews. Opens March 3. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through April 7. Where: La Jolla Playhouses Mandell Weiss Theatre, Playhouse/UC San Diego Theatre District, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla Tickets: About $91-$136 (limited availability) Phone: (858) 550-1010 Online: lajollaplayhouse.org The music of Diana With Memphis the musical about rocks early days that launched at La Jolla Playhouse in 2008 and went on to a Tony Award-winning Broadway run composer David Bryan and writer-lyricist Joe DiPietro drew on blues and R&B. Now, the pair have taken musical cues from 80s pop for Diana, their latest world-premiere work with director and Playhouse artistic chief Christopher Ashley. The show definitely has a pop-rock feel, says Jeanna de Waal, who plays Princess Diana in the production. And Ashley says: Its very much inspired by the 80s. Diana was a huge fan of Duran Duran and Culture Club and also Bon Jovi, for which Bryan serves as longtime keyboardist. So her music (in the show) is very much inspired by 80s pop. But the music of the royal family, of the Windsors, is much more derived from contemporary classical. So the score has kind of a collision between those two styles. Diana star Jeanna de Waal is also the driving force behind Broadway Weekends. (Little Fang) Diana star means business While the title role in Diana is the biggest one shes ever taken on, Jeanna de Waal has been a rising star (on Broadway and beyond) for a while now; her credits include the world premiere of Waitress as well as such shows as Kinky Boots, Wicked and American Idiot not to mention The Rocky Horror Show at San Diegos Old Globe. But in her other life, de Waal is the mastermind behind Broadway Weekends, a business venture that essentially offers musical-theater fantasy camp for grown-ups. The sessions are taught and led by working Broadway artists, and give all participants (no matter their ability levels) the opportunity to perform. The idea has proved popular enough since its launch in 2017 that Broadway Weekends now includes regional pop-up camps in other cities. In January, a pop-up took place in Los Angeles, led by cast members of the touring Come From Away the hit musical that premiered in La Jolla four years ago under the direction of Playhouse artistic chief and Diana director Christopher Ashley. And when it was mentioned to de Waal in a recent Playhouse interview that it sounded as if she were getting the equivalent of an MBA by launching the project, she replied: Actually, I just found out this morning that I have an interview with Wharton for the MBA program referring to what might be the nations pre-eminent business school. De Waal adds that she would have to defer attendance if she and Diana wound up transferring to Broadway, and Im not sure Id even do it in any case, given all shes already learning about the business world. But I have applied. Theater royalty Sara Jane Nash as Diana and Richard Rivera as Charles in the 2018 Coronado Playhouse production of King Charles III. (Ken Jacques) Even if we set aside all of Shakespeares stories of kings and queens, there still have been a whole lot of plays about the British royal family. (And those dont include the 1928 Broadway play The Royal Family, which was actually a parody of the Barrymore acting dynasty.) Five recent examples: The Audience, 2013: Peter Morgans 2013 play draws on the traditional weekly audiences (or meetings) Queen Elizabeth II has held over the decades with Britains prime ministers. Helen Mirren played the queen in both the London and Broadway productions. King Charles III, 2014: The 2014 future history play by Mike Bartlett imagines a time a few years hence when Prince Charles ascends to the throne, but is beset by nasty politics and scandal; Princess Diana actually appears as a ghost in the piece. Coronado Playhouse staged the plays local premiere last year. (Read the review.) The Madness of King George III, 1991: Alan Bennetts fact-based but deeply satirical work explores the odd story of the 18th-century British king who lost the American colonies and, for mysterious reasons, his mind. It was last produced here at the Old Globe in 2010. (Read the review.) Handbagged, 2013: Moira Buffini, whose play Gabriel has its West Coast premiere at North Coast Rep this week, wrote this comic 2013 piece, which parallels The Audience a bit in its focus on the pas de deux between Elizabeth II and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Princess Diana, the Musical, 1998: And yes, there is at least one other Diana musical. This one, by Karen Sokolof Javitch and Elaine Jabenis, was staged in 2017 at Patio Playhouse in Escondido. jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert Whatever else it accomplishes, Julia Chos play Aubergine promises to give eggplant a good name. Or at least a better name than eggplant. The more graceful term aubergine is the one that people in Great Britain, France and other countries use for those bulbous purple vegetables. But while Aubergine is not about eggplants, exactly, it is in some ways about finding a common language emotionally, spiritually and otherwise through food. The play, which is about to receive its local premiere at San Diego Rep, centers on a Korean-American chef named Ray, who is long disconnected from the country of his heritage and who specializes in French cuisine. Advertisement When Ray learns that his dad is dying, though, he feels obligated to put his life on hold and do his final duties as a good son. Ive abandoned my career to come home and help him, explains Brian Kim, who plays Ray at the Rep, about his characters situation. And the irony is, he is a person who has never appreciated food, and has never supported my career. So it creates quite a difficult relationship. With the help of an uncle from Korea, Ray strives to make a traditional soup that might help comfort his father (whos played by the veteran screen and stage actor Dana Lee). Brian Kim (left) and Dana Lee rehearse a scene from Aubergine at San Diego Rep. (Peggy Ryan) Thats just one way that food seems to become a proxy for emotion and memory in Aubergine. And whether youre a foodie or no, that kind of powerful sensory connection is probably a familiar feeling. Throughout the play, youve got these memory monologues that highlight what food does, in those moments that are most important to us, says Kim. I think thats a lot of the beauty in this play. It can be extravagant and it can be simple, but (either way) its food that brought us together. Breaking barriers In the Rep production, directed by longtime associate artistic chief Todd Salovey, Audrey Park plays Cornelia, Rays estranged girlfriend. (The production also features Terrell Donnell Sledge, Yong Kim and Amanda Sitton.) Cornelia is more conversant in the Korean language than Ray is, and she winds up reluctantly enlisted to help bridge the language gap with Rays uncle. Park says the way cultures intertwine in Chos play is a key part of the story. She talks about how at the start of Rep rehearsals, we kept referring to Aubergine as The Food Play. But Ive always kind of put quotations around that, she says. I think its important to be specific, that we are telling a Korean-American story. Its different than telling a Korean story, and its different than telling what we understand to be a typical white-American story. A Korean-American story is very specific. And there is always some sort of either tension and or collaboration that happens within ourselves of reconciling that Korean-ness or reconciling that American-ness. I think thats beautifully done in this play, and its beautifully done through Brians work that struggle of, is (Ray) really rebelling against his father, or is he rebelling against a specific cultural aspect of his father? As it happens, Kim has at least some real-life perspective on his characters expertise and aspirations: One of his previous jobs was as the accounting head for a luxury restaurant group, where Kim worked with a really high-class executive chef. I wrote to him recently to say, Thank you for putting so much real-life experience into this role! Kim reports. Im really happy that I got to have that experience, and to understand the importance of their craft. From left: Yong Kim, Audrey Park, Brian Kim, Terrell Donnell Sledge and Dana Lee in Aubergine. (Peggy Ryan) Aubergine had its beginnings some six years ago, when Cho the writer of such works as The Architecture of Loss and BFE was one of several writers asked by Berkeley Rep to contribute short plays about food. Chos own father had died not long before, and the piece she came up with gradually expanded into the full-length play that premiered at Berkeley Rep in 2016. Given the themes of loss and mortality that run through Aubergine, Park senses that people might look at the synopsis of the play and think it carries a lot of somberness. But I find that even in the language, there are a lot of moments of lightheartedness or joy. It actually contains all those emotions. And the thing I find so beautiful about food in this play is that it highlights the fact that outside of language, there are different ways to communicate. Park especially appreciates this idea that there is a language that is unspoken, that food allows us to speak. And thats through memories that food kind of brings to us all the sensations, the sounds and the tastes and the smells. They communicate so much to us. Aubergine When: Previews begin Jan. 24. Opens Jan. 30. 7 p.m. Tuesdays-Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. (Some exceptions; check with theater.) Through Feb. 17. Where: San Diego Reps Lyceum Space, 79 Horton Plaza, downtown Tickets: $25-$69 Phone: (619) 544-1000 Online: sdrep.org Play-ing with food A look at some other food-minded plays that have hit local stages: My Manana Comes: Elizabeth Irwins drama of class and competition in the culinary world is set in the kitchen of a high-end New York restaurant; the Rep staged it in 2015. One of that productions stars, Edred Utomi, is now playing the title role in the hit musical Hamilton on tour. (Read the review.) tokyo fish story: The Old Globe showcased plenty of simulated food prep onstage in its 2016 production of Kimber Lees play, which unfolds in a sushi kitchen. (Read the review.) Raymond Lee and Tina Chilip in the Old Globes 2016 production of tokyo fish story. (Jim Cox) Waitress: Pie is life for this musicals main character, an unhappy diner server with dreams of baking glory; the Broadway productions touring version landed in San Diego late last year. (Read the review plus an interview with songwriter Sara Bareilles about the show.) The Cake: Bekah Brunstetters witty and insightful play, inspired by the real-life legal case of a baker who refused a gay couples wedding order, had its area premiere at La Jolla Playhouse in 2018. (Read the review.) Monty Pythons Spamalot: OK, so this slice of Monty Python musical-theater madness has about as much to do with the processed meat product in its title as Julius Caesar has to do with salad; it was still deliciously funny when Cygnet Theatre produced it last summer. (Read the review.) JAMES HEBERT jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert Classic musicals used to revel in fantasy sequences known as dream ballets. Grace McLeods Herland might not be a musical, but it does have an answer to those old-school reveries: Think of it as dream karaoke. The scene in the gifted young playwrights world-premiere work at Moxie Theatre is set to Bruce Springsteens Born to Run, and it captures a lot of what works about this smart and completely charming play: Its funny, unexpected and kind of lovably awkward and so what if (as the kids say) its a little bit extra? Of course, maybe the kids dont say it quite that way (Im sure my own college-student daughter would be happy to set me straight on this). But thats part of the point of Herland, which explores how a freshly minted high-school grad named Natalie (Christine Cervas Nathanson) and her latest acquaintances who have a good five decades head start on her in life both navigate the gaps between their experiences and find surprising connections. The premise is an inventive one: Jean (Rhona Gold), a divorcee of a certain age, has signed up Natalie as an intern to help with the logistics of setting up a self-styled retirement community in Jeans own garage. Advertisement Its a place where Jean used to be banned from even entering without permission: The garage (designed to cluttered perfection by Julie Lorenz) was the domain of her ex-husband and his Springsteen tribute act. Joining this nascent community are Jeans longtime pals Louise (Jill Drexler) and Terry (Loie Gail), who likewise are trying to figure out the next stage in their lives. Thats true for the college-bound Natalie, too: Shes not just looking ahead to what life will be like as an adult, but also is coming to terms with her identity as a lesbian. Whats most remarkable about McLeods writing is how authentic and gratifyingly non-patronizing the dialogue feels between Natalie and her new friends. Its especially impressive given the playwright is just 23 the youngest ever to have received a rolling world premiere from the National New Play Network, which has arranged for Herland to be produced at two other theaters in quick succession after Moxie. Theres a funny scene where Jean played by Gold with wonderful wit and openness, in a welcome return to Moxie reacts to Natalies shock over a past episode of sexual harassment that Jean silently endured by saying: Wait a minute am I being called out? This is fantastic! I read an article about this. The humor, under the deft direction of Moxie executive artistic chief Jennifer Eve Thorn, manages to walk that fine line of acknowledging differences in knowledge and understanding without making cheap jokes. A few scenes (including one staged in total darkness) go on longer than they need to, but what ultimately abides is a sense of real warmth and affection among these characters young and less so. Jill Drexler, Loie Gail and Rhona Gold (from left) in Herland. (Daren Scott) A major part of that is Nathansons tremendously appealing turn as Natalie one that can make you wonder why we havent seen this accomplished actor (and Moxie staff member) on local stages sooner. Shes all heart as this enterprising and studious young woman who name-checks the plays title inspiration Charlotte Perkins Gilmans 1915 utopian novel about a society populated solely by women but remains sympathetic to the real-life struggles of Jean and Co. Drexler is likewise in top form here as the demanding, structure-loving Louise I love steps!, she says, when she encounters an online guide to being an independent woman and has a pretty epic spit-take to boot. And Gail is a key presence as the quiet-but-wise Terry, whos going through her own reassertion of sexual identity. Meg Stoll Tron also makes the most of her one funny, awkwardly endearing scene as Becca, Natalies would-be hookup their romance quashed by an untimely needle-drop of Springsteens Im On Fire. Ashley Bietzs lighting design brings home a lovely and perfectly fitting final moment, and Anastasia Pautovas costumes and Lily Voons sound also work well. Boss fans might not love this one, but Tron gets one of the plays most pointedly funny lines, as Becca muses on how people think that if America was a person it would be Bruce Springsteen. An old white guy who doesnt know when to quit? Seems right to me. Herland When: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through Feb. 17. Where: Moxie Theatre, 6663 El Cajon Blvd., Rolando District (near San Diego State University) Tickets: $18-$44 (discounts available) Phone: (858) 598-7620 Online: moxietheatre.com jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert As if the first year of college isnt anxiety-inducing enough for California teen Lexi, shes been sent off to the University of Connecticut by her mother with a cautionary urban legend planted in her head: Theres a serial killer with a hook for one hand who preys upon young women. Thanks, Mom. Whether the murderous madman is real in University of California San Diego MFA grad Lauren Yees Hookman is purposely ambiguous. But theres no shortage of graphic evidence in the 2015 play that Yee has referred to as an existentialist slasher comedy that he exists, at the very least on the power of suggestion. Blood turns up everywhere on clothing, on knives, on Lexis own hands. The Hookman, meanwhile, is a masked figure naturally dressed in black. Or is he just in Lexis mind? San Diego States School of Theatre, Television and Film is staging Hookman in association with Moxie Theatre under the direction of Moxies executive artistic director, Jennifer Eve Thorn. All the Hookman actors and crew members are SDSU undergrads or graduate students. Hookman was actually workshopped in 2012 at UCSDs Baldwin New Play Festival, the same year Moxie produced Yees A Man, His Wife, and His Hat (since retitled The Hatmakers Wife). With all the stage blood and the one-act plays cutting takes on college life, Hookman is undoubtedly a treat for the students involved. Kennedy Garcia, playing the lead role of Lexi, admirably carries the show, which is presented in SDSUs rather awkward Experimental Theatre. Her fellow actors, for the most part, are mired in one-note type roles: the text-obsessed roommate, the self-involved blond girl, the slacker-sounding boyfriend. Advertisement The one supporting character who seems like a real person is Lexis best friend, Jess (Dominique Payne). A California flashback to a drive the two are taking from In-N-Out to the movies is Hookmans hook. Jess ends up dead, killed by: A drunk driver? A murderer? Lexis reckless driving? The scene plays out three times in the makeshift chassis of a car onstage. This ambiguity, it turns out, is necessary for Lexis self-examination and confrontation with her fragile psyche. Everything that goes down in Hookman in between these fateful car scenes, from a grisly murder (the shows one true fright) to a quixotic encounter at a memorial for the dead Jess, is presented as enigmatic or surreal or both. Further roiling the waters are Yees built-in musings on misplaced victimization, responsibility and culpability, and the complexities in general of trying to find ones place as a young woman in the micro-society of college, one that can be unjust, high-pressure and even predatory. (Lexi confides to Jess, in one driving flashback: I think I was raped.) For existential heft, Joan Didions The Year of Magical Thinking is repeatedly name-dropped, too. The issues raised are crucial ones, but there are way too many for a 70-minute play in which the visual effects inevitably cause the thoughtful reflections to lag by comparison. Ultimately, the answer to who or what the Hookman is will depend on which aspect of the production resonates most. Hookman When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Through March 24. Where: Experimental Theatre, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, College Area Tickets: $17-$20 Phone: (619) 594-6884 Online: ttf.sdsu.edu and moxietheatre.com Coddon is a freelancer and a lecturer at San Diego State University. If youre looking for Shakespeare in San Diego, head to the Old Globe. New plays? Check out La Jolla Playhouse. But if youre a fan of farce, theres no local theater better for the fast-paced comedies than North Coast Repertory Theatre. Over the past 15 years, the Solana Beach theater has built a loyal following for these silly, door-slamming shows, like this months Moon Over Buffalo, which opened Saturday night. The Ken Ludwig backstage comedy has all the elements necessary for a crowd-pleasing show a strong cast, a good door-lined set, well-paced direction and the effervescent atmosphere required to keep its lightweight script aloft. Moon is the fourth farce Matthew Wiener has directed at North Coast, beginning with Ludwigs similar backstage comedy Lend Me a Tenor in 2011. Comparing the two, Wieners direction of Moon is much stronger, more uniform, naturalistic and less over the top. Advertisement Set in 1953, Moon is the story of a failing touring repertory company headed by married actors George and Charlotte Hay. At a theater in in Buffalo, N.Y., the tour collapses after the Hays daughter, Rosalind, leaves the company following a breakup with the tour manager, Paul; George impregnates the new ingenue, Eileen; and Charlotte decides to leaves George for their attorney, Richard. Add to this a bottle of whiskey, an unexpected visit from film director Frank Capra and a case of mistaken identity and youve got enough high jinks for two hours of laughs. North Coast Rep newcomers Arthur Hanket and Katrina Ferguson steal the show as the battling spouses George and Charlotte. Theyre both ebullient and expansive in their engaging show people performances and theyre naturals at the punchy, period-style dialogue. Hanket also pulls off believably an extended and difficult drunken scene. Back for her fourth farce at North Coast is Jacque Wilke as the Hays headstrong and exasperated daughter Rosalind. Wilke co-starred in Wieners Lend Me a Tenor eight years ago, and in 2008 she made a memorable local breakthrough in the farce Dont Dress for Dinner, also at North Coast Rep. Matthew Salazar-Thompson returns for his third farce at North Coast, starting with Ludwigs Leading Ladies in 2006. In Moon, he plays the Hays lovesick but amiable lawyer, Richard. Completing the cast are Roxane Carrasco as Charlottes hard-of-hearing mother, Ethel, whos the tour costume manager. Josh Braaten plays tour manager Paul. Arusi Santi is Rosalinds tongue-tied new boyfriend, Howard; and Brittney Bertier is the unexpectedly pregnant actress Eileen. As he has for all of North Coasts farces, resident scenic designer Marty Burnett created the show-within-a-show set: a tidy backstage area with a central turntable to show the action that occurs onstage at Buffalos Erlanger Theatre. The only misstep in Wieners fleet-footed stage direction is repeatedly sending the actors through the wrong doors clearly labeled dressing rooms and stage right. Matt Novotny designed lighting, Elisa Benzoni created costumes and Melanie Chen Cole designed sound. Theres nothing surprising or groundbreaking in North Coasts tried-and-true formula with Moon, but its a solid entry in the companys long history of farce. Moon Over Buffalo When: 7 p.m. Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through Feb. 10. Where: North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach Tickets: $45-$56 (discounts available) Phone: (858) 481-1055 Online: northcoastrep.org pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com. Twitter: @pamkragen In the first moments of The Year to Come, a woman named Pam shambles onstage, oxygen tank in tow, to offer what seems some deeply considered advice: Only look ahead. And if you trust her judgment, you ought to walk out of the play right then. But dont. I say this not just because trusting the judgment of someone who fires up a cigarette while on oxygen and almost forgets to turn off the tank is a patently bad idea. But also because, while staying means you will be doing everything but look ahead as The Year to Come ticks backward across an 18-year span of one familys lives the rewards of Lindsey Ferrentinos captivating new play should be the last thing youd want to pass up. (Besides maybe sharing a smoke with Pam.) Advertisement The world-premiere La Jolla Playhouse work proves a funny and probing exploration not just of one extended Florida familys journey, but of the course of our country over two eventful, sometimes traumatic decades. That scale of domestic epic is lot to take on. Doing so in reverse brings the piece to a whole different level of storytelling technique almost like writing a theatrical palindrome. But the sharp-witted and acutely observant Ferrentino pulls it off beautifully, with a big boost from eight strong actors plus the off-Broadway ace (and University of California San Diego grad) Anne Kauffmans fluid, syncopated direction. What comes through most vividly is a sense that Ferrentino herself Florida-raised knows this family not only backward and forward but inside and out. Theyre a sprawling, feuding, affectionate and often irascible bunch. As Pam says, A family is like a country, and if thats so, this familys anthem is a grand, brassy march that attenuates into some decidedly minor-chord duets in the shows more tense, moody second half. But even before the first part of the 140-minute, one-intermission show is through, dad Frank (Jonathan Nichols) and son Jim (Adam Chanler-Berat) will get into a physical tussle that ends with both plunging into the pool. Yes, pool. The Year to Come has an actual, fully functioning one 2,000 gallons of water sloshing above the orchestra pit, a real feat for scenic designer Christopher Acebo. (Shamu-style protective ponchos might be a sensible fashion choice for those in the front row.) This is where the family gathers every New Years Eve, starting in 2018, when we see Jim lounging poolside with his husband, Sinan (Pomme Koch), and his parents Frank and Estelle (Jane Kaczmarek of Malcolm in the Middle TV renown). Pam (Marcia DeBonis), Jims unfailingly outspoken aunt, is also on hand, with her husband Joe (Ray Anthony Thomas). The diversity of this crew in political beliefs, religious backgrounds and more becomes a source of both gutting conflict and hard-won bonds, and its fascinating, as the play spools backward, to see what led to the sense of a tentative detente we see in the first scenes. Jane Kaczmarek, Adam Chandler-Berat, Marcia DeBonis and Pomme Koch (from left) in La Jolla Playhouses The Year to Come. (Jim Carmody) Nichols is a wonder of sheer, weirdly lovable buffoonery as Frank; but we also see the tremendous pain he and the family have borne, in a way hinted at (if not telegraphed) near the top of the show. DeBonis gets great laughs as the tough, mouthy Pam; Kaczmarek lends warmth and self-deprecating wit as Estelle (theres a priceless scene where she mistakes a mug warmer for an Alexa device); and Thomas brings a boisterous spirit to the onetime comic Joe. Theres also a winning dynamic between Chanler-Berats fiery, liberal torch-bearer Jim yes, Trump definitely does come up and Kochs eminently likable, peacemaking Sinan, whose Muslim faith gives pause to the Cuban-born Frank, a former New York City firefighter. Two other characters materialize as the piece winds backward. Pop-Pop is the familys Jewish-immigrant patriarch, and the wonderful Peter Van Wagner gives him a bravura opening monolog and a killer little performance of Viva Las Vegas. (Brandon Wolcotts sound design and Lap Chi Chus lighting boost that and other scenes, as does Dede Ayites costuming swimsuits included.) And Jenna Dioguardi plays a figure whom the familys history pivots around dramatically, though its best not to say more. As with most new plays never mind those as ambitious as this one The Year to Come has some rough edges. A plot point involving vultures feels a little pushily metaphorical, and Pam invokes an overused trope about a frog in a pot of water at the top of the show. But front to back or vice versa this play and this family feel deeply, messily alive. The Year to Come When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through Dec. 30. Where: La Jolla Playhouses Mandell Weiss Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, Playhouse/UC San Diego Theatre District Tickets: About $20-$86 (discounts available) Phone: (858) 550-1010 Online: lajollaplayhouse.org jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert With a flimsy storyline amounting to little more than an evocation of the old Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland Lets put on a show! films of the 30s wrapped around a love story, Crazy for You is best appreciated as an episodic stage musical, one in which the parts are definitely greater than the whole. But the combination of some of Broadways most enduring songs (written by George and Ira Gershwin), dollops of slapstick (conceived by Ken Lend Me A Tenor Ludwig) and some hellacious tap dancing makes Crazy for You an audience-pleasing affair. It certainly is at the Horton Grand Theatre downtown, where San Diego Musical Theatre is staging a rollicking production of Crazy for You, directed by Kirsten Chandler with inspired choreography by Jill Gorrie. Crazy for You debuted on Broadway in 1992. Based on the 1930 musical Girl Crazy which introduced Ethel Merman to the stage it features tunes from that show, including I Got Rhythm, But Not For Me and Embraceable You, while incorporating songs from other musicals, among them Shall We Dance and A Damsel in Distress. Advertisement The sophistication of many of these numbers can feel at odds with Crazy for Yous cowpoke motif, but with its big-as-all-outdoors spirit, everything falls together: romance, showgirls, shootin (well, with blanks). It all happens in lazy Deadrock, Nev. described by town hotelier Lank Hawkins as a town full of singing cadavers where big-city banker Bobby Child (Jeffrey Scott Parsons) is sent by his overbearing mother (Katie Gucik) to foreclose on the burgs dormant theater. Almost immediately the reluctant Bobby meets the only gal in town, pretty Polly Baker (Tayler Mettra). Can Bobby win Pollys heart and save Deadrocks old theater at the same time? The musical journey to the wow finish is a Gershwins celebration, from the swooning (Embraceable You, Shall We Dance) to the rousing (Slap That Bass, the show-stopping I Got Rhythm). Superbly juggling singing, dancing and comedy in this show, Parsons croons They Cant Take That Away from Me with easy grace. The sparkling Mettra solos with earnest sweetness on But Not For Me and Someone to Watch Over Me, one of the Gershwins most plaintive compositions. (Frank Sinatras understated rendition in the 1955 film Young at Heart will always be the definitive version.) David McBean contributes a wacky turn as producer Bela Zangler (who Bobby impersonates and with whom he shares the shows funniest scene). There are also winning supporting performances from Edward Chamberlain (as Lank) and Kelly Derouin (as the fiancee Bobby forsakes). But most of all, SDMTs Crazy for You under the musical direction of Don LeMaster, who oversees a 17-person orchestra is a two-plus-hour party of dancing both sumptuous and acrobatic. Everyone gets into the act, whether its the showgirls leg-kicking, the Deadrock locals swinging pickaxes in percussive rhythm, or Bobby and Polly moving as elegantly as if in a ballroom. It might be crazy to suggest that a Gershwin song could ever be upstaged by choreography, but like Bobby and Polly, the two are made for each other in this wholly likable show. Crazy for You When: 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Through March 3. Where: San Diego Musical Theatre at the Horton Grand Theatre, 444 Fourth Ave., downtown. Tickets: $30-$70. Phone: (858) 560-5740 Online: sdmt.org Coddon is a freelance writer. In the opening scene of Jake Heggies chamber opera Three Decembers, the seemingly pedestrian subject matter, lengthy plot exposition via long-distance phone call and unmelodic recitative make you wonder if this is going to be a tale epic enough for operatic treatment. But 10 minutes in, the answer arrives with the wistful trio Once, Before You Were Born? Heggies innate gift for lush, sweeping songwriting transports Three Decembers to another level for a fascinating, fast-evolving and deeply moving family story about life, death and the destructive power of secrets. Three Decembers is the latest in San Diego Operas popular Detour series of nontraditional operas in new venues. The production that opened Friday and closes Sunday is the companys first in the 3-year-old PHAME theater at Patrick Henry High School in Del Cerro. The luxurious 500-seat theater is acoustically perfect for unamplified opera. Its also intimate, which makes it the perfect canvas for this 75-minute opera. The three-character Three Decembers is intimate, too, but it has a grand and ambitious score and and a story that unfolds across 20 years and encompasses the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 90s. Advertisement Three Decembers premiered in 2008 at Houston Grand Opera and two of its original stars, mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade and soprano Kristin Clayton, reprise their roles in San Diego this weekend as battling mother and daughter Madeline and Beatrice Mitchell, respectively. Baritone Steven LaBrie makes a thrilling company debut as Madelines son, Charlie. The libretto by Gene Scheer is based on a play by Terrence McNally about Madeline, an aging and self-absorbed Broadway stage actress, and her dysfunctional relationship with her adult children. Charlie in San Francisco, is losing his partner, Burt, to AIDS, and Beatrice is drinking away her sorrows over an unhappy marriage. Both idolize their perfect father, who died mysteriously when they were children, and they deeply resent their mother who always put her career ahead of their emotional needs. Just as McNallys libretto for the Heggie opera Great Scott had insider jokes about the opera world, Three Decembers is a clever homage to Broadway. Heggies score has the grand but hummable melodies of musical theater, particularly the stunning LaBrie/Clayton duets Golden Gate Bridge and What Do You Remember About Dad? There are also some amusing jokes about the vanity of actors and a sly reference to Henrik Ibsens 1882 play Ghosts, about a widow whose secrets about her husband destroy her adult son. Von Stade was in fine and firm voice Friday and played her character with humor, pathos and iron will, especially in the tender aria Moons Lullaby. Clayton was warm and accessible and her vocals solid, particularly in her upper register. And LaBrie was a knockout, especially in his opening aria about Burts diagnosis. In his company debut, conductor Adam Turner flawlessly guided 11 San Diego Symphony players through Heggies often-challenging score. Also making her debut is stage director Karen Tiller, who brings a contemporary, relatable and surprisingly funny sensibility to the show. Three Decembers is the third Heggie opera produced by San Diego Opera since 2012, following Moby-Dick and Great Scott. Its success in this smaller, ear-pleasing suburban venue the run is mostly sold out is a positive future indicator for San Diego Opera, which continues to reinvent itself into a smaller, nimbler, more accessible and modern company. Three Decembers When: 7 p.m. today ; 2 p.m. Sunday Where: San Diego Opera at the PHAME Theatre, 6702 Wandermere Drive, San Diego Tickets: $35 and up Phone: (619) 533-7000 Online: sdopera.org Mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade plays Madeline Mitchell in San Diego Operas Three Decembers, playing through March 10 at the PHAME Theatre in San Diego. (Karli Cadel) pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com. Twitter: @pamkragen Part of the reason Sarina Krishnan started her nonprofit to help immigrant families is because of her own family. Her parents are both first-generation immigrants, and her father had to deal with racism and discrimination when he arrived here from India more than 30 years ago. Although he was able to find success in spite of those issues, Krishnan wants to help other recent immigrants hopefully avoid those kinds of obstacles. Living in San Diego and seeing vivid pictures highlighting their struggles and suffering impacted me on a personal level, she says. This was the spark that ignited my passion to help this underserved community. So, she started Pathways to Assimilation in early 2018 to provide programs and services for people whod recently immigrated to the United States, to help them adjust to their new communities. As founder and president, shes applying for grants and fundraising, building corporate partnerships for collaboration, and speaking at events to highlight issues that will help the community she works with. Krishnan, 17, is a student at The Bishops School in La Jolla, and lives in Poway with her parents (and has an older sister in college). She took some time to talk about her organization, some of their new initiatives for this year, and her passion for helping others. Advertisement Q: Tell us about Pathways to Assimilation. A: Through many interactions with migrant and refugee families, I saw several basic needs that were not being addressed. One key aspect of my nonprofit is providing new programs and initiatives that help newly arrived immigrants assimilate into their local community. I am currently helping them learn basic life skills and also working on funding programs that would lead to careers in the medical field or in the food and catering industry. I have also created natural and organic products like sunscreens and other creams that I plan to use for inspiring adults to get involved in do-it-yourself home projects, which could lead to living a healthier lifestyle. Q: How and when did you begin working with refugees before founding Pathways to Assimilation? A: In August 2017, I began working with refugee families in San Diego as part of a group of students, and each one of us worked with a different Syrian refugee family to help them with their written and verbal English skills. Our intent was to help them apply for drivers licenses, shop without needing translators at grocery and department stores, and independently perform everyday tasks. Soon, I became very close to the families and they began to confide in me about other issues they were facing, such as bullying or teasing at school because of their race or religion. Seeing the vast need for support in these underserved communities, I decided to start my own nonprofit organization to address the issues faced by these families. Q: What were you hearing from the refugee families you were working with about what would be helpful to them and their transition to a new country? A: There were many, but a few of the top concerns have been how to respond to teasing, bullying and mocking at school because of race or religion; the need for understanding environmental issues, especially how to dispose of toxic waste, electronics, medications, etc.; understanding the harmful effects of smoking, vaping and underage drinking; the unmet need for information on potential career paths for young people; and seeking resources in their native languages to help them start their own small businesses to become economically self-sufficient. What I love about Poway ... I love the close-knit community, as well as the peace and tranquility that comes from living in a suburban area. There are also many hiking trails to enjoy nature and see wild animals that provide a nice retreat from my hectic, fast-paced life. Q: Whats your response to the idea that assimilation can often come across as asking people to replace their traditions and culture with another? A: Undoubtedly, assimilation has been viewed both positively and negatively. Some individuals question the effect that the lack of assimilation has on national identity. Others worry that if new immigrants become a part of the melting pot or salad bowl, they will lose their unique identities. Personally, I dont characterize assimilation in a negative manner. In my opinion, assimilation is not about conforming to a group, or changing ones identity in order to better adhere to the norms of a particular society. Rather, I find that assimilation aids in creating a thriving, multicultural society because we can take aspects of every culture and celebrate them as one, cohesive whole. We should all promote diversity together and not risk creating parallel societies, which will only promote division, isolation and hatred. Q: What is it that you find helpful about assimilation? A: For me, assimilation is a process of give-and-take. You give when you share your popular traditions and culture with the local community and involve them in the process. You take when you begin to participate in all the popular activities of the adopted country, and do them as part of the local community. This paves the way for integration into the local communities, as well as enriches society as a whole. Q: Your bio on your website says that you hope to help empower refugees to embrace and celebrate their culture and identities. What does empowerment mean to you? A: With our youth groups, our empowerment efforts are focused on celebrating their unique identities and assuring them that they should be proud of their individuality, rather than be embarrassed or ashamed of it. We feel that this is a vital step in helping youth feel like they truly belong in America, and this reassurance at such a pivotal age will surely help them become more confident and secure adults later. For adult refugees, we work on enabling them to take a more active role in the community, whether it is by networking with people in their neighborhoods or applying for skilled jobs in order to become economically self-sufficient. Q: What can you tell us about some of your organizations new initiatives for this year? A: A couple of initiatives we have planned include providing lessons and demonstrations on ethnic and local cooking to migrant and refugee women. Another initiative offers a training course for all members of the refugee families on the safe disposal of toxic waste, electronics, medications, paint, etc. Also, we are providing scholarships to students from low-income migrant and refugee families to attend a weekend medical academy on what it takes to become a nurse, which is offered by Rady Childrens Hospital. Lastly (and my favorite one), we are creating a new phone app for migrants and refugees. This free app would help them securely connect and communicate with each other to share their common concerns and solutions on various issues. Q: What is the best advice youve ever received? A: My mom has always told me that luck comes to those who work hard, and this lesson is very pertinent to my nonprofit. In the preliminary stages of creating Pathways to Assimilation, it was extremely difficult to get any response from local individuals and organizations, and there were many times when I just wanted to give up because it was the easier solution. But there was this persistent voice in the back of my head, reminding me of my moms advice. So, by working hard, and through persistence and perseverance, I was able to make my nonprofit a success. Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you? A: I recently won the Princeton Prize for Race Relations and am donating my award money to provide scholarships to migrant youth to attend Rady Childrens Hospital Medical Academy. (I have also started a GoFundMe campaign to help fund these scholarships.) Q: Describe your ideal San Diego weekend. A: My ideal San Diego weekend would be waking up at 9 a.m. to a sunny, cloudless sky, and meeting up with my friends for coffee at our favorite cafe, Better Buzz. After that, we would watch a movie at Fashion Valley, shop for a bit, and later, drive by the Windansea beach to watch the sunset. Email: lisa.deaderick@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @lisadeaderick Dr. Kazuo Inamori, founder and chairman emeritus of Japans Kyocera Corp. a man whose noteworthy credits exceed the capacity of this humble column established the Kyoto Prize in 1984. His motivations were to serve the greater good of humankind and society, and redress the lack of formal recognition for dedicated but unsung researchers. The prestigious prize honors those who have made extraordinary contributions to science, civilization, and spirituality, motivating them and others like them to reach still greater heights. Consisting of academic honors, a gold medal, and a cash gift of 100 million yen (about $900,000) per category, the Kyoto Prize is Japans highest private award for global achievement and is now recognized as one of the worlds most important international prizes. Presented each November in Japan, there have now been 109 recipients, including 48 Americans, 27 Europeans, 23 Japanese, and one group the Nobel Foundation. And each March (since 2002), with the collaboration of San Diegos top four universities (UCSD, SDSU, USD, and PLNU), the nonprofit Koyoto Prize Symposium Organization holds a three-day event showcasing the achievements of the newest laureates. Masato Miyachi chaired the Symposium gala on Wednesday at the San Diego Intercontinental Hotel, and acted as emcee. Co-chairs were David Doyle, Peter Farrell, and Ray McKewon; Irwin Jacobs was honorary chair. More than 400 guests attended the formal-dress event. After a lavish reception with cocktails and hors doeuvres, dinner and the gala program took place in the ballroom. There, guests were welcomed, and Shinobu Inamori-Kanazawa was introduced and addressed the audience. Shes Dr. Inamoris daughter, and is now the Inamori Foundations executive vice president. After an artfully-prepared three-course dinner featuring citrus herb-crusted salmon, the laureates Dr. Karl Deisseroth (Advanced Technology), Dr. Masaki Kashiwara (Basic Sciences), and Joan Jonas (Arts and Philosophy) were individually introduced and presented onstage. Their outstanding lifetime achievements and notable discoveries were briefly outlined and each spoke, expressing appreciation for the honors they received. Alternating with the laureates appearances on stage were musical performances by exceptionally talented young artists from both Tijuana and southern California. Advertisement Ronak Roy, Anna Anderson, Kate Leonard, Shruti Verma, Delia Aguilar, Victor Castillo (Vincent Andrunas / Photo) Six promising high school seniors from the greater San Diego/Tijuana region received college scholarships for education in the three Kyoto Prize categories, raising the events scholarship funding for area students to more than $1 million. The Inamori Foundation philosophy aims for a future with the proper balance between science, technology, and spiritual maturity, with a goal of contributing to the peace and prosperity of humanity. This is the core meaning of the Kyoto Prize. Iranian authorities confirmed Wednesday that a U.S. Navy veteran has been detained in Iran, making him the latest foreigner with ties to America to be imprisoned. Bahram Qasemi, a spokesman for Irans Foreign Ministry, told state news agency IRNA that Michael White, 46, has been imprisoned in the eastern city of Mashhad at the notorious Vakilabad Prison, which is known for its executions of drug traffickers, and that his case is still being reviewed. The formal announcement comes weeks after an activist who was imprisoned alongside White took to social media to announce the veterans arrest. Ivar Farhadi, a 30-year-old activist, said that White, who is from San Diego, has been imprisoned since last summer. Farhadi said he was outside playing volleyball during a break when he first met White in prison in October. Advertisement I was surprised to see an American in this prison, Farhadi said. He was kept in a cell with around 20 people. From the archives: Ex-Reseda resident executed in Iran While in prison, the Persian-speaking Farhadi said he was able to speak with White with the help of another prisoner who translated into English for him. White told him that he had visited Iran three times to see his girlfriend. He also said that White told him he had been arrested at the international airport in Mashhad, on the day he was supposed to leave Iran to go to Turkey with his Iranian girlfriend. Farhadi said White was concerned his family thought he was missing since he wasnt allowed to make a phone call. He also told Farhadi that he suffers from a tumor in his neck. Farhadi last saw White before being released on bail in November. He decided to flee to Turkey after he was sentenced to six years for spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic. In mid-December, after settling down in Turkey, Farhadi took to Twitter to get the message out about White. An America citizen by the name of #MichaelWhite is prisoned in Vakilabad general jail #3, section 6/1, in Mashahd, Iran. He is 45 from San Diego and an ex-American marine. Hes been in prison since August 2018 in an anti-human condition and he has no access to phone and Ivar Farhadi (@FarhadiIvar) December 18, 2018 A few weeks later, Farhadi got in touch with a journalist who writes for IranWire, an online publication written by young Iranians both inside and outside of Iran. IranWire reported earlier this week that White had been arrested. Whites mother said that she only found out three weeks ago from State Department officials that her son was in prison in Iran, the New York Times reported. She did not respond to queries from the Los Angeles Times. The State Department confirmed this week that it is aware of reports that a U.S. citizen is being held in Iran. Qasemi, the spokesman for Irans Foreign Ministry, said Americans were notified about Whites arrest soon after it happened via the American mission inside the Swiss Embassy in Tehran. The United States broke off formal diplomatic relations with Iran during the Iran hostage crisis in 1980, and Switzerland has represented U.S. interests in Tehran. According to a nonprofit website dedicated to helping veterans, White served 13 years in the U.S. Navy, working in aviation maintenance administration. After retiring, White attended San Diego State University, where he earned a bachelors degree in political science and hoped to go to law school in the future. White is the eighth known foreigner with ties to the United States currently being held in Iran and the first to be taken during the Trump administration. Hard-liners in Irans establishment typically hold prisoners with Western ties as bargaining chips for future negotiations. Whites arrest is likely to escalate tensions between Iran and the United States, tensions that are already rocky following Trumps withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal that sought to curb Irans nuclear activities. Whites background is the kind of person that Iranian intelligence would take hostage for future negotiations, said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the New York-based nonprofit Center for Human Rights in Iran. Weve seen it over and over again. They collect hostages with the hopes that theyll bring some future deals. The last time Americans being held in Iran were freed was in January 2016. Three Americans, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, were freed in a prisoner exchange that came shortly after Tehran reached an agreement with world powers over its nuclear program in exchange for easing economic sanctions. melissa.etehad@latimes.com Twitter: @melissaetehad President Trump made a surprise visit Wednesday to a U.S. air base in Iraq to meet with American troops and commanders, and to dispel growing complaints that he had never visited a war zone in his first two years in office. Trump, accompanied by his wife, Melania, left a partially shuttered government in Washington just after midnight, flew all day and landed in the dark at the joint U.S.-Iraqi Asad Air Base west of Baghdad about 7 p.m. local time. Asked why he came, Trump told reporters before a meeting with military leaders on base: Its a place I have been talking about for many years many, many years. I was talking about it as a civilian. He spent about 3 hours at the heavily guarded base before getting back on Air Force One. He then stopped in Ramstein, Germany, to visit troops stationed there before heading back to Washington, where his national security policy appears to be in growing turmoil. Advertisement Last week, Trump blindsided allies and overrode his top Pentagon advisors and military commanders when he abruptly decided to order the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from neighboring Syria. Defense Secretary James N. Mattis resigned in protest and issued a scathing letter that all but accused Trump of endangering U.S. security by undermining alliances and abandoning allies. In response, Trump fired Mattis rather than let him quit. Trump defended his decision on Syria while in Iraq, and suggested he may order other withdrawals. Aides indicated last week that Trump was preparing to draw down half of the 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. In comments to about 100 troops, Trump made clear his dim view of Americas military commitments and alliances around the globe, emphasizing the America first policy he has espoused since the 2016 campaign. The United States cannot continue to be the policeman of the world, Trump said. Its not fair when the burden is all on us, the United States. We are spread out all over the world, Trump added. We are in countries most people havent even heard about. Frankly, its ridiculous. Trump also boasted to the troops that he had delivered them one of the biggest pay raises youve ever received stating, incorrectly, that he had authorized the first military pay increase in a decade. You havent gotten one in more than 10 years, Trump said. More than 10 years. And we got you a big one. I got you a big one. I got you a big one. Military pay, in fact, has risen every year for three decades. It was raised 2.4% in 2018 and will rise by another 2.6% in 2019, due to the National Defense Authorization Act. Inside a khaki-colored tent, Trump, who was accompanied by his national security advisor, John Bolton, was briefed by U.S. military commanders. The U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Douglas Silliman, also took part. Trump then shook hands and posed for selfies with troops. The troops, clad in desert camouflage, applauded and cheered the president and his wife. A few held red Make America Great Again hats for him to autograph. At one point he signed an embroidered patch that read TRUMP 2020. A scheduled meeting with Iraqs prime minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, was canceled. The White House did not give a reason. Trump repeatedly mentioned the heavy security required to get him safely in and out of Iraq. I had concerns about the institution of the presidency, he told reporters. Not for myself personally. I had concerns for the first lady, I will tell you. But if you would have seen what we had to go through in the darkened plane with all windows closed with no light anywhere. Pitch-black. Ive been on many airplanes. All types and shapes and sizes. So did I have a concern? Yes, I had a concern, he said. Trump indicated that he had lost patience with the Pentagon because senior officials there would not devise a plan to withdraw the 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria as he wanted. Our presence in Syria was not open-ended and it was never intended to be permanent, he added. He praised Saudi Arabia for pledging to help rebuild Syria as it enters what could be the final stages of a brutal civil war, and applauded Turkey, a NATO ally, for working with U.S. forces near its border with Syria. Congress recently overwhelmingly passed a resolution to censure Saudi Arabia for its role in killing a Saudi journalist, and lawmakers have sought to constrain the Trump administration from providing further support to Riyadhs military campaign in Yemen. U.S. relations with Turkey have been strained for years, and Mattis and other critics have warned that Ankara will use the U.S. withdrawal from Syria to target Syrian Kurds, who fought as a U.S. proxy force against Islamic State. Trump had been criticized for failing to visit active-duty American troops in a combat zone, a gesture that presidents routinely perform around holidays. The jibes mounted after the White House scrubbed a planned visit to a U.S. military cemetery in France because of rain and after he did not go to Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day, as most presidents have done. He made a surprise visit to Arlington several weeks later. In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, President George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in an effort to seize and destroy supposed weapons of mass destruction from Saddam Husseins regime. The intelligence was disastrously wrong, however, and no such weapons were found. The U.S. occupation quickly went sour as a bitter sectarian civil war broke out. President Obama, who campaigned on a promise to end Americas endless wars, pulled most combat troops out in 2011 only to rush some back in 2014 to fight Islamic State. About 5,000 U.S. troops are still deployed in Iraq. Trump said last week that Islamic State had been defeated, a boast that most counter-terrorism experts sharply disputed. The top U.S. diplomat in the battle, Brett McGurk, resigned in protest and warned that thousands of the militants remain and that the group could rebuild itself quickly. Weve knocked them out. Weve knocked them silly, Trump said of Islamic State on Wednesday, repeating his claim at the air base in Iraq. He said other countries must pay more in the aftermath of the war. The nations of the region must step up and take more responsibility for their future, Trump said. And others will do it too. Because we are in their region. They should be sharing the burden of costs and theyre not. For Trump, the visit to U.S. combat troops could help him regain some positive headlines after the political losses of the midterm election and weeks of turmoil, including the government shutdown and a roller coaster in the stock markets. Trumps foreign policy remains muddled and sometimes contradictory, especially in the Middle East. Challenging Iran and supporting Israel are among his most consistent goals. Yet the Syria pull-out benefits Iran and potentially endangers Israel. His withdrawal from Syria has further muddied prospects for peace in the region, including Iraq. The Iraqi government now controls all the countrys cities, towns and villages after fighting its last urban battles against Islamic State militants in December 2017. But Iraqs political, military and economic situation remains tenuous, and Baghdad and other cities still experience sporadic bombings, kidnappings and assassinations. Mattis departure and the recent firing of White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly were deeply unsettling to national security officials who counted on the two retired Marine generals to help check an impulsive president. Trump has seen his support from military veterans decline to 43%, according to a Military Times poll in October. The poll was taken when the president sent about 6,000 active-duty troops to the border with Mexico to help block what he called a looming invasion of Central American migrants. eli.stokols@latimes.com Twitter: @EliStokols tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com Twitter: @TracyKWilkinson President Trump called Thursday for dramatically broadening U.S. defenses against missile attacks, outlining a costly and scientifically unproven plan for developing lasers and space sensors to defend all of U.S. territory from ballistic missile threats. Our strategy is grounded in one overriding objective: to detect and destroy every type of missile attack against any American target, whether before or after launch, Trump said at the Pentagon as the administration released its long-awaited missile defense strategy. Trumps expansive vision of an impenetrable U.S missile shield one first envisaged by President Reagan 35 years ago goes well beyond the Pentagons technical and scientific capacity, the reality that grounded most of Reagans Star Wars initiative. The plan also does not reflect the Trump administrations near-term goals, which remain focused on developing the capability to knock out limited missile strikes by Iran or North Korea and, at least theoretically, new short- and medium-range weapons being developed by China and Russia that could threaten Europe and Asia. Advertisement But Trump used the speech to press his America First agenda, fitting his call for expanded missile defense in with familiar broadsides on Democrats in Congress for blocking his proposed border wall and on U.S. allies for failing to pay enough for their own defense. When Trump attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) for opposing the border wall and said Democrats had been hijacked by the fringe and radical left, the audience of uniformed military officers and Defense Department officials sat silent. Democrats in Congress, even some who have backed the development of the current limited U.S. missile defense system, questioned Trumps vision of a vast shield over the nation. An effective missile defense system can serve as a deterrent to conflict, protect our forward-deployed forces and the homeland, and create an opening for diplomacy, said Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), a member of the Armed Services Committee. But its not a magic bulletproof shield, and it comes with a considerable price tag. Joseph Cirincione, a nuclear weapons expert at Ploughshares Fund, a Washington-based anti-nuclear-proliferation organization, called the Trump plan a grab bag of contractor proposals to build space weapons we dont need, dont work and cant afford. The 81-page Missile Defense Review, released by the Pentagon as Trump began speaking, cites Russian and Chinese medium-range missiles as possible targets of anti-missile defenses. Thats a departure from previous administrations, which insisted the U.S. system was aimed at so-called rogue states and at intercepting accidental launches but was too small to be of concern to major powers with intercontinental missiles and large nuclear arsenals. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the U.S. was considering measures for the first time to guard against Russian and Chinese medium-range missiles, including hypersonic weapons that travel far faster than sound and could threaten U.S. forces abroad and allies in Europe and Asia. China and Russia are expanding their missile arsenals and [integrating] these more effectively into war planning, Shanahan said in remarks before Trump spoke, adding that Iran and North Koreas missiles remain a significant concern. The Pentagon has built a growing capability to target medium-range weapons with advanced radars and interceptors from Aegis-class warships in the western Pacific and eastern Mediterranean. A U.S. medium-range interceptor site is also operational in Romania while another is under construction in Poland. U.S. officials say those defenses are aimed at Iran and North Korea. Russia has complained for years that the U.S. system could in theory target its missiles and have vowed to respond if the U.S. goes ahead with the two sites in Eastern Europe. That stance is likely to harden with the U.S. now explicitly vowing to develop a system capable of targeting Moscows missiles. Shanahan acknowledged that the expanding U.S. defenses were a major factor driving Russia and China to build faster and more survivable missiles. Russia, in particular, has developed a new SSC-8 ground-fired cruise missile that U.S. officials say violates the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and could give Moscow the ability to launch a nuclear strike in Europe with little or no notice. The Trump administration has threatened to pull out of the INF treaty as a result. Frustrated by our mid-course defenses, they are aggressively pursuing new technologies to circumvent todays systems, Shanahan said. For his part, Trump failed to mention Russia or North Korea. He has frequently praised Russian President Vladimir Putin since taking office and is seeking a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. North Korea tested a suspected hydrogen bomb and a long-range ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States after Trump took office, but after meeting with Kim at a summit last June in Singapore, Trump declared that Pyongyang no longer represented a nuclear threat to America. Experts say, however, theyve seen no sign that Kims regime has taken any steps to give up its nuclear weapons arsenal or production. Several North Korean officials were due in Washington on Friday to discuss a second summit and, apparently, to try to revive the stalled talks. The missile defense review calls for researching the feasibility of developing and launching sensors in space that could detect missile launches around the globe. It also calls for further research into lasers and other so-called directed-energy weapons that could, in theory, knock out ballistic missiles early in flight. The Pentagon is supposed to deliver a report within six months on placing non-nuclear missile defense interceptors on satellites. The administration plans to add more interceptors to the existing missile defense sites at Ft. Greely in Alaska and at Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc. The report calls for studying the option of adding a third interceptor site on the East Coast, an idea aimed at bolstering defenses against a possible limited missile attack from Iran. Even an expanded missile shield would not be capable of stopping a major attack by Russia or China, U.S. officials said. Both countries have large arsenals of intercontinental ballistic missiles topped with nuclear warheads that U.S. officials say could overwhelm an expanded U.S. system in a large-scale nuclear exchange. U.S. strategy relies on deterrence and the threat that it would respond to any nuclear attack with a devastating nuclear counterattack. Expanding defenses could prompt Russia and China to invest in new weapons systems, spurring a new arms race, critics warned. The new strategy is likely to exacerbate Russian and Chinese concerns about the threat to their strategic nuclear deterrents, undermine strategic stability, and further complicate the prospects for additional nuclear arms reductions, the Arms Control Assn., a nonpartisan Washington policy organization, said in a statement. david.cloud@latimes.com Twitter: @davidcloudLAT A newly promoted Navy chief petty officer was found dead in her Florida home the same day she was slated to appear in court for a protective order she sought against a man she claimed pulled a gun on her and assaulted her. Officers discovered the body of Andrea Washington around midnight on Monday after receiving a call about a possible medical emergency at a residence in Jacksonville, Action Jax News reported. The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office however, suspects foul play and is investigating Washingtons death as a homicide. The 37-year-old mother of three, a 19-year veteran of the Navy, just got pinned Friday as a chief petty officer. Phantom McClendon, a friend and Navy colleague, said he still has the celebratory bottle of cognac he purchased for Washington. Advertisement Right when she got pinned, I told her congratulations and Im proud of you, he told WTLV. I knew she liked Hennessy, so I went and bought her the biggest and best bottle. Authorities have not released much information in the case Washingtons cause of death remains unclear and no suspects or persons of interest have been revealed. Earlier this month, Washington was granted a temporary order of protection against a man who she described as someone I was living with in a relationship, according to court documents obtained by ABC News. She claimed the man attacked her on Sept. 1 after she asked him to pay the bills. He pushed me down to the floor, kicked me in my stomach, chased me to the bedroom and pulled a gun on me, she said, adding he also kicked holes in the bedroom and closet doors, took her vehicle and mailbox keys and destroyed her iPad. Washington also noted that she went to the emergency room the next morning. She was due in court hours after her body was discovered Monday, where Duval County Circuit Court Judge Hugh Carithers was slated to decide whether or not to extend her order of protection. But in a heavily redacted report released on Tuesday, sheriffs officials wrote the homicide is not related to domestic violence. President Trump, who last week said he was too busy to visit Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day, lashed out Sunday against Navy SEALs and the admiral who led them for taking too long to find Osama Bin Laden. Frankly, wouldnt it have been nice if we got Osama bin Laden a lot sooner than that? Wouldnt it have been nice? You know, living think of this living in Pakistan, beautifully in Pakistan in what I guess they considered a nice mansion. I dont know, Ive seen nicer, Trump said in an interview on Fox News Sunday. But living in Pakistan right next to the military academy, everybody in Pakistan knew he was there, and we give Pakistan $1.3 billion a year, and they dont tell him? William McRaven, who led the team that killed bin Laden, previously said that President Trump was an embarrassment. (Charles Dharapak / AP) Advertisement The President was responding to retired admiral and Navy SEAL William McRaven, who said Trump has embarrassed us in the eyes of our children, humiliated us on the world stage and, worst of all, divided us as a nation and called his attacks on the media the greatest threat to democracy, Trump slammed McRaven as a Hilary Clinton backer and an Obama backer. I did not back Hillary Clinton or anyone else, McRaven said in a statement to CNN. I am a fan of President Obama and President George W. Bush, both of whom I worked for. I admire all Presidents, regardless of their political party, who uphold the dignity of the office and who use that office to bring the Nation together in challenging times. I stand by my comment that the Presidents attack on the media is the greatest threat to our democracy in my lifetime. When you undermine the peoples right to a free press and freedom of speech and expression, then you threaten the Constitution and all for which it stands. McRaven oversaw the raid that killed bin Laden in May 2011, almost a decade after the Sept. 11 attacks. The United States was newly at war in 1942 when the Marines moved into their new base on Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores, a cattle ranch nestled between the Southern California cities of Oceanside and San Clemente. The coastal location was ideal for a force in need of an amphibious training base. Scores of temporary military buildings were erected. Today most of those buildings have either been replaced or remodeled. One from that era remains relatively unchanged and some of its tenants hope remains that way long after theyre gone. Advertisement The building known colloquially as The White House has been the command post of the 1st Marine Division since 1946. Built in 1943, it was constructed as a temporary structure, originally intended to stand for five years. Instead it has seen the division through almost every American military engagement since then. Now the division has outgrown the facility, and a new modern headquarters is in the works. The future of this historic building is up in the air. Kelli Brasket, Camp Pendletons cultural resources manager and archaeologist, said the base is nominating the building to be placed on the national register of historic places. Its an early example of the Marine Corps growing presence on the west coast, she said. Its (also) associated with a master architect Myron Hunt. Hunt, whose firm designed many of the bases early military buildings, is more well-known as the designer of the Rose Bowl. The 1st-floor corridor of the 1st Marine Division headquarters is a character-defining feature of the historic building. (Andrew Dyer / Union-Tribune) The two-story-tall White House features a wide, deep porch along its front, old wood floors creaking under modern carpeting inside, and long, narrow hallways on both levels. Brasket calls them character defining features. Artifacts from each major engagement are displayed around the two main staircases, along with photos of every commander in the divisions 78-year history. The 1st Marine Division is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force. It is the largest and most equipped command in the Marine Corps, according to its commanding general, Maj. Gen. Robert Castellvi. When you think of the Marine Corps, Castellvi said, you think of the 1st Marine Division and where it all began, here at Camp Pendleton. The 1st Marine Division was activated in 1941. It saw heavy fighting in the Pacific theater, notably the battles of Guadalcanal, Peleleu and Okinawa. It deployed during the Korean War, Vietnam, both wars in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan. Some of the most notable names in Marine Corps history went through the division Alexander Vandegrift, Chesty Puller and John Basilone served during World War II and Former Defense Secretary James Mattis commanded the division during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The top landing of one of the main stairwells at the headquarters of the 1st Marine Division on Camp Pendleton Marine Base, CA. Division artifacts from World War II and the Korean War are on display. (Andrew Dyer / Union-Tribune) Throughout the decades, the division headquarters has remained the same. Thats becoming a problem, Castellvi said. About 22,000 Marines fall under the command of the division. To manage them and their subordinate commands, Castellvis staff is spread out among six buildings on Camp Pendleton. The White House, with all its charms, just wasnt built to for the demands of a modern military force, he said. Weve made it work, he said, but we now need a better facility. Plans for a new headquarters are in their early phases, said Marine Capt. Luke Weaver, a base spokesman. Base and division leaders are looking at a preliminary location in the Margarita area of the base, he said, adding that the 1st Marine Division could have a new command post as early as 2024. As for the White House, people are in the early stages of discussing whether the building can become a command museum, Weaver said. Castellvi said the building represented everything it meant to be a Marine; he hopes it will be preserved. When you come to this headquarters it reminds you why you came into the Marine Corps to begin with to be part of something larger than yourself, he said. The history, the legacy, the traditions are embodied by what you see in this building. This place is special. Behind the White House, in a nondescript bunker that dates back to Vietnam, sits the divisions bar, Matildas. Its where, since 2005, division staff have met every other Thursday afternoon. Matildas is unlikely to make the trip to the new headquarters, said Castellvi. Well find something suitable, he said. Or, well come back to this place. I hope that long after we build a new headquarters that every one of us can come back here and see it preserved in the same way it was. The name tapes and rank insignia of prior and current division staff adorn the walls behind the bar at Matildas the division bar, located in a bunker behind headquarters. Prior commanding generals including former Defense Secretary James Mattis are at the top left. (Andrew Dyer / Union-Tribune) Faye Jonason, the base history and museum director, hopes the Marines find a way to preserve the White House. When it gets to be important for me is when I do oral histories with the veterans, or have them come and visit, said Jonason. Its an important building for them. Its for them, their families and their grandchildren and great-grandchildren to know this was important and what they did was important. Right now, one hurdle to securing a command museum is financial. Also, there is already a museum on the base, the Marine Corps Mechanized Museum, which features Marines ground vehicles since World War II. Castellvi said the mechanized museum cam be a template for transitioning the White House into a museum. The 1st Marine Division Association is very interested; theyre part of the solution, he said. Nobody wants to see ... what some will refer to as the White House go away. The exterior of the 1st Marine Division headquarters. Build in 1943, it has been the home of the division since 1946. The division will be moving into a new building once construction is funded. (Andrew Dyer / Union-Tribune) Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. The skies over Marine Corps Air Station Miramar cleared just in time Friday morning for the first day of performances at the three-day Miramar Air Show. The annual show features Marine aircraft, civilian stunt-flyers and the Navys Blue Angels demonstration team. New this year, and a rare spectacle for aviation enthusiasts, is a U.S. Air Force U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane. The U-2 is an iconic symbol of the Cold War one was involved in a well-known incident over the Soviet Union in 1960, when it was shot down. Marine Capt. Matthew Gregory, the director of communication at MCAS Miramar, said he was particularly excited to see one. Advertisement For aviation aficionados, having that up in the air is extremely exciting and extremely different, he said. It might not do a lot of the crazy aerobatics you see the stunt planes doing, but to see a big plane get up and get in the air so gracefully is huge. Its really great to watch. SAN DIEGO, CA.- SEPTEMBER 28, 2018, An unusual appearance by an US Air Force U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane was made on the first day of the three-day Miramar Air Show at Marine Corps air base Miramar. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) The performance of the U-2 was also remarkable due to the lack of other Air Force aircraft at the air show. A Marine spokesman said Thursday that the Air Force had canceled its static displays of an F-35A Lightning II, B-52 Stratofortress, C-5 Super Galaxy and the F-22 Raptor at the last minute. The Air Force also canceled a scheduled appearance of its F-22 demonstration team. A spokeswoman said that operational priorities had pulled refueling support. Another type of aircraft performing at the air show the F-35B has not been seen much in San Diegos skies. That will change, as the base is constructing a new aircraft hangar and expects the first of the 5th generation fighters to arrive in 2020. The F-35B Lightning II is the vertical-takeoff fighter that will begin replacing the aging AV-8B Harrier. Nathaniel Keegan, a Marine captain and F-35B pilot, called the plane a blast to fly. Its a really great aircraft, in terms of what we can do with it, what it brings to the table and flying it, he said. Its a great airplane to fly. SAN DIEGO, CA.- SEPTEMBER 28, 2018, The Marine Corps F-35B Joint Strike Fighter, one of the showcase aircraft at the airshow, took to the air on the first day of the three-day Miramar Air Show at Marine Corps air base Miramar. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) The stars of the show, however, also fly some of the oldest operational models in the fleet. We kind of pride ourselves on flying the oldest and the boldest, said Lt. Com. Tyler Davies, the lead soloist for the Blue Angles. Currently, the team flies single-seat F/A-18Cs and dual-seat F/A-18Ds, which are slightly modified for demonstration. Eventually, we will go to Super Hornets, he said. The transition to nine single-seat F/A-18Es and F/A-18Fs is still a couple years away, however. The Blue Angels rotate pilots regularly, so the transition should be smooth, Davies said. A former Super Hornet pilot himself, Davies said future Blue Angels flyers would likely be familiar with the planes. We want to showcase the current Navy, he said. We come from the fleet, we do our time on the team and we go back to the fleet. The Blue Angels dont only take the best pilots in the fleet its maintainers are among the Navys top performers as well. Petty Officer First Class Mallory Marishita, an aviation electricians mate, has been on the team for two years. She said before joining the team, she was stationed in Lemoore, California. I had a coworker who was previously with the Blue Angels, she said. He encouraged me to go check them out. She said the application and selection process was stringent. Its an application and an interview process, she said. (You) have to apply to apply. The Miramar Air Show runs daily through Sunday, with gates opening at 8 a.m. each day. AE1 Mallory Morishita works on a Blue Angels F18 jet at the Miramar Air Show on September 27, 2018. The air show runs through Sunday. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune) Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. The annual Miramar Air Show returns to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on Friday with a bevy of military and civilian aircraft performances scheduled through Sunday. This years theme is 100 Years of Women in the Marine Corps. Each day opens with civilian aerobatics team performances. Parachute teams, such as the Navy Leap Frogs and U.S. Army Golden Knights, will kick off the military demonstrations. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels the shows headliners are also the closing performers each day. Other demonstrations include some of the Marines newest aircraft the V-22 Osprey and F-35B Lightning II and the Marine Air-Ground Task Force. The MAGTF demonstration includes AV-8B Harriers, F/A-18 Hornets as well as armor, artillery and infantry assets. US Marine F/A-18s practice for the Miramar Air Show on September 27, 2018. The air show runs through Sunday. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune) Advertisement One notable absence and, according to the Marines, a last-minute cancelation is the U.S. Air Force F-22A Raptor demonstration team, which was scheduled to perform in conjunction with an Air Force heritage flight with WWII, Korea and Vietnam-era planes. The F-22 demo team will not be able to participate in the Miramar Air Show because operational priorities have pulled refueling support, said Erica Vega, a spokeswoman for the Air Force Air Combat Command. Other Air Force assets, however, will be at the Miramar Air Show to showcase American airpower to the local community. According to the Marines, last year more than half a million people attended the air show over its three days, with Saturday being the busiest and Friday the least. Marine Colonel Charles Dockery, the commanding officer of MCAS Miramar, said the air show was a huge undertaking, and that as soon as this years was over, planning would begin for the next one. Its a lot of work from a planning perspective, he said. We start flight operations again at noon on Monday, and we start prepping for next years air show. It is a continuous process. Dockery also talked about safety and security, calling the event a team effort. The FBI is here, (the) Department of Homeland Security is here, (San Diego County) Sheriffs, San Diego P.D... he said. We have a great partnership. Part of the security includes a list of prohibited items, available on the shows website. Backpacks and purses are not allowed unless they are clear. A small clutch purse will be allowed for personal items, however. Alcohol, coolers and ice chests are also not allowed. On Thursday, the air station allowed local news media to watch the final practice sessions before the show. One team, Sean D. Tucker Aerobatics, brought Granite Hills High School junior Hannah Hollinger, 16, up in the air for some aerobatic maneuvers. I got to do hammerheads, inversion and loops, she said. Ive never done acrobatic flight before. Stunt pilot Sean Tucker talks with Hannah Hollinger, 16, of El Cajon after a flight in his stunt plane at the MCAS Miramar Air Show. The flight was part of the EAA Young Eagle flight program which introduces kids to flight. Tucker is the chairman of the EAA Young Eagles. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune) Hollinger described the sensation of flying upside-down as totally crazy. When youre flying upside down, it just feels really weird and off. Its a totally different experience it was really cool. Dockery said he was looking forward to seeing the Blue Angels most of all. You just cant beat it, he said. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Tyler Davies, the lead soloist and pilot of Blue Angels plane No. 5, said he was excited to fly this weekend. Its amazing to be here, he said. We hope everybody comes out. The MCAS Miramar Air Show runs Friday-Sunday. General admission is free while grandstand and box seats are available for purchase on the air shows website. Gates open daily at 8:00 a.m. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. One of the greatest existential threats faced by the U.S. during the latter half of the 20th century was the possibility that a nuclear war would result in global annihilation. When that did not happen, and the Soviet threat receded, so did popular opposition to nuclear weapons. So says former Massachusetts Rep. John Tierney, who, after 18 years in the House, now leads an anti-nuclear proliferation non-profit, the Council for a Livable World. Tierney was in San Diego this week in part to raise money for candidates endorsed by his organization, but also to raise awareness about the issue of nuclear weapons, which he says has fallen from the front pages in the decades since the end of the Cold War. Advertisement We think national security in this environment is an issue in every race, Tierney said. We need to expand. We need more people to work on this to get this thing national again. Some of Tierneys concerns come from the words of President Donald Trump on Twitter. In August 2017, Trump tweeted that North Korea would be met with fire and fury, in response to threats from Dictator Kim Jong Un. A few months later, again on Twitter, Trump compared the size of the two countries nuclear buttons, saying his was much bigger and more powerful. And in his new book, veteran reporter Bob Woodward reported that Trump drafted another tweet announcing the families of the 28,000 service members stationed in South Korea would be withdrawn a tweet that was never sent, as backchannel communications from North Korea said it would have been viewed as a signal an attack was imminent. Tierney said the current administration had strayed from the nuclear posture of the past several presidents, necessitating more pressure from anti-nuclear weapon activists. Every president, Democrat or Republican Since Reagan...understood this issue, he said. People (need) to realize whats happening in this White House. Trump has called for new, so-called low-yield nuclear weapons. How is it that every other Republican as well as every Democrat in the White House has understood that this issue needs to be addressed as an issue of disarmament, Tierney said, (and)not the other way around? Locally, the council has endorsed Democrat Mike Levin for the 49th District seat, which long-time Republican Daryl Issa is leaving after 17 years. James McKeon, the councils political director, said that despite its current crop of endorsements, which are exclusively Democrats, that the organization was not partisan. We are a non-partisan organization, he said. We endorsed, in the past, Democrats and Republicans. Tierney, a Democrat, agreed. The last guy I worked with that was good on this issue was (former Indiana Sen.) Dick Luger, Tierney said. Theyve made this a partisan issue, its difficult to get people to listen. He said that didnt mean there werent Republicans who agreed with him, however. There are Republicans who work well with us, but dont want us to endorse them, he said. There are some incredibly thoughtful, sensible Republicans out there, but theyre in a difficult political situation. So we endorse mostly Democrats now. At a San Diego fundraiser Tuesday night, Tierney and McKeon addressed a room of about 40 supporters about the need to make nuclear disarmament a national security priority. Barry Ladendorf was one of those supporters. He said he had not thought about nuclear non-proliferation in years. I remember hearing about it long ago, he said. I think it was around the end of the Cold War. The council was started in 1962 in reaction to the Cuban missile crisis. Its founder, Leo Szilard, was a nuclear physicist whose work contributed to the launching of the Manhattan Project which resulted in the first atomic bomb. Were still the only ones out there leading in this area, Tierney said. The organization lobbied for several arms-control agreements and was also supported the Iran nuclear deal under President Barack Obama. Tierney said he understood why the weapons were built, but that the authority to use them needed to be revisited. He said the president should not have the authority to authorize a first-strike nuclear attack. I dont think anybody disputes the fact that if somebody attacks us the executive has the authority to fight back, he said. (But) I dont want the president to have first-strike authority. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. A new reporter took over the military beat this month. Hes fresh out of college, but hes got more life experience than most new graduates and importantly, that experience is in the military. Andrew Dyer answered a few questions about his life journey. Q. Tell us about your time in the Navy. I signed up for boot camp about two weeks after 9/11. By Christmas, I was in Great Lakes, Illinois. After nine months of school, I reported to the USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) in Yokosuka, Japan. Three days after arriving we deployed to the Persian Gulf. We were part of the first wave of airstrikes against Iraq in 2003. After four years on the Kitty Hawk, I went to Texas for a couple years for shore duty. While in Texas I became interested in craft beer, and in 2009, when I was up for orders, there was only one place I wanted to go San Diego. Advertisement I received orders to the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and spent two years on board, participating in RIMPAC in 2010 and Operation Tomadachi in 2011. We were off the coast of Japan about two days after the tsunami, and stayed there for more than a month supporting search and rescue and providing logistical support. Of everything I did in the Navy, the humanitarian mission in Japan in response to the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown is the thing Im most proud of. Q. What life skills did you learn when you served? Theres a lot to learn in the military, but the thing I came away with is an appreciation for working with people from a huge cross-section of society. I worked with people not only from across the country, but from countries around the world. It gave me a different perspective not just on myself, but on my country. Q. What brought an end to your service? I was caught up in an administrative force-shaping event in 2011, the Enlisted Retention Board. The Navy was downsizing certain job specialties, including mine. I was honorably discharged in May, 2012. Q. What did you learn from that experience? I think it gave me a different perspective on both the Navy itself and what my time in meant. It made me appreciate all I was able to do and the opportunities I had that most people in their 20s did not. Q. Why did you decide to get into journalism? Once I was out of the Navy and working in the private sector, I did not get the same satisfaction out of my work. Repairing radios and radars wasnt what was great about the Navy, it was the people I worked with and the sense of service from doing that work. It took me a couple years, but when I left the private sector and went back to school, I finally found that sense of service again, at my first college newspaper, the Southwestern Sun. When I transferred to San Diego State in 2016, I took an editorial position at the paper there. In 2017, I became the editor-in-chief. Q. What was the most controversial story you handled as editor of the Daily Aztec? The Aztec mascot controversy, easily. We covered many issues that affect students debt, housing and food insecurity but nothing stirred the emotions of readers, especially alumni, like stories about the effort to retire the mascot. Q. During school, you wrote a beer column for CityBeat. Do you have a favorite San Diego craft beer? Right now Im really enjoying the New England-style IPAs from Modern Times. Q. What approach or philisophy do you plan to follow in the military beat? Well, theres a couple different responsibilities to it. One, I have an obligation to report the goings-on of the local military to the general public in San Diego. However, the military and military veterans are also a large part of this community, so I want to find stories that are relevant to them. Q. You have a story in the Local section today about risk behaviors among service members, how did you find that study? I am in quite a few veterans and military groups online, and stuff like this usually finds its way there. Q. You have a beard, something that wasnt allowed in the military. How soon after leaving the service did you grow that? I shaved every day for 10 years. The last time was the day I signed my DD-214. Q. What do you think is the most serious issue facing military personnel today? People in the military face the same difficulties as anyone, only dialed-up to 100. Housing costs, education and workplace harassment are all issues the military deals with, only they do it while maintaining a high level of operational readiness and deploying for months at a time. Q. How can readers contact you with tips or ideas for military coverage? My email is andrew.dyer@sduniontribune.com and I can be reached via telephone at 619-293-1371. Im also on Twitter @SDUTdyer. Topics editor Ricky Young introduces our new miltiary reporter, Andrew Dyer. Follow me at @RickyWhy ricky.young@sduniontribune.com Six military bases in San Diego County will be used as logistics hubs for supplies and troops to help with securing the Southwest border following President Trumps announcement Wednesday that he would deploy as many as 15,000 military personnel in response to caravans of Central American migrants making their way northward. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Naval Air Station North Island (Coronado), Naval Base San Diego and Naval Base Point Loma as well as Naval Air Station El Centro will participate in the deployment named Operation Faithful Patriot, officials said They have been identified as base support installations staging areas for troops, for helicopters to land and supplies to be distributed, said Air Force Capt. Lauren Hill at Northern Command in Colorado. Military troops will help with planning, engineering, transportation, logistics and medical support to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to the Northern Command statement. Advertisement Tasks will include erecting temporary vehicle barriers and fencing and installing light towers, barbed wire and concertina wire. Temporary housing and meals will be provided and medical personnel would be deployed as needed for patient care, the statement said. The new 15,000-troop figure doubles the number Pentagon officials have announced would be operating along the entire border with Mexico. Well go up to anywhere between 10 and 15,000 military personnel on top of Border Control, ICE and everybody else at the border, Trump said before departing Washington for a campaign rally in Florida. Nobodys coming in. Were not allowing people to come in. Trumps comments came a day after the general in charge of the border deployment said 5,239 active-duty troops would be heading to the border with more potentially to follow, in addition to the 2,092 members of the National National Guard already there. It wasnt clear whether Trumps 15,000 figure included the National Guard deployment. If the deployment reaches 15,000 troops, it would be roughly equivalent to the size of the U.S. militarys presence in Afghanistan and three times the size of the presence in Iraq. Already, the deployment is believed to be the largest of its kind in more than a century. The Washington Post contributed to this story. Its not known if the active-duty troops will be deployed in the San Diego sector, in part because its not clear where the caravan will go or how many people will be in it by the time it crosses all the way through Mexico. In the spring, an earlier caravan eventually brought about 200 people en masse to the San Ysidro port of entry to request asylum. That caravan prompted the Trump administration to ask for National Guard help at the border. California Gov. Jerry Brown authorized up to 400 troops to work in support roles targeting transnational crime. Under the agreement, which runs through March, troops are stationed in San Diego, El Centro and Riverside. Another 1,700 guard members are deployed in other states. Advertisement Under Browns authorization, the troops in California are not supposed to be used for immigration enforcement, but court documents in illegal-entry cases show that in some instances soldiers monitoring patrol cameras have helped with apprehensions. Other presidents have also dispatched the National Guard to the border. Under President George W. Bush, guard members were stationed there for about two years beginning in 2006, and under President Barack Obama they assisted for about a year starting in 2010. Those missions cost a total of about $1.3 billion, according to a federal report. The use of active-duty troops along the border is controversial in part because of a fatal 1997 encounter between a Marine patrol from Camp Pendleton and an 18-year-old high school student in Texas. Esequiel Hernandez Jr. was herding his familys goats along the Rio Grande near Redford, a town about 200 miles southeast of El Paso, when he crossed paths with four camouflage-clad Marines who were watching for drug smugglers. Hernandez fired twice at the patrol with a .22-caliber rifle, and one of the Marines fatally shot him, according to investigators. A military report issued a year later concluded that the Marines had not been adequately trained for an armed operation among civilians. The U.S. government paid the teens family $1.9 million. According to published accounts, the troops being readied for the new deployment will be used in support roles so they wont violate the Posse Comitatus law, which dates from the late 1870s and prohibits the military from doing domestic police work. But critics of the plan believe any use of the military sends the wrong message. The southern border should be a place of encounter, opportunity and hope not a place of hate, exclusion and out-of-control militarization, said Vicki B. Gaubeca, director of the Southern Borders Communities Coalition. To turn these desperate parents, who are only trying to provide safety for their children, into political pawns is to betray our sacred promise to treat people humanely in their time of need regardless of where they come from. Peter Nunez, a former U.S attorney in San Diego who supports stricter immigration enforcement at the border, said he thinks the military should play a role. I have supported using the military on the border since the 1980s, to render whatever support is necessary to the Border Patrol, he said. john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com Two investigations into the death of a civilian contractor on board a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier last September determined the mans death was not the result of a workplace mishap, despite the presence of electrical burns across the mans chest and on his arm. Gerald Laner, an electrician, was working near an aircraft elevator aboard the Theodore Roosevelt at Naval Air Station North Island when he collapsed. Military personnel quickly responded and tried to revive him, but Laner died. For the record: Correction: This story has been amended to reflect new information. An OSHA investigation into the death of a civilian Navy contractor on board the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt was closed on Feb. 13. It found no evidence the contractors death was work related. He was 80 years old. The Navys investigation and the medical examiners report raise questions about what caused his death, and his son is asking for an investigation. Advertisement The Navy says he suffered a heart attack. The San Diego County Medical Examiner was unable to determine a cause of death; an autopsy found Laner had heart disease but it also found electrical burns on his chest and his left arm. Laners son, Jeff Williams, said he is convinced his father was injured on the job. The man worked himself to death, Williams said, adding that his father had a 10-year Navy career, which included service in Vietnam, and 20 more in the Army Reserve before working for military contracts. Altogether, Williams said, Laner had 60 years experience as an electrician. (He) worked his whole career defending this country. Williams lives in Martinez, California. According to the Navys investigation, Laner began work on the Roosevelt in July. A master tradesman employed by Huntington Ingalls Industries for 11 years, Laner was working near a cable container, ripping out cable boxes. A few minutes later a coworker found him lying motionless. He tried to awaken him. Three nearby sailors called for emergency medical treatment and began CPR. Ships medical personnel soon arrived, followed by paramedics from the base fire department. Laner was transported to UCSD Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. According to the Navys investigation, the ships safety officer directed the leading chief petty officer of the electrical division to check all the electrical circuits in the vicinity..to ensure that (Laners) cardiac arrest was not caused by an electric shock. The Navy says a communication circuit, power circuit, dead-end cables and temporary power outlets were all inspected and found de-energized. A petty officer from the engineering department found that all equipment Mr. Laner was scheduled to be working on had been properly tagged out, meaning they were turned off and the associated power switches were marked with tags, so no one would switch them on. The ships doctor who led the medical team that day said in an after-action report that Laner showed no indications of external injuries and ... his death was caused by age and/or prior medical history. The investigation concluded that because all the equipment was tagged out and de-energized, Mr. Laner suffered a heart attack that happened to occur at work, but which likely would have happened regardless of where he was that day. The commanding officer of the Roosevelt, Capt. Carlos Sardiello, agreed with the findings of the investigation. The County Medical Examiners Department was not so sure. An autopsy performed two days later said Laner was possibly electrocuted. The deputy medical examiner conducting the procedure found multiple lesions consistent with with electrical burns on both sides of Laners chest, as well as on the inside of his left arm. The report also noted evidence of the emergency medical treatment Laner received, including defibrillator treatments, but said they were not listed as the source of the electrical burns. The medical examiner also found evidence of potentially lethal natural disease including severe narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to the heart, as well as evidence of prior heart attacks and enlargement of the heart. Laners cause of death is officially undetermined. A spokeswoman for Huntington Ingalls Industries, Beci Brenton, confirmed Laner worked for the company for 11 years, but did not comment on the nature of his death. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this time of loss, she said. Cmdr. Ronald Flanders, a spokesman for Naval Air Forces, said the Navys investigation was conclusive. No factors related to the ship could have contributed to his passing, he said. The sailors who responded to Laners collapse were recommended for Navy Achievement Medals. Williams said he reported the discrepancies between the investigation and the autopsy to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration. A spokesman for the Department of Labor said Friday its investigation was ongoing, however, on Monday, told the Union-Tribune it had been closed in February. After reviewing the incident reports and related programs, OSHA investigators determined there was no evidence that supported a work-related fatality, said Leo Kay, a spokesman for the Labor Department. No further details on OSHAs investigation were available Monday. The Union-Tribune has requested a copy of the agencys investigation under the Freedom of Information Act. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. A soldier originally from National City died in Afghanistan in a non-combat related incident, the Pentagon said Wednesday. Staff Sgt. Diobanjo Sanagustin, 32, was serving as a squad leader in Bravo Company, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment when he died Tuesday. He was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, near the city of Colorado Springs. Sanagustin joined the Army in 2007 and deployed three times since once to Kosovo, once to Iraq and once to Afghanistan, a news release from the base said. Staff Sgt. Diobanjo made a lasting impact on the Manchu formation and we will forever cherish his memory, said Lt. Col. David Uthlaut, his commanding officer, in a news release. Our deepest condolences are with the Sanagustin family. Advertisement Sanagustins awards include two Army Commendations, seven Army Achievement Medals and four Good Conduct Medals. The incident is under investigation, the Pentagon said. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. Claude Alexander Rowe Jr. of Chula Vista, who served in the armed forces of two allied nations during World War II, was laid to rest Friday at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego with full military honors, including a gun salute and a missing man formation flyby of WWII-era fighters. Rowe died on Sept. 20 at age 97. He was born in Detroit on July 7, 1921. He was a student at the Lawrence Institute of Technology during World War II and left college during his second year to serve his country as a pilot. Because Rowe was black, he was not eligible to fly in the Army Air Corps. Instead, he went north, to the Royal Canadian Air Force, where he earned his wings in 1944. In September 1945, Rowe came back to the U.S. and joined the Army, this time as part of the Tuskegee Airmen Experiment, a segregated unit. He earned his wings in June 1946 and flew bombers such as the WB-50 and B-29. Advertisement Rowe talked about his experience in the segregated military in a 2009 community essay in The San Diego Union-Tribune. It was routine to be separated, and although the discrimination was uncomfortable, we were too determined to let that stop us, Rowe wrote. We were not just fighting for our country, we were fighting for our dreams, and we were willing to give our lives for it. Rowe stayed on as the Air Corps transitioned into the Air Force, eventually becoming a weather officer. He retired in 1966 as a captain. 1 / 14 Members of the March Air Force Base Honor Guard hold an American flag over the coffin of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen during his funeral service at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 2 / 14 Retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 3 / 14 A member of the Patriot Guard Riders holds his hand on the coffin of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen during his funeral at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 4 / 14 Winifride Rowe, left, the wife of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe is comforted by their daughter, Dorothy Rowe as they say their final goodbye at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 5 / 14 Winifride Rowe, the wife of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., holds the American flag that draped his casket at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 6 / 14 Members of the March Air Force Base Honor Guard hold an American flag over the coffin of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen during his funeral service at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 7 / 14 The coffin of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen arrives at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 8 / 14 Dorothy Rowe, left, and her mother, Winifride Rowe, right, the daughter and wife of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., hold the American flag that draped Rowes coffin at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 9 / 14 Winifride Rowe, left, the wife of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., is presented the American flag that draped her husbands casket, by a member of the March Air Force Base Honor Guard, right, at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 10 / 14 The coffin of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen arrives at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 11 / 14 The horse drawn funeral carriage with the coffin of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen arrives at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 12 / 14 Bagpipes were played during the funeral at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen. Rowe died on September 20th, at 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 13 / 14 The coffin of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen is removed from the horse drawn funeral carriage at Fort Rosecrans NationalCemetery by members of the March Air Air Force Base Honor Guard. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 14 / 14 A missing man formation flies over the funeral of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) The Air Force gave Rowe the opportunity to travel extensively, serving in post-war Germany, Japan, Korea and England. In England, he met his wife of 67 years, the former Winifride Swinnerton. They went on to have eight children. After retirement, Rowe went into banking, eventually becoming a bank manager and vice president in Michigan. It was when one of his daughters, Dorothy, joined the Navy that the Rowes relocated to San Diego in 1975. Rowe, who was retired at the time, visited to help Dorothy settle in. We lived in Portage, Michigan, and when I graduated from high school I wanted to leave, Dorothy Rowe said. So I took off and joined the Navy. When he saw (San Diego), he said, Oh, I love this place. So he flew back home and told my mom to put the house up for sale. It was like the Beverly Hillbillies driving out to San Diego. Marlene Marien, Rowes eldest daughter, said her dad was a fantastic cook. One of my fondest memories from childhood, I always looked forward to Sunday dinners, because that was when my dad cooked, she said. To this day, his fried chicken was the only fried chicken I would eat. Marien said she wanted people to know her father was a man of character. No matter what negative treatment he received throughout his life as one of the first black pilots, he never held any malice in his heart, Marien said. He always held his head up high and he never let anyones opinion of him change his opinion of himself. He was a very, very honorable man. Marien remembered one incident when her parents were driving cross-country. They stopped to get gas, she said, and the lady gave him the wrong change. He realized it after hed driven about 50 miles, so he drove the 50 miles all the way back to return the change because he didnt want her to get in trouble. Dorothy Rowe said her father left an impression on everyone he met. (He was) just a wonderful person, anyone who came into his life felt blessed, she said. Everybody just adored him. She said her father was an exceptional grandfather as well, and took on the tasks some of her siblings were wary of, such as teaching their kids to drive. He took care of all his grandkids and taught them how to drive, she said. I was afraid, but my dad didnt mind taking them out. Erica Kimble, Dorothy Rowes daughter, said her grandfather was more like a father to her. He would watch us all the time after school, she said. When we were little, hed do our hair in the morning...since our dad wasnt around. Not only did he raise all of his eight kids, he raised most of his 18 grandkids, Dorothy Rowe said. Rowes burial service Friday included an escort and honors by the Patriot Guard and a horse-drawn carriage. Representatives from the Royal Canadian Legion also attended, as well as Nelson Robinson, who is also a Tuskegee Airmen veteran. California State Sen. Joel Anderson was in attendance and spoke briefly about the historical significance of the men who joined the then-segregated U.S. military to serve during World War II. The men who met the call to become Tuskegee Airmen were the best our nation had to offer, he said. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. The U.S. Coast Guard announced late Friday it had found a short-term funding solution and would be paying its military workforce on Dec. 31 via its all-hands blog. Until the announcement, Coast Guard members had been notified to expect a delay in funding until a budget solution was found in Washington, D.C. Most people serving on active duty in the military will not have their pay affected by the partial government shutdown, now entering its second week. The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, each part of the Defense Department, are fully funded, and wont be affected once payday rolls around on Jan. 1. However, paying the members of the militarys fifth branch the U.S. Coast Guard is a trickier proposition. Thats because, unlike their brothers and sisters in arms, the Coast Guard is part of the Homeland Security Department. DHS, which also includes Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Border Patrol, is not funded. Advertisement The one-time action applies to active and reserve military members, the Coast Guard says. A spokesperson told the Union-Tribune that payroll for the next scheduled payday, Jan. 15, had not been funded. This potential lapse in payroll doesnt mean the Coast Guard wont be working. Nationwide, 42,000 active-duty members and 1,300 civilian employees will continue to work without pay. About 7,400 civilian Coast Guard employees have been furloughed. The U.S. government remained partially shut down Friday with a budget resolution up in the air as President Trump holds firm to his decision not to sign off on any budget that does not include billions in funding for a wall on the U.S. southern border. Up to 700 San Diego-based Coast Guard personnel are affected. Essential Coast Guard duties, such as maritime patrols, search-and-rescue and environmental response operations will continue as normal, according to Chief Warrant Officer Chad Saylor, a guard spokesman. The Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., will also remain open, as any delay in classes could have repercussions throughout the services officer corps. Our motto is Semper Paratus, which is always ready, Saylor said. Were obligated by law to carry out our mission. Saylor cited the professionalism and duty-first attitude of the people in the Coast Guard when discussing the uncertainty that came with the shutdown. Were at the mercy of the system, he said. (The Coast Guard) will be showing up whether theyre paid or not. A guide published on the Coast Guard website details who will work through the shutdown, and an FAQ guides service members on how to handle their financial obligations. Saylor said the Coast Guard has programs in place to help its members who are financially affected by the shutdown. Coast Guard Mutual Assistance is something available all the time, he said. Typically, its a no-interest loan. He said those loans were geared toward the most at-risk members of the Coast Guard those in the junior enlisted ranks. Navy Federal Credit Union is also offering zero-interest loans both to members of the Coast Guard and any furloughed government employee who has enrolled in direct-deposit. Saylor said the Coast Guard did not endorse any programs outside of its control, but encouraged those affected to contact their financial institutions. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. UPDATES: 5:05 p.m.: The Coast Guard announced late Friday that its military workforce would be paid on Dec. 31. This story has been updated to reflect the breakthrough. Some 42,000 active-duty U.S. Coast Guard members including 700 in San Diego and 8,700 civilian employees may get some financial relief from the partial government shutdown after the Coast Guard, along with USAA, announced a $15 million donation to Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, a nonprofit that offers zero-interest loans to service members in need. The Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security, which remains unfunded during the shutdown, now in its fourth week. The rest of the military is under the Department of Defense, which remains funded. Today you will not be receiving your regularly scheduled mid-month paycheck, Adm. Karl Schultz, commandant of the Coast Guard, wrote in a blog post Tuesday. To the best of my knowledge, this marks the first time in our nations history that service members in a U.S. armed force have not been paid during a lapse in government appropriations. Thanks to a $15 million donation from insurance and banking behemoth USAA, Coast Guard Mutual Assistance will begin disbursing interest-free loans to active-duty and civilian workers of the Coast Guard, he said. Advertisement I recognize the anxiety and uncertainty this situation places on you and your family, and we are working closely with service organizations on your behalf, Schultz said. USAA is a group of companies in San Antonio providing insurance, banking, retirement products and investment advice to about 13 million current and former members of the military. The loans of up to $750 for single members and civilian workers and $1,000 for those with dependents are designed to cover two weeks of shortfalls, USAA said. Retired Rear Adm. Cari Thomas, CEO of CGMA, said the organization had been prepared to take out a loan against its reserve funds when USAA stepped forward with an unsolicited donation. We are very, very grateful, she said, adding that it will take a community effort to see Coast Guard members through the shutdown. Like any Coast Guard mission, it requires a team of people to get it done. It marks the first missed paycheck for the Coast Guard since the government shutdown began Dec. 21. Homeland Security was able to find a one-time funding solution at the end of December to avoid a lapse in pay. However, another payday is coming at the end of January which will affect not just current Coast Guard members and employees but also about 50,000 retirees, who also will miss a pension check. Thomas said CGMA is working on a similar stop-gap solution but nothing is nailed down yet. Theres currently no way to pay the retirees, Thomas said. (But) its too early to speculate. There are a few ways people could help, she said. People can go on our website, www.cgmahq.org, and do secure online donations, she said. Coast Guard members and employees also can apply for loans on the CGMA website. Many financial institutions, such as Mission Federal Credit Union, Navy Federal and SDCCU are offering low or no-interest loans, as well as loan payment deferrals, for members affected by the shutdown. Locally, Lincoln Military Housing, which offers market-rate rentals to service members, said it was suspending rent withdrawals from Coast Guard members. On Wednesday, the San Diego Food Bank distributed more than 7 tons of food and 6,000 diapers to active-duty Coast Guard personnel at a site near National City. The bank said it is offering assistance to all furloughed federal workers. Its website is sandiegofoodbank.org. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. For almost seven decades, sailors attached to Fleet Combat Camera Pacific at Naval Air Station North Island deployed with air, ground and sea combat units to document action in overseas hot-spots. On Friday, a ceremonial bell tolled one last time for this historic Navy unit. Fleet Combat Camera Pacific ComCam was known over the years by several names, but its mission never changed. According to a statement from the unit, it provided direct imagery capability to the Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Military Departments, combatant commands and joint task forces during wartime operations, worldwide crisis, contingencies and joint exercises. The total number of billets military jobs being eliminated are four officers, 50 enlisted personnel and 31 enlisted reserve components. Advertisement Sailors assigned to Combat Camera could expect to be trained for highly-specialized roles, such as Diver, Aircrew and Search and Seizure. About 200 Combat Camera veterans, sailors and civilians gathered at the Island Club on NAS North Island in Coronado for an emotional, bittersweet ceremony. The orders shuttering Combat Camera, read at the end of the ceremony, said the closure was part of a budget-saving initiative to eliminate billets that do not directly contribute to improving war-fighting capability. Earlier Friday morning, the Atlantic Fleets Combat Camera element was also decommissioned in Norfolk, Virginia. Combat Cameraman Yeoman 1st class Anthony Ardisone with some of the memorabilia he has collected related to Combat Camera uniforms and equipment representing roughly the years 1944 to 1991. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) The mood of the day was summed up in a speech by retired Lt. Cmdr. Rick Naystatt, who once served as Combat Cameras commanding officer. Events like this are kind of like a funeral of sorts that brings together far-flung family one last time, he said. We all feel the loss, but were happy to see each other again. One attendee, Mark Elder, served at Combat Camera during Vietnam. When he left active duty, he came back as a reservist. He said Combat Camera gave him a pass to go anywhere. They gave you an assignment, you got in a plane, you got to go, he said, describing his experience deploying with a squadron in Vietnam in 1970. They knew you were coming and they took care of you. You had a special card from (Combat Camera) that said you will render assistance to (us) in all things...It was kind of like a get out of jail card. I wish Id kept it. Elder remembered one squadron VAL-4 and how the commanding officer took him under his wing. The Black Ponies, Elder said, were a light attack squadron. They were the only (Navy) squadron that was fixed-wing in Vietnam. He said he got to eat, sleep and fly with the officers in the squadron. Elder was emotional about the Combat Cameras closure. It hurts so bad, he said. I dont know. Navy Cmdr. Doug Houser, the last commanding officer of Combat Camera, called the experience an honor, and told attendees to be proud of what they accomplished when they were there. I cannot tell you how proud I am to be part of your team, he said. Take comfort in knowing you are part of something much bigger than yourselves. Before the end of the ceremony, Houser had Combat Camera veterans stand and be acknowledged by the decade they served. Veterans from each decade since the 1940s stood. Chief Petty Officer Jon Rasmussen was the last Officer of the Deck for Combat Camera, a watch from which he was relieved as the orders to close the command were read. He said the ceremony was emotional for him. Ive grown as a sailor, photographer, and the things Ive experienced at this command have done a lot to make me who I am, he said. Combat Cameraman Yeoman 1st class Anthony Ardisone, on the right, a reservist with the unit, and Dave Weideman, left, who served 15 years of his career in Combat Camera before retiring in 2004, looked at a vintage Speed Graphic camera. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) Petty Officer Third Class Jason Isaacs was one of the last sailors to report to Combat Camera. He said he was intimidated reporting to the historic unit. I felt really nervous at first when I first got here, when I looked at the history and saw the men and women who served before me, and the work that theyd done, he said. It looked like I had a lot to live up to. Isaacs is staying in San Diego at a Navy public affairs unit. Rear Adm. Robert Durand, the Navys vice chief of information, said to preserve Combat Cameras legacy, the Navy needed to add capacity to its communication units. Where that capacitys going to reside will be in different places, he said. Some of it will be in our Navy pub affairs support element, some of that is going to be organic in the ships themselves. Durand said sailors who had served at Combat Camera should be proud. I think each sailor who served here will always feel that Combat Camera was part of what made them who they are he said. They look back at the past and they look to the future and they feel theyve been part of something really special. Naystatt, reservedly defiant in his speech, said he didnt agree that Combat Camera had worn out its usefulness. Ill be honest with you, I dont agree with it, he said, adding that change was always part of the mission. Situations change. Adaptations have to be made. Hell, every ship I was ever stationed on is decommissioned now. At the end of his speech, Naystatt told sailors to save their command rocker-patches somewhere special so youll have them when Combat Camera is re-established, he said. 80 year old Kurt Kinnamon, left, who was with the Combat Camera Group for 57 years of the 67 years of its existence, shook hands with Commander Tom Cotton at the Disestablishing ceremony for the unit. Kinnamon served as both enlisted and as a civilian. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. A Chinese destroyer made a series of aggressive maneuvers toward the San Diego-based guided-missile destroyer Decatur early Sunday in an incident the Navy called unsafe and unprofessional. A statement from the U.S. Pacific Fleet said the incident, which occurred near the Gaven Reef in the South China Sea, involved a Chinese Luyang class destroyer. The Chinese vessel issued warnings to the American ship to leave the area before sailing within 45 yards of the Decaturs bow. The (Chinese) destroyer conducted a series of increasingly aggressive maneuvers accompanied by warnings for Decatur to depart the area, said Navy Cmdr. Nate Christensen, a Pacific Fleet spokesman. The (Chinese) destroyer approached within 45 yards of Decaturs bow, after which Decatur maneuvered to prevent a collision. Gaven Reef is close to the disputed Spratly Islands, where China has made several territorial claims not recognized by the U.S. and other nations in the region. Advertisement The U.S. Navy has made a point of sailing through the contested waters in defiance of Chinas claims. The Decatur was apparently involved in such freedom of navigation operations when Sundays incident occurred. China has built airstrips and artificial islands in the South China Sea, actions condemned by Defense Secretary James Mattis in Singapore in June. So make no mistake: America is in the Indo-Pacific to stay, Mattis said at the time. This is our priority theater. Our interests and the regions are inextricably intertwined. Mattis characterized Chinas militarization in the South China Sea as being for intimidation and coercion. China views American operations in the vicinity of its claimed territory as provocations. However, in 2016, an international tribunal ruled against Chinas territorial claims in the Spratly Islands a ruling the country rejected. The islands are mostly uninhabited but are close to busy shipping lanes lanes which the U.S. has an interest in protecting. U.S. Navy ships and aircraft operate throughout the Indo-Pacific routinely, including in the South China Sea, Christensen said. As we have for decades, our forces will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, announced Wednesday he had sent a letter asking President Donald Trump to intervene in the case of a San Diego-based Navy SEAL being held at the Navy Consolidated Brig on MCAS Miramar. Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward R. Gallagher, 39, is charged with committing multiple war crimes while on deployment in Mosul, Iraq, in 2017. He is charged with premeditated murder, shooting civilians and with attempting to obstruct justice by intimidating witnesses. He was arrested on Sept. 11 and has been confined to a military brig since. His trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 19. On Monday, Hunter visited Gallagher in the brig for about 45 minutes to an hour, according to Hunter spokesman Michael Harrison. Advertisement In a letter to the president, dated Monday, Hunter who himself served as a Marine infantry officer in Iraq and Afghanistan says the conditions at the brig are no way to treat an American war hero. Chief Gallagher has been forced into a general population which consists mostly of convicted sex offenders and pedophiles, Hunter says in the letter. Reportedly his children are required to wear hospital gowns while they visit, so that they may not bring unwanted attention from any of the other inmates. Chief Special Warfar Operator Edward R. Gallagher. (Courtesy photo) Hunter calls the policy irregularly harsh for someone that has not stood trial or even charged with any sexual misconduct charges. A Navy SEAL with eight combat deployments and two Bronze Stars with Valor deserves better, Hunter says. Among Gallaghers military decorations are two Bronze Star with combat V awards, signifying the SEAL had performed acts or services (while) exposed to personal hazard involving direct participation in combat operations, according to Navy regulations. Hunter goes on to say that Gallaghers brig confinement has interfered with his right to a speedy trial. In order for his current legal representation to meet with Chief Gallagher inside of the Brig, they first must obtain permission to enter the base and are forced to speak with their client in rooms that allegedly have cameras, guards and most likely microphones, Hunter says. These circumstances could directly interfere with his attorney-client privilege. Although Hunter did not make specific requests of the president, in another statement Friday he described the Navy Judge Advocate Corps as over aggressive and the Navy justice system political. Hunter has made similar criticisms of the U.S Department of Justice for its prosecution of Hunter on campaign-finance charges and its investigation into the Trump campaigns dealings with Russia. Due to verifiable political nature of the Navys justice system, I believe that Chief Gallaghers matter needs to be taken away from the Navy and President Trump himself needs to personally review and dismiss this case, taking an American hero out of a prison cell and back on the front lines where he belongs, Hunter said in the statement. Harrison said on the phone Wednesday that the congressman would be watching developments in the case closely. (Gallagher) has not been convicted of anything, Harrison said. A spokeswoman for Navy Personnel Command, which oversees the brig, said she could not comment specifically on Hunters statement Wednesday, but provided the brigs dress code and visitation rules to the Union-Tribune. It says excessively tight or revealing clothing, which includes shorts shorter than mid-thigh and shirts that dont cover the midriff, would be considered inappropriate for visitation. Gallaghers court martial on war crimes charges began Friday. Military prosecutors say that during a 2017 deployment in Iraq, Gallagher, who is also a medic, stabbed a wounded ISIS combatant under his care, then posed for photos next to the body. He is also accused of holding his reenlistment ceremony next to the teenage fighters corpse. Upon returning to San Diego and learning he was under investigation, prosecutors say Gallagher reached out to a network of former SEAL community members in an effort to leak the names of SEALs cooperating with investigators names he ascertained because their initials were printed on a search warrant authorities provided when they searched his home. Attorneys for Gallagher told reporters after Fridays hearing that the SEALs actions that day in Iraq did not the cause the fighters death. The question in what hes being charged with is, Did he murder anyone? said Colby Vokey, one of Gallaghers attorneys. No, he didnt murder anyone. Neither Vokey nor Gallaghers other civilian attorney, Phillip Stackhouse, would comment on whether Gallagher stabbed the fighter in the neck, only saying he did not murder him. Gallaghers attorneys filed a motion Friday asking the judge, Capt. Aaron Rugh, to release Gallagher from the brig while hes awaiting trial. A ruling is expected this week. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. The crash of a Marine F-35B in South Carolina last week has some residents concerned about the jets impending arrival at Marine Corps Station Miramar in 2020. The Marine F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter attached to an East Coast training squadron crashed on Sept. 28. The crashed jet belonged to Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 based out of Beaufort, South Carolina. The pilot ejected safely while the jet crashed into an island about four miles northwest of the runway at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. On that same day that, more than 2,100 miles away, spectators at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar attended the largest military air show in the nation one that included a performance by the F-35B. Miramar expects its first permanent F-35B squadron to arrive early in 2020. Were hoping that this crash will bring up the need to reassure the community, said Barry Bernstien, president of the University City Community Association. It brings up questions about the safety of that particular aircraft. Advertisement That aircraft in either its A, B or C variants had not yet experienced a crash until Friday. It is still pretty new, however, and has experienced a number of mishaps on the ground, from landing gear-failure to engine fires. It has also been controversial, with cost overruns and years-long delays. The first of two versions of the single-engine jet to arrive at Miramar the B variant is capable of vertical takeoff and landings. The C variant, which cannot takeoff and land vertically, will arrive later. The safety of jets flying in and out of Miramar is a real concern to neighboring residents. The 10th anniversary is approaching for the Dec. 8, 2008, F/A-18C crash that destroyed three University City homes and killed three generations of one family. Retired Navy pilot Ron Belanger, who lives in the area, said its only a matter of time before another crash occurs. We will have another accident, he said. Belanger has lived in the neighborhood since 1982 four houses away from the 2008 crash site. He said he understands how important Miramars operations are, but that he doesnt want its aircraft flying over residences. Weve seen more and more (aircraft), he said. The wreckage of an F/A-18C jet headed to MCAS Miramar smolders after it crashed in the University City area of San Diego on Dec. 8, 2008. The crash killed four people in one of the homes. (K.C. Alfred / Union-Tribune) There are two flight paths aircraft usually take when leaving Miramar that bypass homes. Aircraft will take off, make a right turn, and then follow one of two corridors either out to sea or towards the mountains. Conditions in the air sometimes lead those craft to fly over the neighborhood. In January, the base reprimanded two pilots for failing to follow those paths during two flights in October 2017. Marine Capt. Matthew Gregory, the director of communications at Miramar, said in an emailed statement that pilots are instructed to divert to avoid the neighborhood, but sometimes the FAA directs craft to fly over homes. Aircraft fly through this busy airspace under the close direction of MCAS Miramar and Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers, and in compliance with federal aviation regulations, Gregory said. Air operations that differ from the norm are, in the overwhelming majority of cases, authorized and safe. The primary aircraft corridors leaving MCAS Miramars runway. (Miramar Marine Corps Air Station; Mapzen; OpenStreetMap) Operations at Miramar are important for the Marines the base is in a key location close to training areas. Marine Col. Charles Dockery, the commanding officer of the base, said in a statement more than 75,000 runway operations were conducted in the last year. I am very proud of the professional performance of our aircrews over the past year, Dockery said. We will always strive to be better, but conducting over 75,000 runway operations in a 12-month span without a single flight violation sets a high standard. The Marines have made efforts to be good neighbors. Chris Nielson, the chair of the University City Planning Group, said a base delegate sits on the planning group. The base also hosts community representatives every month for a community forum. Diane Ahern, vice chair of the community association, said she often attends those monthly meetings but was concerned the Marines did not take community concerns seriously. Ahern, like some of her neighbors, is particularly concerned about the F-35. Its a single-engine (plane), she said. If (it) goes out, it crashes. The F/A-18C that crashed in 2008 had two engines both of which failed. Marine F/A-18s practice for the Miramar Air Show on September 27, 2018. Some of Miramars F/A-18 squadrons will be converted to F-35s over the next several years. (K.C. Alfred / Union-Tribune) Ahern also said she wanted pilots departing the base to avoid the neighborhood and questioned the skill level of those who make a lazy right turn. It makes me doubt the discipline of our fighting force, she said. Gregory said Miramars operations, including those that sometimes result in aircraft flying over homes, would continue in accordance with FAA regulations. Aircrew based aboard MCAS Miramar will continue to operate safe aircraft in a professional manner in accordance with established procedures, he said. The F-35 will usher in an exciting age of military aviation and MCAS Miramar looks forward to its arrival and the positive national security and community impacts that it will bring. Ahern said not all of her neighbors had a problem with flyovers and that she understood the base was there when she moved in. Theres a lot of sound of freedom people, she said, referencing a popular saying about the loudness of military aircraft. Im a huge supporter of the military (my) concern is safety. The F-35 in South Carolina crashed about four miles away from the runway at Beauford. Neigborhoods of University City, Bay Ho, Clairemont, Kearny Mesa, Tierrasanta, Mira Mesa and Sorrento Valley all lay within four miles of Miramars. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. A retired two-star admiral and former Trump Administration nominee repeatedly solicited and accepted gifts from military contractor Leonard Glenn Fat Leonard Francis and used his position as the commodore of Destroyer Squadron 15 to benefit Francis company, according to a letter of censure released Friday. The letter, signed by Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer, details events from 2007 to 2009 when Rear Adm. Mark C. Montgomery accepted meals and hotel stays for himself and his family while providing Francis with information about ship movements and the names of other officers he could invite to his lavish dinners. He also lied to Navy investigators in January when he submitted a written statement denying his involvement with Francis, the letter says. In June, Montgomery was nominated by President Trump for an administrative position at the U.S. Agency for International Development. That nomination was withdrawn just before the Navy announced his censure. Advertisement Although announced in November, the details of Montgomerys graft were only made public on Friday in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from The San Diego Union-Tribune and other media organizations. According to Navy investigators cited in the letter, Montgomery accepted gifts of meals and hotel stays in excess of $6,000 and helped Francis plan a lavish $32,000 dinner at the Pierre II restaurant in Hong Kong. Montgomery even signed a menu commemorating the event, the Navy says. During the summer of 2007, Montgomery intervened on behalf of Francis company and had two Navy vessels accept fuel from Francis company that they had originally declined. Minutes after the company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, was notified of Montgomerys action, someone from the company, whose name was redacted from the letter perhaps Francis said of him in a comment Top shelf friendship!! Ha Ha!! That October, Montgomery provided Francis with advance notice that a Navy ship would be visiting Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, a port Francis controlled. In exchange, he asked Francis to put his family up in a Hong Kong hotel the next month. Francis arranged for an upgraded room, for which GDMA paid $2,609. In the spring of 2008, Francis and GDMA paid almost $2,000 for Montgomerys stay at the Hong Kong Grand Hyatt, the letter says. Just before his hotel stay, Montgomery gave Francis five-months notice of the Navys plans to visit Cambodia and Vietnam, the document states. In December of 2008, Francis and GDMA again paid for a hotel upgrade for Montgomery and his family, this time in Singapore. When offered the $1,600 upgrade, Montgomery said he would be thrilled to take it, Spencers letter says. Francis, also known as Fat Leonard because of his size, was a Malaysian defense contractor who provided husbanding services for Navy ships in the western Pacific for more than 20 years. His criminal enterprise ensnared dozens of naval officers. As many as 200 were investigated by the Navy. Beginning with his arrest in a San Diego hotel room in 2013, the Justice Department began unraveling Francis web, one string at a time. Among those in thrall to Francis was John Beliveau II, an Navy Criminal Investigative Service agent who served as the contractors mole, helping him keep one step ahead of authorities. In 2016, Beliveau was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Other officers, accused of less serious offenses, received significantly lighter sentences. Those whose actions did not rise to the level of federal prosecution were turned over to the Navy for potential prosecution under military law. Montgomerys censure is unlikely to quell the critique that the Navy has gone easy on its own. A Navy spokesman declined to comment on the Navys decision not to prosecute Montgomery under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The Justice Department could not be reached for comment late Friday to discuss its decision not to pursue criminal charges against Montgomery. Francis tactic was to cozy up to naval officers as a friend, find out their weaknesses and then exploit them. He plied officers with cash, fine dining, travel and high-dollar prostitutes across Asia. In a deposition in a military courtroom this summer, Francis said the investment was worthwhile. Officers would provide him with information about ship movements and information about other officers he might be able to target for his conspiracy. Others would provide proprietary information from his competitors in the region, allowing him to tailor his bids for lucrative husbanding contracts. He was also able to corrupt those in charge of approving those contracts. Francis would then overcharge Navy ships for services in port by inflating the amount of sewage his company removed from ships, for instance, or having his employees produce fake invoices from non-existent sub-contractors all in an effort to squeeze the Navy for millions of dollars in overcharges. Francis pleaded guilty in 2015 to bilking the Navy for $35 million. He is cooperating with prosecutors while he awaits sentencing. He is battling stage four cancer and living under house arrest somewhere in San Diego County. Montgomery, who is retired, will not face any further consequences for his graft, save the stain on his record and the revocation of his end of tour award from his time as the commander of Destroyer Squadron 15. A slew of officers from the Navys Seventh Fleet await trial in San Diego. In total, 33 people have been charged in the conspiracy, with 22 pleading guilty. Navy Captain Jeffrey Breslau, the former lead public affairs officer for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, was the latest. He pleaded guilty last month. Montgomery was the sixth admiral to be censured by the Navy. Two others were charged with crimes. Rear Adm. Robert Gilbeau was sentenced in 2017 to 18 months in prison. He was released last month. The other, Rear Adm. Bruce Loveless, is among the Seventh Fleet officers awaiting trial. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. When Capt. Alan Carltons B-24 bomber was shot down over Germany during World War II, he felt lucky. Not that lucky wounded in the right foot, he left a bloody trail in the snow that made him easy to track. The American pilot was captured at gunpoint and spent more than a year in a POW camp. But he was alive, which was more than could be said for three of his crewmen. Now, 75 years later, Carlton has another reason to feel lucky about what happened that day. It came via FedEx a few days ago from Eisenach, a city in central Germany. Advertisement Eberhard Haelbig, a researcher there who is documenting aerial combat during the war, scours crash sites found near his home. Dozens of planes went down there. Scavenged over the years by humans, consumed by the elements, whats left is mostly pieces. But even they tell a story. One plane in particular, a B-24 that crashed in a forest, caught his attention not long ago. Using records in Germany and the U.S., he figured out which plane it was, and when it had gone down. He learned the names of the 10 Americans who were on board, and found photographs taken shortly after it crashed. With the help of Google and a military friend in the states, he contacted the pilot, who lives in a senior community in Carmel Valley. Which is how Carlton got two FedEx boxes with remnants of his B-24. With this I would like to say, Thank you, Capt. Carlton, and thank you to the Greatest Generation for your fight against evil and for liberating my country from that, Haelbig said in an email interview with the Union-Tribune. Im a German by birth, but American by heart. What he sent Carlton is a pile of junk to a laymans eye. But not to the former pilot. This means a lot to me, Carlton said Thursday morning as he looked through the seven pieces of metal and glass. He held up a scrap he thinks was the part of a wing tip called an aileron. I never thought Id see any of my plane again. Im glad to have these. Glad, too, because the package arrived in time for his 100th birthday, which was Sunday. What a nice, early present this is, he said. His 14th mission They called it Big Week. As 1943 turned into 1944, Allied commanders hatched a plan for a round-the-clock aerial offensive against the Nazis, one of the largest bombing campaigns of the war. American B-17s and B-24s stationed in England and Italy would attack airplane factories, munitions centers and other targets in Germany during the day. British planes would raid at night. They hoped not only to strike at Germanys industrial heart, but draw its fighter jets into a war of attrition and clear the skies in advance of the pivotal D-Day land invasion at Normandy planned for later that year. For six days starting on Feb. 20, 1944, hundreds of B-17s and B-24s flew missions into Germany, dropping nearly 10,000 tons of bombs. They paid a hefty price, losing about 250 bombers and fighters. Some 2,500 crew members were killed, injured, lost or captured. But Germany lost hundreds of planes and pilots, too, and with its factories and airfields damaged by the bombs, couldnt replace them quickly. The Allieds had shifted air supremacy in their favor. Pieces of Alan Carltons B-24 (Howard Lipin/Union-Tribune) Carlton was shot down during Big Week, on Feb. 24, 1944. The Detroit native had enlisted two years earlier, dropping out of medical school at Indiana University to do my part in the war effort, he said. Everybody was joining. Part of the 567th Bomb Squadron based in Hethel, England, Carlton was on his 14th mission when his B-24 D Liberator, built at Consolidated in San Diego, was hit by enemy fire, first over Holland, and then over central Germany. Machine-gun bursts from Luftwaffe fighter planes killed his tail gunner and two waist gunners, and sent the B-24 rolling. Everybody else parachuted out the bomb bay doors, with Carlton exiting last. His came down between two trees, suspended in the air. After cutting himself free, he hobbled away, but his right foot wounded by shrapnel when the plane got shot trailed blood in the snow. German civilians hunted him down about two hours later and held him at gunpoint until the military arrived. From there he was interrogated briefly, then put on a train and sent to Stalag Luft I, a prison camp for Allied air crews located near Barth, Germany, on the Baltic Sea. Nearly 9,000 British and American aviators were captive there. A journal Carlton kept during his imprisonment includes drawings he made of the camp, as well as a map of his ill-fated mission. It has lists of books he read and movies he saw, and recipes the prisoners used for meals made from care-package ingredients like Spam. And meals made from animals. Whatever we could catch, we ate, Carlton said. When Russian forces liberated the camp in early May 1945, his weight had dropped to about 100 pounds. B-17s and B-24s arrived to pick up the prisoners. On the way out, they flew their passengers over German cities so they could view the results of the bombings theyd participated in before getting shot down. I was happy to see it, Carlton said. An unusual ending Haelbig, the German researcher, works for a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the story of one particular World War II aerial battle: The Kassel Mission. On Sept. 27, 1944, B-24s from the 445th Bomb Group, stationed at Tibenham in England, were sent to hit factories in Kassel. A group of about 35 planes, through what the American Air Museum in Britain called a gross error in leadership and navigation, peeled off from the main group and their fighter escorts to attack a different town. The bombers were overrun by about 150 German fighter planes, which in six minutes shot down 25 of the B-24s. Six others made emergency landings in Allied territory. Only four made it back to Tibenham. It was, according to the Kassel Mission Historical Society, the greatest single-day loss to a group from one airfield in aviation warfare history. More than two-thirds of the crew members were killed or taken prisoner. While his main focus is documenting the stories of the Kassel Mission, Haelbig is also interested in other aerial warfare in the region, including Big Week. He said almost 30 U.S. planes were shot down in just one day during that campaign near Eisenach, his hometown. Hunters and rangers in the nearby forest sometimes come across the wreckage of planes, and when they do they tell Haelbig. He visits the sites and collects what he can, often putting the remnants in display cases in an aviation museum. He identifies the planes and their crew members through detailed records, maps and photos kept in U.S. and German archives. Thats how he linked Carlton to that particular B-24. The search usually ends there. Of the 16 million Americans who fought in World War II, fewer than 500,000 are alive, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. But when Haelbig Googled Carltons name recently, he found a 2016 newspaper story about the pilot that said he was living in San Diego. The researcher asked an American friend on the East Coast to find out if that was still true. It was my greatest wish to send Capt. Carlton the pictures of his plane and some pieces, Haelbig said. When the phone call came, Carlton and his daughter, Jan Foreman, didnt know what to make of it. Someone found the B-24? They want to send parts of the wreckage? We thought it was probably a scam, Foreman said. Reminders of what happened Carltons memory about the war isnt what it used to be. That was a long time ago, he said. A framed collection of Alan Carltons war-time memorabilia. (Howard Lipin/Union-Tribune) He came home from Germany and into the arms of his wife, Jeanne. They started a family, two daughters. They followed his parents from Chicago to Arizona and then to San Diego, where he sold real estate for many years in Rancho Bernardo. His grandsons are in the Grammy-winning Christian group Switchfoot. He and Jeanne were married for almost 75 years until she died in 2016. His senior-living apartment is filled with photos of the couple, including a black-and-white one where hes in his military uniform, before he was shipped overseas. To remind him of what happened during the war, he has scrapbooks and a shadow box decorated with medals a Purple Heart, two Air Medals, the French Legion of Honor. The pieces Haelbig just sent him from the downed B-24 may play a similar role. And he has a poem he wrote while he was a POW that includes near the end this stanza, as true now as it was then: Its a hell of a life and you feel the strain But youd do the same thing all over again. Still you pray for the day when therell be no more war When youll see what it is youve been fighting for. john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com A general court martial began Friday in a San Diego military courtroom where a U.S. Navy SEAL, accused of multiple war crimes, was formally arraigned on charges he killed a wounded Islamic State group combatant and shot civilians during a 2017 deployment to Mosul, Iraq. The most serious charge against Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward R. Gallagher, 39, originally from Ft. Wayne, Indiana, is premeditated murder. Prosecutors say Gallagher killed a wounded teenage IS fighter by stabbing him in the neck with his knife. Gallagher, who is a medic, was treating the fighter at the time. The charge carries a mandatory life sentence under the military justice system. Gallagher was also charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, charges linked to the shooting of two civilians. The charge sheet produced by Navy prosecutors described the civilians as a male and a female, and attorneys have referred to the pair as an old man and a girl. Advertisement Other charges levied against the decorated Navy SEAL stem from allegations he shot at civilians on several occasions during the deployment and, once back in the United States, that he attempted to intimidate witnesses when he learned they were cooperating with Navy investigators in the case. Attorneys for Gallagher told reporters after the hearing that the SEALs actions that day in Iraq did not the cause the fighters death. The question in what hes being charged with is, Did he murder anyone? said Colby Vokey, one of Gallaghers attorneys. No, he didnt murder anyone. Neither Vokey nor Gallaghers other civilian attorney, Phillip Stackhouse, would comment on whether Gallagher stabbed the fighter in the neck, only saying he did not murder him. Attorneys filed a motion to release Gallagher from the Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar, where he has been confined since his arrest Sept. 11, but a ruling is not expected until early next week. The trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 19. The defense called several witnesses Friday in an attempt to convince the judge, Navy Capt. Aaron Rugh, that Gallagher was not a flight risk, nor was he a threat to obstruct justice by attempting to intimidate witnesses. Navy prosecutors submitted 1,700 pages of text messages and eyewitness statements, then declined to discuss evidence with reporters. Gallaghers defense attorneys, who also declined to discuss certain aspects of the case, conceded that some of those text messages might appear to indicate that, during the summer of 2018, Gallagher attempted to enlist the help of friends in and around the SEAL community to publicize the names of the SEALs who were cooperating with Navy investigators. They said Gallagher figured out who was cooperating because a search warrant, provided to Gallagher when his home at Lincoln Military Housing at Liberty Station was raided, included the initials of those witnesses. There are text messages that we have been provided that indicate that Eddie might have sent some text messages out saying that these individuals who are making the allegations against him are lying...and people should know they are lying, Vokey said after the hearing. Stackhouse said that these text messages were what lead authorities to keep Gallagher in the brig while awaiting trial. Navy Cmdr. Paul Sargent, the site director for the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury site at Navy Hospital Camp Pendleton, testified via telephone regarding treatment Gallagher was receiving for mild traumatic brain injury at the time of his arrest. According to Sargent, Gallagher had sustained 18 concussions before and during his time in the Navy, and that this might affect his impulse control. He also said Gallagher would be welcomed back into the program were he to be released from the brig. Colleagues of Gallagher from the San Diego SEAL community also testified on his behalf. Three SEALS two of them master chiefs, the other a senior chief and a senior chief ordnance disposal technician each told the judge Gallagher was of outstanding character and that he was not a flight risk. His wife, Andrea Gallagher, also took the stand. She told the judge shed known Gallagher since she was 16 and he was 17, and that the couple reconnected years later, marrying in 2007. Gallagher had about a dozen supporters in attendance. Congressman Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, also expressed his support for Gallagher Friday. During the hearing, the congressmen released a statement calling the Navys prosecution of Gallagher another example of the over-aggressiveness of the Navy JAG Corp (sic) showing its bias against our warfighters. Hunter also called on President Trump to intervene. Due to verifiable political nature of the Navys justice system, I believe that Chief Gallaghers matter needs to be taken away from the Navy, Hunters statement said, and President Trump himself needs to personally review and dismiss this case, taking an American hero out of a prison cell and back on the front lines where he belongs. A Pentagon spokeswoman was not able to comment Friday on the authority of the president to take action in this or any case. Hunter has offered similar criticism of the civilian Department of Justice, which is prosecuting Hunter on charges of stealing $250,000 in campaign funds along with his wife and former campaign manager, Margaret. Both have pleaded not guilty. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. The trial of a Navy SEAL charged with war crimes in Iraq, which was scheduled to begin next week, has been delayed until late spring, a Navy spokesman said Wednesday. Edward R. Gallagher, 39, a chief special warfare operator, faces charges of premeditated murder, aggravated assault and shooting at civilians during an Iraq deployment in 2017. His defense team Wednesday asked for a continuation until May 28, said Brian ORourke, a spokesman for Navy Region Southwest. Gallagher was in court Tuesday for a motions hearing. Advertisement Some members of his platoon have told Navy investigators they saw the SEAL stab a wounded ISIS fighter in the neck while the fighter was receiving medical treatment. The fighter died and Gallagher is accused of posing for photos with the body and holding a reenlistment ceremony near the body. Gallagher has denied the allegations. Gallaghers commander, Lt. Jacob Portier, also faces charges related to the incident with the ISIS fighters body. A hearing in his court martial, scheduled for Friday, also was delayed at the request of his defense team. A new date has not been scheduled, ORourke said. Portier faces charges that he was made aware of complaints against Gallagher but did not report them. He also has been charged with conduct unbecoming an officer for allegedly conducting Gallaghers reenlistment ceremony near the Iraqi fighters body. Portier has denied the allegations. Gallaghers case has attracted national news coverage and the attention of conservative talk show hosts. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, asked President Donald Trump to remove the case from the Navy and dismiss the charges. A judge has dropped two of the charges against a Navy SEAL who is facing a high-profile war crimes prosecution. Navy Capt. Aaron Rugh, the judge in the court martial of Chief Petty Officer Edward R. Gallagher, 39, stripped away two of the charges against the SEAL one related to his reenlistment next to the body of a slain teenage ISIS fighter, and another related to him allegedly operating a drone over the corpse. The other charges stand. Gallagher is still charged with premeditated murder for allegedly stabbing to death a previously wounded teenage ISIS fighter and with aggravated assault for allegedly shooting at civilians during a 2017 deployment to Iraq. Advertisement The chief special warfare operator also still faces an allegation he posed for photos with the young fighters body, and charges he allegedly obstructed justice by attempting to discourage members of his platoon from reporting him and then allegedly retaliated against subordinates who did. Colby Vokey, one of Gallaghers attorneys, said in an email Monday that the ruling dismissing two charges exposes weaknesses in the governments case. We are grateful that these two character-smearing accusations wont be a part of the trial, he said. There has to be a limit on what kind of accusations can be brought against our warriors fighting ISIS in a combat zone. Brian ORourke, a Navy spokesman, said the ruling does not affect the rest of the case against Gallagher. As of Monday, the text of the ruling had not been released. The judges ruling could have ramifications outside of just Gallaghers case. Gallaghers platoon commander, Lt. Jacob Portier, also faces court martial for charges that he was aware of complaints against Gallagher but did not report them. Portier also has been charged with conduct unbecoming an officer for conducting Gallaghers reenlistment ceremony. Jeremiah Sullivan, Portiers attorney, said he is confident the judges ruling will help his clients case. Ive been saying all along, its not a crime to conduct a reenlistment ceremony on the battlefield, Sullivan said. Prosecutors charged Portier with making a false official statement, for telling his superiors that there was nothing criminal (about the reenlistment), it was just in poor taste. Unlike Gallaghers case, which is barreling toward a trial date of Feb. 19, Portiers has been delayed while a judge considers whether a previous protective order prevented the defense from interviewing witnesses. Sullivan hopes to roll the case back to a hearing that would re-evaluate the charges against his client. Navy Capt. Jonathan Stephens, the judge in Portiers court martial, will hear arguments on Sullivans motion Feb. 15. Its going to be a very interesting day, Sullivan said. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. Google CEO Sundar Pichai was in San Diego this week to announce a partnership with the USO that includes enhanced job search features on Google search and an IT training initiative for transitioning military members and active duty spouses. Now, typing jobs for veterans in the Google search bar results in an additional search box for a military occupation code, which leads to local civilian job postings that match the skills and training of those military jobs. Pichai, at a news conference Monday at the new USO headquarters in Liberty Station, said Google was in a unique position to offer transitioning veterans tools to ease a post-military job search, and that military skills were often lost in translation when transferring them to a civilian job. This is an area where Googles ability to organize information can help, he said. There are 10,000 military job codes out there, yet we lack a way to help recruiters match a veterans experience with a civilian need for their skills. Advertisement Google is also making the new military job search function available to job boards, employers and staffing agencies, Pichai said. Screenshot of Google search results for jobs for veterans. (Andrew Dyer / San Diego Union-Tribune) Pichai also announced Google would add a badge on search results and on Google Maps to veteran-owned businesses. Pichai also announced a new $2.5 million grant to the USO to train active duty members and their spouses for entry level IT jobs. The Google IT Support Professional Certificate can be earned in about eight months, Pichai said, with about eight to 10 hours of work per week. It equips you with the skills you need to start a career in IT support in about eight months no prior experience of college degree necessary, he said. We are making all these services available to the spouses of current service members, too. Spouses make it possible for members of the military to do their important work. USO President Dr. J.D. Crouch II said the organizations mission was to keep service members connected when in uniform, but that it was also to help their transition. Weve been around for 77 years, and weve been waiting for this partnership with Google, he said. This program will provide transitioning service members with in-demand technical skills and transferrable soft skills to kick-start their private sector careers and after their military service concludes. Kylee Durant, the USOs senior director of program development, said Google approached the organization wanting to work with military families. She said she knew any initiative would need to include military spouses. As a (military) spouse, I struggled continuing a career after moving three times in five years, she said at Mondays news conference. The IT industry offers so much job portability. The future of work is going to be more digital. Kassandra Kristoff, who works in internal communications at Google, served six years in the Navy as a surface warfare officer. She said the she and her husband who was also in the military struggled during their transition our of the military in 2013. This job search function I wish that was around when I was transitioning out, she said. This is game-changing for a lot of folks that are transitioning today. Kristoff said working in tech was similar to the military in that the work environment was fast-paced and required people to think on their feet. She said there were opportunities for transitioning service members but also that transitioning could be difficult. Its going to be a long, hard process, but continue to have that work ethic...because you never know where that could lead, she said. Just keep at it, and eventually youll land somewhere you really love. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. Big boxes of beef jerky, granola bars, crackers, cookies, chocolate bars confronted some five dozen volunteers who converged on Saturday at San Diego International Airport. Their challenge: to fill 4,000 drawstring bags destined for members of the U.S. military who will be traveling during the Christmas season. So for several hours, they formed an industrious line retirees, elementary school students, and everything in between who donated their time to the annual Waves of Appreciation event that thanks U.S. service men and women at a time many are flying home for the holidays. The annual effort, now in its eighth year, is spearheaded by the San Diego alumni group from Malibu-based Pepperdine University. But it also depends on scores of volunteers from area church groups and service organizations, as well as donations from businesses that contribute the 17 snack items that make up the gift bags. Saturdays supporters came from all over the county. Pediatrician Trish Ghosh, 49, came from Escondido with daughters Rebecca, 15, and Isabella, 10. Advertisement Its a beautiful day, its San Diego, it was close by and we could help out, she said. Megan Carolin, a 31-year-old preschool teacher and 2009 Pepperdine graduate, drove in from San Carlos: San Diego is such a big military town, so its important to show we appreciate them in everything they do. Members of the Santa Fe Christian Dance Troupe perform during the Waves of Appreciation event at the USO Neil Ash Airport Center in San Diego on Saturday. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) The project is done in collaboration with the United Service Organizations, a nonprofit group chartered by Congress whose facilities worldwide serve as a home-away-from home for members of the U.S. military. The event was staged outside the USO San Diego Neil Ash Airport Center, which each year sees some 120,000 traveling members of the U.S. armed services. The first Waves of Appreciation event took place in 2011 after Pepperdine parent Reed Reichert contacted USO staff as he searched for a project that could benefit the military. Our message was one of respect and love for our military, and respect and love for the great things that the USO does, Reichert said. The gift bags come in handy during the holiday season, said Sgt. Maj. Bobby Woods, director of the airport center, as purchasing food at the airport or during flights can be especially costly for young service members. Inside the center, 18-year-old Jonathan Sandoval sat with his family after completing boot camp at Camp Pendleton. He was preparing for a few days back home outside Peoria, Ill., before returning for training in the Infantry Training Batallion. A gift bag, he said, would be in my mind, kind of like Christmas. The bags will be distributed to traveling service members who pass through the San Diego International Airport between Friday, Dec. 14, and Saturday, Dec. 22. Volunteer Ken Stephens, who passed out bags last Christmas, said participating was a rewarding experience. You think about the people that are sacrificing so much, said Stephens, 60, the father of a Pepperdine graduate. Its a wonderful opportunity to stop for a moment, celebrate the holidays, and say, Thank you for what you do. To volunteer in passing out bags this December, go to the Waves of Appreciation website at www.wavesofappreciation.org. sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com @sandradibble Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, recently stepped up his advocacy for a Navy SEAL on trial for war crimes, including contacting military leaders with administrative and supervisory roles in the trial. Wednesday Hunter also sent a letter to President Donald Trump, calling on him to remove from the Navys hands the case of Chief Petty Officer Edward R. Gallagher, who is accused of stabbing to death a teen-age Iraqi combatant. Co-signing the letter was Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, a Republican who represents the western panhandle region of that state. The letter alleges political bias against Gallagher and repeats other claims about his confinement and access to attorneys, claims the Navy has disputed. The White House has not commented on the request. Advertisement Gallagher, a chief special warfare operator based in San Diego, was charged with several war crimes from a 2017 deployment to Mosul, Iraq. Navy investigators say Gallagher killed a wounded teenage ISIS fighter brought to him for medical treatment. He also faces aggravated assault charges for allegedly shooting an elderly man and a little girl, and charges related to allegedly shooting indiscriminately at civilians during deployment. Gallagher has denied all the allegations and pleaded not guilty. Hunter recently leaned on Navy officials about the courthouse where Gallagher is being tried. Hunters office said calls were made to ensure that Gallaghers supporters could attend the Navy SEALs trial next month. Gallaghers case has attracted a large number of supporters and more than 30 news media outlets, said Brian ORourke, a Navy spokesman. The largest courtroom on Naval Base San Diego can accommodate only about 30 people. Once seating is reserved for Navy officials and those required by the prosecution and defense, there likely will not be enough seats for the public, he said. They are planning to use a closed-circuit TV system for an audience in another courtroom, he said. The issue came to a head at Gallaghers arraignment Jan. 4. Priority was given to 11 members of the news media, leaving only five seats available for the 35 or so Gallagher supporters, ORourke said. Thats when someone called Hunter. They were upset (the Navy) wasnt using the full capacity of the room, said Michael Harrison, a spokesman for Hunter. To their credit, they fixed it that day within 10 to 15 minutes. Hunters office called Navy officials, some of whom have a direct supervisory role in the court martial. Hunters staff called Capt. Meg Larrea, commanding officer of the regions legal service office, which is prosecuting Gallagher. Another call went to Rear Adm. Yancy Lindsey, commander of Navy Region Southwest and the convening authority for Gallaghers court martial. The convening authority has the final say in going forward with prosecutions. ORourke, who took that call, said he did not make the admiral available to the congressmans office. The next business day after the arraignment hearing, Hunter visited Gallagher in the Miramar brig, where the SEAL has been held since Sept. 11. Hunter later sent a letter to Trump, asking for help getting Gallagher released, complaining about the brigs conditions. A judge then ruled that Gallagher would remain behind bars throughout his trial. That same day Hunter sent another letter, this time to Rear Adm. Collin Green, commander of Naval Special Warfare in Coronado, questioning why administration of the case was shifted from Naval Special Warfare to Navy Region Southwest. Hunter, who faces his own felony charges for alleged campaign finance violations and wire fraud, is a Marine combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has issued press releases and appeared on a right-wing cable news channel, One America News, to talk about Gallaghers case. U.S. military lawyers have a culture that values collecting scalps from war-fighters, Hunter said on a Jan. 17 show. Hunter complained that the Miramar brig is for sex offenders. You shouldnt put anybody whos not a sex offender in with a bunch of really bad, disgusting people like that, Hunter said. The Navy said brig conditions are within regulations and that its inmates are facing a variety of charges. At least one expert in military trials said he is not surprised that Hunter is advocating for Gallagher. William Woodruff, a former Army JAG trial attorney and professor emeritus at the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University, said Hunter is within his rights to work on behalf of constituents. People can argue whether its appropriate or inappropriate, but I dont see a legal issue, Woodruff said. (Its) more political theater than anything else. Gallagher, who previously lived in military housing in Point Loma, did not live in Hunters district. It would be different, Woodruff said, if President Trump involves himself in the case. That would introduce issues of undue influence because, as Commander-in-Chief, Trump is at the top of the military chain of command. When the president gets involved, you start running into the unlawful command influence, he said. No good would come of the president getting involved. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, continued to criticize the military prosecution of a Navy SEAL accused of war crimes this week, saying it should not matter if he allegedly stabbed an injured ISIS combatant to death while the teen was receiving medical care. His comments are challenging some generally accepted standards of behavior for military service members during deployment, highlighting a disagreement about what are often called the rules of engagement. Hunter, a Marine artillery officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been a vocal advocate of Navy SEAL Edward R. Gallagher ever since Gallagher was arraigned in military court last month. Gallagher is charged with premeditated murder after allegations surfaced that he killed that wounded ISIS fighter in Iraq in 2017. Members of Gallaghers platoon said the fighter was receiving medical treatment at the time, prosecutors said. Advertisement Gallagher, a sniper, also is accused of shooting at civilians, wounding two, trying to obstruct justice by intimidating witnesses, and posing with a corpse, holding a knife to its throat. Gallagher has denied the charges and is expected to be tried in May. Hunter appeared alongside Gallaghers wife, Andrea Gallagher, on a San Diego morning show Tuesday. He said that even if Gallagher had done what Navy prosecutors allege, he should not be tried for war crimes. So lets say that Chief Gallagher killed a verified, designated ISIS combatant. My answer is: So what? Hunter told KUSI anchor Carlos Amezcua. Thats his job. The problem, he said, is that U.S. forces must follow certain rules of engagement on the battlefield. He described them as compassionate combat. We would not have won World War I, we would not have won World War II, if we would have fought the way that we have to fight now, Hunter said. We know who the bad guys are. Were just not allowed to kill them the wrong way. Generally American military personnel follow what are called the laws of armed conflict, which are a collection rules based on a series of international treaties designed to reduce suffering, loss and damage caused by war. These rules govern who is considered a combatant and how prisoners of war are to be treated, experts have said. Under the laws of armed conflict, a combatant cannot be attacked if they already are taken out of action, including combatants who were wounded, have surrendered or are captured, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which founded the Geneva Conventions. In total 196 nations, including the United States, have ratified four Geneva Conventions of 1949. Of those, the first convention protects wounded combatants in the field and the third protects prisoners of war, the committee says. Rules of engagement have been part of warfare for centuries. The rules of modern battlefield conduct are generally based on the 1907 Hague Convention, the 1949 Geneva Conventions and additional Geneva Protocols of 1977. Every active duty U.S. service member is issued a Geneva Conventions Identification Card their military I.D. The conventions also provide guidance on the most serious violations of the treaty. Killing prisoners of war, for instance, is called a grave breach. A nation that has signed the treaty is obligated to prosecute any member of its armed forces who is accused of a grave breach of the conventions. The fighter Gallagher is charged with killing had already been wounded in an air strike, according to the court record, and Iraqi special forces took him to the SEALs for medical treatment and possible interrogation, making the fighter a prisoner of war. Hunter said these considerations, limiting who American forces can kill on a battlefield, are what has caused the war in Afghanistan to drag on for almost two decades. It destroys the combat battlefield warrior mindset, he said. Were not fighting to win. Nowadays, were being taught Dont fight to win, or you may go to jail. But other experts say if the United States does not prosecute its own war criminals, then other countries may be emboldened to do it themselves. As we (found) ourselves in foreign wars, we needed to demonstrate the U.S. government took war crimes seriously, so some international tribunal doesnt come along and try them in international courts, said William Woodruff, a former Army JAG trial attorney and professor emeritus at the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University. Hunters office did not respond this week to a request for further comment, but his spokesman, Michael Harrison, wrote in an email on Feb. 15 that several cases like Gallaghers are examples of overzealous military lawyers. If our war fighters are being sent to war, why would they not be expected to wage total war? Harrison said. This has become a trend that needs to be addressed, and this effort should include seriously reviewing the rules of engagement as implemented under the past two administrations. Andrea Gallagher, the accused SEALs wife, wants President Donald Trump to intervene in her husbands case and two others in military courts in recent years. She mentioned the case of Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance, who was sentenced to 19 years in prison in 2013 for ordering his men to shoot three unarmed men in Afghanistan, killing two of them. She also referred to Army Maj. Matthew Golsteyn, who is charged with murder for allegedly taking a suspected bomb maker off base in Afghanistan, shooting him and burning his body in 2010. We are taking down the best of the best, she said. We feel utterly betrayed by the community we served. Until someone steps in and steps up, we believe this will continue to happen to war fighters. In all three cases Gallaghers, Lorances and Goldsteyns Hunter has called on government officials to intervene. All three men also share the same defense attorney, San Diego-based Phillip Stackhouse. Hunter said prosecutors in the military and civilian justice systems have too much power. Hunte is facing his own criminal charges of campaign finance violations and wire and bank fraud. He has pleaded not guilty and is expected to be tried in September. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. The San Diego Mayors Office is holding a backpack giveaway later this month to benefit military children and the event is in Imperial Beach. Darnisha Hunter, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconers veterans and active duty liaison since 2014, happens to be running for City Council in Imperial Beach, but city officials said the event is a routine part of her job. On July 25, Hunter promoted the Facebook page Military Youth School Bash and an event of the same name, on her personal Facebook account. The bash is billed as a backpack giveaway for K-12 students. It advertises food, games and prizes and says veteran and active duty community services will be available. Advertisement A graphic advertising the event features the logos of corporate and community sponsors, such as the American Legion, Palm West Real Estate and Mental Health Systems. Featured most prominently is the logo for the city of San Diego, and the line Sponsored by Darnisha Hunter, Active Duty & Veteran Liaison. Hunter, a Republican like Faulconer, said she is doing her job for the city of San Diego. Other politicians in Imperial Beach said the timing of the event raised questions about whether the candidate was using her position with the city of San Diego to boost her profile in Imperial Beach. Serge Dedina, the Democratic mayor of Imperial Beach, said he was surprised the city of San Diego would sponsor an event in another city, and only learned about it when The San Diego Union-Tribune reached him for comment. Are we a line item on their budget? he said. I thought cities had boundaries. Dedina said it was unprecedented for a city to sponsor events outside its own borders. Normally, you organize events in your own city, he said. My residents dont want me organizing events in San Diego. A statement from Faulconers office said the city supports a variety of programs and organizations each year and that some of them, such as those supporting the military and veterans, are regional. The city, through the Mayors Veterans Advocate, regularly supports and participates in events at Camp Pendleton, in Oceanside, in Imperial Beach, MCRD, Miramar, North Island and aboard Navy vessels, said Francis Barraza, the mayors deputy chief of staff for community engagement. Barraza cited specific events such as a Thanksgiving dinner give-away at Camp Pendleton, a ship commissioning on North Island and change of command ceremonies at facilities around the county. However, according to Dedina, this is the first time the city of San Diego has organized anything like this in Imperial Beach. I think its unusual that for the first time ever the city of San Diego is hosting an event in (another) city where the person organizing is running for City Council. Stacy Fulhorst, executive director of the San Diego Ethics Commission, said the city-sponsored event did not violate city code. There is nothing in the citys ethics ordinance that prohibits Ms. Hunter from properly performing her job as a city employee while also running for elective office, she said in an email. Because this is in fact a city-sponsored event, it is appropriate for her to promote (it) using her position and title. Ed Spriggs, a Democrat, has been on the City Council in Imperial Beach since 2010 and is running for re-election this year. He said he had also never seen a San Diego-sponsored community event in Imperial Beach. It may be good for our youth, but the timing is especially interesting so close to the election, he said in an email. I just hope this isnt diverting resources from the San Diego kids for whom Mayor Faulconers program was apparently intended. Paloma Aguirre, another Democratic candidate for City Council in Imperial Beach, said the veteran and military events only started after Hunter decided to run for council. She had (another) one in July, she said. Ive never seen that happen. The July event, also on Hunters Facebook page, was a Veterans Affairs benefits presentation by the San Diego VA, held at the Fleet Reserve on the Silver Strand. Like the backpack giveaway, the city of San Diego logo featured prominently, as did Hunters title and position at the Mayors Office. In an email, Hunter addressed questions about the event (describing it in the past tense, although it wont happen until Aug. 25). I am proud of the work I do as a military and veterans advocate for Mayor Faulconer, she said. The backpack giveaway helped 300 plus children of military families get the supplies they need to be successful in school. I will continue to do my job and help as many people as I can throughout the region. My campaign is separate from that work and I have taken every precaution to adhere to all ethical obligations. The event is at Veterans Park in Imperial Beach at 10 a.m. on Aug. 25. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. The specter of a decades-long American presence in Afghanistan was raised Wednesday in San Diego by the nations top Marine, Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Robert Neller. Neller invoked the long-term U.S. commitment in Germany and Japan after World War II to describe when Americans might expect U.S. military assets to leave Afghanistan the longest war in American history for good. After a long war World War II were still in Japan and were still in Germany, he said. This (Afghanistan) has turned out different than we thought. Nellers comments came after a speech at the monthly San Diego Military Advisory Council breakfast, which attracts military and defense industry leaders from across the region. Nellers speech focused on the current mission of the Marine Corps and the challenges it faces in the future. Advertisement He spoke specifically about Afghanistan afterwards, at a short impromptu news conference with local press. The Afghan war, launched in the weeks following 9/11, is on the cusp of entering its 18th year. It is now possible for someone born after 9/11 to enlist in the military and serve in Afghanistan. Despite a draw-down in the country in recent years, American service members remain in harms way in the country. On Sept. 3, Timothy Bolyard, an Army command Sgt. Maj., was killed in an apparent insider attack. Bolyard was on his seventh combat deployment to the middle east and was the sixth U.S. combat fatality of 2018. It would be easy to say we should just walk away, Neller said, but I think the consequences of that may be worse than whats going on now. Neller pointed to upcoming elections and negotiations with the Taliban as signs of progress. I think the Afghan people are tired of the war, he said, noting the country has been engaged in one conflict or another since the 1980s. Every war has to end...I think were at an opportunity point here, so lets ask for everybody to be a bit more patient and play this out and see what happens. The San Diego area is home to about one in four of the total active duty Marine force, Neller said, citing the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton as the single largest contingent of Marines anywhere. IMEF includes the 3rd Marine Air Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Neller also discussed a wide range of challenges in the Marines, from the new F-35 Lightning fighter jets to dependent support on the home front. The Marines variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35B, is currently on its first combat deployment on board the San Diego-based amphibious assault ship Essex. The jets, which can take off and land vertically, have replaced the older AV-8B Harrier. INDIAN OCEAN (Aug. 30, 2018) An F-35B Lightning II, attached to the Avengers of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211, launches from the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) during a deployment of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group and 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. (U.S. Navy) Neller discussed the deployment and delays in the services procurement of the jets. Nothing ever goes as fast as you want, he said. He said logistically, operations were going well. Their readiness is remarkably good so far, he said, pausing to knock on a table. That said, its an expensive airplane and so were reliant upon the funding to be able to buy these things at a more rapid rate. When asked by the spouse of a Marine officer about how the Marines were working with families, Neller described hardship as part of this life. (The) family readiness program is really about preparing families to be resilient and understand that there are certain obligations that theyre going to face while that Marine is gone, he said. I think the Marine Corps has made a concerted effort to improve the quality of life for families and keep them informed of whats going on, but I cant change the fact that your husband missed anniversaries, birthdays and school recitals Thats just part of it. Neller is touring several Marine units across Southern California. He addressed Marines at Miramar Wednesday and will be making stops at Camp Pendleton and Twentynine Palms through Friday. The Military Advisory Council is described on its website as a non-profit organization with a mission to support and promote the mutual business and other interests of the military, their quality of life and the defense community in the San Diego area. The San Diego Union-Tribune has been a member since 2007. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego created a viral sensation when, in May, it posted a photo of a new recruit with an unusual haircut and a sleeveless Budweiser T-shirt. The image had more than 1,000 likes on the training commands Facebook page and spawned countless memes across social media, including a fan page with more than 2,000 followers. That Marine, Pvt. Daniel Russell from New Mexico, graduated boot camp Friday, alongside 315 other Marines of Lima Company. Pvt. Russell declined to be photographed or interviewed. However, military news site Task & Purpose posted photos, showing him with a traditional Marine high and tight. Advertisement Russells uncle, Michael Vorhees, himself a retired Marine, was at the graduation ceremony. He said all the attention had been a bit much. Its hit or miss, he said. Some of the comments have been bad. Theres been unwanted attention towards him. After initially sharing the mullet photo, the recruit depot declined to comment on the attention it generated, saying that the graduation was to celebrate all the new Marines. Private Russell, who received significant social media attention after arriving at MCRD San Diego with a Mullet haircut 12 weeks ago, is scheduled to graduate along with 315 Marines, spokesman Steven Posy said in an email Wednesday. It is with great pleasure that we congratulate them all as they have successfully earned the title United States Marine. Vorhees said his nephew will be reporting to Marine Combat Training next, then on to another school to learn to be a Motor Transport mechanic. He said he wanted Russell to be known as a Marine, and not just for the mullet. Im proud of what he did, Vorhees said. I just dont want it to take away from the fact that hes now a Marine. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. Four Camp Pendleton Marines who were severely burned in an explosion last year when their military vehicle hit a natural gas line on the base filed a federal lawsuit this week against companies that provided the gas and the pipe. The Marines are seeking unspecified damages against San Diego Gas & Electric Co. and Southern California Gas Co. both subsidiaries of Sempra Energy and Texas-based Kinder Morgan, an energy pipeline operator. Attorneys for Cpl. Anthony Romero and lance corporals Samuel Koontz, Nicholas Amrien and Tagen Schmidt filed the lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court in San Diego. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants were negligent and are liable for their actions to install, mark and maintain the natural gas line that constituted an ultrahazardous and abnormally dangerous risk of harm to the public traveling adjacent to said pipeline. Advertisement Contacted for comment on the lawsuit Friday, a spokesman for San Diego Gas & Electric sent a statement saying: We are aware of a gas incident that occurred on Camp Pendleton in September 2017. We investigated and determined that an SDG&E gas line was not involved. With respect to the lawsuit, we do not comment on pending litigation. Kinder Morgan declined commend on the suit. No statement was immediately released by Southern California Gas Co. The four Marines who filed the lawsuit suffered first-, second- and third-degree burns when the amphibious assault vehicle they were riding in became engulfed in a ball of fire on Sept. 13, 2017. Marines and Navy corpsmen were taking part in training in the San Mateo area of the base when their vehicle, nicknamed an amtrack, rolled partway into a ditch and severed a natural gas line. Service members rocked the vehicle to get it out of the ditch and the engine was revved, their attorneys said in a statement. The vehicle backfired, triggering a natural gas explosion and 20-foot-high flames. The gas-fueled fire burned for six hours and sent 13 troops to area hospitals with major burns and injuries. A report filed later by military officials blamed the explosion on soil erosion along the roadway shoulder that exposed the pipe, which was painted gray and was hard to see in the dirt. Investigators also found that signs warning of the underground pipe were dilapidated and hidden amid overgrown brush. According to the lawsuit, the companies failed to meet Camp Pendletons requirements that natural gas lines be buried at least 36 inches deep or as recommended by the manufacturer. Safety rules also call for burial of caution tape over the pipeline, along with above-ground signs and markers. Had the markers been plainly visible, the lawsuit contends, the amtrack driver would have seen them and avoided the gas line. Koontz, Robero, Schmidt and Amrien suffered permanent injuries and incurred significant medical expenses and lost wages as well as future earnings, their suit says. Lead attorney Timothy Loranger said Friday that none of the four, ages 19 to 22, has returned to full duties and one faces additional surgeries on his wounds. Months after the incident, Cpl. Carlos Tinoco, who suffered third-degree burns, filed a separate lawsuit against SDG&E. The company said then that the gas lines belong to the federal government. Service members injured in the line of duty are barred from suing the federal government, but instead are to be compensated by military and Department of Veterans Affairs pension and health benefits. pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @pdrepard The Navy is commissioning a stealthy $4.6 billion destroyer Saturday at Naval Base North Island in Coronado. Some 5,000 people are expected on the base to celebrate the future USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001). Thursday the Navy offered a sneak-peek of the vessel, one of three in its arsenal, and talked about its namesake, Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor. Monsoor, who was from Orange County, enlisted in the Navy in 2001 and attended Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) school in 2004. Advertisement He was assigned to SEAL Team 3, based out of Coronado, in 2005 and deployed to Iraq, where he was killed in 2006. In his short time there, Monsoor distinguished himself among the SEALs, considered the most distinguished fighters in the Navy. In May 2006 he was awarded the Silver Star after he helped rescue an injured SEAL in a firefight. A photo of Navy SEAL Michael Monsoor is on display in Hall of Heroes on the future USS Michael Monsoor. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) Four months later, on Sept. 29, Monsoor was on a Ramadi rooftop with other SEALs and Iraqi soldiers when a grenade was tossed into their position, striking him in the chest and dropping to the ground in front of him. Monsoor yelled grenade and jumped onto it, absorbing the explosion and saving the lives of his comrades. He died soon after and was buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. In March 2008 he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. That October, the Navy announced its second Zumwalt-class destroyer would be named for Monsoor. The SEALs fingerprints are all over the ship. 1 / 22 The future USS Michael Monsoor, named for Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action, is the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer. Docked at Naval Air Station North Island with the San Diego downtown skyline in the background, the ship will be commissioned Saturday, January 26. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 22 One of the photos of Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action is on display in the Hall of Heroes on the future USS Michael Monsoor, the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer, named for Monsoor. Docked at Naval Air Station North Island, the ship will be commissioned Saturday, January 26. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 22 The cover Michael Monsoor wore when he was in BUD/S training to become a Navy SEAL, and wrote, You Never Quit inside the cover, and is now bairly visible, is on display in the quarterdeck of the future USS Michael Monsoor, named for him. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action. The USS Monsoor is the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer and will be commissioned Saturday, January 26 at Naval Air Station North Island. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 22 The cover Michael Monsoor wore when he was in BUD/S training to become a Navy SEAL, and wrote, You Never Quit inside the cover, and is now bairly visible, is on display in the quarterdeck of the future USS Michael Monsoor, named for him. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action. The USS Monsoor is the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer and will be commissioned Saturday, January 26 at Naval Air Station North Island. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 22 The cover Michael Monsoor wore when he was in BUD/S training to become a Navy SEAL, and wrote, You Never Quit inside the cover, and is now bairly visible, is on display in the quarterdeck of the future USS Michael Monsoor, named for him. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action. The USS Monsoor is the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer and will be commissioned Saturday, January 26 at Naval Air Station North Island. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 22 Lucina Reed attaches red white and blue bunting on the rails of the deck on the future USS Michael Monsoor, named for Monsoor, a Navy SEAL, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action. The USS Monsoor is the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer and will be commissioned Saturday, January 26 at Naval Air Station North Island. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 22 A photo Navy SEAL Michael Monsoor is on display in Hall of Heroes on the future USS Michael Monsoor, named for Monsoor who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action. The USS Monsoor is the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer and will be commissioned Saturday, January 26 at Naval Air Station North Island. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 22 A photo Michael Monsoor, on the left, when he was in BUD/S training to become a Navy SEAL, hangs on the wall of the Hall of Heroes on the future USS Michael Monsoor, named for the SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action. The USS Monsoor is the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer and will be commissioned Saturday, January 26 at Naval Air Station North Island. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 22 A photo Michael Monsoor, when he was in BUD/S training to become a Navy SEAL, hangs on the wall of the Hall of Heroes on the future USS Michael Monsoor, named for the SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action. The USS Monsoor is the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer and will be commissioned Saturday, January 26 at Naval Air Station North Island. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 22 A crewmember boards the future USS Michael Monsoor, the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer, named for Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action. Docked at Naval Air Station North Island, the ship will be commissioned Saturday, January 26. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 22 A crewmember leaves the future USS Michael Monsoor, the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer, named for Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action. Docked at Naval Air Station North Island, the ship will be commissioned Saturday, January 26. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 22 A crewmember boards the future USS Michael Monsoor, the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer, named for Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action. Docked at Naval Air Station North Island, The ship will be commissioned Saturday, January 26. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 13 / 22 Lucina Reed attaches red white and blue bunting on the rails of the deck on the future USS Michael Monsoor, named for Monsoor, a Navy SEAL, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action. The USS Monsoor is the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer and will be commissioned Saturday, January 26 at Naval Air Station North Island. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 14 / 22 Navy Capt. Scott Smith, commanding officer of the future USS Michael Monsoor, the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer, named for Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action, in the ships quarterdeck. Docked at Naval Air Station North Island, the ship will be commissioned Saturday, January 26. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 15 / 22 Navy Capt. Scott Smith, commanding officer of the future USS Michael Monsoor, the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer, named for Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action, in the ships quarterdeck. Docked at Naval Air Station North Island, the ship will be commissioned Saturday, January 26. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 16 / 22 Navy Capt. Scott Smith, commanding officer of the future USS Michael Monsoor, the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer, named for Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action, in the ships quarterdeck. Docked at Naval Air Station North Island, the ship will be commissioned Saturday, January 26. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 17 / 22 The future USS Michael Monsoor, named for Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action, is the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer. Docked at Naval Air Station North Island. The ship will be commissioned Saturday, January 26. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 18 / 22 Wallace St. John, and Lucina Reed attach red white and blue bunting on the rails of the deck on the future USS Michael Monsoor, named for Monsoor, a Navy SEAL, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action. The USS Monsoor is the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer and will be commissioned Saturday, January 26 at Naval Air Station North Island. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 19 / 22 Navy Petty officer 2nd Class Anthony Cociffi, left, and fellow Petty Officer 2nd Class Tarell Flowers, on the deck of the future USS Michael Monsoor, named for Monsoor who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action. The USS Monsoor is the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer and will be commissioned Saturday, January 26 at Naval Air Station North Island. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 20 / 22 The future USS Michael Monsoor, named for Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action, is the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer. Docked at Naval Air Station North Island. The ship will be commissioned Saturday, January 26. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 21 / 22 Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Kevin OConnell passes behind a Navy SEAL flag hanging in the future USS Michael Monsoor, named for Monsoor who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action. The USS Monsoor is the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer and will be commissioned Saturday, January 26 at Naval Air Station North Island. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 22 / 22 Navy Capt. Scott Smith, commanding officer of the future USS Michael Monsoor, the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer, named for Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. 29, 2006, when he was killed in action. Docked at Naval Air Station North Island, the ship will be commissioned Saturday, January 26. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) The 3rd class petty officer head cover that Monsoor wore at BUD/S is displayed on the ships quarterdeck in a glass case. Inside the hat, faded but still legible, are words Monsoor wrote to keep himself motivated: You never quit. Those three words have become a rallying phrase, said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Misty Rambo, the Monsoors public information officer. Our official motto is I will defend, she said. But on our ship...we do not quit. The cover Michael Monsoor wore when he was in BUD/S training to become a Navy SEAL, and wrote, You Never Quit inside, is on display on the quarterdeck of the future USS Michael Monsoor. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) Photos of Monsoor, as well as other SEALs killed in action, line the ships Hall of Heroes corridor just forward of the hangar deck. Chief Erik Prager, the Monsoors damage control assistant, said he has served on a number of ships before, but the Monsoor name is special. (It) has an incredible impact on how we do our day-to-day business, knowing folks who have known Monsoor, Prager said. That colors the way we act as a crew and how proud we are to be plank-owners on board USS Michael Monsoor. Plank-owners are the first crew of a new ship. The Monsoor is the second of three Zumwalt-class destroyers joining the fleet. The Zumwalt program, originally slated for 32 vessels, went through several rounds of cuts as costs skyrocketed. A 2008 shift in naval strategy re-focused the force on an earlier class of destroyers Arleigh Burke and Zumwalt orders dwindled from 32, to 24, then to seven and finally three. The next ship, the future Lyndon B. Johnson, will be the last; it is expected to be commissioned in 2022. Zumwalt destroyers were designed to be stealthy low profile and with little to no antenna or radar arrays protruding from the superstructure and to attack targets on shore. However, in 2017, after the cost of ammunition for the ships 155mm Advanced Gun System jumped to $800,000 per round, the Navy said it was reorienting the class as a surface-to-surface combatant, with more conventional guns and missiles. Cost overruns werent the only things plaguing the experimental platform. The lead ship of the class, the Zumwalt, broke down near Panama in 2016 on its way to San Diego. And last year the Navy had to replace one of the Monsoors $20 million engines after it was damaged during sea trials. The Navy accepted delivery of the ship despite its broken engine from General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, to keep its San Diego delivery schedule. The technology on the vessel is the future of the surface Navy, said Captain Scott Smith, the commanding officer of the Monsoor. The ship looks like nothing else on the waterfront. Its tumblehome hull is designed to help the ship cut through waves, while its steep sloping sides mask the ships radar signature. This is the leading edge, but it is only the edge, Smith said. Theres much more to follow. Lucina Reed attaches red white and blue bunting on the rails of the deck on the future USS Michael Monsoor, in preparation for Saturdays commissioning. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) The advancements are more than skin deep. A consolidated ship mission center, the so-called nerve center of the ship, sits almost directly aft of the bridge and incorporates a combat information center as well as damage control central. On most other ships, damage control central is located far below decks in engineering. Another difference between the Zumwalt class destroyers and the Arleigh Burkes is the way their missiles are arrayed. The older Arleigh Burkes launch missiles from centralized missile bays, while on the Monsoor, theyre launched along the edges of the forward and aft decks. Its called Peripheral Vertical Launch System, Smith said. There are different advantages to that. One, it creates almost a double-hull armored on the outside and armored on the inside. These (missiles) are also larger than the ones on the Arleigh Burkes and on the cruisers. Smith could not say when the new ship might deploy, saying the schedule isnt fixed. Its more than a year out, he said. the Navy is going to continue to outfit us with new things, Smith said. This ship will change the way we fight. Because its that leading edge, everything that follows will be impacted by what were doing. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. The Pentagon announced late Monday that its mission at the southern border launched at the request of President Trump shortly before the 2018 midterms would continue through most of the year. In a short statement, the Defense department said Pat Shanahan, the acting secretary of defense, had approved a request from Homeland Security for continued support at the border. DOD is transitioning its support at the southwestern border from hardening ports of entry to mobile surveillance and detection, as well as concertina wire emplacement between ports of entry, the statement said. Details as to what the militarys mission entails, beyond the stringing of concertina wire, remain vague. Advertisement For example, mobile surveillance and detection, as cited by the Pentagon, is military-speak for guards. Its looking to be sentries, said Army Lt. Col. Jamie Davis, a spokesman for Shanahan, in an email. However, the composition and sourcing is being developed and when that is complete well have a better idea of what that will be. Marine 1st. Lt. Fredrick Walker, a spokesman for the joint-force at the border in California, said the majority of the 1,100 service members currently serving at the border in California were assigned to Marine and Navy bases in San Diego County. In addition to engineering support how the military describes the placement of concertina wire troops at the border are engaged in medical and air support of Customs and Border Protection agents and migrants. DOD is continuing to provide aviation support to transport CBP personnel in and around CBP-designated locations in California, Walker said in an email. DOD is also maintaining the capability to provide emergency medical support to CBP personnel and migrants, as required. Some units have returned to their bases, however. Following the completion of some border hardening missions, DOD, in coordination with CBP, has returned certain engineering, logistics and headquarters elements to their home bases, Walker said. The military mission at the border could change again in reaction to the ongoing government shutdown and the presidents efforts to construct a wall on the border. During a televised Oval Office speech on Jan. 8, Trump stopped short of declaring a national emergency at the border, an action that would unlock broad presidential powers to redirect military funding to the construction of a wall. A potential declaration of a national emergency was on the table for most of last week. Then Trump backed off the idea Monday in comments to White House reporters. Regardless of how the political fight over the wall plays out, the military wont be leaving the border any time soon. DOD will continue to ensure we have the right force at the right time in the right location to meet CBP needs, Walker said. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. Members of the U.S. armed forces might again find themselves at the center of a national political debate that strikes at the heart of their commander-in-chiefs signature campaign pledge and raises questions about his use of defense assets in pursuit of a barrier on the southern border. On Friday, President Donald Trump suggested he could declare a national emergency in order to unlock money for a border wall money the newly-seated Democratic majority in Congress has refused to provide. The fiscal dispute resulted in the ongoing partial government shutdown, which began Dec. 22, while Republicans still held majorities in both the House and Senate. The president has broad powers to act in defense of the nation, but the fight over border wall funding will hinge on whether the situation at the border rises to the level of a national emergency. Advertisement Administration officials have been making the case that it does. On Friday, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said 4,000 people on terrorist watch lists were stopped at the southern border a claim NBC News reported was based on data from the Homeland Security department and was mainly comprised of people caught at airports. The real number, according to Homeland Security data, was six. In an address to the nation late Tuesday, Trump stopped short of declaring the situation at the southern border a national emergency and instead described it as a growing humanitarian and security crisis. The president said it was Democrats who shut down the government and called on them to allocate $5.7 billion for the border wall, which he said now would be a steel barrier. Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi of California and Chuck Schumer of New York, in their rebuttal, said the president was appealing to fear, not facts. Trump did not declare a national emergency in his speech but he did not rule out such declaration, which might still be on the table if he is unable to compel Congress into funding the wall. An emergency declaration would allow the Defense department to fund and construct the wall, but would also open the president up to further criticism that he is using the military for political not security purposes. The president was criticized in the lead-up to the 2018 midterm election when he mobilized the military to string concertina wire and strengthen fencing along the border. A visit to Baghdad on Dec. 26 also included a level of political rhetoric previous presidents have shied away from using when addressing active duty service members. Were Trump to invoke his national security powers to fund the wall, hed likely face an immediate legal challenge, according to Robert Chesney, in a post on Lawfareblog. Chesney, a law professor at the University of Texas, said any such challenge would hinge on whether the situation at the border rose to the level of national security, although courts often defer to administrations on issues of security. The Pentagon did not respond to emails or phone calls for comment. A Marine Corps spokesman assigned to the border task force also did not return requests for comment. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan released a list of military construction projects Monday that could lose funding to help pay for a wall on the U.S. southern border. The list of vulnerable projects includes a number of projects previously reported by the Union-Tribune, including proposed infrastructure for Osprey aircraft at Naval Air Station North Island, new landing pads for F-35B at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and a replacement pier at Naval Base San Diego. President Donald Trump in In February declared a national emergency, after a month-long government shutdown that began when Congress refused to fund his proposed border wall. The emergency declaration authorizes him to divert funds from military construction to national security infrastructure, in this case at the border. He has called for up to $3.6 billion to be diverted, but its still unclear exactly which projects will be slashed or delayed. Advertisement The Defense Department said in a statement that its list of possible projects to cut includes all military construction projects in which contracts had not yet been awarded as of Dec. 31, 2018. That list emcompasses $12.9 billion in planned construction nationwide, including more than $1 billion in projects in California, including almost $600 million in the San Diego area. Some projects up for possible diversion include a $47 million potable water project and a $15 million fire emergency response station, which are part of about $175 million in projects slated for Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. Also listed is almost $170 million in projects connected to the new Navy SEAL complex in Coronado. Military housing and barracks projects would not be impacted, the department said. The Pentagons list provides greater clarity than a similar list released last month by the House Armed Services Committee. The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives and the Republican-controlled Senate had voted to block the emergency declaration, but Trump vetoed their resolution Friday. Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, admonished the Trump administration in a statement Monday. What President Trump is doing is a slap in the face to our military that makes our border and the country less secure, Reed said. He is planning to take funds from real, effective operational priorities and needed projects and divert them to his vanity wall. In a statement Friday on his first presidential veto, Trump said the situation at the border has reached a breaking point and that it demanded immediate action. The current situation at the southern border presents a border security and humanitarian crisis that threatens core national security interests and constitutes a national emergency, Trump said in a statement. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. More than 100 people gathered at Miramar National Cemetery on Sunday to honor the service of the nations veterans and mark the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I. Veterans Day was known as Armistice Day in the U.S. until the 1950s and is still called that in Europe. The featured speaker was Robert L. Cardenas, a retired Air Force brigadier general who flew bombers in World War II. The 98-year-old began his remarks by thanking those in attendance. I have been to several veterans day (events) and have heard dozens of speeches, he said. I think today, I want to thank you. I want to thank the people of the United States for taking care of us veterans. Advertisement Cardenas, who was born in Mexico in 1920, moved to San Diego when he was 5 years old. He recounted some of his experiences in World War II as a B-24 pilot in the Army Air Corps, including the time in 1944 when he was shot down over enemy territory. He barely escaped to neutral Switzerland and was held captive until a member of the French resistance smuggled him into France. Cathy Fiorelli, the president and CEO of the Miramar National Cemetery Support Foundation, talked about the first world war during her remarks, noting that two veterans Chief Petty Officers Clyde Flynn and Gasper Gaspellich were interred at Miramar. Some 37 million people military and civilian were casualties of the fighting and devastation of The Great War, Fiorelli said. In April 1917, 4.4 million Americans were mobilized to serve in World War I. Of those, 116,000 were killed, and 204,000 were wounded. Today we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. Dennis Schoville, an Army veteran who flew helicopters during Vietnam, serves at the chairman of the cemeterys support foundation. He told those attending the event that veterans are treated differently today than when he came home from Vietnam, a trend he noticed that began with the end of the first Gulf War in 1991. From the standpoint of the veteran community, theres a tremendous sense of personal sacrifice and suffering that the public at times pays a little bit of attention to, although, thankfully on Veterans Day, we do see people reaching out and recognizing and thanking veterans for their sacrifice, he said. For Schoville, Nov. 11 has another significance. Thats the date in 1969 that he was shot down and wounded in Vietnam. He was medically retired shortly thereafter. This is my second run, he said. Its all gravy. Dana Henning brought her two children and one of their friends to the ceremony because she said it was important they learn about veterans and honor her father. This year, she and the kids -- Trevor Lemke, 13, Elie Lemke, 10, and Cassie Callen, 10 -- baked and decorated cookies in red, white and blue icing and sprinkles, which they handed out to people attending the ceremony. It was a long night of baking, Henning said. I baked them and they decorated them. She said she thought it was important for children to appreciate the sacrifices people in the military make. The only military background they have is my dad, Henning said. I try to make them understand I want them to understand what military service really is, and so I make them come and do stuff like this. I just really want them to learn and appreciate, (to) get out of their comfort zone a little bit and do things for their community. They stood at the back throughout the speeches. Trevor said it helped him appreciate veterans, but he was not comfortable in the cemetery. I like it, I just think its a little depressing and sad, Trevor said. Theres so many people here thats deceased in the line of service. Barbara Apodaca sat with her 3-year-old grandson Abraham Intharath. Apodaca said her brother, a Navy veteran who served in Vietnam, was buried at Miramar. We brought him (Abraham) as a baby, she said. I want him to realize what his uncle did. Apodaca, who is originally from New Mexico, said she had a lot of family members who had fought for the United States. Her grandfather fought in World War I, and her father fought in World War II. I think more people should be part of this, she said. I dont know if people realize what they (veterans) do what theyve done for us. I wish this event would be bigger. Fiorelli closed the ceremony by asking those in attendance to take a few minutes to reflect upon the graves and monuments at the cemetery. Let us honor our veterans, our active duty service members and their families by spending a few minutes in contemplation of the sacrifices they have made, and are still making, on behalf of all of us, she said. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. The 3rd Marine Air Wing at Miramar is investigating a recent incident in which two Marines appeared to be in blackface, an act that has been condemned by the local NAACP and some congressional leaders. The Marines assigned to the air wing recently were seen in a now-viral social media video wearing charcoal pore-cleansing masks while in uniform. One of them can be heard saying Hello, monkey, a racial slur. One of the Marines in the video was identified as Zach Highfield via his Snapchat account. Highfield told KPBS in a phone interview that he didnt mean to post the images. It was a bad mistake, he said. We had no intention to offend. Advertisement This is Zach Highfield, hes a Marine who is proudly displaying his bigotry by wearing blackface in his military gear. The man behind him who says hello monkey hasnt been identified yet. Care to comment on this racist behavior @USMC? pic.twitter.com/mKPLetFrYs Simar (@sahluwal) February 23, 2019 The Marines have not said if the second Marine, who used the slur, has been identified. The blackface video is the latest in a string of high-profile incidents involving Marines and what appear to be extremist or racist activities. On Wednesday, the San Diego NAACP issued a statement calling for the military to engage in better screening and training for military personnel. Whether someone holds racist attitudes or not, blackface is hurtful and fuels racial division, said Clovis Honore, president of the organizations San Diego branch. When you add in the explicit racial slurs, when you add in the fact that these are government employees, paid by our tax dollars, when you add in the fact that these men operate deadly weapons and are charged with protecting the very citizens they refer to as monkeys, this is intolerable, Honore said. We want meaningful training, meaningful action and meaningful change. Blackface has its origins in the minstrel shows of the 19th century, but it maintains an often-hidden but still controversial presence in American culture. There is no such thing as innocent blackface, Honore said. Whether or not someone consciously harbors racist attitudes, this is the tradition that is evoked when someone appears in blackface. The 3rd Marine Air Wing is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar but also has personnel at Camp Pendleton and MCAS Yuma, Ariz. The Marine air wing said in a statement it was investigating the incident. Membership in hate groups and posting racial or abusive content online are prohibited activities in the Marines. But commanders have broad powers when it comes to enforcement. The Marines have not said what punishment if any either of the air wing Marines might face. Only actions that rise to the level of a court martial are typically disclosed to the public. About the same time the blackface video was going viral, another social media stir was brewing involving posts on a Twitter account that allegedly belonged to a Marine assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Posts on the account @Jacobite_Edward, which Twitter users identified as being run by Lance Cpl. Mason Mead featured images of various Nazi leaders and quotes attributed to them. One image showed what appears to be a Marine arranging explosives into the shape of a swastika. Both incidents occurred just days after the arrest of a Maryland Coast Guard lieutenant on a slew of weapons charges. Investigators say that officer, Lt. Christopher Paul Hasson, was stockpiling weapons and had a kill list of prominent Democrats and journalists. In federal court filings, the government also said Hasson is a white nationalist who intends to murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country. Last year, another Marine, Vasillios Pistolis, was court martialed and booted from the Corps after a report from ProPublica and Frontline identified him as a member of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division. Pistolis had also participated in the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va. In February, a group of House Democrats sent a letter to the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security seeking information about how they screen recruits. The group applauded the actions taken by federal agencies in the arrest Hasson, but cited that case and others in asking acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, whose agency oversees the Coast Guard, how Hasson and others who demonstrated extremist views were able to circumvent the militarys checks. Local congressional delegates said theyre keeping an eye on the investigations of the recent cases. This is totally unacceptable and offensive, said Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego, who sits on the House Armed Services committee. Im pleased to see that the Marine Corps has opened an investigation. Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, whose district includes the 3rd Marine Air Wing headquarters, said he was glad Marine leadership acted quickly to investigate. This incident is awful and not at all representative of the high standards and code of honor to which our Marines commit, Peters said in a statement. But these kinds of incidents have prompted greater scrutiny of the armed forces and racial or extremist activity. Data about extremism in the military is lacking, said The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks extremism nationwide. We do know that hate groups like to tell their members to join the military where they can be trained to kill, said Heidi Beirich, the director of SPLCs intelligence project. A lot of ex-military have been involved in domestic terrorist incidents. Beirich said that known incidents of military members participating in extremist organizations have dropped in recent years, ever since the Defense Department expanded its anti-hate policies to include posts on social media. I think the extremists caught on, she said. You dont see it as much anymore because you can work anonymously online, under pseudonyms. The Marine in the Hawaii incident, was posting under a pseudonym, but Twitter users identified him by unit emblems and his uniform name tag, which were visible on some of his posts. A recent Military Times poll found that 22 percent of its active-duty readers had seen white nationalism or racist ideology in the service. Among Military Times readers who identified as non-white, that number jumped to 50 percent. Maj. Craig Thomas, a Marine spokesman, said that the Corps expects every member to treat fellow Marines with dignity and respect. Those who cant value the contributions of others, regardless of background, are destructive to our culture, our war fighting ability and have no place in our ranks, he said in an email. Commanders must cultivate a climate and culture of dignity, respect and trust. Honore said the NAACP was available to assist local organizations in educating their employees. We stand ready to assist the Marine Corps, the Navy or any other government or civilian organization in educating their employees or members on issues of race, ethnicity and both implicit and explicit bias, he said. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. An all-hands effort is underway near the Philippines to find a U.S. Marine reported overboard Thursday morning from the amphibious assault ship Essex. The unidentified Marine is deployed with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit based out of Camp Pendleton. The Essex left Naval Base San Diego with its complement of Marines on July 10. The Navy, Marine Corps and Philippine ships and aircraft are searching the Sulu Sea, where the ship was conducting routine operations, the Marines said in a news release Friday. Advertisement It is an all-hands effort to find our missing Marine, said Navy Capt. Gerald Olin, the amphibious squadron commander leading the search and rescue operation, in a statement. All of our sailors, Marines and available assets aboard the USS Essex have been and will continue to be involved in this incredibly important search and rescue operation. The Marines statement said multiple searches had been conducted inside the ship while round-the-clock searches from the air were underway. Additional Navy P-8 aircraft and Philippine Coast Guard vessels have expanded the search to about 3,000 square nautical miles. The operation began as soon as the Marine was reported overboard at 9:40 a.m. local time Thursday 6:40 p.m. Wednesday in San Diego. The Marines said the missing Marines family has been notified, but the name is being withheld while the search is ongoing. Col. Chandler Nelms, the commanding officer of the unit, asked people to keep the Marine and the Marines family in their thoughts and prayers. We remain committed to searching for and finding our Marine, he said. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. How do you raise the flag on the mast of a ship that has no mast? It wasnt the biggest problem the Michael Monsoor had faced in years of planning, construction and setbacks. But the ultra-powerful destroyer required a flag-raising for its commissioning Saturday at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado. So the Navy constructed a temporary mast atop the ship. Dignitaries spoke before an estimated 5,000 people, the American flag was raised, and its crew called on board. And thats how the Monsoor (DDG 1001) officially entered service as the second of three high-tech and expensive Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyers. Advertisement The Monsoors unconventional blocky, low-profile outline which made the mast improvisation necessary has inspired jokes comparing it to a Transformer. Civil War buffs might notice that the Monsoors silhouette hugging the water strongly resembles that of the CSS Virginia, the terrifying Confederate ironclad that in 1862 opposed the Unions USS Monitor in the Battle of Hampton Roads. Like the ironclads, the Monsoor represents a new kind of vessel, which has endured snafus common with development of new technology. The $4.6 billion ship has also endured delays, including the replacement of its engine. But while the ironclads were slow, clumsy and barely seaworthy, the Zumwalt class destroyers are sleek, speedy and designed to hit targets many miles away. The class is named after Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr., chief of naval operations from 1970 to 1974. The first ship was named after Zumwalt himself. The third and last is named for President Lyndon B. Johnson. Four-year-old Nicolas Gazza stands behind members of the Michael Monsoor crew during the commissioning ceremony at Naval Air Station North Island for the Navys newest Zumwalt-class destroyer. Nicolas mom, Rebecca Church, is a crew member on the ship. (Howard Lipin/U-T) The naming of this particular ship for the late Navy SEAL Monsoor was apt, said speakers led by Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego. Zumwalt was utterly dedicated to the entire Navy, making a point of eradicating any racial or sectarian differences among sailors. Monsoor made the ultimate sacrifice to save his fellows in Seal Team 3. When an enemy grenade was thrown into their position in the battle for Ramadi, Iraq, in 2006, Monsoor leaped onto it, taking the blast to save the others. In so doing, Monsoor lived his faith, Peters said. He was a devoted Catholic who attended Mass daily, even in the theater (of war). Monsoor, Peters noted, was named after St. Michael the Archangel, the patron saint of warriors. That history is symbolized in the ships crest, which bears a winged arm wielding a sword. And it was on the Feast Day of St. Michael, Sept. 29, when Mansoor threw himself on that grenade. Monsoors mother, Sally Monsoor, is the ships sponsor. She christened it in 2016 in Bath, Maine, where it was built. On Saturday, she gave the commissioning order, kept short for the audiences comfort, she said, because of the hot sun. This is the fun part, she said. Officers and crew of the USS Michael Monsoor, man our ship and bring her to life. The audience roared. This article has been corrected to give the actual hull number of the Michael Monsoor. Related reading Stealthy $4.6 billion Navy destroyer set to make its San Diego debut Navys new $4.6 billion destroyer was accepted despite need for new engine Monsoor Avenue, Krulak Way at new vets cemetery Navy SEAL made ultimate sacrifice in Iraq Cost of Zumwalt destroyers continues to soar SD debut of futuristic destroyer delayed Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 With the start of the new year, the U.S. Navy will no longer authorize commanders to punish low-ranking sailors with punishments of bread and water, ending a tradition that hearkens back to the days of wooden sailing vessels, broadside cannons and flogging. Ship captains have broad authority to dole out punishment at sea. They can place sailors on restriction, give them extra duty, lower their pay grade and take half their paychecks for up to two months. Until the change, a ship captain also had the option to confine sailors at the rank of E-3 or below to the ships brig for up to three days and feed them only bread and water. Tim Druck, who served as a nuclear machinist mate on board the carrier Enterprise in the 1990s, said he was given three days of bread and water in 1998. Advertisement While sailors have to be medically cleared before going on bread and water, Druck said there were other indignities that accompanied his sentence. Going to the brig is a really demeaning experience, Druck said by telephone from his home in Louisville, Kentucky. The barber shaved my head. You have to be strip-searched. Druck said he was given his sentence because he was already on restriction due to another non-judicial punishment when he fell asleep and missed muster, something that all-but guarantees harsher punishment for sailors. At first, you might be hungry, so you order eight or 10 slices of bread, he said. By the end of the second day, youre just trying to make it through. Druck described his strategy for getting by on bread and water in a post on the question and answer website Quora in 2016. (Y)ou get creative you make bread sandwiches and bread tacos and bread rolls and everything you can think of to make it not bread, he said in the post. Navy instructions described bread and water as being on par with solitary confinement, because the sailors would not be authorized to exercise or interact with anyone but their guards. Druck said this was the worst part of his ordeal. Its sensory deprivation its pretty bad, he said. I would consider that cruel and unusual. Until the mid-19th century, flogging was the preferred form of discipline on a Navy ship at sea, according to the U.S. Naval Institute. Misbehaving sailors were whipped across their back with a multi-pronged whip called a cat o nine tails. Congress put an end to that in 1862, which is when bread and water came into favor. In 2015, a Pentagon review recommended Congress make several changes to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the laws that govern U.S. military personnel. Among them was ending bread and water. Congress approved the changes, which went into effect Jan. 1. Druck, who said he thought the punishment was archaic, said he thought one problem was with the authority granted to ship captains. (Bread and waters) application is uneven, he said. Its too much power for captains to have. They dont have to explain their decisions. A 2017 Navy Times report on how the over-use of the punishment by the captain of the guided-missile cruiser Shiloh poisoned morale on board. On the Shiloh, stationed in Yokosuka, Japan, sailors were sent to the brig on bread and water for infractions such as underage drinking and missing curfew. The Navy did not respond to emails and phone calls for comment on this story. A Pentagon spokeswoman also declined to comment. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. Navy Personnel Command which oversees the Navy brigs where military prisoners are held has pushed back against a congressmans claims that a SEAL charged with multiple war crimes is being held in irregularly harsh conditions. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, sent a letter to President Donald Trump last week to draw attention to the plight of Edward R. Gallagher, a Navy SEAL being held in a Miramar brig on charges of premeditated murder and shooting civilians during a 2017 Iraq deployment. Gallagher is undergoing a general court martial in San Diego. The trial phase is scheduled to begin Feb. 19. Hunter, who had weighed in during Gallaghers arraignment the week prior, met with the SEAL on Jan. 7 for up to an hour. Advertisement In his letter to Trump, Hunter said that conditions in the brig were not appropriate for an American war hero with 19 years of service. Hunter said, for example, that Gallaghers children were forced to wear hospital gowns during brig visits so that they may not bring unwanted attention from any of the other inmates. In a lengthy statement in response to questions from The San Diego Union-Tribune about the issues raised by Hunter, Cmdr. Karin Burzynski, a spokeswoman for Navy Personnel Command, said Navy Consolidated Brig Miramar was only following regulations. For all of the claims (Hunter) raised, the brig is in compliance with all directives, regulations, policies and national standards, Burzynski said in an email. Among those regulations, she said, was a visitor dress code. All Naval Consolidated Brigs have visitation clothing requirements, which are derived from Navy uniform regulations and the host installation civilian clothes policy, she said. Burzynski said hospital gown-like smocks are offered at the brig so that visitors can proceed with their scheduled visits while conforming to the civilian attire policy. Records are not required or kept of visitors who arrive in inappropriate attire and are offered a smock, she said. However, it is believed that during one visit, SOC Gallaghers 9-year old son was asked to wear a smock over his tank-top, which he did without incident. Reached by phone Monday, Gallaghers wife, Andrea Gallagher, declined to comment on the visit. Another charge levied by Hunter was that the only rooms in which Gallagher could speak to his lawyers allegedly have cameras, guards and most likely microphones. Burzynski denied this outright. There are no cameras or listening devices in the attorney-client rooms, she said. She did say, however, that visits might be observed by a correctional specialist outside the room through a glass view port in the door. This provides a measure of safety for all individuals and ensures no passing of contraband or other illicit activity, Burzynski said. At no time during a legal or official visit will acoustical privacy be violated. Gallaghers motion to be released from pretrial confinement was denied Thursday by Capt. Aaron Rugh, the Navy judge overseeing the court martial. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. A San Diego-based Navy SEAL accused of committing war crimes during a 2017 deployment to Iraq is heading for court martial, the Navy said Wednesday. Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward R. Gallagher is scheduled to be arraigned in a San Diego military courtroom Friday, said Brian Orourke, a spokesman for Navy Region Southwest, the court martials convening authority. Gallagher, who is a medic, is accused of killing a wounded ISIS combatant under his care and then reenlisting while standing next to the mans corpse, a charge sheet provided to the Union-Tribune says. He is also charged with, on another occasion, shooting two civilians a man and a woman. The Navy is also charging Gallagher with shooting at non-combatants civilians several times throughout the deployment to Mosul, Iraq, and with trying to obstruct the investigation after the unit returned to San Diego. Advertisement Charges that Gallagher used and possessed controlled substances were dropped. Gallaghers platoon commander, Navy Lt. Jacob Xavier Portier, is also accused of having knowledge of Galleghers actions and failing to follow through with a timely investigation, but the Navy has not yet said whether he would face court martial. Gallaghers San Diego-based attorney Phillip Stackhouse did not immediately return a call for comment Thursday morning. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. The search for a missing San Diego-based U.S. Navy sailor was suspended late Wednesday, the 3rd Fleet said in a statement. The sailor was reported overboard from the guided-missile cruiser Lake Erie early Sunday after failing to show up for work. Seven ships, along with aircraft from the Navy, Coast Guard and Border Patrol searched more than 16,550 square miles, the Navy said. The Lake Erie was conducting routine operations in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The Navy did not identify the sailor, but in a video posted to Facebook Tuesday, Alicia McCalla identified him as her son, Lt. j.g. Asante McCalla. Advertisement The Navy said it was not releasing the name of the sailor at this time. The McCallas are from Atlanta, Georgia, according to their Facebook accounts. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. For months, U.S. Navy veteran Michael R. Whites imprisonment in Iran has been shrouded in secrecy. Now, one thing is near certain: he wont be coming home any time soon. Last week, a court in Iran sentenced the Imperial Beach resident to 10 years in prison on charges of insulting the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and posting a personal photo online. The day of reckoning came nearly eight months after White, 47, was arrested in the northern city of Mashhad, where hed been visiting his Iranian girlfriend, who hed met online. Advertisement He is the first American to be arrested in Iran under President Donald Trumps presidency. The sentencing comes after Trump reinstated economic sanctions against the regime last fall in an aggressive push to force the nation to abide by nuclear agreements. Whites family, devastated at the prospect of a decade-long prison term, has turned their attention to hiring an Iranian lawyer for an appeal and raising money for prison basics he may need, such as extra food and medicine. But they soon discovered just how far the sanctions against Iran reach. A fundraising campaign through GoFundMe was suspended this month after only a few days by its payment processor WePay, citing use in a manner which is either prohibited by financial regulations or which has been deemed unduly high risk. Jonathan Franks, a family spokesman, said to comply with the law, the funds would be transferred through a complicated chain of custody: to the State Department, then to the Swiss government which acts as an intermediary for U.S. interests in Iran on to the Swiss Consulate in Tehran. The Consulate would then disburse the aid to Whites defense attorney and deposit funds in his prison account. GoFundMe did not respond to requests for comment on the situation Tuesday, but a general statement on its website says that in some rare cases, U.S. sanctions will prohibit us from supporting your campaign for specific countries. Iran is included in that list. GoFundMe advises the account holder to apply for a license from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets, or OFAC, an arm of the Treasury Department, to get a legal exception from sanctions. Erich Ferrari, a sanctions attorney in Washington, D.C., who is not affiliated with the case, said there is a clear exception allowing for the retention of legal services for U.S. citizens. But a strict reading of the law suggests GoFundMe probably needs a license to solicit donations for the export of services to Iran, he said. Funds going to Whites prison commissary account could present another challenge, since an Iranian prison is a government entity, Ferrari said. Efforts to resolve the legal roadblock, including getting guidance from OFAC, have been unsuccessful so far, said Mark Zaid, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney hired to help Whites mother navigate the intricacies of the case from the U.S. Obtaining a license from OFAC typically takes nine months to a year, Ferrari said, although a situation such as this would likely be expedited. There is some urgency. An Iranian attorney is needed to file the appeal, which must happen 22 days from the time White is notified of his sentence. The sanctions have added an ironic twist in an incredibly complex geopolitical situation. This should be a no-brainer, said Zaid, an expert in national security law. Whites family hopes to raise at least $30,000; $450 was raised before their efforts were suspended. This isnt a family of means, Franks said. Franks described the Whites as salt of the earth people, and White himself as your average Joe. White spent 13 years in the Navy, serving in support roles such as a data entry clerk and a cook, before medically retiring about a decade ago. He settled in Imperial Beach, his last job working as a commercial janitor. So often Americans are accused of espionage-related crimes, Franks said. He is not a spy. Little is known of his relationship with the woman in the holy city of Mashhad, Irans second-largest metropolis located in the north, near the border with Afghanistan. Franks said they met online, although it is not clear on which website. White traveled to Iran at least three times over the past five years, each time on legal visas, Franks said. His last day in Iran was to be July 21 or 22; he was set to return to San Diego on July 27. White took a cab to a tourist office to pay a fee, and at some point was pulled over by plainclothes police, arrested, beaten, interrogated about his military career and held for a few months at a detention center, according to the family spokesman. He was later transferred to Vakilabad prison, where he remains. He was taken to several court proceedings but no translator was provided, Franks said. It was only in the last two hearings that the proceedings were translated into English, and he learned of the actual charges against him. Authorities have not explained further the allegation that White insulted the Supreme Leader, Franks said. The charge of the personal photo being posted online likely stems from a picture on Whites Instagram of him with a woman who appears to be his girlfriend, Franks said. The photo is not risque and would be quite normal for a dating couple to post online, he said. Whites Instagram account was taken offline, likely by or at the direction of the Iranian government, Franks surmises. An Iranian prosecutor said the case stems from a complaint from a private individual, not the government, according to an Iranian news agency. Information has been scarce coming from the regime, leaving his family mostly in the dark. White has not been allowed to communicate with his family, at the request of a prosecutor. Now that he is sentenced, his family hopes a judge can lift those restrictions. However, he has had two visits from the Swiss ambassador to Tehran. We can assuredly say that Mr. White is being treated humanely and in the best possible conditions given the criminal complaint against him, Alireza Miryousefi, a spokesman for Irans United Nations Mission, wrote on Twitter on March 4, repeating a statement he gave to The New York Times. He said the consulate access has been in spite of the 1,000 kilometer distance between Masshad and the capital. They have done their best to preserve his rights as a prisoner, and more importantly, as a human being, Miryousefi said. White, who suffers from asthma, has also been provided unspecified medications, even though the prices have much increased due to the U.S. sanctions, he said. Still, Whites mother, Joanne, who lives in Arizona, worries about his health, Franks said. White is a cancer survivor, and there has been at least one report from another inmate at the prison that a possible tumor has reappeared on Whites neck. She is very, very clear that she doesnt think her son is going to make it long term in prison, Franks said. kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @kristinadavis A new squadron of MV-22B Ospreys has been activated at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, marking the end of a modernization transition for Marine aviation and the return of a historic unit to active flight status. When the Marines deactivated Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 362 in 2012, it wasnt clear if or when the Ugly Angels would return. Ive been extremely fortunate to have this opportunity to be the current last CO of the Ugly Angels, but my sincere hope is that Im not the last CO, said Lt. Col. Christopher Oliver, the Ugly Angels commanding officer at the squadrons deactivation in 2012. The Ugly Angels have a long history. The helicopter squadron was commissioned in 1952 and was the first to deploy to Vietnam, where, beginning in 1962, it flew the workhorse UH-34 Huss, an aircraft remembered fondly by Vietnam-era Marines. Advertisement UH-34D helicopter, the type flown by the Ugly Angels in Vietnam, lands in Quantico, Virginia in 2013. It was donated to National Museum of the Marine Corps that year. (U.S. Marine Corps) After returning stateside for a few years, the Ugly Angels flew the Huss continuously in Vietnam from September 1965 until August 1969. Dick Moser flew with the Ugly Angels in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967. He attended the reactivation ceremony at Miramar this month. Its really moving, he said, remarking on seeing his old squadron fly again. The young men and women are really embracing our history. Were delighted to see them back. In 1969, the squadron left Vietnam and was re-equipped with then-new CH-53 Sea Stallions, which it flew for the next 43 years. An Ugly Angels CH-53D Sea Stallion operates in Afghanistan in 2011. (U.S. Marine Corps) Decades later, the Ugly Angels became the last Marine squadron to fly the CH-53D Sea Stallion in combat, in Afghanistan in 2012. At the end of its life, Sea Stallions required about 20 hours of maintenance for every hour of flight. The Marines retired the Sea Stallion and the Ugly Angels were grounded. In the Marines, the transition from older helicopter aircraft to the new tilt-rotor Ospreys began in 2005. With the reactivation of the Ugly Angels now designated a Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron the Marines 14-year transition is almost complete. VMM 362 is the next-to-last Osprey squadron being activated by the Marines. The Osprey requires pilots to be multi-skilled, according to 2nd Lt. Fredrick Walker, a spokesman for the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. To fly the Osprey successfully, a pilot must think like and have the skill sets of both a fixed wing and rotary wing pilot, he said. The Ospreys are not replacing heavy helicopters in the Marines completely. The CH-53E Super Stallion is still flown by several squadrons and the CH-53K King Stallion is under development. Walker said the Ugly Angels would be fully outfitted with its compliment of Ospreys by 2020. Former members of the Ugly Angels at the VMM 362 activation ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on Aug. 17. (U.S. Marine Corps) Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. Don Griffin is in Hawaii today, in the place where his father died. For 20 years now, Griffin has made the trip from San Diego for ceremonies marking the anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1941, surprise aerial attack by the Japanese that pushed the United States into World War II. His father, a pilot at Kaneohe Bay, may have been the first U.S. service member killed that day, shot down by strafing Zeros as he tried to get his seaplane into the air. I go back every year out of respect, his son said. Advertisement Pearl Harbor remains one of Americas turning points, a shocking military catastrophe that galvanized and united a fractious nation coming out of the Great Depression and transformed it through four years of war in Europe and the Pacific into a global superpower. But the passage of time, 77 years now, has also weakened direct ties to the event, and that is altering how it is remembered, and whether it will be remembered at all. There were 50,000 service members on Oahu back then, and the number still alive dwindles by the hour, down to fewer than 2,000 by some estimates. Increasingly, it falls to people like Griffin to keep the flame of history flickering. With every year that goes by, fewer and fewer people know about Pearl Harbor and what it meant, he said. I think to a lot of people, Dec. 7 is just another shopping day. Griffin was a 14-month-old toddler when the attack happened, living at the Kaneohe naval air station with his father, mother and 7-year-old sister. When the enemy planes arrived, his mother put him in a root cellar. A bomb exploded nearby, leaving him with a concussion and damage to one eye. Because he was so young, he remembers none of that, but he grew up hearing stories about his father. When he turned 17, he joined the Navy, too, and spent 20 years in the service. Now retired after another two decades of work with San Diego Gas & Electric, Griffin has made sure his family members wife Donelle, five children, 12 grandchildren, one great-grandchild are well-versed in Pearl Harbor lore. Seven years ago, at the 70th anniversary of the attack, 21 members of the family went to Kaneohe Bay. One of Griffins sons, Dave, gave a speech about his grandfather, the seaplane pilot killed in the early minutes of the Japanese assault. The family had T-shirts made for the trip that had a picture of the fallen hero and these words: He gave his today, for our tomorrow. Start the engines! Daniel T. Griffin wasnt supposed to be on duty that day. But a squadron mate whose turn it was came back to the barracks too drunk to stand watch on one of the PBY-5 ready planes moored in the bay, fueled-up and ready to go at a moments notice. Griffin knew the other guy would get in trouble showing up for work intoxicated. So he took his place. At age 30, with a wife and two kids, Griffin was looked up to as the elder statesman of the group. The Colorado Springs resident first enlisted in 1930, did his training in San Diego, and served aboard the battleships California and Tennessee before transferring to the Saratoga, a carrier, where he got bit by the aviation bug. He went to flight school and became a pilot of PBYs, the seaplanes that were in many ways the eyes and ears of the Pacific Fleet, able to travel more than 2,000 miles on reconnaissance missions. Their effectiveness made them important targets on Dec. 7, 1941. The Japanese didnt want their planes being followed back to the carriers that had launched them, so before they devastated Battleship Row at Pearl Harbor, they hit the nearby airfields, including Kaneohe Bay, where about three-dozen PBYs were stationed. The Zeros arrived first, at about 7:50 a.m. Griffin was on the beach when he saw them, according to eyewitness accounts later relayed to the family. He called out to crew members, Start the engines! and then swam to his plane and climbed into the pilots seat. He was just getting airborne when Japanese bullets hit the plane. It caught fire and crashed into the sea. Burned on his face and right hand, Griffin managed to get out of the PBY and was swimming toward land when another burst of machine gun fire killed him. Five days later, his body washed up on shore. He was buried first in Hawaii, and then, in October 1947, back home at a cemetery in Colorado Springs, next to his mother. His actions that day escaped public notice, but not for long. Adm. Chester Nimitz signed a citation in August 1942 lauding Griffin for prompt and efficient action and utter disregard of personal danger in trying to repel the Japanese attack. Pearl Harbor Remembered Around the same time, the Navy named a destroyer escort after him. His widow, Lucille, was there for the launch on Feb. 25, 1943 at the Bethehem shipyard in Massachusetts. The 306-foot-long Daniel T. Griffin had a crew of about 180. It saw action at Okinawa and Saipan, survived several kamikaze attacks, and was preparing for a role in the invasion of Japan when the war ended in August of 1945. A year later, it was put on reserve status, and in 1966 it was decommissioned and transferred to the Chilean navy. At the decommissioning ceremony, held in Great Lakes, Ill., Griffins survivors were the guests of honor. His son was there in his Navy uniform, a 26-year-old mechanic who sometimes flew as a back-seater in jet fighters. Aviation, Don Griffin said, was in my blood. A legacy preserved Going back to Kaneohe Bay for the annual Pearl Harbor remembrances put Griffin in touch with retired sailors who had served with his father. They added depth to the silhouette of a man hed come to know mostly through that single act of combat bravery. He learned, for example, that his parents used to have the younger service members over to their house on the base for dinner. One of them remembered bouncing him on a knee weeks before the Japanese attack. He heard stories about how soft-spoken and thin his father was 15 pounds under the minimum weight during an annual physical in August of 1941. A month later, he had gained five pounds and was cleared for a promotion. He re-enlisted in October 1941. The more Don Griffin learned, the more he wanted to preserve his fathers legacy. He contacted the Chilean navy to find out if he could visit the ship that had carried his dads name. The answer was no it had been used for target practice in the mid-1990s and sunk at sea. He paid $889 to replace the bronze memorial plaque on his fathers grave in Colorado Springs with an upright marble monument, similar to those used at national cemeteries. And after marine archaeologists found coral-encrusted wreckage of a PBY about 30 feet down at the bottom of Kaneohe Bay, he got another idea. He would take the bronze plaque that had been replaced at the cemetery in Colorado and have it cemented into a concrete monument. Then the monument would be placed on the sea floor next to the wreckage. Although it hasnt been determined if the plane is the one his father tried to fly during the Japanese attack, various officials have helped Griffin pursue the idea. Weve been working on it for years, he said. But the area is a national historic site with restrictions on what can be done there. Hes been told its unlikely to happen. Ive thought about just sneaking in and his voice trailed off. He was joking. Sort of. My father, he said, has always been my hero. john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com The remains of a sailor killed on board the battleship Oklahoma during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor have been identified, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. Chief Pharmacists Mate James T. Cheshire of San Diego was killed Dec. 7, 1941. He was 40 years old. The Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo strikes from Japanese aircraft as it sat moored on Battleship Row at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor that Sunday morning. According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, the battleship was hit by eight torpedoes in the first 10 minutes of the attack. It capsized and sank soon after, killing 429 crewmen. After exhaustive search it has been found impossible to locate your husband James Thomas Cheshire chief pharmacists mate US Navy and he has therefore been officially declared to have lost his life in the service of his country as of December Seventh Nineteen Forty One, read the telegram sent from Rear Adm. Randall Jacobs to Marion Cheshire on Jan. 30, 1942. The Department expresses to you its sincerest sympathy. Advertisement The telegram was included in a Dec. 7, 2001, story in The San Diego Union-Tribune. All the family had was some medals and a monogrammed pen salvaged from the ship when it was righted a year later, the Union-Tribune reported. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agencys mission, according to its website, is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation. For Cheshire, that accounting would take 76 years. According to the DPAA, all remains were recovered from the wreckage by 1944, but only 35 were identifiable at the time. In 1949 the military classified the rest as non-recoverable. The unidentified remains were buried in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. In April 2015, the unidentified remains of Oklahoma sailors were disinterred for DNA analysis. The DPAA and Armed Forces Medical Examiner also examined anthropological and circumstantial evidence. The Pentagon said it notified the family when it identified Cheshire on Sept. 10, 2018. DPAA said in a statement that of the 72,751 unaccounted dead from World War II, about 26,000 are considered possibly recoverable. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. In the 1970s, the Ku Klux Klan was operating in the open on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. Members of the white supremacist group active duty Marines wore KKK insignias on base, posted threatening flyers in common areas and carried large knives to intimidate black Marines. After a series of altercations on and off base, a group of black Marines responded to a flyer advertising a meeting of the KKK on the base. On Nov. 13, 1976, they barged into the room in which they believed that meeting was taking place and attacked their fellow Marines inside, according to news reports at the time. Only they had the wrong room. The KKK, sitting on a cache of weapons, was actually in the next room. A new podcast, Free the Pendleton 14, by local reporter Steve Walsh, aims to tell the story of this group of black Marines and bring to light a chapter of local military history that he says has almost been forgotten. Advertisement This story was just going to fade into the past, he said. And as we know, just wishing stuff away does not solve the problem. Reports from the time suggest that is just what the Marines attempted to do. While 13 black Marines were jailed and charged with crimes, the members of the KKK were taken into protective custody and quietly shipped off to other bases. The American Civil Liberties Union was involved and worked with both groups the accused black Marines as well as the white KKK members. Membership in supremacist and extremist groups is now against Marine regulations, although in 1976, it was tolerated. Walsh said he became interested in the story after first hearing about it early in 2017. After reporting by ProPublica and PBS Frontline identified a Marine who had participated in the white supremacist riot in Charlottesville, Virginia, the podcast took on a new urgency. This was not a history piece were talking about, he said. This really is a continuation of something thats been happening for a very long time. Every element from the command to the media everybody involved in this case the community as a whole...just simply did not take this stuff very seriously. The only people who took this seriously were 14 African-American Marines. The Marine that participated in the Charlottesville riot, Vasillios Pistolis, was booted from the Corps in July. One of the challenges Walsh faced with this project was finding people to interview. The Marine commanders from the time have since died, and many of those involved have common names, which (with only scant military records to go on) make tracking them down exceedingly difficult. He was also unable to locate any of the KKK members. Walsh did interview one of the accused black Marines Ricky McGilvery, a Dallas-area preacher and some of the attorneys involved in the case. Walsh said he did question whether he a white, middle-aged reporter from the Midwest was the right person to tell this largely an African-American story. That always kind of concerned me somewhat, he said. Should I even be the person telling this story? His concerns were assuaged, he said, when he realized that people needed to face the issue of institutional racism head-on. Its whites, he said. Its us. We need to validate that this is real, this happened. Walsh is a reporter at KPBS but his employer was not involved in the project. Four of the five planned episodes are now available on most podcast apps. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. More than 50,000 Marines based on the West Coast have a new boss. Lt. Gen. Joseph Osterman took command of 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at a ceremony on Camp Pendleton Monday, relieving Lt. Gen. Lewis Craparotta of the position hes held for the last two years. Craparotta will assume command of Marine Forces Pacific in Hawaii. Ostermans 35-year career has been spent mostly in the infantry, although he served as the commanding general of the Marine Corps Recruiting Command from 2011-2012. Advertisement His combat commands include leading the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines in the early phases of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2002. He returned to Afghanistan in 2010 as the commanding general of the 1st Marine Division and again in 2012, where he served as deputy chief of staff of joint operations as part of the International Security Assistance Force. Craparotta, in his farewell comments to the assembled Marines, Sailors and guests, talked about the scale and scope of the expeditionary force, calling it one of the most competent combat formations available in the U.S. military arsenal. Osterman talked about the threats the force would be asked to deal with and his role as its new commander. We need to do what it takes to defend our nation, he said. I view it as a privilege. The force is comprised of the 1st Marine Division, the 3rd Marine Air Wing and the 1st Marine Logistics Group. It is the largest of the three Marine Air Ground Task Forces. Components operate out of Camp Pendleton, Miramar and Twentynine Palms. Oceanside City Councilman Jack Feller attended the ceremony and said the Marines were ideal neighbors. Its great to live next door to the greatest fighting machine, the greatest protection you can have, he said. I see them in our churches, I see them on our Little League fields, its just fantastic to be next door to the Marines. Military prosecutors will begin court martial proceedings Tuesday against a Navy SEAL platoon commander they say was complicit in alleged war crimes committed by one of his troops in Iraq in 2017. Lt. Jacob X. Portier will face charges of conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman, willful dereliction of duty, failure to obey orders, obstruction of justice and making false official statements. Those charges are connected to allegations that a member of his platoon, Navy SEAL Edward R. Gallagher, a chief special warfare operator, committed several war crimes in Mosul, Iraq. Gallagher has been charged with premeditated murder, shooting civilians and attempting to intimidate witnesses after he learned he was under investigation. Gallaghers case has generated international headlines. He was arraigned in San Diego earlier this month and is scheduled for trial on Feb. 19. Advertisement Members of Gallaghers platoon reported that while they were in Mosul, a wounded teenage ISIS combatant was brought to Gallagher who is a medic and while he was providing medical care, the SEAL used his knife to stab the fighter in the neck, killing him. Some time after this, Gallagher reenlisted in a ceremony held next to the fighters dead body. Two of Portiers charges stem from that reenlistment. Prosecutors say Portier not only conducted the ceremony, but he ordered members of the platoon to pose for photos with SOC Gallagher and the corpse of the combatant. Navy prosecutors also said that throughout the deployment, other SEALs in the platoon came to their commander with reports about Gallaghers conduct in battle, including an incident in which Gallagher allegedly shot two civilians: an old man and a little girl. This case is about a Navy lieutenant who didnt possess the moral courage to do the right thing, said Marine Capt. Conor McMahon, in closing comments during a November preliminary hearing. Lt. Portier didnt take out a hunting knife and stab a prisoner in the neck. He didnt get behind a sniper rifle and shoot at a little girl trying to escape from ISIS and he didnt shoot an old man taking water jugs to the river. But he knew about it and he did nothing, McMahon said. Portiers defense attorney, San Diego-based Jeremiah Sullivan, told the Union-Tribune in November that there are contradicting stories from members of Portiers platoon which will undermine the prosecutions case. Its not going to go well for the government, he said. Portier also is charged with obstruction of justice and two counts of making false official statements. The obstruction charge stems from an allegation that the naval officer destroyed evidence. The false statements were allegedly made after the unit returned to San Diego. Portiers charge sheet details one incident in which the SEAL, when asked if anything criminal happened in connection with Gallaghers reenlistment ceremony, allegedly responded, There was nothing criminal; it was just in poor taste. He also is alleged to have made a deceptive statement to a higher-ranking officer when he denied being aware of any specific violations of the law of armed conflict during his platoons deployment. One charge related to the allegations that Portier engaged in a cover-up was dropped. Portiers court martial begins Tuesday with an arraignment on Naval Base San Diego, where charges will be read and a trial scheduled. Navy officials would not say how much prison time Portier might face. He is not in custody. Gallagher has been held in a Navy brig on Marine Corps Air Station Miramar since his arrest Sept. 11. His case continues to generate widespread interest. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, who is facing trial in September for alleged campaign finance violations and wire fraud, recently visited Gallagher in the Navy brig. Hunter has issued statements to the media and sent a letter to President Trump asking him to intervene on behalf of Gallagher. In the letter, Hunter alleged the Navy was treating Gallagher harshly and that privileged attorney-client conversations were under surveillance. The Navy has denied those allegations. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. A Navy SEAL confined to a military brig on multiple charges of committing war crimes while on deployment in Iraq will remain in custody, a military court in San Diego ruled Thursday. Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward R. Gallagher, 39, was arrested Sept. 11 on charges he executed a teenage ISIS combatant under his care in Mosul, Iraq, in 2017. Defense attorneys called several character witnesses including Andrea Gallagher, the SEALs wife Friday at a hearing where Gallagher was arraigned and Navy Judge Aaron Rugh heard arguments on a defense motion to release him from custody. Phillip Stackhouse, one of Gallaghers attorneys, said in a statement Thursday that things in court were stacked against his client. Advertisement We are disappointed, but not surprised due to the low legal burden, by the Government refusing to put a witness on the stand, and the defense being denied the right to call any witnesses to the allegations, Stackhouse said in the statement. At trial, scheduled for February 19, 2019, Eddie will finally have the Constitutional right to confront his accusers and he eagerly awaits that opportunity. Gallagher has deployed several times throughout his 19-year Navy career first as a Navy corpsman with 2nd Marine Division then, after transitioning to the SEALS in 2005, with west coast-based SEAL teams. His wife testified Friday that Gallagher was planning on retiring this year. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, also went to bat for Gallagher, writing a letter to President Donald Trump decrying conditions for Gallagher in the brig. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. A general court martial began with the arraignment of a Navy SEAL platoon commander Tuesday for allegedly failing to report war crimes that prosecutors say were committed by another SEAL under his command. Lt. Jacob X. Portier was in a San Diego military courtroom where he was formally charged with multiple violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including destroying evidence, obstruction of justice, conduct unbecoming, willful dereliction of duty, failure to obey orders, and making false official statements. Portier did not enter a plea, however. His attorney asked for an extension and a military judge set a hearing for next week. Jeremiah Sullivan, Portiers San Diego-based civilian attorney, said after the hearing that his client is innocent and intends to plead not guilty. Advertisement I can be very clear on that, Sullivan said at an impromptu news conference outside the Naval Base San Diego courthouse. I think itll be clear from the evidence he is absolutely innocent. Jeremiah Sullivan, who is representing Lt. Jacob Portier at his general court martial, talks to the press after an arraignment at Naval Base San Diego Tuesday, Jan. 22. (Andrew Dyer / Union-Tribune) That evidence is the subject of a protective order in effect for both Portiers case and that of Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward R. Gallagher, the SEAL who, under Portiers supervision, is charged with multiple war crimes including premeditated murder and shooting civilians in Mosul, Iraq, in 2017. Prosecutors said that some evidence, including video and photos taken of a dead teenage ISIS fighter, were being kept from the public in order to protect American service members currently deployed overseas. The defense, however, said those protections were interfering with their ability to interview witnesses and review case material with them. I cant even ask a witness who is in this photo? Who is in this video? Sullivan said. Were going to be litigating that next week. Sullivan also called for a State Department review of the evidence in the case, and said its possible that parts of the trial might need to be conducted in secret, something he said would protect war fighters overseas. We need to do everything to protect them, and I think the state department should intervene and ensure that our national security is preserved, he said. The court martial should be public, however Parts of the investigation should have a classification review. At times they could close the court for portions of testimony they could close it altogether. The prosecution also said it was possible part of the trial could be conducted behind closed doors, but that it was not ideal. The Navy has an interest in keeping the court martial public, said Brian ORourke, a spokesman for Navy Region Southwest. Sullivan said that Portier would testify for the defense in Gallaghers trial as well, if asked. If hes called hell testify truthfully, Sullivan said. No crimes were committed. He will happily take the stand and reply truthfully. Portiers conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman charges stem from a reenlistment ceremony he conducted for Gallagher. Prosecutors say this was conducted next to the corpse of the dead fighter, and that Portier then ordered his men to pose in a photo with Gallagher and the corpse. Sullivan said there was nothing dishonorable about it. He never ordered anybody to appear in any photos with a dead ISIS fighter, Sullivan said. A reenlistment ceremony was done on the battlefield, and for a Navy SEAL nothing can be more proud and honorable than reenlisting to serve your country on the battlefield. Sullivan also said Portier did not attempt to cover-up Gallaghers alleged crimes. He went through the chain of command and made the appropriate report, Sullivan said. Whether war crimes actually occurred, thats a whole other issue that will be litigated in a court of law. Portier is expected back in court Jan. 31, when Navy Judge Capt. Jonathan Stephens is expected to rule on the defense motion and set a date for trial. Gallagher will be in court again Friday for a motion hearing. His trial is scheduled for Feb. 19. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. News that seven Navy SEALs have been granted immunity deals to serve as witnesses in a San Diego war crimes trial has rocked the defendants community of supporters and raised questions about what those deals could mean in the court-martial of Edward R. Gallagher next month. Gallagher, a chief special warfare operator, is expected to go on trial Feb. 19 for war crimes allegedly committed during a 2017 deployment to Mosul, Iraq, including allegations he stabbed a teen-age to death Iraqi combatant and that he allegedly shot at civilians. Gallagher has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Navy prosecutors told a judge last week that they have secured immunity for seven SEALs, members of Gallaghers platoon, to be witnesses at the court-martial. Advertisement While the immunity agreements were sought by Cmdr. Chris Czaplak, lead counsel for the government, they also cover what the witnesses say to the defense. Phillip Stackhouse, one of Gallaghers six defense attorneys, said the seven immunity deals in this case dont mean that all seven SEALs will testify against his client. The immunity is not side-specific, he said. The discussion in court was only about who had immunity and, at my request, the judge made the prosecution disclose on the record who had it, Stackhouse said in an email. This was so we could compel the government to make them available to us and to ensure the court informed everyone the immunity covered them for discussions with the defense as well. Until the Jan. 25 motions hearing, the defense did not know who or how many witnesses had been granted immunity by Rear Adm. Yancy Lindsey, the court-martials convening authority and the commander of Navy Region Southwest. The convening authority decides whom to prosecute. The judge, Capt. Aaron Rugh, has issued a protective order, which limits what prosecutors and defense attorneys can say about the case. Gary Barthel, a military attorney who spent 20 years in the Marines 16 of those as a JAG lawyer said that military prosecutors often seek immunity for witnesses to get them to testify to bolster their case. When youve got individuals whove witnessed an offense and didnt report it, they could be deemed co-conspirators, he said. Typically, you grant immunity to the lower-level players to go after the main suspect of the case. Barthel, who is not connected to the Gallagher case and has no direct knowledge of the evidence, said it is likely that investigators identified a number of people who witnessed some part of the events the government has built its case around. My guess would be, based on what Ive seen, there are a lot of people who know (Gallagher) who witnessed these events, he said. However, the defense may be correct that some of them might have some testimony that benefits their client. Some of Gallaghers supporters have their own take on the immunity deals. A statement posted by a Facebook page set up to support Gallagher said the immunity deals were the only way that witnesses would even talk to prosecutors. That statement was attributed to Gallaghers wife, Andrea Gallagher, and his brother, Sean Gallagher, along with another defense attorney, Colby Vokey. They were granted immunity because they refused to even talk to the prosecutors without having immunity, the statement said. The Navy declined to respond to that claim. Were not going to try this case in the media, said Brian ORourke, a Navy spokesman. Some conservative news media outlets have given Gallagher supportive coverage, including interviews with family members on Fox & Friends, Newsmax TV and No Interruption with Tomi Lahren, a show on Fox News new subscription-based streaming service, Fox Nation. On a Jan. 4 episode of Fox & Friends, Sean Gallagher told host Steve Doocy that the entire prosecution is based on accounts of two disgruntled members of his brothers platoon. He repeated those claims during an appearance on One America News Jan. 17, and on Newsmax TV Jan. 23. In an email Wednesday, Sean Gallagher said some of the witnesses will testify that his brother is not guilty. I know for a fact that some of those given immunity will say Eddie is innocent, he said. I cant present you the evidence of how I know this to be true since we dont want the prosecution seeing it before trial, but it nevertheless is very different than the image of (seven) guys testifying against Eddie. The Gallagher court case and the possibility that some Navy SEALs may break ranks and testify against a platoon member has reverberated throughout the special warfare community, said Ed Hiner, a retired SEAL lieutenant commander who was deployed nine times over his 20-year career and who maintains connections with the San Diego SEAL community. Guys are nervous, he said. Most of them are in shock. You could dissect any shooting. The battlefields confusing. A lot of guys have done a lot of hard fighting down range. The SEAL community is different than any other in the Navy. The highly trained elite force is small, consisting of about 2,500 sailors in total. SEAL teams are divided into eight platoons units of about 16 men who eat, sleep and fight together. Gallagher was the chief of a platoon. While war crimes prosecutions against SEALs are rare, Hiner said, when members of a platoon are pitted against each other, such as in the Gallagher case, it takes a toll on the SEAL community. Its very rare that anyone inside of a team would make these allegations, he said. Its a very tight culture. This has rippled through the community. Its very detrimental to everyone. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. Men between the ages of 18 and 25 must still register with Selective Service, even though a federal judge just ruled that the all-male draft system into the armed services is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Gray H. Miller decided that because women are now eligible to serve in combat roles in the military, excluding them from registering for the draft is discriminatory. But because the judge did not issue an injunction, the ruling does not immediately impact existing law. Miller said he ruled against granting an injunction because the plaintiffs had not filed a brief supporting the request. A lawyer representing the plaintiffs a San Diego-based mens right group and two young men said he is considering filing another motion for an injunction, to try to force the federal governments hand. Advertisement The government needs to act fast, in my opinion, said Marc E. Angelucci, based in Los Angeles. They cant just sit on it. When we require only men (to register) but not women thats sex discrimination. The case is likely to have national ramifications. Experts say it could result in women registering with Selective Service, like men, or it could end the Selective Service System. Angelucci said the judge is sending a message through his ruling: With equal rights, comes equal responsibility. Angelucci is representing the plaintiffs, the National Coalition for Men, a mens rights organization in San Diego that brought suit in 2013 on behalf of Texas resident James Lesmeister. Lesmeister, who lives in Houston, had to register for Selective Service after he turned 18. San Diego resident Anthony Davis, who also had to register, was added as a plaintiff later. They argued in court that requiring men to register for the draft, but not women, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution, especially now that women are serving throughout the military. Until 1973, the U.S. military had drafted only men in every major conflict, from the Revolutionary War to Vietnam. But after 1.8 million American men were drafted to fight in Vietnam, touching off years of national protests against the war, the draft was ended and the military moved to an all-volunteer force. The requirement for young men age 18-25 to register with Selective Service did not change. Men who dont register become ineligible for government services, such as financial aid for college, and they risk up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The federal government argued in court that in 1981 the Supreme Court upheld the exclusion of women from Selective Service because, at the time, women were excluded from many military jobs, including those in direct combat, such as the infantry. But Judge Miller recently said subsequent decisions changed that rationale. In 2013 the Defense Department lifted exclusions against women in combat, and in 2015 all military jobs were officially opened to women. Now women make up about 16 percent of active duty and reserve military, according to a 2017 Defense Department report Kate Germano, a retired Marine, told the New York Times Sunday that the judges ruling was a natural result of lifting the ban on women in combat. It would be an advantage to the country, and also for men, who ... bore the preponderance of the burden since the draft was established, she said. Government attorneys also had argued in court that any change to the Selective Service should come from Congress, noting that a commission is expected to deliver recommendations in 2020. Congress created the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service in 2017 to make recommendations on how to inspire Americans to participate in public service, such as the military. In an interim report released in January, the commission said it is considering whether to recommend that the Selective Service be expanded to include women. On the other hand, it also is considering recommending to abolish the Selective Service altogether. Judge Miller said he does not think it appropriate to wait on the commission. The Commission is under no obligation to recommend certain outcomes to Congress, he said in his ruling, and Congress is under no obligation to follow or act on those recommendations. Commission Chairman Joe Heck said in a statement Monday that with Millers ruling, change is inevitable. The Commission is studying a wide range of possible changes, including ... whether the nation even needs a registration system, Heck said. The district courts opinion means change is inevitable and the status quo is untenable. The two people named as plaintiffs, James Lesmeister and Anthnoy Davis, did not comment on their lawsuit. Davis, the San Diego plaintiff, could not be reached through his attorney. James Lesmeister, a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Houston, did not want to comment, said his father, Mark Lesmeister, who also is a member of the mens group. The elder Lesmeister said he hopes the government acts quickly on the ruling, but he did not say if he prefers that the draft be opened to women or done away with entirely. Weve always said were not taking a position on doing away with registration, he said. We should defer to the Department of Defense for that. The National Coalition for Men, a group better known for suing womens groups for excluding men from meetings and defending men accused of sexual assault in college, plans to continue fighting the all-male draft, Angelucci said. We have to see whether Selective Service appeals, he said. If they do, we will fight it. It is unclear if the federal government will appeal the judges ruling. The U.S. Justice Department, which is handling the legal case, declined to comment. Jacob Daniels, the legislative liaison for the Selective Service System, said his agencys hands are tied for now. As an executive agency, our job is to enforce the law, Daniels said. Were unable to make changes unilaterally. Until were given a direct order from a court or legislation from Congress, were in a position where we adhere to the law as its currently written. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. TORONTO, March 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- INV Metals Inc. (INV Metals or the Company) (TSX:INV) provides an update on the 100% owned Loma Larga property, located in Ecuador. The Company reports that it will relocate the proposed processing and tailings facilities outside of Giron canton. INV Metals will continue the engineering work required to locate the facilities in the same canton as our Mineral Resources and Reserves. Ms. Candace MacGibbon, CEO, stated, Loma Larga will continue to advance towards development. We thank our employees for their hard work, as well as the Ministry of Energy and Nonrenewable Resources and our local communities for their previous and ongoing support. The Company also reports that the result of the referendum held in Giron canton on March 24, 2019 was not in favour of mining activities in the canton. Giron canton is an adjacent jurisdiction which does not contain the Loma Larga Mineral Resources and Reserves. INV Metals will seek further legal clarification on the result and the potential implications. Qualified Person All scientific and technical information contained in this press release has been reviewed, verified and approved by Bill Shaver, P. Eng, a mining engineer and the Companys COO and Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. About INVTM Metals Inc. INVTM Metals is an international mineral resource company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of precious and base metal projects in Ecuador. Currently, INVTM Metals primary assets are: (1) its 100% interest in the Loma Larga gold exploration and development property in Ecuador, and (2) its 100% interests in exploration concessions in Ecuador, including the Las Penas, Tierras Coloradas, La Rebuscada and Carolina exploration projects. For more information please contact: Candace MacGibbon Chief Executive Officer Phone: (416) 703-8416 E-mail: cmacgibbon@invmetals.com Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information. Forward-looking information contained in this new release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the relocation of the facilities, development of Loma Larga, and result and potential implications of referendums. These statements are based on information currently available to the Company and the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet managements expectations. In certain cases, forward-looking information may be identified by such terms as anticipates, believes, could, estimates, expects, may, shall, will, or would. Forward-looking information contained in this press release is based on certain factors and assumptions made by management and qualified persons in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management and the qualified persons believe are appropriate in the circumstances. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks inherent in the exploration and development of mineral deposits, including risks relating to changes in project parameters as plans continue to be redefined, risks relating to grade or recovery rates, reliance on key personnel, operational risks, regulatory, capitalization and liquidity risks. Please refer to the Companys Annual Information Form dated March 23, 2018 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com for other risks that could materially affect the Company. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Companys forward-looking information. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the Companys forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information that may be made from time to time by the Company or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson left Naval Air Station North Island Wednesday as part of a multi-ship permanent home port swap announced by the Navy in August. Three other Navy warships, including the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, will be relocating to San Diego this year, Navy officials have said. The carrier swaps announced last summer said San Diego-based aircraft carrier Carl Vinson would be relocating to Bremerton, Washington, for maintenance and the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, coming off a mid-life refueling and overhaul in Virginia, would be relocating to San Diego. The Lincoln will arrive in San Diego this fall. Advertisement Two guided-missile destroyers, the USS Stethem and USS Shoup, will also be relocating to San Diego, with the Stethem coming from Yokosuka, Japan, and the Shoup from Everett, Washington. The Stethem is due in San Diego before summer, and the Shoup at a date in the second quarter of the 2019 fiscal year that has yet to be determined. Home port changes are fairly common for the Navys fleet of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, as the maintenance and refueling needs of these vessels can only be met at certain ports. When ships change home ports, most of their crews also relocate. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. While the presidents former attorney Michael Cohen made headlines testifying before Congress Wednesday, a few senior defense officials were grilled in the same building at another Congressional hearing on military issues that could affect San Diego County. A House Appropriations subcommittee called a hearing on the impact that President Donald Trumps proposed border wall project may have on military readiness, now that he has declared a state of emergency. Trump has said he wants to divert up to $8.1 billion toward the border wall, including $3.6 billion of unobligated funds in the military construction budget. Unobligated funds in this context is money that has been appropriated, or set aside, but that hasnt been spent because no contracts have been awarded. Losing unobligated funds, even temporarily, could muddy the timeline for military projects around the globe, observers said. Advertisement It is a real threat, Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, said in an interview with the Union-Tribune. The notion that we would take money from those, in effect delaying them, doesnt make any sense. Robert McMahon, assistant secretary of defense for sustainment, testified at the subcommittee hearing that the military projects likely to be deferred will impose no or a minimal impact on military readiness. That wasnt enough for some Congress members, who said they want to know which military construction projects may be de-funded or delayed. Its clear these projects are critical to our military readiness and military families, said Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, which is why I voted to block Trumps national emergency declaration. Delaying these projects means delaying our military readiness, and there is no guarantee that Trump wont raid these projects in the future. Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee recently disseminated a list of hundreds of military construction projects which they say are vulnerable because of unobligated funding. That list includes 26 projects at bases in San Diego County, totaling more than $940 million. The San Diego projects include some high-profile weapons systems and training facilities on Navy and Marine Corps installations. For instance, there is almost $80 million set aside for airfield improvements on Naval Air Station North Island, needed to accommodate the Navys new CMV-22B Ospreys. Marine Ospreys are a common sight around MCAS Miramar, but North Islands will be the Navys first. Marine V-22 Ospreys perform at the 2018 Miramar Air Show. The Marines have been flying the aircraft for years now, however, the Navy has yet to receive them. Funds for new aircraft infrastructure at Naval Air Station North Island were approved by Congress but could be diverted. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) A new Osprey squadron VRM-30 officially stood up on North Island in December but, as of now, it has no aircraft. Cmdr. Ronald Flanders, a spokesman for Naval Air Forces, said new facilities are needed before the aircraft are expected to arrive in 2020. Flanders said he could not say if the timeframe for Osprey deployment would be affected by the emergency declaration. Another new aircraft the Marines next generation F-35B vertical takeoff and landing fighter is due to arrive at MCAS Miramar early next year. Vertical landing pads and a taxiway for the base are among the projects that could be delayed or canceled, according to the list. The F-35B Lightning II, Joint Strike Fighter demonstration at the MCAS Miramar Air Show. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) Marine Capt. Matthew Gregory, a spokesman for the base, said he has not heard that project would be delayed, and he expects the fighters to arrive on time. At this point, it hasnt been brought up, he said. Everything is on timeline. Also on the list are more $600 million in projects for Navy Special Warfare on Coronado. Construction is underway on the new Navy SEAL Coastal Campus at the southern end of the Silver Strand and, since many contracts remain to be awarded, a lot of that money could be redirected, the list suggests. Another Navy project on the list is a new $48 million pier for Naval Base San Diego. Lee Saunders, a spokesman for Naval Facilities Engineering Command, declined to comment on which projects could be affected. Thats pure speculation and an issue for Congress and the president to decide, he said. Other projects possibly in the crosshairs include several at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, such as $47 million in potable water distribution improvements and almost $50 million for a maintenance and warehouse facility, the list shows. Department of Defense Spokesman Christopher Sherwood said during an interview Wednesday that no decisions have been made regarding which projects to be cut. Robert McMahon, assistant secretary of defense for sustainment, testified at the subcommittee hearing that Trump is legally authorized by the emergency declaration to take funds from any project on that list. At this point in time every unobligated dollar within the department is in consideration, McMahon said. But, it is unlikely that any project would be cancelled outright, he said. Instead, affected projects would be deferred to a later budget year, he said. That means the defense department intends to ask Congress again to fund the projects. Some Congress members said there is no guarantee that funding will be restored. I would want to reappropriate money for these projects, Peters said, but the concern, of course, is weve done this work and won the battles for San Diego, but we dont know what the next budget would do. Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, said at the hearing he supports President Trump, but he wants more information about how the Department of Defense would determine which projects to keep and which to delay. We have to solve the crisis at the southern border, Carter said, but not at the expense of those whove bravely served. Military readiness and border security are not mutually exclusive, said Michael Harrison, a spokesman for Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, in an email. Harrison noted that the list of vulnerable projects came from the Democratic House members, who are against the Presidents emergency action. This does not mean, however, that the administration is actually reducing funding from these specific projects, he said. Added Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, whose district includes Camp Pendleton: Im hopeful that members here will be able to explain the importance, and (Trump) and his staff will hear the disturbing facts, of where the funds will come from. If we want to keep the safety and security of the country in place, we have to have military that is trained effectively. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. The San Diego USO held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday at the soft opening of its new Liberty Station headquarters, which the organization says will help it better serve the local active-duty military community. The location, at 2790 Truxtun Road, augments the three existing USO centers downtown, San Diego International Airport and the Military Entrance Processing Station. While the USO is well-known for hosting entertainers overseas for troops, it has moved recently to offer more services to help those transitioning out of the military. Our brick and mortar locations have been very successful, said Lorin Stewart, CEO of USO San Diego. What we want to do is try to go outbound, get out of the brick and mortar and start producing programs out in the community we serve. Advertisement The new USO headquarters in Liberty Station, at 3,800 square feet, includes offices, conference space, a kitchen and a lounge area (pictured). (Andrew Dyer/ Union-Tribune) The new space spans 3,800 square feet and includes offices, conference rooms, a kitchen and lounge area. Ashley Camac, the director of operations and programs at USO San Diego, said the new headquarters would be a hub for local service members and their immediate families. On Monday, the USO and Google announced a new program to train service members and their spouses. Camac said anyone interested could now come to the new headquarters for information. The transition services are currently happening here, so if anybody walks in and they want to get connected to somebody who helps with resumes or can help in the job search we can do that, she said. Retired Army Gen. George W. Casey, a former Army chief of staff and the chairman of the USO Board of Governors, said the organization is looking for new ways to serve the military. This 77-year-old organization is not resting on its laurels, Casey said. Were continuing to do new things to support the men and women of the armed forces and their families. Casey also talked about the scope of the military presence in San Diego. More than 8 percent of the active duty military in the United States is here in San Diego, he said. By my calculations, since the USO was stood up, some 35 million men and women have served the United States of America in peace and war, and the USO has been there with them at home, in an airport and overseas. Rep. Darrell Issa was on hand to receive an award from the USO for his service to the military while in Congress. He talked about what the USO meant to him while on active duty in the Army. I knew they were there, they were always there, he said. The USO was there to get you home, keep track of you and to be there for you and your family. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. A trio of executive orders signed by President Trump in May to take on what he considers a bloated and inefficient federal workforce are working as intended, administration officials say, although Department of Veteran Affairs workers and union members say the implementation is hurting workers and veterans. The workers and union members say the orders, in combination with a new VA accountability law signed by Trump last year, are creating choas and hurting morale. A VA spokesman said the new rules are holding employees accountable for their performance or lack thereof. The president touted the success in comments to the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention in July, pointing to the number of fired employees as a benchmark for progress. Weve gotten rid of a lot of people over the last year, he said. Only the bad ones. The good ones we cherish. Advertisement On July 20, the VA announced it had implemented one of the three orders orders Trump signed restricting union leaders from doing union business on official time, funded by taxpayers. The VA said the changes are freeing up employees to spend more serving for veterans rather than union bosses. Union leaders say they are serving their members and the agency at large with the union work they do on official time by performing human resources-related functions such as contract disputes, leave requests and filing grievances. A change in the law In June 2017, Trump signed the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act into law, changing the process by which the VA reviews employee performance deficiencies as well as the time frames within which the agency must address them. The department, which serves the nations roughly 20 million veterans, had been under pressure to shorten the wait times in claims processing and at its medical centers. Although Trump promotes the firings made possible under the law, VA employees speaking in their capacity as union leaders said they have hurt morale throughout the agency. Anthony Gallagher, the president of the San Diego chapter of the union, reviews disability claims at the Veterans Benefits Administration. He serves about 625 VA workers. Gallagher described an agency at war with its own employees. He said that since the accountability law was passed, hes been in a constant battle to protect his members. Theyre taking away our rights for due process that are in our (union) contract, he said. Basically, the (law) has turned us into at-will employees. Another benefits rating specialist, Jim Rihel, serves as the AFGE president in Philadelphia. He said it is as though the VA is determined to fire as many employees as possible. Were spending more time worrying about our jobs than doing them, he said. Thousands fired The VA employs more than 300,000 people. According to the latest numbers from the VA, as of the end of June, 2,743 employees have been fired since Trump took office. David Cox Sr., the national president of the 700,000-member American Federation of Government Employees, said the firings are harming veterans and not improving the agency. I dont know any business that has fired its way to success, he said. Of the fired employees, 60 held supervisory job titles, including former department secretary David Shulkin, who was fired in March. The agencys press secretary, Curt Cashour, said restructuring under the new law has resulted in improved performance in the benefit administration. When it comes to compensation and pension rating claims, VA has reduced the average completion time from 113 days to 99 days, he said in an email. Lee Blackmon, the federal director of the National Association of Government Employees another federal workers union said the firings were affecting morale and patient care. Employees are under stress, tension increases (and) call-outs go up, she said. Its not a happy or good place to work right now. If you feel threatened, what kind of care can you give? The new accountability law simplified the process for terminating VA employees and, according to Gallagher, the agency is not acting in good faith in its assessment of employee performance. Gallagher said workers they represent had their job descriptions changed without being notified, then were written-up for not performing up to those new standards. Theyll change the standard without telling you, without testing it, Gallagher said. If you change the (job) description, you change the requirement that you had...or they make it so high that you cant do it. Cashour denied the agency changed workers job descriptions without notification. Thats false, he said in an email. An agency in chaos The three executive orders Trump signed in May directed federal agencies to aggressively negotiate labor contracts, further streamlined the firing process and put strict limits on official time taxpayer funding of union work done at the agency, which was authorized in the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. More than a dozen unions have sued the Trump Administration, claiming the orders violate the 1978 law. Arguments were heard in July, and a judge is expected to rule Aug. 24. Previously, employees in leadership positions in the union might devote up to 100 percent of their workdays performing union-related work. Under the new rules, no more than 25 percent of official time may be used for union business. In an email, Cashour said the Trump administration is protecting taxpayers and ensuring more paid VA time is spent serving veterans. Prior to this executive order, VA employees spent more than a million hours a year doing taxpayer-funded work for union bosses instead of taking care of veterans, Cashour said. This policy will expand VAs ability to provide patient care by ensuring employees will be spending more of their time placing veterans not union bosses first in everything they do. Gallagher, who until recently was one of those 100 percent official time employees, said his work conducting union business focused on serving VA employees, not union bosses. A lot of work is in reporting deficiencies in health and morale, he said, adding that he used to help employees union and non-union file grievances, but that the new orders now forbid him from doing so. Gallagher also said the VA had botched implementation of the order. They have no plan, he said. Its causing chaos. Cashour disagreed. The implementation is going very well, he said, noting that guidance was sent to VA facilities as recently as July 17. A red herring A recent report by ProPublica detailed how three members of Trumps Mar-a-Lago club in Florida were secretly shaping policy at VA by communicating with officials daily on policy and personnel decisions. Democrats in Congress condemned the report, saying they would investigate private interference in the agency. The liberal veterans organization VoteVets on Thursday sued the Trump Administration, claiming that the Mar-a-Lago Council is violating federal laws that regulate the ability of private interests to shape federal policy. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a veteran advocacy nonprofit, supported last years accountability law and supports the firing of bad-performing employees, but a spokesman said the group has noticed the departments current chaotic conditions. We see that, said Tom Porter, IAVAs legislative director. A lot of employees (are) leaving, the result of that hurts vets. We need stability at the VA to help vets, not meet a political agenda. Porter said that agenda is privatization of the VA. Former Secretary Shulkin told NPR in March that there were political forces at work in the department, and that his firing was connected to his resistance to privatization. The VA has posted a statement on its website saying there is no such push. There is no effort underway to privatize VA, it says, and to suggest otherwise is completely false and a red herring designed to distract and avoid honest debate on the real issues surrounding Veterans health care. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. A new report by the Veterans Affairs Inspector General found that almost half of the sexual assault post traumatic stress disorder claims denied during a four-month period in 2017 were incorrectly processed, potentially denying benefits to more than 1,000 veterans. The report said in almost 30 percent of the cases, evidence was sufficient to request a follow-up medical exam, but none was requested. Other cases were denied after staff failed to request private treatment records from veterans or did not make a required phone call. Ten percent of the denied claims were done so based on contradictory or insufficient medical opinions. The Inspector General cited a lack of specialization in the Veterans Benefits Administration, who review claims, as well as the lack of additional reviews for complex cases and inadequate training. Advertisement In the report, the Inspector General cited 2013 data from the RAND corporation that found most sexual assault victims do not seek medical care immediately. This might affects a veterans military medical history, which the agency uses to award benefits. To combat this, benefits staff is supposed to look for markers in the service record which might indicate a sexual assault, such as changes in performance, increased use of leave, or pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease tests around the time of the incident. In the 2017 fiscal year, the VBA processed approximately 12,000 sexual trauma-related claims and denied 5,500. Investigators looked at a sample of 169 of them and found 82 were improperly denied. Extrapolated for the year, that figures out to almost 2,700 mishandled denials that year. The Inspector General made six recommendations to the VA, including that the agency review all denied military sexual assault claims from October 2016 to September 2017. It also recommended a specialized group of processors be assigned sexual trauma cases. In its response, the VA said it was developing a plan to review all denied sexual assault claims from October 1, 2016 through June 30, 2018, as well as claims denied so far in fiscal year 2019. The Inspector Generals office said it would monitor and follow-up with the agency. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. A Veterans Day ceremony at Mt. Soledad Monday afternoon marked the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I by recognizing a U.S. Marine whose bravery during that conflict would have earned him a Medal of Honor if he didnt already have two. Sgt. Major Dan Daly, once described by his bosses as the outstanding Marine of all time, remains part of service lore, his exploits still taught during boot camp. Legend has it that when things got especially tough during the war, amid the hand-to-hand savagery at Belleau Wood in northern France, Daly rallied those under his command by shouting, Come on, you sons of b------, do you want to live forever? Col. Charles Dockery, commanding officer at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, outlined some of Dalys heroism in his keynote speech Monday to a crowd of about 300 people. But he said there was something else that distinguished Daly from millions of others who fought in the war. Advertisement He was one of the lucky ones, Dockery said, because he came home. A plaque honoring Daly was unveiled during the ceremony. It will join about 5,000 others that line the walls of the memorial recognizing veterans from the Revolutionary War through the recent conflicts. Born on Long Island, N.Y. in 1873, Daly enlisted in the Marines at age 25 in hopes of seeing action in the Spanish-American War. He was too late. By the time he finished boot camp, the war was over. A year later, he was in Taku Bay, China, with a contingent of Marines during the Boxer Rebellion. When Chinese soldiers threatened to overrun an Allied position, Daly held them off single-handedly until reinforcements arrived. That brought him his first Medal of Honor. In 1915, he earned his second in action in Haiti after his group of about 40 Marines company came under fire from 400 anti-government rebels during a six-day reconnaissance mission. Daly served in World War I for about 18 months. In addition to his famous exhortations at Belleau Wood, he once captured an enemy machine-gun nest by himself, attacking it with grenades and a handgun. Later, during the same battle, he rushed out under heavy fire to retrieve wounded Marines. Nominated for another Medal of Honor, Daly instead received the Distinguished Service Cross. Military administrators thought it would be unwise to give three to the same person. The award was later upgraded to a Navy Cross, the second-highest medal for combat valor. Part of Dalys lore is that the snub didnt seem to bother him. Medals, he said, were a lot of foolishness. He died in 1937, remembered by Maj. Gen. John Lejeune as the outstanding Marine of all time. Mondays ceremony also included music from Marine Band San Diego, a four-plane flyover by the San Diego Performance Formation Team, and two veterans dressed in World War I doughboy uniforms who were in steady demand for photos. One of the costumed vets, Paul Pintek, said he was honored to wear the uniform and give people a flavor of what it was like back then. There arent any more World War I veterans who are alive, he said. Its important that we know their stories and pass them on to future generations. john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com Evidence was presented in a San Diego military courtroom Tuesday to determine whether a Navy SEAL platoon commander will be tried on charges that he failed to act when made aware of atrocities allegedly committed by another SEAL during a 2017 deployment in Iraq. Lt. Jacob Xavier Portier faces seven charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman and dereliction of duty. Military prosecutors allege Portier knew about the actions of Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, who is accused of killing of a wounded teenage ISIS combatant in Mosul. In the hours after the killing, Portier conducted a reenlistment ceremony for Gallagher next to the teenagers corpse. Portier then, according to the prosecution, ordered his platoon to take a group photo next to the dead prisoner. Advertisement Prosecutors said that although Portier was not present during the killing, he was made aware of it by other SEALs. The defense argued that Portier reported Gallagher as soon as the lieutenant found out about the incidents. Marine Capt. Conor McMahon argued the governments position in front of Navy Cmdr. Phil Hamon, who presided over the hearing at Naval Base San Diego. This case is about a Navy lieutenant who didnt possess the moral courage to do the right thing, said McMahon, in his closing comments. Lt. Portier didnt take out a hunting knife and stab a prisoner in the neck. He didnt get behind a sniper rifle and shoot at a little girl trying to escape from ISIS and he didnt shoot an old man taking water jugs to the river. But he knew about it and he did nothing. Tuesdays hearing called an Article 32 hearing was not a trial, but a preliminary hearing, similar to what would be held in front of a civilian grand jury. Hamon will make a report to military authorities, who will then determine whether Portier will stand trial. Navy judge advocates said that decision was expected by early December. Prosecutors allege that other, unnamed members of the platoon came to Portier throughout the deployment with concerns about Gallaghers conduct in the field, including shooting at least two non-combatant civilians. After the platoon returned to San Diego, some of its members continued to lobby Portier to hold Gallagher accountable for his actions, prosecutors said. It got so bad that by February or March 2018, (the two SEALs) were so frustrated that they went to Lt. Portier and told him if an investigation wasnt launched, they were going directly to NCIS, the Commodore or Fox News, McMahon said. This is not a case about any minor misconduct by the enlisted sailors in the platoon or any perceived guilt by association. This is about Chief Gallagher killing civilians indiscriminately and the chain of command that did nothing about it. Prosecutors also allege Portier made false statements when questioned about Gallaghers actions by his commanders. Attorney Jeremiah Sullivan, who represents Portier, said there are conflicting accounts from members of the platoon, and that instead of reporting the incidents to him, the SEALs actually kept information from Portier. Once he found out, he did report Gallagher to his chain of command. Sullivan is asking for a speedy trial for Portier, saying the prosecutions case was weak. Its not going to go well for the government, he said in comments to the hearing officer. After the hearing, Sullivan told the Union-Tribune that members of the platoon had had meetings in order to get their stories straight and that a war crime was never reported to (Portier). Portier was an ROTC cadet at Ohio State University and reported to the Navys Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL school upon his graduation in March 2010. He has served with San Diego-based SEAL units since then. His awards include the Bronze Star with combat V device and the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. A Del Mar company took down its website and Facebook page and had its Twitter account suspended last week after an Oklahoma veteran came forward and accused the company of failing to refund him more than $10,000 for almost two years. Coty Melancon, a disabled Air Force veteran, purchased a $16,600 tank-like wheelchair from Del Mar-based Iron Horse Devices in December 2016. He did so with $12,000 from the Semper Fi Fund charity, plus $3,700 raised on GoFundMe. Melancon received his chair on Dec. 23, 2016. He said the chair functioned as advertised at first, then broke down soon after it was delivered. Melancon said he faced months of delays and shifting explanations from the company, then reached out to his local television station in Oklahoma. Advertisement After a story aired on Sept. 17, the Del Mar company unpublished its social media accounts and website, according to Kathryn Evans, the companys co-founder. I took down the Facebook account due to Mr. Melancons negative information about us, she said by email. It caused our FB page to blow up with negative comments asking why we were taking advantage of a disabled veteran. Evans said she has been threatened on her personal accounts. She also said she has offered Melancon a full refund. Melancon said his attorney is in negotiations with the company for a settlement, and expects it will wire him the money soon. He has shopped for a replacement off-road chair that costs about the same as the one from Iron Horse Devices, and he plans on buying it as soon as he gets his refund. The problem with Melancons chair began almost as soon as it was delivered, he said. After an initial drive the day he received it, Melancon stored the chair in his garage. On New Years Day, 2017, he took the chair hunting. It was the first and last time the machine functioned as intended, he said. I took the chair to go hunting in Wellston, Oklahoma, Melancon said in an email. I returned home and parked (it) in my garage with no issues. A week later, the next time he went to use his chair, he said the right track was not moving and he called Evans. She informed me that I would need to send the chair back for them to diagnose, Melancon said. So he did. Melancon said he kept a log of the dates and all the emails exchanged between him and the company. According to him, from Jan. 30, 2017, to Aug. 28, 2018, the company gave more than a dozen different explanations as to why it could not refund his money or sell his chair on consignment. Melancon said at that time, the company told him the problem was a broken gear box and a burned motor. Evans said in an email last week that the company could not determine why the chair stopped working. We believe it was due to water damage to the electric motors which were washed at a car wash, she said, causing electrical damage not covered by the warranty. Melancon said he hosed the chair off at his home. According to him, the company told him it would be replacing all parts on the chair in mid-February 2017. By March 15, the promised date of repair, the work had not been finished. At this point, he said he decided hed rather have a refund. Instead of a refund, Melancon agreed to enter into a consignment agreement with Iron Horse Devices on March 23. We have a signed consignment agreement with Mr. Melancon, said Evans in an email. The company would re-sell the chair for Melancon, and then give him the money. Over the next 17 months, promised buyers would come and go, and Melancon would be assured his chair was sold or was in the process of being sold over and over again, he said. In September 2017, he received partial payment from the company, he said, in the amount of $3,767. The new year unfolded much like the previous, Melancon said, as he asked for updates only to be told the chair was being demonstrated, upgraded or in the process of being sold. By May, Melancon said he asked for a direct refund. In a June email, Evans told him the company did not have the money to give him a refund. By the end of August, Evans told Melancon there was a delay in the shop, and it would take at least five more weeks for a refund. Thats when Melancon went to his local news station. Iron Horse Devices was incorporated in 2016 in Del Mar. Its listed business address 1155 Camino Del Mar is a UPS Store. Correspondence sent to Melancon lists a Rancho Penasquitos residence as the companys address. We do not have an office, Evans said. The products are manufactured and then assembled at multiple contracted shops. The company was built on the remnants of another tracked-chair company, Tankchair. A 2015 story about Tankchair on ITV in the United Kingdom reported on similar issues with a customer trying to obtain a refund for the device. We do not have any business affiliation or current relation to Tankchair, Evans said. Iron Horse purchased parts and inventory from Tankchair. We invested in engineering to correct the problems. Evans and an investor, John Pabst a San Diego real estate agent separated their ties with Tankchair, Evans said. Products are being sold as-is and are considered demo units, she said. This is on the invoice we provide to our customers. This project relies on the expertise of the engineers and technicians we contract. Yes, we have experienced prototyping hurdles, and we correct and move forward. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. A recent leak of more than 200,000 online chat logs from a white supremacist group reveals how local members are targeting students on San Diego college campuses and trying to project a respectable image even as the groups members privately espoused Islamophobic, anti-Semitic and racist views. The group, called Identity Evropa, is nationally known for helping organize the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a protestor was killed and dozens were injured over two days of clashes. More recently, the group made news because online whistleblowers began identifying Identity Evropa members, publishing their online chat messages and linking them with social media posts. In the past week their efforts have led to official investigations of a Virginia school police officer and seven service members from various branches of the US military. The logs were released by Unicorn Riot, a non-profit educational media collective. Unicorn Rito has previously released chats from other extremist organizations and hosts them online in a searchable database. Advertisement A Union-Tribune review of the chat logs reveals a local branch of Identity Evropa has visited local colleges at least a dozen times since Fall 2017, though flyers first appeared at San Diego State University the year before. The chat logs also refer to publicity and recruitment activities at Southern California colleges as recently as last month. The Southern Poverty Law Center considers Identity Evropa a hate group, and the Anti-Defamation League categorizes it as a white supremacist organization. Its leadership rejects these definitions. Current CEO Patrick Casey, who graduated from San Diego State University in 2016, has tried to rein in his groups extremist expressions online, the chats show. REMINDER, he wrote under his acknowledged pseudonym Reinhard Wolff. Do not post negative things about other races, do not advocate violence, do not use crude language. In short, do not say anything that, if leaked, would make us look bad. The leaked chats show Caseys efforts to muffle hate speech were ineffective. Identity Evropa members sometimes referred to Islam in the chats as a cancer and warned about Muslims immigrating to and holding public office in predominantly white countries. Group members discussed the great replacement in more than 150 comments, referring to the idea of Europeans being replaced by people of color. A similar concept was part of the written message by the mass shooter who killed 50 people in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand last week. Members also wrote more than 200 times about the Jewish Question, a conspiracy theory that posits that Jewish people yield wide-ranging societal and governmental control. In a series of interview emails with the Union-Tribune last week, Casey said Identity Evropa was not a hate group. We explicitly denounced racial hatred and extremism on many occasions, Casey said. When asked about the types of comments Identity Evropa members posted in the chats, Casey declined to answer, calling the question boring. Even so, he said he has started a new group, the American Identity Movement, which also recently distributed flyers and stickers on the campuses of the University of California Berkeley and Sacramento State, according to its Twitter account. The leaked chats from Identity Evropa show members targeting mainstream, conservative student organizations, such as the College Republicans and Turning Point USA. One Identity Evropa member bragged online in February about manning a Turning Point USA table at a college while promoting his groups beliefs and getting Turning Point USA to pay for lunch. My ultimate goal is subversion of my schools TPUSA chapter into a front for IE, he wrote, referring to Identity Evropa. Turning Point USA did not respond to requests for comment. Someone chatting under the name TMatthews in September said he is an officer of the College Republicans on his campus and believes many other Identity Evropa members also have joined. Its easy to infiltrate low level GOP stuff if you just show up, he wrote. Ben Rajadurai, deputy executive director of the College Republican National Committee, said these extremists are not welcome. Racial divisiveness has no place on our college campuses, and students joining our organization are committed to treating people with respect and defending human rights for everyone, he said in an email. Nationally, Identity Evropa was responsible for at least 191 of 319 reported incidents of white supremacist propaganda at colleges and universities in 2018, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Dr. Peter Simi, a Chapman University researcher specializing in extremist groups, said Identity Evropa is potentially more dangerous than traditional skinhead and neo-Nazi organizations because Identity Evropas strategy is to feign respectability while playing down violent or racist themes. Its more dangerous because it potentially has broader appeal, Simi said. There are folks who wouldnt necessarily get involved with a group thats more extreme looking. You have to see it as part of a larger strategy to normalize their presence. Even the name of the groups online chat channel Nice Respectable People Group reflects Identity Evropas desire for a sanitized public face. More than 800 individual accounts were registered to the groups server before that channel was shut down, according to the leaks. In San Diego county, the leaks show Identity Evropa members engaged in at least a dozen instances of white supremacist propaganda postings and distribution on college campuses. Members usually posted materials at night in common areas on campuses and on bulletin boards and light poles. They often returned the next day to take photos of their work, according to the chat entries. Casey told the SDSU student newspaper, The Daily Aztec, last year that there were between 50 and 100 members of Identity Evropa attending the university. But leaked online chats show 13 individual accounts from the San Diego area and just a handful of people posting pictures of their activities between September 2017 to March 2019. This small group, who posted under pseudonyms, were responsible for flyers at SDSU in September 2017 and February 2018, and banners at UCSD in October 2017 and flyers the next month, the chat logs show. Last year, Identity Evropa posted materials at San Diego City, Palomar, Grossmont and Mira Costa colleges. A San Diego-Southern California cell also posted materials at CSU Fullerton and Mt. San Jacinto College and last month spread flyers around UC Irvine and Saddleback College campuses. Some of the groups posters and flyers proclaimed Its okay to be white. Other flyers left off Identity Evropas logo and name while promoting a white supremacists book, using the phrase your professor is scared of this book. Identity Evropa held a private speaking event in an SDSU lecture hall In November 2017. A photo from the groups closed Twitter account showed at least 30 attendees. In January 2018, two people claiming to be part of Identity Evropa announced they were observing an ethnic studies class at UC San Diego. They texted on cell phones during class and, on the way out, one flashed an Identity Evropa badge, according to a UCSD Guardian story. According to Identity Evropas chat logs, none of the groups members were UCSD students at the time. In 2017, a group of Identity Evropa members hung two banners from the Price Center & Bookstore at UC San Diego. A UCSD spokeswoman condemned the organization and its activities. As hate groups continue to target colleges and universities throughout the country, taking advantage of policies that protect freedom of expression, UC San Diego will continue to unequivocally condemn all language and actions that espouse and support hate as well as any doctrines that elevate one group above another, said Christine Clark, a university spokeswoman. The antidote to hate speech is more speech speaking out against intolerance and bigotry and one the university will continue advocating. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. An appeal in a lawsuit filed by the widows of two Navy pilots killed in a 2013 accident was dismissed by a three-judge panel last week, the latest blow in a three-year legal fight that began shortly after the Navy partially blamed bad judgment and flawed ship design. The pilots, Lt. Cmdr. Landon L. Jones and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jonathan S. Gibson, were lost at sea after landing their MH-60 helicopter aboard the destroyer William P. Lawrence during operations in the Red Sea. They were attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 6 at Naval Air Station North Island. The captain of the Lawrence, Cmdr. Jana Vavasseur, was found by a Navy investigation to have exercised poor judgment pushing the ship hard in rough seas, making it roll and causing a wave to wash over the flight deck. The wave struck the helicopter while Jones and Gibson were still in it. The tail section came apart and the aircraft broke free of the chains that secured it to the deck. It then slid, out of control, across the deck and into the sea. Advertisement The Navy said there were known issues with the flight decks of Arleigh-Burke class destroyers in that their close proximity to the oceans surface increased the likelihood of water washing over them. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower courts decision to dismiss the case in a ruling filed Aug. 9. The case hinged upon the Feres doctrine, a legal precedent that prevents military members and their families from holding the government liable for incidents that occur during military operations. Brian Lawler, the San Diego-based attorney for the plaintiffs, Theresa Jones and Christina Gibson, said the 68-year-old Feres decision was anachronistic. Its been too broadly interpreted, he said. Lawler said the lawsuit was really about a defective product Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. The Arleigh Burke destroyer is unreasonably dangerous and the Navy has known this for 30 years, he said. If the Navy were Ford Motor Company and the destroyers were Pintos, theyd have to change them. The Navy offered no comment on the case Wednesday. In a brief submitted to the appeals court, officials argued that Feres was correctly applied to the case. The appeal involves the deaths of two Navy helicopter pilots...engaged in military operations in the Middle East, it said. As such, the district courts ruling applied well-settled law under the Feres doctrine. The circuit panel agreed in its ruling, but expressed reservations about the liberal application of Feres. It would be, they said, up to Congress or the Supreme Court to change it, however. Lawler said he planned on petitioning the 9th Circuit to re-hear the appeal, and, if unsuccessful, that hed petition the U.S. Supreme Court. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. TORONTO, March 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Clear Blue Technologies International Inc. (Clear Blue or the "Company") (TSXV:CBLU) announced that it has completed the final tranche of a non-brokered private placement of units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.25 per Unit, for gross proceeds of $1,661,875 (all amounts are in Canadian dollars). With the addition of its initial tranche equity capital raise, announced on February 25, 2019, the total proceeds under the offering are $2,669,875 (the "Offering"). We are pleased to be oversubscribed for our equity capital raise, which supports Clear Blues ambitious expansion plans in 2019, says Miriam Tuerk, CEO and Co-Founder, Clear Blue. We are excited to be strengthening our sales across verticals and geographic areas, as well as partnering with innovative, leading companies, to meet our revenue goals for this year. We look forward to 2019 being a pivotal year for our growth as the adoption of wireless power increases globally. Under the terms of the Offering, each Unit will be comprised of one common share of the Company and one common share purchase warrant of the Company. Each warrant will be exercisable at a price of $0.50 per share for a period of 36 months following the closing, and will be subject to accelerated expiration if the 10-day volume weighted average trading price of the Companys common shares is, at any time, greater than $0.80 per share. The Company has agreed to compensate finders who introduce purchasers in the Offering. In connection with the completion of the Offering, various finders received: (a) cash commission equal to 7% of the gross proceeds from the sale of Units to subscribers introduced by the finder under the Offering; and (b) that number of compensation options equal to 7% of the number of Units sold to subscribers introduced by the finder under the Offering, with each compensation option being exercisable to acquire one common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.50 per common share for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance, subject to accelerated expiration if the 10-day volume weighted average trading price of the Companys common shares is, at any time, greater than $0.80 per share. The securities issued under the Offering will be subject to a four-month hold period in accordance with applicable securities legislation. The Offering is subject to final approval from the TSX Venture Exchange. In accordance with a previously executed agreement with Hybrid Financial Ltd. (the Creditor), the Company reports that its board of directors has approved the settlement of up to $67,800 of debt through the issuance of common shares of the Company (the "Debt Settlement"). Pursuant to the Debt Settlement, the Company would issue up to 271,200 common shares of the Company at a deemed price of $0.25 per share to the Creditor. The issuance of the common shares to the Creditor is subject to, and conditional on, the approval of the TSXV. The common shares will be subject to a four-month hold period, which will expire on the date that is four months and one day from the date of issue. About Clear Blue Technologies International Clear Blue Technologies International Inc., the Smart Off-Grid company, was founded on a vision of delivering clean, managed, wireless power to meet the global need for reliable, low-cost, solar and hybrid power for lighting, telecom, security, Internet of Things devices, and other mission-critical systems. Today, Clear Blue has thousands of systems under management across 35 countries, including the U.S. and Canada. Clear Blue is listed on the TSXV under the ticker symbol CBLU. Legal Disclaimers This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Information and Statements This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only Clear Blue's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Clear Blue's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information contained herein may include, but is not limited to, information concerning the Offering (including the completion of the Offering) and the use of the proceeds raised under the Offering. By identifying such information and statements in this manner, Clear Blue is alerting the reader that such information and 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 Clear Blue to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. Media Contact: Becky Nye Senior Associate Montieth & Company 12 E 49th St., New York, NY 10017 bnye@montiethco.com +1 646.864.3517 Investor Relations: Miriam Tuerk Co-Founder and CEO +1 (855) 733-0119 x200 investors@clearbluetechnologies.com http://www.clearbluetechnologies.com/en/investors Men flying fighter jets, spy planes and parachutes may have been the main draw for tens of thousands of people at the annual Miramar Air Show Saturday, but the show was also meant to highlight something else the accomplishments of women in the militarys most male-heavy branch. The theme of this years Marine Corps Air Station Miramar air show is 100 Years of Women in the Marine Corps. On Saturday, in a hangar away from the crowds filling the air show performance area, was an exhibit highlighting firsts accomplished by women Marines. A few women Marines who claimed some of those firsts the first Marine pilot, the first Marine artillery officer were also there on Saturday as part of a meet-and-greet. Out of all the military branches, the Marines have the fewest women. Just 8.5 percent of active-duty Marines are women, while 15.1 percent of the Army, 19.7 percent of the Navy and 20.3 percent of the Air Force are, according to the Defense Manpower Data Center. Some women Marines at the air show speculated that the Marines have the least women partly because its the most demanding military branch, where everybody is trained as a rifleman first. Advertisement Were known to be the toughest branch, said staff Sgt. Shantel Limbo at Saturdays exhibit area. Were first to fight. Those factors could make the Marines seem more intimidating to some women, some female Marines said. 1 / 18 100-years of women in the Marine Corps is the 2018 MCAS MIramar Air Show theme. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 2 / 18 The Navy Blue Angels perform on the second day of the 2018 Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 3 / 18 A photo of the first Marine Corps female pilot, Lt. Col. Sarah Deal Burrow, is part of the 100-year timeline of women in the Marine Corps, on display during the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 4 / 18 Two Navy SEALs, part of the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs Parachute Team prepare to land during the second day of the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 5 / 18 The Navy Blue Angels perform on the second day of the 2018 Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 6 / 18 Two F/A-18 Hornets swoop in at high speed to start the Marine Air-Ground Task Force demonstration during the second day of the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 7 / 18 Mr. Andrews, a Marine Corps Veteran has his face painted in camouflage during the second day of the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 8 / 18 The Navy Blue Angels perform on the second day of the 2018 Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 9 / 18 Spectators grab shade under the wings a a Marine Corps KC-130J tanker from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352 (VMGR-352) during the second day of the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 10 / 18 The Navy Blue Angels perform on the second day of the 2018 Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 11 / 18 The Navy Blue Angels perform on the second day of the 2018 Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 12 / 18 The Navy Blue Angels perform on the second day of the 2018 Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 13 / 18 An Air Force U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane performs during the second day of the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 14 / 18 The Navy Blue Angels perform on the second day of the 2018 Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 15 / 18 Spectators look skyward as the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs Parachute Team and the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team perform during the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 16 / 18 The Navy Blue Angels perform on the second day of the 2018 Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 17 / 18 Spectators grab shade under the wings a a Marine Corps KC-130J tanker from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352 (VMGR-352) during the second day of the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 18 / 18 Eight-year-old Kiran Singh of Redondo Beach enjoys himself on the V5 Ultimate Bungee during the second day of the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) I think a lot of people dont think they can do it, said 1st Lt. Virginia Brodie, who became the Marine Corps first artillery officer in 2016. People dont realize that if they want to do it, they can. The Marine Corps enlisted its first woman, Pvt. Opha May Johnson, in 1918. Over the next few decades, women had relatively limited roles as Marines. During World War II, for example, women enlisted in the Marines mostly to free a man to fight, taking up jobs that were largely clerical. It wasnt until December 2015 that the U.S. secretary of defense ordered all military jobs to be opened to women. Up until then, about 10 percent of military positions had been closed to women, including infantry, reconnaissance and some special operations units, according to the Department of Defense. That decision allowed Brodie to become one of the first two women to ever graduate from the Marine Corps artillery school in 2016. It was challenging at first to prove myself, Brodie said. I take a lot of pride in being a female Marine, but at the end of the day, youre just a Marine, as well. Women Marines described a dichotomy between expecting to be treated like any other Marine and facing gender biases held by some of their male colleagues and superiors. Limbo, who has been a Marine for 12 years, said a male Marine officer once refused to work with her because, he told her, she was a woman. Theyre obligated to protect us and they see us as weaker. Its programmed in their brains. Its like, no, I can pick up my own box, Limbo said. Were still fighting that battle of equal opportunity. I dont think its ever going to be gone. A 2014 study estimated that more than a quarter of active women military service members experienced gender discrimination or sexual harassment within one year. For women Marines, the study estimated it was 31.4 percent, compared to 15.7 percent for the Air Force, which was estimated to have the least gender discrimination. A separate 2016 survey found that 18.3 percent of women Marines reported experiencing gender discrimination, compared to 14.1 percent in the military overall. For Lt. Col. Sarah Deal, who became the Marine Corps first woman pilot in 1995 and flew a CH-53E helicopter in Afghanistan, gender discrimination meant getting way more advice than she wanted. She said she was pulled aside by a male Marine who told her, We know youre here, and we dont care. For Manuela Santos, who served as a Marine from 1978 to 1998 and is now secretary of San Diego Countys Women Marines Association chapter, gender discrimination meant being told to run and stand separately from her fellow male Marines. It meant having to speak up for herself when she discovered that male Marines were making decisions about her platoon while they were in mens changing facilities, which were off-limits to women. Youve just got to be mentally tough and know your job. Youve got to be able to stand your ground. Thats how you win the men over, Santos said. As women, we know that were always trailblazing for the next generation. Kristen Taketa Email: kristen.taketa@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @Kristen_Taketa Edward Gallagher was something special, even by the punishing standards of the Navy SEALs. Both a lifesaving medic and a crack sniper, he was repeatedly decorated for valor and for coolheaded leadership during 19 years of combat deployments. After his latest tour, fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq, he was named the top platoon leader in SEAL Team 7 and nominated for the Silver Star, the militarys third-highest honor. But now, less than a year later, Special Operations Chief Gallagher, 39, is locked in the brig, facing charges that during that same deployment his eighth he shot indiscriminately at civilians, killed a teenage Islamic State fighter with a handmade custom blade, and then performed his re-enlistment ceremony posing with the teenagers bloody corpse in front of a U.S. flag. The Navy has charged Gallagher with premeditated murder, attempted murder and nearly a dozen other offenses, including obstruction of justice and bringing discredit upon the armed forces. If he is convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. Gallagher denies all the charges. Advertisement The case has sent waves through the secretive world of the SEALs, who prefer to operate behind the headlines in an atmosphere of silent professionalism. And the case could widen as the investigation implicates other SEALs who did not report what they knew. A lieutenant has already been charged. The chiefs arrest has also shaken his family, who cannot square the list of war crimes with the sailor they have long known. This is not who Eddie is, said his wife, Andrea Gallagher. He is a lifesaver. He is that guy who runs into the burning building when other people are running out. In a two-day preliminary hearing at Naval Base San Diego that concluded Thursday, prosecutors presented accounts from several other SEALs in Gallaghers platoon describing his behavior as reckless and bloodthirsty. They said he fired into civilian crowds, gunned down a girl walking along a riverbank and an old man carrying a water jug, and threatened to kill fellow SEALs if they reported his actions. Some platoon members were so distraught by the chiefs actions, investigators said, that they tampered with his sniper rifle to make it less accurate, and fired warning shots to scare away civilians before the chief had a chance to shoot them. They said they spent more time protecting civilians than they did fighting ISIS, Special Agent Joe Warpinski of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service told the military court. Gallagher sat in the courtroom in dress uniform during the hearing, his face deeply creased and tanned from years of combat duty. He did not testify. His lawyer, Phillip Stackhouse, said the charges were baseless. He said the only evidence that the chief had killed anyone came from accounts offered by a few SEALs who were disgruntled because they could not meet their leaders demanding standards. I promise you, we will call many more SEALs who will say none of this ever happened, Stackhouse said. The purpose of the hearing, known as an Article 32 hearing, was to determine whether the case should proceed to a trial. Both sides said they believe it will, probably in 2019. The son of a West Point graduate and career Army officer, Gallagher enlisted in the Navy as a medic in 1999 and deployed to Iraq, attached to a Marine infantry unit. Then he decided to become a SEAL, and was one of the few Navy medics ever to complete the Marines demanding scout sniper school. He finished his SEAL training in 2004. His combination of skills put him in high demand. He deployed frequently with different teams, steadily advanced in rank, and built a record studded with awards for exemplary conduct and valor, braving fire to kill enemies and save friends in Iraq and Afghanistan. His eighth deployment, from February to September 2017, was to Mosul, Iraq. Some of the SEALs who served under him told investigators that at first they were excited to be led by someone with Gallaghers reputation, but they soon started to see him as unhinged. He fired his rifle about 10 times as often as other snipers, they said, even at times when there seemed to be no targets. Every single sniper in the platoon said he was not a good sniper, Warpinski told the court. The chief was hard on his platoon, investigators said, berating and punishing SEALs who he thought were not aggressive enough. Gallaghers lawyers said that hard feelings in the platoon over his actions had led some SEALs to concoct stories in the hope of forcing him from command. In May 2017, Iraqi forces captured an enemy fighter who had been wounded in an airstrike. Video images show the bleeding fighter, who was thought to be between 12 and 17, being brought to the SEAL platoon on the hood of a truck, and Gallagher and others cutting away his clothing to give medical aid. Photos of the fighter appeared to show that medics had put tubes used to treat a collapsed lung in his side and cut an emergency airway in his throat. Navy investigators said that one SEAL medic was kneeling over the fighters head, treating him, when Gallagher walked up and, without saying a word, took out a handmade knife and stabbed the teenager several times in the neck and side. Investigators said two other SEALs gave similar accounts. Members of the platoon then posed for photos with Gallagher as he held the teenagers head up by the hair with one hand, and held his knife in the other. Photos show Gallagher then raising his right hand to perform a re-enlistment ceremony over the body, while another SEAL member holds a U.S. flag. Soon after the episode, investigators said, Gallagher texted a photo of the body to a fellow SEAL member with the message, I got him with my hunting knife. Stackhouse, the defense lawyer, said the teenager had probably died of the serious injuries he suffered in the airstrike, and that no evidence had been offered showing any stab wounds. As for the photos taken afterward, posing with the body, Stackhouse said, these types of pictures are not unique; theyve been in every Iraq case Ive ever done. Investigators say several SEALs in the platoon spoke to commanders about the episode, but that no action was taken. Some of them reported it to higher leadership in December 2017, and again in April, when a criminal investigation was opened. In September, when the Navy became aware of what prosecutors said were efforts by the chief to intimidate witnesses, he was arrested and put in pretrial confinement. At the hearing Thursday, Navy prosecutor Chris Czaplak said the chief had done damage beyond murder. Does the public still believe we are the good guys, because Chief Gallagher decided to act like the monster the terrorists accuse us of being? he said. He handed ISIS propaganda manna from heaven. His actions are everything ISIS says we are. Philipps writes for The New York Times. For Staff Sgt. Jennifer Pineda, a 15-year veteran of the California Air National Guard, the military was a family calling. She followed her older sister and brother-in-law into the guard, where she now holds an administrative position at the elite 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno. On a March morning four years ago, Pineda was about to dress into a uniform she had stored overnight in a stall in the womens bathroom when she made a foul discovery. Someone had urinated in her boots. The incident left Pineda humiliated and frightened and would trigger a series of behind-the-scenes investigations whose scope has come to extend beyond what happened that day at the Fresno base. Advertisement The defiling of Pinedas boots has led to allegations that high-ranking officers tried to bury the incident, including by destroying evidence that could have potentially identified a suspect through DNA, and retaliated against a male pilot who supported her efforts to find the perpetrator, according to interviews and guard records obtained by The Times. Some in the wing have begun calling the ongoing saga Pissgate. After The Times began asking questions about the Pineda episode, the California Military Department, which oversees the guard, asked the U.S. Air Force Inspector Generals Office to conduct an investigation. In the backdrop of the #MeToo movement, guard leaders are concerned about the degrading nature of the act aimed at a woman, according to two sources close to the investigation, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to publicly speak about the matter. Only about 20% of the officers and enlisted members in the guard are women. The inspector generals inquiry is the third investigation into the Pineda affair and part of a broader probe into whether whistle-blowers at the 144th wing suffered reprisals for questioning the actions or conduct of their superiors on a range of matters. At least five guard members from the 144th wing, including a pilot who was killed in October in a crash during a training mission in Ukraine, filed formal complaints. The guard recently suspended a 144th commander for reasons it said were unrelated to the Pineda incident. This boils down to just unprofessional leadership and cronyism, said Maj. Dan Woodside, a retired 144th fighter pilot who is a witness in the inspector generals Pineda investigation and has complained about how she was treated. If anybody had urinated in their boots, they would have done everything they could to find the perpetrator, even if it involved calling the FBI. Two of the guards top officers held key leadership positions at the 144th at the time of the Pineda incident: Maj. Gen. Clay Garrison, who has since become head of the air guard, and Col. Sean Navin, now one of its five wing commanders. Neither responded to requests for interviews. Maj. Gen. Clay L. Garrison was the head of the 144th Fighter Wing when Staff Sgt. Jennifer Pineda discovered someone had urinated in her boots. (Tech. Sgt. Charles Vaughn / U.S. Air National Guard) Maj. Gen. David S. Baldwin, who heads the Military Department, declined through a guard spokesman to be interviewed. Baldwin said in a written statement to The Times that in order to protect the integrity of that ongoing investigation, we cannot disclose additional details. The California air guard is the second largest, after New Yorks, in the Air National Guard, which is a force of more than 100,000 pilots, other officers and enlisted people. Many of the pilots are part-time reservists, signing up after careers in the U.S. Air Force, and some fly in their civilian lives for commercial airlines. The guards function as state militias whose leaders report to the governor. They patrol state airspace and stand ready to respond to natural disasters and large-scale terrorist attacks. In California, the air guard helped fight recent wildfires, flying drones over the blazes to feed intelligence to fire crews on the ground. Its fighter pilots are regularly deployed to assist the Air Force in combat and other operations overseas. The 144th is the biggest wing in the state. It is home to roughly 115 officers, including about two dozen fighter pilots, and more than 1,000 enlistees in support units. For every officer in the wing, there are about nine enlistees in roles that are essential but carry much less clout. Pineda, 34, is one of them. After joining the guard in 2004, she spent several years in the wings command post as a dispatcher before moving to the operations group, according to interviews with guard colleagues. Pineda declined to comment for this story. Soon after she reported that someone had urinated on her boots, members of the 144ths security forces, who police the base, arrived at the location, attempted to lift fingerprints and had photos taken of the scene, according to an internal investigative record obtained by The Times. The security airmen collected the urine from the floor and reviewed hours of security camera footage, the document states. Investigative records describe the incident as vandalism. If committed by someone with a rank of second lieutenant or higher, legal experts said, the act could also be considered the more serious crime of conduct unbecoming an officer. The perpetrator, they said, could be prosecuted and jailed in a court martial, forced to retire in an administrative proceeding at a reduced rank and pension, or handed a lesser punishment such as a reprimand. The investigators asked Pineda, then a single mother of two, who she thought could have had a motive to target her, according to the report. Pineda named two women who have had issues with her in the past, and her supervisor later suggested one more, the report says. It states that all three women were questioned. The results of the investigation were inconclusive, the report says. About two months after the investigation began, the commander of the fighter squadron at the time, Navin, called Pineda and her supervisor into his office to share the results, according to May 2015 memos that Pineda and the supervisor wrote to document the conversation. Navin apologized that the investigation did not find the perpetrator, according to the memos. In Pinedas memo, she wrote that Navin said killings go unsolved every day and these things just happen. I started to ask him how I was supposed to come to work and feel OK in a work environment where I have been violated like this, Pineda said in her memo. Pineda said in the document that she had begun securing her uniform in a locker, parks where she can see her car from her work desk window and keeps the desk locked up each night. Soon after the first investigation was shelved, a second was opened when new information revealed that pilots had been drinking in a nearby break room the evening before the discovery and may have information regarding the incident or may have possibly been involved in the incident, according to a guard report and interviews. Navin, the commander who had shared the results of the first investigation with Pineda, had been in the break room as well that evening, the report says. Col. Sean Navin was the commander of the 194th fighter squadron at the 144th wing when Staff Sgt. Jennifer Pineda discovered someone had urinated in her boots. (Staff Sgt. Christian Jadot / U.S Air National Guard) Investigators questioned 18 people, including Navin, Woodside and four other guard members who said they had been in the break room, called The Merge. The two investigators told at least some of the pilots that they might be asked to undergo polygraph tests and that the urine collected from the scene would be tested for DNA, Woodside said. Some were also questioned about how much Navin had to drink, he added. In a second interview with investigators, Pineda said a couple of pilots told her they suspected Navin of urinating on her boots, the report says. She said she felt that Navin doesnt trust her work abilities, according to the report. Navin denied being involved, guard records show. He told investigators that he had no conflicts with Pineda and was never inside the womens bathroom where she left her boots and clothing. The investigator who authored the report wrote that the interviews did not lead to any new conclusions or identify any suspects. In August 2015, Pineda filed a whistle-blower complaint. She wrote that the main investigator told her that the evidence showed that a woman could not have urinated in the boots, but that she heard that officers speculated that she urinated in them for attention. In the complaint, Pineda said that makes me want this investigation to be complete and legit to prove that I did not do this to myself. She added that she feared she could be forced to leave the guard. The guard declined to comment about the status of Pinedas complaint. Last year, Lt. Col. Rob Swertfager, a 144th pilot, filed a complaint alleging that commanders punished him including by withholding his pay on occasion for going to bat for Pineda by telling a superior that the first investigation might have been mishandled. His complaint is part of the inspector generals investigation. He declined to comment for this story. Woodside said the head of base security, then-Lt. Col. Dave Johnston, told him that 144th leadership ordered him to shut down the investigation and destroy all the evidence after investigators zeroed in on Navin. The evidence included Pinedas boots and a vile of urine that was never tested. Woodside said he believes there was a cover-up. Retired Maj. Dan Woodside said the head of base security told him that he was ordered by 144th leadership to shut down an investigation into who urinated in Jennifer Pinedas boots and destroy all the evidence. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Johnston, since promoted to colonel, did not say who gave him the order, Woodside said. He said Johnston informed him about the destruction of the evidence during a 32-minute telephone conversation on Dec. 7, 2017. He produced phone records that showed such a call to Johnstons number. In interviews with The Times, four current and former guard members confirmed that Woodside told them about his phone conversation with Johnston shortly after it occurred. Johnston declined to be interviewed. He said in two statements provided to The Times that no one ordered him to dispose of the evidence. Johnston said he had consulted with Garrison, who ran the base at the time of the incident, about destroying the evidence. Garrisons only guidance, Johnston wrote, was that he first confer with the 144ths judge advocate general at the time, who did not respond to interview requests. Johnston said he authorized the destruction because the second investigation had been closed for several months and the evidence was no longer needed. He declined to discuss why a DNA test was never conducted. The lead investigator, Daniel Mosqueda, offered no explanation for not testing the urine. The way the investigation went, it didnt happen, he told The Times. Woodside said he confronted Garrison about the investigation at a colonels retirement party in March 2017, after the evidence had been destroyed. He said Garrison told him that there was no actual crime here and that it would have been inappropriate to spend thousands of dollars on a urine test that wouldnt produce usable information. Depending on the condition of the specimen, a DNA analysis of the urine could have determined the perpetrators sex and perhaps identified him or her definitively through a comparison test, forensic experts told The Times. Typically, it would cost about $1,000 to $1,300, they said. Experts on military and criminal law questioned the decision to destroy evidence without conducting a DNA analysis. Southwestern Law School Professor Rachel E. VanLandingham, who served as a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney during a U.S. Air Force career, said if evidence was destroyed to impede an investigation or protect someone, a case could be made for obstruction of justice. That needs to be looked into, she said. About a year after the incident, Navin was promoted to colonel and is now commander of the 163rd Attack Wing in Riverside County, overseeing more than 900 people and the deployment of the MQ-9A Reaper military drone. A guard spokesman declined to say what prompted the recent suspension of the 144th commander, Col. Victor Sikora. Shortly after the suspension, Sikora called a meeting of pilots and support personnel at the Fresno base. He told the gathering that he had been informed he was suspended due to the amount of investigations the guard leadership was dealing with, according to a recording of the meeting The Times reviewed. He did not elaborate. Sikora did not respond to requests for comment about the suspension. Among the other complaints under investigation by the inspector general is one filed by Lt. Col. Seth Nehring shortly before he was killed in October in a crash during a training mission in Ukraine. No details of his complaint were available. The investigator leading the inspector generals probe, Lt. Col. Shawna Pavey, did not respond to interview requests. Dave Bakos, a retired general who served in the guard for 32 years and was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, said Garrison should have demanded a more thorough investigation from the start. Morale at the 144th has suffered, Bakos said. There are a lot of people unhappy up there, he said. They need a change at the top. Deep in the Otay Mountain Wilderness, there is no wall. The only boundary between the U.S. and Mexico is a section of barbed wire fence in a pastoral valley. And miles and miles of treacherous terrain. Its a territory criss-crossed with steep trails that disappear into tunnels of thick brush, a place looped by violently rutted roads that Border Patrol agents negotiate daily. Land such as this is not a likely candidate for President Donald Trumps big, beautiful wall. Advertisement But it is fertile for an invisible kind of fence, one built of artificial intelligence, radar, drones, sensors, motion-activated cameras and even lidar, the same technology used in self-driving vehicles. Virtual walls or smart walls along the southwest border are increasingly being billed as an alternative to the proposed concrete and steel barriers that have so sharply divided public opinion. An electronic fence is not about preventing intrusion as much as it is about detecting intrusions and then intercepting them. While even the strongest proponents for such a technological solution admit physical barriers are likely best in urban areas such as San Diego and El Paso, they see a virtual wall as a cheaper and more effective way to police much of the rest of the 2,000-mile southwest border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has asked for $223 million of its fiscal 2019 budget to focus on technology improvements, funding that could have bipartisan support. But the increased focus on smart walls is deepening concern about a growing Big-Brother-is-watching network, and civil liberties organizations have asked lawmakers to proceed with caution. Warrantless use of these technologies comes at an unacceptably high cost, Neema Singh Guliani and Michelle Fraling, officials with the American Civil Liberties Union, said last month. They allow the government to track, surveil, and monitor individuals indiscriminately and with precise detail. Individuals in the border zone should not be subject to near-constant surveillance that intrudes on the most intimate aspects of their lives. Lessons learned An electronic fence is not a new idea. It is one that the federal government has actually failed to implement widescale at least three times in the past few decades. From 1997 to 2005, the government spent about $429 million on two border technology programs deemed unsuccessful, according to congressional reports. The third, most recent iteration was known as SBInet, a massive project started in 2006. Boeing was contracted to build a network of surveillance towers and ground sensors that would detect intrusions and relay the information back to command posts where agents would decide how to react. It was rolled out first along the Arizona border, but expansion was halted in 2010 due to serious concerns with its feasibility. The Government Accountability Office faulted SBInet for being poorly managed, overrun with costs and missed deadlines. The technology was also troubled, pulled off the shelves rather than custom-designed for the border environment and job at hand. The program was killed in 2011, at a price tag of more than $1 billion. I terminated it when I was commissioner. It was a failure, Alan Bersin recalled in an interview last week with the Union-Tribune. Bersin, a former U.S. attorney in San Diego, served as a so-called border czar under two presidents and was appointed CBP commissioner from 2010 to 2011. Part of the problem, Bersin said, was pursuing a one-size-fits-all approach to the border. Instead of one technology system borderwide, we now follow a system customized to the particular conditions on the border, Bersin said. The setting up of an electronic fence in the Sonoran Arizona desert is far different than doing so around San Diegos urban area. Aging technology Even before SBInet was terminated, doubts about the program led authorities to redirect millions of dollars in funding to deploy other technology across the border. That included mobile and fixed surveillance towers, cameras, drones and thermal imaging devices. Many of those systems are in use today, although they are aging both physically and in concept as technology leaps forward. To cope, Border Patrol sectors have largely focused on incremental improvements in a peicemeal strategy. Evidence of that effort can be seen in the Border Patrols Brown Field Station east of San Diego, a 568-square-mile region stretching from Otay Mountain to Tecate, with 11 miles of international border. Agents there typically spend a large amount of their shifts investigating alerts from seismic sensors tripped by potential intruders. Problem is, the sensors are also tripped by rabbits, deer, the rain, other agents. A sensor in a remote canyon could take a two-hour hike, only to discover fresh mountain lion tracks nearby. The recent addition of several motion-activated Buckeye cameras has helped tremendously, agents said. The camera takes a grainy snapshot immediately after being triggered, sending the information back to the Tactical Operations Center at the station for quick analysis. The command post, better known as TOC (pronounced talk), monitors other surveillance, too. Radar returns predict the presence of suspicious activity and send images that can distinguish vehicles and people. An agent sitting at the computer can then direct a field agent to intercept. The TOC also takes a high-tech approach to one of the Border Patrols most low-tech tactics tracking sign. Sign refers to the traces left behind by a person on the move, whether it be footprints, litter, broken branches or overturned rocks. Reading sign is how agents have done the job for decades, something unchanged by even the best technology, they say. What the TOC has essentially done is crowdsource sign intelligence. For instance, an agent who discovers fresh footprints of a group of people headed up a specific trail will report it to the TOC. The spot will be marked with GPS coordinates and updated as more sign is discovered. The information can be passed onto the next shift for continued tracking. The TOC can track sign for two, three days, said Border Patrol spokesman Fabian Carbajal, who has spent 13 years of his career patrolling Brown Field Station. The future The capabilities are a start, but innovators at many smaller firms have their sights on technology that seemed futuristic not too long ago. Quanergy, a Silicon Valley company that developed lidar for driverless vehicles, has been testing the technology in the Texas border town of Del Rio with the cooperation of a local sheriff, The New York Times reported. The laser sensors give a 3D view of an area, building on the existing technology already being used. Anduril Industries, based in Orange County, is working to apply the power of artificial intelligence to national security settings. Its founder is Palmer Luckey, the entrepreneur behind the virtual reality company Oculus. One of the big advantages to the use of AI-enabled technology is that you can deploy it without having to increase manpower, said Matt Steckman, Andurils head of corporate and government affairs. You get computers to do a lot of the work and let the humans be the decision-makers. Andurils system, called Lattice, uses hundreds or even thousands of sensors, then lets artificial intelligence scan the environment five times per second and interpret the results. Only meaningful results will be transmitted to an agent in the field, on a smartphone or tablet, in the form of a cropped image of the form. The agent can then decide how to respond. The system takes out the middle man the agent who has to sit at a bank of computer monitors in a darkened room and interpret the sensor results in real time. The network uses different types of sensors to create a more complete image of the environment, and each sensor is able to interpret its own data brand new technology known as edge computation that is still in its infancy. The system completed a pilot phase last summer in part of Texas and became operational. It was also tested east of San Diego, leading to 10 interceptions during the first 12 days, Wired magazine reported last June. Tech companies are also working to make devices more mobile, and therefore more nimble. Benchmark outfits Border Patrol pickups with high-powered scopes that are easy to move from place to place. (Courtesy photo) Benchmark, based in Tempe, Ariz., has built on the idea of surveillance towers and built it into Border Patrol pickup trucks. At the top of a 30-foot retractable mast are powerful day and night vision cameras and lasers, with a range of about six miles. The first order of 14 brown-and-mustard colored Ford F-150s were deployed to Texas about a year ago, but five were shifted to the San Diego Sector as a major migrant caravan neared Tijuana late last year, said Jan Janick, Benchmarks chief technology officer. The company is working on delivering another 15 trucks, each with $300,000 to $400,000 in technology on board. Benchmark hopes to use the trucks as a launch pad for other capabilities, including giving agents the ability to have control on a tablet if they need to leave the truck. Tying a drone into the system has also been suggested by Border Patrol. Today I can identify an intruder at six miles, but I cant tell you if hes wearing a sidearm or if thats a lunch box, Janick said. But what if an agent could push a button and the unmanned aerial vehicle could fly to the GPS coordinates, get a closer look, track the person and return to the truck? You cant overload the agent with data or task them with things that keep them from their primary mission, Janick explained. You dont want to train every agent on a drone and have them focused on a joystick. You want technology to have that capability. Former Acting CBP Commissioner David Aguilar said technology will unquestionably be a large part of securing the border used in combination with physical barriers where appropriate and manpower. He gave the example of SAR radar, being looked at to constantly map and remap a portion of land in remote areas to detect terrain change, such as a new trail or road implicating fresh trafficking routes. Thats good intelligence, Aguilar, who also served as Border Patrol chief, said in a recent interview. You can go in there, drop ground sensors in the area, fly a drone on a persistent basis or post tethered aerostats to watch that area. But he warned against viewing any one solution, including technology, as a silver bullet. There is no such thing. Youre never going to have a border that is going to be impenetrable. Thats just not going to happen. Does that mean we stop working toward it? No. Keeping a virtual wall alive and running has its challenges. Devices require power sources, which can be difficult in remote locations. They need robust communications infrastructure to transmit information. They have to stand up to the rigors of a rugged work environment. And they can be deemed worthless if destroyed or vandalized. Agents who work the Otay Mountain Wilderness say the emerging technology helps. But nothing can replace boots on the ground. All the technology is not going to do what we do, said veteran Agent Jose Damian. When a scope spots something, you still need agents to go retrieve it. With all the tech talk, it can be jarring just how rudimentary some of Border Patrols tools are. On a recent Wednesday, Damian stood atop a crude helicopter landing pad deep in the mountains, with cheap, old binoculars to his eyes, scanning the valley below that separates the U.S. from Mexico. Agents here dont have vehicle laptops. They communicate through radios, powered by batteries that have died at times when agents needed them most, and will likely die again. Farther east, near the Tecate Port of Entry, mobile flood lights stand sentry along the old landing mat fence that separates dirt parking lots in the U.S. from colorful, dense housing a stones throw away in Mexico. The lights require an agent each shift to fill them up by hand with gas, to illuminate the night. kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @kristinadavis What exactly happened inside the apartment of Democratic donor and West Hollywood political activist Ed Buck? That has been a burning question since January, when Timothy Dean was found dead inside Bucks home. Dean was the second African American man to die at Bucks residence. Both deaths prompted protests and Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department investigations. Some activists have called on law enforcement officials to criminally charge Buck. But authorities said Monday that Dean died of an accidental drug overdose. Buck has denied any wrongdoing in either case. Still, the deaths leave many questions unanswered, and detectives are still investigating. Advertisement Here is a rundown of what we know from the pages of The Times. Who is Ed Buck? Buck, 64, has long been a contentious figure in West Hollywood, where he was best known for his animal rights and LGBTQ activism and his donations to Democratic politicians and causes. Buck became a nationally known figure in the late 1980s when he led the successful effort to impeach Arizona Gov. Evan Mecham. During the recall effort, it was made public that Buck was arrested in 1983 for public sexual indecency for grabbing the crotch of another man in a bookstore. Buck pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace and cracked to reporters: What they didnt say was that the man enjoyed it. In 2007, Buck unsuccessfully ran for West Hollywood City Council as part of the Save West Hollywood campaign slate, a group of candidates who pledged to stop mega-development and take down the For Sale sign at City Hall. Ed Buck, 64, has long been a contentious figure in West Hollywood. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press) What happened at Bucks apartment? In 2017, Gemmel Moore died of a methamphetamine overdose in Bucks home, where, according to a Los Angeles County coroners report, investigators found multiple sex toys, multiple syringes and clear plastic bags with suspected methamphetamine in a tool box roll-cabinet in the living room. Moore had been homeless and had worked as an escort. The Times reviewed pages of a journal that authorities said was found among Moores possessions. In it, Moore purportedly wrote in 2016 about using crystal methamphetamine. Ive become addicted to drugs and the worst one at that, the journal said. Ed Buck is the one to thank, he gave me my first injection of chrystal meth. In 2017, The Times interviewed a young black man who asked that his name not be used because he worked as an escort. The man said he reported complaints about Buck, similar to those made in the journal, to the West Hollywood sheriffs station three weeks before Moore died. The man showed The Times communications with Buck and photographs of him and Buck inside an apartment. Nana Gyamfi, an attorney representing the man, and a sheriffs detective confirmed the man provided the same information to investigators looking into Moores death. The man said he went to Bucks apartment on July 3, 2017, and Buck took photos of him and then asked whether he wanted something to drink. Buck, he said, gave him a glass of water that made him feel a tingling sensation. The next thing I know, Im waking up from taking a deep breath, the man said. My arms are immediately hurting, and Im tied down to the couch. Just my arm. My arm was hurting. He said he went to the sheriffs station afterward but authorities thought he was high on drugs and told him to leave. Bucks attorney, Seymour Amster, said he does not know whether Buck uses illicit drugs and said, What he does of a consensual nature, I really am not privy to or care about. The Los Angeles County district attorneys office last summer declined to file charges in Moores death, citing insufficient admissible evidence. A charge evaluation sheet cited an inadmissible search and seizure but did not elaborate. Buck was present at Moores death and that of Dean on Jan. 7, authorities said. Amster had previously said that Dean died of an apparent overdose after ingesting a substance at a location other than Bucks home. This week, sheriffs officials said Deans death was ruled as an accidental methamphetamine overdose. Dean, a West Hollywood resident, worked as a fashion consultant at Saks Fifth Avenue, and previously at Bloomingdales in Century City. His friends previously told The Times that Dean didnt drink excessively and wasnt known to do drugs. We stand by our position that unfortunately Mr. Dean ingested drugs at a location other than Mr. Bucks, and he came over intoxicated, and its a tragedy, Amster said Monday. LaTisha Nixon, the mother of Gemmel Moore, wipes away tears during a press conference by members of Color of Change, an online racial justice organization, in January. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) What are authorities doing now? Sheriffs department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said investigators will continue interviewing people who come forward with information. Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey said in a statement released by her office earlier this month that she has asked the sheriffs department to continue to thoroughly investigate the deaths of Moore and Dean. Lacey said some people have insinuated that a $100 donation she received from Buck during her 2012 election campaign, which she has since returned, has tainted her ability to be impartial in whether criminal charges are warranted against Buck. Nothing could be further from the truth, Lacey said in the statement. Every life, regardless of a persons age, race, economic status and even whether they use illegal drugs, has value. If that life is lost because of the unlawful actions of another, rest assured that my office will do everything possible to bring the perpetrator to justice. Three months into the Department of Homeland Securitys program that requires asylum-seeking migrants wait in Mexico until their U.S. immigration hearings, observers said Friday that the policy may actually be encouraging illegal border crossings. This past week, migrants rushed the border at least four times at Playas de Tijuana, many of them saying they were motivated by not wanting to wait in Mexico. A Customs and Border Protection official said migrants who cross the border illegally are not being returned to Mexico while they seek asylum. Instead, they are taken into custody, where they eventually get to wait in the United States, sometimes up to three or four years until their asylum hearings before an American immigration judge. Why would I spend three years here in Tijuana when I could be in the United States? asked Jeydi Fuentes Lopez Montes, a 29-year-old mother from Honduras traveling with a 1-year-old child. I know there is work here in Tijuana, but isnt the work better over there? Advertisement Fuentes said she went to Tijuana planning to wait in line to ask for asylum, but she said that when she learned the list to get an initial appointment with U.S. officials could take several months, she decided to try to find another way into the U.S. Legal experts say a judge is not allowed to deny a persons asylum request based solely on whether he or she entered the country legally or illegally. Samuel Rodriguez Guzman, from El Salvador, arrived in Tijuana last week. He said he went to the beach Thursday after hearing about more people successfully entering the U.S. illegally, and seeing on the news people getting through the border infrastructure at Playas. Im trying whatever way I can to immigrate to the United States, Rodriguez said. I had problems with the gangs in my country and my father did, too. They want to kill us. When we get there to the United States, they have to respect our human rights to ask for asylum, right? Alan Bersin, the former commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said there is no coordinated system between the Mexican government and the U.S. to accept large numbers of migrants returned to Tijuana. So far, fewer than 300 people have been returned to Mexico under the program. Its an incompetent program, said Bersin, adding that people who cross illegally should be returned to Mexico in the same numbers as those who wait for months in line for their turn to cross legally. This policy has a chance of succeeding as a deterrent, he said. But [Mexican President Andres Manuel] Lopez-Obrador is trying to avoid a fight with Trump so he says yes to everything but does nothing. This week and last, migrants have been climbing through holes in border fencing at Playas or climbing over the 15-foot-high fence. On March 13, some people slipped through a hole in the border fencing near the beach. One of the men, who was seen in a video running down the beach carrying a small child while a border agent chased him, provided updates via WhatsApp to several people in his group and some witnesses. He said he was not apprehended and made it to Los Angeles. A group of about 60 people who crossed on March 14 included men, women and children, most of whom said they were from Honduras. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Ralph DeSio said 52 people from that group were arrested. Border officials also arrested 23 people from Honduras and one from Guatemala on Tuesday after they scaled the fence near the beach. Then Thursday, activity at the border intensified as border agents and migrants clashed. Two migrants and several witnesses said agents shot pepper spray across the fence and into their eyes. During the incident, one man climbed the fence and dropped into the U.S. before he was detained by border agents. DeSio said Customs and Border Protection is averaging 167 arrests a day in the San Diego County area of responsibility, which stretches east to past Jacumba. Every arrest in San Diego Sector is investigated. Every breach in San Diego County is a concern whether its near Imperial Beach or in Jacumba, DeSio said in a written statement. Compromises in our fence are common due to our aging infrastructure. Efforts are made to repair breaches or compromises in a timely manner. On Friday, another hole big enough for people to climb through was visible at the base of the border fence at Playas, and migrants said they planned to return Saturday to try to climb through again. Really, were tired of fighting because we just want to cross and ask for asylum. Were not rude. We are allowed to come here and ask for asylum, said Jose Reinera, a Honduran migrant who climbed up on top of the fence at Las Playas on Thursday. Reinera said he turned back and climbed back down on the Mexican side of the border when he realized his wife and children would not be able to make the climb. Wendy Fry writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. A Sacramento man is behind bars this week after prosecutors say he sent dozens of letters some containing white powder threatening to kill police officers, government officials, members of the LGBTQ community and white people to try to incite a race war. Darnell Ray Owens, 32, was arrested in Oklahoma on Friday, the same day officials filed a sealed complaint in federal court in Sacramento charging him with mailing threatening communications and conducting a hoax involving biological weapons. He has not yet entered a plea. Federal investigators allege in the 36-page complaint, which was made public Monday, that Owens sent about 45 threatening letters between February and March to several locations in Sacramento County, including an LGBTQ center, the Sacramento and Elk Grove police departments, the district attorneys office and a television station. You have failed this city and the people. So I am making a threat on your Life, I will assassinate you with a bullet to your head, you will not survive I will watch your body shake as the life in you leaves, Owens wrote to Sacramento County Dist. Atty. Anne Marie Schubert, according to the affidavit. Advertisement He also is accused of sending letters to the police department in San Antonio and a Baptist church in Dallas, in which he threatened to assassinate the pastor in the name of Allah and burn down Christian churches. In a letter to the West Sacramento Police Department in March, Owens allegedly wrote that he wanted to kill a cop and drink his white blood, the affidavit states. Investigators allege he also threatened to kill members of the LGBTQ community in Sacramento. Federal officials said they compared DNA evidence from a birthday card Owens sent to an acquaintance to DNA on the mailed letters in an effort to link him to the threats. Federal investigators also noted in the court filing the letters show a distinct handwriting style and the diction and threats contained in them are consistent. If convicted, Owens faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, according to the U.S. attorneys office in Sacramento. hannah.fry@latimes.com Twitter: @Hannahnfry In the summer of 2010, a French street artist who uses the name Invader (because his pixel-style mosaic figures were inspired by the 1978 Space Invaders arcade game) installed artwork on the facades of some downtown San Diego buildings. He was one of 10 urban artists, including the controversial Banksy, taking part in a massive indoor/outdoor Museum of Contemporary Art exhibition called Viva La Revolucion: A Dialogue with the Urban Landscape. Much of the art was removed when the exhibit closed. But nearly a decade later, a large piece by Invader still remains for now. Called The Mothership, the boxy black-and-white spaceship, comprised of square ceramic tiles, is perched on the upper facade of what until recently was the San Diego Art Center at Park Boulevard and G Street. Advertisement The historic building was sold in 2017 to the Paragon Real Estate Fund. Last fall, it was renamed The Ratner building but still houses the NewSchoolof Architecture & Design and artist studios. The problem is that the building is being remodeled and the mural must go. That is why, even though its still attached to the facade, its among artworks in an April 25 live auction by Juliens auction house in Los Angeles. Joining The Mothership in the sale catalog are two of Banksys more important works. (You may recall a piece by Banksy that self-shredded on cue when auctioned for more than $1 million by Sothebys in London last Oct. 5). Other artists include Ron English, Shepard Fairey, Damien Hirst, David Hockney, Mr. Brainwash and Pablo Picasso. Ann Berchtold, Paragons marketing rep, explained that the artwork was created specifically for that site. While technically belonging to the artist, the exhibition agreement gave building owners permission to remove the pieces at the close of the show. After contacting the Museum of Contemporary Art, Paragon reached out to the artists representatives and offered The Mothership back to Invader at his removal expense. They responded that Invader wasnt interested and they could keep it, Berchtold said. They were given permission to re-sell the art but warned that, once it was removed from the space for which it was designed, the artist could no longer authenticate it. Nevertheless, the auction house placed an estimated value of $60,000 to $80,000 on the Invader piece not bad for street art. But theres a catch. The buyer must remove the artwork from the building within 90 days of the sale at his or her own expense. A contractor has been consulted and provided an estimate of approximately $7,000, said Mozell Miley-Bailey of Juliens Auctions. Actor Val Kilmer checks out the candy emporium, called the Sugar Factory, on the entry level of the Theatre Box at 701 Fifth Ave. in the Gaslamp Quarter. (Courtesy photo) Hollywood South: Forget the poetic saying, ...never the twain shall meet. Some San Diegans met Mark Twain, in the persona of actor Val Kilmer, last week. He appeared at the Gaslamp Quarters Theatre Box for a screening of his play-turned-movie, Cinema Twain. Kilmer, who stars in the show, walked the red carpet and stuck around for a meet-and-greet in the Chocolate Lounge. Also on hand: actor Jason Weaver,of Smart Guy sitcom fame, and professional surfer Damien Hobgood. diane.bell@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1518 Twitter: @dianebellSD Facebook: dianebell.news When Christine Kehoe won her first election in 1993, she won more than a seat on the San Diego City Council. She earned herself a place in local history. That was the year Kehoe became San Diegos first openly gay elected official. That victory also marked the moment when Kehoe knew her political career would be about something bigger than politics. I felt that it had become a community campaign, Kehoe remembered of those early grassroots days of phone banks and precinct walking. People poured their hearts and souls into it. Some people wrote the first checks (to a candidate) that they had ever written in their lives because they wanted to see me run. On election night, I remember thinking that no matter what happened, it would be a turning point. I said to my partner (Julie Warren), now my wife, that we would never go back. We were holding each other and saying, Here we go. Advertisement Once the groundbreaking started, it did not stop. And Kehoes journey as a high-profile member of San Diegos LGBTQ+ community quickly became more than a solo endeavor. When Kehoe was elected to the state Assembly in 2000, her City Council seat went to her staff member Toni Atkins, who ran mostly because Kehoe insisted that she take the plunge. Fourteen years later, Atkins became the first lesbian named speaker of the Assembly. Kehoe was elected to the California State Senate in 2004. Atkins was elected to the State Senate in 2016, and as Senate President pro Tempore, she became the first openly gay Senate leader in California history. Now, Kehoe and Atkins have hit another milestone. And this time, they are doing it together. On Saturday, the two pioneering politicians and longtime friends will be honored as the San Diego History Centers Makers of San Diego History for 2019. The award is given to the people, business and communities that have changed San Diego for the better, and nearly two decades after winning that City Council seat, Atkins is still shocked that she is one of those trailblazers. I grew up thinking that government and mainstream society wasnt about me, that I didnt have a place there because I was working-poor, and LGBT and a woman, Atkins said. The fact that I have been able to do what Ive done is pretty incredible. I give a lot of the credit to Chris for giving me the opportunity. When they accept their Makers honors, Kehoe and Atkins will be joining a lively and influential group that includes San Diegos Jewish community, Qualcomm, Price Club founder Sol Price, and our craft-brew industry. Like the movers and shakers before them, they are part of the rich fabric of San Diego life. In many ways, San Diegans and people who call San Diego home are incredible innovators. And they do set the stage, said Bill Lawrence, president and CEO of the San Diego History Center. Toni and Christine really embody that San Diego spirit. I think the region is always looking to continually make itself better and to do big things. As in previous years, the Makers awards are part of a bigger picture. The recognition of Atkins and Kehoe is part of the history centers larger tribute to San Diegos LGBTQ+ community and the part it has played in the San Diego story. Last summer, the center in partnership with the Lambda Archives opened LGBTQ+ San Diego: Stories of Struggles and Triumphs, an exhibit devoted to the history of the local LGBT community. The exhibit, which runs through Jan. 20, looks at everything from the struggles for equal rights to LGBT trailblazers in the arts and the devastating impact of the AIDS crisis. Visitors can appreciate it both for what it says about about the LGBT community and what it says about all of San Diego. This exhibit is a way of shining a light on not just the good history, but on the history that makes us a better community. The history that causes change that results in inclusion, Lawrence said. When they accept their awards on Saturday, Christine Kehoe and Toni Atkins will be celebrating not just their boundary-busting political careers, but also the odds-defying relationships that blossomed there. There is the long friendship between two pioneers, and there is the shared love they have for the forward-thinking place that put them on the trail they continue to blaze today. Im very proud to be thought of as a San Diego history maker, said Kehoe, who is now a member of the California Transportation Commission. I came here in 1978 from upstate New York, and from the moment I saw it, I loved it. My goal was always to make things better for the people of San Diego and the people of California. I wasnt successful every time, but Im proud of the work I did. Twitter: @karla_peterson karla.peterson@sduniontribune.com NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the 2019 Annual General Meeting of the Company will be held at Burnaby Building, 16 Burnaby street, Hamilton, HM11, Bermuda on 17 April 2019 at 13.00 Bermuda Time. Please find attached the complete notice and proxy form. The 2018 Annual Report, including financial statements and auditor's report, will be distributed through the Hugin InPublic distribution system and made available on the Company's webpage www.romreal.com and on www.osloaxess.no by Wednesday 10 April 2018 16.00 CET at the latest. For further information, please contact: Harris Palaondas, Investor Relations Mob: +40731123037 E-mail: investors@romreal.com There they go again. San Diego officials, developers and property owners are continuing the citys history of closing small downtown hotels old establishments that often provide inexpensive, last-resort housing for people who otherwise might be out on the street. Word about the coming demise of the Plaza Hotel created an odd juxtaposition that symbolically sums up the homelessness situation in San Diego. Just a month earlier, the mayors office announced plans to use the nearby Golden Hall convention and meeting space as a temporary homeless shelter. The San Diego City Council approved the plan Tuesday. The century-old Plaza will make way for a more upscale hotel, which is expected to include some shared rooms aimed at young travelers. Advertisement In the macro scheme of things, it might not seem the loss of the Plazas 185 units will make the citys severe low-income housing shortage that much worse. But its hard to think in the abstract when reflecting on the heartbreaking dilemma facing individual Plaza residents, some of whom have lived there for more than two decades and arent sure where they will go. Widespread redevelopment of similar single-room occupancy, or SRO, hotels like the Plaza over the years has exacerbated San Diegos homeless problem. The city had lost 9,290 single-room occupancy hotel rooms since 2010, according to an analysis by The San Diego Union-Tribune in 2016. The study also showed that 1,500 low-income rental units had been converted to condominiums during that same period. Last year, nearly 9,000 people were counted in the annual point in time homeless tally. Do the math, attorney Cory Briggs often says, citing those statistics. Briggs, who is running for San Diego mayor next year, has waged many legal and policy battles against City Hall for years. In the early 2000s, Briggs said he and others urged the city to put a moratorium on closing SROs and the conversion of apartments to condos, to no avail. San Diego has created affordable housing over that period, but the supply has been outstripped by the need. The Plaza, at 1037 Fourth Ave., is one of 75 hotels on the San Diego Housing Commissions list of single-room occupancy hotels in the city, according to the Union-Tribunes Gary Warth. They range in size from the 325-room Golden West Hotel, just a handful of blocks south on Fourth, to two small hotels that each have six units. Together, the hotels have 5,068 rooms, Warth reported. The most expensive room at the Plaza rents for $780 a month, plus $149 for an extra person; the least expensive is $635 for a room that has no individual toilet or shower. Golden Hall, which is adjacent to City Hall, will house some 150 people families and single women who are going to be displaced in the short term when a temporary tent shelter at 14th and Commercial streets is moved to a vacant site at 1700 Imperial Ave. The move should take about three months. Thats one of three large shelter tents in the city core that house about 700 people. This homeless-shelter musical chairs, while burdensome, is actually occurring because of a long-term plan to provide more affordable housing. Father Joes Villages, which owns the 14th and Commercial site, plans to begin construction there of a 16-story, 407-unit project in a few months. The council unanimously approved Golden Halls use as a shelter. But some members argued it should be turned into a permanent homeless shelter. Briggs has proposed something more extensive. He wants to use much of the San Diego Concourse complex which includes City Hall, Golden Hall, Civic Theatre and the Civic Center Plaza building for permanent facilities to aid the homeless. He called for relocating offices in the Civic Center Plaza building and converting it to SROs and permanent supportive housing to help people transition out of homelessness. He proposed the Civic Center parking structure be used, not for parked cars, but as a space where homeless people can store their property and pitch tents if theyre resistant to sleeping in shelters. Golden Hall would house homeless-service providers, and the outdoor plaza could accommodate several portable shower facilities, according to Briggs. The prospect of any of this happening is slim, to say the least. But Briggs said there would be additional value to putting this homeless complex at the seat of the municipal government. The politicians and bureaucrats who need to get serious about making significant progress in reducing the number of persons living on the street instead of just talking about it would see the crisis up close and personal every day, Briggs wrote on Facebook, where he laid out his proposal. Councilman Chris Ward made a similar point Tuesday in urging that Golden Hall be turned into a permanent shelter. This is literally in our back yard, he said. At the Plaza Hotel, some residents will get relocation assistance. The San Diego Housing Commission approved $500,000 to help them with the transition; assessments of a residents needs will determine how the money is divvied up. Thats in addition to as much as $2,000-plus from the hotel owner for each person who has been there for more than 90 days, as required by a city ordinance. Warren Graham, 63, has lived at the Plaza a bit longer than that. He moved in 25 years ago and works there as an elevator operator. He took up residence when Bill Clinton was president and the average price for a gallon of gas in Southern California was $1.21. Im very concerned, Graham told the U-Ts Warth. Its been my home for so long. Itll be hard to find another place. Anybody want to tell him what his temporary shelter options are nearby? michael.smolens@sduniontribune.com Twitter:@michaelsmolens (619) 293-1256 The 2020 election was already shaping up as another rough one for San Diego County Republicans. That special counsel Robert Muellers investigation didnt find any collusion between President Donald Trump and the Russian government in the 2016 election doesnt change that. At best, it may have kept a bad situation for the local GOP from getting worse. President Donald Trump had outsized influence on San Diegos local campaigns last year, and not just in the 49th Congressional District, which had been a reliably GOP bastion in northern San Diego and southern Orange counties until Democrats flipped it with the election of Mike Levin. Trump played an effective foil for Democrats in various county supervisor and city council races, to the detriment of Republicans. Never mind that those offices are officially non-partisan. A president having such an impact on local races like that is rare. Advertisement Certainly, Republican candidates will be relieved they wont have to talk about the president being in collusion with the Russians. But while the Mueller probe hovered over the 2018 campaign, San Diego Democratic voters were more fired up by Trumps policies on health care, immigration and taxes and their visceral dislike of the president. But keep in mind that San Diego Countys political demographics for years have been trending Democratic (which includes Democratic-leaning independents). What happened last year was probably inevitable, eventually. The Trump effect basically just sped it up. Those dynamics remain and may be even stronger in 2020. The demographic trend isnt going to reverse anytime soon and presidential elections tend to boost Democratic turnout. The full Mueller report may provided Democrats with more fodder, assuming it becomes public. Theres a lingering question about obstruction of justice. But even if it fades as an issue, as is likely, Trump again will loom large over next years elections at all levels and thats a problem for San Diego Republicans. He was a big issue in a handful of local races last year and he wasnt even on the ballot, as he will be in 2020. GOP candidates will still face the predicament of being pressed about whether they support Trumps policies. Aligning with the president will make it harder for them to attract moderate voters, whether Republicans, independents and even some Democrats. Not backing him could alienate the GOP base. In most San Diego swing-district elections, Republicans cant win by simply relying on the base. Trump claimed the Mueller report vindicates him and, whether or not that ultimately turns out to be the case, it could fire up his base. Like the president, many of his core supporters believe he has been falsely persecuted by deep state bureaucrats and Democrats. Further, with Trump up for re-election, Republicans could see a boost in turnout. The 2018 Democratic Blue Wave certainly surged thorough California, but depressed GOP turnout aided Democrats in some of the congressional districts they flipped. The down side for Republicans is, with no real GOP presidential primary in California and a highly contested one on the Democratic side that sets up the potential for a lopsided turnout in March. That could be significant because under Californias primary system the top two vote-getters advance to November, regardless of party affiliation. Its rare, but that could allow two members of the same party to face off in the fall. Whether the turnout advantage is enough for Democrats to win both slots in some races is hardly certain. While the dynamics favor Democrats regardless of the Mueller report, there are variables and unknowns that could cause them problems. The Democratic presidential nominee could turnout to be a weak candidate. The partys liberal-moderate split could distract them from focusing on Republicans, though past predictions that such infighting will doom a partys election prospects often have been overblown. Also, a Democratic push to impeach Trump could be risky; so would a potential overreach by congressional investigations of Trump. That could allow Republican candidates to criticize Democrats for hurting the country, without having to issue a strong defense of Trump. Lets not forget that Trump has done and said things that some experts had concluded would finally do him in politically, but they havent. He has show considerable resiliency, though his Teflon-like quality hasnt rubbed off on the Republican Party. Republicans in California and San Diego are on the downswing, particularly after last years election blowout. Dont expect their candidates to be wearing Trumps Make America Great Again hats. michael.smolens@sduniontribune.com Twitter:@michaelsmolens (619) 293-1256 Its a safe bet John McCain would probably enjoy this. Seven months after his death, the Arizona senator and war hero hasnt lost his knack of getting the presidents goat like no earthly being can. Donald Trumps inexplicable obsession with McCain, dead or alive, is nothing new. The two feuded for years. But even for a president known for erratic behavior, his latest days-long string of invective tweets and public comments about McCain both appalled and perplexed. It was even too much for some of Trumps supporters, who while defending and lauding McCain had been reluctant to call out the president. GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a Trump-critic-turned-ally, was one of those. He cautiously chided Trump on Wednesday. Advertisement I love John McCain, I traveled the world with him, I learned a lot from him, hes an American hero and nothing will ever diminish that, he told reporters. I think the presidents comments about Senator McCain hurt him more than they hurt the legacy of Senator McCain. Im going to try to continue to help the president. Even before he succumbed to brain cancer in August, McCain had been lionized for his service to the country as a Navy pilot who was shot down over North Vietnam and imprisoned for five years and for his 31 years in the Senate. He was forthright and brash. He gave and took political shots, and he regularly displayed his ability to sting Trump. On that score, Meghan McCain picked up a thing or two from the old man. (Trump) spends his weekend obsessing over great men because he knows it, and I know it and all of you know it, he will never be a great man, McCains daughter said Monday on The View daytime television talk show, where she is one of the hosts. My father was his kryptonite in life. Hes his kryptonite in death, she added. As Trump continued to criticize his nemesis into the week, McCain said on Wednesday her father would think its hilarious that our president was so jealous of him that he was dominating the news cycle in death . . . Trump initially seemed set off by reports that McCain gave the so-called Steele dossier about Russian influence in the presidents election to the FBI and the media. Subsequent reports said McCain received a copy and turned it over to the FBI but that there was no evidence he leaked it to the media. (It turned out that a former McCain aide testified to Congress that he the aide shared details of the document with the news media.) Trump also vented his anger over the senators decision to vote against repealing Obamacare, his support for the war in Afghanistan and, perhaps most baffling, for not getting credit for allowing McCains funeral. I endorsed him at his request, and I gave him the kind of funeral that he wanted, which as president I had to approve, Trump said. I dont care about this. I didnt get a thank you. Thats OK. We sent him on the way. But I wasnt a fan of John McCain. The feeling was mutual. McCain had made clear he didnt want Trump to attend his funeral. The reality is Trump had nothing to do with the funeral, other than allowing McCains body to be flown to Washington by military transport. Trump made the funeral comments and others about McCain as he addressed employees at a tank plant in Ohio on Wednesday. Maggie Haberman of The New York Times noted on Twitter that Trump has usually gotten a positive reception at his rallies when he has gone after McCain. But today, at an army tank plant in Lima where POTUS said a third of the workforce is comprised of veterans, there was a very quiet response. The president also criticized McCain to the news media during a White House meeting with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday. Trumps attacks on McCain were widely condemned as unbecoming of the nations chief executive. But then Trump has little use for traditional decorum. His base revels in Trump taking on the establishment and sacred cows, and, lest we forget, McCain was not a favorite of the Republican Partys hard right. While Trump backers, including some veterans, have said they dont like his comments about McCain, many of the presidents supporters have looked past his sometimes boorish behavior because they side with his politics. McCain, who owned condominiums in Coronado and spent a lot of time in San Diego, has long been a target of Trump, who in turn became target of the senator. As far back as 1999, Trump questioned McCains status as a war hero, as he did in a 60 Minutes interview. Early in the 2016 presidential race, Trump received a lot of attention by declaring, Hes no hero. . .I like people who werent captured. Still, McCain supported the GOP nominee until the infamous Access Hollywood tape surfaced late in the campaign. McCain said he could no longer back Trump because of his demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults. . . In 2017, McCain took a shot at Trump, who received military deferments in college and another one for medical reasons that eventually would be roundly questioned. One aspect of the (Vietnam) conflict, by the way, that I will never, ever countenance is that we drafted the lowest income level of America and the highest income level found a doctor that would say that they had a bone spur, McCain said on C-SPAN. That is wrong. That is wrong. If we are going to ask every American to serve, every American should serve. McCain also was referring to Trump in a speech at the 2017 Liberty Medal Award ceremony, when the senator lashed out at half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems. . . He called this unpatriotic. The senator clearly had better relations with the media than Trump does, and that may have worked to his advantage during this ongoing feud. Political reporters seemed captivated by his accessibility, maverick persona and wit as they rode McCains Straight Talk Express during his 2000 presidential bid. But some critics of the media contend McCain was not treated as fairly as Barack Obama when they ran for president in 2008. Despite losing, McCain nevertheless further burnished his legacy with one of the most striking concession speeches in American politics, as he urged supporters to not let their disappointment keep them from truly grasping the historic moment they just witnessed: The United States had elected its first black president. If Trump happens to lose next year, well see how he matches up. Tweet of the Week Goes to Erica Jong (@EricaJong), best-selling author. I was never married to Kim Jong Un despite my daughters allegations michael.smolens@sduniontribune.com Twitter:@michaelsmolens (619) 293-1256 Olive Peirce Middle School has many leadership groups that all play an important role at the school. One of them is OPT, a leadership group that hosts a daily broadcast called Olive Peirce Today. The eighth-graders get to the studio early every morning in preparation for the broadcast. Each student has his or her individual task or assignment to fulfill every day. The program offers the students a great opportunity to work in a genuine media production program. OPT is used as an outlet to express the students creativity and its also a way to communicate current events or anything that the school wants to let the students know. Advertisement We take on a lot of responsibility said OPT member Kyra Huff. We never know if that day the audio isnt going to work or if the video wont play, so its always a hit or miss situation. Most of the times its a hit and if its a miss we can always laugh it off. This program connects students to a more innovative way of communication. Aalyah Cortes-Castro is an eighth-grader at Olive Peirce Middle School. Her Bullpup Recap columns are a way to connect the school and its students with the community. Representatives of the Ramona Old West Festival, formerly Ramona Old West Days, attended a Ramona Unified School District Board meeting to share their plans for this years event. Its the largest reenactment living history in the state of California, Chris Anderson, festival chair, told district trustees. The reenactors will arrive and set up camp at the Ramona Outdoor Community Center on April 24; Ramona, Julian and Warner Springs students will tour the camps and talk with the reenactors on April 25 and 26; and the festival will be open to the public on April 27 and 28. Admission is free. Mountain men, cowboys, pioneer families, Civil War soldiers and more will be set up so the elementary students can experience life as it was in the Old West. Advertisement The kids are mesmerized, said Martha Luce, in charge of marketing for the event. Can you imagine? Instead of reading in a book, theyre stepping into history. These people are living like they did in the 1800s in the mountains, in tents made the way they were then. The clothes, everything they use, everything they cook, the food, everything is the way it was then, and the kids are so mesmerized. It is just awesome. The achievements of Dallas Meadows, a sixth-grade teacher at Barnett Elementary School, are recognized with a Teacher of the Year award from Ramona Unified School District. RUSD staff including Superintendent Anne Staffieri, Ed.D., Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Joel Garcia, Ed.D., and Barnett Principal Linda Marthis surprised Meadows with the announcement in her classroom March 11. Along with balloons, they brought an oversized check for $1,000 and took pictures of Meadows with her students. Meadows balances academic strategies that include collaborative learning and small group instruction with a personal touch of building relationships with the students. After graduating from Ramona High School in 2000, Meadows became immersed in activities that would prepare her for a teaching career. While attending college, she worked at a small day care, planning art projects and preschool literacy activities. Later she worked in an afterschool program where she managed more than 100 students. She also spent two summers teaching science camps with hands-on fun. I learned a great deal from each of these opportunities and I feel they have only made me a more effective teacher, Meadows wrote in her professional biography. She graduated with honors from Cal State University, San Marcos in 2006 and started student teaching at Ramona Elementary School the same school she attended while growing up in Ramona. I was so ready to start teaching and I enjoyed learning from the experienced teachers around me, Meadows wrote. I was hired in 2007 and began the school year wide-eyed, eager and ready for anything. My first position was teaching third grade at Hanson Elementary. I was warmly welcomed and several teachers showered me with encouragement and support. During the next few years Meadows learned to be flexible while moving through different schools, classrooms and grade levels. She arrived at Barnett Elementary in 2011, where she has been teaching sixth grade for the past seven of the eight years shes been working at the school. In addition to her teaching duties, she has led a group of teachers and staff while developing a Barnett Homework Policy and has joined a team of teachers in attending Positive Behavior Intervention Strategies training sessions. Together, the teachers draw on behavior strategies outlined in the book Teaching with Love and Logic. The love and logic approach to behavior mirrors my own personal teaching philosophy, with a strong emphasis on relationships, empathy, clear expectations and consistency, Meadows said. Dallas Meadows, second from right back row, celebrates being named Teacher of the Year in the Ramona Unified School District with her sixth-grade students. Julie Gallant Meadows said she takes a personal approach to teaching. Building relationships is the most effective way to reach students, she said. She believes students are more willing to take risks and try a new strategy when they fell valued and cared about. Language arts is often taught with mini lessons, small group instruction and independent activities, and math involves real-life problems with multiple steps and multiple strategies for solving problems. She said she observes and questions students as she circulates the classroom and uses math errors as teachable moments. She also has students analyze and reflect on their writing assignments. During independent work time, she likes to meet with students individually or in small groups to address specific learning issues. Teaching offers a unique opportunity to influence kids in a profound way, Meadows said. Teaching is far more than lesson plans, tests and projects. It is an opportunity to connect with students and create an environment where they can take control of their own learning. Barnett Elementary Principal Linda Marthis enthusiastically recommended Meadows for the Teacher of the Year award. In her letter to the Selection Committee, Marthis highlights Meadows ability to create an environment of high expectations that is also engaging and joyful. Walk into her classroom and you will see students actively involved in productive independent as well as collaborative work, Marthis wrote. Her students frequently reflect on their achievements, measuring their work against the success criteria to determine their own next steps in learning. The work is relevant and challenging and the learning environment is safe to take risks and make mistakes. Barnett Elementary School sixth-grade teacher Dallas Meadows, second from right, gets a surprise visit from Ramona Unified School District administrators who announce her award. Julie Gallant A letter from one of Meadows peers, Barnett Specialized Academic Instructor Alexis Bowen, also gives a favorable review of Meadows capabilities. Bowen said she has worked with Meadows for the past five years while Meadows served as one of the inclusion teachers for Bowens sixth-grade students. Bowen said Meadows is extremely hard-working and consistently reaches each student by personally and individually tailoring rigorous curriculum for each ability level represented in her class. San Diego Unified School Board Trustee Kevin Beiser said Tuesday there is no truth to the allegations of sexual assault and harassment against him. Beiser issued the written statement after a lawsuit filed Monday accused him of rape and sexual harassment of a political consultant who used to work for him. The statement followed a Voice of San Diego story that listed other allegations of sexual misconduct levied by three other men who were active in San Diego politics. Meanwhile, some of San Diegos political leaders, including top Democrats, are calling for Beiser to resign. Advertisement The lawsuit claims Beiser sexually assaulted and harassed a former campaign consultant over a period of five years. The lawsuit was filed against Beiser and his domestic partner, Dan Mock. Beiser said in a statement Tuesday evening: There is no truth to these allegations. We believe they are politically motivated and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves. The lawsuit said Beiser allegedly used his political influence and status to coerce the consultant into sexually abusive situations. The consultant is referred to in the lawsuit as John Doe. The Union-Tribune is not identifying him because he said he is a victim of sexual assault. Mock is named as a defendant in the lawsuit because he shares the home with Beiser where the alleged abuse and harassment occurred, said Dan Gilleon, Does lawyer. Mock did not respond to a request for comment. Beiser said that he first learned about the allegations against him on Monday. However, Doe said in an interview that he told Beiser in January that he believed Beiser had assaulted him. Beiser has been on the San Diego Unified School Board since 2010 and recently served as board president. He has indicated he might run for city council in 2020. In addition to the allegations made by Does lawsuit, three other men spoke to the Voice about San Diego about what they said were troubling interactions with Beiser. One, Luke Pakter, also told the Union-Tribune about an incident he said happened in May 2017. Pakter said he was 19, going to college and working for a political action committee he was starting with a friend, when he went to Beisers house to pick up a check Beiser had agreed to write to the PAC. Pakter said Beiser was overly flirtatious during the meeting. When Pakter was about to leave, Pakter said Beiser hugged him and touched him inappropriately. When he pulled away, Pakter said Beiser began massaging his shoulders and suggesting Pakter return some time. Pakter said Beiser suggested he could pay him $100 or $200 to give Beiser a massage. Pakter said he felt he couldnt confront Beiser about the alleged inappropriate behavior. I couldnt do it because I was in this situation of him giving me money that I needed, Pakter said. The lawsuit alleges that Beiser first met Doe when Doe was a college student interested in pursuing a career in politics. It alleges that Beiser gave Doe jobs and helped him fundraise. Does lawsuit said he believed the help and opportunities Beiser gave him were contingent on him submitting to Beisers sexual conduct. The lawsuit claims that Beiser assaulted Doe, made unwanted advances and fired Doe after an incident in which he rebuffed Beiser. Beiser in his statement denied the allegations of misconduct. Later Tuesday night, the San Diego County Democratic Partys central committee voted 58 to four to ask for Beisers resignation from the school board. It sends a strong statement that the San Diego County Democratic Party does not tolerate this type of behavior, said President Will Rodriguez-Kennedy, whether its sexual harassment, assault or abuse. And we will take swift action against any public official who uses their position or their power to abuse other people. Rodriguez-Kennedy noted that Beiser will have a chance to make his case in court. We are not a judicial body; what we are is a political body, he said. This is a statement of our values. We believe that someone who is accused of this will not have the faith of the public to execute their duties and . therefore should step down and address this and have their day in court. The chairman of the Republican Party of San Diego County earlier in the day called for a full and immediate investigation of the allegations. The sheer number of, and graphic details in, the accusations against Kevin Beiser are shocking, Chairman Tony Krvaric said in a statement. If any of these allegations are remotely true, Kevin Beiser is not fit to serve as a San Diego Unified School Board Trustee and should resign immediately. San Diego Democrats for Equality, which also is led by Rodriguez-Kennedy, said it plans to bring forth an emergency resolution calling for Beiser to step down. It is the largest membership-based Democratic club in the county and it advocates for LGBTQ issues. The San Diego Unified School Board has not commented on the allegations. School Board President Sharon Whitehurst-Payne did not respond to phone messages and the board did not release a statement. School Board Trustee John Lee Evans, who said he was speaking as an individual and not on behalf of the board, said he did not know if the allegations are true. But if it ever turned out that any school board member engaged in such behavior, resignation would be the only appropriate response, he wrote in an email. We all need to be held to a high standard and must stand up against all forms of sexual abuse. The San Diego Unified School District declined to comment on the lawsuit because it is pending litigation. The Sweetwater Union High School District, where Beiser is a teacher at Castle Park Middle School, said it will defer to the legal process. Our focus, first and foremost, is on the students at Castle Park Middle School and throughout the entire Sweetwater Union High School District, Sweetwater spokesman Manny Rubio said in an email. We respect the legal process and must allow it to move forward. Kisha Borden, president of the San Diego Unified teachers union, which endorsed Beiser for school board, said she wants the board to investigate the very serious and troubling allegations. We know that these claims have to be taken seriously and we know that it has to be investigated, she said. UPDATES: 1:05 p.m.: This article was updated with reactions from school district officials. 2:00 p.m.: This article was updated with reactions from additional political organizations. 6:50 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from Beiser. This article was originally published at 10:40 a.m. A political consultant who helped Kevin Beiser get elected to the San Diego Unified School Board filed suit against Beiser Monday, alleging sexual assault and sexual harassment. The lawsuit claims Beiser, a middle school teacher who has served on the board of the states second-largest school district for more than eight years, exploited his political power and status to coerce the consultant into sexually abusive situations over the course of five years. Beiser, 50, could not be reached Monday evening for comment. He did not respond to telephone messages, emails or a doorbell ring at his home. The consultant is referred to as John Doe in the lawsuit. The San Diego Union-Tribune is not identifying Doe because he said he is a victim of sexual assault. Advertisement The lawsuit alleges that when he first met Beiser, Doe was a college student who wanted to get into politics. He saw Beiser as someone with political clout who could help him build his career. Beiser gave him jobs and helped him fundraise, the lawsuit said. Doe soon came to believe that was all contingent on him submitting to Beisers sexual conduct, the lawsuit said. Beiser has served on the San Diego Unified School Board since 2010 and was re-elected for a third term in November. His current term will expire in 2022. Last year, he was the school board president. According to his biography on the district website, Beiser had a career in management with a Fortune 500 company before becoming an educator. The site notes that he was named San Diego Math Teacher of the Year and received a Distinguished Service Award for work with the Gifted and Talented Education Program. Beiser also intends to run for San Diego City Council next year, according to city records. He teaches at Castle Park Middle School in the Sweetwater Union High School District, according to the schools website. Doe said he filed suit to prevent others from being abused. I have nothing to gain from this, he said in an interview. So for me, I just want him I want it to stop. The suit seeks unspecified damages. The lawsuit alleges the abuse began after Doe met Beiser in 2013 in Washington, D.C. Doe was a San Diego State University student interning in the capital, according to the lawsuit. Beiser offered Doe a job working on his school board campaign, then invited him to a bar in D.C., saying he would be there with some friends, the lawsuit claimed. Doe went to the bar hoping to expand his political connections and clams he soon found himself alone with Beiser. Beiser allegedly bought several alcoholic drinks for Doe, who became drunk, the lawsuit said. Then Beiser took Doe to a hotel and sexually assaulted him, the lawsuit said. Afterward, Doe told Beiser he felt shame and regret about what happened, according to the lawsuit. Beiser allegedly responded with more sexual advances, the suit said. Beiser eventually offered Doe a job working on his 2014 school board campaign. According to the lawsuit, Doe told Beiser he was not sexually interested in him, and Beiser said he would keep their relationship professional. Over the course of several months while working on the campaign, Beiser created a sexually offensive and hostile work environment for Doe, the lawsuit claimed. The lawsuit alleges that Beiser solicited sex from Doe and touched him inappropriately, among other claims. According to the lawsuit, this occurred at Beisers home, which served as the campaigns headquarters. After Beiser was re-elected to the school board in 2014, Doe avoided contact with him until 2016, when Doe sought Beisers fundraising help for his own bid for City Council. The lawsuit alleges that Beiser continued to harass Doe and suggested that since he no longer worked for him, Doe was free to engage in sexual contact with him. Doe objected but Beiser allegedly continued the abuse, the lawsuit said. In May 2016, according to the lawsuit, Doe and his girlfriend confronted Beiser and told him not to touch him sexually again. Doe lost the City Council election. In 2017, Doe asked for Beisers help to fundraise for a political action committee he had created, according to the lawsuit. Doe still believed Beiser was a rising star and a fundraising powerhouse on the political scene, according to the lawsuit, and he naively held hope for a business relationship with Beiser. In January 2018, Beiser hired Doe as a consultant for his latest school board campaign. According to the lawsuit, a month later, after Doe told Beiser that he was in a pretty weird headspace, Beiser allegedly offered the use of his hot tub and suggested that Doe get a massage. Doe said he responded, Dont come on to me. Beiser fired Doe two months later, the lawsuit said. Doe said Beiser told him he didnt need his services anymore. Doe said he believes he was fired because he rejected Beiser. When Doe came to Beisers home to get his paycheck in April, Beiser assaulted him again, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit said he suffered lost income, medical and psychological expenses and emotional distress. Kristen Taketa Email: kristen.taketa@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @Kristen_Taketa Last weeks accusations of sexual assault and sexual harassment against San Diego Unified Trustee Kevin Beiser presented another #MeToo story, with allegations of a man wielding power and status to carry out abuse. But experts say this case also has some less common aspects, in part because the alleged victims are men. Men are less likely to be sexually assaulted or abused than women, experts said, but it happens more often than most people know. A study commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control found that nearly a quarter of all men experience unwanted sexual contact, coercion or rape in their lifetimes. In this case, four San Diego men who were active in politics recently accused Beiser of sexual abuse and harassment, ranging from unwanted sexual touching to rape. Advertisement One of them filed a civil lawsuit against Beiser Monday, saying that Beiser raped, sexually abused and harassed him over the five years they worked together. That man is referred to as John Doe in court documents. Beiser has denied the allegations, saying there is no truth to them and that they are politically motivated. Beiser did not respond to a request for comment for this story. Several leading Democrats and all of Beisers fellow school board members have called for his resignation, many saying the allegations are credible and Beiser is unfit to remain in office. The allegations have yet to play out in court. But some experts say they line up with some common patterns of cases of alleged sexual assault and harassment, particularly when offenders exploit their material or political clout to coerce silence and submission from victims. All four men have said they were trying to build their political careers when they first met Beiser, who is well-connected in the San Diego County Democratic Party and has served on the school board of the states second-largest school district for more than eight years. Experts, speaking in general, not necessarily about this case, say that elevated social status and political power are effective tools for carrying out sexual abuse and getting away with it. Taking advantage of a power differential is one of the most common tactics that predatory people use, said Robert Eckstein, a senior lecturer with the Prevention Innovations Research Center at the University of New Hampshire. People who offend in this manner are really sophisticated in picking out people who have less power than them and have less avenues to report it and to get the help that they need. Eckstein added that if an offender is well-liked in a community, that can lead victims to doubt themselves or doubt that the person did something wrong to them. Power is a very effective vehicle to abuse and being successful with it, because it insulates you in a lot of ways, said Veronique Valliere, a psychologist who has testified in court about victim behavior and consulted for the military and law enforcement. Plus, the victim is very well aware of your status and credibility in the community, and so challenging that is a huge barrier to overcome. Several of the men accusing Beiser said they were aware of Beisers status in politics when they met him. Doe saw Beiser as a rising star in the Democratic Party and a fund-raising powerhouse, according to his lawsuit. Another political aspirant, Patrick Macfarland, said Beiser took him under his wing and introduced him to a lot of powerful Democrats at a political event in 2017. Later that night, Macfarland said, Beiser groped him and invited him to his hotel. Macfarland said he didnt tell many people about the incident because of Beisers status. I kept quiet for all this time because, you know, Kevin Beiser is a powerful person of the Democratic Party, Macfarland said. He has a lot of powerful friends and, me starting out my political career, I was scared that he could do something and then thats it, Im done. Eva Posner, a political consultant who was working for Macfarland at the time, said Friday that Macfarland told her about the incident and showed her a text message from Beiser with his hotel information. We had several conversations afterward about what to do and how to keep Patrick from ever being alone with Mr. Besier again, Posner said, adding that she knows all four men who accused Beiser. She said they all shared their story and she has provided support. Dan Gilleon, Does lawyer, said politics is especially conducive to sexual abuse because its all about who you know. Theres a risk that comes with saying anything damning about a well-regarded person in a community and that prevents many victims from speaking out, Gilleon said. If he complains, theres no fresh start, Gilleon said of his client. Fear, shame and guilt often lead victims back to their offenders despite the prior abuse, experts say. Does lawsuit stated that in the years after Beiser allegedly raped Doe, Doe turned to Beiser multiple times for political work and help. Doe agreed to be Beisers campaign manager in 2014. He asked Beiser in 2016 to help him fund-raise for his own city council bid and again in 2017 for a political action committee Doe formed. In 2018, Doe agreed to be Beisers campaign consultant again. The lawsuit said that while Beiser and Doe worked on those projects, Beiser allegedly continued abusing Doe, even though Doe objected. Valliere said that, in general, some sexual abuse victims return to or continue to make contact with an abuser because the abuser continues to have power or influence over their life or livelihood. It seems so superficially easy to leave when it really isnt, Valliere said. Victims of sexual harassment and assault can feel added shame if an abuser does them a favor, she said. After accepting the benefits an offender provides, a victim often feels more guilt, Valliere said. Theyve basically co-opted the victim into cooperating with their own offense, she said, referring generally to an abuser, because the victim then feels completely culpable. [Victims] are rewarded not only for the abuse, but the silence. While the allegations against Beiser involve common themes of power disparity, they differ from most #MeToo scenarios in that they involved only men. All of these dynamics that were talking about can be especially powerful for male victims because its not considered the norm, Eckstein said. Nearly a quarter of men in the United States experienced some form of contact sexual violence, such as unwanted sexual touching, rape or coercion, in their lifetimes. That compares to 44 percent of women, according to the CDCs National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey. It is based on 2015 data. Within those numbers, nearly 18 percent of all men reported unwanted sexual contact; 2.6 percent reported being raped. Male victims often feel a distinct kind of shame from sexual assault or harassment because of cultural stereotypes about masculinity, such as the expectation that men would be able to fight off any offenders, said Elizabeth Jeglic, a psychology professor at John Jay College. A lot of times, men arent taken seriously because they feel that men can fight back if theyre being abused, or they should speak up, Jeglic said. Its largely dismissed as a societal issue, even though we know its been going on for a long time. Men also are often unfamiliar with experiences of vulnerability, such as sexual assault, and they may not know how to deal with them, Valliere said. Sexual assault is especially traumatizing if a straight male victim was assaulted by a man, Valliere added, because it can lead the victim to question why he put up with the offenders actions. Luke Pakter said this week that in May 2017, he had gone to Beisers home to pick up a political contribution check, which was going to pay Patkers salary. He said after the meeting, on his way out, Beiser touched him inappropriately in a lingering embrace and offered him money for a massage. Pakter, who was 19 at the time, said he felt he couldnt confront Beiser about his behavior, so he tried to be polite and non-committal. Later, he said, he felt emasculated by the experience. Pakter said he had a girlfriend at the time but didnt tell her about it. It felt like this situation where I was not being able to fight back, he said. Staff writer Morgan Cook contributed to this report. Kristen Taketa Email: kristen.taketa@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @Kristen_Taketa French English Press contact: Priyanka Roy Tel.: +91 900 454 1119 Email: priyanka.a.roy@capgemini.com Capgemini research shows modest AI implementation progress in the automotive sector Uptake on large scale AI projects stalls, however research shows successful adoption can add millions to operating profit Paris, March 26, 2019 A new study from the Capgemini Research Institute has found that just 10% of major automotive companies are implementing artificial intelligence1 (AI) projects at scale, with many falling short of an opportunity that could increase operating profit by up to 16%. The research also shows that fewer automotive companies are implementing AI than was the case in 2017, despite the cost, quality and productivity advantages, many report it delivering. The Accelerating Automotives AI Transformation: How driving AI enterprise-wide can turbo-charge organizational value study surveyed 500 executives from large automotive companies in eight countries, building on a comparable study from 2017, to establish recent trends in AI investment and deployment. The research highlighted the following potential reasons for the modest progress in relation to AI implementation: The roadblocks to technology transformation are still significant, such as legacy IT systems, accuracy and data concerns, and lack of skills. The hype and high expectations that initially came with AI may have turned into a more measured and pragmatic view as companies are confronted with the reality of implementation. Key findings include: Scaling of AI has seen a slow growth: Since 2017, the number of automotive companies that have successfully scaled AI implementation has increased only marginally (from 7% to 10%). However, more significant was the increase in companies not using AI at all (from 26% to 39%). According to the report, just 26% of companies are now piloting AI projects (down from 41% in 2017). This is maybe due to companies finding it harder to realize a desired return on investment. The results also reveal a significant regional disparity, with 25% of US firms delivering AI at scale, compared to 9% in China (note, this is a significant increase from 5% to 9%), 8% in France, 5% in Italy and 2% in India. Automotive organizations can drive significant reward from scaled AI: The modest progress in implementing AI projects at scale represents a major missed opportunity for the industry. Modelling in the report, based on one typical Top 50 Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), estimates that delivering AI at scale could achieve increases in operating profit ranging from 5% (or $232m) based on conservative estimates, to 16% (or $764m) in an optimistic scenario. With AI-empowered visual inspection we have sensibly reduced the ratio of false positives with respect to the previous systems, said Demetrio Aiello, head of the AI & Robotics Labs at Continental. I am very confident that if we can deploy AI to its fullest potential it would have an impact on performance equivalent to almost doubling our capacity today. AI is seen more as a job-creator than a job-replacer: The report showed that the industry has become more positive about AIs job-creation potential - 100% of executives say that AI is creating new job roles, up from 84% in 2017. Where AI is being deployed, it is achieving results: The survey found a consistent story of AI delivering benefits across every automotive business function. On average, it delivered a 16% increase in productivity across Research and Development (R&D), operational efficiency improvements of 15% in the supply chain and 16% in manufacturing/operations, reduced direct costs of 14% in customer experience and 17% in IT, and reduced time to market by 15% in R&D and 13% in marketing/sales. Additionally, a number of successful AI projects are identified and detailed in the research report. One example is Continental generating 5,000 miles of vehicle test data an hour through an AI-powered simulation, compared to 6,500 miles a month it was getting through physical test driving. Others include: Volkswagen accurately modeling vehicle sales across 250 auto models in 120 countries using machine learning 2 Mercedes-Benz testing an AI-recognition system for parcel delivery that can reduce vehicle loading time by 15 percent3 Markus Winkler, Executive Vice President, Global Head of Automotive at Capgemini concludes, These findings show that the progress of AI in the automotive industry has hit a speedbump. Some companies are enjoying considerable success, but others have struggled to focus on the most effective use cases, vehicle manufacturers need to start seeing AI not as a standalone opportunity, but as a strategic capability required to shape the future which they must organize investment, talent and governance around. He continues, As this research shows, AI can deliver a significant dividend for every automotive business, but only if it is implemented at scale. For AI to succeed, organizations will need to invest in the right skills, achieve the requisite quality of data, and have a management structure that provides both direction and executive support. To deliver at scale, companies must invest, upskill and create infrastructure: The report also examined the behaviors of the companies in the survey who have had the most success implementing AI at scale (Scale Champions). It found they had typically, invested much more in AI (more than $200m a year for 86% of Champions), focused hiring and training efforts on AI skills (32% said hiring was relevant to their AI strategy, versus 14% of others; 25% said they proactively upskilled and re-skilled current employees, compared to 8% of others); and created a clear governance structure to prioritize and promote AI, with measures including a central steering to govern AI investment, and a cross-functional team of tech, business and operations experts. Research Methodology The Capgemini Research Institute conducted a primary survey of 500 automotive executives from large automotive organizations in eight countries: China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States. The research team then conducted in-depth interviews with a number of industry experts and entrepreneurs. The report can be downloaded here . About Capgemini A global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation, Capgemini is at the forefront of innovation to address the entire breadth of clients opportunities in the evolving world of cloud, digital and platforms. Building on its strong 50-year heritage and deep industry-specific expertise, Capgemini enables organizations to realize their business ambitions through an array of services from strategy to operations. Capgemini is driven by the conviction that the business value of technology comes from and through people. It is a multicultural company of over 200,000 team members in more than 40 countries. The Group reported 2018 global revenues of EUR 13.2 billion. Visit us at www.capgemini.com . People matter, results count. About the Capgemini Research Institute The Capgemini Research Institute is Capgeminis in-house research center. The Institute publishes research on the impact of digital technologies on large traditional businesses. The team draws on the worldwide network of Capgemini experts and works closely with academic and technology partners. The Institute has dedicated research centers in India, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was recently ranked #1 in the world for the quality of its research by independent analysts. Visit us at https://www.capgemini.com/researchinstitute/ 1 Artificial intelligence (AI) is a collective term for the capabilities shown by learning systems that are perceived by humans as representing intelligence. Today, typical AI capabilities include speech, image and video recognition, autonomous objects, natural language processing, conversational agents, prescriptive modeling, augmented creativity, smart automation, advanced simulation, as well as complex analytics and predictions. 2 Automotive World, VW says OK to AI, March 2018 3 Daimler website, Vans as motherships, September 2018 Attachment The University of San Diego has raised its annual tuition above the $50,000 level for the first time, placing the campus among a relatively small number of private liberal arts schools nationwide who charge at least that much money. USD will charge $50,450 in tuition and fees during the 2019-20 academic year, a $1,700 increase over the current year. If you add room, board and related expenses, a full year at USD will cost $67,211. Thats an increase of $2,282 over this year. The price increase places USD among the roughly 100 private colleges and universities nationally that charge a minimum of $50,000 in tuition. The schools include such large research universities as the University of Southern California, and small campuses, including Pomona and Pitzer colleges. USDs new $50,450 tuition figure represents the so-called sticker price. The actual cost, for most students, is significantly less after financial aid and scholarships are factored in. Advertisement Even so, USD has been concerned about tuition, which has recently risen about 3 percent at private schools. The university said last fall that it would attempt to reduce operating expenses by at least $15 million over the next five years so that it could avoid making big tuition hikes. Tuition is only part of the story, said Lissette Martinez, a USD spokeswoman Due to strong growth in our endowment and judicious cost control measures, USD students graduate with less debt than the national average. The total cost of attendance at USD for the most recent academic year is the lowest among our Catholic peer institutions. The average undergraduate student receives nearly $38,000 in financial assistance per year. The $50,000 mark needs to be put into perspective, say analysts. $50,000 is not a magic threshhold, especially since including the price of room, board, and other expenses, the cost had already been close to $65,000, said Lynn Reaser, an economist at Point Loma Nazarene University. It is also comparable to the tuition charged by a number of other prominent private colleges and universities. Many lower-income students are able to access loans and grants, while demand from foreign students remains strong. Reaser is on the faculty of Point Loma Nazarene University, a private school that currently charges $35,100 in tuition and fees. The school hasnt announced if an increase is imminent. The University of California system announced last week that it will not raise tuition on California students this fall. However, the system has proposed raising non-resident tuition by $762, pushing it to $29,754. The change would have a significant impact at UC San Diego, where about 23 percent of the enrollment is composed of foreign students. The campus has just under 8,800 international students, more than half whom as from China. They pay roughly twice what a California resident lays out for tuition and fees. The California State University system which includes campuses in San Diego and San Marcos has said it does not plan to increase tuition this fall. ICYMI Soaring growth stirs pride, promise at Cal State San Marcos Huge surge in foreign students helps UC San Diego diversify and pay the bills Heavy recruiting failed to get UCSD on Forbes list of best schools for foreign students Federal officials and local community partners will pour almost $70 million into programs to improve education and socio-economic outcomes for youth in Barrio Logan, Logan Heights and San Ysidro. The programs will include education for new parents, home visits for newborns, tutoring, anti-bullying programs, attendance intervention specialists, after-school programs and college preparation, among others. A five-year, $30 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education and $39 million in matching funds from local community partners will fund the new San Diego Promise Neighborhood that encompasses about 13,000 family households in those three areas. The idea of the Promise Neighborhood, which was inspired by the Harlem Childrens Zone in New York, is to coordinate programs that support all aspects of a neighborhood, including education, health and jobs, and span all chapters of childrens lives, from birth to post-college graduation. Advertisement This grant allows a sustained community focus to support our children no matter what theyre experiencing, San Diego Unified Superintendent Cindy Marten said at a press conference Wednesday at Perkins K-8, which is one of five schools that will participate in the Promise programs. The other four are San Ysidro High School, San Ysidro Middle, Smythe Elementary and the Logan Memorial Educational Complex. South Bay Community Services, which is spearheading the Promise Neighborhood, surveyed families in the three areas and found that 80 percent of those families did not have an adult who completed college. Meanwhile, about half the areas children live in poverty and many are English language learners, according to the nonprofit. Almost three-quarters of area children under age 6 are not attending preschool or other early learning programs. San Diego County is rare in that this is will be its second Promise Neighborhood, officials said. The other is the Chula Vista Promise Neighborhood in Castle Park, a neighborhood of about 6,700 people with high rates of unemployment and poverty. The nonprofit has reported improved outcomes for children in Castle Park since the Promise Neighborhood was formed there. Nearly all of preschool-age children who participated in the Promise Neighborhood programs were prepared for kindergarten last year, up from 77 percent in 2014, according to South Bay Community Services. More young children were also enrolled in early learning programs. Elementary students test scores increased by an average of 4 percent in English and 9 percent in math over a three-year period, according to South Bay Community Services. Nearly all high school students enrolled in college. The Chula Vista Promise Neighborhood began with about $60 million of grant money and matching funding. Kristen Taketa Email: kristen.taketa@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @Kristen_Taketa About a thousand students will likely be forced to find a new school this fall after the State Board of Education declined to renew the charters for the four Thrive charter schools. The San Diego-based charter school network needed to get its charter renewed from the state to continue operating next school year, after the San Diego Unified School Board voted unanimously last year to deny Thrives renewal. Charter schools are independently-run public schools, but their charters are licenses to operate which must be renewed every five years by the school district where theyre located. If not they can appeal to the State Board of Education. The State Board voted 4-to-2 Thursday to deny Thrives renewal, largely because of Thrives low state test scores. Linda Darling-Hammond, the state board president, was the lone abstention. Advertisement The vote to non-renew technically did not carry because the state board needs six votes to pass any motion, according to state law. The State Board currently has three vacancies and one board member was not present for Thursdays votes. Next, the State Board considered approving Thrives renewal under the conditions that Thrive limit its enrollment; receive an independent evaluation of its academics, staff and leadership, and develop an improvement plan. But that motion only got a 2-to-4 vote, so it did not go through either. Therefore, because the State Board failed to take any action Thursday, San Diego Unifieds decision stands, meaning Thrives charter will not be renewed and the school will likely close at the end of this school year. Nicole Assisi, founder and CEO of Thrive, said in a statement that she is beyond disappointed that the State Board chose not to listen to the testimony of Thrives families, but she is considering options that would allow Thrive to continue educating its students. She would not yet elaborate on what those options are. I am absolutely devastated by todays decision but am also more determined than ever to ensure that every one of our nearly 1,000 students continues on the positive trajectory they have started, Assisi said. Thrive can choose to sue about the denial of its renewal, because the State Board did not take any action, according to a California Department of Education official. Some state board members said they believe Thrive has been serving a need for many students, but the state law ties their hands. Darling-Hammond, a nationally recognized expert in education equity, said the Thrive renewal process has revealed flaws in the way Californias law requires the State Board and school districts to evaluate charter schools. We need to develop new law and process. We have a very narrow criterion, Darling-Hammond said. I am coming away with all of those lessons and a heart full of concern, she said, before abstaining from the vote to deny Thrives renewal. The state education department had advised the State Board to deny Thrives charter because Thrives state test scores have declined every year since it opened in 2014. Last year, only 31 percent of Thrive students who took state tests met or exceeded state standards in English, while 19 percent did so in math. But Thrives supporters say its unfair to judge Thrive primarily on those scores, because the school network has added hundreds of new students each year, most of whom came to Thrive already years behind their peers in academics because they had been failed by other public schools. Thrive supporters also say the state testing numbers represent the performance of only about 13 percent of Thrives students, since only students in grades 3 through 8 and 11 take state tests. Thrive serves kindergarten through 11th grade in four campuses in San Diego. Thrives internal student data, based on alternative standardized tests, show academic growth for all of its student groups, Assisi said. Supporters argued that Thrive is effectively being punished for being a desirable alternative to other public schools, especially with students who have been disadvantaged by their old schools. Dozens of parents, teachers and students spoke in support of Thrive. Many of the parents reported that their children were bullied or written off by teachers at other public schools before coming to Thrive, where they love school. I wish that the Board of Education would realize that, when you have 1,000 people not choose their local public school, listen to the thousand people, Thrive parent Juan Pablo Pardo-Guerra said. Its been absolutely disheartening. We feel powerless, because I think that the statistics arent probably the whole story. Supporters also pointed out that 19 district and charter schools within San Diego Unifieds boundaries have been officially identified by the state as low-performing. Thrive is not one of them. The State Board members said they were sympathetic to the parents and students who spoke of how much Thrive has helped them. But state law says charter schools must, above all, be evaluated based on how well they perform on state tests compared to similar public schools. This is emotional. This is really hard. It sounds to me like Thrive is meeting the needs of kids that werent met in other places, State Board Member Ilene Straus said. And yet, I am really concerned about what we are legally required to do under the current law with the multiple measures. I think were faced with a real dilemma with the guidelines that are currently before us. Darling-Hammond said California needs to change its laws so that public schools are evaluated more holistically and based on factors other than just state test scores, such as students social-emotional health. We need better ways to look at growth and gains, she said. Since the fall, an Oakland-based group that has been critical of charter schools, In the Public Interest, and the San Diego Unified teachers union have led a push to close Thrive, where teachers are not unionized. San Diego Unified Superintendent Cindy Marten traveled to Sacramento Thursday to speak against Thrives renewal. Thrive has failed to support our most vulnerable students, Marten told the State Board. an Diego Unified has been commended for supporting Hispanic and African-American students Marten said the district will take extraordinary steps to help Thrive parents enroll at a district school, including giving them priority placement in schools with open seats. But several Thrive parents said they have vowed to avoid San Diego Unified district schools because of previous bad experiences there. Pardo-Guerra said the charter schools he is interested in have long waiting lists and the high-performing, high-demand charter schools dont have as diverse a student body as Thrive. Peri Lynn Turnbull, a Thrive parent and president of the Thrive Education Foundation, said she is not sure where she else besides Thrive she will enroll her son, Jacob, an eighth-grader who has autism. When Jacob first started attending Thrive, he was three years behind his peers,Turnbull said. Turnbull said she feared he might never attend college or graduate high school, because he was struggling academically and socially. Now, Jacob is testing on grade level, she said, which means his teachers helped him accomplish six years of learning in three years. He has been elected school president, Turnbull said, and is infinitely better at socializing with his peers, keeping relationships and handling his emotions. Its saved Jacobs life. We really believe it. We dont think he wouldve made it if he went to another school, Turnbull said of Thrive. What troubles Turnbull, she said, is the idea that her bringing Jacob who was initially a failing student to Thrive likely hurt the schools scores. If parents like her had brought their other high-performing children, it could have been a different story, Turnbull said. Its his scores that are hurting the renewal process, which is mortifying because [Thrive] did everything we asked of them, Turnbull said. All the parents like me, we brought a child to the school who was struggling. The State Board generally has followed the education departments recommendations and has mostly voted in charter schools favor. The board has approved the establishment or renewal of 15 charter school petitions since January 2018, according to state board meeting minutes. It has denied only five. Kristen Taketa Email: kristen.taketa@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @Kristen_Taketa UC San Diego Police are investigating three generalized threats of violence against the university that were written on restroom doors in Geisel Library, according to Jeff Gattas, chief of staff to Chancellor Pradeep Khosla. The threats come during final exams for the winter quarter, one of the busiest periods of the year for the library. Yesterday evening and this afternoon, UCSD Police were investigating threats written on the inside of three womens restroom doors, Gatass said. The University takes every threat extremely seriously and UCSD Police have responded and are investigating. The postings are generalized and not specific. UCSD has interviewed potential witnesses and is reviewing video in an attempt to identify the person or persons responsible. Once found, the university will seek prosecution to the fullest extent of the law. Advertisement People with information should contact UCSD Police at 858-534-4357 or e-mail detective@ucsd.edu. On Wednesday, County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher will ask his colleagues to kill current plans to build condominiums on an out-of-the-way piece of government property in Hillcrest and instead build a new structure that could house much-needed behavioral health services. Located on Third Avenue on a spit of land that forms the jagged edge of the bluff that overlooks Mission Valley, the dilapidated property has been vacant for a decade but once housed abused and neglected children taken from their homes by the county. The property is next door to a recently-rebuilt emergency services unit set up to screen youth coping with behavioral health problems and is one of several parcels along the narrow road that runs along a ridgeline that ends at the former property of San Diego Hospice. To the east and west, canyons plunge to the floor of the valley, isolating the acreage from much of the surrounding neighborhood and providing views west across Mission Bay to the Pacific Ocean and east across Highway 163 to University Heights. Advertisement The view makes the countys current plan to lease the ground to a developer for a condo project seem like the most lucrative option. But Fletcher, whose district includes most of the City of San Diego, makes the case that housing is not the best use of land situated within walking distance of UC San Diego Medical Center and Scripps Mercy Hospital, facilities that struggle to keep up with patient demand for psychiatric services. Fletcher noted that the redevelopment plan for the property currently does not call for affordable housing and argues that it should serve a public purpose. Its a public asset, and I believe the biggest public policy challenge we face in San Diego is not a shortage of luxury condos; its a shortage of mental health treatment facilities, Fletcher said. At Wednesdays regularly scheduled supervisors meeting, Fletcher will ask for a vote to discard the current request for private development proposals and instead direct staff to conduct a feasibility study that would examine the viability of various behavioral health uses including short-term crisis stabilization, inpatient treatment, rehabilitation and outpatient services. Taking this step, he said, would show many that the county is doing more than paying lip service to the current need for more robust psychiatric services. If we can re-purpose this land for this purpose it sends a message that were really serous about tackling this issue, Fletcher said. The idea got immediate applause from a powerful neighbor. Patricia Maysent, chief executive officer of UC San Diego Health, said Friday that she supports the proposed change in direction. I think the location is brilliant, Maysent said. If we could potentially put behavioral health services there, it would be fantastic because its contiguous to our campus in Hillcrest, and its close to Mercy. Because of the way that land is situated, its kind of its own little space. In an email, board chair Dianne Jacob said the idea fits with the countys broader efforts to radically transform and strengthen the delivery of behavioral health services across the entire region. I look forward to the feasibility study at this location. A hub would be an important step in making sure those with mental health challenges and related issues get the coordinated care they so badly need, Jacob said. The county currently operates a behavioral health screening facility for children on an adjacent property. Its unclear whether the residents living in a large apartment complex to the west have any objections to Fletchers proposed switch to behavioral health. Likewise, redevelopment is also planned for the San Diego Hospice property closer to the edge of the bluff. The hearing will take place during the supervisors meeting at 1600 Pacific Highway Wednesday at 9 a.m. Health Playlist On Now Video: Why aren't Americans getting flu shots? 0:37 On Now Video: Leaders urge public to help extinguish hepatitis outbreak On Now San Diego starts cleansing sidewalks, streets to combat hepatitis A On Now Video: Scripps to shutter its hospice service On Now Video: Scripps La Jolla hospitals nab top local spot in annual hospital rankings On Now Video: Does a parent's Alzheimer's doom their children? On Now Video: Vaccine can prevent human papillomavirus, which can cause cancer 0:31 On Now 23 local doctors have already faced state discipline in 2017 0:48 On Now EpiPen recall expands On Now Kids can add years to your life paul.sisson@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1850 Twitter: @paulsisson In 1901 a cornerstone was laid for the citys first public library building at Eighth Avenue and E Street downtown. The $60,000 building made possible by a grant from industrialist Andrew Carnegie lasted 50 years before it was demolished in June 1952. From The Evening Tribune,Tuesday, March 19, 1901: THE CORNER STONE LAID Impressive Exercises at Library Building THOUSANDS OF SPECTATORS Grand Master J.A. Forshay Conducts the Ceremonies in Behalf of the Grand Lodge of Masons Philip Morse President of the Day Judge M.A. Luce Grand Orator Addresses by Mrs. Lydia M. Horton Music by Church Choir Andrew Carnegies Gift Extolled Advertisement Several thousand people gathered this morning at the northeast corner of Tenth and E streets to witness the impressive ceremonies attendant upon laying the corner stone of the Carnegie public library building under the auspices of the Grand Lodge of Masons. The exercises began at ten oclock and a few minutes before that hour some two hundred members of the Grand Lodge and members of the local lodges marched to the library site from their Temple on H street. The procession was led by Grand Master J.A. Foshay of San Francisco, and Grand Standard Bearer E.J. Louis, the former having charge of the exercises in behalf of the Grand Lodge. The platform from where the exercises were conducted was close to the southwest corner of the building where the corner stone was put in position and close by on a raised platform was the choir under the direction of Mr. and Mrs. T.E. Rowan which rendered the following musical numbers as the exercises progressed. The Heavens Are Declaring; Hail,Masonry; Corn, Wine and Oil Weve Poured Upon Our Brethrens Hopethe Corner Stone; Place We Now the Corner Stone. Philip Morse officiated as president of the day, and as an opening to the exercises read the following dispatch: Cordial congratulations to the City of San Diego. Signed Andrew Carnegie. On the invitation of President Morse, Mrs. Lydia M. Horton then delivered an address with is published in full later in this article. MRS HORTONS ADDRESS I am glad to have the opportunity to speak to you my friends and neighbors, with whom and for whom it has been my pleasure to work in forwarding this library movement, which has so far developed that we are ready today to lay the corner stone of our building, carrying out an old custom which is full of significance. Let us hope that it will bind not only the walls of our building together, but unite us as a people in the unselfish desire for the common good and our realization of the common need. It is this desire, this realization, which prompts Mr. Carnegies splendid gifts to humanity, believing as he does, with Lowell, that the best part of a mans education is that which he gives himself. This is the opportunity our public libraries furnish, the means for self education, tracing for the footprints of the migratory races who swarmed over Europe and the last review of the civilization of the twentieth century; the earliest thought in the history of science, and the latest theories of Spencer, Marconi and Edison, the folk-songs of the beginnings of literature and the poems of Kipling. The desire for education is constantly growing. This is the age of books. We are seeking the best methods of study; the most modern appliances, we want to have our libraries properly housed, for safety, convenient handling and quiet perusal... Historical photos and articles from The San Diego Union-Tribune archives are compiled by merrie.monteagudo@sduniontribune.com. Search the U-T historic archives at NewsLibrary.com/sites/sdub. In March 1965 astronauts Gus Grissom and John Young flew orbited the earth three times in the first manned Gemini mission. While in space, Grissom fired thruster rockets to test the crafts maneuverability. It was the first time a spacecraft had been piloted by its own crew. From The San Diego Union, Wednesday, March 24, 1965: Gemini Maneuvers Open New Era Astronauts Safe On Carrier After 3-Orbit Success By Robert Zimmerman, The San Diego Unions Military Writer Advertisement CAPE KENNEDY Astronauts Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom and John Young flew the worlds first maneuverable space craft on a successful three-orbit mission yesterday, but had to hitch a ride in a helicopter for the last few miles of the trip. Grissom, as the command pilot, put the two-seat Gemini spacecraft through a series of flight maneuvers that brought in a new era in space flight. The only flaw in an otherwise perfect flight came when the spacecraftnicknamed Molly Brown splashed down in the Atlantic ocean four hours and 54 minutes after a Titan 2 booster lifted it into orbit from Cape Kennedy. The spacecraft came down nearly 50 miles from where it was supposed to. Grissom and Young made a quick change in their plans, which called for them to stay inside their capsule until it was hoisted to the deck of the carrier Intrepid. Rather than wait about two hours for the Intrepid to arrive, they got out of their space suits, opened the hatches of the capsule and caught a ride in a Navy helicopter. IN UNDERWEAR The astronauts who had just made history exited from the spacecraft in their long underwear. They were hoisted in a sling aboard an SH-3A Sea King helicopter and flown to the carrier. The Intrepid carried out the final step of the Gemini mission, steaming toward the empty, but still floating spacecraft and retrieving it from the sea. Doctors on board the aircraft carrier said both pilots appeared to be in excellent condition. President Johnson immediately telephoned his congratulations, and Grissom told the President: It was a thrilling and wonderful flight. OH BOY, YOUNG CRIES Oh boy, Young said to the President by radiophone from the carrier. The only thing wrong with it was it didnt last long enough. Well try to work that out in the days ahead, Mr. Johnson said. Grissom, 39, and Young, 34, will remain on the Intrepid until tomorrow for medical examinations, debriefings on details of the flight and rest. The astronauts are scheduled to be flown off the carrier tomorrow to return to the space center here, where they started their flight. They will appear at a press conference at Cocoa Beach, Fla., at 7 p.m. tomorrow and will go to Washington Friday for a ceremony at the White House. Only twice during the tense hours a Cape Kennedy yesterday did doubts arise that something might be going wrong in the maiden flight of the Gemini spacecraft. Fears of a possible postponement of the flight came when the pre-launching countdown was halted 35 minutes before the scheduled lift-off. Instruments in the launching control center showed that a leak had developed in a valve in the Titan booster. A member of the launching crew fixed the leak with one twist of a wrench, and the countdown resumed. The other uncertain moments came when the Gemini spacecraft drifting down by parachute after re-entry from space hit the water out of sight of any ships and planes in the recovery area. Voice communication was lost for a time between the spacecraft and the Intrepid. There was a long wait it seemed too long before word came to Cape Kennedy that the bell-shaped spacecraft had been sighted by a search plane and that Navy frogmen had placed a floating collar around it. At a press briefing after completion of the mission, spokesmen for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration were obviously elated. They pronounced it a very clean flight and a job well done. STUDIES NEEDED Christopher Kraft Jr., director of the mission, said it would require some studies of recorded information and further reports from Grissom to determine exactly why the re-entry and landing maneuver brought the spacecraft down so far from its target area. He also said there was no immediate explanation for why the spacecrafts attitude tended to drift toward the left during the flight. He pointed out, however, that Grissom had no difficulty in keeping the drift corrected. The powerful engines of the booster a modified Titan missile ignited at 9:24 a.m. (EST) and sent rolling puffs of reddish smoke out the exhaust vent of launch pad No. 19. Within seconds the engines roared into life with 430,000 pounds of thrust pounding behind. INTO ORBIT The Titan rose in what veteran rocket-watchers here described as a just beautiful launching. Roaring like a fast freight and spitting a rosy-tinged tongue of bright flame from its tail, it pushed into the blue sky. Yeah man! Grissom was heard to say as the rocket accelerated. Historical photos and articles from The San Diego Union-Tribune archives are compiled by merrie.monteagudo@sduniontribune.com. Search the U-T historic archives at NewsLibrary.com/sites/sdub. Three months into the Department of Homeland Securitys new program that requires asylum-seeking migrants wait in Mexico until their U.S. immigration hearings, experts said Friday the policy may be encouraging illegal border crossings. This past week, migrants rushed the border at least four times at Playas de Tijuana, many of them claiming they were motivated by not wanting to wait in Mexico. A CBP official said Friday migrants who cross the border illegally are not yet being returned to Mexico while they seek asylum. Instead, they are being processed by CBP and then taken into custody, where they eventually get to wait in the United States, sometimes up to three or four years until their asylum hearings before an American immigration judge. Advertisement Why would I spend three years here in Tijuana when I could be in the United States? asked Jeydi Fuentes Lopez Montes, a 29-year-old mother from Honduras traveling with a 1-year-old baby. I know there is work here in Tijuana, but isnt the work better over there? Fuentes said she came to Tijuana originally planning to wait in line to ask for asylum, but she said when she learned the list to get an initial appointment with U.S. officials could take several months, she decided to try to find another way into the country. Legal experts also say a judge is not allowed to deny a persons asylum request based solely on whether they entered the country legally or illegally. Samuel Rodriguez Guzman from El Salvador arrived in Tijuana last week. He said he came to the beach on Thursday after hearing about more people successfully entering the country illegally, and seeing people get through the border infrastructure at Playas on the news. Im trying whatever way I can to immigrate to the United States, said Rodriguez. I had problems with the gangs in my country and my father did too. They want to kill us. When we get there to the United States, they have to respect our human rights to ask for asylum, right? Alan Bersin, the former commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection said there is no coordinated system between the Mexican government and the U.S. to accept large numbers of migrants returned to Tijuana. So far, fewer than 300 people have been returned to Mexico under the program, named the Migrant Protection Protocols. Its an incompetent program currently, said Bersin, adding that people who cross illegally should be returned to Mexico in the same numbers as those who wait for months in line for their turn to cross legally. This policy has a chance of succeeding as a deterrent, he said. But (Mexican President Andres Manuel) Lopez-Obrador is trying to avoid a fight with Trump so he says yes to everything but does nothing. This week and last week migrants have been climbing through holes in border fencing at Playas or climbing over the 15-foot high fence. Last Wednesday, on March 13, some people slipped through a hole in the border fencing near the beach. One of the men, who was seen in a Union-Tribune video running down the beach carrying a small child while a border agent chased after him, provided updates via WhatsApp to several people in his group and some witnesses. He said he was not apprehended and made it to Los Angeles. Last Thursday, a group of about 60 people who crossed included men, women and children who said they were mostly from Honduras. CBP spokesman Ralph DeSio said 52 people from that group were arrested. Border officials also arrested 23 people from Honduras and one from Guatemala on Tuesday after they scaled the fence near the beach. Then Thursday, activity at the border intensified as border agents and migrants clashed. Two migrants and several witnesses said agents shot pepper spray across the fence and into their eyes. During the incident, one man climbed the fence and dropped into the U.S. before he was detained by border agents. DeSio said CBP is currently averaging 167 arrests per day throughout the San Diego County area of responsibility, which stretches east to past Jacumba. Every arrest in San Diego Sector is investigated. Every breach in San Diego County is a concern whether its near Imperial Beach or in Jacumba, DeSio said in a written statement. Compromises in our fence are common due to our aging infrastructure. Efforts are made to repair breaches or compromises in a timely manner. On Friday, another hole big enough for people to climb through was visible at the base of the border fence at Playas, and migrants said they planned to return Saturday and try to climb through again. Really, were tired of fighting because we just want to cross and ask for asylum inside (the United States.) Were not rude. We are allowed to come here and ask for asylum, said Jose Reinera, a Honduran migrant who climbed up on top of the fence at Las Playas on Thursday. Reinera turned back and climbed back down on the Mexican side of the border when he realized his wife and kids would not be able to make the climb, he said. Dutch English Amsterdam/'s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 26 March 2019 In the period from 19 March 2019 until 25 March 2019 Van Lanschot Kempen has repurchased 23,229 of its own shares (depositary receipts for Class A ordinary shares). The shares were repurchased at an average price of 21.14 per share for a total amount of 491,030. These repurchases are part of the share buy-back programme for at most 370,000 of own shares, which was announced on 21 February 2019. The total number of shares repurchased to date is 84,138. More information, including a detailed overview of the repurchase transactions under this programme, is available on www.vanlanschotkempen.com/sharebuyback. Media Relations: +31 20 354 45 85; mediarelations@vanlanschotkempen.com Investor Relations: +31 20 354 45 90; investorrelations@vanlanschotkempen.com About Van Lanschot Kempen Van Lanschot Kempen, a wealth manager operating under the Van Lanschot, Evi and Kempen brand names, is active in Private Banking, Asset Management and Merchant Banking, with the aim of preserving and creating wealth for its clients. Van Lanschot Kempen, listed at Euronext Amsterdam, is the Netherlands' oldest independent financial services company with a history dating back to 1737. vanlanschotkempen.com Disclaimer This document does not constitute an offer or solicitation for the sale, purchase or acquisition in any other way of or subscription to any financial instrument and is not an opinion or a recommendation to perform or refrain from performing any action. This document is a translation of the Dutch original and is provided as a courtesy only. In the event of any disparities, the Dutch version will prevail. A Texas flight attendant who was enrolled in the governments program for Dreamers flew to Mexico for work and was stopped by immigration authorities who forced her to spend more than a month in detention, her attorney said. Selene Saavedra Roman, 28, who immigrated illegally to the U.S. as a child, was released Friday from a detention center in Conroe, Texas, according to a statement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Being released is an indescribable feeling, she said through a spokesman. I cried and hugged my husband and never wanted to let go. I am thankful and grateful for the amazing people that came to fight for me, and it fills my heart. Thank you to everyone that has supported. I am just so happy to have my freedom back. Originally from Peru and married to an American citizen, she raised concerns with Mesa Airlines about her immigration status after being assigned to an international flight, attorney Belinda Arroyo said. Advertisement The airline assured her she would be fine, but she was stopped by U.S. authorities on Feb. 12, when she returned to Houston, and was sent to detention, where she remained for more than five weeks, Arroyo said. Soon after her lawyer, her husband, the airline and a flight attendants group publicly demanded her release, Saavedra Roman called to tell her husband she was getting out. She was crying and she said, Please come get me, her husband, David Watkins, told reporters. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the agency was looking into her status. Earlier, the agency said Saavedra Roman did not have a valid document to enter the country and was being detained while going through immigration court proceedings. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services the agency that oversees the program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA declined to discuss the case. But the agency says on its website that participants who travel outside the country without a special document allowing them to do so are no longer covered by the program. The agency no longer issues the document to the programs enrollees, according to the website. People enrolled in the program are commonly referred to as Dreamers, based on never-passed proposals in Congress called the DREAM Act. The Trump administration sought to end the Obama-era program but was blocked by litigation. New applications have been halted, but renewals continue for hundreds of thousands of immigrants already enrolled. In a joint statement with the Association of Flight Attendants, Mesa Airlines chief executive Jonathan Ornstein apologized to Saavedra Roman and asked U.S. authorities to release her, arguing that it was unfair to continually detain someone over something that is nothing more than an administrative error and a misunderstanding. She should have never been advised that she could travel, Arroyo said. It was a big mistake. Saavedra Roman who is scheduled to appear before an immigration judge in April attended Texas A&M University, where she met her husband. Watkins said he was not initially worried about her assignment because they already obtained approval from Citizenship and Immigration Services to apply for her green card as the wife of an American citizen. She has no criminal record and has long paid her taxes, he said, and she checked with her employer before the trip. Then she was detained. He could visit her only once a week and could only see her through thick glass. She sounded hopeless, he said. I told her, Even if you get deported to Peru, Ill just go with you, he said to reporters. Regardless of whatever happens in the future, I am not giving up. I am going to keep fighting. In a statement, the union representing Saavedra Roman and her colleagues said the event highlights the urgency of commonsense immigration reform and resolution for Americas children who are part of DACA. Terry Wallace contributed to this report Viking Sky cruise ship passenger Rodney Horgen can pinpoint the moment when he thought he was facing the end: when a huge wave crashed through the ships glass doors and swept his wife 30 feet across the floor. Horgen, 62, of Minnesota, was visiting Norway on a dream pilgrimage to his ancestral homeland when the luxury cruise trip quickly turned into a nightmare. The Viking Sky was carrying 1,373 passengers and crew, going from Norways Arctic north to the southern city of Stavanger when it had engine trouble along Norways rough, frigid western coast. Struggling in heavy seas to avoid being dashed on the rocky coast, the ship issued mayday call Saturday afternoon. Horgan said he knew something was badly amiss Saturday when the guests on the heaving ship were all summoned to the ships muster points. Advertisement When the windows and door flew open and the two meters (six feet) of water swept people and tables 20 to 30 feet, that was the breaker. I said to myself, This is it, Horgen told The Associated Press. I grabbed my wife but I couldnt hold on. And she was thrown across the room. And then she got thrown back again by the wave coming back. Photos posted on social media showed the ship listing from side to side and furniture smashing violently into the ships walls. The hands and faces of fellow passengers were cut and bleeding from the shattered glass, he said. An experienced fisherman, Horgen said he had never experienced such rough boating conditions. I did not have a lot of hope. I knew how cold that water was and where we were and the waves and everything. You would not last very long, he said. That was very, very frightening. And yet, the most frightening part of the trip was yet to come. That would be when passengers like Horgen were winched off the heaving ship by helicopter, one-by-one as winds howled around them in the dark of night, by rescue workers trying to evacuate everyone on board. Coast guard official Emil Heggelund estimated to the VG newspaper that the ship was only 328 feet from striking rocks under the water and 2,950 feet from shore when it stopped and anchored in Hustadvika Bay so passengers could be evacuated. Yet waves up to 26 feet high were smacking into the ship, making it impossible to evacuate anyone by boat. Norways Joint Rescue Coordination Center stepped up, sending five helicopters in. Passenger Alexus Sheppard told the AP that people with injuries or disabilities were winched off the cruise ship first. It was frightening at first. And when the general alarm sounded it became VERY real, she wrote in a text. Janet Jacob, among the first group of passengers evacuated to the nearby town of Molde, told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that the winds felt like a tornado and prompted her to start praying for everyone on the ship. I was afraid. Ive never experienced anything so scary, she said. We saw two people taken off by stretcher, passenger Dereck Brown told Norwegian newspaper Romsdal Budstikke. People were alarmed. Many were frightened but they were calm. Viking Ocean Cruises, the company that owns and operates the ship, said 20 people were injured as a result of this incident, and they are all receiving care at the relevant medical centers in Norway, with some already having been discharged. The airlift evacuation went all through the night and into Sunday morning, slowing for a bit when two of the five rescue helicopters had to be diverted to save nine crewmembers from a nearby ailing cargo ship. In all, 479 passengers were airlifted to land by helicopters, leaving 436 passengers and 458 crew members onboard, the company said, when the Viking Skys captain decided on a new plan, the company said. Einar Knudsen from Norways Joint Rescue Coordination Center said the airlift was halted when the Viking Skys captain decided before noon Sunday to try to bring the cruise ship to the nearby port of Molde on its own engines. The conditions were good enough for the captain to have no more evacuations, Knudsen told the AP. Three of the ships four engines were working as of Sunday morning, the center said, so a tug boat and two other vessels assisted the Viking Sky as it slowly headed to Molde under its own power. It finally arrived at the port late Sunday afternoon and its remaining passengers and crew were taken off. The Viking Sky was a relatively new ship, delivered in 2017 to operator Viking Ocean Cruises. It had been visiting the Norwegian towns and cities of Narvik, Alta, Tromso, Bodo before its scheduled arrival Tuesday in the British port of Tilbury on the River Thames. The passengers mostly were an English-speaking mix of American, British, Canadian, New Zealand and Australian citizens. Viking Cruises chairman Torstein Hagen praised the rescue operation by Norwegian authorities and the actions of the vessels crew. He told Norways VG newspaper that the events surrounding the Viking Sky were some of the worst I have been involved in, but now it looks like its going well in the end and that weve been lucky. Shipping tycoon Hagen is one of Norways richest men and the founder of the Switzerland-based Viking Cruises, which that operates river and ocean cruises under two business units. Im very proud of our crew, Hagen told VG. When asked why the cruise ship ventured into an area known for its rough waters in the middle of a storm that had been forecast by meteorologists, Knudsen, from Norways rescue service, said it was the captains decision to proceed with the cruise. A massive explosion at a chemical plant in eastern China with a long record of safety violations has killed at least 62 people and injured hundreds of others, 90 of them seriously. The death toll appeared likely to rise still further, with another 28 people still listed as missing, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday. Just 26 of those confirmed dead in Thursdays explosion have been identified, it said. The blast in an industrial park in the city of Yancheng, north of Shanghai, was one of Chinas worst industrial accidents in recent years. State-run television showed crushed cars, blown-out windows and workers leaving the factory with bloodied heads. Schools were closed and nearly 1,000 residents were moved to safety as a precaution against leaks and additional explosions, the city government said in a statement posted to its microblog. Advertisement The blast created a crater, and more than 900 firefighters were deployed to extinguish the fire that burned into the night. Windows in buildings as far as 6 kilometers (4 miles) away were blown out by the force of the blast, which caused a magnitude 2.2 seismic shock. The cause of the blast was under investigation, and people responsible for operations at the plant have been placed under control, Xinhua said. It wasnt clear whether anyone had been formally arrested. Drains and waterways running through and from the plant complex have been blocked to prevent toxic chemicals from running into the nearby Yellow Sea, under orders from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. The orders covered sewage and rainwater outlets while further assessments of air and water quality were ongoing, Xinhua reported. A resident of the community of Chenjiagang, about 5 kilometers (about 3 miles) from the plant, said glass from windows smashed by the force of the blast injured neighbors. At the time of the explosion, I was almost deafened and I was terribly frightened, said the woman, who gave only her surname, Zhi. Chinese President Xi Jinping, on a state visit to Italy, demanded all-out efforts to find and rescue victims, Xinhua reported. Relief work must be well done to maintain social stability. Meanwhile, environmental monitoring and early warning should be strengthened to prevent environmental pollution as well as secondary disasters, it quoted Xi as saying. Xi said local officials need to learn the lessons of a recent series of industrial accidents to save lives and property, signaling a likely crackdown on safety violations at a time when many Chinese companies are being hit by a downturn in sales that is squeezing profit margins. On Xis orders, State Councilor Wang Yong led officials from the State Council, Chinas Cabinet officials to the explosion site to guide the rescue and emergency response work and visit the injured people, Xinhua said. The State Council has been ordered to oversee the investigation into the cause of the explosion, an indication of the seriousness with which the government regards the incident. The Yancheng city government statement said 3,500 medical workers at 16 hospitals were mobilized to treat the injured, dozens of whom remained in critical condition. The U.N. said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was deeply saddened at the loss of life and injuries and sent heartfelt sympathies to the families of the victims and to the people and government of China. China experiences frequent industrial accidents despite orders from the central government to improve safety at factories, power plants and mines. Among the worst accidents was a massive 2015 explosion at a chemical warehouse in the port city of Tianjin that killed 173 people, most of them firefighters and police officers. That blast was blamed on illegal construction and unsafe storage of volatile materials. In November, at least 22 people were killed and scores of vehicles destroyed in an explosion outside a chemical plant in the northeastern city of Zhangjiakou, which will host competitions in the 2022 Winter Olympics. Thursdays disaster occurred at a factory run by the Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical Co. Located among a cluster of chemical factories in Yancheng, it has a dismal safety record: In February 2018, Chinas State Administration for Work Safety cited 13 types of safety hazards at the company, including mishandling of tanks of toxic benzene, believed to be the source of Thursdays explosion. Other local media reports said chemical fertilizer may have also been involved in the explosion. Those violations came despite the plant having racked up 1.79 million RMB ($267,000) in fines since 2016 for violations of environmental regulations, according to a judgments issued by local county and city environmental protection bureaus. Those included improperly dealing with hazardous waste and evading air pollution supervision. A 2017 explosion that killed 10 at a nearby plant prompted the State Administration of Work Safety to dispatch inspectors. They discovered over 200 safety hazards at chemical factories in Yancheng and four nearby cities, including 13 at the Tianjiayi plant. Safety hazards cited included leaks and drips, employees who didnt understand safety procedures, and a lack of emergency shut-off valves on tanks carrying flammable chemicals. In 2014, the companys chairman, Zhang Qinyue, and Wu Guozhong, its former supply chief, were arrested on suspicion of dumping and burying hazardous waste byproducts near a temple and a village landfill, according to a Jiangsu court criminal judgment. They were convicted in 2017 and the company was fined 1 million RMB ($149,000). ___ Associated Press writers Yanan Wang and Dake Kang contributed to this report. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. New Zealanders observed the Muslim call to prayer Friday in reflecting on the moment one week ago when 50 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques were slain an act that an imam told the crowd of thousands had left the country broken-hearted but not broken. In a day without precedent, people across New Zealand listened to the call to prayer on live broadcasts while thousands, including Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, gathered in leafy Hagley Park opposite the Al Noor mosque, where 42 people died. New Zealand mourns with you. We are one, Ardern said. The call to prayer was observed at 1:30 p.m. and followed by two minutes of silence. Hundreds of Muslim men at the park sat in socks or bare feet. One man in the front row was in a Christchurch Hospital wheelchair. The Al Noor mosques imam, Gamal Fouda, thanked New Zealanders for their support. Advertisement This terrorist sought to tear our nation apart with an evil ideology. ... But, instead, we have shown that New Zealand is unbreakable, the imam said. We are broken-hearted but we are not broken. We are alive. We are together. We are determined to not let anyone divide us, he added, as the crowd the city estimated at 20,000 people erupted with applause. Later in the day, a mass funeral was held to bury 26 of the victims at a cemetery where more than a dozen already have been laid to rest. Family members took turns passing around shovels and wheelbarrows to bury their loved ones. Fridays burials included the youngest victim, 3-year-old Mucaad Ibrahim. Christchurch native Fahim Imam, 33, returned to the city for Fridays service. He moved away three years ago and now lives in Auckland, New Zealands largest city. Its just amazing to see how the country and the community have come together blows my mind, actually, Imam said before the event. When he got off the plane Friday morning, he saw someone holding a sign that said jenaza, denoting Muslim funeral prayer. He said others were offering free rides to and from the prayer service. The moment I landed in Christchurch, I could feel the love here. Ive never felt more proud to be a Muslim, or a Kiwi for that matter. It makes me really happy to be able to say that Im a New Zealander, Imam said. He called it surreal to see the mosque where he used to pray surrounded by flowers. The observance comes the day after the government announced a ban on military-style semi-automatic firearms and high-capacity magazines like the weapons that were used in last Fridays attacks at the Al Noor and nearby Linwood mosques. An immediate sales ban went into effect Thursday to prevent stockpiling, and new laws would be rushed through Parliament that would impose a complete ban on the weapons, Ardern said. Every semi-automatic weapon used in the terrorist attack on Friday will be banned, Ardern said. The gun legislation is supported not only by Arderns liberal Labour Party but also the conservative opposition National Party, so its expected to pass into law. New Zealand does not have a constitutional right to bear arms. Among those planning to attend Fridays observance was Samier Dandan, the president of the Lebanese Muslim Association in Sydney and part of a 15-strong delegation of Muslim leaders that had flown to Christchurch. It was an ugly act of terrorism that occurred in a beautiful, peaceful city, Dandan said. He said his pain couldnt compare with that of the families hed been visiting who had lost loves ones. He was inspired by their resilience, he said. And Ive got to give all my respect to the New Zealand prime minister, with her position and her actions, and it speaks loud, he said. Ismat Fatimah, 46, said it was sad to look at the Al Noor mosque, which was still surrounded by construction barricades, armed police officers and a huge mound of flowers and messages. Were feeling stronger than before, and we are one, she said. She said she prayed for the people who died. Im just imagining what would be happening last Friday, she said. People were running around so scared and helpless. Its just not right. Erum Hafeez, 18 said she felt comforted by the overwhelming response from New Zealanders: We are embraced by the community of New Zealand, we are not left behind and alone. The Al Noor mosques imam said workers have been toiling feverishly to repair the destruction, some of whom offered their services for free. Fouda expects the mosque to reopen by next week. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Thousands of Algerians are demonstrating in the major cities of the oil-rich North African country, demanding the resignation of ailing, 82-year-old President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The number of protesters was much smaller than predicted by organizers, however, as rain appeared to dampen attendance on the fifth straight Friday since nationwide anti-Bouteflika protests began on Feb. 22. Families joined professionals and students in the central squares of Algiers, the capital, holding signs reading Get Out, Bouteflika and No Mandate Extension. Bouteflika last week indefinitely postponed Aprils national election and overhauled the government. While he abandoned his bid for a fifth term in office, his simultaneous postponement of the election has critics worried that he intends to hold on to power indefinitely. He has been president since 1999. Advertisement Bouteflika, badly weakened by a 2013 stroke, has remained an enigma, with very few public appearances. The president returned earlier this month after two weeks in a Geneva hospital, but the exact state of his health is unclear. Workers at Sonatrach, the national oil company whose executives are close to Bouteflika, held a symbolic sit-in Thursday in solidarity with the protests that span all sections of society. New Prime Minister Nourredine Bedoui has promised to create a new cabinet within days to respond to the demands of Algerias demonstrators. Yet, Bedoui is still struggling to form a government, with many potential candidates seeking to keep their distance from the unpopular president. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. European Union leaders on Friday pushed back a decision on the blocs long-term efforts to fight climate change, with some countries opposing a pledge to end most emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. Leaders meeting in Brussels agreed to discuss the issue again at their next gathering in June, ahead of a U.N. summit on climate change in the fall. The delay frustrated environmental campaigners, who argue that the EU should lead global efforts to meet the 2015 Paris accords most ambitious target of keeping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century. European governments are kicking the can down the road on climate change, said Sebastian Mang, a policy adviser with Greenpeace. Mang cited warnings from scientists that sharp cuts in emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are needed in the coming decades to prevent potentially catastrophic levels of warming by the end of the century. Advertisement Young people get this, he said, referring to recent rallies in cities around the world that drew hundreds of thousands of students calling for leaders to tackle climate change. French President Emmanuel Macron, who two years ago launched the One Planet Summit aimed at speeding up the implementation of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, said Friday that the blocs efforts at fighting climate change were eminently insufficient. Today, we are not giving a clear answer to the commitments we made in Paris in 2015, to the scientific challenges pointed out by the best experts, and to the legitimate impatience that youngsters are expressing in demonstrations every week in our capitals, Macron said. We will need to wake up, but we have not really seen that yet. Much of the two-day EU meeting in Brussels was taken up with haggling over the blocs future relationship with Britain. But on the second day, leaders were able to address a number of other issues, including the EUs ties with China, industrial policy and global warming. Some countries, including France, Spain and the Netherlands, had proposed that leaders agree an ambitious long-term strategy by 2020 striving for climate neutrality by 2050" in line with the Paris accords climate warming goal. Climate neutrality would require countries to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to the level that can be absorbed again and is sometimes referred to as net zero. Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic were among those EU nations reluctant to explicitly cite the year 2050 for curbing emissions, according to position papers obtained by The Associated Press. Still, a lead author of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes recent report on limiting global warming to 1.5 C above pre-industrial times said that while the EU declaration was vague, it addressed important points. They sharpened the commitment to 1.5 (Celsius), said Daniela Jacob, director of the Climate Services Center in Hamburg, Germany. The European Parliament recently voted in favor of raising the targeted emissions cuts to 55 percent by 2030, but leaders of the blocs 28 members have so far refrained from following suit. In Norway, which is not an EU member but cooperates closely with the bloc, local media said at least 36,000 people across the country took part in climate protests Friday. Oslo city council expressed its support for the approximately 10,000 young people who had gathered outside the Norwegian Parliament, Stortinget, as part of the global climate protests by students. The school strikes for the climate are a clear signal from the younger generation that we have to act now, city council member Raymond Johansen said. We are the first generation that can see the climate changes with our eyes and are probably the last generation that has the possibility to do something about it. ___ Jordans reported from Berlin. Jan Olson in Copenhagen contributed. ___ Read more AP climate news here: https://www.apnews.com/Climate Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The top U.N. human rights body on Friday asked the U.N. human rights chief to strengthen her offices presence in Palestinian areas following an investigation that found Israeli soldiers may have committed war crimes in a deadly response to Gaza protests last year. The Human Rights Council made the request to U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet in a resolution that passed 23-8 with 15 abstentions, a vote loaded with political implications that quickly drew accusations of bias from the Israeli government. Five central and eastern European countries joined Australia, Fiji and Brazil in opposing the measure. Britain and many EU countries abstained. Several Gulf Arab countries, with which Israel has claimed warming ties, voted in favor. The resolution was the strongest among five considered by the council focusing on Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territory, the only country situation considered at every council meeting. The issue made up more than one-sixth of the 29 resolutions considered as the four-week session ended Friday. Advertisement The Trump administration last summer pulled out the United States, long one of Israels strongest backers at the 47-member Geneva body, from the council, in part alleging it has an anti-Israel bias. The resolution comes after a three-person team of investigators commissioned by the council late last month issued an extensive report on violence during a string of Palestinian protests along Gazas border fence with Israel, which started nearly a year ago. In it, the Independent Commission of Inquiry said Israeli soldiers intentionally fired on civilians and could have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. The crackdowns that left 189 people dead. The panel said over 6,000 people had been shot by military snipers using live ammunition to repel protesters. The Human Rights Council repeated today its absurd and hypocritical ritual of creating a Commission of Inquiry singling out Israel, whose findings against Israel are predetermined, and then adopting them, all the while ignoring the reality on the ground, Israels Foreign Ministry said Friday. Israel will continue to exercise its right of self-defense and will protect its citizens against terror and aggression, it said. The Israeli government did not cooperate with the authors of the report. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday called on the Lebanese people to stand up to Hezbollahs criminality, terror and threats, and claimed U.S. sanctions on Iran and its Lebanese Shiite ally were working and that more pressure on them was forthcoming. His comments in Beirut were in strong contrast to those of his host, Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil who minutes earlier, while standing next to Pompeo, insisted that Hezbollah is a Lebanese group that is not a terrorist organization and was elected by the people. Pompeo, however, warned that the Lebanese people face a choice: Bravely move forward or allow the dark ambitions of Iran and Hezbollah to dictate your future. He added that the U.S. would continue using all peaceful means to curb Hezbollah and Irans influence. Advertisement Pompeo highlighted U.S. concerns about Hezbollahs destabilizing activities in Lebanon and the region in talks his with Lebanese leaders, amid strong regional condemnation of President Donald Trumps declaration that its time the U.S. recognized Israels sovereignty over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The abrupt pronouncement on the Golan Heights clouded Pompeos visit during which he met with top officials, including some who are aligned with the Iran- and Syria-allied militant Hezbollah. The visit is the last leg of a Mideast tour that took Pompeo to Kuwait and Israel, where he lauded warm ties with Israel, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on at least three separate occasions and promised to step up pressure on Iran. From Israel, Pompeos plane travelled through Cypriot airspace, as Lebanon, which is technically in a state of war with Israel, bans direct flights from Israel. Once on the ground, Pompeo was taken to the Interior Ministry for a brief meeting with Raya El-Hassan, who was named earlier this year as the Arab worlds first female minister in charge of security. Pompeo also met with Lebanons powerful Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, before heading for a working lunch with Prime Minister Saad Hariri followed by a meeting with President Michel Aoun. The State Departments deputy spokesman, Robert Palladino, said Pompeo highlighted in the meetings U.S. concerns about Hezbollahs destabilizing activities in Lebanon and the region as well as the need to maintain calm along the border between Lebanon and Israel. In his Lebanon visit, Pompeo had hoped to step up pressure on the Shiite Hezbollah group, but he faces resistance even from Americas local allies, who fear that pushing too hard could trigger a backlash and endanger the tiny countrys fragile peace. Hezbollah wields more power than ever in parliament and the government. Aouns office said the president told Pompeo that the countrys priority is to preserve national unity and peace adding that Hezbollah is a Lebanese party that has a popular base representing one of the main (religious) sects in the country. Pompeo later met with Bassil, the foreign minister. He, as well as Aoun and Berri, are close Hezbollah allies, while Hariri is a close Western ally who has been reluctant to confront Hezbollah. How does stockpiling tens of thousands of missiles in Lebanon territory for use against Israel make this country stronger? asked Pompeo, referring to Hezbollahs arsenal that the group boasts can strike any part of Israel. Hezbollah and its illegitimate militia put the entire country on the front lines of Irans misguided proxy campaign, Pompeo added. He said that Washington would continue to use all peaceful means possible to pressure Hezbollah, an apparent reference to the sanctions that the U.S. has imposed over the years and are drying up the militant groups finances. Pompeo referred to comments made by Hezbollahs leader earlier this month in which he urged supporters to donate money to the group. Hezbollahs Al-Manar TV aired the comments made by Bassil live, but cut back to normal programming once Pompeo began reading his statement. President Aoun, speaking to Russian journalists ahead of a visit to Moscow later this month, said that the sanctions imposed on Hezbollah, Iran and Syria are negatively impacting the already fragile Lebanese economy. The negative effect of the sanctions on Hezbollah is hitting all Lebanese people as well as Lebanese banks, he said in remarks released later on Friday. Earlier this week, Pompeo had said well spend a lot of time talking with the Lebanese government about how we can help them disconnect from the threat that Iran and Hezbollah present. Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. You ask how tough I am going to be? It is a terrorist organization. Period. Full stop, Pompeo said in Jerusalem on Thursday. Pompeos visit to Lebanon came as the Trump administration hit Iran with new sanctions on Friday. The Treasury Department said the sanctions target 31 Iranian scientists, technicians and companies affiliated with Irans Organization for Defense Innovation and Research, which had been at the forefront of the countrys former nuclear weapons program. Officials said those targeted continue to work in Irans defense sector and form a core of experts who could reconstitute that program. Fourteen people, including the head of the organization and 17 subsidiary operations are covered by the sanctions. The sanctions freeze any assets that those targeted may have in U.S. jurisdictions and bar Americans from any transactions with them. Trumps statement about the Golan Heights on Thursday is a major shift in American policy. For some time, the administration has been considering recognizing Israels sovereignty over the strategic highlands, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967. In a tweet that appeared to catch many by surprise, Trump said the time had come for the United States to take the step. The U.S. will be the first country to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan, which the rest of the international community regards as territory occupied by Israel whose status should be determined by negotiations between Israel and Syria. Syria, Iran and Turkey on Friday strongly denounced Trumps statement. ___ Lee reported from Jerusalem. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Iditarod musher who was hours ahead in the Alaska wilderness race when his dogs refused to keep running dismissed critics who say he ran them too hard and chalked it up to a bad memory that spooked them. The team stopped last week after Frenchman Nicolas Petit yelled at a dog that was bullying another, but they did not slow down like a tired team would, he said. It came a year after they got lost in a blizzard near the same spot along the Bering Sea coast close to the finish line of the 1,000-mile (1,600-kilometer) Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race that takes global competitors across mountain ranges and wind-swept ice. I wouldnt say its a curse for me, I just had a bad time last year and lingering effects of the bad time this year, Petit said. Advertisement It was pure coincidence that it happened at the same point in the race, he said. They remember that we didnt have a fun run, going through the snow the wrong way, Petit said Wednesday, sprawling out on a friends sofa in Anchorage. Dogs from his team piled on top of him and licked his face. Also nosing their way in for attention were Joey, who was the bully on the trail, and Danny, the younger male dog who was bullied. When Petit withdrew from the race this year, he said it was a head thing for the dogs. Then the blowback began in press releases, on blogs and on social media. The most vocal critic of the race, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said it wasnt the dogs that needed their heads examined, it was anyone who supports the merciless race. Others speculated that Petit overexerted the dogs, they were mistreated or were mentally unfit to run. Petit denies it all. This isnt any type of a reason to get rid of what I consider my children the dogs I raised, Petit said. No, I wont get rid of them. They are the most important thing in my life. He also said hes stopping plenty along the grueling route, preferring to rest outside checkpoints and along the trail when possible, where he says its quieter and the dogs get more sleep. Libby Riddles, the first woman to win the Iditarod in 1985, said the sport requires a fine balance between being competitive and keeping the dogs happy something she said Petit excels at. People have this idea that you can force these dogs to the finish line, Riddles said last week. Its not like that at all. In 2018, Petit rested his dogs at a cabin between checkpoints before the disastrous run in the blizzard. He planned to stay at the cabin again this year but leave it with a well-rested team. Video shows an energetic and eager dog team entering and leaving the first checkpoint. Within a mile of the cabin, the dog dustup happened. Joey, a 2-year-old and the only non-neutered male on the team, was behind Danny, a 16-month-old pup. Every time Danny slowed down, Joey would pick on him. Finally, Petit yelled, Joey, thats enough! I raise my voice a little bit and they are all like, Oh, boy, thats not normal, Petit said. I try to be as calming and collected with my dogs as possible all the time, so they heard an upset daddy. The team refused to keep going. He tried walking ahead of them to see if they would follow and putting different dogs in the lead. Other mushers came by, but even that didnt rouse the dogs. They finally got the mile to the cabin. Fourteen hours after the dogs stopped, they took off but didnt make it far. Petit took them back and pushed the panic button on his GPS unit, effectively withdrawing from the race. A snowmobile brought food and then carted the dogs off the trail. Petit still expects to compete in next years Iditarod. Hes said hes planning to take his dogs next week to the problem area the Bering Sea coast to show them the fun they can have on that stretch of the trail. And that its not always blowing, and we dont always get lost, and it can be a very positive experience as opposed to the last two years, he said. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A Texas flight attendant who was enrolled in the governments program for Dreamers flew to Mexico for work and was stopped by immigration authorities who forced her to spend more than a month in detention, her attorney said. Selene Saavedra Roman, 28, who immigrated illegally to the U.S. as a child, was released Friday from a detention center in Conroe, Texas, according to a statement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Being released is an indescribable feeling, she said through a spokesman. I cried and hugged my husband and never wanted to let go. I am thankful and grateful for the amazing people that came to fight for me, and it fills my heart. Thank you to everyone that has supported. I am just so happy to have my freedom back. Originally from Peru and married to an American citizen, she raised concerns with Mesa Airlines about her immigration status after being assigned to an international flight, attorney Belinda Arroyo said. Advertisement The airline assured her she would be fine, but she was stopped by U.S. authorities on Feb. 12, when she returned to Houston, and was sent to detention, where she remained for more than five weeks, Arroyo said. Soon after her lawyer, her husband, the airline and a flight attendants group publicly demanded her release, Saavedra Roman called to tell her husband she was getting out. She was crying and she said, Please come get me, her husband, David Watkins, told reporters. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the agency was looking into her status. Earlier, the agency said Saavedra Roman did not have a valid document to enter the country and was being detained while going through immigration court proceedings. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services the agency that oversees the program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA declined to discuss the case. But the agency says on its website that participants who travel outside the country without a special document allowing them to do so are no longer covered by the program. The agency no longer issues the document to the programs enrollees, according to the website. People enrolled in the program are commonly referred to as Dreamers, based on never-passed proposals in Congress called the DREAM Act. The Trump administration sought to end the Obama-era program but was blocked by litigation. New applications have been halted, but renewals continue for hundreds of thousands of immigrants already enrolled. In a joint statement with the Association of Flight Attendants, Mesa Airlines chief executive Jonathan Ornstein apologized to Saavedra Roman and asked U.S. authorities to release her, arguing that it was unfair to continually detain someone over something that is nothing more than an administrative error and a misunderstanding. She should have never been advised that she could travel, Arroyo said. It was a big mistake. Saavedra Roman who is scheduled to appear before an immigration judge in April attended Texas A&M University, where she met her husband. Watkins said he was not initially worried about her assignment because they already obtained approval from Citizenship and Immigration Services to apply for her green card as the wife of an American citizen. She has no criminal record and has long paid her taxes, he said, and she checked with her employer before the trip. Then she was detained. He could visit her only once a week and could only see her through thick glass. She sounded hopeless, he said. I told her, Even if you get deported to Peru, Ill just go with you, he said to reporters. Regardless of whatever happens in the future, I am not giving up. I am going to keep fighting. In a statement, the union representing Saavedra Roman and her colleagues said the event highlights the urgency of commonsense immigration reform and resolution for Americas children who are part of DACA. ___ Associated Press Writer Terry Wallace contributed to this report. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Dublin, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global IoT in Construction Industry Forecast up to 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global IoT in construction industry will grow at a CAGR of 35.98% during the forecast period 2017-2024. There are several industries where IoT can be of great influence and construction industry is one among them. Some of the major areas where IoT could be deployed in construction industry are remote support and operation, equipment servicing, fleet management, fuel savings, and for BIM (building information modeling). With the implementation of IoT systems, the construction companies can save time and cost. Global IoT market in construction industry is categorized based on the presence of diversified small and large vendors. As large players such as Cisco and Caterpillar are increasing their footprint, small vendors are competing with them in the global market by maintaining competitive pricing and customized product offering. By entering into alliances and strategic partnerships with other players in the market, the global vendors are expected to grow further during the forecast period. America is the largest contributor within the global IoT market in construction industry. The extent of adoption of IoT enabled devices is high in US and Canada. In America, the growth of IoT in construction sector is mainly attributed to the increasing use of IoT in modular construction and prefabricated building. Modular construction helps the construction companies to build smarter and greener buildings quickly. Companies can construct new buildings in half the time required as well as result in less wastage of resources compared to traditional methods. Competitive Analysis and Key Vendors Construction industry is one of the industries where IoT and digitalization are facing sluggish growth. However, features including data storage, remote access, and office-field data exchange are not new to the construction industry. The industry is gaining attention among major IoT solution providers and is expected to witness increasing investments in IoT during the forecast period. The report comprises of analysis of vendor profile, which includes financial status, business units, key business priorities, SWOT, business strategies, and views. The report covers the competitive landscape, which includes M&A, joint ventures & collaborations, and competitor comparison analysis. In the vendor profile section, for companies that are privately held, the financial information and revenue of segments will be limited. Key Topics Covered: 1 Executive Summary 2 Industry Outlook 2.1 Industry Snapshot 2.1.1 Industry Overview 2.1.2 Industry Trends 3 Market Snapshot 3.1 Total Addressable Market 3.2 Segment Addressable Market 3.2.1 PEST Analysis 3.2.2 Porter's Five Force Analysis 4 Market Characteristics 4.1 Market Evolution 4.2 Market Segmentation 4.3 Market Dynamics 4.3.1 Drivers 4.3.1.1 Cost reduction in construction industry 4.3.1.2 Growing need for data analytics in construction industry 4.3.2 Restraints 4.3.2.1 Increasing government regulations on IoT 4.3.2.2 Growing threat of cyber attacks 4.3.3 Opportunities 4.3.3.1 Growing government support for construction industry 4.3.4 DRO - Impact Analysis 5 IoT in construction industry, By product 5.1 Overview 5.2 Hardware 5.3 Software 5.4 Services 6 IoT in Construction Industry, By Application 6.1 Overview 6.2 Remote operations 6.3 Fleet management 6.4 Safety 6.5 MRO 7 IoT in Construction Industry, By Geography 7.1 Overview 7.2 Americas 7.3 EMEA 7.4 APAC 8 Competitive Landscape 8.1 Competitor Analysis 8.2 Product/Offerings Portfolio Analysis 8.3 Market Developments 8.3.1 Expansions 9 Vendor Profiles 9.1 Cisco 9.1.1 Overview 9.1.2 Product Profile 9.1.3 Business Units 9.1.4 Geographic Revenue 9.1.5 Recent Developments 9.1.6 Business Focus 9.1.7 SWOT Analysis 9.2 Caterpillar 9.3 Sigfox 9.4 Wipro 10 Companies to Watch for 10.1 DroneDeploy 10.1.1 Overview 10.1.2 Product Profile 10.1.3 Analyst Opinion 10.2 Construction Robotics 10.3 DAQRI 10.4 Atlas RFID Solutions 10.5 Pillar Technologies 10.6 Losant 10.7 Trimble Group For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/9h6sq2/global_iot_in?w=12 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Nearly four decades after voters unceremoniously rejected then-President Jimmy Carters bid for a second term, the 39th president has reached a milestone that electoral math cannot dispute: He is now the longest-living chief executive in American history. Friday is the 172nd day beyond Carters 94th birthday, exceeding by one day the lifespan of former President George H.W. Bush, who died Nov. 30 at the age of 94 years, 171 days. Both men were born in 1924: Bush on June 12, Carter on Oct. 1. Its yet another post-presidency distinction for Carter, whose legacy since leaving office has long overshadowed both his rocky White House tenure and the remarkable political rise that led him from his family peanut farm and a state Senate seat to the governors mansion and his unlikely presidential victory in 1976. The achievement also defies medical odds, coming more than three years after Carter announced he had melanoma that had spread to his liver and brain. He underwent treatment and received a clean bill of health. Advertisement There are no special celebrations planned, said Deanna Congileo, spokeswoman for the former president and The Carter Center, which Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, now 91, founded in Atlanta in 1982 to focus on global human rights issues. The centers decades of public health advocacy, election-monitoring and conflict resolution around the world have redefined the role of former presidents, who before Carter often retired to relative obscurity. We at The Carter Center sure are rooting for him and grateful for his long life of service that has benefited millions of the worlds poorest people, Congileo said. Seemingly downplaying his political career, Carter has for years characterized the centers work as his defining professional achievement though, of course, having been a U.S. president is what allowed him the stature to establish the center. I spent four of my ninety years in the White House, and they were, of course, the pinnacle of my political life, Carter wrote in a memoir published on his 90th birthday. Those years, though, do not dominate my chain of memories, and there was never an orderly or planned path to get there during my early life. Rather, he continued, Teaching, writing and helping The Carter Center evolve ... seem to constitute the high points in my life. And the man who once held the U.S. nuclear codes, forged a historic Middle East peace deal at Camp David and tried to manage a hostage crisis that sealed his one-term fate has a simple answer whenever hes asked to recount the best or most significant decision hes ever made: Asking Rosalynn to marry me. The former president and first lady still live in Plains, Georgia, a town of about 750 where they were born, raised and married 73 years ago, weeks after the future commander in chief graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. A devout Christian, Jimmy Carter regularly teaches Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church, drawing hundreds of visitors to Plains for each session. The Carters pose for pictures with each attendee. Though he sometimes de-emphasizes his elected career, living so long after his presidency is allowing Carter a resurgence of sorts in Democratic politics. Two current presidential candidates, Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, have ventured to Plains to meet with the Carters. The former president has hosted Bernie Sanders, a 2016 and 2020 presidential candidate, for a panel at The Carter Center and Carter told the audience that he voted for Sanders over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primary. He hosted and endorsed Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams in her unsuccessful bid for Georgia governor last year. Georgia Democrats say they expect more presidential candidates to make a Plains pilgrimage. As for whats next, Carter has at least one more accomplishment on his mind, pointing often to The Carter Centers long-running effort to eliminate Guinea worm disease, a parasitic infection attributed to poor drinking water. There were 3.5 million cases in 21 countries in 1986, when the Carter Center began its eradication program. In 2018, there were 28 cases worldwide. Im hoping that I will live longer than the last Guinea worm, he said in a British television interview in 2016. Thats one of my goals in life, and I think I have a good chance to succeed. ___ Follow Barrow on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BillBarrowAP Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Tragedies like the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High and Sandy Hook Elementary school massacres eventually fade from view, blunted by other mass shootings and the passage of time. But for the survivors, the pain can never end. The father of a Sandy Hook victim killed himself Monday, just days after two Stoneman Douglas students also took their lives. The Florida deaths have officials in Parkland and nearby Coral Springs renewing their communities focus on the suicide prevention and mental health resources that remain available 13 months after a gunman killed 17 people at the high school. In Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 first-graders died along with six staff members six years ago, the body of 49-year-old Jeremy Richman was found outside his office Monday morning. Richmans daughter Avielle was fatally shot at Sandy Hook. He had visited Florida last week and met with the parents of Stoneman Douglas victims, said Lori Alhadeff, whose 14-year-old daughter Alyssa died there. Advertisement Richman and his wife oversaw The Avielle Foundation, a group they started dedicated to preventing violence by better understanding brain health. Our hearts are shattered, and our heads are struggling to comprehend, the foundation said in a statement. Tragically, his death speaks to how insidious and formidable a challenge brain health can be and how critical it is for all of us to seek help for ourselves, our loved ones and anyone who we suspect may be in need. Multiple suicides among mass shooting survivors can be alarming, but mental health experts said the Florida deaths are not surprising. They come amid a rising nationwide trend: More than 47,000 U.S. suicides occurred in 2017, at the highest rate in at least half a century 14 per 100,000. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among U.S. teenagers. One of the big risk factors for suicide is exposure to violence, said Dr. Louis Kraus, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Even if they werent hit by bullets or didnt see shots fired, anyone who was at that school is at risk, Kraus said, and should be screened. The scars simply dont go away with a fresh coat of paint, he said. Psychologist April Foreman, a board member at the American Association of Suicidology, said survivors are more prone to suicide and thus must be vigilant about mental health check-ups just as if they had a family history of breast cancer or heart disease. With help, people can overcome their suicidal impulses, she said. Its not a foregone conclusion that this will happen to everyone whos been exposed to this and the majority of people who are suicidal dont go on to die. They go on to recover and live, she said. The first suicide took place March 16. Cara Aiello told WFOR-TV last week that her 18-year-old daughter Sydney had suffered from survivors guilt her friend, Meadow Pollack, died in the attack. Sydney had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and struggled to attend college because she feared being in a classroom, but never asked for help, her mother said. Coral Springs police officer Tyler Reik confirmed Monday that a Stoneman Douglas sophomore apparently killed himself Saturday, but said an official determination had not been made pending an autopsy. The boys name was not immediately released. Community leaders, government officials, parents, police and others held an emergency meeting Sunday after the second student suicide, Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky said. The biggest push will be to alert parents to talk to their children about whether they are having suicidal thoughts and outline the danger signs for them, such as personality changes or a preoccupation with death, she said. The groups also want students to look out for each other, and noted that the community counseling and resource centers that opened after the attack still remain available. The task has been made more difficult as Stoneman Douglas students are on spring break. Hunschofsky said that while there is concern the two suicides could lead to more, it is more dangerous not to discuss what happened. We cannot be afraid of talking the only way we are going to identify people who need help is to talk about it, she said. A 16-year-old Stoneman Douglas sophomore who was in a classroom where three students died on Feb. 14, 2018, told The Associated Press on Monday that she tried to kill herself four times before she entered therapy. At first, she was ashamed, she said, fearing that accepting counseling would mean she couldnt handle my problems and I was broken. But her attitude changed with the support of therapists, family and friends, said the girl, who the AP is not naming because of her age. The girl said she fears not every Stoneman Douglas student who needs counseling is getting it and noted that some teachers seem uncomfortable talking about suicide and simply want to move on. In Connecticut, Richman was among the Sandy Hook relatives suing Infowars host Alex Jones for contending the Newtown shooting never happened. Neil Heslin, whose son, Jesse Lewis, was killed at Sandy Hook, said the families grief has been compounded by such conspiracy theories. Every day you get up, you expect to get punched in the chin, Heslin said. I give Jeremy credit for what he accomplished with his work and his amazing strength that grew through the years. Newtown Police Lt. Aaron Bahamonde said Richman left a suicide note, but did not disclose its contents. On Monday, residents streamed into the Resiliency Center of Newtown, which was set up shortly after the shooting as a place for therapy and for people to gather to talk. Richman worked with the center in providing brain health first aid for children and others. His friend, Stephanie Cinque, the centers executive director, said people are angry, sad and shocked by his death. Theres mixed feelings throughout town, she said. Grief is complicated. Its very sad for the family, the children, the entire community. So today were letting people know its OK to have those feelings. The emotional scars survivors feel last for decades. Columbine High massacre survivor Heather Martin was not physically injured in the 1999 shooting that left 13 dead, but said she took years to emotionally overcome the attack. She helped form the Rebels Project, named after Columbines mascot, to assist mass trauma survivors. Resilience is connecting with other people and gaining strength from other people, Martin said. You dont always have to be the strongest person. ___ Tanner reported from Chicago. Associated Press writers Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; Dan Elliott in Denver; and Joshua Replogle in Parkland, Florida, contributed to this report. __ Editors note: The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 800-273-8255. The Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 crisis support by text. Text 741741 to be connected to a trained counselor. Students from Broward County schools can text FL to 741741. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Federal Aviation Administration plans to significantly revamp its oversight of airplane construction this summer after questions were raised about how it manages inspections done by the industry, according to testimony prepared for a Senate subcommittee hearing on Wednesday. The testimony by Calvin Scovel III, the Transportation Departments inspector general who monitors the FAA and other agencies, said his office has found management weaknesses with a number of the FAAs oversight processes over the years. The comments come as the agency is under increasing scrutiny for its flight approval of the Boeing 737 Max jet. Two of the jets have crashed in the past six months in Indonesia and Ethiopia with deadly consequences, and investigators are examining the role of flight-control software that Boeing designed to prevent aerodynamic stalls. FAA oversight and its program to allow manufacturers and airlines to have their own employees do inspections will be examined at Wednesdays hearing by the Senate Commerce Committees aviation subcommittee. Advertisement While the agency has made improvements, it plans by July to develop new evaluation criteria for training and company self-audits, Scovel wrote in his prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press. While revamping FAAs oversight process will be an important step, continued management attention will be key to ensure the agency identifies and monitors the highest-risk areas of aircraft certification, Scovel wrote. Also in prepared testimony, the acting FAA head defended his agencys certification of the 737 Max and its initial resistance to ground the planes until all other major aviation regulators around the world had done so. Daniel Elwell, also will say Wednesday that Boeing submitted proposed changes in key flight-control software to its 737 Max jetliner in January. He says the FAA is still reviewing the aircraft manufacturers plans for the software update and more pilot training. He calls FAAs review an agency priority. Elwells testimony, first reported by the Seattle Times, could renew questions over the FAAs response to safety concerns about the Max aircraft after the deadly Oct. 29 crash in Indonesia and another in Ethiopia on March 10, nearly seven weeks after Elwell says Boeing submitted its proposed changes. FAA spokesman Gregory Martin said Tuesday that the Boeing submission in January was preliminary, not final. He said the FAA has not received Boeings completed software improvements. Boeing is updating software designed to protect against aerodynamic stalls, in which planes can lose lift from the wings and fall from the sky if the nose points too high. A company official provided more details on work to update the flight-control software, which was not part of previous 737 models. Software designers considered a broad range of pilot skills to ensure that normal airmanship skills are sufficient to control the airplane, said the official, who spoke anonymously because the changes have not been made public. Investigators in Ethiopia expect to issue a preliminary report this week on a plane crash that killed 157 people. But a final determination of the cause of the accident may take months. Boeing said the changes will include protection against faulty readings by sensors. Erroneous measurements are suspected of triggering flight problems on the Lion Air jet. Regulators say the Ethiopian Airlines Max jet followed a similar flight path, including erratic climbs and descents before crashing minutes after takeoff, and those similarities were an important part of their decision to ground the roughly 370 Max 8 planes around the world. The New York Times reported Monday that pilots from five airlines tested current and updated software on a Boeing flight simulator. During a test that recreated conditions on the Lion Air flight, the pilots had less than 40 seconds to override the software before the plane uncontrollably plunged toward the ground, the newspaper said, citing two unidentified people involved in the testing. Pilots can flip one switch to reverse a move by the software to point the nose down, and they can disable the software by flipping two switches at their knees. Pilots involved in the simulator testing followed those steps and kept the plane under control using the current anti-stall software, the newspaper reported. The Lion Air pilots, on the other hand, had received little training on the system, and it was only after the plane crashed that Boeing first notified pilots of the systems existence. Jason Goldberg, a pilot who has flown the Max 8 and is spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, the union representing American Airlines pilots, told the AP that the anti-stall system has significant control over the aircraft it can pitch the nose down very significantly. Goldberg said it was inexcusable for Boeing to omit this information from the pilot manuals for training. Its a serious breach of trust. A Southwest Airlines Max 8, one of 34 in the carriers fleet, had to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff Tuesday in Orlando, Florida, cutting short a flight to a short-term aircraft storage lot in California. The plane was not carrying passengers. The airline and the FAA said the plane had a problem with one of its engines, not the flight-control software. ___ Koenig reported from Dallas and Krisher reported from Detroit. Elias Meseret contributed from Addis Ababa. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Delaware State Police have charged a man with driving under the influence of alcohol for the sixth time. Police said troopers arrested 63-year-old John Trala, of Lewes, Saturday night after responding to a car accident. Police said the troopers detected an odor of alcohol while speaking with Trala. He was taken into custody without incident. Police said a computer check revealed that Trala had five previous DUI convictions. In addition to the DUI charge, Trala was also charged with following a motor vehicle too closely. Trala could not be reached for comment. He was being held at the Sussex Correctional Institution on $10,500 cash bond. Advertisement The driver of the other car was not injured. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in Cedar Rapids for an Indiana man accused of a homicide in central Iowas Fort Dodge. Webster County District Court records say 26-year-old Phillip Williams, of Lafayette, Indiana, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder. Prosecutors say Williams and 27-year-old Mackenzie Knigge killed 26-year-old Jessica Gomez in August 2017. Knigges trial is scheduled to begin June 10. His trial first was moved to Mason City because of pretrial publicity in Fort Dodge. Then it was moved to Cedar Rapids after Williams objected to the lack of black people in the Mason City jury pool, saying that just one person out of 130 potential jurors was self-identified as black. His attorney told the judge that Williams has a legitimate interest in the representation of African-Americans on the jury panel. He is African-American. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Iraqi residents of the northern city of Mosul, angry over the sinking of a ferry in the Tigris River that killed 95 people, blocked a road where Iraqs presidential convoy was passing on Friday, chanting no to corruption and pelting the provincial governors car with stones in protest. The visit to Mosul by President Barham Saleh came as search teams were still trying to find more bodies after the ferry, overloaded with holidaymakers celebrating both Nowruz, the Persian New Year, and also Mothers Day, capsized on Thursday near the city with dozens on board, including families with children. The death toll on Friday rose to 95, after another body was found. The protesters did not harm Saleh but shortly afterward, pelted the SUV of the governor of Nineveh province, Nofal al-Akoub, with bottles and stones, demanding that he be sacked from the post. Advertisement A video soon emerged, showing the two incidents. In one, Saleh is seen speaking from his car window with the protesters, many of whom were young men. Saleh had rushed to Mosul where he held meetings with security officials over the sinking of the ferry. The other video shows protesters pelting the governors SUV and breaking the windshield before the vehicle speeds away. The spiritual leader of Iraqs Shia majority Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for accountability for those responsible for the sinking and urged officials whose ministries were linked to the tragedy to resign. Al-Sistanis message was delivered by his representative Ahmed al-Safi in the Shia holy city of Karbala. Earlier Friday, relatives of the victims went to the local hospitals to collect bodies of their loved ones ahead of funerals. Some people gathered outside the hospital chanted: No to corruption! and They are all thieves. How can a ferry sail with no means of rescue available, asked Dalia Mahmoud, a woman who was standing outside the coroners office. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi ordered an investigation and also briefly visited Mosul, where he declared three days of national mourning. Iraqi judicial authorities ordered the arrest of nine workers operating the ferry. The men were detained and an arrest warrant is out for the owner of the tourist island where it was headed. Pope Francis sent a telegram of condolences to Iraqi authorities, expressing his prayerful solidarity with all those who lost loved ones. He wrote that he was praying for the whole Iraqi nation the divine blessings of healing, strength and consolation. The sinking of the ferry was a tragic blow to Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city that is still struggling to overcome the devastation wreaked by the Islamic State group. IS had captured Mosul it in the summer of 2014, making the city its main stronghold in Iraq. After U.S.-backed Iraqi forces retook Mosul three years later, in July 2017, much of the city was left in ruins. We lost a lot because of Daesh and we will not accept to lose more, said Mahmoud, using an Arabic name to refer to the Islamic State group. ___ Abdul-Zahra reported from Baghdad. Associated Press writer Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed to this report. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A Missouri man jailed in Texas is now charged with killing a woman at an Interstate 55 rest area in October. The Sikeston Standard Democrat reports that 27-year-old Eliot Bonner of St. Charles was charged Friday with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm. He does not yet have a listed attorney. The body of 50-year-old Monica Keenlance of Morton, Illinois, was found Oct. 31 at a rest area along I-55 near Marston, Missouri. Advertisement Police had little to go on other than a report that a red SUV was seen driving away, and a spent shell casing. Authorities have declined to say what led to charges against Bonner, who was arrested in November in Brady, Texas, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. ___ Information from: Standard Democrat, https://www.standard-democrat.com Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Joe Biden says he has the most progressive record of any Democrat running, or mulling a run, in 2020. But many progressive activists disagree. As the former vice president inches closer to a third White House run, several moments in his long career loom as immediate political liabilities. From his vote for the Iraq war to his key role in passing a bill that made it harder for debt-ridden Americans to declare bankruptcy, Biden would have to reconcile his past with a party thats moved to the left. Biden leads many early polls, but his handling of those issues will determine whether that support fades in a primary fight. He is aware of his critics, using a speech last week before friendly Delaware Democrats to declare himself a progressive while also describing some of his detractors as the new left and defending his record. But several progressive activists are urging him to do more to address doubts about his progressive credentials by owning up to past missteps and developing a forward-looking agenda that recognizes the Democratic bases center of gravity has shifted. For him to actually own the label of progressive, he needs to acknowledge and reconcile that prior harm not just in words, but by putting forth a policy agenda thats really rooted in challenging white supremacy and economic exploitation, said Jennifer Epps-Addison, co-executive director of the activist group Center for Popular Democracy Action. Advertisement As for Biden deeming his record progressive, she warned that simply labeling yourself something doesnt make it true. Leah Greenberg, co-founder of the activist group Indivisible, described Bidens progressive self-definition as a confusing comment given the number of other prominent liberals in the Democratic primary. Hes going to need to reconcile his record on policy with where he is now and what kind of policies hes proposing as a presidential contender, Greenberg said, adding that if hes trying to understand what animates the new left . Id recommend that he talk to grassroots leaders on the ground. A Biden spokesman declined to comment. The 76-year-old Democrat has expressed some regrets for past actions. He was contrite in January about supporting a 1994 crime bill whose stiffer sentences fell disproportionately on minority offenders, telling an audience that the bills harsher punishment was a big mistake that has trapped an entire generation. He has called his vote to support the Iraq War a mistake. And Biden is known for pushing the rest of his party leftward on some key issues. He backed same-sex marriage in 2012 before Barack Obama did, effectively nudging the then-president into his corner on what was a politically volatile issue. He was also a lead architect of the Violence Against Women Act in 1994 and later used his perch as Obamas vice president to advocate for sexual assault victims, particularly on college campuses. Sen. Chris Coons, who holds the Delaware seat Biden occupied and is a close ally, said he read Bidens most progressive comment as a way of championing the Obama administrations accomplishments on health care, climate change and other fronts. On the core issues progressives claim to care about most, Joe Biden actually has a record of leadership, Coons said in an interview. Anybody can give a great speech on a college campus, but actually getting things done . thats something worth talking about and running on. But progressives say hell have more atoning to do, should he enter the 2020 race. Karine Jean-Pierre, a senior adviser at MoveOn.org who worked with Biden during her time in Obamas administration, predicted there are things hes going to have to answer to. Sometimes youre so popular, and then you jump into an election, and then you become less popular, she said. He could avoid that by just going head-on and dealing with it from the get-go. Even as Biden leads most early polls of the sprawling Democratic field, those surveys cant gauge how much of his advantage stems from voters favorable views of his role as Obamas vice president and whether that wellspring of goodwill would fade if Biden enters the presidential race to criticism from liberals. Activists looking to push the party toward a progressive agenda arent prepared to give Biden a pass based on Obama-era successes. You can only go so long on the coattails of a former president, no matter how well-liked a former president is, said Charles Chamberlain, chair of the progressive group Democracy for America. Bidens advisers have talked for weeks about the prospect of assuaging concerns regarding his age and ideology by tapping a younger running mate early in the primary, before the Democratic nomination is secured. Those discussions, which have not coalesced into any firm decision, at one point focused on former U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke of Texas and have shifted to former Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams, who met with Biden in Washington last week. Allying with Abrams could bear fruit in bolstering Bidens relationships with progressives, but shes also being heavily courted by Democratic elders to challenge Republican Sen. David Perdue of Georgia in 2020 and has yet to rule out a presidential bid herself. There is an important dynamic to having your name considered as part of the national conversation because someone like me is not often on that list, Abrams, a 45-year-old African-American woman, said last week at a conference in Washington. Even if Biden adds younger, more left-leaning energy to his prospective ticket, some activists wont be deterred from scrutinizing elements of his past. In addition to his votes on bankruptcy, the crime bill and the Iraq War, Biden is likely to face further questions about his treatment of Anita Hill during the 1991 confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his recently resurfaced 1970s remarks against the use of busing to diversify schools in his home state. I dont think his choice of running mate will matter that much, said Justice Democrats communications director Waleed Shahid, whose group worked to elect Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and other rising young liberal candidates in 2018. Biden cant trick progressives who are at the center of energy in the Democratic Party right now into rebranding himself into someone hes not. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Beto ORourkes splashy campaign event in Pennsylvania last week appeared to herald the start of the states presidential primary season. But if Pennsylvanias Democratic Party faithful are searching for a favorite from among the crowded 2020 primary field, it may be in vain. Early-voting states typically make that choice. Pennsylvania historically gets the short end of the stick in presidential primaries, rarely voting in time to help decide a partys nominee, despite being one of the most sought-after general election prizes. Yet, Democratic Party strategists and officials suggest that a crush of candidates could force a competitive race all the way until April 28, 2020, when Pennsylvania holds its primary election. Advertisement When you have a big field like this and its possible to win early-voting states with 10, 12 or 15 percent, it really is open to everybody, said Aren Platt, a Philadelphia-area Democratic campaign strategist. Pennsylvania is the sixth-largest electoral prize for Democrats seeking the partys nomination and, next year, it will be the last of the delegate-rich states to vote, except perhaps New Jersey. It also occupies an indelible place in the minds of Democrats. It flipped to Republican Donald Trump by less than 1 percentage point in the 2016 election after backing Democrats in six straight presidential elections. To some Democrats, a candidate must show strength in a Pennsylvania primary, since the state is a must-win in 2020. To me, you would have to, said U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans of Philadelphia. You dont have to be a rocket scientist to understand. Trump won Pennsylvania. Thats what put it in play. In the past, Pennsylvanias primary election was largely academic. Usually, earlier-voting states winnow the field to one candidate who has a commanding lead by the time Pennsylvania votes. Still, besides the big primary field, there are a couple other reasons that Pennsylvania could see a competitive Democratic primary. There is the rise of small-dollar donations, which fueled Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders 2016 run against the eventual nominee, Hillary Clinton. Then there is the partys new rule for 2020, in which superdelegates party establishment insiders who are automatic delegates to the partys convention cannot vote on the first presidential ballot if the convention remains contested. Many in 2016 declared their support for Clinton even before primary votes. Now, Pennsylvanias Democratic Party chairwoman, Nancy Mills, said she asked the states national party committee members to remain neutral until the convention. That will make a difference and a more level playing field for all the candidates coming into Pennsylvania, Mills said. Perhaps 1984 was the last, most impactful Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, said Terry Madonna, a pollster and public affairs professor at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster. Thats when Walter Mondale, Gary Hart and Jesse Jackson came to Pennsylvania with the nomination still in doubt. ORourkes Monday rally at Penn State wasnt the first presidential primary campaign activity in Pennsylvania in March. South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg made book tour appearances in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Hawaii U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard held a meet-and-greet at a Philadelphia brewery. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker held private fundraising events in Philadelphia. But it was easily the highest-profile event, attracting hundreds on short notice, and party strategists and officials predict that more such activity is coming. Former Vice President Joe Biden, if he runs, has a built-in advantage in Pennsylvania, many say. He is from neighboring Delaware, has close ties to longtime party officials and is a fixture on Pennsylvanias campaign trail, including stumping in November for Gov. Tom Wolf and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. In September, Biden marched in Pittsburghs Labor Day parade, drawing shouts of encouragement from building trades union members to run for president. All the labor leaders took notice, said Mike Mikus, a campaign strategist who advises Pittsburgh-area labor unions. Among the hundreds who came out to see ORourke at Penn State, some expect a competitive Pennsylvania primary and want to get to know the candidates better. Many liked ORourke, but not exclusively. Right now, it is so early, I want to hear as much as I can about the candidates, said Joanna Suarez, a Penn State sophomore from Gettysburg. My mind is pretty open. ___ Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/timelywriter . ___ This story has been corrected to show ORourkes rally was last week, not this week. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. TORONTO, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Compass Gold Corp. (TSX-V: CVB) (Compass or the Company) is pleased to provide an update on the results of detailed ground geophysics performed on the Ouassada exploration permit on its Sikasso Property in Southern Mali. Highlights 1,600 m long target structure has been identified by ground geophysics underlying three artisanal working areas at Farabakoura Structure corresponds to gold mineralization identified in five bedrock drill holes Additional structures also identified in Farabakoura area Planning is underway for additional 1,000 m drill program around Farabakoura, and ground geophysical survey has started over coincident geophysical and geochemical targets on Ouassada and Faraba-Coura permits. Compass CEO, Larry Phillips, said, Our recently completed ground geophysical surveys identified structures in the bedrock that correlated well with known zones of gold mineralization revealed from recent drilling, providing the latest support for our exploration efforts in this area. Next, we plan to initiate bedrock drilling as soon as possible to determine whether the structure is mineralized for the entire 1,600 m length that our ground geophysics has indicated the zone could extend. Farabakoura Ground Geophysics Based on the results of recent drilling centred on the main artisanal gold workings at Farabakoura (Compass news releases dated January 10, and March 5, 2019), it was decided that two detailed ground geophysical orientation surveys would be performed in the area (Figure 1). These were Pole-Dipole frequency domain Induced Polarization (IP) and ground magnetic surveys. Both ground geophysical surveys were conducted by field personnel from EurekaGeo, a mineral exploration consultancy based in Bamako, Mali, and helped identify bedrock structures that are associated with the gold mineralization present at Farabakoura. The ground magnetic survey covered the whole area of known gold workings at Farabakoura, covering 120 line-km on a north-south orientation with 25 m line spacing. The IP survey consisted of six northeast oriented lines that varied from 400 m to 1,000 m in length, used a dipole spacing of 50 m, and had a ground penetration of up to 150 m. The data from both surveys were processed and interpreted by Jeremy S. Brett, M.Sc., P.Geo. (MPH Consulting Limited, Toronto), in consultation with Company staff. Figure 1 accompanying this announcement is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a6cfd66f-bb5f-404d-abb1-7c10d9ccf0a6 The ground magnetic survey data identified four main NW-trending features and one east-west trending feature, the longest of which is 1,600 m (Figure 1). The longest structure has been drilled at two locations 380 m apart, where a NW-trending zone of mineralization up to 60 m wide (averaging 1.42 grams per ton gold (g/t Au)) was identified. Interpretation of the six IP lines perpendicular to the NW-trending mineralized trend identified resistivity and chargeability features in the resulting IP sections that are in good agreement with the known geology from drilling and the detailed ground magnetic survey. Features on the IP sections were interpreted as igneous intrusions, faults and areas of potential mineralization. Based on the detailed geophysics and coincident artisanal gold workings, 1,000 m of RC drilling is planned shortly over the Farabakoura area. Field teams will soon begin preparing the drilling pads, with drilling anticipated to begin in April. Meanwhile, the geophysical field teams have started the main IP survey over the remaining 14 targets on the Ouassada and Faraba-Coura targets. Next Steps: The Company is awaiting repeat assay result from the single diamond hole (see Compass news release dated February 14, 2019) at Farabakoura, which will be released as soon as they have been received. However, the preliminary assays and geological information from this hole were integrated with the RC drilling data and results from the detailed ground geophysical survey reported in this release. Based on this synthesis, Compass has identified several areas where addition infill drilling is planned to determine the extent of mineralization at Farabakoura. Additional bedrock drilling will take place on the remaining targets on the Ouassada and Faraba-Coura permits once the permit wide IP survey is completed and interpreted. Field teams are continuing to perform sampling at nine artisanal gold sites on the Yanfolila South block, and assay results will be released once this program is complete. It is anticipated that limited bedrock drilling can take place on some of these workings prior to the beginning of the rainy season in late June. About Compass Gold Corp. Compass, a public company having been incorporated into Ontario, is a Tier 2 issuer on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V). Through the 2017 acquisition of MGE and Malian subsidiaries, Compass holds gold exploration permits located in Mali that comprise the Sikasso Property. The exploration permits are located in three sites in southern Mali with a combined land holding of 854 km. The Sikasso Property is located in the same region as several multi-million ounce gold projects, including Morila, Syama, Kalana and Kodieran. The Companys Mali-based technical team, led in the field by Dr. Madani Diallo and under the supervision of Dr. Sandy Archibald, P.Geo, is initiating a new exploration program. They are examining the first of numerous anomalies noted for further investigation in Dr. Archibalds August 2017 *National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report on the Sikasso Property, Southern Mali. Qualified Person This news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Sandy Archibald, P.Geo, Compasss Technical Director, who is the Qualified Person for the technical information in this news release under National Instrument 43-101 standards. ForwardLooking Information This news release contains "forwardlooking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the Companys planned exploration work and management appointments. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forwardlooking information. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by such information. The statements in this news release are made as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forwardlooking information except as required by applicable law. For further information please contact: Compass Gold Corporation Compass Gold Corporation Larry Phillips Pres. & CEO Greg Taylor Dir. Investor Relations & Corporate Communications lphillips@compassgoldcorp.com gtaylor@compassgoldcorp.com T: +1 416-596-0996 X 302 T: +1 416-596-0996 X 301 Website: www.compassgoldcorp.com NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. Less than a week after a series of critical tweets from the president over an Ohio plant closure, General Motors is announcing plans to add 400 jobs and build a new electric vehicle at a factory north of Detroit. The company says it will spend $300 million at its plant in Orion Township, Michigan, to manufacture a Chevrolet vehicle based on the battery-powered Bolt. GM wouldnt say when the new workers will start or when the new vehicle will go on sale, nor would it say if the workers will be new hires or come from a pool of laid-off workers from the planned closings of four U.S. factories by January. The company also announced plans Friday to spend about another $1.4 billion at U.S. factories with 300 more jobs but did not release a time frame or details. Advertisement The moves come after last weekends string of venomous tweets by President Donald Trump condemning GM for shutting its small-car factory in Lordstown, Ohio, east of Cleveland. During the weekend, Trump demanded that GM reopen the plant or sell it, criticized the local union leader and expressed frustration with CEO Mary Barra. GM spokesman Dan Flores said the investment has been in the works for weeks. Indeed, GM has said it planned to build more vehicles off the underpinnings of the Bolt, which can go an estimated 238 miles on a single electric charge. The company has promised to introduce 20 new all-electric vehicles globally by 2023. In November, GM announced plans to shut the four U.S. factories and one in Canada. About 3,300 workers in the U.S. would lose their jobs, as well as 2,600 in Canada. Another 8,000 white-collar workers were targeted for layoff. The company said the moves are necessary to stay financially healthy as GM faces large capital expenditures to shift to electric and autonomous vehicles. Plants slated for closure include Lordstown; Detroit-Hamtramck, Michigan; Warren, Michigan; White Marsh, Maryland, near Baltimore and Oshawa, Ontario near Toronto. The factories largely make cars or components for them, and cars arent selling well these days with a dramatic consumer shift to trucks and SUVs. With the closures, GM is canceling multiple car models due to slumping sales, including the Chevrolet Volt plug-in gas-electric hybrid. GM has said it can place about 2,700 of the laid-off U.S. workers at other factories, but its unclear how many will uproot and take those positions. More than 1,100 have already transferred, and others are retiring. Right now, were focused on the people of Lordstown, making sure they have opportunities because we do have jobs, Barra told reporters following Fridays announcement. We want every single person in Lordstown to stay within the GM family, and thats what were working on. The United Auto Workers has sued GM over the closings, which still must be negotiated with the union. I will not spoil a great occasion here today. But there is hardship amongst four of our locations. And weve made it clear that we disagree with that, UAW Vice President Terry Dittes said. Trumps latest GM tweet on Monday said GM should: Close a plant in China or Mexico, where you invested so heavily pre-Trump, and Bring jobs home! I understand a lot of the angst that people are feeling, and I feel it, too, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Friday. And I want to make sure that GM knows that their investment here in Michigan is encouraged and welcomed and appreciated. And were going to keep doing that. Ohio and the area around the Lordstown plant are important to Trumps 2020 re-election bid. The state helped push him to victory in 2016, and Trump has focused on Lordstown, seldom mentioning the other U.S. factories that GM is slated to close. General Motors is committed to supporting U.S. manufacturing, including the great states of Ohio and Michigan, said Barra, who maintains that she sees no further layoffs or plant closures through the end of 2020. ___ Krisher reported from Detroit. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A jury acquitted a white former police officer Friday in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager as he was fleeing a high-stakes traffic stop outside Pittsburgh, a confrontation that was captured on video and led to weeks of unrest. Former East Pittsburgh Police Officer Michael Rosfeld was charged with homicide for killing Antwon Rose II last June. Rose was riding in an unlicensed taxi that had been involved in a drive-by shooting minutes earlier when Rosfeld pulled the car over and shot the 17-year-old in the back, arm and side of the face as he ran away. The panel of seven men and five women including three black jurors saw video of the fatal confrontation, which showed Rose falling to the ground after being hit. The acquittal came after fewer than four hours of deliberations on the fourth day of the trial. Roses family remained stoic as the verdict was read, with his mother telling his sister not to cry. Rosfelds wife began sobbing, and she and Rosfeld were hustled out of the courtroom by deputies. Advertisement There were tears and gasps in an overflow courtroom, and several people broke out in song: Antwon Rose was a freedom fighter, and he taught us how to fight. Roses death spurred angry protests in the Pittsburgh area last year, including a late-night march that shut down a major highway. But on Friday, the reaction was measured. After the verdict, a group of about 100 protesters headed to the trendy East Liberty neighborhood, about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the downtown Pittsburgh courthouse, and they blocked intersections and briefly entered two hotels, chanting 17" for Roses age and reading a poem written by Rose. The familys attorney, S. Lee Merritt, had urged a murder conviction, saying before closing arguments that its pretty obvious Rose was not a threat to Rosfeld. He said afterward that Roses mother, Michelle Kenney, was upset about the state of the law. But she didnt really expect a different verdict, given other high-profile cases in recent years in which police officers have either avoided charges or won acquittals in the shooting deaths of black men and teens. She has joined a community of mothers who have lost children in really, really horrific ways, he said. Defense lawyer Patrick Thomassey told reporters that Rosfeld is a good man. He said to me many times, Patrick, this has nothing to do with the kids color. I was doing what I was trained to do. Thomassey said he hoped the city remained calm, and everybody takes a deep breath and gets on with their lives. Stephen Zappala Jr., the district attorney in Pittsburgh, said he disagreed with the decision. At trial, the prosecution and the defense sparred over whether Rosfeld whod worked for the East Pittsburgh Police Department for only a few weeks and was officially sworn in just hours before the fatal shooting was justified in using lethal force. Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Fodi declared in his closing argument that Rosfeld had acted as judge, jury and executioner, and the video evidence showed there was no threat to the officer. We dont shoot first and ask questions later, the prosecutor added. But the former officer told the jury he thought Rose or another suspect had a gun pointed at him, insisting he fired his weapon to protect himself and the community. Neither teen was holding one when Rosfeld opened fire, though two guns were later found in the car. It happened very quickly, Rosfeld said. My intent was to end the threat that was made against me. A defense expert testified Rosfeld was within his rights to use deadly force to stop suspects he thought had been involved in a shooting. Rose had been riding in the front seat of the cab when another occupant, Zaijuan Hester, in the back, rolled down a window and shot at two men on the street, hitting one in the abdomen. A few minutes later, Rosfeld spotted their car, which had its rear windshield shot out, and pulled it over. Rosfeld ordered the driver to the ground, but Rose and another passenger jumped out and began running away. Rosfeld fired three times in quick succession. The defense said the shooting was justified because Rosfeld believed he was in danger and couldnt wait for other officers to get there. Hes a sitting duck, Thomassey told jurors in his closing argument, asking them to consider the standard of what a reasonable police officer would do under the circumstances. Prosecutors had charged Rosfeld with an open count of homicide, meaning the jury had the option of convicting him of murder or manslaughter. The prosecution said Rosfeld gave inconsistent statements about the shooting, including whether he thought Rose was armed. Hester, 18, pleaded guilty last week to aggravated assault and firearms violations. Hester told a judge that he, not Rose, did the shooting. ___ This story has been corrected to show that Thomassey said Rosfeld referred to Roses color, not his race. ___ Associated Press writer Michael Rubinkam in northeastern Pennsylvania contributed to this story. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. An attorney representing the suspect in last years Florida high school massacre and the judge overseeing the case got into a brief but heated argument Friday during an otherwise routine pretrial hearing over evidence. Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill accused Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer of misrepresenting her arguments during a hearing over whether prosecutors are turning over in a full and timely manner evidence McNeill and Nikolas Cruzs other attorneys have requested. Scherer accused McNeill of being disrespectful. The argument began as McNeill told the judge the Broward County State Attorneys Office is frequently slow in turning over officers reports and police body camera video taken in the immediate aftermath of the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting that left 17 dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Cruzs attorneys are entitled to that evidence so they can interview witnesses and prepare Cruzs defense before his trial, which is tentatively scheduled for early next year. Assistant State Attorney Nicole Chiappone conceded there have been occasional delays caused by police and prosecution error, but said some of the defenses written evidence requests havent been clear. McNeill replied that if she needed to simplify her language so prosecutors could understand her, she would. Advertisement Scherer interjected, saying she didnt understand why McNeills team couldnt conduct interviews and if more evidence appeared for a particular witness, do a supplemental interview. Scherer gave an example of an officer whose body camera video wasnt available for his scheduled interview. She said McNeill had said that after the defense lawyers received the video, they decided they didnt need to again interview the officer. McNeill jumped in, saying thats not what she said. Miss McNeill, let me talk, the judge said. But youre misquoting me, judge, McNeill replied. There was a brief back and forth. No one yelled, but the tone grew sharper. Scherer told McNeill, You need to take it down a notch. Judge, you are putting words in my mouth, McNeill said. You are being disrespectful, Scherer countered. Judge, I have to repeat myself so you can understand what I am saying, McNeill said. Scherer called a recess, telling McNeill you need to take a deep breath and sit down or whatever it is, but you are being disrespectful and I am not going to be talked to in this way. Cruz, shackled and in a red jail jumpsuit, watched the argument intently from a seat at the defense table. After the break, there were no further arguments and Scherer sided with McNeill, telling prosecutors to make sure the defense has all evidence it has requested. Chiappone said she believes the defense now has everything, but will make sure. Cruz, a 20-year-old former Stoneman Douglas student, has pleaded not guilty but his attorneys have said he would plead guilty in return for a life sentence. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Trump administration stepped up sanctions on Venezuela Friday in response to the kidnapping of a top aide for an leader the U.S wants to see replace the embattled but not yet ousted President Nicolas Maduro. The Treasury Department announcement came while the President Donald Trump met with leaders from five nations in the Caribbean that generally support the U.S. call for an end to Maduros rule. Trump hosted them at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida and pledged U.S. investment in their countries. The new sanctions, issued in response to the kidnapping, specifically target Venezuelas national development bank, BANDES, and four additional subsidiaries that BANDES owns or controls. The regimes continued use of kidnapping, torture and murder of Venezuelan citizens will not be tolerated by the U.S. or the international coalition that is united behind Juan Guaido, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said. He was referring to the opposition leader recognized by more than 50 countries as the legitimate interim leader following a flawed ballot that resulted in Maduros re-election. Advertisement Earlier this week, forces affiliated with the Maduro government broke into the homes of officials backing Guaido and threatened them with their lives. Guaidos chief of staff, Roberto Marrero, was kidnapped. In an op-ed published Friday in The Miami Herald, Vice President Mike Pence said the kidnapping was an egregious violation of the rule of law and was only the latest example of Maduros brutality and despotism. Were not bluffing when we told Maduro not to do stuff like this (the kidnapping), John Bolton, Trumps national security adviser told Univision News in an interview aired Friday. The U.S. has already sanctioned scores of top Venezuelan officials and has blocked U.S. banks from doing business with that country, imposing a financial strangle-hold on the cash-strapped nation. The sanctions announced Friday also came as members of Congress from both parties condemned Marreros arrest. The international community is closely watching Maduros actions and will respond accordingly to any that threaten the safety of the opposition and Interim President Juan Guaido, said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas. Trump hosted the leaders of Jamaica, Bahamas, Haiti, Dominican Republic and St. Lucia to show his support for Caribbean countries that back democratic transition in Venezuela. The five have either denounced Maduro or joined more than 50 countries in recognizing Juan Guaido as the rightful interim leader of the nation. Trump told the leaders as the meeting kicked off that he would be discussing ways that we can be beneficial to you and you can be beneficial to us. Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness said that at their meeting with Trump he learned that a representative from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, a U.S. government agency that helps American businesses invest in emerging markets, would be visiting the region and the five countries. The message from this meeting is that the United States wants to encourage and promote stronger relationship with the region, Holness said. Its absolutely important that its not just talk, that there will be real investments. Were very happy with that message. We feel that that is a message that is long-in-coming, but were also satisfied that its not just a message. Were satisfied that there will be instrumental action. The Trump administration considers Maduros government a dictatorship and says he was re-elected in an illegitimate election. The U.S. has sanctioned scores of top Venezuelan officials and has blocked U.S. banks from doing business with Venezuela, putting a financial stranglehold on the cash-strapped country. The country is in an economic meltdown and millions of Venezuelans have fled. Nations in the Caribbean, however, have been split on whether to interfere in Venezuela. For years, Venezuela has provided a reliable supply of oil to many Caribbean nations. They purchased the oil under the PetroCaribe arrangement, which gave them low-interest credit terms, but have left them indebted to Caracas. St. Lucia Prime Minister Allen Michael Chastanet said its been since the Reagan administration that the U.S. has taken an interest in the Caribbean and acknowledged that Trumps invitation was likely due to their support of the U.S. stance against Venezuela at the Organization of American States. He also acknowledged that not all countries in the region agree with the U.S. call for Maduros ouster. I think we all recognize theres a problem in Venezuela. Most people recognize the need for new elections, Chastanet said, adding that any disagreement they have is in how that will play out. The world remains divided on that. I think there is a growing consensus that there needs to be fresh elections in Venezuela to resolve the humanitarian crisis. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Beto ORourke reported raising more than $6.1 million during the first 24 hours of his presidential campaign, a record-setting haul that narrowly tops the amount announced by Sen. Bernie Sanders and dwarfs everyone else in the 2020 field. ORourke was a fundraising juggernaut during his U.S. Senate race in Texas last year, but there were significant questions about whether that would translate to a national campaign where he was running against fellow Democrats, not Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. The answer appears to be yes. ORourkes campaign said he raised $6,136,763 from donations that came from all 50 states, D.C., and every U.S. territory. Advertisement In just 24 hours, Americans across this country came together to prove that it is possible to run a true grassroots campaign for president a campaign by all of us for all of us that answers not to the PACs, corporations, and special interests but to the people, ORourke said in a statement. In his first day as a candidate, Sanders (I-Vt.) reported raising $5.925 million from 223,000 donors, which brought his average contribution to $27. ORourkes campaign would not release the total number of donors or the amount raised any subsequent days. Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) reported raising $1.5 million from 38,000 donors in the 24 hours after she announced her campaign. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) did not announce how much she raised, but on her first day, she pulled in at least $300,000 from 8,000 donors, according to fundraising figures reported by ActBlue, an online fundraising organization used by Warren and other Democrats. Several Democratic campaigns those of Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Gov. Jay Inslee (Wash.) and former governor John Hickenlooper (Colo.) said they raised about $1 million over 48 hours. There is no way to confirm the figures the campaigns are releasing until they file reports with the Federal Election Commission in several more weeks. With at least 15 candidates in the race, fundraising is a crucial barometer for demonstrating who can attract broad enough support to sustain a campaign. It is also a metric used by the Democratic National Committee to qualify for the debates, which are scheduled to begin in June. But the presence of so many candidates could complicate fundraising, because some of the candidates came into the race with overlapping lists of donors. The figures so far establish ORourke and Sanders as the two most prodigious fundraisers out of the gate and could set up a clash between the two. Sanders is more liberal than ORourke and has staked his campaign on specific policy proposals that ORourke so far lacks. Sanders supporters at times prodded ORourke during his Iowa trip last week, asking pointed questions about his positions on health care or his past alignment with more moderate stances. ORourke eschewed the socialist label that Sanders embraces and said he considers himself a capitalist. When a CNN reporter asked Sanders about ORourkes entry into the race, the senator shrugged. Free country, anybody can run, he said. During his senate campaign, ORourke raised more than $80 million, the most collected for a single such race, and built a national list of supporters that he has sought to tap since his presidential announcement Thursday morning. In the hours after he announced, several emails and text messages were blasted out to his supporters, urging them to donate. At one point during a first day spent campaigning in Iowa, he stopped at a gas station, broadcasting on Facebook Live that it had cost $28.53 to fill up the Dodge Caravan he was driving and urging people to donate to help fuel his road trip. Several of his rivals also made fundraising appeals tied to him entering the race. Since Thursday, ORourke had declined to release his fundraising figures I choose not to, he said several times which triggered speculation that he wasnt faring as well as he and his campaign had hoped. ORourke has pledged not to take donations from lobbyists or from corporate political action committees. He has not gone as far as Warren, who has said she will not hold any high-dollar fundraisers. Im not planning to do large-dollar fundraisers, ORourke told reporters in Dubuque, Iowa, on Saturday night. But he left open the possibility that he could hold such fundraisers in the future, answering no when asked if he was, like Warren, ruling them out completely. Right now, were ruling out taking any PAC money or any lobbyist money ever, he said. I have no large-dollar fundraisers planned and I dont plan to do them. ORourke has yet to announce his campaign staff, including who will serve as his campaign manager. He said in Dubuque that he would support his campaign workers unionizing, as Sanders campaign has announced it would do. If thats what the employees of this campaign want to do, Im very supportive of that, he said. I hope that we will be paying the most competitive wages, providing the most competitive health-care and child-care benefits to our employees who will comprise the heart of this campaign. ORourke was scheduled to campaign in Michigan and Ohio on Monday. This story was first published in The Washington Post. President Donald Trump on Tuesday ratcheted up a remarkable public spat with the husband of one of his top advisers, attacking Kellyanne Conways husband as a total loser on Twitter in response to the lawyers persistent questions about his mental health and competency. A total loser! Trump wrote in the tweet targeting Conways husband, a prominent conservative attorney. The presidents tweet also included a dubious assertion from Trumps 2020 campaign manager, Brad Parscale, that the president doesnt even know his senior advisers husband. But George Conway said in an interview Tuesday that he has had a number of notable interactions with Trump over the past decade, including legal representation and sensitive legal matters since Trump became president. He described the president as mendacious and incompetent and predicted he would not win reelection. Conway also suggested his own tweets questioning the presidents mental health were aimed in part at avoiding conflicts with his wife. Advertisement Its so maddening to watch, said Conway, a longtime Washington attorney who is well-known in conservative circles. The mendacity, the incompetence, its just maddening to watch. The tweeting is just the way to get it out of the way, so I can get it off my chest and move on with my life that day. Thats basically it. Frankly, its so I dont end up screaming at her about it. Conway has been a persistent critic of Trumps policies and actions, frequently going on Twitter to question whether the president is operating within the Constitution and other accepted boundaries. But the criticism recently has become more personal, and he has often attacked Trump just after his wife defends the president on television. Conways tweets on Monday included images from the American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, including pages with diagnostic criteria for narcissistic personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder. Although Conway had previously posted similar concerns on Twitter, it stuck this time because of the utter bizarreness this weekend, his own conduct. It was so illustrative, he said, referring to a two-day span in which Trump sent out 52 tweets with a broad range of attacks. Kellyanne Conway did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday, but she said on Monday that she did not share her husbands concerns about Trump. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Trump has wanted to attack George Conway on Twitter before but has been talked out of it by aides, who argued it would embolden Conway and cause unnecessary drama, according to several current and former White House aides. The presidents change of approach was apparently prompted by a tweet sent Monday night by Parscale, who wrote about Conway: We all know that @realDonaldTrump turned down Mr. Kellyanne Conway for a job he desperately wanted. He barely worked @TheJusticeDept and was either fired/quit, didnt want the scrutiny? Now he hurts his wife because he is jealous of her success. POTUS doesnt even know him! George Conway said that contrary to Parscales tweet, he opted against working at the Justice Department after Trump offered him a position heading the civil division because he watched Trump attack the departments leaders and then fire James Comey, the FBI director, in early 2017. Conway said he remembered riding down the West Side Highway in Manhattan and hearing on the radio that special counsel Robert Mueller had been appointed to lead an investigation of possible connections between Russian election interference and the Trump campaign. Im thinking to myself, this guy is going to be at war with the Justice Department for the next two years, Conway said. Im not doing this, George Conway said. In a conversation with Trump at the wedding of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in June 2017, Conway said Trump approached him and complimented him for not taking a job under then-attorney general Jeff Sessions. He said to me, I remember it clearly, you were smart not to work for that guy, George Conway said. He is so weak. Trump then ranted for several minutes that Sessions should have never recused himself from the Mueller investigation. I told him, Id heard the recusal issue was pretty clear, that Sessions had to recuse himself, Conway said. He took great affront at that. A person close to Parscale said the campaign manager was told by Trump that he did not have any recollections of being in a room with George Conway and that the president only met Kellyanne Conway during the election. George Conway outlined a number of interactions with Trump that date back more than a decade - and said his wife had known him for that long. Shortly after they were married in 2001, Kellyanne and George Conway moved into an apartment in Manhattans Trump World Tower. A few years later, George Conway made an impression on the future president at a condominium board meeting where he argued against removing Trumps name from the building. The speech earned him an offer to join the condo board, which he declined but passed on to his wife, who accepted. In a 2006 letter shared with The Washington Post, Trump praised Conway for helping him keep control of the building. What I was most impressed with was how quickly you were able to comprehend a very bad situation, Trump wrote, praising Conway for ridding Trump World Tower of some very bad people. In a postscript, Trump said Conway had a truly great voice, certainly not a bad asset for a top trial lawyer! Conway said Trump also called him to thank him, and he told the president he was glad his name stayed on the building. The two later met at a fundraiser in Alpine, New Jersey, where the Conway family owns a home, he said. After Trump won the election 2016, Conway said that he flew with Trump to Washington for an inaugural dinner with his wife as they moved their belongings, which were on the plane. During that flight, Trump repeatedly quizzed Conway if he should fire Preet Bharara, then the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, Conway said. I said in general, its better to have your people in terms of important positions than others, Conway said. He said the president did not appear motivated by anything other than political machinations. Trump eventually fired Bharara in the spring of 2017. During the transition, Conway said he also rode in a black SUV with Trump, his wife and Steve Bannon to a costume party at the home of GOP megadonor Rebekah Mercer. Trump had heard about the party and wanted to attend. During the car ride, Conway said the president was fixated on John Boltons prominent mustache - and that it was a reason not to pick him as secretary of state. Since then, Trump picked Bolton as his national security adviser. He didnt like the mustache, Conway said. He just went on and on about the mustache. Conway later said he was surprised to get a call from Trump around the time he took office, where the Trump was seeking legal advice about a lawsuit alleging that the president was benefiting financially from the presidency in violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution. The call, he said, was arranged by his wife. He wanted to know what I thought about the judge and what I thought about the case, Conway said. In spring 2017, Conway said his wife arranged a call with Conway, the president, Vice President Pence and senior adviser Jared Kushner to evaluate lawyers for the Mueller investigation. A speakerphone was used, Conway said. He wanted to know my opinions on a variety of lawyers who were being considered to be his outside counsel. He asked me for my opinions on each of them, Conway said, adding that there were all these people in the room making it a nonprivileged conversation. Some in the White House say Conway is selfish for posting so many tweets, making it difficult for his wife to work there and attacking her boss. Now he hurts his wife because he is jealous of her success, campaign manager Brad Parscale posted on Twitter Monday night. Kellyanne Conway went on a lengthy rant about her husband to several guests at a British Embassy party for members of Congress last month, including New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, NBC anchor Andrea Mitchell and former Washington Post journalist Sally Quinn, according to two attendees, who requested anonymity to describe a private conversation. Conway told the group that she and the president think her husband is jealous of her, and that the president has kept her at a prominent place in the administration because he trusts her and wants to protect her, the attendees said. Kellyanne Conway also said that George Conway preferred to spend his time in front of his computer, while she preferred to socialize, the attendees said. Kellyanne Conway also said it was the fault of the news media for giving her husband such a platform, and that some of George Conways close friends had asked him to stop. She told the guests that they would not like it if their marriages or personal lives were in the spotlight, these people said. Asked for comment, Quinn said Conway was upset about the media giving her husband so much attention. She said women should be respectful of other women, and his comments had nothing to do with her job, Quinn said. I told her its a story, its a very good story. George Conway declined to comment on the state of his marriage - answering only that he wished his wife did not work for the White House. He said he remained proud of his wife and was not jealous. No one was prouder than I was that she was able to elect this man president despite his obvious flaws, said Conway, who was spotted crying tears of joy on election night in 2016 at Trump Tower. She took a campaign that the candidate had run into the gutter. He added, I made it possible for her to be where she is today. So theres that. Its not about jealousy. Its about reality. Who this man is, and whether hes fit for public office. Which, as Ive said, he isnt. Many of Conways friends in the legal community say he should focus instead on the presidents success in appointing conservative judges and that he is too fixated on the presidents personal style. But Conway said Trump was damaging conservatism for decades to come and that it was not worth the bargain for judges and conservative policies. He also shrugged off Trump calling him a total loser on Twitter. The Democratic Socialists of America has endorsed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in his second run for president. The New York-based group says its National Political Committee voted Thursday to endorse Sanders and move forward with an independent campaign to elect him and advance a class-struggle agenda. The 56,000-member organization calls Sanders the only democratic socialist running for president in 2020" and the only socialist in American history with a serious chance of winning the presidency. Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist. He announced his Democratic presidential bid last month, saying his campaign is about creating a government based on the principles of economic, social, racial and environmental justice. Advertisement Sanders spoke to striking university workers in Los Angeles this week and complained about a war being waged against the working people. Sen. Kamala Harris made the first major policy announcement of her campaign Saturday, promising to use federal dollars to boost teachers salaries as she spoke to a boisterous crowd at Texas Southern University. Harris didnt reveal details of the plan, which her campaign says will come within days. But the crowd of 2,400 that gathered at the historically black school showed her ability to attract a diverse gathering, including older white voters from the Houston area, Latino students who drove from University of Texas at Austin and a large contingent of African-American voters. In a bit of political theater, Harris, D-Calif., held the rally in the home state of former Rep. Beto ORourke, a little more than a week after ORourke launched his own presidential campaign, and in a county that bears her name. Texas is also the home state of former San Antonio mayor Julian Castro, another hopeful seeking the Democratic nomination. The greatest measure of a society is how it treats its children, Harris said. So I came to Harris County today to unveil, and announce for the first time publicly, an initiative Im proposing that will be the largest federal investment in teacher salary in American history. Advertisement Harris didnt explain how her plan would work, how much it would cost, or how shed pay for it. Instead, she suggested the initiative should be viewed as an investment that would yield a valuable return for society. In targeting teachers, Harris became the first candidate to reach out to the largely female group of politically active professionals with a policy proposal directly addressing their concerns. ORourkes candidacy has dominated the campaign news cycle in recent weeks. Accounts of his remarks, often delivered informally from restaurant countertops, have mixed with reports on events by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., which have often been attended by the same loyal supporters that supported his run in 2016. Meanwhile, Harris campaign has been chugging along and filling venues. As an Asian American and African American woman, Harris is building connections with a range of communities that have kept a greater distance from other candidates. Harris raised money this week in Texas as well as California, two states that have primaries on Super Tuesday - March 3, 2020 - when several key states will hold elections. She was to hold another rally Sunday at a historically black school, Morehouse College, in Atlanta. Harris, a graduate of Howard University in the District of Columbia, has made historically black colleges and universities a focus of her early schedule. But she tends to draw diverse crowds at a variety of venues, including Friday at an Embassy Suites hotel attached to a Bass Pro Shops outlet in Grapevine, Texas. Look at this beautiful rainbow in front of me, state Rep. Ramon Romero Jr. said as he warmed up that audience. Tarrant County, where Grapevine is located, is also home to Fort Worth, which has backed the Republican presidential nominee for years - but which President Donald Trump carried with a slim 52 percent of the vote in 2016 and ORourke carried in 2018. I was a Beto supporter for Senate, not for president, said Jennifer Giles, 45, a small-business owner and Harris supporter from Flower Mound, Texas, who was at Sundays rally. Once we see the debates and see these candidates next to each other, I think the stellar candidates will be obvious, and I think experience and gravitas will show. Harris is not alone among the Democratic hopefuls in venturing increasingly beyond the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. With a crowded Democratic field, currently at 15 and expected to grow, several candidates may survive well beyond the early primaries, prompting them to try to build up strength in other states. Unlike many other candidates, Harris is also drawing GOP opposition. On Friday, she was greeted by members of Open Carry Texas, a gun-rights organization whose members carried weapons into the parking lot outside her event. She also drew conservative protests in South Carolina, though neither protest was disruptive. On Saturday, her announcement drew praise from the American Federation of Teachers, a group that says it represents nearly 1.7 million teachers nationwide and has long been a political force. Paying educators less than other similarly skilled college graduates has been a problem 4 a long time, tweeted AFT President Randi Weingarten. Teachers have recently gone on strike in several major U.S. cities, including Harris hometown of Oakland, Calif., and Harris has expressed solidarity with those actions. Saturdays pay announcement addressed a central demand of strikers by promising to close the wage gap between teachers and other professionals. Teachers in the United States make an average of $11,000 less annually than similar professionals with college degrees, according to a study by the Economic Policy Institute. Teachers of color make even less. Still, with no details available yet, it was impossible to tell how the initiative would work. Harris has advocated several policies that would require significant federal spending. In the Senate, she has introduced a middle-class tax credit. To help fund those measures, Harris wants to raise taxes on the wealthy. I know what people are going to say after today: How is she going to pay for it? Harris said. People in the private sector have understood that if you want to be smart in the way you run anything, you understand that you can invest. You understand that your analysis is not how much does it cost; the question is, what is the return on the investment? This story was originally published in The Washington Post. Special counsel Robert Mueller obtained court-approved warrants to search the emails of President Donald Trumps lawyer Michael Cohen in July 2017 as his office investigated whether Cohen had illegally worked for foreign entities, according to newly unsealed documents illustrating how the investigation moved quickly and quietly to scour the digital trails of the presidents associates. The search warrants unsealed Tuesday in Cohens case offer new insight into how Mueller and his team handed off a key part of the Cohen investigation to federal prosecutors in New York in early 2018, and how much evidence prosecutors already had against Cohen even before they searched his office, home, and hotel room in April of that year. They also serve as a detailed reminder of the broad array of wrongdoing of which Cohen was accused and to which he eventually pleaded. The first warrant obtained by the special counsels office was dated July 18, 2017. Investigators were especially interested in how Cohen had apparently lied to banks claiming he couldnt pay back loans as quickly as they would have liked while pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars from companies like AT&T, Novartis and even an investment-management firm linked to a Russian national. Prosecutors in New York have since alleged Cohen was charging enormous sums while performing minimal work. The warrants describe Cohens false statements to financial institutions about the purpose of Essential Consultants Cohens firm that took payments from AT&T, Novartis and the Russian national as well as activities undertaken by Cohen on behalf of certain foreign persons or foreign entities without having registered as a foreign agent, one of the documents says. Another document says the payments, including from international clients, were for consulting on issues pending before the Trump administration. Advertisement The documents show that the special counsels office was investigating Cohen for allegedly making false statements to a financial institution, and suspected bank and wire fraud as well as possible money laundering and violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Cohen was not a registered lobbyist, nor had he registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, authorities alleged. Among other things, the special counsel sought records of any funds of benefits received by or offered to Michael Dean Cohen by, or on behalf of, any foreign government. It also sought evidence that might reveal Cohens efforts to conduct activities on behalf of, for the benefit of, or at the direction of any foreign government. In early 2018 the special counsels office referred a part of its Cohen investigation to federal prosecutors in New York. As part of that referral, on Feb. 8, 2018, the special counsels office turned over relevant emails from its warrants to the New York prosecutors, according to one of the newly unsealed affidavits. Michael Cohens home, office, and hotel room were searched nearly a year ago as the FBI ratcheted up its investigation of the lawyers finances, and his work on behalf of Trump. That same day agents also executed a search warrant for a safe-deposit box used by Cohen. The searches set off a protracted legal battle over how the files belonging to Cohen, an attorney, would be reviewed by agents and prosecutors. A federal judge appointed an outside lawyer to review the material before Cohens prosecutors to exclude any material that was covered by lawyer-client privilege or otherwise should not be shared with investigators. The warrants show that federal agents sought information from Cohens Gmail account, as well as an account he set up for his legal and consulting work. An agent noted that Cohen also used a Trump Organization email account but indicated that as of the filing of the warrant request on April 8, 2018, the FBI had not been able to obtain the contents of that account. The agent did not indicate why the FBI did not have access to Cohens Trump Organization records. The documents show that FBI agents gathered data about Cohens email and cellphones before the raid. For instance, one warrant sought historical location data for two AT&T cellphones that agents alleged were used in the course of a campaign-finance scheme. They sought permission to gather data for the period beginning Oct. 1, 2016, and ending Nov. 8, 2016 the day of the presidential election and then again for the period starting Jan. 1, 2018, and ending with the warrants issuance. The documents are redacted in significant measure. For example, after the heading The Illegal Campaign Contribution Scheme a reference to Cohens arranging for hush-money payments to women who had alleged affairs with Trump 18 and 1/2 pages are covered in a gray box. Lanny Davis, a lawyer for Cohen, said in a statement in advance of the documents release: Tomorrows Court-ordered release of the affidavits that led to the search warrants of Mr. Cohens home, office, hotel and safety deposit box, only furthers his interest in continuing to cooperate and providing information and the truth about Donald Trump and the Trump organization to law enforcement and Congress. Months after the FBIs high-profile search of Cohens properties, Cohen pleaded guilty to tax violations, lying to a bank, and, during the 2016 campaign, arranging hush-money payments for women who claimed that they once had affairs with the future president. Cohen also pleaded guilty to lying to Congress in statements that concealed the true time frame in which he had sought a real estate development deal for a Trump Tower in Moscow conversations that continued, contrary to initial claims, well into the Republican presidential primary campaign. At Cohens December sentencing, U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III said Cohen should serve three years in prison for a veritable smorgasbord of criminal conduct. Cohen cooperated partially with federal prosecutors in New York, as well as with Mueller, in hopes of reducing the amount of prison time he would have to serve. Cohen has provided information to investigators about Trump and the Trump campaign, but prosecutors said he refused to tell them everything he knew. Since pleading guilty, he has publicly blamed Trump for his downfall, calling his former boss a con man, a racist, and a cheat. Trump and his supporters have repeatedly attacked Cohen as a convicted liar trying to save himself by speaking against his former boss. In dramatic public testimony to a congressional committee last month, Cohen declared, I am no longer your fixer, Mr. Trump. Cohen is due to report to prison in May, and he is likely to serve his sentence at a federal lockup in Otisville, New York. First published by the Washington Post. He pulled back the curtain on a sophisticated Kremlin hacking operation identifying by name the 12 Russian military officers who he said sought to sway a U.S. election. He exposed a Russian online influence campaign bringing criminal charges against the 13 members of a Russian troll farm now accused of trying to manipulate U.S. voters and sow division through fake social media personae. And he revealed how those closest to President Donald Trump defrauded banks, cheated on their taxes and, time and time again, lied to deflect inquiries into their ties with Russia. After 22 months of meticulous investigation, charges against 34 people including six former Trump aides or confidants and countless hours of all-consuming news coverage, special counsel Robert Mueller today submitted the long-anticipated report on his findings to Attorney General William Barr. Advertisement Barr said in a letter to lawmakers that he may be able to inform Congress of Muellers principal conclusions as early as this weekend. Its not clear whether or when Muellers full report will become public or how his conclusions might impact Trumps presidency. Barr said he plans to consult with Mueller and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to determine what other information from the report could be made public. But through legal documents and court hearings, Mueller has already revealed rich details about the Russian attack on the U.S. democracy in 2016 and his investigation has triggered unpredictable ripple effects. The special counsel indirectly helped expose hush money that Trumps lawyer paid an adult-film actress, shed new light on secret foreign-backed lobbying efforts and helped force a reckoning at major technology companies over how social media can be used to divide and inflame. Muellers investigation also severed the bonds between Trump and some of his most loyal confidants, brought down a national security adviser and spawned spinoff criminal probes that appear likely to live on even after the special counsels office disbands. Hes almost like a venture capital incubator who has spun out multiple lines of business, said David Kris, a former Justice Department national security division chief and founder of the consulting firm Culper Partners. Hes shown us an awful lot, and yet I think theres an awful lot more to come. The special counsel team worked amid an unrelenting onslaught of insults and attacks from the president and his party - ensuring that its findings will probably be viewed through the lens of tribal partisan politics. While polling has found that more Americans are likely to trust Mueller than Trump, those views break down sharply on partisan lines. I think the question of whether you assess it as a success or a failure, Kris said, is probably really just holding up a mirror to your own expectations, hopes and dreams. These arent bit players From the start of his investigation, Mueller and his team followed a consistent pattern. They would toil in silence for months, saying nothing about what leads they were exploring. Then often on a Friday they would reveal indictments packed with more detail than needed to substantiate the charges, though perhaps less than an insatiable public might have preferred. Mueller struck first at the heart of Trumps campaign charging its former chairman, Paul Manafort, and deputy campaign chairman, Rick Gates, with crimes related to their work for a pro-Russian candidate in Ukraine. The infractions Mueller alleged were not related to possible coordination with Russia, a fact Trump and his allies were quick to seize on. But the October 2017 indictment sent a message: Mueller was alleging that the presidents campaign had been led by people who had engaged in serious criminal wrongdoing. Mueller also revealed that another campaign adviser, George Papadopoulos, had secretly pleaded guilty earlier that month to lying to the FBI about his contacts with foreigners claiming to have high-level Russian connections. He was one of at least 14 Trump associates who had contact with Russian nationals during the campaign and transition. Papadopouloss plea agreement described his extensive efforts to try to arrange a meeting between Russians and the Trump campaign. And he said that in April 2016, a London-based professor claiming to have Russian connections confided that he had dirt on Hillary Clinton, including thousands of emails. That same month, Mueller would later allege, Russian hackers had accessed the networks of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic National Committee. The plea deal previewed what Mueller would show over and over: Those surrounding the president sought to hide or downplay their dealings with Russia. One of the persistent mysteries has been why. In December 2017, former national security adviser Michael Flynn admitted that he lied to the FBI about his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Flynn had claimed the two did not discuss Obama-era sanctions directed at the Kremlin, when in fact they had. Nearly a year later, Trumps former personal lawyer Michael Cohen similarly pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about his efforts to pursue a possible Trump Tower project in Moscow. Cohen had told lawmakers that discussions about the project ended in January 2016, when in fact contrary to what Trump had said publicly they continued into the summer of that year, in the heart of Trumps presidential campaign. When longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone was indicted in January, accused of making false statements and obstruction, he became the sixth Trump aide ensnared by Muellers investigation, a group that included some of the presidents closest confidants. Earlier this month, Manafort was sentenced to a total of 7 1/2 years in prison for conspiracy and fraud. Cohen is set to start serving a three-year prison sentence in May. When your campaign manager goes to jail, that makes presidential history, said Douglas Brinkley, a history professor at Rice University. And then to have your personal lawyer go to prison also. These arent bit players these are people who were part of the heart and soul of the Trump operation. Granular details One of Muellers core assignments from the start was to dissect exactly how Russia sought to influence the 2016 presidential campaign. Four months before Mueller was appointed, the U.S. intelligence community laid out in a terse 14-page report how it said Russia on the order of President Vladimir Putin had waged an online campaign to help Trump win the election. The special counsel added to that 66 richly detailed pages of his own, outlining in two indictments the granular specifics of the cyberoperations. In the first, which accused 13 Russians of waging a social media influence effort that ran afoul of U.S. law, Mueller revealed he had access to the groups internal communications, including an email from September 2017 in which one of those charged wrote to a family member: The FBI busted our work (not a joke). Mueller also described how the group worked offline, visiting states to gather intelligence on U.S. politics and enlisting unwitting Americans to hold rallies in support of Trump - providing the clearest window yet into Russias covert efforts. In the second, which charged a group of Russian military officers with hacking Democrats emails and laundering them through fake online personae so they could be posted online, Mueller identified by name those he asserted were responsible for the attack. The indictment expanded considerably on the intelligence communitys assessment. Former independent counsel Robert Ray, now in private practice at Thompson & Knight, said it was particularly remarkable how quickly Mueller was able to work, bringing his complicated investigation to a close inside of two years. Thats a big accomplishment, and thats also recognition of where investigations steered off course in the past, Ray said. Notably, the indictments did not accuse any Americans of conspiring with Russia one of the main questions the special counsel was asked to examine. The most Muellers team has said publicly on that topic was in court papers related to Stone, which alleged that the longtime Trump adviser made efforts to get information about the release of the hacked emails in consultation with the campaign then lied to Congress about it. Court filings also revealed that Manafort, as Trumps campaign chairman, provided 2016 polling data to a Russian associate who the FBI has assessed had ties to Russian intelligence although Manafort was not charged with conspiring with Russia. Still, the revelations throughout the course of the investigation about the extent of Russias attempts to influence the 2016 campaign, Trumps interest in building a tower in Moscow, and repeated Russian outreach to Trump aides formed a compelling narrative, some analysts said one muted only by how it dribbed out over time. Its so much, its so gradual, its so complicated, people dont have a chance to sort of pause, catch their breath and really sort of survey the whole story that [Mueller has] found, Kris said. I think if you took it all in in one day, it would kill you. Its simply too much. Ray said Muellers careful handling of the investigation is likely to set a precedent for future special counsels. The whole purpose of appointing a special counsel is either to find and prosecute what you were appointed to do, or to fully investigate something and render a judgment that it wasnt appropriate to bring charges within the core of that mandate, Ray said. My view is, either way, thats a success. Spinoff investigations Muellers impact has gone far beyond the work of his own prosecutors. His revelations have fueled calls for greater government oversight of Silicon Valley, following years in which the tech industry grew into one of the nations wealthiest and most important economic sectors while facing little regulatory scrutiny. Facebook, Twitter and Google were forced to contend with nationally televised questioning on Capitol Hill and internal upheaval in the wake of news that Russia used social media to promote Trump. Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, who at first downplayed the extent of the Russian influence operation on his platform, has since apologized in the face of mounting evidence and is leading a major overhaul of the company to address public demands for greater accountability and privacy. Mueller has also referred additional investigations to at least three U.S. attorneys offices. One of those cases, a handoff to prosecutors in Manhattan, led to a guilty plea from Cohen, Trumps longtime personal attorney, for tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations that he told a judge were directed by Trump. That case ruptured a key personal relationship for the president, spilling into public view embarrassing details about Trumps efforts to pay off the adult-film actress known as Stormy Daniels and allowing prosecutors to pry into Trumps personal business. The Cohen case appears to have been the spark for yet another investigation this one related to Trumps inaugural festivities. Prosecutors in Manhattan issued a wide-ranging subpoena in February to Trumps presidential inaugural committee seeking records related to its fundraising and spending. Meanwhile, this summer in Virginia, prosecutors will try a former business partner of Flynn, the former national security adviser, on charges that he acted as an illegal agent of Turkey. The case underscores how the Mueller probe shined new light on a lucrative and largely unseen American lobbying industry financed by foreign interests. Flynn will probably be the star witness. As part of a plea deal with Mueller agreeing that he had lied about his contacts with a Russian ambassador, Flynn admitted that he, too, worked as an unregistered agent of Turkey even while advising Trumps campaign. That revelation drew a sharp rebuke from the federal judge in Washington overseeing Flynns case: Arguably, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan told Flynn in December, you sold your country out. Similarly, Manafort and Gates have admitted that they did not register for work they did for a Ukrainian political party. So has W. Samuel Patten, another political consultant, whose case in Washington began with another Mueller referral. At Manaforts tax and bank fraud trial in Virginia in August, operatives from both parties took the stand to describe how American political consultants flock to foreign capitals to earn side money in years when there are not U.S. elections, a legal but previously less-well-understood practice. In the wake of Muellers appointment, the attention on foreign influence led to a dramatic rise in the number of lobbyists who have filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, a law from before World War II intended to bring transparency to the work for foreign entities that until recently had been only loosely enforced. This month, the Justice Department revealed it is creating a new unit of prosecutors to more aggressively enforce the law. It will be led by Brandon Van Grack, a Justice Department prosecutor and veteran of Muellers team. The Washington Posts Craig Timberg contributed to this report. First published by The Washington Post Local vendors from Nguna showing the number of locally woven baskets yet to be sold on Monday. Photo: File Oxford Biomedica notes the Japanese approval of Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel), the first CAR-T cell therapy authorised in Asia Oxford, UK 26 March 2019: Oxford Biomedica plc (LSE:OXB), a leading gene and cell therapy group, today notes an announcement by Novartis that Japans Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has approved Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel) for the treatment of two distinct indications CD19-positive relapsed or refractory (r/r) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and CD19-positive r/r diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The approval further expands the global reach of chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy Kymriah, a ground-breaking treatment that is developed from a patient's own T cells to fight cancer. Kymriah is the first and so far only CAR-T therapy to receive regulatory approval in Asia for these two B-cell malignancies. The approval of Kymriah in Japan also follows the successful completion of the technical transfer at the Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation (FBRI) at Kobe for the clinical manufacturing of Kymriah. Kymriah is a living medicinal product, manufactured individually for each patient by reprogramming the patient's own immune system cells. The approval in Japan follows regulatory authorisations in the United States, Europe including Switzerland, Canada and Australia. The MHLW reviewed data from the global registration CAR-T clinical trials, JULIET and ELIANA, which included investigational sites in Japan. In these trials, Kymriah demonstrated strong and durable response rates and a consistent safety profile in two distinct difficult-to-treat patient populations1. Oxford Biomedica is the sole manufacturer of the lentiviral vector used in Kymriah. The Group signed an agreement with Novartis in July 2017 for the commercial and clinical supply of lentiviral vectors used to generate Kymriah and other undisclosed CAR-T products with the potential to generate in excess of $100 million in income for OXB over the three years of the contract. -Ends- References Japanese Soceity of Hematology: Guidelines for Clinical Practice of Hematopoietic Tumor. Available at: http://www.jshem.or.jp/gui-hemali/table.html. Accessed March 2018 . Enquiries: Oxford Biomedica plc John Dawson, Chief Executive Officer Stuart Paynter, Chief Financial Officer Catherine Isted, Head of Corporate Development & IR Sarah MacLeod, Head of Communications T: +44 (0)1865 783 000 T: +44 (0)1865 783 000 T: +44 (0)1865 954 161 / E: ir@oxb.com T: +44 (0)7747 602 739 / E: media@oxb.com Consilium Strategic Communications Mary-Jane Elliott/Matthew Neal T: +44 (0)20 3709 5700 About Oxford Biomedica Special counsel Robert Muellers decision that he could not conclude whether President Donald Trumps attacks on the Russia investigation amounted to obstruction of justice illustrates the difficulty in proving such a charge and left Democrats with a narrow but fraught path to press a case against Trump. In the end, Trumps mercurial behavior and relentless attacks on the FBI and special counsel probably extended the length of the probe but the fact that many of his eruptions were in public view also may have made it more difficult to show that he had ill intent, a key element in proving obstruction, legal experts said. In his still-confidential report, Mueller stopped short of drawing a conclusion about whether the president obstructed justice, writing that while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him, according to a summary by Attorney General William Barr, released Sunday. Barr went further, saying he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein concluded that the evidence gathered by the special counsel is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense. Advertisement That has left the question of Trumps actions which included the firing of FBI Director James Comey, the public attacks on then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the regular cries of witch hunt and the taunting of witnesses as one that will now be wrestled with in the political arena. The obstruction question, as a legal matter, came down to whether the special counsel had evidence that Trump acted with corrupt intent as he demeaned and demonized the investigation. Proving intent is genuinely difficult, because it requires you to get inside someones mind and divining intent is art, not science, said Chuck Rosenberg, a former U.S. attorney in Virginia and former counsel to Mueller. Rosenberg said he was not surprised by the special counsels difficulties in drawing a conclusion on obstruction, noting that it is a complicated calculus to prove someone intended to block investigators and hide a crime. It was something we routinely debated, as prosecutors and agents, he said. In his report, Mueller addressed obstruction in an unusual way: He laid out evidence on both sides of the question but left unresolved what the Special Counsel views as difficult issues of law and fact, Barr wrote in his summary. And Mueller pointedly did not clear the president. One major factor in the Justice Departments analysis: Since Mueller concluded that the Trump campaign did not conspire with Russia as it interfered in the 2016 campaign, prosecutors could not argue that he acted corruptly to hide an underlying crime, legal experts said. Prosecutors can seek a charge of obstruction when someone seeks to thwart a known criminal investigation, even if there wasnt an underlying crime, some legal experts said, but they said it can often be difficult to then prove that case to a jury. Compounding the challenge for Mueller was Trumps refusal to sit for an interview in which prosecutors could have probed his motivations. Instead, his legal team only provided written answers from the president to Muellers questions about the campaign not Trumps activities in the White House. And some of Trumps actions such as his firing of Comey represented the exercise of powers afforded to the president by the Constitution, as his lawyers often argued. To find criminal obstruction, a prosecutor must have evidence that a persons actions would have the natural and probable effect of disrupting an investigation, said Mary McCord, former acting head of the Justice Departments National Security Division, who oversaw the early stages of the investigation. Barr wrote in his Sunday memo to lawmakers that Trumps actions many undertaken not furtively, but in full public view didnt reach that standard. David Kris, who ran the national security division of the Justice Department in the Obama administration, said it was notable that Barr and Rosenstein came to a conclusion about the presidents actions within 48 hours of receiving Muellers final report, which was submitted late Friday. Attorney General Barr, in the space of a weekend, is able to make the judgment that Mueller precisely avoided making and described as being difficult, said Kris, who now runs the consulting firm Culper Partners. On the merits, then, Barr and Rosenstein together have reached the question that Mueller specifically avoided reaching, and they reached it very rapidly, he said. Always on offense The attorney generals assessment came after months in which Trump repeatedly sought to discredit the Russia probe making public attacks that bewildered his staff. Trump advisers often joked that the presidents actions made them think he was guilty, even as he said he was not. Why would you behave that way if youd done nothing wrong? said one former senior administration official,who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal discussions. But Trumps legal team long argued that Trump had no corrupt intent and that he was not intending to block the FBI inquiry into Russian activity, which began before he took office and was taken over by Mueller in May 2017. Ty Cobb, a then-White House lawyer who advised Trump in the investigations first months, told others that the president was merely thin-skinned and that he lashed out because he could not stand the idea that he was under scrutiny, according to people familiar with his comments. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, said he warned the president repeatedly that his actions could only prolong the probe. He is always on offense. He never ever stops. Sometimes it works to his benefit, sometimes it works to his detriment, Christie said Sunday. I never thought it had anything to do with the underlying substance. I thought it was just who he was on the personal level. Trumps actions provided a rich area of inquiry for the special counsel and his team. Comey has said that Trump told him in an Oval Office meeting in February 2017 that he hoped Comey would let go of an investigation into whether Michael Flynn, who was then national security adviser, had lied about his contacts with the Russian ambassador. (Trump later denied that he made the request.) When Trump fired Comey, he told a Russian diplomat in the Oval Office and then an NBC News reporter that he did so with the Russia investigation in mind. He then spent months on Twitter badgering Mueller, potential witnesses and Sessions, the attorney general who had earned Trumps ire by recusing himself from the probe and who was eventually forced out in November. He told aides at one point that he wanted to fire Mueller. But Trumps motives were difficult even for those closest to him to discern, because aides could not be certain whether the president was ordering action or merely venting, said two people who testified to Muellers team about the incidents. He was always pushing back, pushing, pushing, said one former senior administration official. Question before Congress Muellers decision to not conclude whether Trump obstructed justice followed by Barrs quick assessment that he didnt now is likely to provide fodder for an already inflamed political debate about his actions as president. People are going to want to know what the facts were that werent good enough to rise to the level of obstruction, said McCord, the former Justice Department official. While in ordinary cases, the underlying evidence often should not be disclosed if it did not result in a charge, in the case of a high-level public official who is running for re-election next year, the public has a right to know the facts so they can make their own determinations about the officials fitness to serve, she said. In Congress, Democrats promised they would pick up where Mueller left off, insisting that they must see the special counsels full report and not just the brief Barr summary of his findings to analyze the question. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., vowed to immediately haul Barr to Capitol Hill to testify in the near future to explain his decision not to prosecute Trump. Nadler, whose committee has jurisdiction over any possible impeachment proceedings, highlighted Muellers specific language declining to exonerate the president. Those words, he said, suggested that Justice Department officials are putting matters squarely in Congress court to continue to investigate. Likewise, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a joint statement that Barr who wrote a memo before his appointment criticizing Muellers obstruction investigation was not a neutral observer and demanded that Muellers report, as well as underlying investigative material, be made public. But for Democrats, there could be political risk in pressing the question, particularly given the clean bill of health Mueller offered Trump on the question of whether he or anyone in his campaign conspired with Russia. The American people will long remember how wrong and irresponsible the Democrats have been, House GOP Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming said in a statement Sunday. As we go forward, its time for Democrats to put aside their partisan agenda of attacking this President and instead focus on addressing the real issues facing the American people. The Washington Posts Rachael Bade, Shane Harris, Carol D. Leonnig and Ellen Nakashima contributed to this report. Former House speaker Paul Ryan has landed his first post-Congress job as a board member for Fox, the new parent company of Fox News. Fox spun off from the larger 21st Century Fox, which Rupert Murdoch sold to Walt Disney Co. Ryan, R-Wis., who retired from Congress last year citing his desire to spend more time with his family, was named to the board Tuesday. A Fox news release credited him for leading efforts to revise the federal tax code, rebuild the national defense, expand domestic energy production, combat the opioid epidemic, and reform the criminal justice system. The once rising star of the Republican Party has kept a relatively low profile since leaving Congress, his legacy forever intertwined with the rise of Donald Trump and Ryans reluctance to challenge Trump. Advertisement Last week, Ryan reportedly told a crowd during a lecture in Vero Beach, Florida, that the Democrat who defines the race as one about Trump and Trumps personality could beat him. But he quickly backtracked on Twitter to clarify that he believes Trump deserves to win. To be clear, GOP wins elections when theyre about ideas not when theyre personality contests like Dems & media want. Were clearly better off because of @RealDonaldTrump, Ryan tweeted. His record of accomplishment is why hell win re-election especially when compared to Dems leftward lurch. Ryan will serve on the board along with Murdoch, Foxs founder, and his son, Lachlan Murdoch, Foxs chairman and chief executive. First published by the Washington Post. While eating lunch at the Mineral City Mill and Grill in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on Friday, Rep. Steve King - the Iowa Republican who has made a series of statements embracing white nationalism - got a face-full of water from another restaurant patron, authorities said. Blake Gibbins, 26, of Lafayette, Colo., was in Fort Dodge visiting family, according to a news release from the local police. Gibbins approached the table where King and others were eating and asked the congressman if he was the Steve King. When King said, Yes, Gibbins threw a glass of water on the representative, Fort Dodge police said. The act was politically motivated, authorities said, but did not elaborate. Advertisement King and another man who was hit with the water, Burlyn Pecoy of Fort Dodge, were not injured. Gibbins was arrested after the 12:30 p.m. incident and charged with two counts of simple assault and one count of disorderly conduct, all misdemeanors, police said. Gibbins did not immediately return a request for comment. Neither did Kings office. King was sharply criticized the day before the incident, after he compared Iowans response to historic flooding to that of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. We go to a place like New Orleans, and everybodys looking around saying, Whos going to help me? Whos going to help me? King said during a town hall Thursday in Iowa, observations he claimed workers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency told him about relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina struck the city in 2005, resulting in at least 1,800 deaths. But when Iowans were recently confronted with historic flooding, King said they did not rely on government handouts as Katrina victims did - a comment that some say played into racist tropes about black Americans. We go to a place like Iowa, and we go see, knock on the door at, say, I make up a name, Johns place, and say, John, you got water in your basement, we can write you a check, we can help you, King said. And John will say, Well, wait a minute, let me get my boots. Its Joe that needs help. Lets go down to his place and help him. King was one of 11 members of Congress to oppose a bill providing federal aid to Katrina victims in 2005. In January, King was removed from his House committee assignments after he questioned in an interview with the New York Times why white supremacist terminology was offensive. White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization - how did that language become offensive? King told the Times. Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization? King later released a statement calling himself a nationalist who supports western civilizations values but said he did not advocate for white nationalism and white supremacy. I want to make one thing abundantly clear: I reject those labels and the evil ideology they define, the statement said. First published in The Washington Post President Donald Trump on Wednesday escalated his feud with the husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, calling him a stone cold LOSER & husband from hell! Trumps broadside on Twitter came after George Conway, a conservative lawyer and frequent critic of the president, publicly questioned the presidents mental health in recent days. George Conway, often referred to as Mr. Kellyanne Conway by those who know him, is VERY jealous of his wifes success & angry that I, with her help, didnt give him the job he so desperately wanted, Trump wrote. I barely know him but just take a look, a stone cold LOSER & husband from hell! George Conway responded less than 20 minutes later. Advertisement You seem determined to prove my point. Good for you! he wrote on Twitter, adding: "#NarcissisticPersonalityDisorder. In a subsequent tweet directed at Trump, he added: You. Are. Nuts. George Conway has pushed back on several assertions in Trumps tweet, including the notion that Trump decided not to give him a job. Conway said Tuesday that he opted against working in the Justice Department after Trump offered him a position heading the civil division because he watched Trump attack the departments leaders and then fire James Comey as FBI director in May 2017. On Wednesday, Conway shared a letter he wrote to Trump, dated May 31, 2017, in which he thanked Trump for selecting him for the job but said he was backing out. I have reluctantly concluded, however, that for me and my family, this is not the right time for me to leave the private sector and take on a new role in the federal government, Conway wrote. Kellyanne and I continue to support you and your Administration, and I look forward to doing so in whatever way I can from outside government. It was unclear what Trump meant by his assertion in his tweet that Kellyanne Conway had a role in denying her husband a job. Conway said Tuesdays interview that he has had a number of notable interactions with Trump over the past decade, often concerning legal representation and sensitive legal matters since Trump became president. Wednesday was the second consecutive day that Trump has used Twitter to attack George Conway. In a much shorter tweet Tuesday, he called him a loser. Kellyanne Conway did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday, but she said on Monday that she did not share her husbands concerns about Trumps mental health. George Conway has been a persistent critic of Trumps policies and actions, frequently going on Twitter to question whether the president is operating within the Constitution and other accepted boundaries. But the criticism recently has become more personal, and he has often attacked Trump just after his wife has defended the president on television. In tweets Monday, Conway included images from the American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, including pages with diagnostic criteria for narcissistic personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder. In Tuesdays interview, Conway said his tweets questioning the presidents mental health were aimed in part at avoiding conflicts with his wife. Its so maddening to watch, Conway said. The mendacity, the incompetence, its just maddening to watch. The tweeting is just the way to get it out of the way, so I can get it off my chest and move on with my life that day. Thats basically it. Frankly, its so I dont end up screaming at her about it. President Donald Trump is again training his fire on the late Sen. John McCain, nearly seven months after the Arizona Republicans death from brain cancer. Trumps tweets over the weekend prompted a rebuke from the senators daughter Meghan McCain and from some lawmakers. On Saturday, Trump quoted former independent counsel Ken Starr, who criticized McCain on a recent Fox News show. In the segment, Starr referred to reports that a McCain ally had shared with the media parts of a dossier that allegedly included information linking Trump to the Russian government. Trump piled on in his Saturday night tweet, criticizing McCain - as he has repeatedly done on the campaign trail and in interviews - for his vote against repealing the Affordable Care Act in 2017. Advertisement Meghan McCain tweeted in response: No one will ever love you the way they loved my father ... I wish I had been given more Saturdays with him. Maybe spend yours with your family instead of on twitter obsessing over mine? Sunday morning, Trump was at it again. Returning to the subject of the Steele dossier, Trump incorrectly stated that John McCain, who the president claimed had been last in his class at the U.S. Naval Academy, had sent the Fake Dossier to the FBI and Media hoping to have it printed BEFORE the Election. He & the Dems, working together, failed (as usual). Even the Fake News refused this garbage! Trump said in the tweet. No one will ever love you the way they loved my father.... I wish I had been given more Saturdays with him. Maybe spend yours with your family instead of on twitter obsessing over mine? https://t.co/q7ezwmHiQ4 Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) March 16, 2019 Meghan McCain responded to Trump via Twitter. My father lives rent free in your head, she said in a tweet that later appeared to have been deleted. Trumps tweet contained three errors. McCain, a member of the Naval Academys class of 1958, graduated fifth from last in his class. The senator was not made aware of the Steele dossier until Nov. 18, 2016 - after Trump had won the election. And there is no evidence that McCain gave the dossier to the media. Former McCain aide David Kramer, a Russia expert, testified in a deposition in the BuzzFeed libel case in Florida that he gave the dossier to the media in December 2016. McCain himself gave the dossier to the FBI, but there is no evidence that he gave it to the media. The libel suit was filed by a Russian technology mogul, who argued that the news outlet defamed him when it published the dossier. BuzzFeed prevailed in the suit in December, when a judge found the organization had the right to publish the dossier. In response to a request from the New York Times, the judge last week unsealed documents related to the suit, including Kramers deposition, which is why the topic is again back in the news. Some of McCains former Senate colleagues defended him in the wake of Trumps tweet. On CNNs State of the Union, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., a 2020 presidential contender, called Trumps attacks on McCain just another outrageous action by the president. John McCain was a war hero, Klobuchar said. He served our country well. And he died. And the courage he showed in life was matched - when he was in that cell for five years in Vietnam, as a prisoner of war - was matched by the courage he showed us when he died. Klobuchar also defended McCains handling of the dossier, arguing that turning it over to the FBI was the right thing to do. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who was one of McCains closest allies on Capitol Hill but who pivoted to fully embrace Trump after the senators death, praised McCain on Twitter but made no mention of the president or his remarks. As to @SenJohnMcCain and his devotion to his country: He stepped forward to risk his life for his country, served honorably under difficult circumstances, and was one of the most consequential senators in the history of the body, Graham said. Nothing about his service will ever be changed or diminished. The Washington Posts Rosalind S. Helderman and Colby Itkowitz contributed to this report. First published by The Washington Post President Donald Trump took a victory lap on Capitol Hill Tuesday, emboldened by the end of the special counsels Russia probe, even as Democrats demanded the release of Robert Muellers full report and intensified their focus on health care and other policy disputes. A Justice Department official said it will take Attorney General William Barr weeks, not months to finish reviewing Muellers Trump-Russia investigation report and make a version available for the public. Its not clear how much of what is made public will be in Muellers own words and taken from his underlying report and how much might reflect Barrs summary or synthesis of the special counsels findings. The official spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday to discuss the Justice Departments planning. Radiating a sense of vindication, Trump strode into the Senate Republicans lunch flanked by party leaders. GOP senators applauded. Advertisement It could not have been better, Trump said of the summary of the Mueller report by Attorney General William Barr, which did not find the president colluded with Russia over the 2016 elections. He told senators he was given a clean bill of health, according to those in the room. But Trump cut short the celebration by quickly turning senators focus on the challenges ahead, claiming, The Republican Party will soon be known as the party of health care. You watch! Inside the meeting, he urged Republicans to figure out a way to repeal President Barack Obamas signature health care law and replace it with a GOP version, a major Trump goal that has eluded the party during the first years of his presidency. I was a little surprised he came out of the chute in health care, said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., after the meeting He wants us to try again. Hes in a very good mood. Hes in a good form, said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. Hes always high energy. He had a little extra today. Trumps trip to Capitol Hill came right after his administration said late Monday it would not defend the Affordable Care Act in a court challenge and as the House Democrats, led by Pelosi, were unveiling a sweeping measure to rescue the program, also known as Obamacare. At her own closed-door caucus meeting Tuesday, Pelosi urged rank-and-file Democrats to be calm and focus on policy promises that helped propel them to the House majority last fall. That means advocating for a robust policy agenda to improve health care and pay while conducting the oversight of the Trump administration many voters want. Lets just get the goods, Pelosi said, according to an aide in the room granted anonymity to discuss the private caucus meeting. The advice was reinforced by Obama, who counseled freshman Democrats at a reception Monday night. Obama advised the newly elected lawmakers to listen to constituents and also identify issues they feel so strongly about that theyd be willing to lose their House seats in fights over them, according to multiple people at the private party. The former president recalled that as a state legislator he gave priority to his constituents, which helped keep his popularity high enough in Illinois that he could advocate for bold policy ideas. The challenges for Democrats come as Trump has made clear hes fired up to go on offense against those who propelled the narrative that he colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election. Even before he arrived in the Senate, Trump tweeted his message about health care. When he walked into a cloistered parlor to lunch with Republicans, they applauded him. Ahead of the Senate meeting, Trump was in a combative mood. He tweeted against the mainstream media as corrupt and FAKE for pushing the Russian Collusion Delusion, previewing attacks on other opponents to come. He has promised to go after those who did evil things, perpetuating the collusion narrative. Attorney General Barrs summary said the special counsels probe didnt find collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government to tilt the 2016 presidential election. Mueller did not determine whether Trump obstructed justice in the investigation, but Barr and his team said no prosecution was warranted. Trump allies, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., have encouraged him to use the political capital hes now gained to accomplish policy goals. Lets go on about governing the country, said Graham, who spent the weekend with the president in Florida. The chairman of the intelligence committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., stood up at the closed-door meeting and told his colleagues the most important thing now is the work on the ACA, according to those in the room. Other leaders backed up the focus on policy. I believe that the Mueller report has been done. Thats a chapter thats closed, House Democratic Whip James Clyburn said on CNN. Health care, he said, is the number one thing on peoples minds. On the Trump-Russia track, Democrats pressed the Justice Department to provide the full report from Mueller, saying Barrs four-page synopsis was insufficient. I havent seen the Mueller report. Ive seen the Barr report. And Im not going to base anything on the Barr report, said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md. The president is saying hes been completely and totally exonerated by the report. The one sentence weve seen from the report says this is not an exoneration of the president. Many Democrats say Barr is conflicted because of his views expressed in a memo to the administration before becoming attorney general that the president cannot be charged with obstruction since he oversees the Justice Department. You cant move forward on a four-page memo, said Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif. Its hard for me to accept that as an objective opinion. Trump said the release of Muellers full report wouldnt bother me at all, and Democrats quickly put that statement to the test. Six House Democratic committee chairmen wrote to Barr and asked to have Muellers full report by April 2. If not, they have suggested subpoenas could be issued. Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey, Jill Colvin, Alan Fram, Mike Balsamo and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report. Two days after the New Zealand mosque massacre in which 50 people were slaughtered by a white nationalist targeting Muslims, President Trumps acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, said the president is not a white supremacist even as Trump took to Twitter on Sunday to praise a Fox News host whose commentary has been denounced by critics as Islamophobic. In a manifesto distributed on social media, the Australian man arrested in Fridays attack at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealands third-most populous city, said he considered Trump a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose although he said he did not admire the presidents leadership style or policymaking. On the campaign trail and as president, Trump has made derogatory references to Muslims. He told an interviewer in 2016 that he believed Islam hates us and, in one of his first official acts, announced a measure targeting immigrants from Muslim-majority nations that set off months of court battles. In a now-familiar scenario, White House aides and allies found themselves in the position Sunday of attempting to distance the president from previous remarks criticized as racially insensitive or worse at the same time that Trump was again expressing similar sentiments. Advertisement Mulvaney, appearing on Fox News Sunday, expressed frustration when asked about the positive citation of Trump in the alleged shooters manifesto. The president is not a white supremacist. Im not sure how many times we have to say that, he said. In a separate interview on CBS Face the Nation, Mulvaney, also discussing the New Zealand attack, said: I dont think anybody could say that the president is anti-Muslim. In the Fox interview, he said it was wrong to link the accused attackers ideology to the prior comments of Trump or others. This was a disturbed individual, an evil person, Mulvaney said of the shooter. And any attempt to try to tie him to an American politician of either party probably ignores some of the deeper difficulties that this sort of activity exposes. Around the time that interview was being aired, the president was tweeting out a vociferous defense of Jeanine Pirro, a conservative Fox News host who was condemned by her own network after she questioned whether the first allegiance of Rep. Ilhan Omar a Minnesota Democrat who is one of three Muslim lawmakers in the House of Representatives was to Islamic law or the U.S. Constitution. On Saturday night, Pirro did not appear in her usual weekend time slot on Fox. On Sunday morning, Trump, during a barrage of tweets, urged viewers to rally around Pirro and another Fox host, Tucker Carlson, who has been under fire after old audio emerged of Carlson calling Iraqis primitive monkeys and also making lewd remarks about teen beauty contestants. Keep fighting for Tucker, and fight hard for Pirro, the president exhorted his Twitter followers, adding: Your competitors are jealous. Among nine tweets on a sunny St. Patricks Day morning, the president also took aim for a second day at the late Sen. John McCain, who died of brain cancer in August, and at NBCs Saturday Night Live, which aired a rerun lampooning Trump. The president suggested the show and others like it that mock him should be scrutinized by federal regulators. The attack on McCain, long lauded as a U.S. war hero after being a prisoner of war and suffering torture at the hands of his captors during the Vietnam conflict, drew a sharp rebuke from Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, who said on ABCs This Week that Trump should apologize for detestable insults of McCain dating back to the presidents 2016 election campaign. Coons is a Democrat, and his friendship with McCain was one of many that the Arizona Republican cultivated across the partisan divide. Meanwhile, signs grew that the role of racial rhetoric in inspiring or discouraging attacks by extremists will be an issue in the 2020 campaign. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who declared her candidacy for the Democratic nomination last month, said on CNNs State of the Union that as president, Trump needed to speak out clearly and specifically against attacks on Muslims. At the very least, he should be giving strong statements, public speeches defending Muslims in this world, Klobuchar said on State of the Union. I think its on all of us to condemn this hate. After the Christchurch shootings, Trump who normally tweets out quick denunciations of terrorist attacks overseas carried out by Muslims, sometimes preempting the leaders of countries where they occur initially responded with a since-deleted link to the right-wing Breitbart News website, then expressed warmest sympathy and best wishes to the people of New Zealand. Pressed later about the gunning down of scores of Muslim worshipers and the shooters apparent motivation, he called the attack a terrible thing. In Christchurch on Sunday, mourners paid tribute to the dead at a makeshift memorial, while relatives continued to wait for authorities to release the victims bodies for burials. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said authorities hoped to release all the bodies by Wednesday. Islamic law calls for bodies to be cleansed and buried as soon as possible after death, usually within a day. Javed Dadabhai, who flew from Auckland after learning about the death of his 35-year-old cousin, Junaid Mortara, said, The family understands that its a crime scene. Its going to be a criminal charge against the guy whos done this, so they need to be pretty thorough. Still, it was hard, he added, because the grieving process wouldnt really begin until he could bury his cousin. On ABC, former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said that in the wake of the New Zealand slayings, voters should insist that politicians, including those running for president, should adopt a more civil tone. He did not specifically mention the president. Theres a role for our leaders to play in raising the level of civil dialogue in our country and lowering the levels of extremist speech, said Johnson, who served in the Obama administration. Americans do listen to their leaders. Scott Brown, the U.S. ambassador to New Zealand, was asked Sunday on State of the Union about the accused assailants praise for Trump in his manifesto. I dont give any credibility whatsoever to the ramblings of somebody whos rotten to the core and clearly is an extremist of the worst kind who could walk into two mosques and, without any care whatsoever, kill people, said Brown. The envoy also brushed aside a query by host Jake Tapper as to whether he would like to see Trump specifically say that hes standing with our Muslim brothers and sisters. Theres been no time in my political or diplomatic life where I have ever questioned our government, whether its this government or any other prior governments commitment to end racism, stop bigotry, to really deal with Islamophobic attitudes, Brown said. Hours after the shooting, Trump was asked by reporters whether white nationalism was a growing global menace, and responded that its a small group of people that have very, very serious problems. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat who appeared on State of the Union, suggested the president was playing down a serious domestic threat. I think he needs to pick up the phone and call the Department of Justice, she said. He cannot just say its a small group of people. Theres too many deaths. Sen. Tim Kaine, the Virginia Democrat who was Hillary Clintons vice presidential running mate in 2016, said Sunday that white nationalism wasnt Trumps fault, but that the presidents language emboldens racists. When you see church shootings in Charleston, a synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, you see this hate-filled manifesto of the shooter in New Zealand who is murdering Muslims, we have to confront the fact that there is a rise in white supremacy, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim attitudes, Kaine said in an interview on Face the Nation. The president uses language often thats very similar to the language used by these bigots and racists, and if hes not going to call it out, then other leaders have to do more to call it out, he said. The Associated Press contributed to this report from Christchurch, New Zealand. In the chaos of the New Zealand mosque attacks, one heros action saved lives laura.king@latimes.com Twitter: @laurakingLAT Tim Johnson hasnt stopped feeling the Bern. A committed Bernie Sanders acolyte since 2016, Johnson was at a UCLA labor strike on Wednesday to watch the senator make his first California appearance as a 2020 presidential candidate. Hes taking part in Sanders rallies this weekend as well. For the record: An earlier version of this story said that Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) was a high-profile Sanders backer in 2016. Lee did not endorse in the Democratic primary in 2016. Sanders campaigned for Lee in 2018. Its like our wildest dream came true, Johnson said of Sanders second presidential bid. Its actually happening. This time, however, both Johnsons favorite candidate and his home state enjoy new prominence. Sanders is a Democratic front-runner, not an improbable insurgent. And California will not be the place of a symbolic last stand, as it was for Sanders before, but key territory to mine delegates and build momentum. Advertisement Its radically different, said Ben Tulchin, Sanders San Francisco-based campaign pollster. With its earlier primary on March 3 and mail ballots going out a month prior California is considered by the Sanders campaign to be among the crucial first five, lumping the Golden State in with traditional early nominating contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. By holding successive rallies this weekend in San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco, Sanders is signaling plans to mount an aggressive bid for California, capitalizing on his demonstrated fundraising prowess and cadre of devoted followers such as Johnson. A midday rally in downtown Los Angeles Grand Park had the feel of a laid-back family reunion, with attendees being greeted by a row of volunteers offering high-fives for Bernie. How Californias early primary illustrates the states political inferiority complex Sanders also has the advantage of being the only candidate in the burgeoning Democratic field to have run a presidential campaign in California before, though one of his opponents, Sen. Kamala Harris, does have the benefit of having won three statewide races. There is no doubt he has a base here of some size that is highly committed to Bernie Sanders, said Garry South, a veteran Democratic strategist based in Los Angeles. But, he cautioned, I dont think he can count on getting every single vote he got in 2016. Hes going to have to keep a fair proportion of those voters in the fold while reaching out to new voters. For many in the Sanders camp, the 2016 California primary outcome still stings. The democratic socialist and independent senator had engineered his long-shot bid into a protracted contest with Hillary Clinton and saw Californias June primary as an eleventh-hour attempt to claim momentum and persuade party insiders to side with him. The delegate chase, which Sanders had trailed, came to an abrupt end the night before the vote, when the Associated Press said Clinton had won enough support to clinch the nomination. The former secretary of State beat Sanders, 53% to 46%. By the time we reached California, we had greatly diminished resources, said Jeff Weaver, Sanders 2016 campaign manager who is now a senior advisor to the senator. We did not have the intensive statewide field effort I think you will see us launching. Weaver predicted that this time tens and tens of millions will go toward television, radio and other paid media in the state. Californians have been key to building up Sanders coffers; his campaign said nearly 110,000 donors from the state had given more than $2.6 million so far. But the playing field is now substantially different. Sanders is up against a larger pool of candidates, many of whom have embraced the progressive themes of income inequality and economic injustice, as well as specific policies such as Medicare for all, that made Sanders a singular figure in 2016. Bernie Sanders decries anti-Muslim violence in mosque visit and downtown L.A. rally Another challenge may be Democratic voters desire to elevate a new generation of leaders, which could cut against the 77-year-old senator. Candidates run the risk of feeling stale, South said, recalling that in 2004, then-Sen. Joe Lieberman failed to win support for his presidential bid from people who had avidly backed the Connecticut Democrat in 2000 as Al Gores vice presidential pick. Four years later, it was time for a new face, said South, who worked on the Lieberman campaign. MJ Sandhe, an animator from Los Angeles, still sounds wistful in recalling his work as a super volunteer for Sanders first run. We would wake up at 4 or 5 in the morning. I was getting the least amount of sleep ever, said Sandhe, 30. But it was so exciting. Sandhe is not sure whether hell back Sanders again. Hes intrigued by Andrew Yang, a venture capitalist whose campaign is centered on a universal basic income of $1,000 a month for every American adult. Sandhe fears Sanders is missing the chance to tinker with his message and expand his appeal. Im just worried were going to be repeating the stump speeches we had in 2016, Sandhe said. MacKenzie Grow also voted for Sanders in 2016. The 24-year-old UCLA graduate student said she was waiting to hear more from the candidates about how they will confront racial inequality. Im not blown away by anyone yet, Grow said. Sensitive to the perception that he appeals primarily to white male Bernie Bros, Sanders has made an effort to talk more about his biography, including his work in the civil rights movement and his familys immigrant roots. One of the reason hes telling his personal story about his family coming over from Poland after being persecuted is to apply more context and a different perspective, Tulchin said, noting that Latino and Asian American immigrants could relate. Perhaps the stiffest competition to Sanders in the state so far is from Harris, who launched her campaign in Oakland and has rolled out a steady stream of endorsements from her fellow California politicians. Among the most notable is Oakland Rep. Barbara Lee, whom Sanders campaigned for in 2018, who signed on early as a co-chair of Harris California campaign. But true believers like Johnson, a 33-year-old financial consultant from Santa Ana, are certain the Golden State will be a sure thing for Sanders. I see all these other candidates splitting up their votes and Bernie being a landslide front-runner, Johnson said. I think the primary is going to be a walk in the park for him. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont called on Americans to stand up to hatred of all kinds on Saturday as he paid a visit to a Koreatown mosque to commemorate the victims of the mass shooting in New Zealand. Your background is different than mine, the candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination told about 200 Muslims at the Islamic Center of Southern California. What a joy it is to share that. The senator echoed that theme later in the day, telling an estimated 12,000 people at a downtown Los Angeles rally he was shocked and disgusted by the New Zealand shootings. As president of the United States, I will not have kind words to say about authoritarian leaders around the world who espouse bigotry and hatred, Sanders told the crowd. Together we will make the United States the leader in the world in the fight for democracy and human rights. Advertisement Sanders morning stop at the mosque came as he traveled the state to build support for his campaign nearly a year in advance of Californias March 2020 primary. It also coincided with his effort to diversify his team of top advisors following allegations that his 2016 campaign was dominated by white men and tolerated sexual harassment and discrimination. Muslim community leaders in California invited Sanders to speak at the Islamic center to pay tribute to the 50 people killed March 15 at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, by a gunman identified as a white supremacist. Sanders, 77, who acknowledges he does not like to talk about himself, shared memories of crying when he was a boy as he read about the Holocaust. Once the site of Bernie Sanders last stand, California now is pivotal to his 2020 prospects I never could understand why would people do such terrible and horrible things to people, he said at the mosque. He mentioned the killing of Native Americans by European settlers in early America, the enslavement of African Americans, prejudice against Asians, Irish and Italians, and the genocides of the 20th century, saying there was reason to hope the world would now understand that we share a common humanity. Who really stays up at night worrying that the color of your skin is darker than mine? he said. Who worries that your religion is different than mine? Sanders bemoaned hate crimes, the rise of authoritarianism and demagogues picking on minorities. Now is the time, as never before, for us to stand up to hatred of all kind, he said. He did not mention President Trump, whom he has described as racist. The invited audience greeted Sanders with frequent applause. I like that he unites people, said Erica Schley Ali, 34, of La Canada, a Sanders supporter who brought her three young children to hear him speak. Minorities especially. I think our country needs that. High school teacher Karima Razi, 54, a Sanders backer from Laguna Niguel, said she appreciated that his message at the mosque went beyond his usual economic agenda. It just shows that he has a vision that encompasses the best for everybody, she said. Sanders followed the visit with a rally in Los Angeles, the second of three large events he planned in California this weekend. His final event will be a midday gathering in San Francisco on Sunday. A Los Angeles Fire Department official estimated the downtown rally crowd Saturday at about 12,000. Sanders drew on his biography to underscore his call for an economic revolution, noting that he grew up in a family that lived paycheck to paycheck. I know where I come from, and that is something I will never forget, he said. Sen. Bernie Sanders wades through a crowd during a presidential campaign stop at the Islamic Center of Southern California in Koreatown. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) Supporters gathered in the grassy Grand Park outside of City Hall, watching opening acts of folk rock and hip-hop performers. Many said they were Sanders backers since 2016 or even earlier. Jane Jefferies, 66, said shes been a fan since the 1970s, citing his civil rights work. The retiree from Lancaster said the rally on Saturday felt not as energetic, because fellow supporters were wary that the Democratic establishment was not supportive of Sanders. It looks like now theyre focusing on the wrong people, like Beto, Jefferies said, referring to former Rep. Beto ORourke of Texas, who is also running. Hes always on the news why? Others said they were intrigued by Sanders Democratic rivals, especially Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator who has been a stalwart antagonist of Wall Street. Theyre almost all good, in my opinion, said David Siegel, a 60-year-old computer analyst from Beverly Hills. Sanders ranks No. 1, Siegel said, and Warren a close second. No matter what, he said, hed vote for the Democratic nominee. Thats not even a question, he said. Bernie Sanders kicked off the first of three rallies in California on Friday evening, promising to complete what he began three years ago with his improbable bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Drawing a crowd of thousands to downtowns Waterfront Park, many of whom supported his 2016 run, Sanders laid out a theme of justice that included economic equality, as well as racial, ethnic and religious unity. Thank you for being part of a campaign which is not only going to carry California, which is going to win the Democratic nomination, which is not only going to defeat Donald Trump, the most dangerous president in the modern history of our country but with your help we are going to transform this country, said Sanders, an independent, who jumped into the 2020 presidential race a month ago. The Vermont senator, who is famously disciplined in staying on message, deviated from his stump speech to acknowledge the news that special counsel Robert S. Mueller III completed his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Advertisement It is absolutely imperative that the Trump administration make that full report public as soon as possible, Sanders said to applause. Nobody, including the president of the United States, is above the law. The American people have a right to know. Sanders then mourned the mass shooting of Islamic worshipers last week at two New Zealand mosques. He plans to visit with faith leaders at the Islamic Center of Southern California on Saturday morning. Otherwise, Sanders hewed closely to the familiar themes of his 2016 campaign, calling for Medicare for All and a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage. The speech had a distinctly triumphant tone as Sanders recalled how his positions used to be seen as outside the political mainstream. Those ideas that we talked about four years ago that seemed so very radical well today, virtually all of those ideas are supported by a majority of the American people, said Sanders, 77. He added that Democratic presidential candidates have hopped on board as well. It turns out that justice is not such a radical idea! he said. Sanders also relished lacing into the president, saying Trump embarrasses us every day and mocked him as an out-of-touch child of privilege. The anti-Trump rhetoric won cheers from the crowd, but Sanders emphasized his campaign was not just about defeating Trump but taking on Wall Street, insurance companies and drug manufacturers that control the economic and political life of our nation. The promise of political revolution, which many in the crowd said drew them to Sanders 2016 campaign, was a bigger draw than the focus on Trump for some attendees. Id rather hear Bernie talk about how hes going to change the country, rather than waste any time on Trump, said Al Meier, a 76-year-old retired teacher from El Cajon. The San Diego gathering marks the first large-scale rally in California for Sanders as a 2020 presidential candidate. Earlier this week, Sanders spoke in support of striking research and technical workers at UCLA, offering an abbreviated riff on the issues that defined his political brand: aligning with organized labor, lambasting corporate employers and pledging sweeping social programs such as tuition-free college. Sanders will host a rally at Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon and another in San Francisco midday Sunday. HOUSTON, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tokio Marine HCC today announced that Christopher Skarinka, Chief Operating Officer for its Professional Lines and Public Risk Groups, has been promoted to President of the Public Risk Group, effective April 1, 2019, succeeding Thomas Harmeyer who will continue to serve the division as Executive Chairman. Prior to joining Tokio Marine HCC in 2018, Mr. Skarinka was a co-founder of Athenium Analytics, a risk analytics company, and served there as President and a member of the Board of Directors. In 2012, he co-founded Kanopy Insurance, an independent personal lines agency. From 2010 to 2013, Mr. Skarinka worked as an Associate for Great Hill Equity Partners, a private equity firm. He started his career as an Analyst at Deutsche Bank Securities in 2007, after graduating from Harvard University with an AB in Social Studies. We are very excited for our municipal clients and our expansion plans in that market niche because Chris has demonstrated the entrepreneurial spirit that sets us apart from our competitors. His expertise in envisioning and designing technological solutions for the insurance industry will help us execute the growth plans for our leading Public Entity practice, said Mr. Harmeyer. The opportunity to lead the Public Risk Group is exciting, particularly given the complex needs of our policyholders and the critical services they provide the American public. Thomas leadership over the past seven years has resulted in a market-leading business with a strong culture of underwriting and service to customers. These values provide the foundation to accelerate innovation, expand into new territories and invest further in growth, commented Mr. Skarinka. Tokio Marine HCC is the marketing name used to describe the affiliated companies under the common ownership of HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc., a Delaware-incorporated insurance holding company. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Tokio Marine HCC is a leading specialty insurance group with offices in the United States, the United Kingdom and Continental Europe. Tokio Marine HCCs major domestic insurance companies have financial strength ratings of AA- (Very Strong) from S&P Global Ratings, A++ (Superior) from A.M. Best, and AA- (Very Strong) from Fitch Ratings; its major international insurance companies have financial strength ratings of AA- (Very Strong) from S&P Global Ratings. Tokio Marine HCC is a member of the Tokio Marine Group, a premier global company founded in 1879 with a market capitalization of $34 billion as of December 31, 2018. For more information about Tokio Marine HCC, please visit www.tokiomarinehcc.com. The Public Risk Group of Tokio Marine HCC offers a proven range of Risk Control Services to government agencies and organizations that help protect the public. Through its Public Entity program, the group offers one of the most cost effective and comprehensive municipal insurance programs available in the U.S. that is customized for the needs of each client. Its in-house Claims Service processes all claims for Tokio Marine HCC Public Risk. Staffed by a team of experienced claims attorneys and claims professionals, the group investigates, analyzes and resolves claims in a timely manner and utilizes a state-of-the-art processing system, document management system and automated accounting system to expedite the process. Joe Biden is carrying a 20th century voting record into a 21st century political dogfight. During more than 40 years in public life, Biden has taken an array of stances at odds with todays Democratic Party consensus. As he now prepares for his third presidential campaign, that record could hamper him in a big field of mostly younger, more liberal primary rivals. A review of Bidens record which spans 36 years as a U.S. senator and eight as vice president is, in part, a reminder of how much the Democratic Party itself and the U.S. political system have changed over the last half a century. Biden opposed school busing for desegregation in the 1970s. He voted for a measure aimed at outlawing gay marriage in the 1990s. He was an ally of the banking and credit card industries. Advertisement He chaired the 1991 Clarence Thomas hearings that gave short shrift to the sexual harassment allegations raised by Anita Hill. He backed crime legislation that many blamed for helping fuel an explosion in prison populations. He eulogized Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.), who rose to prominence as a segregationist. He backed the Iraq war. Many of Bidens positions were well within the mainstream of the Democratic Party at the time he took them. But the party is now far more sensitive to discrimination against gays, sexual harassment and racial inequality than when Biden first came to Washington. The capital has changed, too. The Senate Biden entered as a 30-year-old in 1973 was still a bastion of bipartisan backslapping, where compromise was not a dirty word. The Democratic Party was a coalition of Southern conservatives and Northern liberals. Liberal Republicans were still a thriving political faction. Bidens record, even though he has reversed himself on some issues, provides ammunition to skeptics who see him as a politician of another era a beloved figure, but one whose time has come and gone. I worry whether he is ready for the times, said Chris Schwartz, a Black Hawk County supervisor in Iowa who says Biden is not in his top five choices among the candidates but is prepared to support whoever is nominated. He has just gotten too many big issues wrong over the years. But most Democratic voters put their top priority on beating President Trump, and Biden allies say he is the best equipped to win. Polls show Democrats are still fond of Biden and seem more willing to forgive him for his past than they ever were for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Democrats, facing a big candidate field, ask: Who can beat Trump? Ive seen Biden change; all of us have seen our parents, our aunts and uncles change, said Jane Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party who is neutral in the 2020 race but supported Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic primary. I dont think it says who he is today, Kleeb said of some of the flashpoints in Bidens voting record. If Biden, 76, formally enters the race he has strongly hinted he will do so in a matter of weeks the question will be which of those attitudes will prevail. Speaking at a dinner of the Delaware Democratic Party in Dover on Saturday night, Biden responded to criticism of him from what he called the new left. I have the most progressive record of anybody running, said Biden, who quickly revised his words when the audience reacted as if he were announcing his candidacy. Anybody who would run. I didnt mean it. But his speech sounded like a campaign stump speech, and other Democrats treated his eventual entry into the race as a foregone conclusion. If you ask me he doesnt just look like hes back, Delaware Gov. John Carney said of Biden. He looks like hes ready for a fight. Biden would join a big field of Democratic candidates that spans four generations, from millennials including South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, 37, to Silent Generation member Bernie Sanders, 77. The latest entrant to the field, former Rep. Beto ORourke, is a Gen Xer 30 years younger than Biden. Whos running for president and whos not Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said he hoped that scrutiny of Bidens Senate record would not distract from Bidens core 2020 message. I think that getting down in the weeds of things he might have said literally 40 years ago misses the point that Donald Trump literally yesterday said something about white nationalism that is gravely concerning, Coons said in an interview before the Dover dinner. I am happy to defend his record in detail, but as a candidate he should and will focus on how his experience combined with his heart and character make him the right person for leading us. If rivals do criticize his past record, Biden allies say context will be important to understanding it. A majority of Democrats in the Senate voted for the anti-gay-marriage bill, the Iraq war and the 1994 crime bill. The banking and credit card industry is important to the economy of Bidens home state of Delaware. Ed Rendell, a Biden supporter who is former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, says the former vice presidents campaign should address questions about his past positions in a simple stroke. He should say, Look, those were the beliefs that were commonly held, even among progressive people, back 30 years ago, Rendell said. In retrospect they were clearly wrong. My views on those subjects have evolved. Period. That is an easy argument to make on the matter of gay rights. In 1996, Biden was one of 32 Senate Democrats to vote for the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. In 2012, as vice president, he stepped out in favor of same-sex marriage even before President Obama did. He has taken other steps since then to advance gay and transgender rights that have made him something of a hero to the LGBTQ community. Danny Barefoot, a Democratic political consultant who is not affiliated with any 2020 presidential candidate, recently conducted a focus group with black women in South Carolina and found that negative messaging about Bidens record did not ring true to these loyal Democrats, especially on questions related to his commitment to civil rights. Presented with reports about his opposition to school busing in Delaware in the 1970s, one woman asked if were honestly asking her to believe he is a segregationist, Barefoot wrote. But he found Biden might have more work to do putting to rest questions about his handling of Hills sexual harassment claims against Thomas. The focus group unanimously said Biden needed to personally apologize to Hill. As chairman of the all-male Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991, he was criticized for not pursuing more aggressively the sexual harassment allegations Hill raised. That is one of several areas where Biden has already taken some steps to make amends. Anita Hill was vilified, when she came forward, by a lot of my colleagues, character assassination, Biden said on the Today show in September 2018, around the time the Senate was grappling with sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh. I wish I could have done more to prevent those questions and the way they asked them. But Hill, who declined a request for an interview, said in a December 2018 interview with Elle magazine that Biden had not apologized to her directly. Its become sort of a running joke in the household when someone rings the doorbell, and were not expecting company, she told Elle. Oh, we say, is that Joe Biden coming to apologize? Biden has also revised his thinking on some tough-on-crime and anti-drug measures of the 1980s and 1990s. At a Martin Luther King Jr. Day breakfast in January, he expressed particular regret for a bill that created different legal standards for powdered cocaine and street crack cocaine. It was a big mistake that was made, Biden said of the disparity, which the Obama administration worked to reduce. We were told by the experts that crack, you never go back, that the two were somehow fundamentally different. Its not different. But its trapped an entire generation. He makes no apologies for his good old-fashioned willingness to work with Republicans a trait that could endear him to many voters impatient with partisan stalemate in Washington. When he was asked to deliver the eulogy for former Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond in 2003, Biden joked about their implausible relationship and called the late senators request for him to speak his last laugh. I disagreed deeply with Strom on the issue of civil rights, and on many other issues, but I watched him change, he said in the eulogy. More recently, he drew fire from the left for referring to Vice President Mike Pence as a decent guy. And during the 2018 midterm campaign, he publicly praised a House Republican, Fred Upton, for his work on a cancer research bill dear to Biden, whose son died in 2015 of brain cancer. The praise of Upton troubled some Democrats because they were trying to defeat him, and he cited Bidens words in debate with his Democratic opponent. Biden bridles at criticism of his bipartisan gestures. We dont treat the opposition as the enemy, Biden said in the Dover speech. We might even say a nice word every once in a while about a Republican when they do something good. But paeans to bipartisanship can be like fingernails on a blackboard to the combative Democratic left especially among voters too young to have known a less polarized political environment who are gravitating to the partys more liberal candidates. Kristina Hughes, 30, an Omaha voter who is attracted to Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren said, Anybody who says Mike Pence is a decent guy doesnt get my vote in 2020. The latest from Washington On one recent Sunday Twitter tirade, President Trump scolded the autoworkers union, Hillary Clinton, Saturday Night Live, MS-13, three Fox News anchors, a lawyer working on special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs team and the late Sen. John McCain. Surprisingly spared from the online wrath were the dozen Republican senators who just days earlier joined Democrats in voting to terminate Trumps border emergency declaration. Also unscathed were seven Republican senators who supported a measure to end U.S. military involvement in Yemen. condemning Trumps refusal to acknowledge Saudi Arabias role in the killing of U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi. For reasons that are not entirely clear, Trump appears to have ceased at least temporarily his public, intraparty Twitter warfare against GOP lawmakers who cross him. Advertisement Its a sharp reversal from the first two years of his administration, when the president would regularly and publicly mock any congressional Republican by name and Twitter handle who voted against his interests or criticized his behavior. Just ask former Tennessee Sen. Liddle Bob Corker or former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake-y Flake, two of Trumps favorite Twitter targets last year. He said that Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska really let the Republicans, and our country, down and that Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was such a negative force, after they opposed his efforts to repeal the 2010 healthcare law known as Obamacare. Last June, Trump took aim at then-South Carolina Rep. Mark Sanford, calling him bad, trouble, and unhelpful. Sanford, who often criticized Trump, lost his 2018 GOP primary to Katie Arrington, who then lost what had been a reliably Republican House seat to a Democrat in November. Trumps last such rant against his own colleagues came in a blistering news conference the day after the midterm election, when he called out by name several House Republicans who had lost. The one glaring exception to Trumps newfound discretion appears to be McCain, who died of cancer last year. Trump reiterated Wednesday that he was never a fan of McCain, who also voted against Trumps plan to repeal Obamacare, and complained as part of a multiday rant that he didnt get a thank you for approving McCains state funeral. But even when Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) on Wednesday called Trumps ongoing attacks against the late war hero deplorable the same term Hillary Clinton once used to describe some of Trumps supporters Trump did not fire back at Isakson. Theories abound about why Trump has slowed the attacks, and whether it can last. Some believe that the president has better relations with his partys members of Congress, or that Trump has been convinced that he needs to allow GOP lawmakers in left-leaning districts to maintain some distance in order to win reelection in 2020. I know the president would like 100% loyalty who wouldnt? But that said, I think the president has gained and is gaining an appreciation for just how independent each member is, particularly senators, said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), who is close to the White House. Since the beginning of the administration, GOP congressional leaders had been trying to persuade Trump to stop tweeting against other Republicans. Not only might he need those members votes, Trump was told, but a Twitter rebuke is costly at home for fellow Republicans and GOP allies who occasionally vote against him are better for Trumps agenda than Democrats who would never vote with him. Those efforts are seemingly paying off, although in interviews with nearly a dozen Republican lawmakers and aides on Capitol Hill and in the administration, few were ready to declare a permanent change in Trumps behavior, given the presidents unpredictability. My sense is the president is more comfortable in his role and is less worried about what theyre going to do, said a senior White House official who requested anonymity to avoid alienating Trump or congressional officials. Trump, who often takes political setbacks personally, now sees that senators are making their own individual political calculations and that their votes are not a slight on him. The changing dynamic also reflects a shift in the presidents agenda. During 2017, he was trying to enact legislation largely with only Republican support. His biggest obstacles were moderate GOP lawmakers. Now with a slim legislative agenda on Capitol Hill and increased attention on the Mueller investigation and the 2020 race, he is aiming his fire at Democrats. He is also boosting Republicans in Congress, whom he will need to defend him on the Russia investigation. It doesnt hurt that congressional Republicans seem to have figured out how to deal with the president, according to GOP officials. For instance, many of the senators who voted against the White Houses position on the emergency declaration including Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) were able to tell the president in person during an unrelated trade meeting how they were going to vote, emphasizing that it wasnt a personal censure. Trump speaks to lawmakers more often than he did in the early days of his administration, according to these Republicans, and is kept informed on their positions, preventing surprises that could prompt an online tirade. Theyve gotten used to each other, said one Republican congressional aide. While Trump did issue a few general threats that GOP senators voting against his emergency declaration would be seen as being soft on crime and border security, it was noteworthy that he didnt single out any lawmakers by name, as he had in the past. It is unclear whether the lack of tweets against Republican senators facing competitive races is a blip or a long-term change in strategy that could help Republicans seeking reelection in 2020. But Trumps own reelection effort will rely in part on keeping Republicans united in some of the states in which GOP senators are on the ballot, such as North Carolina and Colorado. Were all on the same team here politically. Maybe thats what is driving this latest decision, said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican who is seeking reelection in West Virginia next year. There are also signs the White House is working behind closed doors on some of the congressional lobbying that Trump once did publicly. When Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) announced in an op-ed that he would vote to disapprove of the emergency declaration, Trump didnt send a tweet. Vice President Mike Pence and White House officials were dispatched to pressure Tillis, however, and he eventually fell in line behind Trump, arguing that he got an agreement from the White House to work on implementing broader limits to presidential emergency powers rules. And instead of calling out the senators who opposed his administrations position on Yemen or the emergency declaration, Trumps tweets were more positive, emphasizing how many Republicans were with him. He thanked the Great Republican Senators who bravely voted for Strong Border Security and the WALL, and predicted when you get back to your State, they will LOVE you more than ever before! The latest from Washington More stories from Jennifer Haberkorn Beto ORourkes road trip had come and gone after three whirlwind days of events across New Hampshire. But the candidates who campaigned in his wake this past weekend also received enthusiastic welcomes, even without standing on countertops. Despite their lower position in the early polls and sporadic national media coverage, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), former Gov. John Hickenlooper and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) each met standing-room-only crowds, ovations and long lines of selfie-seeking fans. So did Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who has maintained a position in the midst of the Democratic pack since entering the race in January. Although the boom microphones and television cameras were missing, voters didnt mind. In this state where vetting presidential wannabes has been a point of pride for decades, the early enthusiasm being generated by even lesser-known candidates with low standing in polls is a reminder of the excitement many Democrats feel about this deep field of candidates and the opportunity to defeat President Trump. Advertisement The fields really exciting because its so varied, said Kathy Canedy, 69, one of more than 300 people who attended a town hall meeting with Klobuchar on Saturday morning in Rye, in southeastern New Hampshire along the coast. Its been a while since weve been really excited, she said. And were going to take a look at everyone who comes through. Whos running for president and whos not Hickenlooper, a former governor of Colorado, arrived just days after a shaky performance in a nationally televised town hall. But like many things that generate chatter on television and Twitter, his awkward response to a question about putting a woman on the ticket didnt appear to register with voters. Hickenloopers at the top of my list, said Frank Fahey, a retiree who has already seen four other Democratic presidential candidates this year, including Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and ORourke, who visited all 10 counties in New Hampshire during his three-day swing last week. I know he seems like a long shot, but weve got 11 months to go, he said of Hickenlooper after an hourlong meet and greet in a strip mall in Lebanon, on the states western edge, where the crowd of 150 people spilled out onto the sidewalk. The pundits dont pick the nominee we do. Hickenlooper, who is working to focus voters on his experience while refining his stump speech, was surprised to find fans waiting for him in New Hampshire. Bobbi Boudman showed up wearing a Hickenlooper 2020 shirt she bought online the day after the 2016 election. I just figured then we were going to need a nice white male in 2020, and I liked what he seemed to be about, she said. Another woman met him Sunday morning during a stop at a diner in Littleton, eager to show off her vanity license plate carrying his signature phrase: Giddy up. The latest from Washington The candidate appearances also, once again, provided evidence that voters at least those who show up at candidate events 10 months before the primary have issues on their minds that often differ from the days headlines. Klobuchar, who drew 4% support in a February poll of likely New Hampshire primary voters, spent an hour answering questions in a creaky junior high school gymnasium. No one asked about the report that special counsel Robert S. Mueller III submitted the day before. I think people in these early states have their own agendas, Hickenlooper said in an interview over a hurried lunch of tacos. And their own agendas are more about the cost of their healthcare and the impact failing schools are going to have on their kids, what kind of jobs their kids are going to have. Winning is voters top priority, Klobuchar told reporters after spending 25 minutes shaking hands and posing for pictures. Why they are so open to different candidates is because they want to make sure they pick someone who can win. Of course, voters ideas of electability vary widely; and not all of them subscribe to the idea that they need to choose between finding a winning candidate and one who agrees with them on policy issues. Policy and beating Trump go together, said John Raby, one of more than 100 people who attended a town hall Friday afternoon in Henniker with Gabbard, a candidate who, like Hickenlooper, barely registers in the polls but is still drawing overflow crowds. Tulsi is the first one I heard really talk about how military spending is a root cause of our deficit, said Raby, 74, who currently ranks Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland and ORourke as his top three contenders. Its much more wide open I think than the initial polling Ive seen would indicate. Margie Poznanski, who also attended Gabbards town hall, where organizers rushed to find more chairs after the 80 initially set up were quickly taken, also came away impressed. She had very good answers on nuclear weapons, she said. Honestly, shes got a lot more than Beto has. Several voters expressed skepticism about former Rep. ORourke of Texas. I really havent heard much substance from him yet. He just seems like that bright shiny object right now, said Patricia Demarco, 64, who attended Klobuchars town hall and came away impressed. I got quiet chills when she was speaking. She inspires trust and is very relatable its less of a sugar high with her. Sunday morning inside a sugar shack nestled in the White Mountains, where the winter snow is just now beginning to melt, Warren met with 25 people and heard from the operator about how climate change is harming maple syrup production. This is an existential threat. People in Washington may not want to admit that, she said. But people who live here see it every single day. Down the road an hour later, she spoke to 200 people packed into a high school auditorium. A few of them found seats on the riser set up in the back of the room, where only two small cameras were positioned. There were no network correspondents ready to amplify her talking points. The voters spending their weekends packing into small spaces and peppering candidates with questions are a long way from deciding how theyll cast their ballots next February. But theyre already spending a lot of time contemplating the choice. Do I want bombast or Midwestern nice? Pragmatism or someone who really digs in? said Dan Heying, a bank manager from Concord who took part in a roundtable with Hickenlooper in Manchester on Friday afternoon. Im having this conversation with myself in my head, and I really dont know the answers yet. Heying, 32, and several other voters expressed interest in seeing more of a candidate who wasnt in the state: Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., another supposed long shot whose virtuoso performances in a televised town hall and interviews are generating enthusiasm. Hes done so well, people are growing less skeptical about the idea of him, Heying said. I could really see him being the nominee. In todays world, nothing is far-fetched. More stories from Eli Stokols Democrats on Sunday immediately seized on special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs refusal to exonerate President Trump on the question of obstruction of justice, with the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee pledging to pick up where investigators left off and call Attorney General William Barr to testify. Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, a Democrat whose panel has jurisdiction over impeachment, took to Twitter to highlight Muellers finding that while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. Nadler said the statement suggests that Justice Department officials are putting matters squarely in Congress court to continue to investigate. In light of the very concerning discrepancies and final decision making at the Justice Department following the Special Counsel report, where Mueller did not exonerate the President, we will be calling Attorney General Barr in to testify before @HouseJudiciary in the near future. (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) March 24, 2019 Advertisement Mueller submitted a confidential report Friday to Barr, who reviewed the document and sent congressional leaders a four-page summary of Muellers principal conclusions late Sunday afternoon. House Democrats, who have faced resistance from the White House to their repeated requests for documents, said Sunday that they will proceed with their investigations while insisting that they need to see Muellers full report and the underlying documents. Americans deserve to know all the facts, which is why the report itself should be released to the fullest extent of the law in addition to the attorney generals summary, said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md). Read the attorney generals summary The special counsel did not exonerate the president, Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement. In fact, according to the attorney generals letter, he described a pattern of evidence suggesting the president engaged in obstruction of justice. But Democrats will face intense pressure from jubilant Republicans, who welcomed Barrs summary, insisted it had cleared the president and maintained that it was time to end the investigations. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) said the report vindicates Trump, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) declared Sunday that it is time we move on for the good of the nation. After two years, two congressional investigations, and now the closure of a Special Counsel investigation, it is abundantly clear, without a shadow of a doubt, there was no collusion. This case is closed. My full statement: pic.twitter.com/XiPQZom3Fp Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) March 24, 2019 Sen. Christopher Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, predicted Sunday that we will have a hard fight ahead over release of the full report and materials but insisted that Democrats are justified in seeking a broad view of what materials led to [Muellers] conclusion. In the House, Judiciary Committee member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) voiced a similar conviction, saying, Now more than ever, we need to see the Mueller report and all of the underlying evidence. He added that Barrs analysis and rationale are fair game for congressional investigation too, pointing out that it was Barrs conclusion, not Muellers, that Trump had no ill intent behind the evidence that could be considered obstruction of justice. Barr: Mueller finds no Trump-Russia conspiracy but doesnt exonerate president As for the Mueller reports apparent confidence that Trump and his subordinates had not colluded with Russians to sway the 2016 election, even when presented with the opportunity, Raskin insisted that he had regarded the question of so-called collusion as an irrelevant distraction from the very beginning. There is no crime known as collusion except in the field of antitrust law, he said. But that doesnt mean Democrats are likely to drop the Russia-focused probe of their Trump investigations. The job of the special counsel is very different than our job; theyre looking for specific statutory offenses and a quantum of evidence that surpasses beyond a reasonable doubt, Raskin said. Thats very different than what were looking for in terms of examining threats to the political sovereignty of the United States. Some Democrats responded to Sundays news by immediately questioning Barrs motives, noting that he was appointed by Trump. Sen. Christopher S. Murphy (D-Conn.) tweeted that maybe Barrs interpretation is right. Maybe its not. But why the heck would we be ok with an ally of President, appointed because of his hostility to the Mueller investigation, tell us what the report says? Maybe Barrs interpretation is right. Maybe its not. But why the heck would we be ok with an ally of President, appointed because of his hostility to the Mueller investigation, tell us what the report says? Give Congress the report. Give the public the report. Now. Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) March 24, 2019 Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, also pressed for greater transparency, saying in a tweet that on the issue of obstruction of justice, Mueller tossed a jump ball, & the AG tipped it to President Trump, but shared none of the information supporting his conclusion. Earlier Sunday, Democrats maintained that it was too early to raise the specter of impeaching Trump but suggested that they are keeping their options open, while Republicans fired back that Democrats would probably move to impeach the president no matter what. On the morning news shows, Nadler said it is way too early to speculate about impeachment. He said he still believes Trump obstructed justice, although whether theyre criminal obstructions is another question. What Congress has to do is look at a broader picture. We have the responsibility of protecting the rule of law ... so that our democratic institutions are not greatly damaged by this president, Nadler said on CNNs State of the Union. The biggest indictments, guilty pleas and dramas in the Russia investigation Democrats will try to negotiate, well try everything else first, but if they have to, they will issue subpoenas and are absolutely willing to go to the Supreme Court if necessary to get the Mueller report, Nadler said. Asked how long they are willing to wait for the Justice Department to provide the full Mueller report, he replied, It wont be months. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) quickly seized on Nadlers comments, arguing on CNN that they show Democrats are immediately pivoting away from the report and plan to move ahead with plans to impeach Trump no matter what. They fully intend to impeach the president, Cruz said. What theyre basically saying is theyre going to impeach the president for being Donald Trump. In an interview this month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said impeachment would be so divisive to the country that unless theres something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I dont think we should go down that path. Hes just not worth it, she said of Trump. In these early weeks of the presidential campaign, Democratic candidates have faced a battery of unusual questions, prompted partly by President Trumps dark warning in his State of the Union address against new calls to adopt socialism in our country. The first question Democrats got after that was easy: Are you a socialist? Bernie Sanders said yes; everyone else said no. The second was not so expected: Are you a capitalist? Elizabeth Warren had the quickest answer. I am a capitalist to my bones, she said. I believe in markets. What I dont believe in is theft. Advertisement Others agreed, declaring themselves capitalists just discontented ones. Im a capitalist, Beto ORourke declared. Having said that, it is clearly an imperfect, unfair, unjust and racist capitalist economy. One maverick, John Hickenlooper, rebelled. I think its kind of a silly question, he said. Whos running for president and whos not But once the candidates started explaining what they think about the economy, it wasnt silly after all. The future of capitalism whether its working for most Americans, why its benefits are so unequally shared, and how it can be fixed is one of the central political questions of our time. For Warren, a fierce critic of the financial system, the main defect of capitalism is lax rules. In her telling, deregulation of banks and Wall Street led to the crash of 2008 and produces unfair outcomes today. I love what markets can do, she told a TV interviewer. I love what functioning economies can do. They are what make us rich; they are what create opportunity. But only fair markets, markets with rules. Markets without rules is about the rich take it all, its about the powerful get all of it. And thats whats gone wrong in America. Kamala Harris and others have sounded similar populist themes. People who have worked hard and gained success. I applaud that, Harris said in New Hampshire last month. But we must all recognize that the rules arent applying equally to all people. Former Vice President Joe Biden, whos expected to announce his candidacy next month, has offered a softer version, calling on capitalists to assume moral responsibility for a lack of fairness in the economy. I dont begrudge anybody making a million or hundreds of millions of dollars, Biden told students at the University of Pennsylvania. But I do think theres some shared responsibility, and its not being shared fairly. What happened to a moral responsibility, to a moral capitalism? Meanwhile, in the democratic socialist camp, Sanders argues that its time to elevate economic rights to the level of traditional constitutional rights. We have political, freedom of religion, and all of that is enormously important. But you know what we dont have? We dont have guarantees regarding economic rights. No other candidate uses that kind of language. The candidates have issued a blizzard of proposals to illustrate what theyd do to make capitalism fairer. Sanders has proposed a guaranteed employment program that would create an estimated 15 million federally funded jobs; a government-run single-payer health insurance system, Medicare for All; and a long list of tax increases to pay for it all. Warren has called for changes in corporate governance, including an Accountable Capitalism Act that would require large firms to put employee representatives on their boards and consider the interests of workers and communities, not only shareholders, in their decisions. Cory Booker has proposed baby bonds that would create a $1,000 government-funded savings account for every newborn child and add more every year for low-income children a way to reduce the wealth gap between rich and poor. Harris main economic proposal would provide tax credits to low- and middle-income families up to $3,000 per person each year to as many as 80 million Americans in a direct redistribution of income. Theres more, of course but these are merely proposals. Few are likely to become law in their current form, no matter whos elected president next year. Their main function is to give voters a sense of where each candidates heart is. Whats most important is not the differences, but the common themes. They show almost every Democratic candidate focused on the same challenge: How to make capitalism deliver its benefits to more people, especially those left behind. And theyre relatively ambitious proposals, with larger goals than the incremental policies of the Bill Clinton and Barack Obama presidencies. There may be the rough outline of a new consensus here, Jared Bernstein, an economist at the liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and former advisor to Biden, told me. We have a strong economy, but it isnt working for everybody, Bernstein said. We can craft policies to reconnect economic growth to the fortunes of ordinary working people, and we can do that without dampening growth at all. But with the exception of Sanders, these Democrats arent socialists, no matter what Trump says. Their avowed goal is to make capitalism work better just as Democrats have tried to do since Franklin D. Roosevelt. A parody Twitter account purporting to be owned by an unhappy cow living on one of Rep. Devin Nunes Iowa farms attacked the California Republican as a treasonous cowpoke and udder-ly worthless during the 2018 campaign. Now Nunes wants $250 million in damages from Twitter for failing to police the accounts of @DevinCow as well as another parody, @DevinNunesMom, and a political activist named Liz Mair. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Virginia, Nunes complained that all three defamed him in hundreds of tweets over several months last year. It also seeks $350,000 in punitive damages, though legal experts say the suit has little chance of moving forward. Nunes, a close ally of President Trump, says in his complaint that he endured what no human being should ever have to bear and suffer in their whole life. He said it caused him to win reelection last November by a narrower margin than in the past and distracted him from running the House investigation into Russian attempts to influence the 2016 election. Advertisement Among other things, Nunes, from Tulare, cited a variety of tweets that used crude humor to accuse him of criminal behavior, including soliciting prostitutes. Most politicians and celebrities today face similar parody accounts. Many just ignore them, though a few play along. A Twitter account called @Betosblog lampoons Democratic presidential candidate Beto ORouke. Parody accounts of President Trump have hundreds of thousands of followers. The @DevinNunesMom account was suspended by Twitter after his actual mother, Toni Dian Nunes, complained. But if Nunes hoped his lawsuit would intimidate his trollers into silence, the move may have backfired. The @DevinCow account has jumped from just over 1,000 followers to more than 137,000 followers as of Tuesday afternoon, and still rising. Mair said on Twitter she will not comment publicly on the complaint. As part of the suit, Nunes wants Twitter to disclose the real names of the people who created the parody accounts. The suit also accuses Twitter of bias against conservatives. Nunes has clashed with his media critics before. Last year, he sent out a glossy, 40-page mailer shortly before the 2018 election attacking the Fresno Bee after its editorial board criticized him repeatedly. Twitter has indicated in the past that parody accounts do not violate its rules as long as the profile or user name states that the account does not belong to the person its satirizing. The company has denied a political bias but has not commented specifically on Nunes suit. Nunes, who last year cosponsored legislation titled the Discouraging Frivolous Lawsuits Act, has a hard road ahead to winning the suit. Courts have generally ruled that satirical works are opinion, not a representation of fact, and are therefore not subject to libel and defamation laws. First Amendment experts say the Communications Decency Act protects large social media companies like Twitter from being held liable for what users publish on their platforms. The courts have traditionally ruled that anonymous speech is protected under the 1st Amendment, and that social media sites are by their nature a place where people engage in outrageous opinion rather than fact, said Alex Abdo, litigation director for the Knight First Amendment Center at Columbia University. And since Nunes is a public official, he faces a higher burden to prove libel or defamation. The claim against Twitter is almost certain to get dismissed very quickly and my guess is the rest of it is likely to get dismissed very quickly, Abdo said. The lawsuit was announced to conservative media outlets first, and Nunes told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday night that Tuesdays suit is the first of many he plans to file. We have to hold all of these people accountable, because if we dont, our 1st Amendment rights are at stake here, Nunes said. How is it possible that I can be attacked relentlessly, hundreds of times a day by fake accounts that [Twitter] claim in their terms of service should not be there? The latest from Washington More stories from Sarah D. Wire The idea that Google is subtly pushing masses of voters to the left has the ring of conspiracy, and thus the work of Robert Epstein is warmly embraced by conservative lawmakers as well as a president convinced big tech is plotting against them. Yet even some scholars who think the San Diego-based psychologist is wrong about the political impact of search engines he believes bias built into Googles processes could have cost Republicans three California congressional districts in the last election have started paying attention to his detailed work on how voters respond to tens of thousands of search results. At a moment when misinformation about search engines and social media bias is rampant, with both the left and the right amplifying unsupported claims, Epstein is asking the right questions, they say, about the unseen power of algorithms and how little most Americans understand about the way they work. Facebook, Twitter and Google have become political footballs for the left and right Advertisement The saga of the persistent San Diego psychologist versus the tech giant is a long-running one, full of twists. As Big Data shapes our opinions in ways scholars are only beginning to comprehend, his work has increasingly caught attention. The larger issue he is looking at is extremely important, said Ramesh Srinivasan, a professor of information studies at UCLA who focuses on the relationships between technology and politics. Srinivasan is not convinced by the claims from conservatives that the GOP is being victimized, but he argues scholars need to look more deeply at how search engines can shape the views of those who use them. We turn to these efficient technologies, he said, to do almost everything these days without knowing why we see what we see from them or what data is collected about us and how it is being used. Epstein, a former Psychology Today editor in chief who runs a nonprofit institute in California, calls the phenomenon he has explored the Search Engine Manipulation Effect. These are new forms of manipulation people cant see, he said. The technologies can have an enormous impact on voters who are undecided. People have no awareness the influence is being exerted. Google dismisses his research as the work of a misguided amateur. Company Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said at a House Judiciary Committee hearing in December that Google had investigated Epsteins findings and found his methodology flawed. MORE ON POLITICS: How Howard University shaped Kamala Harris identity Company officials, while declining to comment about Epstein on the record, offered background material asserting that their algorithms are politically blind and respond to searches with news content based on its timeliness, relevance and authoritativeness. In his latest study, which he and a co-author plan to present in April at the 99th annual meeting of the Western Psychological Assn., in Pasadena, Epstein tracked 47,300 searches by dozens of undecided voters in the districts of newly elected Democratic Reps. Katie Porter, Harley Rouda and Mike Levin. Mainstream outlets, including the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times, dominated the Google search results. By contrast, searches conducted on Yahoo and Bing more often showcased links from deeply conservative outfits such as Breitbart. Using a model he has developed to gauge the subliminal effect of what he sees as tilted search results, Epstein projected 35,455 voters who were on the fence were persuaded to vote for a Democrat entirely because of the sources Google fed them. Facts about fake news influence on U.S. elections and the fight against misinformation That conclusion is subject to much dispute. Srinivasan questions how many undecided voters use Google to help decide how to cast ballots. Safiya Noble, a UCLA professor and author of Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, is troubled by what she sees as an argument that search engines ought to counter-balance the content of large, well-resourced and highly trained newsrooms with disinformation sites and propaganda outlets. Epstein says the large readership that sites such as Breitbart receive should earn them more prominent Google exposure. It is astonishing that Breitbart and some similar websites are not more present, given the enormous traffic some of these websites get, Breitbart especially, he said. What you are seeing here might be indicative of a kind of blacklisting. Google, he says, is trying to make judgments based on some measures of what they consider to be quality. They have said this publicly. They are trying to judge what is good and bad. Google executives, for their part, argue it would be corporate suicide to use their influence over voters to sway elections. MORE ON POLITICS: The burden of a 40-year career -- some of Joe Bidens record doesnt age well But many analysts say that is not the point. Even if Epstein is wrong about the effects of Googles searches, the real issue, they say, is how little people know about the ways that the companys algorithms manipulate what users see. Google engineers design their algorithms for a host of reasons mostly related to boosting profits and users just accept the top links as the most trustworthy and authoritative information on a topic. We need to understand the potential political impact of these underneath-the-hood choices by tech companies, said Jacob Shapiro, a professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton. The question we should be asking is, what do we need to do to nail down how consequential this is? And what systems do we need to create as a society to minimize the negatives? Noble agrees with that broader point that Google should not be guiding crucial societal questions, such as how we vote. We use these search engines as if they are arbiters of truth, and they are not, she said. They are global advertising platforms. They are not fact checkers or public interest technologies. The minute you start to engage these broader social issues on a search engine, you run up against its limits. The latest look at the Trump administration and the rest of Washington The fix, Noble says, involves giving people viable alternatives to Google that are not designed for profit but for the public interest. Epstein calls for a worldwide passive network of monitoring systems to keep an eye on emerging technologies and what they are showing and telling people. Other scholars suggest equally bold government interventions, some of which align with Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warrens plan to break up big tech companies. But Congress is right now focused on using the potential flaws in search engines as a springboard to air political grievances and launch partisan attacks. The December hearing into Google was consumed by theatrics. Republicans, citing Epstein, presented themselves as victims of a cynical conspiracy, sometimes conflating his work with unrelated perceived biases. The committees top Democrat, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, declared political bias in search engines a fantasy dreamed up by some conservatives. Robert Epstein and Hillary Clinton, whom he supported for president in 2016. (Courtesy Robert Epstein) Epstein may be discouraged, but he isnt helping turn down the temperature. He supported Hillary Clinton, but hes become a frequent guest on right-wing media. Tucker Carlson sings his praises on Fox News. He gives talks at Tea Party meetings. He starred in a documentary called The Creepy Line that was produced by Peter Schweizer, author of Clinton Cash, who is among the journalists most reviled by Democrats. I have become a darling of conservatives, which is driving me crazy, Epstein said. But they love me because I am saying things they want to hear. People I am closer to politically dont want to hear what I have to say. More stories from Evan Halper President Trumps declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border survived a crucial vote in the House on Tuesday, as Democrats failed to muster the necessary two-thirds majority to override his veto. The vote was 248-181, well short of the 288 that would have been required. The vote effectively ends -- for now -- legislative attempts to strike down Trumps national emergency declaration. Now the fight over his attempt to circumvent Congress to get more money for his border wall will shift to the courts. President Trump cant take taxpayer dollars to build his wall without Congress permission, California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra, a former congressman who has filed a lawsuit to block Trumps declaration, said following the vote. The 20 states standing with us in court are ready to fight long and hard to stop his fabricated emergency in its tracks. Congress sent Trump a bipartisan disapproval resolution earlier this month that sought to nullify his national emergency declaration, but Trump used the first veto of his presidency to strike it down. Trump had announced the national emergency in February, following a record-long government shutdown and weeks of negotiations that resulted in a deal giving him billions less than he sought for barriers along the border. Advertisement Lawmakers of both parties said the emergency declaration -- which allows Trump to redirect money Congress appropriated for other purposes and use it for border construction instead -- represented a dramatic intrusion into Congress authority over government spending. In floor debate ahead of the vote Tuesday, Democrats insisted Trump was violating the Constitutions separation of powers, while Republicans argued he was acting within his authority under the National Emergencies Act to address a genuine crisis at the southern border. What we have here is an act of constitutional vandalism -- the executive trying to steal the power of the purse from Congress, said Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas). He warned that if lawmakers allow it to happen, future presidents of both parties will have great power to ignore Congress. Fourteen Republicans broke ranks to vote with Democrats in attempting to overturn Trumps veto, but they represented a small minority as most GOP lawmakers stood with the president, arguing he was addressing an emergency Democrats had ignored. The radical left in this House would dissolve our borders entirely if given the chance, declared Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove). They care more about defending the Iraqi border than defending our own. Border apprehensions have spiked and are on pace for the highest level since 2008, although they remain below peak rates in the 1990s and early 2000s. Lawmakers of both parties generally agree that there is an unfolding humanitarian crisis at the border, with many families from Central America attempting to enter the U.S., but Democrats argue that a wall wont help with that. Republicans disagree, and Trump has continually argued that a wall -- the central issue he campaigned on -- is needed to stop illegal immigration and drugs. Trump long claimed Mexico would pay for the wall, but the national emergency declaration allows him to take $3.6 billion appropriated by Congress for military construction projects nationwide and use it to build barriers along the border instead. The Pentagon still has not told lawmakers which military construction projects will be canceled or delayed in the process, frustrating lawmakers of both parties. It is rare for Congress to successfully override a presidential veto, something that happened only once during the Obama administration, and Tuesdays outcome was expected. Because the veto override vote failed in the House, it will not go to the Senate -- sparing senators from having to take another vote on an issue that deeply divided Republicans in the chamber. However, the National Emergencies Act does allow Democrats to bring up another disapproval resolution six months from now, something House Democrats are actively considering. Democrats are also considering trying to include language in upcoming spending bills to restrict the Trump administrations ability to redirect money toward border construction going forward. At least seven lawsuits have been filed in federal courts challenging the legality of Trumps emergency declaration and his plans to spend funds on the wall that have not been appropriated by Congress for that purpose. The government has yet to reply to them and no hearings have been scheduled. The plaintiffs in the suits, filed in U.S. district courts in California, Texas and the District of Columbia include California and 18 other states, the city of El Paso, landowners in the path of the proposed wall, conservation groups such as the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity and advocacy organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Erica Werner writes for the Washington Post. The Posts Fred Barbash and Maria Sacchetti contributed to this report. Iowa, that land of corn and political dreams, is planning big changes to its caucus system, and right about now you may be asking: What is a caucus and why should I care? The answer is simple. The sentiments expressed by roughly a quarter-million or so Iowa Democrats on the first Monday night in February 2020 could go a long way toward shaping the fight for the partys presidential nomination and, thus, who sits in the Oval Office come January 2021. Other states, California being most notable, perennially complain about the inordinate influence Iowa enjoys as the state with the first say in the contest, attracting starry-eyed White House hopefuls the way Hollywood draws would-be movie stars. But that political reality is not going to change anytime soon, even with California and other states moving their balloting up on the political calendar. So it cant hurt to learn about things like viability, realignment, state-level delegate equivalents and the caucus overhaul planned for next winter. Advertisement So what is a caucus? Essentially its a precinct-level gathering of party faithful that serves as the first step in a long, attenuated process that eventually results in the awarding of Iowas presidential delegates. The original purpose was identifying and organizing party supporters at the grass-roots level so they could be deployed in political campaigns. A tally of presidential preferences was added just for fun. But as the first official gauge of voter sentiment after years of polling, speculation and incessant chatter the caucuses have gained enormous import, mainly by culling the field to just a few viable contenders. Whos running for president and whos not How do the caucuses work? Up to now, the meetings were held at a set time. Participants were required to show up at one of 1,000-some locations, where supporters of each candidate broke into separate groups. If a candidate failed to meet a 15% viability threshold, his or her supporters had the choice of realigning that is, backing another candidate or calling it a night. After the voting was completed, the party would report what were called state delegate equivalents, or the estimated number of delegates to the state party convention that a candidate would win based on their performance at the precinct level. The state convention is where Iowas national convention delegates are chosen. My heads starting to hurt. Dont worry. We track these things so you dont have to. Its still all about beating expectations. Whats changed is the means to getting there. Dennis Goldford, Drake University political scientist and Iowa caucus expert So whats changing? Most significantly, Democrats wishing to participate will no longer be required to show up at a caucus. For years, critics have said the requirement was unfair to those unable to attend for any number of reasons: ill health, job requirements, child-care concerns. Hillary Clinton was among those who complained the loudest, suggesting her 2008 loss to Barack Obama stemmed, in part, from the limited caucus window. There are a lot of people who work at night, she said, people who are on their feet, people who are taking care of patients in a hospital, or waiting on a table in a restaurant, or maybe in a patrol car keeping our streets safe. Under the new rules, Democrats may be able to back a preferred candidate by participating in one of six virtual caucuses, submitting a list of as many as five candidates, ranked by preference. Kind of like American Idol? The details remain to be worked out, not least concerns about security and ensuring the integrity of the vote. But, yes, participants may be able to weigh in via their smart phones while sitting on the couch watching cheesy television. Californias presidential primary: Heres what you need to know What are the other changes? The rules governing the realignment process will be altered, limiting the movement between supporters of different candidates, in an effort to speed the caucuses along. (Another complaint is they take too long, dampening turnout.) More important, the party will release the raw vote total each candidate receives, in addition to state delegate equivalents, in an effort to make the caucuses more transparent. In 2016, Clinton just squeaked past Bernie Sanders, 49.8% to 49.6%, in the official results, which outraged supporters of the Vermont senator, who claimed a number of irregularities skewed the outcome. Some claim to this day he actually won the raw vote, but the count remains a mystery. Why the changes now? The national Democratic Party insisted on finding ways to make the caucuses more inclusive and less prone to controversy. Iowans, in turn, wanted to preserve what state party Chairman Troy Price called the spirit of the caucuses, which is to say the neighbor-gathering-with neighbor aspect. (The virtual caucuses will be used to award a fraction, perhaps 10% or 15%, of delegates, to encourage folks to continue showing up.) All of the changes are subject to revision and require the approval of both the state party Central Committee and the national Democratic Party. The goal is to have the new rules in place by fall. So which candidates benefit and who will suffer as a result of the changes? Thats a big unknown. Participation could increase, maybe even topping the record 240,000 Democrats who showed up for the Clinton-Obama caucus-palooza. But its unclear who would gain the most from a higher turnout. A great deal will depend on how the results are reported. Will the media focus on the winner of the raw vote, or the candidate who receives the most state delegate equivalents? Its still all about beating expectations, said Dennis Goldford, a Drake University political scientist and Iowa caucus expert. Whats changed is the means to getting there. Huh? Winning Iowa isnt necessarily about coming in first. Its about perceptions. The best example may be 1984, when former Vice President Walter F. Mondale was preferred by nearly 50% of caucusgoers. The runner-up, Colorado Sen. Gary Hart, received just 16.5% support. But since that was better than expected, Hart was considered the winner and, literally overnight, became a serious contender for the Democratic nomination. 16.5% beats 48.9%? Thats nuts! Thats Iowa. Sen. Kamala Harris plans to call for a federal effort to boost teachers salaries Saturday, offering up the first new policy proposal of her 2020 presidential campaign on an issue that is roiling school districts across the country and is dear to a powerful Democratic constituency. The plan, which Harris is slated to unveil while addressing a morning rally at Texas Southern University in Houston, would promise an unprecedented federal investment in teacher pay because of widespread concern that teaching, a female-dominated profession, is badly underpaid, according to a campaign aide who was not authorized to discuss the plan on the record. A study by the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal think tank, found that public school teachers in 2017 made 11% less than similar professionals with college degrees, even after taking into account benefits, which are often higher for teachers than many private-sector workers. Harris will commit to closing the teacher pay gap within her first term as president, the campaign aide said. Details of the initiative including the price tag and how the program would be structured will be released in the coming week, the aide said. Advertisement The idea stands to be a major policy departure because setting teacher pay has traditionally been the responsibility of state and local governments, which provide the lions share of money for education from kindergarten through 12th grade. The federal government currently provides less than 10% of total spending for elementary and secondary schools, with most of the money channeled to states and school districts for specific national priorities such as helping cover the cost of educating disabled students. Harris has proposed several policy initiatives, including a large-scale tax-cut plan that would provide up to $6,000 a year to working families. But until now, most of her policy ideas have been drawn from her legislative portfolio in the Senate. By focusing her first new initiative of the campaign on teachers, she is tapping into a politically potent constituency a profession that is heavily unionized, Democratic leaning, and a part of nearly every voters life. The call for greater federal spending on education could also prove popular a new poll released this week by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center found that 54% of American adults, and 66% of Democrats, said that increased spending on education should be a top priority for the U.S. government. The only policy area ranking higher among voters was expanding healthcare, Pew found. The drive to raise teachers salaries has swept across the country in recent years, spotlighted by teacher strikes not just in big cities such as Los Angeles and Denver, but also in more conservative places such as Oklahoma and West Virginia. In Los Angeles in January, a six-day strike ended in a contract that gave teachers a 6% raise 3% retroactive to the 2017-18 school year and another 3% retroactive to July 2018. The issue is front and center in the early voting state of South Carolina, where the state Legislature is currently debating teacher pay. The topic is frequently raised on the campaign trail. At a recent event in Ottumwa, Iowa, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey went into some detail about new investments he wanted to make in public schools and teachers. He called for helping teachers by retiring their college debt, boosting funding special education funding and overhauling the tax system so teachers pay less. Harris campaign appearance in Texas on Friday and Saturday also sends a broader political message for the 2020 primary contest: She is not going to cede the delegate-rich state to its favorite son, Beto ORourke, the former Texas congressman who announced his presidential campaign earlier this month. ORourke is not the only candidate who will face competition in his own backyard: While Harris travels Texas this weekend, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is campaigning in California. The latest from Washington Deerfield Beach, Florida, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Ice Cream Market report has Forecasted Compound Annual rate of growth (CAGR) differently price for the explicit amount, which will facilitate user to require decision supported futuristic chart. The report additionally includes key players in world Ice Cream market. The Ice Cream market size is estimated in terms of revenue (US$) and production volume during this report. This report studies Ice Cream in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan, and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2012 to 2017, and forecast to 2025. Request for FREE Sample Report @ https://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/global-ice-cream-market-professional-survey-report-2017#RequestSample The prime objective of this report is to help the user to understand Ice Cream market in terms of its definition, segmentation, market potential, influential trends and the challenges that the market is facing. Primary research represents the bulk of our research efforts, supplemented by extensive secondary research. We reviewed key players product, annual reports, press releases and relevant documents for competitive analysis and market understanding. Secondary research includes a search of recent trade, technical writing, internet sources and statistical data from government websites, trade associations, and agencies. This has proven to be the most reliable, effective and successful approach for obtaining precise market data, capturing industry participants insights and recognizing business opportunities. The Shares and Demand for Ice Cream industry are unexpected to be high for the next six years. By Considering this growth, we provide Ice Cream Market Research Report. Ice Cream Market Research Report includes detailed profiles of key players with regional analysis and focuses on key rising opportunities and challenges faced by Ice Cream industry. Inquiry For Buying Click on:- https://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/global-ice-cream-market-professional-survey-report-2017#InquiryForBuying The study world Segmented Ice Cream Industry Research Report 2018 may be a elaborate report scrutinising statistical knowledge concerning the worldwide market. moreover, the factors on that the companies contend within the market are evaluated within the report. The report offers an in depth outline of the key segments at intervals the market. Analysis additionally covers upstream raw materials, equipment, downstream client survey, selling channels, industry development trend and proposals. This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, covering - Unilever - Nestle - Lotte Confectionary - Dean Foods - General Mills - Mars - Yili Group - Morinaga - Meiji - Mengniu - Turkey Hill - Blue Bell Creameries - Amul Access Full indexed Report:- https://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/global-hair-tools-market-2018-industry-production-trends-333949 By types, the market can be split into - Premium Ice Cream (11% & 15% Butterfat, 60~90% Overrun) - Superpremium Ice Cream (>14% Butterfat,20~80% Overrun) - Regular Ice Cream (10%~11% Butterfat, 90~100% Overrun) - Economy Ice Cream (10% Butterfat, 95~100% Overrun) - Light Ice Cream & Reduced Fat Ice Cream By Application, the market can be split into - C-Stores - Supermarket - Grocery - Catering (Restaurant,Hotel,etc.) - Ice Cream Frenzy - Food Processing Industry By Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want) - North America - China - Europe - Southeast Asia - Japan - India Key Features of Ice Cream This report provide detail analysis of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the global Ice Cream market and its commercial landscape. Learn about the various market strategies that are being adopted by leading companies. It provides a five-year forecast assessed based on how the Ice Cream market is predicted to grow. It provides insightful analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors. To understand the future scope and outlooks for the Ice Cream market In the end, the report includes Segmented Ice Cream new project SWOT analysis, investment practicableness analysis, investment come analysis, and development trend analysis. The key rising opportunities of the fastest growing international Segmented Ice Cream market segments are coated throughout this report. This report additionally presents product specification, producing method, and products cost structure. Production is separated by regions, technology and applications. Read Other Reports Related to this Report:- Global Commercial Ice Cream Freezers Market- https://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/global-commercial-ice-cream-freezers-market-2018-industry-287234 Global Household Ice Cream Maker Market- https://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/global-household-ice-cream-maker-market-2017-industry-270019 Global Household Ice Cream Machines Market- https://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/global-household-ice-cream-machines-market-2017-industry-270018 Global Home use Ice Cream Machines Market- https://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/global-home-use-ice-cream-machines-market-2017-270017 Global Commercial Soft Ice Cream Machine Market- https://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/global-commercial-soft-ice-cream-machine-market-research-222106 Global Ice Cream Makers Sales Market- https://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/global-ice-cream-makers-sales-market-report-2017-114268 About Us: Market Research Store is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. Market Research Store is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air. We have market research reports from number of leading publishers and update our collection daily to provide our clients with the instant online access to our database. With access to this database, our clients will be able to benefit from expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends. Joel John Suite #8138, 3422 SW 15 Street, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442 United States Toll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA) Tel: +1-386-310-3803 Email: sales@marketresearchstore.com The commandant of the Marines has warned the Pentagon that deployments to the southwest border and funding transfers under the presidents emergency declaration, among other unexpected demands, have posed unacceptable risk to Marine Corps combat readiness and solvency. In two internal memos, Marine Corps Gen. Robert Neller said the unplanned/unbudgeted deployment along the border that President Trump ordered last fall, and shifts of other funds to support border security, had forced him to cancel or reduce planned military training in at least five countries, and delay urgent repairs at bases. The border deployment and funding transfers, as well as recovery costs from hurricanes Florence and Michael, new housing allowances and civilian pay raises, are taking a toll on combat readiness, Neller wrote to Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Navy Secretary Richard Spencer. The Times obtained copies of the memos, dated Feb. 19 and March 18. Advertisement Neller, a four-star general, said because of the problems, Marines will not participate in planned training exercises in Indonesia, Scotland and Mongolia, and will reduce their participation in joint exercises with Australia and South Korea. Marines rely on the hard, realistic training of the training exercises to develop the individual and collective skills necessary to prepare for high-end combat, said Neller, who has been commandant since September 2015. He complained about canceling or shrinking the Marines participation at a time where we are attempting to double down on strengthening alliances and attracting new partners. Shanahan and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are scheduled to testify Tuesday before the House Armed Services Committee. Members are likely to ask about Nellers concerns. ALSO: This psychologist claims Google search results unfairly steer voters to the left. Conservatives love him Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), vice chairman of the Defense Appropriations subcommittee, said Nellers memos showed the danger in diverting Pentagon funds to build Trumps border wall. If the president wont listen to the American people or Congress, then listen to the commandant of the Marine Corps, Durbin said in a statement. While the armed services chiefs often warn of budget shortfalls, independent experts who reviewed Nellers memos described the language as unusually strong, in particular because it cites the presidents highest-profile political priorities. Its pretty unusual for the commandant to be raising concerns that... a top political priority for the president is undermining the ability of the Marine Corps to do the training they need, said Mandy Smithberger, a defense expert at the Project for Government Oversight, a nonpartisan independent watchdog group. It looks like from Commandant Nellers perspective, he does think these policies are undermining readiness, she added. This is a pretty strongly worded memo, said Todd Harrison, director of defense budget analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington. Hurricane recovery efforts, increases in civilian pay and the military housing allowance are probably the biggest factors in the budget shortfall, he added. The incremental cost of the border deployment is likely small compared to these other factors, he said. It sounds like there are some bureaucratic politics at work here. The border deployment is adding to the strain after hurricanes severely damaged Marine Corps facilities and housing in North Carolina and Georgia, Neller wrote. Citing limits on his ability to transfer money because of the planned reprogramming under the border emergency, Neller said the Marines already are short $1.3 billion for recovery operations this year with another hurricane season approaching. The hurricane season is only three months away, Neller wrote, and we have Marines, Sailors, and civilians working in compromised structures. Marine Corps Gen. Robert Neller speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington in 2017. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) The memos are likely to revive uneasiness on Capitol Hill about the border deployment, which reportedly chafed some military leaders, including James N. Mattis, then secretary of Defense, when Trump first ordered it shortly before the Nov. 6 midterm election. While the White House insisted that active-duty troops were needed to stave off so-called caravans of migrants from Central America, critics accused him of using the military as props for his political agenda, not for security purposes. On Oct. 29, Trump tweeted, This is an invasion of our country and our military is waiting for you! He later expanded the deployment to roughly 6,000 troops, drawn from the Marines, Army, Air Force and Navy, and extended their stay through September 2019. They have assisted the Border Patrol by erecting barricades, flying helicopter support and maintaining vehicles. They are not allowed to detain migrants, seize drugs or carry out law enforcement duties. The White House and Defense Department have sought to reassure wary lawmakers that the deployment, and the presidents declaration of a national emergency on the border, have not hampered military readiness or effectiveness. During a visit to a Border Patrol station Thursday in McAllen, Texas, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said she talked to Shanahan on a regular basis. We continue to work together to find ways to support the border mission, Nielsen said. Border security is national security. We shouldnt pretend that its something else, because its not its a national security issue. She directed questions about Nellers concerns to the Defense Department. Spokesmen for the Pentagon and Shanahan did not respond to requests for comment. In an email, a Marine Corps spokesman, Capt. Joseph Butterfield, said Nellers memos made clear that damage from hurricanes, and not the border deployments, caused by the far the most significant budgetary pressure. Border operations cost about $230 million by the end of January, according to the Pentagon. The cost could grow to about $850 million this year, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington. The White House has asked Congress to appropriate a record $718 billion for the Pentagon in 2020, including $9 billion for hurricane relief, border security and backfilling military construction projects whose funding could be raided under the national emergency Trump declared on Feb. 15. Lawmakers have pressed to learn which military construction projects would be deferred or canceled to divert money that could be used to build Trumps long-promised border wall under the emergency. On Monday, the Pentagon sent Congress a list of more than 400 military construction projects around the country and worldwide that could be affected. The 21-page document cites more than $12.8 billion in projects that could be delayed or canceled under the emergency, including 31 projects totaling $1.1 billion in California. Congressional approval of the administrations budget request and backfill is far from assured, given the recent border funding fight that led to a 35-day partial government shutdown, and bipartisan votes in both chambers to block Trumps use of executive action to get around the congressional appropriations process. Trump vetoed the resolution last week. Times staff writer Molly Hennessy-Fiske in McAllen, Texas, contributed to this report. molly.otoole@latimes.com Twitter: @mollymotoole After weeks of delay, the Pentagon on Monday provided Congress with a list of more than 400 military construction projects around the globe, including dozens in California, that it could raid to help pay for President Trumps long-promised wall at the southwest border. The 21-page document includes more than $12.8 billion in projects that the Defense Department conceivably could tap under the emergency Trump has declared on the border. They include military housing, school building repairs, hazardous material facilities, security measures, naval piers and airfields. The list names 31 planned military construction projects, with congressional appropriations of more than $1.1 billion, in California alone. Advertisement Among them are fire emergency and electrical upgrades at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, airfield maintenance at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and a new pier at Naval Base San Diego. The total funding on the list is nearly four times the $3.7 billion that Trump has said he needs from military construction projects to fulfill his campaign pledge to build a wall. Nearly 700 miles of border barriers were built under Presidents George W. Bush and Obama. After shutting down parts of the government for 35 days in an impasse with Congress over wall funding, Trump declared a national security and humanitarian emergency on the southwest border in mid-February when Congress again rebuffed his demands for billions for the wall. A bipartisan majority in Congress responded by passing a resolution to overturn the presidents emergency declaration. Trump then issued his first veto, clearing the way for the White House to take money from the Pentagon budget to build the border barriers. The prospect that the White House could raid military projects caused widespread concern on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers are traditionally fiercely protective of military and other construction projects in their districts, which can take years of careful negotiation to get approved. Republican and Democratic lawmakers have complained to the White House for weeks that they have not received the list of projects potentially on the chopping block. Congressional staffers said they were told that the Pentagon gave its list of approved construction projects to the White House last week. The list released Monday still does not identify which or how many projects will be raided for the presidents wall, which could take years to build. The appearance of any project within the pool does not mean that the project will, in fact, be used, the document states. That led to confusion and complaints on Capitol Hill. This list is wholly insufficient and just tells Congress what projects it already approved, said Evan Hollander, the Democratic spokesman for the House Appropriations Committee. This appears to be nothing more than another stall tactic designed to delay the political consequences of President Trumps emergency declaration. It is important to be clear that this is not a list of projects that will definitively be impacted, said Leacy Burke, spokeswoman for Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. A spokesman for acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said senators had asked for a list of unawarded military construction projects and that was completed over the weekend. Lt. Col. Joe Buccino said the Homeland Security Department still had not given the Pentagon a list of specific border barrier construction projects that the military would then use to determine which ones support use of the armed forces, as the law requires. The Homeland Security Department did not respond to a request for comment. The Pentagon has emphasized to lawmakers that it will not tap military construction projects already contracted or that will be contracted in fiscal 2019, which began in October. Lawmakers also were assured that construction of military housing, barracks or dormitories would not be touched, but several housing projects were on the list. It also includes projects in Arizona that Shanahan had said would not be touched. The White House has said the military construction money will be used to pay for the wall only after other funding sources have been tapped. The House Armed Services subcommittee on military readiness will hold a hearing on the project list in coming weeks, according to staff for the chairman, Rep. John Garamendi (D-Walnut Grove). They will examine whether diverting funds for planned construction projects will affect what the Pentagon says is a $116-billion backlog in military facility maintenance needs. Garamendi met with Shanahan seven times in the last week and a half, aides said. In a letter to Shanahan, Garamendi and Rep Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), the committees ranking Republican, asked for the list of projects, details on how diverting the funds would affect their completion date, and justification for how doing so would help with national security, as required under the law that regulates national emergency declarations. The House is scheduled to vote on the presidents veto on March 26, but neither chamber is likely to have the two-thirds votes necessary to override the veto and halt his emergency declaration. Now that members of Congress can see the potential impact this proposal could have on projects in their home states, I hope they will take that into consideration before the vote to override the presidents veto, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. The latest from Washington More stories from Sarah D. Wire Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III appears close to turning in his final report after a historic investigation that initially sought to determine if President Trump or his advisors had illegal dealings with Russia during the 2016 campaign, but ultimately expanded far beyond that. Whether or not the report reveals new bombshells, the former FBI director already has produced an extraordinary public record of misdeeds, one that is sweeping in scope and momentous in its implications for American democracy. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing, but hundreds of pages of indictments, court filings and testimony have tarnished his administration and led to new investigations in Congress and in other jurisdictions that could lead to new charges. UPDATE: Robert Mueller submits report into whether the 2016 Trump campaign had illegal dealings with Russia Advertisement Since starting their work in May 2017, Mueller and his team have obtained indictments or charges against 34 individuals, including 25 Russians. Thats the most people charged in any special counsel investigation since the Watergate scandal that forced President Nixon from office in 1974. While no Americans have been charged with conspiring with the Russian effort to sway the 2016 election, several people in Trumps inner orbit have pleaded guilty to other crimes. They include Michael Flynn, his former national security advisor; Paul Manafort, his former campaign chairman; Richard Gates, his deputy campaign chairman; and Michael Cohen, his former personal lawyer and a senior executive in the Trump Organization. Muellers public record is very impressive, said Christopher Ott, a former federal prosecutor on national security matters. These indictments are also a way to authoritatively make statements to the public about what the facts actually are. It is clear his team was objective, thorough and tenacious. Here are the findings so far: Russias social media campaign The special counsel traced the Russian operation to the start of the Internet Research Agency, a shadowy group bent on influencing American public opinion, in 2013. Working from an office building in St. Petersburg, Russia, and other sites, scores of cybertrolls conducted information warfare against the United States, according to an indictment. The Russian group spread distrust towards the candidates and the political system in general by discouraging African Americans from voting, by motivating conservatives wary of Trump, and other tactics. The operation was controlled and largely funded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian tycoon with close ties to Putin and Russian intelligence services, U.S. officials said. In 2014, two high-ranking agency employees visited the United States to collect information that could be used to target specific groups of U.S. voters on social media. Two years later, Russian hackers were impersonating Americans to pump out divisive posts and misleading advertising on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. RELATED: Everything you need to know about whos been charged in the Russia case By the time Trump accepted the Republican nomination in July 2016, more than 80 Russian bloggers were churning out daily social media posts that boosted Trump and denigrated his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. Their posts contained hashtags familiar to many Americans: #Trump2016, #TrumpTrain and #MAGA. At one point, supervisors criticized an employee for running a Facebook group called Secured Borders that had a low number of posts dedicated to criticizing Hillary Clinton and ordered him to intensify such critiques, the indictment alleged. Russian operatives even staged political rallies while posing as Americans. For one, they paid a U.S. citizen to build a cage on a truck as a prop to whip up Clinton opponents who wanted to lock her up and for another to portray Clinton in a prison uniform. To cover their tracks, the agency purchased space on U.S. computer servers, stole the identities of U.S. citizens and created hundreds of accounts under false identities that made the bloggers appear to be Americans. Hacking As the troll farm roiled the internet, Russian cyberspies took more extreme steps to help Trumps presidential campaign, according to Mueller. In March 2016, Russian military intelligence officers penetrated computer networks used by the Democratic National Committee and Clintons top campaign staffers with devastating effect. Hackers at the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff (known as the GRU) in Moscow targeted more than 300 Democratic Party officials and campaign aides and infected dozens of servers with computer code that let them steal opposition research, operational plans and other internal documents. They also vacuumed up sensitive communications, including those of John Podesta, the Clinton campaign chairman. After Podesta fell for a ruse and inadvertently gave the hackers his Gmail password, they swiped 50,000 private emails from his account. FULL COVERAGE: Robert Mueller finishes his investigation into President Trumps 2016 campaign The GRU soon began posting the stolen data on a website it created, DCLeaks, and through a fake Romanian hacker known as Guccifer 2.0. That June, the WikiLeaks anti-secrecy group reached out to Guccifer 2.0. Send any new material here for us to review and it will have a much higher impact than what you are doing, a WikiLeaks official wrote, asking for anything Hillary related. By mid-July, the GRU had transferred thousands of stolen emails and records, and WikiLeaks began releasing sensitive DNC emails and internal documents, disrupting the Democrats nominating convention. Another Trump advisor, Roger Stone,claimed to be in touch with WikiLeaks during that period, according to charges filed against the longtime political operative. He told one campaign official that the payload is still coming days before WikiLeaks posted a trove of stolen material. On Oct. 7, after the Washington Post reported that Trump had boasted about groping women on an Access Hollywood tape, Wikileaks began pushing out Podestas emails, drawing attention away from Trump. Stone was charged in January 2019 with several crimes including lying about his conversations involving WikiLeaks. He has pleaded not guilty. Russian contacts All that year, Trumps aides and associates met or communicated with Russian diplomats, officials and operatives, and expressed eagerness for their assistance. George Papadopoulos, a volunteer foreign policy advisor on the campaign, was one of the first. During a visit to Italy in March 2016, the low-level aide met Joseph Mifsud, a Maltese professor. They then met again in London with a Russian woman who claimed to be Putins niece, and discussed arranging a meeting between Trump and the Russian president during the campaign. In April, Mifsud told Papadopoulos that the Russians had dirt on Clinton. They have thousands of emails, Mifsud told him, Mueller later disclosed in court papers. That was before the Democratic National Committee and Podesta knew they had been hacked, and while GRU operatives were still ransacking Democratic Party servers. Papadopoulos bragged about his encounter to an Australian diplomat over drinks in London, and the envoy reported his concerns to the FBI. The tip sparked the FBIs initial counterintelligence investigation into Russias meddling in the campaign. Separately, Cohen, Trumps personal lawyer, reached out to one of Putins top aides in an effort to secure a hugely lucrative business deal, a Trump Tower in Moscow. The effort continued until June 2016, after Trump had effectively locked up the Republican nomination, court records show. Trump repeatedly denied ever having any business dealings with Russia, asserting that July, I have nothing to do with Russia. Cohen has been sentenced to three years in prison for making false statements to Congress about the negotiations for Trumps proposed Moscow project. Other Trump associates were also dealing with Russians. Manafort, Trumps campaign chairman, had long business ties with pro-Moscow politicians and Russian oligarchs. In June 2016, Manafort joined Donald Trump Jr., the presidents eldest son, and Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law, in a meeting on the 25th floor of Trump Tower in Manhattan with a woman identified to them as a Russian government attorney. Before the meeting, when an intermediarys email said the lawyer would present dirt on Clinton as part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump, Trump Jr. quickly replied, If its what you say it is, I love it. No evidence has emerged to suggest those present reported the Russian offer to the FBI. Two months later, Manafort and Gates, the campaigns deputy campaign, met with Konstantin Kilimnik at a posh New York City cigar bar. Muellers prosecutors later disclosed in court papers that Kilimnik has ties to a Russian intelligence service and had such ties in 2016. At some point, Manafort provided Kilimnik with polling data, though precisely what he handed over and why is not revealed in court records. Earlier this month, Manafort was sentenced to 7 years in prison for financial crimes, all connected to his work as a political consultant in Ukraine, prosecuted by Muellers team. The contacts with Russians and the lies about them didnt end with Trumps election. In December 2016, Flynn, the incoming national security advisor, spoke repeatedly with the Russian ambassador in Washington after President Obama had expelled suspected Russian spies and slapped sanctions on Moscow in response to its election meddling. Flynn wanted to stop Putins government from retaliating since Trump had campaigned on improving relations with the Kremlin. Shortly after the inauguration, Flynn lied to the FBI, which had monitored the ambassadors calls, by denying that they discussed sanctions. Sally Yates, then the acting U.S. attorney general, warned the White House that Flynn could be blackmailed by the Kremlin and he was forced out as national security advisor after less than a month in the job. The retired Army three-star general later pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents. His sentencing was postponed in December after a federal judge told him arguably, you sold your country out and warned he could go to prison. Flynn is still cooperating with prosecutors in a related investigation. Winning a Republican seat in Orange County is hard enough for a Democrat. Holding it is a whole different matter. For the record: An earlier version of this article identified Rep. Gil Cisneros district as the 38th. He represents the 39th District. And the four Democratic freshmen who won seats in the historically Republican county in 2018 are already staking out starkly different routes to hold onto their jobs after 2020. Reps. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) and Mike Levin (D- San Juan Capistrano) joined the Congressional Progressive Caucus, aligning themselves with an energized, vocal group of liberal newcomers clamoring to change Washington. Advertisement O.C.'s blue wave: A periodic look at the six Democrats in Congress now representing the former GOP stronghold. Laguna Beach Rep. Harley Rouda, a former Republican, is taking the opposite approach, joining the centrist New Democrat Coalition and positioning himself as a moderate who wants to ensure liberal programs make economic sense. Yorba Linda Rep. Gil Cisneros seems to be trying to cover all bases with a combination of both strategies, joining the Progressive Caucus and the New Democrat Coalition. They both reflect parts of who I am, Cisneros said. There are risks and rewards for each approach. Can unabashed progressives like Porter and Levin survive in districts that remain heavily Republican? Will Roudas centrist platform anger the O.C. Democratic activists who propelled him into office? How long can Cisneros straddle the partys divide? Across the country, dozens of Democrats who won Republican-leaning seats are making the same calculation: how to connect with voters back home who may not share their political ideals, while still making their mark in Washington. The Orange County Democrats will be under particular scrutiny. The area was a Republican bastion for decades and the GOP wants it back. Keeping Orange County blue is not impossible, according to Harvard University professor Theda Skocpol. For starters, Trump is very unpopular in the county and hell likely be on the 2020 ballot. The rest will depend largely on how the four define themselves to their constituents. There are plenty of cases where someone considered to the left or right of their district continues to be reelected because there is a sense they are connected, she said. Levin and Porter arent running away from their progressive positions. I think youve got to be authentic, Levin said. Im going to do my very best to listen to constituents and to people in our district. But ultimately, I think that voters will reward someone who stands on their values, and so Im willing to let the chips fall. Levin, a former environmental attorney, has made climate change his signature issue, a risky gambit in a district where Republicans still hold a 3.38-percentage-point registration advantage. He was one of just three freshman Democrats appointed to the new select panel to study climate change, and he was one of the first freshmen to endorse the Green New Deal. Levin is chairman of the Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, an unusual opportunity for a freshman thanks largely to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who has ensured that each of the four new O.C. Democrats are getting a platform to prove themselves. He has also made a nod to the activists who supported him by hiring local organizer Ellen Montanari to run his monthly town halls. Montanari led the Tuesday morning protests outside Rep. Darrell Issas office that contributed to the representative deciding not to run for reelection in the 49th District. Porter is a protege of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and a consumer-protection law and banking expert. Her position on the House Financial Services Committee allows her to be a leading voice on Wall Street and the American banking system. Porter has grown close to high-profile progressives, like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). Though she hasnt received the public attention they have, Porter had some standout moments in committee hearings, including asking Equifaxs chief executive to disclose his Social Security number, birth date and address in a public, televised hearing. He refused, prompting Porter to question why the companys lawyers argued in federal court in January that there was no injury caused by a 2017 data breach where hackers got the personal identifying information of 147 million people. Some questioned during the campaign if Porter was too liberal for the 45th District, where Republicans hold a 5.28-point voter registration advantage. She said she wants to hear from a variety of constituents, but ultimately must vote her conscience. You should always be questioning why you hold the positions that you have, but I dont think that you can adequately advocate for Orange County if youre not willing to ultimately take the votes that you think are going to be the best for Orange County families. And sometimes those votes will be hard, Porter said. Because of their positions, Porter and Levin are likely the most vulnerable to GOP efforts to label O.C. Democrats as too far left. Were going to hold these socialist Democrats accountable for everything they say, everything they do, and everything their socialist-leaning party does, said National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Torunn Sinclair, referring to all four new O.C. Democrats. Rouda is taking a route of moderate pragmatism. While Im a Democrat, and I support many of the progressive issues that were working on, they also have to be based on an economic foundation, said the real estate magnate. Rouda is the Oversight and Government Reform Committees Environment Subcommittee chairman and also serves on the House Transportation Committee. The 48th District is the most Republican-leaning in Orange County, and even though Rouda won with nearly 54% of the vote, the GOP still has an 8.11-point voter registration advantage there. Rouda, a Republican until registering as decline to state 20 years ago and then as a Democrat in 2017, said he represents how the partisan makeup of his district has changed. I got elected because I was a mainstream candidate. I was a candidate that appealed to Democrats and Republicans and independents. Perhaps maybe not the extremists, but the vast majority of voters who tend to be between the 20-yard lines, he said. Even so, local Democratic activists who played a major role in his defeat of Rep. Dana Rohrabacher say they will be watching Rouda closely. Aaron McCall, head of the local chapter of Indivisible, said the activist group will issue report cards on how Rouda votes and interacts with the community. But McCall said he understands the balancing act Rouda must play. If you are comparing him to Ocasio-Cortez, a lot of people would say hes not progressive, McCall said. Hes extremely progressive compared to Dana Rohrabacher. Cisneros has taken a different route, keeping a lower profile, avoiding picking sides in the partys political divide and focusing largely on local issues. There were opportunities where I could have been a subcommittee chair, or something like that. But to me its more important right now... to put my emphasis and my time and dedication really towards the district, Cisneros said. In November, Cisneros joined a handful of rebel Democrats pledging in an open letter to oppose Pelosi for speaker. But he changed his mind after Pelosi agreed to limit how long she would serve. The 39th District has been trending blue for some time Republicans just lost their voter registration advantage there to Democrats by nearly a percentage point which could be part of why its long-serving Republican Rep. Ed Royce decided not to run for reelection in 2018. Cisneros, a former Republican who became a Democrat four years ago, serves on the Armed Services and Veterans Affairs committees, which feeds into his Navy background and his campaign promise to work on veterans issues. He may also be more focused on the ethnic split in the district, which is a third Latino, a third white and a third Asian. Cisneros won with just 51.6% of the vote, beating former state Assemblywoman Young Kim. Retired UC San Diego political scientist Gary Jacobson said hedging to the center is smart, but warned that politics have become so partisan that Cisneros might find it difficult to align with both progressives and moderates for long. Party lines are firmer. There are no liberal Republicans. There are no conservative Democrats left, Jacobson said. Its much more difficult to present yourself as someone who resides outside those partisan boxes. Rep. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), a second-term lawmaker who represents one of the other Orange County districts, said focusing on district priorities and constituents rather than the glamour of Washington is key for a first-term member seeking reelection. My advice is go with your gut, Correa said. But hopefully your gut tells you youve got to be in your district. The latest from Washington More stories from Sarah D. Wire The end of a sprawling investigation that has riveted the nation usually calls for a news conference from the person in charge, but Robert S. Mueller III chose a different approach Friday. The special counsel sent a security officer to the Justice Department to deliver his long-awaited final report on the Russia case, then joined his wife and another couple for a quiet dinner in a favorite neighborhood restaurant. With no photographers or TV cameras in sight, they sat in a secluded booth as cable news and social media exploded with speculation and accusations. It was a fitting conclusion for the man whose tenure as the least talkative yet most talked-about public figure in Washington is drawing to a close. Advertisement Mueller, 74, is expected to step down as special counsel in the coming days, and only a skeleton crew is left in the office at this point. His report, which remains confidential for now, caps nearly two years of investigating Russian political interference, any potential conspiracy with Donald Trumps campaign and whether the president obstructed justice. During that time, Mueller was practically a ghost. Sometimes a snapshot would emerge of him sitting down at an Apple store, or coincidentally waiting for a flight at the same airport gate as Donald Trump Jr. Otherwise he was at most a blurry figure, captured behind his car window as he pulled up to the special counsels office in the early mornings. His name often appeared at the bottom of indictments and court filings all told, 34 people were charged but his subordinates did the talking during courtroom proceedings. Muellers only public comment has been a single sentence, when he was appointed as special counsel nearly two years ago in May 2017, and the statement was as plain as the white shirts that hes made his official uniform. I accept this responsibility and will discharge it to the best of my ability, Mueller said. He issued no statement on Friday when he submitted his report. Trump often raged at Muellers work, repeatedly calling the Russia investigation a witch hunt and describing him as a conflicted prosecutor gone rogue. But even the president, a former reality television star, would likely give his chief antagonist one of his favorite compliments that Mueller was from central casting. Muellers history of public service, reticence and rectitude provided a sharp contrast to Trumps life of tabloid shenanigans, bombast and garish wealth. A Princeton University graduate, Mueller volunteered for the Marines and served as an infantry officer in the Vietnam War, receiving a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart after being shot in the leg. He became a federal prosecutor after the war and rose through the ranks at the Justice Department. Eventually he served for a dozen years as FBI director under presidents of both parties, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, after Obama and Congress agreed to a special law to extend Muellers term beyond the 10-year limit. Mueller was working in private practice when Trump fired his successor as FBI director, James B. Comey, on May 9, 2017. In a move to preserve the independence of the Russia investigation, Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller to serve as special counsel. President Trump speaks to the media as he leaves the White House bound for his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on March 22. (Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA/Shutterstock) Since then, Muellers silence has been the counterweight to Trumps blizzard of Twitter screeds, and the special counsels office earned a reputation as the rare leak-proof operation in Washington. Muellers reserve was also a marked shift from two of the highest profile special prosecutors of the past generation Lawrence E. Walsh, who spent seven years examining the Iran-Contra scandal of the Reagan administration, and Kenneth W. Starr, whose investigation of Bill Clinton and his White House lasted four years. Starr talked publicly about his work, at one point holding a widely televised, impromptu news conference at the end of his suburban Washington driveway. Clinton allies accused Starrs prosecutors, who included Brett M. Kavanaugh, now a Supreme Court justice, of routinely leaking secret grand jury testimony in an effort to force the president to resign. The investigation ultimately led the House to impeach Clinton, who was then acquitted by the Senate. Starr consistently denied any improper actions. But in 1998, as the Clinton impeachment proceedings were taking place, U.S. District Judge Norma Holloway Johnson ruled that members of his staff had engaged in serious and repetitive violations of grand jury secrecy rules. Johnson threatened contempt proceedings against Starr staffers in one case, but an appeals court overturned that portion of her order, ruling that she had applied too strict a standard and that the way Starrs staff dealt with the press was troubling but not illegal. A special master who investigated the leak allegations wrote a report of his findings that was never released and remains under seal. In a recent CNN interview, Starr defended his public comments about the case and said he thought Muellers approach in declining to talk publicly was not wise. I just have a different perspective, Starr said. I think its important to provide public information thats appropriate. Kennetth Starr is swarmed by the media in 1998 while investigating President Bill Clinton, a scene that hasnt been repeated by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. (Ken Cedeno / Knight-Ridder Tribune) Walsh investigated the Iran-Contra scandal, in which Reagan administration officials facilitated the sale of arms to Iran to fund the right-wing Nicaraguan rebel group known as Contras at a time when U.S support for the rebels was forbidden by law. Walsh ultimately indicted 14 people, winning 11 convictions. Several of the convictions were overturned on appeal. And at the end of his presidency, George H.W. Bush, who was vice president at the time the scandal unfolded, pardoned the rest of those convicted, including the secretary of Defense at the time of the scandal, Caspar Weinberger. Walsh, whose investigation was ongoing at that point, publicly criticized Bush for his action, holding a news conference in which he said that the Iran-Contra cover-up, which has continued for more than six years, has now been completed. In his final news conference several months later, at which Walsh released a 566-page report and 785 pages of supporting documents, he said Bush and other Reagan administration officials had thwarted his investigation. Reagan, in a statement at the time, said Walsh had become vindictive and had used his office to harass individuals and otherwise to damage the lives of the persons he was given license to investigate. Both Walsh and Starr served under an independent counsel statute that expired in 1999. That statute gave them more freedom than Mueller, who is supervised by the Justice Department, headed by Trump appointees. But Muellers tight-lipped approach still stands out in a city packed with people of supersized egos and camera-ready ambitions. Its unclear whether Mueller will be able to maintain his silence in the coming weeks and months. Atty. Gen. William Barr is expected to provide Congress with a summary of the special counsels conclusions as soon as this weekend, but thats unlikely to satisfy House Democrats who are eager for a more complete and public picture. Some have already talked about bringing Mueller to Capitol Hill to testify. Muellers restraint undoubtedly helped inoculate him from some criticism from Trumps allies, who were quick to criticize any whiff of political bias from investigators. They mostly targeted secondary figures instead, perhaps a recognition that they were unlikely to tarnish the special counsel himself. House Republicans focused their ire on Peter Strzok, a former FBI agent, and Lisa Page, a former FBI lawyer, who exchanged anti-Trump text messages while working at the agency during the 2016 campaign. Mueller removed Strzok from the special counsels office when the messages came to light, but critics said Strzoks involvement tainted the probe. Trumps lawyer, former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, focused on Muellers prosecutors, particularly top deputy Andrew Weissmann. Giuliani described Weissmann as a complete scoundrel in a CNN interview last summer. Mueller himself managed to win some unlikely praise from the presidents camp, including from Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law and White House advisor. During a recent panel discussion, Lowell said, I dont know of a special counsel whos done it better. Staff writer Noah Bierman contributed to this report. Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III turned in his long-anticipated report on the Russia investigation on Friday, but did not recommend any more indictments in the political and legal saga that has threatened President Trumps tenure in the White House and is likely to cloud his legacy. Mueller delivered a confidential report to Atty. Gen. William Barr, the Justice Department announced. A Barr spokeswoman described it as comprehensive but provided no other details. The special counsels decision to wrap up the investigation without further criminal charges probably brings a measure of relief to the president and his inner circle after nearly two years under scrutiny by the former FBI director. Mueller has charged 34 people, the most of any special prosecutor since Watergate. They include more than two dozen Russians and several of Trumps top former aides, including his national security advisor and his campaign chairman. Advertisement No Americans were charged with conspiring with Moscow to influence the 2016 presidential campaign, the original focus of the criminal and counter-intelligence investigation. However, Muellers work spawned a web of other inquiries, most notably from House Democrats and federal prosecutors in New York, that will continue to shadow Trump and may lead to additional charges. In a letter to the leaders of the House and Senate judiciary committees, Barr wrote that Mueller has concluded his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election and related matters. Barr said he may be able to advise the committees of Muellers principal conclusions as soon as this weekend. He also wrote that other information may be made available to Congress, and he remains committed to as much transparency as possible. There were no instances in which Justice Department leaders overruled a decision by the special counsel, Barr wrote. Trump flew to his resort compound in Florida, Mar-a-Lago, before Barr received the report and had no immediate comment. The White House spokeswoman, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said in a statement that the next steps are up to Barr and we look forward to the process taking its course. The White House has not received or been briefed on the special counsels report. Although Muellers report ends his investigation, its filing marks the starting point for waves of legal battles, congressional wrangling and political recriminations in the months ahead and through the 2020 presidential campaign. Democrats and some Republicans quickly demanded that the report be made public as soon as possible and that all of the material be sent to Congress without redactions. Many of the 2020 presidential contenders tweeted their demand for a full public review minutes after news broke of Barrs notification to Congress. The White House must not be allowed to interfere in decisions about what parts of those findings or evidence are made public, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. Democrats have expressed concern that the Justice Department would release only portions of the report that defend the president and his aides, or that the White House might try to bury damaging material. Congress and the American people deserve to judge the facts for themselves, said Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Any attempt by the Trump administration to cover up the results of this investigation into Russias attack on our democracy would be unacceptable. House Democrats have vowed to issue subpoenas, if necessary, to obtain the complete report as they launch multiple investigations aimed at Trumps businesses, private finances and presidency. Republican leaders said they were eager to see the report as well. The attorney general has said he intends to provide as much information as possible, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said in a statement. I sincerely hope he will do so as soon as he can, and with as much openness and transparency as possible. I expect [the Justice Department] to release the special counsels report to this committee & public w/o delay & to maximum extent permitted by law, Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, wrote on Twitter. A security officer working for the special counsels office delivered Muellers report to the Justice Department early Friday afternoon. Stephen Boyd, the assistant attorney general for legislative affairs, then went to Capitol Hill to deliver the letter notifying Congress that Muellers report had been received. Barrs chief of staff, Brian Rabbitt, called Emmet Flood, a member of the White House counsels office, about 4:35 or 4:40 p.m. to alert him as well. Flood, who was hired to help the president handle the investigations, was traveling with Trump in Palm Beach, Fla. Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein, who first appointed and supervised Mueller, telephoned him at 4:30 p.m. to thank him for his service and express his appreciation, according to a senior Justice Department official. Rosenstein has said he plans to leave the department shortly. Mueller was later seen eating dinner at an American-style restaurant that he frequents in northwest Washington. Many of Muellers prosecutors are returning to other positions at the Justice Department, while his top deputy is returning to academia. Mueller has not yet stepped down as special counsel. Hes expected to remain in place as the office wraps up its operations. Even before he filed his report, the former FBI director had produced a vast public record of crimes, lies and misdeeds, one that is especially alarming because it involves a foreign adversary interfering in a U.S. election. Mueller gave no interviews and issued no public statements apart from a one-sentence statement when he was appointed special counsel in May 2017. That added an unusual degree of mystery to his work and prompted endless speculation about the sprawling investigation. The special counsels office investigated Moscows efforts to sway the 2016 presidential campaign, whether Trumps aides or allies conspired with the Kremlin-backed operation, and whether the president improperly interfered with the investigation. Along the way, Muellers team uncovered and prosecuted numerous other crimes, including an epidemic of lying to lawmakers and federal agents, as well as financial crimes related to an illegal lobbying scheme on behalf of Ukraines pro-Russian government. Other federal prosecutors already have used Muellers work to kick off their own investigations. The U.S. attorneys office in Manhattan has directly implicated Trump in an illegal hush-money scheme allegedly designed to silence his alleged mistresses in the final weeks of the 2016 campaign. Depending on what the report says, Trump is expected to claim full vindication or continue his tirades against a witch hunt that he says was conducted for partisan purposes. He submitted written answers to questions from Muellers team, but despite months of negotiations did not submit to a formal interview. On Wednesday, the president appeared to agree with polls showing widespread public support for releasing the entire report. Let it come out. Let people see it, he told reporters at the White House. Lets see whether or not its legit. Its unclear whether Muellers report includes any major revelations beyond the extensive indictments and court filings hes assembled in the last two years. The special counsels office detailed how Vladimir Putins Russia attempted to influence the last presidential election with a vast disinformation campaign on social media as well as illegal hacks and leaks of Democratic Party emails. Court filings showed that Trumps top lieutenants met or communicated dozens of times with Russian diplomats, suspected intelligence agents or officials during the campaign and the transition that followed and then lied repeatedly about those contacts. In addition, while Trump was running for president, his confidants secretly tried to assemble financial and political support in Moscow to build a luxury Trump Tower condominium and hotel complex potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars to his business. Mueller and his team ultimately charged 34 individuals, including 25 Russians. Seven people pleaded guilty, including several in Trumps inner orbit. They include Michael Flynn, his former national security advisor; Paul Manafort, his former campaign chairman; Richard Gates, his deputy campaign chairman; and Michael Cohen, his former personal lawyer and a senior executive in the Trump Organization. No Americans were charged with conspiring with the Kremlin-backed operation, however, and Trump has consistently denied any collusion between his campaign and Moscow. On Wednesday, Trump complained that Mueller, unlike him, had never won an election. I got 63 million votes. And now somebody just writes a report? I think its ridiculous, the president said. The Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, won more than 65 million votes but lost the electoral college. Mueller was appointed special counsel by Rosenstein after Trump fired James B. Comey as FBI director in May 2017. Rosenstein was overseeing the Russia investigation because Jeff Sessions, then attorney general, had recused himself because of his role in the campaign. Sessions was forced out in November, and Barr was confirmed as his replacement in February. Times staff writers Jennifer Haberkorn, Sarah D. Wire, Noah Bierman and David Willman contributed to this report. Atty. Gen. William P. Barr told Congress on Sunday that special counsel Robert S. Mueller III did not find evidence that President Trump or his campaign conspired with Russians during the 2016 election, a significant victory for a president who has steadfastly denied any inappropriate ties to Moscow. Mueller did not determine whether Trump obstructed justice, which was another focus of the investigation, yet he concluded that the evidence does not exonerate the president, Barr wrote in his letter to lawmakers. The attorney general, however, decided the facts dont show Trump committed a crime by trying to interfere with the Russia probe, a judgment that Democrats will fiercely contest and that will fuel their efforts to see Muellers full report. Barrs four-page letter was based on a final report from Mueller that remains confidential after being submitted to the Justice Department on Friday. Advertisement Read Atty. Gen. William P. Barrs summary of the Mueller investigation It was a complete and total exoneration, Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One to fly back to Washington from Florida, where he spent the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort. It was a shame that our country had to go through this. He angrily described the investigation as an illegal takedown that failed. Barrs letter does nothing to wipe away the numerous crimes to which Trumps associates have confessed during the nearly two-year investigation, nor does it deter other ongoing probes some of them referred to federal prosecutors by the Mueller team that threaten the president and his businesses. But it does provide Trump with some inoculation against allegations from Democrats and other critics who have ascribed dark motivations to Trumps praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his dismissals of Moscows covert operation. However, unlike the president, Barr accepted as fact the Mueller teams evidence that Russians interfered in the 2016 election and that there were multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign a conclusion that contradicted Trumps acceptance of Putins denial at their Helsinki summit last year. Atty. Gen. William P. Barr leaves his house Sunday. He spent the weekend at Justice Department headquarters in Washington. (Alex Wong / Getty Images) Muellers conclusions could blunt House Democrats own investigations of the president now getting underway, with some covering the same ground that the special counsel has scoured. The findings also do not provide a clear case to impeach the president that some party activists had hoped for, to overcome Democratic leaders opposition to such action. Yet Democrats in Congress are likely to be energized in their efforts to force disclosure of Muellers entire report, especially given that Barr quoted only sparsely from it. In particular, his letter is certain to spark a renewed debate over whether the president obstructed justice, especially given Barrs finding that Trump did not do so after Mueller declined to decide the question. The attorney general wrote that Mueller simply outlined evidence for and against an obstruction case. Barr quoted from the special counsels submission: While this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. Barr reviewed Muellers findings over the weekend with Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller and supervised the investigation. They determined, he said, that there is not sufficient evidence to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense. One factor that weighed heavily, Barr wrote, was that there was no proof the president was involved in an underlying crime involving the election and Russian interference. Such a circumstance, he said, would make it hard to win a conviction for obstruction, even setting aside Justice Department rules against indicting a sitting president. In cataloguing the Presidents actions, many of which took place in public view, the report identifies no actions that, in our judgement, constitute obstructive conduct, Barr wrote. Democrats are unlikely to accept that conclusion from Barr, a Trump appointee who criticized the investigation into obstruction of justice before his nomination as attorney general, and especially after Trump repeatedly expressed a desire to shut down what he described as a witch hunt. Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, the Democratic chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said he plans to call Barr to testify in the near future about the very concerning discrepancies between his letter and Muellers report. The hearing would be another step in what could become a prolonged tug of war over fully disclosing the special counsels findings. House Democrats have talked about issuing subpoenas or bringing Mueller himself to Capitol Hill to answer questions. Congress Democratic leaders, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York, said in a joint statement that Barrs letter raises as many questions as it answers. They said the attorney general is not a neutral observer and is not in a position to make objective determinations. Their statement did not address the conclusion that there was no conspiracy with Russia, a finding that Trump and his allies described as a clear vindication of the president and his campaign. This case is closed, said Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, the Republican minority leader in the House. He added, Democrat leaders acted irresponsibly and threw caution to the wind to damage and distract from the work the Trump administration is doing on behalf of our fellow citizens. Trump, like members of Congress, was unaware until Sunday afternoon of the contents of the report Mueller sent to the Justice Department on Friday. The attorney generals chief of staff called Trump lawyer Emmet Flood to provide him with a summary of Barrs letter at about 3 p.m., a senior Justice Department official said. The letter provided new details on the breadth of the Russia investigation. Muellers office included 19 lawyers who were assisted by 40 FBI agents, analysts, forensic accountants and other specialists. The special counsel also issued more than 2,800 subpoenas, executed nearly 500 search warrants and interviewed roughly 500 witnesses. One of those interviews, however, was not with the president. Trump only answered written questions from the special counsels office, and Mueller never issued a subpoena for an interview, thus avoiding a possible legal fight that could have gone to the Supreme Court. Barr said more information from the investigation could be forthcoming, and he has promised to provide as much transparency as possible. He wrote that he plans to work with Mueller to determine what else can become public while withholding information from secret grand jury testimony or ongoing investigations. Mueller is not seeking more indictments and is expected to step down as special counsel in the coming days, after nearly two years of assiduously behind-the-scenes investigating with his team. Rosenstein appointed Mueller, a former FBI director to two presidents, after Trump fired his successor at the FBI, James B. Comey, in May 2017 a firing that became part of the obstruction investigation. Along the way, a total of 34 people were charged, including 25 Russians and several of the presidents close associates. Some of the Russians charged were accused of spreading disinformation on social media, while others were charged with hacking Democratic Party emails and releasing them through WikiLeaks at key moments to undermine Trumps 2016 rival, Hillary Clinton. No Americans have been charged with working with Russians during the campaign. However, Mueller helped expose an eagerness by Trump and his associates to capitalize on Moscows assistance, then lie about it repeatedly. Michael Cohen, Trumps former lawyer, admitted to seeking help from the Kremlin to build a luxury skyscraper in Moscow that would have earned Trump hundreds of millions of dollars. The negotiations were underway until after Trump secured the Republican presidential nomination, far longer than Cohen had originally testified to Congress. He is scheduled to start a three-year prison sentence May 6. Michael Flynn, Trumps first national security advisor, pleaded guilty to lying about discussing sanctions with the Russian ambassador during the presidential transition period. Roger Stone, a longtime political advisor to Trump, was indicted in January in connection with lying about his pursuit of Democrats hacked emails from WikiLeaks. He has pleaded not guilty and he is scheduled to stand trial later this year. In addition, Donald Trump Jr. accepted a meeting with a Russian lawyer during the campaign after being told she represented the Kremlins support for his father. I love it, Trump Jr. wrote to an intermediary, and he hosted the lawyer at Trump Tower along with Jared Kushner, his brother-in-law and a top campaign advisor, and Paul Manafort, the campaign chairman. No charges have been filed in connection with the Trump Tower meeting in June 2016, and participants have said that no campaign assistance was provided during the encounter. Manafort was convicted of financial crimes connected to his work as a political consultant to what was then the pro-Russia government in Ukraine, and he also pleaded guilty to two conspiracy charges related to attempted witness tampering and an illegal lobbying scheme. He has been sentenced to 7 years in prison. Muellers work has also spawned a series of other investigations, notably in New York, where Cohen admitted his role in a hush money scheme that silenced two women who claimed they had affairs with Trump. Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, which is handling the case, said Trump directed the scheme during the campaign, directly implicating the president in a felony. There are also ongoing investigations into Trumps inaugural committee, his now-defunct charitable foundation and his businesses. In a recent Fox News interview, the president said, I dont know about these things. I said to my lawyers, Are we being looked at here, there? Trump said. They dont even know what people are talking about. Times staff writer Laura King contributed to this report. It might be hard to imagine, but despite dozens of criminal charges and wall-to-wall media coverage, the end of the Russia investigation has left a lot of unanswered questions. Few of them were addressed in the bare-bones, four-page summary that Atty. Gen. William Barr sent to Congress on Sunday, and its unclear whether there are more details in the full, confidential report that special counsel Robert S. Mueller III submitted to Barr on Friday. Heres what we still dont know. The professor The first person to plead guilty in the nearly two-year investigation was George Papadopoulos, a young foreign policy aide to President Trumps campaign. He admitted to lying about his conversations with Joseph Mifsud, a Maltese professor who allegedly told him that Russians were collecting dirt on Hillary Clinton and had thousands of emails. This conversation took place in April 2016, before Moscow started releasing hacked Democratic Party emails. Did Mifsud have inside information from the Kremlin? And did he share it as part of the Russian covert operation? Advertisement The Russian Before Paul Manafort began leading Trumps campaign, he worked in Ukraine with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian whom prosecutors have repeatedly described as connected to Moscows intelligence apparatus. However, they have not disclosed any evidence of these ties. During the campaign, Manafort provided Kilimnik with polling data and later lied about it when asked by the special counsels office, another red flag. Yet no charges were filed in connection with the decision to share the data. What was Manaforts goal? And did Kilimnik provide the information to anyone else? The dirty trickster Roger Stone, a longtime political advisor to Trump, allegedly spent the campaign trying to learn more about WikiLeaks plans to release hacked Democratic Party emails. According to the indictment against him, Stone reached out to the organizations leader, Julian Assange, through intermediaries, but its unclear whether he ever made contact. (Stone has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and faces trial later this year.) The indictment also said a senior Trump campaign official was directed to contact Stone to talk about WikiLeaks after the first email release during the Democratic National Convention. Who besides Trump was in position to direct a senior official to do something like that? The Trump Tower meeting Donald Trump Jr. didnt hesitate when he received an email from a British music publicist offering to arrange a meeting with a Russian lawyer who was said to be part of the Kremlins effort to support his fathers candidacy. Promised incriminating information on Clinton, Trump Jr. responded, I love it. Also at the meeting, which took place in Trump Tower in June 2016, was Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law and advisor, and Manafort, the campaign chairman. However, no charges were filed in connection with the meeting, and participants have said no campaign assistance was provided. Did the Russian lawyer, Natalia V. Veselnitskaya, actually have a role in Moscows covert campaign? Mueller has never said. The lies More than anything, Mueller uncovered an epidemic of lying among Trumps associates. Michael Flynn, the presidents first national security advisor, lied about discussing sanctions with the Russian ambassador during the transition period after the election. Michael Cohen, Trumps former lawyer, lied about Trump Organization plans to build a luxury skyscraper in Moscow. And, as noted, Papadopoulos lied about his conversations with Mifsud, and Manafort about his dealings with Kilimnik. Mueller apparently did not find evidence of a conspiracy between Trumps campaign and Russia, yet why all the lying? Cohen testified that the president wanted him to mislead Congress about the Trump Tower Moscow proposal to avoid raising questions about Russian ties. Did others also lie to serve Trump? The obstruction allegations Since Trump took office, media reports have uncovered a series of his attempts, behind the scenes, to blunt or end the Russia investigation. James B. Comey testified to Congress that Trump asked him to go easy on Flynn when he was FBI director, in February 2017. The Washington Post reported that Trump asked intelligence officials to get Comey to back off the investigation in March 2017. Comey was then fired by Trump that May, leading to Muellers appointment as special counsel. The New York Times reported that Trump wanted to fire Mueller as well in June 2017, but backed down when Don McGahn, then the White House counsel, refused to carry out the order. Did the special counsels office substantiate any of these reports, or even learn more? And what might that mean for House Democrats own investigations into whether the president abused his power? Rep. Steve King has civil war on his mind. The Iowa Republican broached the subject in a Saturday evening Facebook post a bizarre meme of two fighting figures, one red and one blue, each an amalgamation of states based on their political leanings. Folks keep talking about another civil war, the meme read. One side has about 8 trillion bullets, while the other side doesnt know which bathroom to use. King, whom Congress recently stripped of committee assignments over his comments about white supremacy, annotated the image with a winking emoji and mused, Wonder who would win.... Advertisement King was openly pondering violent, armed conflict, apparently joking about Republican-leaning states fighting their Democratic-leaning neighbors in a second American civil war. But King, an Iowa native, may have been confused about which side he was on. There, forming the blue warriors bicep, was his home state, delivering a cartographic uppercut to the jaw of its red opponent. King deleted the post, which he shared on an official campaign page, Monday. His office did not respond to questions about the picture or his reasons for posting and removing it. Observers pilloried him for the post, which many saw as further provocation in a divisive political climate that has already experienced civil war rhetoric. Many called for Kings expulsion from Congress, a punishment that would end his nine-term run in office. This is treason, said Richard Painter, the Bush administration ethics chief, on Twitter. Steve King should be expelled from the House immediately. Responding to Painter, Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe modified his criticism: King isnt actually COMMITTING treason, but he is fomenting and inciting it. Ample reason to expel him. The Democratic Party in Clay County, Iowa, which is located in Kings district in the northwestern area of the state, told its representative, Iowa would be better off if you just resigned. Some criticized Kings timing, as he posted the meme the day after a white supremacist killed 50 people in New Zealand mosques. Shannon Watts, founder of the group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, tweeted that King had ignored the gun violence in America and across the world caused by division and fear of one another when he posted the image. MORE: In the chaos of the New Zealand mosque attacks, one heros action saved lives Others accused King of promoting transphobic language, and at least one scholar attempted a history lesson. I grew up in SC where the #CivilWar began, a war that eventually freed 4 million slaves, a war that left 620,000 soldiers dead-including 40,000 Black soldiers, wrote Cornell Brooks, a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and former president of the NAACP. Dont use #transphobia to legitimate #WhiteSupremacy, or bathrooms to spit on graves. Over his nearly two decades as a national political figure, King has furnished a long history of racist remarks and comments widely viewed as anti-Semitic, white nationalist, or insulting to immigrants and to women seeking abortions. He has also made at least two other nods to civil war. In 2018, King himself said the country was on the brink of civil war. In a tweet, he said, America is heading in the direction of another Harpers Ferry. After that comes Ft. Sumter. Harpers Ferry was the site of abolitionist John Browns raid of a federal armory, an attempt to begin an anti-slavery rebellion, that helped spark the Civil War. The attack on Ft. Sumter was considered the start of the war. King has even kept a reminder of the war placed prominently on his desk a small Confederate flag, peeking out from a display that also sported a Gadsden flag. Iowa was part of the Union. Reis Thebault writes for the Washington Post. A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday bolstered the Trump administrations power to arrest and indefinitely jail legal immigrants who committed past crimes that could trigger deportation, including those who completed their sentences years ago or were convicted of minor drug offenses. The courts five conservatives pointed to a mandatory detention rule in a 1996 immigration law that said federal agents shall take into custody immigrants who have been convicted of certain crimes that would lead to deportation. Tuesdays high court decision is the third in the last two years that strengthens Trumps authority under the immigration laws. While the ruling interprets a 1996 law, it takes on added significance because the administration has been more aggressive in arresting and jailing immigrants. The justices in the majority said Congress feared it would be too risky to let terrorists or dangerous criminals go free while deportation was pending. But their opinion conceded the law is so broad it also sweeps in nonviolent drug offenders and tax cheats. Advertisement The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, acting on an American Civil Liberties Union class-action suit in California, ruled in 2016 that these immigrants were not subject to mandatory detention if they were not promptly taken into custody after their release from a local jail or state prison. This spared those who had lived and worked legally in California, some for over a decade. But Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., speaking for the 5-4 majority, called this argument hard to swallow since local officials in so-called sanctuary cities do not alert federal agents when an immigrant is released. In the case, Nielsen vs. Preap, he said the law calls for mandatory detention of the immigrants without exception and regardless of when they are taken into custody. Last June, a 5-4 majority upheld the travel ban and said the president could deny entry to immigrants and visitors from several Muslim-majority nations. A few months earlier, the court ruled the government could hold immigrants for months or years without offering them a bail hearing. That decision, in Jennings vs. Rodriquez, was an offshoot of the case decided Tuesday. Justice Stephen G. Breyer, speaking for the courts four liberals, read his dissent in the courtroom. The greater importance of the case lies in the power that the majoritys interpretation grants to the government. It is a power to detain persons who committed a minor crime many years before, he said. And it is a power to hold those persons, perhaps for many months, without any opportunity to obtain bail. He said the Constitution gave all people the right to a hearing if they were held by the government. I would have thought that Congress intended to adhere to these values and did not intend to allow the government to apprehend persons years after their release from prison and hold them indefinitely without a bail hearing, Breyer said. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan agreed. Joining Alito in the majority were Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh. In a separate opinion, Thomas and Gorsuch said they would have thrown out the suit on the grounds the courts have no authority to review class-action suits challenging immigration enforcement. ACLU Deputy Legal Director Cecillia Wang, who argued the case, criticized the ruling. For two terms in a row now, the Supreme Court has endorsed the most extreme interpretation of immigration detention statutes, she said, allowing mass incarceration of people without any hearing, simply because they are defending themselves against a deportation charge. We will continue to fight the gross overuse of detention in the immigration system. Eduardo Padilla, one of the named plaintiffs, came to the United States in 1966 as an infant and became a lawful permanent resident in the Sacramento area. He has five children and six grandchildren, all of whom are U.S. citizens. Padilla had two convictions for drug possession, in 1997 and 1999, and served 90 days in jail in 2002 for having an unloaded pistol in a shed. In 2013, federal agents rearrested him over those crimes and held him for deportation. But he went free after the 9th Circuit ruled the mandatory detention provision did not apply to immigrants such as Padilla. He was released on a $1,500 bond because a judge decided he did not present a danger and was not likely to flee. The lead plaintiff in the case, Mony Preap, came from Cambodia as a child and had been a lawful U.S. resident since 1981. He was taken into custody over two convictions for possessing marijuana in 2006, but an immigration judge later canceled his deportation and he was released. The Criminal Justice Legal Foundation in Sacramento welcomed the ruling. Kent Scheidegger, its legal director, said the 9th Circuits ruling had misinterpreted the law in order to allow alien criminals in sanctuary cities to avoid detention and deportation under federal law. Congress required mandatory detention for those convicted of aggravated felonies for good reason. The high court heard arguments on the case in mid-October, the same week that Kavanaugh took his seat. He spoke up in defense of the Trump administrations view that the law was intended to authorize federal agents to arrest and hold immigrants with crimes on their records regardless of when they were released. He questioned whether we should be putting in a time limit on taking immigrants into custody. In a short concurring opinion on Tuesday, Kavanaugh said the issue before the court was narrow. It did not involve who will be deported or how long they will be held. It would be odd, in my view, he added, to read the law as exempting certain noncitizens from mandatory detention simply because the government failed to immediately detain them upon their release. The latest from Washington More stories from David G. Savage PITTSBURGH, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Black Box, an industry-leading provider of keyboard, video, and mouse (KVM) connectivity and signal distribution systems, today announced it will showcase the new Emerald ZeroU DVI transmitter for the companys award-winning, high-performance Emerald Unified KVM platform at the upcoming NAB show. A little bigger than a smartphone, the compact ZeroU transmitter works with the Emerald SE receiver to give users a seamless desktop experience anywhere on a TCP/IP network with actual hardware housed securely in a corporate data center or in the cloud. The Black Box team in Ireland engineered and manufactured the ZeroU transmitter to round out the Emerald platforms options for secure point-to-point transmission, said Josh Whitney, senior vice president of the Technology Product Solutions business at Black Box. Perfect for facilities with limited rack space, this convenient little transmitter fits in tight spaces to give users advanced KVM functionality just the way they need it. With dimensions of 7(w) x 15.5(l) x 2.5(h) cm, the ZeroU device is ideal for applications in which space is limited or costly. Supporting visually lossless full HD DVI video up to 1920 x 1200 and requiring less than 40 Mbps bandwidth for 1080p video, the transmitter brings high-performance connectivity to broadcast and postproduction trucks, healthcare emergency rooms, air traffic control rooms, industrial and transportation control room, educational facilities, and more. The ZeroU device can function as a basic point-to-point extender supporting simple, space-saving remote desktop connectivity. Alternatively, it can be used with other types of Emerald transmitters in a KVM matrix switching setup that addresses all the unique connectivity requirements of a particular facility or application. In conjunction with the Emerald SE receiver, the ZeroU enables seamless remote desktop connectivity to physical PCs, servers, and video sources, as well as virtual desktops hosted on servers or in the cloud. By supporting seamless integration of physical and virtual desktops, the new transmitter empowers users not only to optimize their deployments but also to make a smooth migration to cloud services. Like all Emerald devices, the ZeroU transmitter can be managed by Boxilla, the award-winning KVM network management system from Black Box. With Boxilla, users can take advantage of valuable features and capabilities for managing connections, system security, performance, and access. Because design consultation services are included with every Black Box product, integrators and end users can work with the company to optimize deployment of the ZeroU transmitter and their complete Emerald system. More information on Black Box and its products is available at www.blackbox.com. About Black Box Black Box delivers award-winning products and services that simplify signal management and distribution in IT and communication systems. We engineer and manufacture KVM and audio/video systems that connect users with PCs and servers, desktops and peripherals, ensuring smart, flexible access to critical IT assets, data and content. For government, education and commercial organizations of all sizes, we design and supply secure infrastructure solutions for control rooms, conference and collaboration facilities, and digital signage. With four decades of experience, as well as a global presence and an extensive team of technical experts, we provide the products, solutions, service and support that allow our clients to connect with their colleagues, their customers and the world. To learn more, visit the Black Box website at https://www.blackbox.com/ and follow us on Twitter @blackbox_ns . Black Box and the Double Diamond logo are registered trademarks of BB Technologies Inc. The Supreme Court agreed Monday to resolve two long-standing disputes and decide whether the Constitution includes rights to the insanity defense and a unanimous jury verdict of guilt. Most states, but not all, permit criminal defendants to plead insanity and escape the full punishment of the law on the grounds that they did not know right from wrong at the time of the crime. Kansas, however, says defendants may cite a mental disease or defect as a partial defense, but they may be found guilty nonetheless if they intended to commit a violent crime. Similarly, all but two states Louisiana and Oregon require unanimous jury verdicts in criminal cases. Advertisement The justices said Monday that they would hear appeals from convicted murderers in Kansas and Louisiana who contend their convictions were unconstitutional. Voting to hear claims from convicted criminals may seem somewhat surprising for a more conservative high court. But it may be in keeping with another recent ruling that clarified that other constitutional rights should apply to all states. Last month, the justices resolved a similar dispute by ruling the 8th Amendment protects Americans from excessive fines imposed by states and local governments, including the seizure of a $42,000 Land Rover for a $385 drug crime. In that case, Timbs vs. Indiana, the court prodded by new Justices Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh said the time had passed for states to argue that they did not have to abide by all parts of the Bill of Rights. The 6th Amendment protects the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury. And for most of American history, this has been understood to require a jury verdict of guilt based on an unanimous vote. In 1972, the Supreme Court took up the issue in an Oregon case, but issued a splintered 4-1-4 decision. The result was that juries in federal courts must be unanimous to impose guilt, but states such as Oregon and Louisiana were free to uphold jury verdicts that were less than unanimous. In 2016, Evangelisto Ramos was convicted on 10-2 jury verdict of murdering a suspected prostitute in New Orleans. His appeal argued that Louisianas rule allowing non-unanimous jury verdicts was adopted in 1898 for racist reasons, and it should be overturned. The states attorneys urged the court to deny the appeal and noted that the states voters approved requiring unanimous verdicts beginning this year. Nonetheless, the Supreme Court said it would hear Ramos vs. Louisiana in the fall to decide whether unanimous jury verdicts will be a constitutional rule nationwide. The court will also hear an appeal from James Kahler, who shot and killed two of his daughters, his ex-wife and her grandmother, and sought to plead insanity. He claimed that he had sunk into hopeless depression after his marriage collapsed. But a state expert testified that Kahler planned the murders. He was convicted and sentenced to death, despite his insanity plea. His appeal in Kahler vs. Kansas argues that the insanity defense is a fundamental aspect of American justice and cannot be restricted or abolished by the states. In Kansas, Kahlers attorney argued, it is not a defense to criminal liability that mental illness prevented the defendant from knowing his actions were wrong. So long as he knowingly killed a human being even if he did it because he believed the devil told him to, or because a delusion convinced him that his victim was trying to kill him, or because he lacked the ability to control his actions he is guilty. His attorneys said Alaska, Montana, Idaho and Utah have also limited the use of insanity as a defense to a crime. In a third criminal case, the justices will decide whether Lee Boyd Malvo will serve life in prison for his role in the 2002 sniper shootings in the Washington, D.C., area. John Allen Muhammad was convicted of the shootings and executed in Virginia. Malvo, who was then 17, was sentenced to life in prison with no chance for parole. The Supreme Court later put new limits on life prison terms for those who commit murders as a juvenile, and the court in Mathena vs. Malvo will decide whether those rulings apply retroactively to those already serving life terms. If Malvo prevails, he will get a new sentencing hearing. The latest from Washington More stories from David G. Savage A federal appeals court seemed openly skeptical Tuesday that President Trump is illegally profiting from foreign and state government visitors at his luxury hotel in downtown Washington, and that his financial gain comes at the expense of local competitors. The three-judge panel of the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals was reviewing a novel case brought by the attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia involving anti-corruption provisions of the Constitution in the emoluments clauses. The once-obscure clauses were designed to prevent undue influence on government officials but have never before been applied in court to a sitting president. One judge, Dennis Shedd, suggested that the president may actually be driving up business at other local hotels because of numerous people drawn to Washington to protest Trumps policies, who would not choose to stay at the presidents namesake hotel. Advertisement Another, Paul Niemeyer, noted the president had already stepped back from day-to-day management of the Trump International Hotel. Forcing the president to give up his financial interest would not remove the Trump name from the business, the judge said, and foreign dignitaries would still book rooms and events at the venue. The judges repeatedly pressed the attorney representing D.C. Atty. Gen. Karl Racine and Maryland Atty. Gen. Brian Frosh, both Democrats, about the specific remedy the two jurisdictions are seeking and about their intentions. What solves the concerns you have? Shedd said, asking if divestment of a hotel or putting it into a blind trust might be an answer. You filed the lawsuit and you dont even know what real-world relief would satisfy, Niemeyer said, addressing Loren AliKhan, solicitor general for the District of Columbia. You seem to be ducking the question. AliKhan said Trump, in his role as president, is violating the foreign and domestic emoluments clauses of the Constitution by choosing to maintain his business interests. The official action is the accepting of emoluments, which is a violation of the Constitution, AliKhan told the court. Divestment, she said, might be an option. The third judge on the panel, Marvin Quattlebaum, is a recent Trump nominee to the court. Quattlebaum appeared concerned about a broad definition of emoluments. Would it mean, he asked, that presidents would have to give up Treasury bills and federally insured bank accounts? My view is it covers any profit, gain or advantage AliKhan said of an emolument, but stopped short of saying a Treasury bill or other passive investment would qualify. The Trump administration attorney told the court that Maryland and D.C. have no authority to sue the president in his official capacity over payments the presidents business accepts from state and foreign governments. The president is unique in our system of government, said Justice Department attorney Hashim Mooppan. Hes not just any old inferior officer. Thats why he gets absolute immunity. The panel specifically is considering whether the District and Maryland have legal grounds or standing to sue the president in the first place. And the appeals court will consider the presidents request to dismiss the case outright or to take the unusual step of ordering the lower-court judge to permit a midstream appeal. A federal judge in Maryland allowed the case over the Trump hotel to move forward and adopted a broad definition of the ban to include profit, gain, or advantage received directly or indirectly from foreign, federal or state governments. Trump and his lawyers appealed, saying in court filings that the president should be shielded from such liability and legal distractions. They also are trying to stop an order from U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte authorizing dozens of subpoenas to federal government agencies and Trumps private business entities. The subpoenas seek details on some of the most closely held secrets of Trumps business and finances: Which foreign governments have paid the Trump Organization money? How much? And for what? All of the documents including marketing materials targeted to foreign embassies, credit card receipts and restaurant reservation logs relate to Trumps Washington hotel. The complaint rests on a host of novel and fundamentally flawed constitutional premises, and litigating the claims would entail intrusive discovery into the presidents personal financial affairs and the official actions of his Administration, according to the Justice Departments filing. Despite this remarkable complaint, the district court treated this case as a run-of-the-mill commercial dispute, the filing continues. Not only did it deny the presidents motion to dismiss, but it refused even to certify for immediate appeal. The Richmond, Va.-based court, which takes appeals from Maryland, temporarily put the subpoenas on hold while the case is pending. Unlike past presidents, Trump has retained ownership of his private businesses, including the hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, a few blocks from the White House, that has attracted government clients. The Kuwaiti Embassy has held its National Day celebration there three years in a row. Lobbyists representing the Saudi government reserved blocks of rooms in December 2016. The former governor of Maine stayed at the hotel and dined at its restaurant in 2017. Mooppan said there was no evidence Maryland or the District had been harmed by the Maine governors trip, and that this case should be over. Despite the case and a separate emoluments suit brought by 198 Democrats in Congress the Trump Organization did more business with foreign governments in 2018 than it did the year before. The company said it received $191,000 in profits from large events and hotel bookings paid for by foreign governments last year, money it donated to the U.S. Treasury. The previous year the company reported about $150,000. In January, the inspector general for the General Services Administration said the agency had improperly ignored potential conflicts with the emoluments provision in leasing the Old Post Office building to the hotel. The watchdog agency did not recommend that the GSA modify the deal, but several House committees are now planning investigations into the project. In his initial ruling in March 2018, Messitte found that Maryland and the District had sufficiently shown that Trumps hotel has had and almost certainly will continue to have an unlawful effect on competition. He specifically noted the local governments financial interests in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, which offer venues that may compete for some events. The provisions being reviewed by the 4th Circuit have never before been tested at a federal appeals court. One bars federal officers from taking presents, or emoluments, from foreign governments. The other prohibits presidents from taking side payments from individual states. The Justice Department had urged Messitte to dismiss the case, arguing that the clauses were meant to stop officials from taking bribes but not to prevent them from doing business. The Office of Legal Counsel within the Justice Department has routinely addressed the meaning and implications of the provisions for presidents past. President Reagan requested guidance about whether he could accept the pension he earned as Californias governor. President Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize only after the legal counsels office said he could do so without violating the emoluments clause. Ann E. Marimow and Jonathan OConnell write for the Washington Post. President Trump undermined his administrations sanctions aimed at forcing North Korea to end its nuclear program, surprising his staff and confusing the American public and the world with a tweet Friday afternoon seeming to lift some of them. It was announced today by the U.S. Treasury that additional large scale Sanctions would be added to those already existing Sanctions on North Korea, Trump wrote soon after arriving for the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago retreat in Palm Beach, Fla. I have today ordered the withdrawal of those additional Sanctions! The president initially appeared to be referring to a pair of sanctions that his Treasury secretary announced Thursday against two Chinese shipping companies accused of helping North Korea evade sanctions. Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin issued a strong statement in Thursdays announcement, taking a hard line against North Korea that was greatly at odds with Trumps retreat and his spokeswomans subsequent attempt at an explanation. The confusion was compounded later in the day as officials familiar with the issue said Trump was probably referring to sanctions that were planned but not yet announced. Advertisement Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement earlier in the day that did little to explain what was behind Trumps tweet. She reaffirmed Trumps personal relationship with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, with whom he has had two summits that failed to yield a deal on nuclear disarmament. President Trump likes Chairman Kim and he doesnt think these sanctions will be necessary, she said. The presidents precipitous and puzzling action, however, could go beyond simply erasing the day-old sanctions to undercut long-standing ones that Trump has said would stay in place until North Korea gave up its nuclear program. China and Russia, the two powers most crucial to North Koreas economy, are unlikely to fear violating the U.S.-backed sanctions after Trump seemed to lift penalties after the Treasury Departments finding of wrongdoing. Mnuchin, in his statement a day earlier, said, The United States and our like-minded partners remain committed to achieving the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea and believe that the full implementation of North Korea-related U.N. Security Council resolutions is crucial to a successful outcome. Treasury will continue to enforce our sanctions, he added, and we are making it explicitly clear that shipping companies employing deceptive tactics to mask illicit trade with North Korea expose themselves to great risk. National security advisor John Bolton had also tried to underscore the tough stance against North Korea signified by Thursdays sanctions move, tweeting after they were announced that they were important actions. The maritime industry must do more to stop North Koreas illicit shipping practices, he wrote. Everyone should take notice and review their own activities to ensure they are not involved in North Koreas sanctions evasion. Trump often surprises his staff with his tweets, but the stakes get much higher when his bursts involve the U.S. relationship with North Korea, an outlaw nuclear nation that has been among the United States foremost adversaries. Trumps advisors could not immediately explain why he sent the tweet, which sanctions he was referring to or why he would allow sanctions to be announced if he planned on revoking them hours later. It all made for a muddled message, not just to North Korea but also to allies, whose cooperation in upholding economic sanctions is critical, and the disarray once again suggested an administration at odds with its chief executive. Critics assumed Trump was speaking of sanctions just imposed, not prospective penalties. Ive been working on sanctions policy for 15+ years. Dont recall ever seeing a president overrule a Treasury announcement AFTER it was announced, tweeted Mark Dubowitz, chief executive of the right-leaning Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) tweeted that Trump is being played by Kim Jong Un one of the worlds most vicious dictators. Sidestepping his own Treasury Dept. and withdrawing sanctions against North Korea the same day they were announced defies logic, Van Hollen added. He urged Congress to act. It was the second time in as many days that Trump unexpectedly made a foreign policy announcement on Twitter. On Thursday, he reversed half a century of American policy in the Middle East by tweeting that the United States would recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, territory seized from Syria in 1967. Trump has been eager to strike a deal with Kim, lavishing him with praise and insisting on meeting in two summits despite calls from many foreign policy analysts to hold out until North Korea makes concessions. Follow the latest news of the Trump administration on Essential Washington When President Trump proposed opening nearly the entire U.S. coastline to more offshore oil and gas drilling, the backlash from states seeking exemptions was swift. Governors, Republican and Democratic, and state legislatures up and down the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines protested so vigorously that the administration promised to consult with them before finalizing any plans. Instead, Trump is quietly laying the groundwork to weaken a decades-old federal law that empowers California and other states to slow and even stop offshore development in federal waters. Republicans are always supposed to be in favor of states rights, said Richard Charter, who has worked on oil issues for 40 years and is a senior fellow at the marine conservation nonprofit Ocean Foundation. But this is in fact an effort to take away states rights when it comes to offshore drilling. Advertisement In a notice published earlier this month, the Commerce Departments National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration asked the public to weigh in on ways to streamline a state review process granted under the Coastal Zone Management Act. GRAPHIC: Here is where the Trump administration wants to expand offshore oil and gas drilling The 1972 law is widely considered one of the most powerful tools states have to regulate activity off their coasts. It applies to all of the coastal and Great Lakes states, with the exception of Alaska. The act gives states a voice when federal projects or industry development affect their coast, even activities that occur outside a states jurisdiction, which extends three miles from the coast. The scientific agency cant change the law, but through regulation and implementation, it can have a major impact on how it is enforced. Among other things, the administration appears to be considering limits to the scope of states review powers and a shorter period of time to process an appeal. The full extent of its plans is unclear. The goal, officials wrote, is to provide greater efficiency and predictability for oil and gas projects language often used to justify deregulation. The oil industry cheered the administrations move. We appreciate and support efforts to modernize and improve the governance and efficiency of the permitting and approvals process so that unnecessary barriers to oil and natural gas development are minimized and eliminated, said Erik Milito, a vice president of the American Petroleum Institute. Passed in the wake of the devastating 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, the act assures that drilling, shipping, commercial fishing, mineral extraction, wind power projects and other activities fit into states plans for protecting their coastal zones. In practice, this means that activity in federal waters that would otherwise not be open to extensive public scrutiny can be subjected to hearings and local environmental impact assessments. State leaders can insist on modifications. They can negotiate with industry representatives to reach a compromise. According to a 2016 NOAA report, states end up approving 93% to 95% of the federal projects they review. Supporters of this coordinated review process say it has resolved some of the nations most contentious cases without costly litigation that can drag on for years. And though their word is not final, states have used the act as a weapon to defeat projects that threatened the environment and public health. Citing the law in the early 2000s, California managed to halt 36 controversial oil leases between Monterey Bay and Channel Islands national marine sanctuaries. In 2007, the state blocked a proposed liquefied natural gas port that would have floated 14 miles offshore from Ventura and Los Angeles counties. The project was ultimately abandoned after a state review found it posed significant risks to air quality and marine life. These regulations provide an important public process, said Linda Krop, chief counsel at the Environmental Defense Center, a nonprofit environmental law firm based in Santa Barbara. Obtaining these rights has been a hard-fought battle by coastal states, with California leading the charge. Its very meaningful, she said, and thats what the federal government is afraid of. Mark Delaplaine, who manages the California Coastal Commissions Energy, Ocean Resources and Federal Consistency Division, said attempts to weaken the law were alarming. It gets to the heart of arguably the most powerful tool, even with the checks and balances, that the state has. Period, Delaplaine said. This is not the only states rights battle California is fighting with the Trump administration, which is also seeking to end Californias unique ability to set fuel-economy standards for cars higher than the federal level. The Trump administrations draft offshore proposal would allow new oil and gas drilling in more than a billion acres off the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic coasts. It includes plans for 47 lease sales over a five-year period, more than half of which would take place in the Gulf of Mexico and off Alaska. The plan would give the oil and gas industry the first new access to California waters in decades, with six proposed lease sales. Another lease sale would be held off Washington and Oregon. Governors of all three states have vowed to protect their coastlines from offshore drilling. Some now fear the Interior Department is slow-walking the unpopular plan to avoid upsetting the nomination of David Bernhardt, the agencys acting chief, who faces a Senate confirmation hearing later this month. A revised draft of the offshore plan which was expected earlier this year has been delayed without explanation. On Wednesday, 17 senators sent a letter to Bernhardt asking him to clarify how much of the countrys coast would be included in the plan. The American people deserve to know your plan for the Outer Continental Shelf before the Senate votes on your nomination, they wrote. Florida politicians who secured the Interior Departments promise a year ago to exempt the state from new offshore drilling were scrambling to figure out whether the administration would honor it. Floridas entire congressional delegation signed a letter last month asking to be left out of Trumps offshore drilling plan. New Jersey, Delaware, New Hampshire, California and other states passed laws prohibiting new oil and gas pipeline and other infrastructure from being built on state lands an attempt to make transporting oil prohibitively expensive. MORE: First came the proclamations against Trumps offshore drilling plan. Now comes the legislation Cindy Zipf, executive director of the New Jersey advocacy group Clean Ocean Action, said the states resistance likely prompted the administrations effort to reduce their power by revising the coastal law. I do think this is blowback from President Trump in response to the states actions to block oil and gas drilling and infrastructure in state waters, Zipf wrote in an email. Trump has also tried to weaken the law by gutting its funding. In his recent budget proposal, the president sought to end the grants given to states to help implement their coastal management programs, which include reviewing federal offshore activities. The administration made a similar attempt last year, but Congress restored funding in the final budget. Previous administrations have also tried to limit states role in overseeing what happens in federal waters part of a decades-long tug of war. In the 1980s, California sued the Reagan administration to protect its right to review activities occurring off its coast. Under former President George W. Bush, key parts of the review process were expedited to address concerns raised by the energy industry, according to a NOAA report. Delaplaine, of the California Coastal Commission, said that when he started in 1976, California lacked any review authority in federal waters. When Exxon asked that year to build an offshore storage and treatment facility in state waters less than a mile from shore, the commission denied the project. So Exxon moved the project 3.1 miles offshore, into federal waters, and built the same storage and treatment facility. The state couldnt do anything about it. The risk of oil spills was enormous, Delaplaine said. So this tool is infinitely powerful we dont have absolute authority ... but the state can be a lot more involved in the process to negotiate less environmentally damaging alternatives to a project. The latest from Washington More stories from Anna M. Phillips Almost six months after Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered, the man believed to have ordered the killing has cemented his position as President Trumps closest ally in the Arab world. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, has weathered the initial storm over the Oct. 2 killing in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Trump and his aides have made clear that they consider the prince an essential U.S. partner in the Middle East. If they were thinking long-term about American interests, theyd see that hes also one of their biggest problems. MBS, as hes widely known, is an autocrat, a hothead and a disruptor. Hes a younger, Saudi version of Trump only with fewer checks and balances. Advertisement The 33-year-old prince hasnt done much to stabilize the Middle East. Instead, hes made the area even less stable not only by ordering a savage crackdown against dissidents like Khashoggi, but also by bullying other princes, kidnapping Lebanons prime minister, imposing an economic blockade on one neighbor, Qatar, and launching a disastrous war against another, Yemen. When Trump talks about Saudi Arabia under MBS, he extols the kingdom as a buyer of U.S.-manufactured weapons, pointing to deals he claims (with characteristic exaggeration) could reach $110 billion. I dont want to lose an order like that, he said last year. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo describes the Saudis in more strategic terms, as important allies in counterterrorism and the U.S.-led campaign to pressure Iran. Its a mean, nasty world out there, the Middle East in particular, Pompeo said. There are important American interests. Saudi Arabia [is] an important partner. Both make it sound as if the United States faces a single, all-or-nothing choice: stand by MBS, or walk away from the relationship entirely. I want to stick with an ally that in many ways has been very good, Trump said. But theres a third alternative, of course one the United States has often used when leaders of client states acted against U.S. interests. Call it tough love. You dont want to walk away from the relationship. What you want to do is improve their behavior, Robert W. Jordan, a U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia under President George W. Bush, told me last week. I dont see much of a strategy in place to do that. Part of the problem, Jordan said, is that the Trump administration has ceded leverage to the Saudis. We treat them as if theyre our most valued customer in the world, and the customers always right, he said. Instead, he said, the administration should make it clear that its not happy with some of MBS decisions and back up its words with action. You have to make it clear that youre serious about it, he said. There are subtle ways we can make clear that they need us more than we need them. Take spare parts. Their F-15s would be grounded in weeks if we held up their spare parts. In the months since Khashoggi was killed and his body dismembered, the Trump administration has done nothing like that. Instead, Trump has questioned whether MBS should be held responsible for the crime, despite a CIA finding (with medium to high confidence) that he ordered it. The administration has been similarly muted about the kingdoms imprisonment of dissidents, including womens rights activists who have been subjected to physical abuse and threats of rape. Even in the case of Dr. Walid Fitaihi, a Saudi American dual citizen who has reportedly been tortured, the United States has said little. And when it comes to the Saudi intervention in Yemens civil war, which MBS launched three years ago, the administration has backed the prince despite mounting reports of civilian casualties from Saudi airstrikes. The way to alleviate the Yemeni peoples suffering is by giving the Saudi-led coalition the support needed to defeat Iranian-backed rebels, Pompeo said March 15. If the administration wanted to send a tough-love message, one way would be to get an ambassador to Riyadh. Trump didnt nominate a candidate for the job for almost two years; the Republican-led Senate hasnt yet confirmed his choice, retired Gen. John P. Abizaid. Abizaid has said hes willing to talk tough. We should speak frankly to our partners when they do wrong, he said in his Senate confirmation hearing on March 6. But once he gets to Riyadh, Abizaid will face a problem: MBS has gotten used to doing business directly with Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law. They have to empower Abizaid; he has to be seen as the presidents man, said Barbara A. Leaf, a former ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. You cannot have MBS thinking that all he has to do is call Jared. The U.S.-Saudi relationship needs to be reset, argues Aaron David Miller, a Middle East expert who worked in both Republican and Democratic administrations. We are tethering ourselves to a regime that is undermining American interests and American values. He acknowledged that it wont be easy. How do you identify a policy between abandonment and embrace? But it wont happen at all unless Trump and his aides resolve to try, and theres no sign that they have. In this test of statecraft, theyre failing. California lawmakers have unveiled a far-reaching package to stem the states housing affordability crisis, including new protections against surging rents and evictions as well as more apartments near public transit and in coastal communities. The proposals could reshape the states housing landscape and they all come from Bay Area politicians. The chairmen of the Legislatures two housing committees, Democrats Sen. Scott Wiener and Assemblyman David Chiu, are both from San Francisco. They have a powerful ally in Gov. Gavin Newsom, the former mayor of the city, who has made housing one of his top priorities. And a cadre of powerful Bay Area interest groups has united behind the legislation, providing a level of unity unmatched by any other part of the state. It makes sense that the Bay Area would take the lead in crafting affordability solutions, since it is saddled with the nations highest housing costs. But the Bay Area has distinct characteristics, such as an extensive transit system, that could complicate any universal solution to housing problems. Elected leaders and activist groups from outside the Bay Area fear the regions lawmakers will push legislation that doesnt account for the challenges faced elsewhere. Advertisement Those fears stem from recent history. At Gov. Newsoms urging, California will sue Huntington Beach over blocked homebuilding Last year, many Los Angeles activists felt blindsided by legislation written by Wiener to increase housing construction near transit. They worried that it would have undermined recently enacted plans aimed at preventing gentrification and displacement in their communities, and their opposition helped sink the bill. While lawmakers from outside the Bay Area have been part of the Legislatures housing debates, some acknowledge they must be more forceful in protecting their constituents interests. There is a need for us in Southern California to be more aggressive about developing the housing that is absolutely needed and that reflects the needs of our constituencies, said Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, a Democrat who represents neighborhoods in downtown Los Angeles. We have got to push really hard on any dollars that are expended in the state of California to match the communities that we represent. (Los Angeles Times) By housing costs alone, the Bay Areas affordability problems stand apart from the rest of the state. Median home values are the highest in the country with those in Silicon Valley topping $1.2 million and San Franciscos close behind, according to real estate website Zillow. Monthly rental costs are also significantly higher than in Southern California, with Silicon Valley rents averaging $2,213 a month in 2017 compared to $1,476 in Los Angeles, per U.S. census data. And while theres been strong job growth across much of the state since the recession, the Bay Area has seen new employment surpass new homebuilding at a rate unmatched elsewhere, exacerbating a shortage of homes in the region. Even as we in Southern California are experiencing strong gentrification and displacement pressures, theyre nothing compared to what has happened in Northern California, said Manuel Pastor, a sociology professor at USC. Large swaths of Northern California are out of reach to the average renter and home buyer. Wiener and fellow Bay Area lawmakers are setting the states agenda on housing policy a push aided by interest groups from the region. Over the last 18 months, officials from Bay Area cities, nonprofits, developers, labor groups and others wrote a plan to address the regions affordability crisis. The idea, called the CASA Compact, relies on numerous changes to state law. In response, Bay Area legislators have introduced bills including proposals that would provide tenants with legal counsel and prevent them from being evicted without cause, and allow homeowners to more easily build second housing units, or casitas, on their properties. Nearly all the proposals would affect the entire state, which could require other perspectives to weigh in. (Lorena Elebee / Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles and San Diego legislators still retain substantial sway over housing policy. The leaders of the Senate and Assembly are from Southern California, as are those in charge of key budget and fiscal committees. Lawmakers from Los Angeles have put forward legislation on rent control and to end restrictions on public housing, among other plans. Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) worked in low-income housing consulting before joining the Legislature and has written major legislation to help fund new projects. At the end of 2018, she put her stamp of approval on Wieners aggressive approach to tackling housing problems by creating a new Senate housing committee and naming him the chairman. While high housing costs are one reason its difficult to afford living in the state, low wages are another. The median household income in the Los Angeles region is below $70,000, which is lower than the state average and just 60% of Silicon Valleys. In the Bay Area, the fundamental problem is different than in Southern California, said Richard Green, director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate. In Southern California, its as much of an income problem as it is a housing problem. The socioeconomic divide between the areas was underscored last year when Wiener introduced the bill that would have made it easier to build apartments near transit stops. Activists in Los Angeles had just finished a decade of work on a development blueprint for historically black and Latino South Los Angeles and a plan to boost density near transit lines. Concerned that Wieners bill would override their efforts and displace longtime residents, they opposed it, helping torpedo the bill in its first committee hearing. Mariana Huerta Jones, campaign and communications manager for Alliance for Community Transit-Los Angeles, said Wiener took the groups criticisms to heart and incorporated many of its ideas including stricter prohibitions against demolishing rental housing into Senate Bill 50, a new version of the legislation hes introduced this year. The measure would allow for four- or five-story apartment complexes and condominiums near transit. Her organization has yet to take a position on the bill but is speaking regularly with Wieners office about further changes, Huerta Jones said. The senator really is genuine and wants to do something about the housing crisis, she said. We really appreciate that, and its exciting hes being bold. But being bold also means being humble and appreciating how what youre proposing could have impacts across the state all the way down to San Diego and into rural areas. This years version of Wieners bill, as well as others in the suite of Bay Area housing legislation, could disrupt some policies that have strong backing outside the region. In the 1970s, San Diego voters implemented a 30-foot height limit for construction along the citys coastline and required a public vote to build taller. Wiener intends for his bill to override that rule for housing near transit. Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) has introduced Senate Bill 330 to do away with many city and county restrictions on homebuilding for a decade a response, shes said, to the scope of the states housing challenges. San Diegos coastal height limit would be suspended for new homes should the bill pass, a spokesman for Skinner said. While still early in the legislative process, Skinners bill also could affect how much the city of Los Angeles could charge developers through a fee passed in late 2017 that aims to raise millions to build low-income housing and is a key plank in Mayor Eric Garcettis housing agenda. Wiener said it is vital for Bay Area lawmakers to understand other areas of California and pointed to his efforts to incorporate feedback from Los Angeles activists into SB 50. But he said many housing concerns are the same throughout the state, noting he often receives the same pushback to his ideas that propose changes to neighborhoods in San Francisco and Los Angeles alike. Its not so different when it comes to education policy that affects the whole state, Wiener said. Chiu, the housing committee chairman in the Assembly, said its possible Bay Area legislators could scale back their housing bills so that they only affect that region. But sometimes, he said, housing problems are best tackled by those on the outside. Last year, Chiu wrote legislation to withhold state housing dollars from any community that allowed its City Council members to block homeless housing developments in their districts before a formal vote. Chiu introduced the bill to stop the practice in the city of Los Angeles, where council members had recently stymied projects in their districts by holding back support before a council hearing. Chiu said activists in Los Angeles asked him to carry the bill because it was too politically fraught for a legislator from Southern California to do so. Both houses of the Legislature approved the measure unanimously, and then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed it into law. There were many significant leaders in Los Angeles that were happy to see it pass, Chiu said. liam.dillon@latimes.com @dillonliam Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and mayors from 10 other large California cities lobbied Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, asking for hundreds of millions in additional funding to combat homelessness in their communities. The request followed a successful effort last year from big-city mayors, including Garcetti, San Diegos Kevin Faulconer, San Joses Sam Liccardo and others, to push for $500 million in state grants for homelessness prevention efforts under then-Gov. Jerry Brown. Garcetti said that major cities have already committed three-quarters of the money allocated to them and that the spending shows cities can help additional homeless residents with more resources. The need is out there, Garcetti said. Its proof that we can put this to work right away. Advertisement Gov. Gavin Newsom threatens to cut state funding from cities that dont approve enough housing The city of Los Angeles has set aside more than half of the $85 million it received for its proposal to build homeless shelters citywide, including one in each council district. So far the money has gone to 11 projects with a total of 849 beds once the projects are complete. The city has also put $20 million toward homelessness prevention efforts on skid row. In his January budget announcement, Newsom set aside $500 million for regional and local homeless programs. Of that money, $200 million would go to cities and counties to use for any purpose, including those unrelated to housing, if they boost efforts to build new homeless housing projects and shelters. There is no way to realize our state goals unless they are realized at the local level, Newsom said at a news conference after the 45-minute meeting with the mayors. That means our partners are the ones on the front lines that have to be supported. The group of mayors praised Newsom for dedicating money for homelessness prevention in his initial budget; Brown, in contrast, did not agree to a full allocation of funds until he reached a final budget deal with the Legislature. But Garcetti and the other mayors hope Newsom will increase funding, with more of it going directly to cities rather than being routed through regional agencies. Newsom seemed open to their request. The budget just changed, he said. This was an important meeting. I did not just listen. I took notes and Im taking direction. The governors office did not provide details on how Newsom planned to change his homeless housing plans. Newsom will unveil a revised budget proposal in May and must reach an agreement with the Legislature on a new spending plan by mid-June. The states nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office has estimated the state would need an additional tens of billions of dollars a year to provide new housing for the neediest Californians. Though Newsoms proposed spending to address homelessness doesnt come close to that amount, state homeless funding has increased in recent years, most notably when voters approved a $2-billion bond to build housing last fall. Californias homeless population decreased slightly last year, to almost 130,000 residents, according to federal statistics. liam.dillon@latimes.com @dillonliam Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in California on Friday and waived environmental regulations to expedite nearly three dozen local forest management projects to protect communities from the deadly wildfires that have decimated regions up and down the state. The governors action marks the latest effort by the state to offset the possibility of catastrophe after back-to-back years of savage wildfires that killed more than 100 people and burned nearly 2 million acres in total. The projects will cost a total of $35 million, which will be paid with forest management funds in the 2018-19 budget. The increasing wildfire risks we face as a state means we simply cant wait until a fire starts in order to start deploying emergency resources, Newsom said before making his announcement at a news conference in Lake County on Friday morning. California needs sustained focus and immediate action in order to better protect our communities. Critics voiced concern about the governors decision to suspend guidelines put in place to protect the environment and the precedent his executive order might set. Some argued that regulations do not pose a problem and the state should have prioritized the projects earlier. Advertisement This is like deferred maintenance on a building, said Char Miller, professor of environmental analysis at Pomona College. We just kept putting it off and putting it off and putting it off. Californias forests have become a hot-button political topic, with President Trump fueling assertions that poor management practices and environmental laws have made wildfires worse. Experts have refuted the notion that heavy timber fueled the states most destructive fires in urban areas and say much of the millions of dead and dying trees grow on lands controlled by the U.S. Forest Service. The Camp fire in Paradise, for example, burned through a region scorched and logged a decade earlier. Ironically, Miller and others said, Newsoms decision to walk back regulations co-opts the presidents message. Unfortunately, its a very Trumpian approach, said Douglas Bevington, forest director of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. Its the false notion that more logging paired with rolling back environmental protections is going to protect communities. At the news conference, Newsom acknowledged the criticism, and rebutted it. Some people, you know, want to maintain our processes and they want to maintain our rules and protocols, the governor said. But Im going to push back on that. Some of these projects quite literally, not figuratively, could take two years to get done, or we could get them done in the next two months. Thats our choice. Weve got to step up our game, dare I say, get our act together, Newsom added. Thom Porter, director of Cal Fire, also disputed that the governors order was Trumpian. This administration and Cal Fire has been committed to the protection of life, property and the environment well beyond President Trump even considering what that actually means, he said. Porter said his crews on the ground will continue to work with state agencies and experts to ensure that resources are protected. While were asking for an exemption from the paperwork process of doing the upfront deep analysis, we are not asking for an exemption from the need to protect the resources, Porter said. Newsom signed an executive order in his first week in office that directed Cal Fire to develop recommendations to prevent wildfires. The agency published a report in late February that said forest management efforts by the state, federal government and private landowners were inadequate to improve the health of millions of acres of forests and wildlands that require maintenance. The agency reported that up to 15 million acres of California forest need some form of restoration. The report recommended that the state waive and streamline regulatory requirements and direct Cal Fire to immediately begin 35 fuel reduction projects, such as the removal of dead trees, brush clearing and prescribed burns to create fuel breaks, defensible space and safe travel corridors on 90,000 acres of land around cities and towns vulnerable to wildfires. Newsoms new order does just that and waives laws that fall under the jurisdiction of the California Environmental Protection Agency and the California Natural Resources Agency and would typically apply to the projects. The laws include the California Environmental Quality Act, which requires state and local agencies to identify and mitigate the environmental impacts of their work. According to the emergency declaration, Cal Fire must seek a confirmation from the state agencies that its activities fall under the order and will take protection of the environment into account while ensuring timely implementation. The governor is also allowing the Office of Emergency Services to use any state-owned properties that it determines suitable for temporary shelter for crews and troops completing the work. Porter said the governors intervention will help expedite the plans, which are in various stages of approval. His agency has been struggling for the last 15 years to certify a sweeping statewide environmental impact report, which once completed later this year, will allow them to move forward with individual wildfire mitigation projects more quickly. In lieu of having that document for environmental clearance purposes, this is the means to get these 35 emergency projects done to help protect these communities, Porter said. Bevington of the DiCaprio Foundation criticized the Cal Fire report for relying on logging and fuel breaks to prevent fires over what he and others say are more effective mitigation methods focused on homes, such as replacing flammable materials on roofs and clearing vegetation directly around buildings. Its damaging the ecosystem as well as not being an effective way of keeping communities safe, said Bevington, whose organization recently published a report that questioned the states direction. Kathryn Phillips, executive director of the Sierra Club California, said fuel breaks have failed to stop the spread of wildfires against strong winds, including the Carr fire in Shasta County last year. I think they have a new leader and they are under extraordinary pressure to do something, she said. Porter said the state will continue to encourage home hardening, but his agency does not have jurisdiction over local governments to require work on existing homes. He agreed that fuel breaks wont have an impact on every fire, but said they have stopped the spread of blazes under certain wind conditions. Most of the 35 projects are in Northern and Central California and would be completed over the course of the next year. Cal Fire worked with its local fire units to determine which projects to prioritize, assessing risk and socioeconomic factors, such as age of the nearby populations, poverty and access to vehicles. The work includes prescribed burns and tree and brush removal over 26,500 acres of land in Ukiah. Other projects would establish fuel breaks, or areas of reduced vegetation to slow or stop wildfires, around Crest in San Diego County and 393 acres of treatment along roads in Fresno County, according to Cal Fire. Some of the work would create safe ingress and egress corridors, or exit routes to escape blazes, after Paradise residents became trapped in bumper-to-bumper traffic when they tried to flee the flames on congested roads in November. The only project in Los Angeles County calls for more than 400 acres of prescribed burns to clear brush and chaparral in the coastal region near Malibu, where hundreds of homes were destroyed in the Woolsey Fire that killed three people in November. But the burns, like many of the projects, would do nothing to prevent wildfires this year. Susan Duenas, public safety manager for the city of Malibu, said the project will be presented to the city council in May and the prescribed burns are tentatively scheduled for late November or December, when conditions lessen the risk that a controlled fire may spread, she said. Based on early feedback, she anticipates environmental and safety concerns from residents. You have two camps of opinion here: Those who are afraid of it and dont want it, and those who think its what we need to be doing more of, Duenas said. There was a sensitivity to fires before but now even more so because of the trauma of the Woolsey fire. In addition to streamlining the mitigation projects, Newsom is expected to announce a $50-million public awareness campaign to help communities inform residents about local emergency action plans and the need to make their homes more resilient to wildfires, according to the governors office. The governor also launched a request for innovative ideas from the private sector to mitigate wildfires as part of a new technology procurement model announced earlier this year. More stories from Taryn Luna taryn.luna@latimes.com Follow @tarynluna on Twitter. River Gallo has prosthetic testes he says he never asked for and never wanted. Alice Alvarez says she should have been able to decide for herself before a doctor removed her testicles, which one did when she was an infant. Both are part of a group supporting a bill in the California Legislature that would ban cosmetic surgeries on children born with atypical genitals until theyre old enough to consent. California would be the first state to enact such a ban. The legislation has made public an emotional debate that has been simmering for decades in the intersex community. Advocacy groups for intersex people individuals with varying differences in their reproductive or sexual anatomy have been fighting to postpone medically unnecessary surgeries that they say do more harm than good. Surgeries in extreme cases in which the gender of the child is unclear can result in female genitalia being constructed on someone who later identifies as male or vice versa. More common are procedures on deformities, such as an off-center urethra, or reducing an enlarged clitoris. Supporters of the bill say that because the surgeries carry risks, such as a loss of sexual sensation or function, they should be delayed until the patient can consent. The legislation, Senate Bill 201 by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), does not apply to genital surgeries that are medically necessary. Advertisement The hypothesis is that these surgeries enhance the psychological well-being of children by ensuring they have genitals that are normal, said Julie Greenberg, author of the book Intersexuality and the Law. But there is no study that says this does help their psychological well-being, and there are plenty of people who say it caused them harm. Pediatric urologists who perform the surgeries called SB 201 extraordinary overreach that would strip parents of their ability to make medical decisions for their children. Patients who have the surgeries heal better if they are young, said Dr. Lane Palmer, president of the Societies for Pediatric Urology. This bill covers a significant number of surgeries we perform regularly and successfully, Palmer said. If we are going abdicate a parents right to make these medical decisions, whats next? Even within the intersex community, there is no consensus on how old a person should be to consent to surgery, with advocates saying there is a fine line between ensuring a minor is old enough to make the decision without pressure from their parents, doctors or peers and not forcing all kids to wait until after puberty. The legislation would require doctors to wait until patients can give informed consent, meaning they are mature enough to understand the benefits and potential risks of surgery. There are conversations on whether there should be a specific age in the bill, and we are open to that conversation, Wiener said. But its not you cant have a surgery until you turn 18. Pediatric urologists said the exact determination of when a minor can consent relies heavily on a doctors interpretation, prompting concern that doctors would be subject to litigation if a minor later changed his or her mind. In my opinion, the surgery should be delayed until they are an adult, said Alice Alvarez, a 29-year-old Fontana woman and intersex activist. Alvarez said she was born with external female genitalia and undescended testicles. As an infant, doctors removed her testes, telling her parents that it would reduce her likelihood of testicular cancer. Alvarez said she did not know about the surgery until she was 12, when, during a physical, she learned she was born without ovaries or a uterus. She said her parents, who did not speak English when she was born, did not understand the specifics of her surgery at the time. They sent my parents home and said just raise her as a girl and pretend this never happened, Alvarez said. A lot of doctors say they have the best interest of the child in mind, but they arent following the children into adulthood to see how they feel about these surgeries. So, how can they say what they are doing is right? Alice Alvarez is a 29-year-old community college student and intersex activist. She is a woman who was born with testes that were surgically removed when she was an infant. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Dr. Steve Lerman, chief of the UCLA Division of Pediatric Urology, agrees that there is not enough known about the long-term outcomes of complex genital surgeries. Those surgeries were relatively new procedures in the 1970s and 80s, and now some of those patients have valid complaints about their results, Lerman said. Lerman said doctors, including himself, need to step up and recognize that such surgeries have previously had questionable outcomes and should be further studied. But, he disagrees with lumping into the bill straightforward cases of hypospadias, a birth defect in which the opening of the urethra is on the underside of the penis. He said those more common cases have had good to outstanding results over the past 20 years. We need to find a way to make things better and that isnt by mandating that we sweep a diagnosis under the rug for 15 to 18 years, he said. That would absolutely be a mistake. The California Medical Assn., an influential lobbying arm of doctors in the state Capitol, opposes the bill, saying parents and physicians should determine what is in the best interest of a child. Delaying a procedure or treatment for disorders of sex development, or DSD, as the medical community refers to intersex traits, could do more harm physically and emotionally. We acknowledge that past treatment may not have reflected medical guidelines and standards of care that are currently in place, said Brandon Marchy, a lobbyist for the California Medical Assn., in a letter opposing the bill. But postponing surgery until the age of consent carries risk just as performing a procedure on an infant does, Marchy said. In the absence of clear data, Marchy said, the decision should fall to parents with the advice of their doctors. The first hearing on the bill is expected early next month. We arent guaranteed to pass this bill, but we have a shot, Wiener said. As the bill moves through the Legislature, it is expected to bring large groups of intersex advocates with personal stories of surgeries they say were unwanted or unsuccessful as well as parent-rights groups that will argue the government should not interfere in the ability of parents to make medical decisions for their children. This is not a decision made lightly, said Dina Matos, executive director of the CARES Foundation, a support group for families and patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a condition that can result in genital ambiguity and may be recommended for reconstructive surgery during infancy. This is fundamentally a decision that should be left up to the parents. These children have a right to grow up healthy physically and psychologically, and removing surgery as an option for care hurts the child. Santa Rosa family physician Suegee Tamar-Mattis disagrees, saying that without clear medical data supporting surgery, doctors should wait. Three former U.S. surgeons general wrote a 2017 report saying genital surgeries for cosmetic purposes should be delayed until patients can give consent. A 2017 Human Rights Watch report said parents were largely driven by fear in opting to have the surgery done on their children. This is the biggest ethical failure in our lifetime, said Tamar-Mattis, who is intersex. Doctors want to see people be normal, and they think normal is the only way to have a happy life. But, there is no real normal, and people can be happy and healthy in life in different bodies. River Gallo, a 28-year-old filmmaker, said it wasnt until recently that he heard the word intersex after having kept his own medical history a secret for much of his life. He was born without testicles. At 12, he was put on testosterone, and at 16 he had surgery to give him prosthetic testes. Gallo said, even at 16, he didnt feel mature enough to consent to the surgery that his parents and doctor said was needed. He said his parents were told that he needed the surgery in order to be a whole man, which, as a nonbinary person who does not identify as strictly male or female, is not the choice he would have made for himself. Some days it really angers me, said Gallo, who uses male pronouns. It is a reminder of a decision that wasnt mine. melody.gutierrez@latimes.com Follow @MelodyGutierrez on Twitter and sign up for our Essential Politics newsletter. Dublin, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Automated Dispensing Machines Market (2014-2024)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. As per this research, the automated dispensing machines market will grow during the forecast period at a CAGR of 7.8%, ultimately generating $2.3 billion in revenue by 2024. Technological advancements, government initiatives for the integration of automated dispensing machines in healthcare facilities, and growing geriatric population, incidents of medication errors, number of patent approvals for such machines and prevalence of chronic diseases are the key market growth drivers. Decentralized and centralized are the two categories of products available in the automated dispensing machines market, of which the decentralized category is predicted to grow faster through the forecast period. Increasing hospitalization cases are raising the demand for hospitals, which is, in turn, leading to higher sales of decentralized dispensing machines. The adoption of automated dispensing machines is increasing in retail drug stores, hospitals, and pharmacies. As an end user, hospitals are expected to hold an automated dispensing machines market share of more than 70% in 2018 and a forecast period CAGR of 7.8%. The demand for automated dispensing machines in hospitals is being fueled by the growing prevalence of chronic diseases, rising healthcare expenditure, and increasing number of patients. In 2018, North America is dominating the sector by contributing 40.8% revenue. Its revenue contribution by 2024 is projected to be $919.5 million. Growing geriatric population, improving healthcare infrastructure, and existence of established players are the reasons behind this. During the forecast period, the growth of the automated dispensing machines market is slated to be the fastest in Asia-Pacific (APAC), where it will advance with CAGR of 9.3%. This will be because the market players will increasingly focus on this region and the healthcare infrastructure will also improve considerably here. The demand for and sales of such machines have increased in APAC owing to government initiatives. For instance, the installation of automated dispensing machines in the rural areas of India is supported by Central Medical Services Society, so the masses can have access to free-of-cost general drugs. Further, developing countries are increasingly installing such machines at their healthcare facilities. The growth in the gross domestic product of countries, such as Malaysia, Vietnam, India, and Sri Lanka, will allow for the adoption of technologically advanced equipment, thereby, taking the automated dispensing machines market ahead. Considering the opportune future environment, market players have started engaging in mergers, acquisitions, and collaborations to further their growth. For example, Omnicell Inc. and NYU Langone Health Hospital extended their partnership for installing the XT series systems, which consist of controlled substance manager, anesthesia workstation, and automated medication dispensing cabinets, in 2018. Other major players in the automated dispensing machines market are Omnicell Inc., Becton, Dickinson and Company, Pearson Medical Technologies LLC, ScriptPro LLC, Talyst LLC, Capsa Healthcare, Newlcon Oy, McKesson Corporation, ARxIUM, and TouchPoint Medical Inc. Key Topics Covered: Chapter 1. Research Background 1.1 Research Objectives 1.2 Market Definition 1.3 Research Scope 1.3.1 Market Segmentation by Type 1.3.2 Market Segmentation by Application 1.3.3 Market Segmentation by End User 1.3.4 Market Segmentation by Geography 1.3.5 Analysis Period 1.3.6 Market Data Reporting Unit 1.3.6.1 Value 1.4 Key Stakeholders Chapter 2. Research Methodology 2.1 Secondary Research 2.2 Primary Research 2.2.1 Breakdown of Primary Research Respondents 2.2.1.1 By region 2.2.1.2 By industry participant 2.2.1.3 By company type 2.3 Market Size Estimation 2.4 Data Triangulation 2.5 Assumptions for the Study Chapter 3. Executive Summary 3.1 Voice of Industry Experts/KOLs Chapter 4. Introduction 4.1 Definition of Market Segments 4.1.1 By Type 4.1.1.1 Centralized 4.1.1.2 Decentralized 4.1.2 By Application 4.1.2.1 In-patient care 4.1.2.2 Out-patient care 4.1.3 By End User 4.1.3.1 Hospitals 4.1.3.2 Pharmacies 4.1.3.3 Retail drug stores 4.2 Market Dynamics 4.2.1 Trends 4.2.1.1 Increasing number of collaborations and acquisitions 4.2.2 Drivers 4.2.2.1 Rising incidence of medication errors 4.2.2.2 Technological innovations and advancements 4.2.2.3 Growing geriatric population 4.2.2.4 Rising prevalence of chronic diseases 4.2.2.5 Government initiatives to integrate automated dispensing machines in healthcare settings 4.2.2.6 Increasing number of patent approvals for automated dispensing machines 4.2.2.7 Impact analysis of drivers on market forecast 4.2.3 Restraints 4.2.3.1 Stringent regulatory norms 4.2.3.2 High costs of automated dispensing machines and prescriptions 4.2.3.3 Rising data theft and cybersecurity concerns 4.2.3.4 Impact analysis of restraints on market forecast 4.2.4 Opportunities 4.2.4.1 Untapped market in developing economies 4.3 Porter's Five Forces Analysis Chapter 5. Global Market Size and Forecast 5.1 By Type 5.2 By Application 5.3 By End User 5.4 By Region Chapter 6. North America Market Size and Forecast Chapter 7. Europe Market Size and Forecast Chapter 8. APAC Market Size and Forecast Chapter 9. LATAM Market Size and Forecast Chapter 10. MEA Market Size and Forecast Chapter 11. Competitive Landscape 11.1 Company Benchmarking Based on Product Offerings 11.2 Global Strategic Developments of Key Players 11.2.1 Acquisitions 11.2.2 Product Launches 11.2.3 Collaborations and Partnerships 11.2.4 Other Developments 11.3 Automated Packaging and Dispensing System Brands Chapter 12. Company Profiles 12.1 Becton, Dickinson and Company 12.1.1 Business Overview 12.1.2 Product and Service Offerings 12.1.3 Key Financial Summary 12.1.4 SWOT Analysis 12.2 Baxter International Inc. 12.3 Omnicell Inc. 12.4 ScriptPro LLC 12.5 NewIcon Oy 12.6 AlixaRx 12.7 Talyst LLC 12.8 TouchPoint Medical 12.9 ARxIUM 12.10 YUYAMA Co. Ltd. 12.11 TOSHO Inc. 12.12 Takazono Corporation 12.13 McKesson Corporation 12.14 Pearson Medical Technologies LLC 12.15 Accu-Chart Plus Healthcare Systems Inc. 12.16 Capsa Healthcare For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/v9d42j/global_automated?w=12 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan released a list of military construction projects Monday that could lose funding to help pay for a wall on the U.S. southern border. The list of vulnerable projects includes a number previously reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune, including proposed infrastructure for Osprey aircraft at Naval Air Station North Island, new landing pads for F-35Bs at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and a replacement pier at Naval Base San Diego. President Trump in February declared a national emergency after a monthlong government shutdown that began when Congress refused to fund his proposed border wall. The emergency declaration authorizes him to divert funds from military construction to national security infrastructure, in this case at the border. He has called for up to $3.6 billion to be diverted, but its still unclear exactly which projects will be slashed or delayed. Advertisement The Defense Department said in a statement that its list of possible projects to cut includes all military construction projects in which contracts had not yet been awarded as of Dec. 31. That list encompasses $12.9 billion in planned construction nationwide, including more than $1 billion in projects in California, with nearly $600 million in the San Diego area. Some projects up for possible diversion include a $47-million potable water project and a $15-million fire emergency response station, which are part of about $175 million in projects slated for Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. Also listed is almost $170 million in projects connected to the new Navy SEAL complex in Coronado. Military housing and barracks projects would not be affected, the Pentagon said. The Pentagons list provides greater clarity than a similar list released last month by the House Armed Services Committee. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives and the Republican-controlled Senate both voted to block the emergency declaration, but Trump vetoed their resolution Friday. Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, admonished the Trump administration in a statement Monday. What President Trump is doing is a slap in the face to our military that makes our border and the country less secure, Reed said. He is planning to take funds from real, effective operational priorities and needed projects and divert them to his vanity wall. In a statement Friday on his first presidential veto, Trump said the situation at the border has reached a breaking point and that it demanded immediate action. The current situation at the southern border presents a border security and humanitarian crisis that threatens core national security interests and constitutes a national emergency, Trump said in a statement. Dyer writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. andrew.dyer@sduniontribune.com If the state Capitol had a hall of fame for legislative influence, a no-brainer inductee for playing defense would be the California Chamber of Commerce a feared linebacker with a two-decade record of tackling and stopping new laws. But last week, the powerful group lost an early round against the first two 2019 bills on its annual job killers list. And it highlighted one of the years most intriguing questions in Sacramento: Will the largest Democratic majority in the Legislatures modern era and one of the states most liberal chief executives, Gov. Gavin Newsom, be able to further push policies that expand government oversight in the business world? The job killers list, compiled every year but one since 1997, draws attention to legislation the Chamber of Commerce insists will most threaten job creation and economic growth. The CalChamber policy staff is very judicious about the difference between legislation that merits opposition and a job killer, stated an overview document published earlier this year. California lawmakers and lobbyists hustle to write hundreds of bills, many not fully cooked Advertisement Many of the bills on recent lists were efforts to raise business taxes and fees or impose new workplace rules and employer regulations. Not all of the legislation was fully cooked in other words, they were bills in which significant questions lingered throughout the legislative session and thus might have died on their own without a major lobbying effort. Still, the Chambers record is impressive on average, 92% of the bills on each years list have failed to become law. The vast majority never even made it to the governors desk. And some of those that were enacted had been amended in ways that prompted the business group to remove its political scarlet letter. That the state Chamber of Commerce maintained its powerful position during the last eight years is one of the more interesting side stories to the long legacy of former Gov. Jerry Brown. The group ran TV ads criticizing Brown during the 2010 campaign but later relied on him to veto bills or help squash them behind the scenes. Democratic legislators gave Brown tremendous deference, a key to the unusual relationship between the iconic governor and the business group. Novembers election results, though, suggested a surge in the power of progressive politics. Newsoms agenda which includes universal healthcare and a major expansion of paid family leave may end up promoting some of the more muted ideas supported by Democrats. They hold three-quarters of the seats in the state Assembly and will likely surpass two-thirds of the Senate seats after an upcoming special election. The business group lost some key allies last year. A review of CalChambers legislative scorecard finds eight seats, held by Republicans who voted with the group consistently in recent years, are now occupied by Democrats. And even a handful of lawmakers can keep bills from moving forward or result in compromises with opponents. In that light, its easy to see why so many Capitol lobbyists and activists noticed when lawmakers renewed previous efforts that Brown and business-aligned forces had blocked, including efforts to expand the rights of those workers in the sharing economy and a proposal to allow only the sale of zero-emission vehicles by 2040. Tax proposals are also plentiful among the more than 2,500 bills introduced by last months deadline. The first two bills on this years business hit list are also 2018 do-overs: a ban on mandatory arbitration and settlement agreements for workplace disputes and a bill that would allow speedy state implementation of federal environmental regulations abolished by President Trump. CalChamber helped stymie both efforts last year; this years bills will be an early indicator of whether a major political shift is underway. john.myers@latimes.com Follow @johnmyers on Twitter and sign up for our daily Essential Politics newsletter California students could be restricted or banned from using smartphones at school under a bill by a state lawmaker who says the devices can interfere with classroom learning. The measure by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) would require school boards to adopt policies that limit or prohibit the use of cellphones on school grounds, leaving it up to them what their rules would do. To the extent that smartphones are becoming too much of a distraction in the classroom, I think every school community needs to have that conversation as to when is too much of a good thing getting in the way of educational and social development, Muratsuchi said Wednesday after introducing the bill. Many school districts have already banned the use of cellphones, said Muratsuchi, a former Torrance school board member. Advertisement Last month, the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School Board adopted a policy requiring children in grades K-5 to have cellphones turned off and stored out of sight during school hours, while older students face similar restrictions but can obtain teacher approval to use a smartphone for academic purposes. At the crux of the new policy is the fact that we want to make sure students are learning in the classroom and not preoccupied with being on their cellphones, said Alexander Cherniss, superintendent of the district. The school boards president, Linda Reid, said concern about cheating and cyberbullying has also come up, adding that parents begged us for a policy. The Times reported last year that 73% of teens carried a smartphone in 2016. The California School Board Assn. has not yet taken a position on the bill, a spokesman said Wednesday. Last year, the French government banned cellphones nationwide at primary and middle schools in a move that President Emmanuel Macron said was aimed at improving student performance. The assemblyman also cited a 2015 study by the London School of Economics and Political Science that found test scores improved significantly at schools that banned mobile phone use, and that the most significant gains were made by the most disadvantaged pupils. The study concluded that schools could significantly reduce the education achievement gap by prohibiting mobile phone use in schools. Muratsuchi was also influenced by the work of San Diego State psychology professor Jean Twenge, author of iGen: Why Todays Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood. Twenge found evidence that mobile device screen time and social media use may increase depression and suicide among American teenagers. Eighth-grade students who spend 10 or more hours per week on social media are 56% more likely to describe themselves as unhappy than those who devote less time to social media, Twenge said in her findings. Electronic devices also affect classroom instruction, she said. Its just too tempting for teens to look at their phones during class and when they do, they are not only distracting themselves, but distracting their classmates and their teacher, Twenge said Wednesday in an email to The Times. Muratsuchi said the intent of his bill is to have school boards decide what policies fit for their schools. There is growing national and international evidence of the social and emotional consequences of too much screen time, he said. Sign up for our Essential Politics newsletter patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com Twitter: @mcgreevy99 The initial reaction of San Diego political leaders and observers to the summary of the Mueller Report is splitting along party lines. Republicans say the investigation has proved President Trump did not collude with Russians or their government. Democrats are expressing doubts and insisting that the entire document needs to be released to the public. The central issue was, Did President Trump collude or cooperate with the Russians, said Tony Krvaric, chairman of the Republican Party of San Diego County. The report says conclusively that he did not. (The allegation) was a complete fabrication that has consumed the country for two years. The average person wants to move on from this and have the two parties debate the issues. Advertisement Trump called the Mueller investigation an illegal takedown that failed. Krvaric echoed that sentiment in calling for an investigation of the investigators. We call for an investigation into how the DOJ and FBI under President Obama came to surveil the presidential campaign of an opposing party, he added in a statement. Will anyone be held accountable for the nearly two-year farce America just went through? Democratic leaders say they want to see what is detailed in Muellers report. Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, said, The American people deserve to see the Special Counsels full report and the underlying documentation. The summary from Attorney General William Barr who has shown a bias against the investigation is insufficient. He must release the full report immediately. A similar remark was made by Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego, who said, Considering the Attorney Generals bias toward the Special Counsels investigation, the American people deserve to see for themselves what is in the report. Will Rodriguez-Kennedy, chairman of the San Diego County Democratic Party, said he was not surprised by what was in the Barr summary, and there was an unrealistic expectation by some in the party about what the investigation would show. These types of crimes are difficult to prove in the best of situations, much less when there is a powerful president protecting their flank, he said. Rodriguez-Kennedy, citing Barrs summary, added that the report did not exonerate the president of committing a crime, as Trump falsely claimed Sunday afternoon. In Barrs summary the Attorney General states that the Special Counsels Report says, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, also wants the full report to be released. But he cautioned Democrats to pay attention to the broad interests of the public. Its a good reminder that most of these races were won by talking about healthcare, gun safety, access to education, not on the Trump Russia stuff, Peters said, adding that investigation is important, but can be at times distracting. The reason a lot of my freshman Democratic colleagues were hired was to deal with policy problems. The initial reaction to the report summary may suggest a bit of stasis, said Peter Cowhey, dean of the School of Global Politics and Strategy at UC San Diego. The public divide over Trumps conduct wont change dramatically, Cowhey said. Prior indictments and an ambivalent finding on obstruction give critics enough to sustain their opposition. No finding of collusion boosts his supporters. However, the energy for the debate may slowly ebb a bit, especially if AG Barr releases the full report. Stephen Goggin, a political science lecturer at San Diego State University, said, This just seems like the start of it all, not the end. I think many people were hoping this was going to bring it all to a close, but it opens up a lot more questions than it answers. The summary raises sticky ethical and legal questions, said Steven Semeraro, law professor, Thomas Jefferson School of Law and a former federal prosecutor. I remember back in 2000, when Al Gores campaign was contacted by a Russian-connected group and offered dirt on George W. Bush, said Semeraro. Gore immediately contacted the FBI. Is it a crime not to do that? No. But is it OK? Whether a crime is committed is one question, and whether its OK for America, OK for our democracy, is another. Chuck La Bella,former U.S. attorney in San Diego, added, There may be an unethical, improper or unseemly relationship, but thats irrelevant to criminal law. Criminal law is very precise. If you dont have proof beyond a reasonable doubt, you dont have a criminal case. Kirsten Gillibrand is punching back Trump-style. The New York senator and Democratic presidential candidate echoed Donald Trumps acid rhetoric during her first New York City rally on Sunday, blasting the President as a weak and self-obsessed coward. Speaking in front of Trump International Hotel and Tower in Midtown, Gillibrand rolled out a 2020 platform that included passing a Green New Deal, implementing Medicare for all, universal pre-K and paid family leave and legalizing marijuana. But it was Trumps name not policy proposals that loomed the largest throughout Gillibrands afternoon event. Advertisement Trump is tearing apart the moral fabric of this country, Gillibrand said to roars from an audience of roughly 1,000 supporters, according to her campaign. He puts his name in bold on every building. He does this because he wants you to believe hes strong. He is not. Our President is a coward. That is not what we deserve. Gillibrands harsh words were reminiscent of language Trump uses while deriding his political enemies. The 52-year-old lawmaker also took aim at the building behind her. Look up at that tower, she told the crowd, pointing at the Trump-branded skyscraper. A shrine to greed, division and vanity. Gillibrand announced her 2020 campaign in January but billed Sundays event as the kickoff of her presidential bid. Gillibrand is trying to make a splash in a crowded Democratic primary field already consisting of 14 candidates, with former Vice President Joe Biden expected to join the fray as well. Early polling suggests Gillibrand is facing an uphill battle, with a CNN/SSRS survey from last week saying only 1% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents support her bid. Several Democratic 2020 hopefuls have adopted a softer approach to Trump, spending less time attacking him and more time on discussing policy. Gillibrand made clear Sunday thats not going to be her stance. The Albany-born senator called for the full release of special counsel Robert Muellers long-awaited investigative report and even threw in a Richard Nixon reference to needle Trump. The Mueller report must be made public all of it, she said. Nobody in this country, not even the President, is above the law or immune from accountability. It is not often that I agree with Richard Nixon, but he was right to say that the American people have a right to know whether their President is a crook. Gillibrands supporters welcomed her aggressiveness. I love that shes trolling Trump, Brooklyn resident Ellen Parkhurst, 32, told the Daily News after the rally. Who doesnt want to gather a bunch of people who hate Trump in front of one of his buildings and talk politics? Last weekend, a caseworker visited Brittany Hyc to make sure her two small boys were doing all right in a home where there had been repeated allegations of abuse and neglect. The worker, on contract with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, reported back that 2-year-old Jahir Gibbons and his 5-year-old brother were both safe, according to the agency. Two days later, Jahir was brutally beaten to death. The following day, the worker filed another report saying only the older brother was at the Chicago home at the time of the visit and that the worker never saw the 2-year-old at all, the agency disclosed late Thursday. Jahir Gibbons (Family photo) Advertisement The caseworker has been barred from having any contact with children or families the agency serves as the conflicting reports are investigated. Falsifying records will not be tolerated, DCFS Interim Director Debra Dyer-Webster said in a statement. DCFS will pursue all available discipline, including termination, if records were falsified. The incident raises more questions about how the agency dealt with allegations of abuse against the boys mother and her boyfriend and how it monitored the well-being of the children. Jahir was beaten so violently that his liver was lacerated, but he also showed signs of older injuries such as rib fractures. His older brother had bruises over his body, apparently from past beatings, according to police. Its very disturbing, said Acting Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert, whose office represents abused and neglected children. By definition, there are allegations that children are abused in their home and that warrants the highest level of care. He was particularly troubled by the apparent filing of conflicting reports. Its absolutely another huge red flag. This is beyond a red flag. ... I mean its about the quality of work that this agency is doing. The mother and boyfriend are both facing felony charges. The boyfriend, Dejon Waters, 21, was charged with first-degree murder after he admitted getting angry at the boy and beating him with his hands and a rolled-up shirt until Jahir began foaming at the mouth, prosecutors said. Hyc, 28, was charged with child endangerment because she left Jahir with Waters even though she had noticed bruises and burns on Jahir for a week or two because she had to go to work, prosecutors said. There had been suspicions about the couples treatment of the children for more than a year, according to prosecutors. A year ago, a neighbor saw Jahir limping after a loud fight in his home. Last August, a doctor reported a bite on his stomach and other bruising that the mother blamed on day care. In October a DCFS worker was assigned to the family after the agency got a hotline complaint about possible abuse in the home. Earlier this month, Jahirs grandparents visited the boys and noticed bruises on the boys face and arms, prosecutors said. On Saturday the caseworker went to the familys home in the 6000 block of South Prairie Avenue. The next day, the worker submitted a report saying both children were at home and were doing fine. Following Jahirs death, a second report was submitted March 19 saying only the older child was home. The agency did not say which report it believes to be true. But prosecutors made it clear that the abuse of Jahir had been going on for some time while DCFS was monitoring the family. The medical examiner discovered fractures in various stages of healing to the ribs and a relatively new wrist fracture. There were numerous lacerations to the liver and a contusion to the lung. There were numerous bruises about the body in various stages of healing, prosecutors said in court. The ME noted that the injuries require significant blunt-force trauma. When Hyc was arrested, police found an iPad showing recent searches for ways to hide bruises, authorities said. Chanel Perkins said she sprang into action and performed chest compressions on a cold, pale boy after his frantic mom banged on doors seeking help. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune) On Thursday, prosecutors laid out Jahirs last moments in heart-wrenching detail. After picking up her 5-year-old son from school, she came home Monday evening to find Jahir on the floor, Assistant States Attorney James Murphy said in court. Hyc asked Waters what happened to the boy but could not get an explanation, Murphy said. At first she thought Jahir was taking a nap, but then she realized something was wrong and tried reviving the boy. Panicking, she started banging on doors up and down the hall outside her apartment. Chanel Perkins was visiting her twin sister down the hall when she heard the urgent pounding and a woman screaming, Call the police, my baby isnt breathing! The sisters opened the door and saw Hyc holding a seemingly lifeless boy in her arms. They followed her into Hycs apartment, where the mother laid Jahir on the floor and grabbed a blanket for a pillow. The boy was pale and cold to the touch, Perkins said. His eyes were rolled back into his head. There were bruises on his face, on his chest, on his stomach, on his arms, on his legs. There were two cuts on his face. Perkins sister called 911 and the dispatcher asked if anyone could perform CPR until help came. At first I didnt want to do anything. ... There were so many bruises, said Perkins, a nursing assistant. But then 911 told me to do the chest compressions. I just wanted to help. I didnt want to see anybody lose a child. It was devastating. Paramedics arrived and, picking up a pulse, took Jahir to Comer Childrens Hospital, where he was pronounced dead within the hour Monday evening. DCFS said its contact with Hyc stretches back to 2010, when there were allegations of abuse and neglect involving her older children, a spokesman said. Last October, prosecutors said, a DCFS worker followed up at Hycs home and overheard what was believed to be Waters hitting Jahir. Recent DCFS involvement included home visits and therapy for the mother, according to agency spokesman Jimmie Whitelow. Jahir also started participating in speech and developmental therapy, which he was continuing to receive, according to the agency. Golbert, the public guardian, said the agency was providing intact family services and was supposed to keep a comprehensive set of eyes on the family. He said the agency should have brought the case to court to ensure that the children were protected. He said the case illustrates the weakness of leadership in the department. Theres been a string of 12 directors in 10 years, Golbert said. Thats on average a new director more often than every year. We really need to get a long-term leadership team with some vision and innovation. Chicago Tribunes William Lee contributed. rsobol@chicagotribune.com mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com On Sunday, a day we as a nation set aside to honor fathers and the bonds of family, I was among the millions of Americans who watched images of children who have been torn from their parents. In the six weeks between April 19 and May 31, the Department of Homeland Security has sent nearly 2,000 children to mass detention centers or foster care. More than 100 of these children are younger than 4 years old. The reason for these separations is a zero-tolerance policy for their parents, who are accused of illegally crossing our borders. I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart. Our government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert outside of El Paso. These images are eerily reminiscent of the Japanese-American internment camps of World War II, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in U.S. history. We also know that this treatment inflicts trauma; interned Japanese have been two times as likely to suffer cardiovascular disease or die prematurely than those who were not interned. Advertisement Americans pride ourselves on being a moral nation, on being the nation that sends humanitarian relief to places devastated by natural disasters or famine or war. We pride ourselves on believing that people should be seen for the content of their character, not the color of their skin. We pride ourselves on acceptance. If we are truly that country, then it is our obligation to reunite these detained children with their parents and to stop separating parents and children in the first place. People on all sides agree that our immigration system isnt working, but the injustice of zero tolerance is not the answer. I moved away from Washington, D.C., almost a decade ago, but I know there are good people at all levels of government who can do better to fix this. Recently, Colleen Kraft, who heads the American Academy of Pediatrics, visited a shelter run by the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement. She reported that while there were beds, toys, crayons, a playground and diaper changes, the people working at the shelter had been instructed not to pick up or touch the children to comfort them. Imagine not being able to pick up a child who is not yet out of diapers. Twenty-nine years ago, my mother-in-law, Barbara Bush, visited Grandmas House, a home for children with HIV/AIDS in Washington. Back then, at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis, the disease was a death sentence, and most babies born with it were considered untouchables. During her visit, Barbara who was the first lady at the time picked up a fussy, dying baby named Donovan and snuggled him against her shoulder to soothe him. My mother-in-law never viewed her embrace of that fragile child as courageous. She simply saw it as the right thing to do in a world that can be arbitrary, unkind and even cruel. She, who after the death of her 3-year-old daughter knew what it was to lose a child, believed that every child is deserving of human kindness, compassion and love. In 2018, can we not as a nation find a kinder, more compassionate and more moral answer to this current crisis? I, for one, believe we can. The Washington Post Laura Bush is a former first lady of the United States. MORE COVERAGE Inside the Border Patrol facility where hundreds of children wait in a series of cages Fight intensifies over Trumps family separation policy after Democrats visit detention facilities Democrats enraged after touring Texas immigration detention facility Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook. Submit a letter to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com. Most of us Africa-watchers have secretly hoped that President Donald Trump would leave Africa alone. We had good reason to worry. Nearly 580 days into his term, Trump tweeted the word Africa for the first time. It was a disaster. For many years, the lie that South Africas white farmers have been facing a genocide at the hands of South Africas black government has been a rallying cry for the far-right, racists and white nationalists around the world, including David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan leader. White-nationalist groups are now celebrating the tweet. The South African government responded rather differently, saying it rejects this narrow perception which only seeks to divide our nation and reminds us of our colonial past. South Africas Natives Land Act of 1913 forcibly stripped land from blacks, a policy then reinforced by apartheid. Under President Nelson Mandela, the post-apartheid South African government introduced land reform programs to attempt to peacefully restore land taken from black South Africans. But those efforts have actually benefited white South Africans more than blacks. In 2013, Bernadette Atuahene and Alfred L. Brophy wrote in The New York Times: Of the nearly 80,000 claims filed primarily by blacks, the post-apartheid state has settled about 70 percent by distributing a Standard Settlement Offer, which is a symbolic monetary compensation that is unrelated to the current or past market value of the property confiscated. Current white owners received payments of several orders of magnitude higher than a typical settlement offer proposed to dispossessed blacks. Advertisement Indeed, white South Africans, who make up 9 percent of the population, still own 72 percent of the countrys private land. This year, South Africas parliament cleared the way for the government to expropriate land without compensation to speed up the process. (Contrary to Trumps tweet, the government of South Africa has yet to confiscate any land.) As for the so-called large-scale killing of white farmers, according to South African police statistics from 2016 to 2017, 74 people were killed in just more than 630 attacks on farms or small plots of land, while the total number of killings in South Africa over the same period was about 19,000. During an interview with The Associated Press, Gareth Newham, the head of the crime and justice program for the Institute for security studies in Pretoria, said the number of murders is actually down from 2001-2002, when 140 farm killings were noted by police. The murders on farms are a reflection of the security situation in South Africa. There is absolutely no evidence that the violence is aimed at white farmers. Newham said. Some say the presidents tweet was an attempt to distract from the real story: the white-collar criminal cases of former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort, the presidents former campaign chairman. It is tempting to see white-collar crime and high-level corruption as separate from Trumps elevation of white nationalists. But white supremacy and racism have always been a form of social and political corruption. Together they form an ideology that is dependent on segregation, rent discrimination, unequal land distribution and legally sanctioned theft - all in the name of benefiting white populations. White supremacy is a form of social corruption that costs lives, money and resources. If corruption is defined as the systematic abuse of state power to specifically benefit an individual or a group, then apartheid in South Africa, the Jim Crow era in the southern United States, as well as todays racial inequalities in housing, schooling and the justice system constitute corruption of the highest order. White supremacy is the original transnational white-collar crime. After all, the social corruption of white supremacy is what has propelled a uniquely unqualified candidate to the White House - namely Trumps promises to curb nonwhite immigration, impose travel bans on Muslims and disparage people of color. There is something particularly perverse about the fact that Trumps first Africa policy pronouncement was aimed at protecting white people on the continent. Is it any surprise the head of an administration known for its conflicts of interest, who has scaled back civil rights efforts and fetishized the plight of white American farmers, finds common cause with apologists for South African apartheid, one of the most kleptocratic systems in history? Donald Trump has never visited the African continent in his private life or as president of the United States, says Patrick Gaspard, the former U.S. ambassador to South Africa under President Barack Obama. Gaspard points out that the current administration hasnt named an ambassador to South Africa, an important regional partner. Trump needs to keep Africas name out of his mouth. For those who believe Trump intended his tweet as distraction - it certainly hasnt worked very well, at least so far. Cable news channels have focused overwhelmingly on Manafort and Cohen, which is not surprising given the U.S. medias penchant for under-covering Africa. With more than half of black South Africans living below the poverty line (less than 1 percent of white South Africans do), the future of democratic South Africa largely hinges on economic opportunities for its black population, which in turn are bound closely with the distribution of land. Trumps appalling tweet should be treated as the major foreign-policy scandal that it is. Karen Attiah is The Washington Posts Global Opinions editor. She writes on international affairs and social issues. Previously, she reported from Curacao, Ghana and Nigeria. This piece originally appeared in The Washington Post. Two years ago, The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board opposed a bill that would add a maximum 95-cents fee to the monthly bills of all but low-income water customers to help pay for water infrastructure improvements in some 300 communities with about 1 million residents. These residents, clustered in agricultural areas in the Central Valley, have to rely on unsafe water supplies. This is a very worthy cause. But needed improvements can easily be paid for with the states multibillion-dollar budget surplus or with the billions in approved state water bonds. Imposing a first-ever tax on something as basic as water is a horrible idea. Now the concept is back in an even less-defensible version. The Associated Press reported last week that Gov. Gavin Newsom has launched a push for a water tax that would exempt low-income users but would set a minimum not maximum monthly fee of 95 cents, ranging up to $10 a month. This feels more like a stealth bid to establish a broad new tax to pay for the coming huge growth in local and state pension bills than a principled proposal. Sen. Anna Caballero, D-Salinas, has a better, simpler idea: creating a trust fund to upgrade water systems using money from the state surplus. This deserves quick action not Newsoms tax grab. Advertisement Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion SinkabergHansen AS plans to build a new smolt facility at Svaberget in Nry, through the company Svaberget Smolt AS. Construction is estimated to start in September 2019. AKVA group Land Based Norway AS, a wholly owned subsidiary of AKVA group ASA have participated in the pre-engineering of the project and final stages of contract works is ongoing. Svaberget Smolt AS has confirmed, subject to final negotiations, AKVA group Land Based Norway AS will be awarded the contract for delivery of the processing equipment to the facility. The contract value is approximately 300 MNOK. Dated: 26 March 2019 AKVA group ASA Web: www.akvagroup.com CONTACTS: Hallvard Muri Chief Executive Officer Phone: +47 51 77 85 00 Mobile: +47 91 58 07 50 E-mail: hmuri@akvagroup.com Simon Nyquist Martinsen Chief Financial Officer Phone: +47 51 77 85 00 Mobile: +47 91 63 00 42 E-mail: snmartinsen@akvagroup.com *************************************************************** AKVA group is the leading provider of technology and services to the global fish farming industry and the only with global distribution. The products consist of software systems, operational equipment and sensor systems, feed systems, cage systems, net cleaning systems, light systems and recirculation aquaculture systems. This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act America asks a lot of its first couples. Fairly or not, they become national marital role models. We dont really care if they have separate bedrooms, but we do expect them to demonstrate a certain amount of mutual respect and fondness for each other. We like it when they seem to be in love, like George and Laura Bush, or Barack and Michelle Obama. Even Bill and Hillary Clinton, for all their woes, seem to take pleasure in each others intellects and achievements. We also want them to be devoted parents. We get no good vibes from the Trump marriage. Trump, who demands adoration, would no doubt love for Melania to gaze upon him the way Nancy Reagan gazed upon her Ronnie. But Ronnie didnt cheat on Nancy with porn stars and Playmates. Advertisement Whats distressing to many Americans is that Melania seems like a prop in her husbands reality show. During his inauguration last year, when the new president turned around to say something to his wife, her face lit up for a second. As soon as he turned away, her happy mask fell away. Months later, she slapped away his hand as they walked on the tarmac in Israel. These people are under constant scrutiny, said University of Washington sociologist Pepper Schwartz, a sex and relationships expert. Has anyone ever seen a loving gesture between them? Our first lady does not seem to be having a good time. In the last month alone, amid the daily chaos that is the Trump White House, stories about the presidents womanizing, and his techniques for suppressing stories about his womanizing, have become fodder for the daily news report. Porn star Stormy Daniels said she was paid to stay quiet about an affair she alleges she had with Trump shortly after Melania gave birth to their son, Barron. Michael Cohen, Trumps personal attorney and self-described fix-it guy for the president, announced he had paid the actress, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, $130,000, but has not said why. Last week, the New Yorker reported that former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal kept a diary of the nine-month affair she began with Trump in 2006, around the same time he was seeing Clifford. McDougal has said that the National Enquirer, whose publisher is a friend and protector of Trump, paid her $150,000 for the exclusive rights to her story, then never ran it. (Trump has denied both affairs.) President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive for a National African American History Month reception in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 13. (Mandel Ngan / AFP / Getty Images ) Melania had already skipped the billionaire confab in Davos after the Stormy Daniels payment story broke. Then came Playmate McDougal , and more wifely passive-aggression followed: On Friday, Melanias office, citing a scheduling issue, announced she would drive alone to Andrews Air Force Base rather than helicopter there with her husband from the White House. Maybe Melania passed on the copter ride because she is getting tired of walking across the White House lawn in her stilettos, but she was also a no-show at a Mar-a-Lago dinner her husband hosted with Geraldo Rivera and her stepsons, according to the Washington Post. Melania seems to be punishing Donald, but for what? I dont think she ever imagined that he was going to be faithful to her, Schwartz said. This is a man who has never stopped pushing himself on women. The preponderance of the evidence, as they say, is pretty convincing. The punishment, in that case, must be for the relentless humiliation. :: Surely, Melania Trump knew what she was getting into when she married the man who would become our 45th president. Twenty-four years her senior, Donald Trump had already been divorced twice. He was a famous adulterer, womanizer and sexist, and a regular on shock jock Howard Sterns radio show, making proclamations about then-girlfriend Melanias breasts, the hotness of his own daughter, his belief that when a woman turns 35, its checkout time. She rallied to his defense after the infamous Access Hollywood tape became public during the 2016 presidential campaign. Americas future first lady dismissed her husbands boast about being able to grab womens genitals as just boy talk, that her husband had been egged on by host Billy Bush. And then, when more than a dozen women came forward to allege that Trump had sexually harassed or assaulted them over a period of four decades, the former model attacked the women. Their stories, she said, were lies. This was all organized from the opposition, Melania Trump, 47, told CNN. Did they ever check the background of these women? They dont have any facts. Well, you certainly cant blame a wife for supporting her husband. Unless, of course, shes a Democrat, like Hillary Clinton. In which case the wife will be vilified for supporting her husband. Melania Trump arrives before the State of the Union address on Jan. 30. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press ) :: In the past year, there has been a lot of speculation about the durability of the Trumps marriage, mostly focusing on Melanias tolerance levels. Tongue-in-cheek memes include #FreeMelania. Thirteen months ago, at the first Womens March, there were numerous handmade posters, riffing on the first ladys generally stone-faced expression, with variations of Melania, blink twice if you need help! And that was long before new details about the porn star and the Playmate emerged . A Marist Poll released on Valentines Day (!), found that 43% of Americans think the Trumps should stay together, 34% said Melania should leave and 23% were unsure. I cant imagine what it feels like to have your marriage put to a popular vote. Over the course of the last year, Melanias approval rating has inched up. She is now far more popular than her husband. This is not much of a surprise; most first ladies are more popular than their mates. In Melanias case, the bar was pretty low given Trumps low ratings, but good for her. Last fall, during a White House dinner, President Trump acknowledged his wifes popularity, calling her the star of the Trump family, according to news reports. They love her out there, Ill tell you. We walked all over Florida. We walked all over Texas, and theyre loving Melania. Since he has a history of walking all over his marriage, its good to know that someone is loving Melania. To read this article in Spanish, click here robin.abcarian@latimes.com Twitter: @AbcarianLAT Thursdays announcement that Apple plans to add 1,000 workers in San Diego over the next three years is welcome news for the region. Combined with Google leasing a 60,000-square-foot office here in 2016 and Amazon launching a 107,000-square-foot campus in 2017, this amounts to further confirmation from the tech giants of the world that San Diego is deeply attractive to employers, thanks to its outstanding work force and great quality of life. Analysts saw the move as part of Apples larger strategy of seeking to design more of the components used in its iPhones and other electronics. The company is sure to get plenty of resumes from the 1,500 local employees that Qualcomm has had to lay off this year, partly because Apple no longer buys cellular modems from the local tech giant. Heres hoping the two companies contentious relationship reflected in legal wars over patents and more doesnt divide the local tech community. For example, UC San Diegos Department of Computer Science and Engineering has a close relationship with Qualcomm. That shouldnt get in the way of the department also working closely with Apple. While the moves that Apple announced included expansions much bigger than whats planned for San Diego, theres an interesting intrastate angle to the Cupertino-based companys maneuvering. Thats the chance that it may foreshadow a brain drain of talent from extremely expensive Silicon Valley to merely super expensive San Diego County. In June, the Bay Area News Group reported on a stunning poll showing that 46 percent of the regions residents were likely to move from the region in coming years, primarily because of concerns that housing costs were hurting their quality of life. Thats up from 34 percent in 2016. The article featured Berkeley software engineer Travis Dobbs, who said he and his also well-paid wife had no hopes of being able to afford a home. Advertisement Hey, Dobbs family, come on down! Youll find that your familys income goes at lot further in Poway than Palo Alto. When more Silicon Valley tech workers figure this out, San Diegos work force could get stronger and its economic outlook even brighter. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion When Brian Kelly took over as CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority in January, the veteran government executive showed a level of candor about the authoritys bullet-train project that went far beyond anything ever heard from Gov. Jerry Brown or other train advocates. Kelly said the project needed to establish credibility after years of cost overruns and missed construction deadlines being explained away with happy talk. So much for that. The beleaguered projects new business plan, a draft of which was released Friday, doesnt live up to the expectations Kelly created. The plan deserves credit for acknowledging that the previous $64 billion estimate for the statewide project was far too low. The new estimated cost is $77 billion, and the report notes it could climb to $98 billion. The plan also merits praise for saying 2029 is the soonest that train operations might begin. Thats five years later than the last estimate. But in three crucial ways, the business plan is as unrealistic as the authoritys previous plans. The first is that it continues to presume that a huge influx of federal funding could help address a project funding shortfall of more than $50 billion. The plan noted that Washington paid for 90 percent of the cost of the interstate highway system. But its been more than eight years since the Obama administration and Congress provided $3.3 billion in federal funding to buttress the $9.95 billion in bond seed money approved by California voters in 2008 with the passage of Proposition 1A. Since then, federal domestic discretionary spending has plunged to historic lows as a share of the budget under both the Obama and Trump administrations, reflecting anxiety over a national debt that now tops $20 trillion. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities expects this decline to continue until at least 2027. Advertisement The second is that the plan continues to assert that substantial private investment in the project is plausible. But as the Legislative Analysts Office pointed out way back in 2010 in critiquing the rail authoritys then-newest business plan, such investment can only be secured if the state government offers minimum revenue guarantees to investors. Such guarantees amount to a promise of operating subsidies, which are illegal under Proposition 1A. No wonder private investors have steered clear. The third is that the plan breaks explicit promises made to voters in 2008 that construction would never begin on the projects initial segment unless enough funding was available to build a segment that would be economically viable in its own right meaning there was no chance the state would spend billions on a white elephant. Yet the present plan anticipates the first segment ending in a remote agricultural community in the Central Valley. These flaws are huge, and if the rail authority wont address them, heres who should: the people running to succeed Brown as governor. If they cant offer a credible way to deliver this project, then continuing to spend billions on the bullet train is an exercise in futility, absurdity and malfeasance. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion The California Coast Act, adopted in 1976, had as a core principle the intent to maximize public access to and along the coast, based on the idea that beaches belong to all Californians. Ever since then, there have been legal fights over wealthy landowners preventing access to the beaches adjacent to their coastal properties. This week, thankfully, what may be the most high-profile of these cases was resolved in a way affirming the right of public access. The fight began in 2008 when Silicon Valley billionaire Vinod Khosla bought 89 acres of coastal property in San Mateo County adjacent to Martins Beach. Khosla padlocked the gate leading to the beach without getting a required state permit, and he asserted that his constitutional property rights outweighed the states authority. Now this claim has been rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court, which on Monday refused to take up Khoslas appeal of lower-court rulings. Khosla has indicated new litigation is likely if the state denies him the permit, but his key legal argument has been repeatedly rejected. Unfortunately, the Coastal Commission hasnt always defended beach access vigorously. In May, the commission allowed Hollister Ranch landowners to mostly block access to 8.5 miles of beach in Santa Barbara County. After facing sharp criticism, commissioners now regret the decision and are planning a new push to require access to the beach, which is near the Gaviota State Park beach, with the help of the State Lands Commission. Its a welcome move. Beaches belong to Californians. Courts and commissions must enforce that. Advertisement Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Its rare that a bill about the often-contentious issue of education unites factions so often at odds, but legislation Gov. Jerry Brown signed Friday that banned for-profit charter schools was just such a bill. Supporters included the California Federation of Teachers, the Association of California School Administrators, the California School Boards Association, and the California Charter Schools Association, which represents the schools with the vast majority of the states 630,000 charter students. The groups had various motives for backing Assembly Bill 406. The charter association was tired of responding to myths that charter schools are all about making money when nearly all are nonprofits, and the other groups were worried about the relative few for-profit charters inadequate record on transparency and record-keeping. The biggest offender appears to be K12, a for-profit national charter school operator that has paid the state $10.5 million in fines and settlements since 2015 because of dubious financial practices, overpayment of supervisors and inflated claims of attendance, which led to higher payments from Californias treasury. Brown vetoed a similar bill in 2015, partly because of concerns about ambiguous language that might create headaches for nonprofit charters that use for-profit vendors. His signature Friday was a sign this bill was better crafted. For-profit charters that cut corners and give the charter school movement a bad name were a real distraction. Good riddance. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Advertisement Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion UPDATES: 3:27 p.m.: This editorial was updated to reflect that Gov. Jerry Brown had just signed Assembly Bill 406. Last October, after The New York Times and The New Yorker revealed the horrifying extent of Harvey Weinsteins serial sexual predation, more than 140 women who work in Sacramento signed a letter citing pervasive sexual harassment in the state Capitol. Since then, the fallout has been vast. Two Assembly members Raul Bocanegra, D-Pacoima, and Matt Dababneh, D-Woodland Hills have resigned after being accused by multiple women of unwanted sexual advances and misconduct. Sen. Tony Mendoza, D-Artesia, has been suspended while an investigation proceeds into his alleged come-ons to three female staffers. And on the plus side, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood, and Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, set up a joint committee to evaluate how the Legislature has dealt with sexual harassment allegations and to establish a uniform method for both chambers to deal with them. On Monday, state lawmakers made their most dramatic move yet. Following a unanimous Senate vote last week, the Assembly voted 74-0 for Assembly Resolution 403, by Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore, which guarantees job protections to legislative employees who report sexual harassment or other legal or ethical transgressions by fellow employees or lawmakers. The bill was passed on an urgency basis, meaning it takes effect as soon as it is signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. The unanimous votes illustrate the Legislature knows far it needs to go to repair its tarnished image a problem whose scope still remains unclear. Fridays release of details of 18 cases of alleged sexual harassment by state lawmakers or senior staff members since 2006 was a big step in the wrong direction, raising new doubts about the Legislatures good faith on this issue. The documents showed that in some cases, alleged harassers got away with verbal warnings or otherwise faced little or no punishment. In at least two cases, alleged harassers got new jobs. The problem is that in many of the documents, so much is redacted that its difficult to have a firm sense of what happened. Thats why Adama Iwu of the We Said Enough movement told Capital Public Radio that the documents release falls dramatically short of a comprehensive or transparent release of information. Advertisement Rendon and de Leon deserve praise for at least beginning to honor their promises to be transparent with the public when it comes to sexual harassment allegations. But its worth noting that it remains the formal position of Assembly Chief Administrative Officer Debra Gravert and Secretary of the Senate Daniel Alvarez affirmed last week that the Legislative Open Records Act means they dont have to release personnel records if they dont want to. If members of the committee established by Rendon and de Leon want to improve how the Legislature deals with sexual harassment, they should recommend revisions to this law. Guaranteeing accusers that their jobs will be protected is a huge and important step. But protecting harassers with an overly broad worker privacy law applying only to the Legislature isnt just a bad idea. It encourages sexual harassers and other rule-breakers by making them less worried about being held accountable. Its far past time that responsible lawmakers figured this out. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion In 2011, when the Obama administration announced changes in how it interpreted the federal law guiding how colleges respond to allegations of sexual misconduct, there was broad applause from many Americans. They had heard years of horror stories about administrators reacting to allegations of sexual violence with disinterest, disbelief and/or a desire to avoid negative publicity about their campuses. The Obama interpretation of Title IX the landmark 1972 federal law mandating equal treatment of the sexes by institutions receiving federal education funds pushed colleges to take allegations of such misconduct much more seriously and to document their investigations to prove their seriousness. Seven years later, there is no question that colleges are far more sensitive and responsive on this issue. But after a series of successful lawsuits against colleges over Title IX prosecutions, a powerful argument can be made that good intentions made for flawed policy one that denied millions of college students the due process rights of other Americans. This view led Betsy Davos, President Donald Trumps choice for education secretary, to formally drop the 2011 interpretation of Title IX last September. Anticipating this move, the state Legislature passed a bill that would have written a version of the Obama rules into state law. To the surprise of many, Gov. Jerry Brown declined to sign the bill, writing that thoughtful legal minds have increasingly questioned whether federal and state actions to prevent and redress sexual harassment and assault ... have also unintentionally resulted in some colleges failure to uphold due process for accused students. Brown said he would convene a group of knowledgeable persons to help the state come up with its own policy. This week, his aide said a retired judge and two faculty members whose identities were not disclosed because of the sensitive nature of their task are expected to provide recommendations by Oct. 1. Advertisement Whatever policy is recommended, theres now a fresh reminder that the due process rights of the accused must not be abridged. On Aug. 8, a state appeals court in Los Angeles ruled on a 3-0 vote that a male Claremont McKenna College student punished for alleged wrongdoing had his rights violated by a college disciplinary process that limited his ability to defend himself against accusations. The verdict affirmed the view of Harvard law professor Nancy Gertner, who wrote in 2015 that policies adopted by colleges created the worst of both worlds for accused students a system in which they could be found guilty based on a preponderance of evidence, as with civil lawsuits, but without the protections available in civil lawsuits through the evidence discovery process. The good news for the Golden State is that theres already an appreciation that due process matters at the University of California. UC President Janet Napolitano who raised sharp questions about the Obama rules in a 2014 essay for the Yale Law & Policy Review has ordered UC campuses to follow a transparent process that ensures the rights of the accused, according to new San Diego State University President Adela de la Torre, a former UC Davis vice chancellor. This is as it should be. Creating a safe college environment where students feel they can report misconduct without repercussions is crucial. But this must not be done in a way that unfairly limits a students ability to respond to potentially life-wrecking allegations. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed a major change in the regulation of the states three huge investor-owned utilities. Brown says a utility should no longer be held liable for damages from wildfires linked to its equipment if it can be demonstrated the utility acted reasonably in maintaining the equipment. Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric all are pushing hard for such a revision of state law because of the growing risk of wildfires from the Wests hotter, drier climate. As illustrated by the fires raging around the state in recent days, their concerns are warranted. Reaction to Browns plan has been mixed. Lawmakers who want to protect the utilities financial health so long as they meet safety standards offered support. PG&Es CEO said it makes some progress but is insufficient. Utility critics said the governors proposal was an unnecessary giveaway. But The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board has another view: We believe that Brown should have nothing to do with this critically important policy debate. If ratepayers trust him to treat them fairly, they havent been paying attention. The governor has appointed the entire board of the California Public Utilities Commission and has close relationships with both Michael Peevey and Michael Picker, the two men who have served as CPUC presidents in recent years. Brown has also fought efforts to make the CPUC more transparent and accountable. As such, he deserves direct blame for the regulatory bodys recent massive scandals. Advertisement The first involves the CPUCs 2014 decision to force ratepayers to pay 70 percent of the cost of the $4.7 billion tab for closing the San Onofre nuclear plant which is owned almost 80 percent by Edison and 20 percent by SDG&E even though the nuclear plants failings were due in large part to poor management. After it was revealed in 2015 that Peevey and an Edison executive improperly crafted the outline for the deal at a 2013 meeting in Poland a meeting that was never disclosed to the public the CPUC was eventually forced to reopen the settlement and accept terms that shifted $750 million of the cost from ratepayers to shareholders. The second scandal involves PG&E and the criminal behavior it displayed before and after a 2010 natural-gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno that killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes. The utility was convicted in federal court of six felonies for the poor maintenance that caused the disaster and for its subsequent obstruction of a federal probe. But the CPUC was akin to an unindicted co-conspirator. Investigators said lax oversight by the state regulator led the way to the catastrophe. The commission wasnt done coddling PG&E. Facing immense pressure from lawmakers, it purportedly fined PG&E $1.6 billion over San Bruno. Yet more than half the fine wasnt actually a fine. It was a mandate that PG&E spend $850 million to improve its natural gas transmission system an upgrade that was already seen as necessary. Against this backdrop, neither Brown nor the CPUC deserve the benefit of the doubt. Lawmakers should hold off on regulatory changes until the next governor is elected in November. Then talks should begin on a policy that offers more fiscal protection for utilities. The policy must ultimately be crafted thoughtfully so it doesnt incentivize utilities to cut corners on public safety and reflects an awareness of the utilities recent history of bad behavior. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion State Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, seemed to hit his stride in recent months in his long-shot bid to unseat incumbent U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-San Francisco. He won the formal endorsement of the California Democratic Party, a sure sign of the former state Senate leaders appeal to the growing number of Democrats who have lost patience with the partys moderate voices. And in his second interview in recent months with The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board, he came across as looser, more confident and even better-informed on a range of national issues than in his first. Perhaps this reflected the recent stunning primary defeats of respected Democratic House incumbents in New York and Boston by minority candidates with progressive agendas. De Leon said he had no problems with the defeated incumbents, but that their values like Feinsteins were not those of most Democrats in 2018. That may be true. But isnt Feinstein more likely to be an effective lawmaker in Washington? Based on the events of recent weeks, her case for re-election has only grown stronger. The 85-year-old was already in the spotlight because of her role as ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is considering the Supreme Court nomination of federal appellate Judge Brett Kavanaugh. When the 25-year Senate veteran apologized to Kavanaugh after his initial testimony on Sept. 5 had been repeatedly interrupted by hecklers, de Leon expressed disbelief, writing to supporters, Are you kidding me? Then he expressed disappointment that no Senate Democrats had joined protesters in getting arrested. This is what deserves an Are you kidding me? reaction not Feinsteins defense of valuable, much-needed Senate traditions of civility. Now de Leons sneering at Feinstein has gone from dubious to contemptible. Last weekend, it was revealed that in July, the senator had received a letter from Christine Blasey Ford, a Bay Area professor who alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by Kavanaugh in the 1980s when they were both attending private high schools in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Feinstein kept quiet about the letter at Fords specific request. It was only when Ford gave her the go-ahead that the letters existence was publicly revealed. Yet De Leons campaign issued a statement blasting Feinstein for waiting months to hand this disqualifying document over to the federal authorities. In other words, de Leon ripped Feinstein for refusing to betray a request for confidentiality from a woman reporting she was the target of an attempted rape. Thats appalling, especially given the culture of sexual harassment that some exploited in Sacramento when de Leon led the Senate. Advertisement Feinsteins strengths her smarts and gravitas, her strong relationships with senators from both parties, her deep knowledge of national security issues, her history of getting things done instead of grandstanding were on admirable display in her two recent interviews with the U-T Editorial Board. These strengths always were likely to secure her another term in the Senate. If voters prefer a male Democrat who would cruelly exploit a woman reporting a sexual assault for political purposes, then thats a step back for politics and the #MeToo movement. Vote Dianne Feinstein for U.S. Senate. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion The pronounced increase in local hate crimes from 2016 to 2017 up 15 percent in San Diego and 13 percent in San Diego County is a troubling development thats getting the response it deserves. At 6 p.m. Wednesday, the second Stop the Hate community forum, hosted by the San Diego Regional Hate Crimes Coalition, is being held at the Santa Fe Conference Room in Balboa Park. It will provide information about the nature of hate crimes and about how victims can get the help and the resources they need. The U.S. Attorneys Office, the county District Attorneys Office, the San Diego City Attorneys Office, the FBI, the Anti-Defamation League, Border Angels and the Islamic Center of San Diego are expected to send representatives. The first forum was held in El Cajon in July and more forums are planned in coming months. There are no easy explanations about the motivation or manner of these hate crimes. But the broad, public response to them is welcome. A hate crime victimizes entire groups, not just individuals. Kudos to the Hate Crimes Coalition for its important work. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Pittsburgh, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cognition Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage neuroscience company focused on the protection and restoration of synaptic function in neurodegenerative diseases and disorders caused by membrane trafficking dysfunction, today announced the appointment of Lisa Ricciardi to its Board of Directors. Ms. Ricciardi is a life sciences executive with broad industry experience, having served at large pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, payors and venture-capital firms. She is currently CEO of Suono Bio, a life sciences company based on technology from MIT. President and CEO Kenneth I. Moch, stated, Lisa is a highly respected and highly experienced life sciences executive with significant development and commercialization expertise. Her strategic approach to company operations and transactions will serve us well as we continue to evolve Cognition and advance Elayta through its Phase 2 program. Lisas unique insights, gained during a career bridging finance and drug development, will be especially valuable as we move into more advanced stages of development and grow as a company, added Robert Gailus, chairman of Cognition Therapeutics Board of Directors. Prior to joining Suono Bio, Ms. Ricciardi was SVP of global corporate and business development at Foundation Medicine, where she negotiated transactions with biopharma, research centers and health systems, including a $1.03 billion transformational agreement with Roche. As SVP of U.S. and international business development at Express Scripts, Ms. Ricciardi was involved in small to multi-billion-dollar deals with CROs, oncology services, onsite clinics and lab services. In 2012, she brokered the $29 billion acquisition of Medco by Express Scripts and led the organizations transition support team. At Pfizer, she oversaw the global licensing and development division, where she completed numerous global R&D and commercial collaborations for both late-stage and early-stage assets. At Essex Woodlands Health Ventures, Ms. Ricciardi provided marketing and commercialization expertise to portfolio companies, and identified and evaluated potential investments. Ms. Ricciardi currently serves on the Board of Directors of United Drug Healthcare Group, a Dublin-based pharmaceutical outsourced supplier. Ms. Ricciardi earned a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in English and religion from Wesleyan University and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Management. Ms. Ricciardi commented, I have been impressed by Cognitions focus, passion and innovative path to advance Elayta as a potential new medicine for Alzheimer's disease. I truly look forward to helping Cognition plan its course forward as it accelerates the development of Elayta. About Cognition Therapeutics, Inc. Cognition Therapeutics is a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing proprietary small-molecule therapeutics to treat neurodegenerative diseases caused by membrane trafficking dysfunction. Cognitions drug candidates may halt the progression of Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease and other disorders that occur when toxic oligomeric proteins interrupt critical cellular pathways in the brain. Cognitions lead candidate, Elayta, is a novel first-in-class, orally available small molecule that in initial clinical studies has shown the potential to normalize protein trafficking and lipid metabolism pathways that are disrupted in Alzheimers disease and allow the protection and restoration of synapses. Elayta is currently being tested for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Alzheimers disease in three Phase 2 clinical studies: SPARC (Synaptic Protection for Alzheimers Restoration of Cognition), SNAP (AO Displacement from Synapses on Neurons in Alzheimers Patients) and SHINE (Synaptic Health and Improvement of Neurological Function with Elayta). These studies are supported by grants (award numbers RF1AG057780, RF1AG057553 and R01AG058660) from the National Institute on Aging of the NIH. Elayta has been granted Fast Track designation by the U.S. FDA. Elayta and Cognitions other pipeline candidates were identified using the companys disease-relevant screening and novel chemistry platforms. Additional information about Cognition and its product candidates may be found online at http://www.cogrx.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the development and commercialization of Cognitions products, the potential benefits and attributes of such products, and Cognitions expectations regarding its prospects. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual future events or results to differ materially from such statements. These statements are made as of the date of this press release. Actual results may vary. Cognition undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements for any reason. For nearly 40 years, owners of homes at the private, gated Hollister Ranch subdivision northwest of Santa Barbara have bitterly opposed efforts to provide the public with access to the ranchs 8.5 miles of coastline. In late 2017, this obstinance paid off when coastal regulators agreed to a deal in which the public was granted access to a three-quarter-mile section of beach but only to those using a surfboard, paddleboard, kayak or soft-bottom boat. There would be no regular land access to the shoreline, which is near Gaviota State Park beach. Unsurprisingly, this infuriated activists in the Gaviota Coastal Trail Alliance, who filed legal challenges to the decision on the grounds that it violated the clear intent of state laws guaranteeing public access to beach areas. And on Feb. 8, Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Colleen Sterne agreed with them, saying that Hollister Ranch officials had failed to demonstrated the deal was fair and reasonable. While Sterne refused to ratify the decision, she didnt throw it out. Instead, she laid out the steps that critics could take to have it formally repudiated by the state, starting with a lawsuit targeting the secret process that coastal regulators used to craft the settlement. Sternes decision should send a message to the Coastal Commission, the Coastal Conservancy and other state agencies dealing with beach access issues: Stand your ground no matter what against the rich landowners who seek to defy the plain intent of state laws and keep beaches to themselves. The California coast belongs to everyone. Advertisement Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion The State of the Union address by President Donald Trump is finally taking place on Tuesday after weeks of political feuding during which it was being as a bargaining chip and after a week delay. Originally scheduled for Jan. 29, the constitutionally-mandated speech to Congress is a chance for the countrys chief executive to give his views on current affairs, lay out a vision for the nation and offer some thoughts and guidance to the legislative branch. Its also a chance to send a message to the American people. Heres what you need to know. When is the State of the Union Address? The speech will take place Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. Pacific Time. Advertisement Where will the speech take place? Trump will address members of Congress in the chamber of the House of Representatives at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. How did the speech finally get scheduled? While the government was partially shut down for 35 days, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, sent a letter to Trump, a Republican, suggesting the speech be delayed until after the government re-opened, citing security concerns. When the president said hed rather continue with the address, Pelosi sent another letter saying the House of Representatives wouldnt authorize the address until the government re-opened. Trump agreed, in a tweet, to postpone his address. Then the government re-opened on Jan. 28, the politicians worked out an agreement, and the State of the Union address was rescheduled to take place on Tuesday. What will Trump say? News reports ahead of Trumps appearance at the Capitol said the speech will focus on unity in the country and five main areas: immigration, employment and trade, infrastructure, health care and the military. What else will happen? After the State of the Union address, the minority party typically gives a response from one special lawmaker. This year, Stacey Abrams, who lost Georgias gubernatorial race in 2018, will give the Democratic response to Trump. The Democrats are also preparing a response in the Spanish language to be given by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. How can you watch? The speech will be shown on C-SPAN on television, as well as on c-span.org and C-SPANs radio app. Heres the link for the live stream online. Also on television, ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS and and Telemundo are expected to carry the address. Online, you can also check out The White House youtube channel. The Conversation podcast The Conversation with Abby & Luis is a podcast that slows down the news cycle to make sense of issues and stories that matter to listeners in San Diego and beyond. We talk to news makers, experts and others to offer interesting, in-depth conversations that will keep you up to date and informed. Check out some of our most recent episodes below. Email: abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @abbyhamblin Chilling is an understatement. The U.S. government, in the name of border security and in tandem with the Mexican government, created and kept dossiers what NBC 7 in San Diego, which broke the story, called a secret database on a group of 59 journalists, advocates, activists and an attorney who met with members of a migrant caravan that came to Tijuana late last year. U.S. Customs and Border Protection singled out many in the group for lengthy extra questioning when trying to cross the border and denied at least two journalists entry. What was the justification? The documents obtained by NBC 7 showed that the U.S.-Mexico International Liaison Unit considered those it gathered information on to be suspected organizers, coordinators, instigators and media. The Customs and Border Protection agency told NBC News that all 59 were present during a violent incident at the border in November and that journalists were tracked to learn more about what started the violence. If there is no evidence these individuals instigated criminal activity, hassling them at the border, keeping them from entering Mexico and placing alerts on their passports is official harassment. The ACLU and a number of journalism advocacy organizations are right to be outraged. It is against federal law to abet those who try to enter the U.S. without authorization, but federal law protects journalists covering a news event from official impediment. NBC 7s anonymous U.S. Homeland Security source acted as a whistle-blower, saying, Were not an intelligence agency. We cant create dossiers on people, and theyre creating dossiers. This is an abuse of the border search authority. Advertisement Agreed. U.S. officials must end and answer for this abuse of power, and Congress must investigate. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion There are two Democrats on the ballot in the race to succeed Gavin Newsom as lieutenant governor. The clear choice is the much less conventional one, Eleni Kounalakis, a former U.S. ambassador to Hungary with an extensive business background. Her opponent, state Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, has worked effectively to expand access to health care. But he is very much a member of the complacent, sluggish Capitol establishment. Their differences are plain. For one example, Kounalakis is far more outspoken about using the lieutenant governors seat on the University of California Board of Regents to challenge UC leaders, from President Janet Napolitano down. For another, Kounalakis daughter of successful Sacramento developer Angelo Tsakopoulos also is far better about the urgent need to address the housing crisis with new construction. This led the Sacramento Bee to editorialize that if she is elected, the next governor should make her the states point person on housing and homelessness. Thats probably not going to happen. Newsom, the heavy favorite to be elected governor, has his own detailed plans. But were confident that Kounalakis wont be invisible if elected, unlike many past lieutenant governors. She deserves your vote. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Advertisement Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion One of the pleasures and challenges of this job is you do a lot of traveling. Ive been in 23 states over the last three months. The general impression I get is that Im not covering a midterm election campaign. Im covering two separate electorates. The biggest difference is atmospheric. In urban and suburban America, Donald Trumps outrage du jour is on everybodys lips: Did you see what he tweeted now? Did you see his racist ad? Where will the Mueller investigation go? In rural America, by contrast, all that stuff is like a thunderstorm in Inner Mongolia. Its something happening very far away with no particular relevance here, and so no ones paying much attention. In urban America people talk about Trump constantly. In rural America people generally avoid the subject. Even if 80 percent of the locals support Trump, you never know how somebody will react if you mention his name they might call you a racist so its not a safe topic of conversation. Advertisement The other big impression I get is that grand canyons now separate different sectors of American society and these canyons are harder and harder to cross. On the one hand, as Amy Walter of Cook Political Report has pointed out, very little has changed over the past two years. In 2016, 54 percent of white voters supported Trump, and the exact same percentage of those voters support him today. In 2016, 38 percent of college-educated white voters supported Trump and 38 percent support him today. A lot has been said, but few minds have been changed. On the other hand, everybodys political positions are more dug in. College-educated suburban woman really dont like Republicans. White men without college degrees really dont like Democrats. Urban America is really blue. Rural America is really red. The race in 2016 entrenched those positions on the presidential level. The 2018 race entrenches them all the way down the ticket. Im with Ron Brownstein of CNN and former Republican Rep. Tom Davis: This is not a wave election; its a realignment election. The results Tuesday will not be shaped by some crest of momentum behind the Democrats. They are going to be shaped by the fact that people are hardening into their categories, and those categories tend to produce a Democratic House and a Republican Senate. The Republicans were saddled with an unpopular president, and the normal thing to do would have been to try to get House races to turn on local issues. But Trump makes everything about himself, and so has nationalized all the races. Congressional elections are now mostly just mini-versions of presidential elections. The quality of any individual candidate matters a lot less, and theres much less variation in how different candidates are conducting their campaigns. In Missouri, for example, the Republicans are running Josh Hawley for Senate. Hawley could have run an interesting campaign that would have crossed a lot of boundaries. He went to Stanford and Yale Law School. He wrote a fine book on Theodore Roosevelt, and several excellent essays for the journal National Affairs, including an erudite one on epicurean liberalism. But hes embraced Trump and run as a pretty standard Trumpkin Republican. Nationalized politics forces local candidates to act mostly like Trump or Pelosi stand-ins and less like themselves. The one word that the two electorates have in common is unraveling. Both groups have a sense that America is unraveling. If you ask them what issues matter most, theyll say health care or immigration. But thats not the right question to ask, because it doesnt get at the sense of existential anger and angst that is really driving things. Of course, the two electorates tell entirely different unraveling stories. In rural America, the sources of unraveling are the immigrants (symbolized by the caravan) and the radicalized mobs of educated elites (symbolized by the media). In rural America, basic values like hard work, clear gender roles and the social fabric are dissolving before peoples eyes. Timothy Carney had a very fine piece in the Times on Thursday that captured the sense of social despair. I got a loaded .22 right by my door, one man in rural Pennsylvania told Carney, I dont trust nobody in my apartment complex. Urban Americans see the unraveling coming from the rising tide of nativism, the way Trump eviscerates social norms, the underground army of alt-right extremists with guns. If anything, the blue sense of unraveling is more comprehensive. Democratic ideology is increasingly dominated by the educated upper-middle class. As polls show, those Democrats are losing faith in capitalism itself, in the American dream itself. White liberals describe racism as a bigger problem precluding black advancement than do African-Americans. As Emma Green noted in The Atlantic, for many, progressivism isnt just a set of political beliefs; its a set of liturgies, rituals and moral doctrines for the secular unchurched. Politics is no longer mainly about disagreeing on issues. Its about being in entirely separate conversations. The Venn diagram is dead. Theres no overlapping area. The decision of Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Xavier Becerra and other state lawmakers to travel to Mexico City for Saturdays inauguration of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador as Mexicos president is a welcome recognition of the importance of Californias ties to its southern neighbor. Mexico is the Golden States top export market, buying 15.5 percent of the states 2017 exports, or $26.7 billion, per the California Chamber of Commerce. Newsom must emphasize to Lopez Obrador that many of President Donald Trumps bombastic pronouncements about border policies are cringeworthy to Californian and U.S. politicians in general because most value a strong relationship with Mexico, especially between San Diego and Tijuana. Its worth noting that Trump himself may not believe his anti-Mexico rhetoric, given that he signed a trade deal to take NAFTAs place Friday. In the short term, Newsom should also discuss cooperating on the crisis created by the 6,000-plus Central Americans gathered in Tijuana to seek asylum in the U.S. Yes, the federal government is the key player on issues related to immigration, but theres no reason the state government cant help with humanitarian relief. Advertisement In the long term, its also crucial that California and both the Lopez Obrador and Trump administrations work together closely to address the awful cross-border pollution caused by broken wastewater infrastructure in Tijuana that routinely fouls South Bay beaches with sewage. Mexico should play a much more constructive role than it has so far but the same can be said for the White House. The stakes are high. Californians should hope that Newsom, Becerra and the rest of the state delegation hit it off with Mexicos new president. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion With medical use of marijuana now legal in 33 states and recreational use legal for adults in 10 states, the normalization of cannabis is well under way especially with the resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who saw the drug through a reefer madness prism and who often hinted at the crackdowns to come against states which allowed the use of a drug thats illegal under federal law. Now its time for Congress to pass a law making it explicit that the marijuana industry has legal access to the U.S. banking system. While a new Treasury Department report shows more and more banks and credit unions are accepting marijuana business customers 486 as of Sept. 30 far more remain leery because of the potential for federal fines from government regulators with views like Sessions. The industry needs help after a rough first year in California. Ending doubts about the legality of marijuana banking is crucial because the state is expected to generate much less tax revenue than the $630 million projected for fiscal 2018-2019. A more certain change, as the Southern California News Group reported last week, is that the state will crack down in 2019 on the illegal marijuana sellers that dont pay taxes just as it would with unauthorized sellers of tobacco or alcohol. Both steps are crucial. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Advertisement Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion The effusive praise that President George H.W. Bush and Arizona Sen. John McCain received this year after their deaths has been treated with suspicion in some corners of the right. Thats understandable given that many appreciations of the two war heroes felt more like seized opportunities to trash President Donald Trump and Republicans in general than genuine tributes. Chris Cillizzas Bush 41 piece on CNN.com was a prime example: George H.W. Bush would never have been elected to anything in the modern Republican Party. Its not because the former president, who died at age 94 on Friday, wasnt a real Republican. Bush believed in lower taxes, a smaller federal government and a robust military the general principles that, until the last few years, have defined modern conservatism. Its because of Bushs approach to politics. He was not a fire-breather. His first instinct was not to vilify anyone who disagreed with him. He believed in the idea that good people can disagree. He saw compromise as a reasonable goal of government. Advertisement Writing for the American Thinker blog, conservative Jack Hellner scorned the praise going Bushs way: The only kind of Republicans the media like [are] dead ones. ... The playbook is always the same. Democrats, including most of the media, pretend they love Republicans when they die after they trashed them when they ran and lived. So is the post-death treatment of Bush 41 just a morbid version of what conservative author Tom Bethell long ado dubbed the strange new respect phenomenon in which conservatives who begin moving away from conservatism suddenly get much more favorable coverage? Or is it another example of what The New York Times Frank Bruni this week called Americans increasing habit of viewing everything on all-or-nothing, allies-or-enemies, black-and-white terms, blind to shades of gray? Its neither. Sorry, conservatives who hate the media, but the notion that Bush 41 used to be treated unfairly doesnt hold up. Yes, the 1987 Newsweek cover story that depicted him as a wimp merely because he was polite and uncombative was so dubious that the magazines former editor now regrets it. And the front-page February 1992 story in The New York Times about the then-president appearing dumbfounded by the demonstration of a supermarket scanner at the National Grocers Association convention in Orlando was a pure hit piece that should hang over journalist Andrew Rosenthals reputation for all time. As a Snopes fact check later noted, Rosenthal ... ... hadnt even been present at the grocers convention. He based his article on a two-paragraph report filed by the lone pool newspaperman allowed to cover the event, Gregg McDonald of the Houston Chronicle, who merely wrote that Bush had a look of wonder on his face and didnt find the event significant enough to mention in his own story. Moreover, Bush had good reason to express wonder: He wasnt being shown then-standard scanner technology, but a new type of scanner that could weigh groceries and read mangled and torn bar codes. But the Nexis news-retrieval service amply illustrates that Bush was given credit in real time for his accomplishments in overseeing the end of the Cold War and the brief war against Iraq and its dictator, Saddam Hussein. This analysis from The Boston Globe in March 1991 about Bushs shrewd stewardship in defense of his new world order was typical: ... the challenge posed by Saddam Hussein was the crucible in which the new world order received its first, defining test. Desert Storm was what Winston Churchill had in mind when he talked of the proper application of overwhelming force. The war was meticulously planned and unhesitatingly executed by Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, his coalition counterparts and half a million soldiers. It was won quickly and with an astoundingly low number of allied casualties. If this was an illustration of what Bush meant by the new world order, it had certain clear elements. The United States was not going to slide into neo-isolationism, as some analysts had feared, and others had hoped. Instead, Washington would remain at the very center of international affairs. The United States and its president could not alone decide how the world would work, so alliances, coalitions and international institutions such as the United Nations would be an important adjunct of U.S. foreign policy. And this appreciation of Bushs skills and competence was evident before he became president. In 1988, the liberal editorial board of the Washington Post astounded Democrats by refusing to endorse their presidential nominee, Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, over Bush. After knocking Dukakis for being both academic and unschooled on world affairs, the Post noted Bush had no such weaknesses: ... the vice president is much more conversant with both defense and foreign policy, and he speaks on both with more authority, understanding and sense than Gov. Dukakis does. The Post didnt back Bush it made no endorsement. Still, its appreciation of him doesnt jibe with the grousing were hearing in 2018 about the medias GOP animus. But with John McCain, conservative cynics have a case. For much of his career, the former Vietnam prisoner of war got the sort of laudatory coverage that few public figures have ever enjoyed. An October 1999 Slate article illustrated why McCain liked to joke that the media was his political base: McCain isnt running in Iowa, and he may get clobbered in New Hampshire. But hes miles ahead in the very first contest of the 2000 [presidential] campaign: the press primary. Journalists go weak in the knees around the guy. ... Why do the hacks love McCain? You could start with our admiration for a quality not many of us possess: physical courage. But I think the deeper admiration is for the guts McCain showed in his Vietnamese captivity and which hes shown consistently ever since. Everyone knows by now the story told in McCains book, how he voluntarily suffered five and a half years as a POW in Vietnam after refusing an early release. McCain wasnt just a war hero. He was a kind of spirit of resistance personified ... . This reverence, however, largely disappeared in 2008, when McCain won the Republican presidential nomination. It wasnt just the right wingers at the Washington Times, National Review and the Weekly Standard who saw the media as Democratic candidate Barack Obamas not-so-secret weapon. Two weeks before the election, the respected Pew Research Centers Project for Excellence in Journalism documented how the media had turned on its former favorite: [C]overage of McCain has been heavily unfavorable and has become more so over time. In the six weeks following the conventions through the final debate, unfavorable stories about McCain outweighed favorable ones by a factor of more than three to one the most unfavorable of all four [presidential and vice presidential] candidates ... . For Obama during this period, just over a third of the stories were clearly positive in tone (36 percent), while a similar number (35 percent) were neutral or mixed. A smaller number (29 percent) were negative. For McCain, by comparison, nearly six in ten of the stories studied were decidedly negative in nature (57 percent), while fewer than two in ten (14 percent) were positive. So nine years after he was a media god, McCain got harsher coverage than his running mate, then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin who was widely considered the least qualified major-party nominee for national office in history! What had he done in the interim to turn him from good guy to bad guy? Nothing. When it comes to conservatives claims of media bias, at least with McCain, they should feel free to grouse. Reed, who is biased against Chipotle, is deputy editor of the editorial and opinion section. Email: chris.reed@sduniontribune.com. Twitter: @chrisreed99. Column archive: sdut.us/chrisreed. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board has supported criminal justice reform for years, arguing that mass incarceration policies unique to America are destructive, counterproductive and unnecessary for public safety. But efforts to address this issue in California have been plagued by a lack of vetting and thorough debate. This problem is now so acute that reformers risk triggering a backlash via a ballot initiative that could undo the good they have done as well as correct some terrible mistakes. In 2014, voters approved Proposition 47, which reclassified several nonviolent felonies as misdemeanors in a ham-handed way that didnt make crucial distinctions. Few people, for instance, would think possession of date rape drugs should be seen as a minor offense, but that wasnt even the worst flaw. A Los Angeles Times analysis found that the law had emboldened repeat offenders, especially drug addicts who steal to pay for their habits. A recent Public Policy Institute of California study found little evidence that the measure had increased overall crime rates, but the measure desperately needed a mechanism to force chronic offenders into drug treatment. Incredibly, the California Police Chiefs Association says that participation in drug rehabilitation programs has decreased because of the law. Yet Proposition 47s crafting was superior to what Californians witnessed in Proposition 57, which voters approved in 2016. This law made it easier for nonviolent felons to win parole. But again, its authors failed to sweat the details, using an existing, over-broad list of nonviolent crimes that included rape of an unconscious person and violent child abuse. The worst fears about Proposition 57 were confirmed in February, when a state judge ruled that the state could not retroactively rewrite the measure in a way that denied possible early release to thousands of violent sex offenders. Now, in the worst example of rushed reform yet, Gov. Jerry Brown this week signed into law Assembly Bill 1810 a budget trailer bill with no credited author that takes effect immediately. It includes a provision that appears to allow defendants charged with any crime to get the charges put on hold and perhaps eventually dismissed if they can persuade a judge that the offense resulted from a mental disorder that a mental health expert says is treatable. Advertisement A case can be made that a defendants mental illness should be considered by prosecutors and judges its certainly relevant. Senate Bill 215, now before the Legislature, would have allowed this in defined, limited circumstances. But instead of vetoing AB 1810 and letting this debate proceed, Brown short-circuited it. He did so despite being warned by San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan that this is the most irresponsible legislation our state has ever seen and that it would wreak havoc in our criminal justice system. The Los Angeles County Association of Deputy District Attorneys blasted the maneuvering that led to the new law as a scandalous abuse of the legislative process. But that doesnt go far enough. What Brown and state lawmakers have done is an outrageous simultaneous display of arrogance and incompetence one that seems certain to haunt the criminal justice reform movement. Get ready for a signature-gathering push that seeks to overturn AB 1810 and maybe Propositions 47 and 57 as well. Even after decades of declining crime, tough-on-crime rhetoric often resonates with the public. But such rhetoric will be all the more potent to voters who know of the sheer recklessness that led to AB 1810s stealth adoption. If the governor and the Legislature dont promptly repeal the law, they will do grave harm to a cause they purport to support. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion While visiting San Ysidro and meeting with residents on Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom posted a video statement to Twitter to make a point that cant be emphasized enough. Despite claims the U.S.-Mexico border is a daily source of crime and tension, the economic vibrancy of the San Diego-Tijuana region is a huge success story, he said. The trade [goes] back and forth into Mexico every day, into the United States every day. ... Its a very different story than the one you hear out of Washington. Thats exactly right. More than 70 million people cross the border back and forth each year, reflecting a binational regional economy with an integrated manufacturing supply chain worth $2.5 billion. This cross-border connectivity helps generate an annual gross regional product of $255 billion, according to the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. Thats far greater than dozens of nations around the world with populations that are much larger than this border regions 6 million-plus residents. With changing immigration patterns creating new needs and pressures, the immigration debate will outlast the current U.S. president. For now, before any experts thousands of miles away weigh in, they need to know the San Diego-Tijuana story. Here, the border isnt a threat. Its an opportunity. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Advertisement Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With the US mobile industry rapidly preparing for the 5G revolution, discussion about how this next generation network technology fits into the wider commercialization of the communications ecosystem is reaching its peak. 5G progress in the US is being led by the wireless and telecommunications industries and government agencies. Verizon and AT&T have already launched their early 5G home and mobile hotspot services. Meanwhile, the Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) $2bn Connect America initiative to expand wireless broadband in rural communities and the 24 GHz auction to open up the wave spectrum for commercial use are also underway. Jim Hyde, CEO of communications infrastructure provider ExteNet Systems, believes that the exponentially growing user-bandwidth demand and new spectrum availability will serve as the catalyst for 5G network densification as well as result in an increased adoption of the 5G enhanced mobile and fixed broadband use case. Mobile network operators and other carriers are well-positioned to capitalize on 5G opportunities, shifting the focus to monetization strategies, said Hyde. With the MNOs and carriers owning both the spectrum and the customer relationship, their ability to monetize their investment effectively will be imperative as the stakes are high. We also expect private networks to become more prevalent over the near term. ExteNet Systems has played an integral role in pioneering, designing and building the next generation of wireless networks. In a standard lifecycle, network maturity and new technology triggers incremental investment, and we believe 5G will be no different, added Hyde. Since 5G build is just commencing, capital expenditures will be higher than the recurring operating expenses in the near term; however, our customers demand technology and solutions that will drive total cost efficiencies over time. Meanwhile, a leading US Mobile Director of one of the Big 4 mobile operators affirmed, For the US to be ahead of the world in 5G, we need to be able to densify the network. The cost is going to affect how quickly that can happen. Consolidation is still driving the market 2018 was a record year for investment in communications with several of the largest merger valuations in history. However, M&A activity was driven by smaller companies with deals valued at less than $100m, demonstrating that consolidation is still driving the market. Richard S. Lukaj, Senior Managing Director of the private investment banking firm, Bank Street, predicts that the next two years will see the telecoms and media industries increasingly converging, with the demand for data and a shortage of infrastructure assets increasing investment and driving consolidation. Lukaj, stated, The blurring of telecommunications, media and technology industries will continue with businesses chasing M&A deals that enable them to adapt their businesses models to their changing ecosystem. Such transactions will also enable companies to diversify their offerings and remain competitive against interlopers into their traditional sectors. As an example, we see attractive opportunities for companies with expertise in deploying wireless infrastructure and networks of small cells to connect with data center infrastructure and backbone fiber network providers. Thus, major mobile tower operators will continue to seek innovation and widen their M&A focus to companies that hold significant complementary communications assets, most notably REITable edge computing, data center interconnectivity, fiber optic and small cell technologies and these manoeuvres will become even more strategically more important with time. Hyde and Lukaj are speakers at the upcoming TMT M&A Forum USA 2019 (April 11, New York). The event, sponsored by Santander, Tillman Infrastructure, Bank Street, WIS and MVP Capital offers more than 200 M&A professionals the opportunity to engage with leading figureheads and discuss edge computing and infrastructure, 5G investment, M&A strategy and changing trends within the telecommunications M&A landscape. Innovation is driving M2M communication investment Hyde believes that 5G will drive increased productivity and efficiencies, with economic prosperity being the larger goal. Machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, including IoT, is an area where increased investment and M&A activity will continue to occur, said Hyde. Innovation is driving M2M and the complexity of interconnecting devices in both micro and macro scenarios drives more cache and compute requirements at the network edge. As a result, vision clarity and well-designed network architecture will play a significant role in enabling a forward-looking network and device interconnectivity, and we expect notable new investments and M&A activity in network and device interconnectivity over the next few years. The provision of enhanced broadband to the consumer market has been at the heart of early 5G deployments, with IoT and ultra-reliable, low-latency communications due to gain scale shortly. The digitisation of industries and businesses create a more favourable environment for exploring incremental revenue opportunities, particularly in the enterprise market. Hyde added, 5G will be the connective tissue that enhances the use of next-gen technology including IoT, autonomous vehicles and mobile media, among others. As we design the network of the future with 5G, we cannot afford to adopt a band-aid approach and compromise quality. Ultimately, enterprises and consumers everywhere will be the true beneficiaries of 5G, as technology continues to enrich and improve the way in which we live our lives. For more information about TMT M&A Forum USA 2019 including tickets, please visit tmtfinance.com/usa or contact enquiries@tmtfinance.com for speaker and sponsor opportunities. About TMT Finance TMT Finance was first launched in the UK in 2009 to connect and inform senior executives pursuing opportunities across M&A, investment, financing and advisory globally. Since then, TMT Finance has established 6 weekly news titles with a readership of 22,000, and 10 annual executive events gathering leaders in the US Europe, Asia and Africa. Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are a bit alike, and that presents a danger to the global order. The American and Chinese leaders are both impetuous, authoritarian and overconfident nationalists, and each appears to underestimate the other sides capacity to inflict pain. This dangerous symmetry leaves the two sides hurtling toward each other. The 10 percent tariffs already imposed in the trade war are scheduled to rise to 25 percent in January, but theres also a broader confrontation emerging. Trump and Xi may well be able to reach a cease-fire in their trade war when they meet for the Group of 20 in two weeks. Even if a deal is reached, though, it may be only a temporary respite that doesnt alter the dynamic of two great nations increasingly on a collision course. Advertisement Each side miscalculates by seeing the other as likely to give in. China perceives a wild man in the White House who talks big but who ultimately climbed down off his high horse on trade with Europe. Beijing doesnt seem to realize that Trumps challenge to China arises from core beliefs and reflects a broad disillusionment with China in the United States. Im an example of that. I studied Chinese and lived for five years in China; my wife and I wrote a largely upbeat book about the countrys prospects called China Wakes. But Xi has damaged Chinas brand just as Trump has damaged Americas, and today its hard to find either Democrats or Republicans eager to speak up for China. For its part, Washington misjudges as well. It sees Chinas economy as vulnerable and doesnt appreciate that China can wage a trade war with weapons other than tariffs. It can play a nationalism card so that it becomes unpatriotic for Chinese citizens to buy McDonalds burgers, drink Coke or wear Nike shoes. Safety inspections can close American hotels; tax investigations can tie American firms in knots; and customs delays can hold up parts and idle American-owned factories. Chinese tourism to the U.S. can slow, students can be directed to Australian universities over American ones and rare earth minerals needed by American companies may develop shortages. China can further ease sanctions on North Korea, buy more oil from Iran or become more aggressive in the South China Sea. It can cancel Chinese trademarks owned by Ivanka Trump that might get the presidents attention and it can dump U.S. Treasury bonds. Trump is right (I cant believe I just wrote those three words!) that China has not played fair. The best response would have been to work with allies to pressure China simultaneously from all sides; instead, Trump antagonized allies so that we are fighting this battle alone. Why have I and so many others soured on China? This is larger than Trump and Xi. Chinas admission to the World Trade Organization in 2001 was meant to integrate the country into the global trading system as an increasingly responsible world power. But after moving mostly in the right direction under Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin, China stalled under Hu Jintao and has moved backward under Xi. China has stolen technology and intellectual property even as it has become more aggressive militarily in the South China Sea and curbed freedom at home. Xi offends global values by detaining more than 1 million Muslims in the Xinjiang region, arresting lawyers and Christians, and steadily squeezing out space for free thought. I used to report from China each year but now find the limits on a journalist visa so onerous that its not worthwhile. And Im supposed to be the lao pengyou, or old friend, of China. There are other grounds for American concern about Chinas irresponsibility that havent received much attention: I estimate that around 20,000 Americans die each year from overdoses of drugs originating from traffickers in China. In particular, two-thirds or more of Americas fentanyl, a synthetic opioid far more lethal than heroin, appears to come from China. In fairness, China has made some efforts to crack down on the drug trade, but this hasnt been a priority so long as the traffickers mostly export their fentanyl rather than sell it at home. If the Chinese government pursued drug smugglers the way it crushes dissident Christians, labor activists, lawyers or feminists, those drug exports would end. Americas business executives used to be strong supporters of a pro-China policy, but they, too, have cooled. Hank Paulson, the former Treasury secretary, has long been a vigorous advocate of close ties with China, so I was struck by a sober warning he gave to the Asia Society in New York the other day. Economic tensions are reaching a breaking point, Paulson cautioned in his speech. He concluded, and I think hes right, that if the U.S. and China dont resolve their problems, the world will face a systemic risk of monumental proportions. Kristof is on Twitter, @NickKristof. As Thanksgiving approaches, what am I thankful for? The American judiciary. Judges do not get the credit they deserve as guardians of our democracy. Too often we whether liberals or conservatives are exercised over one decision or another that did not go the way we wanted. I plead guilty myself, having once, many years ago, written a facile book berating judges for various abuses. There are certainly examples of judicial misconduct that cry out for censure, but on the whole our judiciary is among the most effective, honest and independent in the world. That is something we take for granted. We shouldnt. It is a near-miracle when seen from a historical perspective. How many countries are there in the world where a judge could rule against a president and have his ruling so widely respected that it does not even occur to anyone that the president could disobey it? Those thoughts are prompted by Fridays ruling by federal district Judge Timothy J. Kelly in the case of CNN v. Trump. CNN (where, full disclosure, Im a global affairs analyst) had sued the president for revoking the hard pass granting access to the White House grounds to its correspondent Jim Acosta. Trump had gotten furious at Acosta for posing challenging questions in a White House press conference, and this was his punishment. The White House even released a doctored videotape to suggest that Acosta had assaulted an intern who had tried to take his microphone away. Both actions punishing a reporter for asking tough questions and justifying that action with a lie are hallmarks of an authoritarian regime. Trump bears a close resemblance in personality to countless dictators throughout history, from Mussolini to Putin. Like them, he construes critical news coverage as treason by the enemy of the people. And if this were 1930s Italy or contemporary Russia, Acosta would not be on the job in the White House. He might not even be alive. But this is America, and we remain a nation of laws. Advertisement Thus Kelly issued a temporary restraining order forcing the White House to give Acosta back his hard pass. Kelly held that CNN stood a good chance of ultimately prevailing in its claim that the White House had violated Acostas due-process rights under the Fifth Amendment. The ruling was all the more impressive given that Kelly was appointed to the bench by Trump himself. Kellys example of upholding the rule of law against the most lawless administration in our history has been widely emulated. Think of all the judges, Republican and Democratic appointees alike, who stopped the implementation of Trumps Muslim ban early in 2017. Yes, Trumps travel order was ultimately approved, 5 to 4, by a closely divided Supreme Court. The courts decision in Trump v. Hawaii was not its proudest hour, but at least the ban had been revised twice since its issuance to make its religious discrimination marginally less offensive. (North Korea and Venezuela had been added as window-dressing to the list of majority-Muslim nations targeted.) The administration has lost many other cases that have never reached the high court. Lower-court judges, for example, have stopped Trumps attempts to end legal protections for dreamers who were brought to this country illegally when they were young. They have ended the administrations policy of family separation, forcing the release of children who had been detained apart from their families after entering the United States illegally. They have repeatedly supported special counsel Robert Muellers authority to pursue his probe of the president and his aides, most recently upholding his indictment of a Russian troll farm. They have ruled against the Justice Departments attempts to dismiss a case brought by Democrats charging Trump with violating the Constitutions emoluments clause by accepting payments from foreign governments that book his hotel rooms. And they have struck down the administrations attempts to change federal rules to make it easier to fire federal workers. Of course, we are not in the clear yet. The most momentous cases of all could pit Mueller against Trump if the president challenges the special counsels actions or tries to shut down his investigation. There is certainly cause for concern that a politicized Supreme Court may again rule for the administration, as it did in the travel ban case. But on the whole, the judiciary has acquitted itself admirably. This is how the checks and balances of the Constitution are supposed to operate. So, thank you, to the men and women in black, for protecting our republic. Help yourself to an extra slice of pie on Thursday, Your Honor. Youve earned it. The people who didnt want television networks to cede a prime-time hour last night or, as it turned out, a prime-time 10 minutes to the president of the United States were implicitly giving Donald Trump a credit that he does not deserve. There is a kind of silver-tongued orator who can persuade in any situation, who like Caesars Mark Antony can find a crowd leaning one way and leave them stirred up for the opposite cause, who is legitimately dangerous when given a rostrum or a soapbox or a prime-time speech. But that is not our president: His rhetoric is a bludgeon, and what we saw last night was just an attempt to club his enemies and critics with the same arguments he has made a thousand times before. In fairness to Trump, the immigration bludgeon was effective once for two reasons that played out in surprising ways across the 2016 campaign. First, Trump-the-candidates dire warnings about criminals and terrorists crossing the southern border dovetailed with two 2016-specific trends the spike in violent crime after decades of decline, and the rash of Islamic State-inspired attacks on both sides of the Atlantic. Second, the extremity of his rhetoric persuaded skeptics of mass immigration, long burned by politicians of both parties, that Trump would not betray them. In a political landscape where every year seemed to bring a new bipartisan push for amnesties and immigration increases, his xenophobic style was an effective political marker for anyone with inchoate anxieties about immigration. You did not have to literally believe that he would build the wall and make Mexico pay for it to regard that wild promise as evidence that he would be more genuinely restrictionist and hawkish on the issue than politicians merely paying lip service to border security. But the problem for Trump is that presidents have to deal with changing circumstances and cope with unexpected crises, not just fulminate in the same style regardless of the context. And the world of 2019 looks different than the world in which he campaigned. Advertisement The crime rate did not keep rising, the pace of terror attacks has not quickened, and fate has given him an immigration crisis that is substantially different than the crisis of murderers and terror plotters that he invoked in his campaign rhetoric a humanitarian crisis, a crisis of families and children, in which the problem is not the people that we cant catch crossing the borders but the people who surrender willingly, hoping to exploit our overstrained asylum system and disappear with their kids into the American interior. A more supple strategist and orator than our president might have been able to adapt his tough-guy proposals to this complicated new reality, and in the process to exploit the Democrats core vulnerability their difficulty figuring out exactly what kind of deportation policies, if any, their base will allow them to support. Such an adaptation would have involved making two arguments in parallel. First, Trump could have argued that 15 years of increased spending on border security walls and fencing and other barriers very much included has played a big role in reducing the old kind of illegal immigration, in which single young men cross the border looking for work. My proposed wall, really an expansion of steel fencing, would build on this success, he could have said, and build on policies that Democrats once voted for, in order to make sure the old rates of illegal immigration dont come back. Then, second, he could have explained the new challenge of family migration, admitted to mistakes (I know, imagine that) in the child separation policy of 2018, and emphasized that he is asking for more money and various legal and administrative changes to ensure that inhumane conditions can be improved, that families can be kept together, that the system can adjudicate, process and deport without last years performative cruelty. He could have even talked about the attempts at deal making with Mexico, the attempt at a bilateral arrangement that our southern neighbor would keep migrants on its territory while they applied for asylum on ours. If you parsed Tuesday nights 10 minutes of presidential words carefully enough you could find fragments of these arguments but only fragments, shored around an argumentative edifice that was just the same old 2016-vintage Trumpian warnings about how (to quote Voxs Dara Lind) immigrants are coming across the border to kill you. And this IACATBTKY argument just does not match up with the news that most Americans consume. There is no rising immigrant crime wave at the moment, no wave of terror attacks by border jumpers, the immigrant caravan did not end in bloodshed, and the dominant images from the current border crisis are pictures of exhausted parents and frightened, incomprehending kids. So what we heard from the president was a play to people deep in the Trumpian bubble, a pledge to his electoral rump that he is still fighting the fights he promised two years ago even if the facts on the ground require a somewhat different strategy. Where the rest of the country was concerned, including many voters a more effective president would be trying to win over or win back, it was almost certainly just a waste of breath. Douthat is on Twitter, @DouthatNYT. Brett Kavanaugh must have been smiling as the returns came in on Election Day, because it is now clear that the Democrats campaign to destroy him will go down as a massive blunder. It failed to keep Kavanaugh off the court. It cost Democrats their chance to regain control of the Senate. And it gave Republicans an expanded Senate majority that will allow them to confirm an even more conservative justice next time around. Today, Kavanaugh sits on the Supreme Court hearing cases. Meanwhile, Democratic Sens. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Donnelly of Indianapolis and Claire McCaskill of Missouri are packing up their Senate offices thrown out by voters furious over their partys brutal campaign of character assassination against Kavanaugh. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia was the only Democrat who voted for Kavanaugh, and he survived but just barely. Two weeks before Election Day, Manchin was leading by double digits, but on Tuesday night he won by just over 3 points. Had he voted against Kavanaughs confirmation, he would likely have been toast as well. The Democrats smear campaign also cost them the chance to pick up GOP seats. In Tennessee, Rep. Marsha Blackburn was trailing former Democratic governor Phil Bredesen by 5 points in a CNN poll before the Kavanaugh hearings. She ended up winning by just under 11 points, as the Democrats mistreatment of Kavanaugh united Tennessee Republicans behind her. The Kavanaugh smear no doubt also played a role in energizing GOP voters in Arizona, where Republican Rep. Martha McSally is in a tight race against Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, and in Texas, where Sen. Ted Cruz defeated Rep. Beto ORourke by just 2.6 points in one of the reddest states in the union. None of that might have been possible had it not been for the Democrats horrific treatment of Kavanaugh. As Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell put it, the failed effort to stop Kavanaugh was like an adrenaline shot for the GOP base. Republican voters were outraged to see a good man accused, without a shred of corroboration, of sexually assaulting a teenage girl, exposing himself to a college classmate and participating in gang rapes in high school. They were disgusted by Senate Democrats insistence that the burden was on Kavanaugh to prove he didnt do it and by Democrats blatant disregard for the presumption of innocence. They were energized by Kavanaughs willingness to fight back and declare his treatment by Democrats a national disgrace. And they punished the perpetrators of that disgrace at the polls on Tuesday. Advertisement Now Republicans have not only an expanded Senate majority but also a pro-life majority. Reports indicated that Trump was close to nominating Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a devout Catholic and mother of seven, to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. Barrett became a folk hero among religious conservatives after Californias Diane Feinstein, ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, grilled her over her Catholic faith during her confirmation hearings as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit last year. The dogma lives loudly within you, Feinstein told Barrett, suggesting that her faith disqualified her. That outraged conservatives, who rightly castigated Feinstein for applying an unconstitutional religious test on Trumps nominee. As Harvard Law School professor Noah Feldman explained, Feinstein insinuated an anti-Catholic stereotype that goes back at least 150 years in the U.S. that Catholics are unable to separate church and state because they place their religious allegiances before their oath to the Constitution. Barrett was confirmed for the Circuit Court. But when it came to the Supreme Court, Trump calculated that with a razor thin-GOP majority he needed what was supposed to be a safer pick and went with Kavanaugh instead. Now, with an expanded, pro-life Senate majority, Trump no longer has to worry about losing a few GOP votes next time around. At every stage of recent Supreme Court fights, Democrats have miscalculated. Their mindless decision to filibuster Neil Gorsuch paved the way for Senate Republicans to get rid of the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees which made it possible to confirm Kavanaugh by simple majority. And if Barrett ever makes it onto the Supreme Court, Democrats can thank their horrific, defamatory treatment Kavanaugh. The lesson for Democrats should be clear: Character assassination does not pay. Quite the opposite, it backfired big-time. Thiessen is on Twitter, @marcthiessen. Fifty years ago, the American media was so concentrated and had such credibility that a single respected journalists change of opinion about the wisdom of the U.S. war in Vietnam became a pivotal moment in our history. After years of being assured by the Johnson administration that the war was going well, CBS Evening News anchorman Walter Cronkite went to the front lines in February 1968 to see for himself. When he came back, CBS News aired Cronkites report in prime time on Feb. 27, 1968. That night, Cronkite reviewed North Vietnams recently launched Tet Offensive, and then closed the program with a dramatic statement that stunned President Lyndon Johnson and millions of Americans. [I]t seems now more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate. ... [I]t is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could. This is Walter Cronkite. Good night. Advertisement Fifty years later, no single journalist has remotely as much gravitas. Its not just that there are many media options and thus less likelihood that a single individual could have such clout. Theres also been a sharp increase in public skepticism about the media. A Monmouth College poll published in April found that 89 percent of Republicans believed President Donald Trumps claim that the media often spread fake news. The poll also found that 82 percent of independents, 61 percent of Democrats and 77 percent of Americans overall believed that the media knowingly spread misinformation. This view seems extreme and exaggerated. But as a media junkie with dim views of both parties, I think this perception is more valid than it used to be. The conservative bias of many Fox News personalities and the entire Breitbart News operation is obvious. But as The New York Times first public editor wrote back in 2004, so is the Times liberal bias, at least on social and cultural issues. As for CNN, the network that Ive watched every day for decades still seems fine when its weightiest hosts are on. But it makes me wince now more than ever. Last week, even as many huge and consequential stores were unfolding, CNN repeatedly played up a marginal story of no importance the inflammatory comments made online years ago by the right-wing wife of a newly appointed White House official. A basic question: Why? At this point, I dont know how any of these news outlets can satisfy their critics. But I do think there is a niche waiting to be filled: America needs new media organizations with no baggage that are open about their general ideological orientation yet have no patience for the stupidity coming from those on their side. On the left, we could see the 25 Network with the 25 standing for a percentile on an ideological scale in which 0 reflected deep liberalism and 100 deep conservatism. The 25 would be open about its belief in helping the poor with a social safety net and the need for government to address societal needs. Its doppelganger on the right would be the 75 Network, which would be open about its belief in free-market economics and its dim view of government efficiency. Here are two examples of huge public issues where the value of having such networks speak truth to power would be plain. The first is public education: For decades, teachers unions and their allies have helped thwart the education reform movement with wild claims that it is being motivated not by a desire to improve schools but by a desire to destroy public education. New York University professor Diane Ravitch, a high-profile education scholar, offered her version of this conspiracy theory in 2014 in the Huffington Post: The so-called reformers have honed their PR message well. They couldnt very well go to the public and say with the help of some Wall Street billionaires and foundations run by billionaires, we have come to demolish your communitys schools and hand them over to corporations. That wouldnt play well. So they sold their goals as reform, even as they used the power of the federal government through No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top to close community public schools, to demean the teaching profession ... . Yes, Ravitch says Barack Obama sponsor of Race to the Top is part of this conspiracy. The 25 Network would dispassionately annihilate this claptrap. The second issue is taxes: Shibboleths about lower taxes leading to higher revenues are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to smokescreens from the right. The 75 Network wouldnt just point out there is much more evidence against the Laffer curve than there is for it. The 75 would note the unfairness and absurdity of having a tax code that is such a labyrinth that the amount of taxes that some individuals and companies pay is a function of the skill of their tax attorneys. Its principled for conservatives to believe in low tax rates. But its nihilism to believe that taxes are so evil that the wealthy shouldnt have to pay them. Yet in the 18 years since Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers identified corporate tax evasion especially the use of bogus tax shelters as a huge problem, no Republicans have seemed to care. But the principled 75 Network would. While backing low tax rates, it would have no patience for tax scams. The utility of having such partisan media self-policing is especially plain when it comes to confronting the stark hypocrisy both parties show on questions involving the legal system. By demanding that there be weak to nonexistent protections for those accused of sexual misconduct on campus, the left shows it doesnt care about due process for college students. By calling for U.S. authorities to ignore clearly written federal laws including the Constitution when it comes to how asylum seekers are treated, the right shows it doesnt care about due process for foreigners who come to America. This cynicism needs to be confronted. And having the 25 and 75 Networks would be invaluable when it comes to partisan claims about science. For years, Democrats have claimed to be the party of science because of Republican skepticism about the overwhelming evidence that the planet is warming because of increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. But many liberals are similarly anti-science when questioning the safety of genetically modified foods. Such hypocritical inconsistency is corrosive, as Jonathan Bethune pointed out last year in an essay for The Federalist: An ideologue is at least consistent in his belief in specific policies. A partisan openly supports his gang above all else. But a partisan ideologue is worse than both. He is a Machiavellian creature: a supporter of ends justify the means approaches to pushing an agenda. The gang must be defended that the agenda might be defended, even when the gang violates core tenets of the agenda. Partisan ideologues are dishonest by nature. Worse still, they often cannot even tell when they are being dishonest. Calling out and marginalizing such partisan ideologues is one key to a healthy democracy and no one would be more credible at this job than openly partisan networks that demanded the truth from their own side. The end effect might not be what one would expect. More than 40 percent of Americans are political independents. They just might be inclined to become Democrats or Republicans if they encountered more Democrats and Republicans who were brutally honest about their parties shortcomings. Reed is deputy editor of the editorial and opinion section. Twitter: @chrisreed99. Email: chris.reed@sduniontribune.com. Column archive: sdut.us/chrisreed. Favorite conspiracy theory: sdut.us/nypdinsidertrading. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Then-Mayor Jerry Sanders really threw himself into the campaign for Proposition B in 2012, a citizens initiative that overhauled San Diegos public employee pension system by substituting 401(k)-style plans for defined benefit pensions. Now his campaigning has thrown San Diego into turmoil. Mincing no words in a long-awaited ruling, the California Supreme Court said Thursday that Sanders violated a state law called the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act by not negotiating with city labor unions before he pursued pension reform as a matter of policy while acting as the citys chief executive officer. Sanders had argued he did so as a private citizen, but the court laid out a thorough case for why he actually did not. How utterly embarrassing. Fortunately, the ruling didnt invalidate San Diegos crucial pension reforms, and clearly limited the impact Sanders violation could have on other initiatives in which elected officials are involved statewide. But the court sent the case back to an appellate court for judicial remedy, raising huge questions about whether the reforms approved by two out of three San Diego voters in 2012 and unique in the state would survive and how much $20 million? $100 million? the city might have to cough up to remedy the violation. No one knows. Unfortunately, there has been no analysis of what it might cost if an estimated 4,000 city workers hired without pensions since July 2012 get retroactive pensions and potential interest and penalty payments, or of how the city might unwind even part of the new retirement plan. City officials need to order that fiscal study without delay to know their risks. Advertisement Current Mayor Kevin Faulconer has his work cut out for him. One likely scenario is that city officials and union leaders may have to negotiate pay and benefits anew in coming months, although the court will dictate any remedys timing. Faulconer and his staff need to undertake any negotiations honestly with unions but also fairly for taxpayers. Like cities across California, San Diego is staring at a pension tsunami that threatens to erode public services as benefits eat up more and more money. The high courts ruling leaves not only great uncertainty but also great stains on the legacies of the public officials involved in San Diegos 2012 campaign, only starting with Sanders and then-City Attorney Jan Goldsmith, who advanced the legal strategy that negotiations werent necessary. Then-councilmen Faulconer and Carl DeMaio also deserve criticism for going along with this strategy. Any could have urged city leaders to hold the negotiations that unions repeatedly said were needed. Youll hear the argument now that such negotiations would have taken too long and could have forced the city into a watered-down plan. Baloney. City politicians could have taken a page out of their own playbook when in 2006 they forged ahead with a managed competition ballot measure over union objections after negotiations that lasted only weeks. The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board is as loud a voice for pension reform as there is in California. We have championed it for years, and articulated why its so essential: government at every level has overpromised the pension benefits it can reliably provide its unions without having to reduce services like parks, libraries and public safety. The pension tsunami is here already, with lavish defined benefits for retirees who are living longer and longer. We wanted this ruling to go the citys way and had found hope in the argument pension reform proponents made that Sanders campaigned as a citizen, not as mayor. But now that the court has eviscerated that argument, its clear that it was destined for failure from the get-go. Sadly, thats the only thing thats clear about city worker pensions now. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Its a given that the health of Americas children should be promoted and protected by any reasonable means. No, this is not an editorial about guns and school safety, an issue that after Fridays deadly shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, is again roiling the nation and putting a spotlight on do-nothing politicians. This editorial is about school start times and officials who are actually doing something to help. Its now been a quarter-century since research firmly established how early school start times are awful for adolescents and teens. A 2014 American Academy of Pediatrics study found that big majorities of middle and high school students didnt get the 8.5 to 9.5 hours recommended by health experts and were more likely as a result to be depressed, overweight and struggling in school, and to get into automobile accidents. This is why the worlds leading sleep expert, Stanfords William C. Dement, says many students are walking zombies trying to cope with the stresses of school, work and social activities that may literally be putting their lives in peril. This backdrop is why the San Diego Unified School District deserves high praise for taking steps to have all its schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. by 2020, as reported by NBC 7 San Diego. This will be an imposition for some teachers and other district employees and for many parents. But if employers care about their community, they should show as much flexibility as they can in dealing with those who have to start work later as a result. Before the Legislature rejected a bill last year requiring middle and high schools statewide to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m., one lawmaker mocked the bills one-size-fits-all approach as kind of ridiculous. To San Diego school administrators credit, each school will study when theyll start and howll theyll transition to the new start time over the next two years. If the state wont lead, let city schools. Advertisement Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Congratulations to clever Steve Lake for winning the top spot! He will receive Steve Breens signed original in the mail. Thanks to all those who participated. Ho! Ho! Ho! Next weeks cartoon is below. Please remember to limit your submissions to three and keep em brief. Good luck! Winner No, you cant invoke the Santa clause. Steve Lake, Carlsbad Finalists Dont get cute with me! Craig Claytor, Rancho Penasquitos Advertisement Enough of your small talk. William McClusky, Oceanside You were misinformed ... there is no good cop, just a bad cop and another bad cop. Gene Basye, San Diego One more time ... who do you work for? Gloriane Hartdegen, online submission How much contact did you have with Russia while making the nesting dolls? Karen Farrington, Alpine So you want us to believe it was elf defense? Ruben Escobosa, San Diego Spill it. Wheres the Grinch? Al Tarkington, Del Mar I demand to know the location of the Keebler place. Corey Donahue, Oceanside Give us the naughty list or youll be making license plates instead of toys. Louis Lin, San Diego We got you for petite larceny. David Narevsky, Poway Well decide whos naughty or nice around here, OK? Rob Cohen, San Diego We hear you were involved in a sleighing. Joseph Puzo, San Diego So who was driving when grandma got run over? Andy Attwood, Kensington K-12 Looks like were going to do this nice cop, naughty cop style. Adam Brown, eighth grade, Correia Middle School Tell us the location of individual-1. Wyatt Evans, seventh grade, Correia Middle School All right, spill the cookies. Emma Mefford, fourth grade, The Rock Academy I dont care if your criminal past stems from a long history of low elf- esteem.Jacob Mationg, 11th grade, Olympian High School Next weeks cartoon (Steve Breen) To enter, email entries to cartooncontest@sduniontribune.com by 10 a.m. Tuesday. Please remember to limit your submissions to three and keep em brief. View last weeks winners. Launched by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner in San Diego County in 1996, Stone Brewing is a giant in the world of craft beer, beloved for its IPA, Ruination and Arrogant Bastard, among other labels on a long list of acclaimed beers. No wonder BeerAdvocate, a popular website and magazine, has twice called Stone the all-time top brewery on planet Earth. Launched in 1989 by Coors Brewing, Keystone Light is a bland version of Coors Light, which was already pretty bland. Now brewed by the MillerCoors corporate behemoth, it is beloved by people who want to spend as little as possible on their beer. On a scale of 1.0 to 5.0, more than 2,000 BeerAdvocate aficionados gave it an average score of 1.81, which the website classifies, simply, as awful. One of the kinder reviews calls it completely inoffensive. Considering these facts, of course Stone Brewing is right to sue MillerCoors over its attempt to rebrand Keystone Light as STONE (really big letters) and LIGHT (much smaller letters). Given that Koch believes what he calls Big Beer is a force for evil that wants to homogenize and cheapen beer to maximize profits, standing up to MillerCoors is a bigger fight than just one to protect his company. Cheers to Koch. If any San Diego craft-beer fans hold celebrations after MillerCoors loses, everyone should feel free to bring Keystone Light to these parties. There may be plants that need watering. Advertisement Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Last week will go down as one of the most awful in recent American history because of the murders of 11 Jewish worshipers at a synagogue in Pittsburgh and of two African-American shoppers at a grocery store in Kentucky and the pipe bombs mailed to at least 14 prominent Democrats and national security figures perceived by the CNN sucks crowd to be constant critics of President Donald Trump. These heinous acts created a sense of a violent nation spinning out of control. With each crime, the suspects hate-filled views came into sharper, shocking focus. Yes, as White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday, its wrong to hold the president responsible for the acts of deranged individuals. But it is not wrong to hold the nations leader responsible for setting a terrible example with his constant attempts to divide Americans. Instead of trying to act as a unifying force, he gleefully governs by ostracizing entire groups. Even after the unspeakable synagogue murders, Trumps disavowal was overshadowed by more vituperative rhetoric. His Monday tweets denouncing the media as the true enemy of the people were unfathomable given the hate crimes preceding them. This is not an excuse for the displays of gross incivility on the left. Broad condemnations of the tens of millions of people who voted for Trump and harassment of conservatives based on binary political boundaries isnt close to killing, but its close-minded and intolerable, too. Still, the half-hearted way Trump condemns evil is uniquely corrosive. What he loves above all else is belittling his critics. That should be beneath the office of the presidency. Unfortunately, there is fresh evidence that Trump is a symptom not the cause of powerful forces creating upheaval around the world. The global wave of populist nationalism that led to Trumps election in 2016 also led to Great Britains vote to leave the European Union and to the rise of authoritarian regimes in Turkey and Hungary. On Sunday, Brazil elected as its president Jair Bolsonaro. Labeled the Trump of the Tropics by the media, he openly espouses political violence to create a Christian nationalist state. If a minority is against it, then move! he said last year. Minorities must fit in or simply disappear! Disappear? Advertisement Then on Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel seen by many as the moral leader of what might be called the old world order announced she would not seek another term in office. This was widely seen as Merkels acknowledgment of her fading popularity and her struggles to run a coalition government amid a strong backlash to her welcoming hundreds of thousands of refugees. Tribalism? Racism? A biologically hard-wired fear of the other? However labeled, it is increasingly clear that in many developed nations, there are many who prefer homogeneity to diversity who see new arrivals as subtracting from, not adding to, a nations social and economic capital and whose hostility is increasingly open. Whats also clear is that a nation extolled as an example of a healthy democracy must regain its way. Heres an idea: Far from the fringes, there is still room for common understanding. This can start by talking to a neighbor or following someone on Twitter with whom you disagree. It can continue with avoiding inflammatory language when discussing issues of the day and with bipartisan support for the least toxic politicians like Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, and Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska. Developing empathy for people with different views may be difficult in an era in which technology makes it easy to live in an echo chamber. But putting hatred and mutual loathing in their place is a start. A cancer is eating our country. Dont let it. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Washington, DC, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division, against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The case seeks to overturn the federal ban on bump stocks and to halt its enforcement. NCLA contends that only Congress, not an administrative agency like the ATF, can write criminal laws such as the ban on bump stocks. NCLA represents Austin, Texas resident and gun enthusiast Michael Cargill. Mr. Cargill surrendered two bump stocks this afternoon at the Austin ATF Field Office in accordance with the ban. Whether bump stocks should be outlawed is a question that Congress must address. Only Congress and not an administrative agencyhas the power to ban these devices. NCLA believes the ATF did not act lawfully in issuing the ban. On March 21, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit issued a temporary stay of the bump stock ban that applies to another NCLA client, W. Clark Aposhian, a resident of Salt Lake City, Utah, who has challenged the ban in federal court. The stay prevents the enforcement of the bump stock ban against Mr. Aposhian while the court consideres his Emergency Motion for Preliminary Injunction Pending Appeal. Administrative agencies may not rewrite a law that Congress passed. Yet that is what the ATF and DOJ have done with the bump stock rule. The ban perverts the rule of law and upends our constitutional system.Steve Simpson, NCLA Senior Litigation Counsel Two different federal Courts of Appeals have ordered the ATF to halt its bump stock rule against legal challengers. Today, rather than abide by an order the ATF had no right to issue, Mr. Cargill will be joining those efforts to resist this unlawful rule. 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. Attachment When it comes to the University of California, The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board for years has groused about management problems, transparency, interference with a legislative audit, dubious admissions practices and more. But when UC President Janet Napolitano and campus leaders get something right, they deserve praise as well. Thats certainly the case with the announcement Wednesday that UC branches had offered admission to a record number of transfer students this fall about 28,750 applicants. More than 85 percent of these accepted applicants are from California, with nearly all from community colleges, university officials said. The makeup of those offered transfer admission is deeply diverse, with 32 percent or nearly one in three being Latino. With new UC admission transfer pathways pending for new community college students in fall 2019, these numbers appear likely to keep improving. This fits well with the vision for the California Community College (CCC) system that Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley outlined in a winter interview with the Union-Tribune Editorial Board. Oakley spoke of the importance of having UC, CCC and the California State University systems work together as seamlessly as possible to help students achieve their educational goals without unnecessary delays. There is, of course, plenty of room for improvement. But whats happened in recent years suggests a level of shared goals and cooperation between the three huge college systems that bodes well for students and taxpayers alike. Advertisement Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Law enforcement officers have inherently difficult jobs that can involve split-second, life-or-death decisions. When these decisions go badly or seem wrong in retrospect, police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, judges, politicians and the public are often inclined to give officers the benefit of the doubt. But officers should never be above the law, especially when suspects are roughed up without provocation. Which brings us to sheriff Deputies Nicholas Morgan and Joshua Nahan. On May 7, they were caught on video making what appear to be unprovoked attacks on a man and his son in Vista. On Tuesday, to the surprise of police reform advocates, the county District Attorneys Office announced that Morgan would be charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault without lawful necessity by an officer and Nahan with one count of the same offense. The last time a peace officer in San Diego County was charged with mistreating a suspect or someone in custody was more than a decade ago. Law enforcement officers hold a position of trust in our community and are required to abide by the rules in the exercise of their powers, District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement. The evidence on which the charges are based shows the force used by the two deputies exceeded the legal line, violating that public trust. In an April interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board, Stephan vowed to always do the right thing, no matter what when asked about misconduct by law enforcement officers. In the Vista case, she upheld her campaign promise. Advertisement Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion There are few beliefs more universally held in America than the view that voting is a noble, unselfish act that leads to a healthier democracy. University of Kentucky law professor Joshua A. Douglas spoke for millions in 2013 when he wrote that ... Voting is the foundational concept for our entire democratic structure. ... When a group of citizens collectively elects its representatives, it affirms the notion that we govern ourselves by free choice. An individuals right to vote ties that person to our social order ... . Participation is more than just a value. It is a foundational virtue of our democracy. More grating versions of this assertion are also common. In 2016, the editorial board of the St. Augustine Record, a Florida newspaper, blasted the 170,000 local residents who had registered for the state primary but then failed to vote, grousing that they were ... ... content to let the minority make the decisions that directly affect your livelihood, quality of life and the education of your children. But it does seem like we fought a war 240 years ago to end just that kind of tyranny. The really sad thing is, today our brand of voter tyranny is so utterly self-inflicted. Advertisement This sort of thinking is why politicians, celebrities, teachers and everyone else under the sun constantly exhort Americans to register and then to actually vote. The assumption is the higher the participation in voting, the better the quality of the results. This view is a why a longtime staple of the nations opinion pages has been the essay calling for voting to be mandatory, as it is in 22 nations with a collective population of more than 700 million people. The argument goes that since mandatory voting requires all adults to be invested in a nations politics, the actual practice makes governments more likely to respond to the most broadly held concerns. This broadening of decision-making, according to the theory, makes it harder for those on the extremes to gain power. In Tuesdays The San Diego Union-Tribune, a letter writer made this exact point: If you dont want mass shootings and hate crimes to become even more frequent than they are now, you cant sit back and let a small fraction of eligible voters make the choices that impact all of us. You need to vote. Our lives really do depend on it. Now I absolutely get why many people think this way. In such a polarized era, those with even moderately partisan views really, really want their side in power and the other side routed. The general idea that more participation makes for better participation has some grounding in hard evidence. In his 2004 book The Wisdom of Crowds, renowned business journalist James Surowiecki offers example after example of his thesis that the many are smarter than the few while writing: We think smart people are easy to recognize and identify. As a result, we assume that the key to solving problems or making good decisions is finding that one right person who will have the answer. Success in business or in government, we imagine, is not a matter of building a collectively intelligent organization, but a matter of finding a few right people and stepping aside to let them make the tough decisions. Yet all the evidence suggests that none of these assumptions is true. If you want the best answers possible, you shouldnt chase the expert. You should ask the crowd. But any specific claim that the higher the percentage of voter turnout, the better the results are, has a problem: There is zero proof it is true. Many of the nations that require everyone to vote not only do not have good records of governance; sometimes their voters make terrible choices. The histories of Argentina and Brazil two nations which have long squandered their enormous natural resources bear this out. And there is little correlation between the quality of U.S. presidents and the percentage of voter turnout. In the last 50 years, the highest percentage turnout was in 1968, when Richard Nixon was elected. We all know how that turned out. The lowest percentage was in 1996, when Bill Clinton was re-elected. However you feel about Clinton now, the peace, prosperity and budget surpluses of his second term look great in retrospect. So why doesnt Surowieckis theory about the wisdom of crowds apply to turnout? Because his examples often involve situations where large groups of people guess from a range of results how much does a cow weigh, where a missing submarine might be, etc. Voters have far fewer choices involving far more variables than a single number or geographic location. And social scientists have documented that the thought process by which most voters make their decisions is haphazard and chaotic. In their 2016 book, Democracy for Realists, social scientists Christopher H. Achen and Larry M. Bartels assail the romantic myths surrounding voting. This is Voxs short version of their thesis: Voters dont have anything like coherent preferences. Most people pay little attention to politics; when they vote, if they vote at all, they do so irrationally and for contradictory reasons. The book lays waste to a reassuring theory about democracy that goes something like this: Ordinary citizens have preferences about what the government ought to do; they elect leaders who will carry out those preferences and vote against those who will not; in the end, were left with a government that more or less serves the majority. Even voters who pay close attention to politics are prone in fact, more prone to biased or blinkered decision-making. The reason is simple: Most people make political decisions on the basis of social identities and partisan loyalties, not an honest examination of reality. The Myth of the Rational Voter published in 2007 by iconoclastic George Mason University economics professor Bryan Caplan similarly cites reams of hard evidence to demolish the idea that voters are wise and well-informed. In it, Caplan takes dead aim at the Surowiecki claim that the ignorance of crowds balances out and doesnt take away from the wisdom of crowds at least when it comes to voting. In a summary of his book published in The Washington Post, Caplan wrote ... Sure, the average voter knows little about politics, economics and policy. But for every voter who overestimates the benefits of tariffs, carbon taxes and the Iraq war, doesnt another make the opposite mistake? Actually, no. Voters are frequently wrong in the same way. This is particularly clear in economics. If youve never studied economics, youre not equally likely to oversell or downplay the benefits of free trade. Instead, people who know nothing about economics are staunch protectionists, and people who know a lot of economics are avid free-traders. The fact that voters errors fail to cancel out seems strange. Why would people have strong opinions about a subject theyve never studied? The simple answer is that a lot of voters are irrational, and it shows. In politics and economics, people believe what makes them feel good, even if the evidence is against them. So is low voter turnout a form of tyranny, as the St. Augustine Record and lots of other folks believe? Or is it a nothing burger neither bad nor good? The propagandists who exalt voting will no doubt never stop insisting its the former. But the facts say the latter. So vote Tuesday or dont. Its no big deal. Believe what makes you feel good. Reed, who believes in the Chicago theory of voting early and often, is deputy editor of the editorial and opinion section. Twitter: @chrisreed99. Email: chris.reed@sduniontribune.com. Column archive: sdut.us/chrisreed. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Robert Mueller, the special counsel appointed to investigate Russias meddling in the 2016 U.S. political election and evaluate whether there was coordination with the Trump campaign, has been at the task for nearly two years. He was appointed in May 2017 after President Donald Trump fired then-FBI Director James Comey, which became part of the scope of Muellers investigation. So who is Mueller and why was he appointed, anyway? If you havent been paying close attention all along, here are some basic things to know about Mueller and his investigation now that his report has been submitted. Briefly, who is Mueller? Robert Swan Mueller, III, was born in New York City and grew up outside Philadelphia, per his FBI biography. After graduating from Princeton University with a degree in politics in 1966 and earning a masters degree in international relations at New York University, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and briefly served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969. After his military service, he earned his law degree from the University of Virginia Law School in 1973 and then worked as a litigator for the San Francisco-based law firm Pillsbury, Maidson and Sutro. What makes him qualified for this job? Mueller accomplished a lot before taking the lead of this high-stakes investigation. On top of his education and military service, Mueller spent 12 years working in U.S. attorneys offices in San Francisco and in Boston, where he became an assistant U.S. attorney in 1982. There, he prosecuted cases involving financial fraud, terrorism, public corruption and international money laundering. He worked in private practice on and off in the late 1980s and early 1990s before becoming U.S. attorney in San Francisco in 1998. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed him to be the FBI director. After 10 years as director, President Barack Obama and Congress approved an extension to keep Mueller as director until 2013 when James Comey was selected as the next director. What was the reaction when he was appointed in May 2017? Muellers 2017 appointment to special counsel was welcomed by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Even former Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Trump supporter, praised Muellers appointment, calling him a great selection with impeccable credentials who should be widely accepted. After Comey was fired, lawmakers raised concerns about the integrity of the investigation and whether there had been any attempts to obstruct justice. Against that backdrop, Muellers appointment was seen as restoring some confidence to the investigation, in the words of Democrats like Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York. Muellers political independence has been lauded publicly going back to when he was nominated as FBI Director in 2001. While Mueller is a registered Republican, people close to him have described him as apolitical. Mueller served as FBI director under a Republican president, Bush, and a Democratic one, Obama. He was confirmed unanimously by the Senate in 2001 and in 2013 when Obama extended his tenure. Whats been the reaction to Mueller since? There is no bigger critic of Muellers investigation than Trump. In a number of tweets, Trump has called Mueller a highly conflicted partisan, and he has called the Mueller probe a witch hunt. While Trump and his supporters have vilified Mueller, other Americans have lauded Mueller. Ty Cobb, formerly the White House counsel for Trump, called Mueller an American hero and said he disagrees with Trump that the investigation is a politically motivated hoax. The debate over Mueller predated his report, and will no doubt will continue well past the release of it. Email: luis.gomez@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @RunGomez Listen to The Conversation on Soundcloud or wherever you get your podcasts. Matthew T. Hall is the editorial and opinion director at The San Diego Union-Tribune, where he has worked since 2001. He manages the Ideas and Opinion section, writing and editing editorials, and overseeing editorial cartoons, commentaries, letters to the editor, a daily podcast called San Diego News Fix and a weekly podcast called Name Drop San Diego. Previously, he managed the newsrooms social media, was a metro columnist and worked as a reporter covering San Diego politics and east and north San Diego County. He is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and past president of the San Diego chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He is currently SPJs national president. Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. English Finnish Suomen Hoivatilat Plc Stock exchange release, 26 March 2019 6:15 pm EET Decisions of the Annual General Meeting and resolutions made by the constitutive meeting of Board of Directors of Suomen Hoivatilat Plc The Annual General Meeting of Suomen Hoivatilat Plc ("Hoivatilat" or the "Company") was held today in Helsinki, Finland. The Annual General Meeting confirmed the financial statements for 2018, and discharged the members of the Board of Directors and the CEO from liability for the financial year 2018. Dividend payment As proposed by the Board of Directors, the Annual General Meeting decided to pay a dividend of EUR 0,17 per share for the financial year that ended on 31 December 2019. The dividend will be paid to shareholders who are registered in the shareholder register maintained by Euroclear Finland Oy on 28 March 2019, the date of record of the dividend payout. The dividend will be paid on 4 April 2019. Composition of the Board of Directors The Annual General Meeting approved a six-member Board of Directors for the coming financial year. The members of the new board are Satu Ahlman, Pertti Huuskonen, Kari Nenonen and Reijo Tauriainen, and Nathalie Clement and Paul Hartwall as new members. Pertti Huuskonen was elected chair of the Board of Directors. The term of office of the Board members lasts until the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting following their election. Remuneration for the Board of Directors The Annual General Meeting decided that a monthly fee of EUR 1,875 would be paid to each member of the Board of Directors, and that a monthly fee of EUR 4,167 would be paid to the chair of the Board. In addition, in compensation for each board meeting they attend, a fee of EUR 600 will be paid to each of the board members, and EUR 1,200 to the chair of the board. In compensation for each committee meeting they attend, a fee of EUR 400 will be paid to each of the board members, and EUR 600 to the chair of the board. An increase of 50% applies in all cases if the travel time of a board member or the chair for attending a meeting is over three hours. In addition, the members of the Board of Directors and of the committees are reimbursed for reasonable travel expenses against receipts in accordance with guidelines from the Finnish Tax Administration. Appointing an auditor and deciding on remuneration The auditor elected for a term ending at the end of the next Annual General Meeting was the authorised public accounting firm KPMG Oy Ab, with Authorised Public Accountant Antti Kaariainen as the principal auditor. The auditor is paid a reasonable fee based on an invoice. Amendment to the Articles of Association As proposed by the Board of Directors, the Annual General Meeting to change the company name to Hoivatilat Plc. Authorising the Board of Directors to decide on issuance of shares The Annual General Meeting authorised the Board of Directors to make a decision on the issuance of up to 5,080,000 new shares or shares currently held by the company, in one or more paid share issues. These share issues may be either directed share issues, or share issues in accordance with the pre-emptive subscription rights of the shareholders. The authorisation can also be used for company incentive schemes. Based on the authorisation, up to 250,000 shares can be issued for incentive schemes. The share issue authorisation of the Board of Directors is valid until the end of the next Annual General Meeting, or up until 30 June, 2020 at the latest. The proposed authorisation supersedes the previously granted share issue authorisations, but does not supersede any prior authorisations to grant special rights entitling to shares. The Board of Directors has been authorised to decide on all other terms and conditions of share issues. Authorisation of the Board of Directors to decide on acquiring and/or pledging the company's own shares The Annual General Meeting authorised the Board of Directors to decide on acquiring and/or pledging the company's own shares The maximum total number of shares to be acquired and/or pledged is 500,000 shares, representing approximately 1.97 per cent of the total number of shares in the company. The authorisation allows for the company's own shares to be acquired with free equity only. The authorisation of the Board of Directors is valid until the end of the next Annual General Meeting, or up until 30 June, 2020 at the latest. Resolutions made by the constitutive meeting of Board of Directors The meeting of the board of directors of the company held today after the annual general meeting of shareholders of the company, has resolved on the members of the audit committee and remuneration committee of the Board of Directors. Reijo Tauriainen was elected as chairman of the audit committee and Kari Nenonen and Paul Hartwall as the ordinary members of the audit committee. Pertti Huuskonen was elected as the chairman of the remuneration committee and Satu Ahlman and Paul Hartwall as the ordinary members of the remuneration committee. The board of directors of the company has evaluated the independency of the members of the board of directors of the company and noted that Nathalie Clement, Satu Ahlman, Reijo Tauriainen, Kari Nenonen and Pertti Huuskonen are independent from the company as well as the major shareholders of the company. Paul Hartwall is independent from the company, but in turn dependent on the major shareholder of the company. Therefore the independency requirements of the Finnish Corporate Governance Code 2015 are fulfilled. Minutes of the General Meeting The minutes of the Annual General Meeting will be available on the Suomen Hoivatilat website and at the company's head office at Lentokatu 2, 90460 Oulunsalo, Finland, no later than two weeks after the meeting, i.e. by 9 April 2019. Helsinki 26 March 2019 SUOMEN HOIVATILAT PLC Board of Directors Further information: Jussi Karjula, CEO, tel. +358 40 773 4054 Suomen Hoivatilat in brief: Suomen Hoivatilat specialises in producing, developing, owning and leasing out daycare centre and nursing home premises, service communities and schools. Hoivatilat was established in 2008 and cooperates with around 60 Finnish municipalities. It has started approximately 180 real estate projects throughout Finland. South Africa: President sends condolences to Buthelezi This story has been published on: 2019-03-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. President Cyril Ramaphosa has extended his condolences to Inkatha Freedom Party President, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, following the death of his wife. Following a long illness, Princess Irene Buthelezi passed away at KwaPhindangene, KwaZulu-Natal, on Monday. She was 89 years of age. The two have been married for 67 years. On behalf ... See more Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Orlando, Florida, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Adacel announced today that the Austro Control GmbH has awarded a contract to Adacel to purchase a 270-degree tower simulator. The system purchase will add to and compliment Austro Controls existing Adacel tower and radar simulators. Austro Control has also awarded Adacel a contract to provide several major upgrades to their existing simulators. This contract includes the installation and testing of Adacels latest feature enhanced MaxSim ATC tower simulation software. Adacel will also develop and install modifications to the Tower 3D environments and customized radar interfaces specific to Austro Controls training requirements. Adacel and Austro Control have a long history of working together to improve simulator effectiveness. The Austro Control training center will further enhance their impressive training capability with this latest technology upgrade. Adacels ATC training products have proven to be very effective in developing higher proficiency and accelerating the learning process of controllers during their course of study and ongoing training. The Company is committed to designing advanced systems that provide ATC students with the realistic hands-on practice to reinforce learning the advanced skills required to be a competent controller. Adacel displayed its latest innovations in ATC training during World ATM 2019 at stand #598 from 12-14 March. About Adacel Adacel applies the knowledge of our customers and the expertise of our team with cutting-edge technologies to be the company of choice for advanced air traffic management systems, speech recognition applications and simulation and training solutions for air traffic control and other public safety domains. Adacel has pioneered the integration of speech recognition into simulation products and operational systems and holds a number of patents on applications to optimize speech processing. The company has built a strong international reputation for its products and services through commitment to technological leadership and customer support. We understand the importance of our products and the direct impact their use has on public safety. These responsibilities are reflected in the quality of everything we do. Adacel: Everyday Excellence. For more information please visit www.adacel.com. NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Levi & Korsinsky announces it has commenced an investigation of CEL-SCI Corporation (NYSEAMERICAN: CVM) concerning possible breaches of fiduciary duty. To obtain additional information, go to: http://zlkdocs.com/CVM-Info-Request-Form-7389 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. There is no cost or obligation to you. Levi & Korsinsky is a national firm with offices in New York, Connecticut, California, and Washington D.C. The firms attorneys have extensive expertise in prosecuting securities litigation involving financial fraud, representing investors throughout the nation in securities lawsuits and have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for aggrieved shareholders. For more information, please feel free to contact any of the attorneys listed below. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Levi & Korsinsky, LLP Joseph E. Levi, Esq. 55 Broadway, 10th Floor New York, NY 10006 Tel: (212) 363-7500 Toll Free: (877) 363-5972 Fax: (212) 363-7171 www.zlk.com A new study shows that damage inflicted on trees in Puerto Rico by Hurricane Maria was unprecedented in modern times, and suggests that more frequent big storms whipped up by a warming climate could permanently alter forests not only here, but across much of the Atlantic tropics. Biodiversity could suffer as result, and more carbon could be added to the atmosphere, say the authors. The study appears this week in the journal Nature Communications. Hurricane Maria not only destroyed far more trees than any previously studied storm; big, old trees thought to be especially resistant to storms suffered the worst. Lead author Maria Uriarte, a faculty member of Columbia University's Earth Institute, said that because hurricanes are projected to intensify with warming climate, the damage probably presages more such events. "These hurricanes are going to kill more trees. They're going to break more trees. The factors that protected many trees in the past will no longer apply," she said. "Forests will become shorter and smaller, because they won't have time to regrow, and they will be less diverse." When Maria hit Puerto Rico in October 2017, it came in as a Category 4, with winds up to 155 miles per hour and up to three feet of rain in places. Many trees were denuded of foliage, snapped in half or blown clear out of the ground. The strongest storm to hit the island since 1928, Maria killed or severely damaged an estimated 20 million to 40 million trees. Uriarte, who has been monitoring tree growth and mortality across Puerto Rico for the past 15 years, returned soon after the hurricane and began documenting its effects. For the new study, she and two colleagues homed in on a 40-acre section of the El Yunque National Forest, near the capital of San Juan, that has been intensively monitored by multiple teams since 1990. This long-term monitoring allowed Uriarte and her colleagues to compare damage from Maria with that of past hurricanes, including 1989's Hurricane Hugo and 1998's Hurricane Georges -- Category 3 storms, but the only things even close to Maria in recent times. They found that Maria killed twice as many trees outright as previous storms, and broke more than three times as many trunks. Some species suffered much worse, with breakage rates up to 12 times those of previous storms. Alarmingly, these tended to be the slowest-growing, most valuable hardwoods that in the past were the most resilient to big storms: towering mahogany-like tabonucos with great crowns, prized for furniture and boat-building, and thick ausubos, whose wood is so dense it does not float in water. These and other big trees provide habitat for many birds and other creatures that smaller trees do not. About half of the trees with broken trunks will die within two to three years, said Uriarte. However, a few species did well in all the storms, and one stood out: the common sierra palm, whose slender, flexible trunk bends with wind and quickly resprouts, grass-like, from its top if it loses foliage. Uriarte believes that the palms and a few pioneer species that can take root quickly and grow following storms may be the future of forests across the Atlantic tropics and subtropics. "This will yield lower statured and less diverse forests dominated by a few resistant species," she said. Tropical cyclones derive their energy from ocean heat. Atlantic temperatures are already ascending, and models predict that by 2100, maximum sustained hurricane winds could increase by as much as 15 percent. Warmer air also carries more moisture, so rainfall could increase by up to 20 percent near storm centers. Both factors destroy trees; extreme winds do it directly, while rain saturates and destabilizes soil, encouraging uprooting. "The expected changes in hurricane winds and rainfall may have profound consequences for the long-term resilience of tropical forests in the North Atlantic basin," says the study. The potential loss of many tree species could have cascading effects on forest wildlife and plants, say the researchers. This also would probably alter forests' growth dynamics, such that instead of soaking in more atmospheric carbon than they give off -- which they currently do -- the equation would reverse, and forests would become net emitters. This would be because the decay of felled trees would outweigh carbon taken in by any replacements. Along with palms, one species that probably would take over would be the fast-growing yagrumo, which shoots up quickly in sunny clearings created by big storms. But the yagrumo also is often the first to fall in storms, and so would just add to the problem. Thus, forests would help feed the very warming that is destroying them. Separate estimates suggest that trees killed or damaged by Hurricane Maria alone will release about 5.75 million tons of carbon to the atmosphere, or about 2.5 percent of the carbon taken up annually by all forests in the United States. Edmund Tanner, a senior lecturer emeritus at the University of Cambridge who studies tropical trees but was not involved in the new research, said the study is important, because "it reports different, rather than just intensified, effects of strong versus weaker hurricanes." Tanner said the effects are "probably representative of huge areas of tropical lowland forest near sea coasts, some of which are likely to experience similar or worse damage in a warming world." Maria "was a Category 4 hurricane," noted Tanner. "There is a Category 5." The study was coauthored by two researchers who have long worked in the El Yunque forest: Jill Thompson, a plant ecologist at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology in the United Kingdom; and Jess K. Zimmerman, a professor at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan. The research was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation. As ancient ocean floors plunge over 1,000 km into the Earth's deep interior, they cause hot rock in the lower mantle to flow much more dynamically than previously thought, finds a new UCL-led study. The discovery answers long-standing questions on the nature and mechanisms of mantle flow in the inaccessible part of deep Earth. This is key to understanding how quickly Earth is cooling, and the dynamic evolution of our planet and others in the solar system. "We often picture the Earth's mantle as a liquid that flows but it isn't -- it's a solid that moves very slowly over time. Traditionally, it's been thought that the flow of rock in Earth's lower mantle is sluggish until you hit the planet's core, with most dynamic action happening in the upper mantle which only goes to a depth of 660 km. We've shown this isn't the case after all in large regions deep beneath the South Pacific Rim and South America," explained lead author, Dr Ana Ferreira (UCL Earth Sciences and Universidade de Lisboa). "Here, the same mechanism we see causing movement and deformation in the hot, pressurised rock in the upper mantle is also occurring in the lower mantle. If this increased activity is happening uniformly over the globe, Earth could be cooling more rapidly than we previously thought," added Dr Manuele Faccenda, Universita di Padova. The study, published today in Nature Geoscience by researchers from UCL, Universidade de Lisboa, Universita di Padova, Kangwon National University and Tel Aviv University, provides evidence of dynamic movement in the Earth's lower mantle where ancient ocean floors are plunging towards the planet's core, crossing from the upper mantle (up to ~660 km below the crust) to the lower mantle (~660 -- 1,200 km deep). The team found that the deformation and increased flow in the lower mantle is likely due to the movement of defects in the crystal lattice of rocks in the deep Earth, a deformation mechanism called "dislocation creep," whose presence in the deep mantle has been the subject of debate. advertisement The researchers used big data sets collected from seismic waves formed during earthquakes to probe what's happening deep in Earth's interior. The technique is well established and comparable to how radiation is used in CAT scans to see what's happening in the body. "In a CAT scan, narrow beams of X-rays pass through the body to detectors opposite the source, building an image. Seismic waves pass through the Earth in much the same way and are detected by seismic stations on the opposite side of the planet to the earthquake epicentre, allowing us to build a picture of the structure of Earth's interior," explained Dr Sung-Joon Chang, Kangwon National University. By combining 43 million seismic data measurements with dynamic computer simulations using the UK's supercomputing facilities HECToR, Archer and the Italian Galileo Computing Cluster, CINECA the researchers generated images to map how the Earth's mantle flows at depths of ~1,200 km beneath our feet. They revealed increased mantle flow beneath the Western Pacific and South America where ancient ocean floors are plunging towards Earth's core over millions of years. This approach of combining seismic data with geodynamic computer modelling can now be used to build detailed maps of how the whole mantle flows globally to see if dislocation creep is uniform at extreme depths. The researchers also want to model how material moves up from the Earth's core to the surface, which together with this latest study, will help scientists better understand how our planet evolved into its present state. "How mantle flows on Earth might control why there is life on our planet but not on other planets, such as Venus, which has a similar size and location in the solar system to Earth, but likely has a very different style of mantle flow. We can understand a lot about other planets from revealing the secrets of our own," concluded Dr Ferreira. The study was funded by the Leverhulme Trust, NERC, the Korea Meteorlogical Administration Research and Development Program, the Progetto di Ateneo FACCPTRAT12 granted by the Universita di Padova and by the ERC StG #758199 NEWTON. The shade of a single tree can provide welcome relief from the hot summer sun. But when that single tree is part of a small forest, it creates a profound cooling effect. According to a study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, trees play a big role in keeping our towns and cities cool. According to the study, the right amount of tree cover can lower summer daytime temperatures by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit. And the effect is quite noticeable from neighborhood to neighborhood, even down to the scale of a single city block. "We knew that cities are warmer than the surrounding countryside, but we found that temperatures vary just as much within cities. Keeping temperatures more comfortable on hot summer days can make a big difference for those of us who live and work there," says Monica Turner, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor in the department of Integrative Biology and a co-author of the study. With climate change making extreme heat events more common each summer, city planners are working on how to prepare. Heat waves drive up energy demands and costs and can have big human health impacts. One potentially powerful tool, the study's authors say, are organisms that have been around long before human civilizations could appreciate their leafy benefits. And those trees may be the secret to keeping the places we live livable. Essentially, says Turner, impervious surfaces -- like roads, sidewalks and buildings -- absorb heat from the sun during the day and slowly release that heat at night. Trees, on the other hand, not only shade those surfaces from the sun's rays, they also transpire, or release water into the air through their leaves, a process that cools things down. To get the maximum benefit of this cooling service, the study found that tree canopy cover must exceed 40 percent. In other words, an aerial picture of a single city block would need to be nearly half-way covered by a leafy green network of branches and leaves. advertisement Traditionally, says Carly Ziter, lead author of the paper, studies like these have tended to focus on what's known as the "urban heat island" effect. Those studies often use satellites to take ground surface temperature readings or measure air temperature within and outside the city. Studies have shown that developed, less vegetated cityscapes are much warmer than the rural lands around them. But this study, Ziter says, allowed researchers to look at temperatures on a much finer scale -- down to the spaces "where we live our daily lives within the city." It turns out, she says, that the "heat island" effect is more like what some scientists have called a "heat archipelago" -- with smaller islands of heat in a city interspersed with cooler areas of shade. To get data at that local scale, Ziter and her collaborators had to get creative with their sampling methods. Satellite measurements of ground surface temperature don't really provide air temperature data, Ziter says, so they're "not getting you quite as close to what people are actually feeling." But deploying enough air temperature sensors across town to get the fine-scale resolution they wanted was far too expensive. Research ongoing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison had temperature sensors strapped to 150 utility poles across the city and its surrounding countryside, but those sensors were often one mile or more apart -- much too far to provide real-time data on temperatures in backyards and individual boulevards. advertisement In the end, Ziter settled on a scaled down solution to her sampling problem. All she needed was one sensor and two wheels. In the summer of 2016, it wasn't uncommon to see Ziter biking around the city of Madison with a small weather station strapped to the back of her bike. In all, she biked ten different transects of the city multiple times during different times of day. The sensor on her bike marked her location and took an air temperature reading every single second as she rode, resulting in real-time data every five meters. All told, she estimates that she biked 400 to 500 miles and was "in very good shape" by the end of the study. She also racked up a massive amount of data that showed just how instrumental trees are in moderating heat in cities. "Tree canopy cover can actually do more than offset the effects of impervious surfaces," Ziter says. During the day, "an equivalent amount of canopy cover can cool the air down more than pavement will warm it up." The data show that forty percent canopy cover is the threshold required to trigger the large cooling effects that trees have to offer. The greatest amount of cooling happens once that threshold is crossed over the scale of a city block or larger. "It's not really enough to just kind of go out and plant trees, we really need to think about how many we're planting and where we're planting them," she says. "We're not saying planting one tree does nothing, but you're going to have a bigger effect if you plant a tree and your neighbor plants a tree and their neighbor plants a tree." To get the biggest "bang for their buck," Ziter says city planners should focus on bumping areas that are near the forty percent threshold over that mark by planting trees. But, she warns, it should be in places where people are active and live and not just in parks. Additionally, she says, "we don't want to abandon the lowest canopy areas of our city either," as those tend to be neighborhoods with lower income and marginalized communities. "We want to avoid advocating for policies that are simply 'rich get richer,'" she says. Her results, Ziter says, point to the importance of urban landscaping and development in making neighborhoods more livable in the future. It is also a call for stakeholders to work together when it comes to their trees. It's not uncommon for "different people to be in charge of different spaces," she says. For example, the city may be in charge of planting trees along its streets, while the parks department oversees plantings in the parks and homeowners make decisions about their own private lots. It's important that we start to get on the same page, Ziter says, because "the trees we plant now or the areas we pave now are going to be determining the temperatures of our cities in the next century." From the town square to Times Square, if we want the places we live to be more comfortable and resilient in future climate scenarios, the Wisconsin researchers say, then someone is going to have to speak for the trees. This study was supported by the National Science Foundation, Long-term ecological research (DEB-1440297); the National Science Foundation, Water sustainability and climate (DEB-1038759); University of Wisconsin-Madison Vilas Trust (for MGT); National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada doctoral fellowship (to CZ). Carrion crows and hooded crows are almost indistinguishable genetically, and hybrid offspring are fertile. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich biologists now show that the two forms have remained distinct largely owing to the dominant role of plumage color in mate choice. Crows have divided Europe between them. Western Europe is the realm of the soot-black carrion crow, while the eastern half of the continent is home to the hooded crow with its grayish black plumage. The boundary between the two populations -- or more precisely, the hybrid zone where the two meet -- is only 20-50 km wide, and in Germany it essentially follows the course of the River Elbe. This is the only stretch of territory in which both of these species are found and sucessfully mate with each other. The plumage of the fertile offspring of these pairings is intermediate in color between those of their parents. The sharp demarcation between the two populations, however, clearly indicates that gene flow across the hybrid zone is restricted, which implies that hybrids are at a selective disadvantage. "Defining speciation as the buildup of reproductive isolation, carrion crows and hooded crows are in the process of speciation," says LMU evolutionary biologist Jochen Wolf. He and his research team have now analyzed the genetic basis for the division of European crows into two populations. Indeed, the results of the study demonstrate that the old saying "birds of a feather flock together" really does apply in this instance: The only genes that differ significantly between the two variants are those involved in determining the color of the plumage. This suggests that each form preferentially mates with partners of the same color as themselves. The new findings appear in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution. Europe's crows once formed a single population. This is thought to have been broken up repeatedly during the last glacial maxima over the last tens to hundreds of thousand years ago, during which the crows retreated from Central Europe to milder refuges in Spain and the Balkans. At the end of the last Ice Age, they returned to their old haunts. But they had changed during the period of their isolation. "Most probably, a mutation had arisen in the easterly population, which endowed its carriers with a lighter colored, gray plumage," says Wolf. Then carrion and hooded crows came into contact once again and formed a narrow hybrid zone. However, the genetic mechanisms responsible for maintaining the distinction between the two populations have remained unclear. In order to identify these mechanisms, Wolf and his colleagues first sequenced the genomes of both carrion crows and hooded crows. "We found that the genomes of both forms are almost identical, and that the few genetic loci that differentiate gray from black crows are likely to be involved in determining the color of their plumage," Wolf says. "We have now carried out a more detailed analysis and determined the degree of genetic mixing between the two populations. Using a technique known as admixture mapping we pinned down the genetic basis of their divergence." To do so, his team examined the variant loci in the genomes of more than 400 birds -- from within the hybrid zone and from the regions in which one or other of the two forms is endemic. In this way, it was possible to identify the genes responsible for the difference in coloration between hooded and carrion crows. "The distinction can largely be explained by variation in just two genetic factors. In addition, we showed that these two loci interact with each other," Wolf explains. In other words, these two factors together determine the color of the plumage. Further analyses confirmed that the rest of the genome can be freely exchanged between the two populations -- and is common to carrion crows in Western Europe and the hooded crows in the eastern half of the continent. "Only two major effect genes which together encode the feather color differ sharply on either side of the hybrid zone -- the gray alleles are not found to the west of the zone and the black allele is absent in the eastern region," says Wolf. "That's a very strong indication that there is rigorous selection on the basis of color." According to the authors of the study, these findings convincingly show that the hybrid zone along the Elbe represents an example of early-stage speciation followed upon secondary contact between the two emerging species. The classical biological definition of species -- which is based on the concept of reproductive isolation, i.e. on the premise that the hybrid offspring of crosses between 'true' species are sterile -- obviously does not apply in this case. Nevertheless, gene flow is locally restricted in the genome, because each form preferentially mates with individuals of the same color. This in turn means that hybrids with an intermediate color are less likely to reproduce. But the two populations are not yet fully isolated genetically from each other, since hybridization still occurs. "We are now using a mathematical model to work out the level of hybridization in the hybrid zone as it now stands," says Wolf. "The initial indications suggest that it is very low, on the order of a few percentage points." It is known that gas giants around other stars are often located very near their sun. According to accepted theory, these gas planets were formed far away and subsequently migrated to an orbit closer to the star. Now researchers from Lund University and other institutions have used advanced computer simulations to learn more about Jupiter's journey through our own solar system approximately 4.5 billion years ago. At that time, Jupiter was quite recently formed, as were the other planets in the solar system. The planets were gradually built up by cosmic dust, which circled around our young sun in a disk of gas and particles. Jupiter was no larger than our own planet. The results show that Jupiter was formed four times further from the sun than its current position would indicate. "This is the first time we have proof that Jupiter was formed a long way from the sun and then migrated to its current orbit. We found evidence of the migration in the Trojan asteroids orbiting close to Jupiter", explains Simona Pirani, doctoral student in astronomy at Lund University, and the lead author of the study. These Trojan asteroids consist of two groups of thousands of asteroids that reside at the same distance from the Sun as Jupiter, but orbiting in front of and behind Jupiter, respectively. There are approximately 50 per cent more Trojans in front of Jupiter than behind it. It is this asymmetry that became the key to the researchers' understanding of Jupiter's migration. "The asymmetry has always been a mystery in the solar system", says Anders Johansen, professor of astronomy at Lund University. Indeed, the research community had previously been unable to explain why the two asteroid groups do not contain the same number of asteroids. However, Simona Pirani and Anders Johansen, together with other colleagues, have now identified the reason by recreating the course of events of Jupiter's formation and how the planet gradually drew in its Trojan asteroids. Thanks to extensive computer simulations, the researchers have calculated that the current asymmetry could only have occurred if Jupiter was formed four times further out in the solar system and subsequently migrated to its current position. During its journey towards the sun, Jupiter's own gravity then drew in more Trojans in front of it than behind it. According to the calculations, Jupiter's migration went on for around 700 000 years, in a period approximately 2-3 million years after the celestial body started its life as an ice asteroid far from the sun. The journey inwards in the solar system followed a spiralling course in which Jupiter continued to circle around the sun, albeit in an increasingly tight path. The reason behind the actual migration relates to gravitational forces from the surrounding gases in the solar system. The simulations show that the Trojan asteroids were drawn in when Jupiter was a young planet with no gas atmosphere, which means that these asteroids most probably consist of building blocks similar to those that formed Jupiter's core. In 2021, NASA's space probe Lucy will be launched into orbit around six of Jupiter's Trojan asteroids to study them. "We can learn a lot about Jupiter's core and formation from studying the Trojans", says Anders Johansen. The authors of the study also suggest that the gas giant Saturn and the ice giants Uranus and Neptune could have migrated in a similar way. Description GIS - 26 March, 2019: A pamphlet entitled Know Your Rights aiming to sensitise migrant workers of their rights, was launched on 23 March 2019, at Princes Tuna in Riche Terre, by the Attorney General, Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Institutional Reforms, Mr Maneesh Gobin in presence of the Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations, Employment and Training, Mr Soodesh Callichurn, and other personalities. A pamphlet entitled Know Your Rights aiming to sensitise migrant workers of their rights, was launched on 23 March 2019, at Princes Tuna in Riche Terre, by theMinister of Labour, Industrial Relations, Employment and Training, Mr Soodesh Callichurn, and other personalities. In his address, Minister Gobin recalled that he presented the project Know Your Rights pamphlet at the third Universal Periodic Review of Mauritius, in November 2018, at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, where he reaffirmed Governments commitment and continued support to the work of the Human Rights Council and the Universal Periodic Review mechanism. Speaking about the pamphlet, he underlined that it aims to thoroughly inform migrant workers working in the secondary economic activities sector of their rights, the possible remedial actions to be taken in case of violations and also to sensitise them about the dangers of human trafficking. Some 40 000 pamphlets printed in different languages namely English, Bangla, Hindi, Mandarin, Tamil and French will be distributed to the economic industries employing migrant workers, he said. For his part, Minister Callichurn acknowledged the importance of migration as a means of development both through remittances and skills acquisition abroad. Presently there are around 42 800 migrant workers, hailing from India, China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Madagascar, who are mainly employed in the textile industry, the construction sector and in the services sector, he indicated. Furthermore, he outlined some of the measures being implemented by his Ministry to develop a more efficient labour market management system which includes bilateral agreements and Memorandum of Understanding to improve the governance of labour migration with authorities of India, Nepal and Madagascar. He added that provisions are being made so that legislations are translated into the different languages used migrant workers, namely Bangladeshi, Mandarin and Malagasy so as to facilitate understanding of labour legislations. As regards the pamphlet, Minister Callichurn highlighted that it includes guidelines to inform workers about their rights during the period before and after arriving in the country. It lists out their rights and obligations while on duty, gives specific instructions on how to approach labour disputes given that the Government of Mauritius stands fully committed to end forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking, he said. The pamphlet has been prepared by the Ministry of Justice, Human Rights and Institutional Reforms in collaboration with various stakeholders and the financial assistance of the British High Commission. Chai at the Chai Spot in Nolita. Photo: Melissa Hom Even a city as cosmopolitan as New York can taint simple pleasures. For lovers of chai, that tainting starts with language: Chai tea translates into tea tea, and iced chai tea latte translates to nothing. There is also the chai itself, which is often loaded with sickly syrups that take the subtle perfume of real chai and turn it into something that tastes more like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Thankfully, the Chai Spot, which opened a few months ago on a strip of Mott Street where Little Italy and Chinatown intersect, offers an exception. The tea dhabas play on classic masala chai offers cardamom with a warm, clean finish thats uplifted by citrus tones. Theres no butter in the butter chai, the pink-hued, gunpowder-based homage to Kashmiri chai, but the made-to-order option is nevertheless made lush with the addition of milkfat, finished with a touch of salt and a garnish of crushed almonds. The coconut-milk-based coconut rose tea is a smooth, lightly floral concoction for the dairy-averse. Other milk-free and vegan-milk-free options include sulaimani tea, which is sweet and heavily spiced with star anise. The iced orange-blossom tea, meanwhile, is delicate, honeyed, and palate-cleansing. The Chai Spot is also an exception to the get-in-get-out mentality at most of the citys tea and coffee shops. To-go is not a thing at the Chai Spot. Instead, you approach the front counter, where steel vats of freshly brewed chai simmer behind a glass case of cake rusk, Parle-G biscuits, and bags of masala Lays. You order your chai, which is served in a glass jar encased within a sequined sleeve. Then, past a hallway of hand-embroidered kameezes and trinkets, you reach the back lounge: a rent-defying, mirrored hall of paisley prints, ottomans, and oriental rugs. You remove your shoes and enter, with the tacit understanding that youll be staying a while. We give our guests a place to relax and make new friends, and see the world through chai-colored glasses, says Khalida Brohi. Everything is colorful, beautiful, and happy. Brohi is a Pakistani womens-rights advocate who co-founded the New York dhaba with her husband, David Barron, following the success of their first location, in Sedona, Arizona. Since it opened in December, the new location has been embraced by New Yorks South Asian community, who finally have an enclave in the heart of Manhattan that doesnt treat chai as an afterthought. Now desis can say, I have a place to go in Nolita, says Barron, who credits chai as the ice-breaker between his Italian-American family and Brohis Pakistani relatives. I think thats contributed to our popularity, he says, because they feel underrepresented in these boutique-y places. Photos tagged #thechaispot pop up on Instagram with the kind of hypercolorful visual appeal that looks custom-made for the social platform. But the decorations at this dhaba are more than eye candy, and, among the opulence, copies of Brohis 2018 memoir, I Should Have Honor, line bookshelves. The book itself is about the honor killing of a young female cousin in Brohis family, an act of violence that galvanized her career in gender justice. In addition to running the two Chai Spot locations, she is the head of the Sughar Foundation, a Pakistani nonprofit that supports women entrepreneurs and craftsmanship through micro-grants and training (the kameezes and trinkets out in front are all the handiwork of Sughar women). Brohi also founded the Khadija primary school, named in honor of her cousin, Khadija, and dedicated to co-education in an underserved Pakistani community. These are not initiatives that exist apart from the Chai Spot, either: half of the proceeds from the dhabas are dedicated to supporting these causes. The best way to eradicate harmful customs is to promote good ones, Barron maintains. Theres no guarantee that customers who arrive looking for some tea and relaxation will pick up on the lounges gender-justice message, but the dual purposes have a way of mixing, anyway. On a recent afternoon, on a pair of ottomans in the back lounge, a mother and daughter dutifully snapped photos of their cardamom chais before meandering over to one of the bookshelves. The daughter picked up one of the many copies of Honor and took it back to her seat. She and her mother continued sipping their chais while leafing through the memoir with the casual ease of a light read. The Chai Spots David Barron and Khalida Brohi. Photo: Melissa Hom A couple months ago, I received an email from a chef named Cyrus Phan, who described himself as a recreational importer of specialty foods. He offered to send over a bag of dried peanut wormscalled sa sung in Vietnamesefor me to experiment with, and he noted the worms are something of a secret ingredient for pho broth. After I gave him our usual spiel about how we only accept samples with the understanding that we arent obliged to write about them in any way, I said, Sure! Send me dried worms! " It wasnt that I was bad at making pho, I just needed some worms." I had heard about them before; the first time I read about them was on Andrea Nguyens website, Viet World Kitchen, in a 2011 post titled Pho Secret Ingredients: Dried Earthworms (Sa Sung). At that point, I had been trying to recreate a specific bowl of pho I had grown up eating in Hong Kong, and reading about sa sung, an ingredient that was entirely unavailable in the United States, made me feel wonderful about my many, many failed attempts. It wasnt that I was bad at making pho, I just needed some worms. Nguyen went on to write more about sa sung in her phenomenal book The Pho Cookbook: Easy to Adventurous Recipes for Vietnams Favorite Soup and Noodles, for which she won a James Beard Award in 2018, including not just how to prepare them but also how to find substitutes. I planned on following her advice when I got my hands on the product Phan had promised to send over. What arrived in the mail was a bag of what looked like ribbed finger cotswhich is, of course, just another way of saying mini condomshad been left out in the rain for a couple days and then set in a dusty shed to dry. I opened the bag and took a sniff. The aroma was pretty similar to other dried sea products, leaning more toward the heady sweetness of dried squid and cuttlefish than the broadly oceanic smell of, say, dried shrimp or finfish. I decided to make an initial foray into worm-flavored pho by including a handful of toasted sa sung in Kenjis pressure cooker chicken pho recipe. The resulting broth was extremely tasty, though the difference the sa sung made was hard to describe; the broth was at once a little sweeter and even more savory, maybe, but also something else that I couldn't put my finger on. I decided to probe more deeply. What Are Sa Sung? Vicky Wasik Nguyens site has a concise explanation of what the worms are, and it appears that a lot of other online sources plagiarize her copy, which we, of course, will not do here. I urge you to visit that page for her description (also, its an excellent web site!). In brief, sa sung are known as Sipincula nudus or, more commonly in English, "peanut worms," due to the appearance of their ridged exteriors when the worm is not extended. They're marine worms that are eaten both fresh and dried, although it is only the dried form that is used to flavor broth in Vietnam. (They're also considered a delicacy in China, and, like other Chinese delicacies, are fodder for gawking expats to write about in their hometown paper.) The worms are harvested in tidal flats, often by women, according to this article in Tuoi Tre News, the largest daily newspaper in Vietnam, and a kilogram of worms can be sold for around $15 (that article has some lovely photos of the worms in their fresh form, although they may not be for the worm-averse). I called up Nguyen, and she noted that while sa sung are considered an ingredient that is more commonly used in the northern part of the countrywhich is why it is usually associated with Hanoi-style pho, the more savory, stripped-down version of the noodle soup that is less common in the United Statesshe and her relatives have since noticed that it is increasingly available in the southern parts of Vietnam these days. Since I wrote about [sa sung] in 2011, it appears they have become more widespread, Nguyen said. "Ive seen them sold in boxes, very nicely packaged, at Cho Lon, the Chinese wholesale market in Saigon, in the southern part of the country. Nguyen speculated that phos growing international cache, and a renewed interest in Vietnamese cuisine among successive generations of the Vietnamese diaspora, may be responsible for the fact that sa sung are more easily accessible. But she also noted that sa sung are just one dried seafood product among many that are typically used in pho. It turns out people add all kinds of seafood to their noodle soups. Some people add dried shrimp or squid, Nguyen said. The worms are a great umami source, and theyre great for when people dont want to use MSG, but you can also use kombu. Youre just looking for glutamic acid, or glutamates. I asked Dennis Ngo, the chef at Di an Di, a Vietnamese restaurant in Brooklyn, about sa sung, and he essentially said the same thing. "[Using sa sung] is definitely something we considered as we were thinking about ways we could improve our stocksany dried seafood component is helpful for adding umamibut we quickly realized it is extremely expensive and not realistic for a restaurants use, Ngo said. But he added, "People swear by it, though, and they say it adds umami without adding too much seafood flavor. Taste-Testing Pho With and Without Sa Sung Kenji's pressure-cooker chicken pho. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt Using the information I gleaned about the worms from my conversations with both Ngo and Nguyen, I conducted a series of informal taste tests at the office, pitting a batch of Kenjis chicken pho broth against a batch of the same broth made with sa sung, and a third made with dried scallops, which Nguyen has suggested in the past offers a similar, if not identical, flavor profile to sa sung. All of them were seasoned with exactly the same amount of fish sauce, and I set them out for my colleagues to try. The results were mixed: Some preferred the broth with sa sung, others the plain broth; tasters liked the dried-scallop broth, but not as a pho broth, per se, which is also my heavily biased take on using dried scallopsI generally associate the taste of dried scallops in broth with wonton soup. It was clear that the sa sung were adding a hint of sweetness and a broad savoriness to the soup, but it wasnt necessarily true that we thought the sa sung broth was far and away the winner (although one taster was very, very enamored with the sa sung broth). To get a better idea of how sa sung and dried scallops affected the broth, and how those broths would stack up against a broth made with MSG, Ngo graciously agreed to host a tasting using Di an Dis house beef broth. Ngo had told me that their house broth is seasoned by a set, rather low ratio of MSG to broth. I asked that he prepare a house broth without MSG, one with MSG, and then a batch each of the no-MSG house broth simmered with dried scallops and sa sung. This was not the most scientifically rigorous taste test; it was done just to get a sense of how these ingredients affected the broth, and I asked Ngo to use a rather large quantity of dried scallops and sa sung in order to get a clear idea of the resulting flavor profiles. Daniel joined me, as did Ngos business partner Kim Hoang, and we tasted each broth side by side, then tasted them all in a row, noting anything we found interesting about each one. The main thing we all agreed on was Di an Dis house broth, seasoned with MSG, was the favorite. The broth without MSG was a clear second. The two dried seafood broths, because of the large amount of dried seafood I had instructed Ngo to use, both had a striking marine aroma and flavor, throwing the broth out of balance and largely covering up its beefy base. Each was clearly identifiable, with the dried scallopspiked broth having a fishy flavor and aroma, where the sa sung broth had a more unplaceable flavor that Daniel described as dried-fish with a very subtle aftertaste of bitterness. For my part, I found the sa sung broth to have a kind of muddy savoriness that I tasted in my nose, if that makes any sense. The scallop broth tasted to me like pho-ish wonton soup. Is Sa Sung the Secret Ingredient for Great Pho? Sa sung purchased from Sa Sung USA on the left; sa sung sent as free sample on the right. Vicky Wasik The short answer is, No. I think Nguyen has the best long answer, which is that sa sung has unique attributes, but understanding the role it plays in making pho broth is whats important. "I dont think [sa sung] are super pivotal. There are many other aspects of the broth that are pivotal, like good bones. [Sa sung] is an umami source. If you have a really good pho recipe, and you throw these worms in, then yeah, it will take it to the next level. But when I write recipes, I think about what happens when I dont have this ingredient, because Im trying to get Vietnamese food to be a part of peoples repertoire. I dont want to make it exotic; I dont want to make it fussy; I dont want to make it precious in the sense that you have to run around and get a bunch of ingredients from a bunch of different markets. That makes the food inaccessible. As far as what I do as a writer and a cooking teacher, I need to make my cuisine understandable and accessible without dumbing it down. Sa sung is not like a silver bullet; there are so many other things in pho that make it excellent." I called Phan, who, in addition to owning Sa Sung USA, the company importing and selling the worms, is executive chef of Hirotako, a San Francisco-based catering company, and he essentially confirmed much of what Nguyen and Ngo had said: he started importing the worms because of growing interest among friends and family about sa sung; its essentially a source for glutamates but has its own unique flavor. When I asked about the price point ($24.99 for 30g, not including shipping), he noted that they are, in effect, an artisanal product: All of the worms are harvested in the wild by hand, and he employs people in Vietnam to purchase directly from the harvesters. They then clean each wormthe process he described involves inserting a stick into the worm and turning it inside out to clean out sandand air-dried on mesh screens, after which the dried product is shipped over en masse and packaged stateside. Phan observed that some of the restaurants he supplies use sa sung as the main umami component, whereas others will use some sa sung and supplement their broth with a bit of MSG, which essentially confirms Ngo and Nguyens view on them: the worms are a pricey alternative to other umami sources. For my part, since I eat a fair amount of pho at home, I find the worms to be incredibly appealing as an ingredient; the flavor that they impart is impossibly hard to describe, but its uniquely tasty, and one that I recognize (and, consequently, love) from that old bowl of pho I grew up eating. But if the price deters you, you can certainly look to other dried seafood products to use in your pho, or you can forego them altogether. How to Use Sa Sung in Pho Broth Phans Sa Sung USA website has a recipe for beef pho that calls for using 10 grams of sa sung for an eight-quart pot of soup; in her pho cookbook, Nguyen recommends using anywhere from 15-25 grams for a similar quantity of broth. In my experience, keeping in mind the quality and expense of the worms Sa Sung USA sells, Id be inclined more toward Phans recommendation, and since I used only about 5 grams in the first broth I made with the worms, I think that would also be sufficient to provide a nice umami roundness to the broth. Nguyen notes in her book and online that sa sungs sweetness should also be taken into account, so if the pho recipe you use has added sweetness, either in the form of rock sugar or, as Nguyen suggests, Fuji apple, you will want to omit the sweet element if using sa sung. To prepare the sa sung, start by toasting them in a dry pan until they puff up and take on color. This step makes it easier to clean the worms, if theyre particularly sandy. Once inflated, you can break them open and tap out any sand that might be inside; if they are particularly sandy, you should cut them into pieces with scissors and rinse them. My experience with Phans worms, both the ones he sent as a free sample and a pouch I had a colleague order to their home, is that they are relatively sand free, and did not need rinsing. I asked Phan about the difference between the larger worms and the smaller, more wrinkled ones (pictured above), and he said the older, larger worms are typically purchased as gifts in Vietnam, whereas the younger, smaller ones are typically purchased for home use. Sa Sung USA does not differentiate between the two and sells both varieties at the same price. There shouldn't be any difference in the quality of the flavor, but because the smaller worms are more difficult to clean than the larger ones, which sometimes necessitates breaking the worms' bodies up. Phan emphasized the importance of the toasting step for another reason: flavor. Much like dried squid, the sa sung take on a smoky quality when lightly toasted, but can impart bitterness to the broth if they are over-toasted or burned. After toasting and cleaning, put the sa sung into the pho pot along with the dried spices. Strain them out at the end along with all the other stuff in the pot, and youll have a deeply savory worm-spiked broth. U.S. Coast Guard crews were searching Tuesday for a man who went missing early in the morning in the waters off Pacifica, authorities said. Around 4:30 a.m., the Pacifica Police Department contacted the Coast Guard to help with the search for 28-year-old Tyler Collins. Police said he and one friend had gone swimming at Rockaway Beach near the Lighthouse Hotel in Pacifica. However, the Coast Guard reported that two people went into the water with Collins, said Jordan Akiyama, petty officer third class. When the swimmers began to feel the undercurrents in the water, they tried to get to shore, according to the Coast Guard. Collins didnt make it out, Akiyama said. Now Playing: Coast Guard searches for man swept away by ocean in Pacifica Video: Paul Chinn Police reported that the swimmers were about 50 feet from shore when they realized Collins was nowhere to be found, leading to a search of the beach for about 45 minutes before notifying authorities, police said. Akiyama said that police contacted the Coast Guard due to the heavy weather conditions and the swell. Coast Guard crews were using a lifeboat and a helicopter to search for Collins, in addition to assistance from police and North County Fire Authority officials. Police said the missing man is from Merced County. 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. Collins was described as 5-foot-7 and around 160 pounds. He has brown hair and was last seen wearing black boxer shorts. We do ask that because of the unpredictable waters of San Francisco that people always mind their surroundings, because you never know when swells or currents can sneak up on you, Akiyama said. Ashley McBride is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ashley.mcbride@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ashleynmcb Sometime between 11 a.m. and noon Wednesday, the cell phones of 40,000 Oakland residents will buzz, ping, ding or squawk, marking the first residential deployment of Californias highly sophisticated earthquake warning system. The urgent messages from what is known as the ShakeAlert system wont be followed by actual ground shaking, though. It will be only a test, but seismologists view the massive broadcast Wednesday as the most important trial run of Californias early-warning system in its brief history. This is the first dedicated public shake alert test, so its a big milestone for us, said Robert-Michael de Groot, of the U.S. Geological Survey, which is working with the California Office of Emergency Services on the trial. De Groot said the alerts are scheduled to go out at 11 a.m., but could happen any time until noon, over a 60-square-block area of downtown Oakland using a system attached to ShakeAlert known as Wireless Emergency Alert. The alert system, to be one of the most sophisticated in the world when its completed, is designed so that millions of people in California, Oregon and Washington will be warned about pending earthquakes, giving them just enough time to avoid flying off roadways, protect themselves from falling bricks or rubble, and shut off pipelines before they crack. What does the public need to know? At 11 a.m. Wednesday, residents of downtown Oakland will receive messages on their cell phones over the Wireless Emergency Alert system, which is used to deliver messages like AMBER Alerts and notices of severe weather. Oakland residents have been getting advanced notification of the upcoming test through public service announcements on the radio, fliers distributed to businesses and social media messages. What area will the alerts cover? This test will go out over about a 60-square-block radius on the west side of Lake Merritt. Due to limitations in the technology, some people outside the target area may also receive the alert. What is the purpose of the test? Cal OES will use the alerts to evaluate the wireless systems ability to deliver early earthquake warning signals to citizens. It is important because the idea is to send earthquake alerts to every smartphone in the West Coast when the system is up and running. How should Oakland residents prepare for Wednesdays test and what feedback does Cal OES and the Geological Society want after the test? Before the test starts, residents should go to the official website, at www.time.is, and check to make sure the time on their phones corresponds with the time on the readout. A few minutes before the alert, residents should keep a close watch on their cell phone and note the exact time, to the nearest second, the alert first came up on their phone. The alert will be titled Emergency Alert, and will say: TEST of the CA Earthquake Warning System. No action required. THIS IS A TEST. Take the following survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/weatestshakealert. For information about the test and survey, visit www.caloes.ca.gov/eew. What is ShakeAlert? ShakeAlert is an earthquake warning system that has been under development for seven years by the U.S. Geological Survey, UC Berkeley, the California Institute of Technology, and the universities of Washington and Oregon. The plan is to have alerts sent to every smartphone, business, public agency, utility and home in California, Oregon and Washington. How does ShakeAlert work? The system will include a network of 1,675 sensors in the three states to tap into seismic waves and pinpoint underground shaking before it reaches the surface. The technology will instantly create a computer map of the likely distribution of ground shaking, giving seismologists the information they need to alert regions where the most shaking is expected. The system has the ability to recognize large-magnitude earthquakes and map out the portion of the fault that is rupturing. It will then broadcast warnings anywhere from a few seconds to a minute in advance of an earthquake. How will businesses and communities use ShakeAlert? 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 system is being set up so that it will automatically brake trains, cause firehouse doors to open, close valves in fuel pipelines, halt elevators at the nearest floor, stop amusement park rides and alert people in time for them to dive under a desk or find safe ground before the shaking begins. Have there been other ShakeAlert tests? There have been more than a dozen successful pilot projects in California, Oregon and Washington, including one on BART, which was among the first transit agencies to put in place the prototype. PG&E, Chevron, the Oregon Department of Transportation, and 10 water districts in the Pacific Northwest have been testing the system. How much coverage is there now? Only about half of the seismic stations needed to complete the system and provide adequate coverage are in place. There are, however, enough stations now to provide adequate coverage in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle. The alerts will work outside of those urban areas, but the warnings outside of urban areas are currently too slow, de Groot said. How long before the system is fully operational? It will depend on how the testing goes and how much federal funding is provided for the program in the coming years. De Groot said the plan now is to have all 1,675 stations built by the early 2020s. What other countries have earthquake warning systems? Mexico built an early warning system in response to an earthquake that devastated the nations capital in 1985, killing an estimated 10,000 people. Japan built a similar system in response to the 1995 Kobe earthquake that killed 6,400 people. Taiwan built an alert warning system after the Chi Chi earthquake in 1999 killed 2,400, and China is building one as a response to the 2008 Wenchuan quake that killed 87,000. Both Japan and South Korea provide cell phone alerts to their citizens. Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @pfimrite 2 1 of 2 D. Ross Cameron / Associated Press 2018 Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Ethan Miller / Getty Images Show More Show Less With little debate, the Oakland City Council has given final approval to renewing the Raiders lease for 2019 and, possibly, the 2020 season at the Coliseum. The vote capped months of back-and-forth meetings and oral jabs between the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Authority and Raiders owner Mark Davis, who was upset that the city joined a lawsuit seeking damages for the teams upcoming move to Las Vegas. Juha Springare, the officer in charge of the pre-trial investigation at the Eastern Uusimaa Police Department, on Monday said the investigators are presently not aware of any indicators that the act was premeditated or involved other people. THE ATTEMPT TO ASSAULT Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini (BR) in Vantaa on Sunday was unlikely premeditated. The incident took place during a campaign event of the Blue Reform in Korso, Vantaa. Soini, who was participating in the event to lend support to his party comrades, was approached by a middle-aged man behaving aggressively and threateningly. The police officers on site managed to prevent the attack and apprehend the suspect, a man born in 1967. The man is tentatively suspected of attempted assault and violent resistance of a public official, according to Springare. A number of party leaders expressed their dismay with the attack. Prime Minister Juha Sipila (Centre) stated that all attacks against democracy and all forms of political violence must be condemned. Together we have to defend our valuable democracy, he underscored on Twitter. Antti Rinne, the chairperson of the Social Democrats, urged his fellow party leaders to adopt a common position against political violence, reminding that violence should never be used to resolve political differences of opinion in a civilised democracy. Democracy is so valuable that we have to put an immediate stop to those who despise it, he tweeted. Jussi Halla-aho, the chairperson of the Finns Party, reminded that voting is the correct way to have an impact on the society. Finland is an exceptional country in that politicians are able to along the streets and there is no barbed wire around the Parliament House. Lets keep Finland like that also in the future. You can have an impact by voting, not by picking up a fight, he said. Aleksi Teivainen HT Source: Uusi Suomi The targets were government officials, a pastor, reporters and LGBQT activists located in places ranging from Sacramento to Dallas. They were among the recipients of nearly 50 death threats and harassing letters some laced with white powder sent by one man who authorities said was trying to frame his father and fathers associates. Sacramento resident Darnell Ray Owens was arrested in Tulsa on Friday after officials connected him to the threats through DNA evidence taken from letters sent through the U.S. mail, authorities said. Federal prosecutors in Sacramento charged Owens, 32, with interstate threats and a hoax involving biological weapons, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott said Monday. If convicted, Owens could face up to five years in prison for each of the two charges. Court documents released on Monday say the threats began in February 2018. They included the return addresses of several different people, in what FBI agent described as an elaborate scheme by Owens to frame others. Some of the first letters were mailed to the LGBTQ Community Center in Sacramento, where the letters author used hate speech and threatened to murder every gay and transgender person in the city. Another addressed to the Sacramento Police Department claimed that officers were trying to start a race war by killing people of color, and threatened to murder you pigs with my words and weapons. In July, an employee of the First Baptist Church in Dallas opened a letter containing a white powder, vowing to assassinate your pastor in the name of Allah, and burn down Christian churches. The Sacramento County Department of Revenue Recovery received another letter containing white powder in August, with the letters author threatening to burn down the building and kill a lot of people. The woman who opened the letter told FBI agent Stacy Landrus that she spilled white powder on her hands and had never been so scared, according to court records. More letters mailed through late 2018 threatened to kill specific television news reporters in Sacramento, the Elk Grove mayor and white people in general. Most of the threats were sent via U.S. mail. Other threats were submitted via online complaint forms. 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 final letter listed in court documents arrived on about March 21, addressed to Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schuberts office. The letter stated that the prosecutor had failed this city and the people and detailed how the author would assassinate her. Most of the letters were postmarked in Sacramento, and included the return address of Owens father or others associated with Owens father. One of the people Owens allegedly targeted told investigators that Owens and his sister had been in an argument with their father about parties they had at the dads apartment. The father told the siblings they needed to move out, court documents state. Officials said they connected DNA evidence from the letters to a birthday card Owens sent to a distant cousin. The case is part of an ongoing investigation by the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Sacramento Police Department. Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy Commercial Dungeness crab fishermen in California have agreed to stop fishing three months earlier than usual both this year and next year as the result of a legal settlement aimed at protecting whales and sea turtles from entanglement in their gear. The local Dungeness season will come to a halt on April 15 this year, and in 2020 it will end on April 1 in the Monterey Bay and in the region surrounding the San Francisco Bay, from the Mendocino County line to Pigeon Point. The shortened seasons could result in multiple millions of dollars in losses to state fishermen, said Noah Oppenheim, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermens Associations. The fleet is still recovering from even bigger losses during the domoic acid outbreak that delayed and restricted several Dungeness crab seasons starting in 2015. The outbreak was a result of the same warming ocean conditions that likely caused whales to venture closer to shore, and thus closer to fishing gear, than usual. Fishermen have known for a very long time that climate change was going to impact their livelihood, Oppenheim said. Now were seeing it. In 2017, Oaklands Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit that accused the California Department of Fish and Wildlife of not doing enough to protect endangered whales and sea turtles from entanglements in Dungeness crab fishing gear. The two sides, with the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermens Associations as intervenor defendant along with the state fishery agency, reached a settlement Tuesday. The parties have also agreed to other long-term restrictions on the $68 million fishery. The state is in the process of developing a habitat conservation plan with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, aimed at protecting endangered species impacted by the fishery. Under the settlement, the state will be required to file whats called an incidental take permit related to that plan by next May. That permit process could take years to develop, said Kristen Monsell, attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, which is why short-term limits are in place for now. We think its absolutely great news and a great victory for whales and sea turtles off Californias coast, Monsell said. I do think its a turning point that will get us to zero entanglement. Paul Chinn/The Chronicle Whale entanglements in fishing gear, particularly gear used by Dungeness crab fishermen, saw a sharp increase on the West Coast between 2014 and 2016, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The increase was most likely due to the El Nino weather pattern and a marine heat wave (sometimes known as the warm blob) that started in 2014, driving whales closer to shore. Compared with an annual average of 10 reported whale entanglements between 2000 to 2014, there were 30 in 2014, 62 in 2015 and 71 in 2016. Such whale entanglements in U.S. fishing gear on the West Coast went down in 2017 to 31, but preliminary estimates for 2018 show entanglements are up to 36; five of those involved the California Dungeness crab fleet. State fishermen have been participating in a Dungeness Crab Gear Working Group to come up with ways to reduce entanglements, such as by tightening the loose lines that whales and turtles can get tangled in, and developing so-called ropeless gear. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Whales become entrapped by lines most often during spring and in certain hot spots where feed resources are abundant, including Monterey Bay. Thats why the settlement, which is still pending court approval, calls for fishermen to stop crabbing in 2020 by April 1 in the region between the Mendocino County line to Pigeon Point (near Half Moon Bay), as well as from Monterey Bay south. The agreement also allows for other closures if there are confirmations that endangered species have been entangled. Fishermen are going to be working around the clock to get their gear in and comply with this settlement, said Oppenheim. Its not a decision that commercial fishermen will be celebrating. But it will assure that they can operate and provide Californians with the crab resource that they love. Chronicle staff writer Bob Egelko contributed to this report. Tara Duggan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tduggan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @taraduggan Family planning for women might one day be as simple as putting on an earring. A report published recently in the Journal of Controlled Release describes a technique for administering contraceptive hormones through special backings on jewelry such as earrings, wristwatches, rings or necklaces. The contraceptive hormones are contained in patches applied to portions of the jewelry in contact with the skin, allowing the drugs to be absorbed into the body. Initial testing suggests the contraceptive jewelry may deliver sufficient amounts of hormone to provide contraception, though no human testing has been done yet. A goal for the new technique is to improve user compliance with drug regimens that require regular dosages. Beyond contraceptives, the jewelry-based technique might also be used for delivering other drugs through the skin. "The more contraceptive options that are available, the more likely it is that the needs of individual women can be met," said Mark Prausnitz, a Regents Professor and the J. Erskine Love Jr. chair in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "Because putting on jewelry may already be part of a woman's daily routine, this technique may facilitate compliance with the drug regimen. This technique could more effectively empower some women to prevent unintended pregnancies." This proof-of-concept research was supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under a subcontract funded by FHI 360. Contraceptive jewelry adapts transdermal patch technology that is already used to administer drugs that prevent motion sickness, support smoking cessation, and control the symptoms of menopause, but have never been incorporated into jewelry before. Contraceptive patches are also already available, but Prausnitz believes pairing them with jewelry may prove attractive to some women - and allow more discreet use of the drug delivery technology. "There is a lot of experience with making and using conventional transdermal patches," he said. "We are taking this established technology, making the patch smaller and using jewelry to help apply it. We think that earring patches can expand the scope of transdermal patches to provide additional impact." Postdoctoral Fellow Mohammad Mofidfar, Senior Research Scientist Laura O'Farrell and Prausnitz tested the concept on animal models, first on ears from pigs. Test patches mounted on earring backs and containing the hormone levonorgestrel were also applied to the skin of hairless rats. To simulate removal of the earrings during sleep, the researchers applied the patches for 16 hours, then removed them for eight hours. Testing suggested that even though levels dropped while the earrings were removed, the patch could produce necessary amounts of the hormone in the bloodstream. The earring patch tested by the researchers consisted of three layers. One layer is impermeable and includes an adhesive to hold it onto an earring back, the underside of a wristwatch or the inside surface of a necklace or ring. A middle layer of the patch contains the contraceptive drug in solid form. The outer layer is a skin adhesive to help stick to skin so the hormone can be transferred. Once in the skin, the drug can move into the bloodstream and circulate through the body. If the technique ultimately is used for contraception in humans, the earring back would need to be changed periodically, likely on a weekly basis. The contraceptive jewelry was originally designed for use in developing countries where access to health care services may limit access to long-acting contraceptives such as injectables, implants and IUDs. However, Prausnitz says the technology may be attractive beyond that initial audience. "We think contraceptive jewelry could be appealing and helpful to women all around the world," said Prausnitz. The researchers tested patches adhered to earring backs, about one square centimeter in area, and placed them tightly on the skin of the test animals. Earring backs and watches may be most useful for administering drugs because they remain in close contact with the skin to allow drug transfer. The dose delivered by a patch is generally proportional to the area of skin contact. "The advantage of incorporating contraceptive hormone into a universal earring back is that it can be paired with many different earrings," Prausnitz noted. "A woman could acquire these drug-loaded earring backs and then use them with various earrings she might want to wear." Though transdermal drug-delivery patches have been available since 1979, testing would be required to determine whether the earring patch is safe and effective. In addition, research would be required to determine whether the concept would be attractive to women in different cultures. "We need to understand not only the effectiveness and economics of contraceptive jewelry but also the social and personal factors that come into play for women all around the world," Prausnitz said. "We would have to make sure that this contraceptive jewelry concept is something that women would actually want and use." The technique could potentially be used to deliver other pharmaceuticals, though it would only be suitable for skin-permeable drugs that require administration of quantities small enough to fit into the patches. "We think there are uses beyond contraceptive hormones, but there will always be a limitation that the drug has to be effective with a low enough dose to fit into the limited space in the patch," Prausnitz said. "It also should be a drug that would benefit from continuous delivery from a patch and that is administered to a patient population interested in using pharmaceutical jewelry." The earring patch is designed to add another contraceptive option for women. "Pharmaceutical jewelry introduces a novel delivery method that may make taking contraceptives more appealing," he added. "Making it more appealing should make it easier to remember to use it." @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Members of the Vanuatu Police Force mingled with members of the public at Seafront and Fatumaru Bay President Trumps ceaseless attacks on the press make him an unlikely First Amendment crusader, but that didnt stop him from signing an executive order last week that vaguely and redundantly commands federal agencies to withhold funding from universities deemed hostile to free speech. Trumps proximate cause celebre is one Hayden Williams, a conservative activist whose silly slogans so enraged a misguided passerby on UC Berkeleys Sproul Plaza that their encounter ended with a lavishly recorded and broadcast punch in the face. Williams black eye was cited as the latest evidence of liberal campuses violent suppression of conservative views. The presidents ultimatum to Berkeley and other campuses, which he said threatens billions and billions in research grants, promotes the misunderstanding that the First Amendment protects expression from every imaginable interference or inconvenience. In fact, its government infringement of free speech that the founding document forbids. It follows that a man who in his private capacity socks another man for his expressed opinions, while rightly subject to ostracism and arrest, does not normally raise constitutional questions. A president wielding federal power to punish or compel expression, however, is a more likely First Amendment offender. College campuses have indeed seen a troubling increase in intolerance of certain views, and protests of conservative speakers at Berkeley and other universities have occasionally turned violent. This is an educational challenge and potentially an institutional one. In 2017, when Berkeley officials found themselves in the difficult position of mediating between deliberately inflammatory conservative speakers and dangerous demonstrators, they made the mistake of appearing insufficiently eager to facilitate free expression. The university soon rectified those missteps, however, by developing a consistent policy and making extraordinary efforts to accommodate controversial speakers. It also came to an agreement with a conservative group that sued the school. As a public university, Berkeley is obligated by the First Amendment and more to ensure free expression. But despite the evident desire of conservative activists and media to portray last months assault as a case of the university falling short of that obligation, it wasnt. Neither Williams nor his alleged assailant, Zachary Greenberg of Oakland, is a Berkeley student, and the university couldnt have foreseen the assault. Campus police sought the publics help identifying the suspect the next day, the administration rightly denounced the reprehensible incident the day after that, and Greenberg was arrested the following week. This isnt a conspiracy to suppress political views; its a street crime that is being appropriately prosecuted. If anything here is a state-sponsored menace to free expression, its the presidents readiness to threaten higher education budgets on such a flimsy basis. 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. That President Trump cannot be proved beyond a reasonable doubt to have criminally conspired with the Kremlins efforts to get him elected passes for good news for this president and this country. But Attorney General William Barrs suspect summary of Robert Muellers findings raises so many questions that it only amplifies the case for full disclosure of Muellers report. The greatest doubts pertain to the other half of Muellers investigative charter: to determine whether the president criminally obstructed the investigation of his campaigns relationship with Russia. According to the attorney generals letter to lawmakers, Mueller neither concluded that Trump committed that crime nor precisely contrary to the presidents inevitable distortion exonerated him. Rather, he sets out evidence on both sides of the question, evidence the people and their representatives should be able to evaluate. With two Boeing 737 Max 8 crashes killing 346 people in five months, many people are worried about flying. And revelations about what went wrong are only making the public more uneasy. In the wake of President Trumps nomination of a new Federal Aviation Administration chief, the agency needs to make some immediate course corrections to make public safety its No. 1 priority. The agency has tipped the scales too far in favor of the industry bottom line during the 737 Max program, with fatal and shameful results. You the air passenger who wants assurance your aircraft is safe should demand them. Course corrections should include: Fix the 737 Max fleet and get the airplanes flying safely again. The National Transportation Safety Board, Boeing and the FAA must thoroughly investigate what happened in these two crashes. Then Boeing, the FAA and the airlines must develop, mandate and implement the fixes that result from the investigations. Identify what led to the crashes. Neither Boeing nor the FAA should repeat the design and certification process that permitted the Maxes to fly in the first place. Congress and the FAA should mandate the fixes that result from the investigations. Then, the FAA and airline industry should implement them. Restore international confidence in the certification process. Regulators in Canada and the European Union have indicated they may conduct their own review of updates to the 737 Max, signaling distrust of the FAA. The 737 Max approval program clearly has been tilted in favor of profit, with clear violations of airliner safety principles. Boeing and the FAA must accept full responsibility for the crashes. The FAA, the regulator, needs to explain how it delegated too much of the certification work to the plane-maker and failed to identify and correct the design, certification and training errors that led to these crashes. Impose severe penalties on anyone who makes faulty airworthiness findings. Accidental errors in such findings should result in serious financial and privilege penalties. Intentional efforts to circumvent the system safety design and airworthiness criteria for financial reasons should result in serious financial, privilege and criminal penalties. A criminal investigation sparked by the first Boeing 737 Max crash, Lion Air, is in progress to understand how the plane was certified and determine if any actions rise to a criminal level. Require video recording systems with at least two hours of recording time on all planes with more than six passengers in order to gather information about the potential causes of aviation accidents. The FAA needs to work with Congress to establish strong privacy laws to protect video recordings to respond to pilots who are concerned about their privacy in the workplace. Add technology, including deployable flight recorders, that investigators can find in days instead of months or years or not at all (as in the case of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared in 2014). There also should be runway alert systems that can prevent crashes at takeoff and landing, and low-airspeed alert systems to prevent one of the most common causes of crashes: pilot failure to maintain the high-enough airspeed to prevent loss of control. Use your voice as an air traveler. Write your federal elected official (www.usa.gov/elected-officials) and demand that the FAA prioritize safety over money in its decisions. Make the same request of the FAA by writing the new administrator. And if youre concerned about flying but must travel by air, Google accident rates by airline and then fly on the airplanes operated by the most experienced airlines with the longest safety records. Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner at Clifford Law Offices in Chicago, practices aviation law. His firm has litigated more cases against Boeing than any other plaintiffs attorney firm in the country. WASHINGTON Lawmakers from the Bay Area and elsewhere in California hold a number of positions key to the investigation into Russian election interference and more broadly into President Trump. So when the news came that Special Counsel Robert Mueller had concluded his investigation, those lawmakers were in the spotlight especially after Attorney General William Barr sent a letter to Congress saying there was no case to be made against the Trump campaign in connection with Russian interference, and not enough evidence to establish that Trump obstructed justice in Muellers probe. Republicans and the White House called the letter a vindication for Trump. Mueller, however, wrote that the report did not exonerate Trump when it came to obstruction, according to the attorney general. So Barrs letter isnt good enough for many of those lawmakers. They are calling for the release of Muellers full report and underlying evidence, saying that without it, there can be no transparency. Heres a roundup of key lawmakers reactions: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in a statement: It is imperative for Mr. Barr to make the full report public and provide its underlying documentation and findings to Congress. Attorney General Barr must not give President Trump, his lawyers or his staff any sneak preview of Special Counsel Mueller's findings or evidence, and the White House must not be allowed to interfere in decisions about what parts of those findings or evidence are made public. ... The American people have a right to the truth. The watchword is transparency. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, in a statement: Our country welcomes this long-overdue conclusion. ... This should be a lesson to my Democrat colleagues that chasing imagined scandals and following a partisan investigatory agenda will not result in any meaningful change for the country. In fact, it will do the opposite. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., ranking member of Senate Judiciary Committee and member of Senate Intelligence Committee, in a letter to Barr: Congress must now determine the risks to national security, whether there was misconduct or abuse of power, whether existing laws are sufficient to deter and punish election interference, and what next steps are appropriate. A four-page summary of Special Counsel Muellers extensive investigation and report, with no underlying evidence or findings, is not adequate to accomplish our constitutional, legislative, and oversight responsibilities. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., member of Senate Judiciary and Intelligence committees, in a tweet: The Mueller report needs to be made public, the underlying investigative materials should be handed over to Congress, and Barr must testify. That is what transparency looks like. A short letter from Trump's hand-picked Attorney General is not sufficient. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, ranking GOP member of the House Intelligence Committee, in a tweet: The Russia investigation was based on false pretenses, false intel, and false media reports. House Intel found a yr ago there was no evidence of collusion, and Democrats who falsely claim to have such evidence have needlessly provoked a terrible, more than two-year-long crisis. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Dublin, member of House Intelligence and Judiciary committees, in a statement: Congress and the American public must see every single word of Special Counsel Robert Muellers report. And we should see it at the same time as President Trump, a subject of the investigation, sees it. Nothing less than the rule of law in our country is on the line. Congress must also hear from Mueller himself to make sure that we have received the whole, unvarnished truth. No president is above the law. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, member of House Intelligence and Oversight Committees, in a tweet: We don't know anything and we certainly can't reach any conclusions until they #ReleaseTheFullMuellerReport. That needs to be our top priority now. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Fremont, member of House Oversight Committee, in a tweet: "There is no room here for selective editing or political favors the entire Mueller report must be made fully available to the American people. Thats transparency, thats oversight, and thats justice." Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, member of House Oversight Committee, in a statement: The conclusion of the investigation is an important step, but there is still more left to come to light. The attorney general must send the full report and the underlying documents to Congress expeditiously and abide by congressional intent to make the reports findings public. The American people deserve transparency and accountability. Six House committee chairs, including Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, and Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, in a letter to Barr: Your four-page summary of the special counsels review is not sufficient for Congress, as a coequal branch of government, to perform this critical work. The release of the full report and the underlying evidence and documents is urgently needed by our committees to perform their duties under the Constitution. Tal Kopan is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopan SACRAMENTO Are Californians ready to tax some of the states richest residents after death to close the wealth gap with the poor? Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, is betting on a new state-level estate tax, modeled on the federal tax on property inheritance, to pay for programs that address Californias economic inequality. Its a way of not having a permanent nobility in the U.S., Wiener said. We should help low-income, working families accumulate wealth so that they can send their kids to college, so that they can buy a home, so that they dont go bankrupt if they have an unexpected medical expense. SB378, which Wiener plans to formally introduce Tuesday, would put an estate tax proposal on the November 2020 ballot. If approved by voters, California would collect 40 percent of assets worth more than $3.5 million, or $7 million for married couples, after the owner dies the value at which the federal tax kicked in a decade ago. The floor for federal estate taxes has risen steadily in the past 10 years, and doubled under the 2017 tax plan approved by Congress and signed by President Trump. It is now $11.4 million, or $22.8 million for married couples. Its obscene how high this exemption has gone, Wiener said. His proposed state tax would phase out at the current federal level. Like the federal tax, there would be exemptions for family farms and inheritance by a surviving spouse. Wieners office estimates the tax would bring in an additional $500 million to $1 billion a year, which he wants to use on programs such as college savings accounts for low-income children. Nearly 1 in 5 Californians lives in poverty, according to the latest estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau, the highest rate of any state in the country. California voters repealed a previous state inheritance tax and banned future ones in 1982, so Wieners plan must go to the ballot. But getting it there will be a heavy lift, even though SB378 needs the approval of only a simple majority of lawmakers. Several major tax measures, which must pass with a two-thirds vote, are moving through the Legislature as California is experiencing a budget surplus of more than $20 billion. Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff SACRAMENTO As a surging number of California parents forgo required vaccines for their children because of health concerns, the lawmaker behind the states mandatory vaccination law wants to remove the power to grant those exemptions from individual doctors. State Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, announced legislation Tuesday that would require the state Department of Public Health to approve every request for a medical exemption to the childrens immunization schedule. Its a follow-up to Pans 2015 bill that repealed a personal-belief exemption that parents could claim to keep their children from being vaccinated against diseases including measles, mumps, chickenpox, tetanus, whooping cough and rubella. The only children who can go without vaccines now are those with medical exemptions and those who are schooled at home. Pans new bill, SB276, would direct the state health department to develop a standard exemption request form, using guidelines from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about what medical evidence indicates a vaccine that poses a risk to the child. The bill would also mandate the creation of a statewide database of medical exemptions, including those that doctors have already approved. State and local public health officers would have access to the database and could revoke exemptions that do not meet the new guidelines. Pan, a pediatrician, said the change is necessary to combat doctors who sell fraudulent medical exemptions to parents. A study published in the journal Pediatrics last fall reported one case in which an unnamed physician issued medical exemptions after charging parents to watch a vaccine safety video, and another in which an unnamed specialist who did not practice family medicine was providing exemptions over the phone for $100. We cannot allow a small number of unethical physicians to put our children back at risk, Pan said. Children and their families demand that we act to keep them safe. Pan introduced his original legislation after a nationwide measles outbreak in late 2014 that was traced to a visitor to Disneyland who had not been vaccinated. When too many people do not get vaccinated, experts say, it undermines community immunity and allows for the spread of contagious diseases. Despite staunch opposition from vaccine skeptics, the bill passed and inoculation rates rose to their highest level in 15 years. Pan survived an attempt to recall him. Parents who dont want their children inoculated often cite fears that the vaccines are linked to autism. The concern originated with a 1998 study that was later discredited. The medical journal that published the studys findings withdrew the article 12 years later, and its lead author lost his medical license in his native Britain. Rather than immunize their children, some parents seek exemptions from their doctors. The number of students entering kindergarten with a medical exemption has tripled since the personal exemption was repealed, to 0.7 percent during the 2017-18 school year. The medical exemptions are particularly concentrated in white and wealthy communities. Last year, six of the 10 schools with the highest rate of kindergarten students exempted from their required vaccines were in the Bay Area. Two Sonoma County schools reported medical exemptions for more than half of kindergarten students. A small measles outbreak in the Bay Area in 2018 was centered almost entirely among families that chose not to vaccinate their children, including two boys whose mother lied to public health investigators about their immunization status. The California Medical Association and the state chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics are co-sponsors of SB276, citing a need to protect public health. Im worried that if these bogus medical exemptions continue, were going to have another outbreak, said Eric Ball, an Orange County pediatrician who treated patients with measles after the Disneyland outbreak. Pans announcement set off a furor among Californians for Vaccine Choice, a Facebook group created in 2015 to organize against the mandatory immunization law. A post Tuesday warned that the CDC guidelines for medical exemptions were too narrow, potentially exposing children to severe allergic reactions to vaccines and eviscerating the critical doctor-patient relationship. Under a photo of a gold star emblazoned with No On SB276, reminiscent of patches worn by Jews during the Holocaust, parents urged each other to call their representatives, while some compared Pan to Satan and Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter novels. Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff WASHINGTON Sen. Kamala Harris outlined Tuesday how she would rapidly increase teachers pay as president, in her first major policy push as a 2020 candidate a move that taps into a surge of teacher activism across the country. The California Democrat is proposing to use federal tax money to help close the teacher pay gap the amount by which teachers salaries trail those of similarly educated peers in other professions by the end of her first term, if elected. According to her campaign, the plan would boost the average teachers salary nationally by $13,500, the amount by which educators lag behind. The average California teacher would get a $10,300 pay bump. Harris would also make helping low-income schools and teachers and students of color a top priority. She estimates the cost at $315 billion over 10 years. Harris campaign said she would pay for it by strengthening the estate tax and cracking down on loopholes that let the very wealthiest, with estates worth multiple millions or billions of dollars, avoid paying their fair share. The federal floor for inheritance taxes has risen steadily in recent years, and is now $11.4 million, or $22.8 million for married couples. Harris proposal did not go into specifics about whether those levels would change. Harris rolled out her plan in the aftermath of several teachers strikes across the country, including in Oakland and Los Angeles. She is the first presidential candidate to put forward a plan that focuses on trying to recruit and retain teachers, and her proposed use of federal money would be a departure from paying educators exclusively with state and local funding sources. When asked by The Chronicle why she chose to focus on teachers pay in her first big policy push, Harris noted that her first-grade teacher, Francis Wilson, attended her law school graduation. It has really, for me, always been a priority to think about and support our teachers. Theyre the ones who educate our children, and the most direct path for any person to be able to achieve success is to have a meaningful education, Harris said. Theres two groups of people raising children parents and teachers and were not paying our teachers their value. Harris would have the Department of Education work with states to set a minimum salary for teachers. The federal government would give each state the first 10 percent of necessary funding, then match $3 for every $1 states spend. The federal money would be contingent on states maintaining their share of the funding. Harris would offer additional support to the neediest schools, which disproportionately serve communities of color, her campaign said. The federal government would also help fund programs to recruit and retain teachers, giving preference to historically black colleges and universities and other institutions that serve racial minorities. Other presidential candidates have put forward education proposals, most of them focusing on early childhood education, like Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren; or higher education costs, like Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders calls for free public college tuition for all. New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker has a teacher-focused proposal that would fund training and offer teachers loan forgiveness and tax credits. Teachers who have staged walkouts recently in California, Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma and West Virginia have called for more pay and highlighted issues including overcrowded classrooms and lack of basic supplies. Teachers salaries trail those of similarly educated peers. The gap was 23 percent in 2017, according to a paper by UC Berkeley economist Sylvia Allegretto and Economic Policy Institute fellow Lawrence Mishel. The international Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development put it at roughly 40 percent, the largest of all the countries it studies. In an interview, Allegretto said a large investment in public education is necessary to counter years of tight budgets that intensified with the 2008 economic crash. She said she welcomes any proposal that would drive a national conversation about it. There has been a lot that has happened in this last year, Allegretto said. It is clear that it is on the minds of many Americans throughout the entire country. We had massive amounts of support for all of the teachers strikes ... and although I think its been kind of off the table at the national level, I think a national conversation about this and what this might look like is very much needed. The Harris campaign pointed to praise for her proposal by the nations biggest teachers unions, the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association. Unions have traditionally been a bastion of Democratic support, and Harris joined other candidates in supporting recent teachers strikes. Education is among the top issues for Americans, according to Pew Research Center polling. Democrats put an especially high priority on it, with 76 percent saying it is important, trailing only health care costs. Allegretto and other public education funding advocates argue that investing in teachers can have ripple effects in the economy. In this country, money often equals prestige, and when we underpay our teachers we send a message ... that this is not a profession worthy of respect, said Catherine Brown of the left-leaning Center for American Progress. She consulted with Harris campaign on the proposal outside of her role with the think tank. We need to fix that if were going to remain the economic leader and remain a healthy democracy, Brown said. So I do think it would be transformative. Tal Kopan is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopan President Trump will be in California next week for a campaign fundraiser, buoyed by what he called his complete and total exoneration by Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Hes likely to find plenty of people who disagree with him as he ventures into California for only the third time in his presidency. California is a deep-blue state that overwhelmingly supported Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, and that opposition hasnt gone away. A January poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found that only 30 percent of the states adults approved of the job Trump was doing as president. Trump will be in the Los Angeles area April 5 to raise money for his re-election campaign. Tickets are $15,000 for dinner, $50,000 for the opportunity to take a picture with Trump and $150,000 to participate in a roundtable discussion, according to an invitation obtained by City News Service in Los Angeles. Details of the trip have not yet been released, which is typical for any presidential travel. Theres no indication that Trump will be doing any California-related events during his visit. Typically, fundraising events are handled through the campaign and the Republican National Committee, with local GOP officials often getting little more than a heads-up notice of the presidents plans. It took more than a year after Trumps January 2017 inauguration for him to venture to the nations largest state. He was in California for less than 24 hours last March, inspecting prototypes for his proposed border wall, speaking to an audience of Marines in San Diego and attending a Beverly Hills fundraiser for the Republican National Committee. He returned to California in November, traveling to the fire-ravaged town of Paradise in Butte County with then-Gov. Jerry Brown and current Gov. Gavin Newsom before heading to Southern California to examine damage from the Woolsey Fire. He returned to Washington, D.C., the same day. Trump has been critical of California and its Democratic leaders for their opposition to his plan for a border wall, support for sanctuary cities and strong environmental actions, which the president said helped fuel the fires that have roared through the state in recent years. California residents returned the bad feelings. Protesters were out in force during Trumps visit to the border and Beverly Hills, and can be expected to show up again next week in Los Angeles. Since Sundays release of a four-page summary of Muellers report by Attorney General William Barr, Trump has been in attack mode, saying in a tweet Tuesday that the media is truly the enemy of the people and in a White House news conference Monday that people have done treasonous things against our country, by supporting the investigation into the actions of Trump, his campaign and his supporters in connection with Russian election interference. Barr wrote that the report did not find that the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with Russia. He said Mueller did not come to a conclusion about whether Trump obstructed justice, but that Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein decided there was insufficient evidence to establish that the president had done so. When it came to obstruction, Mueller wrote that while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him, according to the attorney general. Add to that, Monday nights announcement that the Trump administration is backing a new effort to overturn former President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act, and the elements are there for a contentious visit to California. John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth Midway through a weeknight tasting-menu dinner at the French Laundry, a server wheeled a slim side table up to mine and walked away, leaving me and my dining companion perplexed. Were they going to cut something up table side, like Peking duck? Would the sommelier come by to play three-card Monte with us? I thought I knew what to expect when I walked in: This moment of apprehension was almost refreshing. Fool that I was, even then I didnt think the kitchen could surprise me all that much. Thats when they brought out a glass bong, a foot-long round-base number with rivulets along its tube and a sea of blue and green swirls at its base. The kind you use to smoke drugs. Plumes of white smoke poured out of it as it stood high, with the kind of boldness that Im terrible at faking when I walk into rooms like this one. That shouldnt be here, I thought, feeling the curious gazes of the fancy folk whod paid good money and donned blazers as per the dress code to earn their places in the dining room that night. They didnt get a bong. When Pete Wells reviewed Per Se, he compared the mushroom bouillon to dirty bong water, the server said as he pulled the bowl and stem out of the instrument with the same flourish hed surely use to uncork a bottle of wine. So this is a play on that review. He winked at us as he poured porcini mushroom broth indeed, the color of rancid bong water into my bowl. I marveled as it cascaded over the vegetarian pot-au-feu of carrots, oxheart cabbage and a layer of leeks wrapped around black winter truffle confit, made to look like a beef bone. It was a brilliantly executed in-joke. After dinner, I emailed the French Laundrys public relations people about the bong. In an email, they responded that its something Thomas Keller pulls out for restaurant industry folks because he knows wed get a kick out of it. (This is true. And Keller knows me from a previous encounter during my past life as a New Orleanian line cook.) It is clearly a tongue-in-cheek reference to past writing and is not on the menu, they wrote, but regularly prepared for guests as a fun item. When I pressed them on where the bong was actually from obviously not Riedel or Zalto all they would say was that it was hand blown by an artisan. (Im just going to stick with my fantasy image of Keller sending one of his externs to Napa Smoke N Vape with $50 in cash the day after Wells review dropped.) In-jokes aside, theres an argument to be made that the bong fits in perfectly at the Laundry, a restaurant that played a key role in the American modernist food scene. Consider modern art where the surprising context of an object is the point. Think about Claes Oldenburg or Jeff Koons, who use objects with vernacular resonance like giant office supplies or a balloon dog crafted from polished steel to transplant awe into things we usually dont think twice about. By bringing banal objects into art spaces like the gallery or museum, the artists make these familiar things alien, and we viewers are prompted to step outside of ourselves and reconsider the shapes and colors that weve grown used to glazing over every day. Soleil Ho / The Chronicle The same happens when a colorful glass bong, one that could have been stolen from any college kids dorm room, is brought into the French Laundry. Like the little mermaid combing her hair with a fork in a ballroom, the bongs anarchic presence creates an art moment, a happening, in an otherwise staid dining room. Though the official stance is that its an in-joke, an expression of Oh, those wacky critics! to be shared among restaurant industry colleagues, I think its more than that. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Its fascinating to think about how Keller, a famously careful and perfectionist chef, that classic swan gliding effortlessly through the water while its feet churn underneath, metabolized the stress from Wells review of Kellers Per Se in Manhattan. It would be easier to just let go of the past: to put bad memories aside and assure yourself that history wont repeat itself. But for him to parade those memories in front of people in front of a critic! is a much braver tack. It comes off as a subtle tugging at his collar: a moment of chaotic energy to show that hes learned from his mistakes. As for what I thought about the rest of the meal? More on that later. Soleil Ho is The San Francisco Chronicles restaurant critic. Email: soleil.ho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Hooleil Though mystical minerals like blue lapis, amethyst, quartz and jade have purportedly been used for healing rites in ancient Egypt and China for thousands of years, science-minded Americans tend to dismiss crystals as bunkum. Tell that to your saleswoman at Sephora, who will probably sell you on a rose quartz energy comb or an amethyst body scrub, promising to exfoliate your skin as well as your bad juju. Mainstream beauty brands like Herbivore and Dermadoctor have jumped headfirst into the crystal-infused skin care trend, touting benefits as varied as brightening and anti-inflammation. Face rollers and gua sha (facial scraping) tools made from jade, rose quartz and other crystals, said to de-puff eyes and boost circulation, have become the go-to gift with purchase for cool-girl skin care brands. Even drugstore mainstay Revlon launched a limited-edition Crystal Aura Collection earlier this month. The eight-piece assortment of iridescent makeup is inspired by the colors of auras and helps you channel your inner power, according to the brand. While mass retailers churn out crystal-theme products, independent Northern California brands such as This Magic Life, Laurel Whole Plant Organics and Pink Light Botanicals ignore the rose quartz-colored hype and stay a more grounded (albeit enlightened) course. Crystal-lifers like London Elise, owner of This Magic Life Day Spa in San Francisco, are indifferent to how crystals are trending; instead, they are integral to her practice. The aesthetician has been incorporating metaphysical modalities into her practices for more than 20 years. In her Mission District spa, water bottles can have amethysts suspended inside, while tarot card decks, crystals and flower essences commingle with clean skin care products. Trained in massage therapy and astrology, Elise, who also owns Studio Soothe in Hayes Valley, incorporates crystals into her facials by placing them on the clients body during treatment. It is an opportunity to introduce people to various modes of healing arts, she says. Someone may be used to getting facials but never had a crystal placed on their chest. That somatic experience may help them anchor their experience and connect to their body in a whole new and deeper way. Pink Light Botanicals Bay Area skin care brand founders Laurel Shaffer of Laurel Whole Plant Organics and Amber Woods of Pink Light formulate their skin and body care products with crystals for a similar reason: to help customers connect with their own bodies and sense of themselves. Woods created Pink Light Botanicals in 2010. As an aesthetician and formulator, I wasnt seeing healing, self-love or self-care in the treatment rooms or in the products, she says. A trained herbalist and aesthetician, Woods also studied crystals and energy work before opening her skin studio in Oakland. Crystal Resources This Magic Life: 299 Guerrero St, 415-801-5120, www.thismagiclife.com Laurel Whole Plant Organics: www.laurelskin.com Pink Light Botanicals: 4454-A Piedmont Ave., Oakland, 510-943-2395, https://pink-light.com See More Collapse Woods makes her own flower and gem essences, then adds them to her formulas based on what she wants the user to experience. When I formulate with flower and gem essences, I add whatever energetic properties I would like to infuse into the formula, Woods says. For example, I use an essence of rhodochrosite (a pink stone) in the Self Love Spray. Rhodochrosite is the ultimate stone of self-love and encourages a positive outlook. Thats a cornerstone to this formula and its effectiveness. This ingredient is nearly invisible, but you can tell theres a depth to this spray that surpasses a typical aromatherapy mist. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Laurel Whole Plant Organics Shaffer doesnt see her brand as metaphysical or crystal-focused. However, she has always incorporated crystal and gem essences because crystals are so prominent in her own life. When I moved to California, I developed such a strong connection with crystals that I wanted to share it with others, Shaffer says. At the time, when I created California Body Oil, I was struggling with my own body acceptance. I wanted to learn to love my body just the way it was and I dont know of any woman who doesnt have that issue. Shaffer formulated the oil so it would have an energetic impact on whomever opened the bottle. I wanted it to not only smell beautiful and feel beautiful but encourage you to love your own body, she says. Shaffer creates her oil-based gem and crystal essences by infusing jojoba oil with crystals and gems in the sun. Gems reflect like light energy, the light reflects back to us into the oil, and thats what I use. Elise, Woods and Shaffer are all consistent in their reasons for using crystals not to chase the proverbial trend dragon but to share the healing energies they incorporate into their own lives. As Woods says, I believe that an important part of skin care is to shift your mind-set and to love your skin to create a practice of viewing yourself with loving self-perception. Janna Mandell is a beauty freelance writer in Marin County. Email: style@sfchronicle.com Hardy Wallace is a winemaker. Hes used to being at the mercy of the elements. But what happened to Wallace in 2017 was more than any winemaker ever bargains for. In the span of about a month, Wallace and his family experienced a calamitous combination of virus, blindness, death and fire. It looked as if all of Wallaces wine from the 2017 harvest and by extension his small business, Dirty & Rowdy Family Wines might be ruined. But thanks to technology, creative thinking and a reconsideration of his personal principles, Wallace was ultimately able to revive a lost vintage, an improbable creation that became a roaring success. I honestly didnt think wed still be in business, he says. The trouble began in late August 2017, near the start of harvest, when Wallace was checking in on the fast-ripening fruit at the Brousseau Vineyard in Monterey County. Suddenly his eye started to feel dry. He drove to the drugstore to buy eye drops, but the discomfort worsened. By the time he had driven home to Napa, his eye was swollen shut and he could no longer see out of it. As soon as he walked in the door, his wife, Kate Graham, said: Youre going to urgent care. Wallace learned that a shingles-like virus was attacking him. Because it was in his cornea, his doctor advised against an antiviral medication. Youre just gonna have to wait it out, Wallace recalls the doctor saying. It could be a month before his eye would feel back to normal. He panicked. This was go time, harvest time, the one time in a year when a winemakers work really matters. Even worse, a heat spike was forecast for Labor Day weekend, which threatened to shrivel grapes into raisins before they had reached physiological ripeness. Winemakers would have a tough choice to make: let the grapes fry, or pick them underripe? Now, Wallace might not even be able to make that crucial decision. He makes only about 3,000 cases of wine a year, microscopic by wine industry standards. With two young children, he and Graham dont have a lot of wiggle room financially. Then the virus jumped to Wallaces spinal cord, leaving him without sight. It felt like someone was turning a screwdriver in your eye, he says. But help seemed to be on the way. Grahams brother Angus, in Oregon to watch the solar eclipse, offered to drive down to Napa to help with the Dirty & Rowdy harvest. He never made it. Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle They would learn that Angus car had spun off an embankment in Glendale, Ore. It took a full day before someone found his car and notified law enforcement. Sitting at a table in the Santa Rosa winery where he works, Wallace chokes up, dipping his head as he puts a fist to his mouth. It never gets easier to tell this story, he says. Friends at other wineries offered to make the Dirty & Rowdy wines for them that season whatever they needed. Wallace had faith that his eyes would heal in time for him to save the vintage. I still didnt know what we were going to be up against, he says. By early October, the virus had started to subside and Wallaces vision was slowly improving. But his woe was far from over. On the same day that Graham and their daughter, then 1 year old, returned from Angus memorial service on the East Coast, wildfire struck Wine Country. The family was forced to leave their Napa home and stayed in a series of hotels for a week. Like many winemakers, Wallace couldnt access his winery during this critical time. The heat spike alone had compromised the wines; then they had been more or less neglected. The best-case scenario, he couldnt help but think, would be for all of his wine to burn. There was nothing worth saving, he says. (Neither his winery nor his home ended up being damaged in the fires.) By the time he got back into the winery, his vision repaired at last, he was devastated to see what awaited. Every fermentation was sticking, Wallace says. Volatile acidity levels soared through the roof. Nothing was making sense. He couldnt save Angus. But could he save the vintage and save his business? Its worth saying a word about Wallaces winemaking. He is a non-interventionist. He ferments his wines only with indigenous yeast, does not filter or fine, does not make additions of acid or tannin or concentrate. He adds very little sulfur. Although he has mixed feelings about claiming natural wine as Dirty & Rowdys identity, he is making wines that qualify as natural by almost any standards. His wines are sold by distributors that specialize in natural wine, like Amy Atwood Selections and Jenny & Francois Selections. The events of 2017 forced Wallace to throw all of those principles out the window. Making wine naturally is important to me, but its not who we are, he says. By the end of the harvest season, he had one priority: to make something thats drinkable. So Wallace performed a series of treatments that any natural winemaker would consider an abomination. He used commercial yeast to re-start the fermentations. He employed reverse osmosis to remove the volatile acidity. He put the wine through a harsh cross-flow filter. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Thank God for technology, he says. It turned something that was not wine into wine. Dirty & Rowdy always bottles a Mourvedre called Familiar, a blend of different vineyards from throughout California. In 2017, Wallace took this technologically engineered, very non-natural Mourvedre and called it what it was: Unfamiliar. He told his distributors of natural wines that hed understand if they didnt want to sell a manipulated wine. To his surprise, they were unequivocally supportive. Wallace knew he couldnt charge much for the Unfamiliar Mourvedre in good conscience. He marked it at $23 retail, which represented a loss of about $20 a case for him. But he was just happy to recoup any of his costs. Russell Yip / The Chronicle The silver lining? That $23 price meant that hundreds of restaurants could serve a Dirty & Rowdy wine by the glass for the first time. (The 2018 Familiar, by contrast, is $33 a bottle, which is a little too expensive for a glass pour at most restaurants.) It helped us get our wine in front of so many more people, Wallace says. He finally sold out of the wine a couple of weeks ago, though many of the 2,300 cases are still at shops and restaurants. The 2017 Unfamiliar Mourvedre is better than drinkable: Its a pretty wine, with herbal and floral tones and a hit of black tea on the finish. While it lacks the exuberance of some of Wallaces other wines, it still has character. At $23 a bottle, Id happily drink it. (Another 2017 Unfamiliar wine, a Petite Sirah, will be released in the fall.) As painful as it is to remember the events of 2017, Wallace is making sense of it as only a winemaker can. Wine tells the story of a time and place, for better or worse. In its own way, the Unfamiliar represents the journey that he and his family endured in that year, from disaster-struck bewilderment to hardened acceptance. Theres something of Angus in this wine, Wallace says. Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley Instagram: @esthermob The daughter of a Jane Doe is looking for answers after her mother was identified as the woman found dead at a Vacaville construction site 28 years ago. "It was bittersweet when I found out she had passed," Caitlin Johnson said. Johnson is the long-lost daughter of 38-year-old Cynthia Merkley, whose body was discovered in a Vacaville field in 1991. Merkley's identity was a mystery until just this month. Her cause of death is still unknown. Just two weeks after Vacaville police cracked a cold case that had stymied them for years, Johnson is now seeking answers about how her mother died and why no one reported it for 28 years. Who was Cynthia Merkley? Johnson said her mother had a drug addiction and abandoned her and six other children. Johnson said she was Merkley's third child and that all seven kids were left behind by their mother, who was estranged from her family. Johnson said she was put in foster care just two weeks before her first birthday, just after her mother was discovered in downtown Santa Rosa, behind the locked door of a restaurant. When she refused to come out, the manager called police. "When they arrived, they were able to open the door and see she was currently under the influence and homeless," Johnson said from her home in Santa Rosa. Johnson explained her mother was "bathing me in a sink. But, she also fit the description of someone who had stolen a knife that day." Merkley was arrested that day in 1983 -- a key event that would later provide a critical clue in unraveling Jane Doe's identity. How did investigators identify Vacaville's Jane Doe? Merkley was arrested in Sonoma County for the knife theft in 1983 and booked into the Sonoma County jail, according to Vacaville police Det. Andrew Polik. "Through the normal process, they took her fingerprints and photograph," Polik said. Eight years later, Merkley's body was discovered in Vacaville. At first, there was no match to the fingerprints on record. Then this year, new technology enabled investigators to crack the case. "A new process was developed since then, basically analyzing those digital images they have," Polik explained. "And, the (California Department of Justice) missing persons unit in Sacramento was able to make a match to her fingerprints." Was Merkley headed somewhere at the time of her murder? Merkley had been seen in Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz but, "she was on her way to Sacramento, which is where her family did live," Johnson said. Merkley's mother and sister both lived in Fair Oaks, Johnson explained. The mother has since died and the sister moved to another state. "I'd say the most difficult part was knowing she was missing for 27 and a half years and no one said anything," Johnson said. "How does a body go missing that long?" she added. Johnson believes her mother likely died from a drug overdose, but she'd like to know for sure. "It was shocking because I always had this feeling she was out there somewhere," Johnson said. She always hoped, "that I could find her and let her know that I'm here for her -- and that I forgive her." How can you help with the case? Vacaville police believe that someone out there has information that can determine exactly how Merkley died. "It's a big mystery," Polik said. "She was out there for two to three weeks perhaps. Nobody knows how she got there." Police are asking for anyone with leads about this case to call Polik at 707-469-4814. This story originally appeared on KCRA. The people of the Bay Area have spoken on the case of Hillsborough v. The Flintstone House. The lawn sculptures cascading down the backyard of the unique house are not "eye sores," as a recent complaint against the house stated, but joyous neighborhood attractions. At least, that's according to the 13,658 people who signed an online petition urging the city to "Leave the home owners alone!" as of Tuesday afternoon. Helen Garcia, of San Jose, created the petition last week. It's directed at Governor Gavin Newsom and the Natural History Museum of London, which is seemingly related to the home solely on account of its large dinosaur fossil collection. SEE ALSO: Peak inside the 'secret' crown jewel of the Transamerica Pyramid The trouble for the Flintstone House started months ago. Owner Florence Fang purchased the ostentatious orange-and-purple home, a longstanding visual quirk along a stretch of Interstate 280, in 2017 for $2.8 million. Fang is a former publisher of the San Francisco Examiner and now helms the San Mateo-based Florence Fang Family Foundation. According to rubberneckers along I-280, the property gained some new residents shortly after its purchase a herd of dinosaur sculptures. But that's not the only changes Fang made to the property, according to the complaint, filed this month in the Superior Court of California. Starting around 2017, Fang began installing "extensive improvements" in the yard, including the sculptures and a sign reading "Yabba Dabba Doo," the complaint says. SEE ALSO: Colonial on famed trick-or-treating street in Berkeley for sale She also reportedly built a retaining wall, steps, columns, gates, a parking strip and a deck to "accommodate her plan to use 45 Berryessa for parties and social gatherings." The town of Hillsborough claims some of these modifications created "life-safety hazards" that required immediate correction. Fang allegedly instituted the improvements without proper planning approvals or building permits, with the exception of the wall installed at the front of the property. She could not be reached for comment. You can read more about the ongoing case here. It seems some Bay Area residents are disgruntled by the bureaucratic kerfuffle and the city's unfavorable aesthetic assessment of the property and its sculptures. "Personally I would fight to keep these statues up and leave these owners alone," Garcia wrote in the petition. "As a child I would drive to San Francisco with my family to see my grandmother. I would wait patiently until I was able to catch a glimpse at the Flintstone House. At that time it was just orange and round and it intrigued me." "Now when I drive my daughter up north, she waits to see the house and the steel statues that line the yard," Garcia continued. "She is a huge fan of the T-Rex. Removing the statues would devastate her and many of our childhood memories we have of this beautiful home." More people have signed the petition than reside in the town of Hillsborough. Read Michelle Robertson's latest stories and send her news tips at michelle.robertson@sfgate.com. Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news. A Northern California man was killed on his birthday after being swept off a rock by a "sneaker wave" on a beach near Trinidad. It was the first of two serious rogue wave incidents on the northern Pacific coast last weekend. Andrew "Drew" Machi, 39, of Ione, Calif., was fishing off rocks north of Luffenholtz Beach on Friday when a large wave knocked him off his feet and into the water. According to the family's GoFundMe page, Machi's wife, Brandie, jumped into the surf and tried to rescue him, but strong waves kept "throwing her back into the rocks." After being notified of the incident, the Coast Guard deployed a helicopter to the scene. Machi's body was located by a Coast Guard swimmer, hoisted into the helicopter and flown to Mad River Hospital. "The coroner said he believes he hit his head on rocks and was knocked out," Brandie Machi's sister, Jamie Tracey, wrote on the fundraiser page. Drew Machi reportedly worked for PG&E as a lineman. He and his family had been visiting the Humboldt County coast while on vacation. A day after the tragic incident a woman relaxing on a beach in Manzanita, Ore., was seriously injured when a sneaker wave struck a log she was sitting on. The surge of water lifted the log, initially estimated as weighing about 1,000 pounds, causing it roll over on top of her, Nehalem Bay Fire Chief Perry Sherbaugh told the Tillamook Headlight Herald. Fortunately, a rescue crew was able to move the log and free her. KATU in Portland on Tuesday identified the woman as Heathyr Croasmun, 44. The station said she suffered 13 broken ribs and a fractured tailbone, and was in fair condition. "It only takes a few inches of water to move those large logs and a one ton or two ton log is often non-survivable," Sherbaugh told the Headlight Herald. "Fortunately, she made it out, but it could have been a fatal situation." While wave-related log injuries are not common, rangers and other authorities cautioned people to avoid large logs while exploring the shoreline. Beach-goers, especially those with small children, should always keep their eyes peeled for strong rogue waves. RELATED: Deadliest beach in California is in the Bay Area "Never turn your back on the ocean" goes the saying, attributed to Hawaiian surfing pioneer Duke Kahanamoku. --- Read Mike Moffitt's latest stories and send him news tips at moffitt@sfgate.com. Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news. Six weeks after Russian River Brewing Company's fabled triple-IPA Pliny the Younger dried up on bar taps around the Bay Area, the brewery and Sonoma County announced the beer's economic impact on the North Bay: $4.16 million. That number accounts for the cash "generated by visitors traveling from outside of Sonoma County specifically for the 2019 Younger release" to two of Russian River's locations, its Santa Rosa brewpub and the huge new Windsor brewhouse. Altogether, that cash roughly $800k more than it generated last year came from locals and international visitors. Tourists came from 400 cities in 42 different American states, and from 14 countries as far off as Thailand, Malaysia and New Zealand. Around 73 percent of those who visited Russian River traveled to the area specifically for the Pliny release, and more than a third paid to stay in Sonoma County lodging. RELATED: Blue cookie dough, Russian River beer and a huge videoboard: Here's what's new at Giants' ballpark "We are very pleased with the results of the study and the positive impact our annual Pliny the Younger release has on Sonoma County year after year," co-founder and co-owner Natalie Cilurzo tells SFGATE, noting that many surrounding businesses benefited from the tourism influx. "The overall feedback from our customers and local business community was very positive." This year marked the first time Russian River orchestrated a Pliny release from two bars; the new Windsor space, which Cilurzo calls their "wild card," opened last October, and wound up hosting more than half of those making a Pliny pilgrimage. RELATED: Russian River Brewing opens new $50 million Windsor brewery to massive crowds It was, fortunately, a crowd for which the brewery had prepared. In fact, Natalie and co-owner and brewer Vinnie Cilurzo had dreamt up the Windsor location in anticipation of Pliny. "We designed the brewery with the Younger release in mind, including a restroom that is accessible from outside 24/7, the long walkway in front of the brewery for the line, and two acres of free parking," Natalie Cilurzo said. "We also bought about a dozen easy-ups to shelter our guests in case of rain, which it did pretty much every day during the release." Despite the rain and the infamous line, it seems just about everyone considered the trek a positive experience Sonoma County reported that 96 percent of those who visited Russian River said they would attend again in the future. Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira. Ride-hailing service Uber announced on Tuesday it has acquired Mideast competitor Careem for $3.1 billion, giving the San Francisco company the commanding edge in a region with a large, young, tech-savvy population. It comes as Ubers losses grew last year ahead of plans for an initial public stock offering this spring. Uber said the purchase consists of $1.7 billion in convertible notes and $1.4 billion in cash. It marks the largest technology transaction in the Middle East outside of Israel and propels the Dubai firm to top status among the regions budding tech startup scene. Under the deal, Careem will keep its name and its app unchanged, at least for now, and will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Uber led by its own original founders. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the acquisition of Careem marks an important moment for Uber as we continue to expand the strength of our platform around the world. In a memo to staff, Khosrowshahi said that keeping the Careem app intact allows Uber to try out new ideas across both companies. Over time, the firms will integrate part of their networks, he said. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020 and is subject to regulatory approval in several countries. Egyptian regulators expressed concerns Tuesday that a merger would create to a monopoly in the market, which they cautioned could lead to price increases, degraded service quality and limited consumer choice. Egypts competition authority invited third parties to come forth with their concerns by the end of April as part of its investigation into the proposed deal. Careem had been Ubers stiffest competitor in the Middle East. The service began in 2012 three years before Uber entered the market there. Careem, founded by two former management consultants at McKinsey & Co., is popular in countries like Egypt and Pakistan because it allows customers to use cash, while Uber was initially a credit card-only system. Last year, Careem was said to be exploring a bus service for Egypts lower-income riders. Despite Ubers introduction in the Middle East in 2015 and services like Uber Eats, which delivers food, Careem maintained the lead, operating in more than 100 cities across 15 countries. The company was valued at about $1 billion in a 2016 funding round and an estimated $2 billion last year. Dubai now has three of the regions most high-profile startup success stories. In 2017, Amazon purchased Mideast online retailer Souq for reportedly close to $700 million. A decade ago, Yahoo acquired Dubais Arab-language internet site Maktoob. Careem CEO Mudassir Sheikha described the acquisition as a milestone for the company and for budding entrepreneurs in the region. After the purchase, he will lead Careems business under Uber and report to a board comprising three Uber representatives and two from Careem. This has put our region on the map, and has shown its a great place to build some of the best technology in the world, Sheikha said in a statement to Careem customers. Saudi Technology Ventures, one of Careems investors, said the ride-hailing firm succeeded by using its deep local knowledge and expertise to cater to the needs of young people. Other Careem investors include Kingdom Holding, chaired by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, German car manufacturer Daimler, Japanese tech firm Rakuten and Mideast venture capital firm Wamda. Ubers investors include Saudi Arabias sovereign wealth fund, which has a $3.5 billion stake in the ride-sharing company. Aya Batrawy and Fay Abuelgasim are Associated Press writers. The annual Goat Fest, a once-viral but always awesome celebration of goats, will return to San Francisco's Ferry Building this April for its 10th annual event. The fest was formerly referred to by superfans as Goatchella, and is back on April 13 after taking a year off. The party is hosted by the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA) and begins early at 8 a.m. with goat milk samples and themed arts and crafts, and wraps up when the farmers market concludes at 2 p.m. It's been one year since the California Department of Fish and Wildlife launched a formal effort to eradicate nutria from the state's wetlands. After not being seen in California since the 1970s, nutria, an invasive and destructive rodent, were rediscovered in the San Joaquin Valley in 2017. So far 410 nutria have been killed, but the Department of Fish and Wildlife warns that the war is far from over. Nutria can grow to be as large as 20 pounds, and pose a "triple threat" to California. Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Peter Tira said Nutria pose a threat "as a top-rated agricultural pest, a destroyer of critical wetlands needed by native wildlife, and a public safety risk as their destructive burrowing jeopardizes the state's water delivery and flood control infrastructure." The vast majority of the eradicated nutria (330) came from Merced County. Sixty-five came from San Joaquin County, 12 from Stanislaus County, 2 from Mariposa County and 1 from Fresno County. There have also been confirmed nutria sightings in Tuolumne County. Going forward, the Department of Fish and Wildlife is planning a number of new ways to hunt and exterminate the swamp rats, including enlisting the help of dogs and "Judas nutria." "Detection dogs" would help the department locate nutria and confirm their absence from certain areas. The "Judas nutria" project would work to capture and sterilize nutria, instead of killing them. After the nutria are sterilized, they will be "outfitted with radio telemetry collars and released back into the environment to lead biologists to other nutria." The nutria eradication force has prioritized a known population in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, since the region is critical for California's agricultural infrastructure. "Our goal is to keep the nutria out of the delta as much as possible," Tira told SFGATE in August. "That's the epicenter of our water control and flood control in California." Of the 65 nutria taken from San Joaquin County over the past year, 64 were captured near Manteca, which is where the known population is. Fortunately, survey crews have not detected nutria anywhere else in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Over the past year, the nutria eradication force has set up 487 camera stations, conducted more than 1,600 camera checks and deployed 995 trap sets. In addition, San Joaquin Valley farmers have donated five tons of sweet potatoes to be used as nutria bait. "[The Department of Fish and Wildlife] has received widespread public support for its eradication efforts," Tira said. According to Tira, Fish and Wildlife received 357 nutria reports from the public during the first year of the war. "While most of these have turned out to be false reports either sightings of other wildlife mistaken for nutria or reports that lack enough information to confirm public reporting will continue to be important to determine the full extent of the infestation," he said. Armed with $3 million in state and federal grants, $1.2 million from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy, $600,000 over three years from the California's Wildlife Conservation Board and $1.25 million over three years from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's State Wildlife Grant Program, the nutria eradication force hopes to step up its efforts in 2019. The Department of Fish and Wildlife believes that public education and outreach are key components of eradication efforts going forward, and have created a nutria identification pocket guide for the general public. The guide can be viewed here. Nutria sightings can be reported to (866) 440-9530 or invasives@wildlife.ca.gov. Eric Ting is an SFGATE staff writer. Email him at eting@sfchronicle.com and follow him on Twitter Start receiving breaking news emails on floods, wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news. A 30-year-old Greenfield man was sentenced to 20 years in state prison for repeatedly stabbing his girlfriend in 2017, the Monterey County District Attorney's Office reported Monday. The stabbing happened in Greenfield on Jan. 20, 2017. Agustin Serrano and his girlfriend had been dating for about three months, and the woman had said she wanted to end the relationship because she was 23 years older than Serrano, prosecutors said. The two had a conversation in the kitchen of a home where they rented rooms and the victim was headed back to her room when Serrano grabbed her by the neck from behind and violently stabbed her. He cut her throat, stabbed her in the chest and right arm and leg, prosecutors said. He then immediately fled to Mexico. A year later, Serrano was located in Yuba City. He was arrested for attempted murder and later admitted to stabbing the woman. 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. Santa Clara County will celebrate the 10th annual South Bay Trans Day of Visibility Tuesday with a proclamation and flag-raising ceremony. The county is also highlighting successful efforts to broaden resources for trans individuals, including San Jose's new Gender Health Center specializing in transgender, non-binary and gender diverse care, and New Haven Inn, a LGBTQ-friendly temporary shelter. "Trans people are our mothers and fathers, our brothers and sisters, our neighbors and friends," Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg said in a news release. "The courage it takes to live their authentic lives openly should be celebrated today and every day." Supervisors will additionally address the California Equal Restroom Access law, which mandates that any single-user facilities at businesses have a "gender neutral" sign, and share county resources to obtain signage. "In a world where there is still widespread transphobia, violence and discrimination, it is important that we give visibility to a community that is vital to the fabric of our society," county LGBTQ Affairs Director Maribel Martinez said in a news release. The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the James P. McEntee Plaza, 70 West Hedding St, San Jose. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A federal jury in San Francisco began deliberating Tuesday on whether Monsanto Co. is liable for the cancer of a Sonoma County man who sprayed Monsanto's Roundup on poison oak and weeds on his property for 26 years. The six-person civil jury has already determined that the Roundup herbicide was a substantial factor in the non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of 70-year-old Edwin Hardeman. The jurors must now decide whether Monsanto is legally liable and if so, how much financial compensation to award Hardeman. Hardeman's attorneys are also seeking a punitive damage award on grounds of the agrochemical company's alleged willful disregard of his safety. Monsanto attorney Brian Stekloff contended during his closing argument Tuesday morning that the company is not liable because no regulatory agency or health organization concluded that Roundup was carcinogenic as of 2012, the year Hardeman stopped using the product. "Monsanto, consistent with science, did act responsibly and should not be held liable," Stekloff told the jury in the court of U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria. Hardeman's lawyers allege that Monsanto decision makers sought to manipulate scientific conclusions and public opinion and in some cases ghostwrote studies that said that a link to cancer was unlikely. Attorney Jennifer Moore urged the jury, "Send that message to Monsanto loud and clear: 'No more. You have to be responsible.'" Moore asked the jury to award $200,000 in economic damages and $1 million per year for pain and suffering for the four years since Hardeman's diagnosis in 2015 and the 14 years of his expected remaining life span. She asked for a punitive award for Monsanto's alleged recklessness but did not specify an amount. Hardeman, who now lives in Santa Rosa, testified he used Roundup from 1986 to 1988 on a property in Gualala in Mendocino County and from 1988 to 2012 on a 56-acre property in Forestville in Sonoma County. His lymphoma is now in remission following chemotherapy and other treatment, but could make him vulnerable to future illness. Monsanto was acquired by Bayer AG of Germany last year for $63 billion. Hardeman's case is the first to go to trial among 760 federal court lawsuits pending against Monsanto. The lawsuits were filed in U.S. district courts around the nation and transferred to Chhabria's court for judicial efficiency. Other cases are pending in state courts. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. BERKELEY (BCN) Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan injected herself into Berkeley politics on Tuesday by urging the Berkeley City Council not to give final approval to a plan to ban overnight RV parking. The Berkeley City Council voted 6-3 on Feb. 28 to approve the ban and is scheduled to vote at its meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday on whether to give final approval, in which case the ban would immediately go into effect. The ban would prohibit RV parking on city streets between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m., but the city also agreed to create a permitting system that would give two-week exemptions to some RVs. Berkeley city staff members wrote in a report before the Feb. 28 hearing that the city "is experiencing an increasing number of RVs parking for long periods of time, impacting public safety, health and the parking needs for Berkeley residents and businesses." Staff members said the city has received more than 1,500 complaints from businesses and residents about people who live in RVs, including the loss of parking and the illegal dumping of trash, debris and human waste onto city streets, sidewalks and waterways. Kaplan said in a news release that she is calling on Berkeley "to refocus on identifying viable alternative sites for RVs, rather than immediately adopting a vote on a ban at today's council meeting." Kaplan said she also is calling for increased regional collaboration on homeless solutions and is helping to seek applicants to operate allowable RV sites on public land in Oakland, with sanitation and service. In a letter to Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin and the City Council, Kaplan wrote, "Citing RVs and making them move from location to location has not resulted in a decrease in the number of individuals who are homeless. In fact, it can exacerbate the situation by creating debt and instability for families and individuals who have already experienced displacement." Kaplan said, "By designating allowed, managed locations we can have waste collection and prevent sewage from getting into the streets, and provide more humane solutions. I ask you to pause on this vote, and instead identify adequate alternative locations for RVs." She said she has been encouraging the development of expanded housing options, including use of faith-based properties and providing sites for RVs, and those proposals were approved by the Oakland City Council last year. The Berkeley City Council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Berkeley Unified School District board room at 1231 Addison St. 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. Authorities located a woman's body Monday morning on the beach at San Francisco's Fort Funston, according to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The woman's body was found on the beach and about a quarter-mile south of Sloat Boulevard. Her identity and her cause of death have not been released, GGNRA officials said. On Feb. 22, a landslide at Fort Funston claimed the life of a woman, but it was not immediately clear if the woman found Monday morning is the same person. She has been tentatively identified by her friends and family as Kyra Sunshine Scarlet. A federal appeals court today upheld the dismissal of a negligence claim against the city of San Francisco and former Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi by the parents of a woman killed by a bullet from a gun held by an undocumented immigrant. A panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Mirkarimi was acting within his discretion when he issued a 2015 memo limiting the amount of information jail staff could give federal authorities about the release of inmates who were undocumented immigrants. The court said that while federal laws require sharing of some information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the laws "plainly and unambiguously" do not require notification of jail release dates. Kate Steinle, 32, was killed while walking on Pier 14 in San Francisco on July 1, 2015, by a ricocheting bullet from a gun held by Jose Ines Garcia Zarate. Officers have arrested two men in connection with a Saturday night shooting in San Francisco's Fillmore District that killed a 25-year-old man and injured five other people, police said Monday. The shooting took place in the 1300 block of Fillmore Street, between Eddy and Ellis streets, around 8:30 p.m. Mister Dee Carnell Simmons III was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. Following an investigation, officers learned that Simmons was involved in the shooting along with a 25-year-old who arrived at the hospital later with injuries. He's been identified as Sean Harrison of Concord. Officers have arrested Harrison, as well as 26-year-old San Francisco resident Jamare Coats, who allegedly drove Harrison to the hospital. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office identified Ariana Salazar, 33, of El Monte in Los Angeles County, as the driver killed Friday afternoon in a vehicle collision near Geyserville. Salazar was driving a Nissan south on U.S. Highway 101 near Geyserville Avenue when she lost control of the vehicle, traveled across the center median and collided with a 2016 Honda Civic and a 2004 Toyota Tundra traveling north on the highway around 3 p.m., the California Highway Patrol said. Two occupants of the Toyota suffered moderate injuries and were taken to a hospital, and the occupants of the Honda were not injured, according to the CHP. Salazar died at the scene. The Solano County coroner's office has identified two men who died in a recreational vehicle fire in Dixon last Tuesday as Timothy Holt, 50, of Suisun City, and Kyle Lovell, 24, of Sacramento. Two other people who were found outside the recreational vehicle suffered second- and third-degree burns, according to the Dixon Fire Department. The fire was reported around 4:25 a.m. Tuesday on the grounds of the Dixon May Fair at 655 S. First St., Dixon Fire Chief Greg Lewis said. A man was found dead in a restroom at BART's MacArthur station early Monday morning, police said. The man, whose name is not yet being released, was found unresponsive around 12:55 a.m. in the men's restroom at the station at 555 40th St. Emergency responders attempted CPR and other life-saving efforts but the man was pronounced dead at the scene, according to BART police. The cause of death is under investigation. Two guards at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin were taken to a hospital Sunday after possible exposure to fentanyl, according to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office. Around 11:45 a.m. Sunday, staff in the jail's booking center searched a woman who'd been arrested in Oakland and a female deputy allegedly found a dark substance, rolled into a piece of tissue, that did not appear to be consistent with commonly seen narcotics. That deputy contacted a sergeant, and both staff members examined the substance while wearing gloves and taking other precautions, according to the sheriff's office. A little later, the sergeant got sick and became incoherent. The deputy also started to complain of similar symptoms, and jail staff determined that they were consistent with exposure to an opioid. They administered a dose of Narcan, also known as naloxone, to both the sergeant and the deputy and transported them to a hospital. They have since been released. A one-alarm fire was quickly extinguished by firefighters at the detached garage of a home in Redwood City early Monday morning, a battalion chief said. The blaze was reported at 5:46 a.m. in the 1100 block of Cleveland Street near Roosevelt Avenue. Crews extinguished the fire within a few minutes of arriving at the residence, Redwood City Fire Battalion Chief Dan Abrams said. No firefighters or residents were injured. Investigators remained at the scene as of 8 a.m. Monday to look for the origin and possible cause of the fire, Abrams said. Walnut Creek police are searching for two suspects after an armed robbery turned into a shooting Sunday night. The victim was dropped off at a hospital with at least one gunshot wound just before 10 p.m. He told police that he'd been approached by two men who tried to rob him at the corner of Locust Street and Mt. Diablo Boulevard. The victim struggled and one of the suspects shot him. He's since been treated and released from the hospital. Investigators say he provided limited information about the suspects, but police are looking for two men in their early 30s who are suspected of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. A 26-year-old transient was arrested Saturday after he allegedly entered a stranger's house in Petaluma and was confronted by a resident there, police said. Police said Evan David Thomas of Petaluma is believed to have entered a house in the 1700 block of Spyglass Road at about 7:15 p.m. Saturday through an open dining room window from which he removed the screen. When inside, he encountered a resident who woke up from a nap to see Thomas standing in the living room. Thomas then ran out the front door toward a creek across the street, police said. Officers searched the area for Thomas and found him on Sartori Drive, where it crosses the same creek, about two blocks from the victim's house, police said. Thomas was detained without incident. The Lindsay Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital in Walnut Creek is no longer accepting turkeys after the discovery in a neighboring county of a contagious respiratory infection that is nearly always fatal to birds. Virulent Newcastle disease was confirmed in a backyard chicken that lived in Alameda County when the bird's owner brought it to a veterinary office in Redwood City, according to a statement issued by the state Department of Food and Agriculture March 15. It's not yet clear whether vND will spread throughout Northern California, but Lindsay Wildlife officials said Monday they're no longer able to treat injured or baby wild turkeys, or most other non-native, domestic or exotic birds that are routinely brought into the hospital by mistake. They're still treating injured and baby quail, but newly implemented safety procedures require that they be placed in quarantine and treated off-site. The hospital is also unable to accept donations of any products or materials associated with poultry, like egg cartons, because of the risk of contamination. Two adults and five children were hospitalized after a car crash on U.S. Highway 101 in Soledad on Monday morning, according to Cal Fire. The crash was reported at 10:32 a.m. in the area of Highway 101 just north of Camphora Gloria Road. About 11 firefighters from Soledad and Cal Fire responded to the scene after an SUV struck a center divider. All seven patients were treated at the scene and ambulances and five helicopters transported victims to nearby hospitals. Both children were flown to the hospital and the victims suffered moderate to major injuries, according to Cal Fire Batallion Chief Mike Morlan. The San Francisco Public Library will start a new chapter after Mayor London Breed announced on Monday she has appointed Michael Lambert as city librarian. Lambert, the city's first Asian American to serve in the position, previously served as deputy city librarian, as well as acting librarian since the retirement of City Librarian Luis Herrera last year. Lambert first began serving as the city's deputy librarian in 2014, overseeing library services throughout the city's several branches. Lambert has also championed several equitable initiatives such expanded hours and a fine-free system. 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. RICHMOND (BCN) Richmond Police Chief Allwyn Brown is slated to address the City Council Tuesday night to update them on his department's efforts to address criticism raised by consultants last year. In 2018, Boston-based MBD Innovations conducted a review of the department's executive leadership and drafted a 15-page report for Richmond City Manager Carlos Martinez. The document pointed out problems stemming from poor relationships between department management and the police officer's association, as well as the city manager and the police chief, low morale, lack of a compelling articulated vision, community engagement and poor handling of high-profile discipline cases. Brown and other city officials, including Martinez, Finance Director Belinda Warner and Assistant Chief of Police Bisa French, met with the board of the Richmond Police Officer's Association last month to discuss some of the underlying conditions that gave rise to that criticism. Brown plans to update the city council on that discussion Tuesday night. Going forward, Brown and the board plan on monthly meetings to address issues affecting the association's members. The department is also working to retain a recruiting agency and make additional training available for leadership. In addition, department leaders will also develop strategies to address issues with community engagement, staffing and leadership succession, as well as employee wellness and development. This week's Richmond City Council Meeting is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the council chambers at 440 Civic Center Plaza. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. BERKELEY (BCN) Berkeley police are asking for the public's help in identifying and locating a suspect in the sexual battery of a woman last month. Police said the male suspect inappropriately touched the woman against her will while she was walking in the 1300 block of University Avenue shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 22. Police said witnesses described the suspect as a man between 20 and 30 years old who is 5 feet 6 to 5 feet 8 inches tall with a medium build and light facial hair who was wearing a black hooded top at the time. Police didn't disclose the suspect's race. Police also released surveillance video footage of the suspect. Berkeley police said anyone who has information about the suspect or the case should call the department's sex crimes unit at (510) 981-5717. 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. Police activity has prompted San Francisco Department of Emergency Management officials to ask residents to avoid an area of the city's Mission District. The activity is occurring at South Van Ness Avenue and 13th Street, SFDEM officials said around 4:30 p.m. Further information was not immediately available. 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. As part of their commitment to improving access to justice, Alameda County Superior Court officials opened a new self-help center at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland on Monday. The new branch joins the self-help center that's already in operation at the Hayward Hall of Justice and provides an important alternative for people who live in the northern part of the county. The new branch, which was made possible by $19.1 million in new funding specifically directed toward trial court self-help needs included in the 2018-2019 California budget, is open for a walk-in clinic from 8:30 a.m. to noon Mondays through Thursdays and serve up to 45 customers each morning. It also hosts by-appointment workshops in the afternoon. Staff at the North County branch in Oakland provide assistance with unlawful detainers, small claims matters, restraining orders, name and gender change petitions and guardianships. Assistance for all family law-related matters, including child custody and dissolution of marriage, will continue to be provided only at the self-help center at the Hayward Hall of Justice. In another change that took effect on Monday, all clerk's offices in every courthouse in Alameda County will remain open to serve the public for an additional 30 minutes per day, until 3 p.m. The offices previously closed to the public at 2:30 p.m. "We are grateful for the opportunity to reestablish a self-help presence in North County and to provide longer office hours to all court users," Superior Court President Judge Wynne Carvill said in a statement. Carvill said, "We look forward to being able to expand access to the Court even more in the future as the governor and the state Legislature continue to restore funding to our trial courts." 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. Richmond Police Chief Allwyn Brown is slated to address the City Council Tuesday night to update them on his department's efforts to address criticism raised by consultants last year. In 2018, Boston-based MBD Innovations conducted a review of the department's executive leadership and drafted a 15-page report for Richmond City Manager Carlos Martinez. The document pointed out problems stemming from poor relationships between department management and the police officer's association, as well as the city manager and the police chief, low morale, lack of a compelling articulated vision, community engagement and poor handling of high-profile discipline cases. This week's Richmond City Council Meeting is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the council chambers at 440 Civic Center Plaza. A federal appeals court on Monday upheld the dismissal of a negligence claim against the city of San Francisco and a former sheriff by the parents of a woman killed by a bullet from a gun held by an undocumented immigrant. Kate Steinle, 32, was killed while walking on Pier 14 in San Francisco on July 1, 2015 by a ricocheting bullet from a gun held by Jose Ines Garcia Zarate. Garcia Zarate, a Mexican citizen with a history of drug convictions and illegal reentries after deportation, was released from San Francisco county jail two and a half months earlier. Steinle's parents claimed the city and former Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi were negligent in failing to honor a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement request for notification of the release. But a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said that while federal laws require the sharing of some information with ICE, the laws "plainly and unambiguously" do not require notification of release dates. The court said Mirkarimi was acting within his discretion when he issued a 2015 memo limiting the amount of information jail staff could give federal authorities about the release of undocumented immigrants. The panel upheld a similar ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph Spero in 2017 dismissing the claim against the city and the sheriff in the lawsuit filed by parents James Steinle and Elizabeth Sullivan. But the lawsuit still retains a claim against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management that the parents can seek to take to trial. A man was hospitalized Monday afternoon with life-threatening gunshot injuries after a shooting at the California Department of Corrections building in San Francisco's Mission district, police said. Police were called at 3:52 p.m. Monday to the CDC building at 1727 Mission St., where they found the victim, said SFPD Sgt. Michael Andraychak. The man was then taken to a local hospital for treatment, he said. Police said the victim was shot from behind in the head in what appears to have been an ambush. No CDC personnel were involved in the shooting or any preceding dispute, Andraychak said. In the shooting's immediate aftermath, San Francisco Department of Emergency Management officials had asked the public to avoid the surrounding neighborhood. And Monday night, police continue to investigate, Andraychak said. The suspect was seen leaving the area in a white car, police said. Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to call the SFPD tip line at (415) 575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD. Texters or caller may remain anonymous As part of their commitment to improving access to justice, Alameda County Superior Court officials opened a new self-help center at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland on Monday. The new branch joins the self-help center that's already in operation at the Hayward Hall of Justice and provides an important alternative for people who live in the northern part of the county. The new branch, which was made possible by $19.1 million in new funding specifically directed toward trial court self-help needs included in the 2018-2019 California budget, is open for a walk-in clinic from 8:30 a.m. to noon Mondays through Thursdays and serve up to 45 customers each morning. It also hosts by-appointment workshops in the afternoon. Staff at the North County branch in Oakland provide assistance with unlawful detainers, small claims matters, restraining orders, name and gender change petitions and guardianships. Assistance for all family law-related matters, including child custody and dissolution of marriage, will continue to be provided only at the self-help center at the Hayward Hall of Justice. In another change that took effect on Monday, all clerk's offices in every courthouse in Alameda County will remain open to serve the public for an additional 30 minutes per day, until 3 p.m. The offices previously closed to the public at 2:30 p.m. A 4-year-old boy suffered serious injuries late Monday afternoon when he fell from a fourth-floor balcony at a Sunnyvale apartment complex, police said. Police and paramedics were called at about 5 p.m. Monday to the Sunnyvale Fairway apartments in the 1200 block of Poplar Avenue, said Capt. Jim Choi of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety. The boy was treated on scene and then taken to a nearby hospital; Choi didn't have a condition report on the boy, but said his injuries were serious. Family members were home at the time of the accident, and foul play is not suspected, Choi said. A 30-year-old Greenfield man was sentenced to 20 years in state prison for repeatedly stabbing his girlfriend in 2017, the Monterey County District Attorney's Office reported Monday. The stabbing happened in Greenfield on Jan. 20, 2017. Agustin Serrano and his girlfriend had been dating for about three months, and the woman had said she wanted to end the relationship because she was 23 years older than Serrano, prosecutors said. The two had a conversation in the kitchen of a home where they rented rooms and the victim was headed back to her room when Serrano grabbed her by the neck from behind and violently stabbed her. He cut her throat, stabbed her in the chest and right arm and leg, prosecutors said. He then immediately fled to Mexico. A year later, Serrano was located in Yuba City. He was arrested for attempted murder and later admitted to stabbing the woman. A 16-year-old San Francisco boy was arrested Monday morning and booked into Hillcrest Juvenile Hall on suspicion of threatening on social media to commit a school shooting, according to San Mateo police. Officers received an anonymous tip just after 5:35 p.m. Friday and began working with Serra High School staff to determine the credibility and nature of the threat. They also increased patrols in the vicinity of the campus, listed at 451 West 20th Ave., with both uniformed and plain-clothes officers. They've also conducted a "threat assessment" with the San Mateo County Board of Education Threat Assessment Team to determine the next appropriate steps. Police are asking anyone with information about this case to contact Detective Sgt. Lee Violett at (650) 730-9748. The Solano County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will discuss the pros and cons of voting at current traditional polling places or switching to regional voting centers for the 2020 elections. The discussion stems from the Secretary of State's determination that current voting systems are at or near the end of their life expectancy, with voting system vendors no longer making replacement parts or providing tech support. The state's 2018-2019 budget includes $134 million to upgrade or replace the aging voting systems. The Secretary of State informed county clerks and registrars of voters that it intends to withdraw certification and conditional approval of all the state's voting systems that have not been tested and certified to state standards effective Aug. 27, 2019. The Solano County Registrar of Voters Office is recommending staying with the traditional polling place model as it has a reliable and proven methodology and would require limited retraining of election staff. In their favor, regional voting centers would have fewer locations to administer and fewer provisional ballots. Regional voting centers also would increase voter flexibility on locations and dates, the Registrar of Voters Office said. A man has been arrested following an attack on a BART train Monday night that left a woman hospitalized, a BART spokesman said. The man and woman were on a southbound train between Daly City and Colma at about 9:35 p.m. Monday when they "had some sort of interaction," BART spokesman Jim Allison said, after which the man struck the woman in the head with an as-yet-undetermined object. Allison said the man then walked away to another part of the train. BART police arrested the man after he got off the train at Colma, on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. The woman, who was bleeding from the head, was taken off the train in Colma to a nearby hospital for treatment of what Allison described as non-life-threatening injuries. No other information about the suspect or victim was available late Monday night. Tuesday will be mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers. Highs will be near 60. North winds will be 5 to 10 mph, before becoming southeast winds in the afternoon. Tuesday night will see a chance of rain in the evening, then rain after midnight. Lows will be in the lower 50s. South winds will be 10 to 20 mph. Wednesday will be breezy with showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms. Highs will be near 60. Southwest winds will be 20 to 30 mph. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A man was hospitalized Monday afternoon with life-threatening gunshot injuries after a shooting at the California Department of Corrections building in San Francisco's Mission district, police said. Police were called at 3:52 p.m. Monday to the CDC building at 1727 Mission St., where they found the victim, said SFPD Sgt. Michael Andraychak. The man was then taken to a local hospital for treatment, he said. No CDC personnel were involved in the shooting or any preceding dispute, Andraychak said. In the shooting's immediate aftermath, San Francisco Department of Emergency Management officials had asked the public to avoid then surrounding neighborhood. And Monday night, police continue to investigate, Andraychak said. Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to call the SFPD tip line at (415) 575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD. Texters or caller may remain anonymous.. 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. DALY CITY (BCN) A resident and two police officers went to the hospital with smoke inhalation injuries after a fire at a home in Daly City early Tuesday morning, according to the North County Fire Authority. Firefighters first responded at 4:40 a.m. to the home at 208 Los Olivos Ave., just east of the Daly City BART station. Heavy smoke was coming from the two-story home and firefighters were told that people were still inside the home. Firefighters rescued a resident and a dog, with the resident treated at the scene for smoke inhalation before being transported to a hospital, fire officials said. Two police officers who had tried to rescue the resident also suffered minor smoke inhalation and were taken to the hospital. No firefighters were injured and crews remained at the scene for nearly two hours to make sure the fire didn't spark back up. Two people were displaced by the fire and are receiving assistance from the American Red Cross, according to the fire authority, which serves Daly City, Brisbane and Pacifica. The cause of the blaze is under investigation. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. The president of the United States said that a special investigation by former FBI director Robert Mueller provided complete and total exoneration for him in terms of colluding with Russia with an eye toward influencing the election result. At Palm Beach International Airport, Donaldo Trump spoke to reporters briefly but took no questions, saying that To be honest its a shame that your president has had to go through this, referring to the probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who provided his report to Attorney General William Barr last Friday and which Barr commented on Sunday afternoon in a four-page letter directed to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. Trump said the Mueller probe was an illegal takedown that failed, adding that hopefully somebodys going to be looking at the other side, presumably the activities of the Democrats and/or 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton . It was just announced there was no collusion with Russia, the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. There was no collusion with Russia. There was no obstruction, none whatsoever, Trump said, speaking on the airport tarmac before climbing the mobile stairway to board the presidential jet to return to Washington. Its a shame that our country had to go through this. To be honest, its a shame your president had to go through since before I was even elected, he said, adding that now investigators should probe Democrats activities, although he did not say what he thought should be investigated. It began illegally, and hopefully somebodys going to look at the other side, he said, perhaps intending to imply that the assembly of Muellers probe itself might now be scrutinized. Although Trump claimed in his remarks, and in an earlier tweet, that he had been completely exonerated on the issue of obstruction of justice, Muellers report did not state that. Barr wrote in his letter to Congress that Mueller did not have enough evidence to prosecute Trump on obstruction charges, but he noted that the report did not exonerate the president. Earlier on Sunday afternoon, once Barrs letter had been made public, Trump had tweeted: No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT! The report Mueller and his team prepared over the past two years and provided to Barr on Friday concluded that nobody on Trumps 2016 campaign, including the then-candidate, colluded with Russian authorities as the latter worked to influence the election. Barr wrote in his letter that The Special Counsels investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. As the report states, The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities, Barr continued, quoting directly from Muellers report. Barr also wrote that The report does not recommend any further indictments, nor did the Special Counsel obtain any sealed indictments that have yet to be made public. According to Barr, although Muellers report stated that the report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him, and the attorney general added that this decision by Mueller had placed the decision on whether Trump committed criminal obstruction of justice in his (Barrs) hands. However, Barr said that he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein concluded that the evidence that Mueller gathered during his extensive investigation is not sufficient to establish whether the president committed obstruction of justice. The publication of Muellers findings puts an end to days of speculation in the media and elsewhere after he turned over his report to the Justice Department last Friday. Neither Trump nor anyone else in the White House received an advance look at the report and they were not informed of its contents prior to Barrs letter, according to presidential spokesman Hogan Gidley, who was with the president at Mar-a-Lago this weekend. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said on Twitter on Sunday shortly after Barrs letter was made public that The Special Counsel did not find any collusion and did not find any obstruction. AG Barr and DAG Rosenstein further determined there was no obstruction. The findings of the Department of Justice are a total and complete exoneration of the President of the United States. Since the announcement of the close of Muellers investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin on Friday, the president has remained silent, although he was huddling with his attorneys and advisers at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend before returning to Washington late Sunday afternoon. Members of Congress, mainly Democrats but also a few Republicans, have called for the release of the full report, although it remains to be seen whether Barr - who has the authority to release or not to release the report, or portions of it - will do so. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said that his committee wants the full report to be made public - and will fight to ensure that happens - arguing against the potential assertion of executive privilege by Trump to block its release. Its so crucial that the entire report and the evidence underlying it be released to the public, Nadler told CNN on Sunday. Transparency is key here. The chairman said his committee would take the matter to the US Supreme Court, if necessary, to obtain the full report if Trump claims executive privilege to block it. During the course of the investigation, 34 people were indicted, including six of Trumps close advisers - Paul Manafort, Rick Gates, George Papadopoulos, Michael Cohen, Michael Flynn and Roger Stone - and 26 Russians who probably will never be placed on trial because the US has no extradition treaty with Moscow. Over the past two years, Trump has repeatedly called Muellers investigation a witchhunt mounted by the Democratic opposition and has consistently denied that his 2016 campaign was involved in any plot with Russia to harm the election chances of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand , one of the aspirants for the Democratic presidential nomination for the 2020 elections, on Sunday here criticized President Donald Trump , calling him a coward and accusing him of stirring up hatred, division and fear. Our president is a coward, said Gillibrand in a fiery speech officially kicking off her presidential campaign with the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Manhattan in the background. President Trump is tearing apart the moral fabric of this country, she added. The Democratic senator from New York, who last November won re-election to a second six-year term, presented her candidacy by delivering a message of courage in the face of the fear she said Trump is sowing, accusing him of hiding behind lies and walls and attacking the vulnerable. He demonizes the vulnerable and he punches down. He does this because he wants you to believe hes strong. He is not, she added. Im proud to have stood up to Donald Trump more than anyone else in the US Senate, she said, in discussing her congressional voting record. Gillibrand appeared along with human rights and immigrants activists, LGBT activists, representatives of anti-gun groups and woman working against sexual harassment and abuse. She said that Americans do not build walls that are the emblem of racism and fear, but rather they build bridges, communities and hope. Among the promises she made, Gillibrand emphasized several priorities of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, including the need to get big money out of election campaign financing and fighting against institutional racism. She also defended ideas like Medicare for all, the fight against climate change and the so-called Green New Deal, refinancing student debt, universal paid family leave and the legalization of marijuana, among others. In foreign policy, Gillibrand insisted on the need to protect US borders and fight against terrorism, but she backed ending wars and came out against US military intervention without the support of Congress. The 52-year-old junior senator from New York is one of a large group of candidates for the Democratic primaries that includes former Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar, former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and former Congressman Beto ORourke. Russian military personnel landed on Sunday in Venezuela, capturing the attention of the political scene in the Latin American nation on a day on which President Nicolas Maduro and his challenger and self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido stayed silent and out of the public eye. Opposition lawmaker Williams Davila told EFE that two Russian military aircraft with about 100 military personnel landed at Maiquetia airport, the countrys main air hub, which serves Caracas, in what he called a serious incident. Its strange that a Russian missions coming here completely against the provisions established in the national Constitution. No (military) mission may arrive in Venezuela if it doesnt have the authority of the National Assembly, or Parliament, Davila said in a telephone conversation with EFE. The Venezuelan Parliament is controlled by the opposition and Guaido is the head of that body. Davila said he had no knowledge of what the Russians were doing in the country, but he insisted that their presence constitutes a violation of Venezuelan sovereignty. And the Venezuelan military are keeping quiet, he added. On Sunday morning, several local media outlets reported the presence of two Russian-flagged military aircraft at Maiquetia, but only one of them now remains at the terminal. The Venezuelan lawmaker said that Parliament will take into account this penetration by foreign forces into Venezuela during its next session and that he had sent a message to the Chambers defense committee asking that an investigation be launched. The Venezuelan Information Ministry did not respond immediately to a request by EFE to clarify the motives for the visit by the Russian military personnel. The Maduro regime and Russia last December said that they would begin discussions on combined efforts to raise the defense capabilities of the South American country to repel possible attacks. At that time, a squadron of Russian military planes, including two Tu-160 strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons, participated in joint military exercises with Venezuelan forces. Russia is one of Maduros biggest allies, backing him publicly against the challenge from Guaido, who on Jan. 23 proclaimed himself interim president and was shortly thereafter recognized by more than 50 nations, including the United States, as Venezuelas legitimate leader. On Sunday, both Maduro and Guaido maintained their silence and stayed out of the public eye, although it was made known that the latter on Saturday had held a videoconference with leaders of the Caribbean Community (Caricom). In a statement released Sunday, the Caribbean bloc said that the meeting came after the decision by the organization to help facilitate a peaceful solution to Venezuelas ongoing political, economic and social crisis. Some of those participating in the videoconference were Jamaican Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith, her Trinidad and Tobago counterpart, Dennis Moses, Caricom General Secretary Irwin LaRocque and St. Kitts and Nevis Foreign Minister Mark Brantley. In their statement, the participants called the videoconference with Guaido a significant first step and said that the meeting served to give them a better understanding of Guaidos point of view on how to move forward in the search for peaceful solutions. They also said that similar meetings will be held in the near future. The Venezuelan government, which has viewed Caricom as a friendly bloc, has not yet reacted to the news of the videoconference. Maduro, meanwhile, has postponed designating the members of a new Cabinet. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez last week had said that Maduro had asked for resignation letters from all Cabinet members so that he could restructure the government. Maduro was inaugurated in mid-January to a second six-year term after winning re-election last May in a vote that was viewed by the opposition and a large portion of the international community as illegitimate because, among other things, key opposition figures were barred from participating. Despite not attending this year's American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference, California Sen. Kamala Harris met with California AIPAC leaders in her Senate office Monday, much to the dismay of critics of Israel, many of them progressives. "Great to meet today in my office with California AIPAC leaders to discuss the need for a strong U.S.-Israel alliance, the right of Israel to defend itself, and my commitment to combat anti-Semitism in our country and around the world," the official Senate Twitter account for Harris wrote. The tweet quickly garnered more replies than likes, an indicator of "controversial" content, with a ratio of 2,700 replies to 1,600 likes in the first three hours of posting. "Far-right Israeli PM Netanyahu just formed an alliance with a literal fascist party, and is bombing people trapped in the Gaza concentration camp right now, but fake 'progressive' Kamala Harris is meeting with AIPAC and praising the apartheid regime," journalist Ben Norton tweeted. "As @AIPAC literally piles on Ilhan Omar and tears her down, then starts blasting AOC and others, Kamala Harris doubles down her support of them. Disturbing," activist Shaun King tweeted. RELATED: Angry students confront Chelsea Clinton, blame her 'rhetoric' for New Zealand attack The controversy comes as President Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over Golan Heights, which the rest of the international community views as occupied territory a reversal of a half-century of U.S. policy in the Middle East. American-Israeli relations and AIPAC have also faced increased scrutiny from the left after Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) criticized American politicians for supporting Israel with language that many deemed anti-Semitic. Omar tweeted that politician support for Israel is "all about the Benjamins," and later accused AIPAC of trying to get lawmakers to pledge "allegiance to a foreign country." The freshman congresswoman stated that she meant to offense to Jews, and apologized for her "all about the Benjamins" tweet after a flurry of backlash. Harris defended Omar after it was reported that the Minnesota Democrat received death threats. "We all have a responsibility to speak out against anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, racism, and all forms of hatred and bigotry, especially as we see a spike in hate crimes in America," Harris said in a statement. "But like some of my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus, I am concerned that the spotlight being put on Congresswoman Omar may put her at risk. We should be having a sound, respectful discussion about policy. You can both support Israel and be loyal to our country. I also believe there is a difference between criticism of policy or political leaders, and anti-Semitism." ALSO: Women's March leader blasts 'white feminist' Nancy Pelosi for Ilhan Omar condemnation Harris was one of many 2020 Democrats who skipped AIPAC's policy conference this year. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke and New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand also did not attend. During a Monday speech at the AIPAC policy conference, Vice President Mike Pence took aim at the 2020 Democrats who skipped the conference. "Let me be clear on this point, anyone who aspires to the highest office in the land should not be afraid to stand with the strongest supporters of Israel in America," he said. "It is wrong to boycott Israel and it is wrong to boycott AIPAC." MORE AIPAC: How AIPAC could lose its bipartisan status Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer took a not-so-subtle shot at Ilhan Omar during his Monday evening speech. "You can be a Jew and care about Israel and it does not make you any less American," he said. "You can be a Jew and lobby for Israel and it does not make you any less American." Click through the slideshow above to see reactions to Kamala Harris meeting California AIPAC leaders. The Associated Press contributed to this story The Trump re-election campaign was on the offensive Monday morning, a day after Attorney General William Barr released a summary of special counsel Robert Mueller's findings on the possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign for presidency. The campaign sent out a memo to a number of television news networks, warning them about the "credibility" of six of the president's more outspoken critics: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.); Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), chair of the House Judiciary Committee; Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez; John Brennan, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency; Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the chair of the House Intelligence Committee; and Rep. Eric Swalwell, (D-Calif.), who represents most of Alameda County. The government said over the weekend that it was reactivating the National Missing Persons Search System in an effort to learn the fate of the more than 40,000 people listed as missing in Mexico, identify the 26,000 unidentified bodies at morgues and clear the 1,300 clandestine graves across the country. The Mexican state is going to dedicate itself to the search for the missing ... Its a priority, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said during a ceremony at the National Palace on Sunday that was attended by Cabinet officers and relatives of the missing. The leader of the leftist National Regeneration Movement (Morena) said in his address that the issue of the missing was a painful one for the nation and one of the worst legacies of previous administrations. We received an inheritance of corruption and impunity, but this is even more serious, more painful, the president, popularly known as AMLO, said. Lopez Obrador discussed the National Guard, a new law enforcement agency created to deal with the wave of violence plaguing Mexico. We have not managed a significant reduction in the crime rate, the president said. Regarding the search for the missing, AMLO called for the creation of a forensic system to identify the 26,000 unidentified bodies at morgues. The president said the budget needed to establish the new system had been authorized, an announcement that was met with applause by the crowd. Lets never again go through years like these of suffering and pain. When the decision was made in an irresponsible manner to declare war on a problem that basically emerged due to lack of economic growth, AMLO said. Government Secretary Olga Sanchez Cordero, for her part, described the disappearances as a daily violation of human rights in Mexico. There are tens of thousands of people missing and its their own families that have been searching for years. The investigations proceed slowly, the sentences for disappearances are practically nonexistent and there is a forensic crisis, the former Supreme Court justice said. Sanchez Cordero said that with the proper resources, the National Missing Persons Search System would serve as an instrument for truth and justice. The government secretary called on Mexicos 32 states to create their own search committees before the end of 2019. The challenge is monumental and we are taking it on with all the measures at the disposal of the state, Sanchez Cordero said. Human Rights, Population and Migration Undersecretary Alejandro Encinas provided figures to illustrate the task ahead. This administration inherited a historic debt of more than 40,000 people missing, 26,000 bodies, tens of thousands of remains that are unidentified and hundreds of clandestine graves, Encinas said. The new system being implemented is a response to the demands made by the relatives of the missing, the federal official said. The National Missing Persons Search System is being reinstalled, Encinas said, noting that it began operation last October during the final weeks of President Enrique Pena Nietos administration. National Missing Persons Search Commission head Karla Quintana, for her part, said the situation in Mexico surpassed anything imaginable, noting that at least 1,300 clandestine graves had been identified in the country. A persons disappearance puts an end to social and family harmony, Quintana said. Some of those in the audience chanted the slogans used by protesters seeking a resolution of the Ayotzinapa case, one of the most notorious disappearances to occur in Mexico in recent years. On Sept. 26, 2014, 43 Ayotzinapa Rural Normal School students disappeared in Iguala, a city in the southern state of Guerrero. The education students, according to officials, were detained by police and then handed over to members of the Guerreros Unidos drug cartel. The official version of events is that the Guerreros Unidos cartel murdered the students and cremated the remains at the dump in Cocula in an enormous fire that burned for hours. Relatives of the missing students and human rights groups have questioned the official version. In 2016, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts, who worked for months on the case, issued a report that criticized serious flaws in the official investigation. A weak spring storm delivered showery weather to the Bay Area Monday and another round of rain is in the forecast late Tuesday night into Wednesday. Yesterday's system was focused on the North Bay with Santa Rosa measuring .78 inches of rain. San Francisco International Airport received .44, Oakland, .45, San Jose .31 and Monterey a mere .04. Thai dancers performed a unique "boneless" dance to give praise to Buddha. Spectators were amazed by the bizarre moves of the Manorah Thai dance at a Buddhist festival in Nakhon Si Thammarat, southern Thailand on Sunday February 17. The southern folk dance is performed in front of the stupa at Wat Phra Mahathat as an offering to the Buddha spirit on Makha Bucha Day, an important Buddhist holiday. The Monorah dance is well known for the exquisite postures including a bridge pose while holding banknotes in the mouth, a rolling choreography of the body around the ground and coiling on the tray. Phannuruk Srisawang, the director of Srisawang Monorah group, said that the boneless dance movement was passed down from generations to generations and not many traditional dancers could perform it. He said: ''This is a rare performance that not many Thai people knew or had seen it as well. It was usually played in special Buddhist occasions in front of the Buddha statues.'' This is the miraculous moment two charred puppies were rescued from a burning field after locals set fire to dead trees in Thailand. Firefighters were battling the flames when they noticed two little dogs were struggling to escape the inferno. The men then jumped across the fence running into the burning woods before and carried the two-month-old pups out. They emerged coughing and spluttering with burned black fur. Rescuers washed them and found the white puppy was in a healthy condition while the brown one was scalded and burned across more than 20 percent of his body. Noppachai Klin-sungnoen, the chief of Nakhon Ratchasimas Forest Fire Control Division, said that the rescue team were delighted to find the pooches and save them in time. He said: It was possible that these puppies had been living around the area before a fire. They might not have been able to run from the burning forest up to the road because it was too high for them. I didnt know if there were more puppies in there. If there were more, then they might be already burned to death. But we were still glad to save these two. Unfortunately, the mother was not seen in the area and is believed to have perished in the flames. Officers provided basic first aid to the puppies before sending them both to vets. The white puppy has been adopted while the injured one is still under the good care of the vet, waiting to fully recover. An Israeli air strike hit the office of Islamist movement Hamas's leader Ismail Haniyeh in western Gaza on Monday (25 March), a few hours after a rocket from the Palestinian enclave hit a house near Tel Aviv and injured seven people, raising fears of a serious escalation. The filmer was on the street when he saw warning missiles hitting the building. He started filming with his phone to get the main rocket on camera. The building was likely to have been evacuated in advance. Multiple rockets were then fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel. Now, a ceasefire has reportedly been reached between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel after this serious escalation. The Israeli strikes were begun around the same time as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US President Donald Trump in Washington, with explosions rocking areas of the Gaza Strip and balls of fire rising into the sky. There was no claim of responsibility for the early morning attack. The Israeli military said Hamas fired the rocket from about 120 km (75 miles) away, making it the longest-range attack from Gaza causing casualties since a 2014 war. The flare-up comes at a highly sensitive time for Israel, which holds elections on April 9. Israeli air strike hit buildings in western Gaza on Monday (25 March), hours after a rocket from the Palestinian enclave struck a house near Tel Aviv and injured seven people, raising fears of a serious escalation. The retaliatory strikes were begun around the same time as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US President Donald Trump in Washington, with explosions rocking areas of the Gaza Strip and balls of fire rising into the sky. The filmer who was at work in a nearby building wrote: "We were standing at the window while it was happening. We knew they were about to hit because they did hit a couple warning missiles minutes ago." There was no claim of responsibility for the early morning attack. The Israeli military said Hamas fired the rocket from about 120 km (75 miles) away, making it the longest-range attack from Gaza causing casualties since a 2014 war. Netanyahu said he would return home after meeting Trump, cancelling an address to pro-Israel lobby AIPAC's annual conference on Tuesday. The flare-up comes at a highly sensitive time for Israel, which holds elections on April 9. So far there have been no reports of any casualties in Gaza. Protesters demonstrating against a deal on Macedonia's name ratified in January clashed with police during Greece's Independence Day celebrations in Thessaloniki on Monday afternoon (March 25). In the video, demonstrators can be seen trying to break through the police line to reach politicians during the Greek Independence Day parade. According to the filmer, they shouted "traitors" and sang Greek national anthems as they confronted the police. A man pointing at politicians watching the parade is seen screaming: "They are not Greeks, realise it, they are Slavs". After a decades-long dispute with its northern neighbour, the Greek Parliament narrowly passed a bill in January, approving Macedonia's name change from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the Republic of North Macedonia, to distinguish it from the Greek territory with the same name. Page Content Recent developments under the California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) have made the Golden State even more golden for some employment attorneys while raising litigation challenges for employers. In addition to bringing individual or class-action claims, aggrieved employees can sue under PAGA for alleged labor violations on behalf of themselves and other workers. PAGA was intended to deputize citizens as private attorneys general to enforce the labor code in light of the state government's limited resources. So the law allows these employees to step into the shoes of state regulators to recover civil penalties and to receive part of the amount recovered as compensation. Seventy-five percent of the penalties recovered go to the state, and 25 percent go to employees. Background PAGA took effect in 2004, but litigation under the act picked up in 2009 when the California Supreme Court held that the stringent certification requirements for bringing a class action do not apply to PAGA actions. "After this decision, it became common to see PAGA claims tacked on to class-action claims," said Corey Cabral, an attorney with Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger in Sacramento. "Plaintiffs also began filing PAGA-only actions, without asserting any individual or class claims." Litigation picked up more steam in 2014 when the state high court held that employees could not waive their right in an arbitration agreement to bring PAGA claims. The court explained that PAGA claims are for the public benefit and that it is contrary to public policy to enforce such waivers. As a result, the number of PAGA claims increased dramatically and PAGA-only actions became even more common. Furthermore, the California Supreme Court in 2017 ruled that PAGA plaintiffs are generally entitled to request and receive a significant amount of information from the employer early in the litigation, which creates pressure for employers to settle early to avoid huge litigation costs. The result has been an explosion of PAGA claims. Approximately 15 PAGA notice letters get submitted to the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency every day, according to Cabral. Expanded Reach The most consequential provision of PAGA is Section 2699(c), Cabral said, which broadly defines an "aggrieved employee" as any current or former employee "against whom one or more of the alleged violations was committed." A California appellate court applied this definition in a 2018 opinion and held that a PAGA plaintiff who is affected by at least one labor code violation may pursue PAGA claims for other violations that did not affect that plaintiff directly. When an employee brings a PAGA representative action, he or she does so "as the proxy or agent of the state's labor law enforcement agencies, not other employees," the court reasoned. "Plaintiffs are now filing complaints alleging a wide variety of labor code violations under PAGA even if they have not or could not have personally suffered a violation of each provision," Cabral said. "In sum, there is nothing stopping one disgruntled employee from filing a PAGA action alleging any number of labor code violations." Underlying claims that create exposure in PAGA actions include "the whole panoply of wage and hour violations," such as missed meal and rest breaks, failure to provide itemized wage statements, and failure to pay overtime, said Erica Rocush, an attorney with Lewis Brisbois in Los Angeles. A frequent PAGA allegation with significant consequences for employers is that employees performed off-the-clock work during meal periods. This common allegation can create a chain of labor code violations: failure to provide a required meal period or pay employees the appropriate premium for working during a break; failure to pay minimum wages (and possibly overtime premiums) for the off-the-clock work; failure to timely pay all wages earned; failure to list all wages earned on pay statements; and failure to timely pay final wages. Many PAGA plaintiffs assert that they can recover a civil penalty for each of these violations, per employee, per pay period, based on the one allegation that employees worked during required meal breaks, Cabral said. "As you can imagine, these penalties can add up to a significant amount very quickly." An initial violation carries a $100 penalty per employee per pay period, and every subsequent violation carries a $200 penalty. Employees can also recover attorney fees. [SHRM members-only toolkit: Complying with California Wage Payment and Hours of Work Laws] Rocush and Cabral referenced employment practices that can expose businesses to significant risks in PAGA actions: rounding employee time entries; failing to pay employees the required penalty for missing a meal or rest period (one hour of pay for each workday a meal and/or rest period is noncompliant for up to two hours a day); failing to reimburse workers for reasonable business expenses (which are often related to personal cellphone and home Internet use); and not including bonuses and other compensation in the regular rate of pay to calculate overtime premiums. Minimizing Risks To minimize PAGA claim risk, Emily Camastra, an attorney with Swerdlow Florence Sanchez Swerdlow & Wimmer in Beverly Hills, recommended that employers review whether the company: Classifies any workers as independent contractors. Rounds employee time punches. Has compliant meal- and rest-period policies. Out-of-state businesses with employees in California should recognize that California has strict laws in these areas. "Make sure that your wage and hour policies and practices comply with California law," she said. Cabral recommended that HR professionals conduct regular audits of wage and hour practices. "This may seem like a daunting task but begin by identifying the major sources of potential liability and work through the list, one-by-one." He noted that attorneys who specialize in representative wage and hour litigation can assist with or conduct the audit. "Often times, a review of a company's timekeeping records and corresponding payroll records will provide a wage and hour litigation attorney enough information to start the audit process and spot potential issues," he said. Rocush said employers should have their attorneys review employee handbooks on an annual basis to ensure continued compliance. "We also suggest providing documented training to front-line managers who are responsible for ensuring compliance with meal and rest periods and overtime to show a real effort to make sure everyone is enforcing the laws," she said. Page Content Early in her career, Julie Blankenship, SHRM-SCP, worked with a line manager who bypassed HR to recruit and hire a skilled tradesperson. Along the way, the manager told the top candidate that the company's health insurance was comprehensive. However, Blankenship recalled, "he left out the fine print." The company's insurance didn't cover pre-existing conditions. "I didn't know anything about this conversation until after I was on the receiving end of the [employee's] spouse's rage," said Blankenship, who's now HR director for Perio, the Dublin, Ohio-based, parent of Barbasol and PureSilk shaving products. The company's insurance program offered no wiggle room, so "there wasn't anything to be offered to recover from this miscommunication." Because the employee accepted the position largely for the health insurance, he quit soon afterwards. Similar stories abound throughout the HR community. Especially in smaller organizations, where processes may be loose and HR is either overworked or not particularly popular, hiring managers take matters into their own hands when they have a role to fill. They may do so for expediency's sake, or because the business is on a growth track that pressures them to favor speed over process. Perhaps the most common scenario occurs when managers don't see HR as a credible partner and only trust the department to handle the basic administrative tasks involved with hiring, said Tom Veitz, SHRM-SCP, vice president of human resources for 500-employee Nutrisystem in Fort Washington, Pa. Whatever the reason, "the outcome is rarely ideal," he said. Sometimes hiring managers connect with someone they've previously worked with and decide it's a perfect match with an open job, Blankenship added. In her experience, "they were either so excited about the opportunity to work together that they simply forgot to include HR, or they intentionally bypassed me because they 'knew' I would be the stereotypical 'HR enforcer,' " she said. Unfortunately, industry experts and practitioners say, a number of HR departments have less-than-stellar reputations within their own organizations. "If your department has become what we might call 'the Department of No,' then people won't want to go to you even for things that are relatively benign, like recruiting new people," said Adam Calli, principal consultant for Arc Human Capital in Northern Virginia. "If your department has this reputation, you've got to work to overcome it." Building Relationships Accomplishing that requires both developing trust and demonstrating how much effort and headache managers can avoid by working with HR. Managers juggle so many responsibilities, Blankenship observed, and vacancies increase their workload while multiplying the pressure they're undereven as they spend additional time filling the open position. HR can help lighten that burden by sourcing and pre-screening candidates so managers can focus on the applicants who are genuinely interested in the job and represent the best possible match. Another way HR professionals can help is by outlining the role and key competencies needed for success, Veitz said. They also can save managers significant time by crafting and communicating a compelling recruiting brand and compensation and benefits package, applying market and employment trends to the search and, once a candidate is selected, organizing the offer and creating an onboarding plan. Of course, all this can only happen when HR takes the time to develop solid working relationships with line managers. Practitioners can lay the groundwork for that kind of partnership by being proactive in their outreach. To start, sit down with hiring managers before they begin a search, advised Yessica Cancel, SHRM-SCP, chief operating officer of Pace Center for Girls, a 500-employee nonprofit in Jacksonville, Fla. Ask how the manager wants to be involved and offer to take appropriate chores off their hands. That kind of approach, Cancel said, "helps to build that partnership." Often, managers don't really know how they want the process to work. In those cases, simply talking through the steps can help them formulate their approach, Cancel said. For example, some might prefer to review all of the applicants, pick their top 10, then have HR conduct the phone screens and identify three finalists. In other cases, HR might review the initial set of resumes, present the manager with the 10 most promising prospects, then conduct phone screens for whatever finalists the manager selects. Cancel believes it's important to keep the hiring process flexible. "It's almost like an a la carte menu that gives managers the ability to become engaged where they want to be engaged," she said. "But at the same time, they see where they can hand off tasks without backing away from the process." Steering Clear of Risk Another dynamic at play is risk. When HR's not involved, managers may unwittingly put both themselves and the company in legal peril. "The manager may ask questions that get them in legal hot water or find themselves involved in compensation discussions with no facts as it relates to current market and internal equity," Veitz said. Also, as more employees work across functions, the consequences of hiring in a vacuum become greater. Without HR's guidance, managers may not see "how the role and talent fits into the bigger picture of the organization," he explained. Working with HR also helps managers keep the hiring process focused on business needs and not emotions. "Taking the time to get a second opinion and/or compare their 'ideal match' to other candidates can help ensure an unbiased evaluation of the candidate," Blankenship said. On top of that, HR's involvement should result in a fair and inclusive selection process. Without HR, "hiring could become limited to the manager's network, restricting their ability to view a wide array of diverse candidates that can add tremendous value to the organization," Veitz said. "Managers get an applicant who looks really good on paper, so they go forward but don't check out anything," said Andrea Thomas, director of human resources at Casablanca Design Group, a restaurant design firm in Marietta, Ga., with 98 employees. "They don't find out enough to really know if they're the right employee. They only take the application at face value." If HR sees itself being bypassed by managers, Blankenship suggested finding out why. "Make sure to get honest feedback and identify the true root cause of the problem, if there is one," she said. The reasons could range from managers not knowing they could or should work with HR to, in the worst case, intentionally excluding HR because it has lost their trust. "Once we know the reason, we can assess our options and collaborate with management to find ways for HR to add value, not bureaucracy, to the talent acquisition process," she said. "Learn the business and the pain points of your hiring managers," Veitz added. That will help establish credibility and respect. "Hiring managers need to see that you're helping them solve a business problem versus simply completing a transaction. This fosters trust and often leads to managers actively seeking your advice." The key, he believes, is to demonstrate that HR practitioners are "in it with them and are committed to finding the best team member to drive their success, too." US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday in a telephone conversation warned his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that Washington will not stand idly by while Moscow exacerbates tensions in Venezuela. The secretary (Pompeo) told Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov that the United States and regional countries will not stand idly by as Russia exacerbates tensions in Venezuela, State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said in a statement. During the call, Palladino said, the secretary of state told Lavrov that The continued insertion of Russian military personnel to support the illegitimate regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela risks prolonging the suffering of the Venezuelan people who overwhelmingly support interim President Juan Guaido. According to the statement, the top US diplomat urged Russia to cease its unconstructive behavior and join other nations, including the overwhelming majority of nations in the Western Hemisphere, who - he said - are seeking a better future for the Venezuelan people. On Sunday, two Russian military aircraft landed at Maiquetia International Airport, Venezuelas main air hub which also serves Caracas, according to reports by local media outlets and an opposition lawmaker. According to the daily El Nacional, almost 100 Russian troops arrived in the South American country with 35 tons of unspecified equipment and other gear under the command of Maj. Gen. Vasily Tonkoshkurov. The reason for the visit by Russian military personnel to Venezuela is not known, although Caracas and Moscow last December had said that they would begin discussions on combined efforts to raise the defense capabilities of the South American country to repel possible attacks. At that time, a squadron of Russian military planes, including two Tu-160 strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons, participated in joint military exercises with Venezuelan forces. Russia is one of Maduros biggest allies, backing him publicly against the challenge from Guaido, the president of the opposition-controlled Parliament, who on Jan. 23 proclaimed himself interim president and was shortly thereafter recognized by more than 50 nations, including the United States, as Venezuelas legitimate leader. Since then, Washington has taken assorted action to pressure Maduro to leave office, including revoking the visas of certain Venezuelan citizens and placing sanctions on Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), the South American countrys state-run oil company and the main source of foreign currency earnings for Caracas. Page Content Like employers in many parts of the world, Canadian firms are finding it increasingly difficult to hire the talent they need. Talent mobility can help alleviate some of the talent crunch many employers face. A 2017 survey of industry leaders by IBM found that "55 percent of Canadian industry executives surveyed cite finding appropriately skilled workers in local labor markets as a top skills-related challenge." In a report about Canadian talent shortages published by Manpower Canada in 2017, one in three (34 percent) employers are having difficulty filling vacancies. Predictions are that with a continued shift to a knowledge-based economy and an aging workforce that challenge is going to get even bigger. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has long advocated that more interprovincial labour mobility within Canada would help to address skills shortages. And, according to TD Economics, "interprovincial migration adds grease to an economy's wheels." For these reasons, the Canadian Employee Relocation Council (CERC) has been tracking the willingness of Canadian workers to relocate for employment purposes. Willingness to Relocate In 2018, CERC released the results of its most recent interprovincial mobility study conducted by Ipsos. The study reveals that most working Canadians are willing to relocate to another province or city within their province with the right conditions and incentives. The overall appetite for relocation to another province or city within their current province has increased compared to the previous iteration of the interprovincial mobility survey in 2014. Survey participants were asked if they would consider moving to a new employment opportunity far enough away that they would have to relocate for at least two years with a 10 percent raise in pay and all their moving expenses paid for by their employer. The study found that one in five (22 percent) working Canadians would relocate, for a full-time job in another city in their province, an increase of 6 percent compared to 2014. When asked about moving outside of their home province, 18 percent of working Canadian residents would be willing to move. Looking at demographic differences, 86 percent of Millennials would at least consider a relocation for a job in another city in their own province. This is 22 percent above workers aged 35 to 54 years old and is more than double those aged 55 and older. When asked about moving to another province for work, Millennials (those under the age of 35) show the greatest willingness to relocate for work. Three in four (76 percent) Millennials would at least consider a relocation outside their home province. Workers aged 35 to 54 years old were less likely to consider a move at 55 percent, and just 36 percent of those aged 55 and older would consider such a move. Across all age groups, men with a university education were most willing to move. The proportion of working Canadians that would relocate increases significantly if more incentives and the right conditions are offered. Close to three in four working Canadians agree (strongly or somewhat) that they could be convinced to take an out-of-province assignment if the incentive package from their employer was right (72 percent). Housing supports when relocating are deemed as the most important incentives among those willing to relocate: half (51 percent) of working Canadians say that it is important for an employer to provide a tax-free housing allowance for up to six months, while four in ten (39 percent) say it is important for an employer to provide a nontaxable interest free loan of up to $100,000 for the purchase of a new home in the new location. For Millennials, in addition to these incentives, providing further tax credits relating to the costs of the move are also an important incentive. Millennials also place a greater value on the provision of tax credits for the full cost of child and elder care for up to one year from the date of the transfer to the new location, than any other demographic group. The top three factors that Canadians are most likely to consider when thinking about relocating for full-time work include: a 20 percent increase in pay (45 percent in-province, 44 percent to another province), a guarantee of returning to their current role within two years (43 percent in-province, 38 percent to another province), and having their employer provide temporary housing until permanent housing is available (30 percent in-province, 25 percent to another province). [SHRM members-only toolkit: Introduction to the Global Human Resources Discipline] Preferred Provinces and Cities for Relocation In terms of the preferred destinations for relocation within Canada, four in ten (38 percent) working Canadians rank British Columbia first, followed by Ontario (17 percent) and Alberta (16 percent). Similarly, the highest proportion of working Canadians (25 percent) rank Vancouver as their preferred city of relocation, followed by Toronto (10 percent), Ottawa (10 percent) and Calgary (10 percent). Among Millennials, slightly fewer selected British Columbia as their first destination at 36 percent, second choice was Ontario at 21 percent and Alberta a distant third at 12 percent. Quebec was selected as the first destination by Millennials over all other demographic groups combined at 7 percent. In ranking cities, Millennials' top picks were Vancouver at 21 percent, Toronto at 13 percent and Ottawa at 12 percent. Stephen Cryne is the president and CEO of the Canadian Employee Relocation Council, based in Toronto. 2019, by the Canadian Employee Relocation Council (CERC). This article is reprinted from https://www.CERC.ca with permission from CERC. All rights reserved. This is an abbreviated article of a piece originally published in the Canadian HR Reporter in December 2018. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- More female students are taking and passing Advanced Placement (AP) computer science exams, according to the Department of Education (DOE). The number of female students who took an AP computer science exam increased from 379 in 2016 to 2,155 in 2018, according to data provided by the DOE. That means that 42 percent of all New York City students who take AP computer science classes are female, compared to 28 percent nationwide, the DOE said. And more female students are passing AP computer science exams. DOE data shows that 177 female students passed the exam in 2016, compared to 1,266 female students in 2018. When we give our students opportunities and set high expectations, they succeed, said city Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza. More young women in New York City are taking and excelling in AP Computer Science, shrinking the STEM gender gap and making us proud. Three Staten Island high schools were also recently honored by the College Board for efforts in closing the gender gap and engaging more female students in computer science coursework. Port Richmond High School, Curtis High School and Tottenville High School received an AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award. Awards were given to schools who reached 50 percent or higher female representation in an AP computer science course in 2018, or whose percentage of female exam takers met or exceeded that of the schools female population in 2018. The DOE attributes the increases to Computer Science for All -- a citywide initiative that aims to bring computer science to every elementary, middle and high school by 2025. It focuses on expanding access to underrepresented groups, such as girls and black and Latino students. Key parts of the initiative include adding AP computer science classes in schools and teacher trainings across the city. FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. CITY HALL -- Under fire to account for her $850 million mental health initiative, ThriveNYC, First Lady Chirlane McCray faced off with the City Council on Tuesday to explain where the funding for her program is going and how it is actually helping some of the citys most vulnerable people. McCray and Susan Herman, senior advisor to the Mayor's Office of ThriveNYC, touted training thousands of mental health first aid training, responding to more calls on the suicide hotline and adding more clinicians in schools. But they struggled to define how they help the seriously mentally ill and what the term meant to Thrive and how the initiative was actually benefiting the 15 city agencies that share responsibilities for Thrives programs. Herman said the management of Thrives programs are run by city agencies, which technically own the programs. We are overseeing them, making sure that they are doing what they said they were going to do, that theyre maximizing efficiency and we are working toward sustainability, Herman said. But Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Queens) said that at a recent budget hearing at the Committee on Aging, a commissioner did not know what the infusion of $1.7 million into their agency from Thrive was going to be used for. Herman admitted that Thrive lacked in branding itself, which sometimes made it confusing for agencies receiving its programs to know that programs or trainings they were receiving were actually coming from Thrive. Im sure the corrections commissioner knows that her officers are [Crisis Intervention Team] trained, she may not necessarily associate it with Thrive, Herman said. McCray also made it clear that although Thrive was her brainchild, Herman calls all the shots. ThriveNYC was my idea, I was the founder, I provide strategic support, I hold meetings on behavioral health and I amplify messages to the public, McCray said. Susan Herman does the day-to-day management and makes the decisions. ISLAND COUNCILMEN SLAM THRIVE; BORELLI CALLS FOR IT TO BE SCRAPPED Island councilman Joe Borelli (R-South Shore) and Minority Leader Steven Matteo (R-Mid Island) slammed the first ladys program, Borelli even calling for it to be scrapped altogether. Thrive is not working and the metrics with which we use to determine its outcomes are fundamentally flawed, Borelli said. We would not judge the citys performance in a snowstorm by how many sanitation workers and plows were in use, but by how much snow is on the ground; yet that logic is how we are expected to understand Thrive. It is an extremely expensive initiative, but it cant seem to complete its core mission. The truth is, we have had school counselors and mental health programs in the past, and reorganizing them as a new money pit simply isnt working. It should be scrapped. Matteo said Thrives presentation to the City Council failed to explain the effectiveness of the programs. The administration came equipped with lots of graphs and charts and a fancy slideshow, but none of it really clarified exactly how effective these programs have been or whether this is the best way to spend $850 million in taxpayer money, Matteo said. The fact that ThriveNYCs programs are spread out over 15 agencies with no clear, central management makes it impossible to measure, and provides little accountability. We need more details not just on contacts people have made with these various programs, but the ultimate outcomes of these contacts. We also need to know how this program has better equipped our NYPD officers to deal with emotional disturbed people and how it is tackling serious mental illnesses that can have a real detrimental effect on the individuals suffering and the public. Earlier this month, Comptroller Scott Stringer vowed to hold the first ladys mental health initiative accountable and investigate its finances. In addition to understanding Thrives finances, Stringer also asked for any updates on the 54 health-related programs Thrive oversees and which city agencies oversee them, according to the New York Post The comptroller also asked for a detailed reporting of the initiatives distribution of naloxone kits to local hospitals, the paper reported. FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has found that there was no collusion between Donald Trumps presidential campaign and the Kremlin. That should end the whole Trump-Russia meme, but we know better than that. The Democrats will cling to murky Mueller language about obstruction of justice, even though nothing indictable was found on that count either. And if there was no collusion in the first place, why would there be a need to obstruct justice? The facts remain as they were two years ago: The only people who colluded with the Russians were those, including from Hillary Clintons campaign, who paid for a bogus Russia dossier on Trump during the 2016 campaign. That dossier, which everyone knew was dodgy, was used to get FISA warrants to spy on people in the Trump orbit. The U.S. national security apparatus was used to eavesdrop on American citizens for political purposes. Hard to think of a more serious breach of the public trust. When are we going to get to the bottom of that one? Instead of dreaming about impeachment, the Dems will now have to focus in earnest on beating Trump at the ballot box. Which is what they should have been concentrating on all this time, instead of working feverishly to undo the results of the 2016 election. The partys initial take seems to be that a hard-left turn toward socialism, embodied by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, will return a Democrat to the White House. Even though socialism has never worked anywhere its been tried. Even though America has a long and deeply rooted tradition of capitalism and free enterprise. Sure, free tuition and free health care sound great until people get the bill, and realize whos going to be responsible for paying it: The middle class. Along with this leftward lurch has come a mortifying undercurrent of anti-Semitism. Democrats in the House couldnt even bring themselves to formally sanction Rep. Ilhan Omar for her despicable comments about Jews. Dems instead rushed to defend Omar, saying that she had every right to criticize Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Nobodys arguing. But thats not what Omar did. What she did was trot out tired, dangerous tropes about Jews and money, and about Jews and their loyalty to America. Now whos bringing us back to 1930s-era Germany? Its gotten to the point where top presidential candidates are boycotting the annual meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, afraid that theyll offend Omar and other anti-Israel types. All theyre doing is driving Jewish voters, long a core Democratic constituency, into the arms of Trump. A watered-down House resolution on hate only added insult to injury. Dems have other tricks up their sleeve as well: Trying to abolish the Electoral College, which would give big, Dem-heavy states like California and New York enormous sway in deciding the presidency at the expense of smaller states. They want to give the right to vote to 16-year-olds and illegal immigrants, which Dems see as votes in their column. They want to add justices to the Supreme Court, where big-ticket electoral disputes end up. Here's an idea: Get out into the country and see why people really voted for Trump. Then try to find a way to get them to vote against him next year. Its that simple. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- The family of a missing New Jersey teenager hasnt seen or heard from her for the past four days and believes she ran off with someone after school Friday, according to a N.J.Com report. Ashley Combs, a senior at Toms River High School North, hasnt shown up for school this week and didnt have a cell phone or any credit cards with her when she disappeared, according to the report. In a Facebook post Tuesday pleading for the girls return, her legal guardian mentioned that she is not allowed to have a cell phone or make contact with her birth parents, adding, my family dynamic is absolutely none of anyones business. The familys attorney issued an ultimatum after she went missing for whoever she presumably left with to return her to a police station by Tuesday morning. The attorney issued another statement once the deadline passed that read in part: To those that think she just ran away, ask yourself this: What type of person would risk everything to help a child runaway knowing that everyone is looking for her? Do you think that this person is mentally sound? Do you honestly think she is not in danger? STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- While a congestion pricing plan for New York City appears to be nearing approval in the state legislature, there are still many aspects of the plan to be determined before the April 1 state budget deadline. State lawmakers have come to the consensus that the implementation of a congestion pricing plan is required in order to fund necessary repairs to the citys ailing subway system. However, Carl E. Heastie, speaker of the state Assembly, said that the specifics of the plan, including pricing and possible exemptions, are still being considered, though legislators are confident they can reach an agreement by the April 1 deadline. Congestion pricing refers to the use of electronic tolling to charge vehicles for entering certain areas during peak commuting hours. This particular plan calls for electronic tolling devices to be installed around the perimeter of the Central Business District (CBD) at streets south of 61st Street in Manhattan, not including the FDR Drive. But heres what we still dont know. When it will be implemented While the current plan calls for congestion pricing to take effect no later than December 2020, it does not provide a concrete start date. How much it will cost The congestion pricing program is expected to implement a variable fee, dependent on vehicle type and time of travel, though no set price has been given for the current plan. In early 2018, Fix NYC, Cuomos transportation advisory panel, released its congestion pricing report, which outlined a proposed congestion pricing system for implementation in New York City. According to recommendations from the Fix NYC report, cars that travel south of 60th Street in Manhattan would have been subject to a $11.52 charge, while trucks would pay $25.34. Its unknown at this time whether a similar pricing structure will be announced. Bridge and tunnel credits At this point in time, it appears that motorists using the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge before accessing the CBD will not receive a commute credit under the current congestion pricing plan, though the issue is still up for negotiation. According to the governors office, bridges and tunnels that feed directly into the CBD area are likely to receive a credit, however, crossings outside of that district, including the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, will likely not. However, the governors office said the credits are still subject to negotiations prior to the state budget deadline of April 1. As a result, theres still a chance that Verrazzano travelers will be included the commute credit. Possible exemptions As negotiations continue, legislators are considering a number of possible exemptions to the congestion pricing plan as to not overburden some of the citys most vulnerable commuters. Lawmakers are considering exemptions for drivers below the poverty line, drivers who are disabled, drivers attending medical appointments, and more, according to the New York Times. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New York is on the verge of becoming the first U.S. city to introduce congestion pricing, according to a recent published report. State lawmakers have reached a consensus that the plan is needed to help pay for repairs to the citys subway system, according to The New York Times. Congestion pricing refers to the use of electronic tolling to charge vehicles for entering certain areas during peak commuting hours. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a plan last month to move forward with congestion pricing and fare increases in a bid to fund the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The plan, slated to take effect no later than December 2020, calls for electronic tolling devices to be installed around the perimeter of the Central Business District at streets south of 61st Street in Manhattan, not including the FDR Drive. The Times reported that Carl E. Heastie, speaker of the state Assembly, and other legislative officials said that specifics about the plan are still being considered, but there is confidence that a deal could be reached before the April 1 state budget deadline. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The implementation of a two-way toll on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, coupled with additional federal infrastructure funding, could help put an end to Staten Islands commuting nightmare, according to Rep. Max Rose (D-Staten Island/South Brooklyn). During a recent Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, Rose highlighted the grueling commutes faced by Staten Island residents, while offering various suggestions to improve upon existing travel conditions. Quite frankly, my district -- Staten Island and South Brooklyn -- is dealing with a commuting nightmare; its dealing with overall a transportation nightmare. We have some of the worst traffic in the country. Our commute averages 69 minutes per day. Sixty-nine minutes, can you honestly imagine that? asked Rose. He went on to explain the boroughs dependency of cars, with 68 percent of Staten Island residents commuting by auto, compared to just 22 percent of Manhattanites. My constituents would just love to have the opportunity to use public transportation, they just do not have it. Now, no one sent me here to complain, so were coming to you with some real options for things that we can do, said Rose. His first proposal was to repeal the one-way toll on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, the nations only bridge where tolling is controlled by federal mandate, a THUD Appropriations bill put in place 30 years ago. Two-way tolling will generate millions of dollars in additional revenue for New York States MTA, which has a critical funding deficit. And this creates an opportunity for us to leverage two-way tolling into increased state and local investment, particularly in South Brooklyn and Staten Island -- both of which are in need of additional buses, Rose said. The proposed split to a two-way toll would cut the toll in half, turning the current $17 one-way toll into an $8.50 toll in each direction. The congressman went on to discuss the need for improvements to the boroughs major highways, the Staten Island Expressway and West Shore Expressway, through grants such as the Surface Transportation Block Grant. Rose also called for additional ferry service provided via Capital Investment Grants. Staten Island is an island, South Brooklyn right on the water as well. We are prime for so much ferry service to the rest of New York City, and even to New Jersey, said Rose. The congressman also touched upon the North Shore Bus Rapid Transit and Staten Island Light Rail projects, requesting additional resources to complete the review processes. Studies show that these projects can halve commuting time, and we need this Committees assistance finishing the studies for these plans, said Rose. He concluded his testimony by calling for increased attention to be paid toward areas like Staten Island, which face some of the countrys longest commutes. Therefore, I ask the Committee Members to include in their report language prioritizing projects in regions with long commute times. I think America as a whole is going through a rising commuting nightmare, as more and more jobs concentrate in urban, city cores, Rose said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- An 18-year-old man is accused of assaulting a police officer and then jumping out the window of a moving patrol car after police responded to a domestic incident in New Springville. Police were called early on Friday morning to a home in the vicinity of Lamped Loop and Richmond Hill Road. Davion (Davon) Anderson, 18, of Lamped Loop, tried to resist being arrested by refusing to enter the patrol car, stiffening his body and dropping to the ground around 2:30 a.m., according to the criminal complaint. He allegedly kicked the leg of a male police officer several times and tried to prevent another officer from placing him in the patrol car. The officer who was assaulted suffered bruising, swelling and substantial pain, according to the complaint. The suspect, who stands 57 tall and weighs about 160 pounds, escaped from custody by jumping out of the window of a moving patrol car en route to the precinct, the complaint alleges. A police spokesman was unable to provide any information about whether the officer or the suspect needed medical attention or details about the suspects leap from the patrol car. Anderson is charged with assault, resisting arrest, escape and trespass, according to the criminal complaint. He is being held at Rikers Island in lieu of $25,000 bail and is due back in Criminal Court on Wednesday, according to public records. The suspects attorney could not be reached immediately for comment. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. There was no fear, only indomitable grit and determination in Irene McCarthys voice as the plucky octogenarian on Tuesday told the man who invaded her home last year she would not be intimidated. Speaking at Kenneth Turkus sentencing, McCarthy, now 86, said she had taken to putting chairs against her front and patio doors at night after the harrowing May 7, 2018 incident in West Brighton and wouldnt go out for a time unless someone was with her. But she realized she had become a prisoner in her own home. One day I decided I did not want to live this way, McCarthy said during the proceeding in state Supreme Court, St. George. I took away the chairs and started going out again. I may be a senior citizen, but Im a strong woman from good Italian stock. I am more now careful, but I still go out. I dont hate him, but Im not sorry youre going to prison, McCarthy, who was garbed in a green shirt, blue scarf and slacks, told the defendant. May God help you. Moments later, Justice Mario F. Mattei sentenced Turkus as a second felony offender to nine-and-a-half years in prison and five years post-release supervision. 8 Repeat felon who assaulted an octogenarian woman during a violent home invasion is sentenced In January, Turkus, 30, a West Brighton resident, pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary, the top count against him, to resolve the case. In sentencing the defendant, Mattei said he believed Turkus expression of remorse during a pre-sentencing interview with the city Probation Department was genuine. But it can never excuse your abhorrent behavior, said the judge. Mr. Turkus, rather than treating our elders with respect, as many of us were taught, you chose to select and prey upon one of the most vulnerable members of our community. Mrs. McCarthy was unlawfully imprisoned in her own home. Your actions turned her house into a house of horrors. Assistant District Attorney Arda Ozdinc, who prosecuted the case, called Turkus actions cruel and despicable and said they went against all forms of decency. He said the agreed-upon sentence would send a clear (message) that this type of behavior is not OK and will not be tolerated in our society. Turkus declined to make a statement before Mattei imposed sentence. Defense lawyer Mark Geisser told the court that his client, who was being held on Rikers Island, hoped to have the sentencing adjourned another month to undergo surgery. He did not specify what for. Mattei declined, saying he was certain the defendant could get the necessary medical treatment while in prison. Authorities said Turkus, who was on parole, broke into the victims home while she was inside. McCarthy told the Advance she was getting food for her cat when she turned around and saw the defendant standing there. At first, I thought it was my nephew. But then, when I saw him, I asked, 'What are you doing in my house?'" Turkus ran at her, she said. "I started screaming and he knocked me down," the Advance quoted her as saying. Turkus, who is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs about 180 pounds, threatened the victim with "a metal object believed to be a knife," according to the criminal complaint and police. "He picked me up, and I said, I don't have any money on me, it's upstairs," the victim told the Advance. She said the defendant grabbed her by the arm and brought her upstairs to her bedroom. The victim said she entered a closet where she keeps money in an envelope, and Turkus snatched it. He then forced her into the closet and locked the door, said the victim. Cops said Turkus made off with $300. The defendant was arrested two days later on May 9 near the corner of North Burgher and Morrison avenues in West Brighton, the criminal complaint said. Two needles and a bag with heroin residue were in his possession, said the complaint. Turkus was indicted on charges including burglary, robbery, assault and unlawful imprisonment. The defendant has served two prior prison sentences. In 2006, he was sent upstate for two to six years for a burglary conviction, show online records of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Later, in 2015, he was sentenced to 18 months to three years behind bars for an attempted-burglary conviction. Turkus was paroled in October 2017, about seven months before the home invasion. The United States president signed a proclamation Monday officially recognizing Israels annexation of the Golan Heights, a part of Syria that has been under Israeli military occupation since the Six-Day War of 1967. The White House released a statement Monday confirming the move that President Donald Trump had expressed a willingness to make a few days earlier, making the US the first country to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the disputed territory. NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim that, the United States recognizes that the Golan Heights are part of the State of Israel, the presidential proclamation said. Syrias state-run SANA news agency quoted an anonymous source at the Foreign Ministry as saying that the US move was a flagrant aggression on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic. The White House said it was a necessary step for any possible future peace agreement in the region, which must account for Israels need to protect itself from Syria and other regional threats. The note also said that aggressive acts by Iran and terrorist groups, including Hizballah, in southern Syria continue to make the Golan Heights a potential launching ground for attacks on Israel. For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel has never had a better friend than you, referring to Trump. International media reports, meanwhile, quoted United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric as saying that it is clear that the status of Golan has not changed. The UNs policy on Golan is reflected in the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and that policy has not changed, Dujarric said. On Dec. 17, 1981, the UN Security Council adopted, unanimously, Resolution No. 497, which rejected the Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights and considered it as null and void and without international legal effect. In its latest annual report on human rights around the world, the US State Department departed from its previous practice by referring to the Golan Heights as Israeli-controlled rather than Israeli-occupied. Trumps talk of recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan is seen as a further signal of support for Netanyahu as the White House is putting the finishing touches on its Middle East peace plan. Most of the 26,000 members of the Druze religious community in the Golan Heights have refused assimilation into the Israeli state and nearly all of them boycotted Israels first-ever attempt to hold municipal elections in the territory last October. International media outlets reported that around 20,000 Israeli settlers currently live in the Golan Heights. UN peacekeepers have been stationed in the Golan for decades. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A wild melee in Stapleton Friday night left three individuals with slash wounds and contusions after four suspects allegedly beat, sliced and battered the individuals on Wright Street. The three victims, an 18-year-old male, a 20-year-old male and a 20-year-old female were attacked by more than four individuals at once at approximately 8:45 p.m. on Friday, according to police. The victims were allegedly struck in the body multiple times with a shovel and slashed with kitchen knives, causing lacerations, bleeding and substantial pain to the head and body, according to a criminal complaint. The two male victims sustained slashing and contusion wounds while the female victim suffered contusion wounds, police said. On scene, police cordoned off a portion of Wright Street, near the corner of Van Duzer Street, as evidence was searched for and collected. Police recovered a serrated kitchen knife, a cleaver, a pocket knife, two shovels and a pick axe from the scene, according to the criminal complaint. The weapons are consistent with the injuries caused to the victims, the criminal complaints says. On the corner of Wright Street and Van Duzer Street, a large butcher knife could be seen lying on the sidewalk. Police later collected the knife as evidence. Of the four individuals charged following the incident, two are considered minors and will have their name withheld from publication. Both individuals are 17-year-old males who are charged with one count of second-degree assault, third-degree assault, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree harassment, according to the criminal complaint. Keeana Cruz, 19, and Sharik Clark, 19, were both charged with one count of second-degree assault, third-degree assault, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree harassment, the criminal complaint says. The lawyer listed as representing Cruz and Clark declined to comment on behalf of his clients because they will be assigned a new lawyer following arraignment, he said. The recent Senate resolution blocking Trump from building a southern blockade proves that he has no friends in Washington - Democrat nor Republican. The Democrats want future votes and the Republicans want to take out the labor side of the economic (equation) system for their elitist interests. I cant believe how people dont see this! The average American has to wake up and see these elitist politicians for what they are elitist vultures circling the U.S., ready to take out of the country whatever they can in any way they can. They are not for tax interests of the U.S. Theyre out for their own selfish interests. When the country goes bankrupt, these elitists will all leave the country high and dry and live all over the world in luxurious comfort. Time will tell if Im right or wrong. Go Trump! Go U.S.A.! (Jay Nappi is a Port Richmond resident.) If you want a mix of performance, low price, and great wet weather (rim) braking, that means youre in the market for a set of aluminum wheels. Last week, we took a 30,000 foot view of the relevance of aluminum wheels in 2019, and concluded that yes, theyre still a big player in the market. This expanded into a thread in our reader forum, where some of you chimed in with questions, comments, and your favorite products. Not all forum members read the front page (and vice versa), so were going to put together a list of top aluminum wheels for 2019 and beyond. Note that we listed a basic set of basic criteria to look for when shopping for performance aluminum wheels so lets recap. 1. Internal rim width of 17 21mm. Outer rim width of 22 25mm. 2. Rim depth of 25 35mm. Deeper looks cooler and might gain an aero edge at the expense of weight. 3. Tubeless compatibility if thats your cup of tea. 4. Bladed steel spokes 5. *Beware of super lightweight hubs that contain tiny bearings that wont last. Sadly, some of the top historic choices no longer exist the Zipp 101 and the American Classic 420, for example. Lets take a look at a few of your best options today in 2019. Note that were focusing on full alloy rims, not pricier carbon/alloy hybrids. Boyd Altamont Specs: Internal Width: 20mm Brake Track Width: 24mm Depth: 30mm Weight: 1,645g / pair Tubeless-compatible?: Yes MSRP: $650 / pair Ive never ridden Boyd wheels, but their Altamont aluminum platform looks to be a winner. The standard version of the wheel is both deep and wide, with a very reasonable overall weight of 1,645 grams. Theyre tubeless-compatible, and even available in a high-tech ceramic-coated version for a $150 upcharge (for the full-stealth look). Note that the ceramic rims include Swiss Stop BXP brake pads, and are said to offer improved stopping in all conditions. Theres also a special Lite version of the Altamont with a 25mm-deep rim and 1,530g weight per pair. If it was my money, Id stick with the deeper standard Altamont for the improved aero performance (and appearance, in my opinion). DT Swiss PR 1600 Spline 32 Specs: Internal Width: 18mm Brake Track Width: 21.5mm Depth: 32mm Weight: 1,723g / pair Tubeless-compatible?: Yes MSRP: $735 / pair DT Swiss doesnt get enough credit in triathlon. If you ask me, its due in-part to their product names. Somewhat similar to Shimano, they often include a mix of letters and numbers that are hard to remember, which is unfortunate given the quality of the product. DT has had several iterations of deep-ish alloy rims over the years, and the current PR 1600 Spline 32 is a hit. At 32mm deep and 21.5mm wide, its right on the border of what you want in terms of width. The weight is a little bit burly on-paper at 1,723 grams, but Ill talk you off the ledge with my real-world experience: DT makes wheels that last. Ive hand-built many wheels with DT rims and hubs over the years, and have had exactly zero problems. If you want something that looks good, hits the dimension requirements you want, and wont cause problems, DT should be at the top of your list. Mavic Cosmic Elite Specs: Internal Width: 17mm Brake Track Width: 23mm Depth: 30mm Weight: 1,770 grams Tubeless-compatible?: Yes MSRP: $549 / pair Ive had a soft spot in my heart for Mavics Cosmic Elite since I first saw them 15+ years ago. With 30mm-deep rims and Mavics good reputation for build quality, I always wanted a pair. While they remained unchanged for many years, theyre now up-to-speed with 17mm internal width and even UST tubeless compatibility (a step beyond the often hit-and-miss tubeless fit with tubeless-ready rims). In addition, Mavic is known for outstanding machined braking surfaces, which stop reliably (even in wet/cold weather, when paired with Kool Stop pads). At a price of $549, theyre utterly attainable and might be found as take-offs (on the used market) from a new bike thats been upgraded to carbon. The weight might not look great on paper, but similar to DT Swiss, you wont have any headaches to deal with. Kinlin XR31T Specs: Internal Width: 19mm Brake Track Width: 24mm Depth: 31mm Weight: 490g (rim) Tubeless-compatible?: Yes MSRP: Depends on build Kinlin is a Taiwanese rim manufacturer that isnt very well known in the US. Typically available from custom wheel builders, their XR31T rim hits all of the important specs with its 31mm depth and 24mm outside width. The bonus is that the rear rim is available in an offset version, helping to even out spoke tension (a rarity in this field). Aforce Al33 Specs: Internal Width: 20mm Brake Track Width: 24mm Max Rim Width: 26mm Depth: 32.5mm Weight: 485g (rim) Tubeless-compatible?: Yes MSRP: Depends on build The Aforce Al33 is similar to the Kinlin above in that its not as well-known in the US market, and is often sold by custom builders. To my knowledge, its the only toroidal aluminum rim thats available today meaning that it has a bulged shape with angled braking surfaces. Thats a title once held by the Zipp 101, so this rim is in good company. It also has a surprisingly light advertised weight of only 485 grams per rim thats super light for a rim this deep and wide. You can also have the rim in two versions: standard braking surface or ceramic-coated. Is this the new performance standard for alloy and stealth aero? I think so. Vision Trimax 35 Specs: Internal Width: 17mm Brake Track Width: 22mm Depth: 35mm Weight: 1,690g / pair Tubeless-compatible?: No MSRP: $728 / pair (KB Version) Vision hits an interesting mix of options in their aluminum line, with 25mm, 30mm, and 35mm depths. Additionally, they have machined braking surfaces, or an all-black KB coated rim. Im testing the 35mm depth with standard aluminum surface, and measured it to be 22.5mm wide, 0.5mm wider than advertised. The depth is a little bit misleading, as the 35mm measurement only occurs right at the spoke holes, and is milled out in-between for weight savings (shaving a couple millimeters of depth). My only wish is that Vision could combine the characteristics of the 30 and 35mm versions into one do-it-all beast. What do I mean? The 30mm version is wider at 24mm plus it adds tubeless compatibility. Those specs at a 35mm depth would compete well with the Aforce and Kinlin options above. As of now, the Trimax 35 stands as a solid everyday trainer that can double as a race wheel when combined with the right tube and tire choice. -- If you have a different choice or favorite - let us know in the comments below, including why! To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! Michelle Obama's memoir Becoming could become the biggest-selling autobiography ever, its German publisher said, expressing optimism that husband Barack's forthcoming account of his two terms as US president will also be a hit. Michelle Obama was reportedly paid a $US60 million advance for the book. Credit:AP The former first lady's recollections, for which she received a reported advance of more than $US60 million ($84 million) from Bertelsmann's Penguin Random House division, has sold 10 million copies since it came out in November. "That makes it our most notable creative success of last year," Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Rabe told a news conference, reporting a 2.8 per cent gain in annual revenue at the 183-year-old publisher. "We believe this could become the most successful memoir ever." A $1.5 billion bid for a rare earths producer facing an existential challenge is Rob Scotts unexpected initial target as Wesfarmers starts the process of deploying the massive financial capacity he created via last years balance sheet clear-out. At face value, the bid for Lynas Corp is an unusual and risky choice for the retailer-dominated Wesfarmers. Protestors at Lynas Corp's rare earths processing facility in Malaysia. Credit:Reuters Lynas is a rare earths producer the only significant producer outside of China, which dominates the sector with a mining operation at Mt Weld in Western Australia and a processing facility at Kuantan in Malaysia. The Malaysian plant, one of the largest and newest rare earth separation plants in the world, has been the source of continuing controversy and financial brinkmanship from the moment it was given the go-ahead in 2010. Ben Purchase has been making furniture matched specifically to his customers' requirements for seven years, and over that time one of the biggest challenges has been getting some of them to pay for it. "There should be more protections, because people can just turn around and say, 'I don't have the money', and get away with it," he says. Ben Purchase is doing whatever he can to encourage customers to pay on time for his custom-made recycled timber furniture. Credit:Shannyn Higigns. The founder of Melbourne's Ingrain Designs is fighting this by making it as simple as possible for clients to understand what they owe and then pay with one click. The business has started using the invoice app from payments platform Square, which the multibillion-dollar company launched in Australia on Wednesday. I stepped out of the office and hit the footpath, head low, eyes fixated on the ground, trying hard to be invisible. In a hijab, after a terror attack, thats impossible. Dressed for respect: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Credit:The Press I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders and its eyes firmly on me after the Christchurch shooting that day. I just wanted to get home, safely, and not worry about my conspicuous place in society. Fifty people had just been killed in New Zealand, and selfishly I worried for my own safety. ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has flown to China with former Liberal opposition leader Brendan Smyth, in a bid to woo a major Chinese airline to set up direct flights to Canberra. Mr Barr and the controversially appointed Mr Smyth are travelling with a political staffer, two Canberra Airport staffers and a public servant from the ACT government's tourism bureau Visit Canberra on the trip, which will cost about $25,000. ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr is seeking Chinese flights to Canberra. Credit:Elesa Kurtz It comes in the wake of Singapore Airlines' decision to cancel direct flights between Canberra and New Zealand last year, despite maintaining Changi-Canberra flights, while Qatar Airways started flights last year between Doha and Canberra. Opposition Leader Alistair Coe also recently went to China to meet with local government officials. The ACT government has been ordered to cough up the pay records of United Firefighters Union members, as the union looks for evidence of what it believes to be underpayments to ACT firefighters totalling more than $1 million. Justice Bernard Murphy made the order in the Federal Court of Australia on Tuesday afternoon. ACT Fire and Rescue chief officer Mark Brown, who along with the ACT government has been ordered to hand over United Firefighters Union members' pay records to the union. Credit:Rohan Thomson The order gives ACT Fire and Rescue chief officer Mark Brown and the territory government two days to hand over material including the platoon annual roster for the year ending March 8, and the ACT Fire and Rescue overtime roster from the start of 2017-18 to the present. Within 14 days of Tuesday's order, they must also give the union copies of the pay records of its ACT members who worked overtime in the year ending March 8. The records must not be redacted. Two Greek restaurants owned by the same family were set on fire on Tuesday night, leaving one gutted and the other significantly damaged. The Olive restaurant at Hawker was damaged before a passer by helped to extinguish the fire, while the Olive restaurant at Mawson was destroyed in a blaze. The Olive restaurant in Mawson, which was gutted by fire on Tuesday night. Credit:Karleen Minney Owner Dimitri Yianoulakis said he and his family were devastated by the fires, which he found out about at 2am on Wednesday. The fires were being treated as suspicious, ACT Fire and Rescue commander Sam Evans said. Rangers have discovered a half-hectare site still recovering from the 2003 bushfire was destroyed by a four-wheel-drive over the weekend. ACT Parks and Conservation's ranger-in-charge James Overall said rangers had found the site on Saturday morning in Pierces Creek Forest, just near the Lower Cotter Catchment. ACT Parks and Conservation ranger-in-charge James Overall among the damage done to a hardwood corridor of native trees in the Pierces Creek Forest. Credit:Karleen Minney "I've never seen anything like it," Mr Overall said. Mr Overall suspected it was the work of a stolen car because of the damage it would have caused to the vehicle. China has requested Vanuatu to support its nomination for the FAO DG post in this years election. The request was made by the Chinese Minister Han who is seen in photo receiving a gift from Vanuatus Minister of Agriculture Nevu Spains King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia began their first state visit to Argentina this Monday with a floral offering at the Buenos Aires monument to Gen. Jose de San Martin, the national hero from Rio de la Plata considered father of his country and one of the leading liberators of the Americas. The monarchs, who arrived Sunday night in the South American country where they will stay until Wednesday, began their official agenda with a ceremony at the foot of the monument to the hero of Argentine independence, as do all heads of state and government who visit the capital. Felipe and Letizia, who traveled to Argentina with a delegation that also includes Foreign Affairs Minister Josep Borrell, were accompanied at the tribute by Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie and Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta. Also taking part in the ceremony in honor of San Martin, whose revolutionary battles were decisive not only for Argentina but also for the independence of Chile and Peru, was the band of the Gen. San Martin Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers playing anthems of Spain and Argentina. The monument was created in 1862 by French sculptor Louis Joseph Daumas and was Argentinas first equestrian statue. Around 1910, German sculptor Gustav Eberlein designed the base of polished red granite upon which the statue of the general was mounted, as well as the four sculptural groups on the corners representing landmarks in the war of liberation from the Spanish throne. After making the floral offering, the royals, escorted by a unit of the Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers, were taken to the Casa Rosada, seat of the Argentine government in Buenos Aires, where they were received by President Mauricio Macri and his wife, Juliana Awada. There, after a welcome with honors by a military guard and the Alto Peru Brass Band, and by an official salute in the White Chamber, the heads of state had a private meeting in the presidents office, followed by a larger meeting that included political delegations from both countries. During his meeting with Macri, King Felipe said Spain was fully in favor of the reforms being implemented in Argentina. The Spanish monarch expressed his support when he and the queen were received at the Casa Rosada for their first meeting with the Argentine president and his wife during their state visit. King Felipe said that Spain is very much aware of the economic situation Argentina has gone through and supports the reform programs that have been launched, while Macri, who was the first to speak, thanked the king and queen for their visit, which he interpreted as a sign of affection, and at the same time, of support for the moment of change in his country. Macri said this moment of change meant deep transformations that are very demanding and require great effort, and recalled those imposed by Spain when necessary and whose positive results prove they were truly needed to achieve a better quality of life. The king said that Spain has always supported Argentina when times were difficult. Were very much aware of the economic situation Argentina has gone through and we support all the reform programs currently in effect, the Spanish monarch said. At the same time, Queen Letizia and Awada were to converse in the House of Government about the first stage of infancy and rare diseases. Later, after the two couples had lunch at the presidential residence in the town of Olivos, north of the capital, the monarchs were scheduled to continue with their official activities - visits to the Argentine Congress and the Supreme Court of Justice - where they were to meet with the top authorities. The first day will wrap up with a gala dinner offered by the Macris in honor of the royal couple at the Kirchner Cultural Center (CCK), where the king and queen will greet the individual guests, before Macri and Felipe VI say a few words during the toast. On Tuesday the king will have a working breakfast with Argentine and Spanish business owners and executives and will give a speech at an event organized by the Cotec Foundation, dedicated to promoting innovation as an engine of economic and social development. A conference with the Spanish community in Argentina, as well as a meeting of the queen with the Ibero-American Rare Diseases Alliance, will lead to the final activity of the state visit, a reception offered by the monarchs in honor of Macri and his wife at a downtown Buenos Aires hotel. On Wednesday the royals will attend the inauguration of the 8th International Congress on the Spanish Language, to be held in the Argentine city of Cordoba until March 30. The state visit is the first by a Spanish head of state to Argentina for almost 16 years, the last being that of King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia in November 2003. It was the Argentine president himself who invited the royals to make the trip to Buenos Aires when he was on a visit to Spain in February 2017. The last time Felipe was in Argentina was as prince of Asturias in September 2013, when he headed a delegation to the International Olympic Committee (I0C) meeting in Buenos Aires that tried to rescue Madrids rejected candidacy as the site of the 2020 Olympic Games. Dope-smoking Canberrans should be able to join clubs where gardeners can cultivate their cannabis crops for them, a Legislative Assembly inquiry has been told. Labor backbencher Michael Pettersson's private member's bill would legalise cannabis possession under 50 grams and allow users to grow up to four plants. A drug researcher has suggested the cannabis bill be amended to allow social growing clubs to be set up. Credit:Rohan Thomson The government has foreshadowed amendments to the legislation that would allow only two plants to be grown up to a household limit of four plants, and introduce wet and dry limits for the drug. Mr Pettersson told an Assembly inquiry into his bill on Tuesday allowing people to grow their own supply would stop them coming into contact with drug dealers who "have a commercial imperative to push harder and more addictive substances on their clients". "Surely the US has the most towns with the weirdest names (C8)," says Peter Miniutti of Ashbury. "Besides Toad Suck they have Idiotville, Ding Dong, Booger Hole, Horseheads and Jot Em Down. Only in America." While Granny has always had a soft spot for Experiment, Georgia, we really need to head north judging by the offering of Ian Sanderson of Lane Cove West, which alludes to the existence of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, in Alberta, Canada. Still on place names, Richard Murnane of Hornsby is "surprised that no C8-ers have mentioned that the The-Place-That-Must-Not-Be-Named in Austria (C8) produces a pilsner named 'Hell'." "Sorry Bill Wilkinson," writes Kevin Harris of Beecroft. "But there are a lot of 1966 coins (C8) still in circulation. But take a close look at your 20 coin. If the 2 has a wavy base rather than a straight base then it's worth a great deal more than 20 on the coin market. Good luck." While the imminent demise of Lawsons Records (C8) is regrettable news for Con Vaitsas and others, Janice Creenaune of Austinmer reckons its time for a sea change: Con may enjoy a seaside train ride to our nearby village of Thirroul, where we boast a number of vinyl record shops. One is equipped with a retro-type bar with vinyl playing, black and white TV shows on loop and some (rather uncomfortable it must be said) retro wooden school chairs. Best on a Friday night. Perched on the edge of the harbour, North Sydney Olympic Pool is famous for its setting. But the local council says the swimming spot is in a precarious position of a different kind - the ageing pool needs extensive upgrades yet the council is millions of dollars short to fund them. The redeveloped North Sydney Olympic Pool will keep heritage elements but include a new grandstand. Councillors on the North Sydney Council voted to submit a development application for a $57.9 million overhaul at a meeting on Monday night. The concept designs for the revamp included an upgraded 50-metre pool, an additional "family leisure" pool and a new grandstand. The existing grandstand had "reached the end of its useful life", a council report found. Brisbane City Council's LNP councillors have called on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to "intervene" and give approval to early Brisbane Metro work, accusing Transport Minister Mark Bailey of deliberately "playing politics" to favour a Labor candidate for council. Mr Bailey described the claim as "ridiculous" and Labor councillors decried the accusations of "playing politics" as an "appalling" attack on a state employee. Brisbane lord mayor Graham Quirk has taken aim at his state counterparts. Credit:Chris Hyde Cr Quirk said council had attended more than 200 meetings with state government officials while developing the $900 million Brisbane Metro plan a proposed high-frequency bus rapid transit system and had been told the officials had "everything they need" to begin approvals. Cr Quirk said the Transport Minister was "not able to deliver the timetable that is needed for this project" and urged the Premier to intervene. Having already brought much-needed rain to drought-affected areas, ex-Tropical Cyclone Trevor is set to bring a two-day reprieve to the south-east as it sweeps across large parts of the state. Brisbane can expect maximum temperatures to go below 30 degrees on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, before climbing above the 30-degree threshold at the weekend and into early next week. Ex-Tropical Cyclone Trevor stretches across Queensland and is expected to bring much-needed rain and heat reprieve. Credit:Weatherzone In terms of rainfall, the River City was expecting about 20-25 millimetres daily on Wednesday and Thursday, while Friday and Saturday were predicted to bring 10-20 millimetres per day. Weatherzone meteorologist Kim Westcott said the ensuing weather pattern looked like "a bit of a wide blob", but was expected to bring bucketing rain over wide areas of Queensland. A man bitten on the hip and buttocks by a shark in Queensland's Great Barrier Reef was preparing to lead a snorkelling tour when he felt the "initial bump and bite". Ryan Bowring, 25, remained in a stable condition in Mackay Base Hospital on Tuesday after falling victim to the fourth shark attack in north Queensland waters in a little more than six months. Ryan Bowring, 25, was bitten near Hardy Reef off Queensland's Whitsundays on Monday. Credit:Facebook The former Tasmanian resident, who is working as the first mate aboard the DeLisle III, issued a statement through Tourism Whitsundays late Tuesday. "Thank you to everyone who has asked after me following the shark incident at Block Reef yesterday. I am doing ok and really want to take the opportunity to thank my crewmates, the RACQ CQ helicopter staff and members of the emergency services for their help,'' he wrote. A motorcyclist has been rushed to hospital after being run over and dragged several metres by a truck in South Brisbane on Wednesday morning. A bang followed by the rider's screams were heard by people in a nearby office building just before 8.30am, at the intersection of Merivale and Peel streets. Witnesses said they saw the man caught under the truck and his face covered with blood. A motorcyclist is in a critical condition after a collision with a truck in South Bank on Wednesday morning. Credit:Joey Cooney/Brisbane Times Paramedics treated the man, aged in his 30s, for multiple injuries including to his abdomen and pelvis. One witness, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the flat-bed truck carrying construction equipment was turning left from Peel Street onto Merivale Street when the collision happened. The question here is not so much whether we favour or dislike the project. Indeed, the government recently won an election with this proposal on its agenda and therefore any fresh debate over its virtues is, to a degree, academic given its plainly proceeding. Ive always doubted whether the project will deliver superior benefits to a connection between CityLink and the Western Ring Road that the East-West Link stage 2 would have offered. Im clearly not alone in having misgivings. For a range of reasons, the City of Melbourne, local resident groups and communities across eastern Melbourne, who will pay higher CityLink tolls for longer despite many not using the road, have expressed strong opposition. Loading So the issue becomes what can we learn from a process that led to a $7 billion infrastructure project to address an obvious need that had been well-known and fiercely debated for years, and that never went out to tender? It actually began its life as the Western Distributor, a $500 million election commitment by the then Andrews opposition in 2014. On March 12, 2015, shortly after the 2014 state election, Transurban submitted a Western Distributor proposal in which it pitched a vastly expanded version, it seems, over and above the governments earlier election commitment. Transurbans proposal was reported to come with a cost of around $5.5 billion. The proposal was submitted under a new "Market-led Proposals Interim Guideline" that the government had issued only weeks earlier in February 2015, and which replaced the "Unsolicited Proposal Guideline" that had applied to these types of proposals. We all know that in the time since, the projects design and costings have changed appreciably. This includes a design update published in September 2015 and various later material changes. And the cost? It has grown from $500 million to $5.5 billion to a reported amount of $6.7 billion. With unresolved industrial disputes and possible further changes, who knows where the final costings will land. Loading The government might reasonably assert, so what? Its delivering a new major road that people will use and that everyone had a chance to reflect on at last years election. Fair enough. But heres what that contention misses. First, the idea of a market-led proposal regime is to tap into the best and brightest minds across industry by encouraging them to offer up innovative and unique solutions to intractable problems for the publics benefit. The exclusivity that comes with that opportunity is not unlimited and is circumscribed when the problems we are talking about solving are well-known and long debated. I seriously wonder whether the West Gate Tunnel project, and its earlier incarnations, should ever have been allowed to proceed as a market-led proposal. In any case, the sheer magnitude of the project alone dictated that the full force of the market ought to have been unleashed to drive the most optimal outcome for the community and taxpayers. Second, while I of course ardently support the principle of recognising and rewarding initiative and innovation, that imperative should always be subordinate to the public interest. No one coming to government with a great idea that they want the public to underwrite can fairly expect to be able to name their price or avoid competition when legitimate contestability would deliver superior public benefits or greater value for taxpayers. Third, in the case of the West Gate Tunnel project, even if we accept that the project was properly submitted under the market-led proposal guidelines to start with, why wasnt the process opened up to competitive influences following the major changes in design? Wasnt it in the public interest to exert such pressure, for example by allowing other consortia to contest the bid on design, cost and timing, if not at the beginning, then after major design changes? Without having an effective comparator at every stage of a project of such massive scale, how do we know that we are not paying through the nose? The very best value for taxpayers is precisely what the guidelines for privately initiated proposals are intended to secure. Hopefully the VAGO report will shed all necessary light on this. In the end, we all want the infrastructure our growing community needs, but we deserve it at the right price and in full service of the public interest. An independent Melbourne online clothes store has stopped selling T-shirts with an "original design" depicting footy star Tayla Harris after the AFL claimed the artwork breached copyright. On Wednesday last week, the owner of League Tees online store Anthony Costa released a T-shirt and badge with a design inspired by a photo of Carlton AFLW forward Harris. League Tees T-shirt and badge design, inspired by a photo of Carlton AFLW forward Tayla Harris. The photo, taken by AFL Media chief photographer Michael Willson, went viral after Ms Harris took a stand against online trolls who had written graphic comments on the picture. The AFL's general manager of inclusion and social policy Tanya Hosch said Harris was already planning to use the image to raise money for charity. A new power blackout hit a large part of Venezuela on Monday just three weeks after an outage left almost the entire country without electricity, but no official announcement has yet been made regarding the area affected. EFE verified that several parts of the capital were without power and Caracas Metro service has been interrupted. Opposition lawmaker Carlos Valero said on his Twitter account that besides Caracas, the blackout is affecting the states of Aragua, Delta Amacuro, Lara, Zulia, Monagas, Bolivar, Portuguesa, Yaracuy, Anzoategui, Merida, Tachira, Nueva Esparta, Carabobo and Miranda, but he offered no further details. The state-run National Electric Corporation (Corpoelec) still has not made any public statement about the new blackout, but state VTV television said that the Caracas Metro had implemented its contingency plan for such situations. Electric Energy Minister Luis Motta Dominguez has not issued any statement on the extent of the situation either. This new power outage comes after the massive blackout the country suffered on March 7, which kept virtually the whole country in the dark for five days until the Nicolas Maduro government managed to get control of the situation and restore electric service. The government said at the time that sabotage at the Guri hydroelectric center - the countrys largest power plant, supplying about 70 percent of the national territory - was to blame for the blackout. Maduro directly blamed the United States and the Venezuelan opposition for the so-called sabotage, claiming that electromagnetic attacks had been staged on the electric grid. The opposition, however, blamed the Maduro regime for failures in the system, saying that the governments poor management of the electric grid was the real cause of the outage. The earlier blackout resulted in about 15 deaths due to the lack of electricity to power lifesaving equipment at Venezuelan hospitals, the opposition claims, although authorities say that just two people died. Meanwhile, on Monday United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the Maduro government that repressing the opposition would be a mistake and could wind up having dramatic consequences for the country. For the secretary-general, any repression against the Venezuelan opposition would not only be a mistake, but could also lead to a escalation of dramatic consequences for the Venezuelans, said Guterres spokesperson Stephane Dujarric at his daily press conference. Dujarric was responding to a reporters question about the Maduros regimes arrest on charges of terrorism of Roberto Marrero, the chief of staff for the head of the opposition-controlled Parliament and self-proclaimed interim president, Juan Guaido. Marrero was arrested last Thursday morning during a raid on his home where, the government claimed, law enforcement officials found two rifles, a grenade and a large amount of cash. At the time, the UN expressed its concern over Marreros arrest and asked all parties to take immediate measures to reduce tensions. On the weekend, the Maduro government said that Guaidos party, Voluntad Popular, was planning to assassinate several Chavista leaders using Central American paramilitaries. As proof, the government presented alleged conversations in a messaging group supposedly between VP leaders, which the Venezuelan justice system gained access to via Marreros mobile phone. Tensions in Venezuela increased dramatically after Maduro was inaugurated in mid-January to a second six-year term, whereupon Guaido proclaimed himself interim president and received the recognition of more than 50 countries as the countrys legitimate leader. Dujarric reiterated on Monday that the UN supports the initiatives currently under way to try and reach a solution to the crisis through dialogue, despite the fact that Guterres has preferred not to participate actively in those discussions so as to preserve his neutrality. The Portuguese diplomat has repeatedly offered to serve as a mediator if the Maduro government and the opposition request it. Country Victorians are being hit with bills of up to $230 for emergency care which is free for city dwellers. Credit:Gabriele Charotte Country Victorians are being hit with bills of more than $230 for emergency hospital treatment which their city counterparts can receive for free. Patients seeking treatment at the states network of 50 rural "Urgent Care Centres", which are staffed by nurses, are being charged co-payments for local GPs who are called in to deal with more serious or complex cases. The fees can reach hundreds of dollars in some cases, with only a fraction refunded through Medicare. One Victorian rural centre is charging what health advocates call a flag-fall fee of $30 for anybody who shows up needing treatment, with more money to be handed over if a doctor needs to be called. Convincing students to catch the train to Melbourne was the first challenge Maria Oddo had to overcome. When she started working at Sunbury Downs Secondary College in 2012, many students were scared to leave the Sunbury bubble. I decided that distance wasnt going to be an excuse anymore, the principal said. Ms Oddo wanted students to venture beyond the outer northern suburb so that they could be exposed to some of the countrys top universities. Visitor spending in Western Australia rose by $101 million in the first year of Qantas offering non-stop flights between London and Perth. The 787 Dreamliner service is the only direct connection between Australia and Europe, travelling about 14,000 kilometres each flight. The 787 Dreamliner service is the only direct connection between Australia and Europe. Qantas Group chief executive Alan Joyce said about 60 per cent of passengers came from Australia, while UK residents made up most overseas passengers at 31 per cent. There had also been a 30 per cent increase in passengers travelling between Australia and London via Perth, including a seven per cent increase in visitors from the UK coming to WA. Police are calling for calm after reports several Perth night club patrons had been stabbed with syringes that left them incapacitated. The comment comes after a teenager claimed she was attacked at Universal Bar in Northbridge on Friday night while she was on the dance floor. The young woman said she was attacked with a syringe at a night out in Northbridge. Credit:9 News Perth The 18-year-old told media a man grabbed her, pulled her back, and stabbed her in the arm with a syringe. CCTV footage, reviewed by police, did not capture the alleged attack on the young woman, but does show her holding her arm as she walks to enter the women's toilets. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has received assurances from three independent MPs of confidence and supply ahead of a week of shaking up and injecting fresh blood into her cabinet. On Tuesday morning, Ms Berejiklian visited Governor David Hurley at Government House to advise him that she has secured 47 seats and will be forming a majority government. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian arrives at Government House in Sydney. Credit:AAP The Coalition is hoping to secure one more - the metropolitan seat of East Hills which is too close to call - and hold 48 of the 93 seats in the lower house in its third-straight term in power. "This is a proud moment for my government to be able to make this confirmation," she said on the lawns of Government House in Sydney. Shooters MPs-elect Helen Dalton and Roy Butler campaigned heavily in their electorates of Murray and Barwon respectively on the need to reassess the Murray-Darling Basin water plan. Helen Dalton, the new member for Murray. Credit:Jacinta Dickins Ms Dalton, a former National Party supporter, is a farmer and former teacher from Griffith. Mr Butler, is a cattle farmer whose property in Mendooran is on Stage 6 water restrictions. Orange MP Philip Donato, who became the party's first lower house MP in 2016, is a former police prosecutor. While the party's platform has broadened, there's no doubt firearms still feature prominently in its culture. Mark Banasiak, a teacher who was elected to the Legislative Council on Saturday, is also the chairman of the Federation of Hunting Clubs. Mr Banasiak will join Shooters MLC Robert Borsak in the upper house. Mr Borsak is arguably best known for shooting and eating an elephant while game hunting in Africa, as well as for comments he made in 2013 urging Americans to resist adopting Australias stupid gun control laws following the Sandy Hook massacre. Broadcaster John Tingle in 1989. Credit: Mr Despotoski was still a year away from being born when broadcaster John Tingle founded the Shooters Party in 1992, with a single-issue focus on gun laws. Tingle, the father of political journalist Laura Tingle, was elected to NSW upper house in 1995 and for 11 years served as the partys lone parliamentary representative. At the 2007 election, the party secured a second upper house spot, and it has held onto two seats ever since. But it was on Mr Despotoskis watch that the Shooters launched - and then fine-tuned - their assault on the Nationals in the bush. By 2016, the party was making a concerted effort to broaden its appeal to country voters and added Farmers to its name. Then, former premier Mike Baird made two serious misfires that left many voters in the regions seething. With the Nationals in lock-step, the Baird government banned greyhound racing and forced through an unpopular policy of merging regional councils. He soon reversed the greyhound ban, but the damage was done. The Shooters tapped into the outrage. First they came for Orange, and won, ousting the National Party from a seat they'd held without question for 70 years in a 2016 byelection. A year later, at a byelection in October 2017, the Shooters almost captured Murray in the state's far south-western corner, whittling the Nationals' 22 per cent margin down to 3 per cent. At the Cootamundra byelection, held on the same day, the Shooters candidate won almost a quarter of the primary vote. But as the new year opened in 2019, the Nationals were grappling with another problem: Water. Loading Thousands of bloated dead fish, some of them more than a century-old, surfaced in the Darling River at Menindee - a small town in the vast, far western NSW electorate of Barwon. It put a national spotlight on an unfolding water crisis across regional NSW, and raised questions about the governments management of the river system. Other towns - such as Walgett, on the junction of the Barwon and Namoi rivers - were surviving on bore water due to dry river beds. On the ground, the Shooters capitalised on a visceral disdain for the National Party. Irrigator Chris Brooks, whose canola crops on the banks Murray River had failed due to lack of water, epitomised a prevailing sentiment among farmers. "You need water to stay rusted on, Mr Brooks told the ABC this month, and said he planned to vote for Ms Dalton at a state level and an independent federally. New Barwon MP Roy Butler. Across the states vast western flank - from Bourke to Wentworth, and across to Griffith and Leeton - Mr Butler and Ms Dalton spruiked the partys alternative 10-point strategy for Murray Darling Basin water management. Mr Butler took leave from his job and, for five months, traversed the Germany-sized electorate of Barwon in a caravan. In both seats, rusted-on National voters abandoned the party in droves. Ms Dalton, who won Murray off the back of a 27 per cent swing, said water security was the key issue. We always knew there were a lot of things were wrong and unworkable with the basin plan and it would be tested when there was decent drought, Ms Dalton said. Its been managed from Sydney and Canberra and they have no idea. Were living their poor decisions. The water issue had been potent two years earlier when Ms Dalton unsuccessfully contested the Murray byelection, but since then the disenchantment with the National Party had intensified. Loading Last time people were angry, but not angry enough. This time there was a drought and they were livid, she said. If they can cast their vote for me - for the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers - they will do it at a federal level as well. Mr Butler ended the Nationals 70-year reign in Barwon, with swings of 20 per cent. And in Orange, Philip Donato consolidated his 2016 by-election victory, which had turned on fewer than 100 votes. He captured 50 per cent of the primary vote, and won almost every booth. For the Nationals, the election was bruising - but it could have been worse. The party clung onto the seats of Upper Hunter and Tweed by both fingernails against Labor challengers. It also narrowly avoided a humiliating defeat to independent Mathew Dickerson in Dubbo, who came within a breath of demolishing the party's 20 per cent margin. Nonetheless, the loss of two seats to the Shooters has already triggered soul searching in the Coalition and rattled the federal Nationals who will face voters in less than two months. As she celebrated her government's return on Sunday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian acknowledged the message from western NSW was a "cry for help". Former federal Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce said the Shooters strong showing showed the party needed to shift to the right to head off future challenges from the minor party. "Theyre a party and theyre to the right of us," Mr Joyce said. "If people are trying to muse that theyre somehow a tempered National Party, thats ridiculous." The Shooters have confirmed they will contest the federal election, and will likely target the National-held seats of Calare, Riverina, and Parkes. "If we can find a great candidate well go after Barnaby Joyce [in Tamworth] as well," Mr Despotoski said. With their resources depleted, the Shooters will face a gargantuan task trying to replicate their state success at a national level. They are yet to vet potential candidates, or appoint a campaign director to manage a federal tilt, and have limited financial resources to campaign across the vast electorates. In a further blow to their campaign, Mr Despotoski is about to go on leave for a month. He concedes the narrow window before the federal election may hamper the partys prospects. You need a lot of time in the field, Mr Despotoski said. "We worked on the state campaign for two years." In the short space of time weve got before the federal election, well give it a red hot crack but who knows what will happen. The biggest challenge, he says, will be finding quality candidates. Australia's electronic intelligence agency has mounted secretive cyber operations against Islamic State, attacking the terrorist group's propaganda machine and working with military forces to shut down enemy communications during a battle in the Middle East. The director-general of the Australian Signals Directorate, Mike Burgess, has revealed details of the offensive cyber operations for the first time, declassifying an unprecedented volume of information in a bid to recruit new personnel for the expanding agency. Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Signals Directorate. Credit: Ben Rushton In a speech to the Lowy Institute on Wednesday, Mr Burgess is expected to canvass the ways ASD attacks enemy targets a role that was only confirmed publicly in 2016. He will say this work has been critical to Australia's efforts against Islamic State, which no longer controls any territory in its "caliphate" across Iraq and Syria. In one battle, ASD personnel in Australia assisted the anti-IS coalition by "firing highly targeted bits and bytes into cyberspace", the first time offensive cyber operations had been conducted "so closely synchronised" with military personnel in the battlefield. Bangkok: For many Australians, when they think of Thailand, the first thing that comes to mind is long, sun-lit beaches, delicious food and welcoming locals. About 800,000 Aussies make the trek to visit our northern neighbour each year, making it our fourth most popular destination after New Zealand, Indonesia, and the UK. Defence and police co-operation on issues such as counter-terrorism and human trafficking is strong, and the Thai-Australian free trade deal signed in 2005 gave a significant boost to economic relations between the two countries. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, promoting Thai Heritage Conservation Day on Tuesday, looks the likely victor in the elections. Credit:AP The ins and outs of Thailand's political system are probably not high on Australians' "need to know" list when they set out for a week's holiday at a resort in Phuket, or to explore the back streets of Bangkok in the quest for the perfect som tam. "They've done so many evil things," the President said, without specifying whom he believed should be investigated. "It was a false narrative, it was a terrible thing. We can never let this happen to another president again. I can tell you that. I say it very strongly. Very few people I know could have handled it. We can never ever let this happen to another president again." No collusion, but mixed sentiment on obstruction It was not immediately clear when Barr might be able to turn over the report or some portions of it to legislators and the public. After the Justice Department closed its investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as secretary of state, it took about two months for substantive documents from that case to be released. But legislators began discussing plans on Monday to have Barr testify on Capitol Hill. The House Appropriations Committee has tentatively set a hearing for April 9 on the Justice Department budget, though other committees may seek to request his appearance before then. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who spoke to Barr on Monday, said the Attorney-General told him he would be "glad" to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss the special counsel's findings, but not before he could determine what should be redacted from the report. Graham, who leads the committee, said he urged Barr to release as much of the report as he can, "sooner rather than later." Barr, Graham said, indicated that he would have to speak with Mueller first "because Mueller is the guy that does the grand jury stuff, because they're the ones that did the grand jury investigation." "I hope it'd be much before months, and not longer than a few weeks," Graham said. The best window into Mueller's probe that legislators and the public have so far is the four-page letter Barr released on Sunday; it summarised the confidential report concluding Mueller's nearly two-year investigation. On coordination, Barr indicated that Mueller wrote in his report, "The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities." But on obstruction, Barr offered mixed sentiments. He wrote that Mueller "did not draw a conclusion one way or the other as to whether the examined conduct constituted obstruction." Mueller's report itself said pointedly, "while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him," according to Barr's account. The Attorney-General, though, went further, writing that he and Rosenstein "concluded that the evidence developed during the Special Counsel's investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense." "Our determination was made without regard to, and is not based on, the constitutional considerations that surround the indictment and criminal prosecution of a sitting president," Barr wrote. In an interview with Fox News Radio, Trump's former personal lawyer John Dowd said it was "unprofessional" for Mueller not to have made a clear determination that Trump should not be prosecuted for obstruction of justice. "Your job is to decide," he said, adding: "There was no evidence of obstruction here." Democrats took a different tack. Before he became Attorney-General, Barr submitted to the Justice Department an 18-page memo highly critical of what he surmised was Mueller's theory for how the President obstructed justice. Barr has noted that he did so without inside knowledge of the probe, and he has asserted that the document was "narrow in scope." But his critics have suggested his dim view of that aspect of Mueller's work might have helped land him the job as Attorney-General. Democratic Representative David Cicilline said Monday that he thought it was "completely inappropriate" for Barr to have concluded that Trump did not obstruct justice, and that the Attorney-General was trying to "shape the narrative" unfairly. "He doesn't make a conclusion, but he goes out of his way to say the President is not exonerated in this regard, and Mr Barr in 48 hours turns that around and say, 'Oh no, I've looked at it. He's exonerated. He hasn't committed that offense,'" Cicilline said on CNN. 'The most difficult element' for Mueller's team Since his appointment in May 2017 as special counsel, Mueller has wrestled with the question of whether Trump attempted to obstruct justice once the FBI began investigating those close to him. Current and former White House officials who were questioned by Mueller's investigators were repeatedly asked about how the President spoke about the inquiry behind closed doors, and whether he sought to replace senior Justice Department officials to stymie the investigation, according to people familiar with the interviews. A person familiar with the matter said the obstruction case was always "the most difficult element" for Mueller's team because demonstrating a person's intent is one of the toughest assignments for federal prosecutors, and the person under scrutiny was the President of the United States. His actions, the person said, have far different legal meaning and repercussions because of his office and the constitutional protections and powers that come with it. Loading Barr wrote that Mueller "ultimately determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgment" on the question of obstruction, and that his report "identifies no actions that, in our judgment, constitute obstructive conduct, had a nexus to a pending or contemplated proceeding, and were done with corrupt intent, each of which, under the Department's principles of federal prosecution guiding charging decisions, would need to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to establish an obstruction of justice offense." Barr noted that many of the President's actions "took place in public view," and he wrote that the special counsel "recognised that 'the evidence does not establish that the President was involved in an underlying crime related to Russian election interference.'" That factor, Barr wrote, "bears upon the President's intent with respect to obstruction." The letter does not make clear whether Mueller asked Barr and Rosenstein to make a final determination on the question of obstruction, or whether he intended to leave that to another body, such as Congress. Mueller concluded his work without interviewing Trump who answered written questioning - or issuing a subpoena to compel his testimony. A person familiar with the matter said the special counsel's team discussed the subject extensively, with the office's top lawyers, including Michael Dreeben, James Quarles, Aaron Zebley and Mueller most engaged in the discussions. Those talks focused on whether it was legally feasible, and what the potential costs of a subpoena might be to the overall investigation, the person said. The special counsel team went back and forth with Trump's representatives, through multiple iterations of the President's legal team. They were hopeful, the person said, that Trump would meet voluntarily, but they were mindful that they could not explicitly threaten a subpoena unless they were prepared to issue one. Over the course of his investigation, Mueller charged 34 people, including several Trump associates, and the vestiges of his work live on. Prosecutors in the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia took over some ongoing cases, including the matter of a mystery foreign company which resisted a subpoena from Mueller's office and took its battle all the way to the Supreme Court. Notably, the court said on Monday it would not review a lower-court order requiring that corporation to comply with Mueller subpoena. Community Forums Set for North Adams Police Chief Candidates NORTH ADAMS, Mass. A search committee process has recommended three finalists, including the city's current top officer, to become the police chief for the city of North Adams. Lt. Jason Wood, recently promoted as a permanent lieutenant, Wayland Det. Sgt. Jamie D. Berger and Ridgefield, Conn., Capt. Bryan N. Terzian will each have a chance to meet with community members next week. The public meetings will be part of a series of interviews and meetings with each finalist. The meetings are intended as an opportunity for residents to hear from the candidates as well as to ask questions and share concerns about the city's public safety. All three community forums will be held from 4:30 to 5:30 on the following dates: Tuesday, March 26, The Green, 85 Main St.: Det. Sgt. Jamie D. Berger. Wednesday, March 27, UNO Community Center: Lt. Jason R. Wood Thursday, March 28, UNO Community Center: Capt. Bryan N. Terzian Mayor Thomas Bernard said recently that the city had received about 40 applications for the position, which was advertised nationally. After a preliminary screening, he extended invitations to the three candidates to interview. The selected candidate will be the city's first permanent police chief in nearly 40 years excepting the few months that Michael Cozzaglio, who has continued in an interim capacity, finally had the title. Cozzaglio retired in February after more than 32 years with the Police Department and the last 15 as police director, the position created under the city's former Public Safety structure. One of the last acts of the City Council in 2018 was to restore the titles of police and fire chief; it is currently reviewing updates to the public safety ordinances to reflect those changes. "The police chief is one of the most visible leaders in the community, and it's important that members of our community have the opportunity to meet and hear from the individuals being considered for this important leadership position," Bernard said in a statement. "I look forward to introducing our finalists to the residents of North Adams as the members of the search committee and I continue to get to know them. "I'm also incredibly grateful to the members of the search committee who volunteered their time to review applications and interview candidates. Their dedication and insight has been incredibly helpful in ensuring we have a strong group of candidates to consider." Mexico City: Mexico's president has asked Spain and the Vatican to apologise for the conquest of the Americas. Mexico's President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Credit:AP Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says he sent a letter to King Felipe VI of Spain and Pope Francis over what he called an "invasion" and the "many misdeeds that were committed." Lopez Obrador says there were "killings, impositions," and "the so-called conquest was carried out with the sword and the cross." He asks for an apology to "the original peoples for the violations of what are now known to be human rights." The Spanish government issued a statement later Monday regretting that the March 1 letter had been made public and rejecting its content "with all firmness." PHILIPSBURG:--- The Saint Martin / Sint Maarten Annual Regional Tradeshow (SMART) 2019 is to provide 15 different speakers, workshops and masterclasses, as to assist the Northeastern Caribbean tourism sector with an overview of the latest developments in tourism. Innovations from both sides of the island, the Caribbean, the United States, and Europe will be highlighted in a parallel track to the many business meetings going on during SMART. It was decided in 2018 by the four SMART partners LAssociation des Hoteliers de Saint Martin, Saint Martin Tourism Office, in conjunction with the Sint Maarten Tourist Bureau and St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association, that innovation should be a key theme to facilitate the best possible comeback of the destination. Within the workshop settings, managers and entrepreneurs are offered expert workshops on how to further improve their operations. Topics will be amongst others on social media strategy, deployment of technology, revenue management, the importance of customer reviews, occupancy strategies and customer engagement, increasing customer satisfaction, digital marketing trends, and economic & environmental practices (the value of being a Green business in the Caribbean. Workshops from abroad will be provided by amongst others NorthAmerican companies like Avvio, Flip.to, STR, TravelClick, and TripAdvisor. Caribbean innovations will come amongst others from BookSXM, Caribious, InspireFocus and ShowMeCaribbean. Experts like EPIC and hospitality institutions will provide insights on how to make operations more sustainable. Each workshop will take place twice a day, giving delegates more chances and space in their SMART-agenda to attend the workshops of their interest. The tradeshow will be held on the 21st to 23rd of May 2019 at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort Casino and Spa. We are expecting numerous Tour Operators, Travel Agents, Travel Writers and Event Planners from the US, Canada, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean to attend this important event. In previous years, SMART featured suppliers from Anguilla, Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Barthelemy, St. Kitts & Nevis and St. Maarten-St. Martin. Interested companies can take up contact with the SMART project office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call +1 721-542-0108. More information can be found at shta.com/SMART or visit the Facebook page at facebook.com/smartsintmaarten. Delrey Commences Airborne Magnetic Geophysical Surveys on its BC Vanadium Projects Posted by Publisher Internet DELREY METALS CORP. (CSE:DLRY, FSE:1OZ, US:DLRYF) (?Delrey? or the ?Company? https://www.commodity-tv.net/c/search_adv/?v=298860) is pleased to announce that is has commenced a phase I work program consisting of four airborne magnetic geophysical surveys to be flown over the coming weeks on its 100% wholly-owned Blackie, Porcher, Star and Peneece projects located near Prince Rupert, and Port Hardy British Columbia.? The Company will oversee the completion of four individual surveys covering a combined 9482.56-hectares. The survey blocks will be flown in a systematic low-level grid pattern at 150-meter line spacing. The properties are all prospective for vanadium-bearing massive titaniferous magnetite and the surveys will focus on known mineralized exposures mapped by previous operators with coincident magnetic anomalies identified in the Canada 200m Residual Total Magnetic Field dataset.1 The results from all of these surveys will be used in helping Delrey?s technical team plan a phase II work program which will include prospecting and rock sampling over the identified magnetic highs. ?The team is excited to have initiated geophysical surveys on its 100% wholly-owned BC vanadium projects. Delrey expects to receive the survey results within the coming weeks allowing the Company to revert back for its phase II work program which will be conducted in mid- to late-spring. The phase III? work program on the properties will ideally take place during the summer months which will include diamond drilling over the highest priority targets?, commented Morgan Good, Delrey?s President and Chief Executive Officer. About Blackie Blackie is a 1213.2-hectare property 100% owned by Delrey located 96km south-southwest of Prince Rupert, British Columbia along tide-water. The property is centered on a large gabbroic body with estimated dimensions of 1.2km x 0.4km x 0.5km hosting iron-titanium-vanadium mineralization within massive titaniferous magnetite with historic bedrock samples assaying as high as 2.14% V205.1 About Porcher Porcher is a 3122.16-hectare property 100% owned by Delrey located 38km south-southwest of Prince Rupert, British Columbia along tide-water. The property is centered on two north-south trending gabbroic dykes (5.2km x 1km and 4km x 0.6km) hosting iron-titanium-vanadium mineralization within massive titaniferous magnetite with historic concentrate grades assaying as high as 0.84% V205.1 About Star Star is a 3646.8-hectare property 100% owned by Delrey located 27km south-southwest of Prince Rupert, British Columbia along tide-water. The Property is centered on a 5km x 7km magnetic high (Canada 200m Residual Total Magnetic Field) and is drained by up to 158ppm vanadium-in-silt (99th percentile), as identified in the British Columbia Geological Survey Regional Geochemical Survey (RGS) completed in 2000.1 About Peneece Peneece is a 1500.4-hectare property 100% owned by Delrey located 68km east of Port Hardy, British Columbia along tide-water. The property is centered on a northwest-southeast trending 4.8km x 0.8km pyritic gabbroic complex hosting iron-titanium-vanadium mineralization within massive titaniferous magnetite with historic concentrate grades ranging from 0.29% to 0.59% V205 and up to 6.5g/t Ag, a precious metal not often found in appreciable quantities in these systems.1 Option Grant The Company also pleased to announce that it has granted stock options (the ?Options?) to certain consultants for the purchase of up to 100,000 Shares pursuant to the Company?s Stock Option Plan. The Options are exercisable for a period of five (5) years at an exercise price of $0.25 per Share and vest immediately. About Delrey Delrey is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral resource properties, specifically in the strategic energy metals space. The Company has an option to earn a 100% interest in the highly prospective Sunset property located in the Vancouver Mining Division near Pemberton, British Columbia. The Company has also recently purchased the Star, Porcher, Peneece and Blackie Fe-Ti-V properties located along tide-water in western British Columbia. Delrey will continue to review and acquire projects showing potential for materials used in the energy storage and electric vehicle markets. The Company is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is listed on the CSE under the symbol ?DLRY?. Qualified person Scott Dorion, P.Geo., is the designated Qualified Person of the Company as defined by NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this release. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF DELREY METALS CORP. ?Morgan Good? Morgan Good President and Chief Executive Officer For more information regarding this news release, please contact: Morgan Good, CEO and Director T: 604-620-8904 E: info@delreymetals.com W: www.delreymetals.com In Europe: Swiss Resource Capital AG Jochen Staiger info@resource-capital.ch www.resource-capital.ch www.resource-capital.ch 1Historical information contained in this presentation cannot be relied upon as the Company?s QP, as defined under NI 43-101 has not prepared nor verified the historical information. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this news release, constitute ?forward-looking information? as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information is based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and is subject to certain factors and assumptions, including, but are not limited to, general business and economic uncertainties. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate include, but are not limited to, the risk that any of the assumptions referred to prove not to be valid or reliable, which could result in delays, or cessation in planned work, that the Company?s financial condition and development plans change, delays in regulatory approval, risks associated with the interpretation of data, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, the possibility that results will not be consistent with the Company?s expectations, as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to mineral exploration and development activities and to the Company as set forth in the Company?s Management?s Discussion and Analysis reports filed under the Company?s profile at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information or statements, other than as required by applicable law. 1Historical information contained in this news release cannot be relied upon as the Company?s Qualified Person, as defined under NI 43-101 has not prepared nor verified the historical information. Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. EnWave Signs Purchase Agreement with The Green Organic Dutchman for Three 120 kW REV? Machines with to Dry Cannabis in Canada Posted by Publisher Internet EnWave Corporation (TSX-V:ENW | FSE:E4U) (?EnWave?, or the \Company\ http://www.commodity-tv.net/c/mid,1323,Interviews/?v=298830 ) reported today that it has signed an equipment purchase agreement with The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (?TGOD?) to provide TGOD with three additional large-scale 120 kW Radiant Energy Vacuum (\REV?\) machines equipped with Optional Support Equipment and Robotic Arms (the \Agreement\) . TGOD has purchased the additional three REV processing lines to expand its drying capacity of premium, certified organic cannabis in Canada.? The addition of three 120kW REV machines will increase its total royalty-bearing cannabis processing capacity to a combined total of 420kW of REV machinery. The Company previously announced on January 3, 2019 that EnWave, TGOD and Tilray, Inc. had entered into a sublicense agreement in Canada granting TGOD non-exclusive rights to use EnWave?s technology for processing cannabis. The Agreement further validates the benefits of REV? technology as a turnkey solution for rapidly drying cannabis and hemp at low-temperatures to provide a high-quality cannabis product. The Agreement also further expands the use of EnWave?s REV? technology within the rapidly growing global medicinal and recreational cannabis market. EnWave?s strategy is to commercialize its proprietary REVTM technology throughout the global cannabis sector under its licensing and royalty business model. About The Green Organic Dutchman The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (TSX:TGOD) is a publicly traded, premium global organic cannabis company, with operations focused on medical cannabis markets in Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as the Canadian adult-use market. The Company grows high quality, organic cannabis with sustainable, all-natural principles. TGOD\-\-s products are laboratory tested to ensure patients have access to a standardized, safe and consistent product. TGOD has a planned capacity of 219,000 kgs and is building 1,643,600 sq. ft. of cultivation and processing facilities across Ontario, Quebec, Jamaica and Denmark. For more information on The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd., please visit www.tgod.ca. About EnWave EnWave Corporation, a Vancouver-based advanced technology company, has developed Radiant Energy Vacuum (?REV??) ? an innovative, proprietary method for the precise dehydration of organic materials. EnWave has further developed patent-pending methods for uniformly drying and decontaminating cannabis through the use of REV? technology, shortening the time from harvest to marketable cannabis products.? REV? technology?s commercial viability has been demonstrated and is growing rapidly across several market verticals in the food, and pharmaceutical sectors including legal cannabis. EnWave?s strategy is to sign royalty-bearing commercial licenses with industry leaders in multiple verticals for the use of REV? technology. The company has signed over twenty royalty-bearing licenses to date, opening up nine distinct market sectors for commercialization of new and innovative products. In addition to these licenses, EnWave has formed a Limited Liability Corporation, NutraDried Food Company, LLC, to develop, manufacture, market and sell all-natural cheese snack products in the United States under the Moon Cheese? brand.? EnWave has introduced REV? as the new dehydration standard in the food and biological material sectors: faster and cheaper than freeze drying, with better end product quality than air drying or spray drying. EnWave currently has three commercial REV? platforms: nutraREV? which is used in the food industry to dry food products quickly and at low-cost, while maintaining high levels of nutrition, taste, texture and colour; powderREV? which is used for the bulk dehydration of food cultures, probiotics and fine biochemicals such as enzymes below the freezing point, and quantaREV? which is used for continuous, high-volume low-temperature drying. An additional platform, freezeREV?, is being developed as a new method to stabilize and dehydrate biopharmaceuticals such as vaccines and antibodies. More information about EnWave is available at www.enwave.net. EnWave Corporation Mr. Brent Charleton, CFA President and CEO For further information: Brent Charleton, CFA , President and CEO at +1 (778) 378-9616 E-mail: bcharleton@enwave.net ????? John P.A. Budreski, Executive Chairman at +1 (416) 930-0914 E-mail: jbudreski@enwave.net ? Deborah Honig, Corporate Development at + 1 (647) 203-8793 E-mail: dhonig@enwave.net Swiss Resource Capital AG Jochen Staiger: info@resource-capital.ch www.resource-capital.ch? Safe Harbour for Forward-Looking Information Statements: This press release may contain forward-looking information based on management\-\-s expectations, estimates and projections. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about the Company\-\-s strategy for growth, product development, market position, expected expenditures, and the expected synergies following the closing are forward-looking statements. All third party claims referred to in this release are not guaranteed to be accurate. All third party references to market information in this release are not guaranteed to be accurate as the Company did not conduct the original primary research. These statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, 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. 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. Fox News Publishes an Op-Ed Article from Uranium Energy Corp Chairman Spencer Abraham Posted by Publisher Internet Uranium Energy Corp (NYSE American: UEC, the ?Company? or ?UEC? http://www.commodity-tv.net/c/mid,39172,VRIC_2019/?v=298819) is pleased to announce that Fox News published an Op-Ed on March 24th by UEC Chairman, Spencer Abraham, titled ?Russian control of U.S. uranium supply is a huge national security problem.?? Mr. Abraham is a former U.S. Secretary of Energy and U.S. Senator. Amir Adnani, CEO and President stated, ?As a licensed U.S. uranium producer, UEC is ready to address this urgent challenge with fully-permitted, low-cost, In-Situ-Recovery (?ISR?) uranium projects in Texas and Wyoming.? UEC?s strategy of accumulating quality assets in the downturn and advancing their production-readiness has positioned the company to be part of an overall solution reducing U.S. over-dependence on foreign uranium.? The following is provided with the permission of Fox News. Fox News Russian Control of U.S. Uranium Supply is a Huge National Security Problem Spencer Abraham | Opinion Published: March 24, 2019 The Trump administration is to be commended for its ?energy dominance? policy with respect to oil and natural gas production, but on domestic uranium mining, used for nuclear power generation and national defense purposes, it is the United States that is being dominated.? Fortunately, the administration is considering new corrective measures to address this vulnerability to ensure America?s energy and national security. The U.S. has become overdependent on foreign uranium. Today, we have the world?s largest commercial nuclear reactor fleet, but our domestic mining industry supplies less than 2 percent of its uranium needs. Instead, foreign uranium accounts for the vast majority of our uranium supply with imports from Russia and countries of the Former Soviet Union (FSU) amounting to over 40 percent of the uranium loaded into U.S. nuclear power reactors. In 2019, the U.S. uranium mining industry forecasts production here at home will be less than is required for even one of the nation?s 98 operating reactors, and they will not be supplying any uranium for defense purposes. The U.S. nuclear fuel cycle industry has been subjected to years of excessive imports and other price insensitive supply sources that are not part of a normal free market system.? The result is near domination of the market from regions with elevated geopolitical risks, often with agendas contrary to U.S. interests. Please click here: https://fxn.ws/2CDcHLh for the full article. 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. Contact Uranium Energy Corp Investor Relations at: Toll Free: (866) 748-1030 Fax: (361) 888-5041 E-mail: info@uraniumenergy.com Twitter: @UraniumEnergy Stock Exchange Information: NYSE American: UEC +Frankfurt Stock Exchange Symbol: U6Z WKN: A?JDRR ISN: US916896103 Safe Harbor Statement Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this news release 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 (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as ?expects? or ?does not expect?, ?is expected?, ?anticipates? or ?does not anticipate?, ?plans, ?estimates? or ?intends?, or stating that certain actions, events or results ?may?, ?could?, ?would?, ?might? or ?will? be taken, occur or be achieved) 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. Such risks and other factors include, among others, the actual results of exploration activities, variations in the underlying assumptions associated with the estimation or realization of mineral resources, the availability of capital to fund programs and the resulting dilution caused by the raising of capital through the sale of shares, accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry including, without limitation, those associated with the environment, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, title disputes or claims limitations on insurance coverage. 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 news release and in any document referred to in this news release. North Adams Housing Authority Receives CHAP NORTH ADAMS, Mass. The Housing Authority has been given the OK to begin a Rental Assistance Demonstration conversion. Housing Authority Executive Director Jennifer Hohn released a letter from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development received last week notifying the authority. "North Adams Housing Authority is excited to receive our award letter from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for a 'Commitment to Enter into Housing Assistance Payments,' " Hohn said. Rental Assistance Demonstration, or RAD, allows HUD housing authorities to move their units to the Section 8 platform and to leverage debt and equity for re-investment without affecting tenant rights and rents, or housing authority control. "The Rental Assistance Demonstration will enable NAHA to preserve its public housing stock utilizing a more sustainable future funding source," Hohn said. "Additionally, it will allow access to other financial resources in order to make necessary improvements to properties and also perform upgrades which will enhance residents' quality of life and increase the overall attractiveness of NAHA's developments." The 304 units within Greylock Valley in the West End, Riverview on Lincoln Street, and Ashland Street Apartments will be moved to the project-based voucher assistance platform. The North Adams Housing Authority has been on a waiting list for some time now. This was extended because of the government shutdown earlier this year. The Housing Authority Commission did take some action toward the program in February and voted to hire Dominion, a company specializing in housing and health care facilities, to conduct a physical needs assessment, which is a requirement of RAD. The letter stated that the Housing Authority must now meet CHAP Milestones and deadlines. Hohn said she anticipates the conversion will be complete by next year. "NAHA will continue to maintain an open dialogue with the residents during this process," she said. "We are hopeful that the conversion will be completed by summer 2020." 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. Organizers of an annual conference that brings together people who believe that the Earth is flat are planning a cruise to the purported edge of the planet. They're looking for the ice wall that holds back the oceans. The journey will take place in 2020, the Flat Earth International Conference (FEIC) recently announced on its website. The goal? To test so-called flat-Earthers' assertion that Earth is a flattened disk surrounded at its edge by a towering wall of ice. Details about the event, including the dates, are forthcoming, according to the FEIC, which calls the cruise "the biggest, boldest adventure yet." However, it's worth noting that nautical maps and navigation technologies such as global positioning systems (GPS) work as they do because the Earth is a globe. [7 Ways to Prove the Earth Is Round] Believers in a flat Earth argue that images showing a curved horizon are fake and that photos of a round Earth from space are part of a vast conspiracy perpetrated by NASA and other space agencies to hide Earth's flatness. These and other flat-Earth assertions appear on the website of the Flat Earth Society (FES), allegedly the world's oldest official flat Earth organization, dating to the early 1800s. However, the ancient Greeks demonstrated that Earth was a sphere more than 2,000 years ago, and the gravity that keeps everything on the planet from flying off into space could exist only on a spherical world. But in diagrams shared on the FES website, the planet appears as a pancake-like disk with the North Pole smack in the center and an edge "surrounded on all sides by an ice wall that holds the oceans back." This ice wall thought by some flat-Earthers to be Antarctica is the destination of the promised FEIC cruise. There's just one catch: Navigational charts and systems that guide cruise ships and other vessels around Earth's oceans are all based on the principle of a round Earth, Henk Keijer, a former cruise ship captain with 23 years of experience, told The Guardian. GPS relies on a network of dozens of satellites orbiting thousands of miles above Earth; signals from the satellites beam down to the receiver inside of a GPS device, and at least three satellites are required to pinpoint a precise position because of Earth's curvature, Keijer explained. "Had the Earth been flat, a total of three satellites would have been enough to provide this information to everyone on Earth," Keijer said. "But it is not enough, because the Earth is round." Whether or not the FEIC cruise will rely on GPS or deploy an entirely new flat-Earth-based navigation system for finding the end of the world, remains to be seen. Originally published on Live Science. Astronaut Kathy Sullivan poses for a picture with her space suit during a 1995 shuttle mission. Sullivan was the first American woman to go on a spacewalk. NASA's plans for the first all-female spacewalk by space station astronauts this week had all the makings of a historic moment. But that moment, which by coincidence would have occured during Women's History Month, evaporated Monday (March 25) when NASA announced that the lack of enough properly sized spacesuits would prevent astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch from venturing outside together. The disappointing news came after weeks of anticipation for the spaceflight milestone that could have been. After conducting her first spacewalk last week in a large-size spacesuit, McClain realized that the suit didn't allow her to maneuver comfortably or effectively. During the spacewalk, she found that she would need a medium-size upper torso for future work outside the International Space Station. While there are two medium-size suits aboard the space station, only one has been prepped for a spacewalk, and it would take extensive crew time to prep the other suit. So, instead of assigning those extra hours, Nick Hague will go in McClain's place with Koch for the spacewalk. And, while the comfort and safety of the astronauts remains the most important aspect of any space mission, this last-minute reassignment seems to highlight the reality that many women will have to overcome additional career roadblocks working in a world designed to accommodate men. NASA astronaut Anne McClain waves while performing a spacewalk on March 22, 2019. Because of a lack of properly fitting and prepared spacesuits, McClain will not participate in the next spacewalk this upcoming Friday (March 29). (Image credit: NASA) Before NASA's announcement, we spoke with former NASA astronaut Kathy Sullivan, the first American woman to go on a spacewalk, about the potential of that historic moment. Related: Record-Breaking Women in Spaceflight History Almost 35 years ago, in On Oct. 11, 1984, Sullivan took her first steps in space . The history in these steps was far from her mind as she focused on her mission in which she operated a system that showed that a satellite could be refueled while in orbit. Her spacewalk came just months after cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya became the world's first female spacewalker on July 25 of the same year. "Gee, if you ever hoped to do another spacewalk, it would pay to do the first one really well," Sullivan said about her focus on the mission. While the world focused on the historical significance of her work, Sullivan was just there to do her job and do it well. But women at NASA, like women working in most professions, typically encounter more obstacles than their male counterparts. Thankfully, Sullivan told Space.com, she'd only had one or two rude comments about her gender during her time as an astronaut, perhaps because "walking into NASA with the title astronaut would be a little like walking into the Navy with the title admiral instead of cadet." In other words, once you earn the title of astronaut, people are less likely to give you a hard time. But, while Sullivan reported little to no harassment, the women she knew working to become flight controllers, flight directors and astronauts "had to do a whole lot more and deliver a whole lot more a whole lot better before they would get the advancement or promotion that lots of times, a man would have gotten on the first good thing." Sullivan added that she would see women, for example, working on a program with someone as a deputy, turn the program around, solve a budget problem, and get the program back on track. "A young guy who did that would probably get catapulted into project manager the very next go," Sullivan said. "As the woman did that as a deputy, she was lateralled into being somebody else's deputy she didn't get the reward as the added stature and advancement, she got another opportunity to clean up." Kathy Sullivan and Dave Leestma work on the orbital refueling experiment during a spacewalk. (Image credit: NASA) But, as McCain and Koch's position shows, even once a woman has climbed that ladder and proven herself beyond a shadow of a doubt, there are still hurdles. As Sullivan told it, this was not the first time that an all-female crew for a spacewalk has been discussed. Years ago, she said, NASA considered arranging an all-female spacewalk on purpose. But the women in the astronaut corps themselves were opposed to the idea, because it would have been orchestrated as a "stunt," that would serve only to further tokenize them in the industry. "We're not here as tokens and toys to play around and make games of," Sullivan said. But, "what really gives me the greatest satisfaction," Sullivan said, about the now-canceled spacewalk, is that "it isn't a stunt, [it's a] consequence of there being enough women now in the astronaut ranks, now in the flight ranks, now serving as flight directors. That, in the normal course of assignment rotations, you can end up with more than one woman involved in some high-stakes event." "There will be multiple women in multiple key roles I would argue there always have been, but they have now made their way to the front line. To the front console, to the EVA [spacewalk], to the flight director's chair," Sullivan added. pic.twitter.com/2fDXJX94waMarch 25, 2019 See more The spacewalk scheduled for this Friday would have been a triumph. It was not a scheduled stunt. It was, as Sullivan described, the natural consequence of more women rising up the ranks and being recognized for their work. The next chance at this setup may not happen anytime soon; only 13 of the 223 astronauts who have walked in space have been women. Still, the likelihood of an all-female spacewalk will continue to increase as more and more women become astronauts and participate in spacewalks. Perhaps this missed milestone will be a lesson for NASA to have the proper equipment prepared for crews of all shapes and sizes something that is already important as human proportions often change as the spine lengthens slightly in microgravity. But if and when the scheduling rotation again allows for an all-female crew to conduct a spacewalk, Sullivan did share a piece of advice for the crew inspired by her experiences in space. "Be sure you give yourself those couple of moments outside to really absorb where you are grab those moments and write them vividly into your brain because they're the moments you'll treasure from the spacewalk long afterward," she said to the crew. Why hasn't Earth received any messages from extraterrestrials yet? Perhaps because we're already unwitting inhabitants in a so-called galactic zoo. This was one of the scenarios a group of international researchers explored on March 18 at a meeting organized by the nonprofit organization Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI). The gathering, which took place at the City of Science and Industry museum in Paris (Cite), brought together about 60 scientists who research the possibility of communication with hypothetical intelligent extraterrestrials. There, they debated "The Great Silence" why aliens haven't contacted us exploring one possibility known as the "zoo hypothesis." First proposed in the 1970s, it describes Earth as a planet that is already under observation by "galactic zookeepers" who are deliberately concealing themselves from human detection, Forbes reported. [9 Strange, Scientific Excuses for Why Humans Haven't Found Aliens Yet] "When we try to better understand the universe, the question of whether we are alone is unavoidable," meeting attendee Florence Raulin-Cerceau, an associate professor at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, told Paris-Match. That Earth would be the lone planet to evolve and host intelligent life among potentially billions of planets in our galaxy alone seems very unlikely. But if there are intelligent extraterrestrials out there, where are they, and why haven't we found them yet? This conundrum, posed in 1950 by Italian physicist Enrico Fermi, is known as Fermi's Paradox, and it still stymies experts today. Fermi didn't live to see evidence of the first exoplanets, which were discovered decades after his death. Since 2014, NASA's Kepler space telescope has confirmed the existence of hundreds of distant worlds, and its findings have hinted at potentially 2,300 more. And yet, despite these exciting exoplanet discoveries, contact with extraterrestrials seems no closer now than it did in Fermi's day. Under alien observation? One explanation that scientists explored at the METI meeting, is that aliens are aware of Earth and are observing us as we would observe animals kept in a zoo, METI President Douglas Vakoch said in a workshop. If this is the case, humans should increase their efforts to create messages capable of reaching our "keepers," to demonstrate our intelligence, Vakoch explained. For example, if a captive zebra were to suddenly tap out a pattern of prime numbers, humans would be required to re-evaluate their understanding of zebra cognition, "and we would be compelled to respond," according to EarthSky. But what if we're not part of a vast alien zoo what if, instead, humanity has been evaluated by alien civilizations, and subsequently "quarantined" from our galactic neighbors? It's possible that extraterrestrials are actively isolating us from contact for our own good, because interacting with aliens would be "culturally disruptive" for Earth, meeting co-chair Jean-Pierre Rospars, honorary research director at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), said in a workshop. Of course, it's also likely that we haven't heard from aliens because they're locked under a layer of ice in subsurface oceans; trapped on massive "super-Earth" worlds by gravity's intense pull; or dead because their advanced civilizations have already destroyed themselves as humanity might through runaway consumption of their planet's natural resources. Though, maybe if we want to hear from aliens we just need to relax and be patient. After all, Earth has been around for 4.6 billion years, while extraterrestrial research is less than 100 years old, Paris-Match reported. Originally published on Live Science. Chinas Change 4 rover, called Yutu 2, moved between Feb. 1 and Feb. 28, 2019. The upper left panel shows the landing site before Change 4s Jan. 2 touchdown; the upper right panel is the best-resolution photo of the lander and rover taken so far. The lower left image was taken six hours later. The most recent view, in the lower right, shows that Yutu 2 traversed 150 feet (46 meters) to the west during the month of February. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) continues to monitor the whereabouts and wanderings of China's Yutu 2 rover on the moon's far side. Over the next few months, the sun will rise higher and higher over Yutu 2's landing site when LRO is overhead, providing the opportunity to obtain images with no shadows, according to Mark Robinson, principal investigator of LRO's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC), a three-camera system that captures high-resolution photos of the lunar surface. Related: China's Chang'e 4 Farside Moon Landing in Pictures (Image credit: CNAS/CLEP) Blast zone Those upcoming images will be particularly useful for mapping differences in brightness (albedo), Robinson noted. Researchers should therefore soon get their first good looks at the "blast zone" the region that was brightened around Yutu 2's companion lander as rocket exhaust interacted with the regolith, as seen around all other landing sites. The tracks of the rover should also be visible in the coming months, allowing researchers to follow Yutu 2's exact path along the floor of Von Karman Crater, Robinson explained. Yutu 2 and the lander make up China's Chang'e 4 mission, which touched down inside the 115-mile-wide (186 kilometers) Von Karman Crater on the night of Jan. 2, 2019 . No craft, robotic or crewed, had ever pulled off a soft landing on the moon's far side before. (Image credit: CNSA) Westward progress LRO passes over any given place on the moon at least once every month (in the daylight), allowing the westward progress of the Yutu 2 rover to be seen. Robinson explained that, at the end of February, Yutu 2 was 226 feet (69 meters) from its home base, the Chang'e 4 lander. LROC images show Yutu 2 made 150 feet (46 m) of westward progress during the month of February. Each month when LRO images the landing site, now called Statio Tianhe, the lighting changes, providing a different view of the surface. Around dawn and dusk, long shadows enhance topography, Robinson said; closer to noon, differences in surface brightness are more apparent. In the latest LROC image, from Feb. 28, the sun is near the horizon, and the lander and rover both cast long shadows. Vice President Mike Pence, chairman of the National Space Council, will convene and preside over the fifth meeting of the organization on March 26, 2019. The National Space Council (NSC) will convene today (March 26) for the fifth time, and you can watch it live. The NSC meeting will focus on the United States' efforts to get humans back to the moon and then send people on to Mars and other distant destinations, NASA officials said. The meeting kicks off at 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT); watch it live here at Space.com , courtesy of NASA, or directly via NASA TV . "Vice President Mike Pence, chairman of the council, will convene and preside over the meeting, which will include a report out from NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine," NASA officials wrote in a media advisory . "The meeting also will include reports from various other council members, two expert panels on human space exploration, and council discussion, from which Vice President Pence will provide policy recommendations for the president," they added. The first panel, called "Ready to Fly," will feature Les Lyles, a retired U.S. Air Force general and former Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force; Eileen Collins, a retired U.S. Air Force officer and former NASA astronaut; and former NASA astronaut Sandy Magnus. The speakers on the second panel, "Ready to Explore," are Dan Dumbacher, executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; Jack Burns, a professor of astrophysical and planetary sciences at the University of Colorado at Boulder; and independent consultant Wanda Sigur. President Donald Trump's Space Policy Directive 1, which was signed in December 2017, instructs NASA to get astronauts to the moon, and to use Earth's nearest neighbor as a stepping-stone to Mars. NASA's current moon plans include the construction of a small, moon-orbiting space station called the Gateway , which will serve as a jumping-off point to the lunar surface. Assembly of the Gateway is scheduled to begin in 2022. NASA aims to put boots on the moon's gray dirt before the end of the 2020s. The National Space Council helps steer America's space policy. President Trump reinstated the council in 2017 ; it had last been active in the early 1990s, during the presidency of George H.W. Bush. Optimization Are you frustrated with a slow pc or a hard disk not performing as it should? Try SLOW-PCfighter to speed up boot time on a slow PC, or try a free scan of FULL-DISKfighter to recover space on a full disk. The latest offering is DRIVERfighter to update your driver updater. Get complete PC optimization and extend the life of your PC with these must-have software tools. All of the Chicago shows are back from their hiatus this week, and I'm so glad. It feels like it's been forever since I've seen these shows, but it's only been a few weeks. This week's episode of Chicago P.D. is called "Pain Killer", and it's pretty emotional. The official press release from NBC already revealed that "a mayoral candidate is shot by an unidentified sniper." I'm sure that most of you could guess that it was Price that was shot. He is giving a speech at a rally for his bid for mayor when shots are fired. Right after the shooting, Antonio and Burgess think they have the shooter, but it's a false alarm.After some investigation, the team is able to locate the real shooter fairly quickly. But there's a pretty big twist that I don't feel comfortable revealing. I will say this twist changes everything about the suspect and the case.I can reveal that this episode is intense. I thought Jason Beghe gave a powerful performance as Voight. I know that Voight is often viewed as the enemy, but in this episode we see that he does have a good side. We also learn that sometimes cases aren't always black and white and the "bad guys" aren't always all bad.We also get to see more of Burgess' new relationship which personally I'm not a huge fan of. I have a bad feeling about it, but I can't figure out why. I think it could get her into trouble, but I also think it's really unnecessary. Mar 26th, 2019 For the fourth year in a row, the no carbs company NOCCO has launched a special, summer edition flavor of its flagship beverage. The brands first summer release was Tropical, then in 2017 we got Caribbean, last year was Carnival, and now fans have been introduced to Miami. NOCCOs latest limited edition drink is a strawberry themed recipe featuring a bright and colorful, Miami Vice style can design. The new product comes with the brands usual energy infused amino formula packing 3g of BCAAs, zero sugar, 180mg of caffeine, and a handful of vitamins. The summer edition Miami NOCCO drink is due to be available in stores as early as this week in the brands local market of Sweden. NOCCO has also confirmed the product will be releasing in 15 other countries including Norway, Estonia, Denmark, Iceland, and the Netherlands. STAMFORD Richard Freedman had an unusual invitation for school officials scheduled to present the superintendents 2019-20 budget proposal to the Board of Finance Monday night. Freedman, who chairs the board that controls the citys purse strings, asked whether Board of Education members wanted to explain their Feb. 14 votes on the school budget. Freedman did that because the nine-member school board passed the $286 million budget a sizable 5 percent increase over this year with only four votes, not even a majority. That happened after one member, Antoine Savage, was absent the night of the school boards vote, and three Betsy Allyn, Jackie Pioli and Jennienne Burke abstained. Member Frank Cerasoli voted no. The four yes votes were President Andy George and members Jackie Heftman, Mike Altamura and Nicola Tarzia. But only three school board members took Freedman up on his invitation Monday. George explained that some members abstained because they looked for certain information and felt they hadnt gotten it. Heftman said she voted for the budget because it allows us to do what we need to do to keep successful programs going. Cerasoli said he voted no because the increase was excessive. Freedman asked whether he would recommend any cuts. I have some ideas, Cerasoli replied, but I dont want to elaborate at this time. So the Board of Finance, as it has done for weeks, peppered Superintendent Earl Kim and his staff with questions about school spending. When Clarence Zachery, chief fiscal and operations officer for the district, showed the finance board a chart indicating that the school boards operating budget has been increasing slower than the citys, Freedman objected. This board has been cutting your budget fairly regularly, Freedman said. Its a combined effort of your board, this board and the Board of Representatives. We forced it to happen. Its not because you planned it that way. Late into the meeting, Freedman asked the districts chief financial officer, Hugh Murphy, for updated pension, retiree health benefits, and workers compensation costs, which change as the year progresses. Murphy said the cost was expected to drop by a large amount, $561,000. When were you going to tell us that? Freedman asked. When I had a chance, Murphy replied. Were two hours into this meeting, and youre only telling us because I asked, Freedman said. The exchange is indicative of others in recent weeks. Finance board members this month told school officials to come back with more information in response to a request for $702,600 to clean up moldy classrooms. School officials returned with a revised request of $667,400, but finance board members approved only $600,000. When school officials then asked the finance board to release $202,000 from the districts Energy Reserve Fund to help pay an unexpected electric bill, they were told to return with a better analysis. Kim and his staff told finance board members Monday that the biggest reason for the increase in the 2019-20 school budget is salaries, followed by employee benefits. Together they comprise 78 percent of the budget. That is driven by the increase in health care costs, Zachery said. The average cost of benefits per employee now is $17,000, he said. Zachery presented slides showing that enrollment, at 16,300 students, will be at an all-time high if the 2019-20 projection is accurate. The fastest-growing segment of the population is special education, expected to number 2,400 students in the coming year, an increase of 5.6 percent since 2010. The population of general education students, by contrast, is projected at 13,900 an almost 1 percent decrease. It is significant because per-pupil spending for special education this year is $34,248, nearly twice the average. Data from the school district shows that students with emotional disturbance comprise the fast-growing need, followed by those with developmental delay, then autism, then learning disabilities. The number of children with attention deficit disorder has increased 7 percent in the last five years, the data shows. It is expected that special education students will comprise nearly 15 percent of the population in the coming year, and Kim said his staff is working to contain costs. We are adding staff in district to prevent out-of-district placements that are often more costly, he said. He expects 9.7 percent of special-education students to be sent out of district for instruction in 2019-20, down from 11.4 percent six years ago, Kim said. Another fast-growing cost is transportation, he said. The price of the districts contract with First Student, which supplies about 150 school buses, is escalating, expected to cost nearly $21 million in the coming year almost 11 percent of the budget. The district is taking other steps to limit spending, Kim said. In the last 10 years, student enrollment increased 7 percent but Central Office staffing decreased from 91 employees to 77, a 15 percent drop, he said. During the meeting, finance board members asked school officials to provide more information about contracted services that came in just under the amount that would have required the job to go out to bid; whether grants include the cost of Social Security for employees hired to implement the programs they fund; and to spell out which vendors were hired to provide what pupil services and for how much. Finance board member Dudley Williams went back to special education costs. Will you give us a list of in-district programs and the number of students enrolled in each? Williams asked. We have encouraged you to bring programs in-house and I would like to see that. The school boards data shows that Stamford is on the high end of average per-pupil spending in the area. In 2017-18, the latest data, Stamford spent $18,873 per pupil, which is less than the $21,000-plus spent in Greenwich and Westport, but more than what is spent in comparable cities: $17,589 in Norwalk, $13,689 in Bridgeport, and $12,899 in Danbury. The school boards capital budget is complicated by a mold infestation last summer that spurred countless roof, foundation, window and other repairs district wide. The city formed a Mold Task Force to handle the work, and the finance board will consider that budget April 9. acarella@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2296. A Hawaii judge suggested a man not drink his favorite soda during four years of probation on a car theft conviction. The Maui News reported that Judge Rhonda Loo suggested in a Maui court that 21-year-old Christopher Montilliano Jr. refrain from drinking Pepsi while on probation because he lied to police during his arrest. An Illinois prosecutor was shot and killed over the weekend in Wisconsin in what authorities allege was a case of domestic violence. Police say 30-year-old Stacia Hollinshead, of Sycamore, Illinois, was killed at a home in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, on Saturday night. Beaver Dam police Chief John Kreuziger told ABC News that Hollinshead's 5-year-old daughter was at the scene of the crime and has been placed in the care of family members. Ulisses W. Medina Espinosa, Hollinshead's ex-husband, was arrested and is expected to be charged. Hollinshead was an assistant states attorney in DeKalb County, west of Chicago. County States Attorney Rick Amato issued a statement expressing condolences to Hollinsheads family. "Although Stacia had been with our office only a few months, we quickly came to know her as a dedicated mother and prosecutor with a bright future in the practice of law," the message read, in part. Amato said everyone at the DeKalb County States Attorneys Office had been "stunned" and "deeply saddened" and left wondering how they could have helped. "We who work in public safety talk frequently about the risks associated with domestic violence. As prosecutors, we intervene in domestic violence cases in court to prevent the nightmare outcome that were all now living through," the post continued. "Domestic violence is about power and control, it is learned behavior, it is present in all communities, it crosses all social and economic barriers, and it is preventable. No faction of society is immune from it, not even those who work in the public safety arena, fiercely dedicated to stopping it. Stacias death is the worst possible outcome of domestic violence, and it will strengthen us as we continue to work to stop abusers who terrorize their partners and rip apart their families." Hollinshead was a U.S. Army intelligence analyst for 11 years. She graduated from the Northern Illinois University law school in May 2018 and began working for DeKalb County last November. STAMFORD A felony conviction of a New York man led Stamford police to arrest him because his recently drawn DNA matched that of a suspect in a 5-year-old residential burglary. Wilfredo Perez, 58, of Brooklyn was arraigned Tuesday on charges of third-degree burglary and fourth-degree larceny and was ordered by Judge Bruce Hudock to be held in lieu of a $100,000 court-appearance bond. Property Crimes Sgt. Sean Scanlan said police were called to Treat Avenue in February 2014 on a report of a residential burglary that had just taken place. Police discovered a burglar had removed a portable air conditioning unit from a rear window of the house and made their way inside. The residents told police a laptop computer had been taken along with some miscellaneous jewelery worth about $5,000, Scanlan said. At first, police were stymied. We really did not have a lot to go on. No fingerprints, no surveillance cameras and it was in the middle of the day, Scanlan said. But when processing the home, Crime Scene Investigator Cory Caserta took DNA swabs from some likely places the burglar would have touched to get into the home. Unfortunately, when Stamford police entered the DNA into the Combined DNA Index System, which enables state, federal and local forensic labs to exchange and compare DNA profiles, the sample came back unknown. But Scanlan said that a match recently came up for the DNA profile that Caserta found. So this guy gets arrested in Brooklyn and gets found guilty there, so his DNA gets taken as part of the booking process recently and put into the (Combined DNA Index) system and we got a notification of the match, Scanlan said. A warrant was prepared for Perez and he was picked up in Brooklyn on Monday. No plea was made during his arraignment. jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com H ousebuilder Crest Nicholson ousted its boss after just a year in charge on Tuesday as it poached the head of rival Galliford Try in a bid to revive its fortunes. Crests Patrick Bergin took over as chief executive at last years annual meeting, but leaves today after 13 years with the business following a string of profit warnings. He is likely to depart with nine months of his basic salary of 470,000 according to terms announced on his appointment. His successor Peter Truscott, who joins in September, will start on a bigger salary of 650,000 with a potential 800,000-plus bonus and share options on top. Crest said its remuneration committee is satisfied that it is paying no more than necessary to attract a candidate of Peters calibre. The Galliford man is a far more experienced housebuilder than Bergin, having spent nearly 20 years at Taylor Wimpey as its Southern chief and at its predecessor George Wimpey. Before that he was at Cala Homes. Shares in Crest, down around 20% in the past year, rose 6% or 20.6p to 373.6p. Peel Hunts Gavin Jago said: Given Crests target to increase activity in this area and its Southern geographic bias, he looks a good fit for Crest and its strategy. Crest has been forced to turn to a more experienced boss because the firm has been caught in the eye of the storm due to Brexit uncertainty. The housebuilder is pulling out of a struggling central London property market, where sales rates have broadly halved. Crest is also exposed to sales of more aspirational homes in the Home Counties worth 800,000 or more, which are ineligible for the Governments Help to Buy Scheme. That prompted three profit warnings in six months last year and a 15% fall in profits. The firm shifted strategy to concentrate on cashflow and dividends in January, as well as moving towards cheaper homes through partnerships. Crest has secured 50% of its sales for the year but sales remain under pressure. T he boss of Fever-Tree on Tuesday suggested the tonic makers remarkable growth in Britain may have peaked. Tim Warrillow cheered a 53% UK sales jump in 2018, but said supplier contracts to supermarkets have little room to grow. He said: We are so well stocked by UK retailers [already] and the clear market leader, so it is natural that we will see a moderation in growth rates this year. Numis analyst Damian McNeela said: Its recent strong success in the UK necessitates that growth in this market moderates, but the considerable opportunities afforded by both the US and Europe should drive substantial growth over the medium term. The AIM-listed firm saw group revenue rise 40% last year to 237.4 million. Pre-tax profits increased to 75.6 million from 56.4 million. Shares in Chelsea-based Fever-Tree rose 21p to 2563p. It floated at 134p a share in November 2014, and has since benefited from a surge in customers seeking more premium mixers for gins and whiskies. O cado is on a roll like few other firms. In the past year or so, it has morphed from being the Betamax of food retailers with great technology but not enough customers to beat off its rivals to the sectors only winner. First, overseas supermarkets began licensing its robot technology to handle their online delivery arms. Then, it struck what looks like the deal of the decade to form a joint venture with Marks & Spencer. That deal sees it sell half its less profitable retail division for 750 million cash. M&S chairman Archie Norman clearly loves the deal because today his other supermarket group, Coles, signed up Ocado for a major partnership to provide its software and robots to dispatch food to customers across Australia. Last month, there was a major fire at one of Ocados food warehouses in Hampshire that would have knocked lesser companies off track. Ocado, now diversified from direct retailing, flies ahead, barely winded. A fine antidote to British businesss Brexit-induced gloom. Crest Nicholson Theres something fishy about Patrick Bergins sudden departure from the top of Crest Nicholson. Just a year after getting the top job, today he was ousted, with the more experienced boss of Galliford Try being drafted in to replace him. Bergin may have overseen a bunch of profit warnings, but he was running a business in the wrong place, with the wrong products, at the wrong time. Namely, expensive homes in the Brexit-sluggish South-East not eligible for Help to Buy. S o who is more powerful Sir Oliver Letwin or Theresa May? One commands a majority in the House of Commons, has a clear Brexit plan and is in daily informal dialogue with the Cabinet. The other is the Prime Minister. Or, to put in more accurately, PMINO Prime Minister In Name Only. She has no parliamentary majority, no Brexit plan and doesnt speak to the Cabinet except in formal meetings. Tomorrow, as Sir Oliver has meticulously planned with a cross-party group, a series of votes will be held to find out which, if any, of the possible ways forward on Brexit commands the most support. In short, Parliament is now formulating the fundamental economic and security policy of the country, while the Government looks on from the sidelines powerless. It is remarkable, unprecedented and it was entirely avoidable for months now senior ministers and aides have told Mrs May to embrace the reality that her deal would not pass, and lead the search for an alternative. She did not listen to them, and now they dont listen to her. The first battle fought out in Cabinet today is whether ministers will get a free vote on Wednesday evening. If they dont, expect more to follow the principled lead of Messrs Burt, Harrington and Brine yesterday and resign. Mrs May must be approaching the record for the most resignations from any administration in history. The second battle will be over the results. They are unpredictable but it seems likely that Labour and moderate Conservative MPs will coalesce around an option known as Common Market 2.0 or Norway Plus. Whether a majority do so at the first attempt is less certain. Former ministers George Eustice and Robert Halfon, from the Leave and Remain side, spell out in the joint article for the Evening Standard today what that entails. It is that combination of customs union and single market membership that this newspaper recommended two years ago. It keeps Britain in the economic arrangements of the EU, which the likes of Margaret Thatcher built, but involves leaving the political councils of Brussels. It is not nearly as good for Britain as staying in the EU but not nearly as bad as Mrs Mays deal or the dangerous fantasy of no-deal. It is a fair attempt at a compromise in a country that split 52/48 over its relationship with the EU. Will the Government seek to negotiate a political agreement with Europe around the plan if a majority of MPs endorse it? Probably not. It is anathema to the self-styled self-ridiculing grand wizards of the hard Brexiteers; it is also impossible to swallow for the many in the Cabinet who either voted for Brexit, or who court the leadership support of those who did. Thats why Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay and Commons leader Andrea Leadsom have already warned this week that the Government will not be obliged to follow the Commons lead. Which way will the PM turn? If she commits to follow the MPs then she will lose more than half her party and fall. If she follows the bulk of her party then she will never get the backing from half the Parliament that she needs to govern. Thats why, for all the brilliance of Sir Olivers plan, tomorrows votes are no way out of the Brexit impasse. Hence a general election, and possible referendum, loom for if the Prime Minister cant find a way out, and nor can Parliament, only the people can decide. Van Gogh in London The Tates exhibition, Van Gogh and Britain, could really be called Van Gogh in London, for it was here that he spent the best part of three years from the age of 20. As it makes clear, the city left its mark on him. London had then excellent illustrated papers, notably the Graphic, which depicted social conditions as they were it made a profound impression on him, as we can see from his moving drawings of working people. As for the influence of Dickens, it lasted all his life. If London influenced Van Gogh, he certainly influenced London: we gained a great deal by a Dutchman coming here to live and work. W hile the Prince of Wales has been on tour in the Caribbean, and Havana in Cuba where he is now Brexit has understandably dominated the headlines back home. But for Charles, who made history by becoming the first British royal to visit the Communist island state, action speaks louder than words. This charm offensive, inspired by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, comes at a time of transition for Britain and Cuba, where dictator Fidel Castro ruled with an iron fist from 1959 to 2008. Everything has gone like clockwork, with Charless PR machine, led by his respected communications secretary Julian Payne, working closely with UK government officials. Even the arrival on the Royal Air Force Voyager plane our version of the US presidential plane Air Force One gave the impression that Britain means business amid Brexit uncertainty. As for Cuba, its ballet star Carlos Acosta, whom the prince and the Duchess of Cornwall met, said publicly that now is the time for his country to reach out to the world. The dancer, who spent 17 years as the Royal Ballets principal guest artist and was awarded a CBE, said after meeting Charles and Camilla that he was full of hope for the future. From the Cuban perspective it is a time for building bridges, to reach out to the world, and I think also for the UK, they are doing the same with this inevitable Brexit going forward, so I think its just the perfect fit, he said. Amid all the political drama back home, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt yesterday tellingly tweeted: The royal visit to Cuba is a great example of bold and pragmatic UK diplomacy. I spoke to foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez today to help move forward the UK/Cuban relationship but also deliver robust messages where we disagree. Robust or not, the Cubans have pulled out all the stops. And with the popular younger royals playing such a prominent role on the world stage, there is no doubt they give Britain an edge, too. Clearly Meghan Markle has bolstered the brands image. And Charles has been a rock to his son Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex. He is understood to have told them to soldier on in the face of some unwarranted negative headlines, and has assisted them in setting up their own household financially. There has also been an overhaul of royal communications following the departure of director Sally Osman and the sideways move of communications secretary Jason Knauf, who is now a special adviser to the Cambridges. Sara Latham will take charge of the Sussexes media operations, while the Cambridges new communications secretary Christian Jones, a former government speechwriter, is regarded as smart and professional. L ast night the House of Commons voted to set aside a whole day tomorrow so that MPs can debate a range of possible options to try to solve the current political crisis that our country faces. Options are likely to range from those who believe we should have a second referendum or revoke Article 50 altogether, to those who think we should leave the EU without a deal. With hindsight, such an open exercise should have taken place earlier. In politics, numbers matter. Ultimately, no government can get anything done without the consent, or at least the acquiescence, of Parliament. There were several points during the past two years when it might have made sense for the Prime Minister to pause and take stock of the approach she was taking. Firstly, after the 2017 election when she lost her majority and we had a hung Parliament, there was a case for trying to identify what approach might command a cross-party consensus to deliver the referendum result. The Government could also have taken stock a year ago after its defeat by the EU over the terms of the so-called implementation period, or again after David Davis and Boris Johnson resigned in the summer. The Brexit argument has been raging relentlessly for more than three years now. Its exhausting for everyone. Our politics cannot take another two years of this. What is needed now, more than anything else, is a speedy and decisive way to secure closure and a settlement to this debate. We were on opposite sides in the 2016 referendum campaign but are now in broad agreement about what a settlement should look like. The referendum result was a clear decision to leave but at 52-48 it was also close. It represented a cautious and apprehensive decision to step away from EU membership. People wanted us to make more of our own laws again; they were weary of politicians promising things they no longer had the power to deliver and they doubted that the EU was a model that was right for our future. George Eustice is the Conservative MP for Camborne and Redruth / Chris McAndrew / UK Parliament However, they didnt want to throw the baby out with the bath water; they wanted to remain friends with our European neighbours and also to co-operate and retain close economic ties. We believe the settlement that most closely reflects that collective national mood would be for the UK to leave the EU, repeal the 1972 European Communities Act but remain a member of the looser European Economic Area and rejoin the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). This alternative is sometimes referred to as the Norway option but the thinking behind it has a very British pedigree. Robert Halfon is the Conservative MP for Harlow (Chris McAndrew / UK Parliament ) / Chris McAndrew / UK Parliament In 1959, there was a cross-party consensus that membership of the then EEC carried too many political costs, and would undermine our democracy and limit our trade policy. It was therefore the UK, first under Harold Macmillan, and then Harold Wilson, that developed and promoted the idea of an alternative model in the form of EFTA. A lack of national self-confidence in the late Sixties meant we abandoned what we had started but Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein persevered without us. The advantage of a return to EFTA is that it offers the prospect of a quick resolution to this political crisis. We are already members of the EEA and never gave notice to leave as required by that agreement. A year ago this week, our ambassador in Oslo was on standby to deliver a letter giving such notice but she was stood down. The letter was never delivered, so our rights and obligations remain in place. "Wed have a ready-made free trade agreement so theres no need to get worn down by even more negotiation" The process of rejoining the so-called EFTA pillar can be concluded within three to six months. There would be no need for a long implementation period. We would have an independent trade policy but would agree some regulatory alignment to reduce border friction. There are multiple procedures through which regulations are influenced and some of them are unique to the non-EU members of the EEA. We would have a ready-made free trade agreement so theres no need to get worn down by two more years of negotiation with the EU about a future economic partnership. We would have control of our own fisheries and agriculture policies and would end the supremacy of EU law. There would be a presumption of free movement of people for work but the EFTA articles also allow control on freedom of movement for important societal or economic reasons. Liechtenstein already has a derogation from the free movement provisions. If we joined EFTA, the UK would become part of an alliance of prosperous European democracies, none of whom are members of the EU. Within Parliament there are differing shades of opinion about how to arrive at the final destination. Some argue that we would still need the current withdrawal agreement, while others argue that this represents a different sort of agreement and we should rely on our existing rights. Some believe we would also need some form of customs arrangement to resolve problems on the Irish border, while others believe these matters can be resolved through a Northern Ireland border protocol. Some believe the so-called backstop would still be required, while others believe we should rely on our existing right to leave the EEA with 12 months notice if we wanted to. These different approaches can be debated and tested in debate on a series of motions tomorrow. While differences remain over the approach and some specific details, there is a growing consensus about the final destination to settle this crisis. All roads lead to Norway. A s a veteran of the Lloyds market I find some of the recent reports alleging a current culture of harassment and abuse [Laddish Lloyds must ensure it isnt sunk by sexism, March 22] as absolutely not the market I know. Standards of behaviour are and have to be higher than they once were. Everyone is acutely aware of not only their personal fiduciary responsibilities but also of the necessity of adherence to compliance and regulatory oversight. Anyone acting outside of these professional norms will stand out and should be subject to disciplinary action, including dismissal or criminal proceedings if that is required. There can be no question that during the Eighties and Nineties there was an ugly drinking and macho lads culture but I would suggest that is long since gone. At most, for a few, very few brokers, the odd egotistically inflated idiot will exist, but thankfully there arent many. David Doe EDITOR'S REPLY Dear David Youre right that tarring every man who works in the Lloyds market with the same brush is both absurd and unfair. But the recent claims of harassment at Lloyds do need careful scrutiny in a City culture which isnt exactly a standard bearer for the #MeToo era. We cant just dismiss the complaints of almost 20 women whove put up with unacceptable behaviour for the sake of their careers, and even now are only willing to speak under the cloak of anonymity for the same reason. Lloyds focused on diversity under previous chief executive Inga Beale but sadly its the boozy brokers who work there even if they are a minority who risk undoing her work. If anything, we should hold Lloyds to higher standards because it has more ground to make up; it didnt even allow women into its underwriting room until 1973, more than 50 years after they got the vote. Thats why Beales replacement John Neal needs to get some women on his nominations and governance boards as a matter of urgency. The tone needs to be set from the top. Russell Lynch, Deputy City Editor Selling land wont solve NHS crisis I DISAGREE with your health editor Ross Lydalls suggestion that the answer to the growing pressure on hospitals such as Whipps Cross is for NHS trusts to sell their land as a freehold [ Whipps Cross Hospital plan not fit for purpose, March 22]. Population growth in east London is forecast to expand hugely: Tower Hamlets, for example, has the fastest- growing population in the UK, and bed occupancy at NHS trusts such as Barts Health is often running at around 100 per cent capacity. The recent Long Term Plan for the NHS recognises that it cant be assumed that alternatives to hospital care, such as increased community and primary care services, will reduce the need for hospital beds. Currently, these services are too understaffed and poorly resourced. Other alternatives havent been given sufficient consideration: some of the pressure on acute beds could be relieved by more step-down care (cost-effective convalescent care provided close to acute services). Jan Savage Blair points way to Brexit solution Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll probably be aware that Game of Thrones ended this year. Following the show's tremendous success, it's no secret that the cast of the hit fantasy HBO epi-drama were paid pretty damn well. Pre season 8, the core cast members, including Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington, were all apparently making a rather decent $500,000 (370,000) per episode, but reports have suggested top cast members bagged a rather handsome pay rise: an extra $200,000 (151,000) per episode. Getty Images For the final series, the show's main actors appeared to have pushed it even further with a select number making as much as $1.2 million an episode according to The Hollywood Reporter. Taking a leaf out of the Friends cast's playbook, they reportedly renegotiated their deals together to ask for higher salaries halfway through series seven. If true, then they would be the highest paid actors per episode on television today - especially as the previous record holders Big Bang Theory took a pay cut to help boost their co-stars' fees: taking the likes of Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco down from reported $1 million to $900,000. Stars Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner, who are believed to be paid slightly less than stars including Harington and Clarke, actually netted themselves a strong position as some of the wealthiest British celebrities under 30 in Heat's annual rich list. Turner placed in 17th place with an estimated fortune of 8.5 million thanks to her Thrones salary plus fashion campaigns, while Williams came in fifth with a reported net worth of 4.5 million. HBO/Helen Sloan In fact, recent reports have revealed that Cersei actress Lena Headey may have netted as much as $144,000 per minute this season (112,550). As one of the lucky few to make a reported $1.2 million per episode, she was in just three episodes this series - bagging her a total pay day of $3.6 million and News.com.au calculated she was only in series eight for a total of 25 minutes. It sounds like it was an amazing gig, especially given that her character spent much of series eight staring out of a window in King's Landing. Here's how much each key character reportedly was paid, with added net worth (just for fun). Emilia Clarke's salary HBO / Home Box Office At present, Emilia Clarke, AKA Daenerys of the House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons, apparently cashes in a rather handsome $1.2 million per episode (938,200) and that doesn't include merch and all those DVD and Blu Ray sales either. In her Vanity Fair cover story, she said: "I get f*cking paid the same as my guy friends. We made sure of that." Aside from her dragon moolah, Clarke has made further millions from numerous movies and ad campaigns. Emilia Clarke net worth (rumoured): $13 million (9 million) Kit Harington's salary HBO Khalessi's on screen lover (finally!) also apparently manages to add $1.2 million (938,200) to the Bank of Westeros each week. That's a combined $2.4 million (1.875 million) between them. Ker-ching. Kit Harington's net worth (rumoured): $12 million (9 million) Lena Headey's salary (Helen Sloan/HBO) / HBO The most hated monarch, bar The Mad King, apparently bags an impressive $1.2 million per episode (938,200). Previously, the star reportedly earned $300,000 (220,000) per episode, however she later was able to negotiate it up to $500k (378,000) so it would be equal to her male counterparts. Let's face it, after destroying the High Sparrow, the woman deserves it (and a Golden Globe, too). Lena Headey's net worth (rumoured): $9 million (6 million) Maisie Williams' salary Helen Sloan/HBO Yes it's so unfair, but Arya does not make as much as the adults - let's not forget, she was just thirteen years old when she joined the show. In previous seasons the loveable British actress reportedly made $150k per episode. Now, she's reportedly on a rather decent wage of $210k (158,000) an appearance. The definitive reason as to why she is not paid as much is because she is categorised as "Tier B" cast, who make less than the core cast members. Maisie Williams' net worth (rumoured): $5.79 million (4.5 million) Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's salary (Helen Sloan/HBO) / HBO Cersei's brother and lover (and possible baby daddy for the fourth time) apparently adds $1.2 million (938,200) to the bank with every episode. As the Danish actor told Marie Claire, when reports of his salary came out his neighbour in Denmark popped over to suggest he pay for their new fence. "I said, 'Dont believe everything you read, you idiot'" he said. Whatever the number, as a Lannister we're sure he always pays his debts. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's net worth (rumoured): $16 million (12 million) Peter Dinklage's salary (Helen Sloan/HBO) / HBO Everyone's favourite Lannister reportedly gets a Top Tier $1.2 million (938,200) an episode. Hopefully Dinklage doesn't blow it all on wine like his character. Peter Dinklage's net worth (rumoured): $15 million (11 million) Sophie Turner's salary HBO / HBO Like her on-screen sister, Sophie Turner also reportedly sees $210k (158,000) added to her bank balance each week. Although she may not be earning as much as her onscreen half-brother Kit Harington, she isn't bitter about it. She explained to Harper's Bazaar, "Kit got more money than me, but he had a bigger story line. And for the last series, he had something crazy like 70 night shoots, and I didnt have that many. I was like, You know what...you keep that money. Turner has kept busy since Thrones ended however, starring as super anti-hero Jean Grey in X-Men: Dark Phoenix and as a brand ambassador for luxury brand Louis Vuitton. She's also splashed the cash quite a bit this year, as she recently married Jonas Brothers member Joe Jonas in a glamorous French wedding before heading off on a Maldives honeymoon estimated to cost 8k a night according to Heat. She placed 17th on Heat's richest British celebrities under 30 list. Sophie Turner's net worth (rumoured): $10.9 million (8.5 million) Game of Thrones premieres on Showcase, Sky Atlantic and NOW TV on April 14 (15 in UK). Watch the full season 8 trailer below. Game of Thrones Season 8, season finale trailer Professional Still Life Category The civil war between Nigeria and Biafra was paid for with our blood, our future, and our imagination. More than 2 million souls died in vain. It was the most expensive war in the history of mankind. 51 years have passed and we are still trying to pay off our debts. Photography came and gave me back my imagination and liberation. When the light became my mentor, I changed perspective and I wish for the shutter speed to slow down and let more light into my country and my dreams. Cletus Nelson Nwadike R esidents in the London borough where teenager Jodie Chesney was stabbed to death have begun their own anti-knife crime patrols after losing faith in the justice system, the areas MPs have told Parliament. Under the Take a Knife, Save a Life campaign, people in Havering are walking local streets and parks, talking to youngsters, and asking them to surrender any knives. MPs said locals had lost confidence in the way that knife offenders are dealt with by the courts and that there were not enough police on the streets. They said the answer should be tougher sentences with Jodies MP, Julia Lopez, saying they should be implemented to honour the memory of the teenager. The call, during a debate in Westminster Hall, was prompted by a petition signed by more than 100,000 people that asks for anyone found with a knife to receive 10 years in jail with 25-year sentences for anyone who uses a blade. Ms Lopez, the Conservative MP for Hornchurch and Upminster, said her constituents had provided more signatures in support of the reform than any other in the country. She said residents had given a profound response to the killing with marches and memorials, purple ribbons tied to trees, railings and lampposts ... and a community vigil. Mourners at a vigil for Jodie in Romford town centre / PA She said: Many of my constituents want a far tougher regime, because they have lost confidence in the deterrent effect of the existing sentences. It comes as Steve Rodhouse, the director of operations at the National Crime Agency, warned MPs that the role of the county lines drug trade in causing violence can be exaggerated. He said that only 13 per cent of county lines networks were linked to violence and when conflicts do happen, it is when organised crime groups supplying drugs come into contact with street gangs. He said this meant that it would be wrong to overstate the role of drugs in triggering the recent wave of stabbings. A schoolboy stabbed in a suspected targeted attack pulled the blade from his own chest before collapsing in a busy street, witnesses said today. The 15-year-old was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after being knifed by two male suspects who pulled up in a car and plunged a knife into his chest before driving away. The boy, wearing his school uniform, removed the knife from his chest and collapsed on the ground as horrified onlookers near Forest Hill station rushed to help shortly after 4pm yesterday. His has since improved and his condition is now not thought to be life threatening, police said. A 15-year-old boy was today being questioned on suspicion of attempted murder. Forensic investigators in Forest Hill on Monday afternoon following a fatal stabbing / NIGEL HOWARD A witness told the Standard: There were a group of school kids, boys and girls, sitting on a brick wall outside the job centre. Two much older men stabbed the kid in his side. They left the knife in him and ran down the high street towards Forest Hill station. The boy pulled the knife out of his side and threw it across the street. Another witness said: I saw the man with a silver knife about 12 inches long, then he stabbed him in the chest. A police cordon in place as forensic workers investigate the scene of a fatal stabbing / NIGEL HOWARD He said the victim stumbled back, adding: The boy pulled the knife out himself, I think he was in shock. He didnt look in good shape. There was a lot of blood, his white school shirt was completely covered. Another witness, Pauline Wright, said the boy was surrounded by hysterical friends. Schoolgirls were hysterical, screaming out his name, she said. It is so scary being right on our doorstep. The boy is said to be a Year 11 pupil at Forest Hill School. Mike Sullivan, headteacher, said: Forest Hill School community is shocked and appalled by the stabbing of one of our Year 11 students yesterday after school. We have come together as a community to support each other through what is an incredibly distressing period. We are in close contact with the boys family, and have offered every support we can to help them through this traumatic time. Our hope is that he will make a strong recovery. We are also providing support for our students who have been affected by this incident. The latest attack came days after 17-year-old Abdirashid Mohamoud was chased from a park and stabbed to death in Isleworth, west London, on Friday night. The aspiring engineer was the seventh teenager to be stabbed to death in London so far this year. Neighbour Ali Omar said: He was a lovely boy never any trouble around here. He always said hello and was respectful. Boys will be boys but around here no one has a bad word to say about him. The family have been supporting each other at their Brentford home. One of the victims sisters said: We are too upset too speak at the moment. A former Big Brother contestant was attacked by a friend at a beer festival, a court heard. Darnell Swallow, 37, who appeared on the 2008 series, was punched on the back of the head and doused with beer by 35-year-old Luke Gillman during the Great British Beer Festival at the Olympia exhibition centre on August 11 last year. Mr Swallow was on the receiving end of a flurry of blows, prosecutor Charles Shelton told City of London magistrates court. Mr Shelton told magistrates Gillman was the father of a two-month-old son at the time and was offended that Mr Swallow had not been around to see his newborn baby. Gillman admitted being blind drunk, but claimed Mr Swallow had been aggressive towards him. T housands of pounds have been raised for the family of a newsagent who was stabbed to death as he opened his shop. Father-of-two Ravi Katharkamar, 54, died after being attacked during a robbery in Marsh Food And Wine shop in Pinner, north-west London, at 6am on Sunday. Police said he was stabbed in the chest by a killer who escaped with the till containing a few pounds worth of coins. A fundraising page set up to help cover the costs of Mr Katharkamars funeral raised more than 9,000 in just a few hours yesterday. This morning the total had reached 11,440. Caron Kemp, a resident who launched the page, said the Sri Lankan shopkeepers killing had shocked the community. Victim: Ravi Katharkamar She told the Evening Standard: There was a communal sense of what can we do? Everyone said he was such a friendly, warm and generous guy and they would go in and speak to him. Im pleased that the community has raised such a significant amount and so quickly, though Im not surprised. Detectives and forensics workers at the scene of a fatal stabbing in Pinner / NIGEL HOWARD A passerby found Mr Katharkamar, who has two sons, collapsed inside the shop and rang police. Medics fought to save him by he was pronounced dead 45 minutes later. Detectives are searching for a black Vauxhall Astra seen being driven away at speed down Cecil Park immediately afterwards, as well as the shop till. Detective Chief Inspector Simon Stancombe described the attack as vicious and unwarranted as he appealed for witnesses. He added: Ravis attacker got away with a few pounds worth of coins, but he leaves behind a family utterly devastated and a close-knit community asking who could do such a thing. No arrests have been made. Mr Katharkamars death marked the 29th killing in London this year. Anyone with information should contact police on 101 quoting CAD1653/24Mar. T he extraordinary role of police dogs and their handlers in dealing with two terror attacks on London in 2017 was revealed for the first time today. Dogs from the Met and British Transport Police were involved in checking the fake suicide vests of the three London Bridge attackers after they were shot dead by police, as well as searching dozens of buildings for explosives. Other dog teams searched the area for what police thought could be a suspect on the loose, while another checked a car for an explosive device. Some of the dogs and their handlers were being honoured today with animal charity PDSAs Order of Merit, the equivalent of the OBE. The three London Bridge attackers Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba killed eight people on June 3 2017 and wore fake explosive belts made of water bottles wrapped in silver tape to instil terror. Police dog Bruno / Twitter In the Westminster Bridge attack, in which five people were killed on March 22 2017, a police dog team was sent in to check terrorist Khalid Masoods car for a bomb after it crashed into the railings outside Parliament. Four dogs were also used to search for potential devices among the chaos on the bridge. In total, 19 dogs were used in the aftermath of the two terror attacks and seven dogs were chosen by ballot to receive the PDSA awards. Police dog Jax / Twitter The charity said the dog teams worked in the knowledge that they could have encountered real bombs and explosive belts. The dogs teams honoured today include Kai, an explosive detection dog and handler Pc Jean Pearce; Delta, a firearms support dog and handler Pc Mark Snoxhall; and Dave, an explosive detection dog and handler Pc Andy Salter, all from the Met. Kai, a spaniel, was deployed in both attacks. The British Transport Police dogs include Bruno, an explosive search dog and handler Pc Rob Smith; Marci, a general purpose dog and handler Pc Neil Billany; and Jax, a general purpose dog and handler Pc Craig Howarth. Chief Inspector Graham Horwood, of the Mets Taskforce, said: In 2017 we were sadly met with some unimaginable events. Our police dogs and their handlers were required to work in the most challenging environments and we are delighted to hear that their extraordinary work has been recognised. British Transport Police Inspector Paul Miles said: I am immensely proud of our dogs and their handlers. They worked through physically and emotionally challenging conditions without second thought, courageously walking into danger and putting the publics safety before their own. A property heiress told today how she was left screaming for mercy when she was brutally assaulted by her ex-boyfriend in a horrendous attack at her west London home. Chloe Pidgley, 26, was punched and kicked repeatedly in the face by Antonio Henry in her own bedroom, when he refused to accept that their relationship was over. He hurled a chair and an oil radiator at a terrified Ms Pidgley, and trapped her fingers in a door when she tried to escape, Isleworth crown court heard. Henry yesterday admitted assault and criminal damage on the first day of his trial, and was branded a coward as he was jailed for 21 months. Chloe was punched and kicked repeatedly in the face by her ex-boyfriend Antonio Henry Ms Pidgley, the granddaughter of Berkeley Homes founder Tony Pidgley and an heiress to the 310 million family fortune, said the attack came after she broke off a four-month relationship with Henry and he just wouldnt leave me alone. Five days before the assault she confronted Henry about messages he had been sending to her, her sister and mother, but he followed her and smashed up my house. she told the Standard. Describing the attack at her home in Earls Court, Ms Pidgley said she heard a smash and found Henry standing in her bedroom when she went to investigate. Ms Pidgley said she was over the moon that her ex is now behind bars I was screaming and tried to get out of the room and that is when he slammed my fingers in the door, she said. The attack was horrendous. I was screaming and crying and he was punching and kicking me, hitting my head. I couldnt move or breath. Even with blood everywhere he still wouldnt stop. At one point I stopped screaming and tried to plead with him. Ms Pidgley added: I couldnt even fight back because it seemed there was no point, so I stayed lying in the foetal position. She was in court to see him jailed yesterday, and said she was over the moon that her ex-boyfriend is now behind bars. I feel so much safer now, she said. Im so happy. I just feel like its a fresh start. I dont think I realised how much it affected me. She added: It is not fair anyone has had to go through this situation. At one point I cared about this person. It has really opened my eyes to how many women go through this and have abuse in their lives. Ms Pidgley said she has been unable to return to her job as a receptionist off the Kings Road since the attack on June 18 last year, and has since taken part in marches to raise awareness of violence against women. I could have been killed. Women are dying every day in abusive relationships, she said. It wasnt about the sentence. It was about teaching him a lesson and showing other men that it will not be tolerated. That behaviour will be punished. Her sister, model Chantelle Pidgley, 27, said: Chloe has been really stressed but she has come out of it feeling there are people on her side. The court heard Henry, from Ealing, has convictions dating back to 2003 including for assault, battery, harassment, making threats and dealing class A drugs. A teenage boy is in a critical condition after a violent attack at a west London station. Police have launched a manhunt for a suspect after the 17-year-old victim was knocked to the ground before suffering a number of blows and kicks to the head. It happened after an altercation at Richmond station at about 5.45pm on Sunday. The suspect left the station with a woman, while the victim was hospitalised with serious injuries. British Transport Police is appealing for information on this suspect / British Transport Police As British Transport Police (BTP) released CCTV images of the suspect, Det Sgt Emma Boulton said: This was a particularly violent assault and Id like to ask the man in these pictures to come forward. Likewise, Id also like to hear from anyone who recognises this man, or who was in the station at the time. If you have information which may help us investigate, then please do get in touch with us as soon as possible. T he father of a woman who died on a speedboat crash on the Thames has said he believes justice is edging closer after a judge in Georgia ruled her fugitive killer must be extradited to the UK. A court in Tbilisi approved Britain's extradition request on Tuesday after Shepherd said he wishes to take part in an appeal against his conviction over the death of 24-year-old Charlotte Brown. His defence lawyer Tariel Kakabadze said that although they do not agree with the case made by the prosecutor, his client consented to extradition. Shepherd, 31, was found guilty of the manslaughter by gross negligence of Ms Brown who was killed after he took her on a date on his speedboat. He disappeared before his trial started in July last year and was sentenced to six years in jail in his absence at the Old Bailey having skipped bail and fled the UK to Georgia. Shepherd was sentenced to six years in jail but remained at liberty. Jack Shepherd was found guilty in his absence of manslaughter by gross negligence of Charlotte Brown, 24, and was sentenced to six years in prison in Britain. / EPA He handed himself into Georgian police in January and has been in jail there ahead of his extradition hearing. He told the Tbilisi court that he made the "difficult decision" to not contest extradition "because I wish to participate in the appeal process, to fight for my freedom and to be reunited with those I love, my family, my son". However, Graham Brown said the reality was Shepherd had a weak case and "no choice" but to return, as the father celebrated the extradition ruling. Tragic death: Charlotte Brown was killed in the crash / PA "It brings it a bit closer that we are going to get justice for Charlotte. We are pleased it appears to be coming to an end," Mr Brown told ITV News. "We're hoping that he won't follow through with his appeal, which causes the family more anguish, but I guess that could be a forlorn hope." Ms Kakabadze estimated Shepherd could return to the UK within two weeks. Shepherd, originally from Exeter, is also wanted in the UK over an assault that took place in a bar. Jack Shepherd attends a court hearing in Tbilisi. / EPA The incident is alleged to have occurred shortly before Shepherd fled to Tbilisi in Moretonhampstead, Devon, on March 16 last year. He is accused of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. The family of Ms Brown, from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, have fought a battle for justice following her death in December 2015. E aster Sunday is now so close we can almost taste the mountains of chocolate eggs we're going to indulge in. And not only do we have a long, four-day Easter weekend to look forward to but the weather is set to be scorching too. Students across the UK will have already settled into their two week break off school, while many workers will be counting down the hours until the start of the long weekend. So to help you plan for the end of the Easter holiday, heres everything you need to know about this years term and Easter dates: When is Easter 2019? Spring has sprung: This year, Easter weekend runs through 21-24 April. / Couleur/Pixabay This year, Easter Sunday falls on 21 April. That means we celebrate Good Friday on 19 April and bag ourselves a day off on Easter Monday, which falls on 22 April. Is there post over the Easter weekend? The Royal Mail doesn't usually deliver or collect on Bank Holidays which means there will be no post, either collections or deliveries, on Good Friday or Easter Monday. Most post offices will be open on Easter Saturday, however. Be prepared for your post to take a little longer than usual to send or receive over the bank holiday weekend. What are Easter Sunday opening hours for shops? Most of the major supermarkets will be closed on Easter Sunday. Some Tesco and Marks & Spencer stores will be open on reduced hours. Make sure you check all the shops opening times with our handy guide. What are the school term dates for this year? Term dates will differ depending on the council, but all schools will generally follow similar term patterns. For most London boroughs, the term dates for 2019 are: Spring term: Monday 7 January - Friday 15 February Half term: Monday 18 February - Friday 22 February Monday 25 February - Friday 5 April Easter holidays: Monday 8 April - Monday 22 April Summer term: Tuesday 23 April - Friday 24 May Half term: Monday 27 May to Friday 31 May Monday 3 June to Tuesday 23 July Things to do in London this Easter 1 /14 Things to do in London this Easter Take a ride in Wonka's world The View of Pure Imagination, London Eye, SE1, March 25 April 9, londoneye.com The London Eye is having a scrumdiddlyumptious makeover, as its pods are transformed into an immersive family experience based on the West End telling of Roald Dahls beloved Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. Take a ride with Willy Wonkas assistant, Professor Pop, as the popular show is hoisted 135m into the air, complete with storytellers, actors and workshops. (Golden) Tickets 29.65 for adults, 26.05 for children A search in the skies Wheres Wally at the Shard, SE1, March 19 April 10, the-shard.com Traveller extraordinaire Wally has returned to London once again and is hiding among the capitals most iconic buildings. In fact, the stripy fellow and his pals Wenda, Woof, Wizard Whitebeard and Odlaw are so well concealed, would-be detectives will have to go as high as they can to find them. Head to the floor 72 of the Shard, via its space-age lifts, to scan the skyline for them. A Family ticket is 74.95 Beautiful ballet My First Ballet, Sleeping Beauty, Peacock Theatre, WC2, peacocktheatre.com Ballet is a beautiful thing, not always high-tech but thoroughly highly skilled, and all the more absorbing for it. This retelling of a familiar tale has been shortened for young audiences, and theres a narrator on hand to ensure nobody gets lost. It may be for young ones, but Tchaikovsky's score is captivating no matter your age. Tickets from 10 Savour a childrens classic Railway Children, Across London, March 28, railwaychildrenfilm.com For one day only, the spectacular Olivier award-winning theatre production of E. Nesbits iconic childrens story The Railway Children will be screened in all major cinemas nationwide. The show even has its own lifesize locomotive puffing onto the stage. Steaming marvellous. Ticket prices vary Dance the weekend away Sadlers Wells Family Dance Weekend, EC1R, March 25 26, sadlerswells.com Sadlers Wells annual two-day festival of family-friendly happenings returns with acclaimed contemporary dance company Ballet-Lorent performing Snow White, a production theyve put together with poet laureate Dame Carol Ann Duffy, and featuring Olivier-award winning actress Lindsay Duncan as the narrator. Alternatively, MOKO Dance are hosting dance workshop Digitopia for 5 8 year olds (and their grown-ups), which is all bright colours and fun. Tickets 18 Shakespeare on the roof Shakespeare Up at The O2, SE10, March 26, theo2.co.uk Celebrate 400 years of the Bard and have an adventure doing it: climb the roof of the O2 arena you can see for around 15 miles where theatre group Grassroots Shakespeare will be performing snippets from Shakespeares most famous works, including Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo and Juliet. Culture never had a view so good. Tickets from 35 RD Photography Dahls darkest creations return The Witches, Rose King Theatre, KT1, Mar 29 - Sun Apr 10, rosetheatrekingston.org The darkest of Dahls imagination crawled onto the page when he wrote The Witches, and this stage adaption promises the same deliciously grizzly experience. It stays faithful to the story of how one boy and his grandmother work together to destroy children-hating Witches. It is frightening, heartwarming, joyous, playful and has a wonderful score which twists the tension up and up and up. No risk of anyone being bored. Tickets from 8 Cats at the circus Zippos Circus 2016, Blackheath, SE3, March 25 April 5, zippos.co.uk Zippos are celebrating 30 years on the road with all the usual high-flying antics and an array of cats. Not just any cats, either: these are talented, agile moggies acrocats, as it were. Zippos offer old-fashioned fun, but it remains as impressive as ever, and the Wheel of Death has rarely been more terrifying. Just dont let anyone try the knife-throwing routine at home. Tickets 9 for adults, 7.50 for children Feast with friends, take the family Hawker House, SE16, every Fri/Sat from 5pm, streetfeastlondon.com Hawker House has long been an evening favourite for Londons foodies, but this year is proving more welcoming for families than ever. Its not that theyve changed the formula its still a haven of top street food but hungry grown-ups are bringing the family and everyones happy. Such variety of food means even the fussiest of eaters will find something to demolish, but really, its a perfect excuse for adults to finally have that long overdue catch-up with friends and take the little ones. Prices vary Youve goat to see this The Oxford and Cambridge Goat Race, Spitalfields City Farm, E1, March 27, ticketsource.co.uk If you find the boat race a little too straight-faced, head to this alternative, which sees two goats purporting to represent the famous universities trot it out across Spitalfields farm. It is, from start to finish, a laugh, for both spectators and organisers. Well, whatever floats your goat Tickets 13 Go hunting Across London, standard.co.uk It's a little known fact, but Easter doesn't actually celebrate the invention of chocolate eggs. Still, due to large-scale public ignorance, Easter egg hunts remain as popular as ever. Thank goodness: food tastes all the better if you've had to crawl about for it. For little ones and big kids alike, there's some serious detecting to be done across the capital read our guide for more. Prices vary Autumn term: Monday 2 September - Friday 18 October Half term: Monday 21 October - Friday 25 October Monday 28 October - Thursday 19 December Christmas break: Friday 20 December 2019 - Friday 3 January 2020 You can find out more about your school's term dates here. Why is Easter so late this year? Instead of being marked on a specific date each year, Easter is celebrated on the Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or the day after the spring equinox. This year, the spring equinox falls on Weds 20 March, so Easter is on Sunday 21 April. A secret tunnel more than 70ft below the streets of London will provide high-security power to the American Embassy. When complete this summer, cables threaded through the 42 million project will also electrify Battersea Power Station and tens of thousands of homes in the 560-acre Nine Elms development. Extra supply is needed as Londons future power needs rocket with the advent of electric cars, said UK Power Networks, the infrastructure giant behind the works. The exact location of the 8.5km (5.3-mile) tunnel near the river must remain under wraps for security reasons. Its depth ranges from 72ft (22m) to 98ft (30m) depending on the location of old gas pipes, rail tracks and sewers criss-crossing around it. The two-year project included digging a 108ft (330m) spur, known as the Battersea Cable Tunnel, that breaks into the existing main bore. The spur was drilled out using a tunnel-boring machine, which heaved concrete reinforcement panels into the clay as it went. A junction chamber linking the spur to the main tunnel was dug by hand using techniques from the time of Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, but with modern pneumatic shovels. Much of the digging was done while 132,000-volt cables were live in the existing main tunnel, which are about 500 times more dangerous than a domestic plug. Rosie Bridger, project manager for UK Power Networks, said: As London grows, demand continues to increase, and working in central London space is tight. T heresa May's Brexit plan has been thrown into disarray after MPs dramatically voted to wrest control of the process from the hands of ministers. Three pro-EU ministers also announced they were quitting the Government over Monday nights vote. They joined a 30-strong Tory rebellion who supported the amendment. The Commons amendment, which was passed by 329 to 302 a majority of 27 enables MPs to take control of Commons business to stage a series of "indicative votes" on alternatives to the Prime Minister's deal. Business minister Richard Harrington, who resigned along with Middle East minister Alistair Burt and health minister Steve Brine, said the Government was "playing roulette" with peoples' lives and livelihoods in its handling of Brexit. Under pressure: Theresa May leaves the Commons on Monday night / EPA The result means MPs can potentially dictate business of the Commons - normally controlled by the Government - for days to come, potentially paving the way for a "softer" deal that keeps Britain closer to the EU. Ministers will consider their response at the weekly meeting of the Cabinet in Downing Street on Tuesday. The Government warned the vote had set a "dangerous, unpredictable precedent" and said it was essential that any options put forward by MPs were actually "deliverable". "This amendment instead upends the balance between our democratic institutions and sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent for the future, a spokesman for the Department for Exiting the EU said. MPs take control of Brexit: A breakdown of the vote "While it is now up to Parliament to set out next steps in respect of this amendment, the Government will continue to call for realism - any options considered must be deliverable in negotiations with the EU." Earlier in a statement to MPs, the Prime Minister warned she would not feel bound by the results of any indicative votes - which could include a softer, Norway-style deal, a second referendum or revoking the Article 50 withdrawal process altogether. "No Government could give a blank cheque to commit to an outcome without knowing what it is," she said. "So I cannot commit the Government to delivering the outcome of any votes held by this House. But I do commit to engaging constructively with this process." MPs clearing the floor to vote on the Letwin amendment on Monday / EPA However one of the leading Tory rebels, former minister Nick Boles, warned that MPs could take pass legislation forcing the Government to act if she tired to ignore their wishes. "We will be relying on the Government to reflect Parliament's wishes," he told the BBC. "If, ultimately, the Government refuses to listen to what Parliament has voted for then we will look to bring forward a Bill, pass an Act of Parliament that will require the Government to reflect Parliament's wishes in its new negotiating mandate." Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also warned the Government must "take this process seriously". "The Government's approach has been an abject failure and this House must now find a solution," he said. Mrs May delivers a statement in Parliament on Monday / REUTERS "I know there are many members of this House who have been working for alternative solutions, and we must debate those to find a consensus." The successful amendment was tabled by Tory former minister Sir Oliver Letwin with cross-party backing, including from ex-attorney general Dominic Grieve and Labour's Hilary Benn. It means MPs will take control of the Commons order paper from 2pm on Wednesday, with Sir Oliver suggesting voting could carry on over several days to establish if there was a proposal the House could coalesce around. He said the amendment provided for the Commons "to begin the process of working its way towards identifying a a way forward that can command a majority in this House". Prime Minister Theresa May addresses the Commons / EPA He said he believed the first vote should enable MPs to disclose "where the votes lie" on a "plain vanilla basis" - with all votes cast on a paper slip at the end of the debate. The House, he said, should then seek to establish a method of voting that would enable it to "zero in" on compromise which could command a majority over the course of the coming days. The vote came after the Prime Minister acknowledged that she still did not have sufficient support to bring back her deal to the Commons for a third "meaningful vote" She said she would continue her efforts to build support for the deal - defeated by 230 votes in January and 149 votes in March - and stage a vote before the end of the week. The European Council last week set a deadline of Friday for her to secure parliamentary approval for her Withdrawal Agreement if the UK is to leave the EU with a deal on May 22. If she cannot get it through the Commons, then the UK has until April 12 to propose a different approach or crash out of the EU without a deal. T heresa May was hurtling towards a clash with Parliament today as ministers said she could simply ignore the landmark Commons votes on a new Brexit plan. Hours after the Prime Minister was humiliated when MPs voted to seize control of Brexit last night, senior Cabinet ministers said the Government would not commit to honouring the outcome. Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom, a leading Brexiteer, declared that the Government would not adopt a plan it deemed undeliverable. But Mrs Mays stance met a chorus of opposition. Former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine said she was playing with fire, while a former clerk to the Commons, Lord Lisvane, said she would be seen as somewhat subversive if she ignored the Commons. The Prime Minister faced a row with her Cabinet today as ministers demanded the right to free votes in historic indicative votes in the Commons, starting tomorrow night. Under pressure on Brexit: Theresa May / AFP/Getty Images Downing Street was unable to say this morning whether or not Mrs May would try to impose a whip on Government members. The battlelines were being drawn up today for when backbench MPs will take control of the Commons timetable from 2pm tomorrow to debate different options for ending the Brexit impasse. Sir Oliver Letwin, the architect of the takeover, told the Evening Standard that politicians owe it to the country to work together. The really hard bit comes next, he said. Theres little chance that the House of Commons will produce a majority for an alternative way forward in just one vote. But we have to use this process tomorrow and on Monday to try to work towards a consensus that can carry a majority. That wont be an easy task. But we owe if to the country to try. MPs voted by 329 to 302 late last night to swing the plan into action, allowing proper debates on alternatives such as revoking Article 50 and a Norway-style arrangement to trade freely with the EU as a non-member. London People's Vote march: In Pictures 1 /50 London People's Vote march: In Pictures EPA An EU supporter with her face painted REUTERS PA AFP/Getty Images REUTERS EPA A demonstrator carries a dog on his shoulders AP An EU supporter carries a child on his shoulders, calling on the government to give Britons a vote on the final Brexit deal REUTERS PA REUTERS EU supporters dressed in costumes REUTERS EPA Sir Vince Cable in attendance PA A demonstrator holds a holds a poster AP EPA An EU supporter with the EU flag painted on her face, REUTERS Getty Images A demonstrator leads a dog wearing a suit in the EU colors during a Peoples Vote AP An EU supporter takes a selfie with a sticker on his nose REUTERS Demonstrators pull a cart with a doll AP Katie Walton Placards stand against a wall Getty Images Anti-Brexit campaigners before they take part in the People's Vote March PA Katie Walton Getty Images Getty Images A demonstrator and her dog wait for the start of a Peoples Vote anti-Brexit march in London AP REUTERS Demonstrators on their way from London Victoria Jacob Jarvis Independent Group MPs Chuka Umunna and Anna Soubry have a selfie taken with Tracey Ullman PA REUTERS The march took place in central London REUTERS An anti-Brexit banner is unfurled from Westminster PA A demonstrator holds a dog on a leash as people start gathering for a Peoples Vote anti-Brexit march in London AP Anti-Brexit campaigners in Park Lane PA Demonstrators carry posters during a Peoples Vote AP nti-Brexit badges are seen Getty Images Getty Images Former Tory minister Nick Boles was ecstatic: I woke up today happier than I have done for months but with a churning stomach as I contemplated the mountain that we have to climb together, he said. Three respected ministers resigned last night so they could vote for the cross-party initiative against Mrs Mays wishes. Each MP today urged her to work with Parliament. Alistair Burt, who quit as a Foreign Office minister, said the Government should not try to whip the votes. Parliament should seek urgently to resolve the situation by considering alternatives freely, without the instruction of party whips, and Government should adopt any feasible outcome as its own in order to progress matters, he said. Lord Heseltine told the BBC Mrs May might not survive a clash with Parliament. She is playing with fire when she says that she is not going to take any notice of what the House of Commons says, he claimed. He added: Her premiership has been hanging by the flimsiest thread now for some weeks. Lord Lisvane, a crossbencher and expert on the constitution, told Today: I found that very surprising that the Prime Minister says that she is not prepared to do what the House of Commons asks her to do and I think that is somewhat subversive of the relationship between the executive and Parliament. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said ministers had to hold back agreement in case MPs opted for a plan that was impossible to deliver. Clearly, its incumbent on the Government to listen to what the Commons says, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. But we cant pre-commit to following whatever they vote for, because they might vote for something that is completely impractical. The storm overshadowed one piece of good news for Mrs May the strongest hint yet from leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg that he may swing behind her twice-rejected deal now that no-deal has been ruled out by MPs. He told the Conservative Home website: Whether we are there yet is another matter, but I have always thought that no deal is better than Mrs Mays deal, but Mrs Mays deal is better than not leaving at all. Other Brexiteers refused to budge. Sir Bill Cash hit out at the Letwin plan as a constitutional revolution ... that the House will come to regret. Steve Brine, who resigned as health minister last night, said the Government had never reached across the aisle enough to make a cross-party deal. Many around the Cabinet table will argue for a free vote so Parliament can truly show what it would support, a Cabinet source said. Richard Harrington, who resigned as a business minister, said he quit because the Government was playing roulette with peoples lives. Labour MP Hilary Benn, chairman of the Brexit Select Committee, told Today: If the Government isnt going to do its job then Parliament is going to have to take responsibility. The Government claimed the move had set a dangerous, unpredictable precedent for the constitution. Before the vote, the Prime Minister said she refused to feel bound to accept the results. No Government could give a blank cheque to commit to an outcome without knowing what it is, she said. But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the Government must take this process seriously. Senior MEP Guy Verhofstadt welcomed the plan. Parliament takes control, he tweeted. An opportunity to build a cross-party co-operation leading to an enhanced political declaration & a closer future relationship! T heresa May today came under pressure from the shop stewards of Tory backbenchers to set a date for her departure. Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, was seen entering 10 Downing Street early this afternoon amid rumours the Prime Minister will announce tomorrow when she plans to step down. MPs were expecting Sir Graham, who represents backbench Conservatives, to tell Mrs May that such a message would be welcomed by colleagues. It emerged earlier that Mrs May will make a speech tomorrow at the 1922 Committee. Many MPs believe she will make a final plea for her twice-rejected withdrawal deal and that she intends to gamble everything on a third meaningful vote on Thursday. Announcing her departure date is being demanded by some MPs as their price for backing her, on the grounds they could choose a new leader to run the next phase of negotiations with the European Union. MPs are expecting Sir Graham Brady to tell Mrs May that a message indicidating the timetable for her departure would be welcomed by colleagues / PA Former minister Tim Loughton told BBC2s Politics Live: Its become inevitable. For somebody who has got a huge sense of public service its a great tragedy that it will end, I fear, in the way its going to end. He added: Im afraid ... that her position has become untenable. The leadership is not there. A Cabinet source told the Evening Standard that Tory whips were getting ready for a possible confidence vote in the Government if the third vote was badly defeated. Mrs Mays chief of staff Gavin Barwell is said to have told a Whitehall meeting recently that she wants to stay for another six months before handing over the reins. That would lead to a long Tory leadership battle, giving more chance to dark horses to come from the back of the field. Earlier Mrs May was hurtling towards a clash with Parliament as ministers said she could simply ignore the landmark Commons votes on a new Brexit plan. MPs voted by 329 to 302 late last night to swing the plan into action, allowing proper debates on alternatives such as revoking Article 50 and a Norway-style arrangement to trade freely with the EU as a non-member. There are rumours the Prime Minister will announce tomorrow when she plans to step down / AUK Parliament Senior Cabinet ministers said the Government would not commit to honouring the outcome. Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom, a leading Brexiteer, declared that the Government would not adopt a plan it deemed undeliverable. Mrs Mays stance met a chorus of opposition. Former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine said she was playing with fire, while a former clerk to the Commons Lord Lisvane said she would be seen as somewhat subversive if she ignored the Commons. The Cabinet this morning postponed a decision on how to whip tomorrows indicative votes on Brexit Plan Bs until it sees the list of the options that will be put to the vote. Sir Oliver Letwin said politicians owe it to the country to work together / EPA The decision suggests that ministers have won a battle to secure the right, in principle, to vote with their consciences in some cases. Sir Oliver Letwin, the architect of the takeover, told the Standard that politicians owe it to the country to work together. The really hard bit comes next, he said. Theres little chance that the House of Commons will produce a majority for an alternative way forward in just one vote. But we have to use this process tomorrow and on Monday to try to work towards a consensus that can carry a majority. That wont be an easy task. But we owe if to the country to try. Former Tory minister Nick Boles, who was also behind the amendment, was ecstatic. I woke up today happier than I have done for months but with a churning stomach as I contemplated the mountain that we have to climb together, he said. Three respected ministers resigned last night so they could vote for the cross-party initiative against Mrs Mays wishes. Each MP today urged her to work with Parliament. Alistair Burt, who quit as a Foreign Office minister, said the Government should not try to whip the votes. Parliament should seek urgently to resolve the situation by considering alternatives freely, without the instruction of party whips, and government should adopt any feasible outcome as its own in order to progress matters, he said. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said ministers had to hold back agreement in case MPs opted for a plan that was impossible to deliver. Clearly, its incumbent on the Government to listen to what the Commons says, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. But we cant pre-commit to following whatever they vote for, because they might vote for something that is completely impractical. Steve Brine, who resigned as health minister last night, said the Government had never reached across the aisle enough to make a cross-party deal. Many around the Cabinet table will argue for a free vote so Parliament can truly show what it would support, a Cabinet source said. Richard Harrington, who resigned as a business minister, said he quit because the Government was playing roulette with peoples lives. Labour MP Hilary Benn, chairman of the Brexit Select Committee, told Today: If the Government isnt going to do its job then Parliament is going to have to take responsibility. The Government claimed the move had set a dangerous, unpredictable precedent for the constitution. Before last nights vote, the Prime Minister said she refused to feel bound to accept the results. No government could give a blank cheque to commit to an outcome without knowing what it is, she said. But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the Government must take this process seriously. Shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner has warned that Labour could have difficulty supporting a plan for a confirmatory referendum on any Brexit deal. "It would be saying we could accept what we have always said is a very bad deal. Therefore it looks as if the attempt to have a public vote on it is simply a way of trying to remain because nobody likes this deal," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. "To put that up as the only alternative in a public vote and say we will let it go through looks as though you believe that at the end of it Remain would be the result. "It is not where our policy has been. Our policy is clearly that we would support a public vote to stop no-deal or to stop a bad deal, but not that we would allow a bad deal as long as the public had the opportunity to reject Brexit altogether. M Ps will tonight be asked to consider a range of eight alternative Brexit options after Parliament seized control of the Commons agenda to force a series of "indicative votes". Voting will take place in the Commons from 7pm on a series of options to see if anything commands a majority in Parliament. On Monday evening, MPs backed an amendment for the votes put forward by Tory MP Sir Oliver Letwin and a cross-party group to try to find a way through the Brexit impasse after Theresa May's deal failed to secure a majority in the Commons twice. Speaker John Bercow has now selected eight of the 16 proposals put forward, which are currently being debated in the Commons. Speaker John Bercow selected eight options for the 'indicative votes' / EPA The House will be suspended for voting to take place from 7pm to 7.30pm and MPs will be able to vote for and against as many options as they like. However, Mr Bercow said MPs cannot vote aye and no to the same motion. The results of the votes are expected shortly after 9pm and will be available on the House of Commons app. A second round of voting could take place next Monday to find a single preference once the options are narrowed down. Here are the different options that MPs will vote on today: Common Market 2.0 Tabled by Conservatives Nick Boles, Robert Halfon and Andrew Percy and Labour's Stephen Kinnock, Lucy Powell and Diana Johnson, the motion proposes UK membership of the European Free Trade Association and European Economic Area. It allows continued participation in the single market and a "comprehensive customs arrangement" with the EU after Brexit, which would remain in place until the agreement of a wider trade deal which guarantees frictionless movement of goods and an open border in Ireland. No deal Backed by Conservative MPs John Baron, David Amess, Martin Vickers and Stephen Metcalfe, the motion proposes leaving the European Union without a deal on April 12. EEA/EFTA without customs union A motion tabled by Conservative MP George Eustice - who quit as agriculture minister this month to fight for Brexit - proposes remaining within the EEA and rejoining EFTA, but remaining outside a customs union with the EU. The motion was also signed by Conservative MPs including former minister Nicky Morgan and head of the Brexit Delivery Group Simon Hart. Customs union The motion requires a commitment to negotiate a "permanent and comprehensive UK-wide customs union with the EU" in any Brexit deal. It was tabled by veteran Conservative Europhile Ken Clarke, backed by Labour's Yvette Cooper, Helen Goodman and chair of the Commons Exiting the EU Committee Hilary Benn and Tory former ministers Sir Oliver Letwin and Sarah Newton. Labour's plan Labour has tabled a motion again proposing its plan for a close economic relationship with the EU. The plan includes a comprehensive customs union with a UK say on future trade deals; close alignment with the single market; matching new EU rights and protections; participation in EU agencies and funding programmes; and agreement on future security arrangements, including access to the European Arrest Warrant. Revoke Article 50 Under this plan, if the Government has not passed its Withdrawal Agreement, it would have to stage a vote on a no-deal Brexit two sitting days before the scheduled date of departure. If MPs refuse to authorise no-deal, the Prime Minister would be required to halt Brexit by revoking Article 50. The motion, tabled by the SNP's Joanna Cherry, has been signed by 38 MPs including Conservative former attorney general Dominic Grieve, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable, Labour's Ben Bradshaw and all 11 members of The Independent Group. Confirmatory public vote This motion would require a public vote to confirm any Brexit deal passed by Parliament before its ratification. It was drawn up by Labour MPs Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson and tabled by former foreign secretary Dame Margaret Beckett with the backing of scores of MPs across the House. Contingent preferential arrangements A group of Conservative MPs, including Marcus Fysh, Steve Baker and Priti Patel, have signed this motion. P rotecting the United Kingdom is the big issue for the Democratic Unionist Party rather than backing a toxic deal to get Brexit over the line, senior MPs said today. They warned that they would not agree to Theresa Mays Brexit plans unless the threat from the Northern Ireland border backstop to the UKs integrity was neutered. Jim Shannon, DUP MP for Strangford, accused the Prime Minister of having failed to deliver on his partys red line for changes to the backstop to ensure Northern Ireland would not be splintered off from the rest of the UK. Some members of the Tory hardline Eurosceptic European Research Group, including its chairman Jacob Rees-Mogg, are now signalling that they may back Mrs Mays divorce deal from the EU in a third vote rather than risk a long delay to Britain leaving, or possibly no Brexit. Mr Shannon told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: They have not all changed their opinion but they maybe see Brexit as the greater issue rather than the union. We see the union as the big issue, as a priority. While the DUP has been seeking to reach an agreement with the Government so that it could support the Withdrawal Agreement, relations have grown more tense in recent days. We had only one red line and that one red line was clear, the backstop, and that has not changed, added Mr Shannon, stressing the need for legally-binding changes such as a time limit. The issue for us was always very simple, the union is the most important thing for us. DUP Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson was more blunt, telling Sky News All Out Politics: Why would we vote for something which we believe is so toxic? Why would we vote for an agreement which cuts Northern Ireland off from the rest of the United Kingdom? Mrs May spoke to DUP leader Arlene Foster yesterday but failed to break the deadlock. The DUP now expects the Government to rumble on with the Withdrawal Agreement towards April 12, the day which the UK would now quit the EU if there is no deal agreed or longer extension, in the hope that more MPs can be pressurised into supporting it. A fresh call was made today to legalise cannabis sales in the UK to try to disrupt criminal gangs. Crispin Blunt, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reform, is urging the Government to control sales as he claims that 50 years of prohibition has failed lamentably. The Tory MPs warning comes as NHS figures show a significant rise in under-19s admitted to hospital because of severe disorders caused by the drug. The data published yesterday revealed that more than 3,400 under-19s were admitted to hospital last year for mental and behavioural illnesses sparked by cannabis. This is an increase of 38 per cent since 2013-2014. Mr Blunt said: Only through licensing and regulating can we ensure controls are in place on the potency of cannabis products sold and age checks on purchasers Half a century of just say no prohibition has failed lamentably. T he Government has rejected a petition calling for Brexit to be stopped, which has gathered more than 5.75 million signatures. The petition is due to be debated by MPs on April 1, after smashing the 100,000 threshold for consideration and becoming the best-supported proposal in the history of the House of Commons and Government's e-petitions website. Rejecting the oft-repeated claim that EU withdrawal is the "will of the people", it calls for the revocation of the Article 50 letter informing the European Council of the UK's intention to leave. But in its official response to the petition, the Department for Exiting the EU said: "It remains the Government's firm policy not to revoke Article 50. We will honour the outcome of the 2016 referendum and work to deliver an exit which benefits everyone, whether they voted to Leave or to Remain." People attend the 'Put it to the People' march in London / EPA Their statement said: "Revoking Article 50, and thereby remaining in the European Union, would undermine both our democracy and the trust that millions of voters have placed in Government. "The Government acknowledges the considerable number of people who have signed this petition. However, close to three-quarters of the electorate took part in the 2016 referendum, trusting that the result would be respected. "Revoking Article 50 would break the promises made by Government to the British people, disrespect the clear instruction from a democratic vote, and in turn, reduce confidence in our democracy." Protesters take part in the Put it to the People March on Saturday afternoon / Getty Images The Commons Petitions Committee earlier announced that the petition - which passed 5.8 million signatures on Tuesday evening - would be debated in Westminster Hall on April 1. Backed by dozens of high profile celebrities, the petition gained support in the wake of Theresa May's speech on Wednesday night, even crashing the Parliament website several times. On Monday, MPs will also debate petitions calling for a second EU referendum, which has received more than 120,000 signatures, and another - signed by more than 140,000 - demanding that the UK leave with or without a deal on March 29. The news comes after an estimated one million people took to the streets of London for the Put it to the People march on Saturday, calling for a peoples vote on Brexit. London People's Vote march: In Pictures 1 /50 London People's Vote march: In Pictures EPA An EU supporter with her face painted REUTERS PA AFP/Getty Images REUTERS EPA A demonstrator carries a dog on his shoulders AP An EU supporter carries a child on his shoulders, calling on the government to give Britons a vote on the final Brexit deal REUTERS PA REUTERS EU supporters dressed in costumes REUTERS EPA Sir Vince Cable in attendance PA A demonstrator holds a holds a poster AP EPA An EU supporter with the EU flag painted on her face, REUTERS Getty Images A demonstrator leads a dog wearing a suit in the EU colors during a Peoples Vote AP An EU supporter takes a selfie with a sticker on his nose REUTERS Demonstrators pull a cart with a doll AP Katie Walton Placards stand against a wall Getty Images Anti-Brexit campaigners before they take part in the People's Vote March PA Katie Walton Getty Images Getty Images A demonstrator and her dog wait for the start of a Peoples Vote anti-Brexit march in London AP REUTERS Demonstrators on their way from London Victoria Jacob Jarvis Independent Group MPs Chuka Umunna and Anna Soubry have a selfie taken with Tracey Ullman PA REUTERS The march took place in central London REUTERS An anti-Brexit banner is unfurled from Westminster PA A demonstrator holds a dog on a leash as people start gathering for a Peoples Vote anti-Brexit march in London AP Anti-Brexit campaigners in Park Lane PA Demonstrators carry posters during a Peoples Vote AP nti-Brexit badges are seen Getty Images Getty Images The woman who started the petition also revealed over the weekend that she has received three death threats over the phone and torrents of abuse on social media. Margaret Georgiadou, 77, started the anti-Brexit petition in February, but has now been left scared after being threatened. The retired lecturer said: In the past 10 hours have had three death threats over the phone, my FB account has been hacked and had a torrent of abuse on Facebook. Am closing my FB account. Who wants Brexit so much that they are prepared to kill for it? Since the petition was launched, celebrities and MPs have tweeted their support for Parliament to revoke the Treaty of Lisbon clause that deals with leaving the EU. Famous figures including actors Hugh Grant and Jennifer Saunders, TV presenter and author Caitlin Moran, physicist Brian Cox and former Labour press chief Alastair Campbell all urged their followers on social media to sign the petition. Alongside the link, Grant wrote: "I've signed. And it looks like every sane person in the country is signing too. National emergency." However, Mrs May last week ruled out halting the Brexit process, saying: I do not believe that we should be revoking Article 50. Theresa May in the Commons (AFP) / AFP PHOTO /JESSICA TAYLOR / UK Parliament She told reporters in Brussels on Thursday: If you look back to what happened in the referendum, we saw the biggest democratic exercise in our history. And there was a clear result that we should leave the European Union. We said heres the vote, what is your decision, and we will deliver on it. And I believe its our duty as a Government and as a Parliament to deliver on that vote. When asked for Mrs May's view on the petition, a No 10 spokeswoman said the Prime Minister worried failing to deliver Brexit would cause "potentially irreparable damage to public trust". She said: "The Prime Minister has long been clear that failing to deliver on the referendum result would be a failure of our democracy and something she couldn't countenance. C ontroversial Speaker John Bercow caused uproar in the House of Commons when he clashed with a former Tory whip on another night of Brexit drama. Mr Bercow was met with loud jeers when he responded to a heckle from Chelsea and Fulham MP Greg Hands by saying he wasnt a very good whip amid high tensions in Parliament. MPs demanded an apology from Mr Bercow over the insult as he was accused of showing a lack of respect. Mr Bercow had told Mr Hands: I dont require any help from the right honourable gentleman, the member for Chelsea and Fulham, who wouldnt have the foggiest idea where to start. John Bercow caused uproar in the House of Commons with his comment about Tory MP Greg Hands / EPA He was once a whip, he wasnt a very good whip, it would be better if he kept quiet. Mr Hands was deputy chief whip under David Cameron between 2013 and 2015. As the Speaker was met with a loud clamour, he defended his comments, saying they were "were not outrageous at all" and adding "members could shout as much as they like" but it "wouldn't make any difference. Greg Hands, MP for Chelsea and Fulham / Chris McAndrew / UK Parliament However former Tory chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin made a point of order accusing him of a lack of respect. Mr Bercow responded: 'What I would say is if I have caused offence I will very happily apologise.' It came after Theresa May's Brexit strategy was left in tatters after MPs dramatically voted to take control of the process from the hands of ministers. Three pro-EU ministers quit the Government to back a Commons amendment enabling MPs to take control of Commons business by staging a series of "indicative votes" on alternatives to the Prime Minister's deal. A man with Downs syndrome died after going without food for 10 days while he was being treated in hospital following a fall, an inquest has heard. The family of Giuseppe Ulleri raised concerns about the supposed lack of nutrition he was given at Manchester Royal Infirmary, where he died of pneumonia after struggling to ingest food through a tube, jurors heard. His family believe that he went 10 days without being fed during his stay at the hospital. Outlining the events leading up to the death, coroner Angharad Davies explained how the 61-year-old's condition meant that he had difficulty communicating and was not able to take care of himself, meaning he was the subject of a deprivation of liberty safeguarding order. Giuseppe Ulleri (seated), 61, with his brother Giovanni Ulleri. / PA Jurors heard how, on the morning of February 26, 2016, he was found lying on the floor of his bedroom in Withington, Manchester, by staff working for L'Arche, a company who looked after Mr Ulleri and supplied his living accommodation. Although initial scans taken at Manchester Royal Infirmary that day did not show any significant injuries, he was readmitted the next day after volunteers at L'Arche grew concerned about difficulties he appeared to have in walking and swallowing. The inquest at Manchester Coroner's Court heard how an X-ray and CT scan revealed fractures to the vertebrae in his neck, right hip and right wrist. The coroner explained that he then had a nasogastric tube, a plastic tube running through the nose and into the stomach, inserted on March 9 2016. Giuseppe Ulleri was being treated in hospital following a severe fall. / PA But the coroner explained how the tube only stayed in place for a day, as the patient struggled to use it and felt uncomfortable with it in place. Ms Davies explained: "Joe had long periods of time when he had no nutritional support when he stayed in hospital, and for a long period the only nutrition he had was that 24 hours when the tube was in place." Giving evidence, Mr Ulleri's brother Peter said he had phoned into a best interests meeting at the hospital on March 16 2016, where it was agreed Mr Ulleri would have a tube is inserted into his stomach through the abdominal wall on March 18. The witness said he believed his brother's condition was deteriorating due to lack of sufficient nutrition, and said he told staff: "Why the delay? He could die from this." Giuseppe Ulleri with his father Pietro Ulleri. / PA He explained how the delay in giving Mr Ulleri nutrition meant he was too weak to recover from the procedure, and he died on March 20 having suffered from aspiration pneumonia, which occurs when food, stomach acid or saliva is inhaled into the lungs. Another witness, Sister Christine O'Grady, worked for L'Arche at the time and said she had "grave concern" regarding the perceived lack of pain relief or nutrition Mr Ulleri was given in hospital. She said that before he had the nagrostic tube inserted on March 4 he had started coughing when staff at the Manchester Royal Infirmary attempted to feed him, meaning he had not been properly fed for a considerable amount of time. Sister O'Grady said to jurors she told a member of staff at the hospital: "If you don't do anything about it, then I will be seeing you in court." Naomi Tomlinson, who was also working for L'Arche at the time of Mr Ulleri's death, said there seemed to be a lack of "joined-up thinking" at the hospital. Discussing the communication she had with staff the day before his death, she said: "Within 24 hours, there was a very quick escalation from 'Joe is not going to die' to 'Joe is dying'." Giving evidence on Monday, another of Mr Ulleri's brothers, Giovanni, explained how he had been "an integral part of the family". Telling jurors how his brother had been born in Bolton but lived in the south of Manchester for much of his life, he said: "Rather than hide Joe away, mum and dad took him everywhere and were so very proud of him. "When people stared at him, Joe would throw them one of his smiles and you could not help but smile back at him. "We're all deeply in shock that we will never again see his cheeky innocent smile, or feel the tender embrace from one of his hugs." A British snowboarder has died after crashing into a tree at a ski resort in Andorra. The 59-year-old man suffered a cardiac arrest in the smash, according to a statement from the Grandvalira ski resort. He was said to have been alone at the time of the incident on Monday. The resort said emergency rescue teams rushed to help him. "They transferred him to the bottom of the slope," the resort's statement said. "Despite all efforts to revive him, he died minutes later." The incident happened on the Avet slope, a black run recommended for experienced skiers. D onald Trump has hinted at payback for his evil political enemies after he was absolved of colluding with Russia. The US leader was cleared by Special Council Robert Mueller of conspiring with Moscow in the 2016 presidential election. Mr Trump has since hit out saying no other president should be investigated over a false narrative. Speaking at the Oval Office on Monday, he launched an attack on unnamed political enemies. "There are a lot of people out there that have done some very, very evil things, very bad things, I would say treasonous things against our country," Mr Trump said. The Republican president and his allies in Congress went on the offensive a day after the release of a summary of Mr Mueller's report. The findings gave Mr Trump a political victory ahead of his 2020 re-election bid. No allegations of criminal wrongdoing brought against him at the end of a nearly two-year-long inquiry. Donald Trump: 'It was a complete and total exoneration' Senator Lindsey Graham, the Republican Senate Judiciary Committee chairman and an ally of Mr Trump, said he would ask US Attorney General William Barr to appoint a special counsel to investigate the origins of the Russia probe, which was first handled by the FBI and then by Mr Mueller after the president fired the agency's director, James Comey, in May 2017. Mr Trump pledged that new investigations would be launched but did not specify who would conduct them or who should be targeted. He has in the past has called for investigations of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate he defeated in 2016. "Those people will certainly be looked at. I've been looking at them for a long time," Mr Trump said in the Oval Office sitting alongside visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "And I'm saying: why haven't they been looked at? They lied to Congress. Many of them. You know who they are." Mr Trump speaking to reporters on Friday morning / AP White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders called for congressional hearings to investigate prominent critics of Mr Trump, including former US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan, Comey and other FBI figures. The end of the Mueller inquiry did not spell the end of the investigative pressure on Mr Trump. Democrats gave no indication of easing up on their multiple congressional investigations into his business and personal dealings. "I love this country as much I can love anything: my family, my country, my God," Mr Trump said. "But what they did. It was a false narrative. It was terrible thing. We can never let this happen to another president again." Mr Trump had repeatedly accused Mr Mueller, a former FBI director, of running a "witch hunt" with a team of "thugs" and having conflicts of interest. But when asked on Monday if Mr Mueller had acted honourably, Mr Trump said: "Yes." Trump also said he had not thought about pardoning anyone convicted or who pleaded guilty in the Mueller probe. T he owners of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts have admitted to a family history of Nazis ties. The Reimann family, one of Germanys richest families, acknowledged that their ancestors used slave labour during World War Two. In a four-page report, the Bild newspaper reported that Albert Reimann Sr and Albert Reimann Jr used Russian civilians and French POWs as forced laborers. Thats according to documents uncovered in Germany, France and the US. Family spokesman Peter Harf, who is one of two managing partners of the Reimann's JAB Holding Company, said recent internal research confirmed Bild's findings. "It is all correct," he told the newspaper. "Reimann senior and Reimann junior were guilty ... they belonged in jail." The father and son, who died in 1954 and 1984, did not talk about the Nazi era and the family had thought that all of the company's connection to the Nazis had been revealed in a 1978 report, Mr Harf said. But after reading documents kept by the family, the younger generation began to ask questions and commissioned a University of Munich historian in 2014 to examine the Reimann history more thoroughly, Harf said. The expert presented his preliminary findings to the Reimann children and grandchildren, as well as Mr Hanf, several weeks ago, he said. "We were all ashamed and turned as white as the wall," he said. "There is nothing to gloss over. These crimes are disgusting." In addition to Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, the Luxembourg-based JAB Holding Co has controlling stakes in Pret a Manger, Keurig Green Mountain, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Caribou Coffee Co, Panera Bread and other companies. Many German companies have acknowledged using slave labourers during the Nazi era and have conducted their own independent investigations. T he father of one of the children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting has died of an apparent suicide, police say. Jeremy Richman, 49, was the father of Avielle Richman, one of 20 children killed by a gunman at the school in Newton, Connecticut in 2012. Mr Richmans body was found shortly after 7am on Monday morning at his office, police said. "The death appears to be a suicide, but police will not disclose the method or any other details of the death, only to state the death does not appear to be suspicious," the Newtown Police Department said in a statement. Police also found a note left by Mr Richman but did not disclose what it said. Jeremy Richman was found dead early Monday in Newton. / AP After his daughter's murder, Mr Richman and his wife, Jennifer Hensel, created a foundation in her name to prevent violence by funding research into mental health and increasing access to treatment. In a mission statement published on the Avielle Foundation website, Mr Richman, a neuropharmacologist, wrote that his daughters death had left him infinitely heart broken. Mr Richmans death came more than six years after 20 six and seven year old children were killed along with six adult staff members. It stands as one of the deadliest mass shootings in US history. Police said that some of the officers who reported to Mr Richmans office on Monday had responded to the school shooting. In a statement, the foundation said that while its staff and directors were "crushed to pieces" at Mr Richman's death, it would continue its work of supporting research into brain abnormalities and promoting brain health. A sign hangs on a fence one at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland after a mass shooting in which 17 people died. / AFP/Getty Images "Tragically, his death speaks to how insidious and formidable a challenge brain health can be and how critical it is for all of us to seek help for ourselves, our loved ones and anyone who we suspect may be in need," the foundation said. Jahana Hayes, who represents a congressional district that includes Newtown, said in a statement she was struck by how "optimistic" Richman had seemed about his foundation's work at a recent meeting. "These tragedies show that the trauma of gun violence extends far beyond the initial tragedy," her statement said. US Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut called Richman a "good friend, a dedicated father, an esteemed researcher." F ears are growing for a British doctor who went missing on Friday after going for a hike in the French Alps. Robert Bailey failed to return from a climb while on holiday near Chamonix The 63-year-old was last seen leaving for a walk in Les Houches, near Chamonix, four days ago. A missing person appeal has been released by the mountain rescue Gendarmerie at the ski resort, which has since been shared by the British embassy. Dr Bailey is a GP and senior partner at Minster Medical Practice in Peterborough. A recorded message tells callers to the practice: "We are extremely saddened to advise that last Thursday Dr Bailey, who was on holiday in Chamonix, was involved in an accident. "At present we have no further information." It goes on to tell patients that the practice "will be offering emergency appointments only" for the rest of the week. N ASA will pay a crew of volunteers 14,177 each to spend 60 days in bed for the benefit of science. The twenty four selected participants will travel to the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in September, where they will be bed bound for two months to test the potential benefits of artificial gravity. They will be split into two groups and housed in a single room. During the 60 days of bed rest, they will be required to do everything lying down, from eating to going to the toilet. The volunteers will be provided with a television, reading material, and other leisure activities, but the studys organisers recommend using the time to take online courses or learn new skills. Nasa astronaut Anne McClain working on the International Space Station last week / AFP/Getty Images The research will last a total of 89 days. Before their time in bed, participants will be given five days of familiarisation, and upon completion of the 60 days will undergo 14 days of rest and astronaut rehabilitation. During their rest, participants will sit at a slight incline, placing their legs slightly higher than their heads to reduce blood flow to the extremities. This will lead to muscle deterioration similar to that experienced by astronauts who spend a long time in space. Russian-US crew arrive at International Space Station Scientists flying to the International Space Station, must exercise regularly with resistance machines, to protect their muscles and general physical health. NASA and DLR aim to use their Artificial Gravity Bed Rest Study to test whether the occasional application of artificial gravity might offer additional benefits. During their 60 days of rest, the 24 volunteers will make intermittent trips to a centrifuge in a laboratory. The spinning arm of the centrifuge will push blood back towards the participants feet, simulating the effects of gravity. The scientists hope this system will reveal benefits that can be applied to astronauts engaged in long-term space travel. SpaceX crew capsule test flight - in pictures 1 /18 SpaceX crew capsule test flight - in pictures A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a demo Crew Dragon spacecraft lifts off on Saturday, March 2 AP The rocket lifts off REUTERS The SpaceX team watches as the SpaceX Crew Dragon docks with the International Space Station AP SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk (L), with NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Doug Hurley, Bob Behnken, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, and NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins during a tour before the launch AFP/Getty Images A dummy (L) named Ripley onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard AFP/Getty Images CSA astronaut David Saint-Jacques taking a look inside the SpaceX Dragon capsule EPA The Dragon as it approaches the International Space Station EPA The uncrewed SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, the first Commercial Crew vehicle to visit the International Space Station (ISS), pictured with its nose cone open revealing its docking mechanism while approaching the station's Harmony module EPA The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule approaches the International Space Station REUTERS The Dragon hatch closed after docking autonomously to the orbiting laboratory EPA The capsule undocks from the Space Station on Friday AP SpaceX's new crew capsule undocks from the International Space Station AP The space capsule takes off after undocking from the ISS AP The capsule undocked and was headed toward an old-fashioned splashdown AP A team of medical, psychotherapeutic and scientific professionals will be on-hand to support the participants, along with a nutritionist who will plan their meals. C elebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti has said he is confident he will be fully exonerated of accusations of attempting to extort millions of dollars from Nike. Mr Avenatti, who represented porn star Stormy Daniels in her legal battles against Donald Trump, spoke to reporters after appearing in a federal court in New York. He was arrested after allegedly threatening to hold a news conference and release damaging allegations against the company if Nike did not pay him up to $25 million. The 48-year-old did not enter a plea and was released on $300,000 bail on condition he surrender his US and Italian passports. He could face spending the rest of his life behind bars if convicted of the charges. As all of you know for the entirety of my career I have fought against the powerful. Powerful people and powerful corporations. I will never stop fighting that good fight, Mr Avenatti said. Defiant: Attorney Michael Avenatti speaks to the media outside federal court in New York / EPA T ech companies including Google and Wikipedia have lashed out after sweeping changes to Europes copyright laws were passed in a landmark ruling. The controversial Copyright Directive will force such companies to pay media outlets and artists for using their content in Europe. It is not clear what the change will mean for the UK in the face of Brexit uncertainty. The legislation has been hotly debated for years, with the EU seeking to re-write its two decade-old copyright laws. It is part of a bid to protect Europe's cultural heritage by ensuring publishers, broadcasters and artists receive fair compensation from big online companies. But parts of the bill, in particular its Article 13 provision, have proved hugely contentious. People take part in a demonstration in favour of the new copyright directive at the European Parliament in Strasbourg / AFP/Getty Images Article 13 will force tight restrictions on how content is uploaded to the internet - even impacting how memes and GIFs are shared. Google immediately hit out at the ruling on Tuesday, after it was passed by MEPs by a margin of 348 votes to 274. It said that while the laws had improved, they will still lead to legal uncertainty and harm Europes creative and digital economies. Meanwhile, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales wrote online: "You, the internet user, have lost a huge battle today. "The free and open internet is being quickly handed over to corporate giants at the expense of ordinary people. "This is not about helping artists, it is about empowering monopolistic practices." But it was welcomed by music bodies such as the Institute For Contemporary Music Performance, whose director general John Phelan said: "Four years of titanic tussling later, our work to solve the 'value gap' now begins a new stage after this vote to ensure that those who make the music make a fair return." UK Music tweeted: "A huge thank you to all the MEPs who supported the Copyright Directive today and the fantastic work of all those who have campaigned so hard on this. Sir Paul McCartney and Debbie Harry had been among the most vocal supporters of the changes. G eri Horner joked she would s*** bandmate Melanie Brown in a resurfaced Spice Girls interview. In the aftermath of the shock revelation, old interviews from the Spice Girls have resurfaced including an old MTV tape from 1997, during which Horner picks Brown to s***. I probably want to marry Emma and s*** Mel B. She's the top, Horner said in response to a fan asking who her favourite member is. Spice Girls: The band were being interviewed by MTV in 1997 when Horner made the jokes / Getty Images Different bits [of different people] would be my favourites. I would like Victorias legs, Mel C [Chisholm]s physicality. On Monday, Good Morning Britain aired a clip of Browns forthcoming interview with Morgan as she let slip details of an alleged intimate romp with Horner. Mel B revealed she slept with bandmate Geri Horner Morgan asked: You were coming here to be brutally honest - did or didn't you sleep with Geri Halliwell? Did you sleep with her? Brown said that they had all slept in a bed together but said that is was not like that. She then smiled and nodded when Morgan asked if Horner was like that. Spice Girls - In pictures 1 /64 Spice Girls - In pictures Spice Girls at Wembley in 2019 Andrew Timms Best looks Sporty, Baby, Scary, Ginger and Posh sing as The Spice Girls PA The Spice Girls reunite for tour rehearsals Spice Girls Instagram Spice Up Your Life The Spice Girls officially launch Channel Five at Marble Arch in 1997 Rex Viva Forever The Spice Girls - Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton and Victoria Beckham AT 'Viva Forever!' Spice Girls musical launch in 2012 The Spice Girls reunite for the first time since 2012 Victoria Beckham/Instagram Prince Harry meets The Spice Girls PA Reuniting Victoria Beckham, Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton and Melanie Brown pose for a photocall at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich ahead of their news conference on June 28, 2007 in London Getty Images Doppelgangers The Spice Girls with their wax doubles at The Rock Circus In The West End, London in 1999 Jeremy Selwyn Book launch The Spice Girls launch their book 'Forever Spice' PA Summer ball The Spice Girls at Capital Radio Summer Jam, Clapham Common in 1996 Rex Patriotic Geri Halliwell at The Brit Awards in 1997 wearing her famous Union Jack dress Rex Features Movie stars Spice Girls 'Spice World' Los Angeles Premiere in 1998 Rex Going for gold The Spice Girls performing at The 2012 London Olympic Games, Closing Ceremony Rex Charitable Spice Girls pose for Comic Relief Red Nose Day Launch in 1997 Alex Lentati Iconic Auction of outfits owned by Geri Halliwell. Her Spice Girls memorabilia auctioned at Sotheby's. All proceed's for The Sargent Cancer Care For Children in 1998 David Crump/Daily Mail Onset The girls filming Spice Girls: Spice World Spice Productions Undercover Ginger and Baby Spice star in Spice Girls: Spice World Spice Productions On tour British pop band, The Spice Girls, perform the first concert of the UK leg of their world tour at the O2 Arena, 15 December 2007 Carl de Souza/AFP/Getty Images Flying high The Spice Girls pose after naming a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 plane "Spice One" in their honor at Los Angeles International Airport, 12 December 2007 AFP/Getty Images Jet setters The Spice Girls unveiling the new name, Spice One, of a Virgin Atlantic Jet at the Flight Path Museum at Los Angeles Airport PA Model looks The Spice Girls, Emma Burton, Melanie Chisholm, Melanie Brown, Geri Halliwell and Victoria Beckham (L to R) perform during the Victoria's Secret fashion show at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California, 15 November 2007 AFP/Getty Images West End debut Melanie Chisholm, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell and Melanie Brown attend the press night of 'Viva Forever', a musical based on the music of The Spice Girls at Piccadilly Theatre on December 11, 2012 in London Stuart Wilson/Getty Images Selfie stick The Spice Girls: Victoria Bekcham, Melanie Chisholm, Emman Bunton, Melanie Brown and Geri Halliwell Stage stars Spice Girls - Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton and Victoria Beckham during 'Viva Forever!' musical press night at The Piccadilly Theatre, London, Britain MTV Europe Music Awards Spice Girls at the Globe Arena in Stockholm. PA Throwback The Spice Girls: Melanie Chisholm (Sporty Spice), Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) Victoria Adams (Posh Spice) Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) and Melanie Brown (Scary Spice) Girl power The Spice Girls in Spice World (1997) London calling Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls performs during the first date of their 17-date residency, part of their reunion world tour Getty Images Raising money The Spice Girls raise money for Children in Need First reunion The Spice Girls reunited in 2007 Jeremy Selwyn Fashionable flare The Spice Girls at 12th Annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, Kodak Theatre, Los Angeles in 2007 Spice and Vinegar Gary Lineker with the Spice Girls promote Walkers Crisps with limited edition Spice Girls range Mini me's The Spice Girls Dolls hit the market in 1997 Rex Risque Victoria Beckham (Adams) and Geri Halliwell perform with The Spice Girls in Dublin in 1999 Rex One down British pop band The Spice Girls. Posh Spice (Victoria Beckham), Sporty Spice (Melanie Chisholm), Baby Spice (Emma Bunton) and Scary Spice (Melanie Brown) Virgin Records BRIT Awards The Spice Girls perform at The Brit Awards in 2000 and win an award for thier outstanding contribution to British music Back stage snaps The Spice Girls take a twitter snap at Olympic Games London 2012 Closing Ceremony. Charming the royals Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls greets Prince Charles at the Prince's Trust Charity Concert Gala at the Manchester Opera House Rex The Spice Girls meet Prince Charles Prince of Wales with the Spice Girls at the Royal Gala celebrating the Princes Trust 21st Anniversary PA The Spice Girls World Tour Melanie Chisholm, Victoria Beckham, Geri Halliwell, Melanie Brown perform The Spice Girls World Tour in 2008 Rex The Spice Girls at The MTV Europe Awards The Spice Girls at The MTV Europe Awards in Sweden IN 2000 Rex Award winners The Spice Girls at The Brit Awards in 1998 Rex Collecting gongs The Spice Girls at The Brit Awards in 1997 Rex With her majesty Queen Elizabeth II meeting Emma Bunton, Victoria Adams, Mel C, Geri Halliwell, Mel B of The Spice Girls at The Royal Variety Performance in 1997 Rex Film debut The Spice Girls take center stage in their feature film debut, the Columbia Pictures Presentation of 'Spice World' in 1997 Getty Images Meeting Mandela Spice Girls Mel B and Geri Halliwell meet Nelson Mandela in 1997 as part of the British Royal tour in 1997 Rex Pepsi promotions The Spice Girls promote Pepsi in 1997 Rex As Brown was talking, Chisholm looked on in disbelief, and according to Morgan was running around wondering what Brown had done after the show wrapped. Horner previously admitted she once had lesbian sex during an interview with Howard Stern. I dont mind boobs but the other bit is not my cup of tea. I didnt like the lesbian thing, Horner said. It is part of experimenting. I was drunk at the time. L ittle Mix took some time out from their busy schedules to grant wishes for 12 seriously ill children at an exclusive London event. Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall headed to a private bash hosted by Rays of Sunshine Childrens Charity to meet some of their biggest fans who are living with a range of illnesses inlcuding brain injuries, kidney failure and heart disease. The four piece answered questions about their music and who they would like to collaborate with before posing for photos with the foursome. Little Mix shared a series of images from the event on social media, alongside a sweet message. We LOVED meeting these brave and inspiring children at our @raysofsunshinecc wish day! they wrote. Were honoured to be ambassadors for this amazing charity, thanks for having us. Among the children at the event were 13 year olds Kelsea and Nieve, who live with brain injuries, Demi-Louise, 13, who has heart disease, seven-year-old Lillie who lives with Cerebral Palsy and five-year-old Maisie, who lives with kidney failure. Ambassadors: Little Mix work with Rays of Sunshine charity to grant wishes / Getty Images They were also joined by 16-year-old Millie, who survived the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 but sustained injuries to her legs, arms and ears. Little Mix became ambassadors for the charity, which serves to brighten the lives of seriously ill young people and their families across the UK by granting wishes, in 2017. Speaking at the time, they said: Rays of Sunshine is a brilliant charity that we have always been proud to support. Were absolutely honoured to become ambassadors and help them continue to put smiles on the faces of seriously ill and very deserving children across the UK. Its always the highlight of our day to meet so many brave and inspiring families and were so excited to continue working with the charity. M egan Barton Hanson has clapped back at critics who slammed her disgusting remark about Wes Nelson. Fans accused her of embarrassing Nelson while others branded her comment awful and disgusting. Hitting back she wrote: Just clocked the headlines if you dont like my crude sense of humour I suggest you unfollow asap. Fighting talk: Megan Barton Hanson on Instagram (Instagram/ Megan Barton Hanson ) / Instagram/ Megan Barton Hanson She finished the Instagram post with two crying with laughter emojis. Nelson appeared to hint that the pair have a tumultuous relationship following their split, which they announced in January on Instagram with a statement mocking Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martins famous consciously uncoupling break-up post. Speaking on Loose Women he said: We havent spoken in a good amount of time. Sometimes its civil, sometimes its not. Im happy to be civil. Im not malicious or bitter. Whatever happens, happens. Asked if he would consider getting back together with Barton Hanson he replied: I dont think so, no. Its sad but sadly I dont think so. Wes Nelson dismisses Vanessa Bauer rumours Barton Hanson accused Nelson of not fighting to save their seven month romance and also accused Dancing on Ice bosses of sabotaging their relationship by partnering Nelson with Vanessa Bauer, who Barton Hanson described as the hottest dancer. Nelson, who shut down all talk of a romance between himself and Bauer, has reportedly been dating Instagram model Lissy Roddy. The pair met at a fashion party in Dublin thrown by online clothing brand Nasty Gal, according to The Sun. A source told the publication: Hes been seeing Lissy for a few weeks now. Although it's early days, theyve been inseparable and theyre having a great time together. L ove Island contestant Montana Brown has apologised for making her life look perfect on Instagram, as she opened up about coming to terms with the death of her friend and former co-star Mike Thalassitis. In an emotional post, the 23-year-old revealed that Thalassitis passing had forced her to have a long hard think about life / whats important to [her,] and said that from the outside, the reality star had appeared to have it all. From the outside & from my viewpoint Mike had it all, she wrote, adding: Literally everyone female and male recognised what a catch he was. She went on to suggest that positive posts on Instagram can warp social media users perception of what is going on in someones life, writing: The reason that everybody thinks he has it all [is] because thats the part of his life that he chooses to share & really he is so much more. He is such an amazing human and Im going to miss him a lot. I wanted to say, Instagram is a place where we all like to show off, what luxury hotels we stay at, our glowing Dom Perignon bottles, our designer shoes & clothes. Brown then revealed that looking at everyone elses posts while she was cooped up, eating cakes made her feel much worse about herself. Mike Thalassitis - In pictures 1 /13 Mike Thalassitis - In pictures Mike Thalassitis and Megan McKenna attend Kisstory On The Common 2018 at Streatham Commo Getty Images Mike Thalassitis on Love Island in 2017 Rex Features Mike on Love Island in 2017 next to contestant Georgia Harrison Rex Features Mike Thalassitis from 'Celebs Go Dating' Getty Images Mike Thalassitis and Danielle Sellers attending the ITV Gala at the London Palladium in November 2017 PA Former Love Island contestant Mike Thalassitis who has died aged 26 PA Mike Thalassitis and Montana Brown leave Sexy Fish restaurant in Mayfair SplashNews.com Mike Thalassitis on Love Island in 2017 ITV Mike Thalassitis and Megan McKenna attend Kisstory On The Common 2018 at Streatham Common, London, in July last year Getty Images Mike Thalassitis on Love Island in 2017 ITV I felt all I was looking at is peoples perfect lives & thats the point, life is not as peachy as everyone makes out, she said. People have depression, people have anxiety & people are hurting and I want people to feel like they can talk about it openly to parents, siblings or friends. But the point is, nobody is perfect & life is definitely not perfect so I apologise to you if I make out like my life is perfect because its not. Montana Brown speaks about the moment she found out Mike Thalassitis had died She went on to implore followers to be nice to your loved ones, build them up, ask them if theyre ok and be sure to tell them their best qualities and what you love about them. Thalassitis, who found fame on Love Island in 2017 alongside Brown, was found dead in a park in Edmonton, north London earlier this month at the age of 26. Police said they were not treating the death as suspicious. His death prompted many former contestants to speak out about the need for better aftercare, and ITV has since confirmed that future participants will receive therapy, social media training and financial advice. The key focus will be for us to no longer be reliant on the islanders asking us for support but for us to proactively check in with them on a regular basis, a statement from the show said. H uawei has just launched its new P30 smartphone range and it took aim at the new Samsung Galaxy S10 range, comparing the camera prowess of the new devices. Huawei and Samsung are neck and neck now, with Huawei overtaking Apple to move into second place in global smartphone sales last year. But out of the new 2019 phone launches, which one is the best? Here are the new flagships, compared. Huawei P30 vs Samsung Galaxy S10: Design Starting with design, Huawei has decided to keep the notch, going for a teardrop design on the P30 range. The P30 Pro has a 6.47-inch OLED full HD display, with 19 5:9 aspect ratio, whilst the P30 has a slightly smaller screen at 6.1-inches. In comparison, Samsung, which was never into the notch in the first place, has gone for the pinhole design, with a tiny amount of space taken up on the right side of the screen for the front-facing camera. The Samsung Galaxy S10 has a discreet pinhole design for the front facing camera / Samsung Samsungs S10 is the same size of the P30, with a 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED screen, whilst the S10+ has a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED screen. Both device ranges feature glass backs, perfect for that reverse wireless charging. The P30 Pro and both Samsung phones feature a delicately curved screen, though the P30 devices feel significantly chunkier than the S10+. Samsung wins the design round. AMOLED screens have better quality and are more flexible than OLED screens, and the pinhole is a better screen design than the teardrop notch. As well, the S10 feels sleeker compared to the P30 range. The P30 range opted for the teardrop notch / Huawei Both devices come in dynamic colour ranges, but when it comes to screen then Samsung steals it this time. Huawei P30 vs Samsung Galaxy S10: Camera Huaweis new phone range is a powerhouse when it comes to the camera. The P30 Pro has a Leica quad camera set up made up of a 40-megapixel lens with a new super spectrum sensor, a 20-megapixel ultra-wide angle lens, an 8-megapixel telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom and 10x hybrid zoom, and a new time of flight lens to improve portrait photography. It has a front-facing 32-megapixel camera for selfies. The Huawei P30 Pro has four cameras on the back of the device / Huawei On the P30, there is a Leica triple lens setup made up of the same 40-megapixel lens as the Pro, a 16-megapixel ultra-wide angle lens and a 3x optical zoom lens. Alternatively, the Samsung Galaxy S10+ and S10 have the same camera set-up on the back, featuring three lenses. A 12-megapixel telephoto lens, a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 16-megapixel ultra-wide angle lens. On the front, the S10+ has dual selfie cameras, made up of 10-megapixels and 8-megapixels, whilst the S10 has one selfie lens of 10-megapixels. Given all that camera power, Huawei scoops it, particularly with the P30 Pro. Huawei P30 vs Samsung Galaxy S10: Specs What about the power? Inside, the Samsung devices are fitted with its Exynos 8nm processor, whilst Huawei comes with its Kirin 980 processor. According to Android Authority, Samsung cinches the power round when it comes to its processors in its benchmarking tests. From L-R: Samsung Galaxy S10+ and Samsung Galaxy S10 / JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images However, the Huawei P30 Pro has a bigger battery, 4,200 mAH, compared to the S10+s 4,100 mAH. The P30 has a 3,650 mAH battery compared to the S10s 3,400 mAH, so if its battery power that concerns you, go for Huawei. The Galaxy S10+ and S10 have more potential when it comes to memory. Both devices have 8GB, compared to the P30s 6GB, and have up to 512GB of storage which can be increased to 1TB with a memory card, something that isnt possible in either Huaweis phones. Software-wise, Samsung has overhauled its OneUI OS to something which is much more user-friendly than anything weve used by Samsung before. Huawei says its improved its EMUI software, but weve yet to try it out to see how it compares. Both ranges of phones come with in-screen fingerprint scanners, reverse wireless charging, and facial recognition. This round is a tricky one, but Samsung just about steals it in terms of processing power, memory and software improvements. Huawei P30 vs Samsung Galaxy S10: Price The Huawei P30 is the cheapest of the four devices, starting at 699, whereas the Samsung Galaxy S10 starts at 799. The P30 Pro and S10+ are both priced at 899. Huawei P30 vs Samsung Galaxy S10: Verdict L-R: Huawei P30 and Samsung Galaxy S10 If youre looking for design, power and storage, its probably better to go for Samsung in this instance, however if its camera and battery youre looking at then Huawei is probably the one. Countries & Areas Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia Zimbabwe Founder of the Initiative Romania organisation Elena Ghioc announced on Tuesday that President Klaus Iohannis conveyed, within the meeting with representatives of the civil society, that the referendum on Justice will be organised on 26 May, at the same time with the elections to the European Parliament. "There is a conclusion and that is the organisation of a referendum on Justice, President Klaus Iohannis just announced us at today's meeting with representatives of the civil society. (...) We went there to request the starting of this demarche, we received this good news that it will happen (...) on the day of the elections to the European Parliament, on 26 May 2019," Ghioc stated. New Delhi, Mar 26 (IBNS): External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday exerted more pressure on Pakistan to ensure the release of two Hindu minor girls who have been allegedly kidnapped and forcefully converted to Islam recently. Sushma tweeted: " Forced conversion of Hindu girls in Pakistan : The age of the girls is not disputed. Raveena is only 13 and Reena is 15 years old." Forced conversion of Hindu girls in Pakistan : The age of the girls is not disputed. Raveena is only 13 and Reena is 15 years old. /1 Chowkidar Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 26, 2019 "Even the Prime Minister on Naya Pakistan will not believe that girls of this tender age can voluntarily decide about their conversion to another religion and marriage," she said. Even the Prime Minister on Naya Pakistan will not believe that girls of this tender age can voluntarily decide about their conversion to another religion and marriage. /2 Chowkidar Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 26, 2019 Swaraj said both the girls should be released and returned to their family. "Justice demands that both these girls should be restored to their family immediately," Swaraj tweeted. Justice demands that both these girls should be restored to their family immediately. /3 Chowkidar Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 26, 2019 Meanwhile, Pakistan's Islamabad High Court (IHC) heard a petition filed by two Ghotki sisters and ordered the state to take over custody of the girls and ensure their safety till their case is decided. According to reports, the girls, their alleged spouses, representatives of the federal government, Islamabad administration, and Sindh police, and the director general Human Rights were present at the court during hearing. "The IHC chief justice ordered that an SP-rank police officer who is female should appointed on duty with the sisters to ensure their safety. Both girls were transported to a shelter home from the IHC as the hearing wrapped up," reported Dawn News. As per Dawn News report, the alleged spouses, Barkat and Shafqat, were granted protective bail until April 9. The case has been adjourned till Apr 2. "Meanwhile, Shaman Das, the girls' brother, approached the LHC's Bahawalpur bench against the regional police officer Bahawalpur, the district police officer Rahim Yar Khan, and the station house officer Khanpur, seeking the immediate recovery of his sisters," Dawn News reported. It will be heard on Wednesday. The two minors, who are sisters, were allegedly kidnapped from Sindh. They were identified as Raveena and Reena. As per Samaa report, their family, which belongs to Ghoktis Dharki, had registered an FIR over their kidnapping and forced marriage. The FIR identified the two girls to be 14 and 16 years. No child in Pakistan can be married under the age of 18 under the Sindh Child Marriages Act, local media reports said. Meanwhile, a video has surfaced online where the father of the two girls could be seen protesting and refusing to move from the place unless the police help him find his daughters. Romania's Interior Minister Carmen Dan on Tuesday had a bilateral meeting with North Macedonia's Minister of Internal Affairs Oliver Spasovski to discuss police co-operation as well as emergency co-operation. "Discussions focused on issues such as police co-operation at regional level, mainly under the Southeast European Law Enforcement Center (SELEC), to combat organised crime and migrant trafficking; emergency co-operation including under NATO mechanisms; the opportunity to participate in exchanges of experience at border police schools and the partner country's Euro-Atlantic path," reads a press statement released by the Interior Ministry. The Romanian side expressed readiness to provide expertise for the implementation of institutional and legislative reforms at the level of the Macedonian authorities for alignment to EU standards. The Romanian official expressed support for the advancement of North Macedonia's European journey under the Romanian presidency of the EU Council. The Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union has concluded a political agreement with the European Parliament on 9 files in the Capital Markets Union field, according to a press release posted on the Website of the presidency of the Council of EU. Thus, the secretary of state with the Ministry of Public Finance, Mihai-Eleodor Mandres, on Tuesday presented at the meeting of the Economic and Financial Committee of the European Union (EFC), the main topics to be debated at the informal meeting of the Council of the EU for Economic and Financial Affairs (ECOFIN), to take place in Bucharest, April 5-6 this year. The informal reunion agenda includes topics related to the future Multiannual Financial Framework of the EU, priorities in the finance field, for the next institutional cycle, the path to be followed in achieving the Capital Markets Union, taxation in the labour field, the role of taxation in ensuring economic growth, the preparation of the IMF and G20 meetings in Washington on April 11-14, 2019. Other topics included on the EFC agenda are the results of the most recent meeting of the Committee for Financial Services, the report of the president of the Committee for Economic Policies (EPC) regarding the output-gap related country specifications, the preparation of the annual EBRD meeting, in May 2019, in Sarajevo. Secretary of state Mihai-Eleodor Mandres underscored the substantial progresses made by the Romanian presidency of the Council of EU in what concerns the Capital Markets Union. "We succeeded in almost 3 months of mandate to conclude a political agreement with the European Parliament in 9 files in the Capital Markets Union field, with negotiations continuing in another 4 files. I want to thank all parties involved for how fast they've worked, with this constructive approach bringing tangible results," stated Mihai-Eleodor Mandres. The discussions at the EFC were based on the European Commission's Communication of March 15, 2019, entitled "Capital Markets Union: progresses in the creation of the union of capital markets for a stronger Economic and Monetary Union." According to the same source, the Economic and Financial Committee has the role to promote the coordination of the necessary policies of member states for the functioning of the internal market, contributing thus to the preparation of the works of the Council of EU or periodically presenting reports to the Council of EU and European Commission in respect to the economic and financial status of member states. EFC is made of high officials of the finance ministries or central national banks, as well as f the Central European Bank and the European Commission. Consultations between President Klaus Iohannis and civil society leaders on a referendum on justice legislation concluded at Cotroceni Palace on Tuesday afternoon. Attending the consultations were leaders of the Funky Citizens, Expert Forum, Legal Resources Centre, Romania Initiative, December 89 Association, FreedomHouse Romania, Romanian Centre for European Policies, Pro-Democracy Association, Public Innovation Centre, Geeks for Democracy, # Rezistenta, We Can See You from Sibiu, Courage forward, Cluj-Napoca Anti-Corruption Umbrella, VeDem Just, Active Watch, Romanian Youth Council, Social Dialogue Group, Corruption Kills, as well as journalists Emilia Sercan and Madalina Rosca. The president said last Tuesday that he was "almost determined" to call a national referendum on May 26, at the same time with the elections to the European Parliament. On Wednesday, Iohannis is scheduled to meet representatives of the judiciary and magistrates' professional associations to discuss the state of play in Romania's judiciary. The discussions on improving the Constitution should start, but not this year in which European and presidential elections are held, and probably a referendum, President Klaus Iohannis told a debate organized on Monday by the Association of Romanian Cities. Read also: Simona Halep wins Heart Award at Fed Cup "The president is elected by the people, the rest are elected by communities or constituencies. I believe that there are two keys to solving the problem: one is the key of good faith and the independence of the person in charge of the position of the Ombudsman and here we still have to some digging to do, and the second is our Constitution, and we must certainly go through it once again and see what has not worked and where we can intervene," Iohannis told the debate "The future of Romanian cities in the European context of local development concept". The president gave the example of emergency ordinances, in which case he argued that besides the Ombudsman, there should be "someone" asking for a constitutionality check. In other news, the president said that for the parliamentary elections, at this stage, election on party lists would be appropriate, while for the mayors, elections should be held in two rounds. Regarding the election of county council presidents, he added that it is not wrong to do this at the level of the county councils, not through the direct vote of the population. Iohannis also argued that the mayor should be a dignitary and not a civil servant. AGERPRES . The Social Democratic Party (PSD) on Tuesday filed with the Central Election Bureau (BEC) lists of signatures collected in support of its candidates in the elections to the European Parliament this May. Read also: PSD's Dragnea: 'Relationship with US pretty good, economic benefits for Romania not very high' "We filed 1,330,995 signatures that we collected in just one week (...) Had we continued for another week, we would have exceeded two million signatures. As many as 2,850 signatures were invalidated on some technical grounds; we understand that the same has happened to every other party as well (...) The list was accepted, we got a registration number, and starting today we are off campaigning. We are now leaving for the party offices, where [national leader] Liviu Dragnea is waiting for us who just concluded an important meeting scheduled one week ago. Our first meeting is in the afternoon with the unions that are with the Social Democrat Party; there will be local meetings and election rallies all over the country (...) We will be among people 24/7 from now on until the day of the elections," PSD Secretary General Codrin Stefanescu said while leaving BEC. The top candidates on the PSD list promised to "fight for the good of the Romanians" and, especially, to speak well about Romania. "I am asking the Romanians not to send to the European Parliament people who vote against their own country, and to send instead a team of patriots like us, because we believe that Romania has equal rights in the EU (...) Romania deserves more and the Romanians deserve more. God help us!," said Rovana Plumb, who tops the list of PSD MEP candidates. Journalist Carmen Avram said that it is "a very big and very important day to her." "After 27 years of journalism, I can guarantee that this is the best team to bring Romania back where it belongs, because Romania deserves more than it has today," said Avram. Cristian Terhes said the 4th place on the list of PSD candidates is a special opportunity for him, and also for the Romanians. Current PSD MEP Dan Nica, fifth on the PSD list, pointed out that his team must support the well-being of all Romanians from Brussels. AGERPRES . Social Democratic leader Liviu Dragnea said Monday evening that Romania's relationship with the United States is "very good" from Romania's perspective, but just "pretty good" from the US point of view, while "the concrete economic and strategic benefits for Romania are not very high." Read also: Klaus Iohannis: 'PSD rule has failed regarding prevention, ignores real heathcare issues' Asked during a show aired by Antena 3 broadcaster about the planned move of Romania's embassy to Jerusalem, Dragnea said that "this is a huge subject, a high-level foreign policy subject." Dragnea said that the talk is about two powerful states, Israel and the US, "about our right to decide where to place our embassy in a state", also pointing out President Iohannis's on the fence attitude, as he doesn't clearly express disagreement and his implicit support for the US and Israel's stance, but neither voices agreement and siding with the EU. "The EU has not adopted a commonly accepted position. (...) At this time Israel is in acute need for friends, true friends. True friends are those who come to one's aid in important moments. Our relationship with Israel is very good, but the potential is huge, and the potential benefits for Romania are tremendous," said the PSD leader. In this context, Dragnea termed Romania's relationship with the US as "pretty good, not good". "Our relationship with the United States is pretty good, not good. From our point of view, it's very good, from their standpoint, it's pretty good. This means that the US embassy in Romania has a certain message, a certain rhetoric and approach, but the administration in [Washington] has seemingly a different approach. But when we draw the line, the concrete economic and strategic benefits for Romania are not very high. On the other hand, to Romania the US represents a huge security guarantee we are not allowed to play with," Dragnea said. AGERPRES . By RT March 25, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - Googles biased search algorithm actually flipped seats in the 2018 US midterm elections, according to a researcher who found the search engines dramatically biased results could have shifted over 78 million votes to Democrats. Upwards of 25 percent of the national elections in the world are being decided without peoples knowledge by Googles search algorithm, senior research psychologist Dr. Robert Epstein of the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology told RT, calling the search engine the deciding factor in close races. Google flipped seats, shifted millions of votes to Dems in 2018 midterms Epstein, who received his PhD in psychology from Harvard University and is the former editor-in-chief of Psychology Today, said that his methodology was thorough and meticulous. We did this very, very carefully. We had field agents focusing on three congressional races in California which were very hotly contested races in Republican districts, Epstein told RT. And we gave to these field agents about 500 election-related search terms. Each one had different search terms for different districts, where there are different issues, of course. And the point is, we simply looked at what kind of search results they received when they were conducting election-related searches. Epsteins study of three 2018 California House races found Google played the deciding role in flipping those Republican-held seats to the Democrats, influencing millions of undecided voters by controlling what they saw when they searched 500 election-related terms. Googles results showed a significant liberal bias, unlike Bings or Yahoos and with 90 percent of the search engines market share in the US, that bias is enormously influential. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Search results favoring one side of an issue can influence anywhere from 20 to 80 percent of undecided voters, depending on the issue and demographic group, Epstein said. He has spent six years investigating the role of what he calls the Search Engine Manipulation Effect (SEME) in swaying public opinion, more recently focusing on the political ramifications by looking at various countries elections. People trust algorithmic output. They trust Google. They think because its generated by a computer, they dont see the human hand - they think its impartial and objective and, because of that, their opinions change, Epstein said. While Google denies it manipulates search rankings to manipulate political sentiment or makes election-specific tweaks, Epstein says their response is disingenuous he never claimed they re-ranked results, merely that the results they displayed were biased. We found very consistently that on Google they ended up with search results favoring liberals and favoring liberal news sources, and it was quite a dramatic effect. Despite denials, Google has already faced hefty government fines for manipulating search results. In 2017, the European Union imposed a 2.4 billion ($2.7 billion) fine on the tech giant for purportedly tailoring search results to favor its own comparison shopping service. Google was hit with a $21.1 million fine a year later this time in India, where the company was accused of directing web users who were searching for flights to its own flight search page depriving other businesses of gaining a foothold in the market. This article was originally published by " RT " - 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 A generation of posturing, ridiculous metrosexual boy toys who would faint at the sight of a drop of their own blood has arisen across the Western World uttering ludicrous empty threats at Russia and trying to set off wars everywhere. Where do all these ludicrous little armchair heroes come from? Are they all Marco Rubios clones? Does the CIA clone them at Langley? In Paris, pretentious President Emmanuel Macron splashes out millions of euros to surround himself with a splendor more worthy of Louis XIV than a democratically elected 21st century leader. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands continue to rock the nation in Yellow Vest protests at the harsh austerity regulations he continues to impose on the French people. In London, Secretary of Defense Gavin Williamson insults leading figures from France and Germany to Russia and China while the United Kingdom disintegrates around him. Juan Guiado continues to farcically claim he is President of Venezuela despite the political groups he claims to represent receiving only one fifth of votes in the most recent elections. In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has had to take a break from lecturing the rest of the world on the supposedly democratic values they should follow because of an embarrassing and sordid political influence scandal that has led to two angry resignations from his Cabinet. And in the United States, Senator Rubio, poster child of the Boy Toys exposed his true colors with an ugly, even obscene threat to legitimately-elected Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro threatening him with murder by the anal insertion of a broken bottle if he did not step down and make way for Guiado. There is an astonishing element of similarity to all these figures. They are all in their forties, except for Guiado the true child among them at only 35. They could all pass as teenagers. They all project an attempted air of wholesomeness and earnest idealism which their records reveal as utterly fraudulent. None of the Boy Toys has any record of distinction in international affairs or in promoting constructive progress in their own nations. Yet every one of them is eager to foster civil strife around the world, or to impose policies that would tear their own countries apart (Macron, Williamson and Guiado). Every one of them seeks to present an unconvincing image of firm, dynamic and courageous leadership yet all of them pathetically rely on the armed forces of the United States or the willingness of the US government to intervene shamelessly in their own domestic affairs to uphold their positions and policies. It is sometimes difficult to forget that Rubio is only two years out of his freshman term in the US Senate. He already seems to have been with us forever. Williamson in the UK, Macron in France and now Guiado outside Venezuela were all plucked from nowhere, all on the basis of nothing more profound than their willingness to swallow the same internationalist, liberal, free trade party line they were all required to. All the Boy Toys most resemble, in the wonderful words Alice Roosevelt Longworth used to dismiss 1948 US presidential candidate Tom Dewey, the little toy man on top of a giant wedding cake. It is this image even more than the earnest, fake sincerity all of them seek to project like the most unscrupulous second-hand auto salesman that reveals the inner emptiness of all these ludicrous-named leaders. They represent the last days of the liberal consensus of the West three quarters of a century after its great moment of triumph in 1945: A victory that in reality was won through the lives, blood and sacrifice of millions of Soviet soldiers. Is there any significance to the rapid simultaneous rise to eminence and fame of the Boy Toys across the Western world? I believe there is. A quarter of a millennium ago, Edward Gibbon, the great historian of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, noted that when ruling establishments had lost every remaining vestige of decency and confidence in public scrutiny, they turned to appointing nonentities as public figureheads, as the only figures weak enough not to threaten them with any hint of independence. Rubio and his legion of not-quite-convincing Boy Toy contemporaries fit this requirement perfectly. They are the natural successors to Romulus Augustulanus, the ludicrous last legal emperor of Rome (for less than a year) in 475-6 AD. As Gibbon said, Suspicious princes often promote the last of mankind. Photo: Flickr Trumps Foreign Policy: Do Whatever Netanyahu & Prince Salman Want Now that Donald Trump, like Barack Obama before him, has failed to remove Syrias Bashar al-Assad by means of American training of, and supply of weapons to, rebels (almost all of whom were actually jihadists) in Syria, Trump, on March 21st, has set into motion a process that is designed to provide a justification for an all-out US military invasion of Syria, as a means to defend Israel. This strategy pertains to Syrias Golan Heights region, which is occupied by Israelis. That area of tension would be the trigger-point for the next shot in the anti-Syrian war, which would be the final shot, if it becomes fired. But perhaps Trump thinks that the threat alone will be enough to get Syrias Government to capitulate. Anyway, the threat was issued by Trump on March 21st. So, here is the history, and documentation (via links), behind this sequence of events the history that makes sense of Trumps new American strategy, to conquer Syria (replacing the use of such proxy-forces as were previously used): On 5-10 June 1967, Israel invaded Syria and Egypt and grabbed from Syria the 690-square-mile Golan Heights area of Syria. Israel has occupied it ever since. The Golan Heights is internationally recognized as being Syrian territory. But Trump now wants to change that and make it Israels, just as he had earlier helped Israel to change its capital from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump is the first head-of-state (other than Israels) to assert publicly that the Golan Heights is part of Israel, not part of Syria. Trump represents (takes his orders from) Israels invasion-craving fundamentalist-Jewish Benjamin Netanyahu, who wants to make official, finally, the ownership, by Israel, of Syrias Golan Heights. Netanyahu had been expecting Americas war by use of proxies against Syrias Government to succeed, but it has instead failed, and so an outright American invasion of Syria, by US troops and missiles and bombs, will be needed, like was done to Iraq in 2003, and to Libya in 2011. Trump also represents Israels ally, the equally invasion-craving and equally anti-Syrian, fundamentalist-Sunni Saudi King Salman al-Saud, and his son and heir Crown Prince Salman al-Saud. Both Netanyahu and King Salman want the fundamentalist-Sunni Saud family to control Syria. (Both Netanyahu and Salman want Syrias land, not necessarily the people who live on it, millions of whom have fled the war in Syria, which pits Syria against the US-allied invading and occupying fundamentalist-Sunni forces, which have been brought in from all over the world.) Apparently, Trumps instructions from both Netanyahu and Salman are that this part of Syria the Golan Heights is to go immediately to Israel, while a means continues to be sought for the rest of Syria to become ruled ultimately by a satrap selected by the Saud family. Trumps predecessor, Obama, had done everything he could to place Salman in control of Syria this way (by means of proxy-fighters), but failed. Trump is extremely competitive. Hes determined to out-do Obama, in service to Americas masters, whom the US has long been serving: Israel and Saudi Arabia and, of course (above all), Americas own billionaires, who likewise are united in alliance with both of those two countries respective aristocracies, against Syria, and against any other nation thats (like Syria is) allied with Russia (or even friendly toward Russia, such as Ukraine was, which was successfully flipped to the US in 2014, by a US coup that destroyed Ukraine). The chief US aim, ever since 24 February 1990, has been for Russia ultimately to be conquered and absorbed into The West brought into Americas empire. Both the Sauds and the regime in Israel are supportive of that US goal, but not primarily focused on it, like Americas billionaires are (they are obsessive against Russia). Israel and the Sauds have their own reasons to want Syria; but, as regards the US regime, Syrias alliance with Russia is the main reason that Syria must be conquered. Thats the geostrategic reason: isolating Russia, in preparation for ultimately conquering Russia. And, so, Trump has decided to be not only the first American President but the first international head-of-state outside Israel who has publicly committed the United States to formally recognize the Golan Heights that land which was stolen from Syria as being legally Israeli land. Its to be done right now, regardless of when (or whether) the US ever succeeds in ousting Syrias existing non-sectarian Government. In fact, it will provide the US a pretext to invade Syria directly (by a US invasion), instead of (as until now) via mere proxy-forces such as Al Qaeda-led boots on the ground fighting to overthrow Syrias Government. (In 2013, the BBCs Guide to the Syrian rebels said There are believed to be as many as 1,000 armed opposition groups in Syria, commanding an estimated 100,000 fighters. In 2015, The Soufan Group has calculated that between 27,000 and 31,000 people have traveled to Syria and Iraq to join the Islamic State and other violent extremist groups from at least 86 countries. These are large proxy-forces. In Syria, they were led by the US-backed Syrian branch of Al Qaeda. The US under Obama insisted that Russia not bomb Syrias Al Qaeda, and this demand scuttled the cease-fire negotiations. Obamas protection of Al Qaeda in Syria continued under Trump.) This US-backed Israeli theft of the Golan Heights will enable America to invade Syria directly and heavily, when and if Syria reacts militarily against Israels seizure of its land. Trump appears now to want to do this, and maybe is even hoping for Syria to respond militarily, so as to provide an excuse (based on Americas alliance with Israel) for an all-out US invasion against Syria: defense of an ally. America has failed to conquer Syria with mere proxy forces (such as Al Qaeda); this would be the next step US troops, bombers, and missiles, en-masse. The presumption is that Russia would not defend Syria. Thats a very risky assumption, but Trump is a very bold man. Trump announced, on March 21st, that After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israels Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability. He thereby made clear that America is a slave to the racist-apartheid Israeli regime and will violate the intentions of all the rest of the worlds leaders except Israels, in demanding international recognition of this land as being a part of Israel. This threat against Syria was not made just casually. On March 13th, Politico headlined New Trump administration report softens language on Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and Nahal Toosi reported: The State Departments newest Human Rights Report describes the Golan Heights as Israeli-controlled instead of Israeli-occupied, a linguistic change sure to fuel criticism that the Trump administration is bucking global consensus on Israels reach. The change comes as conservative US lawmakers are pushing to have the Golan Heights recognized as part of Israel. If President Donald Trump goes along with that, it would be the latest of several pro-Israel moves on his part, including moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. US Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) recently said he would push Congress to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. To give this up would be a strategic nightmare for the State of Israel. And who would you give it to? Graham said. The shifts in the US approach to the region, which activists say has largely been to the detriment of Palestinians, come as the Trump administration prepares to release its proposal to resolve the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The proposal, spearheaded by Trump son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, is expected to be unveiled after Israels elections in April, though no firm date has been set. Finian Cunningham has brought public attention to a self-interested reason why Trump might be determined to assist Netanyahu to make Golan Heights legally israeli territory. Headlining at Strategic Culture, on March 19th US Duplicity over Golan Demolishes Posturing on Crimea, he wrote: There has been previous speculation that Trump is doing the bidding for a US-based oil company, Genie Oil, which is linked to his administration through his son-in-law Jared Kushners family investments. The New Jersey company has a subsidiary in Israel, is tied to the Netanyahu government, and has long been aiming to drill the Golan for its abundant oil resources. However, there also is another possible reason, and Cunningham touched upon it, too: an intention for Trump to offer to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin a trade-off offer, that in return for Putins rejecting the repeatedly-shown-by-polling strong desire of the residents of Crimea for Crimea to be part of Russia instead of part of Ukraine, and for Putin to force Crimeans to become again ruled by Ukraine (as they had been between 1954 and 2014), the US will now stop demanding that the residents of Golan Heights be part of and legally ruled by Israel, instead of for them to be ruled again by Syria as they always were. But what is clear is that Trump definitely does now intend to legalize Israels control over Golan Heights, and that this has been a hope of every Israeli Administration since 1967. Earlier, Trump had made clear that he wouldnt do anything about Saudi Crown Prince Salman al-Sauds barbaric torture-murder (and lies about that revenge-murder) of a Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump also makes clear that the US will do nothing against the Salmans effort to starve to death the Shiite Houthis in Yemen by bombing their food-supply lines. All of that is fine with Donald Trump. This is how competitive he is. He is all-out competitive, and especially wants to out-do Obama on what he can, and to un-do Obama on what he can (such as he does by trying to destroy Obamas gift to drug companies, Obamacare). America supplies the training and weapons for both the Saudi and Israeli militaries. Trumps secret National Security Policy (as introduced to the press on 19 January 2018) said that, Though we will continue to prosecute the campaign against terrorists that we are engaged in today, Great Power competition, not terrorism, is now the primary focus of US national security. By Great Power competition, it refers to, as being the chief enemies, revisionist powers as different as China and Russia are from each other, nations that do seek to create a world consistent with their authoritarian models, pursuing veto authority over other nations economic, diplomatic and security decisions. Isnt that an excellent description of the US Government, regardless of whether its also accurately describing either Russia, China, or any other? It certainly sounds like Big Brothers propaganda in todays world. But does America really need more wars? Should Americas Government really be policeman of the entire world? Indeed: of any part of the world except itself? The lying Trump had won his office by promising never to advocate any such policeman of the world role; but here hes doing exactly that for the clear benefit of Americas masters: Netanyahu and Salman and Americas oil and gas companies and all other US billionaires. He represents them not the people who had voted for him. (And, certainly, also, not the people who had voted against him. The US electorate certainly are not represented by Americas Government. Thats just an established and confirmed fact.) If the reason why Trump is now backing Israels aim to legalize its seizure of Golan Heights is to serve Israels desire for more territory, and to serve the desire of both Netanyahu and Salman for the Sauds to take ultimate control over Syria, then that would be a geostrategic aim, instead of an aim to enrich Trumps daughter and her husband Jared Kushner by oil-wealth from Golan Heights. This geostrategic aim would be that there will be a trade-off of Golan Heights for Crimea: Israel will win legal control over Golan Heights, and Ukraine will win legal control over Crimea. However, what if Putin says no to that? There could then be an invasion by Syria against the Israelis who are occupying Golan Heights, followed by an invasion of Syria by both Israel and the United States, and a responding invasion by Russia against both Israel and the United States, ending perhaps in World War III, an annihilating global nuclear war. What would therefore be likelier would be that when Putin says no, Trump will propose and Putin will accept that the UN will oversee free and fair and UN-supervised elections, both in Golan Heights and in Crimea, and that the will of the majority of the residents in each of these two areas will determine what country they are part of. That would avoid WW III, and it also would be face-saving for the leaderships both in US and in Russia. Of course, if the personal enrichment of Trumps family is instead the motive, then the US Congress will be far less supportive of Israels side in this matter than they have been up till now. Democrats in Congress, and professional neoconservatives generally, not only are blindly suportive of Israels Government, but they allege that Putin made Trump President. They do this despite the fact that the Republican Trump Administration wants to escalate its Democratic Party predecessor Obamas war (which started in 2012) against Russia; so, this accusation against Trump doesnt really make much sense. Like the neoconservative advisor to international corporations Ian Bremmer said on 22 March 2018, in the neoconservative TIME magazine, Putin Won. But Russia Is Losing. Thats how Bremmers international clients want to view things as if Russia, not the US, is the perpetrator of invasions and coups constantly, perpetual war for perpetual peace that it comes from Russia, instead of from America. But its obviously a lie. On 23 February 2018, James George Jatras, at Strategic Culture, bannered What Would an America First! Security Policy Look Like? and he provided his answer: it would look very different from Trumps actual foreign policies. But I would put it another way: it would look like a country that isnt trying to take over the world, and like a country that would eliminate most if not all of its hundreds of foreign military bases. US President Eisenhower warned, near his last day in office, against growth in the military-industrial complex, but subsequently it has swallowed this country whole. Most Americans love that: the military is, by far, the highest-respected of all institutions in America. Is this the new Sparta? Maybe the new Rome? Or even the new Nazi Germany. With nuclear weapons. And both Republicans and Democrats support it, as if to do otherwise is unpatriotic. NOTE: Israel is actually an enemy of America: On 8 June 1967, Israel intentionally attacked and sank the USS Liberty, slaughtering 34 of our sailors, and injuring another 172. The official US government inquiry by an independent study Commission headed by Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, found that, after eight hours of aerial surveillance, Israel launched a two-hour air and naval attack against the USS Liberty, the worlds most sophisticated intelligence ship. Unmarked Israeli aircraft dropped napalm canisters on the Libertys bridge, and fired 30mm cannons and rockets into our ship. Israeli torpedo boats later returned to machine-gun at close range three of the Libertys life rafts that had been lowered into the water by survivors to rescue the most seriously wounded. There is compelling evidence that Israels attack was a deliberate attempt to destroy an American ship and kill her entire crew. Israel committed acts of murder against American servicemen and an act of war against the United States. The White House deliberately prevented the US Navy from coming to the defense of the Liberty. Surviving crewmembers were later threatened with court-martial, imprisonment or worse if they exposed the truth; and were abandoned by their own government. The White House deliberately covered up the facts of this attack from the American people. So is Saudi Arabia. But those (plus Americas own billionaires) are the two countries that Americas President actually represents (in addition to Americas own billionaires, who are more concerned to conquer Russia and to control China). Americas alliances reflect the interests of Americas billionaires, and thats all. Americas military represents them, and thats all. Todays America is fundamentally different from FDRs America. It is no democracy. By Paul Craig Roberts March 25, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - As I said, Trump is Americas first Zionist president. But apparently Trump does not understand that a declaration he signs giving Golan Heights to Israel has no authority under international law. I doubt many others will prostitute themselves in this way, so all Trump has achieved is to line up the United States with Israels illegal absorption of occupied territory. https://www.rt.com/news/454711-trump-signs-golan-heights/ Of course, in America stupidity can be found wherever one looks. Listening to the presstitutes today, especially the imbeciles at NPR, the American media is so completely stupid that the morons are unable to comprehend that there cannot be obsruction of justice if there is no crime. Mueller says there is no crime, so how could Trump obstruct justice in the absence of a crime? What justice was obstructed? Dont expect the idiot presstitutes to explain. Or Donna Brazile. Or the imbeciles Nadler and Schiff and the rest of the junk politicians who pollute American political life beyond the point of total ruin. Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts' latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West , How America Was Lost , and The Neoconservative Threat to World Order . Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter ==See Also== Taiwan has approved production of Hsiung Feng 2B anti-ship missiles. Only 36 of this new version are being produced and that will take until 2023. Hsiung Feng 2B has greater range (250 kilometers compared to 160 in earlier versions) and is better able to resist jamming and other countermeasures. The 685 kg (1,507 pound) Hsiung Feng 2 surface to surface version is stored in a firing container. The missile is 4.8 meters (14.9 feet) long and 400mm in diameter and has a 180 kg (400 pound) warhead. The Hsiung Feng 2 first appeared in the 1990s and has undergone several upgrades since then. These improvements concentrate on extending the range and improving the guidance system. Current versions of Hsiung Feng 2 use GPS/INS to reach the general vicinity of the target then employ pattern recognition (via an onboard electronic database) to select a specific (or one of several worth hitting) target and go after that ship. For its final approach, Hsiung Feng 2 speeds up to near supersonic (250 meters a second) speed. Chinas rapidly growing fleet has many newer ships with defensive weapons designed to deal with sub-sonic anti-ship missiles like Hsiung Feng 2 but even with that chance is still a factor, especially if the Chinese ship can be attacked when it does not expect it. That is not the most likely use of Hsiung Feng 2 as these are built to defend the 180 kilometers wide Taiwan Straits that separate China and island nation of Taiwan. There is a belief that American support will be sufficient to deter or defeat a Chinese attack. Everyone expects any such war to be short. Thus less than a thousand (possibly only a few hundred) Hsiung Feng 2s have been produced. Taiwan releases few details of upgrades or production and usually only does so when such information has become difficult to hide. Details of upgrading older missiles are easier to conceal while that is less expensive than building new ones and easier to get past the usually parsimonious parliament. The extreme secrecy forces China to spend more time, effort and money on espionage efforts in Taiwan. Since Taiwan develops its own electronics and has plenty of qualified people to do it China has to be wary of some new development they dont know about and wont discover until it starts sinking their ships. With that in mind, Hsiung Feng 2 appears to have been built in larger (than a few hundred) numbers and upgraded regularly. Hsiung Feng 2 is mainly used as a surface-to-surface weapon from both ships and land-based launchers. Some, the exact number is not public, Hsiung Feng 2 launchers are hidden around the island, disguised as other structures on hillsides overlooking coastal waters. There is also an air-launched version. Since 2000 Taiwan has been attempting to upgrade its military with new weapons and better training to deal with the rapidly growing quality of Chinese weapons and training standards for military personnel (especially pilots and sailors). Yet Taiwan has made little progress in either area. Purchase of new weapons is often quietly delayed and training reforms put off. While making the military stronger is popular with Taiwanese in general, for a long time government officials seemed more concerned with not upsetting China. Despite that China has vigorously opposed any efforts to help build a stronger Taiwanese military. This growing military weakness versus China has become more of an issue in Taiwan and there was growing pressure to improve training and reduce corruption within the military before it was too late. Yet many Taiwanese prefer to believe that the United States will protect Taiwan from Chinese aggression. That is no longer a sure thing either and since 2010 Taiwan has become more serious about preparing for the worse. In response, the Taiwanese Navy has been building more heavily armed (with Hsiung Feng 2) Tuo Chiang class missile corvettes. For example, in late 2014, four years after issuing the contract (to design and build the first of twelve 600 ton stealthy twin-hulled missile boats) Taiwan commissioned (put into service) the first of them. Construction took about two years and the first ship cost $72 million. These are actually large missile boats designated as corvettes. Each carries 16 anti-ship missiles (eight Hsiung Feng 2 and eight Hsiung Feng 3 supersonic/range 130 kilometers), a 76mm gun, a 20mm Phalanx autocannon (for missile defense), two 12.7mm machine-gun and six torpedo tubes plus a large array of electronics, including electronic countermeasures. The stealth and defensive electronics are meant to keep these ships afloat long enough to use most of their missiles against their more numerous Chinese counterparts. This includes the new Chinese aircraft carriers. These corvettes have a crew of 41, a top speed of 71 kilometers an hour and a helicopter pad. Tuo Chiang class ships carry sufficient fuel, water and food to stay at sea up to a week at a time. They are basically coastal defense ships. These new corvettes are the continuation of a trend in the Taiwanese Navy, which sees small ships carrying lots of anti-ship missiles as the key to success against the Chinese navy. But in typical fashion orders for more Tuo Chiang class ships were slow in coming and only recently did construction begin on more of them. In 2010 the first of 31 smaller Kuang Hua (KH-6) class guided missile patrol boats entered service. These 34.2 meter (106 foot) long, seven meter (22 foot) wide, 170 ton ships have a crew of 19. They were armed with four Hsiung Feng-2 anti-ship missiles, a 20mm autocannon, two 7.62mm machine-guns, and two decoy (for incoming missiles) launchers. Top speed is 55 kilometers an hour. At cruising speed of 22 kilometers an hour, the ships can stay at sea for about two days at a time. All 31 KH-6s are now in service. The KH-6s replace thirty older and smaller (57 ton) Hai Ou class boats. These patrol boats guard the coast, and especially the Taiwan Straits that separate China and Taiwan. Construction on these boats proceeded according to schedule. The one major weakness of these Kuang Hua missile boats is that they have no real air defenses and depend on the Taiwanese maintaining air superiority whenever and wherever these small craft are operating. Without that air cover, these small ships would be target practice for Chinese warplanes. That appears to be one reason for the new program to build locally what could not be obtained overseas (because of Chinese diplomacy and threats). Theres nothing unusual about tiny Taiwan developing and building world-class weapons. Israel, Norway and Sweden all do that and have the large export sales to show for it. Taiwan is blocked from most export opportunities by the relentless pressure from China to block such independent activity but that does not prevent Taiwanese firms from doing a good job. While Boko Haram appears to be undergoing a revival in the north, many Boko Haram leaders are unhappy over the cost and what it means for the future. Boko Haram has been inflicting a lot of casualties on the security forces and civilians (especially Christians) in the last year, but the Islamic terror group has itself suffered heavy losses; not just members killed in combat but the many lost through disease and desertion. Recruiting new members has been difficult and Boko Haram has resorted to kidnapping boys (young teenagers) and coercing them (often successfully) to join. A growing number of Boko Haram commanders were demanding some fundamental changes before Boko Haram fell apart and faded away. This apparently led to a change of leadership in the ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) branch of Boko Haram, with leader Khalid al Barnawi suddenly no longer in charge and his whereabouts or fate uncertain. He apparently abdicated in late February or early March. The new leadership is apparently demanding even more violence and a go for broke approach to deciding the fate of the larger Boko Haram faction. Barnawi was thought to be too timid and that was believed responsible for heavy losses suffered recently. The smaller faction, about half the size of the ISIL one, is accused of gradually turning into bandits with religious pretensions. That is a common fate for many militant organizations. While Barnawi lost his current job, to the west (Zamfara State) one of his earlier ideas (Ansaru) has apparently reappeared. Fighting between Fulani herders and local farmers in Zamfara has been going on for years and there were nearly 200 dead this month and even more people kidnapped. The kidnapping was a favorite tactic of Ansaru. Earlier in the year, the Zamfara death toll was less but growing since late 2018. The other thing that was growing was the incidence of kidnapping. There are indications that the increasing violence in Zamfara is the result of Nigerian Ansaru Islamic terrorists returning from years of exile in Libya. Islamic terrorists in Libya have suffered an unbroken series of defeats since 2016 and recently the LNA (Libyan National Army), the strongest military force in Libya, has destroyed or chased away most of the Islamic terror groups still operating in southern Libya. The LNA and several local militias had earlier driven the Islamic terrorists away from the coast where most of the population lives. The coastal region is not desert and there is sufficient water for forests and some farming. At the same time one of the founders of Ansaru, Barnawi, has apparently been forced out of his Boko Haram. There is nothing, yet, to connect the reappearance of Ansaru with the coup against Barnawi. But both developments indicate hard times for Islamic terrorists in Africa. Barnawi has been a prominent factor in the rise and fall of these African Islamic terrorist groups. By mid-2014 the U.S. announced a $5 million reward for the capture of Barnawi, at the time a former Boko Haram leader who broke away in 2012 to found the even more radical (and openly allied with al Quaeda) Ansaru. The feud between Boko Haram and Ansaru became more public in 2013 when criticisms of Boko Haram appeared on pro-terrorism websites. Ansaru (for Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan, or "Vanguards for the Protection of Muslims in Black Africa") is a Boko Haram splinter group that became more active after it declared its existence in 2012. Ansaru and Barnawi objected to the Boko Haram tactics of killing lots of Moslems and wanted to concentrate on just killing foreigners or non-Moslem Nigerians. It is unclear how large Ansaru was back then and how much violence within Boko Haram, if any, resulted from the split. Ansaru appears to have always been very small, perhaps only a few hundred members, and more interested (than Boko Haram) in working closely with Islamic terror groups operating elsewhere in Africa. It was this interest in attacking or kidnapping foreigners (especially Americans) that got the Ansaru leader on the U.S. most wanted terrorists list. Shortly after the Americans put the price on his head, Barnawi rejoined Boko Haram as chief spokesman while what was left of Ansaru headed north to Libya. By mid-2016 Barnawi was declared head of Boko Haram by ISIL leadership. That caused a split in Boko Haram as the fellow he replaced, Abubakar Shekau, took his loyalists (nearly half of Boko Haram) and continued to lead it. Meanwhile, in Zamfara State the root cause of the violence is not religion but herders and farmers fighting over land (for grazing or crops) and water (for cattle or crops). Both herders and farmers carry out revenge attacks but the Fulani are generally the aggressors. Zamfara state is experiencing the same sort of tribal violence as central Nigeria except in Zamfara nearly everyone involved is Moslem. This generally involves fighting between Fulani herders and Hausa farmers. To make matters worse the area is notorious for groups of bandits that steal cattle as well as raid farming villages just for the money. The bandits are mainly Fulani but a growing number of Hausa are joining in. The security forces are supposed to seize illegal arms, especially the cheap AK-47s that became common back in the 1990s. The reality is that only the farmers are hurt by this because local defense militias must either bribe local police to keep their AK-47s or be at constant risk of having them seized. Herders are more mobile and better at hiding their weapons. Villagers are demanding that the government allow defense groups to have firearms. Even without that, the Fulani violence has caused nearly 4,000 deaths in the last three years. Most of the attacks are raids for the purpose of looting and leaving the area. The Fulani raiders often run into Hausa self-defense militias and the resulting battles leave many on both sides dead or wounded. The Fulani raids are usually after cattle and other loot. Moslem leaders want attention paid to the growing tribal feuds between Moslem tribes, especially like the battles between Fulani and Hausa in Zamfara. In response, the federal government has ordered the national police to send in additional paramilitary personnel to deal (or try to deal) with that situation. The police have not had much impact and usually, leave after conducting some operations that are avoided by the local bandits. Soldiers are now being sent in as well but the violence continues to spread. Christian Patience The great fear of many Nigerians is that the continued Islamic terrorist attacks on Christians in the north will lead to a civil war. About half the Nigerian population is Christian and most of them are in the south, where they are the majority. The south is where the oil is. The Christians are better educated, but no less corrupt, than their Moslem neighbors. Nigeria was founded and survives because of an understanding that Christians and Moslems would get along. Leaders of both communities have largely striven to make that work. But Islamic radicalism is one aspect of Islam that is difficult to control and now that militantly anti-Christian (and anyone not the right kind of Moslem) disease has infested parts of the Moslem north. Most Nigerians want the original compromise to survive but the radical Islamic terrorist minority are unconcerned with such un-Islamic compromises and are willing to burn the entire nation down to prove their point. This will not end well for the Islamic terrorists but it is uncertain how badly it will end for Nigeria as a whole. More Christians are questioning the policy of patience and forbearance while so many Christians continue to die for being Christians. Nigerian Christians are also dismayed by the widespread apathy among Western Christians to the plight of Christians being sought out and murdered by radical Moslems. Nigerians dont need foreign help to organize and carry out a crusade to protect themselves. This puts more pressure on Nigerian politicians to stop posturing and get serious about ending the sectarian murders in the north. Political Solutions President Buhari won reelection in February in what was largely considered a free and fair vote. The same cannot be said for the state elections (to select governors) which continue and often end up in court. The state-level elections have always been the most corrupt, with rival candidates deploying bribes as well as gangs of hired thugs to persuade people to vote for them and not for an honest government. Buhari and his APC party have tried to get more honest (or at least less corrupt) governors elected but that is very difficult because the corruption is most entrenched at the state level. March 25, 2019: In the northeast (Adamawa State), Boko Haram attacked Kopa, a town on the border with Borno state, and were repulsed by nearby soldiers. March 22, 2019: In the northeast (across the border from Borno state in southern Chad), Boko Haram gunmen killed 23 Chad soldiers. The next day the head of the army and his two key subordinates were replaced. Chad is not accustomed to seeing its armed forces his this hard by Islamic terrorists. Chad is also suffering problems with former rebels returning (being chased out of) Libya because they have nowhere else to go and nothing to lose. March 21, 2019: In the northeast (across the border from Borno state in southeast Niger), Boko Haram gunmen killed eight people when they attacked near the border town of Diffa, which has been the scene of clashes between the Niger troops and Boko Haram forces for years. March 19, 2019: In central Nigeria (Benue State), Fulani raiders killed at least ten farmers. March 18, 2019: In the northeast (Adamawa State), a Boko Haram attack on a Christian village was repulsed with at least twenty of the Islamic terrorists killed. The army lost five dead. In central Nigeria (Benue State), more violence between Fulani herders and Christian villagers left at least two dozen dead. March 17, 2019: In the south (Cross River state), violence between Moslems and Christians left four dead. March 16, 2019: In the northeast (Kaduna State), Fulani raiders clashed with villagers leaving ten dead. March 12, 2019: In the northeast (Borno State), troops of the MNJTF (Multi-National Joint Task Force) killed 39 Boko Haram gunmen. The 8,700 man MNJTF is still actively attempting to eliminate any Boko Haram presence in the region. Of all the threats they face what scares the Boko Haram most is the MNJTF. Formed in early 2015 the MNJTF consists of troops from Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Benin and Nigeria. At first, the MNJTF was used mainly inside Nigeria but by early 2017 MNJTF was spending most of its time clearing Boko Haram out of border areas. Each member country assigns some of their best troops to the MNJTF and the Boko Haram have suffered heavy losses trying to fight MNJTF forces. March 11, 2019: In the northeast (Borno State), at least five Boko Haram men died during a clash with soldiers. March 10, 2019: In the northeast (Adamawa State), two Boko Haram suicide bombers died during a failed attack (no one else died). March 9, 2019: In the northeast (Borno State), soldiers clashed with a large group of Boko Haram and killed 23 of the Islamic terrorists. In the south (Bayelsa state), pirates attacked a ship offshore, looted the vessel and kidnapped five of the crew. March 8, 2019: In the northeast (Borno State), soldiers attacked a large group of Boko Haram gunmen, killing over twenty of them as the Islamic terrorists fled. In the northeast (across the border from Borno state in southeast Niger), Boko Haram gunmen fought with Niger troops near the border town of Diffa, leaving 38 of the Islamic terrorists dead along with seven soldiers. March 6, 2019: In the northeast (Borno State), a Boko Haram landmine killed five people outside Maiduguri (the state capital). March 5, 2019: In the northwest (Zamfara State), tribal violence left about a hundred dead in the last three days. March 4, 2019: During February Islamic terrorist violence left led to 60 attacks and over 200 deaths nationwide. Worldwide Nigeria is still considered one of the top three nations when it comes to the amount of Islamic terrorists violence it suffers. Nigeria has held that ranking since 2014 and while Boko Haram violence has diminished it has largely been replaced by Fulani Moslems attacking and killing Christian and Moslem farmers who will not surrender land and water to the Fulani herders. From all this sectarian violence comes a growing number of small groups that are just bandits but pretend to be doing it for religious reasons. TICKERS: FNV Source: Streetwise Reports (3/26/19) An iA Securities report reviews the actual numbers from 2018 and the projected figures for the next five years. In a March 20 research note, iA Securities analyst George Topping reported that Franco-Nevada Corp.'s (FNV:TSX; FNV:NYSE) Q4/18 was generally in line with expectations and its future outlook positive. Topping presented the key points regarding Franco-Nevada's Q4/18. Production of gold equivalent ounces was 105,000 ounces (105 Koz), "marginally less" than forecasted. EBITDA and cash flow per share were as expected, at $119 million and $109 million, respectively. Q4/18 revenue was $148 million, 88% of which came from metals and 12% from energy. "A larger-than-expected writedown was most likely due to prudence," he noted. The analyst provided the highlights from the company's full-year 2018. The total gold equivalent (Au eq) produced was 448 Koz, down 14% from that in 2018, primarily due to operations at two mines. Production at Lundin's Candelaria decreased 33% year over year (YOY), to 56 Koz Au eq due to mine remediation. Output at Coeur Mining's Palmarejo was also lower, at 36 Koz Au eq. This 31% YOY drop is attributed to mining having occurred in areas outside of those covered in Franco's 50% gold stream. A bright spot was revenue from Franco's oil and gas division, which increased 85% in 2018 over 2017. This in part was due to additional growth from its Permian Basin and SCOOP and STACK assets. Topping cited upcoming operational changes that should positively impact Franco's bottom line. The start-up of First Quantum's Cobre Panama should translate into 20 Koz of Au eq 2019 for Franco. Candelaria should rebound to normal operations this year, which means the return of roughly 20 Koz Au eq. Those two mines alone should generate at least a 10% increase in Au eq ounces in 2019. "A rebound at Candelaria [and] Cobre Panama coming online, combined with funds flow from a gold price rally, will all provide catalysts for Franco in 2019," commented Topping. KGHM intends to put the Levack Morrison mine on care and maintenance at the end of Q1/19 and restart its McCreedy mine. The latter should replace Levack's 50% precious metals stream ounces. Finally, Topping reviewed Franco's 2019 guidance and compared it to iASecurities' projections. The company guided to 465500 Koz of Au eq produced from its metals royalty and stream assets in 2019. IA Securities forecasts the number to be at the higher end of the range. Over the next five years, Franco projects production of 570610 Koz Au eq, which compares to iA Securities' estimate of 636 Koz. "We estimate the Au eq ounces portfolio will grow by an average of 67% per year" through 2024, Topping wrote. Regarding oil and gas, Franco guides to 2019 revenue from those assets of $7085 million, assuming a $55 per barrel oil price; iA forecasts $90 million. In five years, Franco expects that amount to increase to $140160 million, also assuming $55 per barrel, due to increased production from the Continental acquisition. IA Securities has a Buy rating and a CA$115 per share target price on Franco-Nevada, whose stock is currently trading at around CA$102.70 per share. [NLINSERT] Disclosure: 1) Doresa Banning compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an independent contractor. She or members of her household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. She or members of her household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. 2) The following companies mentioned in this article are sponsors of Streetwise Reports: None. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. 3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. 4) 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 three business days after the publication of the interview or article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own shares of Franco-Nevada, a company mentioned in this article. Disclosures from iA Securities, Franco-Nevada Corp., Research Update, March 20, 2019 Conflicts of Interest: The research analyst and or associates who prepared this report are compensated based upon (among other factors) the overall profitability of iA Securities, which may include the profitability of investment banking and related services. In the normal course of its business, iA Securities may provide financial advisory services for the issuers mentioned in this report. iA Securities may buy from or sell to customers the securities of issuers mentioned in this report on a principal basis. Analyst's Certification: Each iA Securities research analyst whose name appears on the front page of this research report hereby certifies that (i) the recommendations and opinions expressed in the research report accurately reflect the research analyst's personal views about the issuer and securities that are the subject of this report and all other companies and securities mentioned in this report that are covered by such research analyst and (ii) no part of the research analyst's compensation was, is, or will be directly or indirectly, related to the specific recommendations or views expressed by such research analyst in this report. Analyst Trading: iA Securities permits analysts to own and trade in the securities and or the derivatives of the issuer under their research coverage, subject to the following restrictions. No trades can be executed in anticipation of coverage for a period of 30 days prior to the issuance of the report and 5 days after the dissemination of the report to our clients. For a change in recommendation, no trading is allowed for a period of 24 hours after the dissemination of such information to our clients. A transaction against an analyst's recommendation can only be executed for a reason unrelated to the outlook of the stock for the issuer and with the prior approval of the Director of Research and the Chief Compliance Officer. Company Related Disclosures: Franco-Nevada Corp.: The analyst has visited the issuer's operations. No payment or reimbursement was received from the issuer for the associated travel costs. Lundin Mining Corp.: The analyst has visited the issuer's operations. No payment or reimbursement was received from the issuer for the associated travel costs. March 25, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - The Trump Administration has delivered yet another concession to Israels embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the eve of parliamentary elections: the Israeli military occupation of much of the Palestinian West Bank and of the Golan Heights will no longer be referred to in official U.S. government documents as an occupation. Americas so-called Ambassador to Israel is a former Trump lawyer named David Friedman who is more involved in serving Israel than the United States. He personally supports the view that the illegal Jewish settlements are legitimately part of Israel, choosing to ignore their growth even though it has long been U.S. policy to oppose them. He has also long sought to change the State Departments language on the Israeli control of the West Bank and Golan Heights, being particularly concerned about the expression occupied, which has legal implications. Now he appears to have won that fight, to the delight of the Netanyahu government. And the expunging of occupied might be only the first of many gifts intended to bolster Netanyahus chances. Senator Lindsey Graham, who also boasts of his close ties to the Israeli Prime Minister, intends to initiate legislative action to go one step further and compel the United States to actually recognize Israels sovereignty over the Golan Heights, the Syrian territory that was annexed after fighting in 1967, but which has not been recognized as part of Israel by any other country or international body. If a vote on the bill is pushed forward and goes as expected virtually unanimously as the subject before congress is Israel, it would hugely benefit Bibi. Some sources are also predicting that recognition of the Golan Heights could easily lead to U.S. government recognition of Israels sovereignty over much of the West Bank. Israels election is scheduled for April 9th, so there is still plenty of time for additional mischief. There have even been suggestions in the Israeli media that Netanyahu just might escalate fighting with any one or more of a number of its neighbors to enhance his wartime leader credentials. That Gaza will be pummeled is a certainty and Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria is probably also in the gun-sights. An uncorroborated report last week out of Israel claimed that Hezbollah is operating a terror cell in Syria close to the border with Israel. It would serve as a pretext for a bit of military action and Americas own congress-critters would immediately be jumping up and down expressing their support for Israels right to defend itself. The big prize for Netanyahu would, of course, be success at getting the United States to attack Iran and one can bet that Mossad is cranking up false flag plans to bring about such an eventuality while also making it look like the Mullahs were at fault. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Netanyahu, bedeviled by corruption charges against him, is otherwise sinking into his usual pre-election mode, which is to outflank nearly everyone on the intransigent right of Israeli politics. He has entered into a coalition with the openly racist Kahanist party Otzma Yehudit, which most Israelis consider to be close to a Jewish version of fascism as it advocates, among other policies, the forceful expulsion of all Arabs. Benjamin Netanyahu is also looking for a boost through his attendance at the annual American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC) summit, which is being held in Washington from March 24-26. The theme of the conference is, unfortunately, Connected for Good, which is clearly a boast by AIPAC rather than an admission of the shameful reality that has been delivered to the American people by a groveling and subservient congress and White House. Co-opting the United States is what it is all about, with the promotional material promising an UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE : The AIPAC Policy Conference is the largest gathering of Americas pro-Israel community. The conference is a celebration of the U.S.-Israel partnership and the premier opportunity for every attendee to lobby their Congressional office to advance the U.S.-Israel relationship. The Policy Conference is also a rich educational experience and inspirational booster shot. Attendees will hear keynote speeches by American and Israeli leaders, attend intimate educational sessions, and be wowed by moving stories of U.S.-Israel partnerships, Israeli heroism, and groundbreaking Israeli innovations that are changing our world. AIPAC is a seriously threatening organization with income of more than $100 million per annum, nearly 400 employees, 100,000 members, seventeen regional offices, and a vast pool of donors. It clearly includes a lot of smart and savvy folks who know a lot about what is going on in the Middle East, but its panels will not include a single word about shooting unarmed protesters, declaring Israel to be a nation state for Jews alone, its own acceptance of laws attacking freedom of speech, or its use of Jewish donated money to corrupt the American political system encouraging allegiance to a foreign country on the part of U.S. citizens. Bibi will undoubtedly pick up on AIPACs cozy theme of inclusiveness by taking the opportunity to burnish his credentials as the leader who can continue to deliver on unlimited and uncritical support from the United States. He will almost certainly meet with President Donald Trump and the two will undoubtedly mention the terrible wave of anti-Semitism that is sweeping the globe, justifying still more ethnic cleansing of the diminishing number of Arabs living in Greater Israel and the bombing of Iran. Other leading American politicians who will be at AIPAC in supporting rolls include the slimy Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and the despicable former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. It will also include numerous other congressmen, administration officials and the usual scumbags who gravitate to these events, including pardoned criminal Elliott Abrams and unindicted felon Senator Robert Menendez. Abrams, who believes that Jews and gentiles should not intermarry, is currently engaged in destroying Venezuela and just might be otherwise occupied. A number of the American government attendees at the event are actually Israeli citizens. Sigal Mandelker, a committed Zionist who holds the perpetually Jewish position of Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence in the United States Department of Treasury, is an Israeli by birth and it is widely believed that a number of Jewish congressmen and government officials who will be attending the AIPAC conference have dual citizenship. On the conference websites roster of attendees, it is amusing to see the official photos in which the U.S. legislators and officials are standing in front of the American flag, seemingly disinterested in the irony that what AIPAC is doing is destructive of democracy in America and a sell-out to Israeli interests, undermining those of the United States. Netanyahus most serious opposition in the election appears to be a centrist coalition headed by former Israeli Defense Force chief General Benny Gantz, who has spoken of his pride in killing 1,364 terrorists in Gaza, and former Finance Minister Yair Lapid. It is the principal challenge to incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus re-election hopes. Israeli courts have also meanwhile banned several Arab parties while allowing extreme right-wing Jewish parties to appear on the ballot. Whatever the outcome, the United States will be on the receiving end of what Israel decides to do post-election as Trump and company as well as the Democrats in opposition also have an election coming up next year and will want to receive the Israeli seal of approval. And AIPAC will be right there to make sure that Israel in return gets everything that it so richly deserves. Goodnight America. www.councilforthenationalinterest.org, address is P.O. Box 2157, Purcellville VA 20134 and its email is inform@cnionline.org. Philip M. Giraldi, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Council for the National Interest, a 501(c)3 tax deductible educational foundation that seeks a more interests-based U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Website isaddress is P.O. Box 2157, Purcellville VA 20134 and its email is This article was originally published by " Council for the National Interest " - Venezuelan authorities claim to have uncovered the plot from a conversation between Guaido and Russian pranksters impersonating the president of Switzerland. By Ricardo Vaz March 25, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - Venezuelan authorities have alleged that self-proclaimed Interim President Juan Guaido and other opposition leaders were involved in a plot to carry out acts of terrorism employing foreign paramilitaries trained in Colombia. Venezuelan Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez presented what he claimed to be evidence of ultra-right plans to promote regime change. According to Rodriguez, Venezuelan intelligence services uncovered plans to contract mercenaries from Colombia and Central America and bring them into Venezuela to execute targeted killings and acts of sabotage, adding that at least half of the armed groups managed to make their way into Venezuelan territory and are currently being sought. We have identified some paramilitaries that have entered Venezuela, and we will search for them by land, sea and air, Rodriguez told press. Juan Guaidos chief of staff, Roberto Marrero, was arrested on Thursday, accused of leading a terrorist cell. Rodriguez claimed that Marrero was the link to to the hiring of Central American mercenaries. Rodriguez went on to reveal screen captures of Marreros phone purportedly showing Whatsapp group conversations featuring Marrero, Guaido, Leopoldo Lopez, currently under house arrest after being convicted for inciting violence in the 2014 street protests, among other opposition figures. Rodriguez pledged that more evidence will be divulged in the coming days. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter The screen captures also revealed details of alleged bank accounts through which payments to the paramilitary groups were supposed to be made. One of them was in Banescos Panama branch. Banesco is Venezuelas largest private bank, and Rodriguez called on Banesco owner Ricardo Escotet to inform security services whether this account exists and what movements have been made. Rodriguez indicated that Venezuelan authorities had learned of the existence of the bank accounts after notorious Russian pranksters Vladimir Vovan Kuznetsov and Alexei Lexus Stolyarov called Guaido impersonating the president of Switzerland. The pranksters said they had identified funds belonging to President Nicolas Maduro they wished to transfer to Guaido, who readily provided the president with account information. Lawyer Juan Planchart was also reportedly detained on Sunday by Venezuelas SEBIN intelligence services, and is reportedly being held at SEBINs facilities in Caracas Plaza Venezuela. Planchart was presented in the supposed Whatsapp conversations revealed by Rodriguez as a financial intermediary. At the time of writing there has been no official confirmation of Plancharts arrest. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro likewise divulged that a Colombian paramilitary leader, Wilfrido Torres Gomez, alias Neco, was captured in Carabobo State on Saturday. Jorge Rodriguez later claimed on Twitter that Torres was involved in the alleged opposition plans. US authorities reacted to Marreros arrest by imposing sanctions against three major Venezuelan public banks on Friday. The move followed sanctions against Venezuelas mining sector and an oil embargo imposed in late January. There has been no reaction to the latest arrests from US officials or from Guaido and the Venezuelan opposition. Rodriguezs revelations came as two Russian air force planes touched down at Venezuelas Maiquetia airport on Sunday. According to reports, the planes carried equipment and around 100 servicemen, including General Vasily Tonkoshkurov, chief of staff of Russian ground forces. According to a source quoted by Sputnik, the deployment represents a fulfilment of technical and military cooperation agreements. The Venezuelan government has yet to issue a public statement. Russia had previously sent military aircraft to Venezuela in December as part of bilateral defense accords. US officials reacted to the latest development, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling on Russia to cease its unconstructive behavior regarding Venezuela. Florida Senator Marco Rubio called the presence of Russian troops on Venezuelan soil a direct threat to US national security. Last week, US and Russian authorities held ad hoc talks on Venezuela in Rome, but no concrete agreement was reached. Edited and with additional reporting by Lucas Koerner from Caracas. This article was originally published by " Venezuelanalysis " - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== Arrogance born to stupidity: Pompeo warns Russia 'to cease its unconstructive behavior' in Venezuela Venezuela suffers 'attack' as another crippling blackout hits: We have suffered a new attack on our national electricity system Rodriguez said, adding that the event had similar characteristics to the March 7 attack. Venezuela arrests Colombian fugitive said linked to terror plot Venezuela opposition fears crackdown after Maduro threatens arrests : Maduro hinted that Guaido and other key opposition figures were also in his sights. The Russians are coming (and they're bringing oil) : The loss of Venezuela as a major U.S. oil supplier has opened up room for other exporters, most notably Russia. Trumps Sanctions Kill Venezuelan People. Why Cant UN Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet Fully Acknowledge That? Stop the evil empire: Roger Waters says the coup in Venezuela has failed (VIDEO) 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 Bay of Plenty If you love working out doors and in a small team then we have the role for you. We are needing someone who has either maintenance... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz The new entrance to Bayfair Shopping Centre off State Highway 2, Maunganui Road will be closed from tomorrow for four months. The entrance is set to close at 1pm on Wednesday March 27, and will be closed for at least four months as part of the Bay Link project. The NZTA say access will still be available through the original entrance off Maunganui Road. We thank you for your patience during this time while we widen the road for what will become the new approach to the Bayfair roundabout. For more information about the project, visit www.nzta.govt.nz/baylink The Corrections Department aims to begin paying back staff for any shortfalls due to complications with the Holidays Act later this year. It expects a $16 million contingency it got in last year's Budget should cover its liabilities to more than 9000 staff underpaid due to leave and shiftwork miscalculations. "We are determined to get this right for our staff and aim to begin paying any shortfalls in late 2019," says, deputy chief executive corporate services, Richard Waggott in a statement. The prisons operator is just one of many government agencies and private businesses. Corrections finished fixing its payroll system last November. RNZ has asked the department what this cost: MBIE's bill for fixing its payroll ran to more than $20m, with reimbursements to staff on top of that. It was now undertaking the "hugely complex" task of recalculating payments, Richard says. There are two options for this work - recalculation or estimation. The Labour Inspectorate earlier told RNZ it was advising that estimation could lead to a quicker payout. But Richard says "calculation of arrears ensures that we are using our taxpayer-funded resources responsibly, as estimation increases the risk of inaccuracies. We want to complete the exercise once only, and as accurately as possible". It was working closely with unions on this, he says. Hemp products have become increasingly popular over the years and now Bay of Plenty residents have access to the superfood as its harvested in their own backyard. New Zealand company HempFarm have based their new food processing facility in Tauriko. HempFarm director Anne Jordan says the company moved to their new Tauranga based facility on January 7, and they couldnt be happier with the business progress. Before we were here we ran the business from our house in Hamilton, doing it from the garage up until midnight, packing all of the parcels, on the phone all day, ringing stores, talking about hemp. It drove our family completely crazy. HempFarm office manager Jess Jordan says the sales of hemp have increased due to peoples awareness of the plant. Last year our sales went up around 400 per cent within a year, we have 460 stockists now and we have around 6000 retail customers. Everyones now more educated about their health and wellbeing. I found when I did an expo last year people dont want to know anything, they just want to buy it. Its now an everyday product. Anne says a big factor in her and her husbands decision to get into the hemp industry is due to the environmental benefit. My husband first wanted to grow hemp to clean up the environment, because of the condition of the waterways, the pollution in the waterways, the run offs on farms and all of that. It cleans up the soils and takes the carbon out of the atmosphere, its a superfood. Anne says hemp is a whole food and it has great nutritional benefits. Hemp products contain all of the essential acids, and an optimal balance of omega fatty acids. Its the worlds most nutrient dense seed. Hemp products help reduce arthritis pain, improve eczema, psoriasis, people have had blood pressure goes down, it balances hormones, good for your metabolism, boosts your immune system, the list goes on. While the HempFarm factory is being finished, Anne says they have been importing hemp products from Canada. There was no processing plant here, so we had to. Weve been bringing in certified organic products to enable us to build an industry here and raise awareness. We always talk about our Canadian products with pride as they are organic, they are big mentors to us. Now that HempFarm have their own facility, they are entering the harvesting stage where they will begin producing their own products. We expect to have 400 tonne of seed coming off the crops, and 300 tonne will go to food processing. The rest will be used for resewing, says Anne. The Tauriko facility produces many different products, ranging from foods, to skincare and to cloths. You start with the de-shelled seed, which we will be making here with a de-huller, and the seeds are a whole food. They are really delicious, I put them on my porridge and muesli, and it goes nicely with fish and in a pesto. It has a pine nut taste to it. We have hemp oil, which is cold pressed from the seed. We also have hemp oil capsules, lots of people feel taking a tablet is the way to go for them, just like people take fish oils, but environmentally its a lot better for you then taking fish. The capsules contain omega three, six and nine fatty acids from a plant without any sprays, growing organically. Another product Anne says is beneficial is the protein powder, which contains 50 per cent protein per serving, allowing muscles to recover after exercise with the magnesium in the product. HempFarm have created a skincare range, including a healing balm which is known as an ambulance in a jar, as well as a face serum and cleaner. Hemp cloths and reusable bags have also been produced, ensuring none of the product goes to waste. Anne says the facility should be up and running in under six months time, where they will be de-hulling seeds, pressing seeds into oil and distributing their products from the Tauriko facility. HempFarm are hosting an event in Tauriko to celebrate opening of the facility. It will be nice for people to know in the Bay of Plenty to know that we are here and what we are up to, because it is a big deal, says Jess. The HempFarm opening event is in late April. If members of the public wish to attend, contact Jess at jessica@hempfarm.co.nz As we continue to hear updates on the devastation caused by the flooding across the state, Black Hills Energy would like to join the many other Nebraskans who are making helping others a priority. One way the company is giving a hand up is by collecting donations across the state and delivering them to the eastern part of the state on April 3. Donations will be collected at Black Hills Energys Sidney office, located at 925 Greenwood Rd., from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday until April 2. Donations that are being requested include water, paper towels, toilet paper, diapers,... "Keep Life Simple" is the theme of the annual Women in Agriculture Conference, which will feature information and advice about simplicity and excellence, making meals with a multi-cooker, forage production, youth loans, farming with disabilities, and more. This year's conference is scheduled for Friday, April 12, at Sidney. It will run from 8:15 a.m. until 3:45 p.m. at Buffalo Point Restaurant, 638 Cabela Drive. The 2018 conference was canceled due to weather, but is being brought back in 2019. The conference is intended to help women who are involved in agriculture improve their decision-m... Nebraska Department of Labor Rapid Response Coordinator Maria Rowan explains some of the information presented at a meeting held for workers at the Cabela's Distribution Center who are expecting to be laid-off with the Center closing. When Bass Pro/Cabela's announced the Distribution Centers in Sidney, more than 100 workers were given the dilemma of "what next?" A series of meeting were held at Western Nebraska Community College to help workers facing layoff find their way to their next opportunity. The Nebraska Department of Labor Rapid Response meetings were held to help recently laid off or expected to soon be laid off as a result of closing the Distribution Center. Friday's afternoon meeting was opened by Paula Abbott, WNCC Sidney Campus director. Abbott encouraged those in attendance to take note of the assets avail... The South Platte Natural Resources District (SPNRD) Board of Directors (Board) held its monthly meeting March 12 at the South Platte NRD Conference Room in Sidney. Ritch Nelson, State Forester with Nebraska NRCS and State Wildlife Biologist, gave a presentation to the Board on current events with the Eastern Redcedar tree in Nebraska. Currently, there are concerns in different parts of the state where the Eastern Redcedar has started to become problematic. Nelson highlighted tree facts, benefits of the Eastern Redcedar and some of the less desirable issues they can cause. The Eastern Red... Cheyenne Countys recent heavy wet snow has all but dissolved the drought concerns in Nebraskas Panhandle. The March 21 drought monitor shows two counties defined as abnormally dry from the Wyoming border to Iowa. The map also shows no drought concerns from North Dakota to the Oklahoma-Kansas state line. The definition might seem obvious with the eastern half of the state trying to manage flood conditions. However, prior to the recent storm, the account was much different. The drought monitor shows that in late 2018 and into 2019, as much as 90 percent of Nebraska was defined a... SCOTTSBLUFF -- Theres nothing wrong with getting your hands a little dirty. Western Nebraska Community College invites you to do just that at the Applied Technical Trades Open House on Wednesday, April 10 from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. at the Applied Technologies Center on the Scottsbluff Campus. The free event is open to all prospective students and their families. The Applied Technical Trades Open House will feature a number of hands-on activities to give those attending a greater understanding of the inner workings of WNCCs applied technology programs. Attendees are encouraged to c... W. Dean Christensen, age 86 of Lodgepole, NE passed away at his home Saturday, March 23, 2019. Memorial services will be held at 11:00 A.M., Saturday, March 30th in the Lodgepole United Methodist Church with Rev. David Abbott and Larry Christensen officiating. Inurnment will follow in the Pleasant View Cemetery north of Lodgepole with Military Honors. Memorial contributions may be made in Deans name to the Lodgepole Museum or the Lodgepole United Methodist Church. Friends may stop at the Gehrig-Stitt Chapel on Friday to sign Deans register book and drop off condolences for the fami... The move comes as Bugatti ends a successful 15-year collaboration with Swiss watch brand Parmigiani Fleurier in pursuit of new ventures. With the stated aim of pushing the limits of what seems mechanically possible, the partnership was announced just before the start of BaselWorld 2019, currently taking place in Switzerland, and has commenced with two new watches showcased at the prestigious event. For this project we found the right partner in Jacob & Co., because we are both absolutely dedicated to innovation with superb technology, absolute beauty, craftsmanship and the highest quality of the materials, said Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti. The partnership has commenced with the launch of two new Bugatti-themed timepieces on display in Switzerland. The first is the Twin Turbo Furious Bugatti Edition, which comes finished turquoise around the dial to compliment Bugattis 110-year anniversary Chiron. Only 39 of the timepieces will be made, with 18 in carbon fibre, 18 in rose gold and 3 in diamonds. The second watch is the Bugatti Chrono Edition Limitee 100 Ans, which pays tribute to the founding of the car brand by Ettore Bugatti 100 years ago in 1909. Based on the sporty Epic X Chronograph, 110 examples of the watch will be made to mark each year since Bugatti was created. This watch also features a forged carbon case along with the colours of the French flag, along with a special rubber strap inspired by the distinctive rear sections of Bugatti supercars. The watches will be on display at BaselWorld 2019 until 26 March. Day Four: Positano Positano is a picture-perfect village of vibrant cubiform buildings clinging to the cliff face. A day here should be spent perusing the artisan boutiques and buying a pair of hand-woven sandals, before heading to Il San Pietro as the blue sky gives way to dusky orange. This restaurant has one of the most beautiful terraces in the country and serves fish so fresh you can taste the sea salt. Day Five: Cetara This idyllic coastal village has a niche speciality: anchovies. Cetara leads the region in the deliciously salty delicacy. Almost all the restaurants here offer anchovies in various manifestations, but the best places to sample are Refettorio in Conca Dei Marini, an eatery located in a renovated monastery, and Rossellinis in Ravello, which is tucked in the rock face overlooking Amalfi. Day Six: Capri A day spent in Capri should entail swimming beneath the Faraglioni and soaking up the rays on a rugged beach at La Fontelina, with a pitcher of vino con le percoche (white wine and local peaches) close at hand. For dinner, head to the town of Anacapri, which resides just on the other side of the Capri Mountain. Here, two-Michelin-starred restaurant LOlivo takes the regions gastronomic staples and reimagines them into exquisite works of art. Day Seven: Ischia Ischia is a volcanic island off the coast of Naples, whose sunbaked terrain makes for a large number of vineyards. The most famous regional wine is Biancolella - enjoy hearty amounts of this fruity, almond-tinged white at a tasting in a local cellar, before dining in the enchanted garden of two Michelin-starred restaurant Dani Maison. By Megan Crepeau and Madeline Buckley Chicago Tribune (TNS) CHICAGO In a stunning reversal, Cook County prosecutors on Tuesday dropped all charges against Empire actor Jussie Smollett for allegedly staging a phony attack and claiming he was the victim of a hate crime. Calling it a whitewash of justice, Mayor Rahm Emanuel blasted the decision, emphasizing repeatedly that a grand jury had chosen to bring 16 counts of disorderly conduct against Smollett. From top to bottom, this is not on the level, Emanuel told reporters at an afternoon news conference. Why the states attorneys office made the sudden about-face wasnt immediately clear. The office issued only a one-sentence statement. After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smolletts volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case, the statement said. Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson stood by the work of detectives. MORE: "I stand behind the detectives' investigation," Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson says after charges were dropped against Jussie Smollett. https://t.co/B2ahaJSxt3 pic.twitter.com/bur7wAH3xd ABC News (@ABC) March 26, 2019 Area Central Detective Cmdr. Edward Wodnicki, whose detectives led the investigation into Smollett, said prosecutors gave him no heads up to police that the charges would be dropped. He also expressed concern that it left it looking as if police mishandled the investigation. He said detectives uncovered overwhelming evidence against Smollett. Its absolutely a punch in the gut, Wodnicki told a Tribune reporter. We worked very, very closely throughout our three-week investigation to get to the point where we arrested the offender. So for the states attorneys office at this point to dismiss the charges without discussing this with us at all is just shocking. Before departing the courthouse Tuesday, Smollett thanked his attorneys, family, friends and Chicago for supporting him through what he called an incredibly difficult time for me. He also thanked the state of Illinois for attempting to do whats right. I have been truthful and consistent from day one, Smollett, his hands shaking as he read from notes, told reporters in the lobby of the Leighton Criminal Court Building. Smolletts attorney, Patricia Brown Holmes, said the defense reached no deal with prosecutors. Smollett agreed to forfeit his $100,000 bond so he could go on with his life and get this over with, she said. Smollett had to post 10 percent of that or $10,000. Ordinarily, that money would be returned to him or his attorneys. The stunning decision to drop the 16 counts of disorderly conduct was presumably made without the input of States Attorney Kim Foxx, who recused herself from the case last month after revealing shed had contact with Smolletts representatives early on in the investigation. Foxx declined to provide details at the time. Communications later released to the Tribune, however, showed Foxx had asked Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson to turn over the investigation to the FBI after she was approached by a politically connected lawyer about the case. Holmes said she was not privy to the evidence that led prosecutors to bring charges, but she accused police Superintendent Johnson of trying the case in the press. When asked if authorities should investigate who actually attacked Smollett, Holmes noted that two brothers both of whom knew Smollett had already admitted their involvement. They alleged that Smollett paid them to stage the attack. The two men who attacked him have indicated that they attacked him, so we already know who attacked him, those brothers, she said. When asked whether she was calling for the brothers to be charged, Holmes said that is a decision for prosecutors to make. We dont want to try them in the press any more than (Smollett) wanted to be tried in the press, she said. For unclear reasons, Judge Steven Watkins ordered the public court file sealed. There had been no clue that prosecutors planned the about-face before the announcement. In fact, there likely would have been no reporters in the courtroom if it hadnt been for a publicist for Smolletts attorney alerting the news media Tuesday morning that Smollett was already in court for an unscheduled emergency hearing. Moments after the judge allowed the dismissal, attorneys for Smollett issued a statement. Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him, the statement said. Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgement. Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions, the statement continued. This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect. Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result. Jussie is relieved to have this situation behind him and is very much looking forward to getting back to focusing on his family, friends and career. Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi declined immediate comment, saying he expected both Superintendent Johnson and Mayor Rahm Emanuel would address the issue later in the day. Everyone knows how the department feels, Guglielmi told a Tribune reporter. The superintendent and mayor will (speak) on the city and departments behalf. A CPD source said Eddie Johnson was furious and maintained the evidence against Smollett was rock solid. https://t.co/X6ORN9SLzu Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) March 26, 2019 At a news conference last month announcing the charges against the celebrity, Johnson spoke out in anger about Smollett, saying his hoax dragged Chicagos reputation through the mud. The 36-year-old 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. Smollett said they also yelled, This is MAGA country, in a reference to President Donald Trumps campaign slogan of Make America Great Again. Police initially treated the incident as a hate crime, but their focus turned to Smollett after two brothers who were alleged to have been his attackers told police that Smollett had paid them $3,500 to stage the attack, with a promise of an additional $500 later. Police pieced together much of their evidence by reviewing footage from about 55 police and private surveillance cameras showing the brothers movements before and after the attack. The shift in the investigation came amid intense press coverage and often bitter public debate and stinging skepticism on social media. Smollett addressed those doubts in a national TV interview and in a strongly worded statement after the brothers were released from custody after questioning by police. A week before the alleged attack, Smollett told police he received a threatening letter at work. Prosecutors said Smollett staged the attack because he was unhappy with the studios response to the threatening letter. Chicago police took it a step further, accusing Smollett of faking the letter as well. Federal authorities are conducting a separate investigation into that letter. CANTON, N.Y. -- An Upstate New York jail employee has been convicted of two felonies for engaging in sexual misconduct with three inmates over the course of several years, according to the New York Attorney Generals Office. Jennifer Parker, a former kitchen supervisor at the St. Lawrence County Correctional Facility in Canton, was convicted of two counts of Criminal Sexual Act in the Third Degree, a class E felony, and one count of Official Misconduct, a class A misdemeanor. Parker was found guilty of engaging in various sexual acts with three inmates who worked for her in the kitchen and who, by state law, are incapable of consent because they are incarcerated. The conviction was announced Tuesday by New York Attorney General Letitia James office. Parker was the head cook at the correctional facility in Canton from August 2010 until she resigned from her position in June 2018. Her responsibilities included managing and supervising both civilian employees and inmates who worked in the kitchen. Parker admitted in court that she engaged in oral sexual conduct with two inmates under her supervision and control, one between June 2011 and July 2011 and another in May 2012. She also admitted that she forcibly touched a third inmate between February and March 2014. Parker is scheduled to be sentenced on May 20, 2019. She will also be required to register as a sex offender. HANNIBAL, N.Y. -- A former Hannibal town official sent a 16-year-old boy images of naked women, state police said. George H. Ritchie, 61, of 353 Blythe Road in Hannibal, is accused of sending pornographic images to the teen via Facebook Messenger, state police spokesman Trooper Jack Keller said. The teen looked at the images on his cell phone in school on Thursday and was sent to the principals office, Keller said. After he was sent to the principals office for violating a policy prohibiting students from using cell phone in school, the teen told school officials about the photos of the naked women that he had received, the trooper said. A school resource officer contacted state police, which led to Ritchies arrest on Friday. Troopers charged Ritchie with first-degree disseminating indecent material to a minor, a felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. He was arraigned in Hannibal Town Court and released on his own recognizance. Ritchie previously was elected to fill two separate town board vacancies on the Hannibal Town Council and also previously served as the Hannibal town highway superintendent. He is not currently an elected town official, Hannibal Town Supervisor Virginia Wilbur said Monday. However, Oswego County Conservative Chairman Ronald Greenleafe said Ritchie had told him he was planning to run for county legislator this year. Petitions cannot be turned in until April 1, but if Ritchie does continue with his plans, Greenleafe said Ritchie would force a primary against longtime county Legislator and Majority Leader Terry Wilbur, the son of Hannibals current town supervisor. Ritchie -- a former member of the town of Hannibals planning board, zoning board of appeals and board of assessment review -- most recently ran for election in November. But his bid to win a seat on the Hannibal Town Council was unsuccessful, as he lost to Republican Brenda Travis Wilson. Greenleafe, the countys Conservative Party chairman who previously served 14 years as the Hannibal town supervisor and is now the village of Hannibal mayor, said he was shocked to learn of Ritchies arrest. Unbelievable, Greenleafe said. Hes done some strange things in the past, but nothing like that... He never even indicated anything like that. Ritchie could not be reached for comment Monday. He is scheduled to answer the charges at 6 p.m. April 30 in Hannibal Town Court. Girls in the front row of David Archuletas concert at The Haunt in Ithaca on March 25 were literally crying and fanning themselves. One in the overwhelmingly female crowd pulled a tissue out of her back pocket and SnapChatted mascara running down her face. They screamed when he started playing his biggest hits and when he hit a high note. They stuck their hands out for high fives as he gave out as many as he could. It was a pop music cliche, but it was still fun. Its probably ironic to even say this, but besides all the examples listed above, pop music has become known for making broad and sweeping statements about positive life experiences. Pop cliches arent a new thing either. Theyve been around since The Beatles became more popular than Jesus by writing countless songs about loving some random girl. Beatlemaniacs practically invented the screaming-girl-at-a-concert trope. So its not really Archuletas fault that his show was a bit stale at parts. Archuleta took several breaks between songs to trace his career arc after competing on the 2008 season of American Idol, when he finished second place as a 17-year-old. He has since described his experience as damaging to his mental health and to his family. and while he doesn't have quite as high of celebrity as former Idol contestants Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks and Scotty McCreery, pretty much anyone who was listening to pop music in 2008 knows his debut hit single, Crush. He described how he felt suffocated by the music industry. He constantly heard people telling him that the path to happiness was fame and popularity, but once he was rubbing elbows with Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, he felt empty. Theres more to life than being well-known and liked, he said. So he quit music for two years and went on a Mormon mission trip to Chile. For him, it was a journey of serving others, trusting the man upstairs and gaining a new perspective on life. He genuinely seemed touched and changed by his trip, but hearing him mention it every three songs made it feel tired and more like a PR statement than a heartfelt declaration. Everyone cheered him on anyway. Some of the things he said felt like they could have been written across motivational posters, like Life is like a symphony and if you keep on listening youll find the part that you play, and Sometimes we need to step away and have some time to ourselves to see what really matters. But it was cute, the crowd ate it up, and I couldnt help but grin myself, even if I was rolling my eyes as I did it. Call me a grouchy critic. There were some genuinely awesome moments, though. He did an acoustic cover of the Pokemon theme song and played a soon-to-be-released track which, based on the chorus, is probably called Paralyzed that could easily find itself on a workout playlist also populated by Imagine Dragons and A Head Full of Dreams-era Coldplay. A five-year-old named Angelina stood front and center. Archuleta knelt down to say hello, and then asked the crowd to keep an eye on her. We dont want her to get smooshed into the stage, he said. He invited the crowd to sing the chorus on his cover of Shallow from A Star Is Born, and when they unexpectedly harmonized with him, his face lit up. He sang one song in Spanish and did Latin dance steps, paying homage to his Hispanic heritage and his South American mission trip. He left the stage without playing his biggest song, but came back out less than a minute after leaving when the crowd chanted Crush, Crush, Crush. The entire concert ended by 8:45, great for the college students and kids in the crowd out on a school night. After all the screaming girls left, feeling uplifted and powerful by Archuletas journey-slash-pep talk, several hung back and sat on the stage. They talked to his backing band coincidentally, two of the three of them also have the first name David. They gave out hugs and autographs while packing up their instruments. SOUTH GLENS FALLS, NY --Within hours of a devastating fire that heavily damaged a Glens Falls-area craft brewery, fellow brewers from across Upstate New York rallied to offer help, support and assistance. The late Monday fire gutted a large portion of the brewhouse at Common Roots Brewing, a 5-year-old brewery and tap room in South Glens Falls. The fire appears to have be accidental, but remains under investigation, according to a report in the Glens Falls Post-Star. Customers were in the tap room at the time, but no one was hurt, the Post-Star reported. The brewery, owned by the father-son team of Bert and Christian Weber, posted this note on Facebook Monday night: Earlier this evening, a fire broke out at our brewery and taproom in South Glens Falls. While this is a very difficult time, we are grateful everyone got out safely. We appreciate the efforts of our local first responders and thank each of you for your thoughts and support. An additional update will be provided at the appropriate time. That was almost immediately followed by offers of help from the tight-knit Upstate New York craft brewing community. Thoughts are with you. Gonna pull the brew community together and lend a hand to you guys," wrote Kurt Borchardt, co-owner of Artisanal Brew Works in Saratoga Springs. Binghamton Brewing Co. is here to support in any way we can. We are so sorry for your loss and grateful everyone is ok, wrote the Binghamton brewerys co-owner, Kristen Lyons. While its too early to tell exactly what help Common Roots might need, the breweries are ready, said Paul Leone, director of the New York State Brewers Association. This just happened last night, and my inbox is already full with messages of What can we do? 'What do they need? Leone said. We didnt have to rally the brewers -- they were rallied already. Help could come in the form of equipment, brewing space or even having fellow brewers make some Common Roots styles to keep them in circulation while the Webers rebuild. Brewers could also offer proceeds from the sale of beers to benefit Common Roots. There is precedent for that: When Superstorm Sandy battered the Barrier Brewing Co. on Long Island in 2012, Brewery Ommegang near Cooperstown made a beer called Barrier Relief as a fundraiser for the rebuilding effort. More recently, brewers across the country, including a dozen or so in Upstate New York, joined with Sierra Nevada Brewing of Chico, Calif. to make version of a beer called Resilience. Proceeds from the sale of those beers aided victims of last years northern California forest fires, one of which threatened the Sierra Nevada brewery. Theres been talk of a Resilience-type effort, but we have nothing solid yet, Leone said. In its five years, Common Roots has made a name for itself with a range of beers, from pale ales, IPAs, and double IPAs to coffee stouts, sours and barrel-aged brews. The fire broke out not long after Christian Weber had started a new batch, the Post-Star reported. The brewery is insured, the report said. The brewery had also just launched an expansion project, hoping to add more taproom and retail space, a private bar, an outdoor deck, and a kitchen, according to a recent Common Roots Facebook post. Construction was supposed to begin this summer. The brewery is in South Glens Falls, a Saratoga County community adjacent to the city of Glens Falls, which is in Warren County. Don Cazentre writes about craft beer, wine, spirits and beverages for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook. SYRACUSE, N.Y. An out-of-town doctor has tentatively agreed to become Onondaga Countys next chief medical examiner. Ann Rooney, the countys deputy county executive, said today the county hopes to finalize a deal with the doctor within the next two weeks. Rooney refused to identify the doctor or provide any other details other than to say shes from out of town. The county abruptly fired Dr. Robert Stoppacher, its former medical examiner, early this year without explanation. Medical examiners are doctors trained in forensic pathology who perform autopsies to determine the manner and cause of death. They also testify in court. Stoppachers departure left the office with only one forensic pathologist on staff who recently left. Since 2014 the office had been staffed by the chief medical examiner and anywhere from one to three other pathologists. The county is currently contracting with New York City pathologists to perform autopsies here. The county is spending about $111,000 a month on contract pathologists and is on track to spend nearly $1.4 million this year if it does not fill the vacancies. Because there is a national shortage of board-certified forensic pathologists nationwide, the county wants to increase the pay for forensic pathologists so it can fill the vacancies. The county executives office wants to increase the annual pay for the chief ME from $190,000 to $250,000, a 30 percent increase. It also would increase the pay for other vacant pathologist positions reporting to the chief ME by at least 20 percent. In addition to the chief ME, the county wants to hire three other pathologists to staff the MEs office. The 30 percent increase would also apply to county Health Commissioner Dr. Indu Gupta, who oversees the MEs office. She and the ME are paid the same amount. The increase would make Gupta and the new ME Onondaga Countys highest paid employees. The county Legislature is expected to vote on the proposal April 2. When asked if the candidate for the MEs job has tentatively accepted the position based on the current salary or the proposed higher salary, Rooney said, I dont think she has clarified that at this point. The county says the higher salary and fringe benefit costs for the MEs office staff would be less than what the county is spending on contract pathologists. The county wants to restaff the MEs office as soon as possible because it has contacts to perform autopsies for Madison, Jefferson, Oneida, Oswego and Cayuga counties. The office performed 876 autopsies last year. County officials say the MEs office could lose some contracts with surrounding counties and its national accreditation if the staffing problem is not addressed. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Below are links to each section of the December 2016 draft environmental impact statement for the Interstate 81 project in Syracuse that were recently made public. The document, released late last week by a group opposed to the community grid" option, contains more than 11,000 pages outlining the potential impacts of replacing Interstate 81 in Syracuse. It is not the final version of the highly anticipated DEIS to be released soon by the state transportation department. The so-called preliminary draft statement was created by the New York State Department of Transportation and sent to other state agencies in December 2016, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Thats where the group Save81 got it, and it released the document on Thursday to the public after years of using it to lobby against the grid. The documents below carry a major caveat: The state has said the conclusions Save81 has drawn are incorrect and are based on preliminary and outdated information. The state will (hopefully) soon release an updated and perfected version of this document, which will also evaluate whether a tunnel would be a good idea for Interstate 81. The documents below look only at rebuilding the viaduct and the grid option, which entails tearing the viaduct down here and re-designating I-481 as I-81. Below is the December 2016 preliminary DEIS: Cover Title and Table of Contents Executive Summary Introduction Project Setting Alternatives Construction Means and Methods Transportation and Engineering Considerations Introduction to Economic and Social Considerations Social Considerations Economic Considerations Historic and Cultural Resources Parks and Recreational Resources Visual Resources Air Quality Climate Change Noise Water Resources General Ecology Asbestos Contaminated Materials Scenic Byways Farmlands Short Term Uses of the Environment Versus Long-Term Productivity Irreversible And Irretrievable Commitment of Resources Unavoidable Impacts Draft Section 4(f) Evaluation Summary of Alternatives Agency and Public Involvement Financing and Implementation Plans and Sections In-Depth Bridge Inspection and Evaluation Nonstandard Features Justification Forms Pavement Evaluation and Selection Report Alternatives Development and Evaluation Alternatives Evaluation Matrices Tunnel Feasibility Study Transportation Existing Traffic Control Devices VISSIM Development and Calibration Report Traffic Volumes and Levels of Service Accident Study Parking Study Conceptual Stage Relocation Plan Historic and Cultural Resources Architectural Resources Survey Phase 1A Archaeological Sensitivity Study Draft Findings Documentation (Not completed) Draft Section 106 MOA (Not completed) Correspondence Visual Impact Assessment Air Quality Noise Natural Resources Water Resources Regulatory Framework Nationwide Permits in NYS Results of FHWA Pollutant Loading and Toler Analysis Natural Resources Supplemental Methodology and Regulatory Framework Wetland and Surface Water Assessment Report Ecological Communities and Vegetation Wildlife Resources Threatened, Endangered and Special Concern Species References Asbestos Assessment Report Hazardous Materials Agency and Public Involvement If any of the links dont work or you come across something interesting, email reporter Patrick Lohmann at PLohmann@Syracuse.com. W. Samuel Easterling a Montague-Betts Professor of Structural Steel Design and Department Head is one of many looking for the spot as the next dean of the College of Engineering. Easterling said people are very important, not only students but faculty as well. People are the core, they are our most valuable asset and key to success, Easterling said. Easterling spoke in the Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium at 2 p.m. Monday March 25. WASHINGTON U.S. Rep. John Katko on Monday said Americans deserve full disclosure of special counsel Robert Muellers report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election so that theres no lingering doubt about its conclusions. They should disclose as much of the Mueller report as they are legally able to do and do it as soon as possible, Katko, R-Camillus, said of the Justice Department and Attorney General William Barr. Ive done a lot of major investigations, said Katko, a former Justice Department organized crime prosecutor, and never have I seen the amount of effort put into an investigation as this one. Barr sent a letter to Congress and a four-page summary on Sunday, noting that President Donald Trump and his campaign had been cleared of coordinating with Russia during the election. Barrs summary said the investigation had reached no definitive conclusion on whether Trump had tried to obstruct justice. Katko said he was impressed by the breadth of the nearly two-year investigation. Barrs summary noted that a team of 19 prosecutors and about 40 FBI agents worked on the case. Muellers team disclosed that it issued 2,800 subpoenas, executed nearly 500 search warrants, obtained nearly 230 orders for communications records, and interviewed about 500 witnesses. Based on his experience as a federal prosecutor, Katko said, a lot of the information could be disclosed including summaries of grand jury testimony, interviews by agents and summaries of surveillance. Even without such detailed information, Katko said, its clear that Trump and his campaign did not collude with the Russian government to try to influence the outcome of the election. Based on what has been conducted in this investigation and how much effort has gone into itthat should be telling in and of itself, Katko told Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard. After all of this, its time for us to move on, he said. Unfortunately, I dont think Democrats are going to do that. Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said he will ask Mueller to testify before the committee. Nadler was critical of Barr on Sunday for deciding in less than 48 hours that there was insufficient evidence to prove Trump obstructed justice during the investigation. Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 WASHINGTON Syracuse University on Monday night awarded a prize for national political reporting to a journalist who examined how the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee helped defend President Donald Trump from his enemies. Jason Zengerle, who writes for The New York Times Magazine and GQ, won the 2019 Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting, a prestigious award sponsored by SUs Newhouse School of Public Communications. Zengerles work was chosen for the honor from more than 100 entries for the annual prize. In a story published last year in The New York Times Magazine, Zengerle detailed how Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., used his chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee to help gather support for Trump against his enemies. Zengerle was also honored at the annual Toner Prize dinner in Washington, D.C., for his stories on the political shift in federal courts. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan gave the keynote speech in front of more than 200 people at the event. Hogan is considering whether to challenge Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2020. He said Trumps rhetoric regarding the news media is dangerous. You are not fake news, Hogan told a crowd filled with journalists. "You are not the enemy of the people. The $5,000 Toner Prize honors the life and work of Robin Toner, a 1976 SU graduate who became the first woman to serve as national political correspondent for The New York Times. Toner died of cancer in 2008. Her friends and classmates from SU established the Robin Toner Program in Political Reporting at the Newhouse School and the annual journalism prize competition. Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 WASHINGTON Staff Sgt. Travis Atkins and his squad had just finished working through the night when the call came across the radio: A group of four young men had been spotted walking along a dirt road in Abu Samak, Iraq, where insurgents routinely planted bombs targeting American soldiers. Atkins, 31, an experienced squad leader on his second tour of duty in Iraq, found two of the men when he left his patrols Humvee to investigate. Within seconds, things went tragically wrong. A hand-to-hand battle followed as Atkins realized one man had a suicide vest under his clothes. But it was too late. Atkins wrapped himself around the bomber as he detonated the vest, saving the lives of three members of his squad from Fort Drums 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team. Col. John Valledor, the battalion commander, said it was clear to him what happened that Friday morning, June 1, 2007, when he recovered Atkins body from a blast crater about an hour after the battle. In a matter of seconds this turned into a fist fight, the fist fight turned into a bear hug and the bear hug turned into a body slam, Valledor told Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard. Atkins was a very fit sergeant, Valledor said. He was physically strong and was able to lift this suicide bomber off the ground and move him away from the vehicle. Valledor collected evidence at the scene, took statements from the surviving soldiers, and put together a detailed case to recommend Atkins for the Medal of Honor, the militarys highest award for valor. The military brass wasnt convinced. Was there enough evidence to prove Atkins intentionally sacrificed himself to save lives? He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor for recognition of valor in battle. Now almost 12 years later, a Pentagon review has determined that Atkins deserved the Medal of Honor after all. His son, 22-year-old Trevor Oliver, will accept the posthumous Medal of Honor from President Donald Trump at a ceremony Wednesday at the White House. Valledor will be at the White House too, sitting near Atkins parents, Jack and Elaine Atkins, of Bozeman, Mont. That award is not given out lightly, Valledor said. It goes to a very few. To me, it symbolizes what the word hero means. And Sgt. Atkins was our hero. Atkins will be only the fourth soldier from Fort Drums 10th Mountain Division to receive the Medal of Honor. The medal is reserved for the bravest of the brave, military officials say, and it is awarded only when acts of courage can be well documented. All told, 3,505 members of the Armed Forces have received the Medal of Honor since it was authorized in 1861. In the case of Atkins, he is the second Army soldier to receive an upgrade to the Medal of Honor since Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered a review in 2014 of more than 1,100 commendations for heroism in Iraq and Afghanistan. Trevor Oliver, who was 11 when his father was killed, said he hadnt heard about a review of the case since he visited Fort Drum in 2008 with his grandparents for the awarding of the Distinguished Service Cross. In August 2018, Pentagon officials contacted him at his home in Coon Rapids, Minn., where he works at Target, to let him know they had decided to upgrade his fathers honor. Oliver said he hadnt pushed for the review, but hes pleased the rest of the nation will finally know about the hero he honors every day by wearing his dog tags. Its never easy being part of this kind of family, Oliver said. But its something to be proud of. He was an amazing father. The same values he had as a father he carried as a soldier. Atkins was in the Army, either deployed overseas or at posts far from home, for almost five years by the time Trevor turned 11. That meant missing birthdays and other special occasions. Trevor told the Army News Service his father had called from Iraq, five days before he was killed, to wish him a happy birthday. Trevor said he learned to savor their time together during breaks each winter and summer, often camping in Montana on fishing trips. He credits the example of strength and resilience set by his father for helping him through the difficult years after his death. President Trump told Trevor he had good genes from a tough warrior when he called recently to tell him about the medal. I had a lot of positive reinforcement as a child that you dont wake up sad if you wake up alive, Trevor said. Ive always had a strong, positive outlook on life and I dont let anything negative get a hold on me. Valledor, who served as Atkins battalion commander in Iraq, said he saw those qualities in Trevor as a child when he visited Fort Drum near Watertown in November 2007. Trevor helped unveil a memorial to the battalions 10 soldiers killed in Iraq. Members of the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry had contributed their own money to update the memorial after a 15-month tour in Iraq. The soldiers watched, tears streaming down their faces, as Oliver traced his fingers across his fathers nameplate on the monument. It was one of those bitter cold days, Valledor said, but I will tell you the most memorable event of the day was when Trevor traced the monument. There wasnt a dry eye in the formation. He was 11 years old. You could hear a pin drop. He walked over to the monument unveiled it and traced the names. Trevor Oliver, 11, son of Staff Sgt. Travis Atkins, and Atkins' father, John, unveil an updated monument in November 2007 honoring soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment who died in Iraq.Army Spec. Jennie Burrett | Fort Drum Atkins displayed leadership qualities and a background that stood out from the moment he arrived at Fort Drum to join the 10th Mountain Division in December 2005, Valledor said. Atkins had re-enlisted in the Army after serving in the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky., from November 2000 to December 2003. After his first enlistment, he returned home to enroll in the University of Montana in Missoula and work as a painting and concrete contractor. But his parents said he longed to return to the military. I think he was bored with civilian life and how undisciplined civilian life can be, said Jack Atkins, a Vietnam veteran. He really liked the Army and wanted to go back. Jack Atkins said he advised his son that he should update a form with his military specialty so that he wouldnt end up in the infantry back in Iraq. But he wouldnt hear of it, Jack said. Travis arrived at New Yorks Fort Drum in December 2005 and deployed with his battalion to Iraq in August 2006. Jack and Elaine Atkins said it appeared Travis was preparing for a career in the Army when they visited their son at Fort Drum in the summer of 2006. Travis had enrolled in leadership training and marksmanship programs. Elaine Atkins said it was clear that her son found his calling in the Army. When he returned home from basic training at Fort Benning in Georgia in 2000, he told her it was more fun than anything he had ever done. He was patriotic, he served his country, and he did the best he could, she said. On Wednesday, a grateful nation will acknowledge that fact. Among those at the White House for the Medal of Honor ceremony will be Sand Aijo, one of the three soldiers who owes his life to Atkins. I think about that day all the time, Aijo told the Army News Service. I think its always important to remember that sacrifice. And, I always try to make sure I live my life to the fullest and do the best I can to make sure that sacrifice wasnt for nothing. Atkins will become the fifth military service member and third Army soldier to posthumously receive the Medal of Honor for actions during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The posthumous Medal of Honor will top a list of more than a dozen medals and honors that Atkins received during his military career, including the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, and the Army Achievement Medal. He survived four blasts from improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, while in Iraq, before the suicide bomb that claimed his life. Jack and Elaine Atkins said theyre proud of their sons achievements. But when asked what it means to know the Medal of Honor will now be among them, Elaine put it succinctly. Once somebody has passed, it doesnt matter what medal they receive, she said. Theyre still gone. The fact that there are people who believe Travis deserved the medal, thats comforting. Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 Onondaga, N.Y. Seven years ago, 13,018 students showed up for the fall semester at Onondaga Community College. It was OCCs highest enrollment in the schools 57 years. Last fall, enrollment dropped to 9,834, a 23 percent decrease from that historic high. Enrollment at community colleges regularly ebbs and flows with the economy. But this decline at schools like OCC is different, community college administrators from across Upstate New York say. Today, the actual number of students in the pipeline the kids now in elementary, middle and high schools is shrinking in many parts of the country, including the North East. Across Upstate New York, the number of high school graduates is projected to drop 11 percent during the next decade. We knew it was coming, to a degree, said Michael OConnor, the current English Department chair whos been at OCC for a decade. Anyone looking at the number of kids going into kindergarten saw this coming. Those changing demographics are now hitting community colleges like OCC. A review of state and community college data by syracuse.com | The Post-Standard shows that enrollment has fallen at 29 of the states 30 community colleges during the past nine years. The enrollment challenge isnt unique to New York or to two-year schools. Enrollment dipped 6 percent from 2010 to 2016 at four-year schools nationwide, according to the federal government. But community colleges are in an especially tight spot. The decreasing high school pipeline is coming as the unemployment rate is low -- a time when fewer people go back to school. Its coming as competition for students at four-year schools and through online classes is on the rise, administrators say. As the overall numbers shrink, community colleges must get more creative in order to thrive. In addition to attracting and keeping recent high school grads, these schools must do a better job serving older students, says Randall J. Randy VanWagoner, the president of Mohawk Valley Community College. We need to adjust, said VanWagoner, who also is president of the New York Community College Association of Presidents. Many systems are set up for recent high school grads. The colleges that are managing the enrollment decline better are figuring out how to manage the returning adults. The Gordon Student Center at Onondaga Community College. Teri Weaver | tweaver@syracuse.comTeri Weaver | tweaver@syracuse.com Its why OCC started Weekend College last fall. The classes are on Friday nights and Saturdays in four programs: criminal justice, business, alcohol and substance abuse counseling and early childhood education. Students can earn an associates degree in 14 to 16 months. Fifty-four students are enrolled, with another 65 already signed up for next fall, according to OCC. Its the most significant new program at OCC targeted to older students, according to the college, and administrators expect it to grow. Mohawk Valley started a similar night program two years ago and recently awarded about two dozen associates degrees in business, VanWagoner said. Those are small numbers at OCC and Mohawk Valley. But just a few years ago, the market for similar programs wasnt there. Then, night and weekend programs were offered and no one enrolled, VanWagoner said. The students are coming now, he said. So far, OCC has adjusted to the smaller enrollment numbers without cutting any degree programs and without any layoffs, said Amy Kremenek, OCCs vice president of enrollment development and communications. The college has cut adjunct instructor hours and is offering fewer sections of some core classes. This years enrollment is still larger than it was in 2006, the year OCC opened its dorms. Today, the residence halls are about 90 percent full, Kremenek said. Thats more than enough rent money to pay off the existing building loans, she said. At the same time, the school has raised tuition. Full-time tuition increased this year to $4,900. Thats up $600 for a full-time, fall-and-spring student, compared with five years ago. OCC is faring better than some other Upstate campuses when it comes to enrollment trends. In the past nine years, enrollment at Erie Community College has dropped by about 5,000 students, or 30 percent. During the same time, Monroe Community College has shrunk by 6,700 students a 35 percent decrease. OCCs enrollment, meanwhile, has dropped 16 percent. Only Broome Community College saw an overall increase since 2010, and a slight one at that -- just 3 percent. This is probably the new normal, said Christine Casalinuovo-Adams, the associate vice president for enrollment management at MCC. One of MCCs tactics involves helping students manage their finances. The school will freeze debt payments for students so long as they keep taking classes. The idea isnt to build up a bigger bill, Casalinuovo-Adams said. Instead, its to keep interest from growing and bill collectors from circling. Plus, students who keep working toward their degree have a better chance of earning a higher income in the long run, she said. One of the unknowns for community colleges is the states new program offering free college tuition. The Excelsior Scholarship Program allows qualifying students a free education at four-year SUNY and CUNY schools. Its an opportunity that allows some students to leap from high school over a community college and directly into a university. While thats good news for the students, it may also mean some community colleges may see fewer students enroll directly from their local high schools. Despite the shrinking pipeline, recent high school graduates remain a core constituency at community colleges. In the past three years, at least 1 in 5 recent high school graduates in Onondaga County took classes at OCC. Kremenek says she expects that high school ratio to stay steady, even as the overall number shrinks. Deb Schneider, a certified executive pastry chef (far right), tastes souffles prepared by Onondaga Community College students during class. Teri Weaver | tweaver@syracuse.comTeri Weaver | tweaver@syracuse.com To that end, OCC has started a new scholarship program, paid for by its non-profit foundation. The school is working with five area school districts to identify ninth-graders who show potential for college but need a push. If the students meet certain goals throughout their high school years, theyll get a scholarship from the OCC Foundation. So far, 300 students are in the program. Kremenek and others say the situation is not a crisis. But it is a time for expanding ideas over class sizes. We cant cut our way out of this, Kremenek said. What were looking to do is to develop new ways, new programs to better serve students, to better serve the community so that we can continue to, at least, sustain. NEW YORK Todd Howe says hes a changed man now that he has swapped what his lawyers refer to as the snaking vines of the lobbying network for the salt-of-the earth goodness of Idaho. And as the Rensselaer County-bred consultant-turned-bagman faces sentencing for his various crimes on April 5, federal prosecutors described in detail the extent of Howe's cooperation with their investigations into two pay-to-play schemes that resulted in the convictions of a Joseph Percoco, the former top aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Alain Kaloyeros, the founder of SUNY Polytechnic Institute, among others. "I am writing as a profoundly changed person," Howe wrote in a letter to U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni filed late last week. "I am humbled and humiliated by the egregious actions I committed, but I know that to make amends for the past I have to continue moving forward to create a new, positive and productive future." Howe added, "if you are to give me another chance, I will never go down this road again." Howe's family members, friends and former co-workers including former Lt. Gov. Stanley Lundine wrote letters on his behalf to the judge attesting to his good character. Howe's oldest daughter, Hannah, revealed that her father was attacked by other inmates at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in lower Manhattan. Howe "cracked his head when he was pushed down the stairs by an inmate and he was injured again by another inmate who kicked him so hard while taking a shower that his Achilles ruptured," his daughter told the judge. "My dad still walks with a limp, but is getting physical therapy to help," she wrote. In September 2016, Howe admitted to eight felonies, including wire and tax fraud, extortion and bribery. His guilty plea includes his role in Percoco's acceptance of more than $300,000 in bribes and the rigging of $855 million in bids for projects in the governor's "Buffalo Billion" initiative. Howe also admitted he ripped off his former employer, the powerful Albany law firm Whiteman Osterman & Hanna of more than $1.7 million. He didn't pay taxes on the money he stole from 2010 to 2015, leading to a tax liability of more than $714,000. Howe operated out of Washington, D.C., running a subsidiary called WOH Government Solutions that shut down amid the federal investigation. The onetime aide to the late Gov. Mario Cuomo and later his son, when the current governor served as federal housing secretary under President Bill Clinton made it clear he feels at peace in his new home in Ketchum, Idaho, where he is working as facilities manager at a winter-summer resort. There, Howe drives a Snowcat, a tractor-like vehicle used to groom ski slopes. The judge allowed Howe, 58, to go free on bail in August. "My life in Idaho is much simpler and more modest than it was while we were living in Washington, D.C. I'm more at peace with this new lifestyle and I am in a much better place, both mentally and physically," Howe said in his letter. "We enjoy simpler pleasures now like biking, hiking the mountains, taking long walks with our dog, reading, exploring this new state and enjoying the friendly and welcoming community. "I have found it therapeutic living this less complicated life in an environment where salt-of-the earth goodness is what is valued, rather than the pressures and competitiveness of Washington and New York. Being outdoors every day in the Idaho mountains and working hard physically has itself been extremely helpful to me." Sarah Howe, the defendant's wife of 35 years, told the judge her husband no longer watches cable television. Instead he has a library subscription. Instead of fancy bike classes, she said, Howe rides his bike a few miles to work. He reads the news online instead of receiving newspaper subscriptions. Sarah Howe, who met her husband when they attended Hartwick College in Oneonta, noted that she spent most of her career at non-profit organizations, most recently for nine years at a group that "works to shine a positive light on the good work of public servants." She said her husband, who "had a reputation as someone who could get anything done," was under pressure at work to deliver. "He handled the pressure better than anyone I have ever met and even seemed to thrive in that intense atmosphere," she wrote. "But it is clear to me now that Todd seemed to handle the pressure, at least on the surface, for the benefit of our family. "In reality, he was like a duck who swims smoothly along the water but is kicking for its life underneath the surface. In this way, Todd was able to go down this dark road of over-spending and then committing crimes to make up for it, all while making it seem like everything was fine to us ... But I have to accept that he did these things and I know that together we can make sure he stays on the right path." In a separate filing, federal prosecutors in Manhattan asked the judge to show leniency to Howe, citing his "significant and useful" cooperation that led to seven convictions at the political corruption trials of Percoco, Cuomo's former executive deputy secretary, and Kaloyeros. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman's office did not make a specific recommendation of jail time for Howe. Prosecutors noted Howe's embarrassing arrest in the middle of the trial after he admitted under cross-examination to trying to get his credit card company to refund the cost of night's stay at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan. Still, they said he was deserving of the degree of leniency typically afforded to witnesses who cooperate with the federal government. Howe was "a productive and helpful cooperating witness in an important public corruption case that sent a powerful deterrent message," stated Assistant U.S. Attorney Janis Echenberg, joined by fellow prosecutors Robert Boone, David Zhou and Matthew Podolsky, in her sentencing recommendation. Howe's lawyers, Savannah Stevenson and Richard Morvillo, are asking Caproni to sentence him to time served which in this case means the seven months he spent in Manhattan Correctional Center after his mid-trial admission about his Waldorf stay. "Todd has begun a new life far removed from the politics and pressures of Washington, DC, New York, and the snaking vines of the lobbying network," they stated. The lawyers submitted some 20 letters to the court from the family, friends and ex-coworkers. Alex Bliss, his current employer at the Idaho resort, told Caproni: "I appreciate you taking the time to review this letter and would ask that you consider leniency in your sentencing so that Todd can continue to work here at the resort." Lundine, who served alongside Mario Cuomo from 1987 to 1994, wrote: "When I knew him, Todd was an honorable, public-spirited young man. He exhibited integrity and high character. It seems improbable to me that Todd has fundamentally changed in the years since I knew him as a dedicated, hardworking public servant. Obviously, I have no direct knowledge of the crimes for which he was convicted. However, based on what I know about him, he is a good family man with deep respect for his community and his country." Another letter of support was submitted by Susan D. Berlin, a Washington-based psychotherapist who said Howe began meeting with her in August 2016 and that he has been sincere in his efforts to "live a better life and to be there for his family." Howe's cooperation led to the March trial convictions of Percoco as well as Steven Aiello, the president of COR Development in Syracuse, and the subsequent guilty plea of Peter Galbraith Kelly, a vice president of Competitive Power Ventures. In July, another jury convicted Kaloyeros, Aiello, COR Development general counsel Joseph Gerardi who was acquitted at the first trial) and Louis Ciminelli, the owner of LPCiminelli in Buffalo on bid-rigging charges. Echenberg noted in her recommendation letter that Howe met with the government more than 30 times. Percoco reported to federal prison earlier this month. -- By Robert Gavin, Times Union, Albany Rockland County plans to declare a state of emergency over its ongoing measles outbreak and ban unvaccinated minors from public places. The county, located outside New York City, is battling the states worst measles outbreak in decades, according to The New York Times. The state of emergency takes effect at midnight and expires in 30 days. The outbreak began last year. So far, it includes 153 confirmed cases, according to the county. Since the start of 2019, 48 new cases have been confirmed. Over 45 percent of those infected are between 4 and 18 years old and another 23.8 percent are 1 to 3 years old. Over 82 percent of those infected have not received any measles vaccinations, the county said. The outbreak has mostly affected ultra-Orthodox communities, according to the Times. Anti-vaccine literature has been spreading among those groups and their vaccination rates tend to be lower. Under the emergency declaration, no one under 18 years old will be allowed in public places until the declaration expires or they receive the measles vaccination, according to WABC in New York. It's not clear how the rule will be enforced. Rockland County Executive Ed Day will discuss details of the emergency at a press conference this afternoon, according to the Journal News in White Plains. Several parts of the country have been hit with measles outbreaks in recent months. The illnesses have drawn attention to vaccine exemptions. A recent poll from Siena College found nearly 80 percent of New Yorkers said vaccinations should be required for kids before they can go to school, regardless of family religious beliefs. A new bill in the New York Legislature would allow minors to get vaccinated even if their parents object. Other officials in states including Texas have been looking to make vaccine exemptions easier to obtain. Measles was largely eliminated in the United States after the vaccine was introduced in the 1960s. Some health officials are worried about a renewed threat in the face of growing opposition to vaccines among some. Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598 Denver More people have been ending up in the emergency room with cannabis-related problems since recreational marijuana became legal in Colorado, according to a new study. The study analyzed thousands of emergency room visits in the Denver area. It was published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Marijuana emergency room cases in the study increased threefold since 2014, when recreational pot became legal in Colorado, the study found, according to The Associated Press. Edibles like pot brownies and gummy bears were behind a disproportionate number of marijuana-related medical crises in the study, according to The New York Times. They were also more likely to cause severe intoxication, acute psychiatric problems and cardiovascular issues. Marijuana smokers were more likely to have gastrointestinal complaints. It's possible edibles could be more potent and dangerous than marijuana that is smoked or vaped, according to the Times. Although far more marijuana was sold in smoked form, edibles accounted for about 10 percent of the cannabis-related emergency room visits in the study, the Times said. The patients involved also seemed to be sicker. Dr. Andrew Monte of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, lead author of the study, noted that the only deaths in Colorado definitively attributed to cannabis involved edibles. In all three incidents, including a murder and a suicide in 2014 and another suicide in 2015, the marijuana users exhibited erratic behavior after consuming edibles, the Times said. Some of the issues with edibles could result from the fact that the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis is absorbed more slowly when eaten. The edibles can become more dangerous if people use too much because they dont immediately feel the effects, according to CNN. The body also takes longer to clear the chemical in edible form, CNN said. Monte said that most people use marijuana safely, but increased availability and higher concentrations could lead to more bad reactions, according to AP. He also said edibles are too dangerous to be part of the recreational marketplace. Theyre probably a better fit for medical use, he said. Over 30 states now allow marijuana use in some form. Lawmakers in New York have been debating legalization of recreational pot since Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for the move last year. Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598 Syracuse, N.Y. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said today hes hopeful Attorney General William Barr will release the results of a special counsels investigation into whether the president conspired or coordinated with Russia during the 2016 campaign. The president today said it should be made public, Schumer said. A number of Republican senators said it should be made public. So Im hopeful it will be. I hope Barr doesnt hold it back. .@SenSchumer said he was hopeful AG Barr would release Muellers findings. pic.twitter.com/TrYnUFS9tF Teri Weaver (@TeriKWeaver) March 25, 2019 Schumer said Barrs four-page memo -- which was released Sunday and is meant to summarize Special Counsel Robert Muellers nearly two-year investigation -- doesnt do enough. Barrs memo says Mueller did not find that Trump conspired with Russians during the last presidential campaign. On obstruction, Barr said, Muellers work did not find Trump committed a crime nor did it exonerate the president. Attorney General Barrs letter raises as many questions as it answers, Schumer said. And so we need the full Mueller report, and the underlying documentation, to be made public. At the same time, Schumer, the Democratic leader in the U.S. Senate, also questioned whether Barr was a down-the-middle arbiter when it comes to interpreting the part the investigation that deals with obstruction of justice. .@SenSchumer in Syracuse on whether AG Barr is a down-the-middle arbiter when it comes to issue of president and obstruction of justice pic.twitter.com/WcqGCTMcz1 Teri Weaver (@TeriKWeaver) March 25, 2019 The criticism refers to comments Barr made last summer, before he was attorney general. Then, he said he thought the obstruction case against Trump was misconceived. Schumer made his comments at Helio Health, a center that treats people with mental health and substance use problems. The center is one in New York that receives $30 million in federal money. The funding helps patients by shortening waiting lists, increases services and even allowing for walk-in services. That money was cut from Trumps proposed budget, Schumer said. The senator said its too soon to stop pushing for answers when it comes to the Mueller investigation. In response to a question about investigation fatigue, Schumer said: If theres something really wrong, we should look into it. It should be looked into, thats what the American people want. Not for its own sake, but if theres something wrong. The only way youll know that is if you see the full report. Thats why it should be made public. ECJ Rules In French Social Security Tax Dispute by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels 26 March 2019 The European Court of Justice has ruled that welfare contributions aimed at funding social security benefits in France cannot be charged on income from the assets of French residents insured under the Swiss social security scheme. The case concerned two married French resident taxpayers who are insured under the Swiss social security scheme, due to one of them undertaking their career in Switzerland. In 2016, the French tax authorities declared that they should be subject, in respect of income from assets received in France in 2015, to contributions and levies apportioned, in particular, to the National Solidarity Fund for Independent Living (CNA). On the basis that the benefits funded by the contributions and levies at issue administered by that body are social security contributions, the taxpayers disputed their liability to those contributions and levies before the French courts on the ground that they are already insured under the Swiss social security scheme and cannot be required to contribute to the funding of the French social security scheme. The ECJ pointed out that the EU regulation on the coordination of social security systems provides that persons to whom that regulation applies are to be subject to the legislation of a single member state only and, for those purposes, Switzerland is regarded as a member state. In the action brought by the taxpayers against the French tax authorities, the Administrative Court of Appeal, Nancy, France, expressed doubts as to the nature of the benefits funded by the contributions and levies apportioned to the CNA. That court therefore asked the Court of Justice whether those benefits, namely the allocation personnalisee d'autonomie (personal independence allowance (APA), in English) and the prestation compensatoire du handicap (disability compensation allowance (PCH)), may be regarded as social security benefits. The ECJ concluded that the APA and the PCH are "social security contributions," and there is no need to ascertain whether either of the benefits are "special non-contributory cash benefits" within the meaning of that regulation, since the Court has previously held that both concepts are mutually exclusive. Switzerland Consults On Linking With EU Emissions System by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels 26 March 2019 The Swiss Federal Council is consulting on proposed changes to the CO2 Ordinance, which would link the Swiss and EU emissions trading systems. The Federal Council said that linking the two schemes will enable companies in the Swiss ETS to trade in the larger and more liquid EU emissions market and to benefit from the same competition conditions as EU companies. An agreement to link the systems was signed in November 2017. The Swiss Parliament approved the agreement on March 22, 2019. For the changes to be implemented, Switzerland's CO2 Ordinance must be amended. The linking agreement is scheduled to enter into force on January 1, 2020. Emissions from civil aviation and fossil power plants will be included in the Swiss ETS, as is already the case in the EU. The scheme will cover domestic flights and flights from Switzerland to other countries in the European Economic Area. The EU's ETS operates in 31 countries the EU's member states, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. A single, EU-wide cap applies, and auctioning is the default method for allocating allowances. The Swiss ETS is also based on the cap-and-trade principle. The consultation will close on July 2, 2019. What just happened? Samsung has taken the unprecedented step of issuing a warning before publishing its first-quarter earnings guidance. The tech giant said it expects Q1 2019 profits to miss expectations due to the falling price and demand of its chips. The company expects the scope of price declines in main memory chip products to be larger than expected, Samsung said in a regulatory filing, which was posted a week ahead of its earnings guidance. Chip prices have been falling for a long time now, leading to both Micron and Samsung reducing NAND and DRAM production due to low demand and oversupply. DRAMeXchange writes that DRAM chip prices were down over 20 percent on average during the first quarter. Its not just its chip business that is dragging down profits. The stagnant smartphone market has seen declining demand for Samsungs display panelsweaker than expected iPhone sales, for which Samsung provides the OLEDs, have affected the Korean firms bottom line. According to financial analyst firm Refinitiv SmartEstimate (via Reuters), Samsung will post an operating profit of 7.2 trillion won ($6.4 billion) for the January to March period. Thats over 50 percent lower than the 15.6 trillion won it recorded during the same period one year ago. Sales are expected to fall to 53.7 trillion won from 60.6 trillion. Its not all bad news. Samsung last week told shareholders that sales of memory products would likely see a revival in the second half of the year following a disappointing first half. It also expects an increase in demand for OLED panels in the last two quarters of 2019. Through the looking glass: Branching out into related industries can help build long term success, but managing a more diverse enterprise has its downsides as well. Nvidia is no longer looking to buy up any more businesses for the time being according to CEO Jensen Huang. After acquiring Mellanox Technologies earlier this month, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is now ready to put all focus on current projects. In an interview at the Calcalist business conference in Tel Aviv, he went on record to say, "This is a great acquisition. I am not looking for another." When Mr. Huang was asked if he thought Nvidia overpaid for Mellanox, the response was "beyond imagination." Despite the fact that $6.9 billion was shelled out, Huang followed up by saying that Mellanox "has created amazing technology and has a great future." At the time of purchase, analysts gave Mellanox a value of $5.9 billion, while Intel bid $6 billion as its last known offer for the company. Nvidia raked in more than $2.9 billion in 2018 from data centers, accounting for over a quarter of total revenue. Gamers might wish to believe that Nvidia's main focus is on high end gaming cards, but the biggest opportunities for new growth going forward come from data centers, cloud computing contracts, and supercomputing needs. According to Huang, Mellanox will not be cutting any staff or removing any product lines. Mainly, because Nvidia and Mellanox do not have direct overlap of what they produce. Mellanox's InfiniBand and Ethernet-based products will be greatly beneficial to Nvidia's data center focus. Now that a few weeks have passed since Nvidia's original acquisition announcement, investors seem to believe that Huang is onto something good even though he admits to feeling like he overpaid. Nvidia shares have risen by 15 percent since the deal was made public. The big picture: Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet in our solar system (sorry, Pluto). It's the fourth largest planet by diameter and the third largest in terms of mass but its distance from Earth makes it somewhat difficult to study. As such, it doesn't get as much attention as some of the other planets but is compelling nevertheless. NASAs Voyager 2 spacecraft was the first to visit Neptune. As the craft zipped past the icy giant in 1989, it snapped photos of two large storms in the southern hemisphere which scientists called The Great Dark Spot and Dark Spot 2. In 1994 when NASA aimed its Hubble Space Telescope at Neptune for another look, the two storms where gone. That was a surprise considering scientists had been used to looking at Jupiters Great Red Spot which has possibly been raging on for more than 100 years. Amy Simon, a planetary scientist at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, has been studying Neptune over the past several years to get a better grasp on how storms form on the icy planet. Since 2015, the Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) project has analyzed images of Neptune, tacking the formation, path and dissipation of its various storm systems. Imagery from 2015 to 2017 showed what scientists were no doubt hoping to witness the birth of one such storm. It started when several small, high-altitude clouds made of methane ice crystals came together. A large, dark spot later appeared in the same region, suggesting that dark spots may originate much deeper in the atmosphere than scientists originally thought. Every time we get new images from Hubble, something is different than what we expected, Simon said. The teams latest evidence suggests that new storms crop up on Neptune every four to six years with each lasting as many as six years. Two-year life spans seem more common, however, the group said in a paper published March 25 in the Astronomical Journal. Lead image courtesy NASA images via Shutterstock Apple yesterday released iOS 12.2 to the public with an updated Apple News app with Apple News+ subscription support. Now, a number of iPhone and iPad owners are complaining that the Apple News app keeps crashing for them post the iOS 12.2 update. Reports are filled on Twitter and Reddit with iPhone users complaining about the Apple News app crashing as soon as they try to start scrolling. The app seemed to have worked fine after iOS 12.2 was initially rolled out. It is possible that the crash has started as the load on Apple News servers increased or due to a server-side change from Apple. @AppleNews uh oh. The app keeps crashing as soon as I open it. Thats not good. Ross (@RomeoKilo125) March 26, 2019 @AppleSupport Apple News on iOS 12.2 is repeatedly crashing this morning on launch on both my iPhone and iPad. It was working fine on my iPhone yesterday. I just updated the iPad to iOS 12.2 this morning. Ben Collins (@shaolin108) March 26, 2019 Now that the bug is being picked up by media outlets, it is possible that we will see Apple take swift action and fix it. Since this is possibly a server-side bug, it is unlikely that we will see Apple release a minor iOS 12 update to fix it. The issue also seems to be present in the News app that is a part of the macOS 10.14.4 update released by Apple yesterday. Such a rocky start to Apple News+ is definitely not a good thing, though Apple is possibly going to fix it within a few hours from now. Apple News is available to iOS and Mac users in the United States and Canada. For Apple News+, Apple is charging customers $9.99/month and giving them access to over 300 magazines and numerous digital subscriptions. Apple News+ will also be making its way to Australia and the United Kingdom later this year. Is the Apple News app crashing on your iPhone or Mac as well? Drop a comment and let us know. Update: Apple has fixed the Apple News crashing issue via a server-side fix. A hot potato: The European Union has finally passed its Copyright Directive by a narrow margin on Tuesday. The law has sparked heated debated for nearly three years. Wording of the regulations have been reworked countless times and have finally hit a note that swung the parliament's vote in favor. After kicking it around the European Parliament for three years, the EU has finally passed its Copyright Directive. The contentious law was first proposed in 2016 and has been voted down as overbearing numerous times. The last time was back in January of this year. The main complaints against the directive, which was nicknamed the Link Tax by opponents, involved two articles within the legislation Article 11 and Article 13 (now named Article 17). Article 11 requires news aggregators to pay for quoted material that goes beyond individual words or very short extracts. The problem is that the terms and definitions used in the language of the law are very vague. Article 17 makes platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Google responsible for content uploaded by users. In other words, if someone uploads copyrighted material, it is no longer the user who is held responsible, it is the platform that is at fault. Opponents say these two portions of the law will overly restrict how information is shared online. YouTube content creators and Google have been vocally against the measure. Google complains, "[The directive will] lead to legal uncertainty and will hurt Europes creative and digital economies." Even the EU parliament itself has been divided on the rules over the years. Tuesdays vote illustrated that fact as the law narrowly passed by less than 75 votes, 348-274. The details matter, and we look forward to working with policy makers, publishers, creators and rights holders as EU member states move to implement these new rules. #Article11 #Article13 (2/2) Google Europe (@googleeurope) March 26, 2019 Since its rejection in January lawmakers have revised the rules to include some protections to freedom of expression. Memes and GIFs, for example, are now excluded from falling under the restrictions. Startup platforms are also being allowed some leeway, which would seem to indicate that the law was primarily targeted toward big firms like Google, Facebook, and others. Now that parliament has passed the regulations it is up to member states to accept them. They will then have two years to put measures in place to implement the law. The details matter, and we look forward to working with policy makers, publishers, creators and rights holders as EU member states move to implement these new rules, Google Europe tweeted. There is still bound to be an intense debate on the issue over the next couple of years as nations work to implement and enforce the law. Just weeks after open-sourcing the Windows 10 Calculator on Github, Microsoft will take yet another step of expanding its calculator app. Dave Grochocki, a senior program manager at Microsoft, said that Microsoft is looking forward to including a graphing mode to its calculator application in the hopes of helping students in algebra. The graphing mode will allow users to enter multiple equations in the calculator and have them schemed as a graph, which is relatively similar to Matlab's Plotting Mode. "High school algebra is the gateway to mathematics and all other disciplines of STEM. However, algebra is the single most failed course in high school, as well as the most failed course in community college," Grochocki said (via The Washington Post). According to Grochocki, physical graphing calculators are costly, while software solutions, on the other hand, typically require licenses and configurations from school IT departments, which are not always an option for most students. He also mentioned that the idea of adding a graphing mode stemmed from the requests of open-source contributors on Github. Grochocki argued in his proposal that graphing mode will not only help students learn linear algebra easier but will also assist them in more advanced mathematics and other science courses. Multiple research studies have shown that graphing calculators promote conceptual understanding of developmental math students. Other than suggestions from Github users, Microsoft also took into account the user requests that were received via its Feedback Hub app. Interestingly enough, a graphing calculator was also one of the most requested features by Feedback Hub app users. Graphing Mode To Bring A Multitude Of Benefits Other than the said upsides, the graphing mode is also expected to support the common core math curriculum of the United States. Among those include the ability to create and interpret functions as well as comprehend quadratic, linear, and exponential models. Howard Wolosky, a senior software design engineer of Microsoft, stated that the company plans to utilize a third-party graphing engine to help users in rendering their graphs. Wolosky added that the primary focus of the development efforts will be centered on boosting the user's experience rather than the development of the program itself. He also mentioned that Microsoft will be releasing more information included in the documentation of the program once the feature branch is built. In addition, users can likewise choose to export graphs to make it easier for them to share it with their team members. By the same token, the graphing mode is also capable of easily tracing plots to allow users to completely understand the relationship between variables in the equation on the graph. On top of that, the Windows graphing mode also gives the means for users to change the graph viewing window and alter the line visual options to effectively characterize multiple plots. Graphing Mode Release Still Unknown As of this writing, Microsoft has yet to release a timetable about the shipping of the Windows Calculator graphing mode feature. At present, the Github issue is currently marked as pre-production. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. For years, scientists have been targeting a special compound in the brain which they believe is the key to curing Alzheimer's disease. So far, clinical trials have yielded promising results. However, none of them has successfully rid the brain of the debilitating condition. In a new study sponsored by companies Biogen Inc. and Eisai Co., another drug has failed to reduce the presence of beta amyloid in the brain. Beta amyloid is a protein that collects and turns into plaques that allegedly cause Alzheimer's disease. Both Biogen Inc. and Eisai Co. have halted two late-stage clinical trials that were designed to evaluate the efficacy of the drug called aducanumab. This heartbreaking decision has left scientists looking for an alternative route to Alzheimer's disease treatment. Murali Doraiswamy, an expert from Duke University, said beta amyloid plaques were never established as the causal in the first place. He said given the latest information, all ongoing trials must be re-evaluated. Heartbreaking News To Aducanumab Patients One of the patients who received the aducanumab treatment was 54-year-old Jeff Borghoff from Forked River, New Jersey. For nearly three years, Borghoff would go to the Advanced Memory Research Institute for the aducanumab treatment. He would be hooked intravenously to the drug for 40 minutes to an hour. The first 18 months of the clinical trial was a double-blind placebo study, which meant Jeff didn't know if he was receiving the treatment or the placebo. Jeff and his wife Kim felt that the clinical trial slowed down the progression of the disease. On March 21st, Jeff's friend who was also enrolled in the clinical trial informed him of the bad news. "I just knew right away," said Borghoff. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at 51. Another Direction In Alzheimer's Disease Treatment Although the aducanumab treatment was halted, it has still helped researchers learn more about Alzheimer's disease, said Salim Syed, a biotech analyst at Mizuho Securities. Meanwhile, Dr. Richard Mohs, former head of the Neuroscience Clinical program at Eli Lilly, said what the field needs to do now is to move on and look at other scientifically plausible ways to treat the disease. "It's been difficult," said Mohs. He has been working on a different clinical trial that focused on tau, which is a protein that is believed to be linked to the disease. Heather Snyder, senior director of medical operations at Alzheimer's Association, supported what Syed said about the clinical trials. In fact, scientists have begun to understand that the brain starts to change about a decade or so before they're diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, said Snyder. "We are absolutely committed to making sure no stone is left unturned and that all avenues are pursued," she said. Snyder added that they are still optimistic that scientists' understanding of the disease continues to grow and develop. Lary Walker, a neuropathologist from Emory University, said the drugs have failed so far because researchers are hitting the wrong form of compound. He said the recent data has shown that the toxic, smaller form of amyloid should be targeted instead. George Perry, a professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio who has been a critic of the beta amyloid theory, said experiments that target this compound has turned into a "religion." Despite this, however, Perry is optimistic about future clinical trials, which may or may not involve targeting beta amyloid plaques. "There will be more. It is not the end," said Perry. Photo: Julien Belli | Flickr 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Medical device company Medtronic admits that many of its implanted cardiac defibrillators have flaws that are vulnerable to cyber attacks. External security researchers from KU Leuven, University of Birmingham disclosed the potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities in some Medtronic products. Vulnerable To Hackers Medtronic's affected products are not using formal authentication or authorization protections. This means that an unauthorized individual can access and potentially change the settings of an implantable device, home monitor, or clinic programmer. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security also issued a warning that the vulnerabilities in several Medtronic devices may allow an attacker with adjacent short-range access to one of the affected products to interfere with, generate, modify, or intercept the radio frequency communication. Medtronic got a flaw vulnerability high score of 9.3 on a 10-point scale. Products and versions of Medtronic devices using the wireless Conexus telemetry protocol are affected including implantable defibrillators, cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators, and bedside monitors. Conexus links the defibrillators to home monitors and with doctors and device programmers in remote locations. As many as 750,000 Medtronic heart devices are covered by the security flaw. This is not the first time that Medtronic faced security issues with its devices. In October 2018, the company has disabled internet updates for almost 34,000 CareLink programming devices that are used to access implanted pacemakers due to vulnerabilities to cyber attacks. What Are Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators? The implantable cardiac defibrillator or ICD is a battery-run device implanted under a person's chest to keep track of the heart rate. Thin wires connect the ICD to the heart. If an abnormal heart rhythm is detected, the device will deliver electric pulses or high-voltage shocks to restore a normal heartbeat if the heart is beating too fast. ICDs are also useful in preventing sudden death in patients with ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation. This device may have a role in preventing cardiac arrest in high-risk patients who are at risk for life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias The company said it is conducting security checks to look for unauthorized or unusual activity that could be related to the vulnerabilities. Advised Precautions Medtronic recommends that patients use only the remote monitor obtained directly from a health care provider. Patients must also maintain good physical control over the remote monitor and report any concerning behavior regarding these products to Medtronic. Patients must also keep the monitor powered on to receive transmissions programmed by the physician. The Food and Drugs Administration recommends that health care providers continue using the CareLink programmers for programming, testing, and evaluation of ICD and CRT-D patients. "The benefits of remote wireless monitoring of an implantable device outweigh the practical risk of an unauthorized user exploiting of these devices' vulnerabilities," the FDA advisory stated. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Since Colorado legalized marijuana in 2012, the number the ER visits linked to cannabis use has increased in one of the state's largest hospitals. Many of these patients exhibit a condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. Colorado Sees Spike In Marijuana-Related ER Visits Andrew Monte, of the University Of Colorado School Of Medicine, and colleagues analyzed nearly 10,000 emergency room visits at the University of Colorado Health's Anschutz campus from 2012 to 2016. They found that 2,567 of these visits were related to marijuana and 238 were related to edible marijuana. The researchers found that 31 percent of these cannabis-related ER visits were stomach related, making stomach issues the top cause of all ER visits for marijuana. Monte and colleagues also found that the single most common adverse event and primary driver of hospital admissions is cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS). "Visits attributable to inhaled cannabis were more likely to be for cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (18.0% vs. 8.4%)," the researchers wrote in their study, which was published in Annals of Internal Medicine on March 26. What Is Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome? CHS is a poorly understood condition and is even thought to be rare, but researchers say it may not be as uncommon as previously thought. Monte said that they see the condition every week in the ER. "To see that this was a leading reason for people coming to the ER, that was pretty striking," Monte said of their findings. "We have to do a better job of educating users on the fact that this phenomenon exists," he added. CHS is believed to be caused by chronic cannabis use. It was first reported in medical literature in 2004. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. More than 90 percent of marijuana users who experience the symptoms also have the compulsion to bathe in hot water. CHS occurs episodically or cyclically. This means that the symptoms occur, then resolve and then come back again. Experts recommend sufferers to stop using marijuana to prevent the symptoms from coming back. Admitting to the healthcare provider about marijuana use may also help speed up diagnosis because the symptoms may be mistaken for other conditions. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A diverse group came together Sunday afternoon in downtown Lafayette for a family dinner quite unlike any other. Over red beans and rice and sweet potato biscuits, about 300 people sat down at "The Longest Table" to talk openly about a topic that can be uncomfortable: race relations in Acadiana. "It was uncomfortable for some people, having these conversations about race," said attendee Frances Handy. "But it was so good, and people were very much wanting and willing to talk." Handy, who is white, attended the dinner with her African-American husband, Major Handy. The couple said they regularly discuss race relations at home, but it can be tough to get the conversation started in the larger community. "A city is like a family," Frances Handy said. "It is as sick as its secrets, but the truth can set you free. Change starts with groups like this. Learning the truth about our history and who we are and what we've been through will do so much to change our family here in Lafayette and set it free." The Longest Table event was facilitated by Conversation Starters, a local organization focused on facilitating cross-racial dialogue. It was made possible during last year's 24-Hour Citizen Project, which connects community-focused ideas with financial backers who can make them happen. The $3,100 awarded to Conversation Starters went toward cost of food for Sunday's event and catalyst dinners leading up to the community dinner. "It's using the familial bond of food to figure out our shared experiences as a community," said Skyra Rideaux, a co-founder of Conversation Starters. "It's about figuring out together because it's our community where we go from here. Is this the Lafayette we want our children to inherit? And if it's not, what do we do to change it?" Rideaux, who is African-American, was inspired to create an outlet for cross-racial dialogue in the community during Leadership Lafayette. While learning about local history during the leadership program, she noticed a missing piece her own race and how it fit into Acadiana's narrative. "I'm from Lafayette, and I didn't learn my true history until I was 31 years old," Rideaux said. "And then I had to ask someone who's white to tell it to me. I can't explain what that's like." Top stories in Acadiana in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up More than 30 catalyst dinners were held in the weeks leading up to Sunday's longest table event to inspire meaningful conversation across races and life experiences. Each of the dinner hosts agreed to attend a two-hour training to learn how to host difficult conversations with racially diverse dinner guests. Jim and Lise Anne Slatten hosted a catalyst dinner ahead of Sunday's dinner. The married couple, who are white, gathered with students and faculty they regularly work with at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. "Personally, it's raised my awareness about issues I didn't even realize existed," Lise Anne Slatten said. "You can't do anything to facilitate change if you aren't aware of the problems that exist." One such problem, she said, is the fleur de lis symbol, which is used by the university and other Acadiana institutions. She discovered it was once used to brand slaves. "Another thing we heard," Jim Slatten said, "is that African-Americans and gay people often feel they're invited to things to be the 'token gay' or 'token black person' at the table. The tribes aren't coming together enough. They still often feel like they're invited to represent a group instead of being invited as a person." Consuela Gaines attended a different catalyst dinner ahead of Sunday's event. Gaines, who is African-American, said although minorities at her dinner spoke openly about race relations, it was "like pulling teeth" to get white dinner guests to speak about their experiences. "I just want to know how Caucasian-Americans feel about African-Americans here locally where I live, where I work, where I play," Gaines said. "I'm hoping more people will commit to doing this, having these conversations about race, so it's not just something that ends here but carries on in the community for a long time to come." Some dinners were intense and lasted for more than four hours. Others were shorter and less serious. Several of the groups plan to come together regularly to further develop relationships formed during the catalyst dinners. Each person who participated in a catalyst dinner took a survey about race relations perceptions in Lafayette before and after the dinner. The results of the surveys will be released in May, along with ideas for how the community can continue the conversation about race relations. "There are a lot of things we don't know," Rideaux said. "When you start to build relationships with people and listen and empathize, it creates a sense of unity you never experienced before. You're informed. Once we reach a place where we have more relationships like this, we'll be able to reach a place where we can talk about how we want to change as a community." Apple and Qualcomm are currently tied up in court as Qualcomm tries to nail down patent infringements made by Apple. Update: Apple did not run afoul of the same judge in the second ruling handed down today. The same judge ruled that Apple did not infringe upon a Qualcomm patent related to power management. This is the second of three patents being seen in this case. Unfortunately for Apple, this second ruling does not impact the first at all. The original article continues below. Of course, the proceedings have not necessarily been civil, as the two companies go back-and-forth trying to win the day. And while Apple has seen some movement in its direction in the past, the latest ruling from a trade judge in the United States is decidedly in Qualcomms favor. As was first reported on Tuesday by Bloomberg, International Trade Commission Judge MaryJoan McNamara has ruled against Apple, saying that the company has indeed infringed upon a patent held by Qualcomm. The judge ruled in favor of Qualcomm as it relates to just one of the three patents that are put against the ITC court. At the time of publication, Apple has yet to comment on the ruling, but its likely the company will soon enough. Whats more, while Judge MaryJoan McNamara has recommended a sales ban on certain iPhone models in the United States, it is likely that the decision will have to be reviewed before any ban is actually set against Apple. It is also likely that the decision will only impact older iPhone models, and wont have any connection to the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, or the iPhone XR. This is not the first time that this particular court battle has resulted in this outcome. In China, Apple was hit with a sales ban. However, that particular patent infringement case dealt with software and not hardware. As a result, Apple updated iOS to address the issue and circumvent any sales ban in that region. Meanwhile, in Germany, Apple was hit with a sales ban that definitely went into effect. However, Apple is going to sell iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models with a Qualcomm chip inside to bypass that sales ban in that country. Whether or not this sales ban in the U.S. actually sticks, or if Apple makes changes to address it ahead of time, remains to be seen. Our Take This is a fight that is not going to end anytime soon, even if both companies would probably like it to. Still, it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out in the future, and what that means for the relationship between Apple and Qualcomm when the dust settles. We Want To Hear From You Do you think Apple and Qualcomm will come to amicable terms when this all ends? Or will the two no longer be working together in the future? [via Bloomberg LIVINGSTON A key Livingston Parish School Board committee on Thursday recommended an additional $750 paycheck for school system employees. I wish it could be a lot more, but I recognize the fact we still need to be fiscally responsible as a school district," Schools Superintendent Rick Wentzel said the the Budget and Goals Committee meeting. The school system had a tradition of giving employees a "13th check" each year from 1997 through 2008, Wentzel said. But when the the Legislature stopped giving annual increases in state funding for parish schools, it became harder for Livingston to afford the annual payouts. "We stopped getting that 2.75 percent increase, and as a result that 13th check stopped as well," Wentzel said. The additional paycheck would come in addition to any pay raise that comes next year from the Louisiana Legislature, which is gearing up to consider a proposal from Gov. John Bel Edwards to give raises of $1,000 for teachers and $500 for support staff. Board President Buddy Mincey Jr. said school leaders have spoken with the Livingston Parish delegation in favor of the statewide pay raise, and the board will consider a resolution next month to support it, too. "I feel like were doing everything we can, Mincey said. Livingston school superintendent to propose 13th check worth $750 for employees, board member says LIVINGSTON The parish schools superintendent is expected to introduce a proposal next week to give all school employees a 13th check worth $ Wentzel said the 13th check one of his final major initiatives before retiring in June would cost the school system $3.2 million. It would be funded primarily by $3 million in restricted reserves from a parish-wide one-cent sales tax that is devoted to salaries and benefits. The rest will come from the school system's unrestricted reserves. Full-time employees would get the full $750 check, with taxes and retirement withheld. Part-time employees will get a percentage of the full amount based on the hours they work. Employees must have worked at least 50 percent of the school year to be eligible. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The school system employs about 3,475 people. The checks would be distributed by mid-May. Livingston school employees got one 13th check since 2008: in 2014 with special state funds that accompanied the last across-the-board pay raise. School Board member Jan Benton recalled the extra checks meant a lot to school employees when she was a school principal. "The teachers so much appreciate it," she said. "We need some happy teachers, so we can show our appreciation." Livingston School Board requests audit to look at cost-savings to fund staff raises LIVINGSTON With an eye toward offering staff raises, the Livingston Parish School Board voted Thursday night to hire an independent auditor Wentzel said he believed in giving an across-the-board payout, as opposed to a percentage of salary, because it would be most equitable and help to show appreciation to the lower-paid employees. "I felt like it was important we recognize them just like we recognize every employee in this system. Hopefully we can continue to maintain employment numbers in our system," he said. The issue of giving teachers a bump arose last year amid pressure from employees, especially bus drivers, an area where the school system has recently struggled with turnover. School Board member Kellee Hennessy Dickerson requested the school board conduct an audit geared towards identifying cost-saving measures that could make room for a raise or a 13th check. At the time, other School Board members questioned whether the school system could afford it. The audit was cancelled after the auditor raised concerns about its scope. The full School Board is expected to take up the 13th check proposal at its April 4 meeting. Senator Elizabeth Warren talks about families living on minimum wage, at Dillard University's Georges Auditorium in New Orleans, Friday, Aug. 3, 2018. Representative for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district Congressman Cedric Richmond moderated a discussion with Senator Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, as part of the Netroots festival. Students could get another three days off next year if the Lafayette Parish School Board approves revisions to the 2019-2020 school calendar. AP Photo by J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE -- U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., joined by, from left, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., Bonnie Lautenberg, widow of the late New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg, and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., talks May 19 about bipartisan legislation to improve the federal regulation of chemicals and toxic substances during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Every now and then, Louisianas political journalists are called on to write about a public figures problem gambling. The topic tends to come up when the person in question commits some sort of clear harm in order to feed his or her destructive habit. Onetime New Orleans City Councilman Oliver Thomas has acknowledged that his gambling losses figured into his decision to accept a career-ending bribe. The late St. Bernard Parish President David Peralta was accused by an East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury of dipping into his campaign account to gamble; the charges were dropped, but Peralta paid a fine to the state Board of Ethics. Then theres former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, a half-term state lawmaker and perennial candidate for other offices, who pleaded guilty to using money he solicited from supporters to fuel his gambling habit. There are others who belong on this list, whove let their compulsion lead them to clear wrongdoing. State Sen. Karen Carter Peterson does not. Peterson, the longtime New Orleans legislator who also chairs the Louisiana Democratic Party, went public last week with her struggles with gambling addiction, on the same day that WWL-TV reported that she had received a criminal summons for visiting LAuberge Baton Rouge casino. Louisiana Sen. Karen Carter Peterson unlikely to face prosecution for casino misdemeanor offense State Sen. Karen Carter Peterson of New Orleans almost certainly wont face prosecution for having illegally entered LAuberge Baton Rouge cas Thats not because Peterson did something wrong, at least not when it comes to any behavior that could hurt others. Its really because she did something right. Two years ago, Peterson voluntarily signed up for the states self-exclusion list, which calls for police to bar her from gambling at Louisiana Gaming Control Board-regulated establishments and allows for them to issue a summons if she doesnt comply. For reasons that dont make a whole lot of sense, theres a potential criminal penalty of a $500 fine and up to six months in prison attached to violating the voluntary ban, although its unclear whether its ever imposed. The program, designed to give people with gambling addictions a way to help themselves, is described as confidential on the state police website, which would give Peterson and anyone else a reasonable expectation of privacy. The information contained in the Request Form and the self-exclusion list maintained by the Board is not open to public inspection and every effort will be made to maintain its confidentiality, it explains. Criminal summonses are public records, though, as WWL reporters have pointed out on Twitter. But if its fair game to report their existence, its also important to put them in the proper context. Level-headed East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore III appears to be doing just that. After catching this hot potato of a case, he said Peterson has admitted to her addiction to him and advised him on the steps shes taking to address it, including counseling. We try not to prosecute cases where people make mistakes and take the appropriate steps to address their action, as opposed to people who dont or who commit violent acts. This case doesnt affect public safety. The action by the person is sufficient to deal with the issue, he said. That should be the standard for addressing these matters, unless lawmakers decide to go further and remove criminal sanctions, which they really should. Karen Carter Peterson, Louisiana Democratic leader, admits to gambling problem: 'It is a disease' Karen Carter Peterson, who is both a state senator from New Orleans and chair of the state Democratic Party, disclosed in an email Friday nigh Another question thats arisen is whether Peterson or someone in her shoes should be heavily involved in legislation that affects gambling establishments. Just last year, she was a point person in Harrahs failed bid to extend its exclusive agreement to run the states only land-based casino in New Orleans. The casino is located in Petersons Senate district. An abundance of caution may suggest she should steer clear of these matters. On the other hand, this is the sort of thing that lawmakers take up all the time. Barring her from involvement would be the equivalent of preventing people battling alcoholism from legislating drunk-driving penalties, or preventing smokers (and reformed smokers) from considering cigarette tax proposals. As conflicts of interest go, state law allows for much worse. Back when they invited gambling into the state, Louisiana officials acknowledged that addiction is real. The voluntary exclusion program offers help. People who seek that help whether or not theyre public figures, and whether or not they lapse dont deserve condemnation. And they certainly dont deserve criminal charges. It was the most profound comment of the day, if not the year. Garry Weaven, the man who played a significant role in the formation of the $1.8 trillion super fund sector, told The Australian Financial Review banking and wealth summit that the No.1 challenge for global democracies was to shift politics towards agreed longer-term public outcomes and away from the short-term personal ambitions of politicians. Gary Weaven says the biggest challenge for global democracies is to shift politics towards agreed longer-term public outcomes. Credit:AFR "This is a task that requires a concerted effort across capital markets, business, the media and political leaders themselves," he said. He is right. But our political and financial systems have become so addicted to short-termism that switching to a different gear seems virtually impossible. Melbourne A strata office in the QT Building on the corner of Flinders and Queen streets has sold for $587,000, equal to a solid $9791 per sq m. Gray Johnsons Brett Simpson said the 60 sq m at Suite 308 at 2 Queen Street was leased to a digital business until June 2020. The current annual rental is $26,400 plus outgoings and GST, so it sold on an indicative yield of 4.4 per cent, he said. Mount Waverley An owner-occupier has purchased a 163 sq m office suite at 1 Ricketts Road for $812,000. The price equates to a rate above $4980 per sq m. The off-market sale was transacted by Knight Franks Nick Bisset and Nick Sharkey. Surrey Hills Tom Maule and David Minton from Gorman Commercial sold 611 Canterbury Road for $2 million. The price reflected a land rate of $4300 per sq m for the Commercial 2 zoned land. The sale again demonstrates strength in the market for inner-eastern investment assets, Mr Maule said. LEASES Dandenong South Retailer 4WD Supacentre has leased a 10,196 sq m distribution facility at 244-264 Greens Road. Formerly occupied by farm machinery manufacturer Silvan, the property came with a quality fit-out, including a 1074 sq m two-storey office, an east facing loading area with canopy, two loading docks, five on-grade roller doors and 92 on-site car parks. CBREs Stephen Adgemis and David Aiello negotiated the lease on a three-year contract, starting at $95 per sq m (net). Dandenong South Freight business NDST Pty Ltd has taken a sublease over 6/205 Abbotts Road from Bunzl Australia Pty Ltd. The two-year deal was negotiated at face rent of $82 per sq m by Cushman & Wakefields Jordie Cassidy and Andrew OConnell. NDST required more space after growing out of their new facility in Brindley Way after only three years. Camberwell An education group has leased 982-984 Toorak Road, taking a five-year lease at $65,000 per annum net, according to Prowse Burns Commercials Philip Prowse. Mr Prowse also leased 833a Burke Road on a 5+5 year lease to Sushi Sushi at $65,000 per annum net. Richmond Two different private businesses, a steel trader and pet care firm, have taken leases of neighbouring industrial sites at 39 and 41 Blazey Street. Brokered by Teska Carsons Jack Kelliher, rent for both single level brick warehouses (totalling 681 sq m) were leased for a combined annual rental of $125,000 net plus GST. The refurbished space at Level 1, 1062 High Street in Armadale was leased in a three-year deal. Armadale High demand for retail space in the tightly-held High Street has seen designer Bernadette Pimenta Couture commit to a refurbished office space to be used as a showroom for her bridalwear selection. Fitzroys James Spencer leased the refurbished 187 sq m space at Level 1, 1062 High Street on a three-year deal with a three-year option at $50,000 per annum net. Pimenta has been a fashion industry fixture for more than 27 years. According to Fitzroys Walk the Strip report, Armadale retail vacancies fell to 4.1 per cent during 2018. Maribyrnong Australian mattress and bedding manufacturer ZZZ Atelier has expanded into a new warehouse location at 4 Caulson Close. CBREs Ben Quennell, Jake George and Guy Naselli negotiated the three-year lease with a two-year option over the 800 sq m of warehouse and 60 sq m office. Rent was speculated to be around $87-$97 per sq m. Cremorne Property developers Future Estate will move into 92 Stephenson Street after taking a lease in a deal brokered by Teska Carsons Jack Kelliher and Luke Bisset. The modern, self-contained, light filled 310 sq m office is within walking distance of Richmond and East Richmond train stations. Mr Kelliher said the tenant took a five-year lease at $516 a sq m net plus GST with minimal incentive. Knoxfield A 773 sq m showroom/warehouse at 111 Lewis Road has been leased by specialist coating company Crest Cormix for $80,000 per annum net. Rodney King from Crabtrees Real Estate negotiated the 5 x 5-year lease with 3 per cent annual increases. Doreen The couple said they had lost hundreds of thousands of dollars on homes that they and their relatives bought from a property-management company that was one of their business partners in Indianapolis. The company, Oceanpointe Investments, was the seller of the homes the Morrises' clients bought and, according to the couple, it was supposed to do the renovations and manage the properties. The Morrises said that Oceanpointe, which many Morris Invest clients said they had never heard of until after buying the homes, is the real villain and liable for any damages. Few, if any, problems have arisen in other cities, they said. Oceanpointe blames the Morrises, saying they are responsible for the promises made to investors. Also caught in the middle are the renters who lived in some of the homes. They say that poor upkeep resulted in collapsing ceilings and frequent plumbing problems. Furnaces often did not work properly, leaving homes freezing cold in winter. One renter in a pending landlord-tenant case blamed poor living conditions for the premature birth of girl who died an hour after delivery. The Morrises said they were not aware of the extent of the problems. "We didn't know any were living in abject conditions," Natali Morris, 40, said. 'Incestuous Networks' The unfolding affair demonstrates the allure that real estate speculation still holds for individual investors roughly a decade after one of the worst housing crises in US history. A home that is among the properties covered by a federal lawsuit against Clayton Morris. Credit:Maddie McGarvey/The New York Times It can be problematic when such investors look to charismatic personalities for investing tips. Many of the financial gurus pushing investors into real estate play off fears of economic insecurity, according to Philip Garboden, a professor of affordable housing at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. In a research working paper financed partly by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, Garboden wrote that amateur investors were vulnerable to exploitation by those who "evangelise" the process and tend to play down the risks of investing in "low-end" urban real estate. "These are very incestuous networks," Garboden said. "They know the contractors. The property manager. The whole system thrives on keeping every dollar invested in that network." Investment gurus, he said, tend to have a common message: Investing in real estate can help guide the average investor to financial independence. Making the pitch Clayton Morris' sales pitch did not lean heavily on his career in broadcast journalism. But he did not keep it a secret, either. He alluded to his new career in a lighthearted seven-minute video send-off that Fox News put together that showed Morris competing in an obstacle course competition and grilling burgers outside the Manhattan studio. Real estate investing, he said in marketing materials, had given him the financial security to quit his 9-to-5 broadcast job. "I'm a big fan of this radical idea that everyone should be able to achieve total financial freedom," the biography on one of his websites says. With his wife a former anchor for CBS Interactive he wrote a book, How to Pay Off Your Mortgage in 5 Years. But the couple's new venture did more than offer advice: It was a one-stop shopping experience for investors who wanted to buy rental homes by dipping into their retirement savings, if necessary. An email sent to one client who signed up last year summed up the pitch: "Are you working LONG hours but never quite able to get ahead? Are you worried about making COSTLY mistakes with a vacant rental property? Are you intimidated by the thought of DOING IT ALL yourself? Stop worrying, and let us take care it!" The Morrises pulled in hundreds of customers from across the United States and as far away as Israel and South Korea. They helped sell nearly 700 homes in Indianapolis alone. "It was his name and his promise," said Larry McLeskey, one of nearly two dozen individual investors suing Clayton Morris in the federal lawsuit. McLeskey, who lives in Michigan, said that he and his wife, Kay, lost $US40,000 after selling a home in Indianapolis. "No one was taking care of the home." Danny Gomes, a real estate agent from Redding, California, sued Morris Invest separately after, he said, he lost $US52,000 on an Indianapolis home he bought last year, just days after it was largely destroyed in a fire. The house is now boarded up, its back half all but gone. Danny Gomes paid upfront for renovations to a property he bought in Indianapolis, but the work was never completed. Credit:Alexandra Hootnick/The New York Times Gomes said he learned about the fire only several months later, when the city sent him a notice warning that the property was unsafe and needed to be boarded up. Until then, he believed the house was being rehabilitated, work he paid for when he bought it. One of Clayton Morris' employees, who is also Natali Morris' sister, told Gomes she would be his "point of contact for the rehab process," according to an email provided to the New York Times. Gomes said it was only after he learned about the fire that he discovered Morris Invest was simply getting a referral fee for sending customers to Oceanpointe. "When it hit the fan," Gomes said, "they said they were just the middleman." 'Happy as a clam' As the Morrises tell it, they were blindsided just like everyone else. The couple, who have three young children, said they were frustrated with all the anger directed at them. They have put their own home up for sale, in part out of concern for their safety. They place the blame squarely on Oceanpointe and its founder, Bert Whalen. The Morrises said they met Whalen in 2014, when they bought a few homes in Indianapolis and used Oceanpointe to fix up and manage them. By 2016, Clayton Morris was referring one or two investors a week to Whalen's firm. The Morrises said they eventually formalized the relationship, sending buyers to Oceanpointe and earning a fee on each sale. Clayton Morris said it was not until spring 2018 that he became fully aware of the problems his customers were having with Oceanpointe. The relationship formally ended in May. The Morrises said they would not have gotten involved with Whalen had they known that Indiana regulators moved to deny a renewal of his real estate licence in December 2015. A state regulator determined that he had failed to disclose convictions for operating a car and motorboat while intoxicated and, on at least one occasion, had not turned over rent money he had collected for a property owner. His real estate licence was permanently revoked in January 2018. Despite the break with Oceanpointe, the Morrises said they had many satisfied customers. Renovation work was done on 60 per cent of the 700 homes sold in Indianapolis, Clayton Morris estimated. "There are hundreds of people who are as happy as a clam," he said. There are many, however, who are not. For clients dissatisfied with the work on their properties, Clayton Morris said Oceanpointe had agreed to indemnify Morris Invest against all lawsuits and investor claims. The Morrises' lawyer sent a letter to Whalen in October, seeking to enforce the indemnification agreement. The couple declined to provide a copy of the agreement. An empty lot in Indianapolis that was sold to an investor. A home was supposed to be built there, but never was. Credit:Maddie McGarvey/The New York Times John Tompkins, a lawyer for Whalen, blamed Morris Invest, which he said collected a $US6500 referral fee on every property. Whalen's businesses "have done everything required by their investment agreements and contracts," Tompkins said. He disputed the suggestion that the indemnification agreement held Oceanpointe solely responsible for problems with the selling of the homes. "The problems that have come up relate to Morris exclusively," Tompkins said. "The misunderstandings of those buyers related to misstatements by Morris and his sales personnel." A new venture The Morrises have largely gotten out of the real estate business in Indianapolis. They are focused mainly on Detroit, where they have sold more than 200 homes, largely without the kind of complaints they face in Indianapolis. Morris Invest, though, is no longer their top priority. The Morrises are now selling an online financial advice and planning program: Financial Freedom Academy. The program offers a "proven system for building wealth, guaranteed," according to its website. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Ever since Malcolm Turnbull's Ideas Boom flopped with voters in key marginal seats at the 2016 election, there's been a sense that innovation policy has fallen off the radar in Canberra. Many in the tech community would argue that it's actually even worse than that, with the government actively taking steps that undermine the sector's progress. For example, encryption legislation passed in the federal Parliament on the final sitting day of 2018 has been widely condemned by the industry, while a clampdown on research and development tax credits has also upset start-ups. Are we creating the workforce we need for the future? If you accept the premise that more jobs will come from the science, technology and engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields in the future, then Australia has a problem. The proportion of Australians with post high-school qualifications in STEM fields actually fell over the past decade, a study released by Deloitte Access Economics found last year. Meanwhile, at secondary school level, Australia's rankings in STEM subjects has been sliding, according to various measures. Advertisement And a recent survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers found that 75 per cent of Australias chief executives are concerned about the availability of key skills. At the same time, the government has made it harder for companies to import talent with qualifications in these areas. The 457 visa scheme for temporary skills shortages was abolished last year, with the highly skilled migrant intake falling from 130,000 to 70,000 a year. However, the government did create a new open-ended scheme allowing tech companies generating more than $4 million in revenue to hire senior offshore talent on salaries above $180,000. An Australian warehouse that will include state-of-the-art automation technology. What about the robots? Whichever way you look at it, humans are going to have to get used to working alongside "smart" machines as spectacular breakthroughs in artificial intelligence push the boundaries of what is possible. Advertisement A recent study by McKinsey & Co found that about 15 per cent of the global workforce, or about 400 million workers, could be displaced by automation in the period 20162030. About half of all activities (not jobs) carried out by workers could technically be automated away by new technologies. The upshot, according to McKinsey, is that around 3 per cent of the global workforce will need to change occupational categories by 2030. Jobs made up of physical activities in highly structured environments, such as manual labour and factory work and jobs in data processing are most at risk. But it will be much more difficult for jobs in management, and in unpredictable physical environments such as plumbing, to be automated away. Teachers and nurses should also experience increased demand. How can we know what skills we'll need? Learning to code might seem like a sensible idea now but advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning and quantum computing may also render some lower-level programming skills redundant. Advertisement With the average age in Australia and globally expected to shift significantly upwards in coming decades, jobs in areas such as human interaction and the "caring economy" may prove to be as important (and lucrative) as those in the innovation economy. Israeli philosopher Yuval Noah Harari argues humans in the future will need skills in "mental flexibility" and "emotional balance" to flourish in such a rapidly changing environment. Silverton Wind Farm Project is being built in north-western NSW. Is business filling the innovation void? Despite Canberra's apparent indifference to innovation there are still plenty of positive signs for the Australian tech sector and they are largely coming from private businesses. Investment by venture capital funds into high-growth tech start-ups in Australia hit a record $1.25 billion last year. Major superannuation funds such as HOSTPLUS and the Future Fund are increasingly willing to allocate small parts of their gigantic war chests to tech and innovation. Advertisement Bathed in light, participants wore 'elemental colours' for Equinox. Credit:Carl Dziunka Victorias pre-eminent regional arts festival, the Castlemaine State Festival, has been running since 1974. It predates the Melbourne Festival by more than a decade and the connection to the arts in this picturesque town runs deep: youd be hard pressed to walk a block without running into a poet or visual artist, a musician or theatre-maker of some kind. Loading Over the opening weekend of this year's biennial festival, switched-on programming from new artistic director Glyn Roberts immersed residents and visitors alike in an impressive program of local and international artists. You could catch Circas Peepshow featuring jaw-dropping acrobatics in an erotic carnival of circus before Sydney and Melbourne got to see it. The town's historic Theatre Royal was built at the height of Victorias gold rush in the 1850s, when it played host to actress, Spanish dancer and free-thinker Lola Montez. That leant an extra frisson of feminism to seeing Not Your Sheila there an excellent program of curated shorts from talented women filmmakers. In 2001, Australias crude new marriage rate was 5.3 per 1000 people. A decade later in 2011, this number was 5.4 per 1000 people. And in 2017, the rate was 4.6 per 1000 people, however the Australian Bureau of Statistics states amendments to the Marriage Act in 2017 to legalise same-sex marriage may have impacted the registration system, resulting in this figure being understated. University of Melbourne sociologist Professor Belinda Hewitt finds the country's steady marriage rate interesting because, realistically, the difference between de facto and married couples today is zilch aside from the rings on their fingers. So, logically and financially, it makes little sense. Theres almost no legal reason to get married any more, Professor Hewitt said. Laws around property distribution and custodial arrangements with children are essentially the same for cohabiters. Marriage is no longer an economic necessity, and is free from religious and patriarchal pressure. Loading Marriage isnt being thrust on couples just because theyre having kids, or because theyve been together for two years and "its time". Today, more than 80 per cent of couples are already sharing a home before they marry. Professor Hewitt says the motivations for marriage have changed drastically, and she believes its now primarily about what it symbolises for couples. Its a choice. Its a higher level of commitment. Its a statement you want to make with your partner, she says. People are together for longer before marriage and really thinking about it. Aleisha McCormack hosts the popular Bridechilla podcast, attracting 60,000 listeners a month, most of whom are brides. There is a general feeling that marriage is important because people see it as a sign of commitment coming together as a union Its not connected to religion or feeling they need to consummate this or for any reason other than saying this is who I want to be with, Ms McCormack says. Theyre not doing this out of obligation, most couples are already living together and sharing their lives. With almost four-fifths of weddings now overseen by a civil celebrant, Ms McCormack says a drawcard for couples is the freedom to personalise a ceremony, write their own vows, and ditch traditions they may find meaningless or sexist. Loading Then theres the allure of the party - the reception. The significance of throwing a big bash to celebrate your love with all your favourite people shouldnt be scoffed at. My husband and I, when we think about our wedding, we think how amazing it was to bring all these people together in our lives Its a rare and wonderful thing, Ms McCormack says. And being in the digital age, Ms McCormack says Instagram also has a part to play in the appeal of weddings. The influence of gorgeous imagery and the look of low-key but very styled events is appealing for people. But theres a limit to its influence, she says. Millennials get a lot of shit, but I truly believe that people are focused on the relationship over the aesthetics of a wedding. Women who have been married in the last few years echo the sentiments of MsCormack. Kate* got married in November after 10 years with her partner. Deciding we wanted to share the rest of our lives together, I wanted to celebrate that and have people celebrate it with us. For Lily*, it was seeing a relative lose his wife that convinced her and her partner to get married. Loading Seeing the joy in his eyes speaking about their marriage in the toughest weeks of his life made us realise that celebrating our relationship was something worth doing and a way of celebrating the bringing of our families together, she says. We were both very conscious of the patriarchal origins of marriage and wanted to ensure we removed ourselves from that We didnt do things just because it is tradition. Marie*, who got married two years ago, believes even if its not expected, marriage is still a powerful cultural force that people attach a lot of meaning to. Theres just something really special and lovely about making that commitment to one another in front of your family and friends, she says. Life is short and we should celebrate love and relationships when we can. So if my teenage self asked me why the heck Im getting married and thumping my bank account in the process I would tell her the decision to do so is a truly beautiful thing. In 2019, a wedding is not just the next step. It comes after a lot of discussion and communication and soul-searching as a couple. It is a leap of faith, an act of vulnerability, a vote for love, a hope for forever. Yes, marriage may not be expected nor needed, it may even defy logic, but perhaps that makes it even more precious. In a world that is rapidly changing and filled with gloom, I cant think of many things more special than taking a day to celebrate love, to profess you want to spend the rest of your life with another person. And its a choice Im so glad Ive made. When Emilie Revest completed her first cat-sitting gigs last year, she handed over her bank account details in an invoice for $600. Being Friday afternoon, she was told the money should hit her account by Tuesday. If fat fingers have sent your dollars winging off into cyberspace in the wrong direction, here's what can you do. Credit:AFR In the throes of looking for a new rental property, she hopefully checked her account on Saturday. The money would have been a nice addition to the bank statement I had to send in with rental applications, she says. An traveller infected with measles transitioned through Canberra Airport last week, prompting calls for Canberrans to be on the lookout for symptoms. Acting chief health officer Dr Kerryn Coleman said the person travelled into and out of Canberra on Thursday. The infected person arrived from Brisbane on flight QF1543 from Brisbane at 8am and left on flight QF809 to Melbourne 8.49am. Anyone who was on the identified flights in and out of Canberra or in the Canberra Airport departure terminal between 8-10am on that day, should be aware for signs and symptoms of measles between now and Tuesday, April 9, Dr Coleman said. Symptoms of measles may include fever, tiredness, runny nose, sore eyes and a cough, followed by a rash which appears 2-7 days later." Good Food Month is wrapping up but there are still a few things you can catch. Babyface x Pilot Pilot head chef Malcolm Hanslow opens his kitchen. Credit:Karleen Minney Chef Andy Burns of Wollongongs Babyface is coming to Canberra for one dinner and one lunch to collaborate with Pilots chef Malcolm Hanslow. Babyface epitomises what is happening in the modern Australian kitchen, with sustainably sourced aquaculture and the highest quality cuts of meat prepared in their legendary onsite smokehouse. Chef Hanslow, who was shortlisted as one of the Josephine Pignolet Young Chefs of the Year, brings his skills from working at hatted restaurants such as Oscillate Wildly, Ester and Automata to this slick venue. March 30 and 31. $100pp. Canberra Wine Week Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris has admitted planning rules for Northbourne Avenue and the Federal Highway should have been finalised before the light rail was built, as she forecast a different approach for the network's second stage to Woden. Ms Fitzharris addressed the issue on Tuesday after the ACT's peak business, property, planning and architecture groups this week went public with concerns about revised plans to reshape the corridor with 37,000 dwellings in the coming years. Northbourne Avenue is set to be transformed in the coming years on the back of the light rail project. Credit:Jamila Toderas The groups support the intent of the City and Gateway strategy, but say changes made to the draft plan, including scaling back proposed building height increases in Downer, have jeopardised some planned projects and created uncertainty for landowners. Downer residents are pushing back against the industry groups' call, saying the primary entry point to the national deserved "something better than a corridor of high-density apartments". Police arrest an anti apartheid demonstrator at Coogee beach on 27 March 1971. Credit:Staff photographer First published in the Sydney Morning Herald on March 28, 1971 Four screaming women demonstrators raced down Coogee Beach past police cordons and threw themselves at the visiting South African surf team at Coogee yesterday. The women, in their early 20s, disrupted the march past - the highlight of the Third Test between Australia and South Africa. Police raced to arrest the girls after two had been trampled by the marching team. Labor's Michael Daley, who led the party to Saturdays disastrous election loss, has pulled out of the NSW Labor leadership race altogether, saying he does not want to be a "distraction" during the federal election campaign. Mr Daley had already stepped aside as Labor leader on Monday, but announced his intention of re-nominating for the leadership ballot after the federal election, which will take place in May. Standing aside: NSW Labor Opposition Leader Michael Daley. Credit:James Alcock But on Tuesday he said he would pull out altogether, saying he did not want to be a "distraction" and that after the state election loss he wanted the party to be able to clear the air. He said he had made the decision after consulting colleagues and family. Mr Daleys announcement marks the second resignation of a state Labor leader in dramatic circumstances in just four months, and caps a traumatic few days for the party after Saturdays dire result. One Nation MP Mark Latham has deleted controversial tweets at the centre of a defamation case brought against him by a student cleared of terrorism charges, as the Federal Court gave the former federal Labor leader further time to find a lawyer to act for him in the case. University of NSW PhD student Mohamed Nizamdeen, 26, is suing Mr Latham in the Federal Court over a tweet accusing Mr Nizamdeen of "plotting to kill senior Federal MPs and blow up Sydney Opera House and police/train stations". Police withdrew a terror charge against UNSW PhD student Mohamed Nizamdeen. In a separate tweet, the former federal Labor leader urged people to "try avoiding" the student "and his mates". Mr Nizamdeen was charged with a terrorism-related offence in August last year but police dropped the charges in October after it emerged he was not responsible for a notebook containing details of the alleged plots. Sydney identity Tom Domican's claim he "had a little chat" with witnesses in criminal proceedings later dropped against him will help prove he was a "violent criminal" in a lawsuit over former Kings Cross nightclub boss John Ibrahim's best-selling memoir, a court has heard. Barrister Dauid Sibtain, acting for Mr Ibrahim and his publisher Pan Macmillan Australia, told an interlocutory hearing Mr Domican's answers to questions about ALP branch stacking in a 1984 BBC interview supported the inferences of criminality in his client's book, Last King of the Cross, now the subject of defamation proceedings. Former Labor Party figure Tom Domican is suing Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim over his best-selling memoir. Credit:AAP In the interview, aired on the British network's Panorama programme and played in the Federal Court before Justice Michael Wigney on Tuesday, a younger Mr Domican admitted to visiting Crown witnesses at their homes after being charged in relation to alleged vote rigging. Mr Domican said the "witnesses had a lapse in memory" after he "had a little chat" and a cup of tea with them. The number of TAFE students in Queensland has slumped by 79,000 since 2011 and by more than 45,000 since 2013, according to figures released on Monday. Although some of the slide in enrolments is linked to the push towards university education, both major Queensland parties are worried. Queensland TAFE enrolments and apprentice numbers are slumping in Queensland. Youth unemployment is a key problem in Queensland, which has Australias highest unemployment rate, reaching 6.3 per cent for the October 2018 quarter. The Queensland government puts the blame on the previous LNP governments decision to close 13 TAFE campuses and merge another 12 campuses as part of a review of the education sector which then included 80 TAFE campuses. An Egyptian-Australian detained for more than a year in Cairo must face yet another legal hurdle before authorities will let him return to his Brisbane family. Hazem Hamouda arrived at Cairo airport in January last year for a family holiday but was detained over allegations he was linked to the banned Muslim Brotherhood and spreading falsities online. Hazem Hamouda with his daughter, Lamisse. But he has never been charged and his family deny the accusations. Mr Hamouda will front the military court for an exemption certificate from conscription on Saturday, and if the hearing goes well he could be home as early as next week. The state government will take back control of Queensland's two privately operated prisons in an attempt to curb staff assaults. The cost of the move is estimated to be $111 million over four years and comes off the back of the Crime and Corruption Commission's Taskforce Flaxton report in December. The state government said bringing the private prisons under the public system and the cost is "in the public interest". Among the findings, the CCC said, was evidence prisoners were not treated humanely, owing to overcrowding, which was related to a rise in assaults between prisoners and against staff. Between 2013 and 2018, prisoner numbers increased by 43 per cent and figures showed Queensland jails were at 125 per cent capacity. A Royal Commission into Australias family law system will be the central issue for child protection advocate Hetty Johnston, whos announced shell try to gain a Queensland senate spot in the upcoming federal election The founder of child advocacy group Bravehearts and former Queensland Australian of the Year said she will be contesting as an independent, and believes voters already know what she stands for. Im going to the people of Queensland with my job application, and saying to them please employ me, and let me show you what can happen when someone in that house is there for you, she said. Bravehearts founder Hetty Johnston is throwing her hat in the ring as an independent for a Queensland senate spot at the upcoming federal election. Credit:Fairfax Media All I can do as an individual is to put my name up. Ive got a reputation to stand on, Ive got a platform, people know who I am. Metro South Hospital and Health Service did not give any more details about the infectious person, except to say they were a traveller and not a Brisbane resident. South-east Queenslanders are being warned to look out for symptoms of measles. Credit:Shutterstock The person visited the following locations at these dates and times: Brisbane health authorities have issued a second measles alert in as many days, with an infectious person visiting a number of locations in the inner city over the past fortnight. Metro South Health Public Health Physician Dr Bhakti Vasant said in a statement anyone who was at the highlighted locations at those times and was worried about potential infection should call their GP for advice. Measles is a serious viral infection that causes fever, cough, runny nose, then a red spotty rash and sore eyes a few days later, Dr Vasant said. Anyone who develops measles-like symptoms within the next fortnight should contact their GP for advice. But, please call medical practice first to say you could have measles so that staff can take necessary precautions. The case comes just a day after Metro North Hospital and Health Service issued an alert for an infectious person who visited a number of spots around inner Brisbane and Fortitude Valley. In that case, the man is understood to be a Brisbane resident who did not recently travel to a country where measles is endemic. Backpackers who stayed at a Melbourne hostel last week might have been directly exposed to measles from another guest. Victorian health authorities have issued an alert for the highly contagious disease after a teenager was diagnosed with measles. It raised concerns that other backpackers who stayed at the Nomads All Nations Hostel in Spencer Street might be infected and spreading the disease. The man spent four days at the hostel from March 21 to March 24 and remains in isolation while being treated in hospital. He boarded flights QF1542 from Brisbane to Canberra at 5am and then QF809 Canberra to Melbourne at 8am on March 21 and spent time at popular Melbourne locations. This new outbreak follows a previous case involving a woman who visited the Melbourne Grand Prix on March 16 and 17, and a string of other infections across Melbourne and Sydney in the last year. Services providing support to homeless people in Perth have banded together to sound the alarm, warning the sector is at breaking point because funding levels have stagnated for years. WA Council Of Social Services chief executive Louise Giolitto said the most vulnerable people in the community would pay the price for state governments failing to fund the sector to keep up with demand and the cost of running services. She said there had been an alarming increase in the number of people sleeping rough in the city, who urgently needed help to access their basic needs. Services warned of significant cuts in homelessness services unless funding increased to match rising costs. Credit:Andrew Quilty Anyone who goes into the city early in the morning will see people sleeping in doorways, she said. A couple who were married at the weekend were among around a dozen newlyweds who attended the court hearing in an effort to find out if they could recover their money and wedding footage. The devastated bride, who did not want to be named said, "It's just the memories we want back, we don't care about the money". Another newlywed woman, who also wanted to remain anonymous, said she used Launch Films Production four weeks ago for her wedding photos and video, paying $5395 for the package deal. "Our wedding was four weeks ago and we haven't received our photos or video footage," she said. "Luckily we got in touch with one of the photographers from the day individually, and he still has some photos on his camera which he is giving us. "All I want is my raw footage. I'm happy to take it to someone else to be edited. They also have a personal hard drive from us with all my photos from the last ten years on it." PricewaterhouseCoopers-appointed liquidator, Melissa Humann, said the firm would begin to investigate Launch Film Productions immediately and attend its premises, as early as Tuesday if possible. "We will now take steps to attempt to contact the director to attend the office and see what is there," she said. "We have started to receive phone calls by parties impacted by this liquidation and we understand what people's concerns are." Ms Humann said creditors would be given an update on what assets, including computer-based, assets had been discovered, within 10 days. An employee at Launch Film Productions, who wished to remain anonymous, said he believed hundreds of couples could be impacted by the closure. "Anyone who had their wedding shot from the middle of January up until now may never see their footage," he said. "I'm lucky enough to still have the footage from a wedding I shot on the weekend, but I don't know what to do with it, I don't know if I can contact the couple directly, or whether the company owns it." The employee said photographers would only have the last wedding they shot on their cameras, with footage usually uploaded to an office hard drive the following week, and deleted from the camera. He said he believed the business was heavily booked to the end of 2020, and a lot of couples would have paid in full, rather than a deposit, as a discount was often offered for up-front payment. He said staff found out on Monday they no longer had jobs, with the office closed, website shutdown and phone lines disconnected. Mr Hillyard asked affected customers to get in touch. "It is always difficult for consumers when a business closes down as their orders and bookings are put into doubt and, in this case, there are fears that the photos and videos that cant be recreated may not be supplied," he said. "There are also concerns for those with future bookings about getting an alternative photographer at short notice. Consumers who are awaiting products from Launch Films or have future bookings should contact Consumer Protection by email consumer@dmirs.wa.gov.au or call 1300 30 40 54. A senior ACT barrister has blasted territory government claims its plans to increase the secrecy surrounding around the territory's child protection system are about protecting children, labelling it a 'Trojan horse' argument. ACT Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay has introduced a bill to reduce transparency around child protection issues. Credit:Karleen Minney The barrister, Philip Walker SC, also urged the ACT Legislative Assembly to immediately hold an inquiry into the government bill to make changes to exempt all child protection reports from the Freedom of Information Act. Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay last week introduced the proposal as part of an omnibus bill to make a raft of separate changes to justice-related legislation. Senior family law barrister James Haddock also said while he could not say the change was definitely motivated be a desire to hide systemic problems in the child protection system. Labor has devised a plan to offer financial incentives to energy companies that slash their greenhouse gas pollution, sources say, as industry makes a last-ditch plea for political bipartisanship on Australias climate change policy ahead of the federal election. The Morrison government has been agitating for Labor to reveal how it will meet its pledge to cut national emissions by 45 per cent and warns the goal will lead to higher power prices a claim Labor strongly disputes. Sources say Labor is considering financial incentives to encourage the energy sector to slash emissions. Credit:Paul Jones Climate action advocates have criticised Labors decision to apply the 45 per cent target to the electricity sector, arguing the availability of renewable energy technology means more ambitious cuts could easily be made. Labor has long been expected to tighten the "safeguards mechanism", which sets emissions limits for heavy polluters. Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen has put employers on notice, pledging there will be no further delays in increasing compulsory superannuation payments to 12 per cent despite fears the hike will hit workers coping with sluggish wage growth. Mr Bowen said Coalition delays to implementing the legislated increase from 9.5 to 12 per cent meant people retiring today have nearly $100,000 less in super than if the original 1993 timetable had been implemented. The Morrison government and the Australian Chamber of Commerce have argued any increase above 9.5 per cent would make wage rises less likely or force employers to dip into their own profits - challenging those in struggling sectors such as retail. Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen. Credit:James Alcock Wages have been growing at just above the rising cost of a consumer basket of goods at 2.3 per cent, but workers in some sectors have experienced pay cuts in real terms. Victoria's pokies-owning pubs poured their biggest ever political donation into the Daniel Andrews-led ALP as part of a $1 million campaign to deny the Greens the balance of power at the state election last November. The Australian Hotels Association imposed a special one-off levy on pub poker machines to help bankroll donations of at least $500,000 to Labor and about $300,000 to the Coalition parties. It also funded independents who preferenced the major parties. The state's pubs lobby gave its largest-ever donations to the Labor Party ahead of the last election. Credit:Josh Robenstone The gaming industry feared the Greens winning the balance of power in Victoria because of the party's strong anti-pokies policies, including the phasing out of poker machines from pubs and clubs and introducing $1 maximum bets. The community clubs sector (such as football clubs) also contributed to Labor's thumping victory and the routing of the Greens with its first ever state election campaign aimed at "mobilising" the 600,000 members of its gaming clubs and encouraging them to vote for the major parties. The consequences can be devastating. Each year there are about 20,000 suicide attempts and in 2016, for example, 624 deaths by suicide. Thats more than twice the road toll. A ward at Kew Cottages, 1973. Credit:The Age Archives How did we get here? Victoria began closing its psychiatric institutions often referred to as asylums in the '90s as part of a global trend towards humane, community-based treatment of people with serious mental illness. This long-overdue reform was correct in principle but poorly handled, with resources squandered and not enough investment in the community mental health sector, says former Australian of the year and youth mental health advocate Professor Patrick McGorry. Victoria had the highest per-capita mental health funding in the country two decades ago, and decent mental health care. This included home treatment teams (also known as crisis assessment and treatment or CAT), early intervention services and intensive case management. Community mental health has been completely overwhelmed so there is virtually nothing between GP and emergency. Patrick McGorry But this system has been steadily eroded, with resources diverted to strained emergency departments. In the past decade, community mental health has been completely overwhelmed so there is virtually nothing between GP and emergency, says McGorry. Last years state budget committed a much-needed $705 million to mental health but most of this will be directed to acute services, the so-called pointy end of care where chaotic emergency departments and psychiatric wards try to cope with the growing demand. Acute bed numbers have fallen 9 per cent in the past decade. Daniel Andrews announces Penny Armytage, left, as chair of the Royal Commission into Mental Health. Credit:Darrian Traynor What happens if you are unwell but not in severe crisis? Often, not much. If you need more mental health care than your doctor can provide but arent sick enough to go to hospital, services can be surprisingly limited. Its this gap between the GP clinic and the emergency department that represents one of the greatest challenges to Victorias mental health system, says Angus Clelland, the head of Mental Health Victoria. For those who can afford to pay, or have private health coverage, private psychiatrists and private mental health hospitals are one possibility. But for public patients, the only option is community-based mental health services. If someone has a breast lump they are fast-tracked into more specialist proactive care. In mental health, you have to prove you are in a life-threatening condition. Patrick McGorry Ideally, these provide mental health treatment in combination with other services, such as support for finding housing and employment, keeping relationships intact or alcohol and drug abuse. When they work well, they can prevent mental health illness from spiralling into crisis. But community mental health services are under intense pressure. Typically, getting an appointment can take weeks, sometimes months. Community mental health is very much geared to individuals who have a serious and complex need, Mr McClelland says. Figures show 3 per cent of adults experience severe mental illness each year but only about 1 per cent of Victorians are receiving clinical mental health care. This means people have to become really sick to get treated in the public sector, says McGorry. If someone has a breast lump or a similar early warning sign, for example, they are fast-tracked into more specialist proactive care. But in mental health you have to prove you are in a life-threatening condition. Professor Patrick McGorry. Credit:Alex Murray So what happens when it is an emergency? Again, options are limited. In the public system, a mental health crisis usually means one of two things: a visit from a CAT (crisis assessment and treatment) team or a trip to hospital. Increasingly, CAT teams are swamped by demand. Some doctors have even dubbed them call again tomorrow or cant attend today, after being told no-one was available to respond to suicidal or psychotic patients. The quickest way to fix this is not to build more beds, but to better resource the community health model. Patrick McGorry This is the result of a failure to fund a proper community-based system, says McGorry. If you had CAT teams that were well resourced, you wouldnt need the hospital beds. The quickest way to fix this is not to build more beds, but to better resource the community health model. There is a mental health admission to an emergency department in Victoria every 10 minutes. And there was a 20 per cent increase in the number of emergency department admissions in the four years to 2016-17. Credit:Thinkstock What's the problem with hospital emergency departments? There have been increasing numbers of Victorian patients left waiting for 24 hours in emergency departments for mental health care, says Simon Judkins, the president of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine. Spending a day in emergency is not a therapeutic environment. Simon Judkins Its the worst place for a mental health patient, who may be stressed, anxious or suicidal, he says. Spending a day in emergency is not a therapeutic environment. Patients grow agitated and scared, and can sometimes be aggressive or violent. About $100 million of the $700 million announced in last years budget for mental health will be spent on six mental health hubs. This will include separate 24-hour short-stay units in emergency departments to treat people in crisis. These are extremely welcome, emergency clinicians say. But there still arent enough beds in longer-stay wards for everyone who needs them. What else can hospitals offer? Most major metropolitan hospitals have acute psychiatric units of about 30 beds. Some also have short-stay units, where patients can stay for up to three days when in crisis. And there are options for secure care and residential care in a community setting. This sounds sufficient until you look at unmet need, says Professor Richard Newton, the Victorian chair of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. Inpatient wards have an average stay of about 10 days, which is a very short length of time when you consider that medications for depression or psychotic illness, for example, take between two and four weeks to work effectively. The length of stay in inpatient units reflects extraordinary demand, Professor Newton says. So many people need to come into those units that other people are discharged too soon. What's next? The four newly announced commissioners, including principle commissioner and former Department of Justice secretary Penny Armytage, have a monumental task on their hands. (Professor Allan Fels, the former head of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, is also a commissioner.) They have been asked to establish how to most effectively prevent mental health and suicide, and support people to recover from mental illness early in life, early in illness and early in episode. They have also been directed to establish how people can better access and navigate the mental health system. An expert advisory panel, to be chaired by Professor McGorry, will include people with a personal experience of mental illness. The return of Thailand's people to the ballot box after nearly five years of military rule has confounded predictions by apparently rewarding general-turned-prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha with sufficient democratic support to form a government. Prayut Chan-o-cha casting his vote on Sunday. Credit:Amilia Rosa Turnout at the polls was strong, unlike last year's sham election in Egypt, which was also preceded by the overthrow of an elected government; the outlawing of opposition parties and disqualification of rival candidates; the suppression of dissenting media; and a dictator changing out of his uniform and into a suit. Mr Prayut has had five years to use these and other means to jury-rig the electoral system in his favour, in much the same way that the Myanmar regime has insulated itself from the popular vote by having more than 100 military-appointed MPs in uniform in its lower house. The bully-pulpit politics of Hun Sen in Cambodia and Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines add to an overall picture of free societies on the back foot in south-east Asia. Australia's response to this changing landscape needs to be proactive and principled. As Anwar Ibrahim pointed out after last year's stunning election upset in Malaysia, which finally defeated the Najib government's extensive gerrymandering, champions of democracy in our region need Canberra to engage with their nations beyond the level of leadership or risk being seen as complicit in that leadership's abuses. That means public exchanges with opposition parties and solidarity with non-government organisations. London: The UK parliament has seized control of Brexit from the May government and will hold an extraordinary session on Wednesday to choose between possible outcomes such as another referendum, a no-deal Brexit or even cancelling Brexit altogether. The government fiercely opposed the House of Commons vote on Monday night to take control, warning it would set a dangerous constitutional precedent. The government traditionally runs business in the House of Commons, deciding when and what debates and votes occur. [It] would overturn the balance of our democratic institutions, Prime Minister Theresa May said. Another Conservative called it a constitutional revolution that the House of Commons will come to regret. Shortly after 8pm on May 11, 1960, a slight man stepped off a bus in suburban Buenos Aires. He seemed weary, ready to be home, and looked bewildered when a car pulled up alongside him. The man was Adolf Eichmann, chief architect of Hitler's Final Solution, and one of the most-wanted Nazis in the world. Inside the car were agents of the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency. Their commander was Rafi Eitan, who became known as one of his country's greatest, if most controversial, spies, and who died at the weekend aged 92. "I grabbed him by the neck with such force I could see his eyes bulge," Eitan recalled years later of his encounter with Eichmann, in an account published in Gordon Thomas' book Gideon's Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad. "A little tighter and I would have choked him to death." Israeli Rafi Eitan pictured in 2011. Credit:AP The Mossad team moved Eichmann to a safe house where they held him for days without speaking. "Keeping silent was more than an operational necessity," Eitan said. "We did not want to show Eichmann how nervous we all were. That would have given him hope. And hope makes a desperate person dangerous. I needed him to be as helpless as my own people were when he had sent them in train loads to the death camps." Washington: US President Donald Trump on Monday recognized Israel's 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights in an election boost for visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, prompting a sharp response from Syria, which once held the strategic land. US President Donald Trump, left, and Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's PM hold up a signed proclamation after a meeting at the White House in Washington, DC. Credit:Bloomberg With Netanyahu looking over his shoulder at the White House, Trump signed a proclamation officially granting US recognition of the Golan as Israeli territory - a dramatic shift from decades of US policy. The move, which Trump announced in a tweet last Thursday, appeared to be the most overt gesture by the Republican president to help Netanyahu, who had been pressing Trump for the move since February 2017. Israel captured the Golan in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1981 in a move not recognised internationally. Washington: US Attorney-General William Barr plans to issue in a matter of weeks a public version of the special counsel's report that found President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign team did not conspire with Russia. Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence that Donald Trump or his campaign conspired with Russia to influence the 2016 election. Credit:AP Democrats attempted to change the subject to healthcare after the report from Robert Mueller appeared to shatter their case that Trump was an illegitimately- elected president. Barr released his own summary of the report's central findings on Sunday but said he needed more time to review the report to determine how much of it could be made public. A Justice Department official said on Tuesday that Barr's plan was to release a public version in "weeks, not months." Congressional Democrats have demanded Barr turn over the report to them by April 2, which would only leave a week for the Justice Department to complete its review. Even if they weren't hit by bullets or didn't see shots fired, "anyone who was at that school is at risk," Kraus said, and should be screened. "The scars simply don't go away with a fresh coat of paint," he said. Psychologist April Foreman, a board member at the American Association of Suicidology, said survivors are more prone to suicide and thus must be vigilant about mental health check-ups just as if they had a family history of breast cancer or heart disease. With help, people can overcome their suicidal impulses, she said. "It's not a foregone conclusion that this will happen to everyone who's been exposed to this and the majority of people who are suicidal don't go on to die. They go on to recover and live," she said. The first suicide took place on March 16, with Cara Aiello telling WFOR-TV last week that her 18-year-old daughter Sydney had suffered from survivor's guilt her friend, Meadow Pollack, died in the attack. Loading Sydney had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and struggled to attend college because she feared being in a classroom, but never asked for help, her mother said. Coral Springs police officer Tyler Reik confirmed Monday that a Stoneman Douglas sophomore apparently killed himself Saturday, but said an official determination had not been made pending an autopsy. The boy's name was not immediately released. Community leaders, government officials, parents, police and others held an emergency meeting Sunday after the second student suicide, Parkland mayor Christine Hunschofsky said. The biggest push will be to alert parents to talk to their children about whether they are having suicidal thoughts and outline the danger signs for them, such as personality changes or a preoccupation with death, she said. The groups also want students to look out for each other, and noted that the community counselling and resource centres that opened after the attack still remain available. The task has been made more difficult because Stoneman Douglas students are on their spring break. Hunschofsky said that while there is concern the two suicides could lead to more, it is more dangerous not to discuss what happened. "We cannot be afraid of talking the only way we are going to identify people who need help is to talk about it," she said. We cannot be afraid of talking - the only way we are going to identify people who need help is to talk about it. Parkland mayor Christine Hunschofsky A 16-year-old Stoneman Douglas sophomore who was in a classroom where three students died on February 14, 2018, told The Associated Press on Monday that she tried to kill herself four times before she entered therapy. At first, she was ashamed, she said, fearing that accepting counselling would mean she "couldn't' handle my problems" and "I was broken." But her attitude changed with the support of therapists, family and friends, said the girl, who the AP is not naming because of her age. The girl said she fears not every Stoneman Douglas student who needs counselling is getting it and noted that some teachers seem uncomfortable talking about suicide and simply want to move on. In Connecticut, Richman was among the Sandy Hook relatives suing Infowars host Alex Jones for contending the Newtown shooting never happened. Neil Heslin, whose son, Jesse Lewis, was killed at Sandy Hook, said the families' grief has been compounded by such conspiracy theories. Loading "Every day you get up, you expect to get punched in the chin," Heslin said. "I give Jeremy credit for what he accomplished with his work and his amazing strength that grew through the years." Newtown Police lieutenant Aaron Bahamonde said Richman left a suicide note, but did not disclose its contents. On Monday, residents streamed into the Resiliency Centre of Newtown, which was set up shortly after the shooting as a place for therapy and for people to gather to talk. Richman worked with the centre in providing "brain health" first aid for children and others. His friend, Stephanie Cinque, the centre's executive director, said people are angry, sad and shocked by his death. "There's mixed feelings throughout town," she said. "Grief is complicated. It's very sad for the family, the children, the entire community. So today we're letting people know it's OK to have those feelings." The emotional scars survivors feel last for decades. Columbine High massacre survivor Heather Martin was not physically injured in the 1999 shooting that left 13 dead, but said she took years to emotionally overcome the attack. She helped form the Rebels Project, named after Columbine's mascot, to assist mass trauma survivors. Be Cool, Be Classic - How Indias Love Affair with the Automobile is Reaching Younger Generations BANGALORE, INDIA - March 26, 2019: We can learn a great deal from whats happening in India right now, when it comes to attracting young people into the historic vehicle movement, says FIVA President Patrick Rollet. In March, FIVA (the Federation Internationale des Vehicules Anciens or international federation of historic vehicles) held its General Council meeting in Bangalore, Indias fast growing tech city. Explaining why Bangalore was the perfect venue, Rollet comments, India is a country where the love affair with the automobile is a more recent phenomenon than in the West, and its truly heartening to see the groundswell of enthusiasm for historic vehicles among younger Indians at a time when European enthusiasts are worried that classics will increasingly be seen as something for the older generation. Our meeting was held in Bangalore alongside a symposium organised by the Delhi-based Osianama Learning Experience and the Federation of Historic Vehicles of India (FHVI) the first of its kind in Asia aimed at encouraging even more young people and women to get involved in the historic vehicle movement. The energy and enthusiasm of the participants, in a country thats at an exciting point in the development of its historic vehicle community, is a joy to see. So what is the Indian historic vehicle community doing to encourage this groundswell of interest among the young? A key factor is the growing number of informal groups on social media, who meet at the weekend for casual drives in various cities. A prime example is Classic Drivers of Calcutta (CDC), as young entrepreneur and enthusiast Souvik Ghose Chaudhuri describes: CDC was founded in 2017 with only three members but we now have 98 owners in the group, with 15% being first-timers and almost half under the age of 35. But importantly, we also have 500-plus members on Facebook and Instagram who may or may not currently own a historic vehicle. To catch them young, its important to create communities around historic vehicles non-competitive, fun social events to attract newcomers, such as movie screenings and garage days, plus extensive use of social media and workshops. Its working. Were seeing younger people, most of them first-timers, acquiring classics, while our members seem to be overcoming the absence of a DIY culture and have taken to working on their vehicles themselves! The future is bright. Interestingly, focusing on women has proved another key factor, as female race and rally driver Farah Vakil, explains: Women are starting to take the lead in demystifying the classic automobile, seen by many as an untouchable realm of the wealthy and privileged man. Up till now, Indian womens role in historic vehicle circles has been as the wives and daughters of collectors but thats changing. Women in India today are financially and socially empowered, and we dont need to have classics passed onto us as family heirlooms, as we can acquire them independently sourcing them abroad, if necessary, and importing them. We are becoming instrumental in widening the appreciation of these cars, keeping it informal and unstructured an outing in our cars, a picnic perhaps without the heavy organisation and expense of a formal event. Another presenter at the Bangalore symposium was businesswoman and blogger Shana Parmeshwar, who races a Porsche GT3 in the UK and India but also owns an Austin Seven and a 65 Chevrolet Impala estate. She uses the tag line Be Cool, Be Classic to describe the surge of historic vehicle interest among the younger generation in India, and is full of ideas for the future such as Classic & Charity, to organise classic runs to orphanages, where the children have fun taking passenger rides. India has a rich automotive heritage, concludes Gautam Sen, FIVAs Vice President, Communications. In the early 20th Century, carmakers thronged to India but it wasnt until after independence that India really developed its own manufacturing industry. If America could have its Big Three, India had its Little Three Hindustan Motors, Premier Automobiles and Standard Motors, the latter narrowed down to making the Standard Herald. It was also in the 1960s that the collecting bug started, although it was generally limited to a small number of enthusiasts acquiring extraordinary cars discarded by the erstwhile rajas and maharajas of India. Today, however, much as in Europe, the majority of enthusiasts are keen to collect more attainable vehicles of the sort that were used everyday, and hence reflect the wider culture of the country. Clearly the Indian historic vehicle movement is enjoying great success at involving younger people, and FIVA members across the world might find their stories helpful when it comes to ensuring that our shared passion for classics lives on in future generations. Auto News Headlines Final Edition March 26, 2019 - New Car Prices Rise Sales Fall - Duh!; Tariffs; smart Brand To Be Chinese Owned; Marchionne World Car Person Of The Year End-of-Day Auto News Recap U.S. auto sales are falling as vehicle prices climb, indicating that buyers at the lower end are getting squeezed out of the new car market, according to a new industry forecast. First-quarter auto sales are expected to drop by nearly 2.5 percent from a year earlier, to 4 million units, according to J.D. Power and LMC Automotive. Source: CNBC Tom Doll, Subaru of America Inc. president and chief executive officer, discusses the impact of the Trump administration's tariffs on the auto industry with Bloomberg's Kevin Cirilli on "Bloomberg Markets." Source: Bloomberg Daimler AG is nearing the sale of a 50 percent stake in its small-car brand Smart to Chinas Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd, the Financial Times said on Tuesday, citing three people familiar with the matter. The sale of the stake in its Smart division will be confirmed before the Shanghai Auto Show in April, FT said. Source: Reuters In a private ceremony at the Geneva Motor Show this month, Sergio Marchionne, the former FCA CEO was honored with the World Car Person of the Year award, a trophy accepted by new CEO Michael Manley, former head of Fiat Chryslers North American operations. Source: Forbes.com International Islamic University IIUI Research Associate Job Latest International Islamic University Islamabad IIUI Research Posts Islamabad 2021 International Islamic University Islamabad IIUI, Government of Pakistan are requires applications from well educated and energetic candidates for the posts of Research Associate. Skills Required Research How to Apply on International Islamic University Islamabad IIUI Job Advertisement Apply as per details in job advertisement. In some cases, you may apply online at vacancies after registering at https://www.jobz.pk online. Note: Beware of Fraudulent Recruiting Activities. If an employer asks to pay money for any purpose, do not pay at all and report us at contact us form. Apply as per instuctions & dates mentioned in official job ad. Govt jobs may not be applied online here. Human typing error is possible. Error & omissions excepted. Are you a current print subscriber to Columbia Gorge News? If so, you qualify for free access to all content on columbiagorgenews.com. Simply verify with your subscriber id to receive free access. Your subscriber id may be found on your bill or mailing label. International Islamic University Islamabad IIUI Job 2019 Latest International Islamic University Islamabad IIUI Education Posts Islamabad 2021 Qualified, experienced and well educated candidate for the position of Assistant Professor required for International Islamic University in Islamabad Pakistan 2019. How to Apply on International Islamic University Islamabad IIUI Job Advertisement Apply as per details in job advertisement. In some cases, you may apply online at vacancies after registering at https://www.jobz.pk online. Note: Beware of Fraudulent Recruiting Activities. If an employer asks to pay money for any purpose, do not pay at all and report us at contact us form. Apply as per instuctions & dates mentioned in official job ad. Govt jobs may not be applied online here. Human typing error is possible. Error & omissions excepted. Just in time for Easter, Krispy Kreme has turned our favourite holiday treat, hot cross buns, into a delicous doughnut. Posting on Facebook, Krispy Kreme said "Get ready to hop into a tasty Easter!" 13-Year-Old Boy Allegedly Kills Mother Over Argument A 13-year-old Chinese boy allegedly killed his mother during an argument on March 16, according to local police. The incident was discovered two days later on March 18. The incident took place in eastern Chinas Jiangsu Province. The mother, whose surname is Yang, was allegedly killed by her son, whose surname is Shao. Shao was found a day later siting in a 24-hour restaurant. He was detained by the Jianhu police department and is under investigation. According to Chinese criminal law, Shao is still considered a minor because he is not yet 14at most he may be sent to a detention camp during the week, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP). Varying reports and interviews give different accounts of what had happened between the mother and son during their argument. Initial reports from neighbors and people at the scene contrast with a later account from Shaos godfather, Duan. The Argument According to the Chengdu Economic Daily, a neighbor at the scene said that Shao is an average middle school student. Theyre not a very well off family, and the boy often had arguments with his mom about money, the neighbor told the Chengdu Economic Daily on March 18. Yang rented a shop and sold clothing for a living, and her husband is a migrant worker who often did contract jobs in other cities, the report said. The neighbor said that Yang and Shao got into a fight once more, and thats when Shao killed his mother. After two days, someone discovered that there was blood at the doorstep and reported it to the police, the neighbor said. His mom was really small, maybe 90 to 100 pounds. A shop owner in the area told the Chengdu Economic Daily that Yangs parenting style may have been somewhat intense, possibly leading to disciplinary issues. The boy liked pets, to the point of wasting time with them, the shop owner told the news outlet. His mother felt that he was spending his entire day playing with [the dog], so in a fit of anger she slammed the dog on the ground killing it. Shao was later found in a 24-hour restaurant, and had reportedly sat there for about 40 hours before being found. According to the Chengdu Economic Daily, Shao only ordered a cup of hot water, which he had with some biscuits that he brought. One of the employees told the news outlet that at about 11 a.m., an officer came in asking about Shao. The kid didnt say anything and was just taken away, the employee said. The employee added that Shao sat at a table that had nothing on it. He only had his backpack with him. The police did not comment further on the situation, the report said. Alleged Killing Shaos godfather, Duan, said that when he was at the local police department, he read a different story from the police notes. Duan told Beijing News in a March 21 report that after Yang came home from work, she saw Shao playing video games on his smart phone. Yang attempted to grab the phone away from her son, but Shao threw the phone on the floor. Duan said, according to the notes, when Yang went to pick up the phone, Shao went to the kitchen and got a cleaver. The notes went on to say that as she was standing up, her son hacked the back of her head with the blade. Since the family dog was barking all the while, the notes said that Shao killed the dog as well. According to Beijing News, neighbors said on March 18 that Shaos teacher attempted to contact the family because he did not show up in school. They went on to say that Shao went to a restaurant and sat in a corner. When the police arrived, the boy put his hands over his head, and told them where he was. However, the restaurant workers said that Shao was hiding in the restroom when the police arrived. Several of the police were not in uniform. According to Duan, when Shaos father came back home on the afternoon of March 18, the first thing he said was: My wife is gone, why would I ever want my son? Beijing News reported. On March 19, Duan and Shaos father picked up the boy from the police station. The first thing Shao said to his father when he came out was Dad, Ive done wrong, according to Beijing News. A Punished Son In December 2018, a 12-year-old boy, named Wu, stabbed his mother to death in Hunan Province, China, according to South China Morning Post (SCMP). The boy was not charged for the crime. In an interview with SCMP, a juvenile delinquency expert at China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing said that youth crime is a very grey area in China. Professor Pi Yijun said that children convicted of serious crimes, and are between the ages of 14 and 16, may be sent to juvenile delinquent prisons. Children convicted of minor crimes between the ages of 13 and 17 may be sent to juvenile delinquent schools, which send them home on the weekends. In my opinion, in this case, the other parents have good reason to be afraid, Pi said. Its unsuitable to send someone as dangerous as he [Wu] is to school We cant erase such an intentional wrongdoing for the sake of protecting a childs rights. Because of Shaos age, he may be released in a similar fashion. Six MS-13 gang members were indicted over February and March for allegedly conspiring to carry out murders, authorities said. (Suffolk County District Attorney's Office) 6 MS-13 Gang Members Indicted for Allegedly Conspiring to Commit Murder Six MS-13 gang members who are accused of conspiring to commit two separate murders in Suffolk County, New York, have been indicted, according to an announcement by the district attorney office on March 25. Officials say the investigation began in the summer of 2018. In the first case, 20-year-old Kevin Zuniga, 28-year-old Jose J. Portillo, and 31-year-old Kevin Mejia Sandoval allegedly conspired to murder a fellow MS-13 gang member who they believed was cooperating with law enforcement. This goes to show how ruthless this gang is and is part of their [modus operandi]: They conspire to kill rival gang members but they also conspire to kill their own when they allegedly violate the rules of the gang, District Attorney Timothy Sini said in a press release. Portillo, Zuniga, and Mejia Sandoval are accused of being homeboys in the Leeward clique of the MS-13 gang, who act as leaders in the United States. Authorities say these members receive orders from gang leaders in El Salvador and then direct local members to carry out the gangs missions. The gang, also known as Mara Salvatrucha, was initially formed by Salvadoran immigrants that fled to Los Angeles during the civil war in their home country. Their motto is kill, rape, control. Many MS-13 gang members in the United States are illegal immigrants. It's three words The Epoch Times 20171129 In the second case, authorities alleged Zuniga, Portillo, and Mejia Sandoval, along with fellow gang members 22-year-old Gerver A. Chinchilla Perez, 17-year-old Emerson Hernandez Escobar, and 17-year-old Rafael Hernandez Elias conspired to kill a rival gang member from the 18th street gang. Our intelligence shows that their plan was to kill him by shooting him with a firearm they planned on purchasing, butchering him with a machete, or by burning him to death, Sini said. Authorities say Mejia Sandoval had received permission from higher-ups in El Salvador to carry out both murders. These were not empty threats; weve seen MS-13 gang members commit murders before of rival gang members and of their own associates who are accused of cooperating with law enforcement, the district attorney said. Which is why we do not, and cannot, take the threat of MS-13 lightly. Portillo, Zuniga, and Mejia Sandoval were each charged with two counts of Conspiracy in the second degree and conspiracy in the fourth degree. Meanwhile, Chinchilla Perez, Hernandez Escobar, and Hernandez Elias were each charged with conspiracy in the second degree and conspiracy in the fourth degree. Zuniga and Chinchilla Perez were arraigned on the indictment on Feb. 1, while Hernandez Escobar and Hernandez Elias were arraigned on Feb. 4. The other members Portillo and Mejia Sandoval, who are from Maryland, were first extradited and subsequently arraigned on Feb. 15 and March 22 respectively. The six defendants face a maximum sentence of eight and one-third years to 25 years in prison if convicted of the top charge. The six defendants alleged crimes demonstrate the underbelly of the MS-13 gangs operations by using violence, retaliation, and threats, Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge of DEAs New York Division, said, according to the press release. Special Agent in Charge of HSI New York, Angel M. Melendez, shared a similar view to Donovon. There is no line that MS-13 will not cross, evidenced by their alleged conspiracy to kill even one of their own gang members, Melendez said. Authorities also said Zuniga and Hernandez Escobar were arrested as part of Homeland Security Investigations Operation Matador on May 30, 2017, and were released on bond on Aug. 1, 2017, and May 4, 2018, respectively. Mejia Sandoval was also previously deported twice, the press release said. Barbaric Reputation Dr. Robert J. Bunker, an adjunct research professor at the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College, previously told The Epoch Times that MS-13 has created a brand, similar to Los Zetas in Mexico, based on its reputation for engaging in unspeakable acts of brutality using machete and knife attacks against those that cross it. This barbaric reputation greatly aids the gang in its collection of street taxes from local merchants and helps it to protect its turf and drug trade against opposing gangs who are afraid to face the street terrorism it can wage against them, Bunker said. The Justice Department previously estimated around 40,000 members live in Central America and about 10,000 live in the United States. The Epoch Times reporter Charlotte Cuthbertson contributed to this report. Everyone eligible should be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of long-distance travel or employment. Vaccination should be voluntary but those who don't get vaccinated should be frequently tested for COVID-19 as a condition of long-distance travel and employment. Both vaccination and testing should be voluntary and not required as a condition of long-distance travel or employment. I defer to the judgment of lawmakers as long as they base their decisions on a consensus of medical professionals. Vote View Results A court in France has ordered the demolition of a chateau on the French Riveria (Google Maps ) $64 Million French Chateau Faces Court-Ordered Demolition: Reports A $64 million palace on the French Riviera has to be demolished because it was illegally constructed, according to an appeals court. The Renaissance-style Chateau Diter in the town of Grasse has to be torn down because it was built in a protected wooded area, the Aix-en-Provence court of appeal ruled on March 25, reported The Guardian. The owner has 18 months to demolish the property, and property developer Patrick Diter faces a fine of $507,000, which will be increased by $563 for every day he doesnt comply after the deadline, the court ruled. Pierre-Jean Gaury, the assistant public prosecutor, said the transformation of the property was a pharaonic project, delusional, totally illegal and built in an illegal manner. The Guardian reported that the Diter property was an abandoned country house with snake-infested grounds before the palatial structure was constructed. Gaury claimed the construction of the chateau was in violation of urban planning regulations and environmental rules by an owner whose only concern is money. Diter, who lives in the chateau with his wife, told Paris Match that he acquired the property 19 years ago. The Match described him as a simple man who does not wear a tuxedo or smoke cigars, according to a translation. His property has a heliport, about 6,500 square feet worth of road, and a swimming pool, reported The Local, which added that it was illegally built in a protected wooded area. According to the report, Diter said he is ready to demolish buildings that were constructed without a permit, admitting he made some mistakes. A neighbor first filed a complaint after Chateau Diter was rented out for film products and weddings. He charged about $56,000 for an evening. Those neighbors were awarded about $50,000 in damages, according to The Local. Woman Sued Over Flintstones Mansion The owner of a Flintstones housea home that was designed to look like the famed cartoonwas sued by the city of Hillsborough, California. The house is owned by Florence Fang, a media mogul who founded the San Francisco Examiner and who is in her 80s, and she bought the home in 2017 for $2.8 million, reported the San Francisco Chronicle. The home features dinosaurs, Flintstones characters, and a sign with the words, Yabba Dabba Doo. Its located in an affluent part of San Mateo County in the San Francisco Bay Area. The city is suing her over gaudy outdoor decorations and other work, including a herd of large dinosaur sculptures and the sign, the Chronicle reported. Recognizable for its bright hues and bulbous shape, views of the Flintstone House from Interstate 280 have captured the imaginations of many who have passed by the Hillsborough home for years. San Mateo Daily Journal 2019315 In a statement to USA Today, Fangs grandson, Sean, said the family will fight to save the home. I think the dinosaurs are beautiful. They make everyone smile and should stay, Sean Fang said. 7-Month-Old Boy Kidnapped, Held for Ransom, Then Murdered A 7-month-old boy was kidnapped and murdered, according to a police announcement on March 13 from a local security bureau in Yunnan Province, China. Two suspects in connection to the case have been arrested. The announcement said that an individual, whose surname is Tai, reported to the police that the boy had been abducted on March 11. No further details were given about the informant. The police had found the body of the infant, and said an investigation is on-going. Lawyers hired by the parents of the boy said that he was strangled to death. No further information has been provided. Many netizens have speculated that there were unpaid debts involved between the abductors and the parents of the child, or that there had been personal grudges. These claims were later denied. The abduction was carried out for financial reasons, as the abductor had referred the father to a famous ransom case, according to the official provincial website Yunnan.cn. The names of the infant and his parents were not given in the report. The Kidnapped Boy One of the suspects involved in the kidnapping of the boy is named Duan, a 50-year-old woman from the capitol of Yunnan Province, Kunming city. The other suspect is a 42-year-old man named Zhao, a resident of Dali city. On March 17, the parents of the boy enlisted the services of two lawyers to help with the case. On March 22, one of the lawyers, Yu Huaixing, confirmed with reporters that the case was a kidnapping. He also confirmed that the boy was strangled to death. Yu said that the husband and wife took vacations in Dali two times between 2017 and 2018. After their son was born, they took another trip in 2019. During each trip, they stayed at Duans house, who offered homestays as a way to make money. In 2018, Duan was said to have sold what she claims was a meteorite to the mother and father. The final price was $12,000. Other than the fees for staying at Duans house and the price paid for the rock, there were no financial transactions between the two parties, nor any debts. Further, Yu reported that there were no grudges held between both parties. Yu said that Duan and Zhao sent a message to the boys father over WeChat, the most popular messaging app in China. They told him to take a close look at a renowned kidnapping case which involved the family of Hong Kong business magnate Li Ka-shing. Duan and her accomplice [Zhao], after kidnapping the 7-month-old boy, sent a WeChat message to the boys father, telling him to read over the kidnapping case of Li Ka-shings son 10 times, Yu told reporters, according to Yunnan.cn. The kidnapper of Li Ka-shings son reportedly netted $100 million in ransom. Duan and Zhao may have been hoping to get ransom money from their victims parents. Yu also said a background check on Duan revealed that she had not fulfilled five previous court sentences. She was put on a list of individuals who were unable to repay financial penalties for two local courts. Duan was said to owe the courts $900,000 from the five previous cases. Kidnapping Study Duan allegedly told the boys father that he should study very carefully the ransom case involving the abduction of Li Ka-shings son. As of March, Li is estimated to be the 28th richest person in the world, with an estimated wealth of over $30 billion. On May 23, 1996, Lis son was kidnapped and held for ransom. His son, Victor Li Tzai-kuoi, was captured by a gang boss nicknamed Big Spender. Big Spender, whose actual name was Cheung Tze-keung, reportedly received about $175 million from the ransom that Li paid to him. A police report was never filed with Hong Kong authorities, but only with the Chinese police. This eventually led to the execution of Cheung in mainland China. Charles Shi attending the 2011 Conference of Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC) in Shanghai, as both the East Asian Supply Chain Manager and C919 Program Manager for Moog. (Courtesy Charles Shi) Some Boeing Jets Have Substandard Parts, Whistleblower Claims As investigations of the crashes of two Boeing 737 MAX jetliners continue, a former supply chain manager of the contractor for Boeings flight control systems says that substandard parts made in China with non-aerospace material have been installed in 777 and 737 planes that are still in service. Now, the whistleblower, Charles (Chaosheng) Shi, is intensifying his efforts to bring light to the issue, which has been troubling him for three years. Shi worked for Moog Aircraft for 10 years, from 2006 to 2016. In 2006, he set up the Moog supply chain in China and almost all suppliers were audited and approved by him, except for the one hes now accusing of providing substandard parts. He has tried to bring his concerns about the faulty parts to the attention of Moog, Boeing, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Congress, and President Donald Trump. The FAA found that two of Shis concerns were substantiated, while others were not. He also reported the issue to Chinese authorities, including Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, and even the Shanghai Public Security Bureau. In an interview with NBC in February 2018, Shi expressed concern that Boeing parts supplied by Moog were outsourced to a third-party Chinese supplier that used cut-rate manufacturing processes. Shi said, You need to bake the parts to get the hydrogen out of the parts, so the parts can still be solid with integrity. Otherwise, the hydrogen goes into the parts. That can make the parts brittle, so the parts can fail. He also related to NBC an additional violation that was substantiated by the FAA, concerning unbaked parts in Boeing 777 spoilers: a hydrogen embrittlement hazard that might cause the parts and system to fail during flight. Shi told The Epoch Times that the parts in question are mainly components in the Boeing 777 and 737 spoiler systems, which are deployed during takeoff, early flight, and landing. Alarming Findings Shi said he became aware in 2015 that Suzhou New Hongji Precision Parts Co. (NHJ) in Jiangsu Province, China, one of Moogs suppliers, was reportedly using cheap and substandard materials. He confirmed that with another aviation manufacturer, B/E Aerospace, the sole source for lavatories on Boeing 737 aircraft built since 2012, and the only other aerospace customer of NHJ. B/E Aerospace stopped buying from NHJ in 2013, after it was found that NHJ faked raw material certificates and used substitute materials, resulting in B/E product failures, Shi said. As the manager for Moog Aircraft, Shi said he was responsible for the quality of the parts and materials that were purchased from all suppliers, and had the right to audit those suppliers. Shi later told the FAA that he believed, based on his investigation, that NHJ had faked the raw material purchase record, and outsourced parts for Moog to an unknown supplier. NHJ was outsourcing Moog/Boeing business to other unknown and unapproved sub-contractors. One-third of Moogs business, which was Boeing plane parts, was outsourced to illicit sub-contractors during 2015-2017. And I am willing to testify to this under oath, Shi told The Epoch Times. FAA Investigation Shis discovery of the outsourcing was confirmed by an FAA investigation conducted in September 2016. According to an FAA memorandum, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, two allegations made by Shi were found substantiated: Moogs supplier NHJ outsourced Moog machined parts to an unknown supplier. Shenhai, a NHJ subcontractor, did not properly bake parts both before and after the cadmium plating process, and forged the production process card. The improperly baked parts consisted of four different part numbers. However, Shis seven other allegations were found not substantiated by the same investigation. According to the FAA memorandum, Moog auditors identified the following nonconformance issues: (a) Required stress relief (baking) was not performed prior to cadmium plating; (b) Hydrogen embrittlement relief treatment (baking) after cadmium plating was performed for only 4 hours on all parts, not 8 hours as required per AMS-QQ-P-416C specification; (c) Baking procedure controls were not per AMS2750 specification; and (d) No records of furnace traces [times] were being maintained for more than one week. The FAA investigation also confirmed that 273 discrepant parts delivered to Boeing were installed into spoilers on the Boeing 777 aircraft. Safety Critical Of greatest concern to Shi is that many NHJ parts are safety sensitive, and one is safety critical. One part (Part number: P665A003902) is the blocking or mounting lug of the Boeing 737s spoiler. This is a Single Point Of Failure (SPOF) part; if this part fails, the entire system will fail, which may cause a fatal accident. According to a purchase list provided by Shi, Moog has bought 6986 SPOF parts from NHJ during 2015-2017. Shi said these parts can be used to equip more than 600 aircraft, as each 737 uses 10 pieces. Shi said Moog is the exclusive supplier for all models of the Boeing 737, including the Max planes, and NHJ is the only supplier for this SPOF part for the 737 spoiler. His conservative estimate is that 500 Boeing planes may have been compromised, and are still in service. When contacted by the Epoch Times, Moog denied Shis allegations with this one-sentence statement: In response to your request, please note that the Moog parts Mr. Shi references are not on the 737 MAX. The Epoch Times submitted a follow-up inquiry to Moog, with a list of 58 different NHJ parts purchased by Moog, and asked Moog to clarify and verify on which planes these parts are used. Moog hasnt responded to the request. Shi said, The motive of NHJs using substitute material was that the substitute material was one-third or even one-half cheaper. NHJ couldnt be reached for comment. Serious Safety Threat Shi said he first became concerned about the parts in May 2015, when two of his supplier development engineers told him that NHJ had a bad history and B/E Aerospace stopped using the company. He became worried and reported that to his direct supervisor. But his supervisor, who had brought in NHJ as a supplier for Moog, brushed it off. Shi also conducted some auditing and investigative work, finding that NHJ was using an illicit material booking MID system (Material Identification), which violated aerospace industry standards. NHJ MID numbers had no traceability to raw material sourced from approved raw material vendors. This violation is totally not acceptable, Shi said. Shi also traveled to NHJ a few times after the discovery of the faulty recordkeeping, and found that NHJ stocked raw material for Moog in an open area. That material was mixed with other supplies and was improperly labeled, he said. Some material was labeled; some was not. Shi also found that some work in process paperwork didnt have MID traceability, which means that NHJ had no traceability in its manufacturing process. On Aug. 7, 2015, Shi became a whistleblower within his company, by bringing the issue to global supply chain management of Moog Aircraft. Shi said he later found that NHJ used faked certificates to fabricate quantities of products they purchased from an approved vendor. He said he was able to determine that from a document he obtained from the approved vendor, showing the quantity of how many units it sold to NHJ, which was only one-third of what NHJ claimed that they had bought. On Jan. 12, 2016, Shi alerted the president of Moog Aircraft and the CEO of Moog Inc., the parent of Moog Aircraft, about the alarming safety threat. The next day, Shi took the matter to the U.S. FAA. That was also the day he was fired. According to Reuters, Moog said Shis employment was ended as part of a previously communicated global reorganization, and wasnt related to him raising issues about the suppliers quality. According to the FAA memorandum, after receiving Shis report, the FAA investigator visited the Moog plant in East Aurora, New York, on March 29, 2016, and interviewed Moog employees who were most familiar with the process. After reviewing materials provided by Moog, and witnessing retesting of the materials properties of parts, the FAA concluded that Shis allegation was not substantiated. In August 2016, Shi provided what he describes as additional compelling evidence to the FAA. He told the agency about NHJ faking documents about SPOF parts, which were used in the Boeing 737 spoiler, and requested that the FAA reopen the case. The FAA did another round of investigation and found two items out of Shis nine allegations were substantiated. According to the FAA, in response to the substantiated allegation that NHJ had provided improperly manufactured parts, Moogs product engineering team chose six parts from the suspect lots and subjected them to high sustained stress load testing. There were no noted failures. Moog recommended use as is for the parts that had already been installed on Boeing planes, which Boeing accepted. Regarding Shis claim that NHJ had faked its record of purchases of raw materials, the FAA reports that Moog discovered an accounting error that resulted in the discrepancy, which resulted in the agency determining this allegation wasnt substantiated. Shi says hes not satisfied with FAAs handling of the matter, especially the substantiated allegations. He found himself to be in disbelief that the FAA decided to let these admittedly unauthorized and literally unbaked parts to remain in service, sparing Moog and/or Boeing millions of dollars for removal and retrofitting. In response to the Epoch Times request for information and comment regarding Shis allegations, the FAA emailed the following statement: The FAA closed its Moog investigation regarding Mr. Shis allegations. The agency determined the corrective action defined by Moog and Boeing associated with the open substantiated allegation was appropriate to address the related issues identified in the investigation. The FAA investigation determined unsafe conditions did not exist. Boeing hasnt responded to requests for comment. A Late-Night Intrusion Shi says his allegations that NHJ faked documents and used inferior materials should be referred to criminal investigators, which he said he has repeatedly asked the FAA to do. After the recent Boeing 737 Max crashes, he has stepped up his efforts by writing to U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), as well as President Trump. He said hes willing to travel to the United States at his own cost to testify to Congress, should Congress decide to hold a hearing on this. Shi has also taken to social media and Change.org to expose the issues and to draw public attention. He hopes more mainstream media can take up his story. Shi said his home in Shanghai was entered in a disturbing manner on March 13. It was the security guard who told me my doors were open. I went down to check two doors, one was the courtyard entrance door in the north, one was the door to my townhouse in the south. Both were wide open. I called police and the fact was recorded by policemen who rushed to my home. The doors were intact but wide open. Nothing got lost. All things were in a tidy state. Shi believes that incident was a warning, with the intruders demonstrating how easily they could reach him. They want him, he said, to stop his efforts to expose the problems with NHJs parts. Arbys Manager Shoots, Kills Man Who Spat on Her: Police Police say an Oklahoma Arbys manager was arrested after killing a customer who apparently spat on her during an argument. Deionna Young, 25, is facing first-degree murder charges over the alleged incident that took place on March 24 in Tulsa, reported the Tulsa World on Tuesday. The man, 25-year-old Desean Tallent, threatened her and spit on her, said police. Young followed the man and fired a shot into his vehicle, killing him, according to officials. She was arrested two days later. After a fast food restaurant manager had an altercation with a man who threatened her and spit on her, police say she followed him and fired a shot into his vehicle. Tulsa World 2019326 In the incident, police said she followed Tallent in her car before opening fire. She used a .45-caliber handgun, for which she didnt have a license, said police. Police said she then went back to work. Tallent, having been shot in the torso, drove his SUV north to Walmart and crashed into an entrance. He was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Young is being held without bond. We are currently conducting a comprehensive internal investigation into this incident. Additionally, we are fully cooperating with local authorities and will continue to offer support however we can. As this is an ongoing investigation, we ask that all further media inquiries are directed to the Tulsa Police Department, said Arbys in a statement to Fox23. Police said the altercation took place at the Arbys at 41st Street and Garnett Road in eastern Tulsa. Detectives said they examined video footage, the assault report, and a Crime Stoppers tip leading up to Youngs arrest, Fox23 reported. Oklahomas Newson6 reported that Tallents death was the 13th homicide in Tulsa so far this year. A woman in the Newson6 website comments section claimed that Young threatened to shoot her and another person. The woman claimed, She need (sic) to be locked up. I tried to get a restraining order against her for threatening to shoot me and another person. But because I could not retain video footage from Murphys gas station right there on 31st. My request was denied. Now someone has lost their life and its a shame that this has to happen for the courts to take threats more serious (sic). Tulsa police have arrested Deionna Young for murdering Desean Tallent. Police said Tallent spat on Young during an argument at an Arby's before shooting occurred. KJRH 2019326 Violent Crime Declined in 2017 In September 2018, the FBI said Americans committed fewer violent and property crimes across the United States in 2017, according to statistics. The violent crime rateincluding offenses such as murder, robbery, and aggravated assaultdropped by almost 1 percent althought it is still about 4 percent above the 2014 rate. The murder rate dropped by 0.7 percent. There were more than 1.2 million violent crimes reported to [the FBI] nationwide in 2017. There was a 0.7 percent decrease in murders and a 4 percent decrease in robberies from 2016 to 2017. Aggravated assaults increased 1 percent in 2017. The FBI began collecting data solely on an updated rape definition last year, and 135,755 rapes were reported to law enforcement in 2017, the agency said. Of the estimated 17,284 murders in 2017, more than half occurred in larger citieswith populations of more than 100,000. There are fewer than 300 such cities in the United States, and while they account for less than 30 percent of the countrys population, many of them contribute far beyond their share to national crime rates and have done so for years, even decades. While the national murder rate inched down to 5.3 per 100,000 residents, it spiked by 15 percent in Philadelphia, to a rate of more than 20 per 100,000 residents. Columbus, Ohio, saw a massive 54 percent murder rate increase, reaching nearly 16.3 per 100,000 residents. Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika gestures while talking with Army Chief of Staff General Ahmed Gaed Salah during a graduation ceremony of the 40th class of the trainee army officers at a Military Academy in Cherchell 90 km west of Algiers, Algeria, on June 27, 2012. (Ramzi Boudina/Reuters) Army Chief Asks for Algerias Bouteflika to Be Declared Unfit for Office ALGIERSAfter weeks of mass protests, Algerias powerful army chief of staff called on March 26 for a constitutional move that would see President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika declared unfit for office, signaling an end to his 20-year rule. Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaed Salah, addressing army officers in a speech broadcast on state TV, called for a unified stand to defuse tensions in the sprawling North African state, a major oil, and gas exporter. It is rare for the army to directly intervene during crises in Algeria but the hundreds of thousands of people who have been pushing the ailing Bouteflika to step down, as important allies deserted him, prompted the military to try and restore order. Salah said the solution would be based on Article 102 of the constitution and achieve a consensus of all visions and parties. That article applies under certain conditions, such as deteriorating health. Bouteflika, 82, has rarely surfaced in public since suffering a stroke in 2013. The next formal step is for the constitutional council to formally to declare Bouteflika unfit for office, a decision that members of parliaments lower and upper house need to ratify by a two-thirds majority. Based on Article 102, the chairman of parliaments upper house, Abdelkader Bensalah, would serve as caretaker president for at least 45 days in the nation of more than 40 million people. El Bilad television said the constitutional council had convened in a special session after Salahs intervention. State TV opened with Salahs announcement but there was no word on a constitutional council meeting. On March 26, the Huffpost Maghreb said a protest leader had rejected the armys attempt to have Bouteflika declared unfit, saying the people instead wanted a national government of consensusrather than any continuation of the secretive elite entrenched in power since independence from France in 1962. The Algerian people dont accept that the government, or a symbol of power of this system, manages the transition period, lawyer Mustapha Bouchachi said, according to the online outlet. Algerias military has traditionally manipulated politics from behind the scenes. The last time it stepped in during a crisis was in 1992, when the generals canceled an election that Islamists were poised to win. That move triggered a civil war that killed an estimated 200,000 people. Algerians have dark memories of that conflict and the military is highly sensitive to any instability. The stakes are high, for Algeria is a leading member of OPEC and a top gas supplier to Europe, though so far oil and gas output appears unaffected by the unrest, an International Energy Agency (IEA) official said on March 26. Algeria is also regarded by Western states as a partner in counter-terrorism, a significant military force in North Africa and the Sahel, and a key diplomatic player in efforts to resolve crises in neighboring Mali and Libya. Canny Operator Runs Out of Road Bouteflika, among the veterans of the 1954-62 war of independence against France who dominate Algeria, consolidated his power by outfoxing would-be rivals in the military and security services and containing grassroots discontent. When the Arab Spring protests toppled Arab leaders across the region eight years ago, oil revenues enabled him to boost state spending and buy peace in the streets. But Algerians have since lost patience with unsuccessful efforts to reduce unemployment, ease daily hardships and tackle high-level unaccountability, corruption, and nepotism. In the latest unrest, one ally after another abandoned Bouteflika, emboldening protesters. Bouteflika ran out of options as he became increasingly isolated and failed to buy time. He bowed to protesters by reversing a decision to seek another term and putting off elections that had been set for April. But he stopped short of quitting as head of state and said he would stay on until a new constitution is adopted, effectively extending his current term. In this context it became necessary, even imperative, to find a solution to end the crisis that responds to the legitimate demands of the Algerian people and which quarantines the rules of the constitution, Salah was quoted by the state news agency APS as saying. Thousands of people had returned to the streets of the capital Algiers earlier on March 26 calling on Bouteflika to resign, keeping up popular pressure. The system must go. There is no point for it in resisting, said Belkacem Abidi, 25, one of about 6,000 protesters, mostly students, who gathered in downtown Algiers on March 26. Algerians will face uncertainty for some time before a new president emerges. One of the most important factors will be the position of the military, which is likely to act as kingmaker, as it has done in past decades. By Lamine Chikhi & Hamid Ould Ahmed Baker Testimony Reveals Concerns About FBI Probe, Pre-Election Contacts With Mother Jones Reporter James Baker, the former general counsel at the FBI, provided a stunning testimony to congressional investigators in October last year. The career lawyer, who left the FBI in May 2018, played a significant role in the investigation of then-candidate Donald Trump. Transcripts of Bakers two testimonies before Congress were reviewed by The Epoch Times for this article. Former FBI General Counsel James Baker. Perhaps the most telling statement in Bakers testimony, was his admission of how unusual the FBIs actions were. During testimony, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), who along with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) had been questioning Baker, paused to outline his concerns, telling Baker, everything about this investigation seems to have been done in an abnormal way, the way that you have gotten the information, the way that Peter Strzok got information, the way that Bruce Ohr was used, the way that Perkins Coie actually came in and gave you information. Meadows noted that, with all this stuff that we are talking aboutyou ought to look at this with a jaundiced eye, would you agree? Baker responded: I had a jaundiced eye about everything, yes. I had skepticism about all this stuff. I was concerned about all of this. This whole situation was horrible, and it was novel and we were trying to figure out what to do, and it was highly unusual. Baker closed his statement by noting, I am not good enough to sort out the political implications of a lot of things. But for a man who claimed to not be in tune with political considerations, Baker had significant involvement in the FBIs investigation of President Trump. Baker repeatedly met with Michael Sussmann, a partner at Perkins Coie, who shared with him information that detailed alleged communications between servers in Trump Tower and servers located in Russia at Alfa Bankan allegation that eventually was debunked. Baker also acknowledged that he had a personal relationship with Sussmann, as they had previously both worked in the criminal division together at the Department of Justice. Baker was also involved in the Carter Page FISA application process and read part of the initial application. And, as general counsel, Baker advised senior FBI leaders on the legal aspects of key investigations and served as the liaison with the Department of Justice (DOJ). Baker is the subject of a criminal leak investigation being conducted by the DOJ. According to Bakers testimony, the leak investigation remained active as of October 2018 and a Jan. 15 letter sent by Reps. Jordan and Meadows to U.S. Attorney John Durham, requesting a briefing, strongly suggests the DOJ investigation into Baker remains active. Bakers Relationship With David Corn Early in Bakers testimony, he was asked about his relationship with Mother Jones reporter David Corn. Baker said that Corn was a longtime friend, noting that they met Years and years and years ago Our kids carpooled together. We carpooled with them when our kids were little. According to Baker, he and Corn would speak every few months or soincluding during the months preceding the 2016 election. Rep. Jordan: [How] many times did you talk with David Corn in the weeks and months prior to election day? Mr. Baker: I dont remember. Rep. Jordan: Is it fair to say you did? Mr. Baker: Yes, I did, but I just dont remember how many. But as Bakers testimony progressed, it quickly became apparent the two were engaged in more than just conversations about their children. Baker and Corn had multiple conversations regarding FBI matterswhich Baker would later clarify to mean the Steele dossierprior to the 2016 presidential election: Rep. Jordan: Did you talk to Mr. Corn prior to the election about anything, anything related to FBI matters? Not so were not going to ask about the Steele dossier. Anything about FBI business, FBI matters? Mr. Baker: Yes. Rep. Jordan: Yes. And do you know can you give me some dates or the number of times that you talked to Mr. Corn about FBI matters leading up to the 2016 Presidential election? Baker answered Jordan by saying, I dont remember, congressman. He then asked to consult with his counsel. When Baker resumed his testimony, he told lawmakers that Corn approached him, wanting to provide him with parts of Steeles dossier: Mr. Baker: If I could just focus. So what I remember most clearly is that at some point in time David had part of what is now referred to as the Steele dossier and he talked to me about that and wanted to provide that to the FBI. And so, even though he was my friend, I was also an FBI official. He knew that. And so he wanted to somehow get that into the hands of the FBI because Rep. Jordan: David Corn wanted to give the FBI parts of the dossier? Mr. Baker: Thats correct. Thats what he told me. The parts comment makes more sense when you realize the Steele dossier is really a collection of individual memos written by former MI6 agent Christopher Steele from June 20, 2016, to Dec. 13, 2016. There are 17 known memos in the Steele dossier. Three of these memos were written in September and four were written in October. One memo is undated and a final memo was created on Dec. 13. One memo is also datedperhaps erroneously, perhaps notas July 26, 2015. In September 2016, the FBI had suddenly reached out to Steele, asking him for all the information in his possession. The team working on the Crossfire Hurricane investigation into the Trump campaign received documents and a briefing from Steele in mid-September, reportedly in Rome, where his FBI handler, agent Michael Gaeta, was also present. During the testimony of former FBI lawyer Lisa Page, who at the time of the investigation was a special counsel to Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, she appeared to corroborate this account, noting that the team received the reports that are known as the dossier from an FBI agent who is Christopher Steeles handler in September of 2016. She would later clarify the timing, noting we received the reporting from Steele in mid-September. A text sent to her by FBI agent Peter Strzok on Oct. 12, 2016, may provide the actual date: [We] got the reporting on Sept 19. Looks like [redacted] got it early August. Steeles dossier was continuously evolving and growing in the latter portion of 2016 as new memos were written. And, as noted, four additional memos were written by Steele in October, following the FBIs meeting with him in September. Corn may have been provided with those newer Steele memos that Baker and the FBI didnt yet possess. Notably, Corn had talked to Steele in late October 2016, resulting in his Oct. 31, 2016, article, A Veteran Spy Has Given the FBI Information Alleging a Russian Operation to Cultivate Donald Trump. In that article, Corn noted that in recent months, Steele had provided the bureau with memos based on his recent interactions with Russian sources. A bit later in his article, Corn stated that he had reviewed that report and other memos this former spy wrote. Corn has publicly acknowledged that he sent Baker a copy of the memos a week after he published his October 2016 article. Corn later characterized his involvement with Baker as limited to standard reporting activities in a Jan. 17 article he penned in response to the Jan. 15 letter sent by Reps. Meadows and Jordan: I did send a copy of the Steele memos to Baker a week after I had posted the article on them. (My story had reported that Steele, whom I had not identified by name, had already provided copies to the bureau.) I asked if anyone in the bureau could talk to me about the documents. Thats what reporters do. No one at the FBI would. End of story. Corn also stated his belief that he wasnt part of the Baker leak investigation and noted, I have not been contacted by Durham or anyone working on his probe. Baker, in his testimony, suggests that the FBI matters he and Corn had conversations about prior to the Nov. 8, 2016, elections were regarding the dossier. Rep. Jordan: [So] you definitely had conversations with David Corn prior to the elections about the dossier? Mr. Baker: I believe thats correct. I dont remember specifically the date of these conversations, but I know that David was anxious to get this into the hands of FBI. And being the person at the FBI that he knew the best, he wanted to give it to me. Additional Parts of Steele Dossier It appears that what Corn was providing to Baker included memos from Steele that werent in the FBIs possession: Rep. Jordan: So you knew about the dossier prior to the election and you had reviewed it prior to the election. And also prior to the election Mr. Corn had a copy of the dossier and was talking to you about giving that to you so the FBI would have it. Is that all right? I mean all accurate. Mr. Baker: My recollection is that he had part of the dossier, that we had other parts already, and that we got still other parts from other people, and that and nevertheless some of the parts that David Corn gave us were parts that we did not have from another source. Baker testified that after Corn provided his memos from the Steele dossier to him, those new memos were then provided to the FBIs Counterintelligence Division. He gave it to me, and then I immediately gave it to I think it was Bill Priestap, who was the head of our Counterintelligence Division, Baker said. Priestap was officially in charge of the counterintelligence investigation into the Trump campaign. Baker testified that he never read Corns documents himself. Corn, however, has said that the reason his documents differed was because they did not contain later memos already in the FBIs possession: Another dumb distraction from the Trump cult. I gave a copy of the memos to the FBI AFTER the election & AFTER Steele gave them to the FBI to see if the FBI would authenticate them & confirm its contacts w/ Steele. And my set was different only bc it didnt include later memos. Corn wrote on Twitter on July 11, 2018. Corns tweet was responding to questions regarding an email sent by FBI Agent Strzok to FBI executives following the dossiers publication by BuzzFeed in January 2017. Strzoks email was highlighting discrepancies in the FBIs various versions of the dossierincluding the one provided by Corn: Our internal system is blocking the site, Strzok wrote of the document posted on BuzzFeed. I have the PDF via iPhone but its 25.6MB. Comparing now. The set is only identical to what McCain had. (it has differences from what was given to us by Corn and Simpson.) The FBI had met with Steele on Sept. 19, 2016, and were provided with all his memos to date. Following that meeting, Steele wrote four additional memos in October. Steele then met with Corn in late October, culminating in Corns Oct. 31 articleand the subsequent transfer of additional memos to Baker and the FBI in early November. Given the timing, it seems more likely that the memos that Corn provided to the FBI were those that Steele wrote in October and werent yet in the FBIs possession. There is only one additional memo written by Steele since October, which was on Dec. 13, 2016. Its possible this final memo accounts for the differences noted by Strzok, but the words it has differences from what was given to us seem to imply more significant differences than the inclusion of the final memo. Another item of note is that Corn specified in his July tweet that he gave his copy of the memos to the FBI after the election. But in his later article from January of this year, Corn altered his description of timing ever so slightly: I did send a copy of the Steele memos to Baker a week after I had posted the article on them. Corns article was published on Oct. 31, 2016. A week after publication would indicate that Corn provided his copy of the dossier to Baker on Nov. 7one day before the election. Source of Corns Documents? Baker said in his testimony he believed that Corn had received his copies of the Steele memos from Glenn Simpson, the head of Fusion GPS: Mr. Baker: [I] think I assumed at the time or knew, he may have told me, that he got it from Simpson or somebody acting on Simpsons behalf. In his Jan. 17 article, Corn attacked Meadows and Jordan for engaging in an unfounded crusade against Baker: Jordan, Meadows, York, and the inhabitants of Planet Fox refuse to recognize that the scandal at hand is about Trump and Russia. Instead, they conjure up alternative realities, desperately prop up competing controversies, and cavalierly toss about false claims to protect Trump and his crew and to prevent a full accounting of an unprecedented attack on American democracy. In this episode, Baker has been a victim of their fact-free hit-and-run skullduggery. But more important, the American public is also a victim, as this crowd casts about conspiratorial diversions to hide the truth that theyand Trumpcannot handle. Special counsel Robert Mueller, however, has now concluded his investigation and determined there is no evidence of such collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Meanwhile, many questions remain as to the origins of the FBIs investigation, as well as the way the Steele dossier was spread to the FBI through different channels. David Corn, along with Michael Isikoff, is the author of the book, Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putins War on America and the Election of Donald Trump. The two men, who had both promoted allegations that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia, were interviewed on MSNBCs All In with Chris Hayes on March 25, after Mueller had officially determined there was no collusion. In the interview, Corn continued to push allegations against Trump, noting that, there were certainly acts of betrayal, I think, on the part of the Trump campaign but those might not have been criminal. Corn referenced several events, including the Trump Tower meeting, Paul Manaforts meeting with his employee Konstantin Kilimnik, and the Trump Tower project in Moscow, telling Hayes, all those things add up to, I think, the biggest scandal in American political history without there having to be any direct coordination. Isikoff remained more measured in his responses and countered Corn, by noting, I agree with everything David said, except that the dossier did set expectations and it did shape what people were looking for, what they thought might have happened. It was endorsed multiple times on this networkpeople saying its more and more proving to be true. And it wasnt. Isikoff concluded by saying, one of the reasons people were so surprised by the Mueller finding is that it undercuts almost everything that was in the dossier, which postulated a well-developed conspiracy between the Russians and the Trump campaign. Border Patrol agents overlook the Rio Grande towards Mexico on the Roma Bluffs near Rio Grande City, Texas, on March 22, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Border Patrol: 25,000 Illegal Aliens Evaded Capture in Southeast Texas ROMA, TexasThe Rio Grande Valley in southeast Texas has led the nation in illegal border crossings since 2013, and that shows no sign of abating. So far this fiscal year, Border Patrol has apprehended more than 120,000 illegal border-crossers in the sector. But its the ones they dont catch that no one is talking about, said Raul Ortiz, deputy chief Border Patrol agent for the Rio Grande Valley sector. Ortiz said at least 25,000 illegal aliens have evaded Border Patrol so far this fiscal year in the sector, which shares 320 miles of the 2,000-mile international border with Mexico. Those are folks that we know made it past the infrastructure, the agents, the technology that we do have in placebecause our resources are stretched so thin, Ortiz told The Epoch Times on March 22. We actually dont know who they are. So far, here in south Texas, weve apprehended folks from 44 different countries. These are from the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Yemen, Iraq, Pakistan, Iran, you name it. Although most illegal aliens hail from the Central American countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, Ortiz estimates that by the end of the year, Border Patrol will have apprehended people from 60 different countries. Those are the folks that are trying to get away from our officers each and every day, he said. Most of the people from Central America cross illegally, then hand themselves over to Border Patrol and claim asylum. The vast majority are family units, consisting of a parent and a child under 18, or unaccompanied minorswhich means they cant be detained long and will be released into the interior, with an immigration court date often years away. New Challenges Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, said that although Border Patrol apprehended more than 1 million people in the early- to mid-2000s, it was often the same people, from Mexico, and it was easy to return them. We would arrest them, send them back across the border, and then they would just come back. I mean, I arrested the same group three times in one shift, he said. But now, thats not what were dealing with. Were on pace to have about 900,000 arrests, but thats 900,000 people that were dealing with. Whereas back in the early-2000s, we were dealing with somewhere around 500,000, 600,000 people. We were just arresting the same person over and over and over again. So were dealing with something thats just never been dealt with before. And if we dont get the support from Congress, were going to fail. Period. Judd said Congress needs to close the legal loopholes that are allowing for thousands of people to be released into the country with meritless asylum claims. People are just going to continue to come, break our laws, knowing that theres not going to be a consequence to violating those laws, which is then just going to invite more and more and more people to come, Judd said. Ive been in the Border Patrol for 21 years. This debate has raged all 21 years. We thought that it was going to end in 2016, and for a time, it did. I mean, we dropped to record lows in illegal immigration, but that was on the promise that people were going to be held in custody, pending their deportation proceedings or their asylum proceedings, which is the legal way to do it. Its a Policy Crisis Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost said the outdated laws that need updating are the Flores Settlement Agreement and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). The fact that we cannot detain is creating a pull factor, Provost said on March 20. She said the large numbers of family units crossing illegally are driving the humanitarian crisis. Its a humanitarian crisis and then, therefore, that humanitarian crisis is impacting border security, too. So its creating a border security crisis because all my men and women are spending their time caring for the individuals that are in our custody, she said. It pulls them away from the border security mission. We dont have enough resources to deal with both. Ortiz said about 30 percent of the Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol agents time is spent on the humanitarian issue. What we would like to get back to is our border security mission set. Weve certainly got to close the policy gaps that exist, so we can focus on the narcotics and the alien smuggling that is actually happening here on the border, Ortiz said. He said the Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol has already intercepted 73,000 pounds of drugs between ports of entry so far this fiscal year. When you look at our corridor from Del Rio all the way to Rio Grande Valley, we account for about 53 percent of all the narcotics that are seized, Ortiz said. Judd said Americas opioid crisis has been fueled by the border crisis, with the majority of drugs coming in through the southwest border. Were dealing with a humanitarian crisis, make no mistake. But, were also dealing with a drug crisis that weve never dealt with before. We have more deaths in the United States now from illicit, illegal drugs, and those drugs are coming across the border, Judd said. And if we dont put our heads around the whole thing, were going to be in trouble. Ortiz said he has been on the Texas border for almost six years and the current crisis is real. In 2014, when we had the unaccompanied children, people called it a humanitarian crisis. We are going to either reach or exceed the numbers that we experienced in 2014. And the only difference is that a father, or perhaps a made-up father, bringing a child across that border, he said. It is certainly a humanitarian crisis, its a border security crisis, but more importantly, its a policy crisis that needs to be addressed at the highest levels. Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat who has been detained by China, in a file photo during an interview in Hong Kong on March 28, 2018. (AP Photo) Canadian Man Charged With Spying in China Gets Visit by Consular Officials OTTAWAGlobal Affairs Canada says consular officials in China visited detained former diplomat Michael Kovrig on March 25. It is the fifth time that Kovrig has received a consular visit since he was detained by Chinese authorities in early December, but the first since he and fellow detainee Michael Spavor were charged with stealing state secrets two weeks ago. Spavor has received four consular visits thus far. The two have not had access to lawyers and receive one visit from Canadian officials a month. The Canadian government says their detentions are arbitrary and warns Canadians travelling to China to do so with a high degree of caution because of the arbitrary application of local laws. Canada is calling for the immediate release of both men. Canadian officials have complained the two men are being held in retaliation for the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou under an extradition request from the United States. Global Affairs notes the number of countries who back Canadas position on the matter, including the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Spain, and Denmark as well as NATO and the European Union. Consular visits typically include assessing the well-being of the men, trying to get them medical attention if needed and helping them communicate with loved ones. Because of privacy laws, no specifics about the visit can be made public. Marijuana and cannabis-infused products are displayed for sale at Medicine Man marijuana dispensary, which is to open as a recreational retail outlet in Denver, Colorado, in 2014. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley) Cannabis-Related ER Visits Tripled in Colorado After Legalization, Study Says Emergency-room visits related to cannabis use in Coloradothe first U.S. state to completely legalize its usehave tripled at one of the states largest hospitals over the past few years, according to a study published on March 25. The study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine examined 9,973 emergency department visits attributed to both inhaled and edible cannabis between 2012 and 2016 at the University of Colorado hospital in Aurora. NEW: After legalization, Colorado hospital saw a 3-fold increase in #cannabis-related ER visits. Read more in the latest issue of Annals https://t.co/5Oi5Q1fpYn. #marijuana #healthrisks pic.twitter.com/vIreWLSuen Annals of Int Med (@AnnalsofIM) March 25, 2019 It found cannabis-related emergency visits jumped yearly, from under 250 in 2012, to over 750 in 2016. Colorado in 2014 became the first state to legalize recreational cannabis. Since then, nine other states, including California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Michigan, have followed suit. Whenever theres a new drug in a community, that means there will be more emergency department visits associated with it, lead researcher Dr. Andrew Monte told AFP. Researchers found that while just 0.32 percent of cannabis sales stemmed from edible cannabis products, such as candy or cookies containing THC, ingesting cannabis made up 10.7 percent of emergency room visits. Dr. Andrew A. Monte, MD, PhD and his team found that though just 0.3 percent of total cannabis sales in Colorado in terms of weight were edibles, edible-related emergency visits accounted for 10.7 percent of total visits at UCHealth. https://t.co/peF6o4P5S2 Blair Miller (@blairmiller) March 25, 2019 Monte, a medical toxicologist and emergency medicine physician at the Colorado hospital, warned against the risks of edible cannabis for recreational use as cannabis laws continue to change. States moving to liberalize cannabis policy should consider keeping edibles out of the recreational marketplace, he told CNN. There have been several high-profile deaths due to cannabis edibles but no documented death attributable to inhaled cannabis. Take a ride on the 420 Tours bus through Denvers cannabis scene Recreational marijuana has been legal in Colorado for years. What can Illinois learn before its residents start firing up? https://t.co/yO8alNlr9M pic.twitter.com/tS3iCPBm2c Brian Cassella (@briancassella) March 21, 2019 In 2015, a man in Colorado died by suicide after ingesting a product containing cannabis, according to the study. Monte added that said it takes far longer to feel the effects from edibles compared to inhaling cannabis, and their adverse effects can be far more intense, the Guardian reported. It was a striking thing. It wasnt like these people were taking 100mg or 500mg of cannabis edibles. These were relatively lower doses, he told the Guardian. As more states consider legalizing recreational marijuana, many users are consuming edibles instead of smoking the leaf. But the research on the effects of edibles is scarce.@ljgliha of @rmpbs reports. pic.twitter.com/pRUUgHAXOX PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) January 21, 2019 If you smoke and you have a brief amount of hallucination, but then it goes away pretty quickly, you may not come to the emergency department. But if you develop psychosis and its lasting for hours, you might come to the emergency department, Monte said. THC, also known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, is the psychoactive compound responsible for many of the psychological effects of marijuana. In an editorial published alongside the research, Drs. Nora D. Volkow and Ruben Baler of the National Institute on Drug Abuse said edibles can be far more harmful than inhaling cannabis if people ingest too much after not feeling the effects instantly. Five years after Colorado first legalized #marijuana, a new study shows pots bad effects in particular from #edibles are sending more people to the ER https://t.co/NmNI7hTFFq #cannabis Avis Favaro (@CTV_AvisFavaro) March 25, 2019 Reports of vomiting episodes caused by so-called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome have been on the rise since the states of Colorado and California relaxed their marijuana laws, according to emergency physicians. Speaking with NPR, doctors in the states said that those who smoke cannabis several times a day tend to be more at risk. Five years ago, this wasnt something that [doctors] had on their radar, Dr. Kennon Heard of the University of Colorado in Aurora told NPR. The prevalence of cyclic vomiting presentations nearly doubled after the liberalization of medical marijuana, a 2015 study co-authored by Heard found. In December 2018, Trump moved to legalize industrial hemp production and marketing as long as the cannabis plant contains less than 0.3 percent THC. Compared to marijuana, also a type of cannabis plant, Hemp contains less THC as well as more Cannabidiolthe compound in cannabis that provides medical benefits. A2: Though medical marijuana has gained lots of acceptance recently, the FDA has not approved the marijuana plant as a medicine. So far, scientific studies of cannabinoids, the chemicals in marijuana, have led to two FDA-approved medicines. #NDAFW https://t.co/5XJ3DS9sDr https://t.co/e06FSVv5nE NIH (@NIH) January 8, 2018 Actor Jussie Smollett leaves the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago on 26, 2019, after prosecutors dropped all charges against him. (Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times/Chicago Sun-Times via AP) Chicago Police, Mayor Say Charges Against Jussie Smollett Shouldnt Have Been Dropped The head of the Chicago Police Department and the mayor of the city said that the 16 felony counts against Empire actor Jussie Smollett for allegedly filing a false police report in a hate crime hoax should not have been dropped, calling into question an agreement reached between a States Attorneys office and the actors legal team. This is without a doubt a whitewash of justice, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said at a news conference on the afternoon of March 26, reported ABC. There is no accountability. It is wrong, full stop. Chicago Police Department Superintendent Eddie Johnson, visibly furious, said that prosecutors made a deal with the actors team in secret. At the end of the day, its Mr. Smollett who committed this hoax, period, Johnson said. JUST IN: Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel: Mr. Smollett is still saying that he is innocent, still running down the Chicago Police Department. How dare him? Is there no decency in this man? https://t.co/llZlJ934Wn pic.twitter.com/lWgNMUsyZW Evan McMurry (@evanmcmurry) March 26, 2019 Alluding to an earlier claim by Smolletts team that the actor would be vindicated if the case went to trial, he added: I heard that they wanted their day in court so America could know the truth, and they chose to hide behind a secrecy of a brokered deal to circumvent the judicial system. Emanuel further stated that only a sliver of the evidence gathered in the weekslong investigation was presented to the grand jury that indicted Smollett, indicating the evidence that authorities obtained in the probe was voluminous. Smollett, Emanuel said, used his race and privilege to get off scot-free, noting that the actor did not admit any wrongdoing. The mayor wondered: Is there no decency in this man? Questions about the deal swirled as doubters pointed to Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxxs recusal from the case after she was contacted by a former aide to ex-first lady Michelle Obama who set up contact with a Smollett relative. Tina Tchen, the former aide, texted Foxx shortly after Smollett claimed he was attacked on Jan. 29 by two supporters of President Donald Trump, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. I wanted to give you a call on behalf of Jussie Smollett and family who I know. They have concerns about the investigation, Tchen wrote in a text. A few hours later, Foxx got a text from a relative of Smollett, who got the number from Tchen. Foxxs office requested a judge drop the charges and the judge agreed, in addition to sealing the court records. In a short statement after the hearing, Foxxs office said: After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smolletts volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his [$10,000] bond to the city of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case. According to Fox, the community service prosecutors were referencing was done prior to and not related to the case. The Chicago Police Department said the outcome was not appropriate. Detectives did an excellent investigation and their work was reaffirmed by an independent grand jury who brought 16 criminal counts, said spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. In our experience, innocent individuals dont forget bond and perform community service in exchange for dropped charges. Sources told local outlets that Foxxs office hadnt alerted the police that prosecutors would seek the dismissal of the charges, infuriating Johnson, who in mid-February announced that detectives discovered Smollett paid two black brothers to pose as Trump supporters and pretend to attack the actor in attempts to fuel a narrative of homophobia and racism. Neither Smollett nor his team addressed the discrepancies between his original account and the developments. Both of the brothers, Abel and Ola Osundairo, knew Smollett and appeared on Empire as extras; one, Smollett said at one point, was helping him train for a music video. The brothers hadnt reacted to the shocking twist as of early Tuesday but said in a statement mid-February: We are not racist. We are not homophobic and we are not anti-Trump. We were born and raised in Chicago and are American citizens. From NTD News Eddie Johnson, left, speaks after being sworn in as the new Chicago police superintendent in Chicago, on April 13, 2016. (M. Spencer Green, AP Photo/File) Chicago Police Superintendent Furious About Jussie Smollett Charges Being Dropped: Reports Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson is reportedly upset that the 16 felony counts against actor Jussie Smollett, who investigators said faked a hate crime against himself, were dropped on March 26. Sources told CBS Chicago reporter Charlie De Mar that Johnson is furious. He had no heads up this was going to happen, De Mar said, conveying information from the unnamed sources. I can tell you that Chicago Police are furious over State Attorney Kim Foxxs decision to drop all charges against Jussie Smollett, added Rafer Weigel of Fox Chicago. Officers told Rob Elgas of ABC Chicago that Johnson wasnt told about the charges being dropped and learned about it while at a scheduled police graduation at Navy Pier. The Chicago Police Department has not commented publicly on the charges being dropped. Johnson said during a press conference on Feb. 21 that investigators concluded Smollett had orchestrated a hate crime hoax, paying $3,500 to two Nigerian-American brothers to pose as supporters of President Donald Trump. Sources tell CBS2 Chicago Police Supt. Johnson is furious. He had no heads up this was going to happen.@cbschicago Charlie De Mar (@CharlieDeMar) March 26, 2019 I can tell you that @Chicago_Police are furious over SA Kim Foxxs decision to drop all charges against #JussieSmollett Rafer Weigel (@RaferWeigel) March 26, 2019 This stunt was orchestrated by Smollett because he was dissatisfied with his salary, he told reporters. Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career. Im left hanging my head and asking why. The Cook County State Attorneys Office said in a statement after the charges were dropped: After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollets volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution. Smollett posted a $10,000 bond. In a statement responding to the decision to drop the charges, the Smollett family said: Our son and brother is an innocent man whose name and character has been unjustly smeared. Jussie Smolletts record will be fully expunged. Spokeswoman for Smollett says. @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/ID9vRNR1vF Charlie De Mar (@CharlieDeMar) March 26, 2019 MORE: A spokesperson for the Cook County States Attorney Office says there was no plea deal, but rather an agreement, and that no community service will be required of Smollett. https://t.co/B2ahaJSxt3 ABC News (@ABC) March 26, 2019 Jussie is a son, a brother, a partner, a champion for human rights, and a genuine soul who would never be capable of what he was falsely accused of. He was the victim of an assault and then falsely blamed for his own attack. This morning truth has prevailed and he has been vindicated. All charges have been dismissed and his record expunged (cleared), the family added. Smolletts attorneys also issued a statement. Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him, they said. Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgement. They added that Smollett is relieved to have this situation behind him and is very much looking forward to getting back to focusing on his family, friends, and career. From NTD News Menelik Jackson (L) and Jovan Battle were charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of off-duty Chicago Police Officer John P. Riveras death. (Chicago Police Department) Chicago Policeman Shot Dead by Man Wanting to Kill First Hispanic Person He Saw The gunman who allegedly murdered an off-duty Chicago police officer over the weekend apparently targeted the first Hispanic person he saw following an unrelated dispute, according to reports. Officer John Rivera was shot and killed when Menelik Jackson, 24, and Jovan Battle, 32, fired into a car on March 23 after Jackson and another friend had a fight with a group of men outside a McDonalds restaurant in Chicagos River North area, according to The Associated Press. Besides killing the off-duty police officer, the suspects critically injured a 23-year-old man not identified in the report, according to CNN. A third suspect remains at large. Funeral services will be held Friday for Chicago police Officer John Rivera, who was fatally shot in the River North neighborhood. https://t.co/luFChNWfex pic.twitter.com/xRHo6AghFQ ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) March 25, 2019 Rivera had been a Chicago officer for nearly two years. Johns a sweetheart. Hes an angel, said friend Jennifer Navarro, 23. Why would someone just want to take his life away like that? He had a whole life ahead of him. John Rivera was known as John Petty to his friends who shared these pics of #ChicagoPolice officer with @cbschicago. John was off-duty when he was tragically shot & killed after a night out in #RiverNorth. #CPD says it could be case of mistaken identity. #RIP @Chicago_Police pic.twitter.com/XQJeR4zRyO LAUREN VICTORY (@LaurenVictory) March 23, 2019 Commander William Bradley of the Chicago Police Department was cited by WLS as saying that Rivera was committed to public service. My third shift watch is really struggling because he was such a good person. Not only a good police officer but a good person, Bradley said. Act of Cowardice Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson was cited by CNN as saying at a news conference Monday that after getting involved in a fight with a group of Hispanic men, in an act of cowardice, Mr. Jackson went to get a gun to settle this petty dispute, which resulted in him murdering the first Hispanic man that he came in contact with. Jackson allegedly planned to shoot a member of the grouprevelers on a party busbut they had already left the area. About an hour after the altercation, the suspect targeted a vehicle where officer Rivera was sitting with three friends after visiting a pizza bar in the neighborhood. I guess he settled for the first Hispanic he saw, Johnson said, according to The Associated Press. Rivera was shot in the chest, arm, and mouth. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. The wounded friend was taken to the hospital in critical condition but is expected to survive. Real and Present Danger Officials announced Monday that the alleged gunman, Jackson, was being charged with murder and attempted murder, along with Battle. Cook County Circuit Court Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke ordered the two men held without bond. Both gentlemen pose a real and present threat to the victims, the live victims, in this case, this community, and every other human being on the planet that they come into contact with, the judge said. When arresting the shooter Jackson, Detectives used Ofc. Rivera's handcuffs to place him into custody. Also, we learned from those in the car that when shots were fired, Rivera leaned over and shielded his girlfriend with his body from the gunfire. pic.twitter.com/DB1AvxbFhk Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) March 25, 2019 On the night of the shooting, Battle met up with Jackson and a third individual not identified in the report with the aim of finding the group from the party bus fight, according to Assistant States Attorney James Murphy, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Murphy said surveillance camera footage showed Jackson pulling out a handgun and aiming it directly at the drivers window of the car Rivera was sitting in. Before approaching the vehicle, the prosecutor said Jackson pointed at the car Rivera was in several times before approaching, Jackson is clearly seen on video pulling out a handgun and pointing [at] the drivers window from a few feet away, Murphy told the court. Surviving victims [heard] from outside the car, Lets blow this [expletive] up. Assistant Public Defender Christopher Anderson, who is representing Battle, said his client is unemployed and suffers from bipolar disorder and depression. Jackson works at an auto parts shop, according to Anderson. Chicago Police Chief Communications Officer Anthony Guglielmi was cited by WLS as saying that Jackson had at one point applied to be a police officer with the Chicago Police Department. A polygraph test taken during his evaluation resulted in Jackson being arrested for an armed home invasion. Jackson pleaded guilty and got probation, according to WLS. He was not admitted to the force. The most egregious part about him is that he actually once thought he had what it took to wear a Chicago police star, Johnson said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Children as Young as 9 Are Being Admitted to Hospital With Cannabis-Caused Disorders The content is not available due to expiration. A canola crop in full bloom near Fort Macleod, Alberta, in a file photo. On March 26, Viterra Inc. became the second Canadian canola exporter to have its trade registration cancelled by China. (Reuters/Todd Korol) China Expands Canadian Canola Ban as Tensions Escalate TORONTOThe Chinese regime has expanded its restrictions on Canadian canola seed imports to include a second Canadian canola company amid a growing trade and diplomatic dispute between the two countries. Viterra Inc. had its registration canceled on March 26, less than a month after Beijing revoked the sales permit of another major Canadian canola supplier, Richardson International. In both cases, the regime justified the move by saying they had found harmful organisms in the crops. The ban, effective immediately, was announced on the regimes General Administration of Customs website. The notice also said Canadian canola products would continue to face increasing scrutiny by the administration through laboratory testing and other methods. Both Richardson and Viterra have said they regularly test their products to ensure that they meet industry standards. We take quality concerns seriously and support a sound, science-based approach in the testing of our exports. Market access issues such as this one hurt our industry and Canadian farmers, a Viterra spokesperson said. We are working closely with the federal government and the Canola Council of Canada to gather more information on the situation. On March 21, an industry group said Chinese importers are unwilling to buy any Canadian canola seed. While there was some initial optimism earlier in March that Chinese concerns with the canola trade could be resolved quickly, a solution has not been forthcoming. Were disappointed that differing viewpoints cannot be resolved quickly, Canola Council of Canada (CCC) president Jim Everson said in a statement. Under the circumstances, Canadian canola seed exporters who normally ship to China have no alternative but to supply customers in other countries who value high quality Canadian canola. The dispute over canola is putting pressure on already tense diplomatic relations between Ottawa and Beijing. Canada and China have been locked in a political dispute since Canadian authorities arrested telecom giant Huaweis chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou at the request of U.S. authorities in December 2018. Meng, who is currently out on bail in Vancouver, faces extradition proceedings in Canada. The United States is looking to extradite the Huawei executive over allegations of fraud. U.S. prosecutors have accuses Meng of playing a direct role in misleading U.S. banks into clearing certain transactions related to alleged Huawei business with Iran, potentially violating sanctions. Meng has been charged with bank fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. She denies the allegations. Two Canadian citizens in China, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, were detained by the regime shortly after Mengs arrest, a move widely seen as an attempt by the regime to put pressure on Ottawa for Mengs release. On March 4, the day after Canada said it would proceed with extradition proceedings against Meng, the regime accused the two men of working together to steal state secrets. As of March 26, Kovrig and Spavor have each had five visits from Canadian consular officials but reportedly have not had access to lawyers. Ottawa maintains the detentions are arbitrary and has formally demanded that China release the two Canadians. Beijings restrictions against Canadian canola imports are also seen as an attempt to further pressure Canada. China is the worlds largest canola importer and, according to the CCC, approximately 40 percent of canola and canola product exports from Canada go to Chinaa market that was worth CA$2.7 billion ($2.02 billion) in 2018. When Richardson had its license revoked, the CCC said at the time that it would negatively impact the industry. Until the recent trade disruptions, Chinese demand for canola was very strong, the CCC said. Although the industry group had hoped to resolve concerns about Canadian canola, it said current discussions indicate that an immediate resolution is unlikely. Canadian ministers and government officials have responded quickly to Chinese concerns. However, technical discussions are unlikely to lead to an immediate resolution, said Everson. We urge the Government of Canada to continue to intensify efforts to resolve the situation. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on March 26 that his government is trying to resolve the issue and considering sending a high-level delegation to China to address any safety concerns. With files from Reuters. A journalist uses his mobile phone to broadcast live footage as a giant video screen (background) shows Chinese leader Xi Jinping speaking during Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China's Shandong Province on June 10, 2018. (Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images) China Pushing New World Media Order to Suppress Dissent, Report Says TAIPEI, TaiwanThe Chinese regime is pushing its own model of media control and propaganda around the world, with a particular focus on influencing U.S. political and business elite, according to a new report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The report (pdf), released on March 25 and titled Chinas Pursuit of A New World Media Order, details the communist regimes different tactics to export the Chinese media model, a system in which journalists are nothing more than state propaganda auxiliaries. These tactics include expanding the presence of Chinas state-run media globally, hosting training sessions in China for foreign journalists, harassing and intimidating overseas journalists and academics, and employing a trojan horse policy by having foreign media carry its propaganda through advertorials and targeted advertisements. Global Reach The regime is now pouring as much as 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) a year into disseminating its views globally, the report says. As a result of this investment, which began during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Chinese state-run media has significantly ramped up its presence worldwide. According to the report, the international arm of Chinas state-owned broadcaster, China Global Television Network, now broadcasts in at least 140 countries with 70 bureaus, while state-owned China Radio International broadcasts in 65 languages from more than 70 stations worldwide. Meanwhile, in the United States and elsewhere, the regime has paid prestigious media outlets to carry propaganda supplements, made to look like news, in an effort to sway public and elite opinion, says the report. China Watch, an English-language propaganda supplement edited by Chinas state-run mouthpiece China Daily, is currently inserted into about 30 daily newspapers around the world, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Daily Telegraph, the report says, citing a 2018 article by The Guardian. The ultimate purpose for Beijing is, of course, to influence U.S. policymakers, Cedric Alviani, East Asia Bureau Director of RSF and report author, told The Epoch Times. Alviani explained that these prestigious newspapers were deliberately chosen by the regime because their readers include societys influencers. China is talking to the leaders, talking or trying to influence the leaders opinions, he said. The report, citing unnamed U.S. media professionals, estimated that a leading outlet could receive around $250,000 by agreeing to have China Watch inserted in its newspapers. This agreement then exposes these media outlets to the possibility of being pressured by Beijing. The problem is that, sooner or later, when [these media] publish content that the Chinese authorities do not like, the [Chinese] ambassadors will come to see them, and tell them, do you want to keep the China Watch supplement or not, Alviani said. When you really put that in your budget it is very hard to say no. At the same time, readers of the newspapers may also be tricked into believing these supplements are written or endorsed by these leading outlets, the report author said. It is a big threat to the independence of the media, he said. Overseas Chinese-Language Media The report also draws attention to the overseas Chinese-language media landscape, which it says has mostly been co-opted by the Chinese regime. In the U.S. nowadays, there are very few Chinese-language titles that are not being controlled by the Chinese authorities, Alviani said. The report described The Epoch Times, as well as its sister outlet NTD, and U.S.-based news site China Digital Times, as the few truly independent diaspora media. The Epoch Times, founded in 2000 as a Chinese-language outlet, is headquartered in New York, and now publishes in more than 23 languages, and distributed or sold in more than 35 countries. [The] Epoch Times is a reliable resource, which we use a lot at RSF, whenever it is related to prisoners in China, or to violations of human rights, and especially the press freedom in China, Alviani said. Such overseas media and journalists, the report says, who refuse to toe the regimes editorial line have been subject to intimidation, harassment, or have had advertisers unexpectedly pull out of their publications. The report cites two incidents of harassment or pressure targeting The Epoch Timesone involving a staff member, and another its Australian branch office. In 2006, Li Yuan, the outlets chief technical officer, was beaten, tied up, blindfolded with duct tape, and robbed of two laptop computers by suspected Chinese agents at his suburban Atlanta home. Later in 2017, Apple stopped advertising in the Australian edition of The Epoch Times and another independent Chinese-language publication Vision China Times because of Beijings political pressure, the report says, citing an article by The Australian. Other Overseas Media Beijing has been buying up shares of media outlets around the world, the report says, with one recent example being the purchase of Mexican Spanish-language radio station XEWW 690 by H&H Group, an investment firm with ties to Beijing-controlled Phoenix Television, in July 2018. Winston Xia, president of California-based Chinese-language radio station Sound of Oriental and West Heritage, warned at the time that Beijing would be able to encroach on freedom of speech on U.S. airwaves through XEWW, given that XEWW broadcasts into much of southern California. Beijing also has been rolling out the red carpet to foreign journalists to secure favorable press coverage of China, in the form of lavish, all-expense-paid trips to attend seminars in China, according to the report. Journalists from countries such as Zambia, Grenada, Kenya, Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan, have all attended these Chinese seminars, the report says, with some foreign journalists even receiving a monthly stipend of up to 5,000 yuan ($744). There are, however, unspoken strings attached to these press trips. The conditions are clear: [the journalists] must promise to tell the China story well and even portray its authoritarian regime as a democracy and international peacemaker, it says. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has repeatedly directed leaders in the regimes propaganda apparatus to tell Chinas story well, and properly disseminate Chinas voice. Indian news site The Print reported in November 2018 that China has been offering a 10-month fellowship program since 2016 to train foreign journalists from Southeast Asia and Africatwo areas key to Chinas One Belt, One Road infrastructure initiativeso that they would report positively on projects under the police. More Action Needed Alviani said governments and journalists need to increase their scrutiny of the Chinese regimes interference in foreign free press, and do more investigations into this area. The most important [thing] is that democracies realize the danger, and realize the extent of the Chinese penetration in their media, he said. So far, most democracies have been somehow naive and not paying enough attention. Failure to do so could lead to dire results, Alviani warned. The danger is much wider than Chinese propaganda. It is a new world media order a model that could become the dominant model in 20 or 30 years, and that would make journalism as we know it something of the past. A canola crop used for making cooking oil sits in full bloom on the Canadian prairies near Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada on July 11, 2011. (Todd Korol/Reuters) China Widens Ban on Canadian Canola Imports to Second Firm, Viterra BEIJING/OTTAWAChina expanded its ban on Canadian canola seed imports on March 26 to include shipments from Viterra Inc, the latest development in a wider trade dispute between the two countries. Viterra is the second canola exporter to have its registration canceled, after Beijing halted shipments from top exporter Richardson International earlier this month. An industry group said last week that Chinese importers have stopped buying any oilseed from Canada, though Chinese imports of Canadian canola oil and meal have not been impacted. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Tuesday that his government was trying to resolve the issue and considering sending a high-level delegation to China to address the countrys safety concerns. We are taking this very seriously, he said in Winnipeg, Manitoba, noting that Canadas relationship with China has been fraught in recent months. We have seen a certain amount of challenges in our relationship with China over diplomatic issues, he said. Canada and China have been locked in a trade and political dispute since Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies Ltd, was arrested in Vancouver late last year on a U.S. extradition request. The ban on Viterra and its related companies was announced by Chinas General Administration of Customs on its website and was effective immediately. Viterra is owned by Glencore Plcs agricultural arm. Viterra did not immediately comment on the ban, while a spokeswoman for Glencore declined to comment. In its statement on Tuesday, Chinese customs said the ports of Dalian and Nanning had once again detected several pests in samples taken from cargos shipped by Viterra. In order to prevent the introduction of harmful organisms, it canceled the firms export registration, it said, adding that it will continue to strengthen inspections on all canola imports. A spokesman for the Canola Council of Canada said the industry group is confident in the quality of Canadian canola seed exports, noting no other global customers have expressed concerns. Today (the Chinese) are alleging another new pest of concern. We are quite perplexed. How can the quality of our canola suddenly change? said Brian Innes, VP public affairs with the Canola Council. Chinas customs authority said earlier this month it had found hazardous pests in canola imports from Canada and revoked the export registration of Richardson International. Richardson has said its canola meets regulatory requirements. China accounts for about 40 percent of Canadas canola seed, oil and meal exports, according to the Canola Council, with seed exports to China worth some C$2.7 billion ($2 billion) a year. By Dominique Patton & Julie Gordon An aerial view shows damaged buildings after an explosion at a chemical plant in Yancheng in China's eastern Jiangsu province early on March 23, 2019. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) Chinese Netizens Search for Answers After Deadly Chemical Plant Blast Chinese netizens are searching for answers as the Chinese regime tightens control of news flowing from last weeks deadly chemical plant blast in Chinas Jiangsu province. The latest official death toll sits at 78 people, with 28 missing and more than 600 injured by the blast on March 21 at a pesticide factory in Chenjiagang Industrial Park in Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province, on Chinas east coast. The explosion, which caused a 2.2 magnitude earthquake, severely damaged more than a dozen neighboring buildings, and released contaminants into the air and water, sparking safety concerns in the area. Meanwhile, the regime has reportedly cleared journalists from the disaster site and forced media to only re-publish official statements concerning the incident. Netizens Investigate Many Chinese online expressed skepticism at the official death toll figure, saying the communist regime typically understates the amount to downplay the gravity of the disaster. Shanghai business owner Hu Renli told the Chinese-language Epoch Times that he has been to the industrial park twice before and thinks the death toll should be much higher than the official number. Based on the blast impact area, I think the death toll should be around 500. I truly believe that lots of injured people will become disabled, in particular, many of them will become deaf, Hu said. Meanwhile, many netizens have taken it upon themselves to analyze the blast, drawing on publicly available information. For instance, overseas-based Chinese Li Fang posted a picture of the disaster site on Twitter on March 22, adding: From aerial photos of the site, at least 23 buildings were destroyed. [There are] about 80 buildings in Chenjiagang Industrial Park. All of the ones that were not destroyed are badly damaged. Jiangsus fire chief, in a March 24 interview with Chinese state-run The Global Times, suggested that workers at the center of the blast may have been vaporized by the explosion. However, a Chinese physicist specializing in nuclear explosions told The Epoch Times on March 25 that this was unlikely to be the case. I dont think it could vaporize people, but the high pressure created by a chemical blast could smash a body, so the rescuers may not be able to find the remains. Contamination Concerns The blast, which caused a spike in air and water pollution levels, has also triggered health concerns in the area. The state-run news outlet Caixin reported March 22 that toluene, xylene, styrene, chlorobenzene, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides were present in the air after the blast. The concentration of nitrogen oxides was, at one point, 348 times above normal standards. Local officials also found contamination in local water samples. According to official data from the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, water from all the three local riversthe Xinmin river, Xinfeng river, and Xinnong riverall tested positive for chloroform, dichloromethane, dichloroethane, and toluene. Some volatile organic chemical measurements far exceeded surface water standardsby 15 times in one case. According to local media, this is not the first time the area has been hit by explosions or chemical leaks. In 2011, state-run media China Youth Daily reported that a villager, Liu Hongchang, at Chenjiagang detected a stench believed to be chlorine gas, and fled the town with his family. The news spread across the area by word of mouth, prompting a mass exodus as thousands of people flocked in frenzy to nearby Xiangshui county. While there was ultimately no gas explosion, dozens of people died in car accidents during the exodus. Liu was later jailed for spreading rumors, and all reports and posts relating to this event were scrubbed online. Netizens, however, saved copies of these posts on overseas websites. The 2011 China Youth Daily article added that blasts were a frequent occurrence in the area, and many locals had been killed or injured by such incidents. State-run Beijing News, citing official data, reported that 620 chemical production accidents occurred in China from 2016 to 2018, killing 728 people. Chinese Nurse Who Doesnt Speak English Writes a Funny Cryptic Note for Foreign Student The content is not available due to expiration. Kevin Campbell (L), who was charged over an attempted armed robbery that was thwarted when four cousins wrestled the gun off the robber (R), a different man, on March 24, in Florida. (Broward County Sheriff) Cousins on Spring Break Turn Tables on Armed Robber at Florida Gas Station Four cousins fought off an armed robber and his accomplice in a Florida gas station in the early hours of the morning, tackling him to the ground before wrestling away his gun. The moment was captured on video by CCTV cameras in the gas station in Broward County at 3:45 am on March 24. The man who pulled the gun is still at large, but his alleged accomplice has been arrested and charged. The cousins had traveled from Indiana to Florida for spring break to celebrate a birthday and were on their way back to where they were staying for the night. I tried to find a gas station that was closest because we were running low on gas, Alex Wisbey, who was the designated driver that night, told Local 10 News. Video footage shows them outside the car chatting as they fill up with gas, when a black Hyundai pulls up at another pump and a masked man gets out and runs over to them, brandishing a gun. As he points the gun at the four, he says, Give me everything you got, a police spokesperson told the Sun Sentinal. But when he gets close, they suddenly spring into action, grabbing him and tackling him to the ground. Then my cousin, Jacob, gets on top of him and Im in there, trying to wrestle around for the gun, Aric Wisbey, a student at Ivy Tech, said. A shirtless man, later identified as Kevin Campbell, then gets out of the Hyundai, runs over and tries to push the men off the armed attacker. As the wrestling bodies separate, the shirtless man moves aggressively towards one of them, but when he spots Aric Wisbey holding the gun, he retreats back to the car. At one point, the masked attacker appears to threaten the cousins again, but then backs off, gets in the car and drives off after Wisbey aims the gun straight at him. Alex and Aric said they both have concealed weapon permits and experience handling firearms. The cousins cautioned Local10 that people should follow their gut if it says to comply with a criminals demands. But if there is a situation and a moment where you can wrestle the gun away or protect yourself, or your family or friends, absolutely do that, Alex Wisbey told Local 10 News. Do not second-guess yourself. The gunman is described as about 6 feet tall, stocky, weighing an estimated 210 pounds, with dark dreadlocks. The gun, a silver 9mm Taurus, was found to have been stolen during a 2017 vehicle burglary. An hour after the attempted robbery, the deputies went to the registered address of the black Hyundai, where they found Campbell leaning against the car. When law enforcement approached, Campbell ran, said Gina Carter, a spokeswoman for the Broward Sheriffs Office. Fort Lauderdale polices K9 found Campbell hiding in some bushes, she said. He was arrested and, according to county records, charged with robbery with a firearm. Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting in Sochi, Russia on May 3, 2017. Both could be the losing parties in the new energy world order.(REUTERS/Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool) Dramatic Shift in Energy Production Upsets Current World Order The worlds energy supply matrix is changing The old energy order is changing rapidly, and with it, new challenges are emerging. Improved extraction technologies and new oil field discoveries continue to expand crude oil and natural gas production possibilities around the world. This fundamental supply shift in the worlds most critical resource represents enormous opportunities for some nations, while posing threats to others. A Westward Shift The changes in the global energy sector are interesting for everyone, whether they bear good news or bad. After many decades of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) controlling the worlds energy prices and suppliesspecifically crude oil and natural gasnew and plentiful sources have been found and are being developed in the West. There will be big advantages for some, and serious economic and even geopolitical consequences for others. The two biggest positive changes in energy suppliers involve the United States and Israel. In America, enhanced fracking technology has opened up vast new supplies of oil and natural gas. As a result, the United States is today the worlds biggest producer of oil, surpassing both Saudi Arabia and Russia in crude oil production. It is also highly competitive in the production and export of natural gas. That, in itself, is a supply shock to the energy markets. Likewise, Israel is strategizing how to leverage its recent discovery of vast oil and natural gas beneath the eastern Mediterranean. Both of these supply shocks will affect oil production and price, but in particular, they could have the most negative impacts on Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Iran. Even Venezuelas production fall and Irans limited exports arent enough to keep prices high. Moving Pieces Its not front-page news, but trade is the lifeblood of nations. Saudi Arabia and Russia are the first- and second-largest oil exporters in the worldboth are heavily dependent upon energy exports to keep their economies afloat. This is where things get complicated for our allies and adversaries alike. Oil and gas exports comprise 50 percent of the Saudi Arabian GDP and about 70 percent of export earnings, while they make up about 60 percent of Russias economy. The new reality of high American output lowers U.S. demand for Saudi crude oil imports, and potentially that of other nations as well. Saudi Arabia is already feeling the pressure of resistance within its repressive Islamic dictatorship and the pressure of international condemnation for the murder of a journalist critical of the Saudi regime. Its also under pressure from within to modernize its society and diversify its economy. The last thing that Saudi Arabia needs is economic duress due to loss of market share. Tough reforms are always better implemented during good times, although that rarely happens. As the leader of OPEC and the Arab nations, as well as an American ally, Saudi Arabia faces deep conflicting interests challenging its leadershipand its relationship with the United Statesas never before. And Irans drive for nuclear weapons and expanding its version of radical Islam at the expense of Saudi Arabia is a paramount concern and explains why the Saudis seek nuclear technology for energy and potentially for weaponry. Israels Newfound Reserves Similarly, Israels newfound oil and natural gas reserves will offer Europe an alternative to relying on Russian natural gas and oil. This is good for Europe because, for years, it has been vulnerable to Russian goodwill for much-needed natural gas, 40 percent of which is supplied by Russias state-owned oil company, Gazprom. As Europe has experienced in the past, Russian goodwill hasnt always been forthcoming. But the Israel energy situation also puts Russia, which is basically a nuclear-armed gas station, in a very precarious position. Barring oil, natural gas, arms, and vodka, Russia doesnt produce anything that the world wants to buy. With a potential rival supplying natural gas to Europe and potentially Asia, its very possible that Israels gain will be largely at Russias expense. That will put Russia in a serious bind, although the development of critical infrastructure is still years off, especially because of Turkish opposition. As the Russian economy faces further economic slowdown at home, it becomes more difficult for Russian President Vladimir Putin to finance his plans for further expansion. Those plans include establishing a permanent presence in Syria and other parts of the Middle East, potentially annexing more or all of Ukraine, and perhaps even further westward to the Baltics. All these big projects take rubles, but paradoxically, the lack thereof may also precipitate these events. In either case, Israel represents a strategic threat to Russian interests. Irans oil-dependent economy is also threatened by the expansion of oil and natural gas supplies in the West. As the worlds fifth-largest oil producer and an avowed enemy of Israel and the United States, Iran is doubly sensitive to market loss because of the resumption of U.S. trade sanctions by the Trump administration against it. Still, Iran continues to wage a proxy war against Israel, even with domestic resistance against Islamic theocratic rule on the rise. The specter of cheaper, more abundant oil on the world market supplied by its enemies makes Irans already poor future economic prospects even less promising. With oil prices remaining low and Israel threatening to block illegal Iranian oil shipments, the Iranian regimes growing alliance with Russia increasingly appears as two drowning men looking to the other for assistance. Thus, Russian and Iranian challenges in the face of Israeli oil and gas exportations are rather apparent. But Turkey is also a key player in the unfolding Israeli energy play. In broad strokes, Turkey is challenging Israels claims to the oil. The fields extend from the shores of Israel to at least the island of Cyprus, which Turkey has claimed, amid conflicting international opinion, since the 1970s. Turkey is also challenging the plans for pipeline routes to Europe. The kicker is that Turkey, a former ally of Israel, has turned toward Islamic expansion during the past decade. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dreams of re-establishing the Ottoman Turk caliphate that ruled much of Asia and the Middle East for centuries. The oil in the Mediterranean would certainly help fund that cause, or at least give a much-needed boost to Turkeys failing economy. Perhaps not so coincidentally, Russia, Iran, and Turkey are coordinating their efforts to manage the Syrian crisis, which puts all three of their military forces very close to Israels northern border. The positioning couldnt be clearer. It certainly makes Israels entry into the energy markets more than a little problematic. 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. A journalist takes pictures of a projection screen prior to the start of Germany's auction for the construction of an ultra-fast 5G mobile network on March 19, 2019 at the German Federal Network Agency in Mainz, western Germany. (Arne Dedert/AFP/Getty Images) EUs New 5G Security Plan Doesnt Ban Huawei Despite US Concerns BRUSSELSEurope has ignored U.S. calls to ban Chinese technology giant Huawei from running 5G networks, with officials instead announcing a continent-wide security review of emerging cyber threats. The European Commission asked all member states to conduct investigations to identify vulnerabilities linked to next-generation mobile internet, amid growing anxiety over the role of the state-owned operator. However, the move fell significantly short of an outright ban on the Beijing-backed companys involvement in the emerging 5G networks, which Washington had been lobbying Brussels and national capitals hard to adopt. The United States and some European countries have raised fears that equipment provided by Huawei to run 5G internet networks in the West could be used by the Chinese communist regime to carry out mass cyber espionage. Europe has become split over the issue, with some countries urging a cautious and suspicious stance toward China, while others are welcoming the massive inflow of investment it can provide. Malta has signed a memorandum of understanding with Huawei to use the island as a testing ground for its 5G networks, while Hungary has sealed a contract with the company to improve broadband in that country. US Concerns Brussels has been keen to avoid specifically naming Huawei as the source of security concerns, over fears it will be seen as targeting just one company. In a recommendation to national capitals released on March 26, the EU Commission didnt mention the Chinese company by name, instead saying member states should conduct a security study of all possible suppliers. What were talking about is critical European digital infrastructure. National decisions taken by one member state or another have European-wide implications. Thats why were proposing a common approach, Security Commissioner Julian King said. Its urgent that we get on with this because decisions are being taken now and over the next year or so, both on letting 5G spectrum and on procuring 5G networks. The commission told member states to complete their internal security reviews by June, so that they can then be collated at a European level in October, with a view to agreeing on a new toolbox of protective measures by the end of the year. New measures, to be decided on by October next year, could include making companies get European accreditation to run 5G networks or subjecting their products to tests if they are regarded as a security risk. The move by the commission follows similar measures announced by Germany earlier in March, when it decided not to ban Huawei in a move that enraged U.S. officials, who threatened to stop some intelligence-sharing in response. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that the presence of Huawei or other Chinese vendors in a countrys network could mean that the Chinese regime could have access to sensitive data that would be detrimental to the United States and its allies. When you talk about this happening in countries like Poland or Germany or the U.K., were very concerned about that, not only for American security because we have information stored, too, but for the security of their own people, Pompeo told Fox News Radio. The United States, Australia, and New Zealand are among the countries that have banned Huawei from their 5G networks. Model Rebecca Leigh practices yoga at her home in Gambrills, Md., on Nov. 24, 2018. (Courtesy of Rebecca Leigh/Instagram) Extreme Yoga Pose Sent Woman to Hospital With a Stroke A Maryland woman had a stroke from performing a physically demanding yoga movement back in late 2017 and she is still recovering from chronic pain nearly 18 months on. Rebecca Leigh, 40, still suffers from severe memory loss, headaches, and pain in her neck and face since she tried to perform a hollowback handstand at her Gambrills home, 23 miles northeast of Washington, on Oct. 8, 2017. The headstand requires extending her neck, dropping her hips back and arching her lower spine. After finishing the movement, Leigh felt very pleased with herself but quickly noticed her vision was blurry and her left arm would uncontrollably flop around when she tried to put her hair into a ponytail. She initially dismissed the loss of vision and control in her left arm as a slipped disc in the neck, which was diagnosed back when Leigh was in her early 20s. It was only two days later when she noticed her pupils were different sizes that she realized there could be something very, very wrong. She and her husband Kevin, 45, immediately presented to the nearby hospital emergency room where the woman had a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan that found she had actually suffered a stroke. Doctors in the neurological intensive care unit spent five days trying to determine how Leigh could have had a stroke even though she exercised, ate healthy, and did not smoke. After all the blood work, ultrasounds, MRIs, and CT scans, it was finally a CTA scan that explained it, she told the Daily Mirror. Doctors informed Leigh her right carotid artery, one of four responsible for delivering essential blood to the brain, had torn while doing handstands. The tear had sent a blood clot to her brain, caused a stroke, and also caused a small bulging aneurysm to develop. For six weeks after she suffered from constant headaches, difficulty in getting out of bed, and pain in her eyes when she was in a bright environment. She also lost 20 pounds. The pain it caused my eyes was excruciating. My usually bright, sunlight-filled house was kept completely dark for the first few months, said Leigh who ran a mobile sunless tanning company. The stroke caused massive head pain, unlike any headache I had ever experienced before the nerve damage made any sort of light unbearable. She also constantly heard a whooshing sound in her right ear for three months. That was the sound of the blood trying to get through my artery up into my brain, Leigh said. Just a month after having the stroke, she jumped back onto her yoga mat and decided it was time to practice less physically demanding moves. I simply sat on my mat in lotus pose and listened to my breath. I slowly led back up to simple stretches and the poses that felt most safe to me, she said. I knew that if I didnt get back to my practice relatively soon after my stroke, I never would. After six months, Leighs doctor confirmed her carotid artery was completely healed. Although she happily practices sun salutations more than a year after the stroke, she doubts she will ever completely recover to her former health condition. I know I will never be where I was before 100 percent, Leigh said. I was about 75 percent back to where I was before my stroke the fact that I can touch my toes is enough to make me smile. She cannot speak for more than a few minutes and feels a constant tingly sensation between her elbow and hand that is almost like a wave of electricity zapping back and forth. Its very hard to recover from something so scary that came out of nowhere, she said. You think youre doing everything right and then when something like this happens, its hard not to think that it can happen again. Leigh is devoting part of her time to encouraging other hardcore yoga fans through her 26,000 followers on social media to seek a primary health care professional immediately, if they feel unwell. I wanted to share my story so that something like this doesnt happen to any other yogis. I had never heard of it happening before it had happened to me, she said. If I had read of just one incidence of something similar, I would have known that a stroke was a very real possibility when I was experiencing my symptoms that it wasnt my neck, my herniated discs, or my nerves. It was my brain gasping for its life. An aerial photo shows Boeing 737 MAX airplanes parked at the Boeing Factory in Renton, Washington on March 21, 2019. (Lindsey Wasson/Reuters) FAA Will Overhaul Air Safety Oversight in Wake of Boeing Jet Crashes In the wake of two fatal Boeing jet crashes that sparked worldwide grounding of the airlines flagship aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is set to implement major changes to its oversight approach to air safety, according to written testimony from Transportation Department Inspector General Calvin Scovel that was reviewed by Reuters. The FAAs acting administrator, Dan Elwell, meanwhile, will make the case that the agencys approach must evolve, after the accidents involving Boeing Co 737 MAX passenger jets killed nearly 350 people since October. Both Scovel and Elwell will testify at a Senate Commerce Committee panel hearing on March 27. In Scovels planned remarks he said that by July this year the FAA plans to introduce a new process that represents a significant change in its oversight approach. While revamping FAAs oversight process will be an important step, continued management attention will be key to ensure the agency identifies and monitors the highest-risk areas of aircraft certification, Scovel wrote, adding that some issues including how pilots get training to respond when automated flight systems require the FAAs urgent attention. In Elwells prepared testimony, he wrote that the 737 MAX will return to service only when the FAAs analysis of the facts and technical data indicate that it is appropriate. Elwells testimony discloses that Boeing first submitted its proposed anti-stall software upgrade to the FAA for certification on Jan. 21 of this year and that the FAA has tested this enhancement to the 737 MAX flight control system in both the simulator and the aircraft. President Donald Trump grounded all Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft in the United States effective immediately, on March 13. He said the safety of the American people is of paramount concern, and said the decision to ground the aircraft didnt have to be made, but we thought it was the right decision. The president said the announcement was coordinated with aviation officials in Canada, U.S. carriers, and aircraft manufacturer Boeing. Boeing is an incredible company, Trump said. They are working very, very hard right now and hopefully theyll quickly come up with an answer. American Airlines, the largest U.S. carrier, said last week it will extend flight cancellation through April 24 because of the grounding of the Boeing jets. They also said they would be canceling about 90 flights a day. In a statement at the time, Boeing said it continues to have full confidence in the safety of the 737 MAX. The company added that it had decided out of an abundance of caution and in order to reassure the flying public of the aircrafts safetyto recommend to the FAA the temporary suspension of operations of the entire global fleet of 371 737 MAX aircraft. Separately, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt will tell the panel in written testimony that the board is examining the U.S. design certification process to ensure any deficiencies are captured and addressed, potentially up to and including NTSB safety recommendations. The 737 MAX is Boeings best-selling plane, with orders worth more than $500 billion at list prices. The software fix will prevent repeated operation of the anti-stall system and will deactivate it if it receives widely conflicting sensor information. Boeing will also make standard a previously optional warning light. The testing, which was conducted by FAA flight test engineers and flight test pilots, included aerodynamic stall situations and recovery procedures, Elwells testimony says. Reuters contributed to this report. Damaged vehicles are seen after a flash flooding In Shiraz, Iran, March 25, 2019. Tasnim News Agency/Handout via REUTERS Floods Kill at Least 18 in Southern Iran, Provinces on Alert DUBAIAt least 18 people were killed and around 100 others were injured in flash floods in Irans southern Fars province, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on March 25, with more rain forecast following days of devastating floods in the north. Some 26 provinces out of 31 now have flood warnings due to torrential rain in a country more accustomed to drought. State TV said villages near rivers and dams in several provinces had been evacuated for fear of the rising water. Authorities have warned about the possibility of floods in the capital Tehran as well as in the oil-rich southern province of Khuzestan in the next 48 hours. Pragmatist President Hassan Rouhanis hardline rivals have criticized his government for doing too little, too late to help. The hardline judiciary said on March 24 the governments handling of the disaster was being investigated, the judiciarys Mizan news agency reported. Any shortcomings regarding the handling of the floods, failure to provide relief and aid to the survivors will be investigated, it quoted judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi as saying. Hardline cleric Raisi lost the 2017 presidential election when Rouhani was re-elected. The semi-official Fars news agency reported on March 24 that Rouhani has returned to Tehran from Irans Qeshm Island in the Gulf, where he had been spending the Iranian new year holiday. He had been criticized by Iranians on social media for being in the south when flooding was hitting the north of the country. In a rare move, Irans top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called on the armed forces to help the flood-hit northern provinces, where Irans English-language Press TV said five people had been killed. Reflecting a long-running struggle between the president and his rivals, Irans hardline media have accused the government of reacting too slowly to the floods while highlighting aid work by the Revolutionary Guardsa rival power center in Irans faction-ridden political establishment. The spread of flooding to the south follows days of floods since March 19 that affected more than 56,000 people living in 270 villages and small towns in the northern provinces of Golestan and Mazandaran, on the Caspian Sea, TV reported. In Shiraz, in the south, Tasnim quoted the head of Irans emergency medical services, Pirhossein Kolivand, as saying 18 people had been killing, including four children. Some 94 were injured in the city in Fars province. Iranian media showed pictures and footage of crumpled cars piled up deep in mud and water after floods swept through Shiraz. Irans Students News Agency ISNA said high water had damaged thousands of houses in Shiraz and other towns. Fars Governor Enayatollah Rahimi told state TV the flooding was under control and rescue and aid workers had been dispatched to the flood-hit areas. Kolivand later said one other person was also killed in Sarpol-e Zahab in the western province of Kermanshah and one other person in the western province of Lorestan was killed. By Parisa Hafezi FILE PHOTO: The logo of U.S. conglomerate General Electric is pictured at the company's site of its energy branch in Belfort, France, February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler/File Photo General Electric in $49 Million Settlement Over Petters Fraud General Electric Co. has reached a $49 million settlement to end a long-running lawsuit over its relationship with Thomas Petters, the Minnesota businessman serving a 50-year prison term for running a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme. The settlement between GE and a trustee for two bankrupt Florida investment funds known as Palm Beach Finance, which had been seeking $651 million, was disclosed in a March 26 filing with the federal bankruptcy court in West Palm Beach, Florida. GE denied liability in agreeing to settle claims related to its General Electric Capital unit, one of Petters lenders. It did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The accord removes a financial overhang for Boston-based GE, which is trying to cut costs while projecting lower 2019 cash flow and profitability from its core industrial operations. Petters, 61, was convicted in December 2009 on 20 counts including fraud and money laundering, over what prosecutors called a $3.65 billion fraud. Prosecutors said Petters bilked investors who thought he was using their money to buy consumer electronics from wholesalers and resell them to big-box retailers such as Costco Wholesale Corp. and Walmart Inc.s Sams Club. Federal authorities raided Petters offices in September 2008 and criminally charged him that December, the same month Bernard Madoff was charged with running his own Ponzi scheme. Barry Mukamal, the trustee for the Palm Beach Finance funds, said GE Capital knew as early as 2000 about Petters fraud, but kept quiet to ensure Petters would keep paying its fees. The settlement came after U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Paul Hyman in June 2017 refused to dismiss the lawsuit, which accused GE Capital of conspiring to commit fraud. Hyman had previously dismissed eight other claims. GE had said that Mukamal lacked authority to sue, and only the trustee overseeing Petters bankrupt companies could bring the conspiracy claim. The lawsuit was filed in September 2012. In the March 26 filing, Mukamal identified potential risks in going to trial. These included the death of a key witness, and that three of Petters other lenders which had copycat claims against GE had recovered nothing. Mukamal in 2015 reached a separate $16 million settlement with Bank of Montreal, whose Milwaukee-based unit Marshall & Ilsley had also worked with Petters. The Palm Beach Finance funds filed for bankruptcy in November 2009. By Jonathan Stempel Georgia Father Confronts School Officials After Daughter Gets Left Behind by Bus A Georgia father slammed school officials after he and his wife got a phone call about their 5-year-old child being left at school for a third time during this school year. Tristan King confronted school staff at Norton Elementary School for not keeping track of his daughter, reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He said Kings older son called him because his daughter didnt get on the school bus that day. On Feb. 28. 2019~After them losing our daughter for the third time this year. What you dont see is I was told by Gwinnett County Police and the Schools (SRO) That I can not come back on school grounds ever again on my own. If i need to come for any reason I must call the school so they can call the Police to be there while im there. If i came on my own i will be arrested for Criminal Trespassing. How is a concerned parent a Criminal now? Yet yall can lose my 5yr old daughter 3x's and thats ok. This happened in our suburbial neighborhood of Snellville, GA @ R.L. NORTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. Tristan De'Geon 201932 He called us screaming that his sister wasnt on the bus and they wouldnt wait for her or let him off to find her, King told the news outlet. In a viral video, he told school officials: If you have adults all through the hallway, how did it happen for the third time? The first time I was calm, I was understanding the second time, I was mad but I let it go. The third time, my son called me crying from the bus, screaming that he doesnt know where his sister is, he added, People magazine reported. "He called us screaming that his sister wasnt on the bus and they wouldnt wait for her or let him off to find her," Tristan said of his fourth-grade son. People 2019313 His wife chimed in, saying that their son told the school bus driver to stop. He said, dont pull off. I cannot leave without my sister. And they told them to leave anyway. My son was on the bus screaming and crying and yall still told the bus to pull off, she told the officials in the Facebook video, which has been viewed 2.4 million times over the past several weeks. School officials have since apologized over the mishap. Youre responsible I release my child to get on your bus to come to your school. Until my child makes it home, youre responsible for my child. Dearly 2019313 King also wrote on Facebook, What you dont see is I was told by Gwinnett County Police and the Schools (SRO) That I can not come back on school grounds ever again on my own. If i need to come for any reason I must call the school so they can call the Police to be there while im there. If i came on my own i will be arrested for Criminal Trespassing. How is a concerned parent a Criminal now? Yet yall can lose my 5yr old daughter 3xs and thats ok. Sloan Roach, a spokeswoman for Gwinnett County Public Schools, told People magazine: Mr. King had every right to be upset and the whole thing wasnt handled well. School officials have reviewed things on their end and some new policies and procedures have been put in place. Meanwhile, Principal Melanie Lee stated that his daughter simply missed the bus and wasnt lost. It is reasonable for a parent or sibling who does not know where the child is to be worried and upset, Lee wrote in early March, People reported. There is no question that ensuring that students get to and from school safely is the school and school systems responsibility. According to Lees letter, At no time was this parent issued a criminal trespass warning, he is free to come and go to the school like any other parent. That said, it is never appropriate for a parent or adult to use foul language around students or toward school staff, Yahoo News reported. The video has since been viewed 1.8 million times. Yahoo Lifestyle 2019313 Roach told People that Kings son and daughter have been escorted to the bus every day and was working well. But King said that the issue hasnt been resolved. I havent spoken to anyone, he was quoted by People as saying. Im worried that this is an epidemic that has been swept under the rug. School board member Everton Blair thanked him for his input, reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. I appreciate you coming and sharing your story, I hope you get the answers that you want. And also hope that we can continue to put things in place that for parents feeling comfortable knowing that who we put our trust in are keeping our students safe, Blair said. Huawei rotating Chairman Ken Hu addresses a speech during the opening ceremnony of Huawei's European Cyber Security Transparency Centre in Brussels on March 5, 2019. (EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images) German Reporters Visit Huaweis Demonstration Lab in Brussels The world's biggest telecoms manufacturer is anxious to prove its cybersecurity credentials Huawei, a Chinese state-linked company and the worlds largest manufacturer of telecommunications equipment, recently opened its European Cyber Security Transparency Centre in Brussels, Belgium. The Centre is intended as a demonstration lab to show that Huawei systems are free of electronic back doors that make them vulnerable to hacking. However, a visit by Germanys Deutsche Welle revealed a different picture about Huaweis attempt at transparency. In recent years, Huawei has become notorious for its relationship with the Chinese regime, as well as widespread allegations that its equipment can be used for espionage. The African Union, a major customer of Huawei, was found to have its facilities compromised by Chinese hackers, and equipment bought by the Japanese government was found to contain additional components of unknown function. Since Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada last December, the security of Huaweis products and systems has attracted attention. European bureaucrats and politicians have been in heated discussion over whether to follow their allies U.S. and Australia and bar Huawei from the construction of their upcoming 5G networks. Germany is a key market for Huawei. Deutsche Telekom, the countrys biggest telecommunication service supplier, had teamed up with Huawei via its subsidiary T-Mobile in building one of Huaweis largest 5G trial systems in Poland. In past months, the German government and telecommunication businesses have held several conferences to discuss a possible ban of Huawei involvement in the construction of the local 5G network. Deutsche Welle is based in the former West Germany capital of Bonn, where Deutsche Telekom, as well as the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) are headquartered. The BSI is an upper-level federal agency in charge of managing cyber and communication security. Last November, Huawei opened its Bonn Security Innovation Lab. Via this lab, Huawei can work closely with BSI, Deutsche Telekom, and other players in the business to expand its market share in 5G. Over the course of several months, Deutsche Welle made multiple attempts to contact Huawei to schedule a visit its Bonn lab, but didnt receive a direct response until recently. On March 23, the Chinese-language edition of Deutsche Welle reported that it had gotten permission for a visit, but not to the Bonn facility. Public Relations Offensive Huaweis European Cyber Security Transparency Centre was opened in Brussels on March 5, and the building is located just hundreds of yards away from the European Commission building and multiple foreign embassies, including the U.S. Embassy. Huawei said that the Centre is open to EU policymakers and business customers, so that they can have trust in the company and its security standards. In recent months, due to negative international coverage that increased following the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei has been active in public relations efforts. Since January, Huawei founder, CEO, and Mengs father Ren Zhengfei spoke with multiple media organizations and gave speeches. This contrasts with the past three decades, during which Ren had opted to stay out of the public spotlight. Meanwhile, Huawei invited foreign leaders and reporters to visit its headquarters in Shenzhen, southern China, where they might be persuaded as to the advantages of partnering with Huawei. Nothing to Hide According to the Deutsche Welle journalists, the Huawei lab was in a nondescript building, without any company logo externally visible except on a small screen in the intercom system. Inside the lab, Chinese engineers and Western speakers spoke at length to their guests about cybersecurity being a part of Huaweis DNA, and that the company was doing all it could to ensure transparency. Behind the demonstration room, the center featured two testing areas, for black and white box ytesting Black box testing is a software testing method in which the internal structure, design, and workings of the item being tested are unknown to the tester, while in white box testing, all these details are known. Using 10 computers in the white box Testing room, testers could connect to Huaweis systems in several Huawei research and development centers and read encrypted sourcing codes. At the time of the visit, nobody was working at the lab. According to Huawei, this was because the center had been opened only recently. After quickly presented the testing rooms to the reporters, Huawei engineers brought the reporters back to demonstration room, where a group of Huawei employees just arrived and chatted with each other. A Huawei director at the lab told the reporters, the purpose of this lab here in Brussels is to tell the world that our Huawei has nothing to hide, that we are transparent. Setbacks in Europe In general, Huawei has been facing great pressure from the U.S. government and other countries of Five Eyes, an Anglophone intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. In Europe, Huawei has met with challenges from an increasing number of countries. In January, Poland arrested Huawei executive Wang Weijing. Although Huawei fired Wang quickly and Warsaw said the arrest wasnt related to Huawei, the scandal impacted Huaweis image. Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited Italy on March 21, and on March 21 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for projects of the Belt and Road Initiative, which was expected to allow Huawei into the Italian 5G infrastructure market. But the deal that Rome and Beijing ultimately inked contained 29 items, not one of them containing telecommunication and tech-related deals. Huawei failed in Italy, and may face an increasingly hostile environment in future, because the EU has considered adopting a more defensive strategy toward China, having branded the worlds second-largest economic power a systemic rival on March 12. Ericsson, Nokia, and other suppliers operate in Europe, and are Huaweis main competitors in the global 5G market. Chi Ping Patrick Ho sentenced in a bribery trial by District Judge Loretta Preska in New York, on March 25, 2019. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg) Head of Chinese Energy NGO Sentenced to 3 Years in US Prison The former head of an international non-governmental organization that was backed by a Chinese energy conglomerate, was sentenced to three years in prison on March 25 for bribery and money laundering. Patrick Ho was the secretary-general of the China Energy Fund Committee, an NGO based in both Hong Kong and Arlington, Virginia. Ho was also a top lieutenant of Ye Jianming, a Chinese oil tycoon whose company, CEFC China Energy Company Limited, (CEFC China), made billions of dollars in Russia, Eastern Europe, and parts of Africa. The company also sought business in South Sudan and Iraq, among other distressed places, courted North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, and attempted to maneuver into a middleman position with Iran to avoid oil sanctions. CEFC China backed Hos registered charitable organization, which even held a special consultative status with the United Nations. But Hos activities often focused on advancing the interests of Yes energy giant, which included seeking favor in Washington. Hos first phone call after his November 2017 arrest for allegedly bribing top officials in Chad and Uganda was to James Biden, the brother of former Vice President Joe Biden, The New York Times reported in December 2018. Ye himself had met privately with Joe Bidens son, Hunter Biden, in Miami in May 2017. Ho was convicted of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act regarding Chad and Uganda in December 2018, while Ye has not been charged with any wrongdoing in the United States. Patrick Ho schemed to bribe the leaders of Chad and Uganda in order to secure unfair business advantages for the Chinese energy company he served, said Geoffrey S. Berman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, on March 25. Foreign corruption undermines the fairness of international markets, erodes the publics faith in its leaders, and is deeply unfair to the people and businesses that play by the rules, Berman added. According to prosecutors, Ho orchestrated the two bribery schemes on behalf of CEFC China, which is based in Shanghai and operates internationally across multiple industries, including oil, gas, and banking. During Hos trial, prosecutors outlined other areas of business, including an attempt to deal arms in conflict zones. In September 2014, Ho attended a U.N. General Assembly in New York City while CEFC China was attempting to expand its business operations into the African country of Chad. Ho, in his role as the chief officer of a charitable NGO, secured a meeting with the former Minister of Foreign Affairs in Senegal, who had a personal relationship with Chad President Idriss Deby. Weeks later, Ho and CEFC China executives met with Deby in Chad to discuss access to lucrative oil rights in the impoverished country. A second meeting took place in Chad in December 2014 and ended with Ho presenting Deby with $2 million in cash concealed in several gift boxes, prosecutors said. Deby rejected the offer but later accepted it as a donation to the people of Chad. Ho would later argue that the payment was indeed a donation from his charitable NGO, but a federal court jury in Manhattan found the payment constituted a bribe. Upon his conviction, Ho told Hong Kong reporters in Cantonese, Expected. Its like that, according to the South China Morning Post. Incidentally, CEFC China never obtained the oil rights it paid for, prosecutors determined. While attending the same U.N. General Assembly in 2014, Ho met with General Assembly President Sam Kutesa. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, the two men developed a professional relationship over the course of Kutesas one-year tenure at the U.N. that included plans for a strategic partnership between CEFC China and Uganda when Kutesa returned to his native country. In February 2016, Kutesa went back to Uganda and assumed the role of Foreign Minister. In the interim, his relative, Yoweri Museveni, had been re-elected president of Uganda. Kutesa then solicited a payment from Ho that was meant to appear as a charitable contribution. Ho agreed, and requested an invitation to Musevenis inauguration, private meetings with Museveni and other high-ranking Ugandan officials, and a list of future business projects for CEFC China. Three months later, Ho and CEFC China executives traveled to Uganda for a meeting, but not before wiring $500,000 to Kutesas suspicious charitable foundation. The money was wired through Manhattan, giving the Southern District of New York jurisdiction. Ye, who was chairman of CEFC China, provided another $500,000 in cash for Musevenis reelection campaign, though he had already won the election. Ho intended these payments to influence Kutesa and Museveni to use their official power to steer business advantages to CEFC China, prosecutors said. Kutesa and Museveni followed through on Hos requests, and further helped CEFC China acquire a Ugandan bank so they could partner in the companys future profits while operating in the central African country. Patrick Ho bribed officials at the highest levels of government in Chad and Uganda in pursuit of lucrative oil deals and other business opportunities, all while using a U.S.-based NGO to conceal his criminal scheme, said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski. While Ho was the focus of the two African bribery schemes, both were influence-peddling operations in service to his boss, Ye Jianming. And Ye was involved in his own coordinated attempts to influence foreign governments, including U.S. officials and institutions. According to the New York Times, Ye met with former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan in 2015, and donated nearly $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation and another $500,000 to Columbia University through a separate CEFC China-backed charitable group. Ye had also proposed a partnership to Hunter Biden after two meetings in 2017 to invest in American infrastructure and energy. Although its unclear if Biden partnered with Ye or CEFC China in any business dealings, Biden managed an investment firm at the time called Rosemont Seneca Partners, which was co-founded by Chris Heinz, the stepson of former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. In imposing the 3-year prison sentence on Monday, U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska quoted the U.N. Convention Against Corruption, stating, Corruption is an insidious plague that is found in all countriesbig and small, rich and poorbut it is in the developing world that its effects are most destructive. Pentagon officials announced the success of a historic salvo test of the missile defense system designed to take out incoming Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, on March 25, 2019. (Missile Defense Agency) Homeland Defense System Knocks Out Ballistic Missile in Historic Salvo Test Pentagon officials said the U.S. military has successfully tested a defense system capable of knocking down intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) said in a March 25 statement that a system meant to protect the United States against attacks successfully intercepted a mock missile. The GBI-Lead destroyed the re-entry vehicle, as it was designed to do, the MDA stated, referring to the role played by the ground-based interceptors that are one component of the complex network of tools designed to thwart missile attacks by enemy countries. Officials said the other system looked at the resulting debris and remaining objects, and, not finding any other re-entry vehicles, selected the next most lethal object it could identify, and struck that. The interceptors were launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The target missile was launched from the Reagan Test Site in the Marshall Islands, located over 4,000 miles away from the California base. MDA Director Lieutenant General Sam Greaves called the test a critical milestone. The Ground-based Midcourse Defense system is vitally important to the defense of our homeland, and this test demonstrates that we have a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat, Greaves said. Bolsters Our Deterrent Posture Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) hailed the test, calling it a credible deterrent. This test gives our enemies pause, making them doubt the effectiveness of their offensive capabilities, Sullivan said in a statement on Monday. This doubt, coupled with the threat of a military response from the U.S., bolsters our deterrence posture, including against threats from rogue nations. This testin which two different objects were interceptedvalidates the effectiveness of our homeland missile defense system and gives policymakers and warfighters increased confidence in a critical system, which safeguards the entire country, Sullivan added. First-of-its-Kind Test The last time the Pentagon tested a ground-based defense system against an intercontinental ballistic missile target was in May 2017. Only one interceptor was fired in that trial, which cost nearly $250 million, according to The Hill. That test was intended to prime U.S. defense systems to deal with the growing threat from North Korea. The communist regime in 2017 test-fired missiles designed to reach the U.S. mainland. In January 2019, President Donald Trump unveiled a revamped U.S. missile defense strategy that called North Korea an ongoing and extraordinary threat. While North Korea hasnt conducted a test since late 2017, U.S. officials have expressed doubt about whether the secretive regime would be willing to give up its nuclear weapon and missile programs. In January, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told the Senate, We currently assess that North Korea will seek to retain its WMD [weapons of mass destruction] capabilities and is unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capability, because its leaders ultimately view nuclear weapons as critical to regime survival. Mondays test was the first time the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system attempted a salvo intercept, where more than one projectile was fired to intercept an incoming missile. The salvo concept is meant to improve the chances of hitting an incoming missile, which in actual combat could contain decoys and other measures designed to make it difficult for an interceptor to find and hit the target. The Ground-based Midcourse Defense system has been officially operational since 2004. According to Defense News, the MDA is requesting $1.2 billion in fiscal year 2020 to expand the GMD system. Reuters contributed to this report. House Fails to Overrule Trumps Veto, Border Emergency Continues The House of Representatives failed on March 26 to override President Donald Trumps first veto, leaving in place the national emergency he declared last month to redirect funding toward a U.S.-Mexico border wall construction beyond what Congress approved for the purpose. Democrats control the House, but only 14 Republicans joined them for a total of 248 votes, a far cry from the two-thirds majority of 290 votes needed to beat a veto. One Democrat, Jackie Speier of California, didnt vote. Her office didnt respond to a request for comment. Democrats were expected to fight the emergency declaration in courts. A coalition of 16 states sued in February to block Trumps move. Wall Fight Trump declared the national emergency on Feb. 15, after Democrats in Congress blocked his request for $5.7 billion for wall construction. The wall funding dispute led to a shutdown of about a quarter of the federal government starting on Dec. 21. In a January televised address, Trump laid down a proposal for a border security compromise that would provide temporary protection from deportation to some 700,000 illegal immigrants in exchange for border wall funding. The proposal also included a list of measures generally supported by both parties, including humanitarian funding, drug detection technology, and extending protections for people who have fled wars and disasters. He called the border situation a crisis, pointing to drug and human trafficking, criminals sneaking in, and the economic impact of illegal immigrants. Illegal border crossings have indeed soared in recent months. Border Patrol agents apprehended nearly double the illegal border crossers in the first five months of fiscal 2019 than in the same period the prior year. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) rejected Trumps offer before he started his speech. The Democrats finally relented in late January and agreed to negotiate on the wall funding in exchange for ending the shutdown. The negotiations produced less than $1.4 billion for new border fencing in the 2019 budget. Emergency Powers Trumps declaration had enabled the transfer of $3.6 billion from the military construction budget toward wall construction. The president also ordered the shifting of an additional $3.1 billion, which did not require emergency powers. Together with the 2019 budget allocation, Trump should have enough to build about 324 miles of new fencing. The Defense Department has identified $12.8 billion in funds from projects that can be reallocated to the construction of the border barrier. The department notified Congress on March 25 that it has authorized the transfer of $1 billion toward wall construction. Senate Democrats immediately protested the transfer. Congress Dispute The House Democrats argued the Republican president had overstepped his authority by going around Congresss refusal to fund a border wall, because the legislature has the power to control spending under the Constitution. The founders (of the United States) did not want a monarchy; thats what they rejected. What they wanted was a democracy, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on the House floor. We take an oath to the Constitution, not to the president of the United States, she said. But Republicans said Trump had acted legally under a 1976 law known as the National Emergencies Act, under which previous presidents had declared dozens of emergencies. The president has the authority to act. The president is using the authority Congress has given him, said Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.). Mueller Boost Trumps position on March 26 was strengthened by Special Counsel Robert Muellers conclusion, after a 22-month investigation, that the Republican presidents campaign team did not collude with Russian interference in the 2016 election. Moscow has denied meddling. That political victory for Trump may make it easier for Republicans to back the president on a range of issues, including his border emergency. Even though the two issues clearly arent related, it increases the presidents strength and popularity and puts him in a stronger position, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said before the vote. Reuters contributed to this report. A new body of research suggests that infections in childhood, along with antibiotic use, could impact the bacteria in our intestines and raise risks of mental health challenges in later life. ( Anatomy Insider/Shutterstock) Infections During Childhood Increase the Risk of Mental Disorders Link between gut bacteria and mental health gets powerful boost from Danish registry Hospitalization for infection might leave you at greater risk for mental illness, according to a recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry, which draws on data from youth in Denmark up to age 17. The authors also found that antibiotic use was associated with even higher risk for mental illness. This connection is thought to be, in part, because antibiotics affect bacteria in the intestinal microbiome. The studywhich supports emerging theories about the functional interaction between infection, the gut microbiome, and mental illnessis one of close to 50 papers published using data from the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register since the latter half of 2018. This registry tracks the clinical data of more than one million peoplein this case, data from 1995 onward on Danes who were treated for mental illness over their first 17 years of life, either in a hospital or as outpatients. Every measure of general and mental health status, including prescriptions and family histories, were documented for each individual as they aged. The sheer size of this registry is providing international researchers with unprecedented opportunities to answer targeted questions about the links between life history and mental health status. Antibiotics, Autism, and Depression It has been suggested that the gut microbiome, the hugely diverse bacterial community that we host in our intestines, sends out signals to the brain, modulating our moods and, possibly, our susceptibility to mental illness. (Shutterstock) Studies in animal models already have documented the association between bacteria and depression. One research group showed that mice treated with antibiotics showed alterations in the diversity of the gut microbiome and performed worse on memory tests. Animals depleted of gut bacteria using broad-spectrum antibiotics exhibited changes in various disorders including autism spectrum, neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimers disease, and depression. In another remarkable study, fecal samples from human patients suffering from depression and transplanted into rats conferred depression-like symptoms. In one study, transplants from patients with anxiety created anxious mice. While these studies point to the link between the microbiome and mental health status, the nature, or molecular basis of this link remain unknown. Bacteria as a Treatment for Depression? A promising area of research that aims to define the links between the microbiome and the human brain, focuses on identifying neuroactive compounds produced or consumed by bacteria in the gut. In work published in Nature Microbiology in December 2018, Philip Strandwitz and his colleagues at Northeastern University in Boston, studied a rare type of gut bacteria given the name KLE1738. These rare bacteria eat gamma-aminobutyric acid, also known as GABA. A different type of bacteria, Bacteroides, produces GABA, keeping the KLE1738 bacteria alive by feeding them. These findings underscore how different types of bacteria work together in the gut. This matters to us because GABA is a neuroactive compound required for normal function of our central nervous system. Major depressive disorders are associated with reduced GABA levels. Strandwitz hypothesized that microbiomes containing more of the GABA-producing bacteria would be associated with a happier human host. In a small pilot study of 23 patients, those with higher levels of fecal Bacteroides, the GABA-producing bacteria, also had relatively mild depression. Though the results were not conclusive, the trend supports a possible role for the bacteria in modifying the severity of depression. The Link Between Gut and Mental Health The results from this small pilot study were ambiguous because the number of patients was small and the study was not controlled for medications taken by the subjects. A significant number of these patients were on antidepressants of varying kindsall of which would be expected to have an effect. On top of medication use, other characteristics of each patient, like age, gender, and genetic background would be expected to influence the dialogue occurring between the gut and the brain. With its massive scale, the Danish psychiatry registry promises to change all this. By documenting every clinical aspect in the young lives of more than a million people visiting the hospital for mental illness, the registry provides the opportunity to isolate and study each clinical variable. Even after being classified on the basis of age, gender, type of mental illness, medication history or certain genetic variants, there will still be sufficient numbers of patients to permit meaningful comparisons. Because of its size, the Danish registry could do more to clarify the link between the gut and mental health than anything before. (Shutterstock) Linking With Other Large-Scale Databases The immense value of the registry may be truly revealed when linked with other large-scale efforts, such as those that study bacterial interactions in the gut or genetic variants in patients with mental illness. For example, the pilot study of the gut microbiome in 23 patients described previously could be revisited using a much larger and better defined patient cohort, to generate convincing results that could eventually be translated to improvements in patient care. The potential of the Danish psychiatry registry to improve the treatment of mental illness has inspired other countries to do the same. In November 2016, for example, the American Psychiatric Association announced the launch of a national mental health registry called PsychPRO. Like the Danes, American psychiatrists anticipate that a national registry will help propel future research efforts and also stimulate the development of new and better ways to treat and prevent psychiatric illnesses. Christine Bear is a professor at the faculty of medicine and fellow of the Munk School of global journalism at the University of Toronto in Canada. This article was first published on The Conversation. Israel's Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu waves to supporters after his speech during the launch of the Likud party election campaign in Ramat Gan, Israel, on March 4, 2019. (Amir Levy/Getty Images) Israel PM Netanyahu Responds to Rep. Ilhan Omar: Its Not About the Benjamins! The prime minister of Israel responded to anti-semitic tropes from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who drew backlash for suggesting political support for the Middle Eastern country was all about the Benjamins. Speaking from Israel via satellite, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, From this Benjamin, its not about the Benjamins! His remarks were made during the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference in Washington on March 26. He added that the reason why Americans love Israel is not that they want our money but because that they share our values. Its because America and Israel share a love of freedom and democracy, Netanyahu explained. Its because we cherish individual rights and the rule of law. We dont judge people by the color of their skin, their religion, or their sexual orientation, he added. Omar was quick to respond to the Israeli prime minister, saying: This from a man facing indictments for bribery and other crimes in three separate public corruption affairs. This from a man facing indictments for bribery and other crimes in three separate public corruption affairs. Next! https://t.co/BX6qLpISKx Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 26, 2019 The Democratic congresswoman was referring to allegations that surfaced last year, which accused the prime minister with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, claims Netanyahu described as baseless. Omars anti-semitic comments in February received bipartisan condemnation and the congresswoman subsequently apologized for her comments. Earlier this month, the House passed a watered-down resolution that was meant to censure Omars comments. The resolution (pdf), approved by a vote of 40723, was expanded to include other forms of bias but does not include Omars name. Moreover, she also received criticism for a 2012 post where she wrote: Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel. Omar sparked a fresh uproar in late February when she accused some politicians in Washington who supported Israel as having dual loyalty. These comments even earned praise from former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. Dr Duke & Eric Striker: By Defiance to Z.O.G. Ilhan Omar is NOW the most important Member of the US Congress! https://t.co/R4d4X81xdv pic.twitter.com/C083V57VQp David Duke (@DrDavidDuke) March 7, 2019 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, Omar said. I want to ask why is it OK for me to talk about the influence of the NRA, of fossil fuel industries, or big pharma, and not talk about a powerful lobby that is influencing policy. Along with Netanyahu, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also made remarks on Omars comments. He said, for many years, such slurs and tropes were limited to the fringes, reported NBC News. Israeli PM Netanyahu to US Rep. Omar: "From this Benjamin, it's not about the Benjamins!" NBC News 2019326 Sadly, theyve recently received new prominence, having been repeated and retweeted by a sitting member of Congress, he said without directly identifying the congresswoman. He also criticized several Democratic presidential candidates who did not attend the conference after a liberal group MoveOn.org called on the candidates to boycott the event. Im troubled that many of the declared Democratic presidential candidates seem to be avoiding this very gathering, McConnell said, reported the news station. Apparently, because political partisans who have leveled scurrilous charges against this organization have warned they will be keeping watch, and they will be taking names, he added. According to the Associated Press, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), former U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke of Texas, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y) and other did not attend the conference. Reaching out to all of the major Dem presidential primary candidates to find out if theyll be at AIPAC this uear Shira Hanau (@shirahanau) March 14, 2019 President Donald Trump has spoken out against Omar and the Democratic party on numerous occasions. He told reporters in February that her comments were terrible and that he didnt think her apology was adequate. He added that she should be ashamed of herself, reported The Hill. On March 8, a day after the House resolution was passed without Omars name, the president criticized the Democrats calling them an anti-Israel party. He said, I thought yesterdays vote by the House was disgraceful because its becomethe Democrats have become an anti-Israel party. Theyve become an anti-Jewish party. And I thought that vote was a disgrace and so does everybody else if you get an honest answer. Italian communist militant Cesare Battisti steps off a plane coming from Bolivia in Rome on Jan. 14, 2019. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images) Italian Communist Militant Battisti Confesses to Four 1970s Murders An Italian communist terrorist has admitted to murdering four people in the late 1970s, according to local media reports. Cesare Battisti, 64, was convicted in absentia of murdering a policeman and a prison guard, and participating in the killings of a butcher and a jeweler who had defended themselves against left-wing militants. He had been on the run since escaping from prison in Italy in 1981 but until his capture in January, he was protected by the French and Brazilian governments. He confessed in jail over the weekend of March 23, magistrate Alberto Nobili said, according to local media. Battisti has previously denied any involvement in the slayings. When I killed, I believed it was a just war, Battisti reportedly told Nobili. He also confessed to assaulting three people and participating in robberies to finance the extreme left terrorist group Armed Proletarians for Communism. I realize the harm I have done and I apologize to the families [of the victims], Battisti said in his confession. Nobili said Battisti was questioned for nine hours at a high-security prison in Sardinia. He said it felt like I was watching the liberation of someone who was initially embarrassed, troubled, according to The Local Italy. Years of Lead Battistis killings occurred during Italys so-called Years of Lead, when leftist and fascist groups committed acts of violence against each other, mostly between 1970 and 1985. After being convicted in 1979 for being part of a Marxist group, Battisti escaped from prison in Italy and fled the country. He was protected in France by socialist President Francois Mitterand, where Battisti wrote a series of novels based on his life, claiming that he had been framed by Italy. Under the so-called Mitterrand doctrine, far-left terrorists who fled to France would not be extradited to Italy, amid distrust of the Italian courts. The policy was repealed in 2002, following which French officials authorized the extradition of Battisti. However, he had already fled to Brazil, where he was given political asylum by socialist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The asylum ended in December 2018, with Battisti heading to Bolivia, where he was arrested in January. Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said those who protected Battisti should now also apologize. Cesare Battisti has apologized, a few decades after the fact, Salvini said, according to Ansa. Now I expect those left-wing pseudo-intellectuals who covered for and defended this squalid character to apologize too. Its better to say sorry late than never, Salvini said. However, the relatives of some of Battistis victims were not so welcoming of his apologies. I think his lawyer is advising him so he can have his sentence reduced, Maurizio Campagna, the brother of the policeman killed by Battisti, told Italian-language TV Sky TG24. The murders were pure cowardice, not even terrorism. They were just murders made by serial killers like Battisti and his gang. Adriano Sabbadin, son of the murdered butcher Lino Sabbadin, told Il Dubbio he hoped Battisti would now reflect on the evil he has done. Italy is also attempting to extradite 14 terrorists still believed to be in France, including Narciso Manenti, a leftist terrorist who killed a policeman in front of his teenage son in 1979. He is now reportedly an electrician in the French town of Chalette-sur-Loing, about 70 miles south of Paris. President of Judicial Watch Tom Fitton speaks at the High School Leadership Summit, a Turning Point USA event, at George Washington University in Washington on July 26, 2018. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Judicial Watchs Fitton Blasts DOJ for Protecting Obama and Clinton in Email Case WASHINGTONAttorney General William Barr did the right thing on the Mueller report, but hes got to look at how [the Department of Justice] is handling these transparency issues and why they are protecting Obama and Clinton, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton told The Epoch Times on March 26. Thats whats happening here, said a clearly frustrated Fitton, concerning a March 11 motion by Justice Department (DOJ) lawyers representing the Department of State in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The government asked the court for a protective order sealing any audio-visual recordings of plaintiffs forthcoming depositions of current and former career officials at the State Department. The resting state of the Deep State is secrecy, Fitton told The Epoch Times. This is just typical of what we are dealing with from DOJ and State on these issues. The government has resisted disclosure at every turn in the case since its filing, he said. Everything is a fight, Fitton said. We even have to sue to get the time of day. Its unbelievable. Earlier this year, Judge Royce Lamberth ordered 10 current and former State Department employees with knowledge of former Secretary of State Hillary Clintons email system to be deposed under oath by the nonprofits attorneys. Unedited versions of the videos of the depositions would be posted on Judicial Watchs web site. In its motion, DOJ lawyers representing the State Department claimed all career government employees have a legitimate privacy interest in limiting permanent and public dissemination of video recordings of them being deposed about the alleged misconduct of others. They also claimed that no legitimate public interest is served by making deposition videos public, since the government doesnt object to written transcripts being released. They also argued that given the notoriety surrounding issues relating to former Secretary Clintons use of a private email server, these individuals are at significant risk of being subjected to unwarranted attention and embarrassment. In addition, the DOJ lawyers said making the deposition videos public would harm the State Departments ability to recruit, hire, and retain talented individuals to work among its career ranks. Among those to be deposed are: Susan Rice, former national security adviser to President Barack Obama; former senior Obama White House aide Ben Rhodes; FBI counterintelligence division Assistant Director E.W. Priestap; Monica Hanley, former personal aide to Clinton; former Clinton deputy chief of staff Jacob Sullivan; and former Clinton senior adviser Heather Samuelson. Depositions of Rice, Rhodes, Priestap and Hanley were to be done via them responding to written questions from Judicial Watch. The March 11 motion would apply most immediately to scheduled depositions of Justin Cooper, described by Judicial Watch as a former aide to [former President] Bill Clinton who reportedly had no security clearance and is believed to have played a key role in setting up Hillary Clintons non-government email system, and Clarence Finney, described as deputy director of the Executive Secretariat staff who was the principal advisor and records management expert in the Office of the Secretary responsible for control of all correspondence and records for Hillary Clinton and other State Department officials. The motion is the latest move by federal officials in response to Judicial Watchs long-running Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) suit, which seeks documents linked to Secretary of State Clintons use of a private email server for official business from 2009 to 2013 and to her actions regarding the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Rhodes has refused to comply with the courts deposition order. Cooper, who was represented by private counsel, separately filed a motion that video of his deposition not be made public, citing arguments like those made by DOJ. Judicial Watch originally filed the suit in July 2014 after the State Department failed to respond by the legal deadline to the nonprofits document request in the case. This case led to public disclosure of Clintons private email system in 2015. In a response filed March 25, Judicial Watch argued that the DOJs concerns are nothing more than sheer speculation and noted that Cooper, a longtime close aide to President Clinton, hypothesizes that release of his deposition video would result in unwarranted harassment or embarrassment. While failing to offer any specific reason for this concern, Mr. Cooper also does not mention that he previously testified before Congress on this specific matter and that a video recording of his testimony is widely available on the Internet and has been for some years. Despite video of Coopers testimony being on the internet, he didnt cite any examples of harassment that resulted. Judicial Watch also noted that Finney, like Cooper, has testified at length before Congress and that video of his testimony has been available on the internet for years, without harming his privacy interest. A DOJ spokesman declined The Epoch Times request for a response to the Fitton statement. Contact Mark Tapscott at mark.tapscott@epochtimes.nyc A sign on an insurance store advertises Obamacare in San Ysidro, San Diego, California, U.S., Oct. 26, 2017. (Mike Blake/Reuters) Justice Department Determines Obamacare Is Unconstitutional The Department of Justice has determined that Obamacare is unconstitutional, according to a federal court filing submitted by Assistant Attorney General Joseph Hunt on March 25. In the brief letter (pdf), Hunt states that the Justice Department now fully concurs with a Texas judges ruling last year that found the entire Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. Judge Reed OConnor from Fort Worth, Texas, ruled on Dec. 14 that the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, has become unconstitutional after Congress repealed the individual mandate as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. At the time, the Justice Department only partially concurred with OConnors ruling. The March 25 letter changes the governments position to full support of the judges ruling. The Department of Justice has determined that the district courts judgment should be affirmed, Hunt wrote. The lawsuit is currently before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, one of the most conservative circuit courts in the nation. From there, it would head to the Supreme Court. President Donald Trump promised to repeal Obamacare on the campaign trail. He praised OConnor decision in December. Wow, but not surprisingly, ObamaCare was just ruled unconstitutional by a highly respected judge in Texas. Great news for America! Trump wrote on Twitter. Republicans in Congress attempted to repeal Obamacare in 2017 but were thwarted by the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who voted against the repeal despite having made a campaign promise to get rid of Obamacare. Trump has fumed over McCains move in recent weeks. The White House 2020 budget says that Obamacare should be replaced with fixed grants that would allow states to determine their own health care spending, according to The Washington Times. After falling short of a full repeal, Republicans slashed the individual mandate from Obamacare, which required taxpayers who do not have insurance to pay a fine. Chief Justice John Roberts ruled in 2012 that the mandate is a tax, making the ACA constitutional. Republican state attorneys general saw the mandates repeal as an Achilles heel of the entire ACA because the Supreme Courts decision upholding the ACA hinged entirely on the individual mandate. The debate of the lawsuit continues to be a simmering political issue. Democrats argue that Republicans dont have a plan in the event the lawsuit succeeds. Republicans have long lambasted Obamacare as a bloated government failure. The debate was pivotal during the 2018 midterms, with most Democrats running on a platform of defending Obamacare. While Democrats retook the House of Representatives, Republicans expanded their majority in the Senate. Josh Hawley, one of the attorneys general in the lawsuit against Obamacare, defeated then Sen. Claire McCaskill and is now a senator representing Missouri. Most of the Democrats running for president in 2020 are embracing Medicare for All, a socialist policy with Marxist roots, which goes beyond Obamacare by eliminating all private health insurance and handing the government near-total control of the health care industry. One estimate pegs the 10-year cost of Medicare for All at $32 trillion, roughly half the size of the entire projected United States budget for the next 10 years. Liberals Deny Second Committee Request to Investigate Political Interference OTTAWAThe Liberal majority on the House of Commons ethics committee have voted down a motion backed by Conservatives and New Democrats that would have seen former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould and former Treasury Board president Jane Philpott testify about SNC-Lavalin controversy. The coverup continues, Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre said after the meeting ended. Wilson-Raybould told the justice House of Commons justice committee last month that she was pressured by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his senior advisers and senior advisors to the finance minister, to overrule the decision by the director of public prosecutions not to negotiate a remediation agreement with SNC-Lavalin rather than proceed to a criminal trial on fraud charges. She believes she was shuffled out of justice in January because she wouldnt change her mind. Trudeau has denied anything improper occurred but has been unable to change the channel from the saga that has badly hurt his public image. He said the whole thing boils down to a breakdown in trust between him, his aides, and Wilson-Raybould. During the almost two-hour-long meeting Tuesday, Conservatives and New Democrats urged their Liberal colleagues to put partisan issues aside and agree to have the ethics committee take on the probe after the Liberals ended the justice committees investigation last week. Liberal MP Nathaniel Ermine-Smith, who voted in favour of an NDP motion in February to hold a public inquiry on the matter, said at the ethics committee Tuesday a new probe may only result in relitigating what has already been said at the unless the two former cabinet ministers were granted wider waivers to testify on the issue. Trudeau has not indicated any willingness to do that saying the waivers were already unprecedented and allowed for the facts relevant to the matter at hand to be made public. The justice committee heard from 10 witnesses over five meetings but opposition parties say Wilson-Raybould named 11 people who she felt crossed the line and all of them should be asked to testify. Only two of those people were among the witnesses the justice committee did hear from. The Epoch Times contributed to this report. A Miami University student was hit 15 times on the buttocks, which caused cuts and bruises in a hazing incident that happened on March 16. (Animone123/Pixabay) Miami University Student Hazed, Hit by Paddle With Spikes A Miami University student was hit with a paddle with spikes and grooves, forced to drink large amounts of alcohol and smoke marijuana in a hazing incident involving a now-suspended fraternity, according to a report released on March 25. The report details a hazing incident that occurred on March 16 at the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house, the report said. The student who filed the report said he and other pledges were told they could not leave a mandatory meeting in the fraternity house, even when they requested to leave. The report said the student was hit 15 times on the buttocks, which caused cuts and bruises. People also spit in his face and kicked him, according to the report. Report: Miami student hazed, hit by paddle with spikes https://t.co/1eZMS8PfGj Emily Maxwell (@EmilyWCPO) March 25, 2019 Mental abuse is also noted in the report. The student said he and the other pledges were blindfolded and put in a room for about an hour-and-a-half and forced to listen to scary music. Exposure to loud music for an extended period of time has been characterized by the United Nations as torture. The student was eventually taken to a hospital by an ambulance with a .231 blood alcohol level and released the following morning, according to the report. Hazing has no place within Delta Tau Delta, fraternity CEO Jack Kreman said in a previous news release. Despite intentional effort to educate members through national resources and local volunteer guidance, chapter members chose to treat new members inappropriately. The fraternity has no tolerance for such behavior and those involved will be held accountable. Miami University suspends fraternity after brutal and deplorable hazing complaint https://t.co/VRfMrNZhde HazingPrevention.Org (@PreventHazing) March 24, 2019 Since being suspended, sophomores living in the Delta Tau Delta house have been relocated to residence halls as the university finalizes its investigation, Miami President Gregory Crawford wrote in the letter announcing the fraternitys suspension. Crawford has asked university leaders to review the allegations in the context of the larger Greek community and to make recommendations that can be implemented across all fraternities and sororities. Nothing is off limits in this evaluation, he wrote. WCPO has reached out to the university and the Delta Tau Delta home office for further comment. An investigation has been launch by TCD after reporters from one of the universitys student newspapers planted a recording device outside a students on-campus apartment where an alleged society hazing event was taking place. https://t.co/O7ux0EA4mp TheJournal.ie (@thejournal_ie) March 20, 2019 No-Hazing Policy A national study conducted by the National Collaborative on Hazing Research and Prevention said more than half of the college students involved in clubs, teams, and organizations experience hazing. About 47 percent have experienced hazing before joining college. Alcohol consumption, humiliation, isolation, sleep- deprivation, and sex acts are hazing practices common across student groups, it said. In a note on campus safety and security, Miami University defines its No-Hazing Policy on its website. It says hazing violates the Code of Student Conduct, Ohio state law, and the policies of every fraternity and sorority recognized by Miami University. Micah serves as the Editor of Fraternal Law, monitors the National Anti-Hazing Hotline, and organizes, hosts and presents at the annual National Fraternal Law Conference. Get to know more about Micah on our new website! https://t.co/zapxHExXLC Fraternal Law (@FraternalLaw) March 20, 2019 Coercing another, including the victim, to do any act of initiation into, or as a condition of participation in, a student organization, fraternity or sorority, or activity that causes or creates a substantial risk of causing physical or mental harm to any person is prohibited, Universitys website said. Anyone experiencing hazing can call on the anti-hazing hotline. It is a 24 hours anonymous telephone line for anyone to report a suspected or recent hazing incident to 1-888-668-4293. Epoch Times reporter Venus Upadhayaya contributed to this report. Missing 15-Year-Old California Girl Found Dead, Homicide Officials Investigating After missing California teen Samantha Bustos was found dead in Los Angeles County, sheriffs officials have launched a homicide investigation. Sheriffs officials said she was found dead on March 25 near Dominguez Hills industrial park in Compton, California, about three days after she was last seen, reported KTLA. The station, citing investigators, reported that the 15-year-old girl was found face down and hidden in the bushes. BREAKING NEWS: A body found in an industrial area of Compton has been identified as a 15-year-old girl, investigators said. ABC7 2019325 Bustos also suffered a traumatic injury to her upper body before her death, said officials, without elaborating on the injury. Her cause of death also wasnt released, pending an ongoing investigation. Sheriffs department officials are now trying to obtain surveillance video footage from a business near where her body was discovered. Susan Lainez, her cousin, said she was with friends on the afternoon of March 22 in Compton, but she never made it back home. Just In: A 15-year-old girl who had been missing since Friday has been found dead in Compton. NBC LA 2019325 They believe it happened sometime Saturday evening, said Andy Miller, executive vice president at the National Retail System, a business located near where she was found, according to KTLA. I got a call early this morning that they had found a body on the perimeter of the property, Miller also said. Were cooperating with the police in every way possible. They asked for [security] camera footage over a period of time. By midnight on March 23, her cellphone was shut off after repeated calls were not answered. She was officially reported missing by her family on March 24, officials said. Day and night, we drove around everywhere looking for her and nothing, said Bustos uncle, Junior De Jesus, in the KTLA report. Its very devastating to be dealing with this, De Jesus added to ABC7. My heart breaks right now. Its heartbreaking. Its bad. Homicide Investigation Continues After Discovery of 15-Year-Olds Body in Compton https://t.co/AofmBL1Suw pic.twitter.com/HUQAVqXYbY KTLA 5 Morning News (@KTLAMorningNews) March 26, 2019 They found her and I dont know what to say. I dont have words, Blanca Bautista, the girls mother, told NBC Los Angeles. Her mother said she was last seen in a white Jeep with two young men. They just hurt her, thats what he said. They hurt her bad, Bautista said, without elaborating. I had contact with her best friend, she was asking me if she came home, Victor Lopez, Bustos cousin, elaborated to ABC7. We couldnt find her and we started looking for her Saturday morning. She was only 15! A vigil for Samantha Bustos, she went out on Friday, her body was found with traumatic injuries face down by some bushes of an industrial complex in Compton. know something? Please say something @Univision34LA @LASDJUANITA @LASDHQ #SoloALasOnce pic.twitter.com/PVVa4eB4vi Oswaldo Borraez (@oborraez) March 26, 2019 Bustos grandmother said she was a good student and had a lot of friends while warning other young people to be careful, according to the ABC affiliate. No suspects have been identified in the case. Anyone with information about her case can call the sheriffs department at (323) 890-5500. Her family set up a GoFundMe page to pay for funeral expenses, saying, We ask for your support to raise funds for her funeral expenses. We appreciate any donation. No donation is too small. Thank you. Friends & family of Samantha Bustos are holding a vigil in #Compton where her body was found early this AM. The 15-year-old went missing Friday afternoon. Investigators have not released a cause of death but say Samantha suffered a traumatic injury to her upper torso. @KTLA #RIP pic.twitter.com/kLxvIIkHMY Carlos Saucedo (@Carlos_Saucedo) March 26, 2019 Violent Crime Declined in 2017 In September 2018, the FBI said Americans committed fewer violent and property crimes across the United States in 2017, according to statistics. The violent crime rateincluding offenses such as murder, robbery, and aggravated assaultdropped by almost 1 percent althought it is still about 4 percent above the 2014 rate. The murder rate dropped by 0.7 percent. There were more than 1.2 million violent crimes reported to [the FBI] nationwide in 2017. There was a 0.7 percent decrease in murders and a 4 percent decrease in robberies from 2016 to 2017. Aggravated assaults increased 1 percent in 2017. The FBI began collecting data solely on an updated rape definition last year, and 135,755 rapes were reported to law enforcement in 2017, the agency said. RIP Samantha Bustos Vital https://t.co/vvfYvsV6zp haute (@HauteModeB) March 25, 2019 Of the estimated 17,284 murders in 2017, more than half occurred in larger citieswith populations of more than 100,000. There are fewer than 300 such cities in the United States, and while they account for less than 30 percent of the countrys population, many of them contribute far beyond their share to national crime rates and have done so for years, even decades. While the national murder rate inched down to 5.3 per 100,000 residents, it spiked by 15 percent in Philadelphia, to a rate of more than 20 per 100,000 residents. Columbus, Ohio, saw a massive 54 percent murder rate increase, reaching nearly 16.3 per 100,000 residents. File photo of two turkeys. A hunter harvested an "exceptionally rare" white turkey in Kiln, Miss., on March 16, 2019. (Pixabay) Mississippi Hunter Harvests Exceptionally Rare White Turkey A hunter in Mississippi has taken down what may be one of the most exceptional white turkeys ever harvested, according to USA Today. Hunter Waltman, of Kiln, bagged the rare bird on March 16, one day after the opening of turkey season. Waltman told the Clarion Ledger he had watched the extraordinary specimen since last October. Ive been having him on camera all year since back in October, said Waltman, according to the report. My neighbor told me about him. Color variations certainly exist among wild turkeys, but what this hunter harvested may be among the most unusual ever taken in Mississippi. https://t.co/HPTJ92uLk2 USA TODAY (@USATODAY) March 25, 2019 The Mississippi hunter told the publication his neighbor said the white turkey had been hanging around for three years. The anomalous bird had feathers that were solid white, but a beard that was black. The turkeys spurs and nails were white. The Wait Waltman said he and a fellow hunter Toby Cagle tracked the turkey to where he was roosting and stuff. The two laid in wait until the bird was finished. We watched him run around with the hens for about two hours and he finally bred them, Waltman said. When he got through with the hens he made a B-line straight to us. The Kill The hunter recounted being nervous using a friends gun he was not familiar with. It was at about 60 yards, Waltman said. I was second-guessing myself. I was using my buddys gun and he said it was good at 50 to 60 yards, so I went ahead and shot. The turkey was hit and fell to the ground. Man, it was awesome, Waltman said. I was shaking I was so nervous. It was one of the hardest turkeys Ive ever killed. Waltman estimates the gobbler weighed between 17 and 18 pounds. The Reactions When the story of Waltmans kill was posted on social media, it met with a mix of reactions. Whaaat? This hunter in Mississippi bagged a very rare white wild turkey! wrote WILQ-FM in a Facebook post on the subject, asking With Spring Gobbler season just around the corner, would you shoot it if you saw this while hunting? Whaaat? This hunter in Mississippi bagged a very rare white wild turkey! The turkey plumage was solid white and its WILQ-FM 2019326 I wouldnt shoot it, commented Mel Mingle II. The only shooting i would do is pictures of the turkey. Thats like shooting an albino deer, Rose Andrews contended, adding its rare. Some commenters suggested the bird may have been an escaped domestic turkey. Yes we use to have white turkeys and white peacocks, commented Joyce Stallings. He probably killed someones domestic turkey. All our turkeys were white, but they looked different than wild birds. They all were very heavy and had health issue beyond the first 6 months. They were interesting birds to keep, wrote Eva TC Kovacs. Almost All domestic turkeys are white, wrote Kellie Folks. They are however, very rare in the wild. According to local authorities a white turkey occurs once in several hundred thousand. Oh look! Theres a white turkey! Lets kill him! (There is no justification for such slaughter. None.). Joe McKeever 2019324 This guy likely put in countless hours hunting this bird, wrote Trey McDaniel. He will eat it and have the mount on his wall for his entire life. Most folks buy their meat at the store where its already killed and packaged for them and they never have to look that animal in the eyes. Hunting makes you appreciate your food. Nice kill sir! I shot a turkey yesterday, wrote John Alumbaugh, adding jokingly, You should have seen all the folks on the frozen food aisle run! Evacuees from Buzi vilage carry their belongings as they arrive at a displacement center near the aiport, after Cyclone Idai, in Beira, Mozambique, March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko Mozambique Prepares for Cholera After Cyclone Wreaks Havoc BEIRA, MozambiqueRescue teams in Mozambique moved hundreds of people displaced by Cyclone Idais massive and deadly flooding to safer shelters on March 25, while the government made preparations for a cholera outbreak that it says is inevitable amid the devastation. In areas west of the port city of Beira, hundreds of people were trapped for more than a week after Idai hit, surviving in vast tracts of submerged land with no access to clean water and shrinking food supplies. Water has been slowly receding and there was no rain in Beira on March 25, meaning some roads have become passable. But the size of the disaster zone means getting aid to the most needy is still difficult. We are more organized now, after the chaos that weve had, so were delivering food and shelter to more people today, Land and Environment Minister Celso Correia told reporters. The number of people in makeshift camps had risen by 18,000 to 128,000 since March 24, he said, adding that the government would install a prevention and treatment center for cholera in areas affected by the cyclone. We have a lot of diarrhea, but teams are working on the ground to say whether it is really cholera or not. But as I said there will be cholera, Correia said. In Buzi village, southwest of Beira, Reuters reporters saw hundreds of cyclone victims carrying their few possessions on their heads as they were moved to a displacement center near the airport, where aid agencies have set up tents with access to drinking water. Idai lashed Beira with winds of up to 170 kph (105 mph) on March 14, then tore inland through Zimbabwe and Malawi, flattening buildings and killing at least 686 people across the three countries. United Nations aid chief Mark Lowcock said on March 25 that the world body was appealing for $282 million to fund a response to the disaster in Mozambique for the next three months. This would cover relief including health, water, and sanitation, he told reporters. Mozambique is, we think, the worst hit, but there are very real needs in the other countries as well, said Lowcock, adding that appeals for Zimbabwe and Malawi would be launched in the coming days. Losing Everything The scale of the disaster has meant aid has been slow to arrive. Communities near Nhamatanda, around 100 km northwest of Beira, were due to receive assistance on March 25. On March 24 inhabitants of poor farming communities in that area told Reuters their food had run out and rescuers were yet to reach them. Aid workers distributed maize meal in the Chipinge district of eastern Zimbabwe, where there was no power or piped water. We lost all our perishables after Cyclone Idai, Chipinge resident Kudakwashe Mapungwana said. Since then we have no electricity at all and women are busy buying charcoal which is very expensive. Correia said the death toll in Mozambique remained roughly unchanged at 447 on March 25. Zimbabwes Local Government Minister July Moyo told state radio that the storm had killed 179 people in Zimbabwe, up from a previous government estimate of 154, but that 329 people were still unaccounted for. In Malawi, the death toll from torrential rains and flooding, some of which occurred before the cyclone hit, had risen to 60 from 56, a spokesman at the Ministry of Homeland Security said. The government was sending relief items by train and truck, he said. The death toll in Mozambique could rise steeply as receding floodwaters allow rescuers to access remote areas or if waterborne diseases like cholera gain a foothold. Cholera is spread by feces in sewage-contaminated water or food, and outbreaks can develop quickly in a humanitarian crisis where sanitation systems are disrupted. It can kill within hours if left untreated. The secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said after a visit to Mozambique that the situation there was a ticking bomb as regards waterborne diseases. Elhadj As Sy said: Im raising that alarm because so many of these waterborne diseases are a great risk but they are preventable. By Emma Rumney Migrants from Central America and Cuba walk on a highway during their journey towards the United States, in Tuzantan, Chiapas state, Mexico, on March 25, 2019. (Jose Torres/Reuters) New Migrant Caravan Forms With 700 Cubans, Heads Towards U.S. A new migrant caravan of about 1,500 people has crossed from Guatemala into Mexico on foot and is heading towards the United States, according to reports. The caravan includes a large number of Cuban nationals, which is unusual for such migration initiatives, El Universal reported on Monday, March 25. Recent migrant caravans have primarily consisted of people fleeing Latin American countries, not the Caribbean. Estimates say the caravan could reach the U.S.-Mexico border within several weeks. The 700 Cuban nationals joined the main body of migrants in southern Mexico over the weekend, a Cuban news outlet reported. The remaining caravan members are individuals fleeing El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexican Immigration Agency Shutters Doors Mexicos National Migration Institute told Reuters the migrants were already inside Mexico when they formed a caravan in the southern city of Tapachula on the border with Guatemala. The Daily Wire reported that the strategy of entering Mexico as individuals first before later forming a larger group is a way to thwart efforts by the Mexican government to crack down on migrant caravans trying to penetrate the countrys borders. Early on Saturday, the caravan set off towards the town of Huixtla in the southern state of Chiapas, a route followed by previous groups heading north, the institute said. Caravana de cubanos y centroamericanos descansan en Huehuetan https://t.co/QymDP2sbst pic.twitter.com/UFmb7ntzPd Quadratin Chiapas (@quadratin_chis) March 24, 2019 The Washington Examiner reported that the National Institute of Migration shuttered its office in Chiapas earlier this month, effectively cutting off access to refugee claims for about 2,000 migrants. Rather than remain in Mexico illegally, many of the migrants instead opted to join the caravan and travel to the U.S. to claim asylum. Surge in Illegal Crossings Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security reported a surge in the number of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to an Axios report. So far in March, officials have reported over 20,000 illegal alien apprehensions. Officials told Axios the uptick is driven by an influx of migrant families and unaccompanied children, mostly from Central America. Lean Fresco, an immigration attorney and member of a Homeland Security advisory committee, told the news outlet that much of the border has been effectively rendered useless. At the moment, we have the closest thing to an open border that weve had, said Fresco, adding, unless Congress does something, we are where we are on this. There are no levers left to pull. Border Wall President Donald Trump signed a national emergency declaration on Feb. 15, saying the southern border is in crisis. If youre going to have drugs pouring across the border, if youre going to have human traffickers pouring across the border in areas where we have no protection, in areas where we dont have a barrier, then its very hard to make America great again, Trump said on Feb. 15. Trump declared the emergency after Democrats in Congress blocked efforts to approve the $5.7 billion for a border wall requested by the Department of Homeland Security. Congress appropriated $1.4 billion for border wall construction, far short of Trumps request. The Department of Defense has now shifted $1 billion to plan and build a 57-mile section of pedestrian fencing, roads and lighting along the border between the U.S. and Mexico, the Pentagon chief said on Monday. Last week, the Pentagon gave Congress a list that included $12.8 billion of construction projects for which it said funds could be redirected for construction along the U.S.-Mexico border. Id like to thank all of the Great Republican Senators who bravely voted for Strong Border Security and the WALL, Trump wrote on Twitter on March 15. This will help stop Crime, Human Trafficking, and Drugs entering our Country. Watch, when you get back to your State, they will LOVE you more than ever before! In addition to shifting $3.6 billion by using the emergency declaration, Trump ordered the reallocation of an additional $3.1 billion from the Treasury and Defense departments, which did not require an emergency declaration. Administration Efforts The Trump administration has tried several methods to stem the flow of illegal immigration, saying that while most asylum claims are bogus, the system is being used as an effective way to gain access to the United States and disappear once inside the country. Trump tried to prevent asylum-seekers from the caravan of late 2018 from entering the United States illegally by issuing a Nov. 9 proclamation that illegal border-crossers would be ineligible for asylum. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar blocked Trumps proclamation on Nov. 20, and on Dec. 19, the Supreme Court declined to intervene until the case completes its journey through the lower courts. In May, the administration reintroduced the Bush-era, zero-tolerance policy that meant all adult illegal border crossers were to be prosecuted. The policy caused an uproar when some children were temporarily removed from their parents or adults accompanying them, and Trump walked back the decision. Trump also urged Congress to close loopholes in the asylum system that allow for thousands of meritless claims to swamp the system. In June, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions re-tightened the criteria for asylum to what it was pre-Obama, but U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan blocked that ruling on Dec. 19. Reuters, and Epoch Times staff writers Ivan Pentchoukov and Charlotte Cuthbertson contributed to this report. New Yorks Rockland County Declares State of Emergency Over Measles A county in New York state declared a state of emergency after more than 100 people were diagnosed with measles. Starting at 12 a.m. on March 27, anyone under the age of 18 who hasnt been vaccinated will be barred from public places in Rockland County until getting the MMR vaccineor until the state of emergency expires within 30 days, according to WABC. Its not clear how Rockland County officials will enforce the measure. It comes after 151 cases of measles have been confirmed in Rockland County, which is located in New York Citys metropolitan area. BREAKING: Rockland County is declaring of state of emergency Tuesday over the ongoing measles outbreak and barring unvaccinated minors from public places. ABC7NY 2019326 Officials said that high-risk groups include children under the age of 6 months, pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems, people who havent been vaccinated against measles, and people born before 1957 and have compromised immune systems. We continue to encourage everyone to be up-to-date with the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine to help protect them in case of any future exposure to measles in Rockland, Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert said, WABC reported. Measles is highly contagious, so anyone who is not protected against measles is at risk of getting the disease, and they may spread measles to people who cannot get vaccinated because they are too young or have specific health conditions. Many of the measles cases in New York state have been concentrated among children of Orthodox Jewish families, ABC News reported. Many of the children attend religious schools, and the vaccination rates are below 95 percent, according to ABC. How Many Cases in 2019? So far, in 2019, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 314 individual cases of measles across the United States as of March. The worst year since 2010 was 2014 when 667 cases were reported. The states that have reported cases to CDC are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, the agency said. According to the CDC, an outbreak is defined as three or more cases in jurisdictions. These outbreaks are linked to travelers who brought measles back from other countries such as Israel and Ukraine, where large measles outbreaks are occurring. Make sure you are vaccinated against measles before traveling internationally, it said. Measles is still common in countries all over the world, including some countries in Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and Africa, the CDC said. The last major outbreak in the U.S. was in 2017 when 75 cases were reported in Minnesota in a Somali-American community with poor vaccination coverage, the agency stated. Mandatory? Every state, Washington, and Puerto Rico have their own vaccine requirements to attend public school. As of July 18, 2018, all 50 states and DC require vaccinations for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis; polio; measles and rubella (49 states and DC also require mumps vaccination); and the varicella (chickenpox) vaccination, according to ProCon.org. Another 43 states and DC require hepatitis B vaccination (Alabama, Illinois, Maine, Montana, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Texas do not) to enter kindergarten. Some states require Hib, PCV, flu, and Hep A vaccines to enter kindergarten. Connecticut is the only state to require nine vaccinations. Many states require more vaccines as the children age, for example West Virginia requires the meningitis vaccine at the CDC-recommended age (11-12 years old), according to the outlet. An ISIS terrorist flag, foreground lies in a tent encampment after U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters took control of Baghouz, Syria, on March 23, 2019. (Maya Alleruzzo/Photo via AP) Northern Syria Administration Calls for Tribunal for ISIS Detainees BEIRUTThe Kurdish-led administration that runs much of northern Syria called on March 25 for an international tribunal to be set up in their region to try the thousands of suspected ISIS terrorist group members they are detaining. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces on March 23 proclaimed the capture of ISISs last territory in Syria, but no clear international policy has emerged yet about how to deal with the militants it captured there and at other strongholds of the group. We call upon the international community to establish a special international tribunal to prosecute Islamic State terrorists in northern and eastern Syria, the statement said. Thousands of suspected ISIS members and fighters from Syria, Iraq and other countries are now in the of custody by the U.S.-backed group. Its statement argued that the jurisdiction of the courts should be where the criminal act happened and where the offenders were captured in order for there to be a fair trial in line with international law and human rights conventions. The Kurdish-led administration said it had appealed to the international community to take responsibility for the detainees, especially for nations to take back their own citizens. Unfortunately, there was no response or initiatives in this respect, the statement said. The people who left the final enclave at Baghouz, near the Iraq border, have been sent to camps in northeast Syria. One of those, al-Hol, was already overcrowded with uprooted Syrians and Iraqis and camp officials have said they do not have enough tents, food, or medicine. Aid workers warn of spreading disease, and dozens of children have died on the way there. Many foreign governments see the detained suspected militants as a security threat and have been loath to accede to SDF entreaties to repatriate them. By Lisa Barrington NY Gov. Cuomo Rebukes Democrats for Being Too Focused on Attacking Trump Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a recent interview that fellow Democrats are too focused on attacking President Donald Trump and not spending enough time explaining the partys policies. Speaking with WAMC public radio on March 25, Cuomo said, The Democrats have been too focused on Were going to win by just being anti-Trump. He continued, You dont win a game, you dont win an election just on playing on one side of the court. You have to play offensive defense, we win when we offer the alternative vision and thats what the Democrats have to be focusing on and not this Twitter-deep policy and analysis. Gov. Cuomo On WAMCs Roundtable today: https://t.co/1jqKtR0rJu WAMC News (@WAMCNews) March 25, 2019 However, when the radio host Alan Chartock asked Cuomo whether Sen. Kirsten Gillibrands (D-N.Y.) anti-Trump comments at her rally on March 24 was a good move, Cuomo defended Gillibrand. During the event, the senator called Trump a coward, in front of a crowd at Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York City, reported the New York Post. In response to Chartocks question, Cuomo said, Its what were talking about. You need media coverage. You need to come up with something that excites social media. So thats what its become. Chartock then asks, So well take that as a criticism, right? Cuomo quickly denied it, defending Gillibrand by saying, No. look, I believe parts of there you can say that the president has been cowardly on many things. Also during the interview, Cuomo appeared to criticize Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) for frequently attacking Trump on her Twitter. The congresswoman regularly shares anti-Trump comments to her 3.6 million followers on the platform. Where did it happen that we shifted from a really basically substantive conversation to this celebrity, media, social media, Twitter dialogue that is a mile wide and half an inch deep? Cuomo said. Where celebrity and the number of Twitter followers determines whether you were suited for elected office. And if you have more Twitter followers, then youre a more viable candidate. Experience doesnt matter, accomplishments dont matter. Its a degradation of the system. Its a degradation of government. In response, Ocasio-Cortezs spokesman Corbin Trent told the Post that they do not believe Cuomo was referring to the congresswoman. He must be talking about somebody else. Shes not a mile wide and an inch deep shes very in-depth when it comes to policy. I couldnt imagine hed be talking about her, Trent said. https://t.co/i2ABaTmNk3 Rush Transcript: Governor Cuomo is a Guest on The Roundtable with Alan Chartock PressReleasePoint (@prpnews) January 29, 2019 Special Counsel Report Cuomo also made comments about special counsel Robert Muellers report, saying, Its a moment where the Democrats have to focus. Well, they didnt say no obstruction, yeah, but theyre not charging him with anything. And that is going to have a certain resonance, Cuomo said. And thats why just being anti-Trump is not going to be enough to win the election and I hope the Democrats get that. And not coming up with anti-Trump slogans or anti-Trump policies. The governor called for the report to be released as much as possible, saying I think its in everyones best interest, frankly. The four-page summary (pdf) of special counsel Robert Muellers report was sent to the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate judiciary committees. In the letter, Attorney General William Barr said Muellers investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. It also concluded that the special counsel didnt provide enough evidence to substantiate that the president obstructed justice. Ohio Defunds Planned Parenthood The Ohio Department of Health is terminating grants and contracts that send money to Planned Parenthood after a federal appeals court upheld a state law that blocks public money from the organization since it provides elective abortions. The department notified recipients and contractors on March 21 that it will cut funding within a month to comply with the law unless the court delays the effect of its ruling as Planned Parenthood requested. The department said the law requires it to ensure state and certain federal funds arent used to perform or promote nontherapeutic abortions. The law targeted funding that Planned Parenthood receives through the Ohio Department of Health. That money is mostly from the federal government. The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on March 12 that the Ohio law barring Planned Parenthood from receiving public funds is constitutional. The majority of the judges sided with the state (pdf), concluding that the two Planned Parenthood affiliates that challenged the state law do not have a due process right to perform abortions under the constitution. Taxpayers are overwhelmingly opposed to their money being used to perform abortions. Three in four American adults surveyed by Marist Poll in January said theyre against funding abortions with tax dollars. The same poll found that 84 percent of Americans support restrictions on abortion. President Donald Trump signed a bill into law in 2017 which prohibits Planned Parenthood and other entities that commit abortion from receiving federal Title X funds. The bill was drafted to reverse President Barack Obamas executive order that granted the funds to the abortion industry. Obama had previously vetoed a bill that would defund Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood contributed to Obamas campaign. The Trump administration also approved a Title X rule change in February that could cut Planned Parenthood funding by up to $60 million. The rule required health care providers to be physically separated from abortion providers in order to be eligible for federal funds. Fifteen states had defunded Planned Parenthood by the end of 2016, according to data reviewed by The Daily Signal, a media arm of the conservative Heritage Foundation. Planned Parenthood performs more than one-third of all abortions in the United States, at a rate of more than 900 abortions per day, according to its annual report. In late 2017, the Department of Justice asked for documents related to a Senate committees report on the transfer of fetal tissue by abortion provider Planned Parenthood. The Department of Justices investigation will likely revive the controversy over fetal tissue transfers, which was sparked by videos released by the Center for Medical Progress in 2015. The videos showed Planned Parenthood officials negotiating prices for fetal tissues collected from abortions. Planned Parenthood argued that the videos were deceptively edited, but the 5th Circuit Court rejected the abortion corporations talking point in January, ruling that the videos were authentic and not deceptively edited. The federal circuit court noted that Planned Parenthood executives have admitted to illegally altering abortion procedures and circumventing the partial-birth abortion ban in order to procure intact aborted baby bodies for greater profit. In one example, Planned Parenthood abortionists would sign a form stating that they did not intend to retrieve an intact fetus, purportedly to circumvent federal statutes. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Thomas Goodman, 45, was sentenced to 260 years behind bars during a hearing at a court in Rhode Island, on March 22, 2019. (Rhode Island State Police) Pedophile Collapses in Court as Judge Announces 260 Years for Horrific Child Abuse A pedophile convicted of heinous crimes including the production of child pornography fainted in a Rhode Island courtroom as he was jailed for 260 years. Thomas Goodman, 45, collapsed onto a table inside the Providence courtroom on March 22 as a judge announced a sentence 160 years longer than prosecutors had called for, according to the Providence Journal. U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell handed down the sentence, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorneys Office District of Rhode Island. Prosecutors said Goodman had admitted to producing child pornography involving prepubescent children on multiple occasions over a period of more than ten years. Goodman also admitted to having had sexual contact with at least three prepubescent females, according to the statement. In the course of the investigation, detectives found that at least 62 of the videos and 135 of the images of child pornography Goodman produced involved young children. Investigators determined Goodman created the pornographic material between September 2007 and February 2018, according to the attorneys office. Judge McConnell ruled Goodman must serve out the 260-year sentence in a federal prison. This article was updated on March 29, 2019. Salvadoran illegal aliens wait for a transport to arrive after turning themselves into U.S. Border Patrol by border fence under construction in El Paso, Texas, on March 19, 2019. (Paul Retje/AFP/Getty Images) Pentagon Authorizes $1 Billion for Border Wall Construction The Department of Defense notified Congress on March 25 that it has authorized the transfer of $1 billion toward the construction of a wall on the U.S.Mexico border. The Pentagon sent a budget reprogramming notice to Congress detailing the reallocation of $1 billion toward the construction of 57 miles of the border, road improvements, and other measures. The Pentagon authorized the Army Corps of Engineers to begin construction March 25. According to the press release, the corps will build 18-foot high fencing in the Yuma and El Paso sections of the border. El Paso has seen a 500 percent surge in illegal alien apprehensions this fiscal year. Underscoring the scale of the surge, border patrol agents in El Paso caught more than 400 illegal aliens in the span of five minutes on March 19. Last month, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on the southwest border, which enabled him to redirect Department of Defense funds toward border wall construction. In addition to the emergency funds, Trump ordered the transfer of funds from the Treasury Departments forfeiture fund and the Pentagons counterdrug activity purse. The $1 billion authorized on March 25 is coming from the counterdrug activity pot, which Trump ordered to be augmented to a total of $2.5 billion. The funds will ultimately flow from the Department of Homeland Security to the Army Corps of Engineers. Senate Democrats immediately moved to protest the transfer. The Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committees subcommittees on Defense and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and related agencies sent a letter to Shanahan objecting to the transfer. The Democrats argue that Shanahan directed the transfer without permission from Congress. We strongly object to both the substance of the funding transfer, and to the Department implementing the transfer without seeking the approval of the congressional defense committees and in violation of provisions in the defense appropriation itself, the letter states. As a result, we have serious concerns that the Department has allowed political interference and pet projects to come ahead of many near-term, critical readiness issues facing our military. The letter was signed by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and Tom Udall (D-N.M.). The White House so far has secured $8.1 billion toward border wall construction. Of the total, $1.4 billion was approved by Congress, $3.1 billion was reallocated from other departments, and $3.6 billion was made available under the emergency declaration. In March, the number of illegal aliens apprehended and turned away at the southwest border continued to climb to levels unseen for years. From December 30, 2018, to March 17, more than 23,000 illegal aliens were arrested or turned away at the border, more than double the total turned away or arrested during each of the previous four years, according to DHS data obtained by Axios. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has released more than 100,000 illegal alien family members so far this year. Many are arriving in large groups at the border, a new trend. The number of illegal aliens could reach 1 million this year. Petr Svab contributed to this report. People walk past a sign board of Huawei at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) Asia 2016 in Shanghai, China on May 12, 2016. (Aly Song/Reuters) Pentagon Eyeing 5G Solutions With Huawei Rivals Ericsson and Nokia WASHINGTONAs the United States further pushes to separate itself from Chinese telecommunications equipment maker Huawei Technologies, the Pentagon is laying the groundwork to use technology from rivals Nokia and Ericsson in its 5G development plans, a Pentagon official said on March 25. I am not sure we are going to have a total U.S. solution, Ellen Lord, the Department of Defenses under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said. We are talking to Ericsson, we are talking to Nokia quite a bit. Simultaneously, the United States is laying the groundwork to develop its own technology to support 5G enabled communications, said Lord, who is the Pentagons chief weapons buyer. The United States has lobbied Europe to shut out Huawei, saying its equipment could be used by the Chinese regime for espionage. Huawei has strongly rejected the allegations and earlier this month sued the U.S. government over the issue. Huawei says it has filed a complaint in a federal court in Texas challenging the constitutionality of Section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a section signed into law in August that bans federal agencies and their contractors from procuring Huawei and ZTE equipment. According to the complaint, Huawei views Section 889 as a roadblock to it gaining more market share in the U.S. telecoms market. Lord said that military-to-military discussions about future 5G networks were going well for the United States. On the military side, there is actually a huge dialog going on about what is the path forward, Lord said. We have frankly seen a lot of our European allies leaning forward to work with us on that. Denmarks biggest telecommunication provider TDC Group announced on March 18 that it has chosen Ericsson over Huawei for the construction of its 5G infrastructure. The partnership with Ericsson will begin April 1 and will run until the end of 2024. According to Danish Broadcasting Corporation, Danish Defense Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen previously voiced security concerns about Huaweis equipment because of the Chinese tech giants close ties with Beijing. In response to TDCs decision, Lisbeth Bech Poulsen, a member of the Danish Parliament, stated that she was pleased with the decision, as safety is the most important thing, according to another DR article. She added that Huawei, as a Chinese company, is committed by [Chinese] law to cooperate with intelligence agencies in China. Beijing has a number of regulations in place, as well as broad powers, to demand that Chinese companies hand over customer data. For example, the National Security Law passed in June 2017 requests that any organization and citizen should support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence work, and keep secret any such work known to them. By Mike Stone. Epoch Times reporter Frank Fang contributed to this report. US Cracks Down on Backdoor Funding Schemes for Abortions Abroad Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the Trump administration will expand on existing anti-abortion policies with the addition of a new rule that prohibits U.S.-funded organizations from aiding foreign groups that support abortion. Speaking to reporters on March 26, Pompeo said the United States will crack down on these non-governmental organizations. At the same time, he said they are fully enforcing federal law to prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars to lobby for or against abortion. As a result of my decision today, we are also making clear, we will refuse to provide assistance to foreign NGOs that give financial support to other foreign groups in the global abortion industry, Pompeo said. We will enforce a strict prohibition on backdoor funding schemes American taxpayer dollars will not be used to underwrite abortions. Today, @SecPompeo made two announcements to the press about the State Departments ongoing efforts to ensure that U.S. taxpayer dollars are not used to subsidize or promote abortions. pic.twitter.com/DKMjSixZnN Department of State (@StateDept) March 26, 2019 President Donald Trump expanded the so-called Mexico City policy in 2017 that ensured taxpayer dollars are not used to support foreign NGOs that perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning. The new rule expands on this further. Pompeo said Trumps work on the anti-abortion policy two years ago now protects every human life impacted by the nearly $9 billion of foreign aid we spend on global health programs each year. He noted that the vast majority of partners have complied with the 2017 policy and continue to work with the administration. He said the Trump administration protects more unborn babies around the world than ever before. This is decent. This is right, Pompeo added. In his briefing, Pompeo also noted that the United States will cut funding to the Organization of American States (OAS) as part of the expanded rule, over reports that the organization helped support a pro-choice group. The OAS brings together all 35 independent states of the Americas and constitutes the main political, juridical, and social governmental forum in the hemisphere, according to their website. In light of recent evidence of abortion-related advocacy by an organ of the Organization of American States, I directed my team to include a provision in foreign assistance agreements with the OAS that explicitly prohibits the use of funds to lobby for or against abortion, he told reporters. The institutions of the OAS should be focused on addressing crises in Cuba, Nicaragua, and in Venezuela, not advancing the pro-abortion cause. And to ensure that our message is heard loud and clear, we will reduce our contributions to the OAS. Pompeo echoed the remarks Trump made last month at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, with the secretary pledging that the administration will do everything they can to protect and respect the sanctity of life for people all around the globe. The expansion comes as a number of states are considering increasing restrictions on abortion. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, a Republican, signed a bill on March 21 that bans abortions in the state after a fetal heartbeat is detected. That typically takes place around six weeks after conception. The Mississippi law is one of the strictest in the nation, and lawmakers in Georgia, South Carolina, and Ohio are among the states also mulling the passage of heartbeat bills. Any physician that violates the new law faces license revocation or disciplinary action. Pro-life advocates were quick to praise Pompeos policy expansion. Alison H. Centofante, the director of External Affairs at Live Action, a national pro- life and human rights organizations in America, said it was a win for Americans. Thank you SecPompeo for your leadership in ensuring no taxpayer dollars are funding abortion! she wrote in part on Twitter. The President of March For Life, a peaceful annual rally advocating against abortion had similar reactions to the expansion. March for Life is grateful to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for his announcement today that the Department will more fully implement the Protecting Life in Global Health Policy, Jeanne Mancini said in a statement. She continued Taxpayer dollars should not fund abortion here or abroad, and respecting the inherent dignity of the unborn person goes hand in glove with our countrys foreign assistance and humanitarian work. Speaking to religious leaders at the 67th annual National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 7, Trump told the audience that he will safeguard faith-based adoption centers and reiterated his pro-life stance. As part of our commitment to building a just and loving society, we must build a culture that cherishes the dignity and sanctity of innocent human life, Trump said. All children, born and unborn, are made in the holy image of God. Every life is sacred, and every soul is a precious gift from Heaven, he said. "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett (C), arrives at Leighton Criminal Court Building for a hearing to discuss whether cameras will be allowed in the courtroom during his disorderly conduct case, Chicago on March 12, 2019. (Matt Marton/AP Photo) Prosecutor: Charges Against Empire Actor Jussie Smollett Dropped Jussie Smollett, the Empire actor who allegedly faked a hate crime against himself and blamed it on supporters of President Donald Trump, saw all the charges against him dropped on March 26. Smollett claimed that he was attacked by two white men on Jan. 29 in downtown Chicago but police later arrested two black Nigerian-Americans for attacking the actor. Those men told officers that Smollett paid them to pull off a hate crime hoax. The actor was indicted on 16 felony counts. But prosecutors asked a judge to drop the charges against the actor on Tuesday before the judge granted both the request and a motion to seal the case, reported Charlie De Mar of CBS Chicago and Madeline Buckley of the Chicago Tribune. Breaking: Charges dropped in case against Jussie Smollett. @cbschicago Charlie De Mar (@CharlieDeMar) March 26, 2019 Judge granted a motion to seal the case. @cbschicago Charlie De Mar (@CharlieDeMar) March 26, 2019 A spokeswoman for Smollett added that his record will be fully expunged. A source with the Chicago Police Department told Rafer Weigel of Fox 32 that State Attorney Kim Foxxs office was dropping the charges because Smollett already did community service. It wasnt clear when he did the community service. My #CPD tip says SA Kim Foxxs office is dropping the charges against #JussieSmollett because he already did community service. Its unclear when he actually did that community service. Rafer Weigel (@RaferWeigel) March 26, 2019 Smollett outside of court after judge granted states motion to drop charges pic.twitter.com/vhADCYNOHl Madeline Buckley (@Mabuckley88) March 26, 2019 An attorney for the actor said in a statement: Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified & made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false & inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgment. Police officials said in February that a weekslong investigation led to Abel and Ola Osundairo, who after being arrested told detectives that Smollett instructed them to buy some items and even rehearsed the alleged attack before the trio carried it out on Jan. 29. And prosecutors with the Cook County State Attorneys Office said soon after that Smollett gave the brothers specific instructions, including telling one that he should yell, this is MAGA country, implicating supporters of President Trump, while telling the other that he should attack him, but not hurt him too badly. They punched him a little but as far as we can tell, the scratches and bruises on his face were likely self-inflicted, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said at a press briefing on Feb. 21. In a statement on Tuesday, the Cook County office said: After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollets volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition & appropriate resolution. From NTD News Romania, Honduras Recognize Jerusalem as Israels Capital The content is not available due to expiration. This file image shows trains at an unnamed location in Russia. (Pixabay) Russian Teenager Killed by Freight Train as She Took Selfie on Tracks A Russian schoolgirl was killed when a freight train ran over her as she tried to take selfies on the train tracks near her home. The girl is reported to be 15 or 16, according to the local transportation authorities, which said she was born in the year 2003. British tabloids citing EastWest news agency have named her as 15-year-old Karina Baymukhambetova. She was hit by a freight train in the town of Orsk on the evening of March 24, according to authorities. She was accompanied by an unnamed young male relative, who is reported to have been hit by the train but bounced off, unharmed. The quest for extreme selfies and videos to quench the thirst for likes on social media has become a growing problem in Russia in recent years, with dozens of deaths, and a growing trend for videos and images on top of trains. Orsk lies in the more densely populated eastern portion of Russia, just above the border with Kazakstan. Local authorities are investigating the case to see if any criminal proceedings should be brought. According to local media reports, the driver saw the boy and girl walking on the tracks, where they were trying to get the perfect selfie shot. The driver, seeing two teenagers on the tracks, gave a warning whistle and applied emergency braking, reported Orsk.ru The boy was able to get out of the way in time, bouncing off the side of the train, but the girl was dragged under the wheels. The Daily Mail and the Metro reported that she was cut to pieces. So awful her last words were 'be afraid of nothing in life' to a friend Daily Mail 2019326 Her death prompted an outpouring on local social media, according to Russian media. According to the Daily Mail, Family friend Lena Dzyuba wrote, Such grief. How her mother cried, my heart almost broke into pieces, so awful. Anna Kalamaeva, another family friend told the dead girls 39-year-old mother: Eternal memory to your little angel. Russian authorities were prompted to remind parents again of the dangers of allowing children onto railway tracks in pursuit of selfies. In 2015, Russian authorities issued official warnings as a trend for daredevil selfies and videos took hold, saying a cool selfie could cost you your life. Over 100 people had been injured and 10 killed in death-defying stunts gone wrong, including a woman wounded by a gunshot and two men who killed themselves blowing up grenades. In October, researchers found that since 2011, there had been 259 documented deaths worldwide from taking selfies. The research, however, was limited. They believe that the 259 recorded cases to be just the tip of the iceberg, as people brush with death to get the perfect image, falling off boats and over waterfalls. In nearby Ukraine last year a teenager died after his parachute failed to open when he jumped off a 14-story building, according to local reports. The 15-year-old boys mother was watching, together with dozens of onlookers as he threw himself off the building, trusting his life to what some reports describe as a homemade parachute, a crash helmet, and padding on the ground below. The extreme social media stunt was filmed on Dec. 15, 2018, by the onlookers who appeared to have encouraged him. Video footage shows a figure waving his arms atop a building under construction in the eastern city of Makiivka, before launching off the edge with a shout. A parachute can be seen trailing unopened behind him as he accelerates out of sight behind another building, just above the ground. Bus driver Clarissa Neal on Aug. 6, 2018, opened her heart and wallet to encourage students who work hard in class at Northwood High School in Pittsboro, N.C. (Courtesy of Clarissa Neal-Facebook) Straight-A Students Win Big Cash Bonus for Hard Work Ace high school students have taken home a big cash bonus for their diligence and hard work in class. Freshmen Marshall Lennard, Parker Stone, and two other students were pleasantly surprised when they caught the 198 bus, just recently, to Northwood High School in Pittsboro, North Carolina. Bus driver Clarissa Neal had learned the students scored straight-As on their report card and said she would reward them. The next day each student received $100 in cash. Neal dismissed speculation that she may be wealthy and explained her grand gesture was meant to encourage the students to work hard in class. One of the students on the bus said Are you rich? I said No I am not' Neal told WRAL. I did just take the money that I make, and I said I needed to give it to these students because they did so well thats more than money to me, seeing that somebody gets the knowledge that they need to continue and be successful. She has only driven the bus since January and works a second job doing administrative work at a child care center. She said she is not worried about paying her bills because she believes the heavens are taking care of her. I may not have money. I have my health, I have my strength so the Lord it maketh rich, Neal said. I dont have to worry about my bills being paid. They will be paid, I know that because his words say that and I believe that. WOW! Chatham County bus driver gives $100 to students with straight As (fr WRAL) https://t.co/k1m1PTvzjw Chatham Magazine (@chathammagazine) March 25, 2019 Lennard could not believe his eyes when Neal gave him the $100 and greatly appreciated her kindhearted gesture. I thought she was joking at first but when I showed up on Monday it was pretty interesting, he said. I was very grateful and I wasnt really sure if she wanted to give it to me at first but I was very grateful for that offer. Stone was expecting to receive much less than the $100 and will always remember Neal for her generosity. I thought it was going to be like $5, maybe $10 if I was lucky but a very nice lady who likes to reward those who gets good grades, he said. I am not going to forget that. Chatham County bus driver gives $100 to students with straight As :: https://t.co/VJOEtjmA3d https://t.co/qYcpuAa6TI TY OI (@JMCounselor) March 25, 2019 On social media, many people commended Neal for her charitable nature, including her former high school classmate. She is one special lady, Frances Wilson said. The bus driver, Clarissa Neal, and I graduated from high school together. Others were inspired by Neals actions to consider what they could do to help encourage students. If a bus driver can make a sacrifice (because, no they dont make a lot) to provide an incentive for these students, what can others do also? Tara McNeil Smith said. Kim Harrison echoed this view. She cared enough to make the sacrifice, she said. With all that is going on in the news and the world today, can we stop trying to figure out how much they pay drivers in Chatham County and celebrate this member of the village who went the extra mile to encourage our youth to do and be better? Chatham County bus driver gives $100 to students with straight As https://t.co/89tNMVRLiW Beth Morton (@JustBethBSM) March 25, 2019 Supreme Court Considers Deference to FCC WASHINGTONSupreme Court justices questioned the wisdom of allowing regulators to ban faxed solicitations that seek to give away a product for free during oral arguments on March 25, in a case that could have broader implications for telemarketers and political campaigners. A ruling for the sender of the unwanted fax could weaken the administrative state by taking power away from unelected bureaucrats who write and enforce rules interpreting laws approved by lawmakers elected by the American people. Justices Stephen Breyer, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh expressed concern that compelling a lower court to bow to a statutory interpretation the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) fashioned regarding the federal robocall law may jeopardize due process rights by denying petitioners the opportunity to contest the agencys ruling. The court is considering if courts must accept the FCCs interpretation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. In the case, PDR Network LLC of Whippany, New Jersey, sent a single, one-page fax in 2013 to Carlton & Harris Chiropractic Inc. of Huntington, West Virginia, offering a digital eBook copy of the Physicians Desk Reference, free of charge. PDR makes its money from drug companies that pay a fee to have prescription drugs listed in the manual. In 2014, the chiropractors initiated a class-action lawsuit against PDR deeming the fax an unsolicited advertisement contrary to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The TCPA forbids the use of any telephone facsimile machine to send an unsolicited advertisement to another telephone facsimile machine, and creates a private right of action for infringement of the statute or regulations issued under it. PDR argued the fax could not be an unsolicited advertisement because the company was not offering a product for sale. But a 2006 FCC interpretational ruling that PDR deems a bureaucratic overreach held unsolicited facsimile messages that promote goods or services at no cost, such as free magazine subscriptions, catalogs, or free consultations or seminars, are unsolicited advertisements under the TCPAs definition. The trial court applied the first step of so-called Chevron deference analysis in accordance with the principles laid down in the Supreme Courts landmark administrative ruling in Chevron v. NRDC (1984). The high court held in Chevron that while courts must give effect to the unambiguously expressed intent of Congress, where courts find Congress has not directly addressed the precise question at issue and the statute is silent or ambiguous with respect to the specific issue, the question for the court is whether the agencys answer is based on a permissible construction of the statute. On PDRs motion, the trial court dismissed the lawsuit, finding the TCPAs definition of unsolicited advertisement was unambiguous, and therefore it was not required to defer to the FCCs interpretation. In other words, that court found the fax at issue wasnt an unsolicited advertisement under the TCPA. But the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals overruled, determining that according to the Administrative Orders Review Act (commonly called the Hobbs Act) the lower court should have treated the FCC ruling, as opposed to the wording of the TCPA, as authoritative. The Hobbs Act should have prevented the trial court from even reaching the step-one question of Chevron analysis, the circuit court ruled. In its original petition to the Supreme Court, PDR argued [t]his case presents a challenge to the jurisdiction of every court in the nation to interpret and apply the law. The courts review was needed to clarify the jurisdiction of all courts to decide the proper level of deference afforded to interpretive agency guidance. If allowed to stand, the Fourth Circuits jurisdiction-stripping ruling would elevate those agencies identified in the Hobbs Act above even the judiciary; empowering agency orders to trump the courts fundamental province and duty to interpret the law. Although the Trump administration has been pushing regulatory reform and a move away from a powerful administrative state, in this case, it sided with the FCC mandarins. Rachel Kovner, assistant to the solicitor general, told Kavanaugh the Hobbs Act is far preferable because the United States gets to be a party. If its from a rule-making, youre going to have the opportunity for other affected parties to participate to explain why they think the rule should or shouldnt be changed. But such a process may be unfair because someone acting based on the plain wording of the statute could later be tripped up when regulators apply a new meaning to the same language, Kavanaugh implied. In that case, you could be subject to millions in liability without ever having an opportunity to say that the rule is illegal, the courts newest justice said. The Curtain Has Been Pulled BackRevealing the True Collusion Commentary The entire country was trapped in a nightmare for the past two years as it was tirelessly and relentlessly repeated that President Donald Trump was a traitor who was working on behalf of the Russians. This theme was hammered home endlessly by most of the broadcast news networks and in the print media. Ever since Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election to Trump, Democrats in Congress, the media, and several Spygate plotters hired to be political commentators colluded to sell to the American public one of the biggest hoaxes in world history: that Trump only won the election due to cheating with the help of a foreign power. And now, its over. The end of the Mueller special counsel investigation has pulled back the curtain and exposed the awful truth. Behind the curtain, at long last, there was nothing. As in the classic film The Wizard of Oz, despite all the fearful appearances and doom-crying promises, in the end, Robert Mueller came out and the Great And Powerful Prosecutor himself admitted there was no evidence of collusion. All these people were either lying or were being misled, and the consequences of all this are staggering. How could so many people get so much so disastrously wrong for so long? This wasnt some brief here-today-gone-tomorrow news story the reporters just happened to get wrong. This was the major news topic that transfixed the entire nation for more than 24 months. News organizations won awardsincluding Pulitzer Prizesfor their coverage of what now has turned out to be a chimeric mirage. The mainstream media got so much wrong on the Spygate scandal during the past two years that its hard to figure out where to begin this reckoning. But Ill take a shot at it. Steele Dossier The Steele dossier was always a massive fraud. Anyone who read it in a discerning fashionrather than just dumbly swallowing what it claimedcould easily see that. Yet, despite the manifest absurdities in the dossier, for more than two years, news media organizations frantically and breathlessly published one Fake News story after another based on it. Former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page was alleged to have been a key Russian agent in a massive plot to subvert the 2016 election, with crucial help from people such as then-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former Trump Organization lawyer Michael Cohen. Media outlets hawked absurd stories about Manafort sneaking into one of the most secure buildings in the world to supposedly meet with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and about Cohen being in Prague to pay off the hackers of Democratic National Committee emails. Despite plenty of evidence out there showing that these claims were bogus, media outlets pressed on with them. McClatchy, BuzzFeed News, and several other media outlets made increasingly desperate attempts to rehabilitate the Steele dossier, trashing their own credibility in the process. The crack team of highly motivated Democratic partisans who comprised the Mueller special counsel office, who had been given a super-wide scope within which to search, couldnt indict a single person on any of the allegations found in the Steele dossier. Even Page, the person the FBI swore before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) was at the very center of all this TrumpRussian collusion, came away with no criminal charges whatsoever. Thats exactly as I predicted months ago, in a column here at The Epoch Times entitled They Dont Have Anything on Carter Page, And They Never Did. Hopefully, the final release of Muellers report will at last lay to rest all of this media serial fabulism based on a fake dossier that came straight from the Clinton campaign. Trump Tower Meeting These same Fake News outlets spent more than a year and a half confidently pontificating that the June 9, 2016, Trump Tower meeting between Trump campaign members and two Russian lobbyists was a clear-cut, open-and-shut case of collusion. It was asserted confidently by numerous media journalists and pundits that just on the basis of this meeting alone, Mueller would easily be able to send Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and Manafort to prison. This was despite the fact that the two Russians at that meeting were both connected to Fusion GPSthe company hired by the Clinton campaign and the DNC to produce the Steele dossier. Natalia Veselnitskaya and Rinat Akhmetshin were both known associates of Fusion GPS and its co-founder, Glenn Simpson. In fact, Veselnitskaya met with Simpson shortly before and immediately after the Trump Tower meeting. Fusion GPS had been hired on behalf of Russians to lobby against the Magnitsky Act. After having set up the Trump Tower meeting, based on the false pretense of having damaging information on Clinton that she didnt actually possess, Veselnitskaya quickly turned the purpose of the Trump Tower meeting tosurprise!lobbying the Trump campaign team members against the Magnitsky Act. Not surprisingly, when he realized the true purpose of the meeting, Donald Trump Jr. quickly ended it and left. The only information that changed hands was the same anti-Magnitsky Act flyer that Veselnitskaya and Akhmetshin had been passing around the Washington area for some time. The mainstream media simply glossed over these pertinent facts and went on prattling at length about the manifest Russian collusion this meeting represented. They were just so darn sure that Mueller was going to make multiple indictments from this meeting alone. And yet again, just as with the Steele dossier, the number of indictments Mueller made, based on this over-hyped Trump Tower meeting, is: zero. Flipped Trump Associates Major media outlets spent months publishing news reports, based on sources that were supposedly inside or super-close to the Mueller special counsel office, that claimed former Trump associates Michael Flynn, Cohen, and Manafort had flipped and were all singing like canaries about all the supposed Russian collusion theyd been a part of. Rest assured, we were all repeatedly informed by serious journalists in both television and print media that Mueller was meticulously compiling mountains of evidence of collusion that would soon come crashing down on the Trump presidency. And now here we are. Every single story alleging that these special counsel targets had flipped and were informing against Trump was absolutely false. Where Are The Retractions? Thus far, I havent seen any retractions whatsoever of all the Fake News many of these media outlets inundated their audiences with in a never-ending flood. A professional media company would correct the record. So where are the corrections so far? After having gotten this story so completely and totally wrong, will any of these news outlets now publicly retract the many articles and editorials and think pieces they published that pushed all these false collusion claims? Is there any ethics at all or accountability left in the mainstream news industry? A very curious American public watches and waits. Brian Cates is a writer based in South Texas and author of Nobody Asked For My Opinion But Here It Is Anyway! He can be reached on Twitter @drawandstrike. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto (L), President Donald Trump (C), and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sign the USMCA agreement in Buenos Aires on Nov. 30, 2018. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images) Tough Road Ahead Likely for Passage of USMCA WASHINGTONWhile Democrats are skeptical about the new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada, President Donald Trump is confident that the U.S. lawmakers will vote for it soon. Otherwise, there would be no free trade deal, he warned. Thats going very well, Trump said, referring to the U.S.MexicoCanada trade agreement (USMCA) that replaces the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). I think that it should get approved pretty quickly by Congress because it is a great deal, Trump told Fox Businesss Maria Bartiromo in an interview on March 22. If the Democrats dont vote for it, he said, maybe you go pre-NAFTA. NAFTA was one of the worst trade deals ever made. After signing the trade deal on Nov. 30 last year, Trump said he would give formal notice to the U.S. Congress to terminate NAFTA. He also gave U.S. lawmakers six months to approve the USMCA. Lawmakers could choose between approving the new deal and returning back to pre-NAFTA trade rules, he said. Democrats, who now control the House, already have indicated they wont vote for the agreement. They have called for stronger enforcement provisions for labor and environmental standards. Some also hesitate to hand Trump a political victory by approving the deal. It looks like its going to be very difficult to get the votes in the House to approve, Stephen Moore, a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation and former economic adviser to Trumps 2016 presidential campaign. We may not even get Nancy Pelosi to bring it up for a vote. So Im really concerned about that. He suggested that Trump should go back to NAFTA until the USMCA gets approved. Going back to pre-NAFTA, he warned, would be a very bad idea, as it would hurt the economies of all three countries. We need the trade routes open and free between Canada, the United States, and Mexico, he said. And if Congress fails to approve it, Trump could use that as a weapon in the elections and tell American people that Democrats blocked a good deal, he said. The USMCA, signed by the leaders of the United States, Mexico, and Canada, must be approved by the congresses of each country to take effect. The USMCA maintains tariff-free access to Mexico for American exporters. And for Canada, it provides tariff-free access for 99 percent of U.S. goods and lifts some barriers facing U.S. dairy and poultry exports. The congressional work on the deal will start next month with a study by the U.S. International Trade Commission to analyze the economic effects of the deal. The Mexican government has agreed to amend its labor law to comply with the agreement, which is expected to happen in April as well. Mexicos ambassador to the United States, Martha Barcena, reaffirmed this commitment in a speech in February. Unions Oppose the Deal The AFL-CIO, the largest U.S. federation of labor unions, echoes complaints from Democratic lawmakers. The labor federation argues that the new NAFTA has some modest improvements but it requires strong labor rules and enforcement mechanisms. The AFL-CIO said in a statement on March 14 that it wouldnt back the congressional passage of USMCA unless Mexico fully reforms its labor laws to conform to the deal. The new NAFTA does little to stop the continued outsourcing of U.S. jobs to Mexico across all sectors, the AFL-CIO said, adding that the companies would continue to close plants and hurt workers. The USMCA contains new rules of origin on cars, which incentivize the use of high-wage labor in auto manufacturing. The treaty requires a significant portion of the content of autos to be made by workers earning $16 an hour. This provision aims to boost production in the United States and Canada, since the average manufacturing wage in Mexico is significantly lower than $16. The agreement also requires all trading partners to comply with International Labor Organization labor-rights standards. For example, the agreement requires Mexico to make it easier for workers to have unions and collective bargaining rights. It also states that each country should provide acceptable conditions of work, with respect to minimum wages, hours of work, and the health and safety of workers. These labor provisions mainly target Mexico and will make U.S. and Canadian workers more competitive vis-a-vis Mexican workers. Businesses, Farmers Push Congress More than 200 companies and associations representing businesses, manufacturers, and farmers across the country started the USMCA Coalition to help ensure passage of the new trade agreement. The Pass USMCA Coalition, another business advocacy group, recently launched a television and digital advertising campaign highlighting the benefits of the agreement and encouraging voters to urge their congressional representatives to approve the deal. According to a survey conducted by Morning Consult, 51 percent of respondents want Congress to pass USMCA, compared to only 14 percent who oppose approval of the deal. Supporters hope that lawmakers will approve USMCA this summer or at least before the August recess. Some trade experts believe that the USMCA has strong labor rules, which makes the deal an important milestone for international trade. The new deal is a significant accomplishment for Trump, according to Edward Alden, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. In an article originally published in Politico Magazine in October, Alden argued that Trump succeeded in altering the agreement in ways that Democrats and unions for years had longed for. The unions have opposed every major trade deal for the last 40 years, he wrote. But with the new NAFTA [USMCA], President Trump has done more to address their concerns than any Democratic president ever achieved. According to Alden, another win for labor unions is that the deal limits the so-called investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions of NAFTA. ISDS allowed multinationals to sue states that issue new regulations that affect their operations. According to critics, ISDS has been used to challenge workplace protections. Conservatives have also criticized it for challenging U.S. sovereignty. Correction: A previous version of this article published on March 27, incorrectly stated who launched a television and digital advertising campaign. This was done by the Pass USMCA Coalition. The Epoch Times regrets the error. Flame and smoke are seen during an Israeli air strike in Gaza City March 25, 2019. (Mohammed Ajour/Reuters) Truce Reached After Israel, Hamas Gaza Clash GAZA/JERUSALEMIsrael launched air strikes on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza and deployed extra troops to the border on March 25 in response to the longest-range Hamas rocket attack to cause casualties in years. After a day of intense cross-border fighting, Palestinian officials said Egypt had mediated a ceasefire, though the frontier did not remain calm for long. Rocket sirens sounded in southern Israel after the late-night truce was supposed to take effect, sending residents running for shelter. In Gaza, Palestinians reported Israeli planes attacked at least two targets. Hamas, the Islamist terrorist group that rules Gaza, and other smaller Palestinian factions put out a statement that Egypt had mediated a ceasefire even as the rockets were fired. Israeli officials did not comment on whether a truce had been reached. Mondays violence began when seven Israelis were wounded near Tel Aviv by a morning rocket attack. The Gaza health ministry said five Palestinians were later wounded by a wave of retaliatory strikes. Dozens of explosions rocked the coastal enclave and ambulance sirens echoed in the mostly empty streets. In one Gaza neighborhood, people rushed to buy bread in anticipation of a long escalation. The office of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was one of the initial targets hit, although he was likely to have been evacuated in advance. Flame and smoke are seen during an Israeli air strike in Gaza City March 25, 2019. (Mohammed Ajour/Reuters) Gaza extremists fired barrages of rockets into Israel late into the night. Some were shot down by Israeli defenses and others landed in empty areas. The escalation came just two weeks before an election in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting for his political life after a decade in power, campaigning on a tough line against extremist groups. Beset by corruption scandals, he faces a strong challenge from a centrist coalition led by a top general. Netanyahu cut short a visit to the United States, saying he would fly home right after meeting President Donald Trump. Israel will not tolerate this. I will not tolerate this, Netanyahu said. And as we speak Israel is responding forcefully to this wanton aggression. Trump told reporters with Netanyahu at his side that Israel has the absolute right to defend itself. In the last Gaza war in 2014, more than 2,100 in the Strip were killed in seven weeks of fighting. Sixty-six Israeli soldiers and seven civilians in Israel were killed. Hamas Attack Flame and smoke are seen during an Israeli air strike in Gaza City March 25, 2019. (Mohammed Ajour/Reuters) The Israeli military said Hamas launched the rocket that destroyed a house in Mishmeret, a village north of Tel Aviv. There was no claim of responsibility for the early morning attack. The military said Hamas fired the rocket from about 75 miles away, making it the longest-range attack from Gaza causing casualties since the last war in Gaza in 2014. Israel and Hamas have waged three wars since the terrorist group took control of the territory in 2007. Israeli air strikes in retaliation for rockets from Gaza are a frequent occurrence. The two sides have managed to avert all-out war for five years, most recently with the help of Egyptian mediation after a major escalation in November last year. Some of the other initial targets struck in Gaza, likely to have been evacuated, where the internal security office of Hamas, a naval base, a training camp and an insurance office in Gaza city, Palestinian security officials said. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged restraint from both sides and said that, together with Egypt, the United Nations was trying to help defuse the situation. Wide Range of Scenarios An Israeli Apache helicopter releases flares as it flies over the Gaza Strip March 25, 2019. (Mohammed Ajour/Reuters) Israels Magen David Adom ambulance service said it treated seven people after the morning missile strike, including an infant, a 3-year-old boy, a 12-year-old girl and a 60-year-old woman suffering from blast injuries, burns and shrapnel wounds. The Israeli military said it was assigning two brigades to the Gaza area and some reservists were being called up. Reuters journalists saw troops moving toward the border, where the military also closed several roads to civilian traffic. We are prepared for a wide range of scenarios, chief spokesman Ronen Manelis said. Israeli towns near Gaza and Tel Aviv, Israels commercial capital, opened bomb shelters in anticipation of rocket strikes. The rocket attack coincided with tension ahead of the March 30 anniversary of the start of weekly Gaza protests at the frontier in which some 200 Gazans have been killed and thousands wounded by Israeli fire. One Israeli soldier has been killed. Israel says it has no choice but to use deadly force at the protests to prevent extremists from breaching the border fence. Israeli soldiers lean against a concrete barrier block near the border with Gaza, in southern Israel March 25, 2019. (Amir Cohen/Reuters) Gaza is home to 2 million Palestinians, most of them descendants of people who fled or were driven from homes in Israel when it was founded in 1948. The protesters demand the right to return to land from which their ancestors fled. Israel seized Gaza in a 1967 and pulled out its troops in 2005. Since Hamas took over two years later, Israel has maintained a security blockade, along with Egypt, that has reduced Gazas economy to what the World Bank calls a collapse. Netanyahus visit to Washington, after Trump said it was time to recognize Israels sovereignty over the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war, was seen at home as a bid to boost the right-wing Likud leaders chances of a fifth term. Related Coverage Trump Officially Recognizes Golan Heights as Part of Israel At their White House meeting, Trump signed a declaration codifying U.S. recognition of Israels hold on the strategic plateau, a dramatic shift from decades of U.S. policy. Syrias socialist regime called the move a blatant attack on its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Netanyahus election prospects have been clouded by graft allegations against him. He has denied any wrongdoing. By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Jeffrey Heller British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves Number 10 Downing Street for Prime Minister's Questions in Parliament in London, England,on February 13, 2019 . (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images) UK Lawmakers Vote to Seize Control of Brexit for a Day British lawmakers wrested control of the parliamentary agenda from the government for a day in a highly unusual bid to find a way through the Brexit impasse after Prime Minister Theresa Mays EU divorce deal was rejected again. Lawmakers will now vote on a range of Brexit options on March 27, giving parliament a chance to indicate whether it can agree on a deal with closer ties to Brusselsand then try to push the government in that direction. Nearly three years after the 2016 EU membership referendum, and four days before Britain was supposed to leave the bloc, it remains still unclear how, when or even if Brexit will take place, with parliament and the nation still bitterly divided. The vote underlined the extent to which May has lost authority over her own lawmakers and ministers, though she said the government would not be bound by the results of the so-called indicative votes. The government will continue to call for realismany options considered must be deliverable in negotiations with the EU, said a spokesman for the Department for Exiting the European Union. Brexit minister Stephen Barclay had said on Sunday that if parliament took control of the Brexit process, a snap electionwhich the main opposition Labour party would be likely to backcould be the consequence. May too has made clear that she would not implement a proposal that ran counter to her election manifesto, which promised a clean break with the EU. Third Vote on Mays Deal? But while lawmakers may struggle to turn Wednesdays indicative votes into law, if they do reach some kind of a consensus, it would pile pressure on a prime minister who has accused parliament of having no more viable solution than her deal. Mondays vote was put forward by Oliver Letwin, a lawmaker in Mays Conservative Party. The prime minister had earlier admitted that the deal she had agreed with the EU after two years of talks still did not have enough support to pass. May has not ruled out bringing back her deal for a third time this week. Thursday would be the most likely day. The Sun newspaper reported that she had suggested on Sunday that she could resign if that persuaded enough doubters in her party to back her deal. Some of her lawmakers have already publicly urged her to go. Parliament backed Letwins proposal more clearly than had been expected, by 329 votes to 302, helped by three junior ministers who resigned in order to defy the government line. The amendment upends the balance between our democratic institutions and sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent for the future, the Brexit department spokesman said. Sterling rose slightly after the votes but the gains were muted with traders little wiser about when, how, and even if Britain will exit the European Union. No government could give a blank check to commit to an outcome without knowing what it is, May said before the vote. So I cannot commit the government to delivering the outcome of any votes held by this house. Snap Election? Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn raised the prospect of putting any proposal supported by lawmakers back to the people. This House must also consider whether any deal should be put to the people for a confirmatory vote, he told parliament after the votes. Last week, the EU agreed to delay Britains original March 29 departure date because of the deadlock. Now, it will leave the EU on May 22 if Mays deal is approved this week. If not, it will have until April 12 to outline its plans. European Council President Donald Tusk said last week that all Brexit options were still open for Britain until April 12, including a deal, a departure with no deal, a long extension or even revoking Article 50 and remaining in the EU. Mays deal was defeated in parliament by 149 votes on March 12 and by 230 votes on Jan. 15. To get her deal passed, May must win over at least 75 MPs who voted against her on March 12 dozens of rebels in her Conservative Party, some opposition Labour Party MPs and the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which props up her minority government but has rejected her deal so far. Earlier, Mays divided cabinet of senior ministers had met to discuss a way forward. Some reports said ministers had war-gamed a national election. I think were going to end up with a general election before the end of this year, probably in the summer, Conservative lawmaker Andrew Bridgen, who supports Brexit, told Sky News. Tourists view the Morning Glory hot spring in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, on May 14, 2016. (MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images) USGS Update: Yellowstone Volcano Not Overdue for an Eruption The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) issued an update about the Yellowstone volcano, addressing alarmist news reports about it being overdue for an eruption. The huge supervolcano under Yellowstone National Park hasnt erupted in more than 600,000 years, and in recent years this has prompted speculation that it would explode at any moment, causing worldwide devastation. In a word, no. In two words, no way. In three words, not even close. Yellowstone doesnt work that way, wrote Michael Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, on March 25. Pollard went on to address recent tabloid headlines about an overdue eruption. One U.K. news outlet in particular regularly posts stories about the Yellowstone caldera. In terms of large explosions, Yellowstone has experienced three at 2.08, 1.3, and 0.631 million years ago. This comes out to an average of about 725,000 years between eruptions. That being the case, we still have about 100,000 years to go, but this number is based on very little data and so is basically meaningless (would you base any conclusion on the average of just two numbers?), he wrote. In the blog post, Pollard said that volcanoes dont erupt on a schedule. The idea of it being overdue for an eruption may come from how people think about earthquakes, which are caused by pressure that persistently builds on a fault before the quake happens. With rare exceptions, volcanoes do not accumulate magma at a constant rate (in the few cases where that does happen, eruptions can be somewhat regular). Instead, volcanoes erupt when there is a sufficient supply of liquid magma in the subsurface and sufficient pressure to cause that magma to ascend to the surface. This does not generally happen on a schedule, he continued. Regarding reports saying the volcanic eruption is overdue, Pollard stressed that claim is just not accurate. No matter how you slice it, Yellowstone is not overdue. No. No way. Not even close. But we cant say the same about the oil change for your car, so you might want to check on that, he concluded. Less Warning Than Previously Thought? However, in 2017, a widely publicized study found that prior to an eruption, we may only have a few decades of warning. Researchers at Arizona State University analyzed fossilized ash and found minerals inside. From that, they believe the supervolcano woke up just two minutes after fresh magma flowed into the reservoir beneath the Yellowstone caldera, according to National Geographic. Those minerals revealed that the temperature and composition, which led up to the eruption, built up over a few decades. In the past, geologists believed that it would take hundreds or thousands of years for the Yellowstone volcano to make such a transition. Its shocking how little time is required to take a volcanic system from being quiet and sitting there to the edge of an eruption, Hannah Shamloo, an Arizona State University graduate student involved in the study, told The New York Times. We expected that there might be processes happening over thousands of years preceding the eruption, noted Christy Till, a geologist at Arizona State. Recent Activity There has been a significant amount of activity at Yellowstone in the past year or so, including more Steamboat Geyser eruptions. Its considered the tallest geyser in the world. The Ear Spring also erupted 80 years worth of garbage last September. The last significant one was in 1957, according to Yellowstone officials. After Ear Spring erupted on September 15, employees found a strange assortment of items strewn across the landscape Yellowstone National Park 2018924 Foreign objects can damage hot springs and geysers. The next time Ear Spring erupts we hope its nothing but natural rocks and water, park officials wrote on Facebook. You can help by never throwing anything into Yellowstones thermal features! Said a supervisory park ranger to FourStatesHomePage.com: You might think that if you toss something in a hot spring or in a geyser that it disappears, but it doesnt disappear. It stays in that and what normally happens is you can actually plug up a feature and kill the feature. And thats happened in many places in the park. Woman, 85, Sues Walmart After Another Customer Hits Her With Motorized Shopping Cart An 85-year-old woman sued Walmart after another customer hit her with a motorized cart, forcing her to seek hospital treatment. Versella Grasz, of South Dakota, was hit by another person driving a scooter around a Sioux Falls store in 2017, reported The Argus Leader. The elderly woman then filed a lawsuit, saying the incident caused her serious injury and extreme pain. A Sioux Falls woman says Walmart was negligent in its operating instructions on its scooters. Argus911 2019325 Meanwhile, the other customer clearly did not know how to stop the motorized shopping cart, claiming that Walmart was negligent in its instructions on how to drive the carts, according to her suit. Grasz said she incurred about $30,000 in medical bills after going to the emergency room in 2017, the Argus Leader reported. The driver of the scooter hit her right side, and Grasz was brought to her knees in pain, according to the lawsuit. Now, her lawsuit is asking for a reasonable amount in damages from the retailer, but the figure wasnt disclosed. Walmart knew or should have known that allowing unskilled shoppers to drive scooters around other shoppers would cause a foreseeable dangerous condition, her lawsuit stated. A Walmart spokesperson issued a comment to Yahoo News, saying the driver of the scooter was responsiblenot Walmart. We want all of our customers to have a pleasant shopping experience in our stores, Walmart spokesperson Randy Hargrove told the website. We regret that Ms. Grasz was injured. However, we do not feel that we did anything wrong. We believe the actions of the customer who was operating the motorized cart and hit Ms. Grasz were the sole cause of her injuries. We intend to defend the company against this litigation, she said. Woman Gets $1.3 Million in Ohio A woman in Cleveland was awarded $1.3 million by a jury in October 2016 after she was injured by someone driving a motorized shopping cart, Cleveland.com reported. Barbara Rieger was struck in 2012 by Ruth Kurka at a Giant Eagle store, according to the 2014 lawsuit. The impact threw Rieger, 71, about four feet, and she hit her head against a shelf, causing head and neck injuries. Her attorneys argued that Giant Eagle didnt provide customers with the appropriate amount of instructions to operate the scooters. Giant Eagle knew, either through actual knowledge or through knowledge implied from known facts and circumstances, that by permitting and/or entrusting the operation of a motorized grocery cart to an inexperienced or incompetent operator, such as Kurka, that injury to innocent third parties would be foreseeable result of such negligent entrustment, her attorneys wrote in a complaint. Giant Eagle denied the allegations. Disabled Greeters Canned? After more than a week of backlash, Walmart stated that its pledging to make every effort to find other roles for disabled workers whod accused the retailer of targeting them as it prepares to eliminate the people greeter job at 1,000 stores. Greg Foran, president and CEO of Walmarts U.S. stores, said in a memo to store managers that we are taking some specific steps to support greeters with disabilities. Walmart released the memo publicly. Walmart told greeters around the country last week that their positions were being eliminated in late April in favor of an expanded customer host role that involves not only welcoming customers, but helping with returns, checking receipts to help prevent shoplifting and keeping the front of the store clean. The position requires hosts to be able to lift heavy weights, climb ladders and do other tasks. People with disabilities who have traditionally filled the greeter job at many stores accused Walmart of acting heartlessly. Outraged customers and others started online petitions, formed Facebook support groups and called and emailed Walmart corporate to register their displeasure. Acknowledging the change had created some conversation, Foran wrote: Let me be clear: If any associate in this unique situation wants to continue working at Walmart, we should make every effort to make that happen. The Associated Press contributed to this report. STAMFORD OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and its owners have reached a $270 million settlement with the state of Oklahoma, the first major payout to resolve one of the hundreds of pending cases against a firm widely accused of fueling the opioid crisis with deceptive marketing of its pain drugs. The agreement calls for about $200 million to fund the establishment of the National Center for Addiction Studies and Treatment at Oklahoma State Universitys medical campus in Tulsa. Local governments would receive $12.5 million for opioid initiatives. In addition, Purdue would allot up to $60 million to cover litigation-related costs and fees. For us to reach this settlement with Purdue, we had to take into account the fact that they were modeling (potential) bankruptcy , Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said in a press conference Tuesday at the Tulsa campus. This is a national settlement. It is something that cannot only assist Oklahoma in dealing with this epidemic, it can assist the whole country. This level of funding was something that was fought for. Purdue officials did not speak at the press conference. Craig Landau, the companys CEO and president, said in a statement that we see this agreement with Oklahoma as an extension of our commitment to help drive solutions to the opioid-addiction crisis, and we pledge Purdues ongoing support to the National Center and the life-saving work it will do for generations to come. Among other terms, the new settlement stipulates that Purdue no longer promote analgesic opioids such as OxyContin in Oklahoma. Last year, Stamford-based Purdue stopped marketing its pain drugs to medical prescribers and disbanded its sales force. The Sackler family, who owns Purdue, is contributing $75 million of the total allocated in the settlement for the new center. Sackler members were not named as defendants in Oklahomas case, although eight of them have been sued by Connecticut and Massachusetts attorneys general. We have profound compassion for those who are affected by addiction, a spokesperson for the family branches of the late Raymond Sackler and late Mortimer Sackler, the brothers who bought Purdues predecessor company in 1952, said in a statement. The National Center will provide immediate assistance to Oklahomans and individuals nationwide who desperately need these services, and our support is in keeping with our familys continuing commitment to making meaningful contributions to solutions that save lives. The pact marks Purdues largest legal settlement of the past 10 years. In 2015, it settled the state of Kentuckys lawsuit for approximately $24 million. In its largest-ever payout, it accepted in 2007 some $600 million in criminal and civil penalties tied to a guilty plea in federal court to misbranding OxyContin to mislead and defraud physicians and patients. Ongoing litigation The lawsuit that had included Purdue was filed in 2017. Oklahomas case against the other defendants, including Johnson & Johnson and Teva, is still scheduled to go to trial on May 28. A state Supreme Court judge denied Monday the defendants request to delay the proceedings by 100 days. Since 2004, more than 10,000 Oklahomans have died from a drug overdose, according to state data. In 2018, nearly 50 percent of fatal overdoses were attributed to pharmaceutical drugs, Oklahomas attorney general said. In the past year, prescription opioids were involved in about 80 percent of hospital admittances for non-fatal overdoses. Todays agreement is only the first step in our ultimate goal of ending this nightmarish epidemic, Hunter said. In the coming weeks, this team and I will continue preparing for trial, where we intend to hold the other defendants in this case accountable for their role in creating the worst public health crisis our state and nation has ever seen. Meanwhile, Purdue still faces more than 1,000 other, similar lawsuits , including more than 30 from state attorneys general. The company has denied the accusations and earlier this month filed a motion to dismiss Massachusetts complaint. Recently released details in the Massachusetts case have sparked growing outrage against the Sacklers. In the past week, three major art institutions, including New Yorks Guggenheim museum, have cut ties with the Sacklers, one of the countrys most-prominent philanthropic families. Separate from the Connecticut and Massachusetts cases, Cleveland-based federal Judge Dan Polster is overseeing complaints filed against Purdue and other pharmaceutical companies by about 1,600 municipal and county governments in a process known as Multidistrict Litigation. The first MDL trial is scheduled to start in October. Paul Hanly, co-lead counsel for the MDL plaintiffs, said in a statement that the Oklahoma settlement was another reflection of the extraordinary importance and strength of the claims against Purdue Pharma. At the same time, Connecticut and Massachusetts are members of a joint investigation, by more than 40 states, that focuses on Purdue and six other opioid makers. Like the litigation, the multistate inquiry could end with a settlement. This article contains reporting from the Associated Press. pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott Norwalk Police Dept. NORWALK Police confiscated more than four ounces of marijuana after a suspected pot dealer was caught rolling through a stop sign Monday night. Officers of Norwalks Strategic Narcotics Enforcement Team were patrolling the area of Elizabeth Street around 6:40 p.m. when they saw a car fail to brake for a stop sign at the intersection of Day Street and pulled it over. NORWALK The citys Health Department is preparing new initiatives to help prevent opioid abuse here. The department received a $10,000 grant from the state for prevention efforts, Health Director Deanna DAmore said Tuesday. Theres more work to be done with that too in terms of monitoring (opioid addiction) and including some of that information in our next community health assessment, she said. The grant money will be broken down into multiple initiatives to help address addiction. While DAmore, said the specifics are still being worked out, the department plans to host a few informational forums to educate the public on the dangers of becoming addicted and what effect it can have on a person. It will also allow them to enhance their partnerships with different city departments and organizations, such as the Police Departments drug take back events and partnering with the Norwalk Community Prevention Task Force to address the health aspects of misusing opioids. The Community Prevention Task Force, theyre focused on substance use prevention and mental health, wellness, as well, weve been attending their meetings and were trying to figure out ways to improve that partnership, she said. A portion of the funding will go towards public information campaigns on preventing opioid overdoses. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1,072 Connecticut residents died in 2017 of a drug overdose. We worked with one of our community partners to do a Narcan training, so were thinking about doing something like that again, DAmore said. Were just excited to get the funding. At the American Israel Public Affairs Committee annual gathering, members of both parties attend to show their support for the U.S.-Israel relationship. If you sit through 2 days of speeches, there is a sameness to the remarks. It's difficult to stand out, especially toward the middle or end of the program. Occasionally, as Vice President Mike Pence did on Monday, a politician is tempted to air partisan grievances - much to the dismay of AIPAC organizers. Pence called out a "Democratic congresswoman," quoting Rep. Ilhan Omar's, D-Minn., statements, while also urging that she be removed from the Foreign Affairs Committee and falsely accusing Democratic presidential candidates of "boycotting" the gathering. Since a large number of AIPAC's members are Democrats, many attendees were still grumbling about and lamenting the vice president's remarks into late in the afternoon. His flat-out lie about a Democratic boycott was especially grating and revealed to be preposterous when, for example, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., who had not been invited, proudly touted her support for Israel and a photo of her meeting with AIPAC members who visited her office. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., is a regular at these gatherings and has always been warmly received. This year, however, he delivered his best and most rousing AIPAC speech (perhaps the best of his career), setting off a torrent of emotion that we hadn't seen this year. It was as though the audience finally got to channel its righteous anger. He talked about his Jewish family, the importance of educating youth about the threats Israel faces and then he got to the heart of the speech. "My friends, to do all of this we must keep the U.S.-Israel relationship bipartisan. Yes, bipartisan. Both parties, side by side," he said. "We can only hope to defend Israel from these threats so long as we maintain a united front, Democrats and Republicans together. This has been a mission for me. I'm proud that the overwhelming majority of Democrats are pro-Israel - and always have been." He continued, "Not only is it demonstrably false to say Democrats are anti-Israel; it also hurts the U.S.-Israel relationship. Plain and simple, the Democratic Party supports Israel and we will continue to do so. And we will maintain that bipartisan relationship through thick and thin. Israel depends on it." Schumer added: "Those who seek to use Israel as a means of scoring political points do a disservice to both Israel and the United States. Our politics may be more polarized than ever, but it is incumbent upon all of us who care about the U.S-Israel relationship to keep it bipartisan we must pledge to one another that we will keep the polarization from Washington away from poisoning the bipartisan support that Israel has always enjoyed." This was a rebuttal to President Donald Trump's outlandish comments that the Democratic Party is anti-Israel and anti-Semitic, a perfect example of using Israel to try to burnish his credentials with his evangelical base at the expense of the essential bipartisan relationship with Israel. ("Those who seek to use Israel as a means of scoring political points do a disservice to both Israel and the United States. Our politics may be more polarized than ever, but it is incumbent upon all of us who care about the U.S-Israel relationship to keep it bipartisan, to keep our polarization from poisoning the bipartisan support that Israel has always enjoyed.") Schumer decried the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, reminding the audience that the Arab boycott predates the Six-Day War and that its founders are unwilling to accept any sort of Jewish state. When he got to the rise in anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic violence in the United States, he declared: "When we see or hear anti-Semitism, we have a solemn obligation not to hold our tongues or parse our language, but to call it out with courage, with clarity. "When someone names only prominent Jews as trying to "buy" or "steal" our elections, we must call it out; "When someone says that being Jewish and supporting Israel means you are not loyal to America, we must call it out; "When someone looks at a neo-Nazi rally and sees "some very fine people" among its company, we must call it out; "When someone suggests that money drives support for Israel, we must call it out. "We are here because we support the only Jewish state in the world - and because it is in America's interest to support Israel. "Any suggestion to the contrary - whether made out of malice or ignorance - is hurtful, it is wrong. And we cannot be afraid to say that it is hurtful and wrong. "But even more than that, these age-old anti-Semitic tropes are false and we must renounce them. "You can be a Jew and care about Israel and it does not make you any less of an American! "You can be a Jew and lobby for Israel and it doesn't make us any less of an American, it makes you a better American! "You can be, all at once my friends, completely Jewish, completely pro-Israel, and completely American! And we are!" - - - It was a powerful and emotion-filled moment, all the more so because Schumer was condemning remarks that politicians in both parties have made. In case anyone missed the point, he reiterated, "So we must call out anti-Semitism whenever we hear it, from wherever it arises. It has become too prevalent in our politics to identify anti-Semitism only when it comes from political opponents." He added, "It will always be wrong to use anti-Semitism as a political weapon. Always. And let me tell you: if you only care about anti-Semitism coming from your political opponents, then you are not fully committed to fighting anti-Semitism!" Unfortunately, support for Israel has not escaped the tribal wars. Trump and his supporters see Israel as only one more way to bond with their evangelical base and to divide the country. The far left seeks to make opposition to Israel into its own purity test. The far right feels emboldened by the president's rhetoric to show its ugly face and - for some unstable, warped individuals - to justify violence. The relationship between American Jews and Israel has been further frayed by the actions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in aligning with the racist right (a move AIPAC publicly condemned) and in suggesting Israel is "only for the Jewish people" (a remark for which he later apologized). The diaspora feels the religious right in Israel aims to write off non-Orthodox Jews and to create new points of contention including segregation of women praying at the Western Wall. A younger generation of Jews feels less connected to Israel. In other words, there is plenty to fight about. So where does all of this acrimony leave us? On one level, why should we expect support for Israel to evade the toxic partisanship that afflicts every other issue? And yet it is imperative that pro-Israel Democrats and pro-Israel Republicans, alongside Jews and non-Jews who profess love of Israel, as well as politically progressive and politically conservative Jews, figure out a way to make common cause. Support for Israel cannot be dictated by which party holds the White House, or by the identity of the Israeli prime minister. It has and must continue to rest on shared interests and shared values. Israel needs all the friends it can get these days and cannot afford to write off any party, ideological movement or generation. There's a lot of bridge-building to be done, and there is a lot of self-restraint needed. Neither is in large supply these days. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 26, 2019 13:02 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83cac98 1 Editorial #Editorial,natural-resources,oil-and-gas,Indonesia,energy-and-mineral-resources-ministry,government-regulation Free It is encouraging to learn that the House of Representatives will start deliberating the long-awaited oil and natural gas bill after the April presidential and legislative elections. Hopefully this is not another false signal in the political process to amend the 2001 Oil and Gas Law, which became imperative after the dissolution of upstream oil and gas regulator BP Migas by the Constitutional Court in November 2012. The bill has now become House-initiated draft legislation and we only await the green light of the government [President] to start its deliberation after the elections, asserted Tjatur Sapto Edy, a member of House Commission VII overseeing energy, mineral resources, the environment and research last week. Deliberating a bill on natural resources after the election will protect the debate from excessive nationalist sentiment, which usually raises its ugly head during an election campaign. The House initiative to speed up the political process of drafting the legislation also shows the political awareness about the urgent need to enact a new oil and gas law because many things in the fuel industry are now ruled and administered under government regulations since the termination of BP Migas. SKK Migas under the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, which took over the authority of BP Migas in 2012 is an ad hoc regulatory body that can be disbanded at any time. Investment in such natural-resource development as hydrocarbons requires strong legal certainty for at least 20 years because of the long-term nature of its operations. An oil contractor may need at least 25 to 30 years to recoup its investment because an oil field may need at least five to seven years, starting with seismic surveys and exploration before production begins. The existing standard production-sharing contract (PSC), which is valid for 30 years with an option for a 10-year extension, has long been considered adequate. But government regulations provide much weaker legal certainty than that based on laws because the former are vulnerable to changes along with the five-year political cycle of the government. This, we think, is one of the barriers to the promotion of the gross-split scheme to replace the standard PSC, which has often become embroiled in disputes over the controversial cost-recovery mechanism. As a country that depends on imports for almost 60 percent of its daily oil need of 1.6 million barrels, Indonesia badly needs to attract more investment in highly risky oil exploration. Providing certainty, stability and a favorable regulatory environment will encourage future oil exploration and development investment. The bill stipulates several schemes for private participation in oil and gas prospecting, including production-sharing, gross split and other partnerships and puts the upstream oil and gas regulatory body under the Oil and Natural Gas Directorate General. Other important features include a mandatory 10 percent participating interest for regional administrations in oil concessions and the establishment of a petroleum fund for improving the geological data on oil blocks and a state company to represent the government in oil contracts. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hipolitus Yolisandry Ringgi Wangge (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 26, 2019 The conflict in Nduga, Papua, between the military and independence fighters, led by Egianus Kogoya, a young man from Nduga regency, has been unfolding for over three months with few signs of ending. The armed conflict was triggered by the killing of 31 construction workers of PT Istaka Karya in Yigi district, Nduga regency in Papuas highland. Isolated operation zones in 16 out of 32 districts of the regency have led to evacuation of people from the neighboring Nduga including Jayawijaya, Lanny Jaya, Yahukimo, Asmat and Mimika. The logic of the conflict has been highly contested between the security apparatus, mainly the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the pro-independence fighters of the Papua National Liberation Army (TPN-OPM). The former emphasizes the security threat posed by the guerillas, blamed for disrupting the government-initiated road projects in the area. The guerillas, meanwhile, cite self-determination, rejecting all central government developmental projects across Papua. These contesting views have found no common ground to resolve the long-running conflict. Nduga along with Lanny Jaya, Puncak, Puncak Jaya, Yahukimo and Mimika areas are locally deemed as the red zones, given the historical record of prolonged conflicts and bases for pro-independence guerillas. Since the early 1960s, Nduga was marked as a military operation zone. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Kadir Ruslan (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 26, 2019 16:04 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83dce0e 3 Opinion commodity,Indonesia,agriculture,imports Free In the second presidential debate covered topics on energy, food, infrastructure, natural resources and the environment on Feb. 17, president Joko Jokowi Widodo made a mistake in quoting data of maize importation. The president said the import quantity of this commodity had dropped substantially from 3.5 million tons in 2014 to merely 180,000 tons in last year. In contrast, the official data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) pointed out a more towering figure. During 2018, the quantity reached at 730,918 tons instead. This minor mistake suddenly became a headline in newspapers. However, it seems that the public did not realize (or maybe did not know) that the real problem was not the import data quoted by the president, but the production data used as a based for the government to justify triumphant in boosting the country maize production, especially over the last four years. When it comes to the accuracy of production data, maize has the same issue as rice, i.e., an overestimation. It could be explained since the production figure of two commodities has been collected through the same method since 1973. The calculation relies on a framework that combines two different data collection systems, i.e., the administrative report for collecting the harvested area information and a statistical method (survey sampling) to estimate productivity (yield per hectare). The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) is responsible for the administrative report collected monthly at sub-district level by regional officers called "mantri tani or KCD" while the BPS is in charge of the estimation of productivity. Technically, production data is just a multiplication of the harvested area and productivity. Collected by subjective measurements, mainly "eye-estimate", the former variable has been suspected of suffering from overestimation. Whereas, the reliability of the data of the last variable is better as collected through an objective measurement so-called "Survei Ubinan" or Crop-Cutting Survey. However, the issue of overestimation for rice was resolved last year by the implementation of a new method so-called Area Sampling Frame (ASF). So, what is going on with maize production data? Taking into consideration the issue of overestimation on the harvested area measurement, the BPS has put off the dissemination of the production data of paddy and secondary food crops including maize since 2016. However, during the suspension period, the harvested area of maize, as well as the production figures, were still calculated using the old framework. The reason is that the MoA still needs the information for policy purposes, mainly for planning and evaluation of all programs designated to achieve self-sufficiency. Somehow, the data was also circulated publicly, and all of us could see that the maize production data has experienced an unprecedented upward trend since 2015. Based on data published by the MoA as quoted by kumparan.com (16/02) for instance, the increase in maize production reached more than 10.5 million tons (53 per cent) just in three years, from 19.6 million tons in 2015 to 30.05 million tons in last year. It means that, on average, there was more than 3 million tons increase per year. The main contributor of this upswing, of course, a surge in the harvested area from around 3.8 million hectares in 2015 to about 5.6 million hectares in 2018. Although at the same time, the quantity of imported maize has plunged from 3.35 million tons in 2015 to only 730,918 tons in 2018 as the impact of production increase, there is a strong indication of overestimation in the production data due to the weaknesses in the harvested area measurements. The MoA stated that the total of maize consumption in last year reached 15.5 million tons. To be consistent with the production figure of 30.05 million tons, it means that there was a substantial amount of production surplus, which was about 14.6 million tons, last year. If it was true, the country should be a net exporter of maize instead of importing 730,918 tons from overseas. A symptom of overestimation was also well captured by the results of the Inter-Census Agricultural Survey (SUTAS) conducted by the BPS last year. Even though the SUTAS used a recalling method that possibly suffers from underestimation to collect the information about the harvested area and production of maize from the farmers, the survey pointed out that 30.05 million tons of maize production is too high and does not make any sense. So, how to fix the problem? It is clear that the chronic problem in the harvested area measurement must be cured. Therefore, objective measurement has to be developed to replace the old existing method. However, it is easy to say but difficult to implement. The primary challenge is the characteristics of maize cultivation itself. Most of the maize cultivations in Indonesia are conducted in small pieces of land scattering all across the country. The crop is also planted seasonally depending on the farmer's preference, which is determined by many factors. As a consequence, the availability of reliable information regarding the area of lands that are specifically dedicated to maize cultivation permanently becomes a big issue. At the time being, the BPS in collaboration with the Agency for the Assesment and Implementation of Technology (BPPT) are developing ASF for maize. Nevertheless, it is not an easy task due to some issues around the maize cultivation, mainly land information as mentioned above. Therefore, other options that also make use of remote sensing technology such as radar technology should be considered. On top of that, there are some other critical issues other than the harvested area data that should be mindful of, such as a reliable maize consumption data and some conversion rates applied to obtain production figure, which needs to be updated. Post-harvest technology must also be improved. It is critical for not only reducing the losses during post-harvest activities but also advancing the quality of corn of the farmers to meet the market standard. Most of the corn consumption comes from the industry sector, mainly the animal feed industry that has a specific qualification regarding the quality of the product such as aflatoxin and moisture contents. Sometimes, the farmers are not able to fulfil those standards leading to importation although the commodity is available domestically. *** The writer is a data analyst at Statistics Indonesia and completed his Masters Degree in applied econometrics at Monash University, Australia. The views are his own. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 26, 2019 09:21 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83bbb05 1 Editorial #Editorial,Thailand,politics,election,vote,voters Free After a lengthy delay, voters in Thailand went to the polls on Sunday. Political watchers waited with bated breath as the Thai people delivered their verdict on the military junta. Judging on the provisional results from Sundays ballot, a substantial number of voters prefer stability over improvement in the countrys economy. Although the prodemocracy Pheu Thai won an estimated 138 of 350 constituency seats as of Monday afternoon, it will have to work hard to build a coalition to govern the country given the requirement that to form a government parties or a coalition of political parties need to gather 250 seats in parliament. It is widely expected that Pheu Thai will form a coalition with the new party Future Forward, led by young tycoon Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. The result for Pheu Thai, a party founded by former prime minister Thaksin Sinawatra, was all the more disappointing for the prodemocracy movement, given that the party was expected to have an easy win. The result for the junta-backed party, Phalang Pracharat, was far better than expected. The party, which nominated junta leader Prayut Chan-o-cha, may only win 96 seats in parliament, but it racked up more than 7.6 million votes with more than 90 percent of ballots tallied, a vote haul that could give the government it tries to form a claim to legitimacy. Coupled with a provision in the Thai constitution, which gives the military junta the right to appoint all 250 senators in the upper house, who then get to vote on the prime minister, it looks certain that Prayut will continue to lead Thailand and the junta would therefore maintain control over the country. Having said that, the election has apparently brought little change and now with a greater popular mandate, it is likely that the future administration led by Prayut will focus on bringing stability by doing more to curb protests and dissent. The market appears to be happy with the election result. The baht, Asias best performing currency this year, strengthened 0.4 percent to 38.57 against the US dollar on Monday while the Thailands SET Index lost 1.3 percent less than declines in the broader Asian benchmark amid a global sell-off. It appears that after five years of uncertainty, Thailand can now hope for stability. Its neighbors will also look to Thailand, the current chair of ASEAN, to lead efforts in progressing ASEAN integration and upholding the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin David Alire Garcia (Reuters) Mexico City, Mexico Tue, March 26, 2019 13:03 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83cb579 2 Art & Culture Aztec,Mexico,Mexico-City,archeology,tomb Free A trove of Aztec sacrifices including a richly adorned jaguar dressed as a warrior and recently discovered in downtown Mexico City could lead archaeologists to the most tantalizing find yet: an Aztec emperor's tomb. Discovered off the steps of the Aztec's holiest temple during the reign of the empire's most powerful ruler, the sacrificial offerings also include a young boy, dressed to resemble the Aztec war god and solar deity, and a set of flint knives elaborately decorated with mother of pearl and precious stones. The offerings were deposited by Aztec priests over five centuries ago in a circular, ritual platform once located in front of the temple where the earliest historical accounts describe the final resting place of Aztec kings. None of these details have been reported before and such a discovery would mark a first since no Aztec royal burial has yet been found despite decades of digging. "We have enormous expectations right now," lead archeologist Leonardo Lopez Lujan told Reuters. "As we go deeper we think we'll continue finding very rich objects." The jaguar offering, found in a large rectangular stone box in what would have been the center of the circular platform, has stirred particular excitement. Only about one-tenth of the box's contents has been excavated, but already a wide array of artifacts has been found near the top, including a spear thrower and a carved wooden disk placed on the feline's back that was the emblem of the Aztec patron deity Huitzilopochtli, the war and sun god. A layer of aquatic offerings placed on top of the west-facing jaguar have also been identified, including a large amount of shells, bright red starfish and coral that likely represented the watery underworld the Aztecs believed the sun traveled through at night before emerging in the east to begin a new day. A roseate spoonbill, a pink bird from the flamingo family, has also been found in the offering. It was associated with warriors and rulers, and thought to represent their spirits in their descent into the underworld. "There's an enormous amount of coral that's blocking what we can see below," said archeologist Miguel Baez, part of the team excavating the offerings at the base of the temple, known today as the Templo Mayor, located just off Mexico City's bustling Zocalo plaza. The Templo Mayor would have been as high as a 15-story pyramid before it was razed along with the rest of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan after the 1521 Spanish conquest of Mexico. Expanded by each Aztec king, the shrine was believed to be at the center of the universe and was crowned with two smaller temples, one on the north side dedicated to the rain god Tlaloc and one on the south to Huitzilopochtil. The latest offerings all align with the southern temple. Read also: Ancient Aztec temple, ball court found in Mexico City Warrior society Several decades after the conquest, chroniclers detailed the burial rites of three Aztec kings, all brothers who ruled from 1469 to 1502. According to these accounts, the rulers' cremated remains were deposited with luxurious offerings and the hearts of sacrificed slaves in or near the circular platform. In 2006, a massive monolith of the Aztec earth goddess was discovered nearby with an inscription corresponding to the year 1502, which is when the empire's greatest ruler and the last of the brothers, Ahuitzotl, died. Elizabeth Boone, an ancient Mexico specialist at Tulane University, notes that Ahuitzotl's death would have been marked with lavish memorizing and that the jaguar may represent the king as a fearless warrior. "You could have Ahuitzotl in that box," she said. A smaller stone box next to the jaguar offering containing a top layer of copal bars, used by Aztec priests for incense, has also been identified, though it too has only been partially excavated as both were only opened earlier this year. Next to it another stone box has been found containing 21 flint knives decorated to resemble warriors, including the same war god disk but made of mother of pearl, as well as a miniature wooden spear thrower and shield. Finally, an adjacent circular offering holds an approximately 9-year-old sacrificed boy found with a wooden war god disk, a jade bead necklace and wings made from hawk bones and attached to his shoulders. Like the jaguar, the boy likely had his heart torn out as part of a ritual sacrifice, though further tests will need to be conducted to confirm the theory. The offerings also speak to the geographic reach of the Aztecs, a warrior society like ancient Sparta that conquered neighboring kingdoms to acquire tribute. The starfish came from the Pacific Ocean, for example, while the jade was brought from Central America near present-day Honduras. "The offerings provide a window not only into the (Aztecs) sacred world, but also their economic lives," said Frances Berdan, an Aztec scholar at California State University, San Bernardino. Meticulous sifting through the latest offerings is expected to continue for at least several more months, though practical hardships weigh on the archaeologists. Mexico's new government has cut the project's budget by 20 percent this year, according to several archeologists who work on the excavation, and nearly all members of the 25-person team have not been paid since December. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 26, 2019 16:21 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83deaab 1 Entertainment Backstreet-Boys,concert,jakarta,music Free United States pop group Backstreet Boys is scheduled to perform in Jakarta On Oct. 26. As part of the DNA World Tour 2019, the band will visit Asian cities including Tokyo, Taipei, Bangkok and Singapore in October. The tour is in support of its newest album, DNA, and will kick off in Las Vegas, US, in April. Backstreet Boys has released nine studio albums since 1996 and has remained one of the most popular groups in the world. Its members are Brian Littrell, AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. In 2006, Richardson left the group and rejoined permanently six years later. Read also: Backstreet Boys, Jimmy Fallon cluck their way to sing Everybody Concert details apart from the tour dates have yet to be announced. Backstreet Boys' first concert in Indonesia was in 2008 and it performed with the New Kids on the Block in 2012. (wng) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Reuters) Rome, Italy Tue, March 26, 2019 19:01 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83e2ef8 2 Lifestyle Roberto-Cavalli,Paul-Surridge,fashion,Italy Free Paul Surridge said on Monday he would resign from his position as creative director of Italian fashion house Roberto Cavalli, confirming press rumors about his imminent exit. The designer, who joined the Florentine label in 2017, said in an Instagram post he wished to "focus on other projects that I put aside in order to achieve our common goals with Roberto Cavalli Group". The company, founded by Roberto Cavalli in the early 1970s and famous for its animal prints, was taken over by Italian private equity firm Clessidra in 2015 in a bid to turn it around. Clessidra in October hired Rothschild to find a minority partner for the fashion group, sources have said. Read also: Shoes and stripes: Brits present Ferragamo, Cavalli shows Since then the private equity group, which owns 90 percent of Cavalli, has also decided to consider offers for a majority stake in the fashion label, other sources have said, as the sale process has proven more difficult than previously envisaged. Under new Chief Executive Gian Giacomo Ferraris, hired in 2016 to help boost the label, the company has been working to expand into lifestyle categories to find new sources of revenue. Ferraris said in October Cavalli was on track to return to a net profit in 2019. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Vimmy Sinha (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 26, 2019 15:02 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83d899d 1 Art & Culture #culture,#Indonesia,#India,#Javanese,#mythology,#philosophy,#Prambanan,#BorobudurTemple,#wayang,#Ramayana,#Mahabrata,#book Free Nishkam Agarwals forthcoming book on the philosophical correlation between India and Indonesia has generated a great deal of interest in the scholarly world. The upcoming book by the Washington DC-based philosopher, historian and author, who is also an economist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is tentatively entitled Exploring Indian Influences in Javanese Architecture and Art. Research for the book has been ongoing since 2012. Agarwal and his team has visited more than 100 sites, including temples, all over Java. In terms of size and number, the sites in Central Java at Dieng have been most fascinating, the author said. Agarwals romance with Indonesia began 10 years ago when his sister moved to Jakarta. This allowed him to make multiple trips to Jakarta and Bali. I began to see Bali as just the tip of an iceberg whose deep metaphorical roots interconnected the two civilizations from several thousand years ago. As I dug deeper into these links, I discovered a world which to my scholarly eyes had only been partially explored. While most of the research and study over the last 250 years has focused on the historical and mythological linkages between Java and India, not much work has been undertaken to explore the philosophical nexus between the two regions, said Agarwal. Nishkam Agarwal (Courtesy of Nishkam Agarwal/-) The author recently gave a talk on The Magical Weave of Indian Philosophy and Javanese Mysticism in Jakarta, organized by the Indonesian Heritage Society. He said that his book is exploring two main questions: First, in the context of Vedanta if a story can be told about the meaning and purpose of life using the existing symbols from Javanese architecture and art? Second, what are the roots of kebatinan (inner-directed, mystical spirituality) and, by extension, kejawen (outer-directed, esoteric practices) or Javanism, which forms an intricate and inextricable part of contemporary Javanese, if not Indonesian society today? The impact of Indian philosophy in contemporary Indonesia can best be seen in the practice of kebatinan, or science of the inner man, in Java and beyond, Agarwal added. Both the practice and conceptualization of kebatinan in Java have had a marked similarity with the precepts of meaning and purpose of life in the Indian philosophical tradition of Vedanta, although the primary influences over the last three millennia have been through Shaivite and Buddhist traditions. Two specific examples where kebatinan and Vedanta coincide are those relating to ego-control and to lokasamgraha (social welfare). The historical and mythological links evident in the so-called Indianized kingdoms ultimately led to philosophically tinged iconography in Javanese monumental architecture in the latter part of the first millennium CE and eventually key elements of Indian philosophy were embedded in tutur or tattva literature from about 950 CE, the author said. The Bhuwanakosha is an early example of this linkage, while the Nagarakertagama of Empu Prapanca from about 1350 CE is a later example of philosophically tinged Javanese belles lettres, also incorporating philosophical undertones. The cultural practices in contemporary Java and elsewhere in Indonesia persist to this day in spite of whatever non-cultural or so-called orthogonal value incursions, which have permeated in Indonesian society over the last 500 years, he said. Both the practices of kejawen and kebatinan as noted by Peter Levenda, author of Tantric Temples: Eros and Magic on Java, are a testament to the living, vibrant culture of contemporary Java with deep historical influences from South Asia no doubt fused with indigenous ideas to evolve into a uniquely Javanese cultural tradition. (ste) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Vimmy Sinha (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 26, 2019 Author J.K. Rowling recently tweeted about the character of Nagini in the film Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald by writing, The Naga are snake-like mythical creatures of Indonesian mythology, hence the name Nagini. They are sometimes depicted as winged, sometimes as half-human, half-snake[...]. Rowlings comment linking Nagini to Indonesian mythology drew a reaction about the true origin of the word Nagin or Nagini. Indian author Amish Tripathi, who wrote The Secret of the Nagas, the second novel of the Shiva Trilogy, tweeted in response to Rowlings comment, saying: Actually the Naga mythology emerged from India. It traveled to Indonesia with the Indic/Hindu empires that emerged there in the early Common Era [...] Nagin is a Sanskrit language word. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rizal Harahap (The Jakarta Post) Pekanbaru Tue, March 26, 2019 The Riau Police have named 12 people suspects in land and forest fire cases in Riau province, where wildfires have destroyed 2,719 hectares of land in the past three months. The police arrested six people in Rokan Hilir, Bengkalis, Meranti Islands, Pekanbaru and Dumai from January to February, according to Riau Police chief Insp. Gen. Widodo Eko Prihastopo. Six others were caught red-handed burning land to clear land [in March], Widodo said on Monday. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Benjamin Katz, Gregory Viscusi and Helene Fouquet (Bloomberg) Paris, France Tue, March 26, 2019 14:35 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83d22ed 2 Business Airbus,Boeing,France,Emmanuel-Macron,Xi-Jinping,China,orders Free Airbus secured a $35 billion jet deal from China during a state visit by President Xi Jinping to the French capital, dealing a fresh blow to Boeing as it grapples with the grounding of its best-selling jet. The mammoth order consists of 290 A320-series narrow-body planes and 10 A350 wide-bodies, Toulouse-based Airbus said after the transaction was announced in Paris on Monday. The deals value is almost double that touted by French President Emmanuel Macron in January 2018 during a trip to Beijing. The Airbus coup comes while Boeings own 737 Max narrow-body -- the chief global rival to the A320 -- has been idled following two fatal crashes in five months. The US planemaker is also struggling with the fallout from a China-US trade war thats seen sales to the Asian nation dry up, just as Airbus bolsters its position with an offer to expand production facilities in Tianjin. China has become the worlds most important aviation market as its fast-growing middle class spurs demand for travel. The country has traditionally sought to keep a balance between the two western planemakers as it seeks to jumpstart manufacturing on its own soil, but Chicago-based Boeings order prospects have been complicated by the trade clash. I would see this as part of broader trade discussions, said Rob Stallard at Vertical Research Partners. For the Chinese to put tariffs on Boeing aircraft would be nuclear, but you can send messages in other ways. This tells the Americans that you have got to play nice if you want us to reciprocate. Macron originally put the value of a likely order at $18 billion. A firm order failed to materialize last year despite a second French state visit in June and a delegation of top Airbus executives in September. The deal announced in Paris will include both Neo -- for new engine option -- and so-called classic or CEO versions of the A319, A320 and A321, though the majority will be A320neos and A321neos, according to officials. China typically orders planes in large batches and allocates them to airlines later. The latest A320neo model has a list price of $110.6 million and the A350-900 sells for $317.4 million before discounts. Airbuss incoming chief executive officer, Guillaume Faury, said at the press conference that construction of the A320s will take place both in Tianjin and Europe, adding that the deal is a sign of the confidence from China. Macron called the transaction an excellent signal. China will need 7,400 new passenger and freighter aircraft in the next two decades, representing almost 20 percent of total global demand, according to Airbus estimates. The purchase provides a boost for Faury who takes over from Tom Enders in April. Airbus sales have had one of the slowest starts in the past decade, with the planemaker registering 103 cancellations and just four new orders in the first two months. Separately, China is looking at excluding Boeings troubled 737 Max jet from a list of American exports it would buy as part of a trade deal with the US, people familiar with the matter have said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar Tue, March 26, 2019 10:34 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83c28ff 1 National theft,Kuta,bali,Gucci,bag Free The Denpasar District Court has sentenced an Australian national to four months in prison for stealing a Gucci bag in the tourism hub of Kuta, Bali. The panel of judges found Bilal Kalache, 43, guilty of stealing the bag from a showcase at the Duty Free shop in the Bali Galeria mall. "During the trial session, the judges did not find anything to relieve him from the charges," said presiding judge Kony Hartanto. He said the defendant had violated Article 362 of the Criminal Code on theft. The sentence was lighter than five months of imprisonment demanded by prosecutors. The judges said the defendant's act had caused restlessness. However, they also considered some mitigating factors, such as the defendants honesty in admitting to his crime and his expression of remorse. They also noted that "the defendant also has no criminal record". Kalache was arrested at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport on Jan. 10, several hours after stealing the bag. He was arrested while taking his son to the airport for a Sydney-bound flight. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 26, 2019 15:01 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83d7bae 4 Business businesspeople,income-tax,corporation,cuts Free Representatives of two business associations have called on the government to lower the rate of corporate income tax so they can manufacture products that can compete in the global market. They claim that the 25 percent tax rate means Indonesian products cannot compete in the global market because neighboring countries have lowered the income tax rate. Chairman of the Association of Young Indonesian Businessmen's (Hipmi) tax center Ajib Hamdani said Malaysia, for example, had lowered the income tax from 28 percent in 2006 to 27 percent in 2007, 26 percent in 2008, 25 percent in 2009 and 24 percent since 2015. The government needs to lower the tax rate because it will have a positive impact [on businesses], Ajib said in Jakarta on Monday as reported by kontan.co.id. He added the income tax cut would also help improve Indonesian competitiveness in attracting investment. It would help businesses grow faster as they could book more profits because of increased sales, he added. The Indonesian Employers Association's (Apindo) Hariyadi Sukamdani echoed Ajibs comment, saying the government did not need to worry about the impact of such a policy on tax revenue. He said in the medium and long term, such a policy would help increase tax revenue because it would help companies develop faster. It will also improve taxpayer compliance, he said. Both Apindo and Hipmi called on the government to lower the income tax in stages to 17 percent, like in Singapore. In response to the proposal, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the government had long planned to lower the income tax rate, but the process needed time because such a policy could be implemented after the revision of Law No. 7/1983 on income tax to Law No. 36/2008. The income tax law revision had been included into the 2019 national legislation program, but both the government and House of Representatives would first revise the law on general provision and procedures of taxation, she said, adding that the revision of the income tax law would be the next priority. However, Sri Mulyani added, the Finance Ministry had to reveal the revision at a Cabinet meeting to assess the new income tax rate and its impact on tax revenue. (bbn). Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie and Karina M. Tehusijarana (The Jakarta Post) Banyuwangi/Jakarta Tue, March 26 2019 With voting day for the 2019 general elections only three weeks away, the presidential candidates have started to ramp up their campaign efforts, targeting young voters who they hope will show up to the polling stations on April 17. Making up nearly half of the electorate, millennial voters have been prioritized by the Joko Jokowi Widodo-Maruf Amin and Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno campaign teams since the early campaign days. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Depok Tue, March 26, 2019 13:05 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83cba44 1 City Barbie,assault-case,assault,Facebook,Scam,extortion,violent-attacks Free A 21-year-old man identified as Yogi fell victim to an attack and assault reportedly committed by six individuals in Situ Cilangkap, Cimanggis, Depok, West Java, on Sunday. One of the alleged perpetrators was the husband of Barbie Arlifsyani Botan, 21, whom Yogi had met on Facebook. Barbie reportedly told Yogi that she was a widow, and they developed a relationship until they agreed to meet at Barbies house, where the alleged crime took place. Yogi went to the house with a friend identified as 23-year-old Zakharia. When Yogi arrived at the house, he was immediately interrogated by Hartono, Barbies husband, according to Depok Police crime unit head Comr. Deddy Kurniawan. As soon as the victim had got off his motorbike, he was pulled out and forced to enter the house by Barbies husband, Deddy said, as quoted by kompas.com. Deddy said Yogi was scolded and accused of having an affair with Hartonos wife. Two of Yogis friends, identified as Riki and Aris, went to the scene to help Yogi, but Hartono had also called four of his friends. They were beaten, Deddy said, adding that their mobile phones were had been taken from them and would be returned only in exchange for Rp 1.5 million (US$105.83). Yogis phone and motorcycle were also taken, and the perpetrators demanded for Rp 2.5 million for those, Deddy said. After being held at the house for hours, Yogi was released to get the money. Yogi then decided to report the case to the police, who arrested the alleged perpetrators and charged them under Article 365 of the Criminal Code on violent robbery, Article 368 on extortion and Article 170 on assault. (fac) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Vatican City, Holy See Tue, March 26, 2019 19:07 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83e3bf0 2 World #Vatican,#women,female,reporters,quit,Vatican,calls,obedience Free The all-female editorial team behind the Vatican's women's magazine have resigned over what they describe as attempts to stifle their reporting and bring in more "obedient" journalists, its founder said Tuesday. "We are throwing in the towel because we feel surrounded by a climate of distrust and progressive de-legitimisation," Woman Church World founder Lucetta Scaraffia wrote in an editorial published by Italian religious news blog Il Sismografo. The magazine -- which has not shied away from tackling hard-hitting issues such as the sexual abuse of nuns by priests -- began life seven years ago as an insert and is published along with the Vatican's L'Osservatore Romano newspaper. Scaraffia said the new editor of L'Osservatore, Andrea Monda, was attempting to "weaken" the monthly by bringing in external collaborators in a bid to control the editorial line. "They are returning to the practice of selecting women who ensure obedience... (and) giving up that 'parresia' (freedom to speak freely) that Pope Francis so often seeks," she said. Monda released a statement denying that he had selected any collaborators, female or male, based on their obedience, and saying Woman Church World would continue. In an open letter to the pope, Scaraffia defended the monthly, saying stories that may have raised hackles in the Vatican had only been covered after the story had already broken and the facts were in the public domain. "Now it seems a vital initiative has been reduced to silence, and we return to the antiquated and barren custom of selecting, under direct male control, those women considered trustworthy," she added. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Reuters) Paris Tue, March 26, 2019 12:25 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83c7453 2 World New-Zealand,Muslims,Facebook,YouTube,Christchurch,massacre,religion,mosque-attack Free One of the main groups representing Muslims in France said on Monday it was suing Facebook and YouTube, accusing them of inciting violence by allowing the streaming of footage of the Christchurch massacre on their platforms. The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) said the companies had disseminated material that encouraged terrorism and harmed the dignity of human beings. There was no immediate comment from either company. The shooting at two mosques in New Zealand on March 15, which killed 50 people, was livestreamed on Facebook for 17 minutes and then copied and shared on social media sites across the internet. Facebook said it raced to remove hundreds of thousands of copies. However, footage could still be found on Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet Inc's YouTube a few hours after the attack, as well as Facebook-owned Instagram and Whatsapp. Abdallah Zekri, president of the CFCM's Islamophobia monitoring unit, said the organization had launched a formal legal complaint against Facebook and YouTube in France. Both companies have faced widespread criticism over the footage. The chair of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security wrote a letter to top executives of four major technology companies last week urging them to do a better job of removing violent political content. A spokesman for the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ) welcomed the French group's action. He said his organisation had been planning to contact Facebook to register their complaint but had been busy dealing with the aftermath of the attacks. "They have failed big time, this was a person who was looking for an audience and ... you were the platform he chose to advertise himself and his heinous crime," said FIANZ spokesman Anwar Ghani, referring to Facebook. "We haven't been in touch with the (French) group ... but certainly something which can deter the social media space in terms of these types of crimes, we would be supportive of that," he said. A man has been charged with one count of murder over the Christchurch shootings and will next appear in court on April 5. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Sydney, Australia Tue, March 26, 2019 13:43 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83cdc44 2 World Australia,gun-control,Racism,Al-Jazeera,investigation Free Australia's hard-right One Nation party has been accused of seeking donations from US gun lobby group the National Rifle Association ahead of the upcoming general election, according to an Al Jazeera investigation. Secret recordings aired by the Qatar-based broadcaster showed members of Pauline Hanson's party seeking $10-20 million in donations from the NRA apparently in return for trying to loosen Australia's tight gun laws. An Al Jazeera investigator posed as a gun lobbyist to facilitate the meeting between Hanson's chief of staff, James Ashby, the party leader in Queensland and the NRA in Washington -- meetings which were video-taped. Al Jazeera Exclusive: I went undercover to expose the US, Australia gun lobby https://t.co/3LD1xhOyNC pic.twitter.com/zpEItmy3CV Al Jazeera News (@AJENews) March 25, 2019 In the footage, Ashby was shown saying that he wanted political support, powerful NRA software -- to aid voter targeting -- and help with donations. "If the NRA want to rally their supporters within Australia, that's one start," Ashby said in one meeting ahead of the sit-down with the NRA. "Two, I'd love to get my hands on their software. And three, if they can help us with donations, super." Ashby is heard saying that a $10 million donation would allow One Nation to win eight seats in the Senate, parliament's upper house, giving the party sufficient power to influence legislation. However, following the Christchurch massacre any move to roll back Australia's strict gun control legislation would likely encounter widespread opposition. One Nation has two seats in the outgoing Senate, one of them held by party founder Hanson. NRA official Lars Dalseide later offered the group advice on how to respond to mass shootings in a way that would avoid tighter gun restrictions. The Al Jazeera report prompted calls for a probe into whether One Nation officials had violated rules against foreign interference in Australian elections. Prime Minister Scott Morrison tweeted Tuesday that the report about senior One Nation officials courting "foreign political donations from the US gun lobby to influence our elections & undermine our gun laws that keep us safe are deeply concerning". However, he refused to tell his supporters not to back the party in Australia's ranked voting system. Morrison's Liberal party are struggling in the polls and are keen not to alienate One Nation voters or their own supporters on the right. The Liberals may yet need to rely on second-preference votes to win marginal seats. "There are many reasons not to vote for One Nation. It's a long list. We've seen some of those on display in recent times. Today we saw further evidence of that," he said. But the prime minister added: "There are plenty of extreme views out there," singling out the country's Green party. Another video purported to show the Australians meeting with representatives of Koch Industries, a company run by conservative powerbroker and activist mega-donor Charles Koch. In that meeting, Queensland party leader Steve Dickson offers to change Australia's "voting system" in return for cash. In a statement to Australian media, Ashby attacked Al Jazeera, accusing it of being a propaganda arm of the Qatari government. He indicated the party had reported Al Jazeera to the police to investigate whether the media group was working as an unregistered foreign agent. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 26, 2019 15:22 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83da9fa 1 World #GolanHeights,Golan,Indonesia,#Indonesia,Foreign-Ministry,#ForeignMinistry,Israel,#Israel,trump,#trump,united-states Free Indonesia has strongly rejected the United States recent recognition of the disputed Golan Heights as Israeli territory, saying such a decision was "not conducive" to create peace and stability in the Middle East. Indonesia strongly rejects the recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. Indonesia recognizes it as Syrian territory, which is currently occupied by Israel. Indonesia, the ministry said, had based its position on the United Nations Charter principles of national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as previous UN resolutions, including the 1981 resolution that rendered Israels annexation of the Golan Heights null and void and without international legal effect. "Indonesia is urging the international community to continue respecting international law and the UN Charter in accordance with related [UN] resolutions in promoting the peace process in the Middle East," the ministry added. On Monday, US President Donald Trump signed a Golan proclamation at the White House and in front of visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declaring that the Golan Heights belonged to Israel, AFP reported. (agn/ipa) The Lecture Translator is a fully automatic software system for simultaneous translation based on artificial intelligence. (Photo: Interactive Systems Lab, KIT) A software that overcomes language barriers with artificial intelligence, sensors that identify odors, and a power-to-gas process with an efficiency of more than 75%: These are only some of the topics presented by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) at Hannover Messe 2019 Integrated Industry Industrial Intelligence. From April 1 to 5, 2019, KIT will present its innovations at two trade shows: Research & Technology (Hall 2, stand B16) and Integrated Energy (Hall 27, stand L51). Innovations for the transformation of our energy system or smart technologies for digital and networked production in globalized economy: At Hanover, we will present sustainable solutions to master the challenges of our time. The far-reaching change of our work environment results in opportunities to shape the future, says the President of KIT, Professor Holger Hanselka. We want to contribute to this change for the benefit of our society and industry. At two stands in the research and energy halls, we will present showcases full of technologies and smart processes that provide a view into the future. Information on the stands and exhibits of KIT at Hannover Messe 2019 can also be found in our digital press kit: http://www.sek.kit.edu/english/4330.php KIT in Hall 2, B16 Research and Technology Artificial Intelligence: Breaking the Language Barrier International exchange in business or politics requires human interpreters. But requirements and fees are high. Interpreters cannot be hired for all purposes. Researchers of the Interactive Systems Lab of KIT will present a self-learning system for automatic simultaneous translation. It combines automatic speech recognition with machine translation and other auxiliary functions. The result is made available on a website that allows for later search via text queries. The speech recognition part can also be used to provide real-time transcripts of speeches. The concept was proved by a test at the European Parliament. Software-based efficient and transparent communication also has major advantages in many business sectors. The system is in a mature stage. In 2012, the automatic lecture translator was installed in lecture halls of KIT and since then, has helped international students follow lectures given in the German language. Sensor Technology: The eNose Digitally Analyzes Odors The odor analysis market has offered isolated and very expensive solutions for specialized applications so far. The focus is on precise chemical analysis of gas components rather than on easy use. This situation will now be changed: Together with the industry partner smelldect, KIT develops an electronic nose, the eNose that is able to rapidly and easily acquire important olfactory information. It can determine whether an odor corresponds to a previously learned reference odor and, hence, has to be classified hazardous or harmless. The artificial nose has a size of a few centimeters only and consists of a chip with nanowires made of tin dioxide. After a certain odor pattern has been taught to the chip, the odor sensor can identify it within seconds. The eNose is to be inexpensive, capable of learning, and, hence, universally usable. Potential applications range from smart fire detectors to room air monitoring or food control. At Hannover Messe, KIT and smelldect will present a ready-for-use eNose demonstrator. In future, the sensor is planned to be miniaturized for integration into smartphones. The smelldect demonstrator rapidly and easily acquires olfactory information. (Photo: Martin Sommer, KIT) Smart Materials: Bionic Ship Coating Reduces Friction Losses Thanks to the salvinia effect, certain plants, such as water ferns (salvinia), can breathe under water. They retain a thin air layer on the surfaces of their leaves that are covered with hair-like structures and are highly water-repellent. This strategy of nature is the model of a ship coating developed within the EU-funded AIRCOAT project that started in 2018. Ten research institutions are involved in the project that is coordinated by KIT. At Hannover Messe, scientists of AIRCOAT will present the demonstrator of an adhesive foil that is applied onto the ships hull. The foil produces a thin air layer that significantly reduces drag and acts as a physical barrier between the hulls surface and water. As a result, fuel consumption and exhaust emission of the ship can be reduced considerably. The air layer also reduces the emission of noise. Moreover, it prevents marine organisms from settling on the hull, so-called fouling, and the release of biocidal substances from the coatings below into water. Artificially produced polymer sample with a structured surface that retains air under water. Reflection of light by the air layer makes the black polymer surface appear silvery under water. (Photo: Group of Professor Schimmel, KIT) Industry 4.0: One Click to Produce a Digital Twin Digitization is associated with a number of possibilities for companies to optimize existing processes or enter completely new paths. Production of a digital twin, a 3D copy of reality, enables innovative solutions along the lifecycle of buildings, manufacturing processes, and products. Today, digital twins no longer are of interest to large companies only. Also medium-sized enterprises can save costs and time, while flexibility is enhanced. KIT will present a system developed by the Industry 4.0 Collaboration Lab. This system uses a central service to supply all 3D inventory data needed for a digital twin independently of the hardware and software. Automatic generation of 3D models from point clouds using the Click & Build technology is of crucial importance. New algorithms enable users to transfer the data measured by a drone, for instance, to virtual 3D objects by just one click. 3D model of a production hall. By means of the Click & Buildtechnology, such 3D objects can be produced easily. (Figure: Industry 4.0 Collaboration Lab, KIT) Preservation of Infrastructure: KIT Innovation HUB Improves Prevention in Construction Preserving roads and bridges or ensuring stable water and energy supply is an expensive and complex task. To preserve infrastructure facilities, however, also new challenges, such as global warming or scarcity of natural resources, have to be mastered. More and more frequently, infrastructure facilities fail far before the expiry of their planned service life. With a unique approach the KIT Innovation HUB develops preventive measures in the form of innovative products, technologies, and services. All stakeholders in the construction value change are integrated, from the raw materials manufacturers to the builder. Using the nano-to-macro approach, detailed knowledge on the behavior of construction chemicals on the molecular level is obtained. In the next step, marketable products, technologies, and services are designed in cooperation with partners from industry and science. This strategy has already been implemented successfully on the aviation areas of Leipzig airport and the Laufenmuhle viaduct near Welzheim. From a mobile platform underneath the Laufenmuhle viaduct near Welzheim, radar and ultrasonic measurements were made. (Photo: KIT Innovation HUB) Technology Market RESEARCH TO BUSINESS, KITs technology market, will present 90 further technology offers at the stand of KIT. These are innovations of KIT, which might be turned into marketable products and processes. KIT in Hall 27, Stand L51 Integrated Energy Energy Storage Systems: Integrated Solution for a Flexible Power Grid Due to the increasing proportion of renewable energies in the power grid, energy storage systems are gaining importance to ensure stable power supply. Todays use of battery storage systems is associated with high costs. Apart from investment costs, operation costs also play an important role. At the Energy Lab 2.0, a large-scale energy research facility at KIT, a close-to-production prototype of a large lithium-ion storage system with very low operation and maintenance costs is now being implemented. The efficient control system required for this purpose was developed by KITs Battery Technical Center. In addition, cooling of the prototype was optimized. Besides cooling water from geothermal probes, a concrete shell is used for passive cooling. Proper cooling increases the service life of batteries and, hence, economic efficiency. The new storage system supplies 1.5 MWh of usable energy and can reach an electric power of up to 800 kW. Optimal operation is ensured by two independent battery and inverter systems. They enable continuous operation of the storage system even if one of the components fails. As part of the building is located underground, the space needed for the battery storage system is reduced. An attractive design enhances acceptance by local population when used within urban spaces. Prototype of a large lithium-ion storage system of the Energy Lab 2.0. (Photo: Battery Technical Center, KIT) Power Transport: Energy-efficient Superconducting Cable for Future Technologies For connection of wind parks, DC power supply on ships, or high-current cables in future electric airplanes, scientists of KIT will present a multi-purpose superconducting cable for loss-free power transport, which can be manufactured easily, the HTS cross conductor (HTS CroCo for short). It is based on REBCO material (rare-earth barium copper oxide), a high-temperature superconductor (HTS) discovered in 1987. While superconductors usually work at temperatures near -269C only, the REBCO material can be applied at a temperature of -196C already. Yet, long lengths are available in the form of thin tapes only. Physicists of KIT have now developed a method to produce high-current cables from these HTS REBCO tapes. The HTS CroCo consists of REBCO tapes of two different widths, which are arranged with a cross-shaped cross section. HTS CroCos can transport very high direct currents and compared to conventional copper or aluminum cables, they need less space and have a lower weight. If liquid hydrogen is used for cooling, it is even possible to transport chemical energy and electrical energy together. The biggest advantage, however, consists in loss-free energy transport by the superconductor and the associated environmentally compatible and energy-efficient solutions. Video: Energy-efficient superconductors for future technologies (in German) Production Technology: Reducing Costs of Battery Cell Production Electrode foils play a decisive role in the production of batteries and accumulators for electric cars, smartphones, and laptops. The electrode material is applied as a thin paste to a copper or aluminum foil, with the electrode patterns being separated by small strips of uncoated foil serving as electrode conductors. To produce these uncoated areas, the coating process has to be stopped and restarted again. This takes a lot of time and increases production costs. Researchers at KIT are now able to significantly increase production speed with a new intermittent, i.e. interrupting, process. They use a patented nozzle equipped with a special membrane which is able to interrupt the coating process abruptly and to restart it again. As no other moving parts are required, production speed can be increased. Instead of the 25 to 35 meters previously common in the industrial sector, more than 100 meters per minute of coated film for battery electrodes can now be produced. A novel intermittent coating process considerably increases battery production speed. (Photo: Thin Film Technology Laboratory Institute of Thermal Process Engineering, KIT) Power-to-Gas: Production with High Efficiency Solutions for the storage of regenerative energies are of decisive imp ortance in implementing the energy transition. Generation of synthetic natural gas (SNG) from renewable energies enables power storage in the existing natural gas grid and use of SNG without fossil CO2 emissions. Usually, hydrogen is produced by low-temperature electrolysis. This hydrogen is then converted into SNG in a methanation plant. The EU-funded project HELMETH (Integrated High-Temperature ELectrolysis and METHanation for Effective Power to Gas Conversion) coordinated by KIT has now shown that efficiency in the production of SNG from electric power can be increased by combining both processes. Consistent use of synergies from high-temperature electrolysis and methanation in the HELMETH prototype resulted in efficiencies of power-to-SNG conversion of 76%. This is much higher than the usual 54% of existing power-to-SNG facilities. Larger industrial plants might even reach efficiencies over 80% in case of further optimization. On April 01, 2019, Dr. Stefan Harth will speak about the highly efficient power-to-gas process at the Integrated Energy Forum from 16.30 to 17.00 hrs (Hall 27, stand L55). With a highly efficient power-to-gas process, the HELMETH prototype reaches efficiencies of 76%. (Photo: Sunfire GmbH) Technology Market RESEARCH TO BUSINESS, KITs technology market, will present 30 further technology offers at KITs Energy stand. These are innovations of KIT, which might be turned into marketable products and processes. The Kopernikus Projects at Hannover Messe The Kopernikus projects ENSURE, SynErgie, P2X, and ENavi will be presented at the stand of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Hall 2, stand B22). Visitors may have a look at the future energy landscape. In addition, a series of lectures will be given at the Integrated Energy Forum on Monday, April 01, 2019 from 15.30 to 16.30 hrs (Hall 27). They will focus, among others, on digital power supply grids, a topic covered by the KIT-coordinated Kopernikus project ENSURE. KIT and Its Partners at Other Thematic Stands and in the Conference Program KIT in Hall 7, IBM Stand C16: The Karlsruhe Service Research Institute (KSRI) Presents AI Solutions Due to big data volumes and the availability of novel analysis processes, enterprises increasingly use artificial intelligence (AI). But not every AI solution automatically means an added value for clients. Together with IBM Global Services, KITs KSRI presents creative solutions for user-oriented design of new services. BIOKON Joint Stand A01 in Hall 2: The Body Language of Components At the BIOKON joint stand, KIT, based on exhibits and the books by Professor Claus Mattheck, will present innovative lightweight construction and component optimization methods derived from natural structures. Network Park in Hall 13, Stand E21: Spinoff and Startup Teams of KIT Present Themselves Experience innovation: At the Young Tech Enterprises Network Park, KIT will introduce its startups and spinoffs heat_it, HQS Quantum Simulations, thingsTHINKING, axxelera, Selfbits, promonode, and SIMUTENCE. Please refer to http://www.kit-gruendernews.de/hmi-2019/ (in German) for more information and for the detailed plan of exhibitors. FZI Stand C47 in Hall 2: Applied Artificial Intelligence and IT Solutions The FZI Research Center for Information Technology, an innovation partner of KIT, presents innovations of IT-related applied research, diverse applications of applied artificial intelligence (AI), an internet-of-things solution for logistics, and much more. The highlight is the LAURON walking robot that uses AI to detect and assess risks and to autonomously derive actions. More information at url.fzi.de/hmi (in German) Forum Integrated Energy, Hall 27, Stand L55: Visions of Future Mobility On April 03, 2019 from 12.45 to 13.15 hrs, Professor Albert Albers, Head of KITs Institute of Product Engineering, IPEK, will speak about Seamless Mobility as a system of systems. Based on this new approach, he will present methods and ideas for the systematic integrated development and assessment of reasonable and viable mobility solutions. Forum Integrated Energy, Hall 27, Stand L55: Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems of the Future On April 03, 2019 from 17.00 to 17.30 hrs, Professor Maximilian Fichtner, Spokesperson of CELEST, will present the activities of this new Center for Electrochemical Energy Storage Ulm & Karlsruhe (CELEST), one of the biggest and most ambitious research and development platforms in this area worldwide. Forum Integrated Energy Hall 27, Stand L55: Power-to-SNG with High Efficiencies On April 01, 2019, from 16.30 to 17.00 hrs, Dr. Stefan Harth will present the highly efficient power-to-gas process developed within the EU-funded and KIT-coordinated project HELMETH (Integrated High-Temperature ELectrolysis and METHanation for Effective Power to Gas Conversion). Integrated Lightweight Plaza & Speakers Corner, Hall 5, Stand B18: Process Modeling of Filament Winding as a Joining Process On April 01, 2019, Marius Dackweiler will present a novel joining process for fiber composites from 14.30 to 15.00 hrs. By means of a C-shaped rotor-stator construction and an articulated robot, filament nodes are generated. Artificial Intelligence and Energy Topics of the lookKIT Research Magazine It is a ubiquitous term, it will change our lives and daily routines, our work, and our society: Artificial intelligence (AI). But how can AI be used in future for helping people and generating added value for science and industry? Researchers of KIT analyze this question from various perspectives. Their activities as well as opportunities and risks of AI are covered by the latest lookKIT magazine. In an interview, the President of KIT, Professor Holger Hanselka, reports his work in the Steering Committee of the Learning Systems Platform of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Other issues covered are robotics, autonomous driving, and successful AI-related startups of KIT: https://www.sek.kit.edu/english/3216_4301.php. Fundamental transformation of Germanys energy supply system is a project that will take generations. KIT supports this transformation process. The KIT Energy Center, with its 1,500 scientists and technical staff members, is one of the biggest energy research centers in Europe. Clear priorities lie in the areas of energy efficiency and renewable energies, energy storage systems and grids, electric mobility: http://www.sek.kit.edu/english/3216_4402.php Information on the stands and exhibits of KIT at Hannover Messe 2019 can also be found in our digital press kit: http://www.sek.kit.edu/english/4330.php Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,600 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 23,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 26, 2019 17:34 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83e0ea9 4 Business All-New-Honda-Brio,exports,the-philippines,Vietnam Free Honda sole agent in Indonesia PT Honda Prospect Motor (HPM) kicked off Tuesday the production of the export-oriented All New Honda Brio cars at its factory in Karawang, West Java. Speaking at the event, Trade Minister Airlangga Hartarto praised HPMs effort to increase the exports of its products, including the All New Brio cars. The maiden export of the All New Brio in 2019 is planned to the Philippines and Vietnam with a total export value of Rp 1 trillion (US$70.54 million), said Airlangga as quoted by Antara, adding that the local content of the All New Bio was 89 percent. Airlangga said HPM had exported 11 models of completely knocked-down (CKD) car since 2013 to 12 countries in Asia and America. Total exports up to 2018 were recorded at Rp 12 trillion and targeted to reach Rp 25.5 trillion in 2021. HPM had so far produced some 1.3 million vehicles. Currently, the company has two manufacturing factories that can produce 200,000 cars annually and employ about 6,900 people. This year, the company plans to invest about Rp 4.2 trillion. HPM had also reportedly exported the completely built-up (CBU) Honda Freed, which was also produced at the Karawang factory between 2011 to 2014, to Thailand and Malaysia. Airlangga said the Trade Ministry supported HPMs ambition to export 1.5 million cars by 2020. Honda Motors chief operating officer for Asia and Oceania Masayuki Igarashi said Indonesia was an important market for Honda Motor. He said the company had a strong commitment to improving facilities to support the development of various models to fulfill the market demand in the country. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 26, 2019 16:06 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83ddd84 4 City drugs,narcotics,disability,disabled-people,disabled,trial Free Wendra Purnamas lips trembled when he answered questions posed to him by a panel of judges during his drug trial at the Tangerang District Court on Monday. Wendra is intellectual impaired and struggles to talk. Only one or two words come out of his mouth. Me [...] Ica [...]?" the 22-year-old told the court. Wendras lawyer, Antonius Badar Karwayu from the Jakarta-based rights group Community Legal Aid Institute (LBH Masyarakat), immediately clarified Wendras words. "Maybe he wanted to ask about Ica, one of his friends who was using sabu-sabu (crystal methamphetamine), before the police arrested him. Why was Ica not present, Antonious told the judges as quoted by tempo.co. Police investigators Eko Cahyono and Mustaqil Choiri, who testified at the trial, answered Wendras question, saying they did not arrest Ica as he was not with Wendra when he was arrested. "We are focusing more on the sabu-sabu smugglers and those who ordered it, Eko told the court. Wendra looked baffled as he heard the answer. He tried to speak but he only managed to mumble nervously. Wendra was arrested on the Cengkareng Outer Ring Road in West Jakarta on Nov. 25 last year, along with his friend, Hau Hau Wijaya, for alleged drug dealing. The police allegedly found 0.23 grams of sabu-sabu on Hau. Wendra has appeared in court five times already for allegedly violating the 2009 law on narcotics. Antonius asked the court to acquit his client because Wendra was intellectually impaired and had difficulty communicating, adding that the Banten office of the Indonesian Psychology Association also agreed with this assessment after it examined him. Antonius said he planned to give the test results to the panel of judges at the next hearing on Monday. "Wendra's psychological test results show that he has a problem with thinking. He also lacks adaptive functions because his intelligence level was below average, his IQ is only 55," he added on Monday. "He has difficulty distinguishing between good and bad, right and wrong as well as his rights and obligations," Antonius said. A paralegal at the Banten Drugs Policy Reform group, Immanudin, said Wendras case was legally flawed considering his condition. This is nonsense because how can a person with mental disabilities understand the cross-examination process, especially when the police question him, he said. Imanuddin added that as a person who was intellectual impaired, Wendra was not fit to stand trial. He suspected that he was the victim of a narcotics network. He was trapped to save the big dealer, he added. Wendras mother, Ahua, said her son had been intellectually impaired since birth. He has trouble speaking and communicating, the 50-year-old said, adding that she was shocked and confused about the case against his son. "How come? As far as I know, my son doesn't get along with people [] Who wants to be friends with a boy who cant speak clearly like that? Ahua said. (ggq) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 26, 2019 19:36 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83e45d2 1 National KPK,Krakatau-Steel,graft,search Free The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has searched the offices of top officials at state-owned company PT Krakatau Steel as part of its investigation into bribery allegedly involving one of the companys directors. KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah said investigators raided six Krakatau Steel offices from 3 p.m. on Monday until 3 a.m. on Tuesday KPK investigators confiscated several documents related to Krakatau Steel's ongoing projects and future projects, Febri said. We will examine the evidence as part of the investigation, he said. The antigraft body detained on Friday three graft suspects, namely Wisnu Kuncoro, the companys production and technology director; Alexander Muskitta, a businessman; and Kenneth Sutardja, the president director of engineering and manufacturing company Grand Kartech. Another suspect, Kurniawan Eddy Tjokro, who had been on the run for two days, handed himself him to the KPK along with his lawyer. The KPK named Kurniawan a suspect for allegedly handing a check amounting to Rp 50 million (US$3,528) to Alexander who is suspected to have acted under Wisnus instructions as kickbacks for the procurement on Wednesday last week. Febri said the KPK was currently interrogating Kurniawan. (das) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Badung, Bali Tue, March 26, 2019 11:50 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83c323c 1 National #Indonesia,#Crime,Mexican,arrested,carrier,bullets,Bali-Airport Free A Mexican man has been arrested at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Badung, Bali, on Monday for carrying bullets in his luggage. "Yes, it is confirmed that the airport's aviation security personnel have arrested a passenger of an international flight who was carrying 10 bullets in his luggage," said the general manager of PT Angkasa Pura I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, Haruman Sulaksono. Haruman explained that the man, Jose Fabian Ibarra Valdes, 32, was a passenger of JetStar Asia flight 3K-244 to Singapore. Aviation security found the bullets when his luggage passed through scanner in the international departure area. As the aviation security personnel found suspicious things in his luggage, a manual search was conducted and they found 10 bullets inside a plastic bag in his luggage. "He said it was his father's suitcase and he didn't know that there were bullets inside," Haruman said. Valdes could not show any documents or permit for carrying the bullets. Haruman explained that bullets are categorized as dangerous goods that need special permits to be carried on aircraft. It is regulated in Transportation Ministerial Regulation No. 8/2017 on national aviation security. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Shaun Tandon (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States Tue, March 26, 2019 07:37 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83b7845 2 World #USA,#Israel,BenjaminNetanyahu,DonaldTrump,signs,Golan Free With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his side, US President Donald Trump declared Monday that the Golan Heights belongs to Israel -- handing another major diplomatic victory to the premier ahead of tight elections. Netanyahu spared no praise as he watched Trump sign the Golan proclamation at the White House, likening him to President Harry S Truman, who recognized Israel, and even to Cyrus the Great, the Persian king who freed the Jews of Babylon. "Your decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty on the Golan Heights is so historic," Netanyahu told Trump. The Jewish state captured the territory from Syria during the Six-Day War of 1967. "Your recognition is a twofold act of historic justice. Israel won the Golan Heights in a just war of self-defense, and the Jewish people's roots in the Golan go back thousands of years," he said. Trump -- who in 2017 took the even more momentous step of recognizing disputed Jerusalem as Israel's capital -- called the Golan declaration "a long time in the making." "It should have taken place many decades ago," said Trump, who had revealed his intentions on the Golan on Thursday in a Twitter message. Netanyahu, a wily right-winger who this year would become the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history, is facing an unexpectedly stiff challenge in April 9 elections from centrist Benny Gantz, who also came to Washington for AIPAC. Netanyahu was visiting Washington for the conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the pro-Israel US lobby, but cut his visit short after a rocket fired Monday from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip hit a house north of Tel Aviv, wounding seven Israelis in an unusually long-range attack. Just as Netanyahu entered the White House, Israeli warplanes struck targets in Gaza linked to Hamas -- which denied carrying out the attack -- with the prime minister vowing to respond "forcefully to this wanton aggression." International opposition Trump was isolated in the move, with the United Nations and US allies France and Britain all saying that they still considered the Golan Heights "Israeli-occupied" in line with UN resolutions. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Trump's declaration "ignores all international procedures" and "could drive a new wave of tensions" in the Middle East. Syria denounced the "blatant attack" on its sovereignty, while Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu criticized Trump for giving "virtually an election gift" to Netanyahu. Israel annexed the Golan in 1981 but had won no international support. The territory had long been seen as a comparatively easy problem to resolve, as both Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Golan's 20,000 settlers are largely secular in a region dominated by religious feuds. But changing the strategic dynamics, Syria has been embroiled for years in a devastating civil war in which Iran has made inroads -- to the staunch opposition of Israel, which has vowed to eradicate the clerical regime's presence. Shortly before the Golan proclamation, Vice President Mike Pence brought the AIPAC audience to its feet as he hailed Trump as "the greatest friend of the Jewish people and the state of Israel ever to sit in the Oval Office." Amid Trump and Netanyahu's mutual affection and the Israeli leader's rightward turn, top Democrats seeking the White House have steered clear of AIPAC -- an absence that Pence eagerly highlighted. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, a liberal Democrat whose city is home to 1.2 million Jews, nonetheless spoke at AIPAC, where he acknowledged differences with Netanyahu but won a standing ovation for opposing the movement to boycott Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians. Gantz touts 'strength' Challenger Gantz showed virtually no daylight with Netanyahu on security issues in his AIPAC address. Citing his mother's experience as a Holocaust survivor and his son's service in the military, the former military chief said that "strength and moral power come together." "That is why I say from this stage to the Iranian regime -- never again. We will not allow you to establish yourself in Syria, we will not allow you to develop nuclear weapons," he said. "On my watch, you will not become a regional power and I will not hesitate to use force if and when needed," he said. Gantz said that Jerusalem would always be Israel's "united and eternal capital" and added, without ruling out a Palestinian state in the West Bank, that the Jordan Valley would "always" be Israel's eastern security border. But he won loud cheers from the American Jewish audience when he turned to domestic issues, promising more inclusiveness at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, where women are separated from men, and chiding Netanyahu for allying with a party widely condemned as racist. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 26, 2019 12:16 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83c68b8 4 Business app-based-transportation,BPJS-Kesehatan,BPJS-Ketenagakerjaan,drivers Free The government has pledged to include motorcycle taxi (ojek) drivers working for ride-hailing apps in the insurance schemes of both the Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) and the Workers Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan). Transportation Ministry Roads Director General Budi Setiyadi said this was stipulated in Transportation Ministerial Regulation No. 12/2019 on the protection of motorcycle users for public transportation, issued earlier this month. The participation of the drivers in both the BPJS Kesehatana and BPJS ketenagakerjaan is an important [element in the regulation], he said, as quoted by komaps.com after announcing the new fares for app-based ojek in Jakarta on Monday. He said the inclusion of the drivers in those insurance programs was important because of their high-risk occupation. With their inclusion, should they be involved in any traffic accidents, the cost of their treatment would be covered by the BPJS and other insurances, Budi said. In Jakarta alone, the number of app-based ojek drivers is estimated at more than 1 million. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 26, 2019 14:00 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83ce8ee 4 Business co-working-space,startup,prospect,growth Free The proliferation of startups and other small, digital-based entities has helped boost the growth of coworking space businesses in major cities like Jakarta and Surabaya. A number of property developers have also started to pay attention to the high demand for coworking spaces. PT Intiland Development corporate secretary Theresia Rustandi, whose company is involved in coworking spaces, said the trend to rent small rooms as offices was very high as many types of business entities did not need large rooms for their operations. Nearly all rooms are occupied, said Theresia on Monday as quoted by kontan.co.id, adding that the coworking spaces were needed by small businesses. Since PT Intiland started the coworking space business called SUB-Co in 2015, it has opened three locations in Surabaya, two of which were located at Whiz Residence Darmo Harapan and at Spazio in West Surabaya. She said the company eyed startups as its main clients because they needed private rooms for their operations, while for shared spaces the company targeted freelancers. For shared spaces, we start prices from Rp 50,000 (US$3.52) per hour, while for private rooms, the rental fees start from Rp 7.5 million per month, she said. Theresia said the company had to invest Rp 1 billion to renovate the interior of coworking spaces, which could contribute Rp 200 million per month in revenue. Theresia said Intiland Development planned to open coworking space businesses in Jakarta, but she could not comment on the details, saying that the company was studying several places for the business. A similar move was made by property developer PT Ciputra Development. The company is now constructing its third office tower in West Jakarta. We are constructing the Propan Tower because 60 percent of the building will be bought by the Propan Group, said Ciputra Development director Artadinata Djangkar. Ciputra also has two buildings in West Jakarta Tokopedia Tower and Tokopedia Care, as well as the DBS Tower in the Central Business District in South Jakarta, Artadinata added. Property analyst Jehansyah Siregar said the coworking space business still had good prospects. By renting coworking spaces, people can start work with just a laptop, Jehansyah said. According to a report of Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), the coworking space business grew 60 percent in 2018 while the number of operators grew 8 percent. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Damascus, Syria Tue, March 26, 2019 22:10 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83e728d 2 World #Syria,#GolanHeights,syrian,demonstration,condemnation,US,Golan,move Free Demonstrations spread across Syria on Tuesday denouncing Washington's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, in a show of unity in the war-torn country, state media said. US President Donald Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognising Israeli sovereignty over the strategic border area, seized from Syria in 1967 and then annexed in 1981 in a move not recognised by the international community. Trump's move immediately drew criticism from the Syrian government, which described it as a "blatant attack" on the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. On Tuesday, demonstrators took to the streets across the war-torn country to protest Washington's decision. They staged rallies in Damascus, the government strongholds of Latakia and Tartous, the northern city of Aleppo, the central city of Homs, Deir Ezzor in the east and the southern cities of Daraa and Quneitra, state news agency SANA said. Syrians also protested in the Kurdish-majority northeastern cities of Qamishli and Hassakeh, it said. Demonstrators carried portraits of President Bashar al-Assad and raised the Syrian and Palestinian flags, in photos carried by SANA. "The blatant US bias toward Israel will not change the Syrian identity of the Golan," Information Minister Imad Sara told state television during a rally in Damascus. "There needs to be a strong response", not just condemnations, he said. "We want action on the ground." In Aleppo, hundreds gathered in the central Saadallah al-Jabiri square. "We are here to condemn Trump's Golan decision," said Mohammad Shaaban, a protester. "The Golan is Arab and Syrian whether they like it or not," he said. In Damascus, the lawyers' syndicate gathered at the justice palace to decry the move, pro-regime television showed. "America is now the primary enemy of the Arabs," a syndicate representative read from a statement. The lawyers' syndicate in Hama paused court sessions for one hour in protest over the US decision, SANA said. Trump's Golan decision spurred condemnation from several regional states, including Turkey, Iran, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. It also drew criticism from the Syrian regime's ally Russia, which warned of a "new wave" of tensions in the Middle East. The UN Security Council is scheduled to discuss the Golan on Wednesday during a meeting on renewing the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force deployed between Israel and Syria in the Golan, known as UNDOF. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hipolitus Yolisandry Ringgi Wangge (The Jakarta Post) Wamena Tue, March 26 2019 The conflict in Nduga, Papua, between the military and independence fighters, led by Egianus Kogoya, a young man from Nduga regency, has been unfolding for over three months with few signs of ending. The armed conflict was triggered by the killing of 31 construction workers of PT Istaka Karya in Yigi district, Nduga regency in Papuas highland. Isolated operation zones in 16 out of 32 districts of the regency have led to evacuation of people from the neighboring Nduga including Jayawijaya, Lanny Jaya, Yahukimo, Asmat and Mimika. The logic of the conflict has been highly contested between the security apparatus, mainly the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the pro-independence fighters of the Papua National Liberation Army (TPN-OPM). The former emphasizes the security threat posed by the guerillas, blamed for disrupting the government-initiated road projects in the area. The guerillas, meanwhile, cite self-determination, rejecting all central government developmental projects across Papua. These contesting views have found no common ground to resolve the long-running conflict. Nduga along with Lanny Jaya, Puncak, Puncak Jaya, Yahukimo and Mimika areas are locally deemed as the red zones, given the historical record of prolonged conflicts and bases for pro-independence guerillas. Since the early 1960s, Nduga was marked as a military operation zone. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Reuters) Cairo Tue, March 26, 2019 12:01 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83c4028 2 World Saudi-Arabia,Golan,Israel,dispute-settlement,recognition,Middle-East Free Saudi Arabia denounced US President Donald Trump's recognition of Israel's 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights, a statement released by the Saudi Press Agency said early on Tuesday. "Attempts to impose fait accompli do not change the facts," the statement said. It said the Golan Heights was an "occupied Syrian Arab land in accordance with the relevant international resolutions". "It will have significant negative effects on the peace process in the Middle East and the security and stability of the region," it said. Trump, with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looking over his shoulder during a visit to Washington, signed a proclamation on Monday officially granting U.S. recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East War and annexed it in 1981 in a move not recognised internationally. The Saudi Press Agency report described Monday's declaration as a clear violation of the United Nations Charter and of international law. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Sausan Atika (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, March 27 2019 Tap here: A ticketing official is seen at the entry gate of the MRTs Bundaran HI Station in Jakarta on Tuesday.(JP/Iqbal Yuwansyah) Citizens who want to take the countrys first subway are no longer to be forced to wander in the dark about the MRT fares, as the Jakarta administration and the City Council reached an agreement about them on Tuesday. Alhamdulillah [thank God] we have talked together in the council speakers office. Together [we] signed [for MRT fares] as agreed, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan told reporters after a meeting with council speaker Prasetio Edi Marsud on Tuesday. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Tangerang Wed, March 27 2019 Wendra Purnamas lips trembled when he answered questions posed to him by a panel of judges during his drug trial at the Tangerang District Court on Monday. Wendra is intellectually impaired and struggles to talk. Only one or two words come out of his mouth. Me [...] Ica [...]? the 22-year-old told the court. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, March 27 2019 The pen is mightier: United States President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pose with a presidential proclamation recognizing Israels sovereignty over the Golan Heights after they met at the White House in Washington on Monday.(Reuters/Leah Millis) Indonesia has strongly rejected the United States recent recognition of the disputed Golan Heights as Israeli territory, saying such a decision was not conducive to creating peace and stability in the Middle East. Indonesia strongly rejects the recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. Indonesia recognizes it as Syrian territory, which is currently occupied by Israel. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Kyodo News) Phitsanulok, Thailand Tue, March 26, 2019 07:08 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83b5e40 2 Destinations Thailand,travel,destination,tourism,Tourist,national-park,Phu-Hin-Rong-Kla-National-Park Free Thailand is among the many countries that faced Communist insurgency in the post-World War II era. The outlawed Communist Party of Thailand, which launched an insurgent campaign in 1965, based its headquarters in the mountains of northern Thailand. Today, the area is a historical tourist attraction within the Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park and one of the most concrete pieces of evidence showing the existence of Communist insurgency in the country. The headquarters, in the mountain range in Phitsanulok Province, served as a school for party cadres on military training, politics and medicine until 1982. Little by little, national park authorities are renovating 31 square cabins at what is now called Political and Military School, while bigger sleeping quarters all fell into ruin as time passed. Each with the capacity to hold four to five people, the buildings housed the party's committees, quartermasters, infirmary and military. A dilapidated bulldozer sits in the middle of the compound. Students stole it from the foothill where it had been used to build a highway, said Manus See-suea, 61, a national park officer and former member of the Thai military. A number of university students had fled Bangkok and other cities to seek refuge at the party headquarters in the forest after violent government crackdowns on student protesters in the 1970s. "The Communists did not want any development or comfort around the area, not even a road. They were afraid that the government would reach and defeat them easier if there were an accessible route," Manus said. Some parts were removed from the tractor to be used for a waterwheel opposite the school. The waterwheel, said to be installed by engineering students from Chulalongkorn University, was used to pound steamed rice. It was going to be attached to a motor to generate electricity, but the students left the ground before it was done, Manus said. Many pieces of equipment and educational tools from the era are displayed at the park's tourist information center. They include medical equipment and a surgical technique manual written in Chinese, suggesting the party' strong connection with Communist-run China to the north. The historical site attracts tourists from both home and abroad, especially during the beginning of the year, when leaves turn red. "Coming to this place is like going on a time machine. I'm struck by what happened before and sad about it at the same time," said Kanitta Janarsa, 49, a government worker in Phitsanulok, on a recent visit with her colleagues. When the camp was set up, party members were mostly ethnic Hmong. They were sent to China and North Vietnam with Mao Zedong's sponsorship, to be educated on politics, military and medicine, according to Manus. They returned to spread their knowledge and urge others to join their activities. Read also: Ten reasons to visit Komodo National Park in 2019 Many medical appliances from various fields such as traditional Chinese acupuncture, modern medicine and textbooks were brought to the base. Moreover, insurgents smuggled many weapons from China and Laos to fight against Thai troops. The stronghold's population grew after a student uprising in October 1973, and grew even more after a student massacre in October 1976 -- in which at least 46 people were killed as government troops attacked student protestors in Bangkok -- prompted students to flee to the forest to join the Communists. The influx of new party members resulted in the establishment of the Political and Military School. However, the Communist insurgency ended in 1982 after Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda promised amnesty to the Communists and former student protesters if they defected. "While I was clearing off the area, I admit that I was extremely scared (for) my life, my friends' lives and those of the enemies whom we might have to shoot," Manus said, recalling his involvement in the military's counterinsurgency operation four decades ago. Besides the insurgents, many children had been living there as well. Their shoes and belongings were abandoned in the cabins as they left. Some were carrying pigs and walking their ponies down the mountain, he recalled. "Little kids walking away from the forest reminded me of my siblings," the park officer said, adding that others around him were in tears as they thought of their own children. He said Phitsanulok's former Communist stronghold is a reminder that neither the Thai soldiers nor the Communists they fought really emerged "victorious" after the decades-long clashes between them. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Reuters) London, United Kingdom Tue, March 26, 2019 12:08 992 dcc1aefb9780f102b77c720ee83c5018 2 News British-Airways,London,Britain,travel,Scotland,Germany Free British Airways has been forced to apologize after a flight from London to Dusseldorf landed more than 965 km away in Edinburgh by mistake. The detour happened after a sub-contracted crew used an incorrect flight plan and set off from London City airport for the Scottish capital instead of setting course for the Rhine. British Airways said the aircraft - a 96-seat BAe-146 regional jet - was operated by German charter firm WDL Aviation on behalf of BA CityFlyer. The crew and aircraft were sub-contracted from WDL under an arrangement known as a "wet lease". "We are working with WDL Aviation, who operated this flight on behalf of British Airways, to establish why the incorrect flight plan was filed," BA said in a statement. Read also: New British Airways business class seat features door and lie-flat beds "We have apologized to customers for this interruption to their journey and will be contacting them all individually." WDL Aviation said it had flown the passengers on to Dusseldorf after their unscheduled Scottish stopover. "We are working closely with the authorities to investigate how the obviously unfortunate mix-up of flight schedules could occur," it said in a statement. WDL is owned by Berlin-based logistics firm Zeitfracht Group. Renaults Master load-hauler range in Australia is now capable of transporting a different type of cargo with the local launch of the Master Bus. Based on the Master L3H2 long-wheelbase van, the Bus can carry up to 12 passengers including the driver, rated to 3.9 tonnes GVM with a payload of 1252kg. The 12-passenger limit allows the Bus to be driven with a car licence in Australian states and territories. If the passengers have packed for all seasons, the Master Bus can also tow up to 2.5 tonnes and the roof is rated to carry 200kg (including the roof racks). Phuket Governor urges action to save water in case of drought PHUKET: The Governor of Phuket has urged relevant agencies to find raw water reserves to supplement public water supply and to conduct public-awareness campaigns for conserving water use in order to reduce the volume of water residents are using in case of a drought. weather By The Phuket News Tuesday 26 March 2019, 12:47PM Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana speaking at yesterdays meeting, calling on officials to take steps in case of a drought. Photo: PR Dept Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana has also asked farmers on the island to reduce the volume of water being used to irrigate their crops. He even suggested that they delay planting new crops until the dry season has passed. The request was handed down at a meeting at Provincial Hall yesterday (Mar 25), also attended by Vice Governor Supoj Rotreuang Na Nongkhai, Phuket Provincial Irrigation Office Director Somsawat Chaisinsod, and Prapan Kanprasang, chief of the Phuket Provincial office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket). Governor Phakaphong urged government agencies and local administrative organizations to establish measures in preparation for drought prevention and remedies across the island, such as monitoring the water situation throughout the province and improving the provincial drought response plan to be in line with the current situation. The DDPM-Phuket office was tasked with ensuring that all government offices were informed of the guidelines to follow under the provincial drought response plan, though the Governor did not actually state that the island was currently experiencing drought conditions. Government officers were asked to use their experience and training to attend to the current situation, by making sure the appropriate equipment was available in order to provide immediate assistance to people, preparing water-distribution plans in each village, and checking farms in drought risk areas. Governor Phakaphong gave an update on the current status of the islands three main public water reservoirs: Bang Wad in Kathu, Bang Neow Dum in Srisoonthorn and Khlong Krata in Chalong. Bang Neow Dum currently contains 3.25 million cubic meters, or 45% of its capacity, he said, noting that about 3.14mn m3 of that reserve was usable. Bang Wad currently contains 7.05mn m3 of water, or about 69% of its capacity, the Governor added, of which he said that about 6.78mn m3 was usable. Klong Kratha reservoir in Chalong currently contains about 1.77mn m3, or some 40% of its capacity, he added, pointing out that 1.68mn m3 of that water was usable. The three reservoirs gave the island in total some 11.6mn m3 of water to use as water supply, Governor Phakaphong said. However, he added that that there was 27.84mn m3 of water available from other water sources. Altogether, the province has 39.44mn m3 of fresh water supply available, he said. Governor Phakaphong did not elaborate on whether these water sources were privately owned or government owned, or whether any of those water sources were already dedicated to serving local areas. Regardless, Governor Phakaphong urged officials to make arrangements to be able to use water from these sources in order to prevent water supply shortages across the island. The Governor also gave particular attention to the volume of water used by farmers on the island. Officials must be ready and prepared for provincial drought crisis prevention and solutions to reduce impact of a drought, he said. Go out to survey the effects on farmers, especially farmers facing drought conditions in order to provide assistance if there is a water shortage situation. They will not have enough water for their crops, he said. And every official concerned with this issue must find private water sources to supply the people, he added. In his message to farmers, Governor Phakaphong said, Please save water to get through the drought together. Please use less water for plants or dont plant new crops at this time. The Governors call for action yesterday comes follows Patong Municipality already deploying free emergency water for residents (see story here) and the Phuket Waterworks Authority deploying their own water trucks to provide free emergency water supply last Friday (see story here.) The move by the PWA to roll out free emergency water came just days after the national Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) Governor quietly visited Phuket in person and urged the local PWA office to solve the islands drought problems and to come up with a plan of how to continue supplying water needed by April 1. (See story here.) By that time, however, resorts had already start rolling in own water tankers as the Phuket dry spell continued (see story here), while Cherng Talay Municipality started relying on privately owned third-party water sources to provide water to their residents (see story here.) Koh Kaew Tambon Administrative Organisation (OrBorTor), however, did not wait. The local administration began setting up its own emergency relief water supply stations earlier this month and issued its own water shortage warning despite assurances from water officials that no water-saving measures had been introduced. (See story here.) Likewise, Cherng Talay OrBorTor, responsible for the Cherng Talay beachfront areas including Bang Tao and Surin, started the ball rolling with their own water-saving restrictions on realising the situation as early as January. (See story here.) The flurry of action by a many of the key local government authorities on the island not the provincial authorities to help stave off a water shortage crisis follows Governor Phakaphong on Feb 8 calling on people to not panic about water shortages and assuring the public that the island had absolutely enough water to last the dry season. (See story here.) Phuket police seize 13kg of parcel delivery marijuana PHUKET: A series of tip-offs have seen police in Phuket seize 13 kilogrammes of marijuana packed in parcels for delivery, with 12 one-kilo bars in parcels seized at Rawai Post Office yesterday (Mar 25). drugscrimepolice By Eakkapop Thongtub Tuesday 26 March 2019, 07:36PM Kamol Thirakramoonchai, 46, was arrested in Wichit after he received one kilo of marijuana delivered by Kerry Express. Photo: Phuket Police The 12 kilos of marijuana was found packed in two parcels waiting to be delivered by Rawai Post Office. Photo: Phuket Police The 12 kilos of marijuana was found packed in two parcels waiting to be delivered by Rawai Post Office. Photo: Phuket Police The 12 kilos of marijuana was found packed in two parcels waiting to be delivered by Rawai Post Office. Photo: Phuket Police Provincial Police explained that that an informant had given them a lead that parcels would be delivered to Phuket by post to be distributed to local dealers on the island. The officers went to Rawai Post Office, where they found two boxes together containing 12 one-kilo packs of marijuana. Police did not disclose the names and contact details of the intended recipients or the sender, saying that the details could not be revealed at this stage as the case was still under investigation, that they were now tracking down the people the packages were addressed to, and the people recorded as sending the packages. The marijuana was seized and taken to Chalong Police Station. Meanwhile, police in Wichit acting on a tip-off arrested a man yesterday after he received a kilo of marijuana delivered by parcel delivery service Kerry Express. Acting on the information given, police placed the given location, a house in Moo 1 Wichit, under surveillance and waited for the parcel to arrive. And so it did, signed and received by Kamol Thirakramoonchai, 46. On seeing the delivery made, officers moved in and arrested Kamol. Officers opened the box and found one kilo of packed marijuana inside. Kamol was charged with possession of a Category 5 drug, police confirmed. SPECIAL REPORT: Phuket election results to stand, vote count confirmed manually PHUKET: Technical difficulties with the report-sharing app were to blame for the late vote count in the nation election on Sunday night (Mar 24), forcing local officials to count the votes manually, the Director of the Phuket office of the Election Commission (PEC) explained to The Phuket News today (Mar 26) politicsmilitary By Tanyaluk Sakoot Tuesday 26 March 2019, 09:56PM Phuket Vice Governor Prakob Wongmaneerung oversees the closing of a key polling station in Phuket Town on Sunday (Mar 24). Photo: PR Dept PEC Director Nutthawat Wongitsaraphap confirmed the vote count as accurate, with the pro-military Palang Pracharath Party candidates winning both seats for Phuket. The victory was a heady blow to the Democrat Party, for which Phuket has been a stronghold for decades. Although the vote count remains unofficial until reconfirmed by other election officials later, Mr Nutthawat said he expects the results will stand. The candidates seem to have accepted them also, he added. So far I have not received any formal complaints about the vote counting in Phuket, he told The Phuket News. THE COUNT Mr Nutthawat also late yesterday released the final confirmed vote count for Phuket. Of the 294,232 total eligible voters on the island, 210,966 turned out to cast their votes a turnout of 71.7%%. There were 196,679 valid votes (93.23%), 8,231 spoiled ballots (3.9%) and 6,056 ballots were submitted blank (2.87%). Of of the 144,721 eligible voters in Phuket Constituency 1, which comprises Muang District, including Rassada, but excluding Koh Kaew, Rawai and Karon, 102,466 presented themselves to cast their votes a turnout of 70.8%. There were 96,186 valid votes (93.87%), 3,348 spoiled ballots (3.26%) and 2,942 baollots submitted blank (2.86%). Of the 149,511 eligible voters in Phuket Constituency 2, which comprises the remaining areas of Thalang and Kathu Districts, but also includes and Koh Kaew, Rawai and Karon (see ECT map here), 108,500 turned out to vote (72.57%). There were 100,493 valid votes(92.62%), 4,883 spoiled ballots (4.5%) and 3,124 ballots submitted blank (2.88%). WINNERS AND LOSERS Sutha Pratheep Na Thalang of the Palang Pracharath Party won the seat for Phuket Constituency 1 with 32,338 votes, besting long-term Phuket candidate Raywat Areerob of the Democrat Party, who placed second with 25,194 votes. Wisit Anansiriphan of the Future Forward Party placed third for the Phuket Constituency 1 seat with 22,599 votes. The Palang Pracharath Party also won the seat for Phuket Constituency 2, with Nattee Tinsakhu securing 27,267 votes, ahead of Democrat candidate Chaiyot Panyawai, who amassed 23,958 votes. Supanat Leungluea of the Future Forward Party placed third for the seat with 19,963 votes. GOING MANUAL Mr Nutthawat explained that issues with election staff using the rapid report app to submit their findings complicated the vote count on Sunday with officials being forced manually check every vote, from every polling station, to confirm the count. Some PEC staffers were new to the app and inaccurately entered vote counts, but this has not affected the final results presented, Mr Nutthawat assured. Some numbers were wrong so I could not trust this system 100%, so we waited until we could check every vote manually and read each vote for ourselves from the ballot papers, he said. His team had to wait until each polling station had conducted their own counts, Mr Nutthawat explained. That took until about 8pm for all the polling stations to complete their own counts, he said. Then we checked every ballot from every station from both voting districts. This took until after midnight because we checked the votes one by one from every polling station, he added. The check on the vote count for Phuket Constituency 1 took until about 1am, Mr Nutthawat said. The check on the vote count for Phuket Constituency 2 took until after about 2am, he added. Mr Nutthawat is glad he made the effort. I have not received any complaints about the vote count at all, he said. DOUBTS AND FEARS Mr Nutthawat said that he was aware of the public opinion ricocheting across social media, casting doubt on the election results nationwide, and for the count in Phuket. I understand how people are feeling about the poll results. They have doubt about this election, but I can confirm that there has been no vote cheating in Phuket province, he said. Mr Nutthawaut even called on people to disregard the results posted on the official Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) website set up to show live unofficial results. Much concern was expressed across Phuket after the website showed and still shows plainly inaccurate information. One key criticism is how Mr Sutha of the Palang Pracharath Party was shown to have first place for the Phuket Constituency 1 seat with 30,791 votes - with 92,256 votes reported as counted at the time, 8pm. Half an hour later, his rival, Democrat candidate Raywat Areerob, was reported as having secured only 6,951 votes but with only 12,643 votes counted at that time. The number of votes counted actually went down as the night progressed, according to the official website. (See website here.) Worse, ECT Secretary-General Ittiporn Boonprakong revealed to the press yesterday that people had tried to hack the vote counting IT system. I admit that a hacker had attacked the ECT system before election day. The hacker had managed to lock some people out of the system, Mr Nutthawat explained. Regardless, the tech problems will not affect the election results in Phuket, Mr Nutthawat assured. Thats why we went back to the manual system of using pen and paper. The application is only a tool to support our work, he said. Mr Nutthawat also said that he did not expect the problems reporting results online to force a re-vote. I dont think the problem with the application or the numbers presented on the website will lead to a re-vote. That wont happen unless I receive a formal complaint and the ECT makes the decision for us to conduct fresh polls, he said. Specifically regarding the huge discrepancy in the number of votes counted and the votes presented for Mr Sutha and Mr Raywat, Mr Nutthawat said, I dont think that we should care about this much. I stand by the count done by pen and paper. Remember, that the application is just a tool to show the unofficial count. It isnt official, he said. According to the World Health Organization, patients should have the knowledge and skills to understand options being provided to them by their healthcare providers. This is whats called patient empowerment, or patient-centered care, a move by healthcare policy makers around the world to allow greater control by patients over their own healthcare. To that end, patients and healthcare providers have converged in Canada to create the award-winning CHOICE-D guide for patients suffering from depression. The CANMAT Health Options for Integrated Care and Empowerment in Depression Patient and Family Guide to Depression Treatment was created in partnership with individuals who have personal experience with depression, for people living with depression. The goal is to support and empower individuals and caregivers to understand evidence-based treatments for managing depression, Andrew Kcomt told us. Kcomt is the Knowledge Translation and Research Manager with the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario (MDAO), one of the organizations that prepared the guide. The guide includes information about medications, psychological treatments, brain stimulation, and complementary and alternative treatments." According to Statistics Canada, nearly one in eight adults will suffer from a mood disorder during their lifetime such as depression (11.3 per cent) and women are more likely to suffer from depression than men. Symptoms can include a depressed mood, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, sleep disturbances, a change in weight or appetite, loss of interest in activities that were normally enjoyed, fatigue, thoughts of death, and poor concentration. Depression affects people from all walks of life, no matter what their background, ethnicity; rich and poor. All are susceptible, Kcomt told us. Given the ongoing stigma that surrounds mental health issues, this guide is for everyone. The idea for the booklet originated from an Ontario Brain Institute knowledge translation grant proposal led by Dr. Sagar Parikh. The project involved a collaboration of three organizations: 1) MDAO, a leader in peer support for individuals living with mood disorders and their families to recover and heal; 2) CAN-BIND, a major national research network to improve the treatment of depression; and 3) CANMAT, a network of leading clinicians and scientists in mood and anxiety disorders, which publishes mood disorder treatment guidelines. MDAO recruited a group of patients and family members to develop the guide to depression treatment, supported by content experts in knowledge translation, patient advocacy, patient-oriented research, and psychiatry. The goal of the CHOICE-D guide is to create an accessible document for patients and loved ones that simplifies evidence-based information on managing depression, Kcomt told us. "Multiple stakeholders helped to create this guide including the public, patients, treatment providers, researchers, and government officials. Kcomt says the primary objectives of the guide are to educate patients to gain a better understanding of their symptoms through the provision of evidence-based treatment options and to provide tools to facilitate active discussions with their healthcare teams. The guide will also serve to empower patients and their families in their recovery through engagement, collaborative decision-making, and increased satisfaction with their care. Feedback from the public has been highly positive and the online version has been downloaded close to 5000 times in North America, the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Ukraine, India and Australia, Kcomt told us. We are actively looking for feedback from the public and our community stakeholders through the evaluation of increased patient knowledge about treatment options, self-competence, communication skills, and the ability to actively engage in discussion with their healthcare teams. CHOICE-D is available on the MDAO website free of charge and is being actively disseminated, along with evaluation of its impact. A translated French and simplified Chinese version of the guide will be made available later this year. A number of end-users such as peer support facilitators, caregivers and health care providers, will be trained on how to use the guide and its tools. Having lived experience partners in research is critical to prioritizing research according to whats important for those living with these challenges, Kcomt told us. If you or a loved one is struggling with mental health, please remember that there is always support and hope out there. VICTORIA - British Columbia is changing the provinces tax structure for liquefied natural gas projects with Finance Minister Carole James saying the government is aiming to encourage more development through a natural gas tax credit. James introduced legislation Monday that she said meets the objectives set out a year ago by Premier John Horgan in a policy framework. British Columbians are counting on us to attract LNG investment that meets strict conditions: delivering jobs and financial benefits to B.C., creating economic partnerships with Indigenous peoples, and protecting our clean air, land and water, she said in a statement. This legislation completes the process of creating a fiscal framework that invites investment while supporting those conditions. Under the changes, the government would amend the Income Tax Act to implement the tax credit for LNG development. It would also repeal the Liquefied Natural Gas Income Tax Act, which it says created barriers for investment and left the province open to footing the bill for special industry tax and regulatory protections. However, the Green party said the governments actions are hypocritical because they stray from its CleanBC plan to reduce carbon pollution. In October, LNG Canada announced plans for a $40-billion project in Kitimat. The government said the tax changes it is making will provide the fiscal framework needed for the project, which is expected to create 10,000 construction jobs and up to 950 permanent jobs in the processing terminal. The new tax credit would go in effect on Jan. 1, 2020, to companies that qualify for it. It would be calculated at three per cent of the cost of natural gas and could be used to reduce B.C.s corporate income tax rate from 12 to nine per cent. The Finance Ministry said the previous LNG income tax was removed because it created uncertainty and risk to investors but the natural gas tax credit has been retained to encourage companies to pay provincial corporate income taxes. It said qualifying corporations would be those with a principal business involving oil and gas exploration, development, refining marketing or liquefaction of natural gas. Green party Leader Andrew Weaver said in a statement the governments actions are pulling the province in two different directions. Continuing to push for LNG development is short sighted and works directly against CleanBC objectives, he said. After years of criticizing the B.C. Liberals for their generous giveaway of our natural gas resources, the B.C. NDP have taken the giveaway to a whole new level. The legislation brought forward by this province is a generational sellout. Weaver, who is the lead author of four United Nations intergovernmental climate change reports, said investments in renewable energy infrastructure would invite innovative industries to the province. Peter McCartney of the Wilderness Committee also criticized the legislation for not aligning with the CleanBC plan. Premier Horgan is talking out of both sides of his mouth on climate change, McCartney said. British Columbians are all doing their part to cut carbon pollution while at the same time hes giving $6 billion in tax breaks and subsidies to construct the most polluting project in the province. The Business Council of British Columbia, meanwhile, backed the governments approach, saying the changes will allow the province to compete in LNG markets around the world. If we as a province are purposeful and apply this same competitive lens to all our natural resource, technology and energy export sectors we can become the low carbon supplier of choice globally, Greg DAvignon, the councils president and CEO, said in a news release. The resulting economic growth will create higher wage jobs, stronger communities and more government revenues to support the quality of life and services British Columbians expect. HALIFAXThe Nova Scotia government plans to increase spending on health care in response to long-standing, widespread and growing concerns about services across the province, but revealed few plans that have not already been announced. As promised, Finance Minister Karen Caseys delivered the McNeil governments fourth consecutive balanced budget, with $11.01-billion in revenue, $10.98-billion in expenses and a projected surplus of $33.6 million for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. A lot of the things you see in this budget are continuations, Casey told reporters. Spending is projected to tick up by 4.2 per cent from last years budget. As in previous provincial government budgets, health and wellness takes up the largest slice with 41.6 per cent of all departmental spending. Health care is a no. 1 priority for Nova Scotians as it is for our government, Casey said. The $4.64-billion in health-spending estimate is up by $271-million, or 6.2 per cent from last years budget. Read more: Approval for Canadian premiers is on the rise except in Nova Scotia and Ontario HaliFIX wants to create Atlantic Canadas first overdose prevention site Dumpster full of disappointment: Advocates, Opposition say provincial budget doesnt address Nova Scotias health-care crisis Many of the health-care expenses detailed in the budget were previously announced, including $156.9-million for the redevelopment projects at Halifaxs QEII hospital and the Cape Breton Regional Hospital. The Nova Scotia Health Authority will see an additional $57.2-million over last years budget allocation for operations across the province. Opposition parties and health-care advocates have been looking for more money dedicated for mental health, long-term care and emergency services. In response to increased call volumes for ground ambulances, there is an additional $4.6-million for Emergency Medical Care Inc., which operates ambulances across the province. Thats an increase of 3 per cent. $2.8 million is allocated for the continuing implementation of the Long-Term Care Expert Panel recommendations, which were announced earlier this year and included increased access to nurse practitioners and systems changes to address the risk of bed sores. The federal government contributed an additional $15-million for community care and mental health and addictions services, making for a total of $28.5 million for that program. As previously announced, the province is opening 15 new specialty residency spaces for doctors in training at Dalhousie University. The 2019-20 budget provides $2.9-million for those spots. Opposition leaders were largely disappointed with the contents of the budget. Tory leader Tim Houston called it a budget of denial. Im pleased with additional spending in health care around mental health and some of those things are good initiatives, but overall access to health care in this province is getting worse and worse, and I just dont see anything in this budget that will change that, Houston said. The government can spend more money but the delivery of health care is not improving. NDP leader Gary Burrill felt the government was prioritizing a balanced budget to the detriment of three pressing concerns. Were in the middle of a crisis situation in health care, and a crisis situation on the climate, and a crisis situation on the level of incomes. And all the budget is providing is a bucket of Band-Aids on all three things. Burrill welcomed the increased investment in mental health supports, but was disappointed that there was no comprehensive plan for new long-term care facilities, and only tiny, puny incremental changes to social assistance programs. Community services is slated for about a 3 per cent increase in its budget, which includes a $14.2-million increase to support programs for people with disabilities, $5 million to continue a poverty reduction program, and more than $10 million to improve public housing units and create new rent supplements. The budget allocates $1.43 billion to education and early childhood development, about $31.6-million more than last year, or an increase of 2.3 per cent. An additional $10.2 million will support the continued rollout of pre-primary programs across the province. An additional $15 million is earmarked for addressing recommendations from the Commission on Inclusive Education. Last year, $15 million was also allocated to inclusive education and went toward the hiring of about 190 classroom support workers, including speech language pathologists, autism support specialists and child psychologists. The detailed plan for the second instalment of inclusive-education spending was not released with the new budget. The budget allocates a one per cent increase in operating grants to universities, which Aidan McNally of the Nova Scotia chapter of the Canadian Federation of Students said is simply not enough. We know that that does not keep pace with how much costs go to universities and students, and their families are going to bear the brunt of that in the form of tuition fees, she told reporters. McNally was hoping to see a bigger increase in spending on university operating grants, money to reduce tuition costs and a greater investment in support programs for sexual assault survivors. There was less than $500,000 earmarked for the continuation of a sexual violence prevention committee that works with universities and colleges. Personal and corporate taxes remain the largest revenue stream for the province, making up 31 per cent of the total $11.01 billion in estimated revenue. The budget projects $7.81 million in recreational cannabis tax, notably lower than the projected revenue from the same stream last year. The 2018-19 budget included a $10.4 million estimated revenue from cannabis tax, but sales were much lower than expected because of the delay in the legalization date, nationwide supply shortages and dim online sales. The actual revenue for 2018-19 is expected to be closer to $3.37 million. Cannabis edibles were not factored into the budget because, despite pending legalization later this year, Health Canada has yet to set regulations for edibles sales. A new, corporate innovation equity tax credit in this budget is designed to encourage direct investment in small- and medium-sized local businesses. A new venture capital tax credit was also created for both individuals and corporations to encourage investment in Nova Scotia businesses through venture capital funding. Read more about: A group of investors in TransAlta Corp. plans to nominate directors to the board of the Canadian power producer because they think it may be able to find better deals than an investment from Brookfield Asset Management Inc., according to people familiar with the matter. The group, comprised of Mangrove Partners and an entity controlled by C. John Wilders Bluescape Energy Partners, will put forward five people for TransAltas board, according to a statement late Monday from the Calgary-based company. TransAlta will review Mangroves notice, consider the suitability of its nominees and communicate fully with its shareholders in due course, the company said in a statement. Representatives for the activist group and TransAlta declined to comment Tuesday. The investors, who collectively hold more than 10 per cent of TransAlta, have yet to fully evaluate the investment by Brookfield, but believe there might be better offers in the market, the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter is private. The group hasnt decided whether to launch a proxy fight, the people said. Brookfields agreement will see it invest in TransAlta and nominate two directors to the board. Brookfield may also increase its stake in the company to 9 per cent under certain circumstances. The deal allows Brookfield to convert its investment into an equity interest in TransAltas Alberta water power assets at a later date and the proceeds will be used to accelerate TransAltas transition to clean energy and to buy back shares. The investment is being made through Brookfields publicly traded renewable-energy arm, Brookfield Renewable Partners. Under the terms of the investment, if more than two directors are elected outside of the companys slate, TransAlta has the right to reject the financing arrangement with Brookfield. The activists believe that electing their directors will preserve their right to pursue a superior transaction. For U.S. President Donald Trumps new North American trade accord to become law, hell need the help of a political rival with a track record of blocking such deals. In 2008, Nancy Pelosi was House Speaker when Democratic lawmakers denied President George W. Bushs request for a vote within 90 days on a trade pact with Colombia. The rejection delayed approval of deals the Bush administration negotiated with South Korea and Panama, though all three were later ratified. Once again Speaker, Pelosi will play a pivotal role for Trumps renegotiated accord with Mexico and Canada, renamed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which isnt one of her legislative priorities. Its a change of pace from the frenetic year of negotiations that led to the deal being signed by leaders from all three countries in November. If the House doesnt want to move on this, it doesnt have to move. So its really up to her, said Edward Alden, a trade expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. Left-tilting tent Pelosi is expected to only move the deal through the House if she can find a critical mass of her caucus supporting it and if she extracts concessions unrelated to trade from the White House in return, senior congressional aides say. Asked to comment, Pelosis office referred to remarks she made this month in which the speaker said she and other Democrats are still weighing USMCAs provisions on the environment, labour, pharmaceuticals and enforcement before deciding whether to support it. Read more: New trade deal getting a boost from Trump, business groups Canadians dont want NAFTA deal ratified until tariffs lifted, Freeland says Freeland says tariffs raise serious questions about NAFTA after meetings in DC With 60 new Democratic members who still have to familiarize themselves with their districts priorities and the content of the trade deal, the biggest challenge is educating lawmakers, the aides said. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is expected to meet with freshman members in the coming weeks to make his case. Lighthizer has been wooing Democrats to support the updated version of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Sympathetic groups could include the New Democrat Coalition, which includes 100 lawmakers who back pro-growth policies. He may face a tougher challenge on the partys left flank. Outspoken rookie lawmakers such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who identifies as a democratic socialist and backs a sweeping spending plan to reduce carbon emissions called the Green New Deal, have driven the Democratic agenda since the November election. Thats the most amorphous piece of this: When is the caucus happy enough that she feels confident moving this? Hard to say, said the National Foreign Trade Councils Vanessa Sciarra, referring to Pelosi. Kevin Brady, the top Republican on House Ways and Means Committee, said on Tuesday there may be a House vote on the pact this summer once Democrats concerns are addressed. Labour, drugs Some Democrats are calling for changes to sections of USMCA dealing with labour standards and drug patents. The pact commits Mexico to reform its labour laws to allow workers to engage in collective bargaining. But senior Democrats have said the commitments are lacking teeth without adequate enforcement provisions. Americas biggest federation of labour unions, the AFL-CIO, has said it wont support USMCA in its current form, and would oppose it if the business community forced a premature vote. What we hear on the Hill is the same thing were saying: Its not ready to be voted on, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said on Bloomberg TV Friday. Democrats also arent enthusiastic about a drug patent provision that would force Mexico and Canada to extend protection for biologic drugs, warning it could raise prices for consumers. Steel, aluminum Mexico and Canada have warned they may not ratify USMCA unless the U.S. lifts tariffs on steel and aluminum. The duties are also unpopular with lawmakers from Trumps own Republican Party. Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said the agreement wouldnt be considered as long as the duties remain in place. The administration is considering replacing the tariffs with quotas, which are equally, if not more, unpopular with many lawmakers as well as Mexico and Canada. The Trump administration can make tweaks to the agreement to mollify concerns. But major revisions would require reopening talks with Mexico and Canada, a scenario Lighthizer has ruled out. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland met with Lighthizer and Democratic lawmakers Monday in Washington, where she discussed USMCA and urged for the removal of metals tariffs. Time may also not be on Trumps side. A report on the pacts economic impact is expected in mid-April. In the weeks that follow, the administration has to submit legislation to implement the agreement. But if the deal isnt passed by Congresss August recess, it may be doomed to languish until after the presidential election in November 2020. Heavy lift Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said Republicans tried to press the administration to ratify the deal when his party controlled the House because passage would become more difficult once Democrats took over at the start of this year. Its going to be a heavy lift, I fear, Johnson told Fox News. The president has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the existing Nafta to pressure lawmakers to approve his new deal, a plan that Pelosi made clear is not a good idea. On Friday, Trump said if congressional Democrats dont ratify USMCA, his alternative would be to maybe go pre-NAFTA with trade practices in North America. But with a strong economy expected to be one of Trumps campaign talking points, he may be more hesitant now to pull the plug. Its pretty clear that hes not willing to take that gamble, given the effect that would have on markets ahead of the 2020 election, said Alden, of the Council on Foreign Relations. Like most kids growing up in a Mennonite farming family, Vera M. Goods future could have been restricted to physical work and a grade school education. But Veras family was different, straddling the world between old tradition and new thought. Her parents had moved to a more progressive Mennonite church and they allowed son, Milton Good, and daughter, Viola Good, to attend high school. It was Viola who convinced her parents that Vera needed to be given the same opportunity, that she had a brilliant mind and big ambitions. They agreed. Though it took a few years, Vera earned a PhD and worked in education, and eventually was hired as executive producer of childrens programming at TVOntario where she stayed for 15 years. In 2010, Vera was awarded an honorary doctorate from Wilfrid Laurier University. She was the subject of a biography The Exceptional Vera Good: A Life Beyond the Polka Dot Door by New Hamburg author Nancy Silcox. Proceeds from the sale of the book are donated to the charity Strong Start. Before pursuing her career as a leading educator in Ontario, Vera had to follow the path of many Mennonite farm girls. Born one of eight children on Nov. 13, 1915 in Hawkesville, Ont., Vera completed Grade 8, then took a job at Kaufmann Rubber. Her parents allowed her to complete grades 9 to 12 in private studies while working. She completed Grade 13 at Kitchener Waterloo Collegiate and was awarded a scholarship. At 28 years old, she graduated at the top of her class, said Silcox, who spent two years in intensive interviews to get Veras full story. The $100 scholarship was enough to pay tuition for the one-year program at the Stratford teachers college. After completing the program, she taught in a one-room school in Breslau. She was custodian, principal, teacher, everything, said Silcox. Vera loved teaching but after a couple of years she grew restless. I remember her saying Ive never been anywhere, Ive never been outside of Waterloo County, Silcox said. So she signed up with the MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) and they sent her to India. Friend Elaine Yoder was a recent graduate of Grand River Hospitals nursing program and like Vera she was looking for adventure. The women and several others from the region signed up to travel to India, but as Yoder pointed out, MCC volunteers had to travel on an extremely low budget. It was so low that the weeklong voyage was made on a Second World War Italian troop transport ship. It was the worst, Yoder said in a phone interview from her home in Ohio. We were all in one room, women and children, sleeping in bunks attached to pipes. The passengers were dropped off in Cairo with promises another ship would take them to India. Three weeks later, the ship had not arrived so they were sent on a two-day journey by airplane to Calcutta, the end of a great adventure. In India, Yoder worked in the Mennonite hospital while Vera was a secretary at MCCs Indian headquarters. She was very smart, said Yoder. She was a very good secretary. Veras timing could not have been better in terms of witnessing history. Mahatma Gandhi, leader of Indias independence movement from British colonial rule, was giving a talk at a rally in New Delhi and Vera was there. She later told Silcox she was so close, she could see the lines in Gandhis face. The next day, Jan. 30, 1948, Gandhi was assassinated. Vera recounted to Silcox the feeling in the city following his death, the quiet that was unsettling as citizens seemed to hold their breath waiting for an eruption of violence. After serving the required three-year term in India, Yoder was sent to Sumatra and Vera returned home, but not before completing one more adventure: touring Europe with friends. Vera next pursued an undergraduate degree in social work from Goshen College in Indiana, where her sister Viola, who also achieved advanced degrees, served as womens dean. She next achieved a masters degree in education for gifted children from Northwestern University in Illinois followed by a PhD in education from Columbia University. Returning to Canada, Vera started teaching in Etobicoke where she became the regions first female principal. Vera was so capable that she was repeatedly promoted, often against her will, said Silcox. Vera told her these advances were frustrating because she would just get settled into a new job and have to leave. One of her last jobs before joining TVO was working as an inspector for the Ontario Ministry of Education. In 2010, when Vera was presented with her honorary doctorate, she spoke to the graduating students about the importance of being sensitive to the needs of children who might need a bit more help. At the time, she was legally blind and insisted on memorizing her full speech even though a nephew offered to read it for her. Vera said: To rescue even one child with learning problems or special needs from humiliation in the classroom and at home and from lifelong feelings of low self-esteem, is exhilarating. Equally satisfying is seeing any grade level, the unmotivated, under achieving, bright child who responds eagerly to challenging program adjustments. She spoke of how easily such children can be left behind at great cost to themselves and loss to society. In the 1970s, Vera was asked to design a preschool series for the newly launched TVO. One of her most successful programs was Polka Dot Door with its beloved character Polkaroo. She was the shows original producer. Silcox said teachers at the time were worried educational television could somehow replace them so Vera faced a lot of resistance. Vera created teams who would travel the province with televisions they would take into schools and show teachers, proving they had nothing to fear. Vera was one of those team members. With such a busy career, Vera must have thought romance eluded her but then she met Antoni Nowakowski, a former prisoner of war who had been part of the Polish underground during the Second World War. They met at a party, said Silcox, adding that Vera shocked her family by getting married. She was well into her 50s and the couple lived together happily until her husband died of cancer five years after they married. Following the loss of her husband and after 15 years at TVO, Vera decided to retire and move back to Waterloo Region. She later moved to Simcoe to be closer to family. She died there on March 20 at age 103, surrounded by loved ones. Hers is such an amazing story, said Silcox. I am so fortunate, we spent a wonderful couple of years (in interviews). She had a sense of humour, she wasnt stodgy at all. She was funny but she kept her emotions under control. Longtime friends Katherine and Don Snyder said Vera was a delightful lady. She was always inspiring in conversation, said Katherine. She loved to discuss politics and religion, two subjects she also noted were not usually discussed at Veras long-term care facility in Simcoe. Hers was a life well-lived, with many accomplishments, said Don. She focused more on other people, not herself. HALIFAXNova Scotia nurses are cracking under pressure, saying that higher-than-normal overcrowding in hospital emergency departments is taking a toll on patients and the staff who treat them. At a Nova Scotia Nurses Union press conference on Monday, Jen Thiele said nurses are on the front lines of a daily battle. We are just overwhelmed, said Thiele, a member of the unions board of directors and a registered nurse at the Dartmouth General Hospital. Were not getting breaks, the volume of patients coming in is astronomical, we dont have a whole lot of spaces to place these patients to have them seen and treated, and the patients were seeing are incredibly sick. A recent survey of 259 NSNU members showed more than three quarters of emergency nurses were not optimistic about the state of emergency departments in Nova Scotia. Ninety-two per cent feel overwhelmed by their workloads, and 93 per cent said they could deliver better care if they had more time. Nurses in some hospitals are being denied vacations and breaks, in addition to handling patient frustrations and experiencing compassion fatigue, where you almost feel down on yourself for not being able to provide the care that you know people deserve. Read more: Nova Scotia Liberals to table balanced budget, but questions remain on healthcare funding Paramedics will leave if Nova Scotia doesnt fix emergency room backlog, union says Twice as many calls, lines down the hall: Halifax paramedic says current emergency department situation has surpassed a crisis As nurses, we work very hard in every department. When we are packed in our department and someone comes in and needs a bed, we move people around and we make it happen, said Thiele. We are doing stuff on a daily basis just to keep the department flowing and try to keep it running, but at this point, were running out of steam as well. Were getting burnt out. We need help. She noted that many of the people visiting emergency rooms are non-emergency cases, people who could be seen at a family doctor or a walk-in clinic, but they dont have access to that. NSNU president Janet Hazelton said the issues surrounding overcrowding and a lack of beds in emergency departments are complex, and there is no single, clear-cut remedy. She said while there isnt a shortage of nurses across the province, there are gaps, especially in rural areas and in emergency rooms. These problems create a ripple effect that impact other areas of health care. We really do wish there was one solution that would fix what seems to be a problem in our health care system, but there isnt, said Hazelton. A lot of the issueswhich include a lack of beds, struggles with the flow of patients, and staffing shortagesboil down to inadequate primary health care, a lack of nurses, and not properly utilizing the nurses we have. She said the union has been conducting research among more than 200 nurses, members of the public and other health care stakeholders to learn how to improve care in the province. Hazelton said the results of that research, along with several recommendations, will be released in May. One of the solutions we really truly believe and itll be part of our recommendations is we need to better utilize nurse practitioners in our emergency departments, she said. We heard about patients being sent home just this morning in the news. Some of those patients could have been seen, treated and released by a nurse practitioner. Lots of the patients that are in our emergency departments can be seen, treated, and released by nurse practitioners. Hazelton also called for nurse practitioners, who can diagnose patients, order and interpret tests and prescribe medication, to work in long-term care facilities, a move promised by the province that has yet to be implemented. If we had nurse practitioners working in long-term care, they would be there to see those residents and hopefully prevent them from going to our emergency departments, she said. Hazelton said there is also a need for more long-term care beds to free up acute care beds. The nurses join a chorus of other workers protesting the state of health care in Nova Scotia. On Monday, the union representing Nova Scotias paramedics launched a social media campaign to highlight a lack of ambulances. Theyre encouraging people to change their profile pictures by adding a filter showing a Nova Scotia flag flying upside down the international symbol for distress. This is really about showing this government that we arent happy, Nova Scotians arent happy, and we wont stop until we see real changes happening, Michael Nickerson, president of the International Union of Operating Engineers, said in a statement. Nova Scotias paramedics are tired, theyre worn out, theyre hungry and enough is enough. They deserve better, we all do. And on April 3, the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union and the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour are hosting a rally to protest what they call a crisis in the provinces health care system. In an interview on Monday, Health Minister Randy Delorey avoided using the word crisis, but acknowledged there are challenges the government is trying to address. Certainly, there have been conversations and concerns have been raised If were going to do this, we have to do it right, and we have to do it looking towards the future, he said. Earlier in the day, Delorey announced a request for proposals for the design of the expansion the Cape Breton Regional Hospital will be issued this week. The work would see the construction of a new emergency department, critical care department, and cancer centre. The government has already approved $8.1-million for the redevelopment project, which will go toward completing the early design phase. However, part of the redevelopment plan would mean closing the Northside General Hospital in North Sydney, N.S., and the New Waterford Consolidated Hospital. The governments move has been met with criticism in Cape Breton, and politicians were booed at the news conference announcing the changes last June. In terms of nurses, Delorey said last year the province announced $1.4-million for its Nurse Practitioner Education Incentive, which covers the salaries of up to 10 registered nurses while they attend Dalhousie Universitys two-year Master of Nursing nurse practitioner program. In return, the recipients must agree to work in one of several designated communities for five years. The province will also spend $1.6-million over four years to fund an additional 25 seats in Dalhousies nurse practitioner program. Delorey said the government is recognizing and listening to the issues highlighted by the NSNU. We recognize and value the role that nurses play, not just in emergency departments, but throughout our health care system. With files from The Canadian Press. Read more about: HALIFAXTheres a lift to his voice when Matthew Bonn shares that on March 16, he celebrated one-year substance free. Bonns experience with IV drug use led to his involvement with HaliFIX, an initiative pushing for Halifax to become home to Atlantic Canadas first overdose prevention site. Im a former IV substance user and I like to say Im a survivor of the opioid epidemic because my substance of choice was fentanyl, Bonn said in a phone interview from Cape Breton where he was on a work-related trip. Bonn, now 28, started using pharmaceutical-grade fentanyl about eight years ago before eventually turning to illicit fentanyl and other substances. I overdosed multiple times on fentanyl. Ive had a lot of friends overdose and die. Ive brought people back with Naloxone, Ive been Naloxoned, he said. About six months ago Bonn became involved with the Halifax Area Network for Drug Using People. It ignited his commitment to help others and led to his involvement with HaliFIX. Read more: Nova Scotia delivers fourth consecutive balanced budget with a 6.2 per cent increase in health care spending Approval for Canadian premiers is on the rise except in Nova Scotia and Ontario Dumpster full of disappointment: Advocates, Opposition say provincial budget doesnt address Nova Scotias health-care crisis I always wondered what I was going to do in life, because I used for so long and I realized that being on the other side, being a part of the solution rather than being a part of the problem, has really become my passion, he said. I turned my mess into my message. Now an outreach worker, Bonn said the recently launched HaliFIX social media campaign is backed by advocates, physicians, researchers, medical students and community-based organizations. I always say this could save your childs life, your brothers life, a family members life, Bonn said. You never know who may be using this service and if someone is coming to an overdose prevention site every day, its connecting them to services that they would not have otherwise. Dr. Tommy Brothers is one of those spearheading the HaliFIX initiative. The Dalhousie University internal medicine resident and researcher has been recognized for his work with marginalized communities. His medical training focused on HIV-positive populations and in-patient care of people who use IV drugs in Vancouver. He has also worked in addiction medicine in both Halifax and Toronto. Details about a proposed overdose prevention site were shared at a community meeting in Halifax last September, but while that led to many useful conversations, Brothers said theres been little to no movement since. Theres still not a commitment from the provincial government to establish one as a health service, he said in an interview. Share your thoughts The awareness campaign is calling on people to contact their MLAs, the health minister and the province to support the initiative. It seems like people are becoming more and more familiar with these health services and their benefits, he said. We thought if we could start a public conversation on it, it would help the government see that it is needed and it is acceptable and its time to get one going. Brothers said overdose prevention sites are provided in provinces across Canada, including B.C., Ontario, Alberta and Quebec. Theres a lot of misconceptions, and some of the common ones you hear is people are worried that somehow a site like this will increase public drug use, will increase discarded needles on the street, Brothers said. Theres now decades of researchthat these sites reduce transmission of blood-borne infections, reduce the rate of overdose deaths, increase access to services, reduce the rate of publicly discarded needles, reduce the rate of public drug use. The opioid crisis has claimed many fatalities in Nova Scotia, with 50 confirmed and 10 probable opioid toxicity deaths in 2018. There have been four probable opioid toxicity deaths in the province as of Feb. 28 of 2019. This is a community thats really vulnerable, that has been really devastated by frequent overdose deaths and now has an epidemic of HIV among the community of people who inject drugs in Halifax (and) an ongoing epidemic of Hepatitis C, Brothers said. Although public engagement on social media is the first step, Brothers said HaliFIXs vision is to have provincial support and funding to allow for ancillary services such as treatment for addiction, HIV and Hepatitis C as well as testing. If that doesnt happen, Brothers said the next step will be to fundraise and move toward a basic model that would include booths where people could use substances under supervision, access sterile equipment and have overdoses reversed with Naloxone. Treating people as human beings and providing them a way to access health care services and providing them a way to access a place where they wont die is kind of a basic human decency thing, as well as a smart health care service to offer, Brothers said. Bonn said things would have been much different for him if thered been a safe injection site in Halifax when he first began using eight years ago. I dont think I would have contracted Hepatitis C. I remember right around when I did contract it, and I was using in condemned buildings, alleyways, outside a lot, Bonn recalled. I also wouldnt have lost a lot of friends due to overdose death. We need this. While hed like to see a federally sanctioned safe-injection site established in the city, hes hoping the province will come on board with funding to help them open the regions first overdose prevention site. Theres a lot of support for HaliFIX right now and we want to do it the proper way, we want to do it with the province, he said. When asked for comment, a spokesperson for the provincial Department of Health and Wellness sent an emailed statement. The department is reviewing options for an overdose prevention model and how it could fit into the provinces overall harm reduction approach, said Tracy Barron. Once this work is complete, recommendations will be provided to government to consider. Yvette dEntremont is a Halifax-based reporter focusing on health. Follow her on Twitter: @ydentremont Read more about: VANCOUVERIt was a quick weekend conference trip to North Carolina with a late stopover in Toronto back to Vancouver where I needed to work in the morning, as editor of the Stars B.C. newsroom. The plane wasnt full, and I was pleased to snag a whole row to myself to catch some shut-eye. I was ready with my memory foam pillow, eye mask and noise-cancelling headphones (I take sleep very seriously). But before the plane even took off, the middle-aged Vancouverite in the row behind me was making his move on the teenager in the window seat beside him. She looked very young and was speaking in the future tense about university so it was clear she was likely still in secondary school. He appeared to be in at least his late-thirties or early forties. At first, I was paying attention because of how blatantly sexist he was sounding, laughing when she said she hoped to become CEO someday and asking whether her career plans would work if she wanted a family. It soon became more disturbing when he sounded obviously delighted that she was so young, frequently saying her name over and over again and telling her she was so smart for her age. I was listening carefully because this has happened to me, too. As my tweets about the incident went viral, I learned that many people have their own stories about airplane harassment. The first time I travelled without my parents at age 16, the man next to me spoke with me most of the flight, which made me feel important, but then he started saying confusing things like I must be flirting because I was touching the zipper on my sweater. To his credit, he stopped and later looked ashamed. The second time I travelled alone to Montreal, an older man struck up a conversation while we waited to board and I thought it was strange he wanted to know so many details about my trip. Then he kissed me without my consent. I was too shocked to say anything. Read more: Why 95 per cent of women do not report sexual assaults in their own words: new report Opinion | #MeToo, WestJet and lessons from the unfriendly skies She was grabbed, endured sexual taunts and followed into the washroom. The WSIB says this wasnt workplace harassment I wasnt the only vigilant adult paying attention on our flight last night. A woman, seated behind the man and the teenager, was following what was happening closely, too. As soon as I heard the man ask the teenager for a dirty photo, I stood up, tapped him on the shoulder and rage-whispered to him that I couldnt help noticing that he was acting like a pervert. He pretended he didnt hear me and went to the back to use the washroom. This was when the other woman reached out to the teenager to ask if she was OK and let her know that she has the right to move to get away from the situation, while I went up and let the flight attendant know what was going on. The flight crew acted swiftly to collect witness reports, offer support to the teenager (who welcomed the assistance) and ask the man to move. He refused to leave at first and demanded that the head flight attendant fetch her boss to handle the situation. She calmly said, Im the boss. This is serious, and we could land the plane. Then he directed his anger at me and, while trying to control my fury, I reminded him that I heard him asking for the dirty photos. When we landed in Vancouver, a security officer was waiting for him. The man looked like he was sweating bullets. I had doubts about whether to share the story and decided to share tweets about what happened without mentioning any potentially identifying details. Airplane harassment was something that I hadnt heard of much before, and I thought readers may want to learn of a case where bystanders intervention seemed to work to stop an uncomfortable situation from escalating. My tweets went viral and each time I go back on Twitter to check, there are hundreds more notifications and comments. Many women on Twitter said that this has happened to them when they were young. It was heartbreaking to read that in one case, a woman tried to ask the man seated next to her to help and he made eye contact with her and then just put his headphones in. In another example posted to Twitter, bystanders not only didnt do anything to help they even goaded the older man to get the young womans phone number. Hundreds of men have also shared the Twitter thread and many said that they werent aware that airplane harassment was so common, and they promised to be vigilant, too. The comments were really interesting because people were very honest about how in some cases, they feel awkward and unsure if their perception of a situation is correct. Women may tend to have more lived experiences about what being subtly harassed feels like more than men would. A Twitter user named Marc Aspinall concluded that it was better to embarrass himself from time to time than to do nothing at all. The point of all this isnt to cast shame on genuine flirtation between an older person and a younger person who is an adult. There are different things bystanders can do to try to figure out what is happening in a situation that they are witnessing in a public space. People of all genders and walks of life need to be part of this important conversation. What do you think? Angela Marie Macdougall, executive director of the Vancouver-based non-profit Battered Womens Support Services (BWSS), told me on the phone that there are many things bystanders can do if they witness harassment on transportation. BWSS has published an online resource, where suggestions for bystanders include: Ask the woman, Are they bothering you?, loudly saying ugh, that is so gross, making eye contact with some other bystanders and ask, What should we do to help? Often people dont know what to do. People might think Its not my problem, its not a big deal. It comes from the fact that a lot of this behaviour is so normalized and weve only just started to address this publicly on social media, Macdougall said. Many people genuinely dont know what to do, but they should know they can take action and they should take action. It matters a lot. Every time we hear about this, we see how endemic this actually is how much sexual harassment happens routinely, she added. The New York Times has written about how bystander intervention training can be more effective than traditional harassment workshops, and the non-profit Stop Street Harassment (SSH) has published a guide with examples of things that bystanders can do. Some peoples instinct might be to get aggressive, but there are many other options. Many of the suggestions that do not directly challenge a harasser, such as asking the woman if she wants help or asking the harasser what time it is, are excellent to use when one is not sure if it is harassment that is occurring, if they do not want to dis-empower the woman, or if they fear becoming the target of the harassers inappropriate behaviour themselves, according to the guide. I applaud the professional and firm conduct of all the staff on board the flight. Perhaps in another flight in a different place with a different crew, things could have worked out much differently. I am curious about whether airlines in North America have clear policies on how to handle these situations onboard. My newsroom will be doing more research into harassment policies on flights to help inform the public of their rights. Canadians are known for being polite and courteous, but when speaking up is important, I am proud that in this case passengers and crew stood up to directly confront a harasser. Read more about: BANFF, ALTA.The bears are out and about in Banff National Park. Officials with Parks Canada say they had their first grizzly bear sighting on a remote camera on March 19. The bears are out, said Bill Hunt, manager of resource conservation with Banff National Park. Its a high probability that its bear No. 122. No. 122 is a large, male grizzly also known as The Boss. Parks Canada has been worried that spilled grain from a derailed train in the park on Feb. 28 would attract hungry grizzly bears emerging from hibernation to the tracks. The Transportation Safety Board said 20 railcars from a Canadian Pacific Railway freight train went off the tracks west of the town of Banff. Read more: Edmonton bear biologist finds Twitter boosts academic research After 15 months of rehab, Banffs bathroom bear cubs return home Why an Alberta wildlife rescue group is going to build an enclosure for orphaned grizzly cubs despite provincewide ban No one was hurt and there were no dangerous goods. Ten of the derailed cars contained grain, including canola that spilled. Hunt said they have dumped two roadkill carcasses in an area west of the spill site to keep the bears away from the grain. The spill site has also been surrounded by electric fencing to keep wildlife away. Theyve got most of the bulk grain removed so now crews are vacuuming frantically trying to clean the forest floor, said Hunt. Theyve got these debris piles ... that are mostly ballast and mud and snow with some grain mixed in. So far we havent had any bears near the site, fortunately, but with bears active on the landscape, were trying to get that last bit cleaned up as soon as possible. Hunt said other bears will soon be out. We have very few black bears collared, but two of four black bears that we have collared have been showing activity in the last few days. One of those is near the town of Banff, he said. Its indicative that everyones waking up right now. Officials are reminding visitors to be aware of their surroundings, make noise, carry bear spray and keep dogs on leashes. Read more about: OTTAWACanadian peacekeepers were called upon to evacuate several wounded French soldiers in Mali earlier this month after their patrol was ambushed while hunting for militants along the border with Niger. The previously unreported incident marks the first time the Canadians have been asked to help non-United Nations forces in Mali, where the French have been conducting counter-insurgency operations since 2014. Canada has eight helicopters and 250 military personnel in Mali, where they have been providing emergency medical evacuations and transporting troops and equipment across a large swath of the remote African country. The Canadians have conducted seven other medical evacuations since August, all of which involved injured UN troops and workers. In an interview with The Canadian Press, the commander of Canadas task force in Mali said the UN and France have agreed to help each other in extreme circumstances and that his peacekeepers did their jobs by helping save lives. I wouldnt want people to presume or assume that were supporting counter-terrorism efforts, said Col. Travis Morehen. But its really at this point about saving allied lives. Read more: UN formally asks Canada to extend Mali mission to prevent medevac gap Death toll from central Mali massacre up to 134, says UN Canadians pressed into service after deadly attack on UN base in Mali News of the French evacuation comes as the federal government is contemplating a formal UN request to extend its peacekeeping mission in Mali, which is currently set to end at the end of July. France has about 3,000 heavily armed soldiers in Mali and the surrounding region hunting militants linked to al-Qaida, the Islamic State and other extremist groups through what is known as Operation Barkhane. While Operation Barkhane has been credited with keeping the numerous Islamic extremist groups in Mali off balance, it has also been accused in some corners of contributing to instability in the region. According to media reports, a French patrol was operating near Malis border with Niger on March 10 when they were ambushed by a vehicle packed with explosives and a group of militants on motorcycles. Fifteen French soldiers were reportedly injured, two seriously, before the militants fled. The Canadians first learned about the attack when a French officer at the Operation Barkhane camp in Gao called while it was still happening and indicated an emergency medical evacuation might be required, said Morehen. The French counter-terror mission operates largely independently from the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, but Morehen says there is a good working relationship between the two. That includes the French providing air-traffic control services to the UN around Gao, the northern Malian city that is home to several military bases, including one belonging to Barkhane and another where the Canadians are located. The French also boast a more capable hospital than the UN, Morehen said, which is why the Canadians often end up bringing any wounded peacekeepers that they pick up in the field to the Barkhane camp. So our pilots go over there and make sure that we have our flying procedures correct and we have a technical arrangement with them as well for medical support, Morehen said. Theres lots of sharing between us, which is all blessed by our governments. Three Canadian helicopters were quickly deployed with approval from the UN mission commander in Bamako, Morehen said, and arrived at the scene about two hours later, at which point the fighting was over. Because of the distance, the two smaller Griffon escorts were redirected to a nearby town to refuel while the larger Chinook, which is configured like a flying hospital, continued back to Gao alone with the injured French soldiers. It does increase the risk, he said, but we balanced it against the need to get those wounded back to medical facilities as soon as possible. While he agreed that it was the right thing to do, Walter Dorn, an expert on peacekeeping at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto, said the evacuation nonetheless risked linking the UN and French missions in some minds. The risk is that we are associated with Barkhane and we then become subject to more attacks and the line between peacekeepers and counter-insurgency fighters is blurred, Dorn said. Morehen pushed back against such suggestions, insisting the evacuation was an extremely rare circumstance and that anyone who wants to target the UN which has suffered dozens of casualties in Mali will do so no matter what. The people that want to do people harm here, theyve already got it formulated in their mind, he said. I dont see how fathomable it is that we would be targeted because we gave a medevac to French forces. Read more about: HALIFAXNova Scotias premier has reached a new low in approval ratings to sit in last place amongst provincial leaders across Canada, according to new numbers. Public opinion data released Tuesday by the Angus Reid Institute through a quarterly survey on premiers performances, finds a slight warming towards many leaders besides Premier Stephen McNeil of Nova Scotia and Ontarios Doug Ford. McNeil, currently also Canadas longest-serving premier, has the lowest approval of any premier at 24 per cent. Thats a drop of six points from last quarter, when he sat at 30 per cent. The Liberal leader has faced criticism in Nova Scotia in past years in the governments treatment of teachers, the film industry, and more recently their handling of what nurses, paramedics, health-care unions and more have called a crisis in hospitals across the province. Last week, the Liberals were also under fire for spending an estimated $8.5 million to renovate a ferry terminal in Maine, to help prop up a service running between the state and Yarmouth, N.S. Transportation Minister Lloyd Hines has said the ferry is a vital part of the provinces transportation system and is important to the tourism industry. The only other premier to lose approval points in the new data, Ontarios Doug Ford, dropped four points this quarter to 38 per cent. According to the Angus Reid release, Ford has faced criticism for his governments decision to increase class sizes under the provinces new education plan. Ford was, however, cleared of personal wrongdoing in an ethics investigation looking into the appointment of his long-time friend Ron Taverner as Ontario Provincial Police commissioner. While Ford was found to have remained at arms-length during the process, the integrity commissioner did express serious doubts about the fairness of the process. As NDP Premier Rachel Notley fights for re-election in Alberta, voters appear to approve of her more today than they have at any time in the last three years, the release said. Although Notley faces long odds ahead of the April 16 election, according to polls which point to a lead for the opposition United Conservative Party, Notleys personal approval continues to rise. For the fifth consecutive wave of this quarterly survey, Notleys approval has increased and is now at 40 per cent compared to 36 per cent last quarter. Quebec Premier Francois Legault topped the list as the countrys most popular premier (60 per cent), followed by Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe (59 per cent), and British Columbia Premier John Horgan in third with 52 per cent. Horgan, the NDP leader, saw a jump of 9 percentage points since December, when 43 per cent approved of his performance. The release said Horgans current number ties with his highest mark as premier, which was set in March 2018. Horgans resurgent popularity comes as opposition leader Andrew Wilkinson has struggled to connect with British Columbians, the release said. Wilkinson been accused of being out of touch over among other things comments he made about renting, a touchy subject in and around Metro Vancouver because of ongoing affordability issues. The rest of the provinces are rounded out with Blaine Higgs of New Brunswick sitting at 49 per cent, Manitobas Brian Pallister rising to 44 per cent, and Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball at second-last with 35 per cent. The Angus Reid Institute analyzed the results of an online survey between March 11 24, 2019 for this poll, among a representative randomized sample of 5,807 adult Canadian residents who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. Probability samples of this size would carry varying margins of error based on each province: for N.S. that is plus or minus 6 per cent, Alberta is 3.4, Ontario is 3.1, and B.C. is 3.5. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. Read more about: A Toronto jury has retired to decide whether Harris Nnane is guilty of a 2016 brazen double murder outside an east-end LCBO without being told that his companion that evening is wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for first-degree murder. Alexander Fountain, who can be seen with Nnane in LCBO surveillance footage minutes before the murders of Joseph Anzolona and Cynthia Mullapudi, is a suspect in the April 15, 2017, fatal shooting of Samatar Farah, 24, an innocent man with no criminal record. Toronto Police say Farah was not targeted for who he was, but for where he lived. His senseless slaying was linked to a feud between residents of the Chester Le neighbourhood near Finch Ave. E. and Victoria Park Ave. and a housing complex on Parma Court, south of Eglinton Ave. E. Three arrests have been made in the case. Fountain and the other accused all have associations to the Parma Court neighbourhood. Fountain, 27, is also wanted for three counts of attempt murder for a shooting two days before Farah was killed, also in Chester Le. Read more: Accused in double murder trial had no reason to kill anyone, defence lawyer says Nnanes jury was only told police have never been able to locate Fountain. The seven-week trial at the downtown Superior Court was marked by a possible attempt to intimidate a key witness who testified for the prosecution. Anzolona was ambushed as he returned to a parked car outside the LCBO. Mullapudi, a Markham student who was also struck and killed in the gunfire, had just met Anzolona and was waiting for him with his friend, Chad Pillay. On the day Pillay took the stand last month, several uniformed Toronto police officers could be seen at the back of the court near a group of young men, some of whom could be seen offering gestures of support to Nnane, 28. Pillay testified Anzolona called him from inside the LCBO, moments before he was killed. During his closing address Monday, Crown attorney Rob Fried reiterated to jurors the Crowns theory that Anzolona was warning Pillay of imminent danger after seeing Nnane and Fountain inside the liquor outlet at Victoria Park Ave., and Ellesmere Rd. Fried stopped short of saying Pillay had been intimidated, but raised the spectre that there was a plausible explanation for his inconsistencies from previous statements and for his obvious discomfort on the stand. For instance, Pillay earlier told police Anzolona spoke to him in a low voice. Last month, he testified his friend spoke to him in a medium voice. Now, I suggest for some reason Chad wanted to downplay what occurred during that phone call, Fried said to the jury. He appeared, you may find, afraid to testify, and reticent to answer my questions about the night of the shooting, the prosecutor continued. You may have noticed him literally hiding behind the monitor on the witness stand, he added. Nnane has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. Long-term care workers face constant violence on the job, with 80 per cent reporting first-hand experience with physical assault in the workplace, according to a new poll. The survey of more than 1,000 long-term care workers in Ontario found almost half of respondents experienced physical violence such as pushing or hitting on a daily or weekly basis. Some 63 per cent said they had faced sexual harassment at least once on the job and 43 per cent said theyd experienced sexual assault. Its hard to imagine another environment in which this kind of level of violence would be tolerated, said Michael Hurley, president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions. When you look carefully at the numbers, its clear that there are verbal and sexual and racialized assaults going on constantly in these workplaces. The survey was conducted by Toronto-based firm Public Polling for the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents 25,000 long-term care workers across the province. Those polled included 1,294 personal support workers and registered practical nurses in Ontario long-term care homes represented by 26 different CUPE locals. The survey had a 95 per cent confidence level. Sue Moore, who has worked in the long-term care sector for 15 years as a registered practical nurse and is also president of CUPE 3014, said workers often receive little preparation for the violence they encounter on the job. Theres no time spent in school telling you that these are things that can occur while working in health care, she said. Its more or less you get out on the floor, and thats when you start experiencing it. Despite the high levels of workplace violence reported by those surveyed, the poll found that 53 per cent of respondents had never filed a formal report with their employer. Moore believes that is because workplace violence is often treated like part of the job rather than a risk. Theres no support to say, hey, you should report that. Not many people know of their responsibilities, she said. The Star obtained one letter sent by a long-term care employer to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board contesting a mental stress claim filed by a worker who was assaulted on the job. In the letter, the employer said they did not dispute the assault, but argued the claim should be denied because aggression was regularly encountered in the workplace. Hurley said that attitude is systemic in the long-term care sector. Thats why people dont report. They dont get any support, he said. In what universe is that OK? The workers claim was ultimately approved by the board. Occupational health experts Jim Brophy and Margaret Keith, who are both affiliated with the University of Windsor and University of Stirling, published a qualitative report Tuesday alongside the poll based on 10 in-depth focus groups with CUPE long-term care employees. Brophy said he was horrified by the pervasiveness and the normalization of violence that we heard in focus group after focus group. One of the factors that we really noticed and disturbed us a great deal was the unaddressed emotional trauma that so many of the front-line caregivers had, he said. The blaming of the victims, the normalizing of it, the fear of speaking out, is so characteristic of violence against women, he added. Some 85 per cent of those polled identified as female. Brophy and Keiths report identified a range of risk factors for violence in long-term care including understaffing, lack of security measures and a task-oriented organization of work that provides too little time not only for basic care but for resident-centred relational care. You had a staff that is really on the verge of a breaking point. They described work as if it was an assembly line, Brophy said, adding that 60 per cent of long-term care facilities are now privately operated. The public doesnt see that whats happening to these women is reflective of whats going on in their health-care system and it will impact all of us. Of those surveyed in Tuesdays poll, 65 per cent said they had considered quitting their job because of the stress caused by workplace violence. The Ontario government recently unveiled health-care reform plans that included adding 15,000 new long-term care beds over five years and 30,000 beds over 10 years. Hurley said while the demand for long-term care is intensifying as Ontarios population ages, staffing levels have not kept up. This is a recipe that creates this potent stew where residents are to some extent neglected and their family members are upset. They express it directly and unfairly to workers, Hurley said. I think youll see this actually worsen, not get better. Almost 60 per cent of respondents to the survey said at least half or more of all incidents of violence they had experienced occurred when their unit was understaffed, and 92 per cent said additional staffing would help prevent violence. A further 75 per cent said they did not believe residents were receiving adequate care because of existing workload and staffing levels. When you are working in conditions where youre consistently short staffed, it makes it very difficult for people to do their jobs in a manner that doesnt put everybody at risk, Moore said. These acts of violence, these acts of harassment, they take away from the care were providing. In addition to more front-line staff, Hurley wants to see stronger anti-reprisal protections for health-care workers who speak up about workplace violence and stronger criminal sentences for those who assault health-care workers. Its not about looking at my employer and saying, youre not doing a good enough job. Because I think everything is an ongoing conversation. But we cant keep burying our heads in the sand on this, Moore said. I can only be my best if I am safe in the workplace. A newly arrived refugee who helped shelter whistleblower Edward Snowden in Hong Kong pleaded with Canadian officials on Tuesday to grant asylum to others who assisted the American fugitive years ago. Vanessa Rodel said her excitement at now being in Canada with her seven-year-old daughter Keana was tempered by the knowledge that people with whom she still feels a strong bond have not been so lucky. At a news conference in Toronto, held hours before she was to travel to Montreal and move into her new home, Rodel said her fellow members of the group that came to be known as Snowdens Guardian Angels should be allowed to join her. I dont want them left behind, she said of the group of five, who include Keanas father and two half-siblings. I dont want to feel that I forget about them because Im here now in Canada. Theyre still hoping they can come in Canada to feel safe and free. Rodel and Keana arrived in Toronto on Monday afternoon, two months after the federal government formally granted them refugee status. Their arrival brought an end to what her lawyer Robert Tibbo described as a saga dating back to 2013. Read more: Refugee who sheltered Edward Snowden in Hong Kong arrives in Canada At that time, when Snowden fled to Hong Kong after divulging classified documents from the U.S. National Security Agency, Tibbo said Rodel and a handful of others banded together to help in the whistle blowers early days as a fugitive. The information Snowden leaked exposed the scope of massive government surveillance operations. He currently lives in Moscow and is wanted in the United States on charges related to the leaks. Five other people in the Angels group represented by Tibbo three adults and two children remain in Hong Kong. They had fled Sri Lanka years ago, and their applications for asylum in Hong Kong have been rejected. Rodel, who went to Hong Kong after fleeing gender-based violence and human trafficking in the Philippines, said the group members all developed an unusually close bond. When we are ... facing lots of problems, we always stick together, she said. We feel like we are family. The group gained notoriety in 2016 when their existence was revealed in Oliver Stones film Snowden, and Tibbo said they have since faced political persecution in Hong Kong. The so-called Angels have been identified as a couple from Sri Lanka named Supun Kellapatha and Nadeeka Paththini, and their two young children. The fifth is Ajit Kumara, a Sri Lankan soldier who deserted the military. Rodel said Kellapatha is Keanas father. Tibbo and three Montreal-based lawyers set up a group to raise money for his clients. They filed asylum applications on their behalf, and collected about $350,000 for their expenses in Hong Kong and in Canada, should they all arrive as privately sponsored refugees. Tibbo called on Ottawa to extend the same welcome Rodel and Keana received to the rest of the group. Canada needs to step forward, he said. The government of Canada has done the right thing for Vanessa and her daughter, but really what should have been done is all the families should have been brought into Canada at one time. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has said the government cannot weigh in on private refugee cases or comment on individual situations. But Ethan Cox, spokesman for advocacy group For the Refugees, questioned that claim. The government has the ability to intervene and expedite the processing of the private-sponsored refugee claims of the remaining five Snowden refugees, Cox said. That is what we are asking today is for the government of Justin Trudeau to finish the job. Read more about: Should Canada open its doors to refugees who have money and dont need financial help from sponsors? According to a recent Federal Court decision, theres nothing to stop refugees with financial means from being sponsored to come to Canada, even if theyve put up the cash that usually comes from community sponsorship groups. All that the governments sponsorship guidelines say, according to the court, is refugee sponsors cannot accept the payment of funds from the refugees for the submission of a sponsorship application before or after their arrival in Canada. In my respectful view, wrote Justice Henry Brown, they prohibit payment of funds for the submission of a sponsorship, not payment for settlement assistance itself. Brown was presiding over a court challenge launched by Sam Ibid, also known as Osama Ebid, who is the owner of Fast to Canada, and 22 Syrian families his Mississauga-based immigration consulting company was attempting to sponsor. Their applications were refused in January 2018. In rejecting the applicants, an unnamed immigration officer cited a CBC story in 2016 that alleged Ibids company was making money from Syrian refugees and demanding they pay their own settlement funds up front, according to the court decision. Read more: Canada is a dreamland: Syrian refugee thrilled to start job at Kitchener high-tech firm Court calls Canadas treatment of safe country refugees unconstitutional Cost of refugee board chairs car and chauffeur brings criticism (Fast to Canada) failed to provide evidence of where the funds that they provided (and held in trust) come from. In their response they provided affidavits that the funds are coming from relatives. With open source information suggesting that refugees are being required to pay for their own settlement, I find the affidavits insufficient, wrote the officer, in rejecting their sponsorships in 2018. I am therefore not satisfied that Fast to Canada has the financial resources to provide financial support to all the refugees they are sponsoring. Last week, Brown sided with the immigration consultant and the families he was trying to sponsor by ordering the immigration department to reopen their files for a new assessment. I will try my best to help them, Ibid told the Star in an email. All of them are skilled and in need to resettle in Canada but the age and language do not allow them to get in other programs while they are only applicable to be refugees. According to the court, most of the refugees involved in the case are university-educated professionals with money, living in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Kuwait and Qatar. Like all other Syrian refugees, they were also exempted from acquiring the United Nations Refugee Agencys refugee certificate a criteria Ottawa suspended amid the Syrian resettlement project from 2015 to 2017. Since 2015, Canada has brought in more than 60,000 Syrian refugees, most of whom had fled to Lebanon, Jordan and Syria after war broke out in their homeland. Half of them were sponsored by the federal government and half by community groups, which are financially responsible for all their expenses for the first year in the country. In their submissions to support the refugee sponsorship applications in 2016, both Fast to Canada and Syrian Active Volunteers, a non-government organization supporting Syrian refugees, were listed as co-sponsors responsible for helping the families with housing, language training, finding jobs, enrolling the children in schools, registering with a family doctor and providing any in-kind donations. They argued the immigration officer should not have relied on the CBC story because it related to a different situation where a fee-based for-profit retainer was undertaken in 2016 and Fast to Canada was acting as paid counsel for a refugee sponsored by a different group, according to Browns decision. They maintained no fees were charged and the settlement funds for 21 of the 22 families came from their relatives and friends. The court said the immigration department did raise concerns over the source of the families settlement funds in its decision, but it failed to mention the possibility of exploitation of vulnerable people as the reason. While it is apparent the officer had unalleviated concerns (raised by the CBC) story, what is missing is an intelligent and transparent route to that decision, wrote Brown. Therefore, this aspect of the (officers) decision is not reasonable. The court ruling was met with skepticism by refugee advocates, who are leery of seeing refugees paying for their own resettlement in Canada, even though there is a rarely-used self-supporting refugee class that allows them to do so under Canadas refugee resettlement program. Refugee resettlement is a charitable act. Thats why its a humanitarian program, said Brian Dyck, national migration and resettlement program co-ordinator of Mennonite Central Committee Canada, a major refugee sponsorship group. The most vulnerable refugees are often the ones who have no resources and options. You dont want to get into a position where resettlement is for sale. It shouldnt be about who can afford to resettle but who needs the protection most. Toronto police recently acquired controversial surveillance technology that sweeps up data on bystanders cellphones as well as that of criminal targets, but wont say how many devices the service owns, when they were purchased, or how much they cost. A Toronto Police Service spokesperson says a nondisclosure agreement with the provider of the technology, known as IMSI catchers or Stingrays, prevents the force from releasing those details. Toronto police also did not provide answers to the Stars questions on how the force will collect, store, access, or retain third-party data the hundreds or thousands of citizens unique cellphone data that is swept up in addition to that of a criminal target saying only that policies are still being developed, and will be in place before the device is used. The RCMP has operated IMSI catchers on behalf of municipal or regional forces, including Torontos. In 2018, three years after denying it had ever used IMSI catchers, Toronto police admitted to deploying the technology in five separate investigations, which ranged from a missing person case to a major drugs and guns bust. In the three cases for which details are known, Mounties operated the device. Now Toronto joins a short list of Canadian cities whose police own the surveillance technology outright, including Winnipeg and Calgary a proliferation that worries privacy experts. The more common these devices become, the more potential there is for something to go awry, says Tamir Israel, staff lawyer at the University of Ottawas Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic. The technology works by mimicking a cell tower, forcing all mobile devices within range to connect to it and capturing identifying data on each, including an International Mobile Subscriber Identity, or IMSI. Toronto polices IMSI catcher does not capture private communications like phone calls, text messages, or emails, according to spokesperson Meaghan Gray. Officers would obtain a warrant to connect an IMSI number to subscriber information, Gray says. Read more: Thousands of bystanders caught in Toronto police sweep of cellphone data Toronto police secretly recorded these condo hallways without a warrant. Was that legal, or a serious privacy breach? How the Star finally learned Toronto police used cellphone data-catching devices Police use the tool to identify suspects cellphones, especially in cases where targets frequently switch phones. By following a suspect to multiple locations and deploying an IMSI catcher at each site, officers can pick out which cellphone their target is carrying through a process of elimination. The devices often have a second tracking function, which targets a single known number. The technology is controversial because police have been so secretive about it, and because it indiscriminately affects hundreds or thousands of unsuspecting citizens as well as criminal targets. On Sunday, the Star reported that over a two-month period in a 2014 gang drug-trafficking investigation, Toronto police swept up collateral data on more than 20,000 bystanders in the course of targeting 11 suspects. Police deployed the device at busy neighbourhoods like Yorkville, downtown malls and public parks, and even a Toys R Us. In addition to gathering identifying data, the device also temporarily disrupts phone connectivity, and can hamper the ability to call 911. Toronto police say IMSI numbers, without further investigation and judicial application, amount to nothing more than random identification numbers that are not, by themselves, traceable to any individual. Police stress evidence of criminal activity is necessary to get a warrant to use a device, and to connect an IMSI number to a persons name. Experts, however, caution that this type of data can still be incredibly revealing. On its own, yes its a random number, just like your social insurance number, says Chris Parsons, research associate at the University of Torontos Citizen Lab. But because we carry our phones everywhere with us that number is still very useful, very identifying, and can be used to derive insights about you and your social network. Without proper safeguards and with the increasing proliferation of devices like IMSI catchers, Parsons and other privacy experts worry the accumulation of massive amounts of data may lead to even greater potential invasions. Especially if you use the devices over time more and more and more, even if youre not able to take the additional step of getting the service provider to give you the name associated with the IMSI number, you over time get a catalogue of these IMSI numbers showing up in different places. You can figure out yourself whos who, or whos in the same location as who, or whos often in a particular bar the more of these datasets you get, the more youre able to pull out these types of inferences, with greater and greater levels of sensitivity. Canadas privacy commissioner has written at length about the sensitivity of such metadata. Government institutions that collect or are considering collecting such information should not underestimate what metadata can reveal about an individual. The same goes for private-sector organizations that are requested to disclose such data to government institutions, including law enforcement agencies, a 2014 report states. After years of pressure from media organizations, civil liberties groups, and the privacy commissioners office, the RCMP revealed in 2017 that it owned 10 IMSI catchers. The RCMP also released interim guidelines that address third-party data, including that any information collected from non-target cellphones would be firewalled from investigators and destroyed after any court proceedings and appeals periods have concluded. I would hope that Toronto Police Service has a very public consulting process for the policies it is developing, says Parsons. For Parsons and his colleagues, It isnt that we are opposed to these devices per se, its that we want them to be used in a maximally responsible and accountable way. Private detectives working for the children of billionaire murder victims Barry and Honey Sherman are passing tips to police weekly but are frustrated the relationship is not a two-way street, says the Sherman family lawyer. Five months ago, lawyer Brian Greenspan announced a $10 million reward from the Sherman family for information leading to the apprehension and prosecution of the murderer or murderers of the Apotex founder and his wife. We decided to just pass everything on to police, Greenspan told the Star, referring to all telephone calls and emails received. We have made it all available electronically. Toronto police spokesperson Meaghan Gray said the police review all information they receive to determine the relevancy to the case. But she said unless they are required by law, we are under no obligation to share our investigative tactics, processes, leads, evidence, etc. with anyone outside of the service. Gray said to do so could compromise the integrity of the investigation and jeopardize our goal of reaching a successful conclusion. But what Greenspan was hoping for was feedback from the Toronto homicide squad of a certain kind. He and his team wanted to know if their ongoing private inquiries would impact what police were doing in their official investigation. Read more: 29 minutes inside Barry and Honey Shermans home: Who was the visitor? Sherman family gets OK to demolish North York home of murdered billionaire couple How the investigation into the deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman turned from murder-suicide to double homicide What if we wanted to interview certain people? Will the interview interfere with what (police) are doing? Greenspan said, speaking for his team of retired homicide detectives. We were concerned we would step on toes, that all of a sudden we would come in and screw it up. All calls generated by the reward offer were directed to Greenspans private team, with an expert panel set up to assess their importance. Five months ago, when the award was announced, Greenspan said he invited Chief Mark Saunders to provide an officer to join that review panel. Plans changed, and the panel has never met. The committee will only meet, Greenspan said, if a decision has to be made on a reward payout. Further, Greenspan said he wanted to know if what we are doing is redundant or inconsistent with what police have been or are doing. Police the investigation is run by Det. Sgt. Brandon Price have not complied with Greenspans request and sources have told the Star the relationship between private and official detectives is frosty, to say the least. Chief Mark Saunders was immediately cool following the reward press conference to Greenspans idea of a public-private partnership on the investigation. Saunders later blasted the private team for some of its remarks about the crime scene, saying he knew for a fact that the suspect or suspects are watching media coverage of the case and everyone had to be careful not to provide information that would help the killers. To devise a protocol for the private team to pass on tips or evidence, Toronto police hired a lawyer, Scott Hutchison. Thats how the infamous vacuum cleaner bag Greenspans team said they vacuumed the crime scene because police did not was turned over to police last year. Greenspan, a veteran criminal lawyer who has dealt with police his entire career, said simply in a recent interview, asked about the level of co-operation, Its not a two-way street. Barry and Honey Sherman were last seen alive early in the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017. Their bodies were discovered two days later, on Friday morning. They were found by one of the familys real estate agents in the basement of their home on Old Colony Rd., which was for sale. Both were in a seated position, backs to the indoor swimming pool, each held in that position by a mans leather belt looped around the neck and tied to a metre-high railing. Both Shermans died of ligature strangulation. Initially police pursued a theory of murder suicide. Greenspan was retained on the Saturday morning to provide advice to the four Sherman children, Jonathon, Lauren, Alexandra and Kaelen who said in a statement later that Saturday they had been shocked at the rumours circulating about their parents who, they said, shared an enthusiasm for life. First step for Greenspan was to hire a forensic pathologist to do a second set of autopsies, a move that led to the police eventually ruling it a targeted, double homicide. Next was to have his team begin interviews. Often his team and the police interviewed many of the same people, including the Sherman children, aunts and uncles, lawyers, financial advisers, cousins and also business associates of Barrys. Greenspan noted that in a homicide investigation, it is natural to start at the centre and move outward, eliminating suspects as you proceed. Now he is at the point where there are some people he would like to reinterview and he was hoping the police would tell him whether that would cause them any concern. There has been no response. The one successful bit of communication between police and the Shermans came last summer, when Toronto homicide detectives sat down on a semi-frequent basis with two of the Sherman children and provided briefings of the progress of the investigation. That has not happened for some time. The difference between the two private and public investigative bodies is that the police have search warrant powers through the courts, and the Star learned last week from Homicide Insp. Hank Idsinga that more search warrants have recently been obtained in the case. Idsinga has also said that his officers are now reviewing CCTV footage and DNA evidence to determine if there is relevance to the investigation. More than that, Idsinga would not say. But what became of the tip line and the familys $10 million reward, a staggering amount of money, millions of dollars more than has ever been offered in a Canadian murder case. Greenspan said the reward generated a flurry of tips, including some that went directly to him. He would not describe the specific nature of the tips, but conceded that some came from psychics and some from people with no knowledge of the case, but who were trying to be helpful. One woman emails me 100 times a week, he said. A lot of the stuff we got is useless. But Greenspan said one never knows where a grain of important information will be discovered. For that reason, he has instructed one of the private detectives on his team to deliver the tip information directly to police, on a weekly basis. We have been generous in providing the Toronto Police Service with information derived from telephone calls and emails to the tip line, and information from many people who contacted me directly. Read more about: SILVER SPRING, MARYLANDDawn Criss took a deep breath and stepped to the microphone positioned before dozens of international medical professionals at the headquarters of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Please take textured breast implants off the market, the rural Alberta woman said in a firm voice during a Monday hearing on breast implant safety. Cancer is a hard reality for many of us to deal with. It affects not only our bodies, but our minds, relationships, our working ability and our own sense of security. It takes away hope. Criss, who acquired a rare form of cancer associated with her implants, was one of four Canadian women along with a Canadian researcher who appeared before the FDA panel urging a ban on textured breast implants they say are sickening women. The health impacts range from autoimmune-like symptoms including cognitive issues, fatigue and muscle pain to a rare form of lymphoma called breast implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). There are an estimated 700 cases of BIA-ALCL reported internationally, overwhelmingly tied to textured implants devices coated with a sandpaper-like surface as opposed to smooth. The implants have been taken off the market in Europe and Brazil. Health Canada has documented 28 confirmed and another 28 suspected cases of BIA-ALCL in Canada, Amanda Jones, a senior scientific evaluator for Health Canada, told the FDA committee. Of the total 56 cases, 45 have been attributed to textured implants, Jones said. The remaining cases were designated as not specified. None of the 56 cases are tied to smooth implants. One brand of textured implants called Biocell, manufactured by industry giant Allergan, have 7.1 to 8.3 times greater risk of BIA-ALCL than other brands, Dr. Mark Clemens, a Houston plastic surgeon and leading researcher on breast implant issues, testified before the panel. It is not just texturing vs. non-texturing. It does seem to be manufacturer specific. A Toronto Star investigation in November uncovered the issues associated with Biocell implants and the growing number of Canadian plastic surgeons quietly abandoning them after noting the health impacts in their patients. The implants remain on the market in Canada and the U.S. and inside millions of women. Read More from the Implant Files Investigation: My entire body was shutting down. Breast implant recipients say doctors gloss over risks Breast-implant-related complications, including cancer, kept secret thanks to broken reporting system Biocell breast implants at centre of biggest controversy in plastic surgery Stephanie Manson Brown, vice-president of clinical development for breast manufacturer Allergan, acknowledged the risks of BIA-ALCL, saying, We empathize with these women and can only imagine how distressing it is for them. But she also told the panel that incidents of the disease are low and when identified early and treated appropriately prognosis is excellent. Breast implants are supported by significant long-term clinical experience and comprehensive post-market monitoring, said Brown, adding that, evidence supports the benefits of breast implants outweigh their risks. Those benefits, she said, include quality of life and sexual well-being, and restoration of physical form. Terri McGregor, a North Bay woman who has become a leading advocate for women suffering breast implant illness, said through tears that her joy for life had been cut short by a profit-driven, man-made cancer, when she was diagnosed four years ago with Stage Four BIA-ALCL after receiving Biocell implants. The isolation, betrayal, and loneliness of cancer is compounded by the dismissive public relations campaign by industryThe industry stayed silent. When our existence could no longer be denied, we were portrayed as an anomaly. McGregor has since been diagnosed with a separate form of cancer. In my deepest and most private thoughts, I ask myself if I can endure a repeat of cancer and its dreadful treatmentPlease evoke your full authority to withdraw textured implantsfrom the market and end the suffering of tomorrows families. Monday was the 14-month anniversary of Montrealer Julie Elliotts breast implant removal. After they were out, she had them tested. One of my implants had a small rupture that had leaked silicone oil into my body for years, she said. My hair was falling out and I was always thirsty. I was also diagnosed with asthma. I then developed food intolerances and allergies. My throat was closing up after each bite and my gastro intestinal issues became so severe that I had to stop working. After her implants were removed several of her long-term symptoms immediately disappeared, she said. Im healthier than Ive been in years. Nicole Daruda, a B.C. breast implant advocate, told the panel I along with multitudes of other women feel duped into believing breast implants are safe. Her online forum HealingBreastImplantIllness.com has 70,000 members sharing information about breast implant illness and disease. Stop the manufacturers from hiding the truth that should be available to anyone considering breast implants, Daruda told the panel. Please do the right thing in enforcing proper informed consent. Dr. Jan Willem Cohen Tervaert, director of the rheumatology at the University of Albertas medical school, called for the panel to recommend texturred implants be banned. His remarks were met with applause and cheers from the crowd of more than 300 people. How many patients do we have to prove that there is migration of silicone into the body before we can say that we need more studies to prove safety of these breast implants? The sudden focus on breast implant safety in Canada and the U.S. including regulatory reviews, public warnings and meetings with patients follows a global investigation into medical devices published in November by media organizations around the world including the Toronto Star led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Until a few months ago, most international health regulators, including Health Canada, were dismissing the need for further investigation into serious health concerns related to breast implants, telling journalists that textured implants are safe and effective. Following publication, Health Canada and the FDA launched scientific reviews as countries in Europe were pulling the devices off the market. On Friday, Health Canada officials met with several Canadian women featured in the Star series for more than two hours. They took notes, they were attentive, they were engaged, shaking their heads as we were speaking says Criss, who was one of six women invited to the meeting. They were passing the Kleenex box down the table. Jones confirmed Monday that Health Canada is conducting a safety review of scientific data and incidents of systemic symptoms from breast implants and informing general practitioners, oncologists, radiologists, pathologists and other specialists about diagnosing and tracking BIA-ALCL cases. Last week, the Star reported similar efforts by provinces across the country to warn physicians and patients about the risks. Cancer Care Ontario issued a warning to physicians about the links between implants and BIA-ALCL earlier this month. In Quebec and Nova Scotia, provincial governments say they are reaching out directly to patients with information of the risks. Last Tuesday, the FDA issued warning letters to two global breast implant manufacturers Mentor and Sientra (which does not sell implants in Canada) for failures to conduct long-term studies to assess the safety and risks of their silicone gel-filled breast implants, an agency statement reads. Raina Dauria, vice-president of regulatory affairs at Johnson & Johnson, which owns Mentor, told the panel that while BIA-ALCL is a serious condition, the company is partnering with surgeons, patients and regulators in open and transparent dialogue. The Pentagon said that a test Monday of a new tactic for intercepting missiles aimed at U.S. cities was a success, in an exercise that appeared intended to simulate how the United States would defend against an adversary like North Korea. The test, the first in nearly two years, was conducted over the Pacific Ocean. It fired two interceptors from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California against a mock warhead launched from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The system worked exactly as it was designed to do, Air Force Lt. Gen. Samuel A. Greaves, director of the Pentagons Missile Defense Agency, said in a statement. This test demonstrates that we have a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat. Evaluating the success of missile interceptions is difficult. In the past, the Missile Defense Agency has been accused of exaggerating its kills in order to quiet critics who say a 50 per cent successful interception rate is far from satisfactory. The new system was intended to boost the success rate by launching multiple interceptors one to hit the target or knock it off its trajectory, and the next as a backup at a single warhead. In Mondays test, the Pentagon said the incoming warhead was destroyed by the first interceptor, and that the second went after the largest remnant. The number of interceptors that can be fired at a single warhead is classified, but officials have been quoted as saying that they ultimately hope to direct three or four at each incoming warhead. The long-running effort to shield the nation from missile strikes started in 1983 with President Ronald Reagans Star Wars program. Over the decades, the United States has spent more than $300 billion (U.S.) on the anti-missile goal, according to a tally conducted by Stephen I. Schwartz, an independent consultant who studies the cost of military projects. The program is expensive because the problem is so difficult. Warheads fired by intercontinental missiles travel faster than 6 kilometres a second. Overall, the rate of success for attempted interceptions has been so unimpressive that President Barack Obama stepped up a program called left of launch, designed to sabotage missiles before they are launched. The secret program was used against North Korea in Obamas second term. The more public program is based on ground-based interceptors. They race skyward and release speeding projectiles meant to destroy incoming warheads by force of impact what experts call hitting a bullet with a bullet. After exiting a treaty with Russia that banned anti-missile systems, the administration of President George W. Bush began deploying a bullet-on-bullet system in Alaska and California, largely to defend against North Korean warheads. Since then, the system has undergone 10 costly flight tests against mock warheads. Five of the tests failed. The most recent test, in May 2017, successfully smashed the mock target, and was declared a success. The Monday statement said the lead interceptor destroyed the re-entry vehicle, as it was designed to do. The trailing interceptor, it added, then looked at the debris and remaining objects. Not finding any other mock warheads, it selected the next most lethal object in the debris it could identify, the statement said, and struck that. The test was not announced beforehand and the statement on the outcome was released late in the day, which seemed to suggest that the test had encountered problems. The statement also introduced a note of hesitancy. Initial indications show the test met requirements, it said. Program officials will continue to evaluate system performance based upon telemetry and other data obtained during the test. The mock target at Kwajalein, not far from where the United States once conduced nuclear tests, was launched more than 6,000 kilometres from the California coasts. The interceptors were on the same base where the United States keeps a part of its anti-ballistic missile fleet. Read more about: Shortly after 8 p.m. on May 11, 1960, a slight man stepped off a bus in suburban Buenos Aires. He seemed weary, ready to be home, and looked bewildered when a car pulled up alongside him. The man was Adolf Eichmann, chief architect of Hitlers Final Solution, and one of the most-wanted Nazis in the world. Inside the car were agents of the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency. Their commander was Rafi Eitan, who became known as one of his countrys greatest if most controversial spies, and who died March 23 at 92. I grabbed him by the neck with such force I could see his eyes bulge, Eitan recalled years later of his encounter with Eichmann, in an account published in Gordon Thomas book Gideons Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad. A little tighter and I would have choked him to death. The Mossad team moved Eichmann to a safe house where they held him for days without speaking. Keeping silent was more than an operational necessity, Eitan said. We did not want to show Eichmann how nervous we all were. That would have given him hope. And hope makes a desperate person dangerous. I needed him to be as helpless as my own people were when he had sent them in train loads to the death camps. To spirit Eichmann to Israel, the team gave him a bottle of whiskey, disguised him as a drunken El Al flight attendant and shepherded him onto a plane. He stood trial in Jerusalem, was convicted of his role in the murder of 6 million Jews in the Holocaust and in 1962 was executed by hanging. The trial, chronicled in political theorist Hannah Arendts classic book Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil, brought international attention to Nazi atrocities. Argentina protested that Eichmanns capture was a violation of the countrys sovereignty, but in Israel and elsewhere the operation was greeted as a masterwork of espionage whose end abundantly justified its means. The capture of Eichmann was likely Eitans most celebrated undertaking and also, he said, one of his easiest. His most contentious action came two decades later, when he became the handler of Jonathan Pollard, a civilian intelligence analyst for the U.S. Navy who pleaded guilty in 1986 to selling classified intelligence to Israel. Pollard was sentenced to life in prison and was freed on parole in 2015. The case which represented the only instance of an American given a life sentence for spying for an ally was the subject of intense controversy on both sides of the international partnership. In the United States, some observers feared that the actions of Pollard, who was Jewish, would fuel questions often raised with anti-Semitic innuendo about the national allegiance of American Jews. In Israel, critics denounced Eitan for jeopardizing one of Israels key alliances. The Israeli government announced that Eitan was removed from his intelligence post after the affair. He said that it had been a mistake to co-operate with Pollard but insisted that he had acted with permission and authority. All intelligence work is a partnership with crime, he told an Israeli television interviewer years later. Morals are put aside. Rafael Hantman was born Nov. 23, 1926, on the Ein Harod kibbutz in what was then the British mandate of Palestine, where his parents had emigrated from Russia several years earlier. He later adopted the more Hebrew surname Eitan. Eitans father was a farmer and a poet, according to the Jerusalem Post, and his mother was a social activist. She took her young son to see a movie about a female spy in World War I, prompting the boy to announce: I want to be a spy like Mata Hari. He was 12 when he joined the Haganah, the paramilitary force that grew into the Israel Defense Forces after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. As a member of the elite Palmach unit, he helped shepherd Jewish refugees into Palestine. In one operation he swam through sewers to blow up a British radar station, earning the nickname Rafi the Stinker. Eitan, who studied at the London School of Economics, entered intelligence in part because of wounds and hearing loss that he sustained in the Israeli war for independence. He rose through the ranks of Shin Bet, the Israeli equivalent of the FBI, before joining the Mossad, where he became chief of operations. According to news accounts, his other operations included intercepting Soviet spies in the 1950s, disrupting the sale of German armaments to Egypt and planning the 1981 Israeli attack on Iraqs Osirak nuclear reactor. Eitan served as a terrorism adviser to Prime Ministers Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir. After the Pollard case, he was made chairman of the state-owned company Israel Chemicals. In the mid-2000s, he entered politics as head of the Pensioners Party, known as Gil, and served briefly as pensioners affairs minister. His death was reported by the Associated Press and by Israeli outlets including the Times of Israel, which said that he died at a hospital in Tel Aviv. Survivors reportedly included his wife and three children. In a dramatic coda to the most dramatic moment of Eitans work, he was present in the execution chamber when Eichmann was put to death. Your time will come to follow me, Jew, he recalled the Nazi saying. Not today, Adolf, not today, Mr. Eitan replied. Next moment the trap opened, Eitan recounted in Gideons Spies. Eichmann gave a little choking sound. There was the smell of his bowel moving, then just the sound of the stretched rope. A very satisfying sound. Read more about: HAVANA - Prince Charles and his wife Camilla began their first full day in Cuba Monday with a visit to Old Havana, touring churches, shops and cafes in the narrow cobblestoned streets of the historic centre before other events around the capital city. The heir to the British throne arrived in Cuba Sunday with an agenda including visits to historic sites, a solar park, organic farm, bio-medical research centre, a meeting with entrepreneurs, a cultural gala and a dinner with President Miguel Diaz-Canel. The agenda does not include visits with political dissidents or other critics of Cubas single-party system, a decision prompting criticism from Cuban exiles. The Trump Administration has found European and Latin American support for its Venezuela policy but less backing on Cuba, whose government has already withstood a 60-year U.S. embargo without showing any signs of losing its grip on power. The United Kingdom backs Trump in Venezuela but is eager to expand relations with the island nation, and arranged for Prince Charles to extend his Caribbean tour to Cuba to shore up relations between the two nations. The royals stopped in at Bohemia, a cafe facing the historic centres iconic Plaza Vieja. Its the first time in real life that we receive a real prince at the Cafe Bohemia, although at the Cafe Bohemia all customers are princes, manager Annalisa Gallina said. It has been a very big emotion, with several days of preparations, from learning how to greet him to learning what he wants to drink or what tea he prefers. Charles and his Camila also visited the studio of famed former Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta, 45, whom Charles recently awarded the Order of Commander of the Arts of the British Empire. After greeting the dancers, the royal couple watched a performance blending classical, modern and traditional Cuban dance. The Cuban choreographer spent most of his career in the United Kingdom. Acosta, who retired from the Royal Ballet in 2015, has been appointed to head the Royal Ballet of Birmingham, a position he will assume in 2020. I am very excited by this visit, Acosta said. The fact that he wanted to come here to see us, that for me is very special. MANILA, Philippines - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday accused a dismissed police colonel, who had publicly criticized him and his deadly anti-drug campaign, of criminal involvement and said he wanted to know why the former officer is still alive. In a late-night televised speech, Duterte condemned dismissed Senior Superintendent Eduardo Acierto, who told reporters over the weekend that the president had been repeatedly photographed with two Chinese men involved in drug trafficking. Duterte defended one of the two Chinese men, saying he had accompanied Chinas premier on a visit to the Philippines and was a businessman who travelled to the country in 1999 to sell Chinese-made cellphones. Acierto, a veteran anti-narcotics officer before his dismissal by an anti-graft agency last year, said he submitted a report to top police officials and Dutertes office about the two Chinese to warn the president of their background. But he said he was never informed if the two were ever investigated. In my investigation, I discovered that our president ... is often accompanied by two people deeply involved in illegal drugs, Acierto told a news conference late Sunday in Manila, adding that he was later accused by authorities in a criminal complaint of involvement in drug smuggling instead of the Chinese men. Duterte said Acierto was the only police official who has made the allegations against the two men. He said Acierto was an idiot allegedly involved in corruption, drug smuggling, kidnappings of Chinese nationals and the killing of a South Korean man. Dont ever believe specially this Acierto, Duterte said in a speech in southern Koronadal city. What if I ask the military and the police, Why is this son of a bitch still alive? Acierto denied any wrongdoing. The president mentioned Acierto while talking about his efforts to combat corruption, including corrupt policemen. He also criticized and ridiculed opposition senatorial candidates running in mid-term elections in May. Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Aaron Aquino told The Associated Press on Monday that he received Aciertos report and sent it to Dutertes office, adding that both his office and that of the president took steps to validate the allegations against the two Chinese. He said the two were not on any list of drug suspects. Aquino played down the photographs showing Duterte with the two Chinese men, saying officials often get approached by all sorts of people for group photographs without being able to rapidly check their background. He questioned the credibility of Acierto, who he accused of being linked to drug smuggling. Profiles of the two Chinese provided by Acierto to reporters said they were involved in the manufacturing, financing, the importation, transhipment and local distribution of meth or shabu, referring to the local name for methamphetamine, a stimulant. Acierto said he initially welcomed Dutertes passion to combat illegal drugs. But he said he later realized that the presidents deadly crackdown took a wrong approach by targeting mostly poor drug suspects instead of going after powerful drug lords and traffickers. More than 5,000 drug suspects have been killed in what police say were gunbattles that ensued during drug raids under Dutertes crackdown, alarming Western governments and human rights groups. CANBERRA, Australia - Australias prime minister on Tuesday accused an influential minor political party of trying to sell Australias gun laws to the highest bidders by asking the U.S. gun lobby for donations. Prime Minister Scott Morrison was responding to an Al Jazeera documentary that reported One Nation party officials Steve Dickson and James Ashby flew to the United States for meetings with pro-gun interests including the National Rifle Association and political donors Koch Industries in September last year seeking money to undermine Australian gun laws. Dickson and Ashby later told reporters that they had not secured any U.S. money. They also said they had been quoted by Al Jazeera out of context and often after drinking. The trip took place weeks before the Australian Parliament banned foreign political donations with laws that took effect Jan. 1. Morrison said the revelations were reasons why Australians should not vote for One Nation at general elections due in May. We have reports that One Nation officials basically sought to sell Australias gun laws to the highest bidders to a foreign buyer and I find that abhorrent, Morrison said. Morrison said his government had made laws to criminalize taking foreign political donations so foreign lobbyists cannot seek to influence our politics. Opposition leader Bill Shorten, whom opinion polls suggest will be prime minister after the election, accused One Nation of a betrayal of the Australian political system. The idea of One National political party operatives going to the United States, seeking millions of dollars, promising to water-down gun law protection in Australia that was absolutely horrifying, Shorten said. The Al Jazeera documentary used secret recordings made by a journalist posing as gun lobbyist Rodger Muller with a hidden camera. One Nation, an anti-Muslim party that had four senators after 2016 election but has been left with two after defections, said in a statement that all party members have always complied with the law. One Nation also suggested the Qatar-owned Al Jazeera had breached new laws that prohibit covert foreign interference in Australian politics. The party said it had had complained to Australias main domestic security agency and police due to concerns of foreign interference into Australian politics in the lead up to the imminent federal election. Al Jazeera are a state owned propaganda arm of the Qatari government that supports Islamic extremist groups and are not a legitimate media organization, the statement said. One Nation was invited by Rodger Muller, who has now been outed as a foreign agent working for Al Jazeera to meet with the NRA, American business leaders and attend the Congressional Sportsmens Dinner in Washington, the statement said. The NRA in a statement late Tuesday said Al Jazeera representatives, disguised as members of a group called Gun Rights Australia, had set up meetings with NRA employees and brought Australian political party members to those meetings. At no time did the NRA contribute funding to any Australian political party or Gun Rights Australia, NRA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker said in the statement. Ashby, who is party leader Pauline Hansons chief of staff, is recorded saying that the party would own both the Australian Senate and House of Representatives with a $20 million donation from the U.S. gun lobby. This means the party would hold the balance of power in both chambers and influence a governments legislative agenda. Ashby also warned that if such a donation became public, it would rock the boat. He told reporters on Tuesday that the U.S. trip had been a fact-finding mission to learn campaign tactics. These conversations with the NRA were to look at nothing more than their techniques. This was not about sourcing money from the NRA. This was about sourcing technology, sourcing an understanding of how they operate, but never was it about seeking $20 million dollars from the NRA, Ashby told reporters. The news followed the mosque attacks in New Zealand on March 15 for which an Australian white supremacist has been charged with murder. New Zealand has responded by banning a range of semi-automatic weapons and foreshadowing a government-funded buyback of newly outlawed guns. The countrys response is similar to how Australia strengthened its gun laws following the murders of 35 people by a lone gunman in 1996 in Tasmania. One Nation state president Steve Dickson, who is a Senate candidate at the next election, travelled with Ashby and Muller to the United States to ask for political donations, Al Jazeera reported. Dickon told NRA officials that the Australian gun control model will poison us all, unless we stop it, Al Jazeera reported. Dickson told reporters on Tuesday he supported Australias gun laws. He said had not solicited donations in the United States, but conceded his party was not wealthy. I will tell you the absolute, humble truth. When I was asked: Do we need money to run election campaigns? I said: Yes, Dickson told reporters. A former One Nation senator who is now an independent lawmaker, Fraser Anning, has been widely criticized for blaming Muslim immigration for the New Zealand massacre. Hanson, One Nations leader who was criticized for wearing a burqa in the Senate, voted for the ban on foreign donations in November. Overseas money should not have an influence in our political scene .... so I believe foreign donations should be stopped, Hanson told the Senate. Ashby and Dickson said Hanson did not speak to the media on Tuesday because she was unwell. BELGRADE, Serbia - A Serbian appeals court has overturned a one-year prison sentence for the widow of former strongman Slobodan Milosevic and ordered a retrial. Mirjana Markovic is believed to be living freely in Moscow since 2003 despite the legal proceedings against her in Serbia. A Belgrade court last year convicted Markovic of abusing her position in 2000 when she helped allocate a state-owned apartment to her grandsons nanny. But the Appeals Court said on Tuesday that the verdict was flawed and that a new trial must be held. Markovic had also been sought for questioning over the killing of Milosevics political opponents during his autocratic rule in the 1990s. Milosevic was ousted from power in 2000. He died in 2006 while on a genocide trial at a U.N. tribunal in The Netherlands. PARIS - The Latest on the meeting between European leaders and Chinas president (all times local): 12:10 p.m. The leaders of China and France are trying to ramp up efforts against climate change and are calling for a global rethink of investments to make them more planet-friendly. Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron issued a statement that contrasted with the position of U.S. President Donald Trump, who took his country out of the Paris climate accord partly because of concerns over how it threatened American business. Xi and Macron stressed the importance of reorienting public and private investment toward fighting climate change and protecting biodiversity, notably in developing countries where China is a major investor. They vowed support for the 2015 Paris agreement to reduce the emissions that cause global warming, including in the energy and refrigeration sectors. Xi is paying a visit to Europe aimed at boosting co-operation, amid tensions with the U.S. ___ 9:50 a.m. Chinese President Xi Jinping is meeting with the leaders of France, Germany and the European Commission, as European countries seek to boost relations with China while also putting pressure over its trade practices. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker came to Paris to join Xi and French President Emmanuel Macron for Tuesdays meeting. The leaders are notably preparing for a crucial EU-China summit. Tuesdays meeting is a key moment in Xis European tour, which has involved huge business contracts, including one of the biggest deals ever for European plane maker Airbus. Xi also received the full honours of a formal reception in the French presidential palace Monday night. The EU is Chinas biggest trade partner and wants to solidify that relationship. GENEVA - The United States on Tuesday blocked a meeting of the World Trade Organizations dispute body, gumming up its operations over the Trump administration refusal to recognize the government of President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. The U.S. delegation refused to approve the agenda of the Dispute Settlement Body, which was to take up several issues, including a Venezuelan effort to lift U.S. sanctions and measures against Maduros government and entourage. Approval of the DSB agenda requires consensus, and is usually a formality. Such a postponement is rare, and the move amounts to a new U.S. tactic to ratchet up pressure against Maduros government. The United States and dozens of other countries, mostly in Latin America and Europe, have recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuelas acting president. Because the Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela, Maduros representatives are not the legitimate representatives of a WTO Member, said a statement emailed from the United States mission in Geneva. Therefore, neither the agenda item nor the panel request would legitimately be before the DSB. The steps by the United States meant a delay in consideration of other trade disputes on the agenda, such as cases involving anti-dumping measures on imports of steel from Russia and duties on air conditioners from Thailand. The United States has already used the Geneva-based trade bodys requirement for consensus to press its interests: Washington under both Trump and his predecessor, Barack Obama has impeded appointments to fill vacancies at the WTOs Appellate Body, a sort of appeals court that follows up on cases initially heard by the DSB. A Geneva trade official said the last time he could recall such a postponement over an agenda dispute dated back to 1999. JERUSALEM - The Latest on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (all times local): 11:10 p.m. Palestinian witnesses say Israeli aircraft are striking Hamas militant targets in the southern Gaza Strip. The late-night strikes on Tuesday follow a rocket launched from Gaza that set off air-raid sirens in southern Israel and sent residents rushing to bomb shelters before the rocket fell in open ground. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Tuesday evenings rocket strike and airstrikes ended a brief lull that had prevailed for most of the day after an overnight exchange of heavy fire. The cross-border fighting was triggered by a rocket fired early Monday from Gaza that slammed into a house in central Israel and wounded seven people. ___ 9:15 p.m. Israels U.N. ambassador is warning Gazas Hamas rulers that if attacks against Israel continue Hamas leaders will face the might of the Israeli military and be buried in the tunnels of Gaza. Danny Danon told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that Hamas had committed a heinous crime against Israel, a deliberate and direct act of terror against our people when it fired a rocket Monday that hit a home in central Israel, wounding seven people. Israel responded with retaliatory airstrikes across Gaza and Palestinian militants fired a barrage of rockets before an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire appeared to take hold early Tuesday. Danon said the Security Council must condemn Hamas and its terrorism against Israel unequivocally and designate Hamas a terrorist organization. To those calling for restraint and talks between Israel and the Palestinians, Danon said, once rockets are flying into our cities, we will defend our people ... and then we will talk. ___ 8:35 p.m. The Palestinian ambassador to the U.N. says the situation in Gaza is part of the long-running campaign of violence and terror being waged against our people by Israel. Riyad Mansour warned the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that today, again, we find ourselves at the edge of the precipice, fearing for the lives of our people as Israeli officials ratchet up their threats of war against the besieged Gaza Strip. Israel traded fire with Hamas militants after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit a house in central Israel early Monday, wounding seven people. A tense truce appeared to take hold early Tuesday. Mansour, who represents the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, stressed that history does not start from firing rockets or doing something that is wrong, stressing that the Palestinian leadership has repeatedly and unequivocally condemned acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror. He urged the Security Council to make its voice heard and act to deter further violence and escalation of this serious situation. ___ 8:30 p.m. Air raid sirens have sounded in southern Israel, breaking a fragile calm that followed an overnight exchange of fire with Hamas militants. The Israeli army said late Tuesday that it identified one rocket launched from Gaza toward its territory. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The cross-border violence erupted Monday when a rocket launched from Gaza struck a house in central Israel, wounding seven people. Israel responded with airstrikes and Gaza militants fired a barrage of rockets before a cease-fire appeared to take hold early Tuesday. Israel has bolstered its troops on the southern frontier in preparation for further escalation. ___ 8 p.m. The Israeli army says it is ordering additional troops to the southern frontier with Gaza, even as a tense calm prevailed after an overnight exchange of fire with Hamas militants. The military said that after consulting with security officials Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to send an additional infantry brigade and artillery battalion to bolster forces around the Palestinian enclave, and to call up more reserve soldiers. The heavy cross-border fighting erupted after a rocket launched from Gaza struck a house in central Israel, wounding seven people. Hamas said Egyptian mediation succeeded in brokering a cease-fire as violence tapered off early Tuesday, but Israel has not confirmed the deal. ___ 6:15 p.m. A senior Hamas official says the militant group has accepted a cease-fire plan with Israel. Ismail Radwan told reporters Tuesday that there are Egyptian and international efforts to stop the aggression, and that we are committed to it as long as Israel respects the deal. There was no immediate comment from Israel. A tense quiet prevailed Tuesday after a night of heavy cross-border fighting ignited by a rocket attack on Israel that wounded seven people. Upon returning home from Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations with senior military officials to decide on next steps. ___ 5:45 p.m. The U.N. secretary-general is urging Gazas Hamas rulers and Israel to show restraint following a Hamas rocket attack and Israeli retaliatory strikes. Speaking to reporters at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Tuesday, Antonio Guterres reiterated that the United Nations condemned the Hamas rocket attack that hit a house in central Israel early Monday, wounding seven people. But he said it is absolutely necessary to avoid any scaling up and to have restraint. He called for restraint in the present moment, for the people not to suffer even more, both in Israel and in Gaza and in Palestine in general. ___ 4:30 p.m. The U.N. Mideast envoy is urging the Security Council to condemn the indiscriminate firing of rockets by Gazas Hamas rulers toward Israel, saying this dramatically increases the risk of escalation and a new conflict. Nikolay Mladenov told the council Tuesday that since 6 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) on Tuesday, a fragile calm seems to have taken hold. He urged all sides to exercise maximum restraint as the situation remains very tense. In the past 10 days, Mladenov said, there have been two rocket attacks from Gaza targeting the Tel Aviv area, which represents a very serious escalation. A rocket launched Monday from Gaza hit a house in central Israel, wounding seven people and sparking the latest escalation. Over the following 24 hours, Mladenov said, at least 103 rockets and mortars were fired from Gaza toward Israel, one damaging a house in Sderot. He said Israel conducted 42 airstrikes on various locations in Gaza and fired 16 shells toward Gaza, wounding seven Palestinians, according to local sources, and destroying several buildings including Hamas offices and security buildings. ___ 3:30 p.m. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel has pounded militant sites in Gaza on a scale not seen since the 2014 war and is prepared to do a lot more. Netanyahu spoke via satellite Tuesday to the AIPAC conference in Washington after abruptly returning home to deal with the escalation of violence with Gazas Hamas rulers after a long-range rocket struck a home in central Israel. The Israeli air force hit dozens of sites of Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group. The targets included a multistory building in Gaza City that Israel said had served as a Hamas military intelligence headquarters and the office of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Netanyahu says Israel will do what is necessary to defend our people and to defend our state. ___ 2 p.m. Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has returned home from Washington, heading straight into military consultations after a night of heavy fire as Israeli aircraft bombed Gaza targets and the strips militants fired rockets into Israel. Schools in southern Israel were cancelled following the violence that erupted just two weeks ahead of Israeli elections. The region is quiet but tense on Tuesday, a day after a surprise rocket fired from Gaza slammed into a house in central Israel, wounding seven. Netanyahu faces the difficult task of delivering a tough blow to Hamas while avoiding protracted fighting that could work against him on election day. ___ 11:30 a.m. Officials at a Palestinian university in the West Bank say undercover Israeli forces have raided the campus and arrested three students. Lubna Abdelhadi, a spokeswoman for the Bir Zeit University, says the armed commandos, disguised as locals, entered the campus early on Tuesday and grabbed the students, believed to be Hamas activists, while they were sleeping. The students were apparently hiding on campus to try and avoid arrest. The raid happened as Israel and Gazas Hamas militants traded fire overnight after a rocket attack from Gaza struck a home in central Israel early on Monday. Israeli forces had previously raided the university in 2017 and ransacked the student council, confiscating materials used by political groups. The Israeli military said it arrested nine Palestinian suspects in routine overnight West Bank raids, but would not specify further. ___ 9 a.m. A tense quiet has taken hold after a night of heavy fire as Israeli aircraft bombed targets across the Gaza Strip and Gaza militants fired rockets into Israel. School in southern Israel was cancelled on Tuesday following the violence that erupted just two weeks ahead of Israeli elections. The cross-border fighting was triggered by a surprise rocket fired early Monday from Gaza that slammed into a house in central Israel and wounded seven people. Gazas Hamas rulers announced later in the day that Egyptian mediators had brokered a cease-fire but the firing continued. The attack prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut short a visit to Washington and return home. He promised a tough response, setting the stage for perhaps the most serious conflict since a 50-day war in 2014. NEW YORK - A Soviet-born convicted felon who worked on real estate deals with President Donald Trump was accused in a lawsuit Monday of plotting to use Trump-branded skyscrapers to launder money allegedly stolen from a Kazakhstan bank. BTA Bank and the City of Almaty, Kazakhstan, allege Felix Sater conspired with the son of the citys former mayor to use some of the $440 million to develop a Trump Tower in Moscow. Sater, who was due to testify before Congress this week about his work with Trump, started pushing the Moscow project in 2005 and tried to kickstart it during Trumps 2016 presidential campaign, but it was never built. The bank also alleges Sater helped the mayors son, Ilyas Khrapunov, mask $3 million as down payments on three condominiums in Trump SoHo, a New York City hotel that Sater helped develop as an executive at Bayrock Group LLC. Sater arranged for Trump and Khrapunov to meet and discuss potential investments, the lawsuit said, but it makes clear: there is no suggestion Trump engaged in impropriety or that he was aware Sater and Khrapunov allegedly stole money. Messages were left with Sater and representatives for Trump and his company, the Trump Organization. Khrapunov is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan. His lawyer noted that all claims against him regarding alleged money laundering have been dismissed by federal Courts in New York and California. Saters work on the Trump Tower Moscow project has made him a key figure in the House Democrats investigations into Trumps ties to Russia. The Congressional probes are moving forward after Attorney General William Barr on Sunday said that Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence that Trump colluded with Russia to influence the election. Saters public testimony, however, will wait. The House Intelligence Committee postponed Saters appearance, scheduled for Wednesday. It wasnt immediately clear if he would still meet with the House Judiciary Committee in a closed-door session Thursday. Khrapunovs father-in-law, former BTA Bank chairman Mukhtar Ablyazov, is accused of embezzling billions of dollars from the bank and funneling the money into offshore entities. The lawsuit said that, once caught, he turned to Khrapunov to monetize and launder remaining assets. Khrapunov knew Sater through his family and asked him to join the scheme in 2011, the lawsuit said. Sater had been involved in coal extraction and oil drilling ventures with Khrapunovs family and attended Khrapunovs 2007 wedding to Ablyazovs daughter, the lawsuit said. Sater and two other people are named as defendants, along with five companies, including Bayrock. In addition to the money laundering allegations, Sater is accused in the lawsuit of stealing $40 million for himself and an associate. Sater, 53, is among the more colorful characters in Trumps orbit. He served 15 months in jail in the early 1990s and permanently lost his stockbrokers license for stabbing a man in the face with the stem of a broken margarita glass at a Manhattan bar. A few years later, he got caught in a $40 million pump-and-dump stock fraud, turned states evidence against two New York crime families and then continued providing the government with information related to national security and other matters. In another Trump connection, BTA Bank hired his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen in 2017 to help with litigation over Ablyazovs alleged embezzlement but dumped him within two months because it says he did absolutely nothing of value. Sater and Cohen worked together on the Moscow project in 2016. __ Follow Sisak at twitter.com/mikesisak NEW ORLEANS - A Georgia man accused of shooting a man in New Orleans 18 times told police hed been involved in violent crimes in his hometown and in Alabama before the shooting, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Kwane Brown, 25, told New Orleans police that when a driver behind him flashed his lights around 6:30 a.m. Sunday, he thought the driver was after him so he exited his car and started firing, news outlets reported. The man survived the shooting in New Orleans French Quarter. Police arrested Brown and charged him with attempted murder. Brown told police he shot some people Friday night in Columbus, Georgia, and then drove to Mobile, Alabama, and robbed a gas station at gunpoint. He remained in jail Monday with bail set at $200,000 by an Orleans Parish Magistrate Court judge. It wasnt clear if he had an attorney who could comment for him. Court documents said the wounded man suffered three gunshots to his head, and was able to drive himself to a hotel. He was listed in stable condition at a hospital on Sunday. Brown waived his right to remain silent when a detective met with him, police said. Officers found a pistol and ammunition in his vehicle. Brown told police the shooting in Columbus was over a drug-related disagreement. He said drove to Mobile to try to visit his child, but after he could not locate the child, he then robbed the gas station. Its unclear if authorities in Alabama or Georgia will seek to have Brown transferred to their jurisdictions. Columbus is roughly 250 miles (402 kilometres) east of Mobile, which is about 145 miles (234 kilometres) east of New Orleans. JUNEAU, Alaska - The Latest on a dispute over judicial nominees (all times local): 4:50 p.m. Gov. Mike Dunleavy says he looks forward to scheduling a meeting with the chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court to discuss a dispute over judicial nominees. Thats according to Dunleavy spokesman Matt Shuckerow. Shuckerow says he does not have any detail on the potential timing of such a meeting. Dunleavy filled one vacancy on the Palmer Superior Court last week but refused to fill another after raising questions about the Alaska Judicial Councils process for nominating candidates. Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice Joel Bolger, in response to Dunleavy, said founders of the states constitution intended for a governor to appoint for judgeships candidates nominated by the council. Bolger also defended and explained the councils process for vetting and nominating candidates. Bolger serves on the council. ___ 10:10 a.m. The Alaska Supreme Courts chief justice says founders of the states constitution intended for a governor to appoint for judgeships candidates nominated by the Alaska Judicial Council. Chief Justice Joel Bolger, in recent remarks, defended the councils process for vetting and nominating candidates after Gov. Mike Dunleavy filled one vacancy on the Palmer Superior Court but refused to fill another. One of the seats is vacant and the second is soon to be. Dunleavy said he wouldnt select a second candidate from the list of three the council sent him, saying there were qualified applicants inexplicably not nominated. Bolger said the council aims to nominate the most qualified. State law calls for superior court vacancies to be filled within 45 days of the governor receiving nominations. That period has passed. NEW YORK - Judges on a federal appeals court in New York seemed skeptical Tuesday as they heard a lawyer argue that President Donald Trump can legally ban critics from his Twitter account. The three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals did not immediately rule on whether to uphold a lower-court judges conclusion that Trump is violating the First Amendment when he blocks critics. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwalds decision last year came after the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University sued on behalf of seven individuals blocked by Trump after they criticized his policies. Attorney Jennifer Utrecht, arguing for the president, noted that @realDonaldTrump, with nearly 60 million followers, was created long before Trump was president. She said Trump sometimes tweets official announcements but acts in a private capacity when he blocks individuals. Circuit Judge Peter W. Hall cited the presidents repeated use of the social media platform to make official announcements. Hall noted that Trump in recent days had tweeted that he was revoking sanctions against North Korea, signing a proclamation pertaining to Israel, announcing a Federal Reserve Board appointment and sharing his White House celebration with hockeys Stanley Cup winners. Those arent official actions? Hall asked. Utrecht conceded official statements are regularly made, but argued that does not change the private nature of Trumps decision to block certain individuals from his account. Are you seriously urging us to believe that the president is not acting in his official capacity when he is tweeting? asked Circuit Judge Barrington D. Parker. Parker said Trumps tweets occur amid a worldwide dialogue on matters of transcendent public importance. And what the blocking does ... is subtract from that discussion points of view that the president doesnt like. Why isnt that just a quintessential First Amendment violation? the judge asked. Utrecht responded that Trumps critics can still engage in Twitter debates with others about subjects the president tweets about. The fact that someone can go down the street and express a point of view is not a defence to government suppressing a particular point of view in a forum, Parker said. Hall agreed with Parker. If its more burdensome at all, if you have to move down the street, it violates the First Amendment, Hall said. Circuit Judge Christopher F. Droney noted that it might be possible to conclude Trumps Twitter account is a public forum by the fact the U.S. Justice Department represents him. Your very presence here represents the fact that this is a public forum, he told Utrecht. Jameel Jaffer, the Knight Institutes executive director, faced some tough questions from the judges as well, though not to the same degree. At one point, Parker asked if the president could block racist or anti-Semitic material that others might send him. Jaffer said he probably could. A Boeing 737 Max aircraft made an emergency landing in Orlando, Florida. The incident is said to have happened around 2:30 p.m. at Orlando International Airport and involved a Southwest plane, according to early dispatches. There were reportedly no passengers on board the aircraft when it made its emergency landing because of an unspecified malfunction. Orlando TV station WFTV said that the troubled 737 had safely returned to the airport and was docked at Gate 122. The plane is part of the Boeing fleet that saw the airlines Max 8 and Max 9 planes grounded throughout most of the world following two disasters in five months, including the March 10 Ethiopian Airlines flight that killed 157 people en route to Kenya. On March 29, a Lion Air 737 plunged into the Java Sea, taking with it 189 passengers lives. A statement from the FAA addressed the issue: The crew of Southwest Airlines Flight 8701, a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, declared an emergency after the aircraft experienced a reported engine problem while departing from Orlando international Airport in Florida about 2:50 p.m. today. The aircraft returned and landed safely in Orlando. No passengers were aboard the aircraft, which was being ferried to Victorville, Calif. for storage. The FAA is investigating. Read more: Ethiopian official says plane crash report due this week Boeing tells airlines to get ready for free 737 Max software fix At the 737 Max factory, pilots simulate new Boeing software Read more about: OXFORD, Ohio - A report says a student at a now-suspended fraternity at Miami University in Ohio told university officials he was hazed by members who beat him with a spiked paddle, kicked him and forced him to drink large amounts of alcohol. The Hamilton-Middletown Journal-News reported the specific allegations Monday, citing a university incident report. Miami earlier announced Delta Tau Delta fraternity was suspended pending investigation of what school President Gregory Crawford called allegations of brutal and deplorable hazing. The report says the student complained of being blindfolded and abused during a March 16 hazing ritual. He says he was taken to a hospital after saying he felt like he was going to die. The newspaper reports the head of the national Delta Tau Delta Fraternity has said the organization suspended the chapter following hazing reports. ___ Information from: MIDDLETOWN: Hamilton-Middletown Journal News , http://www.journal-news.com NEW YORK - Superstar UFC fighter Conor McGregor has announced on social media that he is retiring from mixed martial arts. McGregors verified Twitter account had a post early Tuesday that said the former featherweight and lightweight UFC champion was making a quick announcement. The tweet says: Ive decided to retire from the sport formally known as Mixed Martial Art today. The note wishes his colleagues well going forward and said that he would join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement. Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas! The 30-year-old McGregor also announced retirement on Twitter in April 2016, saying he decided to retire young, though he quickly reversed that amid a dispute with his promoters about how much he should be obligated to tout a fight scheduled with Nate Diaz that was postponed. Earlier this month, McGregor was arrested in South Florida for stealing the cellphone of someone who was trying to take his photo, authorities said. McGregor was charged with robbery and criminal mischief. His attorney described the altercation as minor. McGregor, whos from Ireland, 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. ___ More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports CHICAGOIn a stunning reversal, Cook County prosecutors dropped all charges against Empire actor Jussie Smollett on Tuesday for allegedly staging a phoney attack and claiming he was the victim of a hate crime. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the citys police chief angrily criticized the decision. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, a visibly angry Emanuel called the decision a whitewash of justice and asked, Where is the accountability in the system? Emanuel criticized Smollett for not taking any responsibility despite what he described as overwhelming evidence. He also says Smollett continues to drag Chicagos reputation through the mud. Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson said Smollett still owes the city an apology. Smollett has not backtracked from his original story that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack, insisting hed been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one. His family said in a statement Tuesday that Smolletts character was unjustly smeared and the truth prevailed. They called Smollett the victim and said they hope the real perpetrators are brought to justice. However, prosecutors said the decision to drop charges doesnt mean they no longer believe he staged the attack in January. First Assistant States Attorney Joseph Magats told reporters Tuesday that he still believes Smollett filed a false police report and that prosecutors stand behind the investigation and the facts. He added that this was not an exoneration. Why the states attorneys office made the sudden about-face wasnt immediately clear. The office issued only a one-sentence statement. After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smolletts volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case, the statement said. Johnson stood by the work of detectives. Area Central Detective Cmdr. Edward Wodnicki, whose detectives led the investigation into Smollett, said prosecutors gave him no heads up that the charges would be dropped. He also expressed concern that it left it looking as if police mishandled the investigation. He said detectives uncovered overwhelming evidence against Smollett. Its absolutely a punch in the gut, Wodnicki told a Tribune reporter. We worked very, very closely throughout our three-week investigation to get to the point where we arrested the offender. So for the states attorneys office at this point to dismiss the charges without discussing this with us at all is just shocking. Before departing the courthouse Tuesday, Smollett thanked his lawyers, family, friends and Chicago for supporting him through what he called an incredibly difficult time for me. He also thanked the state of Illinois for attempting to do whats right. I have been truthful and consistent from day one, Smollett, his hands shaking as he read from notes, told reporters in the lobby of the Leighton Criminal Court Building. I would not be my mothers son if I was capable of one drop of what I was being accused of, he said. Smolletts lawyer, Patricia Brown Holmes, said the defence reached no deal with prosecutors. Smollett agreed to forfeit his $100,000 (U.S.) bond so he could go on with his life and get this over with, she said. Smollett had to post 10 per cent of that, or $10,000. Ordinarily, that money would be returned to him or his lawyers. The stunning decision to drop the 16 counts of disorderly conduct was presumably made without the input of States Attorney Kim Foxx, who recused herself from the case last month after revealing shed had contact with Smolletts representatives early on in the investigation. Foxx declined to provide details at the time. Communications later released to the Tribune, however, showed Foxx had asked Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson to turn over the investigation to the FBI after she was approached by a politically connected lawyer about the case. Holmes said she was not privy to the evidence that led prosecutors to bring charges, but she accused Johnson of trying the case in the press. When asked if authorities should investigate who actually attacked Smollett, Holmes noted that two brothers both of whom knew Smollett had already admitted their involvement. They alleged that Smollett paid them to stage the attack. The two men who attacked him have indicated that they attacked him, so we already know who attacked him, those brothers, she said. When asked whether she was calling for the brothers to be charged, Holmes said that is a decision for prosecutors to make. For unclear reasons, Judge Steven Watkins ordered the public court file sealed. There had been no clue that prosecutors planned the about-face before the announcement. In fact, there likely would have been no reporters in the courtroom if it hadnt been for a publicist for Smolletts lawyer alerting the news media Tuesday morning that Smollett was already in court for an unscheduled emergency hearing. The Fox network, which produces and airs the Chicago-filmed TV show, has not announced if it will be renewed for a sixth season. A Fox spokesman declined to comment Tuesday on whats next for the musical drama or Smolletts character, but issued this statement: Jussie Smollett has always maintained his innocence and we are gratified that all charges against him have been dismissed. The Fox spokesman previously indicated that an announcement on the future of the show could come in May as networks present their fall schedules to advertisers. The show recently finished shooting its fifth season in Chicago. New episodes of Season 5 have been airing on Wednesday nights. Much of Season 5 had already been filmed before Smollett reported being attacked at about 2 a.m. Jan. 29 as he walked to his Streeterville apartment from a Subway sandwich shop. Fox and Empire representatives initially stood by Smollett, but then announced last month that his character, musician Jamal Lyon, would not appear in the final two episodes of Season 5 to avoid further disruption on set. HARRISBURG, Pa. - The first female Muslim member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives said Tuesday she was offended by a colleagues decision to open a voting session with a prayer a day earlier that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow. Democratic Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell of Philadelphia said she felt the remarks by Rep. Stephanie Borowicz shortly before Johnson-Harrell took the oath of office on Monday used her religion against her. I thought that for the most part, the entire invocation was offensive, Johnson-Harrell told reporters, noting that her own religion respects Jesus. But to use Jesus as a weapon is not OK. Borowicz, a Republican and associate pastors wife who was elected to represent a rural central Pennsylvania district in November, also thanked President Donald Trump during the Monday invocation for standing behind Israel. Johnson-Harrell said she respects everyones right to praise the president, but we cannot weaponize whats going on with Israel and Palestine. Prayer should not be among the things that Republicans and Democrats fight about, she said. It was directly a political statement, and I think we need to be very, very clear that everybody in this House matters, whether theyre Christian, Muslim or Jew, and that we cannot use these issues to tear each other down, Johnson-Harrell said. And not only that, it was made during my swearing in. Johnson-Harrell won a special election earlier this month to fill a seat vacated by the resignation of Democratic Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown, who had been re-elected in November after being convicted of bribery. Her swearing-in drew 55 guests, a majority of them Muslim. A Muslim prayer was said from the House dais during the ceremony. Borowicz defended her remarks Monday, saying, I pray every day. I prayed. She did not immediately return a message seeking a response to Johnson-Harrells comments Tuesday. At the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, Jesus, that you are Lord, Borowicz said on Monday. Her floor remarks drew a rebuke from Democratic Leader Frank Dermody of Allegheny County, who called Borowiczs invocation beneath the dignity of this House and asked that a group be set up to review the procedure. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday he was horrified by Borowiczs invocation and apologized to Johnson-Harrell on behalf of all Pennsylvanians. I was horrified. I grew up in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn on the basis of freedom of conscience. I have a strong spiritual sense. This is not a reflection of the religion I grew up in, said Wolf, a Methodist. Another Muslim lawmaker, Rep. Jason Dawkins, D-Philadelphia, opened the session on Tuesday by reading from the Quran. His invocation was followed by applause. House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, who controls the daily invocation process, lost a federal court decision last summer that halted his policy of preventing nonbelievers from making the invocations. Turzai is appealing that ruling , and currently has the invocations performed by state representatives themselves. After Borowiczs comments on Monday, Turzai read for House members the guidance that has previously been provided to religious professionals about keeping remarks respectful of all religious beliefs and refraining from commenting on extraneous matters. ___ Associated Press writer Marc Levy contributed. WASHINGTON - In a March 26 story about former Trump campaign aide George Papadopouloss appearance before Congress, The Associated Press reported erroneously that he pleaded guilty last year to lying to the FBI. Papadopoulos pleaded guilty in 2017. A corrected version of the story is below: Ex-Trump campaign aide says FBI wanted him to wear a wire A former Trump campaign aide at the centre of the early days of the FBIs Russia investigation says the FBI wanted him to wear a wire By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press A former Trump campaign aide central to the early days of the FBIs Russia investigation said the FBI wanted him to wear a wire to record conversations with a professor who had told him the Russians had dirt on Hillary Clinton. George Papadopoulos, the first of five Trump aides to plead guilty and agree to co-operate in special counsel Robert Muellers recently-concluded investigation, told House lawmakers and staff in a closed-door interview last October that he rejected the FBI request. A transcript of that interview was released Tuesday by the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee as part of an ongoing effort to sow doubt about the origins of the FBIs investigation into possible co-ordination between Russia and President Donald Trumps campaign. Mueller ended his investigation last week without finding a criminal conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign to affect the 2016 presidential election, according to a Justice Department summary of his findings released Sunday. Papadopoulos was a vital figure in the early days of the FBIs investigation. The revelation that Papadopoulos had learned in an April 2016 meeting in London that Russia had dirt on Democrat Hillary Clinton in the form of thousands of stolen emails helped kick start the FBI probe months later. In his interview with lawmakers, Papadopoulos says an FBI agent asked him during a 2017 encounter to wear a wire to a record future conversations with the Maltese professor, Joseph Mifsud, who he has said told him about the dirt. And he basically told me that Washington wants answers and youre at the centre of this, something like that to make it seem like I was in some deep trouble if I wasnt going to wear a wire against this person, Papadopoulos said, describing his conversation with the agent. I rejected it. The FBI declined to comment Tuesday. Papadopoulos said he wasnt sure what to make of Mifsuds claim about Russia having dirt on Clinton since, at the time, people were openly speculating about that. So yeah, it was an interesting piece of information, but you know, by that point you have to understand, he had failed to introduce me to anyone of substance in the Russian Government, Papadopoulos said. So he failed to do that, but now all of a sudden he has the keys to the kingdom about a massive potential conspiracy that Russia is involved in. Papadopoulos pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about his conversations with Mifsud and was sentenced to 14 days in prison. Papadopoulos has been promoting a new book called Deep State Target: How I Got Caught in the Crosshairs of the Plot to Bring Down President Trump. The Papadopoulos transcript is the latest release over the last month from Rep. Doug Collins, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee. Other transcripts recently made public include those of Justice Department lawyer Bruce Ohr and ex-FBI employees Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, all steady targets of Trumps outrage. ___ Read the transcript: http://apne.ws/Bk8yMYk ATLANTA - Every weekday at a middle school near Atlanta, a half-dozen or so students visit the school nurse to get sanitary pads. Their reasons vary: Their mothers dont provide them; they dont have the money; they forgot to bring them; their friends need them. Its every issue that can be named, said Linda Espinosa, a nurse at Freedom Middle School in Dekalb County, a school where all students receive free or subsidized meals. The issue of affordable access to menstrual products is not limited to Georgia. In other states and countries around the world, advocates are working to ensure that girls and women are getting affordable access to feminine hygiene products in public schools and other institutions, such as homeless shelters and prisons. In the U.S., the Federal Bureau of Prisons issued a memo in 2017 mandating that feminine hygiene products be available to all female inmates in federal institutions at no cost. In New York City, the government provides free menstrual products in public schools, jails and homeless shelters. And in some states, either the legislature has mandated free menstrual products for prison inmates or the corrections departments have offered to do so on their own. Ten U.S. states have eliminated the sales tax on menstrual products, while India and Canada have eliminated the tax nationwide. Georgias corrections department provides unlimited menstrual products to inmates but the state still charges a sales tax on these items. There is definitely a need for more funding for menstrual products in the states public schools, said Garry McGiboney, deputy superintendent for external affairs at Georgias Department of Education. State Democratic Rep. Debbie Buckner of Junction City proposed a bill this year to eliminate Georgias state tax on menstrual products. Buckner noted that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration defines menstrual products as medical devices, others of which diabetic test strips and insulin devices, for example receive tax exemptions under Georgia law. The estimated $9 million in lost tax revenue from Buckners bill would have had little effect on the budget. The measure failed to make it out of committee by a critical legislative deadline, however, and shows little promise of passing this year. A similar proposal failed last session. House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones, second in command in the Georgia House and one of the highest-ranking elected Republican women in the state, has argued that eliminating the tax for all consumers of menstrual products wouldnt make a meaningful difference for those who cant afford the products to begin with. But she thanked advocates of the bill for bringing the issue of affordability to her attention. Jones has proposed a targeted grant program that would allot $1 million to the states Department of Education and at least another $500,000 to county health departments to supply menstrual products, with the amount being adjusted in the future if necessary. The House has already approved a budget allocating $500,000 each for these programs. The Senate has not yet matched that amount, but Jones remains hopeful the final budget will set aside $1 million for schools. Claire Cox and Adele Stewart, co-founders of Georgia STOMP, the main womens group behind the proposal to eliminate the state sales tax on menstrual products, were disappointed Buckners bill didnt pass. But they said theyre grateful for money going toward schools in need. Until some action takes effect, the task of providing menstrual products in Georgia public schools where low-income students may not be able to afford them falls to private donors, civic groups and school employees such as Espinosa. She gets help from a Procter & Gamble program that donates menstrual products to schools. But she noted about half of those supplies are tampons, which she said most middle-school girls cant use. Espinosa said she ends up paying about $20 out of her own pocket monthly because theres no budget for sanitary pads or other supplies for her small clinic. She said some of the students come in every day. Freedom Middle School counsellor Tijuana Williams said she has a hunch the girls arent just supplying themselves but also trying to help somebody else at home. Periods can often lead to shame and distraction for young students, said Marni Sommer, a Columbia professor who has researched the issue internationally and is exploring how low-income girls in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York experience their periods. Sommer said access to sanitary products is only one of the challenges they face; they also deal with the embarrassment of having to ask for them and leaving class to do so. At Stewart Middle School, in Douglas County, Georgia, staff buy and keep menstrual products in the front office, said principal Donita Cullen. A civic engagement group also has supplied bags with three pads and panty liners that are placed in classrooms as a more discreet way to provide products. Sometimes it can be embarrassing to come to the front office multiple times a day, Cullen said. As the adults in the building, sometimes we forget what its like to be an 11- or 12-year-old. LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kentuckys largest school district has turned over a preliminary list of teachers who used sick days to protest at the state capitol. The names were requested by Education Commissioner Wayne Lewis after Jefferson County Public Schools cancelled classes multiple times in recent weeks due to teacher absences. Lewis has said it isnt his intent to discipline teachers who used sick days to close multiple school districts so they could protest, but wouldnt rule it out. Jefferson County school district spokeswoman Renee Murphy told news outlets the list was sent Monday, but declined to say how many names were on it. Teachers protested at the Capitol as lawmakers considered proposals that would change who manages the teachers pension fund and indirectly support private schools with tax credits. The final day of the 2019 legislative session is Thursday. CHICAGO - Empire actor and R&B singer Jussie Smollett told Chicago police in January that two men physically attacked him and yelled racial and homophobic slurs. Some key moments in the story: Jan. 22 Smollett receives a racist and homophobic threatening letter at the studio in Chicago where Empire is filmed. Police later say that they believe Smollett sent the letter himself. Jan. 29 Jussie Smollett tells police he was physically attacked by two men in downtown Chicago while out getting food from a Subway restaurant at 2 a.m. The actor says the men used racial and homophobic slurs, wrapped a rope around his neck and poured an unknown substance on him. Police say Smollett, who is black and gay, told detectives the attackers also yelled he was in MAGA country, an apparent reference to President Donald Trumps Make America Great Again campaign slogan that some Trump critics have decried as racist and discriminatory. Jan. 30 Chicago police say theyve reviewed hundreds of hours of surveillance camera footage, including of Smollett walking downtown, but none shows the attack. Police obtain and release images of two people they would like to question, calling them persons of interest. Reports of an assault on Smollett draw outrage and support for him on social media from some politicians and celebrities. Jan. 31 Trump tells reporters at the White House that he saw a story the night before about Smollett, saying, It doesnt get worse, as far as Im concerned. Smolletts family issues a statement calling the attack a racial and homophobic hate crime. Smolletts family says he has told the police everything and his story has never changed, disputing assertions levelled on social media that he had been less than co-operative and changed his story. Feb. 1 Smollett issues a statement telling people hes OK and thanking them for their support. He says hes working with authorities and has been 100 per cent factual and consistent on every level. Feb. 2 Smollett gives a concert in West Hollywood, California, opening with an emotional speech, saying he had to play the show because he couldnt let his attackers win. Feb. 12 Chicago police say Smollett turned over some, but not all, of the phone records detectives requested as part of their investigation. Police say the heavily redacted files arent sufficient. Smollett says he redacted information to protect the privacy of contacts and people not relevant to the attack. Feb. 13 Chicago police pick up two men they identify as Nigerian brothers at Chicagos OHare International Airport on their return from Nigeria after police learn at least one worked on Empire. Police question the brothers and search the apartment where the men live. Feb. 14 Chicago police say local media reports that the attack against Smollett was a hoax are unconfirmed. Producers of Empire dispute media reports that Smolletts character, Jamal Lyon, was being written off the show. Feb. 15 Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielimi says the two persons of interest are now considered suspects. He says the men identified previously by police as two brothers from Nigeria are in custody but have not been charged with a crime. Chicago police release the two men without charges after arresting them on suspicion of assaulting Smollett and holding them for nearly 48 hours. A police spokesman says the two are no longer considered suspects and that investigators have new evidence to consider as a result of questioning them. Feb. 16 Police say the investigation has shifted after detectives question the two brothers about the attack and release them without charges. Police say theyve requested a follow-up interview with Smollett. Smolletts lawyers say the actor feels victimized by reports that he played a role in the assault. Smolletts account of what happened is met with some skepticism on social media in the wake of the new developments. Feb. 17 Chicago police say theyre still seeking a follow-up interview with Smollett after receiving new information that shifted their investigation of a reported attack on the Empire actor. Guglielimi says police reached out to Smolletts attorney, but says an interview has not been conducted. Guglielimi declines to address reports that a grand jury may hear evidence in the case, saying: Were not confirming, denying or commenting on anything until we can talk to him and we can corroborate some information that weve gotten. Feb. 19 Chicago police investigate tip that on the night Smollett reported being attacked, he was in an elevator of his apartment building with the two Nigerian brothers. Police later dismiss the tip, saying its not credible based on video evidence. Chicagos top prosecutor, Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx, recuses herself from the investigation. Her office says the decision was made out of an abundance of caution ... to address potential questions of impartiality based upon familiarity with potential witnesses in the case. No details were provided. Foxx later says the reason for the recusal is that she had conversations with a Smollett family member after the incident was reported in late January. Feb. 20 Chicago police say Smollett is officially suspected of filing a false police report when he said he was a victim of a racist, homophobic attack in downtown Chicago in January. Police also say that two brothers who were questioned about the attack were testifying before a grand jury and detectives were presenting evidence to the grand jury. Chicago police say the Cook County States Attorney has charged Smollett with disorderly conduct for filing a false police report that he was attacked by two masked men. Police detectives were contacting Smolletts attorneys to arrange his surrender for arrest. Feb. 21 Chicago police say Smollett turned himself in to face a felony charge of disorderly conduct, which could bring up to three years in prison. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson says Smollett staged a racist and homophobic attack because he was unhappy with his salary and wanted publicity. Investigators say they have a $3,500 check that Smollett used to pay the two brothers to help him. Feb. 22 Producers of Empire say Jussie Smolletts character will be removed from the final two episodes of this season. March 7 A Cook County grand jury returns a 16-count indictment charging Smollett with falsely reporting an offence. March 26 Attorneys for Empire actor Jussie Smollett say charges alleging he lied to police about attack have been dropped. ___ Check out the APscomplete coverage of the Jussie Smollett case. ___ This story has been corrected to reflect that the 16-count indictment was returned on March 7 instead of March 8. SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California sold $600 million in bonds Tuesday to help pay for its high-speed rail project even as lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom acknowledge challenges to completing the line between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The bond money is a key source of funding for the troubled project, which has been beset by cost overruns and delays. Voters approved $10 billion in bonds in 2008 and the state routinely sells them. The entire project is estimated to cost $77 billion. Todays funding announcement is a continued sign of progress to keep our transformative high-speed rail initiative moving forward in California, Democratic Sen. Jim Beall of San Jose said in a statement. Wells Fargo and Jefferies, LLC, purchased the bonds, state Treasurer Fiona Ma said. The bond sale came ahead of a Senate hearing about how the state should move forward. It was the first public hearing since Newsom signalled changes to the project. But his administration provided few new details, saying those would come in an update to the Legislature on May 1. Let there be no doubt, (Newsom) supports high-speed rail in California, said Lenny Mendonca, the governors appointee to lead the board overseeing the project. Newsom in his state of state speech said there wasnt a path for the project as planned and said he will instead focus immediately on completing and expanding a line through the Central Valley, adding about 50 miles (80 kilometres) of track to a line already under construction rather than going west toward the San Francisco Bay Area. But he also said hed continue environmental work on the full line and seek private money to eventually build the full train. Lawmakers said theyre still seeking clarity on Newsoms vision for the project. The projects funding challenges were at the centre of Tuesdays hearing. Beyond bonds, the project gets money from the federal government and the states cap and trade program, which raises money through credits to emit carbon. The Trump administration recently threatened to withhold or rescind roughly $3.5 billion in federal money, a move that would put the project further in jeopardy. The state would need at least $50 billion more to meet the funding plan. The inspiring vision of high-speed rail, replete with dramatic pictures of speeding gold and blue trains but presented in advance of a credible financing plan is now meeting reality, said Lou Thompson, head of a peer review group. Action by the Legislature is badly needed. Thompson and Helen Kerstein of the Legislative Analysts Office said lawmakers need to decide if theyll provide more money or change the project, potentially by finishing the high-speed line in the Central Valley and connecting it to Los Angeles and San Francisco using existing train and commuter services. Senators also said the high-speed rail authority hasnt been spending money or building as fast as it needs to ahead of 2022 deadlines. Construction slowed down through the winter months amid rain but an uptick is expected soon, said Joe Hedges, the chief operating officer of the project. Hedges and other rail officials said the federal government has also slowed down progress because it has not completed required environmental reviews. TAMPA, Fla. - A 20-year-old ex-Neo-Nazi accused in the 2017 fatal shootings of his roommates has returned to jail after a stint at a Florida mental hospital. The Tampa Bay Times reports Devon Arthurs was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail on Monday night after undergoing treatment to make him competent to stand trial. Hes facing two counts of first-degree murder and kidnapping charges for holding people at gunpoint in a nearby smoke shop after the killings. Authorities say Arthurs rambled about Islam before Tampa police persuaded him to surrender. Arthurs then told police they would find his roommates dead in their townhouse. A fourth roommate, Brandon Russell, who was the leader of a Neo-Nazi group, had nothing to do with the killings but was later sentenced to federal prison on bomb-making charges. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump and House Republicans moved to build congressional support for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade accord on Tuesday with lawmakers selling the plan as offering big benefits for American workers. But prospects remain uncertain as Democrats are in no hurry to secure a political victory for the president. GOP lawmakers emerged from a White House meeting knowing they likely have a narrow window to push it through both chambers of Congress, given that lawmakers tend to avoid tough trade votes during election season. There are a lot of big wins for American workers in this agreement, said House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La. Wed like to see it move through Congress as fast as possible and create even more jobs with this growing economy. The White House described the meeting as the first in a series that Trump will have with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to build broad support for the pact. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., the chairman of the House subcommittee that has jurisdiction over trade, said the pact needs adjustments to be worthy of support. Some Republican lawmakers also have concerns. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the Republican chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, maintains that the president should lift steel and aluminum tariffs on products brought in from Canada and Mexico as a first step to getting the trade agreement through Congress. Trumps top trade negotiator, Robert Lighthizer, told lawmakers during a recent congressional hearing that if they dont pass the trade agreement, the United States will have no credibility at all with future trading partners, including China. There is no trade program in the United States if we dont pass USMCA. There just isnt one, Lighthizer said. The White Houses legislative affairs team has talked to more than 290 members of Congress and staff over the past two months to push the deal. But the administration knows that making changes in the agreement to win over lawmakers could jeopardize support for the pact from Canada and Mexico. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, told reporters recently that many in her states agricultural community are still with the president, but if we dont get the trade deals done, they could turn quickly. She said, We need to start wrapping this baby up. The trade deal is designed to supplant the North American Free Trade Agreement , which took effect in 1994 and gradually eliminated tariffs on goods produced and traded within North America. U.S. trade with its NAFTA partners has more than tripled since the agreement took effect, and more rapidly than trade with the rest of the world. But Trump has called NAFTA a disaster for the United States. The new pact his administration negotiated is meant to increase manufacturing in the United States. Trump is warning that if lawmakers dont approve the pact, the U.S. may revert to what he has described as pre-NAFTA. Blumenauer is looking to make changes to the agreement in four areas: enhancing environmental and labour protections, ensuring enforcement of the agreement, and taking on protections for pharmaceutical companies that he believes drive up drug costs for consumers. I dont think anyone wants to blow it up, but there is interest in strengthening it, Blumenauer said. Rep. Vern Buchanan of Florida, the ranking Republican on the trade subcommittee, said he believes the vast majority of Republicans will end up voting for the agreement. Hes tried to assure Democratic colleagues that Republicans were open-minded to try and get some things done to address their concerns. Still, Republicans conceded that Democrats are in charge of the calendar. Ambassador Lighthizer has said legislation will be sent to the Hill when Speaker Pelosi gives the green light, said Rep. Kevin Brady, the ranking Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee. Brady said Republicans would work with Democrats to address any fine-turning theyd like to see, adding we think its crucial ... that we come together and pass this new agreement and get it to the presidents desk this summer. Canadian officials have been lobbying the U.S. to end Trumps steel and aluminum tariffs and have suggested that approval by Canadas Parliament could be conditioned upon them being lifted. David MacNaughton, Ottawas ambassador to Washington, has said it will be a tough sell to pass if the tariffs are still in place. Dan Ujczo, a trade lawyer and Canada-U.S. specialist in Columbus, Ohio, said the trade deal could pass relatively quickly once the tariffs are removed. But Scalise described the tariffs as helping to create more leverage to get a deal done. In Mexico, the administration of then-President Enrique Pena Nieto spearheaded Mexicos negotiations, but representatives of current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador were deeply involved in the talks to ensure an agreement that both the outgoing and incoming administrations could live with. Allies of Lopez Obrador, who took office Dec. 1, enjoy a large majority in the Mexican Senate, so passage of the agreement would seemingly go smoothly. Kenneth Smith Ramos, who was chief negotiator for Pena Nietos government and now works as an international trade consultant at Mexico City-based AGON, said Mexican enthusiasm for the deal could dim though if there are significant new demands on labour, pharmaceuticals, the environment or other issues. We made some important concessions, he said, adding that if the U.S. still wants more, then that starts to unbalance the agreement and there may be a growing opposition in Mexico. ___ Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro in Washington, Rob Gillies in Toronto and Peter Orsi in Mexico City contributed to this report. RALEIGH, N.C. - A federal judge has declared unconstitutional a North Carolina law banning women from having abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy except in an urgent medical emergency. The decision Monday by U.S. District Judge William Osteen in Greensboro gave state legislators 60 days before his ruling takes effect to allow them to amend abortion restrictions or appeal his ruling to a higher court. The U.S. Supreme Court has protected abortion as a constitutional right until a fetus has developed enough to live outside the mothers womb. The judge noted that North Carolinas own medical expert conceded thats almost never possible until the 22nd week of gestation. The law was challenged in 2016 shortly after lawmakers narrowed abortions after the 20th week of gestation so that they were only allowable if the mother faces a risk of death or serious and irreversible harm from some urgent medical emergency. The 2016 changes also imposed substantial reporting obligations on abortion providers for any abortion performed after sixteen weeks, expanded the universe of medical facilities from which information is collected, restricted the type of doctor who may perform an abortion in the state, and lengthened the informed consent waiting period from 24 to 72 hours, Osteen wrote in his ruling. The revised law also meant that abortions were no longer allowed for medical conditions that cause gradual health damage but never reached a specific point to make them immediately necessary, Osteen said. While North Carolina has not prosecuted anyone for an illegal abortion for more than 40 years, that could change in the future, Osteen said. He wrote that the states strident defence of the lawsuit as well as a wave of similarly worded laws in Wisconsin, Iowa, Arkansas and other states suggests officials havent disavowed future prosecutions under the 20-week ban. Some states have gone further this month. Mississippi and Kentucky outlawed most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks into pregnancy. A similar bill passed the Georgia Senate last week and now goes back to the House to approve changes. It is backed by Georgias Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. The North Carolina lawsuit was one of three filed weeks after President Donald Trumps election challenging laws abortion-supporters viewed as unconstitutional restrictions. Laws in Missouri and Alaska were also challenged at the same time by the American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The Alaska lawsuit was dropped after the state medical board adopted new regulations for abortions after the first trimester. In Missouri, one of the states two abortion clinics closed in October after federal appeals court judges ruled that the state could enforce a requirement that doctors must have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals before they can perform abortions. North Carolinas top Republican legislative leaders had no immediate reaction to the decision. Spokesmen for Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore said they needed more time to review the ruling. An attorney for the ACLUs North Carolina chapter said Osteens decision affirmed that people have a constitutional right to make their own decisions about their pregnancy. North Carolinas ban was written by politicians to intimidate doctors and interfere in a womans personal medical decisions. attorney Irena Como said. Important medical decisions throughout different points of a womans pregnancy, including whether to have an abortion, must be left to the woman and her doctor - not politicians. ____ Follow Emery P. Dalesio on Twitter at http://twitter.com/emerydalesio . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/emery%20dalesio. ___ Associated Press writer Gary D. Robertson contributed to this report. NEW YORK - Apple trotted out few details on its long-awaiting streaming service on Monday, but it didnt skimp on high-wattage celebrity. Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and Jennifer Aniston were part of a parade of A-listers who took the stage at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California, where the main attractions are usually the companys latest high-tech gadgets. This time, though, it was the likes of Big Bird and Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, who took the spotlight at Apples latest live-streamed product launch. Im joining forces with Apple, declared Winfrey. Theyre in a billion pockets, yall. Apple chief executive Tim Cook gave what he called a sneak peek of the tech giants plans to transform television viewing and jump some analysts say belatedly into the streaming business Netflix has pioneered. The service, dubbed Apple TV Plus, will debut in the fall in more than 100 countries and feature ad-free original series and films. Cook and Apple declined to say how much the nascent streaming service will cost. It was unveiled as an extension of Apples redesigned TV app, which will bundle third-party services like HBO, CBS and Showtime, along with a users cable subscription and some streaming services like Hulu. Netflix has said it wont partake. Much of both Hollywood and Silicon Valley had eagerly awaited details on Apples much-ballyhooed foray into original programming, something the company had been quietly prepping for the last few years and laying aside at least $1 billion to do so. But its not the only company readying a rival to Netflix, which spent $12 billion on content last year. The Walt Disney Co. and AT&Ts WarnerMedia are both set to unveil their own platforms later this year. Standing out from the pack will be a challenge for each. Disneys streaming service, named Disney-Plus, even bears a plus-symbol just like Apples service. Its not just another streaming service, said Zack Van Amburg, who along with Jamie Erlicht was hired away from Sony TV to head Apples video programming. Cook didnt map out how extensive Apples streaming library will be; it has about two dozen series and a handful of movies in the pipeline. But he promised big ambitions. We partnered with the most thoughtful, accomplished and award-winning group of creative visionaries who have ever come together in one place, to create a new service unlike anything thats been done before, he said. But what the presentation lacked in particulars it sought to make up for with star power and sizzle-reel teases of its upcoming slate. Some of the highlights: Oprah: Winfrey said she has two documentaries in the works for Apple TV Plus (one on mental health, one on the toll of sexual harassment in the workplace) and is planning the most stimulating book club on the planet. The TV personality, whose book club choices have made dozens of works into instant bestsellers, said the Apple broadcast will include streamed conversations with authors. Winfrey already has her OWN network and O magazine where she still makes book picks, most recently Michelle Obamas Becoming. I am proud to be a part of this platform where I can connect with people around the world to create positive change, said Winfrey. Amazing Stories: Executive produced by Steve Spielberg, Amazing Stories is a science-fiction anthology series the filmmaker is reviving. It first ran for two seasons from 1985-1987 on NBC. We want to transport the audience with every single episode, said Spielberg. The Morning Show: Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell star in this series about the behind-the-scenes drama at a TV morning show. Witherspoon said it will pull back the curtain on men and women in the high-stakes battle of morning television. It is, notably, Anistons first time back in television since Friends. And Im really excited about it, she said. Little America: Kumail Nanjiani unveiled this anthology series based on true-life tales of immigrants or children of immigrants from across the country. This is no such thing as the other, said the comedian-actor-writer. There is only us. See: This post-apocalyptic series stars Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard takes places centuries after a cataclysmic event where all of humanity has lost its sight. Other shows in development include the thriller Defending Jacob, in which Chris Evans plays a father whose 14-year-old son is accused of murder; an untitled drama from M. Night Shyamalan; a series from La La Land director Damien Chazelle; a show about computer coding for preschoolers called Helpsters, with Big Bird; a drama series about youth basketball produced by Kevin Durant; Dickinson, starring Hailee Steinfeld as Emily Dickinson; and Little Voice, a show about a young musician produced by J. J. Abrams and Sara Bareilles, who performed the theme song Monday. Apples nascent movie aims were harder to discern Monday. It previously entered into a partnership with A24, the indie label behind films like Moonlight and Lady Bird. Their first film together is to be On the Rocks, Sofia Coppolas reunion with Lost in Translation star Bill Murray. He plays a larger-than-life father reconnecting with his daughter, played by Rashida Jones. ___ Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is creating a task force to investigate how an Indian Health Service doctor was able to sexually assault children in his care. The White House announced Tuesday that the Presidential Task Force on Protecting Native American Children in the Indian Health Service System will be co-chaired by President Donald Trumps domestic policy adviser and the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma. The doctor, Stanley Patrick Weber, was sentenced to more than 18 years in federal prison following his conviction last fall on charges of sexually abusing boys in his care on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in northwest Montana in the 1990s. The panel will examine institutional and systemic breakdowns in the Indian Health Service that allowed Weber to target children, and forward recommendations to Trump. RALEIGH, N.C. - A pioneering use of drones to fly blood samples across a North Carolina hospital campus launched Tuesday in the latest move to expand their roles in business and health care. The short trips between WakeMed buildings in Raleigh mark the first time the Federal Aviation Administration has allowed regular commercial flights of drones carrying products, according to UPS and drone company Matternet, which partnered with the hospital on the program. This is a turning point, and its an historic moment because this is the first FAA-sanctioned use of a (drone) for routine revenue-generating flights, Bala Ganesh, vice-president of UPS advanced technology group, said in an interview before the announcement. The FAA confirmed in a statement Monday that it hadnt previously allowed drones to make routine commercial package deliveries, known as revenue flights. Others have flown drone deliveries as part of smaller-scale tests or demonstrations. The WakeMed program will start by flying patients medical samples one-third of a mile (.5 kilometre) from a medical park to the main hospital building for lab testing at least six times a day five days a week, Matternet CEO Andreas Raptopoulos said in an interview. Vials of blood or other specimens will be loaded into a secure box and carried to a drone launching pad, where they will be fastened to the aircraft and flown to another building. He said the flights will technically be within sight of operators on either end of the route, and they are authorized to fly above people. The aim is to cut down on the time it takes to transport the time-sensitive samples typically driven on the ground. This is going to bring tremendous benefit to health care, he said in an interview. Health care is one of these domains of commercial activity where being fast really matters. The announcement doesnt mean routine physical checkups this year or next will feature unmanned aircraft whizzing into your internists office to speed along your cholesterol results, experts say. But the North Carolina program could expand to flying miles-long routes between Raleigh-area WakeMed buildings in the coming months, Raptopoulos said. He also said medical specimen flights could start at one or two more hospitals in other cities later in 2019. North Carolina is one of nine sites participating in the FAAs pilot program to accelerate integrating drones for new uses ranging from utility inspections to insurance claims. The test sites get leeway trying new innovations while working closely with the federal officials in charge of regulating the drones. At other program test sites, drone operators recently delivered ice pops to doorsteps in a Virginia neighbourhood, and officials in Reno, Nevada, are in early testing of a program to deliver defibrillators to people having health emergencies. The Nevada defibrillator project has so far been testing at a rural site and hasnt begun home deliveries, said Rebecca Venis, the citys communications director. The approval process for drone flights of medical devices or supplies is complex because they may contain hazardous materials. Its different than dropping a package, she said. Mark Blanks, the director of the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, also said the approval to fly commercial drones can be a significant achievement. Its not a safety piece; its an economic licensing portion, he said. Colin Snow of the drone research firm Skylogic said it remains to be seen how cost-effective medical drone deliveries will be. He said regulatory hurdles and the significant costs of establishing the programs could hinder their wide rollout across the country. It just goes down to the old adage: Just because you can, doesnt mean you should, he said. Theyre cool, headline-making tests. But when you get down to ... the economics of logistics, thats a different matter. ___ Follow Jonathan Drew at www.twitter.com/JonathanLDrew SAN FRANCISCO - The Latest on the U.S. International Trade Commissions findings in cases alleging Apples iPhones infringed on technology owned by Qualcomm (all times local): 3 p.m. The U.S. International Trade Commission is reversing an administrative law judges findings that Apples iPhones infringed on technology owned by Qualcomm. The decision invalidating Qualcomms patent claim handed Apple a victory late Tuesday in Washington. It came a few hours after Apple suffered a setback in another ITC case brought by Qualcomm that could still result in a U.S. import ban on some iPhones. Its all part of a messy battle between Apple and Qualcomm over which company owns the rights to some of the technology underlying key features in the iPhone. In the latest development, the trade commission tossed aside a decision reached last September on one of Qualcomms patent claims. The commission must still review Tuesdays earlier decision, which found that an iPhone feature violated a different Qualcomm patent. ___ 1:15 p.m. A trade court judge will recommend banning some iPhones from being imported into the U.S. after concluding Apples bestselling device infringed on technology owned by mobile chip maker Qualcomm. The U.S. International Trade Commission decision is the latest twist in a bitter legal dispute between Qualcomm and Apple over the rights to some of the technology that connects iPhones to the internet. Its unclear if the recommended ban will be imposed or even which iPhone models would be affected. McNamaras recommendation still must be weighed by the full trade commission. Qualcomm applauded McNamaras findings. Apple didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. A similar decision was reached by a trade commission judge last September in another patent infringement case that Qualcomm filed against Apple. The full commission is expected issue its ruling on that judges initial findings later Tuesday. The legal battle between Qualcomm and Apple broke out more than two years ago after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission sued Qualcomm for allegedly using its portfolio of mobile technology patents to gouge smartphone makers and stifle competition in the chip market. A federal court judge in San Jose, California, is still mulling a decision in that case, two months after presiding over a trial. Shortly after the FTC filed its case in 2017, Apple pounced with its own lawsuit accusing Qualcomm of trying to wring licensing fees for technology that it didnt really invent. Apple subsequently stopped paying royalties to Qualcomm, further poisoning the two companies relationship. Qualcomm prevailed in another round of skirmishing when a federal court jury in San Diego decided Apple should pay $31 million in damages for making several different types of iPhones that violated Qualcomm patents. The bout is scheduled to resume April 15 at yet another federal court trial in San Diego. WASHINGTON - The Latest on the special counsels Russia report (all times local): 4:05 p.m. A Justice Department official says it will take Attorney General William Barr weeks, not months, to finish reviewing special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation report and make a version available for the public. The official spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday to discuss the Justice Departments plans. The official also said there were no plans for the department to give the report to the White House. Six House Democratic committee chairmen on Monday asked Barr to turn over the report by April 2, though its unclear if the Justice Department will make that deadline. Barr has said previously that he wants to make as much public as he can under the law, though grand jury material is not expected to be released. By Eric Tucker ___ 2:50 p.m. President Donald Trump says Robert Muellers investigation gave him a clean bill of health and he hopes the conclusion of the probe means a new beginning. Thats according to senators who dined with Trump Tuesday at the Republicans weekly policy meeting. Several said Trump talked about trade, China and health care policy in the closed lunch. Trump took the victory lap on Capitol Hill after Mueller reported finding no conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russian government in the 2016 election. But Mueller declined to make a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice, saying there was evidence on both sides of the question. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the president is in a very good mood for all the obvious reasons. ___ 1:35 p.m. President Donald Trump says the outcome of special counsel Robert Muellers report on Russian election interference could not have been better. Arriving at the Senate to meet with Republicans, Trump falsely claimed Muellers report found no obstruction, no collusion. Mueller did not find a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, but he did not make a conclusion about whether Trump obstructed justice. Thats according to a summary of Muellers report from Attorney General William Barr. Republican leaders showed support for the president. Trump was flanked during his remarks by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Roy Blunt, chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee. When Trump entered the private weekly lunch, Republicans could be heard applauding. Mueller concluded his two-year investigation last week. ___ 12:30 p.m. The House Judiciary Committee has approved a Republican request to demand documents from the Justice Department about former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabes claim Justice Department officials discussed using the Constitutions 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office. McCabe has said the discussions happened after former FBI Director James Comey (KOH-mee) was fired in May 2017. The Justice Department has responded that department leaders believed there was no basis for invoking the amendment, which enables Cabinet members to oust a president. McCabe has said he worried investigations into Trumps Russian ties and possible obstruction of justice would be shut down. Democrats supported the resolution Tuesday. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said he supported the Republican effort because he wants to know what prompted such alarm among officials. Trump has suggested key officials involved in the Russia probe engaged in treasonous behaviour. ___ 12:15 a.m. President Donald Trump says he welcomes the special counsels report but complains that he has been abused by a long, unnecessary investigation. Trump also told reporters Monday that he believes some people have done what he called treasonous things and will be looked at. An outline of the special counsels report found no Trump campaign collusion with the Russian government but left to Attorney General William Barr the question of obstruction of justice. Congressional Democrats say that Barrs decision that there isnt sufficient evidence to establish obstruction by Trump isnt the last word and are pushing for the release of the full report. They also are vowing to continue their multiple investigations into the president. Six House Democratic committee chairmen are asking for the full report by April 2. WASHINGTON - The Latest on Congress and President Donald Trumps border wall (all times local): 6:05 p.m. The Democratic-led House has failed to override President Donald Trumps first veto, salvaging his effort to steer billions of extra dollars to erecting barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border. Lawmakers voted 248-181 to overturn Trumps veto, but that fell 38 votes shy of the required two-thirds margin Tuesdays vote bolsters Trumps drive to build a wall along the boundary with Mexico, a hallmark of his 2016 presidential campaign and a priority of his presidency. Just 14 Republicans joined all voting Democrats in Tuesdays futile effort to void Trumps declaration of a national emergency at the Southwest border. __ 2 p.m. An effort by House Democrats to override President Donald Trumps first veto has failed. That hands him a victory because his declaration of a national emergency at the Southwest border will remain in effect. The Democratic-controlled chamber has voted 248-181 in favour of overriding Trumps veto. That fell 38 votes short of the 286 needed for Democrats and their handful of Republican allies to prevail, because a two-thirds majority was needed. The emergency declaration would let Trump shift an additional $3.6 billion from military construction projects to erecting barriers along the border with Mexico. Building the wall was one of Trumps most repeated campaign pledges, though he said it would be paid for by Mexico, not taxpayers. Congress voted to provide less than $1.4 billion for barrier construction. Court challenges may eventually block the extra money Trump wants __ 1:05 p.m. House Democrats trying to override President Donald Trumps first veto say his plan to shift billions of extra dollars into building border barriers is a waste of money and an abuse of his powers. But their veto override attempt seems certain to fall short of the two-thirds majority they will need to succeed later Tuesday. Congress sent him legislation blocking his declaration of a national emergency at the border. Hes using it to shift $3.6 billion from military construction projects to building barriers. Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon says money shouldnt be spent on Trumps stupid, static wall. Texas Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro says Trump is guilty of constitutional vandalism. Republican Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri says there is a border crisis and says Trump acted well within his legal authority. __ 12:17 a.m. President Donald Trump is nearing a victory over Democrats as the House tries overriding his first veto. Tuesdays vote seems certain to fail, which means his declaration of a national emergency at the Mexican border would stand. Trumps emergency would let him shift an additional $3.6 billion from military construction projects to work on a barrier along the southwest boundary. Congress has approved less than $1.4 billion. Building the wall was one of his most oft-repeated campaign promises, though he claimed the money would come from Mexico. Trumps emergency declaration drew unanimous opposition from congressional Democrats and opposition from some Republicans. Lawmakers objected that he was abusing presidential powers. The House seems sure to fall short of the two-thirds margin needed to override vetoes. SALISBURY, Md. - The owner of a Maryland farm is going to trial after dozens of horses were found dead and decaying as more than 100 others were neglected and starving on her property. The Daily Times of Salisbury reports 75-year-old Barbara Pilchard is set to appear in court Tuesday morning on charges of animal cruelty, neglect and abuse. Pilchard was indicted last summer after authorities responding to a report of decaying horse corpses at the 2-acre farm on the states Eastern Shore saw the severity of the situation. Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis said previous allegations of horse neglect against Pilchard werent sufficiently supported by evidence. He says the living horses were starving and had broken into the home in an attempt to find food. They were placed with rescue groups. ___ Information from: The Daily Times of Salisbury, Md., http://www.delmarvanow.com/ U.S. President Donald Trump complained in a private lunch Tuesday with Senate Republicans about the amount of disaster aid designated for Puerto Rico, as lawmakers prepare for a standoff over funds for the island still struggling to recover in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, according to multiple officials familiar with the meeting. Aid for Puerto Rico has long been a fixation for Trump, who has asked advisers how to reduce money for the island and signalled that he wont support any more aid beyond food stamp funds. Inside the lunch on Tuesday, Trump began rattling off the amount of aid that had been designated for other disaster-hit states and compared it with the amount allocated for Puerto Rico following the 2017 hurricane, which he felt was too high, according to the officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private event. Trump noted to GOP senators that Texas also battered by a spate of hurricanes was awarded $29 billion (U.S.) in aid while South Carolina got $1.5 billion to recover from their own storms. Trump then questioned why Puerto Rico was getting $91 billion in aid, according to two people familiar with his comments, indicating that this was too much compared to states on the mainland. Its unclear where Trump got the figure for Puerto Rico aid. One congressional official said it is difficult to quantify exactly how much aid the island has received to recover from Maria because of the way the money is disbursed. The inspector general of the Department of Housing and Urban Development will review whether the White House has interfered with hurricane relief funding approved for Puerto Rico as part of a broader examination of the agencys administration of disaster grants, a HUD inspector general attorney told a congressional committee Tuesday. Congress has appropriated nearly $20 billion in HUD disaster relief funds for Puerto Rico, only $1.5 billion of which has been approved for spending. The Senate is set to take up disaster-aid legislation drafted by Republicans later Tuesday. It allocates about $13.4 billion for states that have faced recent natural disasters such as hurricanes, flooding and wildfires. It also has $600 million in food stamps for Puerto Rico. But Democratic leaders have already panned the GOP bill as insufficient. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., and her Senate counterpart, Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said the legislation does not adequately address the needs of the American citizens of Puerto Rico and other territories. The presidents Puerto Rico remarks were just one bit of an hour-long, freewheeling soliloquy at the Capitol with dozens of Senate Republicans, several who described Trump as being in a particularly good mood following the end of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation. During the lunch, Trump boasted to senators that Muellers report which according to Attorney General William Barr did not establish there was a criminal conspiracy between his campaign and Moscow gave him a clean bill of health, according to attendees. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., described Trump as talking as if he had a new lease on life following the end of the special counsels probe, with the president discussing how difficult the process had been on his family and close friends. Trump also discussed the potential trade deal with China and encouraged new efforts to write health-care legislation to replace the Affordable Care Act, senators said. Trump also mocked the Green New Deal and told senators dont kill it yet because he said he wanted to run against it next year. The president talks until he is through talking, Sen. John Neely Kennedy, R-La., said, describing the lunch. Read more about: WASHINGTON - An exuberant President Donald Trump took a victory lap on Capitol Hill Tuesday, emboldened by the end of the special counsels Russia probe, even as Democrats pressed insistently for Robert Muellers full report and Justice Department officials said more information could be released in weeks, not months. Trump strode into a high-spirited gathering of Senate Republicans, flanked by party leaders, saying the attorney generals weekend summary of Muellers report could not have been better. GOP senators applauded his arrival, and he celebrated what he called his clean bill of health. But challenges are ahead for both the Republicans and the Democrats who hope to deny Trump re-election next year. Both parties are readjusting their aims and strategies in the post-probe landscape, pivoting to health care and other issues that are more important for many voters, even with Muellers full findings still unknown. At House Speaker Nancy Pelosis own closed-door caucus meeting Tuesday, she urged rank-and-file Democrats to be calm and focus on the policy promises of health care, jobs and oversight of the administration that helped propel them to the House majority last fall. Lets just get the goods, Pelosi said. Not that the Democrats are forgetting Russia and the 2016 presidential election. Many Democrats dismiss the four-page summary released by Attorney General William Barr as inadequate. I havent seen the Mueller report. Ive seen the Barr report. And Im not going to base anything on the Barr report, said Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland. The president is saying hes been completely and totally exonerated by the report, Raskin said. The one sentence weve seen from the report says this is not an exoneration of the president. Meanwhile, a Justice Department official said it will take Barr weeks, not months to finish reviewing Muellers longer, still-confidential report and make a version available for the public. Its not clear whether that will be Muellers own words or another synopsis. Trump has said he wouldnt mind if the full report were released. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said hes hesitant to agree to releasing information from Mueller that would throw innocent people whove not been charged under the bus. He is blocking legislation approved unanimously by the House calling for the reports release. In the GOP luncheon, Trump was in a lively mood, senators said. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said the president is always high energy. He had a little extra today. Russia report aside, the president showed an eagerness to move on. He told GOP senators that health care should be their focus heading into the 2020 election. He said he wants them to abandon efforts to simply repeal Obamacare and instead focus on a replacement for President Barack Obamas signature law. I was a little surprised he came out of the chute in health care, said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., after the meeting. He wants us to try again. Even so, the White House was making a new effort to get rid of the Affordable Care Act entirely. In a legal filing late Monday, the administration said it would not defend the act against a court challenge essentially encouraging the laws demise. Meanwhile, House Democrats, led by Pelosi, unveiled their own sweeping measure to rescue the program on Tuesday. Trumps hour-long talk to Senate Republicans touched on trade, foreign policy and a vote later in the day on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs Green New Deal, which the Senate declined to take up. Trump said the climate-change proposal would be a good campaign issue to fight over with Democrats. Almost no mention was made of the presidents national emergency declaration to expand the border wall with Mexico, even though the House was voting on an effort to block it as the senators lunched. Congress had voted to block Trump, and he had vetoed that action. House members voted 248-181 to override Trumps veto, but that was well short of the needed two-thirds majority. Fourteen Republicans joined Democrats in trying to block the president from taking military funds to build his long-promised wall. The president seemed to have heeded advice from allies, including Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who encouraged him to use the political capital hes now gained to accomplish policy goals. Pelosis advice to Democrats to stick with the strategy that won them control of the House in 2018 was reinforced by Obama himself, who counselled freshman Democrats at a reception Monday night. Obama advised the newly elected lawmakers to focus on constituents hopes and concerns, while also identifying issues they feel so strongly about that theyd be willing to lose their House seats in fights over them, according to people at the private party. The focus must go beyond Russia and collusion, Democratic leaders said. House Democrats did not win the election on collusion; we didnt win the election on impeachment; we didnt win the election on obstruction of justice, said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic Caucus chairman. Our candidates didnt even talk about those issues. What we all collectively talked about was making life better for everyday Americans ... and thats what were going to continue to do. At the same time, Democrats will continue their investigations of the Trump-Russia connection, and other aspects of the presidents finances and business practices, including his tax returns. You cant move forward on a four-page memo, said Rep. Karen Bass of California. Its hard for me to accept that as an objective opinion. Six House Democratic committee chairmen have written to Barr asking to have Muellers full report by April 2. If not, they have suggested subpoenas could be issued. ___ Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Andrew Taylor, Catherine Lucey, Jill Colvin, Alan Fram, Mike Balsamo and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report. ___ Follow all of APs Trump Investigations coverage at https://apnews.com/TrumpInvestigations . MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin officials are waiting for a pair of courts to decide whether laws that Republicans passed last year limiting the powers of the new Democratic governor and attorney general can stand. Lawmakers passed the measures in a lame-duck session in December, before Gov. Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul took office. A Dane County judge blocked the laws Thursday, ruling that lawmakers convened illegally when they passed them. Attorneys for Republicans are asking the 3rd District Court of Appeals to put that ruling on hold pending appeal. That decision could come any moment. Another Dane County judge is expected to decide Tuesday whether to block the laws in response to union arguments that they violate the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches. LOS ANGELES - Winston Duke went from relative obscurity to being a household name with his first film and he wasnt even the lead, or second or third performer listed for that matter. That the first film in question was Black Panther didnt hurt, but that Duke still managed to stand out as rival Wakandan leader MBaku amid such star power and spectacle is all the more impressive. But how do you follow that kind of breakout? For Duke, it meant looking for something completely different. The Tobago-born, U.S.-raised Yale master of fine arts grad had been toiling in television for years to get this sort of chance, and he was not going to allow anyone to pigeonhole him. It was absolutely nothing but potential at that point, Duke, 32, said of his raised profile following Black Panther. I was really itching for another job. I wanted something that would test me but not be the same as how I was represented in Black Panther. ...I know the propensity for saying, Oh hes this kind of action guy. Hes this one thing. Thats when he read the script for Us, Jordan Peeles follow-up to Get Out, about a family who encounters murderous doppelgangers, and he knew it was the perfect fit. I said, Oh my goodness, this is everything, Duke said. It wasnt just that hed be getting to show a different side of himself as an actor. Hed actually be playing two roles, the all-American every-dad Gabe Wilson and his doppelganger Abraham. Plus, hed be getting to work with Peele, who was hot off of Get Out. Winston was on this perfect level, Peele said. He was by no means an unknown actor, but the range that he has was untapped, at least in how we knew him. That presented this opportunity to continue to break his talent on the world in a perfect way. The challenge of playing two roles got Dukes mind spinning about big themes of privilege, duality, the patriarchy and America. Gabe is the perfect product of the American dream. He probably believes that if you work hard enough you can get anything. You can pull yourself up by your bootstraps and work hard. Hes that guy, Duke said. Abraham is the American nightmare. Duke is a formidable presence on screen and off, clocking in at around 65. That physicality helped inform both the brute intimidation of playing someone like Abraham and the comedic side of Gabe, although Peele said sometimes that came unintentionally. There are some laughs where hes being himself and I dont think he realized how funny it was, Peele said. Best example is when he gets into this little bed in one scene and it lasts about 30 seconds of him just getting ready, he thinks hes going to get some. And the first time he did it I was just cracking up. The bed was creaking and hes way too big for it. I dont think he was trying to be funny, but Im like, Dude, this is the best, do it even longer. Do it more. Gabe Wilson has a certain sitcom dad energy to him that Duke said was inspired by characters like Carl Winslow of Family Matters and Homer Simpson. He also suspects Peele wrote a bit of himself into the character. But the director and his star have differing opinions on that. He claims that a lot was based on me, Peele said. But I can tell you a lot of it is based on him. The ride has been overwhelming for Duke at times. In April, hell reprise his Black Panther role in Avengers: Endgame, and hes also wrapped the Peter Berg film Wonderland in which he stars opposite Mark Wahlberg. Its been a lot, a lot of things changing. Almost every interaction is changing and its happening so fast, Duke said. I kind of just saw Black Panther, in my opinion, for the first time three weeks ago as a fan. I watched it on a plane, on someone elses screen in front of me on mute, and I of course knew all the lines. And watching it on mute, mouthing all the lines, I thought, This is a really good movie. I finally got to watch it again the way I would as just any other non-participant and it was great. I dont get to consume the movies Im in in the same way. Its been really a joy, he added. Its been taxing at times but its good to remain grounded and remember why youre doing it. ___ Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr Earlier this month, from a flag-draped dais in Kitchener, Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer looked on earnestly as an audience member asked him whether Justin Trudeau should be in jail for, among other things, supporting ritual child abuse. Trudeau gave $600 million to the Clinton Foundation, the man said by way of prelude at a town-hall meeting organized by the Conservative Party of Canada. The Clinton Foundation is part of child trafficking and child sacrifice, if you study it. Its in the pizzagate. Scheer gamely answered the question as though he hadnt just been asked about one of the most notorious (and widely debunked) conspiracies in modern political history. He later claimed to have not heard the question. To be fair to him, the audience began clapping loudly at the mans suggestion that one of the biggest charities in America was secretly trafficking and sacrificing children. In any event, the question was indicative of the conundrum Scheer now faces, as he attempts to harness the raucous strain of anti-Trudeau animus sweeping across the country: embrace the motivated populist anger of these crowds, along with the unhinged bits seemingly inherent in them, or cede this support to his rightward rival, Maxime Bernier and the Peoples Party of Canada. Scheer has chosen a third option, which is to welcome the crowds while denying the ugly bits even exist even as they pop up in front of Scheers very eyes. Consider his February appearance at a rally organized by United We Roll, which has a well-established connection to the countrys yellow vest movement, the proudly anti-immigrant group that sprung up in the wake of a similar movement in France. Scheers speech, which focused on Trudeaus alleged hatred of the oil and gas industry, was a play for truckers and their supporters, United We Rolls ostensible supporters. Yet an apparent conspiracy-obsessed heckler peppered his three-minute spiel with familiar Hes attacking your children rhetoric, while another wondered out loud, in both official languages, what Scheer was going to do about the United Nations. A sign outside Ottawas West Block also critiqued the U.N. and said Trudeau should be charged with treason. The relationship between Scheer and these populist crowds is mutually beneficial. He gets a friendly audience, while this audience has the implied stamp of approval from the man who may well be the next prime minister. The conspiratorial types who keep showing are just an unfortunate by-product, it seems. When I asked a Conservative adviser about them, he shrugged his shoulders. We cant control who shows up to these events, he told me, seemingly by rote. Yet it is difficult to understate the danger of Scheers gambit. By appearing at events like United We Roll, Scheer gives legitimacy to voices that would otherwise (and deservedly) exist only on the fringes of Canadas political discourse and which have become notably loud and brazen over the last several years. It used to be that Trudeaus critics pilloried the prime minister for his conspicuous liberalism. Now some are calling for his head. You are working for your globalist partners. I wonder how much they are paying you to betray Canada, a woman said to Trudeau during Regina town hall last January. What do we do with traitors in Canada, Mr. Trudeau? We used to hang them, hang them for treason. Scheer is in a difficult spot. Populist fury against the current government is widespread and politically active. Yet emboldened in part by the example of scorched-earth nationalism espoused by the current American president, it has also become decidedly more visceral and conspiracy-oriented as we march closer to the October election. By all means, Scheer should criticize Trudeau for being an out-of-touch, tax-and-spend elite. But he should just as conspicuously call out those would-be supporters who believe the 23rd prime minister is but a product of their conspiracy-addled nightmares. Martin Patriquin is a Montreal writer, who has contributed to The Guardian, The Walrus and The New York Times. Read more about: Celina Caesar-Chavannes proved her ethical muster when she quit the Liberal caucus last week. The rookie member of parliament said she did not want to cause any more grief to constituents, especially strong Liberal supporters. The rift with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was obvious. The rift with caucus less so. But Caesar-Chavannes heard her constituents, because an attack on the leader is an attack on the team. If Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpotts motives were pure, they would be following her lead. It makes no sense to claim non-confidence in the government and stay in caucus. Caucus is the legislative branch of government, empowered to act on cabinets executive direction. Cabinet and caucus go hand in hand. You cant have one without the other. A caucus is a place where members speak freely without fear of public broadcast or leaks. Trust is an important part of building political confidence. Opposing view: Should dissident Liberals stay in caucus? Yes Neither former minister trusts Trudeau, and the feeling is mutual. I have received dozens of communications from Liberal caucus members who do not feel comfortable speaking freely in the presence of two members engaged in derailing their leader. In every profession, people work with colleagues whom they may not like. Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien and his finance minister, Paul Martin, were not exactly bosom buddies. But together they produced results. But not being friends, and working actively to dislodge your leader, are two different things. The Big Debate Philpott claims there is more to come. Their ongoing whisper campaign is strengthened by their presence inside the Liberal tent. Once departed, the bleeding would be cauterized very quickly. Canadian Liberal parliamentarians could learn from long-serving American politician Mo Udall. The self-described one-eyed Mormon Democrat from Conservative Iowa once said, When the Democratic Party forms a firing squad, we form a circle. The firing squad facing Justin Trudeau is just such a circle. The leaks did not come from the opposition. Nor did they stop with an unprecedented invitation to speak to cabinet and more than four hours of justice committee testimony. When is enough, enough? Both women want this issue in the headlines, but refuse to avail themselves of their right to speak in Parliament, protected by privilege. If they stayed, it wouldnt be the first time enemies worked together. But participating in caucus involves speaking and listening, something that Wilson-Raybould does not appear to embrace. THE BIG DEBATE: For more opposing view columns from Toronto Star contributors, click here. A former Vancouver riding president said they parted company because of her unbridled resistance to listen to anyone. During her parliamentary committee testimony, Wilson-Raybould produced copious notes from assistants. But she could not name a single colleague with whom she had consulted on the deferred prosecution agreement question. The self-described truth teller did not tell the whole truth about her cabinet move to veterans affairs. The prime minister asked her to lead the dissolution of the Indian Act as minister of Indigenous services, an offer she conveniently omitted from her lengthy testimony. The offer was subsequently compared to having Nelson Mandela administer apartheid. She is no Nelson Mandela. He embraced the challenge to dismantle apartheid. She spurned it. Philpotts explosive Macleans interview also confirmed that Wilson-Raybould did not complain to the prime minister about undue pressure. So what is the end game? Just last week, Wilson-Raybould penned a 684-word letter to constituents. She confirmed that she currently plans to run for the Liberals in the next election. This bizarre descriptor was the only Liberal mention made, even though the letter was supposed to explain her decision to stay. Wilson-Raybould went to great lengths to explain how she was so different from other self-serving politicians who came before her, writing I found myself in a situation I never expected to be in. I was just doing my job, and I did not expect it to become a national focus. That statement is a blatant lie as personal details leaked to the Globe and Mail could only have come, directly or indirectly, from her. Philpott and Wilson-Raybould refuse to leave the caucus. Instead, from the inside, they co-ordinate a full court assault on the leader. Another Udall aphorism outlines the difference between a cactus and a caucus. On a cactus, the pricks are on the outside. This caucus must be pruned. Sheila Copps is the former Liberal heritage minister, environment minister and deputy prime minister of Canada. Read more about: Larger high school classes build teen resiliency, education minister says, March 20 Last week, the Ontario government announced a dramatic change in high school class sizes. The change would result in boards having to bring up the average of class sizes from 22 to 28 at the secondary level. The current collective agreements allow for up to 30 students in academic classes in grades 10 to 12, and 29 students in Grade 9 some classes can even see up to 33 students per class. In college level courses, the cap is 26 and in locally developed classes its 17. Locally developed classes are for students who are struggling academically and would benefit from additional attention from the teacher. Many of these students join the trades after graduation. In all boards in Ontario, there are programs specifically designed for students looking to get into the trades. Some of those programs are dual credit programs that offer direct entry into an apprenticeship. With an increase in class sizes, the ability of boards to effectively deliver such programs is at stake where added attention from the teacher is beneficial and access to machinery and equipment is crucial. The graduation rate in Ontario has grown from 68 per cent in 2004 to 86 per cent with the decrease of class sizes in the past few years. Its true, there are some students who can and will excel wherever they are; however, many students need additional attention and statistics have shown that they benefit greatly from that. With the increase in class sizes, a great concern would be the reversal of such successes and a potential drop in graduation rates across Ontario. We have spent a significant amount of resources trying to encourage students from all streams to go into the trades, which offer good-paying jobs that are in high demand. If the government refuses to invest in students so that they are able to attain the required secondary school diploma, they may miss out on great opportunities that can help them build a bright future. The Liberals offer a case study in how not to handle a crisis, editorial, March 16 I read with interest your editorial and your discussion about political parties and leaders who are called to account by their own party. I noted (but really was not surprised) that you referenced Mel Swart, a former NDP MPP who had called on Bob Rae to resign when he, as premier, did not adhere to some of the policies of the NDP that had been democratically voted upon by the party. Swart was my father and he was principled beyond belief. You couldnt find a stronger proponent of democracy. He gave nearly 40 years of public service to Canadians as an elected official at various levels of government. I very much remember the time when he called for Raes resignation as leader. Swart was one of the people who persuaded Rae to leave federal politics and run for the leader of the provincial NDP. My father and I had discussed what he should do when he felt Rae was abandoning NDP policy. Tears were shed by both of us, and he agonized for days. It was not an easy decision as Swart considered Rae a friend as well as a colleague. Swart subsequently called a press conference and publicly asked Rae to resign. For you see, nothing was more important to Swart than his values and beliefs and his lifelong work to make ours a better, fairer and more just society. Swart was recognized and admired, I believe, by members of all parties. I am writing this letter not to praise Swart, but to explain why he did what he did when asking Rae to resign: holding politicians to account, even if it was his own party. In a democracy, we all have a responsibility to make it work. We must all support our democracy as we can, and yes, hold our politicians to account. Our future and our childrens future depend on it. Melva Snowling, St. Catharines, Ont. Read more about: OTTAWAThe Liberals have again blocked an investigation into the SNC-Lavalin controversy, raising opposition concerns that parliamentary inquiries to probe allegations of judicial interference are at a dead end. Liberal MPs on the House of Commons ethics committee opposed a move by the Conservatives and New Democrats on Tuesday afternoon to hold a second set of hearings into allegations that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and senior officials put inappropriate pressure on Jody Wilson-Raybould, the former justice minister, to intervene in the criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. This is a cavalcade of contradictions and coverup. The prime minister clearly has something to hide, Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre said after the meeting. Theyve shut every opportunity down that the opposition has brought before them to bring this to Parliament in a way that we think would get to the truth, New Democrat MP Tracey Ramsey said. The story could still create headlines and headaches for the Liberal government in the days ahead. On Tuesday, Wilson-Raybould told the Star she intended to submit her written brief to the justice committee with the promised emails and texts by the end of the day. It will then need to be translated before the package is distributed to committee members. Justice committee chair Anthony Housefather said in an email that once the documents are distributed to MPs, the committees legislative counsel will suggest any redactions required under the Privacy Act, and that once the committee agrees, they will be posted on the website. The committee had not received the documents as of early evening, making it unlikely that they would be publicly available before Wednesday. The Conservatives and New Democrats had been hoping to sway Liberals on the ethics committee to support the inquiry, given recent calls by some in the government caucus that the two former ministers should speak out about what they know. Conservative MP Peter Kent had wanted the committee to approve a new study into the controversy, and for the committee chair to ask the prime minister to remove all constraints on witnesses. I think that Canadians deserve to hear the full truth, Kent said, adding it was entirely proper and entirely appropriate for the ethics committee to initiate its own hearings. But in the end, the Liberals refused. Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, a vice-chair of the committee, acknowledged he had voted in the Commons in favour of a more public-facing inquiry to get at the truth, a goal he claimed was shared by his fellow Liberal MPs. Its just a question of how best we can do that. But he said it would be premature for the ethics committee to launch its own proceedings given that Wilson-Raybould intends to file a written submission including copies of emails and texts to the justice committee, and that committee could still act on the information she provides. This is appropriately before justice and we ought to see what justice does in the wake of information that is provided, said Erskine-Smith, who was the only Liberal to speak at the meeting. Pointing to its earlier investigation of the Cambridge Analytica affair, he said committees are not best placed to do investigations. We ran into roadblocks and were unable to proceed based on our inability to compel document production in the same way, revisit previous testimony in the same way, he said. Frankly, the tools we have at our disposal are more cumbersome. Still, Erskine-Smith broke with many of his Liberal colleagues by saying that if Wilson-Raybould and Philpott feel they cannot speak fully on the issue, the prime minister should act to ensure they can. He also agreed with the Conservatives and denounced what seemed to be a deliberate leak to CTV and The Canadian Press aimed at showing relations between the prime minister and Wilson-Raybould had soured as early as 2017, when they disagreed about whether a conservative Manitoba judge should be named to a western vacancy on the Supreme Court. The reports named the judge, Glenn Joyal, who responded to the reports by saying he withdrew his name from consideration because his wife had cancer. It is outrageous that theres a leak with respect to the Supreme Court judicial appointment process and without question that kind of leak undermines the confidence in the judicial selection process and appointment process, Erskine-Smith said. I think people from all parties ought to condemn that kind of thing. Wilson-Raybould told the justice committee last month that she faced inappropriate and sustained political pressure from Trudeau and senior officials last fall to mediate criminal charges against the Quebec construction and engineering company. Trudeau and his team deny they pressured her, and said they only urged her to consider a second outside legal opinion. A mediated agreement would allow the company to avoid a criminal prosecution and with it, a 10-year ban on federal contracts, which had sparked fears within government of job losses. Ramsey, who is a vice-chair of the justice committee, said there is little hope that it will resume its hearings into the affair. And she said Housefather has publicly declared theres nothing more to be studied. In an opinion piece in the National Post last week, Housefather wrote that in his view it is the duty of an attorney general to consider new facts relative to a possible remediation agreement seriously and on an ongoing basis. Read more: SNC-Lavalin affair: We answer your most pressing questions Opinion | Jennifer Wells: Heres a simple solution to prevent another SNC-Lavalin from happening Opinion | Heather Mallick: Why does Jane Philpott keep knifing her fellow Liberals? David Moscrop, a political scientist with the department of communication at the University of Ottawa, said the days proceedings left him frustrated. He said he doesnt believe the office of the federal ethics commissioner is well suited for this sort of inquiry. And he said the shutdown of the justice committee and now the refusal of the ethics committee to launch an inquiry means a public inquiry is the only forum to get at the facts. This is the sort of information that Canadians would like to have ideally before the election, so it was frustrating to watch, Moscrop said an interview. It raises the broader question: can the House and its committees effectively hold the government to account in the current system? I think the answer is not really, he said. The only thing thats going to ultimately, I think, result in fundamental changes is if voters decide theyre not going to have any of it. Correction: This article has been updated from a previous version in which the surname of New Democrat MP Tracey Ramsey was misspelled. Read more about: Beer but by no means buck-a-beer is coming soon to a corner store near you. Thanks to Premier Doug Ford, big changes are in store for Ontarios small neighbourhood grocers. After clamouring for years to get a piece of the pie, they are about to get their cut. Ford has just appointed a longtime Alberta politician to brainstorm how to blow up our beer and wine distribution system: Ken Hughes, a one-time minister in Albertas Progressive Conservative government, will bring that provinces perspective to Ontario. Who knew that Ontarios First Government for the People would be guided by Albertas playbook? Ford long ago aligned himself with Albertas right-wing premier-in-waiting, Jason Kenney, on carbon pricing, but are Ontarians ready to import Albertas approach to alcohol pricing next? Alberta has led the way in taking the government entirely out of alcohol retailing. Other provinces rely on a mix of private and public distribution to serve customers, while maximizing revenues for government the better to bankroll other government services, notably health care and education. Ontario has its own peculiar history of public-private alcohol distribution, but the bottom line is that the LCBO delivers a $2 billion dividend annually to its shareholder the government (for the people). Past columns have documented the Beer Stores bizarre duopoly with the LCBO that dominated retailing, despite promises from both Liberals (1985) and Tories (1995) to let corner stores in on the action. Read more: Wynne was mocked for saying selling beer in corner stores is reckless. Experts agree with her PCs pushing ahead with alcohol review to sell beer in corner stores Opinion | Martin Regg Cohn: Ontarios buck-a-beer playbook is coming to a campus near you with tuition discounts too good to be true It fell to Kathleen Wynnes Liberals to finally break the stranglehold of the foreign-owned Beer Store in 2015, inviting up to 450 of the provinces more enterprising supermarkets to compete on both scale and service. Corner stores, left out of the mix because of their smaller shelf space and higher cost structure, cried foul. Now, Ford is lending them an ear. And beer is coming to any and every small grocer that wants in. But heres the inconvenient truth about convenience stores: They arent what they used to be. Back in the 1980s, corner stores were a bigger player in retailing. Today, they have been largely overtaken by big box stores and ubiquitous supermarkets that deliver big economies of scale with razor-thin margins. Corner stores are languishing, more reliant than ever on lottery sales to make up for declining tobacco revenues. Beer is their last big play, but will it really help the provinces fortunes? Before Ford turned to an Albertan and fellow PC to redraw this provinces retail map, the previous Liberal government hired a non-partisan retail expert to reinvent the booze business in Ontario: Former TD Bank CEO Ed Clark served as the governments dollar-a-year man, negotiating in 2015 with the Beer Store and wineries to loosen their grip while enriching the provincial treasury. He forced supermarkets to bid for licenses to sell beer, with the profits going to the province. If the big chains sell more than anticipated, they must pay more, leaving more for us. Put another way, our dollar-a-year-man squeezed every last dollar out of the supermarket sector, instead of giving away market share, while keeping average prices among the lowest in Canada. How would small corner stores, already crowded with condiments and staples, find the shelf space to display Ontarios prestigious craft beer selections? Supermarkets are surely better placed to cope with that juggling act, while giving the Beer Store a run for its money. In Alberta, by contrast, sales are slumping. Statistics Canada revealed last year that while wine and beer sales increased by 2.3 per cent across the country, they dropped by 3.4 per cent in Alberta thanks to a 6 per cent plunge in beer purchases (in the fiscal year ending March 2017). Albertas happy hour turned into a year-long slump. But it gets worse. What Ford wont tell you is that blowing up the Master Framework Agreement for beer, painstakingly negotiated by Clark with the big brewers four years ago, would expose the province to hundreds of millions of dollars in legal claims. The 10-year beer deal, which started Ontario along the road to a phased transition from an outdated duopoly to cutting-edge competition with supermarkets, leaves the government on the hook for compensation no matter how much Fords Tories pretend the crown can tear up signed contracts with impunity. Remember Fords buck-a-beer promise, which fizzled faster than a political bumper sticker fades in the desert sun? Turns out no brewer can sustain beer production at that price point, because buck-a-beer is a relic from a decade ago with little relevance today. Similarly, the old corner store campaign pledges first made in the 1980s and 1990s are outdated today. Our teetotalling premier likes to get punch drunk on power, but not even Ford can rewrite the laws of the land, or the laws of economics. Remember the premiers promise to fire the Six Million Dollar Man, without paying a penny more? Never mind the $130 million in penalties facing Hydro One ever since he blew it up. For all of Fords folly, he has done one thing right. The government has authorized the Beer Store, LCBO, and supermarkets to extend their opening hours up until 11 p.m. daily probably the most cost-effective way to truly increase convenience without paying a price for future litigation. Far better for Ford to declare victory with his sensible tweak to opening hours, while shutting shut down his ill-conceived convenience stores gambit. And go back to boasting about the buck-a-beer bumper sticker that never was and never will be. Correction March 26, 2019: A reader survey that was inserted into this column stated incorrectly that beer is sold in corner stores in Alberta. The survey has been removed. Read more about: Ontarios plan for e-learning gives teens a chance to put their best foot forward, Education Minister Lisa Thompson said in response to opposition accusations the Ford government is moving classes online to cut the number of teachers in the province. Asked Monday in the legislature about the move to four mandatory credits in high school before teens can graduate which will be implemented starting in 2020 Thompson said the reality of today is we need to be embracing technology for good. And, she added, when it comes to online opportunities for our students, I think we should all agree ... we want to make sure that they have every opportunity to put their best foot forward. The government has yet to work out details about the mandatory e-learning it announced during the March Break, other than it will expect teens to earn one such credit a year, with an average class size of 35. Requiring four online courses for graduation would be a first in North America a handful of American states require just one and is consulting on the coming change and how to best implement it. NDP Education Critic Marit Stiles said the governments plan is to shuffle teachers out of classrooms and replace them with online classes, adding students will bear the brunt of this governments education cuts, yet their voices continue to be ignored. Read more: Mandatory online courses in Ontario high schools raise concerns for educators Ford warns teachers unions not to dare protest class-size increases High school teachers union warns of labour disruption in fall over class-size changes Stiles also said this is not about 21st century learning, this is not about technology; this is about making students take courses online that are now mandatory. This is about removing 10,000 teachers from our classrooms. Thompson, however, said Ontario is already leading the way ... online courses are already happening. Again, what is wrong with making sure that our students, at minimum, once a year, embrace technology for good? Having so many opportunities that the internet provides, we are going to continue to push the bar. However, student leaders have already asked the province to back off on making such credits necessary for graduation. Although e-learning classes provide a modernized learning experience for students, these courses are not a good fit for everyone, Amal Qayum, president of the Ontario Student Trustees Association, has said. The association, in a 2017 survey, found that three-quarters of teens felt online learning was lacking compared to in-person classes. Critics have questioned the rapid push to e-learning, especially at a time when the government is boosting average class sizes with an estimated loss of 10,000 teaching positions over the next four years. Experts say online learning is a good idea if done well, but also questioned making them mandatory. Students with special needs can be exempt. Meanwhile, the Peel District School Board is now estimating it will lose about 500 high school teaching positions in total over four years as the government boosts the average secondary class from 22 to 28 students. Because those are averages, class sizes can grow larger well into the 30s to offset smaller, specialized classes. The province has said it will provide transitional funding so that no teachers are laid off, and that the cuts are achieved through attrition. The Toronto District School Board, the largest in the province, has estimated it will lose 800 teaching positions in total. Ontario is launching $16.4 million worth of new efforts to combat the scourge of guns and gangs over the next two years with eight measures that will be expanded if they prove effective, Attorney General Caroline Mulroney says. Piggybacking on $11 million in federal funding, the province is creating a guns and gangs enforcement unit to help local police and prosecutors, Mulroney told a news conference Tuesday with Community Safety and Corrections Minister Sylvia Jones. Other elements of the program include improved training for corrections officers to secure better intelligence on gangs operating in jails and crack down on contraband smuggling, justice centres in three cities to focus on prevention of gang activity, examining discipline in 10 school boards and efforts aimed at keeping Indigenous youth out of gangs. Well be monitoring them and well be able to scale them up over time if we find theyre having real results on the ground in communities across the province, Mulroney said. The benchmark for further action will be feedback from corrections officers, police and community organizations, Jones added. The programs build on $25 million announced by the province last August. Jones said this latest effort involves her ministry, Mulroneys, education and children and youth services in a multi-pronged approach. Its pretty clear as you start to drill down on this issue that we need to deal with the young people who are being recruited and dragged in, she said. The justice centres will be in northwest and northeast Toronto, London and Kenora, with the goal of co-ordinating police and the judicial system with health and social service agencies. These centres will integrate justice facilities with prevention and intervention supports to hold individuals accountable while connecting them with services that prevent crime and break the cycle of offending, the Progressive Conservative government said in a statement. The enforcement unit of police and prosecutors will be available to help police forces across the province, said Jones, noting criminals dont respect municipal boundaries. Government officials refused to say how much of the $16.4 million is earmarked for each of the eight initiatives in the program. Mulroney said the government will develop an investigations fund to support major operations by multiple police services and begin a pilot program in 14 classrooms in 10 school boards to monitor data on suspensions and explusions to make sure they are not disproportionately impacting particular groups of students, such as those who are Indigenous, Black, belong to other ethno-racial groups or have disabilities. There will also be a youth violence prevention and resilience program supporting high risk teens and young adults up to age 29 with social services. A similar program will be aimed at Indigenous youth in partnership with various First Nations police forces. As well, the government is establishing an intervention and exit program for Indigenous women aimed at keeping them out of gangs or helping them leave gangs. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said the Ford government is playing shell games with money. If they were so concerned about young people, then they wouldnt have cut some of the school programs such as the focus on youth program that provides year-round jobs in needy neighbourhoods, Horwath said. In Toronto, city council is still struggling to address the root causes of gun violence. Last July, the city announced an anti-gun violence plan that relied on the provincial and federal governments for funding. Although the city and Toronto Police applied for a combined $55.3 million, that plan remains largely unfunded and only $6.5 million was received from the federal government for community supports. Another $2.5 million was approved by council to help youth. Its unclear how or if the new funding announced Tuesday aligns with the city's anti-violence plan. Alvin Curling, a former provincial cabinet minister who co-authored a report on the roots of youth violence, said there is still not adequate funding to address what was recommended to the province more than a decade ago. There are some governments who like the enforcement part ... emphasized more, Curling said. Noting its not clear yet how the government plans to allocate the funds, he said focusing efforts on sending more young people to prison only compounds the problem when they are released and need support to not fall back into the criminal cycle. If you stop putting them there you wouldnt have this imbalance, he said. Trying to arrest people or jail people out of this situation ... were increasing youth social costs on the other end. Tuesdays announcement is not Toronto-centric and will not affect the complement of prosecutors assigned to the provincial guns and gangs initiative, said an insider working in that unit who was not authorized to speak on behalf of the government. That unit was initiated as a pilot project by then-attorney general Michael Bryant in the wake of the Jane Creba murder on Yonge St. in 2005. Working out of a covert location, the Crown attorneys are involved in the investigation and prosecution of major criminal organization projects targeting street gangs. With files from Jennifer Pagliaro and Betsy Powell Read more about: Whether you have eclectic tastes or are in search of something specific - a mystery, a juicy novel, a big fat tome - next month's must-read list has something for you. Everyone wins in April. No fooling. --- "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, (BEGIN ITAL)Her(END ITAL) Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed," by Lori Gottlieb (April 2) No wonder Gottlieb is already adapting this book for television with Eva Longoria and ABC. Who could resist watching a therapist grapple with the same questions her patients have been asking her for years? Gottlieb, who writes the Atlantic's "Dear Therapist" column, brings searing honesty to her search for answers. --- "Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen," by Mary Norris (April 2) If you haven't read "Between You & Me," Norris' ode to good grammar, buy it together with her new book, and you'll have at least two days of delightful reading. A New Yorker copy editor, Norris this time delivers an appreciation of Greece, plus a look at how that country's language influenced ours. --- "The Affairs of the Falcons," by Melissa Rivero (April 2) Some novels about immigrants and immigration focus on the "Wow! America!" factor. However, debut novelist Rivero goes deeper, showing the price her main characters, Ana and Lucho, have paid in leaving Peru to make a new life. It's a beautiful, serious and life-affirming book. --- "Naamah," by Sarah Blake (April 9) Imagine you're married to Noah, and God tells him to build an ark to survive a coming flood. What the whaa? Naamah doesn't share her husband's faith, but she does have fierce, deep love for their children and wants them to survive. The book is a testament to the idea that more than one sex, more than one idea and more than one individual makes the world in all its glory and tragedy. --- "Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?" by Bill McKibben (April 16) McKibben wrote "The End of Nature" 30 years ago, an early warning about climate change, and his new book is another, sobering call to arms. McKibben, whose 350.org aims to demonstrate what people around the world can do to protect Earth, reminds us that as we drain critical resources, we're also moving toward draining our own ties to the planet and to each other. Is there hope? Yes. Well, maybe. If we pay attention. --- "Normal People," by Sally Rooney (April 16) The Irish writer's 2017 "Conversations With Friends" won over American readers with its deadpan wit, following a young woman's attempt to create an artistic life. "Normal People" is another familiar plot - two young lovers meet in high school, diverge at university, meet again as young adults - but Connell and Marianne are fresh, their entanglement so achingly tender that you'll read till the last drop of tea is poured. --- "The Department of Sensitive Crimes: A Detective Varg Novel," by Alexander McCall Smith (April 16) The celebrated Scottish storyteller has turned his pen to Scandi-crime, setting his latest series with Detective Ulf "The Wolf" Varg heading up a department of singular characters in the Swedish city of Malmo. It's as if Fox Mulder, Lisbeth Salander's maiden aunt and Kurt Wallander collaborated on a new unit, and it's great fun. --- "Why You Like It: The Science and Culture of Musical Taste," by Nolan Gasser (April 30) Gasser is chief architect of Pandora Radio's Music Genome Project, so he deeply understands why you like what you like. And he's written one of those rare books that both geeks and casual listeners can enjoy, combining science, art and sheer enthusiasm to explain why you might love bluegrass while your significant other prefers the blues. --- "The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters," by Balli Kaur Jaswal (April 30) For what it's worth, Jaswal's last book, "Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows," was chosen for Reese Witherspoon's book club. This new novel is a female take on the Indian travel narrative that involves three sisters of Indian descent who were born and raised in England, so they're on unfamiliar ground even as they "fit right in." --- "African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan," by Thomas Lockley and Geoffrey Girard (April 30) In the late 1500s, an African man arrived in Kyoto. Lord Nobunaga, head of Japan's most powerful clan, appointed him a samurai, naming him Yasuke. The authors, an academic (Lockley) and a novelist (Girard), don't have a lot of source material, but they've written a readable, compassionate account of an extraordinary life. --- Patrick is the editor, most recently, of "The Books That Changed My Life: Reflections by 100 Authors, Actors, Musicians and Other Remarkable People." The Old Drift By Namwali Serpell Hogarth. 566 pp. $28 --- Novels about the fate of nations tend to be complex affairs, as if the most appropriate literary response to generations of colonialism, violence and bad politics is Henry James' proverbial "loose baggy monster." But what interesting monsters they tend to be: From Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "One Hundred Years of Solitude" to Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children" and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's "Half of a Yellow Sun," novelists have developed a particular knack for bringing a freewheeling spirit to a messy, multivalent country. Namwali Serpell's vibrant, intellectually rich debut novel, "The Old Drift," is in keeping in that tradition, and like any good nation-hoovering novel, it too refuses to conform to expectations. It is a novel about colonialism in Serpell's native country of Zambia, but addresses themes of oppression and victimization from a slant angle. It is a multigenerational saga, stretching from the late 19th century to the near future, but the family tree gets so knotted that it complicates matters of legacy and inheritance. It is a story particular to Zambia, but also fiercely concerned with how all our lives will be remade by technology, which Serpell suggests is just old colonialist wine in new bottles. "The Old Drift" of the title refers to the name the region was given by British colonists in the 1800s, starting with the infamous explorer David Livingstone. "Oh, father muzungu!" intones an impish chorus as the story begins. "The word means white man, but it describes not a skin colour but a tendency." The novel repels easy summary, but figure it is about that tendency - the urge to exploit in the name of "Civilization." The story opens in the colony, where the British uneasily intersect with natives, and the natives with an Italian family running a hotel there. Those three groups provide the novel with three families followed across three generations, a trio of threads that dangle and eventually braid. The most peculiar among a host of peculiar characters is Sibilla, a daughter of an Italian hotelier born coated in hair, Cousin Itt-like - "if you suspended it from her body, it would form a sphere." That mane will become an important plot point. But more immediately, by marrying a civil engineer, Sibilla will bear witness to a massive dam construction project in the 1950s that kills local workers and floods a town. She becomes alert to how the West "had brought its worst tendencies with it: bureaucracy, venality, banality." Alongside Sibilla, Serpell introduces Agnes, a blind young Englishwoman who falls for a young Zambian history scholar and is promptly banished by her racist parents; she will become increasingly engaged in the country's politics after it gains its independence in 1964. And alongside her, a young revolutionary named Matha will become enmeshed in Zambia's nascent and absurd 1960s space program. The effort was much mocked by Western outsiders - reporters snickered at its jury-rigged rockets, made of copper and launched by catapult to an altitude of six feet - but it also played a meaningful role in its political resistance. On one level, this oddball cast of characters simply represents the joys of the picaresque novel, in which the author's set design is intentionally surreal and ironic. Zambians, as Serpell writes, "were so used to foreigners being strange, they had no expectations or judgments about the nature of that strangeness." Serpell is a natural social novelist, capable of conjuring a Dickensian range of characters with a painterly eye for detail. But her three root characters are also, pointedly, women who are to some degree marginalized by the muzungu society they were raised in or forced to confront, and the generations that follow them suffer its consequences; their children will enter prostitution, suffer from AIDS and grow eager to escape. "Every family is a war but some are more civil than others," as Serpell writes. Zambia's history as colony and independent state is critical to the narrative. But Serpell feels no particular loyalty to the demands of the historical novel, and as the story moves toward the present day and then beyond it, she is on her own turf, imagining a vaccine for AIDS and the unforeseen consequences that it, too, might present. Two half brothers, one researching the cure while the other works on micro drone technology, have an idea about how the country might mobilize to resist further exploitation. But the exploitative technology is advancing too, most visibly in the form of the "Bead" - effectively a smartphone installed into your hand. Where some see progress in the device, Naila, a spitfire revolutionary in the closing chapters, sees only the African continent once again leveraged for somebody else's profit. "Black people have always made great guinea pigs," she says. Here too, Serpell gets to have it both ways. She delivers a satisfying, dramatic climax that represents the comeuppance of 19th century colonialism, as Naila and the half brothers monkey-wrench the tools of the oppressor. And yet Serpell is too much the realist - the skeptical social novelist - to believe the fate of a nation can be resolved so tidily. After more than 550 pages, the novel is breathtaking, yet it feels like only one chapter in an ongoing story about people who see profit in Africa and who get sacrificed for profit's sake. "What ruined this country was efficiency - the British worship of efficiency," Naila says. "The first settlers weren't smart or royal. They were not kings. The empire was a frikkin sham. They were colonists, and for that you only need brute force - nothing to boast of when you have it." Serpell resists the simple efficiency she critiques, and her clear-eyed, energetic and richly entertaining novel is all the better for it. --- Athitakis is a reviewer based in Phoenix. Facing rejection from three major art museums, the philanthropic trust of the Sackler family, which built its wealth from the sale of opioids, has announced that it would stop making donations. "I remain fully committed to all the causes the Sackler Trust supports, but at this moment it is the better course for the trust to halt all new giving until we can be confident that it will not be a distraction for institutions that are applying for grants," Theresa Sackler, chairwoman of the trust, said in a statement on its website. Last week, the Guggenheim Museum in New York became the third cultural institution - and the first in the United States - to announce that it would not accept money from the Sacklers. London's National Portrait Gallery and Tate galleries made similar decisions earlier in the week. A smaller institution, the South London Gallery, returned a Sackler gift in 2018. The development came on the heels of a new federal lawsuit filed by 600 cities, counties and Native American tribes alleging that eight Sackler family members were involved in deceptive marketing practices of the family-owned pharmaceutical company, Purdue Pharma, and its blockbuster painkiller drug, OxyContin. The Sackler name has graced the walls of blue-chip cultural and educational institutions around the world, including the Smithsonian, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and several museums in London. But the Sackler legacy is now at risk, as a result of lawsuits naming the family members behind Purdue Pharma and artist-led protests linking the philanthropic name to the opioid crisis. Photographer Nan Goldin has organized protests at the Guggenheim, the Met and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington to pressure the institutions to sever ties with the donors. The Smithsonian, which opened the Sackler Gallery in 1987, said that it is contractually bound to keep the family name on the Asian art museum and that it has no plans to return the original donation. Arthur Sackler donated 1,000 works and $4 million to the Smithsonian years before OxyContin was launched. The Smithsonian has received about $7.5 million from various Sackler family members since the museum opened. "At this time, we have no plans to approach any member of the Sackler family for a donation," a Smithsonian spokeswoman said Monday. Arthur Sackler's widow, Jillian Sackler, said last month that it was "a gross injustice" to blame her late husband for the opioid crisis. "Arthur was never involved in Purdue Pharma, a company owned by his brothers Mortimer and Raymond and their families; he had nothing to do with OxyContin," she said. Purdue Pharma has repeatedly said that it is being unfairly targeted and that it supports initiatives in law enforcement, education and health care aimed at addressing the opioid crisis. The Met said it was continuing to review its donation policies. Daniel Weiss, the museum's president and chief executive, noted that nonprofit institutions rely on private donors to achieve their missions. "Communities large and small have received immeasurable benefits from this generosity - as one cannot walk into a museum, library, hospital, or university without being reminded that the buildings and the programs they house would fail to exist without philanthropy," Weiss said in a statement. "With the benefit that comes from accepting these gifts, comes the obligation for institutions to devise thoughtful gift acceptance policies that ensure that they can realize their respective missions and values. At The Met, we fully acknowledge that our institution has an obligation to be accountable for its decisions." The Met's approach is a good model, said Sally Yerkovich, author of "A Practical Guide to Museum Ethics." She said the issue is bigger than one donor. "It will be interesting to see if this has fallout for other donors, or if this is a separate, singular thing," she said. The negative attention generated by the protests and lawsuits should give museum officials pause, Yerkovich added. "This is causing museums to really think about where their values are and how those values are expressed," she said. "Are the kinds of money they accept an expression of their values? The safest way for museums to approach this is to think about those issues in the abstract. It is really hard when you're under fire to think objectively about this." ATLANTA - The first time Calinda Lee saw the "Battle of Atlanta" Cyclorama, she rolled her eyes in disbelief. The colossal 133-year-old panoramic painting of the Civil War battle featured thousands of human figures - soldiers of the North and South fighting, falling, fleeing, along with sundry attendants of the battlefield: stretcher-bearers, cooks, orderlies and more. Yet in the throng of faces surrounding her, there was only one that looked like hers. Only one was African-American. Lee, a 47-year-old historian and descendant of slaves, has long known that blacks played a far more extensive role in the decisive 1864 Union victory. So when her employer, the Atlanta History Center, announced five years ago that it would become the latest steward of the Cyclorama, she was ambivalent. She wondered why a museum intent on reaching more-diverse audiences would raise $35 million to preserve a painting created by and for white people. "I felt a lot of resources were being devoted to the process of Civil War navel-gazing when there were other questions Atlanta needed space to explore," says Lee, the center's vice president of historical interpretation and community partnerships. But her friend Leslie Harris, then a history professor at Emory University, suggested that the artwork offered a rare opportunity. The South was just entering the early days of a revived debate over whether to reframe or remove vestiges of the Confederacy. Lee realized that it was possible to change the perception of a relic that thousands of schoolchildren visit annually. "I wanted to get it right," Lee said, "not just with the painting, but the surrounding experience that would help people understand the process of historical mythmaking." Lee thus joined a small, subversive chapter of black Atlanta leaders who for decades had sought to tell a fuller Cyclorama story. The painting, created in 1886 and originally intended for white Northern audiences, helped lionize the Union's role in ending slavery. But the fad for cycloramas soon faded, and in 1890, Georgia promoter Paul Atkinson, the brother of Confederate soldiers, bought the painting for $2,500. When he reopened the exhibit in Atlanta, he had retouched key details - Confederate captives had become Union - and falsely rebranded the experience "the only Confederate victory ever painted." A generation removed from the battlefield, white Southerners bought into a marketing ploy that pushed the Lost Cause narrative. (Atkinson's revisions were corrected in the 1930s.) By 1974, Atlanta was a majority-black city, and taxpayers had soured on sinking public money into the anachronistic artifact. But Maynard Jackson, the city's first black mayor, recognized the Battle of Atlanta's role in liberating his ancestors. Facing backlash from constituents, he orchestrated an $11 million effort to restore the painting and the city-owned museum that housed it. "Maynard recognized the Cyclorama not for what it was at the time, but for what it could be," says his widow, Valerie Jackson. "He recognized it could be an educational piece using art, history and imagination - as well as facts - to re-create a significant turning point of Atlanta and of the nation." The Cyclorama museum slowly began to tell a new story of old Atlanta. African-American tour guides noted historical inaccuracies about black people on the battlefield. Camille Russell Love, an arts official who oversaw the Cyclorama, diversified the museum's programming to center it more on the 19th-century black experience, and to tie that experience to Atlanta's civil rights legacy. But the painting deteriorated again, and in the wake of the Great Recession, the city couldn't fund another restoration. That's when the Atlanta History Center stepped in with an offer to house the artwork. Relocating the 5-ton painting, the size of nearly 27 billboards, was no small feat. But for Lee, a greater challenge lay ahead. She thought that beyond an exhibit of images and artifacts, the AHC should incorporate overlooked voices deconstructing the myths baked into the Cyclorama. She contacted experts like Harris and Frank Smith, a Georgia native who oversees Washington, D.C.'s African American Civil War Museum. Both recommended that the AHC emphasize the roles black people played in securing their liberation. Over the past year, as preservationists restored the work, Lee helped craft the fuller story of the way painters, promoters and politicians had continually reshaped history on the canvas. In the exhibit "Cyclorama: The Big Picture," visitors now learn how African-Americans were erased from the story of the battle, with an interactive guide noting plainly that hundreds of black stretcher-bearers on the battlefield in July 1864 are missing from the panorama. After climbing up to a viewing platform, they see a 12-minute film projected on the Cyclorama, featuring the multivoiced narrative - from the German artists who painted it, to Atkinson and his revisions, to Jackson himself - that Lee envisioned. "It's not going to work for you if you treat this as a 'choose your own adventure' to reaffirm your perceptions," Lee said. "It's going to take work to examine if the Lost Cause mythology is part of your miseducation. It's going to take work to be confronted with difficult, hurtful images of the African-American past. I hope people will do the work, to not just stand in front of the painting and obsess about one soldier or find their ancestors." AHC officials believe that the more complicated Cyclorama story will draw a wider range of visitors to a museum that, tucked in the heart of the affluent Buckhead neighborhood, long catered to white audiences. Lee hopes that her sons, ages 7 and 12, will learn a more-honest truth when their time comes to see one of Atlanta's oldest artifacts. "I want them to find narratives that help them understand how they are a part of this history, and to help understand the perspectives of other people," she says. "I want them to hear that with respect and empathy - and for them, as young African-American people, to expect the same." On a frigid January morning in 1977, Grady Stevens lifted his helicopter into the Tennessee sky and pointed it toward the unknown. Stevens was a decorated Army pilot - he'd earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for rescuing a patrol pinned down by the enemy in Vietnam - but this mission promised to be unlike any he'd ever flown. It was, he later told a reporter, "an unsettling experience." Like every pilot, Stevens had been trained in flight school to avoid birds. Sucked into engines, colliding with propellers, bouncing off canopies - birds are dangerous to aircraft and the people who fly them. But that morning's mission was to fly toward birds, not away from them. Stevens' job was to spray chemicals on a 20-acre starling roost near an Army ammunition depot at Milan, Tennessee. "His low flight at 25 mph over the roost as he sprayed caused disturbed birds to fly up into the darkness," a reporter at the Leaf-Chronicle of Clarksville, Tennessee, later wrote. "An undetermined number hit his craft, many being chopped by the propeller blades." Stevens lived to fly again. Hundreds of thousands of birds did not. Thad Moyseowicz of Alexandria, Virginia, told me of the Great Starling Cull after reading an item I wrote last week about starlings that have taken up residence in my neighborhood. The invasive birds hog our feeders. Of course, I would never employ extreme countermeasures to combat the starlings. But that's exactly what happened in the 1970s in Tennessee and Kentucky. Farmers had been complaining for years about the massive flocks of starlings, grackles and blackbirds. There were an estimated 8 million near Milan and 11 million in a pine grove near Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The birds ate crops and livestock feed. In 1974, Kentucky Gov. Wendell Ford (D) declared a state of emergency in Christian County, where starlings had caused crop and livestock losses of $2.6 million. Health officials had detected a rise in histoplasmosis, a respiratory disease caused by spores in bird droppings. Fort Campbell, on the Kentucky/Tennessee border, is the home of the 101st Airborne Division, a.k.a. the "Screaming Eagles." But the starlings meant less screaming. When the skies were black with birds, airplanes and helicopters that would have lifted off full of paratroopers had to curtail their flights. George L. Atkins Jr., the mayor of Hopkinsville, Kentucky - soon to acquire the nickname "Bird Man" - pleaded for help. A chemical called Tergitol might be the solution. Tergitol kills starlings in a roundabout way. It strips the birds of an oily secretion that coats their feathers and keeps them warm. If the birds get wet after an application - from rain or from water sprayed on them - they freeze to death. Some in the community were unconvinced, worrying about the effects of a chemical on the environment. Scientists pointed out that nature is complex. The birds probably helped reduce the destructive insect population. As plans to spray moved forward, two New York-based environmental groups - the Society for Animal Rights and Citizens for Animals - were granted an injunction blocking the spraying. The indiscriminate killing of birds, they argued, was cruel. Mayor Atkins was incensed. "If we could ship 14 million starlings to the Pentagon, or Central Park, we'd get results," he said before boarding a plane to Washington to request that the injunction be lifted. Atkins also asked city attorneys to draft their own injunction request: Against New York City to keep it from killing its rats. "That's about as inhumane," he said. "The absurdity of it!" The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which refused to block the spraying. The Army launched its helicopters. The flocks were sprayed for several winters in a row. None of the flocks were eliminated entirely, but the numbers were reduced. Starlings stopped showing up in headlines. I called Carter Hendricks, the current mayor of Hopkinsville, and asked how things stood today, 45 years later. "Nothing like that, thankfully," he said. "We don't really have those types of issues." Where does that leave me? A reader named Patti suggested I switch from sunflower seeds to safflower seeds. "No starlings. No other nasty birds," she promised. During my research, I came across something written in 1973 by Joe D. Allen, nature columnist for the Leaf-Chronicle. He shared a hint for bird lovers weary of starlings: "Put out feed about dawn and again about an hour before dark. At those times, the starlings are coming or going from their communal roost several miles away, feeding as they go to some extent. Songbirds, roosting nearby in trees, shrubs and thickets, often arrive at feeders by the time you can see them at dawn." I'll give it a try. The Viking Sky's mayday call came midmorning Saturday just offshore Norway. It followed an engine failure that left the ship stranded in the harsh conditions. Waves topping 60 feet and winds exceeding hurricane strength buffeted the crippled vessel. The storm had the air pressure of a Category 3 hurricane. The storm system that would eventually terrify cruisegoers aboard the Viking Sky didn't come without warning. It didn't materialize out of nowhere. And it didn't develop on a whim. Instead, the sprawling low was hinted at by weather models up to a week in advance. Simulations as early as March 16 indicated a wave of low pressure would rapidly intensify sometime around the weekend of the 23rd and 24th between Iceland and Norway. But it wasn't clear at the time exactly where. It's not unusual to have intense cyclones develop in this part of the world in March. The equinoctial seasons are known for their vicious transitions, oftentimes manifest by violent open-ocean storms. The northeast Atlantic is a notoriously rough patch of maritime real estate in the late winter and early spring, often spinning up gales that can threaten even the most experienced captains. The forecast became much clearer last Wednesday into Thursday, when it appeared obvious that the central coast of Norway would be hard-hit. The Viking Sky departed Bergen, Norway, on March 14, bound for a port-hopping excursion northward up the coast. It would then turn around and hit several cities on its way south, eventually steaming to Tilbury, England, where it was slated to arrive Monday. But Saturday's system was on a crash-course with the Viking Sky's desired path. The ship could have remained docked on Bod to ride out the storm. Instead, it continued south, becoming stranded and prompting an airlift evacuation. The Viking Sky arrived safely into the port of Molde on Sunday. A significant wave height of 43.6 feet was reported at 4 p.m. local time Saturday at the Heidrun buoy by weather.us. This reflects just an average of the biggest waves and several may have been taller, even topping 60 feet. Waves are a byproduct of wind, and they take time to build to such impressive heights. Thirty-foot waves occurred for an astonishing 17 consecutive hours at the same station. The winds were extreme, measuring 87 mph over the open ocean and clocking in closer to 70 mph nearest to shore. At Sviny fyr - 60 miles southwest of where Viking Star is currently docked - winds hit 69 mph. In ordinary circumstances, the Viking Sky can cruise at 20 knots, or 23 mph. That would have been enough time for it to make it back to shore within a half-hour or so, since most of its journey was spent in sight of land. The issue in this case was the engine failure, which could not have been planned for. So while the ship did continue to operate in treacherous weather, it likely was not a conscious decision - unlike Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas' infamous 2018 encounter with a "bomb cyclone." The lack of ability to navigate or turn the ship also left the Viking Sky susceptible to being broadsided by waves. Several large breakers plowed into the ship, smashing windows and shattering glass. Video shows the ship listing to and fro at nearly 20 degrees to the horizontal. That's because the ship's 95-foot width tucked it in between wave crests, exposing the vessel to maximum sideways rocking motion when a wave passed through. The storm system has since dissipated, weakening over the Norwegian and Barents Seas. The incident is set to be probed by the Norwegian Accident Investigations Board. WOOD RIVER Jeanette L. Rodriguez, 46, of the first block of Red Fir, Wood River, was charged Friday with aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer and retail theft. She allegedly drove away from a police officer at more than 21 mph after allegedly stealing hair straightener, a wheel chair and purses from the Wood River Walmart, 610 Wesley Drive. Bail was set at $50,000. With a new fiscal budget set to be in place in a little more than three months, the long-running debate at the Statehouse continues: Does Illinois have a spending problem or a revenue problem? Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said theres been a hollowing out of state government, talking about the historic budget impasse from 2015 to 2017. His proposed budget for the coming year doesnt cut anything. Instead it relies on more than $1 billion in increased revenue and more spending. State Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, said the state needs more money. Human services funding has gone sharply down, higher education is deeply underfunded, and all this does is shift the burdens around to who can least afford them, Guzzardi said. Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendozas office on Monday launched its Public Accountability Report, which houses 15 years worth of spending data on various categories and state agencies. For the category human services, the state spent $21 billion in fiscal year 2007. For all spending, including federal dollars, the state spent $52.4 billion in 2007. In fiscal year 2017, the state spent $26 billion in human services. For all spending, including federal funds, the state spent $73.9 billion. For the category higher education, the state spent $2.4 billion in 2007. It spent about $100 million less 10 years later, or a total of $2.3 billion. State Rep. Grant Wehrli, R-Naperville, said the states financial woes, which includes having among the worst credit ratings, are because Illinoiss previous years of mismanaging tax dollars are catching up. When you look at what we pay in pensions compared to other states, were not even close to being in the realm of sustainability and were an outlier on the high side of what we spend in pension systems, Wehrli said. Nearly $1 in every $4 the state brings in goes to pay for public sector pensions. Data through the comptrollers Public Accountability Report shows in fiscal 2007, the state contributed $1.2 billion to six pension systems, the five state systems and the Chicago Teachers Pension and Retirement System. In fiscal 2017, the state spent $7.2 billion on those same funds. The largest increase was the Teachers Retirement System, to which in fiscal 2007 the state contributed $813.5 million. In fiscal 2017, the state contributed $4 billion. Despite that increased spending, Illinois unfunded pension liability in 2007 was estimated at $45.8 billion. That has increased to $134 billion in the most recent report from the Illinois auditor general. Taxpayer and manufacturer Don Welge of Gilster-Mary Lee said that with Illinois large debts, hes looking at investing in operations he has in other states so he as a taxpayer is less on the hook in the future for the states poor financial decisions. He said the state should apply simple business practices to managing money. [The state] has a spending problem and much more than its revenue problem, Welge said. No matter what youre making, if you constantly spend more than you make youre going to go broke and Illinois is a giant example of that. The city of Detroit went bankrupt as a result of those kinds of policies and Illinois is going faster into debt than any other state. A Pritzker budget official defended the proposed no-cuts budget as a maintenance budget last week to a group in Springfield. The only reductions in spending proposed is how much the state will give to pensions as the administration looks to extend the years for the pension payment ramp to get to a certain level of funding. ALTON On Saturday, Madison County Catholic Charities is holding its 19th Annual Help on the Move Fundraiser at Bluff City Grill in Alton. With help from community based food donations from generous supporters such as Schnucks, Target, Sav-A-Lot, Panera Bread, Operation Food Search and the St. Louis Food Bank, Catholic Charities takes their Mobile Food Pantry truck to small towns monthly to serve rural families who are barely getting by when it comes to putting food on their tables. The program serves communities in Madison, Jersey, Calhoun and Bond counties. We work together with local churches or service organizations in these small towns to gather volunteers to help us register and distribute food boxes to approximately 30-40 families each month who struggle with food insecurity, Denise Brown, Area Director of Madison County Catholic Charities, said in a press release. Madison County Catholic Charities started their Mobile Food Pantry program in 2013 after securing a grant from Catholic Charities USA to purchase a refrigerated truck. When Board member, Tim Palermo stepped up to volunteer as a driver for the operation, the program was off and running and hasnt slowed down since. Since the programs inception, Palermo tragically passed away from cancer, however his memory lives on. Shortly thereafter the Mobile Food Pantry truck was emblazoned with the name The Big Palermo on its side as a tribute to Palermo in recognition of his years of service to Catholic Charities and his undying generous spirit. Since this program started it has served thousands of people who have struggled to put food on their families tables, Steven Roach, Executive Director of Catholic Charities said. Rural hunger is most often unreported yet we find that many people living in small communities all around us are suffering in silence. Many have fallen on hard times due to unemployment, disabilities or no access to transportation or food resources. These families are served with dignity and respect regardless of their circumstances. We try to bring hope to these families in a non-judgmental way. Catholic Charities serves people regardless of their religious denomination. There is a need to provide relief in rural communities far greater than most people realize and we are determined to seek these families out. The Alton office of Catholic Charities also houses the Guardian Angel Food Pantry which is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. each week that serves the surrounding communities with food staples for each family that comes in on a monthly basis. Other programs and services offered by Madison County Catholic Charities in its Alton and Granite City offices include: individual and family counseling, rent and utility assistance, pro bono legal services, MedAssist and Faith in Action. Catholic Charities has been providing services in Madison County since 1941 and recently relocated its Granite City office to the former United Way building located at 1821 Edison Ave. During the fundraiser, two honorees will be recognized for their outstanding community service in Madison County. Jan Manns, the long-time Community Services Supervisor for Catholic Charities will be honored with the Father Jack Quilligan Award for her dedicated and selfless contributions over her 25-year tenure with the agency. Her commitment to Catholic Charities continues even after her retirement in July, 2018. Manns enthusiasm to raise awareness for all of the services and programs offered to the less fortunate by Catholic Charities is unwavering and she embodies the mission of Catholic Charities to bring the love and mercy of Jesus to those who are suffering. This years recipient of the Mary Alyce Beardslee Award is Judy Whitaker, the longtime City Clerk for Granite City. Whitaker has dedicated her life to serving her community in a variety of capacities. She has improved the quality of life for citizens through her work at City Hall over the last 25 years including re-establishing the Neighborhood Watch Program over the entire city. Whitaker has also served on the Madison County Humane Society, the Madison County Police Association and as the Chairman of the annual Santas Holiday Avenue Parade since 1996. The benefit will be held from 6-11 p.m. Saturday, March 30, upstairs at the Bluff City Grill at 424 E. Broadway, Alton. Dinner tickets are available for $40 per person and includes dinner, beer, wine, soda and dancing. Music will be provided by a local favorite, The Owlz Band. As usual, raffle tickets can also be purchased for $25 each or three for $50 for a chance to win $10,000, or one of two large flat screen televisions being offered. For more information, call 462-0634 and ask for Jackie Tucker or visit cc.dio.org and click on Help On The Move. MARSTON, Mo. A Missouri man jailed in Texas now is charged with killing an Illinois woman at an Interstate 55 rest area in October. Eliot Bonner, 27, of St. Charles was charged Friday with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm. He does not yet have a listed attorney. EL PASO, Texas - Gay and transgender people held at a large Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in New Mexico have faced physical and verbal abuse and were placed in solitary confinement after complaining about it, according to a complaint civil rights groups sent to the U.S. agency Monday. The letter from lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center and the Santa Fe Dreamers Project alleges that 12 gay and transgender detainees at the Otero County Processing Center, a 1,000-bed facility about 30 miles north of this border city, routinely suffered sexual harassment and abuse from other detainees, that guards verbally assaulted them and that ICE officials violated their own regulations in denying hormone therapy to transgender detainees. They also allege that they were placed in solitary confinement after complaining about their treatment. "ICE's practices at Otero have created an unsafe environment for transgender women and gay men who are detained there," the letter said. ICE officials declined to comment on the specific allegations in the letter, but spokeswoman Leticia Zamarripa said the agency follows national standards for medical care and has specific policies for caring for transgender detainees in its custody. "ICE is committed to ensuring that those in our custody reside in safe, secure and human environments and under appropriate conditions of confinement," Zamarripa said. A 21-year-old Honduran man who identifies as gay said in an interview that he was continually sexually harassed and fondled by other detainees after arriving at the Otero facility in December. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because his family in the United States doesn't know that he is gay. The man said he didn't file a complaint with officials because he feared retaliation. When a friend filed a complaint alleging that he was being sexually harassed and abused by fellow detainees, he and his friend were both placed in solitary confinement, he said. He said that after four days in solitary, officials told him that he could be released into the general population but that if he complained again, he would be put back into solitary. He was then placed in an area where detainees routinely harassed him. "I asked for a change of barracks, but I was afraid to write specifically what was happening to me because I had already been warned that if I made another complaint, I'd be sent to solitary," said the detainee, who was released on bond last week after he endured three months of abuse In 2018, 37 Democratic members of Congress wrote a letter to ICE with similar allegations of mistreatment of detained gay and transgender people. That letter said 13 percent of the 300 transgender people detained by ICE in fiscal year 2017 were placed in solitary confinement. ICE guidelines allow for use of solitary confinement for people vulnerable to sexual abuse or assault "when no other viable housing options exist, as a last resort." The 2018 congressional letter raised concerns about the length of time that LGBT migrants were kept in solitary confinement. "This is not a new problem. Sadly, from our conversations with the detainees in Otero, we've learned that this level of unlawful abuse, mistreatment and harassment is more widespread and common than we had imagined," said Nicolas Palazzo, an attorney for Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso. The attorneys representing gay and transgender detainees at the New Mexico facility are asking for a Department of Homeland Security inspector general investigation. A 2017 report by the inspector general found "potential misuse" of solitary confinement for gay and transgender detainees at Otero and other facilities. The attorneys also asked for a meeting with ICE officials to discuss proposed reforms at the Otero facility, which is operated for ICE by Management and Training Corporation, one of the nation's largest private-prison companies. - - - Moore is a freelance journalist based in El Paso. Unable to achieve major federal gun legislation in the wake of the nation's notorious mass shootings, U.S. gun-control groups are shifting their focus to state laws that keep guns out of the hands of those at risk of being violent or suicidal. The approach comes as groups such as Everytown for Gun Safety acknowledge that a powerful gun lobby and entrenched American views about gun rights have made it nearly impossible to effect change in Washington. Instead, they see stronger opportunities to intervene in the shootings that account for most of the gun-related deaths in the United States. Everytown last week began a campaign to educate people about red flag laws, mechanisms in numerous states that can remove guns from people who pose a danger to others or themselves. "If you truly want to continue to reduce gun deaths in this country, you have to talk about gun suicide and the tools for preventing gun suicide," said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown. "It's fair to say that it's sort of 2.0 for us. This is just a new chapter." Nearly half of the nation's 47,000 suicides in 2017 involved a firearm, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Nearly two-thirds of gun deaths in 2017 were suicides, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The focus on suicide is a tragically salient concern: In the past week, two communities that have struggled with mass shootings also have experienced suicides of those who faced the earlier trauma. On Monday, the father of a girl who was killed in the December 2012 massacre at a Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school was found dead of an apparent suicide; and two teenagers who attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, took their own lives within the past week, a little more than a year after a gunman entered the school with an assault-style rifle and killed 17 people. Authorities have said one of the Parkland students used a gun in her suicide; the other two suicides are under investigation. "Once again, the Parkland and Newtown communities are mourning after tragedy. I'm heartbroken for these families and these re-traumatized communities," said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, which is part of Everytown and was founded in the wake of the Newtown attack. "While details are still unfolding, we know that access to a gun in a moment of crisis can be the difference between life and death. When a loved one is struggling, we must do everything we can to get them the help they need to survive." Red flag laws allow family members or police to petition judges to remove guns from a person who is believed to be dangerous for a variety of reasons. The "One Thing You Can Do" campaign aims to educate people who live in states with red flag laws about how they can be applied. Thirteen states and the District have enacted such laws, many of them coming after the Parkland shooting in February 2018. New Jersey and New York have passed, but not enacted, similar laws. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to have a rare hearing on gun control Tuesday to examine red flag laws. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who introduced a bipartisan federal red flag bill last year that did not pass, said the goal is to exaime how the laws work in states that have enacted them. The National Rifle Association said it supports the concept of legislation that would prevent dangerously mentally ill people from possessing firearms. But it has not backed any of the red flag laws that have passed in recent months because of concerns they violate gun owners' due process. The NRA supports a federal red flag bill sponsored by Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., and generally believes there should be criminal penalties for those who bring false charges and that individuals should be able to challenge such orders. The group also has supported suicide prevention efforts. Everytown plans to train volunteers to talk about red flag laws with members of their communities, as the laws are only effective if people know about them and how to alert authorities. Everytown also has purchased ads in four cities or regions where red flag laws exist: Bend, Oregon; Indianapolis, Indiana; Jacksonville, Florida; and Western Massachusetts. The retool comes after gun-control groups in the United States have been unable to make the sweeping federal change that was once thought attainable since a bill to enhance background checks failed in the Senate months after 20 children and six adults were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Watts wondered in the wake of the defeat: "Is this even possible in the United States?" Congress has passed one piece of bipartisan gun legislation since, a measure to improve information for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System that was signed into law as part of a government spending measure in March 2018. Gun control is considered the third rail of American politics, intractable and heavily influenced by the gun lobby amid deeply entrenched cultural views about the right to bear arms. The NRA believes Congress has been unwilling to restrict gun ownership because Americans don't want such laws. "The NRA's strength has always been our grass roots organization," said Jennifer Baker, a NRA spokeswoman. "Second Amendment voters communicate with elected officials, and in turn members of Congress continue to vote in support of our constitutional right to self-defense." Everytown and other gun-control groups have focused on state-level bills that make it more difficult for those convicted of domestic violence to get a gun, that allow for guns to be lawfully taken away from those who pose a danger to themselves or others, and that strengthen background checks. Watts sees the shift to the states as necessary because Congress has been unwilling to act on most gun legislation, in large part because the National Rifle Association is such a powerful and deep-pocketed force. The Trump administration enacted a ban on bump stocks last year in response to the 2017 Las Vegas shooting that killed 58 people, but the devices are relatively obscure weapon add-ons, making it easy for both sides to agree on restrictions without affecting gun ownership rights. The bump-stock ban is set to officially begin Tuesday. The state-level shift is also practical. Many of the groups have eschewed the phrase "gun control" for "gun safety" to appeal to a broader swath of the electorate. They hope that advocating for background checks and safe storage of existing firearms attach them to policies that will garner them support with gun owners. Watts says she was amazed when the New Zealand government banned military-style firearms just six days after a gunman killed 50 people at two mosques in Christchurch this month. "In America, a powerful gun lobby has persuaded some lawmakers to stand in the way of laws proven by research to protect people from gun violence," Watts said. "When people see that New Zealand acted so swiftly and that in America Congress has sort of sat on its hands, they feel hopeless or helpless, and they shouldn't." Everytown and other groups still believe this year could be the turning point toward movement at the federal level. Everytown's political action fund spent $30 million, mainly in support of suburban congressional Democrats who campaigned, and won, on platforms that included gun control. Other gun-control groups also poured millions of dollars into similar efforts. And though it faces dim prospects of passing the Republican-controlled Senate, the House passed a bill requiring background checks for all gun purchases and most gun transfers last month. The House also passed a bill to close a loophole in the current background check law that allows a gun purchase if a check is not completed in three days; that bill also is unlikely to pass the Senate. The gun-control groups also believe the NRA's influence is starting to wane, evidenced in part by the sharp decline in the gun rights organization's spending on midterm elections, plummeting 68 percent in 2018 compared with the 2014 midterms. Referring to Everytown, which has received major funding from Michael Bloomberg, the NRA said it believes this is a "false narrative" pushed by politics and points to NRA-backed laws that allow for concealed carry without a permit that were passed this year in Kentucky, Oklahoma and South Dakota. The NRA also notes that 26 pro-gun laws passed in statehouses last year. "The majority of Americans support the Second Amendment and the NRA continues to pass pro-Second Amendment legislation in legislatures across the country," Baker said. Everytown and other gun-control groups also are planning to heavily invest in the 2020 presidential campaign. Peter Ambler, executive director and co-founder of Giffords, said he hopes attention to gun tragedies will spur voters to act: "Every day that goes by where Trump and [Mitch] McConnell and Republicans in the Senate take no action, 100 more people die." The organizations are hoping a focus on suicide can help save lives immediately. Dorothy Paugh's father died by suicide with a gun when she was 9. Her 25-year-old son, Peter, an environmental engineer who worked testing groundwater, killed himself with a handgun in 2012. Paugh, of Bowie, Maryland, believes that a red flag law might have helped her father, who asked for help from friends and a family priest in the days before his death. She wants to reduce the stigma surrounding suicide and make people aware that it can happen within any family. "What a mass shooting does is it shows people that yes, it could happen to someone you care about. When it's a suicide and sometimes a homicide, you think, 'Well, that's not going to happen,' " she said. "But the majority of gun deaths are suicides. These red flag laws really do promise to help a lot of people save a lot of lives." WASHINGTON - Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who is weighing a primary challenge to President Donald Trump, drew a sharp contrast with the president's anti-media rhetoric Monday, telling a crowd of hundreds at a journalism awards banquet that he respects reporters and their "noble profession." "You may not always get it right, but you are not fake news," Hogan, a Republican, said to applause at the banquet for the Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting. Referencing another of Trump's favorite attacks against the media, Hogan told the gathering of political reporters that "you are not the enemy of the people. And it is that kind of dangerous rhetoric that threatens to undermine and erode the trust between the people and the very institutions that are the cornerstone of our democracy." Hogan, a moderate who was re-elected to a second term by a wide margin of victory last year, called for civility, emphasizing many of the same themes that helped make him a popular figure in a state dominated by Democrats. "Those of us blessed by your trust should give you a government that appreciates that no one of us has all the answers or all the power," he said. "A government that tolerates contrary views among a diverse citizenry without making them into enemies or doubting their patriotism." Since his inauguration in January, Hogan has warmly received the courtship of some GOP leaders seeking an alternative to Trump. The governor has acknowledged that a primary challenge right now appears politically impossible, given Trump's overwhelming support within his party. But he says he would consider jumping into the race if the president's base weakens. And he has increasingly ventured onto the national political stage this year after spending the past four years mostly avoiding it. In his speech Monday, Hogan praised reporters and said they "represented one of America's most important and all too often underappreciated professions." He described rushing to the scene of the June 28 shooting rampage at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, where five employees were killed. The suspect had a long-standing grudge against the newspaper. Hogan praised the newspaper's surviving reporters for continuing to work outside the crime scene tape and covering the massacre of their colleagues. The Toner awards honor the late New York Times writer Robin Toner, the first woman to be a national political correspondent for the newspaper. She died of cancer, a disease that Hogan also has battled, in 2008. This year's political-reporting prize went to Jason Zengerle for his writing in the New York Times and GQ magazines. Fact-checkers Glenn Kessler, Salvador Rizzo and Meg Kelly of The Washington Post and Isaac Arnsdorf of ProPublica were given honorable mentions. Past keynote speakers at the awards ceremony include President Barack Obama in 2016 and Hillary Clinton. Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a moderate Republican, also has been a speaker. Hogan was invited to ensure that the awards ceremony highlighted speakers from both sides of the aisle, said Peter Gosselin, Toner's husband and a journalist at ProPublica. On Monday, Hogan repeatedly alluded to Trump without mentioning the president. "The biggest crisis facing our nation isn't a wall between Mexico and the United States," he said, but a wall that divides discourse in America. Hogan also said Americans are weary of a government in which "insults substitute for debate, recriminations for negotiation, and gridlock for compromise." "I believe that you should be able to have confidence in the character and civility of the people you elect to office, regardless of their party affiliation," he said. The governor's speech noted that his father's place in history was documented by the Washington political press corps during the Watergate scandal. Lawrence Hogan Sr., then a representative from Maryland, was the first GOP congressman to vote to impeach President Richard Nixon. Hogan characterized his relationship with the Maryland press corps as sometimes spirited but said he "always had the greatest respect for the journalists." "I know that this is a difficult and challenging time for your profession," Hogan said. "Faith and confidence in the media is nearly as low as it is for elected officials. Welcome to the club." For the Intelligencer GODFREY Professionals from the Madison County Sheriffs Office, Illinois State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) addressed those interested in a career in criminal justice during an open house and panel discussion March 20 at Lewis and Clark Community College. Attendees received information on L&Cs Criminal Justice program, and about the field what jobs are available and what they entail, as well as what education and training is required to qualify. Representatives with L&C Enrollment and Financial Aid were also involved. EDWARDSVILLE Another legal bill for the Madison County Veterans Assistance Commission was approved for payment by the Madison County Board after lengthy discussion in two separate meetings. The $58,870.46 bill covers part of the VACs legal expenses during the 2016 budget year. The County Board approved a similar bill last month after a ruling by the Illinois Fifth District Appellate Court. Questions raised included whether the county was obligated to pay this bill, referred to as Warrant 16-5, whether part of the bill covered personal legal expenses, and potential additional litigation over the ongoing legal battles. If we dont appropriate the funds, were going to have to go to court again, Board Member Mick Madison, R-Bethalto, said during an Executive Committee meeting prior to the full County Board meeting. The case would have been over if we had paid the bills, he added. We spent a lot of good money after bad to not pay the bills. The bills stem from legal fees from legal actions relating to the previous administrations barring of Chairman Brad Lavite from the Administration Building because of a post-traumatic stress breakdown. Two issues still awaiting resolution are the federal civil rights lawsuit stemming from the countys actions, and a county lawsuit relating to what Lavite said was a long-term improper reduction in the VACs tax levy over the past decade. The question of legal fees for 2017 and 2018, and any additional bills for this year, were not part of the discussion. Auditor Rick Faccin said that Warrant 16-5 was not paid because it was not itemized and there were not sufficient funds at the time. One of the issues is that lawyers for the VAC have argued that itemization would reveal information under attorney-client privilege. There is also a question of exactly how much control the county has over VAC funds. The VAC has its own board and tax levy and the county is primarily to serve as a pass-through agency to distribute those funds. Part of the debate centered on the fact that the Appellate Court ruling left paying 16-5 to the County Boards discretion. Treasurer Chris Slusser, who has been working with Faccin and Lavite on the issue, said even though the county has not been ordered to pay, if it does not it will end up back in court. However, Assistant States Attorney John Gilbert and Madison County States Attorney Tom Gibbons said it probably wouldnt. Gilbert also noted that if the county paid the bill, and subsequent bills, it should probably get something in return, citing the other ongoing litigation. The resolution was eventually approved by the Executive Committee, with Don Moore, R-Troy; Michael Doc Holiday, D-Alton; and Gussie Glasper, D-Madison, voting no. At the County Board meeting, debate opened with Mike Parkinson, D-Granite City, noting again that payment was at the discretion of the board. He also noted that a 2016 email from the VACs attorney detailed that at least approximately $6,000 of the bill was for what was at the time personal legal services. Gibbons said his position was that using county funds to pay for the personal services was illegal, and without detailed itemization the exact figure couldnt be determined. The board eventually voted 18-7 in favor of paying the bill. Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447. A New York county has banned unvaccinated children from all public spaces as the state battles its largest measles outbreak in decades. Officials in Rockland County declared a countywide state of emergency Tuesday, announcing that the ban will begin at midnight and remain in place for 30 days or until unvaccinated minors receive the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Officials said minors who are unvaccinated will not be permitted in public places, such as churches, schools and shopping centers, though outdoors spaces such as playgrounds are not included in the ban. "We must not allow this outbreak to continue," County Executive Ed Day said during a news conference. "We will not sit idly by while children in our community are at risk." The announcement comes as measles outbreaks have hit areas in California, Illinois, Texas and Washington, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In New York City, more than 180 cases have been confirmed. In Rockland County, about 40 miles from Manhattan, there have been more than 150 confirmed cases, according to county health officials. More than 82 percent of the measles patients had not received a single dose of the MMR vaccine, health officials said. The data shows that the largest number of cases - 46 percent - were seen in children ages 4 to 18, and 39 percent of them were in children younger than 3. More for you Childhood vaccine exemptions in California would need state OK under new bill Day, with Rockland County, said authorities will not be searching for children who are not vaccinated but are expecting parents and legal guardians to step up and get children vaccinated. However, he said, parents and guardians who are found to be in violation will be held accountable and their cases will be referred to the district attorney's office. Such a violation will be considered a misdemeanor, punishable by a $500 fine or up to six months in jail. Day said children unable to be vaccinated for documented medical reasons are exempt. "Rockland will lead the way in service and safety to the people here," he told reporters. Amid concerns about the growing measles outbreak, Rockland County tried something similar last year. As The Washington Post's Reis Thebault reported, public health officials there barred unvaccinated children from attending schools with vaccination rates lower than 95 percent. He added: Months later, the parents of more than 40 banned children at Green Meadow Waldorf School sued the Rockland County health department, asking a federal judge to allow the students to return to class. This week, U.S. District Court Judge Vincent Briccetti denied their request, ruling it wasn't in "public interest" to allow the children to go back to school. "While no one enjoys the fact that these kids are out of school, these orders have worked," said the county's attorney, Thomas Humbach, in a statement to the local Journal News. "They have helped prevent the measles outbreak from spreading to this school population." Measles is highly contagious virus and can have some serious consequences - pneumonia, brain damage, hearing loss and even death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Before the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1963, most children contracted the illness - an estimated 3 million to 4 million patients each year in the United States, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, 48,000 were hospitalized, 400 to 500 died and 1,000 others suffered a severe complication known as encephalitis, a condition in which the brain swells because of an infection. In 2000 - almost four decades after parents began vaccinating their children - measles was declared eliminated in the United States. CDC data shows that from 2000 to 2018, there were an average of 140 measles cases per year in the United States. And there were three reported fatalities during that time - one in 2002, one in 2003 and one in 2015. SILVER SPRING, Md. - Women who say they were harmed by breast implants demanded that the Food and Drug Administration take new steps to protect consumers, including providing more information about potential risks and banning devices linked to the most serious complications. Telling searing stories about harmed health, disrupted families and lost careers, the women pressed an FDA advisory panel to recommend more long-term research, bans or restrictions on certain products and an improved informed-consent process so women have a clear understanding of the risks and benefits of the devices before they opt for surgery. "I was not warned" about the risks of implants, Jamee Cook, an advocate and former ER paramedic told the FDA's expert committee. Cook, who lives near Dallas, said that after getting implants in 1998, she suffered for years from swollen lymph nodes, chronic fatigue, migraines and a low-grade fever. She said she eventually had the devices removed, after which many, but not all, of her symptoms eased. The FDA said recently that it is taking a closer look at implants, which have sparked anger and contention for decades. The agency asked its General and Plastic Surgery Devices Advisory Committee for recommendations on a raft of issues, and Cook's testimony was part of a two-day hearing, which continues Tuesday, on the key issues. Several plastic surgeons pleaded with the panel to proceed carefully, saying implants generally are safe and an important option for women who want breast augmentation or reconstruction after breast cancer surgery. They said women's choices should not be curtailed. About 400,000 women a year get implants, 75 percent for cosmetic reasons and the rest for reconstruction after other surgery. Many of the dozens of patients who attended the meeting at FDA's headquarters in Silver Spring wore ribbons to graphically state their concern about two types of illnesses they say are linked to implants. Black and white ribbons symbolized what's now called "breast implant illness," a constellation of autoimmune problems that includes joint and muscle pain and allergies and fatigue. Pink and green ribbons signified an uncommon lymphoma that health authorities around the world, including the FDA, link to some implants. Anastasia Allmendinger, a 53-year-old resident of Newport News, Virginia, said she got implants in 2010 and years later was diagnosed with the cancer, called anaplastic large cell lymphoma, or ALCL. She underwent surgery to remove the implants, chemotherapy and a stem-cell transplant, and is now doing well, but she said that manufacturers should be held accountable for the illnesses and that women should be better informed. Experts say many patients can be successfully treated only with surgery. More for you California sues over Trumps abortion-funding restrictions Many of the advocates who spoke Monday called for a ban on textured implants - the kind most strongly linked to the cancer. There is some evidence that the problem could be caused by bacterial infections involving the implants, researchers said. The FDA has identified 457 cases of the lymphoma and nine deaths in the United States. Six hundred cases and 17 deaths have been reported worldwide. On the other main illness of concern - the one linked to autoimmune and connective-tissue disease - the FDA and the patient community have long been at odds. Thousands of women have complained about autoimmune and connective tissue problems on social media, but the FDA has repeatedly said the "weight of evidence" does not show that implants cause "systemic" illness. That opinion was challenged last September, when researchers found that silicone implants were linked to higher rates of autoimmune disorders such as scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis than were found in the general population. A leading author, Mark Clemens, said the study didn't prove cause and effect but signaled a reason for concern. The FDA immediately expressed skepticism, saying the study was flawed. But Binita Ashar, the agency's director of surgical devices at the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, also said the agency is stepping up its long-term surveillance of implants and using patient registries to track complications from the devices. That view was repeated in the agency's announcement about the meeting that began Monday. The FDA said "there is not sufficient evidence to show an association between breast implants and rheumatologic or connective tissue disease diagnoses." But it added, "there are numerous breast implant patients convening on social media to discuss a wide variety of symptoms that they are experiencing - symptoms which may or may not meet the diagnostic criteria to be categorized as a disease." Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Center for Health Research, said in an interview that she doesn't understand "why the FDA seems so close-minded" about the scientific evidence that at least some women have developed autoimmune diseases as a result of their breast implants. "We have always said we don't know what the percentage is - just that for women who are sick, getting them out makes them better," she said. Zuckerman presented data on Monday from a study that her group conducted involving more than 400 women who had their implants removed because they were having health problems. In the vast majority of cases, she said, the women's health improved. The study has not been published yet. The FDA banned most implants in 1992 but lifted that ban in 2005. The agency approved implants made by Allergan and Mentor in 2006, requiring the companies to conduct long-term studies on the impact on women's health. Recently, the FDA has stepped up its scrutiny of the devices. Last week, it sent warning letters to two major implant manufacturers, saying they hadn't conducted required long-term safety studies of the devices and warning them the devices could be ordered off the market if the studies aren't completed. The agency also said recently it would take a closer look at how materials used in a range of surgical implants - including those used in hip and knee replacements - could potentially affect health. As construction of NASA's heavy-lift rocket continues to face delays, Administrator Jim Bridenstine said Wednesday the agency might launch the Orion spacecraft around the moon on the back of a commercial vehicle. The first launch of Orion the spacecraft being built to take humans back to the moon for the first time since 1972 on the Space Launch System rocket was scheduled to happen by June 2020. But the agency this month acknowledged that timing is no longer feasible, signaling yet another delay for the problematic rocket. "I think we, as an agency, need to stick to our commitments," Bridenstine testified at a Wednesday hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. "If we tell you and others that we're going to launch in June 2020 around the moon, I think we should, and I think we can get it done." MISSION MOON: Learn how 50 years of space exploration defined Houston on HoustonChronicle.com Despite its numerous problems, NASA for years has defended the Space Launch System rocket, saying it was a necessary backbone of their human exploration portfolio. The rocket was a brainchild of President Barack Obama's administration and initially was supposed to launch in 2017. So, the kind of paradigm shift Bridenstine suggested Wednesday is a good sign, said Keith Cowing, editor of NASA Watch, a website devoted to space news. "I think this is recognition that in order to achieve the goals the White House has set for NASA, some creative thinking is required," Cowing said. President Donald Trump's administration wants to send U.S. astronauts back to the moon as a stepping stone for a mission to Mars with the help of international and commercial partners. The goal is to put humans on the lunar surface again by 2028. Calling on commercial companies Wednesday marked the first time the idea of launching Orion on anything other than SLS has been publicly floated. Bridenstine admitted he is unsure what commercial rockets would be used for this endeavor or how much it would cost. He told committee members he would have a better idea in a few weeks. "I tasked the agency with figuring out how to make that an objective," he said. Cost "is another discussion, but we might need to request help from the Congress." If NASA flies the first Orion mission aboard a commercial rocket, Bridenstine said, two rockets would actually be used. One would launch the Orion capsule into low Earth orbit, he said, while another would launch a fully-fueled upper stage which provides the propulsion needed to throw Orion around the moon. Then, the two would dock and continue on the mission around the moon, he added. The Orion capsule does not have hardware for docking, he said, so that would need to be added. "Here's the glory of the United States of America," Bridenstine said. "We have amazing capability that exists right now that we can use off the shelf in order to accomplish this objective." EARLIER COVERAGE: Government shutdown causes two month delay for test of Orion's emergency system NASA has two missions scheduled for the Orion-SLS team. The first Orion spacecraft mission, Exploration Mission-1, is meant to go up without a crew. The second, Exploration Mission-2, will launch humans around the moon and is supposed to fly no later than 2023. Bridenstine's comments raise the question: If the agency sends the first mission up successfully on commercial rockets, will the second mission pivot to do the same? A new mission for SLS? Cowing is confident the SLS rocket will never take humans into space. Instead, he thinks it will be used for cargo missions or, perhaps, unmanned missions to other planets. "I'm sure the rocket will work, it's just taking forever to build," Cowing said. "This could open up missions to the outer planets." But the White House signaled Monday that isn't the plan at least not for now. In the budget proposal for fiscal year 2020 released Monday by the White House, President Donald Trump suggested postponing an upgrade to increase the rocket's performance. Under the Trump proposal, NASA would continue with the initial version instead, while the agency would remove from the rocket's manifest a mission to study Jupiter's moon, Europa. That mission, called Europa Clipper, would instead launch on a commercial rocket. Budget documents state that this will save the U.S. $700 million. The upgrade to the rocket's performance also was important to launch the different elements of the mini-space station NASA wants to build orbiting the moon, called the Lunar Orbital-Platform Gateway. With this delay, those elements will instead be sent into space on "competitively procured, vehicles, complementing crew transport flights on the SLS and Orion," budget documents state Boeing was awarded a contract in 2012 to build two Space Launch System cores for NASA, one for the first, uncrewed Orion flight and one for the flight that would carry Americans around the moon. At that time, the uncrewed flight was expected to launch in 2017. But that timeline didn't work out as the project has been plagued with construction delays and cost increases. Boeing declined to comment. So far, the rocket has cost NASA about $12 billion. Still, Bridenstine vehemently defended the rocket, both on Monday and Wednesday. "I want to start with a point of emphasis: SLS is the largest rocket ever built in American history and it's a critical piece of what needs to be built," Bridenstine said. "But SLS is struggling to meet schedule ... and now we are understanding better how difficult the project is and that it's going to take additional time." Alex Stuckey writes about NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey. Canada on Thursday became the first country to partner with NASA on its planned moon space station -- the foundation of NASAs objective for a sustainable return to the moon as a stepping stone for a mission to Mars. The space station, called the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, would allow astronauts to live and work while orbiting the moon. Canada is going to the moon, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during a Thursday news conference at the Canadian Space Agency headquarters near Montreal. Were stepping up. Canada, already a partner with NASA on the International Space Station, will build a robotic arm for the gateway. Called Canadarm3, it will be the successor to the one now in use on the space station. Canadarm was essential to the Space Shuttle, Canadarm2 built the International Space Station, so its only fitting and right that the arm that will repair and maintain the lunar gateway will yet again be made in Canada by Canadians, Trudeau said. He pledged to invest $2 billion Canadian dollars (about $1.5 billion in the U.S.) over 24 years to grow Canadas space program. NASA officials hope to have the gateway ready for human habitation by 2023 and Administrator Jim Bridenstine said he is thrilled that Canada agreed to be a partner on the project. Our new collaboration on the gateway will enable our broader international partnership to get to the moon and eventually to Mars, Bridenstine said in a statement. NASAs reliance on international partnerships has now expanded to include more than 700 agreements with more than 120 nations. Returning to the moon with help President Donald Trumps fiscal year 2019 budget for NASA, signed in February, sets into motion several initiatives to return humans to the moon for the first time since 1972 including funds to develop the foundation for the gateway. When completed, the gateway will allow crews to live and work in the moons orbit for 30 to 60 days at a time, as well as act as a stop-over for astronauts eventually traveling to Mars. NASA officials have said that international and commercial partnerships are crucial to the gateways success. Additionally, the agency announced just last week the first round of 12 experiments that will head to the moon on lunar landers built by commercial companies, including Houston-based Intuitive Machines. Agency officials say they hope to begin launching the landers as early as this year but no later than Dec. 31, 2021. Officials also hope to begin testing landers that would carry humans to the moon beginning in 2024, in the hopes that a crew could be sent to the lunar surface by 2028. We want to go fast. Its important we get back to the moon as fast as possible, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said during a Valentines Day media roundtable in Washington, D.C. An announcement from the Trump administration this week may complicate that plan, however. Russ Vought, acting head of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote an article Monday stating that Trump intended to propose a 5 percent cut to all non-defense discretionary spending in next year's budget. That, of course, would include NASA. Canadas space presence Canada has been active in space exploration since the early 1960s, as the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union raged. In 1962, it became the third country to launch a satellite, Alouette 1, into Earths orbit, which it did with the help of the U.S. The robotic arm, Canadarm, which was attached to the Space Shuttles, flew for the first time in November 1981 and operated for 30 years. Canadians then built Canadarm2, attached to the Space Station, which performs maintenance, moves supplies and equipment and attaches visiting vehicles to the station. Canadarm2 conducted critical repairs on Hubble Space Telescope, credited with altering humankind's understanding of the solar system during its almost three decades orbiting Earth. And the country also is working on the James Webb Space Telescope, Hubble's successor. But the nations human spaceflight program has been less robust. The first Canadian to fly in space, Marc Garneau, went up on the October 1984 Space Shuttle Challenger. He is one of only 14 astronauts the country has had since 1983, according to the Canadian Space Agency. Canadas David Saint-Jacques currently is living on the International Space Station. He is the seventh Canadian astronaut to live on the space station, according to the countrys agency. But the countrys involvement in the gateway is hugely important for its space program. Our participation in the lunar gateway ushers in a new era of Canadian excellence in space and it is the cornerstone of the next phase of Canadas space program, Trudeau said Thursday. Alex Stuckey writes about NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey. Israel's first moon-bound probe is headed to the lunar surface after a successful launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Thursday night -- putting the tiny nation one step closer to becoming the fourth country to land on the moon. The probe -- called "Beresheet" or "in the beginning" in Hebrew -- launched at 7:45 p.m. on the back of a SpaceX rocket. It is expected to reach the moon by April 11 and, if successful, will be the first commercial lander to reach the moon. Israeli nonprofit SpaceIL -- the only Israeli contestant competing in the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition that ended last year with no winner -- built the lander for just $100 million. It is not carrying humans to the surface "We punch far above our weight," said Sylvan Adams, a SpaceIL donor and Canadian-Israeli businessman and philanthropist, during a Wednesday night news conference in Florida. "With Israeli innovation, with Israeli can-do, we've managed to do this on a shoe-string budget and it's something we're very proud of." The United States remains the only country to leave human footprints on the moon. The other two countries that have sent probes to the surface are the Soviet Union in September 1959 and China in December 2013 and January 2019. NASA has signed an agreement to "cooperatively utilize" Israel's probe, which will conduct experiments to measure the moon's magnetic field. The agreement essentially means both countries will benefit from this mission. "We can get all kinds of data and information and good science that NASA needs but we can do it for a fraction of the cost," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told Fox News on Thursday. For example, NASA officials said in October that Israel will share data about the magnetic field of the landing site with the U.S., which will be available publicly via NASA's Planetary Data System. Additionally, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter a probe launched in 2009 that is mapping the moon's surface will try to take measures of the probe as it lands. Also Thursday, a Japanese probe briefly touched down on an asteroid 200 miles away from Earth, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced, grabbing a sample of dust in the process. Japan launched the probe in 2014 and sample will return to Earth late next year. Israel's historic launch comes as NASA shifts its focus to returning to the moon as a stepping stone for a mission to Mars. President Donald Trump's $19.9 billion NASA budget for the current fiscal year tasks the agency with launching the first flight without a crew for Orion -- the spacecraft meant to take humans to the moon -- by 2022, followed by a launch of Americans around the moon in 2023. Additionally, it allows the agency to begin working on the foundation for a mini space station orbiting the moon, known as the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, which will involve cooperation with commercial companies and other nations. "We are building a coalition of nations to return to the moon sustainable and I think Israel can be a big piece of that sustainable return to the moon," Bridenstine told Fox News. NASA also is relying on commercial companies to build its lunar landers, which they hope will launch as early as this year but no later than Dec. 31, 2021. The space agency in November tapped nine companies, including Houston-based Intuitive Machines, to build the moon probes. On Thursday, the American space agency announced the first round of 12 experiments that will head to the moon on these landers. They include instruments to measure the radiation environment on the surface, the hydrogen abundance and the magnetic field. NASA officials said they will work with U.S. companies on reusable system to take astronauts to the surface of the moon. Human-class landers will be tested on the moon beginning 2024, in the hopes that a crew could be sent to the surface by 2028. Alex Stuckey writes about NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey. NASA would face a $500 million cut in the coming budget year under a spending plan released Monday by President Donald Trump's administration, but space agency officials say the budget remains focused on human exploration, specifically to the moon. "This is a really good budget for NASA," Mark Geyer, director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, said Monday. "We're blessed with this budget." Just last month, Trump signed the budget for the current year, allocating $21.5 billion to the history-making space agency. The proposal released Monday for fiscal year 2020, which starts Oct. 1, would only provide $21 billion. The cut comes as Trump has touted the ambitious goal of returning humans to the moon for the first time since 1972 MISSION MOON at HoustonChronicle.com: How 50 years of space exploration defined Houston Budget cuts would come to projects such as the Space Launch System rocket, which will carry the Orion spacecraft to the moon, the education office and a new telescope, the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST). But during a livestreamed speech from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Administrator Jim Bridenstine avoided discussing the programs that would be cut. Instead, he talked about returning sustainably to the moon, as a stepping stone for a mission to Mars. The Lunar Orbital-Platform Gateway, a mini-space station orbiting the moon that NASA wants to build, is a huge part of this plan. The budget fully funds it. "Gateway is about sustainability ... it's going to enable a sustainable, human presence on the moon," Bridenstine said. "We won't be flying there and back, but we'll be exploring and learning about the moon." Congress still must approve the budget proposal, which some Democratic lawmakers have called dead on arrival. Half-a-billion-dollar cut Just a few weeks ago, federal budget officials announced that non-defense, discretionary spending would face a 5 percent cut in the 2020 budget year. That, of course, would include NASA. The cut ultimately recommended is less deep. "Recognizing the importance of controlling excessive spending, President Trump directed federal agencies to identify how they can cut a nickel out of every dollar they spend," Russ Vought, acting head of the Office of Management and Budget. wrote in an op-ed last month. "Hard-working American families make these sorts of tough decisions every day. The president believes Washington should be no different." The cuts came down Monday. And for the space agency, the most notable came to the SLS rocket, which will carry Orion -- the spacecraft being built to carry humans back to the moon. Trump's budget request postpones funding for upgrades to the rocket that would increase its performance, instead focusing on completing the initial version. SLS has faced major cost and scheduling setbacks and NASA now plans on launching it with Exploration Mission-1, the uncrewed flight of Orion, by 2020. The crewed Orion flight, Exploration Mission-2, is set to fly in 2022. Bridenstine on Monday addressed the criticism of SLS, saying that it is vital to the country's plans to return to the moon. "On this point I want to be crystal clear: SLS is not reusable but it is a critical piece of the architecture that enables us to deliver re-usability to the moon," Bridenstine said. The proposal also removes a payload from SLS's planned manifest. A mission that will study Jupiter's moon, Europa -- called the Europa Clipper mission -- would be removed from SLS, and instead launched in 2023 on the back of a commercial launch vehicle. Budget documents state that this will save NASA $700 million. LISTEN: The latest from the Cigarettes & Rocket Fuel podcast The James Webb Space Telescope -- the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope that has orbited the Earth for 28 years -- would be fully funded with $352.6 million under the proposal. Initially expected to launch in 2007, Webb has since been delayed until March 2021 after it breached the $8 billion spending cap set by Congress in 2011. Scientists say they now need $9 billion to finish the telescope. Bridenstine, however, defended the mission. "This administration is committed to the James Webb telescope and our number one agenda is mission success," Bridenstine said. "This mission is so important to the United States of America and here's why: it will establish us as the leader in physics for the next 30 years." While Trump's budget calls for fully funding the Webb telescope, it's successor, the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), wouldn't receive any money. The budget propsoal also eliminates funding for the Office of Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics Engagement -- previously known as the Office of Education -- and two Earth science missions. The Trump administration tried to cut the Office of Education in fiscal years 2018 and 2019, but Congress nixed that idea. Returning to the moon Despite these proposed cuts, many NASA personnel said the budget supported the agency's goals. "Everybody loves to have a destination and the gateway provides that," Flight Director Jeff Radigan said Monday at the Johnson Space Center in Houston after Bridenstine's speech. The budget proposal fully funds the gateway, for example, and provides $363 million to support commercial development of a moon lander that will take cargo -- and later humans -- to the surface. Additionally, it funds a human return to the moon in 2028. "For the first time in over 10 years, we have money in this budget for a return to the moon with humans," Bridenstine said. "Human-rated landers, compatible with the gateway, can go back and forth to the moon. And we're funding them to go to the moon." The proposal also includes $1.5 billion for the International Space Station, while also funding new commercial capabilities to facilitate a transition to commercial activities in low Earth orbit, where the space station flies. Last year, Trump proposed ending federal funding for the space station at the end of 2024, allowing commercial companies to take over operations in 2025. This proposal was met with resistance from Congress, with many questioning whether commercial companies could step up to fill the government's funding role. In fiscal year 2017, NASA spent $1.45 billion on the space station, and that doesn't count costs to transport astronauts and supplies there. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, last week filed a measure to extend U.S. operations of the space station until 2030. A similar measure was filed last year by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, another Texas Republicanbut it failed to make it to the president's desk. Even Bridenstine has said that kind of timeline likely isn't feasible. The budget documents released Monday, however, appear to make no reference to ending federal funding for ISS. SPACE JUNK: Sign up for Mission Moon updates and out-of-this-world space news. "By 2025, the Budget envisions commercial capabilities on the International Space Station as well as new commercial facilities and platforms to continue the American presence in Earth orbit," budget documents state. Alex Stuckey writes about NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuceky@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey. When someone told me that there was currently a heart tour in the United States, I thought he was referring to Heart, the legendary rock band headed by sisters Nancy Wilson and Ann Wilson. I was astonished when I learned just how wrong I was. The disembodied heart of a man who died in 1859 is quite literally touring the United States. The heart belonged to one Jean Vianney, a Frenchman born in 1786 and ordained to the priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church in 1815. Appointed to serve a parish at Ars, France, Vianney discovered to his dismay that many of the faithful were either ignorant or indifferent to religion as a result of the French Revolution, according to Catholic Online. Many danced and drank on Sundays or worked in their fields. Vianney delivered homilies against blasphemy and dancing. If his congregants did not give up dancing, he refused them absolution. Pope Pius XI canonized Vianney in 1925. Jean Vianneys body can be viewed in its glass reliquary located inside the Basilica of Ars. The Catholic Church states that his corpse is incorrupt, which means it hasnt decayed. His heart, which was removed at some point following his death, is displayed in a small but ornate glass reliquary in the nearby Shrine of the Cures Heart. The web site of St, Michaels World Apostolate states that In Europe, it is a common practice to remove parts of the body for relics once someone has been declared a saint. It then somewhat defensively notes, St. John Vianneys heart is not preserved in formaldehyde or in any kind of gel. It is miraculously incorrupt. The Catholic Church has three categories for relics. Vianneys heart is a first-class relic, which is a part of a saints body. An object used by a saint, such as clothing, is a second-class relic. A third-class relic is simply an object that has been touched by a first-class relic. Officially designated as the St. Jean Vianney Relic Pilgrimage and sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, this heart began touring the United States in November of last year. Most of the display sites are Catholic churches. The tour will conclude in June. Over 1,000 lined up to see the heart on March 15, when it was displayed at the Cathedral Basilica in St. Louis. Why this tour? Jean Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests. Peter Sonski, director of education and outreach at the Knights of Columbus Museum and a tour custodian of the heart, was quoted in The Leaven as saying, The church in the United States is wounded now, and we are praying for our priests and looking to a saint who was a model of virtue and dedication to his ministry to help us through this period of injury and to renewal. Less than a week after the hearts display at the Cathedral Basilica, however, Pope Francis declined to accept the resignation of French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, archbishop of Lyon, following his conviction for failing to report a priest who was a known predator to the police. Instead, Francis asked Barbarin to do what he thinks is best for the diocese. Barbarin announced that hell take a leave of absence while his deputy assumes the responsibilities of archbishop. Rev. Bernard Preynat, who confessed to abusing Boy Scouts in the 1970s and 1980s, is scheduled to be tried on sexual violence charges. His victims accuse Barbarin of covering up for him for years. Sonski got it wrong. Yes, the church in the United States is indeed wounded but its also wounded in France and numerous other nations. Many Catholics, including Catholic children, were betrayed and victimized by priests they trusted. Accepting Barbarins resignation would have facilitated more healing than any number of public displays of a disembodied heart. John J. Dunphys latest book, Unsung Heroes of the Dachau Trials, includes interviews with veterans of the U.S. Army 7708 War Crimes Group, who apprehended and prosecuted Nazi war criminals after World War II. The 2019 Economic Report of the President is out, and everyone is having fun with the bit at the end that acknowledges the help of student interns a list that includes Peter Parker, Aunt May, Bruce Wayne, and Jabba the Hutt. The White House is passing this off as a deliberate joke. More likely, someone slipped superheroes in to see whether anyone in charge was actually paying attention, and proved that they werent. But the bigger news from the report involves the supposed economic payoffs from the Trump tax cut. Even the White House now acknowledges that the tax cut wont do all they said it would their wildly optimistic economic projections depend on the claimed payoff to other economic policies that they themselves havent specified. So tax cuts will do wonders for growth, as long as you do a bunch of other stuff, details to come later. This puts me in mind of what Voltaire said about witchcraft: It is unquestionable that certain words and ceremonies will effectually destroy a flock of sheep, if administered with a sufficient portion of arsenic. But beyond that, even the claimed positive effects of the tax cut itself are things we can already see arent happening. So this report is double voodoo, or voodoo squared: it relies on voodoo economics to make big claims for tax cuts, then adds a whole additional layer of magic to get the growth projections the administration wants to hear. A chart everyone is talking about shows a baseline representing what growth would supposedly be under pre-Trump policies, then a higher line showing the claimed effect of the tax cut, then still higher lines representing the effects of things like the Trump infrastructure plan. The first thing to say, then, is that there is no Trump infrastructure plan. Hes well past the midpoint of his term, and there has been not a hint of an actual proposal. In fact, his latest budget significantly cuts infrastructure spending. So his economists are claiming credit for something he hasnt enacted, hasnt proposed, and for that matter hasnt made the slightest gesture toward making happen. Actually, my Voltaire quote is unfair. Trump wants to pretend that he can kill sheep with magic while actually using arsenic, but without actually administering any arsenic, or even asking where he might get some. But wait, theres more. A red line supposedly representing the effects of the TCJA shows substantially elevated growth for the next few years, even without the arsenic. But thats not what independent economists are seeing. For example, the New York Feds nowcast early estimates based on partial data shows only 1.5 percent growth for the first half of this year. And the NY Fed is relatively optimistic; other nowcasters like the Atlanta Fed and Goldman Sachs are showing much lower growth in the first quarter, less than half a percent. The White House explains why its predicting such big growth: the TCJA will cause a surge in business investment by substantially raising the target capital stock and attracting increased net capital inflows. And this rise in the capital stock will cause a surge in productivity. Except that theres no sign of a surge in business investment: the report cherry-picks a few numbers, but overall orders for capital goods, probably the best real-time indicator, are showing nothing much (that 2015-16 slump, by the way, was about fracking, which fell off for a while when world oil prices plunged). Nor has there been a huge increase in capital inflows if there had been, we would, as a matter of sheer accounting, be seeing a huge rise in the trade deficit, not the modest increase weve actually witnessed. In other words, the tax cut is a big fizzle and even the White House is half-admitting as much. Which then raises the question, why do people on the right keep insisting that cutting taxes on rich people and corporations will have magical positive effects on the economy? There have been no, repeat no, clear success stories for this doctrine no, not even Reagan, who benefited from a severe Fed-generated recession early on his watch, followed by a Fed-generated recovery. Yet the tax-cut zombie shambles on. Somehow, despite decades of practical failure, theres a phalanx of billionaire-funded think tanks promoting trickle-down economics, and a loyal army of right-wing politicians supported by wealthy donors who keep insisting that they have faith that the next tax cut will do everything it promises. Really. Why is that? Somehow, I suspect we know the answer. Paul Krugman is a columnist for The New York Times. "Spider (Black Si_VESSEL)" by Kohei Nawa / Courtesy of the artist and Arario Gallery By Kwon Mee-yoo The gallery space is pitch-black upon entering. As eyes adjust, glittering human shapes in bizarre poses emerge from the darkness. Through these figures, frozen in a split second of choreography, Japanese artist Kohei Nawa questions the future of humankind. Best known for his "PixCell" series, in which he covers taxidermied animals with glass beads, Nawa introduces a new series of works inspired by body movements, this time at Arario Gallery Ryse Hotel. The headless black sculptures are in the "Vessel" series, a joint project of Nawa and choreographer Damien Jalet. "About four years ago, Jalet proposed a contemporary dance piece and I jumped into stage design for the first time. The theatrical experience provided a stimulus to my sculptural works, expanding to a new world," Nawa said during a press preview of the exhibit last week. It premiered as a dance performance and Nawa transformed the moments of dance into sculptures. The sculptures are themed on the afterlife and portray how humans seek and get a new life in the underworld. "The dancers hide their heads to express the soulless body. They constantly transform to look like an animal, a plant or an insect. The nonhuman forms writhe in search of a soul," Nawa explained. "The headless posture represents a defiant attitude in the world where it is difficult to define what is right and wrong." The sparkling surface comes from silicon carbide, chosen by Nawa to bring the dynamicity of dance performance to stationary sculptures. "I also think it is a ghostlike material, fitting for our theme." Accompanying music is composed by Japanese sound artist Marihiko Hara and Nawa asked to keep the gallery dark and quiet to bring focus on the music. Nawa is still working with Jalet and new collaborative dance pieces are in the works, slated for premiere next year. "We recently rehearsed the new dance in my Kyoto studio. In the new piece, we are experimenting with merging the worlds of body and material." "Throne (g_p_pyramid)" by Kohei Nawa / Courtesy of the artist and Arario Gallery Three different variations of "Throne" are also on view at the Seoul exhibition. The gold "Throne" is a downsized version of the original installed at the Louvre in Paris under the iconic glass pyramid in 2018. "The original 'Throne' is about 12 meters tall, but the actual seat is about the size of a child seat, because I think current AI is about three or four years old as of now," Nawa said. "The Louvre stores heritages left by all kinds of civilizations around the world, including those created for the king. Even if we do not have a visible king anymore, the king's authority still exists and is likely to continue to exist in the future. Human beings are like that." Unlike the Louvre version with an empty throne, the other two tThrones are occupied by a fragile young boy. "These were created after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami of 2011 and inspired by Katsuhiro Otomo's comic book 'Akira.' The paradox of a child sitting on a throne under the ruins of a tsunami is juxtaposed with the post-apocalyptic background of 'Akira,'" the artist said. Japanese artist Kohei Nawa / Courtesy of Arario Gallery The Hotel Security Manager directs securitypersonnel to deliver a safe Guest and Member experience while coordinating withgovernment and law enforcement, and ensuring compliance with local safetylegislation and emergency procedures. As a Security Manager, you areresponsible for directing and coordinating the activities of securitypersonnel, coordinating with government and law enforcement agencies, andorganizing patrolling of the property to deliver a safe Guest experience. ASecurity Manager will also be required to liaise with the General Manager onimportant matters and ensure that the hotel is in compliance with all localsafety regulations and emergency procedures. In 1996, ActionAfrica Help International (AAIN) became Aktion Africa Hilfe e. V (AAH) and wasregistered in Munich, Germany from where our founders in 2003 moved theorganisations headquarters to Kenya. AAH-I now works with refugees, hostcommunities and other marginalized and vulnerable groups in Kenya, Uganda,Somalia and South Sudan, where it operates across a range of sectors that seekto bridge relief to development. Living WaterInternational (LWI) is a global Non-Governmental organization that exists todemonstrate the love of God by helping communities acquire desperately neededclean water, and to experience living water- the gospel of JesusChrist which alone satisfies the deepest thirst. Living Water InternationalUganda (LWIU) was formed in 2009. LWIU is an affiliate of Living WaterInternational based in Houston, Texas, USA that was founded in 1990 andcurrently works in over 20+ countries across Latin America, the Caribbean,Sub-Saharan Africa, and India. LWI Uganda runs an integrated Water SanitationHygiene (WASH) program in South Western Uganda & we partner with otherlike-minded organsations to provide safe drinking water, Community Mobilisation& Gospel Proclamation, Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion to communitiesacross Uganda. 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. Vote View Results Ex-customers of Extra Energy, which ceased trading last November, have been left enraged after receiving letters falsely claiming they owe the former supplier money, This is Money can reveal. Many have taken to social media to voice their frustration at the correspondence, claiming they have no debts outstanding and have a final letter to prove it - and add it is difficult to contact the firm to set the record straight. Although there is money outstanding from some customers, the administrators - PricewaterhouseCoopers - of whom the debt is with, have admitted that a number have been mistakenly contacted. A number of Extra Energy customers has wrongly received letters from debt collectors One This is Money reader even claimed he received a demand letter from Extra Energy themselves, not the administrators, which raised alarm bells seeing as it no longer exists. After the small supplier went bust late last year, its 108,000 domestic and 21,000 business customers were moved to Scottish Power, one of the Big Six providers. Scottish Power have agreed to honour any credit Extra Energy customers had on their accounts against future energy bills. However, the administrators for the former supplier are now responsible for chasing outstanding balances not paid - and they can use debt collection firms to do so. Ofgem confirmed that Extra Energy's administrators have retained a number of Extra Energy employees to assist with the collection of outstanding debts. A spokesperson PwC said: 'We are committed to working with customers to respond to and resolve any queries as quickly as possible. 'As administrators of Extra Energy we have a duty to recover debts owed to the company. 'We are in the process of contacting customers where the company's records show there is an outstanding debt. 'We have been made aware of a limited number of instances where people have already paid or dispute the outstanding amount. 'We are urgently investigating and resolving these cases, and apologise to those customers for any confusion or concern that may have been caused. 'Where customers dispute the debt or would like to discuss their accounts, we would encourage them to contact our customer service team on the numbers provided on the letters. 'We have put people in place to deal with such enquiries as promptly as possible.' A number of people have taken to social media to voice frustrations about receiving the letters with many claiming they cannot get through to their phone number provided. An Extra Energy customer said she received a 'threatening' letter although she has a final bill This user said she had never even used Extra Energy & the phone number provided didn't work This customer voiced his frustration online after not being able to get through to the number On website, Who Called Me, which allows users to write comments about phone numbers to tell others if they are potential spam and scam calls, people have complained about the number they were told to call in the letters sent. The number has been given an average rate of 'dangerous' with many people commenting that they have been left on hold for a long time or have been cut off when calling the number provided in the letters. A spokesperson for Ofgem said: 'In the case where an administrator of a failed supplier engages a debt collection agency to pursue debts we recognise that in these circumstances there is a limited role for Ofgem as this is outside the scope of our regulatory remit. 'However, if consumers consider they are being treated unfairly by a debt collection agency, they can complain to professional bodies or trade association (if the debt collection agency is a member). 'Alternatively consumers can raise any complaint about harassment with Citizen's Advice and then to Trading Standards.' The Citizen's Advice has provided information about what to do should you find yourself being harassed for a debt you have already paid. It said: 'If you've paid the debt the best thing you can do is call the creditor. It's also worth contacting your bank - to check the payment to your creditor was made.' In the situation where the creditor doesn't agree that you have paid your bills, the charity advised: 'You should collect as much evidence as you can to show you've paid the debt if the creditor doesn't agree. 'Send a letter to the creditor saying you've paid and include your evidence. Ask them to put your case on hold while you're sending in your evidence and they look into your case - they must do this if you ask.' Extra Energy is just one of the small suppliers that have gone bust in recent times including Brilliant Energy, Spark Energy, Future Energy, National Gas and Power, Iresa Energy, Gen4U, Usio Energy, One Select, Our Power and Economy Energy. The Financial Services Commission head office in Seoul / Yonhap By Jhoo Dong-chan The race for a new internet-only bank has begun in earnest as the financial authorities will accept preliminary applications March 26 and today. Two consortia led respectively by Kiwoom Securities and Toss, a mobile money transfer app owned by Viva Republica, have publicly announced their bids for a banking license. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) said the result of the applications will be announced in May. The regulator added it could approve the establishment of up to two internet-only banks this time if they are both qualified, but the hurdle seems a bit too high for the Toss consortium. Unlike the Kiwoom consortium, which managed to form a powerful alliance with big-name partners such as Hana Financial Group, mobile carrier SK Telecom and online shopping mall 11st, Toss has lost strong allies. The Toss-led consortium was expected to easily outrun Kiwoom in its race for the license thanks to strong partners such as Shinhan Financial Group and Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance, but the situation has since reversed as Shinhan announced its exit from the consortium last week. Shortly after Shinhan's announcement, Hyundai Marine & Fire also announced its decision to end its partnership in Viva's envisioned Toss Bank following a disagreement over its business model. "I believe the financial burden was the major reason behind Shinhan and Hyundai Marine's exit," said a bank industry source. Viva Republica founder Lee Seung-gun Landlords who let their properties to social tenants should be given incentives to stay in the market, Brexit-supporting MP Iain Duncan Smith has argued. Speaking at the National Landlord Investor Show in London, the Conservative MP said private landlords who rent to tenants receiving local housing allowance or housing benefit provide a 'vital' service and must be encouraged to stay in the market. This could be achieved by reversing controversial changes to the tax treatment of private landlords introduced in 2015 under George Osborne, which have bitten into landlords' profits and prompted thousands to abandon buy-to-let altogether. Former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith, campaigned for Brexit Duncan Smith said: 'This goes back to 2015 when I think the previous Chancellor [George Osborne] became fixated on the idea that, particularly in central London, too much property was being bought up by people who had no intention of occupying it.' The policy that resulted was a three per cent surcharge applied to the stamp duty payable on any additional properties that weren't a main home. All buy-to-let purchases were therefore caught by the new rules. The following year, Osborne rolled out the tapered removal of tax relief on buy-to-let mortgage interest, hitting landlords' profits even harder. 'I personally think there have been some mistakes made,' Duncan Smith told landlords last week. 'I really do think that we need to ensure we do keep the social rented sector running and with reasonable margins so that [landlords] stay in it, otherwise we are going to be pushed to find rental properties for people, and some of that pressure is already existing.' A survey of almost 3,000 private landlords carried out in 2017 by the Residential Landlords Association revealed that the social housing sector is dependent on private landlords, with over a fifth of the poorest ten per cent of households now renting privately. The number of tenants receiving local housing allowance and renting privately has risen to 1.4million from just under one million in 2008. George Osborne: The former Chancellor scrapped tax relief for landlords However, Osborne's changes to tax relief and stamp duty have made it much harder to remain profitable. This is exacerbated for landlords letting to social tenants, where rents tend to be lower than average. Meanwhile, the Department of Work and Pensions has been rolling out universal credit. This is a single benefit that replaces six older benefits, including housing benefit, and was a policy first introduced under Duncan Smith during his tenure as work and pensions secretary. The scheme means claimants are paid monthly rather than fortnightly or weekly, and there have been numerous reports of delays of six weeks or more before the first payment is received. As a result, swathes of social tenants have fallen severely behind on their rent and, with profits already under pressure for private landlords as a result of lower tax relief, have become increasingly reluctant to let to social tenants on benefits. Asked whether landlords in this position should be allowed to retain beneficial tax relief on their buy-to-let mortgage interest, Duncan Smith said: 'I do think that's the area we need to look at. 'What's changed over the past 15 to 20 years has been the balance between wholly owned social housing and privately rented social housing. We have come to rely more and more on the private sector to provide that housing. 'Even if we build more social housing, it's still not going to get rid of the need for this affordable rented sector, which is vital, particularly in London.' RLA research from 2017 showed that a staggering 38 per cent of private landlords letting to tenants on universal credit had tenants behind on their rent, with the average amount outstanding 1,150. The deteriorating profitability for landlords in this situation has spooked mortgage lenders. According to the RLA's most recent figures in 2019, two thirds of the largest buy-to-let mortgage lenders don't allow landlords to rent property to tenants receiving housing benefit. Duncan Smith said Government should now revisit whether to reverse the changes to tax relief for private landlords renting to social tenants. He said: 'This is one of the areas I have said we should come back to. Should we separate out, not completely, but just look at this area as a social need? 'And therefore it needs to be treated in that way? The returns on it are not great so you need to look, therefore, at what keeps people in the market.' The recently launched AVI Japan Opportunity Trust is something of a rarity in that it's one of only a handful of funds investing in the land of the rising sun's budding businesses. And it's strategy is rare still, as it wants to get stuck in with Japan's cash-rich smaller companies, encouraging them to boost their performance and reward shareholders. Smaller company investing in Japan is not something that UK investors get a great deal off offers to do. There are only four investment trusts in the Association of Investment Companies's Japanese Smaller Companies sector, while the Investment Association's equivalent sector consists of only two funds that's available to the average investor. AVI Japan Opportunity Trust target companies up to about 500 million in size that hold large cash balances and no debt Japan itself has been branded an unloved investment opportunity for some time, despite the return of decent growth in recent times, albeit the Topix stock market is down almost 17 per cent on its early 2018 highs. That rise in the stock market engineered by the policies of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came after a long time spent in the doldrums after Japan's spectacular 1980s boom was followed by a famous bust in the early 1990s. The period that followed was dubbed Japan's lost decade and shaking off the pessimism surrounding it has proved tough. In the past, many Japanese firms developed a reputation for being insular and slow to embrace change. They scared off foreign investors by hoarding cash and producing low returns on equity. But there's a sentiment that the tide is turning six years on from the introduction of Abenomics - Abe's suite of corporate reforms which put pressure on business bosses to unlock their dormant cash and gave investors greater power to speak out against deficiencies in shareholder policies. These reforms included requiring the appointment of outsiders to corporate boards, increased investment in research and development, encouraging dividend payments and raising ROE. The new corporate environment in Japan has seen an uptick in activist shareholders from foreign countries - including Joe Bauernfreund, who heads up the 82million AVI Japan Opportunity Trust. Bauernfreund hopes to extract value from Japanese small businesses by lobbying management to implement incentives such as share buybacks and issuing special dividends to improve their ROEs. Whether this strategy will work is yet to be proven, as the trust only launched at the end of October last year. However, the trust's management team think they're onto a winner, and have put their money where their mouth is by investing more than 1million of their own cash into the portfolio. The general rule of thumb when it comes to new funds is to wait until they build up an ample track record before considering investment, but can an unusual opportunity such as the AVI Japan Opportunity Trust be an exception to the rule? How AVI Japan Opportunity trust invests Top five holdings Nakano Refrigerators Fujitec Fukuda Denshi Sekisui Jushi Teikoku Sen The trust looks for undervalued cash-rich small-cap Japanese stocks to deliver capital growth that trumps the MSCI Japan Small Cap benchmark index. It will target companies up to about 500 million in size that hold large cash balances and no debt. Mr Bauernfreund estimates there are about 400-500 companies with a minimum of 30 per cent cash to market cap ratio - a by-product of decades of deflation where cash was worth more a year later. As an activist shareholder, Bauernfreund aims to unlock value from his positions by engaging with management to promote shareholder friendly initiatives. Under new rules introduced via Abenomics, the trust's management team has the right to submit proposals once it has held a stake in a company for over six months and owns either 1 per cent or 300 voting shares. Adrian Lowcock, head of personal investing at investment platform Willis Owen, says: 'Activist shareholders always sound very positive but you have to look at their motives and see if they are aligned with your own personal objectives as an investor. 'If you are buying into a fund manager who is an activist that is one thing as they are working on your behalf to improve returns. 'However not all activists are equal as some might have short term profit goals which are not aligned with other investors in the business e.g. they want to break up a business to sell all the parts off at a higher price which means they have no interest in the long term potential of a company.' According to the trust's latest prospectus, representatives of its management team participated in 47 board meetings/calls and sent 14 letters to new different companies. This has resulted pro-shareholder outcomes including six instances of share buyback and two 'large' dividend hikes, according to the document. What about the trust performance? The trust launched five months ago and therefore hasn't built up sufficient track record to do any meaningful performance analysis. But for those who are interested, the trust has lost just over 3 per cent since inception to 11 March. The trust's investment philosophy translates to a portfolio with the greatest weighting in the industrial sector (36 per cent) ahead of automotive and basic minerals (15 per cent respectively). The trust's management fee is 1 per cent but its full ongoing charges, which is published annually by an investment company, has not yet been disclosed because the trust has only been in operation for five months. To put this into perspective, the three other investment trusts in the AIC's Japanese Small Companies sector: the Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon, JP Morgan Japan Smaller Companies Trust, Atlantis Japan Growth levy 1.08 per cent, 1.09 per cent and 1.57 per cent. A tight policy on falling to a discount It's not uncommon for investment trust shares prices to trade a discount to the net asset value of its investment, but sometimes, these discounts fall below what the management considers fair value. Joe Bauernfreund also manages the 965million British Empire Trust To this end, AVI adopts a share buyback scheme to boost its shares by reducing the number issued. The management team has scope to buy back up to 15 per cent of shares annually, which can be renewed multiple times within each year if necessary. Share buyback is automatically activated if discount exceeds 5 per cent. Buybacks at less than a 5 per cent discount is at the manager's discretion. Who is the AVI Japan Opportunity manager? Bauernfreund is the chief executive officer and chief investment officer at AVI, launched in 1985 to manage the 965million pound British Empire Trust (BET) which predominately invests in companies whose share prices stand at a discount to estimated underlying net asset value. The trust returned 59 per cent over the past five years to 11 March, outstripping the 41 per cent generated by its benchmark MSCI ACWI ex US index, but lags behind its peer group average of 90 per cent. Should you invest? Japan is a notably different market and economy to others in Asia, and Japanese equities are therefore typically invested in separately. Investment trusts and funds that predominately invest in the nation's smaller businesses may offer strong growth but often with more risk than their larger counterparts. The Japanese stockmarket represents 7.6 per cent of the global market in the MSCI World Index, so allocating more than this from your portfolio to the country means you will be making an active decision to back it over others. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's three-pronged approach to corporate reform to lift almost two decades of demoralizing economic stagnation has paid dividends for shareholders, with the MSCI Japan Small Cap index returning 84 per cent over in the past five years. However, reversing decades of entrenched conservative behaviour when it come to money management among Japanese corporations will not happen overnight and some might try their best to resist change. Ben Yearsley of Shore Financial Planning, says 'Im a fan of investing in Japan, and Japanese smaller companies. Japan is still one of the cheapest markets and the opportunity to buy undervalued companies is excellent. 'Its not just value, there is also some exciting high growth opportunities. The high growth element does come with higher volatility though. 'You probably wouldnt own AVI as the only Japanese fund in your portfolio as the return profile will be sporadic and is very specific. Youd probably pair with something like Baillie Gifford Japanese Smaller Companies or the sister trust Shin Nippon.' Adrian Lowcock adds: 'With Japan having been unloved for decades smaller companies often bore the brunt of that and were considered uninvestible by foreign investors. 'As such they have been fairly cheap and indeed Japan remains very attractively priced today as investors avoided the region thanks to global growth fears, a China slow down and the US-Chinese trade war. 'For most investors Japanese smaller companies is unlikely to reach a significant proportion of their portfolio as the region itself should represent around 10 per cent. 'Smaller companies in Japan have historically been a bit of an either/or investment either they do brilliantly or they fall significantly. 'Although this is changing they are still risky investments. Investors should be aware of the risks and only consider a small exposure to the asset class.' Mike Lynch was accused of artificially inflating sales figures at Autonomy to make it appear more valuable than it really was An entrepreneur dubbed 'Britain's Bill Gates' cooked the books at his software company before it was sold to US buyers for 8.5billion, a court heard yesterday. At the start of the UK's biggest ever fraud trial, Mike Lynch was accused of inflating sales figures at Autonomy to make it appear more valuable than it really was before being sold to HP. Lynch, who denies the claims, faces a 3.8billion damages claim from HP that could see him lose his 470million fortune. The 53-year-old's lawyers will argue that 'irregularities' in Autonomy's books highlighted by HP are down to differences in how the firms applied accounting rules. HP bought Autonomy in 2011, but a year later it wrote off most of the company's value and accused Lynch and other executives of presiding over a fraud. In opening arguments for HP at the High Court yesterday, Laurence Rabinowitz QC said: 'Contrary to what has been said by Dr Lynch, this is not a dispute about accounting standards. It is, pure and simple, a fraud.' Rabinowitz said that in the years leading up to the deal, Autonomy's executives were under pressure to continue increasing the company's sales to make it appear successful. It was claimed Lynch was a 'controlling' boss who must have known fraud was being carried out. In one email Lynch sent to senior colleagues, about a deal that was in danger, he ordered them to 'own this' with 'no F-ing abdications of responsibility'. He added: 'If there is a problem I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT IN A F***ING MILLISECOND.' The lawyer also accused Lynch of 'lies' and 'deceit' over R&D costs attributed to a piece of software they claimed was a major breakthrough. However Lynch's lawyers claim that accountants at Deloitte never raised any issues with Autonomy's accounts before the deal was completed. And they said claims about the software costs being fabricated were 'extreme and unrealistic'. In their opening submission, they added: 'HP's case that there was at some level some underlying misconduct is contrived and exaggerated.' Proceedings are expected to last nine months because of the complex evidence involved. It has been a tough six months for backers of The Restaurant Group in the run-up to and following its 550million acquisition of Wagamama. Worries over the strain the deal may have placed on the balance sheet have driven the share price down 100p, or 46 per cent. But as Mark Irvine-Fortescue at City broker Stifel pointed out, transformational bolt-ons such as Wagamama rarely come along at the perfect time, or, indeed, at the ideal price. He reckons the shares will recover, but this relies on a hiccup-free welding together of the popular noodle chain to TRG's existing Frankie & Benny's and Chiquito operation, as well as realising the planned synergies from the merger. The Restaurant Group paid 550m for noodle chain Wagamama driving the share price down 100p, or 46 per cent Irvine-Fortescue is a fan of the 'oversold' stock, which he reckons is worth 170p. Yesterday it was off another 2.1 per cent, or 2.5p, at 115.4p. The Stifel abacus rattler, newly installed at the broker, took a closer look at TRG as part of a deep dive into the hospitality sector. He also likes pub groups Fuller, Smith & Turner (off 0.9 per cent, or 10p, at 1135p) and Young & Co (down 2 per cent, or 32.5p, at 1610p), believing them to be more than 'sleepy family businesses'. 'With market caps similar to Marston's, and a supportive industry backdrop, we believe they should be on more investors' radar,' the analyst said. Stock Watch - iEnergizer Shares in outsourcing specialist iEnergizer soared 22.5 per cent, or 27.5p, to 150p after it said it expected operating profits to be significantly ahead of market expectations. It performed strongly in the second half of its year as it focused on higher-margin work from both existing and new clients. The firm specialises in building contact centres and administration hubs in the healthcare, gaming and publishing industries, and manages a 12,000-strong team. Wetherspoon, down 2 per cent, or 27p, at 1293p, is rated a 'sell' by Irvine-Fortescue, as it is 'now trading at its peak valuation'. Turning to the wider market, it was a fairly dour day as the FTSE 100 succumbed to the same jitters that haunted Asia's main markets earlier on namely, fears over global growth with a soupcon of the Brexit collywobbles for good measure. The index of blue-chip shares ended the session 30.01 points lower at 7177.58. Goldman Sachs yesterday issued its update on its equity strategy. In this dense 16-pager, it pointed out that in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, returns had been 'flat and skinny'. Its strategy team reckons the best shares to buy are those in businesses generating boat-loads of cash that are therefore able to make bumper dividend payments. A quick scan reveals publisher Pearson (off 2.8 per cent, or 23.4p, at 825.8p) is top of the dividend charts along with Russia-focused Evraz (up 0.1 per cent, or 0.4p, at 594.8p). Possibly offering a more sustainable income stream are the likes of Vodafone (down 1.8 per cent, or 2.58p, at 141.68p), BHP (up 1 per cent, or 12.4p, at 1772.6p), Aviva (up 0.2 per cent, or 0.9p, at 409p), HSBC (up 0.2 per cent, or 1.2p, at 614.2p) and British American Tobacco (off 0.4 per cent, or 13p, at 3073.5p). Elsewhere, shares in Wood Group tumbled 7.6 per cent, or 41.6p, to 504p after the London arm of the American investment bank Jefferies downgraded stock in the oilfield services specialist to 'underperform', describing last week's prelims as below par and 'messy'. There wasn't too much cheer among the tiddlers, as kiosk and display group Space And People tumbled 17.2 per cent, or 2.5p, to 12p after it reduced its full-year dividend for 2018 by two-thirds on the back of disappointing results. Among the risers, Pantheon Resources was a big climber after a test at its Alkaid well in Alaska recorded results ahead of expectations, sending shares gushing up 34.6 per cent, or 5.96p, to 23.2p. There was also good news as Ovoca Bio confirmed its BP-101 treatment for hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women had met its primary and secondary endpoints in a phase 3 clinical trial, with shares jumping 3.7 per cent, or 0.25p, to 7p in response. Bosses at British satellite firm Inmarsat have backed a 2.6billion takeover that will see it fall into foreign hands. Inmarsats board said the deal with the Triton consortium would give it more certainty as it pumps investment into the fastest-growing parts of its business. The consortium has promised to keep the company based in the UK and to maintain spending on research and development. Approval: Inmarsat's board said the deal with the Triton consortium would give it more certainty as it pumps investment into the fastest-growing parts of its business But the deal is expected to face scrutiny from the Government, with critics warning it puts yet another British tech pioneer into foreign hands. It also marks a U-turn by Inmarsats board, after chief executive Rupert Pearce previously insisted the company was better off on its own. However, in an announcement yesterday, Inmarsats board urged shareholders to back the deal. It added: Implementation of the existing strategy would continue to generate significant value for shareholders as an independent company. However, there are risks involved in what is a long-term, capital-intensive strategy. The offer from the consortium would allow Inmarsat shareholders the opportunity to realise the value of their holdings at a material premium. The announcement sent shares in Inmarsat surging 9.6 per cent, or 48.8p, to 555p higher than the Triton offer of 546p per share. The Triton consortium includes UK group Apax, US-based Warburg Pincus, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board. It said it was partly attracted to Inmarsat because of its burgeoning aviation business, which provides in-flight broadband on planes. The consortium said: Triton believes the satellite sector is attractive, with unique characteristics. It is well positioned for growth. Triton also sees considerable potential for Inmarsats in-flight connectivity business in commercial aviation. The companies would aim to put the Inmarsat takeover to a shareholder vote by May 31. So far, only top shareholder Lansdowne Partners, which owns 11pc, has declared in favour of the deal. Inmarsat operates 13 satellites and half its business comes from the maritime sector, where it provides tracking and communication services to ships and planes. However its shares have been laid low by growing competition. Two of Britains biggest firms have resisted pressure to cut their bosses lucrative pension schemes. John Fallon of publisher Pearson was handed 206,000 in retirement payments last year, equal to 26 per cent of his 795,000 base salary. And Warren East of engine maker Rolls-Royce was given 236,000 towards his pension, or 25 per cent of his 944,000 salary. Warren East of engine maker Rolls-Royce was given 236,000 towards his pension while John Fallon of publisher Pearson was handed 206,000 in retirement payments last year Both firms fall foul of Investment Association guidelines which state bosses should not get payments of more than 24 per cent. Fallon is also a member of Pearsons final salary scheme, meaning he is already entitled to a separate guaranteed income of 105,884 a year for life when he retires. In total the 56-year-old was paid 3.1million last year, up from 1.8million a year earlier. Pearson said there would be no change to Fallons pension arrangement this year, although it will monitor the situation. East, 57, was handed total pay of 3.9million last year at Rolls up from 2.3million a year earlier. The firm said it will not change its pension policy this year but added that it is considering the implications of the IA guidelines, leaving the door open to future changes. Chief executive pension pay is under the spotlight at present because bosses are often in special schemes not open to ordinary workers. At Rolls, the youngest workers get company contributions equal to 6 per cent of their salary although the firm is going to significantly increase this in 2021. At Pearson, contributions start at 5 per cent. Meanwhile, Centrica and British Land are both cutting pension contributions for their bosses to meet the new IA recommendations. Other firms reviewing their lucrative payouts include energy network National Grid, plumbing business Ferguson and equipment rental group Ashtead. Ocado shares hit a record high as it struck another foreign deal this time with an Australian supermarket giant. The British company will provide the technology behind its pioneering delivery network to Coles, which is one of Australia's largest supermarkets with 818 stores. The 81million deal was just the latest between Ocado and a firm led by retail veteran Archie Norman, who is former deputy chairman of Coles. The 81million deal was just the latest between Ocado and a firm led by retail veteran Archie Norman, who is former deputy chairman of Coles Norman is also chairman of Marks & Spencer, which last month landed a 1.5billion tie-up with Ocado, allowing it to launch an online grocery delivery service for the first time. And it is the fifth major overseas deal in less than 18 months for the firm's boss Tim Steiner and chairman Stuart Rose, who is a former M&S chairman and chief executive. Analysts said the deal with Coles appeared to be another win for Norman. Laith Khalaf, senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: 'One of the things that you want from your board members is cross-fertilisation of ideas from other businesses they are part of or have been part of in the past. 'That's part of what they bring to the role and obviously it's great news for Ocado, again.' Ocado will build two robot-powered warehouses for Coles within four years, in Sydney and Melbourne. Coles raked in sales of 22billion last year, making it one of Ocado's biggest deals to date. It is a big boost following a major setback last month when a fire destroyed its warehouse in Andover in Hampshire. That meant it took a 4.8million sales hit at the start of the year, but Duncan Tatton-Brown, chief financial officer, said: 'It's not unhelpful to announce a deal after that fire because it gives you evidence of what we always knew that there were no consequences of the fire.' Shares have more than trebled since its first international contract in November 2017 with French supermarket Groupe Casino. Since then, it has struck agreements with supermarkets in Sweden, Canada and the US. Last night experts hailed Ocado. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: 'Ocado is looking appetising right now.' Chris Ford, a fund manager at Smith & Williamson, added: 'It is in position to become the go-to turnkey provider to enable supermarkets to carry out online deliveries. We think the opportunity in Ocado is underestimated materially.' Its shares rose 4.1 per cent, or 51.5p, to 1307p last night. You wonder whether Karim Bitar is having second thoughts about agreeing to take the helm at Convatec, the medical technology group that makes colostomy bags. Just a day after being unveiled as the boss, takeover rumours have surfaced that Swedish private equity group EQT may be mulling a bid. The shares jumped 5.9 per cent, or 7.85p, to 141.75p, valuing Convatec at around 3billion. Bid buzz: Takeover rumours have surfaced that Swedish private equity group EQT may be mulling a bid for Convatec sending shares up 5.9 per cent, valuing the firm at around 3bn That's some way shy of the float price two-and-a-half years ago of 225p, which gave the company a market capitalisation of 4.4billion. February's profit warning, which knocked shares to an all-time low of 118.5p, was the latest in a series of mis-steps. Convatec remained tight-lipped about the prospects for its business and those of chief executive-in-waiting Bitar, who is due to join in September. Elsewhere, the builders provided the market's other source of excitement with a triple dose of good news lifting the sector. If demand for new homes is sentiment-driven, then the mood recently has been dominated by Brexit. So, the UK stepping away from a No-Deal departure from the EU gave some support for groups such as Barratt, up 0.8 per cent, or 4.6p, to 594.6p, and Taylor Wimpey, up 0.2 per cent, or 0.35p, at 175.1p. A note from HSBC took a good look at the sector. Stock Watch - Michelmersh Investors who got into Michelmersh Brick at the start of this year are sitting pretty with shares advancing by more than a fifth in the last three months. Final results revealed the company to be in rude health with revenues ahead 22 per cent at 46.3million, giving underlying operating profits of 8million, up 45 per cent. There was a big bump for shareholders with the total dividend increasing by almost a half to 3.2p. The shares closed 2.8 per cent, or 2.5p, up at 90.5p. There was a raft of price target upgrades, while Persimmon (up 0.2 per cent, or 5p, at 2160p) and Bovis (up 1.7 per cent, or 18.5p, at 1105.5p) were singled out for special treatment as they were moved to a 'buy' recommendation from 'hold' by the bank. Crest Nicholson provided real-world support for HSBC's positive stance as it said it had already secured 50 per cent of its sales for the year. The stock advanced 5 per cent, or 17.8p, to 370.8p with the City also cheered by the news it had poached new boss Peter Truscott from rival Galliford Try, down 2.4 per cent, or 16.5p, to 669.5p. The FTSE 100 ended the session 18.71 points higher at 7196.29 with investors trying to get to grips with the implications of Parliament's power grab. Shares in Carnival hit the rocks after the Anglo-American cruise operator cut its annual profit forecast, blaming higher fuel costs and the strong dollar. The shares shed 8.5 per cent, or 351p, to drift friendless at 3800p. Colombia-focused oiler Amerisur Resources fell 16.4 per cent, or 2.76p, to 14.1p after it said its partners had struck out with its latest well after drilling more than two miles into the earth's crust. Online retailer Mysale fell 26 per cent, or 4.58p, to 13p after a second profit warning in three months on the back of a 'disappointing' first-half performance. Plastics maker Coral Products saw its price crushed after a profit warning. Stock plunged 46.9 per cent, or 5.75p, to 6.5p after a downturn in business from the automotive industry and significant delivery delays. Analytics group Big Sofa Technologies, dipped 4.1 per cent, or 0.17 per cent, to 4.08p despite a number of renewals for its visual insight system, a video-based knowledge sharing product. Among the risers, mobile phone network billing firm Boku got a good reception after its pre-tax loss for the year narrowed massively to $3million (2.3million) from $28.5million (21.6million) in 2017. Shares climbed 13.4per cent, or 11p, to 93p. A trading update trumpeting a 'very encouraging' start to 2019 lifted vehicle tracking systems firm Quartix, 18.2 per cent, or 20p, to 265p. Elsewhere, superyacht painter GYG shares rose 4.6 per cent, or 2.5p, to 56.5p on the back of contracts to help build three yachts. Pay row: Lloyds chief executive Antonio Horta-Osorio with wife Ana Lloyds bosses will be hauled to Parliament to explain to MPs why they gave chief executive Antonio Horta-Osorio a pay rise which more than made up for a cut to his pension. With investors demanding a crackdown on lavish retirement schemes, the High Street bank slashed pension payments to Horta-Osorio from 46 per cent of his salary to 33 per cent, reducing the perk by 154,000 a year, while increasing his salary and benefits by 175,000. Critics have branded the move a stealth pay rise which goes against the spirit of a crackdown on lucrative executive pensions. The work and pensions committee plans to investigate the huge payments to FTSE 100 bosses, and will ask Lloyds to explain its actions. Committee chairman Frank Field, an independent MP, said: 'We will be asking companies to account for themselves when they submit evidence to our review.' Horta-Osorio's pension falls foul of Investment Association guidelines which say a chief executive should get payments towards their retirement equal to no more than 24 per cent of their base salary. In 2018 the banker's pension package was among the Footsie's most lucrative, at 46 per cent of his 1.2million base salary, or 573,000 in total. He has now agreed to slash this to 33 per cent or 419,000 in a bid to placate critics 154,000 less. But at the same time, the 55-year-old is getting a 25,000 annual rise in his base salary, while the amount he gets in fixed share payments each year is being boosted by 150,000 to 1.1million. Lloyds claims the fixed share increase is because regulation known as ring-fencing means he is now looking after a more complicated organisation. But all the large lenders have been through ring-fencing and Lloyds is the only one to have given its boss a pay rise as a result. Lloyds made a profit of 6billion last year, up 13 per cent on 2017. Horta-Osorio who oversaw the bank's return to private sector ownership following its bailout by taxpayers during the financial crisis was paid 6.3million in total, more than any other bank boss in the Footsie. Labour MP John Mann, a member of the Treasury select committee, said: 'This pay increase is completely inappropriate and should be abandoned. 'It looks like Lloyds is simply shifting the numbers around so it can carry on paying its boss a disproportionate sum. 'Not only is this against the spirit of efforts to reduce pension payments, it also takes Lloyds' investors, staff and customers for fools.' The IA pension guidelines are meant to bring chief executives' retirement payments in line with the rest of their staff. At Lloyds, most workers get a maximum of 13pc of their salary towards their pensions. The bank is one of as many as 54 Footsie firms which pay pension contributions to their bosses of 25 per cent or more. While he would not comment on the specifics at Lloyds, the IA's stewardship director Andrew Ninian said: 'The guidance has been clear we don't expect compensation to be paid. We will look at individual cases on a case by case basis.' Money deposited into collapsed investment firm London Capital & Finance ended up in the hands of a small group of people connected to the business, including its chief executive, according to its administrators. Smith & Williamson LLP, appointed to carry out the corporate post-mortem, today called on them to return the cash so it could pay back those left out of pocket by the firm's collapse. LCF went bust in January taking 236million with it, mostly from elderly or casual investors who were attracted by returns of more than eight per cent, which it claimed were tax-free Isas. Thousands of investors lost savings when investment firm London Capital & Finance went bust in January - the administrators had previously suggested investors might get back just 20% In fact, the firm was selling unregulated mini-bonds. HMRC is investigating whether these investments even qualified for tax-free Isa status, while questions are being asked as to why the Financial Conduct Authority didn't act sooner. The administrators said: 'There are a number of highly suspicious transactions involving a small group of connected people which have led to large sums of the bondholders' money ending up in their personal possession or control. 'We are pressing these people to return those funds to us for the benefit of the bondholders and, failing this, we will pursue those individuals, as appropriate, for recovery of those sums.' The people named in the administrator's report include LCF chief executive Andy Thomson, as well as Simon Hume-Kendall, the chair of London Oil & Gas, Elten Barker and trusts relating to Spencer Golding. The administrators have approached all four, asking them to pay what they received into escrow, to be distributed to LCF bondholders. The four could see their money returned in the event that bondholders receive full repayment from the assets of LCF. Smith & Williamson previously said investors faced the prospect of getting back as little as 20p for every 1 invested, as the bonds were not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Hume-Kendall and Thomson have agreed to this, but Smith & Williamson is still waiting to hear from the other two. Both were previously arrested this month by the Serious Fraud Office, along with two other men. All were released 'pending further investigation', according to the Financial Times. The SFO announced last week it had launched a joint investigation into LCF with the FCA, which authorised the firm but not the mini-bonds it was selling. The FCA is also considering launching an investigation into regulatory failures over the collapse. In a letter to the Treasury Select Committee, its chairman Charles Randell admitted that there are 'significant questions' about the adequacy of regulation relating to the sale and marketing of retail mini-bonds. He wrote: 'It is important that we address any inadequacies in the existing regulatory system without delay. 'As a result, we will need to carefully consider the scope and phasing of any investigation we may undertake very carefully.' LCF went into administration after having its accounts frozen by the FCA last December, which had previously told the firm 'the way in which it was marketing it bonds was misleading, not fair and unclear.' Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, Nicky Morgan wrote to both the Treasury and the FCA demanding the regulator look at conducting a probe. She said the FCA needs also to look at whether it acted fast enough against LCF and whether other firms may also be using similar tactics that might be misleading to consumers. The watchdog will convene this week to decide on whether to investigate. Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki, fourth from left, presides over a Cabinet meeting at the government complex in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap By Park Hyong-ki The government's budget for 2020 is expected to exceed 500 trillion won ($442 billion) as it seeks to revive the economy by focusing on revitalizing small- and medium-sized enterprises, startups and low-income households. This would be the first time for the annual budget to surpass the 500 trillion won level. In a meeting in Seoul presided over by Economy and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki, Tuesday, the Cabinet passed the 2020 budget plan with a focus on job creation through innovation and structural reforms especially in services. "It is imperative to push forward the passage of relevant laws that can help boost innovation, startups and corporate investment," Hong said at the meeting. He urged other ministers to draw up "reasonable and efficient" spending plans that will help improve the people's livelihoods. Hong added that the four key words for 2020 will be "society, innovation, future and safety." The budget should reflect the urgency to reduce inequality in society, spur the development of new industries through startups, prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and improve social safety and protection systems, according to the finance ministry. To this end, the government will take the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) suggestion and carry out an expansionary fiscal policy. This could mean a further increase in spending next year up to 7 percent from this year's 470 trillion won budget according to the ministry's 2017-2021 fiscal plan. The government has budgeted 469.6 trillion won for 2019, up from 428.8 trillion won in 2018. However, the ministry said the total could change, depending on tax revenue and the economic situation. "The amount has not yet been set. We still need to analyze expected tax revenue and each ministry's budgetary needs," An Il-whan, head of the ministry's budget management department, told reporters ahead of the Cabinet meeting. "We will take the IMF's advice and be active in carrying out an expansionary fiscal policy." The IMF recently warned the country was facing "headwinds with risks tilted toward the downside" as its potential growth was falling due to an aging demographic and declining productivity. The country has a problem with rising income disparity and a productivity gap between manufacturing and services, as well as between large and small companies. Therefore, the government should allocate around 5 percent of gross domestic product for extra spending, with an accommodative monetary policy to support growth. "There are dark clouds now, and some of those are coming from outside as exports are slowing. We have been hearing negative news for quite a while. We encourage the government to have a large supplementary budget issued as early as possible to support growth," the IMF said March 12. Besides reducing inequality and poverty, Hong said his ministry is considering drawing up extra spending to tackle fine dust. Homeowners can often see the charges they pay to live in leasehold properties surge in the years after snapping up their home, as they are at the mercy of the owner of the land. MailOnline Property regularly receives complaints about spiralling charges on leasehold properties. Now, one owner has revealed the service charges and ground rents at her flat in Berkshire have increased from 1,330 when she bought the flat three years ago to 3,059 today. It is the latest evidence of the eye-watering increases that leaseholders are being forced to pay - and is a stark warning to potential buyers who walk into it without fully knowing the ongoing costs, and future rises. The HomeOwners Allowance report identified the most common problems leaseholders face It comes amid a survey from the HomeOwners Allowance that found 60 per cent of adults say the leasehold system is a serious problem. And it follows a government report published last week that called for the entire leasehold system to be overhauled, covering both flats and houses that fall into the category. This is because a leaseholder only buys the right to live at a flat and does not own the ground that it sits on, which is owned by the freeholder. These freeholders have already been heavily criticised for imposing crippling ground rents that can double in as little as a decade. It prompted an investigation into toxic leasehold deals by MPs, which identified an estimated 100,000 victims. Government figures suggest there are 4.2million leasehold properties in England alone. Last week's report found that some homeowners are finding it impossible to sell their properties due to these unattractive high charges. But ground rents are not the only issue for leaseholders. Service management charges that cover the maintenance of communal areas are now also under the spotlight. One resident exclusively revealed to MailOnline Property that the service charges and ground rents at her flat in Berkshire have tripled in three years. The increase followed a change in the managing company at the property. The homeowner did not want to be named for fear that the new company SDL Group would punish her with further increases. She said: 'It has almost tripled in three years. We created a residents group back at the start of 2017 because of the incompetence and lack of response to any questioning around the increase in charges. 'As a residents group we are pulling our hair out as we are being charged money for nothing. 'This has to be addressed across the country as I know SDL cannot be the only management company operating like this.' She said a full set of accounts have not been provided despite the residents' requests. A spokesman for SDL insisted that the December 2017 year-end accounts had been issued to residents 'via first- class post' and that the rise in charges was mainly related to lift maintenance. The House of Commons housing committee has published a report calling for the overhaul of the leasehold system Last week the House of Commons housing committee published a report claiming it is 'legally possible' for the Government to intervene and help victims of the leasehold scandal. It called for a complete overhaul of the leasehold system and says ground rents on all properties, including flats, should only be 'peppercorn' amounts in future. And it backed calls for the Competition and Markets Authority to investigate the sale of leasehold homes. It also said developers should be banned from offering buyers deals to use their recommended solicitors. Separately, the Homeowners Alliance survey of 2,000 homeowners found that leasehold has been the fastest growing housing issue of the past few years. The 60 per cent of Britons who consider the leasehold system to be a serious issue today is up from 42 per cent in 2015. More than a quarter - at 26 per cent - of leaseholders complained about the high cost of works and management fees while 22 per cent objected to unfair service charges and 23 per cent reported they had a lack of control over which major works are done. Paula Higgins, chief executive of the HomeOwners Alliance, said: 'We urge the Government to take action now to abolish the leasehold system. 'Only last week MPs highlighted the fact that developers, freeholders and managing agents treat homeowners as a source of steady profit. 'As a membership organisation representing homeowners we want to see a better deal. 'If the Government was really serious about this then they should commit themselves to widespread reform instead of the piecemeal approach they have adopted - making well intentioned announcements with no timetable for action. 'They can't hide behind Brexit while homeowners continue being mis-sold leasehold, left trapped in their own homes with rising ground rents and unable to buy the freehold.' The following companies are subsidiares of AON: 6824625 Canada Ltd., 7193599 Canada Inc., A.B. Insurances Limited, ADIS A/S, AIB Services Limited, AIS Affinity Insurance Agency Inc., AIS Insurance Agency Inc., AMXH LLC, ARM International Corp., ARM International Insurance Agency Corp., ARMRISK CORP., AS Holdings Inc., ASPN Insurance Agency LLC, Access Plans USA Inc., Acumen Credit Insurance Brokers Limited, Adm Administradora de Beneficios Ltda., Administradora Aon C.A., Admiseg SA, Admix, Admix - Administracao Consultoria Participacoes e Corretora de Seguros de Vida Ltda., Aeropeople Limited, Affinity Group Insurance Services Limited, Affinity Insurance Services Inc., Affinity Risk Partners (Brokers) Pty Ltd, Agenion N.V./SA, Agility Credit Insurance Brokers Limited, Alexander & Alexander Holding B.V., Alexander Clay, Alexander Insurance Managers (Netherlands Antilles) N.V., Alexander Reinsurance Intermediaries Inc., Allen Insurance Associates Inc., Alliance HealthCard Inc., Alliance HealthCard of Florida Inc., American Insurance Services Corp., American Special Risk Insurance Company, Aon (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon (CR) Insurance Agencies Company Limited, Aon (DIFC) Gulf Limited, Aon (Fiji) Ltd., Aon (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon (Thailand) Limited, Aon 180412 Limited (in liquidation), Aon ANZ Holdings Limited, Aon APAC Holdings B.V., Aon Acore Sarl, Aon Adjudication Services Limited, Aon Affinity Administradora de Beneficios Ltda., Aon Affinity Argentina S.A., Aon Affinity Chile Ltda., Aon Affinity Colombia Ltda. Agencia de Seguros, Aon Affinity Mexico Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Aon Affinity Mexico S.A. de C.V., Aon Affinity Servicos e Participacoes Ltda., Aon Affinity do Brasil Servicos e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Aon Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Americas Holdings BV, Aon Angola Corretores de Seguros Limitada, Aon Antillen N.V., Aon Aruba N.V., Aon Assurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Australia Group Pty Ltd, Aon Australian Holdco 1 Pty Ltd, Aon Australian Holdco 2 Pty Ltd, Aon Australian Holdco 3 Pty Ltd, Aon Austria GmbH, Aon Bahrain W.L.L., Aon Belgium B.V.B.A., Aon Benefit Solutions Inc., Aon Benfield (Chile) Corredores de Reaseguros Ltda., Aon Benfield Argentina S.A., Aon Benfield Australia Limited, Aon Benfield Brasil Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Aon Benfield Canada ULC, Aon Benfield China Limited, Aon Benfield Colombia Limitada Corredores de Reaseguros, Aon Benfield Fac Inc., Aon Benfield Global Inc., Aon Benfield Group Limited, Aon Benfield Inc., Aon Benfield Israel Limited, Aon Benfield Italia S.p.A., Aon Benfield Japan Ltd, Aon Benfield Latin America SA, Aon Benfield Limited, Aon Benfield Malaysia Limited, Aon Benfield Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro SA de CV, Aon Benfield Middle East Limited, Aon Benfield New Zealand Limited, Aon Benfield Panama S.A., Aon Benfield Peru Corredores de Reaseguros SA, Aon Benfield Puerto Rico Inc., Aon Bermuda Holding Company Limited, Aon Bermuda QI Holdings Ltd., Aon Beteiligungsmanagement Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Aon Bolivia S.A. Corredores de Seguros, Aon Botswana (Pty) Ltd., Aon Brazil Holdings LLC, Aon Broking Services SA, Aon Broking Technology Limited, Aon CANZ Holdings B.V., Aon CANZ Holdings N.S. ULC, Aon Canada Holdings N.S. ULC, Aon Canada Inc., Aon Canada Intermediaries GP, Aon Captive Services Antilles N.V., Aon Captive Services Aruba N.V., Aon Cash Management B.V., Aon Central and Eastern Europe a.s., Aon Centre for Innovation and Analytics Ltd, Aon Charitable Foundation Pty Ltd, Aon Chile Holdings LLC, Aon Commercial Insurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Commercial Services Ireland Limited, Aon Commercial Services and Operations Ireland Limited, Aon Consolidation Group Pty Ltd, Aon Consulting & Insurance Services, Aon Consulting (Chile) Limitada, Aon Consulting (Thailand) Limited, Aon Consulting Bolivia S.R.L., Aon Consulting Ecuador S.A., Aon Consulting Financial Services Limited, Aon Consulting Inc., Aon Consulting Kazakhstan LLP, Aon Consulting Limited, Aon Consulting Private Limited, Aon Consulting Romania SRL, Aon Corporate Services (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon Corporate Services Limited, Aon Corporation, Aon Corporation Australia Limited, Aon Corporation EMEA B.V., Aon Credit International Insurance Broker GmbH, Aon Cyprus Insurance Broker Company Limited, Aon DC Trustee Limited, Aon Danismanlik Hizmetleri AS, Aon Delta Bermuda Ltd., Aon Delta UK Limited, Aon Denmark A/S, Aon Deutschland Beteiligungs GmbH, Aon Direct Group Inc., Aon Edge Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Energy Caribbean Limited, Aon Enterprise Insurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Finance Bermuda 1 Ltd., Aon Finance Bermuda 2 Ltd., Aon Finance Canada 1 Corp., Aon Finance Canada 2 Corp., Aon Finance International N.S. ULC, Aon Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Finance N.S. 1 ULC, Aon Finance N.S. 5 ULC, Aon Finance N.S. 8 ULC, Aon Finance US 1 LLC, Aon Finance US 2 LLC, Aon Financial & Insurance Solutions Inc., Aon Finland Oy, Aon France, Aon Global Holdings 1 Limited, Aon Global Holdings 2 Limited, Aon Global Holdings 3 Limited [In strike-off], Aon Global Holdings Limited, Aon Global Operations plc, Aon Global Risk Consulting B.V., Aon Global Risk Consulting Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Global Risk Research Limited, Aon Grana Peru Corredores de Seguros SA, Aon Greece S.A., Aon Groep Nederland B.V., Aon Group (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Group (Thailand) Limited, Aon Group Holdings International 1 B.V., Aon Group Holdings International 2 B.V., Aon Group Inc., Aon Group International N.V., Aon Group Pty Ltd, Aon Group Venezuela Corretaje de Reaseguros C.A., Aon Hewitt (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Hewitt (Ireland) Limited, Aon Hewitt (PNG) Ltd., Aon Hewitt (Thailand) Ltd., Aon Hewitt Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Aon Hewitt Consulting Korea Inc., Aon Hewitt Financial Advice Limited, Aon Hewitt GmbH, Aon Hewitt Health Market Insurance Solutions Inc., Aon Hewitt Hong Kong Limited, Aon Hewitt Inc., Aon Hewitt Investment Consulting Inc., Aon Hewitt Investment Management Inc., Aon Hewitt Japan Ltd., Aon Hewitt Limited, Aon Hewitt Ltd., Aon Hewitt Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Aon Hewitt Management Company Limited, Aon Hewitt Middle East Limited, Aon Hewitt Risk & Consulting S.r.l., Aon Hewitt Risk & Financial Management B.V., Aon Hewitt Trust Solutions GmbH, Aon Hewitt US Holdings Limited, Aon Holding Deutschland GmbH, Aon Holdings (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon Holdings Antillen N.V., Aon Holdings Australia Pty Limited, Aon Holdings Austria GmbH, Aon Holdings B.V., Aon Holdings Botswana (Pty) Ltd, Aon Holdings Corretores de Seguros Ltda., Aon Holdings France SNC, Aon Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Aon Holdings International B.V., Aon Holdings Israel Ltd., Aon Holdings Japan Ltd, Aon Holdings Limited, Aon Holdings Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Holdings Mid Europe B.V., Aon Holdings New Zealand, Aon Hong Kong Limited, Aon Hungary Insurance Brokers Risk and Human Consulting LLC, Aon Insurance Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Insurance Agencies (Macau) Limited, Aon Insurance Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Aon Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Ltd., Aon Insurance Management Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (Antilles) N.V., Aon Insurance Managers (Barbados) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Bermuda) Ltd, Aon Insurance Managers (Cayman) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Dublin) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Guernsey) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Holdings) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Isle of Man) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Liechtenstein) AG, Aon Insurance Managers (Luxembourg) S.A., Aon Insurance Managers (Malta) PCC Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (Puerto Rico) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers (Shannon) Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (USA) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers (USVI) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers Gibraltar Ltd., Aon Insurance Micronesia (Guam) Inc, Aon Insurance Underwriting Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Philippines Inc., Aon International Cooperatief U.A., Aon International Energy Inc., Aon International Holdings Inc., Aon Investment Holdings Ireland Limited, Aon Israel Insurance Brokerage Ltd., Aon Italia S.r.l., Aon Japan Ltd, Aon Jauch & Hubener Gesellschaft m.b.H., Aon Korea Inc., Aon Latam Holdings N.V., Aon Lead QI B.V., Aon Life Agency of Texas Inc., Aon Life Agente de Seguros S.A. de C.V., Aon Life Insurance Company, Aon MacDonagh Boland Group Ltd, Aon Majan LLC, Aon Management Consulting Taiwan Ltd., Aon Mauritius Holdings, Aon Meeus Assurantien B.V., Aon Mexico Business Support SA de CV, Aon Mexico Holdings LLC, Aon Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., Aon Middle East Co LLC, Aon Nederland C.V., Aon Netherlands Operations B.V., Aon Neudorf Finance S.a.r.l., Aon New Zealand, Aon New Zealand Group ULC, Aon Norway AS, Aon Overseas Holdings Limited, Aon PHI Acquisition Corporation of California, Aon PMI International Limited, Aon Parizeau Inc., Aon Pension Trustees Limited, Aon Pensions Insurance Brokers GmbH, Aon Polska Services Sp. z o.o., Aon Polska Sp. z o.o., Aon Portugal - Consultores Unipessoal Lda., Aon Portugal - Corretores de Seguros S.A., Aon Premium Finance LLC, Aon Private Risk Management Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Private Risk Management of California Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Product Design & Development Australia Pty Limited, Aon Product Design and Development New Zealand Limited, Aon Product Risk Services Hong Kong Limited, Aon Property Risk Consulting Inc., Aon Qatar LLC, Aon Re (Thailand) Limited, Aon Re Bertoldi - Corretagem de Resseguros S.A., Aon Re Bolivia S.A. Corredores de Reaseguros, Aon Re Canada Holdings SARL, Aon Real Estate B.V., Aon Realty Services Inc., Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc., Aon Retirement Plan Advisors LLC, Aon Retirement Solutions Limited, Aon Risiko & Unternehmensberatungs GmbH, Aon Risk & Asset Management Pty Ltd, Aon Risk Consultants Inc., Aon Risk Insurance Services West Inc., Aon Risk Management (Pty) Ltd, Aon Risk Services (Chile) Corredores de Seguros Limitada, Aon Risk Services (Holdings) of Latin America Inc., Aon Risk Services (Holdings) of the Americas Inc., Aon Risk Services (NI) Limited, Aon Risk Services (PNG) Ltd., Aon Risk Services (Thailand) Limited, Aon Risk Services Argentina S.A., Aon Risk Services Australia Limited, Aon Risk Services Canada Inc., Aon Risk Services Central Inc., Aon Risk Services Colombia SA Corredores de Seguros, Aon Risk Services Companies Inc., Aon Risk Services EMEA B.V., Aon Risk Services Ecuador S.A. Agencia Asesora Productora de Seguros, Aon Risk Services Holdings (Chile ) Ltda., Aon Risk Services Inc. of Florida, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Hawaii, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Maryland, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Washington D.C., Aon Risk Services Northeast Inc., Aon Risk Services South Inc., Aon Risk Services Southwest Inc., Aon Risk Services Venezuela Corretaje de Seguros C.A., Aon Risk Solutions (Cayman) Ltd., Aon Risk Solutions Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas SA de CV, Aon Risk Solutions of Puerto Rico Inc., Aon Riskminder A/S, Aon Romania Broker de Asigurare - Reasigurare SRL, Aon Rus Insurance Brokers LLC, Aon Rus LLC, Aon S.p.A. Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers, Aon Saver Limited, Aon Securities (Hong Kong) Limited, Aon Securities Investment Management Inc., Aon Securities LLC, Aon Securities Limited, Aon Service Corporation, Aon Services (Guernsey) Ltd, Aon Services (Malta) Ltd, Aon Services Group Inc., Aon Services Hong Kong Limited, Aon Services Pty Ltd., Aon Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerligi ve A.S., Aon Soluciones S.A., Aon Soluciones S.A.C., Aon Southern Europe UK Limited, Aon Sp. z o.o., Aon Special Risk Resources Inc., Aon Superannuation (PNG) Limited, Aon Superannuation Pty Limited, Aon TC Holdings Inc., Aon Taiwan Ltd., Aon Treasury Ireland Limited, Aon Trust Company LLC, Aon Trust Corporation Limited, Aon Trust Services B.V., Aon UK Group Limited, Aon UK Holdings Intermediaries Limited, Aon UK Limited, Aon UK Trustees Limited, Aon US & International Holdings Limited, Aon US Holdings 2 Inc., Aon US Holdings Inc., Aon Ukraine LLC, Aon Underwriting Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Underwriting Managers (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Underwriting Managers Inc., Aon Versicherungsberatungs GmbH, Aon Versicherungsmakler Deutschland GmbH, Aon Vietnam Limited, Aon Ward Financial Corporation, Aon-COFCO Insurance Brokers Co. Ltd., Aon/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services Inc., Asevasa Argentina S.A., Asevasa Caricam S.A., Asevasa Chile Peritaciones e Ingenieria de Riesgos S.A., Asevasa Mexico S.A. de C.V., Asevasa Panama S.A., Asian Reinsurance Underwriters Limited, Asscom Insurance Brokers S.r.l., Association of Rural and Small Town Americans, Associacao Instituto Aon, Assurance Licensing Services Inc., B E P International Corp., B.V. Assurantiekantoor Langeveldt-Schroder, BMS Insurance Agency L.L.C., Bacon & Woodrow Partnerships (Ireland) Limited, Bacon & Woodrow Partnerships Limited, Bain Hogg Group Limited (in liquidation), Baltolink UADBB, Bankassure Insurance Services Limited, Bayfair Insurance Centre Limited, Beaubien Finance Ireland Limited, Beaubien Finance Limited, Beaubien UK Finance Limited, Becketts (Trustees) Limited, Becketts Limited, Beech Hill Pension Trustees Ltd, Bekouw Mendes C.V., Benefit Marketing Solutions L.L.C., Benfield Advisory Inc., Benfield Corredores de Reaseguro Ltda., Benfield Finance (London) LLC, Benfield Group, Benfield Investment Holdings Limited, Benfield Juniperus Holdings Limited, Benfield do Brasil Participacoes Ltda. (dormant), Benton Finance Ireland Limited, Benton Finance Limited, Blanch Americas Inc., Bowes & Company Inc. of New York, CEREP III Secondary Manager LLC, CFSSG Real Estate Partners I LLC, CFSSG Real Estate Partners II LLC, CIF-H GP LLC, Cammack Health LLC, Cananwill Corporation, Cananwill Inc., Cardea Health Solutions Limited, Casablanca Intermediation Company Sarl, Celinvest Amsterdam B.V., Chapka Assurances SAS, Citadel Insurance Managers Inc., CoCubes, CoSec 2000 Limited, Coalition for Benefits Equality and Choice, Cocubes Technologies Private Limited, Coles Hewitt Partnership, Contingency Insurance Brokers Limited, Contractsure Limited, CoverWallet, Coverall S.r.l. Insurance and Reinsurance Underwriting Agency, Credit Insurance Brokers (Reynolds) Limited, Crion N.V., Custom Benefit Programs Inc., Cut-e, Cut-e (UK) Limited, Cut-e Assessment (Hong Kong) Limited, Cut-e Assessment Solutions Europe Limited, Cut-e Australia Pty Limited, Cut-e Consult DMCC, Cut-e Danmark A/S, Cut-e Finland Oy, Cut-e GmbH, Cut-e Ireland Limited, Cut-e Nordic AS, Cut-e Norge AS, Cytelligence, Delany Bacon & Woodrow Partnership, Dempsey Partners, Denney O'Hara (Life & Pensions) Limited, Doveland Services Limited, E. W. Blanch Holdings Limited, E. W. Blanch Investments Limited, E.W. Blanch Capital Risk Solutions Inc., E.W. Blanch International Inc., EW Blanch Limited, Elysium Digital IP Products LLC, Elysium Digital L.L.C., Ennis Knupp Secondary Market Services LLC, Essar Insurance Services Limited, Exploitatiemaatschappij Beukenlaan 68-72 B.V., Farmaseg - Solucoes Assistencia e Servicos Empresariais Ltda., Farmsure Limited [In strike-off], Finaccord Limited, Financial & Professional Risk Solutions Inc., Futurity Group Inc., GTCR/AAM Blocker Corp., Ge.f.it. S.r.l., Gefass S.r.l., Glenrand M I B (Mocambique) Corretores de Seguros Limitada, Global Safe Insurance Brokers S.r.l., Globe Events Management, Gotham Digital Science LLC, Gotham Digital Science Ltd., Grant Liddell Financial Advisor Services Pty Ltd, Grant Park Capital LLC, Groupe-Conseil Aon Inc., Grupo Innovac Sociedad de Correduria de Seguros SA, HIA Insurance Services Pty Ltd., Hall Rhodes Holdings Limited, Hall Rhodes Limited, Hamburger Gesellschaft zur Forderung des Versicherungswesens mbH, Harbourview West Lake Co-Invest (GP) LP, Health Index Advisors LLC, Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, Henderson Corporate Insurance Brokers Limited, Henderson Insurance Brokers Limited, Henderson Insurance Partnership Limited [In strike-off], Henderson Risk Management Limited, Hewitt Amalco 3 ULC, Hewitt Amalco 4 ULC, Hewitt Amalco 5 ULC, Hewitt Associates (a partnership), Hewitt Associates Administradora e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Hewitt Associates Corp., Hewitt Associates Outsourcing Limited, Hewitt Associates Pty Ltd, Hewitt Associates S.C., Hewitt Associates SAS, Hewitt Associates Servicos de Recursos Humanos Ltda., Hewitt Beneficios Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Hewitt Holdings Canada Company, Hewitt Insurance Brokerage LLC, Hewitt Insurance Inc., Hewitt International Holdings LLC, Hewitt Management Ltd., Hewitt Risk Management Services Limited, Hewitt Western Management Amalco Inc., Hogg Group Limited, Hogg Robinson North America Inc., Huntington T. Block Insurance Agency Inc., I. Beck Insurance Agency (1994) Ltd., IAO Actuarial Consulting Services Canada Inc., INPOINT INC., IRM/GRC Holding Inc., Impact Forecasting L.L.C., Inspiring Benefits, Inspiring Benefits Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Insuractive Limited [In strike-off], Insurance Broker Aon Kazakhstan LLP, International Risk Management (Americas) Inc., International Risk Management Group Ltd, International Space Brokers Europe Limited, International Space Brokers France, International Space Brokers Inc., International Space Brokers Limited, Inversiones Benfield Chile Ltda., J H Minet Puerto Rico Inc., J. Allan Brown Consultants Inc., JDPT Manager LLC, Jenner Fenton Slade Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Credit Insurance) Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Insurances) Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Life & Pensions) Limited, Johnson Rooney Welch Inc., K & K Insurance Brokers Inc. Canada, K & K Insurance Group Inc., K & K Insurance Group of Florida Inc., K2 Technologies Inc., KVT GP LLC, Kloud S.a.r.l., Krumlin Hall Limited, Lake Erie Real Estate General Partner Limited, Lake Tahoe GP LLC, Lake Tahoe II GP LLC, Lake Tahoe III GP LLC, Lake Tahoe IV GP LLC, Lenzi Paolo Broker di Assicurazioni S.r.l., Lincolnshire Insurance Company PCC Limited, Linx Underwriting Solutions Inc., Lombard Trustee Company Limited, M.A. Shakeel Management Ltd. Amalco, MacDonagh Boland Crotty MacRedmond Ltd, Marinaro Dundas S.A., Marinaro Dundas SA, Mark Kelly Insurance and Financial Services PTY LTD, McLagan (Aon) Limited, McLagan Partners Asia Inc., McLagan Partners Inc., Membership Leasing Trust, Minet Consultancy Services Ltd, Minet Group, Minet Holdings Inc., Minet Inc., Minet Re North America Inc., Modern Survey Inc., Muirfield Underwriters Ltd., NBS Nominees Limited, National Insurance Office Ltd., Nauman Insurance Brokers Limited, Nexus Insurance Brokers Limited, One Underwriting Agency GmbH, One Underwriting B.V., One Underwriting Health B.V., One Underwriting Pty Ltd, Optica Agency A/S, Optimum Risk Solutions Limited, Ovatio Courtage SAS, P.G. Bradley & Co Limited, PGOF Manager 1 LLC, PRORUCK Ruckversicherungs Aktiengesellschaft, PT Aon Benfield Indonesia, PT Aon Hewitt Indonesia, PT Aon Indonesia, PWZ AG, Paragon Strategic Solutions Inc., PathWise Solutions LLC, Penn Square Manager 1 LLC, Penn Square Manager II LLC, Portus Consulting, Portus Consulting (Leamington) Limited, Portus Consulting Limited, Portus Online LLP, Praesidium S.p.A. - Soluzioni Assicurative per il Management, Premier Auto Finance Inc., Private Client Trustees Ltd., Private Equity Partnership Structures I LLC, Probabilitas N.V./SA, Protective Marketing Enterprises Inc., Randolph Finance Unlimited Company, Rasini Vigano Limited, Redwoods Dental Underwriters Inc., Richard Kiddle (Insurance Brokers) Limited, Risk Laboratories LLC, Riskikonsultatsioonide OU, Ronnie Elementary Insurance Agency Ltd, SA Special Situations General Partner LLC, SG IFFOXX Assekuranzmaklergesellschaft mbH, SLE Worldwide Limited, SN Re S.A., Salud Riesgos y Recursos Humanos Consultores Ltda. (former Aon Corporte Advisors Ltda.), SchneiderGolling IFFOXX Assekuranzmakler AG, SchneiderGolling Industrie Assekuranzmaklergesellschaft mbH, Scritch Inc., Shanghai Kayi Information Technology Co. Ltd, Sheppard Netherlands B.V., Specialty Benefits Inc., Sports Insure Limited [In strike-off], Strategic Manager-III LLC, Stroz Friedberg (Asia) Limited, Stroz Friedberg Inc., Stroz Friedberg LLC, Stroz Friedberg Limited, Stroz Friedberg Risk Management Limited, Superannuation Management Nominees Limited, Suresport Limited [In strike-off], Swire Blanch MSTC II SA, Swire Blanch MSTC SA, TTG BRPTP GP LLC, TTG Cayuga Bavaria Intermediate 2 S.a.r.l, TTG Core Plus Investments LLC, TTG German Investments I LLC, TTG Investments II LLC, TTG Irish Investments I LLC, TTG Manager LLC, Tecsefin S.A. en liquidacion, The Aon Ireland Mastertrustee Limited, The Aon MasterTrustee Limited, The John Reynolds Company Limited, The Key West Saxon Group LLC, The Townsend Group Inc, The Townsend Group LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager I LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager II LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager III LLC, Townsend Group Asia Limited, Townsend Group Europe Ltd., Townsend HWL GP Ltd., Townsend Holdings LLC, Townsend Lake Constance GP Limited, Townsend REF GP LLC, Townsend Re Global GP Limited, Townsend SO Manager I LLC, UAB One Underwriting, UADBB Aon Baltic, UK Credit Insurance Specialists Limited, UNIT Versicherungsmakler GmbH, US Underwriting Solutions S.r.l., USLP Underwriting Solutions LP, Underwriters Marine Services Inc., Unidelta AG, Unirobe Meeus Groep, UnitedPensions Deutschland AG, Univers Workplace Solutions, VERO Management AG, Ventiv Technology, WT Government Services LLC, WT Technologies LLC, Wannet Speciale Verzekeringen B.V., Wannet Sports Insurance GmbH, Ward Financial Group Inc., West Lake General Partner LLC, West Lake II GP LLC, Wexford Underwriting Managers Inc., White Rock Insurance (Americas) Ltd., White Rock Insurance (Europe) PCC Limited, White Rock Insurance (Gibraltar) PCC Ltd., White Rock Insurance (Guernsey) ICC Limited, White Rock Insurance (Netherlands) PCC Limited, White Rock Insurance (SAC) Ltd., White Rock Insurance Company PCC Ltd., White Rock Insurance PCC (Isle of Man) Limited, White Rock Services (Bermuda) Ltd., White Rock USA Ltd., Willis Towers Watson, Worldwide Integrated Services Company, Wrapid Specialty Inc., Zalba-Caldu Correduria de Seguros SA, and cut-e USA Inc.. Power Financial Corporation provides financial services in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia. It offers life, disability, critical illness, and health insurance products, as well as wealth savings and income products, and specialty products. The company also provides financial products, including employer-sponsored defined contribution plans, individual retirement accounts, enrollment services, communication materials, investment options and education services, fund management services, and investment and advisory services. In addition, it offers protection and wealth management products, such as payout annuity products; reinsurance products; and sub-advisory services. Further, the company provides mutual funds, pooled funds, segregated funds, separate accounts, and other investment vehicles; securities, mortgages, and other financial services; and investment management services. It offers its products primarily through distribution network of third-party financial advisors, consultants, and independent financial advisors. The company was founded in 1984 and is based in Montreal, Canada. Power Financial Corporation is a subsidiary of Power Corporation of Canada. Read More Zurich Insurance Group AG is a holding company, which engages in the provision of insurance products and related services. It operates through the following segments: Property and Casualty Regions, Life Regions, Farmers, Group Functions and Operations, and Non-Core Businesses. The Property and Casualty Regions segment provides motor, home and commercial products and services for individuals, as well as small and large businesses on both a local and global basis. The Life Regions segment refers to the comprehensive range of life and health insurance products on both an individual and a group basis, including annuities, endowment and term insurance, unit-linked and investment-oriented products, as well as full private health, supplemental health and long-term care insurance. The Farmers segment includes non-claims administrative and management services to the Farmers Exchanges, which are owned by policyholders. The Group Functions and Operations segment comprises the Group s Holding and Financing and Headquarters activities. The Non-Core Businesses segment includes insurance and reinsurance businesses that the Group does not consider core to its operations and that are therefore mos Read More By Lee Kyung-min Kakao Bank has launched a service to help its customers open a securities service account, the firm said Tuesday. The new service will be offered in cooperation with Korea Investment and Securities, a subsidiary of Korea Investment Holdings. Under the collaboration, a Kakao Bank customer will be allowed to open an account with Korea Investment and Securities with a simple click of a button. The simplified procedure will provide a more user-friendly service, as similar procedures offered by other brokerages included submission of statements specifying personal information including name, home addresses and phone numbers. Various promotional events are taking place including offering an immediate balance of 20,000 won ($17). Half will be wired to the bank account and the other half to the securities account. Those who trade Korean stocks after opening a brokerage account through Kakao Bank will be given an additional 5,000 won per month for up to one year. The amount will be given regardless of the minimum transaction requirements. Brokerage commission fees will be exempted for an unlimited period of time for customers who use the home trading system or mobile trading system. "This is a meaningful cooperation. This is our first joint project whereby consumer experience will be significantly improved as our tailored service will maximize their satisfaction," a Kakao Bank official said. Kakao Bank plans to expand the service to make it available to more brokerages in the coming months. The bank plans to expand the service to strengthen mobile and online platforms. "Possible services to be pursued include selling funds, or insurance products in the form of bancassurance. We are open to all options to broaden our business perspective," he added. U.S. President Donald Trump listens in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington, March 25. AP U.S. President Donald Trump was open to easing sanctions on North Korea at last month's summit with Kim Jong-un, but was thwarted by his top aides, according to a senior Pyongyang official. Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui made the remarks at a press conference in the North Korean capital on March 15, which was widely reported on for her threat to abandon denuclearization negotiations with the U.S. Yonhap News Agency obtained a copy of her opening remarks. According to the text, Choe said Trump was "flexible" about reaching a deal at the Feb. 27-28 summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, which ultimately collapsed without any accord. "When we tabled a realistic proposal, President Trump was of the flexible position that a deal could be possible if it contained a reference to the fact that sanctions removal would be reversible in the event that North Korea resumed nuclear activities," she said. The vice foreign minister continued that a "meaningful outcome" was not reached because U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton "created an obstacle in the constructive negotiation efforts of the two leaders with extant hostility and mistrust." Choe's accusations against Pompeo and Bolton were previously reported and subsequently denied by both men. If Trump's alleged openness to a "snapback" clause is true, it could explain his decision last week to hold back on additional sanctions on North Korea. That announcement came after the U.S. Treasury Department did impose sanctions on two Chinese shipping companies accused of helping the North evade sanctions. Choe also claimed that Kim has tried to negotiate with the U.S. despite "much opposition and challenge" within his own country. "Our people, and especially our military and munitions industry, are writing thousands of petition letters to our State Affairs Commission Chairman Comrade to urge against giving up our nuclear (program) at any cost," she said. (Yonhap) ALBANY State Sen. Neil Breslin is pushing legislation that would significantly raise the minimum insurance requirements that upstate limousine companies carry on their vehicles. The bill comes in the wake of the tragic limousine crash in Schoharie last October in which 20 people were killed. The limousine, operating illegally, was carrying 17 passengers from Amsterdam to Cooperstown on a birthday celebration when it careened through a stop sign at the bottom of a steep hill at the intersection of Routes 30 and 30A, crashing head on into a shallow ravine adjacent to the Apple Barrel Country Store and Cafe. The driver, 17 passengers and two bystanders died from traumatic blunt-force injuries suffered during the crash. It remains unclear what level of insurance coverage the limousine's owner, Prestige Limousine of Wilton, had at the time of the crash. The company also had not sought the proper authorization from the state Department of Motor Vehicles to operate the vehicle for hire. The company's insurance coverage on the vehicle had been repeatedly canceled in the months leading up to the crash, during a time when the stretch 2001 Ford Excursion had failed three roadside state inspections. The insurance cancellations also led the state DMV to repeatedly revoke the limo's registration. The limo's insurance policy, purchased through Global Liberty Insurance of New York, was reinstated just a day before the crash, according to state DMV records obtained by the Times Union. New York doesn't differentiate between cars and limos when it comes to insurance minimums to cover injuries or death in a crash, with coverage of rates as low as $100,000 for the death of one or more people. Breslin's bill would set the minimum payout at $1.5 million for injuries or death to one or more people in a limousine, which would be defined as a livery vehicle with 8 or more passengers. The measure would also require that limo owners hand in their plates when coverage lapses. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. In New York City, limos that can carry between 9 and 15 passengers require the same amount of insurance coverage, while super-stretch limos like the one involved in the Schoharie crash are required to have $5 million in coverage. Federal law requires much higher minimums for limos engaged in interstate travel, with $1.5 million required for vehicles that carry up to 14 passengers and $5 million for limos that carry 15 or more passengers. "There is no reason those outside New York City traveling in a limousine should be less protected than someone in New York City, or someone traveling across state lines," states a memo that Breslin attached to the Senate bill. The first civil lawsuit filed against Prestige Limousine was filed in state Supreme Court in Albany on behalf of the parents of Amanda Rivenburg, who was one of the passengers aboard the stretch Excursion owned by Prestige. The 29-year-old had graduated from Colonie Central High School, attended SUNY Plattsburgh and worked for Living Resources, an Albany-based organization that serves people with disabilities. Rivenburg's family is represented by Albany attorney Sal Ferlazzo. The law suit also names Prestige Limousine owner Shahed Hussain and his son, Nauman Hussain, as defendants. Nauman Hussain, who operated Prestige Limousine while his father was living in Pakistan, has been charged with one count of criminally negligent homicide in connection with the crash. He has pleaded not guilty and his attorney, Lee Kindlon of Albany, says his client did nothing criminal. SCHENECTADY Gary McCarthy has eight years in as mayor and wants four more years at the helm. On Monday, the Democrat, who already has his party's endorsement, confirmed to the Times Union what close friends and power brokers in the party told the paper in May: he's seeking a third term as mayor. The formal announcement is expected the morning of April 9 at City Hall. The last two times he has run McCarthy has knocked off former Union President and Alliance Party founder Roger Hull. He's not getting into the race. This time, McCarthy may have to fend off a primary challenge Thearse McCalmon, a political newcomer. McCarthy's had three decades as an investigator in the district attorney's office. Asked about her campaign Monday, McCarthy said he "looks forward to a spirited campaign" and making his case to constituents. "We look forward to getting out there and taking the message to the people and running on a record that I am proud of," he said. McCalmon, a community activist, adult educator and married mother of four, has previously accused McCarthy of pandering to the rich, a claim he denied. She also pledged to spread the wealth more equitably and make Schenectady more inclusive for all people. To force a primary, McCalmon would need 5 percent of the number of enrolled Democrats in Schenectady, which is between 750 to 800 signatures, on her petition. Petitioning started Feb. 26 and lasts until the first week of April. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Besides McCarthy, Schenectady Democrats have already endorsed incumbents City Council members John Polimeni, Ed Kosiur and Leesa Perazzo as well as newcomer Carmel Patrick. Incumbent Vince Riggi, an independent, whose name was mentioned as possible mayoral candidate, is also running again to hold onto his City Council seat. Schenectady Democratic Chairman Richard Naylor has credited McCarthy with revitalizing the city, lowering property taxes and spearheading economic development projects. All are expected to be key issues in the campaign. Prof. Hwang speaks about China's growing role. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul By Hwang Jae-ho Although the summit did not produce any results, it is not over yet. It is the usual drama on the Korean Peninsula. It is due to the distrust between the two countries that the summit ended without an agreement. Kim Jung-un does not buy Trump's designation of him as "best friend". Therefore, Kim will not simply hand over to the U.S. what it wants until he sees complete results. And the U.S. sought to drive a hard bargain this time, having in mind North Korea's track record of breaches. However, there is too much investment to quit now. The most disappointed side after the summit must be South Korea. Had the Hanoi summit achieved success, it would have directly led to Kim's South Korea visit. It certainly is a blow to Moon's peace timetable. However, there is little reason for concern President Moon is just two years into his presidency, with three to go. The Hanoi summit left some things to be desired, but we can still learn a few lessons. The first lesson we learned from the Hanoi Summit is the establishment of negotiation. There must be several challenges coming, but one thing to be clear is that negotiation must sustainably be there without suspension. Because it is not a crisis, it does not need to be managed. Instead, more attention is needed on prevention. Furthermore, an exit strategy should be sought. Institutionalized dialogues and well-organized negotiations are also necessary. Here, South Korea's role as a third-party mediator could be useful. We need to find the Korean way of calculation that can find the interface when both the U.S. and DPRK stand with a different way of calculation. How we practically use China is terribly critical for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. China's influence on the Korean Peninsula is definite. After China's National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference end, Kim will decide whether he himself heads to China or sends a delegation for a message. They are already in a relationship where both can share strategic communication frequently. In this context, China can somehow influence North Korea not to make a rash decision after the shock from Hanoi. On the other hand, China considers that South Korea is making its best effort to improve the situation for the Korean Peninsula. It even seems to understand that China's effect on Korea's diplomacy was not very high till last year. Albany County Sheriff COLONIE A 19-year-veteran officer at the Albany County jail was arrested Tuesday after a female inmate said he sexually assaulted her, Sheriff Craig Apple said. Michael Snyder Sr., 59 of Rensselaerville, was charged with three counts of rape, three counts of criminal sex act, three counts of officials misconduct and sexual abuse as well, the sheriff said. ALBANY Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and state Attorney General Letitia "Tish" James had both indicated last year that they would support an expansion of her office's jurisdiction to investigate public corruption. It's an authority that prior attorneys general have requested dating back years. James, who took office in January, told the Times Union editorial board last August during her inaugural campaign that she would join her predecessors in seeking a standing referral from the governor to investigate corruption, as well as a more permanent legislative solution. Cuomo signaled his support for the measure in a candidate questionnaire last year as he sought an endorsement from the good government group Citizens Union, saying he would back an expansion of the attorney general's authority "to investigate public corruption and electoral malfeasance." When asked about the survey response last November, Cuomo's office said: "The framework for legally expanding the scope of the attorney general's power as well as other pieces of potential ethics legislation will be outlined next year when the new Legislature takes office." Three months into one of the busiest legislative sessions in recent years, there have been no new developments; a proposal to expand the attorney general's power was not included in the governor's ethics agenda for 2019, although both offices claim the measure is under discussion. "We are continuing to engage in discussions on this issue, along with several other proposed ethics reforms," Cuomo spokesman Jason Conwall said. James in August said she had reminded Cuomo, who aggressively sought the same authority during his single term as attorney general, of his past position. "He said, 'We'll continue to have those discussions,'" James said. "And so, we're going to continue to have those discussions. I'm going to continue to push. I'm not going to give up." Still, James, who has conducted few press conferences in her first term, has not publicly pressed the issue. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Citizens Union endorsed the governor last year over his politically inexperienced Democratic primary challenger, in spite of the group's longtime criticisms of the governor's opaque budget process and his failure to enact meaningful ethics reform. "This issue has been, and remains, a priority for Citizens Union," the group's executive director, Betsy Gotbaum, said in a statement. "Since January, the Legislature and governor have passed a number of meaningful reforms to strengthen democracy in New York state. We urge Gov. Cuomo to keep his word." As attorney general, Cuomo had sought a legislative fix to broaden his office's jurisdiction to pursue public corruption cases, rather than a standing referral, and his office has since argued that that type of blanket authority may be illegal. SOUTH GLENS FALLS Multiple fire departments were called to a structure fire at a Common Roots Brewing Company Monday night. People shared photos and videos of the fire on social media, which showed flames shooting out of the roof of the 58 Saratoga Ave. building. Fire departments from Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties responded to the scene around 7 p.m. As of 9:30 p.m. firefighters were still at the scene. According to the brewing company's website they were open Monday. Their normal Monday hours are 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. The company posted a statement on social media following the fire saying that everyone was able to get out safely. "We appreciate the efforts of our local first responders and thank each of you for your thoughts and support," the statement said. "An additional update will be provided at the appropriate time." The former Troy Orphan Asylum, now known as Vanderheyden, has been celebrating its 185th anniversary for the past year. But nobody knows its history better than 95-year-old Marion Manchester. In an earlier era, it was known ominously as "the house on the hill," an imposing brownstone Gothic mansion on Spring Avenue a destination that became an oblique threat made by exasperated parents to misbehaving kids. Children did not end up there by choice, though, or due to unruly behavior. Death, disease, industrial accidents, an unfit parent or grinding poverty were typical factors. The social safety net in the early decades of the 20th Century, before President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, was thin and frayed. Many fell through. The Troy Orphan Asylum was a place of last resort after a family became overwhelmed, financially or emotionally unable to provide for one or more children. Being dropped off there left a social stigma, a shameful secret rarely discussed or buried for generations. Public events and celebrations to mark the 185th anniversary including publication of a forthcoming book by historian Don Rittner has helped erase lingering taboos. Residents from long ago are beginning to open up. Marion Manchester's niece didn't make the connection for most of the nearly four decades she worked at Vanderheyden. "It wasn't talked about in our family," said Beth Manchester. "I had no idea of my aunt's story until recently." In 1928, Henry Trinemeyer dropped off his 5-year-old daughter Marion, her brother Bill and sisters Annie and Pauline the youngest an infant at the Troy Orphan Asylum. A German immigrant who had few friends around Troy, Trinemeyer drifted south and eventually settled in Florida, where he worked as a janitor. He lived in the basement of the building he cleaned. He had no contact with his children for many decades and only returned in the final months of a terminal illness. "He wasn't much of a father," Manchester said. Her mother, Catherine, who had suffered multiple miscarriages, died shortly after her youngest child, Pauline, was born. Her story was not uncommon in that era. "It was the Depression my aunts could not afford to take us in and my father could not care for us," Manchester recalled. Regimentation became a way of life where 100 children, from infants to teenagers, were raised by stern matrons in a sprawling facility that included a school and chapel. "I was the smallest one and we lined up by size, so I was always at the front of the line," she said. The boys were housed dormitory-style on one side of the building, the girls on the other. Babies and toddlers were kept in a separate area in the middle. A bell would ring to signal the start of a meal. The children filed in and went to their assigned seats at long wooden tables. Grace was intoned in unison Manchester can still recite the short blessing before they sat down on cue and ate in silence, family-style, from large serving bowls passed around. If you were caught speaking to someone at your table, you lost your dessert. "The food was OK. Nothing special," Manchester said. She slept on a narrow cot with a straight chair next to it the only furnishings. The children had a bath every Friday night, when they were given a fresh change of clothes. Girls wore homemade gingham jumpers sewn by matrons, and had one fancy dress to wear to chapel for Sunday service. Girls were given indoor chores, such as setting the tables and cleaning. Manchester's job was mopping the playroom and polishing the stairway banister and scrollwork. "We had an old matron who was very mean," Manchester said. "We were happy when we got a young matron. She hugged us and kissed us good night for the first time." Children were allowed to have family members visit once a month. "I never had a visitor," Manchester said. She was never seriously mistreated and did not feel sad or depressed about her life at the orphanage. "That was my normal. I knew nothing else," she said. They attended classes downstairs in the building and went on simple outings, such as weekend trips to nearby Frear Park. She enjoyed playing jacks and roller skating on the pavement around the building. Video from the New York State Archives shows an outing from the 1930s in which State Police troopers served ice cream to children from the orphanage: "I made some friends, but we eventually all got split up," she said. Manchester and her siblings did not feel like a family unit, since they were in different age groups at the facility. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. "I did not see my brother Bill much at all," she said. "He was with the older boys." She recalled some of the older boys were "troublemakers" who climbed out of their second-story dormitory and went skylarking around the city in the wee hours. If they were caught, they were severely punished or expelled. At 15, Manchester was adopted by a foster couple. Months later, all four siblings ended up with the same family. "We called her mother and she loved us," said Manchester, thrilled to have a room of her own and her first piece of furniture, a dresser that she later gave to her daughter. Manchester graduated from Berlin High School in 1941 and got married. Her husband, Hugh, was a World War II veteran. They bought farmland in Petersburgh, where they raised dairy cows and she baked bread and doughnuts, which she sold alongside Route 22. She grew vegetables and in the fall canned 100 quarts of tomatoes and the dandelion greens her husband loved. "I love the country, and all the open space," Manchester said. She still lives on the farm, in good health and independent in her mid-90s. Her husband died in 1997. She raised five children and has seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. "She was a wonderful mother who put her family first," said daughter Karen DeCarlo. "She let us splash in mud puddles barefoot. She raised us to be strong women and hard workers like her." "She never talked about growing up in the orphanage," said daughter Kay Mishkin. "I am so grateful somewhere along the way she learned how to be a great mother." "Thank God Vanderheyden was there for her and so many other children. We like to say we change lives to save lives," said Karen Carpenter Palumbo, president and CEO of Vanderheyden Inc. It changed its name from Troy Orphan Asylum to Vanderheyden Hall for most of its history but dropped the "Hall" recently. Today, Vanderheyden serves more than 500 individuals and families in 50 locations throughout the Capital Region, with a residential campus in Wynantskill. After a long career in state service, Carpenter Palumbo took over a financially troubled organization that nearly shut down. She is leading a $1.85 million capital campaign focused on the anniversary with a goal of building a new career center and young adult assisted-living apartments. "We are celebrating the past and imagining a bright future," she said. Manchester, who spoke about her experiences at the orphanage as part of its anniversary observation, gets a ride three days a week to the senior service center in Grafton. She loves the yoga class. She made friends with a woman at the senior center, and they talked for weeks before they discovered a shared secret: Both lived at the Troy Orphan Asylum in the '30s. "It's nice to talk about it now," said Manchester, who filled 10 pages of handwritten notes with memories. I remarked on her lovely penmanship. "The matrons taught us a lot of good skills," she said. Paul Grondahl is director of the New York State Writers Institute at the University at Albany and a former Times Union reporter. He can be reached at grondahlpaul@gmail.com A County Tipperary man who made the decision to quit his top job and travel the world while having a few pints says the experience has been life-changing. Clonmels Brian Stafford went to CBS High School in Clonmel before studying Production Engineering at Waterford Institute of Technology. After getting caught up in the rat race for eight years after college, Brian opted to leave his job with a leading engineering firm in Dublin to travel the globe. Speaking to Tipperary Live from a sunny Melbourne, Australia, the now 34-year-old doesnt have a care in the world. Recalling the invigorating decision to move abroad, he says: I found myself sitting in a pub down in Cobh after a visit to Spike Island in the relentless rain and bitter cold. I spotted a map of the world on the wall and after a few pints I made the decision. Brian crossed the pond to Wales before boarding trains all the way to Moscow over a two-week period, visiting nine countries along the way. After a couple of days touring Moscow at minus 26 degrees Celsius, I got on the Trans-Siberian Express along with some other backpackers. The journey took three weeks with stops in Siberia and Mongolia before arriving in Beijing. It was great to finally stand on some solid ground, especially after a rough border crossing into China. In Asia, it was more of the same - cars, ferries and trains - visiting a further 10 countries en route to prearranged voluntary work as an English teacher in the small Thai village of Khlong Hat, close to the Cambodian border. He fell in love with Thailands culture, heritage and people. I tried my best to give some Thai children with very little or no English a Tipperary accent of their own, he laughs. Living in a small village and having no Thai when I arrived was an interesting situation. Luckily Thailand has thousands of 7-Eleven stores and thankfully there was one here for a safe bet if you wanted something small to eat. But you do need a decent meal for dinner and for this you need to attempt buying food in the local market. I guess when you're thrown in at the deep end you're more inclined to learn a language - either that or just keep eating toasted sandwiches. Brian teaching local Thai kids the Tipperary lingo After an amazing time in remote Thailand, Brian opted for the bright lights of Bangkok. He says the capital was like arriving on a new planet, continuing: Having been to some of the worlds largest cities like Shanghai and Tokyo still didnt prepare me for what was to come. It truly is the city that never sleeps. Top Gear challenge from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi Brian joined Thailand GAA, relishing the incredible experience of togging out with both Irish expats and players from more than 20 different nationalities. Ive never met a friendlier and more welcoming group of people to this day, he smiles. Bangkok and Thailand will always have a special place in my heart. The friends I made were the salt of the earth, the country and culture were amazing, and the food was out of this world, especially the street food. 'Playing with Thailand GAA was incredible' After three-and-a-half years in Thailand, Brian boarded a plane for New Zealand. He travelled from Auckland to Wellington, before returning to his trade and securing a job as an electrical drafter. New Zealand is a beautiful country with some stunning scenery and really nice people. A lot of people you meet are Irish descendants who love to talk to you. I drove the length and breadth of the country twice over in my 15 months there and enjoyed it. But I cant say that I completely enjoyed living there and I wouldnt have lasted the duration of my first visa only for the friends I made. I felt New Zealand was way behind the times. The towns and villages you pass through are like something out of old country and western films. It certainly wasnt what I was expecting, but its a great place for adrenaline junkies and those who love the great outdoors. Ireland beats it hands down - all were missing is the bungee jumps and a couple of glaciers. Brian moved to Sydney last Christmas before embarking on a trip to Melbourne, where he is currently job hunting and planning to join a local GAA club. He says living on different continents has broadened his mind and made him more cultured. My only regret is not having moved abroad sooner. I went back to Clonmel for my dads 60th birthday recently and it reminded me that life at home is the same. Im still enjoying visiting new countries and experiencing new cultures. I will move back to Ireland one day but I dont know when. Home is where the heart is. Brian mixing with the locals Down Under Brian had a career, a car, a house and two loans before he left Ireland. I didn't have to do it because of the economic downturn or because I fell out of love with Ireland - I just wanted to travel. When the time rolled around to say goodbye to friends and especially my family, it was the hardest thing I ever had to do. Everything I own now I put in my bags and simply move on to the next destination or do whatever I want. Im not as materialistic as I once was and life is too short to just flitter it away. I would encourage everyone back home to go and see the world. It really is a big, amazing place outside of Clonmel, Tipperary and Ireland, he adds. Brian sightseeing with his partner Kim [March 26, 2019] $25,000 Award for Professors Who Inspired Former Students to Make a Difference in Their Communities Since 2010, the Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award Trust has awarded $2.3 million to 94 professors from throughout the United States; each nominated by former student. The Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Trust Award honors current or former academic faculty who, as teachers, have inspired a student to establish an organization which has demonstrated a benefit on the community at large or who inspired a student to establish a concept, procedure, or movement of comparable benefit to the community at large. Beckman Award winners receive a one-time cash award of $25,000 and recognition during a Fall 2019 ceremony in Atlanta. Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award nominations are made by the former student as a means to honor the academic faculty member who inspired that student's work. The nomination deadline for 2019 is April 30. Preference is given to educators who teach or who taught in the fields of psychology, medicine, or law. To submit a 2019 Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award nomination or for more information: www.wellsfargo.com/privatefoundationgrants/beckman. In 2018, seven professors received the Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award and recognition: David L. Blustein, Ph.D., Boston College; Dr. Ross E. Cheit, Brown University; Elyn R. Saks, University of Southern California, University California San Diego; Patricia Perez, Ph.D., Chicago School of Professional Psychology; Charles H. Zeanah, Jr., M.S., Tulane University; Anna Mae Diehl, M.D., Duke University; and James Allan Gash, J.D., Pepperdine School of Law. The Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award Trust was established in 2008 under the Will of Gail McKnight Beckman. Beckman created the award in memory of her mother, Dr. Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman, an educator, a renowned author, and a pioneer in the field of Psychology. Dr. Beckman was one of the first female Psychology professors at Columbia University and she taught at the University of Pennsylvania. She authored nine books and textbooks about child and adolescent Psychology and was a champion of gender equality and advocate for the advancement of women in academia. The Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award Trust is administered by the Philanthropic Services group at Wells Fargo (News - Alert) Private Bank. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005938/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Asia's Enterprises Realise The Power Of Oracle Autonomous Database Top brands choose Oracle Autonomous Database to secure data and accelerate innovation SINGAPORE, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Oracle OpenWorld Singapore - An increasing number of businesses in Asia are turning to Oracle Autonomous Database - the industry's first self-driving, self-securing, self-repairing database to gain deeper and more meaningful data insight, faster than ever before. Eleven such organisations will showcase the value being gained during Oracle OpenWorld Singapore this week, including the likes of China Eastern, Fadada, Bitmain and Kingold from China, Vodafone Fiji, Hong Kong Maxim's Group, National Pharmacies and Applied Precision Medicine from Australia, Forth Smart and Rangsit University from Thailand and others. Oracle Autonomous Database uses ground-breaking machine learning and automation to deploy, optimize, patch and secure itself with no human intervention, bringing new levels of performance, security, and efficiency. As a result users have proven that they are able to significantly improve and fast-track business decisions, improve their customer experience, introduce new products/services to market quicker and create a smarter workforce. Steve Daheb, Senior Vice President, Oracle Cloud, said: "Oracle Autonomous Database is one of the most successful new product introductions in Oracle's 40-year history. Today we are seeing users across the globe realising the benefit of autonomous. Already, we have nearly 1,000 paying Autonomous Database customers and around 4,000 new Autonomous Database trials were added in the last quarter alone. This momentum confirms that the Autonomous Database has arrived at a perfect time for our customers, when data is growing at an almost immeasurable rate and we need a new way of managing, securing and getting value from data. There are some great examples of companies using it here in Asia to reduce costs and risk, automate core tasks so they can focus on innovation, and to empower all areas of the business from finance, to Marketing and HR to get maximum value and insight from their data." Sharing their stories at Oracle OpenWorld Singapore are: Pawarit Ruengsuksilp, Business Development Analyst, Forth Smart, said, "Using Oracle Autonomous Data Warehouse has been a complete game-changer for us. Operating over 120,000 vending machines nationwide to give our customers the ability to do things like top-up their mobile phones and e-wallets and transfer money to friends and family, our usiness generates a lot of transactional data - around 2 million transactions per day. Now, with Autonomous Database, we are able to generate real-time insight into our network of vending machines, whereas previously this would have taken us 2-3 days. This has had a significant impact across our financial reporting, ability to undertake complex segmentation and predictive analytics, allowing us to focus more of our efforts on innovation." Louis Mah, Director, Information Technology, Hong Kong Maxim's Group, said: "Operating over 70 brands in Hong Kong and Macau regions, Mainland China and South East Asia across more than 1,300 outlets in an industry as fast-paced as the food industry, we need to stay on-top of our game. Data is key to helping us do this, but with more than 600,000 transactions records per day in Hong Kong alone it is hard for us. Using a mix of Autonomous Data Warehouse and Oracle Analytics Cloud, mixed with detail from our ERP systems, we can now get extremely timely and valuable information regarding consumer habits and behaviour, and rapidly adapt to changes in how our different restaurants are performing. This is essential, especially as we look to expand into Mainland China and further into South East Asia." Ryan Klose, Executive General Manager Corporate, National Pharmacies, said, "Today delighting customers and delivering a personalised experience is everything. So we want the holy grail of getting data centralised around the patient. This will help ensure we have the right products on shelves and that when health practitioners talk to patients they have the latest and complete information, can join the dots and make informed decisions. But that's hard. Traditionally, backend systems across the heathcare industry are legacy and have limited data sharing, often designed purely to transact the event at that time. Additionally, we are talking significant data volumes we fulfill four million medical prescriptions alone each year, and that's without other information regarding products, or even external factors such as weather. What having access to the power of autonomous database means is that we can give us real time insight, securely and at speed, and that's transformative." Steve Chang, CIO, Kingold, said, "Through the use of Autonomous Data Warehouse and Oracle Analytics Cloud we have been able to completely transform the way we operate. We have been able to completely streamline how we collect information. Previously for deep market insight we would have been heavily reliant on buying in expensive reports from third parties. Now, we are able to do most of the research and analysis ourselves. The output is also really helping our sales teams become data driven and identify which properties to target the right customers, rather than using their instinct to make decisions." Hwee-Xian Tan, Senior Analyst, SoHo and SME Research, "We continue to see Asia-Pacific enterprises opening up to and having a sharper appetite for database-as-a-service (DBaaS) propositions with AI and ML features being particularly strong drivers for enterprise migration to cloud-based database environments. This is due to the cost reductions they deliver, and their ability to derive new business insights at speed. This has the potential to shift the global cloud arms race amongst hyperscale cloud players towards those that have a strong play in controlling enterprise databases most of which still reside in a legacy clientserver infrastructure." Additional Resources Learn more about Oracle Autonomous Database Attend key Oracle OpenWorld Singapore customers sessions About Oracle The Oracle Cloud offers a complete suite of integrated applications for Sales, Service, Marketing, Human Resources, Finance, Supply Chain and Manufacturing, plus Highly-Automated and Secure Generation 2 Infrastructure featuring the Oracle Autonomous Database. For more information about Oracle, please visit us at oracle.com. Trademarks Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/467598/Oracle_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Bardy Diagnostics Selected as Winner of The Impact Pediatric Health Competition At SXSW 2019 SEATTLE, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bardy Diagnostics, Inc., ("BardyDx"), a leading provider of ambulatory cardiac monitoring technologies and custom data solutions, including the Carnation Ambulatory Monitor ("CAM"), the industry's first P-wave centric ambulatory cardiac patch monitor and arrhythmia detection device, announced it has been selected as one of four winners of the Impact Pediatric Health Competition held at SXSW 2019 hosted by the nation's leading pediatric healthcare institutions across the US, including Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Boston Children's Hospital, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Seattle Children's Hospital, Stanford Children's Health, and Texas Children's Hospital. "It was an exciting opportunity to take part in the Impact Pediatric Health competition and present alongside an inspiring group of industry-disrupting innovators," said Ken Nelson, BardyDx Chief Commercial Officer. "Being chosen amongst our peers to receive this award is an extraordinary honor and further fuels our corporate commitment to make a meaningful impact in pediatric care." The competition invites early stage companies representing the best in pediatric healthcare innovation to present how their products address the unique challenges of this younger patient population. From a pool of 50 applicants, BardyDx earned one of the twelve finalist spots to pitch to a distinguished judging panel of venture capitalists, industry leaders, and leading pediatric hospital representatives. BardyDx was ultimately chosen to receive a $25,000 prize provided by the Southwest National Pediatric Device Consortium (SWPDC) based on the CAM patch's pediatric-friendly design and potential to improve the safety and delivery of pediatric care through its innovative P-wave centric technology. "We were blown away by the level of talent and incredible innovation showcased at this year's Impact Pediatric Health pitch competition," said Chester Koh, MD, Executive Director of SWPDC. "At Impact Pediatric Health and SWPDC, we are always looking for the next cutting-edge breakthrough in the world of medical devices, and we are excited to stand beside these four companies and help accelerate the next generation of medical device companies impacting our youngest of patients." This award builds upon the growing market recognition of the innovative P-wave centric CAM patch for the pediatric patient population. Recently, BardyDx was also named winner of the Children's National Health System Pediatric Medical Device Innovation Competition for the CAM's unique pediatric-friendly design and potential to address significant unmet needs in pediatric healthcare. In addition, BardyDx was selected as the winner of the 2018 Fierce Innovation Life Sciences Award for Medical Device Innovation from the leading industry publisher of FierceBiotech & FiercePharma. BardyDx and the list of Impact Pediatric Health winners can be found in the official announcement. About Impact Pediatric Health: Now in its fifth year, Impact Pediatric Health hosts an annual competition held at SXSW dedicated to showcasing and supporting innovative next generation pediatric healthcare companies focused on digital health and medical devices. Impact Pediatric Health was formed as a collaboration between seven of the largest and top-ranked (according to US News & World Report) children's hospitals in the US. Additional information can be found at https://impactpediatric.health/. About SXSW: The South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference & Festivals celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW has become the premier destination for discovery and events featuring sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking opportunities. The Health Track at SXSW focuses on innovations that build and support the ecosystem of patients, providers, payers, policy makers, designers, entrepreneurs, and investors to improve outcomes in health and healthcare. Additional information can be found at www.sxsw.com. About Bardy Diagnostics: Bardy Diagnostics, Inc. is an innovator in digital health and remote patient monitoring, with a focus on providing diagnostically-accurate and patient-friendly cardiac patch and other monitors to the industry. The company's CAM patch is a non-invasive, P-wave centric ambulatory cardiac monitor and arrhythmia detection device that is designed to improve patient compliance for adults and children through its lifestyle-enabling design. Designed to be worn comfortably and discreetly, the female-friendly, hourglass-shaped CAM patch is placed on the center of the chest, directly over the heart for optimum ECG signal collection. The proprietary technology of the CAM patch provides optimal detection and clear recording of the often difficult-to-detect P-wave, the signal of the ECG waveform that is essential for accurate arrhythmia diagnosis. Additional information can be found at the recently launched redesign of the BardyDx corporate website at www.bardydx.com. MEDIA CONTACT: Jonathan Wu Director, Marketing Bardy Diagnostics, Inc. 1-844-422-7393 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bardy-diagnostics-selected-as-winner-of-the-impact-pediatric-health-competition-at-sxsw-2019-300818266.html SOURCE Bardy Diagnostics, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Chamberlain University Names Dr. Simendea Clark President of Chicago Campus Chamberlain University announced today that Dr. Simendea Clark, DNP, RN has been appointed president of its Chicago campus, one of three Chicagoland campuses. Dr. Clark is responsible for the Chicago campus nursing program and operations, including overall academic excellence, student services, support and success. Since joining Chamberlain in 2013, Dr. Clark has served in a variety of roles. She began her career as a nurse educator in the Center for Academic Success before moving to assistant dean of academic success. She continued as associate dean of academic operations, then served as dean of academic affairs. Her most recent role with Chamberlain was interim campus president. "Our diverse students and faculty will continue to benefit from Dr. Clark's expertise and extensive knowledge of the industry," said Dr. Karen Cox (News - Alert), Ph.D., RN, FACHE, FAAN, president of Chamberlain. "She is instrumental in helping to shape the next generation of nurses and to our work in alleviating the nursing shortage in the region and nationally." Prior to Chamberlain, Dr. Clark served as an adjunct instructor for several organizations, including positions as a licensed practical nurse/certified nursing assistant instructor at Thornton Fractional High School District 215 and a fundamentals course instructor at the CAAN Academy of Nursing. She began her career as a staff nurse at Rush Oak Park Hospital. Dr. Clark has earned multiple honors and awards, including the 2017 Illinois Nurses Foundation 40 Under 40 Emerging Nurse Leader Award, DAISY Faculty Award, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Scholarship, and the Charles Drew Research Laboratory Scholars Award. She is a member of the Illinois South Suburban Natonal Black Nurses Association, National Tutoring Association, and Chicago Urban League. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies in Health Studies from Michigan State University, a Master of Science in Nursing from Rush University and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Chamberlain University. She also holds a National Tutoring Association Certification. About Chamberlain University Chamberlain University is a member of Adtalem Global Education (NYSE: ATGE), a global education provider headquartered in the United States. The organization's purpose is to empower students to achieve their goals, find success and make inspiring contributions to our global community. Chamberlain University's mission is to educate, empower and embolden diverse healthcare professionals who advance the health of people, families, communities and nations. Chamberlain University is comprised of the College of Nursing, which offers a three-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program and flexible post-licensure programs such as the RN to BSN option, Master of Science in Nursing degree program, Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program and graduate certificates, and the College of Health Professions, which offers a Master of Public Health degree program. Chamberlain University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission www.hlcommission.org, a regional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For the most updated accreditation information, visit chamberlain.edu/accreditation. To learn more, visit chamberlain.edu. About Adtalem Global Education The purpose of Adtalem Global Education is to empower students to achieve their goals, find success, and make inspiring contributions to our global community. Adtalem Global Education Inc. (NYSE: ATGE; member S&P MidCap 400 Index) is a leading global education provider and the parent organization of Adtalem Educacional do Brasil, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists, Becker Professional Education, Chamberlain University, EduPristine, Ross University School of Medicine and Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. For more information, please visit adtalem.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005112/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Computational Pathology Pioneer Ibex Raises $11M TEL AVIV, Israel, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ibex Medical Analytics, (http://www.ibex-ai.com/) a pioneering developer of AI-driven computational pathology cancer diagnosis system, completed an $11 million Series A funding round led by aMoon Fund (www.amoon.fund). Ibex's initial product is the Second Read system for prostate core needle biopsies diagnosis, which has been clinically deployed at Maccabi Healthcare Services and will soon be commercially deployed also internationally in pathology labs, establishing Ibex as a first-mover in the emerging computational pathology space. "Many cancer cases are diagnosed too late or are missed due to human error. We have already witnessed the life-saving impact that our platform has delivered to Maccabi patients," said Joseph Mossel, Ibex's co-founder and CEO. "With this new funding, we plan to expand our engineering team in order to extend our product offering to additional types of cancer. This will empowe pathology institutes to significantly improve their efficiency and accuracy, thereby saving the lives of more patients." Through its strategic collaboration with Maccabi Healthcare Services, Ibex has access to a unique dataset with millions of pathology slides and electronic medical records of 2.5 million patients, enabling it to develop breakthrough algorithms at unprecedented accuracy levels. This is in addition to collaborations with leading institutes and international hospitals, including Pittsburgh-based UPMC, a world-renowned health care provider, and MediPath, the largest private pathology lab in France. "Digital and Computational Pathology are set to grow at an exponential pace and transform the world of pathology," said Roy Wiesner, Managing Director at aMoon. "Together with our fellow investors, we believe the exceptional team, validated technology, unique access to large datasets and the strong international collaborations the company has built, position IBEX as an early leader in the field." Additional investors in the round include Kamet Ventures, an investment arm of AXA Insurance, one of the largest global health insurance providers, 83North, a global venture capital fund and Dell Technologies Capital. Funds will be used to broaden the company's solutions and global presence, including expansion of the type of tissues and applications supported. About Ibex Medical Analytics: Ibex Medical Analytics has developed an AI-driven diagnostic system which delivers efficient, metric-driven, and accurate cancer diagnoses for tissue biopsies. It combines AI, data science, image analysis and Deep Learning technologies and applies them to cancer diagnostics in digital pathology, impacting pathology labs efficiency, patient outcomes and quality of life. www.ibex-ai.com Ibex Medical Analytics media contact: Tsipi Joseph G2M TEAM [email protected] +972-52-8113423 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/computational-pathology-pioneer-ibex-raises-11m-300818506.html SOURCE Ibex Medical Analytics [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Cuentas Subsidiary SDI Next is Now Selling Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox Live and Nexon Karma Digital Content at Over 31,600 Locations MIAMI, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cuentas, Inc. (CUENTAS) (OTCQB: CUEN), a Financial Technology (FinTech) service provider delivering mobile banking, online banking, prepaid debit and digital content services to unbanked, underbanked and underserved communities, announced today that it is now selling Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox Live and Nexon Karma digital content at its 31,600+ locations in the USA. Cuentas has now integrated its digital content system with the www.black011.com portal to sell prepaid digital products including, but not limited to Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox and Nexon Karma prepaid gaming products through the SDI Next distribution network of over 31,600 bodega retailers. Bodegas are typically single owner markets, gas stations and local stores that serve many immigrant and urban neighborhoods.These services and products are available through the www.black011.com intranet portal that is available in these Bodegas. Cuentas is preparing to launch 15 additional major prepaid digital content brands in the near future as well as the Cuentas Mobile App and Mobile Wallet during 2019. Microsoft Xbox Live and PlayStation online services have been available for many years and Nexon Karma Koin has enabled online gaming for years. The website www.statista.com , known as The Statistics Portal reports that worldwide revenue in the Online Games segment is expected to reach US$12.7 Billion in 2019.Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2019-2023) of 2.5%, resulting in a market volume of US$14 Billion by 2023.User penetration is 9.5% in 2019 and is expcted to hit 10.8% by 2023.The average revenue per user (ARPU) currently amounts to US$18.16.In global comparison, most revenue is generated in the United States (US$3.54 Billion in 2019). This milestone of providing Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox, and Nexon Karma digital content through retailers that previously had limited or no access to this type of product and the Cuentas Mobile App is so very important to Cuentas, stated Arik Maimon, Founder and CEO of Cuentas, Inc. We are enthusiastic about working to sell these products at our more than 31,600 locations and through the Cuentas App. These products should provide extra revenue for the retailers and should increase visits to these Bodegas. Providing top level prepaid products such as Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox, and Nexon Karma is key to our growth plan, said Michael De Prado, Founder, President & COO of Cuentas. This is an exciting time in the development of Cuentas as years of hard work are coming to fruition. About Cuentas, Inc. CUENTAS, Inc. (OTCQB: CUEN) is a FinTech (Financial Technology) company utilizing technical innovation together with existing and emerging technologies to deliver accessible, efficient & reliable mobile, new-era and traditional financial services to consumers. CUEN is proactively applying technology and compliance requirements to improve the availability, delivery, reliability and utilization of financial services especially to the unbanked, underbanked and underserved segments of today's society. CUENTAS is disrupting the Financial and Telecommunications worlds with a US and Global product called CUENTAS (www.cuentas.com), and with its core methods, procedures, contracts and Intellectual Property to achieve this unique disruption as a Fin Tech company. CUENTAS, Inc. as described above, has extensive experience in the communications field together with important acquisitions, agreements and alliances will provide consumers with an end-to-end array of financial and lifestyle applications, processes, products and solutions that have previously been impossible to deliver. CUEN's strategic integrated solutions platform will reshape and improve the financial services industry for mobility and remittance, digital contents for emerging markets. Learn more at www.cuentas.com THIS NEWS RELEASE CONTAINS "FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS", AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN SECTION 27A OF THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND SECTION 21E OF THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED. STATEMENTS IN THIS NEWS RELEASE, WHICH ARE NOT PURELY HISTORICAL, ARE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INCLUDE ANY STATEMENTS REGARDING BELIEFS, PLANS, EXPECTATIONS OR INTENTIONS REGARDING THE FUTURE. EXCEPT FOR THE HISTORICAL INFORMATION PRESENTED HEREIN, MATTERS DISCUSSED IN THIS NEWS RELEASE CONTAIN FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS THAT ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES THAT COULD CAUSE ACTUAL RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM ANY FUTURE RESULTS, PERFORMANCE OR ACHIEVEMENTS EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED BY SUCH STATEMENTS. STATEMENTS THAT ARE NOT HISTORICAL FACTS, INCLUDING STATEMENTS THAT ARE PRECEDED BY, FOLLOWED BY, OR THAT INCLUDE SUCH WORDS AS"ESTIMATE", "ANTICIPATE", "BELIEVE", "PLAN" OR "EXPECT" OR SIMILAR STATEMENTS ARE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS CONTAINED IN THIS NEWS RELEASE INCLUDE STATEMENTS RELATING TO OTHER PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION REGARDING THE COMPANY. For inquiries: Dave Gentry RedChip Companies Inc. [email protected] +1-407-491-4498 Cuentas, Inc. [email protected]com +1-800-611-3622 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Get a Behind-the-Scenes Look at Massachusetts' Leading Robotics Companies BOSTON, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of National Robotics Week April 6-14, 2019, MassRobotics is hosting a series of statewide open houses at innovative robotics organizations shaping the new Massachusetts technology landscape and the state's ever-growing robotics cluster. "Massachusetts is a global hub of robot technology development and innovation," said Tom Ryden, executive director, MassRobotics. "As part of RoboWeek, we hope to increase the public awareness of the importance of the robotics industry in Massachusetts and its tremendous impact on the future by providing an inside look into some of the area's robotics companies. These events are ideal for investors, those looking to advance their careers in robotics, government officials invested in the Commonwealth's technology and innovation industry, and businesses interested in collaborating with these smart companies." From Monday, April 8 to Friday, April 12, robot enthusiasts can get behind-the-scenes tours at Massachusetts' best-known robotics companies, including: iRobot Tour the Cool Stuff Museum and Family Innovation Lab, learn about the company and see a demo of a robot in action. Bedford, MA. Tour the Cool Stuff Museum and Family Innovation Lab, learn about the company and see a demo of a robot in action. 6 River Systems Learn about Chuck, a collaborative mobile robot, and how the company is building fulfillment solutions for the warehouses of tomorrow. Waltham, MA. Learn about Chuck, a collaborative mobile robot, and how the company is building fulfillment solutions for the warehouses of tomorrow. DunkWorks Part of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's Center for Marine Robotics, see how DunkWorks isaccelerating the path of technology to the ocean. Woods Hole, MA. Part of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's Center for Marine Robotics, see how DunkWorks isaccelerating the path of technology to the ocean. Piaggio Fast Forward Meet gita, the sustainable, mobile-carrier that follows people on the go while transporting up to 45 pounds and learn about the company's vision of a sustainable mobility ecology with healthy lifestyles and social connectivity available to all. Boston, MA. Meet gita, the sustainable, mobile-carrier that follows people on the go while transporting up to 45 pounds and learn about the company's vision of a sustainable mobility ecology with healthy lifestyles and social connectivity available to all. Symbotic Learn how to simplify material handling from manufacturer to store shelf with the combination of proprietary software and mathematics. Wilmington, MA. Learn how to simplify material handling from manufacturer to store shelf with the combination of proprietary software and mathematics. Artaic Discover how Artaic is using robotic technology to customize, design and fabricate award-winning mosaics for projects of any size. Boston, MA. Discover how Artaic is using robotic technology to customize, design and fabricate award-winning mosaics for projects of any size. FLIR Unmanned Ground Systems As the world's leading provider of battle-tested Unmanned Ground Vehicles, get an inside look at how these robots help keep troops, first responders and the public safe. Chelmsford, MA. As the world's leading provider of battle-tested Unmanned Ground Vehicles, get an inside look at how these robots help keep troops, first responders and the public safe. UMass Lowell NERVE and iHub As part of the monthly Mass Innovation Nights event series, network with members of the local innovation community and view presentations by local startups and entrepreneurs. To register, visit https://mass.innovationnights.com/events/mass-innovation-nights-121. Lowell, MA. As part of the monthly Mass Innovation Nights event series, network with members of the local innovation community and view presentations by local startups and entrepreneurs. To register, visit https://mass.innovationnights.com/events/mass-innovation-nights-121. MassRobotics Meet the masterminds behind the innovation hub for robotics and connected devices. Get a deep dive in how our programming is nurturing the next generation of talent and promoting economic growth. Boston, MA. https://www.eventbrite.com/o/massrobotics-15198733574. About MassRobotics MassRobotics is the result of the collective work of a group of engineers, rocket scientists and entrepreneurs with a shared vision to create a strong, vibrant robotics and IoT ecosystem in Massachusetts. MassRobotics' mission is to help create and scale the next generation of successful robotics and connected devices companies by providing entrepreneurs and innovative robotics/automation startups with the workspace and resources they need to develop, prototype, test and commercialize their products and solutions. See www.massrobotics.org for details. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/get-a-behind-the-scenes-look-at-massachusetts-leading-robotics-companies-300818383.html SOURCE MassRobotics [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Global Smart Mirror Market Size, Trends, Research, Share, Opportunity & Forecast 2019-2024 According to a comprehensive study by KD Market Insights analyzes A recent report by KD market insights titled as "Smart Mirror Market - By End-User (Automotive, Healthcare, Residential, Others), By Component (Hardware, Software Application, Services), By Applications (Advertising, Hidden Camera Recording, Home Monitoring & Security, Weather Condition, Others) & Global Region Market Size, Trends, Share & Forecast 2019-2024" provides the key trends, opportunities and challenges market will face in the forecasted period of 6 years i.e. 2019-2024. The study also provides the Smart Mirror Market competitors share and region wise analysis around the globe. The Smart Mirror Market is forecasted to thrive at XX% CAGR to reach notable market value by the end of 2024. The smart mirror is an electronic device mirror and known as a magic mirror with several benefits. It covers a wide range of technologies including wireless sensor systems, AI (Artificial Intelligence), displays, touch capability, Wi-Fi connectivity, and GPS (Global Positioning System), mobile data acquisition, AR (augmented reality) and others technology. Smart mirror updates the information related to the weather report, calendar events, news, and social media notifications and others. Request for Sample @ https://www.kdmarketinsights.com/sample/3374 Growth Drivers & Restrain A smart mirror is one of the very latest technologies for home automation and other areas such as hospitals, automotive, and others. The smart mirror is being used for security purposes, fast updating information related to navigation, calendar, weather report, stock reports, quotes, and others. These wide range of applications of smart mirrors are fueling the growth of the smart mirror market. Technology has become an everyday part of our lives as the growing adoption of smartphones with high speed of internet technologies such as 4G and LTE (long term evolution) and using home automation apps through voice recognition is boosting the market growth of smart mirror. Moreover, the acrylic smart mirror is made of very transparent glass, as acrylic glass provides a crystal-clear view of the text and graphics compared to a standard glass two-way mirror. Additionally, the smart mirror has a number of applications such as in elevators, airports, hotels, office lobbies, public restrooms, and others. For instance, in January 2011, Clear Channel Airports (CCA) and Mirrus Corporation collaborated on a pilot program of deploying 150 smart mirrors with advertising displays in all restrooms at the Chicago O'Hare airport. Besides this, growing investment in R&D activities on smart mirrors and new technology innovation are the major factors driving the smart mirror market globally. Additionally, the smart mirror market is segmented based on application into automotive, hospitality, smart homes, and others. Among them, healthcare and automotive applications dominate the global smart mirror market. As in hospitals, the smart mirrors used for patient-specific information such as real-time human body statistics (heart rate, body temperature, and blood pressure) and prescription reminders is anticipated to drive the demand for the smart mirror market in near future. Besides this, these smart mirrors are also used in automotive with functionalities such as temperature display, navigation, turn signals, and others is one of the key elements which are propelling the growth of smart mirror market. In terms of region, the Europe region led the smart mirror market in terms of revenue. The presence of major automobile manufacturers such as Volkswagen, BMW, and Daimler are creating demand for smart mirrors in Europe. Further, the availability of better technology infrastructure in Europe is also encouraging the demand for smart mirrors in European countries. However, the high initial cost of manufacturing and implementation of smart mirror devices are restraining revenue growth of the smart mirror market. Segmentation The research offers a comprehensive analysis of smart mirror market with respect to following sub-markets: By End-User - Automotive - Healthcare - Residential - Others By Component - Hardware - Sensors - Cameras - Audio Systems - Connectivity - Extension Cord - Others - Software Application - Services By Applications - Advertising - Hidden Camera Recording - Home Monitoring & Security - Weather Condition - Others By Geography North America (U.S. & Canada) Europe (Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Russia and Rest of Europe) Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand and Rest of Asia Pacific) Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Rest of Latin America) Middle East & Africa (GCC, North Africa, South Africa and Rest of Middle East & Africa) Competitive landscape The report profiles various major market players such as, - Gentex Corporation - Magna International Inc - Panasonic Corporation - Seura Solutions - Samsung Electronics - Keonn Technologies - Mirrus Corporation - Toshiba - Evervue - Pro Display - Other Major & Niche Players Browse Full Report With [email protected] https://www.kdmarketinsights.com/product/smart-mirror-market Table of [email protected] Research Methodology Market Definition and List of Abbreviations 1. Executive Summary 2. Growth Products & Issues in Global Smart Mirror Market 3. Global Smart Mirror Market Trends 4. Opportunities in Global Smart Mirror Market 5. Recent Industry Activities, 2018 6. Porter's Five Forces Analysis 7. Market Value Chain and Supply Chain Analysis 8. Products Average Price Analysis, By Country 9. Global Smart Mirror Market Value (USD Million), 2018-2024 10. Global Smart Mirror Market Segmentation Analysis, By End-User 10.1. Introduction 10.2. Market Attractiveness, By End-User 10.3. BPS Analysis, By End-User 10.4. Automotive Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 10.5. Healthcare Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 10.6. Residential Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 10.7. Others Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 11. Global Smart Mirror Market Segmentation Analysis, By Component 11.1. Introduction 11.2. Market Attractiveness, By Component 11.3. BPS Analysis, By Component 11.4. Hardware Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 11.4.1. Sensors Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 11.4.2. Cameras Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 11.4.3. Audio Systems Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 11.4.4. Extension cord Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 11.4.5. Connectivity Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 11.4.6. Others Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 11.5. Software Application Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 11.6. Services Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 12. Global Smart Mirror Market Segmentation Analysis, By Applications 12.1. Introduction 12.2. Market Attractiveness, By Applications 12.3. BPS Analysis, By Applications 12.4. Advertising Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 12.5. Hidden Camera Recording Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 12.6. Home Monitoring & Security Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 12.7. Weather Condition Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 12.8. Others Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13. Geographical Analysis 13.1. Introduction 13.2. North America Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.1. By End-User 13.2.1.1. Introduction 13.2.1.2. Market Attractiveness, By End-User 13.2.1.3. BPS Analysis, By End-User 13.2.1.4. Automotive Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.1.5. Healthcare Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.1.6. Residential Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.1.7. Others Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.2. By Component 13.2.2.1. Introduction 13.2.2.2. Market Attractiveness, By Component 13.2.2.3. BPS Analysis, By Component 13.2.2.4. Hardware Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.2.4.1. Sensors Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.2.4.2. Cameras Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.2.4.3. Audio Systems Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.2.4.4. Extension cord Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.2.4.5. Connectivity Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.2.4.6. Others Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.2.5. Software Application Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.2.6. Services Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.3. By Applications 13.2.3.1. Introduction 13.2.3.2. Market Attractiveness, By Applications 13.2.3.3. BPS Analysis, By Applications 13.2.3.4. Advertising Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.3.5. Hidden Camera Recording Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.3.6. Home Monitoring & Security Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.3.7. Weather Condition Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.3.8. Others Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.4. By Country 13.2.4.1. Market Attractiveness, By Country 13.2.4.2. BPS Analysis, By Country 13.2.4.3. U.S. Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 13.2.4.4. Canada Market Value (USD Million) Forecast & Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, 2018-2024 Continue Check for [email protected] https://www.kdmarketinsights.com/discount/3374 About KD Market Insights KD Market Insights has come with the idea of helping business by intelligent decision making and thorough understanding of the industry. We offer a comprehensive database of syndicated research, customized reports as well as consulting services to help a business grow in their respective domain. At KD Market Insights, we offer our client a deep Market research reports accompanied by business consulting services that can help them to reach on top of the corporate world. Our customized reports are built by keeping all factors of the industry in mind. Contact Us 150 State street, 3rd Floor, Albany, New York United states (12207) Telephone: +1-518-300-1215 Email: - [email protected] Website: - www.kdmarketinsights.com As a community-building service, TMCnet allows user submitted content which is not always proofed by TMCnet editors. If you feel this entry is of inferior quality or wish to report it for some reason, please forward the URL to "webedit [AT] tmcnet [DOT] com" with your comments. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] History meets the future: Italy joins the Belt and Road Initiative BEIJING, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by China.org.cn on Xi Jinping's visit to Italy: The Venetian businessman Marco Polo never could have imagined that his journey to China by camel and on foot would still be prompting his country's economic growth and improving people's lives, even after more than 700 years. Italy has signed of a memorandum of understanding to become part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI - one of the top highlights of cooperation during President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Italy. This wasn't an "unexpected incident." Participation in the BRI is important, not only to Italy's own development, but also for China-Italy and China-EU relations to keep pace with the times. Still impacted by the aftermath of the debt crisis, Italy needs more external cooperation to achieve its primary objective of stimulating economic growth and giving people a stronger sense of fulfillment. Participation in the BRI - pursuing open, inclusive and shared development - has certainly become Italy's best choice. The Italian government has showed its enthusiasm for participating in the BRI cooperation for a long time. Previously, 13 other EU countries reached consensus on cooperation with China, and working together under the framework of the BRI has become a trend of the times in Europe. Instead of falling behind, Italy hopes to forge ahead in this process. As an Italian government official said, this time Italy has finally taken the lead in European countries' cooperation with China. Some media were concerned about two poins: that Italy would yield to pressure from outside countries, and that the agreement signed between China and Italy would be a "shrinking" one. Whatever their motives, these concerns have only prompted people to learn about the true meaning behind the BRI. As a new formula offered to the world, the BRI and its development may shoulder heavy responsibility in the years to come. In being open and inclusive, China has offered to the world a new model for cooperation guided by the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. It is only natural that all cooperative partners should be sincere and pragmatic, and act according to circumstances. The upgrading of port construction along the coast of the Adriatic Sea will provide a huge capacity for Sino-Italian trade cooperation, and China's vast market will provide additional fair opportunities for Italian enterprises at the same time. The two countries are ready to embark upon their new journey of BRI cooperation. This is where the history and the future meet, and where prosperity and peace advance side by side. Both Europe and the entire world should cheer for it. China Mosaic http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm History meets the future: Italy joins the Belt and Road Initiative http://www.china.org.cn/video/2019-03/26/content_74613252.htm About China.org.cn Founded in 2000, China Internet Information Center (China.org.cn/China.com.cn) is a key state news website under the auspices of the State Council Information Office, and is managed by China International Publishing Group. We provide round-the-clock news service in ten languages. With users from more than 200 countries and regions, we have become China's leading multi-lingual news outlet introducing the country to the outside world. We are one of the country's authoritative outlets for government press releases and are authorized to cover various major events. "Live Webcast" is our online webcasting service to present State Council Information Office press conferences in both Chinese and English languages. We are reputed for timely and accurate delivery of news and information, and wide interactions with audiences. In addition, we are authorized to publish and live broadcast major events and press conferences of ministries, local government agencies and institutions as well as enterprises. In the era of mobile internet, we endeavor to create an array of products for mobile devices headed by the multilingual WAP platform and the mobile APP. We also use Chinese and international social media to publish information for different user groups. In the future, CIIC will continue to offer authoritative information about China, tell China's stories, voice China's opinions, and introduce a vivid, panoramic and multicultural China to the world through multi-language, multi-media and multi-platforms. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/history-meets-the-future-italy-joins-the-belt-and-road-initiative-300818387.html SOURCE China.org.cn [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Kohl's Donates $5 Million to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin to Enhance Mental Health Services In support of the company's broader Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR (News - Alert)) platform focused on family health and wellness, Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) today announced it will donate $5 million, over four years, to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin to help launch a multi-year mental health strategy to improve mental health services for Wisconsin kids and their families. The grant will directly address the state's need for greater access to mental health services for children and generate awareness about the impact a child's mental health has on his or her holistic well-being. "Kohl's shares Children's Hospital of Wisconsin's commitment to children's health and wellness, and we're proud to elevate our nearly 20-year partnership with this amazing institution," said Michelle Gass, Kohl's chief executive officer. "We applaud the efforts Children's Hospital of Wisconsin is making to break down barriers and increase access to services and resources that support mental wellness by addressing stress, anxiety, trauma, depression, and other issues that so many kids across the country face today." Children's Hospital of Wisconsin will devote Kohl's funding to mental health access, early detection, prevention, education, and awareness through the expansion of school-based mental and behavioral health services, introduction of new and refined system-wide screening tools, mental health programming research, and an awareness campaign. "This incredibly generous gift will jumpstart numerous initiatives and expand programs that strengthen our mental health strategy," said Peggy Troy, president and CEO of Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. "We are so thankful that Kohl's believes in our vision that Wisconsin kids will be the healthiest in the nation - physically, mentally, and socially. Sadly, Wisconsin ranks extremely low in meeting the mental health needs of our kids." Since 2000, Kohl's and Kohl's Cares have donated more than $15 million to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. The long-standing partnership between Kohl's and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin is rooted in creating new and exciting programs focused on kids' health and education. Most recently, Kohl's and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin launched Mission: Healthy Kids, a program that helps Wisconsin kids and families learn how to eat right, stay fit, and feel good about their bodies. Kohl's has a deep commitment to improving the health and wellness of families in its hometown. For more than 30 years, the company has given nearly $115 million to local nonprofit organizations to address critical community needs through its best-in-class volunteer program, grants to 15 hometown partners and six affiliate partners, Kohl's Hometown Giving Program, and Kohl's Field Trip Grant Program. Kohl's donations are made possible through Kohl's philanthropic program, Kohl's Cares, which sells children's books and toys and donates 100 percent of the net profit to support happier and healthier communities nationwide. For more information on Kohl's commitment to family health and wellness and the company's CSR efforts, visit Corporate.Kohls.com. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including 2019 earnings guidance. Kohl's intends forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "should," "anticipates," "plans," or similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause Kohl's actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those described in Item 1A in Kohl's Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference, and other factors as may periodically be described in Kohl's filings with the SEC (News - Alert). Forward-looking statements relate to the date initially made, and Kohl's undertakes no obligation to update them. About Kohl's Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) is a leading omnichannel retailer with more than 1,100 stores in 49 states. With a commitment to inspiring and empowering families to lead fulfilled lives, Kohl's offers amazing national and exclusive brands, incredible savings and an easy shopping experience in our stores, online at Kohls.com and on Kohl's mobile app. Since its founding, Kohl's has given more than $700 million to support communities nationwide, with a focus on family health and wellness. For a list of store locations or to shop online, visit Kohls.com. For more information about Kohl's impact in the community or how to join our winning team, visit Corporate.Kohls.com or follow @KohlsNews on Twitter (News - Alert). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005125/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] MARS Company Named One of the 2018 "Top 25 Utilities Tech Solutions Providers" OCALA, Fla., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- MARS Company, global leader in water meter testing and technology solutions, announced today that it was recently recognized as one of the top 25 Utilities Tech Solutions Providers for 2018. This is a CIO Applications magazine annual listing of companies providing Utilities technology solutions helping clients build a competitive advantage and transform their businesses. MARS Company is the industry leader focused on providing water meter test bench systems, M3 Enterprise Software solutions, MARS Calibration Certification (MCC) and on-site training programs. These innovative solutions are used to build a stronger network within the waterworks industry while boosting digital applications as the norm for municipalities and utility companies. With patented, award-winning, state-of-the-art technologies, the goal of the company is to lead utility management companies in recovering revenue lost due to reporting inaccuracies, real and estimated water losses via sustainable and environmentally sounds avenues. MARS Company CEO, Dave Corey, says, "Inaccuracy in the measurement of water delivery leads to significant loss of revenue for our clients. To mitigate that, we focus heavily on meter testing and joining hands with meter manufacturers and vendors to obtain fact-based data to identify the revenue leakage and contain it." Further, "MARS continues to drive industry leadership and innovation and we are proud to be recognized as the only test bench provider that is compliant with the New C 717-18 ISO/AWWA standard," said Corey The utility industry has traditionally been behind in evolving with the digital world. However, with advances such as big data analytics, Smart Cities and the Internet of Things; MARS Company is shifting the waterworks industry towards a digital path for ciies and municipalities to adopt novel reporting applications enhancing accuracy, customer service and operations. CIO Applications magazine provides global coverage in promoting cutting-edge technology experts, such as MARS Company, and highlighting a genre of businesses who are offering best-in-class solutions and services. Florida-based MARS Company exemplifies the evolution of an American waterworks organization originating from a grassroots manufacturing-engineering concept and evolving to a sophisticated digital Industrial Technology Manufacturing business compliant with the American Water Works Association (AWWA) standards. MARS Company will be a featured presenter and exhibitor (booth #135) at the California Nevada Section of the American Water Works Association (CA-NV AWWA) 2019 Operator Symposium Conference held on March 25-27, 2019. For more information about MARS Company and its M3 Enterprise Software, please visit www.MARSwater.com. About MARS Company MARS Company is a global leader in water meter testing and technology solutions. With more than 30 years of experience assisting municipal and private utilities throughout the world, MARS has a long track record of success. MARS core business and expertise include: Patented Water Meter Testing Systems & Software Technology, Software Solutions and Water System Specialty Products. Innovative thinking allows MARS to leverage its unique, proprietary technology, patent positioning, manufacturing infrastructure and world-class management strength, to further position itself as the leader in the water industry. CONTACT: Mike Mastic, Director of Test Bench and Software Systems; Tel: (352) 414-7690; [email protected] This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements containing the words "planned," "expects," "believes," "strategy," "opportunity," "anticipates" and similar words. Such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties or other factors that may cause MARS Company's actual results to be materially different from historical results or any results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. MARS Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date hereof. The potential risks and uncertainties which could cause actual growth and results to differ materially include but are not limited to, customer acceptance of the company's services, products and fee structures, the success of the company's brand development efforts, the volatile and competitive nature of the water industry, and changes in domestic and international market conditions, and foreign exchange rates. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mars-company-named-one-of-the-2018-top-25-utilities-tech-solutions-providers-300818179.html SOURCE MARS Company [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Nordicity Study Highlights Increasing Importance of Canadian Wireless Sector to the Canadian Economy GDP Contribution of $27.5 billion for 2017 is an increase of more than 9% from 2016 OTTAWA, March 26, 2019 /CNW/ - Canada's wireless telecommunications sector continues to generate significant and increasing economic benefits to the Canadian economy in terms of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and employment according to a new report by Nordicity. Commissioned by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), the report shows the significant positive economic impact the industry makes when it comes to GDP, jobs and capital investment. The report also shows this impact has grown significantly on a year-over-year basis. Key Findings: In 2017, Canada's wireless industry contributed $27.5 billion to the Canadian GDP, an increase of 9.1% from $25.21 billion 2016. wireless industry contributed to the Canadian GDP, an increase of 9.1% from 2016. The major contributor to this overall GDP increase was the $1.22 billion increase in the contribution of wireless network operators to the GDP. increase in the contribution of wireless network operators to the GDP. The wireless sector generated 155,550 full-time equivalents (FTE) jobs in 2017, including direct, indirect and induced effects an increase of 13,500 FTEs or 9.8% from 2016. Canadian facilities-based network operators made capital investments in Canada's wireless infrastructure totaling $2.92 billion in 2017 an increase of $0.34 billion or 13.2% from 2016. "A country's overall competitiveness is increasingly being determined by its competiveness in the ICT (Information and Communiction Technologies) sector, of which the wireless sector is a key component," said Nordicity Partner Stuart Jack. "Our report shows that Canada's wireless sector contribution to the Canadian GDP continues to increase and is a key growth enabler of the overall Canadian ICT sector." "The Nordicity report highlights the critical contribution our industry makes to the Canadian economy," said Robert Ghiz, President & CEO of CWTA. "The billions of dollars of investments in infrastructure and innovation made each year by Canada's facilities-based wireless operators help drive the Canadian economy, create thousands of well-paying jobs and play a critical role in enabling key industry sectors to shift to the new digital and data-driven economy. As we seek to expand the reach of our wireless networks and introduce 5G wireless to Canada, the need for continued private sector investment will only increase as will the need for maintaining a public policy environment that encourages such investment. The growth of Canada's economy depends on it." Additional Key Facts about Canada's Wireless Industry (supplemental to the Report): Canada's facilities-based wireless carriers have invested approximately $48 billion in wireless infrastructure between the years of 1987 and 2017. (Historical data from Nordicity, CRTC, CWTA and Bank of America Merrill Lynch). facilities-based wireless carriers have invested approximately in wireless infrastructure between the years of 1987 and 2017. (Historical data from Nordicity, CRTC, CWTA and Bank of America Merrill Lynch). Facilities-based wireless carriers in Canada generate the most capital expenditure per subscriber among the G7 and Australia . (Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Global Wireless Matrix, December 2018 ). generate the most capital expenditure per subscriber among the G7 and . (Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Global Wireless Matrix, ). Facilities-based wireless service providers have paid to the Canadian government over $14.1 billion in spectrum auction revenues between the years 1987-2016. (Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED), Government of Canada ) in spectrum auction revenues between the years 1987-2016. (Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED), Government of ) It is estimated that, between 2020 and 2026, $26 billion in capital investment will be required for the initial roll-out of 5G infrastructure in Canada , with most of such investment being made by Canada's facilities-based wireless operators. (Accenture, Fuel for Innovation, 2018). in capital investment will be required for the initial roll-out of 5G infrastructure in , with most of such investment being made by facilities-based wireless operators. (Accenture, Fuel for Innovation, 2018). Canada's wireless networks are #2 in the world in terms of download speeds; 158% faster than the global average and 95% faster than the U.S.. (Ookla, Speedtest Global Index, February 2019 ). wireless networks are #2 in the world in terms of download speeds; 158% faster than the global average and 95% faster than the U.S.. (Ookla, Speedtest Global Index, ). Long term evolution (LTE) networks, which deliver higher speeds than previous generation networks, are available to 99% of Canadians. LTE-advanced (LTE-A) networks, offering even higher speeds than LTE, are now available to 92% of Canadians, a 9% increase over the previous year. (CRTC, Communications Monitoring Report, 2018) For a copy of the report, or more information, please see www.cwta.ca. About CWTA CWTA is the authority on wireless issues, developments and trends in Canada. It represents companies that provide services and products across the wireless sector. Representing the industry before all levels of government and various regulatory agencies, CWTA actively promotes the industry with the goal of ensuring continued growth of the wireless sector in Canada. CWTA administers a number of initiatives on behalf of its members, including corporate social responsibility programs and the national common short codes program. SOURCE Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] OncoLens Raises Seed Funding of $1.35 Million Led by BIP Capital and Atlanta Technology Angels OncoLens, a technology company serving cancer care programs has successfully closed a $1.35 million seed round. BIP Capital and Atlanta Technology Angels (ATA) led the round. The company will deploy the capital toward its strategic growth plans. OncoLens' platform enables a diverse and multispecialty cancer care team to seamlessly collaborate on treatment plans for individual patients. With the explosion of diagnostic tests and treatment options, OncoLens ensures that every complex cancer patient benefits from a discussion by a diverse group of specialists. The company also provides cancer-specific decision support and assists cancer programs to track, discuss and implement nationally approved quality metrics. As part of this funding round, OncoLens announced Sarath Degala, vice president at BIP Capital, and ATA board member Bill Midgette have joined its board of directors. "I am very excited to have Bill and Sarath on our board," said Anju Mathew, OncoLens' CEO and co-founder. "Their immense experience and knowledge of the healthcare industry will help us serve our customers better as well as expand our product portfolio." Degala brings direct operational experience at large health systems where he held multiple C-level positions. "BIP Capital is excited to support OncoLens with this investment, adding another exciting company to our portfolio that improves patients' lives and increases the efficiency of healthcare," Degala said. Midgette, who now leads Fairburn Equity partners, was formerly CEO of Porex Corp. and president of C.R. Bard Medical. "The Atlanta Technology Angels supports early-stage companies that have groundbreaking technologies," Midgette said. "We are excited by the possibilities of the OncoLens software platform. Their solution allows academic and community based physicians to seamlessly integrate the volume of cancer data available today and the new therapies and diagnostics of tomorrow, thus optimizing the care path for their patients." Current cancer treatment planning methods are comprised of archaic manual processes, taking an estimated 10 hours to aggregate data from disparate sources to plan cancer treatment options for the discussion of approximately 5 cases. he discussions are not standardized and what is discussed is usually what is top of mind, rather than the most relevant clinical trials or treatment options. OncoLens decreases a cancer center's workload and saves resources by streamlining the data aggregation process, enabling decision support, and incorporating multiple workflows into one solution. The company is part of Georgia Tech's Advanced Technology Development Center's ATDC Accelerate portfolio and in 2018, OncoLens was named a Showcase Company at Venture Atlanta. In addition, OncoLens has received the "Exceptional Research Award" from the Academy of Oncology Nurse Navigators in 2017 and Pharmatech Outlook named the company a "Top 10 E-clinical Trial Management Solution" in 2018. About OncoLens OncoLens is a Software-as-a-Service solution that streamlines the care treatment planning process for cancer programs. The platform brings efficiency to the tumor board management, survivorship care planning and related accreditation and quality improvement initiatives. The platform merges case specific clinical decision support criteria, including applicable clinical trials, to support the multi-disciplinary approach to care treatment. To learn more, please visit oncolens.com. About BIP Capital BIP Capital is recognized as one of the most active and successful venture investors in the Southeast, serving entrepreneurs, investors and operators to grow the emerging company ecosystem. It applies experience and process to make investment decisions and operational recommendations, allowing its portfolio companies to achieve and stay on a glide path of growth. Areas of focus include Enterprise SaaS (News - Alert), Healthcare IT, Digital Media, Dev Tools and MarTech. For more information, visit bip-capital.com or follow BIP Capital on LinkedIn or Twitter (News - Alert) @BIPCapital. About Atlanta Technology Angels We are one of the nation's top angel investing networks. Our mission is to provide opportunities for members to invest in top-tier, early-stage companies in the Southeast. ATA members provide seed and early-stage capital to entrepreneurs seeking between $200K-$3M (News - Alert). This is an investment range not generally served by venture capital funds and serves as a catalyst that helps to build Georgia's economy into a thriving center of technology and entrepreneurship. To learn more, visit angelatlanta.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005177/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] It may look like reporter Andy Salmon and author Michael Breen squaring off with each other, drawing looks of concern from the other participants. True, we parted our ways without lunch as in the Hanoi summit, the subject of the Times' roundtable, but the conversation was conducted in quite a civilized manner with no punches thrown at but pulled from each other. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul By Andrew Salmon There had been widespread expectations and high hopes, but in the event, the highly anticipated" and "historic" second summit, held in Hanoi between North Korean and the United States, crashed and burned. For most of us in Hanoi sipping the excellent Vietnamese coffee and enjoying the ease of covering a summit in which there were only two players, and no delegations to chase around town to try to doorstop it was a shock outcome. Things had looked so good. There had been grins and mutual back pats between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump. The chemistry between the delegations looked excellent. Kim had even made a minor bit of history by answering a question from a reporter. Then, as we all know, the U.S. delegation "walked." The blame game looks likely to continue for months if not years. Had Kim been overconfident that the Americans would be prepared to accept the dismantlement of his central nuclear complex at Yongbyon in the expectation that he could retain his secretive highly enriched uranium program? Had National Security Adviser John Bolton, the last Washington Neo-con, torpedoed the summit by demanding a massive deal that had not been on the table in preliminary talks, and that he knew the North Koreans could not accept? Did Trump, the self-described great negotiator, want to show how tough he was to supporters back home or had he finally bought into the pessimism of some in Washington, becoming convinced that Kim is not, in fact, prepared to offer up his "treasured sword?" At this point, all is not clear. Is there any upside? Perhaps. [March 26, 2019] Onlia Joins with Carrot Rewards to Help Make Canada a Safer Place TORONTO, March 26, 2019 /CNW/ - Onlia Holding Inc., a new company offering innovative digital auto insurance and mobile app, today announced it is working with Carrot Rewards, Canada's most popular wellness app and AI-driven engagement platform, to help launch its entrance into the Canadian marketplace. Toronto-based Onlia is disrupting the insurance industry by taking a non-conventional approach to making Canada's roads safer. Onlia is using nudge theory and behavioural economics to help educate and inform Canadians about how they think about safety, by motivating and rewarding safe drivers via the Onlia Sense app. At Onlia, safety comes first and insurance is a close second. As Onlia is focused on creating safe behaviour changes, there is no better alignment to help promote this vision than Carrot. "We're creating a community to make Canada a safer place, testing safety concepts with brand actions, and providing the tools and motivation to facilitate safer behaviours," said Bonny van Rest, Onlia's Chief Marketing Officer. "We're excited to leverage the Carrot platform to inform and engage Canadians by nudging and rewarding them for making better, safer driving choices." Carrot is uniquely qualified to work with Onlia as it has over 1 million registered users that are interested in making better lifestyle choices for themselves and their families. Carrot has worked with partners in the public and private sectors to educate and motivate its users with engaging content that drives change. The initial program launches on the Carrot app today with one of three educational quizzes that will educate user about driving and community safety, as well as safety tips to help drive lasting behavior change. "Onlia is rethinking the way Canadians approach safety and insurance, and we're thrilled that they chose Carrot as a way to raise awareness," said Lorne Solway, chief marketing and strategy officer, Carrot Rewards. "Carrot is known for driving positive, sustainable behaviour change, and we're happy to play a role in making the roads a safer place for Canadians to travel on." About Onlia Onlia Holding Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiaries Onlia Agency Inc. & Onlia Services Inc., offers innovative digital insurance and mobile technology products to the Canadian market. Onlia's mission is to create a community around making Canada a safer place, and to provide tools and motivation to facilitate safer behaviours. Launched in 2018, Onlia is a joint venture between Achmea Canada Holding Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Achmea B.V. the largest insurance group of the Netherlands, and Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, a Canadian holding company which, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance and investment management. Using proprietary and award-winning technology, Onlia is rethinking the way Canadians approach safety and insurance. Join the community at Onlia.ca and on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . 2018 Onlia Holding Inc. ONLIA, ONLIA SENSE and the Conversational Cloud Logo are trademarks of Onlia Holding Inc., used under license. Available for Interviews: Pieter Louter, CEO, Onlia Bonny van Rest, Chief Marketing Officer, Onlia For further information: DDBPR John Bowes | 416-972-5891 E: [email protected] About Carrot Rewards Carrot Rewards is an AI-driven wellness app and brand engagement platform that leverages behavioural economics and nudge theory to motivate and reward users for making better lifestyle choices. Carrot maximizes appeal and engagement by offering users a choice of rewards from the most popular consumer loyalty programs in Canada, users can earn Aeroplan Miles, SCENE points, Petro-Points, More Rewards points, Drop points or RBC Rewards each time they interact with the app. Over one million users strong, Carrot has been recognized as Canadian App of the Year by MobileSyrup, ranked by Bond Brand Loyalty as a Top 10 Canadian Loyalty Program in The Loyalty Report 2018, named one of the Top Fastest Growing Companies by Canadian Business and Maclean's Magazine and is the 2019 winner of the World Government Summit's Edge of Government Global Innovation Award. The Carrot Rewards platform was created in collaboration with Canadian government agencies, health NGOs and the private sector. A similar rollout of the Carrot Rewards app is currently underway in the United Kingdom. For more information, please visit: www.carrotapp.com Twitter & Instagram: @carrot_rewards Facebook: /carrotrewards Available for Interviews: Andreas Souvaliotis, Founder and CEO, Carrot Rewards Lorne Solway, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer, Carrot Rewards For further information: Duet Public Relations Jennifer Love | 416-271-5477 E: [email protected] SOURCE Onlia [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Royal Canadian Navy to use Kognitiv Spark's Augmented Reality software to improve vessel repairs and maintenance Kognitiv Spark will be providing the Royal Canadian Navy with the opportunity to test drive a Mixed Reality Remote Assistant Support (MIRRAS) system, as part of a project that aims to improve maintenance and repairs aboard active naval vessels. The project aims to validate technology adopted from Kognitiv Spark, whose software is designed for use with the Microsoft (News - Alert) HoloLens. The software leverages Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, and the integration of Artificial Intelligence to improve efficiencies with ship operations including repairs, maintenance and knowledge transfer. This system can be used by RCN (News - Alert) Marine Technicians and Weapons Engineering Technicians, to ensure that RCN ships remain at a high-level of readiness for routine training and operational deployments. "Innovation and technological advancement are critical to the future of the Royal Canadian Navy. We are continually seeking new ways to leverage emerging technologies in order to enhance our performance alongside and at sea," said RAdm Casper Donovan, Director General Future Ship Capability, Royal Canadian Navy. "The Mixed Reality Remote Assistant Support system is an exciting tool, because it may provide our sailors with the opportunity to explore a new, and potentially much more efficient way of conducting onboard maintenance." For remote maintenance, a ubject-matter expert using this system can see what the HoloLens wearer sees from anywhere in the world. The expert can provide guidance using real-time voice and video, interactive 3D holograms and content, and live IoT data. Alternatively, the technician can use locally stored data to assist with routine tasks when a remote expert is not available. The holographic support is designed to improve decision making by facilitating decisive action and reducing errors by providing clarity and certainty of comprehension. "Our solution delivers a toolset that can take advantage of the most powerful visual processing system on the planet, the human brain," said Duncan McSporran, a former military officer and the Co-Founder and COO at Kognitiv Spark. "3D interactive content is more easily interpreted than paper manuals, and therefore reduces any mental fatigue the soldiers, sailors or air force personnel might be facing under harsh and stressful conditions. Our software allows them to make better-informed decisions more rapidly, with all the information and resources possible in a secure system. We are delighted to deploy our Canadian solution, in support of the vision of the Royal Canadian Navy to introduce cutting edge technology." Kognitiv Spark was awarded this contract due in part to their industrial-leading security features and reputation from ongoing work with the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Kognitiv Spark recently won a Microsoft IMPACT award for Innovation with Hardware, a NATO Defence Innovation Challenge award for Mobile Apps for Defence Users and the Atlantic Canada Aerospace and Defence Association Industry Excellence Award. About Kognitiv Spark: Kognitiv Spark is a global leader for industrial task support software. Partnered with leading hardware providers, they use augmented and mixed reality to deliver holographic worker support with interactive 3D content, artificial intelligence, and live IoT data. Kognitiv Spark's mission is to empower workers to achieve more with operational productivity, primarily in industrial manufacturing, aerospace and defence, and the oil and gas sectors. They believe in human potential - and that with the power of technology, everyday people can achieve extraordinary things. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005121/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Schneider Electric accelerates the transition to low carbon economy at the One Planet Summit 2019 Schneider Electric executives collaborate with other sustainability leaders on how to deliver tangible actions on the most pressing global sustainability challenges Company can demonstrate how low carbon economy can be a reality now including business and the most vulnerable population alike MISSISSAUGA, ON, March 26, 2019 /CNW/ - Almost 4 years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement, President of France Emmanuel Macron is organizing on March 14th in Nairobi (Kenya) the first regional edition of the One Planet Summit, co-chaired with Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, the President of the Republic of Kenya. This High-Level session will gather Heads of State and Ministers heading national delegation to UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) as well as representatives of the finance and the business sectors, local governments, civil society, and youth. The session will tackle two main issues: promoting renewable energy and fostering resilience, adaptation and biodiversity. Schneider Electric executives will be part of the summit and participate in many side events happening around it. At this occasion the Group is accelerating its ambition and commitments for climate notably by helping its customer to save 100 M tons of CO2 emissions thanks to cleantech solutions. According to a recent study led by Schneider Electric in partnership with GreenBiz media, companies with public energy and/or sustainability goals see advantages. According to it, more than 50% of companies that have set public goals are more likely to adopt innovative solutions, are more successful in securing project funds, and are more likely to have greater results. Gilles Vermot Desroches, Sustainability Senior VP at Schneider Electric said: "The creation of economic opportunities, jobs and innovation are central to the concerns of the One Planet coalition. To bring about this paradigm shift, we can re- affirm our responsibility in the face of climate change and taking measures to account for climate, social and environmental risks in their business including the most vulnerable population". Democratizing technology to unleash the potential of job creation Providing electricity using renewables to provide electricity to the 1 billion people worldwide without energy access has the potential to create millions of good jobs, however despite increasing demand, a shortage of the skilled workforce needed to deliver electricity access is large and growing. In fact, it is projected that by 2030 there will still be 674 million people without access to energy. It is for this reason that the United Nations have established Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) as a key initiative for ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. Schneider Electric advocates that the goal can be attained if the right combination of technologies, modernized regulatory and financial business models, and local training is implemented. Schneider Electric has committed to train 1 million solar technicians by the year 2025 and is also supporting ground-breaking research on the job creation potential from energy access through the Powering Jobs initiative. At the occasion of the One Planet Summit, the company is presenting a document about How New Regulatory, Financial and Technology Bold Ideas Can Grow Microgrid-driven Access to Energy. According to the findings of this document, Energy is a basis of economic development and opens new doors that facilitate access to healthcare, agriculture and better overall living conditions. From a business perspective, increased standards of living are economic drivers that facilitate the conversion of economically disadvantaged populations into large pools of new customers and consumers. Read more: https://www.schneider-electric.com/en/about-us/sustainability/access-to-energy/ Schneider Electric' evolution since the last One Planet Summit in Paris on the 10 commitments took at the occasion of COP21 2015 2030 commitments Completion 20152017 (expected projection) 1 Quantify the carbon impact of 100% of its major customer projects (20152017) 100% + new ambition to save 100MTCO2 on our customer's end thanks to our offers by 2020 2 Design 100% of new products and services in line with Schneider Electric ecoDesign Way and generate 75% of product revenue with Green Premium (20152017) ecoDesign Way: 100% Green Premium: 80.1% end 2017, + new Green Premium offer in 2018 covering 45.7% of product sales (target 2020 = 75%) 3 Avoid 120,000 tonnes of CO 2 emissions by implementing "end-of-life" product services in compliance with the principles of the circular economy (20152017) + 160,000t of CO 2, new ambition 2020 to avoid 100 KT of primary resources consumption 4 Facilitate access to lighting and communications for 50 million people at the bottom of the pyramid within 10 years through low-carbon solutions (20152025) 23 million people 5 Build micro-grids to improve flexible usage and reduce impacts In progress 6 Offer SF6 gas alternatives within 5 years (20152020) and no longer use SF6 gas in Schneider Electric products within 10 years (20152025) In progress and ahead of schedule Reduction of SF6 leaks from 1.76% in 2010 to 0.38% in 2015 and 0.26% in 2018 7 Reduce Schneider Electric's energy intensity by 3.5% annually (2015 and beyond) 10% 2015-2017, renewed target 2018-2020 8 Cut CO 2 emissions from transportation by 3.5% annually (2015 and beyond) 10.3% 2015-2017, renewed ambition 2018-2020 9 Invest 10 billion in innovation and R&D for sustainable development over the next 10 years (20152025) + 3.5 billion 10 Issue a "climate" bond to finance low-carbon R&D Issued in October 2015 About Schneider Electric Schneider Electric is leading the Digital Transformation of Energy Management and Automation in Homes, Buildings, Data Centers, Infrastructure and Industries. With global presence in over 100 countries, Schneider is the undisputable leader in Power Management Medium Voltage, Low Voltage and Secure Power, and in Automation Systems. We provide integrated efficiency solutions, combining energy, automation and software. In our global Ecosystem, we collaborate with the largest Partner, Integrator and Developer Community on our Open Platform to deliver real-time control and operational efficiency. We believe that great people and partners make Schneider a great company and that our commitment to Innovation, Diversity and Sustainability ensures that Life Is On everywhere, for everyone and at every moment. www.schneider-electric.com Hashtags: #Sustainability #LifeIsOn #OnePlanetSummit #MakeOurPlanetGreatAgain SOURCE Schneider Electric Canada Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] State Auto Insurance Chooses Cape Analytics to Deliver AI-Based, Aerial Property Intelligence Today, Cape Analytics is announcing State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company (State Auto), a leading digital provider of property and casualty insurance, is now a fully-deployed Cape Analytics customer. State Auto is using the Cape Analytics product as a property intelligence solution for its homeowner insurance offering, in order to make better risk decisions, improve customer experience, and streamline underwriting. Cape Analytics is providing State Auto with the most comprehensive, timely, and accurate property information available, by leveraging aerial imagery and breakthrough artificial intelligence. The integration of Cape Analytics into State Auto's insurance workflow is one part of State Auto's mission to provide the best possible digital experience to its agents and customers. With Cape's addition to the State Auto technology platform, State Auto customers can continue to expect competitive and accurate policy pricing, while allowing agents to ask homeowners fewer time-consuming questions when providing a quote. "Our partnership with Cape Analytics has helped us gain confidence in our fully automated underwriting process, by providing us new insights into the homes we're insuring," said State Auto President and CEO Mike LaRocco. "As a result, independent agents are able to spend more time offering the advice and counsel that makes them so valuable." "After working together very closely, we are thrilled that State Auto is a fully deployed customer and has found value in Cape Analytics' property intelligence solution," said Ryan Kottenstette, CEO at Cape Analytics. "Our risk-relevant information can empower insurers to reimagine how they run their business, improve customer experience, and even help tem enact innovative practices like automated underwriting or pre-underwriting regions for proactive risk selection." Cape Analytics is the only solution available that offers comprehensive and accurate intelligence at time of quote, with the speed and breadth necessary to fundamentally improve underwriting processes. With Cape, State Auto can now instantly access contextualized intelligence related to their portfolio as well as comparative property data at the local and national level. Cape Analytics' property intelligence is derived by applying cutting-edge computer vision and deep learning algorithms to geospatial imagery and includes a targeted selection of rigorously-developed property attributes and loss-predictive signals such as Roof Condition Rating. This innovative offering is possible due to Cape Analytics' global team of computer vision and data science PhDs, paired with leading industry expertise related to property risk. About Cape Analytics Cape Analytics was established in 2014 to revolutionize the way property information is created and used. The company leverages geospatial imagery, computer vision, and machine learning to instantly and automatically extract proprietary property data for insurance carriers and other property stakeholders. Cape Analytics establishes a new category of property data, offering immediacy and coverage comparable to pre-filled data, but with accuracy and detail that previously required time-consuming in-person inspection reports. Cape Analytics seamlessly integrates into carrier quote engines via API. About State Auto State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, is a super regional property and casualty insurance holding company. The company is primarily engaged in writing personal and business insurance products exclusively through independent insurance agencies in 33 states and is proud to be a Trusted Choice company partner. State Automobile Mutual is part of the State Auto Group, which is rated A- (Excellent) by the A.M. Best Company and includes State Automobile Mutual, State Auto Financial Corporation, State Auto Property & Casualty, State Auto Ohio, State Auto Wisconsin, Milbank, Meridian Security, Patrons Mutual, Rockhill Insurance, Plaza Insurance, American Compensation and Bloomington Compensation. Additional information can be found online at www.StateAuto.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005149/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] United States Food and Drug Administration is Reviewing Nuvo Group LTD's Remote Monitoring Platform Platform designed to enable remote monitoring would offer mothers and clinicians a monitoring tool that non-invasively gathers helpful data and insights PRINCETON, New Jersey and TEL AVIV, Israel, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nuvo Group today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received the PregSense remote monitoring application for the company's first De Novo classification. If granted clearance, the remote platform would be marketed under the name Invu by Nuvo. Invu is an investigational device under FDA review designed for remote pregnancy monitoring. The patented technology is designed to non-invasively measure and display fetal heart rate (FHR) and maternal heart rate (MHR), creating a digital dashboard. It is indicated for women who are in their 32nd week of gestation (or later), with a singleton pregnancy for both in-clinic and at home use. The submission is based on clinical and cientific validation stemming from pivotal and usability trials. A pivotal study compared the investigational platform to cardiotocographs (CTG) the most widely-used fetal monitoring system. Results from the multi-center study of 149 women showed that Nuvo's platform was able to accurately extract both fetal and maternal heart rates consistent with CTG, while offering the real-time convenience of a remote monitoring solution. As Nuvo's first De Novo submission, this regulatory milestone paves the way for the company's vision of advancing maternal-fetal connected health by creating a connected pregnancy. "We are pleased to have submitted our De Novo application for FDA review and look forward to working with the FDA to complete the review process," said Oren Oz, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nuvo Group. "Our goal is to enable a connected pregnancy, where mothers' visits are seamlessly connected across the home, workplace, doctor's office and hospitals." About Nuvo Group Nuvo Group is committed to transforming pregnancy care for a new generation. Proprietary software solutions combined with innovative product design utilize big data analytics to optimize pregnancy healthcare on a global scale. Nuvo Group leadership is comprised of dedicated data engineers, medical professionals, software designers, and proud parents who share a collective vision to create new solutions for both patients and doctors, creating an immediate impact on maternal care worldwide. Nuvo's initial product offering for healthcare providers has completed clinical investigation to support FDA De Novo clearance but is not yet available for sale in the United States. For more information, visit: www.nuvocares.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/841023/Nuvo_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 25, 2019] Craig Smith Named CIO of PPM America, Inc. PPM (News - Alert) America, Inc. (PPM) today announced that Craig Smith, executive vice president and Chief Investment Officer, Jackson General Account has been appointed sole Chief Investment Officer for the firm effective March 21, 2019. He will be responsible for overseeing the fixed income, public equity, and commercial real estate teams. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190325005812/en/ Craig Smith, Chief Investment Officer, PPM America, Inc. (Photo: Business Wire) Craig joined PPM in 2006 and has 24 years of investment experience. He has been serving in a co-CIO capacity at PPM since October 2015, in addition to co-managing the firm's research and trading functions. Prior to joining PPM, Craig was a vice president and senior portfolio manager at Loomis Sayles & Co. where he managed core and core plus bond portfolios for institutional clients. Craig earned an MBA and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University. Additionally, he is a CFA charterholder. "We re excited to have someone of Craig's caliber in the seat and are confident in his expertise and ability to succeed in his newly expanded role. Having worked for PPM for 13 years, Craig understands the fabric of our culture and our collaborative, team-based values," said Mark Mandich, Chief Executive Officer. As part of this change, Tony Balestrieri, Chief Investment Officer, Total Return and Nelson Zamora, Chief Risk Officer are no longer with the firm. The eight-person risk management and quantitative research team will report to Mark Mandich. PPM is grateful for the contributions Tony and Nelson have made to the firm over their tenure and wishes them well in their future endeavors. About PPM America Founded in 1990, PPM America (PPM) is a client-focused investment manager with more than $119.27 billion in assets as of February 28, 2019, including $9.29 billion managed by PPM Finance Inc., an affiliate that manages commercial mortgage loans and certain real estate investments. As part of one of the world's leading financial organizations, PPM has the expertise, global reach and substantial resources to provide our clients with investment solutions across markets, including public fixed income, public equity, private equity, and private debt. However, like a smaller shop, PPM remains nimble, investment-led and responsive to the opportunities that teams discover together. PPM's mission is to deliver specific client solutions and service to investors around the world with the goal of meeting investors' unique investment objectives. In addition, PPM employees are committed to building their community and supporting local nonprofits that strengthen families and increase economic opportunities. For more information about PPM, please visit PPM America's website at: www.ppmamerica.com. PPM is an indirect subsidiary of Prudential plc ("UK Parent"), a company incorporated in England and Wales. The UK Parent and its affiliated companies constitute one of the world's leading financial services groups providing insurance and financial services through its subsidiaries and affiliates throughout the world. It has been in existence for more than 170 years and has $837.1 billion in assets under management (as of December 31, 2018). The UK Parent is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential Financial, Inc., a company whose principal place of business is in the United States of America. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190325005812/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 25, 2019] ION announces new multi-client program offshore Central America HOUSTON, March 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- ION Geophysical Corporation (NYSE: IO) today announced a new 2D multi-client reimaging program off the Pacific coast of Central America. The Maya Reprocessing program covers unexplored open acreage that has not had E&P activity in 40 years. Previous exploration wells along the margin suggest the presence of an active petroleum system in the Pacific forearc basins. E&P companies can use these data to evaluate the prospective areas identified from the reimaged data. The program covers ~9,000 km of data that extend from the Tehuantepec Basin of Southern Mexico to the Sandino Basin of Western Nicaragua and creates a calibrated data set. The program is expected to be completed before the end of the year. "We have repeatedly proven the value we can deliver by seamlessly integrating and reimaging existing data sets," said Joe Gagliardi, Senior Vice President of ION's E&P Business Development. "This approach provides a cost-effective way for our clients to evaluate prospectivity of new areas. A broad range of E&P companies are looking to add new low cost reserves to their portfolios and are interested in exploring some new frontiers." To learn more, visit iongeo.com/Maya. About ION ION devlops and leverages innovative technologies, creating value through data capture, analysis and optimization to enhance critical decision-making, enabling superior returns. For more information, visit iongeo.com. Contacts ION (Investor relations) Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Steve Bate, +1 281.552.3011 [email protected] ION (Media relations) Vice President, Communications Rachel White, +1 281.781.1168 [email protected] The information herein contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements may include information and other statements that are not of historical fact. Actual results may vary materially from those described in these forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements reflect numerous assumptions and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include the risks associated with the timing and development of ION Geophysical Corporation's products and services; pricing pressure; decreased demand; changes in oil prices; and political, execution, regulatory, and currency risks. These risks and uncertainties also include risks associated with the WesternGeco litigation and other related proceedings. We cannot predict the outcome of this litigation or the related proceedings. For additional information regarding these various risks and uncertainties, including the WesternGeco litigation, see our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed on February 8, 2019. Additional risk factors, which could affect actual results, are disclosed by the Company in its fillings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including its Form 10-K, Form 10-Qs and Form 8-Ks filed during the year. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ion-announces-new-multi-client-program-offshore-central-america-300818097.html SOURCE ION Geophysical Corporation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 25, 2019] The global Semiconductor IP market is expected to grow to US$ 8,265.6 million by 2025 from US$ 3,346.1 million in 2017 LONDON, March 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global Semiconductor IP market is expected to grow to US$ 8,265.6 million by 2025 from US$ 3,346.1 million in 2017, growing at a CAGR of 11.9%. the semiconductor IP market is going through tremendous instability thereby plunging the CAPEX spending, due to persistent inventory adjustments in the Chinese smartphone industry. However, a remarkable growth has been witnessed in the automotive industry's semiconductor demand amid the progression of advances in automotive electronics. Furthermore, dynamic rise for demand for semiconductor in IT & Telecomm industry continued, especially for processor IP, triggering memory semiconductor IP manufacturers to actively invest in expanding production capacity. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5626755/?utm_source=PRN Based upon the regional diversification, North America is the major contributor to the market followed by APAC and Europe.Also, in coming years the Asia Pacific is expected to gain dominance with positive growth opportunities owing to the shift of electronics and automotive production in this region. The rapidly increasing consumer electronics and wireless communication market in developing nations offer a worthy growth opportunity to the semiconductor IP market during the forecast period. The semiconductor IP market has been segmented on the basis of type, source and industry vertical.There are numerous pre-existing blocks available in the market as semiconductor IPs. Logic gates, memories, register files, datapaths, CPUs, Digital Signal Processors, and single-purpose cores are some of the examples of different IPs available in the market.These several IP blocks are broadly categorized into the following categories and have been included in our study for the semiconductor IP market. Processor SIP, Interface SIP, Physical SIP, Analog SIP, and Others are the broad category segmentation based on types in the semiconductor IP market.The businesses in the semiconductor IP market have evolved to become one-stop solution providers that offer a wide rang of IP cores and platforms that include graphics, video, cloud software, connectivity, and others. Therefore, customers who deal with multiple sources for SIP-based products face challenges for the variety of business models and the different fees involved in those models. The sources of revenue generation in the semiconductor IP market are through licensing and royalty. In our study based on semiconductor IP market, the segment based on source has been bifurcated into licensing and royalty. Lastly, the semiconductor IP market has also been segmented on the basis of industry verticals where these solutions find applications. Telecom, automotive, industrial, electronics, medical and others are the segmentation for the semiconductor IP market based on industry vertical. The overall semiconductor IP 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 IP market. It also provides the overview and forecast for the global semiconductor IP 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, the 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 IP market. 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 IP 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 semiconductor IP 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 - Examine the political, economic, social and technology impact of the five regions namely: North America , Europe , Asia Pacific , Middle East & Africa and South America . Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5626755/?utm_source=PRN 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/the-global-semiconductor-ip-market-is-expected-to-grow-to-us-8-265-6-million-by-2025-from-us-3-346-1-million-in-2017--300817950.html SOURCE ReportBuyer [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 25, 2019] McDonald's to Acquire Dynamic Yield, Will Use Decision Technology to Increase Personalization and Improve Customer Experience Acquisition fast-tracks McDonald's digital transformation CHICAGO and NEW YORK and TEL AVIV, Israel, March 25, 2019 /CNW/ -- McDonald's Corporation (MCD) and Dynamic Yield Ltd. today announced an agreement by which McDonald's will acquire Dynamic Yield, a leader in personalization and decision logic technology. With this acquisition of Dynamic Yield, based in New York and Tel Aviv, McDonald's builds on its significant technology investments for growth. McDonald's will utilize this decision technology to provide an even more personalized customer experience by varying outdoor digital Drive Thru menu displays to show food based on time of day, weather, current restaurant traffic and trending menu items. The decision technology can also instantly suggest and display additional items to a customer's order based on their current selections. This will enable McDonald's to be one of the first companies to integrate decision technology into the customer point of sale at a brick and mortar location. McDonald's tested this technology in several U.S. restaurants in 2018. Upon closing of the acquisition, McDonald's will begin to roll this technology out in the Drive Thru at restaurants in the United States in 2019 and then expand the use to other top international markets. McDonald's will also begin work to integrate the technology into all of its digital customer experience touchpoints, such as self-order kiosks and McDonald's Global Mobile App. Dynamic Yield's ability to meet McDonald's customer needs, coupled with their commitment to grow capabilities around ever-changing consumer trends and evolving marketing technologies, allows for the continued avancement and elevation of the McDonald's customer experience with technology and innovation. "Technology is a critical element of our Velocity Growth Plan, enhancing the experience for our customers by providing greater convenience on their terms," said Steve Easterbrook, President and Chief Executive Officer, McDonald's Corporation. "With this acquisition, we're expanding both our ability to increase the role technology and data will play in our future and the speed with which we'll be able to implement our vision of creating more personalised experiences for our customers." Liad Agmon, co-founder and CEO of Dynamic Yield, added: "We started Dynamic Yield seven years ago with the premise that customer-centric brands must make personalization a core activity. ?We're thrilled to be joining an iconic global brand such as McDonald's and are excited to innovate in ways that have a real impact on people's daily lives." McDonald's recent advancements in the tech space including the development of McDonald's Global Mobile App, Mobile Order and Pay, indoor and outdoor digital menu boards and self-order kiosks have transformed customer experiences in and around its restaurants, by giving customers more ways to pay and personalize their orders to meet their needs. Upon closing, McDonald's will become sole owner and will continue to invest in Dynamic Yield's core personalization product and world-class teams. Dynamic Yield will remain a stand-alone company and employees will continue to operate out of offices around the world. Dynamic Yield will also continue to serve their current, and attract future, clients. About McDonald's McDonald's is the world's leading global foodservice retailer with nearly 38,000 locations in over 100 countries around the world. Over 92 percent of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local business men and women. About Dynamic Yield Dynamic Yield is an AI-powered Personalization Anywhere platform that delivers individualized experiences at every customer touchpoint: web, apps, email, kiosks, IoT, and call centers. The platform's data management capabilities provide for a unified view of the customer, allowing the rapid and scalable creation of highly targeted digital interactions. Marketers, product managers, and engineers use Dynamic Yield daily for launching new personalization campaigns, running server-side and client-side A/B tests, leveraging machine-learning for product and content recommendations, and employing algorithms for smartly triggered email and push notifications. Headquartered in New York, the company serves more than 300 brands across the world. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mcdonalds-to-acquire-dynamic-yield-will-use-decision-technology-to-increase-personalization-and-improve-customer-experience-300818098.html SOURCE McDonald's Corporation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 25, 2019] Novel compound for treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) demonstrates positive results in a preclinical study Strongest announced preclinical results of any drug candidate currently in development for TBI Significant results in neurobehavior as measured by actigraphy. GRAFTON, Mass., March 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ischemix, Inc. today announced significant results from a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled preclinical study of its drug, CMX-2043, for the treatment of TBI. The company plans to conduct selected additional preclinical studies that will enable filing of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application and commencement of a Phase 1 trial of the candidate. CMX-2043, a multi-modal cytoprotective compound based on a naturally-occurring molecule present in the human body, was successfully tested in a randomized, placebo-controlled pre-clinical TBI treatment study conducted at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The positive results complement the favorable data generated in a prior preclinical study. The study showed a significant reduction in the volume of brain lesions in the population treated with CMX-2043 for five days post-injury versus the placebo control group. The study also showed that the significant increase in night-time hyperactivity in the placebo arm versus baseline was not seen in the arms that received the drug. Increased night-time hyperactivity is a well-recognized symptom of brain injury. Additionally, there was a significant improvement in certain biochemical markers of TBI in subjects treated with CMX-2043 versus placebo. No safety issues were observed in the study. In the rior preclinical study, CMX-2043 demonstrated a significant increase in mitochondrial bioenergetics, decreased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and oxidative injury in the treated group versus placebo. We are particularly excited to note that the combined results of these two preclinical studies of CMX-2043 are the strongest of any announced preclinical results of a drug candidate currently in development for TBI, said Reinier Beeuwkes, Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of Ischemix, Inc. The objective for developing this compound is to reduce the disabilities associated with TBI and increase the ability of TBI survivors to return to work and complete other activities of daily living, thus reducing economic and social costs to society. The receipt of these data position Ischemix to move aggressively into further development of CMX-2043 as a treatment for TBI, said David DeWahl, President and CEO of the Company. We continue to develop relationships with pharmaceutical companies, not-for-profit entities and US government agencies with the objective of exploring potential collaborations to support further studies of CMX-2043. About the preclinical studies at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) As part of a sponsored research agreement with CHOP, Ischemix has evaluated the effects of CMX-2043 in two preclinical studies of the drug candidate in TBI. Positive results from these first two studies established the ability of CMX-2043 to significantly reduce the size of the brain lesions in the five-day treatment group relative to placebo and to significantly improve mitochondrial energetics, reduce reactive oxygen species generation and reduce oxidative injury. About TBI TBI is a condition for which there are currently no approved pharmaceutical therapies available. The Center for Disease Control reports that in the US in 2013, there were about 2.5 million TBI-related emergency department visits. It is estimated that each year TBI is responsible for 50,000 deaths and causes 80,000 individuals to have permanent disabilities. It is estimated that the annual direct and indirect cost of TBI in the US approaches $77 billion. About CMX-2043 CMX-2043 is a multi-modal cytoprotective compound based on a naturally-occurring molecule present in the human body. CMX-2043 exhibits several mechanistic properties that may act in concert to attenuate the biochemical and cellular perturbations associated with injury in TBI. The drug has compiled a record of safety with no reported serious adverse drug-related events in its use in over 400 patients enrolled in clinical trials. CMX-2043 is the subject of multiple issued composition of matter and use patents around the world. About Ischemix, Inc. Ischemix is a privately-held drug development company based in Grafton, MA. The Company focuses on developing its family of cytoprotective compounds for serious diseases and conditions. The primary focus of the Company is the development of its lead compound, CMX-2043, for treatment of TBI. For media questions, please contact: David A. DeWahl, Jr. President Phone 508 839 2999 or use Contact Form at www.ischemix.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Protesters wearing masks of U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stand during a rally demanding the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and peace treaty near the U.S. embassy in Seoul, March 21. AP By Oh Young-jin Again, it is hard to predict the future of the Korean Peninsula after the no-deal summit in Hanoi between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un late last month. So far, the two adversaries have tried to exercise restraint, being careful not to provoke each other, in an attempt not to lose their dialogue momentum. But the Hanoi summit shows, if anything, the fundamental differences in their stances on how to get the North's denuclearization and the U.S.'s compensation going. The U.S. wants a "big deal" for the North to be completely disarmed at once, while the North wants the U.S. to ease sanctions in return for partial action. One fear is a return to the tension before the PyeongChang Olympics in February 2018, when evidence showed the U.S. was seriously contemplating a preemptive strike for a potential first nuclear exchange on the peninsula. If that is fortunately avoided, it can't be ruled out that Trump will adopt the non-policy of strategic patience of his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama and leave the Korean problem festering. For Koreans, it would be horrible living like in the movie "Groundhog Day," stuck in more or less a repetition of the past seven decades since the 1950-1953 Korean War. [March 25, 2019] The global telecom tower market accounted for US$ 40.04 Bn in 2017 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 18.0% during the forecast period 2018 - 2025, to account to US$ 146.53 Bn by 2025 NEW YORK, March 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global telecom tower market accounted for US$ 40.04 Bn in 2017 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 18.0% during the forecast period 2018 - 2025, to account to US$ 146.53 Bn by 2025. Growth in the recent five years is primarily driven by a significant rise in subscriber base on the cellular network, creating a substantial demand for improved and optimized network infrastructures through tower deployment. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05626758/?utm_source=PRN This research study provides insights into the global telecom towers market.Majority of the telecom tower installations have belonged to the lattice tower category or the monopole tower category. These type of towers provide maximum coverage for the operators and therefore serve a wider mass.Also, in the initial years, Greenfield towers were mostly observed in the tower installations, however, with space constraints and rising land costs, rooftop towers have found higher attractiveness amongst the telecom tower players as well as the mobile network operators. The initial implementation of telecom towers that are backbone components that enable rolling out of these technologies incurs high costs, therefore the market players are adopting different strategies for cost-effective deployments of telecom towers.The global market for telecom tower market is anticipated to exhibit high growth in the near future. Increasing number of mobile subscribers coupled with increasing initiatives taken by the Government in the developing countries of the world to connect the rural areas over the telecom network is one of the major encouraging factors for the telecom tower market deployments. The estimates from GSMA state that the total number of unique mobile subscribers across the globe would be close to 5 Bn subscribers by the end of 2017 and would further increase up to 5.7 Bn by the end of 2020. By this estimate, close to 75% of the world's population would be subscribed to a mobile service. The tremendous growth in the nmber of mobile subscribers during this period is majorly attributed to the developing economies of Asia Pacific where a large percentage of the world population is concentrated. Further, the ubiquity of smartphones as well as high-speed connectivity has been a key driving factor for innovations in artificial intelligence and also leading to digital transformation. The mobile operators have invested close to US$ 700 Bn in the last decade for the development of the telecommunication network infrastructure. Also, the estimates state that by the end of 2016, there were 4.8 Bn GSM subscribers and 7.9 Bn SIM connections worldwide. The telecom tower market has been segmented on the basis of type into the following segments including lattice towers, guyed towers, monopole towers, camouflage towers, and mobile cell towers.The telecom tower market has been further bifurcated on the basis of tower placement into Greenfield tower, and rooftop tower. Also, the telecom tower market has been segmented based on the deployment type into shared infrastructure deployment and owned deployment.Geographically the telecom tower market is presently dominated by developed regions including, Asia Pacific . However, the market is expected to be in favor of the Middle East and Africa , and North America . The rising penetration of smartphones in the developing economies of Africa and Asia coupled with the rapidly developing internet infrastructures in these regions are proving to be the major drivers for the growth in the adoption of telecom tower installations. The leading industry players operating in telecom tower market globally American Tower Company, Cellnex Telecom, China Tower Co. Ltd., Crown Castle International Corp., Indus Tower Ltd., IHS Holdings Ltd., SBA Communication Corporation, Telesites S.A.B. DE C.V, Telxius (Telefonica SA), and PT Tower Bersama Infrastructure TBK. among others. Several other participants are also operational in telecom tower market that offers its customers with enhanced technologies, thereby catalyzing the telecom tower market. 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 telecom tower market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long term strategies. - Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering in developed and emerging markets. - Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it. - Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to segmentations like design type, tower placement, and deployment type. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05626758/?utm_source=PRN 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/the-global-telecom-tower-market-accounted-for-us-40-04-bn-in-2017-and-is-expected-to-grow-at-a-cagr-of-18-0-during-the-forecast-period-2018---2025--to-account-to-us-146-53-bn-by-2025--300817863.html SOURCE Reportlinker [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 25, 2019] Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP Announces Investor Securities Fraud Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against CenturyLink, Inc. The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP reminds that an investor securities fraud class action lawsuit has been filed against CenturyLink (News - Alert), Inc. (NYSE: CTL) ("CenturyLink") on behalf of purchasers of CenturyLink publicly traded securities between May 10, 2018 and March 4, 2019, inclusive (the "Class Period"). CenturyLink investors who purchased securities during the Class Period may, no later than May 6, 2019, seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class. Investors who wish to discuss this securities fraud class action lawsuit or request additional information about this litigation are encouraged to contact Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check attorneys James Maro, Jr. or Adrienne Bell at (888) 299-7706 (toll free) or online at: www.ktmc.com/centurylink-2019-securities-class-action. According to the complaint, CenturyLink provides various communications services to residential, business, wholesale, and governmental customers primarily in the United States. On November 1, 2017, CenturyLink acquired Level 3 Communications (News - Alert), Inc., a telecommunications and internet service provider. The Class Period commences on May 10, 2018, when CenturyLink filed its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 with the SEC (News - Alert), which provided its first quarter financial results and position. On February 13, 2019, CenturyLink ssued a press release reporting its fourth quarter and full year 2018 results. The complaint alleges that, on March 4, 2019, CenturyLink announced it would not be able to timely file its annual report for the period ended December 31, 2018 because it had "identified material weaknesses in internal controls over [its] revenue recording processes and the procedures for measuring fair value of assets and liabilities assumed in connection with the Level 3 Communications, Inc. acquisition." Following this news, shares of CenturyLink fell $0.82 per share, or over 6%, to close at $12.15 per share on March 4, 2019. The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, the defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) CenturyLink had undisclosed material weaknesses in its internal controls over revenue recording processes and the procedures for measuring fair value of assets and liabilities assumed in connection with its Level 3 Communications, Inc. acquisition; (2) consequently, CenturyLink would delay the filing of its Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 despite initially reporting those financial results in a press release dated February 13, 2019; and (3) as a result, CenturyLink's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. CenturyLink investors may, no later than May 6, 2019, seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, or other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed as a lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class member's claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country involving securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duties and other violations of state and federal law. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check is a driving force behind corporate governance reform, and has recovered billions of dollars on behalf of institutional and individual investors from the United States and around the world. The firm represents investors, consumers and whistleblowers (private citizens who report fraudulent practices against the government and share in the recovery of government dollars). The complaint in this action was not filed by Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check. For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, please visit www.ktmc.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190325005746/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 25, 2019] Brookstone Partners Prepares Recapitalization Strategy to Rescue Platinum Power's Projects Brookstone Partners, Platinum Power's reference shareholder, learned through the press that during Platinum Power's Extraordinary General Meeting ("EGM") on February 5, 2019, decisions other than those on the agenda were taken. These decisions would concern the appointment of new directors of the company and the retention of Omar Belmamoun as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Brookstone Partners contends that, "if such information is correct, this decision would be contrary to the company's legal and statutory provisions. As a reminder, the EGM does not and cannot be competent to appoint the Company's Board of Directors. Any change to the agenda of the meeting must be done by unanimity." In light of these factors, Brookstone Partners will seek the annulment of all decisions of this EGM other than those related to the continued operation of Platinum Power, which Brookstone Partners approves. Brookstone Partners believes that the announcement does not reflect Platinum Power's current situation, and the new Board of Directors thus constituted would be invalid. Brookstone claims that "reappointing Mr. Belmamoun as CEO is a wrong-headed decision, which we oppose as a matter of principle." Although surrounded by a dedicated and very high-quality team, there is mounting evidence that he has committed too many egregious management errors, which have led the company to the current situation. Brookstone Partners also disapproves that this EGM did not address recapitalization solutions. As a majority investor, Brookstone Partners hopes to work with all shareholders, including minority shareholders, who have always demonstrated a strong willingness and determination to address the difficult situations that Platinum Power has faced to date, in order to find a viable, serious, and credible solution to move forward. This intention to work for the development of Platinum Power and its projects is not new to Brookstone Partners. As the largest investor in terms of equity with 43.67% of Platinum Power and in terms of shareholder current accounts with nearly 80% of shareholder debt, Brookstone Partners has consistently supported Platinum Power since the company's inception, and more specifically from August 2016 to May 2018, by helping to finance all the company's expenses over this period. This support only ceased when Mr. Belmamoun decided to refuse the recapitalization plan. Brookstone Partners reaffirms its willingness to implement a recapitalization plan, conditional on the removal of Mr. Omar Belmamoun from the company's management. Brookstone Partners believes his obstinacy to remain CEO, while refusing the recapitalization plan, creates a prejudicial situation for the company, solely for the purpose of serving Mr. Belmamoun's personal interests. It is Brookstone Partners' opinion that "today, Mr. Omar Belmamoun is taking the company, employees, other shareholders and projects hostage at the expense of the company's survival. However, the current urgency is to improve the company's financial situation, to finance salaries that are four months overdue, and to enable the company to honour its commitments, including those relating to agreements signed with African governments." As a reminder, Platinum Power has solemnly signed agreements concerning the development of large-scale projects in Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire. In this perspective, Brookstone Partners' intentions remain unchanged, namely Platinum Power's success in Morocco and Africa, for which Brookstone Partners has already invested $15 million in Platinum Power (in capital and current account). Mr. Michael Toporek thus reiterates, on this occasion, his willingness to rescue Platinum Power, its projects, and to honour the company's commitments to its employees. Mr. Toporek is now focusing on preparing for the hearing on February 19, 2019 before the Commercial Court of Casablanca in charge of monitoring the company's financial situation, during which he will present his vision and recapitalization strategy in order to save Platinum Power's projects and investment. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190325005832/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 25, 2019] Quality management according to ISO 9001 and the advantages for small and medium-sized companies COLOGNE, Germany, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether they are medium-sized or small companies, they all benefit from aligning themselves with ISO 9001 quality management. With respect to today's cut-throat competition, quality is an important feature that enables companies to differentiate themselves from their competitors. A company that has a quality management system according to ISO 9001 also signals to partners and customers that the quality aspect plays an important role in its business processes. This creates trust and helps companies to achieve an advantage in invitations to tender and in planned cooperations - especially when they have an ISO 9001 certificate. Quality management accompanies corporate strategy However, the implementation and certification of a quality management system according to ISO 9001 not only have positive effects on the company's external image, but they also have an impact on the company itself. The management system supports the company's strategic orintation and the achievement of corporate goals. "ISO 9001:2015 requires more clearly than previous versions that the goals associated with quality management and the defined quality policy are in line with the strategic orientation of a company," explains Nikola Lerch, product manager for ISO 9001 at TUV Rheinland. Therefore, the quality management system should not be understood as a separate system, but as a tool that helps companies to adhere to their strategic focus and achieve the desired results. Structured knowledge building and advanced adaptability Many medium-sized companies have special know-how and are even market leaders in product manufacturing or in service delivery. The provision and safeguarding of knowledge and its development plays an important role here. ISO 9001 requires a quality management system that structures this know-how and makes it available to employees. "In companies knowledge is often based on experience and learning from mistakes or it is part of employees' expert knowledge. A company that carries out some form of knowledge management secures this know-how for itself. Thus making the company more flexible to changes," explains Nikola Lerch. If important employees and know-how carriers leave the company it will not affect the company that much if knowledge is identified, structured and documented. A company can also react more quickly to future developments and market changes. It has a better overview and knows where knowledge is missing and can systematically close the gap with the help of internal or external sources. "I recommend companies to deal with the requirements of ISO 9001. Processes can be controlled more efficiently and goals can be achieved more easily. The company is also better equipped for future challenges," explains Nikola Lerch. SOURCE TUV Rheinland [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 25, 2019] VALE 72 HOUR DEADLINE ALERT: Approximately 72 Hours Remain; Former Louisiana Attorney General and Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Remind Investors with Losses in Excess of $100,000 of Deadline in Class Action Lawsuits against Vale S.A. - VALE Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, the former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors with large financial interests that they have only until March 29, 2019 to file lead plaintiff applications in securities class action lawsuits against Vale S.A. (NYSE: VALE). Investor losses must relate to purchases of the Company's securities between April 11, 2017, and January 28, 2019. 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 this case 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 this class action by overseeing lead counsel with the goal of obtaining a fair and just resolution, you must request this position by application to the Court by March 29, 2019. About the Lawsuit 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. 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/20190325005848/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 25, 2019] Bedsonline strengthens leadership in Asia and confirms sales team in Indonesia and Singapore Tomeu Gili recruited as Bedsonline's Regional Sales Director for Asia and the Middle East & Africa . recruited as Bedsonline's Regional Sales Director for and the & . Elif Esen to be the Bedsonline Regional Sales Manager for Indonesia and Singapore . to be the Bedsonline Regional Sales Manager for and . News follows recent announcement of Bedsonline consolidation, with GTA retail customers migrating onto Bedsonline's class-leading booking platform used exclusively by travel agents. Inclusion of GTA's retail product portfolio significantly enlarges range of exclusively contracted content available to travel agents only increasing hotels from 55,000 to 180,000. JAKARTA, Indonesia, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bedsonline, the leading global provider of accommodation and complementary travel products exclusively for travel agents, has today announced the strengthening of its senior leadership team and the structure for Indonesia and Singapore. Tomeu Gili has been recruited as the Director of Sales for Bedsonline's Asian, Middle Eastern and African source markets, a new position created combining both regions under one leader. In this role Tomeu will be based in Dubai and will lead a team of seventy sales people. Tomeu brings with him over 20 years of experience in the travel industry, most recently in leadership positions for companies such as Destinations of the World, RTS and Gowaii Corp. Previous to this Tomeu worked for Bedsonline in senior leadership roles for 12 years, since the brand's launch in 2003. During this time, he held a range of positions including Head of Sales for Middle East and Asia Pacific and Head of Sales for South Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean and Africa. In addition, Elif Esen has been appointed as the Bedsonline Regiona Sales Manager for the Indonesia and Singapore markets. Elif will be responsible for providing Bedsonline's clients made up solely of travel agents in the Indonesian and Singaporean markets with the highest standards of customer service, along with further expanding and diversifying the number of travel agent subscribers. Previously Elif had been with Hotelbeds for over 22 years and was most recently the Bedsonline Asia Head of Sales, having joined the Hotelbeds destination offices in Turkey in 1997. In this role Elif will be based in Singapore and will lead a team of 8 people. Additionally, the roles reporting to Elif have been confirmed, with Agnes Febiyanti Paat, Muhamad Boy Valentino, Yusnita Ramdah, Lilies Wirjohadikusumo, Tracy Adikarta and Gilang Kurniawan, taking the roles of Key Account Managers in Indonesia; Yance Irawan has been appointed as Sales Executive for Indonesia; Desmond Wong will cover Singapore. Tomeu Gili, Retail Travel Agents Director for Asia, The Middle East and Africa, comments: "It's an honor to be coming back to Bedsonline. I was privileged to be part of the team that launched the brand over 15 years ago in Spain and witness its rapid expansion at that time. Now, with a portfolio of over 50,000 travel agency customers worldwide backed by a class leading booking platform that has gone from strength to strength, this is an exciting time indeed to be returning to the business. "As part of the recent rebranding and launch of our new value proposition, we're dedicated to continually improving the customer experience, beyond simply our highly sophisticated booking platform with its advanced functionalities. Essential to this is having in place strong teams with unbeatable local knowledge and commitment to the best service possible for our purely travel agent only customer base. Im certain that in Elif and her team we have the best line-up available in the market." Elif Esen, Regional Sales Manager, Indonesia and Singapore at Bedsonline, comments: "I am very pleased to be taking on this role and having such a strong team in place during this decisive stage in the development of the Bedsonline brand. Throughout the Indonesia and Singapore markets, already we started reaching out to our travel partners who are made up solely of travel agents to explain how they will benefit from the new and enhanced Bedsonline offering. This includes enhancements we have made by meticulously selecting the best-of-class functionalities from the GTA platform, as well as the growth of our product portfolio to reach over 180,000 hotels and the strengthened position to negotiate the best deals for our travel partners." Recently it was announced that the parent company of both GTA and Bedsonline, Hotelbeds, will consolidate its retail product portfolio and offerings globally under the newly refreshed Bedsonline brand and platform. Today's news follows a recent series of sales meetings, presentations, and customer events held in Indonesia and Singapore to celebrate the launch of a new brand identity and website, whilst educating travel agent customers both existing Bedsonline customers and those moving over from GTA on the benefits of moving onto the new enhanced Bedsonline platform. Travel agent clients in Indonesia and Singapore have completed transition smoothly. Both workshops and technical support are on hand to support a seamless migration. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190325/2407281-1-b Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190319/2407281-1-a SOURCE Bedsonline [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 25, 2019] ScanTrust Launches Secure Packaging and Authentication Solutions for HP Indigo Digital Presses LAUSANNE, Switzerland, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- ScanTrust, a smart packaging solutions company, today announced a new authentication solution utilizing its secure QR codes digitally-printed on HP Indigo to help brands and industrial companies track and trace goods to combat counterfeiting, and enable supply chain traceability. The secure digitalization solution offers customers the ability to print static or serialized secure QR codes on labels or packaging, and then authenticate without requiring a special optical reader, through scanning the codes with a mobile app. The patented secure graphic within the variable QR codes is seamlessly integrated into the workflow of HP Indigo digital presses, enabling easy integration of serialized secure QR codes onto labels or packaging, and providing stakeholders throughout the supply chain (from inspectors to consumers) the ability to authenticate goods on-the-go. The solution was demonstrated last month by ScanTrust, an HP Indigo Brand Protection and Solution partner, at the HP Indigo Global Customer Event in Israel. The event brought together more than 600 professionals across the printing, labels and packaging industry to witness the latest innovations from HP Indigo and solution partners. "Smart packaing solutions are being driven by the rising threat of product counterfeiting and the need for greater transparency across the supply chain," said Nathan Anderson, CEO of ScanTrust. "This new capability together with HP Indigo allows brands and industrial goods companies to leverage the full benefits of variable data printing for connected, customized and traceable products that encourage two-way communication with end-consumers based on trust, and ultimately leading to increased brand loyalty and growth." ScanTrust and HP Indigo first collaborated to deploy a seed product authentication and traceability solution for Syngenta , a Swiss-based global agrochemical company, for seeds in China. Following the successful deployment of the ScanTrust technology for Syngenta seeds in China, the Syngenta Middle Eastern team proposed to use the same technology to combat their counterfeit seeds in the local market. Reynders, a Belgian HP print service provider, printed ScanTrust's unique, secure QR codes for integration onto individual seed packages. In addition the Middle Eastern team learned that beyond product authentication, ScanTrust also offers highly flexible and custom-tailored consumer engagement services. Other brands that ScanTrust and HP Indigo have collaborated with to implement smart packaging solutions include ethical coffee trader, Cambio Coffee, luxury car parts company, Vorsteiner , cable and optical fiber manufacturer, Nexans , and more. About ScanTrust: Founded in 2014, ScanTrust is a smart packaging company that provides solutions for product authentication, supply chain traceability and consumer engagement. With patented, secure QR codes, a cloud-based platform and blockchain technology, ScanTrust digitalizes physical products to enable traceability of products, business intelligence and two-way communication between brands and consumers. ScanTrust operates with global clients and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland with offices in Shanghai, Singapore, Bangkok, Kiev, and Amsterdam. SOURCE ScanTrust [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Brookstone Partners Continues to Reject Claims Made by Omar Belmamoun It Deems to Be False Brookstone Partners, the majority shareholder of Platinum Power, rejects the accuracy of Mr. Omar Belmamoun's statements in a press release issued on March 21, 2019. According to Brookstone Partners, "the Court procedure to which Mr. Belmamoun refers to is an alert procedure introduced by Platinum Power's Statutory Auditor due to the company's serious financial difficulties which were the direct consequence of Mr. Belmamoun's disastrous management.' Brookstone Partners has not initiated any 'judicial restructuring' and therefore, dismissal from any such action is irrelevant." As a majority investor, Brookstone Partners welcomes the court's decision regarding the continuation of Platinum Power's business and reiterates its willingness to work with all shareholders, including minority shareholders, who have consistently demonstrated a strong determination to addres the difficult situations that Platinum Power has faced to date, in order to find a viable, serious and credible solution to move forward. This intention to work for the development of Platinum Power and its projects is not new to Brookstone Partners. Indeed, as the largest investor in terms of equity with 43.67% of Platinum Power and in terms of shareholder current accounts and nearly 80% of shareholder debt, Brookstone Partners has consistently supported Platinum Power since the company's creation, and more specifically from August 2016 to May 2018, by helping to finance all of the company's expenses over this period. This support only ceased when Mr. Belmamoun decided to refuse the recapitalization plan presented by Mr. Michael Toporek. From this perspective, Brookstone Partners' intentions remain unchanged, namely Platinum Power's success in Morocco and Africa, for which Brookstone Partners has already invested $15 million. "I would like to reiterate, on this occasion, my willingness to salvage Platinum Power, its projects, and to honor the company's commitments to its employees," said Michael Toporek, Founder and Managing General Partner of Brookstone Partners. Brookstone Partners has instituted criminal proceedings against Mr. Omar Belmamoun and we look forward to quick resolution of this matter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190325005840/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Abingworth Appoints Bali Muralidhar as Partner LONDON, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Abingworth, the international investment group dedicated to life sciences, today announced the appointment of Bali Muralidhar as a Partner based in the London office. Bali has 15 years professional experience in healthcare across a range of functions including venture investing, R&D, clinical practice and teaching. He will work with the team in the London, Boston and Menlo Park offices to source and evaluate new investment opportunities and support existing venture investments through to exit. Prior to joining Abingworth, Bali was a senior partner at MVM Partners LLP in London where he completed investments in and served on the boards of several companies, both public and private. Two of these were Wilson Therapeutics and Valneva, both also Abingworth portfolio companies. In 2018, Bali was named among Financial News' Rising Stars in Private Equity, which celebrated 25 men and women under the age of 40 standing out in the European private equity industry. Before MVM, Bali was a member of Bain Capital's healthcare deal team. Bali obtained a degree in cinical medicine from the University of Oxford and practiced general surgery at the John Radcliffe and Addenbrooke's Hospitals in Oxford and Cambridge, respectively. He has a PhD in translational cancer research from the MRC Cancer Cell Unit, University of Cambridge, and has published over a dozen peer reviewed papers. He was also a Bye-Fellow in Medical Sciences at Downing College, Cambridge where he taught pathology, surgery and medicine. Tim Haines, Managing Partner, said: "I am delighted to welcome Bali to the Abingworth team. He is an astute and talented investor, with whom we have worked very successfully on a number of co-investments. He will make an immediate impact and continue the significant momentum in identifying exciting new investment opportunities and generating returns across our European and US markets." "Abingworth has an outstanding track record as a life science investor and in building companies based on cutting-edge science. I am very much looking forward to bringing my experience to the team," added Bali Muralidhar. About Abingworth Abingworth is an international investment group dedicated to collaborating with life sciences entrepreneurs to develop their ideas into products that have a dramatic impact on health. With over $1.1 billion under management, Abingworth invests at all stages of development, from start-ups to publicly traded companies, and across all life science sectors. Supporting its portfolio companies with a team of 27 at offices in London, Menlo Park (California) and Boston, Abingworth has invested in 152 life science companies, leading to 65 IPOs and 47 mergers and acquisitions. Contacts Tim Haines Managing Partner Tel: +44-(0)-20-7534-1500 www.abingworth.com For media enquiries: Mark Swallow or David Dible, Citigate Dewe Rogerson Tel: +44-(0)-20-7638-9571 Email: [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Dasra Philanthropy Week Focuses on Embracing the Field Approach to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 MUMBAI, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- 9th edition of the India Philanthropy Report 2019 with key elements to implement field approach launched Dasra, a strategic philanthropy foundation emphasized on the adoption of a 'Field Approach' to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for India at Dasra Philanthropy Week 2019, among India's leading philanthropy convenings, which was held in Mumbai and Delhi during March 6-9, 2019. Dasra Philanthropy Week 2019 brought together around 400 Philanthropists, NGO leaders, representatives of Foundations, Corporates, and development sector experts in Mumbai to discuss the biggest developmental challenges faced by India. Key thought leaders and sector experts such as Rohini Nilekani (Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies), Francine Pickup (UNDP),Rukmini Banerji (Pratham) and Sherrie Rollins Westin (Sesame Workshop) put forward their thoughts on multiple aspects of achieving SDGs for India through panel discussions, data sharing and knowledge sharing sessions. Field Approach to address India's development challenges Through the field approach, Dasra aims to multiply the impact of every rupee invested for India's development needs which are aligned with SDGs, a set of 17 fields across 163 interconnected indicators adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015. Francine Pickup, Resident Representative, UNDP India, said, "Sustainable Development Goals are all about collaboration. We have to adopt a platform approach towards achieving SDGs which will bring different partners and stakeholders together." The field approach considers all the stakeholders, identifies multiple areas of action, and coordinates them towards a specific goal. The aim is to generate significant momentum around a particular developmental challenge and create lasting change by leveraging collaborative action by philanthropists, NGOs, government, field experts, community leaders and media. Bold and Collaborative Philanthropy to achieve SDGs for All While emphasizing on the crucial role of SDG 16, a goal which aims to provide access to justice for all, Rohini Nilekani said, "Philanthropists in India should move forward from service delivery related projects. Let's pledge to improve access to justice for all, which will uphod our constitutional values and public institutions. This will empower the markets and society as a whole to align with other SDGs." In a discussion about Collaborative Philanthropy, Aleem Jivraj (Nomura) pushed for more collective efforts by philanthropists. "Collaborative philanthropy allows you to take risks and achieve scale at the same time," he added. Creation of large scale social change through Collaborative Action Over the course of two days, prominent leaders from India's development sector also delved into the complexities, scale and interconnectedness of the country's development challenges which require outcome-oriented collaborative efforts to create social change at scale. Neera Nundy,Co-Founder of Dasra emphasized on the need for scale and collaboration in India and said, "It's only bold Philanthropy if it is achieving the outcomes at scale and impacting the whole ecosystem. We have to reach communities on aggregate level and elevate the entire field through collaborative action." In order to provide knowledge, data and insights into different domains of India's development sector, two knowledge products were launched during Dasra Philanthropy Week 2019 in Mumbai. India Philanthropy Report 2019 In 'India Philanthropy Report 2019' which is a result of a collaboration between Bain & Company and Dasra, four case studies highlight the 'Field Approach' through which multiple corporates, government and philanthropists have successfully improved outcomes relating to social causes like urban sanitation and adolescent health, well-being and education, eradicating malaria and controlling tobacco consumption. The analysis of four case studies points out some critical elements of this approach: Field outco mes : A shared vision and a robust outcome-led model : A shared vision and a robust outcome-led model Data-driven policy advocacy: Data-backed models to demonstrate effectiveness of the interventions Data-backed models to demonstrate effectiveness of the interventions Collaborative action: Coordinated effort by the government, implementing partners, intermediaries, funders and technical experts Coordinated effort by the government, implementing partners, intermediaries, funders and technical experts Government allies: Engaging with the government for creating replicable change Engaging with the government for creating replicable change Design for scale: Designing programs and models which are easily scalable across geographies Read the report here: India Philanthropy Report 2019 Count Me In: Building an inclusive ecosystem for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities The report 'Count Me In: Building an inclusive ecosystem for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities' which Dasra released in collaboration with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, aims to change the way India perceives intellectual and developmental disabilities altogether. The report approaches this issue using the social model of disability. The report places persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (PwIDDs) at the center of its approach to understand the challenges they face across various life stages. It identifies key gaps in services and highlights key interventions to enable effective inclusion of PwIDDs. The report also profiles ten outstanding non-profit organizations that are working in this space. Read the report here: Count Me In: Building an inclusive ecosystem for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities For any further queries, please write to [email protected]. About Dasra Dasra, meaning 'enlightened giving' in Sanskrit, is a pioneering strategic philanthropy organization that aims to transform India where a billion thrive with dignity and equity. Since its inception in 1999, Dasra has accelerated social change by driving collaborative action through powerful partnerships among a trust-based network of stakeholders (corporates, foundations, families, non-profits, social businesses, government and media). Over the years, Dasra has deepened social impact in focused fields that include Adolescents, Urban Sanitation and Democracy and Governance, and has built social capital by leading a strategic philanthropy movement in the country. For more information, visit http://www.dasra.org Media Contact: Akshay Tarfe [email protected] +91-8767980522 Analyst, Dasra [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] By Jung Da-min Germany's federal lawmakers are visiting North Korea to spur exchanges between the North and the international community. A delegation of members of Germany's Social-Democratic Party, led by , former chairman of the party and the country's former minister for foreign affairs, arrived in Pyongyang, Monday, North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. The German politicians were greeted by Ri Su-yong, chairman of North Korea's Foreign Affairs Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly. During their meeting, the former leader of Germany's Social-Democratic Party presented a gift for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the KCNA said, without giving further details on the meeting or the gift. In addition, eight members of the German-Korean Parliamentary Friendship Group, including , a member of the ruling Christian Democratic Union, are also planning to visit North Korea in late May, according to the Korean service of Radio Free Asia, a U.S. funded broadcaster. The group is planning to discuss a wide range of topics with their North Korean counterparts, including politics, culture and human rights and also visit various facilities, according to the report. In July 2017, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and South Korean President Moon Jae-in pledged to cooperate in promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula, saying bringing North Korea back to negotiations was important. [March 26, 2019] The Apache Software Foundation Celebrates 20 Years of Community-led Development "The Apache Way" Wakefield, MA, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Apache Software Foundation (ASF), the all-volunteer developers, stewards, and incubators of more than 350 Open Source projects and initiatives, announced today its 20th Anniversary, celebrating "The Apache Way" of community-driven development as the key to its success. Official 20th Anniversary of The Apache Software Foundation The world's largest Open Source foundation is home to dozens of freely-available (no cost), enterprise-grade Apache projects that serve as the backbone for some of the most visible and widely used applications. The ubiquity of Apache software is undeniable, with Apache projects managing exabytes of data, executing teraflops of operations, and storing billions of objects in virtually every industry. Apache software is an integral part of nearly every end user computing device, from laptops to tablets to phones. "What started before the term 'Open Source' was coined has now grown to support hundreds of projects, thousands of contributors and millions of users," said Phil Steitz, Chairman of The Apache Software Foundation. "The Apache Way has shown itself to be incredibly resilient in the wake of the many changes in software and technology over the last twenty years. As the business and technology ecosystems around our projects have grown, our community-based open development model has evolved but remained true to the core principles established in the early days of the Foundation. We remain committed to the simple idea that open, community-led development produces great software and when you make that software freely available with no restrictions on how it can be used or integrated, the communities that develop it get stronger. The resulting virtuous cycle has been profoundly impactful on the software industry as a whole and on those of us who have had the good fortune of volunteering here. When we celebrate fifty years, I am sure that we will say the same thing." ["ASF at 20" promo https://s.apache.org/ASF20 ]? Software for the Public Good In 1999, 21 founders, including original members of the Apache Group (creators of the Apache HTTP Server; the World's most popular Web server since 1996) formed The Apache Software Foundation to provide software for the public good. The ASF's flagship project, the Apache HTTP Server, continues development under the auspices of the ASF, and has grown to serve more than 80 million Websites worldwide. "The most successful revolutions are those birthed by Passion and Necessity. What keeps them going are Communities," said ASF co-founder Jim Jagielski. "Congratulations to the ASF and to everyone who has had a hand, large and small, in making it into who and what we are today." The Apache Way The open, community-driven process behind the development of the Apache HTTP Server formed the model adopted by future Apache projects as well as emulated by other Open Source foundations. Dubbed "The Apache Way", the principles underlying the ASF embrace: Earned Authority : all individuals are given the opportunity to participate, and their influence is based on pu ASF20th Anniversary-PrimaryLogoblicly-earned merit what they contribute to the community. Merit lies with the individual, does not expire, is not influenced by employment status or employer, and is non-transferable. : all individuals are given the opportunity to participate, and their influence is based on pu ASF20th Anniversary-PrimaryLogoblicly-earned merit what they contribute to the community. Merit lies with the individual, does not expire, is not influenced by employment status or employer, and is non-transferable. Community of Peers : participation at the ASF is done through individuals, not organizations. Its flat structure dictates that the Apache community is respectful of each other, roles are equal, votes hold equal weight, and contributors are doing so on a volunteer basis (even if paid to work on Apache code). : participation at the ASF is done through individuals, not organizations. Its flat structure dictates that the Apache community is respectful of each other, roles are equal, votes hold equal weight, and contributors are doing so on a volunteer basis (even if paid to work on Apache code). Open Communications : as a virtual organization, the ASF requires all communications be made online, via email. Most Apache lists are archived and publicly accessible to ensure asynchronous collaboration, as required by a globally-distributed community : as a virtual organization, the ASF requires all communications be made online, via email. Most Apache lists are archived and publicly accessible to ensure asynchronous collaboration, as required by a globally-distributed community Consensus Decision Making : Apache Projects are auto-governing with a heavy slant towards driving consensus to maintain momentum and productivity. Whilst total consensus is not possible to establish at all times, holding a vote or other coordination may be required to help remove any blocks with binding decisions. : Apache Projects are auto-governing with a heavy slant towards driving consensus to maintain momentum and productivity. Whilst total consensus is not possible to establish at all times, holding a vote or other coordination may be required to help remove any blocks with binding decisions. Responsible Oversight: the ASF governance model is based on trust and delegated oversight, with self-governing projects providing reports directly to the Board. Apache Committers help each other by making peer-reviewed commits, employing mandatory security measures, ensuring license compliance, and protecting the Apache brand and community at-large from abuse. The ASF is strictly vendor neutral. No organization is able to gain special privileges or control a project's direction, irrespective of employing staff to work on Apache projects or sponsorship status. The ASF Today Behind the ASF is an all-volunteer community comprising 730 individual Members and 7,000 Committers stewarding 200M+ lines of code that benefit billions of users worldwide. Lauded as one of the industry's most influential communities, the ASF develops and incubates 350+ Open Source projects and initiatives that are made available to the public-at-large at 100% no cost. The ASF has become an invaluable resource for users and developers alike, drawing 35M page views per week across http://apache.org/ ; 9M+ source code downloads from Apache mirrors (excluding convenience binaries), and Web requests received from every Internet-connected country on the planet. "Over the past two decades, few institutions have been as important for the advancement and growth of Open Source as The Apache Software Foundation," said Stephen O'Grady, Principal Analyst with RedMonk. "By providing a neutral environment for developers from diverse backgrounds to work together, the ASF has played a pivotal role in the history of Open Source, and appears poised to continue in this role for the next decade." All-Volunteer Community The membership-based, not-for-profit charitable organization ensures that Apache projects continue to exist beyond the participation of individual volunteers by building diverse communities that develop and support software. At the ASF, all software development and project leadership is executed entirely by volunteers. The ASF Board and officers are all volunteers. The ASF does not pay for development: thousands of committed individuals help make a difference to the lives of billions of people by ensuring that Apache software remains accessible to all. The Apache maxim "Community Over Code" underscores that a healthy community is far more important than good code. In the event that the code would dematerialize, a strong community could rewrite it; however, if a community is unhealthy, the code will eventually fail as well. The merit-driven "Contributor-Committer-Member" approach is the central governing process across the Apache ecosystem. The core Apache Group of 21 individuals grew with developers who contributed code, patches, or documentation. Some of these contributors were subsequently granted "Committer" status by the Membership, and provided access to: 1) commit (write) directly to the code repository, 2) vote on community-related decisions, and 3) propose an active user for Committership. Those Committers who demonstrate merit in the Foundation's growth, evolution, and progress are nominated for ASF Membership by existing members. [please see charts at https://s.apache.org/ASF20thAnniversary ] Powered by Apache "The most popular Open Source software is Apache..." DZone "What Open Source Software Do You Use?" Apache software is used in every Internet-connected country on the planet. Apache projects serve as the backbone for some of the worlds most visible and widely used applications in Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning, Big Data, build management, Cloud Computing, content management, DevOps, IoT and Edge computing, mobile, servers, and Web frameworks, among many other categories. Examples of the breadth of applications that are "Powered by Apache" include: Panama Papers : library, search, and document management tools used in the 2.6TB Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation; : library, search, and document management tools used in the 2.6TB Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation; US Federal Aviation Administration : system-wide information management to enable every airplane take off and land in US airspace; : system-wide information management to enable every airplane take off and land in US airspace; Netflix : data inestion pipeline and stream processing 3 trillion events each day; : data inestion pipeline and stream processing 3 trillion events each day; Uber : handling 1M writes per second for 99.99% availability to users and drivers; : handling 1M writes per second for 99.99% availability to users and drivers; Mobile app developers : unifying mobile application development across Blackberry, Android, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, and iOS operating systems; : unifying mobile application development across Blackberry, Android, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, and iOS operating systems; Facebook : processing requests at 300-petabyte data warehouse, connecting 2B+ active users; : processing requests at 300-petabyte data warehouse, connecting 2B+ active users; NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory : accessing content across multi-mission, multi-instrument science data systems; : accessing content across multi-mission, multi-instrument science data systems; Global Biodiversity Information Facility : managing 1B+ occurrence records for open access to data about all types of life on Earth; : managing 1B+ occurrence records for open access to data about all types of life on Earth; European Space Agency : powering new mission control system and next-generation simulators infrastructure; : powering new mission control system and next-generation simulators infrastructure; Adobe : powering I/O Runtime and the core of Experience Manager; : powering I/O Runtime and the core of Experience Manager; IBM Watson : advancing data intelligence and semantics capabilities to win first-ever "Man vs. Machine" competition on Jeopardy! : advancing data intelligence and semantics capabilities to win first-ever "Man vs. Machine" competition on Jeopardy! Boston Children's Hospital : linking phenotypic and genomic data for the Precision Link Biobank : linking phenotypic and genomic data for the Precision Link Biobank Target.com : driving $1B+ in revenue through Big Data optimization; : driving $1B+ in revenue through Big Data optimization; AOL : ingesting 20TB+ of data per day; : ingesting 20TB+ of data per day; Minecraft : bundling libraries to modify the second most popular video game of all time; : bundling libraries to modify the second most popular video game of all time; Novopay : serving as a transactional backbone to processes $80M+ each month; : serving as a transactional backbone to processes $80M+ each month; Formula 1, Audi, and Daimler : streaming data in vehicles in real time; : streaming data in vehicles in real time; Twitter : processing and analyzing more than a Zettabyte of raw data through 200B+ tweets annually; : processing and analyzing more than a Zettabyte of raw data through 200B+ tweets annually; Pinterest : processing 800B+ daily events; : processing 800B+ daily events; Amazon Music : tuning recommendations for 16M+ subscribers; : tuning recommendations for 16M+ subscribers; NASA: powering Big Earth and Ocean Science data analytics; And, from Accumulo to Zipkin (incubating), more than six dozen Apache projects form the foundation of the $166B Big Data ecosystem. Apache software is overseen by a self-selected team of active contributors to the project. A Project Management Committee (PMC) guides the Project's day-to-day operations, including community development and product releases. The Code Over the past two decades, 1,058,321,099 lines of Apache code were committed over 3,022,836 commits. The ASF codebase is conservatively valued at least $20B, using the COCOMO 2 model. All Apache software is released under the Apache License v2.0. [please see chart at https://s.apache.org/ASF20thAnniversary ] "If It Didn't Happen On-list...It Didn't Happen" Since the ASF's founding, 351,067 authors sent 19,587,835 emails on 8,529,590 topics across 1,131 mailing lists. [please see chart at https://s.apache.org/ASF20thAnniversary ] Apache Incubator The Apache Incubator is the entry path for projects and codebases wishing to become part of the efforts at The Apache Software Foundation. All code donations from external organizations and existing external projects enter through the Incubator to: 1) ensure all donations are in accordance with the ASF legal standards; and 2) develop new communities that adhere to our guiding principles. Incubation is required of all newly accepted projects until a further review indicates that the infrastructure, communications, and decision making process have stabilized in a manner consistent with other successful ASF projects. Since the ASF's founding, 199 projects have successfully graduated from the Apache Incubator. Today, 52 projects are in development, applying The Apache Way to innovations in annotation, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, cryptography, data science, development environments, Edge and IoT, email; JavaEE, libraries, Machine Learning, serverless computing, and many more categories. "Wow, is it 20 years already? Congratulations to the ASF! I've always been a big believer and advocate of Open Source, but when we founded the ASF 20 years ago I certainly didn't expect *this* level of growth and success," said ASF co-founder Lars Eilebrecht. "I'm very proud that the ASF - despite many challenges - has remained true to its core values and the Apache Way of Open Source development. The ASF has had a very big and positive impact on the overall IT industry, and I'm certain that the industry and the Internet would look very different today without the ASF's involvement in the rise of Open Source!" Apache License v2.0 "Apache-style licensing may yield more adoption and money." Matt Asay, c|net The commercially-friendly and permissive Apache License v2.0 has become an Open Source industry standard. Its popularity has led to the rise in corporate contribution in Open Source, and is behind the launch of dozens of billion dollar companies, and is facilitating the adoption of some of the world's fastest-growing Open Source projects. "I'd like to congratulate the Apache Software Foundation for growing and demonstrating a working model for open source development that has stood the test of time," said ASF co-founder Randy Terbush. "I am forever grateful for the opportunities that my participation in the ASF gave me and I am very proud of what the group has become." ApacheCon Pre-dating the ASF, ApacheCon is the official global conference series of The Apache Software Foundation. Heralding "Tomorrow's Technology Today" since 1998, participants learn about Open Source development "The Apache Way", independent of business interests, corporate biases, or sales pitches. ApacheCon presents dynamic, community-driven content and innovation insight through hands-on sessions, keynotes, real-world case studies, trainings, hackathons, BarCamps, and more. The ASF is holding four events in 2019: Apache Roadshow/Washington DC 25, March 2019 Apache Roadshow/Chicago, 13-14 May 2019 ApacheCon North America/Las Vegas, 9-12 September 2019 ApacheCon Europe/Berlin, 22-24 October 2019 For more information and to register, visit http://apachecon.com/ and ApacheCon video http://s.apache.org/ApacheCon . "My Apache journey started in the Apache HTTP core development team in 1995, fixing security issues and continues today as VP of Security," said ASF co-founder Mark Cox. "In the years between, Apache has inextricably intertwined my professional career and my personal life. I'm proud to be part of the ASF as we move past 20 years and look forward to a celebration (hopefully with cake) at ApacheCon in September." "Happy Birthday, Apache Group!" echoed ASF co-founder Bill Stoddard. Support Apache As a United States private, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization, the ASF relies on charitable donations to advance the future of open development. The ASF is sustained by through tax-deductible contributions from generous corporations, foundations, and individuals, whose contributions help offset day-to-day operating expenses that include bandwidth, connectivity, servers, hardware, legal counsel, accounting services, trademark protection, public relations, marketing, and related support staff. Less than 10% is spent on overhead. The Apache Software Foundation plans to continue to innovate "The Apache Way" with new Open Source projects and communities for years to come. Donations to the ASF help keep Apache software available to everyone. - "From our first contributions to The Apache Software Foundation in 2006 until today, the ASF has been teaching us and everyone how to do community driven Open Source. We thank the ASF, their communities and all who have been involved! Congratulations on 20 years of volunteer-led service, and the many accomplishments with code and community. We look forward to collaborating on the next 20." Adrian Cockcroft, VP Cloud Strategy at AWS - "The Apache Software Foundation and OSI both turned 20 recently. As two of the founding organizations of the Open Source community, they are fundamental to its growth and success. The Apache Way ensures all participants have equal representation and footing, and developers are valued based on their contributions' merits. Bloomberg developers first got involved as Open Source community collaborators and contributors seven years ago, and we've been involved with and a sponsor of the ASF almost this entire time, as its the home of dozens of projects that are incredibly important to us." Kevin Fleming, Head of Open Source Community Engagement and Member of the CTO Office at Bloomberg - "Congratulations to The Apache Software Foundation on 20 years of ground-breaking software development and Open Source community leadership. The ASF has provided value to Cerner for more than 15 years through innovative projects and rich communities. We can count on the ASF to be the source of high-quality, foundational software and to provide a collaborative community that makes it easy for our engineers to grow." Nathan Beyer, VP & Chief Engineer at Cerner, and ASF Member - "The Apache Software Foundation provides a fertile home for software communities. The Foundations unique approach has created many industry standards and will likely continue to do so for many more years. Apache projects are famous not just for great technology, but for their longevity and vendor-independence. Cloudera looks forward to continuing to collaborate with others at Apache for decades to come." Doug Cutting, Chief Architect at Cloudera - "Datadog is a proud sponsor of The Apache Software Foundation. What an amazing journey it's been, from a small group of developers working on httpd to a foundation that stewards some truly amazing Open Source projects. As a consumer and contributor to many of those projects, it's difficult to understate the impact they've had; not only on us but on the software industry as a whole. Congratulations on 20 years!" Jeremy Garcia, Director of Technical Community and Open Source at Datadog - "After twenty years of practicing Open Source law, I appreciate how critical The Apache Software Foundation has been to the success of the OSS ecosystem. I am honored to work with the Foundation and its members." Mark Radcliffe, Partner at DLA Piper - "We look forward to another 20 years of Open Source software with The Apache Software Foundation! We were excited to be one of the first corporate members in 2005, and even more excited to select the Apache license for Android in 2008. There's very few organizations that have shown the persistent dedication to Open Source the way that the ASF has and we're proud to be a part of it as a sponsor and to have so many of our engineers contributing to Apache projects." Chris DiBona, Director of Open Source at Google - "From an auspicious launch with the Apache HTTP Server to over 350 projects today, Apache continues to drive innovation in the industry and IBM is proud to have supported its founding. With dozens new projects coming to the ASF each year, from Artificial Intelligence to Deep Learning, Big Data, Cloud Computing, DevOps, IoT and Edge Computing, Mobile, Servers, and Web Frameworks, The Apache Software Foundation is an anchor for world-changing Open Source projects. We look forward to continued contributions and collaboration for many years to come." Todd Moore, Vice President of Open Technology and Developer Advocacy at IBM - "It's an honor and a privilege to help Apache, an organization so deeply ingrained in the history and growth of the Internet, fundraise online. Congratulations on 20 years, and cheers to the next 20!" Alex Morse, CEO at Hopsie - "Leaseweb has been using Apache/ASF projects for a multitude of products and services over the last 20 years. The ASF is responsible for a mindboggling amount of Open Source projects that truly make up the fabric of the Internet. For Leaseweb, the ASF is in the core of many of our Cloud and Hosting platforms. Apart from helping out with our Platinum Sponsorship, Leaseweb would like to thank all developers and other volunteers in ASF and ASF projects for continuing to build software that makes the Internet what it is today. Were looking forward to another 20 years of innovation, code, and community and proud to be a small part of that." Robert van der Meulen, Global Product Strategy Lead at Leaseweb - "Twenty years ago the ASF's vendor neutral model of Open Source software development was central to the commercialization of the World Wide Web and has continued to accelerate innovation across the IT industry since then. At Microsoft we are committed to ensuring that Azure is the best cloud platform for our partners and customers. A key aspect of delivering on this goal is to contribute to the success of Open Source projects. The ASF's emphasis on vendor neutrality, is key to the success of many Open Source components used by both Microsoft and our partners. Happy Birthday to The Apache Software Foundation." John Gossman, Lead Architect of Microsoft Azure - "The Apache Software Foundation has provided stewardship for much of the modern Internet, from the Apache Web Server itself to cutting edge infrastructure and data science technologies such as Kafka and Hadoop. No-IP is built on Open Source software. It is important for us to support Open Source projects and the Apache Foundation has made it easy to give back. We look forward to the Foundation's future work and wise guidance and we are proud to be associated with it." Dan Durrer, CEO and Owner of No-IP - "PCCC.com joins the world in celebrating 20 years of Open Source Software from The Apache Software Foundation. Happy Birthday!" Kevin A. McGrail, CEO Emeritus of Peregrine Computer Consultants Corporation - "More than being Open Source, Apache values transparency and openness with their users, something PureVPN staunchly believes in, advocates, and follows. Supporting Apache gives us the opportunity to align ourselves with an amazing team of people that makes a difference in the lives of individuals on a daily basis." Uzair Gadit, CEO at PureVPN - "The Apache Software Foundation has been a great help in pushing the Open Source agenda to a wide range of individuals, communities, and vendors over the years. Their approach to meritocracy and community-driven development has helped to shape some world class Open Source projects which have gone on to help drive some world-class products and businesses. Keep it up and here's to the next 20 years!" Mark Little, VP Engineering and CTO JBoss Middleware at Red Hat - "Tencent Cloud is proud to be the first platinum sponsor of The Apache Software Foundation from China. In years of supporting with Open Source communities, we found Apache is one of the best places to drive great innovations for industry of AI, Big Data, Cloud Computing, DevOps, Edge Computing, IoT, etc. We would like to thank ASF for its outstanding contributions to Open Source world, and celebrate its 20th Anniversary of Open Source collaboration. Tencent Cloud will stand together with ASF and looks forward to long term contributions and collaborations." Huixing Wang, Vice President of Tencent Cloud - "The Apache Software Foundation is among the brightest beacons in the global Open Source movement. HotWax is proud to recognize the ASF for harnessing transparency and meritocracy to generate some of the highest quality and most widely used code in the world, for decades now! Happy 20th -- we are honored to be a part of the community." Mike Bates, CEO, HotWax Systems - "Contributing to The Apache Software Foundation projects continues to be part of our engineering strategy." Gil Yehuda, Senior Director of Open Source at Verizon Media == RESOURCES FOR EDITORS == The Apache Way to Sustainable Open Source Success https://s.apache.org/GhnI Briefing: The Apache Way https://s.apache.org/TheApacheWay Our Founders look back on 20 Years of the ASF! https://s.apache.org/ASF20th-Founders 20 Years of Open Source Innovation, The Apache Way https://s.apache.org/CmA3 Foundation Reports and Statements http://www.apache.org/foundation/reports.html Video Promo: The ASF at 20 https://s.apache.org/ASF20 Video Promo: ApacheCon http://s.apache.org/ApacheCon Foundation Highlights 1999-2019 http://www.apache.org/press/highlights.html ASF Press Kit (logos, creative assets) https://apache.org/foundation/press/kit/ Social Media Hashtags: #Apache #ASF20 #TheApacheWay Twitter handle @TheASF About The Apache Software Foundation (ASF) Established in 1999, the all-volunteer Foundation oversees more than 350 leading Open Source projects, including Apache HTTP Server the world's most popular Web server software. Through the ASF's merit-based process known as "The Apache Way," more than 730 individual Members and 7,000 Committers across six continents successfully collaborate to develop freely available enterprise-grade software, benefiting billions of users worldwide: thousands of software solutions are distributed under the Apache License; and the community actively participates in ASF mailing lists, mentoring initiatives, and ApacheCon, the Foundation's official user conference, trainings, and expo. The ASF is a US 501(c)(3) charitable organization, funded by individual donations and corporate sponsors including Aetna, Alibaba Cloud Computing, Anonymous, ARM, Baidu, Bloomberg, Budget Direct, Capital One, Cerner, Cloudera, Comcast, Facebook, Google, Handshake, Hortonworks, Huawei, IBM, Indeed, Inspur, Leaseweb, Microsoft, ODPi, Pineapple Fund, Pivotal, Private Internet Access, Red Hat, Target, Tencent, Union Investment, Workday, and Verizon Media. For more information, visit http://apache.org/ and https://twitter.com/TheASF # # # Sally Khudairi Vice President The Apache Software Foundation +1 617 921 8656 press(at)apache(dot)org [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Voip-Pal.com Reports Decision in the Alice 101 Motion BELLEVUE, Wash., March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Voip-Pal.com Inc. (Voip-Pal, Company) (OTCQB: VPLM) announced on March 25, 2019, the Court granted the Defendants Alice 101 motion to dismiss in Case Nos. 18-CV-06177-LHK, 18-cv-06217-LHK, C, 18-cv-04523-LHK, 18-cv-06054-LHK. The Company will be filing an appeal and is very confident this decision will be overturned. Emil Malak, CEO of Voip-Pal, stated, We are surprised by this decision since the patent was granted based on the decision of the patent examiner and its validity was upheld in an Inter Partes Review by three administrative patent judges. We felt we had submitted a very strong rebuttal to this motion, unfortunately Judge Koh did not find in our favor. We recognize that our patents are unique and complex. While we respect the judges decision we are already at work preparing our appeal and we remain confident our patents will prevail. Generally, the process in deciding what is abstract i these rulings is itself abstract. In the past, judges have been split and often contradictory in their rulings on these motions. There are no set guidelines or criteria to make that determination. Alice 101 motions are very subjective in nature. We are determined to vigorously defend our patents. In the meantime we are continuing our focus to monetize our patents in Europe where the patent system is much more fair to inventors. The potential users of our technology far outnumber users in the United States. We are determined now more than ever to continue the fight for our intellectual property rights and we are confident we will prevail. Patience is a virtue. About Voip-Pal.com Inc. Voip-Pal.Com, Inc. (Voip-Pal) is a publicly traded corporation (OTCQB: VPLM ) headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. The Company owns a portfolio of patents relating to Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology that it is currently looking to monetize. Any forecast of future financial performance is a "forward looking statement" under securities laws. Such statements are included to allow potential investors the opportunity to understand managements beliefs and opinions with respect to the future so that they may use such beliefs and opinions as one factor among many in evaluating an investment. Corporate Website: www.voip-pal.com IR inquiries: [email protected] IR Contact: Rich Inza (954) 495-4600 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] dynaCERT Initiates Carbon Credit Applications for its HydraGEN Technology TORONTO, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- dynaCERT Inc. (TSX VENTURE: DYA) (OTCQB: DYFSF) (FRA: DMJ) ("dynaCERT" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has initiated the world-wide process of Carbon Credit applications for its HydraGEN Technology and engaged International Environmental Partners Limited of the UK to assist the Company in this regard. By reducing fuel consumption in diesel engines while at the same time reducing carbon emissions and other pollutants, the HydraGEN Technology can become very lucrative with the global market acceptance of carbon credits. For example, it is estimated that a Class 8 Truck travelling long haul routes can generate up to $1500 per year (Cdn $2278/year) in carbon credits based on the current market price of 15/tonne of CO2. dynaCERTs goal is to create a world-wide programme to enable any earned carbon credits to be shared with end-users of its HydraGEN Technology under a contractual subscription programme. To our knowledge, the only existing methodology today to measure and track carbon credits from diesel engines is dynaCERTs HydraGEN Technology and our SMART ECU2 electronics and algorithms. The first three steps of dynaCERTs ground-breaking and innovative carbon credit monetizing programme have already been initiated and are as follows: 1- dynaCERT has created innovative proprietary software algorithms in its patent pending SMART ECU2 to track the creation of carbon credits, such as its Systems and Methods for Tracking Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with an Entity patent pending (see Press Release dated October 5, 2017). An International Patent application has also been filed. Mr. David Bridge leads the charge at dynaCERT in these accomplishments and continues to develop new electronic advancements related to our HydraGEN Technology. 2- dynaCERT has nominated to its advisory board successful FinTech entrepreneur Brian Semkiw, P. Eng. and has more recently engaged his organization to further develop software that will enable the tracking of carbon credits generated by dynaCERTs HydraGEN Technology. In addition, Mr. Semkiw will oversee that such carbon credits be validated, audited and digitally accepted in international markets. (see Press Release dated March 1, 2018). Mr. Semkiws company, 3rdGP, is the worlds first third generation processing payments company with emphasis on Blockchain and IOT payments processing solutions. 3- dynaCERT today has entered into a contractual agreement with International Environmental Partners Inc. of the UK and its President, Ms. Monika Wojcik, to manage two key dynaCERT applications in the certification of the carbon reductions generated by its HydraGEN Technology: (a) VERRA a highly recognized international certification organization based in Washington, DC for trading in the European marketplace where the trading of carbon credits is very active and which was been established as a major initiative of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997; and, (b) the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) for developing countries which has been administered globally since April 6, 2007 by the United Nations offices in Bonn, Germany, and which bases its criteria as a result of an EU Directive 92/57/EEC (OJ L245, 26.8.92) in the Kyoto Protocol (see Press Release dated June 7, 2018). Ms. Monika Wojcik is a financial and environmental markets trader, sustainability advisor and passionate advocate for countering climate change and global warming. She advises global corporate clients and governments on carbon emission offsets, sustainability, and clean technology improvements and implementations. Before founding International Environmental Partners she has worked as a broker and trader for CF Partners and FXCM. International Environmental Partners is a carbon credit advisory and trading house with global outreach. Ms Wojcik stated, I am delighted to be able to help dynaCERT add the environmental product offerings to its HydraGEN Technology. The attractiveness of carbon products and sustainability benefits will be effective to drive decarbonization in the regions and sectors that are underrepresented and of an urgent need to improve air pollution. Mr. Brian Semkiw added, We are pleased to be working with International Environmental Partners as we apply their deep knowledge of carbon credit certification to the digital process of tokenization leading to monetization of the carbon credits resulting from dynaCERTs HydraGEN Technology. Jim Payne, President & CEO of dynaCERT commented, Our success in gathering this combination of world experts is a major milestone achievement and aligns with our Companys long term goal of becoming the global leader of monitoring and monetizing of diesel engine carbon credits. This goal was initiated with the development and filing of our global patent applicatins for our SMART ECU2 with its advanced tracking and verification capabilities and is now progressing swiftly to a genuine forthcoming accomplishment. About CDM The clean development mechanism (CDM) allows emission-reduction (or emission removal) projects in developing countries to earn certified emission reduction (CER) credits, each equivalent to one tonne of CO2. These CERs can be traded and sold, and used by industrialized countries to meet a part of their emission reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol. The mechanism stimulates sustainable development and emission reductions, while giving industrialized countries some flexibility in how they meet their emission reduction targets. The projects must qualify through a rigorous and public registration and issuance process designed to ensure real, measurable and verifiable emission reductions that are additional to what would have occurred without the project. The mechanism is overseen by the CDM Executive Board (EB), answerable ultimately to the countries that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol. In order to be considered for registration, a project must first be approved by the Designated National Authorities (DNA). The mechanism, in development for the dynaCERT HydraGEN technology, is seen by many as a trailblazer. It is the first global, environmental investment and credit scheme of its kind, providing a standardized emissions offset instrument, CERs, for mobile devices such as trucks, farm equipment, construction equipment and also for stationary power systems all of which are powered by diesel engines. A programme of activities (PoA) under the CDM is the coordinated implementation of a policy, measure or goal that reduces emissions. Under a PoA, emission reductions achieved by many individual activities (known as component project activities or CPAs) can be considered in aggregate, without requiring each CPA to undergo individualized registration and issuance processes. This reduces transaction costs and makes the CDM more attractive and accessible, particularly to least developed countries that have not historically benefited from the CDM. About VERRA VERRA is committed to helping reduce emissions, improve livelihoods and protect natural resources across the private and public sectors. VERRA supports climate action and sustainable development with standards, tools and programs that credibly, transparently and robustly assess environmental and social impacts and enable funding for sustaining and scaling up these benefits. VERRA works in any arena where we see a need for clear standards, a role for market-based mechanisms and an opportunity to achieve environmental and social good. VERRA was founded in 2005 by environmental and business leaders who saw the need for greater quality assurance in voluntary carbon markets. It now serves as a secretariat for the various standards that they develop and the programs that they manage, as well as an incubator of new ideas that can generate meaningful environmental and social value at scale. The strategic direction of VERRA is set by both staff and the VERRA Board of Directors. VERRA develops and manages standards and frameworks to vet environmental and sustainable development efforts, build their capacity and connect them to funding. By ensuring that their standards are robust, practical and transparent, VERRA can accurately quantify benefits and drive investment in responsible, high-performing projects and programs. We work closely with civil society, governments and the private sector to develop novel frameworks and enable results on the ground. VERRA continues to bring expertise in standard development and program management from their flagship voluntary carbon market program into new fields, to increase the scope and scale of our impact. All of VERRA programs undergo extensive stakeholder consultation and expert review, and draw from four key components: standard, independent assessment, accounting methodologies, and registry. About International Environmental Partners International Environmental Partners are a multilingual team of advisors, traders, marketers, journalist and PR/CSR experts. The company provides access to global environmental markets and products. International Environmental Partners mission is to provide a tailored solution to organizations taking a proactive approach to fight climate change. International Environmental Partners aim to work with NGOs, climate fight initiatives and organizations within sustainability sector to bring awareness and ways of reducing emission and improving lives in communities affected by global warming. About dynaCERT Inc. dynaCERT Inc. manufactures, distributes, and installs Carbon Emission Reduction Technology for use with internal combustion engines. As part of the growing global hydrogen economy, our patent-pending technology creates hydrogen and oxygen on-demand through electrolysis and supplies these through the air intake to enhance combustion, resulting in lower carbon emissions and greater fuel efficiency. Our technology is designed for use with all types and sizes of diesel engines used in on-road vehicles, reefer trailers, off-road construction, power generation, mining and forestry equipment, marine vessels and railroad locomotives. Website: www. dynaCERT .com READER ADVISORY Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. In particular, forward-looking information in this press release includes, but is not limited to the potential expansion into new markets, industries and segments, such as diesel- powered use of any the dynaCERT products and sales. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, performance of achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward- looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: uncertainty as to whether our strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; availability and cost of capital; the ability to identify and develop and achieve commercial success for new products and technologies; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of products and services; changes in technology and changes in laws and regulations; the uncertainty of the emerging hydrogen economy; including the hydrogen economy moving at a pace not anticipated; our ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships and distribution agreements; and the other risk factors disclosed under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in our expectations except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the release. On Behalf of the Board Murray James Payne, CEO For more information, please contact: Jim Payne, CEO & President dynaCERT Inc. #101 501 Alliance Avenue Toronto, Ontario M6N 2J1 (416) 766-9691 x 2 [email protected]dynaCERT.com Investor Relations dynaCERT Inc. Nancy Massicotte (416) 766-9691 x 1 [email protected] dynaCERT .com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Panorays Debuts Unique "Human Element" Assessment NEW YORK, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Panorays , a rapidly growing provider of automated third-party security management , today announced a unique tool that assesses the human impact on an organizations security in a non-invasive manner and incorporates it into the cyber posture rating. This human element evaluation is one of several new features designed to enhance Panorays award-winning third-party security management solution. The human element evaluation considers factors such as likelihood of employees to be targeted for cyberattacks, presence of company accounts in breach dumps, presence of a dedicated security team, irregular public footprints of company employees and presence of official profiles on social media. Panorays has published its research behind this approach to the human element in Employee Attack Likelihood: The Hidden Indicator Nobody Talks About. As a start-up we are always seeking innovative ways to improve and automate this increasingly important area of cybersecurity third-party management. Our platform is steadily rising against established players in this area, as we continue our mission to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers. With Panorays, companies can shorten their third-party security evaluation process by as much as 93 percent, while gaining continuous visibility of both network and human factors and ensuring compliance to regulations such as GDPR and NYDFS, said Matan Or-El, CEO, Panorays. New Panorays features also include multiple language support, single-click supplier approval and customized relationship levels. Streamlining the assessment process and accounting for the global nature of business, Panorays customers across the globe now have the option to send security inquires in multiple languages, allowing suppliers to complete their security assessments in their native languages. Evaluators will be able to review the questions and answers in English. Panorays is continuing to make the management of, and engagement with, third parties easier by supporting effective business workflow through enabling evaluators to approve suppliers with just a click. Evaluators can also now specify a customized relationship level for specific types of suppliers, providing evaluators with visibility of their varied cyber exposure. About Panorays Panorays automates third-party security management. The platform enables companies to easily view, manage and engage on the security posture of their third parties, vendors, suppliers and business partners. With the Panorays platform, companies dramatically shorten their third-party security evaluation process and gain continuous visibility while ensuring compliance to regulations such as GDPR and NY DFS. Panorays is a SaaS-based platform, with no installation needed. Panorays is currently being successfully implemented by client organizations in financial services, healthcare, automotive, technology, and retail. For more information, visit www.panorays.com. Panorays Media Contact: Paula Brici Eskenzi PR [email protected] +1 949 677 6527 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] SymphonyRM Opens Pittsburgh Health AI Center of Excellence to Accelerate Data Science Efforts Around Next Best Actions PALO ALTO, Calif. & PITTSBURGH, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- SymphonyRM, Healthcare's Next Best Action Company, today announced the opening of its Health AI Center of Excellence in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The expansion highlights the company's continued growth and investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve the way healthcare organizations engage consumers. "The industry is rapidly embracing AI to improve the patient experience and SymphonyRM is leading the transformation with our AI-driven Next Best Actions," said Mike Linnert, CEO and founder, SymphonyRM. "With our Health AI Center of Excellence, we are boosting our investment in AI to build on our substantial data science capabilities and pioneer new innovations to help the healthcare industry anticipate consumer needs and use proactive outreach to build more meaningful relationships with health system consumers and providers." SymphonyRM's Pittsburgh office will work across the company's data team to find new ways to harness data science to improve the way healthcare companies interact with patients, providers and insurers and create a seamless, personalized experience based on individual next best actions. "To remain competitive, healthcare companies are striving for customer-centricity," said Rob Birgfeld, AVP, chief digital marketing officer at Inova Health System. "What gives healthcare marketers the ability to actually deliver on the promise of meeting consumer and patient expectations are the means to understand them. Artificial intelligence provides organizations with unparalleled opportunities to gather deeper insights and, in turn, deliver proactive, personalized and more meaningful experiences." In 2018, Pittsburgh was named one of the four tech hubs to watch in the U.S., according to VentureBeat, and Carnegie Mellon's artificial intelligence graduate program was ranked No. 1 by U.S News & World Report. The Pittsburgh office and Health AI Center of Excellence will be led by Joe Schmid, chief technology officer, SymphonyRM. "Pittsburgh's vibrant community will provide the perfect environment for our company to flourish," said Joe Schmid, chief technology officer, SymphonyRM. "We look forward to engaging with the community's world-class data science talent and its healthcare ecosystem to transform the health and wellness journey for consumers nationwide." SymphonyRM's HealthOS platform blends customer relationship management (CRM), data science and workforce orchestration to generate personalized and prioritized Next Best Actions (NBAs) for every consumer, patient and provider in a health system to drive growth, loyalty and healthcare quality. "We are proud to welcome SymphonyRM, a leading healthcare technology company, to the city of Pittsburgh and look forward to the company's continued success in the region," said William Peduto, mayor, City of Pittsburgh. Additional Information For more on SymphonyRM, visit: symphonyrm.com Connect with SymphonyRM on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/symphonyrm Follow @SymphonyRM on Twitter: twitter.com/symphonyrm Like SymphonyRM on Facebook: facebook.com/symphonyrm About SymphonyRM SymphonyRM is helping health systems transform how they acquire, engage and retain patients by creating a membership model rivaling the capabilities of world-class consumer organizations. By generating data-driven, prioritized next best actions for every consumer, prospect and provider in any health system, SymphonyRM is helping organizations anticipate member needs and use proactive outreach to build deeper customer relationships and drive better outcomes while increasing revenue. Media Contact: Kenneth Garcia SymphonyRM (310) 740-1679 [email protected] Related Links website View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/symphonyrm-opens-pittsburgh-health-ai-center-of-excellence-to-accelerate-data-science-efforts-around-next-best-actions-300818312.html SOURCE SymphonyRM [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Steady Joins World Economic Forum's Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution ATLANTA, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Steady , the groundbreaking platform that connects workers to the rapidly expanding gig economy and is building a better future for Americas workforce, announced today it has joined World Economic Forums (WEF) Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), a select group of global companies committed to improving the state of the world. As an independent international organization recognized for bringing together leaders and policymakers in business, politics and academia to discuss immediate economic challenges, WEF strives to demonstrate entrepreneurship in the global public interest while upholding the highest standards of governance. WEFs C4IR is dedicated to driving positive change through the benefits of science and technology, and has selected nine core technologies it believes will pave the way for the next industrial revolution. One of C4IRs core technologies pertains to autonomous and urban mobility, addressing the needs of global urbanization while minimizing complex social, economic and environmental challenges, said Steady CEO Adam Roseman. The way people work is changing. At Steady, were operating at the intersection of income and finance, assisting future workers in creating a stable monthly income and a more solid financial future for themselves. Any industrial revolution brings a wave of change that people need to be prepared for, said Zvika Krieger, Head of Technology Policy, World Economic Forum. Mre than 40 percent of Americans have more than one source of income. This is not unique to the US. As more of the global workforce embraces the gig economy, people need to be better prepared to set and meet financial goals. We are excited to welcome Steady as a member of the Centre to help everyone maximize the benefits and minimize the risks of emerging technology for society. Steady recommends personalized income opportunities for users and helps them track their income. In finding financial gaps, Steady assists in connecting workers to employers who can provide them with an increase in monthly income through part-time, one-time and temporary work. Recently, Steady expanded its opportunities to include traditional part-time brick and mortar jobs, as well as user benefits, discounts and an improved income tracking feature that helps mitigate the credit challenges of non-single income, full-time W2 workers. About Steady Founded in 2017 by Adam Roseman, Eric Aroetsy and Michael Loeb, Steady is a new platform for workers looking to supplement their income by taking part-time, one-time and temporary jobs. With $9 million in Series A funding, Steady makes it easier than ever for workers to find the best work opportunities available to help build their careers and manage and better understand their income. In September 2017, Steady was chosen as one of 10 startups to participate in Fintech71s exclusive 10-week accelerator program. One month later it won the Startup Pitch competition at Money 20/20, the worlds largest financial services innovation event. As of October 2018, the Steady app has been downloaded more than 200,000 times. To join the 600,000-strong Steady community, users can maximize their income by downloading the free app from the App Store and Google Play . Employers interested in partnering with Steady can contact Steady at [email protected] . About World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network brings together Governments, leading companies, civil society and experts from around the world to co-design and pilot innovative approaches to the policy and governance of technology. Its vision is to shape the development and use of technology in ways that maximize the benefits and minimize the risks. The network develops, implements and scales up agile and human-centred pilot projects that can be adopted by policy-makers, legislators and regulators worldwide. Media Contact Paul Wilke [email protected] +1-415-881-7995 Amanda Russo, Public Engagement Lead [email protected] +1-415-734-0589 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Acqueon and Selligent Partner to Integrate Customer and Marketing Data to Engage and Maximize Every Consumer Interaction DALLAS and SAN JOSE, Calif., March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acqueon Technologies Inc ., a leader in proactive customer engagement management, and global B2C marketing automation company, Selligent Marketing Cloud (Selligent) , today announced a formal partnership to arm enterprises with the ability to leverage customer journey analytics and preferences, spanning both customer support and digital marketing, to determine the next best actions for customer engagement. The goal is to empower sales and service agents with the real-time, contextual intelligence necessary to maximize the potential of every customer interaction. In businesses today, digital marketing and contact center teams operate in isolation, yet they both interact with customers and prospects every day in different ways, said Ashish Koul, CEO of Acqueon. Through our partnership with Selligent, we are bridging this divide and enabling organizations to uncover intelligence and take action based on the context of an individuals combined interactions with their business. This AI-driven customer engagement data leads to more engaging and profitable sales conversion and service satisfaction. The integrated solution combines data science, machine learning, AI, customer journey visualization and predictive analytics to enable organizations to reach the right person, with the right information, via the right channel, at the right time. The result is an optimized customer interaction, which results in better brand loyalty, increased revenues, and decreased costs for the enterprise. The functional silos that exist within organizations today limit customer experience to a series of very disjointed conversations across a consumers lifecycle, said John Hernandez, CEO of Selligent. Manually piecing together data across multiple sources from marketing to sales to service to get a full view of the customer relationship does not provide brands the informed yet real-time rsponse rate that consumers today demand. The Acqueon-Selligent offering bridges this divide to drive elevated customer experiences for consumers and strategic business growth for our clients. This combined Acqueon-Selligent solution is comprised of Selligent Marketing Cloud , the ultimate experience platform that connects and provides visibility into inbound and outbound interactions across the entire customer journey, and Acqueons Customer Engagement Platform , which arms enterprises with omni-channel customer and operational analytics to determine next best action with customers, prospects and payers. Benefits of the Joint Solution: Deliver personalized messages at every stage of the customer lifecycle, turning interactions into meaningful conversations Manage individual customer relationships at scale across all channels (email, mobile, web, social) Engage in meaningful dialogue with customers through journey visualization and analytics Drive context across all interactions with a brand with a 360-degree view of the customer for contact center agents, supervisors and marketers Through this partnership, Selligent and Acqueon deliver a differentiated solution that will foster emotional connections between consumers and enterprises. About Acqueon Acqueon, a conversational AI company, delivers one of the most comprehensive customer experience product suite that supports more than 5 billion interactions annually worldwide. With their proprietary conversational AI technology, they can seamlessly orchestrate, multi-channel conversational interactions throughout the customers journey delivering predictable results both on-premise or in the Cloud. Acqueon leverages predictive technology to personalize conversational engagement based on machine learning from interaction data and business goals, and determines the right person, the optimal time, and the right communications channel for meaningful customer experience. For more information, please visit us at http://www.acqueon.com?. About Selligent Marketing Cloud Selligent Marketing Cloud is a sophisticated B2C marketing platform that empowers ambitious relationship marketers to maximize every moment they engage with consumers. With native AI capabilities, a robust data layer, and a powerful omnichannel execution engine, Selligent Marketing Cloud enables marketers to easily target, trigger, and deliver highly personalized messaging across all critical channels. More than 700 global brands in retail, travel, automotive, publishing, and financial services trust Selligent Marketing Cloud to help deliver their marketing programs. With 10 offices across the United States and Europe and more than 50 partners, Selligent serves over 30 countries with local, personalized service. Learn more at www.selligent.com and connect with the team at Twitter , LinkedIn , and our blog . Media Contact: Sylvie Tongco, Director of Corporate Communications [email protected] Vimal Abraham, VP and Head of Marketing [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] ReviveMed Receives Frost & Sullivan AI-Driven Next-Generation Metabolomics Technology Innovation Award ReviveMed is proud to announce that they are the recipient of the North American AI-Driven Next-Generation Metabolomics Technology Innovation Award from Frost & Sullivan (News - Alert) as part of that company's 2018 Best Practices Awards. Frost & Sullivan, which has been providing a wide range of business consulting and market research analysis for over 50 years, expects that AI will redefine the entire drug discovery and development process. Frost & Sullivan realizes that expanding, accelerating, and strengthening the access to metabolomics data is crucial to success in the competitive and resource-constrained drug discovery environment. "Experimental characterizations of the human metabolome require decades of research and billions of dollars; that's why we developed an artificial intelligence or AI platform to overcome these difficulties," said Dr. Leila Pirhaji, ReviveMed's Founder and CEO. "AI can significantly advance our ability to characterize a large set of metabolites for each patient, which has not been possible before and will lead us to understand novel disease mechanisms for drug discovery." Metabolomics, or the study of metabolites, traditionally has been used to identify biomarkers of diseases. Now, there is growing evidence of metabolites' role as regulators of biological activities and modifiers of other omics, including genomics. However, the difficulties of characterizing a large number of metabolites for each patient have limited the applications of metabolomics in precision medicine and drug discovery. The combination of ReviveMed's proprietary database and their AI algorithm offers an opportunity to conduct fewer experiments to identify metabolites more efficiently. Once the identity of the metabolite is predicted, the data is integrated into other large-scale molecular datasets and translated into novel therapeutic insights for drug discovery purposes. "ReviveMed has created a paradigm shift in the drug discovery process by developing and exploiting one of the most comprehensive, accessible and affordable troves of metabolomics data," said Cecilia Van Cauwenberghe, Senior Industry Analyst and Associate Fellow at Frost & Sullivan. "ReviveMed's MetEngine platform consistently integrates untargeted metabolomics data with genomics and proteomics data. The artificial intelligence-driven approach infers disease-associated metabolites and proteins that are impossible to obtain through individual analysis." ReviveMed envisions the use of automated tools to help therapeutics developers introduce real, data-driven evidence into the process of drug discovery and development. ReviveMed's technology reveals the crucial relationship between the activity of genes and proteins and the phenotypic behavior in both healthy and diseased states. ReviveMed exploits the best features of AI and omics science, creating what Frost & Sullivan believes is a strong competitive advantage. The details of Frost & Sullivan's Best Practices Award can be downloaded here. About ReviveMed ReviveMed is an AI-driven drug discovery platform focused on discovering therapeutics for metabolic diseases including fatty liver diseases. ReviveMed is a pioneer in the intersection of AI and metabolomics, located in the heart of biotech innovation in Cambridge, MA. ReviveMed uniquely overcomes the difficulties of identifying a large set of metabolites for each patient, based on the technology that ReviveMed's founders developed at MIT (News - Alert) and published in Nature Methods. It further translates metabolomic data to generate novel therapeutic insights for drug and drug response biomarker discovery. Currently, ReviveMed is collaborating with tier-one pharmaceutical companies and pursuing internal drug discovery programs. Learn more at www.revivemed.io, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. About Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, they have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005366/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Renesas Electronics to Release RZ/G Linux Platform Solution Supporting IEC 62443 International Standard for Protection of Industrial Control Systems Against Cyberattacks by EO2019 Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE:6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced plans to release a security solution based on the Renesas RZ/G Linux Platform that will reduce the amount of time required for users to obtain certification under IEC 62443-4-2, a new international standard for security technologies used to protect industrial control systems from cyberattacks. In today's connected world, robust security measures are essential. Cyberattacks on industrial control systems for infrastructure facilities such as manufacturing plants and power stations pose the risk of serious disruption to people's lives and to the economy. For this reason, the IEC (News - Alert) established the IEC 62443 international security standard covering all layers (operators, system integrators, and equipment suppliers) engaged in the manufacturing of industrial control systems and all players (enterprises and organizations involved in industry and public infrastructure). Within this standard, endpoint devices such as sensors and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) must be certified under IEC 62443-4. The certification process imposes a significant burden on developers. It requires them to interpret the difficult standard, to prepare the software and documentation required for certification, and to execute a procedure that requires specialized expertise. To help developers overcome these certification challenges, Renesas is developing an industrial security solution that supports IEC 62443-4. Together with deliverables through the activities in Civil Infrastructure Platform (CIPTM) Project, the Renesas RZ/G Linux Platform security solution will enable users to reduce the time required for obtaining IEC 62443-4-2 certification by as much as six months. "At the end of February 2019, the international standard version of IEC62443-4-2 was officially released," said Shigeki Kato, Vice President of Renesas' Enterprise Infrastructure Business Division, Industrial Solution Business Unit. "Renesas supports the adoption of IEC 62443 across the entire industry and is working to roll out this solution as soon as possible as part of an all-out effort to support our customers' efforts to acquire certification." Within the IEC 62443-4 standard, IEC 62443-4-1 deals with development process compliance and IEC 62443-4-2 deals with the technical compliance of the devices themselves. Renesas is working through the newly established CIP Security Working Group to develop secure open source software (OSS) that complies with IEC 62443-4-2, to establish guidelines for implementing security functions and applications using OS, and to help create the testing procedures and testing environments necessary for obtaining IEC 62443-4-2 certification. "By promoting the widespread adoption of OSS, CIP aims to make secure civil infrastructure systems a reality. IEC 62443-4 is a key role in this as industry priority, which is why CIP is aligned with supporting and promoting it," said Urs Gleim, CIP Governing Board Chairman and Head of Smart Embedded Systems for Siemens AG (News - Alert). "I am confident that the new Security Working Group led by Renesas will advance the adoption of OSS in industrial machinery and contribute to the realization of secure smart factories and infrastructure." Renesas supports embedded Linux devices in the industrial field with the RZ/G Linux Platform, a one-stop solution combining a high-performance RZ/G microprocessor (MPU) and a fully-verified Linux package with a guaranteed, ultra-long-term support. The new security solution will include all the software and documentation necessary for obtaining IEC 62443-4-2 certification, providing an optimal development environment for products employing the RZ/G Linux Platform. The new security solution was developed combining Renesas' efforts made through the CIP Security Working Group and the RZ/G Linux Platform, and will enable users to reduce their IEC 62443-4-2 certification time by up to six months. Moving forward, Renesas will continue to provide solutions with IEC 62443-4 support while working to advance enhanced endpoint intelligence in the OT field to develop shared technologies such as security technology and functional safety technology. Availability The new IEC 62443-4-2-compliant security solution is scheduled to be available by the end of 2019, starting with the RZ/G2M MPU. The solutions for other RZ/G2 (News - Alert) MPUs will be available over time. (Availability subject to change) More Information To learn more about the solution, visit https://www.renesas.com/solutions/key-technology/iot-security/infrastructure/iec-62443.html. To learn more about the RZ/G Linux Platform, visit https://www.renesas.com/products/rzg-linux-platform.html. To learn more about Renesas' security solutions for industrial machinery, visit https://www.renesas.com/solutions/industrial-automation/security.html. About Renesas Electronics Corporation Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) delivers trusted embedded design innovation with complete semiconductor solutions that enable billions of connected, intelligent devices to enhance the way people work and live. A global leader in microcontrollers, analog, power, and SoC products, Renesas provides comprehensive solutions for a broad range of automotive, industrial, home electronics, office automation, and information communication technology applications that help shape a limitless future. Learn more at renesas.com. (Remarks) Linux Foundation (News - Alert), CIP and Civil Infrastructure Platform are trademarks or registered trademarks in the United States and/or other countries. All names of products or services mentioned in this press release are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005313/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Fifth Annual Fortune 500 Employment Brand Report Published by WilsonHCG WilsonHCG, a multi-award-winning global talent solutions provider, released its fifth annual Fortune 500 Employment Brand Report. The report analyzes and ranks the employment brand of each of the Fortune 500 companies based on more than 17,000 data points around six key employment branding and promotion categories. It also identifies trends and changes to employee attraction and engagement throughout the hiring process. "Globally, this is the most competitive hiring environment in history," said John Wilson, CEO of WilsonHCG. "One key finding from the report, many of the high ranked companies are providing candidates with a hyper-personalized experience. A positive and personalized candidate experience is more important than ever before." Each company within the Fortune 500 was evaluated on the scope of six key employment brand categories grouped into four areas of the hiring process: Awareness & Attraction, Recruitment, Candidate Experience, and Employee Experience. "Executive leaders regularly ask me what they should be doing to find and hire the best people," said Kim Pope, Executive Vice President of Global Client Solutions at WilsonHCG. "This report shows how some of the largest companies in the world position their employment brand and serves as a great guide for organizations that want to strengthen their own branding." Key findings: Recruitment marketing most overlooked element of employment brand Data proves recruitment marketing is the most overlooked element of an employment brand. Some 73 percent of the Fortune 500 companies analyzed scored less than 50 percent of possible points, while 25 organizations failed to score any points at all in this category. The value of showcasing CSR (News - Alert) is still not fully understood Only six percent of the Fortune 500 got full marks in this category, and 80 percent received only one-third of all possible points. CSR is critical to employees and was cited as an "important issue" by 77 percent of respondents in the 2018 Deloitte (News - Alert) Global Human Capital Trends report. A notable increase in employment brand efforts by organizations whose corporate brands have faced scrutiny General Electric, Wells Fargo (News - Alert), and Facebook all ranked in the top 20 even though each company faced corporate brand challenges over the past 12 months. The improved rankings for these three organizations came from an increase in the amount of modern and personalized employment brand efforts made in the same time period. To access a copy of the 2019 Fortune 500 Top 100 Employment Brands report, please visit our website. About WilsonHCG A multi-award-winning global talent solutions provider, WilsonHCG helps companies to build modern workforce programs. The organization, which has a global presence spanning six continents and 40 countries, offers a wide range of innovative talent acquisition and talent management solutions with additional services including executive search, tech, and employment brand consulting. www.wilsonhcg.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005518/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital said Tuesday that it will open next month, marking the first general hospital in Seoul's northwestern region. The 300-bed hospital, under the Catholic University of Korea, will officially open Monday with 39 medical departments under its arm, ranging from cardiology to neurology. When it is fully open, the hospital will significantly bump up the total number of beds to over 800. "Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital is the first general hospital in this part of the capital city," professor Kwon Soon-yong told reporters, adding that the people in the region will be able to receive high quality professional medical care. The hospital is within walking distance of major residential areas in the Eunpyeong and Seodaemun wards, and only 37 kilometers away from North Korea's industrial city of Kaesong. The hospital said it aims to serve a role in inter-Korean relations as the two Koreas move to expand cooperation in the health and medical sectors. "Our hospital is a cutting-edge general hospital that also happens to be closest to Kaesong," Kwon said, adding the doctors will explore ways to support orphans and pregnant women in North Korea. (Yonhap) [March 26, 2019] New Study Unveils Nation's Distracted Driving Behaviors; Atlanta Drivers are Most Distracted, San Diego Least Life360, the leading location sharing app that protects and connects families, today released its annual comprehensive U.S. distracted driving study in time for national Distracted Driving Awareness month, highlighting the driving behaviors of the nation's distracted drivers. Leveraging more than 84 billion miles of driving data in a national sample of Life360 users across the country, the analysis revealed that distracted driving is more prevalent in the East - with Atlanta topping the list. The study also found rush hour driving is more distracting than morning commutes. And for the second year in a row, there's very little gap between teen and adult distracted drivers. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005371/en/ New Study Unveils Nation's Distracted Driving Behaviors (Graphic: Business Wire) Overall, the West Coast had the least distracted driving. At the state level the report found New Jersey and Florida drivers are the most distracted and Wyoming and New Mexico drivers the least. The Top 5 cities with the most/least distracted driving: Most Distracted: Atlanta, GA Washington, DC Baltimore, MD Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX Houston, TX Least Distracted: San Diego, CA (News - Alert) San Francisco, CA Seattle, WA Los Angeles, CA Phoenix, AZ Life360's 2019 Distracted Driving Report is the largest stud on distracted driving to date. More than 27 billion distracted drives were analyzed (based on significant interactions with a phone's screen while driving a vehicle), pooled from a national sample of 844,000 Life360 users over the 2018 calendar year. Interestingly, the study found that Los Angeles and San Francisco residents exercise considerable caution when driving in the rain. Los Angeles drivers slow down 6 times more in heavy rain compared to drivers from Seattle, who are both accustomed to rain and unfazed by it. In San Francisco, drivers slow down 4 times more in heavy rain compared to those in Seattle. The report found that distracted drivers are 21 times more likely to speed, 12 times more likely to rapidly accelerate and seven times more likely to hard brake. In other revealing trends: Drivers on their morning commute (6am - 8am) are less prone to distracted driving than they are during the afternoon, when they are twice as likely to use their phones. Most speeding occurs Sunday afternoons (3pm - 6pm). The worst time for bad driving behaviors, including hard braking and rapid acceleration, occurs in the middle of the night (between 3am - 4am) on Saturdays and Sundays. Teens and parents are almost equal when it comes to distracted driving phone use. Distracted teen drivers interact with their smartphones 9 times in 100 miles. For adults, it's 8 times in 100 miles. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that at least 3,166 people were killed in distracted driving crashes in 2017, including texting and driving. Considering virtually all teens (95 percent according to PEW Research Center) have a smartphone, distracted driving is a very serious risk. Life360 offers a Driver Protect plan that provides weekly distracted driving reports to empower families with information to become safer drivers. The weekly reports highlight various driving habits including speed, texting and driving, hard braking and rapid acceleration. Even as awareness rises about hazardous distracted driving habits, accidents still happen. Life360's Driver Protect plan also provides car crash detection and emergency response dispatch, in addition to notifying family contacts in real-time. For instance, Life360 user Karena was driving to lunch with her son, when they were rear-ended by a driver who was texting and driving -- pushing her car into a curb, and forcing a rollover and slide. With the two trapped inside and Karena unable to reach her phone - Life360 immediately sensed the crash, called 911 and alerted her husband with directions to their exact location. Now a year later, Karena's whole family uses Life360 daily to stay safe and connected. For full details on crash detection, visit the Life360 FAQs: www.life360.com/support. To learn more or sign up for Driver Protect in the U.S. ($7.99 a month), simply open the Premium menu in the Life360 App (available on iTunes or Google (News - Alert) Play). About Life360 Life360 is the world's leading location and driving safety service for families available for Android and iPhone (News - Alert) in a convenient and secure mobile app. A leader in family tech, Life360 gives families peace of mind when they are not together. As the largest source of family driving data in the world, Life360 provides safety insights around driving behavior to better protect family members on the go via location sharing, day-to-day communications, driver updates, emergency response features, and more. Founded in 2008, Life360 has raised over $100M in venture capital and is headquartered in San Francisco. For more information, visit www.life360.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005371/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Venafi Study: Nearly Two-Thirds of Organizations Experienced Certificate-Related Outages Last Year Venafi, the leading provider of machine identity protection, today announced the results of a study of the scale and frequency of certificate-related outages on critical business infrastructure. Over 550 chief information officers (CIOs) from the U.S., U.K., France, Germany and Australia participated in the study. Certificate-related outages harm the reliability and availability of vital network systems and services while also being extremely difficult to diagnose and remediate. Unfortunately, the vast majority of businesses routinely suffer from these events. In fact, according to the study, almost two-thirds of organizations (60 percent) experienced certificate-related outages that impacted critical business applications or services within the last year. In addition, 74 percent faced similar events within the last 24 months. Certificate-related outages are likely to become more complicated, common and costly in the future. The study also found that: Eighty-five percent believe the increasing complexity and interdependence of IT systems will make outages even more painful in the future. Nearly 80 percent estimate certificate use in their organizations will grow by 25 percent or more in the next five years, with over half anticipating minimum growth rates of more than 50 percent. While 50 percent of CIOs are concerned that certificate outages will have an impact on customer experience, 45 percent are more concerned about the time and resources they consume. "Recently, a machine identity-related outage impacted 32 million cellular customers in the U.K., and estimates suggest this could have cost the company over $100 million," said Kevin Bocek, vice president, security strategy and threat intelligence at Venafi. "Ultimately, companies must get control of all of their certificates; otherwise, it's simply a matter of time until one expires and causes a debilitating outage. CIOs need greater visibility, intelligence and automation of the entire life cycle of all certificates to do this." While humans rely on usernames and passwords to identify themselves and gain authorized access to applications and services, machines use digital certificates to serve as machine identities in order to communicate securely with other machines and gain authorized access to applications and services. This year, organizations will spend over $10 billion to protect and manage passwords, but they will spend almost nothing to protect and manage machine identities. Most organizations do not have a clear understanding of how many machine identities are in use, which devices are using them, and when they will expire. This lack of comprehensive visibility and intelligence leads to outages. Bocek added: "Since certificates control authentication and communication between machines, it is important not to let them expire unexpectedly. And because the symptoms of a machine identity-related outage mimic many other hardware and software failures, diagnosing them is notoriously time-consuming and difficult." Resources White Paper: CIO Study: Certificate-Related Outages Continue to Plague Organizations Blog: Majority of Businesses Still Experience Outages: Are You Protecting Your Certificates? About Venafi Venafi is the cybersecurity market leader in machine identity protection, securing machine-to-machine connections and communications. Venafi protects machine identity types by orchestrating cryptographic keys and digital certificates for SSL/TLS, IoT, mobile and SSH. Venafi provides global visibility of machine identities and the risks associated with them for the extended enterprise - on premises, mobile, virtual, cloud and IoT - at machine speed and scale. Venafi puts this intelligence into action with automated remediation that reduces the security and availability risks connected with weak or compromised machine identities while safeguarding the flow of information to trusted machines and preventing communication with machines that are not trusted. With over 30 patents, Venafi delivers innovative solutions for the world's most demanding, security-conscious Global 5000 organizations and government agencies, including the top five U.S. health insurers; the top five U.S. airlines; the top four credit card issuers; three out of the top four accounting and consulting firms; four of the top five U.S., U.K., Australian and South African banks; and four of the top five U.S. retailers. Venafi is backed by top-tier investors, including TCV, Foundation Capital, Intel Capital, QuestMark Partners, Mercato Partners (News - Alert) and NextEquity. For more information, visit: www.venafi.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005242/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Arkose Labs Named 2019 MRC Technology Award Winner Arkose Labs, a provider of online fraud prevention technology combining user risk assessment and sophisticated enforcement challenges, today announced it has been named winner of the 2019 MRC Technology Awards in the Start-Up category by the Merchant Risk Council. The MRC Technology Awards recognize superior solution providers making substantial contributions in the fraud, payments and risk industries. Arkose Labs helps solve some of the world's most targeted businesses' online fraud problems - which cost millions each year in financial losses - with its innovative global telemetry, user behavioral risk assessment and proprietary enforcement challenges. As companies across the information security industry experience more fraudulent user activity, a new solution to eliminate the problem at the source is necessary. Arkose Labs' technology exclusively stops abuse before it occurs without impacting user experience or conversation rates, and Arkose Labs is the only solution provider to offer an Attack Remediation service-level agreement. With the prevalence of more sophisticated automated attacks, adoption of Arkose Labs' technology is accelerating across sectors including online marketplaces, travel, banking, social media and online gaming. "The ability to stop abusive attacks at the point of entry, without disrupting the user experience, is now a must-have for companies," said Kevin Gosschalk, CEO of Arkose Labs. "We focus on breaking the econmics of fraudsters. If you can make it cost more to gain entry than they can extract, they move on. Our technology is rooted in prevention, which allows us to combat the automation feeding the scale of online fraud impacting companies today. We're proud to be recognized by the MRC as a company leading the way in helping digital businesses protect their ecosystem from automated fraud." The announcement was made at MRC Vegas 2019 in Las Vegas on March 20, 2019, and follows the 2018 win by industry heavyweight ThreatMetrix, a LexisNexis (News - Alert) Risk Solutions Company. During MRC Vegas, Gosschalk presented the session, Printing Money: Virtual Marketplaces as Real-World ATMs, which explored practical scenarios where virtual marketplaces can be exploited like cash by attackers, as well as the pathways toward preventing automated gift card abuse. "The MRC Technology Awards recognize the most esteemed achievements in eCommerce, honoring organizations surpassing industry standards and providing a benchmark for excellence," said Markus Bergthaler, MRC Director of Programs and Marketing. "Arkose Labs is deserving of this award as they offer an innovative solution using global telemetry paired with enforcement challenges to validate suspicious traffic while ensuring legitimate users are not challenged. The independent panel of merchant judges who evaluated Arkose Labs' technology noted its versatility in helping companies prevent account takeovers, card testing, fake user accounts, inventory denials, spam, auction abuse, ticket scalping and fake ratings." To learn more about Arkose Labs and its online fraud prevention platform, visit www.arkoselabs.com. About Arkose Labs Arkose Labs is solving multimillion-dollar online fraud problems for major global businesses in sectors including online marketplaces, travel, banking, social media, ticketing and online gaming. Our bilateral approach combines global telemetry with proprietary enforcement challenges that stop fraud while minimizing false positives and without impacting user experience. Arkose Labs is based in San Francisco, Calif., with offices in Brisbane, Australia. For more information, visit www.arkoselabs.com or on Twitter (News - Alert) @ArkoseLabs. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005283/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Security Analytics and Machine Learning Fuel Next-Generation Cyber Defenses, Finds '2019 Cyberthreat Defense Report' CyberEdge Group, the leading research and marketing firm serving the security industry's top vendors, today announced the availability of its sixth annual Cyberthreat Defense Report (CDR). New this year, the report found that IT security's greatest inhibitor to success is contending with too much security data. To address this challenge, 47 percent of respondents acknowledged their organization's intent to acquire advanced security analytics solutions that incorporate machine learning (ML) technology within the next 12 months. Such investments help to mitigate the risks of advanced cyberthreats missed by traditional security defenses, aiding enterprise cyberthreat hunting endeavors. With 1,200 IT security decision makers and practitioners participating from 17 countries, six continents, and 19 industries, CyberEdge's CDR is the most comprehensive study of security professionals' perceptions in the industry. This study provides a 360-degree view of cyberthreats, current defenses, and planned security investments by organizations of all sizes and across all industries. Key Findings The 2019 CDR yielded dozens of insights into the challenges IT security professionals faced in 2018 and the challenges they'll likely continue to face for the rest of this year. Key findings include: Hottest security technology for 2019. Advanced security analytics tops 2019's most wanted list not only for the security management and operations category, but also for all technologies in this year's report. Advanced security analytics tops 2019's most wanted list not only for the security management and operations category, but also for all technologies in this year's report. Machine learning garners confidence. More than 90 percent of IT security organizations have invested in ML and/or artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to combat advanced threats. More than 80 percent are already seeing a difference. More than 90 percent of IT security organizations have invested in ML and/or artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to combat advanced threats. More than 80 percent are already seeing a difference. Attack success redux. The percentage of organizations affected by a successful cyberattack ticked up this year, from 77 percent to 78 percent, despite last year's first-ever decline. The percentage of organizations affected by a successful cyberattack ticked up this year, from 77 percent to 78 percent, despite last year's first-ever decline. Caving in to ransomware. Organizations affected by successful ransomware attacks increased slightly from 55 percent to 56 percent. More concerning, the percentage of organizations that elected to pay ransoms rose considerably, from 39 percent to 45 percent, potentially fueling even more ransomware attacks in 2019. Organizations affected by successful ransomware attacks increased slightly from 55 percent to 56 percent. More concerning, the percentage of organizations that elected to pay ransoms rose considerably, from 39 percent to 45 percent, potentially fueling even more ransomware attacks in 2019. Container security woes. For the second year, application containers edge mobile devices as IT security's weakest link. For the second year, application containers edge mobile devices as IT security's weakest link. Web application firewalls rule the roost. For the second year, the web application firewall (WAF) claims the top spot as the most widely deployed app/dat security technology. For the second year, the web application firewall (WAF) claims the top spot as the most widely deployed app/dat security technology. Worsening skills shortage. IT security skills shortages continued to rise, with 84 percent of organizations experiencing this problem compared to 81 percent a year ago. IT security skills shortages continued to rise, with 84 percent of organizations experiencing this problem compared to 81 percent a year ago. Security's slice of the IT budget pie. On average, IT security consumes 13 percent of the overall IT budget. The average security budget is going up by 5 percent in 2019. "A decade after the transformative Aurora attack, you have to start wondering how long organizations can sustain such elevated investments in cybersecurity. Beanstalks don't grow to the sky, right?" said Mike Rothman, president of Securosis. "Yet, the data tells another story. According to this year's CDR report, the average security budget consumes 13 percent of the overall IT budget, up from 5 percent just two decades ago. And it continues to grow, with an average of 5 percent planned growth moving forward. Exacerbated by the critical shortage of qualified IT security personnel, there will be a continued focus on smart investment in technologies that make security more effective and efficient." About the Cyberthreat Defense Report In November 2018, 1,200 IT security decision makers and practitioners completed a 27-question online survey. Each participant was employed by a commercial or government entity with a minimum of 500 employees. Participants stemmed from six geographic regions, as follows: North America: United States and Canada Europe: United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy Asia Pacific: Australia, China, Singapore, and Japan Middle East: Saudi Arabia and Turkey Latin America: Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico Africa: South Africa The Cyberthreat Defense Report is designed to complement Verizon's (News - Alert) annual Data Breach Investigations Report, which evaluates the cyberthreat landscape and describes how threats are used to penetrate computer networks. This report assesses organizations' security posture, gauges perceptions about cyberthreats, and ascertains future plans for improving security and reducing risk. It provides deep insights into how IT security professionals perceive cyberthreats and what they're doing to defend against them. The 2019 CDR is sponsored by several leading information security vendors, including: Platinum sponsors: Code42, DXC Technology, Gigamon (News - Alert), and Imperva Gold sponsors: Aqua Security, LookingGlass, Recorded Future, and StackRox Silver sponsors: Arctic Wolf, Bandura, CTERA, DisruptOps, Edgeworx Solutions, and Illusive Networks Report Available Now The 2019 Cyberthreat Defense Report is available now through each of the above sponsors and by connecting to the CyberEdge Group website at http://www.cyber-edge.com/cdr. About CyberEdge Group CyberEdge Group is an award-winning research and marketing consulting firm serving the diverse needs of information security vendors and service providers. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland with three-dozen consultants based across North America, CyberEdge boasts more than 125 of the security industry's top vendors as clients. The company's annual Cyberthreat Defense Report provides information security decision makers and practitioners with practical, unbiased insight into how enterprises and government agencies defend their networks against today's complex cyberthreat landscape. For more information, visit www.cyber-edge.com. The CyberEdge Group name and logo are trademarks of CyberEdge Group, LLC in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005580/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Andrea Prochniak Joins Perella Weinberg Partners as Managing Director and Global Head of Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs Perella Weinberg Partners ("PWP") today announced that Andrea Prochniak has been appointed a Managing Director and Global Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Affairs for the firm. Ms. Prochniak joined PWP in March 2019 and is based in New York, where she is tasked with leading an integrated global strategic communications effort comprising global investor relations, media relations and internal communications. "Andrea's addition will further enhance the understanding and appreciation of PWP's differentiated advisory business among all our important constituencies," said Peter Weinberg, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of PWP. "I have no doubt she will lend her extensive experience to effectively sharing our growth story with a broad and expanding audience." "PWP is truly unique in its client-centric partnership approach, deep knowledge and expertise in the most promising sectors and markets and ability to provide independent advice in solving clients' most complex issues," said Ms. Prochniak. "I'velong been an admirer of this firm and am thrilled to be working with my new colleagues to amplify its mission in the marketplace." Ms. Prochniak brings more than 20 years of experience building and leading integrated communications functions, most recently as Senior Vice President, Head of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications for AllianceBernstein ("AB"). Prior to AB, she was Vice President of Financial Communications at CBS Corporation, and before that spent nine years at Morgan Stanley, ultimately serving as Executive Director of Investor Relations. Earlier in her career, Ms. Prochniak wrote for Fortune magazine in New York and held research and writing positions at Accenture (News - Alert) and Morningstar, Inc. in Chicago. About Perella Weinberg Partners Perella Weinberg Partners is a leading global independent advisory firm, providing strategic and financial advice to a broad client base, including corporations, institutions and governments. The firm advises clients across a range of the most active industry sectors and international markets. With more than 500 employees, Perella Weinberg Partners maintains offices in New York, Houston, London, Calgary, Chicago, Denver, Dubai, Los Angeles, Paris, and San Francisco. For more information on Perella Weinberg Partners, please visit: http://www.pwpartners.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005634/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] The Proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine Board of Trustees Holds Inaugural Meeting The Board of Trustees for the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine met for the first time Monday and instated Trustee members and approved bylaws and policies. Francis Gibson, MSW, MBA, Utah House Representative and House Majority Leader, and CEO of Orem Community Hospital was appointed Chair. The Board of Trustees is the governing body of the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine and will oversee management responsibility for the construction, completion, and eventual operation of the proposed college as well as the management of the accreditation process. The proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine will be established in Provo and has received broad support financially and throughout Utah County. The makeup of the Trustee members demonstrates this support. In addition to the instatement of the new Board of Trustees, the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine received letters of endorsement from Provo City, Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University, the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development, the Utah Hospital Association, the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce, Utah County Commissioners, Provo School District, hospital systems and elected officials. See the inaugural proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine Board of Trustee members here. Board Officers approved and instated include: Francis Gibson , MSW, MBA, Board hair , MSW, MBA, Board hair Morris D. Linton , Board Vice-chair , Board Vice-chair Sean R. Curzon , Board Secretary , Board Secretary Trevor Smith, Board Treasurer Richard P. Nielsen , PT, DHSc, ECS, Founding President and Chief Executive Officer , PT, DHSc, ECS, Founding President and Chief Executive Officer John Dougherty , Founding Dean , Founding Dean Jennifer Brown , CNT, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs , CNT, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Michael Rhodes , MD, Associate Dean for Medical Affairs , MD, Associate Dean for Medical Affairs Jeff Bate, MBA, Chief Financial Office Speaking to the Board, Gibson said, "The proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine will be vital for the community, the state, and the world. I'm looking forward to working with each of you on the Board who will sacrifice and donate your time to make this medical school a great school." One of the key goals of the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine is to help increase the supply of doctors in the region. According to studies by the Association of American Medical Colleges, Utah is ranked 49th in the nation for active patient care, primary care physicians per 100,000 population and 44th in the nation for active physicians per 100,000. Utah is ranked 44th among all states in the number of MD and DO student enrollments with most Utah resident medical students leaving the state to pursue their medical degrees. "As a state we are growing at a very fast pace," said Gibson. "We already know students will stay and work where they are educated. This school will give Utah students an opportunity to receive a medical education they can use to provide healthcare to people throughout the state." The appointed executive staff and Board will now focus on the accreditation process as construction begins on the proposed medical school campus. The architect for the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine is MHTN Architects based in Salt Lake City. The construction project is managed by Westland Construction based in Orem, Utah. About the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine The proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine would be an independent and freestanding institution overseen by a governing Board of Trustees located in Provo, Utah. Founded and located in Provo, Utah in June 1998, Wasatch Educational will manage the development of the proposed Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine. www.wasatcheducational.com. Wasatch Educational is the holding company of Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. The mission of Wasatch Educational is to promote and develop healthcare education institutions. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005760/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Peeks Social Receives iOS approval and Relisting to App Store TORONTO, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Peeks Social Ltd. (TSXV:PEEK) (OTCQB:PKSLF) (Peeks Social or the Company) is pleased to announce that the Peeks App has been approved by Apple and is once again available for download in the Apple Store. In addition to returning to the Apple Store, the Company is also pleased to announce that it has successfully negotiated with Apple the use of 3rd party payment processing services for purchases on the Peeks Platform. Previously Peeks was obligated to use Apple's in-app purchases at a cost of 30% per transaction and funds settlement period of 45 days. The high cost of in-app payments and the long settlement periods had resulted in a poor quality of service to users and a significant number of user complaints. Similarly, the Company has also migrated approximately 80% of its Android traffic from Google in-app payments to 3rd party payment processing services. Google's fees and settlement periods for in-app payments are similar to Apple; a such the benefits to the Company by virtue of moving to 3rd party payment processing services will be comparable. The new payment processing services cost the Company 2.8% to 10% as opposed to 30%. Settlement periods are typically 2 business days or less. This provides the Company the ability to pay broadcasters more quickly and to provide users discounts on the purchase of content. Long payout cycles have been the main cause of broadcaster complaints and the main hindrance to rapid growth of the business. The faster settlement periods are allowing the Company to get caught up on backlogged broadcaster payouts and facilitating faster payouts to broadcasters. It is managements expectation that the user adoption curve as a result of migrating to 3rd party payment processing services, will result in a temporary decline in transaction volume on the Peeks Platform, followed by a subsequent increase in transaction volume. It is also managements expectation that faster payouts to broadcasters and lower fees to viewers will result in significantly greater broadcaster retention, and subsequently; to a significant increase in overall spending on the Peeks Platform. The Companys operating margin will also significantly increase as a result of lower payment processing fees. Annual General and Special Meeting The Company will be holding its Annual General and Special Meeting on May 31, 2019. Details of location and time will be released once the company finalizes arrangements. David Vinokurov Director Investor Relations [email protected] 416-716-9281 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Delaware Innovation Space Receives $3+ Million Investment to Support Its Mission of Advancing Science-Based Start-Ups Delaware Innovation Space announced today that it has received $3 million in funding from National Development Council (NDC), through a start-up innovation loan program established with Discover Bank, along with an additional $225,000 operating grant from Discover Bank, to help fulfill its mission of transforming science-driven start-ups into industry-leading companies focused on creating products and technologies that will enhance and expand everyday living. Founded in 2017, Delaware Innovation Space was created to accelerate the formation and growth of new science-based start-up companies. Today, the Innovation Space is working with more than 20 different early stage companies in areas such as developing life saving therapeutics, enabling the next generation of alternative energy, and creating new materials for industrial applications and consumer electronics. "Our partnership with NDC and Discover Bank is a shining example of how working together can help accelerate the development of critical innovation capabilities and entrepreneurial infrastructure," said Delaware Innovation Space President and CEO William D. Provine. "The work of Delaware Innovation Space will enable more science-driven start-ups to flourish and ultimately expand the economic base in Delaware." The funding will enable Delaware Innovation Space to better serve start-ups by supporting infrastructure improvements, equipment investments and enhance operational performance.Collectively, these actions will stimulate and grow the overall operations of Delaware Innovation Space in support of job creation in the fields of industrial biotechnology, advanced materials, renewable energy, chemical ingredients, nutrition and healthcare. "Delaware is a great place to start a business and Discover Bank is proud to help Delaware Innovation Space create opportunities for young businesses to incubate and thrive," said Discover Bank President James J. Roszkowski. "This investment is one of the ways in which we help to develop our community and we look forward to the impact it will have on the State's economy." "When our long-time financial partner, Discover Bank, asked us to join them in supporting the Delaware Innovation Space, we jumped at the chance to support this great opportunity," said National Development Council President and CEO Daniel Marsh. "With funding obtained through Discover Bank to support Delaware based businesses and non-profits focused on assisting entrepreneurs, we were able to provide a long-term loan on very favorable and patient terms to allow the Delaware Innovation Space to attract and nurture science-based start-ups and create the future that includes even more good-paying jobs." Delaware Innovation Space is a non-profit corporation, incubator, and accelerator for scientific entrepreneurship, based in Wilmington, Del. and located on the campus of the Experimental Station. Formed from a partnership between the State of Delaware, DuPont and the University of Delaware, it is a catalyst for the growth of science-based businesses, providing entrepreneurs with state-of-the-art research space, business training and tools as they progress their ideas from concepts to commercial realities. The National Development Council's work focuses on HOMES, JOBS and COMMUNITY. Founded as a national nonprofit in 1969, NDC proudly fulfills its mission to increase the flow of capital for investment in low-income communities. NDC directs capital to support the development and preservation of affordable housing, the creation of jobs through training and small business lending and the advancement of livable communities through investment in social infrastructure. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005792/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Tackling Homelessness Through Digital Transformation: Palm Beach County Partners with Dharma Platform to More Effectively Aid the Most Vulnerable WASHINGTON, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- This past January, Palm Beach County, Florida's annual survey of homeless persons went digital for the first timea move that saved the county tens of thousands of hours in data collection and improved their outreach to vulnerable members of the community. Using a mobile application built on Dharma Platform, Palm Beach County officials were able to more rapidly measure and gain insights into the homeless population in their county. Every year, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development requires all counties to conduct a Point-in-Time survey of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons. These collected data are used to inform local resource planning and state and federal funding. But this year, instead of conducting these surveys using paper, spreadsheets, and manual data entry as usual, local volunteers and officials used Dharma Platform to create their own custom app that could function on any mobile device, offline or online, and would stream real-time data into a secure, privacy compliant cloud database. This digital transformation shortened their data collection time dramatically: from 2 weeks to a single day. And with these records digitally collected, officials could then analyze the data much more efficiently: their data management process shrank from more than 3 months to just 14 days. Officials also found the switch to new technology surprisingly easy. According to Keianna Pierre Louis "Local governments typically struggle with transitioning to new digital systems, but the partnership with Dharma Platform made it extremely easy to configure our own app, train our volunteers, and get data immediately into the hands of our team." But DharmaPlatform not only saved Palm Beach County officials' time, but it also allowed them to more quickly respond to the needs of homeless persons in their country. Louis reports, "Having results in days rather than months gave us tremendous insights into how we need to reallocate our resources to better serve our homeless population." This year's survey showed, for instance, that youth homelessness in the county increased for the third year in a row. While local officials were disappointed by this spike, they were grateful to more quickly learn about it. As Louis concluded, "[We] now can provide additional resources 3 months faster than last year. That means something." Dharma Platform was founded on the belief that good data can not only transform the work of impact-first organizations, it can save lives. Backed by TPG's Rise Fund, Dharma Platform allows non-technical users to rapidly design and deploy scalable web and mobile applications to collect and analyze dataanywhere, anytimeand quickly make informed decisions based on real-time ground truth; even with no connectivity. "Dharma Platform transforms 'small' data into impactful big data, allowing for quick action, especially for vulnerable populations like the Homeless," said Brian Dunlap of TPG. "Delivering measurable impact to address these types of societal challenges via leading technology is at the heart of the RISE fund." From active conflict zones to humanitarian crises and natural disasters, Dharma Platform is being used around-the-world in the most demanding environments for technology. The life-changing work of Dharma Platform's users has been featured in Nature, National Geographic, TechCrunch, and Scientific American. Media Contact: [email protected] Photo(s): https://www.prlog.org/12761373 Press release distributed by PRLog View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tackling-homelessness-through-digital-transformation-palm-beach-county-partners-with-dharma-platform-to-more-effectively-aid-the-most-vulnerable-300818763.html SOURCE Dharma Platform [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Government of Canada preparing young Canadians for tomorrow's jobs A million more young Canadians will have the opportunity to learn digital skills MISSISSAUGA, ON, March 26, 2019 /CNW/ - Digital skills like coding and the ability to work with new technologies will be fundamental for most workers in tomorrow's job market, whether they are farmers, computer programmers or floor workers. To prepare the next generation of Canadian workers to succeed in the increasingly global and digital economy, the Government of Canada is providing support to millions of young Canadians looking to improve their digital skills. Today, in Mississauga, the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, announced that the Government of Canada will help another one million young Canadians learn new digital skills by investing $60 million in CanCode, as first outlined in Budget 2019. CanCode gives students from kindergarten to grade 12 the opportunity to learn digital skills, like coding, data analytics and digital content development. CanCode also provides Canadian teachers with the know-how to incorporate new digital skills and technologies into their classrooms, and it encourages more young women, Indigenous Canadians and other under-represented groups to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. To date, over 1.3 million students and 61,000 teachers have participated in anCode activities. With this new funding, CanCode aims to provide an additional one million Canadian students and teachers with training by March 2021. Budget 2019's funding is in addition to the $50 million from Budget 2017, for a total investment of $110 million. CanCode is one of many Budget 2019 investments that aim to prepare young Canadians for their future, helping them succeed for years to come. Quotes "Young Canadians will drive our economic success for years to come. We must give them the tools to succeed in their careers and to participate in their communities. Our investments to teach them digital skills and make higher education more affordable will help them transition successfully from classrooms to research labs, shop floors or boardrooms." The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Quick facts The program will be accepting applications from not-for-profit organizations incorporated in Canada . They must have a minimum of three years of experience delivering digital skills programs to young Canadians and/or teachers. . They must have a minimum of three years of experience delivering digital skills programs to young Canadians and/or teachers. The deadline for applications for project funding is April 30, 2019 . Associated links Budget 2019 Investing in Young Canadians CanCode Stay connected Find more services and information at Canada.ca/ISED. Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on social media. Twitter: @ISED_CA, Facebook: CanadianInnovation, Instagram: @CDNinnovation and LinkedIn SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] President Moon Jae-in held a summit with King Philippe of Belgium on Tuesday to discuss ways to bolster bilateral cooperation in a mutually beneficial and future-oriented manner. During their meeting in Seoul, they assessed increased cooperation in such areas as chemistry, pharmaceuticals and logistics, and agreed to expand the level of cooperation into new sectors, including bio, smart city and startup, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said. King Philippe arrived Monday on a four-day state visit, becoming the first Belgian king to visit South Korea in 27 years. He previously visited Seoul four times as the crown prince of Belgium. The president also appealed for Belgium's continued support for his peace initiative with North Korea, noting Brussels currently serves as a rotating nonpermanent member of the U.N. Security Council. Moon expressed gratitude to Belgium's support for its efforts to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula, and in return, King Philippe pledged efforts to continue his country's cooperation in the process for peace, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Since the two nations established their diplomatic ties in 1901, they have maintained a friendly relationship. The two leaders also positively assessed an increase in bilateral trade and investment. Two-way trade between South Korea and Belgium came to US$4.7 billion in 2018, up more than 14 percent from $4.1 billion a year earlier. King Philippe plans to meet National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang and attend a business forum involving Korean and Belgian businesspeople. Moon will host a state dinner for King Philippe and Queen Mathilde at the presidential office. (Yonhap) [March 26, 2019] Booz Allen Announces New Jobs in Ohio Booz Allen Hamilton (News - Alert) (NYSE: BAH) announced it expects to bring 60 new jobs to Ohio by 2021 and build a new digital hub in the state to house its growing technical workforce. The digital hub will include secure facilities and be part of Booz Allen's Digital Solutions Network, which is comprised of digital strategists and technologists across the firm that research, design and collaborate to help solve complex challenges for business, government and military clients. Booz Allen will add a variety of high-skilled jobs in the Dayton region including software developers, data scientists, cybersecurity engineers, scrum masters, analysts, and systems administrators. Salaries for the new employees will vary by position and experience. Booz Allen provides a variety of high-demand digital solutions, engineering, cybersecurity, analytics, and consulting services and has work sites throughout Ohio and globally. The addition of these new software, cyber and engineering jobs will enable the company to continue tackling the complex challenges of today and the future, leveraging innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, machine learning, augmented and virtual reality, cloud, the Internet of Things (IoT) and modern techniques including user-centered design, Agile (News - Alert) and DevSecOps to create more efficient and effective solutions for clients. "New trends in technology, culture, partnership and innovation are shaping an advanced era of digital transformation for our clients, and the possibilities are endless," said Julie McPherson, senior vice president and head of digital solutions at Booz Allen. "With this addition of high-tech talent and a new digital hub in Beavercreek, we have even more capacity to help innovate, collaborate and support our clients' demand for transformative technology" "Booz Allen has a strong presence in Ohio and the Dayton area provides a diverse talent pool that brings tremendous value to our clients," said Rick Holley, senior vice president at Booz Allen. "We're proud of the workforce we've built in the Dayton area and we look forward to further drawing on the region's highly skilled residents, vibrant business community, and close proximity to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which make it an essential hub for supporting mission-critical work." The company's expansion will open new opportunities for veterans who are transitioning from the military and seeking high-impact, mission-focused careers, as well as military spouses with diverse skillsets. Booz Allen has been recognized as a "Best Employer for Veterans" by Forbes Magazine, "Best of the Best" Veteran-Friendly Company by U.S. Veterans Magazine and "Top Military-Friendly Employer" by GI Jobs Magazine. It has also been named a "Best for Vets" Employer by Military Times for four consecutive years and one of Working Mother's "100 Best Companies" for 20 consecutive years. "Booz Allen Hamilton has a record of success in Ohio, and we are thrilled it chose to expand its cyber and digital operations in our region," said Ted Griffith, JobsOhio managing director for information technology. "We look forward to Booz Allen Hamilton adding new software development jobs to its Ohio workforce, where its talented associates will continue to support software, cybersecurity and engineering solutions for its customers." "Booz Allen Hamilton plays a critical role in our country's national defense, partnering with the U.S. Air Force and others to provide essential support to our nation's war fighters through their work at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and beyond," said Jeff Hoagland, president and CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition. "We're grateful for their proposed investment in the Dayton region and look forward to continuing to support their growth in our community." To learn more about open positions at Booz Allen, visit careers.boozallen.com. About Booz Allen For more than 100 years, business, government, and military leaders have turned to Booz Allen Hamilton to solve their most complex problems. They trust us to bring together the right minds: those who devote themselves to the challenge at hand, who speak with relentless candor, and who act with courage and character. They expect original solutions where there are no roadmaps. They rely on us because they know that-together-we will find the answers and change the world. We solve the most difficult management and technology problems through a combination of consulting, analytics, digital solutions, engineering, and cyber expertise. With global headquarters in McLean, Virginia, our firm employs approximately 24,600 people globally, and had revenue of $6.17 billion for the 12 months ended March 31, 2018. To learn more, visit www.boozallen.com. (NYSE: BAH) BAHPR-GI View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005852/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Wells Fargo Donates $325,000 to Midwest Flood Relief Efforts Recent flooding in the Midwest has had a devastating effect on local communities. Reflecting its commitment to local communities and residents, Wells Fargo (News - Alert) & Company (NYSE: WFC) today announced a donation of $325,000 to aid in the flood relief efforts. The Wells Fargo Foundation will donate $250,000 to the American Red Cross* for immediate needs and an additional $75,000 will be distributed to local nonprofits to aid with the recovery in affected communities. "Our thoughts are with all of our neighbors in the Midwest who are grappling with the aftermath of recent floods," said Jon Campbell, president of the Wells Fargo Foundation. "The effect to homeowners, businesses and farmers is distressing, and Wells Fargo is committed to supporting relief efforts in the days and weeks to come." Customers who are experiencing hardship due to the flooding can contact Wells Fargo Customer Support at the number on their credit cards, debit cards or statements to discuss their options. Affected customers can also contact their banker by visiting their nearest Wells Fargo branch. Wells Fargo customers who wish to support the American Red Cross relief efforts for Midwest tornadoes and floods may donate through Wells Fargo ATMs located in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin through April 3. Customers can also redeem any amount of available Go Far Rewards fr donation through April 4. There is no fee for ATM donations, and 100 percent of contributions will be sent to the American Red Cross. Go Far Rewards customers can access their rewards account at GoFarRewards.wf.com or by calling the service center, 877-517-1358. About Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo's vision is to satisfy our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 7,800 locations, more than 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 37 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 259,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 26 on Fortune's 2018 rankings of America's largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories. * The American Red Cross name, emblem and copyrighted materials are being used with its permission, which in no way constitutes an endorsement, express or implied, of any product, service, company, opinion or political position. The American Red Cross logo is a registered trademark owned by The American National Red Cross. For more information about the American Red Cross, please visit redcross.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005856/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Global Smart Metering-as-a-Service Markets to 2027: Major Cloud Providers Such as Microsoft and Amazon to Play a Key Role DUBLIN, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Managed Services: Smart Metering-as-a-Service (2018 - 2027)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The outsourcing of physical and operational aspects of a smart metering system to third parties, a model known as managed services, has been growing in popularity over the past decade. At the most basic level, managed services can be Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), in which software applications that support advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) are cloud -hosted by the vendor and used on a subscription-basis. In more comprehensive service agreements, operational responsibility for the AMI system is also entrusted to a vendor in what is called Smart Metering -as-a-Service (SMaaS). At the end of the spectrum, full managed services-often called Infrastructure as-a-Service (IaaS)-is the complete delivery of AMI as a service, including the leasing of physical infrastructure which remains owned by the vendor. Service-based solutions confront many of the challenges that are encountered in smart meter deployments. Entrusting data to a highly competent third-party vendor usually provides more security than can be accomplished by the utility alone. Deployment time can be cut in half when IT infrastructure is hosted in the cloud, while in house staff does not need to be trained to operate the complex new systems. Perhaps most importantly, managed services can help mitigate the significant upfront costs of smart metering systems. Service-based offerings convert costs from an upfront capital investment to a recurring operational expense. This opens the door for utilities that cannot make such a large initial investment. These utilities, usually smaller in size, do not have the be nefit of economies of scale. In essence, they are borrowing economies of scale from vendors. One key barrier to the spread of managed services is the current regulatory framework in many markets. Many utilities-particularly in the US re still regulated under the traditional cost-of-service model in which SaaS and other service-based investments are treated as O&M and not capital investments. There is a disincentive against those service-based solutions that can replace inefficient, outdated capital equipment. Regulatory revision is needed for managed services solutions to be considered solely on their merits rather than their accounting classification. Regulators in California, New York, and Illinois are exploring new mechanisms to accelerate the acceptance of services in the utility industry, but it will likely be a gradual process. Managed services give a glimpse into where the industry is headed, how those utilities that have yet to deploy smart meters can do so, and how those that have completed deployments can extract greater value from their investments. It will also be beneficial for vendors as the service model provides longer-term relationships and recurring revenue. Several major metering vendors are pivoting to a services-oriented business model in which smart meters are one feature of a larger, services -based package. Managed services have opened the door to new potential customers and new possibilities for existing customers. Only a small share of smart meters are currently operated under these service contracts, but that figure is expected to increase over the next decade. Thanks to these innovative business models, the full value of smart metering-made possible by decades of technological advances-can soon be achieved on a wider scale. A wide array of vendors from different segments of the market have developed service solutions for utilities. Nearly all have cloud software solutions while the fully managed AMI solutions are offered by larger metering vendors and system integrators. Major cloud providers such as Microsoft and Amazon also play a key role in IT hosting. The next ten years should determine how strong a pivot metering vendors will make to a service-oriented business strategy, a process that for many vendors has already begun. Key questions answered in this study: How large will the global managed services market for smart metering (electricity, water and gas) be over the next decade? What constitutes managed services and what forms does the model take? Which utilities are best suited to managed services offerings? What is the vendor landscape, who are the leading vendors and what service-based solutions are currently on the market? Key Topics Covered: Executive summary 1. Managed services overview 1.1 What are managed services? 1.2 Benefits of managed services 1.3 Regulatory status 1.4 Drivers 1.5 Barriers 2. Managed services activity to date 3. Market forecast 3.1 EMEA 3.2 Americas 3.3 Asia-Pacific 4. Vendor landscape 5. Appendix Companies Mentioned Amazon Microsoft For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/njnzk9/global_smart?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 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-smart-metering-as-a-service-markets-to-2027-major-cloud-providers-such-as-microsoft-and-amazon-to-play-a-key-role-300817643.html SOURCE Research and Markets [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] SERVPRO, Leading Franchisor of Residential and Commercial Property Damage Restoration Services, Announces Recapitalization and Long-Term Partnership with Blackstone SERVPRO and Blackstone (NYSE:BX) announced today that private equity funds managed by Blackstone ("Blackstone") have recapitalized SERVPRO, a leading franchisor of residential and commercial property damage restoration services. Blackstone is acquiring a majority stake in SERVPRO as part of Blackstone's Core Private Equity strategy, which is designed to hold investments for longer periods of time than traditional private equity. The Isaacson family will be re-investing alongside Blackstone and will continue to be significant shareholders in the business going forward. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1967 by the Isaacson family, SERVPRO is a leading national franchisor, providing services in both residential and commercial property mitigation, restoration and reconstruction following damage related to water, fire, mold or storm activity. Since its founding, SERVPRO has now grown to over 1,700 franchisees in the United States and Canada. Rick Isaacson, SERVPRO CEO, said, "We are thrilled about this long-term investment from Blackstone and the strategic benefits its global platform can provide the company, our franchisees, and our customers. SERVPRO was founded over 50 years ago with the vision of becoming the premier cleaning and restoration company, and we believe this partnership with Blackstone is a vital next step towards this goal." Peter Wallace, Senior Managing Director at Blackstone, said, "We are excited to make this investment and join together with the Isaacsons and te SERVPRO team as long-term growth partners. We believe the additional capital and extensive network of relationships that Blackstone can bring to bear will benefit not only SERVPRO, but its more than 1,700 franchisees and its customers." David Kestnbaum, Managing Director at Blackstone, said, "SERVPRO is a high-quality company with a strong management team and great long-term prospects. We look forward to working with SERVPRO and its franchisees to help fuel the business' next phase of growth. As one of the largest owners of residential, office, retail, hotel, and industrial real estate in the world, Blackstone has unique expertise and insights into a broad array of properties that are relevant to SERVPRO." Harris Williams is acting as financial advisor to SERVPRO with respect to the transaction and Bass, Berry & Sims PLC is acting as SERVPRO's legal counsel. Jefferies, Credit Suisse, and Deutsche Bank Securities provided debt financing for the transaction and served as financial advisors to Blackstone. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is acting as Blackstone's legal counsel. 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. SERVPRO's 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. About Blackstone Blackstone is one of the world's leading investment firms. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our asset management businesses, with $472 billion in assets under management, include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow Blackstone on Twitter (News - Alert) @Blackstone. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005924/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] AXA Equitable Holdings Announces Board of Director Appointments AXA Equitable Holdings, Inc. ("AXA Equitable Holdings") (NYSE: EQH), a leading financial services company comprised of two principal franchises -- AXA Equitable Life and AllianceBernstein -- today announced new appointments to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. These actions follow the successful close of AXA S.A.'s ("AXA") third offering of shares of AXA Equitable Holdings common stock on March 25, 2019 which moved AXA to a minority shareholding position. AXA Equitable Holdings named Ramon de Oliveira as the independent Chairman of the AXA Equitable Holdings and AllianceBernstein Boards of Directors. Mr. de Oliveira has held a variety of board positions with subsidiaries of the company since 2011, and currently serves on the AXA Equitable Holdings and AllianceBernstein boards. He is a founder of the consulting firm Investment Audit Practice. Throughout his distinguished career, Mr. de Oliveira held senior positions at J.P. Morgan & Co. He founded and led J.P. Morgan Global Equities and served as Chairman and CEO of J.P. Morgan Investment Management and Private Bank. "Today's announcement reflects a thoughtful and deliberate process to establish independent governance and best position AXA Equitable Holdings to continue to achieve our strategic objectives and deliver value for our shareholders," said Mark Pearson, AXA Equitable Holdings President and Chief Executive Officer. "I look forward to partnering with Ramon and the talented individuals across our boards who are leaders in their respective fields and provide us with in-depth and diverse expertise across a broad range of disciplines." The company announced subsidiary board members Kristi Matus and Bertram Scott will join the AXA Equitable Holdings Board of Directors. With these appointments, the AXA Equitable Holdings Board is now comprised of a majority of independent directors. Ms. Matus currently is an Executive Advisor at Thomas H. Lee Partners. She previously served as the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer at athenahealth, Inc. Ms. Matus' deep industry experience includes leadership positions at Aetn, having served as the Executive Vice President of Government Services, and as Chief Financial Officer for USAA and President of USAA's Life Insurance and Investment Services businesses. Mr. Scott is Senior Vice President of population health management at Novant Health, Inc. He brings broad industry experience to this appointment with previous roles as President and CEO of Affinity Health Plan and President of the U.S. Commercial business at CIGNA. In addition, Mr. Scott held senior management positions at leading organizations including TIAA-CREF, Horizon Mercy Health Plan and Prudential Insurance Company. Consistent with the shareholder agreement between AXA Equitable Holdings and AXA, the company announced Karima Silvent, AXA Global Head of Human Resources, and Bertrand Poupart-Lafarge, AXA France Chief Financial Officer, will depart from the AXA Equitable Holdings Board of Directors. In addition to the appointments to the AXA Equitable Holdings Board, the company announced Charles Stonehill, Jeffrey Hurd and Nick Lane will join the AllianceBernstein Board of Directors. All changes to the AllianceBernstein Board of Directors will take effect April 1, 2019. Mr. Stonehill currently serves on the AXA Equitable Holdings and AXA Equitable Life Boards of Directors. He brings more than 40 years of experience in investment banking and capital markets having held senior leadership positions such as Global Head of Lazard Capital Markets, Head of Investment Banking for the Americas of Credit Suisse First Boston and as Head of European Equities and Equity Capital Markets at Morgan Stanley. Mr. Stonehill is the founding partner of Green & Blue Advisors. Mr. Hurd is the Chief Operating Officer at AXA Equitable Holdings and a member of its Management Committee. He amassed deep industry experience during his nearly 20-year tenure at AIG having served as the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Human Resources Officer, Chief Administrative Officer and Head of Asset Management Restructuring. In addition, he was the Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel for AIG Investments and the interim CEO of AIG Global Real Estate. Mr. Hurd has held a variety of board positions including United Guaranty Corporation, a leading mortgage insurer, and the post-IPO board of AIA Group, a top insurance company in Southeast Asia. Mr. Lane is President of AXA Equitable Life with responsibility for the company's commercial business lines and a member of the AXA Equitable Holdings' Management Committee. He has held a variety of leadership roles since joining the company in 2005 including overseeing global strategy for AXA Group, running its asset management business and, most recently, serving as the CEO of AXA Japan. Mr. Lane has previously served on the boards of AllianceBernstein, AXA Investment Managers, AXA Private Equity and AXA Real Estate Management. AXA Equitable Holdings Chief Financial Officer Anders Malmstrom will depart the AllianceBernstein Board after two years of service to focus on the strategic finance initiatives commensurate with AXA Equitable Holdings' newly independent profile. Denis Duverne, Chairman of the Board of Directors of AXA, and Robert Zoellick, the Non-Executive Chairman of the AllianceBernstein Board, will also depart from the AllianceBernstein Board of Directors. Seth Bernstein, President and Chief Executive Officer of AllianceBernstein, together with Mark Pearson said, "On behalf of the AllianceBernstein Board, we would like to thank Denis and Bob for their significant contributions to the company. Denis has served with distinction for 23 years and we are grateful for his leadership. And we extend our sincere appreciation to Bob who brought us a valuable global perspective and has been instrumental in guiding AllianceBernstein through a time of significant change." About AXA Equitable Holdings AXA Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EQH) is one of the leading financial services companies in the U.S. and is comprised of two complementary and well-established principal franchises, AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company and AllianceBernstein. We have been helping clients prepare for their financial future since 1859 and have a combined total of more than 12,500 employees and financial professionals, 5.3 million customer relationships and $619 billion of assets under management (as of 12/31/2018). About AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company ("AXA Equitable Life") AXA Equitable Life is a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of AXA Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EQH). Founded in 1859, the company is one of America's leading financial services providers with 2.8 million customers and more than $196 billion of assets under management (as of 12/31/2018). AXA Equitable Life's mission is to help people retire with dignity, protect their families and prepare for their financial futures with confidence. About AllianceBernstein AllianceBernstein includes both AllianceBernstein L.P. ("ABLP") and AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. AllianceBernstein is a leading global investment management firm that offers high-quality research and diversified investment services to institutional investors, individuals and private wealth clients in major world markets. As of December 31, 2018, including both the general partnership and limited partnership interests in ABLP, AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. owned approximately 35.6% of ABLP and AXA Equitable Holdings, directly and through various subsidiaries, owned an approximate 65.2% economic interest in ABLP. Additional information about AllianceBernstein may be found on its website, www.alliancebernstein.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326005996/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] TPT Global Tech Secures $1.7M Debt Financing First Quarter 2019 SAN DIEGO, March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TPT Global Tech (OTCQB:TPTW) is pleased to announce that TPT Global Tech, Inc. (the Company) consummated a Securities Purchase Agreement dated March 18, 2019 with Auctus Fund, LLC. (Auctus) for the purchase of a $600,000 Convertible Promissory Note (Convertible Promissory Note). The Convertible Promissory Note is due December 18, 2019, pays interest at the rate of 12% per annum and gives the holder the right from time to time, and at any time during the period beginning 180 days from the origination date or at the effective date of the registration of the underlying shares of common stock, which the holder has registration rights for, to convert all of the outstanding balance into common stock of the Company limited to 4.99% of the outstanding common stock of the Company. The conversion price is 50% multiplied by the average of the two lowest trading prices for the common stock during the previous 25 trading days prior to the applicable conversion date. The Convertible Promissory Note may be prepaid in full at 135% to 150% up to 180 days from origination. As part of the transaction, Auctus was issued 2,000,000 warrants to purchase 2,000,000 common shares of the Company at 70% of the current market price. Current market price means the average of the three lowest trading prices for our common stock during the ten-trading day period ending on the latest complete trading day prior to the date of the respective exercis notice. However, if the registration statement described above is declared effective on or before June 11, 2019, then, while such Registration Statement is effective, the current market price shall mean the lowest volume weighted average price for our common stock during the ten-trading day period ending on the last complete trading day prior to the conversion date. During the three months ended March 31, 2019, the Company has entered into agreements for approximately $1.7 million in debt funding of which $822,000 has been funded. $68,000 of this was recently funded in a convertible promissory note transaction with Geneva Roth Remark Holdings, Inc. for which the Company issued a Form 8-K dated March 19, 2019. Remaining unfunded amounts can only be funded at the approval of the third party debt holders. This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of various provisions of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, commonly identified by such terms as "believes," "looking ahead," "anticipates," "estimates" and other terms with similar meaning. Specifically, any statements about the Company's plans for accelerated growth, improved profitability, future business partners, M&A activity, new service offerings and pursuit of new markets are "forward looking statements." Although the company believes that the assumptions upon which its forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these assumptions will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements should not be construed as fact. The information contained in such statements is beyond the ability of the Company to control, and in many cases the Company cannot predict what factors would cause results to differ materially from those indicated in such statements. All forward-looking statements in the press release are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements and by reference to the underlying assumptions. About TPT Global Tech TPT Global Tech Inc. (OTC:TPTW) based in San Diego, California, is a Technology/Telecommunications Media Content Hub for Domestic and International syndication and also provides Technology solutions to businesses domestically and worldwide. TPT Global offers Software as a Service (SaaS), Technology Platform as a Service (PaaS), Cloud-based Unified Communication as a Service (UCaaS) and carrier-grade performance and support for businesses over its private IP MPLS fiber and wireless network in the United States. TPT's cloud-based UCaaS services allow businesses of any size to enjoy all the latest voice, data, media and collaboration features in today's global technology markets. TPT's also operates as a Master Distributor for Nationwide Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) and Independent Sales Organization (ISO) as a Master Distributor for Pre-Paid Cellphone services, Mobile phones Cellphone Accessories and Global Roaming Cellphones. Richard Eberhardt 702-556-7096 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] UnitedHealthcare Awards San Diego Food Bank $375,000 Grant to Address Food Insecurity UnitedHealthcare awarded the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank a $375,000 grant to help address food insecurity, modernize the food bank's database systems and connect San Diegans countywide to vital community services, including housing and employment services. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326006009/en/ Alejandra Sotelo-Solis, Mayor of National City, joins Kevin Kandalaft, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of California, and James Floros, CEO of the San Diego Food Bank, to announce UnitedHealthcare's $375,000 grant to the San Diego Food Bank to address food insecurity in San Diego County (Photo courtesy of UnitedHealthcare). "One in seven San Diegans struggles with food insecurity, meaning almost half a million people, from children to seniors, might not know where their next meal is coming from," said James Floros, CEO, San Diego Food Bank. "This grant will increase the availability of nutritious food options and enhance Food Bank client dignity with improved database systems that reduce wait times and registration redundancies." The grant will help the San Diego Food Bank expand its Feeding Everyone with Equity & Dignity (FEED) database pilot program - currently used at 82 Food Bank sites - to an additional 50 sites this year. Through the expansion, the food bank will support the delivery of more than 10 million pounds of food. Since its implementation, FEED has reduced the food bank's wait times from a few hours to 20 minutes or less and has streamlined the registration process for Food Bank clients. "We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with San Diego Food Bank to address hunger-related issues and other social determinants of health in the county," said Kevin Kandalaft, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Comunity Plan of California. "This grant supports the food bank's capacity to provide nutritious food and direct resources to vulnerable San Diegans to help them live healthier lives." San Diego Food Bank clients visiting select sites will be issued a personalized food ID card, similar to a library card, to eliminate repeat registration requirements across multiple sites. For example, once issued an ID card, clients can access food at other Food Bank sites using the database without having to provide basic household information or complete duplicate paperwork. The grant will also help the San Diego Food Bank enhance its 2-1-1 Community Information Exchange (CIE), which connects people to vital community services. More than 114,000 additional clients will be empowered with greater access to tools from CIE partners for needs including housing, legal help and employment services. The announcement was made by Kevin Kandalaft and James Floros during a press conference at Friendships for Hope, a food distribution site in National City. San Diego Food Bank teams demonstrated the use of the new ID card, and employee volunteers from UnitedHealthcare helped hundreds of community members in the food distribution line as they registered for their new ID cards. UnitedHealthcare has launched community initiatives and participated in numerous public-private partnerships nationwide to address various social determinants of health including food insecurity, access to transportation, and safe and affordable housing. About UnitedHealthcare UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. In the United States, UnitedHealthcare offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 1.2 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,500 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. The company also provides health benefits and delivers care to people through owned and operated health care facilities in South America. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com/ or follow @UHC on Twitter (News - Alert). About the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank Established in 1977, the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank is a critical component to the welfare of San Diego County, providing food to people in need, advocating for the hungry and educating the public about hunger-related issues. Through a combination of programs and partnerships with more than 500 San Diego County nonprofit charities, the Food Bank acts as a central repository and distribution point for donated food. The Food Bank distributed 28 million pounds of food in the Financial Year 2017-2018 to individuals, families and a network of nonprofit organizations that work to alleviate hunger throughout the county. Visit the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank at: www.sandiegofoodbank.org. Click here to subscribe to Mobile Alerts for UnitedHealth Group. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326006009/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 26, 2019] Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP Announces the Filing of a Securities Class Action on Behalf of Avon Products, Inc. Investors Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM"), a national investors rights law firm, announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of investors that acquired Avon Products, Inc. ("Avon" or the "Company") (NYSE: AVP) securities between August 2, 2016 and August 2, 2017, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Avon investors have until April 15, 2019 to file a lead plaintiff motion. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. If you wish to learn more about this action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Lesley Portnoy, Esquire, at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, or by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. On August 3, 2017, Avon issued a press release announcing its second quarter 2017 financial results and held a conference call to discuss the results. The Company reported a net loss of $0.12 per share and a 3% decline in active representatives. Avon also reported that Brazil revenue was "down 2% in constant dollars, primarily driven by a decrease in Active Representatives." On the call, Avon's Chief Financial Officer acknowledged that, despite Avon's earlier representations, the remedial actions in Brazil (i.e., stricter credit terms applied to recruiting new representatives) were negatively impacting active representatives and revenue in Brazil. On this news, shares of Avon fell $0.36, or 10.71%, to close at $3.00 per share on August 3, 2017, thereby injuring investors. The Complaint filed in this class action alleges that Defendants made materially false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Avon was engaged in an undisclosed scheme whereby it significantly loosened its credit terms in order to recruit new representatives in Brazil, its largest market; (2) its specific credit terms in Brazil; (3) Avon failed to increase its allowance for doubtful accounts to account for the changes to its credit terms in Brazil; and (4) as a result of these concealments, Avon stock was trading at artificially inflated prices throughout the class period. Follow us for updates on Twitter (News - Alert): twitter.com/GPM_LLP. If you purchased shares of Avon during the Class Period you may move the Court no later than April 15, 2019 to ask the Court to appoint you as lead plaintiff. To be a member of the Class you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the Class. If you wish to learn more about this action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Lesley Portnoy, Esquire, of GPM, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles California 90067 at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190326006020/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]